Excerpts from the history of Michael Bennett

Michael comes to the United States at an age of about 21 years, perhaps in 1849. The port of origin is unknown. Although documentation is not available, he probably comes into the port of New York from Europe. In New York he may have spent some time working to earn passage on ships going to San Francisco. In any event, we find him aboard the vessel, Columbus leaving New York on February 12, 1850. Overland routes to the West Coast were very treacherous at that time and very time consuming. The trip by ship may have been influenced by the 1849 gold rush at Sutters Mill as many were attracted to this part of the United States at that time. No family records are available and one can only make conjectures as to why he wanted to go to San Francisco at this particular time. The ship log for the Columbus indicates the “vessel was crowded beyond limits of comfort”. One can only imagine the discomforts and conditions aboard ship on this voyage. The Columbus arrived in San Francisco on June 6, 1850; a 114 day voyage from New York.
In 1855, five years after Michael arrived in San Francisco, a young woman arrives in San Francisco from Prussia (Germany). The exact location of her origin is unknown. She is Bertha (Betsey) Ettinger. On September 6, 1855, Michael and Bertha (Betsy) are married. The circumstances of their acquaintanceship are not known, but we can only surmise that people from the same national origin and the same religion usually gathered in one neighborhood. According to the 1900 U.S. Census record for Los Angeles County and the city of Wilmington, Bertha Ettinger Bennett, was married to Michael Bennett the same year in which she arrived. They were both Jews from Prussia/Poland and Russia/Poland respectively. As was often the case, families may have known each other in the old country and arrangements made for family members to meet after arriving in America.
Whether before or after his marriage, Michael engages in boot and shoe making business. With this as a source of income, children begin to come forth, the first being, Louis, in 1858 while living in Oakland, California. Sometime after Louis is born, the family moves to San Francisco and a second child, Mary is born on 11 November 1859. ( Mary Bennett is the author’s great grandmother who later marries Robert Alexander Armstrong). The 1860 Federal Population Census shows that the Bennett’s are living in the First District of San Francisco with two children, Louis and Mary. The Bennetts are enumerated in a dwelling with two other individuals. The first is Louis Kraft, a stable keeper, having personal goods of value equal to $500. His place of birth is Baden (Germany). The second person is G.F. Metcalf, a boot and shoemaker, the value of his personal goods is $100 and he is born in Maryland. Michael also gives his occupation as boot and shoemaker with personal goods having a value of $100. On this record, both Michael and Betsey are noted as being born in Poland. The relationship of the above two persons with the Bennett family is not known. It appears that Michael and friend, Metcalf, may have been in business with the stable keeper as a saddlers, making harnesses or perhaps making riding boots. The full document can be downloaded at http://www.wsdstaff.net/~dbrooks/RHBrooksFiles/MBHist.doc
Other research records are also availabile at this link that may be of interest to the reader.

One will be able to read it as a PDF file at the PHPGedView web site at a later date.
RHB

Brooks Genealogy Blog: History of Hazel Vanessa Gibson

Brooks Genealogy Blog: History of Hazel Vanessa Gibsonhttp://www.wsdstaff.net/~dbrooks/RHBrooksFiles/HVGHist.doc

History of Hazel Vanessa Gibson

I've just completed a draft of the life of my mother, Hazel Vanessa Gibson. The draft will be available in the near future to those who have an interest in downloading it onto their computer. Here is an excerpt from her history, titled "I walked the Blues"
"In 1922 my father decided to take a long trip to Oregon and California as he had always wanted to see this country and he decided that he should go before he got any older. He was at this time 60 years old. Our friends, Mr. and Mrs. Furnace wanted to do the same thing, so we planned the trip together. My father resigned his position with the government and we sold or stored all of our furniture and many of our belongings as all we could take with us was what we could take in our car. The travel speed for our car was about 15 to 20 miles per hour so it would take us days to travel an appreciable distance. I remember well crossing the Snake River at Glenns Ferry. We traveled about 50 to 75 miles each day, stopping each nigh along a river or some campground provided by the state for over night travelers. Our route was through Boise, Caldwell, Payette, Idaho and then Baker, Oregon. It was on my sister’s birthday (Bertha) that we stayed all night at Baker, 23 June 1922. We continued on to Walla Walla , Washington where we stayed for about a month. We picked boysen berries on a large berry ranch. We then headed back to LaGrande, Oregon as we planned to go on to the Willamette Valley near Portland where we were told there was lots of work for berry pickers. We stayed in LaGrande all night so as to cross the Blue Mountains in daylight as it was an all day trip over bad roads.
Lots of travelers were in the campground that night. They gathered around the campfire debating whether it would be safe to start out the next morning in as much as it had been raining and the roads were thought to be muddy and dangerous. Pendleton was about 50 miles from LaGrande so it would be an all day trip. It was with great excitement and apprehension that we started out the next morning. As debated the previous night we found steep narrow winding roads in very poor condition. We would often get stuck in the mud and we had to place large rocks under the wheels of the car to keep it from rolling back down a steep hill or off the side of the road. Ethel, Martha, Bertha and I walked almost all the way across the Blue Mountains. Mother and George were unable to walk so they stayed in the car with my father. It took us the entire day to make the trip as we arrived in Pendleton late that evening. We stayed in Pendleton that night and found that the city was getting ready the big Pendleton Roundup that is held each year."
And so indeed, she walked over the Blue Mountains from LaGrande to Pendleton.
The entire text and graphics may be read at: http://www.wsdstaff.net/~dbrooks/RHBrooksFiles/HVGHist.doc
RHB