The Valley of Heart's Delight
COLONEL D. H. BRYANT
Founder of the Army & Navy League
Republican Club of California
HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY 442
SURNAMES: Gardner, Pierce, Woolridge, Russ, Clapp, Rose, Linn,
COLONEL D. H. BRYANT.--Well known, particularly in Santa Clara county,
where he has appeared on the rostrum of every city, village and hamlet
in his various campaigns as a public-spirited citizen, and enjoying an
enviable popularity
throughout the state as the honored and ever-welcome head of one of the
most efficient army and navy political organizations in the world. Co.
D.H. Bryant lives in well-earned retirement at his home at 286 West San
Carlos Street, San Jose.
He was born in Richmond, Chittenden County, Vt., on December 29, 1842,
the son of Calvin Bryant, who came across the great plains in 1849 with
his brother, Rolla Bryant, and for awhile mined at Downieville. Later,
he removed to Humboldt County and there acquired a large acreage of
land upon which he farmed. He lived to be eighty-eight years old, and
died in Humboldt County. He married Miss Carolina Gardner, a native of
Bennington, Vt. of Scotch parentage.
The youngest of a family of four children, our subject had only common
school advantages; but being naturally observing and inclined to
reflection, he has since then acquired both information and experience,
and he has steadily risen to postions where he has not only succeeded
himself, but he has been able to be of the greatest service to others.
At the outbreak of the Civil War he volunteered in defense of the
Union, and so came to get his real schooling in the Army. He enlisted
early as a member of Company K, Fifth Vermont Volunteer Infantry, but
when the war continued, he asked to be transferred to the regular army.
He was therefore made a member of Company C, Fifth U.S.Cavalry,
commanded by Captian Gleason, who in turn was under General Merritt,
and he under General George Stoneman. Later he was in William
Woods Averell's brigade in Stoneman's famous raids in Virginia, around
Richmond, and on September 15, 1861, he crossed the famous old chain
bridge over the Potomac River, and thus reached Virginia, where he
weathered many terrific engagements. On July 21, 1863, while following
Lee's rear, he received a severe wound in the right forearm, torn
almost the entire length by the ball, the occasion being one month to
the day after he had carried to the rear an injured comrade; and
strange to say, when he was stricken down, he was sent to Lincoln
Hospital on Capitol Hill, and without knowing it, was placed in a bed
next to that same comrade. He suffered eleven days of agony from his
wound, with only dirty underclothes to cover his body, and most of the
time he was unconscious. One day he heard a voice at his side calling,
"My God! oh, my God!" and looking up, he saw for the first time, his
comrade. He was cared for by the nurses and Sisters of Mrecy as best
they could in such trying emergencies. Such an experience as this of
the two comrades, Colonel Bryant says, still cements the old Grand Army
of the Republic in such a solid body. After his wounds had healed the
intrepid soldier was discharged with honor.
On July 8, 1864, he sailed for California from New York via Panama, and on August 8 he landed in San Francisco.
On arriving at the Bay City he worked for his uncle, Solomon Pierce, at
Point Reyes in Marin County; the latter owned a part of the old Shafter
Ranch, and there maintained two dairies, and he was one of the
wealthiest earlier California ranchers. He then went to Sonoma County
and clerked in a store at stewart's Point, on Fisherman's Bay, owned by
Andrew Fisk; and the job was sufficiently satisfactory to hold him
there for fifteen months. Then, with a Matt Eugley, he took a contract
to cut, haul and deliver logs to Platt's Mill; and for a season they
worked about forty men and forty head of horses.
On July 18, 1868, Mr. Byant was married at Ferndale, in Humboldt
County, to Miss Dora Woolridge, after which he bought land which he
farmed for awhile. He then accepted a position as general manager and
superintendent of a large ranch owned by the Hon. Joseph Russ, his
brother-in-law, a wealthy and influential Humboldt citizen, who was at
one time a candidate for the governship of California. He owned from
18,000 to 20,000 head of cattle, and about 60,000 head of sheep, and he
had an enormous acreage of timber land on the Eel River, and some land
in Trinity County. He had his local office in Eureka, Cal., while his
main office was at 10 California Street, San Francisco. He was a large
meat exporter, and had five large schooners and two saw mills. When his
health gave out under the strain of such a responsibility, Mr. Bryant
succeeded him in the management of the estates. Mr. Russ finally passed
away, at the age of eighty-nine, and the estate was then divided.
Mr. Bryant then removed to Santa Clara County, in 1895, and engaged in
the raising of fruit; and within a period of five years he owned seven
orchards and fruit-driers, and was rated high among fruit men. In 1895,
he bought a home at 286 West San Carlos Avenue, San Jose, and there he
has made his home ever since.
In addition to attending to his extensive and increasing orchard
business, Mr. Bryant has kept in constant touch with men of affairs. He
was political advisor to, and investigator for, Governor Gage, and
later for Governor Pardee and also the Hon. Geo. C. Perkins; and he
still has in his files some two hundred letters from Governor Pardee.
Through the earnest solicitations of men of the state, Colonel Bryant
was appointed agent by Governor Gillette, for the Southern District, to
see that the provisions for guarding against the bubonic plague were
carried out, and so he came to be interested, for years, in public
health work. His chief work was to compel the boards of supervisors to
do their duty in using the money appropriated for that prupose, and he
operated so fearlessly that the most salutary results were obtained. In
this campaigning, as well as in the discharge of other public services,
Colonel Bryant visited every section of California, from San Francisco
south, and so became one of the best-known Californians of this
section. The Normal School at San Jose and its great work he interested
himself in, and on several occasions has appeared there as the chief
speaker.
To Colonel Bryant is to be given, also, the chief credit for the
organization of the Army & Navy League, a Republican club of
California, of which he was the president and commander for several
years. This association is comprised of forty-four clubs, was organized
in 1878, and has an active membreship of 32,000 men. It was as the
poplular head of this Army and Navy League that our subject was
christened "Colonel", a title he bears with becoming dignity. He
belongs to the Pioneers of Santa Clara County and the Grand Army of the
Republic. Colonel Bryant has been a valued contributor for a number of
years to the local press on important topics of interest to the general
public.
Eight children have been born to Colonel and Mrs. Bryant, and all have
been fortunate in their lives never to have needed a physician.
Frederick Carlos is an orcharist in Washington. Anna is the wife of
Robt. P. Clapp,. the secretary of the A.L. Jones Motor Company of
Denver. Etta is the wife of J. L Rose, the well-known attorney of
Oakland. Lylia is the wife of Irving Linn, an electrician of San Jose.
Arthur is in the lumber business in Portland, Ore. Frank, of San Jose,
is a successful concrete bridge builder and also road builder, and
among other contracts built the Alum Rock Highway. Arleigh is in the
Philippines; and Ralph is consulting and construction engineer in the
employ of the Souothern Pacific. Colonel Bryant has owned various
ranches, and their several locations are not without interest. They
have been on Williams Road, Kembe Road, Mountain View Road, and Pierce
Road; and the last ranch he had sold about five years ago---was on
Fleming Avenue.
Transcribed by Marie Clayton, from Eugene T. Sawyers' History of Santa Clara County,California,
published by Historic Record Co. , 1922. page 442
RETURN TO SANTA CLARA COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES
GO TO SANTA CLARA COUNTY-The Valley of Heart's Delight