The Uhdens are a well known pioneer Santa Cruz family. Henry Uhden’s father, August Uhden, came here in 1856, accompanied by the members of his household. For a number of years he was a farmer near this city, and was among the most prominent men of the county. He died in Santa Cruz in the year 1862, and sleeps in an unknown grave on Escalona Heights. There are three graves together there surrounded by a paling fence. One of these is the tomb of Mr. Uhden, but which of the three it is no one can tell. In July, 1891, his wife died and was buried in the Odd Fellows’ Cemetery. An effort was made to determine which of the three lonely graves on the hillside was that of the elder Uhden, so that his body might be disinterred and buried beside his wife’s. But tombstones were not easily had in Santa Cruz in early days, and the identity of the dead had been intrusted to perishable wooden headboards. No one could be found who knew the graves apart, and the inquiry was sadly abandoned.
Henry Uhden, the son of the two pioneers mentioned above, was born in 1835, at Springfield, Ohio, where he attended school. After coming to Santa Cruz with his father, he has made his home here continuously. He learned the carpenter’s trade and worked at it for a number of years.
When the Civil War began, Mr. Uhden enlisted among the California volunteers. His regiment was not ordered to the seat of war, but he was on duty here until peace was established.
In 1879 he abandoned his trade of carpenter, and entered the employ of the Southern Pacific Coast Railway Company, as a yardmaster of the railroad wharf at Santa Cruz. Mr. Uhden was a charter member of the I.O.R.M. in Santa Cruz, and is also a member of the A.O.U.W., and a prominent member of the Reynolds Post G.A.R.
Mr. Uhden has four sisters, all of whom were married to well-known Santa Cruz citizens. They are: Mrs. Caroline Leibrandt, Mrs. Charles Kaye, Mrs. E. Lukens, and Mrs. Lizzie Call.
On December 24, 1873. Mr. Uhden was married to Miss Nellie Hall. Miss Hall was a native of Salt Lake City. Mrs. Uhden is a woman of energy and ability, is a pleasant conversationalist, and very popular among a large circle of friends. She is a prominent and earnest worker in the congregation of the Christian Church, and was a prime mover in the Garfield Park project. She was also one of the organizers and the first president of Reynolds Women’s Relief Corps, organized in September, 1888.
Mr. And Mrs. Uhden have four children, two sons and two daughters.
History of Santa Cruz County, California
by E.S. Harrison
Published by Pacific Press Publishing Company
San Francisco, Cal., 1892
Transcribed by Yvonne Valentine 1/18/09, Page 233
Santa Cruz County Biographies ~ Archive Biography Index ~ Archive Index
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