Placer
County
Biographies
CHRISTIAN RUNCKEL
Christian Runckel, the
superintendent of schools at Dutch Flat, is one of the prominent educators of
Placer County. A sketch of his life is
therefore of interest in connection with biographical mention of other leading
and representative citizens of his town and county, and briefly, is as follows:
Christian Runckel was born in Dutch
Flat, Placer County, California, July 27, 1868, and is of German descent. His father, Justus Henry Runckel, was born in
Germany, January 13, 1832, of German parentage, and belonged to a mercantile
family, generation after generation, for a period of hundred and fifty years,
having been engaged in business at the same stand.
In 1852, leaving the business and
home of his forefathers, Justus H. Runckel immigrated to America, landing at
New York, where he remained until 1856, and that year came to California,
making the journey by way of the Isthmus of Panama. Upon his arrival in California, Mr. Runckel
engaged in mining on the middle fork of the American River, where he was fairly
successful. Mining, however, was not
suited to his tastes, and in 1857 he came to Dutch Flat and established himself
in a bakery and mercantile business, which he conducted successfully until he
retired in 1892. Also he was interested
in fruit growing on lands which he owned in the town site, apples and Bartlett
pears being his specialty, and most of his trees having been planted by his son
Christian. An ardent Democrat, the elder
Runckel was an active participant in the politics of the county, and
fraternally he for years maintained membership in the I. O. O. F., being
identified with both branches of the order and also with the order of
Rebekahs. In 1859 he married Miss Louisa
Held, like himself, a native of Germany, and of the eleven children born to
this worthy couple nine are still living.
The mother also is still living, and is in the enjoyment of excellent
health. The father departed this life in
1896, at the age of sixty-four years.
Christian Runckel was educated in
the public schools of his native town and in a private normal school in Auburn,
and began his life work as a teacher, when only nineteen years of age, at
Lowell Hill. For the past ten years he
has taught at Dutch Flat, where, at this writing, he holds the position of
superintendent of schools. Here, with
the valued assistance of the school board, he has been instrumental in bringing
the school interests of Dutch Flat up to a high standard. A new schoolhouse has been built, equipped
with all the modern appliances found in the up-to-date schools, and the
teachers work in harmony with their superintendent. It is a fact worthy of note that the county
superintendent paid Dutch Flat the compliment of having the best school
building in the county.
Like his father before him, Mr.
Runckel has taken an active interest in the politics of the county and keeps
himself as well posted on political matters as he does in educational
affairs. He was at one time the
candidate of the Democratic Party for the office of representative of his
county in the state assembly. Another
honor conferred upon him by his Party, and one which he esteemed more highly
was his nomination for state superintendent of education, but, although he made
a satisfactory run, he, with the rest of the ticket, was defeated. A county office which he now holds is that of
president of the board of education.
Mr. Runckel was the originator and
organizer of the Order of the American Flag, which has received a state
charter. The object of the organization
is to inculcate patriotism and a love for the civil liberty which the flag
represents, and also to inculcate a more thorough knowledge of the grand principles
on which a government by the people for the people rests.
In the midst of his other work Mr.
Runckel was for three years the editor of the Colfax Sentinel. Nowadays, when not occupied with his
educational work, Mr. Runckel busies himself among his fruits and flowers. He owns the pleasant home he occupies and a
fruit ranch.
He was married in 1894 to Miss
Sophia Cadwallader, a native of Nevada County and a
graduate of Napa College. Previous to
her marriage Mrs. Runckel was a successful teacher. They have a pleasant home in which interest
centers around two little ones, a son and daughter, Christian, Jr., and
Martha. Mr. Runckel and his wife are
identified respectively with the Native Sons of the Golden West and the Native
Daughters of the Golden West; he helped to organize the parlor in Dutch Flat,
and was its first president. He is also
a member of the I. O. O. F., and has passed all the chairs in both branches of
the order.
Transcribed by
Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
“A Volume of Memoirs and Genealogy of Representative Citizens of Northern
California”, Pages 361-363. Chicago Standard Genealogical Publishing Co. 1901.
© 2010
Gerald Iaquinta.