1
10
6
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https://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/files/original/4e301a89951398993f0642139093af0e.jpg
d31af59a3d22c735ad3fabd0c1c6e2c8
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Title
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Photograph Collection
Description
An account of the resource
Photographs from the 1860's to the 2000's, documenting the history of Santa Cruz County.
See the <a href="https://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/restrictions-on-use">About</a><a> sectionfor the library's reproduction policy and restrictions on use.</a>
Various sources were used to identify persons, events, and places. Citations to print sources were abbreviated. See the <a href="https://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/sources-used-to-identify-photographs">About</a><a> section for a list of sources used.</a>
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Santa Cruz Public Libraries
Still Image
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Unknown
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LH-pr08
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Dan Rodgers
Description
An account of the resource
A portrait of Dan Rodgers. In 1861, he and his sons-in-law Robert Johnson and John Derrick began a 20 year struggle to break the color line in Watsonville Schools.
<a href="http://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/sources-used-to-identify-photographs/">Source of information:</a> Article on this Website, see link below.
Coverage
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1860s
Watsonville
Relation
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<a href="/omeka/items/show/134496">To Know My Name</a>
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This photograph is courtesy of Phil Reader.
<a href="http://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/restrictions-on-use/">Restrictions on Use</a>
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African-American Community
Rodgers, Dan
Racism
Black People
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Santa Cruz Public Libraries
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Image
Language
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En
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PHOTO
Minority Groups
Portraits
-
https://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/files/original/7e28fdb16b11f96ec69ba8d8a55e40e4.jpg
c2788fba057d3e23c4ae923bf8ecab74
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The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Photograph Collection
Description
An account of the resource
Photographs from the 1860's to the 2000's, documenting the history of Santa Cruz County.
See the <a href="https://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/restrictions-on-use">About</a><a> sectionfor the library's reproduction policy and restrictions on use.</a>
Various sources were used to identify persons, events, and places. Citations to print sources were abbreviated. See the <a href="https://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/sources-used-to-identify-photographs">About</a><a> section for a list of sources used.</a>
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Santa Cruz Public Libraries
Still Image
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B&W
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Unknown
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LH-pr09
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Ida B. Wells
Description
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Ida B. Wells, one of the founders of the NAACP. When her family moved to Santa Cruz, about 1892-1894, she was already famous as a writer and lecturer on the subject of lynching. She died in 1931.
<a href="http://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/sources-used-to-identify-photographs/">Source of information:</a> Article on this Website, see link below.
Relation
A related resource
<a href="/omeka/items/show/134496">To Know My Name</a>
Rights
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This photograph is courtesy of Phil Reader.
<a href="http://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/restrictions-on-use/">Restrictions on Use</a>
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Wells, Ida
African-American Community
Race Relations
Black People
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Santa Cruz Public Libraries
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Image
Language
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En
Type
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PHOTO
Minority Groups
Portraits
-
https://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/files/original/2e6f9cb28d9bff37c0ead0a6fea228eb.jpg
d2cb30c842038332be03d2e2c6769960
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Photograph Collection
Description
An account of the resource
Photographs from the 1860's to the 2000's, documenting the history of Santa Cruz County.
See the <a href="https://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/restrictions-on-use">About</a><a> sectionfor the library's reproduction policy and restrictions on use.</a>
Various sources were used to identify persons, events, and places. Citations to print sources were abbreviated. See the <a href="https://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/sources-used-to-identify-photographs">About</a><a> section for a list of sources used.</a>
Publisher
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Santa Cruz Public Libraries
Still Image
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Original Format
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B&W
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Unknown
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The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
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LH-pr10
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Mary Logan
Description
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A portrait of Mary Logan, who, with her husband, Albert, ran a boarding house on South Branciforte. She continued to operate the boarding house after her husband died in 1922.
<a href="http://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/sources-used-to-identify-photographs/">Source of information:</a> Article on this Website, see link below.
Coverage
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Santa Cruz (City)
Relation
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<a href="/omeka/items/show/134496">To Know My Name</a>
Rights
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This photograph is courtesy of Phil Reader.
<a href="http://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/restrictions-on-use/">Restrictions on Use</a>
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Logan, Mary
African-American Community
Hotels and Boarding Houses
Black People
Publisher
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Santa Cruz Public Libraries
Format
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Image
Language
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En
Type
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PHOTO
Minority Groups
Portraits
-
https://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/files/original/1ee62d86123691ef95e7c695afae0f7e.pdf
e2e3197c3ad2b271caa4bc2e4c15e2de
PDF Text
Text
Oscar Thomas "O.T." Jackson
By Phil Reader
As a young man, he had cut hair for a number of years at a small barber shop in the farming community of Watsonville,
California. As an old man, he cut hair at a shaving parlor on Railroad Avenue in Oakland. But in between he lived a life
which was unthinkable for any descendant of slaves just a single generation removed from the cotton fields. For one
brief moment, during the summer of 1883, he stood center stage in most of the major concert halls of the world and
headlined numerous command performances before the royal families of Europe. This remarkable man was Oscar
Thomas Jackson.
"O.T." Jackson was born in upstate New York on November 20, 1846 to
David and Emma (Lane) Jackson. He joined a family that already consisted
of two boys, named Adam and Jethro. The elder Jacksons were former
slaves freed when England banned the institution of slavery in its West
Indies colony.
After coming to the United States, David Jackson—like so many other
freedmen—found it difficult to become integrated into American society.
He was a restless sort who traveled from town to town working as a day
laborer, usually following the course of the Erie Canal. It was a difficult
living with the prospects of raising and educating a family being sketchy at
best. So when word of the discovery of gold in California reached the east
coast, David Jackson turned his steps westward.
During the spring of 1850, the Jacksons sailed out of New York harbor,
rounding the Horn, and arrived at San Francisco on June 23, 1850. After
settling his family among the burgeoning African-American community in
that city, David Jackson set out for the gold fields. His efforts met with
moderate success so the family was able to establish itself comfortably
and the boys were enrolled at the new all-Black school conducted by the
Reverend Jeremiah B. Sanderson in the basement of the St. Cyprian
African Methodist Episcopalian Church.
O.T. Jackson
Emma, with her husband away at the mines, found work as a seamstress and involved herself in church activities.
Possessing a beautiful soprano voice, she became a soloist with the choir. In the late 1850s, she received word that her
husband had been killed in a mining accident. A few years later, the widow remarried, taking as her second husband
Pleasant Hill, a resident of the Oakland area.
1
�In their late teens, while still attending school, the boys were all apprenticed into a trade. O.T. was trained as a barber
and went to work at a shop on Montgomery Street. After learning that the sizable African-American community in
Watsonville was without the services of a barber, he moved south in the company of his two brothers. He set up his own
shaving and hair dressing salon in the old Union Hotel building on Main Street and opened for business April 1, 1868.
Soon his clientele was such that he found it necessary to take on the first of what would be three partners. His name
was Alexander Wilkins and he had come to California from Jamaica via Portland, Oregon.
Wilkins was a wild young man with a fondness for drink and women. On the night of Sunday, September 25, 1869, this
weakness would cost him his life. In the company of a fellow known only as "Indian George", he rode out to Whisky Hill
(now Freedom) to attend a fandango at one of the brothels located there. At 2 a.m., after considerable drink and
merriment, they mounted their horses and started back towards town. Just as the two reached the site of the old
Catholic cemetery, they were attacked by a gang of bandidos. Wilkins was killed and George, who was seriously
wounded, escaped and made his way back into Watsonville. When the town marshal and his posse arrived at the scene
of the shooting, they found Wilkins' body had been robbed and stripped of most of its clothing. The following day, O.T.
Jackson buried his colleague.
His next two partners were William H. Miller, who after a few years with Jackson would move to Salinas and become a
pioneer of that city; and Charles Bryant, a native of England, who had come to California during the gold rush.
Meanwhile the other Jackson brothers were branching out on their own. Adam, who was restless like his father, moved
away from Watsonville and took up a mining claim in Calaveras County, near San Andreas. Jethro continued to live with
Oscar and became the town bill-poster. In the spring of 1870, when the U.S. Congress passed the 15th amendment, the
Jackson brothers were among the first Black people in Watsonville to register to vote.
On August 23, 1871, Oscar Jackson married Mary Ellen Wiley, the only daughter of California pioneer John Wiley-Scott, a
veteran of John C. Fremont's exploration party in 1844. The couple had just settled into a quiet existence when O.T.
made a discovery which was to radically alter the direction of their lives.
Living in Watsonville at the time was a man with a flair for the arts. His name was J. 0. Child and from time to time he
would put on musicals for the enjoyment of the citizenry. Perhaps the most popular musical style of the period was the
Minstrel show. Child hit upon the idea of organizing such a show in Watsonville using solely the talent to be found in the
African-American community. When he approached the group with this idea, he was greeted with great enthusiasm.
The date of the concert was set for July 22, 1870 at Allen's Hall, and it was decided that all the proceeds from the event
would be donated to [a local school for children of color]. Rehearsals began late in June, so the cast only had time for 12
lessons from Mr. Child to prepare them. The lead singers in the group were Oscar and Jethro Jackson. Prior to the
production, complimentary tickets were sent to Charley Cummings, editor of the Watsonville Pajaronian. He responded
by giving the event a great deal of publicity.
On the evening of the 22nd, the hall was filled to capacity and the event proved to be a resounding success both
culturally and financially. Editor Cummings in his next issue of the Pajaronian warmly praised the company and singled
out Oscar Jackson's performance, noting "the way he had rendered the ballads with a beautiful tenor voice." In private,
he and other members of the community encouraged O.T. to turn professional. It was a suggestion not wasted on
Jackson.
It was not long before the Jackson brothers and other members of the Black community had organized a group called
the "Sable Minstrels" and were playing dates all over the central coasts. The company consisted of O.T. Jackson as a
ballad singer; Charley King singing harmony; Louis Parris, who narrated the skits; Ben Johnson doing the plantation jig;
and Jethro "Bones" Jackson as a song and dance man. The instrumental accompaniment was provided by Jose and
Emidio Soria, members of the old Branciforte family. In time they honed their routine and took it up to San Francisco
2
�which was a center for touring minstrel troupes. Although their jaunt to the city met with only mild success, it did
however bring the considerable talent of O.T. Jackson to the attention of big time promoters.
As he began to feel more and more that his future lay in music, Jackson realized that it would be best for his career to
move back up to the San Francisco Bay area where the various cultural arts were flourishing. So in 1874, he and Mary
Ellen bade farewell to his many friends in Santa Cruz County and bought a small house at 714 Pine Street in west
Oakland. It was located close to his mother's home and that of his in-laws so that his wife would not be alone when he
was on tour.
O.T. was quickly picked up by a series of West Coast Minstrel groups which kept him traveling up and down the state the
next few years playing at small town fairs, circuses, and auditoriums. It was a period of apprenticeship during which
three daughters were born into the Jackson family. Only one, Mayme—born May 26, 1876—would survive to adulthood.
In 1877, Jackson broke into the "big time" when he joined the Haverly Colored Minstrel Troupe, the most important
group of its kind in America. He was one of their lead tenors as they crisscrossed the nation following the theater circuit
to all of the major cities.
Lured away by the promise of a larger salary, he signed on with Charley Hick's Georgia Minstrels and sailed off on the
adventure of a lifetime. Hicks, a Black performer and promoter, hailed the trip as "A Grand Tour of the Entire World",
and it almost lived up to its title. After a two month cruise which took them to the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii), Tahiti, and
other South Sea islands, they landed in Australia where they played the larger cities. This was followed by a slow journey
through the bush country entertaining in countless churches, school houses and pubs.
After leaving Australia their itinerary took them to New Zealand, Java, China, Japan, and across the continent to the
European countries which housed the greatest concert halls of the world. The run ended with a triumphant year's tour
in England which included a command performance before King Edward VII.
When they returned to the states in 1884, Jackson had been away from home for almost six years. He settled down for a
time in the comforts of family and friends, enjoying the savings which he had been able to send back to Mary Ellen
during his tours. The Jacksons made a brief trip back to Watsonville to renew acquaintances with his ex-neighbors.
But it was the heyday of Black minstrelsy and it was Charlie Hicks who would tempt O.T. back on the road. Hicks, who
was planning another tour of Australia and Europe, offered him $40 a week to travel with the show giving him the top
billing as lead tenor. So for two years, between 1886 and 1888, Jackson retraced his earlier steps around the world. At
the end of his second extended tour, he promised his family no more overseas travel and once again settled down.
However this "retirement" proved as temporary as the first because in 1890, he was off again. This time Lew Johnson, an
old friend from the first tour, organized a series of minstrel troupes geared to play in the "secondary markets", that is
the small western towns where none of the major touring companies ever appeared. These areas were starved for
entertainment and would prove to be lucrative for the Johnson troupes.
Still receiving top billing, Jackson would play a series of one-night stands in almost every little town and village from the
Mississippi River to the Pacific Coast. There were frequent name changes for the troupe, including Lew Johnson's
Refined Colored Minstrels and Electric Brass Band, and the Black Baby Boy Minstrels.
While they were in these rough frontier towns, the all-Black troupe met with a tremendous amount of prejudice and
discrimination. At times their mere survival was at risk because the modes of transportation were still quite crude,
leaving them to travel on accident prone mountain railroads and hot, dusty, uncomfortable stage coaches. Good food
was frequently scarce and accommodations were often primitive. In most towns they were forced into segregated
quarters; when no commercial housing was available because of this discrimination, they found lodging with local Black
families in their already crowded shacks and shanties. Every small town had a building which was optimistically called
3
�their "opera house" or "theater" where, more often than not, the troupe would play to a near empty hall and it was not
at all uncommon for an unscrupulous agent or advance man to abscond with the troupe's money.
On one occasion when Jackson was with a show in the cow country of west Texas a group of rowdies in the audience
bated the performers with a series of racist slogans. One proud member of the cast made the mistake of returning the
gibes. A mob of angry whites dragged the player from the stage and out into the night. The next morning as the troupe
was preparing to board their coach at the train station, the unfortunate man staggered up to the platform with his back
whipped raw and covered with tar and feathers.
In spite of all of this discomfort and suffering, the Johnson Minstrels and O.T. Jackson prospered. For Jackson and most
of the other Black performers on the minstrel circuit, the opportunity to "be somebody" through the use of their own
natural talents made the extra risks worthwhile.
The fall of 1897, found O.T. and his group, now called the Original Nashville Students, touring California. On November
12 and 13, when they played dates in Watsonville and Santa Cruz it was like a homecoming for Jackson. In attendance
were many of his friends from the old days when, twenty years earlier, he had operated the small barber shop on Main
Street. The flow of money back home to Mary Ellen and the girls continued until 1898, when O.T., now well into the 5th
decade of his life and tired of the road, gave up minstrelsy, and settled down in Oakland for the final time.
He returned to his former occupation of barbering and was hired at the salon on Railroad Avenue. The wall behind his
chair was lined with press clippings, notices, and handbills from his years on the circuit. The old man never tired of
walking with a "stage swagger" and delighted his customers with tales of the far away exotic places which he had visited.
The high point of a trip to O.T.'s barber chair was the colorful way which he boasted of the time that he had played
before the British Royal Family. In Oakland he was always in demand as a soloist at weddings, funerals, and other
occasions. To the very end his beautiful tenor voice remained mellow and melodious. He died quietly at his home on
November 25, 1909 at the age of 63 years.
In the course of his lifetime, this son of slaves had risen to some dazzling heights through the use of his unique talent. He
could claim kinship to all of the now famous names in the history of minstrelsy including W.C. Handy, Edwin Christy, Billy
Kersands, and Wallace King. Along the way, Jackson had managed to cross paths with the likes of Tin Pan Alley composer
Gussie L. Davis and a young Bessie Smith. These gifted performers would help Black people establish themselves in the
mainstream of American show business.
Almost a century later, Professor Douglas H. Daniels wrote a book entitled Pioneer Urbanites, A Social and Cultural
History of Black San Francisco. (Temple University Press, 1980) In it, Professor Daniels includes one chapter on the arts.
In the section on music, he suggests that Oscar T. Jackson and his improvisational vocal technique deserve some of the
credit for establishing "Afro-American elements" in the music styles of the west during the 19th century. This musical
format would ultimately lead to the creation of Jazz, the Blues, and other Black contributions to American cultural art
forms.
Sources
Copyright 1996 Phil Reader. Reproduced with the permission of the author.
Photograph courtesy of the Northern California Center for Afro American History and Life.
The content of this article is the responsibility of the individual author. It is the Library's intent to provide accurate local history
information. However, it is not possible for the Library to completely verify the accuracy of individual articles obtained from a
variety of sources. If you believe that factual statements in a local history article are incorrect and can provide documentation,
please contact the Webmaster.
4
�
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Santa Cruz History Articles
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Original articles by library staff and by local authors and material from historical books.
Articles on Santa Cruz County history, many with illustrations, are available here.
The Santa Cruz Public Libraries is grateful to our local historians and their publishers for giving permission to include their articles. The content of the articles is the responsibility of the individual authors.
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Santa Cruz Public Libraries
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Original Format
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Paper
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Identifier
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AR-158
Title
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Oscar Thomas "O.T." Jackson
Creator
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Reader, Phil
Publisher
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Santa Cruz Public Libraries
Date
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1996-
Format
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Text
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En
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ARTICLE
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Copyright 1996 Phil Reader. Reproduced with the permission of the author. Photograph courtesy of the Northern California Center for Afro American History and Life.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Jackson, Oscar "O.T."
African-American Community
Music and Musicians
Black People
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Watsonville
Arts and Entertainment
Biography
Minority Groups
-
https://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/files/original/a32cd76d1b0cc41e29e54e48b0e67c39.jpg
a22e73cd3f4e377a76b8aa853e93a83a
Dublin Core
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Title
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Photograph Collection
Description
An account of the resource
Photographs from the 1860's to the 2000's, documenting the history of Santa Cruz County.
See the <a href="https://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/restrictions-on-use">About</a><a> sectionfor the library's reproduction policy and restrictions on use.</a>
Various sources were used to identify persons, events, and places. Citations to print sources were abbreviated. See the <a href="https://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/sources-used-to-identify-photographs">About</a><a> section for a list of sources used.</a>
Publisher
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Santa Cruz Public Libraries
Still Image
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Original Format
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B&W
Physical Dimensions
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8"x10"
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Identifier
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LH-cov-020
Date
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1955
Title
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Salz Tannery lunchroom
Description
An account of the resource
This photo of the Salz Tannery lunchroom was taken sometime during the mid-1950's. According to Jeremy Lezin, Salz was one of the very few companies in the 50's and early 60's that hired African Americans. As a point of interest, Helen Salz, Ansley's wife, co-founded the ACLU in San Francisco. In the 1950's the Salz workforce numbered about 60. In the 70's that grew to as many as 350. At the end in 2001, there were approximately 100 employees.
<a href="http://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/sources-used-to-identify-photographs/">Source of information:</a> Jeremy Lezin
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Santa Cruz (City)
1950s
Relation
A related resource
<a href="/omeka/items/show/134510">Economic Development of the City of Santa Cruz 1850-1950: Tanneries</a>
<a href="/omeka/items/show/134361">Leather with Personality</a> [A.K. Salz Company] <a href="/omeka/items/show/134356">San Lorenzo Tannery</a> [1896]
Rights
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This photograph was taken by Vester Dick and is the property of the Lezin Family. It is displayed here with the permission of the Lezin Family and Covello and Covello.
<a href="http://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/restrictions-on-use/">Restrictions on Use</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Tanneries
Salz Tannery
African-American Community
Black People
Publisher
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Santa Cruz Public Libraries
Format
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Image
Language
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En
Type
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PHOTO
Industries
-
https://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/files/original/f0c246d6dc9dd949879de19dff0a822d.pdf
9e9ceb09765ddcb7b0869cbfec4d4162
PDF Text
Text
Uncle Dave's Story: The Life of Ex-Slave Dave Boffman
By Phil Reader
For thirty-six years he lived quietly on a small homestead which was located atop a wooded hill at the end of
Branciforte Drive in the Vine Hill district. When he died in 1893 he was a wizened old man bent low with age,
sporting a balding pate and grizzled white beard. In death his looks belied the once hulking ex-slave who had
trod barefoot across the prairie in search of freedom. Tales involving slavery have, by their very nature, an
underlying sense of pathos. No story in Santa Cruz county history is more poignant than that of Dave Boffman.
It is indeed one of those stories which cries out to be told.
He was born at the Baughman plantation in Crab Orchard, near Stanford, Lincoln County, Kentucky. The exact
date of his birth and the name of his parents remain lost to history having been recorded in one of those slave
inventories which reduces the nativity of a human being to a mere number. "Born on this date, one Nigger
boy." Boffman, himself, estimated the year be about 1820.
His old master was Henry Baughman, a transplanted Virginia aristocrat, who owned one of the largest cotton
plantations in central Kentucky. To work his fields, he owned nearly one hundred slaves, and it is among these
people that young Dave grew into manhood.
In 1837 he was mated to Matilda a sixteen year old fellow resident of slave row. During the next ten years, six
children were born to this union, three boys and three girls. Old master Henry died in 1843 and Dave and his
family were deeded to a grandson, Newton Baughman.
The word that gold had been discovered in California spread quickly across the country, reaching Kentucky
during the summer of 1848. Newt Baughman, who was a restless sort, immediately made plans to move west
with his wife and daughter. In late summer they left Kentucky, taking with them their slave Dave and his
family. Crossing the Mississippi River, they continued on into north-western Missouri and bought a farm at
Lafayette township in Clinton county.
After settling in, Newt Baughman began to prepare for his trip to the gold fields. In order to finance the
journey he sold three of Dave's children to a slave buyer from the south. He then asked Dave to accompany
him to California in return for the opportunity to purchase his freedom once they had reached the mines.
Dave readily accepted, seeing in it the chance to not only buy his freedom, but to reunite his family.
During the month of May, 1851, master and slave set out, planning to follow the Missouri River up to old Fort
Kearny and, there, pick up the California Trail. But this was not meant to be an easy journey.
1
�All of the border states were fraught with slave hunters forever on the lookout for run-away slaves, and most
were not opposed to kidnapping a freedman, or stealing a slave from his master. All of the points of terminus
for the overland trails were closely watched.
As luck would have it, Dave and Newt Baughman were quickly separated and he had to make it to Fort Kearny
on his own. One day as he walked along the river bed, he happened upon a party of slave hunters, who were
running a large pack of blood-hounds. He immediately dove into the swift current, where he knew that the
dogs would not follow, and swam to the opposite shore while a hail of bullets plunked into the water all
around him. He was forced to employ this maneuver on two other occasions to avoid capture before arriving
safely at the fort where he found his master waiting.
After resting a few days they set out across the prairie following the Platte River through Nebraska and
Wyoming toward the Rocky Mountains. This was Indian country and the Cheyennes and Pawnee were on the
prowl. Twice they were attacked and during the second raid Dave, who was not allowed to carry arms, was
taken prisoner.
He was marched with much ceremony into the Indian camp. Because he was the first black man that this tribe
had ever seen, they looked upon him more as a curiosity then a captive. During his time with the Indians, he
was puzzled by the fact that he was constantly being touched and rubbed. Dave soon learned that his capture
was considered to be a good omen and that anyone who touched his black skin would surely have good luck.
His special standing with the tribe proved to be a boon because they did not post a guard on him and he was
able to effect his escape.
Continuing westward alone, he found Baughman again waiting for him at Fort Laramie. There they joined a
large flotilla of wagons and completed the rest of their journey to California in relative comfort and without
further incident. Dave, now in the prime of his life, had walked the whole two thousand miles barefoot.
October, 1851 found the two men busily prospecting near Mokelumne Hill in the northern mines. Their efforts
met with success and Dave was able to unearth enough gold to meet the one thousand dollar price that
Baughman wanted for his freedom. He stayed on at the diggings long enough to accumulate a small stake.
During this time he met a young man named Samuel McAdams, who told him about the opportunities to be
found working in the redwood groves near the coastal community of Santa Cruz. Lumber was selling for 5100
per thousand feet, and if a man was willing to work hard, he could amass a fortune. In early spring the exslave, who now referred to himself as Dave Boffman (spelled phonetically), set out with McAdams for Santa
Cruz. Boffman's goal was to earn enough money in the woods to buy freedom for his wife and children, whom
he had not heard from in well over a year.
Upon arriving at Santa Cruz, he bought a small house on an acre of land in pueblo de Branciforte. He then
went up to Zayante and leased a saw mill from Isaac Graham. Boffman and McAdams spent the rest of the
year milling enough lumber to fill a large schooner which they planned to ship up to the market in San
Francisco. However on the way up the coast, the schooner was caught in a storm and dashed upon the rocks
Pescadero. The cargo was lost and consequence the two men were ruined.
McAdams left the county in despair, but Dave knuckled down and went to work for the Weeks Brothers, who
were putting in their first crop of potatoes along Branciforte Creek. By dint of much hard labor he accumulated
the money to purchase a nice little 45 acre ranch at Rodeo Gulch in February of 1860.
2
�He took on as a partner, a German immigrant named Herman Siegmann. They planted a orchard and sowed a
crop of wheat and oats. Prospects had never looked brighter for Dave and he began to plan for the day when
he could send for his family.
When they had taken possession of the ranch they had found running there a young unbranded colt. In May,
Siegmann, against Boffman's advice, traded the colt to Live Oak stockman Martin Kinsley for a mare and her
foal. Thinking nothing more of the matter they set about the business of ranching.
Several days later, Kinsley appeared at their door in the company of county sheriff John T. Porter. Kinsley
stated that the colt which Seigmann had traded to him belonged to sheriff Porter and that he, Kinsley, was
there to retrieve his mare and foal.
At this point, Porter stepped in and told Boffman and Seigmann that what they had done
was a crime punishable by imprisonment at San Quentin. Boffman protested, saying that
he had nothing to with the trade, so he was innocent. But the sheriff insisted that Dave
and the German were partners and if they didn't immediately pay him two hundred
dollars, he would have them sent to prison. Boffman asked for time to go into Santa Cruz
and talk to a lawyer.
Again Porter threatened them with jail, adding that if they didn't have cash, they could
give him a promissory note for the amount. He then guaranteed them if they paid off the
note he would not say anything about the affair. The sheriff had known Boffman for
John T. Porter
several years, and knew the man's reputation for honesty and fair dealing. Porter also
knew that Dave was of innocent of any wrong doing, yet he continued to force the issue.
Boffman realizing that he was a poor man, who on account of his color could not testify in court on his own
behalf, and knowing full well that Porter, in his role as sheriff, was quite capable of sending him to jail,
acquiesced to the extortion. Porter wrote out the note which Boffman and Seigmann then signed.
On October 9, 1860, local businessman George Otto, also of German extraction, paid Porter the sum of one
hundred dollars to be applied on the note in the name of Herman Seigmann. Both Boffman and Seigmann
hoped that this would satisfy the sheriff, as it was the German alone who had inadvertently wronged him. But
this was not to be, because on January 3, 1861 Porter initiated court proceedings against Boffman for the full
amount.
Being ignorant of the laws and intimidated by Porter's standing in the community, Dave didn't contest the suit
and a judgment of one hundred and eighty-five dollars plus interest was granted in Porter's favor. At the
hearing the sheriff also claimed that Otto had only paid him fifty dollars not one hundred dollars.
Judge McKee, in who's court the case was heard, denounced the way Porter had handled the matter and
publicly regretted that he would have to rule in the sheriff's favor. Kinsley too, later testified as to the illegal
actions taken by Porter.
Boffman was unable to pay the judgment and lost the property when it was sold off at a constable's sale on
March 16, 1861. The ranch was auctioned for eight hundred dollars, much more then the one hundred which
Porter bid. Afterwards he learned that Boffman still possessed some stock -a mare, a colt, two milk cows with
their calves, and a heifer - which he ordered seized and sold to satisfy the judgment.
3
�A demoralized Dave Boffman moved back to town and went to work as a day laborer. He was employed for a
time by Elihu Anthony, a local merchant. Anthony, also a Methodist minister, befriended him and was to keep
an eye on Boffman's interests so that he would never have to undergo another shameful incident like the
Porter affair. It was also Anthony who suggested that he take up a preemption on eighty acres of school land
in section 16 of the Vine Hill area. Boffman filed the necessary papers in 1864 and took up residence at that
time.
The hillside land was so densely covered with brush and chaparral that Dave was forced to crawl on his hands
and knees to find a clear spot. For three weeks no one heard from Dave, so Anthony rode out to the property
were he found Boffman hard at work clearing the land. During the time he had nothing
to eat except for a few wild berries. The preacher took him home, fed him a hot meal,
and drove him back to the homestead with a wagon load of provisions.
In time Dave finished clearing most of the land and built himself a small wooden shack
with a stone fireplace. In later years he planted an orchard and a forty acre vineyard.
This was to be his home for over thirty years.
Little by little he gave up on his dream of being again united with his wife Matilda and
the children. He was to remain desperately poor, earning only enough from his fruit and
Elihu Anthony
vegetables to keep himself alive. He bought an old mare to help him with the plowing
and was never known to ride it. When he went to town for supplies, he would lead the mare, plodding along
barefoot next to it, for Dave Boffman never owned a pair of shoes in his life.
The 1870s were exciting times for him because his nearest neighbors were the Lorenzana's and the
Rodriguez's. The young bandidos from these families trusted him and would sometimes hide out in his cabin.
Faustino Lorenzana stayed there when things got too hot for him around Branciforte. During September of
1871, Tiburcio Vasquez and his gang which included one of the Rodriguez boys were hiding there after they
had robbed the stage coach at Soap Lake near Hollister. On the 13th of the month, Vasquez was camped in a
ravine next to Boffman's house recovering from a bullet wound, when a gunfight broke out between the
desperadoes and a posse led by under sheriff Charlie Lincoln. Dave helped load the dangerously wounded man
into a wagon so that he could make good his escape.
The years slipped away and he became quite well known in the area for his many eccentricities. His hair and
beard turned white with age and his body shrunk and became gnarled by the passage of time. The children in
town came to know him as "Uncle Dave" and he was never without a story for them. His constant companion
was an old dog called "Watch" and he treated the animal with kindness allowing it to sleep on the foot of his
bed.
On one occasion when Dave was bitten by a rattlesnake and the Santa Cruz Sentinel , printed a story reporting
the incident and declared the old man dead. The following day, however, he was seen in his orchard pulling up
weeds with a bandaged hand. The paper was forced to print a retraction, concluding that it was the snake that
was dead not Uncle Dave.
For many years his friend Elihu Anthony had been searching for any member of Dave's family that remained
alive. One day he heard about a granddaughter who was living up in northern California at Colusa county. Her
name was Annie Drisdom and she was the child of Dave's oldest daughter Matilda. Anthony sent her money
for a ticket and was at the depot with Dave to meet her train.
4
�For Dave Boffman it was to be a bittersweet reunion as the girl brought him up to date on the fate of his
family. His wife Matilda, thinking him dead, had remarried and moved to Kansas where she had passed away
several years before. The only one of his children who was yet alive was a son George, then living in Topeka.
George had been a baby of less then one year when Dave had left home in 1851, he therefore had no
memories of his father.
Annie stayed with Boffman for six months taking care of his every need in an attempt to make up for all of the
missing years. But then the day came for her to return to her own life, leaving the old man to the company of
his dog.
On the night of April 19, 1893, Uncle Dave, almost senile and well into the
eighth decade of his life, fell asleep in an arm chair next to a roaring fire that
he had started in his fireplace. As he slept the flames leapt out of the hearth
and caught the wooden floor boards of his cabin on fire. He barely escaped
with his life as the fire all but completely destroyed his shack.
Once again his longtime friend Elihu Anthony came to his rescue taking Dave
into his home and providing for him until it became necessary to commit him
to the state asylum at Agnews. On September 23, 1893, Dave Boffman, the
luckless ex-slave died quietly in his sleep. His remains were brought back to
Santa Cruz and buried in the Anthony family plot at the Odd Fellows
Cemetery where a humble tombstone now marks his final resting place.
Dave Boffman's Grave
Dave Boffman's Grave
The Santa Cruz Sentinel eulogized him as "honest, confiding, simple, industrious, and without a vice",
remembering a day "thirty years earlier when we saw Uncle Dave carrying on his back a heavy plow from a
Santa Cruz blacksmith shop to his farm, a distance of fully eight miles, performing this great task to save the
strain on his old horse."
However it was his faithful dog "Watch" who was to have the final word of praise for Uncle Dave. The animal
escaped from the Anthony place where it was being kept, and found his way back to the Boffman ranch. For
many months afterwards he lay in the burnt out shell of the cabin whining for his master.
Author’s note:
The name of Dave Boffman sits uneasy on the ledger books of Santa Cruz county because there is still a debt
that is owed this meek and mild man, who for so many years could be found among us. This obligation can
best be resolved by simply revealing the truth about his life.
Notes and References on Uncle Dave Boffman
Birth
Wills and Inventories, Lincoln County, Kentucky, 1800-1850.
5
�United States Census
Lincoln County, Kentucky, 1820-1840.
Clinton County, Missouri, 1850.
Santa Cruz County, California, Soquel Township, 1860.
Santa Cruz County, California, Santa Cruz Township, 1870- 1880.
Biography
Santa Cruz Sentinel: September 2, 1885, April 21, 1893.
Santa Cruz Surf: April 21, 1893.
The Riptide: Pioneer Edition, November 5, 1953.
Uncle Dave and the Rattlesnake
Santa Cruz Sentinel: September 22, 1877, September 29, 1877.
The Porter Extortion Affair
Pajaro Times: August 31, 1867.
Santa Cruz Sentinel: February 23, 1861 (Legal Ad re: Constable's Sale), January 2, 1864.
Handbill in the David Jacks Collection, Special Collections, Stanford University.
Source
From: It Is Not My Intention to Be Captured. Copyright 1991 Phil Reader. Reproduced with the permission of
Phil Reader. Photographs courtesy of Phil Reader.
It is the library’s intent to provide accurate information, however, it is not possible for the library to completely
verify the accuracy of all information. If you believe that factual statements in a local history article are
incorrect and can provide documentation, please contact the library.
6
�
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Santa Cruz History Articles
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Identifier
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AR-182
Title
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Uncle Dave's Story: The Life of Ex-Slave Dave Boffman
Subject
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Boffman, Dave
African-American Community
Anthony, Elihu
Porter, John
Black People
Creator
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Reader, Phil
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It Is Not My Intention to be Captured. Phil Reader, 1991.
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Santa Cruz Public Libraries
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1991
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Santa Cruz (County)
1890s
1870s
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Text
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En
Type
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ARTICLE
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Copyright 1991 Phil Reader. Reproduced with the permission of Phil Reader. Photographs courtesy of Phil Reader.
Biography
Minority Groups