Biographies
HARRISON BENNETT
Long and honorable service in the Civil
War gives distinction to the life history of Mr. Bennett and entitles him to
the gratitude of all true patriots. When he was a young man, with his education
uncompleted and his life plans only vaguely outlined, the hidden depth of his
patriotic spirit was revealed by his instant desire to offer his services to
the Union at the outbreak of the Rebellion. It was thought at the time that the
trouble could be quelled in a very brief period,
therefore he was accepted for three months beginning May 1, 1861. His original
service was as a private in Company B, First Michigan Infantry. Later he
re-enlisted as sergeant in Company G of the same regiment which was assigned to
the army of the Potomac, where one year later he was promoted to hospital
steward. Among his engagements were the first battle of Bull Run, the Peninsular campaign, the battle of Gettysburg, the second
contest at Bull Run, Fredericksburg and the Wilderness. From time to time he
was promoted and held the commission of first lieutenant when he was discharged
at Louisville, Ky., July 9, 1865, after his third enlistment, being mustered
out of the service by reason of the close of the war.
The Bennett family is of old Eastern
ancestry. Isaac B., a native of Wayne county, N. Y., grew to manhood in that
part of the state and there married Sibyl La Due, who was of French and German
parentage. The young couple left their friends and relatives and sought the
cheap lands of the northwest with the intention of creating a home on the
frontier. For some time they lived in Lenawee county, Mich., where their son,
Harrison, was born August 1, 1841. From the land in Lenawee county
the father cleared off the heavy timber; he then built a cabin home, placed the
virgin soil under cultivation, and eventually became prosperous. He sold this
place and bought a farm in Jackson township, Jackson county, and there spent
the remaining years of his useful existence. His wife survived him, dying at
the advanced age of eighty-six. When an aged woman, but well preserved
physically and mentally, she came to Sacramento and enjoyed a visit with her
son, Harrison, returning to Michigan to pass her closing years.
After the close of his long army service
and a subsequent visit among relatives in Michigan, Mr. Bennett went to
Poughkeepsie, N. Y., where he took a course of study in the Eastman
Business College. Immediately after his graduation he took passage on a ship
for Panama, thence crossed to the Pacific side and traveled by steamer to San
Francisco, where he remained for three years. In 1868 he came to Sacramento,
where he has since resided. For one year he clerked in a drug-store and later
he retained as bookkeeper for R. Stone & Co. During 1875 he entered the Sacramento
Savings Bank as teller and continued with that institution until 1910, when he
resigned and retired on a pension. His identification with the bank covered a
long period of years and reflected great credit upon his fidelity,
trustworthiness, intelligence, and wise judgment. The first marriage of Mr.
Bennett was solemnized at Sacramento in 1875 and united him with Miss Emma
Allen, who was born in New York City and received her education in the schools
of that metropolis. Very shortly after her marriage she died at the family
residence in Sacramento. During 1877 Mr. Bennett was united with Mrs. Lizzie
Lardner, the widow of Frank Lardner. His only son, Willie, died at the age of
two years. The only daughter, Sibyl, is the wife of Presley Johnson and the
mother of two children, Beth and Edloe. The Grand
Army of the Republic always has received the interested co-operation of Mr.
Bennett, who, since 1873 has served as quartermaster of Sumner Post No. 3, at
Sacramento, and also was honored by election as its commander. In 1910 he was
appointed Assistant Adjutant General of the Department of California and
Nevada, serving one term. He is also a member of the California Commandery Military order of the Loyal Legion. The old
comfortable family home at No. 714 Seventh Street, Sacramento, was erected from
plans and specifications designed by Mr. Bennett, who also aided in the work of
construction and decoration, being handy with tools and a natural mechanic.
Many of his leisure hours during business associations were devoted to the
improvement of the grounds and the care of the home, and since his retirement
from the bank he has no task more enjoyable than the oversight of the place and
the cultivation of the trees and flowers that adorn the grounds. Since then he
has purchased a home at 530 Twenty-first Street, where
he now resides. During his long residence in the city he has proved the value
of his citizenship and his worth as a man of most exemplary habits, of tried
integrity and the highest principles of honor.
Transcribed by Sally Kaleta.
Source: Willis,
William L., History of Sacramento County,
California, Pages 963-964. Historic
Record Company,
© 2006 Sally Kaleta.