Santa Clara County Biographies


This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives
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ADOLPH T. HERRMANN
 
            The subject of this biographical sketch, Mr. Adolph T. Herrmann, the 
well-known civil engineer and land surveyor, a Deputy United States Surveyor, 
and senior member of the firm of Herrmann Brothers, was born in Hanover, 
Germany, in 1839.  He received his education in an agricultural college in 
Germany, studying land surveying and civil engineering incidentally.  Leaving 
Germany in 1859, he spent some time in the Sandwich Islands, having charge of an 
estate in the island of Kanai, the most westerly and beautiful of the islands.  
He came to San Francisco in 1860, but as he contracted a chest disease there he 
remained only two years, returning to the Sandwich Islands.  In 1865 he came 
again to California, and settled in San Jose, engaging extensively in land 
surveying and civil engineering.  In 1872 he was elected County Surveyor, a 
position he held for two terms.  During that time he established the boundaries 
of the county, fixed the grade and boundaries of the Alameda, made the first 
full and complete map of the county from actual survey, locating the roads, 
boundaries, names of owners, etc.  The first start for a complete map for the 
use of the assessor was made by him, as was also the laying out and 
superintending the construction of the magnificent road to Mt. Hamilton.  In 
connection with his brother, he provided the fine system of sewerage of Santa 
Clara, and now, in 1888, is engaged in performing the same service for Santa 
Cruz.  One of the largest pieces of work done by him in the county was the 
partition of the Las Animas Rancho, settling the land titles to that immense 
property.  This was the largest partition land-suit ever had in California.  Mr. 
Herrmann has located many of the main roads in this county, and also those 
leading to Santa Cruz and San Joaquin Counties.  The firm has also done much of 
the Government surveying in San Benito, Monterey, Fresno, and Stanislaus 
Counties, as also surveying all the rough lands in this county.  Mr. Herrmann�s 
parents are both still living in Germany, his father having been professor of 
philology and theology at G�ttingen University and director of the Ritter 
Academy in L�neburg, which was abolished in 1848.  For generations the various 
members of the family have been military and literary men.  A grandfather was a 
professor of the celebrated University of Leipsic.  While the first Napoleon was 
in the plenitude of his power, this professor was so earnest in his speeches and 
efforts in urging the uprising of Germany against the French yoke, which 
culminated and ended in the dreadful battles of Leipsic and Waterloo, that 
Napoleon placed a price of 1,000 louis-d�or on his head.  He was obliged to flee 
to Russia, taking with him Mr. Herrmann�s father, then a child, remaining an 
exile until the overthrow of the tyrant. 
            Mr. Herrmann has been a member of Garden City Lodge, No. 142, I. O. 
O. F., for nearly twenty years, as also of Mt. Hamilton Lodge, of San Jose, A. 
O. U. W.  He believes in a just protection to American industries, and in a 
proper restriction of the immigration of undesirable elements.
 
Pen Pictures From The Garden of the World or Santa Clara County, California, 
Illustrated. - Edited by H. S. Foote.- Chicago:  The Lewis Publishing Company, 
1888.
Pg. 364-365
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler
Proofread by Betty Vickroy