B. F. HOWARD

      The schools of Sacramento county owe their present excellence and advanced position in a very large measure to Professor B. F. Howard, the county superintendent.  In the era of antiquity a man's prominence was rated by his physical prowess, and his powers of endurance and his strength; but as the years have passed these tests have been relegated to the background.  Mentality has come to be regarded as the standard which indicates his rightful position in the world.   The work of the educator is regarded by all as one of the responsibilities to which man can direct his energies. The careful training of the mind of the young leads to success in after life that could never otherwise be obtained.  It is not alone the knowledge one gains from text books, but the power of mental concentration, of keen discernment and of utilizing readily  thoughts acquired in youth which makes the work of the educator of vastly more importance than any other calling in life. With the full realization of the responsibility that rests upon him, Professor Howard has for a number of years guided and controlled the work carried on in the public schools of Sacramento county, and under his management marked advancement has been made in methods of instruction and in promoting intellectual activity.

      His entire life has been passed in California, his birth having occurred in the Golden state on the 11th of October, 1851.  Professor Howard is the son of Mark and Jane (Kelso) Howard.  The latter, a native of Ireland, was three times married and with her first husband, J. McKinstry, came to the United States.  The only surviving child of this marriage is J. K McKinstry, of Galt, California.  The children of the second marriage were Mark E; Charles B., a prosperous farmer of Sacramento county, and B. F. Howard, our subject.  The third marriage was her union with Thomas Armstrong, a native of England, a prominent engraver of international fame.  There was one child by this union who is now the widow  of Dr. A. P. Whittell, for many years a noted oculist of San Francisco.  The Howard family, of which our subject is a member,  was represented in the famous battle of Manila Bay, May 1st, 1898, by a cousin of our subject, Thomas Benton Howard, of Galena, Illinois, who bears the title of lieutenant.  His position in Admiral Dewey's fleet was that of navigating gunnery officer of the Concord.  As a cadet in the academy young "Ben" acquitted himself so nobly that President Grant frequently made him the subject of the most flattering comment.  He was often, by special invitation a guest at the White House and was usually appointed Grant's aid whenever the president visited Annapolis.  Lieutenant Howard was graduated at the top of his class in 1869, was promoted ensign in 1874, junior lieutenant in 1878 and lieutenant in 1883.  He has served on the Mediterranean, the North Atlantic, West Indies, Pacific and Asiatic stations and at the Naval Academy.  He married Miss Anne Claude, the daughter of Dr. Abram Claude, of Annapolis.  Their son was appointed to the Naval Academy in 1895, at the instance of the last Congressman Cooke of Chicago, and is now in the senior class.

       Professor Howard was educated in Sacramento and Oakland.  During his early life he assisted in the work of the farm and stock ranch.  Determining to devote his energies to educational lines, he was made the principal of the schools in Yolo county, and acceptably filled that position from 1879 until 1886.  In the latter year he was elected county superintendent of Sacramento county, which position he has since acceptably filled, discharging his duties in a manner so prompt and reliable that he has won the high commendation of many of his fellow townsmen and gained the esteem of all with whom he has come in contact.

       Mrs. Howard, the wife of our subject, is a recognized leader in the musical circles of Sacramento, and has superior powers as a vocalist.  She bore the maiden name Sarah Morton, was born in Mariposa county, California, and is a daughter of Edmund G and Adaline (Hicks) Morton.  She has a sister, Mary E., who was graduated at the State University at Berkeley, California, in 1890, and is now a teacher in the high school in Sacramento.  Her maternal great grandfather, William Hicks, was one of the heroes of the Revolutionary War and took part in the famous "tea party" when the loyal colonists destroyed the chests of tea, throwing them into the bay.  He resided in Yarmouth, Maine, and by occupation was a farmer.  He died at the age of one hundred and ten years.  William E. Hicks, the grandfather of Mrs. Howard, married Adeline Drinkwater, and the grandparents were natives of Yarmouth, and there spent their entire lives, the former dying at the age of forty-five, and the latter at the age of thirty-eight years.  Mr. Hicks was a seafariing man, and many other members of the family also followed the sea.  Mrs. Hicks was a daughter of Elbridge and Sarah (Loring) Drinkwater, and were natives of Yarmouth, the former an old sea captain who died when about sixty-five years of age.  The Drinkwater family is of Scotch origin, the ancestors being traced back to Hugh Drinkwater, who resided in Aberdeen, Scotland.

       The father of Mrs. Howard was a native of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and at the age of seventeen removed to Boston, where he learned the painter and grainer's trade.  In 1852 he left the "Hub" and sailed around Cape Horn to California, where he arrived in the month of August, landing at San Francisco.  He first worked in the mines, later went to Stockton, and subsequently to Sacramento county, but is now living in Colusa county, at the age of seventy-five years.  His wife was a native of Yarmouth, Maine, born in 1827, and is also living.  Mrs. Howard attended school in Sacramento county and was also a student in Perry Seminary in Sacramento.  When eleven years of age she began studying music, being instructed in piano playing by Madam Routier.  She afterward took a course in voice culture under Madam Rosewald for three years, and others of the best teachers of the city, including Mrs. Lester, a daughter of one of the old pioneers, Conrad Clinch, whose wife is still living in Sacramento.  Mrs. Howard first began singing in public in 1888, as a member of the choir of the Baptist church, later for eight years the leading singer in the choir of the Congregational church, and has also been employed in St Paul's Episcopal church and the Presbyterian church. Through her own efforts she secured her musical education, engaging in teaching that she might obtain funds to prosecute her studies.

       In his political views Professor Howard is a stalwart Republican, having supported the party since he cast his first presidential vote for General Grant at the time of his second nomination.  He has been a member of the Sacramento city school board, having been appointed to the position in 1886, to fill a vacancy.  However, he has never sought office outside of his chosen vocation.  He is a member of Sacramento Parlor, No. 3, N. S. G. W., and belongs to the local organization of the National Union.  He and his wife attend services at the Congregational church.  He is a man of strong individuality, of marked intellectual attainment, of broad human sympathy, and his influence upon the educational circles of Sacramento county has been most marked and beneficial.

 

 

Source: “A Volume Of Memoirs And Genealogy of Representative Citizens Of Northern California” Standard Genealogical Publishing Co. Chicago. 1901. Pages 206-208.

 

 

Submitted by: Betty Tartas.