San Luis Obispo County Biographies

FRANCIS ZIBA BRANCH

Submitted by Carolyn Feroben

This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm


The great land-owners in early times and pioneers, who were not native 
Californians, may be enumerated in this short list: Francis Z. Branch, Issac J. 
Sparks, John Wilson, John M. Price and William G. Dana. Facts relative to the 
early history of the Branch family have been very difficult to obtain, as there 
are no notes in possession of the Branch family. Resource is therefore had to 
the admirable collection of sketches by Mr. F. H. Day, published in 1859.  Mr. 
Branch was born in Scipio, Cayuga County, New York, in the year 1803. Both of 
his grandfathers served in the Revolutionary war. His father died before he was 
old enough to appreciate a father�s care, and, his mother being poor, the 
children were scattered among relatives to be reared and educated. At the age of 
eighteen Ziba abruptly left his relatives and removed to Buffalo, with the view 
of making his own living. After remaining there some time he went on Lake Erie 
and followed the business of sailing for about five years. He then went to St. 
Louis, where he fell in with a trading party commanded by captain Savory, and 
started with them for Santa Fe in July, 1830, without having had a single 
skirmish with the Indians, which circumstance was accounted for by the fact that 
Colonel Riley and his party, who had been sent out by the Government and who had 
preceded them, had some field-piece and also the first ox-team the Indians had 
ever seen. When the Indians attacked them Colonel Riley brought his field-piece 
to bear upon them, of course doing much damage in their ranks, and as Mr. Branch 
and his party had ox-teams along they were afraid to attack them, as they also 
had �shooting wagons.� In the fall of 1830 Mr. Branch joined a trapping party in 
the Tulare valley. They made the journey from New Mexico toward Big Salt Lake, 
across the head waters of Red River, and struck a stream supposed to be Sevier 
River, which they followed until it emptied into Little Salt Lake, near the 
California mountains. It being the month of November, the country was covered 
with snow, and they found it impossible to cross the Sierra Nevada Mountains, 
and consequently struck off south for Red River. They were nine days crossing 
and had to break a path through the snow, which was two or three feet deep. They 
found but few beaver and no game and soon their provisions gave out.  When they 
started from New Mexico they had four oxen, and when near Little Salt Lake they 
killed their last ox and then had to subsist upon the flesh of their horses and 
mules, each man being put upon short allowances which at best was very poor.
	They traveled along Red River and reached the Mohave country, luckily escaping 
all attacks from the hostile tribes of Indians, and finally arrived safely at 
San Bernardino, California, in February, 1831, and from there proceeded to Los 
Angeles, where the party disbanded. After leading a hunter�s life for three 
years, Mr. Branch invested his bonds in a grocery store at Santa Barbara, which 
he subsequently sold to A. B. Thompson. In 1835 he was married to Dona Manuela 
Corlona, and they settled in San Louis Obispo County, were in 1839 he obtained a 
Spanish grant of land of great value. This property consisted of 16, 964.83 
acres located on the Arroyo Grande. Mr. Branch afterward became the owner of 
much valuable property in addition to this, including the Huer-Huero, Pizmo and 
other large tracts, also vast herds of horses and cattle. The dry years of 
1862-�63-�64 proved very disastrous to his enormous herds of cattle, numbering 
in 1863 over 70,000 head, and as a result he lost almost a fortune, when the 
value of cattle the year previous is taken into consideration. Mr. Branch 
profited by the favorable season which followed, though not for a long time did 
he make up for the disaster alluded to above. He has held public offices at 
various times, and was prominently identified with the affairs of the city and 
county. The public positions which he was called upon to fill were frequently 
important ones, but his work was always eminently satisfactory. He died at his 
home on Santa Manuela ranch, May 8, 1874, leaving a widow and four sons: Ramon, 
Frank and D. Fred, all of whom, with the exception of one are still alive.
	The splendid adobe house, the home of the Branch family, still remains, above 
and adjoining the home of F. D. Fred Branch. The house is not now occupied, but 
is in an excellent state of preservation, revealing clearly the fact that in its 
day it was a substantial as well as a beautiful home. Mr. Branch, like many of 
those early pioneers, reached California with nothing but his gun by which to 
make his living. This, however, proved in his skillful hand to be all the 
capital he needed, as with it he shot otter, the skins of which were very 
valuable, and always brought the ready cash in those times. His history bears 
with it a moral. He set out in life poor, and by his own energy and activity he 
became rich in the world�s goods, and at one time was one of the wealthiest men 
in San Luis Obispo County.

A memorial and biographical history of the counties of Santa Barbara, San Luis 
Obispo and Ventura, California - Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co., 1891, page 421