Family Gonzales was the son of Confederate Colonel Ambrosio José Gonzales and Harriet Rutledge Elliott. His father played an instrumental role in the defenses of South Carolina during the American Civil War after he had been a Cuban revolutionary leader with Venezuelan General Narciso López, who opposed the oppressive Spanish rule in four failed expeditions. His mother was the daughter of a wealthy South Carolina rice planter, state senator, and writer, William Elliott. Early life Although his formal education ended at 17, he became a telegraph operator in 1875 to help support his extended family. He worked in railroad depots in Varnville, South Carolina, Savannah, Georgia, and Valdosta, Georgia.
Family Gonzales was the son of Confederate Colonel Ambrosio José Gonzales and Harriet Rutledge Elliott. His father played an instrumental role in the defenses of South Carolina during the American Civil War after he had been a Cuban revolutionary leader with Venezuelan General Narciso López, who opposed the oppressive Spanish rule in four failed expeditions. His mother was the daughter of a wealthy South Carolina rice planter, state senator, and writer, William Elliott. Early life Although his formal education ended at 17, he became a telegraph operator in 1875 to help support his extended family. He worked in railroad depots in Varnville, South Carolina, Savannah, Georgia, and Valdosta, Georgia.