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Robert Orwell Tripp is my 5th cousin 4 times removed. Robert Orwell Tripp was a grocer, dentist, banker and public benefactor. He was a listener and not a talker, so, despite the popularity of discussing of one's origins, no one ever seemed to get his straight. One version has him comming around the Horn. Another has it that he came north by land after the Mexican War. Yet another had him crossing the Isthmus of Panama and then up through Mexico. His obituary dated him April 3, 1909. The San Mateo Times Gasette says that Tripp was orphaned at an early age by his father when he was 2 and by his mother when he was ten. He then went to live with his uncle, a farmer in Massachusetts. He studied and learned to braid straw for hatmmaking with him. He traveled the South for six years making and selling straw braid until he returned to Massachusetts. He was schooled in and practiced dentistry in Foxborough, Massachusetts until 1848, when he came to San Francisco, California. He practiced dentistry breifly in San Francisco but he thought his colleagues as unethical price gaugers. He formed a partnership with Messrs. Ellias and Parkhurst and came south to the Redwoods to manufacture shingles. Ellias left the partnership to hunt for gold. Parkhurst and Tripp remained partners until Parkhurst died Sept 8, 1863, at the age of 34. Tripp realized that San Franciso needed lumber for buildings and wharves. He also realized that the loggers needed a store for supplies and as a place to gather, Tripp was an essential part of the community. He kept the loggers money in his safe, the only armoured safe around. On Mondays he would ride into San Francisco on horse back to deposit it in the bank. He had the area's only Post Office, and his store provided virtually everything a logger could want as the following random sales indicate: 1pr. boots, 2 shirts, 1pr. pants, 4 lbs. pork, rum, sugar, 1 bx. pills, 1pr. shoes, matches, 1 chamber, 1 axe and handle, paper, pen, ink, ox bows, sugar, rope, 1 frow (froe), 1 iron, square, 1 drawknife, 2 augers, soap, powder and shot, 15 1\2 saw, 7 files, 12 lbs. bacon, 8 lbs. surgar, 1 paper tea (sic.), 1 can flea powder, 12 yds. calico, 5 yds. bleached cotton, 1 boy's hat. The store that now stands is the third store and was bult in 1854. In 1856, Tripp advertised for a "house cleaner, female" as the bachelors' quarters had possibly gone seven years, dating from the first store, without a thorough cleaning. A Miss Emelin Skellton a native of Lexington, Massachusetts replied to Dr Tripp and Miss Skellton and he married November 21, 1856. The Post Office portion of the business was established in 1854 with Mathias Parkworst as poostmaster. The first circulating library in the county was established in 1857 and housed in the store with the help of Captain John Greer Canather, a major figure in the area's formation. Of course a portion of Tripp's business was dentistry. HHe also included, hoever, serving drinks although he had no liquor lixcense. Tripp also had his hand in politics. In 1850 he served on the first board of Supervisors for San Francisco County (which then extended as far south as San Gregoro and included the entire peninsula. In 1856, when San Franciso county split into San Francisco County and San Mateo County due to the bill of Assemblyman Horace Hawes, Tripp was offered a position on the first San Mateo County election committetee which he wisely declined. The split of the Counties was a compromise between the San Franciso toughs and the rest of the political community. The creation of San Mateo County, with its county seat in Redwood City, gave them their own turf anturf and got them out of San Francisco. Tripp wisely recognized that the first election under these circumstances would be a farce. Indeed it was, with monumental ballot stuffing. Tripp later seved in 1859 and 1863 as public administrator though. He was influential on a less official level too. He made decisions about roadways and helped plan the route of Southern Pacific's tracks. It was he who saw the sense in taking the logs to Redwood City along a route he helped establish instead of to Santa Clara or San Jose as was done previously. He also supported the Temperance Union although he didn't hesitate to plant 5-1\2 acres of wine grapes when the opportunity presented itself. He bottled under the name "San Mateo County Pioneer Brand" and the label had a picture of a grizzly. Tripp was clearly a shrewd business man and and opportunist. Two Woodside wineries exhibited at the Mid-winter Fair of 1893, San Mateo, R. O. Tripp wine is pictured along side a picture of the La Questa Vineyard. If lumber put Woodside on the map, Tripp's store kept it there. It was a large enough community to draw circuses which did not come to nearby Mezesville (now Redwood City) because its population did not warrant it. (Woodside now has about 5,000 residents and Redwood City has about 55,000), But as logging waned agriculture had to take over. The center of town was no longer Tripp's Store, and in January 1886 the Post Office was moved to Mount Newman's Grove, almost where it is today. The term Woodside itself was Tripp's coinage. He felt he had a special claim to it as well. When the school district named itself Woodside School District, Tripp fought tooth and nail until they named it Greersburg instead, to honor Captain John Greer, who donated the land. Tripp felt that the name Woodside applied to and only to the 127 acres surrounding his store. It was such a part of the community he must have eventually relented or things chhanged after he died because everthing's called Woodside today. The above material is from Crossroads, people and Events of the Redwoods of San Mateo County by Gilbert Richards. Mr Robert Orwell Tripp was certainly a noteworth pioneer of the early days of California. I think he should be remembered. Herman William Tripp--Remembering---- From the Redwood City Democrat on December 19, 1907: "After 50 years of ownership and conduct of the Woodside Store, Dr. R. O Tripp has concluded to retire from active busines and offers for sale his entire stock." I assume he had no reasonable offer because he continued busines until his death in 1909. He was buried beside his wife in the little cemetery across the street. Their daughter Addie lived in the old house until her death in 1926. This little history goes into as much depth as I think you wanted. However in Richard's bibliography several sources are mentioned which might have additional information: Books Frickstad, Walter----A century of Post Offices Oakland Biobecks, 1947 Stranger, Frank M.---Penninsula Community Beck San Mateo Arthur H Canneston, 1946 Saw Mills in the Redwoods San Mateo, San Mateo County Historical Ass, 1963 South from San Francisco San Mateo: San Mateo Co Hist. Ass, 1963 Pamphlets Banestall, Cutles A Woodside Reminiscence as told by Grizzly Ryder. San Francisco, 1920 Published Privately in the Pamphlets Division of the San Mateo County Museum Ref. 924. The caretaker of Triipp's Store, called the Woodside Store, now a county landmark is maned by Ann D. Napali and is an acquaintance of mine. If you are interested in more information, I'll be happy to look into it for you. David mailed a copy of the newsletter to his father. Both his father and his brother were so taken by it, I believe that they are going to write you and ask for copies of their own. In that newsletter you mentioned a red lantern type flashlight was found. I believe that it is ours. If there's a use for it consider it donated to the clubhouse. I'm glad I had a reason to research the history of my town. I bought this book about four years ago and have been meaning to read it ever since. It seems there was always sommething else to do. I hope Dr R. O Tripp was a relative of yours because he was a pillar of the community in which I grew up, and because he was an interesting character. If he wasn't your relative at least I hope this was an intertaining chapter of California history. I look forward to seeing you. We are planning to come at the end of August. Sincerely, Rebekah Donavan There is a picture of Robert Orwell Tripp in the San Mateo County Museum. Under the picture and his name: Robert Tripp "uptight about a name". Herman William Tripp--Remembering----
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Tripp Families of North America
1816 - 1909 (93 years)
[3, 4] 