From the Santa Cruz Sentinel, April 13, 2003
Daubenbiss, born in Bavaria, came to America in 1835 when he was 19 and crossed the plains in a wagon train to Oregon in 1842. The next year he arrived in California. He was a soldier with Fremont's battalion during the Mexican- American War.
With John Hames, also a pioneer, he built a flour mill and a sawmill on Soquel Creek. He harvested and sold timber for the Commercial Street pier in San Francisco, and he raised 100 head of cattle purchased from General Vallejo in Mission San Jose for $7 a head, according to the Santa Cruz History Journal edited by Stanley Stevens.
When Daubenbiss first came to Santa Cruz County, the area was covered with wild animals, which were killed for food and hides, according to the History Journal.
Daubenbiss lived through an exciting era in American history, and he loved to tell stories of his adventures. One story related how he got lost in the Sacramento area looking for water. During the night, he lost his horse and continued on foot, eventually abandoning his shoes and going barefoot. The next day he made a raft by tying logs together with grapevines and made his way down the river. He was rescued by a boat and finally reached Sutter's Fort where he joined the rest of his company.
He married Sarah Lard in 1847 in San Jose, and they moved to Soquel. Sarah had come West with the ill-fated Donner Party, but her family parted company with the party before crossing the Sierra.
John and Sarah had 11 children, but not all of them survived to adulthood. (John, James, Martha, William, Fanny and an infant son ... Mrs. Rachel E. Swann; Frank P.; Katharine Mills; Fred B.; and Florence Bedell.)
When Santa Cruz County was organized, John Daubenbiss was one of the early leaders. He was named Soquel road commissioner in 1850 and in 1858, he was elected county supervisor.
Until his death in 1896, Daubenbiss was a leading citizen of the county and is credited with building one of the first schoolhouses in Soquel, to educate his children. Both he and Sarah are buried in the Soquel Cemetery.
Another article
Daubenbiss, born in Bavaria, came to America in 1835 when he was 19 and crossed the plains in a wagon train to Oregon in 1842. The next year he arrived in California. He was a soldier with Fremont's battalion during the Mexican- American War.
With John Hames, also a pioneer, he built a flour mill and a sawmill on Soquel Creek. He harvested and sold timber for the Commercial Street pier in San Francisco, and he raised 100 head of cattle purchased from General Vallejo in Mission San Jose for $7 a head, according to the Santa Cruz History Journal edited by Stanley Stevens.
When Daubenbiss first came to Santa Cruz County, the area was covered with wild animals, which were killed for food and hides, according to the History Journal.
Daubenbiss lived through an exciting era in American history, and he loved to tell stories of his adventures. One story related how he got lost in the Sacramento area looking for water. During the night, he lost his horse and continued on foot, eventually abandoning his shoes and going barefoot. The next day he made a raft by tying logs together with grapevines and made his way down the river. He was rescued by a boat and finally reached Sutter's Fort where he joined the rest of his company.
He married Sarah Lard in 1847 in San Jose, and they moved to Soquel. Sarah had come West with the ill-fated Donner Party, but her family parted company with the party before crossing the Sierra.
John and Sarah had 11 children, but not all of them survived to adulthood. (John, James, Martha, William, Fanny and an infant son ... Mrs. Rachel E. Swann; Frank P.; Katharine Mills; Fred B.; and Florence Bedell.)
When Santa Cruz County was organized, John Daubenbiss was one of the early leaders. He was named Soquel road commissioner in 1850 and in 1858, he was elected county supervisor.
Until his death in 1896, Daubenbiss was a leading citizen of the county and is credited with building one of the first schoolhouses in Soquel, to educate his children. Both he and Sarah are buried in the Soquel Cemetery.
Another article
From the Santa Cruz Sentinel, April 13, 2003
Daubenbiss, born in Bavaria, came to America in 1835 when he was 19 and crossed the plains in a wagon train to Oregon in 1842. The next year he arrived in California. He was a soldier with Fremont's battalion during the Mexican- American War.
With John Hames, also a pioneer, he built a flour mill and a sawmill on Soquel Creek. He harvested and sold timber for the Commercial Street pier in San Francisco, and he raised 100 head of cattle purchased from General Vallejo in Mission San Jose for $7 a head, according to the Santa Cruz History Journal edited by Stanley Stevens.
When Daubenbiss first came to Santa Cruz County, the area was covered with wild animals, which were killed for food and hides, according to the History Journal.
Daubenbiss lived through an exciting era in American history, and he loved to tell stories of his adventures. One story related how he got lost in the Sacramento area looking for water. During the night, he lost his horse and continued on foot, eventually abandoning his shoes and going barefoot. The next day he made a raft by tying logs together with grapevines and made his way down the river. He was rescued by a boat and finally reached Sutter's Fort where he joined the rest of his company.
He married Sarah Lard in 1847 in San Jose, and they moved to Soquel. Sarah had come West with the ill-fated Donner Party, but her family parted company with the party before crossing the Sierra.
John and Sarah had 11 children, but not all of them survived to adulthood. (John, James, Martha, William, Fanny and an infant son ... Mrs. Rachel E. Swann; Frank P.; Katharine Mills; Fred B.; and Florence Bedell.)
When Santa Cruz County was organized, John Daubenbiss was one of the early leaders. He was named Soquel road commissioner in 1850 and in 1858, he was elected county supervisor.
Until his death in 1896, Daubenbiss was a leading citizen of the county and is credited with building one of the first schoolhouses in Soquel, to educate his children. Both he and Sarah are buried in the Soquel Cemetery.
Another article
Daubenbiss, born in Bavaria, came to America in 1835 when he was 19 and crossed the plains in a wagon train to Oregon in 1842. The next year he arrived in California. He was a soldier with Fremont's battalion during the Mexican- American War.
With John Hames, also a pioneer, he built a flour mill and a sawmill on Soquel Creek. He harvested and sold timber for the Commercial Street pier in San Francisco, and he raised 100 head of cattle purchased from General Vallejo in Mission San Jose for $7 a head, according to the Santa Cruz History Journal edited by Stanley Stevens.
When Daubenbiss first came to Santa Cruz County, the area was covered with wild animals, which were killed for food and hides, according to the History Journal.
Daubenbiss lived through an exciting era in American history, and he loved to tell stories of his adventures. One story related how he got lost in the Sacramento area looking for water. During the night, he lost his horse and continued on foot, eventually abandoning his shoes and going barefoot. The next day he made a raft by tying logs together with grapevines and made his way down the river. He was rescued by a boat and finally reached Sutter's Fort where he joined the rest of his company.
He married Sarah Lard in 1847 in San Jose, and they moved to Soquel. Sarah had come West with the ill-fated Donner Party, but her family parted company with the party before crossing the Sierra.
John and Sarah had 11 children, but not all of them survived to adulthood. (John, James, Martha, William, Fanny and an infant son ... Mrs. Rachel E. Swann; Frank P.; Katharine Mills; Fred B.; and Florence Bedell.)
When Santa Cruz County was organized, John Daubenbiss was one of the early leaders. He was named Soquel road commissioner in 1850 and in 1858, he was elected county supervisor.
Until his death in 1896, Daubenbiss was a leading citizen of the county and is credited with building one of the first schoolhouses in Soquel, to educate his children. Both he and Sarah are buried in the Soquel Cemetery.
Another article
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