Ventura County
Biographies
HON. THOMAS R. BARD
The sterling
traits of his Scotch and Irish ancestors were manifest in the career of the
late Hon. Thomas R. Bard, who wrought along constructive lines, leaving the
deep impress of his individuality upon the history of Ventura County’s
development and progress. Of him it was
said: “In his long business career he handled and owned and controlled
thousands upon thousands of acres of land; had bought and sold and leased; had
seen his acres grow thick in population and wealth, but never had recorded
against him any word of censure from this neighbors or from the vast numbers
with whom he had dealings. As he
advanced in years he found himself increasingly busy but yet he did not
hesitate to place himself at the service of his fellows when the call for
public activity became urgent. He earned
his wealth by unquestioned methods. In
fact, in every sphere of life entered by him, he emerged stainless, carrying
with him the respect and esteem of his associates and acquaintances.”
Mr. Bard was born
at Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, December 8, 1841, a son of
Robert M. and Elizabeth S. (Little) Bard, who were the parents of four
children, two sons and two daughters.
Archibald Bard, the great-great grandfather of Thomas R. Bard, emigrated
to this country from Ireland,
settling in York County
(now Adams County),
Pennsylvania,
in 1740. The great-grandfather, Richard
Bard, and his wife were captured by the Indians, April 19, 1758, and five days
later the husband made his escape. He at
once exerted every effort to secure the release of his wife but was not
successful until two years and five months later. She was finally released at Kittanning, Pennsylvania,
for a ransom of forty pounds sterling.
The grandfather, Thomas Bard, was a native of Chambersburg
and his son, Robert M. Bard, was born in that city in 1810. He became one of its prominent lawyers and
his death occurred in 1851, when he was forty-one years of age. His wife was a native of Mercersburg,
Pennsylvania, born in 1812, and passed away at
Berylwood, near Hueneme, California, in 1880, at the age of
sixty-eight years. She was the daughter
of Dr. P. W. Little and a granddaughter of Colonel Robert Parker, a gallant
officer of the Continental Army.
Reared in
Chambersburg, Thomas R. Bard attended an academy there and at the age of
seventeen began the study of law under the Hon. George Chambers, then a justice
of the supreme court of Pennsylvania. When he realized the length of time involved
in the study of law and the establishment to practice, the young man decided
his law ambitions would be too much of a burden to his mother. Because he wished instead to contribute to
her and his sisters’ support; and because of his health, Mr. Bard abandoned
Blackstone for railroad and mining engineering in the Alleghenies. Later he accepted a position in a forwarding and commission house at Hagerstown, Maryland,
a connection that existed until the dissolution of the firm at the opening of
the Civil War. Hagerstown was close to the scene of
hostilities and this sealed the fate of this particular commission firm. However, one of its members, Mr. Zeller, an
uncle of Mr. Bard by marriage, took him in as a partner and this constituted
the real beginning of the latter’s business career, at the age of
twenty-one. The new firm was agent for
the Cumberland Valley Railroad Company and, owing to its proximity to the
battle zone, a portion of Mr. Bard’s duties consisted of scouting and
protecting the company’s property. In
this connection he was present on the battlefield of Antietam
when that engagement opened and witnessed that notable conflict. It is a matter of history that the home of
Mr. Bard’s mother was burned by the Confederates under General McCauseland in
July, 1864.
In the course of
his work Mr. Bard became acquainted with Thomas A. Scott, then assistant
secretary of war, and had the privilege of rendering to him service that was
appreciated by Mr. Scott, who recognizes the worth of the young man. Toward the end of the war Mr. Scott invited
Mr. Bard to come to California
to take charge of his vast interests in the west. Eager to advance, Mr. Bard accepted the offer
and at once started for California,
arriving at his destination on the 5th of January, 1865. At first he was assistant superintendent of
the California Petroleum Company, one of the Scott interests, and attempted to
develop the oil resources of the Ojai rancho, which was the first effort to
develop the oil fields of California. The equipment used was brought by water from New York via the Horn or from San Francisco and was rafted to the shore
from vessels. The search for oil was
eventually abandoned, although a well was brought in, and Mr. Bard then took
charge of the Scott lands. These comprised:
The Simi, one hundred and thirteen thousand acres; Las Posas, twenty-six
thousand, five hundred acres; the San Francisco rancho, forty-eight thousand
acres; Calleguas, ten thousand acres; Colonia, forty-five thousand acres;
Canyada Larga, six thousand, six hundred acres; Ojai, sixteen thousand acres;
holdings in Los Angeles and Humboldt counties, totaling two hundred and
seventy-seven thousand acres. The first
of this vast property to be subdivided by Mr. Bard was the Ojai rancho, the
next was Canyada Larga, which was followed by La Colonia. In exploiting the land he brought to bear
business ability of a high order, encouraged settlement by every legitimate
means, and sold much property. He laid
out the town of Hueneme
and built the wharf there in 1871. He
continued as manager of the Scott lands until the death of the owner in 1882,
when he was appointed administrator of the estate, and closed up the affairs of
his employer. While in charge of the
Scott interests Mr. Bard had purchased land for himself from time to time and
when the growth of the county brought about soaring prices he was fortunate in
being able to watch his personal fortune grow with it. He was one of the founders of the old Bank of
Ventura and served as its president for fifteen years. He also organized the Hueneme Bank, becoming
its executive head, and was likewise interested in oil and irrigation
enterprises.
April 17, 1876,
Mr. Bard was married to Miss Mary B. Gerberding, a daughter of C. O.
Gerberding, of San Francisco,
where she was born in 1858. They were
the parents of seven children: Miss Beryl B. Bard, at home; Mrs. Mary Louise
Edwards, of Ojai; Miss Anna Greenwell Bard; Thomas G. Bard; Elizabeth Parker,
the wife of Reginald C. Shand of Piedmont, California; Richard Bard; and
Archibald Philip Bard, assistant professor of physiology at Harvard Medical
School and Johns Hopkins University; Richard Bard is successfully managing his
father’s large estate, which embraces about nine thousand acres, constituting
one of the largest agricultural projects in California. A tract of four hundred and thirty acres is
devoted to the growing of walnuts and citrus fruits, while more than eight
hundred acres of land are reserved for the production of beans and hay. Richard Bard is a director of the Bank of
Hueneme and the Security-First National Bank of Los Angeles.
He has a wife and five children and is one of the leading citizens of
Hueneme.
Mr. Bard’s
religious views were in harmony with the doctrines of the Presbyterian Church,
in which he had membership and was an elder, and his political allegiance was
given to the Republican Party. In its
councils he was an influential factor, becoming a presidential elector in 1880
and a delegate to the Blaine
convention in 1884. Elected to the board
of county supervisors, he proved his worth as a public servant, working for the
best interests of his district. In 1900
the people of the state needed a man strong enough to fight the railroad
interests and the political ring. The
state legislature had failed to elect a senator for over a year as they could
not agree on any one candidate. When
invited to run, Mr. Bard replied that he would serve if the people of the state
wanted him but he would make no campaign for the office. Daniel M. Burns, representing the railroad
interests, was the opposing candidate. The
legislature battled long and bitterly but Mr. Bard was finally declared the
winner of the contest and for five years he occupied a seat in the United States
senate, making an enviable record. His death
occurred at his home near Hueneme, March 5, 1915, when he was seventy-four
years of age and ripe in honors and achievements. An exceptional man in many respects, he
played well his part in life and his memory is revered by all who enjoyed the
privilege of knowing him. His widow
resides at Hueneme.
Transcribed by Bill Simpkins.
Source: California of the South
Vol. II, by John Steven McGroarty, Pages 399-403, Clarke Publ., Chicago, Los Angeles, Indianapolis. 1933.
© 2012 Bill Simpkins.
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