YUBA  COUNTY

 Biographies

RALPH HAINES DURST

     Ralph Haines Durst, of Wheatland, Yuba county, is probably best known throughout this section of the Sacramento valley as a hop grower, although he has also extensive horticultural interest. He has been identified with the hop growing business at Wheatland since the time of its inception and is regarded as an authority on that industry. He was born at Austin, Nevada, on the 28^th of March, 1865, but has been a resident of Wheatland since eighteen months old. He is a son of the late Dr. Daniel Peters and Rose Frances (Haines) Durst, the former born at Greenville, Mercer county, Pennsylvania, and the latter at Pekin, Illinois, their marriage occurring in Colusa, California. Early in life Daniel P. Durst took up the study of medicine, graduating from Jefferson Medical College, in Philadelphia, and immediately afterwards entered upon the practice of his profession in Mercer county. In 1853 he decided to come to California and made a long voyage around Cape Horn in a sailing vessel as ship’s doctor. On landing at San Francisco, he started for the gold mines and spent his first winter at St. Louis, near La Porte, California, where he practiced medicine and, with several partners, engaged in mining. Dr. Durst then came to the Sacramento valley and entered upon the practice of medicine at Colusa, where he was married. During his stay at that place he put in several crops of grain, but the two dry years of 1864 and 1865 resulted in a complete failure of crops. He then removed to Austin, Nevada, where he followed his profession until 1867, when he located at Wheatland, California. Purchasing thirty-five acres of land just south of Wheatland, adjoining the railroad, he built his residence and became the pioneer physician of that locality. He enjoyed an extensive practice, covering a wide area of surrounding country in southern Yuba and Sutter counties, as well as in Placer county.

     Dr. Durst planted the first crop of alfalfa ever grown at Wheatland. He had a great liking for agriculture and in 1876 bought five hundred acres of land west of Wheatland. In 1883 he planted a field of twelve acres to hops on Bear river, and this was the first hop field in this part of California. That fall he added to his holdings by purchasing the Russian ranch, just southwest of Wheatland, extending back to Bear river. On these rich bottom land he planted another one hundred acres to hops the next year, and planted more every succeeding year until he had six hundred and seventy acres in hops and became the country’s biggest hop grower. He was actively interested in reclamation work and in the building of levees and he stood with the ranchers in the anti-debris fight against hydraulic mining, which filled up and raised the river beds and flooded the bottom lands. His hop fields and lands were located in Yuba, Sutter and Placer counties, his residence and office being in Yuba county. Partially on account of seeking to regain his health by leading an active outdoor life, but more particularly since his extensive hop fields demanded his entire time and attention, he discontinued the practice of medicine, to the regret of hundreds who had benefited by his able ministrations. He passed away in 1911, at the age of eighty-one years, and in his death the state of California lost one of its most progressive and enterprising men.

     In 1858, at Colusa, California, Dr. Hurst was united in marriage to Miss Rose Frances Haines, who was born in Pekin, Illinois, August 18, 1836, a daughter of Jonathan Haines, a well known manufacturer at Pekin, on the Illinois river, who invented and built the first header and also invented and built the famous Buckeye mower. His implements were shipped to the Pacific coast, and he made several trips to California. The daughter came to California and was a teacher in Colusa when she met and married Dr. Durst. She was a cultured and refined woman, of pleasing and attractive personality, and proved a true helpmate to her husband, lending her hearty encouragement to him in the realization of his ambitions. She passed away August 4, 1917, greatly mourned by all who knew her.

     Dr. Daniel P. and Rose F. Durst had four sons. (1) John Haines, the eldest, born September 9, 1859, became a lawyer, and served as city attorney of San Francisco and county attorney of San Francisco county. He married and left one son, Vernon Durst, of San Francisco. John H. Durst died at the age of forty-three years. (2) Murry Haines, born June 14, 1861, died in 1914, at the age of fifty-three years. He was a graduate of the University of California, and was known as a leading hop grower of this state. He visited London and various European countries in the interest of the sale of California-grown hops. He married and at the time of his death left three children, Dorris, Edward and Audrey. (3) Ralph Haines is the immediate subject of this review. (4) Jonathan Haines, who died in St. Francis Hospital, San Francisco, June 14, 1930, was married, but left no children. He was a partner in the ownership of the Durst hop ranch at Wheatland. Jonathan was a well known newspaper man and editor, as well as a hop grower. He learned the printing trade under John Landis, the first editor of the Wheatland Four Corners. He financed that paper and later became the editor, serving until the press of other business made it expedient to quit the editorship.

     Ralph Haines Durst is now the only surviving son of Dr. Daniel P. Durst. He was reared on the old Durst ranch, received a public school education, and engaged with his father, and later with his brothers, in the hop raising industry. From boyhood he had assisted his father on the ranch and when he was eighteen years old his father set out the first hops grown on the Bear river, so it was natural that he in turn should became actively interested in hop growing, which he followed continuously from the inception of the industry in this state. That and farming have comprised his activities in the main. After the death of his father, Ralph and Jonathan took over the ranches which have since operated under the firm name of the Durst Brothers. In the spring of 1923 Ralph Durst individually purchased two hundred acres of land on the south side of Bear river, across from the old Durst ranch, and has devoted this to horticulture, having planted it largely to clingstone peaches.

     Politically he is a stanch republican, while fraternally he is a member of Sutter Lodge, No. 100, I. O. O. F., of which he is a past grand. His religious connection is with the Protestant Episcopal Church. He is worthily maintaining the family prestige so well established by his father, and throughout the community in which he has spent his life is deservedly held in high regards.

Transcribed by Craig Hahn.

WILLIAM E. TUCKER

     No resident of Yuba City holds a higher place in the public esteem than does Judge William E. Tucker, who for any years has served this city and county in various public capacities, notably that of justice of the peace, in which position he dispensed justice and mercy for twenty-eight years. Born in Morristown, New Jersey, on the 6^th of February, 1845, he comes of an old American family, established in New England in early colonial days, members of which moved to Long Island, New York, and thence to Morris county, New Jersey. His father, Freeman Tucker, was born near Morristown, New Jersey, and became a landowner. However, being a stonemason by trade, he followed the business of contracting and building. He lived to be past seventy years of age. The mother, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Williams Drake, died at a comparatively early age. She also was born near Morristown, the old Tucker home standing near General Washington’s headquarters there. The Williams and Drakes were originally from Connecticut, though they went to New Jersey from Long Island, where Grandfather Williams was a blacksmith and toolmaker, and that he lived to be eight-five years of age. One of his forebears served as attorney-general of New York.

     William E. Tucker was reared in Morristown, New Jersey, and studied surveying in the same school with the late Theodore N. Vail, president of the Bell Telephone Company. He was thus engaged when in 1861 President Lincoln called for volunteers to suppress the Southern secession. Though but sixteen years of age, he ran away from home and in November, 1861, enlisted in Company K, First Regiment New York Engineers. He fought in South Carolina; was at Richmond where he saw President Lincoln on horseback at the front; and was at Petersburg and Burnside Mine. In one of the engagements in front of Richmond Mr. Tucker was wounded, and in a later engagement again sustained wounds. He was on the staff of General Truman Seymour at the bombardment of Fort Sumter, April 7, 1863. He served for three years and one month and was honorably discharged in December, 1864, with the rank of sergeant of engineers. He has vivid recollections of seeing Generals Butler, Meade, and Grant.

     On leaving the army Mr. Tucker returned to his home at Morristown, where he learned the carpenter trade. In 1878 he came to California, locating at South Butte, Sutter county, where he continued as a carpenter and builder until 1886 he came to Yuba City establishing a permanent home. During his residence in Sutter county Mr. Tucker held many public offices, in all of which he has acquitted himself in an able and creditable manner. He served as deputy county assessor under the late W. F. Peck, and also served as chief deputy assessor of Sutter county, making out the assessment rolls in 1884, 1885 and 1886. From 1887 to 1889 he was deputy county clerk under A. H. Hewitt. From 1889 to 1893 Mr. Tucker served as postmaster of Yuba City, under appointment of President Harrison. In 1902 he was appointed justice of the peace of Yuba township to fill the vacancy caused by the death of H. C. Grover, and was repeatedly elected, without opposition, serving continuously in 1929, when owing to advance age, he resigned and now is enjoying well earned leisure. In 1908 he was appointed the first police judge and recorder of Yuba City, which office he also held until retiring from public life.

     In 1872, in Morristown, New Jersey, Judge Tucker was united in marriage to Miss Louise Miller, who was born and reared in Morristown, and at the time of her marriage was a teacher in the public schools of New York city. She was also a singer and elocutionist of note and upon one occasion during the Civil war sang for the soldiers as they marched down Broadway, in New York city. Judge and Mrs. Tucker had a son, Henry Freeman Tucker, a musician, who died unmarried, at the age of fifty-five years, in Yuba City, November 6, 1928. He was preceded in death two weeks by his mother, who died suddenly in October, 1928.

     In 1886 Judge Tucker became a member of Corinth Post, No. 80, G. A. R., which he served as quartermaster, adjutant and commander, and also served as an aide-de-camp on the staff of James A. Willet, commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic. Judge Tucker is the only surviving member of the Corinth Post and on Memorial day, 1930, faithful to the memory of his deceased comrades, he strewed their graves with flowers, after which he took part in the parade and was escorted to the seat of honor at the memorial exercises at the National theater in Marysville. There he was a conspicuous figure, the only person present in uniform of the Grand Army and retaining his soldierly bearing, despite his years. It is a matter of family history that his father originally wanted him to study law, while the dearest wish of his grandmother was that he should study for the ministry. He has practically functioned in both capacities, for he has given considerable time to the study of law and served in a judicial capacity, while he also officiated at many marriages, and has performed a number of burial services, particularly of deceased comrades of the war. During all the years of his public service of over a third of a century, his actions were controlled by the highest principles and strict adherence to the law, which in the enforcing of justice was tempered with mercy. He possesses a broad conception of the needs, temptations and struggles of his fellowmen, and his record as a jurist is one of which he has just reason to be proud. In the affairs of the community he has consistently stood for those things which make for the public good and his fellowmen have uniformly held him in the highest respect. 

Transcribed by Craig Hahn.

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