Gilbert HAYES was a pioneer of California and while he lived only a few years after coming to the state, his family is still represented in the San Francisco Bay district.
He was a native of Kentucky, and a son of President HAYES. On leaving Kentucky he took his slaves with him to Missouri. He acquired a large amount of property. Soon after the discovery of gold he join a train of 500 people who crossed the plains by ox teams. It was a six month’s journey. The Indians stampeded the cattle, and all the cattle perished en route. They arrived at Salt Lake shortly after the great massacre, Mrs. HAYES having rode on horseback and carried her baby, who is now Mrs. A.C. MCINTYRE of San Francisco. The first town they reached in California was old Hangtown, now Placerville, where they were delighted to get some sardines, having had no fresh meat for some days. From there they went on to Sacramento, reaching California with little property, and Mr. Hayes engaged in mining until his death in 1854.
His wife was Frances Ann CHAPPELL, a native of Kentucky. After the death of her first husband, Mrs. Gilbert HAYES married John MONHOLLAND a native of Ohio, who served as a first lieutenant in the Mexican war and subsequently was a soldier in the Civil war. He was at Santa Barbara when there was only one white family in the village, and was also at Fort Humbolt and at Crescent City and later settled at Santa Clara. He was a painter by trade. During the ‘80s he went back to Wisconsin, but returned to California. The only child of his marriage was William A. who served with an Iowa regiment in the Spanish-American war and is now living at the soldier’s home. Mrs. Gilbert HAYES was a Baptist and both her husbands were of the same faith.
Her daughter, Ann Elizabeth HAYES, was married in 1870 to Hiram PARTRIDGE, a native of New York and a California ‘49er. He came West by way of the Isthmus, reaching San Francisco with only $10 in his pocket. He went to work, in the mines, and was a carpenter by trade. For a time he operated the Western Hotel at Sacramento. On coming to San Francisco he lived for at time in a tent on Clay Street. In that city he operated the old Portsmouth House and subsequently the International Hotel, which was considered one of the best hotels of its day. He was a prominent and public-spirited citizen, and at one time served as school director. He was a member of Occidental Lodge of Masons and California, Commandery of Knights Templar.
Mr. and Mrs. PARTRIDGE were the parents of four children, and the two who reached mature years were: Jeannette, who is the wife of Fred Arthur WEST, an insurance man of San Francisco, and has two children, Anna and Arthur Fred; Alice E. is the wife of E.W. GATES, an insurance broker of San Francisco, their two children being Hiram and Frances.
Hiram PARTRIDGE died in March 1892. Subsequently, Mrs. PARTRIDGE married Archibald D. MCINTRYE. Mr. MCINTYRE was born in Nova Scotia and is now connected with the shoe department of the White House Department Store in San Francisco. Mrs. MCINTYRE was one of the organizers of the A. P. W. of California. For ten years she was president of the Ladies’ Aid of the Methodist Church. She was a charter member and past senior president of the Pioneer Women of California and was responsible for the erection of statues of pioneer Californians in the Art Gallery of Washington D.C. She was also active with Mayors MCCARTHY and ROLFE in establishing the Log Cabin in Golden Gate Park. Mrs. MCINTYRE died February 11, 1924, at the age of seventy-two years.
Transcribed by Deana Schultz.
Source: "The San Francisco Bay Region" Vol. 3 page 303-304 by Bailey Millard. Published by The American Historical Society, Inc. 1924.
© 2004 Deana Schultz.