San Francisco County
Biographies
B. Benedict, one of the old and respected California pioneers, was born in Vermont, December 1, 1825, the fifth in a family of six children, and the only surviving member. He was reared in Addison until six years of age. His early life was devoted to farming. His parents were Jonas and Soloma S. (Towner) Benedict. The parents were natives of New York State, both being of English extraction. When our subject was quite young the family removed to Essex county, New York, where they resided until death. The father passed away in 1853, the mother having died twelve years before.
Mr. Benedict came to California in 1852, and two years later located on Bay Farm Island, Alameda county, where he has since resided. His home property consists of thirty-five acres, most of which has been rented out for many years, and is devoted to the raising of vegetables. Asparagus, being the principal production, finds ready sale in the San Francisco markets. He is also the owner of valuable ranch property in Shasta county, devoted to stock-raising, and also of city property in Alameda.
Politically he is a staunch Republican, imbued with the old Whig principles. He takes an active interest in educational matters, and all public enterprises calculated to advance the welfare of the county.
He was joined in marriage at Alameda, February 19, 1857, with Mrs. Persis A. Hamlin, nee Cleveland, who has two children by former marriage, namely: Amelia and Adrian R. Hamlin.
Mr. Benedict came to California by water, having sailed around Cape Horn in the bark Southerner. He has been engaged in hop-raising in Alameda county some twenty years, and by perseverance and hard work has met with good success financially, and has accumulated a competency which renders him independent. He and his estimable wife are now spending the evening of life in their happy home on the island.
Transcribed 10-22-04 Marilyn R. Pankey
Source: "The Bay of San Francisco," Vol. 1, page 559, Lewis Publishing Co, 1892.
George F. Bradbury, M.D.
George F. Bradbury, M.D., whose office is at No. 944 Twenty-first street, has been a resident of California for the past twenty-four years, and has been engaged in the practice of medicine for thirteen years. He was born in La Porte, Indiana, in 1852; his father was one of the well-known physicians of San Francisco for many years. He was a native of North Carolina, but moved to the North long before the war and practiced medicine in Indiana and Chicago, Illinois. In 1866 George F. came with his parents to California, where he continued his studies in the public schools, graduating at the high school of San Francisco in 1872. He soon after commenced the study of medicine under the proprietorship of his father, Dr. W. T. Bradbury, who was for many years one of the professors of the medical department of the University of California. Dr. Bradbury entered that institution in 1874, graduating in 1878. He at once entered into private practice in San Francisco, where he has since continued in practice, except during the years of 1881-3, when he was in Colusa, Mexico, in charge of a yellow-fever hospital for the Mexican government. He was superintendent of the small-pox hospital of San Francisco during the small-pox epidemic of 1887-’88, and was assistant quarantine officer during the years 1888-’89. He has since that time been resident physician of the City and County Hospital.
Transcribed by Walt Howe.
Source: "The Bay of San Francisco," Vol. 1, pages 562-563, Lewis Publishing Co., 1892.
D. H. Bruns, dealer in groceries, provisions and hardware, corner of University and San Pablo avenues, West Berkeley, was born in Hanover, Germany, April 9, 1834, the second of four brothers, three of whom are in business in San Francisco. His parents were Albert and Adalia Bruns, both natives of Germany. Our subject came to America and located in the city of San Francisco in 1861, and engaged in clerking for one of the brothers for eighteen months. Being of a rambling disposition, he left his situation and went to Calaveras county and engaged in mining pursuits for a time; next he was in Idaho for a few months, and then located at the Cascades, Oregon, for one winter. Not meeting with success, he next visited Crockett, and was forced to leave those diggings in consequence of Indian troubles. Later, in company with other prospectors, he located claims at the Santa Ana mines, where they began tunneling in quartz and prospecting. To use the miner’s term, they were “frozen out” in this enterprise by assessments. His next mining experience was at Scott valley, California, where he spent one year, meeting with ill success. He became thoroughly disgusted with mining and concluded to try some other method of accumulating his fortune. He dropped pick and shovel and returned to San Francisco in 1865, and opened the grocery business on the corner of Folsom and Spear streets. Here he enjoyed prosperity and conducted the business some thirteen years, when he removed to his present place of trade, where he has been very successful and has accumulated considerable business property in the neighborhood of his own stand. The later is a large, two-story frame building, 100 x 120 feet, in which may be found a large and well-assorted stock of general merchandise, consisting of everything that should be found in a general merchandise store.
He affiliates with the A. O. U. W. and K. of H., both lodges of West Berkeley.
Mr. Bruns was married in San Francisco in September, 1870 to Miss Mary Bormann, a native of Germany, and they have nine children living and two deceased. His parents are also deceased, the father dying in 1864, and the mother in 1889.
Transcribed by Walt Howe.
Source: "The Bay of San Francisco," Vol. 1, pages 562, Lewis Publishing Co., 1892.