Colonel Jabez Banbury (March 4, 1830 – December 9, 1900) was an early settler and founder of

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...

. He served in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, attaining the rank of colonel. He was also the first president of the

Pasadena Republican Club Pasadena Republican Club (PRC) is the oldest, continuously active Republican Party (United States), Republican political club in America, founded on March 29, 1884, . Every two years for the last years the Pasadena Republican Club has operated t ...

, which was founded in 1884.

Early life

Banbury was born in

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, England, on the farm of his parents, Thomas Banbury and Mary Lysle. He attended school in Launceston until the age of ten or eleven. After the death of Banbury's mother at the age of fifty, the family emigrated to the United States, settling in

Knox County, Ohio Knox County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 62,721. Its county seat is Mount Vernon. The county is named for Henry Knox, an officer in the American Revolutionary War who was later the ...

. He worked for four years as an apprentice in a cabinet-making business in

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmar ...

. In late 1851, aged 21, he moved west to

Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, fifth-most populous c ...

Military service

Banbury was enlisted in the

as first lieutenant in the

5th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 5th Iowa Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. History The ten companies that formed the 5th Iowa were ordered into quarters by Governor of Iowa Samuel Kirkwood at different d ...

in July 1861. He was promoted to captain on December 2 the same year, then major the following July and, finally, colonel in April 1863. After his discharge, on September 28, 1864, he returned to

Marshall County, Iowa Marshall County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,105. The county seat and largest city is Marshalltown. The county was formed on January 13, 1846, and named after John Marshall, Chief ...

, and worked in the

mercantile Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cred ...

business for four years.

Personal life

Colonel Banbury second home in Pasadena 1876

Banbury married Sarah Elmira Dunton, the eldest daughter of Revd. Solomon Dunton, in November 1854. A year or so later, the couple moved to Marshall County, where Jabez worked as a carpenter and, later, a family grocers. He continued in this role until the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. After the war, he became a United States revenue collector of Marshall County. He later became auditor, but resigned after three-and-a-half years after his health began to fail. He and his family moved to California in 1873, arriving in Los Angeles in December. He built the second home in Pasadena's Orange Grove colonial grounds, a

ranch A ranch (from /Mexican Spanish) is an area of landscape, land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of farm. These terms are most often ap ...

house located between

Colorado Boulevard Colorado Boulevard (or Colorado Street in Glendale, California, Glendale and parts of Arcadia, California, Arcadia) is a major east–west street in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It runs from Griffith Park in Los Angeles east ...

and California Street, on South Orange Grove Avenue near the current Tournament of Roses' Wrigley Mansion. The home was completed the following March, and he spent the rest of his life there, initially working in the fruit-ranching business, then moved into lumber. He was treasurer of the City of

Marshalltown, Iowa Marshalltown is a city in Marshall County, Iowa, and is the county seat of the county. With a population of 27,591 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the 16th largest city in the state. Marshalltown is home to the Iowa Vetera ...

, for four years, a member of the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature (the upper house being the California State Senate). The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Califor ...

for two, the first treasurer of the City of Pasadena, for four years, and treasurer of

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...

for four. Banbury was one of the founders of the

Rose Parade The Rose Parade, also known as the Tournament of Roses Parade (or simply the Tournament of Roses), is an annual parade held mostly along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California, United States, on New Year's Day (or on Monday, January 2 if New ...

and founding member of the Pasadena School Board of Trustees. Banbury had three children: Charles Morton (born 1858) and twin daughters Jennie and Jessie (1862). The girls became the first students to attend Pasadena's first school on Orange Grove. He was also a

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

Death

Banbury died on December 9, 1900, aged 70. He is interred in Mountain View Cemetery in

Altadena, California Altadena () is an unincorporated area, and census-designated place in the San Gabriel Valley and the Verdugos regions of Los Angeles County, California. Directly north of Pasadena, California, Pasadena, it is located approximately from Downtow ...

, where he joined his son. He was followed by his wife, who survived him by six years, and daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Banbury, Jabez 1830 births 1900 deaths People of Ohio in the American Civil War Military personnel from Ohio Military personnel from Cornwall English emigrants to the United States Members of the California State Assembly English Freemasons 19th-century members of the California State Legislature Burials at Mountain View Cemetery (Altadena, California)