William Welles Hollister
Encyclopedia
William Welles Hollister
(1818–1886) was a California
n rancher and entrepreneur
.
, the son of Philena Hubbard and John Hollister, and a grandson of John Hollister and Mary Welles a direct descendant of Governor Thomas Welles
, the Fourth Colonial Governor of Connecticut
, and a descendant of Edmund Rice
, an early immigrant to Massachusetts Bay Colony
. When he was 15, he attended Kenyon College
in Gambier, Ohio
, although his health prevented him from going full-time. After his father died, William Welles Hollister, with his eyesight failing, left college without graduating, and went to farming and merchandising.
. She was a daughter of the vigilante leader, Samuel James, of San Francisco. The marriage ceremony was performed by the Rev. Thomas Starr King
, who was a Unitarian
minister, influential in California politics during the American War of the Rebellion. The couple would have six children.
His grandson John J. Hollister, Jr.
became an agriculturalist, biologist and California state senator.
In 1854 he, along with his brother Joseph Hubbard Hollister, his sister, L. A. Brown, as well as an additional fifty men, and four women with Mrs. Brown, led the first large transcontinental sheep drive, bringing 10,000 merino sheep from Hanover
, Licking County
, Ohio
. The plan was to supply miners during the California Gold Rush
with meat
. The party took a southern route from Salt Lake City in order to avoid the winter snows of the Sierra Nevada. Traveling through New Mexico
and Arizona
, they pastured their flocks for a year near what is now Santa Barbara
. Although only about a thousand sheep survived, Hollister was able to make a considerable fortune when wool prices spiked during the Civil War
, as well as catering to those who searched for gold.
Hollister purchased Rancho San Justo
in San Benito County, California, in an area now known as Hollister
. Rancho San Justo was held jointly by the Flint, Bixby & Company and Hollister until 1861, when the they disagreed over a business matter and dissolved their partnership. Benjamin and Thomas Flint took all of the land east of the San Benito River. Dr. Thomas Flint's home in San Juan Bautista
today is the St. Francis Retreat. Hollister took the land west of the river, including what is now known as the San Juan Valley. Hollister and his wife built a home at the base of a small hill known today as Park Hill.
He remained at Rancho San Justo for 14 years before selling the 20773 acres (84.1 km²) South Valley ranch for $370,000 and moved south with his family to raise sheep in the Santa Barbara region of California, settling at the Rancho Dos Pueblos
, purchased from the estate of Nicolas A. Den in 1862, which became known as Glen Annie. Colonel Hollister, in partnership with brothers, Thomas and Albert Dibblee, bought several other land grants in Santa Barbara County, including Rancho Nuestra Señora del Refugio, Rancho Lompoc
, Rancho Las Cruces
, Rancho Cañada de Salsipuedes
, Rancho San Julian
, and Rancho Mission Vieja de la Purisma
. In the 1870s the Dibblee-Hollister partnership was dissolved and the lands and livestock divided. Rancho Lompoc and Rancho Mission Vieja de la Purisima were sold. Rancho Cañada de Salsipuedes, Rancho Las Cruces, and Rancho Nuestra Señora del Refugio went to Hollister.
Hollister never held office, being too busy, was known as the largest wool grower in the state and was also interested in fruit raising, having more than twenty thousand fruit trees of every variety adapted to the climate of California. He also became well known for his letters concerning cheap labor.
, Stearns Wharf
, and the Lobero Theatre
.
Hollister (family name)
Hollister is an English family name from the Gloucester region of England, United Kingdom, now most numerous in the United States of America. In 1992, it was estimated there were 2204 households in the USA, 94 in Canada, 81 in Australia, 21 in New Zealand, 3 in Denmark and 371 in Great...
(1818–1886) was a California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
n rancher and entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
.
Ancestors and early life
William Welles Hollister, was born on Jan. 12, 1818 near Hanover, OhioHanover, Ohio
Hanover is a village in Licking County, Ohio, United States. The population was 885 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hanover is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land....
, the son of Philena Hubbard and John Hollister, and a grandson of John Hollister and Mary Welles a direct descendant of Governor Thomas Welles
Thomas Welles
Thomas Welles is the only man in Connecticut's history to hold all four top offices: governor, deputy governor, treasurer, and secretary. In 1639, he was elected as the first treasurer of the Colony of Connecticut, and from 1640–1649 served as the colony's secretary...
, the Fourth Colonial Governor of Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, and a descendant of Edmund Rice
Edmund Rice (1638)
Edmund Rice , was an early immigrant to Massachusetts Bay Colony who was born in Suffolk, England, and lived in Stanstead, Suffolk and Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire prior to sailing with his family to America. He arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in summer or fall of 1638, presumed to be first...
, an early immigrant to Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
. When he was 15, he attended Kenyon College
Kenyon College
Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, founded in 1824 by Bishop Philander Chase of The Episcopal Church, in parallel with the Bexley Hall seminary. It is the oldest private college in Ohio...
in Gambier, Ohio
Gambier, Ohio
Gambier is a village in Knox County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,871 at the 2000 census.Gambier is the home of Kenyon College and was named after one of Kenyon College's early benefactors, Lord Gambier....
, although his health prevented him from going full-time. After his father died, William Welles Hollister, with his eyesight failing, left college without graduating, and went to farming and merchandising.
Family
Hollister married Annie Hannah James on June 18, 1862, in San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. She was a daughter of the vigilante leader, Samuel James, of San Francisco. The marriage ceremony was performed by the Rev. Thomas Starr King
Thomas Starr King
Thomas Starr King was an American Unitarian and Universalist minister, influential in California politics during the American Civil War. Starr King spoke zealously in favor of the Union and was credited by Abraham Lincoln with preventing California from becoming a separate republic...
, who was a Unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
minister, influential in California politics during the American War of the Rebellion. The couple would have six children.
His grandson John J. Hollister, Jr.
John J. Hollister, Jr.
John James Hollister, Jr. was an agriculturalist, banker and California state senator. He was the son of J. James Hollister of Hollister Ranch, and the grandson of William Welles Hollister. His mother was Lottie Steffens Hollister the sister of journalist Lincoln Steffens. He died in Santa Barbara...
became an agriculturalist, biologist and California state senator.
Career
In 1852, Hollister sold his farm and stock of goods and purchased two or three hundred head of cattle and started across the plains for California, where he sold his cattle and returned immediately to Ohio.In 1854 he, along with his brother Joseph Hubbard Hollister, his sister, L. A. Brown, as well as an additional fifty men, and four women with Mrs. Brown, led the first large transcontinental sheep drive, bringing 10,000 merino sheep from Hanover
Hanover, Ohio
Hanover is a village in Licking County, Ohio, United States. The population was 885 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hanover is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land....
, Licking County
Licking County, Ohio
Licking County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 166,492. Its county seat is Newark and is named for the salt licks that were in the area....
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. The plan was to supply miners during the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
with meat
Meat
Meat is animal flesh that is used as food. Most often, this means the skeletal muscle and associated fat and other tissues, but it may also describe other edible tissues such as organs and offal...
. The party took a southern route from Salt Lake City in order to avoid the winter snows of the Sierra Nevada. Traveling through New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
and Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, they pastured their flocks for a year near what is now Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
. Although only about a thousand sheep survived, Hollister was able to make a considerable fortune when wool prices spiked during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, as well as catering to those who searched for gold.
Hollister purchased Rancho San Justo
Rancho San Justo
Rancho San Justo was a Mexican land grant in present day San Benito County, California given in 1839 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to José Antonio Castro. The lands of the rancho include current day Hollister.-History:...
in San Benito County, California, in an area now known as Hollister
Hollister, California
Hollister is a city in and the county seat of San Benito County, California, United States. The population was 34,928 at the 2010 census. Hollister is primarily an agricultural town.-History:...
. Rancho San Justo was held jointly by the Flint, Bixby & Company and Hollister until 1861, when the they disagreed over a business matter and dissolved their partnership. Benjamin and Thomas Flint took all of the land east of the San Benito River. Dr. Thomas Flint's home in San Juan Bautista
San Juan Bautista, California
San Juan Bautista is a city in San Benito County, California, United States. The population was 1,862 at the 2010 census, up from 1,549 at the 2000 census. The city of San Juan Bautista was named after Mission San Juan Bautista...
today is the St. Francis Retreat. Hollister took the land west of the river, including what is now known as the San Juan Valley. Hollister and his wife built a home at the base of a small hill known today as Park Hill.
He remained at Rancho San Justo for 14 years before selling the 20773 acres (84.1 km²) South Valley ranch for $370,000 and moved south with his family to raise sheep in the Santa Barbara region of California, settling at the Rancho Dos Pueblos
Rancho Dos Pueblos
Rancho Dos Pueblos was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Barbara County, California given in 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Nicolas A. Den. The land extended along the Pacific coast to the northwest of the pueblo and Presidio of Santa Barbara, from Goleta Slough west to Dos Pueblos...
, purchased from the estate of Nicolas A. Den in 1862, which became known as Glen Annie. Colonel Hollister, in partnership with brothers, Thomas and Albert Dibblee, bought several other land grants in Santa Barbara County, including Rancho Nuestra Señora del Refugio, Rancho Lompoc
Rancho Lompoc
Rancho Lompoc was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Barbara County, California given in 1837 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Joaquín Carrillo and José Antonio Carrillo...
, Rancho Las Cruces
Rancho Las Cruces
Rancho Las Cruces was a Mexican land grant in the Santa Ynez Mountains of present day Santa Barbara County, California given in 1837 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Miguel Cordero. The name means "the crosses"...
, Rancho Cañada de Salsipuedes
Rancho Cañada de Salsipuedes
Rancho Cañada de Salsipuedes was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Barbara County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Pedro Cordero. Salsipuedes means "get out if you can", and the name refers to the narrow winding canyons and trails...
, Rancho San Julian
Rancho San Julian
Rancho San Julian was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Barbara County, California given in 1837 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to José de la Guerra y Noriega. The grant name probably refers to José Antonio Julian de la Guerra...
, and Rancho Mission Vieja de la Purisma
Rancho Mission Vieja de la Purisma
Rancho Mission Vieja de la Purisma was a Mexican land grant in present day northern Santa Barbara County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico to Joaquín Carrillo and José Antonio Carrillo...
. In the 1870s the Dibblee-Hollister partnership was dissolved and the lands and livestock divided. Rancho Lompoc and Rancho Mission Vieja de la Purisima were sold. Rancho Cañada de Salsipuedes, Rancho Las Cruces, and Rancho Nuestra Señora del Refugio went to Hollister.
Hollister never held office, being too busy, was known as the largest wool grower in the state and was also interested in fruit raising, having more than twenty thousand fruit trees of every variety adapted to the climate of California. He also became well known for his letters concerning cheap labor.
Death
He died on August 8, 1886, at Santa Barbara, California and is buried in the Santa Barbara Cemetery, Santa Barbara, California.Legacy
During the 1870s, William Hollister made many contributions to the Santa Barbara area including helping to finance and develop the Arlington Hotel, the local newspaper Santa Barbara News-Press
Santa Barbara News-Press
The Santa Barbara News-Press is a broadsheet newspaper based in Santa Barbara, California.-History:The News-Press asserts it is the oldest daily newspaper in Southern California, publishing since 1855...
, Stearns Wharf
Stearns Wharf
Stearns Wharf is a pier in the harbor at Santa Barbara, California, USA. When completed In 1872, it became the longest deep-water pier between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Named for its builder, local lumberman John P...
, and the Lobero Theatre
Lobero Theatre
The Lobero Theatre, founded by José Lobero, is a historic building in Santa Barbara, California. It is at the corner of Anacapa and Canon Perdido Streets, less than a block away from the historic Presidio of Santa Barbara.-History:...
.
External links
- Hollister RanchHollister RanchThe region presently known as the Hollister Ranch is defined by of fallow and fertile fields, mountains and valleys along the Pacific Ocean of California between Gaviota State Park and Point Conception. It was the site of some of the oldest known human settlements in the new world, the last...
- San Benito County Chamber of Commerce History
- Brief History of San Benito County