Monday, May 30, 2022

Knave - Tom Carroll - Robin Lampson - Friends of Bancroft Library - Gifts and Taxes - Oakland Tribune, 03 May 1964

LEGEND clings to Tom  Carroll like rhododendrons to a garden show. The problem today is to separate the legend from fact. Facts alone make Tom Carroll a remarkable man. For 32 years (1898 to 1930) he was constable of Brooklyn Township, that vast area east of Lake Merritt frequently called East Oakland, but in Tom's heydey perhaps it was better known as the Seventh Ward. [Brooklyn at oaklandwiki.org]

Map number two
(Alameda County farm
map. Published by
Thompson & West,
Oakland, Cal., 1878)

In 1858 Tom was brought to Fruitvale from Wisconsin by his parents as a boy of five years. There he grew up in Fruitvale's first two-story frame house, a dwelling erected by his father on the family's 250 acres. The house still stands at 2921 East 27th Street. Young Tom Carroll attended Fruitvale's first public school and romped in the fields and along the banks of Sausal Creek. Then, all of a sudden Tom grew up to be a young man. In the summer he would go to Nevada County and work for his father who mined on the Yuba River near Washington City. His father complained that all Tom did was eat and sleep. In one letter to Tom's mother the elder Carroll tells that Tom was supposed to stand watch on the sluice boxes so the workmen wouldn't steal the gold at night. Instead of guarding the boxes he fixed a bed up on a scaffolding across some rafters and went to sleep. “Luckily," wrote the father, “nobody came around that night.” Tom was paid $3 per day and sent his money home to his mother via Wells Fargo.
Map of Oakland,
Alameda and Vicinity,
Showing Plan of
Streets as Opened
and Proposed, Compiled
from the most
Reliable Public & Private
Surveys, Published by
M.G. King C.E., 1876

When camp supplies ran low he would walk to Nevada City, a distance of 35 miles. Despite such hikes he soon weighed 240 pounds and stood six feet, six inches tall. His size undoubtedly had a lot to do with his athletic prowess. Even as a youngster he possessed a powerful and splendid physique; a tower of strength that cast a shadow on events to come. At the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876 he was judged the third strongest man in the world. At one time he held the world's record as weight lifter and hammer thrower as well as a shotput. There are those who tell of his slinging an eight-pound hammer across the estuary. Ed Kramer, whose boyhood was spent on Kramer Hill as a near neighbor of the Carrolls, says he witnessed big Tom hurling a 56-pound hammer through the basement wall of the Johnson home several houses distant from the Carroll backyard.

From the photo collection of Harvey Carroll, Lafayette

The boy who grew up to be Constable Tom Carroll leans on a broom at the old Carroll home in this early Fruitvale photo

THERE were Olympic Game medals held by big Tom, too. Later, he smashed professional records. As an international athlete he visited England, Ireland, Scotland, Australia and many other foreign countries where his performances excited much interest. Much of this we learn from a grandson of Constable Tom who did a biographical thesis for his history class at Santa Rosa Junior College some years back. "Even at 75 years, Tom Carroll held himself ereet in carriage, was active in his movements, and retained his physical vigor to a remarkable degree," the student wrote. Of Tom Carroll's three sons, only one survives. He is Harvey Carroll of Laytonville, whose son authored the thesis to which we refer. Thomas married Miss Minnie Dean of Fort Wayne, Indiana, who died when she was 60 years of age. Their three children were Thomas Duncan Carroll, who became an evangelist; Wallace Carroll, whose widow resides at 3000 Davis Street in Oakland, and Harvey of Laytonville. All three sons were very proud of their father, and Harvey points out that big Tom lacked nothing as a wrestler and a boxer, either. Even so, Tom Carroll is reputed to have fought only one fight. "He was afraid he'd kill somebody,' his friends relate today. In boxing circles they still talk of big Tom's only fight. It was at Nanaimo on Vancouver Island in Canada. He was in Canada as a weight thrower and was challenged to fight by a heavyweight in one of the nearby lumber camps. The story goes that the lumberjack hit Tom in the second round and almost knocked our hero out. Carroll clambered to his feet and shot his huge right, clear from the floor to the lumberjack's jaw. The blow lifted the Canadian clear over the ropes. They were three hours reviving the lad, witnesses report. Big Tom never fought again. But he taught many others to fight.

PIONEER YOUTHS 'PASS' EXCLUSION LAW BY SELVES
Tom CarrollPIONEER YOUTHS 'PASS' EXCLUSION LAW BY SELVES Tom Carroll 17 Jul 1924, Thu Oakland Tribune (Oakland, California) Newspapers.com

TOM'S father, Wesley, who was very successful as a miner, died in 1884. For 10 years or more Tom conducted a large dairy on the Fruitvale acreage and met with fair success. He was an only son, and even today there are those who say he was spoiled by his mother's whims. In the backyard of the Carroll home on Fruitvale Avenue and East 27th Street, Tom took over a huge barn and made it into a gymnasium. Adjoining the barn was his "athletic field.” The makeshift gym even held a swimming pool. Joe Herring, a taxidermist who lived in a little shed on the Carroll place and used his quarters for stuffing animals, was also mechanic enough to paper the big barn in good style. Tom moved in a piano and when the boys tired of athletic activities they turned to singing and music. It must have been quite a spot. Among the spectators who were frequently interested was Charles Pratt, the unofficial "Mayor of Fruitvale." In 1898 they asked Tom to become the constable of Brooklyn Township, "He later had to campaign for the office and I remember carrying the paste bucket and posters. Big Tom tagged along behind to tell me where to place the posters," Ed Kramer says. After Tom took over as constable he arranged a "drunk cell” in a shed on his place on Fruitvale Avenue near East 16th Street, Tom never arrested anyone. He'd just pick 'em up and taken down to the shed and let them sleep until sober. But before we progress further with Tom and his job as constable we must tell of another companion that made the Carroll gym his home. This was Duncan Ross, a huge Scot and a swordsman. Duncan also made the Olympic team with Tom and later toured England and France. From France came stories of Ross hanging up a pig by its feet and then, with one giant swipe of his sword, he'd bisect the pig. Unfortunately, Duncan Ross had a taste for other pursuits than athletic contests.

To 'Reminisce' Tom CarrollTo 'Reminisce' Tom Carroll 29 Jun 1924, Sun Oakland Tribune (Oakland, California) Newspapers.com

AT THE Carroll gym in the barnyard of the one-time dairy big Tom Carroll found himself working with such outstanding fighters as James J. Corbett, then Bob Fitzsimmons, and later Jim Jeffries. Bob Edgren, well known newspaper cartoonist, was also a patron as were Al Plaw, Carl Shattuck, Jack Merchant and Ralph Rose. These were young men who became famous in the boxing ring and on track and field teams, Tom's fame spread quickly, and soon he was aiding Walter Christie to coach and train field event men for the University of California. Tom and big Duncan Ross drew quite an audience when they would "toss the caber," a sport from the Highland country of old Scotland. Duncan would also take the role of strong man on Sundays to earn his spending money. Fruitvale in those days was dotted with fashionable beer gardens, an attraction for many of San Francisco's sportsmen and their lady friends. Big Tom and Duncan frequently performed at Charles Tepper's place in what is now the Dimond District. Duncan, stretched out on two chairs (head on one, feet on the other) would allow a huge rock to be placed in his midsection. With the beer drinking audience all agog, big Tom would take a sledge hammer and smash the rock. The applause was said to have been deafening. In spite of all these colorful goings-on, big Tom Carroll is probably best remembered today for his corduroy togs and companion Collie dogs. He always wore corduroy suits, big boots and a large Stetson hat, and he kept the Collie dogs by his side wherever he went. Everyone knew him and his dogs. They were Tom Carroll's trademark.


ONE of Tom Carroll's favorite pastimes in the autumn days of his of the one-time dairy, big Tom the yesteryears. [I think the type got mislaid on that last sentence. - MF] One of his fondest recollections was his first streetcar ride in 1872 on the old Highland Park and Fruitvale line owned by E. Sessions. One Sunday it tipped over and rolled to the bottom of a canyon. Everyone aboard was in their Sunday best, bound for Dimond Park. Authorities blamed the accident on a 200-pound woman who flopped down in a seat as the car pulled along the edge of the canyon. Fortunately, no injuries resulted. "The Dimond District was a beer-lovers paradise," Tom said. “Here was Charlie Tepper's place, The Hermitage, The Knecht House, Bohauffers and Jack Morgan's place. It was at this latter place on High Street and Plitzville Park that the Norwegian sea captains and Swedish sailors used to gather.” Another fond memory concerned Joe Sullivan, the Brooklyn giant. “I believe he was the biggest native son California ever produced. He was born in Alameda about 1863 [1867] and from that time spent all his life growing. He tried to find a job to keep out of the stare of people. When he was 21, Fire Chief James Moffett measured him. He was eight feet tall, weighed 420 pounds, had 14-1/2-inch wrists, 18-inch ankles, and spread his arms 8-1/2 feet. He wore No. 17 shoes. Joe was with Barnum's circus for a long time but tired of traveling and joined the fire department. Every time a fire occurred the spectators would gather about Joe, the circus giant. When Joe died in 1893 a special coffin had to be made for him. The funeral director arranged for two wagons to haul the casket.”

The Inevitable 


THE KNAVE: Time marches on. I was reminded of this cliche at a recent gathering of the Muir Association at the Muir Manor in Martinez where Robin Lampson gave the memorial address on naturalist John Muir. All were pleased with his presentation. Robin Lampson operates an art store in Richmond and is the author of several books. I had known him in his boyhood but had lost track of him in later years. I rediscovered him only recently. About 40 years ago I was pastor of the Fair Oaks, Orangevale and Folsom Methodist churches. Later the Folsom Church was traded for the Orangevale Presbyterian church and combined with the Methodist congregation there. Today these churches, large and separate congregations, continue services in beautiful new properties. As a boy of 16 Robin Lampson was a member of my Sunday School in Orangevale. His mother was a devoted church worker. I am delighted to now find him a successful businessman and writer. About two years ago I addressed the Fair Oaks Church Men's Club. It was ladies night and I enjoyed a delightful evening with them in their new property one mile nearer Sacramento and really a part of that growing city, I visited the old church now empty and lonely. The parsonage beside it I built there years ago. California's population explosion is an amazing thing. But it's happening elsewhere, too. Two years ago I visited my old home in southern Indiana along the Ohio River. Even the little town of Guilford a little. A new Tanners Creek bridge had been built and the old one set aside as a relic. The old two-story brick school had lost its upper story and is now a dwelling. The school yard baseball field and the hillside where we coasted every winter seemed so small. The chimney that we covered with boards to smoke out the teacher at Halloween had been removed. The only thing unchanged was Tanners Creek with its long ponds where we would fish and swim in the summer and skate for miles in the winter. My visit was interesting but touched with sadness - John W. Winkley

Friends of Bancroft


FRIENDS of the Bancroft Library will gather at 2:30 p.m. today in Bancroft Library on the University of California campus, Berkeley. They will hear a talk by Paul Mills, curator of the Oakland Art Museum and an expert in the field of art in history, a popular writer and noted speaker. Today he will talk on “California Pictorial History and the Honeyman Collection.” There will be a short business meeting, announcement of progress in funding the Honeyman Collection, an exhibition, and refreshments. The campus parking lot north of the General Library will be reserved for the use of those attending today's session ... The Friends of Bancroft are responsible for Bancroftiana, a bulletin published occasionally. The April issue of this bulletin reports that Miss May Dornin, University Archivist, will retire June 30 after almost 44 years of service on the Berkeley campus. "Miss Dornin worked with the university's first Librarian, J. C. Rowell, in setting up and classifying the materials of the Archives. In 1946 she was appointed to head both the Rare Books and Archives Departments, and since 1949 has continued as University Archivist. When the Archives were transferred to Bancroft Library in 1962 she joined the Bancroft staff as well," the bulletin reads. "Possessed of a knowledge of the university's development equalled by few, May Dornin has functioned as unofficial university historian for many years ... Letters have come to her desk from all parts of the world with requests for information relating to academic history and the like, answered only after patient searching for seemingly unrecorded data ... Her continuing interest in Californiana is explained in part by her pioneer heritage - her grandfather, Newton C. Miller, settled in Grass Valley in 1850, and she hopes to spend some of her time in examining his papers now housed in the Bancroft Library."

Gifts and Taxes 


JULES CHARBNEAU, expert appraiser of fine arts, tells us there'll be some changes in Uncle Sam's tax laws on June 1 that should concern anyone contemplating a contribution of art, furniture, fine china, old silver or similar antiques of historic interest to a museum, college or like institution. Heretofore the donor could pro-rate the appraised valuation of such a gift over a 10-year period. They could even continue to keep the treasure (or contemplated gift) as long as they live, turning it over to museum or school after their demise. This will hold true only during these few remaining weeks of May. After June 1, according to Charbneau who speaks as a senior member of the American Society of Appraisers, the total appraised valuation of the gift must be taken as a tax deduction in the year the gift is made. No longer can it be pro-rated. In addition, the gift must be handed over to the institution at once. Oakland's new Public Museum now under construction will have wings dedicated to art, history and nature studies. Now would be the best time to consider contributions,





Knave Tom Carroll and Joe SullivanKnave Tom Carroll and Joe Sullivan 03 May 1964, Sun Oakland Tribune (Oakland, California) Newspapers.com

2 comments:

  1. I use to live on Lynde Street and I did a history of Geo. Lynde I remember seeing Carroll on one of the censuses. -https://abitofhistory.site/2019/05/22/george-l-lynde-lynde-street/

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