Santa Clara County
Biographies
WILLIAM DAVID JOHN HAMBLY
A life which has seemed in thorough accord with existing conditions in Santa Clara county is that of William David John Hambly, secretary of the Santa Clara County Society of California Pioneers. Mr. Hambly was born in Mineral Point, Wis., January 5, 1846, the oldest son of David William Hambly, and is the first American born of that branch of the Hamblys, to whom authentic records ascribe prominence in the civic, religious, military and naval history of England. D. W. Hambly first came to America in 1838 as a mining engineer, and soon after his return to England in 1840 was appointed collector of taxes and tithes, a position which he resigned in 1843. Soon after his marriage to Jane Jenkins, of Truro, Cornwall, England, he immigrated to America in the spring of 1844, locating in Mineral Point, Wis., from where the family moved to Dubuque, Iowa, in 1848. In 1850 the elder Hambly came to California, and being pleased with the prospects he found on the coast, in December, 1851, returned to Iowa for his family. His second journey to the west was begun in April, 1852, and besides his own family there were probably twenty teams in the train, which arrived after a comparatively peaceful trip at Beckwith valley, Cal., September 9, 1852. Locating on Henpeck Flat, Nelson creek, Mr. Hambly opened a boarding house in a large canvas tent, after which he turned his attention to mining, his wife assuming the responsibility of managing the boarding house. Though barely seven years old at the time, W. D. J. Hambly was a considerable factor in this enterprise, as help was scarce and high. He assisted in kitchen and dining-room, and wherever there were tasks to perform, and so busy was he that he had little opportunity to notice or regret the dearth of children of his own age, or the diversions with which youth is usually surrounded. Along the entire creek in that vicinity there were but two other boys, and there were seven or eight women and about ten thousand men. During the winter of 1852-1853 smallpox prevailed along the creek,
William being among those afflicted. His brother also contracted the disease and died from its effects. His sister’s death resulted from bronchitis.
In 1854 the Hambly family moved to the American valley, settling on the Oak Grove ranch, three miles from Quincy, the county seat of Plumas county, remaining there until the flood of 1861 covered their farm with water and mining debris, when they removed to Snake Lake valley, about six miles from Quincy. From 1859 to 1864 William was a member of the Plumas rangers, who were sent out on the plains to assist and protect emigrants against the attacks of cattle thieves, outlaws and Indians, and during 1861 he twice joined the California Volunteers for Civil war service, but was each time taken out by his parents as he was not yet eighteen years old. He had also become widely known throughout the northern part of the state as a daring and capable race rider traveling under the nom-deplume of Tenbrock, in honor of Tenbrock, the American race horse man who was at that time achieving success in England. Billy, as he was usually called, was performing the same task of distinction for his adopted state. In March, 1865, Mr. Hambly again joined the San Jose Zouaves, now Company B, and was a member thereof for six years and eleven months.
In 1864 Mr. Hambly came to San Jose and entered the Gates Institute February 5, an opportunity doubly appreciated by the youth who had often felt the bitterness accompanying his inability to acquire an education. In fact he could recall but ten days during his entire life that he had sat in a school room, and this new and bright chance seemed a heaven-sent boon. However, he was doomed to disappointment in this instance also, for an unlooked-for financial mishap necessitated his again going to work. Having acquired a fair knowledge of printing while in the employ of John K. Lovejoy, the pioneer printer of California, during the winter of 1857-58, he was in the employ of C. L. Yates, the printer and publisher, as typesetter for two or three year intervals between 1866 and 1874. Between times he worked as postoffice clerk, copyist and student in a law office, as collector, secret detective officer, newspaper reporter, mining prospector, laundryman and deputy county recorder. During this time also he, with six or seven other parties, started, under the co-operative plan, the San Jose Daily Independent, a periodical
whose attempt to mould public mind was of comparatively brief duration, for it was soon afterward purchased by the proprietors of the Weekly Mercury, and afterward appearing as the Daily Mercury, and at present being owned by the Hayes brothers.
December 25, 1874, Mr. Hambly married Catherine Vinter, oldest daughter of William Vinter, twice grandmaster of the grand lodge of Ancient Order United Workmen of California. Soon after his marriage Mr. Hambly entered the employ of Swazey & Son, of Eureka, Humboldt county, as bookkeeper, not long afterward journeying to San Francisco to become bookkeeper and assistant superintendent of the Common Sense Publishing and Printing Company. When this enterprise was forced out of business through the collapse of mining stocks in 1878, Mr. Hambly lost about $1,000 in wages, as well as money advanced to the company. Returning to San Jose, he took charge of the reduction works of the South Almaden Mining Company, and in 1879 returned to Plumas County, where in the fall of 1880 he ran for county recorder on the new Constitution and Working Men’s ticket. He had previously been a factor in this new party, sometimes called the Kearney party, and from its birth had promoted its interests with both time and money. In Plumas county he both mined and farmed, but was not successful, owing to numerous accidents and sudden climatic changes, not the least of which was the breaking of three ribs while engaged in teaming. Mentally depressed and physically incapacitated, he returned to San Jose with his family in 1883, and during the next eighteen months he passed through the trouble incident to his broken ribs, and also an attack of typhoid malaria. When able to go to work he entered the employ of James Phelan, Sr., taking care of his buildings in San Jose, a position which he relinquished after six and a half years, owing to dislocating his hip on Christmas day, 1891, when he fell from a stepladder. This accident disqualifying him for active labor, he became agent and collector for the Bancroft-Whitney Company of San Francisco, law publishers, which position he filled in connection with other employments until 1902.
During the years 1899, 1900 and 1901, Mr. Hambly served as deputy assessor under L. A. Spitzer, and in 1899 he was elected secretary of the Santa Clara County Society of California Pioneers, since which time he has been active in improving the conditions of the society, and has increased its membership which numbered five hundred and fifty-six June 25, 1904.
In January, 1902, Mr. Hambly inaugurated the Society of the Sons and Daughters of California Pioneers, which it is the intention to make a state organization. In August, 1902, Mr. Hambly was appointed janitor of the Horace Mann grammar school, a position which he still holds. Here it is fitting to mention that his reverses have been many and discouraging, and that the most pronounced was the loss of every cent he had in the world through his association as stockholder with the Union Savings Bank, which recently was obliged to close its doors. In religion Mr. Hambly is a Spiritualist, and he is considered one of the most consistent of the sect on the Pacific coast. He is an advocate of its philosophical teachings, and while believing that phenomena is necessary as an evidence of the truth of his belief, he yet maintains that the same is the cause of much doubt on the part of the indiscriminate investigator, imposed on in many instances by charlatans and dishonest mediums. He was a prominent organizer of the California State Spiritualist Association, and was the first vice-president, succeeding himself twice, and he was also the state president during 1900 and 1901. He is at present president of the First Spiritual Union of San Jose, having been secretary of the union for seven years.
Mr. Hambly has long been interested in securing to dumb animals fair treatment and immunity from cruelty. He was the organizer of the Santa Clara County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in 1874, was one of the first officers sworn in, and secretary for a time, and when it collapsed, owing to want of public support, he still continued to do what he could to keep alive the spirit of kindness and tolerance towards animals. In 1889 he reorganized the society, served as its secretary for seven or eight years, and is now an officer and the treasurer of the organization. Mr. Hambly has reared a family of seven children, and one daughter passed to a higher life in 1890. His three oldest sons have either trades or professions, one being a druggist, and two confectionery manufacturers, bakers and soda water makers. Two sons are married and live in San Jose, and one is married and lives in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. One of the sons is employed in a printing office in San Francisco. A daughter and her husband live in New York city, and the two youngest children are attending school in San Jose. Mr. Hambly has an appreciation of literature and general knowledge quite out of proportion to his early advantages. He is an assiduous and constant reader of daily periodicals and good books, and has a fair sized library of miscellaneous literature, including historical, biographical, religious and reform books. He has well-grounded and stable opinions upon questions which fret and agitate the public mind, and he is a stanch supporter of religion, good government and education, speaking his mind freely and fearlessly should occasion demand. He is generous beyond the knowledge of all save his intimate associates; a fine and noble character, seeing clearly, and living uprightly. The best years of his life have been passed in beautiful and prolific Santa Clara county, and his earnest wish is that he may know no other home for the rest of his pilgrimage.
Transcribed by Joyce Rugeroni.
Source: History
of the State of California & Biographical Record of Coast Counties,
California by Prof. J. M. Guinn, A. M., Pages 1201-1203. The Chapman
Publishing Co., Chicago, 1904.
© 2016 Joyce Rugeroni.