ROBERT H. BENNETT
Robert H. Bennett (I) was born in the State
of Maryland and the City of Baltimore on the 26th of July, 1826, and is the son
of John and Elizabeth (Mills) Bennett, the family of the former having migrated
from Pennsylvania, while the later was a member of an old and prominent family
of Maryland.
Their son, Robert H. (I), grew to manhood in
Maryland and was there given a good education. Soon after reaching his
majority, or in January, 1849, he left Baltimore with a stock of hardware
valued at $500, and six months later, or on July 21 of the same year, he
arrived at San Francisco on the historic brig Jane Parker. That memorable
six-months trip around Cape Horn, stirring as it was with sea allurements and
storm dangers, in a rude old sailing vessel that traveled a very few miles an
hour, or at times was totally becalmed, was never forgotten, and many tales
incident to her voyage were related by Mr. Bennett.
After landing he pitched his tent on
Montgomery Street, just north of California Street, and later opened his stock
of hardware on Clay Street, just above Montgomery, and prospered greatly from
the start. But he did not feel wholly at home in that land so destitute of
women, so he returned to the East in 1851, and there married Matilda D. Norris,
and soon afterward returned to the Golden State. His wife, who evidently could
not go with him then, joined him the following year. They became the parents of
five children, two whom are living; and Robert H. (II); Susan, who became the
wife of N. A. Acher, a leading patent attorney of San Francisco.
Robert H. (I) served as captain of the
famous Vigilance Committee of ‘56 but being absent from the state at the time,
he had no part in the organization of ‘51. The Vigilance Committee was an
organization established to maintain order in pioneer times before the courts
and the code had begun to function properly. All persons were forced to yield
to this committee. Gen. W.T. Sherman was here in the early ‘50s and submitted
to the committee. He afterward said that this was the only time he ever
surrendered. At one of the pioneer celebrations in the ‘80s General Sherman, at
the Palace Hotel approached Mr. Bennett, called him by name and talked with him
warmly, though they had not seen each other for over thirty years. They were
old acquaintances and friends at the time the Vigilance Committee was the power
that ruled San Francisco and vicinity and crushed the criminal gangs that were
guilty of riots, plunder and murder.
As a business man Mr. Bennett was
enterprising and successful from the start. Three times his establishment was
destroyed by fire, and after the last, in December, 1851, he engaged in the
grain business. He was a member of the Society of California Pioneers, as also
is his son.
Robert H. (II) was born at Rincon Hill, San Francisco, on May 26, 1863, and was
reared and educated in this state. In early manhood he became interested in
trade development, and became associated with the wholesale grocers and other
trade organizations as a trade economist, in which profession he is still
engaged.
In 1895 he married Julia W. Conner, whose
father was also a California pioneer, of whom see a sketch elsewhere in this
volume. He was one of the editors of the Alta Californian, one of the historic
newspapers of the state. Mrs. Conner was Julia Woodworth, whose family was also
identified with early California history. To Robert H. (II) and Julia W.
Bennett were born the following children: Katherine, Julia and Robert H.
(III).
Louise E. Shoemaker, Transcriber February 19th 2004
Source: "The San
Francisco Bay Region" by Bailey Millard Vol. 3 page 90-91. Published by The
American Historical Society, Inc. 1924.
© 2004 Louise Shoemaker