California Biographies
Mendocino and Lake Counties, California
 
Transcribed by Peggy Hooper

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

 

Source:
History of Mendocino and Lake Counties, California
With Biographical Sketches
History by Aurelius O. Carpenter And Percy H. Millberry
Illustrated, Complete In One Volume
Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, California, 1914


MRS. HELEN M. CARPENTER.� Among the pioneer women of Men- 
docino county the name of none stands out with more prominence than that 
of the subject of this sketch, owing to her untiring activity in social, educa- 
tional, musical and civic work, not only in the early history of the county, 
but on down through a space of half a century. 

Mrs. Carpenter is of Scotch-Irish parentage and a native of Ohio. During 
her early life the family moved to Indiana, where she received a very liberal 
education at the Bloomingdale Quaker Academy, since which time her life 
has been spent on the frontier � two years in the Territory of Kansas and the 
remainder of the time in the wilds of California. Soon after the organization 
of Mendocino county a board of education was established, and at the first 
meeting of the board Mrs. Carpenter (the only woman present) was granted 
a certificate to teach. The first school taught was in Potter valley and as 
there was no school house, Henry Randlett gave up one room of his two-room 
domicile for school purposes. The munificent sum of $40 per month was the 
compensation. For ten years teaching was continued in the public and pri- 
vate schools of Potter valley and Ukiah, and a very liberal amount of time 
was devoted to Sunday school classes. For some time Mrs. Carpenter was a 
member of the board of education, an honor which no other woman shared 
for many years. 

The stirring time in raising a fund for the establishment of the first 
church in Ukiah (the Methodist Episcopal), required the united effort of all 
the ladies and is well worthy of mention. For eight consecutive years and 
during the first struggles in building and establishing the Presbyterian Church 
Mrs. Carpenter served as president of the church society, where full scope was 
given to the admirable executive ability which has marked her career and made 
a success of many undertakings. Later years have been given up to writing, 
and fraternal work in the Order of the Eastern Star and the Rebekahs, grand 
honors having been accorded in both orders. When Cornelia Rebekah Lodge 
No. 205, I. O. O. F., was instituted in Ukiah, she was made the first noble 
grand and five years later became the president of the Rebekah Assembly of 
California. Through various fraternal ritualistic publications which she has is- 
sued her name is familiar in lodge circles from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The 
latest civic work was the fulfillment of a desire and effort of forty years pre- 
vious, to establish a public library in Ukiah. With the assistance of another 
lady contributions amounting to $1300 were received, with which was secured 
a desirable lot upon which now stands a handsome Carnegie library of 3322 
volumes.