About the Bernard Family

LIZZIE BERNARD (1851-1891): The death and burial of Lizzie Bernard was reported in a newspaper article in the form of a letter to the editor, published on 26 September 1891 in the Mendocino Coast Beacon. A Death Certificate located in an online archive confirmed her burial in the Gualala Cemetery, though no headstone exists today, her actual onsite grave location is unknown.

Minimal clues exist for who Lizzie Bernard was. The newspaper report provided that at the time of her death she was living with her sister, a Mrs. Chandler, near Switchville. Lizzie passed away on 13 September 1891 after undergoing an operation. Her Death Certificate noted she was single, 40 years of age, and a native of California. The certificate only gave an option for single or married, so it is unknown if she was divorced or widowed. Unfortunately, Lizzie’s death falls into a “dead zone” of census records, and Lizzie’s birth, expected to be about 1851, is right at the beginning of California statehood.

While records are minimal for Lizzie, additional information is available on the Chandler family. They have been confidently identified as James Davis Chandler and Mary Esta Bernard. James Chandler migrated to California from Texas, marrying Mara Bernard in Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County, California about 1883. The couple was living in Point Arena, Mendocino County, California by 1884. They moved to Gualala in 1892. By 1900 they had moved back to Santa Cruz. In 1903, James was arrested in Tulare County and incarcerated at San Quentin. He is not found living with his wife after 1900. The Chandler’s children: Henry, Annie, Harold, James, and William, were all born on the North Coast and attended school in Gualala.

Mary Esta Bernard was born 5 January 1865 in Santa Cruz, California. Her father was Alex Bernard. Her mother was Maddalena Soto. Maddalena Soto was the daughter of Josepha de Jesus Perez, a colorful member of a family associated with Villa Branciforte. Villa Branciforte was a pueblo established by the Spanish Government in 1797 in Santa Cruz. Josepha Perez’s father, Jose Maria Perez (m. Margarita Rodriguez) were “founding members” of the Villa, along with Marcos Briones, the father of Gregorio Briones (Rancho y Bolinas), and grandfather of J.J. Briones (who was married to Minnie Hussey, also buried in the Gualala Cemetery).

Maddalena married Alex Bernard, a French immigrant likely a crew member of a French expedition along the California coast. Alex and Maddalena were cohabitating without formal marriage in 1850. By 1870, they had a large family, including numerous children such as Mary, although they are missing from the 1860 census. With Lizzie’s estimated birth year of around 1851, locating the 1860 census and any surviving church records would be essential to definitively connect her to this family.

Research compiled by Kelly Richardson, APR, AG. Anchored Genealogy. Research for this report was funded through a grant by the American Society of Genealogists.