Isabel Baldwin (1851-1938): California Champion for Women’s Equality

 

Baldwin family grave and San Francisco Call headline

Lot 13

Isabel Amelia Wheaton Baldwin was a tireless advocate for women’s equality and a central figure in California’s suffrage movement. Born in Somerset, Massachusetts, she moved to Oakland with her husband, attorney Lloyd Baldwin, in the 1870s. After his untimely death in 1885, Isabel raised their three surviving children on her own while devoting increasing energy to civic and women’s rights causes.

In the mid-1890s, Baldwin helped found the Alameda County Political Equality Society, an organization dedicated to building support for women’s suffrage through lectures, debates, and personal outreach. As its president, she presided over lively meetings that drew prominent legislators and suffrage leaders. Her steady leadership was noted in the press—she often settled heated parliamentary disputes by appealing to rulings made by national icons like Susan B. Anthony. The society also passed resolutions urging Alameda County’s representatives in Sacramento to support resubmission of a state constitutional amendment granting women the vote.

Baldwin’s influence extended beyond Alameda County. She served as Vice-President of the Vernon Heights Political Equality Club, President and later Vice-President of the Susan B. Anthony Club in San Francisco, and was a frequent delegate to state and national suffrage conventions. She welcomed leading reformers such as Susan B. Anthony, Anna Howard Shaw, and Carrie Chapman Catt into her Oakland home, making it a hub for suffrage organizing.

In 1898, Baldwin issued an appeal asking Californians to financially support the National Suffrage Association’s campaigns in South Dakota and Washington. Though some local activists resisted aligning too closely with the national organization, Baldwin believed solidarity was essential, arguing that California’s successes could strengthen movements elsewhere.

Women's Right to Vote Rally (The Repository)

By the early 20th century, Baldwin’s activism became increasingly national in scope. She attended the 1905 National Equal Suffrage Convention in Portland and represented California at the 1910 national convention in Washington, D.C. In 1915, she joined the Congressional Union for Woman’s Suffrage (later the National Woman’s Party), working with Alice Paul’s allies to press for a federal amendment. That same year, Baldwin and other activists boldly attempted to confront members of Congress meeting in San Francisco, demanding they recognize that California’s enfranchised women wanted the ballot extended nationwide.

Even outside suffrage, Baldwin’s civic work was extensive. She was active in the Oakland Ebell Society, the Unitarian Church, and served as California director for the National Alliance of Unitarian and Other Liberal Christian Women.

Isabel Baldwin lived to see women win the right to vote nationally in 1920. She passed away in Oakland in 1938 at the age of 86 and is buried at Mountain View Cemetery. Her lifelong dedication helped lay the groundwork for future generations of women to fully participate in American democracy.

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“Suffragette” vs "Suffagist"

In the U.S., the term “suffragist” was generally preferred by activists themselves, while “suffragette” was a British term often used dismissively in its early years. Today, “suffragist” is considered more historically accurate and respectful for American women like Isabel Baldwin, though “suffragette” is still widely understood.

Sources: Find a Grave, The Repository, San Francisco Call, Oakland Tribune, Chronicling America, Wikipedia

Robert Barton (1839-1891): Wealthy Vintner who Funded Fresno Opera House

Burial place of Robert Barton and Funeral Article

Lux Family Mausoleum

In the late nineteenth century, when Fresno was still an emerging agricultural hub in California’s Central Valley, one of its most ambitious citizens was Robert Barton. Known primarily as a vineyardist, Barton left an enduring legacy not only in the cultivation of grapes but also in the cultural life of the city. His name is most closely associated with the Barton Opera House, a grand theater that opened its doors in 1890 and symbolized Fresno’s aspirations to become a modern city with a flourishing civic identity.

Robert Barton established himself in Fresno as a vintner, one of many who saw opportunity in the fertile lands of the San Joaquin Valley. The region’s vineyards were expanding rapidly, producing grapes for wine, raisins, and table fruit. Barton was part of that early wave of growers who helped transform Fresno into a center of viticulture. Yet he was more than a farmer and businessman. He also envisioned Fresno as a city that should offer the same cultural amenities as larger, more established urban centers in California. For Barton, agriculture provided the economic foundation, but the arts would provide the soul.

Barton Opera House (Photo: San Joaquin Valley Library)

To that end, Barton financed and constructed the Barton Opera House, which officially opened on September 29, 1890. Located at the corner of J and Fresno Streets, the building combined a large auditorium with an “Armory Hall” and was designed to serve as both a theater and a gathering space. At the time of its opening, it was hailed as a state-of-the-art facility, boasting a seating capacity of roughly 1,500. Its scale and modernity reflected Barton’s belief that Fresno’s growing population deserved access to the best in music, theater, and public assembly.

The Opera House quickly became the cultural heart of Fresno, hosting traveling theatrical troupes, musical performances, lectures, and community events. For a city that had only recently risen from the dust of the Central Valley, the Opera House offered an air of sophistication and cosmopolitan life. Barton’s venture showed that Fresno was not only about vineyards and farms; it was also about civic pride and cultural aspiration.

Barton Opera House playbill

Though Barton’s tenure as its patron was brief, the Opera House itself endured for several decades. By the early 1900s it had shifted into the orbit of national theater chains and was later remodeled for vaudeville and moving pictures. It reopened in 1917 as the Hippodrome Theatre and remained in use until it was finally demolished in 1927. On its site rose the State Theatre, part of the next wave of entertainment palaces that dominated the early twentieth century. Even though the building no longer exists, the Barton Opera House is remembered as Fresno’s first major cultural institution.

Barton did not live long to enjoy the fruits of his vision. He died in 1891, scarcely a year after the Opera House opened. Contemporary accounts record that he succumbed to “la grippe,” the influenza epidemic that swept through California at the time. His remains were transported to the Bay Area and interred in the Lux Vault at Oakland’s Mountain View Cemetery. His obituary in the Fresno Morning Republican states that a number of his friends from Fresno attended the funeral. His pallbearers included many notable Oaklanders including Isaac Requa and James Treadwell.

Robert Barton appears to have had a significant, though somewhat ambiguous, connection to Charles Lux’s estate. After Lux’s death, Barton is noted for investing a substantial $450,000 in improving the estate, though the exact nature of his involvement—whether as an executor, investor, or business associate—remains unclear. Additionally, a 1879 document labels Barton as a "San Francisco capitalist" and mentions his acquisition of land near the Miller & Lux operations, suggesting a possible expansion of his business interests in the region, potentially linked to the Lux legacy. 

When historians and preservationists look back at the formative years of Fresno, Barton’s contribution stands out and his legacy remains firmly rooted in the Central Valley, despite Oakland being his final resting place and the place of his death.

Sources: Find A Grave, Jim Savage Historical Papers, Cinema Treasures, Univ of CA digital archives, Cal State Univ archives, Fresno Morning Republican

 

Dr. Samuel Hopkins Willey (1821-1914): Co-Founder of the University of California

Dr. Samuel Hopkins Willey

Plot 2, Lot 154

Dr. Samuel Hopkins Willey was a pioneering clergyman, educator, and civic leader whose vision and determination played a decisive role in the establishment of the University of California. A man of faith as well as scholarship, Willey devoted his long life to building institutions that would shape the intellectual and moral character of California. 

Born in Campton, New Hampshire, on April 22, 1821, Willey was raised in a deeply religious family that valued education and public service. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1844 and pursued theological studies at Union Theological Seminary in New York, where he was ordained as a Presbyterian minister. Shortly thereafter, he accepted a call that would define the rest of his life: a mission to the distant Pacific Coast.

In 1849, at the height of the California Gold Rush, Willey traveled by ship around Cape Horn to San Francisco. Unlike thousands who came in search of gold, Willey came to serve the spiritual and educational needs of the rapidly growing population. He became one of the earliest settled Protestant ministers in the city, preaching to a frontier community marked by both opportunity and lawlessness.

College of California in Oakland

From the beginning, Willey believed California needed more than churches—it needed institutions of learning that would provide moral guidance and intellectual rigor. He helped organize the College of California in Oakland in the 1850s, a private religiously influenced institution intended to bring New England–style higher education to the West. Willey served as the College’s first president and worked tirelessly to recruit faculty, secure land, and attract students, despite persistent financial challenges.

As the College of California struggled to survive, Willey and his colleagues sought a broader base of support. Their efforts converged with the federal Morrill Act of 1862, which provided land grants to states to establish public universities. Willey, together with his colleague Dr. Henry Durant, played a pivotal role in negotiating the merger of the College of California with the state’s new land-grant institution. This partnership produced the chartering of the University of California in 1868. [Read about Dr. Henry Durant HERE]

Founders' Rock at Hearst Avenue and Gayley Road

The College’s Oakland land became the first site of the new university before it moved to Berkeley. Willey was appointed Acting President of the University in its earliest days, ensuring the institution got off to a stable start. Durant later became the University’s first official president, further cementing their shared legacy as co-founders of California’s premier institution of higher learning.

After his work with the University, Willey continued his ministry and educational pursuits throughout California. He served as pastor of churches in San Francisco, Oakland, and Monterey, and remained active in civic life. Known for his eloquence and moral conviction, he influenced both religious and secular communities for decades.

Willey lived to the remarkable age of 93, passing away in 1914. By then, the University of California had already grown into a respected institution of national significance, a living legacy of his faith in education as a force for social good. 

Sources: Oakland Tribune, Find a Grave, Wikipedia, University of California Berkeley, San Francisco Chronicle

John Nicholl (1822-1914): Founder of Richmond: Mired in Engagement Scandal with Younger Niece

 

John Nicholl and Obituary (SF Call & Oakland Tribune)

Lot 2 

John Nicholl, remembered as the “Father of Richmond” and nicknamed the “Duke of Richmond”, was a pioneer of California whose life stretched from the rural north of Ireland in the early 19th century to the booming Bay Area of the early 20th century. His story blends hard work, fortune, scandal, and civic ambition.

Nicholl was born in 1822 in the north of Ireland, within a mile of the birthplace of President William McKinley’s father. In 1849, amid the great waves of emigration, he sailed to America and joined the rush of newcomers heading west. By 1853 he had arrived in California, where opportunity awaited.

Nicholl’s first years in California were spent farming in San Leandro. His perseverance paid off: in just four years he earned $6,000 raising wheat, a considerable sum for the time. With this he purchased 200 acres in the San Pablo Rancho, land that would become the foundation of his fortune and the nucleus of the modern city of Richmond. Confident in the area’s potential, he soon expanded his holdings by another 367 acres, eventually controlling large swaths of the East Bay shoreline.

Nicholl’s vision and bold predictions for Richmond’s future earned him the moniker “Duke of Richmond.” He was instrumental in laying out and promoting the settlement that became Point Richmond and then the incorporated city of Richmond. For decades, his name was synonymous with the city’s growth and prosperity.

Point Richmond and Nicholl's Well

Nicholl also extended his interests southward, purchasing 1,000 acres from a Spanish land grant in Ventura County. There, he introduced the cultivation of lima beans, launching an industry that transformed Ventura into the bean capital of the state. By the turn of the century, his bean lands were producing $40,000 a year—an immense sum in those days.

Part of Nicholl’s financial success stemmed from his friendships with other powerful men of the age. He was closely associated with Claus Spreckels, the sugar magnate, with whom he engaged in business ventures that boosted his fortune. This connection further cemented Nicholl’s status as one of the region’s wealthiest citizens, with his fortune estimated in the millions.

Coverage of Hodge/Nicholl scandal

Despite his reputation as a shrewd businessman and civic booster, Nicholl was not immune to personal scandal. In the early 1900s, society pages buzzed with news of his broken engagement to Miss Jane Hodge, a woman several decades his junior and, by some accounts, his niece by marriage. Hodge sued Nicholl for breach of promise, seeking $10,000 in damages for her “blighted affections.”

The sensational trial resulted in a jury awarding her $25,000, later reduced in a compromise. Hodge maintained that her case was about honor, not money, and the litigation dragged on for nearly three years before a final settlement. The affair was widely covered in Bay Area newspapers, casting a temporary shadow over Nicholl’s reputation but also underscoring his notoriety as one of Oakland and Richmond’s most talked-about figures.

Nicholl’s wealth and landholdings gave him influence in local affairs. He once offered to donate land for a school site in Richmond, reflecting his role not only as a landowner but also as a community builder. Though the Richmond Board of Education hesitated over conditions tied to his gift, the episode illustrated his ambition to shape the civic landscape.

Nicholl lived into his nineties, an impressive span for his era. He died in 1914 at his Oakland home on Fourth Avenue at the age of 91. His passing was widely noted in Bay Area newspapers, which hailed him as both a pioneer and the founder of Richmond. Obituaries emphasized his energetic character, his foresight in developing Richmond, and his lasting contributions to California agriculture and urban life.

Nicholls Park in the 1960s and now

There is a Nicholl Park in Richmond and part of his land holdings became the Civic Center. Local walking tours reference buildings or sites that Nicholl built or donated land for, including the Municipal Natatorium (“The Plunge”), wells, and other civic infrastructure. 

Though his name may be less known today, Richmond still stands as a living monument to the vision and enterprise of the man once called the “Duke of Richmond.” 

Sources: San Francisco Call, Oakland Tribune, Find a Grave, Ancestry.com, City of Richmond. PointRichmond.com, Richmond Rec & Park

Hugo Wilhelm "Arthur" Nahl (1833-1889): Founder of San Francisco Olympic Club; Notable Artist

Artists William Keith (l) and Arthur Nahl (r)

Plot 11, Lot 203

 

Hugo Wilhelm Arthur Nahl (known as Arthur), was one of those rare figures who managed to leave his mark in two seemingly unrelated fields—art and athletics. Born in Kassel, Germany, into a family of artists, Nahl carried his European training across continents before becoming both a celebrated painter and a co-founder of San Francisco’s legendary Olympic Club, the oldest athletic club in the United States.

 

Among its early members were prominent San Franciscans: James G. Fair, John Mackay, Charles Crocker, Leland Stanford and Mark Twain.  

 

Nahl Backyard. Original Olympic Club Photo: by George Robinson Fardon, courtesy San Francisco History Center

Arthur Nahl studied art at the Kassel Academy alongside his half-brother Charles. Like many young German artists of the mid-19th century, they sought broader opportunities abroad. In 1846, the brothers moved to Paris, where they studied under Paul Delaroche and Horace Vernet, prominent figures in French academic painting. But political turmoil—the 1848 French Revolution—disrupted their studies and forced them to relocate to New York. By 1851, they had sailed for California, lured by the promise of the Gold Rush.

The Nahls tried their hand at gold mining, working briefly in the Sierra foothills, but soon returned to their true calling: art. They opened a studio in Sacramento, only to lose it in the devastating fire of 1852. Undeterred, they resettled in San Francisco, where Arthur established himself as a portrait painter, engraver, illustrator, and daguerreotypist. His commercial work was widely recognized, including a significant role in re-designing the California state seal. His paintings and engravings captured frontier life, California landscapes, and dramatic scenes that spoke to the energy of the young state.

Ducks by Arthur Nahl

While art remained his livelihood, Arthur Nahl also cultivated another passion: physical fitness. By 1855, he and Charles had turned the backyard of their San Francisco home into a makeshift gymnasium, complete with bars, ropes, and other apparatus. Neighbors and friends joined in, and the gatherings grew into a kind of informal athletic society. The enthusiasm was infectious, and in 1860 the brothers helped formally establish what became The Olympic Club.

What began as exercises in a backyard grew into the oldest athletic club in America, an institution that promoted health, discipline, and camaraderie in the rough-and-tumble days of Gold Rush San Francisco. Nahl’s legacy in this sphere is as enduring as his art, reflecting a lifelong belief in the balance of mind and body.

Nahl lithograph of early San Francisco

As an artist, Arthur Nahl became known for his depictions of pioneer California. His canvases included historical events, allegorical scenes, and romanticized images of the West. He contributed illustrations to magazines and books, helping shape how distant readers imagined California. His work is frequently cited alongside that his elder half-brother Charles Christian Nahl (who sometimes received more recognition, though Arthur’s contributions were equally vital).

Arthur’s paintings combined technical training from Europe with the raw subject matter of the American frontier. In addition to portraiture, he was sought after for engravings and commercial commissions. His versatility kept him at the center of San Francisco’s art world, and his family became synonymous with the city’s early cultural life.

Arthur Nahl died on April 1, 1889 while on a ferry in San Francisco Bay, en route to Alameda. 

Sources: US and German Wikipedia, WikiMedia Commons, San Francisco Call, The Olympic Club, Daily Alta California, Find a Grave

 

 

Charlie “Cy” Swain (1884-1918): Forgotten Home Run King; Died of Influenza

Cy Swain and Grave Marker

Plot 45, Lot 2908

In the early decades of the twentieth century, before Babe Ruth redefined the long ball, West Coast fans had their own home run hero: Charles “Cy” Swain aka “Moose”. A native of Palo Alto, California, Swain was for a brief but shining time one of the best-known sluggers on the Pacific Coast. His powerful bat and larger-than-life personality made him a fan favorite, yet his career ended in tragedy and his life was cut short by the influenza pandemic of 1918. Today, his story is all but forgotten.

Swain’s baseball journey began in the Bay Area. His brother Ira played at Stanford University, and through that connection Cy was introduced to professional baseball. In 1904, San Jose manager Mike Steffani was looking for a shortstop and considered Ira Swain. But when Cy tagged along and impressed during workouts, Steffani declared: “I think young Cy is the best player. He acts like Truck Eagan to me.” Ira went home, and Cy stayed on the team.

Tall and powerfully built, Swain soon gained a reputation as a hard hitter—though he struck out often. He also developed a reputation for enjoying nightlife a bit too much. By 1907, while playing for Spokane in the Northwestern League, his penchant for drinking was well-known. When management sent him a contract with a temperance clause, Swain wired back: “Send me two of those; I may break one.”

Cy Swain's Vancouver Beavers baseball card

Despite battles with his weight, Swain’s bat kept him in demand. He played for Butte, Tacoma, and Vancouver, where he emerged as one of the league’s most dangerous sluggers. In 1910, while leading the Northwestern League in hitting, the Washington Senators offered $1,800 for his contract (roughly $60,000 in 2024 dollars). Vancouver manager Bob Brown turned the offer down, determined to win a pennant. Swain cooled off that summer, but still led the league with 11 home runs.

Washington eventually signed him in 1911, with scout Cliff Blankenship—famous for discovering Walter Johnson—vouching for him. In spring training, Washington reporters raved: “For a big fellow Swain is a wonder when it comes to covering ground in the outfield” and “Though a six-footer, weighing 200 pounds, he runs like a sprinter.” But illness sidelined him, and he was sent back to Vancouver.

There he rebounded, hitting .309 and leading the Beavers to a title. His finest season came in 1913 with Victoria: he blasted 34 home runs, smashing Ping Bodie’s West Coast record of 30. Newspapers marveled at his power, even as they noted Victoria’s tiny fences—270 feet to center field. Regardless, fans flocked to see him swing, and Swain stood as the undisputed home run king of the West.

Cy Swain obituary

Swain’s consistency earned him another promotion, this time to the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association. But fate intervened. On November 27, 1914, while working his off-season job with Pacific Telephone and Telegraph in San Francisco, he fell from a company truck and was run over. His right leg was crushed and had to be amputated. The San Francisco Chronicle lamented that his big league dreams were over.

The baseball community rallied to his aid. Benefit games in San Francisco and Tacoma drew thousands and raised over $4,000, which Swain used to open a cigar shop with former player Tommy Sheehan. He didn’t quit baseball, though—he organized the “Independents,” a barnstorming team of professionals that played winter exhibitions. In 1916, his squad traveled to Hawaii, facing military nines and even an All-Chinese team featuring Vernon Ayau.

Swain remained a visible figure in Bay Area sports even after his playing days ended. He, Sheehan, and Cliff Blankenship opened the Maryland Bowling Alleys in Oakland in 1918, diversifying his athletic interests into the fast-growing sport of bowling. Local papers noted that Swain remained as jovial and popular as ever, drawing friends from both the baseball and business worlds. 

But tragedy again intervened. In October 1918, Cy’s brother Ira died of the Spanish Flu. Just two weeks later, on November 4, Cy himself fell victim to the same pandemic. The Oakland Tribune mourned: “Charlie Swain, one of the most popular ball players in the history of the game in the West, died here last night, a victim of Spanish Influenza. Two weeks ago today Charlie’s brother Ira fell victim to the malady.” He was just 36 years old.

Ira Swain obituary

Ira Swain played shortstop for the Stanford baseball team and was elected captain. He also ran track and field, but never had much of a professional career. He is also buried in the Influenza Plot. 

Charlie “Cy” Swain’s life was marked by towering highs and devastating lows. He was a home run pioneer on the West Coast, briefly the region’s most feared power hitter, and a larger-than-life personality who embodied both the promise and pitfalls of early professional baseball. His post-baseball ventures in bowling and community sports showed a man unwilling to be defined by his accident.

Yet his early death and the lack of big league success consigned him to obscurity. A century later, Swain deserves recognition as one of California’s great early sports figures—a man who swung for the fences, both literally and figuratively, and whose legacy as the forgotten home run king still echoes faintly in the annals of baseball history.

Sources: Oakland Tribune, Baseball History Daily, Find a Grave, Bakersfield Californian, Fresno Bee, Society for American Baseball Research 

 

Earl Phillips “Red” Baldwin (1894-1956), Minor league catcher; family still in baseball

Red Baldwin in 1923

Red Baldwin was a professional baseball catcher who spent 15 seasons in the minor leagues. Baldwin's entire career playing for teams on the West Coast of the United States, mostly in the Pacific Coast League. He started with the Tacoma Tigers in 1916.

After the 1917 season, Baldwin signed with a winter league club based out of San Francisco, California named "Maxwell". He also played for a semi-professional team named the Oakland Native Sons. 

His baseball career took a hiatus during the 1918 season during his service in the 91st Division of the United States Army during World War I. He returned to baseball in 1919 and played in the PCL for the next 11 seasons. During that time, he played for the San Francisco Seals (1919, 1931), the Seattle Indians (1920, 1924–26), the Los Angeles Angels (1921–23) and the Mission Bells/Reds (1927–30).

After WWI, he signed with the NY Yankees in 1918, reported to their Spring Training, but was cut before opening day. He signed with the San Francisco Seals of the PCL where played 82 games and finished with a .217 batting average with 11 doubles, one triple and two home runs. He was a journeyman for the remainder of his career. 

Bill Plummer and Connor Menez

His family has been remained active in professional baseball to this day. Baldwin's brother-in-law was William Lawrence Plummer, who played with Baldwin from 1924 to 1925 on the Seattle Indians. His nephew, Bill Plummer, was a major league catcher from 1968 to 1978, and pro baseball manager and coach from 1980 to 2017 with the Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, and Arizona Diamondbacks organizations as well as the independent Chico Heat and Yuma Bullfrogs. Bill Plummer was born in Oakland in 1947 and died in March 2024.

 

His grandson, Connor Menez, pitched for the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs between 2019 and 2022 and most recently played for the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan and the Saraperos de Saltillo of the Mexican League.

 

Sources: MLB, Wikipedia 

Charles Alston Pringle (1878–1916): Cal Bears Football Captain & Victim of Santa Isabel Massacre

Charles Pringle as Cal Bear and News of his Death

 

Plot 2, Grave 393 (Johnson Family plot; no marker)

Charles Alston Pringle was an American mining engineer and former University of California football captain who was killed during the Santa Isabel Massacre (also known as the Gringo’s Curve Massacre) on January 10, 1916, in Chihuahua, Mexico.

Pringle was born in California in 1878, the son of Cornelia J. Pringle and the late Edward J. Pringle. He grew up in San Francisco in a prominent family with strong business and civic ties.

At the University of California, Berkeley, Pringle earned distinction as a popular and talented athlete. Known as “Charley” to classmates and "Lol" in athletics, he played football for the Golden Bears and became one of the most celebrated players of his day. 

Pringle's Big Game at Cal

He was a pivotal figure in the early history of Cal football, appearing notably in 1898 and captaining the team in 1900, his senior year. Pringle was instrumental in Cal’s first-ever victory in the historic Big Game (the annual rivalry match against Stanford) in 1898. He held the ceremonial position of “Guardian of the Axe,” a symbol tied to the Big Game trophy. Cal won the game 22-0 with Pringle rushing for 82 yards and scoring two touchdowns. 

He was also a member of Skull and Keys, the Golden Bear senior honor society, as well as the Chi Phi fraternity.

Charles Pringle "Guardian of the Axe" and Massacre Story

After graduating, Pringle entered the mining industry, where he found early success. Around 1906, he moved to northern Mexico, attracted by opportunities in the Chihuahua mining districts. He later became associated with John Hayes, manager of Phoebe Apperson Hearst’s extensive estates in Mexico, and worked with the Cusi Mining Company at Cusihuiriachic.

Despite the growing instability caused by the Mexican Revolution, Pringle frequently traveled between Mexico and San Francisco, visiting his mother and brothers. His last extended stay in San Francisco occurred in the fall of 1914, after which he returned to Chihuahua in early 1915.

Book about Massacre and Cal Alumni Mourn Article

On January 10, 1916, Pringle was among 16 American mining engineers and employees traveling by train from Chihuahua City to the Cusi Mine. The train was stopped at Santa Isabel (known locally as Gringo’s Curve) by about fifty Villista soldiers under General Pablo López, a close associate of Pancho Villa.

The Americans were ordered off the train, stripped of their clothing, and marched a short distance before being executed by firing squad. Reports indicated the act was politically motivated—revenge against the U.S. for recognizing Venustiano Carranza as Mexico’s president. Only one man, M.A. Cornin, survived by feigning death and escaping. He later provided an account of the massacre.

The news of Pringle’s murder devastated his family. His four brothers—William B., Edward J., Covington, and Sydney—sent urgent telegrams to President Woodrow Wilson demanding justice, the capture of the killers, and greater protection for Americans abroad. Their pleas were widely published in U.S. newspapers and became part of the groundswell of public outrage that contributed to the U.S. Punitive Expedition into Mexico under General John J. Pershing.

Charles Pringle at Cal & Racist Headline after Massacre

Pringle’s mother, Cornelia J. Pringle, received his last letter only days after his death, assuring her that conditions in Mexico had stabilized and that it was safe to return.

Charles Alston Pringle was 37 years old at the time of his death. His body was returned to San Francisco and buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California, following services at Grace Cathedral on January 17, 1916.

The Santa Isabel Massacre remains one of the most significant prelude events to the only U.S. military incursion into Mexico since the Mexican-American War. It also created intense racial tension for years afterwards. 

Sources: Wikipedia, Berkeley Gazette, Oakland Tribune, University of Texas archives, Syracuse Herald, Salt Lake Tribune, Mountain View Cemetery archives, Ottumwa Daily News, Family Search Archives, The San Francisco Call, Texas State Historical Archives, El Paso Times 

Melvin Canfield Chapman (1850–1936): Oakland Mayor involved in contentious transition of power

Chapman

Plot 17, Lot 36

Melvin Chapman was an American lawyer, legislator, and civic leader who served as the 28th mayor of Oakland, California, from 1891 to 1893. A central figure in the city’s late nineteenth-century civic development, Chapman is best remembered for his role in securing Lake Merritt as public land and for his contentious transfer of power with successor George Pardee.

Chapman was born in Westfield, Illinois, in 1850 (some sources list 1848). He studied law in California under attorney Henry Vrooman and was admitted to the bar in 1884. Chapman began his practice with Roscoe Havens before forming his own firm, later known as Chapman & Trefethen. Over time, he became a prominent figure in the Alameda County Bar Association, serving as its president.

Chapman entered politics in the late 1880s, winning election to the California State Assembly, where he represented the 50th District in 1887–1888. In 1891, he was briefly nominated for Congress but declined in favor of supporting his colleague Joseph McKenna.

Elected in 1891, Chapman ran on a platform emphasizing public works, infrastructure modernization, and civic beautification. He advocated for street paving, sewer expansion, marsh reclamation in West Oakland, and the improvement of plazas and boulevards.

One of Chapman’s enduring contributions was his role in securing Lake Merritt as public land. The lake, a tidal lagoon that had been designated a wildlife refuge by the state of California in 1870, was surrounded by property controlled by the Oakland Waterfront Company, a private development syndicate. Chapman negotiated with the company to deed portions of the surrounding land to the city, ensuring public access and laying the foundation for the creation of a park encircling the lake. He further advanced plans for dredging, shoreline improvements, and the establishment of a scenic boulevard, anticipating Lake Merritt’s transformation into Oakland’s civic centerpiece.

Chapman’s term ended in 1893 in a controversy that highlighted the factional politics of Oakland at the time. His successor, George C. Pardee (later Governor of California), attempted to assume office at 12:01 a.m. on inauguration day, accompanied by a new city council. Chapman, citing technical issues with the filing of Pardee’s official bond and the timing of the council’s organization, refused to vacate City Hall immediately.

Headline from Oakland Times

 The dispute escalated into a standoff in which, for a brief period, Oakland effectively had two competing municipal governments—one loyal to Chapman and the other recognizing Pardee. The confrontation underscored the growing tension between reform-minded Republicans such as Pardee and the established Democratic and business interests that Chapman represented. Although the matter was ultimately resolved without violence, it was remembered as one of the most contentious mayoral transitions in Oakland’s early history.

After leaving office, Chapman returned to his legal practice and remained active in civic affairs. He served as head of the Oakland Tribune Publishing Company and was a member of the exclusive Athenian Club, a social and political hub for the city’s professional elite. 

Sources: LocalWiki, Oakland Examiner, Oakland Tribune, Find a Grave, LakeMerritt.org, Find a Grave, Oakland Times

 

 

Theodore Doney McCown (1908–1969): Anthropologist and Archaeologist who Reshaped Understanging of Human Evolution

Dr. Theodore McCown

Main Mausoleum, 1st Floor, Section 12, Tier 4, 4th niche from left

Dr. Theodore McCown was an American anthropologist and archaeologist whose work reshaped modern understanding of human evolution. A professor at the University of California, Berkeley, he is best known for his role in the Mount Carmel excavations of the 1930s, his pioneering studies of fossil human remains, and his contributions to forensic anthropology in the United States. His research bridged archaeology, biological anthropology, and forensic science, and he trained a generation of scholars who carried his approaches into diverse fields.

McCown was born in Macomb, Illinois, to Chester Charlton McCown, a biblical scholar, and Harriett Doney. In 1914, the family moved to Berkeley, California, where his father became Dean of the Pacific School of Religion. His father’s subsequent directorship of the Palestine Exploration Fund in the 1920s exposed Theodore to formal archaeological work during extended stays in Palestine. These formative years instilled in him an enduring interest in the material and fossil record of human history.

McCown studied anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, under Alfred L. Kroeber. He was inspired by Henry Morton Stanley’s In Darkest Africa and gained field experience excavating California shell mounds and studying the Kawaiisu Indians. He graduated with a B.A. in anthropology in 1929, receiving highest honors. In 1930, he was appointed assistant at the American School of Oriental Research in Jerusalem, where he participated in excavations at Jerash. He later joined the American School of Prehistoric Research, which gave American students direct access to European and Near Eastern excavations.

McCown’s scientific career was defined early by his role in the Mount Carmel excavations (1931–1935, 1937) in present-day Israel. Working with British archaeologist Dorothy Garrod and others, he was given responsibility for Skhūl Cave. Between 1931 and 1932, McCown uncovered the remains of at least ten individuals (Skhūl I–X), including children and adults. Several skeletons were found in apparent burials, with grave goods such as a wild boar mandible. His discoveries provided some of the earliest evidence for intentional burial practices among archaic humans.

Dr, Theodore McCown and Skulls

 

The Mount Carmel material included fossils from both Skhūl Cave and nearby Tabūn Cave. McCown, collaborating with the British anatomist Sir Arthur Keith, studied and described these remains. Their monumental publication, The Stone Age of Mount Carmel: The Fossil Human Remains from the Levalloiso-Mousterian (Cambridge University Press, 1939), documented the skeletal material in detail. The analysis highlighted morphological differences between the Skhūl and Tabūn specimens, noting that the Skhūl fossils appeared more modern, while the Tabūn skeleton exhibited more Neanderthal-like traits. McCown argued that the fossils represented a population undergoing evolutionary change, foreshadowing debates on the relationship between Neanderthals and early modern humans. His insistence on interpreting variability within populations rather than through rigid racial categories was a major advance in paleoanthropology.

Although McCown and Keith proposed a new species name (Palaeoanthropus palestinensis), this did not gain acceptance. Today, the Skhūl fossils are regarded as early Homo sapiens, and their association with intentional burial is recognized as a milestone in human behavioral evolution.

Returning to California, McCown joined the Berkeley faculty in 1938 while completing his dissertation on Natufian crania from Mount Carmel. He received his Ph.D. in 1939. His academic progression was steady: Assistant Professor in 1941, Associate Professor in 1946, and full Professor of Anthropology in 1951. He chaired the department from 1950 to 1955 and played a central role in establishing Berkeley’s program in physical anthropology. He also served as Curator of Physical Anthropology at the Lowie Museum (later the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology).

McCown was an exceptional teacher, remembered for his organized lectures, wide-ranging knowledge, and ability to inspire students. He supervised more than 18 doctoral dissertations and numerous master’s theses, helping to establish a strong tradition of physical and forensic anthropology at Berkeley.

During World War II, McCown served as a cryptographer and in Graves Registration with the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps (1942–1945), based at the Presidio in San Francisco. His work identifying war dead deepened his interest in forensic anthropology, which he would later teach and develop at Berkeley. At a time when only a handful of scholars—such as Earnest Hooton at Harvard and Wilton Krogman at Penn—were training forensic anthropologists, McCown was instrumental in establishing the field on the West Coast.

He participated in prominent identifications, including the remains of Father Junípero Serra in Carmel (in connection with his beatification), Juan Bautista de Anza in Mexico, and the evaluation of remains once claimed to be those of Amelia Earhart. These cases highlighted his expertise and made him a resource for both academic and governmental agencies.

McCown’s research interests extended globally. In 1941–42, he excavated the Pre-Incaic site of Huamachuco in the Peruvian Andes, publishing his findings in The Pre-Incaic Site of Huamachuco (1945). He identified two distinct periods of occupation and analyzed both architecture and pottery. He also examined skeletal collections gathered by earlier anthropologists such as Alfred Kroeber.

Later, McCown turned to India, conducting fieldwork in the Narmada Valley in 1957–58 and again in 1964–65, often accompanied by his wife, Elizabeth Richards McCown, herself trained in anthropology. There he studied Middle Pleistocene deposits and Acheulean stone tools, situating them within broader contexts of human evolution. His international experience also took him to France, Czechoslovakia, and Mexico.

Dr. Theodore McCown, Dorothy Garrod and Francis Turville-Petre

McCown combined scholarship with service to the university. At Berkeley, he was Associate Dean of the College of Letters and Science (1956–1961) and served on numerous Academic Senate committees. Within the department, he was Chair, Undergraduate Adviser, and Coordinator of the Archaeological Research Facility. His deep knowledge of the campus and his collegial personality made him an invaluable figure in faculty governance.

McCown was widely recognized by his peers. He was active in the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Society for American Archaeology, the American Society of Physical Anthropology, and the American Society for Human Genetics. He was a Fellow of both the American Anthropological Association and the Royal Anthropological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. He also presented influential papers on hominid taxonomy and the education of anthropologists, contributing to the integration of evolutionary theory into paleoanthropology.

McCown died suddenly of a heart attack in Berkeley on August 17, 1969, at the age of 61.  

Sources: The Stone Age of Mount Carmel: The Fossil Human Remains from the Levalloiso-Mousterian (McCown & Keith, 1939); The Pre-Incaic Site of Huamachuco (McCown, 1945); University of California In Memoriam (Hammel, Heizer & Washburn, 1970); Online Archive of California biographical sketch; Harvard American School of Prehistoric Research Directory; British Museum Biographical Records; Institute of Andean Research publications; Anthropology iResearchNet profile of Theodore D. McCown; Virginia Tech online profile, Find a Grave