Santa Clara County

Biographies

 

 

 

 

 

 

FRANCIS ALDEN BRIMBLECOM

 

 

            FRANCIS ALDEN BRIMBLECOM is the son of Rev. Samuel and Harriet (Buttrick) Brimblecom. The father was the son of Col. Samuel Brimblecom, who was for over fifty years a shoe manufacturer of Lynn, Mass. The mother was the daughter of Col. Jonas Buttrick of Concord, Mass., and granddaughter of Maj. John Buttrick, who commanded the minute-men at Old North Bridge on April 19, 1775, and gave the command to fire the “shot heard round the world” – the first command to fire in the American Revolution.

            Francis A. was the fourth son in a family of nine sons and one daughter. He was born in Norridgewock, Me., in 1828. Removed to Westbrook, Me., in 1830, where the father, who was a graduate of Harvard in 1817, established and was first principal of Westbrook Seminary, a flourishing institution. Removed to Massachusetts in 1836; arrived in San Francisco, Cal., July 7, 1852, on the steamer S. S. Luis, via Nicaragua; arrived in Santa Clara July 9th, he went to work in the harvest field for Spencer Harvey, an honest man. Three months later they went into partnership, Francis running a market wagon. Old pioneers will remember a younger brother, Henry, who got into San Francisco July 7, 1853, and joined the partnership, a good business, as eggs ran from seventy-five cents to $2.50 per dozen, wholesale, in San Francisco, and butter and poultry equally good.

            Together Francis and Henry made the first move to form the Republican party in Santa Clara county in 1856. Being unused to party management they allowed thirty days for others to make the move. The time came and nothing had been done. They hitched up their horses prompt on time, and first called on Dr. A. W. Saxe of Santa Clara, who welcomed the move with enthusiasm. Next they called on Dr. Spencer who said he would father the movement in San Jose, but told them to go to F. B. Murdock, editor of the Patriot. Mr. Murdock entered heartily into the plan, and together they carefully weighed every sentence, and issued the following “Call,” first circulated in handbills to obtain signatures, and next in large posters with the names attached.

 

REPUBLICAN RALLY!

——

A GRAND MASS CONVENTION WILL BE
HELD AT SAN JOSE, ON THURSDAY,
APRIL 24TH, 1856,
PURSUANT TO THE FOLLOWING CALL:

——

To the Friends of True Democracy and Republicanism:

            The undersigned, citizens of the County of Santa Clara, California, desiring to see a party organization established, through which we may express our JUST SENTIMENTS AT THE BALLOT BOX, have signed our names to this call for a COUNTY MASS CONVENTION, to be held at the CITY HALL, SAN JOSE, at 11 o'clock A. M., of THURSDAY, 24th April inst.

            The object of this Convention is to form a permanent County organization as a party, and to elect Delegates to the State Convention which meets at Sacramento on the 30th April.

            As at the National Convention recently held at Pittsburg, people came together from all parts of the Union, North and South, East and West, to vindicate a principle and to assert the nationality of freedom, so we cordially invite all who harmonize with us in principle, to discard all sectional prejudices and interests, and to unite with us, in the great National effort now being made to maintain the true principles of our institutions — NON-INTERVENTION WITH AND NON-EXTENSION OF SLAVERY.

 

            SANTA CLARA COUNTY, APRIL 2, 1856.

 

 

Names.

 

J. B. Dunbar,

Thaddeus Wiswall,

L. B. Loveland,

A. Dexter,

L. C. Ward,

J. R. Avery,

E. Peck,

George Ostick,

Owen Makion,

Samuel Harrison,

S. W. Sikes,

J. M. Billings,

Jacob Swope,

Zenas Sikes,

Harvey G. Wade,

Thomas F. Chasley,

Richard Casey,

Charles C. Reed,

A. Rathbone,

Peter Lozier,

A. W. Saxe,

J. W. Rover,

D. P. Pierce,

A. L. Plummer,

E. Horan,

L. B. Lathrop,

Joseph Lee,

James Brown,

T. M. Fowler,

B. Ballard,

J. P. Dudley,

C. C. Loveland,

Nelson Wiswell,

Chas. L. W. Sikes,

D. W. Coffin,

Nathan Hall,

Robert Hutchinson,

Theodore L. Parsons,

Julian Pomeroy,

W. Morgan,

W. W. Morgan,

J. R. Weller,

H. O. Weller,

John Erkson, Jr.,

John H. Lick,

James W. Lick,

John Gallagher,

Samuel Heald,

John H. Brook,

William J. Maclay,

D. A. Dryden,

Jo Syndall,

S. W. Bassett,

Henry Deatsman,

L. H. Chambers,

G. W. Towle,

B. F. Watkins,

E. Robbins,

S. Finn,

Abraham Willer,

W. S. Alexander,

Josiah Evans,

R. Richardson,

Wm. Hannibal,

Alexander Marshall,

J. Graves,

B. F. Thompson,

C. W. Shaw,

W. Simpson,

J. Grewell,

H. Vincente,

S. T. Harrison,

F. A. Brimblecom,

S. Antes,

John Cook,

A. Jones Jackson,

Lemuel Rice,

J. H. Van Sickle,

V. P. Redway,

O. Ashley,

L. B. Lathrop,

Joseph Lee,

Frank Sleeper,

Edward E. Warren,

Stephen D. Hosmer,

Edward G. Morrison,

T. Crutchfield,

G. H. Briggs,

B. J. Salisbury,

G. M. Sholl,

Elijah Thompson,

J. A. Prior,

Charles F. Brown,

F. Levere,

John Harvey,

James W. Cottrell,

William Wilson,

Elijah Hawes,

Henry Pierce,

T. J. Coffin,

Christopher Medbery,

Samuel B. Tanner,

Edward Hanrahan,

G. W. Pierce,

James Robinson,

Francis Silver,

C. N. Senter,

Stephen D. Hosmer,

J. Dwarakowsky,

Joseph G. Norwood,

A. D. Wade,

E. T. Cable,

Samuel Millikin,

Hiram Hamilton,

C. J. Blair,

Wm. W. Pratt,

C. Hingham,

F. M. Parsons,

W. G. Crow,

E. M. Swartwout,

Wm. Stunn,

T. G. Halstead,

L. Wolledeber,

Francis Phillips,

F. B. Murdoch,

B. F. Bragg,

H. Garside,

Thomas Pettit,

W. W. Lee, M. D.,

John Rice,

W. C. Bacon,

Chas. H. Worthington,

W. M. Bonar,

R. K. Ham,

C. C. Coleman,

O. B. Cottle,

J. M. Botsford,

S. P. Goodrich,

E. A. Clark,

L. J. Wilder,

H. Booth,

Ira D. Card,

Daniel Travis,

J. B. Moulton,

W. A. Bidleman,

J. M. Ross,

T. Davis,

J. E. Brown,

H. Pomeroy,

A. J. Spencer,

J. B. Manny,

J. B. Josselyn,

Levi Goodrich,

F. E. Spencer,

B. Mills,

James Brown,

T. M. Fowler,

B. Ballard,

J. P. Dudley,

E. D. Bevins,

Thomas Wood,

Wm. Donaldson,

John J. Adams,

James M. Pierce,

Harvey Wade,

T. W. Crumpacker,

J. Brawer,

R. Stevens,

C. T. Givens,

John E. Ross,

John S. French,

G. H. Parsons,

A. C. Erkson,

J. H. Joy,

Benjamin Smith,

Stephen Bloomfield,

A. B. Parsons,

J. R. Fisher,

Wm. D. Raymond,

Isaac Beardsley,

S. G. Beatty, Jr.,

James Mathers,

C. G. Josselyn,

Rowland Hill,

A. Mendenhall,

J. C. Crow,

George Byron,

James Kenyon,

Benjamin R. Kenyon,

William Christie,

S. H. Crapt,

T. Z. Witter,

William Finley,

T. Finley,

T. F. Barnes,

Wm. Boots,

J. Eastcott,

W. H. Wells,

Joseph Woodhams,

Lewis Crow,

H. Brimblecom,

D. C. Daveson,

James B. Simpson,

A. R. Woodhams,

A. D. Bates,

George Hunt,

Evans Jenkins,

John Milliken.

 

 

            The convention was a grand success. Dr. Spencer, father of Judge F. E. Spencer, was chairman. Rev. Wm. McClay and D. A. Dryden were called out and made appropriate remarks. Francis A. and Henry Brimblecom were elected delegates and attended the state convention at Sacramento. Noah Palmer and J. A. Quimby were elected to the legislature. This was the banner county, the success being due to division of the opponents — the Democrats and Know-nothings. Thus was Santa Clara county placed in harmony with the party which has piloted the country through the Great Rebellion — Emancipation — the Cuban War, and wonderful triumphs of peace, from 186o to the present time, 1904, except Mr. Cleveland’s administration. Francis and Henry went east in 1857. Henry graduated from Dartmouth College, married and settled at Woosung, Ill. Edward, the fifth son, sold his farm in Illinois and came with Francis on his return to California in 1860. They resumed the old business, Edward running a branch at Watsonville for several years. Subsequently they did an extensive business in potatoes. Finally Edward secured a farm at Santa Maria valley, and Francis retired from business. The latter is a member of Lodge No. 52, I. O. O. F., the Society of Pioneers, and is a believer in the ethics of religion, but not the dogmas.

            Capt. Samuel A. Brimblecom, the eldest brother, brought a vessel from China in 1849, sold out, and took charge of the store-ship Panama, for Macondray & Co., in San Francisco harbor. He went east in 1850 to be married. In company with Captains Roundy and Anderson he founded the town of Woosung on the Illinois Central Railroad. In 1861 he returned to California with his family and took charge of the San Francisco branch of Brimblecom Bros.’ business, and finally settled on government land at Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz county.

            In 1863 they were joined by their mother and sister, Lucy Adeline. She was the first single woman to “prove up” on government land at the San Francisco office, one hundred and sixty acres at Boulder Creek, next the railroad station.

            In 1878 the mother, then in her eightieth year, passed away. Her remains were taken to Concord, Mass., by her daughter, where they rest with her forefathers, who were pioneers of the east, and first settlers  of Concord, Mass., in 1635.

            Francis A. and Lucy Adeline reside at 1481 Harrison street, Santa Clara, Cal.

 

 

 

 

 

Transcribed by Marie Hassard 10 August 2014.

­­­­Source: History of the State of California & Biographical Record of Coast Counties, California by Prof. J. M. Guinn, A. M., Pages 383-385. The Chapman Publishing Co., Chicago, 1904.

© 2014  Marie Hassard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Santa Clara Biography

Golden Nugget Library