Augustus or August Ulyard (1816–1900) was the first American-born professional

baker A baker is a tradesperson who baking, bakes and sometimes Sales, sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient histo ...

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, after the 1850

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hood of

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. In 1856–57, he was a member of the Common Council, which oversaw the governance of the young pueblo.

Personal

Ulyard, whose parents were French, was born on February 22, 1816, in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, where he learned to be a

. He enlisted as a Texas Volunteer in the Mexican War, after which he went to

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, where he married Mary Field of England. The couple had no children of their own but, after they arrived in Los Angeles, "at different periods" they "adopted homeless children until there were seven in all.""Pioneer Gone: Death and Burial of Augustus Ulyard; Was the First Bakerin Los Angeles and Lived Long," ''Los Angeles Times,'' August 8, 1900
/ref>''Los Angeles Times'' obituary at the Historical Society of Southern California
/ref>''An Illustrated History of Los Angeles County, California,'' Chicago, the Lewis Publishing Company (1889), page 662
/ref> The couple arrived in Los Angeles on December 31, 1852, after crossing the country with a

wagon train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western television series that aired for eight seasons, first on the NBC television network (1957–1962) and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and reached the top of the ...

of pioneers that left from

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and pursued the

Southern Emigrant Trail :''The Southern Emigrant Trail should not be confused with the Applegate Trail, which is part of the Emigrant Trail, Northern Emigrant Trails.'' The Southern Emigrant Trail, also known as the Gila Trail, the Kearny Trail, the Southern Trail and ...

through the

Cajon Pass Cajon Pass (; Spanish: ''Puerto del Cajón'' or ''Paso del Cajón'') is a mountain pass between the San Bernardino Mountains to the east and the San Gabriel Mountains to the west in Southern California. Created by the movements of the San Andr ...

and

San Bernardino San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...

. According to Ulyard's obituary in the ''Los Angeles Times,'' "At that time there were but five American women in Los Angeles aside from Mrs. Ulyard. The town consisted of a small group of

adobe Adobe (from arabic: الطوب Attub ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for mudbrick. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is use ...

buildings in the neighborhood of the

Plaza A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Rela ...

." Ulyard died on August 5, 1900.

Professional life

Bakery

Ulyard rented an adobe and set up a bakery business, using

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom (biology), kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are est ...

that his wife brought across the

Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...

to their new home. Ulyard "soon sought a new location on the outskirts of the pueblo, at First and Main Streets," later occupied by the Natick House. Later he moved to the southwest corner of Fifth and Main, the site of the

Alexandria Hotel The Hotel Alexandria is a historic building constructed as a luxury hotel at the beginning of the 20th century in what was then the heart of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its elegant design and the fact that its public rooms sat disused for dec ...

. Ulyard was the first American-born baker in Los Angeles, naming his shop the American Bakery. He competed with Joseph LeLong, who was running his

Jenny Lind Johanna Maria Lind (Madame Goldschmidt) (6 October 18202 November 1887) was a Swedish opera singer, often called the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she performed in soprano roles in opera in ...

Bakery and baking

French bread This is a list of notable French breads, consisting of breads that originated in France. * Baguette – a long, thin type of bread of French origin. The "baguette de tradition française" is made from wheat flour, water, yeast, and common s ...

. Ulyard made "German and American bread and cake, which soon found favor with many; later he added freshly-baked crackers," which he advertised as "baked in Los Angeles, and superior to those half spoiled by the sea voyage" from San Francisco. The bakery was taken over by Louis Mesmer and then by James Rowan and his son, Thomas E. Rowan. The building was damaged by fire in December 1869, a circumstance that led to the establishment of Los Angeles's first organized fire company.Joseph Newmark, ''Sixty Years in Southern California, 1853–1913
/ref>

Stagecoach

In the 1870s, Ulyard began a

stage Stage, stages, or staging may refer to: Arts and media Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly Brit ...

business. This business had a conveyance drawn by four horses from Los Angeles at 7:30 each morning and returning from

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

at 3:30 in the afternoon, "calling at all four Los Angeles hotels as well as the private residences of prospective patrongs." The fare was one dollar.

Public service

In 1856, Ulyard helped organize the Republican League in California and worked on behalf of the

John C. Fremont John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

campaign for president in 1856. He was elected to the

Los Angeles Common Council The Los Angeles Common Council was the predecessor of the Los Angeles, California, City Council. It was formed in 1850 under state law, when the city had only 1,610 residents, and it existed until 1889, when the city had about 50,400 residents an ...

on May 5, 1856. Ulyard was reelected once, serving until June 22, 1857, when he resigned.

Anecdote

In 1889, the Ulyards went to police court in Los Angeles and swore out a complaint against a book agent who, they said, "had seized her rs. Ulyardby the arm and handled her in an exceedingly rough manner" when she, following her husband's precedent of several days previous, refused to purchase a copy of a "history of Southern California" in which appeared a biography of Mr. Ulyard. "The officers are looking for the fellow," the ''Times'' reported."A Bad Book Agent: How He Insults a Lady Who Will Not Trade," ''Los Angeles Times,'' November 23, 1889, page 4
''Illustrated History of Southern California'' was brought out by Lewis Publishing Co. in 1889, with an article on Ulyar

/ref>

References

*Access to the ''Los Angeles Times'' links may require the use of a library card.

External links

History of the Alexandria Hotel (with photos) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ulyard, Augustus American bakers Los Angeles Common Council (1850–1889) members 1816 births 1900 deaths American people of French descent Politicians from Philadelphia California Republicans