San Benito County CA Archives History - Books .....Chapter VII San Benito County In 1892 1893 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/copyright.htm http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com September 18, 2006, 12:19 am Book Title: Memorial And Biographical History Of The Coast Counties Of Central California. CHAPTER VII. SAN BENITO COUNTY IN 1892. SAN Benito county constitutes one judicial district, of which Hon. James F. Breen is the superior judge. The other county officers are: John L. Hudner, district attorney; C. C. Cargill, assemblyman; E. E. Holbrook, sheriff and ex officio tax collector; Rody Shaw, county clerk, ex officio recorder, and auditor; D. F. McPhail, assessor; E. B. Montgomery, treasurer; J. N. Thompson, school superintendent; W. K. Brown, surveyor; D. McCarty, public administrator and coroner. The county is now divided into five supervisor districts, and the following are the present supervisors: D. Snibley, district No. 1; Luis Raggio, district No. 2; G. S. Nash, district No. 3; A. J. Chaney, district No. 4; M. F. Finch, chairman, district No. 5. The county courthouse at Hollister, the county seat, was erected in 1887, and cost about $45,000. It is a two-story edifice with basement and tower; the walls are of brick, stuccoed; its site is on a lot 300x200 feet, fronting on Monterey street, between Fourth and Fifth streets. The courthouse has entrances on three sides, by fourteen granite steps, with columned porches. In the northwest rear corner of the grounds stands a substantial one-story brick jail, costing about $10,000, which, though neatly and carefully kept, appears (to the credit of the community be it said) to be poorly patronized. The grounds of the courthouse are surrounded by an ornamental iron fence; and on three sides, outside the cement walks, are some thirty beautiful bright-green, ever-graceful "umbrella trees," which, with the grass plat surrounding the building, give the San Benito courthouse and grounds a unique appearance during a greater portion of the year, which is as rare as it is beautiful. There are also a few palm and other ornamental trees interspersed within and around the yard, but not of such numbers or size as to interrupt the view from within or without the grounds. The county has built three bridges, costing in the aggregate about $25,000. SAN BENITO COUNTY SCHOOLS. The following facts and figures concerning the rising generation of the county, are significant and interesting. They are taken from the annual report for the year ending June 30, 1892, of Superintendent of Schools J. N. Thompson. The school census for 1892 shows the number of children in the county to be: Between five and seventeen-white, 1,029 boys, and 1,043 girls-2,072. Between five and seventeen-negroes, 6 boys, and 7 girls -13; total, 2,085. Under five-white, 661; Mongolian, 2; total, 663. Total number of census children under seventeen, 2,748. The nativity of these is as follows: 2,708 were native born, and 40 were foreign born. The number of children between five and seventeen who attended public school at any time in the school year, 1,542; or private school at any time in the school year, 153. Number who have not attended school during the school year, 390; total 2,085. Number of teachers or classes-grammar, 11; primary, 43. Total, 54. Number of pupils enrolled-boys, 921; girls, 785. Total, 1,706. Average number belonging, 1,128; average daily attendance, 1,049. Percentage of attendance on number belonging, 93. Number months of school maintained, average, 8 1/3. Grammar grade-number enrolled, 503; primary grade-number enrolled 1,203; total, 1,706. Sex of teachers-males, 15; females, 39; total, 54. Monthly salary paid, average, $65. Monthly salary paid male teachers, average, 175. Monthly salary paid female teachers, average, $61. Annual salary paid county superintendent, $1,500. Number of teachers, graduates of California State normal schools, 11; number of teachers, graduates of other State normal schools, 2; number of teachers who hold life diplomas, 11; number of teachers who hold State educational diplomas, 7; number of teachers who hold high school certificates, 2; number of teachers who hold county certificates, first grade, 30; number of teachers who hold county certificates, second grade, 22. CURRENT EXPENSES AND RECEIPTS. Amount paid for teachers' salaries, $29,179.61; amount paid for rents, repairs, fuel, etc., $3,902.02; amount paid for school libraries, $884.72; amount paid for school apparatus, $101.80; amount paid for sites, buildings and furnishings, $9,173.80; total, $43,241.95. RECEIPTS. Balance, July 1, 1891, $9,664.75; from State, $16,100.96; from county, $17,837.50; from city and district taxes, $31,784.23; from subscription, etc., $93.18. Total, $75,480.62; balance on hand, June 30, 1892, $32,238.67. SCHOOL PROPERTY. Value of school lots, buildings and furniture, $50,475 Value of school libraries 8,215 Value of apparatus 3,695 _______ Total $62,385 Number of volumes in school libraries 7,967 Aggregate indebtedness of districts of county $31,033 Number of public schoolhouses in county 43 Rate of county school tax 29.4 cents per $100 Assessment roll $6,113,050 Total drawn from unapportioned county fund: Institute, $98.90; postage, binding, etc., $63.50; $162,40 Number of private schools in county, 2; private teachers, 6. Number of pupils in private schools, average attendance, 120. COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION. Term expires Frank B. Abbe, San Juan, president, June 30, 1894 J. N. Thompson, Hollister, secretary, January 7, 1895 J. B. Hankenson, June 30, 1894 John Paterson, June 30, 1893 Thomas H. Slaven, Paicines, June 30, 1893 REPORT OF FIRST SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT. H. Z. Morris, the first superintendent after the organization of San Benito county, for the school year ending June 30, 1874, eighteen years ago, gives in his report these items, which are of interest by contrast: There were fourteen school districts; Hollister had four teachers; San Juan and Jefferson, two each; and the other districts each had one, making nineteen teachers in all. There were 703 boys and 636 girls, or a total of 1,339 children, between five and seventeen, in the new county, besides 711 under five years of age, all of whom, if still living, must be now men and women grown. The population of San Benito county, according to the federal census, was in 1890, 6,412. In 1892 it must be 8,000 or more, or three times at least the number (2,748) of school census children in the county, under seventeen years of age. The population by race as reported by the superintendent of the eleventh census, was: whites, 6,223; Chinese, 85; Indians, 50; colored, 54; total, 6,412. The vote for governor in 1890 was: Markham, 683; Pond, 850; Bidwell, 83; total, 1,616. The population of towns was: 1880 1890 Hollister 1,034, 1,234; San Benito 672, 1,129; San Juan 484, 463; A. T. Butler is postmaster of Hollister. The annual receipts of the office are $3,770. MISCELLANEOUS. By the act of the Legislature of March 11, 1891, San Benito county was made a part of the Seventh Congressional District; and by the same act it was made, with Monterey county, to constitute the Thirty-third Senatorial District; and the Fifty-ninth Assembly District was made to consist of Merced and a part of San Benito counties; and the Sixtieth District was to consist of the remaining portion of San Benito county. The following is a list of the members of the bar of San Benito county, viz.: N. C. Briggs, H. W. Scott, M. T. Dooling, G. B. Montgomery, J. L. Hudner and W. H. Hill. The assessment of San Benito county for 1892, is as follows: Value of real estate and improvements $5,130,200 Value of personal property 1,023,533 Assessment of railroads in S. B. Co. $163,782 Assess't of Pullman Car Co., S. B. Co. 1,260 165,042 __________ Total $6,318,775 Acres assessed, 407,677. Additional Comments: Extracted from: Memorial and Biographical History of the Coast Counties of Central California. Illustrated. Containing a History of this Important Section of the Pacific Coast from the Earliest Period of its Discovery to the Present Time, together with Glimpses of its Auspicious Future; Illustrations and Full-Page Portraits of some of its Eminent Men, and Biographical Mention of many of its Pioneers, and Prominent Citizens of To-day. HENRY D. BARROWS, Editor of the Historical Department. LUTHER A. INGERSOLL, Editor of the Biographical Department. "A people that take no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride by remote descendants."-Macaulay. CHICAGO: THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY. 1893. File at: http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/ca/sanbenito/history/1893/memorial/chapterv443nms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/cafiles/ File size: 9.9 Kb