The life record of Hiram Bailey is interwoven with the history of Livermore and the valley. He is, indeed, one of the true pioneers of the county, having been one of the first men to locate in the valley where he still resides. He has now passed the eighty-fourth milestone on life's journey, his birth having occurred in the state of New York, January 10, 1830.
He came alone to the west, making the trip by way of the Isthmus route and arriving in San Francisco on the 20th of March, 1852. He went to the San Ramon valley, where he spent the summers of 1852 and 1853, and later was for a time at Contra Costa. In August, 1855, he arrived in Livermore valley, at which time there were only two people in the immediate valley--Robert Livermore, the original settler, and a Scotchman by the name of Peter Wilson. Mr. Bailey took up carpenter work and his first job was the building of a house for Joseph Livermore. About 1865 he turned his attention to farming, settling on a ranch five miles northwest of Livermore, where he carried on general architectural pursuits for about eight years, cultivating a tract of two thousand acres. In 1873 he purchased another ranch of two thousand acres in Stanislaus county and operated the two ranches in conjunction for five years. His place was not used for grazing purposes, the greater part of it being under cultivation, and for several years he was farming approximately five thousand acres. He then retired and removed to Livermore, where he has since made his home, enjoying well earned and well merited rest from business cares during his later years. Throughout his active life he displayed sound judgment in the management of his business interests, was determined and unfaltering in carrying on his work, and through his persistency of purpose won most gratifying success.
Mr. Bailey was married in Livermore to Miss Casimira Livermore, a daughter of Robert Livermore, who settled in the valley about 1820 before the advent of any other white person. In 1914 Mr. Bailey was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who passed away in the month of April, leaving three of the eight children who were born of their marriage. These are: Josephine, now the wife of Dennis F. Bernal of Livermore; Rebecca, the wife of J. A. Segbers of Dawson, Yukon Territory; and Mamie I., the wife of W. H. Hupers, a merchant of Livermore.
In his political views Mr. Bailey has been a republican since the organization of the party and has been active in its support. When the law was passed making the office of township assessor an elective one he was chosen to that position and served for two years, while later he acted as deputy for a few years. He also served as supervisor of Murray township for ten years and for fourteen years was a trustee of the Livermore grammar school and for five years a trustee of the high school. He served during the twenty-seventh session in the state legislature, to which he was elected in 1886, with Judge Ellsworth, the speaker during that session being W. H. Jordan. Every public duty entrusted to him has been faithfully discharged and his record is most commendable. He is a member of Mosaic Lodge, No. 218, A. F. & A. M., and his life has been in harmony with the teachings of the craft. He has lived to witness notable changes during the period of his residence in the Livermore valley, covering almost six decades, and he can relate many interesting incidents of the early days when he was a pioneer in this district, which is now thickly populated and highly cultivated.
Past and Present of Alameda County California, Vol. II
Published in Chicago by The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company
1914
Pages 424-427
Transcribed by Linda Jackson 7/5/2008
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