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John
Dolbeer was born in Epsom March 12, 1827, the son of Nicholas Dolbeer and Esther
Chase of New Rye. The Dolbeer's were
important citizens in Epsom right through the turn of the century, including his
uncle Jonathan, who left a diary listing the deaths in Epsom from 1819 to 1854,
which was carried on by Calvin, brother to the John Dolbeer of this sketch. A
product of Epsom schools, he left the family farm in 1850 at the age of 23 and
set out to the California gold rush to make his fortune. By 1853 he had made connections
in the Humboldt Bay area to establish the Bay Mill. Through failure and fires
he survives and by 1864 teams with William Carson to form the Dolbeer and Carson
Lumber Company. The company grows, and John Dolbeer becomes one of the most famous
and influential personages in the Redwood industry in the State of California.
His several patents showed his ingenuity in problem solving, and he had an impact
in all facets of the industry, from the actual lumbering operation itself, to
transporting and exporting - even owning the barks and brigs to bring the lumber
to worldwide markets. Among his most useful and successful patents was that for
the spool or steam donkey. This machine simply was a steam engine mounted on a
wooden skid which would enable loggers to move giant longs across long distances
to adjacent railways.In 1872, late in life, he married Harriet Schander, and in 1873 his son,
Chase Dolbeer was born. He established his home on Lombard Street in San Francisco.
Four years later, in 1877, the Dolbeers had their daughter, Bertha. Business continued
to thrive, despite the fact that the Dolbeer & Carson Bay Mill burned down
twice. It is about the time of the second fire that the personal life of Jonathan
Dolbeer turns tragic. In 1879, Harriet commits suicide, and was called by the
San Francisco Call "a suffering invalid" and in 1886, his son Chase
was thrown from a wagon and died at the age of 13. John Dolbeer died in San Francisco
from a heart ailment on August 17, 1902. The bulk of his estate went to his lone
surviving daughter Bertha, and was worth nearly one million dollars. Additional
sums were given to several charities, and relatives in Epsom, including his niece
Ellen Dolbeer Hall (daughter of his brother Calvin) and her husband, Charles Sumner
Hall. His family endured yet a final tragedy when on July 9, 1904, his daughter
Bertha committed suicide at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, putting the
battle for the estate in the California Courts through 1908
Sources:
David B. Harrison and "History of the Epsom Library: The One Hundred Years"
by Peg Daniels. | ||||