Ben Barton
| Ben Barton | |
|---|---|
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| Born |
June 8, 1823 South Carolina |
| Died | January 1, 1899 (aged 75) |
| Residence |
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| Occupation | Doctor, landowner, vintner, politician, settler |
Ben Barton (June 8, 1823 – January 1, 1899), often erroneously referred to as Benjamin Barton, was an American doctor, landowner, vintner, politician, and early white settler of the area that is now Redlands in the San Bernardino Valley of southern California in the United States.
Barton was born in South Carolina in 1823 to a family descended from European colonists of the area. He studied medicine in Lexington, Kentucky, which he moved to in 1845. He lived and worked as a doctor in Texas and Alabama after his time in Kentucky. He met and married his wife, Eliza Brite, in Texas, and they resided in El Paso until 1854. In that year, he moved west with his wife to El Monte, California. The Bartons had two sons during this time, John H. Barton (b. 1855) and Hiram Barton (b. 1856).
In the late 1850s, Barton was able to purchase large amounts of land from Mormons in Rancho San Bernardino at low prices due to Brigham Young's recalling the Mormon outpost in San Bernardino. From Charles C. Rich and Amasa Lyman, leaders of the Mormon settlement in the area, he purchased, for $5,000 (approximately $138,400 today), 640 acres (2.6 km2) of property around the San Bernardino Asistencia, land known as Old San Bernardino as a late early 19th century outpost of Mission San Gabriel Arcángel. His purchases also included a number of properties within San Bernardino proper. Barton was appointed the city's postmaster, and built a building in 1858 in San Bernardino out of adobe to house a post office, doctor's office, and pharmacy. Due to Barton's other commitments, the post office was effectively overseen by John P. Barton, his brother. Also in 1858, Barton was elected school superintendent for the recently formed county of San Bernardino.
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