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Gc  LVI.  L 

979.4 
G94h^ 
V.2 
1359858 


GENEALOGY    COLLECTION 


ALLEN  COUNTY  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

lllllilllilllilllll 

3  1833  01148  4125 


A  HISTORY 


CALIFORNIA 


Extended  History  of  Its  Southern  Coast  Counties 


Containing  Biographies  of  Well-Known  Citizens  of  the  Past  and  Present. 


J.  M.  GUINN>  A.  M., 

Secretary  and  Late  President  of  the  Historical  Society  of  Southern  California,  and 
Member  of  the  American  Historical  Association  of  Washington,  D.  C. 


ILLUSTRATED. 
COMPLETE  IN  TWO  VOLUMES. 

VOLUVIE  II. 


HISTORIC  RECORD  COMPANY 

LOS  ANGELES.  CAL. 
(907 


Copyright,  1907 


HISTORiC  RF.CORD  COMPANY. 


1359858 


'■SF' 


'^C.p.JdU^aU^-in^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1077 


WILLIAM  C.  B.  RICHARDSON.  One  of 
the  best  known  and  most  honored  residents  of 
Tropico  is  the  venerable  William  C.  B.  Richard- 
son, who  is  distinguished  both  for  his  own  life 
and  work,  and  for  the  excellent  ancestry  from 
which  he  traces  his  descent,  his  family  name  oc- 
cupying a  prominent  place  in  the  annals  of  New 
England,  its  members  being  noted  for  their 
integrity  and  patriotism.  A  son  of  Hon.  Elkanah 
Richardson,  he  was  born  in  Swanzey,  Cheshire 
county,  N.  H.,  October  28,  181 5,  of  English  an- 
cestry. His  paternal  grandfather,  Wyman 
Richardson,  a  resident  of  the  Granite  state, 
served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war, 
taking  an  active  part  in  many  engagements. 

Born,  reared  and  educated  in  New  Hampshire, 
Ellkanah  Richardson  subsequently  removed  to 
Ohio,  becoming  a  pioneer  of  that  state.  He  was 
a  surveyor  by  profession,  and  in  the  pursuit  of 
his  occupation  became  familiar  with  that  section 
of  the  country  in  the  early  days  of  its  history. 
A  man  of  much  talent,  he  became  influential 
in  financial,  business  and  legal  affairs,  and 
for  fourteen  years  he  served  as  judge  of  the 
•circuit  court.  His  death  occurred  while  he  was 
in  the  prime  of  life,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six  years. 
He  married  Sophia  Belding,  who  was  born  in 
New  Hampshire,  of  thrifty  Scotch  ancestr}',  a 
sister  of  William  C.  Belding,  who  was  killed  in 
the  war  of  1812,  and  for  whom  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  named. 

Being  taken  by  his  parents  to  Ohio  when  a 
boy,  William  C.  B.  Richardson  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools  of  Cuyahoga  Falls,  Sum- 
mit county.  Subsequently  working  with  his 
father,  he  became  proficient  as  a  surveyor,  which 
he  followed  -  for  forty  years  in  Cleveland.  A 
straightforward,  thorough-going  business  man, 
he  met  with  eminent  success  in  his  undertakings, 
acquiring  wealth  and  distinction,  and  though  he 
has  disposed  of  some  of  the  property  that  he 
formerly  held  in  that  place  he  still  owns  three 
acres  of  valuable  land,  and  a  number  of  city  lots. 
In  municipal  affairs  he  was  active  and  promin- 
ent, and  while  a  resident  of  Ohio,  served  for 
two  terms  as  a  member  of  the  common  council 
of  Cleveland.  For  a  few  years  he  was  also  en- 
gaged in  the  coal  business,  being  in  partnership 
with  his  son,  O.  S.  Richardson,  who  is  now  dis- 
tinguished as  the  oldest-established  coal  mer- 
chant in  Chicago,  111.  In  1868  Mr.  Richardson 
came  to  Los  Angeles  county,  and  here  pur- 
chased the  St.  Eulalia  rancho  of  six  hundred 
and  seventy-one  acres.  A  part  of  the  property 
has  been  sold  in  city  lots,  but  adjoining  land 
has  been  purchased,  and  the  estate  as  it  stands 
today  contains  seven  hundred  acres,  and  is  worth 
upwards  of  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars.  About 
three  hundred  acres  of  this  is  in  strawberries 
and   the  balance   in    general    fruit,   walnuts    and 


produce.  Although  over  ninety  years  of  age, 
Mr.  Richardson  retains  much  of  the  mental  and 
physical  vigor  of  his  earlier  years,  and  works 
some  every  day.  He  has  been  prosperous  as  a 
general  farmer  and  fruit  grower,  and  delights  in 
adding  to  the  happiness,  comfort  and  prosperity 
of  those  around  him.  When  the  electric  line 
was  put  through  this  section  he  gave  the  right 
of  way,  one  hundred  feet  wide,  through  his 
ranch. 

In  Akron,  Ohio,  in  1838,  Mr.  Richardson 
married  Sarah  Abbott,  a  daughter  of  John  Ab- 
bott, who  lived  to  the  ripe  old  age  of  ninety- 
two  years.  Mrs.  Richardson  died  in  1895,  aged 
seventy-five  years.  Of  the  children  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Richardson,  four  arrived  at  years  of 
maturity,  namely:  Omar  S.,  of  Chicago;  El- 
kanah W.,  of  Tropico,  Cal. ;  Herbert,  also  re- 
siding in  Chicago,  and  Mrs.  Sophia  Bisbee,  who 
died  in  Akron,  Ohio.  Mr.  Richardson  is  a 
member  of  the  Pioneers  Society  and  the  His- 
torical Society  of  Los  Angeles  county.  He  is  a 
Master  Mason,  being  made  a  Mason  in  Summit 
county,  Ohio. 


PROF.  W.  OLIN  LOWE.  Prominent  among 
the  leading  educators  of  San  Diego  county  is 
Prof.  W.  Olin  Lowe,  principal  of  the  Ramona 
high  school,  with  which  he  has  been  connected 
in  this  capacity  for  eight  years,  outranking  in 
length  of  service  any  other  high  school  principal 
in  the  county.  A  man  of  broad  and  progressive 
views,  cultured  and  talented,  he  is  eminently 
qualified  for  his  important  work,  and  is  meeting 
with  almost  phenomenal  success.  Possessing 
much  force  of  character,  and  wise  and  judicious 
in  his  counsels,  he  exerts  an  influence  for  good 
in  the  community,  and  in  the  mental,  social  and 
moral  development  of  the  children  under  his 
supervision  is  an  important  factor.  A  son  of 
John  R.  Lowe,  he  was  born  June  i,  i860,  in 
Solano  county,  Cal.,  where  his  parents  settled  as 
pioneers. 

A  native  of  Indiana,  John  R.  Lowe  was  reared 
to  agricultural  pursuits,  and  as  a  young  man 
chose  the  occupation  of  his  ancestors.  In  1852 
he  came  to  California  with  the  courageous  pion- 
eers of  those  days,  and  in  the  subsequent  years 
became  a  landholder,  and  a  very  successful  agri- 
culturist and  horticulturist,  owning  a  good  ranch 
and  a  valuable  vineyard  in  Shasta  county,  where 
he  spent  the  closing  years  of  his  life,  dying  there 
when  sixty-four  years  of  age.  He  was  a  stanch 
Republican  in  politics,  and  an  active  and  con- 
sistent member  of  the  United  Brethren  Qiurch. 
He  married  Janet  Root,  who  was  born  in  Indiana, 
and  is  now  living  in  Kern  City,  Cal.  Of  the 
children  born  of  their  union,   four  survive. 

r;oing  with  his  parents  to  Yolo  county  when 


1078 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


six  years  old,  W.  Olin  Lowe  there  completed 
the  course  of  study  in  the  grammar  schools,  and 
afterwards  attended  the  San  Joaquin  Valley  Col- 
lege, spending  two  years  in  the  preparatory  de- 
partment and  four  years  in  collegiate  work,  tak- 
ing the  regular  classical  course,  which  included 
Greek  and  Latin.  He  subsequently  taught  school 
one  year  in  Shasta  county,  and  four  and  one-half 
years  in  Selma,  Fresno  county.  Then,  giving  up 
teaching  for  awhile.  Professor  Lowe  entered  the 
ministry,  for  three  years  preaching  for  the 
United  Brethren  denomination.  Accepting  a  po- 
sition in  Los  Angeles  in  1895,  he  taught  most 
successfully  for  four  years  in  the  city  schools. 
Coming  from  there  to  Ramona  in  1899,  he  has 
since  had  charge  of  the  high  school,  and  in  its 
management  has  won  an  enviable  reputation  as 
teacher,   friend,  counsellor  and  disciplinarian. 

In  1887  Professor  Lowe  married  Belle  Lim- 
baugh,  who  was  born  in  Missouri,  a  daughter  of 
F.  IM.  Limbaugh,  who  came  with  his  family  to 
California  in  1866,  and  settled  at  Rio  Vista, 
Solano  county.  Four  children  have  blessed  the 
union  of  Professor  and  Mrs.  Lowe,  namely : 
Minnie  Esther,  born  December  18,  1888;  Wil- 
liam Marion  Reese,  born  December  26,  1890; 
Alma  Genette,  born  July  5,  1893,  and  Frances 
Mae,  born  March  27,  1896.  Politically  the  pro- 
fessor is  a  steadfast  Republican,  and  fraternally 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Foresters ;  of  the  Fraternal  Brotherhood,  at  Los 
Angeles,  and  of  San  Diego  Lodge  No.  35,  F.  & 
A.  M.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Southern 
California  School  Masters  Club  and  for  two  terms 
has  been  identified  with  the  San  Diego  county 
board  of  education. 


JOHN  W.  GUSHING.  One  of  the  enter- 
prising and  progressive  citizens  of  Los  Angeles 
county  was  the  late  John  W.  Gushing,  who  en- 
gaged as  an  agriculturist  in  Southern  California 
for  many  years  prior  to  his  death,  which  occurred 
February  14,  1903.  He  was  a  native  of  Ireland, 
born  in  Belfast  June  24,  1830,  a  son  of  Patrick 
Gushing,  a  builder  in  that  city,  and  Mollie 
(Stewart)  Gushing,  a  native  of  Belfast  and  a 
member  of  the  same  family  to  which  A.  T.  Stew- 
art of  New  York  belonged.  Reared  to  young 
manhood  in  Belfast  J.  W.  Gushing  received  his 
education  in  the  schools  of  that  city,  after  which 
he  made  that  place  his  home  until  1848.  In  the 
last-named  year  he  decided  to  immigrate  to  the 
western  world  and  accordingly  came  to  New 
York  Cit>-,  where  he  was  employed  for  four 
years  and  during  this  time  applied  for  his  papers 
making  him  "a  citizen  of  this  country.  They  were 
granted  .August  29,  1857.  and  delivered  to  him 
in  San  Francisco.  In  1852,  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia  via  the   Nicaragua   route,  landing  in   San 


Francisco  in  April.  For  several  years  following 
his  arrival  in  the  state  he  was  occupied  in  the 
mines,  after  which  he  returned  to  San  Francisco 
and  engaged  in  general  contracting  and  teaming. 
In  1868  he  removed  to  Humboldt  county.  Gal., 
and  a  year  later  made  a  trip  to  Southern  Cali- 
fornia, where  in  the  vicinity  of  Savannah,  Los 
Angeles  county,  he  purchased  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  the  Dalton  tract.  The  following 
year  he  located  his  family  here,  erecting  a  resi- 
dence, barns  and  all  necessary  outbuildings,  and 
thereafter  engaged  in  grain  and  cattle  raising. 
Later  he  added  to  his  original  purchase  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  acres  a  half  mile  north  of 
.Savannah  and  a  twenty  acre  tract  adjoining  the 
first  piece,  the  entire  property  becoming  known 
as  the  Primrose  farm.  He  remained  on  this 
place  up  to  the  time  of  his  death  February  14, 
1903.  His  remains  were  interred  in  the  San 
Gabriel  Cemetery,  as  he  was  a  member  of  the 
old  JNIission  Qnurch  at  San  Gabriel.  In  his  poli- 
tical relations  he  was  a  Democrat,  but  was  always 
stanch  in  his  support  of  the  Union. 

In  San  Francisco,  in  St.  Mary's  Cathedral. 
October  20,  1861,  Mr.  Gushing  was  united  in 
marriage  by  the  Rev.  Father  Croak  with  Miss 
Mary  Carr,  a  native  of  County  Donegal,  Ireland, 
and  a  daughter  of  John  Carr.  He  was  a  general 
contractor  who  about  1850  located  in  Philadel- 
phia, Pa.,  where  his  death  eventually  occurred, 
as  did  that  of  his  wife,  formerly  Catherine  Travis, 
also  a  native  of  Ireland.  They  were  the  parents 
of  nine  children,  of  whom  four  are  now  living, 
Mrs.  Gushing  being  the  only  one  in  California. 
She  came  to  San  Francisco  via  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama  in  1859  and  two  years  later  was  mar- 
ried in  that  city.  She  is  the  mother  of  the  follow- 
ing children ;  Mary  Agnes,  wife  of  Thomas 
Godfrey,  of  San  Pedro ;  Elizabeth  S.  and  Alice 
J.,  both  of  Los  Angeles;  Anna  L.,  of  Giicago; 
John  F.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seven  years  and 
three  months :  Patrick  L.,  on  the  home  ranch ; 
Cecelia,  of  Los  Angeles :  Catherine,  wife  of  Dr. 
C.  W.  Seeber,  of  Los  Angeles ;  Polk  L.,  on  the 
home  ranch ;  James,  of  Los  Angeles ;  Joseph 
Emmet,  on  the  ranch ;  Ileen,  of  Los  Angeles ; 
and  Margaret  S.  In  October,  1904,  Mrs.  Gush- 
ing removed  to  Los  Angeles,  where  she  now 
makes  her  home,  being  a  member  of  the  St. 
\'incent's  Catholic  Giurch,  and  a  devoted  worker 
for  its  interest. 


CLTSHING  BROTHERS.  Native  sons  of 
the  state  of  California,  Patrick  and  Emmet  J. 
Gushing  are  engaged  in  the  cultivation  and  de- 
velopment of  property  which  bids  fair  to  rank 
with  the  finest  ranches  of  Los  Angeles  county. 
The  eldest  was  born  in  this  county  January  31. 
1876.   and   the   latter  .\pril    2^.    1881,   both   re- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1079 


ceiving  their  education  through  the  medium  of 
the  pubHc  schools  of  El  Monte,  where  they 
grew  to  manhood.  Their  father,  John  W.  Gush- 
ing, a  pioneer  of  California,  was  born  in  Belfast ; 
Ireland,  his  education  was  received  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  city,  after  which,  at  the  age  of 
sixteen  years  he  came  to  America  and  in  New 
York  City  was  employed  for  about  four  years. 
Subsequently  he  came  to  California  and  on  the 
property  which  he  owned,  known  as  Primrose 
farm,  his  death  occurred  February  14,  1903. 
Progressive  and  enterprising,  the  two  brothers 
assumed  the  management  of  the  old  Cushing 
homestead,  which  consisted  of  one  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  located  in  the  vicinity  of  El  Monte, 
and  here  they  are  associated  in  the  raising  of  stock, 
in  which  business  they  have  been  very  success- 
ful. In  1904  Patrick  Cushing  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Nellie  Graney,  a  native  of  Port- 
land, Ore.,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  one  son. 
John  Gifford.  They  are  devout  members  of 
the  Catholic  Church.  The  brothers  are  Demo- 
cratic in  their  national  tendencies,  although  lo- 
cally they  can  always  be  counted  upon  to  up- 
hold good  government,  regardless  of  party  af- 
filitions.  Socially  they  occupy  a  high  position 
among  the  ranchers  of  this  section  of  Los  An- 
geles, appreciated  for  their  sterling  worth  as 
men  and  citizens. 


SYLVESTER  H.  GARNER.  A  native  Cali- 
fornian.  Sylvester  H.  Garner  was  born  in  San 
Bernardino  county,  August  10,  1869,  the 
youngest  son  of  John  Garner,  a  pioneer  of  the 
st.ate,  and  one  of  the  prominent  men  among 
the  ranchers  of  Southern  California.  The  elder 
man  was  born  in  Davidson  county,  N.  C,  May 
I,  1820,  a  son  of  David  Garner,  who  died  at  the 
remarkable  age  of  one  hundred  and  five  years. 
He  came  to  Hancock  county.  111.,  where  he  mar- 
ried Mary  Ann  O.  Rawson,  a  native  of  Wash- 
ington county,  Ind. ;  they  were  members  of  the 
Church  of  Latter  Day  Saints  and  located  in 
Nauvoo,  111.,  where  they  made  their  home  for 
five  years,  and  upon  the  exodus  of  their  people 
in  1846  Mr.  Garner  took  his  family  to  Council 
Bluffs,  Iowa.  Two  vears  later  he  started  west- 
ward once  more  and  in  Salt  Lake  City  he  made 
his  home  until  1851,  engaging  in  farming,  etc. 
When  learning  of  the  new  doctrines  which 
Brigham  Young  had  introduced  into  the  church 
since  coming  to  Salt  Lake  Citv,  such  as  polvg- 
amy  and  others,  he  became  disgusted  with  the 
church  in  that  place.  Deciding  to  locate  in 
California,  he  outfitted  in  185 1  and  on  March  i 
started  to  cross  the  plains  to  San  Bernardino 
with  Dave  Seelev.  Capt.  Jefferson  Hunt  and 
Andrew  Lytle.  There  Mr.  Garner  purchased 
land  and  began  farming,  being  the  first  man  to 


plant  alfalfa  in  Southern  California  and  raise 
and  thresh  the  seed,  to  start  his  ranch  purchas- 
ing fifty  pounds  of  seed  at  $1  per  pound.  He 
became  prominent  in  the  public  life  of  the  com- 
munity, a  settlement  having  been  established  by 
the  men  who  came  through  with  Mr.  Garner, 
and  during  the  years  of  his  residence  he  was 
elected  to  many  positions  of  trust  and  responsi- 
bility. For  two  terms  he  served  as  supervisor 
of  San  Bernardino  county  and  was  chairman  of 
the  board  for  several  years,  and  was  also  school 
trustee  for  many  years.  He  was  a  stanch  ad- 
herent of  Democratic  principles.  By  virtue  of 
his  early  residence  in  the  state  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Pioneer  Society  of  San  Bernardino  county. 
In  1874  he  removed  to  Newport,  where  his  death 
occurred  in  1890,  when  nearly  seventy  years  old. 
His  remains  were  sent  to  San  Bernardino  and 
buried  by  the  side  of  his  wife,  who  had  preceded 
him  in  1880.  His  funeral  was  one  of  the  largest 
ever  held  in  San  Bernardino,  the  large  number 
attending  being  a  silent  evidence  of  the  great 
regard  and  esteem  in  which  he  was  held.  There 
were  thirteen  children  in  the  parental  family, 
of  whom  six  are  still  surviving. 

Reared  in  Southern  California,  Sylvester  H. 
Garner  received  his  education  in  the  public 
.'schools  of  Santa  Ana,  Orange  county,  where  his 
parents  located  when  he  was  a  child  in  years. 
After  completing  his  education  he  began  farming 
for  himself,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  go- 
ing to  Fresno,  where  he  followed  horticultural 
pursuits.  He  became  the  owner  of  twenty  acres 
of  land  which  he  sold  after  five  years  and  came 
to  Los  Angeles  county  and  in  the  vicinity  of 
Florence  engaged  in  sugar  beet  culture,  leasing 
and  cultivating  about  three  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  acres  of  land  belonging  to  the  Nadeau  and 
Cudahy  estates.  Finally  giving  up  ranching  he 
located  in  Los  Angeles  ancl  engaged  in  the  whole- 
sale produce  business,  and  after  a  time  sold  out 
and  followed  a  grocery  enterprise.  Altogether 
he  was  in  commercial  enterprises  in  Los  Angeles 
for  five  years.  Finally  disposing  of  his  business 
interests  he  came  to  El  Monte  and  in  1903  pur- 
chased his  present  property,  which  contained 
at  that  time  fifty  acres,  although  he  has  since 
disposed  of  a  half  of  it  and  now  has  but  twenty- 
five  acres  devoted  to  walnuts  and  alfalfa.  He 
has  made  all  the  improvements  himself,  install- 
ing a  pumping  plant,  etc.,  and  bids  fair  to  make 
a  striking  success  of  his  enterprise. 

June  29,  1898,  Mr.  Garner  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  J\liss  Cora  Van  Fleet,  who  was  born 
in  Dickinson  county,  Kans.,  in  1872 :  she  was 
but  ten  years  old  when  brought  to  California 
by  her  father,  Nelson  Van  Fleet  who  for  many 
years  made  his  home  in  Downey,  Cal.,  but  is 
now  living  retired  in  Los  .Angeles.  Mrs.  Garner 
was  one  of  eleven  children,  eight  of  whom  are 


1080 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


living  in  California.  Previous  to  her  marriage 
she  was  a  teacher  in  the  Los  Nietos  public  school, 
having  held  the  said  position  for  seven  consecu- 
tive years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Garner  have  one  child, 
.Sylvester  H.  Jr.,  who  was  born  in  Los  Angeles 
City,  February  ii,  1903.  Both  himself  and 
wife  are  members  of  the  Reorganized  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints. 


JOHN  ROBERT  PIERCY.  Credit  is  due 
Mr.  Piercy  for  the  efforts  he  has  made  toward  the 
upbuilding  and  development  of  the  section 
of  California  in  which  he  has  made  his  home  since 
1895.  He  is  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  Murphy.  Qierokee  county, 
November  22.  1859;  his  grandfather,  Stephen 
Piercy,  was  born  in  England  and  in  young  man- 
hood immigrated  to  America  and  settled  in  North 
Carolina,  his  son,  Wesley,  the  father  of  John  R. 
also  being  a  native  of  that  state.  The  latter  was 
a  surveyor  and  was  engaged  in  this  work  in  North 
Carolina  until  his  death.  He  was  a  citizen  of 
prominence,  helpful  in  the  maintenance  of  law 
and  order,  and  as  a  Master  Mason  was  influen- 
tial in  fraternal  circles.  He  married  Martha 
Collins,  whose  birth  and  death  occurred  also  in 
North  Carolina. 

Of  the  thirteen  children  born  to  his  parents,  of 
whom  nine  attained  maturity  and  eight  are  now 
living,  John  Robert  Piercy  was  sixth  in  order  of 
birth.  He  was  left  an  orphan  at  the  age  of  ten 
years  and  two  years  later  he  went  to  Indiana 
where,  in  the  vicinity  of  Terre  Haute,  he  made 
his  home  with  a  brother,  who  was  a  farmer  in 
that  section.  He  remained  in  that  location  for 
four  years  when  he  decided  to  go  further  west- 
ward, and  accordingly  traveled  through  Iowa, 
North  Dakota  and  Utah,  engaging  in  farming  and 
mining,  the  latter  employment  occupying  his  at- 
tention in  Utah  for  eight  years,  working  with  the 
Maxfield  Mining  Company.  It  was  in  1895  that 
he  first  came  to  California  and  in  the  vicinity  of 
El  Monte,  Los  Angeles  county,  he  found  em- 
ployment on  the  ranch  of  .George  H.  Peck.  After 
one  year  he  leased  the  ranch,  which  consisted  of 
four  hundred  and  eighty-three  acres,  and  while 
he  engaged  in  the  raising  of  alfalfa  and  grain 
he  undertook  the  improvement  of  the  place  by 
boring  a  well  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
feet  deep  and  installing  a  steam  engine,  forty- 
horse  power,  with  a  capacity  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  inches.  He  had  two  hundred  acres  given 
over  entirely  to  the  cultivation  of  alfalfa.  In 
1902  he  decided  to  invest  in  land  and  accordingly 
purchased  fifty-four  acres  in  the  vicinity  of  El 
Monte,  and  immediately  set  it  to  walnuts,  while 
he  also  engaged  in  general  farming.  Later  he 
disposed  of  twenty-nine  acres  of  the  jirnperty,  re- 
taining twenty-five  acres,  which  he  has  brought 


to  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  improvement, 
having  erected  a  new  residence  in  1905.  He  was 
instrumental  in  the  incorporation  of  what  is 
known  as  the  Peck  Ranch  Water  Company,  of 
which  he  is  secretary  and  manager,  and  which  ir- 
rigates one  hundred  and  fifty-eight  acres  of  land. 
November  22,  1891,  in  North  Carolina,  Air. 
Piercy  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Rillie 
Tatham,  who  was  born  in  Cherokee  county,  that 
state.  Her  father,  Benton  Tatham,  and  grand- 
father, Thomas,  were  both  natives  of  North  Car- 
olina, of  English  descent,  the  latter  having  served 
in  the  Mexican  war,  as  did  his  brother,  James 
Tatham.  Farming-  had  been  the  occupation  of 
the  family  for  generations  and  Benton  Tatham 
w'as  so  engaged  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil 
war.  in  which  he  served  faithfully.  He  married 
Arra  \\'right,  born  in  Yancey  county,  N.  C, 
a  daughter  of  James  Wright,  a  farmer  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent ;  she  was  the  fifth  in  a  family  of  ten 
children  and  is  still  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Piercy 
are  the  parents  of  three  children,  namely :  Rob- 
ert, William  and  !Murvel.  Fraternally  he  is  an 
Odd  Fellow,  having  been  made  a  member  of  the 
order  in  Monrovia ;  politically  he  is  a  Republican 
on  national  issues,  while  locally  he  supports  the 
man  whom  he  considers  best  qualified  for  public 
duties. 


MARK  HUTCHCROFT.  One  of  the  suc- 
cessful citizens  of  the  community  in  and  about 
Bassett  is  ]\Iark  Hutchcroft,  known  and  esteemed 
throughout  this  section  as  an  upbuilder  of  the  best 
interests  of  the  general  welfare.  He  is  a  native 
of  Grant  county.  Wis.,  born  January  27,  1859, 
the  oldest  son  in  a  family  of  eight  children,  of 
whom  three  sons  and  four  daughters  are  now  liv- 
ing. His  father,  John  Hutchcroft,  was  born  in 
Yorkshire,  England,  where  the  name  had  flour- 
ished for  generations.  The  grandfather,  Ed- 
ward Hutchcroft,  brought  his  family  to  America 
and  located  in  Grant  county.  Wis.,  where  he  en- 
gaged first  as  a  miner  and  later  as  a  farmer, 
.^fter  spending  fifteen  years  in  mining,  John 
Hutchcroft  followed  farming  and  finally,  in  1874, 
brought  his  family  across  the  continent  to  Ore- 
gon, where  they  located  in  McMinnville.  Later 
he  purchased  a  farm  in  North  Yamhill,  Yam- 
hill county,  and  resided  there  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1897.  He  belonged  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  politically  was 
a  stanch  Republican.  His  \vife.  formerly  Mar- 
garet Bell,  was  born  in  Aberdeen.  Scotland,  a 
daughter  of  Robert  Bell,  a  merchant  in  Scotland, 
where  he  also  died.  Thev  also  were  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Qiurch. 

Mark  Hutchcroft  received  his  preliminary  ed- 
ucation in  the  public  schools  of  Wisconsin  and 
Oregon,    and    completed    it    in    the    Willamette 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1083 


Universit}'.  He  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm, 
where  he  remained  until  attaining  his  majority. 
He  then  became  dependent  upon  his  own  re- 
sources and  with  his  brother  began  logging  on 
the  North  Yamhill  river,  from  the  city  of  Isorth 
Yamhill  down  to  Oregon  City  and  Portland.  He 
was  occupied  thus  for  five  years,  when  with  his 
accumulated  earnings  he  rented  a  place  and  be- 
gan raising  hops  at  North  Yamhill,  still  in  part- 
nership with  his  brother.  On  account  of  his 
wife's  health  he  sold  out  in  May,  1895,  and  came 
to  California,  locating  in  Santa  Monica  and  en- 
gaging with  the  Santa  Monica  Lumber  Com- 
pany. In  1897  he  accepted  a  position  as  fore- 
man of  the  Bassett  ranch,  and  has  held  it  ever 
since,  now  being  superintendent  of  three  hundred 
acres  of  this  large  property,  and  engaged  in  set- 
ting it  to  walnuts.  He  has  purchased  thirty  acres 
of  the  ranch,  which  is  devoted  to  walnuts  and 
alfalfa,  while  his  attention  is  given  to  general 
farming  on  the  greater  part  of  the  place. 

Mr.  Hutchcroft  was  married  in  Oregon  to  Miss 
May  Roberts,  a  native  of  Iowa,  and  a  daughter  of 
Henry  Roberts,  and  they  have  two  children, 
Grace  and  Gladys  Belle.  Mr.  Hutchcroft  has 
always  take  a  prominent  place  in  educational 
affairs  wherever  he  has  made  his  home,  while  in 
Oregon  serving  on  the  school  board,  and  was  also 
a  member  of  the  Bassett  school  board  when  their 
building  was  erected.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Mountain  View  Presbyterian  Church,  in  which 
he  officiates  as  an  elder,  and  politically  upholds 
the  principles  of  the  Republican  party. 


HON.  WILLIAM  H.  KELSO.  For  many 
generations  the  Kelso  family  was  identified 
with  the  development  of  Pennsylvania  and 
especially  with  the  agricultural  and  coal-min- 
ing interests  of  Allegheny  county.  The  orig- 
inal Scotch  immigrant,  George  Kelso,  who 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1760.  from  the 
town  of  Kelso,  Scotland,  located  in  Bucks 
county.  Pa.,  from  there  going-  to  Cumberland, 
near  McClure's  Gap,  and  still  later,  in  1782, 
removing  to  Washington  county.  His  son, 
John  Kelso,  served  seven  years,  seven  months 
and  ten  days  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and 
was  one  of  the  one  hundred  and  twenty  men 
who  stormed  Stony  Point.  During  his  serv- 
ice he  was  made  orderly  sergeant.  The  son 
of  the  latter  and  the  grandson  of  the  orig- 
inal founder  of  the  name  in  America,  Ben- 
jam,in  Kelso,  was  born  in  1790,  in  Allegheny 
county^  where  he  became  the  owner  of  coal 
lands,  bank  stock  and  other  profitable  hold- 
ings, representing  about  $30,000,  which  in 
those  days  was  considered  quite  a  fortune. 
Among  the  children  of  Benjamin  was  John 
P>..  a  native  of  Allegheny   county  and  a   life- 


long resident  ot  that  portion  of  Pentisylvania, 
where  he  died  at  sixty-five  years.  Included 
in  his  possessions  was  a  tract  of  coal  land, 
which  in  time  became  the  inheritance  of  his 
only  son,  William  H.,  the  only  daughter  hav- 
ing died  without  heirs.  In  politics  he  affiliated 
with  the  Republican  party  from  the  organi- 
zation of  the  party  until  his  death,  and  always 
he  maintained  an  active  interest  in  party  mat-, 
ters.  Through  his  marriage  to  Mary  Hall,  a 
native  of  Allegheny  county,  he  became  con- 
nected with  an  old-established  family  of  Penn- 
sylvania, of  remote  Irish  extraction.  Her 
father,  William  Hall,  was  born  in  Allegheny 
county  and  after  an  active  life  as  a  farmer  he 
died  there  aged  about  seventy-six  years,  his 
wife  surviving  him  until  ninety-six  years  of 
age.  During  the  year  1886  Mrs.  Mary  Kelso 
came  to  the  Pacific  coast  and  afterward  re- 
sided in  California  until  her  death  in  1905, 
at  eighty-two  years  of  age.  From  childhood 
she  had  been  identified  with  the  United  Pres- 
byterian denomination,  which  was  the  church 
of  her  forefathers. 

On  the  homestead  in  Allegheny  county.  Pa., 
William  H.  Kelso  was  born  February  24, 
1847,  and  there  he  passed  the  care-free  days 
of  boyhood.  His  education  was  commenced 
in  neighboring  schools  and  completed  in  the 
Dayton  (Pa.)  Academy,  after  which  he  re- 
mained with  his  father  and  grandfather.  De- 
cember 21,  1870,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Mina  C.  Craig,  a  native  of  Indiana 
county.  Pa.,  and  a  member  of  an  old  eastern 
family.  With  his  young  wife  he  established 
a  home  on  a  farm  and  there  he  engaged  in 
raising  grain  and  feeding  cattle.  Meanwhile 
the  oil  industry  had  assumed  gigantic  pro- 
portions in  Pennsylvania  and  its  activities 
penetrated  to  the  Kelso  homestead,  which 
proved  to  possess  oil  in  paying  quantities.  In 
1887  he  rented  the  old  homestead  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  which  he  yet  owns. 
Eight  oil  wells  on  the  land  produced  two  hun- 
dred thousand  barrels  of  oil  during  the  first 
year  and  three  of  them  are  still  pumping. 
The  wells  were  drilled  principally  in  1891- 
93,  Mr.  Kelso's  share  being  one-sixth  of  the 
output.  Upon  renting  the  old  home  place  in 
1887  he  came  to  California  and  purchased 
sixty  acres  near  Inglewood,  and  also  three 
blocks  in  the  townsite  of  Inglewood,  contain- 
ing fifteen  acres,  which  were  iaid  out  in  town 
lots  and  blocks,  including  his  home  place, 
which  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  in  the 
town.  Always  interested  in  movements  for 
the  development  of  his  home  town,  he  has 
fostered  worthy  enterprises  and  was  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  Bank  of  Inglewood,  in 
which  he  now  owns  stock.     For  ten  vears  he 


1084 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


has  officiated  as  director  of  Occidental  Col- 
lege and  in  other  ways  he  has  proved  his  keen 
interest  in  educational  progress.  In  his  fam- 
ily there  are  two  daughters,  Anna  J.  and  Edith 
A.,  both  of  whom  were  given  exceptional  ad- 
vantages ;  the  older  is  married  to  Arthur  J. 
McFadden,  of  Santa  Ana,  member  of  an  hon- 
ored family  of  this  region,  and  they  have  one 
daughter,  Mary ;  the  younger  daughter,  Edith 
A.,  remains  with  her  parents. 

The  religious  connections  of  the  family  are 
with  the  Presbj'terian  Church,  but  other  de- 
nominations have  received  from  them  active 
encouragement  and  financial  aid.  In  fraternal 
.  relations  Mr.  Kelso  holds  membership  with 
the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters.  From 
boyhood  he  was  reared  to  a  faith  in  the  Re- 
publican party  and  later  studies  of  the  polit- 
ical situation  did  not  change  his  belief. 
Though  always  willing  to  assist  friends  who 
were  candidates  for  office,  he  has  never  cared 
for  such  honors  for  himself,  and  the  only  po- 
sition he  has  held  came  to  him  unsought.  This 
was  in  November  of  1902,  when  without  an 
active  campaign  on  his  part  he  was  elected  to 
represent  the  seventieth  district  in  the  state 
assembly.  During  the  session  that  followed 
he  served  on  various  committees  of  importance 
and  represented  his  constituents  with  fidelity 
and  intelligence,  but  at  the  expiration  of  his 
term  he  declined  further  official  responsibili- 
ties and  honors,  and  retired  to  the  enjoyment 
of  private  life  and  the  management  of  his  im- 
portant business  and  landed  interests. 


OLOF  LARSON.  The  years  included  be- 
tween 1880  and  1898  recall  varied  experiences 
on  the  part  of  Mr.  Larson,  all  valuable  in  their 
way,  but  none  more  so  than  those  brought  to 
mind  by  the  dates  just  mentioned,  the  former 
being  the  year  of  his  advent  in  the  New  World, 
and  "the  latter  the  year  in  which  he  located 
upon  his  present  ranch  in  San  Bernardino 
county,  not  far  from  the  city  of  that  name.  A 
son  of  Lars  Hanson  and  Kestein  (Pierceson) 
Larson,  he  was  born  in  Skone,  Sweden,  Janu- 
ary 7,  1858.  receiving  an  excellent  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  town.  Native 
thrift  and  not  necessity  was  the  idea  in  mind 
when  he  took  up  agricultural  pursuits  upon 
leaving  school,  for  his  parents  were  well-to-do 
and  no  comfort  had  been  denied  him. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  in  1880,  Mr. 
I^arson  carried  out  a  desire  which  had  taken  a 
strong  hold  upon  him.  and  in  the  spring  of  that 
year  he  was  among  the  passengers  who  landed 
at  Castle  Garden.  Going  direct  from  New 
York  to  Lasalle  county.  111.,  he  remained  there 


five  years,  after  which  he  returned  to  Sweden 
to  visit  his  parents  and  friends.  Three  months 
of  rest  and  inactivity  made  him  anxious  to  re- 
sume business,  and  at  the  end  of  this  time  he 
returned  to  America,  this  time  locating  in  Ot- 
tawa, 111.  In  1886  he  sought  the  milder  climate 
of  California,  locating  at  Craftonville,  where 
he  was  employed  in  a  hotel  for  about  one  and  a 
half  years.  After  working  in  a  livery  in  Red- 
lands  for  about  a  year  he  came  to  San  Bernar- 
dino, but  three  months  later  returned  to  Red- 
lands,  where  for  four  months  he  was  in  the  em- 
ploy of  H.  H.  Sinclair.  A  desire  to  see  and  in- 
form himself  in  regard  to  the  northern  coast 
induced  him  to  go  to  Seattle,  Wash.,  where  he 
found  employment  with  a  company  engaged  in 
laying  a  cable  road,  doing  construction  work 
for  about  four  months,  when  he  went  to  Puget 
Sound,  there  acting  as  yardmaster  in  a  lumber 
3-ard  for  one  year.  Still  later  he  became  tally 
keeper  in  loading  grain  on  steamers,  following 
this  until  returning  to  San  Bernardino  in  1892, 
from  that  year  until  1898  working  in  a  liverj^ 
stable  here.  As  has  been  previously  intimated, 
it  was  during  the  latter  year  that  he  purchased 
and  settled  upon  his  present  ranch  of  twenty 
acres,  which  has  been  his  home  ever  since,  and 
which  he  has  transformed  from  wild  land  into 
one  of  the  most  productive  ranches  in  the  coun- 
ty. Realizing  that  the  first  essential  for  a  suc- 
cessful ranch  depended  upon  a  sufficient  water 
supply,  he  put  in  flumes  for  irrigation,  having 
in  the  meantime  set  out  orange  trees  and  plant- 
ed grape  vines.  The  result  of  his  continued  ef- 
forts to  make  his  ranch  a  success  has  been  all 
that  could  be  desired  by  the  most  sanguine,  and 
much  credit  is  due  him  for  what  he  has  accom- 
plished. 

In  San  Bernardino,  March  2,  1888,  Mr.  Lar- 
son and  Kerstine  Swenson  were  united  in  mar- 
riage. A  native  of  Sweden,  Mrs.  Larson  was 
born  in  Skone,  July  21,  1865,  the  daughter  of 
Swen  Hanson  and  Ulrika  (Rosengrenl  Swen- 
son. When  twenty-one  years  of  age  she  came 
to  the  United  States  with  her  brother  and  lo- 
cated in  Ottawa,  111.,  coming  to  California  the 
following  year  and  settling  in  San  Bernardino. 
Five  children  have  blessed  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Larson,  of  whom  we  mention  the  fol- 
lowing: Ivan  LTlrik,  born  January  9,  1890,  and 
Frances  Estella,  born  December  31,  1891,  are 
both  at  home  with  their  parents  ;  the  next  child, 
Algene  Henrietta,  was  born  April  16,  1894,  in 
Sweden,  where  Mrs.  Larson  had  gone  on  a 
visit;  the  daugliter  did  not  long  survive  the 
journey  to  the  United  States,  dying  two  days 
after  her  arrival,  August  6,  1894;  the  other  chil- 
dren arc  Algina  Kerstina.  born  June  5,  1899. 
and   Norman   Stanley,  born   August    10,   1902. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1087 


The  family  attend  the  Swedish  Lutheran 
Church  at  San  Bernardino,  of  which  the  par- 
ents are  members.  PoHtically  Mr.  Larson  is  a 
Republican,  and  fraternally  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  having  joined  the 
order  in  San  Bernardino  in  1897. 


CASSIUS  C.  JOHNSON.  Few  more  con- 
sistent, practical  or  well-balanced  careers 
have  contributed  to  the  development  of  Pomo- 
na and  Claremont  than  that  of  the  late  C.  C. 
Johnson,  whose  death,  September  3,  1906,  was 
mourned  by  the  citizens  of  both  towns  as  that 
of  a  personal  friend.  His  remains  were  in- 
terred in  the  cemetery  at  Pomona,  in  which 
town  so  many  years  of  his  active  and  useful 
life  had  been  passed. 

Indiana  was  Mr.  Johnson's  native  state,  and 
he  was  born  in  Greencastle  April  i,  1854,  one 
of  the  younger  children  in  a  family  of  ten 
born  to  his  parents,  Dickson  and  Nancy  (Se- 
wein  Johnson,  both  of  the  latter  being  na- 
tives of  Kentucky.  Among  the  early  set- 
tlers in  Indiana  who  had  crossed  over  the 
Ohio  river  from  Kentucky  was  Dickson  John- 
son, who  settled  down  as  a  farmer  in  that  new 
country,  but  he  was  evidently  not  satisfied 
with  the  country  for  a  permanent  location, 
and  some  time  after  the  birth  of  his  son  C.  C. 
he  removed  to  Vinton.  Iowa,  near  which  city 
he  purchased  a  large  farm.  It  was  there  that 
his  earth  life  came  to  a  close,  leaving  to 
mourn  his  loss  a  widow  and  a  large  family  of 
children.  The  mother  passed  away  some  years 
later  in  Willow  Lake,  S.  Dak.  As  he  was  a 
mere  child  when  the  family  removed  from  In- 
diana to  Iowa  C.  C.  Johnson  was  reared  al- 
most entirel}^  in  the  latter  state,  attending 
first  the  public  school  of  Vinton  and  later 
Vinton  Academy.  Although  reared  on  a 
farm  he  had  no  taste  for  farming  himself,  and 
as  soon  as  his  school  days  were  over  he  se- 
cured a  position  in  a  dry-goods  store  in  Vin- 
ton with  the  idea  of  learning  the  business. 
When  one  has  definite  ideas  of  a  line  of  busi- 
ness which  he  wishes  to  follow  and  with  per- 
sistency applies  himself  to  its  masterv  the 
victory  is  half  won,  and  thus  it  was  with  Mr. 
Johnson,  for  in  a  short  time  he  was  enabled 
to  start  in  the  dry-goods  business  on  his  own 
account.  The  failure  of  his  health,  however, 
brought  about  a  change  in  his  plans  and  af- 
ter disposing  of  his  interests  in  Iowa  he  came 
to  California  in  r88i.  The  following  year  he 
purchased  a  ranch  of  thirty  acres  on  the  cor- 
ner of  San  Bernardino  and  Towne  avenues. 
For  about  four  years  he  raised  sheep  and  grain 
on  his  property  and  then  siidivided  the  ranch 


into  one  and  four  acre  tracts,  also  opening 
Towne  avenue.  In  the  mean  time  he  had  been 
employed  in  the  weighing  department  of  the 
Southern   Pacific  road  for  about  one  year. 

In  1895  Mr.  Johnson  removed  to  a' foothill 
ranch  east  of  San  Antonio,  comprising  several 
hundred  acres.  He  gave  this  up,  however,  in 
the  fall  of  1900  and  removed  to  Claremont, 
in  order  that  his  children  could  attend  Pomo- 
na College.  After  locating  here  he  engaged 
in  the  real-estate  business,  and  among  other 
transactions  with  which  his  name  was  as- 
sociated was  the  laying  out  of  a  forty-acre 
tract  on  North  Harvard  avenue,  which  he  sold 
off  as  Johnson's  addition  to  Claremont,  and 
he  also  laid  out  another  forty-acre  tract  ad- 
joining known  as  College,  avenue  addition. 
This  business  is  still  being  carried  on  under 
the  name  of  C.  C.  Johnson  &  Co.  In  1902  he 
erected  the  fine  residence  now  occupied  by 
the  family,  located  on  North  Harvard  avenue. 
Far  from  being  self-centered  and  interested  in 
his  own  private  affairs  only,  Mr.  Johnson  was 
on  the  other  hand  broad  minded  and  gener- 
ous. He  was  a  director  in  the  Citizens'  Light 
and  Water  Company,  was  the  organizer  of 
the  Co-operative  Water  Company,  which  was 
located  on  his  ranch,  also  assisted  in  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Claremont  Lumber  Com- 
pany, the  Citizens'  State  Bank  and  the  Clare- 
mont Inn  Company,  of  which  latter  he  was 
president.  For  many  years  he  had  served  ef- 
ficiently as  school  trustee  of  Claremont  and 
also  served  as  selectman. 

In  Vinton,  Iowa,  May  19,  1880,  C.  C.  John- 
son was  married  to  Miss  Louise  Moore,  who 
was  born  in  Durand.  111.,  the  daughter  of 
Hubbard  Moore.  From  Vermont,  his  native 
state,  Mr.  Moore  set  out  with  the  '4gers  for 
the  gold  region,  but  he  did  not  remain  long 
in  the  west  at  that  time.  Later  he  removed 
to  Durand,  111.,  and  established  himself  in  the 
dry-goods  business,  which  he  followed  until 
removing  to  Vinton,  Iowa,  there  following  the 
builder's  trade.  Removing  from  the  middle 
west  in  1881  he  came  to  California  and  the 
same  year  purchased  a  ranch  adjoining  Pomo- 
na, upon  which  he  lived  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  and  in  addition  to  its  management  he  also 
carried  on  contracting  to  some  extent.  Mrs. 
Moore,  who  before  her  marriage  was  Kath- 
erine  Peck,  was  born  in  Massachusetts  and 
now  resides  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  John- 
son. Five  children  blessed  the  marriage  of 
Air.  and  Mrs.  Johnson:  .'\lbert,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  the  electrical  business  in  Covina ; 
Tames,  who  is  with  the  Claremont  Lumber 
Company;  Clarence;  Fmma,  deceased;  and 
Katherine.      PoHticalh-    Mr.    Tohnson    was    a 


1088 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


strong  Republican,  and  in  his  church  affilia- 
tions was  an  active  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church,  of  which  at  one  time  he  was  a 
trustee.  Thoroughly  devoted  to  the  interests 
of  this  part  of  California,  he  was  one  of  those 
citizens  whose  coming  from  the  east  meant 
so  much  to  the  development  and  growth  of 
the  state. 


JOHN  H.  BREEDLOVE.  Coming  to  San 
Diego  county  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century 
ago,  John  H.  Breedlove  has  been  an  active 
and  able  assistant  in  developing  and  advanc- 
ing its  industrial  and  business  prosperity.  He 
is  pleasantly  located  near  Valley  Center,  and 
is  one  of  the  substantial  men  of  his  commun- 
ity, owning  a  large  and  well-cultivated  ranch, 
and  being  especially  interested  in  dairying. 
A  man  of  unbounded  energy  and  enterprise, 
he  has  accumulated  his  property  by  hard  labor 
and  the  exercise  of  the  good  judgment  and 
sound  sense  with  which  nature  generously  en- 
dowed him,  and  at  the  same  time  he  has  cul- 
tivated to  a  marked  degree  those  inherent  vir- 
tues and  habits  that  make  him  a  valued  citi- 
zen and  a  true  man  in  every  relation  of  life. 
A  son  of  William  Breedlove,  he  was  born  De- 
cember 26,  1846,  in  Webster  county,  Mo., 
where  he  received  a  common  school  educa- 
tion. 

A  native  of  Tennessee,  William  Breedlove 
remained  in  his  early  home  until  after  his  mar- 
riage with  Susan  Haggard.  Migrating  then 
to  the  extreme  western  frontier,  he  lived  for 
many  years  in  Missouri,  clearing  from  the 
wilderness  a  good  farm  in  Webster  county, 
where  he  became  owner  of  about  eight  hun- 
dred acres  of  land.  In  the  later  years  of  his 
life  he  started  with  his  family  for  the  Pacific 
coast,  but  while  crossing  the  plains  his  good 
wife  was  taken  ill  and  died.  He  continued  the 
journey  to  California,  but  after  a  brief  stay 
returned  to  Missouri,  and  there  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  To  him  and  his  wife  sev- 
en children  were  born. 

Brought  up  on  the  homestead,  and  well 
drilled  in  farming  and  stock-raising  from  his 
boyhood.  John  H.  Breedlove  became  well  fit- 
ted for  the  independent  calling  which  he  is 
now  following  so  successfully.  As  a  young  man, 
however,  he  thought  to  find  some  more  congen- 
ial occupation,  and  with  that  end  in  view  went 
in  the  spring  of  1864  to  Montana,  where  he 
worked  for  awhile  in  the  mines.  Not  finding 
much  profit  in  his  labors  he  went  back  to  his 
native  state,  where  he  resumed  ranching  for 
a  time.  Subsequently  he  went  first  to  Kan- 
sas, then  to  Texas,  where  he  lived  four  years, 
working  at    the   carpenter's    trade    in    Wood 


county.  Returning  home,  he  assisted  his 
father  on  the  farm  from  1874  until  1876,  when 
he  came  to  California,  locating  in  Butte  coun- 
ty, where  he  followed  farming  two  years. 
Coming  from  there  to  San  Diego  county  in 
1878,  he  took  up  a  homestead  claim  on  which, 
he  resided  five  years.  In  1883  he  located  near 
Valley  Center,  buying  his  present  ranch  of  six 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  in  its  improve- 
ment has  met  with  unquestioned  success,  it 
being  one  of  the  best  and  most  attractive  home 
estates  to  be  found  in  this  section  of  the  state. 
He  pays  much  attention  to  dairying,  for  a 
number  of  years  milking  from  fifty  to  seven- 
ty cows  daily,  and  carries  on  general  farming 
to  a  considerable  extent,  raising  all  of  the  hay 
and  grain  used  on  the  farm. 

In  Missouri,  in  1875,  Mr.  Breedlove  married 
Edith  A.  Rogers,  a  native  of  that  state,  and 
into  their  home  four  children  have  been  born, 
nam.ely :  Roy  E.,  of  Los  Angeles,  a  dealer  in 
real  estate ;  Lillian,  also  dealing  in  real  es- 
tate in  Los  Angeles ;  Grace,  at  home ;  and 
Carl.  Although  not  very  active  in  politics,  Mr> 
Breedlove  keeps  himself  well  informed  upon 
current  events,  and  uniformly  supports  the 
Republican  ticket.  Religiously  -Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Breedlove  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church. 


EDWARD  H.  STAGG,  of  Los  Angeles  is  a 
man  who,  although  retired  from  active  service  on 
account  of  ill  health,  still  takes  a  prominent  in- 
terest in  public  affairs,  and  his  thirty  years  ol 
intimate  connection  with  railroad  work  while  fill- 
ing important  positions  gives  him  an  insight  into 
the  live  questions  of  the  day,  which  is  of  recog- 
nized value.  He  was  born  in  Jackson  county. 
Mo.,  November  8,  1853,  one  of  a  family  of  seven 
children,  five  of  whom  are  still  living.  His 
father,  Rev.  Isaac  M.  Stagg,  was  a  native  of 
New  Jersey  and  when  a  young  man  learned  the 
tailor's  trade  at  Hartford,  Conn.  From  there  he 
removed  to  Laporte,  Ind.,  took  a  theological 
course,  was  ordained  as  a  minister  and  accepted 
in  the  Methodist  Conference,  after  which  he  re- 
moved to  Logansport,  Ind.,  and  continued  in  the 
ministry  twenty-four  years.  His  death  at  East 
St.  Louis,  111.,  removed  a  man  who  was  greatly 
revered  by  all  who  knew  him.  The  mother  was 
in  maidenhood  Marial  Thomas,  and  a  native  of 
New  York.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Guirch,  and  an  active  worker  in  re- 
ligious circles.  Her  death  occurred  in  1891  at 
Albuquerque,  N.  Mex. 

E.  H.  Stagg  received  a  common  school  educa- 
tion and  immediately  after  his  school  days  were 
over  he  became  an  apprentice  at  the  cigarmaker's 
trade.     In  1872  he  beg-an  his  career  as  a  railroad 


J/.  j^£o(cuJii^  <£/^^A 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1091 


man,  entering  the  service  of  the  Ilhnois  Central 
as  a  clerk  and  was  promoted  successively  to 
baggage  master  and  conductor.  Later  he  be- 
came connected  with  the  Union  Pacific  Railway 
Company,  filling  the  position  of  chief  bill  clerk 
at  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  when  he  left  that  posi- 
tion it  was  to  become  chief  clerk  to  the  terminal 
agent  of  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  in  the  south- 
western part  of  Colorado.  From  there  he  went 
to  Oregon  as  chief  clerk  in  the  auditor's  office, 
was  soon  promoted  to  the  position  of  traveling 
auditor,  and  in  1897  became  chief  claim  clerk 
of  the  Atlantic  &  Pacific.  In  1898  he  was  made 
auditor  of  the  Randsburg  Railway  Company, 
which  position  he  filled  for  about  a  year,  when 
he  was  appointed  to  the  position  of  general 
freight  and  passenger  agent  of  the  same  com- 
pany, and  before  he  retired  from  that  company 
in  1904  had  attained  the  office  of  general  man- 
ager. Mr.  Stagg  built  the  Ludlow  Southern 
Railroad  and  served  as  general  manager  and 
treasurer  of  the  company  before  his  retirement 
from  active  work  on  account  of  impaired  health. 
He  still  owns  large  business  interests  and  is  at 
present  a  stockholder  and  director  of  the  High- 
land Park  Bank.  In  politics  he  has  always  been 
an  active  member  of  the  Republican  party. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Stagg  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason 
and  is  identified  with  Signet  Chapter  No.  57,  F, 
&  A.  M.,  and  is  Past  Grand  Secretary  of  New 
Mexico  jurisdiction  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  was 
married  to  Miss  Louise  Vaughn,  a  native  of 
Windsor,  Ontario,  and  has  a  family  of  three 
children,  all  of  whom  are  living  in  California. 
Thev  are:  Mrs.  Nellie  A.  Black,  Mrs.  Jessie 
Norton,  and  Mrs.  Sarah  E.  McMillan.  Mrs. 
Stagg  is  a  member  of  and  active  worker  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  In  everything  he 
has  undertaken  Mr.  Stagg  has  met  with  great 
success  and  has  amassed  a  considerable  fortune. 


M.  ALEXANDER  SCHUTZ,  A.  B.,  M.  D. 
A  resident  of  California  since  1891,  Dr.  Schutz 
has  been  an  eye-witness  to  the  remarkable  de- 
velopment of  the  southern  part  of  the  state  and 
has  himself  been  an  active  participant  in  the 
growth  and  progress  of  Long  Beach,  where  he 
has  made  his  home  for  the  greater  part  of  this 
time.  He  is  a  native  of  Russia,  having  been  born 
at  Odessa  on  the  Black  Sea,  March  2,  1864,  the 
descendant  of  a  family  conspicuous  in  the  af- 
fairs of  that  country,  an  uncle  now  serving  as 
physician  to  the  Royal  family.  After  receiving 
a  primary  education  in  the  private  schools  in  the 
portion  of  the  country  where  he  made  his  home, 
he  entered  college  and  after  eight  years  gradu- 
ated with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  and  prepared  to 
take  up  the  study  of  medicine,  which  he  had 
chosen  for  his  life  work.     He  had  intended  to 


pursue  this  study  with  his  uncle,  but  his  plans 
were  changed  by  political  ideas  imbibed  through 
a  careful  and  thoughtful  review  of  the  situation 
in  Russia.  He  became  a  Liberalist  and  before 
his  plans  were  completed  was  placed  under  sus- 
picion and  practically  deprived  of  his  liberty. 
For  the  sake  of  the  broader  freedom  to  be  found 
on  this  side  of  the  water  he  decided  to  come  to 
America,  and  upon  his  arrival  became  a  student 
in  New  York,  taking  up  the  study  of  medicine. 
His  health  becoming  impaired  he  gave  up  his 
studies  and  came  to  California  to  recuperate, 
completing  the  course  in  the  Southern  California 
Medical  College,  and  receiving  the  degree  of  M. 
D.  in  1899.  In  the  meantime,  in  1894,  he  had 
located  in  Long  Beach  and  established  a  sanita- 
rium for  the  treatment  of  chronic  and  nervous 
diseases,  erecting  the  buildings  and  fitting  them 
out  with  every  modern  appliance.  Later  he  en- 
larged the  property  and  the  first  building  which 
was  erected  is  now  used  for  an  office.  He  con- 
ducted the  work  successfully  and  at  the  same  time 
took  a  broad  interest  in  the  material  upbuilding 
of  his  adopted  city,  putting  up  the  first  Liberal 
hall  in  Long  Beach,  where  free  speech  could  be 
made.  In  1901  he  built  the  Riviera  hotel,  the 
largest  of  its  kind  in  the  city,  consisting  of  eighty 
rooms  and  all  modernly  ecjuipped  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  best  class  of  tourists.  Fle  was 
also  the  organizer  of  the  Improvement  Society  of 
Long  Beaoh  and  established  the  first  batli  in  the 
place,  and  along  many  lines  has  given  his  best 
efforts  for  the  beautifying  and  upbuilding  of  the 
city.  In  1905  he  organized  the  International 
Home  for  children,  his  object  being  to  protect 
the  homeless  and  friendless  children  of  all  na- 
tionalities and  place  them  in  an  environment  cal- 
culated to  enable  them  to  develop  the  best  in  their 
lives.  They  are  taught  not  only  the  principle  of 
universal  love  and  given  the  best  physical  and 
intellectual  training,  but  are  also  instructed  in 
useful  trades  and  occupations  and  taught  to  be- 
come self-supporting.  The  home,  which  is  lo- 
cated near  Signal  Hill,  built  by  the  doctor  and 
improved  each  year,  is  to  be  dedicated  to  them  in 
perpetuity,  to  be  free  from  indebtedness  and 
thereby  insuring  them  the  best  opportunity  to 
develop  the  highest  type  of  manhood  and  woman- 
hood. This  is"  the  plan  of  Dr.  Schutz,  to  be  ful- 
filled at  his  demise,  his  possessions  to  be  given 
to  the  support  of  the  home. 

In  Long  Beach  Dr.  Schutz  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Pearl  Kelly,  a  daughter  of  Rev.  Isaac 
Kellv,  and  a  native  of  Iowa,  from  which  state 
she  removed  to  California  in  1895.  They  are  the 
parents  of  a  son  and  daughter,  Ahura  and 
Emeth,  both  natives  of  this  city.  Mrs.  Schutz 
is  identified  with  her  husband  in  his  philan- 
thropic work  and  gives  him  licr  heartiest  support 
and  encouragement.     In  the  midst  of  his  other 


1092 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


labors  the  doctor  is  the  editor  of  the  Southern 
Cahfomia  Journal  of  Health,  of  which  about  a 
thousand  numbers  are  published  each  month,  and 
he  has  also  traveled  and  lectured  on  Russia  ver)^ 
extensively.  In  his  practice  in  the  sanitarium 
he  makes  a  specialty  of  electricity  and  X-ray  and 
is  accomplishing  much  that  is  bringing  him  prom- 
inently before  the  public.  The  doctor  is  not  a 
man  of  one  idea,  unless  it  be  said — and  truly — 
that  all  his  actions  are  founded  upon  the  rul- 
ing motive  of  his  life,  to  be  a  benefit  to  human- 
ity, for  he  is  broad  and  philanthropic,  a  man 
of  letters  and  scholarly  attainments ;  and  a  true 
Socialist  in  all  the  comprehensiveness  of  the 
term,  freely  giving  of  his  time  and  means  in  the 
furtherance  of  his  ideas,  which  mean  a  broader 
and  better  future  for  the  coming  generation. 


FRANCIS  CHERRILL  HANNON.  A 
native  son  of  the  state,  Francis  Cherrill  Han- 
non  was  born  in  San  Jose,  March  6,  1867,  the 
son  of  an  honored  pioneer.  Jeremiah  C.  Han- 
non  was  born  in  London.  England,  December 
2.  1828,  a  son  of  David  Hannon,  who  married 
Martha  Cherrill.  The  grandfather  brought  his 
family  to  America  and  located  near  Zanes- 
ville,"Ohio.  where  he  died  in  1854.  Jeremiah 
C.  Hannon  engaged  as  a  farmer  in  Ohio  until 
i860,  when  he  came  by  the  Isthmus  of  Pan- 
ama to  San  Francisco  and  for  a  time  followed 
mining  in  California  and  Nevada.  Later,  in 
San  Francisco,  he  was  married  and  in  1863 
purchased  a  ranch  near  San  Jose  and  farmed 
there  for  six  years,  coming  at  the  last-named 
date  to  Southern  California,  where  he  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  one  mile 
north  of  El  Monte.  This  was  wild  land,  which 
he  began  at  once  to  improve,  continuing  his 
labors  until  1904,  when  he  retired  from  active 
cares  and  located  at  San  Gabriel,  where  he  is 
now  residing.  In  addition  to  his  quarter  sec- 
tion of  land  previously  mentioned  he  owns 
seven  hundred  acres  in  Beaumont,  Cal.  He  is 
prominent  in  public  affairs,  having  served  for 
many  years  as  county  supervisor  on  the  Dem- 
ocratic ticket.  His  wife,  formerly  Elizabeth 
Carr,  was  born  in  County  Donegal,  Ireland, 
and  she  is  also  living,  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine 
years.  They  became  the  parents  of  seven 
children,  of  whom  six  attained  maturity,  and 
are  now  living. 

The  eldest  in  his  father's  family,  Francis 
Cherrill  Hannon,  was  brought  to  this  section 
in  infancy,  his  education  being  received 
through  the  medium  of  the  public  schools.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  went  to  Los  An- 
eeles  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Hellman- 
Haas  Comoany,  wholesale  grocers,  remaining 
with    them   for   some    time,   beginning   at    the 


bottom  of  the  business  and  working  up  until 
he  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  shipping  office. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  he  was 
appointed  ganger  of  the  United  States  rev- 
enue service  in  the  southern  district  of  Califor- 
nia, serving  under  Asa  Ellis  for  three  years. 
.\t  the  close  of  his  term  he  was  appointed 
deputy  sheriff  of  Los  Angeles  county^  under 
Sheriff  Gibson,  and  after  serving  one  term 
was  made  chief  deputy  in  the  street  depart- 
ment of  the  city  of  Los  Angeles.  His  term  ex- 
pired two  years  later,  when  he  engaged  in 
general  contracting  throughout  Southern  Cal- 
ifornia, taking  street  and  railroad  contracts 
for  ten  years.  In  1904  he  decided  to  take  up 
agricultural  life  and  accordingly  leased  the 
ranch  which  he  now  occupies,  consisting  of 
one  hundred  and  thirty-five  acres,  where  he 
has  since  dug  two  wells  ninety  feet  deep  each, 
and  installed  a  thirty-horse  power  gasoline 
engine,  with  a  capacity  of  one  hundred  inches. 
He  gives  his  time  to  the  raising  of  vegetables 
and  berries  for  the  wholesale  markets,  ten 
acres  devoted  to  the  small  fruit,  forty  acres  to 
vineyard  and  the  remainder  given  over  to 
vegetables. 

In  Los  Angeles  Mr.  Hannon  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Ixliss  Frankie  Crowley,  a  na- 
tive of  Nevada  county.  Cal.,  and  born  of  this 
union  are  two  children,  Ynez  and  Margaret. 
Politically  ^Mr.  Hannon  is  a  stanch  Demo- 
crjit  and  at  one  time  was  a  member  of  the 
Democratic  city^  central  committee  of  Los 
Angeles.  He  is  a  man  of  many-  splendid  qual- 
ities of  character,  which  he  has  displayed 
throughout  his  residence  in  Southern  Califor- 
nia, and  as  a  man  and  citizen  has  won  the  re- 
spect and  esteem  of  all  who  know  him. 


JA:MES  B.  CARROLL.  Among  the  exten- 
sive, practical  and  progressive  agriculturists  of 
San  Diego  county,  James  B.  Carroll,  of  Escon- 
dido,  owner  of  a  large  and  valuable  ranch,  holds 
a  position  of  importance  and  influence.  An 
active,  capable  business  man.  possessing  a  clear 
judgment  and  amply  endowed  with  those  qual- 
ities which  constitute  an  honorable  citizen,  he  is 
highly  esteemed  throughout  the  community,  and 
takes  genuine  interest  in.  the  advancement  of  its 
prosperity  and  in  the  improvement  of  its  moral, 
educational  and  social  status.  He  is  the  son  of 
the  late  Cornelius  Carroll.  The  latter  and  his 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Mary  Egan.  were 
both  born  in  Ireland,  and  there  spent  their  earlier 
lives.  After  their  marriage  they  moved  to  the 
United  States  and  were  among  the  pioneer  set- 
tlers of  Wisconsin,  and  also  lived  for  several 
vears  in  Minnesota.  From  there  they  removed 
to  Oregon,  where  Mr.  Carroll  followed  the  oc- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1093 


cup'ation  of  engineer  and  merchant.  Later  he 
came  with  his  family  to  San  Diego  county,  Cal, 
and  for  a  time  farmed  land  in  Mission  Valley. 
Subsequently  he  located  near  Escondido,  pur- 
chasing the  place  now  farmed  and  occupied  by 
his  son,  James  B.,  and  here  successfully  carried 
on  his  independent  occupation  until  his  death  in 
1885.  His  good  wife  survived  him,  passing 
away  on  the  home  ranch  in  1898.  Eight  chil- 
dren were  born  of  their  union,  four  of  whom 
are  living,  while  four  have  passed  to  the  world 
beyond. 

James  B.  Carroll  was  born  in  Salem,  Ore.,  but 
most  of  his  life  has  been  spent  in  San  Diego 
county.  After  finishing  his  education  in  the  San 
Diego  public  school  he  turned  his  attention  to 
the  pursuit  of  agriculture  and  assisted  his  father 
in  the  management  of  the  ranch,  which  the  latter 
had  purchased  about  four  miles  from  Escondido. 
He  now  has  about  eight  hundred  acres  of  fine 
valley  land,  and  is  extensively  engaged  in  rais- 
ing stock  and  grain,  being  one  of  the  largest  and 
most  successful  ranchers  in  this  section  of  the 
county. 

Living  with  Mr.  Carroll  on  the  parental  home- 
stead are  his  three  sisters,  namely :  Mrs.  Hollan, 
Honora  J.,  and  Theresa  Carroll.  Honora  J. 
Carroll  has  been  a  teacher,  and  was  principal 
of  the  North  Salem  and  North  San  Diego  public 
schools,  and  has  also  taught  music.  Mr.  Carroll 
is  greatly  interested  in  the  welfare  of  town  and 
county,  voting  irrespective  of  party  in  local  is- 
sues, but  in  national  politics  supporting  the 
straight  Democratic  ticket.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
member  of  San  Diego  Lodge,  Ancient  (.)rder  of 
Hibernians. 


BENJAMIN  SOULARD  \-IRDEN.  The 
identification  of  the  A'irden  family  with  Amer- 
ican development  dates  from  the  year  1620,  when 
one  of  that  name  immigrated  to  this  country  from 
Holland  and  settled  in  the  vicinity  of  Dover,  Del. 
The  original  house  occupied  and  owned  by  the 
family  is  still  standing,  a  veritable  landmark  of 
the  far  distant  past.  Later  generations  remained 
in  Delaware  and  wielded  considerable  influence 
in  their  localities.  The  lineage  descends  from 
Samuel  Virden,  a  man  of  wealth  and  high  stand- 
ing, to  his  son,  Peter,  a  native  of  Delaware,  but 
during  early  manhood  a  planter  near  Jackson, 
Miss.,  and  a  staff  officer  in  the  Civil  war.  At 
the  close  of  that  struggle  he  established  his  fam- 
ily in  Philadelphia.  Pa.,  and  engaged  in  busi- 
ness in  that  city,  but  ultimately  returned  to  Dela- 
ware, where  in  1900  he  passed  away  at  his 
Dover  home.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Emma  Clocey.  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania of  French  descent  and  was  connected  with 
the  Soulard  family  of  St.  Louis. 


Seven  children,  all  but  one  of  whom  are  living, 
comprised  the  family  of  Peter  and  Emma  Vir- 
den. One  of  the  sons,  Edwin,  carries  on  a  drug 
business  at  Santa  Paula,  Cal.,  and  is  a  leading 
citizen  of  that  town.  Another  son,  Benjamin 
Soulard,  was  born  at  Jackson,  Miss.,  March  7, 
1866,  and  as  a  boy  lived  in  Philadelphia  and 
Dover,  and  attended  the  Wilmington  Academy 
in  Dover.  From  youth  he  has  been  familiar  with 
the  drug  business,  his  first  experience  being 
gained  with  W.  C.  A.  Loder,  on  Sixteenth  and 
Chestnut  streets,  Philadelphia.  After  one  year 
as  a  student  in  the  Philadelphia  College  of 
Pharmacy  he  went  to  Savannah  and  to  other 
points  in  the  south,  where  for  several  years  he 
was  employed  as  a  drug  clerk.  On  his  return 
to  Philadelphia  he  opened  a  drug  store  on 
Twenty-third  and  Pine  streets,  but  disposed  of 
the  busfness  after  one  year. 

On  coming  to  California  in  1888  Mr.  Virden 
engaged  as  a  clerk  for  his  brother  at  Santa 
Paula,  but  soon  went  to  Ventura,  where  he  re- 
mained for  two  years  in  a  drug  store.  During 
1892  he  embarked  in  the  drug  business  for  him- 
self at  Saticoy  and  for  some  years  he  continued 
in  that  town.  At  the  time  of  the  founding  of 
Oxnard  he  came  to  the  new  town  and  rented  a 
lot  containing  a  cabin  of  most  primitive  appear- 
ance. In  that  building  he  started  the  first  drug 
store  in  the  place.  Subsequently  he  replaced  the 
original  building  with  one  of  brick,  25x60  feet 
in  dimensions,  and  conveniently  arranged  for  the 
conduct  of  his  drug  business.  His  attractive 
residence  in  Oxnard  is  presided  over  by  his  wife 
(a  native  of  Ventura  county,  and  formerly 
Josephine  Kelley)  and  its  pleasures  are  en- 
hanced by  the  presence  of  their  children.  Hazel 
C.  Ruth  M.,  and  Benjamin  S.,  Jr. 

The  movement  which  resulted  in  the  incor- 
poration of  Oxnard  had  in  Mr.  Virden  a  stanch 
supporter  and  one  appreciative  of  the  benefits 
accruing  therefrom.  At  all  times  he  has  favored 
measures  for  the  development  of  the  city's  re- 
sources and  the  introduction  of  modern  improve- 
ments conducive  to  the  comfort  and  health  of 
the  citizens.  Since  1902  he  has  officiated  as 
clerk  of  the  board  of  school  trustees  and  mean- 
while has  been  a  stanch  friend  of  all  plans  for 
educational  development  and  for  the  elevation  of 
the  system  of  public  schools.  The  Citizens  Gnb, 
an  organization  highly  beneficial  to  the  town, 
numbers  him  among  its  directors.  Strongly 
Democratic  in  his  sympathies,  he  has  aided  his 
partv  by  working  as  a  member  of  the  county  cen- 
tral committee  and  by  acting  as  a  deletrate  to 
the  state  convention.  .'Xfter  coming  to  the  coast 
he  was  made  a  Mason  in  Hucneme  Lodee  and 
later  identified  himself  with  Oxnard  Lodo-e  No. 
^41,  F.  &  A.  M.  Beginning  as  a  Rova]  Arch 
Mason  in  the  Ventura"  Chapter,  he  later  became 


1094 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


a  charter  member  of  Oxnard  Chapter  Xo.  86, 
of  which  he  acts  as  high  priest.  In  addition  he 
has  become  associated  with  Ventura  Command- 
ery,  K.  T.,  and  Al  Malaikah  Temple,  A.  A.  O. 
N.  M.  S.,  of  Los  Angeles,  and  also  belongs  to 
the  Uniform  Rank,  Knights  of  Pythias. 


CLAUS  A.  JOHNSON.  Many  generations 
of  the  Johnson  family  followed  agricultural 
pursuits  in  Sweden,  where,  on  a  farm  near  Boras, 
Elsborslaen,  occurred  the  birth  of  the  gentleman 
whose  name  introduces  this  article  and  who  for 
some  years  or  until  his  death,  followed  the  oc- 
cupation of  a  contracting  mason  at  San  Diego. 
His  parents,  John  and  Sophia  (Anderson)  John- 
son, left  their  native  land  when  somewhat  ad- 
vanced in  years  and  came  to  the  United  States, 
settling  at  San  Diego,  where  tire  father  died  in 
April,  1905 ;  the  mother  still  makes  her  home  in 
this  city.  Their  only  child,  Claus  A.,  was  born 
April  25,  1861,  received  a  public-school  education 
in  Sweden,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years  en- 
tered upon  an  apprenticeship  to  the  general  mer- 
cantile business  in  his  home  town.  April  25, 
1881,  on  the  twentieth  anniversary  of  his  birth, 
he  landed  in  New  York  City  after  an  unevent- 
ful voyage  across  the  ocean.  From  New  York 
he  proceeded  west  as  far  as  Illinois,  where  for 
more  than  a  year  he  was  employed  in  the  factory 
of  the  Illinois  Steel  Coinpany  at  Joliet,  Will 
county.  On  leaving  that  place  he  was  apprenticed 
to  the  mason's  trade  in  Joliet,  but  within  a  few 
months  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  completed 
the  trade.  In  1886  he  began  to  take  contracts 
for  mason  work  and  in  time  became  extensively 
interested  in  the  erection  of  large  structures. 

Overwork  in  the  interests  of  his  occupation 
undermined  Mr.  Johnson's  health  and  for  that 
reason  he  relinquished  his  work  in  Chicago, 
after  which  he  removed  to  California  and  trav- 
eled throughout  the  southern  part  of  the  state 
until  he  was  able  to  take  up  active  work  once 
more.  Securing  land  ten  miles  east  of  San  Diego 
in  Spring  valley  he  planted  citrus  and  deciduous 
fruit  trees  and  improved  a  valuable  orchard 
of  nineteen  acres.  The  house  on  the  place  was 
erected  by  him,  and  other  improvements  are  also 
the  result  of  his  handiwork.  In  order  to  secure 
water  for  domestic  purposes  and  for  irrigation 
he  piped  a  conduit  from  the  mountains,  this  giv- 
ing him  the  very  finest  qualitv  of  water  and 
greatly  enhancing  the  value  of  his  orchard.  In 
i8gg  he  commenced  to  take  contracts  for  stone 
and  mason  work  in  San  Diego,  and  thereafter 
made  San  Diego  his  home  and  business  head- 
quarters. Among  his  important  contracts  was 
that  for  all  of  the  brick  work  at  Fort  Rosecrans, 
and  he  also  had  the  contracts  for  the  Pickwick 


theatre,   the    American   National   Bank   building; 
and  the  Fox-Heller  block. 

While  living  in  Joliet  Mr.  Johnson  married 
Miss  Clara  Johnson,  a  native  of  Sweden.  They 
became  the  parents  of  seven  children,  namely : 
Frank,  who  was  associated  with  his  father,  in 
contracting ;  Clara  and  Ellen,  who  are  now  study- 
ing nursing  in  the  Battle  Creek  Sanitarium ; 
Fannie,  Richard,  Ida  and  Adelena,  who  are  at 
home.  For  several  years  Mr.  Johnson  served  as 
a  school  trustee  in  the  Spring  valley  district 
while  he  was  making  his  home  on  his  fruit  farm. 
His  political  views  were  somewhat  diflferent  from 
those  expressed  by  the  bulk  of  the  American 
voters  and  brought  him  into  sympathy  with  the 
Socialists.  After  coming  to  San  Diego  he  identi- 
fied himself  with  the  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
while  fraternally  he  belonged  to  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Knights  of  Pythias.  Upon  the  organization, 
June  30,  1904,  of  the  Scandinavian  Society 
of  San  Diego  (in  the  founding  of  which  he  was 
actively  interested)  he  was  chosen  the  first  secre- 
tar)'  of  the  body  and  at  the  expiration  of  the  term 
was  honored  with  the  office  of  president,  which 
he  filled  acceptably  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  ■ 


MRS.  SARAH  BLAIR  SCOTT.  For  many 
years  a  resident  of  Oceanside,  Mrs.  Sarah  Blair 
Scott  is  well  known  throughout  the  community 
in  which  she  resides,  and  has  the  sincere  respect 
and  esteem  of  her  neighbors  and  friends,  who 
have  ever  found  her  a  kind,  genial,  helpful  com- 
panion, always  ready  to  aid  the  needy  and  cheer 
the  afflicted.  A  daughter  of  William  Blair,  she 
was  born  in  Ireland,  of  honored  Scotch  ancestry. 

William  Blair  was  born  and  brought  up  in 
Scotland,  being  reared  to  farming  pursuits.  He 
removed  to  Ireland  when  a  young  man,  and  from 
there  immigrated  with  his  family  to  the  United 
States,  settling  in  Maryland,  on  the  banks  of 
the  Qiesapeake  Bay,  near  Baltimore,  where  he 
resided  imtil  his  death.  His  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Hester  Moore,  spent  her  entire  life 
in  Ireland,  dying  in  early  womanhood.  Of  their 
six  children,  three  are  living,  Sarah,  the  special 
subject  of  this  sketch,  being  the  fifth  child  in 
order  of  birth  Three  of  the  sons  served  in  the 
Civil  war,  William  B.,  of  San  Jacinto,  Cal.,  serv- 
ing in  an  Illinois  regiment ;  Tliomas,  living  in 
Chapin,  111.,  also  serving  in  an  Illinois  regiment ; 
while  John,  who  enlisted  in  an  Illinois  regiment, 
was  killed  while  in  service. 

But  three  years  of  age  when  she  came  with  her 
father  and  the  family  to  Maryland,  Sarah  Blair 
lived  there  a  few  years,  and  then  went  to  Spring- 
field, 111.,  where  she  completed  her  education  in 
the  public  schixils.    In  December,  1877,  she  mar- 


^^^^=^  <v^t^.^^-- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1097 


Tied  Frederick  Woodruff,  a  native  of  Louisville, 
Ky.,  and  they  began  life  together  in  Tracy, 
Minn.,  where  Mr.  Woodruff  was  first  engaged 
in  farming,  and  afterwards  in  business  pursuits. 
Coming  to  California  in  1890,  he  was  engaged 
in  the  butcher  business  at  Oceanside  until  his 
death,  in  1892.  In  1894  Mrs.  Woodruff  married 
for  her  second  husband  Levi  L.  Scott,  who  was 
•a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war.  In  1891  Mr.  Scott 
removed  from  Iowa  to  San  Diego  county,  locat- 
ing in  Oceanside,  where  he  opened  a  barber  shop, 
which  he  conducted  successfully  until  his  death, 
in  1901.  He  was  an  industrious,  enterprising 
man,  well  liked  and  highly  esteemed,  and  be- 
longed to  the  Masonic  order.  Mrs.  Scott  has 
lived  retired  since  the  death  of  Mr.  Scott,  having 
a  cozy  home  on  Second  street.  She  is  a  woman 
■of  strong  personality,  and  is  a  firm  believer  in 
1:he  tenets  of  the  Christian  Church. 


WILLIAAI  H.  FREER.  No  more  pro- 
minent family  than  that  established  in  Califor- 
nia by  William  H.  Freer  holds  rank  among 
•the  representative  citizens  of  Los  Angeles 
■county,  the  name  l^eing  especially  well  known 
and  esteemed  in  El  Monte  and  vicinity.  The 
pioneer.  William  H.  Freer,  was  a  native  of  the 
middle  west  states,  his  birth  having  occurred 
on  the  little  Miami  river  in  Ohio,  February 
5,  1814.  He  was  a  son  of  Jonathan  Freer, 
who  was  born  in  North  Carolina  and  became 
a  pioneer  settler  of  Ohio,  where  with  his  wife, 
formerly  Hannah  Swords,  of  Virginia,  he  en- 
gaged in  farming.  He  finally  removed  to 
Randolph  county,  Ind.,  and  thence  to  Missouri, 
locating  in  Atchison  county,  where  his  death 
eventually  occurred.  His  wife  survived  him 
for  manj^  years,  her  death  occurring  in  Cali- 
fornia. William  H.  Freer  engaged  as  a  farmer 
in  Atchinson  county.  Mo.,  in  which  state  he 
was  married  and  in  1849  came  across  the 
plains  to  California  with  his  family,  consist- 
ing of  his  wife,  three  children,  his  mother,  two 
sisters  and  two  brothers,  one  of  the  brothers 
dying  en  route.  They  traveled  by  ox-teams 
via  the  Tmckee  route  and  were  five  months 
making  the  journey,  traveling  continuously 
from  May  to  October.  Their  first  winter  was 
spent  on  the  Stanislaus  river  in  San  Joaquin 
county,  where  INfr.  Freer  engaged  in  making 
saddle  trees.  In  the  spring  of  1850  he  lo- 
cated in  Santa  Clara  county  at  Berryessa,  and 
on  Penetentia  creek,  three  miles  from  San 
Jose,  purchased  a  small  farm  and  began  work 
as  a  farmer  and  horticulturist.  In  1851  he 
tried  mining  for  a  time,  but  not  caring  for  the 
life  ho  soon  returned  to  his  ranch  and  as  time 
passed  continued  to  add  to  his  first  purchase 
tmtil  he  owned  one  liundred  and  seventy-five 


acres.  In  the  meantime,  in  1869,  he  had  made 
a  trip  to  Southern  California  and  purchased 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  the  old 
Dalton  tract.  In  1875  he  decided  to  locate 
here  permanently  and  accordingly  brought  his 
family  to  the  property,  one  and  a  half  miles 
north  of  El  'Monte,  the  land  lying  on  the 
banks  of  the  San  Gabriel  river  and  being  ex- 
ceedingly fertile.  He  improved  the  ranch  by 
the  erection  of  a  fine  residence,  barns  and  out- 
buildings, good  fences,  and  the  setting  out  of 
fruit,  walnuts,  etc.  Later  he  purchased  three 
hundred  and  seventeen  acres  of  the  old  Tibbett 
place,  paying  $5,000  and  selling  it  during  the 
boom  of  1887  for  $72,000.  He  was  a  very 
successful  business  man,  combining  good  judg- 
ment with  decision  of  character,  which  en- 
abled him  to  see  and  take  advantage  of  the 
many  golden  opportunities  presented  in  the 
early  days  of  the  state.  His  death  occurred 
February  16.  1902,  removing  from  the  com- 
munity a  citizen  highly  esteemed  and  one 
whose  place  could  never  be  filled. 

In  Grundy  county.  Mo.,  November  25,  1840. 
^Ir.  PVeer  was  united  in  marriage  with  Zerelda 
Stucker,  who  was  born  in  Indiana,  March  15, 
1824,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Susanna  Stucker, 
natives  of  ^^^oodford  county,  Ky.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Freer  became  the  parents  of  the  follow- 
ing children :  Alexander,  who  died  in  Los  An- 
geles county  in  1870:  James  B..  a  resident  of 
El  Monte :  Ellen,  who  died  in  infancy  in 
Missouri:  Matilda:  Jonathan  Perry,  who  died 
in  1861  ;  John  H.,  residing  at  Arcadia;  Martin, 
located  on  the  old  home  place :  Hannah,  who 
became  Mrs.  Dobbins  and  died  in  Tehachapi ; 
Thom'as,  a  resident  of  El  Monte;  Delilah,  Mrs. 
Lowrv.  who  died  in  the  home  in  1887:  Mary 
L.,  wife  of  Thomas  Stucker,  of  Los  Angeles ; 
Julia,  who  died  in  .Santa  Clara  county  when 
one  year  old;  and  Jackson,  and  Lee  both  of 
El    Monte. 


JOHN  WESLEY  SMITH.  Distinguished 
for  his  braverv,  courage  and  coolness  on  the 
field  of  battle,  John  W.  Smith,  of  Fernando,  won 
for  himself  an  honorable  record  as  a  soldier  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war.  and  is  now  just  as  faithfully 
performing  all  the  duties  devolving  upon  him  as 
a  public-spirited,  enterprisins:  citizen.  A  native 
of  Maryland,  he  was  born  February  5,  1839,  in 
Baltimore,  where  he  lived  until  fourteen  years 
old,  obtaining  his  education  in  the  city  schools. 

Removing  then  to  Illinois,  he  followed  farming 
until  T862,  when  he  enlisted,  at  Peoria,  in  Com- 
pany B,  Eighty-sixth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry. 
Sharpshooters,  which  was  assigned  to  the  Third 
Brigade,  Second  Division,  Fourteenth  Army 
Corps.     Subsequently  he  took  part  in  thirty-six 


1098 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


battles  and  in  numerous  skirmishes,  being  at  first 
with  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  and  later 
marching-  with  Sherman  to  the  Sea.  The  last 
battle  in  which  he  participated  was  that  of  Ben- 
tonville,  N.  C.  He  took  part  in  the  Grand  Re- 
view at  Washington,  D.  C,  where  his  division 
was  awarded  the  first  premium.  He  was  fortun- 
ate in  war,  receiving  no  wounds  of  consequence, 
although  while  crossing  Shepard"s  Run,  after  the 
battle  at  Missionary  Ridge,  he  was  injured  in  the 
right  hip  and  for  a  time  was  confined  to  the  hos- 
pital. He  was  also  under  the  care  of  a  physician 
for  some  days  on  account  of  being  sunstruck. 

Having  been  mustered  out  of  service  at  the 
close  of  the  war,  Mr.  Smith  returned  to  Illinois, 
where  he  continued  in  his  agricultural  work  un- 
til 1888,  being  quite  successful.  Coming  then  to 
Fernando,  Cal,  he  purchased  a  lot  in  the  village 
and  erected  a  dwelling  house,  which  he  occupied 
until  the  erection  of  his  present  residence,  when 
he  sold  it  at  an  advantage.  Mr.  Smith  delights  in 
an  active  life,  and  is  now  kept  busily  employed  in 
setting  out  and  pruning  fruit  trees,  an  occupation 
in  which  he  is  an  adept. 

While  a  resident  of  Illinois  Mr.  Smith  married 
Delia  Sitzer,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  five 
children.  Sheridan  M.,  of  Fernando,  married 
Bertha  Hoyt,  and  they  have  four  children,  Lyle, 
Cliflford  and  Clinton  (twins)  and  Floyd;  Grace 
E.,  Mrs.  Niblock.  of  Los  Angeles,  has  one  child, 
Nina;  and  Frank  M..  Ida  C.  and  Ernest  T..  are  all 
deceased. 


JEAN  TILLAT.  Born  in  the  Pyrenees 
mountains,  in  France,  December  25,  ,1869, 
Jean  Tillat  was  the  son  of  Joseph  and  j\larie 
(Hauquet)  Tillat,  both  natives  of  the  same 
place,  where  they  passed  their  entire  lives. 
They  had  one  son  and  one  daughter,  Jean  be- 
ing the  younger  child.  He  was  reared  on  his 
father's  farm  and  alternated  his  home  duties 
with  attending  the  common  schools.  He  re- 
mained at  home  until  he  was  twenty  years 
old,  when,  in  1889,  he  came  to  America, 
crossed  the  continent  and  located  in  Los  An- 
geles. He  was  qualified  only  for  farming  at 
that  time  and  shortly  after  his  arrival  secured 
employment  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Santa 
Monica,  beginning  at  the  bottom  and  patient- 
ly working  his  way  round  by  round  to  a  bet- 
ter position.  He  engaged  in  general  farming 
and  the  sheep  business  for  some  time,  when 
he  went  to  Arizona  and  there  accepted  a  po- 
sition as  commissary  on  a  large  sheep  ranch 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  territory.  After 
five  years  he  returned  to  California  and  was 
located  for  a  time  in  Los  Angeles.  With  his 
acchmulated  means  he  decided  to  engage  in- 
dependently in  sheep  raising  and  accordingly 


purchased  a  band  of  sheep  in  Arizona  and 
brought  them  to  California  and  herded  them 
in  Los  Angeles  county.  For  four  years  he 
continued  at  this  work  in  partnership  with 
Anton  Earth,  of  Los  Angeles,  after  which 
they  sold  out  and  dissolved  partnership. 

In  1906  Mr.  Tillat  bought  his  present  ranch 
of  twenty  acres  near  Arcadia,  known  as  a  part 
of  the  Sierra  Vista  tract,  and  began  its  im- 
provement and  cultivation,  erecting  a  com- 
fortable home,  barns  and  outbuildings.  He 
was  married  in  Los  Angeles  to  Miss  Cather- 
ine Martinez,  who  was  also  born  in  the  Py- 
renees and  they  have  one  daughter,  Mary 
Louise.  Mr.  Tillat  belongs  to  the  French  Be- 
nevolent Society  of  Los  Angeles.  Politically 
he  is  a  stanch  adherent  of  Republican  princi- 
ples. He  is  liberal  and  enterprising  and  held 
in  higfh  esteem  bv  all  Avho  know  him. 


CLEASON  AMBLER.  For  a  radius  of 
many  miles  surrounding  the  village  of  Mesa 
Grande  the  name  given  above  is  well  known, 
for  not  only  is  Mr.  Ambler  postmaster  of  the 
village  and  clerk  of  the  county,  but  as  propri- 
etor of  a  general  store  in  Mesa  Grande  he  has 
won  many  friends  and  well-wishers  by  his 
courteous  treatment  and  straightforward  busi- 
ness dealings.  He  is  a  son  of  E.  P.  and  Mary 
A.  (Willingmeyer)  Atnbler,  both  natives  of 
Pennsylvania,  their  home  now  being  in  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  where  the  father  is  engaged  in  in- 
stalling steam  and  hot-water  heating  plants. 

Among  the  six  children  that  were  born  to  his 
parents  Cleason  Ambler  was  the  eldest,  and 
was  born  in  Belleville,  St.  Clair  county,  111., 
July  21,  1873.  Scholastic  privileges  were  not 
lacking  in  his  boyhood  years,  and  be  it  said  to 
his  credit  that  he  made  the  most  of  his  oppor- 
tunities. He  first  attended  the  public  schools 
of  St.  Louis,  was  later  graduated  from  the  high 
school,  and  still  later  took  a  three-year  course 
in  the  manual  training  school  of  that  city.  For 
a  short  time  after  leaving  school  he  held  a 
clerkship  in  the  same  city,  but  subsequently  for 
two  years  assisted  his  father  in  his  business. 
After  attaining  his  majority  he  determined  to 
strike  out  in  the  world  on  his  own  account  and 
the  year  1895  witnessed  his  arrival  in  Califor- 
nia. Mining  and  prospecting  claimed  his  at- 
tion  for  the  first  two  or  three  years,  after  which 
lie  was  interested  in  the  cattle  business  in 
Yuma.  .\riz.,  for  a  time.  Going  from  there  to 
Granite,  Mont.,  he  secured  employment  with 
the  Granite  Bi-Z\letallic  Company,  and  during 
the  three  years  of  his  association  wath  the  com- 
pany gave  excellent  satisfaction  as  foreman  of 
the  works. 

In  the  meantime  Mr.  Ambler  has  established 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD.. 


1U99 


domestic  ties  by  Ins  marriage  with  Carrie  B. 
Stone  ill  iSgg.  Locating  with  his  family  in 
San  Diego  in  1901,  ATr.  Ambler  purchased  the 
stock  and  good-will  from  one  of  the  merchants 
of  the  town,  and  three  months  later  added  to 
his  first  purchase  by  buying-  out  another  store. 
Upon  selling  out  his  interests  in  San  Diego 
two  years  later  he  came  to  Mesa  Grande  and  in 
May,  1903,  purchased  the  general  merchandise 
store  of  which  he  is  now  the  proprietor.  Con- 
trary to  his  father's  political  belief  Mr.  Ambler 
is  a  Democrat,  and  takes  considerable  interest 
in  all  matters  that  afifect  the  public  welfare. 
While  a  resident  of  St.  Louis  Mr.  Ambler  be- 
came a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  he 
still  adheres  to  the  faith  of  that  body  of  be- 
lievers. His  wife,  however,  is  a  member  of  the 
Christian  Church,  holding  membership  in  the 
church  of  that  denomination  in  San  Diego.  Sev- 
eral fraternal  associations  claim  Mr.  Ambler's 
membership,  prominent  among  being  the  Elks 
and  Ma.-^ons. 


ANTHONY  CLARENCE  RECHE,  JR. 
There  are  many  fine  ranches  in  San  Diego 
county  that  as  regards  productions  and  im- 
provements will  compare  favorably  with  any 
other  in  this  part  of  the  state.  A  large  num- 
ber of  these  places  are  owned  by  men  com- 
paratively young  in  years,  who  started  in  the 
world  with  but  little  more  capital  than  an  un- 
limited amount  of  energy  and  perseverance, 
and  who  are  succeeding  to  an  eminent  degree 
in  their  agricultural  labors.  Prominent  among 
this  number  is  Anthony  C.  Reche,  Jr.,  whose 
father,  Anthony  C.  Reche,  Sr.,  was  a  pioneer 
of  this  place,  and  gave  to  Fallbrook  its  ])resent 
name.  He  is  a  native  and  to  the  manner  born, 
his  birth  having  occurred  June  24,  1873,  on  a 
farm  not  far  distant  from  the  one  that  he  now 
occupies. 

Born  January  31.  1833,  in  Montreal,  Canada, 
Anthony  C.  Reche,  Sr.,  was  taken  by  his  par- 
ents, in  1835,  to  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
was  reared  and  educated.  He  there  learned 
the  trades  of  carpenter  and  millwright,  and 
in  February,  1854,  started  by  the  way  of  the 
Isthmus  for  the  Pacific  coast.  Locating  at 
Santa  Clara,  he  followed  his  trade  in  that  vi- 
cinity for  two  years,  and  was  afterwards  em- 
ployed in  mining  in  Calaveras  and  Mariposa 
counties,  in  the  latter  place  also  putting  up 
quartz  mills.  Going  to  Visalia,  Tulare  coun- 
ty, in  1858,  he  there  followed' his  trade  about 
three  years,  erecting  sawmills  and  flour  mills. 
The  following  year  he  was  similarly  engaged 
in  San  Jose,  from  there  going,  in  1862,  to  San 
Bernardino,  where  he  operated  a  general 
store  for  twelve  months.     Removing  thence  to 


Temecula,  he  ranched  for  a  year,  and  then  re- 
moved to  El  Monte,  Los  Angeles  county, 
where  he  worked  at  his  trade  for  a  few  years, 
in  the  mean  time  going  back  to  Temecula  to 
build  a  large  mill,  finally  settling  there  in 
1868,  and  living  there  a  year.  Returning  to 
this  country  in  1869,  he  opened  a  general  store, 
keeping  miner's  supplies,  at  Pala,  where  he  re- 
mained a  year.  Locating  in  the  old  town  of 
Fallbrook  in  1870,  he  took  up  land,  and  for 
six  years  was  employed  in  farming.  Migrat- 
ing then  to  San  Bernardino,  he  was  for  fifteen 
years  a  resident  of  that  place,  but  in  1891  he 
returned  to  Fallbrook,  and  here  resided  until 
his  death.  May  27,  1808.  He  was  a  Democrat 
in  politics,  a  man  of  many  fine  qualities  of 
heart  and  mind,  and  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
Church. 

February  22,  1861,  at  Visalia,  Cal.,  Anthony 
C.  Reche,  Sr.,  married  Menora  C.  Cayton,  who 
was  born  in  Iowa,  a  daughter  of  Alexander  S. 
and  Elizabeth  (Droullard)  Cayton.  Mr.  Cay- 
ton died  in  November,  1849,  '"  California,  and 
his  widow  subsequently  married  for  her  sec- 
ond husband  Dr.  R.  Matthews.  In  1854  Dr. 
Matthews  and  family  came  by  ox-teams  to 
California,  and  was  the  first  white  man  to 
settle  in  Visalia.  Mrs.  Matthews,  now  a  bright 
and  active  woman  of  eighty-three  years,  is  still 
living.  Ten  children  were  born  of  the  union 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  C.  Reche,  Sr.,  namely: 
Vital  C,  of  Ocean  Park ;  Anthony  B.,  born  in 
1864,  and  living  only  one  month;  Angenora 
L.,  wife  of  J.  H.  Maag,  of  Los  Angeles: 
Helene  H.,  wife  of  C.  S.  Wilson,  of  Big  Pine, 
Inyo  county;  Charles  L.,  of  Banning;  An- 
thony C,  Jr.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  ;  Flora 
L..  the  first  white  girl  born  in  Fallbrook,  and 
who  became  the  wife  of  W.  H.  Buchanan,  of 
Redondo ;  Bernie  E.,  born  in  San  Bernardino, 
and  now  living  with  his  brother  Anthony, 
with  whom  he  is  in  partnership :  Eugenia  M., 
wife  of  F.  W.  Roberti,  of  Seattle,  Wash. ;  and 
Alma  B.,  wife  of  L.  Fields,  of  Redondo.  Mrs. 
Reche  and  her  mother.  Mrs.  Matthews,  are 
living  near  -Fallbrook,  where  they  are  held  in 
high  esteem  and  respect. 

But  three  years  old  when  the  family  re- 
moved to  San  Bernardino,  .\nthony  C.  Reche, 
Ir.,  obtained  a  practical  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  that  town,  and  subsequently 
was  for  two  years  track  walker  for  the  South- 
ern Pacific  Railroad  Company.  Removing 
Ihen  to  Fallbrook,  where  he  has  the  distinction 
of  being  the  first  child  born  of  white  parents 
in  the  place,  he  worked  by  the  montli  until 
1901.  Starting  then  as  a  rancher  on  his  own 
account,  he  is  now,  in  partnership  with  his 
brother,  carrying  on  general  farming  with  ex- 
ceptionally  satisfactory   results,  having  seven 


1100 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


hundred  acres  of  land  on  the  St.  Margaret 
ranch.  Progressive  and  enterprising,  he  has 
proved  himself  a  thorough  master  of  his  call- 
ing, and  as  a  young  man  of  integrity  and  hon- 
or is  fully  entitled  to  the  high  position  which 
he  holds  in  the  estimation  of  the  community. 

In  1903  Mr.  Reche  married  Mamie  Free- 
man, a  daughter  of  Jonas  Freeman,  of  whom 
a  brief  biographical  sketch  ma}'  be  found  else- 
where in  this  volume,  and  thev  have  one  child, 
a  daughter  named  Julia  Catherine.  Fraternal- 
Iv  Mr.  Reche  is  a  member  of  Fallbrook  Lodge 
No.  339,  I.  O.  O.  F. 


DAVID  CRISE,  M.  D.  The  initial  period 
of  the  agricultural  development  of  America 
found  the  Greise  family  immigrating  from 
Germany  to  cast  in  their  fortunes  with  those 
of  other  pioneers,  and  several  successive  gen- 
erations lived  and  labored  upon  Pennsylvania 
farms.  Among  the  children  of  George  Greise, 
a  farmer  of  Fayette  county,  Pa.,  was  a  son, 
George  W.,  who  was  born  and  reared  upon  the 
farm  in  that  county,  and  he  it  was  who 
changed  the  spelling  of  the  family  name  from 
its  original  form  to  the  mode  in  present  use. 
During  the  '70s  he  removed  to  Ohio,  but  after 
the  death  of  his  wife,  Rachel,  he  returned  to 
Pennsylvania  and  there  spent  his  last  years  in 
retirement.  His  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Daniel 
Stough,  a  pioneer  farmer  of  Westmoreland 
county.  Pa.,  and  of  German  ancestrj'.  Both 
families  were  identified  with  the  Lutheran 
Church,  their  ancestors  in  the  old  country  hav- 
ing been  among  those  who  followed  Luther  in 
the  Reformation. 

Upon  the  old  homestead  in  Westmoreland 
county,  Pa.,  David  Crise  was  born  May  23. 
1846,  being  a  son  of  George  W.  and  Rachel 
Crise.  At  an  early  age  he  proved  himself  an 
apt  and  diligent  pupil  in  local  schools,  where 
he  advanced  so  rapidly  in  his  studies  that  it 
was  decided  to  educate  him  for  a  profession. 
In  accordance  with  his  preferences  he  was  sent 
to  the  Jefferson  Medical  College  of  Philadel- 
phia, from  which  he  was  graduated  in  March, 
1872,  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  Opening  an 
office  at  Mendon.  Pa.,  he  gained  his  first  pro- 
fessional experience  in  that  town,  whence  a 
year  later  he  removed  to  Washington  county, 
in  the  same  state,  and  after  four  years  became 
a  practitioner  of  Beach  City,  Stark  county, 
Ohio,  where  he  built  up  a  growing  practice 
during  the  ten  years  of  his  residence  in  the 
town.  In  July,  1S88,  he  came  to  California  and 
opened  an  office  at  Escondido,  where  now  he 
has  the  distinction  of  being,  in  point  of  years 
of  nracticc.  the  oldest  physician  in  the  town, 
and   one  of   the   oldest   in   the   county   of   San 


Diego.  Through  membership  in  the  County, 
State  and  American  Medical  Associations,  and 
through  the  careful  perusal  of  medical  jour- 
nals, he  keeps  in  touch  with  every  advance 
made  in  the  profession,  and  is  a  constant  stu- 
dent of  therapeutics.  In  addition  to  possessing 
the  advantages  derived  from  years  of  practi- 
cal experience  in  the  profession,  he  possesses 
undoubted  ability  in  the  diagnosis  of  intricate 
diseases  and  in  the  treatment  of  the  same, 
which  qualities,  coupled  with  his  humanitarian 
principles  and  genial  sympathy,  eminently 
adapt  him  to  fill  a  high  place  in  the  local  med- 
ical field.  While  he  has  made  a  specialty  of 
the  diseases  of  women  and  has  been  unusually 
successful  in  that  line,  his  knowledge  of  medi- 
cine is  broad  and  varied,  and  is  not  limited  to 
any  one  department  of  materia  medica. 

The  marriage  of  Dr.  Crise  took  place  in 
Pennsylvania  June  27,  1872.  and  united  him 
with  Lucetta  Null,  who  was  born  and  reared 
in  that  state.  Five  children  were  born  of  their 
union.  The  eldest,  Vivi  Anna,  is  the  widow 
of  Henry  Haliday  and  resides  in  Escondido. 
The  second-born,  Lola  E.,  married  H.  W. 
Cleave  of  Los  Angeles.  The  eldest  son,  Bruce 
L.,  was  graduated  from  the  Escondido  high 
school  in  1898  and  from  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Southern  California 
in  1903,  after  which  lie  spent  one  year  as  an 
interne  in  the  Sacramento  city  hospital,  and 
then  became  associated  with  his  father  in  the 
practice  of  medicine  and  surgery,  with  a 
specialty  of  the  latter  branch  of  the  profession ; 
his  wife  was  a  Miss  Davies  of  Sacramento.  The 
two  remaining  sons  of  the  family  are  David  R., 
a  well  driller  in  Escondido.  and  Harry  N.,  a 
graduate  of  the  Redlands  school.  The  family 
are  identified  with  tlie  Congregational  Church 
and  are  contributors  to  all  movements  for  the 
religious,  moral  and  educational  advancement 
of  their  comnmnity. 


FRANCIS  P.  BROOKS.  A  host  of  friends 
have  witnessed  the  efforts  of  Francis  P.  Brooks 
in  his  development  and  cultivation  of  a  ranch 
in  the  vicinity  of  Norwalk  and  have  appre- 
ciated his  industry,  energy'  and  perseverance, 
which  have  contributed  no  little  toward  his  suc- 
cess. Mr.  Brooks  is  a  native  of  Nebraska,  his 
birth  having  occurred  in  Butler  county,  Sep- 
tember 6,  1877.  His  parents,  Noah  and  Esther 
(Shuggart)  Brooks,  the  former  a  native  of 
New  Jersey  and  the  latter  of  Illinois,  located  as 
pioneers  in  Nebraska,  where  they  made  their 
hom.e  for  some  years  In  the  fall  of  1901  they 
came  to  California  and  Mr.  Brooks  now  owns 
a  ranch  of  thirty  acres  in  the  vicinity  of  his 
son's  ranch.    He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and 


^f^^^^^tiC^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1103 


o.ctive  in  the  advancement  of  the  principles  he 
endorses,  although  he  has  never  cared  for  offi- 
cial recognition.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Sev- 
enth Day  Adventist  Church.  Of  their  three 
children  all  are  living  in  California. 

Francis  P.  Brooks  Avas  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Nebraska  and  also  spent  one 
year  in  the  Lincoln  State  Normal,  after  which 
he  returned  home  and  engaged  in  farming  with 
his  father.  At  twenty  years  of  age  he  became 
dependent  upon  his  own  resources  and  after 
farming  in  the  middle  west  for  two  years  came 
to  California  in  1901.  Subsequently  he  traveled 
all  over  the  state,  locating  for  a  time  in  Mendo- 
cino, Humboldt  county,  and  for  one  year  car- 
ried on  a  ranch  in  Dinuba,  Tulare  county. 
About  four  years  ago  he  came  to  Norwalk  and 
;he  first  year  purchased  his  present  property, 
which  consists  of  ten  acres  located  one  and  one- 
half  miles  southeast  of  town,  which  he  has 
since  improved  and  cultivated.  He  also  leases 
about  eighty  acres,  devoted  to  the  raising  of 
grain.  He  is  likewise  interested  in  team  con- 
tracting, holding  a  contract  at  the  present  writ- 
ing for  the  hauling  of  pipe  for  the  Murphy  Oil 
Company. 

Mr.  Brooks'  marriage  occurred  in  1898  and 
united  him  with  Miss  Edna  Curtis,  a  native  of 
Nebraska,  and  a  daughter  of  Charles  Curtis, 
whose  death  occurred  in  Santa  Ana,  Cal.  They 
have  two  children,  Oris  and  Hazel.  Mr.  Brooks 
is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  in  religion  be- 
longs to  the  Seventh  Day  Ad\'entist  Church. 


MAJOR  THOMAS  Y.  ENGLAND.  Al- 
though never  a  permanent  resident  of  Red- 
lands,  no  man  was  more  interested  in  its  de- 
velopment and  upbuilding  than  the  late  Major 
Thomas  Y.  England,  who  since  he  first  be- 
came interested  in  California  gave  his  time  and 
attention  to  the  beautifying  of  his  winter 
home,  known  as  Prospect  Park  and  open  to  the 
public  as  one  of  the  show  places  of  the  city. 
Mr.  England  was  born  in  Wilmington,  Del, 
May  28,  1837,  a  son  of  James  England,  of 
Quaker  ancestry  and  English  origin.  The 
father  engaged  as  a  leather  merchant  and 
manufacturer  of  Philadelphia.  During  the 
Civil  war  Thomas  Y.  England  served  in  the 
First  Regiment  Delaware  Infantry,  first  as 
quartermaster,  later  as  first  lieutenant,  and 
was  then  made  commissary  of  subsistence  on 
the  staffs  of  Generals  Hancock,  Meade  and 
Wilson,  with  the  rank  of  captain,  but  when  he 
resigned  was  given  the  rank  of  major.  After 
leaving  high  school  he  became  associated  with 
hfs  father  "and  they  succeeded  in  building  up  a 
lar^e  and  lucrative  bu^'ness.  in  fact,  one  of  the 


largest  concerns  in  the  world  of  its  character, 
it  being  incorporated  under  the  name  of  Eng- 
land, Walton  &  Co.,  and  he  served  as  its  pres- 
ident until  his  death.  Since  that  time  the  busi- 
ness has  continued  with  Mr.  Walton  as  presi- 
dent. Mr.  England  became  an  habitual  visitor 
to  Southern  California  and  finally  began  the 
improvement  of  what  is  known  as  Prospect 
Park,  a  magnificent  orange  grove  and  park  of 
sixty  acres,  which  is  one  of  the  sightly  places 
in  a  city  of  beauty  and  magnificent  improve- 
ments. Major  England  and  his  son  J.  W. 
were  interested  in  bringing  water  into  Red- 
lands  and  were  unusually  active  in  this  line 
during  the  dry  years,  when  it  was  thought  im- 
possible to  save  the  orchards.  For  many  years 
he  served  as  president  of  the  South  Mountain 
Water  Company,  and  was  also  president  of  the 
Orange  Growers'  Association.  Fraternally  he 
was  a  Mason,  and  in  his  home  in  Philadelphia 
Vv^as  associated  with  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic  and  Loyal  Legion.  He  refused  a 
commission  in  the  Regular  army  after  the 
close  of  the  war  in  order  to  devote  his  entire 
time  and  attention  to  his  business.  In  politics 
he  was  a  stanch  advocate  of  the  principles  ad- 
vocated in  the  platform  of  the  Republican  par- 
ty ;  in  religion  he  was  a  member  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church. 

The  death  of  Major  England  occurred  Jan- 
uary 2,  1906;  he  left  a  widow  formerly^  Miss 
E.  Clarissa  Combs,  a  native  of  New  Jersey, 
born  near  Woodbury,  and  v/hom  he  married 
October  17,  1862.  Her  father,  Thomas  Combs, 
was  also  born  in  New  Jersey  of  English  de- 
scent, and  there  engaged  as  a  farmer  until  his 
retirement,  since  which  time  he  made  his  home 
in  Philadelphia.  He  was  a  member  of  the  So- 
ciety of  Friends,  and  a  much  esteemed  and  re- 
spected citizen.  His  wife  was  formerly  Anna 
Haines,  a  native  of  Philadelphia,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  Haines,  a  builder  by  occupation. 
Mrs.  England  became  the  mother  of  the  fol- 
lowing children :  James  William,  a  prominent 
horticulturist  who  makes  his  home  in  Red- 
lands  ;  Martha  E.,  wife  of  Charles  S.  Walton^ 
president  of  the  England,  Walton  &  Co.  manu- 
facturing interests ;  and  Clarissa  E.,  wife  of 
Edwin  A.  Landell  Jr.,  a  leather  merchant  of 
Philadelphia.  Mrs.  England  is  a  member  of 
the  Baptist  Church  and  a  generous  contributor 
to  all  its  charities.  To  her  much  of  the  credit 
is  due  for  the  development  of  Prospect  Park, 
for  she  was  able  to  give  even  more  time  than 
her  husband  because  of  his  business  interests 
which  demanded  his  attention.  She  has  been 
very  liberal  in  all  movements  tending  toward 
the  general  welfare  of  the  community  and  is 
always  counted   upon   to   further  the  best  in- 


1104 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


tere'sts  of  the  city.  She  spends  her  summers  in 
her  home  in  Philadelphia  and  her  winters  in 
the  sweet  sunny  land  of  Southern  California. 


GEORGE  W.  GRIFEITHS.  Since  1850 
George  W.  Griffiths  has  been  a  resident  of  Cal- 
ifornia and  no  citizen  has  been  more  interested 
in  the  development  of  the  country  and  its  ad- 
vancement among  the  sister  states  of  the  nation. 
He  was  a  lad  of  ten  years  when  he  came  west, 
his  birth  having  occurred  in  Detroit,  Mich., 
August  18,  1840.  His  father,  Charles  Griffiths 
was  born  in  Wales,  and  in  young  manhood  went 
to  London,  thence  to  America  and  after  locating 
in  the  middle  west  engaged  in  steamboating  on 
the  lakes  between  Buiifalo  and  Detroit.  He  was 
also  similarly  employed  on  the  Mississippi  river 
between  St.  Louis  and  New  Orleans,  becoming 
captain  of  a  steamer  and  later  part  owner,  con- 
tinuing in  this  occupation  about  twenty  years. 
In  1849  he  crossed  the  plains  to  California,  with 
two  comrades,  Caleb  Gosling,  of  Napa  county, 
Cal.,  and  George  Hughes,  of  San  Francisco, 
making  the  journey  in  ninety  days  with  an  ex- 
press wagon  and  six  mules.  Their  plan  was  to 
have  a  dinner  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
and  then  continue  the  journey  to  a  good  camp- 
ing place  for  the  night,  and  thus  lie  down  to 
sleep  without  the  necessity  of  drawing  attention 
to  their  camp  by  a  fire.  This  undoubtedly  saved 
them  much  trouble  from  the  Indians.  After  his 
arrival  in  San  Francisco  Mr.  Griffiths  with  Gov- 
ernor Burnett  built  the  first  stern  wheel  steamer 
that  crossed  the  bay.  Later  he  went  to  Sacra- 
mento and  engaged  in  the  hotel  business,  there 
meeting  with  a  success  which  brought  him  large 
returns,  prices  at  that  day  being  one  dollar  per 
meal.  Later  he  farmed  and  then  followed  min- 
ing in  Nevada.  Returning  to  San  Francisco  he 
made  that  place  his  home  until  his  death.  Fra- 
ternally he  was  a  Mason  and  an  Odd  Fellow  and 
prominent  in  both  organizations.  Politically  he 
was  a  stanch  Republican.  His  wife  was  formerly 
Mary  Ann  Whitfield,  a  native  of  England,  born 
in  the  vicinity  of  London ;  her  father,  Walter 
Whitfield,  settled  in  Michigan,  near  Detroit, 
where  he  purchased  land  and  farmed  until  his 
death.  Mrs.  Griffiths  followed  her  husband  to 
California  in  1850,  via  the  Isthmus  of  Panama, 
with  her  son,  George  W.,  of  this  review,  and 
daughter,  Mary  E.,  now  Mrs.  Marshall,  of  Santa 
Rosa.  A  son,  William  L.,  born  later  is  now  a 
merchant  in  Suisun,  Cal.  Mrs.  Griffiths  died  in 
San  Francisco. 

The  trip  to  California  remains  a  vivid  recol- 
lection in  the  memory  of  George  W.  Griffiths, 
the  steamer  trip  to  the  east  side  of  the  isthmus, 
the  mule-back  ride  across,  and  thence  to  San 
Francisco  bv  the  old  sidewheeler.  His  education 


was  received  principally  in  the  public  schools 
of  Sacramento,  he  being  later  sent  east  via  Nica- 
ragua to  Burlington  College,  New  Jersey,  enter- 
ing as  junior  and  graduating  therefrom  at  a  later 
date.  He  then  took  up  the  study  of  medicine 
under  the  instruction  of  his  uncle  in  Detroit, 
Mich.,  Dr.  Bradie,  with  whom  he  remained  a 
year,  then  returning  to  California  via  the  Isth- 
mus of  Panama.  Upon  his  return  to  the  state 
he  engaged  in  farming  in  Solano  county,  Cal., 
later  in  Southern  California  and  then  in  Hum- 
boldt county.  About  1886  he  returned  to  South- 
ern California  and  located  in  Orange  county 
where  he  farmed  several  thousand  acres  of  land 
at  one  time,  he  and  his  sons  together  farming 
more  acres  than  any  other  individual  in  South- 
ern California.  Dr.  Griffiths  was  always  pro- 
gressive in  his  ideas  and  the  latest  methods  and 
improvements  found  him  an  ardent  advocate,  and 
their  farming  apparatus  was  always  of  the  latest 
make  and  most  modern  that  could  be  obtained. 

About  1904  Dr.  Griffiths  retired  from  active 
cares  and  made  his  home  in  San  Francisco  un- 
til the  great  earthquake  of  1906,  when  in  the 
fall  of  that  year  he  came  to  Los  Angeles  and  is 
now  associated  with  the  real  estate  and  oil  land 
firm  of  Griffiths,  Fackenthall  &  Griffiths,  located 
at  No.  131  East  Fifth  street,  in  the  King  Edward 
building.  He  was  married  in  Marin  county,  Cal., 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  Moore,  who  was  bom  in  Mich- 
igan and  died  in  Orange  county,  Cal.,  leaving 
five  children,  namely :  Mary  Catherine,  Mrs. 
Dowler,  of  San  Francisco;  Charles  Ed- 
win, of  Bakersfield;  George  W.  Jr.,  a  con- 
tractor in  Covina ;  William  L..  a  partner  with 
his  father  and  also  a  large  farmer  near  Covina; 
and  Walter  B.,  a  farmer  near  Napa,  Cal.  Dr. 
Griffiths  has  been  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  for  forty  years,  his  wife  having  also  been 
a  member  of  that  denomination.  Politically  he 
is  a  stanch  Republican  and  gives  his  support  to 
the  advancement  of  the  principles  he  endorses. 


PATRICIO  ONTIVEROS.  The  oldest  of 
the  thirteen  children  of  that  noble  Spanish  pio- 
neer, Juan  Pacifico  Ontiveros,  Patricio  Onti- 
veros,  over  whose  head  has  passed  eighty 
years,  is  physically  strong,  mentally  alert  and 
temperamentally  happy.  While  no  two  people 
attain  longevity  from  an  observance  of  the 
same  rules  of  life,  there  is  reason  to  believe 
that  calm  and  temperate  people  have  the  first 
claim  on  borrowed  time,  and  are  the  greatest 
strategists  in  outwitting  the  biblical  injunction 
of  the  threescore  years  and  ten.  This  is  em- 
phasized in  the  life  of  Mr.  Ontiveros,  whose 
principal  activities  have  centered  around  the 
ranch  upon  which  he  has  lived  for  half  a  cen- 
tury, and  of  which  he  at  present  owns  two  hun- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHIC.\L  RECORD. 


1105 


dred  and  twenty  acres.  This  ranch  has  as  its 
principal  resources  grain  and  beans.  Its  en- 
vironment has  taken  on  the  character  of  the 
owner,  is  substantial  in  equipment,  conserva- 
tive in  tendency,  and  vmeventful  in  its  routine. 
It  is  one  of  the  landmarks  of  the  community, 
and  seems  to  have  always  taught  its  lessons  of 
thrift,  industry  and  wise  conservatism. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  Mr.  Ontiveros 
comes  from  a  wealthy  and  distinguished  family 
of  California,  he  was  unable  to  attend  school 
during  his  childhood  on  account  of  their  scarc- 
ity. He  was  born  March  17,  1826,  in  Los  An- 
geles county,  where  his  father  was  sole  propri- 
etor of  nine  thousand  acres  of  land.  In  1856, 
the  year  of  the  famih^  removal  from  Los  An- 
geles to  Santa  Barbara"  county,  Mr.  Ontiveros 
married  a  native  daughter  of  the  former  coun- 
ty, Serrano  Leonor,  a  representative  also  of  an 
old  and  prominent  Spanish  family.  Mrs.  Onti- 
veros died  in  1898,  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight,  hav- 
ing become  the  mother  of  fourteen  children,  of 
whom  four  died  in  infancy.  Those  who  reached 
maturity  are  as  follows :  Delphina,  who  became 
the  wife  of  Geronimo  Carranza ;  Rosa,  de- 
ceased, formerly  the  wife  of  Feliz  Carranza ; 
Sarah,  the  wife  of  Miguel  Carranza ;  Natalia, 
single ;  Charles,  who  married  Virginia  Gon- 
zales and  has  six  children ;  Thomas,  who  mar- 
ried Paulina  Gonzales ;  and  Pablo,  Zoilo,  Na- 
poleon and  Leandro,  the  four  last  mentioned 
unmarried.  The  wives  of  Charles  and  Thomas 
Ontiveros,  who  were  in  maidenhood  Virginia 
and  Paulina  Gonzales,  are  members  of  a  very 
prominent  pioneer  Spanish  family  of  Santa 
Barbara  county. 

Though  never  active  in  politics,  Mr.  Onti- 
veros has  faithfully  adhered  to  the  principles 
and  issues  of  the  Republican  party.  In  religion 
he  is  a  Catholic  and  liberally  supports  the 
church  of  that  denomination  at  Sisquoc.  The 
breeding  and  culture  of  generations  of  Span- 
iards are  reflected  in  the  manners  of  Mr.  Onti- 
veros, and  he  bears  an  enviable  reputation  in 
the  business,  social  and  religious  departments 
of  his  home  communitv. 


JOHN  N.  TURPENTINE.  In  tracing  the 
genealogy  of  this  i^rominent  citizen  of  Escon- 
dido  we  find  that  his  ance.stors  were  identified 
with  the  colonial  history  of  our  country  and 
bore  an  active  part  in  the  early  wars.  The  ma- 
ternal grandfather,  Capt.  James  Harris,  who 
was  an  "officer  in  the  war  of  1812,  descended  in 
direct  line  from  John  Harris,  the  founder  of 
the  citv  of  Harrisburg.  the  capital  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. '  The  paternal  grandfather,  Major  Sam- 
uel Turrentinc.  who  was  also  an  oificcr  in  the 


war  of  1812,  gained  his  first  experience  in  mil- 
itary tactics  while  serving  in  the  first  struggle 
with  England,  and  his  faithful  service  in  that 
campaign  led  to  his  selection  as  an  officer 
when  war  was  again  declared  with  the  same 
country  about  thirty-five  years  later.  About 
the  time  of  the  second  war  he  removed  to  Ten- 
nessee and  there  remained  until  his  death  some 
years  later.  The  Harris  and  Turrentine  fam- 
ilies were  both  stanch  allies  of  the  Whig  party 
during  its  existence  and  both  proved  their  loy- 
alty to. the  stars  and  stripes  in  times  of  peace 
and  war. 

Among  the  children  of  Major  Turrentine 
was  Rev.  Wilson  Turrentine,  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  who  married  Elvira  Harris,  and  re- 
mained for  m.any  years  a  resident  of  Tennes- 
see. When  deatli  came  to  terminate  his  activ- 
ities, December  17,  1899,  he  was  then  ninety- 
four  years  of  age ;  his  wife  had  passed  away  at 
seventv-six  years,  and  her  father  lived  to  be 
within  four  years  of  a  full  century.  John  N., 
the  subject  of  this  review,  was  born  Novem- 
ber 2,  1845,  '^^'^'  5"  boyhood  the  advantages  of 
a  private  school  and  a  course  in  Lookout  Col- 
lege were  given  the  lad,  who  early  showed 
signs  of  a  fine  mind  and  aptitude  for  study. 
These  qualities,  combined  with  religious  fer- 
vor, led  him  to  enter  the  ministry  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  denomination,  attached  to  the 
Central  Tennessee  conference,  under  which  he 
labored  in  assignments  in  that  region. 

Coming  to  Califorina  in  1885,  Mr.  Turren- 
tine first  settled  in  Tulare  county  and  in  the 
fall  of  1886  was  chosen  pastor  of  the  Visalia 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  After  two  years 
he  removed  to  Escondido  and  during  the  fol- 
lowing year  he  officiated  as  pastor  of  the 
church  of  his  denomination  at  this  point,  to 
which  he  yet  remains  a  generous  contributor. 
For  three  terms  he  held  the  office  of  city  clerk, 
and  during  the  first  administration  of  Presi- 
dent McKinley  he  was  appointed  postmaster, 
which  position  he  now  fills  with  efficiency  and 
fidelity.  The  bond  agitation,  which  for  some 
years  demanded  considerable  attention  from 
the  taxpayers  of  Escondido,  received  due  at- 
tention on  his  part,  and  on  the  occasion  of  the 
burning  of  the  bonds,  September  9,  1905,  he 
was  chosen  orator  of  the  day.  Ever  since  cast- 
ing his  first  presidential  vote  for  Genera! 
Grant  he  has  been  a  firm  adherent  of  the  Re- 
publican party  and  always  supports  its  prin- 
ciples with  his  ballot.  While  living  in  Ten- 
nessee he  became  a  member  of  the  Shelbyville 
Lodge  of  Chosen  Friends  in  1866,  and  his  in- 
terest in  that  organization  remains  unabated. 
In  addition  he  has  been  a  leading  Mason  in 
Consuelo  Lodge  No.  325,  E.  &  A.  M.,  of  which 
he  has  officiated  as  secretary  since  the  organ- 


1106 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ization,  with  the  exception  of  one  term,  during 
which  he  held  the  office  of  master. 

The  marriage  of  ]\'tr.  Turrentine  was  sol- 
emnized January  2,  1873,  and  united  him  with 
Mary  E.  Robinson,  daughter  of  W.  T.  Robin- 
son, of  Tennessee.  Captain  Robinson  was  a 
man  of  large  talents,  exceptional  attainments 
and  attractive  personality  and  was  beloved 
wherever  known.  Descended  from  a  family 
that  sent  soldiers  to  the  war  of  1812,  it  was 
natural  that  he  and  three  of  his  brothers 
should  be  loyal  to  the  government,  and  he  not 
only  enlisted  in  the  Federal  army  at  the  open- 
ing of  the  Civil  war,  but  also  he  raised  a  com- 
pany of  volunteers  and  was  chosen  their  cap- 
tain. The  talents  which  made  him  successful 
in  war  contributed  to  his  prominence  in  times 
of  peace.  As  a  member  of  the  state  legislature 
and  the  state  senate  he  represented  his  con- 
stituents with  honor  and  dignity,  and  as  judge 
of  Dekalb  county  he  proved  himself  learned 
in  the  law  and  impartial  in  its  administration. 
The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Turrentine  con- 
sists of  four  children,  namely:  Edgar  E., 
cashier  of  the  Escondido  Savings  Bank;  Lucy 
Harris,  at  home;  Howard  B.,  a  clerk  in  the 
postoffice ;  and  Lawrence,  a  student  in  the  Es- 
condido high  school. 


HENRY  E.  McNEALY.  The  purchase  of  the 
quarter  section  of  land  on  which  he  now  engages 
in  farming  was  consummated  by  Mr.  McNealy  in 
1892,  but  it  was  not  until  ten  years  later  that  he 
removed  to  the  tract  and  commenced  to  improve 
the  land.  Since  coming  to  the  ranch,  which  is 
advantageously  situated  in  the  San  Marcos  valley, 
he  has  fenced  the  land  and  made  other  needed 
improvements.  Though  no  longer  under  the 
necessity  of  constant  labor,  he  is  happiest  when 
busy  and  so  continues  at  the  head  of  his  ranch 
in  spite  of  being  the  possessor  of  means  that 
would  permit  of  his  retirement.  Since  thirteen 
years  of  age  he  has  earned  his  livelihood  and 
ever  since  then  he  has  been  an  indefatigable 
worker,  yet  he  bears  well  the  burden  of  his  sev- 
enty-three years,  and  a  stranger  would  judge 
him  to  be  on  the  sunny  side  of  sixty-five  years. 

A  native  of  Licking  county,  Ohio,  born  Oc- 
tober 13,  1832,  Henry  E.  McNealy  was  only 
eleven  months  old  when  death  deprived  him  of  a 
mother's  afifectionate  oversight.  His  father, 
Jeremiah,  was  born  in  Virginia,  but  removed  to 
Ohio  at  an  early  age  and  eventually  settled  in 
Indiana,  where  he  died.  All  through  his  life  he 
was  a  tiller  of  the  soil,  but  a  series  of  misfortunes 
befell  him,  which  obliged  his  son,  Henry  E.,  to 
take  up  the  burden  of  self-support  at  an  age  when 
otherwise  he  would  have  been  in  school.  For  a 
time  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand     and     later  he 


learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  followed 
as  a  journeyman  in  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Mis- 
souri. During  the  spring  of  1859  he  joined  a 
party  of  emigrants  bound  for  California  and  after 
a  journey  of  six  months  with  ox-teams  and 
wagons  he  landed  in  Butte  valley,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  mining,  but  met  with  no  special  success. 
Later  he  had  charge  of  a  pack-train  from  Oro- 
ville  and  Chico,  Butte  county,  to  Susanville, 
Lassen  county.  Removing  to  Marysville  in  1865 
he  engaged  in  the  trucking  business  for  two 
years,  and  then  went  into  the  mountain  country, 
opened  a  meat  market  at  Susanville,  and  for  four 
years  carried  on  a  butcher's  business.  The  next 
place  to  which  he  removed  was  Santa  Barbara 
county,  where  he  engaged  in  the  grocery  busi- 
ness at  Lompoc  for  seven  years.  Afterward  he 
was  placed  in  charge  of  the  wharf  at  Gaviota, 
and  remained  there  until  1902,  when  he  removed 
to  his  ranch  in  San  Diego  county. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  McNealy  took  place 
at  Oroville,  Cal.,  in  September,  1865,  and  united 
him  with  Mirah  Emmons,  who  was  born  in  New 
York  and  died  at  Gaviota,  Cal.,  in  1887,  leaving 
five  children,  viz. :  Edward,  Amy,  Howard,  Ralph 
and  Mark.  In  1891  in  Santa  Barbara  county 
occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  McNealy  to  Miss 
Rachel  Valenzuela,  who  was  born  in  that  county, 
being  a  member  of  a  pioneer  Spanish  family  of 
that  locality.  Seven  children  were  born  of  this 
union,  namely:  Owen,  Helen,  George,  Kenneth, 
Eva,  Carl  and  Ethel.  Mrs.  McNealy  .is  a  sin- 
cere member  of  the  Catholic  Church  and  is  rear- 
ing her  family  in  that  faith.  Ever  since  attain- 
ing his  majority  Mr.  McNealy  has  voted  the  Re- 
publican ticket,  but  he  has  never  been  active  in 
public  affairs,  nor  has  he  desired  to  participate 
in  the  responsibilities  of  official  positions,  yet  in 
a  quiet,  unostentatious  way  he  discharges  the 
duties  incumbent  upon  him  as  a  citizen  and  a 
public-spirited  man. 


JAMES  CHARLES  WALLACE.  Very 
early  in  the  colonial  history  of  America  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Wallace  family  immigrated 
from  Scotland  and  settled  along  the  Atlantic 
coast,  where,  in  the  development  of  a  new 
country,  they  displayed  the  fortitude  and  con- 
stancy characteristic  of  their  ancestors  amid 
the  trials  besetting  them  in  their  home  land. 
The  genealogical  records  show  that  some  of 
the  family  lived  in  Pennsylvania  and  other 
branches  in  TMaryland,  whence  removal  was 
made  to  Ohio  in  the  early  settlement  of  the 
latter  state.  James  C.  Wallace,  Sr.  who  was 
a  native  of  Ohio,  became  a  pioneer  farmer  of 
Perrv  county  in  the  vicinity  of  Somerset,  and 
remained  there  until  an  attack  of  typhoid  fever 
terminated    his    career    at    fiftv-two    vears    of 


^£^^"9^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1109 


age.  When  a  young  man  he  had  married 
Sarah  Plummer,  who  was  born  in  Ohio  of  a 
Quaker  family,  but  did  not  affiliate  with  the 
Society  of  Friends,  having  identification  with 
the  Baptist  Church.  Surviving  her  husband 
for  many  years,  she  attained  the  great  age  of 
one  hundred  and  two  j^ears. 

In  the  family  of  James  C.  Wallace,  Sr., 
there  was  a  son  who  bore  the  father's  name 
and  who  was  born  in  Perry  county,  Ohio, 
September  29,  1835.  At  the  age  of  four  j^ears 
he  was  orphaned  by  his  father's  death  while 
yet  too  young  to  realize  the  nature  of  his  be- 
reavement and  the  extent  of  his  loss.  It  there- 
fore became  necessary  for  him  to  begin  to 
earn  his  own  livelihood  at  an  age  when  most 
children  are  in  school  and  free  from  responsi- 
bilities. When  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age 
he  left  his  mother's  home  and  went  to  Zanes- 
ville  and  from  there  proceeded  by  steamboat 
to  New  Orleans,  thence  traveling  east  as  far 
as  Florida,  where  for  two  years  he  was  em- 
ployed at  Jacksonville  m  the  grafting  of 
orange  trees.  The  failure  of  his  health  caused 
him  to  return  to  Ohio  and  after  a  short  so- 
journ at  Delaware,  that  state,  he  returned  to 
Jacksonville  with  health  restored.  A  few 
months  later  he  removed  to  Crab  Orchard 
Springs,  Ky.,  and  subsequently  learned  the 
jeweler's  trade  at  Lancaster,  Garrard  county, 
following  the  same  for  three  years  in  Ken- 
tucky. During  the  winters  he  engaged  in 
hunting  and  fishing  through  the  south.  Even- 
tually settling  at  Oxford,  Miss.,  he  carried 
on  mercantile  pursuits  for  fourteen  years  and 
met  with  a  gratifying  degree  of  success  until 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  caused  the  loss 
of  his  plantation  and  other  properties.  Later 
he  was  employed  for  a  year  as  proctor  of  the 
Mississippi  State  University  and  held  other 
positions  in  the  south,  but  in  1870  returned  to 
Ohio  to  visit  his  mother,  whom  he  had  not 
seen  for  twenty-one  years. 

The  war  having  crippled  his  chances  for 
success  in  the  south,  Mr.  Wallace  came  to 
California,  landing  from  the  steamer  at  San 
Pedro,  whence  he  proceeded  eastward  a  few 
miles  and  became  connected  with  B.  D.  Wil- 
son as  foreman  of  a  large  ranch.  After  a  year 
there  he  went  to  Los  Angeles  and  worked  at 
the  jeweler's  trade  for  a  year.  Meanwhile  he 
purchased  five  acres  of  his  present  home- 
stead, paying  $500  for  the  same.  At  that  time 
the  only  building  between  Los  Angeles  and 
his  property  was  an  adobe  stage  station  and 
he  is  now  "the  oldest  settler  of  this  locality. 
After  putting  up  a  small  house  he  turned  his 
attention  to  the  nursery  business  and  mean- 
time continued  at  his  trade.  The  second  year 
he  added  five  acres  to  his  ranch  and  in   1892 


purchased  twenty-three  acres  adjoining,  all 
of  which  he  still  owns,  and  in  addition  he  has 
leased  other  lands  in  order  to  secure  the 
needed  acreage  for  the  management  of  his  ex- 
tensive citrus  fruit  nursery.  His  first  naval 
trees  he  ordered  from  Australia  and  he  bud- 
ded the  first  orange  trees  in  California.  At 
this  writing  he  has  fifteen  acres  of  oranges  in 
bearing.  The  balance  of  the  property  is  util- 
ized for  nursery  purposes. 

After  settling  in  the  south  Mr.  Wallace  met 
I\Iiss  ^Martha  \Vilson,  who  was  born  and 
reared  at  Oxford,  Miss.,  and  they  were  united 
in  marriage  May  22,  1861.  Seven  children 
were  born  of  their  union,  namely :  Glencoe ;  J. 
Wiley,  who  has  sixteen  acres  of  coffee  and 
rubber  land  in  Mexico  and  also  owns  mining 
interests  in  that  country ;  George  A.,  who  as- 
sists his  father  in  the  nursery  business  and 
relieves  him  of  its  many  responsibilities ;  Ben- 
jamin, who  practices  dentistry  in  Mexico; 
Martha,  Mrs.  Kennedy,  whose  husband  is 
connected  with  the  Los  Angeles  Lighting  and 
Power  Company;  Stella,  Mrs.  Reynolds, 
whose  husband  is  a  dentist  residing  in  Pasa- 
dena;  and  Walter,  who  resides  with  his  pa- 
rents, and  is  a  practicing  dentist  in  Los  An- 
geles. In  political  faith  Mr.  Wallace  is  a 
Democrat. 


ARTHUR  P.  FERL.  A  prominent  citizen 
in  the  material  upbuilding  of  San  Pedro,  Los 
Angeles  county,  is  Arthur  P.  Ferl,  who  has 
been  a  resident  of  this  city  since  December, 
1904.  He  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  Septem- 
ber 7,  1865,  the  fifth  in  a  family  of  six  chil- 
dren. His  father,  Peter  Henry  Ferl,  was  a 
native  of  England,  who  located  in  Detroit, 
Mich.,  and  was  engaged  in  mercantile  business 
until  his  death.  He  married  Margaret  Mc- 
Donnell, a  native  of  the  north  of  Ireland. 

An  orphan  at  seven,  Arthur  P.  Ferl  was 
reared  in  the  home  of  his  older  brothers  and 
sister,  receiving  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  until  he  was  thirteen,  when  he  was  ap- 
prenticed to  learn  the  trade  of  printer.  AVhen 
nineteen  years  of  age  he  left  home  and  located 
in  Denver,  Colo.,  where  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  O.  L.  Smith  the  same  year,  the  firm 
being  known  as  Smith  &  Ferl,  printers  and 
publishers,  which,  in  the  course  of  a  few  years, 
became  one  of  the  largest  institutions  in  the 
western  country.  In  1890  A^lr.  Ferl  sold  all  his 
interests  in  Denver  and  located  in  Salt  Lake 
City,  where  he  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and 
mining  business  until  1896,  when,  having  re- 
ceiveci  an  appointment  in  the  government 
service,  he  went  to  Washington,  D.  C,  where 
he  began  the  study  of  law  at  the  National  Law 


1110 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


School,  after  which  he  took  a  course  in  art  at 
the  Corcoran  Art  Gallery.  In  February,  1902, 
he  was  sent  to  the  Philippines  on  detached 
service,  staying-  in  the  islands  two  years.  In 
November,  1904,  he  resigned  from  the  govern- 
ment service  and  came  to  Southern  California 
and  in  December  located  in  San  Pedro,  en- 
gaging in  the  real  estate  business.  Mr.  Ferl 
has  three  children,  Ronald  J.,  Emily  M.  and 
Arthur  Bayly. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Ferl  is  a  Mason,  being  a 
member  of  Harmony  Lodge  No.  17,  F.  &  A. 
M.,  of  Washington.  D.  C.  Politically  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  is  active  in  his  efforts  to  ad- 
vance the  principles  he  endorses.  In  the  pub- 
lic affairs  of  the  city  he  has  taken  a  place  of 
prominence,  being  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  and  its  president  in 
1906.  He  is  president  of  the  Pacific  Manu- 
facturing &  Supply  Association,  chairman  of 
the  board  of  directors  of  the  Harbor  City  Sav- 
ings Bank  and  is  identified  with  many  other 
enterprises  in  the  rapidlv  srowing  citv  of  San 
Pedro. 


CHARLES  MASON.  The  identification  of 
Charles  Mason  with  the  business  interests  of 
San  Pedro  has  brought  to  him  a  personal  success 
as  well  as  winning  for  him  a  place  of  importance 
among  the  representative  citizens  of  his  home 
town.  He  is  now  acting  as  superintendent  of 
the  San  Pedro  Water  Company,  with  which  he 
has  been  connected  since  its  organization,  and  is 
bringing  to  the  discharge  of  his  duties  the  ability 
and  energy  which  have  distinguished  his  career 
thus  far,  and  which  bid  fair  to  place  him  among 
the  successful  men  of  this  section.  Although  not 
a  native  son  of  California  Mr.  Mason  is  a  west- 
erner by  birth,  having  been  bom  in  Florence, 
Pinal  county,  Ariz.,  January  31,  1881.  His  fa- 
ther, A.  Mason,  was  a  native  of  Bethel,  Me.,  and 
with  a  brother,  Charles,  crossed  the  plains  in  an 
early  day  and  from  California  went  later  to  Ari- 
zona, and  in  the  vicinity  of  Florence  Charles 
Mason  was  one  of  the  discoverers  of  the  Silver 
King  mine,  of  which  A.  IMason  served  as  super- 
intendent for  eight  years.  Later  he  engaged  in 
prospecting  and  mining  with  headquarters  in 
Los  Angeles,  and  remaining  so  occupied  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  August  10,  i8q2.  He 
was  a  man  of  energy  and  ability  and  the  descend- 
ant of  patriotic  ancestry,  his  grandfather  having 
served  valiantly  in  the  Revolutionarv  war.  Fra- 
ternally he  was  a  Knight  Templar  Mason.  He 
is  survived  by  his  wife,  formerly  Mercedes 
Robles,  who  was  born  in  Sonera,  Mexico,  and 
she  now  makes  her  home  in  Los  Angeles.  She  is 
the  mother  of  four  children,  namely:  Mercedes, 
wife  of  AT.  Borquez,  of  Los  Angeles :   Charles. 


the  personal  subject  of  this  review :  Guadaloupe, 
wife  of  Bruce  Cass,  of  Ramona,  Indian  Territory; 
and  Moses,  associated  with  the  firm  of  Cass  & 
Smurr,  of  Los  Angeles. 

Charles  Mason  was  reared  to  young  manhood 
in  Los  Angeles,  receiving  his  preliminary  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  that  place,  after 
which  he  entered  St.  Vincent's  College.  Upon 
the  completion  of  the  course  in  that  institution 
he  was  graduated  with  honors,  when  he  became 
a  student  in  the  Southern  California  Business 
College.  L'pon  leaving  school  he  became  as- 
sociated with  Hulse,  Bradford  &  Co.,  as  sales- 
man, and  continued  with  them  for  some  time, 
when  he  became  connected  with  the  Sunset 
Telephone  and  Telegraph  Company.  LTpon 
the  organization  of  the  Home  Telephone  Com- 
pany he  accepted  a  position  on  switch-board 
work  and  remained  with  them  until  1903, 
when  he  resigned,  and  coming  to  San  Pedro 
engaged  as  bookkeeper  for  the  Seaside  Water 
Company.  He  remained  with  them  until  their 
disorganization,  when  he  became  superinten- 
dent of  the  new  company,  that  of  the  San 
Pedro  Water  Company.  This  company  supplies 
water  to  both  San  Pedro  and  Wilmington,  its 
source  of  supply  being  from  the  pumps  at  the 
latter  place,  while  at  San  Pedro  they  have  a 
reservoir  with  a  capacity  of  two  million,  five  hun- 
dred thousand  gallons,  located  on  a  knoll  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  city  and  with 
a  sixty-five  pound  pressure.  They  have  six  miles 
of  water  mains,  from  which  they  supply  thirteen 
hundred  consumers,  and  are  constantly  extend- 
ing the  lines  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  rapidly 
growing  city. 

Mr.  Mason  was  married  in  Los  Angeles  to 
Nellie  Marie  Sessler.  a  native  of  Ohio.  In  his 
fraternal  relations  Mr.  Mason  is  a  member  of 
the  Elks  lodge  at  San  Pedro,  in  which  he  is 
chaplain.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Giamber  of 
Commerce  and  takes  an  active  and  helpful  in- 
terest in  all  that  pertains  to  the  gro\\"th  and 
progress  of  the  place. 


WILLIAM  L.  RAMEY.  One  of  the  flourish- 
ing industries  of  San  Diego  county  is  the  Es- 
condido  Lumber,  Hay  and  Grain  Company, 
proprietors  of  the  Escondido  roller  and  feed  mills, 
wholesale  dealers  in  grain,  hay,  rolled  barley, 
etc.,  retail  dealers  in  lumber,  brick  and  cement, 
and  owners  of  warehouses  at  Escondido,  San 
Marcos  and  Buena.  The  president  of  the  com- 
Dany,  William  L.  Ramey,  was  also  its  organizer. 
Under  the  orginial  form  of  organization  the  com- 
pany engaged  exclusively  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness, but  later  articles  of  incorporation  were  se- 
cured and  the  business  was  enlarged  by  the  in- 
troduction of  milling,  hay,  grain,  etc.,  since  which 


1359858 


tbAftAuf  M«^niU|| 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1113 


time  there  has  been  a  steady  and  gratifying 
growth.  In  addition  to  the  management  of  the 
office  and  yards.  Mr.  Ramey  is  vice-president 
of  the  Escondido  Savings  Bank  and  the  Bank 
of  Escondido,  and  is  also  the  owner  of  a  ranch 
of  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  acres  near  town, 
on  which  grain  is  raised,  and  shipments  are  made 
from  the  lemon  and  orange  groves  to  eastern 
markets. 

A  native  of  Champaign  county,  Ohio.  Mr. 
Ramey  was  born  December  lo,  1845,  being  a 
son  of  William  and  Frances  (Neff)  Ramey, "the 
former  born  in  A'irginia  of  French  lineage,  the 
latter  born  in  Pennsylvania.  The  maternal 
grandfather,  Daniel  Nei¥,  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolution  and  the  w?r  of  181 2,  and  the  great- 
grandfather, Jacob  Neff.  served  in  the  first  strug- 
gle with  Enghnd.  Lieutenant-Governor  Jacob 
NefF  is  a  cousin  of  Mrs.  Frances  Ramey.  About 
1829  William  and  Frances  Ramev  went  to  Ohio 
on  their  wedding  journey  and  became  pioneers 
of  that  state.  After  a  number  of  years  they 
moved  to  Hancock  county,  111.,  where  Mr.  Ramev 
became  the  owner  of  farm  lands  and  stock  and 
acquired  what  was  in  those  davs  considered  a 
com.petency.  At  his  death  in  1892  he  was  eighty- 
two  years  of  age :  his  wife  passed  away  in  1887, 
when  sevent^^-eight  years  old. 

Bv  embarking  in  the  grocery  business  William 
L.  Ramey  became  a  business  man  at  twenty- 
two  years  of  age,  and  later  he  carried  on  genera! 
merchandising  in  Clayton,  111.,  but  after  three 
years  he  removed  to  Ferris,  a  village  on  the 
Ouincy  branch  of  the  Chfcago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railroad,  in  Hancock  county,  and  there 
he  carried  on  a  mercantile  store  for  four  years. 
On  account  of  poor  health  he  came  to  Califor- 
nia in  1874  and  settled  in  San  Francisco,  wdiere 
he  was  with  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Com- 
pany for  six  years  as  their  city  collector  and 
manager  of  their  city  wharf.  On  fully  regaining 
his  health  he  returned  to  the  east  on  a  vacation, 
but  decided  to  remain,  so  forwarded  his  resig- 
nation to  the  railroad  officials.  For  a  time  he 
carried  on  a  grain  business  at  Clarinda,  Iowa,  be- 
sides which  he  had  charee  of  the  grain  elevators 
at  other  stations  on  the  Humeston  &  Shenandoah 
Railroad.  After  a  vear  the  railroad  company 
ofifered  him  special  inducements  to  take  charge 
of  various  stations,  including  Andover,  Blvthe- 
dale,  Ridg-ewav,  Bethany.  New  Hampton,  Albany 
and  Darlington,  and  he  bought  grain  at  all  of 
these  places.  Owing  to  a  shortage  in  the  crops, 
his  work  was  unusually  difficult  and  trving. 
About  1884  he  disposed^  of  his  interests  in  Iowa 
and  removed  to  Madison,  Neb.,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  hardware  business  and  became  a 
■stockholder  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Madi- 
son unon  its  organization. 

Owing  to  the  failure  of  his  wife's  health  Mr. 


Ramey  decided  to  remove  to  California,  and  in 
1 89 1  he  came  to  this  state  in  company  with  A. 
W.  Wohlford,  now  the  president  of  the  Bank 
of  Escondido  and  a  stockholder  in  the  Escondido 
Lumber,  Ha}'  &  Grain  Company,  he  and  Mr. 
Ramey  owning  the  majority  of  the  stock  in  both 
enterprises.  Their  settlement  in  Escondido  has 
proved  most  helpful  to  the  business  interests  of 
the  town,  for  they  are  men  of  high  honor,  ex- 
ceptional character,  irreproachable  integrity,  liv- 
ing up  to  their  obligations  and  expecting  others 
to  do  the  same.  Not  a  little  of  the  recent  de- 
velopment of  the  town  may  be  attributed  to 
their  foresight,  intelligence  and  enterprise,  and 
they  have  been  promoters  of  every  measure  for 
the  upbuilding  of  local  interests. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Ramey  took  place  at 
Cartage.  Ill,  October  10,  1872,  and  united  him 
with  Miss  Helena  Freas,  who  was  born  in  that 
state  and  died  in  California  in  September,  1892. 
In  the  fall  of  1894  he  married  Mrs.  Florence 
Stevenson,  by  whom  he  has  a  daughter,  Florence, 
now  a  student  in  the  Escondido  schools.  By 
her  former  marriage  Mrs.  Ramey  has  two  sons, 
namely :  Lloyd  Stevenson,  cashier  of  the  Bank 
of  Escondido;  and  Frank  Stevenson,  manager 
of  the  supply  department  of  the  Sunset  Telephone 
Company  at  Los  Angeles.  While  living  in  Han- 
cock county.  III,  Mr.  Ramey  was  made  a  Mason 
in  1872  in  the  Carthage  lodge,  and  afterward 
was  raised  to  the  chapter  and  commandery  de- 
grees;  both'in  Illinois  and  at  Madison,  Neb.,  he 
was  an  officer  in  the  lodge  and  active  in  its  work. 
Politically  he  votes  the  Republican  ticket  and  is 
intelligently  conversant  with  public  affairs.  With 
his  family  he  holds  membership  in  the  Escondido 
Congregational  Church. 


WESLEY  HASKELL.  The  family  repre- 
sented by  this  enterprising  busiiiess  man  came  to 
the  United  States  in  an  early  period  and  set- 
tled in  New  England,  where  his  father,  Rev.  C.  L. 
Haskell,  a  man  of  fine  mental  attainment  and 
extended  influence,  long  served  as  pastor  in 
Methodist  Episcopal  churches  in  the  state  of 
Maine  and  rose  to  a  position  of  eminence  in  his 
denomination. 

The  son.  Wesley,  was  born  at  East  Boothbay, 
Me.  He  is  known  to  be  a  self-made  man  of  cul- 
ture and  refinement,  having  educated  himself  in 
the  eastern  schools  and  at  Boston  University, 
where  he  acquired  a  broad  and  liberal  education. 
He  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  of  the  Congrega- 
tional denomination  and  has  held  pastorates  in 
Providence,  R.  I.,  and  in  Peoria  and  Rockford, 
III.,  in  each  of  which  places  he  ministered  to 
large  and  influential  congregations.  Upon  leaving 
the  central  states  in  1Q02  he  came  to  California 
where    for   a   brief   period   he   preached    in    San 


1114 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Francisco  and  Oakland,  and  afterward  acted  as 
pastor  of  the  First  Unitarian  Church  of  Los 
Angeles.  On  ^account  of  failing  health,  and  by 
the  advice  of  his  physician  he  gave  up  the  min- 
istry and  entered  upon  business  'affairs.  It  is 
a  matter  of  remark  among  his  acquaintances 
that  he  is  possessed  of  unusual  ability  as  a  bus- 
iness man  and  the  result  of  his  shrewd  man- 
agement and  keen  foresight  is  evidenced  in  the 
present  growing  condition  of  his  enterprises. 

The  Ocean  Park  IMilling  and  Manufacturing 
Company,  a  consolidation  of  Groesbeck  &  Ritchie 
and  the  Ocean  Park  Planing  Mill  Company,  of 
which  Mr.  Haskell  is  the  president,  is  located 
at  Ocean  Park.  This  establishment  is  one  of 
the  largest  manufacturing  concerns  of  its  kind 
on  the  coast.  The  plant  is  equipped  with  ma- 
chinery of  the  most  modern  and  approved  pat- 
terns ;  its  equipment,  indeed,  being  surpassed  by 
perhaps  no  mill  in  all  of  Southern  California. 
This  concern  makes  a  specialty  of  fine  furniture 
of  every  description  and  mill  work  in  all  its 
branches. 

Mr.  Haskell  is  also  interested  in  insurance. 
He  is  the  supreme  treasurer  of  the  Commoners 
of  America,  a  fraternal  beneficial  order  with 
headquarters  at  Los  Angeles,  chartered  under 
the  laws  of  the  state  of  Cahfornia  for  the  mu- 
tual benefit  of  its  members  and  their  beneficiaries. 
This  order  has  surpassed  in  growth  since  its 
organization  anything  known  in  the  history  of 
fraternal  insurance  in  the  L'nited  States. 

No  citizen  of  Southern  California  possesses  a 
firmer  faith  in  its  future  than  does  Mr.  Haskell, 
and  he  proves  his  faith  by  his  continued  connec- 
tion with  its  business  interests.  No  section  of 
the  country  has  interested  him  to  such  a  degree 
as  this,  and  on  the  other  hand  no  business  man 
has  had  its  interests  more  at  heart.  In  every  com- 
munity citizens  of  intelligence,  broad  culture, 
liberal  views,  keen  sagacity  and  wise  forethought 
are  valued  acquisitions,  and  he  has  proved  to  be 
such  in  his  social  and  business  relations.  In  na- 
tional politics  he  votes  with  the  Republicans, 
but  in  local  matters  he  considers  national  prob- 
lems to  be  of  less  importance  than  the  selection 
of  men  of  high  honor  and  accented  standing  for 
such  positions  as  are  in  the  gift  of  the  citizens. 
The  Masonic  fraternity  numbers  him  among  its 
warm  supporters,  and  in  addition  he  is  affiliated 
with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 


GEORGE  ELLO  CROSS.  In  1885  George 
EUo  Cross  came  to  California  with  his  parents 
and  since  that  time  has  been  a  resident  of  this 
section  of  the  state,  now  being  located  in  the 
vicinity  of  Puente  and  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing and  the  wholesale  hay  and  grain  business. 
He  was  born  in  Cape  Vincent,  Jefferson  county. 


N.  Y.,  August  6,  1874;  his  father,  George  Cross, 
was  born  in  Chaumont,  N.  Y.,  and  engaged  as  a 
farmer.  His  death  occurred  in  1877.  His  pater- 
nal grandfather  was  born  in  New  England,  of 
Scotch  descent.  His  mother  was  in  maidenhood 
Harriet  Canfield  McPherson,  also  a  native  of 
Jefferson  county,  and  the  daughter  of  William 
McPherson,  who  was  born  in  New  Hampshire 
of  Scotch  descent,  and  became  a  farmer  in  New 
York.  She  still  survives  and  makes  her  home  in 
Puente.  She  has  four  children,  namely:  John, 
of  Los  Angeles;  Jennie  D.,  wife  of  Thomas  R. 
Greene,  deputy  postmaster  of  Puente ;  William 
M.,  the  Southern  Pacific  agent  at  Lemon,  and 
George  Ello. 

When  eleven  years  old  the  family  removed  to 
Orange  county,  Cal.,  where  two  brothers  of  the 
mother  resided,  Robert  and  Steven  McPherson, 
and  in  that  place  Mr.  Cross  attended  the  public 
schools  and  later  completed  his  education  in  Los 
Angeles.  At  fifteen  years  he  took  up  the  study 
of  telegraphy  and  after  completing  it  accepted 
a  position  as  operator  for  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad,  and  in  1892  was  transferred  to  Puente 
in  a  like  capacity,  remaining  there  for  four  years. 
For  a  time  thereafter  he  was  located  at  Tracy, 
Wesley  and  Oakville,  spending  two  years  at  the 
three  places.  Later  he  became  agent  at  Duarte 
for  two  years,  was  then  located  at  Bassett  for  a 
like  period,  when,  in  1902,  he  resigned  to  en- 
gage in  the  hay  and  grain  business  in  Puente. 
He  has  since  become  interested  in  the  Puente 
Warehouse  Company,  and  is  serving  at  the  pres- 
ent writing  as  secretary  and  manager  of  the  en- 
terprise. For  storage  of  grain  they  have  the 
Buck  warehouse,  a  building  200x50  in  dimen- 
sions with  a  capacity  of  forty-five  thousand  sacks, 
and  located  on  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad.  He 
has  also  interested  himself  successfully  in  the 
raising  of  grain  and  alfalfa,  having  sixty  acres 
of  alfalfa  and  about  two  hundred  and  thirty- 
five  acres  devoted  to  grain,  besides  which  he 
also  raises  some  stock.  He  owns  a  residence  in 
Puente  which  is  presided  over  by  his  wife,  form- 
erly Miss  Josephine  Rowland,  a  native  of  Puente, 
and  the  daughter  of  Albert  Rowland,  a  well- 
known  pioneer  of  California,  who  died  in  1891. 
They  have  two  children,  Cecelia  and  Albert. 

In  1904  Mr.  Cross  was  appointed  postmaster 
of  Puente  and  at  that  time  he  purchased  and 
remodeled  the  building  which  is  now  utilized  for 
the  postoffice.  He  is  a  Republican  politically 
and  takes  an  active  interest  in  advancing  the 
principles  he  endorses.  He  is  prominent  fra- 
ternally, having  been  made  a  Mason  in  Lexing- 
ton Lodge  No.  104,  of  El  ]Monte,  and  both  him- 
self and  wife  are  members  of  the  Order  of  East- 
ern Star,  No.  172.  also  of  El  Monte.  Mr.  Cross 
also  belongs  to  the  Modern  \\'oodmen  of  Amer- 
ica  of   Lemon,   and   the    Fraternal    Brotherhood 


^^^....t^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1117 


of  Puente.  He  has  always  taken  a  keen  interest 
in  all  educational  affairs  and  is  now  a  member 
of  tlie  board  of  trustees  of  the  Hudson  district, 
and  is  serving  at  the  present  writing  as  clerk. 


JOSEPH  H.  BURKE.  Intimately  asso- 
ciated with  the  pioneer  days  of  the  state  of 
California,  Joseph  H.  Burke  survived  the  per- 
ils and  privations  of  that  historic  time  and 
lives  to  witness  and  participate  in  the  develop- 
ment of  resources  which  has  made  it  one  of 
the  first  states  not  only  of  the  west,  but  of  the 
entire  Union.  He  is  now  a  useful  citizen  of 
Rivera,  Los  Angeles  county,  in  which  section 
of  the  state  he  has  spent  the  greater  part  of 
his  time  since  coming  west  in  1853,  although 
at  different  times  being  located  at  other  points 
for  brief  sojourns.  Mr.  Burke  is  a  native  of 
Tennessee,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Roane 
county,  April  14,  1831  ;  his  father,  Milton 
Burke,  in  manhood  a  minister  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church  and  also  a  physician,  was 
a  native  of  Virginia,  as  was  also  his  mother, 
in  maidenhood  Phoebe  Hartley.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  John  Burke,  also  of  Virginia, 
married  a  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Osborn,  who 
was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  in 
the  war  of  1812,  taking  part  in  the  battle  of 
New  Orleans  at  the  close  of  that  conflict.  He 
had  thirteen  wounds  and  received  a  pension 
for  each  wound.  He  lived  to  the  unusual  age 
of  one  hundred  and  thirteen  years  and  six 
months,  witnessing  the  days  of  colonial  devel- 
opment, the  statehood  growth  and  progress, 
and  the  shadow  that  preceded  the  struggle  that 
almost  rent  our  fair  land  asunder. 

When  he  was  nine  years  old  Joseph  H. 
Burke  was  taken  to  Pulaski  county.  Mo.,  by 
his  parents,  and  there  they  spent  the  ensuing 
four  years,  after  the  death  of  the  mother  re- 
turning to  Tennessee,  and  later  to  Camden 
county.  Mo.,  where  the  father  passed  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life,  dying  at  the  advanced  age 
of  eighty-eight  years.  At  the  age  of  fifteen 
years  Joseph  H.  Burke  set  out  in  life  for  him- 
self, becoming  dependent  upon  his  own  re- 
sources ;  he  went  first  to  Huntsville,  Ala., 
where  he  worked  on  a  cotton  plantation,  and 
later  in  Arkansas  learned  the  trade  of  wagon- 
maker  and  blacksmith.  Subsequently  for  a 
year  and  a  half  he  worked  at  his  trade  in  Lit- 
tle Rock,  Ark.,  after  which  he  went  to  Fort 
Smith,  same  state,  and  there  purchased  an  in- 
terest in  a  wagon  and  blacksrnith  shop,  and 
with  his  partner  conducted  the  same  success- 
fully for  a  year  and  a  half.  Stricken  with  ty- 
phoid fever  about  this  time,  he  found  on  re- 
covery that  his  partner  had  taken  advantage 
of  him  and  he  therefore  decided  to  withdraw 


his  interests  from  the  concern.  Attracted  to 
the  Pacific  coast,  in  the  fall  of  1852  he  went 
to  New  Orleans  and  there  boarded  a  steamer 
for  Galveston  and  Matagorda  Bay,  and  from 
the  latter  point  traveled  by  stage  to  San  An- 
tonio, Te.x.,  where,  the  following  year,  he 
joined  the  George  Wentworth  party,  com- 
posed of  seventy-seven  men,  and  one  of  the 
most  completely  equipped  trains  that  crossed 
the  plains  in  that  year.  Every  man  was  well 
armed,  carrying  a  rifle  and  six-shooter  and  a 
large  supply  of  ammunition  ;  they  had  ten  big 
wagons,  two  hundred  and  eighty  mules,  and 
sixteen  hundred  Texas  steers,  and  George 
Wentworth  brought  with  him  a  span  of  horses 
which  he  later  sold  in  San  Francisco  for 
$2,000. 

The  compan}^  disbanded  in  Los  Angeles, 
where  Air.  Burke  found  employment  in  David 
Anderson's  shop,  receiving  $32  a  day.  After 
five  months  he  joined  a  party  of  six  to  mine 
gold  at  Santa  Anita,  on  what  is  now  a  part  of 
"Lucky"  Baldwin's  ranch,  but  this  proving  a 
failure  he  entered  into  partnership  with  a  Mr. 
Hulett,  one  of  General  Walker's  comrades,  of 
Sonora  raid  fame,  and  with  him  started  by 
boat  from  Wilmington  to  San  Francisco.  Be- 
ing detained  at  Santa  Barbara  they  fell  in  with 
a  party  of  travelers,  a  member  of  whom  was 
Professor  Trask,  the  state  geologist,  and  Mr. 
Hulett,  being  an  educated  man,  joined  the 
company  as  assistant  geologist  at  a  salary  of 
$150  per  month.  Left  without  a  partner  Mr. 
Burke  joined  a  party  of  three  government  wag- 
ons on  their  way  to  Fort  Tejon,  where  he  be- 
came their  wheelwright,  and  later  conducted  a 
mercantile  establishment  in  that  location.  Not 
meeting  with  the  desired  success  in  this  line, 
he  returned  to  Los  Angeles  and  located  a 
wheelwright  business  on  Main  street,  where 
the  German-American  Savings  Bank  now 
stands,  purchasing  a  lot  with  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  on  Main  and  thirty  feet  on  First 
street,  for  the  sum  of  $95.  Later  he  sold  this 
for  $500.  About  this  time  (1862)  he  was  of- 
fered the  site  of  the  Nadeau  hotel  for  $420,  but 
did  not  buy.  He  carried  on  his  shop  success- 
fully for  a  few  years,  in  the  meantime  becom- 
ing the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-five 
feet  on  the  west  side  of  Main  street,  in  the  cen- 
ter of  the  block,  between  Third  and  Fourth 
streets :  in  1864  he  traded  this  to  ex-governor 
John  D.  Downey  for  two  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  of  land  at  Downey.  He  established  his 
home  there  and  for  the  ensuing  twentA'-one 
years  engaged  in  the  cultivation  and  improve- 
ment of  his  property,  carrying  on  general 
farming  and  also  planting  a  walnut  orchard, 
which  has  brought  him  large  financial  returns 
with  the  passing  years.     His  money  accumu- 


1118 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


lated  rapidly  and  he  soon  loaned  it  out  at  as 
high  a  rate  of  interest  as  two  per  cent  a  month. 
Through  his  marriage  with  Miss  JMary  Hun- 
ter, in  1855,  he  had  five  children,  and  desiring 
to  give  them  landed  property,  he  decided  to 
purchase  more  land,  and  accordingly  bought 
the  old  Barton  place  at  Rivera,  consisting  of 
one  hundred  and  ninety  acres.  Five  acres  of 
this  ranch  was  devoted  to  a  vineyard,  and  the 
first  year  he  owned  it  each  acre  of  the  vine- 
yard netted  him  $200.  This  induced  him  to 
set  out  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres  on 
"his  two  ranches  to  vineyard,  and  the  immense 
operations  called  for  the  building  of  a  winery 
on  the  property.  For  some  years  he  engaged 
extensively  in  the  manufacture  of  wine,  but 
after  his  vines  were  destroyed  he  planted  wal- 
nuts and  oranges.  The  greater  part  of  his  land 
he  has  now  divided  among  his  children,  who 
are,  named  in  order  of  birth :  Frank,  of  Down- 
ey ;  Henry,  who  died  leaving  two  children,  a 
daughter,  now  deceased,  and  Pascal,  who 
lives  with  his  mother  at  Garvanza ;  Osburn, 
who  lives  a  half  mile  south  of  Rivera ;  Kizzy, 
wife  of  Arthur  \\'hite,  of  Rivera;  and  Ulila, 
wife  of  John  Shade,  near  Rivera. 

ATr.  Burke's  wife  was  born  in  Greene  coun- 
ty. 111.,  a  daughter  of  Jesse  and  Keziah 
(Brown)  Hunter,  the  former  of  whom  was 
captain  of  a  volunteer  company  in  the  Mex- 
ican war,  and  accompanied  Generals  Steven- 
son and  Cook  overland  to  acquire  possession 
of  California,  and  with  the  united  forces  of 
Commodore  Stockton  succeeded  in  taking  Los 
■\ngeles.  Captain  Hunter  was  later  appointed 
Indian  agent  but  resigned,  and  driving  a  herd 
of  cattle  to  northern  California,  engaged  in 
the  stock  business.  His  family,  consisting  of 
wife  and  five  children,  came  west  in  1849  and 
settled  in  Sacramento,  Cal.,  where  their  home 
remained  for  three  years,  when,  in  1852,  they 
riemoved  to  Los  Angeles.  In  this  city  occurred 
the  death  of  Captain  Himter  in  1877,  after  hav- 
ing acquired  possession  of  a  large  amount  of 
land,  owning  a  part  of  the  Verdugo  ranch, 
and  having  altogether  thirty-seven  hundred 
acres.  His  wife  also  died  on  the  home  ranch. 
They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  named 
children :  William,  deceased ;  Asa,  Mary, 
Jesse,  Samuel,  Martha  and  Elizabeth. 

Throughout  his  entire  life  Mr.  Burke  has 
maintained  a  strong  interest  in  all  public 
questions,  and  although  Democratic  in  his  po- 
litical allegiance  he  is  above  all  else  a  patriot- 
ic and  loyal  citizen,  and  can  always  be  counted 
upon  to  further  any  plan  for  the  advancement 
of  the  general  welfare.  A  man  of  unusual 
ability,  he  has  steadily  risen  to  a  position  of 
financial  independence,  acquiring  large  prop- 
erties  and  at   the  same   time   building  up   for 


himself  an  honored  place  in  the  citizenship  of 
whatever  community  he  has  made  his  home. 
Early  in  his  youth  he  showed  signs  of  mechan- 
ical and  inventive  ability,  engaging  at  the  age 
of  seventeen  years  with  a  partner  in  the  turn- 
ing and  calking  of  flat  boats,  and  through  an 
invention  of  a  new  process  for  this  work  Mr. 
Burke  was  paid  the  large  sum  of  $10  per  day. 
His  personal  characteristics,  in  youth  and  in 
manhood,  have  been  such  as  to  win  for  him  a 
wide  and  lasting  friendship  throughout  not 
only  his  home  section,  but  the  entire  state,  and 
give  him  a  place  among  the  representative  cit- 
izens of  the  pioneer  days  of  California. 


CHARLES  C.  BROWN.  As  city  engineer 
of  Redlands  Charles  C.  Brown  has  acquired  a 
popularity  and  prominence  which  place  him 
among  the  representative  citizens  of  this  sec- 
tion of  Southern  California.  He  was  bom  in 
New  Brunswick,  near  AVoodstock,  December 
16,  1859,  a  son  of  Charles  Brown,  a  native  of 
the  same  locality  and  a  pilot  on  the  St.  John's 
river  until  his  death,  at  the  age  of  forty-seven 
years.  He  was  the  descendant  of  English  an- 
cestry, and  married  into  an  old  Alassachusetts 
family,  his  wife  being  Lizzie  Hovey;  she  sur- 
vived her  husband  and  is  now  living  in  Nor- 
walk.  Cal.,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years,  re- 
taining her  health  and  faculties.  They  had  two 
children,  Sanford,  residing  in  Norwalk,  and 
Charles  C,  of  this  review. 

When  five  years  old  Charles  C.  Brown  was 
taken  by  his  parents  to  Hodgdon,  Me.,  attended 
its  public  schools  and  later  became  a  student  in 
Holton  Academy,  at  Holton,  Afe.,  from  which 
institution  he  was  graduated  in  1882.  Enter- 
ing Colby' University  he  took  a  four  years' 
course  and  graduated  therefrom  with  the  de- 
gree of  A.  B.  in  1886.  He  then  came  to  Cali- 
fornia and  in  Los  Angeles  count}'  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  in  the  sur- 
vey corps  and  on  the  San  Jacinto  line  worked 
on  the  coast  line  to  San  Diego.  In  1887  he  was 
engaged  in  surveying  in  AAHiittier  and  vicinity, 
laying  out  the  town  of  Studebaker  and  several 
additions  to  Whittier.  He  also  worked  as  a 
general  surveyor  and  civil  engineer  on 
irrigating  canals,  and  spent  one  year  at  Rands- 
burg  as  assayer  and  surveyor.  During  this  time 
he  made  his  home  at  Norwalk,  Los  Angeles 
county.  Returning  to  Whittier  he  installed  the 
Whittier  water  works,  planning  and  building 
their  present  water  system.  In  1900  he  came  to 
Redlands  in  the  interests  of  the  Yucaipe  Land 
&  Water  Company,  planning  and  building  their 
system  to  Crafton  and  East  Redlands,  which 
adds  to  their  water  supply  an  increase  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  inches.    In  1902  he  located  in 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1119 


Redlands,  having;  purchased  two  years  previous 
a  ranch  where  he  had  set  out  an  orange  grove 
and  installed  an  irrigation  system.  He  is  now 
the  owner  of  a  ranch  of  two  hundred  acres  of 
land  with  seventy  acres  under  the  pipe  line, 
and  forty  acres  are  in  oranges  and  some  in  al- 
falfa. He  was  appointed  city  engineer  of  Red- 
lands  in  February,  1905. 

In  Los  Angeles  Mr.  Brown  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Amelia  E.  Shrake,  a  native 
of  Indianapolis,  Ind.  The}-  are  members  of  the 
First  Baptist  Church  of  Redlands,  and  politi- 
cally Mr.  Brown  is  a  stanch  advocate  of  Re- 
publican principles.  Fraternally  he  was  made 
a  Mason  in  Whitticr  and  is  now  a  member  of 
Redlands  Lodge  No.  300,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  is 
also  identified  with  the  Foresters.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Trade  of  Redlands  and 
interested  in  the  development  and  advance- 
ment of  the  cit3''s  welfare. 


ALMER  HUNT.  The  tract  of  land  which 
has  been  under  the  supervision  of  Mr.  Hunt 
for  some  years  and  which  he  is  operating  with  a 
gratifying  degree  of  success  comprises  two  hun- 
dred and  fifteen  acres  lying  near  Downey.  When 
he  came  to  California  at  the  age  of  about  twen- 
ty-eight years  he  secured  employment  for  some 
months  with  a  hay  press  at  Hynes  and  then  be- 
came a  laborer  on  a  ranch.  After  a  month  in 
that  capacity  he  was  made  foreman  and  now 
rents  the  same  place,  of  which  he  has  one  hun- 
dred acres  in  alfalfa  and  makes  a  specialty  of  the 
milk  industry.  On  the  ranch  there  are  sixty 
milch  cows  with  twenty-two  head  of  young  cat- 
tle, and  the  milk  from  the  dairy  is  handled  bv  the 
Alpine  Farm  &  Dairy  Company.  An  abundance 
of  water  is  provided  by  four  wells  operated  by 
two  pumping  plants.  In  addition  to  the  dairy 
industry,  he  is  also  interested  in  the  breeding 
of  fine  horses,  owning  some  of  the  finest  breeds 
to  be  found  in  the  state.  On  Maplewood  stock 
ranch,  as  his  place  is  known,  mav  be  seen  the 
following:  Leland  Rex  34546,  a  handsome  bay 
of  eleven  hundred  and  eighty  ])ounds :  Ventura, 
a  dapple  gray  Percheron,  of  nineteen  hundred 
and  seventy-five  pounds :  Black  Louie,  a  black 
Bel-jian  stallion  of  fourteen  hundred  pounds ; 
Richwood,  a  black  Silkwood  pacer,  weight  twelve 
hundred  pounds ;  and  Grover,  the  latter  a  large 
Spanish  jack,  weight  nine  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  pounds. 

In  the  southern  Dart  of  Insrham  county,  Mich., 
Aimer  Hunt  was  born  October  ig,  T87S.  being 
a  son  of  T.  H.  and  Marv  J.  (Barnum)  Hunt, 
natives  respectively  of  Michigan  and  New  York, 
and  botli  now  deceased.  Throughout  all  of  his 
active  life  the  father  followed  the  trade  of  a 
millwrisht.     There  were  in  the  faniilv  a  son  and 


two  daughters,  the  latter  both  living  in  Mich- 
igan. The  former,  whose  name  introduces  this 
sketch,  was  given  such  advantages  as  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Ingham  county  afforded  and  at 
an  early  age  became  self-supporting  through  his 
work  in  the  lumber  woods.  Not  only  did  he 
have  charge  of  a  lumber  camp  in  Clare  county, 
Mich.,  but  in  addition  for  three  years  he  owned 
a  camp  of  his  own.  On  disposing  of  his  inter- 
ests in  Michigan  he  came  to  California  in  1902 
and  has  since  been  busily  engaged  in  farm 
activities  in  Los  x^ngeles  county. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Hunt  took  place  in  Mich- 
igan February  25,  1900,  and  united  him  with 
Emma  A.  Lent,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
a  daughter  of  C.  A.  and  Sarah  A.  (Gore)  Lent, 
natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  for  many  years 
farmers  of  Michigan.  Eventually  Mr.  Lent 
brought  his  family  to  California  and  settled  in 
the  southern  part  of  the  state.  At  this  writing 
he  is  employed  as  foreman  of  a  borax  company 
in  Death  valley.  In  his  family  there  were  five 
children,  Mrs.  Hunt  being  the  oldest.  To  the 
information  gleaned  from  text-books  during  her 
school  years  she  has  added  the  culture  derived 
from  careful  reading  of  the  best  literature,  and 
has  further  broadened  and  deepened  her  life  by 
the  element  of  religion,  being  a  faithful  member 
of  the  ]\Iethodist  Episcopal  Church.  To  her  only 
child,  Albert  J.,  both  she  and  Mr.  Hunt  are  giv- 
ing all  the  opportunities  within  their  power  in 
order  that  he  may  be  trained  for  a  useful  man- 
hood. While  Mr.  Hunt  has  never  been  active  in 
politics  he  is  none  the  less  pronounced  in  his 
views  and  favors  the  Republican  platform  in 
national  questions.  During  Ijis  residence  in 
Michigan  he  was  an  active  member  of  the  Tent 
of  the  Maccabees  and  also  holds  connection  with 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 


AUGUST  ALBERT  GOETTING.  A  lib- 
eral, enterprising  citizen,  August  Albert  Goett- 
ing  is  prominent  among  the  upbuilders  of  River- 
side and  San  Bernardino  counties,  having  been 
engaged  as  an  agriculturist  in  this  section  since 
1 89 1.  He  was  born  in  Gallipolis.  Gallia  county, 
Ohio.  March  2,  1862,  the  third  in  a  family  of 
six  sons  and  three  daughters  born  to  his  parents, 
August  and  Frederika  (Hess)  Goetting.  They 
were  both  natives  of  Germany,  where  they  were 
married,  immigrating  to  America  when  Mr. 
Goetting  was  but  twenty-four  years  old.  Locat- 
ing in  Ohio,  he  cleared  and  improved  a  hundred 
and  sixty-acre  farm,  on  which  he  and  his  wife 
are  now  living,  he  being  seventy-five  and  she 
seventy-three  years  old.  In  religion  they  are 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

August  .\lbert  Goetting  was  the  eldest  son 
in    the    family   and    was    reared   on    the    paternal 


1120 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


farm  in  Ohio,  receiving  his  education  in  the 
pubUc  schools.  He  remained  at  home  until  at- 
taining his  majority,  when  he  went  to  Frank- 
lin county  and  secured  employment  on  a  farm, 
as  that  was  the  work  in  which  he  had  early  been 
trained.  In  1889  he  came  to  California  and  in 
Los  Angeles  entered  the  employ  of  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad  Company,  as  a  carpenter  in  the 
bridge  and  building  department.  He  was  located 
between  Fresno  and  Reno,  Nev.,  for  two  years, 
when  he  returned  to  Southern  California  and  in 
San  Timoteo  cafion,  near  El  Casco,  established 
an  apiary.  This  enterprise  he  continued  suc- 
cessfully until  1895,  when  he  rented  the  old  C. 
W.  Gower  place  and  continued  the  management 
of  an  apiary  and  general  farming.  In  October. 
1906,  he  purchased  his  present  farm,  which  con- 
sists of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  well  im- 
proved and  highly  cultivated,  general  farming 
and  an  apiary  of  two  hundred  stands  occupying 
his  attention.  He  has  been  very  successful  in 
his  work  and  is  esteemed  among  the  farmers 
of  this  section  both  for  his  ability  as  an  agricult- 
urist, as  well  as  personal  qualities  of  character, 
his  liberality  and  enterprise  placing  him  high 
in  the  citizenship  of  El  Casco. 

August  14,  1898,  Mr.  Goetting  was  married 
to  Miss  Annie  J.  Singleton,  a  native  of  this 
section  and  a  daughter  of  William  Singleton.  In 
his  fraternal  relations  Mr.  Goetting  is  a  member 
of  the  Odd  Fellows  lodge  of  Redlands  and  polit- 
ically he  is  a  stanch  adherent  of  Democratic 
principles.  He  is  a  member  of  the  California 
Bee  Keepers'  Association,  in  which  he  takes  an 
active  and  helpful  interest. 


LOUIS  SENTOUS.  One  of  the  upbuilders 
of  Los  Angeles  and  a  man  of  energy  and  enter- 
prise, is  Louis  Sentous,  who  is  also  a  member  of 
a  family  whose  name  is  prominent  in  various 
avenues  of  business  activity.  As  the  name  would 
indicate  he  is  of  French  parentage,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  Haute-Garonne,  France, 
July  28,  1839.  His  parents  were  Francisco  and 
Marie  (Rouillon)  Sentous,  whose  entire  lives 
were  spent  in  their  native  country,  where  the 
father  engaged  as  a  prosperous  farmer  and 
stockman.  Louis  Sentous  was  reared  on  the 
paternal  farm  to  the  age  of  si.xteen  years,  when 
he  decided  to  follow  the  example  of  his  elder 
brother,  John,  who  in  i8.t;2  had  emigrated  to 
America  and  located  in  California.  Accordingly 
December  29,  1855,  he  took  passage  at  Havre 
on  the  sailer  Gutre,  which  made  the  passage  to 
San  Francisco  via  Cape  Horn.  They  encountered 
the  most  severe  storms  at  the  Horn  and  made 
only  sixty  miles  in  sixty-two  days,  everyone  even 
to  the  ship's  officers  having  given  up  hope  of  the 
boat  weathering  the   storm.     The  added   length 


of  the  voyage  caused  them  to  run  out  of  provi- 
sions and  they  were  compelled  to  sacrifice  all 
the  livestock  on  board,  even  to  the  dogs,  which 
were  killed  and  eaten.  However,  they  passed 
safely  through  these  trying  times  and  on  July 
16,  1856,  they  reached  San  Francisco,  after  a 
voyage  of  seven  months  and  nineteen  dayi. 
.  Mr.  Sentous  at  once  made  his  way  to  the 
mines  of  Calaveras  county,  where  he  engaged  in 
placer  mining  and  after  making  several  hundred 
dollars  he  came  to  Los  Angeles,  which  city  he 
reached  October  29,  1859.  The  rains  had  come 
early  that  fall  and  he  found  the  hills  and  valleys 
green  and  the  verdure  of  the  mountains  pre- 
sented a  beautiful  sight,  on  the  trip  from  San 
Pedro  to  Los  Angeles,  noting  grass  eighteen 
inches  high.  Some  of  the  party  in  their  rapture 
declared  they  would  never  leave  such  a  beautiful 
country.  The  first  year  in  Southern  California 
was  spent  by  Mr.  Sentous  in  working  for  B. 
Revierra,  who  had  a  dain'  in  the  Pueblo  de  los 
Angeles,  which  then  numbered  about  twenty-five 
hundred  people,  the  most  southerly  business 
place  of  any  kind  being  an  old  brewery  and  a 
small  store  at  Third  and  Main  streets.  About 
a  year  after  coming  to  this  section  Mr.  Sentous 
was  thrown  from  a  horse  and  seriously  sprained 
his  leg.  He  was  sent  to  the  French  hospital  at 
San  Francisco,  where  the  surgeon  said  he  would 
have  to  amputate  the  limb.  Mr.  Sentous  re- 
fused to  undergo  the  operation  and  declared  he 
would  take  his  chances  of  recovering  as  he  was. 
Two  months  later  he  was  able  to  leave  the  hos- 
pital and  from  San  Francisco  he  went  to  the 
mines  in  Calaveras  county,  from  there  to  Co- 
lumbia and  then  to  Sonoratown,  Tuolumne 
county,  where  he  purchased  a  farm,  cleared  and 
improved  it  and  engaged  in  the  dairy  business. 
Disposing  of  this  interest  in  1866  he  returned 
to  Los  Angeles  and  in  the  vicinity  of  the  citj' 
engaged  in  the  stock  business,  ranging:  his  cattle 
in  the  San  Fernando  valley.  In  1868  he  drove 
his  herd  of  cattle  to  San  Francisco  and  sold 
them  and  the  following  year  bought  a  band  of 
cattle,  six  hundred  and  eighty  in  number,  from 
a  man  who  had  just  brought  them  from  Texas, 
and  after  disposing  of  them  in  the  San  Fran- 
cisco markets  he  concluded  to  make  a  visit  to 
his  home  in  France.  He  accordingly  made  the 
journey  over  the  railroad  which  had  just  been 
completed,  thence  taking  passage  on  a  steamer 
from  New  York  City  and  arriving  safely  in  his 
old  home  in  France.  He  remained  there  for  a 
little  more  than  a  year,  and  while  there  married 
Miss  Bernadotte  Laserra,  and  with  his  bride  re- 
turned to  Los  Angeles  in  1870. 

He  again  began  the  cattle  business,  purchasing 
a  ranch  on  the  Tehachapi,  and  three  rears  later, 
in  addition  to  this  enterprise,  he  became  in- 
terested with  two  of  his  brothers,  P.  Marie  and 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1123 


Alphonse  Sentous,  in  the  establishment  and 
maintenance  of  a  meat  market  in  Los  Angeles, 
but  the  two  brothers  sold  to  their  other  brothers, 
Vincente  and  Exupere.  They  were  first  located 
on  Aliso  and  Los  Angeles  streets,  and  remained 
so  engaged  until  1896,  when  they  sold  out  and 
dissolved  partnership,  and  Louis  Sentous  having 
previously  established  a  wholesale  butcher  busi- 
ness and  meat  market  at  No.  6  North  Main  street, 
purchased  the  site  and  later  put  up  the  Sentous 
block,  which  extends  from  Main  to  San  Fernando 
streets.  Later  he  incorporated  the  Sentous  Pack- 
ing Company  with  Ed  C.  Conet,  his  son-in-law, 
of  which  enterprise  Mr.  Sentous  was  president 
and  manager  for  some  years.  Their  business 
was  conducted  in  the  Sentous  block,  where  they 
had  three  stores  55x110  feet  in  dimensions.  Dur- 
ing this  time  he  was  also  largely  interested  in 
the  raising  of  stock  on  his  Puente  ranch,  which 
consists  of  eighteen  hundred  acres  of  land  well 
watered  and  susceptible  of  irrigation  because  of 
this.  The  purchase  before  the  property  was  di- 
vided among  the  brothers  amounted  to  fifty- 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  In  1905  he  sold 
his  interest  in  the  Sentous  Packing  Company 
and  since  that  period  has  given  his  time  entirely 
to  the  raising  of  cattle  and  horses  on  his  well- 
improved  ranch.  Besides  the  interests  named 
Mr.  Sentous  was  identified  with  other  enter- 
prises in  the  city  of  Los  Angeles,  having  erected 
a  business  house  at  the  corner  of  Buena  Vista 
and  Bellevue,  which  he  later  sold  to  the  Pacific 
Electric  Railway,  and  built  a  business  house  on 
Castelar  street,  which  he  owns  in  connection  with 
the  Sentous  block. 

Mr.  Sentous  built  a  fine  residence  at  No.  1802 
Toberman  street,  which  is  now  the  home  of  the 
family.  To  himself  and  wife  have  been  born 
three  children,  namely:  Jules,  who  is  a  prom- 
inent Mason ;  Mary  Louise,  Mrs.  Conet,  of  Ven- 
tura; and  Narcisse,  j\Irs.  Garner  of  Los  Angeles. 
Mr.  Sentous  is  a  stanch  Republican  in  his  polit- 
ical affiliations,  and  although  never  desirous  of 
official  recognition  personally  gives  his  best  ef- 
forts to  advance  the  principles  he  endorses.  He 
is  an  honored  member  of  the  French  Benevolent 
Society  of  Los  Angeles.  Liberal  and  progressive 
in  spirit  he  has  won  for  himself  a  place  of  prom- 
inence among  the  representative  citizens  who 
hold  him  in  high  esteem  for  his  splendid  qual- 
ities of  mind  and  heart. 


LOUIS  BRENNEIS.  Numbered  among  the 
pioneer  business  men  of  Oxnard  is  Louis 
Brenneis,  proprietor  of  the  blacksmith,  car- 
riage and  implement  works  that  since  its  es- 
tablishment in  1809  has  been  operated  under 
his  name.  The  building  which  he  occupies 
and   which   was  erected   under  his  supervision 


stands  on  the  plaza,  covering  a  floor  space  of 
100x140  feet,  and  is  equipped  with  all  the 
modern  and  scientific  improvements,  including 
a  gas  engine  of  eight-horse  power,  an  electric 
dynamo  of  ten-horse  power,  three  fires  with 
power  blowers  and  a  Killifer  power  hammer. 
In  addition  to  blacksmithing  and  machine 
work  for  several  years  he  engaged  in  the  hard- 
ware and  agricultural  implement  business,  but 
eventually  sold  the  stock,  and  since  then  has 
given  his  attention  to  practical  and  scientific 
horse-shoeing,  and  the  manufacture  and  re- 
pair of  wagons,  carriages  and  farming  imple- 
ments. 

Bv  birth  and  ancestry  Mr.  Brenneis  is  of  the 
German  race,  and  his  parents,  Louis  and  Eliz- 
abeth (Bilz)  Brenneis,  were  natives  and  life- 
long residents  of  Heidelberg,  Baden.  For 
manv  years  the  father  filled  the  office  of  aud- 
itor,'but  eventually  he  retired  from  office  and 
a  few  years  later  he  passed  away,  since  which 
time  the  mother  has  continued  at  the  old  home- 
stead. All  of  their  eight  children  are  stillliv- 
ing,  Louis  being  the  second  in  order  of  birth, 
and  he  was  born  at  Heidelberg  August  31, 
t868.  As  a  bov  he  attended  a  gjannasium  in 
Heidelberg,  but  left  school  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen. In  1S83  he  came  to  the  United  States 
and  secured  employment  in  New  York  City. 
After  eighteen  months  in  the  metropolis  he 
proceeded  west  as  far  as  Kansas,  where  he  re- 
mained during  one  winter  at  Manhattan.  In 
the  spring  of  "1887  he  went  to  Pleasanton,  Ala- 
meda county,  Cal,  where  he  became  an  ap- 
prentice to  the  trade  of  blacksmith  and  horse- 
shoer  under  his  uncle,  J.  A.  Bilz.  On  the  com- 
pletion of  his  apprenticeship  three  years  later 
he  began  to  work  in  the  employ  of  J.  H. 
Dutcher  at  Livermore,  Alameda  county,  where 
he  remained  for  five  years. 

After  having  followed  his  trade  at  Fresno 
for  two  vears  Mr.  Brenneis  removed  to  New- 
hall,  and  in  February,  1898,  came  to  Oxnard  as 
an  employe  on  the  construction  of  the  Ameri- 
can Beet 'Sugar  factory.  A  year  later  he  em- 
barked in  the  business' which  he  now  conducts 
and  which  through  his  energ>'  and  industry 
has  taken  rank  among  the  leading  enterprises 
of  its  kind  in  the  county.  After  coming  to  Ox- 
nard he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  So- 
phia Reiman,  who  was  born  in  Germany  and 
at  the  age  of  five  years  came  to  California  with 
her  father,  Morit'z,  and  other  members  of  the 
family.  Born  of  their  union  are  six  children, 
Annie,  INIary,  Joseph,  Charles,  Sophia  and 
Moritz.  The  religious  connections  of  the  fam- 
ilv  are  with  the  Santa  Clara  Catholic  Church, 
while  fraternally  Air.  Brenneis  affiliates  with 
the  Knights  of  Columbus.     Ever  since  becom- 


1124 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ing  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  he  has  been 
stanch  in  his  allegiance  to  the  Democratic  par- 
ty, has  kept  posted  concerning  political  aftairs 
and  at  one  time  served  as  a  member  of  the 
■county  central  committee  of  his  party. 
Through  the  building  up  of  a  successful  busi- 
ness he  has  promoted  his  own  prosperity  and 
at  the  same  time  has  been  a  factor  in  the  ma- 
terial dev-elopment  and  commercial  growth  of 
Oxnard,  where  he  holds  a  place  among  the  en- 
terprising and  progressive   citizens. 


LOUIS  MAX  SCHALLERT.  The  ances- 
tral lineage  of  the  Schallert  family  is  lost  amid 
the  traditions  of  Austria,  where  many  gener- 
ations lived  and  labored  and  died.  The  found- 
er of  the  race  in  America  was  Lawrence  M. 
Schallert,  a  man  of  broad  education  and  many 
talents,  who  left  his  native  Tyrol  for  the 
greater  opportunities  of  the  new  world,  and 
resided  first  in  New  York  City  and  later  in 
St.  Louis,  being  engaged  in  editorial  work 
with  prominent  newspapers.  His  wife,  who 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Creocentia  Neyer, 
was  like  himself  a  descendant  of  an  old  Tyro- 
lese  family,  and  Avas  born  in  the  little  village 
of  Feldkirch  nestling  in  a  valley  beneath  the 
shadow  of  rugged  mountains,  near  the  bor- 
ders of  Germany  and  Switzerland.  Since  the 
death  of  her  husband,  which  occurred  in  East 
St.  Louis,  she  has  made  her  home  in  the  Mis- 
souri city  across  the  Mississippi. 

The  eldest  in  a  family  of  whom  two  now 
survive,  Louis  Max  Schallert  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 25,  1861,  during  the  residence  of  his  par- 
ents in  New  York  City.  As  a  boy  he  attend- 
ed private  schools  in  St.  Louis.  When  only 
twelve  3^ears  of  age  he  began  to  learn  the 
lumber  business  and  gradually  acquired  a  thor- 
ough practical  knowledge  of  the  occupation. 
In  early  life  he  was  successively  employed  as 
foreman  in  the  yellow  pine  departments  of 
the  John  J.  Ganahl  Co..  and  Knapp,  Stout  & 
Co.,  also  as  superintendent  of  the  St.  Charles 
I'ATo.)  Car  Company.  Coming  to  California  in 
1888  he  sectired  a  position  as  clerk  with  the 
Pacific  Pine  Lumber  Company  at  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  in  1890  removed  to  Los  Angeles, 
where  he  entered  the  emplo}^  of  the  Citizens' 
Ice  Company  and  was  soon  promoted  to  be 
their  assistant  superintendent.  When  the 
ownership  of  the  business  passed  into  diflferent 
hands,  he  entered  into  other  activities.  For 
eighteen  months  he  conducted  a  grocery  on 
the  corner  of  Glov/ner  and  Twenty-third 
streets,  and  afterward  for  eight  years  carried 
on  a  coffee  and  tea  store  at  No.  207  East  Pico 
street. 

About  this  time  IMr.  Schallert  bought  prop- 


erty in  Hollywood  where  he  now  resides.  His 
first  purchase  in  this  beautiful  suburb  consist- 
ed of  real  estate  on  Prospect  and  Cohing  aven- 
ues, where  he  built  three  stores  in  a  block  and 
two  stores  comprising  the  Schallert  block, 
55x100  feet  in  dimensions.  Since  then  he  has 
erected  his  family  residence  in  Hollywood  and 
improved  other  vacant  property  in  the  same 
place.  Shortly  after  the  organization  of  the 
Lumber  Surveyors'  Association  of  Southern 
California  in  1902  he  became  connected  with 
the  new  enterprise,  in  which  now  he  is  an  ac- 
tive member,  and  for  the  same  period  he  has 
been  engaged  as  a  lumber  surveyor  in  Re- 
dondc.  In  addition  to  property  investments 
lie  has  bought  stock  in  the  Hollywood  Nation- 
al Bank  and  also  in  the  Citizens'  Savings 
Bank  of  Hollywood.  The  Hollywood  Board 
of  Trade  also  numbers  him  among  its  mem- 
bers and  promoters. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Schallert  took  place  in 
St.  Louis  and  united  him  with  Miss  Louisa 
Phiel,  a  native  of  Missouri.  They  are  the  par- 
ents of  two  children,  Eugene  Joseph  and  Isa- 
bella Marie.  The  family  are  identified  with 
the  Church  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament  at  Hol- 
lywood and  contribute  to  its  maintenance,  as 
well  as  to  other  worthy  movements.  In  poli- 
tics Mr.  Schallert  votes  for  the  men  best  quali- 
fied for  public  ofifice  and  exercises  considera- 
ble freedom  in  his  ballot,  supporting  men  rath- 
er than  party,  and  measures  rather  than  plat- 
forms. Various  fraternities  include  him  among 
their  members,  among  these  being  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  at  Los  Angeles,  the  German  St. 
Joseph  Society  of  Los  Angeles,  the  Fraternal 
Brotherhood  and  the  Knights  of  the  Macca- 
bees. 


HARRY  W.  GRISWOLD.  Many  of  the 
older  residents  and  business  men  of  Fernando 
remember  with  pleasure  the  late  Harry  W.  Gris- 
wold,  who  for  a  number  of  years  was  intimately 
identified  with  the  highest  and  best  interests  of 
this  section  of  Los  Angeles  county,  and  a  brief 
sketch  of  his  life  will  be  gladly  welcomed  by  the 
readers  of  this  volume.  A  man  of  sterling  char- 
acter and  worth,  energetic  and  progressive,  he 
was  active  in  promoting  the  industrial  and  mate- 
rial prosperity  of  the  community  in  which  he 
resided,  and  in  business,  political  and  social  cir- 
cles was  prominent  and  popular. 

The  earlier  years  of  Mr.  Griswold  were  spent 
in  Niagara  county,  N.  Y.,  where  as  a  young  man 
he  was  engaged  in  the  railroad  business.  Com- 
ing to  the  Pacific  coast  in  1877,  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Com- 
pany, first  in  Los  Angeles,  and  then  in  Fernando, 
being  station  agent  here  for  a  short  time.    Decid- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGR.\PHICAL  RECORD. 


1125 


ing  to  change  his  occupation,  he  entered  upon  a 
mercantile  career,  at  the  death  of  his  brother-in- 
law,  the  late  Hon.  A.  B.  Moffitt,  buying  his  in- 
terest in  the  store  with  which  he  was  connected. 
As  a  general  merchant  Mr.  Grisvvold  was  very 
successful,  his  fair  and  upright  dealings  with  all, 
and  his  systematic  and  honorable  business  meth- 
ods, winning  him  a  large  and  lucrative  trade.  He 
became  widely  and  favorably  known,  and  carried 
on  a  substantial  business  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  December  i8,  1887,  when  he  was  but 
thirty-three  years  of  age.  He  was  very  active, 
and  in  addition  to  attending  to  his  store  was  at 
the  time  of  his  death  serving  as  postmaster,  agent 
for  the  WeUs-Fargo  Express  Company,  and  as 
justice  of  the  peace,  keeping  at  all  times  busily 
employed,  and  besides  these  public  positions  was 
financial  trustee  of  the  Alaclay  Theological  Col- 
lege. 

In  1879  ^'Ii'-  Griswold  married  Mary  Maclay, 
daughter  of  the  late  Hon.  Charles  Maclay,  and 
their  only  child  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Griswold 
still  resides  in  Fernando,  where  she  has  a  beau- 
tiful home,  over  which  she  presides  with  a 
gracious  hospitality.  Public-spirited  and  gener- 
ous, Mrs.  Griswold  is  a  woman  of  strong  per- 
sonality, highly  esteemed  throughout  the  com- 
munity, and  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  in  which  she  is  an  active  worker. 


ELKANAH  W.  RICHARDSON.  Prominent 
among  the  solid  business  men  of  Los  Angeles 
county  is  Elkanah  W.  Richardson,  a  wide-awake 
representative  of  the  agricultural  and  horticul- 
tural interests  of  Tropico.  He  is  widely  and 
favorably  known  as  a  cultured  and  genial  man, 
an  able,  skillful  and  progressive  farmer,  and  is 
highly  esteemed  throughout  the  community  in 
which  he  resides.  A  son  of  William  C.  B. 
Richardson,  of  whom  a  sketch  may  be  found  on 
another  page  of  this  volume,  he  was  born,  No- 
vember 6,  1849,  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  he 
acquired  his  early  education,  attending  the  schools 
and  a  business  college. 

After  leaving  school,  Elkanah  W.  Richardson 
went  to  Chicago,  where  for  several  years  he  was. 
book-keeper  for  his  brother,  O.  S.  Richardson, 
an  extensive  coal  dealer,  who  is  still  in  business 
in  that  city.  Coming  by  way  of  Cape  Horn  as 
a  sailor  to  California  in  1871,  he  arrived  in 
San  Francisco  on  September  11,  and  immediately 
came  to  Los  Angeles  to  look  after  property  that 
his  father  had  previously  purchased.  A  month 
later  he  returned  to  Illinois,  and  at  Salt  Lake 
City  met  refugees  fleeing  from  the  big  fire  that 
nearly  devastated  Qiicago,  rendering  so  many 
homeless,  and  destroyed  millions  of  dollars  worth 
of  property.  Two  months  later,  he  went  back 
to  Cleveland,  and  for  a  year  assisted  his  father 


in  surveying  in  that  city  and  its  suburbs.  Im 
June,  1873,  he  again  visited  Los  Angeles,  and 
on  December  i  of  that  year  he  assumed 
charge  of  his  father's  ranch,  becoming  superin- 
tendent, a  position  that  he  filled  most  creditably 
for  many  years.  In  1881  he  embarked  in  the 
dairy  business,  and  built  up  an  extensive  and 
lucrative  trade,  in  which  he  was  successfully 
employed  for  a  score  of  years.  Since  1901  Mr. 
Richardson  has  devoted  his  time  and  energies 
to  carrying  on  his  father's  varied  interests  prin- 
cipally, although  he  occasionally  does  some  sur- 
veying in  the  town  and  county. 

In  Los  x\ngeles,  Cal.,  in  1887,  Mr.  Richardson 
married  Ella  Weekley,  and  into  their  household 
five  children  have  been  born,  namely :  Eulalia,. 
a  graduate  of  the  Glendale  high  school  and  now 
a  student  in  Stanford ;  William:  McKinley ; 
Omar  Burt;  Paul  Eddy;  and  John  Everett. 
Fraternallv  Mr.  Richardson  is  a  prominent  mem- 
ber of  Glendale  Lodge  No.  388,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  in 
which  he  has  passed  all  the  chairs  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Encampment  and  the  Rebekahs.  He 
is  a  man  of  unquestioned  business  ability  and 
judgment,  as  is  shown  by  his  management  of  his 
father's  estate,  the  Santa  Eulalia  rancho,  which 
at  that  time  of  its  purchase,  in  1868,  contained 
six  hundred  and  seventy-one  acres  of  land. 
William  C.  B.  Richardson  paid  $2500  for  the 
tract,  which  lies  between  the  Dreyfus  and 
Glassell  tracts  and  the  Los  Angeles  river.  For 
the  first  few  years  after  taking  charge  of  the 
ranch  or  until  1880,  Mr.  Richardson  raised  sheep 
on  it  and  then  converted  it  into  a  diary  farm, 
subsequently  devoting  it  to  deciduous  fruits  and 
strawberries,  each  change  being  for  his  pecuniary 
advantage.  When  the  Pacific  Electric  Railroad 
was  put  through  he  subdivided  forty  acres  into 
lots  50x100  feet,  and  worth  from  $400  to  $700 
each.  A  part  of  these  lots  have  already  been 
sold.  With  the  one  hundred  acres  more  re- 
cently purchased  it  makes  a  valuable  estate  of 
seven  hundred  acres.  Ever  since  its  organization 
Mr.  Richardson  has  been  a  trustee  of  the  Glen- 
dale union  high  school.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Glendale  Valley  Club  and  the  Pioneers  Society 
of  Los  .A.ngeles  county. 


GEORGE  JACOB  EUEHN.  Ranching  has 
occupied  the  attention  of  ]\Ir.  Buehn  since  he 
came  to  the  vicinity  of  Norwalk,  Los  Angeles 
county,  about  1878,  and  with  this  enterprise  he 
has  more  recently  combined  that  of  wine  man- 
ufacture, having  a  vineyard  of  forty  acres  and 
turning  out  twenty-five  thousand  gallons  of 
wine  each  year  from  his  own  grapes.  He  was 
born  in  Baden,  Germany,  July  21,  1848,  a  son 
of  Christian  and  Eva  (Sebastian)  Buehn,  both 
natives  of  the  Fatherland,  where  thev  are  now 


1126 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


living  at  an  advanced  age.    Of  their  family  two 
sons  and  two  daughters  are  in  California. 

G.  T.  Buehn  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  land  and  later  learned 
wine  making  and  became  thoroughly  familiar 
with  market  gardening.  He  came  to  America 
at  the  age  of  nineteen  years  and  located  in  Cal- 
ifornia, from  San  Francisco  going  to  Oregon, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  dairy  business  for 
eleven  years.  For  three  years  of  this  time  he 
lived  in  East  Portland  and  eight  years  in  Mor- 
row county,  owning  in  the  latter  section  a  fine 
ranch  of  eighty  acres  and  engaging  in  the  stock 
business.  He  caire  to  Los  .A.ngeles  county  to 
visit  two  sisters  and  they  prevailed  upon  him 
to  locate  here  permanently.  Accordingly,  in 
1879,  he  purchased  his  present  property,  which 
consists  of  sixty  acres,  of  which  forty  acres  are 
in  wine  grapes ;  the  entire  property  was  wild 
and  uncultivated  land  at  that  time  and  to  Mr. 
Buehn  is  due  the  credit  for  having  developed 
one  of  the  fine  ranches  of  this  section.  He  set 
out  trees,  built  house,  barn,  winery  and  all 
necessarj'  outbuildings,  fences,  etc.,  and  has 
added  not  only  to  the  value  of  his  own  proper- 
tv,  but  enhanced  that  of  the  ranches  about  him. 
"  May  8,  1880,  Mr.  Buehn  married  ]\Iiss  Mary 
Feldman,  a  native  of  Germany,  and  they  are 
the  parents  of  five  children,  namely:  Minnie, 
Louisa,  George,  Louis  and  Elsie.  Both  himself 
and  wife  are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran 
Church.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican,  and  in 
fraternal  matters  belongs  to  the  Fraternal  Aid, 
was  an  Odd  Fellow  in  Oregon,  and  also  carries 
old-line  insurance.  He  is  progressive  and  en- 
terprising and  esteemed  in  the  citizenship  of 
Los  Angeles  county. 


PETER  L.  LOPEZ.  Among  the  best  known 
and  most  active  residents  of  Fernando  is  Peter 
L.  Lopez,  an  energetic,  capable  business  man. 
possessing  keen  judgment  and  marked  executive 
ability.  He  was  born  June  28,  1867,  in  Los 
Angeles  valley,  which  was  likewise  the  birthplace 
of  his.  father,  Valentine  Lopez,  whose  birth  oc- 
curred sixty  years  ago,  and  of  his  grandfather, 
whose  name  was  Peter  Lopez.  The  Lopez  fam- 
ily was  one  of  the  first  to  settle  in  this  section  of 
Los  Angeles  county,  taking  up  grants  of  land 
from  the  Spanish  government,  and  many  of  the 
descendants  of  the  original  emigrants  are  still 
living  here,  honored  and  respected  citizens. 

After  leaving  the  public  schools  of  Fernando, 
Peter  L.  Lopez  was  for  a  year  a  student  in  the 
college  then  located  here.  The  ensuing  five  years 
he  assisted  his  father  on  the  home  ranch,  and 
then  for  two  years  had  the  contract  for  carrying 
the  mails  from  Fernando  to  Simi,  Ventura 
cotmtv.     ^^'llen  but  twenty-three  years  of  age  he 


was  elected  constable  of  Fernando  township,  an 
office  in  which  he  served  most  acceptably  for  three 
terms  of  four  years  each.  Resigning  then,  he 
spent  a  year  of  leisure,  enjoying  a  well-earned 
vacation  free  from  business  cares.  In  1905  he 
resumed  his  public  duties,  accepting  the  appoint- 
ment of  road  superintendent  or  overseer,  an  of- 
fice which  keeps  him  busily  employed,  it  being 
the  hardest  road  district  in  the  entire  county. 
Under  his  personal  supervision  he  has  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-seven  miles  of  road  and  two  moun- 
tain ranges  to  cross,  and  the  question  of  keeping 
these  public  thoroughfares  in  a  satisfactory  con- 
dition for  travel  is  often  a  difficult  one  to  solve. 
He  is  a  man  of  good  business  capacity,  and  by 
dint  of  industry  and  wise  judgment  has  acquired 
considerable  property,  owning  several  village  lots 
in  Fernando  and  one  of  the  best  residences  in 
the  community,  having  erected  it  in  1900. 

April  8,  1894,  Mr.  Lopez  married  Lottie  Will- 
iams, and  they  have  one  child,  a  daughter  named 
Bertha.  Fraternally  Mr.  Lopez  is  a  member  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters,  belonging  to 
the  Los  Angeles  Lodge. 


LEGENE  SAGE  BARNES.  One  of  the  suc- 
cessful real-estate  dealers  of  Long  Beach  is  L.  S. 
Barnes,  who,  although  a  resident  of  this  city  only 
since  IQ04,  has  built  up  for  himself  a  secure  posi- 
tion among  her  business  men.  Locating  in  the 
city  in  the  year  mentioned  above,  he  engaged  in 
handling  real  estate,  being  at  that  time  associated 
with  W.  W.  Bryan,  later  purchasing  the  latter's 
interest  and  continuing  alone  until  January,  1906, 
when,  with  two  others,  he  established  the  busi- 
ness now  known  as  L.  S.  Barnes  &  Co.,  located  at 
No.  121  West  Ocean  avenue,  where  they  con- 
duct a  real-estate  enterprise  of  considerable  mag- 
nitude. 

Legene  Sage  Barnes  was  born  in  Wilber,  Sa- 
line county,  Neb.,  August  7,  1875,  the  second  in 
a  family  of  seven  children,  four  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing, he  being  the  only  one  in  California.  His 
father,  Thomas  H.  Barnes,  was  a  native  of  Ohio, 
his  birth  having  occurred  in  the  vicinity  of  Co- 
lumbus, where  the  family  fortunes  had  been  lo- 
cated by  Samuel,  the  paternal  grandfather.  The 
latter  ran  a  steamer  on  the  Ohio  river  for  many 
years,  eventually  removing  to  Nebraska  and  be- 
coming a  pioneer  of  Wilber,  where  his  death  oc- 
cured  at  an  advanced  age.  He  was  a  man  of 
strong  character  and  patriotism,  and  at  the  call  of 
the  Union  in  '61  he  enlisted  in  an  Ohio  regiment 
and  gave  faithful  service  to  the  cause.  Thomas 
H.  Barnes  was  also  a  pioneer  of  Nebraska, 
through  his  connection  with  the  Burlington  & 
Missouri  River  Railroad  Company  ( for  which  he 
secured  right  of  way  through  the  state  from 
Omaha  to  Denver)  being  a  potent  factor  in  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1129 


upbuilding  of  this  section  of  the  countr_\-.  He 
located  the  greater  number  of  towns  in  western 
Nebraska  and  eastern  Colorado,  and  at  the  pres- 
ent writing  owns  valuable  properties  in  the  first- 
named  state.  At  one  time  he  located  in  Oregon 
and  in  Salem  built  the  electric  railroad,  which 
covers  a  distance  of  twenty-five  miles  in  the  city 
and  its  vicinity,  and  also  platted  Englewood,  an 
addition  to  Salem,  and  was  otherwise  instru- 
mental in  the  advancement  of  that  city.  Later  he 
returned  to  Nebraska,  and  has  since  made  his 
home  in  Alliance,  where  he  engages  in  the  han- 
dling of  landed  properties.  Inheriting  the  sterling 
characteristics  of  his  forefathers,  he  takes  a  keen 
interest  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  general 
welfare  and  gives  his  efforts  freely  to  the  pro- 
motion of  public  enterprises.  A  Democrat  in  pol- 
itics, he  is  prominent  in  the  councils  of  his  party, 
and  fraternally  he  is  a  Mason.  His  wife,  for- 
merly Rose  Harris,  a  native  of  Youngstown, 
Ohio,  is  also  living. 

The  early  education  of  L.  S.  Barnes  was  re- 
ceived through  an  attendance  of  the  public  and 
high  schools  of  Salem,  Ore.,  his  graduation  tak- 
ing place  in  1892.  Returning  to  Nebraska  with 
his  parents  he  attended  a  commercial  college  at 
Hastings.  Previous  to  this  he  had  studied  teleg- 
raphy, and  about  this  time  accepted  the  position 
of  operator  for  the  Burlington  &  Missouri  River 
Railroad  Company  at  Hastings ;  later  he  acted  in 
the  same  capacity  at  David  City,  Neb.  In  1895 
he  went  to  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  for  the  Rio 
Grande  &  Western  Railroad  and  as  conductor 
ran  between  Salt  Lake  City  and  Park  City  that 
state.  Later  he  was  conductor  on  a  passenger 
train  out  of  Milford,  Utah,  which  position  he 
resigned  to  engage  in  mining  in  Utah  and  later 
in  ^Montana.  He  was  successful  in  this  enter- 
prise, discovering  and  opening  several  mines  that 
brought  large  financial  returns,  among  which  was 
the  Coobartal  which  was  the  last  disposed  of. 
Mr.  Barnes'  first  trip  to  California  was  made  in 
December,  1895,  his  decision  to  locate  here  per- 
manently being  made  in  1904,  when  he  came  to 
Long  Beach,  as  previously  stated.  He  has  met 
with  unusual  success  in  his  business  enterprises, 
acquiring  financial  returns,  and  has  gained  a  high 
position  among  the  business  men  of  the  city.  In 
addition  to  the  business  enterprise  already  men- 
tioned he  is  interested  in  the  Long  Beach  Realty 
Investment  Company,  and  the  Moore  Foster  In- 
vestment Company,  serving  as  treasurer  in  the 
last-named  organization. 

In  Raton.  N.  Mex.,  Mr.  Barnes  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Grace  Dinsmore,  a  native  of 
Kansas,  who  had  resided  for  some  years  in  Salem, 
Ore.  Thev  are  the  parents  of  two  children, 
Willa  and  Legene  S.,  Jr.  Mr.  Barnes  takes  a 
lively  interest  in  social  and  fraternal  affairs  of 
Long  Beach,  being  a  member  of  the  Cosmopoli- 


tan Club  and  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  is  iden- 
tified with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of 
Elks  and  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  is  a  man  of 
broad  information,  in  touch  with  current  events, 
and  a  citizen  upon  whom  the  public  honor  may 
safely  rest. 


CHARLES  H.  HOGE.     Through  his  asso- 
ciation with  the  real-estate  interests  of  Long 
Beach,  Charles  H.  Hoge  is  making  himself  a 
factor  in  the  material  upbuilding  and  growth 
of  the  city.     He  is  a  native  of  Hunt  county, 
Tex.,  and  was  born  October  31,  1866,  a  son  of 
John   C.   Hoge.     The   latter  was  a  native  of 
Missouri,  whence  he  removed  to  Texas  at  the 
close  of  the  Civil  war,  and  became  a  farmer 
in  Hunt   county  and   later   in  the  vicinity   of 
Blanco,  where  he  is  now  residing.     His  wife, 
whom    he    married    in    Texas,     was     formerly 
Mattie  King,  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  born  of 
this  union  were  six  sons  and  four  daughters, 
of  whom  Charles  H.  Hoge  is  the  eldest.     He 
was  reared  to  young  manhood  in  Texas,  where 
he  attended  the  common  schools  in  pursuit  of 
an  education  and  engaged  with   his  father  in 
farming.     In   Alarch,    1891,   he   left   his   native 
state  and  located  in  the  northern  part  of  Ari- 
zona,   remaining   in    Ihat    location    until     fall, 
when  he  came  to  California.     In  Redlands,  his 
first    location,   he   engaged   in   the   real   estate 
business  with  a  partner,  the  firm  being  known 
as  Dike  &  Hoge.     Together  they  subdivided 
the  Oliver  Grove  addition  of  twenty-nine  acres, 
and  also  subdivided  other    tracts    during    the 
eight  years  in  which  they  continued  business. 
Disposing   of   his    interests    in    that    section 
Mr.  Hoge  located  in  the  city  of  Los  Angeles 
and   as   a   member   of  the   real-estate    firm   of 
Hoge    &    Gaylord    laid    out    the    Echo    Park 
tract.     In  the  spring  of  1904  he  came  to  Long 
Beach  and  here  became  a  partner  in  the  firm 
of   Todd,    Windham    &    Hoge,    who    laid    out 
the  Pacific  Home  tract  of  twenty-eight  acres, 
and  also  handled  the  one  hundred  acres  com- 
prised   in   the   Long   Beach    Park  tract,   along 
the  Ocean   front,  which   tract   was   opened   to 
the   public   in    1905.      In   the   fall   of    1905   the 
firm  of  Todd,   Windham   &   Hoge   raised   the 
money    for    the    first    payment    on    the    eight 
hundred   acres  now  being  improved   as   Long 
Beach  Harbor,  and  assisted  in  the  organization 
of   the   Dock   &  Terminal   Company,   and  the 
firms  of  Todd  &  Windham   and  C.   H.   Hoge 
&  Co.  have  the  exclusive  holding  of  all  of  that 
property.     This  has  been   the  means  of  more 
than   doubling    the    values    of    real-estate    in 
Long  Beach.    With  others  Mr.  Hoge  organized 
the  Dominguez  Investment  Company  to  sub- 
divide  the    Dominguez   Harbor   Tract   of  two 


1130 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


hundred  acres  on  the  north  side  of  Anaheim 
Road,  running  from  Long  Beach  to  Wihning- 
ton.  ]\[r.  Hoge  is  now  doing  a  general  real- 
estate  business  independently,  under  the  firm 
name  of  C.  H.  Hoge  &  Co. 

j\Tr.  Hoge  is  identified  fraternally  with  the 
Order  of  Pendo,  and  in  his  political  convic- 
tions is  a  Democrat  on  national  issues,  while 
locally  he  reserves  the  right  to  cast  his  ballot 
for  the  man  whom  he  considers  best  qualified 
for  public  office. 


CAPT.  ELAIER  O.  LUTZ.  The  excellent 
harbor  at  San  Diego  and  the  large  number  of 
tourists  visiting  the  city  every  year  render  yacht- 
ing one  of  the  most  satisfactory  sources  of  recrea- 
tion and  pleasure.  Recognizing  this  fact,  Cap- 
tain Lutz  has  devoted  his  attention  to  the  devel- 
opment of  a  business  catering  to  the  wants  of 
strangers  as  well  as  town  people.  As  the  pro- 
prietor of  the  Star  boathouse,  at  the  foot  of  H 
street,  he  has  built  up  a  business  unique  in 
character  and  interesting  in  details.  His  pleasure 
wharf  is  commodious  and  at  the  end  he  has  his 
row  boats,  sail  boats  and  launches,  including  the 
Dolphin,  fortj'-seven  and  one-half  feet;  the 
Urania,  forty-five  feet,  and  the  Dolly,  twenty- 
six  feet.  A  special  feature  of  the  business  is  his 
Tuesday  and  Thursday  excursions  of  the  Dol- 
phin, which  carries  the  guests  past  Roseville, 
La  Playa,  the  quarantine  station,  the  fortifica- 
tions at  Fort  Rosecrans  and  the  government 
jetty. 

The  Lutz  family  comes  from  Pennsylvania, 
whence  the  captain's  grandfather  removed  to  Cir- 
cleville,  Ohio,  and  settled  among  the  pioneer 
farmers  on  the  Scioto  river.  After  the  family 
removed  to  the  fann  near  Circleville,  Louis  Lutz 
was  born  there  and  after  he  had  attained  man's 
estate  he  devoted  himself  to  agricultural  pursuits 
in  the  same  locality.  In  1871  he  removed  to 
Kansas  and  settled  in  Emporia,  where  he  open- 
ed a  hardware  and  agricultural  implement  store, 
conducting  the  business  for  a  period  of  twelve 
years.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  closed 
out  his  interests  in  Emporia  and  removed  to  New 
Mexico,  where  he  acquired  large  tracts  of  land 
in  San  Miguel  county  near  Las  Vegas,  and  there 
he  remained  until  his  death  at  sixty-eight  years 
of  age.  His  wife,  who  was  born  at  Circleville, 
Ohio,  and  died  in  New  Mexico,  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Susan  Hittler,  her  father,  Jacob,  having 
been  a  farmer  in  the  vicinity  of  Circleville. 

Six  children  formed  the  family  of  Louis  Lutz 
and  three  are  still  living.  Elmer  O.,  who  was 
second  in  order  of  birth,  was  born  on  the  home 
farm  near  Circleville,  Ohio,  February  19,  1866, 
and  was  a  boy  of  five  years  when  the  family  set- 
tled   in    Emporia,    Kans.,    where    he    secured    a 


public  school  education.  During  1882  he  accom- 
panied the  family  to  New  Mexico,  where  his 
father  had  purchased  the  Osage  Sutton  grant  of 
sixty-nine  thousand  six  hundred  and  forty  acres 
of  land  situated  one  hundred  and  ten  miles  south- 
east of  Las  Vegas.  The  ranch  had  forty-two 
miles  of  fence,  all  of  which  was  of  four  wires. 
Assisted  by  other  members  of  the  family,  the 
father  conducted  a  cattle  business  which  was  in- 
corporated under  the  title  of  the  L.  L.  Cattle  Com- 
pany, with  the  father  as  president  and  Elmer  O., 
manager  and  treasurer.  A  specialty  was  made 
of  full-blooded  Hereford  cattle,  of  which  they 
had  a  large  number  of  fine  specimens.  At  times 
they  had  as  man)'  as  four  thousand  head  of  cat- 
tle on  the  ranch,  all  of  which  bore  their  brand  of 
L  LL. 

Owing  to  considerable  trouble  with  rheuma- 
tism, which  only  a  change  o"f  occupation  and  cli- 
mate could  benefit,  Elmer  O.  Lutz  left  New  Mex- 
ico in  1897  and  removed  to  San  Diego,  where 
he  has  since  made  his  home.  However,  it  was 
not  until  three  years  later  that  he  disposed  of  his 
interests  in  New  JNIexico,  all  of  the  land  and 
cattle  being  then  sold.  In  1898  he  established  a 
boathouse  at  the  foot  of  D  street  and  opened 
the  business  which  he  has  since  conducted  with 
energv',  judgment  and  originality.  However, 
since  beginning  in  the  business  he  has  disposed 
of  his  first  property  to  the  Corinthian  Yacht  Club 
and  has  purchased  the  property  at  the  foot  of  H 
street.  He  is  identified  with  the  San  Diego 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  also  the  San  Diego  Yacht 
Club.  His  home  is  a  comfortable  residence  in 
the  cit)',  presided  over  by  his  wife,  formerly 
Miss  E.  May  Addington,  a  native  of  Iowa.  In 
politics  he  gives  his  influence  and  ballot  toward 
the  principles  of  the  Republican  party,  of  which 
he  is  a  pronounced  supporter. 


C.  O.  ANDERSON  is  making  extensive  im- 
provements at  Glenoak  ranch,  erecting  thereon 
a  beautiful  mission  style  house  which  is  being 
fitted  with  all  modern  •improvements,  including 
an  acetylene  gas  plant,  and  a  telephone,  his  am- 
bition being  to  make  it  one  of  the  most  com- 
fortable and  attractive  homes  in  that  section  of 
the  state.  The  land  is  devoted  to  tlie  growing 
of  fruit  and  grain,  the  conduct  of  these  opera- 
tions being  in  the  hands  of  a  manager.  The 
ranch  has  an  independent  irrigation  plant  with 
gasoline  engine  to  furnish  power  for  the  centrif- 
ugal pump,  which  has  a  capacity  of  seventy- 
five  gallons  per  minute. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  born  September  26,  1857, 
in  Sweden,  in  which  country  he  received  his 
early  education.  When  fourteen  years  of  age  he 
came  to  the  United  States,  going  directly  to 
Qiicasro.      Later   he    removed    to   Rock    Island 


HISTORICAL- AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1131 


and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  shoes,  re- 
maining there  some  time.  After  disposing  of 
his  interests  there  he  entered  mercantile  enter- 
prises in  Des  Moines  and  Davenport,  Iowa.  In 
1887  he  came  to  San  Diego,  Gal.,  and  secured 
employment  in  a  retail  shoe  house,  remaining 
eight  and  one-half  3-ears  with  F.  T.  Wright  & 
Co.,  after  which  he  became  manager  of  the  shoe 
department  in  Marston's  department  store. 
Severing  his  connection  with  this  firm  after  three 
and  a  half  years  of  valuable  service  to  his  em- 
ployer he  next  accepted  a  position  as  traveling- 
salesman  for  the  firm  of  Utz  &  Dunn  of  Roches- 
ter, N.  Y.,  the  field  given  him  being  Galifornm, 
Nevada  and  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  a  position 
which  he  has  filled  for  the  past  seven  years. 

Mrs.  Anderson  is  a  native  of  Illinois  and  was 
for  many  years  a  school  teacher  in  the  public 
schools  of  California.  Fraternally  Mr.  Ander- 
son is  a  member  of  the  Woodman  lodge,  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  and  holds  membership  in 
the  Traveling  Men's  Protective  Association  of 
L^tica,  N.  Y.  PoHtically  he  is  an  advocate  of 
the  principles  embraced  in  the  platform  of  the 
Republican  party.  Fie  is  one  of  the  best  posted 
shoe  men  in  tlie  country  and  is  personally  popular 
with  all  who  enjoy  his  acquaintance.  He  is 
well-read,  well-traveled,  and  takes  an  interest 
in  all  matters  of  importance  to  the  public  welfare. 


CAPT.  SAMUEL  WYLIE  McNAB.  A  man 
of  keen  insight  and  a  good  judge  of  human 
nature,  Capt.  Samuel  Wylie  ]\'IcNab  is  an  ef- 
ficient executive  officer  under  appointment  by  the 
sheriff  of  San  Bernardino  county.  He  is  of 
Scotch  descent,  and  the  sturdy  elements  of  char- 
acter found  in  tlie  men  of  that  nationality  are 
a  part  of  his  inheritance  from  his  early  ancestors. 
His  grandfather,  Henrj'  McNab,  was  a  weaver 
in  Philadelphia,  later  removed  to  Pittsburg,  and 
finally  became  a  pioneer  of  the  state  of  Iowa. 
His  son,  James,  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  be- 
came a  farmer  near  Pittsburg,  and  moved  in  suc- 
cession to  Galena,  111.,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
lead  mining,  Dubuque,  Iowa,  and  later  settled 
in  Jackson  county  of  that  state,  near  Maquoketa, 
where  he  operated  a  farm  until  his  retirement 
from  active  business  and  now  resides  with  his 
son  in  San  Bernardino,  having  reached  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  eighty  years.  He  is  a  Republi- 
can in  political  faith,  which  party  also  receives 
the  support  of  Captain  McNab.  The  mother, 
who  was  Mary  Hogg  before  her  marriage,  was 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  died  when  her  son 
was  but  four  years  of  age. 

The  birth  of  Mr.  McNab  occurred  December 
18,  1868,  at  Canes  Ford,  near  Maquoketa,  Iowa, 
and  the  first  twelve  years  of  his  life  were  spent 
on  the  farm.     He  then  went  to  Maquoketa  and 


attended  the'  public  school  for  a  short  time.  A 
year  later  he  began  to  learn  the  printer's  trade 
in  Sharon,  Pa.,  and  after  working  in  the  Eagle 
office  for  some  time  returned  to  his  native  state 
and  again  attended  school  at  Maquoketa.  His 
education  being  completed  he  journeyed  through 
various  parts  of  the  United  States,  in  1887  coming 
to  San  Francisco,  where  he  was  engaged  on  the 
city  papers  there  for  a  season,  then  came  to  Los 
Angeles  and  worked  on  the  old  Tribune-Herald. 
In  1890  he  returned  to  Iowa  and  farmed  for 
three  years,  after  which  he  again  took  up  his 
trade  in  the  Maquoketa  Record  office.  But  one 
who  has  once  lived  in  California  is  never  quite 
satisfied  away  from  her  alluring  attractions  and 
1895  found  Captain  McNab  again  a  resident  of 
San  Bernardino  county.  In  a  short  time  he 
was  engaged  as  foreman  of  the  Riverside  Enter- 
prise, and  a  year  later  accepted  a  similar  position 
on  the  San  Bernardino  Sun.  Retaining  this  posi- 
tion until  Januar}',  1903,  he  resigned  at  that  time 
to  accept  the  appointment  as  a  deputy  under  the 
county  sheriff  and  has  since  given  his  entire  time 
to  his  official  duties.  In  fraternal  circles  Captain 
McNab  affiliates  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  is  a  member  of  Kaaba  Temple,  A.  A. 
O.  N.  M.  S.,  at  Davenport,  Iowa;  was  made  a 
Mason  at  Maquoketa  in  Helion  Lodge  No.  36, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  now  belongs  to  San  Ber- 
nardino Lodge  No.  348 ;  was  a  member  of  Bath- 
kol  Chapter  No.  94.  R.  A.  M.,  at  Maquoketa,  of 
which  he  is  past  high  priest,  and  now  belongs  to 
Keystone  Chapter  "No.  56,  at  San  Bernardino ; 
was  formerly  a  member  of  Tancred  Commandery 
No.  40  at  Maquoketa,  of  which  he  is  past  re- 
corder, and  is  now  a  member  of  San  Bernardino 
Commanderv  No.  23  and  San  Bernardino  Lodge 
No.  856,  B.  P.  O.  E.  He  has  been  a  member  of 
Company  K,  Seventh  Regiment  of  National 
Guard  of  California  since  1898,  in  1902  was 
elected  lieutenant  of  the  company  and  in  1905 
was  elected  and  commissioned  captain.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trade  at  San 
Bernardino  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  all 
matters  tending  toward  the  development  of  that 
section  of  the  state. 


WILLIAM  PAPSON.  As  a  pioneer  Will- 
iam Papson  is  remembered  among  the  early  set- 
tlers of  California  and  his  name  held  in  the  high- 
est esteem  by  all  who  ever  knew  him.  He  was 
born  in  Hillsdale,  N.  Y.,  in  1831,  his  father  hav- 
ing emigrated  from  his  home  in  England  and 
located  in  New  York.  Reared  to  young  man- 
hood in  his  native  state  and  educated  in  the 
public  schools,  he  was  well  equipped  for  the  bat- 
tle of  life,  and  in  1852,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years,  he  outfitted  with  ox-teams  and  crossed  the 
plains  to  California.     He  came  safely  through 


1132 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  hardships  and  dangers  of  the  trip,  and  upon 
his  arrival  in  the  state  he  followed  the  example 
of  the  great  majority  of  the  settlers  of  the  west 
and  engaged  in  mining.  He  was  first  located  in 
Plumas  county,  where  he  continued  for  a  time, 
but  having  been  trained  to  an  agricultural  life 
he  soon  became  interested  in  this  pursuit  and 
decided  to  purchase  a  farm.  He  settled  near 
San  Jose  and  engaged  in  general  farming  and 
fruit  raising  and  there,  [March  8,  1865,  he  mar- 
ried Miss  jMatilda  Freer.  She  was  born  in 
Atchison  county,  Mo.,  a  daughter  of  William 
H.  Freer,  who  brought  his  family  across  the 
plains  in  1849.  After  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Papson  continued  to  farm  in  that  section  for 
the  period  of  three  years,  when  they  removed  to 
San  Felipe  and  followed  ranching  for  seven 
years.  Returning  to  Santa  Clara  county  they 
again  engaged  in  farming  in  the  vicinity  of  Ber- 
ryessa  and  after  three  years  removed  to  Los 
Gatos  and  made  that  place  their  home  for  seven 
years.  They  were  principally  occupied  during 
this  time  in  horticulture,  in  whicli  they  were 
very  successful.  Removing  to  Lake  county  in 
1888  Mr.  Papson  purchased  a  ranch  near  Upper 
Lake  and  engaged  extensively  in  the  raising  of 
stock,  grain  and  hay.  He  also  owned  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty-four  acres  on  the  banks  of  Lula 
lake,  where  his  death  occurred  July  12,  1897. 
He  was  a  citizen  of  worth  and  works,  interested 
in  the  movements  of  the  day,  and  always  ready 
to  lend  his  aid  in  matters  of  public  import.  He 
was  a  Republican  in  politics  but  never  cared  for 
official  recognition.  Fraternally  he  was  made  a 
Mason  in  San  Jose  Lodge  No.  10,  F.  &  A.  M. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Papson  were  the  parents  of  one 
son,  George  W.,  who  has  charge  of  the  home 
place  in  Lake  county.  After  the  death  of  her 
husband  Mrs.  Papson  remained  in  Lake  county 
until  January,  1900,  when  she  located  on  the 
old  home  place  near  Savannah,  and  is  now  re- 
siding with  her  mother  on  the  old  Freer  home- 
stead" in  the  vicinity  of  El  Monte,  Los  Angeles 
county. 


VICENTE  LUGO.  A  man  of  modest,  un- 
assuming character,  honest  and  upright  in 
his  dealings,  Vicente  Lugo,  living  near  Santa 
Monica,  is  a  fine  representative  of  the  early 
Spanish  families  who  were  so  prominent  in 
the  settlement  of  Southern  California.  A  na- 
tive Californian,  he  was  born,  January  19,  1865, 
in  Los  Angeles,  which  was  also  the  birthplace 
of  his  father,  the  late  Francisco  Lugo.  His 
grandfather,  Antonio  Lugo,  was  born  and 
reared  in  Spain.  When  a  young  man  he  im- 
migrated to  California,  and  during  his  day  was 
one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  Los  Angeles, 
owning  large  herds  of  cattle  and  horses,  and 


accumulating  much  wealth.  He  married  An- 
tonio Rondon  in  California. 

A  life-long  resident  of  Los  Angeles,  Fran- 
cisco Lugo  became  owner  of  several  thousand 
acres  of  land  that  his  father  bought  from  the 
Mexican  government,  it  being  a  part  of  the 
San  Bernardino  grant.  He  was  not  actively 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  himself,  but 
hired  men  to  run  his  ranch,  a  large  portion  of 
which  he  lost  prior  to  his  death,  which  occurred 
at  his  home  in  Los  Angeles,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
five  years.  He  married  Vicente  Machado,  who 
was  born  in  Santa  Barbara,  and  died  at  the 
age  of  sixty-five  years,  in  Los  Angeles.  Both 
she  and  her  husband  were  members  of  the 
Catholic  Church. 

Vicente  Lugo,  with  his  sister,  Francisca 
Lugo,  inherited  from  his  mother's  estate  thir- 
teen acres  of  valuable  land,  part  of  the  grant 
known  as  La  Ballona  rancho,  lying  one  mile 
north  of  Venice,  where  they  are  now  living, 
their  home  being  pleasantly  located,  on  a  corner 
lot,  on  the  Short  Line  Electric  Railway.  Mr. 
and  Miss  Lugo  have  recenth^  sold  twelve  acres 
of  their  ranch,  receiving  $1,000  per  acre  for 
it,  retaining  for  themselves  the  home  lot,  on 
which  their  residence  is  located.  Politically 
Mr.  Lugo  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Republican  party,  and  fraternally 
is  a  member  of  the  Foresters  of  America. 


EDWARD  C.  D.  A'AN  ORNAM.  The  first 
representative  of  the  Van  Urnam  family  in  the 
United  States  was  Great-grandfather  \"an  Or- 
nam,  who,  as  may  be  surmised  from  the  surname, 
was  a  native  of  Holland.  Bringing  with  him 
all  the  sturdy  qualities  for  which  the  Dutch  as  a 
nation  are  noted,  he  settled  in  New  York  state 
and  reared  his  family  amid  the  trying  conditions 
which  alwa}'s  pre^•ail  in  a  new  country.  A  grand- 
son of  this  immigrant  and  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, Daniel  D.  A'an  Ornam,  was  born  in  \\"ills- 
boro,  N.  Y.,  where  in  his  early  manhood  years 
he  followed  his  trade  of  mason  and  builder.  From 
there  he  later  went  to  Buffalo,  that  state,  and  still 
later  to  Massachusetts,  in  both  of  which  places  he 
continued  to  work  at  his  trade.  Some  time  before 
his  death  he  removed  to  the  middle  west,  settling 
in  Davenport,  Iowa,  and  later  in  Cedar  county, 
that  state,  where  he  died  when  in  his  fifty-seventh 
year.  As  his  wife  he  had  chosen  Harriet  F.  Ross, 
who  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  the  daughter  of 
Peter  Ross,  the  latter  born  in  New  York  state  of 
English  descent.  In  the  latter's  family  was  an- 
other daughter,  Olive,  who  became  the  wife  of 
^Ir.  Burbank,  by  whom  she  has  one  son,  Luther 
Burbank,  who  is  known  the  world  over  as  the 
Wizard  of  Horticulture.     INIrs.  Harriet  F.  Van 


-^ 


^^^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1135 


Ornam  survived  her  husband  many  years,  and 
passed  away  at  the  home  of  her  son  Edward  in 
Long  Beacli  September  4,  1906,  when  she  was  in 
her  ninety-fifth  year.  For  many  years  she  had 
been  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and 
throughout  her  Hfe  she  exempHfied  the  teachings 
of  the  Christian  religion. 

Of  the  ten  children  born  to  Daniel  D.  and  Har- 
riet F.  (Ross)  Van  Ornam  only  two  are  now  liv- 
ing, Edward  C.  D.  and  Ferris  B.,  both  of  I-ong 
Beach.  Edward  C.  D.  was  born  in  Champlain, 
N.  Y.,  August  8,  1836,  and  was  reared  in  Buffalo 
until  six  years  old,  when  the  family  removed  to 
Massachusetts,  settling  in  Worcester.  He  at- 
tended the  public  schools  of  that  city  for  a  time, 
but  later  returned  to  Buffalo,  where  he  was  a 
pupil  in  the  public  schools.  By  the  time  he  had 
reached  his  sixteenth  year  he  had  settled  upon 
definite  plans  for  his  future  career  in  the  business 
world.  From  his  father  he  learned  the  brick- 
mason's  and  builder's  trade,  and  in  1854,  when 
the  family  renioved  to  Davenport,  Iowa,  he 
worked  side  by  side  with  his  father  in  the  execu- 
tion of  the  many  and  important  contracts  which 
came  to  them.  Among  them  may  be  mentioned 
the  Cook  &  Sargent's  marble  block,  the  Episcopal 
Church  of  Davenport,  besides  numerous  fine  resi- 
dences. After  he  followed  his  trade  continuously 
for  about  twenty  years  he  made  a  change  in  both 
occupation  and  location,  in  1870  removing  to  Cass 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  purchased  wild  land  and 
started  out  as  a  farmer  and  stock-raiser.  His 
specialty,  however,  was  the  raising  of  fine  stock, 
consisting  principally  of  high-grade  Short-horn 
Durham  cattle.  During  the  eleven  years  which 
he  carried  on  stock-raising  in  Cass  county  he  was 
fairly  successful,  but  a  desire  to  resume  his  trade 
caused  him  to  dispose  of  his  interests  there  and 
remiove  to  Lewis,  that  county.  In  that  city  and 
Omaha,  Neb.,  whither  he  later  removed,  he  car- 
ried on  contracting  until  1887,  during  the  winter 
of  that  year  coming  to  California  and  visiting 
many  cities  in  various  parts  of  the  state.  Long 
Beach  being  among  the  number.  He  returned  to 
Iowa  in  the  following  spring  and  again  took  up 
his  trade,  but  the  middle  states  seemed  less  at- 
tractive than  formerly  and  he  determined  to 
transfer  his  interests  to  the  west.  Coming  to 
Long  Beach  in  1893  he  at  once  began  to  take  con- 
tracts for  building  and  during  the  twelve  years 
following  erected  many  of  the  finest  buildings  in 
this  city.  He  has  erected  a  number  of  residences 
on  his  own  account  and  later  sold  them.  Since 
1905  he  has  not  been  in  active  business  and  is 
now  living  retired  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  com- 
petency accumulated  through  many  years  of  con- 
tinued activitv. 

In  Durant,'  Cedar  county,  Iowa.  Mr.  Van  Or- 
nam married  Ann  M.  Dool'ittle,  born  in  Walling- 
ford,  Conn,,  her  father  being  Chester  Dnolittle, 


well  known  in  that  state,  where  his  death  oc- 
curred. Mrs.  Van  Ornam  died  in  1890,  in  Lewis, 
Iowa.  Seven  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Van  Ornam,  as  follows :  Hattie  ^L,  the  wife  of 
Fred  W.  Snell,  of  Buena  Park,  Cal. ;  Luther  L., 
who  died  in  early  childhood;  Bertha  F.,  Mrs. 
John  B.  Steen,  of  Long  Beach;  William  W.,  also 
of  this  city ;  Edward  E.,  who  died  when  in  his 
twenty- fourth  year;  Chester  D.,  manager  of  the 
San  Pedro  Lumber  Company  at  Huntington 
Beach;  and  Ralph  R.,  who  is  in  the  employ  of  the 
Nofzinger  Lumber  Company,  Los  Angeles.  In 
his  church  affiliations  Mr.  Van  Ornam  is  a  Pres- 
byterian, and  politically  he  is  a  Republican. 


JOHN  J.  HOUGH.  The  supervision  of  the 
roads  of  Long  Beach  district  have  been  in  the 
charge  of  Mr.  Hough  for  a  considerable  period 
and  under  his  direct  personal  oversight  as  fore- 
man and  superintendent  the  work  has  been 
maintained  at  a  high  standard  of  excellence, 
his  success  in  the  department  being  proved 
by  his  retention  in  the  office  at  the  solicitation 
of  the  people  of  the  district.  Mr.  Hough  is 
a  representative  of  an  eastern  family,  his  par- 
ents, George  and  Hester  Anna  (Tiffany) 
Hough,  having  been  born,  reared  and  married 
in  New  York  state,  but  becoming  early  settlers 
of  Illinois,  where  the  mother  died  in  1865.  At 
that  time  John  J.  was  scarcely  four  years  of 
age,  he  having  been  born  in  Kane  county.  111., 
November  7,  1861.  For  a  long  period  the 
father  continued  to  make  his  home  in  Illinois. 
Twenty  years  after  the  death  of  his  wife  he 
came  to  California  and  settled  at  Garden  Grove, 
Orange  county,  where  he  remained  in  retire- 
ment from  active  cares  until  his  death  in  1893, 
at  seventy-five  years  of  age. 

Little  of  special  importance  occurred  to 
mark  the  years  of  Mr.  Hough's  youth.  Edu- 
cated in  common  schools,  he  was  fitted  for 
active  participation  in  life's  duties  and  respon- 
sibilities and  was  qualified  to  discharge  his 
obligations  as  a  citizen.  In  young  manhood 
he  chose  agriculture  as  his  vocation  and  for 
some  years  tilled  the  soil  of  an  Illinois  farm. 
When  he  came  to  California  in  1878  he  bought 
land  near  Santa  Ana  and  for  some  years  con- 
ducted general  ranch  pursuits,  but  finally- 
disposed  of  his  holdings  and  removed  to  Long 
Beach  in  1893.  On  the  corner  of  Orange  and 
Seventh  streets  he  established  his  home,  sur- 
rounding which  he  owned  five  acres  which  he 
utilized  for  a  market  garden.  For  a  short 
time  he  engaged  in  truck  farming,  but  soon 
the  rise  in  property  values  made  his  place  too 
high-priced  to  retain  for  such  purposes,  and 
he  afterward   sold  three  acres  at  a  gratifying 


1136 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


advance  on  the  original  cost.  In  1896  he  was 
appointed  road  superintendent  of  Long  Beach 
district,  which  position  he  has  since  satis- 
factoril}'  filled. 

While  living  in  Orange  county.  Air.  Hough 
was  married  at  Garden  Grove,  June  30,  1886, 
being  united  with  JMiss  Alice  Sturgess,  a  native 
of  England,  and,  like  himself,  a  member  of 
the  Alethodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  which 
faith  the}-  are  training  their  three  children, 
Sadie,  A^anoni  and  Clinton.  Though  not  a 
partisan  in  political  ideas  and  not  narrow  in 
his  views.  Air.  Hough  is  firm  in  his  adherence 
to  the  Republican  part)-  and  gives  its  principles 
his  constant  support.  The  only  fraternal  or- 
ganization to  v/hich  thus  far  he  has  given 
allegiance  is  the  ^Masonic  order,  in  which  he 
holds  membership  with  Long  Beach  Lodge 
No.  327,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  maintains  a  warm 
interest  in  its  work,  upholding  its  lofty  prin- 
ciples of  the  brotherhood  of  man  and  aiding 
in  its  frequent  charities. 


HARRY  M.  WILLARD.  By  means  of  ex- 
tended travels  through  much  of  the  region  west 
of  the  ]\Iississippi  river  TMr.  Willard  has  gained 
a  comprehensive  idea  of  this  portion  of  the  United 
States,  and  his  experience,  based  upon  habits  of 
close  observation  as  he  followed  his  occupation 
in  different  towns,  convinced  him  that  few  cities 
surpass  San  Diego  in  scenic  beauty  and  equable 
climate.  During  1897  he  traveled  south  from 
Utah  as  far  as  the  City  of  ^lexico,  where  he  had 
planned  to  settle  and  engage  in  the  building  busi- 
ness, but  he  was  not  satisfied  with  the  surround- 
ings, so  returned  to  the  States  and  visited  San 
Diego  on  a  tour  of  inspection,  the  result  being 
that  he  removed  hither  and  established  himself  as 
a  contractor  and  builder. 

On  a  farm  near  Burlington,  Iowa,  Harry  M. 
AVillard  was  born  Alay  19,  1858,  being  third  in 
order  of  birth  among  five  children  and  the  only 
one  to  settle  in  California.  His  parents,  Samuel 
G.  and  Eliza  J.  (Lansdale)  Willard,  were  natives 
of  Ohio  and  the  latter  died  in  Iowa.  The  former 
crossed  the  plains  to  California  in  1849  and  tried 
his  luck  in  the  northern  mines  for  three  years, 
after  which  he  returned  to  the  east,  purchased 
raw  land  in  Iowa,  improved  a  valuable  farm,  and 
now,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years,  continues 
to  reside  at  the  old  homestead  in  retirement  from 
agricultural  labors.  On  the  home  farm  the  early 
years  in  the  life  of  Harry  M.  Willard  were  un- 
eventfully passed.  In  addition  to  common  school 
advantages  he  had  the  privilege  of  studying  in 
Denmark  academy,  and  thus  acquired  a  better 
education  than  many  farm  boys  of  that  day. 

On  starting  out  for  himself  to  earn  his  own 
livelihood  in  the  world,  Harrv  M.  Willard  went  to 


Kansas  about  1880  and  became  interested  in  the 
insurance  business  at  Topeka.  His  first  visit 
to  the  Pacific  coast  was  made  in  1886,  when  he 
bought  a  team  and  wagon  and  traveled  overland 
to  Oregon,  thence  to  California.  It  was  thus 
possible  for  him  to  inspect  the  country  much  more 
closely  than  if  the  trip  had  been  made  via  rail- 
road. When  he  reached  Santa  Barbara  he  began 
to  work  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  remaining  in 
that  town  for  a  year.  Afterward  he  made  brief 
sojourns  in  Pasadena  and  Los  Angeles,  where  he 
followed  carpentering.  On  his  return  to  Iowa 
in  1889  he  gave  his  attention  entirely  to  the  build- 
ing business,  but  in  1890  again  followed  the  tide 
of  immigration  westward,  this  time  settling  at 
Salt  Lake  City  and  engaging  in  contracting  and 
building  with  considerable  success.  Perhaps  his 
most  important  work  there  was  the  superintend- 
ing of  the  erection  of  the  building  utilized  as 
a  courthouse  and  city  hall,  which  cost  $4,000,000 
and  represented  a  substantial  and  unique  style 
of  architecture.  Since  coming  to  San  Diego 
in  1897  he  and  his  brother-in-law,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Willard  &  Neely,  have  had  the  contracts 
for  numerous  residences  and  flats,  and  St. 
Joseph's  sanitarium,  also  many  buildings  at 
Homestead,  Point  Loma  and  Pacific  Beach.  His 
residence,  at  No.  1701  Second  street,  was  erected 
by  himself  and  he  has  also  built  other  houses  to  be 
sold  as  opportunity  oft'ers.  On  the  organization 
of  the  Alaster  Builders'  Association  he  became  a 
charter  member  and  at  this  writing  holds  the 
office  of  treasurer. 

The  marriage  of  Air.  Willard  took  place  at 
Burlington,  Iowa,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Eva 
Neely.  a  sister  of  William  T.  Neely,  and  an  active 
member  of  the  Alethodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Mention  of  her  family  appears  in  the  sketch  of  her 
brother  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  The  Demo- 
cratic party  receives  the  ballot  of  Air.  Willard  at 
both  local  and  general  elections.  In  fraternal 
relations  he  is  identified  with  Silver  Gate  Lodge 
No.  296,  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  which  he  was  made  a 
Alason,  and  is  also  associated  with  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World  and  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows. 


AIORITZ  TREPTE.  A  skilled  mechanic,  en- 
ergetic and  progressive,  Aloritz  Trepte  is  actively 
identified  with  the  industrial  prosperity  of  San 
Diego,  and  as  a  carpenter  and  contractor  has 
been  an  important  factor  in  the  upbuilding  of  the 
city.  He  is  widely  known  as  a  man  of  sterling 
integrity,  his  business  dealings  being  character- 
ized by  fairness  and  honesty,  and  he  is  every- 
where esteemed  and  respected.  He  was  bom 
December  5,  1864,  in  the  kingdom  of  Saxony, 
Germany,  and  in  tliat  land  of  industry  and  thrift 
was  well  trained  in  those  habits  and  virtues  that 


/^^y'.^!^^^!^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1139 


should  make  him  a  desirable  citizen  of  any  coun- 
try. His  parents,  Carl  and  Christine  (Gurgen) 
Trepte,  were  life-long  residents  of  Germany,  the 
father,  who  was  a  miller  by  trade,  dying  in  1871. 

The  youngest  of  a  family  of  nine  children, 
]\Ioritz  Trepte  is  the  only  member  of  the  parental 
household  in  America.  Brought  up  in  Saxony, 
he  received  a  common  school  education,  and  in 
early  life,  under  the  instruction  of  his  grand- 
father, Gottlieb  Gurgen,  learned  the  miller's 
trade,  which  he  followed  until  becoming  of  age. 
Eager  to  try  his  fortunes  in  the  United  States, 
the  mecca  of  every  boy  of  ambition,  he  immi- 
grated to  this  country  in  1886,  going  directly  to 
Milwaukee,  Wis.,  where  for  two  years  he  worked 
at  the  carpenter's  trade.  Coming  to  California 
in  1888,  he  followed  his  trade  in  San  Francisco 
until  1895,  when  he  made  a  trip  to  Southern 
California.  Being  very  much  impressed  and 
pleased  with  San  Diego  and  its  surroundings,  he 
decided  to  settle  here  permanently.  Forming  a 
partnership  with  Herman  Strode,  he  engaged  in 
contracting  and  building  under  the  firm  name 
of  Strode  &  Trepte,  continuing  thus  until  1900, 
when  he  bought  his  partner  out.  Since  that 
time  Mr.  Trepte  has  carried  on  the  business  alone 
and  in  the  filling  of  his  many  contracts  has  erect- 
ed some  fine  business  houses  and  many  hand- 
some residences.  In  1905  he  built  his  own  at- 
tractive residence  at  No.    155  Twentieth  street. 

In  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  ]\Ir.  Trepte  married 
Christine  Treusch,  a  native  of  Hesse-Darmstadt, 
Germany,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren, Walter,  Alvin  and  Carl.  Mr.  Trepte  is  a 
member  of  the  Master  Carpenters'  Association 
of  San  Diego,  and  an  active  worker  in  the  or- 
ganization. Politically  he  is  a  Socialist.  Fra- 
ternally he  belongs  to  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World ;  Turn  Verein,  of  which  he  is  ex-presi- 
dent ;  to  the  Sons  of  Herman,  and  to  the  Knights 
and  Ladies  of  Security.  Religiously  he  is  true 
to  the  faith  in  which  he  was  reared,  being  a 
Lutheran. 


MARTIN  JULIUS  LAURENT.  For 
more  than  one-quarter  of  a  century  Mr.  Lau- 
rent was  intimately  identified  with  the  devel- 
opment of  Ventura  county.  Measured  by  the 
history  of  the  far-distant  ages  of  the  past, 
twenty-five  years  represent  but  a  brief  epoch, 
but  it  is  a  long  time  gauged  by  the  present 
standards  of  progress  and  activitv.  Not  until 
years  after  he  had  settled  on  a  farm  in  the 
Santa  Clara  valley  of  the  south  did  the  near- 
by town  of  Oxnard  spring  into  existence.  At 
that  time  transportation  facilities  were  few 
and  unsatisfactory.  Modern  farming  tools  had 
not  been  brought  to  their  present  state  of  de- 
velopment :    indeed,    the   larger    part    of   those 


now  used  \yere  but  a  nebula  in  the  inventor's 
brain.  School  and  church  advantages  were 
meagre.  Men  had  before  them  the  arduous 
task  of  subduing  an  unknown  soil  and  ascer- 
taining to  what  products  it  was  best  adapted; 
hence  there  was  little  leisure  for  recreation, 
yet  it  was  in  those  days  that  the  charm  of 
gracious  hospitality  shone  at  its  brightest  and 
the  kindly  deeds  in  another's  interests  were  of 
common  occurrence. 

In  the  settlement  and  development  of  Cali- 
fornia almost  every  nationality  was  represent- 
ed. Mr.  Laurent  represented  the  French  race, 
being  a  descendant  of  a  long  line  of  ancestry 
identified  with  the  history  of  France.  His 
father,  Nicholas,  who  was  a  native  of  that 
countr}-,  became  a  merchant  tailor  in  Louis- 
ville, Ky.,  but  later  took  up  farming  pursuits 
among  the  pioneers  of  Leavenworth  county, 
Kans.,  and  eventually  moved  to  Douglas  coun- 
ty, where  he  died  at  Lawrence.  Loyal  in  de- 
votion to  his  adopted  countr}-,  he  offered  his 
services  to  the  Union  during  the  Civil  war 
and  served  as  a  member  of  a  Kansas  regiment. 
His  wife,  Ursul,  also  died  in  Lawrence.  The 
eldest  child  and  only  son  among  their  three 
children  was  jNIartin  Julius,  who  was  born  in 
Louisville,  Ky.,  March  14.  1842,  and  in  early 
bo3^hood  accompanied  the  family  to  Kansas, 
there  attending  the  public  schools.  Practical- 
ly the  first  employment  which  he  secured  was 
that  of  clerk  for  an  uncle  at  Cape  Girardeau, 
IMo..  and  later  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  for  him'^df  in  Missouri  for  two  years. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Laurent  was  solem- 
nized at  Lawrence,  Kans.,  February  23,  1871, 
and  united  him  with  Miss  Annette  Petit,  who 
was  born  in  the  department  of  Haute-Saone 
in  the  eastern  part  of  France  near  the  German 
border  and  also  in  close  proximity  to  the 
mountains  separating  France  from  Switzer- 
land. Her  father.  Jean  Baptiste  Petit,  for 
vears  was  a  farmer  in  that  region,  but  in  1853 
he  brought  the  familv  to  the  United  States 
and  settled  in  Clearfield  county.  Pa.,  there 
engaging  in  farm  pursuits  and  also  in  lumber- 
ing. The  year  that  marked  the  close  of  the 
Civil  war  saw  him  a  pioneer  of  Douglas  coun- 
ty. Kans..  where  he  engaged  in  farming  near 
a  hamlet  then  known  as  Blackjack.  During 
1875  he  came  to  California  and  settled  in  the 
Santa  Claia  valley  of  tlie  south,  where  he  died 
in  t8q4.  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years.  A 
number  of  years  before  leaving  France  he 
married  Miss  Elizabeth  Catherine  Carame. 
daughter  of  Louis  Carame,  a  manufacturer  of 
agricultural  implements  in  France.  Her  death 
occurred  in  Kansas  in  1870,  when  she  was  six- 
tv-one  years  of  age.  Five  children  comprised 
their  familv.   namelv:    Mrs.   Harriet    Roussev, 


1140 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


a  resident  of  Oxnard,  Gal. ;  Margaret,  who 
died  in  Pennsylvania  in  early  girlhood ;  An- 
nette, Mrs.  Laurent,  of  Oxnard;  Frank  and 
Justin,  both  of  whom  cultivate  farms  near  Ox- 
nard. 

For  a  short  time  after  his  marriage  Mr. 
Laurent  followed  farming  and  the  mercantile 
business  in  Kansas,  but  in  1874  he  removed 
to  California  and  settled  in  the  Santa  Clara 
valley,  renting  land  near  the  present  site  of 
Oxnard.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  pleased 
with  the  climate  and  the  surroundings,  and 
therefore  they  soon  decided  to  become  prop- 
erty owners.  At  first  they  bought  only  a 
small  strip  of  land,  but  by  the  purchase  of  ad- 
jacent tracts  they  acquired  a  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  on  which  the}-  erected  a 
substantial  and  commodious  ranch  house.  He 
was  among  the  first  to  adopt  modern  imple- 
ments suitable  for  caring  for  the  different 
crops  raised,  and  always  took  pride  in  his  fine 
stock.  About  1889  they  rented  the  ranch  and 
removed  to  Los  Angeles,  but  soon  returned 
to  Ventura  count}'  and  bought  lots  in  Oxnard, 
where  they  erected  an  attractive  and  elegant 
residence.  In  the  midst  of  these  pleasant  sur- 
roundings which  his  wise  labors  had  rendered 
possible  Mr.  Laurent  passed  his  last  days  and 
here  he  died  February  74,  1902,  when  lacking 
one  month  of  sixty  years  of  age.  The  Santa 
Clara  Catholic  Church,  of  which  he  had  been 
a  liberal  and  earnest  member,  had  charge  of 
the  ceremonies  connected  with  his  funeral, 
while  citizens  in  general,  irrespective  of  re- 
ligious affiliations,  were  as  one  in  their  trib- 
utes of  respect  to  his  memory  and  apprecia- 
tion of  his  worth.  Since  his  death  Mrs.  Lau- 
rent has  rented  the  ranch  to  tenants  ,who  have 
the  land  under  cultivation  to  beans  and  beets, 
and  maintain  its  reputation  as  one  of  the 
finest  farms  of  its  size  in  the  entire  state.  Like 
her  husband,  she  has  been  interested  in  public 
questions  and  has  believed  in  Democratic 
principles  throughout  all  of  her  life.  Like 
him,  too,  she  is  earnest  in  her  allegiance  to  the 
Santa  Clara  Church.  The  congregation  has 
been  benefited  by  her  generous  ofiferings  and 
the  various  church  societies  have  felt  the  in- 
fluence of  her  helpful  work  and  executive 
abilitv. 


^f.  BLANCHE  BOLTON,  M.  D.  ^  Not  to 
men  alone  is  due  the  credit  for  the  rapid  devel- 
opment, progress  and  upbuilding  of  this  west- 
ern state,  for  in  nearly  all  avenues  since  the  pio- 
neer days  the  wives,  daughters  and  sisters  of 
these  courageous  men  have  proven  themselves 
equally  courageous  and  self-sacrificing.  Along 
medical  lines  a  successful  exponent  is  named  in 


the  person  of  M.  Blanche  Bolton,  M.  D.,  well 
and  widely  known  in  San  Pedro,  Los  Angeles 
county,  where  she  has  been  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  her  profession  since  1899.  She  is  a  na- 
tive daughter  of  the  state,  born  in  San  Francisco 
one  of  five  children  in  the  family  of  her  parents, 
J.  J.  and  Mary  A.  (Swayze)  Bolton,  both  of 
whom  are  living  and  are  now  residents  of  San 
Gabriel.  The  father,  a  native  of  England,  was 
brought  to  Toronto,  Canada,  by  his  parents  and 
there  grew  to  manhood.  He  became  a  farmer  in 
that  section,  where  he  remained  until  1873,  in 
which  year  he  located  in  San  Francisco.  Later 
he  followed  general  farming  in  Dixon,  Solano 
county.  Cal.,  until  his  removal  to  San  Gabriel. 
His  wife  is  a  native  of  Montreal,  Canada.  One 
son,  Becher  Bolton,  is  practicing  medicine  in 
Napa,  Cal.,  and  another  son,  Manzanito  Bolton, 
is  also  a  physician,  being  located  at  Johnsville, 
Cal.  William  makes  his  home  in  San  Gabriel, 
and  Agnes  is  at  home  with  her  parents. 

M.  Blanche  Bolton  was  born  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, Cal.,  receiving  her  preliminarv  education 
in  the  public  and  high  schools  of  that  place.  In 
1894  she  became  a  student  in  the  California  Med- 
ical College,  graduating  from  that  institution  in 
1897  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.,  after  which  she 
spent  one  year  in  Guadalajara,  Mexico,  begin- 
ning the  practice  of  her  profession  with  her 
uncle.  Dr.  Winfield  Swayze.  In  1899  she  came 
to  San  Pedro,  and  since  that  date  has  engaged 
in  a  general  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery  and 
has  built  up  an  extensive  and  lucrative  patron- 
age throughout  this  section.  She  is  a  member  of 
the  Los  Angeles  Medical  Society,  the  Southern 
California  Eclectic  Medical  Society,  and  the 
State  Eclectic  Medical  Society.  She  is  promi- 
nent as  a  member  of  the  Rebekahs,  in  which  she 
is  past  officer. 


HAMILTON  ^I.  SQUIRES.  Many  years 
have  come  and  gone  since  ]\Ir.  Squires  estab- 
lished his  home  on  a  ranch  in  San  Diego  coun- 
ty, and  now  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  has 
remained  on  the  same  homestead,  busily  en- 
gaged in  raising  general  farm  products  and 
in  breeding  registered  stock  as  fine  as  the  lo- 
cality can  boast.  In  addition  to  his  own  tract 
of  nine  hundred  acres  he  superintends  nine- 
teen hundred  acres  owned  by  his  wife,  so  that 
their  united  possessions  represent  a  large  val- 
uation and  entail  considerable  responsibility 
upon  the  proprietor.  The  home  place  is  sit- 
uated three  miles  south  of  Vista  and  bears  im- 
provements showing  the  owners  to  possess 
thrift,  energy  and  ample  means. 

Few  men  are  more  deeply  interested  in  the 
historv  and  progress  of  California  than  Mr. 
.Squires,  and  perhaps  this  fact  by  some  may  be 


Q^.O<.oLMj 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1143 


attributed  to  the  coincidence  of  his  birth,  Sep- 
tember 7,  1850,  occurring  just  two  days  before 
CaHfornia  was  admitted  as  a  state  into  the 
Union.  His  earliest  recollections  are  connect- 
ed with  pioneer  days  in  the  west,  and  a  few 
of  these  memories  are  more  thrilling  than 
pleasant,  notably  his  recollection,  with  the 
vividness  of  an  event  happening  yesterday,  of 
the  shooting  of  Sheriff  "Billy"  Getman  in  Los 
Angeles  by  an  insane  man,  William  Jenkins  of 
the  San  Gabriel  valley  being  shot  in  the  leg 
at  the  same  time.  On  another  occasion  his 
father  was  a  member  of  the  vigilance  commit- 
tee of  Los  Angeles  that  dealt  with  Juan 
Flores,  the  murderer  of  Sheriff  Barton. 

At  the  age  of  seventeen  years  E.  W.,  father 
of  H.  M.  Squires,  removed  from  his  native 
Kentucky  to  Missouri,  and  in  1847  there  mar- 
ried Louisa  Smith,  a  native  of  Ohio.  Two 
years  later  the  young  couple  started  for  Cali- 
fornia in  a  wagon  drawn  by  oxen.  After  a 
long  journey  they  arrived  at  Fort  Lassen, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  butchering  business 
and  sold  meat  to  the  miners.  In  1850  they  left 
that  locality  and  traveled  via  wagon  to  Santa 
Clara  county.  During  the  progress  of  this 
journey,  while  they  were  encamped  in  tents  in 
Grass  valley,  a  son  was  born  whom  they 
named  Hamilton  i\I.  Four  years  were  spent 
in  Santa  Clara  county  and  then  they  removed 
to  Los  Angeles  county,  settling  at  El  Monte, 
two  miles  from  the  San  Gabriel  ]\ fission.  In 
1858  they  moved  from  there  to  the  Temple 
grant  about  six  miles  south  of  the  city  of  Los 
Angeles,  and  on  a  farm  in  that  vicinity  they 
spent  many  busy  years.  In  the  fall  of  1870 
they  moved  to  a  farm  near  Santa  Ana,  and  in 
1874  they  established  their  home  at  Olive, 
Orange  county;  there  the  death  of  the  father 
occurred  March  18,  1906,  the  mother  passing 
away  October  22  of  the  same  year.  Their 
happy  married  life  had  covered  a  period  of 
about  sixty  years.  In  sunshine  and  in  shadow 
they  labored  together,  and  an  honored  old  age 
rewarded  their  well-spent  years.  Twelve  chil- 
dren comprised  their  family,  and  all  but  one  of 
these  attained  mature  years,  ten  still  living  in 
California. 

As  an  assistant  to  his  father.  Hamilton  M. 
Squires  early  gained  a  comprehensive  knowl- 
edge of  agriculture  and  when  he  came  to  his 
present  ranch  in  1881  he  was  well  qualified  to 
conduct  a  farm  systematically  and  profitably. 
While  devoting  himself  closely  to  the  man- 
agement of  his  land  he  still  finds  leisure  to 
participate  in  local  affairs  and  for  nine  consec- 
utive years  served  as  school  trustee.  Political- 
ly he  favors  the  Democratic  party,  but  main- 
tains an  independent  attitude  in  local  elec- 
tions.    In  September  of  1807  he  married  ]Miss 


Mary  Emma  Kelly,  who  was  born  at  Dead- 
wood,  Placer  county,  Cal.,  and  is  a  woman  of 
refinement  and  culture,  a  devoted  member  of 
the  Christian  Church,  and  a  loving  mother  to 
her  two  children,  Ida  Belle  and  John  Hamil- 
ton. The  family  of  which  she  is  a  member 
(mention  of  whom  is  made  in  the  sketch  of 
her  sister,  ;\Irs.  ^Minnie  Borden,  on  another 
page)  came  to  California  in  an  earh'  day  and 
settled  among  the  pioneers  of  upper  San  Di- 
ego county,  where  ever  since  they  have  been 
orominent  citizens. 


WILLIAM  H.  AULD.  One  of  the  most  ex- 
tensive ranchmen  in  Alamos  valley  is  William 
H.  Auld,  who  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest 
pioneer  families  in  this  section.  He  operates 
a  thirteen  hundred  acre  ranch,  half  of  which  he 
owns,  and  is  engaged  in  raising  horses  and  the 
growing  of  wheat  crops,  the  latter  necessitat- 
ing the  use  of  a  combined  harvester.  Ele  was 
born  July  2,  1855,  in  Amador  county,  Cal.,  the 
son  of  George  and  Caroline  D.  (Hodges)  Auld, 
both  of  whom  died  in  Riverside  county,  the 
former  July  30,  1901,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three 
years,  and  the  latter  in  1S89,  being  then  sixty- 
seven  years  old. 

George  Auld  was  born  on  Prince  Edward 
Island,  Canada,  July  20,  1818,  his  father,  John, 
having  been  a  native  of  Scotland.  He  received 
his  education  at  the  place  of  his  birth,  and  in 
ihe  same  locality  engaged,  as  a  young  man,  in 
the  general  merchandise  business.  After  his 
marriage,  which  occurred  in  the  early  '50s,  he 
came  to  California  and  located  in  Amador 
county,  from  there  going  to  Santa  Clara 
county,  and  finally,  in  1880,  he  removed 
to  Alamos  valley,  where  he  took  up  land  from 
the  government,  becoming  one  of  the  first  set- 
tler.s'here.  He  built  the  first  house  and  barns 
of  the  place  and  otherwise  improved  it,  and  as 
time  passed  increased  his  holdings  by  pur- 
chase from  the  railroads  until  he  had  acquired 
the  present  ranch,  which  embraces  about  four- 
teen hundred  acres.  Five  hundred  acres  of  the 
land  is  devoted  to  farming  purposes,  the  re- 
mainder being  in  pasture.  During  his  life  Mr. 
Auld  served  on  the  school  board,  and  from 
March  3,  1809,  until  the  time  of  his  death  filled 
the  office  of  postmaster  at  Auld.  Four  of  his 
five  children  are  still  living  and  have  homes  in 
this  locality.  Eliza  F.  was  educated  in  Santa 
Clara  county,  where  she  taught  school  for  a 
time,  later  engaged  in  that  occupation  in 
Riverside  county  for  five  years,  and  is  now 
housekeeper  for  her  brothers,  Henry  and 
Charles,  who  live  on  and  operate  the  home 
place.  The  last-named  son  is  a  member  of 
the  Republican  county  central  committee,  is  a 


1144 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


deputy  county  clerk,  and  also  clerk  of  the  Ala- 
mos school  district.  Miss  Auld  is  a  member 
of  the  ]\Iethodist  Episcopal  Church.  George  F. 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years. 

William  H.  Auld  received  a  common-school 
education  in  Santa  Clara  county  and  came  to 
this  locality  with  his  father  in  1880.  His  mar- 
riage, which  occurred  here  in  1902,  united  him 
with  Emily  D.  Higgins,  a  native  of  Missouri, 
and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  two  chil- 
dren, Alma  C.  and  George  H.  r^Ir.  Auld  is 
one  of  the  most  substantial  and  highly  respect- 
ed men  of  this  communitj'  and  takes  an  active 
interest  in  all  matters  tending  to  improve  and 
develop  his  part  of  the  state. 


TAAIES  MILLIGAX.  Occupying  a  con- 
spicuous position  among  the  agriculturists  of 
Ventura  county  who  have  worked  their  way 
forward  from  poverty  to  independence  and 
through  hardships  to  success,  mention  should 
be  made  of  James  ]Milligan,  the  owner  of  a 
finely  improved  ranch  lying  three-fourths  of 
a  mile  south  of  Oxnard.  The  farm  is  valuable 
by  reason  of  its  remarkable  fertility  as  well  as 
its  substantial  improvements.  At  the  time  of 
])urchasing  in  1899,  Mr.  Milligan  paid  $265  an 
acre  for  sixty-three  acres  and  at  once  devoted 
the  soil  to  the  raising  of  beans  and  beets.  By 
subsequent  purchase  he  has  increased  the 
ranch  to  its  present  dimensions  of  one  hundred 
and  seven  acres,  all  under  the  plow  and  lying 
in  one  body.  An  abundance  of  water  is  fur- 
ished  by  means  of  an  artesian  well  with  a 
pumping  plant,  and  with  the  best  of  facilities 
for  irrigation  it  lias  been  possible  for  the  own- 
er to  raise  as  much  as  twenty-five  tons  of 
sugar  beets  per  acre.  The  cost  of  bringing 
the  crop  to  a  condition  for  marketing  is  far 
greater  than  would  he  supposed  by  those  un- 
familiar with  the  business.  At  present  prices 
for  labor  and  seed,  the  cost  may  be  estimated 
as  follows:  S2  ner  acre  for  seed:  $2  per  acre 
for  hoeing  and  cultivating:  $2.50  for  plowing; 
$5  for  thinning  the  plants ;  $10  for  loading  the 
crop :  and  $6  for  hauling,  a  total  of  $27.50,  so 
that  it  costs  little  less  than  $30  per  acre  to 
raise  beets  and  deliver  them. 

During  the  ninteenth  century  John  and 
Jane  (Campbell")  Milliken,  natives  of  county 
Antrim.  Ireland,  immigrated  to  the  United 
States  and  settled  near  Ogdensburg,  N.  Y.,  in 
Lisbon  township,  St.  Lawrence  county,  Avhere 
the  father  engaged  in  farming  until  his  death 
at  sixty-five  years,  and  the  mother  also  died 
at  that  place.  Both  were  descended  from 
Scotch  ancestors  who  fled  to  Ireland  dur- 
ing the  era  of  religious  persecutions.  Their 
two   sons.    Tames    and    William     C.     (twins). 


changed  the  family  name  for  convenience  to 
Milligan.  They  were  born  near  Ogdensburg, 
N.  Y.,  June  29,  1856,  and  William  C.  died  at 
Worcester,  Mass.  James  was  reared  on  the 
home  farm  and  received  common-school  edu- 
cational advantages.  During  April  of  1880 
he  came  west  as  far  as  Nevada,  where  he  spent 
one  year  at  Reno.  From  there  he  came  to 
California  and  settled  in  Ventura  county.  Be- 
ing entirely  without  means,  he  was  obliged  to 
work  for  wages,  and  for  a  few  years  Avas  em- 
ployed as  a  farm  hand,  rising  in  time  to  be 
foreman  of  the  Dixie  Thompson  ranch,  where 
he  remained  for  seven  years  in  the  successful 
management  of  the  estate.  With  the  savings 
of  that  period  he  bought  thirtj'-six  acres  two 
miles  northwest  of  the  present  site  of  Oxnard 
and  began  to  engage  in  raising  beans,  but 
later  he  sold  the  land  in  order  to  purchase  the 
larger  ranch  he  now  owns.  When  it  is  re- 
membered that  he  came  to  Ventura  county 
practically  penniless  and  now  owns  a  property 
valued  at  many  thousands  of  dollars,  it  will 
he  conceded  that  this  county  ofifers  many  op- 
portunities to  men  of  energy,  determination 
and  industrious  habits. 

After  coming  to  Ventura  county  ]\Ir.  ^lilli- 
gan  met  and  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Hutchins, 
who  was  born  near  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  re- 
ceived a  fair  education,  and  is  a  lady  of  gentle 
disposition,  earnestly  devoted  to  her  family 
and  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of 
which  she  is  a  faithful  member.  Their  family 
consists  of  six  children,  namely:  Estella, 
Ralph,  James,  William,  Robert  and  John. 
While  JNTr.  Milligan  has  been  too  deeply  en- 
grossed in  agricultural  affairs  to  pei'mit  of  ac- 
tivity in  politics,  yet  he  always  has  kept  post- 
ed concerning  Issues  before  the  nation  and  has 
given  his  steadfast  allegiance  to  the  Republi- 
can party,  at  one  time  serving  as  a  member  of 
its  county  central  committee.  The  only  fra- 
ternal organization  to  which  he  belongs  is  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  his  mem- 
bership being  with  the  lodge  at  Oxnard. 


DR.  ROBERT  W.  BROWN  is  one  of  the  re- 
spected and  highly  esteemed  physicians  in  the 
Santa  Maria  valley  and  is  recognized  as  a  man 
thoroughly  well  posted  in  all  matters  pertain- 
ing to  his  profession :  in  the  short  time  that  he 
has  been  practicing  in  this  communitv  he  has 
built  up  an  extensive  practice.  His  fine  home 
in  Santa  IMaria  is  one  of  the  most  comfortable 
in  the  village.  Dr.  Brown  was  bom  in  London. 
England,  January  27,  1862.  His  father,  Samuel 
Brown,  who  was  a  merchant,  died  at  the  age  of 
fifty-two  years  in  his  native  land,  while  the 
mother,   who  was  !Miss   Jane  Palmer  before  her 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1145 


marriage,  and  also  a'  native  of  England,  lived 
to  be  sixty-five  years  old.  There  were  eleven 
children  born  to  this  family,  seven  of  whom  are 
still  living,  the  doctor  being  the  only  member  of 
the  family  in  California.  The  mother  was  a 
communicant  of  the  Episcopal  Church  and  the 
son  holds  a  membership  in  the  same  denomina- 
tion. 

Dr.  Brown  received  his  early  education  in  a 
private  school  in  London,  where  he  prepared  for 
his  collegiate  course.  Then  he  went  to  Canada 
and  entered  the  Manitoba  Medical  College  at 
Winnipeg,  later  taking  the  lexamination  at  the 
University  of  Manitoba  in  the  same  city.  In 
his  studies  he  pursued  a  general  line  in  medi- 
cine and  surgery  and  later  received  his  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  From  Canada  he  came 
to  the  United  States,  in  1893,  locating  at  Glen- 
wood,  Wis.,  where  he  remained  for  five  years 
practicing  his  profession.  From  there  he  removed 
to  Nipomo,  Cal.,  where  he  followed  a  general 
practice  of  medicine  until  1905,  when  he  came 
to  Santa  Maria.  In  1894  his  marriage  to  Miss 
Anna  L.  Kidd,  a  native  of  Ireland,  occurred, 
and  to  them  have  been  born  two  children,  Roy 
and  Lucile.  Mrs.  Brown  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  which  she  is  an 
active  worker.  Fraternally  Dr.  Brown  affiliates 
with  the  Masonic  order  at  Santa  Maria  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Red  Men 
of  this  place. 


ARISTIDES  E.  STOKES.  Years  ago,  ere 
white  men  had  discovered  the  possibilities  of  the 
Ramona  valley  and  ere  any  attempt  had  been 
made  at  permanent  settlement  or  improvement, 
there  came  to  this  region  Adolphus  Stokes,  a 
native  of  Los  Angeles  and  a  young  man  eager  to 
acquire  large  tracts  for  his  stock  interests.  A 
tour  of  inspection  convinced  him  that  abundant 
pasturage  could  here  be  obtained  for  his  large 
herds,  and  accordingly  he  bought  such  properties 
as  were  for  sale,  gradually  increasing  his  pos- 
sessions until  he  held  the  title  to  seventeen  thou- 
sand seven  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  the  valley. 
Upon  the  land  he  put  up  a  cabin  of  adobe  and  es- 
tablished himself  as  the  first  wdiite  settler  in  the 
valley,  taking  up  the  difficult  task  of  improving  a 
homestead  remote  from  human  habitation  and 
destitute  of  means  of  transportation  to  the  mar- 
kets. As  people  began  to  be  attracted  to  the 
country  he  sold  oft'  some  of  his  estate,  retaining 
perhaps  one-fourth  of  the  entire  grant,  and  at  his 
death,  February  2T,  1897,  at  the  age  of  fifty-three 
years,  he  left  to  his  children  about  fifteen  hundred 
acres  of  the  original  tract.  He  built  three  houses 
on  different  parts  of  his  property  and  conducted 
the  first  stage  line  between  Julian  and  San  Diego. 

Wliile  living  in  Los  Angeles  Adolphus  Stokes 


met  and  married  Dolores  Olvera,  a  young  Span- 
ish girl,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  that  city, 
and  who  was  a  member  of  an  old  family  of  South- 
ern CaHfornia.  Her  death  occurred  January 
6,  1896,  when  she  was  forty-nine  years  of  age. 
Seven  children  were  born  of  their  union,. namely : 
Concepcion,  wife  of  Ernest  S.  Howe,  mentioned 
elsewhere  in  this  volume ;  Aristides  E. ;  Flora,  of 
San  Diego;  Camilla,  who  married  C.  R.  Angui- 
sola,  of  San  Diego;  Esperanza,  wife  of  William 
O.  Marr,  of  Coronado ;  Esther,  who  died  at 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  and  Ysabella,  wife  of 
Robert  Green,  of  Escondido. 

During  the  residence  of  the  family  in  Los  An- 
geles Aristides  E.  Stokes  was  born  February  9, 
1872.  In  early  childhood  he  came  to  the  Ra- 
mona valley  and  here  he  attended  the  public 
schools.  Later  "he  was  sent  to  Santa  Clara  Col- 
lege in  order  that  he  might  have  advantages  im- 
possible in  the  home  locality,  but  ill  health  pre- 
vented him  from  completing  the  course  and 
obliged  him  to  relinquish  his  studies  entirely. 
Upon  regaining  his  strength  he  entered  actively 
upon  agricultural  pursuits  and  carried  on  a  part- 
nership with  his  father  in  the  raising  of  stock. 
After  the  death  of  his  father  he  acquired  inde- 
pendent interests  and  now  owns  a  ranch  of  about 
two  hundred  acres  near  the  village  of  Ramona. 
where  he  keeps  about  fifteen  milch  cows  as  well 
as  other  stock  and  carries  on  grain  and  stock 
farming.  The  neat  house  on  the  ranch  reflects 
the  tastes  and  orderly  spirit  characteristic  of  Mrs. 
Stokes,  who  was  fomierly  JNIiss  Emma  J.  Libby, 
being  a  daughter  of  an  honored  pioneer,  B.  F. 
Libby.  mentioned  on  another  page  of  this  volume. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stokes  were  married  at  San  Luis 
Rey  February  14,  1901,  and  are  the  parents  of 
four  sons,  Benjamin  Franklin,  Edward  C, 
Charles  Raymond  and  Harold  L.  The  family  are 
of  the  Catholic  faith  and  have  their  membership 
in  the  San  Diego  church  of  that  denomination. 
Politically  Mr.  Stokes  favors  Democratic  prin- 
ciples and  always  votes  for  the  men  and  meas- 
ures of  the  party.  Though  not  caring  for  office 
himself,  he  has  several  times  consented  to  serve 
as  school  trustee  and  has  filled  the  office  with 
efficiency  and  an  earnest  desire  to  advance  local 
educational  interests.  The  only  fraternal  or- 
ganization with  which  he  has  membership  is  the 
Ancient  Order  of  Foresters  at  Ramona,  Court 
No.  8520.  in  which  he  has  been  an  active  worker 
for  a  numlacr  of  years  and  to  whose  charities 
he  is  a  contributor. 


CARROLL  E.  BORDEN.  The  family  of 
which  this  enterprising  agriculturist  is  a  lead- 
ing representative  came  to  San  Diego  county 
in  an  early  day  and  has  since  given  to  their 
adopted  locality  men  and  women  of  high  prin- 


1146 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ciples  of  honor,  substantial  Avorth  and  unflag- 
ging energy,  citizens  of  inestimable  value  in 
the  permanent  development  of  the  community, 
and  contributors  to  educational,  religious  and 
philanthropic  movements.  Extended  mention 
of  the  family  appears  on  another  page  of  this 
volume,  in  the  sketch  of  Mrs.  JNIinnie  L.  Bor- 
den, mother  of  Carroll  E.  Borden,  and  an  hon- 
ored resident  of  the  county. 

The  entire  life  of  Carroll  E.  Borden  thus  far 
has  been  passed  within  the  limits  of  his  native 
county  of  San  Diego,  where  he  was  born  at 
San  Marcos  Ma}'  13,  1884.  and  where  he  re- 
'ceived  a  fair  education  in  the  schools  of  Carls- 
bad. MHiile  still  a  mere  lad  he  gained  a  com- 
prehensive knowledge  of  agriculture  as  ap- 
plied to  the  soil  and  climate  of  his  home  coun- 
ty, hence  he  was  qualified  to  engage  success- 
fully in  farm  pursuits  when,  in  1903,  he  left 
the  parental  roof  and  started  out  to  make  his 
own  way  in  the  world.  Removing  to  a  tract 
of  five  hundred  acres  in  the  vicinity  of  Vista, 
he  erected  a  farm  house,  substantial  barn  and 
other  buildings,  and  has  since  given  his  atten- 
tion to  the  maintenance  of  a  high  class  of  im- 
provements on  the  farm.  The  raising  of  grain 
has  been  his  specialty  and  the  entire  tract  is 
under  cultivation  to  cereals. 

To  his  country  home  Mr.  Borden  brou'ght  a 
wife  in  1905,  his  marriage  occurring  on  the 
7th  of  Jnne  of  that  year  and  uniting  him  with 
Miss  lleonore  Beller,  daughter  of  Alexander 
Beller,  a  well-known  citizen  of  Carlsbad.  In 
their  religious  views  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Borden 
support  the  doctrines  of  the  Christian  Church 
and  are  contributors  to  its  missionary  move- 
ments and  local  charities.  The  Fraternal 
Brotherhood  numbers  Mr.  Borden  among  its 
members  and  his  interest  in  its  work  has  been 
constant.  Appreciating  the  evil  wrought  by 
the  indiscriminate  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors, 
he  has  taken  a  firm  stand  against  saloons  and 
has  given  his  sympathy  and  co-operation  to 
the  prohibition  cause.  These  a  lews  he  carries 
into  the  political  field  and  gives  his  ballot  to 
Prohibition  candidates  whenever  that  party 
puts  a  ticket  before  the  voters  of  his  localitj'. 


RICHARD  O.  HUNT.  It  has  been  the 
good  fortune  of  Mr.  Hunt  to  succeed  beyond 
his  expectations  in  the  California  enterprises 
in  which  he  has  been  interested  since  his  ar- 
rival in  this  state  over  thirty  years  ago,  and 
few  have  more  readily  adapted  themselves  to 
western  opportunities  for  advancement,  nor 
can  it  be  said  that  his  youth  held  more  than 
ordinary  inducements  to  try  to  make  the  best 
of  himself  in  the  environments  in  which  he 
found  himself  thrown.     Born  in   Maine  April 


24,  1832,  he  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  state  and  there  also 
learned  the  trade  of  carriage  making,  follow- 
ing this  in  Worcester,  Mass.,  for  some  years 
before  removing  to  Chicago,  111.,  in  1853.  Af- 
ter spending  about  three  years  in  the  latter 
cit)'  he  went  for  a  short  time  to  Racine,  Wis., 
then  to  Austin,  Minn.,  following  his  trade  with 
varied  success  in  these  different  states  and 
cities.  December  24,  1863,  he  enlisted  as  sec- 
cond  lieutenant  in  Company  B,  Second  Min- 
nesota Cavalry,  under  General  Sulley,  and  with 
his  regiment  went  through  the  Dakotas,  par- 
ticipating in  several  severe  battles  with  In- 
dians. The  following  November  he  was  pro- 
moted to  first  lieutenant  and  served  until  De- 
cember I,  1865,  when  he  was  mustered  out, 
having  given  his  countr}-  two  years  of  efficient 
service. 

Coming  to  California  in  1872,  Mr.  Hunt 
opened  up  a  carriage  shop  in  Santa  Barbara 
which  is  still  in  operation  under  the  firm  name 
of  Hunt's  Son  &  Schuster,  his  son  Charles  L., 
having  this  business  under  his  supervision. 
About  three  years  -after  coming  to  this  state 
he  purchased  nearly  a  thousand  acres  of  land 
in  the  Conejo  valley,  Ventura  county,  which 
he  rented  out  for  nearly  ten  years,  but  being 
unable  to  procure  or  keep  satisfactory  ten- 
ants, he  I'AOved  upon  the  ranch  himself  in  1887, 
and  since  that  time  has  made  his  home  here 
continuously.  The  greater  portion  of  his  land 
is  devoted  to  raising  grain  and  stock,  and  a 
dairy  of  thirty-live  cows.  Nearly  all  of  the 
butter  produced  from  his  dairy,  averaging 
about  one  hundred  pounds  a  week,  is  sold  in 
Ventura.  He  has  recently  erected  a  large  silo 
upon  his  ranch  16x31  feet,  and  fitted  it  out 
with  modern  machiner3^ 

The  marriage  of  ]\Ir.  Hunt  was  solemnized 
in  Chicago.  111.,  in  1854,  and  united  him  to 
Mary  J.  Brown,  a  native  of  Oxford,  Mass. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hunt  have  eight  children,  name- 
ly; Walter  L.,  Vv'ho  is  in  the  grocery  business 
in  Santa  Barbara ;  Charles  L.,  managing  the 
carriage  business  founded  by  his  father  in  San- 
ta Barbara ;  D.  Frank,  formerly  business  man- 
ager of  the  Morning  Press  of  Santa  Barbara, 
1)ut  now  postmaster  of  Santa  Barbara :  Lorin 
E.,  a  professor  at  the  University  of  California 
at  Berkeley ;  Hamlet  R.,  who  has  a  fruit  farm 
at  Niles,  Cal. ;  Albert  W.,  a  farmer  on  the 
home  ranch ;  H.  F.,  who  is  a  blacksmith  at 
Pasadena:  and  Alice  F.,  the  wife  of  Edward 
Hunt  of  Berkeley.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Hunt  is 
3  mem.ber  of  Ventura  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  also 
of  the  Royal  Arch  Masons.  He  is  also  an  hon- 
ored member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public of  Ventura.  Ever  since  coming  to  his 
ranch  in  1887  he  has  been  a  familiar  figure  in 


A^Oc^llJ-^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1149 


the  neighborhood,  and  his  kindly  nature  and 
general  interest  in  his  surroundings  have  won 
him  many  true  friends  among  those  who,  like 
himself,  are  appreciators  of  the  land  resources 
of  this  very  productive  portion  of  the  state. 
Airs.  Hunt  is  an  estimable  woman  and  shares 
in  the  popularity  and  regard  of  her  husband, 
fine  and  deserving  traits  of  character  in  both 
having  contributed  towards  making  this  feel- 
ing general  among  their  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances. 


FATHER  DANIEL  WEBSTER  MUR- 
PHY. The  interests  of  the  Catholic  Church 
in  Hollywood  are  zealously  guarded  by  Rev. 
Father  Murphy,  who  has  had  charge  of  the 
parish   at   this   place   since   January    12,    1904. 

A  native  of  County  Cork,  Ireland,  born  Jan- 
uary 12,  1876,  he  was  brought  to  the  United 
States  when  a  child  of  four  years  and  was 
reared  and  trained  in  Cambridge,  Mass.  His 
initial  school  training  received  in  the  east  was 
continued  in  Redlands,  Cal.,  whither  he  came 
at  the  age  of  fourteen  years.  All  of  his  school- 
ing and  training  thus  far  had  been  with  the 
object  of  preparing  himself  for  the  priesthood, 
and  for  the  purpose  of  receiving  his  credentials 
he  went  to  Baltimore,  Md.,  in  1894.  Cardi- 
nal James  Gibbons  conferred  the  solemn  rites 
of  priesthood  upon  him  in  1899.  TlTcreafter 
he  was  first  appointed  assistant  to  the  Cathe- 
dral at  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  where  he  served 
almost  four  years.  Hollywood  at  that  time  was 
attended  from  the  Old  Mission  of  Los  Angeles. 

The  arrival  of  Rev.  Thomas  J.  Conaty  in 
the  southern  diocese,  as  bishop  of  Monterey 
and  Los  Angeles,  resulted  in  transferring 
Father  Alurphy  to  the  parish  at  Hollywood, 
which  has  been  his  sole  charge  since  January, 
1904.  Mass  was  first  celebrated  in  this  parish 
Mav  3,  1769,  by  the  founder  of  all  the  Cali- 
fornia missions,  Father  Junipero  Sera,  and  up- 
on this  date  also  was  celebrated  the  Holy 
A¥ood  of  the  Cross,  hence  the  name  of  Holy- 
wood,  or  Hollywood,  the  name  which  was  aft- 
erward given  to  the  place  bv  the  wife  of  John 
L.  Beveridge,  of  this  place.  When  Father 
Murphy  took  charge  of  the  parish  it  numbered 
onlv' fourteen  adult  parishioners,  and  in  about 
three  vears  the  membership  has  increased  to 
seven  hundred,  including  among  the  number 
many  of  the  leading  citizens  in  the  surround- 
ing countrv.  The  neighboring  towns  of  Col- 
grove.  Sherman  and  Prospect  Park  are  included 
in  the  Hollvwood  parish.  During  1905-06 
Father  ]\Iurphv  built  the  church  at  St.  A^'ictor, 
at  a  cost  of  $10,000.  this  being  the  gift  of  Vic- 
tor Ponet,  the  Belgian  consul  at  Los  Angeles. 
He    also    erected    the    present    church    edifice 


soon  after  his  removal  to  this  parish,  purchas- 
ing one  and  a  half  acres  of  ground  upon  which 
the  church  was  later  erected  at  a  cost  of  $29,- 
200. 

Closely  associated  with  the  parish  at  Holly- 
wood is  the  Immaculate  Heart  College,  which 
was  founded  by  the  sisters  of  the  Immaculate 
Heart,  under  the  auspices  of  Rt.  Rev.  Thomas 
J.  Conaty.  The  site  of  the  college  is  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  spots  to  be  found  in  this 
part  of  the  state,  in  the  midst  of  undulating 
foothills.  The  building  is  a  brick  and  con- 
crete structure  of  late  mission  type,  erected  at 
a  cost  of  $160,000,  surrounded  by  fourteen 
acres  of  land.  The  college  is  in  charge  of 
Mother  Superior  Mary  Magdalene,  and  sixty- 
five  sisters.  Instruction  in  the  college  is  di- 
vided into  three  main  departments,  high 
school,  college,  and  department  of  music,  art 
and  dramatic  art.  Besides  giving  instruction 
to  both  resident  and  day  pupils,  ladies  are 
here  trained  for  the  sisterhood. 

Not  only  has  Father  Murphy  been  an  im- 
portant factor  in  the  religious  life  of  Holly- 
wood, but  his  influence  has  also  been  felt  with 
equal  force  in  the  secular  afifairs  of  the  town 
and  surrounding  country.  As  a  member  of  the 
board  of  trade  he  has  taken  a  special  inter- 
est in  the  work  of  street  improvement,  his 
eflforts  along  this  line  being  productive  of 
much  good.  The  cause  of  temperance  is  an- 
other matter  which  lies  close  to  his  heart,  and 
his  influence  among  the  young  of  his  parish 
and  elsewhere  in  this  direction  is  widespread 
jnd  deep.  Father  JMurphy  is  one  of  the  char- 
ter members  of  Hollywood  Club  and  is  chap- 
lain of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  of  Los  An- 
geles, the  largest  body  of  laymen  in  that  city. 
During  their  general  convention  in  June,  1905, 
they  presented  the  church  with  a  beautiful 
stained  glass  window  representing  the  landing 
of  Columbus  and  the  first  Catholic  service  in 
America,  October  12,  1492.  Father  IMurphy's 
parents,  John  S.  and  Nora  (Mahoney)  Mur- 
phy, also  natives  of  County  Cork,  are  still  liv- 
ing, making  their  home  in  Redlands,  Cal.  An 
uncle  of  John  3.  ^Murphy,  Daniel  Murphy,  of 
Hobarttown,  New  Zealand,  is  the  oldest  arch- 
bishop of  the  Catholic  church  in  the  world. 


G.  G.  BUNDY.  Ere  the  present  prosperity 
of  Southern  California  had  taken  definite  form 
except  in  the  visions  of  sanguine  and  optimistic 
citizens,  Nathan  Bundy,  a  native  of  Ohio,  sought 
a  field  of  employment  in  this  part  of  the  country 
and  identified  himself  with  the  region  which  his 
son,  G.  G.,  has  regarded  as  his  lifelong  home. 
For  a  brief  period  during  his  early  manhood 
Nathan  Bundy  had  been  a  resident  of  Iowa  and 


1150 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


from  there  he  returned  to  Ohio  to  choose  a  help- 
mate, his  wife  being  Harriet  Smith,  a  member 
.  of  a  pioneer  family  of  Ohio  and  a  native  of  that 
state.  Accompanied  by  his  wife  he  returned  to 
Iowa  and  there  followed  the  painter's  trade. 
Meanwhile  he  heard  much  concerning  Califor- 
nia and  was  induced  by  flattering  reports  to  re- 
move to  the  Pacific  coast,  a  decision  he  has  had 
no  reason  to  regret.  April  30,  1876,  he  arrived 
at  Santa  Monica,  which  then  was  an  insignificant 
hamlet  on  the  beach,  whose  attractions  as  yet 
had  not  drawn  hither  a  large  population  of  re- 
sorters  and  health-seekers.  In  addition  to  en- 
gaging at  his  trade  he  became  interested  in  the 
buying  and  selling  of  real  estate  and  enjoyed 
considerable  profits  during  the  progress  of  the 
boom.  After  having  made  Santa  Monica  his 
home  for  more  than  twenty  years,  in  1898  he  re- 
moved to  Los  Angeles  and  now  resides  at  No. 
1766  West  Twenty-fourth  street,  on  the  corner  of 
Congress  street. 

During  the  residence  of  the  family  at  Ames. 
Story  county,  Iowa,  G.  G.  Bundy  was  born 
IVIarch  21,  1873,  and  he  was  three  years  of  age 
at  the  time  of  coming  to  California.  Primarily 
educated  in  the  Santa  Monica  grammar  school,  he 
had  the  supplementary  advantage  of  attendance 
at  the  high  school  of  that  city,  graduating  with 
the  class  of  1895.  the  first  to  receive  diplomas 
from  that  institution.  After  leaving  school  he 
took  up  the  oil  business,  which  he  followed  for 
six  years,  and  then  turned  his  attention  to  the 
management  of  his  livery  business,  the  Santa 
[Monica  stables,  and  to  the  buying  and  selling  of 
real  estate,  in  which  he  has  met  with  encourag- 
ing success.  In  politics  he  always  gives  his 
alfegiance  to  the  Republican  party  and  takes  a 
warm  interest  in  matters  pertaining  to  municipal 
and  state  welfare.  The  young  lady  whom  he 
selected  as  his  wife  was  Miss  Adele  A.  Smith, 
who  was  born  and  educated  in  San  Francisco, 
but  came  to  Santa  Monica  in  girlhood  and  was 
living  here  at  the  time  of  their  marriage.  Two 
children,  a  daughter  and  son,  bless  their  union. 
The  family  occupy  a  distinctive  position  in  local 
society  and  number  a  host  of  friends  among  the 
people  of  their  home  town. 


NATHANIEL  AIcCLAIN,  a  pioneer  rancher 
of  Los  Angeles  county,  is  a  citizen  who  stands 
high  in  the  esteem  of  all  who  know  him,  both 
for  his  personal  qualities  of  character  and  his 
business  ability.  He  was  born  in  Utah  Septem- 
ber 29,  1856,  a  son  of  Francis  McQain  ;  the  latter 
was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  who  emigrated  in 
young  manhood,  crossing  the  plains  to  Nevada 
in  1850.  and  engaging  in  the  mines  of  that  sec- 
tion. He  met  with  considerable  success  in  his 
efforts    and    acquired    independence.      Later    he 


went  to  Utah  and  passed  many  years,  finally 
locating  again  in  Nevada,  where  he  spent  the 
ensuing  seven  years.  At  that  time  he  was  en- 
gaged in  teaming  to  the  mines.  Finally  locating 
in  Los  Angeles  count}-  he  engaged  in  farming 
and  stock-raising  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1881,  at  the  age  of  forty-eight  years.  He  was 
a  man  of  energy  and  ability  and  accumulated 
a  property  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  which 
was  divided  among  his  children.  Politically  he 
was  an  adherent  of  the  principles  advocated  in 
the  platform  of  the  Democratic  party  and  gave 
every  effort  toward  the  advancement  of  these 
interests.  While  a  resident  of  Utah  he  took  part 
in  many  Indian  wars,  being  a  resident  of  the 
state  at  the  time  of  the  Mountain  Meadow  mas- 
sacre. His  wife  was  formerly  Lovina  Green, 
a  native  of  lUinois,  whose  death  occurred  in 
1900,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six  years.  Both  himself 
and  wife  are  members  of  the  Latter  Da}'  Saints 
Church.  H 

One  of  the  family  of  nine  children,  all  of  whom 
are  living  in  Los  x\ngeles  save  one  son  who  is  now 
deceased,  Nathaniel  McQain  spent  the  years 
of  his  boyhood  in  various  locations,  among  them 
Nevada  and  Oregon  and  California,  coming  to 
Los  Angeles  in  1869  and  here  completing  his 
education  in  a  private  institution.  At  the  age 
of  twenty  years  he  began  ranching  for  himself, 
following  his  early  training  along  this  line.  He 
has  made  a  success  of  his  work,  accumulating 
considerable  means  and  at  the  same  time  build- 
ing up  for  himself  a  place  of  esteem  among  his 
fellow-citizens.  In  1877  he  established  home  ties 
through  his  marriage  with  ■Miss  Martha  Vick. 
a  native  of  California  and  the  stepdaughter  of 
James  S.  Hart,  who  came  to  California  in  an 
early  day  and  who  is  still  living  at  the  age  of 
seventy-seven  years.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hart,  the 
mother  of  Mrs.  McClain,  is  also  an  old  pioneer  of 
the  state.  With  her  parents  she  started  from  St. 
Joseph,  Mo.,  in  1849,  traveling  by  ox-train,  but 
both  her  parents  died  before  reaching  their  desti- 
nation. Arriving  in  the  state  early  in  the  spring  of 
1850,  Mrs.  McClain  thereafter  made  her  home  in 
Sacramento.  She  is  still  living,  at  the  age  of 
seventy  years  on  the  homestead  in  Green 
]\Ieadows,  surrounded  by  her  children,  grand- 
children and  great-grandchildren.  Her  ex- 
periences in  California  during  the  gold-seeking 
times  make  her  an  interesting  conversationalist. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  jMcQain  located  upon 
an  eighty-acre  tract  belonging  to  his  father-in- 
law,  where  he  is  still  living,  also  owning  at  the 
present  writing  twenty  acres  on  Manchester 
avenue,  all  of  which  is  devoted  to  the  rais- 
ing of  grain.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McClain  be- 
came the  parents  of  seven  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Irena  L.,  Viola  L.,  James  N.,  Arline  C. 
Leona-N.,  Inez  N.  and  Evelvn  N.     The  second 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1151 


daughter,  Viola  L.,  became  the  wife  of  A.  G. 
Williams,  and  at  her  death  February  9,  1906, 
at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years,  left  three  chil- 
dren, Arville  Guy,  Evelyn  Viola  and  James 
Wesley.  Since  the  death  of  their  mother  these 
children  have  made  their  home  with  their  grand- 
parents, Mr.  and  Mrs.  McClain.  The  youngest 
child  James  Wesley,  survived  his  mother  seven 
months,  passing  away  September  2,  igc6,  at  two 
years  of  age.  The  only  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
McClain,  James  N.,  married  Miss  Martha  Barn- 
hill,  who  is  a  talented  musician,  and  they  are  the 
proud  parents  of  one  daughter.  Nathaniel  Mc- 
Clain belongs  to  the  Fraternal  Aid  Association 
of  Los  Angeles,  and  politically  he  is  a  stanch 
Democrat.  His  religious  belief  conforms  with 
the  doctrines  of  the  Church  of  the  Latter  Day 
Saints,  though  he  is  not  an  active  member  of 
that  body,  while  his  wife's  views  coincide  with 
the  doctrines  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
although  not  an  active  member  of  the  Church. 


GEORGE  W.  WISEMAN.  Ever  since  com- 
ing to  the  state  in  1893  Mr.  Wiseman  has  been 
associated  in  business  with  his  brother,  Haldon 
R.,  and  since  1904  they  have  owned  and  man- 
aged the  principal  book  and  stationery  store  in 
Sawtelle.  The  father,  Abner  Wiseman,  was  a 
native  of  Kentucky,  born  in  Estill  county,  j\Iarch 
7,  1845,  and  was  therefore  about  sixteen  years 
old  at  the  time  of  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war. 
His  youthful  spirit  needed  no  urging  to  prompt 
him  to  enlist,  and  before  long  his  name  was  en- 
rolled in  the  Eighth  Kentucky  Infantry.  After 
a  faithful  service  extending  over  four  years  and 
six  months  he  met  with  a  severe  accident  re- 
sulting from  the  overturning  of  an  ammunition 
wagon.  This  unfitted  him  for  further  service, 
and  indeed  it  was  ten  years  before  he  recovered 
from  the  effects  of  the  injury  sufficiently  to  re- 
sume business.  Purchasing  eighty  acres  of  land 
in  Estill  county,  Ky.,  he  carried  on  farming  there 
for  about  ten  years,  at  the  end  of  this  time  re- 
moving to  Dent  county,  Md.,  for  two  years  en- 
gaging in  the  iron  works  there,  burning  wood  for 
charcoal.  For  a  short  time  he  was  engaged  in 
the  same  business  in  Oswego,  Ore.,  going  from 
there  to  Walla  Walla,  Wash.,  where  for  twelve 
years  he  carried  on  agricultural  pursuits.  Ad- 
vancing years,  however,  made  it  advisable  for 
him.  to  discontinue  active  duties  and  in  1894  he 
sold  out  his  interest  in  Washington  and  entered 
the  soldier's  home  at  Santa  Monica.  While  on 
furlough  he  visits  his  sons  in  Sawtelle.  Politi- 
cally he  is  a  Republican.  The  Woodmen  of  the 
World  number  him  among  their  members,  as  do 
also  the  comrades  of  the  John  A.  Martin  Grand 
Army  post  at  Sawtelle.  Mrs.  Wiseman  was  be- 
fore her  marriage  Mary  Ellen  Obney,  and  she. 


too,  was  born  in  Estill  county,  Ky.,  December 
28,  1847.  By  her  marriage  with  Mr.  Wiseman 
six  children  were  born,  as  follows  :  Sophie  Anna, 
who  died  in  Walla  Walla,  Wash.,  in  1894;  George 
W.,  our  subject;  Martha  J.,  Mrs.  J.  R.  Arm- 
strong ;  Joel  S.,  who  married  Anna  Shurtz ;  Hal- 
don R.,  who  is  in  partnership  with  his  brother  in 
Sawtelle,  and  Thomas  B.,  who  married  Alice 
Fletcher. 

George  W.  Wiseman  was  next  to  the  oldest 
of  the  family  and  was  born  in  Estill  county,  Ky., 
February  17,  1870.  When  the  family  located  in 
Washington  he  was  still  a  young  lad  and  in  the 
schools  of  Walla  Walla  he  gained  his  first  knowl- 
edge of  books.  This  training  he  later  supple^ 
mented  by  a  business  course,  which  he  soon  put 
into  pi-actice  by  establishing  himself  in  the  grain 
business,  following  this  for  a  number  of  years. 
After  conducting  a  farm  in  that  state  for  two 
years  he  came  to  Los  Angeles  county,  and  in 
Santa  Monica  established  a  dairy  business  with 
his  brother,  Haldon  R.,  and  in  an  incredibly  short 
time  they  found  themselves  in  possession  of  one 
of  the  largest  dairy  industries  in  this  part  of  Los 
Angeles  county.  The  same  spirit  which  prompted 
their  father  to  lay  aside  his  farm  implements  and 
enter  the  service  of  his  country  at  the  time  oi 
the  Civil  war  led  the  brothers  to  dispose  of  their 
flourishing  business  and  enlist  in  the  Spanish- 
American  war.  During  their  three  years  service 
they  were  in  several  skirmishes  and  one  engage- 
ment, but  unlike  their  father  they  escaped  in- 
jury. It  was  after  the  return  from  the  war  that 
they  came  to  Sawtelle  and  bought  out  the  book 
store  of  which  they  are  now  the  proprietors,  and 
their  success  in  the  years  in  which  they  have  been 
residents  here  prove  them  to  be  men  of  push 
and  perseverance  and  well  worthy  the  success 
which  has  followed  their  efforts.  Politically 
they  are  defenders  of  Republican  principles. 
George  W.  Wiseman  is  interested  in  fraternal 
matters  to  some  extent,  holding  membership  in 
the  Odd  Fellows  order  and  the  Fraternal  Bro- 
therhood. 


DAVID  BRUCE.  As  one  of  the  progressive 
ranchmen  of  Arroyo  Grande,  David  Bruce  is  an 
earnest  advocate  of  every  enterprise  that  tends 
toward  the  upbuilding  of  his  community.  A  fine 
gentleman,  successful,  careful  and  conscientious 
in  all  of  his  business  transactions,  it  goes  with- 
out saying  that  he  is  well  thought  of  by  everyone 
with  whom  he  comes  in  contact.  His  ranch  com- 
prises forty-two  acres  of  as  fertile  land  as  there 
is  in  the  valley,  and  it  is  devoted  to  a  variety 
of  crops,  including  dewberries,  beans  and  lem- 
ons. The  family  residence  is  a  commodious 
structure,  and  the  entire  property  is  up-to-date 
and  in  excellent  condition. 


1152 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Mr.  Bruce  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  born  May 
lo,  i860,  and  there  he  received  the  most  of  his 
education.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  in  1876, 
he  immigrated  to  Canada,  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing there  for  six  years  before  coming  to  Califor- 
nia in  1882.  His  father  before  him  was  a  farmer 
in  Ireland  and  the  lessons  of  careful  industry 
and  attention  to  details  which  the  father  instilled 
in  the  minds  of  his  sons  was  a  part  of  Mr. 
Bruce"s  education.  This  was  supplemented  with 
the  adoption  of  the  most  up-to-date  methods  of 
ranching  in  this  country,  and  from  the  time  of 
his  arrival  in  California' in  1882  he  has  met  with 
great  success  in  all  of  his  undertakings.  He 
first  settled  at  Stockton,  in  San  Joaquin  county, 
and  ranched  there  for  four  years,  when,  in  1886, 
he  removed  to  Marine,  where  for  two  years  he 
had  charge  of  a  large  dairy  ranch  of  twenty-two 
hundred  acres.  From  there  he  went  to  Cholame 
and  engaged  in  ranching  and  grain  farming  for 
sixteen  years,  having  acquired  title  to  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres,  which  he  sold  when  he 
came  to  Arroyo  Grande  and  purchased  the  place 
upon  which  he  now  resides  with  his  family.  In 
1904  i\Ir.  Bruce  married  Emily  Boxall,  who  im- 
migrated to  this  country  from  her  native  coun- 
try, England,  and  to  them  has  been  born  one 
child,  John  Lester  Bruce, 

Politically  Mr.  Bruce  is  a  strong  supporter  of 
the  principles  embodied  in  the  platform  of  the 
Republican  party,  and  takes  an  active  interest  in 
all  matters  affecting  the  community,  state  and 
country  in  which  he  lives.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  which  they  support  with  their  means 
and  their  labors  and  in  all  things  they  fill  an 
important  place  in  the  life  of  Arroyo  Grande. 
As  to  his  antecedents,  both  parents  of  Mr.  Bruce 
were  natives  of  Ireland,  the  father,  James 
Bruce,  having  died  there  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
seven  years,  and  the  mother,  Mary  (Crawford) 
Bruce,' lived  to  be  one  year  older  than  her  hus- 
band. The  family  consisted  of  six  children,  all 
of  whom  now  live  in  Ireland  except  two,  Joseph 
Bruce,  a  resident  of  Mendocino  county,  Cal,  and 
David  Bruce,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 


WILLIAM  HARVEY  HOWELL.  One 
and  a  half  miles  west  of  Lemon,  and  not  far 
from  the  Fairview  school  house,  lies  the  six- 
ty-five acre  ranch  owned  and  supervised  by 
Mr.  Howell.  A  combination  of  circumstances 
makes  this  without  question  one  of  the  rich- 
est and  most  productive  ranches  in  this  part 
of  Los  Angeles  coimty,  its  rich  black  loam 
taking  first  rank  among  its  superior  advan- 
tages. Thirty  acres  of  the  tract  are  in  walnuts, 
twenty  in  alfalfa  (although  this  latter  tract  is 
being   replaced    with    walnuts"),    and    the    re- 


mainder is  in  grapes  and  deciduous  fruits,  the 
whole  being  irrigated  by  a  pumping  plant. 

The  earliest  ancestor  of  the  Howell  family 
of  whom  we  have  any  definite  information  is 
the  grandfather,  James  Howell,  who  was  born 
in  Illinois  but  early  in  life  settled  as  a  pioneer 
farmer  in  the  adjoining  state  of  Iowa.  There 
he  followed  the  peaceful  life  of  the  agricult- 
urist throughout  the  remainder  of  his  life  and 
reared  a  family  to  lives  of  usefulness.  Among 
his  children  was  G.  AV.  Howell,  who  was  born 
in  White  Oak,  Mahaska  county,  Iowa,  and 
now  makes  his  home  on  a  farm  in  the  same  lo- 
cality. His  wife,  formerly  Martha  Cox,  was 
also  a  native  of  White  Oak,  Iowa,  her  father, 
Isaac  Cox,  settling  in  that  commonwealth 
during  the  early  history  of  its  settlement, 
three  children,  all  sons,  were  born  to  this 
worthy  couple,  William  H.  being  the  eldest 
of  the  number.  He  was  born  September  i, 
1873,  on  the  parental  homestead  in  Iowa  and 
was  partially  reared  in  that  state,  but  the  re- 
moval of  his  parents  to  Kansas  in  1885  brought 
him  one  step  nearer  to  the  west  and  the 
scene  of  his  present  labors.  First  in  Wash- 
ington, Kans.,  and  later  in  Osborne,  that 
state,  he  attended  the  public  schools,  and  it 
was  during  the  family's  residence  in  that 
state  that  the  home  was  saddened  by  the 
death  of  the  mother. 

When  twenty  years  of  age,  in  1893,  Will- 
iam H.  Howell  struck  out  for  himself,  his  de- 
cision to  come  to  California  being  influenced 
no  doubt  from  the  fact  that  an  uncle,  James 
Staples,  an  old  forty-niner,  was  living  in  this 
state.  Going  to  Dutch  Flat,  where  his  rela- 
tive lived,  he  remained  there  a  short  time  and 
then  went  to  Truckee,  where  for  six  months 
he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Truckee  Lumber 
Company.  From  Nevada  county  he  came  to 
the  southern  part  of  the  state  in  1895,  first  to 
Los  Angeles  and  then  to  Pomona,  in  the  lat- 
ter place  following  the  cement  business  for 
a  time.  Going  back  to  Los  Angeles,  he  held 
a  position  with  a  cold  storage  company  for  a 
short  time,  and  the  following  year,  1896,  came 
to  Lemon  and  settled  upon  a  rented  ranch. 
Two  years  later  he  purchased  his  present 
ranch  of  sixty-five  acres  in  close  proximity  to 
Lemon.  A  pumping  plant  on  the  ranch  not 
only  supplies  an  abundance  of  water  for  his 
own  use,  but  he  is  enabled  to  irrigate  neigh- 
boring ranches  also.  Everything  about  the 
ranch  bears  the  stamp  of  the  owner's  person- 
ality, the  residence,  barns,  fences  and  other 
appointments  being  kept  in  perfect  repair. 

In  Spadra  Mr.  Howell  was  married  to  Miss 
Grace  Collins,  who  was  born  in  Santa  Ana, 
the  daughter  of  D.  H.  Collins,  of  Spadra,  of 
whom   more  mav   be   learned   bv   referring  to 


^y<^^U^:^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1155 


his  sketch,  which  is  given  elsewhere  in  this 
volume.  Two-  children  have  brightened  the 
home  life  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Howell,  Burl  and 
Hazel.  jMrs.  Howell  is  a  member  of  the 
Christian  Church  of  Pomona,  toward  the  sup- 
port of  which  Mr.  Howell  contributes,  this 
also  being  true  of  all  worthy  causes  that  are 
brought  before  his  notice.  He  is  a  school 
trustee  of  the  Fairview  district,  and  is  sec- 
retary and  a  director  of  the  Walnut  Fruit 
Growers'  Association  of  Walnut.  The  only 
fraternal  organization  which  claims  Mr.  How- 
ell's membership  is  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  belonging  to  the  Camp  at  Lemon. 


SAMUEL  HELLER.  Comparatively  brief  as 
was  the  duration  of  Mr.  Heller's  life,  within  the 
narrow  limits  of  the  years  allotted  to  him  he 
accomplished  much  for  the  advancement  of  his 
personal  interests  and  the  upbuilding  of  his  home 
city.  Always  public-spirited  and  active  in  pro- 
moting the  educational  and  commercial  develop- 
ment of  Long  Beach,  he  was  intimately  asso- 
ciated with  various  movements  tending  toward 
the  permanent  welfare  of  the  town.  At  the 
time  of  his  demise  he  was  officiating  for  the 
second  term  as  president  of  the  school  board, 
during  which  service  he  had  been  an  influential 
factor  in  advancing  the  interests  of  the  public 
schools  and  had  championed  with  especial  earnest- 
ness the  plan  of  building  all  schoolhouses  two 
stories  in  height,  besides  favoring  many  other 
ideas  looking  toward  the  development  of  the 
schools. 

A  native  of  New  York  City,  born  July  24. 
1863,  Mr.  Heller  was  a  son  of  Bernard  and  Lena 
(Freud)  Heller,  natives  of  Austria,  who  came  to 
America  in  early  life  and  settled  in  New  York 
City,  where  the  father  engaged  in  the  retail 
furniture  business.  After  the  death  of  his  wife 
he  left  New  York  City  and  during  1883  settled 
in  Ohio,  taking  up  the  insurance  business  in 
Toledo,  where  he  still  makes  his  home.  Of  the 
four  sons  and  four  daughters  comprising  the 
family  Samuel  was  the  eldest  son.  His  educa- 
tion was  begun  in  the  public  schools  of  New 
York  City  and  completed  in  a  business  college 
in  Michigan,  where  he  settled  in  1884.  After 
leaving  college  he  took  up  the  business  of  cigar- 
manufacturing  and  later  conducted  a  department 
store  at  St.  Johns.  On  disposing  of  his  interests 
in  Michigan  he  came  to  California  in  1899  ^"^ 
settled  in  Long  Beach,  where  he  became  in- 
terested in  the  buying  and  selling  of  real  estate. 
In  1901  he  laid  out  the  Heller  and  Hayes  tract 
of  twenty  acres,  and  also  added  to  the  city  the 
Rose  tract  of  seven  and  one-half  acres. 

When  the  project  was  first  formulated  for 
the  organization  of  the  American  National  Bank 

5S 


of  Long  Beach  Mr.  Heller  became  an  enthusias- 
tic advocate  of  the  plan  and  assisted  in  the  found- 
ing of  the  institution,  in  which  he  afterward  of- 
ficiated as  a  director.  In  addition  he  was  a  direc- 
tor of  the  First  National  Bank,  a  director  of  the 
Long  Beach  Building  and  Loan  Association  and 
a  director  of  the  Long  Beach  Hospital  Associa- 
tion, all  of  which  institutions,  along  the  different 
lines  of  their  usefulness,  have  proved  of  inesti- 
mable value  to  the  permanent  growth  of  the  town 
While  working  with  keen  foresight  and  shrewd 
discrimination  for  the  advancement  of  his  personal 
interests  and  the  well-being  of  the  city,  he  found 
leisure  to  participate  in  fraternal  activities  and  al- 
so to  keep  in  touch  with  local  and  national  politi- 
cal affairs,  in  which  he  supported  Republican 
principles.  While  living  in  Michigan  he  was  a 
leading  member  of  the  Tent  of  the  Maccabees 
at  St.  Johns,  Clinton  county,  also  the  lodge  and 
encampment,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
in  the  same  town.  The  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  numbered  him  among  their  working 
members,  as  did  also  the  Masonic  fraternity,  in 
which  he  affiliated  with  Long  Beach  Lodge,  F. 
&  A.  M.,  Long  Beach  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,^Long 
Beach  Commanderv,  K.  T..  Al  Malaikah  Temple. 
A.  A.  O.  N.  M.  'S.,  of  Los  Angeles,  and  the 
Order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  at  Long  Beach,  in 
which  he  officiated  as  past  patron,  his  widow 
also  being  a  member  of  the  latter  order.  When 
he  passed  away,  July  28,  1905,  it  was  felt  that 
one  of  the  leading  man  of  Long  Beach  had  been 
lost  to  the  town,  and  in  his  departure  the  ac- 
tivities in  which  he  had  participated  suffered  an 
irreparable  loss.  The  estate  which  he  left  is  ad- 
ministered by  his  wife,  who  continues  to  reside 
at  the  home  place.  No.  707  Cedar  avenue,  having 
with  her  the  three  children  of  the  family,  Anna, 
Merrill  J.  and  Lillian  E.  Mrs  Heller  was  born 
in  Austria  and  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Rosa 
Heinman ;  at  an  early  age  she  came  to  the  United 
States  and  settled  at  Harrison,  Mich.,  where 
she  remained  until  after  her  marriage.  Since 
his  death  his  widow  has  carried  out  the  plans  he 
had  made  in  the  building  of  the  Cosmopolitan 
Club  building  and  the  laying  out  of  the  Willow 
Park  tract  of  Long  Beach. 


JA:MES  M.  WOODS.  An  industrious,  thriv- 
ing, and  well-to-do  agriculturist  near  the  town 
of  Escondido,  James  M.  Woods  is  proprietor 
of  a  fine  homestead  in  Woods"  valley,  which  was 
named  in  honor  of  his  father,  Goolsby  Woods, 
an  honored  pioneer  of  this  section  of  San  Diego 
county.  His  ranch,  in  regard  to  its  appoint- 
ments, compares  favorably  with  any  in  the  local- 
ity, its  neat  and  orderly  appearance  manifesting 
to  the  most  casual  observer  the  thrift  and  care 
of  the  owner,  and  bearing  testimony  to  his  in- 


1156 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


dustr_v  and  good  management.  A  native  born 
son  of  California,  his  birth  occurred  January 
1 8,  1868,  in  Yolo  county,  where  he  hved  until 
ten  years  of  age. 

A  native  of  Missouri,  Goolsby  Woods  married 
the  widow  L.  I.  Belshe,  also  a  native  of  that 
state.  They  migrated  across  the  plains  by  wagon 
and  ox  teams  in  '49  to  California,  where  ^Ir. 
^\^oods  engaged  in  mining.  After  living  in 
Sonoma  count}'  for  a  time  thev  moved  to  Yolo 
county,  bought  a  ranch,  and  after  operating  it 
finally  sold  out  on  account  of  his  wife's  health 
and  in  1878  moved  to  San  Diego  county.  Here 
he  continued  farming  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred on  his  ranch  August  16,  1897,  at  tne 
age  of  seventy-three.  Five  of  his  children  sur- 
vive him.  This  part  of  the  country  was  so  thin- 
ly settled  when  he  came  here  that  he  did  not 
deem  it  worth  while  to  throw  his  time  awav  on 
so  small  a  public  office  as  justice*  of  peace  or 
constable.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and 
a  member  of  the  Christian  Church. 

Coming  with  his  parents  to  San  Diego  county 
in  1878,  James  M.  Woods  was  educated  in  the 
district  schools,  and  from  early  boyhood  assisted 
his  father  in  the  various  labors  incidental  to  pio- 
neer farm  life,  attaining  wisdom  in  agricultural 
lore.  When  ready  to  begin  work  for  himself  he 
selected  the  vocation  with  which  he  was  most 
familiar,  buying  eighty  acres  of  land  near 
Escondido,  and  has  since  been  actively  and  sat- 
isfactorily employed  in  general  ranching.  He 
raises  grain  and  hay  to  some  extent,  but  makes  a 
specialty  of  raising  poultry  and  of  dairying,  sell- 
ing chickens,  milk  and  butter  in  the  town,  and 
receiving  for  his  products  the  highest  market 
price. 

November  11,  1891,  James  M.  Woods  mar- 
ried Annie  C.  Jacoby,  who  was  born  in  Burling- 
ton, Iowa,  August  14,  1873.  and  came  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1883.  They  are  the  parents  of  four 
children,  namely :  Susie,  Orpha.  Ellis  and  Inez. 
Politically  Mr.  Woods  is  a  steadfast  Democrat, 
but  has  never  aspired  to  public  office. 


LAWRENCE  A.  CREELMAN.  A  pioneer 
resident,  prominent  business  man,  and  mem- 
ber of  the  San  Diego  city  council  is  Lawrence 
A.  Creelman,  who  has  been  active  in  the  devel- 
opment and  upbuilding  of  this  city  for  more 
than  twenty  years  past.  He  was  born  Maj'  4, 
T853,  in  Richibucto,  Kent  county.  New  Bruns- 
wick, of  Scotch  ]-)arentage,  the  families  on  both 
sides  of  the  house  having  been  old  settlers  in 
Canada.  The  projenitors  on  the  paternal  side 
came  from  the  north  of  Ireland  to  Nova  Sco- 
tia, where  James  R.  Creelman  was  born.  He 
was  a  tanner  by  trade  and  musician  by  pro- 
fession and  tauHit  all  of  his  life.     In   iiW  he 


removed  with  his  family  to  Collingwood,  On- 
tario, later  returning  to  New  Brunswick,  and 
his  death  occurred  in  Pointe  du  Chene.  His 
wife,  in  maidenhood  Isabella  Patterson,  was 
born  in  Pictou,  Nova  Scotia,  and  died  in  On- 
tario. She  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  There  were  fourteen  children  in  the 
family,  and  one  son,  W.  F.  W.,  enlisted  in  a 
Tennessee  regiment  during  the  Spanish  war, 
his  death  occurring  later  in  the  Philippine 
Islands. 

It  was  in  the  common  schools  of  New 
Jjrunswick  and  the  Collingwood  Collegiate  In- 
stitute that  Lawrence  A.  Creelman  received 
his  education,  and  when  his  school  days  were 
over  he  learned  the  tanner's  trade  in  Colling- 
wood, following  it  for  ten  years  in  Ontario. 
He  then  came  to  the  LTnited  States  and  was 
employed  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  bridge  and 
construction  work  successively  by  the  Chi- 
cago, St.  Paul,  Minneapolis  &  Omaha  Rail- 
road and  the  Northern  Pacific,  spending  two 
years  on  the  Yellowstone  division  of  the  lat- 
ter. Returning  to  Ontario  he  resumed  work 
at  tanning  for  eighteen  months,  and  in  1884 
worked  on  bridges  for  the  Canadian  Pacific 
in  British  Columbia.  The  following  year  he 
came  to  Califorjiia,  spent  one  year  in  the  red- 
woods of  Mendocino  county  and  a  like  period 
on  a  ranch  in  Yuba  county,  in  1887  locating 
permanently  in  San  Diego.  The  succeeding 
fifteen  years  he  was  occupied  as  a  conductor 
on  the  street  railways  of  this  city,  in  1902  giv- 
ing up  that  work  to  engage  in  business  for 
himself,  and  has  ever  since  been  proprietor  of 
the  Model  bath  house  here.  The  cement 
plunge  is  50x60  feet  in  dimensions  and  is  filled 
with  sea  water,  which  is  heated  to  the  proper 
degree  for  comfortable  bathing,  and  there  are 
also  twent3'-five  tubs  with  fresh  water,  each 
room  being  fitted  with  shower  appliances. 
The  bath  house  is  the  largest  and  oldest  es- 
tablished in  the  city,  and  is  located  at  the 
foot  of  Sixth  street. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Creelman  was  made  a 
Mason  in  1892,  in  Silver  Gate  Lodge  No.  296. 
F.  &  A.  M..  of  which  he  is  past  master;  has 
attained  the  thirt3'-second  degree  in  the  Con- 
istory;  belongs  to  the  Order  of  Eastern  Star; 
was  made  an  Odd  Fellow  in  San  Diego  Lodge 
No.  153,  I.  O.  O.  F..  and  has  served  in  the 
capacity  of  noble  grand :  belongs  to  the  En- 
campment, in  which  lie  has  passed  all  the  of- 
fices:  holds  membership  in  the  Rebekah  lodge, 
and  also  in  the  Independent  Order  of  Forest- 
ers. He  was  married  in  San  Diego  to  IMiss 
May  Chittenden,  a  native  of  Illinois,  their 
union  being  blessed  in  the  birth  of  two  chil- 
dren, James  and  Charles.  ^Irs.  Creelman  is 
a  member  of  the  Christian  Church.     She  affili- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1157 


ates  with  a  number  of  fraternal  orders,  is  a 
member,  and  was  for  several  years  treasurer, 
of  Southern  Star  Chapter  No.  96,  O.  E.  S. ; 
and  held  the  same  office  in  Silver  Gate  Re- 
bekah  Lodge  No.  141  for  a  long  period.  Po- 
litically Mr.  Creelman  is  an  advocate  of  the 
principles  embraced  in  the  platform  of  the 
Republican  part}-,  and  in  1903  he  was  elected 
as  councilman  from  the  sixth  ward  of  San 
Diego,  a  flattering  endorsement  of  his  services 
in  the  governing  body  having  been  accorded 
him  in  1905  by  a  re-election  to  the  office.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Union  League  Club  and  in 
every  matter  of  social  and  civic  interest  to 
the  community  in  which  he  lives  lends  a  hearty 
and  enthusiastic  support. 


GUSTA\'  RRELIN.  Not  a  few  of  the  men 
prominent  in  varied  departments  of  the  building 
business  in  San  Diego  have  come  from  the  far 
distant  domain  of  Scandinavia,  and  among  these 
may  be  mentioned  Gustav  Brelin,  who  has  been 
a  resident  of  Southern  California  since  1887  and 
of  San  Diego  since  1890.  Born  in  Dalsland, 
Sweden,  April  8,  1864,  he  was  the  eldest  among 
four  children,  three  of  whom  are  still  living. 
His  father,  Andrew,  was  a  native  of  tlie  same 
locality  and  owned  and  operated  the  homestead 
known  as  Brene,  but  in  1872  he  crossed  the 
ocean  to  America,  settling  at  Ashtabula,  Ohio, 
where  he  remained  until  death.  The  wife  and 
mother,  Breta  Kalin,  was  a  native  of  the  same 
locality  in  Sweden  and  a  member  of  an  old 
family  of  agriculturists. 

While  still  quite  young  in  years  Gustav  Brelin 
saw  his  father  depart  for  the  new  world,  and  in 
1879  he  joined  him  in  Ashtabula,  Ohio,  where 
he  studied  English  in  the  common  schools.  In 
1881  he  secured  a  position  on  a  lake  vessel  and 
for  two  years  led  the  life  of  a  sailor,  but  in  1884 
abandoned  that  occupation,  went  to  St.  Paul, 
Minn.,  and  began  an  apprenticeship  to  the 
plasterer's  trade.  On  the  expiration  of  his  time 
he  worked  as  a  journeyman.  In  1887  he  came  to 
California,  located  in  Los  Angeles  and  took  con- 
tracts for  plastering,  remaining  there  until  1890, 
when  he  removed  to  San  Diego.  For  three  years 
he  followed  journe\-man  work  in  this  citv  and 
then  began  to  take  contracts,  in  whi'ch  line  he 
continues  to  the  present  time,  the  firm  of  Brelin 
&  Walker  being  one  of  the  largest  of  its  kind 
in  the  place.  Since  forming  the  connection  with, 
his  present  partner  in  1894  he  has  built  up  a 
large  trade  and  has  been  employed  to  take  charge 
of  much  of  the  plastering  in  business  structures 
and  residences.  Among  their  contracts  may  be 
mentioned  those  for  the  Keating  and  Granger 
blocks,  the  Scfton  block.  St.  Joseph's  Sanitarium, 
and    Pickwick    theater,    as    well    as    various    im- 


portant contracts  in  Coronado,  National  City, 
Lajolla  and  Pacific  Beach.  During  the  busy 
season  employment  is  furnished  to  eighteen 
workmen,  through  whose  labor  the  partners  are 
aided  in  filling  their  contracts  with  promptness 
and  accuracy. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Brelin  and  Miss  Carrie 
Anderson,  a  native  of  Ostrejotland,  was  solemn- 
ized in  Los  Angeles,  and  has  been  blessed  by  the 
birth  of  three  sons,  Hilding,  Ebbe  and  Gustav. 
The  family  occupy  their  new  and  modern  resi- 
dence on  the  corner  of  University  and  Richmond 
streets.  After  coming  to  San  Diego  Mr.  Brelin 
was  made  a  Mason  in  Silver  Gate  Lodge,  F. 
&  A.  M.,  also  identified  himself  with  the  San 
Diego  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  Cabrillo  Club, 
the  Master  Builders'  Association,  and  the 
Scandinavian  Society,  of  which  latter  he  is  a 
charter  member.  During  1884  he  was  initiated 
into  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at 
St.  Paul,  and  now  holds  membership  with  the 
lodge  of  the  order  in  San  Diego.  Although  in- 
terested and  active  in  these  various  organizations, 
his  attention  is  devoted  principally  to  the  de- 
tails of  his  business  and  he  is  justly  proud  of  the 
reputation  acquired  by  his  firm  for  reliable  and 
honest  workmanship. 


PHILIP  HANF.  Among  the  residents  of 
Cajon,  San  Bernardino  county,  Philip  Hanf  is 
well  known,  as  for  ten  years  he  has  supplied  the 
general  wants  of  the  public  and  has  also  accom- 
modated travelers.  His  genial  manners  and  up- 
right business  methods  have  gained  for  him  a 
large  circle  of  friends,  both  in  business  and  so- 
cial connections. 

A  native  of  Germany.  Philip  Hanf  was  born  in 
Bavaria  November  4,  1857,  his  parents  also  being 
natives  of  the  Fatherland.  Educated  in  the  good 
schools  for  which  Germany  is  noted,  Mr.  Hanf 
lost  no  time  in  preparing  himself  for  the  business 
world  as  soon  as  his  school  days  were  over,  thus 
displaying  an  ambitious  spirit  which  is  bound  to 
bring  success.  Besides  learning  the  baker's  trade 
he  also  learned  the  butcher's  trade,  and  it  was 
with  this  preparation  that  he  set  foot  on  Amer- 
ican soil  in  1883.  His  first  six  years  in  this  coun- 
try were  spent  in  New  York  City,  but  as  is  al- 
most always  the  case  with  those  who  seek  our 
shores  he  finally  gravitated  toward  the  west.  Go- 
ing to  ^^'ashington  he  there  resumed  work  at  his 
trades,  which  he  followed  continuously  for  six 
years,  after  which  he  went  to  Los  Angeles  and 
spent  one_year.  With  the  experience  of  thirteen 
years  in  this  country  to  his  credit  he  came  to 
Cajon  Pass  in  1896  and  purchased  forty  acres 
of  land,  to  which  he  later  added  a  like  amount, 
taking  up  the  latter  from  the  government.  At 
the  time  he  removed  to  his  new  purchase  there 


1158 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


was  liUle  in  the  way  of  appearance  to  encourage 
its  cuitivation,  for  the  land  was  wild  and  entirely 
covered  with  brush.  Nothing  daunted,  however, 
he  cleared  it  and  set  out  fruit  trees,  which  he 
has  tended  and  cared  for  until  he  now  has  a  fine 
orchard,  comprising  about  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  trees,  which  include  plums,  peaches, 
cherries  and  apples.  Before  his  orchard  was  in 
bearing  condition  he  opened  a  general  store  upon 
his  ranch,  erecting  the  building  at  the  time  he 
built  the  family  residence.  He  keeps  on  hand  a 
choice  supply  of  groceries  and  provisions  of  all 
kinds,  besides  dry  goods,  and  also  has  accommo- 
dation for  the  traveling  public.  It  is  his  intention 
to  enlarge  his  orchard  by  setting  out  about  three 
thousand  more  trees,  besides  grape  vines,  and  in 
the  future  devote  his  time  almost  exclusively  to 
the  management  of  his  ranch. 

In  New  York  City,  September  28,  1884,  the 
year  following  his  immigration  to  the  United 
States,  Mr.  Hanf  was  married  to  Fannie  Mooch- 
can,  who  was  born  in  Saxony,  Germany,  and  came 
to  the  United  States  when  twenty-four  years  of 
age.  She  has  borne  her  husband  four  children, 
one  of  whom,  George,  died  when  fifteen  months 
old.  The  eldest  child,  Joseph,  is  a  resident  of 
Seattle,  Wash. ;  Gussie  is  now  at  home,  having 
recently  graduated  from  the  Los  Angeles  Busi- 
ness College,  and  Andrew  is  also  at  home. 


JAMES  HARRISON  CLARK,  M.  D. 
Numbered  among  the  more  prominent,  influ- 
ential and  esteemed  residents  of  Valley  Cen- 
ter is  J.  H.  Clark,  M.  D.,  who  is  actively  iden- 
tified with  the  best  and  highest  interests  of 
this  locality,  being  a  prosperous  agriculturist 
and  a  well  known  physician.  He  has,  gener- 
all}-  speaking,  been  successful  through  life, 
and  giving  his  best  efforts  to  whatever  he  has 
attempted  has  attained  a  fine  position,  pro- 
fessionally, socially  and  financially,  among  his 
fellow-men.  A  man  of  keen  intelligence,  ex- 
cellent judgment  and  sound  sense,  his  advice 
and  counsel  are  often  sought,  and  inyariably 
taken.  He  is  generous  and  kind-hearted,  do- 
ing good  whenever  opportunity  occurs,  and 
freely  giving  professional  aid  and  comfort  to 
the  poor  and  needy.  A  son  of  Robert  Clark, 
he  was  born,  December  3,  1841,  in  Cooper 
county,  Mo.,  where  he  grew  to  man's  estate. 

Born  and  brought  up  in  Kentucky,  Robert 
Clark  was  employed  in  both  agricultural  and 
mechanical  pursuits  during  the  greater  part  of 
his  life.  Becoming  a  pioneer  of  Missouri,  he 
sctiled  in  Cooper  county,  where  from  the  for- 
est-covered land  he  cleared  and  improved  a 
homestead,  on  which  he  was  busily  employed 
until  his  death,  in  1852.  He  was  a  man  of 
some  prominence  in  the  communitv  in  which 


he  settled,  and  an  active  Whig  in  his  political 
affiliations.  He  married  Rhoda  Fox,  also  a 
native  of  Kentucky ;  she  survived  him,  dying 
in  Missouri  in  1859.  She  was  a  woman  of 
Christian  character,  and  a  consistent  member 
of  the  Baptist  church. 

Brought  up  on  the  home  farm,  James  H. 
Clark  laid  a  substantial  foundation  for  his  fu- 
ture education  in  the  common  schools  of 
Cooper  county.  As  a  boy  he  showed  a  natural 
aptitude  for  study,  and  his  education  was 
subsequently  advanced  by  an  attendance  at 
the  Kemper  Select  school  and  at  a  prepara- 
tory college.  With  two  friends,  Mr.  Clark 
came  with  mule  teams  across  the  plains  in 
1864,  having  an  enjoyable  trip.  Locating  in 
Yuba  City,  he  taught  school  there  for  two 
years.  He  was  in  the  meantime  appointed 
superintendent  of  the  Sutter  county  schools, 
and  having  filled  out  the  unexpired  term  of 
Dr.  E.  B.  Dunwell,  was  elected  to  the  same 
office,  and  served  m  all  about  seven  years.  Dur- 
ing this  time  Mr.  Clark  read  medicine,  and  was 
also  employed  in  the  drug  business.  In  July, 
1870,  he  entered  Toland  Medical  College,  San 
Francisco,  and  after  completing  the  first  year's 
course,  in  October,  1871,  became  a  student  in 
Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College,  at  New 
York  City,  graduating  from  that  institution 
with  the  degree  of  M.D.  in  March,  1872.  Re- 
turning to  Yuba  City  he  was  there  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  his  profession  for  two  years. 
In  1874,  his  health  failing,  he  went  to  Colusa 
county,  locating  at  Leesville,  where  he  sold 
goods  and  practiced  medicine  for  four  years. 
Settling  near  Los  Angeles  in  1878,  he  with 
others  purchased  portions  of  three  grants  of 
land  at  Azusa,  but  the  investment  proved  dis- 
astrous. The  ensuing  four  years  he  was  en- 
gaged in  ranching  at  Norwalk,  Los  Angeles 
county,  and  also  followed  his  profession  to 
some  extent.  .  Coming  to  San  Diego  county  in 
1885,  the  doctor  purchased  his  present  ranch 
of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  lying  near 
A^alley  Center,  and  has  now  one  of  the  best 
and  most  productive  grain,  stock  and  poultry 
farms  in  this  part  of  the  country.  He  has  con- 
tinued his  labors  here  as  a  practitioner,  and  is 
known  far  and  wide  as  an  able  and  skilful 
physician.  Politicalh^  his  sympathies  are 
with  the  Socialists  and  for  three  terms,  while 
a  resident  of  Sutter  count3^  he  served  as  dep- 
uty county  clerk.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member 
of  Enterprise  Lodge  No.  70,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of 
A'uba  City  and  religiously  he  belongs  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South. 

In  the  spring  of  1872,  in  Missouri,  Dr. 
Clark  married  Mattie  A.  Robinson,  who  was 
born  in  that  state,  a  daughter  of  Col.  L.  W. 
Robinson,  who  was  verv  influential  in  the  af- 


Jiy?H^^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1161 


fairs  of  his  state,  having  served  as  representa- 
tive to  the  state  legislature  and  as  state  sen- 
ator. Of  the  union  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Clark 
seven  children  have  been  bom,  namely,  Ida 
De  Wilson  of  Escondido ;  William  Robinson ; 
Mary  Rhoda,  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools ; 
Hallie  Lewis ;  James  Harrison ;  and  Horace 
L.  and   Martha  Amanda,  twins. 


THOMAS  JEFFERSON  MOFFETT.  A 
well-to-do  agriculturist  of  Los  Angeles  County, 
and  an  extensive  and  successful  apiarist,  Thomas 
J.  Moffett  is  prosperously  engaged  in  his  con- 
genial occupation  on  one  of  the  most  pleasant 
homesteads  in  the  vicinity  of  Sherman.  His  ranch 
contains  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  a 
large  part  of  which  is  under  cultivation,  and  with 
its  comfortable  and  convenient  set  of  farm  build- 
ings is  attractive  to  the  passer-by,  giving  visi- 
ble evidence  of  the  enterprise  and  thrift  of  the 
owner.  A  son  of  James  S.  Moffett,  he  was  born, 
July  4,  1840  in  Pope  county.  Ark.,  near  Dover. 

Born  and  reared  in  Tennessee,  James  S.  Mof- 
fett migrated  from  there  to  Arkansas  about  1832, 
taking  up  land,  and  being  employed  as  a  tiller 
of  the  soil  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Mexican 
war.  When  that  was  declared  he  offered  his 
services  to  his  country,  and  being  made  captain 
of  Company  A,  Arkansas  Mounted  Rifles,  com- 
manded by  Colonel  Yale,  served  until  his 
death  in  San  Antonio,  Tex.,  where  he  received 
a  soldier's  burial.  He  married  Eupha  Hamilton, 
who  was  born  in  Tennessee,  of  excellent  New 
England  stock,  some  of  her  ancestors  having 
crossed  the  Atlantic  in  the  Mayflower.  She  re- 
mained in  Arkansas  until  1852,  when  she  came 
across  the  plains  in  an  ox-team  train  to  Califor- 
nia, bringing  her  seven  children  with  her.  Locat- 
ing in  lone,  Amador  county,  she  lived  there  until 
marrying  again,  when  she  came  with  her  hus- 
band to  Los  Angeles,  in  which  city  she  made 
her  home  until  her  death,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
two  years. 

A  wide-awake,  active  little  hustler  of  twelve 
vears  when  he  came  with  the  family  to  Califor- 
nia, Thomas  J.  Mofifett  worked  for  about  a 
year  as  a  farm  hand,  and  then,  although  but 
thirteen  years  old,  began  placer  mining  on  his 
own  account.  He  was  subsequently  variously 
employed  in  Amador  county,  working  in  the 
mines,'  hotel  or  saw-mill  until  1857,  when  as 
a  result  of  the  Frazer  river  excitement,  he  went 
there  and  prospected  for  one  season.  Coming 
to  Los  Angeles  county  in  1868,  he  rented  land 
in  this  vicinity  for  two  or  three  years,  and  in 
its  management  met  with  encouraging  success. 
Purchasing  then  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
or  railroad  land,  he  improved  the  ranch  on 
which  he  has  since  lived,  and  in  addition  to  carry- 


ing it  on  in  an  able  manner  has  several  seasons 
rented  large  tracts  of  near-by  land  in  order  that 
he  might  enlarge  his  agricultural  operations. 
He  is  very  practical,  seizing  every  offered  oppor- 
tunity for  advancing  his  interests,  and  besides 
carrying  on  general  farming  in  a  scientific  man- 
ner, has  made  a  specialty  of  bee  raising,  having 
at  times  had  as  many  as  two  hundred  and  twen- 
ty stands,  although  at  the  present  time  his  apiary 
contains  but  fifty  stands. 

January  29,  1887,  Mr.  Mofifett  married  Annie 
G.  Cottle,  who  was  born  in  Missouri,  and  came 
with  her  parents  to  California  at  an  early  day. 
Politically  Mr.  Moffett  supports  the  principles 
of  the  Democratic  party  by  voice  and  vote 
although  in  local  affairs  he  is  extremely  liberal. 


AMBROSE  WALSH.  Closely  identified 
with  the  agricultural  interests  of  San  Diego 
county  is  Ambrose  Walsh,  who  is  pleasantly 
situated  in  Valley  Center,  where  he  is  profit- 
ably engaged  in  general  farmings  managing 
his  affairs  with  ability  and  success.  A  resi- 
dent of  California  since  nine  years  of  age,  he 
is  the  son  of  one  of  those  brave  and  hardy 
pioneers  who  dauntlessly  pushed  his  way  into 
a  wild,  uncultivated  country,  and  has  left  be- 
hind him  a  record  for  steadiness  of  purpose 
and  persistent  industry  of  which  his  descend- 
ants may  well  be  proud.  He  is  a  twin  brother 
of  Austin  Walsh,  in  whose  sketch,  which  ap- 
pears on  another  page  of  this  volume,  may 
be  found  a  brief  personal  history  of  his  pa- 
rents. 

Born  January  29,  1845,  in  Atchison  county, 
^lo..  Ambrose  Walsh  lived  there  until  nine 
years  of  age.  In  1854  he  came  with  the  family 
to  the  Pacific  coast,  crossing  the  plains  with 
ox  teams,  having  a  long  and  dangerous  trip. 
The  Indians,  who  for  centuries  had  held  the 
intervening  country,  were  not  pleased  with 
the  approach  of  the  pale-faced  strangers,  and 
harassed  the  travelers  in  many  ways,  stealing 
their  cattle  when  opportunity  oft'ered,  even 
going  so  far  as  to  massacre,  at  Mountain 
Meadow,  the  train  immediately  preceding 
them.  Arriving  in  California,  the  Walsh  fam- 
ily settled  in  Contra  Costa  county,  where  Am- 
brose, in  common  with  the  other  children,  re- 
ceived such  education  as  was  afforded  by  the 
district  schools.  In  1868,  the  family  removed 
to  San  Diego  county,  locating  in  Mission  Val- 
ley. Six  years  later,  in  1874,  the  son  Am- 
brose, starting  in  life  for  himself,  took  up  a 
government  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  at  Valley  Center,  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided. From  the  wild  land  he  has  improved 
a  valuable  ranch,  his  energetic  and  judicious 
toil  being  well  rewarded,  his  farm  being  one 


1162 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  the  best  in  its  improvements  and  appoint- 
ments of  any  in  the  vicinity,  bearing  visible 
evidence  of  his  agricultural  skill  and  wise 
management. 

In  1883  Mr.  Walsh  married  Hannah  Shel- 
by, a  native  of  California,  and  the}-  are  the  pa- 
rents of  two  children,  Lawrence,  a  farmer, 
who  married  Clara  Borden,  a  native  of  this 
state  and  daughter  of  Jefferson  S.  Borden ; 
and  Mary,  residing  in  San  Diego.  Politically 
Mr.  Walsh  is  a  firm  supporter  of  the  princi- 
ples of  the  Democratic  party,  and  for  six  years 
has  served  as  school  trustee.  Religiously  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church  at  Escon- 
dido. 


REA'.  W.  E.  JACOB.  Should  any  writer 
of  future  years  give  to  the  Episcopal  Church 
a  complete  record  of  the  growth  and  progress 
of  that  denomination  in  Southern  California 
prominent  mention  would  be  made  of  the  life 
and  pioneer  service  of  Rev.  W.  E.  Jacob,  who 
since  1885  has  been  identified  with  the  spiri- 
tual upbuilding  of  San  Diego  county  and 
meanwhile  has  accomplished  much  in  behalf  of 
the  permanent  religious  and  moral  develop- 
ment of  this  part  of  the  state.  Thoroughly 
American  in  sentiment  and  patriotic  spirit,  he 
is  nevertheless  a  citizen  of  our  country  by 
adoption  only,  and  was  born  in  Queens  coun- 
ly,  Ireland,  April  27,  1843,  the  son  of  a  physi- 
cian and  the  grandson  of  a  physician,  both  of 
whom  were  men  of  exceptional  mental  attain- 
ments and  of  high  standing  in  their  profession. 
.\mono-  the  eighteen  children  comprising  the 
family  of  Dr.  John  and  Charlotte  Jacob  he  was 
the  fifteenth  in  order  of  birth  and  received  a 
thorough  classical  education,  auspiciously 
comm.enced  in  Dublin  schools,  and  afterward 
prosecuted  in  the  schools  of  England  and 
France.  Before  leaving  Ireland  for  the  Unit- 
ed States  he  married  Miss  Jane  Rebecca, 
daughter  of  Rev.  Samuel  Madden,  a  clergy- 
man in  the  Church  of  England.  The  only 
child  of  their  union  is  a  daughter.  Rebecca 
Charlotte,  who  .is  now  the  wife  of  Douglas 
Garden  of  South  Oceanside. 

Coming  to  the  United  States  in  1875,  after  a 
sojourn  of  a  brief  period  in  New  York  City, 
Rev.  Mr.  Jacob  removed  to  Nebraska  and  in 
Omaha,  that  state,  he  was  ordained  to  the 
Episcopal  ministry  in  an  impressive  ceremony 
conducted  by  Bishop  Clarkson.  When  he  came 
to  California  in  1885  he  established  his  head- 
quarters at  Encinitas,  San  Diego  county,  from 
which  point  he  traveled  throughout  the  entire 
county  and  into  neighboring  districts  in  the 
interests  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  Not  only 
did  he  hold  the  first  services  ever  held  by  the 


denomination  in  Encinitas,  but  he  did  the 
same  elsewhere.  Some  of  his  charges  were 
twenty-five  miles  distant  from  his  home,  but 
his  eagerness  to  preach  the  Gospel  and  estab- 
lish missions  overcame  his  bodily  fatigue,  and 
lie  was  ever  ready  to  respond  to  an  appeal  by 
those  who  were  remote  from  churches.  The 
congregations  at  Del  Mar,  Encinitas,  Merle, 
Carlsbad,  Oceanside,  Escondido,  Fallbrook, 
San  Luis  Rey  and  Murietta  were  established 
and  organized  imder  his  supervision,  and  the 
first  services  in  each  town  were  held  by  him, 
after  which  he  remained  in  charge  until  the 
missions  were  able  to  engage  a  pastor  inde- 
pendently. It  was  his  custom  to  visit  each 
congregation  once  in  two  weeks,  and  in  order 
to  facilitate  this  work  he  kept  a  stable  of  six 
horses.  To  this  day  he  is  a  lover  of  good 
horses  and  now  has  one  of  the  finest  to  be 
found  in  all  San  Diego  county.  The  majority 
of  professional  men  allow  themselves  a  hobby 
as  a  relaxation  from  the  responsibilities  of 
their  life  work,  and  his  hobby  has  been  a  love 
for  horses:  few  are  better  judges  than  he  of  a 
fine  animal,  and  at  a  glance  he  detects  weak 
points  or  good  qualities  that  might  remain  un- 
noticed by  a  less  careful  observer. 

For  a  time  after  1897  Rev.  Mr.  Jacob  had 
charge  of  the  Episcopal  Church  at  San  Pedro 
and  his  wife  assisted  as  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday-school  and  leader  of  the  choir.  In  ad- 
dition he  founded  a  mission  at  Terminal  Island 
and  established  the  cause  at  Long  Beach, 
whose  substantial  edifice  of  the  present  day  is 
the  result  of  the  pioneer  work  rendered  by  Mr. 
Jacob  some  years  ago.  Indeed,  too  much 
praise  cannot  be  given  I\Ir.  Jacob  for  his  serv- 
ices in  behalf  of  his  church.  All  through 
Southern  California  his  name  is  known  and 
lionored  among  the  members  of  the  Episcopal 
Church,  and  there  are  many  who  will  testify 
that  the  present  standing  of  the  church  in  this 
region  is  largely  due  to  his  unremitting,  self- 
sacrificing  and  judicious  labors  at  a  time  when 
such  work  was  most  needed.  Active  as  in  the 
past,  he  now  ministers  to  the  congregations 
at  Carlsbad,  Merle  and  San  Luis  Rey,  making 
his  home  in  South  Oceanside. 


HIRAM  MUSSELIvIAN.  Among  the  intel- 
ligent and  prosperous  agriculturists  of  Compton 
is  Hiram  Musselman,  widely  and  favorably 
known  throughout  this  section  of  Los  Angeles 
county  as  an  upright,  honest  man,  of  sterling 
worth,  and  a  worthy  representative  of  the  earlier 
settlers  of  this  vicinity.  He  was  born,  August 
27,  1832,  in  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  reared 
and  educated,  attending  first  the  common  schools. 


&.Hc./^ 


.^.^z^^^JL^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1165 


and  afterwards  taking  a  part  of  a  college  course 
of  study.  His  parents,  Elias  and  Susan  (Mes- 
senger) Musselman,  were  both  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  both  died  in  Illinois,  the  father  in 
1859,  and  the  mother  in  1862.  They  were  peo- 
ple of  high  moral  standing,  and  cons'istent  mem- 
bers of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

In  his  earlier  life  Hiram  Musselman  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits  in  his  native  state,  meet- 
ing with  success  in  his  labors.  Going  from  tfiere 
to  Chicago,  111.,  he  engaged  in  the  furniture  bus- 
iness for  a  few  years,  and  then  moved  to  Fair- 
field, Kans.,  where  he  changed  his  occupation, 
becoming  a  stock  raiser  and  dealer.  Coming  to 
Compton,  Cal,  in  the  fall  of  1883,  he  purchased 
a  ranch  of  ten  acres,  and  at  once  began  its  im- 
provement. He  devotes  a  part  of  his  land  to 
the  raising  of  alfalfa  a  part  to  the  raising  of 
fruit  of  different  kinds,  and  in  addition  he  makes 
a  specialty  of  raising  chickens,  as  a  poultry 
farmer  being  quite  successful. 

In  Chicago,  III,  in  1864,  Mr.  Musselman  mar- 
ried Julia  Wheeler,  who  was  born  in  Wiscon- 
sin, a  daughter  of  Silas  P.  and  Julia  A.  Wheeler, 
the  former  dying  in  New  York,  and  the  latter 
■in  Wisconsin.  Mrs.  I\Iusselman  died  on  the 
home  ranch,  in  Compton,  Cal..  in  1891,  leaving 
three  children,  namely :  Charles  W.,  living  at 
home;  Amy,  wife  of  Robert  Harper,  and  living 
near  Downey,  Los  Angeles  county;  and  Carrie 
E.,  living  at  home.  Politically  Mr.  Musselman 
is  identified  with  the  Republican  party,  and  re- 
ligiously he  is  a  Congregationalist. 


EDMUND  MORRIS  PEASE,  M.  D.  In 
1634,  six  years  after  the  founding  of  Salem, 
there  came  to  this  young  settlement  among 
other  immigrants  of  Puritan  temper,  a  certain 
John  Pease.  He  was  the  first  of  his  family 
m  the  new  world,  and  eight  generations  have 
been  marked  by  his  courageous  faith,  unswerv- 
ing loyalty  to  truth  and  devotion  to  God, 
qualities  which  peculiarly  characterized  Dr. 
Edmund  Morris  Pease  in  his  life  of  service  to 
God   and   men. 

Descended  from  the  John  Pease  of  Salem 
through  the  following  line  of  descent  are : 
John,  David,  Benjamin,  Job,  Job,  Asa,  Asa  and 
Edmund  Morris.  Dr.  Pease  was  born  in  Gran- 
by,  Hampshire  countv,  Mass.,  December  6, 
T828.  After  studying  in  the  common  schools 
of  that  place  he  went  to  Williston  Seminary, 
in  East  Hampton,  to  prepare  for  higher  train- 
ing. This  he  later  took  in  Amherst  College, 
fi-om  which  he  graduated  with  the  degree  of 
A.  B.,  in  1854.  'Three  years  later  the  degree 
of  A.  M.,  was  conferred  upon  him  by  his  .-\lma 
^vlater.  After  graduation  he  became  a  teacher. 
first   instructing  for  a   period  of  two  years  in 


a  boys'  school  in  Baltimore,  and  then  serving 
as  tutor  for  one  year  in  Amherst.  He  gave 
up  teaching  however  in  order  to  prepare  him- 
self for  the  medical  profession,  with  a  view  to 
becoming  a  medical  missionary,  and  in  1862 
he  graduated  from  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  of  Columbia  University.  At 
this  same  time  he  pursued  a  course  at  the 
Union  Theological  Seminary,  from  which  he 
also  graduated. 

No  sooner  had  Dr.  Pease  finished  his  train- 
ing ^  than  came  the  call  for  volunteers  in  the 
Civil  war,  and  he  immediately  offered  his 
services.  He  was  appointed  assistant  surgeon 
in  the  Sixteenth  Connecticut  Regiment.  One 
year  later,  October  2/,  1863,  he  was  given 
the_  position  of  surgeon,  with  the  rank  of 
Major,  in  the  famous  regiment  known  as  the 
Ninth  United  States  Colored  Troops.  His 
regiment  was  assigned  to  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  and  was  the  first  to  enter  Rich- 
mond when  that  city  was  taken.  When  peace 
had  been  declared,  he  was  sent  to  Texas  and 
was  chief  medical  ofiicer  of  the  Department 
of  the  Rio  Grande.  Later  he  was  ordered  to 
Louisiana,  where  he  remained  until  the  latter 
part  of  1866,  when  he  was  honorablv  dis- 
charged  at   Baltimore. 

Dr.  Pease  then  entered  upon  professional 
life  and  practiced  medicine  for  five-  years  in 
New  York,  and  for  six  in  Springfield,  Mass. 
In  the  latter  place  he  met  Aliss  Harriet  A. 
Sturtevant,  a  native  of  Westport,  Essex  coun- 
ty. N.  Y.,  to  whom  he  was  married  in  Borden- 
town,  N.  J.,  April  25,  1877. 

In  early  life  having  decided  to  devote  his 
energies  to  the  cause  of  missions.  Dr.  Pease 
went  immediately  after  his  marriage  to  the 
Marshall  Islands  as  a  medical  missionary.  He 
located  on  Ebon,  where  a  church  and 
school  had  already  been  established  by  former 
missionaries.  After  two  years  of  labor  he 
transferred  the  school  to  Kusari,  one  of  the 
Caroline  Islands,  and  made  it  an  effective 
training  school  for  native  workers.  During 
Dr.  Pease'  eighteen  years  of  service  as  teacher, 
jireacher  and  medical  missionary  twelve 
churches  were  added  to  an  original  three,  ten 
native  pastors  were  ordained  to  the  ministry, 
and  thirteen  unordained  native  teachers  were 
installed  in  the  Islands.  After  having  acquired 
a  mastery  of  the  language,  which  by  the  way, 
is  totally  dift'erent  from  the  Polynesian.  Dr. 
Pease  began  immediately  to  translate  the  New 
Testament  an.d  revise  the  Gospels  and  Acts 
already  in  the  native  tongue.  As  the  result  of 
his  untiring  laliors  his  translation  of  the  New 
Testament  and  the  Psalms  has  been  in  use 
for  several  years.  He  also  compiled  a  dic- 
tionpry  of  the  language  and  some  educational 


1166 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


books  and  added  many  songs  to  the  hymn  and 
tune  book  ah'eady  in  the  Marshall  Island  dia- 
lect. 

While  in  the  Islands  two  children  were 
born  to  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Pease,  Edmund  Morris, 
Jr.,  and  Francis  Sturtevant.  In  order  to  edu- 
cate his  sons  Dr.  Pease  came  with  his  fam- 
ily in  1894  to  the  United  States.  After  spend- 
ing several  months  in  the  East,  he  located 
near  Pomona  College,  in  Claremont,  Cal., 
where  he  lived  until  his  death. 

During  his  residence  in  Claremont  Dr.  Pease 
identified  himself  with  all  the  best  interests 
of  the  town,  aiding  in  every  way  the  upbuild- 
ing of  the  college,  community  and  church.  He 
was  a  Mason  and  was  also  identified  with  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  Although  far 
from  the  scene  of  his  missionary  labors,  Dr. 
Pease  spent  the  last  twelve  years  of  his  life 
translating  the  Old  Testament  into  the  Mar- 
shall Island  language.  It  was  his  desire  that 
the  entire  Bible  should  be  in  the  hands  of  the 
natives,  and  this  wish  of  his  heart  would 
have  beeji  fulfilled  had  he  been  spared  for 
an  additional  year  of  labor.  At  the  age  of 
seventy-eight,  while  still  vigorous  in  mind 
and  body,  Dr.  Pease  was  seized  with  the  sud- 
den illness  which  caused  his  death.  On  No- 
vember 28,  1906,  he  passed  away  at  his  home 
in  Claremont.  A  man  of  heroic  mold,  fearless 
and  devoted  to  God's  service.  Dr.  Pease  ranks 
as  one  of  the  great  men  of  the  missionary 
world. 


ELI  JACKSON  YOKAM.  The  fifth  of  a 
family  of  nine  children  of  George  and  Sarah 
(Wilson)  Yokam,  Eli  J.  Yokam  was  born  in 
Knox  county,  Ohio,  December  25,  1835.  Three 
years  later  the  family  moved  to  Franklin  county 
where  the  boy  grew  up  to  manhood  on  his 
father's  farm.'  His  early  school  advantages  were 
limited  to  a  few  months  each  year  in  the  old  log 
schoolhouse,  with  slab  benches.  His  two  older 
brothers  having  enlisted  in  the  war  with  Mexico, 
he  became  the  mainstay  on  the  farm,  and  at 
seventeen  years  of  age  had  charge  of  the  two 
hundred  and  twenty-acre  farm.  Supplementing 
his  meager  school  opportunities  with  study  at 
home  he  fitted  himself  for  teaching,  and  taught 
a  number  of  terms.  On  attaining  his  majority 
he  rented  land  of  his  father,  which  he  tilled  on 
shares  and  spent  the  proceeds  in  obtaining  an 
education.  After  graduating  from  Duff's  Com- 
mercial College  at  Columbus  he  spent  two  years 
m  Antioch  College,  and  in  the  Ohio  Weslyan 
University. 

Soon  after  quitting  school  Mr.  Yokam  rather 
accidentally  embarked  in  the  newspaper  busi- 
ness  as    joint    proprietor     and    editor      of      the 


Westerville  Banner,  Westerville,  the  seat  of 
Otterbein  University,  is  a  good  type  of  col- 
lege town.  Determining  to  master  the  details  of 
the  business  the  new  partner  by  the  end  of  the 
first  year  had  charge  of  the  job  department,  and 
had  formed  the  habit  of  setting  up  at  the  printer's 
case  much  of  his  local  and  editorial  matter  with- 
out committing  it  to  writing.  After  over  four 
years  of  successful  management,  during  three 
years  of  which  he  was  sole  proprietor  and  edi- 
tor, Mr.  Yokam  sold  the  paper  and  plant,  and  im- 
mediately entered  the  employ  of  the  publishers 
of  the  Ohio  Statesman,  the  time-honored  Dem- 
ocratic journal  at  the  state  capital,  in  charge  of 
its  advertising  business.  Fifteen  months  later 
he  accepted  a  flattering  oft'er  from  the  publishers 
of  the  Columbus  Dispatch,  a  wide-awake  young 
daily,  owned  by  J.  H.  Putman,  private  secretary 
to  the  governor,  and  Dr.  Doren,  founder  and  su- 
perintendent of  the  state  institution  for  the 
feeble-minded.  During  his  connection  with  the 
Dispatch  he  served  in  the  several  capacities  of 
bookkeeper,  advertising  man  and  local  writer. 

Upon  a  change  of  ownership  of  the  Dispatch 
Mr.  Yokam  resigned  his  position  and  purchased 
the  Columbus  Sunday  Herald.  The  Herald  had 
been  founded  some  three  3-ears  before  by  Gen. 
Thomas  Ewing  for  his  son  "Thom,"  who  had 
strong  journalistic  aspirations,  but  the  young 
proprietor  had  failed  to  place  it  on  a  self-support- 
ing basis.  Taking  editorial  and  business  charge 
Mr.  Yokam  enlarged  the  paper  to  a  thirty-six 
column  folio,  the  largest  published  in  the  city, 
and  arranged  to  send  it  out  on  the  Sunday  morn- 
ing trains  and  have  it  delivered  by  special  car- 
riers in  the  towns  forty  miles  out  from  the  city. 
The  circulation  and  business  rapidly  increased 
several  hundred  per  cent,  every  issue  showing  a 
large  net  profit.  The  double  duties  assumed  in- 
volved active  labor  sixteen  hours  a  day  on  an 
average.  At  the  end  of  two  years  of  this  stren- 
uous life,  yielding  to  the  importunities  of  would- 
be  purchasers.  Mr.  Yokam  sold  the  Herald  in 
1876  for  several  times  the  purchase  price,  and 
engaged  in  other  lines  of  business. 

The  following  year  Mr.  Yokam  went  to  Illi- 
nois, and  in  1880  he,  in  connection  with  others, 
published  a  history  of  Peoria  county,  a  quarto 
volume  of  nine  hundred  pages,  he  being  the  lit- 
erarv  editor.  In  1882  he  purchased  an  interest 
in  the  Springfield  Ei-ening  Post,  an  infantile 
journal  in  its  swadling  clothes,  and  took  editorial 
charge.  The  Post  had  three  old-established 
dailies  as  competitors  in  a  city  of  twenty-five 
thousand,  and  while  it  reached  a  daily  circula- 
tion of  nearly  two  thousand  copies  (second 
largest  in  the  city)',  it  could  not  obtain  the  Asso- 
ciated Press  franchise ;  and  failing  to  reach  a 
paying  basis  Mr.  Yokam  severed  his  connection 
with    it.      He    soon    after   took    the    position    of 


'^CcUJiU.c^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


115y 


general  agent  for  a  large  New  York  publishing 
house,  with  headquarters  in  Qiicago.  At  the 
end  of  three  years  of  successful  business  he  re- 
signed, leaving  the  city  May  i,  1888,  for  Cali- 
fornia under  a  two-year  contract  with  a  history 
publishing  firm  of  that  city  to  engage  in  historical 
work.  Before  the  expiration  of  that  engagement 
he  purchased  the  land  in  Highland  which  he 
transformed  from  a  rough  barley  field  into  a  fine 
orange  grove  and  handsome  home  which  he  and 
his  amiable  wife  now  occupy. 

At  the  time  of  Morgan's  raid  in  Ohio  during 
the  Civil  war,  Mr.  Yokam,  being  a  member  of  a 
militia  company,  was  called  out  for  a  brief  cam- 
paign as  a  member  of  the  One  Hundred  Thirty- 
third  Regiment  of  Ohio  National  Guard,  unhitch- 
ing from  the  mowing  niachine  to  obey  the  sum- 
mons of  Colonel  Innes. 

Since  settling  in  Highland  Mr.  Yokam  has 
taken  an  active  interest  in  matters  of  local  public 
concern.  He  was  three  times  elected  president 
of  the  Highland  Horticultural  Club.  He  was 
the  originator  of  the  Highland  Orange  Growers' 
Association,  which  was  organized  in  his  resi- 
dence, and  has  served  in  the  capacity  of  direc- 
tor, secretary,  vice-president  and  president  of 
that  organization.  He  is  serving  his  second  year 
as  president  of  the  Highland  Library  Club,  and 
his  fourth  year  as  president  of  the  San  Bernar- 
dino County  Ohio  Society.  Though  chiefly  oc- 
cupied in  cultivating  his  fine  orange  and  lemon 
grove,  Mr.  Yokam  has  contributed  an  occasional 
article  for  the  public  press  upon  historical  and 
other  subjects  of  general  interest,  and  has  writ- 
ten numerous  papers  on  various  topics  to  be  read 
before  public  gatherings. 

Mr.  Yokam  was  first  united  in  marriage  with 
I\Iiss  Lucretia  J.  Hyde,  October  16,  1861.  On  the 
28th  of  January,  1870.  she  passed  away,  leaving 
two  children,  Frank  \V.  and  Harriet  L.,  both 
still  living.  September  27,  1882,  he  married  Mrs. 
Frances  E.  Loring,  who  is  still  the  chief  factor 
in  his  happy  home  life. 


ABRAHAM  HATFIELD.  Noteworthy 
among  the  representative  pioneers  of  Ramona 
and  its  vicinity  is  Abraham  Hatfield,  who  holds 
a  well-deserved  position  among  the  sturdy,  en- 
ergetic and  successful  agriculturists  who  thor- 
oughly understand  the  vocation  which  they  fol- 
low, and  are  enabled  to  carry  it  on  with  pleasure 
and  profit.  He  is  a  native  of  Missouri,  and  was 
born  July  6,  1840.  His  father.  Charles  Hatfield, 
born  in  Kentucky,  married  Catherine  Dale,  a 
native  of  Virginia,  and  subsequently  moved  to 
Missouri,  taking  up  land  from  the  government, 
and  from  the  unbroken  forest  clearing  and  im- 
proving a  homestead.  There  he  and  his  faith- 
ful  helpmate    spent   their   remaining  days,   both 


dying  in  the  prime  of  life,  the  father  passing 
away  at  the  age  of  forty-seven  years,  and  the 
mother  when  forty-three  years  old.  They  were 
people  of  Christian  character  and  worth,  and 
faithful  members  of  the  Baptist  Church. 

One  of  a  family  of  nine  children,  Abraham 
Hatfield,  in  common  with  his  brothers  and  sis- 
ters, was  brought  up  on  the  home  farm,  obtain- 
ing a  limited  education.  Soon  after  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  Company 
A,  Sixteenth  Texas  Cavalry,  in  which  he  served 
three  and  one-half  years,  when  he  was  cap- 
tured, and  took  the  oath  of  allegiance.  Going 
to  ]\Iontana  in  1865,  he  was  for  a  number  of 
years  successfully  engaged  in  placer  mining.  In 
1870  he  came  to  Southern  California,  and  after 
living  for  a  short  time  in  the  old  city  of  San 
Diego  settled  as  a  farmer  near  Julian,  buying 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land,  on  which 
he  put  a  number  of  improvements.  Disposing 
of  that  ranch  he  took  up  a  government  claim  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  by  dint  of  per- 
severing labor  and  good  management  has  since 
improved  the  valuable  farm  on  which  he  now 
resides.  He  has  erected  a  substantial  set  of 
farm  buildings,  set  out  fruit  trees  and  planted  a 
vineyard,  and  as  a  general  farmer  is  exceedingly 
prosperous,  his  specialty  being  the  raising  of 
grain  and  stock.  He  is  also  interested  in  "gold 
and  gem  mines  in  San  Diego  county. 

December  7,  1876,  Mr.  Hatfield  married  Sarah 
M.  Casner,  who  was  born  in  Alabama  Septem- 
ber 13,  1837,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  two 
children.  Margaret  Irene  and  Charles  M.,  both 
of  whom  are  at  home.  Politically  Mr.  Hatfield 
is  not  affiliated  with  any  party,  but  votes  accord- 
ing to  the  dictates  of  his  conscience,  casting  his 
ballot  for  the  men  best  qualified  in  his  judgment 
to  serve  the  interests  of  the  people.  Religiously 
he  is  a  valued  member  of  the  Baptist  Church. 


WALTER  CARTER.  One  of  the  many 
capable  and  industrious  agriculturists  of  Los 
Angeles  county  is  Walter  Carter,  who  is  pros- 
perously engaged  in  his  free  and  independent 
occupation  in  Wiseburn.  His  ranch  is  pleasantly 
located,  and  with  its  comfortable  and  convenient 
set  of  buildings,  and  their  neat  and  tasteful  sur- 
roundings, invariably  attracts  the  attention  of  the 
passerby.  A  son  of  George  C.  Carter,  he  was 
born,  January  20,  1864,  in  Virginia,  but  was 
reared  and  educated  in  Missouri. 

A  native  of  old  Virginia,  George  C.  Carter 
removed  to  Missouri  in  the  early  '70s,  having 
previously  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican 
war.  When  the  Civil  war  broke  out  he  was 
made  captain  of  a  company  and  served  under 
General  Price  in  Missouri.  He  took  an  active 
part   in   several   engagements,   and   received   two 


117U 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


flesh  wounds  while  in  battle,  one  bullet  striking 
him  in  the  right  shoulder,  and  another  striking 
the  right  arm  and  practically  paralyzing  it.  Re- 
turning to  Virginia  at  the  close  of  the  war,  he 
established  a  tobacco  factory,  but  not  succeeding 
particularly  well  in  operating  it,  he  sold  out. 
Going  then  to  Missouri,  he  bought  land  and  im- 
proved a  good  farm,  which  he  managed  as  long 
as  he  was  able,  and  on  which  he  is  now  living, 
retired  from  active  pursuits.  He  married  Mary 
E.  Henry,  who  died  in  1870.  She  was  a  true 
helpmeet  to  him,  and  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Alethodist  Episcopal  Church.  She  bore  him 
seven  children,  three  of  whom  are  still  living. 

Brought  up  on  the  home  farm,  Walter  Carter 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Troy,  Mo. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  began  the  battle 
of  life  on  his  own  account.  Starting  westward, 
he  came  to  the  Pacific  coast,  and  at  Los  Angeles 
secured  work  as  a  fireman  on  the  Southern  Pa- 
cific Railroad,  subsequently  being  promoted  to 
the  position  of  engineer.  Leaving  the  railway, 
he  was  for  awhile  engaged  in  freighting  on  the 
desert,  driving  a  mule  team.  Locating  then  at 
Hyde  Park,  Los  Angeles  county,  he  worked 
awhile  for  Captain  Clark,  and  then  went  to  Del 
Rey,  where  he  took  charge  of  the  dredger,  oper- 
ating it  until  the  company  gave  up  work.  De- 
sirous of  settling  permanently,  he  came  then  to 
Los  Angeles  county,  and  in  the  Wiseburn  dis- 
trict rented  land  and  embarked  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  Encouraged  by  his  good  success,  he 
subsequently  purchased  land,  buying  one  ranch 
of  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  another 
containing  sixty-seven  acres,  on  which  he  has 
his  house  and  buildings.  His  improvements  are 
of  a  substantial  character,  and  as  a  farmer  he 
is  exceedingly  prosperous.  He  has  also  other 
interests  connected  with  mining,  and  in  this  busi- 
ness reaps  quite  an  income. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carter  are  the  parents  of  two 
children,  Le  Roy  and  Sylvia.  Politically  3Ir. 
Carter  is  identified  with  the  Democratic  party. 


BEX  E.  PATCHETT  is  a  native  son,  his 
birth  having  occurred  near  San  Miguel,  Cal.. 
October  15,  1871,  one  of  the  four  children  com- 
prising the  parental  family.  His  parents  were 
among  the  early  pioneers  of  the  state,  the  father, 
John  "a.  Patchett,  having  crossed  the  plains  in 
an  emigrant  party  in  i860,  and  his  mother,  who 
was  .\manda  Carpenter  before  her  marriage, 
having  come  to  California  by  the  isthmus  in  the 
same  year.  Both  were  natives  of  the  state  of 
Towa.  The  mother  resides  at  Pismo.  while  the 
father  died  in  1903.  at  the  age  of  sixty-two 
years.  '  During  his  lifetime  he  was  a  strong  ad- 
herent of  the  Republican  party. 

The  earlv  education  of  Mr.   Patchett  was  re- 


ceived in  the  public  schools  of  San  Luis  Obispo 
county  and  was  supplemented  by  a  commercial 
course  at  Heald's  Business  College  of  San  Fran- 
cisco. He  began  his  independent  business  career 
in  the  San  Joaquin  valley,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  stock  business  for  seven  years  and  soon  ac-» 
quired  valuable  property.  In  1903  he  removed 
to  Arroyo  Grande,  where  he  is  now  residing,  and 
owns  one  of  the  finest  and  best  improved  ranch- 
es in  this  section  of  the  state,  comprising  four 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  ground,  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  of  which  are  devoted  to  the  grow- 
ing of  crops,  the  rest  being  pasture  land.  His 
beans  yield  a  large  han-est  of  sixteen  sacks  per 
acre,  conclusively  proving  the  fertility  of  the 
soil.  The  Logan  Oil  Conipanv  well  is  also  lo- 
cated on  this  farm.  In  politics  Mr.  Patchett  is 
a  strong  Republican  and  earnest  supporter  of 
the  tenets  advocated  in  the  platform  of  that 
party,  and  he  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  busi- 
ness, social,  political  and  religious  life  of  the 
community.  He  was  married  in  1897  to  Miss 
Sarah  Bower,  a  native  of  Iowa,  and  to  them 
have  been  born  three  children :  Edwin,  Ernest 
and  Stewart. 


CHARLES  I.  MASON.  Occupying  a  po- 
sition of  prominence  among  the  foremost  busi- 
ness men  of  Compton  is  Charles  I.  Mason,  of 
the  firm  of  Mason  Brothers,  hardware  dealers 
and  plumbers,  having  their  main  store  in  this 
town,  and  a  branch  establishment  in  Gardena. 
Enterprising,  progressive  and  practical  in  his 
view's,  he  is  actively  assisting  in  promoting 
the  growth  and  industrial  prosperity  of  his 
adopted  city,  and  in  its  upbuilding  is  playing 
an  important  part.  He  was  born  in  Derby, 
England,  October  9,  1865.  His  father,  Isaac 
Mason,  born  in  England  in  1835,  married 
Mary  Smith,  also  of  English  birth,  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  the  following  children: 
Mary  Louise:  G.  Harold,  in  partnership  with 
Charles  I. :  Alice  Gertrude :  J.  William,  of  Los 
Angeles,  an  employe  in  the  postoffice :  and 
Charles  L,  the  special  subject  of  this  sketch. 

By  years  of  study  in  the  common  and  high 
schools,  find  by  subsequently  taking  a  college 
extension  course,  Charles  I,  ]\Iason  acquired 
an  excellent  education,  which  was  further  ad- 
vanced by  the  study  of  mechanical  engineer- 
ing at  South  Kensington.  On  finishing  this 
course  he  worked  as  an  engineer  for  three 
vears,  and  then  took  up  the  study  of  plumb- 
ing in  a  thorough  manner,  becoming  proficient 
in  the  trade.  His  health  failing,  he  came  to 
California  in  1888,  hoping  in  this  genial  cli- 
mate to  regain  his  former  ph^-sical  vigor.  Lo- 
cating in  Compton.  h.e  purchased  seventeen 
acres  of  land,  and  for  about  seven  years  was 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1171 


engaged  in  raising  fruit  and  alfalfa.  The 
ensuing  two  years  he  worked  as  a  plumb- 
er, and  in  a  bicycle  establishment  in  Los 
Angeles.  Returning  then  to  Compton, 
in  partnership  with  his  brother  G.  Harold,  he 
bought  a  harware  and  plumbing  establish- 
ment, and  they  have  since  built  up  an  exten- 
sive and  lucrative  business  in  this  line,  in  the 
busy  season  employing  about  a  dozen  men. 
L'nder  their  present  firm  name,  Mason  Broth- 
ers, Mr.  Mason  and  his  partner  have  opened  a 
branch  store  in  Gardena,  where  thev  are  suc- 
ceeding beyond  their  expectations,' their  pa- 
tronage being  large  and  remunerative.  Re- 
cently they  erected  one  of  the  finest  business 
buildings  in  ComiHon,  and  are  now  prepared 
to  fill  all  orders  promptly  and  satisfactorily. 

In  1896  j\Ir.  Mason  married  ]\Iary  Whaley, 
who  was  born  in  California,  a  daughter  of  the 
late  Dr.  Francis  \A'haley,  who  came  to  this 
state  as  a  pioneer  more  than  thirty  years  ago, 
and  until  his  death,  in  August,  1904,  was  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  medicine.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Mason  have  three  children,  namely : 
Lawrence  H..  Helen  M.  and  Charles  Ronald. 
In  his  political  views  Mr.  Mason  is  a  Pro- 
hibitionist, and  religiously  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  was  one 
of  the  organizers  and  is  a  director  of  the 
Compton  Water  Company. 


CUTHBERT  GULLY.  To  the  energy  and 
enterprise  of  her  young  business  and  profes- 
sional men  Long  Beach  owes  much  to  her  phe- 
nomenal growth  and  development,  and  in  the 
furthering  of  this  general  prosperity  Cuthbert 
Gully,  a  successful  and  practical  civil  engineer^ 
has  contributed  a  generous  share.  Descended  as 
he  is  from  generations  of  prominent  Englishmen, 
it  is  but  natural  that  he  should  display  the  same 
strong  qualities  of  character  which  gave  to  them 
leading  positions  in  their  country.  His  grand- 
father, John  Gully,  a  native  of  Bristol,  England, 
was  a  successful  business  man,  a  large  land  own- 
er, interested  in  coal  mining  and  a  breeder  of  fine 
horses,  having  won  the  Derby  one  year.  As  a 
public  man  he  exercised  his  talents  in  parliament 
liaving  been  a  member  from  York  for  two  terms. 

Captain  Henry  Lawrence,  the  father  of  Cuth- 
bert Gully,  was  a  commander  in  the  English  navy 
and  at  the  time  of  his  resignation  at  the  age  of 
twentv-seven  years,  was  the  youngest  commander 
in  service.  After  his  retirement  from  luilitary 
life  he  engaged  in  the  practice  of  civil  engineer- 
ing in  England  for  a  time,  then  came  to  America 
and  continued  to  work  in  Florida.  Later  he 
removed  to  the  province  of  Quebec,  Canada,  and 
bought  a  farm  on  Lake  Memphremagog.  for 
a  number  of  vears  dividing  his  time  between  this 


IJroperty  and  coal  mines  in  England  which  he 
owned.  In  1889  the  family  returned  to  England 
and  the  parents  reside  in  Southsea.  Mr.  Gully's 
mother,  who  was  in  maidenhood,  Henrietta  Wal- 
lace, is  a  native  of  London  and  traces  her  lineage 
back  to  Sir  William  Wallace  on  her  paternal  side 
and  through  her  mother  claims  Robert  Emmett 
as  an  ancestor. 

A  member  of  a  family  of  nine  children,  Cuth- 
bert Gully  was  born  in  1878,  at  Lake  Mem- 
phremagog, Quebec,  Canada.  He  acquired  his 
education  in  England  at  St.  George's  College, 
and  later  studied  civil  engineering  under  his 
father.  In. 1894  he  came  to  California,  locating 
at  Riverside,  and  as  civil  engineer  entered  the 
ofiice  of  the  San  Jacinto  Land  Company  under 
W.  E.  Pedly,  a  position  which  he  retained  for 
six  years.  For  two  years  thereafter  he  was  in- 
terested in  horticultural  pursuits,  specializing  on 
(irange  growing.  Disposing  of  his  ranch  he  was 
for  eighteen  months  employed  as  assistant  super- 
intendent of  construction  with  the  Riverside 
Power  Company,  resigning  this  to  accept  a  posi- 
tion in  Los  Angeles  with  E.  T.  Wright  as  civil 
engineer  and  surveyor.  Six  months  later,  in 
1904,  he  came  to  Long  Beach  and  continued  the 
practice  of  his  profession  independentlv,  laving 
out  Willow  _  Park  and  Long  Beach  Boulevard 
tracts.  He  is  now  engaged  on  the  Long  Beach 
Reclamation  District  work  in  reclaiming  about 
three  thousand  acres  of  land. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Gully  occurred  in  Long 
I'jeach,  uniting  him  with  Edna  Sovereign,  a 
native  of  Illinois,  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
one  child,  Edna  Adalza.  Mr.  Gullv  is  an  active 
member  of  the  Episcopal  Qnirch  and  fraternally 
was  made  a  Mason  in  Temescal  Lodge  No.  314 
F.  &  A.  M.,  in  Corona.  Politically  lie  is  an  ad- 
vocate of  Republican  principles,  and  as  a  public- 
spirited  citizen  who  is  interested  in  the  best  de- 
velopment of  the  city  he  is  held  in  the  highest 
esteem  by  all  who  have  the  pleasure  of  his  ac- 
quaintance. 


JOHN  KEYES  MORRISON.  An  industri- 
ous, progressive  and  well-to-do  agriculturist  of 
Los  Angeles  county.  John  Keyes  Morrison,  liv- 
ing retired  near  Compton,  has  improved  a  fine 
homestead,  which  in  its  appointments  compares 
favorably  with  any  in  the  locality.  With  its  sub- 
stantial buildings  and  well-cultivated  fields,  it 
gives  proof  to  the  most  casual  observer  of  "the 
thrift  and  care  of  the  owner,  and  shows  con- 
clusively that  he  has  a  thorough  understanding 
of  the  business  in  which  he  has  engaged,  and  that 
in  its  management  he  has  exercised  excellent 
judgment.  A  son  of  William  Morrison,  he  was 
born.  May  5.  1835.  '"  Philadelphia.  Pa.,  of 
Scotch-Irish  ancestrx-. 


1172 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


William  jNIorrison  was  born  and  reared  in 
Ireland,  but  when  a  young  man  immigrated  to 
America,  locating  in  Penns3'lvania,  where  he  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Keyes,  who  came  from  Ireland 
to  the  United  States  with  her  parents  when  she 
was  a  young  girl.  She  died  in  Philadelphia, 
Pa.,  leaving  two  children,  of  whom  John  Keyes, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  an  infant  three 
months  old.  After  locating  in  Illinois  the  father 
subsequently  married  again,  and  by  his  second 
union  had  a  family  of  four  children.  The  re- 
mainder of  his  life  was  spent  in  Illinois,  where 
he  carried  on  farming  until  his  death.  He  was 
a  man  of  deep  religious  convictions,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Reformed   Presbyterian   Church. 

Coming  with  his  father  and  grandfather  as 
far  west  as  Illinois  when  a  young  lad,  John 
Keyes  Morrison  remained  at  home  until  after 
attaining  his  majority,  receiving  a  practical  com- 
mon-school education,  and  a  fine  training  in  the 
numerous  branches  of  agriculture.  When  ready 
to  settle  in  life  he  purchased  land  in  Washing- 
ton county.  III,  not  far  from  the  parental  home- 
stead, and  was  for  several  years  there  success- 
fully engaged  in  tilling  the  soil.  In  1874  he  re- 
moved with  his  family  to  California,  settling  near 
Compton,  where  he  at  once  bought  thirt}-  acres  of 
the  land  included  in  his  present  ranch.  A  large 
part  of  his  original  purchase  he  devoted  to  thfe 
cultivation  of  fruits  of  all  kinds,  a  branch  of 
agriculture  which  proved  exceedingly  remuner- 
ative. By  purchase  he  has  added  seventy  acres 
of  adjoining  land  to  his  ranch,  and  here  he  lives 
retired  with  his  family.  Since  his  retirement  his 
son  John  W.  has  taken  the  active  care  of  the 
ranch,  upon  which  he  raises  large  crops  of  grain 
and  fruit. 

In  1859,  in  Nashville,  Washington  county,  111., 
Mr.  Morrison  married  Letitia  L.  Loughery,  who 
was  born  in  County  Derry,  Ireland,  and  came  to 
America  in  1846.  Of  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Morrison  six  children  have  been  born,  namely : 
Anna  D.,  wife  of  Prof.  A.  J.  McQatchie,  of 
Montobello,  Cal.,  and  the  mother  of  one  child ; 
John  W.,  who  has  charge  of  the  ranch  ;  Lillie, 
in  Los  Angeles;  Alonzo  T.,  of  Calabasas,  who 
married  Harriet  Parker,  by  whom  he  has  two 
children,  a  son  and  a  daughter ;  Lorenzo  L.,  who 
married  Alice  Arthur  and  has  two  daughters ;  and 
Margaret  Letitia,  living  at  home. 


LEON  LEHMAN.  Throughout  the  length 
and  breadth  of  Ventura  county  the  people  are 
familiar  with  the  rapid  growth  and  exceptional 
popularity  of  the  department  store  conducted  by 
Lehman  Bros.,  at  Oxnard.  LTnder  the  present 
firm  title  the  founder  of  the  business.  Leon  Leh- 
man, associated  with  his  three  brothers,  Matthew, 
Edmond  and  Paul,  has  gained  a  reputation  for 


reliability  of  business  dealings  and  success  in 
mercantile  affairs.  The  department  store  owned 
and  operated  by  the  firm  has  its  headquarters 
in  a  building  55x100  feet  in  dimension,  but  in 
addition  there  is  a  two-story  brick  warehouse 
25x100  feet,  and  a  warehouse  on  Saviers 
road  40x80  feet,  all  of  the  buildings  be- 
ing utilized  for  the  storage  of  goods  or  for  their 
display  in  the  interests  of  customers.  As  Oxnard 
itself  has  had  a  rapid  growth  in  importance  and 
prestige,  so  this  business  enterprise  has  deve- 
loped rapidly  from  an  unimportant  size  to  pro- 
portions rivalling  those  of  the  large  cities. 

Near  the  historic  city  of  Strasburg,  Erance, 
and  in  the  province  of  Alsace,  now  a  part  of  the 
German  empire,  Leon  Lehman  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 6,  1 861,  being  a  son  of  Moise  and  Estella 
Lehman,  natives  of  the  same  province  and  mem- 
bers of  old  families  there.  The  father  was  a 
merchant  and  real  estate  dealer  during  all  of 
his  active  years  and  until  shortly  before  his 
death.  All  of  the  seven  children  are  now  in 
America  and  in  1893  Leon  returned  to  Europe 
and  brought  to  the  United  States  his  widowed 
mother,  in  order  that  she  might  spend  her  last 
days  with  her  children,  of  whom  he  was  the 
eldest.  He  received  an  excellent  education  in  col- 
lege, and  afterward  served  an  apprenticeship  to 
the  dry  goods  trade  in  Paris,  where  he  had  the  ad- 
vantage of  studying  under  some  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful merchants  of  the  continent.  At  the  ex- 
piration of  two  years  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  proceeded  direct  to  California,  and  set- 
tled in  Hueneme,  where  in  October,  1878,  he 
entered  the  employ  of  Wolff  &  Levy  as  a  clerk. 
Intelligence,  skill  and  executive  ability  enabled 
him  in  1886  to  buy  an  interest  with  Mr.  Wolff, 
who  had  succeeded  to  the  business  of  Wolff  & 
Levy,  at  which  time  the  title  was  changed  to 
Wolft'  &  Lehman.  For  the  better  accommoda- 
tion of  the  stock  of  goods  the  firm  erected  a  brick 
building. 

On  the  dissolution  of  the  partnership  a  new 
association  was  entered  into  and  the  firm  of  Leh- 
man &  Waterman  was  organized  with  W.  1\I. 
Waterman  as  a  junior  member.  In  addition  to 
carrying  a  stock  of  general  merchandise  they  em- 
barked in  the  grain  business,  and  continued  to- 
gether until  January,  1906,  when  the  junior 
partner's  interest  was  purchased  by  the  senior 
member.  The  firm  erected  a  frame  building  and 
started  the  first  store  in  Oxnard  in  1898,  but 
later  the  building  became  too  small  for  the  grow- 
ing trade,  and  the  present  substantial  structure 
was  erected  on  the  adjoining  lot.  In  the  incor- 
poration of  Oxnard  "Sh.  Lehman  was  an  active 
factor  and  ever  since  then  he  has  officiated  as 
treasurer  of  the  city.  At  this  writing  he  holds 
office  as  president  of  the  Citizens  Club,  an  or- 
ganization  composed    of   Oxnard's    leading   citi- 


J^l<*2--^-y  /  -^y^^^/^^C^.-/"' 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1175 


zens,  banded  together  to  promote  the  welfare  of 
the  town.  On  the  organization  of  the  Oxnard 
Masonic  Chib  he  became  one  of  its  charter  mem- 
bers and  has  officiated  as  its  treasurer  for  some 
time.  Since  coming  to  Oxnard  he  has  erected 
a  substantial  residence  on  the  corner  of  D  and 
Second  streets.  Fraternally  he  is  identified  with 
the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  in  Santa 
Barbara  and  the  Masonic  fraternity,  having  been 
made  a  Mason  in  Hueneme  Lodge,  of  which  he 
is  past  master,  and  the  first  one  to  be  taken  into 
that  lodge,  while  at  this  writing  he  holds  mem- 
bership with  Oxnard  Lodge  No.  341,  F.  &  A. 
M.,  also  with  the  Royal  Arch  Chapter.  Ever 
since  becoming  a  citizen  of  the  United  States 
and  of  voting  age,  he  has  given  his  allegiance 
to  the  Republican  party.  A  man  of  unusual 
business  ability,  he  superintends  with  care  and 
keen  intelligence  the  stores  at  Oxnard  and 
Hueneme  owned  by  the  firm  and  built  up  to  their 
present  dimensions  largely  through  his  persever- 
ing energy.  In  the  growth  of  Oxnard  his  con- 
tribution as  a  progressive  merchant  and  public 
spirited  man  has  been  of  the  greatest  importance. 


PRESLEY  T.  HUB  BERT.  Bound  to  the 
beautiful  valley  of  San  Luis  Rey  by  the  ties  of 
years  of  identification  with  its  agricultural  in- 
terests, Mr.  Hubbert  has  for  the  region  a  feel- 
ing of  affection  deeper  and  more  abiding  than 
for  any  other  spot  of  earth's  broad  domain.  To 
the  people  of  the  valley  his  name  is  significant 
of  all  that  is  manly  and  noble  in  character,  pure 
and  lofty  in  friendship,  and  genial  and  com- 
panionable in  temperament.  As  a  pioneer  he  bore 
a  part  in  the  development  of  the  resources  of 
the  vallev  and  as  a  citizen  he  contributed  his 
quota  to  movements  for  the  public  welfare.  To 
know  him  is  to  admire  him  for  the  possession 
of  the  qualities  of  mind  and  heart  unusually  at- 
tractive and  deep  and  also  for  the  possession  of 
a  sagacious  judgment  that  gives  weight  to  his 
counsel  and  permanent  value  to  his  advice. 

Of  southern  family  and  birth.  Mr.  Hubbert  is 
a  son  of  Matthew  and  Elizabeth  S.  (Thornton) 
Hubbert,  natives  respectively  of  Tennessee  and 
Georgia.  The  father,  who  was  a  farmer  and 
cattle-raiser,  came  to  California  in  i860  and  set- 
tled at  Julian,  but  the  following  year  removed  to 
the  San  Luis  Rey  valley,  where  he  entered 
land  from  the  government.  At  the  time  of  his 
death  in  1886  he  was  seventy-six  vears  of  age. 
while  his  wife,  who  lived  to  be  eighty-five,  pass- 
ed awav  in  1903.  They  were  the  parent.s^  of 
fifteen  children  and  ten  of  these  are  yet  living. 
Preslev  T.,  who  was  born  in  Attala  county.  Miss.. 
November  27,  1846.  was  eight  years  of  age  when 
the  familv  removed  to  Texas,  and  his  education 
(which   was    limited      to   the      common      school 


studies)  was  received  principally  in  that  state. 
For  a  time  he  worked  as  a  cowboy  and  during 
ten  months  of  the  war  period  he  was  employed 
in  the  department  furnishing  beef  to  the  Confed- 
erate army.  Meanwhile  his  father  had  be- 
come interested  in  the  cattle  business  and  had 
his  range  on  the  present  site  of  Roswell  in  New 
Mexico,  remaining  there  for  four  years,  and  the 
son  aided  in  the  business  bv  driving  herds  of  cat- 
tle to  and  from  the  range.  In  the  pursuit  of  this 
work  he  crossed  the  plains  ten  times.  When 
his  father  closed  out  the  cattle  business  and 
removed  to  California  he  returned  to  Texas, 
and  from  there  came  to  the  coast  country  in 
1872,  journeying  via  steamer  from  Galveston 
to  New  Orleans,  thence  by  rail  to  St.  Louis, 
from  there  on  the  railroad  to  Denver,  Salt  Lake 
and  San  Francisco,  thence  to  San  Diego,  and 
from  there  via  stage  to  Julian,  where  he  became 
interested  in  mining. 

After  a  year  in  California  Mr.  Hubbert  re- 
turned to  Texas  for  his  mother,  brothers  and 
sisters,  who  came  back  with  him  to  San  Diego 
county.  In  August,  1873,  he  closed  out  his 
mining  interests  and  came  to  the  San  Luis  Rev 
vallev.  where  he  purchased  a  quarter  section  of 
land  from  his  father  and  later  entered  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  from  the  government,  on 
which  property  he  has  since  engaged  in  ranch- 
ing and  stock-raising.  In  1878  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Helen  M.  (Adams)  Hub- 
bert, a  native  of  Texas,  and  a  dausrhter  of  Cal- 
ifornia pioneers  of  1867.  who  settled  in  the  Hope 
school  district  in  San  Diesro  countv.  Thev  are 
the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Louis 
C,  now  in  Mexico:  Victoria  E..  who  is  on  the 
home  ranch ;  Jennie  E.  and  Bavard  T.,  who  are 
attending-  school  in  Los  .\ngeles :  Nannie  B..  a 
student  in  the  San  Luis  Rey  schools,  and  Edsrar 
T..  at  home.  The  familv  attend  the  Christian 
Church,  with  which  Mrs.  Hubbert  is  identified 
and  to  which  ATr.  Hubbert  has  been  a  gener- 
ous contributor.  Pnliticallv  a  Democrat,  reared 
in  the  faith  of  that  partv  and  pronounced  in  his 
allegiance  to  its  principles,  he  is  vet  liberal  and 
non-partisan,  and  in  voting  considers  the  char- 
acter of  the  candidate  and  his  qualifications  for 
office  rather  than  his  political  views.  Alwavs 
interested  in  educational  matters,  he  has  served 
efficientiv  as  school  trustee  and  has  contributed 
materiallv  to  the  advancement  of  the  local 
schools. 


JOHN   P.  VARBLE.     The    reputation     ac 
nuired   by    J.    P.    Varble    as   a    rancher   of   Los 

Angeles  countv  has  been  won  entirelv  by  his  owr 
efforts,  having  brought  to  bear  in  his  work  an 
intelligent  and  conscientious  thought  which  ha« 
resulted  in  the  accomplishment  of  his  aims  and 


1176 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


purposes.  He  is  located  near  El  Alonte,  where 
he  settled  in  1903.  He  is  a  native  of  Franklin 
county,  Ark.,  and  was  born  January  23,  1865  ;  his 
father,  Alexander  \'arble,  was  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  while  his  mother,  formerly  INIargar- 
ett  Houston,  was  born  in  Arkansas.  The  father 
died  in  1880,  and  the  mother  is  still  surviving 
and  making  her  home  in  ^lodesto,  Stanislaus 
county,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years,  still  active 
and  taking  an  interest  in  the  work  of  the  Girist- 
lan  Church,  of  which  she  is  a  member.  The 
father  was  a  Democrat  politically  and  prominent 
in  the  affairs  of  his  adopted  state. 

J.  P.  Varble  was  the  eldest  of  ten  children 
born  to  his  parents  and  in  Franklin  county  he 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools.  He 
came  to  California  in  1891,  after  having  engaged 
as  a  farmer  in  his  native  state,  and  upon  his  ar- 
rival here  located  in  Stanislaus  county,  where  he 
remained  for  three  years.  He  then  came  to 
Los  Angeles  county  and  engaged  in  ranching,  in 
1903  locating  on  his  present  property,  which  con- 
sists of  one  hundred  and  ten  acres,  devoted  to 
the  raising  of  alfalfa,  which  yields  eight  tons 
per  acre.  He  owns  seventeen  acres  of  fine  land 
which  he  intends  to  plant  to  strawberries  and 
walnuts.  He  was  married  in  1886  to  Miss  Callie 
Owen,  a  native  of  Arkansas,  and  four  children 
were  born  to  this  union,  Oma,  Truman,  Ruth  and 
Valda.  J\lr.  ^^arble  is  a  member  of  the  ]Mod- 
ern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the  \\'oodmen 
of  the  World.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch  adherent 
of  the  Democratic  principles  and  both  himself 
and  wife  are  members  of  the  Christian  Oiurch. 


A.  L.  AL'VTTHE^^'S.  Twenty  years  ago  A. 
L.  Matthews  came  to  California  and  located 
at  Wildomar,  purchasing  land  upon  which  he 
is  now  raising  hay  and  grain.  •  He  was  born 
Augu.st  21,  1845,  in  Chemung  county,  N.  Y., 
the  son  of  Isaac  and  Ann  (Manning)  ^lat- 
thews,  the  former  being  a  native  of  New  York 
and  the  latter  born  m  England.  The  ^lat- 
thews  family  is  one  that  has  been  identified 
with  the  history  of  the  L'nited  States  for  sev- 
eral generations,  the  grandfather,  Kortwright 
^Matthews,  having  been  an  officer  in  the  Black 
Hawk  war  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  bat- 
tle fought  at  Horseheads.  N.  Y.  The  father 
was  educated  in  New-  York  and  became  a 
Methodist  Episcopal  minister,  having  charges 
at  various  points,  including  Big  Flats,  Reaser 
Hill  and  Pine  Valley.  His  death  occurred  in 
New  York  in  1889.  at  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-fouF  years.  The  mother  died  in  1859, 
when  she  was  fifty-nine  years  old. 

Reared  in  an  intellectual  and  refined  atmos- 
phere, A.  L.  ^latthews  in  boyhood  attended 
the  public  schools,  later  studying  for  a  time  at 


.Starkey  Seminar}-.  In  October,  1863,  he  dem- 
onstrated his  patriotism  b}-  enlisting  in  Com- 
pany E,  Fourteenth  Regiment  of  New  York 
Heav}-  Artillery,  and  was  injured  by  the  ex- 
plosion of  a  shell  at  Fort  Hamilton,  the  wound 
having  troubled  him  ever  since.  On  account 
of  his  disability  he  was  discharged  at  Fort 
Schu^-ler.  N.  Y.;  and  in  1868  located  in  Ne- 
vada, Story  county,  low-a,  where  he  engaged 
in  ranching  until  1872.  He  then  removed  to 
Hiawatha,  Brown  county,  Kans..  remaining 
there  for  two  years,  when  he  located  in  Spring 
Hill,  Johnson  county,  that  state,  and  bought 
a  farm  upon  which  he  lived  until  1875.  His 
next  move  was  to  Arkansas  valle}-,  Kans., 
there  filing  upon  a  homestead  claim  upon 
which  he  resided  until  1886,  when  he  removed 
to  California.  Locating  at  ^^'ildomar,  he 
bought  ten  acres  of  land,  improved  it,  and  en- 
gaged in  ranching.  Besides  this  he  also  owns 
a  quarter  section  of  farming  land  in  Kansas. 

June  21.  1902,  Mr.  ]^iatthew-s  received  the 
appointment  as  postmaster  of  \^'ildomar,  and 
on  August  15  of  the  same  year  secured  the 
position  of  station  agent  for  the  Santa  Fe  at 
that  point.  At  about  the  same  time  he  also 
became  proprietor  of  the  general  store  which 
he  now  owns.  He  has  been  clerk  of  the  school 
board  for  twelve  years,  and  for  the  past  eight 
3-ears  has  been  deputy  count}'  clerk.  Polit- 
ically he  is  an  advocate  of  the  principles  em- 
braced in  the  platform  of  the  Republican 
party,  and  religiously  belongs  to  the  JNIethod- 
ist  Episcopal  Church.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Riverside  post  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic. 

Mr.  Afatthews'  marriage  in  Hutchinson, 
Kans..  October  24,  1877.  united  him  with  i\Iiss 
]\Iar}-  H.  Allison,  a  native  of  Illinois,  they 
.becoming  the  parents  of  two  children,  Anna 
and  Anson  Leo.  both  of  whom  died  in  in- 
fanc}-.  As  a  progressive  and  enterprising  citi- 
zen 'Sir.  AFatthcw-s  takes  a  leading  place  in 
his  community,  in  which  he  is  held  in  the 
highest  respect  and  esteem  by  all. 


CHARLES  J.  MURPHY.  A  native  son  of 
California,  and  the  representative  of  one  of  its 
early  pioneer  families,  Charles  J.  Murphy  is  well 
deserving  of  mention  in  a  work  of  this  character. 
A  well-known  resident  of  the  thriving  little 
village  of  Oxnard,  he  is  actively  identified  with 
its  mercantile  interests,  holding  an  excellent  posi- 
tion among  the  energetic  and  thorough  going 
business  men  who  have  attained  success  through 
their  own  tact,  good  judgment  and  perseverance. 
Establishing  himself  here  as  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Murphy  &  Weill  nearly  two  years  ago. 
he  has  since  built  up  a  lucrative  trade,  dealing 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


117; 


principally  in  groceries  and  men's  furnishing 
goods.  A  son  of  the  late  Thomas  Murphy,  he 
was  born,  April  17,  1874,  in  San  Francisco, 
where  he  was  reared  and  educated. 

Leaving  his  home  in  the  east  when  a  young 
man,  Thomas  Murphy  followed  the  march  of  civ- 
ilization westward,  coming  across  the  plains  with 
ox-teams  ere  the  thought  of  construction  a  trans- 
continental railway  had  been  conceived.  With  his 
brother  pioneers  he  labored  with  pickaxe  and 
shovel,  and  as  a  miner  met  with  encouraging 
success.  On  retiring  from  that  occupation  he 
located  in  San  Francisco,  where  he  resided  un- 
til his  death.  He  married  ^Nlary  Flanagan,  who 
survives  him,  and  is  now  living  in  Alameda. 
She  bore  him  eight  children,  three  of  whom  are 
living,  Charles  J.  being  the  second  child. 

Having  completed  the  studies  of  the  public 
schools  of  San  Francisco,  Charles  J.  Murphy 
was  graduated  from  a  commercial  college,  and 
soon  after  that  event  began  the  battle  of  life  for 
himself.  Locating  in  Hueneme  in  1896,  he  ob- 
tained a  position  as  clerk  in  the  store  of  Lehman 
&  \'\'aterman,  and  while  there  obtained  an  ex- 
cellent knowledge  of  mercantile  pursuits.  When 
the  firm  removed  to  Oxnard  Mr.  Murphy  came 
also,  and  for  some  time  thereafter  had  charge  of 
its  hardware  department.  Resigning  his  clerk- 
ship in  November,  1904,  he,  in  partnership  with 
I\Ir.  Weill,  started  in  business  for  himself,  open- 
ing a  store  on  Fifth  street,  in  the  ^^laulhardt 
building.  Stocking  his  establishment  with  a  fine 
assortment  of  groceries,  both  staple  and  fancy, 
and  opening  a  men's  furnishing  goods  depart- 
ment, he  has  since  built  up  a  most  satisfactory 
business,  his  patronage  being  large  and  remuner- 
ative. 

November  15,  1905,  in  Oxnard,  Mr.  Murphy 
married  Katherine  Wilson,  who  was  born  in 
Hueneme,  a  daughter  of  U.  S.  Wilson,  now  a 
residence  of  Oxnard.  Politically  Mr.  Murphy  is 
a  stanch  Democrat,  and  fraternally  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Santa  Barbara  Lodge  No.  613,  B.  P.  O.  E., 
and  of  Oxnard  Lodge  No.  750,  K.  of  C. 


MORGAN  R.  WATKINS.  Conspicuous 
among  the  California  pioneers  who  have  so  ably 
assisted  in  developing  both  the  mining  and  agri- 
cultural resources  of  this  state  is  Morgan  R.  Wat- 
kins,  a  prosperous  farmer,  living  near  Mesa 
Grande.  His  ranch  is  under  a  good  state  of  cul- 
tivation and  well  improved,  the  buildings  being 
of  a  neat  and  substantial  character,  betokening 
the  thrift  and  wise  management  of  the  owner. 
Like  many  others  of  our  most  respected  and 
successful  citizens,  he  was  born  and  reared  in  a 
foreign  land,  his  birth  having  occurred,  Decem- 
ber 26,  184c;,  in  South  Wales.  His  parents, 
David    and   Elizabeth    (Rosser)    Watkins,    were 


life-long  residents  of  Wales,  where  the  father  was 
a  well-known  carpenter  and  contractor.  They 
were  people  of  stanch  integrity,  highly  esteemed 
for  their  many  excellent  qualities  of  mind  and 
heart,  and  were  faithful  members  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Congregational  Church.  They  reared 
a  family  of  five  children,  all  of  whom  left  their 
native  country  when  ready  to  settle  in  life,  locat- 
ing in  America.  One  son.  David  F.  Watkins, 
was  for  thirtv-tliree  years  a  missionary  in  Mexico 
and  later  was  similarly  engaged  in  South  Amer- 
ica. Another  son.  Rev.  Thomas  R.  Watkins,  was 
a  leader  of  the  Labor  Union  in  Pennsylvania. 

Immigrating  to  the  Cnited  States  in  1865, 
^Morgan  R.  Watkins  spent  a  short  time  in  New 
York  City,  and  then  went  to  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  followed  the  trade  he  had  learned  in 
Wales,  working  in  the  mines  as  an  underground 
carpenter.  From  there,  having  in  the  mean  time 
visited  his  old  home  and  friends  in  Wales,  Mr. 
Watkins  came  to  the  Pacific  coast,  arriving  in 
San  Francisco  in  1868.  Resuming  his  former 
work,  he  was  a  foreman  in  the  mines  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  being  thus  employed  in  Plumas, 
Butte  and  Nevada  and  Placer  counties.  His  health 
failing  he  went  first  to  Mendocino,  then  to  San 
Diego,  and  thence  to  Mexico,  where  for  about 
a  year  he  had  charge  of  a  mine.  Returning  to 
San  Diego  county  he  purchased  his  present  ranch 
which  is  advantageously  located  near  Mesa 
(jrande,  and  has  since  been  actively  and  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  general  farming,  including 
stock  raising.  He  pays  some  attention  to  the 
raising  of  fruit,  having  a  productive  apple  or- 
chard, which  yields  him  excellent  harvests.  He 
has  met  with  good  success  in  his  agricultural 
labors,  and  as  a  man  and  a  citizen  is  held  in  high 
respect  throughout  the  community,  his  integri- 
ty and  other  sterling  qualities  being  everywhere 
recognized. 

In  1872  Mr.  Watkins  married  Mar\^  Brier,  who 
was  born  in  Santa  Cruz,  Cal.  One  year  prior  to 
her  marriage  she  taught  school  and  for  twelve 
years  afterwards  she  taught  an  Indian  school.  Her 
father.  Rev.  James  Brier,  was  born  October  14, 
1814,  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  of  Scotch  and  Frencli 
ancestry.  In  1839  he  married  Juliet  Wells,  a 
woman  of  great  strength  of  character  and  much 
force  of  will.  Several  years  later  Air,  Brier 
accompanied  by  his  wife  and  three  small  child- 
ren, started  across  the  plains,  Mrs,  Brier  being 
the  only  woman  in  the  company  of  Jay  Hawkers. 
After  spending  six  weeks  in  Salt  Lake  City  the 
party  were  forced  to  push  onward  to  California 
under  Mormon  guides,  who  deserted  them  upon 
arriving  at  Death  Valley.  They  suffered  untold 
privations,  and  twenty-eight  of  the  band  died  of 
starvation.  The  survivors  burned  their  wagons 
for  fuel  and  in  the  weeks  that  followed  their 
only  food  consisted  of  the  hides  of  cattle,     Lo- 


1178 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


eating  in  Los  Angeltes  Mr.  Brier  became  active 
in  his  ministerial  labors,  and  founded  the  first 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  established  in  that 
town.  During  his  later  3ears  he  removed  to 
San  Joaquin  county  and  made  his  home  there 
until  his  death,  in  1897.  He  was  very  active  in 
political  affairs,  and  as  a  stanch  supporter  of  the 
Republican  party  stumped  the  state  for  Lincoln, 
Grant,  Garfield,  Blaine  and  Harrison,  acquiring 
a  wide  reputation  as  a  gifted  orator,  and  being 
aptly  called  "The  Old  Man  Eloquent."  His 
wife  survived  him,  and  is  still  living,  being  an 
active  woman  of  ninety-three  years.  She  bore 
him  six  children,  four  of  whom  survive. 

Of  the  union  of  iNIr.  and  Mrs.  \\'atkins  two 
children  have  been  born,  namely :  Arthur  S., 
who  has  a  fine  ranch  of  five  hundred  acres  ad- 
joining his  father's  farm,  and  Juliet.  Politically 
Mr.  Watkins  is  a  Socialist.  Religiously  he  is  a 
Congregationalist,  and  ]\Irs.  Watkins  is  an  Epis- 
copalian. 


GASTON  JEAN  GILLY.  As  a  general  mer- 
chant Gaston  J.  Gilly  is  located  in  Puente  and 
carrying  on  a  business  enterprise  in  partnership 
with  J.  Faure,  the  firm  name  being  Gilly  &  Faure. 
Mr.  Gilly  is  a  native  Californian,  his  birth  having 
occurred  in  San  Francisco  January  20,  1867. 
His  father,  Joseph  Gilly,  was  a  native  of  Haute- 
Marne,  France,  and  a  tailor  by  trade.  He  came 
to  America  in  1866,  crossing  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama,  thence  by  steamer  to  San  Francisco, 
where  he  engaged  as  a  merchant  tailor.  In  1883 
he  located  in  Los  Angeles,  where  he  followed  his 
trade  until  his  death,  which  occurred  January 
12,  1905,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years.  His 
wife  died  in  San  Francisco  in  1873.  The  parent- 
al family  comprise  four  children,  all  of  whom 
are  living,  the  eldest  being  Gaston  Jean  Gilly. 
He  was  taken  to  France  in  1877  and  there  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools,  after  which,  in  1883, 
he  returned  to  San  Francisco  and  engaged  as 
a  compositor  on  the  Courier,  a  French  publica- 
tion. Six  months  after  his  father's  removal  to 
Los  Angeles  he  also  went  there  and  immediately 
took  up  the  study  of  bookkeeping  in  a  night 
school.  In  the  meantime  he  continued  in  a  job 
printing  office,  working  for  a  Mr.  McBride,  later 
was  employed  on  the  old  Los  Angeles  Ez'ening 
Express,  then  on  the  Herald,  and  finally  on  the 
Los  Angeles  Progress,  a  French  publication.  He 
remained  with  this  last  named  paper  for  three 
years,  a  part  of  the  time  as  its  manager.  He 
then  quit  the  newspaper  business  and  entered  the 
employ  of  G.  L.  Mesnager  &  Co..  as  traveling 
salesman,  his  territory  being  Southern  Califor- 
nia. Four  years  later  he  gave  up  this  work  and 
engaged  as  a  clerk  in  Los  Angeles  and  vicinity, 
until  September,  1898.  when,  in  partnership  with 


J.  Faure,  he  established  the  Puente  store,  where 
they  now  carry  a  full  line  of  general  merchandise 
while  they  also  are  large  shippers  of  produce. 
The  building  which  they  occupy  was  put  up  by 
them  in  i8g8.  Mr.  Gilly  is  a  member  of  the 
French  Benevolent  Society  of  Los  Angeles,  and 
politically  is  a  stanch  advocate  of  Republican 
principles. 


ULRIC  T.  COOK.  The  future  of  Califor- 
nia, as  of  any  commonwealth,  is  based  upon 
its  3'oung  men,  to  whose  enterprise,  judgment 
and  intelligence  the  prosperity  of  the  country 
during  the  present  century  will  be  due,  and 
from  whose  activity  of  mind  and  body  will  re- 
sult movements  of  inestimable  value  to  the 
people.  There  are  in  San  Diego  county  a 
large  number  of  young  men  of  unusual  capa- 
bility, resourcefulness  and  discrimination,  and 
among  them  mention  may  be  made  of  Ulric  T. 
Cook,  who  is  engaged  in  the  raising  of  grain 
and  stock  in  the  Sutherland  valley  and  on 
Smith  mountain  and  also  owns  an  apiary  of 
fifty  colonies  of  bees.  Not  a  little  of  his  pros- 
perous outlook  is  due  to  the  fact  that  he  has 
the  encouragement  and  active  co-operation  of 
his  father,  a  practical  farmer  of  long  experi- 
ence, and  still  identified  with  the  agricultural 
development  of  this  county,  where  he  and  his 
son  are  farming  upon  an  extensive  scale. 

Los  Angeles  county  is  Mr.  Cook'.s  native  lo- 
cality and  May  22,  1879,  the  date  of  his  birth. 
His  parents,  George  and  Hannah  (Strong) 
Cook,  were  natives  respectiveh'  of  Texas  and 
Arkansas,  and  during  the  year  1868  became 
residents  of  Los  Angeles  county,  Cal.,  having 
previously  met  and  married  in  San  Diego 
county.  The  family  settled  on  Smith  moun- 
tain when  Ulric  was  3'et  a  small  child  and  he 
attended  th.e  common  schools  in  that  district. 
Upon  starting  out  to  earn  his  livelihood  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  his  father  and  they 
now  own  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in 
Sutherland  valley.  The  old  homestead  on 
Smith  mountain  has  been  sold,  but  the  father 
now  rents  the  place  and  continues  to  reside 
there,  giving  his  attention  to  its  management 
and  the  care  of  his  stock,  while  the  son  is  liv- 
ing on  their  farm  in  the  Sutherland  valley. 
Both  are  stanch  Democrats  in  political  views. 
At  this  writing  the  father  holds  offfce  as  dep- 
uty sheriff  and  the  son  is  serving  with  efficien- 
cy in  the  position  of  school  trustee.  Before 
removing  from  Smith  mountain  Mr.  Cook 
there  married,  February  7,  1899,  Miss  Annie 
L.  Frye,  a  native  of  California,  having  been 
born  near  Santa  Ana,  and  by  the  union  they 
have  four  children,  Ella  May,  Ethel  Edith, 
Marian  Rav  and  Lucile. 


^irT^. 


ISOAA^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1181 


CAPT.  HAAIPTON  P.  SLOANE.  The 
founder  of  the  Sloane  family  in  America  came 
to  this  country  from  the  north  of  Ireland  and 
descended  from  ancestors  driven  from  Scot- 
land at  the  time  of  the  religious  persecutions. 
The  original  immigrant,  John  Sloane,  married 
Mary  Scarborough  and  settled  in  Maryland, 
where  their  son,  James,  was  born  November 
i8,  1793.  Two  years  later  the  family  crossed 
the  mountains  into  Kentucky  and  settled  in 
the  primitive  Avilds  of  Bourbon  county.  From 
there  in  the  spring  of  1810  they  removed  to 
Ohio  and  settled  in  Highland  count}',  twenty- 
five  miles  north  of  the  river  of  the  same  name, 
in  the  midst  of  a  dense  forest,  where  the  most 
arduous  application  was  necessary  in  order  to 
clear  and  improve  a  farm.  The  family  consist- 
ed of  Lydia,  Jane,  James,  Rachel,  Abigail, 
Martha  and  John.  The  eldest  son  was  a  young 
man  Avhen  the  call  came  for  recruits  to  serve 
in  the  war  of  1812  and  he  enlisted  in  Captain 
Wisby's  Company,  attached  to  Colonel  Iveyes' 
Regiment.  The  raw  recruits  shouldered  their 
flint-lock  guns  and  marched  on  foot  to  San- 
dusky, Ohio,  where  they  arrived  about  the 
time  of  the  surrender  of  the  British  troops. 
Their  services  being  no  longer  needed  they 
were  honorably  discharged  and  returned 
home. 

The  first  marriage  of  James  Sloane  was  sol- 
emnized in  1819  and  united  him  with  jNIiss 
Lacy  Bell,  who  was  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Mary  Bell  of  Brown  county.  Two  children 
were  born  of  their  union,  namely :  Eliza,  April 
28,   1820 ;   and   John,  who  was  born  June    10, 

1821,  and  died  August  20.  1822,  the  death  of 
the   wife   and    mother    occurring   October    18, 

1822.  The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Sloane  took 
place  in  August.  1823,  and  united  him  with 
Miss  Nancy  J.  Pangborn,  who  was  born  in 
Kentucky  August  10,  1803,  and  removed  to 
Brown  county.  Ohio,  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
years,  accompanying  her  parerts,  Hampton 
and  Margaret  Pangborn.  She  was  a  twin  sis- 
ter of  John  L.  Pangborn,  and  these  two  with 
their  older  brother,  Samuel,  formed  the  fam- 
ily. Always  an  apt  scholar,  she  developed  a 
reasoning  brain  and  bright  mind,  and  was  al- 
ways eager  to  help  forward  movements  for 
Lhe  upbuilding  of  the  race.  In  the  early  days 
of  the  temperance  movement,  when  it  was  un- 
popular with  many,  she  espoused  the  cause, 
as  she  did  also  the  anti-slavery  movement. 
At  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war  she  gave  her 
sons  her  benediction  as  they  entered  the  Union 
army.  For  more  than  sixty  years  she  was  an 
earnest  Christian  and  during  the  last  twen- 
ty-five years  of  her  life  she  held  membership 
with  the  Congregational  Church.  Her  hus- 
band, also,  after  having  been  long  a  Methodist. 


united  with  the  Congregational  Church  after 
the  close  of  the  Civil  war  and  continued  in  that 
denomination  as  long  as  he  lived.  Of  their 
union  the  following  children  were  born : 
Hampton  P.,  whose  name  introduces  this  nar- 
rative and  who  was  born  in  Highland  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  May  10,  1824:  Marinda  B.,  October 
24,  1825;  Margaret,  July  4,  1827;  Samuel  P., 
July  17,  1829;  Josephj  born  April  23,  1832, 
and  deceased  in  infancy ;  Jane,  born  May  7, 
1833;  Sarah  Annie,  March  22,  1835;  Lacy 
Lucky,  May  12,  1838;  !\Iartha  Elizabeth,  Jan- 
uary 26,  1841 ;  and  Ouincy  Adams,  September 
17,  1843.  All  of  the  children  were  born  and 
reared  on  the  Highland  count}'  farm  and  it  was 
the  pri\ilege  of  their  parents  to  see  them  all 
(excepting  Joseph)  educated  and  settled  in  life, 
all  honoring  their  parents  by  lives  of  virtue  and 
uprightness. 

After  a  continuous  residence  of  forty  years 
in  Ohio  James  Sloane  removed  to  Illinois  and 
settled  in  Rockford,  where  his  eldest  son  had 
gone  the  preceding  year.  In  1864  he  removed 
10  Cedar  Falls,  Iowa,  but  the  rigorous  winters 
of  that  latitude  caused  him  in  1868  to  remove 
to  Missouri,  where  he  settled  at  Windsor, 
Henry  county.  In  1877  he  went  to  Sedalia  to 
be  nearer  his  children,  several  of  whom  lived 
in  or  near  that  city.  August  21,  1873.  he  and 
his  wife  celebrated  their  golden  wedding  and 
on  that  auspicious  occasion  they  were  the  re- 
cipients of  the  congratulations  of  their  chil- 
dren and  their  many  friends.  In  life  they  were 
companions  for  sixty-two  years :  in  death  they 
were  not  long  divided.  His  death  occurred 
at  Sedalia,  Mo..  October  24.  1885,  and  she 
passed  away  April  19,  1886.  The  funeral  serv- 
ices of  both  were  conducted  by  Rev.  J.  G. 
Bailey,  an  old  friend  of  the  family,  and  the 
bodies  of  both  rest  side  by  side  in  the  beau- 
tiful  cemetery  adjoining  Sedalia. 

The  eldest  son  of  this  honored  couple  was 
Hampton  P.  Sloane,  justice  of  the  peace  and 
an  influential  citizen  of  Ramona.  San  Diego 
county,  Cai.  Educated  in  the  common  schools 
and  Hillsboro  Academy  in  Ohio,  he  took  up 
agriculture  as  his  chosen  occupation  and  re- 
mained in  Ohio  until  1850,  when  he  spent  a 
short  time  in  .St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis  dur- 
ing the  period  that  Governor  Ramsey  was  the 
executive  head  of  the  then  territory.  Later  he 
removed  to  Illinois,  wliich  then  had  only  forty 
miles  of  railroad  in  the  entire  state.  Settling 
near  Rockford  he  engaged  in  farm  pursuits  and 
acted  as  assistant  editor  of  the  farmer's  de- 
partment of  the  Rockford  Rc_(;istcr.  also  took 
a  prominent  part  in  establishing  the  Winne- 
bago County  Agricultural  Society,  one  of  the 
first  organizations  of  the  kind  in  the  state.  Of 
tliis  he  served  as  president  for  two  years.  Au- 


1182 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


gust  1 8,  1862,  he  assisted  in  raising  Company 
C,  Sevent3'-{omth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
of  which  he  was  chosen  captain  and  with 
which  he  proceeded  from  Camp  Fuller  to  Lou- 
isville, Ky.  After  taking  part  in  the  battles 
of  Perryville  and  Stone  river  he  fell  ill  with 
typhoid  fever  while  the  army  was  at  winter 
quarters  on  the  Stone  river,  and  his  illness 
was  of  a  nature  so  serious  as  to  oblige  him  to 
resign  his  commission.  Returning  home  he 
speiit  some  months  in  regaining  his  health  and 
in  1864  removed  to  Cedar  Falls.  Iowa,  where 
he  engaged  in  agricultural  and  horticultural 
pursuits."  During  the  year  1867  he  removed 
to  the  vicinity  of  Sedal'ia,  Mo.,  and  bought  a 
tract  of  land  in  Johnson  county.  The  Civil 
war  had  left  the  locality  in  a  disrupted  state 
and  there  was  much  need  of  conservative  citi- 
zenship in  order  to  bring  order  out  of  chaos. 
School  had  been  closed  and  school  districts 
disbanded,  and  the  county  court  appointed  him 
school  director  v^•ith  the  difficult  task  of  re- 
establishing the  schools  and  restoring  them 
to  usefulness.  In  this  work  he  was  signally 
successful. 

The  county  court  in  1868  appointed  Cap- 
tain Sloane  justice  of  the  peace.  While  fill- 
ing the  office  he  gave  the  right  of  franchise  to 
sixty  Confederate  soldiers  and  at  the  office 
where  they  registered  three  clerks  were  sta- 
tioned to  aid  them  in  the  enforcing  of  their 
rights,  these  clerks  being  provided  with  wea- 
pons. In  1874  he  took  a  four-year  contract  to 
convey  the  United  States  mail  from  Lamar  to 
Carthage.  Wo.,  and  for  this  purpose  he  had  a 
line  of  stages  and  six  horses,  which  enabled 
him  to  make  the  round  trip  daily.  At  the  ex- 
piration of  his  contract  in  1878  he  became  re- 
porter and  assistant  editor  of  the  Carthage 
Banner,  with  which  he  was  connected  for  four 
years.  In  1884  he  removed  to  Washington 
county.  Ark.,  and  took  up  a  soldier's  home- 
stead, which  he  improved  and  on  which  he 
planted  an  orchard  of  varied  fruits.  Selling 
out  the  farm  in  1890  he  came  to  California  and 
settled  in  the  Sweetwater  valley,  but  five  years 
later  he  removed  to  Ramona  and  bought  a 
ranch  near  town  which  he  has  since  sold. 
Since  1901  he  has  held  office  as  justice  of  the 
peace  and  also  he  has  been  more  or  less  iden- 
tified with  local  real-estate  transfers.  Follow- 
ing in  the  example  of  his  parents,  he  ever  has 
been  loyal  to  tlic  cause  of  Christianity  and  has 
been  steadfast  in  his  allegiance  to  the  Con- 
gregational Church.  From  the  organization  of 
the  Republican  party  to  the  present  time  he 
has  been  a  loyal  supporter  of  its  principles 
and  a  contributor  to  its  local  successes.  He 
cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for  Martin  Van 


Buren  in  1S48.  Fraternally  he  holds  member- 
ship with  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  at 
San  Diego. 

The  first  marriage  of  Captain  Sloane  was 
solemnized  in  Ohio  in  1848  and  united  him 
with  Adeline  Grandgirard,  who  was  born  in 
France  and  died  in  Illinois  in  1856  at  the  age 
cf  twenty-six  years.  Three  children  were 
born  of  their  union,  namely.  John,  who  died 
in  California  in  1889,  at  the  age  of  forty  years; 
Charles,  who  died  in  infancy ;  and  William  A., 
member  of  the  law  firm  of  Luce,  Sloane  & 
Luce  of  San  Diego  and  justice  of  the  police 
court  at  San  Diego.  After  the  death  of  his 
first  wife  Captain  Sloane  was  married  in  Illi- 
nois to  Delia  Gripen,  a  native  of  New  York 
state.  They  became  the  parents  of  nine  chil- 
dren of  whom  seven  are  living,  namely: 
Charles,  who  is  engaged  in  the  real-estate 
business  in  San  Diego;  Ada.  wife  of  Louis 
Kunkler  of  Missouri ;  Samuel,  living  at  Dehesa, 
San  Diego  county,  Cal. ;  Lydia,  wife  of  Jo- 
seph Stockton,  a  resident  of  Ramona ;  James, 
whose  home  is  near  Prescott.  Ariz. ;  Nannie, 
Mrs.  A.  H.  Sheldon,  of  El  Cajon ;  and  Bessie, 
whose  husband,  Charles  A,  Merritt,  has  charge 
of  the  electric  light  and  power  plant  at  Santa 
Barbara. 


ERNEST  A.  PETTIJOHN.  The  growth' 
of  a  city  depends  upon  its  leading  men.  When 
they  are  of  stable  character,  energetic  in  busi- 
ness, strong  principled  and  clean  in  private 
life  there  need  be  no  fear  of  the  stability, 
strength,  and  influence  of  the  municipality.  And 
when  a  city  is  so  fortunate  as  to  have  had  a 
man  of  this  character  and  one  who  possessed 
the  true  public  spirit  as  its  municipal  head  for  a 
long  period  of  years  that  city  is  bound,  as  time 
passes,  to  continue  to  reflect  the  qualities  borne 
into  it  and  bequeathed  to  it  by  that  head.  The 
city  of  Colton,  San  Bernardino  county,  has 
been  thus  fortunate  in  the  person  of  the  late 
Ernest  A.  Pettijohn,  who  not  only  filled  its 
mayor's  chair  for  fourteen  years,  but  at  the 
same  time  occupied  other  influential  positions 
in  its  official  circles  and  was  most  active  in  ev- 
ery movement  for  the  development  and  prog- 
ress of  the  community. 

The  Pettijohn  family  was  among  the  oldest 
pioneers  of  Illinois  and  the  homestead  in 
Schuyler  county  which  came  to  them  by  a  grant 
from  President  Monroe  is  still  owned  by  "their 
descendants.  It  was  on  this  homestead  that 
Ernest  A.  Pettijohn  was  born  December  3, 
1861.  When  he  was  but  five  years  of  age  his 
parents  removed  to  Missouri,  and  there  the  son 
received  his  early  education  and  attended 
Dniry   College   at   Springfield.     His    ambition 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1183 


from  early  boyhood  had  been  to  go  west,  and 
accordingly,  after  his  school  work  was  com- 
pleted he  started  out,  locating  first  in  Mexico, 
where  he  engaged  in  mining,  and  later  contin- 
uing operations  in  Arizona,  meeting  with  suc- 
cess at  both  places.  In  1887  he  came  with  his 
mother  and  sister  Mary  (now  Mrs.  Frederic 
W.  Wessel  to  Colton.  Mrs.  Wessel  is  now  the 
only  surviving  member  of  the  Pettijohn  family, 
the  mother's  death  having  occurred  at  Colton 
about  three  years  ago.  The  first  years  while  in 
Colton  Mr.  Pettijohn  was  engaged  in  the  shoe 
business  and  subsequently  until  the  time  of  his 
death  was  occupied  as  an  orange  grower.  In 
1896  he  was  married  to  Miss  Ada  Robinson,  a 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  DeVillo  Robinson, 
well  known  residents  of  Colton.  They  became 
the  parents  of  four  children,  of  whom  one  son 
and  one  daughter  now  survive. 

Public  affairs  and  politics  always  received  a 
large  share  of  Mr.  Pettijohn's  interests  and  he 
was  for  a  number  of  3'ears  president  of  the  lo- 
cal Republican  club,  a  member  of  the  county- 
central  committee,  and  in  1904  he  was  the  pre- 
siding officer  of  the  Republican  county  con- 
vention. He  was  a  charter  member  of  the  Col- 
ton fire  department,  served  as  a  member  of  the 
board  of  city  trustees  for  sixteen  years,  and 
was  president  of  that  body  the  greater  part  of 
the  time.  His  fellow  citizens  were  desirous  of 
heaping  further  honors  upon  him,  but  he  re- 
fused to  become  a  candidate  for  the  state  as- 
sembly at  their  urging,  and  also  declined  to 
longer  occupy  a  place  on  the  board  of  trustees. 
He  was  devoted  to  his  home  and  family  and  an 
active  worker  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Colton.  contributing  liberally  to  its  support  and 
that  of  every  charitable  cause  which  he  be- 
lieved worthv.  Fraternallv  he  was  a  member 
of  Ashlar  Lodge  No.  306,  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Colton, 
and  of  the  Foresters.  Personally  his  character 
was  without  blemish  and  the  motto  which  gov- 
erned his  life  is  foimd  in  that  beautiful  admoni- 
tion in  Thanatopsis : 

"So  live  that  when  thy  summons  come  to  join 
The  innumerable  caravan  which  moves 
To  that   mysterious   realm   where    each    shall 

take 
His  chamber  in  the  silent  halls  of  death, 
Thou  go  not  like  t!ie  quarry  slave  at  night, 
Scourged  to  his  dungeon  :  but,  sustained  and 

soothed 
By  an  unfaltering  trust,  approach  thy  grave 
Like  one  who  wraps  the  drapery  of  his  couch 
About  him  and  lies  down  to  pleasant  dreams." 
His  death,  which  occurred  ]\Iarch  29,  1906, 
removed  a  faithful  public  servant,  an  upright 
citizen,  and  a  tireless  worker  for  the  good  of 
his  citv. 


CHARLES  F.  ALLEN.  As  an  inventive 
genius  Charles  F.  Allen,  the  lighthouse  keeper 
at  Point  Hueneme,  Cal.,  has  to  his  credit  many 
important  inventions  which  have  been  of  great 
value  in  simplifying  numerous  mechanical  pro- 
cesses in  different  lines  of  work.  He  was  born 
October  7,  1867,  near  Cleveland,  Ohio,  of  Eng- 
lish-American parentage.  His  father,  Charles 
D.  Allen,  was  born  in  England  and  located 
with  his  parents  near  Cleveland,  Ohio,  when 
eight  years  of  age.  For  some  3'ears  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  lumber  and  buggy  supply  business 
there,  later  settling  near  Garrettsville,  same 
state,  where  he  became  a  farmer,  and  is  still 
living  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years.  He  did 
militars-  service  in  the  Civil  war,  serving  six 
months  with  an  Ohio  regiment  as  contract 
teamster  for  the  war  department.  The  mother, 
who  was  Martha  D.  Bond  before  her  marriage, 
was  a  native  of  Ohio.  Her  grandfather  was  one 
of  the  founders  of  Cleveland,  he  having  erected 
ihe  second  log  cabin  there.  Mrs.  Allen  died 
when  her  son  Charles  F.  was  a  child  of  eighteen 
months.  There  were  two  children,  but  he  is  the 
only  one  now  living.  His  boyhood  days  were 
spent  on  his  father  .farm  near  Garrettsville, 
where  he  received  his  education  in  the  district 
and  high  schools.  When  seventeen  years  old 
he  went  to  Akron  and  apprenticed  himself  to 
AVebster,  Camp  &  Lane,  manufacturers  of  min- 
ing, hoisting  and  potter}'  machiner\',  and  spent 
two  years  and  nine  months  with  them  learning 
ihe  machinist's  trade. 

In  1887  Mr.  Allen  came  to  California  and  lo- 
cated in  San  Diego,  following  his  trade  there 
for  a  time,  and  later  in  Los  Angeles  and  Fres- 
no. In  the  latter  city  he  was  machinist  for  the 
Fresno  Canal  Company  for  fifteen  months,  hav- 
ing charge  of  the  installation  of  all  of  their  min- 
ing machinery  for  the  Providence  and  Rich- 
mond mine,  which  they  owned.  He  also  con- 
structed the  cells  for  the  Fresno  jail,  which  was 
then  in  course  of  construction.  After  the  com- 
pletion of  this  work  he  went  to  San  Francisco, 
where  he  was  employed  as  machinist  by  the 
Central  Alaska  Company,  by  R.  T.  Ward  at  the 
Horse  Fly  mines  and  by  the  Sutter  Street  Rail- 
way Company,  remaining  with  each  about  one 
year.  In  1892  he  entered  the  United  States 
lighthouse  sen-ice,  his  first  position  being  as- 
sistant keeper  at  the  Humbolt  lighthouse,  re- 
maining at  that  place  until  1894,  when  he  was 
appointed  keeper  at  Point  Hueneme.  Under 
his  management  this  lighthouse  has  been  im- 
proved and  now  has  a  flashlight,  as  well  as  be- 
ing fitted  with  an  electrical  telltale  appliance 
that  times  the  machinery  and  tells  if  it  stops.  In 
adopting  this  invention  of  Mr.  Allen's,  which 
costs  only  $16.  the  government  is  using  it  to 


1184 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


replace  one  which  cost  about  $250,  and  in  addi- 
tion to  the  saving  in  cost  it  is  considered  a 
much  superior  attachn.ient.     .'Vmong  other  nie- 

.  chanical  improvements  which  Mr.  Allen  has 
invented  and  patented  are  a  beet  plow,  a  steam 
turbine,  an  ore  crusher,  an  amalgamator,  a  con- 
centrator, an  improved  drive  well,  improve- 
ments on  driving  gears,  for  automobiles,  a  wa- 
ter wheel  superior  to  others  in  use,  a  new  steel- 
clad  pneumatic  automobile  tire,  and  improve- 
ments on  bicycles  and  automobiles,  as  well  as 
numberless  other  smaller  inventions.  He  is  al- 
ways at  work  on  some  mechanical  contrivance 
to  facilitate  the  running  of  labor-saving  ma- 
chinery. 

In  his  home  life  Mr.  Allen  is  fortunate,  his 
marriage  uniting  him  with  ]\Iiss  Anna  H.  Fran- 
cis, a  native  of  San  Francisco  and  the  daughter 
of  Capt.  Samuel  Francis.  The  latter,  who  came 
to  California  in  1849,  was  for  many  j'ears  in  the 
lighthouse  service  and  was  keeper  of  the  Unit- 
ed States  government  supply  station  at  Goat 
Island  at  the  time  of  his  death.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Allen  are  the  parents  of  two  daughters.  May 
and  Melba.  Fraternally  Mr.  Allen  affiliates 
with  Hueneme  Camp,  M.  W.  A.,  and  has  served 
in  the  capacity  of  clerk  ever  since  its  organiza- 
tion five  years  ago.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  Lodge 
at  Oxnard.  The  devotion  of  Mr.  Allen  to  his 
official  duties  and  the  mechanical  work  in 
which  he  is  so  intensely  interested  does  not  pre- 
vent him  from  being  an  active  participant  in 
matters  of  public  interest  and  he  is  an  influen- 
tial citizen  of  the  community  in  which  he  re- 
sides, wherein  he  is  held  in  the  highest  respect 
and  esteem. 


ALEXANDER  DALLAS.  The  fact  that  Mr. 
Dallas  retains  but  an  indistinct  recollection  of 
his  birthplace,  the  Island  of  Islay,  in  the  high- 
lands of  Scotland,  is  due  to  his  departure  from 
that  home  in  early  childhood  and  his  removal 
across  the  ocean  to  the  new  world.  \Vhile  re- 
taining but  a  fleeting  memory  of  the  country, 
he  displays  in  his  character  and  rugged  per- 
sonality the  sturdy  traits  for  which  the  Scotch 
race  is  noted  the  world  over,  and  a  stranger 
would  not  hesitate  in  classing  him  among  the 
natives  of  the  land  of  the  heather.  However, 
the  greater  part  of  his  life  has  been  passed  in 
the  United  States,  whither  he  came  with  his 
parents,  William  and  Rachel  (McTaggart) 
Dallas,  natives  of  Scotland.  Born  in  the  high- 
lands on  the  ancestral  homestead  January  8,  1836, 
he  was  six  years  of  age  when  the  family  settled 
in  Greene  county,  Ala.,  his  father  embarking  in 
the  growing  of  cotton  and  owning  twenty  negro 
slaves.     There  the  mother  died  in   1848,  at  the 


age  of  thirty-five  years,  and  the  father  in  1862, 
when  sixty  years  of  age. 

The  private  schools  of  Alabama  furnished 
Alexander  Dallas  with  fair  educational  advan- 
tages, and  the  years  of  youth  passed  unevent- 
fully in  study  and  recreation.  The  year  that 
marked  the  change  from  youth  to  manhood  was 
1856,  when  he  was  twenty,  for  at  that  time  he 
bade  farewell  to  family  and  friends  and  started 
out  to  seek  his  own  livelihood.  With  three 
friends,  the  eldest  of  whom  was  twenty-five, 
while  he  was  the  youngest,  he  started  on  horse- 
back for  the  far  west.  With  the  aid  of  pack- 
mules  he  crossed  the  desert  and  the  plains,  and 
finally  arrived  in  Los  Angeles  via  Salt  Lake  at 
the  close  of  an  uneventful  trip  completed  in 
only  three  months  from  the  time  of  starting. 
Shortly  after  his  arrival  he  mined  on  the  Frazer 
river,  but  his  first  important  work  was  that  of 
cutting  pile  in  the  San  Fernando  canyon  to  be 
used  in  building  the  first  wharf  at  San  Pedro.  On 
completing  that  work  he  bought  six  team  of  oxen 
and  made  a  contract  with  the  government  (which 
General  Hancock  represented)  to  haul  freight 
from  San  Pedro  to  Fort  Tejon,  in  which  employ- 
ment he  continued  for  three  years. 

On  leaving  the  government  service  Mr.  Dallas 
engaged  in  farming,  rented  land  at  El  Monte. 
Three  years  later  he  bought  a  tract  forming  a 
portion  of  San  Antonio  ranch,  which  was  one 
of  the  first  cut  and  sold  in  small  holdings.  The 
land  was  situated  eight  miles  east  of  Los  Angeles 
and  there  he  continued  for  eight  years.  On 
selling  the  property  he  removed  to  Arizona  and 
engaged  in  freighting  to  the  mines  for  six  years. 
On  his  return  to  California  he  settled  in  Los  An- 
geles and  for  ten  years  engaged  in  grading 
streets,  a  work  of  great  importance  and  one  in 
which  he  proved  himself  trustworthy  and  capa- 
ble. The  year  1890  found  him  in  Redlands, 
where  he  secured  employment  in  making  reser- 
voirs for  the  Domestic  Water  Company,  and  at 
the  same  time  he  did  grading  for  the  Bear  Vallev 
Water  Company.  When  he  had  completed  the 
grading  he  sold  the  teams.  The  next  venture  in 
which  he  became  interested  was  the  making  of 
ditches  in  Moreno  valley  for  the  Bear  ^^alIey 
Company,  in  whose  employ  he  had  charge  of  dig- 
ging and  filling  with  pipe  lines  fiftv  miles  of 
ditches.  When  that  contract  had  been  filled  he 
opened  a  general  store  at  Moreno  and  also  for 
ten  years  held  the  office  of  postmaster.  Since 
selling  the  store  in  November,  1905,  he  has  lived 
retired  from  business  cares.  Included  in  his  pos- 
sessions are  ten  town  lots  in  Moreno,  his  home 
town,  as  well  as  forty  acres  of  farm  land  in  the 
vicinity. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Dallas  was  solemnized 
at  El  Monte,  this  state,  in  1861,  and  united  him 
with    Jane  Whiteman,  a  native  of  Texas,  who  died 


/j^^:2--^i.t>ui^  /^^  /^cy^^^i^^.^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1187 


ill  1881,  at  the  age  of  forty  years.  Five  children 
were  bom  of  their  union,  namely :  James,  who 
is  engaged  in  the  printing  business  in  Los  An- 
geles ;  Annie,  who  married  George  Williams  and 
lives  in  Shasta  county,  Cal. ;  Peter  A.,  who  con- 
ducts a  general  store  at  Redlands  Junction ;  Ray- 
mond, living  in  San  Bernardino  county,  and 
Louis,  whom  death  removed  from  the  family  cir- 
cle at  the  age  of  three  years.  In  political  views 
Mr.  Dallas  has  been  a  stanch  believer  in  Demo- 
cratic principles  ever  since  boyhood  ;  reared  in  the 
south,  he  imbibed  the  southern  spirit  and  a  strong 
faith  in  its  institutions.  As  a  rule  he  has  de- 
clined offices,  but  he  made  an  exception  since 
coming  to  Riverside  county,  and  for  four  years 
filled  the  position  of  justice  of  the  peace,  in  which 
office  he  proved  himself  familiar  with  the  law  and 
an  impartial  exponent  of  its  teachings. 


BENJAMIN  B.  HIGGINS.  For  upwards  of 
thirty  years  a  resident  of  San  Diego  county,  Ben- 
jamin B.  Higgins,  of  Bonsall,  is  noted  as  one  of 
its  most  valued  citizens,  resolute,  energetic  and 
enterprising,  and  one  who  has  made  his  mark- 
in  the  building  up  of  the  township  in  which  he 
resides,  both  socially  and  financially.  He  is  en- 
gaged in  general  agriculture,  to  which  he  de- 
votes his  whole  attention,  and  is  meeting  with  un- 
bounded success  in  his  undertakings.  A  native 
of  Oregon,  he  was  born  in  Polk  county,  Au- 
gust 27,  1856,  a  son  of  the  late  Hiram  Higgins. 

Born  in  Illinois,  Hiram  Higgins  was  brought 
up  on  a  farm,  and  when  old  enough  to  start  in 
life  em'barked  in  agricultural  pursuits.  He  sub- 
sequently resided  for  a  few  years  in  Missouri, 
and  while  there  traded  extensively  in  Mexico. 
Crossing  the  plains  with  ox  teams  in  1849,  he 
arrived  in  California  after  a  long  and  dangerous 
trip,  and  for  awhile  tried  mining.  He  subse- 
quently went  to  Polk  county.  Ore.,  where  he 
cleared  a  ranch  from  the  wild  land,  upon  which 
he  made  his  home  until  locating  once  more  in 
California.  Having  purchased  land  near  Comp- 
ton  he  located  upon  it  in  1867  and  continued  in 
his  chosen  occupation.  About  1875  he  entered 
the  land  now  included  in  the  present  home  ranch 
of  his  son  Benjamin,  and  established  an  apiary, 
which  he  managed  successfully  for  some  vears. 
He  married  Malinda  Derben,  a  native  of  Mis- 
souri, and  of  the  eleven  children,  seven  sons  and 
four  daughters,  born  of  their  union,  ten  are  liv- 
ing, the  oldest  child  being  now  sixty  years  of 
a2;e.  Both  parents  united  with  the  Christian 
Church  when  young,  and  the  mother,  who  resides 
in  Compton,  in  one  of  its  most  faithful  and  con- 
sistent adherents. 

When  four  years  of  age  Benjamin  B.  HTggins 
came  with  the  family  to  Southern  California,  and 
for  al)nut  seven  vears  lived  in  Los  Angeles,  where 


he  laid  the  foundation  for  his  future  education. 
In  1867  the  family  removed  to  Compton,  where 
he  attended  the  graded  schools,  completing  the 
full  course  of  instruction.  Coming  with  his 
father  to  Bonsall  in  1875  he  assisted  him  in  start- 
ing an  apiary,  and  for  many  years  carried  on  an 
extensive  business  in  bee  farming,  having  on  an 
average  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  colonies  of 
bees,  one  season  this  number  being  increased  to 
four  hundred  colonies.  In  1889  Mr.  Higgins 
bought  from  his  father  this  ranch  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  and  has  since  devrited  himself  to 
general  farming,  including  the  raising  of  grain, 
beans,  walnuts  and  peaches.  He  raises  good 
crops,  and  as  an  agriculturist  is  exceedingly  pros- 
perous, fortune  smiling  on  all  of  his  ventures. 
He  also  has  a  French  Percheron  stallion  for 
breeding  purposes. 

In  1879  Ml'-  Higgins  married  Laura  Combs, 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  six  children, 
namely:  Alfred  A.,  of  Bonsall:  Frances,  wife  of 
Augustus  Culp,  of  Oceanside :  Lizzie,  wife  of 
Charles  Trotter,  of  Oceanside :  Elon,  living  at 
home;  Benjamin,  at  home,  and  Mary,  at  home. 
In  1903  Mr.  Higgins  was  again  married,  Sadie 
Kitching  becoming  his  wife.  Politicallv  Mr. 
Higgins  is  identified  with  the  Detuocratic  party, 
and  although  not  an  aspirant  for  public  office 
has  long  served  as  school  trustee,  for  fifteen 
years  being  clerk  of  the  board.  Fraternally  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows. 


JAMES  BRO^^•X  WATSON.  Situated  at 
the  foot  of  the  San  Bernardino  mountains,  six 
and  one-half  miles  from  the  city  of  that  name 
and  along  the  route  of  Highland  free  delivery 
No.  2,  may  be  seen  the  well-improved  home- 
stead owned  and  occupied  by  Mr.  Watson, 
and  brought  by  him  to  its  present  high  state 
of  improvement  since  he  acquired  the  land  by 
purchase  in  1893.  Immediately  after  buying 
the  property  he  built  a  residence  and  barn 
and  established  his  home  on  the  tract.  At  that 
time  the  land  was  in  its  wild  state,  no  attempt 
having  been  made  at  improvement,  but  un- 
der his  energetic  labors  a  transformation  soon 
was  effected.  Owing  to  the  adaptability  of 
the  soil  to  fruit,  he  has  made  horticulture  his 
specialt}'.  Shortly  after  coming  here  he  plant- 
ed seed  of  various  fruits,  and  now  has  one  of 
the  finest  orcliards  in  the  locality.  The  thir- 
teen acres  are  in  navel  oranges,  lemons  and 
grape  fruit,  as  well  as  deciduous  trees  of  the 
best  varieties.  Through  using  great  care  with 
the  trees,  some  of  which  have  their  original 
tops  and  some  have  been  budded  twice,  he  has 
made  his  grove  one  of  the  most  productive  in 


1188 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  vicinity  and  the  fruit  finds  a  ready  sale  at 
the  highest  market  prices. 

During  the  early  years  of  his  life  Mr.  Wat- 
son was  a  resident  of  Missouri,  born  in  Ray 
county,  July  31,  1859,  his  parents  being  James 
and  Rebecca  (Ragan)  Watson,  natives  of 
Kentucky  and  England.  Educated  in  com- 
mon schools,  the  knowledge  he  now  possesses 
has  been  acquired  by  close  observation  and 
careful  reading  rather  than  from  early  train- 
ing in  school.  On  starting  out  to  earn  his 
own  way  in  the  world  he  took  up  agricultural 
pursuits  and  continued  to  reside  in  Missouri 
until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age.  On 
leaving  that  portion  of  the  country  he  came  to 
California,  landing  at  Riverside  in  September, 
1880,  and  seeming  employment  in  that  town, 
where  soon  he  acquired  a  practical  knowledge 
of  orange  culture.  In  the  spring  of  1888  he 
removed  from  Riverside  to  Highland  district, 
where  since  he  has  made  his  home  and  en- 
gaged in  fruit-raising  with  energy  and  grati- 
fying success. 

In  all  of  his  work  Mr.  Watson  has  been 
aided  by  the  co-operation  of  his  amiable  wife, 
who  was  Elsie  R.  Hill,  a  native  of  Des  Moines 
county,  Iowa,  and  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Mary  (Banta)  Elill.  Their  home  is  brightened 
by  the  presence  of  three  children,  Viola,  James 
Ro}^  and  AI.  Adele,  who  are  attractive  and 
promising  children,  and  to  whom  will  be 
given  the  best  educational  advantages  the  dis- 
trict affords.  Tv^^o  daughters  have  been  taken 
from  the  home  by  death.  Mary  Rebecca  was 
two  years  of  age  when  she  passed  from  earth 
June  9,  1899,  and  Lois  was  three  years  and 
five  months  old  when  the  home  was  bereaved 
of  her  presence  on  Christmas  day  of  1904. 
Among  their  neighbors  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Watson 
are  esteemed  for  the  qualities  of  mind  and 
heart  that  have  won  them  friends  in  large 
numbers  and  given  them  a  high  social  stand- 
ing; in  the  communitv. 


JOSIAH  ALKIRE.  The  life  which  this 
narrative  sketches  began  on  Christmas  Day 
of  1818,  in  Williamsport,  Ohio,  and  closed  at 
Kenoak,  in  Pomona,  Cal.,  February  4,  1895. 
Between  these  two  dates  is  the  epitome  of 
a  career  that  was  busy,  useful  and  successful. 
Wherever  duty  called  him  he  performed  well 
his  part,  and  the  prosperity  that  came  to  him 
was  directly  attributable  to  his  wise  judgment 
and  tireless  activity.  With  a  record  of  over 
forty  years  to  his  credit  as  a  wholesale  mer- 
chant in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  he  came  to  Pomona 
in  1890  and  settled  down  on  a  part  of  the 
famous  old  Palomares  rancho,  upon  which 
was   located  the  old   adobe   house    erected  by 


Tomas  Palomares  in  1840  for  a  family  resi- 
dence. It  served  the  purpose  for  which  it 
was  originalhr  built  and  later  became  the  wel- 
come half-way  liouse  for  travelers,  this  in  the 
early  days  being  the  principal  hotel  between 
San  Bernardino  and  Los  Angeles.  Another 
incident  worth}'  of  note  in  connection  with 
this  historic  relic  of  other  days  is  the  fact 
that  the  first  school  in  Pomona  valley  was 
held  in  the  east  room  and  was  taught  by  C. 
B.  Towner.  When  Mr.  Alkire  took  posses- 
sion of  the  property  in  1890  he  reset  the 
orchard  to  navel  oranges  and  laid  out  the 
grounds  into  a  beautiful  park.  The  old  adobe 
house  was  remodelled  and  replastered  and  put 
in  excellent  repair  throughout,  and  today 
Kenoak,  as  the  homestead  is  called,  stands  as 
a  model  of  comfort  and  completeness. 

Josiah  Alkire  was  a  son  of  Rev.  George  Al- 
kire, a  minister  in  the  Christian  denomina- 
tion. Up  to  the  year  1840  he  filled  pulpits  in 
various  parts  of  Ohio,  but  in  that  year  re- 
moved to  central  Illinois,  where  during  the 
remainder  of  his  life  he  went  about  doing  good 
and  fulfilling  his  mission  as  a  minister  of 
the  Gospel.  In  all  of  his  work  he  had  the 
sj'mpathy  and  co-operation  of  his  wife,  who 
was  in  maidenhood  Katie  Rush.  In  the  primi- 
tive schools  that  prevailed  in  Ohio  prior  to 
1840  Josiah  Alkire  gained  such  knowledge  as 
the  equally  primitive  teachers  were  able  to 
furnish,  but  notwithstanding  the  difficulties 
under  which  he  labored  he  made  the  most  of 
his  meagre  opportunities  and  laid  by  a  larger 
fund  of  information  than  the  less  ambitious 
students.  In  1849  lie  set  out  for  the  gold 
fields  of  California.  The  records  do  not  state 
with  what  success  he  met  as  a  miner,  but 
it  is  known  that  he  returned  east  soon  after- 
ward and  that  he  made  a  similar  trip  across 
the  plains  three  years  later,  in  1852.  In  the 
fall  of  that  year,  however,  he  returned  east 
as  far  as  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where  he  established 
him.self  in  the  wholesale  grocery  business. 
From  unpretentious  beginnings  the  business 
grew  and  prospered  with  the  passing  of  years, 
until  he  commanded  a  trade  that  extended 
over  a  wide  radius,  shipping  goods  to  points 
along  the  Mississippi,  Illinois,  Missouri  and 
Red  rivers.  He  became  an  important  factor 
in  the  business  circles  of  St.  Louis,  where  he 
had  gained  a  record  for  uprightness  and  in- 
tegrity, and  his  removal  to  the  west  in  1890 
was  deeply  deplored.  It  was  not  until  three 
years  later,  however,  that  he  finally  disposed 
of  his  business  in  St.  Louis  and  thus  severed 
connections  which  had  been  sustained  with 
mutual  pleasure  and  profit  to  himself  and  his 
home  city  for  over  forty  years.  Purchasing 
thirteen  acres  of  the  Palomares  rancho  near 


J4^t2>/(     St/^'^^ocUif^a^^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1191 


Pomona  and  adjoining  Genesha  Park,  he  re- 
modeled and  improved  the  adobe  residence  and 
set  the  orchard  to  navel  oranges  exclusively, 
making  the  homestead  one  of  the  most  delight- 
ful and  restful  spots  in  this  part  of  Southern 
California.  AJr.  Alkire  was  not  long  spared 
to  enjoy  his  new  home,  however,  for  his  death 
occurred  amid  the  surroundings  which  he  had 
learned  to  love  February  4.  1895. 

Near  Pleasant  I'lams,  Sangamon  county, 
111.,  in  1864,  Josiah  Alkire  formed  domestic 
ties  b)r  his  marriage  with  Aliss  Lydia  Tomlin, 
the  daughter  of  Almarine  and  Rhoda  (Smith) 
Tomlin.  During  young  womanhood  Mrs.  Al- 
kire attended  the  Illinois  Woman's  College  at 
Jacksonville,  from  which  institution  she  was 
■graduated.  Two  sons  blessed  the  marriage  of 
;\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Alkire,  Frank,  who  is  a  shoe 
merchant  in  Phoenix,  Ariz.,  and  George,  who 
is  engaged  in  the  cattle  business  in  the  same 
place. 


JOSIAH  W.  IIUDSOX.  The  agricultur- 
ists of  Los  Angeles  county  ha\-e  had  in  J.  W. 
Hudson  one  of  their  most  prominent  and  suc- 
cessful citizens,  his  enterprises  in  this  section 
of  Southern  California  extending  over  a  period 
of  a  considerable  number  of  j-ears.  He  is  a 
native  of  New  York,  where  his  birth  occurred 
in  Oswego,  February  18,  1844;  his  father,  J. 
W.  Hudson,  was  born  and  reared  in  Boston, 
rVIass.,  the  representative  of  a  distinguished 
family  of  that  state,  and  he  there  learned  the 
trade  of  cooper,  which  he  followed  until  his 
death,  which  took  place  in  Ohio  in  1894,  His 
wife  was  formerly  Sarah  F.  "\A^ells,  of  Welsli 
ancestry,  her  birth  occurring  in  Connecticut 
and  her  death  in  Ohio  in  1892.  They  were  the 
parents  of  the  following  children :  .\marette, 
Amos,  Lottie.  ]\lar_v,  Susan,  Sarah,  and  Jo- 
siah  W.,  of  this  review :  of  this  family  all  are 
living  except  Amos  and  Lottie. 

Josiah  W.  Hudson  was  reared  in  his  native 
state,  receiving  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  up  to  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  when 
he  became  dependent  upon  his  own  resources. 
After  leaving  home  he  drifted  further  west  and 
in  Iowa  secured  emjilc-ment  in  .\llamakee 
county.  At  the  fir'^t  tnp  of  the  drum  in  1861. 
however,  every  thought  but  that  for  his  coun- 
try's need  was  put  aside  and  he  immediately 
enli.sted  for  the  three  months'  service.  The 
quota  of  men  being  obtained,  he  was  not 
needed,  but  nothing  daunted  nor  satisfied  that 
he  would  not  be  needed  in  the  future,  he  then 
enlisted  in  Company  K,  Fifth  Regiment  Iowa 
Infantry,  for  three  vears,  and  participated  in 
manv  of  the  most  important  engagements  of 
that  historic  struggle.     He  was  in   the  battle 


of  luka,  Corinth,  siege  of  Vicksburg,  Cham- 
pion Hill,  and  after  the  surrender  of  Vicks- 
l)urg  because  of  disability  he  was  transferred 
to  Company  C,  Fourth  United  States  Veteran 
Reserves,  and  in  this  he  served  faithfully  until 
his  honorable  discharge  in  1864. 

Returning  to  civic  life  'Sir.  Hudson  was  lo- 
cated in  Peoria,  111.,  and  from  that  point  in  the 
spring  of  1865  joined  a  party  for  the  overland 
trip  to  the  Pacific  coast.  He  drove  an  ox- 
team  across  the  plains  to  Virginia  City  via 
Salt  Lake  City,  and  the  following  year  he 
drove  oxen  to  ilontana.  His  first  employ- 
ment in  the  west  was  as  a  miner,  with  other 
prospectors  going  to  the  Big  Florn  mountains, 
returning  via  Salt  Lake  City  and  afterward 
engaging  in  a  venture  in  southern  Utah.  In 
the  m.eantime  he  had  come  to  Southern  Cali- 
fornia and  in  the  year  1867  he  began  spending 
h.is  winters  in  Los  Angeles  county,  while  dur- 
ing the  summers  he  engaged  in  mining  in 
Montana,  Idaho,  Utah  and  Colorado.  He  met 
with  success  in  his  work,  not  because  he  never 
lost,  but  because  he  never  let  misfortime  daunt 
him,  but  went  perseveringly  to  the  task  again, 
and  in  the  main  was  successful  in  his  efforts. 

In  November.  1870,  Mr.  Hudson  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  A^ictoria  R.  Rowland, 
the  youngest  daughter  of  John  Rowland,  one 
of  the  earliest  pioneers  of  Southern  California, 
who  with  a  partner  secured  a  grant  of  many 
thousand  acres  of  land,  a  large  part  of  which 
afterward  passed  to  his  children.  His  marriage 
in  an  earlv  day  united  him  with  a  lovely  daugh- 
ter of  a  Spanish  settler.  Subsequently  Mr. 
Rowland  was  married  to  Mrs.  drav  and  their 
daughter  became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Hudson. 

Mr.  Hudson  has  over  two  thousand  acres 
of  fine  land,  upon  which  is  the  old  Rowland 
homestead,  the  first  brick  house  built  in  South- 
ern California.  The  bricks  were  burned  on  the 
old  farm,  the  house  being  erected  by  Mr.  Row- 
land in  t85c;.  This  extensive  acreage  is  used 
principally  for  grain  and  grazing  purposes,  one 
of  Air.  Hudson's  interests  being  in  the  raising 
of  horses.  He  has  been  ^-ery  successful  in  this 
effort  and  has  ncqnired  a  position  among  the 
citizen.s  of  the  section  who  hold  him  in  hisrh 
esteem  for  the  ability,  energy  and  industrv  he 
has  displayed  in  the  management  of  his  prop- 
crtv.  Progressive  in  ever}-  sense  of  the  word, 
and  liberal  with  his  large  means,  no  citizeiT  is 
more  depended  upon  to  further  important 
movements  in  the  growth  and  development  of 
this  section.  When  the  Salt  Lake  Railway 
were  putting  th?ir  line  through  the  country  he 
donated  two  acres  of  land  for  what  is  now 
known  as  Hudson  Station.  Mr.  Hudson  has 
been  an  interested  witness  in  the  developiuent 
of  the  countr}-  as  well  as  an  active  participant. 


1192 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGR-APHICAL  RECORD. 


he  being  the  man  to  sink  the  first  artesian  well 
in  Los  Angeles  count}-,  and  in  many  other 
ways  assisted  materially  in  the  upbuilding  of 
the  community  in  which  he  makes  his  home. 

3ilr.  and  Mrs.  Hudson  are  the  parents  of 
three  children,  namely :  Rowland,  Lillian  and 
Josiah  W.,  Jr.  Fraternally  ;\Ir.  Hudson  is 
connected  with  Pentalpha  Lodge  Xo.  202,  F. 
&  A.  AI.,  in  Los  Angeles,  and  politically  he 
is  Independent.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Pio- 
neers Society  of  Los  Angeles  County.  He  has 
always  taken  a  special  interest  in  educational 
affairs  of  the  community  and  his  school  dis- 
trict, organized  in  1888.  was  named  Hudson 
district  in  his  honor.  ]\Ir.  Hudson  merits  the 
position  of  esteem  and  respect  he  holds  in  the 
community,  having  won  it  by  the  qualities  of 
manhood  he  has  displayed  during  his  long  res- 
idence in  Southern  California.  He  is  account- 
ed a  helpful  and  practical  citizen,  a  generous 
and  loyal  friend,  and  a  man  who  seeks  always 
to  advance  every  influence  toward  the  better- 
ment of  the  moral  life  of  those  about  him. 


AIOSES  ATWOOD  FLINT.  Shortly  af- 
ter his  removal  to  California  in  Ma}^  1898,  Mr. 
Flint  bought  ten  acres  of  improved  land 
(planted  to  vines,  olives  and  citrus  fruit) 
which  formed  the  nucleus  of  his  present  prop- 
erty. Since  then  he  has  added  to  his  hold- 
ings and  now  owns  twenty-five  acres.  The 
cottage  has  been  enlarged  and  other  improve- 
ments made  as  the  needs  of  the  family  de- 
manded or  their  inclination  directed.  '  The 
barn  which  still  is  in  use  was  built  by  the 
Mormons  who  years  ago  took  up  the  land  from 
the  government. 

The  family  of  which  ;\Ir.  Flint  is  an  hon- 
ored representative  comes  from  New  England 
ancestry,  and  he  was  born  in  Vermont,  but 
passed  tlie  years  of  youth  principally  in  New 
Hampshire,  where  for  some  time  his  parents. 
Rev.  :Moses  and  Nancy  fHovey)  Flint,  made 
their  home.  The  best  educational  advantages 
were  given  him  that  the  neighborhood  aflford- 
ed.  On  the  completion  of  a  common-school 
course  he  was  sent  to  an  academy,  where  he 
fitted  himself  for  the  work  of  teaching,  and  af- 
terward for  a  long  period  he  continued  suc- 
cessfully as  an  educator  in  the  east  and  in 
Towa.  For  twent3'-one  years  he  lived  in  Iowa 
and  followed  his  chosen  calling  with  gratify- 
ing success,  winning  a  position  among  the  fore- 
most teachers  of  his  locality.  On  retiring  from 
the  school-room  to  engage  in  outdoor  activi- 
ties, he  removed  to  California  and  since  then 
has  resided  in  San  Bernardino  county. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Flint  was  solemnized 
>rarch  iy.  t86i,  and  united  him  with  Hannah 
Sophronia   P.alch.  a  native  of  Grafton  countv. 


N.  H.,  and  a  daughter  of  Theodore  and  Sally 
CLovejoy)  Balch.  On  both  sides  of  the  fam- 
ily her  ancestors  were  identified  v/ith  the  ear- 
ly history  of  our  country.  Both  of  her  grand- 
fathers participated  in  the  war  of  1812,  one 
enlisting  from  Hebron,  Grafton  county,  and 
the  other  from  Lyme,  same  county.  The  pa- 
triotic spirit  characteristic  of  the  famil)^  finds 
further  proof  in  the  fact  that  two  of  Mrs. 
Flint's  brothers  bore  a  brave  part  as  Union 
soldiers  in  the  Civil  war,  and  were  faithful  in 
their  allegiance  to  the  cause  from  the  time  of 
their  enlistment  with  a  New  Hampshire  regi- 
ment until  the  expiration  of  their  term  of  serv- 
ice. Six  children  were  born  to  the  union  of 
^Ir.  and  j\Irs.  Flint,  namel}-:  Edwin  At- 
wood,  who  was  born  January  3,  1863, 
in  NcAV  Hampshire,  and  received  his  educa- 
tion in  Iowa:  Theodore  Balch,  wdio  was  born 
in  Iowa  November  28,  1865,  and  now  resides 
in  California :  Sarah  Elizabeth,  who  was  born 
April  27,  1868,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  David 
Scoville,  of  Decatur  county,  Kans. ;  Levi  Car- 
roll, who  was  born  December  28,  1871,  and 
died  !March  5.  1876:  ■Moses  Deloss,  who  went 
to  the  Philippines  as  a  soldier  in  the  Spanish- 
Am.erican  war  and  since  the  close  of  the  war 
has  rem.ained  in  ^[anila  as  a  supervisor  of 
teachers :  and  Emma  Frances,  who  was  born 
April  2y,  1877,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  Daniel 
Ledford.  of  San  Bernardino. 

The  family  are  identified  with  the  Baptist 
Church  and  in  former  years  Mr.  Flint  officiat- 
ed as  a  deacon  of  his  congregation.  In  fra- 
ternal relations  he  became  affiliated  with  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  many 
years  ago  and  has  retained  his  interest  in  that 
organization,  besides  being  identified  with  the 
Masonic  Order  in  the  blue  lodge.  As  a  citi- 
zen he  is  always  found  on  the  side  of  meas- 
ures for  the  benefit  of  the  people  and  for  thf 
efficient  training  of  the  rising  generation,  't 
being  his  belief  that  a  thorough  edncAtion  is 
the  best  preparation  for  a  successful  life. 
Through  all  of  his  labors  he  has  shown  a 
thoughtful  considc-ation  for  others  and  a  spir- 
it of  irnoartiality  and  justice  most  important 
to  a  teachc.  In  the  quiet  life  of  an  orchardist, 
remote  from  the  turbulent  world  of  affairs,  he 
finds  abundant  exercise  as  well  as  a  keen  pleas- 
ure in  the  improvement  of  the  land,  and  after 
years  of  energetic  application  to  educational 
work  he  enioys  the  chansre  to  his  present  oc- 
ciuintion   with    its   nccomnanying  activities. 


I'LYSSES  F.  RICHARDVTLLE.  Having 
been  left  an  orphan  in  his  sixth  year.  Ulysses 
!■'.  Richardville  had  a  childhood  lacking  in  the 
lender   care   of   paren*:s.   and   from    the  age   of 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1195 


eleven  years  was  obliged  to  make  his  own  way 
in  the  world.  Armed  only  with  a  scanty  com- 
mon school  education,  his  two  empty  hands, 
and  indomitable  pluck  and  energy  he  has  suc- 
ceeded in  acquiring  a  good  working  education 
by  careful  and  extensive  reading,  and  accumu- 
lated considerable  property,  as  well  as  attained 
a  position  of  some  prominence  in  his  locality, 
where  he  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  all 
who  have  the  pleasure  of  his  acc^uaintance. 
The  Richardville  family  is  of  French  extrac- 
tion, the  first  members  having  come  to  Ameri- 
ca four  hundred  years  ago.  U.  F.  Richardville 
was  born  in  February,  1868,  in  Knox  county, 
Ind.,  the  son  of  Peter  and  Ida  (Cornpint) 
Richardville,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Indiana.  The  father  was  a  farmer  in  that 
state,  his  death  occurring  there  April  30,  1874, 
at  the  age  of  thirty  years;  his  wife  died  in 
1870,  when  twenty-five  years  old.  From  the 
time  he  was  eleven  years  old  until  1892  Mr. 
Richardville  worked  on  farms  by  the  month 
for  Indiana  farmers,  and  in  that  year  he  de- 
cided to  seek  wider  opportunities  in  the  west. 
Arriving  in  Redlands,  Gal.,  he  worked  out  for 
six  months,  and  then  started  to  ranch  for  him- 
self in  Moreno,  beginning  necessarily  in  a 
small  way.  By  the  exercise  of  prudence  and 
careful  and  economical  business  methods  he 
was  able  gradually  to  add  to  his  interests  un- 
til now  he  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  lead- 
ing ranchmen   in  the  valley. 

By  his  marriage  in  Yuma,  Ariz.,  in  July, 
1898,  Mr.  Richardville  was  united  with  Maggie 
Suey,  a  native  of  California,  and  they  have 
one  child,  Myrtle  May.  Fraternally  Mr.  Rich- 
ardville is  a  member  of  Redlands  Lodge  No. 
343,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  of  Redlands  Lodge  No. 
583,  B.  P^  O.  E.  Politically  he  is  a  Republi- 
can. His  home  ranch  comprises  seven  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  which  is  devoted  to  the  rais- 
ing of  barley  and  the  indications  are  that  this 
(1906)  year's  crop  will  yield  ten  sacks  per 
acre.  Besides  owning  all  of  the  machinery 
necessary  to  operate  the  ranch  he  also  has 
fourteen  head  of  stock  horses. 


CORNELIUS  R.  SHORT.  Prominent 
among  the  pioneer  ranchers  of  Southern  Cali- 
fornia is  Cornelius  Short,  now  a  resident  of 
Los  Angeles  county  and  engaged  in  ranching 
near  Norwalk.  He  has  witnessed  the  develop- 
ment of  the  state  and  participated  in  its  up- 
building, enduring  the  hardships  and  priva- 
tions incident  to  pioneer  life  and  now  in  the 
evening  of  his  days  he  is  privileged  to  enjoy 
the  phenomenal  progress  of  the  western  com- 
monwealth. His  boyhood  home  was  on  the 
Atlantic  coast,  his  birth  having  occurred  De- 


cember 5.  1830,  in  Lewiston,  Delaware.  His 
parents,  Stanley  B.  and  Eliza  (Clifton)  Short, 
were  natives  respectively  of  Baltimore,  Md., 
and  Lewiston,  Del.,  the  maternal  grandfather 
being  a  patriot  in  the  war  of  1812.  The  par- 
ents were  farmers  throughout  their  entire 
lives,  removing  to  Missouri,  where  the  mother 
died  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years,  and  to  Ore- 
gon in  1864,  where  the  father  died  at  seventy- 
eight.  One  of  their  sons  served  in  the  Mexican 
war  under  General  Scott  and  was  advanced  to 
the  rank  of  captain ;  he  died  about  two  years 
after  the  war.  The  other  three  children  are 
still  surviving,  a  daughter  living  in  Oregon  at 
the  age  of  seventy-eight,  a  son  in  AVashington 
at  eighty-four,  and  Cornelius  R.  in  California 
nearly  seventy-seven. 

Cornelius  R.  Short  received  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  Delaware  county,  Ohio,  where 
the  parents  located  in  his  childhood,  and  there 
he  remained  until  nearly  fifteen,  when,  in  1845, 
his  parents  removed  to  Missouri.  He  com- 
pleted his  education  in  that  state,  after  which 
he  learned  the  trade  of  brick  mason  and 
worked  at  it  for  a  time,  finally  engaging  with 
Russell,  J\Iajors  and  Waddell,  who  were  em- 
ployed by  the  government  in  the  delivery  of 
freight  to  all  frontier  forts  as  far  as  Salt  Lake 
Git)'-.  In  1858  Mr.  Short  came  as  far  west  as 
Salt  Lake  City  and  there  spent  the  winter  at 
Camp  Floyd,  returning  then  to  Missouri  and 
the  following  }'ear  crossing  the  plains  to 
Placerville,  Cal.  From  there  he  went  on  to 
Oregon,  arriving  Januar}'  6,  i860,  and  became 
occupied  in  furnishing  miners'  supplies,  and 
also  conducted  some  personal  mining  enter- 
prises, and  engaged  in  the  butcher  business. 
In  1869  he  returned  to  California  and  near  the 
present  site  of  Santa  Ana,  Orange  county,  en- 
gaged in  ranching  and  also  had  charge  of  a 
lumber  yard.  Later  he  engaged  in  the  stock 
business  and  for  seven  years  shipped  stock 
from  Arizona  to  Los  Angeles ;  finally  selling 
out  he  came  to  his  present  place  as  manager  of 
a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  five  acres  of  the 
Glassell  estate,  thirty-five  acres  being  in  bear- 
ing fruit,  the  balance  in  grain  land.  He  has 
lived  on  this  ranch  for  nineteen  years  and  has 
made  it  a  profitable  investment  for  its  owner. 
In  1875  Mr.  Short  married  Floretta  Houghton, 
a  native  of  Texas,  and  their  home  is  located  at 
No.  528  South  Eastlake  avenue,  Los  Angeles, 
where  he  owns  property.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren, Edna,  wife  of  Fred  Davis,  of  New  York 
City;  and  Claude,  who  married  Cora  Hath- 
away, of  Arizona.  Mr.  Short  is  identified  fra- 
ternally with  the  Odd  Fellows,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Pioneer  Society  of  Los  Angeles 
county  ;  in  political   affiliations  he  is  a  stanch 


1196 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


adherent  of  Democratic  principles  and  while  a 
resident  of  Oregon  was  chosen  by  his  party  to 
the  office  of  sheriff  of  Josephine  county,  hav- 
ing previously  sen-ed  for  two  terms  as  deputy 
sheriff. 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN  ]\IAXSON.  An 
inheritance  of  sterling  traits  of  character,  have 
made  the  members  .of  the  Maxson  family  able  to 
take  a  place  among  the  representative  citizens 
of  whatever  section  they  have  made  their  home. 
New  England  ancestry  gave  to  their  de- 
scendants name  and  character,  later  members 
locating  in  New  York,  where  in  Allegheny 
county,  Abel  ilaxson,  a  native  of  Rhode  Isl- 
and, engaged  as  a  farmer.  Following  the  ex- 
ample of  his  Revolutionary  sires  he  served  in 
the  war  of  1812,  participating  in  several  im- 
portant engagements,  among  them  Sacket's 
Harbor.  Some  time  after  the  close  of  the  war 
he  removed  to  Dane  county.  Wis.,  where  he 
made  his  home  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  his  eightieth  year.  He  married 
Abigail  Lull,  a  native  of  New  York,  in  which 
state  her  death  occurred.  They  had  six  sons, 
namely:  Mathew,  a  miner,  located  in  El  Mon- 
te, and  the  only  son  living;  Schuyler  and  Ed- 
mund, who  were  killed  during  service  in  a 
New  York  regiment  during  the  Civil  war; 
William,  who  served  as  captain  in  a  New 
York  regiment  in  the  Civil  war;  George,  who 
served  as  major  in  a  Georgia  regiment,  in  the 
Confederate  army:  and  Benjamin  Franklin, 
the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  review. 

Benjamin  F.  Maxson,  Sr.,  also  served  in 
the  Civil  war,  enlisting  in  Company  K,  Thir- 
teenth Wisconsin  Infantry,  and  participated 
in  many  important  engagements,  principally 
in  the  middle  west.  His  hearing  was  serious- 
ly impaired  at  the  battle  of  Nashville  by  the 
concussion  of  a  shell,  which  injury  in  after 
years  resulted  in  deafness  and  caused  his 
death ;  while  crossing  the  Southern  Pacific 
tracks  at  Shorb  he  failed  to  hear  the  oncom- 
ing train  and  was  struck  and  killed  in  May, 
1899.  After  the  war  he  remained  in  Wiscon- 
sin until  1867,  when  he  came  to  Colusa  coun- 
ty, Cal.,  and  engaged  in  farming  for  about 
eight  years.  Coming  to  Southern  California 
in  1875  he  located  in  Tustin  and  purchased  a 
ranch,  which  he  improved  with  an  orange, 
lemon  and  walnut  grove.  In  1889,  having 
sold  his  Tustin  ranch,  he  came  to  El  Alonte, 
where  with  P.  F.  Cogswell  he  purchased  a 
tract  of  land  and  set  out  one  of  the  first  wal- 
nut groves  in  the  Mountain  View  district. 
He  improved  about  two  hundred  acres  of 
land,  and  owned  at  the  time  of  his  death 
about  one  hundred  and  scventv  acres,  which 


was  considered  one  of  the  best  improved  prop- 
erties in  this  section.  He  was  not  only  active 
in  his  personal  aft'airs,  but  maintained  a  cred- 
itable interest  in  all  matters  of  public  import, 
being  particularly  associated  with  education- 
al and  religious  work,  and  was  instrumental 
in  the  building  of  schools  and  churches.  He 
was  a  liberal  and  public-spirited  man  in  ev- 
ery avenue  of  life  and  one  who  could  always 
be  counted  upon  to  uphold  public  honor, 
either  personally  or  by  his  vote.  He  was  a 
Republican  politically,  while  in  religion  he 
belonged  to  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  had 
been  associated  for  many  years  with  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  His  wife,  for- 
merly Olive  Merwin,  was  born  near  Genesee 
Falls,  N.  Y.,  a  daughter  of  James  Merwin,  a 
farmer,  who  also  removed  to  Wisconsin.  Her 
mother  was  a  Miss  Babcock,  the  lineage  of 
Avhose  family  can  be  traced  back  to  John  Al- 
den,  of  Pilgrim  fame.  Mrs.  Maxson  died  in 
February,  1900,  leaving  a  family  of  six  chil- 
dren, of  whom  five  are  now  living:  Al3-ra, 
wife  of  A.  C.  Drake,  of  El  Monte ;  Annie, 
wife  of  Thomas  R.  McMichael,  of  El  Monte; 
Benjamin  Franklin  Jr.,  of  this  review :  Fay, 
Mrs.  Neely,  of  Manila,  Philippine  Islands ; 
and  Olive,  of  El  Monte. 

Born  in  Tustin,  Orange  county,  Cal.,  Alay 
15,  1879,  Benjamin  Franklin  IMaxson,  Jr.,  was 
reared  on  the  paternal  farm  and  educated  in 
the  public  schools  in  youth;  entering  Pomona 
College,  which  course  was  interrupted  by  the 
death  of  his  father.  Returning  home  he  gave 
his  attention  to  the  management  of  the  home 
ranch,  conducting  its  interests  for  two  years, 
when  he  located  in  a  twentj'-acre  tract  and 
engaged  in  the  management  of  a  walnut 
grove.  In  1906  he  sold  out,  and  in  the  mean- 
time, having  purchased  other  property  which 
he  had  set  out  in  walnuts  and  upon  which 
in  1905  he  had  installed  a  pumping  plant  for 
its  irrigation,  he  immediately  located  upon 
this  ranch  and  began  the  raising  of  walnuts 
and  alfalfa.  I'his  ranch  of  forty  acres  is  lo- 
cated in  the  Bassett  district  and  is  well  im- 
proved, 1907  witnessing  the  erection  of  a 
iiandsome    and    comfortable   residence. 

In  El  Monte  Mr.  ?\Iaxson  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Mary  Alexander,  a  native 
of  this  place,  and  born  of  their  union  are  the 
following  children :  Frances,  Marjorie,  Ben- 
i.amin  Franklin,  Jr.,  Stanley  and  Alice.  Mr. 
Maxson  supports  the  Baptist  Church  in  its 
charities,  his  wife  being  a  member  of  that  de- 
nomination. Mr.  IMaxson  is  a  Republican  in 
his  political  convictions.  He  belongs  to  the 
Mountain  View  Walnut  Growers'  Associa- 
tion and  seeks  to  advance  the  interests  of  the 
<;ection   in   which,   he   makes   his   home.      Mrs. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1197 


Maxson  is  the  daughter  of  pioneer  parents, 
her  father,  John  Henry  Alexander,  a  native  of 
the  Pickett  district,  of  South  CaroHna,  having 
come  to  Cahfornia  when  twenty  years  old, 
crossing  the  plains  with  ox-team  and  on  his 
arrival  engaging  in  the  mines  of  the  state.  He 
became  foreman  of  a  mnie  in  Drytown,  Ama- 
dor county,  and  later  engaged  in  mining  in 
Calaveras  county.  Disposing •  of  his  interests 
in  t88o,  he  came  to  El  Monte,  where  he  made 
his  home  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1882,  at  the  age  of  fifty-three  years.  He  was 
married  in  Drytown,  Cal.,  in  1863,  to  Miss 
Marie  Publetis,  a  native  of  Chili,  whose  fath- 
er, Jose,  was  born  in  that  country,  of  Spanish 
ancestry.  She  came  to  San  Francisco  with  an 
aunt  in  1849,  then  a  city  of  tents,  and  after 
the  death  of  her  relative  at  Spanish  Flat  she 
made  her  own  way  in  the  world.  She,  came  to 
El  Monte  with  her  husband  and  children  in 
18S0,  and  two  years  later  was  left  a  widow 
with  seven  children.  v>diom  she  reared  with  all 
the  advantages  children  could  have,  and  con- 
tinued to  improve  and  add  to  the  value  of  her 
five  acres  of  walnuts.  She  has  six  children 
living;  namely:  John  H.,  of  Nebraska;  Al- 
bert A.,  in  Nevada;  Andrew  J.,  a  carpenter  of 
El  Monte ;  James  S.,  an  engineer  of  Bassett ; 
Rosa,  Mrs.  Reynolds,  of  Puente ;  and  Mary  J., 
wife  of  B.  E.  Maxson.  Mrs.  Alexander  still 
survives  and  is  prominent  socially  in  El 
Monte,  supporting  the  interests  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  to  which  she  belongs. 


MRS.  HELEN  B.  GRISWOLD.  The  pos- 
sessor of  a  comfortable  home  situated  in  Twin 
Oaks  valley  seven  miles  northwest  of  Escondido, 
San  Diego  county,  Mrs.  Griswold  enjoys  in  the 
afternoon  of  her  life  the  pleasures  afforded  by 
an  equable  climate  and  an  attractive  environ- 
ment. Though  far  removed  from  the  land  of 
her  birth  and  the  home  of  her  childhood,  she  is 
happily  not  remote  from  kindred,  but  has  the 
companionship  of  a  sister,  Mrs.  Janet  Craig,  who 
resides  with  her,  also  of  two  sisters,  Mrs.  Jane 
O'Brien  and  Mrs.  Agnes  Andrews,  who  reside 
only  one  mile  distant.  The  four  sisters  are  well 
known  throughout  the  valley  and  have  won  the 
friendship  of  their  large  circle  of  acquaintances 
in    the    county. 

Of  English  birth  and  Scotch  lineage,  they  are 
the  daughters  of  David  McCutcheon,  who  was 
born  at  Ayr,  Scotland.  May  7,  1809,  and  by 
occupation  followed  mercantile  pursuits.  While 
still  a  single  man  he  removed  to  England  and  set- 
tled at  Dudlev,  Worcestershire,  and  there,  in. 
St.  Thomas'  Church,  March  19,  1832,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Jane  Little,  who  was 
born   in    Scotland   June   3,    1809.     Ten  children 


were  born  of  their  union,  namel}' :  Anthony,  who 
was  born  in  1834  and  died  at  Davenport,  Iowa, 
at  the  age  of  eighteen  years ;  Margaret,  who  was 
born  in  1836  and  died  in  England  at  three  years 
of  age;  Janet,  Mrs.  Craig,  who  was  born  in  1837; 
David,  born  in  1839,  deceased  in  1840  in  Eng- 
land; Jane,  Mrs.  O'Brien,  who  was  born  in  1840; 
Agnes,  Mrs.  Andrews,  born  in  1842;  Helen  B., 
jNIrs.  Griswold,  born  in  1844;  William,  who  was 
born  in  1846  and  in  1862  enlisted  in  the  Twen- 
tietk  Iowa  Infantry,  marched  to  the  front  with 
the  regiment,  was  taken  ill  at  Mobile  and  there 
died ;  Mary,  who  was  born  in  1848  and  died 
in  Davenport,  Iowa;  and  Sarah,  who  was  the 
only  member  of  the  family  born  in  the  United 
States,  a  native  of  Davenport,  Iowa,  and  there 
deceased  in  infancy. 

It  was  during  the  year  1850  that  the  family 
left  England  to  seek  a  home  in  the  United  States, 
setting  sail  on  the  ship  Gypsy,  from  which  they 
debarked  at  New  Orleans.  Thence  they  went 
up  the  Mississippi  river  on  the  Josiah  Lawrence 
to  St.  Louis,  and  on  the  Archer  to  Davenport. 
Misfortune  soon  befell  them.  The  father  was 
taken  ill  with  cholera  and  died  on  the  24th  of 
May.  His  body  was  buried  at  Villa  Vista  Land- 
ing and  the  widow  and  children  proceeded  to 
Davenport,  Iowa.  In  a  few  more  years  another 
bereavement  came  upon  the  children,  when  their 
mother  was  taken  from  them  by  death,  in  1854, 
at  the  age  of  forty-five  years.  When  the  only 
surviving  brother  died  during  his  service  in  the 
Union  army,  the  sisters  were  left  as  the  sole 
representatives  of  the  once  numerous  family. 
Of  the  sisters  Helen  B.  became  the  wife  of 
Cornelius  Griswold,  their  marriage  being  sol- 
emnized in  Jamestown,  S.  Dak.,  whence  they 
proceeded  to  Mr.  Griswold's  home  at  Boulder, 
Mont.,  and  there  he  died  in  April,  1887,  at  the 
age  of  forty-one  years.  After  a  brief  sojourn  in 
Davenport,  Iowa,  Mrs.  Griswold  went  to  St. 
Paul,  Minn.,  and  there  made  her  home  for  a 
number  of  years.  About  1894  she  came  to  Cali- 
fornia and  purchased  ten  acres  two  miles  south 
of  Carlsbad,  San  Diego  county,  erecting  thereon 
a  commodious  structure  which  she  utilized  as 
a  hotel.  For  four  years  she  lived  at  that  place 
and  it  is  still  in  her  possession.  Returning  to 
Iowa  she  visited  in  Davenport  for  a  year  and 
then  came  back  to  the  coast.  After  a  year  she 
bought  thirteen  acres  seven  miles  northwest  of 
Escondido  and  built  a  substantial  residence  with 
modern  appointments,  where  since  she  has  made 
her  home. 

Mrs.  Craig,  who  for  some  years  has  been  with 
Mrs.  Griswold,  was  married  in  Davenport.  Iowa, 
in  1861,  to  William  T.  Craig,  and  thev  resided 
in  Waterloo  until  his  death,  in  April  of  1881,  at 
the  age  of  forty-seven  years.  Three  children 
blessed  their  union,  namelv :  Ella  I\I.,  wife  of  A. 


1198 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


L.  Gartside,  member  of  the  sash  and  door  manu- 
facturing firm  of  Curtis,  Gartside  &  Co.,  of 
Oklalioma  City,  Okla. ;  Edward  Challen,  who  is 
employed  as  draftsman  with  Curtis,  Gartside  & 
Co.;  and  \Vinnifred  M.,  wife  of  John  A.  Bev- 
ington,  principal  of  the  schools  of  Santa  Fe 
Springs,  Cal.  Fraternally  Mr.  Craig  was  identi- 
fied with  the  Masonic  Order.  In  religious  views 
Airs.  Craig  upholds  the  doctrines  of  the  Baptist 
denomination  and  Mrs.  Griswold  also  is  in  sym- 
pathy with  the  teachings  of  that  church. 

The  next  to  the  eldest  of  the  four  sisters  is 
Jane,  who  in  October,  1898,  married  Capt.  Will- 
iam Thomas  O'Brien,  a  native  of  Rockland,  Me., 
and  for  thirty  years  a  captain  on  the  high  seas. 
After  their  marriage  they  removed  to  his  ranch 
in  Twin  Oaks  valley,  San  Diego  county,  and 
there  he  died  August  23,  1904,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-five  years.  The  third  of  the  sisters,  Agnes, 
was  married  at  Wapello,  Iowa,  in  1868  to  Ira 
E.  Andrews,  who  was  born  in  Connecticut,  served 
in  the  Civil  war,  and  engaged  in  business  for  a 
time  at  Davenport,  but  subsequently  at  Newton, 
Iowa,  where  he  died  in  1886,  at  the  age  of  forty 
years.  Three  children  were  born  of  their  union. 
The  sons,  Ira  G.  and  Warren,  are  engaged  in 
the  grain  business  in  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  and  the 
daughter.  Lulu,  makes  her  home  with  them  in 
that  city.  In  religious  connections  Mrs.  Andrews 
holds  membership  with  the  Christian  Church, 
but  Mrs.  O'Brien,  like  the  other  sisters,  favors 
Baptist  doctrines.  Fraternally  Captain  O'Brien 
was  a  stanch  believer  in  the  principles  of  Masonry 
and  long  affiliated  with  that  order.  The  origin 
of  the  O'Brien  family  in  America  has  in  its  his- 
tory something  of  the  element  of  romance.  The 
captain's  great-grandfather,  while  in  England, 
was  taken  on  board  a  man-of-war  and  forced  to 
enter  that  country's  service.  Eagerly  he  awaited 
a  chance  to  escape  and  such  an  opportunity  came 
when  the  ship  was  ofif  the  coast  of  Maine,  when 
he  swam  on  the  shore  and  sought  a  refuge 
among  the  Indian  tribes  then  frequenting  that 
coast.  To  him  belonged  the  distinction  of  being 
the  first  white  school-master  on  the  shores  of 
Maine  and  his  descendants  long  lived  and 
flourished  in  that  state  where  he  had  become  a 
settler  unexpectedly  to  himself. 


HANS  ANDREAS  JOHNSON.  The  presi- 
dent of  the  Klamath  Falls  Land  and  Live  Stock 
Company,  who  until  recently  also  was  proprietor 
of  the  Johnson  Packing  Company  of  San  Diego, 
is  of  Scandinavian  birth  and  ancestry,  and  w^as 
born  in  the  village  of  Honefossen.  twenty-eight 
miles  from  Oiristiania.  His  parents,  Gilbert  and 
Bertha  (Juul)  Johnson,  natives  of  the  same  local- 
ity, owned  and  occupied  an  improved  farm  named 
Ostmocn.    meaning    "Eastern"    or    "Clearing    in 


the  woods."  The  mother  was  the  daughter  of 
parents  who  came  from  Drammen  and  who  were 
of  old  Norwegian  families,  allied  with  the  Luth- 
eran denomination  from  the  epoch  immediately 
following  the  Reformation.  When  somewhat 
beyond  middle  life  she  came  to  the  United  States 
and  later  died  in  Minnesota.  All  of  her  four 
children  have  established  homes  in  the  new 
world.  Hans  AVidreas,  who  was  second  among 
the  four,  was  born  June  26,  1845,  and  received 
a  fair  education  in  his  native  tongue.  During 
the  spring  of  1861  he  came  to  America  and  set- 
tled at  Winona,  Alinn.,  but  soon  removed  to 
Chicago. 

Enlisting  in  the  Union  army  in  the  fall  of 
1862  Mt.  Johnson  was  assigned  to  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Thirty-second  Illinois  Infantry,  but  on 
account  of  illness  did  not  join  his  regiment.  On 
his  recovery  he  was  placed  on  detached  service 
as  wagonmaster  under  General  Steadman,  with 
whom  he  served  in  Alabama,  Georgia  and  Ten- 
nessee. At  the  expiration  of  his  time,  April  2, 
1865,  he  was  honorably  discharged  from  the 
army.  Meanwhile  his  mother  had  settled  in 
Allamakee  county,  Iowa,  and  there  he  joined  the 
family,  soon  after  which  he  embarked  in  the 
grain  business  at  Lansing,  same  county,  making 
shipments  from  there  by  river.  In  addition  he 
owned  warehouses  and  business  interests  in  De- 
Soto,  Wis.,  and  Decorah,  Iowa.  During  1871 
he  became  interested  in  the  hotel  business  at 
Mankato,  Minn.,  but  the  following 'year  he  re- 
moved to  Sioux  Rapids,  Iowa,  and  erected  the 
first  store  building  and  opened  the  first  store  in 
that  town,  continuing  in  the  place  for  some 
years. 

During  the  spring  of  1877  JNIr.  Johnson  re- 
moved to  the  Black  Hills  and  bought  a  ranch 
on  the  Box  Elder,  eighteen  miles  from  Dead- 
wood,  where  he  had  a  large  range  for  his  stock. 
Later  he  established  a  second  ranch  near  Hot 
Springs,  S.  Dak.,  and  the  Diamond  J  Cattle  Com- 
pany, of  which  he  was  the  owner,  became  known 
throughout  the  aitire  northwestern  country, 
where  his  brands  of  J  within  a  diamond,  and  two 
half  circles,  together  with  his  horse  brand  of 
HA  connected,  were  to  be  seen  on  many  of  the 
finest  cattle  and  horses  of  the  territory.  On 
selling  out  his  cattle  and  ranches  in  1899,  he 
canie  to  San  Diego,  where  he  first  purchased  an 
interest  in  the  Mixon  Packing  Company  and 
eventually  bought  the  entire  stock  of  the  com- 
pany, whereupon  he  changed  the  title  to  the 
Johnson  Packing  Company.  Besides  engaging 
in  the  wholesale  and  retail  grocery  business  he 
made  a  specialtv  of  manufacturing  and  packing 
»pickles,  ketchup.  Worcester  sauce,  etc.,  all  of 
which  bore  the  Diamond  J  label.  On  account  of 
his  health  he  closed  out  the  business  in  the  spring 
of   1906.  since  which   time  he  has  given   his  at- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1201 


tenlion  to  the  development  of  the  Klamath  Falls 
Land  and  Live  Stock  Company,  recently  started 
in  the  vicinity  of  Kalamath  Falls,  Ore.  The 
company  is  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the 
State  of  California  with  a  capital  stock  of  $200,- 
000,  three-fourths  of  which  amount  is  now  ( 1906) 
in  the  treasury,  and  the  remainder  on  sale  at 
fifty  cents  a  share,  par  value  $1  per  share,  fully 
paid  and  non-assessable.  The  land  owned  by 
the  company  is  within  the  government  irrigation 
project,  for  which  $4,500,000  has  been  appro- 
priated; it  is  also  within  a  short  distance  of  a 
projected  railroad,  which  will  be  the  main  line  of 
the  Southern  Pacific  Railway  Company  between 
San  Francisco  and  Portland. 

The  first  wife  of  Mr.  Johnson  was  Miss  Mary 
Hanson,  who  was  born  in  Norway  and  died  at 
Sioux  Rapids,  Iowa,  leaving  three  children, 
namely :  George,  living  in  Wyoming ;  Mrs.  Clara 
Austed,  of  Buford,  N.  Dak.,  and  Mrs.  Hattie 
Revendal,  who  lives  near  Deadwood,  S.  Dak. 
In  Fayette  county,  Iowa,  Mr.  Johnson  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Carrie  Clement,  who  was 
born  in  Norway.  Two  children  were  born  of 
their  union.  The  daughter,  Mrs.  Gina  Lowman, 
lives  in  San  Diego.  The  son,  Carbonate  O.,  is 
now  secretary  of  the  Klamath  Falls  Land  and 
Live  Stock  Company  and  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  the  Native  Gem  Mining  Company.  Mr. 
Johnson  belongs  to  the  San  Diego  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  in  politics  votes  with  the  Republican 
party,  fraternally  was  made  a  Mason  in  Storm 
Lake  Lodge  No.  309,  A.  F.  &  A.  M..  at  Storm 
Lake,  Iowa,  and  on  the  organization  of  the 
Scandinavian  Society  of  San  Diego  became  one 
of  its  charter  members,  later  holding  the  office 
of  vice-president  for  a  time. 


CHARLES  A.  WESTGATE.  Prominetit 
among  the  venerable  and  highly  respected  resi- 
dents of  Long  Beach  is  Qiarles  A.  Westgate,  a 
man  of  sterling  worth  and  character,  who,  though 
having  outlived  the  allotted  span  of  man's  life, 
bears  with  grace  and  dignity  his  burden  of  years. 
Thrown  upon  his  own  resources  in  boyhood,  he 
labored  untiringly,  and  by  dint  of  perseverance, 
self-reliance  and  thrift  won  success  in  his  under- 
takings, and  now,  living  retired  from  active  pur- 
suits, is  enjoying  in  comfort  and  leisure  the  visi- 
ble fruits  of  his  many  years  of  toil.  A  son  of 
Levi  Westgate,  he  was  born  April  10,  1824,  in 
Chenango  county,  N.  Y.,  coming  from  New  Eng- 
land ancestry. 

A  native  of  New  York  state,  Levi  Westgate 
spent  his  early  years  there,  following  the  shoe- 
maker's trade.  In  1847  ^^  removed  to  Kendall 
county,  III,  locating  in  Little  Rock  township, 
where  he  resided  until  his  death,  August  30,  1857, 
aged  sixty-five  years.     While  young  he   served 


as  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  participating  in 
several  engagements.  He  married  Hannah  B. 
Hall,  who  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  on  Cape 
Cod,  and  died  in  Piano,  Little  Rock  township, 
111.,  August  I,  1862  aged  sixty-five  years.  She 
was  descended  from  a  family  of  prominence  in 
colonial  days,  having  been  a  great-granddaughter 
of  Charles  Bunker,  who  owned  the  hill  in  Charles- 
town,  Mass.,  on  which  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill 
was  fought,  and  who  was  killed  in  that  memor- 
able engagement. 

At  the  age  of  nine  years  Charles  A.  Westgate 
was  bound  out,  and  thereafter  received  such  an 
education  as  he  could  obtain  in  the  winter  terms 
of  the  district  school.  Beginning  for  himself  when 
eighteen  years  old,  he  worked  by  the  month  for 
a  number  of  years.  In  1845  he  migrated  to  Illi- 
nois, locating  in  Kendall  county,  where  he  rented 
land  and  for  many  years  was  prosperously  em- 
ployed as  a  tiller  of  the  soil.  August  8,  1862, 
he  enlisted  in  Company  F,  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty-seventh  Illinois  Infantry,  under  com- 
mand of  Capt.  Charles  Schriver,  and  served  until 
the  close  of  the  war.  He  took  part  in  many  im- 
portant engagements,  including  among  otliers  tlie 
engagements  at  Yazoo,  Arkansas  Post,  the  siege 
of  Vicksburg,  Missionary  Ridge  and  Atlanta, 
and  marched  with  Sherman  to  the  Sea,  driving 
a  six-mule  team  from  Atlanta  to  Washington, 
D.  C,  where,  on  June  11,  1865,  he  took  part  in 
the  Grand  Review. 

After  receiving  his  discharge  Mr.  Westgate 
returned  to  Kendall  county.  111.,  remaining  there 
until  1867,  when  he  located  in  Will  county  and 
started  a  nursery,  which  he  conducted  for  about 
a  quarter  of  a  century,  meeting  with  good  suc- 
cess in  that  industry.  He  was  also  prominently 
identified  with  the  agricultural  advancement  of 
that  part  of  the  state,  more  especially  with  that 
branch  relating  to  the  breeding  of  stock,  be- 
coming a  pioneer  raiser  of  registered  Hereford 
cattle,  and  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  American 
Hereford  Breeders'  Association,  of  which  he  is 
still  a  stockholder.  Disposing  of  his  farm  and 
stock  in  1890,  he  came  to  California  on  account 
of  ill  health,  locating  at  Orange  in  December  of 
that  year.  Purchasing  a  fruit  ranch,  he  operated 
it  for  five  years,  when  he  sold  out.  Coming  to 
Long  Beach  in  i8g6  he  invested  in  city  property 
and  also  bought  land  northeast  of  town,  buying 
a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  which  he 
sold  in  July,  1904,  He  then  bought  the  house 
and  lot  where  he  now  resides,  and  is  living  re- 
tired from  the  activities  of  business.  While  liv- 
ing in  Illinois  he  was  very  prominent  in  public 
affairs,  both  in  Kendall  and  Will  counties,  in  the 
former  helping  to  organize  the  town  of  Piano, 
and  in  the  latter  the  town  of  Peotone,  serving  for 
a  while  as  trustee  of  each  place,  and  for  six 
\'ears  was  a  member  of  the  local  school  board. 


1202 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


For  forty  years  he  was  an  auctioneer,  starting 
after  the  war  to  sell  condemned  government 
goods  throughout  Illinois,  Iowa,  Wisconsin  and 
Missouri. 

November  12,  185 1,  Mr.  Westgate  married 
Mary  Jane  Hall,  who  was  born  February  23,  1835, 
a  daughter  of  David  and  Sarah  (Jenner)  Hall. 
Her  parents  were  both  born  in  England,  were 
there  married,  and  in  1833  immigrated  to  New 
York,  where  they  resided  until  1847.  Removing 
to  Illinois,  they  remained  there  seven  years,  when 
they  removed  to  Iowa,  taking  up  government  land 
in  Jones  county.  Later  they  sold  from  their 
land  the  site  of  the  Oxford  mills.  Mr.  Hall 
died  in  1873  3-^  the  age  of  seventy-five,  and  Mrs. 
Hall  in  1871,  at  the  same  age,  both  being  buried 
in  Iowa.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Westgate  are  the  parents 
of  six  children,  three  living,  namely :  James  E., 
Ella  A.,  and  Charles  A.,  Jr.  James  E.  Westgate 
was  the  first  white  child  bom  in  Piano,  111.,  and 
is  now  a  resident  of  Chicago;  he  is  married  and 
has  four  children.  Ella  A.,  the  only  daughter, 
is  the  wife  of  Dr.  James  T.  Arwine,  who  has 
recently  opened  an  office  for  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  Los  Angeles.  Prior  to  her  mar- 
riage Mrs.  Arwine  was  employed  in  the  pension 
office  at  Washington,  D.  C,  for  nine  years,  and 
was  one  of  two  special  clerks  sent  from  that  de- 
partment to  the  land  office,  with  which  she  was 
connected  for  two  years.  Charles  A.,  Jr.,  who 
is  in  business  in  Santa  Ana,  Cal.,  is  married  and 
has  two  children.  Politically  Mr.  Westgate  is  a 
stanch  Republican  and  is  a  member  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic.  Fraternally  he  was 
made  a  Mason  in  1865  in  Sunbaam  Lodge  No. 
636,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  Piano,  111. ;  he  assisted  in 
organizing  the  lodge  in  Peotone,  serving  six 
years  as  master,  and  upon  his  retirement  was  pre- 
sented with  a  silver  pitcher ;  he  is  now  a  member 
of  Long  Beach  Lodge  No.  327.  Mrs.  Westgate 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Eastern  Star  Chapter 
since  1870  and  for  twenty  years  held  office  in 
Peotone,  Dorcas  Chapter :  she  was  presented  with 
an  emblematic  pin  at  the  time  she  left  Illinois. 
She  is  also  a  member  of  the  Woman's  Relief 
Corps.  Mr.  Westgate  joined  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  in  Little  Rock,  111.,  in  1853 
and  his  wife  joined  the  Rebekahs  the  following 
year.  Mrs.  Westgate  is  an  artist,  having  some 
very  fine  reproductions  in  oil  from  her  brush, 
her  work  being  remarkable  from  the  fact  that  she 
had  never  taken  the  brush  in  hand  until  she  was 
fifty-eight  years  old.  November  12,  1901,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Westgate  celebrated  their  golden  wed- 
ding anniversary  at  their  home  on  Linden  street, 
and  on  the  same  day  in  1906  they  celebrated  their 
fifty-fifth  anniversary.  Comparatively  few  cou- 
ples are  spared  to  enjoy  this  privilege  and  the  oc- 
casion  was   celebrated   in  a   fitting  manner,   old 


friends  as  well  as  new  calling  to  pay  them  hom- 
age and  wishing  them  many  more  years  of  con- 
tinued health  and  happiness. 


FRANCIS  J.  SILLIFANT.  Actively  en- 
gaged in  business  as  one  of  the  foremost  contract- 
ing plasterers  of  San  Diego,  Francis  J.  Sillifant 
is  contributing  his  full  share  towards  the  advance- 
ment of  the  industrial  prosperity  of  the  city,  and 
holds  an  assured  position  among  its  respected 
and  valued  residents.  An  excellent  workman,  fa- 
miliar with  every  branch  of  his  trade,  and  ever 
willing  to  oblige  all  patrons,  he  is  kept  busily 
employed  at  all  times  and  gives  employment  to 
several  journeymen  plasterers.  An  Englishman 
by  birth,  he  was  born  in  Launceston,  County 
Cornwall,  May  18,  1857,  the  son  of  William  Sill- 
ifant, the  latter  a  contractor  and  builder  of 
Launceston,  and  the  descendant  of  an  old  and 
respected  family. 

On  July  4,  1897,  Francis  J.  Sillifant  located  in 
San  Diego,  and  ere  many  seasons  had  passed 
he  has  successfully  filled  many  contracts  in 
plastering,  winning  a  fine  reputation  for  durable 
and  artistic  work,  and  building  up  a  substantial 
business.  Politically  he  sustains  the  principles 
of  the  Republican  party  in  national  affairs,  but 
in  local  matters  votes  independent  of  party  re- 
strictions. Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Foresters  of  America,  of  the  Royal  League  and 
of  Silver  Gate  Lodge,  No.  296,  F.  &  A.  M. 


ORVILLE  S.  HECOX.  Early  in  the  col- 
onial history  of  our  country  the  Hecox  family 
cam.e  from  Ireland  and  became  identified  with 
the  pioneer  element  of  Connecticut,  where 
some  of  the  name  aided  in  the  building  up  of 
the  town  of  Durham.  About  1786  Robert  Mor- 
ris purchased  a  large  tract  in  New  York  from 
the  Seneca  nation,  and  shortly  afterward 
James  Hecox,  of  Farmington.  Conn.,  accom- 
panied by  his  son,  Adna  (then  a  3'outh  of  nine- 
teen vears),  and  some  six  others  of  the  same 
neighborhood,  started  out  to  explore  the  new 
purchase  and  after  arriving  at  the  Big  Tree 
began  to  survey  land  for  Air.  Morris.  How- 
ever, on  account  of  the  liostility  of  the  Indians, 
immigration  was  temporarily  abandoned,  but 
later  James  Hecox  purchased  six  hundred 
acres  of  land.  In  his  family  there  were  four 
sons.  James,  Salmon,  Adna  and  Reuben.  Of 
these  Adna  (through  whom  the  present  gen- 
ealogy is  traced!  made  his  home  at  Fort  Mal- 
din  in  Canada  and  from  there  moved  to  Goose 
Island  near  Detroit,  where  his  son,  Adna  A., 
was  born  January  26,  1806.  While  the  father 
was  engaged  in  repairing  some  of  his  farming 
imolements.  on  the  3d  of  lulv,  1812,  a  friend. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


li'OS 


James  Chittenden,  came  to  his  house  with  the 
alarming  news  that  war  had  been  declared 
with  England.  Two  hours  later  the  father  and 
mother,  with  their  six  children  and  three  hired 
men,  were  in  two  canoes  on  their  way  to  De- 
troit, seeking  the  protection  of  the  soldiers  at 
that  post.  In  tlie  spring  of  the  following  year 
the  father  went  to  a  small  island,  where  he 
planted  and  han.'ested  a  sufficient  quantity  of 
corn  and  potacoes  to  keep  the  "wolf  from  the 
door"  until  the  war  had  ended.  Later  he  re- 
turned to  Goose  Island  and  after  the  death  of 
his  wife,  in  1820,  he  bought  a  tract  of  land 
near  Fort  Rock,  where  he  remained  until  his 
death  in  1829.  His  life  had  been  character- 
ized by  the  stirring  incidents  of  the  frontier, 
and  he  was  a  typical  pioneer,  honest,  hospit- 
able, companionable  and  energetic,  well  quali- 
fied by  a  stahvart  frame  and  robust  constitu- 
tion to  endure  the  vicissitudes  of  existence  be- 
yond the  confines  of  civilization. 

The  early  recollections  of  Adna  A.  Hecox 
were  associated  with  scenes  of  peril  and  hard- 
ships on  the  frontier,  where  he  was  reared.  In 
February  of  182Q  he  married  Catherine  Man- 
nausan  and  three  years  later  moved  to  St.  Jo- 
seph county,  Mich.,  where  he  remained  for  six 
years.  Meanwhile,  in  1834,  his  wife  died  of 
cholera  while  visiting  at  Brownstown.  July 
TO,  1836,  he  married  Margaret  M.  Hamer,  of 
Pennsylvania,  a  woman  of  beautiful  character 
and  saintly  life,  whose  memory  is  cherished  in 
the  hearts  of  her  children.  From  Michigan 
they  moved  to  Illinois,  but  considerations  of 
health  caused  them  to  seek  a  more  genial  cli- 
mate. April  I,  1846,  an  expedition  started  for 
California  with  three  wagons  and  ox-teams. 
The  party  consisted  of  seven  men,  two  women 
and  seven  children,  among  them  being  A.  A. 
Hecox,  wife  and  four  children.  When  they 
reached  the  Chariton  river  the  road  became 
blocked  with  Mormons  headed  by  Brigham 
Young,  but  the  party  of  emigrants  proceeded 
without  pause  and  on  their  arrival  at  camp 
found  the  Mormons  V,ad  gone  forward.  On 
the  4th  of  Mav  Ihev  arrived  at  St.  Joseph,  Mo., 
thence  crossed  the  Missouri  river,  and  started 
vvestward  via  Forts  Kenrny  and  Laramie,  and 
the  Platte  river.  While  crossing  the  plains 
they  were  attacked  bv  a  herd  of  buffaloes  and 
Mrs.  Hecox  received  a  fracture  of  the  collar- 
bone. While  at  Big  ^Feadows  they  were  vis- 
ited by  "Old"  Truckee  and  two  others  who 
proposed  to  accompany  them  to  the  new  land. 
October  of  1846  found  them  camping  in  the 
.Sacramento  vallev.  .\s  soon  as  it  became 
known  that  they  had  arrived  at  Sutter's  Fort, 
Captain  Swift  of  Fremont's  battalion  visited 
them  to  solicit  volunteers  to  aid  in  reconquer- 
ing the  Mexicans.     A  few  of  the  party  joined 


Captain  Swift  and  the  balance  proceeded  to 
San  Jose  in  the  hope  of  securing  a  permanent 
location. 

On  the  1st  of  November  the  company  ar- 
rived at  the  old  mission  at  Santa  Clara,  where 
they  had  been  told  they  could  get  shelter,  but 
they  found  the  place  almost  uninhabitable. 
The  number  of  the  expedition  had  increased 
to  eighty  women  and  children,  twenty-iive 
men,  and  some  eight  boys  old  enough  to  shoul- 
der a  rifle,  but  too  young  to  join  General  Fre- 
mont. Soon  typhoid  fever  Iiroke  out  among 
the  emigrants  and  fourteen  of  the  number  died 
of  the  disease.  In  one  instance  a  man  endea- 
vored to  buy  a  few  boards  with  which  to  make 
a  bed  for  his  sick  wife,  but,  not  finding  any- 
one who  would  sell,  he  took  a  few  boards. 
With  these  he  constructed  a  rude  bed  and  a 
few  days  later  made  them  into  a  cofifin  for  his 
dead  wife.  Afterward  the  alcalde  fined  him 
$25  and  put  him  in  jail  for  taking  the  boards. 
The  first  Protestant  sermon  e\er  preached 
in  California,  so  far  as  known,  was  preached 
by  A.  A.  Hecox  on  the  15th  of  December,  1846, 
his  audience  being  the  few  Protestant  emi- 
grants who  had  settled  in  the  neighborhood. 

During  the  spring  of  1848  a  report  came  to 
the  settlers  that  workmen  at  Sutter's  Fort  had 
found  small  quantities  of  gold.  The  year  pre- 
vious A.  A.  Hecox  had  moved  to  Soquel,  San- 
ta Cruz  county,  and  had  erected  a  mill  for 
Michael  Lodge,  also  had  built  the  first  billiard 
table  made  in  California,  using  redwood  in  its 
construction.  While  he  was  operating  a  mill 
rented  of  Mr.  Lodge  in  1848,  all  of  his  hands 
left  to  dig  gold  and  he  closed  the  mill  and  also 
proceeded  to  the  mines,  where  he  was  one  of 
the  discoverers  of  the  rich  gold  mines  at 
Hangtown.  On  the  afternoon  of  their  arrival 
his  party  picked  up  six  pounds  of  gold.  In 
Tulv  he  returned  to  Santa  Cruz,  where  he  was 
ill  for  six  weeks.  In  September  he  started  for 
the  mines  of  the  Mokelumne  river  and  meet- 
ing Captain  .\ram  he  hauled  his  good?  to  So- 
nora.  Though  gone  but  fi\-e  days,  they  cleared 
$2,200.  In  the  fall  of  1848  he  returned  to  Santa 
Cruz,  where  at  first  he  'sold  goods  for  William 
C.  Parker  &  Co..  and  in  1849  opened  a  store 
with  Elijah  Anthonv.  In  the  fall  of  1849  'i^ 
\\-as  elected  alcalde,  in  which  office,  during 
1850.  he  had  sixtv-tliree  cases  (mostly  crim- 
inal) in  two  months.  After  the  admission  of 
California  as  a  state  he  was  made  justice  of 
the  peace,  holding  that  office  several  terms. 
Also  he  served  as  public  administrator  and  as- 
sociate justice  of  the  county  court.  In  1861  he 
was  elected  county  treasurer  of  Santa  Cruz 
county,  which  office  he  filled  for  two  years  and 
six  months.  At  the  expiration  of  his  term  he 
was  appointed  lighthouse  keeper  of  the  Santa 


1204 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Cruz  station  and  continued  in  that  position 
until  his  death,  March  17,  1882,  since  which 
time  his  daughter,  Miss  Laura  J.  F.,  has  filled 
tlie  place. 

Surviving  Adna  A.  Hecox  is  his  widovv, 
Margaret  M.,  who  possessed  the  fortitude  and 
powers  of  endurance  necessary  to  frontier  ex- 
istence. During  the  war  in  California  and 
while  they  lived  at  the  old  mission  in  Santa 
Clara,  her  husband  was  appointed  one  of  the 
guard;  for  several  nights  he  was  too  sick  to 
fill  his  post,  so  she  shouldered  his  rifle  and 
took  his  place  as  a  guard.  In  July,  1847,  she 
was  interested  in  the  organization  of  a  tem- 
perance society,  and  she  still  holds  in  her  pos- 
session the  pledge,  written  on  a  blank  leaf  of 
the  Bible.  The  following  is  a  copy:  "Wash- 
ington Pledge,  July.  1847. 

"We,  the  undersigned,  anxious  to  promote 
the  true  principles  of  temperance,  do  pledge 
our  honors  that  we  will  not  use  any  intoxicat- 
ing liquors  as  beverages." 

(Signed) :  A.  A.  Hecox 

Margaret   M.   Hecox 
Edwin  Shaw 
James  G.  T.  Dunleavy 
Mary  Ann  Dunleavy 
Michael   Lodge 
William  Parks 
Curtis   Comstock 
lames  T.    Kearnv 
Henry  Hill 
Robert   Devereaux. 
Three  of  the  children  who  crossed  the  plains 
with  their  parents  are    still    living,    namely: 
Mrs.  Sarah   E.   Stampley,    of    Oakland,    Gal; 
Mrs.  C.  M.  Brown,  of  Berkeley;  and  Adna  H. 
of  Santa  Cruz.     The  four  children  born  after  ' 
the  family  came  to  California  are  as  follows: 
Mrs.    Matilda   Longley,   of   Santa   Cruz;   Airs. 
A.  R.  Organ :  ?\Iiss  Laura  J.  F.,  who  succeed- 
ed her  father  as  keeper  of  the  lighthouse ;  and 
the   youngest,   On'ille   S.,   whose   name   intro- 
duces tliis  article,  and  who  was  born  at  Santa 
Cruz,  this  state,  May  i,  1859.    One  of  the  most 
talented  members  of  the  family,  Douglas  Til- 
den,  a  nephew  of  Orville  S.  Hecox,  has  an  in- 
teresting history.     Born  at  Chico  in   i860,  he 
was  stricken  with  the  scarlet  fever  at  the  age 
of   five   years    and    though    he    regained    his 
health  he  was  left  deaf  and  dumb.    In  order  to 
receive  proper  care  he  was  sent  to  the  asylum 
at  Berkeley  in   1883  and  afterward  became  an 
instructor  in  the  institution.     He  was  twenty- 
four  years  of  age  before  he  discovered  his  tal- 
ent for  the  sculptor's  art.    In  1885  he  produced 
his  first  work,  "The  Tired  Wrestler,"  and  later 
spent  seven  months  in  the  National  Academy 
of  Design  in  New  York,  after  which  he  went 
to  Paris  as  a  private  pupil  of  Paul  Chopin,  the 


winner  of  the  gold  medal  at  the  salon.  After 
five  months  he  began  modeling  without  an  in- 
structor. Among  his  exhibits  at  the  salon  were 
"Our  National  Game"  or  "The  Baseball 
Player,"  the  "Young  Acrobat,"  "The  Bear 
Hunt"  and  "The  Football  Player."  Since  his 
return  to  California  he  has  modeled  the  large 
fountain  erected  by  the  Society  of  the  Native 
Sons  in  honor  of  the  admission  of  California 
as  a  state. 

Upon  completing  the  studies  of  the  public 
schools  Orville  .S.  Hecox  began  to  learn  the 
trade  of  house  painting,  which  he  followed  for 
many  years.  In  1886  he  came  to  Oceanside, 
San  Diego  countj^  where  he  found  ready  em- 
ployment at  his  trade.  For  two  years  he  also 
engaged  in  farming  near  Rainbow,  San  Diego 
county.  In  1896  he  went  to  Tustin,  later  fol- 
lowed his  trade  at  Monrovia  for  two  and  one- 
half  years,  and  May  15,  T905,  he  returned  to 
Oceanside,  where  now  he  engages  in  the  sale 
of  real  estate,  both  city  property  and  farm 
lands.  His  marriage  took  place  in  Santa  Cruz, 
Mav  12,  1880,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Etta 
L.  B.,  daughter  of  J.  E.  Butler,  who  rounded 
the  Horn  in  1849  ^"d  settled  in  San  Francisco, 
where  he  kept  the  Ocean  house  and  also  fol- 
lowed the  trade  of  a  builder.  Removing  to 
San  Mateo,  he  took  the  contracts  to  erect  the 
finest  residences  of  that  place.  In  1876  he  went 
to  Santa  Cruz  and  built  a  flour  mill,  but  lost 
a  fortune  in  the  enterprise.  In  1882  he  settled 
at  Riverside  and  two  vears  later  came  to 
Oceansifle,  near  where  he  took  up  two  hun- 
dred acres  of  government  land.  During  the 
boom  he  sold  his  property  at  a  high  figure, 
but  later  lost  heavily  through  investments  at 
Rainbow.  While  making  his  home  at  Rain- 
bow he  died  in  1892.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hecox 
have  an  adopted  daughter,  Margaret.  The  fam- 
ily are  identified  with  the  Advent  Church  and 
are  honored  members  of  the  best  social  circles 
of  Oceanside. 


LOUIS  L.  LARSEN.  Although  he  has  been 
conducting  his  restaurant  business  in  San  Ber- 
nardino but  a  short  time  Louis  L.  Larsen  has 
built  up  a  large  trade  and  is  conducting  one  of 
the  most  successful  establishments  of  the  kind 
in  this  citv.  He  is  a  native  of  Drammen,  Nor- 
way, his  birth  having  occurred  there  August  19, 
1876.  His  father,  Olaf  Larsen,  was  a  Norwegian 
sailor,  who,  when  he  came  to  America,  followed 
the  same  business  on  the  Great  Lakes,  his  head- 
quarters being  in  Milwaukee.  He  later  removed 
to  Minneapolis,  where  his  death  occurred.  Mrs. 
Larsen,  who  was  in  maidenhood  Christine  Louise 
Olafson,   is   now   residing  in   Minneapolis. 

The  first  nine  vears  of  the  life  of  Louis  L. 


(Slo.,^^  Oa^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1207 


Larsen  were  spent  in  his  native  town  and  his 
education  was  received  principally  in  the  public 
schools  of  Minneapolis.  After  completing  his 
school  work  he  was  apprenticed  to  Reagan 
Brothers  of  that  city  to  learn  pastry  cooking, 
finishing  the  training  in  three  and  one-half  years. 
He  then  took  up  professional  cooking  and  spent 
a  summer  in  Yellowstone  Park  as  pastry  cook 
in  one  of  the  hotels  owned  by  the  Yellowstone 
Park  Hotel  Association.  From  there  he  came  to 
San  Mateo,  Gal.,  in  1897  accepting  a  like  posi- 
tion in  the  St.  Matthew  boarding  school  at  that 
place.  Following  this  he  held  positions  as  pastry 
cook  successively  at  the  Arlington  hotel,  Santa 
Barbara,  and  the  hotel  at  El  Paso  Robles,  re- 
maining in  the  latter  place  eighteen  months.  His 
next  position  was  in  Los  Angeles  in  the  Imperial 
cafe  as  night  cook.  In  1899  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  Fred  Harvey  as  pastry  cook  at  Needles, 
then  went  to  San  Diego,  to  what  is  now  known  as 
Hotel  Robinson.  Again  engaging  himself  to  Mr. 
Harvey  he  was  in  San  Bernardino  for  a  time, 
then  went  to  Ash  Fork,  Ariz.,  and  finally  bad< 
to  San  Bernardino,  becoming  chief  cook  of  the 
Harvey  house.  He  resigned  this  position  in  1904 
to  take  charge  of  the  Squirrel  inn  as  proprietor, 
and  in  October,  1905,  opened  Larsen's  lunch 
counter  and  has  since  been  conducting  it  with 
splendid  success.  In  1906  he  remodeled  the 
quarters,  put  in  a  new  range,  and  cold  storage 
rooms,  and  now  has  a  fifty-stool  modern  place 
which  is  enjoying  great  popularity. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Larsen  is  a  member  of  the 
Eagles  and  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of 
Elks.  He  belongs  to  the  Merchants"  Association 
and  also  the  Board  of  Trade.  No  enterprise 
tending  to  upbuild  San  Bernardino  goes  without 
his  support  and  co-operation. 


CHARLES  POST.  The  advantages  afforded 
to  a  sojourner  in  the  west  and  particularly  that 
portion  of  the  west  embraced  within  the  limits 
of  Southern  California  find  in  Mr.  Post  an  en- 
thusiastic advocate  and  stalwart  champion.  For 
a  long  period  he  has  made  his  home  in  the  west. 
By  actual  experience  he  has  gained  an  insight 
into  the  soil,  climate  and  possibilities  of  various 
portions  of  the  country  lying  west  of  the  Rocky 
mountains,  .and  of  all  this  broad  domain  lie 
considers  the  finest  section  to  be  in  the  vicinity 
of  his  present  home.  Since  1891  he  has  resided 
in  Redlands,  and  for  a  considerable  period  he 
rendered  efficient  service  as  zanjero  with  the 
Bear  \'alley  Irrigation  Company.  i\Iore  recently, 
however,  bv  reason  of  ofiicial  duties,  he  has  had 
his  headquarters  in  the  citv  of  San  Bernardino. 

The  lineage  of  the  Post  family  is  traced  back 
to  Peter  Schuyler  Post,  who  owned  sixteen  hun- 
dred acres  in  Orange  county.  N.  Y.,  and  wielded 


a  large  influence  among  the  men  of  his  day  and 
locality.  Next  in  line  of  descent  was  Edwin 
Post,  who  passed  his  early  years  upon  his  father's 
vast  estate  in  the  east,  but  on  starting  out  for 
himself  sought  the  then  unknown  regions  of 
Illinois  and  in  the  midst  of  the  wilderness  carved 
out  a  home  for  himself.  The  now  prosperous 
city  of  Galesburg  numbered  him  among  its  early 
settlers.  For  a  number  of  years  he  followed 
lumbering,  for  a  long  period  engaged  in  the 
cattle  business,  and  also  at  another  time  carried 
on  a  large  farm.  Since  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1894,  his  widow,  Mary  (Doolittle)  Post,  has 
removed  to  California,  and  now  resides  at  Red- 
lands.  The  family  of  which  she  is  a  member 
came  to  this  country  from  Holland  in  a  verv  early 
Jay.  ' 

During  the  residence  of  Edwin  and  Mary 
Post,  at  Galesburg,  111.,  their  son,  Charles,  was 
born  there  January  5,  i860,  and  there  he  re- 
ceived a  fair  education  in  the  grammar  and  high, 
schools.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  he  left  school 
and  gave  his  attention  wholly  to  aiding  his  father 
in  the  care  of  their  farm  near  Lincoln,  Neb., 
where  he  remained  for  several  years,  during  this 
time  taking  considerable  interest  in  the  cattle 
industry.  During  1884  he  came  to  California 
and  in  1891  settled  at  Redlands,  which  has  been 
his  home.  Two  years  before  coming  to  Califor- 
nia he  married  Miss  Clara  Henderson,  daughter 
of  William  T.  Henderson,  a  prominent  citizen 
of  Galesburg,  111.  Of  their  union  five  children 
were  born,  namely :  Clara,  Mary  E.,  C.  Alfred, 
Llewellyn  C.  and  Katherine.  Fraternally  Mr. 
Post  holds  membership  with  Redlands  Lodge  No. 
86.  K.  of  P.,  in  which  he  now  officiates  as  dis- 
trict deputy,  and  further  holds  office  as  deputy 
grand  chancellor.  In  addition  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  being  past  com- 
mander of  the  local  camp.  The  Benevolent  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks  number  him  among  their 
members,  his  name  being  that  of  a  leading  mem- 
ber of  No.  583,  at  Redlands. 

Through  all  of  his  active  life,  ever  since  at- 
taining his  majority,  Mr.  Post  has  been  a  stanch 
supporter  of  the  Republican  party  and  has  given 
its  candidates  his  vote.  In  the  various  places 
of  his  residence  he  has  been  an  influential  local 
worker.  At  this  writing  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Republican  county  central  committee  and  ranks 
among  the  leading  men  of  the  part\-  within  the 
limits  of  San  Bernardino  county.  In  recogni- 
tion of  his  fitness  for  office  and  his  services  in 
behalf  of  the  party,  in  1901  he  was  appointed 
deputy  county  clerk  under  L.  A.  Pfeiffer,  and 
this  position  he  held  until  he  was  elected  county 
clerk  November  6.  1906,  by  the  second  largest 
majority  received  by  any  candidate  in  San 
Bernardino  countv. 


1208 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ISAAC  FUNK  BAKER.  The  business  in- 
terests of  El  Alonte  have  in  Air.  Baker  one  of 
their  most  important  factors,  his  enterprise  and 
progressive  spirit  having  contributed  no  little  to 
the  material  upbuilding  and  development  of  the 
place.  He  has  built  a  substantial  business  block- 
where  he  is  located  and  carrying  on  a  mercan- 
tile enterprise  which  is  bringing  him  large  finan- 
cial returns.  j\Ir.  Baker  is  a  native  of  Illinois, 
and  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Bloomington, 
February  15,  1865.  His  father,  N.  S.  Baker, 
was  born  in  Somerset,  Pa.,  in  1814,  and  in  man- 
hood became  a  pioneer  settler  of  Indiana  and 
thence  removed  to  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming  from  i860  to  1875.  He  then  located  in 
Story  county,  Iowa,  where  he  made  his  home 
until  1893,  in  which  year  his  death  occurred.  He 
was  descended  from  a  Revolutionary  family,  his 
father  having  served  as  a  patriot  in  the  colonial 
amiy.  By  his  first  marriage  he  had  two  sons, 
Isaiah  H.,  a  resident  of  Nebraska,  and  David. 
They  both  served  in  the  Civil  war,  in  which  serv- 
ice David  was  killed.  Subsequently  Mr.  Baker 
married  Mary  Jones,  a  native  of  West  Virginia, 
whose  death  occurred  in  Iowa  in  1885.  Of  this 
union  were  born  ten  children,  seven  of  whom 
are  living. 

Isaac  Funk  Baker  was  the  fifth  child  by  his 
father's  second  marriage.  When  ten  years  old 
he  became  a  resident  of  Iowa,  where  he  grew  to 
manhood,  alternating  home  duties  on  the  farm 
with  an  attendance  of  the  public  schools,  which 
was  completed  by  one  year  at  the  State  Agricul- 
tural College  at  Ames,  Iowa.  His  first  inde- 
pendent effort  was  as  a  clerk  in  Colo,  Story 
county,  where  he  continued  for  about  two  years, 
and  in  1886  went  to  Boone  county  and  followed 
a  similar  occupation  for  six  years.  He  then 
went  to  Chicago  and  clerked  for  three  years, 
when,  in  1895,  he  came  to  California  and  'in  El 
j\Ionte  established  a  meat  market  with  his  broth- 
er, B.  F.  Baker,  the  two  continuing  in  business 
for  two  and  a  half  years.  He  then  sold  his  in- 
terest and  in  1897  went  to  San  Francisco  and 
embarked  with  an  excursion  party  for  Alaska, 
arriving  at  St.  Michaels  and  thence  going  to 
Dawson  by  river  boat,  reaching  his  destination 
October  i  of  the  same  year.  He  remained  one 
year  engaged  in  mining  with  success,  when  he 
returned  to  El  Monte,  September  i,  1898,  pur- 
chased a  lot  and  put  up  the  block  in  which  he 
is  now  engaged  in  business.  In  1904  he  put 
up  a  brick  building  52x84  feet  in  dimensions,  on 
the  corner  of  Lexington  and  San  Bernardino 
road,  and  put  in  a  stock  of  general  merchandise 
which  includes  ever>-thing  to'be  found  in  a  busi- 
ness of  this  character.  He  is  one  of  the  original 
stockholders  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  El 
Monte,  which  was  organized  in  1903,  and  is  now 
serving  as  a  director. 


In  Providence,  R.  I.,  September  26,  1906,  Mr. 
Baker  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Jennie 
Tucker.  She  is  a  native"  of  Providence  and  a 
descendant  of  the  famous  Tucker  and  Greene 
families  of  Rhode  Island,  whose  ancestry  can  be 
traced  for  five  generations  in  that  state.  She 
was  born  on  the  old  Greene  homestead  a  mile 
from  Shannock,  which  had  been  in  the  family 
for  five  generations,  received  her  preliminary 
education  in  the  public  schools,  after  which  she 
attended  and  graduated  from  the  State  Normal 
School.  She  came  to  California  and  in  Los  An- 
geles became  prominent  in  educational  work,  and 
at  the  same  time  accepted  the  principalship  of 
the  El  Monte  schools,  which  position  she  re- 
tained for  fourteen  years.  Her  resignation  took 
place  in  July,  1906,  when  she  returned  to  Rhode 
Island  and  in  her  home  in  Providence  was  mar- 
ried in  the  September  following.  She  is  a 
woman  of  rare  ability  and  culture,  abreast  of 
the  times  in  every  particular,  broad-minded  to  an 
unusual  degree,  and  capable  of  making  and  re- 
taining friends  wherever  known. 

Mr.  Baker  is  associated  fraternally  with  Lex- 
ington Lodge  No.  104,  F.  &  A.  AL,  of  El  Monte, 
in  which  he  has  served  as  master  for  the  past 
six  years,  having  been  made  a  member  of  the 
organization  in  Columbia  Lodge  No.  202.  of 
Colo,  Iowa.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Royal  Arch 
and  Knights  Templar  of  Boone,  Iowa,  and  Al 
Malaikah  Temple,  N.  M.  S.,  of  Los  Angeles. 
His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Cojigregational 
Church,  which  he  supports  liberally.  Politically 
he  is  a  Republican  and  stanch  in  the  support  of 
the  interests  of  this  party,  being  an  ex-member 
of  the  Republican  county  central  committee.  He 
is  a  man  of  splended  ability,  of  executive  force 
and  strength,  capable  of  making  a  place  for  him- 
self in  whatever  portion  of  the  world  his  lot  may 
be  cast.  He  has  won  a  wide  circle  of  friends 
who  appreciate  him  for  the  qualities  of  character 
he  has  displayed  during  his  long  residence  in  El 
i\Ionte. 


JEREMIE  CHEVALIER,  of  El  Alonte,  is  a 
native  of  France,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
Hautes-Alpes,  May  23,  1868.  His  parents, 
Jacques  and  Mary  (Blanc)  Chevalier,  both  died 
in  France,  where  as  agriculturists  they  had  spent 
their  entire  lives.  They  had  five  children,  of 
whom  Jeremie  was  next  to  the  oldest.  He  was 
reared  on  the  parental  farm  and  educated  in  the 
common  schools.  He  was  sixteen  years  old 
when  he  came  to  California,  arriving  in  Los 
Angeles  February  22,  1885.  Without  means  or 
friends  he  began  at  the  bottom,  securing  em- 
ployment in  a  vineyard  in  this  city,  after  which 
he  went  to  San  Pedro  and  engaged  with  Ed 
Amar  in  the  sheep  business.     After  four  months 


HISTORICAL  AXJ)  BIOGRAPHICAL  RF.CORD. 


V2i)9 


he  went  to  Tehachapi  and  worked  for  ten 
months  in  the  saine  business,  when  he  returned 
to  Los  Angeles  county  and  engaged  in  the  dairy 
business.  Four  years  later  he  undertook  an  in- 
dependent effort,  purchasing  teams  and  renting 
land  in  Orange  county,  where  he  successfully 
engaged  in  raising  grain.  Four  years  later  he 
engaged  in  raising  alfalfa  at  Los  Nietos,  Los 
Angeles  county,  for  a  similar  period,  and  finally, 
in  1902  he  bought  twenty-five  acres  of  the  Peck 
tract,  where  he  raised  alfalfa  and  walnuts.  He 
installed  a  pumping  plant  with  a  fifty  horse  pow- 
er engine  and  a  capacity  of  two  hundred  inches, 
with  two  wells  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet 
deep  each,  this  being  in  partnership  with  two 
other  ranchers  near  him'.  He  still  retains  this 
property  and  makes  it  his  home,  at  the  same 
time  renting  land  with  which  to  carry  on  more 
extensive  enterprises,  devoting  the  rented  land 
to  grain  and  hay. 

In  Los  Nietos  Mr.  Chevalier  married  Miss 
Mary  Buschard,  a  native  of  Sacramento,  and  a 
daughter  of  Frank  Buschard,  who  was  born  in 
Canada  of  French  descent,  came  to  California  in 
1849  and  for  years  engaged  in  mining.  He  is 
now  retired  and  living  in  Los  Nietos.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Chevalier  have  two  children,  Henry  and 
Clementina.  Mr.  Chevalier  is  independent  in 
politics. 


WILL  LUCIUS  FOWLER.  The  name  of 
Fowler  is  one  well  known  and  highly  honored  in 
Redlands,  where  father  and  son  have  given  their 
efforts  toward  the  upbuilding  of  the  city"s  best 
interests  and  its  advancement  among  the  other 
sections  of  Southern  California.  The  son.  Will 
L.  Fowler,  is  serving  at  the  present  writing  as 
city  marshal  and  ably  discharging  the  duties  that 
fall  to  him  as  an  incumbent  of  this  position :  the 
father,  William  Fowler,  was  a  prime  factor  in 
the  municipal  government  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death.  The  family  was  originally  of  English 
ancestry,  the  name  being  located  in  Connecticut, 
where  William  Fowler  was  born,  a  son  of  Bildad, 
who  brought  his  family  to  Ohio  and  established 
the  town  of  Fowler's  Mills,  near  Cleveland, 
where  he  engaged  as  a  farmer  until  his  death. 
About  1852  William  Fowler  located  in  Newport, 
Minn.,  and  followed  farming  until  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Civil  war,  when,  in  1861,  he  volun- 
teered for  service  in  Company  F,  Eighth  ]\Iinne- 
sota  Infantry,  serving  a  full  three  years"  term 
as  second  lieutenant.  At  Murfreesboro  he  re- 
ceived his  only  wound  during  the  war,  being  shot 
through  the  right  hand.  Honorably  discharged 
in  1864  he  returned  to  his  farming  pursuits  in 
Minnesota,  and  was  there  honored  by  election  to 
the  state  legislature  two  consecutive  terms. 
Previous  to  this  he  had  served  his  countv  as  su- 


pervisor and  was  a  prominent  advocate  in  the 
advancement  of  educational  affairs.  He  served 
for  three  years  as  president  of  the  Minnesota 
State  Dairymen's  Association,  and  in  a  like  ca- 
pacity for  the  State  Agricultural  Association  of 
Minnesota  for  two  terms.  In  1891  he  came  to 
Redlands  and  bought  an  orange  grove  and  later 
set  out  more  acreage  to  this  fruit,  and  in  this 
work  and  his  connection  with  municipal  affairs 
of  the  city  as  member  of  the  city  council,  at  first 
by  appointment  and  later  by  election,  and  presi- 
dent of  the  board  of  trustees  for  seven  years,  he 
occupied  his  time  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
May  20,  1905.  Redlands  owes  much  to  this  en- 
terprising and  helpful  citizen,  whose  name  will 
forever  be  inscribed  on  the  roll  of  the  city's  hon- 
ored men.  He  was  a  member  of  Redlands  Lodge 
No.  300,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  was  commander  of  the 
Grand  Army  post  here,  and  also  held  the  same 
office  in  Alinnesota.  He  was  an  active  member 
of  the  Baptist  Church  and  gave  liberally  to  its 
support  and  upbuilding,  while  in  Minnesota  be- 
ing a  delegate  to  the  state  convention.  Politi- 
cally he  was  a  stanch  advocate  of  Democratic 
principles.  In  Ohio  Mr.  Fowler  married  Miss 
Caroline  A.  Lane,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  she  is 
now  surviving  and  making  her  home  in  Red- 
lands.  They  became  the  parents  of  six  children, 
of  whom  four  are  now  living,  nameh- :  Frank 
L.,  engaged  in  horticulture  in  Redlands ;  May  C, 
Mrs.  Thompson,  of  this  city ;  Nellie  C,  of  San 
Jose ;  and  Will  L.,  of  this  review. 

In  Newport.  Minn.,  March  16,  1875,  Will 
Lucius  Fowler  was  born  and  there  obtained  his 
education  primarily  in  the  public  schools,  com- 
pleting the  course  in  the  Redlands  high  school, 
after  his  location  here  with  his  parents  in  1891. 
He  was  graduated  in  1895  and  the  following 
year  entered  the  University  of  California  and- 
passed  the  ensuing  two  years.  In  1898  he  en- 
listed in  Company  G,  Seventh  California  In- 
fantry, and  was  mustered  in  at  San  Francisco 
for  service  in  the  Spanish-American  war.  He 
was  mustered  out  with  his  regiment  in  Decem- 
ber, 1898,  with  the  rank  of  corporal,  after  which 
he  returned  to  Redlands  and  at  once  engaged 
in  horticultural  pursuits  and  also  in  building  un- 
til April,  1906,  when  he  was  elected  city  marshal 
and  ex  officio  tax  collector  on  the  Good  Govern- 
ment ticket.  Taking  the  oath  of  office  April  18, 
1906,  he  at  once  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his 
position  and  has  since  given  it  his  entire  time 
and  attention.  In  Redlands  Mr.  Fowler  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Elizabeth  E.  Shorey, 
a  native  of  Omaha,  Neb.,  but  who  was  brought 
to  California  at  the  age  of  three  years  and  here 
reared  to  womanhood  and  educated  in  the  Red- 
lands  public  and  high  schools.  Mr.  Fowler  is 
a  member  of  the  Spanish-American  War  Vet- 
erans' Association,  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  Vet- 


1210 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


erans  and  the  Red  Men.  He  belongs  to  the  First 
Baptist  Church  and  officiates  as  deacon,  having 
previousl)'  served  as  superintendent  of  the  Sun- 
day-school. He  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Trade  and  active  in  his  efforts  to  promote  the 
best  interests  of  the  city. 


GEORGE  S.  KLING.  The  milling  interests 
of  San  Pedro  have  in  (icorge  S.  Kling  a  com- 
petent representative  and  a  man  whose  energy 
and  ability  are  enlisted  in  the  line  of  his  work. 
He  is  now  superintendent  of  the  San  Pedro 
Lumber  Company's  mill  department,  a  position 
which  he  has  filled  since  June,  1905,  and  his 
past  record  is  one  that  evidences  a  future  of 
success  wherever  he  is  located.  He  is  a  native 
of  Lewis  county,  N.  Y.,  his  birth  having 
occurred  at  Lowville,  September  30,  1866.  His 
remote  ancestors  were  German  immigrants, 
who  located  in  New  York  state,  where  his 
grandfather,  Peter  Kling,  was  born  and  in  man- 
hood engaged  as  a  farmer.  In  the  course  of 
time  he  married  and  reared  a  family,  a  son, 
Stephen  S.,  born  in  Schoharie  county,  becom- 
ing in  manhood  a  manufacturer  of  sash,  doors 
and  blinds  in  Lowville,  N.  Y.  Later  he  re- 
moved to  New  Bremen,  same  state,  where  he 
followed  his  business  until  retirement  from 
active  duties.  During  the  Civil  war  he  served 
in  the  Twenty-sixth  New  York  Cavalry,  be- 
ing quartermaster-sergeant  in  Company  H. 
He  is  a  stanch  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  and  is  now  Hving  retired  in  Los 
Angeles.  He  married  Ann  Janette  Hoyt,  a 
native  of  Lewis  county,  N.  Y.,  and  a  daughter 
of  James  F.  Hoyt,  a  native  of  Connecticut, 
who  became  a  pioneer  of  Lewis  county,  N.  Y. 
Mrs  Kling  is  still  living  and  enjoying  the 
evening  of  her  days  among  the  delights  of 
Southern  California.  They  were  the  parents 
of  three  sons  and  one  daughter,  of  whom  the 
sons  attaining  maturity  are :  George  S.,  of  this 
review ;  Spencer  J.,  of  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa ; 
and  Wayland  H.,  of  Los  Angeles. 

Reared  to  young  manhood  in  New  Bremen 
and  LowrA'ille,  George  S.  Kling  received  a  good 
education  in  the  public  schools  and  Lowville 
academy,  after  which  he  began  teaching  in  his 
county,  being  then  but  seventeen  years  old. 
He  followed  this  occupation  for  four  years, 
during  the  summers  continuing  as  he  had  in 
boyhood  by  working  Vv^ith  his  father  in  the 
sash  and  door  factory.  After  attaining  his 
majority  he  worked  with  his  father  steadily 
mitil  the  spring  of  1894,  when  he  went  to 
Illinois,  and  in  Hamilton  became  superin- 
tendent in  the  same  kind  of  factory  under 
Dickenson  8z  Bartlett.  v.'hich  position  he  re- 
tained for  one  vear.  He  then  went  to  Hermans- 


ville,  Mich.,  and  accepted  the  position  of  as- 
sistant superintendent  in  a  hardwood  flooring 
plant  of  the  Wisconsin  Land  &  Lumber  Com- 
pany, with  whom  he  remained  for  three  years, 
when  he  resigned,  and  in  December,  1897, 
came  to  California,  arriving  in  January  of  the 
following  year.  Going  to  Los  Angeles  he 
established  a  real-estate  business  there  with 
his  brother  Spencer  J.,  but  after  two  years  he 
returned  to  the  milling  business,  accepting  a 
position  as  a  stickerman  at  the  San  Pedro  mill, 
where  he  remained  for  eighteen  months.  He 
then  returned  to  Los  Angeles  and  accepted  a 
position  with  the  Pacific  Tank  Company  (now 
known  as  the  Pacific  Coast  Planing  Mill  Com- 
pany), the  plant  being  then  in  course  of  con- 
struction. He  helped  to  install  the  machinery 
and  remained  in  their  employ  from  1901  until 
1905,  in  the  course  of  time  becoming  superin- 
tendent of  the  mill  and  lumber  business.  He 
resigned  from  this  position  in  June,  1905,  and 
came  to  San  Pedro  to  accept  the  position  of 
superintendent  with  the  San  Pedro  Lumber 
Company,  having  charge  of  their  mill,  which 
is  one  of  the  largest  on  the  coast. 

In  Los  Angeles,  Mr.  Kling  was  united  in 
marriage .  with  Ardella  E.  Sharp,  a  native  of 
Ontario,  Canada,  and  they  have  one  son, 
Spencer  S.,  a  daughter.  Birdie,  having  died  in 
infancy. .  Eraternally  Mr.  Kling  was  made  a 
Mason  in  San  Pedro  Lodge  No.  332,  and  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  the  Modern 
Maccabees.  His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Bap- 
tist church,  to  which  he  gives  a  liberal  support. 
In  his  political  affiliations  he  is  an  adherent 
of  the  principles  advocated  in  the  platform  of 
the  Republican  party  . 


JOSEPH  E.  JONES.  The  family  repre- 
sented by  this  progressive  young  business 
man  of  San  Diego  county  traces  its  lineage  to 
Wales,  where  many  generations  lived  and  la- 
bored. The  locality  where  they  resided  was 
largely  given  over  to  the  mining  industry, 
hence  they  naturally  sought  their  livelihood  in 
this  occupation,  and  proved  themselves  pa- 
tient, industrious  and  painstaking  miners.  The 
first  to  come  to  the  United  States  found  in  the 
new  world  greater  opportunities  than  his  na- 
tive land  could  ofifer.  After  leaving  Wales  Jo- 
seph Jones  became  a  miner  in  the  southern 
part  of  Illinois  and  made  his  home  at  Chester, 
that  state,  in  which  locality  his  wife,  who  was 
a  member  of  the  Scotch  family  of  McKinzie, 
was  born,  reared  and  educated.  About  the 
year  1888  they  removed  to  California  and 
eventually  became  established  on  a  farm  near 
San  Luis  Rey,  where  he  engaged  in  ranching 
until  190S.  the  year  of  his  retirement  from  act- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1213 


ive  agricultural  cares.  While  they  were  living 
at  Chester,  111.,  their  son,  Joseph  E.,  was  born 
December  4,  1873,  and  in  the  schools  of  that 
city  he  was  primarily  educated,  but  after  com- 
ing to  the  Pacific  coast  he  had  the  privilege  of 
attending  excellent  schools,  including  the 
Santa  Barbara  Business  College.  In  1893  he 
became  a  clerk  for  the  firm  of  Irwin  &  Co., 
dealers  in  dry-goods  and  general  merchandise 
at  Oceanside,  and  from  a  humble  position  he 
worked  his  way  upward  through  diligent  at- 
tention to  every  detail  connected  with  the 
business. 

On  the  selling  out  of  the  mercantile  stock 
in  1898,  the  firm  of  Irwin  &  Co.  embarked  in 
the  ha\'  and  grain  business  at  San  Diego,  but 
continued  to  be  identified  with  the  commer- 
cial life  of  Oceanside  through  the  establish- 
ment of  a  hardware  store  in  this  town,  and  Mr. 
Jones  was  retained  in  the  capacity  of  manager, 
a  position  that  he  fills  at  the  present  writing. 
In  addition  to  conducting  the  business  with 
judgment  and  energy,  he  has  been  actively 
associated  with  the  civic  life  of  his  town  and  as 
a  Democrat  has  been  prominent  in  local  poli- 
tics. In  1903  he  was  appointed  city  trustee  to 
fill  an  unexpired  term  in  that  office  and  the 
following  year  he  was  duly  elected  to  the  po- 
sition, which  he  has  since  filled  with  charac- 
teristic intelligence  and  fidelity.  In  fraternal 
relations  he  is  connected  with  various  organ- 
izations in  Oceanside,  including  Lodge  No. 
346,  I.  O.  O.  P.,  Lodge  No.  385  of  the  Frater- 
nal Brotherhood,  and  Lodge  No.  4402,  I.  O. 
P.,  in  the  work  of  all  of  which  he  maintains  a 
warm  interest. 


GEN.  SENECA  PI.  :MARLETTE.  The 
pioneer  days  of  General  Marlette  have  result- 
ed in  a  material  upbuilding  for  California,  for 
he  brought  with  him  to  the  state  the  ability 
and  perseverance  which  alone  could  give  to 
the  commonwealth  its  impetus  toward  the  po- 
sition it  now  occupies  among  its  sister  states 
of  the  Union.  He  was  born  in  New  York, 
near  Syracuse.  January  18.  1824,  a  son  of  Will- 
iam J.  Marlette,  a  native  of  New  York  and  the 
descendant  of  an  old  Prench  family,  three 
brothers  of  the  name  having  located  in  Amer- 
ica many  years  prior  to  the  Revolution,  in 
-.vhich  a  member  of  the  family  served  with  the 
rank  of  major.  William  J.  ^larlette  engaged 
as  a  contractor  in  New  York,  working  on  the 
Erie  canal  and  other  public  works ;  he  later  lo- 
cated in  Ohio  and  engaged  in  railroad  con- 
tracting. His  last  days  were  spent  in  Illinois, 
where  he  died  at  an  advanced  age.  By  his 
marriage  with  Lucy  Balch.  of  INTassachusetts, 
he  allied  his  fortunes  with  those  of  an  old  Rev- 


olutionary family,  her  death  occurring  in 
Iowa.  Of  their  seven  children  Seneca  H.  Mar- 
lette was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth,  and  aft- 
er receiving  his  preliminary  education  in  the 
])ublic  schools  entered  the  Rensselaer  Insti- 
tute, now  the  Polytechnic,  at  Troy,  N.  Y., 
from  which  institution  he  was  later  graduated 
with  the  degrees  of  B.  N.  S.  and  civil  engineer. 
He  started  in  as  a  railroad  surveyor,  but  not 
securing  the  business  he  wished,  he  took  up 
the  study  of  medicine  with  Wright  &  Bryns- 
made,  in  Troy,  but  was  later  occupied  as  civil 
engineer  with  the  New  York  «&  Erie  Railroad 
Company.  He  remained  with  this  company 
until  1849,  when  he  concluded  to  come  to  Cali- 
fornia, and  accordingly  he  joined  the  Albany 
company  which  was  organized  by  Bishop  Kip 
and  Mr.  Collier.  They  made  the  journey  on 
the  Helena  via  Cape  Horn,  starting  March  4 
and    arriving    at    their    destination    September 

Mr.  ?ilarlette  went  at  once  to  the  mines  of 
Calaveras  connt3^  Cal.,  but  a  short  time  after 
retm-ned  to  San  Francisco  for  provisions,  and 
while  there  obtained  a  position  with  the  city 
surveyor.  He  followed  surveying  in  that  city 
at  $20  per  day,  but  having  to  pay  $3  per  day 
for  the  use  of  a  compass.  Later  he  purchased 
instruments  for  surveying,  including  a  theo- 
dolite, going  in  debt  for  them  and  paying  6 
per  cent  interest  per  month.  For  Halleck, 
Peachy.  Billings  &  Wright  he  made  a  survey 
of  a  part  of  the  Larkin  grant,  now  the  western 
addition  to  San  Francisco,  surveying  blocks 
and  lots:  during  this  time  he  had  many  inter- 
esting experiences  with  the  squatters,  who 
l^ulled  up  their  stakes  and  came  ^^'^th  axes  and 
threatened  them  for  trespassing.  He  then  sur- 
■  '\'eved  a  sub-division  between  this  and  the  city 
for  Hervey  Sparks.  Later  Mr.  Marlette  made 
arangements  for  the  publication  of  a  map  of 
San  Francisco,  including  the  AVestern  Addi- 
tion. After  making  a  trip  to  Santa  Clara 
county  he  was  so  well  impressed  with  the  place 
that  he  took  up  a  ranch,  but  before  he  could 
£ret  a  home  on  the  place  a  friend  jumped  it. 
He  then  returned  to  the  mines  in  Calaveras 
county.  In  the  meantime  he  had  become  ac- 
quainted with  ex-governor  Edwards  of  Mis- 
.souri,  and  he  having  established  a  general 
merchan.dise  store  at  Mokelumne  Hill  asked 
Mr.  Marlette  to  become  a  partner  in  the  con- 
cern. Not  having  made  a  success  of  his  min- 
ing he  was  willing  to  accept  the  proposition, 
,-md  accordingly  became  connected  with  the 
mercantile  interests  of  that  section.  In  1852 
he  was  elected  county  surveyor  and  later  was 
compelled  to  close  out  his  mercantile  interests 
at  a  loss  of  $1500,  for  which  he  settled  by  note 
at  (1  per  cent  interest  per  month.  He  was  nom- 


1214 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


inated  for  re-election  in  1853  but  in  the  same 
year  was  nominated  for  the  office  of  surveyor- 
general  of  the  state  of  California,  and  being 
elected  by  a  good  majority  he  assumed  the  du- 
ties of  his  position,  the  capital  being  located  at 
Benicia  and  during  his  term  was  moved  to  Sac- 
ramento. He  served  from  January,  1854,  to 
January,  1856,  and  during  this  time  surveyed 
most  of  the  emigrant  wagon  roads.  Later  he 
closed  the  survey  of  the  Pico  grant  in  Cala- 
veras county,  after  which  he  purchased  an  in- 
terest in  a  mine  in  San  Andreas  and  retained  it 
until  i860,  when  he  went  to  Washoe,  Nev., 
which  was  a  part  of  Utah,  as  a  surveyor.  He 
was  elected  county  surveyor  of  Carson  county, 
Utah,  and  had  to  make  his  report  to  Salt  Lake 
City  until  Nevada  was  organized  as  a  terri- 
tory. Governor  Nye  appointed  him  surveyor 
of  Story  county,  and  he  was  later  elected  first 
state  surveyor-general  of  Nevada.  He  was 
re-elected  but  failed  to  qualify  because  he  was 
so  busy  making  out  his  report ;  he  was  later 
appointed  by  the  governor  to  this  office  until 
the  next  election. 

Retiring  from  his  professional  work  Gen- 
eral Marlette  engaged  in  the  lumber  and  water 
business  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Tahoe  and 
Truckee,  there  building  sawmills  and  manu- 
facturing lumber  in  partnership  with  W. 
S.  Hobart,  who  died  in  1892,  after  which  he 
sold  his  interests  to  the  estate  for  a  small 
amount.  They  had  been  known  as  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Wood  &  Lumber  Company,  and 
owned  together  about  eighty-five  thousand 
acres  of  land,  of  which  forty  thousand  acres 
belonged  to  the  general.  They  owned  what 
has  since  been  named  Marlette  lake,  having 
disposed  of  this  to  the  Virginia  &  Gold  Hill 
Water  Company.  After  disposing  of  his  in- 
terests General  Marlette  came  to  Southern 
Califronia  to  make  his  home  in  Los  Angeles, 
having  made  the  first  trip  south  in  1883  in 
search  of  timber  lands.  He  has  become  in- 
terested in  Alentone  and  in  partnership  with 
William  P.  Mcintosh  and  others  purchased  a 
claim  on  INIill  creek  in  1884,  having  already 
bought  other  lands  here,  in  1887  laying  it  out 
and  bringing  water  on  the  place,  being  the 
organizers  of  the  Mentone  Irrigation  Com- 
pany, now  owned  by  General  Marlette  and  Mr. 
Mcintosh.  They  have  about  two  thousand 
acres  in  the  tract,  of  v/hich  about  four  hun- 
dred acres  are  improved  to  navel  oranges  all 
in  full  bearing,  water  having  been  developed 
by  a  tunnel  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  length  from 
Mill  creek,  while  they  also  have  wells  and 
pumping  plants  in  case  of  need. 

General  Marlette  located  here  in  1896,  now 
owning  a  beautiful  home  on  Mentone  avenue, 


where  he  and  nis  wife  have  seventy  acres  in 
oranges.  He  was  married  m  Washington,  D. 
C,  May  3,  187.4,  to  Miss  Alice  Ingham,  a  na- 
tive of  Illinois  but  reared  in  California  and 
Utah  from  early  childhood.  The  general  is  a 
stanch  Republican  in  his  political  convictions; 
in  the  line  of  his  profession  he  is  a  member  of 
the  National  Geographic  Association. 


FRANCIS  HARDEN  STANTON.  Horti- 
culture and  general  farming  have  in  Mr.  Stanton 
an  active  and  capable  exponent,  his  efforts  since 
1900  being  the  upbuildings  of  his  own  personal 
interests  in  the  vicinity  of  Bassett,  Los  Angeles 
county,  as  well  as  the  best  development  possi- 
ble for  the  community.  He  came  to  California  in 
1899.  He  was  born  in  Grantville,  Md.,  twenty- 
four  miles  west  of  Cumberland,  August  5,  1855; 
his  father,  William  Stanton,  was  a  native  of 
i\Iaryland,  as  was  also  his  grandfather,  George. 
The  great-grandfather  came  from  England  and 
located  in  Maryland,  where  he  participated  in 
the  Revolutionary  war.  William  Stanton  en- 
gaged in  farming  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
at  an  advanced  age  in  his  native  state.  He  mar- 
ried JNIary  Ann  Ridgley,  also  a  native  of  Mary- 
land and  daughter  of  Eli  Ridgley,  a  farmer.  They 
became  the  parents  of  ten  children,  six  of  whom 
are  living.  One  son,  A.  Jackson,  served  in  a 
Pennsylvania  regim.ent  during  the  Civil  war,  sur- 
vived its  perils  and  eventually  located  in  Kansas, 
where  he  died. 

Francis  Harden  Stanton  was  next  to  the  young- 
est in  the  large  family  of  children  born  to  his 
parents.  He  was  reared  on  the  paternal  farm,  re- 
ceiving his  education  in  the  public  schools  and 
being  trained  to  the  practical  duties  which  have 
proven  of  so  much  benefit  to  him  in  manhood's 
years.  L'pon  attaining  his  majority  he  went  into 
partnership  with  his  brother,  Uriah,  and  together 
they  farmed  the  old  homestead.  He  remained  at 
home  until  the  spring  of  1880  when  he  set  out 
for  the  west  and  engaged  in  mining  in  Ouray, 
Colo.  He  was  successful  and  acquired  some 
means  with  which  he  purchased  a  farm  on  the 
Uncompahgre  river,  helping  to  take  out  a  ditch 
and  canal  for  irrigation  purposes,  and  contin- 
uing to  improve  and  develop  the  propertv  for 
some  years.  He  had  two  hundred  acres  devoted 
to  alfalfa,  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  and 
in  this  enterprise  was  uniformly  successful.  On 
account  of  his  wife's  health  he  came  to  California 
in  1899  and  in  Los  Angeles  engaged  in  a  retail 
mercantile  enterprise.  After  one  year  he  disposed 
of  this  interest  and  in  December,  1900,  purcliased 
forty  acres  at  Bassett.  built  a  residence,  barns 
and  outbuildings,  and  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing once  more.  In  1902  he  set  out  twenty  acres 
of  walnuts  and  followed  this  up  two  years  later 


^rRMjn(^ — ~ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1217 


by  setting-  out  the  balance  in  the  same  commod- 
ity. He  also  engages  in  grain  raising  at  Puente. 
Mr.  Stanton's  wife  was  formerly  Miss  Alice 
Killen,  a  native  of  Missouri,  their  marriage  hav- 
ing taken  place  in  Colorado.  They  have  eight 
children  living,  namely :  Mary,  Harry,  Alva, 
Ridgley,  Elnora,  Francis,  Robert  and  Eugene. 
Mr.  Stanton  was  made  a  Mason  in  Ouray  (Colo.) 
Lodge  No.  37,  and  is  now  identified  with  Lexing- 
ton Lodge  No.  104  of  El  Monte.  He  has  always 
taken  a  deep  interest  in  educational  affairs  and 
while  a  resident  of  Ouray  was  a  member  of  the 
school  board,  and  also  occupied  a  similar  posi- 
tion in  Bassett  until  his  resignation. 


DANIEL  RANDAL  CLAY.  The  present 
growth  and  prosperit)^  of  San  Pedro  is  a  ful- 
fillment of  the  early  visions  of  Daniel  Randal 
Clay,  for  years  one  of  the  most  progressive 
citizens  and  most  sagacious  authorities  in  real 
estate  whom  the  town  boasted  in  its  list  of 
prominent  residents.  Ere  yet  his  dreams  had 
come  to  their  realization  he  was  called  from 
the  activities  of  life,  leaving  a  void  in  the 
hearts  of  family  and  friends  and  a  vacant 
place  in  the  business  circles  of  his  home  city. 
Through  his  labors  as  a' member  of  the  board 
of  trustees  for  several  years ;  through  his  serv- 
ices as  the  first  chief  of  the  fire  department 
of  San  Pedro :  througlj  his  membership  in  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  in  other  capaci- 
ties he  was  a  promoter  of  San  Pedro's  welfare, 
and  his  interests  likewise  extended  into  the 
business  activities  of  Los  Angeles,  where  he 
held  membership  in  the  Chamber  of  Commerce. 

Gorham,  in  the  state  of  Maine,  was  Mr. 
Clay's  native  place,  and  November  13.  1849, 
the'date  of  his  birth.  His  father,  Rev.  Daniel 
Randal  Clay,  a  native  of  the  same  place  and 
a  minister  in  the  P)aptist  denomination,  re- 
moved to  \\'yoming  at  an  early  day  and  from 
there  came  to  California,  where  now  he  makes 
his  home  in  Los  Angeles.  In  1898  he  was  be- 
reaved by  the  death  of  his  wife,  who  passed 
away  at  San  Pedro:  she  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Mary  Hamlin  and  was  a  native  of 
Maine.  Born'  of  their  union  were  four  sons 
and  two  daughters,  of  whom  the  next  to  the 
youngest  was  given  his  father's  name  and  re- 
mained in  Maine  until  nineteen  years  of  age, 
when  he  turned  his  steps  toward  the  west. 
While  still  quite  young  he  learned  telegraphy 
and  this  occupation  he  followed  throughout 
much  of  his  active  life.  For  eight  years  he 
acted  as  telegraph  operator  and  station  agent 
for  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company  at 
Carbon,  Wyo.,  from  which  point  he  removed 
to  Denver  and  took  up  the  real-estate  and  in- 
surance  business.      His   next   location    was  at 


Rico,  in  the  mountain  districts  of  Colorado, 
where  he  remained  for  two  years. 

Coming  to  California  in  1884,  Mr.  Clay  se- 
cured employment  with  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railway  Company  as  telegraph  operator  at 
San  Pedro  and  for  a  brief  period  gave  his  at- 
tention to  the  duties  of  the  position.  In  the 
meanwhile  he  had  become  interested  in  the 
possibilities  of  the  town.  Thoroughly  believ- 
ing in  its  future  growth,  he  decided  he  could 
advantageously  engage  in  the  real-estate  busi- 
ness, hence  he  gave  up  telegraphy  in  order 
to  devote  himself  exclusively  to  business-  af- 
fairs. The  firm  of  D.  R.  Clay  &  Co.  was  the 
first  general  real-estate  and  insurance  busi- 
ness established  in  the  town  and  under  his  ac- 
tive supervision  it  was  developed  into  an  im- 
portant institution.  Among  his  most  import- 
ant enterprises  was  the  laying  out  of  the  Cla^'- 
subdivision  to  San  Pedro  and  he  was  inter- 
ested in  other  additions,  his  real-estate  trans- 
actions being  extensive  and  important,  and 
aiding  greatly  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  town. 
AVhile  still  actively  engaged  in  business  he 
died  February  18,  1904,  and  a  few  days  later 
his  body  was  interred  in  a  cemetery  at  Los 
Angeles.  The  business  since  his  death  has 
been  purchased  by  his  son-in-law,  J.  W.  Wal- 
ton, who  conducts  it  under  the  title  of  D.  R. 
Clay  Co.,  and  maintains  the  high  reputation 
established  durmg  the  lifetime  of  its  founder. 

The  fraternal  associations  of  Mr.  Clay  in- 
cluded membership  in  the  Independent  Or- 
der of  Odd  Fellows,  Benevolent  Protective 
Order  of  Elks,  Royal  Arcanum,  and  the  Ma- 
sonic Order,  in  which  he  was  the  first  master 
of  San  Pedro  Lodge  No.  332,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
also  an  active  member  of  the  Royal  Arch  chap- 
ter. Though  not  a  partisan  in  politics,  he  had 
pronounced  convictions  upon  the  leading  ques- 
tions of  the  age,  and  gave  his  unqualified  sup- 
port to  the  Republican  party.  Surviving  him 
are  his  widow  and  two  daughters.  The  for- 
mer, who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  J\lay  J. 
Sanders,  was  born  in  Cardiff,  England,  and 
v.^as  a  daughter  of  James  and  Hannah  Char- 
lotte fjones)  Sanders,  natives  respectively  of 
Bristol  and  London,  England.  The  father, 
who  was  an  engineer  by  occupation,  brought 
the  family  to  the  United  States  and  settled  at 
Salt  Lake  City,  where  both  he  and  his  wife 
remained  until  death.  In  the  family  of  Mrs. 
Clay  there  are  two  daughters,  both  of  Avhom 
are  married  and  reside  in  San  Pedro.  The 
elder  daughter,  Josie  May.  is  the  wife  of  J. 
W.  Walton,  and  they  have  one  daughter.  Mary 
Lillian ;  the  younger,  Lillian,  married  L.  W. 
Goodhue.  The  Clay  family  residence  .'stands 
on  the  corner  of  Tenth  and  Bacon  streets  and 
is   one   of  the   most   attractive   homesteads   in 


1218 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  city.  Like  her  husband  in  political  views, 
Islrs.  Clay  believes  m  the  principles  of  the  Re- 
publican party.  With  the  other  elements 
forming  a  rounded  character  religion  blends 
its  harmonious  light.  The  creed  which  Mrs. 
Clay  espouses  is  that  of  the  Episcopal  Church 
and  to  its  charities  she  is  a  thoughtful  con- 
tributor. In  fraternal  associations  she  is  iden- 
tified with  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star  and 
the  Rebekah?. 


ALEXANDER  GILL.  The  life  of  the  noble 
pioneer  will  ever  be  held  in  reverent  remem- 
brance in  the  community  that  he  helped  to  build 
up.  Among  pioneer  settlers  Ventura  county 
had  in  Alexander  Gill  of  Springville  one  of  its 
most  enterprising  citizens,  a  man  of  energy  and 
ability,  successful  along  personal  lines  and  at 
the  same  time  prominent  in  public  afifairs,  in 
which  he  constantly  sought  to  advance  the  best 
general  interests.  He  was  a  pioneer  of  Califor- 
nia, having  located  in  the  state  in  1867  from  his 
birthplace,  Canada,  he  having  been  born  No- 
vember 2,  1847,  in  Grinnville.  His  parents, 
David  and  Mary  (Frazier)  Gill,  were  natives 
respectively  of  North  Ireland  and  Scotland,  the 
father  emigrating  to  this  country  at  the  age  of 
sixteen  years.  They  were  married  in  Canada 
and  spent  the  balance  of  their  lives  in  that  lo- 
cation, his  death  occurring  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
six  years  and  hers  at  the  age  of  thirty.  Alex- 
ander Gill  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Canada  and  during  the  years  of  boy- 
hood and  young  manhood  received  parental 
training  which  fostered  in  his  character  those 
traits  that  distinguish  natives  of  the  countries 
from  which  his  father  and  mother  emigrated. 
He  followed  agricultural  pursuits  in  Canada  un- 
til 1867,  in  which  year  he  came  to  the  Pacific 
coast,  and  in  iNIendocino  county,  Cal.,  farmed  for 
about  nineteen  years.  In  1886  he  came  to  the 
Santa  Clara  valley  in  A'entura  county  and  piu"- 
chased  the  property  where  he  ever  since  made 
his  home.  This  property,  which  consists  of  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres,  was  then  raw  land  en- 
tirely devoid  of  cultivation  or  improvements ;  to- 
day his  farm  holds  rank  with  the  best  in  Ventura 
county,  being  well  improved  with  a  comfortable 
residence,  substantial  barns  and  outbuildings, 
good  fences,  and  also  has  a  fine  artesian  well 
which  furnishes  a  good  supply  of  water.  In  ad- 
dition to  his  own  land  he  rented  three  hundred 
acres,  his  interests  being  principally  centered  in 
the  raising  of  beans  (to  which  sixty  acres  are 
devoted)  and  the  cultivation  of  wheat  and  barley. 
He  ably  demonstrated  his  ability  along  agri- 
cultural lines  and  was  accounted  one  of  the  most 
successful  men  of  this  section,  as  well  as  a  liberal 
and  public  spirited  citizen. 


Mr.  Gill  established  home  ties  through  his  mar- 
riage in  Canada,  in  1876,  to  Miss  Linda  Smith, 
a  native  of  Canada,  and  born  of  this  union  are 
the  following  children :  Ernest,  residing  in  Los 
Angeles  county ;  Bessie,  Alice,  Edmond  Roy, 
George,  Qiarles,  Marion,  Harry,  John,  Allen, 
Jessie  and  Myrtle.  The  family  are  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  Qiurch,  to  which  Mr.  Gill  gave 
liberally,  supporting  all  its  charities.  Fraternally 
he  was  identified  with  the  [Masonic  organization, 
being  a  member  of  Oxnard  Lodge  No.  341,  F. 
&  A.  M.,  and  Oxnard  Chapter  No.  86,  R.  A.  M. 
Educational  matters  received  no  little  of  the  at- 
tention of  Mr.  Gill,  whose  best  efforts  were  al- 
ways given  toward  the  promotion  of  the  best  ad- 
vantages possible.  For  a  number  of  years  he 
served  efficiently  as  trustee  of  the  Springville 
school,  which  office  he  held  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death  September  17,  1906,  Politically  he  was  a 
Republican,  and  although  too  much  occupied 
with  his  personal  afifairs  to  care  for  official  recog- 
nition, was  counted  upon  to  support  the  men  and 
measures  of  his  party  in  a  public-spirited  man- 
ner. 


EDWIN  WATERMAN  COLMAN.  Busi- 
ness connected  with  the  Lumber  Surveyors'  As- 
sociation of  Southern  California  receives  the  en- 
tire time  and  attention  of  Edwin  Waterman  Col- 
man  of  San  Pedro,  he  having  been  one  of  the  or- 
ganizers and  the  first  president  of  the  association. 
For  more  than  thirty  years  he  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  California,  the  greater  part  of  which  time 
he  has  been  identified  with  the  development  and 
upbuilding  of  this  city.  The  Colman  family  is 
of  English  extraction  and  the  name  was  form- 
erl\-  spelled  Caiman.  The  first  members  who 
came  to  this  country  settled  in  Massachusetts 
and  the  grandfather,  .\mial,  who  was  born  in 
Scituate.  was  proprietor  of  and  originally  laid 
out  Colman's  Hills  in  Scituate  and  Cohasset, 
Mass.  Waterman  Colman,  the  father  of  Edwin 
^^'aterman,  was  also  born  in  Scituate.  Mass., 
and  as  a  young  man  followed  seafaring  life.  Af- 
ter making  two  trips  he  gave  up  that  life,  how- 
ever, and  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  in  Med- 
ford  and  West  Medford.  Later  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia and  is  now  living  in  Woodland,  this  state, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-three  years.  His 
wife,  who  was  before  her  marriage  Nancy  Eli- 
zabeth Loring,  was  born  in  Yarmouth,  Me.,  of 
English  descent,  and  her  death  occurred  in  1890. 

The  only  child  of  his  parents,  the  birth  of 
^Ir.  Colman  occurred  May  i,  1856,  in  Boston, 
and  he  was  reared  in  North  Cambridge.  After 
completing  his  studies  in  Shepherd  grammar 
school  he  entered  the  high  school  preparatory 
course  at  Cambridge,  being  in  the  same  class  with 
ex-governor  \\'illiam  l^. Russell  of  Massachusetts. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1221 


His  eyesight  failed  him  before  the  work  in  the 
school  was  completed  and  he  was  obliged  to  give 
up  further  study.  For  an  entire  year  he  took 
treatment  for  his  eyes  without  apparent  results, 
when  suddenly  his  sight  returned  to  him  and  has 
not  troubled  him  since.  He  then  entered  the 
employ  of  J\lr.  Woodworth  of  Boston  and  learned 
to  become  a  proficient  tea  taster.  His  health 
becoming  impaired  he  was  obliged  to  give  up 
this  business  and  refusing  an  offer  of  a  position 
at  a  salary  of  $3,500  in  1876  he  came  to  San 
Francisco.  Upon  his  arrival  he  secured  employ- 
ment at  Woodland,  then  became  connected  with 
the  California  Pacific  Railway,  at  Willows  he 
being  engaged  in  checking  up  all  of  the 
material  which  was  sent  to  the  northern  road. 
In  1884  he  came  to  Southern  California  and 
took  a  position  with  the  San  Pedro  Lumber 
Company,  a  year  later  removing  to  Los  An- 
geles, where  for  the  succeeding  four  years 
and  four  months  he  filled  the  position  of 
foreman  for  the  Davies-Henderson  Lumber  Com- 
pany. He  then  returned  to  San  Francisco  and 
was  occupied  as  tallyman  until  1893,  when  he 
took  up  his  permanent  residence  in  San  Pedro 
and  began  as  a  lumber  survej-or.  In  1903  he 
assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  Lumber  Sur- 
veyors' Association  of  Southern  California  and 
after  filling  the  office  of  president  for  two  and 
a  half  years  refused  longer  service  in  that  capa- 
city. 

Mr.  Colman  was  made  a  Mason  in  Wilmington 
Lodge  No.  igS,  F.  &  A.  j\l.,  and  is  now  a  charter 
member  of  San  Pedro  Lodge  No.  332.  Politi- 
cally he  is  a  stanch  advocate  of  the  principles 
embraced  in  the  platform  of  the  Republican  party. 
As  a  public-spirited  citizen  he  is  actively  in- 
terested in  the  upbuilding  of  this  section  and  takes 
a  leading  part  in  the  furthering  of  all  enter- 
prises tending  to  develop  the  community  in  which 
he  resides. 


SIMON  FAIRBURN.  Prominent  among 
the  large  and  prosperous  fruit  growers  of  Los 
Angeles  county  is  Simon  Fairburn,  owner  of 
one  of  the  most  valuable  ranches  in  Burbank. 
A  man  of  exceptional,  executive  and  finan- 
cial ability,  he  has  filled  positions  of 
trust  and  responsibility  with  great  cred- 
it to  himself  and  to  the  pecuniary  ad- 
vantage of  others,  having  for  more  than 
twenty  years  been  connected  with  the  Stand- 
ard Oil  Company  in  an  official  capacity.  A 
son  of  William  Fairburn,  he  was  born,  May 
16,  1850,  in  the  Shenandoah  valley,  Augusta 
county,  Va.,  of  substantial  Scotch  descent.  His 
grandfather  was  born  and  reared  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, but  subsequently  settled  as  a  planter  in 
Virginia,  being  a  pioneer  of  the   Shenandoah 


valley.  He  served  in  the  Revolution,  and  like- 
wise in  the  war  of  181 2,  in  the  latter  being  in 
the  army  until  his  death,  in   1814. 

William  Fairburn  was  a  life-long  resident  of 
\'irginia,  his  birth  occurring  there  in  1800,  and 
his  death  in  1890.  He  was  owner  of  a  planta- 
tion, and  a  citizen  of  influence.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Funk,  the  descendant  of  a  family 
that  emigrated  from  Germany  to  the  United 
States  in  1706,  and  located  m  Pennsylvania. 
Her  birth  occurred  in  Virginia  in  1808,  and  her 
death  in  1872.  She  bore' her  husband  twelve 
children,  five  of  whom  reached  years  of  ma- 
turity, and  four  are  now  living. 

Brought  up  on  the  home  plantation,  Simon 
Fairburn  assisted  his  father  in  its  manage- 
ment until  seventeen  years  of  age,  when,  as  an 
apprentice  he  learned  the  miller's  trade.  Sub- 
sequently leasing  the  mill  of  his  former  em- 
ployer he  operated  it  successfully  for  three 
years.  In  1874  he  made  a  new  departure.  Go- 
ing to  Parkersburg,  W.  Va.,  he  secured  a  po- 
sition with  the  Standard  Oil  Company,  with 
which  he  was  connected  for  twenty-two  years. 
Beginning  wich  the  firm  in  a  low  position,  he 
gradual!}-  worked  his  way  upward,  carefully 
learning  the  details  of  the  business  in  its  every 
branch,  and  for  three  years,  from  1883  until 
1886.  was  superintendent  of  their  works  in 
Parkersburg.  In  the  fall  of  1886  he  was  sent 
as  a  representative  of  the  company  to  ^Mexico, 
with  instructions  to  locate,  construct  and  op- 
erate a  refinery  in  the  City  of  Mexico.  In  1889 
he  was  instructed  to  build  a  refinery  in  Vera 
Cruz,  Mexico,  and  was  then  made  superintend- 
ent of  the  entire  Standard  Oil  business  in  the 
Republic  of  Mexico,  a  position  of  great  re- 
sponsibility, which  he  held  until  1896.  Being 
obliged  to  send  his  children  north  to  be  edu- 
cated, and  wishing  to  be  in  Parkersburg  a 
part  of  the  time  each  year,  Mr.  Fairburn  then 
asked  the  company  for  a  transfer,  and  this  be- 
ing refused,  he  at  once  resigned  his  position. 
Returning  to  the  United  States,  he  traveled 
through  many  parts,  and  in  September,  1896, 
decided  to  locate  permanently  in  Southern  Cal- 
ifornia. .Accordingly,  he  bought  sixty  acres  of 
land  in  North  Glendale,  near  the  line  of  the 
Pacific  Electric  road,  paying  $4,500  for  the 
first  thirty  acres,  and  $2,850  for  the  other  half. 
Taking  up  ranching  in  earnest,  he  has  made  im- 
provements of  an  excellent  character,  includ- 
ing the  setting  out  of  an  orchard,  and  has  now 
one  of  the  most  desirable  estates  in  this  part 
of  the  county. 

In  Washington.  D.  C.  JNlr.  Fairburn  mar- 
ried Bettie  M.  Williams,  a  native  of  Bath 
county,  Va.,  being  a  daughter  of  Dr.  R.  P. 
Williams,    who   served    throughout    the    Civil 


1222 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


war  as  a  surgeon  in  the  Confederate  army. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fairburn  are  the  parents  of  five 
children,  namelv:  Charles  W.,  Eva  E.,  Elora 
E.,  Ollie  W.,  and  Ruth  A.,  the  latter  born  in 
California.  Air.  and  Mrs.  Fairburn  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at 
Burbank,  and  Mr.  Fairburn  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity. 


MICHAEL  BALDRIDGE.  To  the  pioneers, 
the  pathfinders  to  civilization  and  prosperity,  a 
special  debt  of  gratitude  is  due,  and  the  resi- 
dents of  California  who  now  enjoy  the  delights 
and  privileges  of  a  locality  which  has  no  equal 
in  the  country,  should  never  forget  the  meed  of 
praise  which  they  owe  the  few  sturdy  frontiers- 
men who  made  their  pleasant  life  here  possible. 
Among  this  noble  band  of  pioneers  who  came  to 
the  state  during  the  gold  period  was  Michael 
Baldridge,  whose  accounts  of  the  happenings  of 
early  days  have  probably  had  more  readers  and 
listeners  than  any  other  one  of  the  remaining 
pioneers.  He  never  tires  of  recounting  the  inci- 
dents of  those  days,  which  were  filled  with  hard- 
ships which  we  of  this  day  cannot  even  picture 
in  our  most  vivid  imagination,  but  even  under 
these  conditions  kind-hearted  liberality  and 
brotherly  love  prevailed.  Not  only  is  Mr.  Bald- 
ridge a  fluent  speaker,  but  he  is  a  ready  writer 
as  well,  and  his  reminiscences  and  anecdotes  of 
pioneer  life  in  the  west  are  eagerly  read  and 
greatly  appreciated,  not  only  by  those  who,  like 
himself,  have  crossed  the  plains  and  experienced 
its  perils  and  hardships,  but  by  the  younger  gen- 
erations. 

The  first  of  the  name  to  settle  in  the  new 
world  was  the  grandfather,  another  Michael 
Baldridge,  who  was  born  in  the  north  of  Ireland 
and  upon  coming  to  the  LTnited  States  located 
in  Little  Britain,  Lancaster  county.  Pa.  In  his 
religious  belief  he  was  a  strict  Presbyterian.  His 
son  John  was  born  in  Little  Britain.  Pa.,  where 
he  made  his  home  until  reaching  his  nineteenth 
year,  when  he  transferred  his  interests  to  Sen- 
eca county,  N.  Y.  There  he  established  himself 
as  a  tiller  of  the  soil,  an  occupation  which  he 
followed  throughout  his  life,  or  until  his  death 
in  1876.  Not  only  had  he  lived  long,  but  he  had 
lived  worthily,  putting  into  daily  and  hourly 
practice  the  principles  of  his  belief  in  Christianity 
as  set  forth  in  Presbyterian  doctrines.  His  mar- 
riage united  him  with  Agnes  Barr,  a  native  of 
Seneca  county,  N.  Y.,  and  a  daughter  of  Rob- 
ert Barr  of  Scottish  birth.  Upon  coming  to  the 
United  States  he  first  settled  in  Washtenaw 
County,  Mich.,  and  later  in  Kent  county  on  the 
present  site  of  Grand  Rapids.  At  that  time  there 
was  little  evidence  that  the  straggling  settle- 
ment woidd   ever  attain   its  present   prominence 


in  the  commercial  world,  but  Mr.  Barr  was  a 
far-seeing  man  and  often  prophesied  a  brilliant 
future  for  the  town  on  account  of  its  excellent 
water  power.  To  Mr.  Barr  and  his  wife  were 
born  seventeen  children,  all  of  whom  grew  to 
mature  years  and  all  early  in  life  established 
their  independent  careers,  which  was  perhaps  a 
matter  of  necessity  rather  than  one  of  choice.  A 
large  family  also  blessed  the  marriage  of  John 
and  Agnes  Baldridge,  and  of  their  twelve  chil- 
dren eleven  attained  maturity.  During  the  Civil 
war  John  Baldridge,  one  of  the  sons,  served  in 
the  engineering  corps ;  Robert  is  now  a  resident 
of  Covina,  and  James  was  a  resident  of  Pomona 
at  the  time  of  his  death,  having  come  to  the  west 
with  his  brother  Michael  in  1858. 

Michael  Baldridge  was  born  in  Seneca  coun- 
ty, N.  Y.,  December  21,  1826,  and  was  brought 
up  on  his  father's  farm,  attending  district  school 
during  the  winter  months  and  working  on  the 
farm  in  the  summer.  Notwithstanding  the  crude 
surroundings  and  lack  of  present-da}-  advan- 
tages he  became  a  brilliant  scholar  and  was  es- 
pecially apt  in  spelling,  and  in  the  old  "spelling 
school"  of  former  days  he  carried  oflf  the  honors 
as  a  champion  speller,  being  able  to  "spell  down" 
the  entire  class.  Among  the  memories  of  those 
days  he  recalls  his  intimate  acquaintance  with 
the  old  Cobb  speller,  a  text-book  then  in  general 
use  and  which  served  as  an  arbiter  in  case  of 
dispute  in  the  study  of  orthography.  When  he 
was  nineteen  years  of  age  he  left. the  east  and 
went  to  ]\Iontcalm  county,  Mich,  where  he  had 
relatives,  but  it  was  not  long  before  he  returned 
to  his  native  state,  and  later  became  an  em- 
ploye in  the  counting  room  of  C.  C.  Marsh,  in 
New  York  City.  It  was  while  there  that  he 
heard  of  the  French  expedition  to  California, 
plans  for  wh.ich  were  exploited  in  the  daily  pa- 
pers, and  his  youth  and  ambition  could  not 
withstand  the  challenge.  With  colors  flying  and 
hopes  high  the  steamer  Georgia,  under  com- 
mand of  Parker  H.  French,  left  New  York  har- 
bor with  its  load  of  gold  seekers  bound  for  the 
Pacific  coast.  On  the  way  they  touched  port 
at  Havana,  New  Orleans,  Galveston  and  El 
Paso  del  Norte,  in  which  latter  place  the  expedi- 
tion was  broken  up  on  account  of  French  not 
keeping  his  promises.  From  there  they  made 
their  way  as  best  they  could,  walking  a  distance 
of  one  thousand  miles  in  reaching  Mazatlan,  and 
on  the  way  passed  through  Giihuahua  and  Du- 
rango.  When  Mr.  Baldridge  started  from  New 
York  he  had  $20  in  ready  money  and  as  sec- 
retary of  the  expedition  was  to  receive  $25  per 
month  for  his  sennces.  He  received  nothing, 
however,  and  when  he  arrived  in  San  Francisco 
eight  months  from  the  time  of  leaving  New 
York,  he  was  exceedingly  short  of  funds.  His 
prime  object  in  coming  to  California  had  been 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1223 


to  seek  wealth  in  the  mines,  and  for  three  years 
he  bent  his  efforts  in  this  direction.  That  his 
efforts  did  not  meet  with  the  desired  results  was 
evident  from  the  fact  that  at  the  end  of  that 
time,  in  1853,  he  returned  to  familiar  scenes 
and  surroundings  in  the  east.  From  then  until 
1857  he  engaged  in  business  in  Waterloo,  Sen- 
eca county,  N.  Y.,  but  as  that  was  the  year  of 
the  panic  he  suffered  the  fate  of  many  other  busi- 
ness men  and  was  forced  to  close  his  doors.  The 
following  year  he  again  started  for  the  Pacific 
coast,  coming  by  way  of  Panama,  and  on  this 
trip  was  accompanied  by  his  brother  James.  Once 
more  he  tried  his  luck  at  the  mines,  but  with 
about  the  same  results  as  before,  sometimes 
making  money  but  more  often  losing,  until  af- 
ter thirteen  years  he  gave  it  up  entirely  and  fur- 
thermore resolved  never  to  be  tempted  to  try 
mining  again.  For  twelve  years  he  worked  in 
the  employ  of  others  as  clerk,  remaining  with 
one  house  in  San  Francisco  for  eight  years,  and 
during  all  of  this  time  was  a  most  indefatigable 
worker,  his  motto  being  how  much  and  not  how 
little  he  could  accomplish  for  his  employer's 
welfare. 

Thus  far  in  his  career  Mr.  Baldridge  had 
struggled  against  great  odds,  but  with  the  year 
1873  brighter  prospects  opened  up  before  him. 
In  that  year  he  started  in  business  on  his  own 
account,  handling  bonds  and  stocks  under  the 
title  of  M.  Baldridge,  banker  and  broker.  A 
large  commission  business  grew  out  of  this  hum- 
ble beginning,  and  he  became  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  the  Pacific  Stock  Exchange,  being  chair- 
man of  its  executive  committee  for  seven  years. 
Failing  health,  however,  compelled  him  to  give 
up  his  interests  in  San  Francisco  and  in  1880  he 
located  in  Covina,  where  he  started  a  nursery 
composed  of  orange  trees  entirely.  At  that  time 
there  was  no  market  for  these  trees,  so  he  bought 
land  at  $11  per  acre  and  set  out  one  hundred 
and  eleven  acres  to  orange  trees,  and  in  time 
was  able  to  sell  the  nursery  stock.  He  gave 
away  thirty-one  acres  of  the  land,  still  retaining 
eighty  acres,  which  he  carried  on  as  a  nursery 
for  seven  years,  during  which  time  his  health 
was  greatly  improved.  At  the  end  of  this  time 
he  was  offered  $70,000  for  his  ranch,  an  offer 
which  he  accepted,  and  the  same  year  came  to 
Pomona  and  built  his  present  residence  on 
Kingslev  and  ^^'ashington  streets.  During  the 
thirteen  years  which  he  has  made  this  place  his 
home  he  has  built  up  one  of  the  finest  ranches  in 
this  part  of  the  county.  It  comprises  ten  acres, 
and  is  supplied  with  a  pumping  plant  which  fur- 
nishes an  abundant  supply  of  water  for  both 
domestic  and  irrigating  purposes.  He  also  owns 
a  ten  acre  orange  grove  at  Bloomington,  as  well 
as  a  block  of  five  acres  on  a  street  in  San  Ber- 
nardino,  upon    which  he    is   erecting  twenty-six 


cottages  of  patent  stone,  having  put  in  his  own 
manufacturing  plant  for  that  purpose. 

Upon  his  return  east  after  his  first  expedition 
to  California  JMr.  Baldridge  was  married,  in 
1853,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Garrison,  a  native  of 
New  York,  but  their  married  life  was  of  short 
duration,  as  her  death  occurred  four  years  later. 
His  second  marriage  occurred  in  Indiana  in  1871 
and  united  him  with  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Graham) 
Lee,  who  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  is  still  living. 
Politically  Mr.  Baldridge  is  a  Republican.  As 
may  be  surmised  he  is  a  member  of  the  Society 
of  California  Pioneers  of  1849,  "on^  of  whose 
members,  it  is  safe  to  say,  experienced  more  se- 
vere or  prolonged  hardships  than  did  Mr.  Bald- 
ridge in  reaching  the  Golden  West.  His  motto 
through  life  has  been  to  put  into  daily  practice 
the  principles  of  the  Golden  Rule,  and  all  who 
have  been  brought  in  contact  with  him  will  tes- 
tify that  he  adhered  to  these  principles  rigidly. 
His  name  is  on  the  membership  roll  of  the  Uni- 
tarian Church  of  Pomona. 


SETH  AlARSHALL.  There  are  few  citi- 
zens in  San  Bernardino  who  have  so  em- 
phatically impressed  their  worth  upon  their 
community  as  has  Seth  Marshall.  His  advent 
into  the  Pacific  coast  country  dates  back  to 
the  spring  of  1875.  coming  hither  in  the  hope 
that  the  ocean  voyage  would  restore  his  health, 
wdiich  had  become  greatly  impaired  by  over- 
work in  East  Sagmaw,  Mich.,  where  he  was 
then  residing.  His  quest  for  health  had  not 
been  in  vain,  the  sea  voyage  and  the  bracing 
climate  of  San  Francisco,  where  he  remained 
for  a  time,  both  contributing  to  his  welfare. 
So  well  pleased  was  he  with  the  outlook  in 
the  west  that  he  decided  to  remain  and  grow 
up  v.'ith  the  country. 

Of  Puritan  stock,  Seth  Marshall  was  born 
April  25.  1850.  on  the  old  Marshall  homestead 
on  the  W^estern  Reserve,  in  what  is  now  the 
citv  of  Paincsville,  Ohio,  whither  his  grand- 
father had  immigrated  from  Colebrook,  Conn., 
in  the  earlv  '305.  .\mong  the  children  in  the 
grandfather's  family  was  one  Seth,  who  be- 
came an  important  factor  in  the  upbuilding 
of  that  new  country.  Before  the  building  of 
the  Lake  Shore  Railroad  he  was  a  clerk  on 
one  of  the  large  lake  steamers,  and  subse- 
quently was  bookkeeper  and  later  president 
of  the  old  Bank  of  Geauga,  an  institution 
which  in  later  years  became  the  First  Nation- 
al Bank  of  Painesville.  Before  the  Civil  war 
he  took  a  firm  stand  in  the  question  of  slav- 
er}-, and  throughout  northern  Ohio  no  one 
labored  more  zealously  to  abolish  the  nefarious 
institution  than  did  Mr.  Marshall,  whose  home 
was  one  of  the   stations  on   the   underground 


1224 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


railroad  used  for  the  escape  of  the  negroes. 
As  one  of  the  organizers  and  upholders  of  the 
Republican  party  in  that  state  he  counted 
among  his  friends  and  co-laborers  such  men 
as  Ben  Wade,  Joshua  R.  Giddings,  Salmon 
P.  Chase,  besides  others  of  equal  fame  dur- 
ing that  time.  As  a  delegate  to  the  national 
convention  of  his  party  Mr.  Marshall  had  a 
hand  in  the  nomination  of  Lincoln  for  his  sec- 
ond term,  and  was  one  of  the  presidential 
electors  from  Ohio  at  that  election.  As  a  fit- 
ting close  to  his  long  and  useful  life  he  was 
permitted  to  spend  his  last  days  in  the  land 
of  Sunshine  and  Flowers,  passing  away  at 
the  home  of  his  son  in  San  Bernardino  in  1880. 

By  the  time  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age 
Seth  Marshall,  Jr.,  had  completed  his  studies 
in  the  school  of  Oberlin,  -Ohio,  and  was  ready 
to  launch  upon  his  business  career,  which  he 
did  by  becoming  a  clerk  in  the  wholesale 
hardware  business  owned  by  his  uncles,  Mor- 
ley  Brothers,  of  East  Saginaw,  Mich.  It  was 
not  long  before  he  had  acquired  an  interest  in 
the  business,  and  finally  became  general  man- 
ager of  the  plant,  but  after  seven  years  of 
close  application  his  health  became  impaired 
to  such  an  extent  that  he  followed  the  advice 
of  his  physicians  and  took  an  ocean  voyage, 
the  same  "which  brought  him  to  California  in 
1875.  After  disposing  of  his  interests  in 
Michigan  he  entered  with  vigor  into  the  life 
of  the  new  country  and  among  other  enter- 
prises which  he  assisted  in  founding  was  the 
Pacific  Stock  Exchange,  organized  in  the 
summer  of  1875.  His  interest  in  various  min- 
ing properties  in  Nevada,  Arizona  and  in  the 
Ord  district  of  San  Bernardino  finally  led  to 
his  location  in  this  country  in  1880. 

With  his  brother-in-law,  William  H.  Chen- 
ey, and  the  latter's  uncle,  John  Cheney  (the 
latter  one  of  the  original  Cheney  Brothers 
who  founded  the  Cheney  Brothers  silk  works 
at  South  Manchester,  Conn.),  Mr.  Marshall 
purchased  one  thousand  acres  of  land,  the 
eastern  part  of  the  Muscupiabe  grant.  Legal 
complications  which  followed  delayed  the  im- 
provement of  the  tract  and  in  the  mean  time 
John  Cheney  died.  Mr.  ^larshall  was  appoint- 
ed administrator  of  the  estate,  which  was 
finally  bought  by  an  eastern  syndicate  of 
which  he  was  a  memljer.  To  secure  water  for 
this  large  acreage  he  organized  the  Highland 
Ditch  Company,  to  build  a  canal  from  the  east 
side  of  City  creek  west,  above  the  Cheney 
tract,  on  to  North  San  Bernardino,  where 
Mr.  Marshall  then  owned  another  tract  of  one 
thousand  acres.  In  time  the  canal  was  com- 
pleted to  the  Cheney  tract,  which  enabled  the 
land  owners  along  the  foothills  of  Highland 
to   secure   water   for   their   lands,   the    Cheney 


land  benefiting  likewise.  Subsequently  this 
canal  was  sold  to  the  Bear  Valley  Company 
with  the  proviso  that  the  latter  company  was 
to  complete  the  canal  to  north  San  Bernar- 
dino, which  has  since  been  accomplished. 
Mr.  Marshall  was  also  one  of  the  organizers  of 
the  North  Fork  Water  Company,  of  which  for 
}'ears  he  was  a  director  and  also  president. 
^\l^en  the  loop  line  of  the  Santa  Fe  road  was 
built  around  the  east  end  of  the  San  Bernar- 
dino valley  its  construction  was  largely  aid- 
ed by  the  personal  effort  of  Mr.  Marshall,  he 
contributing  over  $3,000  and  the  right  of  way 
for  over  two  miles  through  his  property.  Hor- 
ticultural affairs  also  have  received  an  im- 
petus through  his  efforts,  a  practical  demon- 
stration of  which  was  seen  at  the  time  of  the 
organization  of  the  Highland  Orange  Grow- 
ers' Association,  of  which  he  is  now  presi- 
dent. One  of  the  most  stupendous  undertak- 
ings in  San  Bernardino  was  set  on  foot  with 
the  organization  of  the  Arrowhead  Hot  Springs 
Company.  With  the  assistance  of  a  strong 
local  directorate  Mr.  Marshall  inaugurated  an 
enterprise  which  promises  to  out-distance  any 
undertaking  of  the  kind  in  the  world.  The 
companv  is  incorporated  for  $1,000,000,  and 
has  among  its  stockholders  some  of  the  lead- 
ing men  in  this  part  of  the  state  and  also  of 
the  east.  It  is  the  confident  expectation  of 
all  concerned  that  with  the  natural  advantages 
of  scenery,  climate,  elevation  and  surround- 
ings these  springs  will  develop  a  resort  which 
will  make  the  San  Bernardino  valley  world 
renowned. 

In  San  Francisco,  in  1878,  l\Ir.  ^Marshall 
was  married  to  Frances  Marie  Mo3de,  a  sis- 
ler  of  Mrs.  William  H.  Cheney,  of  South  Man- 
chester, Conn.  After  almost  twenty  years  of 
happy  married  life  Mrs.  Marshall  was  called 
up  higher,  February  15,  1897,  leaving  a  void 
in  her  home  as  well  as  in  the  many  charitable 
and  social  organizations  with  which  she  was 
connected.  Her  greatest  happiness  consisted 
in  doing  for  others,  and  none  knew  her  but 
to  love  her.  She  was  a  devoted  member  of 
the  Episcopal  Church  and  one  of  its  active 
workers. 


AMASA  PARKER  JOHNSON,  JR.,  the 
president  of  the  city  council  of  San  Diego,  is  a 
member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  Cali- 
fornia. In  a  family  of  six  daughters  and  two 
sons,  of  whom  all  are  living  except  one  son,  he 
is  next  to  the  oldest  and  represents  the  third 
successive  generation  bearing  the  same  name. 
.San  Francisco  is  his  native  city,  the  date  of 
his  birth  being  October  29,  1866.  Primarily 
educated   in    public   schools,   he   later   had   the 


JI/-0. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1227 


advantage  of  study  in  St.  Matthew's  Hall  at 
San  Mateo,  and  meanwhile  became  interested 
in  stenography.  When  eighteen  years  of  age 
he  started  out  to  earn  his  own  way  in  the 
world,  his  first  position  being  that  of  private 
secretary  to  Jesse  D.  Carr,,  president  of  the 
Salinas  Bank.  From  Salinas  he  came  to  San 
Diego  in  February,  1888,  and  after  filling  a  po- 
sition as  stenographer  for  two  months  he  be- 
came a  deputy  in  the  office  of  the  county  re- 
corder. There  he  continued  for  five  years, 
and  during  the  last  three  years  acted  as  chief 
deputy.  The  following  five  years  were  spent 
in  the  county  assessor's  office  as  deputy  (a 
part  of  that  time  being  chief  deputy)  and  then 
he  returned  to  the  county  recorder's  office  as 
chief  deputy  for  five  years. 

By  the  purchase  of  the  interests  of  the  Reed 
&  Burt  Abstract  Company,  in  February,  1903, 
]\Ir.  Johnson  organized  the  Union  Title  & 
Trust  Compan)',  and  by  forming  a  combina- 
tion with  the  Title  Insurance  &  Trust  Com- 
pany of  Los  Angeles  the  strongest  organiza- 
tion of  its  kind  in  Southern  California  was  se- 
cured. The  company  has  a  capital  stock  of 
$100,000,  and  Mr.  Johnson  acts  as  manager, 
secretary  and  treasurer. 

Under  appointment  by  Governor  Pardee  in 
the  year  1904  Mr.  Johnson  became  a  member 
of  the  city  council  according  to  the  new  char- 
ter. The  following  year  he  was  elected  to  rep- 
resent the  eighth  ward  in  the  council,  where 
he  served  as  chairman  of  the  street  committee 
and  a  member  of  the  finance  and  water  com- 
mittees. On  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Osborn  as 
president  of  the  city  council,  in  November, 
1905,  Mr.  Johnson  was  chosen  to  fill  the  va- 
cancy and  since  then  has  acted  in  the  capacity 
cf  president. 


stock.  He  is  progressive  and  enterprising  and 
although  young  in  years  bids  fair  to  make 
one  of  the  most  successful  ranchers  of  this 
community.  In  August,  1901,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Marinda  Sackett,  who 
was  born  in  Artesia,  Los  Angeles  county,  a 
daughter  of  William  A.  Sackett,  represented  at 
length  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  They  have 
two  children,  Emma  and  William.  Mr.  Orr 
is  verv  prominent  fraternally,  being  a  mem- 
ber of  Norwalk  Lodge  No.  315,  F.  &  A.  M., 
and  serving  as  senior  warden,  while  both  him- 
self and  wife  are  associated  with  the  Order  of 
Eastern  Star  in  the  Norwalk  chapter;  he  also 
belongs  to  the  camp  of  the  Maccabees  of  Ar- 
tesia,'and  the  Odd  Fellows,  of  Artesia,  and 
self  and  wife  are  identified  with  the  Rebekahs 
of  that  place.  He  supports  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  of  which  his  wife  is  a  de- 
voted member.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch  ad- 
vocate of  Democratic  principles.  Mr.  Orr 
stands  exceptionally  high  in  the  community, 
respected  alike  for  his  business  ability  so  early 
displaved,  and  bis  personal  qualities  of  charac- 
ter which  have  won  him  many  friends. 


JOHN  J.  ORR.  A  native  Californian,  John 
J. '  Orr  was  born  on  the  old  Orr  homestead 
near  Norwalk,  Los  Angeles  county,  March  3, 
1876,  a  son  of  W.  W.  Orr,  one  of  the  esteemed 
pioneers  of  this  section  whose  personal  history 
is  given  at  length  in  another  part  of  this  vol- 
vcme.  His  preliminary  education  was  re- 
ceived through  the  medium  of  the  public  school 
of  Little  Lake,  .ifter  which  he  attended  Wood- 
bury Business  College,  of  Los  Angeles.  Re- 
turning home  he  remained  with  his  parents 
until  attaining  his  majority,  when  he  began 
the  cultivation  and  improvement  of  a  ranch 
of  forty  acres  on  which  he  resides.  This  is 
largely  devoted  to  alfalfa  although  he  has  a 
fine  dairy  herd  of  twenty  cows,  which  net  him 
a  handsome  income.  For  one  year  pf  the  time 
he  has  spent  on  this  ranch  he  was  in  Tulare 
countv,  where  he  went  with  a  large  herd   of 


JAMES  HENRY  LEWIS.  In  tracing  the 
genealogy  of  the  branch  of  the  Lewis  family 
represented  bv  this  influential  citizen  and  horti- 
culturist of  Pomona  we  find  that  he  is  descended 
froni  ancestors  who  came  from  England  with 
the  Pilgrims  and  landed  at  Plymouth  Rock  in 
1620,  they  later  settling  in  Barnstable,  Mass. 
Representatives  of  the  family  finally  drifted  into 
Connecticut,  for  it  was  there  that  the  great- 
grandfather, John  Lewis,  was  born  January  3, 
1754.  He  was  a  young  man  of  about  twenty- 
one  years  when  the  war  for  independence  was 
waged  between  England  and  the  colonies,  and 
as  one  of  the  soldiers  who  fought  in  behalf  of 
the  voung  nation  he  lived  to  see  the  accomplish- 
ment of  their  purpose  and  enjoy  the  freedom 
from  tyranny  and  oppression.  He  died  in  Con- 
necticut in  1828.  The  grandfather,  James 
Lewis,  was  also  born  in  the  Nutmeg  state,  where 
he  was  reared  and  married,  but  during  middle 
life  he  settled  as  a  pioneer  in  Kane  county.  111., 
and  there  rounded  out  a  useful  career.  His  mar- 
riage united  him  with  Desire  Remington,  she 
too"  being  a  native  of  Connecticut.  Among  the 
children  born  to  them  was  Norman  Lewis,  whose 
birth  occurred  in  Suffield,  Hartford  county. 
Conn.,  and  he  too  became  a  pioneer  in  the  newer 
west.  For  some  years  he  made  his  home  in 
Ohio,  and  it  was  while  the  family  were  living  in 
that  state  that  James  Henry  Lewis  was  born. 
After  the  death  of  the  wife  and  mother,  which 
occurred  in  that  state,  the  father  returned  to 
Connecticut,  where  for  a  time  he  was  employed 


1228 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


as  a  blacksmith  in  Colt's  armory.  Coming  to 
the  west  once  more  he  located  in  Kane  count)', 
111.,  in  1853,  and  the  year  following  went  to 
Iowa,  where  he  carried  on  fanning  until  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war.  Going  to  Tama 
City  he  opened  a  general  merchandise  business 
which  he  conducted  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
and  then,  in  partnership  with  his  son  James, 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business  in  that  city. 
Later  he  retired  from  the  business  and  for  a 
number  of  years  prior  to  his  death  had  been  free 
from  business  cares.  He  died  in  Tama  City  at 
the  advanced  age  of  seventy-eight  years,  his 
loss  being  deeply  felt  in  his  community,  for  he 
had  been  an  active  citizen  and  had  done  much  to- 
ward the  upbuilding  of  the  town.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  county  board  of  supersasors, 
justice  of  the  peace  and  was  also  postmaster 
of  the  town.  Up  to  the  time  of  the  war  he  had 
stanchly  upheld  the  principles  of  the  Democra- 
tic party,  but  thereafter  he  allied  himself  with 
the  Republicans.  From  the  age  of  twenty  years 
he  had  been  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church, 
and  the  teachings  of  the  Qiristian  religion  were 
manifest  in  his  daily  life  and  sustained  him  in 
his  death.  His  marriage  united  him  with  Lucy 
Kent,  who  was  a  native  of  Suffield,  Conn.,  and 
who  died  in  Medina  county,  Ohio.  Four  chil- 
dren were  born  of  this  marriage,  three  of  whom 
grew  to  maturity,  but  only  one  of  the  number 
is  now  living. 

The  only  representative  of  his  parents"  family 
now  living.  James  Henry  Lewis  was  born  in 
Akron,  Ohio,  June  13,  1840,  and  was  reared  in 
Ohio  until  he  was  a  lad  of  nine  years,  when  his 
mother  having  died,  his  father  took  the  family 
to  Connecticut.  His  schooling  was  gained  al- 
most entirely  during  the  five  years  they  remained 
in  that  state,  for  when  thev  came  west  and  settled 
on  a  pioneer  farm  in  Tama  county,  Iowa,  in 
1854  his  services  were  needed  in  breaking  the 
soil  and  preparing  the  fields  for  cultivation.  In 
response  to  the  call  to  arms  at  the  time  of  the 
Civil  war  he  laid  down  the  implements  of  peace 
and  industry  and  instead  shouldered  the  musket 
in  defense  of  the  principles  which  he  believed 
were  just  and  upright.  In  August.  1862,  he 
volunteered  as  a  member  of  Company  E,  Twenty- 
fourth  Iowa  Infantry,  being  mustered  in  at  ]Mus- 
catine,  and  in  the  following  October  his  regi- 
ment was  sent  to  Helena.  Ark.,  thereafter  tak- 
ing part  in  the  siege  of  Vicksburs:.  Champion 
Hill_,  Port  Gibson,  and  Black  River  Bridge.  For 
meritorious  service  in  the  latter  campaign  he 
was  promoted  to  corporal  and  with  the  remainder 
of  his  regiment  was  made  a  part  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Gulf  and  under  General  Banks 
participated  in  the  Red  River  expedition,  among 
others  taking  part  in  the  battle  at  Sabine  Cross 
Roads.     By  boat  thev  went  from  Xew  Orleans 


to  Washington,  D.  C,  and  under  General  Sheri- 
dan took  part  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley  cam- 
paign, taking  part  in  the  battles  of  Winchester, 
Cedar  Creek  and  Fisher's  Hill.  Thereafter, 
from  January,  1865,  until  mustered  out  in  July 
of  that  year  in  Savannah  he  remained  on  duty 
in  that  city  and  vicinity,  having  in  the  mean- 
time been  promoted  to  sergeant,  and  as  such 
was  honorably  discharged  from  the  service  in 
Davenport  in  August  of  1865. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Lewis  prepared  himself 
for  commercial  life  by  taking  a  course  in  East- 
man's Business  College  in  Chicago,  111.,  and  there- 
after returned  to  Tama  City,  Iowa,  where  for 
about  six  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business.  Later  he  became  interested  in  the  agri- 
cultural implement  business,  first  in  Tama  City, 
and  later  in  Traer,  following  this  business  until 
1879.  when  he  removed  to  Nebraska  and  once 
more  took  up  farming.  Near  Oxford,  Furnas 
county,  he  took  up  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres 
from  the  government,  upon  which  for  the  fol- 
lo\\'ing  fourteen  3'ears  he  made  a  specialty  of 
stock-raising.  Upon  the  sale  of  his  land  and 
stock  in  1893  he  came  to  Pomona,  where  for 
the  past  fourteen  years  he  has  been  interested 
in  horticulture,  owning  among  other  ranches  a 
ten-acre  orange  grove  known  as  the  San  Antonio 
tract  in  San  Bernardino  county. 

In  Tama  City,  Iowa.  Mr.  Lewis  was  married 
to  Miss  Emeline  Carmichael,  who  was  born  in 
New  York  state  and  died  in  Pomona  in  August, 
1901.  Of  the  four  children  who  were  born  to 
them  three  are  now  living,  Qiarles  N.,  having 
died  in  Pomona.  Sarah  L.,  is  at  home  with  her 
father :  Arthur  P..  who  is  a  graduate  of  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, is  now  a  practicing  physician  in  Amador 
county ;  and  Lucy  M.,  who  graduated  from  the 
University  of  Illinois  at  Champaign,  is  now  libra- 
rian of  the  Agricultural  College  in  New  Alexico. 
I\Ir.  Lewis  keeps  his  war  experiences  .  fresh  in 
memorv  by  associating  with  old  comrades  in 
A'icksburg  Post  No.  61.  of  Pomona,  of  which  he 
is  post  commander,  and  at  one  time  was  aide  on 
the  department  staff.  He  is  an  active  member 
of  the  Baptist  Church,  in  which  he  is  serving 
as  trustee,  and  politically  he  is  a  Republicah. 
AMiile  a  resident  of  Nebraska  he  joined  the  Odd 
Fellows  and  the  .\ncient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men, being  an  officer  in  the  latter  organization. 


\\TLLIS  EARL  NEWTON.  The  success 
achieved  by  Willis  E.  Newton  since  his  residence 
in  Bassett  is  the  result  of  his  own  efforts  and 
application,  bringing  to  bear  in  his  work  an  in- 
telligent appreciation  of  the  difficulties  to  be  sur- 
mounted and  the  best  method  of  laboring.  The 
family  is  of  eastern  origin,  the  grandfather.  }*far- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1229 


cellus,  a  native  of  New  York,  having  become  a 
pioneer  settler  of  Illinois  in  an  early  date  in  its 
history.  He  made  his  home  in  tlie  vicinity  of 
Springfield  for  some  time,  finally  removing  to 
Lake  Mills,  Wis.,  where  he  followed  farming  for 
a  livelihood.  His  son,  Almond  P.,  the  father  of 
Willis  E.,  was  born  in  Illinois  and  reared  in  Wis- 
consin, where  in  manhood  he  engaged  in  a  land 
and  loan  business.  He  eventually  removed  to 
Denver  and  engaged  in  mining  and  real  estate  en- 
terprises in  partnership  with  Eben  Smith,  a 
connection  which  was  broken  by  the  death  of  jNIr. 
Newton.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  fonnerly 
Isabelle  Lamb,  a  native  of  Wisconsin,  and  some 
time  after  Mr.  Newton's  death  she  married  J. 
C.  Hutchinson,  of  Los  Angeles,  in  which  city 
she  now  resides. 

Of  the  five  children  born  to  his  parents,  of 
whom  four  are  now  living,  Willis  Earl  Newton 
was  born  October  8,  1873,  in  Waterloo.  Wis., 
next  to  the  youngest  in  the  family.  He  was 
quite  young  when  the  family  located  in  Denver 
and  in  that  city  received  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic and  high  schools,  graduating  from  the  latter, 
after  which  he  entered  the  postoffice  under  Coch- 
ran and  served  under  him  and  Jordan  in  the 
inspection  department  until  his  resignation  in 
1897.  In  the  last  named  year  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia and  in  Los  Angeles  secured  a  position  as 
traveling  salesman  with  the  John  D.  Farwell 
Dry  Goods  Company,  and  for  the  ensuing  six 
years  traveled  over  the  state  of  California.  In 
1903  he  resigned  and  accepted  a  position  in  the 
purchasing  department  of  the  Dolge  Manufac- 
turing Company,  resigning  two  years  later  to  en- 
gage in  farming.  He  purchased  sixty  acres  of  land 
at  Walnut  Center,  in  the  Bassett  district,  and  has 
since  set  it  out  in  walnuts  and  alfalfa,  has  install- 
ed a  pumping  plant  which  irrigates  the  entire 
place  and  has  improved  it  by  the  erection  of  a 
residence,  barns,  outbuildings,  etc.  Equal  to  his 
success  in  other  lines  has  been  that  which  he  has 
met  with  in  his  farming  enterprise,  and  he  is  to- 
day numbered  among  the  representative  horti- 
culturists of  this  section. 

In  Whittier,  Mr.  Newton  married  Miss  Jennie 
Tyler,  a  native  of  El  ?\[onte,  Cal.,  and  daughter 
of  J\Irs.  Tyler  English,  located  on  Villa  street, 
Pasadena.  They  have  one  daughter,  Majorie. 
Mrs.  Newton  is  a  member  of  the  Presbvterian 
Church  and  her  culture  and  refinement  add  much 
to  the  social  circles  of  El  [Monte. 


CHARLES  FINNEY  RUGGLES.  While 
Oxnard  was  yet  a  small  village  Mr.  Ruggles 
became  identified  with  its  commercial  devel- 
opment and  remained  one  of  its  earnest  and 
devoted  citizens  up  to  the  time  he  sold  out  his 
interests  there  and  removed  to  Ventura.     For 


some  years  he  was  the  owner  and  proprietor 
of  the  largest  laundry  in  Ventura  county.  The 
business  was  conducted  in  a  building  specially 
erected  for  the  purpose,  consisting  of  a  main 
structure,  25x80  feet,  with  two  additions,  each 
20x20  feet,  also  a  boiler  room  with  a  boiler  of 
twenty-four  horse  power  and  an  engine  of 
twelve  horse  power.  The  building  was 
equipped  with  machinery  of  the  latest  pat- 
tern and  adapted  for  its  special  purpose,  the 
whole  being  arranged  so  that  work  could  be 
turned  out  with  dispatch  and  yet  with  scrupu- 
lous care.  Water  was  furnished  from  an  ar- 
tesian well  on  the  premises,  and  in  addition 
Mr.  Ruggles  manufactured  distilled  water  for 
sale,  shipping  the  same  to  Santa  Paula,  Nord- 
hoff  and  other  neighboring  towns. 

Of  eastern  extraction,  ]\lr.  Ruggles  is  a  son 
of  William  M.  and  Hannah  (Hoke)  Ruggles, 
natives  respectively  of  Illinois  and  West  Vir- 
ginia. The  maternal  grandfather,  Jacob  Hoke, 
was  a  member  of  the  F.  F.  \"s  and  removed 
from  Virginia  to  Illinois,  settling  upon  a  farm. 
Being  a  man  of  means  and  culture,  he  was 
solicitous  to  give  his  children  the  highest  ad- 
vantages, and  his  daughter  was  sent  to  col- 
lege at  Oberlin,  Ohio.  One  of  his  sons,  Hon. 
J.T.  Hoke,  held  office  for  years  as  district 
judge  of  Kings  county,  Va.,  and  now  fills  the 
position  of  American  consul  at  Halifax,  Nova 
Scotia.  After  having  cultivated  a  farm  near 
Dixon,  111.,  for  some  years,  William  M.  Rug- 
gles removed  to  Iowa  and  settled  in  Jones 
county  near  ^lechanicsville,  where  he  took  up 
farm  pursuits.  Later  he  removed  to  Cherokee 
county,  Iowa,  and  transformed  a  raw  tract  of 
land  into  a  cultivated  farm.  Eventually  he 
became  a  pioneer  farmer  of  South  Dakota  and 
now  resides  in  Beadle  county,  that  state,  where 
he  is  a  county  commissioner  and  a  man  of 
large  influence  and  acquaintance. 

Of  the  family  of  William  M.  Ruggles  three 
sons  and  one  daughter  have  passed  from  earth, 
and  two  sons  and  two  daughters  are  now  liv- 
ing. The  eldest  of  the  family  was  Charles 
Finney,  who  was  born  at  Jackson,  Wis.,  Feb- 
ruary 10,  i860,  and  passed  the  yeajs  of  boy- 
hood on  a  farm  in  Jones  county,  Iowa.  After 
having  completed  the  common-school  studies 
he  attended  Mount  Vernon  College,  the  State 
Agricultural  College  at  Ames  and  Hillsdale 
College,  leaving  school  at  the  beginning  of  his 
senior  year.  The  expenses  of  his  collegiate 
course  he  had  paid  by  teaching  eight  terms  of 
school,  following  the  occupation  in  Iowa,  In- 
diana, Michigan  and  Ohio.  After  leaving  col- 
lege he  settled  at  Coldwater,  Branch  county, 
Alich.,  where  he  engaged  in  the  insurance  busi- 
ness, held  office  as  city  clerk,  acted  as  pen- 
sion attorney  and  also  served  as  deputy  coun- 


3230 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ty  clerk.  Leaving  oMichigan  in  1889  he  came 
to  California  and  in  1890  assisted  in  surveying 
the  colony  of  Dos  Palos  in  the  San  Joaquin 
valley,  working  with  the  agent  of  the  land 
department  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad. 
As  he  made  a  careful  study  of  the  land  he  de- 
cided that  it  was  less  adapted  to  orchard  pur- 
poses than  a  strip  three  miles  distant,  there- 
fore he  bought  land  in  the  locality  he  preferred 
instead  of  in  the  colony  itself.  On  his  prop- 
erty he  set  out  a  vineyard  and  orchard,  and 
had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  vines  and 
trees  start  most  auspiciously.  jNIeanwhile  the 
colony  was  found  to  be  planted  on  land  affect- 
ed by  alkali  and  therefore  not  adapted  for 
orchards,  so  afterward  the  colonists  moved  to 
the  district  he  had  preferred,  and  he  built  the 
first  store  building  in  Dos  Palos. 

Coming  to  Ventura  in  1892  j\lr.  Ruggles 
bought  eight  and  one-third  acres  on  Ventura 
evenue  and  set  out  a  lemon  orchard,  which  he 
still  owns,  and  which  he  has  occupied  since 
disposing  of  his  interests  in  Oxnard.  While 
that  town  was  still  in  the  incipient  stages  of 
its  development  he  located  there,  erected  a 
store  building  on  the  Plaza  and  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business,  but  later  turned  his  at- 
tention to  the  laundry  enterprise  previously 
mentioned.  After  coming  to  California  he  was 
married  at  Los  Angeles  to  Miss  Asenath  R. 
Waite,  who  was  born  in  Michigan,  received 
an  excellent  education,  is  a  ladv  of  culture  and 
a  member  of  the  Universalist  Church.  While 
in  Coldwater,  l^.lich..  Mr.  Ruggles  was  initiat- 
ed into  Masonry  and  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  and  is  past  chief  patriarch  of 
the  encampment.  For  eight  years  he  held  the 
commission  of  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  First 
Regiment,  Patriarch  Militant,  also  was  iden- 
tified with  the  canton.  At  this  writing  he  is 
connected  with  Oxnard  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
of  which  he  is  past  noble  grand.  Politicallv 
he  favors  Republican  principles  and  votes  with 
that  party.  For  several  vears  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Iowa  State  Militia  and  later  joined 
the  Michigan  State  :\lilitia  at  Coldwater, 
serving  altogetlier  for  twelve  vears. 


ROBERT  G.  LIVINGSTON.  In  Robert  G. 
Livingston  is  found  one  of  the  finest  types  of 
the  California  pioneers  who  crossed  the  plains 
in  1853,  a  man  who  has  been  identified  with  the 
business  and  social,  public  and  private  interests 
which  have  tended  toward  the  highest  develop- 
ment of  the  state  ever  since.  He  succeeded  in 
amassing  a  comfortable  fortune  and  is  now 
enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  labors,  having  re- 
tired from  active  business  some  time  ago. 
Tlie   Livingston   family   is  one   of  the  oldest   in 


America  and  one  of  the  ancestors  of  this  branch, 
Robert  R.,  was  a  chancellor  of  England  who 
came  to  America  before  the  days  of  the  Revolu- 
tion and  had  the  honor  of  administering  to  Wash- 
ington his  oath  of  office  upon  his  election  to  the 
presidency.  The  grandfather  of  Robert  G. 
Livingston  fought  in  the  war  of  181 2,  and  the 
father,  George,  was  born  in  old  Virginia  and 
became  a  pioneer  of  Ohio,  moving  to  a  farm 
near  New  Lisbon  with  teams,  where  his  death 
occurred.  The  mother  was  in  maidenhood  Sarah 
McClure,  her  native  home  having  been  in  Vir- 
ginia. The  family  consisted  of  eleven  children, 
nine  of  whom  grew  to  maturity,  but  only  two  of 
whom  are  now  living,  and  Robert  G.  is  the  only 
one  who  came  to  California.  He  was  born  Sep- 
tember 20,  1830,  at  New  Lisbon,  Ohio,  where  he 
spent  his  boyhood  days,  receiving  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  at  that  place. 

In  1848  he  went  to  Adams  county,  III,  locat- 
ing on  a  farm  near  Ouincy,  but  in  the  spring  of 
1853  decided  to  push  on  further  west.  In  com- 
pany with  three  companions  he  purchased  four 
yoke  of  oxen  and  crossed  the  plains,  traveling 
by  the  way  of  Council  Bluff's,  Salt  Lake  and 
Beckwith  Pass.  The  five  months"  trip  was  ac- 
complished without  important  incident  and  the 
journey  was  ended  at  the  point  which  is  now 
Ouincy,  Cal.  For  some  years  he  engaged  in 
placer  mining  and  tunneling  on  the  Feather, 
Yuba,  American  and  Consumne  rivers,  meeting 
with  good  success.  In  i860  he  went  to  Contra 
Costa  county,  locating  near  what  is  now  Danville 
and  engaged  in  farming.  Continuing  there  un- 
til 1865,  he  then  went  to  Lake  county  and  farmed 
for  four  years,  or  until  1869,  when  he  removed 
to  Southern  California,  locating  at  Hueneme, 
■where  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  for 
twenty-five  years.  His  other  property  interests 
embrace  the  ownership  of  a  two  hundred  acre 
ranch  located  four  miles  southeast  of  Hueneme, 
which  he  rents  for  beet  and  grain  farming  pur- 
poses. It  is  well  improved  with  all  necessarv 
farm  buildings. 

December  3,  1863,  Mr.  Livingston  was  married 
to  Miss  Hannah  ^'.  Palmer,  a  native  of  Trenton, 
Tenn.,  and  a  daughter  of  William  Palmer.  Her 
father  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina,  who  in 
his  young  manhood  taught  school  in  his  home 
state  and  later  removed  to  Bloomfield,  ]\Io.,  be- 
came a  farmer  and  died  there.  Her  grandfather, 
who  was  also  a  native  of  South  Carolina,  was  a 
patriot  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  Her  mother, 
before  her  marriage  Pamelia  IMiller,  was  born  in 
Virginia,  and  died  in  Alissouri.  Mrs.  Livings- 
ton is  a  member  of  a  family  of  twelve  children, 
the  most  of  whon]  are  deceased:  She  came  to 
California  in  1859  with  her  sister,  ]\Irs.  Flippin, 
and  settled  in  Contra  Costa  county.  She  is  a 
very  fine  woman  and  has  done  much  active  work 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1233 


in  tlie  cause  of  Prohibition,  in  which  she  is  in- 
tensely interested,  and  is  now  president  of  the 
Woman's  Christian  .Temperance  Union  of 
Hneneme.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Livingston  are  the 
parents  of  four  children,  of  whom  they  are  just- 
ly proud.  They  are  Charles,  a  traveling  sales- 
man with  headquarters  at  Portland ;  William,  a 
graduate  of  the  American  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons,  and  who  is  now  practicing  his 
profession  at  Oxnard :  May,  the  wife  of  Dr. 
Broughlan  of  Oxnard :  and  Lottie,  a  graduate  of 
the  Cumnock  School  of  Expression  of  Los 
Angeles,  and  now  a  teacher  of  physical  culture 
and  elocution  at  Pasadena.  Both  parents  are 
members  of  the  Pioneer  Society  of  Ventura 
county  and  Mr.  Livingston  is  also  a  prominent 
Prohibition  worker,  being  a  member  of  the  ex- 
ecutive committee  of  the  Anti-Saloon  League  of 
Snuthern  California.  Fraternally  he  was  made  a 
member  of  the  San  Ramon  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M., 
became  a  charter  member  of  the  Ventura  Lodge, 
then  master  of  Hueneme  Lodge  and  is  now  a 
member  of  the  Oxnard  Lodge.  F.  &  A.  J\I.  He 
also  belongs  to  the  Order  of  Eastern  Star.  He  is 
a  man  who  is  interested  in  every  business  or 
social  interest  that  has  a  beneficial  and  elevating 
influence  and  is  highly  esteemed  and  respected 
b^-  the  whole  communitv. 


AVARREN  COOPER  LUKENS  was  born 
in  Harrison  county,  Ohio,  March  20,  1845, 
and  is  the  second  oldest  son  of  a  family  of  six 
children  born  to  William  E.  and  j\[argaret 
I'Cooper)  Lukens.  The  former  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  the  latter  in  Maryland  and  were 
both  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends.  The 
father  was  a  farmer  in  Harrison  county,  Ohio, 
and  later  was  a  miller  in  Sterling,  111.,  where 
tlie  parents  died.  One  of  their  sons  is  Theo. 
P.  Lukens,  superintendent  of  Forest  Reserve, 
residing  in  Pasadena,  a  man  of  much  promi- 
nence and  influence,  ?^^r.  Lukens  was  educat- 
ed in  the  common  schools  until  the  age  of  six- 
teen when  at  the  first  tap  of  the  drum  he  vol- 
unteered in  Company  B  of  the  Thirteenth  Illi- 
nois A^olunteer  Infantry  and  was  mustered 
into  the  three  months"  service.  Early  in  1861. 
and  before  the  expiration  of  his  time,  he  re- 
enlisted  May  24  with  Company  P.,  Thirteenth 
Illinois  Infantry,  serving  under  General  Curtis 
in  the  Army  of  the  Southwest,  until  Novem- 
lier.  1863,  when  on  account  of  physical  disabil- 
ity he  was  mustered  out  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.  He 
then  returned  to  Illinois,  but  his  constitution 
had  received  such  a  setback  that  he  never  re- 
covered, and  for  four  years  was  unfit  for  any 
labor.  For  two  years  he  engaged  in  horti- 
culture in  San  Jose  and  then  returned  to  Sterl- 
ing,   111.,    following    the    same    business    until 


1880,  when  he  came  to  Pasadena,  Cal.,  when 
there  was  but  one  store  and  blacksmith  shop 
in  the  place.  He  purchased  thirteen  acres 
and  set  out  a  peach  and  apricot  orchard,  which 
at  the  time  of  the  boom  he,  in  1887,  sold  to 
good  advantage.  He  then  removed  to  Red- 
lands  where  he  purchased  thirteen  and  one-half 
acres  of  cacti  and  sage-brush  and  started  a 
nursery  and  at  the  same  time  set  it  out  to 
oranges,  which  he  sold  in  1900.  In  the  mean 
time,  in  1899,  he  had  purchased  seventy-nine 
acres  at  Oak  Glenn  in  the  Upper  Yucaipe  val- 
ley and  with  four  others  formed  a  private  com- 
pany known  as  the  Oak  Glen  Land  and  Water 
Company.  The  water  was  brought  bv  ditch 
and  pipe-line  from  Oak  Cilenn  creek  to  irrigate 
their  farms  and  he  set  out  thirteen  acres  to 
apples,  now  an  excellent  blooming  orchard. 
lie  with  four  others  of  the  Oak  Glenn  com- 
pany in  the  Southern  California  exhibit  at  St. 
Louis  received  the  highest  award  for  apples. 
In  March  of  1905  he  removed  to  Los  Angeles 
and  located  at  No.  2707  Normandie  avenue. 

His  marriage  occurred  in  Fairview.  111., 
uniting  him  with  ^laria  Jane  iMcIlmoyl  and  to 
them  have  been  born  five  children :  AA'illiam 
Ellis,  who  died  in  Redlands ;  Annie  M.  and 
Ernest  B.  of  Los  Angeles ;  Charles  .\.  of  Oak 
Glenn  and  Walter  at  Colon,  on  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama.  Mr.  Lukens  is  a  member  of  Bear 
Valley  Post.  G.  A.  R.,  at  Redlands,  and  his  al- 
legiance politically  is  with  the  Republican 
party. 


JOHN  HEXRY  FAIRBANKS.  Of  original 
English  extraction  the  Fairbanks  family  in  co- 
lonial days  settled  in  Massachusetts,  and  from  the 
time  when  the  great-grandfather,  Nathaniel,  gal- 
lantly fought  for  freedom  in  the  Revolutionary 
war  until  the  present  day  its  members  have  been 
closely  identified  with  the  upbuilding  and  devel- 
opment of  our  country.  John  Henry  Fairbanks. 
who  was  born  July  20,  1837,  in  Schoharie  county. 
N.  Y.,  was  a  son  of  John  B.  and  a  grandson  of 
John  Fairbanks,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Worcester,  Mass.  The  grandfather  lived  on  the 
old  family  homestead  in  Worcester  and  served  in 
the  war  of  181 2.  The  father  was  by  trade  a  con- 
tractor and  stone  mason  and  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
five  years  removed  to  New  York  state,  where  he 
was  married  to  Hannah  Granidier,  a  native  of 
that  state,  her  family  being  of  German  and 
French  extraction.  Her  father,  Abraham,  was 
one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  New  York,  and  he 
also  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  in  which 
he  attained  the  rank  of  major.  Seventeen  years 
after  locating  in  New  York  state  Mr.  Fairbanks 
went  to  Racine.  A\'is.,  and  engaged  in  business  as 
a  contractor  and  builder,  and  it  was  while  resid- 


1234 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ing  in  that  state  that  the  death  of  his  wife  oc- 
curred. In  1849  he  joined  the  rush  of  gold  seek- 
ers to  Cahfornia,  crossing  the  plains  with  his  old- 
est son,  and  for  three  years  they  worked  at  min- 
ing. Two  years  later  the  son  died  at  Sacramento 
and  the  father  returned  to  Racine,  where  his 
death  occurred. 

A  member  of  a  family  of  seven  children,  four 
sons  and  three  daughters,  John  Henry  Fairbanks 
is  the  only  son  now  living.  One  of  his  brothers, 
Abraham  F..  served  as  a  second  lieutenant  in  the 
Fifty-first  Regiment  of  Wisconsin  \'olunteers 
during  the  Civil  war.  His  own  boj'hood  days 
were  spent  in  Wisconsin,  where  he  attended  the 
district  school  in  the  primitive  log  schoolhouse 
furnished  with  slab  benches.  With  generations 
of  patriotic  blood  flowing  in  his  veins  it  is  not 
surprising  that  his  decision  to  offer  his  services 
to  his  country  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war 
was  quickly  made.  After  leaving  school  he  had 
occupied  himself  as  a  teamster,  going  from  Ra- 
cine and  Milwaukee  to  Burlington,  and  later  was 
foreman  of  Norton's  ranch  for  four  years.  He 
was  working  on  a  threshing  machine  when  the 
news  of  the  declaration  of  war  reached  him.  and 
turning  the  job  over  to  his  father  he  immediately 
vohmteered  his  services.  In  1861  he  was  mus- 
tered in  at  Milwaukee  as  a  member  of  Company 
C,  First  Regiment  of  Wisconsin  Infantry,  and 
among  the  engagements  he  took  part  in  were 
those  at  Murfreesboro,  and  Marietta,  assisting  in 
the  taking  of  Atlanta ;  was  wounded  in  the  bat- 
tles at  Buzzard's  Roost  and  at  Oiickamauga,  hav- 
ing been  shot  from  his  horse  and  made  insensible 
at  the  latter  place.  He  was  an  officer  in  the  ord- 
nance department,  having  supervision  over  the 
ammunition  of  the  Fourteenth  Army  Corps,  to 
which  he  had  been  previously  attached.  At  the 
expiration  of  his  time  of  enlistment  he  was  re- 
turned to  ?\Iilwaukee  and  there  mustered  out  in 
1864.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he  went  to 
Sparta,  bought  a  farm,  and  continued  to  raise 
stock  and  conduct  a  threshing  business  until  1884. 
For  eighteen  continuous  seasons  he  operated  a 
Case  thresher,  made  many  inventions  for  the  ma- 
chine and  helped  J.  I.  Case,  who  had  been  a  boy- 
hood schoolmate,  with  many  improvements  both 
on  the  thresher  and  the  steam  engine.  Having 
disposed  of  his  farm  Mr.  Fairbanks  retired  from 
active  business  for  five  years  and  resided  in 
Sparta. 

In  1889  he  came  to  Los  Angeles  and  made 
his  home  in  that  city  for  two  years,  after  which 
he  went  to  Downey,  purchased  a  ranch  and  im- 
proved it  and  raised  fruit  and  hay.  still  owning 
ten  acres  of  land  there.  He  had  early  purchased 
a  lot  on  West  Third  street.  Long  Beach,  and  the 
residence  which  he  erected  thereon  is  still  the 
family  home.  He  has  witnessed  many  changes 
in  the  citv  since  first  coming  here  and  himself 


farmed  land  which  is  now  occupied  by  city 
homes.  By  his  marriage  in  Monroe  county,  Wis., 
he  was  united  with  Phoebe  Ann  Dame,  a  native  of 
Maine,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  three 
children :  Imogene,  who  married  Lewis  Millard, 
of  Long  Beach ;  Mattie.  who  became  the  wife  of 
a  Mr.  Whalen  and  died  in  Los  Angeles  in  1905 : 
and  J.  T.,  who  resides  on  the  ranch  at  Downey. 
]\Ir.  Fairbanks  is  a  strong  Republican,  has  served 
on  the  county  central  committee  for  years  and 
has  been  sent  as  delegate  to  conventions.  He  is 
a  member  of  Long  Beach  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  and 
Mrs.  Fairbanks  is  a  member  and  active  worker  in 
the  Baptist  Church.  In  all  matters  relating  to 
the  social  and  civic  development  of  the  city  he 
takes  an  energetic  and  enthusiastic  interest,  and 
is  held  in  the  highest  respect  and  esteem  through- 
out the  communitv. 


ALBERT  JOHNSON.  As  clerk  of  the  board 
of  school  trustees  of  Long  Beach  Albert  Johnson 
is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  progressive 
citizens  of  this  city,  for  those  men  who  interest 
themselves  in  the  cause  of  education  -are  the  most 
valuable  citizens  a  community  can  have.  On 
his  mother's  side  he  is  a  direct  descendant  of 
Governor  Bradford  of  Massachusetts,  and  his 
father's  family  comes  from  old  English  stock. 
jNIr.  Johnson  was  born  July  8,  1843,  in  Stock- 
bridge,  Mass.,  the  son  of  Jonathan  and  Eunice 
(Bradford)  Johnson,  the  former  .a  native  of 
Stonington,  Conn.,  and  the  latter  of  Massachu- 
setts, her  father,  William,  having  been  born  in 
Connecticut.  There  were  five  children  in  the  fam- 
ilv,  and  of  them  William  Bradford  came  to  Cal- 
ifornia in  1852.  via  the  Isthmus,  his  death  oc- 
curring in  Petaluma  in'  1857;  Edward  L.  is  a 
resident  of  Dixon,  III;  Mrs.  S.  J.  Carr  lives  in 
Los  Angeles;  Mrs.  Brewer  died  in  Dixon,  and 
Albert  was  the  youngest  child. 

Reared  on  his  father's  farm  in  Massachusetts. 
Air.  Johnson  received  a  preliminary  education  in 
public  schools,  and  then  entered  Lennox  Acad- 
emy to  prepare  for  Williams  College.  August  20. 
1862,  he  demonstrated  his  patriotism  by  enlist- 
ing in  Company  F,  Forty-ninth  Regiment  of 
j\Iassachusetts  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  mus- 
tered into  service  in  Pittslield,  having  enlisted  for 
a  term  of  nine  months.  He  was  first  sent  to  New 
York  City  on  provost  duty  on  the  steamer  Illi- 
nois, went  from  there  to  the  gulf  and  New  Or- 
leans under  General  Banks,  took  part  in  the 
siege  of  Port  Hudson,  being  there  at  the  time  of 
its  surrender,  and  was  engaged  in  skirmishing 
until  he  had  served  three  months  over  time.  He 
was  then  ordered  back  to  INIassachussetts  and 
mustered  out  at  Pittsfield.  In  the  fall  of  1868 
he  removed  to  Dixon,  111.,  where  he  farmed  for 
a  short  time,  but  in  1875  entered  the  county  re- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1235 


corder's  office  as  deputy  circuit  clerk  and  deputy 
county  recorder.  At  one  time  he  also  conducted 
a  large  abstract  business  in  partnership  with  Ira 
W.  Lewis,  under  the  firm  name  of  Lewis  & 
Johnson,  in  all  of  his  work  meeting  with  good 
success. 

The  condition  of  Mrs.  Johnson's  health  neces- 
sitating a  change  of  climate  the  family  removed 
to  California  in  1894,  locating  in  Los  Angeles, 
where  Mr.  Johnson  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
business.  In  1902  he  came  to  Long  Beach  and 
continued  to  deal  in  realty,  the  greater  part  of 
his  time  being  devoted  to  the  handling  of  his  own 
property.  The  family  residence  is  at  No.  225 
West  Fourth  street.  Mr.  Johnson  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Emily  Comstock,  a  native  of  Lee, 
Mass.,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  three  children  : 
William  Bradford,  teller  in  the  German-Ameri- 
can Savings  Bank  of  Los  Angeles ;  Lottie,  Mrs. 
John  T.  Laing,  who  resides  in  Dixon,  III. ;  and 
Emma  L.,  who  makes  her  home  under  the  par- 
ental roof.  Mr.  Johnson  is  an  active  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  he  is  an  elder. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America  and  belongs  to  Long  Beach  Post 
G.  A.  R.  He  is  an  advocate  of  Republican  prin- 
ciples and  in  all  matters  of  social  and  civic  in- 
terest lends  his  influence  to  the  furthering  of 
those  enterprises  which  tend  to  elevate  and  up- 
build. 


SYLVANUS  THURMAN.  Prominent 
among  the  old  pioneers  of  Southern  California  is 
Sylvanus  Thurman,  who  came  to  the  state  with 
his  parents  in  i860,  a  lad  of  ten  years,  and  since 
that  time  has  made  his  home  in  the  land  adopted 
by  them,  content  to  pass  his  declining  years  in 
its  pleasant  surroundings.  He  was  born  in  Ta- 
ney county.  Mo.,  April  5.  1850,  the  eldest  in  a 
family  of  four  sons  and  one  daughter ;  their 
father,  Elisha  A.  Thurman,  was  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  where  the  paternal  grandfather,  John, 
located  from  Virginia  and  engaged  in  farming, 
finally  removing  to  Missouri  and  following  the 
occupation  of  flatboating  on  the  Mississippi  river. 
He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  181 2,  serving  un- 
der General  Jackson  at  New  Orleans.  Elisha  A. 
Thurman  located  in  Taney  county.  Mo.,  and  en- 
gaged as  a  farmer  and  stockman,  and  in  i860 
outfitted  with  ox-teams  and  necessary  provisions 
and  brought  his  family  across  the  plains,  via  the 
Platte,  Sweetwater,  Fort  Hall  on  the  Snake 
river,  across  the  Humboldt,  thence  by  the  Car- 
son route  to  California,  making  the  journey  in 
seven  months.  He  located  in  lone,  Amador 
county,  and  engaged  as  a  farmer,  and  remained 
there  until  1866,  when  he  went  to  Jackson  coun- 
ty. Ore.,  and  followed  a  similar  occupation  for 
tile  period  of  three  years.     Returning  to  Califor- 


nia in  1869  lie  located  in  Los  Angeles  county  and 
near  the  Seventeen  Mile  house  at  Anaheim  en- 
gaged in  the  stock  business.  In  1872  he  bought 
a  farm  at  La  Puente,  later  resided  in  El  Monte, 
and  finally  located  in  the  vicinity  of  Downey, 
where  he  farmed  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1902  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-two  years. 
His  wife,  formerly  Eliza  Phillips,  was  born  in 
Tennessee,  a  daughter  of  John  Phillips,  who  re- 
moved to  Moniteau  county.  Mo. ;  she  died  in  El 
Monte.  Besides  Sylvanus,  there  were  three  sons 
and  one  daughter,  namely :  Columbus,  who  died 
in  Downey;  William  C,  located  in  Humboldt 
count}',  Cal. ;  Elisha  A.,  Jr.,  who  died  in  Red- 
lands  ;  and  Susan,  wife  of  O.  H.  Beardsley,  of 
Mentone. 

S}'lvanus  Thurman  was  reared  in  Missouri  to 
the  age  of  ten  years,  when  he  accompanied  his 
parents  on  the  memorable  journey  across  the 
plains.  He  helped  drive  the  ox-teams  and  the 
cattle,  taking  his  turn  at  standing  guard,  and 
early  learning  the  lessons  of  self-reliance  and 
courage.  Besides  his  father's  two  wagons,  his 
mother's  brother  had  a  team  and  wagon,  and  he, 
having  crossed  the  plains  before,  knew  the  way 
and  they  came  through  without  trouble.  After 
locating  in  Amador  county  he  attended  the  pub- 
lic school,  after  their  removal  to  Oregon  assist- 
ing in  the  management  of  the  home  farm.  He 
remained  at  home  until  attaining  his  majority, 
when  he  began  for  himself,  starting  in  the  sheep 
business  two  years  later  at  Puente,  and  continued 
there  until  1877.  This  being  the  dry  year,  he 
sold  out  and  then  engaged  in  farming  at  El 
Monte,  and  after  two  or  three  years  spent  one 
year  at  Verdugo,  and  then  went  to  Tombstone, 
Ariz.,  and  took  charge  of  a  freighting  outfit  for 
Springer  &  Van  Tazzle.  One  year  later  he  re- 
turned to  California  and  in  1882  located  on  Mill 
creek  just  below  the  Tyler  ranch  and  engaged  in 
farming  and  the  conduct  of  a  pack  train,  he  run- 
ning the  first  passenger  pack  train  over  the  San 
Bernardino  mountains  from  his  ranch  to  Bear 
valley  and  Seven  Oaks.  He  continued  this  work 
for  many  years  and  was  very  successful  in  it.  In 
1891  he  purchased  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  at  Bluff  lake,  and  now  has  two 
hundred  acres.  In  1884  this  was  named  Bluff 
lake  by  the  Bear  Valley  dam  workers ;  it  has  an 
altitude  of  seventy-five  hundred  and  seventy-five 
feet,  and  consists  of  a  beautiful  meadow  a  mile 
long  and  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide,  with  the  lake 
in  the  center ;  the  plateau  is  surrounded  by.  pines 
and  fir  trees,  one  fir  being  eight  feet  in  diameter 
and  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high.  Here  he 
has  erected  log  cabins  and  shake  cabins  which 
are  used  for  cottages,  Mr.  Thurman  himself  con- 
ducting the  dining  room,  running  a  dairy  in  con- 
nection with  it  and  having  his  own  beef  to  sup- 
ply the  table.     Since  1891  he  has  made  this  place 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


his  home,  spending  his  winters  in  Crafton  and 
his  summers  in  this  beautiful  resort.  He  also 
owns  four  hundred  and  forty  acres  a  mile  from 
Crafton,  and  this  property  is  devoted  to  the  rais- 
ing of  hay,  grain  and  stock.  He  has  an  orchard 
on  the  place  which  supplies  all  his  own  fruits  and 
also  for  market.  There  are  eleven  mountain 
springes  on  his  ranch  which  supply  ample  water. 

In  Redlands  in  1892  ^Nlr.  Thurman  was  united 
in  marriage  with  ^liss  Mary  Abbie  Pillsbury,  a 
native  of  New  Hampshire  and  a  graduate  of  Alt. 
Holyoke  College  of  Massachusetts  and  who  has 
been  a  resident  of  California  since  1889.  They 
are  members  of  the  First  Congregational  Qiurch 
of  Redlands,  and  are  liberal  supporters  of  its 
charities.  PoUtically  j\lr.  Thurman  is  a  stanch 
advocate  of  the  principles  advocated  in  the  plat- 
form of  the  Democratic  party. 


GEORGE  A.  LAXE.  Oceanside  has  a  full 
quota  of  live,  energetic  business  men,  promi- 
nent among  whom  is  George  A.  Lane,  who,  as 
one  of  the  re-organizers  and  managers  of  the 
Bank  of  Oceanside,  is  carrying  on  a  substan- 
tial general  banking  business.  In  the  varied 
occupations  in  which  he  has  been  employed 
he  has  gained  valued  experience  and  become 
well  and  favorably  known  in  mercantile  and 
financial  circles.  A  son  of  Gilbert  Lane,  he 
was  born,  in  1856,  at  Long  Branch,  N.  J.,  be- 
ing descended  from  an  old  and  honored  fam- 
ily. His  father  v/as  born  in  New  Jersey  eighty 
years  ago,  and  during  his  active  life  was  en- 
gaged in  the  transportation  business  in  New 
York  City.  Pie  and  his  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Catherine  Hathaway,  are  still  liv- 
ing. Of  their  four  children,  George  A.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  only  one  residing 
in  California. 

Brought  up  in  Long  Branch.  George  A. 
Lane  attended  llie  public  schools  when  young, 
completing  his  education  at  a  business  col- 
lege in  Poughkeepsie,  X.  Y.  Starting  in  life 
on  his  own  account  when  a  young  man.  he 
went  to  Wamego,  Kans..  where  he  was  for  a 
time  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits.  Locat- 
ing in  Trinidad,  Colo.,  in  1879,  he  remained 
there  a  number  of  years,  first  as  a  merchant. 
after  which  he  took  a  contract  with  others  to 
supply  ties  for  the  Utah  extension  of  the  Den- 
ver &  Rio  Grande  Railroad.  Later  he  engaged 
in  the  cattle  business  with  a  partner,  his  in- 
terest.? remaining  there  until  1890.  In  the 
meantime  in  i88(),  he  went  to  Flagstaff,  Ariz., 
to  take  the  management  of  the  commissary 
department  of  the  .\rizona  Lumber  Company. 
Disposing  of  his  property  in  that  locality  in 
iSqo.  he  came  to  California,  and  for  the  next 
ten   vears   was   in    the   emnlov  of  a  wholesale 


iiardvvare  company  in  Los  Angeles,  and  while 
in  the  pursuit  of  his  duties  in  that  capacity 
became  associated  with  many  of  the  promi- 
nent business  men  of  Southern  California.  Re- 
signing his  position  in  1900,  he  removed  to 
Winslovv,  Ariz.,  to  take  the  position  of  cashier 
of  tlie  Xavajo  County  Bank,  which  he  held 
for  five  years.  Returning  to  California  in  the 
spring  of  1905.  he.  in  company  with  J.  X. 
Woods,  bought  and  re-organized  the  Bank  of 
( Jceanside.  and  he  is  rapidly  building  up  a 
large  and  lucrative  business  as  a  banker,  and 
in  addition  to  managing  that  institution  or- 
ganized, in  1906,  the  First  Xational  Bank  of 
( )ceanside,  and  is  also  interested  to  some  ex- 
tent in  real  estate  in  this  vicinity.  Since  the 
death  of  J.  X  Vi'oods  he  has  been  elected  to 
the  presidency  of  both  banks,  giving  to  these 
institutions  his  personal  supervision.  The 
present  officers  of  the  First  Xational  Bank  of 
Oceanside  are:  G.  A.  Lane,  president;  W.  \'. 
Xichols,  vice-president ;  and  E.  S.  Payne, 
ca.shier;  while  those  of  the  Bank  of  Ocean- 
side  are :  G.  A.  Lane,  president ;  C.  S.  Libby, 
vice-president ;  and  E.  S.  Paj-ne,  cashier. 

In  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  Mr.  Lane  married 
?(Iav  Welch,  a  native  of  Wisconsin,  and  they 
have  one  child,  Edith.  Politically  l\Ir.  Lane 
is  a  Republican,  and  fraternally  he  was  made 
a  jMason  in  Los  Animas  Loclge  Xo.  28,  F. 
&  A.  ]\I..  Trinidad,  Colo.,  and  is  now  a  mem- 
ber of  Oceanside  Lodge  Xo.  381.  F.  &  A.  M.. 
of  Oceanside,  of  which  he  is  junior  warden; 
he  is  also  a  member  of  AVinslow  Chapter.  R. 
A.  M.,  of  Winslow,  Ariz.,  and  both  he  and 
his  wife  belong  to  the  Order  of  the  Eastern 
Star.  Mrs.  Lane  is  a  woman  of  culture  and 
refinement,  highly  esteemed,  and  is  a  consist- 
ent member "  of  the  ?*Iethodist  Episcopal 
Church. 


^^TLLIAM  C.  HUXT.  The  active,  able  and 
progressive  business  men  of  San  Diego  have  no 
better  representative  than  William  C.  Hunt,  who 
is  widelv  known  as  one  of  the  leading  contract- 
ing painters  of  Southern  California.  Endowed 
l)v"  nature  with  many  gifts,  he  has  cultivated  his 
perceptive  faculties,  developing  to  an  eminent 
degree  his  mechanical  skill  and  his  knowledge  of 
form  and  color,  becoming,  in  truth,  an  artist  with 
both  pencil  and  brush.  He  is  noted  for  his  fine 
workmanship,  and  as  a  sign  writer  and  painter 
has  no  peer  in  the  county.  A  native  of  Dublin, 
Ireland,  he  was  born  May  3,  1852, 

Learning  the  trade  of  a  painter  when  voung, 
Mr.  Hunt  located  in  Xew  York  City  in  1875.  and 
there  followed  both  carriage  painting  and  house 
painting  for  awhile,  being  subsequently  similarly 
employed    in    Xew    Jersey.      Pennsylvania      and 


^ 


'^ 


GOTFRIED  MAIJLHARUT 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHIC.VL  RECORD. 


1239 


r^fassachusetts.  From  the  latter  state  he  came, 
in  18S3,  to  C)akdale.  Stanislaus  county,  Cal., 
which  was  then  the  terminal  point  of  the  railway, 
and  was  there  profitably  employed  at  his  trade 
for  four  years.  In  1887  he  took  up  his  residence 
in  San  Diego,  and  has  since  been  engaged  as  a 
contracting  painter,  and  has  built  up  a  thriving 
and  lucrative  business,  not  only  as  a  painter  of 
houses  and  carriages,  but  as  a  sign  painter,  in 
the  latter  line  especially  winning  an  enviable 
reputation.  He  does  much  of  the  contract  work 
of  the  city,  keeping  from  ten  to  twenty  hands 
employed  during  the  busy  season,  and  in  the 
filling  of  his  contracts  invariably  giving  satisfac- 
tion to  all  concerned. 

In  the  Isle  of  iNlan  Mr.  Hunt  married  Fannie 
Ireland,  a  native  of  England,  and  they  are  the 
parents  of  two  children,  namely:  \\'illiam 
Charles,  engaged  in  the  painting  business  at  Santa 
Clara,  and  Dorothy  Frances.  'Sir.  Hunt  is  a 
member  of  the  San  Diego  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, and  of  the  ^Master  Painters"  Association, 
which  lie  assisted  in  organizing.  He  is  one  of  the 
most  active  and  prominent  Odd  Fellows  of  the 
county,  being  a  member  and  past  grand  of  Sun- 
set Lodge  No.  328,  I.  O.  O.  F. ;  past  district  dep- 
uty grand :  a  member  and  past  chief  patriarch 
of  San  Diego  Encampment  No.  58 ;  while  Mrs. 
Hunt  is  a  member  and  past  grand  of  the  Re- 
bekahs,  and  past  district  deputy.  Mr.  Hunt 
also  belongs  to  Silver  Cate  Court.  Foresters 
of  America. 


GOTFRIED  M.VULHARDT.  In  the  rush  of 
twentieth  century  enterprise  we  often  fail  to  give 
the  credit  due  to  the  unostentatious  patriots  and 
pi(ineers  of  the  century  g<Mie  by.  and  often  too 
we  fail  in  appreciation  of  the  work  accomplished 
by  the  men  and  women  who  laid  the  foundation 
of  the  present  ])rosperity ;  hence  it  were  well 
to  record  their  names  in  the  annals  of  local 
history  in  order  that  future  generations  mav  give 
their  memories  the  tribute  of  respect  they  deserve. 
From  the  time  of  his  arrival  in  \'entura  county 
in  1867  until  his  death  more  than  thirty  years 
afterward  Mr.  ^ilaulhardt  lived  up  to  the  measure 
of  an  honest  and  conscientious  oublic  and  pri- 
vate life.  Though  of  German  birth  he  was  in- 
tensely American  in  ideals  and  spirit,  and  he 
w^as  one  of  those  men  who,  in  pursuing  the  even 
tenor  of  their  way,  form  the  bone  and  sinew 
of  Americanism. 

Dutterstadt.  Germany,  was  ^Ir.  Maulhardt's 
native  place,  and  May  27,  1836,  the  date  of  his 
birth,  he  being  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Giristine 
(Krukenberg)  ATaulhardt.  lifelong  residents  of 
Germany,  where  the  father  followed  the  builder's 
trade.  Three  of  the  sons  came  to  California, 
namelv :   Tacob  and   Gotfried.  who  died   in  A''en- 


tura  county,  and  Anton,  who  died  in  Los  Angeles. 
On  the  completion  of  the  studies  of  the  common- 
schools  Gotfried  IMaulhardt  learned  the  carpen- 
ter's trade  and  at  the  expiration  of  his  apprentice- 
ship he  worked  as  a  journeyman  in  his  home 
locality.  On  coming  to  America  in  1867  he 
proceeded  direct  to  California  and  settled  in  Ven- 
tura county,  where  he  rented  land  and  engaged 
in  raising  grain  and  stock.  After  a  time  he  in- 
vested his  savings  in  four  hundred  and  ten  acres 
situated  one  and  one-half  miles  from  the  present 
site  of  Oxnard,  and  on  this  place  he  followed 
general  farm  pursuits  with  gratifying  success. 
When  land  in  the  vicinity  became  very  valuable 
he  disposed  of  a  portion  of  the  ranch,  but  the 
bulk  of  the  propertv  is  still  owned  by  his  estate. 
On  the  homestead  he  remained  engaged  in  ranch- 
ing until  his  death,  which  occurred  on  Giristmas 
day  of  1898.  In  politics  he  voted  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party  after  becoming  a  citizen  of  the  L'nited 
states,  while  in  religion  he  was  an  earnest  mem- 
ber of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 

Some  years  before  leaving  his  native  land 
Mv.  Maulhardt  established  domestic  ties,  his 
marriage  in  1862  uniting  him  with  Miss  Sophia 
Maena,  a  native  of  the  same  locality  as  him- 
self. On  the  liome  farm  of  her  parents,  John 
and  Dora  (Peter)  Maena  (both  .of  whom  are 
now  deceased),  she  grew  to  womanhood,  mean- 
•\vhile  fitting  herself  for  the  practical  duties  of 
a  housekeeper  and  also  receiving  a  fair  educa- 
tion in  German  schools.  Of  all  her  family  she 
was  the  only  one  to  emigrate  to  America,  and  the 
death  of  her  husband  now  leaves  her  alone,  yet 
her  life  is  far  from  lonely,  for  .she  is  surrounded 
by  warm  friends  and  well-wishers  and  has  a  large 
circle  of  acquaintances  in  Oxnard,  where  since 
1904  she  has  made  her  home  on  E  street.  Reared 
in  the  Roman  Catholic  faith,  she  always  has  re- 
mained true  to  its  teachings  and  has  given  gener- 
ously to  its  charities  and  missionary  organiza- 
tion. Not  only  has  the  church  been  the  recipient 
of  her  generosity,  but  also  other  movements  of 
a  practically  helpful  nature  have  commanded  her 
ready  sympathy  and  active  co-operation,  and 
probably  no  one  in  Oxnard  is  more  deeply  in- 
terested than  she  in  the  progress  of  all  that  makes 
for  the  permanent  prosperity  of  the  city. 


MELYIN  WILLARD  HURST.  A  man 
of  many  estimable  qualities  is  ^lelvin  Willard 
Hurst,  one  of  the  i3rn|)rietors  of  the  Dream- 
land skating  rink  at  Oxnard,  who  has  been  a 
resident  of  this  state  since  1878.  He  was  born 
October  8.  1858,  at  Connersville,  Tnd.,  a  .son  of 
Rennett  and  Cynthia  Simp.son  Hurst,  both  na- 
tives of  Indiana.  His  grandfather.  Sanford 
Hurst,  was  a  stockman  and  farmer,  and  the 
father  still  resides  on  his  farm  nine  miles  from 


1240 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Connersville.  The  mother,  who  died  many 
years  ago,  gave  birth  to  three  children,  two  of 
whom  are  now  Hving.  ?.Ir.  Hurst  spent  all  of 
his  youthful  days  on  the  home  farm  in  Indiana 
and  received  his  education  through  the  medi- 
um of  the  public  schools.  At  the  age  of  twenty, 
years,  being  of  an  ambitious  nature  and  desir- 
ing to  see  something  of  the  world,  he  turned 
his  steps  toward  the  land  of  the  setting  sun 
and  arrived  in  Santa  Barbara  in  1878.  Ap- 
prenticing himself  for  three  years  to  a  carpen- 
ter, when  he  had  mastered  the  trade  he  went 
to  Pasadena  and  worked  for  a  similar  period. 
Following  this  he  spent  a  short  time  at  work 
in  Los  Angeles,  then  spent  five  years  at  Ven- 
tura assisting  in  building  operations.  From 
there  he  went  to  San  Francisco  for  a  few 
months,  when  he  came  to  Oxnard,  in  the  3'ear 
1898,  and  helped  to  build  the  third  structure 
erected  in  the  then  new  town.  The  following 
three  years  he  was  engaged  as  contractor  and 
builder,  having  formed  a  partnership  with  J. 
H.  Myers,  and  at  the  close  of  this  period  went 
to  Arizona  and  prospected  in  the  mines  for 
six  months. 

Mining  did  not  prove  as  attractive  and  prof- 
itable as  he  had  hoped  it  would,  however,  and 
upon  his  return  to  Oxnard  he  accepted  the 
position  of  foreman  of  the  contracting  firm  of 
M3'ers  &  Abplanalp,  retaininsr  the  place  until 
the  spring  of  1906,  Avhen  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Mr.  ]\rcAndrew  and  built  the  large 
Dreamland  skating  rink  on  C  street.  The 
building  is  a  very  large  and  commodious  one, 
measuring  72x120  feet,  the  fine  maple  floor 
covering  a  space  60x120  feet,  the  capacity  of 
the  floor  being  sufficient  for  two  hundred 
skaters.  The  equipment  is  of  the  finest  and 
the  skates  are  the  best  Spaulding  and  Union  ball 
bearing.  Many  high  class  entertainment  feat- 
ures are  given  from  time  to  time,  including 
masked  parties,  dances  and  races.  A  regula- 
tion double  bowling  alley  is  also  run  in  con- 
nection with  the  rink.  ^fr.  Hurst  is  interested 
in  other  property  in  Oxnard,  among  his 
holdings  being  two  residences  in  the  city.  Fra- 
terrially  he  affiliates  with  the  Independent  Or- 
der of  Odd  Fellows'  Lodge  of  Oxnard.  and  po- 
litically he  is  an  earnest  advocate  of  the  prin- 
ciples embraced  in  the  platform  of  the  Repub- 
lican party.  He  is  well  informed  on  social 
and  economic  subjects  and  is  a  public-spirited 
citizen,  highly  respected  by  the  whole  com- 
munitv. 


his  birth  having  occurred  in  Piedmont,  January 
6,  1856,  the  second  in  a  family  of  three  children 
born  to  his  parents ;  his  father,  Peter,  was  also 
born  in  Piedmont,  of  an  old  and  distinguished 
family,  and  both  himself  and  wife  died  in  their 
native  country.  Joseph  Ferrero  was  the  only  one 
of  the  family  who  ever  came  to  America.  He 
was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  in  Italy,  receiv- 
ing a  rather  limited  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  country,  after  which  he  engaged 
independently  in  farming  operations.  Deciding 
in  1886  to  try  his  fortunes  in  America  he  crossed 
the  ocean  and  came  to  Los  Angeles,  Gal.,  where 
he  remained  for  five  years  employed  principally 
on  ranches.  He  then  purchased  a  ranch  in  the 
vicinity  of  Whittier  and  remained  there  until 
1898,  when  he  came  to  Puente  and  engaged  in 
the  raising  of  grain  on  the  Puente  ranch,  in  1903 
purchasing  the  eighty-five  acre  ranch  which  he 
now  owns,  adjoining  the  town  of  Puente.  He 
has  added  improvements  to  the  place  and  brought 
it  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  installing  a 
pumping  plant,  equipped  with  a  twenty-three 
horse  power  engine,  with  a  capacity  of  eighty 
inches.  He  has  set  out  eight  acres  in  a  walnut 
grove,  while  the  balance  is  devoted  to  alfalfa  and 
hay. 

In  Italy  Mr.  Ferrero  was  married  to  Carlotta 
Fea.  a  native  of  Italy,  where  her  death  occurred. 
Of  their  three  children,  two  are  living,  Peter,  a 
farmer  in  Puente,  and  IMaddelena.  Mrs.  Faure  of 
Puente.  Mr.  Ferrero  was  married  a  second  time 
to  Dominica  Boggetti,  a  native  of  Italy,  and  born 
of  this  union  are  the  following  children  :  George. 
Mary,  Joseph,  Albert.  Dominic,  Frank,  Vincent, 
^Marguerite  and  David. 


JOSEPH  FERRERO.  A  business  man  of 
Puente.  Joseph  Ferrero  is  engaged  in  dealing  in 
alfalfa  and  ha\-.  and  managing  a  fine  ranch  in  the 
vicinity  of  thi-;  place.     ITc   is  a  native  of  Itnlv, 


D.  E.  BOWMAN.  A^'aried  occupations  pre- 
sent themselves  as  a  source  of  livelihood  to  the 
residents  of  Southern  California,  and  not  the 
least  important  of  these  is  the  management  of 
an  apiary.  Experience  has  proved  that  certain 
sections  are  well  adapted  to  bee-culture,  and 
availing  themselves  of  this  fact  a  number  of  men 
have  devoted  themselves  successfully  to  the  in- 
dustry. Nuinbered  among  the  enthusiastic 
apiarists  of  Valley  Center  may  be  mentioned  Mr. 
Bowman,  who  owns  an  apiary  of  one  hundred 
and  nine  colonies  and  at  one  time  had  as  many 
as  seven  hundred  colonies.  Long  experience  has 
given  him  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  busi- 
ness and  there  are  in  the  community  few  men 
more  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  industry 
than  is  he.  The  apiary  is  situated  on  his  ranch 
of  forty-five  acres  and  forms  the  principal  source 
of  revenue  from  the  property. 

A  native  of  Berlin,  Canada,  born  in  1839,  Mr. 
Bowman  is  a  son  of  John  B.  and  L>-dia  E.  (Erb~) 
Bowman,  both  of  whom  are  deceased.     .\s  a  bov 


/^^, 


jy^     |*Bf^ 


^^7^^-^"^  c>f/= 


MISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1243 


1k'  was  given  the  best  educational  privileges  the 
neighborhood  afforded,  and  on  leaving  school  be- 
gan to  teach  not  far  from  the  old  home,  where 
he  remained  for  a  considerable  period  following 
the  profession  of  a  teacher.  In  1869  he  removed 
to  Lawrence,  Kans.,  and  for  a  few  years  resided 
in  that  city  and  state,  but  in  1874  he  proceeded 
west  to  the  Pacific  coast  and  settled  at  Valley 
Center,  San  Diego  county,  where  he  soon  ac- 
quired e.xtensive  apiary  interests.  During  1886 
he  became  interested  in  mining  at  various  mines 
and  for  twelve  years  he  devoted  himself  almost 
wholly  to  that  occupation,  but  since  1898  he  has 
given  his  time  to  the  bee  business.  His  knowl- 
edge of  bees  embraces  every  detail  connected 
with  their  habits  and  their  needs,  and  by  reason 
of  his  long  experience  and  thorough  knowledge 
he  is  enabled  to  bring  to  the  markets  honey  of 
superior  quality  and  unsurpassed  richness  of 
flavor. 

After  having  remained  a  bachelor  for  years, 
in  December  of  1905  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  j\Irs.  Jennie  Strong,  who  shares  with  him 
the  esteem  of  acquaintances  and  with  him  is  an 
attendant  upon  services  at  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  Thoughtful  reading  and  a  close 
study  of  conditions  relating  to  capital  and  labor 
have  made  of  him  a  socialist.  In  him  the  poor 
have  a  helpful  friend,  and  his  sympathies  are 
ever  on  the  side  of  the  unfortunate  and  op- 
pressed. The  course  of  a  long  and  active  life 
has  brought  him  a  wide  knowledge  of  the  human 
race  and  of  the  conditions  under  which  the  poor 
struggle  for  their  daily  bread,  and  this  knowl- 
edge has  broadened  his  outlook  as  well  as  deep- 
ened his  sympathies.  To  the  people  of  Valley 
Center,  where  he  holds  the  rank  of  a  very  old 
settler,  he  has  many  warm  and  sincere  friends, 
who  have  been  drawn  to  him  by  his  earnestness 
of  character  and  kindness  of  heart. 


JAMES  FINLEY.  One  of  the  modern  and 
up-to-date  residences  in  Long  Beach  is  Em- 
erald Cottage,  at  No.  37  Lime  street,  which 
was  formerly  the  home  of  Mr.  Finley,  and  is 
still  the  home  of  his  widow  and  children.  In 
thus  naming  his  home  Mr.  Finley  perpetuated 
a  name  which  is  dear  to  all  natives  of  the  Em- 
erald Isle,  for  he  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  born 
in  County  Antrim  in  1845,  a  son  of  William 
and  Eliza  (Hanna)  Finley,  of  Scotch  and 
English  antecedents  respectively. 

During  his  boyhood  James  Finley  was 
reared  on  his  father's  farm  until  he  was 
eighteen  years  old,  but  the  routine  of  the 
work  was  irksome  to  him  and  he  determined 
to  prepare  himself  for  work  in  another  line. 
The  raising  and  preparing  of  flax  into  articles 
of  commerce  is  one  of  the  chief  industries  in 


his  native  country  and  it  was  along  this  line 
that  his  inclinations  led  him.  He  learned  the 
art  of  flax  dressing  and  became  so  expert  at 
the  work  that  before  long  he  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  mill,  holding  this  position  for 
several  years,  or  until  resigning  in  1867  to 
come  to  the  United  States.  Going  direct  to 
Painesville,  Ohio,  he  obtained  employment 
with  Stores,  Harrison  &  Co.,  nurserymen  in 
that  city,  with  whom  he  remained  for  about 
one  year,  at  the  end  of  that  time  coming  to 
California.  Locating  in  San  Jose  he  obtained 
a  position  with  the  Saratoga  Paper  Mills  Com- 
pany, while  there  learning  the  details  of  the 
business  and  finally  rose  to  the  position  of  su- 
perintendent of  the  mill.  Subsequently  he  was 
interested  in  a  tannery  in  Santa  Cruz,  but  was 
overtaken  by  disaster  in  this  undertaking  when 
he  had  been  in  it  about  a  year,  thus  losing  all 
that  he  invested  in  it.  Going  then  to  Santa 
Rosa,  Sonoma  county,  he  accepted  a  position 
as  traveling  salesman  and  engineer  for  Joseph 
Enright.  a  large  dealer  in  steam  harvesters. 
Returning  to  San  Jose,  it  was  in  1880  that  he 
entered  the  fire  department  of  that  city  as  en- 
gineer, a  position  which  he  held  for  five  years, 
or  until  March,  1885,  when  he  resigned  to  ac- 
cept his  appointment  as  superintendent  of  the 
.Santa  Clara  County  almshouse.  In  this  as  in 
all  other  positions  which  he  had  filled  he  gave 
his  undivided  pttention  to  the  duties  that  fell 
to  him.  with  the  result  that  he  left  a  record 
behind  him  which  was  greatly  to  his  credit. 
After  eight  years  as  manager  of  the  alms- 
house he"  resigned  in  1892  to  take  chargeof  his 
ranch  of  forty  acres  near  Downey,  which  he 
had  purchased  some  years  previously.  He  set 
out  the  entire  tract  as  a  walnut  grove,  erect- 
ing a  fine  residence  and  other  necessary  im- 
provements, making  of  it  one  of  the  finest 
ranches  in  that  part  of  Los  Angeles  county. 
After  making  his  home  there  for  eight  years 
he  disposed  of  the  property  and  removed  to 
Long  Beach,  erecting  the  residence  on 
Lime  street  occupied  by  his  widow  and 
children  and  known  as  Emerald  Cot- 
tage. Here  he  lived  retired  during  his 
latter  years,  although  his  death  occurred  at  the 
California  Hospital,  whither  he  had  gone  for 
treatment.  An  operation  finally  became  im- 
perative, but  even  this  expedient  failed  to 
bring  desired  results  and  he  passed  away  Sep- 
tember 25,  1904.  He  was  recognized  as  a  pub- 
lic spirited  man,  self-made  in  every  sense  im- 
plied by  the  term. 

In  San  Jose,  November  24,  1881,  Mr.  Finley 
luarried  Sarah  E.  McGary.  who  was  born  in 
Yamhill  county.  Ore.,  four  miles  north  of  Mc- 
Minnville.  The  INlcGary  family  was  for  manv 
years  well  known  in  the.  south,   especially   in 


1244 


.  HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Kentucky,  where  the  grandparents  of  Mrs. 
Finley,  James  and  Martha  (Thomasson)  '\lc- 
Gary,  were  born  and  reared  and  there  spent 
their  entire  lives.  Their  son,  Garrett  W.,  was 
born  near  Frankfort,  Ky.,  and  continued  to 
make  his  home  there  imtil  a  few  years  prior  to 
the  rush  to  California  as  the  result  of  the  find- 
ing of  gold.  Leaving  Kentucky  in  1847  he 
crossed  the  plains  by  means  of  ox-teams  and 
arrived  at  his  destination  in  Oregon  six 
months  later.  The  Cayuse  Indian  war  broke 
out  soon  afterwp.rd,  and  with  the  other  settlers 
he  did  his  part  in  quelling  the  disturbances, 
serving  as  lieutenant  of  his  regiment.  He 
came  to  the  west  with  the  idea  of  settling 
down  as  a  farmer,  and  the  first  property  which 
he  owned  was  in  Polk  county.  Subsequently 
disposing  of  this  he  purchased  a  half-section  of 
land  near  Mc^Iinn-^-ille.  which  was  the  home 
of  the  family  at  the  time  of  the  birth  of  his 
daughter.  In  1868  he  located  near  San  Jose, 
Cal..  where  he  carried  on  a  farm  until  1884, 
when  he  removed  to  Downey  and  engaged  in 
wainut-growing.  He  died  on  th.e  ranch  which 
he  had  established  there  December  20,  1897, 
at  the  age  of  sevent3--five  3'ears  and  six 
months,  firm  in  the  faith  of  the  Christian 
Church,  of  which  he  was  a  member.  The  wife 
of  Garrett  W.  AIcGary  was  before  her  marriage 
Catherine  Sparks,  a  native  of  Surry  county.  N. 
C,  and  a  daughter  of  INIathew  and  Sarah  (El- 
mer) Sparks,  both  also  natives  of  North  Car- 
olina, and  the  latter  of  English  descent.  From 
North  Carolina  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Sparks  removed 
to  Lone  Jack.  Mo.,  but  later,  in  185 1,  brought 
their  family  across  the  plains  to  Oregon,  two 
sons  having  preceded  them  to  California  in 
1849.  Settling  on  a  farm  in  Polk  county  they 
there  passed  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  hav- 
ing become  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of 
whom  seven  are  living.  Four  children  were 
born  to  ATr.  and  Mrs.  Finley.  all  of  whom  are 
residents  of  Long  Beach,  and  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  eldest,  who  is  married,  are  still  at 
home  with  their  mother.  Named  in  order  of 
their  birth  thev  are  as  follows :  Bessie,  Mrs. 
W.  W.  Brady :'  William  J.,  Edward  Ayer  and 
James  Robert.  During  his  earlier  years  Mr. 
Finlev  was  a  Re])ublican  in  his  political  belief, 
but  during  later  years  took  sides  with  the  Pro- 
hibitioni.sts.  Religiously  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Holiness  Association,  while  Airs.  Finley  is 
a  member  of  tlie  Christian  Church  of  Long 
Beach. 


W.  A.  WICKERSHAAI.  As  a  progressive 
and  successful  ranchman  Air.  Wickersham  of 
San  Diego  county  is  ranked  among  her  leading 
citizens.      Bv    the    exercise    of   thrift    and    good 


business  judgment  he  has  become  the  owner  of 
two  very  fine  ranches,  although  he  is  yet  a 
young  man.  His  birth  occurred  December  10, 
1872,  in  Kansas  City.  AIo.,  his  parents,  Joshua 
J.  and  Damearis  (Hipes)  Wickersham,  both 
being  natives  of  Indiana.  The  father  was  a  con- 
tractor and  builder  by  trade,  a  Republican  in 
politics,  and  an  adherent  of  the  Quaker  sect  in 
religion.  His  death  occurred  at  Rainbow,  Cal. 
at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years.  The  mother, 
who  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Giurch,  makes  her  home  with  her  son.  A\'.  A., 
he  being  one  of  three  children.  With  his  father 
Air.  Wickersham  came  to  Califoniia  when  ten 
years  of  age.  receiving  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  San  Luis  Obispo  and  Los  Angeles. 
At  the  latter-named  place  he  learned  the  • 
printer's  trade,  although  he  followed  it  for  a 
short  time  only.  Later  he  came  to  San  Diego 
county  and  filed  on  a  piece  of  government  land 
comprising  eightv  acres,  and  also  bought  twenty- 
five  acres.  Starting  with  fifty  swamis  of  bees, 
he  engaged  in  the  production  of  honew  his  gain 
for  the  first  season  being  $165.  He  has  eight 
acres  of  ground  devoted  to  the  raising  of  raisin 
grapes,  while  on  the  homestead  he  cultivates  hay 
and  grain  crops. 

Air.  Wickersham"s  marriage  to  Ada  Z.  Cole- 
man, a  native  of  Kansas,  occurred  in  1899. 
Roy  Walter,,  the  only  child  born  to  them,  died  .ui 
infancy.  In  1891  Air.  Wickersham  also  suffered 
the  bereavement  of  his  wife.  He  leans  toward 
the  religious  opinions  of  the  Alethodist  Episco- 
pal denomination  and  politically  is  a  strong  ad- 
herent of  the  Republican  party,  at  present  fill- 
ing the  office  of  deputy  clerk  of  San  Diego 
county.  He  is  one  of  the  most  highly  esteemed 
citizens  of  the  communitv  in  which  he  resides. 


SALITH  LEEDOAI.  Since  1902  Smith  Lee- 
dom  has  been  engaged  as  a  liveryman  in  San  Ber- 
nardino where  he  is  well  known  as  the  proprie- 
tor of  the  Santa  Fe  stables  located  on  D  street. 
He  was  born  in  1837  near  Ricksmill,  in  Alusking- 
um  county.  Ohio,  where  his  father  followed  the 
occupation  of  farmer.  Educated  in  the  public 
schools,  when  he  grew  to  maturity  he  resolved 
to  continue  in  the  work  to  which  he  had  been 
trained  through  his  boyhood  and  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits.  On  June  24,  i8r)3.  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Aliss  Annie  E.  Humph- 
rey, born  near  Cumberland.  Ohio,  her  father. 
Thomas  Humphrey,  having  been  a  native  of  the 
same  state  and  the  son  of  parents  who  claimed 
\'irginia  as  their  native  home.  Air.  Humphrey 
was  a  successful  farmer,  drover,  stock  dealer 
and  business  man,  who,  after  a  life  of  useful- 
ness, died  in  Ohio,  mourned  by  all  who  had  the 
pleasure    of    his    acquaintance.      Airs.    Lecdom's 


^^'^'^-^^^  ^^^£>^t^ 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1247 


mother,  who  was  Louisa  Ann  Harlan  before  her 
marriage,  died  when  her  only  child  was  Init  two 
years  of  age. 

After  their  marriage  Air.  and  !Mrs.  Leedom 
operated  a  farm  for  about  two  years  near  Ricks- 
mill,  afterward  locating  near  Cumberland  and 
following  the  same  business  until  1888.  In  that 
year  they  removed  to  California,  settling  in  Col- 
ton.  Two  years  later  they  removed  to  Redlands 
locating  on  Xinth  and  State  streets,  and  after- 
ward bought  an  orange  ranch  west  of  Redlands, 
known  as  the  Barton  tract.  Air.  Leedom  engaged 
m  ranching  for  a  number  of  }ears  in  this  locality 
and  in  iyo2  purchased  the  livery  Ijusiness  in  San 
Bernardino,  which  he  now  conducts.  Of  the  ten 
children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leedom  we  men- 
tion the  following :  Allen  H.  and  Walter  are 
successfully  engaged  in  the  automobile  busine-^s 
in  Colton  ;  W.  T.  is  in  the  same  business  in  Red- 
lands  ;  Jennie,  J\Irs.  Littlefield,  resides  in  San 
Bernardino,  where  her  husband  is  a  plumber : 
O'Dell  is  also  engaged  in  the  automobile  business 
in  Colton :  Etta  became  the  wife  of  John  Bost- 
wick,  who  is  successfully  following  the  painter's 
trade  in  Colton ;  Harry,  a  lather  and  shingler  by 
trade,  lives  in  Los  Angeles;  Orra  died  in  Colton 
at  the  age  of  nineteen  years ;  Clarence  died  in 
Redlands  when  ten  years  old :  Alary  became  the 
wife  of  Willie  Gillogey,  who  is  a  carpenter  by 
trade  and  owns  a  residence  in  Redlands.  Mrs. 
Leedom  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Qiurch.  Po- 
litically Mr.  Leedom  is  a  Republican  and  frater- 
nally is  a  JNIason,  having  attained  the  master's 
degree.  As  an  enterprising  and  progressive  citi- 
zen he  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  all  who 
know  him. 


WILLIAM  WHITE.  Prominent  among 
the  early  pioneers  of  Sherman  was  the  late 
^^'illiam  White,  who  during  his  thirty  years  of 
residence  in  this  locality  was  known  and  re- 
spected as  an  industrious  and  worthy  citizen, 
a  kind  neighbor  and  a  loving  husband  and 
father;  and  his  death,  which  occurred  Januar}' 
24,  1904,  at  the  homestead  where  he  had  long 
resided,  was  a  cause  of  general  regret.  He 
was  born  August  12,  1822,  in  Harrisburg,  Ky., 
where  he  grew  to  man's  estate. 

Going  to  Trenton,  Grundy  county,  Mo.,  in 
1845,  while  yet  a  young,  single  man,  William 
WHiite  laid  a  soldier's  warrant  on  a  tract  of 
land,  and  purchased  an  adjoining  tract,  ob- 
taining title  to  many  acres.  He  subsequently 
served  as  an  officer  in  the  Mexican  war.  for 
which  he  was  entitled  to  a  pension  from  the 
government,  the  papers  having  arrived  at  his 
home  just  four  days  after  his  death.  At  the 
close  of  the  war  he  married  and  settled  as  a 
carpenter  in  his  Missouri  home.  In  1862,  hear- 


ing glowing  descriptions  of  the  lands  to  be 
bought  for  a  song  farther  west,  he,  accom- 
panied by  his  wife  and  two  small  children, 
went  across  the  plains  with  ox-teams  to  east- 
ern Dregon,  locating  near  the  present  site  of 
Baker  Cit}-,  where  he  took  up  land  on  which 
he  lived  and  labored  for  a  year.  Forced  to 
leave  there  on  account  of  ill  health,  he  located 
in  the  Willamette  valley,  near  Eugene,  Ore., 
where  he  bought  eighty  acres  of  land.  Renting 
his  land,  he  afterwards  followed  his  trade  in 
that  vicinity  until  1875.  Selling  out  in  that 
year,  he  came  to  Los  Angeles  county,  settling 
near  the  present  site  of  Sherman,  where  he 
purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  wild 
land,  which  he  parti}-  cleared  and  improved,  al- 
though not  domg  quite  as  much  as  he  would 
had  he  been  physically  more  able  and  strong. 
When  he  came  here,  neither  railways  nor  tele- 
graph or  telephone  wires  spanned  the  country, 
and  the  native  Indians  and  the  wild  beasts  had 
not  fled  from  the  advancing  steps  of  civiliza- 
tion. He  lived,  however,  to  see  the  country 
well  settled  and  himself  the  owner  of  a  good 
ranch,  fairly  well  improved,  and  yielding  good 
crops. 

On  July  14,  1850,  Air.  White  married  Alar- 
tha  F.  Blew,  who  was  born  November  17,  1833, 
in  Huntsville,  Randolph  county,  AIo.,  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  four  children,  nameh- : 
Robert  AL,  of  Hollywood,  Cal. ;  William  6., 
wdio  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-three  years ; 
Thomas  L..  owning  a  part  of  the  old  home- 
stead ;  and  Charles  R.,  also  owner  of  a  portion 
of  the  old  home  farm.  Since  giving  up  pos- 
session of  the  ranch  to  her  sons.  Airs.  A\niite 
has  lived  in  the  village  of  Sherman,  where 
she  owns  a  small  house.  Politically  Air. 
White  was  a  zealous  supporter  of  the  princi- 
ples of  the  Democratic  party,  and  for  one  term 
served  as  constable.  He  joined  the  order  of 
the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Alasons  when 
young,  and  in  18^5  both  he  and  his  wife  united 
with  the  Christian  Church.  Although  he  was 
in  poor  health  for  many  years,  he  was  confined 
to  his  bed  but  two  days  before  death  relieved 
him  from  his  sufiferings,  the  end  coming  sud- 
denly in  the  midwinter  of  1904. 


GEORGE  \y.  FRAZER.  A  man  who  has  al- 
ways had  the  best  and  highest  interests  of  hu- 
manity at  heart  and  has  done  much  work  in  the 
promotion  of  elevating  influences  throughout 
the  state  is  George  W.  Frazer.  of  Colton,  whose 
profession  is  that  of  horticulturist.  He  was  born 
January  29,  1831.  in  Greenbrier  county.  \'a.. 
and  when  a  child  of  three  his  parents  removed 
to  Will  county.  Til.,  where  he  spent  his  boyhood 
days    and    was   educated    in    the   public    schools. 


1248 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


At  a  tender  age  he  was  deprived  of  a  mother's 
loving  care.  The  father,  John  Trazer,  was  a 
native  of  Virginia  who  settled  in  Illinois  in  1834 
and  continued  to  reside  in  that  state  until  the 
time  of  his  death  in  1864.  He  was  an  active 
member  of  the  ^Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and 
an  enthusiastic  class  leader  and  Sunday-school 
worker  and  surrounded  his  family  with  every 
elevating  and  refining  influence  at  his  command. 

From  Illinois  Mr.  Frazer  went  to  New  Orleans 
and  Texas,  remaining  for  one  winter,  after 
which  in  1852  he  came  to  California  across  the 
isthmus  via  Nicaragua  route,  landing  in  San 
Francisco  July  14.  His  experiences  on  this 
trip  came  near  to  proving  disastrous.  The  sail- 
ing vessel  which  he  boarded,  after  leaving  the 
isthmus  port  was  becalmed  in  midocean  for  six- 
ty-seven days  with  only  twenty-five  days'  rations, 
and  when  help  reached  them  crew  and  passen- 
gers were  nearly  famished.  Arriving  in  San 
Francisco  he  left  shortly  for  the  mines,  but  his 
health  being  very  poor,  he  soon  left  that  employ- 
ment and  went  to  Contra  Costa  county,  where  he 
engaged  in  ranching  until  1858.  The  following 
twenty  years  were  spent  in  Salano  county  in  the 
cattle  business.  In  1861  he  settled  on  a  piece 
of  government  land  there  and  the  succeeding 
year  was  married  to  Miss  Eliza  Root,  a  native 
of  Indiana,  a  family  of  eight  children  blessing 
their  union:  Albert,  Alice,  George,  Guy,  Lulu, 
Fred,  Adele,  and'  Jessie.  The  mother's  death 
occurred  when  she  was  forty-four  years  of  age. 

In  1888  INIr.  Frazer  located  in  Southern  Cal- 
ifornia and  was  a  fruit  dealer  in  Monrovia  for 
two  years,  and  in  1890  he  came  to  Colton  where 
he  has  bought  a  fine  home  and  expects  to  spend 
the  remainder  of  his  days.  Since  i860  Mr. 
Frazer  has  been  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  and  has  always  been  an  en- 
thusiastic worker  in  religious  circles.  He  is 
a  stanch  Prohibitionist  and  at  one  time  was  very 
active  in  the  Good  Templars  lodge  in  which  he 
held  ofifice  many  times.  In  Contra  Costa  county 
he  was  state  lecturer  for  the  Grange  organiza- 
tions there,  and  served  that  county  officially  as 
deputy  sheriff  and  constable.  He  is  a  broad- 
minded  man  of  strong  principles  and  is  held  in 
the  highest  esteem  by  all  who  have  the  pleasure 
of  his  acquaintance. 


D.  N.  DODSON.  Probably  no  man  in  San 
Diego  county  is  better  acquainted  with  real  life 
in  the  west,  southwest  and  northwest  than  D.  N. 
Dodson,  the  well-known  editor  and  proprietor 
of  the  Ramona  Sentinel,  who  has  lived  in  many 
states  and  has  had  a  varied  experience.  Learn- 
ing the  printer's  trade  at  the  compositor's  case, 
he  has  since  been  more  or  less  identified  with 
journalistic  work,  and  as  owner  of  the  Sentinel 


for  the  past  four  years  has  greatly  increased  its 
literary  excellence  and  its  circulation.  Public- 
spirited  and  enterprising,  he  has  endeavored 
through  its  columns  to  promote  all  progressive 
civic  movements  and  to  further  advance  the  edu- 
cational, business,  social  and  moral  welfare  of 
the  community  in  which  he  resides  and  whose 
welfare  he  has  at  heart.  A  son  of  John  H. 
Dodson,  he  was  born,  August  31,  1851,  in  Du- 
buque, Iowa. 

The  grandson  of  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of 
Ohio,  John  H.  Dodson  was  born  and  reared  in 
that  state,  and  during  his  earlier  life  was  there 
a  farmer  and  hotel  keeper,  and  subsequently  a 
merchant,  dealing  exclusively  in  boots  and  shoes. 
Going  from  there  to  Wisconsin,  he  was  for  a 
short  time  employed  in  lead  mining,  but  without 
sufficient  success  to  continue  there.  Removing  to 
Iowa,  he  bought  land  near  Dubuque,  and  for 
awhile  was  engaged  in  tilling  the  soil.  Locating 
then  in  Texas,  he  carried  on  general  farming 
and  stock-raising  until  his  death,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-one  years.  He  was  a  man  of  much  in- 
fluence in  the  places  in  which  he  lived,  being 
active  in  the  Republican  party,  a  Mason  and  an 
Odd  Fellow,  and  a  valued  member  of  the  JNIeth- 
odist  Episcopal  Church.  He  married  Mary  Ann 
Noleman,  who  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  died,  at 
the  age  of  fifty-five  years,  in  Texas.  She  was  a 
woman  of  rare  personal  worth,  and  a  consistent 
member  of  the  Baptist  Church.  Of  the  six  sons 
born  of  their  union,  three  are  residents  of  San 
Diego  county,  namely:  J.  H.,  a  rancher  in  the 
EI  Cajon  valley,  now  serving  as  justice  of  the 
peace;  A.  E.,  of  San  Diego,  an  insurance  and 
government  land  lawyer;  and  D.  N.,  the  special 
subject  of  this  sketch. 

Having  acquired  his  elementary  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  Iowa  Falls,  Iowa.  D.  N. 
Dodson  served  an  apprenticeship  at  the  printer's 
trade  in  Fort  Dodge,  Iowa,  remaining  there 
until  twenty  years  of  age.  Going  then  to  Texas, 
he  followed  his  trade  for  six  years,  in  the  mean- 
time studying  law.  Being  admitted  to  the  Texas 
bar  in  1878,  he  practiced  his  profession  at  Den- 
ton, Tex.,  for  two  years,  and  while  there  served 
as  mayor  of  the  city  one  term.  He  was  after- 
wards a  resident  for  a  time  of  Clay  county, 
Tex.,  and  there  was  justice  of  the  peace.  Sub- 
sequently, in  partnership  with  one  of  his  brothers, 
he  was  for  a  year  or  more  engaged  in  the  print- 
ing business  at  Dallas,  Tex.  In  December,  1887, 
he  came  from  there  to  San  Diego.  Cal.  and  tHe 
following  three  years  was  similarly  employed  in 
that  city.  Subsequently  locating  in  Escondido. 
he  bought  four  hundred  acres  of  wild  land  an4 
began  the  improvement  of  a  ranch,  at  the  same 
time  owning  and  managing  a  newspaper  at  Otay. 
Disposing  of  all  of  his  in"terests  in  that  locality, 
he  went  to  Alaska,  investing  his  money  in  Yaka- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1249 


tat  claims,  which  proved  worthless.  Not  in  the 
least  discouraged,  Mr.  Dodson,  in  company  with 
a  ]\Ir.  Patterson,  then  located  in  Valdez, 
Alaska,  where  he  practiced  law,  and  also  served 
as  notary  public  for  a  few  years.  Accumulating 
some  money,  he  erected  eight  cottages,  all  of 
which  were  soon  after  entirely  swept  away  6y  a 
sudden  rise  in  the  Glacier  stream.  Returning 
then  to  the  States,  he  lived  for  six  months  in 
Washington,  traveling  for  an  insurance  com- 
pany. Coining  back  to  San  Diego  county,  he 
started  life  anew,  without  moQey,  rich  only  in 
friends  and  courage.  With  characteristic  enter- 
prise he  continued  his  labors,  and  in  his  pro- 
fessional career  has  met  with  eminent  success. 
Four  years  ago  he  bought  the  Ramona  Sentinel, 
which  he  has  managed  so  ably,  and  while  as- 
sisting the  material  and  financial  growth  of  the 
town,  has  added  to  his  own  wealth,  building  a 
good  residence  here  and  accumulating  other 
property.  He  takes  an  intelligent  interest  in 
everything  concerning  the  public  welfare,  and 
is  now  serving  as  notary  public. 

In  Denton,  Tex.,  in  1880,  Mr.  Dodson  married 
Tillie  Cleveland,  who  was  born  in  Missouri,  and 
died  in  San  Diego  December  24,  1889,  at  the 
early  age  of  thirty  years.  She  was  a  woman  of 
refinement  and  culture,  greatly  esteemed  and  be- 
loved by  a  large  circle  of  friends,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  Church.  Four  children 
blessed  their  union,  namely :  Bruce,  residing  in 
Los  Angeles;  Clare,  wife  of  Clarence  M.  Tel- 
ford, of  Ramona,  a  carpenter  and  ranchman ; 
Nellie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  in 
Ramona;  and  William,  seventeen  years  old,  liv- 
ing in  Glendora,  Los  Angeles  county.  Possess- 
ing the  courage  of  his  convictions,  Mr.  Dodson 
votes  for  the  best  men  and  measures,  independent 
of  party  restrictions,  and  fraternally  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 


HIMALAYA  MINING  COMPANY.  Col- 
lectors of  precious  gems  are  today  finding  an  al- 
luring field  for  study  and  discovery  in  the  tour- 
maline, a  beautiful  and  brilliant  gem  from 
Nature's  treasure  house  which  connoisseurs  de- 
clare to  be  second  only  to  the  diamond.  Like  the 
diamond,  the  tourmaline  is  not  found  in  paying 
quantities  in  many  localities.  Indeed,  there 
hitherto  have  been  but  three  fields  to  yield  this 
gem,  Maine  and  Connecticut  in  the  United 
States  and  Ceylon  in  India.  The  gem  has  been 
found  in  Brazil  and  other  countries,  but  not  in 
sufficient  quantities  to  render  successful  mining 
possible.  Up  to  the  present  time  the  demand 
has  far  exceeded  the  supply,  hence  the  discovery 
and  successful  development  of  new  mines  pre- 
sents points  of  great  interest  to  those  engaged 
in  buying  and  selling  stones  and  gems. 


Recent  important  discoveries  of  tourmaline 
have  been  made  in  the  Mesa  Grande  mountain 
district,  fifty-four  miles  from  the  city  of  San 
Diego  and  thirty  miles  from  the  town  of  Foster, 
the  nearest  railroad  station.  Three  companies 
have  been  pioneers  in  developing  this  rich  field, 
namely:  Tannebaum  JNIining  Company,  whose 
properties  cover  eighty  acres ;  San  Diego  Tour- 
maline Compan}-,  forty  acres ;  and  Mesa  Grande 
Tourmaline  and  Gem  Company,  seven  hundred 
and  eighty-four  acres.  It  was  in  1891  that  Prof. 
George  F.  Kunz,  while  prospecting  in  Mesa 
Grande  mountain,  found  tourmaline  in  distinct, 
isolated  crystals,  many  of  which  were  translucent 
and  even  transparent,  with  separate  forms  and 
perfect  prisms.  Though  the  rubelite  predomi- 
nated, there  were  also  to  be  found  specimens 
made  up  of  four  or  five  distinct  sections,  re- 
sembling those  at  Haddam  Neck,  Conn.,  and 
Paris,  Me. ;  while  the  Brazilian  form  is  also  to 
be  found;  with  the  exception  that  those  have  the 
interior  of  the  crystal  red  inclosed  in  white,  with 
green  exterior,  while  the  Mesa  Grande  crystals 
show  green  in  the  interior  or  yellow  green  in- 
closed in  white,  with  the  exterior  red. 

Ten  years  after  making  his  original  statement 
concerning  this  discovery  Professor  Kunz  re- 
ported that  $15,000  in  gems  had  been  taken  from 
the  mines,  of  which  almost  one-half  were  found 
within  twelve  feet  of  the  surface  although  the 
best  stone  was  taken  out  at  a  depth  of  fifty  feet. 
Some  of  the  stones  he  stated  to  have  more  bril- 
liancy than  anything  in  the  world  with  the  sole 
exception  of  the  diamond.  In  value  the  tour- 
maline ranges  from  $5  to  $50  a  carat  according 
to  qualit}'  and  size.  The  rubelite  tourmaline  is 
taking  the  place,  in  a  large  degree,  of  the  ruby. 
The  demand  continues  to  exceed  the  supply  and 
there  is  every  encouragement  for  stockholders  in 
the  various  companies  to  push  forward  the  work 
of  mining  with  all  the  celerity  possible,  as  the 
results  cannot  be  otherwise  than  gratifying. 

The  Himalaya  Mining  Company,  which  lo- 
cated eightv-  acres  in  1900,  is  owned  by  Lippman 
Tannenbaum  of  New  York  City,  one  of  the 
largest  importers  of  diamonds  in  the  world.  The 
general  manager  and  superintendent  of  the  com- 
pany's interests  is  J.  Goodman  Braye,  Jr.,  who 
ranks  as  one  of  the  expert  tourmaline  miners  in 
the  world  and  has  a  knowledge  of  the  Mesa 
Grande  mines  exceeded  by  no  one. 


JAMES  WEIR,  president  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  San  Pedro,  is  also  chief  engineer  of 
the  San  Pedro  Lumber  Company,  besides  which 
he  is  first  vice-president  of  the  Harbor  City 
Savings  Bank,  in  the  organization  of  which  he 
took  an  active  part.  He  is  a  native  of  Mercer 
county,  Pa.,  born  September  21.  i860,  the  eldest 


1250 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  four  children  and  the  only  one  to  locate  on 
the  Pacific  coast.  His  father,  George  Weir,  was 
a  native  of  Scotland,  from  which  country  he 
immigrated  to  America  and  in  Pennsylvania  en- 
gaged as  a  farmer  until  his  death.  His  wife, 
formerly  Eliza  Craig,  was  also  a  native  of  Scot- 
land. 

Educated  in  the  district  schools,  which  he  at- 
tended hetween  the  years  of  six  and  sixteen, 
James  ^^'eir,  began  the  battle  of  life  with  a  sub- 
stantial foundation  upon  which  to  built  future 
knowledge.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  he  left 
school  and  accepted  a  position  as  apprentice  to 
learn  the  trade  of  machinist,  and  upon  his  mastery 
of  the  work  began  a  prosecution  of  his  trade  in 
Pennsylvania.  He  made  that  place  his  home  un- 
til 1892,  when  he  came  to  Madera,  Cal.,  and  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Madera  Flume  and  Trad- 
ing Company  in  the  capacity  of  engineer  and 
machinist.  He  remained  widi  them  for  about 
four  years,  when,  in  1896,  he  came  to  San  Pedro 
and  accepted  the  position  of  chief  engineer  at 
the  mill  of  the  San  Pedro  Lumber  Company, 
which  was  just  then  completed.  This  position 
he  has  subsequently  filled  with  efficiency,  and  since 
the  installation  of  the  engine  and  machinery  im- 
provements his  responsibilities  have  been  lessened 
considerabl}-. 

In  this  city  'Sir.  \\'e\r  married  Delia  Hann.  a 
native  of  Indiana,  and  they  are  now  the  parents 
of  two  children.  James  and  Mabel.  Mr.  Weir 
is  prominent  in  fraternal  circles,  being  a  member 
of  San  Pedro  Lodge  \o.  332,  F.  &  A.  j\l..  in 
which  he  was  first  initiated  into  the  order, 
is  also  enrolled  among  the  members  as  high 
priest,  of  San  Pedro  Qiapter.  No.  89.  R. 
A.  M.,  and  is  identified  with  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  He  has  taken  a  deep 
interest  in  the  development  of  San  Pedro  in 
1902  being  elected  a  member  of  the  board  of 
trustees  for  a  term  of  four  years,  and  two  years 
later  selected  as  president  of  the  board.  In  1906, 
at  the  April  election,  he  was  re-elected  to  his 
office  and  made  chairman  by  the  members  which 
position  he  holds  at  the  present  writing.  He  is 
a  man  of  ability  and  a  citizen  of  worth,  who  is 
best  appreciated  where  best  known. 


WILLLVAl  L.  CL.\RK.  superintendent  of 
the  Cleveland-Pittsburg  Gold  ^Mining  Com- 
]5any  and  one  of  the  most  efficient  and  ex- 
perienced mining  engineers  of  the  west,  has 
held  his  present  position  for  several  years, 
coming  here  from  Colorado.  The  mine  of 
which  he  has  been  given  the  charge  has  been 
in  operation  for  ]ierhaps  one-half  a  century 
and  is  owned  by  the  company  named,  whose 
main  offices  are  in  Pittsburg.  The  location  of 
the  mine  is  on  a  ])ortion  of  ihc  rancho  Rincon 


del  Diablo  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres, 
situated  two  and  one-fourth  miles  southeast 
of  Escondido,  and  here  he  may  be  found  busily 
engaged  in  the  details  of  his  work,  which  he 
superintends  with  business  acumen  and  expert 
skill. 

^Ir.  Clark  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  near 
Pittsburg,  in  1859,  and  is  a  son  of  D.  S.  and 
X.  H.  (Long)  Clark,  the  former  of  Scotch 
ancestry,  and  the  latter  of  Irish  extraction. 
During  an  early  period  in  the  history  of  the 
west  Mr.  Clark  removed  from  the  east  across 
the  plains  with  ox-teams  and  embarked  in  busi- 
ness in  the  then  small  village  of  Denver,  with 
whose  commercial  development  he  remained 
identified  until  his  death.  His  wife  also  con- 
tinued to  reside  in  that  city  as  long  as  she 
lived.  Their  son,  William  L..  was  educated  in 
the  schools  of  Golden  and  at  early  age  gained 
an  excellent  knowdedge  of  mining,  being  es- 
pecially skilled  in  engineering  work.  When 
onlv  sixteen  years  of  age  he  became  interested 
in  mining  at  Leadville  and  later  formed  min- 
ing interests  at  Aspen.  While  making  these 
two  towns  his  headquarters  he  traveled  over 
every  part  of  the  United  States  and  ]\Iexico 
where  mines  are  to  be  found  and  was  retained 
as  engineer  in  many  responsible  connections. 
Later  he  took  up  work  in  the  Cripple  Creek 
mines,  where  he  continued  from  1892  until  his 
removal  to  California  in  1903,  and  since  the  ist 
of  August  of  the  latter  vear  he  has  been  in 
charge  of  the  Cleveland-Pittsburg  Gold  Alin- 
ing Company's  interests  at  Escondido. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Clark  took  place  in  .\s- 
pen,  Colo.,  in  June,  i88g.  and  united  him  with 
Anna  L.  Girard.  who  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania and  received  superior  educational  ad- 
vantages. One  child,  a  son.  Girard.  blesses 
their  union.  Airs.  Clark  is  a  daughter  of  a  pio- 
neer of  1849.  J-  B.  Girard.  who  was  born  and 
reared  in  Pennsvlvania,  and  at  the  time  of  the 
discovery  of  gold  in  California  came  west  by 
wagon  across  the  plains  and  engaged  in  min- 
ing. After  a  time  he  returned  to  the  east  and 
eventually  settled  in  Colorado.  WMien  the 
.\ncient  Order  of  United  Workmen  became 
established  in  Pennsvlvania  he  was  one  of  the 
charter  members  of  tlie  original  lod.ge  and 
took  a  warm  interest  in  the  development  of 
the  fraternity.  During  the  Civil  war  he  ren- 
dered faithful  service  as  a  member  of  the 
Union  army  and  later  identified  himself  with 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He  died  in 
.-\spen  in  1891.  In  their  church  affiliations 
Air.  and  Mrs.  Clark  are  Episcopalians,  but 
maintain  liberal  views  and  contribute  as  far  as 
possible  to  all  worthy  religious  movements 
without  reference  to  creed  or  doctrines.  In 
fraternal    relations    he    holds    affiliations    with 


PDSTOLUCAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  Rl-:CORD. 


iLloi 


the  Masons,  having  been  prominent  in  the 
work  of  Cripple  Creek  Lodge  No.  96,  A.  R.  & 
A.  M.,  also  a  member  of  the  chapter  in  the 
same  city. 


GEORGE  A.  HAILS.  Prominent  among  the 
successful  men  of  \  entura  county  is  George  A. 
Hails,  a  rancher  located  five  miles  southeast  of 
Oxnard,  where  he  has  been  a  resident  for  nearly 
twenty  years,  establishing  his  personal  fortunes 
on  a  secure  basis  and  at  the  same  time  lending 
his  aid  toward  the  furtherance  of  all  movements 
toward  the  general  welfare  of  the  community. 
Mr.  Hails  is  a  native  of  New  England,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  Sudbury,  Mass.,  September 
23,  1856;  his  father,  Richard  Hails,  was  born 
in  Newcastle-on-the-Tyne,  and  in  young  man- 
hood immigrated  to  the  western  world,  where,  in 
Sudbury  (then  Quincy)  Mass.,  he  engaged  as 
a  merchant  tailor.  He  remained  in  that  loca- 
tion until  1873  when  he  came  to  California  and 
passed  the  remainder  of  his  days,  dying  at  the 
advanced  age  of  eighty-four  years.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  his  wife,  formerly  Abbie  Jones,  who 
was  born  in  South  Lincoln,  Mass.,  a  daughter 
of  James  Jones,  a  native  of  the  same  vicinity 
and  the  representative  of  an  old  New  England 
family,  prominent  in  the  history  of  that  section. 
She  resides  in  Santa  Barbara  at  the  present  writ- 
ing. Of  her  children,  Abbie  resides  in  Santa 
Barbara ;  Charles  died  in  young  manhood  in  that 
city;  George  Alvin  is  the  subject  of  this  review, 
and  Alary,  wife  of  John  T.  Torrance,  resides  in 
Santa  Ynez,  Cal. 

The  first  seventeen  years  of  George  A.  Hails' 
life  were  spent  in  his  native  state,  where  he  re- 
ceived an  excellent  education  in  the  pub- 
lic and  high  schools,  fitting  him  for  the 
work  of  his  young  manhood.  In  Oc- 
tober. 1873,  he  came  with  his  parents  to 
Santa  Barbara,  and  shortly  afterward  secured 
employment  on  a  ranch  in  Santa  Barbara  coun- 
ty. This  occupation  he  decided  to  make  his  life 
work  and  from  that  time  on  he  followed  ranch- 
ing, being  associated  with  his  brother  at  Goleta. 
In  1887  he  came  to  his  present  location,  which 
was  a  part  of  the  Scott  estate,  purchasing  prop- 
erty upon  which  he  has  since  placed  all  of  the 
improvements.  He  has  erected  a  handsome  and 
modern  residence,  commodious  barns  and  out- 
buildings, has  his  property  well  fenced,  and  the 
land  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  has  set 
out  a  fine  orchard  as  well  as  numerous  shade 
trees,  which  greatly  enhance  the  beauty  of  the 
place.  For  a  time  he  was  engaged  in  the  raising 
of  grain  and  stock,  but  has  since  devoted  the 
greater  part  of  his  time  to  the  cultivation  of 
iicans  and  beets,  in  which  he  has  met  with  suc- 
cess. In  addition  to  the  one  hundred  acres  he  owns 


he  also  rents  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  the 
entire  property  being  devoted  to  beans  and  beets. 
His  methods  are  strictly  modern  and  up-to-date, 
his  interest  keen  in  the  science  of  farming,  and 
in  the  conduct  of  his  farm  has  well  earned  the 
position  he  holds  among  the  ranchers  of  \'entura 
county — that  of  a  progressive  and  enterprising 
farmer. 

In  Goleta,  Santa  Barbara  county,  Mr.  Hails 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ettie  Kenyon, 
a  native  of  Michigan  and  the  daughter  of  Ger- 
don  Kenyon,  who  became  a  pioneer  rancher  in 
the  vicinity  of  Goleta.  They  are  the  parents  of 
three  children,  Mary  E.,  Eva  M.,  and  Elsie  I. 
Mr.  Hails  has  not  allowed  his  personal  affairs 
to  so  engross  his  attention  as  to  render  him  value- 
less as  a  citizen,  but  has  instead  interested  him- 
self on  all  questions  of  the  day  and  has  kept 
closely  in  touch  with  progress  along  all  lines.  He 
is  specially  active  in  educational  interests,  and 
since  the  organization  of  the  Oxnard  Union  higli 
school  district  has  served  as  a  member  of  the 
board  of  trustees,  assisting  materially  at  the  time 
of  the  erection  of  the  high  school  building.  He 
has  also  served  as  a  member  of  the  Ocean  Mew 
school  board  of  trustees.  Fraternally  he  is  iden- 
tified with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Fra- 
ternal Brotherhood,  while  politicallv  he  gives 
his  stanch  support  to  the  principles  advocated 
in  the  platform  of  the  Republican  party.  The 
support  of  the  family  is  given  to  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  of  which  Mrs.  Hails  is  a 
member,  although  all  charitable  enterprises, 
whether  denominational  or  otherwise,  receive 
financial  aid  from  them.  Mr.  Hails  merits  the 
high  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  all  who  know 
him,  either  in  a  business  or  social  way,  for  he 
has  carried  into  active  practice  his  belief  in 
stanch  principles  of  integrity  and  honor.  Pleasant 
and  courteous  in  demeanor,  he  has  won  many 
friends  who  appreciate  him  for  his  sterling 
traits  of  character. 


P.  H.  BARTRON  is  a  native  of  Tioga  countv, 
N.  Y.,  and  was  born  April  19,  1842.  Taken  by 
his  parents  to  Potter  count}'.  Pa.,  he  there  had 
the  advantages  of  the  public  schools,  of  a  prac- 
tical agricultural  training  and  an  apprenticeship 
at  well  boring,  which  he  has  followed  at  inter- 
vals during  his  entire  active  career. 

Mr.  Bartron  was  nineteen  years  old  when  the 
proclamation  of  Abraham  Lincoln  fell  like  a 
clarion  call  upon  the  heart  of  every  able-bodied 
son  in  the  land.  Enlisting  in  Company  K.  One 
Himdred  and  Forty-ninth  Pennsylvania  Infan- 
try, he  served  for  three  years,  taking  his  part 
in  camp,  on  the  march  and  in  battle  until  dis- 
abled. This  injury  necessitated  his  retention  in 
the    hospital    at    West    Philadelphia    for    three 


1254 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


months,  after  which  he  rejoined  his  regiment  and 
participated,  among  others,  in  the  battles  of  Get- 
tysburg, The  Wilderness,  Chancellorsville  and 
Fredericksburg.  He  was  a  brave  and  fearless 
soldier,  and  during  his  career  accumulated  a  fund 
of  interesting  information. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Bartron  engaged  in  lum- 
bering in  Pennsylvania  for  abottt  four  years, 
and  in  1871  removed  to  Wisconsin,  where  the 
Eau  Qaire  river  offered  excellent  opportunity 
for  the  same  industry.  The  following  year  he 
married  Elsie  Dodge,  a  native  of  Wisconsin, 
and  soon  afterward  returned  to  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  worked  in  a  grist  and  saw  mill  for  a 
couple  of  years.  In  1878  he  brought  his  family 
to  California,  settling  on  land  near  Hanford, 
Kings  county,  where  he  lived  three  years,  and 
from  where  he  came  to  Santa  Barbara  county 
during  the  summer  of  1881.  He  had,  in  the 
meantime,  both  made  and  saved  money,  and  this 
he  invested  in  property  which  is  devoted  to  pas- 
ture, hay  and  stock-raising,  besides  which  he 
owns  lots  in  Santa  Maria. 

Of  the  children  born  to  Air.  and  Airs.  Bartron. 
Elison  is  the  wife  of  J.  H.  Mahurin ;  Myra  D.  is 
the  wife  of  John  Grant ;  Bert  is  at  home  ;  Isabelle 
is  the  wife  of  John  Aubert :  and  Ethel,  James  and 
Roy  live  with  their  parents.  Mr.  Bartron  is  a 
Republican  in  politics,  but  confines .  his  political 
activity  to  casting  a  conscientious  vote.  He  is 
a  member  of  Foote  Post  No.  89,  G.  A.  R.,  and 
Mrs.  Bartron  is  a  member  of  the  Woman's  Re- 
lief Corps.  Mr.  Bartron's  reputation  is  based 
upon  practical  efforts  as  a  farmer  and  well  borer, 
upon  courage  as  a  soldier,  and  honesty  as  a  citi- 
zen of  a  prosperous  and  moral  community. 


JOHN  BARTLEY  SMITHSON,  JR.  The 
present  deputy  sheriff  of  Needles,  Cal.,  John  B. 
Smithson,  Jr.,  is  the  descendant  of  English  an- 
cestors on  the  paternal  side,  but  it  is  not 
definitely  known  when  the  family  was  first  rep- 
resented in  this  country.  It  was  prior  to  the 
birth  of  the  grandfather,  Allen  F.  Smithson, 
however,  for  it  is  known  beyond  a  doubt  that 
he  was  born  in  Mississippi.  Leaving  the  south 
with  his  family  in  1846  he  started  for  the  west, 
his  son,  John  Bartley  Smithson,  Sr.,  then  being 
a  lad  of  about  five  years.  Several  years  were 
spent  in  Colorado  and  Utah,  and  it  was  not  until 
1850  that  they  finally  reached  San  Bernardino, 
Cal.  Here  they  found  th'e  Indians  more  numer- 
ous than  white  settlers  and  as  a  matter  of  safety 
they  built  a  fort  as  a  retreat  for  the  women  and 
children.  John  B.  Smithson,  Sr.,  well  recalls 
these  pioneer  conditions,  and  as  he  was  of  an 
age  to  be  of  service  in  driving  the  teams  he 
proved  a  valuable  assistant.  Subsequently  he  en- 
gaged in  teaming  and  farming  in   this  locality. 


following  this  dual  occupation  for  nineteen  years, 
and  in  the  mean  time  accumulating  considerable 
land.  At  one  time  he  owned  four  hundred  and 
eighty  acres,  set  out  to  apples  principally,  al- 
though he  also  raised  other  fruits  and  vegetables 
m  addition  to  managing  a  dairy.  With  his  wife, 
formerly  Miss  Jane  Cadd,  he  is  now  living  re- 
tired in  San  Bernardino,  loved  and  respected 
by  many  who  are  familiar  with  his  long  and  in- 
teresting career. 

Of  the  large  family  of  children  born  to'  these 
parents  ten  are  now  living  and  of  these  John 
Bartley  Smithson,  Jr.,  is  the  second,  his  birth 
occurring  in  San  Bernardino  September  18.  1868. 
During  his  boyhood  and  youth  he  attended  the 
public  schools  of  his  home  town,  and  as  soon 
as  old  enough  and  when  his  school  duties  would 
permit,  he  worked  for  his  father,  assisting  him 
in  freighting  and  caring  for  the  home  ranch. 
Subsequently  he  accepted  a  position  in  the  Atchi- 
son, Topeka  &  Santa  Ee  boiler  shops  in  San 
Bernardino,  filling  the  same  until  1901,  when  he 
relinquished  it  to  engage  in  business  for  him- 
self. Seeing  a  good  opening  ahead  in  running 
a  line  of  teams  to  the  mountains  he  secured 
the  necessary  teams  and  outfit  and  for  about  two 
years,  or  until  May,  1903,  carried  on  a  very 
profitable  business  along  this  line,  giving  it  up 
on  the  date  last'  mentioned,  however,  to  accept 
his  appointment  on  the  police  force  of  San  Ber- 
nardino. In  January  of  the  following  year  he 
was  promoted  to  his  present  position  as  deputy 
sheriff'  and  special  officer  for  the  Atchison,  Topeka 
&  Santa  Ee  Railroad,  having  charge  of  the 
station  at  Needles,  and  to  which  he  devotes  his 
entire  time  and  attention. 

The  family  home  however  is  in  San  Ber- 
nardino, at  the  corner  of  Ninth  and  I  streets, 
and  is  graciously  presided  over  by  Mrs.  Smith- 
son,  who  before  her  marriage  was  Miss  Florence 
Case,  a  native  of  this  city  and  the  daughter  of 
James  H.  Case.  The  home  of  Mr.  and  Airs. 
Smithson  is  brightened  by  the  presence  of  one 
child,  Lois  Alene,  who  is  the  joy  and  pride  of  her 
parents  and  will  receive  every  advantage  in  their 
power  to  bestow.  Fraternally  Air.  Smithson  af- 
filiates with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and 
also  with  San  Bernardino  Parlor,  N.  S.  G.  W., 
and  in  his  political  belief  he  is  a  Republican. 
Personally  he  is  well  liked  for  the  many  fine 
traits  of  his  character,  which  is  in  keeping  with 
his  stalwart  and  well-built  frame. 


AIILLS  BROTHERS.  California  is  rich  in 
the  possession  of  men  of  ability  and  enterprise 
who  have  given  their  best  efforts  toward  the 
material  growth  and  progress  of  the  state. 
Among  these  prominent  mention  may  be  made 
of  two  native  sons,  the  Alills  brothers,   Francis 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


E.  and  Edward  T.,  located  in  the  vicinity  of  EI 
Monte,  and  actively  engaged  in  the  improvement 
and  cultivation  of  a  fine  walnut  grove.  Their 
father,  E.  T.  Mills,  was  born  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
in  1833,  their  grandfather,  Abel,  being  a  native 
of  the  same  state  and  the  descendant  of  Eng- 
lish ancestry.  E.  T.  Mills  engaged  as  an  assist- 
ant in  his  father's  business,  which  was  that  of 
a  miller,  until  he  was  seventeen  years  old,  when 
he  came  to  California ;  he  outfitted  with  ox- 
teams  and  in  company  with  a  large  train  set  out 
across  the  plains  for  the  Mecca  of  the  fortune 
hunter's  dreams.  They  had  many  exciting  and 
fearful  experiences  during  the  journey,  running 
out  of  provisions,  which  forced  them  to  eat  mule 
meat  in  preference  to  starvation.  They  finally 
abandoned  their  wagons  and  made  the  remainder 
of  the  journey  as  best  they  could,  arriving  in 
Hangtown  after  several  weary,  trying  months, 
where  Mr.  Mills  found  employment  in  the  mines. 
After  several  years  in  this  occupation  he  came 
to  Southern  California  and  in  San  Bernardino 
county  engaged  in  lumbering.  Following  his 
marriage  there  he  removed  to  Los  Angeles 
county  and  became  a  pioneer  settler  of  El 
Monte,  where  he  followed  farming  and  stock 
raising,  and  also  conducted  a  freighting  busi- 
ness between  Los  Angeles  and  San  Bernardino 
beforfe  the  railroads  supplied  the  early  hotels  of 
the  former  city.  He  always  retained  an  inter- 
est in  the  mining  operations  of  the  state.  He 
was  a  stanch  Republican,  an  ardent  advocate  of 
all  upbuilding  enterprises,  and  foremost  in  what- 
ever looked  toward  the  betterment  of  the  com- 
munity. His  death  occurred  in  1887,  while  his 
wife,  formerly  Mary  Margaret  Cleminson,  a 
native  of  Missouri  and  sister  of  James  Clemin- 
son, whose  history  appears  elsewhere  in  this 
volume,  passed  away  in  1879.  They  were  the 
parents  of  three  children,  Francis  Eugene,  Ed- 
ward Theron  and  Imogene,  Mrs.  Thompson,  of 
Azusa. 

Francis  Eugene  Mills  was  born  on  the  Qem- 
inson  place  in  El  Monte,  February  5,  i860, 
while  Edward  Theron  Mills  was  born  on  the 
present  site  of  the  high  school  building  of  this 
town,  July  10,  1862.  They  were  classmates  in 
the  public  schools  of  El  Monte,  studying  to- 
gether, playing  together,  and  as  early  as  1875 
began  working  land  together.  They  leased  land 
in  the  vicinity  of  El  Monte  and  engaged  in 
general  farming  and  the  raising  of  grain,  which 
occupation  proved  successful  and  gave  them 
means,  with  which,  in  1884,  they  began  the  im- 
provement of  ten  acres  of  land.  Slowly  adding 
to  this  property  with  their  accumulated  means 
they  have  now  thirty  acres,  finely  improved  and 
capable  of  the  highest  cultivation,  all  devoted 
to  apples  and  walnuts,  which  make  of  the  prop- 
erty one  of  the  fine  groves  of  this  section.  They 


have  been  successful  in  their  efforts,  have  ac- 
cumulated a  competence,  and  at  the  same  time 
established  for  themselves  a  place  among  the 
progressive  and  enterprising  men  of  this  section. 
Francis  E.  Mills  is  married,  his  wife  in  maiden- 
hood being  Gertrude  Hall,  a  native  of  Vermont. 
She  was  reared  in  Kansas  and  came  to  this  state 
with  her  parents  in  1880,  her  marriage  occur- 
ring in  El  Monte.  They  have  had  five  children, 
namely :  Ellsworth,  Francis,  who  died  in  in- 
fanc)';  Gertrude,  Mary  Imogene  and  Ruth 
Gladys.  Both  brothers  are  members  of  the 
Mountain  View  Walnut  Growers'  Association, 
in  which  Francis  E.  is  a  director,  and  officiates 
as  treasurer.  Both  are  stanch  adherents  of  Re- 
publican  principles. 


FRED  G.  BIERLEIN.  A  popular  and  suc- 
cessful young  business  man  Fred  G.  Bierlein  of 
Long  Beach  has  within  the  three  years  of  his 
residence  in  this  city  made  himself  a  leader  among 
automobile  dealers  and  is  conducting  a  rapidly 
growing  trade.  The  family  is  of  German  de- 
scent, Mr.  Bierlein's  grandfather  having  been 
born  in  Germany  and  after  coming  to  this  coun- 
try he  settled  on  a  farm  in  Frankenmuth,  Sagi- 
naw county,  Mich.,  where  his  son,  Mathew,  was 
born.  The  birth  of  Fred  G.  occurred  July  9. 
1880,  in  Richville,  Tuscola  county,  Mich.,  his 
father  now  owning  a  farm  near  that  place.  His 
mother;  who  is  also  living,  was  before  her  mar- 
riage Anna  M.  Ranke,  a  daughter  of  Fred  Ranke, 
who  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  became 
an  early  settler  in  Saginaw  county,  Mich.,  and 
was  there  engaged  in  farming. 

A  member  of  a  family  comprising  thirteen 
children,  Fred  G.  Bierlein  acquired  a  common- 
school  education  and  helped  his  father  until 
twentj'-one  years  of  age,  then  went  to  Bay  City 
and  secured  employment  in  the  West  Bay  City 
Sugar  Company's  factory,  and  within  two  years 
had  risen  to  the  position  of  assistant  to  the  super- 
intendent. Desiring  to  secure  a  commercial 
education  he  went  to  Lansing  and  entered  the 
Lansing  Business  University,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  1902.  The  following  year  he  filled 
the  position  of  bookkeeper  and  office  man  with 
the  Huber  Manufacturing  Company  in  Lansing, 
and  in  December,  1903,  came  to  Los  Angeles  and 
was  employed  bv  L.  T.  Shettler,  agent  for  the 
Oldsmobile,  as  bookkeeper  and  salesman.  Re- 
taining this  place  until  January,  1905,  he  con- 
ducted an  Oldsmobile  agency  in  Riverside  for 
four  months,  then  came  to  Long  Beach  and  built 
the  old  Palace  garage  on  Fourth  street,  becoming 
the  proprietor  and  securing  the  agency  of  the  Reo 
and  Winton  automobiles.  In  the  spring  of  1906 
he  sold  out  and  started  an  automobile  supply 
business  at  No.  38  Locust  street  and  erected  a 


1256 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


new  garage  at  No.  232  Pacific  street,  moving  into 
the  new  quarters  in  September,  1906.  The  build- 
ing is  50x190  feet,  the  materials  used  in  its  con- 
struction being  entirely  of  brick  and  stone,  mak- 
ing it  an  absolutely  fireproof  structure.  In  the 
front  are  the  spacious  salesrooms  and  offices,  and 
back  of  this  is  the  main  room  for  machines, 
equipped  with  private  lockers  for  regular  cus- 
tomers, air  tanks  and  everything  that  goes  to 
make  a  thoroughly  up-to-date  complete  garage, 
no  expense  having  been  spared  to  instal  every 
modern  convenience.  Automobiles  are  kept  for 
rent  and  Mr.  Bierlein  has  the  agency  for  the 
Reo,  Winton  and  Strothers  machines,  his  busi- 
ness in  every  department  being  the  larg-est  of 
the  kind  in  the  citw 

^Ir.  Bierlein's  marriage  in  Bay  City,  Alich., 
united  him  with  Miss  Emily  A.  Kloha,  a  native 
of  that  state,  and  they  have  become  the  par- 
ents of  one  child,  Leon  Jacob.  They  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Lutheran  Church,  whose  charities 
and  benevolences  they  support  liberally,  and  ex- 
ert an  elevating  and  progressive  influence 
throuo-hout  the  communitv  in  which  thev  reside. 


S.AAIUEL  TRELOAR  is  one  of  those  fine  old 
gentlemen  whom  it  is  always  a  delight  to  meet, 
and  the  various  paths  which  his  life  has  followed 
and  the  stirring  scenes  through  which  he  has 
passed  make  him  an  interesting  conversational- 
ist. His  father,  also  Samuel  Treloar,  wiis  born 
in  England  and  with  his  family  came  to  this 
country  in  1834,  when  his  namesake  was  but 
two  years  old.  Settling  in  the  territory  of  Wis- 
consin, he  there  reared  his  eleven  children, 
seven  of  whom  grew  to  maturity,  and  of  these 
two  now  make  their  homes  in  California.  The 
mother  passed  away  at  the  age  of  fifty  years,  but 
the  father  attained  the  advanced  age  of  eighty- 
six  years. 

As  has  been  previouslv  stated  Samuel  Treloar 
is  a  native  of  England,  his  birth  occurring  No- 
vember 9,  1832,  but  as  he  was  brought  to  the  new 
world  when  he  was  a  mere  child  he  has  no  per- 
sonal knowledge  of  his  native  land.  His  boyhood 
and  youth  were  associated  with  the  pioneer  con- 
ditions which  then  prevailed  in  Wisconsin,  and 
in  the  mean  time  he  attended  the  subscription 
schools  in  the  vicinity  of  the  family  homestead. 
In  1852,  before  he  had  attained  his  majority,  be 
joined  a  party  of  immigrants  bound  for  Cali- 
fornia, and  upon  reaching  the  state  went  at 
once  to  the  Placerville  mines.  From  Eldorado 
county  he  went  to  Sierra  county,  following  mining 
in  both  localities  for  about  twenty-seven  years, 
and  in  the  mean  time  had  investigated  the  mining 
prospects  of  the  Eraser  river  country.  Returning 
to  his  old  home  in  Wisconsin,  he  remained  there 
seven  vears,  at  the  end  of  tliat  time  retracing  his 


steps  to  the  Golden  state.  Going  to  Yuba  coun- 
ty, he  there  settled  down  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil, 
in  addition  to  which  he  also  followed  mining. 
Selling  out  his  interests  there  in  1896  he  came 
to  the  southern  part  of  the  state,  and  near  Car- 
pinteria,  Santa  Barbara  county,  purchased  one 
hundred  acres  of  choice  land  upon  which  he  still 
malces  his  home,  although  the  work  connected 
with  the  management  of  the  ranch  is  performed 
by  others. 

In  1864  ^Ir.  Treloar  was  united  in  marriage 
in  Forest  City.  Sierra  county,  with  Lizzie  Lee, 
who  was  a  native  of  his  childhood  home,  Wis- 
consin. Nine  children  were  born  to  them,  and 
with  the  exception  of  two,  all  are  married  and 
established  in  homes  of  their  own.  Named  in 
order  of  birth  the  children  are  as  follows :  Liz- 
zie J.,  who  is  the  widow  of  Ed  Jeffrey ;;  Frank 
Benjamin ;  Carrie,  the  wife  of  George  Martin ; 
William,  who  married  Hattie  ^^'ebster :  Forrest, 
who  chose  as  his  wife  Ora  Lentz ;  Qiarles,  who 
married  Mabel  Baton ;  Stella,  the  wife  of  Philip 
Dane:  ^[yrtle  E.  and  Albert  Lee.  Since  1864 
Mr.  Treloar  has  been  identified  with  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  has  passed 
through  all  of  the  chairs  of  the  order,  this  also 
being  true  of  the  United  Workmen  Lodge,  of 
which  he  is  also  a  member.  For  three  years  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Home  Guard  in  Califor- 
nia. Politically  he  supports  Republican  prin- 
ciples, and  in  religion  he  affiliates  with  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church. 


PATRICK  QUINN.  As  the  owner  of  the 
Ouinn  granite  quarry,  Patrick  Ouinn  is  known 
as  one  of  the  successful  and  progressive  business 
men  of  Temecula,  where  he  has  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  mountain  land  with  a  front- 
age of  half  a  mile  of  solid  granite.  The  stone 
is  of  fine  quality  and  is  used  for  head  stones, 
building  and  curbing  purposes,  and  is  shipped 
at  the  rate  of  about  fifty  carloads  per  year  to  San 
Francisco  and  Los  Angeles  markets. 

Mr.  Quinn  was  bom  in  April,  1853,  in  Gal- 
way  county,  Ireland,  where  he  received  his  ed- 
ucation. .At  the  age  of  seventeen  years  he  came 
to  the  United  States  and  located  at  Waltham, 
Mass.,  there  learning  the  trade  of  stone  cutter. 
His  arrival  in  California  dates  from  1876,  when 
he  reached  San  Francisco.  Subsequently  he 
traveled  all  over  the  coast  section  and  in  1886 
came  to  Temecula  and  began  his  present  busi- 
ness, which  was  the  first  one  of  the  kind  in  this 
section,  and  has  now  grown  to  proportions  re- 
quiring the  employment  of  sixteen  men  in  the 
quarries.  Mr.  Ouinn  is  a  public  spirited  citizen, 
interested  in  the  development  of  his  section  of 
the  state  and  lends  his  support  to  all  enterprises 
tending  towards  its  upbuilding. 


'^.^^^'^^^^-r 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1259 


GEORGE  H.  JOHNSON.  The  owner  of  one 
of  the  finest  orchards  in  the  San  Jacinto  Val- 
le}-,  George  H.  Johnson  is  known  as  one  of  the 
most  successful  and  highly  respected  citizens  of 
this  section  of  the  state.  His  ranch  was  in  a  very 
neglected  condition  when  he  bought  it,  but  he  has 
improved  it  until  it  is  now  considered  a  very  de- 
sirable property.  It  is  located  diree-fourths  of 
a  mile  east  of  \'alle  \'ista,  on  Florida  avenue, 
and  the  greater  part  of  the  forty  acres  is  devoted 
to  oranges,  although  he  also  raises  sufficient  hay 
for  his  own  use.  The  birth  of  jNIr.  Johnson  oc- 
curred December  5,  i860,  in  Phelps  county,  ]\Io., 
he  being  the  son  of  JMilton  and  Trythene  (Deem) 
Johnson,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Indiana. 
They  settled  in  Missouri  in  early  years,  in  1862 
becoming  residents  of  Indiana,  where  they  re- 
mained twelve  years,  the  succeeding  ten  years 
being  spent  in  Illinois,  and  in  1884  they  removed 
to  the  still  further  western  state  of  Kansas,  lo- 
cating in  Burr  Oak,  where  ]\Irs.  Johnson's  death 
occurred.  The  father  then  came  to  California, 
arriving  here  in  1893,  lived  in  San  Jacinto  and 
\'alle  \'ista  until  1897,  when  he  returned  to  Kan- 
sas, his  death  occurring  a  short  time  later  at  the 
age  of  sixty-seven  years. 

The  education  of  Mr.  Johnson  was  received 
in  the  schools  of  Indiana  and  Illinois,  in  which 
latter  state  he  was  married,  February  25,  1884, 
and  the  following  year  he  removed  to  Kansas, 
whither  his  parents  had  already  located.  A  de- 
sire to  come  still  further  west  induced  him  to 
make  another  change  in  the  spring  of  1891,  at 
which  time  he  settled  in  Diamond  valley.  River- 
side county,  Cal.,  later  removing  to  the  San 
Jacinto  valley  and  purchasing  a  half  interest  in 
the  ranch  upon  which  he  now  makes  his  home. 
The  death  of  his  wife  occurred  in  Kansas  in 
1890,  the  year  previous  to  his  removal  to  this 
state.  She  was  before  her  marriage  Miss  Mary 
Belle  i\Iason,  a  native  of  Illinois,  in  which  state 
she  was  married.  Two  children  were  born  of 
diis  union,  Roy,  whose  death  occurred  in  his 
eleventh  year,  and  Earl,  now  nineteen  years  of 
age,  who  lives  at  home  with  his  father.  Frater- 
nallv  Mr.  Johnson  is  a  member  of  San  Jacinto 
Camp  No.  100,  W.  O.  W.,  and  Hemet  Lodge  No. 
190,  I.  O.  O.  F.  He  is  a  man  who  takes  an 
especial  interest  in  educational  matters  and  served 
on  the  school  board  of  his  district  for  two  vears. 


GEORGE  A.  TELFORD.  The  attractive 
country  home  situated  one-half  mile  south  of 
Ramona  has  been  occupied  and  owned  by  Mr. 
Telford  during  the  entire  period  of  his  residence 
in  the  west.  On  coming  to  California  in  1890 
he  at  once  settled  in  Ramona  and  purchased  a 
ranch  adjacent  to  the  village,  where  he  set  out 
an  orchard  of  thirtv-five   acres  of  all  kinds  of 


fruit.  About  the  same  time  he  erected  a  mod- 
ern and  substantial  residence  containing  ten 
rooms  and  ecpiipped  with  the  latest  improvements, 
ibis  being  still  recognized  as  one  of  the  most 
elegant  farm  houses  in  San  Diego  county.  Every- 
thing on  the  place  bears  an  appearance  of  thrift 
mdicative  of  the  energy  and  judicious  manage- 
ment of  the  owner,  who  in  addition  to  super- 
intending the  farm  takes  contracts  for  the  erec- 
tion of  residences  and  other  buildings. 

The  Telford  family  is  of  eastern  stock,  coming 
from  New  York  State.  For  many  years  David 
W.  Telford  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  bar 
uf  Cayuga  county  and  ranked  high  for  his  knowl- 
edge of  jurisprudence  and  the  fundamental  prin- 
ciples of  the  law,  but  eventually  he  retired  from 
practice  and  established  himself  upon  a  farm.  For 
a  time  he  also  filled  the  office  of  surveyor  of  Ca}'- 
uga  county.  There  he  continued  to  reside  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  1900,  at  the  age 
of  eighty-nine  years,  many  years  after  the  de- 
'.nise  of  his  wife,  Caroline  (Mason)  Telford,  who 
had  passed  away  in  1865,  at  the  age  of  thirty-four 
}  ears.  Among  their  children  was  George  A., 
born  in  Cayuga  county,  N.  Y.,  April  28,  185.^, 
and  educated  in  public  schools  and  Red  Creek 
Academy.  During  1872  he  started  out  for  him- 
self and  went  west  as  far  as  Missouri,  where 
he  settled  in  Meadville,  Linn  county.  As  time 
passed  by  he  acquired  various  interests  and  form- 
ed important  business  relations,  becoming  one  of 
the  well-known  men  of  his  town.  The  packing 
and  poultry  industries  were  his  principal  occupa- 
tions for  some  time  and  he  also  held  a  position  as 
traveling  salesman  with  J.  H.  Dunn,  while  in  ad- 
dition for  twelve  vears  he  engaged  in  contracting 
and  building  in  that  town  and  county. 

\Miile  making  his  home  in  Missouri  Mr.  Tel- 
ford was  united  in  marriage  in  1876  with  Miss 
Eva  J.  Butler,  a  native  of  Beloit,  \'\'is.,  but  from 
childhood  a  resident  of  Missouri.  Four  chil- 
dren were  born  of  their  union,  namcl}' :  Ida,  who 
married  J.  C.  Bargar,  represented  on  another 
page  of  this  volume ;  Eunice,  wife  of  William 
Stockton,  who  is  engaged  in  the  stock  business 
and  resides  at  Ramona ;  Clarence  M..  who  mar- 
ried Oara  Dodson  and  resides  in  Ramona,  and  is 
liis  father's  partner  both  in  the  cultivation  of  the 
farm  and  the  contracting  business,  and  Carrie  E., 
who  remains  with  her  parents  on  the  home  farm. 
The  family  stands  high  in  social  circles  of  the 
neighborhood  and  is  identified  with  the  Congre- 
gational Church  in  religious  connections.  In  poli- 
tics Mr.  Telford  for  years  has  been  a  believer  in 
Republican  principles  and  a  voter  of  that  ticket 
at  all  elections.  Fraternally  he  holds  member- 
ship with  Court  No.  8520,  Ancient  Order  of  For- 
esters. The  general  esteem  of  the  people  is  ac- 
corded him,  and  he  enjoys  the  confidence  of  all. 


1260 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


for  his  uprightness  of  Hfe  and  probity  in  business 
transactions  have  been  such  as  to  commend  him 
to  tlie  people  with  whom  he  has  liad  associations. 


FRED  P.  SMITH.  Varied  business  ex- 
periences in  different  parts  of  the  east  were  fol- 
lowed by  l\Ir.  Smith's  removal  to  California, 
where  since  January,  1897,  he  has  been  em- 
ployed by  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe 
Railroad  as  their  agent  at  the  Carlsbad  station. 
IJorn  and  resred  in  New  York  City,  he  is  a 
member  of  an  old  eastern  family  of  Quaker 
ancestry  and  he  was  by  birthright  a  member  of 
the  Society  of  Friends,  but  forfeited  his  mem- 
bership through  enlisting  in  the  Civil  war, 
participation  in  warfare  being  in  direct  oppo- 
sition to  the  societj^'s  teachings.  His  parents. 
Dr.  John  T.  S.  and  Amelia  (Franklin)  Smith, 
Vv^ere  natives  respectively  of  New  Bedford, 
Mass.,  and  New  York  City,  and  the  former,  re- 
moving to  the  metropolis  at  an  early  age, 
there  established  a  homeopathic  pharmacy. 
When  seventy-three  j^ears  of  age,  in  October, 
1876,  he  died  in  New  York  City,  and  his  wife 
also  died  there  at  the  age  of  fifty-six  years. 

Born  December  5,  1849,  Fred  P.  Smith  was 
given  an  excellent  education  in  private  schools 
of  New  York  City  and  later  assisted  his  father 
in  the  pharm.acy  business,  eventually  becom- 
ing a  partner  in  the  same  business  with  his 
brother,  Henry  ^T.  Smith.  About  1875  he 
lurned  his  attention  to  the  provision  business, 
in  which  he  remained  for  seven  years.  The 
next  occupation  in  which  he  became  interested 
was  that  of  nursing,  in  which  capacity  he  was 
retained  by  patients  of  homeopathic  physi- 
cians in  New  York.  On  leaving  that  city  he 
removed  to  Camden,  N.  J.,  and  acted  as  agent 
for  the  Wheeler  &  \A'ilpon  Sewing  Machine 
Company  for  a  short  time,  afterward  engag- 
ing in  the  grain  business  for  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad  Company.  On  leaving  the  Atlantic 
seaboard  he  settled  in  Toledo,  Ohio,  where  he 
had  charge  of  collecting  rents  for  his  brother- 
in-law's  real  estate  business  and  for  a  time  he 
also  filled  the  position  of  warden  in  the  Home- 
opathic hospital  of  Toledo.  Removing  to  the 
Pacific  coast  in  1886,  he  soon  afterward  settled 
in  Twin  Oaks  valley,  San  Diego  county,  and 
made  his  home  in  Escondido  for  two  years  or 
more,  since  which  time  he  has  resided  in 
Carlsbad,  and  is  a  well-known  citizen  of  this 
place. 

Tiiough  very  young  when  the  Civil  war  was 
in  progress  Mr.  Smith  was  accepted  as  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  K,  Eighth  New  York  State 
Militia,  and  served  until  the  expiration  of  his 
tim.e.  Later  he  affiliated  with  the  Grand  ,\rmy 
of  the  Roinibltc,  in  the  activities  of  which  he 


has  maintained  a  constant  interest.  Among 
the  other  organizations  in  which  he  has  borne 
a  part  may  be  mentioned  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  (his  membership  being  with  the  Es- 
condido Lodge)  and  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows  (affiliating  with  the  Oceanside 
Lodge).  While  living  in  New  York  City  he 
there  married,  in  1874,  Miss  Josephine  Stevens, 
a  native  of  Michigan.  Two  children  were  born 
of  their  union.  The  daughter,  Marion,  mar- 
ried James  Furber  and  resides  in  Rahway,  N. 
J.,  while  the  son,  Sherman  S.,  also  makes  his 
home  in  the  same  citv. 


CAPT.  LEWIS  ALBERT  PAINE.  Since 
November,  1901.  Capt.  Lewis  A.  Paine  has  been- 
a  resident  of  California  and  in  the  city  of  Long 
Beach  has  given  his  best  efforts  toward  advance- 
ment along  all  lines  calculated  for  the  upbuilding 
of  this  section  of  the  state.  He  is  at  the  present 
writing  serving  as  deputy  city  clerk,  and  al- 
though but  a  brief  time  has  elapsed  since  his  ap- 
pointment to  this  position  by  the  city  council  he 
has  ably  demonstrated  his  ability  and'  bids  fair  to 
rise  to  higher  positions  of  trust  and  responsibil- 
ity in  the  gift  of  the  people.  Captain  Paine  is  the 
descendant  of  an  old  New  England  family,  his 
father,  Elbridge  M.,  and  grandfather,  William 
Henry,  both  being  natives  of  the  state  of  Ver- 
m.ont,  where  the  elder  man  engaged  in  agricult- 
ural pursuits  for  many  years.  He  eventually 
brought  his  family  to  the  middle  west,  where  in 
the  vicinity  of  Fond  du  Lac  and  Manitowoc, 
Wis.,  he  spent  his  last  days.  Elbridge  M.  Paine 
was  reared  on  the  paternal  farm  in  Wisconsin  to 
years  of  maturity,  when  he  removed  to  Charles 
Citv,  Iowa,  passing  a  brief  time  in  that  location ; 
returning  to  Wisconsin  he  was  occupied  as  a 
farmer  for  three  years  and  then  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Boone  county,  Neb.,  where  in  the  vicinity 
of  Cedar  Rapids  he  engaged  in  general  farming 
and  stock-raising.  Locating  in  Long  Beach  in 
1901  he  has  since  lived  retired  from  the  active 
cares  of  life  and  is  now  numbered  among  the  cit- 
izens who  are  enjoying  the  advantages  produced 
by  their  early  years  of  efifort.  His  wife,  who  is 
also  living,  was  formerly  Rhoda  Emigh,  born  in 
the  northern  part  of  New  York  state,  a  daughter 
of  Henrv  Emigh,  a  farmer  who  later  in  life  lo- 
cated in  Fond  du  Lac,  Wis. 

Of  the  three  children  born  to  his  parents  Lew- 
is Albert  Paine  is  the  second  in  order  of  birth,  he 
being  a  native  of  Charles  City,  Iowa,  born  April 
2,  1875.  His  childhood  days  were  passed  in  Ne- 
braska, where  he  attended  the  public  schools,  sup- 
plementing this  training  by  a  course  in  the  high 
school  of  Cedar  Rapids  and  the  University  of 
Nebraska  at  Lincoln.  He  left  the  university  to 
enlist   for  service  in  the  Spanish-American  war. 


/ 


'/ryi^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1261 


becoming-  a  member  of  the  Second  Regiment  Ne- 
braska Volunteer  Infantry,  in  Company  A,  after 
an  eight  months'  service  being  honorably  dis- 
charged as  corporal.  Following  his  release  from 
the  army  he  spent  one  year  in  traveling,  after 
which,  in  1901,  he  came  to  Long  Beach  with  his 
parents  and  for  the  ensuing  four  years  engaged 
in  contracting.  In  May,  1906,  he  was  appointed 
by  the  city  council  to  his  present  position  of  dep- 
uty city  clerk.  He  takes  a  deep  interest  in  the 
advancement  of  all  public  enterprises  and  has  a 
firm  faith  in  the  future  of  this  city,  where  he  has 
invested  in  real  estate. 

On  the  2i.st  of  December,  1.904,  Mr.  Paine  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  Company  H,  Seventh 
California  National  Guard,  and  was  at  that  time 
elected  second  lieutenant.  May  i,  1906,  while  in 
service  at  Oakland  following  the  great  San 
Francisco  disaster,  he  was  elected  captain  of  the 
company.  In  matters  fraternal  he  is  identified 
with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  (of  which 
he  is  venerable  consul).  Knights  of  Pythias  and 
Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  is  an 
honored  member  of  the  Spanish-American  War 
A^eterans  of  Long  Beach. 


WILLIAM  SINGLETON.  '  In  the  citizen- 
ship of  San  Bernardino  and  Riverside  counties 
AVilliam  Singleton  occupies  a  prominent  posi- 
tion, esteemed  alike  for  his  business  character- 
istics as  well  as  for  personal  qualities  which 
have  been  displayed  during  his  long  residence 
in  this  section  of  Southern  California.  Mr. 
Singleton  was  born  in  Lancashire,  England,  a 
son  of  James  and  Ann  (Houghton)  Singleton, 
both  natives  of  the  same  place.  His  grandfather, 
William  Singleton,  was  a  brewer  in  Lancashire, 
where  he  spent  his  entire  life.  James  Single- 
ton engaged  as  an  engineer  and  machinist  in 
his  native  country  until  1853.  -when  he  brought 
his  family  to  America,  arriving  in  New 
Orleans,  transferred  to  river  steamer  and  land- 
ing at  Keokuk,  Iowa,  and  completing  the 
transcontinental  journey  h}-  means  of  the  time- 
honored  ox-teams.  Arriving  in  Salt  Lake  City 
he  engaged  in  farming  until  1857,  when  he 
once  more  loaded  his  worldly  effects  into  an 
ox-wagon  and  finished  the  trip  to  the  Pacific 
coast,  arriving  in  San  Bernardino,  and  there 
securing  employment  as  a  machinist  and  en- 
gineer in  a  sawmill  and  also  entering  a  farm, 
locating  upon  the  same  in  1868.  With  his  son 
\Villiam  he  purchased  the  old  Roubideaux 
place  of  forty-four  hundred  and  forty  acres, 
and  there  followed  agricultural  pursuits  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  1881  at  the  age 
of  sixty-seven  years.  One-half  of  this  large 
propert)'   was   sold   to   a   farmer   located   near 


them  and  the  remainder  kept  in  the  family.  His 
wife,  a  daughter  of  William  Houghton,  a 
miner  in  England,  survived  her  husband  until 
1894.  They  had  two  children,  William,  of  this 
review,  and  Ann,  now  ]\Irs.  Hiram  Haskell,  of 
this  place. 

Born  November  13,  1834,  William  Single- 
ton was  reared  in  his  native  country  and  edu- 
cated in  a  private  school  to  the  age  of  eleven 
years,  when  he  engaged  with  his  father  to 
learn  the  trade  of  machinist.  He  was  first  em- 
ployed as  a  wiper  and  from  that  learned  the 
trade.  In  1853,  on  February  8,  the  family  em- 
barked at  Liverpool  on  the  sailer  Elvira  Ow- 
ens, bound  for  New  Orleans,  and  after  seven 
weeks  they^  arrived  at  their  destination.  They 
went  up  the  Mississippi  river  to  St.  Louis, 
thence  to  Keokuk,  where  they  outfitted  with 
ox-teams  and  necessary  provisions  and  set  out 
on  the  journey  overland  to  Salt  Lake  City. 
Arriving  in  that  cit}^  October  6  Mr.  Singleton 
began  farming  with  his  father,  and  remained  in 
that  location  until  1857,  when  they  again  out- 
fitted and  came  overland  to  San  Bernardino. 
Here  he  first  followed  the  work  of  engineer  in 
a  sawmill,  remaining  so  occupied  for  the  pe- 
riod of  two  years,  and  then  again  becoming 
interested  in  farming.  In  1868  with  his  father 
he  located  on  the  farm  before  mentioned,  and 
with  him  developed  and  unproved  it,  erecting 
a  residence  in  which  he  now  resides,  and  con- 
ducts an  extensive  dairy  business  and  cream- 
ery, as  well  as  general  farming  operations. 

In  San  Bernardino  Mr.  Singleton  was  united 
in  marriage  with  j\Iiss  Lydia  Brooks,  a  native 
of  St.  Louis,  IMo. ;  she  came  to  California  in 
1852,  crossing  the  plains  with  her  father, 
James  Brooks,  to  Salt  Lake  City,  and  ten 
years  later  came  to  Southern  California.  They 
are  the  parents  of  the  following  children :  An- 
nie, Mrs.  Goetting,  of  El  Casco ;  William 
James,  engaged  with  his  father;  Helen,  at 
home;  Thomas  Henry,  fanning  near  Beau- 
mont; and  Charles  Edward,  at  home.  For 
many  years  Mr.  Singleton  served  as  school 
trustee  of  the  San  Timoteo  district  and  has  al- 
ways taken  a  practical  and  helpful  interest  in 
educational  matters.  In  political  affiliations 
he  is  a  stanch  Democrat.  The  business  inter- 
ests of  Redlands  had  in  Mr.  Singleton  one  of 
its  prominent  factors,  as  with  his  nephew,  W. 
H.  Singleton,  mentioned  at  length  in  this  vol- 
ume, building  the  Club  Stables  and  operating 
them  until  their  sale  some  time  since.  He  en- 
joys the  esteem  of  the  citizens  of  this  section 
who  have  known  him  for  a  half  century,  and 
merits  the  high  place  he  holds  as  a  representa- 
tive rancher,   stockman  and  business  man. 


1262 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


LEWLS  CALVIN  LINDSEY.  Since  his 
location  in  Long  Beach  ]\Ir.  Lindsey  has 
taken  an  active  interest  in  the  development 
of  the  city  and  has  manifested  his  faith  in  the 
permanency  of  conditions  here  by  investing 
largely  in  real  estate  holdings.  He  is  prac- 
ticalh'  retired  from  active  business  cares, 
seeking  a  needed  relaxation  in  the  evening 
of  his  days.  Mr.  Lindsey  is  a  native  of  Nor- 
wich, ]\Iuskingum  county.  Ohio,  his  birth 
occtirring  February  22,  1830,  the  tenth  of  a 
family  of  thirteen  children,  of  whom  but  two 
are  now  surviving.  His  father.  Joseph  Lind- 
sey, a  native  of  Penns^h-ania,  \vas  a  carpenter 
and  builder  who  located  m  .Muskingum  coun- 
tv,  Ohio,  and  in  addition  to  his  building  enter- 
prise engaged  in  the  improvement  and  culti- 
vation of  a  large  farm.  He  spent  his  last 
years  in  Cedar  county,  Iowa.  His  wife,  for- 
merly Ellen  Miller,  a  native  of  Ohio,  died  in 
Illinois. 

Lewis  Calvin  Lindsey  was  reared  in  Ohio 
until  he  was  seven  years  of  age,  when  he  was 
taken  by  his  parents  to  Illinois,  in  Champaign 
county,  receiving  a  limited  education  throu^'h 
an  attendance  of  the  public  schools  whose 
sessions  were  held  in  tlie  log  cabin  of  the  day. 
At  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  removed  to 
Iowa,  having  at  that  age  been  dependent  upon 
his  own  resources  for  five  years.  His  prin- 
cipal occupation  was  as  a  farmer  in  Iowa,  im- 
proving a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  in  the  ^'icinity  of  ^^'ilto^  Junction,  break- 
ing prairie  with  five  yoke  of  (jxen.  He  re- 
mained a  resident  of  Iowa  until  1881,  when  he 
removed  to  Nebraska  and  three  miles  west  of 
Hastings  purchased  and  improved  a  farm. 
Later  he  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  in  Hayes  county.  Neb.,  which 
property  he  still  owns.  Finally  retiring  from 
active  farming  life  he  located  in  Hastings 
where  he  made  his  home  until  the  fall  of  1901, 
when  he  came  to  Southern  California  and  lo- 
cated in  Covina.  Two  years  later  he  came  to 
Long  Beach,  where  he  now  owns  a  com- 
modious residence  and  also  owned  a  ranch 
of  three  acres  near  Signal  Hill. 

In  Cedar  county,  Iowa.  February  22,  1852, 
Mr.  Lindsey  married  Ellen  Halderman.  a  na- 
ti\e  of  Illinois,  and  born  of  this  union  were 
ten  children,  eight  of  whom  are  now  living: 
Martha  J.,  wife  of  Nelson  Ridenour  of  Custer 
county,  Neb. :  Mary,  wife  of  Eugene  Nye ; 
Laura,  widow  of  John  Elmer  De  Forest,  of 
Los  Angeles;  William,  of  Long  Beach;  Clara, 
Avife  of  Eugene  Hammond,  of  Hastings,  Neb. ; 
Charles  Upton,  of  Long  Beach;  INIinnie,  wife 
uf  C.  F.  Casebeer;  and  Irene,  wife  of  Fred 
Hart,    of    Seattle,    Wash.      :\lrs    Lindsev    is    a 


daughter  of  Christian  Halderman,  who  was 
liorn  in  Germany,  and  after  his  immigrating 
to  America  engaged  as  a  farmer  and  carpenter 
in  Illinois.  Later  in  life  he  located  in  Cedar 
count}-,  Iowa,  and  on  Rock  creek  operated  a 
flour  mill  and  also  engaged  in  farming,  being 
a  pioneer  of  that  section.  He  died  there  in 
early  life.  His  wife,  formerly  ]\Iartha  Lake, 
was  a  native  of  Ohio,  whose  death  occurred 
when  her  daughter  was  but  four  years  old. 
Mr.  Lindsey  is  a  Democrat  in  his  political 
affiliations  and  takes  an  acti\-c  interest  in  the 
iirincinlcs  he  endorses. 


JEFFERSON  HAIL  HATHAW.VV.  The 
family  represented  by  Mr.  Hathawa}'  of  Pomona 
is  traced  to  Old  Virginia,  where  the  grandparents 
were  born,  but  later  years  numbered  them  among 
the  residents  of  Alissouri,  the  birth  of  their 
son  Jefferson  M.  occurring  in  St.  Joseph,  that 
state.  When  he  was  a  lad  of  about  seven  years 
removal  was  made  to  Texas,  and  in  that  state 
he  was  reared  and  received  such  meagre  edu- 
cational advantages  as  were  in  keeping'  with 
the  pioneer  conditions.  When  the  fever  of  ex- 
citement following  the  finding  of  gold  in  Cali- 
fornia had  somewhat  subsided  a  more  conserva- 
tive class  of  homeseekers  followed  in  the  wake 
of  the  forty-niners,  and  among  the  number  who 
came  to  the  state  with  this  object  in  mind  was 
Jefferson  M.  Hathaway.  Behind  .  a  team  of 
slow  plodding  oxen  he  crossed  the  plains  in 
1853,  passing  through  Arizona,  and  finally 
reached  Santa  Ysabel,  San  Diego  county.  From 
there  he  came  on  to  El  Monte,  Los  Angeles 
county,  and  then  crossed  over  into  San  Bernardi- 
no county.  After  his  marriage,  which  occurred 
in  the  latter  county,  he  returned  to  El  Alonte  and 
engaged  in  farming,  following  this  until  1867. 
when  he  went  to  Rincon  and  purchased  a  ranch 
in  that  vicinity.  Sixteen  years  later  he  removed 
to  Azusa,  and  four  years  later,  in  1887,  he 
took  up  ranching  near  Pomona,  and  it  was  here 
that  his  earth  life  came  to  a  close  December  14, 
1905.  His  wife  was  formerly  !\Iartha  M.  Rus- 
sell, who  was  born  in  Illinois,  the  daughter  of 
Hiram  Russell,  who  brought  his  family  across 
the  plains  in  1858  and  settled  in  San  Bernardino 
county.  Mrs.  Hathaway  is  still  living  and  makes 
her  home  at  No.  808  West  Ninth  street.  Pomona. 
Seven  sons  and  three  daughters  were  born  to 
this  worthy  couple,  and  of  the  number  four  sons 
and  three  daughters  are  now  living. 

Next  to  the  oldest  of  the  surviving  children 
is  Jeff'erson  H.  Hathaway,  who  was  born  in  El 
i\[onte,  Los  Angeles  county.  March  14,  1863. 
He  was  a  child  of  only  two  years  wlien  the  familv 
removed    to    Rincon    and    settled    upon    a    raiicli 


CAPT.  JOSEPH  MASSEMN 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


12(35 


ill  that  vicinit}-.  As  soon  as  he  was  old  enough 
to  he  of  assistance  on  the  ranch  he  gave  his  ser- 
vices to  his  father,  at  the  same  time  attending 
the  puhHc  schools  when  in  session.  This  as- 
sociation crintinued  until  i8(jg,  when  the  son,  who 
had  always  displayed  a  mechanical  turn  of  mind, 
estahlished  himself  in  the  bicycle  business  in 
I'oinona,  in  connection  with  which  he  also  does 
general  machine  and  repair  work.  I  lis  shop 
is  located  at  Xo.  443  West  Second  street,  where 
may  be  seen  a  good  assortment  of  second-hand 
bicycles,  as  well  as  new  ones  of  his  own  manu- 
facture. His  interests  are  not  solely  absorbed 
in  the  business  just  mentioned,  however,  for  he 
is  the  owner  of  a  fine  ten-acre  alfalfa  ranch  near 
Chino. 

Mr.  Hathaway's  fraternal  associations  are 
numerous  and  include  membership  in  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  belonging  to 
the  Encampment  and  the  Rebekahs ;  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Foresters,  P'raternal  Aid  and 
Fraternal  Brotherhood.    In  politics  he  is  a  Demo- 


CAPT.  JOSEPH  MASSE  LIN  was  born  in 
Havre,  France,  August  16,  1830,  and  was  reared 
on  a  farm  until  he  went  to  sea,  sailing  out  of 
liavre.  In  1849  he  came  around  Cape  Horn 
to  .San  Francisco.  He  sailed  on  the  coast  and 
bay  of  San  Francisco,  becoming  captain  of 
vessels  and  later  on  owned  his  own  vessels, 
which  he  sailed  as  master,  among  them  being 
the  Garibaldi,  Jean  Fredrick  and  Safety.  The 
latter  was  burned  in  San  Francisco  bay.  In 
1870  lie  sold  his  vessels  and  located  in  Los 
.\ngeles  and  for  many  years  was  successfully 
engaged  in  the  sheep  business,  ranging  them  on 
La  Brae  and  Cienaga  ranches  in  Los  Angeles 
county.  In  about  1880  he  purchased  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  forty  acres,  part  of  the 
Cienaga  ranch,  and  there  engaged  in  farming 
until  his  death,  October  21,  1898. 

Captain  Masselin  was  married  in  San  Fran- 
cisco October  29,  i860,  to  Miss  Marie  Sehabia- 
gue,  who  was  born  in  Basses-Pyrenees,  France, 
the  daughter  of  Alichael  and  Dominica  Se- 
habiague,  who  were  successful  agriculturists 
in  the  south  of  France.  By  way  of  Cape  Horn 
Mrs.  .Masselin  came  to  California  in  1859,  leav- 
ing Havre  on  tiie  sailer  Chatelon,  and  after 
a  voyage  of  six  months  and  fifteen  days  land- 
ed in  San  Francisco.  Since  the  death  of  her 
liusband  she  has  continued  to  reside  on  her 
ranch  looking  after  her  interests.  It  is  lo- 
cated on  Wilshire  boulevard,  one  and  one-half 
miles  west  of  the  city  limits,  and  aside  from 
engaging  in  general  farming  she  has  it  leased 
to  an  oil  company,  which  has  several  produc- 


ing wells,  two  of  them  flowing.  Six  children 
were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  ^Masselin,  namely: 
John  B.,  a  grocer  on  west  Pico  street,  Los 
Angeles;  Zellie,  wife  of  Pierre  Sarrail,  pro- 
prietor of  the  Ramona  Bottling  Works  of  Los 
Angeles ;  Eugenia,  Joseph,  Julia  and  Cornelia, 
all  under  the  parental  roof.  Captain  Masselin 
was  a  very  enterprising  man  and  always  ready 
to  give  of  his  time  and  money  towards  the  up- 
building of  his  community.  He  was  much  in- 
terested in  education  and  for  many  years 
served  as  trustee  of  the  Cienaga  school  dis- 
trict. 


A  [ARK  McLaughlin.  Throughout  Ven- 
tura county  are  to  be  found  men  of  wealth  and 
position  who  came  to  this  country  from  the 
British  Isles  poor  in  purse,  but  with  an  unlimited 
stock  of  energy  and  perseverance,  and  who  by 
untiring  industry  and  wise  management  have 
acquired  a  competence.  Prominent  among  this 
number  is  Mark  McLaughlin,  a  large  landholder, 
who  is  now  living  retired  from  active  pursuits 
on  his  well-appointed  ranch  near  Oxnard,  en- 
joying a  well-earned  leisure.  One  of  the  earlv 
settlers  of  the  Santa  Clara  valley,  he  has  ever 
taken  a  warm  interest  in  its  development,  en- 
couraging and  supporting  all  beneficial  projects, 
and  as  a  man  and  a  citizen  is  held  in  higli  es- 
teem. He  was  born,  April  20,  1843,  in  Ireland, 
where  his  parents,  Patrick  and  Ellen  (Wynne) 
McLaughlin,  spent  their  long  and  usefuf  lives, 
the  father  attaining  the  age  of  eighty-eight  years, 
and  the  mother  living  until  eighty-two  vears  old. 
Of  the  twelve  children  born  into  their  household, 
eleven  grew  to  years  of  maturity,  and  two  came 
to  America,  one  son  settling  in  Detroit,  Mich., 
and  the  other,  Mark,  being  the  subject  of  this 
review. 

In  common  with  his  brothers  and  sisters. 
Mr.  IMcLaughlin  attended  the  district  school  until 
about  fourteen  years  old,  when  he  began  to  be 
self-supporting.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  years, 
being  firmly  convinced  that  there  were  greater 
facilities  for  a  poor  boy  to  better  his  financial 
condition  in  America  than  in  his  own  country, 
he  crossed  the  Atlantic,  landing  in  New  York- 
City,  where  he  remained  eighteen  months,  a 
part  of  that  time  being  night  watchman  in  some 
of  the  wholesale  stores.  Coming  to  California 
in  1863.  he  lived  for  six  months  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, after  which  he  was  engaged  in  farming 
in  Alameda  county  for  several  seasons,  working 
by  the  month.  Desirous  then  of  making  a  per- 
manent settlement,  in  1870  he  came  to  the  Santa 
Clara  valley,  locating  near  Hueneme,  where  he 
made  his  first  purchase  of  land,  buying  three 
hundred  and  eighteen  acres.  In  its  care  and 
management  he  was  very  successful,  and  as  he 


1266 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


accumulated  money  lie  at  once  invested  it  in 
additional  land,  and  now  owns,  besides  his  origi- 
nal farm,  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  near  Oxnard,  one  of  two  hundred  and 
forty-three  and  one-half  acres  near  Camarillo. 
and  has  also  considerable  land  in  Los  Angeles 
county  near  the  Palms.  His  home  ranch  he 
devotes  to  the  raising  of  beans  and  sugar  beets, 
and  his  other  two  ranches  to  the  growing  of 
beans  and  hay.  All  of  these  are  profitable  crops, 
yielding  excellent  harvests,  the  beans  averag- 
ing a  fair  number  of  sacks  to  the  acre,  and  the 
beets  doing  equally  as  well  in  this  fertile  valley. 
To  some  extent  he  is  also  engaged  in  the  cattle 
business,  raising  enough  horses  for  his  own  use. 
In  1871,  in  the  Santa  Clara  valley  of  the 
Southern  Coast,  J\Ir.  AIcLaughlin  married 
Margaret  Clyne,  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  into 
their  home  nine  children  were  born,  three  of 
whom  have  passed  to  the  life  beyond,  two  dying 
in  infancy,  and  Alargaret  Ann  at  the  age  of 
thirteen  years,  while  six  are  living,  namely : 
Thomas  F.,  who  married  Annie  Lidle,  and  has 
four  children ;  James  P.,  living  at  home ;  Mary 
Kate,  wife  of  Henry  Borchard;  Nellie,  wife  of 
Frank  Borchard ;  and  Caroline  and  Sarah  E., 
both  at  home.  Politically  Mr.  McLaughlin  is 
a  straightforward  Democrat,  and  for  over  twen- 
ty years  has  served  as  school  trustee.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus, and  religiously  he  and  his  family  belong  to 
the  Catholic  Giurch.  He  is  connected  with  the 
People's  Lumber  Company  of  Ventura  county, 
being  one  of  its  directors,  a  capacity  in  which 
he  is  doing  much  to  promote  the  interest  of  the 
organization.  He  is  also  a  stock  holder  in  the 
Oxnard  Commercial  Bank,  and  is  also  similarly 
identified  with  the   A.   Levy  bank. 


THOMAS  FREER  gives  to  the  state  of  his 
birth  his  most  loyal  allegiance,  upholding  her 
interests  in  every  possible  way,  supporting  her 
principles,  and  is  enthusiastic  concerning  the 
future  which  awaits  California  among  the  com- 
monwealths of  the  nation.  He  was  born  in 
Berryessa,  Santa  Clara  county,  December  25, 
1859,  a  son  of  William  H.  Freer,  one  of  the  early 
pioneers  of  California.  For  a  full  account  of 
his  career  refer  to  his  personal  sketch,  which  ap- 
pears elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Reared  in  Santa 
Clara  county  until  he  was  fifteen  years  old, 
Thomas  Freer  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  that  section,  attending  for  a 
brief  time  the  schools  of  El  Monte,  Los  Angeles 
county,  to  which  place  his  father  removed.  He 
remained  on  the  paternal  farm  until  July  25, 
1893,.  when  in  El  Monte,  he  married  Miss  Vic- 
toria Schmidt.  She  was  born  in  San  Gabriel. 
Los  Angeles  county,  the  second  in  a  family  of 


five  children  born  to  Henry  and  Eliza  Schmidt, 
the  father  a  native  of  France  and  the  mother  of 
California,  the  latter  being  a  daughter  of  Will- 
iam Slack,  a  pioneer  of  this  state. 

After  marriage  Mr.  Freer  engaged  in  farming 
in  the  IMountain  ^'iew  district  and  later  con- 
ducted a  dairy  of  sixty  cows  on  the  old  Freer 
homestead.  In  1903  he  located  in  El  Monte  and 
is  now  engaged  in  walnut  raising,  having  pur- 
chased twenty  acres  of  land  in  the  Mountain 
View  district.  He  is  enterprising  and  pro- 
gressive in  spirit,  putting  forth  an  intelligent 
effort  in  the  management  of  his  property  and 
is  proving  himself  a  popular  and  profitable  citi- 
zen of  this  section.  He  upholds  the  best  in- 
terests of  the  community,  educationally  and 
socially,  and  is  an  advocate  of  Democratic  princi- 
ples. Fraternally  he  belongs  to  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen.  He  has  a  family 
of  three  children,  Walter,  ^lerle  and  Thomas,  Ir. 


LEE  FREER.  Inheriting  the  qualities  of 
character  which  have  made  the  Freer  name  re- 
spected and  esteemed  throughout  Los  Angeles 
county  and  indeed  all  Southern  California.  Lee 
Freer  holds  rank  as  one  of  the  representative 
citizens  of  El  Monte.  He  is  a  native  son  of 
the  state,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  San  Jose 
April  6,  1870,  and  five  years  later  he  was  brought 
by  his  parents,  William  H.  and  Zerelda  (Stucker) 
Freer,  to  Southern  California,  where  all  of  his 
life  has  since  been  passed.  Reared  in  Savannah 
he  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
and  St.  Vincent's  College,  after  which  he  went 
to  Tehachapi,  and  worked  on  a  farm  for  one 
year.  Returning  to  El  jNIonte  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  John  Barton,  with  whom  he  remained 
until  1889.  when  he  purchased  his  present  ranch 
of  forty-six  acres.  This  was  then  new  land, 
which  he  has  since  improved  and  cultivated. 
After  following  farming  for  some  years  he  finally 
set  it  out  in  walnuts,  which  are  now  all  in  bear- 
ing and  his  grove  is  pronounced  one  of  the  fine- 
est  in  the  section.  He  has  built  a  handsome  resi- 
dence, barns  and  outbuildings,  and  added  every 
possible  comfort  and  convenience,  and  during 
this  time  also  improved  a  thirty-six  acre  tract, 
which    he    subsequently    sold. 

In  Savannah  Mr.  Freer  married  INIiss  Caddie 
Adams,  who  was  born  in  this  place,  a  daughter 
of  Rev.  Abrani  Adams.  The  latter  was  a  native 
of  Lowndes  county,  Ala.,  and  son  of  .\bram 
Adams,  Sr.,  who  removed  from  his  birthplace 
in  North  Carolina  to  Alabama,  where  he  be- 
came a  planter  and  accumulated  considerable 
wealth,  continuing  this  occupation  until  his  death 
in  1869.  He  served  in  the  war  of  1812.  and 
also  in  the  Mexican  war,  in  the  latter  acting  as 
captain  of  a  company.     He  was  of  Scotch-Irish 


^..<.L-^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1269 


ancestry  and  adhered  to  the  behef  of  his  ances- 
tors in  rehgion,  being  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church.  Abram  Adams,  Jr.,  became  a 
minister  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
South,  and  preached  in  INIobile,  Ala.,  and  Colum- 
bus, Adiss.,  being  presiding  elder  in  the  church 
in  the  latter  state.  In  1869  he  came  to  Los  An- 
geles and  in  that  city  established  the  first  church 
of  his  denomination,  and  until  1891  followed 
the  ministry  in  various  parts  of  Southern  Cali- 
fornia. Retiring  from  the  ministry  in  the  last 
named  year  he  gave  his  attention  to  the  ranch 
which  he  had  purchased  in  the  year  of  his  arrival 
in  the  state,  and  continued  its  improvement  and 
cultivation  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  April  10,  1901,  at  the  age  of  seventy 
years.  In  early  life  he  adhered  to  the  principles 
of  the  Democratic  party,  but  finall}'  affiliated  him- 
self with  the  Prohibition  party.  He  married 
Isabella  Williams,  a  native  of  Greene  county, 
Ala.,  and  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Williams,  a 
native  of  South  Carolina,  who  located  in  Ala- 
bama and  engaged  as  a  planter  until  his  death. 
Her  mother  was  in  maidenhood  Edna  Hitt, 
whose  father  was  an  emigrant  from  Wales.  Mrs. 
Adams  died  in  El  Monte,  in  February,  1892,  at 
the  age  of  fifty-one  years.  They  were  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  namely :  Annie ;  Augus- 
tin;  Belle,  Mrs.  East;  Caddie,  wife  of  Lee 
Ereer;  Margaret,  wife  of  William  Pearson; 
Mary  ;  Jeannette,  Mrs.  Kasling ;  Alice,  deceased  ; 
and  Abra,  wife  of  Edward  Hayes,  all  of  the 
living  children  being  residents  of  El  Monte  with 
the  exception  of  Mrs.  Kasling,  who  resides  in 
Salida,  Colo. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Freer  became  the  parents  of  the 
following  children ;  Zerelda ;  Ruth ;  Wesley ; 
Shirley,  who  was  burned  to  death  in  Tehachapi; 
Margaret,  who  died  in  El  Monte;  Haven,  Em- 
mett  and  Edwin  Allen.  Mr.  Freer  supports  the 
charities  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which 
his  wife  is  a  member.  Politically  Mr.  Freer  is 
a  Democrat.  He  is  associated  with  the  Mountain 
View  Walnut  Growers'  Association,  and  is  prom- 
inent in  all  matters  of  public  import. 


JOSEPH  GISLER.  Near  the  shores  of  the 
far-famed  lake  of  Luzerne,  whose  beauty  of 
scenery  and  calm  loveliness  overshadowed  by 
the  snow-capped  mountains  have  attracted 
tourists  from  every  part  of  the  world,  for 
many  generations  the  Gisler  family  lived  and 
labored  in  simple  content.  The  first  to  seek 
the  possibilities  of  the  new  world  was  INTax 
Gisler,  who  crossed  the  ocean  and  settled  in 
California  in  1877.  Later  the  family  joined 
him  at  El  Rio,  where  he  bought  land  and  en- 
gaged in  general  farming.  When  he  died,  in 
January,  1890,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years, 


he  ov.med  a  well-improved  farm  of  fifty  acres, 
the  same  representing  his  efforts  after  coming 
to  California.  In  his  native  country  he  had 
married  Josepha  Blouser,  who  was  born  and 
reared  there,  and  died  at  El  Rio  September 
9,  1905.  Survivmg  the  parents  are  all  of  their 
children,  namely :  Sigmund,  of  Oxnard ;  Gab- 
riel, farmer  at  Spring-ville,  Ventura  county^ ; 
Samuel,  who  is  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits in  Orange  county ;  Solomon,  who  oper- 
ates land  near  Oxnard ;  Edward,  a  farmer  liv- 
ing in  the  vicinity  of  Ventura ;  Max,  also  farm- 
ing near  Ventura ;  Frank  and  Joseph,  who 
have  been  partners  in  extensive  farming  oper- 
ations :  Mary,  a  resident  of  Oxnard ;  Theresa, 
whose  home  is  at  Camarillo,  Ventura  county ; 
and  Hannah,  who  lives  at  Spring\-ille,  this 
county. 

The  youngest  of  the  eleven  children  is  the 
gentleman  whose  name  mtroduces  this  sketch 
and  whose  birth  occurred  May  14,  1873,  in  the 
Canton  of  LTri,  Switzerland,  near  the  village 
of  Altdorf  on  the  bay  of  Uri.  When  six  years 
of  age  he  was  brought  to  the  United  States, 
the  family  joining  his  father  in  California, 
where  he  attended  common  schools  and  helped 
in  the  cqltivation  of  the  farm.  At  the  age  of 
nineteen  years  he  and  his  brother,  Frank,  en- 
gaged in  raising  beans  on  the  Jack  Hill  place 
and  later  leased  a  part  of  the  Patterson  ranch, 
successfully  cultivating  four  hundred  acres  in 
grain,  beans  and  beets.  During  1900  they 
bought  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  acres 
north  of  Oxnard  and  there  raised  beans  and 
beets  with  encouraging  success.  A  division 
was  made  of  the  property  in  1905,  and  Joseph 
now  owns  eighty-three  acres  on  the  Saviers 
road  one  mile  north  of  Oxnard,  the  same  form- 
ing a  very  valuable  farm.  Irrigation  is  ar- 
ranged for  by  means  of  a  pumping  plant,  in 
which  Mi-.  Gisler  owns  an  interest.  The  sub- 
stantial modern  residence  was  completed  in 
1905  and  to  it  ]Mr.  Gisler  brought  his  bride, 
whom  he  married  in  Oxnard  in  February, 
1906,  and  who  was  Miss  Adeline  Brooker,  a 
native  of  San  Francisco.  Both  are  identified 
with  the  Santa  Clara  Catholic  Church  and 
contribute  to  its  maintenance  with  generosity, 
as  well  as  aiding  other  movements  for  the 
uplifting  of  humanity. 

While  Mr.  Gisler  has  been  averse  to  ac- 
tivity in  public  affairs,  he  has  kept  posted  con- 
cerning national  problems,  is  well  informed 
as  to  the  issues  of  the  age,  and  gives  unquali- 
fied support  to  the  Republican  party  and  its 
principles.  The  only  fraternity  with  which  he 
holds  membership  is  the  Order  of  Knights  of 
Columbus.  His  attention  has  been  given 
closely  to  agricultural  aflfairs  and  the  manage- 
ment of  his  interests  has  required  such  close 


1270 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


attention  as  to  preclude  ])articipation  in  other 
affairs.  Already  a  large  degree  of  success  has 
come  to  him,  his  home  farm  one  mile  north  of 
Oxnard  being  quite  valuable,  while  in  addi- 
tion he  and  his  brother  own  about  fifty-six 
acres  at  El  Rio.  Industry  and  perseverance 
have  aided  him  in  the  accumulation  of  a  com- 
petency and  tlie  attaining  of  financial  inde- 
pendence, while  a  course  of  steadfast  integ- 
rity in  all  dealings  has  brought  him  the  re- 
spect of  his  community. 


JAAIES  BASCOM  FREER,  the  second  son 
of  William  H.  Freer,  whose  name  is  known  and 
honored  throughout  Southern  California  as  that 
of  a  pioneer,  was  born  in  Trenton,  Grundy  coun- 
t\,  AIo.,  April  15,  1843,  remaining  a  resident  of 
his  native  state  until  1849,  when  he  was  brought 
across  the  plains  to  California,  .\lthough  a  child 
of  but  six  years  the  events  of  that  ever-memor- 
ble  journey  are  fresh  in  his  mind.  His  duty  was 
to  assist  in  driving  the  cattle,  which  he  performed 
faithfully  to  the  close  of  their  six  months'  trip, 
and  although  parties  ahead  and  behind  them  were 
attacked  by  the  Indians  they  were  mercifully 
spared  this  added  trial.  Leaving  Missouri  in 
April  they  arrived  in  California  in  September,and 
in  1850  they  located  in  San  Jose,  where  James  B. 
received  his  education  in  the  primitive  schools 
of  the  day.  He  remained  at  home  until  he  was 
twenty-five  years  old,  when  he  started  out  for 
himself,  engaging  in  farming  on  the  old  Palla 
ranch,  near  San  Jose,  being  interested  principally 
in  the  raising  of  grain.  In  1869  he  came  as  far 
south  as  Ventura  county  and  purchased  a  stock 
ranch  in  Hopper  cafion,  improved  the  place,  and 
at  the  same  time  raised  cattle  in  the  mountains. 
He  remained  a  resident  of  that  section  until  1884, 
when  he  located  in  Los  Angeles  county,  con- 
ducted his  father's  place  for  two  years,  then 
farmed  in  the  Rowland  tract  for  several  years. 
In  1888  he  went  to  Oregon  and  near  Penning- 
ton, Umatilla  county,  he  followed  stock-raising 
for  two  years,  after  which  for  one  year  he  was 
located  in  Puente.  Cal.  In  1891  he  located  on 
his  present  ranch  near  El  Monte,  consisting  of 
forty-five  acres,  all  set  out    in  walnuts. 

In  Santa  Clara  county,  March  25,  1868,  Mr. 
Freer  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Sarah 
Hopper,  who  was  born  near  Lone  Jack,  Mo. 
Her  father,  .\ri,  was  horn  in  Indiana  and  re- 
moved to  Missouri,  where  he  en.gaged  in  farm- 
ing. In  1850  he  crossed  the  plains  to  California 
by  means  of  ox-teams,  and  for  a  time  following 
his  arrival  worked  in  the  mines.  He  returned 
to  Missouri  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama, 
and  in  1852  once  more  made  the  trip  across 
the  plains,  bringing  his  wife  and  two  children  to 
California.     Thev  located  first  in  Petaluma  and 


then  in  the  Santa  Clara  valley,  and  in  1868 
settled  in  \'entura  county,  where  Mr.  Hopper 
purchased  land  in  what  was  afterward  known 
at  Hopper  canon.  He  farmed  there  for  many 
years,  eventually  removing  to  Covina,  Los  An- 
geles county,  where  he  spent  his  last  days,  dy- 
ing January  22,  1898,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
si.x:  years.  He  was  survived  by  his  wife,  for- 
merly Susan  Easelv,  a  native  of  North  Carolina, 
whose  parents  removed  to  ^Missouri  when  she 
was  a  child.  She  passed  away  in  Covina  No- 
vember 18,  1905,  at  the  age 'of  seventy-eight 
years.  They  had  three  children,  all  of  whom 
attained  maturity,  two  now  surviving,  of  whom 
Mrs.  Freer  is  the  eldest. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Freer  are  the  parents  of  seven 
cliildren,  namely:  Albert,  an  engineer  residing 
in  El  Monte:  Mary,  Mrs.  Miller,  of  Los  An- 
geles; Ida,  Mrs.  Avis,  of  Los  Angeles;  Henry, 
a  farmer  in  El  Monte;  Eldridge,  an  engineer 
residing  in  El  ]\Ionte ;  Wallace  and  George  at 
home.  Mr.  Freer  supports  the  Baptist  Qnirch 
of  El  Monte,  the  oldest  church  of  that  denomina- 
tion in  Southern  California,  having  been  built 
in  1853,  and  of  which  his  wife  is  a  devoted  mem- 
ber. Mrs.  Freer  is  prominent  in  the  social 
circles  of  El  Monte,  belonging  to  the  Degree  of 
Honor  and  the  Shakespeare  Club.  Mr.  Freer  is 
a  Democrat  and  has  served  as  delegate  to  county 
conventions.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Society 
of   Los  Angeles  County   Pioneers. 


GEORGE  F.  BRIXKERHOFF,  One  of 
the  best  known  and  successful  ranchers  of  Los 
Angeles  county  is  George  F.  Brinkerhoff.  lo- 
cated in  the  vicinity  of  Compton  and  engaged 
in  the  cultivation  of  a  well-improved  farm.  He 
is  a  native  Californian,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred in  Santa  Barbara  county.  October  12. 
i860,  his  parents  being  Peter  S.  and  Jane 
(Nidever)  Brinkerhoff.  Peter  S.  Brinkerhoff 
was  born  in  Oswego,  N.  Y.,  where  he  taught 
school  and  followed  farming  for  many  years.  He 
made  a  trip  to  California  by  water  in  1852  and 
five  vears  later  married  Jane  Nidever,  who  had 
crossed  the  plains  in  the  same  }ear.  He  engaged 
in  farming"  in  the  vicinity  of  San  Francisco  and 
later  was  located  in  Santa  Barbara  county,  his  last 
days  being  spent  with  his  sons  near  Compton. 
His  death  occurred  June  16,  1891,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-six  years.  He  had  witnessed  the  de- 
velopment of  the  western  state  and  participated 
in  large  measure  in  its  advancement.  He  made 
five  round  trips  to  the  east,  seven  passages  be- 
ing made  by  water  and  three  bv  land.  He  was 
twice  married,  having  si.x  children  by  his  first 
union,  and  seven  by  the  second.  Alice  B.  I^w- 
ton  and  John  N.  live  in  Santa  Barbara :  David 
H.    in    Compton :    Henry    R.    in    The    Palms : 


/^  ^- 


^/^^U?.cA<JL^- 


2^^. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1273 


Roelit  C.  in  Riverside:  and  Sarah  Breckenridge 
in  Compton.  Mr.  Brinkerhoff  was  a  devoted 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Churcli. 
while  his  wife,  who  died  January  15,  1870,  was 
a    Presbyterian. 

Georg-e  F.  Brinkerhoff  received  his  education 
in  the  schools  of  Santa  Barbara,  after  which  he 
was  taken  by  his  parents  across  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama  and  thence  by  water  to  New  York 
City ;  from  that  point  they  went  to  Michigan, 
where  their  home  remained  for  four  and  one- 
half  years.  The  next  residence  was  in  Kansas, 
to  which  state  they  moved  by  wagon,  and  there 
the  father  rented  land  for  two  and  one-half 
years,  after  which  they  came  overland  to  Cali- 
fornia and  located  in  Santa  Barbara  county.  In 
1880  he  came  to  his  present  ranch  in  the  vicinity 
of  Compton,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-two  and  one-half  acres  and  at  the  same 
time  purchased  fortv  acres  of  land  near  here, 
and  has  since  carried  on  general  farming  and 
dairying,  having  at  the  present  time  eleven  milk 
cows. 

In  October,  1894,  Mr.  Brinkerhoff  married 
^liss  Rose  Brunton,  a  native  of  Kansas.  They 
have  no  children  of  their  own,  but  have  taken 
into  their  home  two  little  girls,  Alice  and  Edna. 
Mr.  Brinkerhoff"  is  a  nephew  of  George  Nidever, 
who  found  an  Indian  woman  on  the  Island  of 
St.  Nicholas,  and  to  the  best  of  all  calculations 
she  had  been  there  about  eighteen  years.  She 
iiad  been  taken  there  as  a  hostage  and  was  the 
only  one  of  the  tribe  left,  the  remainder  having 
been  killed  by  the  Northwest  tribe.  Her  dress 
was  made  of  birdskins  and  sewed  together  with 
sinews.  ]\Ir.  Brinkerhoff'  is  a  member  of  the 
Fraternal  Aid.  to  which  society  his  wife  also 
belongs,  and  both  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  He  is  a  stanch  adherent  of 
the  principles  advocated  in  the  platform  of  the 
Prohibition  party. 


JOHN  ENGEBRETSEN.  One  of  the  most 
successful  and  enterprising  of  the  foreign- 
born  citizens  of  San  Diego  is  John  Engebret- 
sen,  who  for  years  has  conducted  a  general 
contracting  business  and  has  taken  contracts 
for  street  paving,  grading  and  excavating, 
with  a  specialty  of  cement  work.  At  his  office. 
No.  614  Fifth  street,  he  superintends  his  work 
and  furnishes  estimates  for  all  kinds  of  ce- 
ment and  stone  work,  street  paving,  excavat- 
ing, grading  and  all  kinds  of  hauling.  His 
yards  are  at  the  northwest  corner  of  IT  and 
Twelfth  streets.  During  the  busy  season  he 
furnishes  employment  to  fifty  hands  and  util- 
izes twenty-five  teams,  and  the  management 
of  a  business  of  such  magnitude  makes  him 
one  of  the  busiest  men  in  his  home  citv. 


In  the  southeastern  part  of  Norway,  near 
the  city  of  Drammen,  lies  the  little  hamlet  of 
Harbro,  where  John  Engebretsen  was  born 
j\Iarch  5,  1858,  being  next  to  the  youngest 
among  eight  children,  only  two  of  whom  sur- 
vive. His  parents,  both  of  whom  are  de- 
ceased, bore  the  names  of  Engebret  Petersen 
and  Maren  Olie  Nilson,  the  latter  being  the 
daughter  of  a  harness-maker.  The  father,  who 
was  born  near  Drammen,  became  an  iron 
manufacturer  at  Harbro,  but  later  engaged  in 
the  lumber  business  at  Drammen,  where  he 
died.  When  the  family  removed  to  Drammen 
John  was  a  small  child  and  his  education  was 
principally  recei\-ed  in  the  schools  of  that 
town.  After  leaving  school  he  learned  the 
lumber  business.  In  1880  he  shipped  on  the 
bark  Beta  via  Cape  Horn  to  the  Sandwich  Isl- 
ands, where  he  landed  after  a  voyage  of  more 
than  four  months.  Eighteen  months  were 
spent  on  the  islands,  where  he  followed  team- 
ing. In  1882  he  shipped  for  California  on  the 
vessel  Emma  Augusta,  and  arriving  in  this 
state  settled  at  Eureka,  Humboldt  county, 
where  he  secured  employment  at  lumbering. 
In  1884  he  went  to  San  Francisco  and  from 
there  to  Martinez,  Contra  Costa  county,  where 
he  learned  the  stone-cutter's  trade.  For  one 
season,  beginning  in  1886,  he  operated  the 
Concord  quarries  under  lease. 

On  coming  to  San  Diego  in  the  fall  of  1887 
]\rr.  Engebretsen  leased  the  quarry  at  Teme- 
cula  and  engaged  in  the  cut-stone  business, 
furnishing  all  the  stone  used  in  building  in  San 
Diego  and  shipping  also  to  San  Francisco.  Af- 
ter a  time  the  railroad  between  Temecula  and 
Oceanside  w^ashed  out  and  he  then  removed  to 
San  Bernardino,  where  he  took  contracts  for 
street  paving  of  a  most  important  and  sub- 
stantial character.  The  contracts  were  com- 
pleted in  t^vo  and  one-half  years,  and  he  then 
returned  to  San  Diego,  where  he  has  since  en- 
gaged in  general  and  street  contracting. 
Among  his  contracts  have  been  those  for  open- 
ing and  grading  Logan  avenue,  IMilton  avenue. 
Elm  street.  Thirteenth  street,  L  street,  E 
street,  Third  street.  Brooks  avenue,  Columbia 
street,  Robinson  avenue.  Fourteenth  street. 
Main  street.  India  street  and  others;  also  he 
has  had  the  contract  for  most  of  the  grading 
at  the  Homestead,  Point  Loma,  and  roads  in 
the  county.  The  amphitheater,  golf  links, 
foundations,  etc..  at  Point  Loma  are  fine  ex- 
amples of  his  skill  and  workmanship. 

The  first  ^•acation  -which  Mr.  Engebretsen 
allowed  himself  from  his  work  occurred  in 
1894.  when  he  spent  four  months  in  the  old 
country  after  an  absence  of  many  years.  While 
abroad  he  visited  the  legation  at  Christiania 
and  made  a  tour  of  inspection  to  many  points 


127^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  world-wide  interest,  besides  enjoying  a 
pleasant  visit  with  those  of  his  relatives  and 
boyhood  friends  who  still  remained  in  Nor- 
way. His  marriage  iook  place  in  Los  Angeles 
in  1895  and  united  him  with  Miss  Augusta  Pe- 
tersen, who  was  born  in  Norway  and  reared 
in  Wisconsin.  Her  death  occurred  in  San  Di- 
ego April  2,  1896.  For  a  decade  or  more  ^Ir. 
Engebretsen  has  been  identified  with  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  During  1896 
he  was  initiated  in  San  Diego  Lodge  No.  153, 
in  which  he  is  past  officer.  Besides  being  a 
member  of  the  Encampment  and  senior  war- 
den of  the  same,  he  is  past  captain  of  San  Di- 
ego Canton  No.  22.  and  a  member  of  the  Or- 
der of  Rebekahs.  In  religion  he  was  reared  a 
Lutheran  and  always  has  been  in  sympathy 
with  the  doctrines  of  that  denomination.  In 
national  politics  he  votes  with  the  Republican 
party.  In  1896  he  was  appointed  and  com- 
missioned deput}-  consul  at  San  Diego  for 
Sweden  and  Norway  and  two  years  later  was 
made  acting  consul  pending  his  appointment 
and  commission  as  consul,  said  appointment 
occurring  April  29,  1901,  confirmed  by  Secre- 
tary of  State  John  Hay  June  5,  1901.  Since  the 
dissolution  of  the  union  between  Norway  and 
Sweden  he  has  been  instructed  to  continue  to 
act  as  consul  for  each  country,  and  was  reap- 
pointed for  Norway  in  1906.  On  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Scandinavian-American  Society  of 
San  Diego  he  became  one  of  its  charter  mem- 
bers and  since  then  has  been  actively  inter- 
ested in  its  meetings  and  its  work. 


HENRY  T.  COOK  is  a  native  Californian 
and  the  son  of  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  the. 
state.  His  father.  John  J.  Cook,  was  born  in 
Michigan,  and  his  mother,  who  was  Miss  Mary 
Ann  Turley  before  her  marriage,  was  a  native 
of  Canada.  There  were  five  children  born  to 
them,  Henry  T.  first  seeing  the  light  of  day 
one  year  after  the  emigration  of  the  family 
to  California.  The  father  died  at  the  family 
home  in  San  Bernardino  county  when  fifty-six 
years  old.  and  the  mother,  who  later  made  her 
home  with  this  son,  lived  to  be  seventy-seven 
years  of  age.  The  birth  of  Henry  T.  Cook  oc- 
curred February  9,  1863,  in  San  Bernardino,  and 
his  education  was  received  through  the  medium 
of  the  public  schools  of  that  city  and  Los  An- 
geles county.  After  ranching  in  the  San  Joaquin 
valley  for  one  year  he  removed  to  Hollister, 
where  he  remained  for  three  years,  and  from 
there  in  1876  moved  to  the  Santa  Clara  valley 
of  Southern  California  and  purchased  the  ranch 
which  is  now  his  home.  It  comorises  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  of  as  fertile  land  as  there 
is  in  the  vallcv,  and  of  this  he  has  ninety  acres. 


of  beans,  the  rest  being  bay  land.  He  has  more 
recently  planted  sixty  acres  to  walnuts,  which 
will   soon   yield  him   a   handsome   income. 

Mr.  Cook's  marriage  united  him  with  Sarah 
E.  Wilkinson,  who  was  born  in  Illinois,  and 
to  them  have  been  born  two  children,  both  of 
whom  are  now  married.  William  H.  married 
Winnifred  Huff,  and  Walter  A.  married  Irene 
Stockton,  and  to  them  one  child  has  been  born. 
Mr.  Cook  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows 
Lodge  at  Santa  Paula,  and  takes  a  lively  in- 
terest in  political  matters,  being  a  member  of 
the  Republican  county  central  committee.  He 
is  a  hale  fellow  well  met,  highly  respected  and 
esteemed  and  in  every  way  a  successful  business 
man. 


ROY  HOLCO]\IB.  Prominent  among  the 
most  popular,  progressive  and  highly  esteemed 
young  farmers  of  A  alley  Center  is  Roy  Holcomb, 
who  is  actively  and  successfully  employed  in 
agricultural  pursuits.  He  is  distinguished  not 
only  for  the  excellent  New  England  ancestry 
from  which  he  is  descended,  but  a  native  born 
son  of  California,  his  birth  having  occurred  Oc- 
tober 12,  1880,  in  Bear  Valley,  San  Diego  coun- 
ty, on  the  homestead  of  his  father,  the  late 
Benajah  Holcomb. 

A  native  of  New  England,  Benajah  Holcomb 
was  born  in  1846  in  Connecticut,  where  he  was 
reared  and  educated.  Public  spirited  and 
patriotic,  he  oft'ered  his  services  to  his  country 
during  the  Civil  war,  enlisting  in  Company  I, 
First  Connecticut  Heavy  Artillery,  with  which  he 
was  connected  three  and  one-half  years.  Suf- 
fering the  trials  and  hardships  of  army  life,  he 
lost  his  health,  and  soon  after  receiving  his  honor- 
able discharge  came  to  California,  hoping  in  this 
genial  climate  to  regain  his  former  physical  vigor. 
He  lived  for  a  while  in  jMariposa  county,  but 
subsequently  settled  in  San  Diego  county,  taking 
up  a  homestead  claim  near  A'alley  Center,  and 
improving  the  ranch  now  owned  and  occupied  by 
his  son  Roy.  He  engaged  in  dairying  and  grain- 
raising,  living  here  until  his  death,  in  April,  1903. 
He  was  a  man  of  sterling  qualities  of  heart  and 
mind,  a  useful  and  valued  citizen,  and  his  death 
was  deeply  deplored  throughout  the  community. 
He  married  Nancy  Holcomb,  who  was  born  in 
Illinois,  and  died  on  the  home  farm,  at  Valley 
Center  in  1895.  Of  their  union,  seven  children 
were  born,  namely:  Clara,  wife  of  H.  Shelby, 
of  Paradise  ^Mountain ;  Bertha,  wife  of  Edward 
Hunter,  of  Randsburg;  Nettie,  wife  of  C,  M. 
James,  of  Lusardi :  Myrtle,  living  on  the  home 
ranch  Avith  her  brother ;  Ray  on  the  home  ranch  : 
Walter,  of  San  Diego;  and  Roy,  the  special  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch. 

Receiving   a    good   common    school    education, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1275 


Roy  Holcomb  was  subsequently  employed  as  a 
farm  hand  or  surveyor  for  a  number  of  years, 
always  keeping  busy.  Since  1900  he  has  been 
carrying  on  general  ranching  on  his  own  account, 
managing  the  old  home  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres.  Energetic  and  industrious,  lie 
is  meeting  with  well  merited  success  in  his  un- 
dertakings, and  is  carrying  on  general  farming 
and  dairying  after  the  most  approved  modern 
methods,  and  though  young  in  years  has  attained 
a  noteworthy  position  among  the  prosperous 
ranchers  of  this  part  of  the  community.  He 
shows  excellent  judgment  in  his  business  opera- 
tions, being  regarded  as  one  of  the  rising  young 
men  of  \'alley  Center,  and  is  in  every  way 
worthy  of  the  respect  and  esteem  accorded  him. 
In  October,  1905,  Mr.  Holcomb  married  Allie 
Risdon,  who  was  born  in  Kansas,  a  daughter  of 
Nathaniel  Risdon,  now  living  in  this  valley.  Mr. 
Holcomb  is  a  stanch  Republican  in  politics,  as 
was  his  father,  who  was  likewise  a  member  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 


FANKHANEL  BROTHERS.  Recognized 
throughout  the  vicinity  of  Ramona,  San  Diego 
county,  as  enterprising  and  prosperous  agricult- 
urists, H.  O.  and  F.  E.  Fankhanel  hold  a  posi- 
tion of  note  among  the  esteemed  and  respected 
citizens  of  their  community.  Although  young  in 
years,  their  energy  and  progressive  spirit  have 
placed  them  where  they  rightfully  belong,  and 
many  men  twice  their  years  might  be  proud  to 
lay  claim  to  their  achievements.  Besides  owning 
a  fine  ranch  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
stocked  with  high-grade  cattle,  they  also  rent  a 
tract  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres  devoted  en- 
tirely to  the  raising  of  grain,  all  in  all  owning 
and  managing  one  of  the  most  productive  ranches 
in  the  county. 

Although  the  father,  C.  F.  Fankhanel,  was  a 
native  of  Germany,  at  a  very  early  age  he  was 
brought  to  the  United  States,  growing  up  in  an 
atmosphere  of  push  and  independence  which  de- 
veloped like  qualities  in  himself  and  resulting  in 
the  accumulation  of  a  large  property.  Ill-health, 
however,  made  inroads  upon  his  constitution  and 
means  and  a  change  of  climate  was  the  only  al- 
ternative. Selling  his  farm  of  eight  hundred 
acres  in  Butler  county,  Kans.,  in  1893  he  started 
by  wagon  for  California  with  his  family.  Innu- 
merable hardships  confronted  them  on  the  jour- 
ney, and  by  the  time  El  Paso,  Tex.,  was  reached 
it  was  deemed  advisable  to  give  up  the  original 
plan  and  complete  the  trip  under  less  trying  condi- 
tions. After  disposing  of  the  outfit  tliey  boarded 
a  train  for  San  Diego  and  reached  their  destina- 
tion without  further  inconvenience.  As  soon  as 
Mr.  Fankhanel's  health  would  permit  he  once 
more    became    interested    in    agricultural    afifairs 


and  folloAved  ranching  throughout  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  His  death  occurred  December  16, 
1899,  at  Barona  Valley,  at  the  comparatively  ear- 
ly age  of  fifty-four  years.  His  political  sym- 
pathies were  in  accord  with  Republican  princi- 
ples, but  he  was  never  ambitious  to  hold  public 
office,  preferring  to  discharge  his  obligations  by 
way  of  casting  a  conscientious  ballot.  The  wife 
and  mother,  before  her  marriage  Jennie  McLen- 
on,  was  born  in  Ohio  and  her  marriage  to  Mr. 
Fankhanel  was  celebrated  in  Kansas.  She  is  still 
living  and  makes  her  home  with  her  sons.  One 
daughter,  Laura,  was  born  in  1876,  and  is  now 
the  wife  of  George  L.  Frey,  of  Poway. 

At  the  time  of  the  removal  of  the  family  to 
California  Henry  Olvin  and  Frederick  Earl 
Fankhanel  were  fourteen  and  eight  years  old  re- 
spectively, the  birth  of  the  former  occurring  in 
Butler  county,  Kans.,  June  i,  1879,  and  the  latter 
in  the  same  place  January  6,  1885.  On  account 
of  the  ill-health  of  the  father  their  chances  for  an 
education  were  rather  limited,  and  at  an  early  age 
they  began  their  self-support  by  working  out  on 
neighboring  ranches.  The  father's  death  a  few 
years  later  was  a  sad  blow,  but  their  previous  ex- 
perience had  prepared  them  to  assume  the  re- 
sponsibilities which  fell  to  their  lot.  By  careful 
financiering  they  were  enabled  to  purchase  their 
present  ranch  near  Ramona  in  1903,  and  have 
since  become  known  as  progressive  and  thor- 
oughgoing ranchers  in  this  part  of  the  country. 
As  was  their  father  before  them  both  are  Re- 
publicans, and  the  elder  son,  H.  O.,  is  filling  the 
office  of  school  trustee  and  roadmaster  in  his  dis- 
trict. San  Diego  county  is  fortunate  in  possess- 
ing two  such  progressive  citizens  as  the  Fank- 
hanel brothers,  and  judging  from  their  early  ef- 
forts and  the  results  accruing  therefrom  it  is  not 
too  much  to  expect  that  the  coming  years  will 
find  them  among  the  most  prosperous  ranchers 
and  successful  business  men  in  this  part  of  the 
state. 


JOHN  FRANCIS.  Twelve  miles  from  Red- 
lands  and  located  in  the  San  Timoteo  caiion  is 
the  ranch  of  twenty-three  hundred  acres  operated 
by  John  Francis,  one  of  the  progressive  and  en- 
terprising dairymen  and  ranchers  of  this  section 
of  Southern  California.  He  is  proprietor  of  the 
T.  C.  creamery  and  in  his  work  has  proven  him- 
self a  reliable  business  man,  prompt  and  accurate 
in  his  methods,  courteous  and  obliging  to  all  cus- 
tomers, and  showing  himself  possessed  of  un- 
usual executive  ability  and  shrewd  judgment. 
May  10,  1866,  Air.  Francis  was  born  in  Mont- 
gomery county,  Wales,  a  son  of  John  Francis, 
Sr.,  also  a  native  of  that  place,  where  his  death 
occurred  some  time  since,  having  followed  farm- 
ing throughout  his  life.     He  is  survived  by  his 


1271 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


wife,  formerl}-  Ellen  Manford,  also  a  native  of 
Montgomery  comit}-,  Wales,  where  she  now 
mal<es  her  home. 

Of  the  three  children  born  to  his  parents  John 
Erancis,  Jr..  is  the  only  son  and  the  eldest  child; 
he  was  reared  in  his  native  country  and  educated 
in  its  public  schools,  where  he  continued  until 
attaining  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  when  he 
came  to  the  United  States  anxious  to  make  the 
best  of  the  abundant  opportunities  olfered  here. 
He  finally  located  in  Iowa  City,  Iowa,  and  in  the 
vicinity  of  that  place  followed  general  farm  work. 
He  was  located  in  that  place  for  about  four  years, 
when,  in  1887,  he  came  to  California  and  in  the 
vicinity  of  Los  Angeles  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing and  dairy  pursuits.  Two  years  later  he  came 
to  Riverside  county  and  in  San  Timoteo  canon 
entered  the  employ  of  David  Johnson,  a  dairy- 
man of  this  section,  in  the  capacity  of  butter 
maker.  With  his  accumulated  earnings  he  was 
able  four  years  later  to  buy  out  his  employer's 
interests,  and  leasing  land  from  ]vlrs.  Clough  he 
engaged  in  the  dairy  business  and  general  farm- 
ing, operating  twenty-three  hundred  acres,  of 
which  five  hundred  acres  are  tillable  and  the  bal- 
ance is  in  pasture  and  alfalfa.  Irrigation  is  sup- 
plied from  twenty-five  wells  one  hundred  and 
sixty  feet  deep,  and  also  from  a  ditch  from  the 
San  Timoteo  creek.  He  has  a  dairy  of  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy  cows  of  Holstein  stock,  and  a 
herd  of  cattle  of  five  hundred  head.  The  T.  C. 
creamery  is  equipped  with  every  modern  de- 
vice for  a  successful  conduct  of  this  business, 
having  a  combined  separator  and  churn  with  a 
large  capacity,  and  the  products  are  considered 
among  the  finest  on  the  market. 

In  Los  Angeles  jNIr.  Francis  was  united  in 
marriage  with  ^liss  Anita  Hovera,  a  native  of 
San  Bernardino  county,  Cal..  her  father  being 
a  resident  of  this  caiion.  They  became  the  par- 
ents of  the  following  children :  Herbert,  Row- 
land, Gladys,  Agnes  and  Anita.  Fraternally  Mr. 
Francis  is  associated  with  the  Foresters  of  Nor- 
walk,  and  politically  adheres  to  Republican  prin- 
ciples. 


E.  M.  WILLIAMS.  One  of  the  well-known 
and  successful  ranchmen  of  Santa  Paula  is  E.  'SI. 
Williams,  who  owns  a  property  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  of  fertile  land  devoted  to  stock 
and  the  raising  of  beans.  His  father,  Edward 
r>enton  Williams,  was  born  in  Xew  York  City, 
and  his  mother,  who  was  Elizabeth  Rogers  before 
her  marriage,  was  also  a  native  of  New  York 
state.  In  1855,  when  his  son  E.  M.  was  an  infant, 
the  father  came  to  California  by  way  of  Panama, 
and  in  San  Francisco  was  employed  in  the  H. 
C.  Hudson  &  Co.  spice  mill.    In  December,  1866, 


he  came  to  X'entura  county,  and  in  the  vicinity 
of  Saticoy  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits. 
Twenty  years  later,  in  1886,  he  removed  to  Santa 
Paula  and  since  then  he  and  his  wife  have 
made  their  home  with  their  son  E.  M.  The 
father  is  now  in  his  eighty-first  year,  and  both 
himself  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church.  Both  father  and  son  afSlia'te 
with  the  Republican  party  and  give  it  their  loval 
support. 

E.  M.  Williams  was  born  in  Oneida  county, 
N.  Y.,  February  3,  1855,  and  was  an  infant  when 
he  was  brought  to  California.  He  received  his 
education  in  San  Francisco  and  afterwards  came 
to  \"entura  county  and  engaged  in  ranching  near 
Saticoy.  where  he  purchased  a  ranch  in  1882. 
In  1895  he  was  married  to  Ida  Hudson,  who 
is  a  native  of  California,  the  daughter  of  John 
Hudson,  her  grandfather,  H.  C.  Hudson,  being 
the  pioneer  cofifee  and  spice  manufacturer  of 
San  Francisco.  Mr.  A\'illiams  is  a  member  of 
the  Fraternal  Brotherhood  Lodge  at  Santa  Paula, 
and  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  both  himself 
and  his  wife  giving  the  latter  their  support  as 
active  members. 


XORMAN  ASHCROFT.  The  postal  service 
of  Hollywood,  Los  Angeles  county,  is  under  the 
able  supervision  of  Norman  Ashcroft,  who  has 
risen  to  his  present  position  as  the  result  of  ef- 
ficient work  while  in  the  rural  delivery  service 
in  this  locality  for  a  number  of  years,  His  initia- 
tion in  the  rural  service  dates  back  to  the  post- 
mastership  of  Philo  J.  Beveridge,  and  he  also 
served  under  his  successor,  Hervey  Friend.  The 
resignation  of  Mr.  Friend  made  a  vacancy  which 
Mr.  Ashcroft  was  selected  to  fill,  which  came  to 
him  as  a  reward  for  faithful  and  conscientious 
work  as  carrier. 

Mr.  Ashcroft  is  the  son  of  New  England  par- 
ents, Norman  and  Mary  I\I.  (Davis)  Ashcroft, 
having  been  born  in  New  York  state  and  Maine, 
respectively.  Before  the  bjrfh  of  their  son,  how- 
ever, they  had  settled  in  the  Mississippi  valley, 
his  birth  occurring  in  Kankakee  county.  111.. 
February  19,  1870.  With  the  education  received 
in  the  schools  of  his  native  county  he  started  out 
in  business,  first  as  a  grocer  and  later  as  an  em- 
ploye of  the  Adams'  Express  Company.  Sub- 
sequently he  held  a  position  with  Armour  &  Com- 
pany, where  for  three  vears  he  was  in  the  time- 
keeping department.  For  five  and  a  half  years 
following  he  was  car-shop  clerk  with  the  Pro- 
vision Dealers  Dispatch,  a  position  which  he  held 
up  to  the  time  of  starting  for  the  west.  He  left 
his  Illinois  home  February  i,  1900,  and  in  due 
time  arrived  in  Antelope  valley,  where  he  re- 
mained for  about  eight  months.  Coming  to 
Hollvwood   at  the  end  of  this  time,  he  became 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1279 


interested  in  ranching,  a  business  which  he  car- 
ried on  for  about  three  years,  or  until  giving  it 
u]5  to  accept  a  position  under  the  government  as 
rural  mail  deliverer  under  Philo  J.  Beveridge. 
As  has  been  previously  stated  his  selection  as 
postmaster  of  Hollywood  followed  the  resignation 
of  Mr.  Beveridge's  successor,  Hervey  Friend, 
and  since  February  ii,  1906,  2ilr.  Ashcroft  has 
given  efficient  service  as  chief  of  the  department. 
Two  rural  routes  radiate  from  Hollywood  and 
carry  mail  into  the  outlying  districts. 

In  Chicago,  111..  January  31,  1900,  Norman 
Ashcroft  and  Libbie  White  were  united  in  mar- 
riage. Mrs.  Ashcroft  being  a  daughter  of  Robert 
and  Emma  (Levy)  White.  The  only  child  bom 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ashcroft  is  Harold!  The  fam- 
ily occupy  a  commodious  residence  of  ten  rooms 
on  Iowa  and  Wilson  streets,  Hollywood,  which 
JNlr.  Ashcroft  erected  in  1905.  Its  location  in  the 
center  of  the  best  residence  district  in  the  city 
makes  it  a  valuable  piece  of  property,  which  is 
a  credit  alike  to  the  owner  and  to  the  city.  In 
their  religious  views  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ashcroft 
are  Baptists,  and  in  the  church  of  which  thev 
are  members  Air.  Ashcroft  has  served  as  clerk. 
Politically  he  is  independent  in  the  casting  of  his 
vote,  his  ballot  and  influence  both  being  given  in 
favor  of  candidates  and  measures  opposing  the 
liquor  traffic. 


J(  )HX  BURR.  Prominent  among  the  lead- 
ing agriculturists  and  fruit  growers  of  Fer- 
nando is  John  Burr,  who  has  had  many  years 
of  practical  experience  in  his  chosen  "field  of 
labor,  and  in  his  various  operations  has  met 
with  eminent  success.  Descended  from  a  long 
line  of  honored  Scotch  ancestry,  he  was  born, 
November  13.  1849,  '"  Scotland,  the  country 
of  industry,  thrift  and  frugality. 

Completing  his  studies  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  land,  John  Burr  subse- 
quently turned  his  attention  to  horticultural 
pursuits,  for  seven  years  working  as  a  garden- 
er. Becoming  proficient  in  his  work,  and  de- 
siring to  try  life  in  the  new  world,  he  crossed 
the  Atlantic  in  1872,  and  immediately  made 
his  way  across  the  continent  to  San  Francisco. 
Locating  soon  afterward  in  San  Mateo  coun- 
ty, he  secured  a  position  as  landscape  garden- 
er ^^  ith  Senator  Fulton,  whose  grounds  he  laid 
out  in  a  most  attractive  and  artistic  manner. 
His  abilit}^  in  that  line  becoming  known,  he 
had  no  trouble  in  finding  an  ample  amount  of 
congenial  work,  and  remained  in  that  vicinity 
until  1884.  Going  then  to  Tulare  county,  he 
settled  near  Visalia.  where  he  purchased  a 
ranch  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  a  part  of 
which  he  set  out  with  vines,  while  on  the  re- 
mainder he  raised  \vheat,  continuing  thus  oc- 


cupied for  three  years.  Disposing  of  that 
property  in  18S7,  he  came  to  Fernando,  Los 
Angeles  county,  with  a  view  to  locating  here 
])ermaneiitly.  With  two  partners  he  bought 
forty  acres  of  land  and  immediate.ly  began  the 
cultivation  of  oranges  and  small  fruits.  The 
\cnture  proving  successful,  he  subsequently- 
purchased  the  interests  of  his  partners  and  has 
since  carried  on  the  business  alone.  From  time 
to  time  he  has  bought  additional  land,  and  has 
at  the  present  time  sixty-two  acres  devoted  to 
the  growing  of  oranges,  fifteen  acres  of  olives, 
and  in  addition  has  a  grain  ranch  containing 
one  hundred  and  ten  acres.  He  is  constantly 
adding  to  the  improvements  on  his  home  es- 
tate, which  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and 
rttractive  in  this  section  of  the  county,  bear- 
ing visible  evidence  of  the  intelligence,  ability 
and  thrift  of  the  owner. 

In  England  J\Ir.  Burr  married  Anna  Phil- 
liott,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren, namely:  John  a'^l  Charles,  both  resi- 
dents of  A-^isalia:  and  A\'il!iam,  living  at  home. 
Politically  Mr.  Burr  is  an  active  member  of 
the  Republican  party,  and  as  sheriff  of  Los 
Angeles  county  from  T894  until  1898.  and  as 
horticultural  connnissioncr  for  the  count}'  for 
<.ne  and  one-half  years,  rendered  excellent 
service  to  the  people.  In  Masonic  circles  he 
stands  high,  being-  a  thirty-second  degree  Ma- 
son :  he  is  a  member  and  past  worthy  master 
of  Fernando  Lodge  No.  324,  F.  &  A.  M.,  also 
belonging  to  the  Mystic  Shrine  of  Los  An- 
geles. In  1877,  at  Redwood  City,  he  joined  the 
Odd  Fellows,  and  is  now  a  member  of  the 
lodge  at  Fernando ;  he  also  belongs  to  Los  An- 
geles Encampment,  and  is  a  member  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Foresters. 


GEORGE  F.  JACOBY.  An  active  and  i>rac- 
tical  agriculturist,  energetic  and  ambitious. 
George  F.  Jacoby  is  iiieeting  with  excellent  re- 
sults in  his  chosen  occupation.  His  ranch  of 
eighty  acres  is  pleasantly  located  at  \'alley  Cen- 
ter, and  from  its  thrifty  appearance  it  is  evident 
that  he  takes  pride  in  his  business,  his  land  being 
finely  improved  and  under  a  good  state  of  culti- 
vation and  well  supplied  with  all  the  accessories 
of  a  first-class  estate,  having  a  substantial  set  of 
farm  buildings  and  all  of  the  needed  machinery 
to  facilitate  the  otherwise  slow  and  tedious  work 
of  a  farmer.  A  son  of  Herman  Jacoby,  he  was 
born.  January  6,  1872,  in  Bloomington.  111.,  but 
his  childhood  days  were  spent  in  Iowa. 

Herman  Jacoby  moved  with  his  family  from  Illi- 
nois to  Iowa  in  1872.  and  was  there  a  resident 
eleven  years.  His  family  came  to  California  in 
1883.  and  has  since  resided  in  this  state.  .A 
faitlifid    and    loyal    citizen,    during    the    Indian 


1280 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


troubles  he  served  under  General  Crook.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Fleshnian,  and  they  became 
the  parents  of  three  children,  namely :  Albert  F., 
residing  in  Orange  county ;  Annie  C,  wife  of 
James  Woods,  of  Bear  A'alley,  San  Diego  coun- 
ty; and  George  E.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

But  eleven  years  of  age  when  he  came  with 
his  mother  to  this  state,  George  E.  Jacoby  con- 
tinued his  studies  in  the  common  schools,  ac- 
quiring a  practical  education.  Coming  then  to 
\'alley  Center,  he  lived  for  a  few  years  with  an 
uncle,  in  the  meantime  becoming  familiar  with 
farm  work.  Wishing  to  know  more  about  the 
northwestern  country  before  making  a  perma- 
nent settlement  in  life,  JNIr.  Jacoby  and  his  wife 
made  two  trips  to  \\'ashington  and  Oregon,  being 
away  about  six  years,  working  and  sight  seeing 
throughout  those  states.  Einding  no  place  that 
pleased  them  especially,  they  returned  to  X'alley 
Center,  invested  money  in  land  lying  a  few  miles 
above  their  present  homestead,  and  began  its 
improvement.  Subsequentlv  selling  out  at  an 
advantage,  Mr.  Jacoby  bought  his  present  ranch 
of  eighty  acres,  which  is  one  of  the  most  valuable 
in  many  respects  of  any  in  the  valley.  He  has 
since  made  improvements  of  an  excellent  char- 
acter, erecting  all  of  the  buildings  required  on 
a  well-kept  homestead,  and  is  now  devoting  his 
time  and  attention  to  grain  raising,  dairying  and 
chicken  raising,  intending  to  make  a  specialty  of 
the  two  latter  branches  of  industr}\ 

In  1894  Mr.  Jacoby  married  Miss  Ivy  West- 
moreland, a  daughter  of  A.  S.  and  Emma  A. 
(May)  Westmoreland.  On  the  breaking  out  of 
the  Civil  war,  Mr.  Westmoreland,  then  a  resi- 
dent of  Tennessee,  was  a  volunteer  in  the  South- 
ern army,  in  which  he  served  until  the  close  of 
the  war.  In  1881  he  came  with  his  family  to 
California,  and  here  he  and  his  wife  reared  their 
family  of  eleven  children.  In  their  religious  be- 
liefs Mr.  and  Airs.  Jacoby  are  in  sympathy  with 
the  creeds  of  the  Southern  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  Politically  ]\Ir.  Jacoby  is  an  uncompro- 
mising Democrat,  and  for  a  number  of  years  has 
been  a  school  trustee.  Eratemally  they  are  mem- 
bers of  Escondido  Camp.  I.  O.  F. 


FRANK  D.  FOOT.  When  the  enterprising 
men  of  San  Pedro  are  mentioned  the  name  of 
Frank  D.  Foot  is  always  found  in  the  list.  He  is 
well  known  in  the  community,  for  his  various  in- 
terests bring  him  in  contact  with  all  classes  of 
people.  As  a  general  contractor  and  proprietor' 
of  the  Foot  Transfer  Company  he  has  demon- 
strated his  right  to  the  title  of  a  successful  busi- 
ness man.  His  father,  Solomon  R.  Foot,  was  a 
native  of  Ohio,  and  a  pioneer  of  Sterns  county, 
]Minn.,  immigrating  to  that  section  in  the  early 
days  and  starting  in  business  as  a  stock  raiser. 


The  Sioux  Indians  were  on  the  war-path  and 
soon  put  him  out  of  the  stock  business  and  came 
very  near  putting  him  out  of  the  world.  In  those 
early  days  of  the  settlement  of  the  west,  men 
seeking  homes  in  a  new  country  not  only  had  to 
endure  the  privations  incident  to  pioneer  life,  but 
frequently  were  called  upon  to  protect  their  fam- 
ilies and  their  homes  from  the  bloodthirsty  sav- 
ages who  were  ever  ready  to  make  raids  on  un- 
protected settlers.  The  Foot  family,  consisting 
of  himself,  his  wife  and  two  little  ones,  and  a 
neighboring  family  by  the  name  of  Erickson  find- 
ing themselves  in  danger  from  the  Indians,  for- 
tified one  of  the  houses  to  withstand  attack.  The 
Indians  came  as  expected  and  for  two  days  and 
nights  harassed  the  families,  badly  wounding 
both  men.  During  a  suspension  of  hostilities  the 
men  finally  persuaded  the  women  to  take  the  chil- 
dren and  make  an  attempt  to  reach  the  fort, 
charging  them  as  they  valued  their  lives  to  travel 
only  at  night  and  to  keep  a  constant  watch  for 
the  Indians  who  were  liable  to  discover  them  at 
any  time,  and  discovery  meant  death,  and  death 
in  its  most  horrible  form.  AMth  the  little  ones 
the  women  set  out  to  reach  the  fort  and  on  the 
second  day  of  their  journev  met  a  party  of  sol- 
diers, who  conducted  them  to  the  fort.  In  the 
meantime  Foot  and  Erickson  were  rescued  by 
some  men  passing  their  way  and  were  brought 
by  them  to  the  fort,  where  they  and  their  families 
were  happily  reunited.  Both  men  recovered  from 
their  wounds,  and  very  soon  afterward  Mr.  Foot 
enlisted  in  the  Minnesota  Volunteer  ^Mounted  In- 
fantry, and  served  in  the  campaign  against  the 
Sioux  Indians.  In  1862  he  was  at  the  Indian 
massacre  at  Green  Lake,  where  he  received  a 
gim-shot  wound  through  his  right  lung  and  six 
buckshot  in  his  back.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he 
took  his  family  and  located  in  Melrose,  where  in 
addition  to  farming  he  kept  a  hotel  on  the  stage 
route.  In  1883  he  removed  from  ^Minnesota  to 
North  Dakota,  near  ]\Iinot.  and  again  engaged 
in  the  stock  business.  In  1888  he  came  to  CaH- 
fornia  and  located  at  San  Pedro,  where  he  lived 
until  his  death  in  1903. 

Frank  D.  Foot  was  bom  at  IMelrose.  Minn.. 
Augitst  25.  1867,  the  youngest  of  his  father's 
family  of  six  children,  four  of  whom  are  still  liv- 
ing. His  mother  died  when  he  was  twelve  years 
of  age.  He  hved  in  the  town  of  Melrose  and  at- 
tended school  there  until  he  was  sixteen  years 
old  and  then  went  to  North  Dakota  and  engaged 
in  stock-raising  until  1889.  In  the  last-named 
vear  he  came  to  California  and  located  on  a  farm 
near  Gardena,  where  he  engaged  in  grain-raising 
for  nine  years.  In  1898  he  came  to  San  Pedro, 
.ind  seeing  an  opening  for  business  he  started  a 
liverv  stable  at  the  corner  of  Second  and  Beacon 
streets.  It  proved  to  be  a  profitable  investment 
for  him  and  he  awaited  his  opportunity  to  enlarge 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1281 


his  business  in  the  same  hne.  When  the  Pony 
hvery  stable  was  for  sale  he  purchased  it,  run- 
ning it  until  November,  1905,  when  he  sold  it. 
Since  then  he  has  devoted  considerable  attention 
to  his  transfer  business,  the  Foot  Transfer  Com- 
pany having  the  largest  business  of  the  kind  in 
San  Pedro.  In  addition  to  his  transfer  business 
he  has  taken  up  a  line  of  general  contracting,  do- 
_  ing  an  extensive  business  in  grading,  building 
and  all  contract  work  of  that  class. 

While  living  in  North  Dakota  Mr.  Foot  mar- 
ried Annie  Miller,  who  was  born  in  Galesburg, 
111.,  of  Scotch  descent.  They  have  one  child,  a 
son,  Clyde,  and  have  a  beautiful  home  on  Ninth 
street  near  Palo  A^erde.  Mr.  Foot  is  a  member 
of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  is 
president  of  the  Eagles,  and  a  member  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Foresters.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican. 


GEORGE  W.  COLE.  When  George  W.  Cole 
arrived  in  Los  Angeles  county  from  Texas  in 
1864  and  settled  near  what  is  now  Downey  things 
looked  quite  different  from  what  they  do  at  the 
present  day.  Los  Angeles  was  a  very  small 
frontier  town  with  a  population  composed  mostly 
of  Spaniards  and  Mexicans  and  the  country 
around  was  in  a  wild  and  unsettled  condition, 
with  scant  vegetation  to  lend  beauty  to  the 
scenery.  Mr.  Cole  at  first  purchased  one  hun- 
dred and  sixteen  acres  of  the  old  Downey  ranch, 
but  later,  in  1875,  located  on  his  present  ranch 
near  Whittier.  Originally  it  contained  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  of  land,  but  he  is  now 
the  owner  of  but  sixty  acres,  having  divided  the 
balance  among  the  various  members  of  his 
family. 

April  3,  1827,  occurred  the  birth  of  George 
W.  Cole  in  Bureau  county.  111.,  his  parents, 
Sampson  and  Vina  (Tompkins")  Cole,  being  na- 
tives respectively  of  Kentucky  and  Tennessee. 
They  were  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Bureau 
county  and  spent  their  last  days  in  California. 
When  their  son  George  was  twelve  years  old  the 
family  moved  to  Carroll  county.  Ark.,  and  after 
a  short  sojourn  there  went  to  the  Cherokee 
nation,  near  the  Grand  river.  There  the  father 
bored  salt  wells  under  contract  for  the  Indians, 
the  sinking  of  the  famous  Grand  Saline  well 
having  befen  accomplished  in  the  completion  of 
his  contract.  Subsequently  the  family  lived  for 
several  years  in  Jasper  county.  Mo.,  and  next 
located  on  the  Colorado  river,  thirty-five  miles 
below  Austin,  Tex.  At  the  expiration  of  a  year 
in  Texas  George  W.  Cole  enlisted  in  the  Jack 
Hayes  regiment  of  Texas  rangers,  being  first 
under  command  of  Zachary  Taylor,  and  later 
under  General  Scott.  Their  principal  work  was 
in  the  skirmishing  line,  although  they  participated 


in  the  battle  of  Buena  Vista.  His  term  of  service 
lasted  one  year  and  fifteen  days,  after  which 
he  returned  to  Burleson  county,  wiiere  the  fam- 
ily were  living.  A  little  later  he  went  to  Jasper 
county.  Mo.,  where  he  was  married  November 
15,  1848,  to  Olive  Margaret  Chilson,  who  was 
born  in  Indiana  in  1832.  Her  parents,  Emer  and 
]\Iary  (Osgood)  Qiilson,  were  natives  of  Ver- 
mont and  Maine  respectively  and  pioneers  of 
Bureau  county,  111.  Mr.  Chilson  died  in  Califor- 
nia and  his  wife  in  Missouri.  After  his  mar- 
riage Mr.  Cole  returned  to  Burleson  county, 
Tex.,  and  for  years  engaged  in  general  fanning 
and  stock  raising  there.  In  1853  he  came  to 
California  on  a  prospecting  tour,  but  remained 
only  a  short  time.  Ten  years  later  he  enlisted 
in  Captain  Turner's  company,  C.  S.  A.,  and 
while  he  fought  in  the  battle  of  Donaldsonville, 
on  the  JNIississippi  river,  he  was  principally  oc- 
cupied as  a  scout  and  skirmisher.  Upon  the  ex- 
piration of  his  term  of  enlistment  he  returned 
to  Texas,  a'nd  in  the  spring  of  1864  he  started 
for  California,  making  his  way  over  the  plains 
with  a  wagon  and  ox-team,  the  journey  taking 
about  eight  months.  Since  permanently  locat- 
ing on  his  present  ranch,  near  Whittier,  he  has 
witnessed  many  changes  in  the  country  and  in 
many  of  them  he  has  been  an  active  participant. 
Mr.  Cole  is  a.  Democrat  in  politics,  with  strong 
independent  tendencies.  Fraternally  he  is  as- 
sociated with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  at  Downey,  and  is  a  charter  member 
of  the  local  lodge.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church  and  contributes  generously  to- 
wards its  support.  To  Mr.  and  Mr.  Cole  have 
been  born  eight  children :  Aurelia,  Mrs.  John 
Tweedy;  Mary  E.,  Airs.  William  Keller;  Cali- 
fornia, wife  of  Henderson  Cheney ;  George  W. ; 
Charles  E. ;  Dora,  wife  of  Jacob  Ginther:  Joseph 
A.  and  Bvron  S. 


CHARLES  ANDREW.  The  ranch  now  oc- 
cupied by  Charles  Andrew,  located  two  and  a 
half  miles  south  of  El  Monte,  has  been  brought 
to  a  high  cultivation  by  his  own  personal  efforts. 
Energetic  and  ambitious,  he  has  given  his  entire 
lime  and  attention  to  the  upbuilding  of  his  in- 
terests and  has  succeeded  in  making  for  himself 
a  place  among  the  prominent  ranchers  of  this 
section.  He  is  a  native  Californian,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  San  Bernardino  February  14, 
1875,  his  father,  Tilghnian  D.  Andrew,  an  hon- 
ored resident  of  El  Monte,  having  been  one  of 
the  early  pioneers  of  the  state.  ■  For  more  com- 
plete details  concerning  the  life  of  the  latter  re- 
fer to  his  personal  biography,  which  appears  else- 
where in  this  volume. 

Brought  to  Los  Angeles  county  by  his  father 
in  1881,  Charles  Andrew  grew  to  manhood  in  the 


1282 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


^Mountain  \"iew  district,  receiving  his  education 
in  the  pubHc  schools  uf  El  ;\Ionte.  He  remained 
with  his  father  until  attaining  his  majority,  when 
he  engaged  in  teaming  and  general  farming  in 
the  vicimty  of  El  Monte.  In  1899  he  began  farm- 
ing on  the  damp  land  owned  by  the  Baldwins 
in  La  Puente  school  district,  raising  grain,  al- 
falfa, potatoes,  etc..  and  meeting  with  a  success 
in  his  venture  which  enabled  him  to  accumulate 
sufficient  means  to  purchase  in  1903,  twenty-one 
acres  of  land,  upon  which  he  has  since  made  his 
home.  This  property  lies  alxiut  two  and  a  half 
miles  from  El  I\Ionte  and  after  his  purchase  was 
set  out  in  walnuts,  while  he  at  the  same  time 
raised  alfalfa  and  potatoes.  He  improved  the 
ranch  by  the  erection  of  a  good  residence  and 
all  necessary  outbuildings,  and  the  place  now 
stands  as  a  substantial  evidence  of  the  young 
man's  energy  and  ambition.  His  home  is  pre- 
sided over  by  his  wife,  formerly  IMiss  Edna  A. 
Taylor,  who  was  born  in  ^Michigan,  the  daughter 
of  George  Taylor,  who  died  in  that  state.  She 
then  came  to  California  and  was  reared  by  her 
maternal  grandfather,  M.  D.  !Mason,  of  Alham- 
bra.  Mr.  and  !Mrs.  Andrew  are  the  parents  of 
four  children,  Florence,  Ra}^  and  Roy  (twins), 
and  George.  J\Ir.  Andrew  is  quite  prominent 
fraternally ;  he  belongs  to  the  JNIodern  Woodmen 
of  America,  and  is  past  officer  of  the  lodge  in  El 
^lonte;  holds  a  like  position  in  the  Alodern 
Brotherhood  of  America,  and  is  past  chief  temp- 
lar of  the  Independent  Order  of  Good  Templars. 
In  politics  he  is  a  stanch  Prohibitionist. 


MARCUS  L.  SPARKS.  One  of  the  tine  ap- 
pearing ranches  in  the  Pomona  valley  is  that 
owned  and  managed  b\'  ]Mr.  Sparks,  comprising 
one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  and  lying  in  close 
proximity  to  Lordsburg.  Although  he  has  been 
a  resident  of  the  state  since  1875,  't  was  not  un- 
til 1890  that  he  came  to  this  vicinity,  the  nu- 
cleus of  his  present  large  property  consisting  of 
twenty  acres,  to  which  he  has  added  from  time 
to  time  as  his  means  would  permit  until  today  he 
has  one  of  the  large  ranches  of  Los  Angeles 
county. 

Mr.  Sparks  is  a  native  of  North  Carolina, 
born  in  Wilkes  county,  March  20,  1853,  one  of 
seven  children,  three  sons  and  four  daughters, 
born  to  his  parents,  Joseph  and  Mary  (Gray) 
Sparks,  they  too  being  natives  of  North  Caro- 
lina. It  was  about  1866  that  the  father  left  the 
south  with  his  family  and  located  in  Kansas, 
which  was  the  family  home  for  about  nine  years. 
I'pon  coming  to  California  in  1875  he  located  in 
the  Sacramento  valley,  where  his  remaining 
years   were   spent,   his   death   occurring  when  he 


was  in  his  sixty-sixth  year.  Up  to  the  time  of 
his  death  he  was  a  stanch- member  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  of  which  denomination  the  mother  was 
also  a  member.  December  5,  1906,  she  passed 
away  at  the  home  of  her  son,  Marcus  L.,  who, 
with  the  exception  of  a  sister  in  Oregon,  is  the 
only  one  of  the  children  living. 

The  schools  of  North  Carolina  during  the  boy- 
hood of  i\Ir.  Sparks  were  far  from  complete 
as  compared  with  the  temples  of  learning  in 
that  state  today.  Such  as  they  were  he  attended 
them  with  as  much  regularity  as  the  home  duties 
would  permit,  and  at  night  in  after  years  con- 
tinued his  studies  by  the  light  of  the  pine  knots 
on  the  hearth  at  home.  \\l:en  he  was  thirteen 
}-ears  old  he  removed  with  the  family  to  Kansas. 
In  1875  he  came  to  California  with  his  father 
and  settled  in  the  Sacramento  valley,  for  about 
five  years  working  as  a  ranch  hand  in  that  lo- 
cality. In  1880  he  came  to  Pomona  valley  and 
W'ith  the  means  which  he  had  accumulated  pur- 
chased five  acres  of  land.  In  connection  with 
the  cultivation  of  his  own  land  he  still  continued 
to  work  for  others,  following  this  for  about 
six  years,  when  he  came  to  the  vicinity  of  Lords- 
burg and  purchased  the  nucleus  of  his  present 
ranch.  He  now  has  fifty  acres  in  navel  oranges 
and  lemons,  all  of  which  he  set  out  himself,  and 
the  remainder  of  the  land,  eighty  acres,  is  in 
grain.  Water  is  supplied  from  a  pumping 
station  on  the  ranch,  which  makes  it  possible ' 
to  irrigate  the  land  thoroughly. 

In  1880.  during  his  residence  in  the  Sacra- 
mento valley,  ^Ir.  Sparks  was  married  to  ^liss 
Nancy  AI.  ^lichael,  and  of  their  union  three 
children  have  been  born.  Nellie  became  the  wife 
of  L.  L.  Ehresman  and  is  now  the  mother  of 
three  children  ;  Elsie  is  the  wife  of  W.  A.  Keat- 
ing and  the  mother  of  one  child,  the  family  resid- 
ing in  Lordsburg:  Edith  is  unmarried  and  at 
home  with  her  parents.  The  family  attend  the 
Baptist  Church  of  Pomona,  of  which  Mr.  Sparks 
is  a  member,  and  fraternally  he  is  affiliated  with 
the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen.  Air. 
.Sparks  has  always  -been  an  ardent  advocate  of 
good  schools.  He  is  now  serving  as  trustee  of 
the  grammar  school  at  LaVerne.  and  is  presi- 
dent of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Boneta  high 
school,  both  in  Los  Angeles  county.  Two  organ- 
izations in  which  he  takes  a  special  interest  and 
which  bring  him  into  close  association  with  other 
ranchers  of  this  vicinity,  are  the  La\'ernc  Citrus 
.\ssociation  and  the  San  Dimas  Land  and  Wa- 
ter Company,  in  both  of  which  he  holds  the  office 
of  president.  Politically  he  casts  his  vote  for 
Democratic  candidates  at  national  elections,  but 
in  the  choice  of  local  candidates  he  supports  the 
Proliihition  ticket.  Mr.  Sparks  has  a  genial- 
ity of  nature  that  wins  and  retains  friends,  and 
these  he  numbers  bv  the  score. 


(^  J^  }io^i^^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1285 


LAKE  W.  HOUGHTOX.  Those  who 
have  enjoyed  the  hospitahty  of  the  Houghton 
home  in  Rivera  and  who  have  noted  with  ar- 
tistic appreciation  the  comforts  evidenced 
throughout  the  entire  residence  of  twelve 
rooms,  unite  in  bestowing  upon  Mr.  Hough- 
ton the  highest  praise  for  the  success  he  has 
attained  b}'  unaided  exertions.  Possessed  of 
a  sterhng  character  and  contented  spirit,  he 
was  no  less  at  ease  amid  the  frontier  environ- 
ment of  the  early  days  than  when  surrounded 
by  the  luxuries  of  the  twentieth  century,  seat- 
ed in  his  attractive  home,  with  telephone  at 
hand  to  furnish  private  conversation  with  any 
of  the  four  telephone  stations  on  his  ranch. 
Though  identified  with  Rivera  for  a  brief 
period  only,  having  moved  to  the  town  in  Sep- 
tember of  1905,  he  has  formed  a  large  circle  of 
acquaintances  and  has  gained  a  reputation  for 
public  spirit  and  energy. 

Not  many  years  after  Texas  had  secured  its 
freedom  from  Mexican  rule  and  had  acquired 
independence,  W.  L.  Houghton  removed  to 
that  then  unknown  country,  where  he  re- 
mained from  1844  until  his  removal  to  the  Pa- 
cific coast  twenty-four  years  later.  In  his 
family  was  a  son,  James  D..  who  with  his  wife, 
Nancy  E.  (Hastings)  Houghton,  became  an 
early  settler  of  Hopkins  county,  Tex.,  at  that 
time  a  stock-growing  region,  but  now  studded 
over  with  large  cotton  plantations.  While 
James  D.  Houghton  was  still  in  the  prime  of 
life  he  was  taken  from  his  family  by  death  and 
soon  afterward  the  widow  determined  to  re- 
move to  California.  During  1868,  in  company 
with  W.  L.  Houghton  and  wife,  and  with  her 
two  sons  and  three  daughters,  she  traveled 
overland  with  wagon  and  team,  via  Denver, 
Colo.,  the  wagon  road  running  almost  parallel 
with  the  present  route  of  the  Union  Pacific 
Railroa^!. 

For  one  year  the  Houghton  family  remained 
in  Northern  California,  where  they  occupied  a 
ranch  near  Modesto  (then  called  Paradise 
CitvL  the  county-seat  of  Stanislaus  county, 
and  from  that  locality  they  traveled  south,  fol- 
lowing the  coast  road  through  to  Santa  Bar- 
bara. In  the  vicinity  of  Santa  Fe  Springs  they 
bought  a  tract  of  forty-four  acres,  where  the 
grandparents  and  the  mother  died  soon  after 
settling  in  Southern  California.  Reared  to  a 
knowledge  of  ranch  life,  it  was  natural  that 
Lake  W.  Houghton  should  select  agriculture 
«<;  his  life  work,  and  the  record  of  his  years 
proves  that  he  made  no  mistake  in  his  choice. 
Though  by  birth  a  Texan  (having  been  born 
near  Sulphur  Springs,  Hopkins  county.  .'Kpril 
2=;.  1858,  he  has  been  a  resident  of  California 
since  a  boy  of  ten  years,  and  is  thorouglily  in 
touch  with  the  histor}-  of  this  commonwealth 


and  its  rapid  progress  toward  permanent  pros- 
perity, Througii  the  exercise  of  industry  and 
wise  management  he  has  acquired  a  tract  of 
iwo  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres  of  farm 
and  pasture  land  near  Studebaker,  which  is  de- 
voted to  alfalfa  and  dairy.  Of  recent  years  he 
has  also  turned  his  attention  to  the  raising  of 
soft-shell  walnuts  and  now  has  fifty  acres  in 
that  profitable  product. 

The  first  wife  of  Mr.  Houghton  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Julia  Borden  and  died  in  1893. 
Five  children  were  born  of  that  union,  name- 
ly: Roy  J.,  Archie  (who  died  at  eleven 
years),  William  L.,  Ella  and  Stella  (twins). 
After  the  death  of  Mrs,  Julia  Houghton  on  the 
home  place,  Mr.  Houghton  was  united  with 
Miss  Jennie  Brooks,  by  whom  he  has  a  daugh- 
ter, Nannie.  Though  well  posted  in  state  and 
national  afifairs,  he  is  not  a  politician  and 
maintains  an  independence  of  attitude  in  re- 
gard to  politics,  voting  for  the  men  he  deems 
best  qualified  to  represent  the  people,  irre- 
spective of  their  political  views.  Downev 
Lodge  No.  220,  F.  &  A.  M.,  has  his  name  en- 
rolled as  an  active  member,  and  the  doctrines 
of  brotherhood  and  charity  promulgated  by 
the  order  receive  his  stanch  support  and  svm- 
pathy. 


ABRAHAM  ONTIVEROS.  The  ranch  of 
two  thousand  acres  owned  and  occupied  by 
Abraham  Ontiveros  is  his  by  inheritance,  and 
was  -the  property  of  his  father,  Juan  Pacifico 
Ontiveros,  who  was  born  in  Los  Angeles 
county,  in  1782.  Juan  Pacifico  inherited  the 
qualities  of  martial  ancestors,  and  in  early  life 
joined  the  Spanish  soldiery  in  their  eflfor'ts  to 
subdue  the  Indians  and  protect  Spanish  in- 
terests in  Southern  California.  As  reward  for 
services  rendered  he  was  given  a  tract  of  land 
known  as  the  Cajon  de  San  Ouan  ranch  in 
Los  Angeles  county,  and  which  he  eventually 
sold  for  what  in  those  days  constituted  a  large 
fortune.  He  then  purchased  the  Tepusquet 
ranch  of  nine  thousand  acres,  now  the  home 
of  his  son,  where  he  attained  to  ninety-five 
years,  the  possessor  to  the  last  of  gracious 
qualities  of  mind  and  heart,  and  of  the  respect 
and  good  will  of  all  with  whom  he  had  ever 
been  associated.  His  wife  shared  his  fortunes 
luitil  her  eightv-ninth  vear,  and  in  the  mean- 
time reared  a  family  of  thirteen  children,  nine 
of  whom  are  living. 

At  the  age  of  fifty-four  Abraham  Ontiveros 
is  one  of  the  fortunate  men  of  California.  He 
has  a  beautiful  home,  a  large  income,  a  family 
of  children  who  have  largely  realized  his  ex- 
pectations for  them,  and  a  host  of  friends. 
His  reputation  as  a  rancher  is  unexcelled,  and 


1286 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  the  iiianagenieiit  of  his  propert}-  he  con- 
forms to  the>  standards  of  the  progressive 
farmer.  He  is  a  breeder  of  line  horses,  owns 
two  hundred  and  fifty  head  of  blooded  cattle 
and  raises  large  quantities  of  grain,  grapes, 
oli\-es,  walnuts  and  general  produce.  He  built 
a  reser\oir  of  two  hundred  thousand  gallons 
capacity  on  a  hill  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
Jiigh  and  brings  the  water  from  the  mountain 
springs  for  family  use  and  irrigation.  He  has 
lived  on  his  present  ranch  for  half  a  century, 
coming  here  in  1856  from  his  father's  ranch 
in  Los  Angeles  county,  where  his  birth  oc- 
curred April  5,  1852.  In  1879  he  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Doraliza  Vidal,  a  native  of 
Santa  Barbara  county,  and  around  his  hearth- 
stone have  grown  to  maturity  six  children: 
Ozell  A.,  Erasmus  A.,  Edmund  F.,  Evanoy  L., 
Blanche  and  Ida.  In  1904  he  married  Petra 
Arellanes,  of  the  city  of  Santa  Barbara.  He 
is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  a  member  of 
the  Catholic  Church.  His  energies  have  been 
devoted  to  the  improvement  of  his  extensive 
holdings,  to  a  quiet  and  dignified  interest  in 
public  afifairs,  and  to  the  exercise  of  a  delight- 
ful hospitality. 


WILLIAM  H.  PEIRCE.  Travels  through 
manv  sections  of  the  country,  followed  by  the 
establishment  of  his  home  in  San  Diego  coun- 
ty, gave  to  Mr.  Peirce  an  excellent  knowledge 
of  coiulilions  of  soil  and  climate  through  va- 
j-ied  localities,  and  convinced  him  that  no  re- 
gion jiossesses  a  climate  more  equable  than 
that  of  his  home.  For  some  years  after  set- 
tling in  this  county  he  followed  the  carpen- 
ter's trade  and  later  for  a  number  of  years  held 
the  position  of  collector  for  the  Linda  ^'ista 
irrigation  district,  following  which  in  1899  he 
removed  to  Mesa  Grande,  and  in  1902  bought 
a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  near 
the  town,  where  since  he  has  engaged  in  rais- 
ing grain  and  cattle.  Besides  the  supervision 
of  his  ranch  he  owns  and  operates  the  stage 
line  between  Mesa  Grande  and  Ramona  and 
also  carries  the  United  States  mail. 

During  the  earlier  half  of  the  nineteenth 
century  there  resided  in  Middleboro,  Plym- 
outh county,  Mass.,  a  carpenter  and  contract- 
or bearing  the  name  of  William  S.  Peirce,  who 
was  a  native  of  the  old  Bay  state  and  a  de- 
scendant of  an  old  family.  During  1844  he 
lost  his  wife.  Prudence  fDean)  Peirce,  who  at 
the  time  of  her  death  was  thirty-four  years  of 
age.  At  the  time  of  the  discovery  of  gold  in 
California  he  was  among  the  first  to  start  for 
tlie  new  gold  fields  and  in  1849  he  set  sail  from 
Xew  Bedford,  Mass.,  rounded  the  Horn  and 
cventuallv    landed    at     San     Francisco,     from 


which  point  he  went, to  the  mines.  Soon  he 
returned  to  San  Francisco,  leased  lands  and 
erected  houses,  but  three  times  in  the  early 
fires  that  destroyed  that  city  he  suffered  the 
loss  of  his  property  and  so  decided  to  return 
to  the  east.  During  185 1  he  went  back  to 
Massachusetts,  where  he  engaged  in  contract- 
ing and  building.  \Mth  the  exception  of  one 
year  spent  in  Kansas  he  remained  in  Massa- 
chusetts until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1859,  at  the  age  of  forty-eight  years. 

Among  the  children  of  William  S.  Peirce 
there  was  a  son,  William  H.,  who  was  born 
in  jMiddleboro,  Plymouth  county,  Mass.,  June 
13,  1836,  and  was  orphaned  by  his  mother's 
death  when  he  was  a  boy  of  eight  years. 

After  having  completed  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  and  Peirce  Academy  he  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade  and  followed  the  same  in 
Massachusetts  until  1857,  when  he  removed  to 
Lafayette,  Kans.,  and  became  interested  in  the 
building  business.  Two  years  later  he  left  that 
town  and  during  the  next  fifteen  years  he 
traveled  much,  visiting'  many  sections  of  the 
country  and  acquiring  mining  interests  in  Col- 
orado. From  that  state  he  went  to  St.  Joseph, 
AIo.,  in  January,  1861,  and  there  joined  a  party 
en  route  for  the  Pacific  coast,  making  the  jour- 
ney with  teams  and  wagons  and  arriving  in 
safety  at  Auburn,  Ore.  From  that  point  he 
proceeded  into  Idaho  and  in  December  of 
1864  came  to  San  Francisco,  but  during  the 
same  month  took  passage  on  a  steamer  and 
returned  to  his  old  home.  After  nine  months 
in  Massachusetts  he  secured  employment  in 
Xew  York  City  and  remained  there  until  the 
failure  of  his  health  in  1867  demanded  a 
change  of  climate.  For  that  reason  he  went 
south  to  Texas  and  spent  a  year  in  Galveston, 
returning  from  there  to  New  York  City  and 
then  rem.oving  to  Sumner  county,  Kans., 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  until  he  trans- 
ferred his  residence  to  his  present  county. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Peirce  took  place  at 
Oxford,  Kans.,  June  i,  1876,  and  united  him 
with  Miss  Margaret  M.  Bain,  a  native  of  In- 
diana, but  from  four  years  of  age  a  resident  of 
Iowa  and  after  1871  making  her  home  in  Kan- 
sas, where  her  father,  Samuel,  engaged  in  ag- 
ricultural pursuits.  Five  children  were  born 
of  the  union.  Edith  A.  taught  four  terms  of 
school  in  San  Diego  county  and  then  entered 
the  Leland  Stanford  University,  where  she  is 
now  a  student.  Roland  E.  follows  the  black- 
smith's trade  in  San  Francisco.  Eldred  E.  was 
formerly  a  student  in  the  Lowell  high  school 
and  now  is  taking  a  course  in  mining  engi- 
neering at  the  Lake  school  in  San  Francisco. 
Earl  D.  is  a  student  in  the  State  Agricultural 
College  at  San  Luis  Obispo.     Everett  C,  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1287 


voungest  member  of  the  family,  is  a  student 
in  Lick  University.  While  in  Massachusetts 
in  1865  Mr.  Peirce  was  initiated  into  Masonry 
and  ever  since  has  been  a  believer  in  the  phil- 
anthropic principles  of  the  fraternity.  With 
his  wife  he  attends  the  Baptist  Church  and 
contributes  to  its  charities.  In  politics  he  votes 
with  the  Republican  party. 


ALLEN  J.  RUSSELL.  Although  a  compara- 
tive newcomer  in  Fallbrook,  Allen  J.  Russell  is 
well  and  favorably  known  and  is  numbered  among 
its  best  men,  socially  and  financiall}-,  being  es- 
pecially valued  as  a  large-hearted,  public-spir- 
ited citizen,  whose  enterprise  and  liberality  have 
done  much  towards  advancing  the  welfare  of  the 
conmnmity  and  adding  to  the  comfort  and  hap- 
piness of  its  people.  As  an  agriculturist  he  is 
meeting  witH  marked  success,  his  large  and  well- 
kept  ranch  bearing  visible  evidence  of  his  energy, 
thrift  and  good  management.  A  son  of  Allen 
Russell,  he  was  born  August  29,  1856,  in  Buch- 
anan county,  Pa.,  where  he  lived  until  after  at- 
taining his  majority. 

Born  in  the  mountainous  section  of  Tennessee, 
Allen  Russell  migrated  when  young  to  Missouri, 
going  there  in  1837.  He  subsequently  took  up 
land"  in  Buchanan  county,  and  there  began  life 
for  himself  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil.  During  the 
excitement  that  followed  the  discovery  of  gold  in 
California  he  came  across  the  plains  in  an  ox- 
team  train,  arriving  in  San  Francisco  in  1850. 
Becoming  discouraged  as  a  miner,  he  boarded  a 
vessel  and  started  for  home.  At  Mazatlan,  Mex- 
ico, the  boat  was  shipwrecked,  and  he  made  his 
way  from  there  back  to  ]Missouri  by  mule  back. 
Resuming  his  former  occupation,  he  was  sub- 
sequently there  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
until  his  death,  in  1883,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three 
years.  He  married  Eliza  Wolf,  who  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  and  died  in  Missouri  in  early 
womanhood. 

Left  motherless  when  a  mere  child,  Allen  J- 
Russell  attended  the  district  schools,  remaining 
at  home  until  after  the  death  of  his  father.  Going 
to  Kansas  in  1884,  he  followed  farming  in  that 
state  for  about  a  year,  when  he  returned  to  Mis- 
soiiri,  and  there  continued  as  a  farmer  for  sev- 
eral years.  Starting  overland  from  Missouri 
June  9,  189.S,  he  followed  the  southern  route 
through  the  panhandle  of  Texas  and  New  Mex- 
ico, crossing  the  Pecos  river  at  Eort  Sumner,  the 
Colorado  river  at  Fort  Yuma,  thente  by  Banning 
Pass  and  Temecula  to  San  Diego  county,  arriv- 
ing at  Fallbrook  with  his  five  wagons,  stock  and 
horses  on  December  8  of  that  year.  Althougli 
long,  the  trip  was  a  pleasant  one,  and  much  en- 
joyed. There  were  twenty-one  days  of  the  time 
when  not  a  white  person  was  seen  by  any  of  the 


family.  Since  settling  here,  ;Mr.  Russell  has  been 
actively  engaged  in  his  independent  calling,  and 
has  now  a  magnificent  ranch  of  seven  hundred 
acres,  the  larger  part  of  which  he  devotes  to  the 
raising  of  grain.  He  exercises  good  judgment 
in  financial  matters,  and  in  the  establishment  of 
beneficial  enterprises  gives  willing  aid  and  en- 
couragement. In  1903  he  was  one  of  the  or- 
ganizers of  the  Mercantile  Store,  of  which  he 
has  since  been  a  director,  and  he  is  likewise  one 
of  the  directors  of  the  Fallbrook  Hardware  Com- 
pany. 

December  24,  1882,  in  Missouri,  Mr.  Russell 
married  Martha  Elizabeth  Russell,  who  was  born 
in  that  state,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  four 
children,  namely :  Opal  W.,  Cleveland  Lee,  Jessie 
Obern  and  Thomas  Franklin.  Politically  Mr. 
Russell  is  a  straightforward  Democrat,  and  re- 
ligiously he  belongs  to  the  Baptist  Church. 


WILLIAM  WILEY.  Among  the  earlier  set- 
tlers of  Los  Angeles  county  was  the  late  Will- 
iam Wiley,  who  located  near  Downey  when  this 
section  of  the  country  was  comparatively  new, 
and  was  one  of  the  most  interested  witnesses  of 
its  development  and  growth.  Turning  his  at- 
tention to  agriculture,  he  improved  a  fine  ranch, 
raising  principally  walnuts  and  fruits,  in  this 
line  of  industry  meeting  with  signal  success.  A 
native  of  Pennsylvania  in  the  vicinity  of  Pitts- 
burg, he  was  born  September  22,  1836,  and  died 
at  his  home  in  Downey,  November  9,  1896,  his 
death  being  a  loss  to  the  community,  as  well  as 
to  his  immediate  family  and  many  friends.  When 
a  child  of  only  five  years  he  was  orphaned  by 
the  death  of  his  mother,  and  later  he  began  his 
education  in  the  primitive  schools  of  his  native 
state.  Until  seventeen  years  of  age  he  lived  on 
a  farm  in  that  state,  and  then  went  to  Minnesota, 
remaining  there  for  two  years.  In  1855,  when 
nineteen  years  of  age,  he  came  to  California, 
driving  an  ox-team  for  the  government.  Upon 
reaching  Salt  Lake  City  he  remained  there  for 
a  short  time  and  then  resumed  the  journev  to 
San  Bernardino,  and  from  there  later  came  to 
Los  Angeles  county.  Subsequentlv  for  five  vears 
he  drove  teams  from  Los  Angeles  to  Wilming- 
ton. His  first  experience  in  the  west  as  an  agri- 
culturist was  on  rented  property  near  El  Monte, 
and  later,  in  1868,  he  came  to  the  vicinity  of 
Downey.  To  his  first  purchase  of  twenty-five 
acres  he  later  added  ten  acres  adjoining,  also 
purchased  thirty-one  acres  in  this  locality,  be- 
sides which  he  owned  seventy-three  acres  at  Wil- 
lows, but  this  latter  tract  Mrs.  Wiley  disposed 
of  in  1906.  In  his  political  preferences  Mr. 
Wiley  was  a  Democrat,  and  fraternally  affiliated 
with  the  Society  of  Chosen  Friends.  As  a  con- 
stalilc  he  rendered  acceptable  service  to  his  con- 


1288 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


stituents,  and  was  a  stanch  advocate  of  good 
schools. 

^Ir.  Wiley  married,  J\Ia_v  19,  1872,  Elizabeth 
M.  Simmons,  who  was  born  in  Rapides  Parish, 
La.,  and  is  the  only  survivor  of  the  four  chil- 
dren, three  sons  and  one  daughter,  of  James 
Simmons,  of  Orange  county.  Gal.  A  native  of 
Mississippi,  James  Simmons  moved  when  a  young 
man  to  Rapides  Parish,  La.,  where  he  resided  a 
number  of  years.  In  1868  he  came  across  the 
plains  to  California,  and  is  now  living  near  San- 
ta Ana,  on  the  ranch  which  he  has  improved. 
He  is  a  man  of  sterling  worth,  highly  respected 
throughout  the  community,  and  is  a  faithful  mem- 
ber of  the  Baptist  Church.  In  politics  he  in- 
variably supports  the  principles  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wiley  was 
blessed  by  the  birth  of  eight  children,  five  sons 
and  three  daughters,  as  follows :  Robert  T.,  of 
Tustin,  Cal. ;  James  H.,  Jil.  Lulu;  WalteV  C, 
\\'illiam  K.,  Frederick  E.,  Lena  E.  and  Iva  Mae. 
Since  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Wiley  has 
lived  on  the  home  ranch,  which  is  under  the  su- 
pervision of  two  of  her  sons,  Walter  C.  and  Will- 
iam K.  The  home  place,  as  well  as  the  thirty- 
one  acre  tract  in  the  vicinity,  is  devoted  to  the 
raising  of  apples  and  walnuts,  both  of  which 
yield  abundantly  and  from  which  a  good  annual 
income  is  realized. 


ALEXANDER  J.  CUNEO.  An  example  of 
the  results  of  well-directed  efforts  coupled  with 
pluck  and  persistence  is  to  be  found  in  the  per- 
son of  Alexander  J.  Cuneo,  a  resident  of  San 
Gabriel  and  its  principal  merchant,  who  set  out 
in  the  world  dependent  upon  his  own  resources 
and  with  nothing  but  his  native  qualities  to 
presage  any  future  success.  He  has  won  the 
esteem  of  the  entire  community  through  his 
business  methods,  his  fair  dealing  with  the  pub- 
lic, and  has  built  up  an  extensive  custom  which 
has  brought  him'  large  financial  returns.  Born 
in  Genoa,  Italy,  March  7,  1870.  Mr.  Cuneo  is 
a  son  of  M.  and  Mary  (Garibaldi)  Cuneo,  both 
natives  of  Italy,  and  immigrating  to  America 
many  years  ago.  Their  first  home  was  in  New- 
York  City,  but  they  soon  removed  to  Los  An- 
geles county,  Cal.,  for  two  years  making  their 
iiome  in  the  city  of  that  name,  and  thereafter 
being  residents  of  San  Gabriel.  The  father  died 
in  1884  in  San  Gabriel  and  the  mother  in  1897 
in  Los  Angeles,  leaving  a  family  of  nine  children, 
of  whom  four  are  surviving,  those  besides 
Alexander  J.  being  a  daughter  in  Nome,  Alaska, 
one  in  San  Diego,  and  one  in  Los  Angeles.  Mr. 
Cuneo  was  a  stanch  Republican  politically;  in 
religion  he  belonged  to  the  Catholic  Church. 

.\lexander    J.    Cuneo   left   his    native    land    at 


three  years  of  age,  and  coming  to  New  York 
City  with  his  parents  remained  there  nearly  two 
years,  when  he  was  brought  to  California,  which 
ever  since  that  time  has  remained  his  home.  His 
education  was  received  in  the  public  school  of 
San  Gabriel,  and  his  first  employment  was  as 
a  clerk  in  a  mercantile  establishment.  In  1896 
he  engaged  independently  in  this  occupation, 
establishing  himself  in  San  Gabriel  with  a  fine 
stock  of  goods,  to  which  he  has  continued  to  add 
with  the  passing  years  until  to-day  he  is  proprie- 
tor of  one  of  the  best  equipped  grocery,  dry 
goods,  hardware,  feed  and  grain  enterprises  in 
this  section  of  the  county.  He  has  built  his  trade 
to  lucrative  proportions  and  now  employs  two 
delivery  wagons  to  handle  his  country  custom. 

On  the  27th  of  August,  1897,  Mr.  Cuneo 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  May  Slack, 
a  daughter  of  William  Slack,  a  well-known 
pioneer  resident  of  San  Gabriel,  in  which  place 
she  was  born.  Both  himself  and  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Catholic  Church.  He  is  a  Republi- 
can in  politics,  a  progressive  and  public  spirited 
citizen,  and  one  whose  interest  in  public  affairs 
results  in  practical  helpfulness  at  all  times. 


THOMAS  D.  MENDENHALL.  Fertile  val- 
leys lying  between  the  stern  and  rugged  stretches 
of  foothills  and  plains  afford  opportunity  for  the 
carrying  forward  of  agricultural  pursuits  under 
favorable  surroundings,  and  the  numerous  val- 
leys for  which  San  Diego  county  is  noted  are  the 
sources  of  the  considerable  agricultural  wealth  of 
this  part  of  the  state.  Bear  valley  is  not  without 
its  fertile  farms  and  among  them  may  be  men- 
tioned the  ranch  of  four  hundred  '  and  eighty 
acres  occupied  and  managed  by  Mr.  Menden- 
hall,  who  is  a  native  son  of  California  and  a  life- 
long resident  of  the  coast  county.  The  family 
of  which  he  is  a  member  came  from  Southern 
ancestry  and  early  was  established  in  the  far 
west.  His  father,  Enos  T.,  was  born  and  reared 
in  North  Carolina.  When  General  Fremont 
blazed  a  path  for  emigrants  across  the  desert 
and  mountains,  and  reports  were  brought  back 
by  the  expedition  concerning  the  fertility  of 
the  lands  in  that  unknown  and  unsettled  region 
lying  west  of  the  Rockies,  the  plans  of  many 
were  turned  toward  immigration,  and  he  was  one 
of  the  number  who  braved  the  vicissitudes  of 
the  perilous  trip  in  order  to  gain  the  possible 
returns  that  Destiny  might  bring.  As  early  as 
1847  lis  followed  the  overland  route  to  Oregon 
and  conveyed  in  his  wagon  the  first  fruit  trees 
ever  taken  into  that  state. 

After  having  engaged  in  teaching  school  in 
Oregon.  Enos  T.  Mendenhall  was  led  to  remove 
to  California  bv  reason  of  reports  concerning 
the  discovery  of  gold,  and  during  1849  he  became 


C  ,   (jj.    dyS^-rr-u^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1291 


a  pioneer  of  San  Francisco.  A  short  time  after- 
ward he  went  to  Placer  county  and  opened  a 
general  store  near  the  mines,  also  operated  a 
sawmill  and  a  hotel  in  Colfax  (then  known  as 
Iliinoistownj.  For  a  long  period  he  retained 
important  business  interests  in  that  region,  but 
during  1870  he  removed  to  Bear  valley  and 
took  up  a  tract  of  land  from  the  government. 
In  addition  he  bought  the  claims  of  many  set- 
tlers who  needed  money  more  than  they  needed 
land,  and  in  this  way  he  increased  his  holdings 
until  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  owned  more 
than  seven  thousand  acres  in  Bear  valley  and 
on  Smith  mountain.  His  death  occurred  Decem- 
ber 20,  1904,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years. 
In  early  life  he  married  Emily  Mills,  who  sur- 
vives him  and  now,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three, 
makes  her  home  at  Oakville,  in  Napa  county. 

During  the  residence  of  his  parents  in  Sacra- 
mento, this  state,  Tliomas  D.  Mendenhall  was 
born  November  2.  i860.  Few  educational  oppor- 
tunities blessed  his  yoirth.  For  a  few  years  he 
attended  the  public  schools  of  Placer  county,  but 
while  still  quite  young  he  began  to  earn  his  own 
livelihood,  and  from  that  time  to  the  present  he 
has  depended  upon  his  own  exertions.  His 
first  occupation  was  that  of  railroading.  At  the 
age  of  sixteen  years  he  was  employed  as  brake- 
man  "on  the  narrow  gauge  railroad  between  Col- 
fax and  Nevada  City,  and  at  the  expiration  of 
three  years  he  was  given  charge  of  a  freight 
train,  which  he  ran  for  seven  years.  On  resigning 
his  position  as  conductor  he  spent  two  years  in 
Napa  county  and  in  1899  came  to  Bear  valley, 
where  since  he  has  occupied  and  managed  a  farm 
in  this  fertile  region,  giving  his  attention  closely 
to  the  details  of  the  work  and  laboring  with  un- 
wearied energy  to  maintain  a  profitable  and  sys- 
tematic condition  in  the  agricultural  possibilities 
of  the  place. 


CHARLES  EDWIN  COLTON.  Some 
men's  lives  are  passed  quietly  in  the  enjoy- 
ments of  their  home  and  family,  while  others 
are  so  rudely  buffeted  in  the  voyage  through 
life :  are  thrown  into  such  strange  company ; 
meet  with  so  many  thrilling  adventures :  have 
so  many  hairbreadth  escapes ;  and  are  engaged 
in  so  many  diversified  occupations,  that  a  true 
account  of  their  work  and  wanderings  sounds 
like  a  romance.  Prominent  among  those  whose 
career  in  this  world  has  been  thus  character- 
ized is  Charles  E.  Colton,  a  prominent  and 
highly  esteemed  citizen  of  Glendale.  Leaving 
home  when  a  boy,  he  has  since,  by  his  own 
efforts  risen  from  a  condition  of  comparative 
poverty  to  one  of  influence  and  affluence.  An 
early  pioneer  of  the  state,  he  was  actively 
identified  witln  some  of  the  important  historical 


events  of  the  territory  of  California,  and  to 
some  extent  assisted  in  establishing  its  claim 
to  statehood.  A  native  of  Michigan,  he  was 
born,  October  26,  1834,  at  Utica,  Macomb 
county,  a  son  of  Philander  and  Polly  (Merrill) 
Colton,  both  of  whom  were  born  and  reared 
in  New  York  state.  The  first  of  the  name  to 
settle  in  America  was  Quartermaster  George 
Colton,  of  England,  in  1640  and  from  this  pro- 
genitor has  descended  the  entire  Colton  race. 

Between  the  ages  of  two  and  ten  years 
Charles  E.  Colton  lived  in  Cook  county.  111., 
and  then,  with  his  parents,  went  to  Iowa.  Two 
years  later,  in  1846,  he  left  home  without 
warning,  going  on  foot  to  Fort  Leavenworth, 
Kans..  and  from  that  time  became  self-sup- 
porting. Entering  the  service  of  Lieut.  George 
Stoneman,  who  was  afterward  commissioned 
general,  and  still  later  was  governor  o'f  Cali- 
fornia, he  accompanied  him  as  far  as  Santa 
Fe,  when  he  was  assigned  as  servant  to  P.  C. 
Merrill,  of  the  Mormon  Battalion,  under  Col. 
St.  George  P.  Cook,  with  whom  he  went  first 
to  Mexico,  and  from  there  came  to  California. 
After  a  short  stop  in  San  Diego  he  spent  six 
weeks  in  San  Luis  Rey,  and  on  April  12,  1847, 
arrived  in  Los  Angeles,  where  he  remained 
until  honorably  discharged  from  the  service, 
July  16,  1847.  During  the  time,  Mv.  Colton, 
then  a  beardless  youth,  assisted  in  raising  the 
first  flag  ever  hoisted  in  the  place,  going  on 
June  8,  1847,  with  a  detachment  of  thirty-one 
soldiers  to  Mill  creek  to  get  poles  for  a  flag 
staff.  Taking  one  six-mule  and  one  four-mule 
government  team  to  carry  the  provisions  and 
the  poles,  they  performed  the  journey  success- 
fully, securing  two  poles,  which  when  spliced 
and  bound  together  with  raw  hide,  gave  a 
staff  a  hundred  feet  in  length.  On  the  Fourth 
of  July,  1847,  ^  ^^w  daj^s  after  the  return  of  the 
detachment,  the  Mormon  Battalion  under  com- 
mand of  Col.  John  Stevenson,  raised  the  flag 
on  Fort  Hill,'  then  called  Fort  Moore,  the 
people  there  assembled  singing  "The  Star 
Spangled  Banner"  during  the  raising,  and 
cheering  lustily  as  its  folds  were  unfurled  to 
the  breezes. 

After  his  discharge  from  the  service,  ^Ir. 
Colton  with  twenty-two  companions,  guided 
byCapt.  Jeft'erson  Himt,  went  north,  first  to 
San  Francisco,  then  to  San  Jose,  from  there 
proceeding  to  Stockton,  where  the)'  learned 
from  a  party  of  INTormons  that  Samuel  Bran- 
flon  had  gone  across  the  mountains  to  meet 
Brigham  Young  and  his  followers.  A  few 
days  later  the  little  band  went  in  Fort  Sutter, 
where  they  fell  in  with  two  men  who  said 
they  had  been  lost  from  the  Mormon  party 
that  left  Los  Angeles  for  the  interior  of  Cali- 
fornia at  the  same  time  that  Captain  Hunt  and 


1292 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


iiis  party  started  northward.  Very  soon  after, 
the  Hunt  company  left  Sutter  Fort,  crossed 
the  mountains,  and  while  in  camp  on  the  spot 
where  the  Donner  party  was  afterwards  massa- 
cred, was  joined  by  Samuel  Brandon,  who  in- 
formed the  leader  that  Brigham  Young  was 
located  at  Salt  Lake  City.  The  party,  there-- 
fore,  followed  the  old  Indian  trail  along  the 
Humboldt  river  to  Goose  creek,  thence  across 
Snake  river  to  Fort  Hall,  which  at  that  time 
belonged  to  the  Vancouver  Fur  Company,  and 
was  under  the  charge  of  Captain  Grant.  Con- 
tinuing along  the  trail,  the  party  arrived  at 
Salt  Lake  City  in  October,  1847,  and  there 
Mr.  Colton  spent  the  winter,  living  during  the 
time  on  thistle  roots  and  wolf  meat,  having 
generously  given  his  allowance  of  flour,  etc., 
to  the  pld  people. 

In  the  spring  of  1848,  Mr.  Colton  planted  a 
patch  of  corn,  but  the  entire  crop  was  eaten 
up  by  crickets.  Going  to  Fort  Bridger  in  the 
fall,  he  stayed  with  the  American  Fur  Com- 
pany, No.  42,  until  spring,  when  he  returned 
vo  Salt  Lake,  where  he  again  tried  farming  for 
a  year.  In  the  spring  of  1851  he  guided  a 
party  across  the  Rockies  to  Sacramento,  Cal., 
arriving  there  with  an  ox-team  train  in  July, 
with  four  hundred  head  of  cattle.  Leaving 
Sacramento  in  the  fall,  he  began  mining  on 
the  present  site  of  the  Folsom  Penitentiary, 
and  was  thus  engaged  about  a  year,  working 
along  the  Yuba  river  to  Marysville.  Locating 
in  Sacramento  in  1853,  he  spent  a  year  in  that 
vicinity,  during  which  time  he  carried  the 
mail  from  there  to  Salt  Lake  City.  The  jour- 
ney was  tedious  and  perilous,  on  several  oc- 
casions having  encounters  with  the  Indians, 
who  at  one  time  stole  his  flour,  for  which  he 
had  paid  $1  a  pound.  In  the  spring  of  1854 
he  married,  and  settled  as  a  farmer  in  Provo, 
remaining  thus  employed  for  about  three  years, 
in  the  meantime  taking  part  in  the  Indian 
troubles.  In  1857  he  with  twenty-five  others 
was  called  upon  by  Brigham  Young  to  go  to 
the  North  Platte  to  bring  up  supplies,  and  the 
little  band  met  in  Young's  barn  to  make  ar- 
rangements for  the  trip.  In  1859,  through  Mr. 
Young's  influence,  he  obtained  a  position  as 
guide,  and  in  that  capacity  brought  a  company 
of  men  and  a  band  of  cattle  to  San  Bernardino, 
Cal. 

Remaining  in  that  place,  Mr.  Colton  had 
charge  for  a  short  time  of  his  father-in-law's 
ranch  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  but  not 
liking  that  part  of  the  state  came  to  Los 
Angeles  in  the  spring  of  t86o,  and  resided  there 
two  years,  in  the  meantime  filling  a  hay  con- 
tract under  Gen.  Winfield  Flancock.  Going 
back  to  San  Bernardino  in  the  spring  of  1862, 
he  was  engaged   in  the  freighting  business  in 


that  locality  for  twenty-two  consecutive  years, 
working  for  the  government,  and  carrying 
goods  to  the  various  mining  camps.  During 
the  time  he  made  twenty  trips  across  the  desert 
to  Salt  Lake,  (eiglit  times  being  accompanied 
by  his  wife)  then  up  into  JNIontana,  while  in 
1868  he  was  a  contractor  on  the  Union  Pacific 
Railroad,  his  family  making  their  home  the 
greater  part  of  the  time  in -San  Bernardino. 
While  thus  employed,  IMr.  Colton  became  in- 
terested in  cattle  raising,  and  when  the  estab- 
lishment of  railways  encroached  upon  his  busi- 
ness he  gave  up  freighting  and  devoted  him- 
self exclusively  to  stock  raising  on  a  ranch 
in  Colorado,  where  he  purchased  a  squatter's 
claim  to  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  Dis- 
posing of  his  interests  in  that  state  in  1884, 
he  moved  with  his  family  to  Ogden,  Utah, 
that  his  younger  children  might  have  better 
educational  advantages. 

In  the  spring  of  1885,  Mr.  Colton,  desirous 
of  locating  his  two  older  sons  in  business, 
went  with  them  first  to  Oregon,  and  then  to 
Raft  River,  Idaho,  where  he  started  them  in 
the  stock  business.  In  September,  1887,  he 
brought  his  family  to  California,  settling  at 
Red  Bluff  at  first,  but  soon  after  going  to 
Chico,  arriving  there  on  October  22.  There 
leaving  his  family,  he  proceeded  to  Sacramento, 
where  he  made  arrangements  to  buy  mules  to 
ship  to  the  Sandwich  Islands.  After  buying 
the  mules  in  Utah  he  shipped  them  from  San 
Francisco,  making  considerable  money  in  the 
transaction.  Joining  his  sons,  then,  at  Raft 
River,  Idaho,  he  sold  his  ranch  and  cattle,  and 
the  following  summer  lived  at  Chico.  Going- 
then  to  Santa  Rosa,  he  rented  a  vineyard  of 
one  hundred  acres,  but  subsequently  sold  out 
his  lease,  and  went  to  Ogden,  Utah,  where, 
in  the  spring  of  1889,  he  purchased  land,  and 
embarked  in  sheep  raising,  stocking  his  ranch 
with  a  band  of  sheep  which  he  owned,  and  at 
the  time  was  leasing  out.  He  remained  in 
Ogden  the  greater  part  of  the  time  for  six 
years,  his  family  in  the  meantime  coming  to 
Los  Angeles,  where  he  joined  them  in  1895. 
In  1898  he  made  a  trip  to  Inyo  county,  and 
purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land 
which  was  stocked  with  cattle.  In  1901  he 
traded  that  ranch  for  property  in  Burbank. 
He  has  crossed  the  desert  many  times,  includ- 
ing among  others  many  trips  to  Arizona,  and 
upon  two  of  these  was  accompanied  by  his  wife. 
He  is  now  living  retired  from  active  pursuits  in 
Glendale,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  many  years 
of  toil  and  labor.  Pie  owns  valuable  property 
at  the  corner  of  Eighteenth  street  and  Central 
avenue,  and  also  has  a  ranch  of  fifteen  acres, 
all  cultivated,  yielding  abundant  crops  of  fruits 
and  berries. 


C^J^^^t^^^^ 


HISTORICAT.  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1295 


In  April,  1854,  ^Ir.  Colton  married  Alary 
Ann  Kelting-.  and  into  their  household  eleven 
children  were  born.  Joseph  P.,  of  Burbank, 
married  Adelaide  Rollins,  by  whom  he  had 
four  children,  Mrs  :Minnie  Elizabeth  Ropes, 
Ella  Minerva,  E'.arl,  (deceased),  and  Harry 
Leslie;  Charles  Plenry.  a  freight  conductor, 
married  Rosa  Wollin,  and  they  have  two  sons, 
William  Edwin  and  Jay  ;  George  Frederick,  of 
Los  Angeles,  the  discoverer  of  the  Searchlight 
mine,  married  first  Matilda  Firth,  by  whom 
he  has  two  children,  Ella  IMoore  of  Colton  and 
George ;  his  second  marriage  was  with  Melvina 
Leatherberv ;  Ella  R.,  living  in  Fresno,  is  the 
widow  of  the  late  T.  B.  Dowd  and  has  f^ve 
children,  George,  Clarabelle,  Charles,  James 
and  Mary:  Ravmcnd  is  deceased;  William,  of 
Searchlight.  Nev.,  married  Electa  Weaks,  and 
they  have  four  cliildren,  Clara,  Hazel,  Edna 
and  Letha;  Frank  of  Searchlight,  married 
Minnie  Corber  and  they  have  one  son.  Glen- 
wood  ;  by  a  former  marriage  he  had  one  daugh- 
ter, Pearl  Ethel,  who  was  reared  by  INIrs.  Col- 
ton; James  is  deceased;  Mae,  the  wife  of  H. 
Sellers,  of  Los  Angeles,  has  one  daughter, 
Mildred  lone;  the  two  children  who  died  m 
infancy  were  Edwin  and  Mina.  Politically 
Mr.  Colton  is  a  Democrat. 


MARX  A.  LESEM.  In  two  points  at  least 
the  lives  of  Marx  A.  Lesem  and  Sebastian 
Kneipp,  the  recognized  father  of  the  water  cure, 
were  parallel,  both  being  of  German  birth  and 
both  becoming  afflicted  with  what  was  thought  to 
be  an  incurable  disease  when  they  were  at  the 
pinnacle  of  expectancy  for  success  m  their  re- 
spective life  callings.  The  Kneipp  method  of  treat- 
ment as  practiced  by  its  founder  m  Germany 
became  world-renowned  during  his  lifetime  and 
the  little  parish-town  of  Woerishofen  has  grown 
from  a  mere  hamlet  to  a  prosperous,  cosmopolitan 
health  resort.  The  records  show  that  from  1891 
to  i8g4  over  fifty  thousand  patients  sought 
Father  Kneipp's  help,  and  it  was  no  uncommon 
thing  for  four  hundred  afflicted  persons  to  seek 
relie'f  in  a  single  day.  Many  eminent  physicians, 
recognizing  the  merit  of  his  system,  came  to  him 
for  mstruction  in  his  methods'  of  curing  dis- 
eases with  the  result  that  Kneipp  institutions 
were -established  in  all  of  the  large  cities  of  Eu- 
rope. Thus,  with  the  wide  distribution  of  liter- 
ature on  the' subject,  the  knowledge  of  the  meri- 
ti^rious  svstem  spread  to  all  parts  of  the  world 
Thus  it  was  that  Mr.  Lesem,  after  he  had  tried 
all  other  known  remedies  without  any  relief,  be- 
came an  inmate  of  the  famous  institution,  leav- 
ing it  eight  months  later  entireh  cured.  In  the 
meantime  he  had  become  deeply  interested  m  the 
method  of  treatment  and  had  made  a   pi'actical 


studv  of  the  system,  the  outcome  of  which  was 
the  establishment  of  M.  A.  Lesem's  Kneipp  San- 
itarium in  San  Diego,  Cal.,  in  1896. 

A  native  of  Rheinpfalz,  Bavaria,  Germany, 
born  Alarch  4,  1844,  Marx  A.  Lesem  is  a  son  of 
Alexander  and  Caroline  (Deutch)  Lesem,  both 
natives  of  the  Fatherland.  In  his  native  land 
the  father  was  an  extensive  dealer  in  grain,  giv- 
ing this  up  in  1859  to  take  up  life  in  the  new 
world.  He  survived  only  a  few  months  to  enjoy 
his  new  surroundings,  tor  his  death  occurred  at 
Quincv,  111.,  in  October,  1859,  when  in  his  sixty- 
fourth  year.  His  wife  survived  him  many  years, 
passing  awa\-  in  New  York  City  at  the  age  of 
ninety-four  'vears.  Of  the  five  sons  and  two 
daughters  who  blessed  their  marriage  three  sons 
and^one  daughter  onl>  are  living,  Marx  A.  being 
next  to  the  voungest  of  the  family.  His  child- 
hood years  were  "spent  in  the  place  of  his  birth, 
and  among  the  pupils  of  the  schools  in  that  vi- 
cinitx-  none  was  more  deeply  devoted  to  his_ 
studies  than  :\Iarx  A.  Lesem.  In  fact,  all  of 
his  spare  time  out  of  school  was  spent  in  ac- 
quiring knowledge.  Although  through  his  en- 
tire life  he  has  ""continued  to  be  a  student,  his 
school  davs,  strictly  speaking,  came  to  a  close 
in  1859,  for  it  was  in  that  year  that  his  father 
brought  the  family  to  America.  Settling  in 
Ouincy,  Adams  county,  III,  three  of  his  brothers 
there  opened  a  merchandise  business  on  Fourth 
street,  in  which  he  was  interested  as  clerk  until 
he  also  became  a  partner  in  the  business. 

It  was  while  associated  with  his  brothers  in 
business  that  Mr.  Lesem  was  taken  ill.^  Local 
physicians  were  unable  to  give  him  relief,  and 
after  consulting  the  best-known  practitioners  of 
Chicago  and  New  York  he  was  still  in  the  same 
condition.  Disposing  of  his  interest  in  the  busi- 
ness in  1879  he  returned  to  Bavaria,  Germany, 
in  the  vague  hope  that  in  his  native  land  he 
might  find  relief  from  the  disease  which  had  fast- 
ened itself  upon  him.  He  first  tried  Marien- 
bad.  one  of  the  renowned  health  resorts,  but  this 
treatment  resulted  like  all  previous  ones,  and  it 
was  at  this  time  that  his  attention  was  called  to 
the  Kneipp  water  cure.  As  a  patient  in  the  san- 
itarium at  Bavaria  he  soon  began  to  note  an 
improvement  in  his  health,  which  not  only  greatly 
encouraged  him  in  the  hope  of  complete  recovery 
but  elicited  his  interest  to  such  an  extent  in  the 
system  emploved  that  during  the  eight  months 
which  he  spent  there  he  had  become  a  convert  to 
the  belief  that  all  diseases  if  taken  in  time  could 
be  cured  bv  Nature's  simple  remedv.  His  re- 
turn to  his'home  and  friends  in  Illinois  in  i88i 
was  looked  upon  as  a  miracle,  for  when  he  left 
nearly  tw^o  years  before  none  expected  to  see  him 
come' back 'alive.  Resuming  business  life,  for 
several  years  thereafter  he  was  located  in  Chi- 
cago occupied  in  looking  after  his  interests  there. 


1296 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


The  ill  health  of  his  wife  made  a  change  of 
climate  a  necessity  at  this  time,  and  thus  it  was 
that  his  attention  was  drawn  to  the  equable  cli- 
mate of  Southern  California.  He  came  to  San 
Diego  in  1887  and  in  1888  established  a  merchan- 
dise business,  which  he  continued  to  carry  on 
for  five  years.  During  all  of  these  years  plans 
had  been  maturing  for  the  establishment  of  a 
water-cure  sanitarium,  and  in  1896  he  opened  the 
Kneipp  Sanitarium  of  which  he  is  now  the  pro- 
prietor in  his  residence  at  No.  2467  First  street. 
Basing  his  belief  in  his  treatment  on  the  cure 
which  was  brought  about  in  his  own  case  he 
takes  for  his  motto  "What  man  has  done  man 
may  do,"  and  with  this  as  his  watchword  he  has 
carried  on  his  humanitarian  work  for  the  last 
ten  years  with  the  greatest  satisfaction  to  him- 
self, for  he  has  the  assurance  that  he  has  saved 
many  lives  and  alleviated  much  suffering.  No 
matter  what  the  disease  may  be  or  of  how  long 
standing  Mr.  Lesem  has  absolute  faith  in  his 
ability  to  eft'ect  a  cure  if  the  patient  will  be  per- 
sistent and  determined  in  following  the  treat- 
ment. Requests  for  admission  into  the  sanitarium 
far  exceeded  the  ability  to  furnish  accommoda- 
tion, but  with  the  erection  and  equipment  of  a 
new  building  this  difficulty  has  been  obviated. 
The  long  list  of  unsolicited  testimonials  which  Mr. 
Lesem  has  received  during  the  past  years  shows 
that  his  patients  have  not  been  confined  to  his 
home  city  or  county,  but  on  the  other  hand  they 
have  come  from  all  over  the  United  States  and 
even  from  the  British  Isles. 

While  a  resident  of  Ouincy,  III.,  Mr.  Lesem 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Theresa  Greene- 
baum  of  Chicago,  111.,  who  was  born  in  that  city, 
where  her  family  was  well  and  favorably  known. 
Of  the  children  born  to  them  five  are  living,  as 
follows :  Regina,  now  J\Irs.  Apple  and  a  resident 
of  Springfield,  111. ;  Lillie,  at  home :  Alexander 
M.,  who  is  a  merchant  in  Danville,  111. ;  and  James 
G.  and  Henry  F.,  both  of  whom  are  in  business 
in  Chicago.  Mr.  Lesem  was  made  a  Mason  in 
Chicago  and  still  holds  membership  in  the  lodge 
there.  His  interest  in  the  advancement  and 
progress  of  his  adopted  city  has  from  the  first 
been  one  of  his  most  noticeable  characteristics, 
and  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  San  Diego  has 
no  more  interested  member  than  he.  In  him  also 
the  Republican  party  has  a  strong  ally.  Mr. 
Lesem  is  a  man  who  justly  holds  a  high  position 
in  the  community  where  he  lives  and  is  honored 
and  esteemed  for  his  recognized  worth. 


W.  WALTER  COULTAS.  Ranking  high 
among  the  industrious,  thrifty  and  well-to-do 
agriculturists  of  Ventura  county  is  W.  W.  Coul- 
tas.  who  15  engaged  in  his  pleasant  and  profitable 
vocation    near   Oxnard.      A   hard-working,   per- 


severing man,  one  who  observes  and  thinks  for 
himself,  he  is  meeting  with  genuine  success  in 
his  labors,  and  as  a  man  of  integrity  and  honesty 
holds  a  good  position  among  the  leading  citizens 
of  the  town.  A  son  of  Benjamin  Coultas,  he 
was  born  February  3,  1846,  in  Scott  county,  III. 
and  was  there  educated.  His  father  emigrated 
from  England  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Scott  county, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  and  stock- 
raising  until  his  death,  at  the  age  of  fifty-five 
years.  On  first  coming  to  this  country  he  was 
identified  with  the  W'higs,  but  was  afterwards  a 
Republican  in  politics.  In  Illinois,  in  1836,  he 
married  Sarah  Clark,  who  was  born  in  England, 
and  died  in  \^entura  county,  Cal.,  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  seventy-seven  years.  Both  he  and 
his  wife  were  members  of  the  Qiurch  of  Eng- 
land. Five  children  blessed  their  union,  and  of 
these  W.  W.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  the 
only  survivor. 

After  completing  his  studies  in  the  cominon 
schools  of  his  native  town,  W.  W.  Coultas  as- 
sisted his  father  on  the  home  farm.  At  the  age 
of  eighteen  years  he  started  in  life  for  himself, 
and  in  course  of  time  became  owner  of  a  fine 
farm  of  two  hundred  acres  in  Scott  county,  and 
in  addition  to  carrying  on  general  farming  was 
a  large  stock-raiser  and  dealer.  In  1884  he  sold 
out  and  removed  to  Sedgwick  county,  Kans., 
where  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land,  on  which  he  resided  two  and  one-half 
years.  Disposing  of  that  property,  he  came  to 
Ventura  county  in  1887,  and  the  following  six- 
teen years  had  the  management  of  the  one  thou- 
sand-acre ranch  belonging  to  his  uncle,  the  late 
Thomas  Clark.  The  estate  being  divided  after 
the  death  of  Mr.  Clark,  he  has  since  purchased 
three  hundred  and  thirteen  acres.  In  addition 
to  this  he  has  other  property  in  Ventura  county, 
a  ranch  containing  one  hundred  and  forty-six 
acres  of  land  lying  near  Oxnard,  and  has  ten 
acres  of  valuable  land  in  Toluca,  Los  Angeles 
county,  in  the  center  of  the  fruit  belt.  He  de- 
votes his  land  to  the  raising  of  barley.  '  He  has 
some  fine  horses,  keeping  both  driving  and  farm 
horses,  in  all  having  about  thirty  head  of  val- 
uable animals. 

March  12,  1867,  in  Illinois,  Mr.  Coultas  mar- 
ried Ruth  A.  Wells,  who  was  born  in  Illinois,  in 
1S40,  and  died  in  Ventura  county,  September  6, 
i8g6.  Of  the  union  of  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Coultas 
thirteen  children  were  born,  namely:  Luella  I\I.. 
wife  of  Samuel  Chamberlain,  of  Toluca :  Edith, 
wife  of  William  Wheeler,  of  Sawtelle;  Jessie, 
who  died  in  infancy :  Albert  W.,  of  this  county, 
who  married  Susie  Chamberlain ;  Grace  A.,  who 
(lied  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years;  Theresa; 
Thomas ;  Alexander ;  Percy,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy :  Bertha :  A^entura :  Frederick ;  and  Ruth 
A.     Politically  ]Mr.   Coultas  is  a  stanch  Repub- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1299 


lican,  and  while  in  Kansas  served  as  township 
treasurer,  and  since  the  building  of  the  Union 
high  school  he  has  served  as  a  member  of  the 
board.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  Oxnard 
Lodge  No.  341,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of  Oxnard 
Chapter  No.  86,  R.  A.  M.  Religiously  he  be- 
longs to  the  Christian  Church,  with  which  he 
united  in  Illinois. 


LUAL\X  H.  GASKILL.  The  name  of  L. 
H.  Gaskill  belongs  among  those  noble  citizens 
who  braved  the  dangers  of  the  pioneer  days 
and  swept  them  successfully  from  his  path 
and  gave  the  first  impetus  toward  the  great- 
ness of  California  stateliood.  He  was  born 
in  Steuben  county,  Ind.,  Juh'  17,  1843,  a  son 
of  Cortland  Gaskill  a  pioneer  throughout  his 
entire  life.  The  elder  man  was  born  in  New 
Jersey,  inheriting  the  sturdy  traits  of  his 
Scotch  ancestors  which  induced  him  to  face 
fearlessly  the  trying  conditions  of  frontier 
life.  In  young  manhood  he  located  in  the 
state  of  New  York  and  engaged  in  stage  driv- 
ing until  1835  v'hen  he  removed  to  Steuben 
county,  Ind.,  where  he  hewed  a  farm  from  the 
wilderness  lands  in  that  state.  He  eventually 
removed  to  Michigan  whence  in  1855  he  came 
to  California  via  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  He 
engaged  in  the  dairy  business  in  Petaluma 
and  later  followed  a  similar  occupation  on  the 
Russian  river  in  Mendocino  county.  Finally 
returning  to  Petaluma  he  made  that  place  his 
home  until  his  removal  to  San  Diego  county, 
where  he  resided  in  Campo,  the  scene  of  his 
sons'  activities,  until  his  death  which  occurred 
at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years.  His  wife, 
formerly  Theresa  Brink,  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, a  daughter  of  Moses  Brink  of  Holland 
ancestry,  and  her  death  occurred  in  Sonoma 
county.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom  came  to  California,  and 
three  still  surviving. 

The  early  boyhood  days  of  Luman  H.  Gas- 
kill were  spent  in  his  home  in  Michigan  where 
his  parents  had  located  in  the  vicinity  of  Bat- 
tle Creek.  He  attended  the  public  schools  un- 
til he  reached  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  when 
he  accompanied  his  mother  to  California,  the 
father  having  preceded  them  two  years.  They 
went  to  New  York  City  and  took  passage  on 
the  Star  of  the  West  to  Aspinwall,  there 
crossing  the  isthmus  and  completing  the  voy- 
age on  the  old  John  L.  Stevens  and  arriving 
in  sSan  Francisco  in  July,  1857.  They  were 
met  by  his  father  who  took  them  to  the  home 
which' he  had  established  in  Petaluma.  There 
the  youth  engaged  with  his  father  in  dairy 
farming  and  remained  so  occupied  until  i86t 
when  he  with  countless  others  joined  the  Corn- 


stock  rush  at  Virginia  City,  Nevada.  He  en- 
gaged in  prospecting  and  mining  and  the  de- 
veloping of  chi;ns,  owning  three  mines,  one 
of  which  was  the  extension  of  the  Warren 
Wells.  They  struck  a  sheet  of  ore  that  as- 
sayed $2,000  to  the  ton,  but  it  was  all  worked 
out  in  a  month,  yielding  only  sixteen  tons. 
Mr.  Gaskill  returned  to  California  in  1866  and 
spent  the  ensuing  year  on  the  Russian  river 
in  Mendocino  county.  In  1867  he  came  south 
to  Santa  Barbara  county,  during  the  trip  hunt- 
ing along  the  way,  spending  some  time  in 
Ventura  county,  and  finally  locating  in  San 
Bernardino  where  he  engaged  in  gardening 
with  his  brother,  the  two  entering  a  tract  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  at  the  mouth  of 
City  creek.  They  built  a  ditch  and  irrigated 
the  land  themselves  and  set  out  an  orchard 
and  vineyard.  They  remained  in  that  location 
but  one  year  when  they  removed  to  San  Jacin- 
to and  purchased  one  thousand  acres  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  bee  culture.  In  the 
spring  of  1868  they  came  to  San  Diego  coun- 
ty, the  two  purchasing  immense  tracts  of  land 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  present  town  of  Campo, 
which  place  they  established  by  building  the 
first  store,  blacksmith  shop,  grist  mill  and 
other  enterprises,  and  where  for  sixteen  years 
Mr.  Gaskill  served  as  postmaster,  w^as  justice 
of  the  peace  for  twelve  years  and  school  trus- 
tee for  twenty  years,  he  and  his  brother  build- 
ing the  first  schoolhouse  at  that  place.  They 
engaged  in  the  raising  of  stock,  their  range 
extending  into  Mexico  and  Lower  California, 
and  as  superintendent  of  their  cattle  inter- 
ests for  six  years  ^Ir.  Gaskill  made  his  home 
in  Ensenada  where  he  also  conducted  a  meat 
market.  They  were  also  extensively  inter- 
ested in  bee  culture,  having  four  dift'erent 
apiaries  of  about  four  hundred  colonies  which 
produced  many  carloads  of  honey,  one  sum- 
mer their  crop  being  over  thirty  tons.  They 
v.^ere  the  second  largest  apiarists  in  the  United 
States,  being  exceeded  in  this  enterprise  by 
only  their  honorable  old  friend,  J.  S.  Harbison 
of  San   Diego. 

The  cattle  interests  of  the  Gaskill  Brothers 
were  finally  removed  to  the  Colorado  river 
where  the  sons  of  Luman  H.  Gaskill  looked 
after  their  interests.  In  igoi  the  cattle  in- 
terests were  disposed  of  and  in  January,  1902, 
the  property  in  Campo  was  sold  and  partner- 
ship dissolved  between  the  two  brothers,  when 
they  both  came  to  the  city  of  San  Diego  and 
established  their  homes.  Luman  H.  Gaskill 
purchased  a  residence  on  the  corner  of  Third 
and  Elm  streets  where  he  enjoys  the  com- 
forts and  fruits  of  an  industrious  life  and  where 
his  friends  are  ever  w^elcome  to  his  hospital- 
it\-.     He  has  invested   his  means   in  property 


1300 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  and  about  San  Diego,  among  bis  posses- 
sions owning  a  fifty-five-acre  rancb  in  Mis- 
sion Valley  wbicb  he  rents  for  garden  pur- 
poses. Mr.  Gaskill's  home  is  presided  over 
by  his  wife,  formerly  i\Iiss  E.  J-  Benson,  a 
native  of  San  Bernardino,  and  with  whom  he 
was  united  in  marriage  in  San  Jacinto.  They 
are  the  parents  of  six  children ;  Walter,  a 
stockman  in  Lower  California;  Marion,  de- 
ceased, was  a  business  man  in  the  city  of 
I\Iexico ;  Carrie,  wife  of  H.  A.  Jenkins  of  Cal- 
lexico;  Erma,  ,vife  of  P.  W.  Preston  of  Wash- 
ington; and  Ava  and  Leo  at  home.  Politically 
Air.  Gaskill  is  a  stanch  adherent  of  the  prin- 
ciples in  the  platform  of  the  Republican  part3^ 
While  the  two  brothers  were  engaged  in 
their  business  interests  in  '  Campo  they  had 
manj'  exciting  experiences  with  Mexican  des- 
peradoes, as  the  town  was  located  on  the 
iDorder.  It  was  frequently  necessary  for  them 
to  stand  guard  night  and  day.  Both  he  and 
his  brother,  Silas  E.  Gaskill,  were  excellent 
marksman  and  owing  to  this  the  desperadoes 
were  very  careful  in  their  method  of  attack. 
The  most  serious  encounter  which  they  ever 
had  was  on  December  4,  1875.  After  the  death 
of  \'asquez,  the  leader  of  the  desperadoes, 
Cruiz  Lopez  became  the  leader  in  his  stead 
with  his  lieutenant,  Chavez,  who  planned  the 
attack  on  the  Gaskill  Brothers.  On  the  day 
of  the  attack  they  left  nine  men  standing  on 
the  hill  in  ambush,  wdiile  six  came  to  the  store 
armed.  Two  of  them  came  into  the  store 
where  Luman  Gaskill  was  showing  merchan- 
dise, Lopez  waiting  at  the  door  to  give  the 
signal  to  the  three  outside.  Air.  Gaskill  hap- 
pened to  be  looking  ui:)  and  saw  the  signal  of 
Lopez  and  instnntly  'shouted  to  his  brother, 
who  was  on  the  outside  of  the  store,  and  at 
the  same  time  crawled  under  the  counter  for 
his  gun.  Before  he  could  reach  it  the  des- 
perado had  jumped  over  the  counter  and  in 
the  struggle  with  Mr.  Gaskill  held  him  for 
Lopez  to  shoot.  Just  as  the  latter  touched  the 
trigger  "Mr.  Gaskill  twisted  his  body  and  re- 
ceived a  ball  in  the  lungs  instead  of  the  heart, 
but  became  unconscious  for  a  short  period. 
Lopez  always  prided  himself  on  his  marks- 
manship and  did  not  fire  a  second  time.  In 
the  mean  time  Silas  Gaskill  was  having  trou- 
ble on  the  outside,  having  dodged  a  mortal 
shot  but  received  a  wound  in  the  side  and  arm, 
as  he  rushed  for  his  gun  in  the  rear  of  the 
shop.  As  the  attack  occurred,  a  Frenchman 
rode  up  and  was  "wounded  by  a  stray  bullet 
from  the  effects  of  which  he  afterward  died. 
He  was  not  so  disabled,  at  this  time,  however, 
as  to  prevent  his  firing  at  the  miscreants, 
and  raising  his  gam  on  the  pommel  of  his  sad- 
dle he  shot  Lcpez,  who  died  from  the  effects 


of  the  wound  a  year  later.  Silas  Gaskill  hav- 
ing secured  a  gun  rushed  back  to  the  attack 
and  felled  two  men,  one  of  whom  was  Theo 
Vasquez,  who  a  few  minutes  later  was  shot 
and  killed  by  Luman  Gaskill  from  the  inside 
of  the  shop ;  the  other  was  Rafel  Martinez 
who  was  only  wounded.  While  these  stirring 
events  were  taking  place,  Luman  Gaskill  re- 
covered sufficiently  to  take  in  the  surround- 
ings and  by  an  effort  reached  his  gun  and  ob- 
tained a  position  that  enabled  him  to  shoot 
Jose  Alvis.  He  then  made  his  way  around 
and  under  the  store  and  shot  Jesus  Alveto 
just  as  he  was  mounting  his  horse  to  escape. 
Alvis  and  Martinez  were  captured  and  im- 
mediately hanged  to  a  tree  by  the  citizens 
of  the  piace.  Of  the  six  desperadoes,  Alonzo 
Goto  was  the  only  one  not  wounded  and  who 
also  made  his  escape.  He  was  never  again 
heard  of  in  this  vicinity,  but  some  time  after- 
ward a  man  from  Sonora  passed  through 
Campo  who  had  run  across  Goto,  who  want- 
ed to  know  if  the  men  were  still  alive  that 
he  had  once  called  upon,  remarking  that  he 
would  not  make  a  second  visit.  Erom  him 
was  learned  of  the  death  of  Lopez  which  oc- 
curred about  a  year  after  the  fight.  When 
the  affray  was  over  the  citizens  of  Campo 
telegraphed  to  San  Diego  for  medical  aid  and 
Dr.  Millard  and  the  sheriff  started  for  Campo 
immediately,  making  the  seventy-five-mile 
trip  in  twelve  hours  via  Tia  Juana  and  Tia 
Carte  Mexico  v/ithout  stopping  to  feed  their 
team.  In  thirty  days  Luman  Gaskill  was  suf- 
ficiently recovered  to  be  out  again,  while  Silas 
Gaskill  was  not  even  confined  to  his  bed  from 
the  effects  of  his  wound.  The  Frenchman, 
who  was  shot  and  who  was  the  cause  of 
Lopez's  death,  died  in  San  Diego  some  time 
later. 

Among  his  curios  Mr.  Gaskill  has  a  large 
copper  kettle  made  in  1710  from  native  cop- 
per which  was  hammered  out  over  a  boulder, 
the  beating  being  done  with  a  rock.  It  has 
a  capacity  of  fifty  gallons.  The  copper  car- 
ries some  gold  and  it  is  estimated  there  is 
about  $150  worth  of  gold  in  the  kettle.  He 
has  gathered  about  him  many  interesting  souv- 
enirs of  his  early  life  in  California,  his  remin- 
iscences making  him  an  interesting  and  en- 
tertaining companion.  His  natural  character- 
istics of  courage  and  an  indomitable  will  have 
led  him  into  many  dangers  but  have  also 
brouglit  him  safely  through.  His  life  has  tjeen 
an  exciting  one,  but  while  he  has  enjoyed  in 
experiences  he  has  given  his  efforts  toward 
a  personal  success  as  well  as  interesting  him- 
self in  the  upbuilding  and  development  of 
whatever  section  he  has  made  his  home.     He 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1301 


is  highly  esteemed  b>'  all  who  know  him  and 
held  in  regard  as  a  representative  of  the  earl}' 
pioneer. 


JACOB  RUDEL.  (Jne  of  the  substantial 
ranchers  of  Los  Angeles  county  and  a  man  who 
has  done  much  for  the  advancement  of  the  wine 
and  grape  industry  in  this  section,  j\Ir.  Rudel 
has  with  two  associates,  recently  established  a 
winery  at  a  cost  of  $20,000.  He  is  thoroughly 
in  touch  with  the  spirit  of  his  work,  and  has 
succeeded  in  acquiring  a  success  which  places 
him  among  the  substantial  citizens  of  this  local- 
ity. Born  in  Frankfort-on-the-J\Iain,  German)-. 
July  27,  1853,  he  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Mar}- 
(Hartmann)  Rudel,  both  natives  of  German)-, 
where  they  spent  their  entire  lives  as  agricul- 
turists, the  father  passing  away  at  the  age  of 
eighty-nine  years  and  the  mother  at  seventy- 
six.  There  were  three  children  in  the  family, 
Jacob  Rudel  being  the  only  one  who  came  to 
America,  a  sister  still  surviving  and  making 
her  home  in  Germany. 

Jacob  Rudel  received  bis  education  in  his 
native  country,  after  which,  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
years,  he  came  to  the  United  States,  having 
previously  learned  the  trade  of  coppersmith  in 
Germany.  While  following  his  trade  in  New 
York  City  he  attended  night  school  in  a  fur- 
ther pursuit  of  education,  which  has  proven  of 
benefit  to  him  in  later  life.  After  three  years  in 
the  metropolis  of  the  western  world,  he  came  to 
California  and  in  Sacramento  followed  his  trade 
for  a  railroad  con-ipany  in  that  city.  He  re- 
mained in  that  location  for  five  years,  when  he 
came  to  .Southern  California,  arriving  in  Los 
Angeles,  where  shortly  afterward  he  established 
a  coppersmith  business  for  himself.  -  The  pro- 
fits of  two  )ears  enabled  him  to  turn  his  atten- 
tion to  more  desirable  occupation,  and  he  accord- 
ingly invested  his  means  in  property  in  the 
country,  first  purchasing  forty  acres  of  raw  land, 
to  which  lie  added  from  time  to  time,  until  he 
now  has  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  in  one 
bod)-,  upon  which  he  has  set  out  a  vineyard  of 
one'  hundred  acres.  .\t  the  time  of  purchase 
all  of  the  land  was  devoid  of  improvements  with 
the  exception  of  forty  acres  in  vines,  but  with 
the  industry  and  perseverance  inherited  from  his 
forefathers  he  set  himself  to  the  task  of  bring- 
ing it  to  rank  witJ-i  the  most  highly  developed 
ranches  of  this  section.  That  he  has  succeeded 
cannot  be  doubted  when  viewed  in  the  light  of 
events.  His  initial  venture  as  a  manufacturer 
of  wine  dates  back  to  the  year  1885,  and  formed 
the  nucleus  of  his  present  business.  This  was  or- 
ganized in  1905  with  himself  as  president.  About 
one  hundred  thousand  gallons  of  wine  are  turned 
out  per  year,  and  sold  at  wholesale  to  the  east- 


ern trade.  The  output  from  Mr.  Rudel's  vine- 
)-ard  is  not  quite  sufficient  to  supply  the  capacity 
of  the  winery  and  he  therefore  buys  grapes  from 
other  producers  in  his  section.  He  has  put 
up  substantial  improvements  on  his  property, 
a  comfortable  residence,  barns  and  outbuildings, 
and  has  made  it  one  of  the  model  ranches. 

In  1885,  in  Los  Angeles  county,  Mr,  Rudel 
was  united  in  marriage  with  ]\Iiss  Eliza  \'ogel, 
a  native  of  Switzerland  and  a  daughter  of  Jacob 
A'ogel,  a  pioneer  of  Southern  California  now- 
deceased,  his  wife  still  surviving  and  making 
her  home  in  Los  Angeles.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren, jNIillie,  aged  nineteen,  and  Atwood,  aged 
seventeen.  Mr.  Rudel  is  independent  along  poli- 
tical lines,  reserving  his  right  to  cast  his  ballot 
for  the  man  he  considers  best  qualified  for  of- 
ficial duties.  He  takes  an  active  interest  in  the 
growth  and  upbuilding  of  Los  Angeles,  and  is 
-Still  a  stockholder  in  the  First  National  Bank 
of  that  citv. 


JACOB  SECKINGER.  A'entura  county  has 
many  well-to-do  and  successful  farmers  who 
have  accumulated  what  they  have  of  this  world's 
goods  through  their  own  individual  efforts. 
Among  this  class  Jacob  Seckinger  occupies  a 
position  of  note.  Living  near  the  village  of  Ox- 
nard,  he  has  a  valuable  ranch,  and  is  industri- 
ously engaged  in  the  prosecution  of  his  indepen- 
dent calling,  in  which  he  is  meeting  with  un- 
questioned success,  A  son  of  Thomas  Secking- 
er, he  was  born.  April  17,  1864,  in  Richland 
county.  111.,  of  thrifty  German  ancestry, 

A  native  of  Germany,  Thomas  Seckinger  was 
reared  to  agricultural  pursuits.  In  i860  he  im- 
migrated with  his  family  to  the  United  States, 
and  finding  in  the  rich  prairie  soil  of  Illinois  an 
excellent  place  for  following  his  chosen  occupa- 
tion, he  settled  in  Richland  county,  where  he  has 
since  been  employed  in  general  farming,  being 
now  seventy-four  years  of  age.  In  the  Father- 
land he  married  Catherine  Deimel,  who  died  on 
the  home  farm  in  Illinois  in  1894,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-five  years. 

Acquiring  a  practical  knowledge  of  the  vari- 
ous branches  of  study  pursued  in  the  coirunon 
schools  of  his  native  county.  Jacob  Seckinger 
was  subsequently  well  drilled  in  the  art  and 
science  of  agriculture  by  his  father,  remaining 
at  home  until  after  becoming  of  age.  Coming  to 
California  in  1886,  he  was  employed  as  a  tiller 
of  the  soil  in  Santa  Barbara  for  three  years. 
Removing  to  the  Santa  Clara  valley  in  1889,  he 
purchased  forty  acres  of  land,  and  by  dint  of 
earnest  work  improved  a  good  ranch,  which  he 
afterwards  sold  at  an  advantageous  price.  In 
January,  1905,  he  purchased  his  present  valua- 
ble estate  of  one  hundred  and  five  acres,  lying 


1302 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


near  Oxnard,  and  in  its  care  and  cultivation  has 
met  with  satisfactor}-  results.  He  makes  a  spe- 
cialty of  raising  lima  beans,  of  which  he  has 
ninety-five  acres,  while  on  the  remainder  of 
his   ranch  he   reaps   excellent  crops  of  alfalfa. 

October  29,  1890,  Mr.  Seckinger  married  Laura 
Reiman,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth 
(Schneider)  Reiman,  with  whom  she  came  to  this 
country  from  Germany  when  a  girl.  Immigrat- 
ing to  the  United  States  with  their  family  in 
1881,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reiman  came  directly  to 
the  Santa  Clara  valley,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  general  ranching  until  his  death.  His  wife, 
an  active  woman  of  seventy-six  years,  now 
makes  her  home  with  Mr.-  and  Mrs.  Seckinger. 
Of  the  union  of  ^Nlr.  and  ]Mrs.  Seckinger,  three 
children  have  been  born,  INIary,  Bertha  and 
Elizabeth.  Politically  Mr.  Seckinger  is  identi- 
fied with  the  Republican  party,  and  religiously 
both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Catho- 
lic Church. 


W.  C.  BIXNS.  Standing  high  among  the 
younger  generation  of  thriving  agriculturists  of 
Ventura  county  is  W.  C.  Binns,  a  well-known 
rancher  and  fruit-grower  of  Moorpark.  With 
characteristic  perseverance  and  diligent  labor  he 
is  carrying  on  mixed  farming  with  unquestioned 
ability  and  success,  his  property,  with  its  many 
valuable  improvements,  ranking  among  the  most 
attractive  and  desirable  estates  in  this  section  of 
the  state.  A  son  of  Rufus  H.  Binns,  he  was  bom. 
May  28,  1871,  in  Mahaska  county,  Iowa,  where 
he  grew  to  manhood. 

Born  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  Rufus  H.  Binns  lived 
there  during  his  boyhood.  In  1842  he  went  with 
his  parents  to  Iowa,  and  when  ready  to  choose 
a  life  occupation  selected  farming  as  the  most 
congenial  employment.  In  the  years  that  fol- 
lowed he  made  a  number  of  trips  to  California, 
and  in  1892  settled  permanently  in  Ventura 
county,  where  he  owns  property  on  which  he  is 
now  residing.  He  has  always  taken  an  active 
interest  in  public  affairs,  in  his  earlier  life  be- 
ing identified  with  the  Democratic  party,  and 
afterwards  being  a  Populist.  While  in  Iowa  he 
was  elected  supervisor  on  the  independent  ticket, 
and  served  in  that  capacity  three  terms.  In 
Iowa  he  married  Nancy  Griffee,  who  was  also 
born  and  reared  in  Columbus,  Ohio.  She  came  to 
Califomia  with  him,  and  died,  at  tlie  age  of 
fiftv-one  vears,  in  1896,  at  the  home  of  her  onlv 
child,  W:  C.  Binns. 

Educated  in  Mahaska  county.  Iowa,  W.  C. 
Binns  attended  first  the  public  schools,  subse- 
quently taking  a  course  at  the  Oskaloosa  Com- 
mercial College.  Returning  then  to  the  home 
farm  he  remained  beneath  the  parental  roof- 
tree   until    December,    1892,    when    he    came   to 


Southern  California.  After  living  for  a  short 
time  in  \'entura  he  purchased  his  present  ranch, 
of  which  he  took  possession  in  1893,  and  has 
since  been  profitably  employed  in  its  management. 
He  has  two  hundred  and  fifty-five  acres,  about 
fifteen  of  which  he  devotes  to  the  raising  of  apri- 
cots, the  remainder  being  sowed  t  o  grain  or 
planted  to  beans.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  dr_\- 
ing  apricots,  selling  on  an  average  eight  or  nine 
tons  of  dried  fruit  a  year.  He  deals  to  some 
extent  in  stock,  raising  cattle  for  the  market, 
and  in  his  agricultural  and  horticultural  opera- 
tions is  very  successful,  raising  profitable  crops 
and  disposing  of  them  advantageously. 

In  August,  1 90 1,  Mr.  Binns  married  Flor- 
ence Lloyd,  who  was  born  in  California,  but  as 
a  girl  spent  several  years  in  Nebraska,  return- 
ing to  this  state  when  twelve  years  of  age.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  "Binns  have  two  children,  Alice  and 
Helen.  Politically  Mr.  Binns  is  an  independent 
voter,  casting  his  ballot  in  favor  of  the  men  and 
measures  he  deems  best,  unhampered  by  party 
restrictions,  and  socially  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Fraternal  Aid  Association  of  Simi.  Religiously 
Mr.  Binns  belongs  to  the  German  Reformed 
Church,  and  Mrs.  Binns  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbvterian  Church. 


THOMAS  BOYD.  The  Santa  Maria  valley 
claims  no  more  successful  rancher  than  Thomas 
Boyd,  whose  property  is  admirably  located,  ly- 
ing six  miles  from  the  village  of  that  name.  Of 
the  four  hundred  acres  comprising  the  ranch 
twenty  acres  are  in  apricots,  while  the  remainder 
is  in  grain  and  beans,  the  latter  commodity  pro- 
ducing nine  sacks  to  the  acre. 

A  native  of  Ireland,  Thomas  Boyd  was  born 
in  County  Fermanagh  June  25,  1850,  being  one 
of  nine  children  born  to  his  parents,  Edward 
and  Mary  A.  (Stephenson)  Boyd,  both  also  na- 
tives of  the  Emerald  Isle.  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Boyd 
died  at  the  early  age  of  thirty  years,  and  some 
time  afterward  the  father  was  again  married, 
this  union  resulting  in  the  birth  of  six  children. 
He  passed  away  in  his  native  land  when  in  his 
sixty-fourth  year,  in  the  faith  of  the  Established 
church,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  as  was  his 
first  wife  also.  Thomas  Boyd  has  two  brothers 
who  are  residents  of  California,  besides  two 
half-brothers.  He  himself  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  his  native  land  until  twenty  years  of 
age,  when  he  took  upon  himself  the  responsibili- 
ties of  his  own  maintenance.  Crossing  the  At- 
lantic in  1870,  he  arrived  in  New  York  City  in 
due  time,  and  for  about  two  years  engaged  as  a 
stone  mason  and  stone  setter  in  that  metropolis. 
Frugal  in  his  habits,  he  laid  by  from  his  earnings 
whatever  remained  over  and  above  actual  ex- 
penses, and  thus  it  was  that  he  was  enabled  to 


,^a/V-<^^    ^       j'L>LA^J<^e^T^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1305 


come  to  the  west  in  1872  for  the  purpose  of  set- 
tling here  permanently.  In  order  to  familiarize 
himself  with  the  methods  of  farming  in  this 
country  and  furthermore  to  enable  him  to  look- 
about  for  a  choice  location  he  worked  out  as  a 
ranch  hand  for  about  two  and  a  half  years,  the 
greater  part  of  the  time  in  the  vicinity  of  San 
Jose,  Santa  Clara  county.  Coming  to  the  Santa 
iNIaria  valley  in  1874  he  lived  on  rented  land 
for  a  time,  but  later  took  up  a  quarter  section. 
Subsequently  he  sold  half  of  the  tract,  but  in 
1880  purchased  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
adjoining  the  remainder,  the  whole  combining 
to  form  his  present  ranch  of  four  hundred  acres. 
The  land  was  in  its  primitive  condition  at  the 
time  it  came  into  his  possession,  so  that  all  of 
the  improvements  which  have  been  necessary  to 
bring  it  up  to  its  present  state  of  development 
are  the  work  of  his  hands.  All  of  the  buildings 
are  of  a  substantial  character,  and  are  in  keep- 
ing with  the  family  residence,  which  is  one  of 
the  most  elegant  and  up-to-date  houses  in  the 
valley. 

In  1884  Thomas  Boyd  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Emma  Griffith,  who  is  a  native  of  the 
state,  having  been  born  in  San  Jose.  Six  chil- 
dren were  born  to  them,  but  of  these  two  died 
in  infancy,  and  those  now  living  are :  Edna,  the 
wife  of  J.  F.  Bradley ;  Elmer  and  Ruth,  both  of 
whom  are  attending  school ;  and  Emma  Bernice. 
In  his  political  views  Mr.  Boyd  favors  Republi- 
can principles,  and  fraternally  he  is  identified 
with  the  Masonic  order,  belonging  to  Santa  Maria 
Lodge  No.  340,  F.  &  A.  M.  Mrs.  Boyd  is  a 
faithful  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Santa  Maria,  toward  the  support  of  which  i\Ir. 
Boyd  contributes  freely,  in  fact  no  worthy  ob- 
ject fails  to  number  him  among  its  supporters, 
for  he  is  a  lover  of  his  fellow-man  and  adopted 
home  and  appreciates  to  the  fullest  degree  what 
both  have  meant  to  him  in  his  struggle  for  a 
competency  during  the  past  thirty-two  years. 


DAVID  A.  KUGHEN.  Holding  a  note- 
worthy position  among  the  active  and  enter- 
prising men  who  settled  in  Los  Angeles  when 
that  thriving  city  was  in  its  infancy  is  David 
A.  Kughen,  now  a  well-known  and  highly  es- 
teemed resident  of  Burbank.  For  many  years 
he  has  been  prominently  connected  with  the 
agricultural  and  horticultural  interests  of 
Burbank  and  its  vicinity,  contributing  his  full 
share  towards  the  industrial  prosperity  of  the 
place.  He  is  a  man  of  great  integrity  and 
worth,  keenly  alive  to  the  need  of  encourag- 
ing and  supporting  all  beneficial  projects,  and 
as  a  strong  Prohibitionist  is  especially  inter- 
ested in  advancing  the  temperance  cause.  A 
nati^•e   of    Greene   county.    Pa.,   he   was    born, 


August  9,  1839,  in  Wayne  township,  where  he 
was  brought  up  and  educated,  living  there 
until  se\  enteen  years  of  age. 

Going  to  Illinois  in  1857,  ^Ir.  Kughen 
worked  on  a  farm  in  Bureau  county  for  four 
years,  when  he  migrated  to  Warren  county. 
November  8.  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  H, 
Eleventh  Illinois  Volunteer  Cavalry,  under 
command  of  the  late  Col.  Robert  G.  Ingersoll, 
and  served  as  a  private  until  discharged  on 
account  of  physical  disability  in  1862.  Return- 
ing to  Warren  county,  he  remained  there  un- 
til 1866,  when  he  came  as  far  west  as  A  Ion- 
tana,  residing  there  until  1883.  During  this 
time  he  was  actively  and  prosperously  en- 
gaged in  ranching  and  mining  until  the  spring 
of  1881,  when  he  embarked  in  mercantile  pur- 
suits. Coming  to  Southern  California  in  1883, 
he  opened  a  grocery  store  in  Los  Angeles, 
which  was  then  but  little  more  than  a  village, 
and  for  two  years  carried  on  quite  a  business, 
when  he  sold  out,  turning  his  attention  to  real 
estate,  which  was  then  booming.  Moving  to 
San  Bernardino  county,  in  1887,  he  purchased 
one  hundred  acres  of  wild  land  and  immedi- 
ately began  its  improvement,  setting  out  twen- 
ty acre?  to  oranges  and  lemons.  Selling  his 
ranch  in  1891,  he  once  again  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Los  Angeles,  and  for  a  time  was  there 
engaged  in  the  grocery  business.  Locating 
in  Burbank  in  February,  1894,  he  bought  his 
present  ranch  of  thirty-five  acres,  situated 
one-half  mile  west  of  the  village,  at  the  same 
time  purchasing  his  residence  property  in  the 
village,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home. 
On  his  ranch  he  has  seven  acres  of  walnuts, 
and  the  remainder  of  the  land  is  in  alfalfa  and 
general  farming.  He  is  verv  progressive,  us- 
ing the  most  approved  modern  methods  em- 
ployed by  scientific  agriculturists,  and  in  1898 
installed  on  his  ranch  the  first  pumping  plant 
used  for  irrigating  purposes  in  Burbank.  He 
now  rents  a  part  of  his  land  for  the  growing 
of  small  fruits  and  berries,  and  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  remainder  is  meeting  with  char- 
acteristic success.  In  1906  he  disposed  of  ten 
acres. 

In  February,  1882,  in  Missouri,  Mr.  Kug- 
hen married  Elizabeth  Lovely,  and  of  their 
union  six  children  were  born,  namely:  Flora 
Elizabeth,  a  student  in  Occidental  College : 
Cassie  Pearl,  deceased  :  David  L.,  John  Thom- 
as \A'hitman,  who  died  December  31,  1905; 
Maude  Hope:  and  Glenn  Omar.  From  1864. 
when  he  cast  his  first  presidential  vote,  until 
1895  Mr.  Kughen  was  an  earnest  supporter  of 
the  principles  of  the  Republican  party,  but 
since  that  time  he  has  been  one  of  the  lead- 
ing Prohibitionists  of  Los  Angeles  countv  and 
an   active  worker  in  party  ran1<s.     Both  him- 


1306 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


self  anu  his  wife  are  faitliful  members  of  the 
Christian  Church,  in  which  he  is  serving  as 
an  elder,  and  toward  the  support  of  which  he 
is   a   liberal   contriliutor. 


FRANK  GISLER.  The  experiments  of  re- 
cent years  have  proved  that  much  of  the  land 
in  ^'entura  county  is  well  adapted  for  the  rais- 
ing of  beans  and  beets,  and  thus  these  two 
crops  now  form  the  principal  products  in  a 
certain  portion  of  the  county.  To  an  amateur 
the  raising  of  these  two  products  presents  many 
formidable  obstacles,  and  success  only  comes 
after  repeated  failures  and  discouraging  ex- 
periences :  yet  in  the  end,  to  those  who  thor- 
oughly learn  the  business,  no  occupation  pre- 
sents greater  opportunities  for  the  earning  of 
a  neat  income  as  the  result  of  a  year's  applica- 
tion and  energetic  devotion  to  the  work.  Per- 
haps few  men  in  the  county  have  a  more  thor- 
ough knowledge  of  the  growing  of  beans  and 
beets  than  Mr.  Gisler  possesses  and  as  a  re- 
sult of  his  sagacity  and  energetic  application 
he  now  owns  one  of  the  finest  farms  in  the 
vicinity  of  Oxnard. 

A  native  of  Canton  Uri,  Switzerland.  Erank 
Gisler  was  born  January  17,  1872,  being  a  son 
of  T^Iax  Gisler  and  a  brother  of  Joseph  Gisler, 
well-known  among  ^'entura  county's  agricult- 
urists. When  he  was  about  seven  years  of 
age  he  accompanied  his  mother  to  America, 
joining  his  father  in  California,  and  here  he 
was  sent  to  the  public  schools  until  he  had 
acquired  a  fair  English  education.  When  only 
a  small  boy  he  began  to  assist  his  father  and 
in  youth  was  the  possessor  of  a  thorough  prac- 
tical knowledge  of  agriculture.  With  his 
brother,  Joseph,  in  1893  he  began  to  farm  on 
the  Tack  Hill  place,  where  more  than  four 
hundred  acres  were  placed  under  cultivation 
to  grain  and  beans.  Later  he  was  employed 
at  SpringA'ille  for  one  year  and  in  1897  he  and 
his  brother  leased  four  hundred  acres  of  the 
Patterson  ranch,  where  they  made  a  specialty 
of  raising  grain  and  beets.  With  the  money 
thus  earned  in  1900  they  bought  one  hundred 
and  fifty-seven  acres,  known  as  the  Clemens 
ranch,  lying  just  north  of  Oxnard,  and  here 
they  found  themselves  the  owners  of  very  fer- 
tile land,  well  adapted  for  beet-raising.  On 
the  division  of  the  property  in  1905  Frank  re- 
ceived about  seventy-five  acres  of  plow  land, 
and  in  addition  he  and  his  brother  own  fifty- 
six  acres  of  beet-land  at  El  Rio.  the  income 
from  the  two  properties  amounting  to  a  grati- 
fying sum. 

The  marriage  of  Frank  Gisler  was  solemn- 
ized at  El  Rio  .'\pril  8,  tgoi,  by  Rev.  John 
PVijol.  and  united  him  with  ]\iiss  Grace  East- 


wood, a  sister  of  Ernest  Eastwood,  in  whose 
sketch  the  family  histor}'  appears.  ]\Irs.  Gis- 
ler is  a  daughter  of  George  J.  Eastwood  and 
was  born  in  Ventura,  received  an  excellent 
education  in  the  county  schools,  and  after 
leaving  school  held  office  as  deputy  in  the  El 
Rio  postoffice,  of  which  her  mother  was  then 
postmistress.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gisler  are  the 
parents  of  one  child,  Raymond.  The  family 
hold  membership  w^ith  the  Santa  Clara  Catho- 
lic Church  and  contribute  to  its  maintenance 
and  miss'onarj'  enterprises,  as  well  as  to  other 
movements  for  the  benefit  of  their  community 
and  the  uplifting  of  the  human  race.  While 
Mr.  Gisler  has  not  identified  himself  actively 
with  politics  and  has  not  displayed  any  par- 
tisan spirit  in  his  opinions,  )'et  he  stanchly  ad- 
vocates Republican  principles  and  bv  his  bal- 
lot gives  support  to  the  party  and  its  platform. 


HERBERT  ALFRED  BURDICK:.  As  the 
oldest  business  man  in  El  Alonte  Herbert  A. 
Burdick  has  witnessed  and  participated  in  the 
development  and  upbuilding  of  the  town  and 
community  and  is  still  actively  interested  in  all 
public  aft'airs.  He  was  bom  in  Cortland  county, 
N.  v.,  February  18,  1855,  the  second  in  a  fam- 
ily of  seven  children,  five  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters, of  whom  four  sons  are  now  in  California. 
The  father,  Amos,  was  also  born  in  that  place, 
as  was  the  grandfather,  Joseph,  who  as  a  fron- 
tiersman engaged  as  a  hunter  and  trapper,  and 
in  summers  as  a  farmer.  Amos  Burdick  fol- 
lowed his  early  training  and  became  a  farmer, 
in  young  manhood  removing  to  Wisconsin,  where 
he  enlisted  in  Company  B,  Thirteenth  Regiment 
W^isconsin  Infantry,  and  served  in  the  Civil  war 
for  three  years  and  nine  months.  Returning  to 
civic  life  he  located  in  Milton,  Rock  county,  and 
pursued  agricultural  lines  until  his  final  removal 
to  California,  where  he  located  in  Pomona,  thence 
returning  east  and  dying  in  North  Loop,  Neb. 
His  wife  was  in  maidenhood  ]\Iartha  Spencer, 
who  was  born  in  Cortland  county,  N.  Y.,  a 
daughter  of  Oliver  Spencer,  who  as  a  carpenter 
passed  his  entire  life  in  the  state  of  New  York. 
Mrs.  Burdick  died  in  Modesto,  Cal. 

Herbert  A.  Burdick  was  reared  in  Wisconsin 
and  in  North  Loop.  Neb.,  and  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools.  Reared  upon  a  farm,  he  con- 
tinued this  occupation  when  starting  out  fiir 
himself.  He  later  homesteaded  property  in 
Greeley  county,  after  which  he  went  to  Sheridan 
county  and  entered  land  and  improved  a  farm, 
eventually  owning  two  large  and  well  improved 
farms.  Having  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade 
in  the  meantime  he  built  a  shop  in  Rushville  and 
worked  at  his  trade.  In  1888  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia and  located  in  St.  Helena.  Napa  county. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1307 


remaining  there  for  one  year,  and  then  came  to 
El  Monte  and  leased  the  shop  which  he  is  now 
conducting,  two  years  later  purchasing  the  same 
and  continuing  in  business  to  the  present  writing. 
In  1896  he  rebuilt  the  shop,  installing  an  eight 
horse  power  engine,  and  added  to  his  equipment 
until  he  now  has  the  best  equipped  blacksmith 
shop  in  El  ]\Ionte.  He  has  also  built  a  residence 
here. 

In  North  Loop,  Neb.,  INIr.  Burdick  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Sarah  Elizabeth  McDow- 
ell, a  native  of  Michigan,  and  they  are  the  par- 
ents of  two  children :  Lester,  engaged  in  the 
plumbing  business  in  El  Monte,  and  Thisba. 
Fraternally  Mr.  Burdick  is  a  member  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Foresters,  the  Ancient  Or- 
der of  United  \\^orkmen,  INIodern  Woodmen  of 
America  and  Fraternal  Brotherhood.  In  religion 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Seventh  Day  Adventists, 
belonging  to  the  Los  Angeles  church  of  this  de- 
nomination.    Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 


ALBERT  HADLEY.  In  the  financial  cir- 
cles of  Whittier  and  the  surrounding  country  no 
name  stands  out  in  greater  prominence  than  that 
of  Hadley,  two  of  whose  representatives.  Wash- 
ington and  Albert  (father  and  son),  organized 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Whittier  October 
I,  1900,  under  national  laws,  and  have  since 
held  the  positions  of  president  and  vice-presi- 
dent respectively  in  the  institution,  the  son  be- 
ing now  the  general  manager  of  the  entire  bank- 
ing business  controlled  by  the  company.  In  ad- 
dition to  his  connection  with  this  solid  institu- 
tion he  acts  as  a  director  of  the  Whittier  Sav- 
ings Bank,  wliich  also  is  in  a  flouishing  condi- 
tion ;  and  furthermore  he  has  been  on  the  direc- 
torate of  the  \\Tittier  Home  Telephone  Com- 
pany. During  the  existence  of  the  Wliittier 
Light  and  Fuel  Company  he  was  its  president 
and  manager,  holding  that  ofifice  until  the  plant 
was  sold  to  the  Edison  Electric  Companv. 

A  native  of  Annapolis,  Ind.,  Albert  Hadley  is 
a  son  of  Washington  and  Naomi  f  Henley )  Had- 
ley. and  a  grandson  of  Micajah  Henley,  a  promi- 
nent Quaker  of  Wayne  county,  Ind. ;  also  a 
grandson  of  Jonathan  and  Ann  (Long")  Had- 
ley, natives  respectively  of  Pennsylvania  and 
Virginia.  When  the  family  lived  in  Parke 
county,  Ind.,  Albert  Hadley  had  the  advan- 
tages offered  by  Bloomingdale  academy,  and  in 
early  manhood  he  served  as  a  clerk  in  the  office 
of  the  treasurer  of  Parke  county  for  a  year. 
His  first  knowledge  of  the  banking  business  was 
acquired  while  acting  as  errand  boy  in  the  Parke 
County  Bank.  During  the  four  years  nf  his 
employment  by  the  bank  he  was  promoted  to  be 
bookkeeper  and  teller.  On  resigning  the  latter 
position  he  removed  to  Kansas  and  in  October, 


1865,  assisted  in  organizing  the  National  Bank 
of  Lawrence,  in  which  he  first  held  the  position 
of  bookkeeper  and  later  was  teller,  assistant 
cashier  and  cashier  successively,  being  with  the 
same  institution  for  twenty  years.  During  the 
period  of  his  residence  in  the  town  he  was  for 
two  years  associated  with  the  Lawrence  Sav- 
ings Bank,  but  at  the  expiration  of  that  time  he 
returned  to  the  National  Bank.  Besides  his 
other  connections  he  was  identified  with  the 
\\'estern  Farm  Mortgage  Company,  a  local  in- 
stitution of  Lawrence,  in  which  he  officiated  as 
a  director.  Though  not  a  partisan  he  was  a 
stanch  believer  in  Republican  principles  and 
while  in  Lawrence  consented  to  fill  the  office  of 
deputy  city  treasurer  for  one  term,  but  with  that 
exception  he  refrained  frorn  any  participation  in 
local  politics. 

On  the  removal  to  Denver,  Colo.,  of  the  main 
office  of  the  \^'estern  Farm  Mortgage  Company. 
Mr.  Hadley  bore  an  active  part  in  the  work  and 
assisted  in  establishing  the  organization  in  its 
new  quarters.  It  was  his  intention  to  remain 
with  the  company  at  Denver,  but  the  altitude 
proved  injurious  to  his  health  and  for  that  rea- 
son he  sought  a  more  favorable  climate  in  re- 
moving to  California  in  1890  and  settling  at 
\Miittier.  Immediately  after  coming  to  his  new 
location  he  secured  the  position  of  paying  teller 
and  assistant  cashier  of  the  National  Bank  of 
California,  in  Los  Angeles,  in  which  later  he 
was  promoted  to  the  cashiership.  After  an  ac- 
tive association  of  eleven  years  with  that  insti- 
tution he  resigned  on  account  of  ill  health  and 
for  a  year  relinquished  all  activities,  but  on  the 
expiration  of  that  time,  having  partiallv  recov- 
ered his  former  strength,  he  again  assumed 
business  relations  with  a  bank,  this  time  begin- 
ning his  connection  with  the  institution  in  which 
he  is  now  an  officer. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Hadley  was  solemnized 
at  Rockville,  Ind.,  and  united  him  with  Mary 
J.  Brown,  who  was  a  member  of  an  old  New 
York  family  and  died  at  Los  Angeles  in  1900. 
Three  children  survive  her,  namely:  Freder- 
ick W.,  who  by  gradual  promotions  worked  his 
way  up  to  be  paying  teller  in  the  National  Bank 
of  California  and  is  now  assistant  cashier  of 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Whittier;  Meda  N.. 
who  was  educated  in  the  Marlborough  school, 
Los  Angeles,  and  died  in  Los  Angeles  Novem- 
ber 3,  1903,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years ;  and 
Mildred  M.,  a  graduate  from  the  IMarlborough 
school,  and  now  a  student  in  Stanford  Univer- 
sity at  Palo  Alto.  The  family  are  identified 
with  the  Whittier  Congregational  Church,  in 
the  organization  of  which  Mr.  Hadley  was  an 
active  worker  and  to  which  he  has  been  a  gen- 
erous contributor.  In  fraternal  relations  he  is 
connected  with  the  Masons  and   Ancient  Order 


1308 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  United  Workmen.  A  man  of  varied  talents, 
strong  of  mind,  keen  in  analytical  powers,  quick 
in  decision,  energetic  in  action  and  resourceful 
in  ideas,  he  has  been  a  promoter  of  the  per- 
manent prosperity  of  Whittier  and  has  accom- 
plished much  in  behalf  of  its  banking  interests, 
its  religious  upbuilding  and  its  educational  de- 
velopment. 


ALBERT  G.  BARTON.  \\'orthy  of  repre- 
sentation in  a  volume  of  this  character  is  Albert 
G.  Barton,  an  esteemed  and  highly  respected 
resident  of  San  Pedro,  who  has  been  active  and 
influential  in  the  upbuilding  of  this  section  of 
Los  Angeles  county,  and  has  been  somewhat 
prominently  identified  with  public  affairs.  A  son 
of  James  Harvey  Barton,  he  was  born,  in  1838, 
in  Eaton  township,  Lorain  county,  Ohio. 

A  native  of  New  York  state,  James  Harvey 
Barton  was  born  and  brought  up  there,  but  in 
earl\-  manhood  settled  as  a  wheelright  in  Lorain 
county,  Ohio.  Following  the  march  of  civili- 
zation, he  went  to  Wisconsin  in  1845,  and  taking 
up  a  tract  of  land  in  Cottage  Grove,  Dane  coun- 
ty, improved  a  fine  farm.  Retiring  from  active 
pursuits  in  his  old  age,  he  spent  his  last  years  in 
Stearns  county,  Minn.,  at  the  home  of  his  son 
Albert,  of  whom  we  write.  He  married  Eliza 
Bassett,  a  native  of  New  York,  and  a  daughter 
of  Samuel  Bassett,  who  subsequently  settled  as 
a  pioneer  in  Ohio.  She  died  on  the  home  farm 
in  Wisconsin.  Of  the  live  children  born  of  their 
union,  five  grew  to  years  of  maturity  and  three 
are  now  living.  Two  of  the  sons  served  in  the 
Civil  war,  namely:  Sylvester,  who  served  in  a 
Wisconsin  regiment  during  two  terms  of  enlist- 
ment, and  Albert  G. 

About  seven  years  of  age  when  his  parents  re- 
moved to  Wisconsin,  Albert  G.  Barton  was 
brought  up  on  a  farm,  and  educated  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  Dane  county.  Going  to  Minne- 
sota in  1858,  he  worked  in  what  is  now  Kandi- 
yohi county  for  about  four  years.  In  the  fall  of 
1862  he  enlisted  in  Company  D,  Minnesota 
lilounted  Rangers,  and  until  mustered  out,  a 
year  later,  was  employed  in  subduing  the  Sioux 
Indians.  Re-enlisting,  in  the  spring  of  1864,  in 
the  Minnesota  Independent  Battalion  V^olunteer 
Cavalry,  he  was  located  on  the  frontier  for  two 
years.  Returning  then  to  Stearns  county,  Minn., 
he  was  there  extensively  and  prosperously  em- 
ployed in  farming  and  stock-raising  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  Deciding  then  to  change  his 
place  of  residence  and  his  occupation,  he  came 
to  San  Pedro,  Cal..  in  1883.  and  was  here  en- 
gaged in  contracting  and  building  for  six  years. 
Being  appointed  postmaster  in  1889.  he  served 
for  some  little  time  after  the  change  of  admin- 
istration, in   1893.     He   subsequently  carried  on 


general  ranching  at  Altadena  for  a  short  time, 
but  not  satisfied  in  that  part  of  the  county  soon 
returned  to  San  Pedro,  and  having  erected  a  good 
residence  at  the  corner  of  Center  and  Santa 
Cruz  streets  has  since  made  this  his  home. 

In  Melrose,  Stearns  county,  Minn.,  Mr.  Bar- 
ton married  Emeline  J.  Foote,  who  was  born  in 
Ohio,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren, namely:  Mrs.  Cora  Evelyn  Mclntire,  of 
Pasadena;  Mrs.  Alberta  Adeline  Nichols,  of 
San  Pedro;  and  A-Irs.  Ina  Ozella  Fawcett,  of 
San  Pedro.  Politically  Mr.  Barton  is  an  uncom- 
promising Republican,  sustaining  the  principles 
of  his  party  at  every  opportunity.  Fraternallv 
he  is  a  Master  Mason,  and  socially  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Harbor  City  Post  No.  185,  G.  A.  R.,  of 
San  Pedro.  Religiously  both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Barton  are  valued  members  of  the  Episcopal 
Church. 


GEORGE  B.  WEIDLER.  Throughout  Los 
Angeles  county  are  many  young  men  of  promise, 
who  are  already  important  factors  in  developing 
and  promoting  the  industrial  prosperity  of  South- 
ern California,  prominent  among  the  number  be- 
ing George  B.  Weidler,  a  poultry  raiser  and  deal- 
er, living  near  Wiseburn.  Endowed  with  a  re- 
markable degree  of  energy  and  push,  he  is  rapid- 
ly building  up  for  himself  a  substantial  business 
and  winning  an  excellent  reputation  for  ability 
and  worth.  A  son  of  the  late  Samuel  W.  Weid- 
ler. he  was  born,  in  1880,  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
where  he  grew  to  man's  estate. 

Born,  reared  and  educated  near  Lancaster,  Pa., 
Samuel  W.  Weidler  resided  in  his  native  town 
until  1875,  when  he  moved  to  Ohio.  Locating  in 
Cincinnati,  he  built  the  mill  and  warehouse  that 
still  bear  his  name,  and  successfully  operated  both 
until  his  death,  in  1904.  He  married  Mary  A. 
Beal,  a  native  of  Ottawa,  Canada,  and  they  be- 
came the  parents  of  three  children,  all  boys,  one 
of  whom  died  in  infancy,  the  others  being  George 
B.,  the  special  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Frank 
K.,  who  is  in  business  in  Los  Angeles,  being  a 
member  of  the  Advance  Buggy  Company. 

Inheriting  considerable  property  from  the  par- 
ental estate,  which  was  sold  after  the  death  of  the 
father.  George  B.  Weidler  came  to  Los  Angeles 
county,  and  in  April,  1905,  invested  in  land,  buy- 
ing his  present  ranch,  comprising  thirteen  acres, 
near  Wiseburn.  He  has  since  erected  some  fine, 
up-to-date  chicken  houses,  fenced  off  yards,  and 
has  already  established  a  good  market  business 
as  a  raiser  of  full-blooded  White  Plymouth  Rock 
chickens,  catering  to  the  high-class  hotel  trade  in 
Los  Angeles.  His  ranch  is  well  improved,  hav- 
ing a  substantial  residence,  and  a  good  barn,  and 
all  of  the  most  approved  modern  conveniences  for 
successfully  carrying  on  his  chosen  work. 


,..^^^Cc.^i.A^  c/  ^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1311 


CHARLES  I.  DORN.  As  postmaster  and 
general  merchant  of  j\foorpark,  Ventura  coun- 
ty, Charles  I.  Dorn  is  named  among  the  repre- 
sentative business  men  of  this  section.  Like 
many  others  of  the  men  who  are  substantial 
citizens  of  California,  Mr.  Dorn  is  a  native  of 
the  middle  west,  his  birth  having  occurred  ip 
Ridgeway,  Iowa,  November  lo,  1873.  His  pa- 
rents, Anderson  and  Arvilla  (Reimay)  Dorn, 
Avere  also  natives  of  Iowa,  from  which  state 
they  emigrated  to  California  in  1879  and  in 
Contra  Costa  county  made  their  home  for 
about  nine  years.  Removing  to  Ventura  coun- 
ty in  July,  1888,  they  located  in  the  Cuyama 
valley,  where  the  last  days  of  the  mother  were 
spent,  her  death  occurring  in  1898.  at  the  age 
of  fifty-six  years.  Subsequently  the  father  re- 
moved to  Bakersfield,  where  he  died  in  1902, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years. 

About  six  years  old  when  his  parents 
brought  him  to  California,  Charles  T.  Dorn  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Contra  Costa  county,  which  remained  his 
home  until  his  fifteenth  year.  After  locating 
in  A'entura  county  he  became  interested  in  the 
oil  fields,  engaging  in  this  business  in  both  this 
county  and  Los  Angeles  county,  and  remain- 
ing so  occupied  up  to  within  four  years  ago, 
.\t  that  time  he  took  charge  of  the  hotel  which 
he  had  previous!}'  purchased  at  Fillmore  and 
witli  a  partner  ran  a  livery  business,  conduct- 
ing these  combined  interests  for  the  period  of 
two  years.  Severing  his  connections  with  Fill- 
more in  1904,  he  came  to  Moorpark  and  estab- 
lished a  general  merchandise  business,  carry- 
ing a  very  complete  line  of  groceries,  hard- 
ware, furnishings,  and  a  general  dry  goods 
stock,  and  in  addition  buys  and  ships  hay, 
grain  and  beans,  doing  a  general  commission 
business.  He  was  appointed  postmaster  in 
1904  and  has  since  ably  discharged  the  duties 
devol\-ing  upon  him.  He  is  a  man  of  business 
ability,  combined  with  good  judgment  and  en- 
ergy, which  have  brought  about  his  success  in 
whatever  line  of  work  he  has  taken  up. 

In  Bardsdale,  April  30,  1902,  Mr.  Dorn  was 
married  to  Miss  Mattie  Lemmon.  a  native  of 
Texas,  and  born  of  this  union  is  one  son,  Law- 
rence M.  In  his  fraternal  relations  Mr.  Dorn 
is  a  member  of  the  Alasonic  lodge  of  Oxnard. 
and  also  of  the  Fraternal  Brotherhood.  He  is 
a  liberal  and  pr.blic  spirited  citizen  and  takes 
an  active  interest  in  advancing  the  welfare  of 
the  community,  serving  for  some  time  as 
school  trustee. 


Hautes-Alpes,  August  20,  1866,  a  son  of 
Pierre,  the  representative  of  a  family  which 
traces  its  ancestry  back  six  hundred  years, 
Tlie  elder  man  was  a  farmer  and  stockman  in 
the  south  of  France,  being  so  engaged 
throughout  his  entire  life  in  that  location, 
where  his  death  eventualh^  occurred.  He  is 
survived  b}'  his  wife,  formerly  Leontine  Mar- 
chant,  also  representing  an  old  family  of 
southern  France,  who  makes  her  home  on  the 
old  farm.  They  became  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  of  whom  seven  are  living,  the  third 
child  being  Emile,  He  was  reared  on  the  pa- 
ternal farm  in  France,  receiving  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  and  Gap  College,  At  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years  he  enlisted  in  the  Sec- 
ond Battalion,  Second  Company,  One  Hun- 
dred and  Fifty-second  Infantry,  of  the  regular 
army  of  France,  and  after  serving  for  three 
years  was  honorably  discharged.  In  1892  he 
came  to  California  and  in  Los  Angeles  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad, 
remaining  so  occupied  for  a  year,  when  he 
bought  out  his  uncle,  Seraphin  Rambaud,  who 
owned  the  pioneer  store  at  Puente,  since 
which  time  he  has  continued  the  business 
profitably.  He  conducts  a  general  merchan- 
dise establishment,  carrying  a  full  line  of 
goods  generally  found  in  such  an  enterprise. 

In  Los  Angeles  Mr,  Rambaud  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Marian  Oxarart,  a  na- 
tive of  Los  Angeles,  and  a  member  of  one  of 
the  old  families  of  this  section,  and  they  are 
the  parents  of  two  children,  Emelianne  and 
Gaston.  V.r.  Rambaud  is  an  active  Republic- 
an and  is  interested  in  all  matters  of  public 
import,  having  served  one  term  as  school  trus- 
tee. 


EMILE  RAMBALTD.  The  oldest  mer- 
chant in  Puente,  Los  Angeles  county,  is  Emile 
Rambaud,  who  was  born  in  France,  near  Gap, 


HENRY  HORACE  WEBB,  Among  the 
enterprising  business  men  of  Santa  Monica  who 
have  attained  success  in  their  work  is  Henry 
Horace  \\'ebb,  well  known  as  an  extensive  dealer 
in  ice  and  as  a  transfer  agent.  A  man  of  ener- 
getic temperament,  honest  and  upright,  he  is  well 
worthy  of  the  assured  position  which  he  holds  in 
the  estimation  of  the  people  of  the  community. 
.V  native  of  Canada  East,  he  was  born  September 
II,  1851,  at  Roxton  Falls.  His  fatlier,  Henry 
Webb,  born  in  England,  migrated  as  a  young 
man  to  Canada  East,  where  he  married  Salinda 
Hall,  He  followed  the  trade  of  brickmaker 
during  the  greater  part  of"  his  active  career, 
first  in  Canada,  then  in  Fillmore  county,  Alinn, 
Coming  to  California  as  a  pioneer  of  Santa 
Monica,  he  was  for  a  time  employed  in  buying 
and  selling  property,  Init  afterwards  lived  re- 
tired. 

Going  with  his  parents  to   Minnesota,  Henry 


1312 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Horace  Webb  completed  his  early  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Fillmore  county,  remain- 
ing at  home  until  becoming  of  age.  Going  then 
to  Boone  county,  Iowa,  he  was  there  prosper- 
ousl}'  employed  in  the  transfer  business  for  five 
years.  In  search  of  a  broader  field  of  action, 
he  came  from  there  to  California  in  1878,  locat- 
ing in  Los  Angeles,  where  for  eight  years  he 
managed  a  large  transfer  business,  having  an 
office  at  first  at  the  corner  of  Los  Angeles  and 
First  streets,  but  subsequently  removing  it  to 
the  new  brick  block  which  he  built  at  No.  233 
Los  Angeles  street.  He  was  likewise  actively 
engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits,  running  a  gro- 
cery, and  in  both  lines  of  industry  was  very 
successful,  carrying  on  a  fine  business  until  after 
the  collapse  of  the  great  boom.  Coming  then 
to  Santa  Monica,  in  partnership  with  F.  W. 
Vogel,  he  established  an  ice  business  and  in  addi- 
tion has  also  established  a  larg'e  and  lucrative 
business  as  a  transfer  agent,  at  the  present  time 
keeping  about  twenty-four  horses  employed. 

In  Boone  county,  Iowa,  Mr.  W^ebb  married 
]\Iary  W.  Aliller,  a  daughter  of  Charles  [Miller, 
a  pioneer  settler  of  Iowa,  and  into  their  house- 
hold three  children  have  been  born :  Winnie  B., 
Perry  H.  and  Clarence  E.  Politically  Air.  Webb 
is  identified  with  the  Republican  party,  support- 
ing its  principles  by  voice  and  vote.  Fraternally 
he  is  a  member  of  the  iMasons,  Benevolent  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks,  and  the  Royal  Arcanum. 
He  is  a  fine  representative  of  the  self-made  men 
of  our  county,  by  his  own  efforts  having  acquired 
considerable  wealth.  He  has  a  pleasant  home  at 
the  corner  of  Oregon  and  Eighth  streets,  and  is 
likewise  interested  in  Santa  ^Nlonica  real  estate. 


AVIXFIELD  SCOTT  FLINT.  An  ac- 
quaintance with  the  west  begun  during  the 
period  of  his  service  in  the  regular  army  first 
attracted  the  attention  of  Mr.  Flint  to  the  ad- 
vantages offered  by  the  Pacific  coast,  and 
upon  receiving  his  honorable  discharge  from 
the  government  ser\'ice  he  returned  to  the 
coast  country,  where  he  has  since  made  his 
home.  Of  eastern  birth  and  parentage,  he  was 
born  in  Rensselaer  county.  N.  Y.,  September 
22,  1865,  and  is  a  son  of  Clement  and  Hester 
( Gould)  Flint,  natives  respectively  of  New 
York  and  Florida.  For  many  years  the  father 
engaged  in  tlie  practice  of  medicine  and  sur- 
gery in  Brooklyn .  and  New  York  City,  but 
while  still  in  the  prime  of  life  he  established 
himself  in  Rensselaer  county,  and  continued 
professional  work  in  that  section  of  the  state. 
When  advancing  years  brought  a  desire  for  a 
release  from  the  arduous  life  of  a  busy  physi- 
cian he  relinquished  his  large  practice  and 
sought    the    genial    climate    of   California,   set- 


tling in  1883  in  the  Poway  valley  in  San  Di- 
ego county,  where-  now,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
three  years,  he  is  enjoying  a  merited  rest  from 
professional  and  business  activities.  His  wife, 
who  is  fourteen  years  his  junior,  is  also  living 
and  possesses  mental  and  physical  faculties  in 
unimpaired   strength. 

Little  occurred  to  individualize  the  youthful 
years  of  W.  S.  Flint  until  his  departure  from 
the  old  homestead  to  take  up  the  active  duties 
of  life  for  himself.  In  1882  he  enlisted  in  the 
regular  army  as  a  member  of  Company  F, 
Twenty-first  United  States  Infantry,  and 
shortly  afterward  was  sent  to  Washington 
with  the  regiment,  being  stationed  at  A^an- 
couver  Barracks,  where  he  remained  for  six 
months.  Later  he  was  stationed  at  Fort  Sid- 
ney, Neb.,  until  his  discharge  from  the  army. 
During  his  brief  period  of  service  in  the  west 
he  had  been  favorabh'  impressed  with  the 
coast  region  and  determined  to  return  thither 
•with  a  view  to  making  a  permanent  location. 
During  December  of  1884  he  arrived  in  San 
Francisco  and  there  began  to  learn  the  black- 
smith's trade,  of  which  he  acquired  a  thorough 
knowledge  during  the  period  of  his  appren- 
ticeship. 

On  coming  to  San  Diego  county  in  1885  Mr. 
Flint  settled  at  Santa  Ysabel  and  .soon  after 
his  arriA^l  he  took  up  a  homestead  from  the 
government.  This  he  improved  and  made  his 
home,  giving  his  attention  to  the  raising  of 
stock  and  also  of  such  varieties  of  grain  as 
suited  the  soil  and  climate.  Until  1896  he  gave 
his  attention  unreservedly  to  agriculture,  but 
during  the  year  named  he  bought  a  black- 
smith's shop  at  Santa  Ysabel  and  gained  a  po- 
sition of  prominence  in  his  locality  as  an  up- 
right business  man  and  expert  horseshoer. 
Near  the  village  he  owns  one  hundred  and 
seventy  acres  of  ranch  land  and  his  residence 
close  to  town  gives  him  a  modern,  substantial 
home  with  all  of  the  advantages  of  country 
life.  Before  her  marriage  Airs.  Flint  was  Mil- 
lie Paine,  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Flint  occurring 
in  this  county  January  24,  1889.  She  was  born 
in  Maine  and  in  1869  was  brought  to  Califor- 
nia by  her  father,  C.  Paine,  Avho  established 
the  family  home  at  Poway.  Later  Air.  Paine 
removed  to  Mesa  Grande  and  since  then  has 
remained  in  that  localit}',  engaging  in  the  fruit 
business  and  in  general  ranch  pursuits.  Airs. 
Flint  passed  away  November  20,  1906.  She 
was  an  earnest  member  of  the  Congregational 
Church,  a  lady  of  gentle  character  and  noble 
traits,  a  wise  mother  to  their  three  children. 
Alargaret  F..  John  W.  and  Mary  F..  and  pop- 
ular in  the  best  social  circles  of  the  commun- 
ity. 

For  si3me  vears  Air.  Flint  has  held  member- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1313 


ship  in  Banner  Cvourt  No.  8522,  A.  O.  F.,  at 
Julian,  and  to  its  helpful  work  he  has  been  a 
regular  contributor.  Though  not  a  partisan  in 
politics  and  at  no  time  a  seeker  for  office,  he 
nevertheless  has  stanch  convictions  concern- 
ing tariff  problems  and  national  issues  and 
gives  his  allegiance  to  the  Republican  party. 
He  was  appointed  deputy  sheriff  under  F.  M. 
Jennings  and  took  up  the  duties  of  its  position 
in  San  Diego  January  i,  1907.  Few  men  of 
his  community  are  more  fond  of  reading  than 
he,  and  much  of  his  leisure  time  is  devoted  to 
a  study  of  current  events  as  depicted  by  the 
daily  press  and  leading  magazines.  As  a  con- 
sequence of  this  study  he  has  gained  a  famil- 
iarity with  current  affairs,  local,  state  and  na- 
tional history,  and  measures  for  the  advance- 
ment of  the  people,  which  gives  him  a  place 
among  the  best  informed  citizens  of  his  local- 
ity. 


AARON  E.  KEENER.  About  one  mile 
west  of  Lemon,  and  not  far  from  the  Eair\-iew 
school  house,  ma}^  be  seen  one  of  the  fine 
looking  and  productive  ranches  which  abound 
in  Southern  California.  When  Mr.  Kepner 
took  possession  of  this  property  a  little  over 
twenty  years  ago  there  was  apparently  little 
to  encourage  one  in  undertaking  to  trans- 
form a  barley  field  (for  such  it  was),  but  the 
passing  of  years  has  noted  marvelous  changes. 
Clearing  away  the  barley  stubble  he  set  out 
a  vineyard  and  also  some  deciduous  fruits,  in 
those  "days  watering  his  fields  by  means  of  a 
barrel,  but  in  spite  of  this  laborious  and  unsat- 
isfactor)'  method  of  irrigation  his  horticultural 
undertaking  was  a  complete  success  and  for 
years  he  bore  the  distinction  of  having  the 
finest  vineyard  of  ]\Iuscats  in  this  vicinity. 
His  vineyard  has  since  been  replaced  by  wal- 
nuts, having  a  grove  of  twentv  acres,  sixteen 
acres  in  deciduous  fruits,  while  the  remaind- 
er of  his  sixty-acre  ranch  is  used  for  alfalfa 
raising  and.  general  farming. 

Born  in  Nora,  Jo  Daviess  countv.  111.,  De- 
cember 5,  1849,  Aaron  E.  Kepner  is  a  son  of 
B.  H.  and  Sarah  (Bushey)  Kepner,  both  na- 
tives of  Pennsylvania.  They  were  married  in 
the  east  and  three  of  their  thirteen  children 
were  born  before  their  immigration  to  the 
frontier  of  Illinois  in  1847.  Settling  on  a  farm 
in  Jo  Daviess  countv  the  father  carried  on 
agricultural  pursuits  throughout  the  remainder 
of  his  active  years  and  there  reared  his  large 
family  of  children.  ^A'ith  the  wife  of  his 
young  manhood,  who  had  uncomplainingly 
shared  the  inconveniences  and  vicissitudes  of 
pioneer  life,  he  was  spared  to  enjoy  a  free- 
dom from  care  in  his  later  vcars.  which  were 


passed  in  California,  both  dying  in  Lemon. 
The  eldest  of  tJie  parental  family  born  in  Illi- 
nois, Aaron  E.  was  brought  up  in  that  state 
until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  in  the  mean 
time  attending  the  public  schools  of  Nora. 
With  the  knowledge  of  farming  which  he  had 
gleaned  by  assisting  his  father  on  the  home 
farm  he  set  out  to  try  his  own  luck  along  the 
same  line,  settling  on  a  farm  near  Montrose, 
Henry  count}-.  Mo.,  in  1869.  After  remain- 
ing there  fifteen  years,  or  until  1884,  he  dis- 
posed of  his  interests  in  the  Mississippi  val- 
ley to  ccme  to  California.  His  wisdom  in  the 
selection  of  another  choice  piece  of  property 
was  demonstrated  when,  during  the  same  year, 
he  purchased  his  present  sixty-acre  ranch  in 
the .  Fairview  district,  not  far  from  Lemon. 
From  an  unpromising  barley  field  he  evolved 
first  one  of  the  finest  vine^'ards  in  this  part 
of  the  state,  and  now  on  the  same  acreage  has 
one  of  the  most  productive  walnut  groves  in 
the  vicinity.  Besides  the  twenty  acres  in  wal- 
nuts he  has  sixteen  acres  in  deciduous  fruits 
and  twenty-four  acres  devoted  to  alfalfa  and 
general  farming.  All  in  all  the  Kepner  ranch 
is  considered  one  of  the  best  in  this  part  of 
Los  Angeles  county  and  its  proprietor  is  rec- 
ognized as  one  of  the  important  factors  in  the 
county's  upbuilding. 

In  Lafayette  county,  Wis.,  September  29, 
1872,  Aaron  E.  Kepner  was  united  in  marriage 
with  JMiss  Roxie  Rowe,  who  was  born  in  Penn 
Yan,  N.  Y.  Her  father,  Delevan  Rowe,  also 
a  native  of  the  Empire  state,  carried  on  a  hotel 
and  also  a  planing-mill  and  cabinet-making 
business  in  the  east,  but  after  his  removal  to 
Illinois  settled  upon  a  farm  near  the  Kepner 
family  in  Jo  Daviess  coimt}-.  Subsequently 
he  removed  to  Iowa,  and  now  resides  on  a 
farm  near  Iowa  Falls,  in  which  locality  he  is 
a  power  in  the  ranks  of  the  Republican  party. 
Mrs.  Rowe  was  before  her  marriage  Sarah 
Shaw,  born  in  Orange  coimty.  N.  Y.,  and  who 
counted  among  her  kinsmen  the  well-known 
Kernochan  and  jMcCartney  families  of  that 
state.  The  death  of  Mrs.  Rowe  occurred  in 
Illinois,  at  which  time  she  left  three  chil- 
dren, of  whom  her  daughter  Roxie,  now  Mrs. 
Kepner,  was  the  eldest.  Six  children  were 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kepner,  but  only  three 
of  them  are  now  living.  The  eldest,  Etha, 
who  before  her  marriage  was  one  of  the  most 
talented  music  teachers  in  Pomona,  is  now  the 
wife  of  Dr.  E.  L.  Johnson,  of  To])eka,  Kans. ; 
Ida  died  in  Missouri  when  seven  years  of 
age;  Ross  P.,  who  graduated  from  Pomona 
College  in  1906  with  the  degree  of  B.  S.,  is 
now  taking  a  post-graduate  course  in  engi- 
neering in  the  University  of  Michigan  :  Flor- 
ence    fknown    bv    her     f;imilv     and     intimate 


131-i 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


friends  as  Birdie)  died  in  Pomona  in  1899, 
when  seventeen  years  of  age;  Ernest  died  in 
infancy ;  and  the  youngest,  Louis,  is  attend- 
ing the  Pomona  high  school.  Both  Mr.  and 
and  Mrs.  Kepner  are  members  of  the  Baptist 
Church  of  Pomona,  exempHfying  in  their  daily 
living  the  principles  of  their  professed  religion. 
Mr.  Kepner  is  a  member  of  the  ^^'al^ut  Fruit 
Growers'  Association. 


j.VMES  G.  WARREN.  The  career  of  James 
G.  Warren  has  been  diversified  and  full  of  inter- 
esting events,  his  school  days  being  interrupted 
to  answer  the  call  of  his  country  to  arms  in  de- 
fense of  the  Union  ;  the  long,  weary  and  heart- 
rending service  to  1865  being  given  uncomplain- 
ingly ;  his  return  to  civic  life ;  and  following,  a 
location  in  various  states  of  the  Union  and  under 
all  circumstances,  from  the  most  unfavorable  to 
the  most  propitious.  He  is  now  an  honored  cit- 
izen of  Southern  California,  successful  in  his 
personal  enterprises  and  prominent  among  the 
residents  of  El  Monte.  He  was  born  in  East  Au- 
rora, Erie  county,  N.  Y.,  April  21,  1842,  a 
grandson  of  Gen.  William  Warren  in  command 
during  the  war  of  1812  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and 
whose  great-grandfather,  William  Warren,  was 
a  cousin  of  the  General  Warren  who  fell  at 
Bunker  Hill,  the  name  having  been  established 
in  America  by  two  brothers  who  crossed  the 
Atlantic  in  the  Mayflower.  Mr.  Warren's 
grandfather,  an  old-line  Whig,  died  at  the  age  of 
ninety-four  years. 

When  ten  years  old  Mr.  Warren's  parents  took 
him  to  Geauga  county,  Ohio,  where  the  next 
five  years  of  his  life  were  passed.  He  attend- 
ed the  public  schools  up  to  the  age  of  fifteen 
years,  when  he  left  home  and  went  to  Buchanan 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  engaged  in  working  on 
a  farm.  The  inherited  patriotism  within  him 
stirred  to  life  by  the  needs  of  1862,  he  enlisted 
for  service  in  August  of  that  year,  in  Company 
C,  Twenty-seventh  Regiment  Iowa  Infantry, 
was  mustered  in  at  Dubuque,  Iowa,  and  at  once 
sent  against  the  Sioux  Indians  in  Minnesota. 
After  three  months  in  the  north  his  regiment 
was  transferred  to  the  scene  of  activities  in  Ten- 
nessee and  Mississippi,  where  he  participated  in 
the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  was  with  the  Red  River 
expedition,  Sabine  Cross  Roads,  etc. ;  then  re- 
turned to  the  relief  of  General  Sturgis,  checked 
Forest's  cavalry,  and  participated  in  the  siege 
of  Nashville.  Following  this  he  was  in  the  siege 
of  Mobile  and  the  capture  of  that  city,  and  Forts 
Spanish  and  Blakely.  He  came  safely  through 
the  historic  struggle  and  never  received  the 
slightest  wound.  He  was  mustered  out  of  ser- 
vice in  1865,  at  Clinton.  Iowa,  and  immediately 
afterward   returned    to    Manchester,   same   state. 


! 'ntil  iSfiS  Mr.  Warren  engaged  in  farming 
and  teaming  in  Manchester,  when  he  went  to 
Adams  count}'  and  purchased  land  upon  which 
he  remained  four  years,  with  the  exception  of 
one  year  spent  in  Belleville,  Kans.  In  1875  he 
went  to  Jewell  county,  Kans.,  and  near  Mankato 
homesteaded  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  upon 
which  he  engaged  extensively  in  general  farm- 
ing. Later  he  took  up  the  barber  business  in 
Mankato,  while  his  wife,  conducted  a  milliners- 
store.  These  combined  interests  were  contin- 
ued until  1894  when  Mr.  Warren  disposed  of 
his  business  and  came  to  California,  making 
his  home  for  six  months  in  Ontario,  after  which 
hn  went  to  Pasadena  and  engaged  at  his  trade. 
Selecting  as  a  more  desirable  vocation  that  to 
which  he  had  early  been  trained,  in  1896  he  lo- 
cated on  the  farm  which  he  now  owns,  consist- 
ing then  of  five  acres  of  walnuts,  to  which  after 
three'  years  he  gave  all  of  his  attention,  having 
in  the  meantime  disposed  of  the  barber  shop 
which  he  had  established  in  El  Monte.  Later  he 
purchased  ten  acres  of  walnuts  on  the  ^Monrovia 
road,  and  also  owns  forty  acres  near  Chino,  San 
Bernardino  county,  which  he  is  farming  at  the 
present  writing.  A  part  of  his  attention  at  pres- 
ent is  given  to  the  raising  of  fine  poultry,  white 
Plymouth  Rocks  and  Buft'  Orpingtons  being  his 
principal  fancy  stock,  the  latter,  in  connection 
with  the  massive  pines  on  his  place,  giving  the 
nanie  of  Pines  Orpington  ranch. 

Mr.  Warren  has  been  twice  married,  by  the 
first  union,  with  Cordelia  L.  Beagle,  having  five 
children,  namely :  Ernest,  Fred,  Lulu,  Edith  and 
Vivian.  His  present  wife  was  formerly  Mrs. 
J\lary  A.  (Kchler)  Trump,  a  woman  of  rare  qual- 
ities, a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Qiurch,  and 
one  who  has  many  friends.  Mr.  Warren  was  a 
charter  member  of  Jim  Lane  Post  G.  A.  R.,  at 
JNIankato,  and  served  as  its  conimander  for  two 
years,  and  is  now  identified  witli  Pasadena  Post. 
Politically  he  is  a  stanch  adherent  of  the  prin- 
ciples advocated  in  the  platform  of  tlie  Repub- 
lican party,  which  ticket  he  has  always  voted.  He 
belongs  to  the  ]\Iountain  View  Walnut  Growers' 
Association. 


HENRY  AUSTIN  WARNOCK.  Thor- 
ough familiarity  with  the  agricultural  condi- 
tions of  San  Diego  county,  acquired  by  a  life- 
long residence  in  this  portion  of  California, 
admirably  qualifies  Mr.  W^arnock  for  the  wise 
and  successful  supervision  of  his  large  landed 
interests  in  the  vicinity  of  Ramona.  The  peo- 
ple of  his  home  neighborhood  give  him  a  high 
position  in  their  esteem  and  confidence,  this 
respect  being  accorded  him  as  a  result  of  their 
acquaintance  with  his  liberal  views,  high  in- 
telligence and  niarked  uprightness.  A  lifelong 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1317 


resident  of  his  present  district,  he  was  l^orn 
at  the  old  Warnock  homestead  on  Santa  Ter- 
esa rancho,  September  3,  1865,  and  is  a  son  of 
William  and  Ellen  (Denig)  Warnock  and  a 
brother  of  W.  J.  Warnock,  in  whose  sketch 
appears  the  family  history.  During  his  boy- 
hood years  he  was  sent  to  tlie  district  schools 
and  later  had  the  advantage  of  a  course  of 
study  in  St.  Vincent's  College  at  Los  Angeles, 
after  which  he  took  a  commercial  course  in 
Heald's  Business  College  at  San  Francisco. 

Returning  home  on  the  completion  of  his 
collegiate  course  Mr.  Warnock  took  up  inde- 
pendent ranching.  From  the  first  he  was  in- 
terested in  stock-raising  and  kept  on  his  ranch 
about  one  hundred  head  of  cattle  and  from  fif- 
teen to  twenty  head  of  horses.  In  the  year 
1900  he  enlarged  his  responsibilities  by  the 
purchase  of  a  ranch  adjoining  the  old  home- 
stead and  here  he  now  has  twelve  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  land,  of  which  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  acres  are  under  cultivation,  and 
about  fifteen  acres  are  planted  in  apple  trees 
now  in  bearing  condition.  Each  year  wit- 
nesses some  improvement  made  on  the  ranch, 
for  the  owner  is  a  man  of  progressive  spirit 
and  is  not  satisfied  with  anything  less  than 
the  best.  In  his  desire  to  advance  the  inter- 
ests of  the  ranch  he  has  the  active  co-opera- 
tion of  his  wife,  formerly  Elizabeth  E.  Wolfe, 
and  a  native  of  Tennessee,  but  reared  in 
Southern  California,  where  their  marriage 
took  place  October  26,  1901.  Born  of  their 
imion  are  three  children,  William  A..  Mabel 
Elizabeth  and  Eugene  Douglas.  While  Mr. 
Warnock  has  always  given  his  support  to 
Democratic  principles  he  has  never  sought  lo- 
cal leadership  in  the  party  nor  has  he  accepted 
any  political  office  except  that  of  constable. 
While  filling  the  position  of  school  trustee  for 
two  terms  he  gave  his  district  faithful  service 
in  the  interests  of  its  educational  progress  and 
proved  himself  to  be  capable,  well  informed 
and  progressive,  aiming  constantly  to  promote 
the  welfare  of  the  schools. 


ALBERT  J.  FREEMAN.  During  the  years 
immediately  following  the  discovery  of  gold 
in  California  the  tide  of  emigration  drifted 
ronstantly  from  the  east  toward  the  shores  of 
the  Pacific.  Among  the  thousands  of  home- 
seekers  and  Argonauts  came  William  D.  Free- 
man, who  crossed  the  plains  in  1854  in  com- 
pany with  a  large  party  of  emigrants  making 
the  journe}''  with  ox-teams  and  wagons.  A 
native  of  New  York,  he  was  born  in  Chautau- 
qua county,  September  27.  1827,  and  for  many 
vears  he  lived  in  Illinois,  where  he  was  a  pio- 
iieer  nnd  honored  citizen  of  McHenry  county. 


.  Upon  coming  to  the  west  he  engaged  in  min- 
ing in  Amador  county,  but  later  settled  in 
Marin  county,  where  he  and  his  wife  still  live 
at  their  old  homestead,  the  former  now  seven- 
ty-nine years  of  age,  and  the  latter  seventy- 
two.  Both  are  earnest  members  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church  and  for  years  have  been  identified 
with  its  fellowship.  The  wife  and  mother  bore 
the  maiden  name  of  ^lary  Halstead  and  was  a 
native  of  Canada,  but  came  to  the  United 
States  in  girlhood,  and  September  15,  1850,  be- 
came the  wife  of  William  D.  Freeman.  Born 
of  their  union  were  twelve  children,  of  whom 
two  daughters  are  now  deceased.  Ten  are  now 
living,  among  them  being  H.  D.,  a  well-known 
resident  of  Santa  Barbara. 

After  the  famih'  had  settled  in  Marin  coun- 
ty a  son  was  born  February  5,  1858,  who  was 
named  Albert  J.,  and  who.  in  common  with  his 
brothers  and  sisters,  received  a  public-school 
education  and  grew  up  to  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  ranching.  From  early  manhood  he  has 
been  interested  in  the  poultry  business  and 
still  makes  a  specialty  of  that  work.  Until 
about  1898  he  remained  in  Marin  count}-,  but 
at  that  time  he  moved  to  Santa  Barbara  coun- 
ty and  settled  on  his  present  farm  near  Santa 
Maria.  Of  his  tract  of  eighty-three  acres  he 
has  forty  acres  sown  in  grain  and  twenty-five 
acres  planted  in  corn.  In  his  poultry  yards  he 
has  three  thousand  young  chickens  and  thir- 
teen hundred  hens.  During  the  hatching  sea- 
son he  uses  five  incubators  with  a  capacity  of 
from  five  hundred  and  four  to  five  hundred  and 
seventy-six  each.  These  incubators  he  con- 
structed without  other  aid,  for  he  possesses 
considerable  ability  as  a  mechanic  and  exe- 
cutes work  with  skill.  Other  necessary  ar- 
rangements have  been  made  on  his  well- 
equipped  chicken  ranch,  and. the  neat  appear- 
ance of  the  place  proves  him  to  be  a  man  of 
energy-  and  wise  judgment. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Freeman  was  solemn- 
ized February  20,  1901,  and  united  him  with 
Miss  Emma  L.  Hardisty,  a  native  of  Illinois, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  two  children.  Ivy 
and  Vina.  Mrs.  Freeman  is  a  daughter  of 
Charles  W.  and  Clarinda  (Meadows)  Hardis- 
ty. the  father  born  in  Savannah,  Mo.,  in  1844. 
and  the  mother  born  in  Abingdon,  111.,  in  1849. 
In  1879  ]\Ir.  Hardisty  removed  from  Missouri 
to  Montana  and  during  1883  arrived  in  Cali- 
fornia, settling  in  .Santa  Rosa,  Sonoma  coun- 
ty. A  thoughtful  study  of  present-day  condi- 
tions has  made  Mr.  Freeman  a  convert  to  the 
doctrines  of  socialism,  which  he  upholds  not 
only  theoretically,  but  also  at  the  polls.  His 
wife  holds  membership  in  the  Christian 
Church  and  both  contribute  to  its  mainte- 
nance. For  sonip  vears  ^frs.  Freeman  was  one 


1318 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  the  leading  members  of  the  Bloomtield 
Lodge  of  Rebekahs  m  Sonoma  count}-  and 
during  the  entire  period  of  her  passing  through 
the  chairs  therewith  she  did  not  miss  one 
meeting  of  the  lodge.  At  different  times  she 
filled  all  of  its  chairs  and  in  recognition  of  her 
able  leadership  and  deep  interest  in  the  lodge 
its  members  honored  her  with  the  past  grand 
jewel  of  her  office. 


HEXRY  B.  PRATT.  The  records  that  give 
the  genealogy  of  the  Pratt  family  show  that 
its  representatives  of  past  generations,  like 
those. of  the  present,  held  positions  of  honor- 
aljle  prominence  in  the  various  localities  of 
their  residence.  The  first  of  the  name  in  this 
country  settled  along  the  Atlantic  coast  in 
New  England,  later  generations  following  the 
trend  of  emigration  toward  the  west.  Julius 
D.  Pratt,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  became  a 
pioneer  of  Illinois  in  1836  and  took  up  a  large 
tract  of  raw  laiid  near  Sterling,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farm  pursuits  and  also  for  a  time 
taught  school.  When  thirty-one  years  of  age 
he  died  in  1841  and  his  wife,  Mary  (Bowman) 
Pratt,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  died  the  year 
following  his  demise.  Their  son,  John  B.,  was 
born  in  Dixon,  111..  March  24,  1835,  and  re- 
mained at  home  until  the  discover}-  of  gold  in 
Pike's  Peak,  when  he  went  to  the  mines  of  Col- 
orado. Two  years  later  he  procee_ded  to  Au- 
burn, Ore.,  and  during  the  next'  five  years  he 
engaged  in  freighting  between  that  country 
and  Illinois  and  other  points  of  the  Mississippi 
valley,  after  which  he  spent  a  year  at  his  old 
Illinois  home.  Going  next  to  Iowa,  he  settled 
on  a  raw  tract  of  land  in  Mitchell  county, 
where  he  gave  his  attention  to  the  develop- 
ment of  an  improved  farm.  Though  prospered 
financially,  he  found  the  climate  unpleasantly 
rigorous  and  therefore  removed  to  California 
in"  1892,  settling  on  a  farm  near  Ramona.  Ten 
vears'  later  he  rented  the  land  and  since  then 
has  lived  in  retirement.  In  addition  to  his 
tract  of  two  hundred  and  forty-one  acres  in 
this  valley  he  owns  one  hundred  and  fifty-two 
acres  in  the  Sorrento  valley.  Politically  he 
has  voted  the  Republican  ticket  ever  since  the 
organization  of  the  party. 

While  living  in  Mitchell  county,  Iowa,  John 
B.  Pratt  married  Julia  Agnes  Holbrook,  a  na- 
tive of  Wisconsin.  Three  sons  comprise  their 
family,  namely :  Henry  B.,  living  near  Ra- 
mona;  Clarence  L.,  who  is  interested  in  a 
store  at  Pacific  Beach.  Cal. :  and  Arthur  Earl 
of  Ramona.  The  eldest  of  the  thr^e  sons  was 
born  in  INIitchell  county,  Iowa,  September  6. 
1874,  and  in  early  boyhood  was  taken  to  How- 
ard countv,  Iowa,  where  he  attended  the  pub- 


lic schools.  In  J  892  lie  accompanied  the  fam- 
ily to  California  and  soon  afterward  rented  a 
tract  of  farm  land.  During  1901  he  bought  his 
present  farm  of  thirty-six  acres  and  in  1906 
purchased  eighty  acres  in  the  San  Pasqual 
valley,  besides  which  he  rents  two  hundred 
acres  which  he  has  under  cultivation  to  grain, 
with  a  certain  portion  utilized  for  the  pastur- 
age of  stock.  Like  his  father,  he  is  a  thorough 
believer  in  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party  and  alwaj-s  votes  that  ticket.  For  some 
years  he  has  been  actively  identified  with  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America  at  Ramona. 
His  marriage  was  solemnized  in  the  village  of 
Ramona  and  united  him  with  Miss  Katherine 
M.,  daughter  of  John  Sause,  of  Iowa.  Mrs. 
Pratt  was  born  in  Iowa,  but  from  girlhood 
has  been  a  resident  of  Southern  California, 
and  remained  in  her  father's  home  until  her 
marriage,  October  19,  1899,  when  the  young 
couple  began  housekeeping  on  a  rented  farm, 
later  moving  to  a  farm  of  their  own.  The}'  are 
the  parents  of  three  children,  Alice  ^larie, 
Agnes  Flora  and  Charles  Henry.  The  family 
attend  the  Congregational  Church  and  are 
Identified  with  its  membership,  as  well  as  lib- 
eral contributors  to  its  charities. 


RICHARD  L.  ANDREWS.  Numbered 
among  the  representative  agriculturists  in  the 
vicinity  of  Hynes  is  Richard  L.  Andrews,  a 
prosperous  tiller  of  the  soil,  who  is  devoting  his 
time  and  attention  to  general  farming  and  dairy- 
ing. He  was  born  June  10,  1869,  i"  Canada, 
which  was  likewise  the  place  of  birUi  of  his 
father,  Joshua  Andrews. 

Learning  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith  when 
young,  Joshua  Andrews  followed  his  chosen  oc- 
cupation in  Canada  for  many  years,  being  very 
successful.  Aligrating  with  his  family  to  Cali- 
fornia in  i88r,  he  resided  for  two  years  in  San 
Francisco.  Coming  from  there  to  Los  Angeles 
county,  he  followed  blacksmithing  a  number  of 
years,  first  in  Downey,  and  later  at  Norwalk. 
Settling  near  Long  Beach  in  1895,  he  devoted 
himself  to  the  growing  of  lemons  for  a  number 
of  seasons,  but  his  fine  lemon  grove  is  now 
in  the  process  of  being  sub-divided,  and  from 
the  sale  of  lots  he  will  realize  a  handsome  in- 
come. He  married  Elizabeth  D.  Moat,  a  native 
of  England,  and  of  their  four  children  three 
survive.  Politically  he  is  a  sound  Democrat, 
active  in  party  ranks,  and  has  served  as  road 
overseer.  Fraternally  he  belongs  to  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  to  the 
Knights  of  Pythias.  His  wife  is  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal   Church. 

Receiving  a  limited  education  in  the  common 
schools   of   Canada,    Richard   L.    Andrews   came 


^.  l4i.  ^^/-o^. 


?I1ST0RICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


13l>l 


with  the  family  to  CaUfornia  in  1881,  and  in 
1883  came  with  the  others  from  San  Francisco 
to  Los  Angeles  county.  Beginning  to  learn  the 
trade  of  blacksmith  in  Downey,  he  worked  with 
his  father  until  about  twenty  years  old,  when  he 
started  in  business  on  his  own  account  in  Nor- 
walk.  He  subsequently  spent  a  year  in  Port- 
land, Ore.,  but  on  his  return  continued  in  busi- 
ness for  himself  in  Norwalk  for  a  year  or  more. 
Changing  his  occupation  then,  he  rented  a  part 
of  the  Bixby  ranch,  which  he  managed  about  five 
years  meeting  with  excellent  results  in  his  opera- 
tions. Thus  encouraged,  he  bought,  in  Novem- 
ber, 1897,  his  present  tine  ranch  of  one  hundred 
acres,  near  Hynes,  and  as  a  general  farmer  has 
since  been  exceedingly  prosperous.  He  raises 
good  crops  of  corn  and  alfalfa  and  also  carries 
on  a  large  and  profitable  dairy  business,  keep- 
ing about  thirty  cows. 

In  October,  1895,  Mr.  Andrews  married  Maria 
E.  Harris,  who  was  born  in  Texas,  a  daughter 
of  William  Harris,  a  native  of  Missouri.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Andrews  are  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren, namely :  Mabel  I.,  Gertrude  L.,  Richard  J. 
and  Susie  E.  In  national  politics  ]\Ir.  Andrews 
is  a  straightforward  Democrat,  but  in  local  af- 
fairs he  votes  independent  of  party  lines,  consid- 
ering the  fitness  of  the  man  for  the  office  for 
which  he  is  nominated. 


CHARLES  M.  GIFFORD.  Conspicuous 
among  the  industries  contributing  to  the  material 
development  of  San  Diego  may  be  mentioned 
the  olive  oil  factory  and  pickling  and  canning 
factory  established  by  Mr.  Gilford  in  this  city 
upon  a  very  small  scale  in  1900,  the  original 
plant  being-  limited  to  an  equipment  for  the 
pickling  of  olives.  In  1903  an  olive  canning 
plant  was  added  for  the  canning  of  the  largest 
olives  grown  in  the  state,  known  as  GiiTord's 
Best.  At  the  present  writing  (1906)  a  factory 
is  under  process  of  construction  providing  a 
larger  capacity  than  was  previously  possible.  The 
new  brick  structure  is  looxioo  feet  in  dimensions 
and  two  stories  in  height,  provided  with  engines 
of  suitable  power  and  with  all  the  equipment 
necessary  for  the  proper  management  of  the 
business  upon  the  extensive  scale  now  estab- 
lished. Competent  judges  claim  that  the  factory, 
when  completed,  will  be  the  finest  in  the  state 
for  the  purposes  desired,  and  alreadv  the  repu- 
tation of  the  plant  has  become  so  widely  known 
that  shipments  are  m^ade  from  points  as  far 
distant  as  Stockton  and  the  San  Joaquin  valley. 

The  Gif^'ords  are  an  old  eastern  family.  Hiram 
Gifford  was  a  contractor  and  builder  in  New 
York  and  later  in  Pennsylvania  and  his  son. 
Frank,  a  native  of  the  former  state,  learned 
under   him    the    carpenter"?    trade,    in    all    of    its 


details,  afterward  following  the  occupation  at 
Northeast,  Erie  county,  Pa.,  but  eventually  re- 
moving to  Illinois  to  spend  his  last  days.  The 
wife  of  Frank  Gifford  bore  the  maiden  name 
of  Kate  Linnian  and  was  born  in  New  York, 
but  now  resides  in  Los  Angeles.  Through  her 
father,  Peter,  the  lineage  is  traced  back  to  John 
Linnian,  a  native  of  Denmark.  The  genealogy 
of  the  family  shows  a  direct  descent  from  Mar- 
tin Luther.  In  the  family  of  Frank  Gififord 
there  were  five  children,  only  two  of  whom  are 
now  living.  During  die  Civil  war  the  father 
enlisted  in  a  Pennsylvania  regiment  and  his  four 
brothers  also  fought  for  the  defense  of  the 
L'liion. 

The  next  to  the  eldest  among  the  five  chil- 
dren, Charles  M.  Gii?ord,  was  born  at  North- 
east, Erie  county.  Pa.,  May  7,  1856,  and  re- 
ceived common  school  advantages.  At  the  age 
of  fourteen  he  removed  from  Pennsylvania  to 
Ohio  and  settled  on  a  farm  near  Cleveland. 
When  twenty  years  of  age  he  went  to  Cheboy- 
gan, ]\Iich.,  from  which  point  he  and  his 
brother,  D.  F.,  ran  the  steam  yacht  Katie  for 
two  years.  On  selling  the  yacht  they  built  the 
tug  Gifford  and  for  ten  years  carried  on  busi- 
ness with  the  same,  selling  out  in  1886.  The 
following  year  the  Gififord  was  lost  in  the  Straits 
of  Mackinaw.  During  1886  Mr.  Gifford  made 
his  first  trip  to  California  and,  being  favorably 
impressed  with  San  Diego  county,  he  removed 
hither  a  year  later,  settling  on  a  ranch  eighteen 
miles  east  of  San  Diego.  On  the  land  he  planted 
an  orange  grove  and  an  olive  orchard,  securing 
the  necessary  irrigation  facilities  from  a  spring. 
Later  he  bought  one  hundred  and  one  acres  ad- 
joining. Twenty  acres  of  the  property  were 
in  an  orchard,  while  the  balance  was  devoted 
to  general  farm  pursuits.  While  engaged  in 
horticultural  and  farm  pursuits  Mr.  Gifford's  at- 
tention was  directed  to  the  fact  that  the  olive 
business  presented  a  new  and  profitable  field 
for  investment,  and  accordingly  he  began  to  de- 
vote himself  to  the  same,  with  such  success  that 
in  the  fall  of  1895  he  sold  the  ranch  in  order  that 
he  might  give  his  time  exclusively  to  business 
affairs. 

The  marriage  of  ]\Ir.  Gififord  took  place  in 
Cheboygan,-  Mich.,  and  united  him  with  Miss 
Rachel  \\'lieeIock,  a  native  of  that  city.  They 
have  three  children,  DeWitt,  Ruth  and'Orville. 
the  eldest  of  whom  now  assists  his  father  in  the 
factorv.  Mrs.  Gifford  is  a  member  of  the  Christ- 
ian Giurch  and  the  family  are  contributors  to 
its  work  and  missionary  activities.  Politically 
Mr.  Gifford  votes  with  the  Republican  party, 
but  takes  no  sjjccial  part  in  local  politics  and 
has  never  been  a  candidate  for  office.  The  San 
Diego  Chamber  of  Commerce  is  one  of  the  pro- 
gressive bodies  whose   work  he   upholds   bv   his 


1322 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


membership  and  influence.  After  coming  to 
San  Diego  he  was  initiated  into  Sunset  Lodge, 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  which  he  is  past  grand.  Later 
he  became  connected  with  the  Encampment  (of 
which  he  is  past  chief  patriarch)  the  Canton  and 
the  Rebekahs,  to  which  latter  organization  his 
wife  also  belongs.  In  preparation  for  the  Grand 
Encampment  of  1905,  held  in  San  Diego,  he  was 
appointed  a  member  of  the  executive  committee 
having  in  charge  the  plans  for  the  gathering. 
Those  in  attendance  were  enthusiastic  in  their 
tributes  to  the  excellent  management  and  sa- 
gacious ability  displayed  by  those  having  the 
work  of  preparation  in  charge,  and  the  conven- 
tion undoubtedly  did  much  to  direct  the  atten- 
tion of  visitors  from  other  points  to  the  superior 
advantages  offered  by  San  Diego  as  a  city  of 
homes  and  a  center  of  refinement  and  culture. 


WILLIAM  ANDREW.  Tliere  is  always  a 
peculiar  interest  attached  to  the  history  of  any  of 
those  residents  of  the  L^nited  States  who  have 
come  here  from  a  foreign  land,  and  more  partic- 
ularly of  those  who  have  settled  in  that  part  of 
it  with  which  we  are  most  familiar.  This  is  es- 
peciallv  true  of  William  Andrew,  of  San  Diego, 
who  has  had  a  varied  experience  during  his  active 
career,  and  has  been  associated  with  the  actual 
life  of  three  continents.  A  son  of  John  Andrew, 
he  was  born  October  24,  1858,  in  the  highlands 
of  Scotland,  his  birth  occurring  in  Wick,  Caith- 
ness county,  where,  among  its  rugged  hills  and 
mountains,  he  grew  to  sturdy  manhood.  His 
father,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  spent  his  entire 
life  in  Wick,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Elizabeth  St.  Clair,  was  also  a  life-long 
resident  of  Scotland.  They  were  the  parents  of 
ten  children,  all  of  whom  are  living,  William,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  and  Daniel  being  the  only 
ones  in  California. 

At  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  having  obtained  a 
practical  common  school  education.  William  An- 
drew began  learning  the  carpenter's  trade  in 
Wick,  and  two  years  later  went  to  Edinburgh, 
where  he  completed  it.  In  the  meantime  he  at- 
tended the  night  schools  of  that  city,  further 
fitting  himself  for  his  chosen  occupation  by  tak- 
ing a  course  in  drawing  and  architecture.  In 
1878,  making  a  bold  venture,  he  sailed  from 
Glasgow,  Scotland,  for  New  Zealand,  going  b\- 
way  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  after  a  voy- 
age of  four  months  and  five  days  arrived  at 
Dunedin.  For  two  years  he  followed  his  trade  in 
that  vicinity,  after  which  he  enlisted  in  Company 
5,  Seventh  Regiment,  New  Zealand  Field  Force, 
in  which  for  three  years  he  fought  the  Maoris. 
On  being  mustered  out  of  service  he  left  that 
country,  going  around  Cape  Horn  to  Rio  Jan- 
eiro, Brazil,  where  he  was  employed  in  carpen- 


tering for  three  months.  Not  at  all  pleased  with 
that  city  he  returned  to  Great  Britain  and  after 
working  for  a  short  time  in  England  went  to 
Scotland,  where  he  assisted  in  the  construction 
of  the  immense  bridge  across  the  Firth  of  Forth, 
being  foreman  of  a  gang  of  men  for  fifteen 
months.  Immigrating  to  the  United  States  in 
1886,  he  followed  his  trade  in  Philadelphia  for 
two  years,  and  from  1888  until  1901  was  em- 
ployed as  a  contractor  and  builder  in  Qiicago, 
111.  In  1901  he  spent  a  short  time  in  Louisville, 
Ky.,  but  not  satisfied  with  his  prospects  returned 
to  Chicago.  In  October,  1902,  he  came  to  San 
Diego,  and  has  since  been  very  successfully  em- 
ployed as  a  contractor  and  builder,  he  and  his 
brother  Daniel,  under  the  firm  name  of  Andrew 
Brothers,  having  had  charge  of  the  erection  of 
many  of  the  finest  residences  in  the  city.  The 
development  of  his  native  mechanical  skill  and 
artistic  ability,  combined  with  his  practical  ex- 
perience, has  given  Mr.  Andrew  a  complete  mas- 
tery of  his  trade,  and  he  has  obtained  recognition 
as  one  of  the  leading  contractors  and  carpenters 
of  this  part  of  the  county. 

In  Glasgow,  Scotland,  jMr.  Andrew  married 
Alexandria  Henderson,  a  native  of  that  city.  She 
died  in  San  Diego,  leaving  four  children,  namely  : 
Jessie,  George,  Arthur  and  Esther.  Mr.  Andrew 
is  active  in  rhe  business  circles  of  San  Diego, 
belonging  to  the  Qiamber  of  Commerce,  and  to 
the  Master  Builders'  Association.  Politically  he 
is  a  steadfast  Republican ;  fraternally  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  religiously 
he  is  a  Presbvterian. 


JOHN  D.  FARLEY.  From  the  time  of  his 
arrival  in  San  Diego  county  when  he  was  a  lad  in 
his  "teens"  until  the  present  time,  when  he  ranks 
among  the  energetic  farmers  and  stock  raisers  in 
the  vicinity  of  Romona,  Mr.  Farley  has  borne  his 
share  in  the  agricultural  development  of  his  dis- 
trict and  has  maintained  his  position  as  an  hon- 
orable and  high-minded  citizen.  The  family  of 
w'hich  he  is  a  member  belonged  to  the  pioneer 
citizenship  of  the  Mississippi  valley  and  his  par- 
ents. Andrew  and  Susan  E.  ( Finch )  Farley,  were 
natives  of  Jeft'erson  county.  111.,  being  residents 
of  Burlington,  Iowa,  for  some  years  after  their 
marriage.  While  making  that  city  their  home 
John  D.  Farley  was  born  into  their  family  circle 
July  20.  1857.  and  he  was  a  boy  of  eleven  years 
when  the  then  long  journey  was  made,  to  the 
shores  of  the  western  sea.  From  1868  until  1872 
the  family  had  their  headquarters  near  Petal- 
uma.  .Sonoma  county,  where  the  father  engaged 
in  raising  stock  and  carrxing  on  a  dairy  business, 
but  in  1872  he  brought  the  family  to  San  Diego 
county  and  bought  a  claim  at  Otay.  Six  months 
later  he  removed  to  Tia  Tuana,  this  count\',  and 


^-^'p^'n^i^     u^  ^^j-^UupC^..a-»^^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1325 


-,n  i88f)  lie  made  a  final  removal  to  Descanso, 
where  he  died  in  March  of  the  following  year,  at 
the  age  of  fifty-seven  years.  Since  his  demise 
the  wife  and  motlicr  has  removed  to  Ramona, 
where  she  is  now  living  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
four  years. 

Accompanying  his  parents  in  their  various  re- 
movals, John  D.  Farley  assisted  his  father  in  farm 
duties  and  proved  an  efficient  helper  in  the  de- 
velopment of  ranch  land.  Upon  the  death  of  his 
father  he  took  charge  of  the  home  place  and  con- 
tinued to  operate  the  same  until  1901,  when  he 
sold  his  interest  in  the  property  and  removed  to 
a  farm  near  Ramona  belonging  to  his  sister,  the 
widow  of  George  M.  Stone.  Having  never  mar- 
ried, he  finds  a  pleasant  home  with  his  sister, 
while  she,  in  turn,  has  the  advantage  of  his 
intelligent  supervision  of  the  land.  The  farm 
comprises  about  four  hundred  acres  and  was 
purchased  many  years  ago  by  George  M.  Stone, 
a  native  of  JNIichigan,  but  from  early  manhood  a 
resident  of  San  Diego  county,  where  he  married 
Miss  Farley  at  Tia  Juana.  His  death  occurred 
March  8,  1900,  and  there  remained  to  mourn  his 
loss  a  large  circle  of  warm  friends,  besides  his 
wife  and  their  only  child,  Violet  Pearl.  The 
daughter  is  now  a  student  in  the  Ramona  high 
school.  The  farm  is  advantageously  situated  in 
close  proximity  to  Ramona  and  its  value  is  en- 
hanced by  the  fact  that  gem  mining  is  being 
conducted  on  it  with  excellent  prospects  of  pay- 
ing results.  The  mine  is  known  as  the  Surprise 
and  has  yielded  white  and  blue  topaz,  pink 
beryl,  hyacinth  and  tourmaline.  In  political  views 
Mr'.  Farley  has  sympathized  from  youth  with  the 
principles  of  the  Republican  party  and  has  always 
given  stanch  support  to  its  candidates.  The  only 
fraternal  organization  with  which  he  holds  mem- 
bership in  Court  Xo.  28,  American  Order  of 
Foresters,  at  San  Diego. 


JOHN  BACON  JUDSON.  The  founder 
of  the  Judson  family  in  the  new  world  was 
William  Judson,  who  accompanied  by  three 
sons  came  from  England  in  1634  and  estab- 
lished a  home  in  the  wilds  of  Connecticut. 
Some  of  that  name  bore  a  part  in  the  early 
wars  with  the  Indians,  and  they"  were  also 
identified  with  the  original  settlement  of 
Woodbury.  Conn.,  where  at  dififerent  times 
two  hundred  and  seventy-six  representatives 
of  the  family  made  their  home.  From  that 
vicinity  Lemon  Jud.son  removed  to  ^''ermont 
about  1780  in  early  manhood  and  afterward 
made  his  home  in  that  state.  During  the  war 
of  1812  he  enlisted  in  the  service  of  his  coun- 
try and  rose  to  the  rank  of  major.  Next  in 
line  of  descent  was  Lemon.  Jr.,  a  native  of 
Chittenden    countv,    Vt..   where     he     met     and 


married  Philena  Bacon,  daughter  of  Lieut. 
John  liacon,  an  officer  of  cavalry  in  the  war 
"of  1812,  and  a  granddaughter  of  Capt.  John 
Bacon,  who  was  born  in  1735  and  had  the 
honor  of  establishing  the  first  iron  foundry 
in  the  state  of  Vermont.  When  the  Revolu- 
tionary war  began  Captain  Bacon  was  ap- 
pointed to  lead  a  company  of  Vermont  sol- 
diers and  he  remained  in  their  command  until 
he  fell  on  the  battlefield  ot  Bennington. 

After  having  engaged  in  the  tannery,  shoe 
and  harness  business  in  Canada  for  eight 
years.  Lemon  Judson,  Jr.,  accompanied  by  his 
family,  removed  to  Indiana  in  1840  and  set- 
tled upon  a  tract  of  raw  land  -which  he  devel- 
oped into  an  improved  farm.  As  early  as 
1856  he  came  to  California  and  settled  on  a 
farm  in  Sonoma  county,  but  eventually  re- 
moved to  the  San  Pasqual  valley  in  San  Diego 
county;  he  died  in  1891,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
four  years.  His  wife  was  born  in  Chitten- 
den county.  \'t.,  in  iRog.  and  died  some  years 
prior  to  his  demise.  Of  their  twelve  chil- 
dren five  are  now  living,  namely :  Homer,  who 
makes  his  home  near  \\'liittier,  Los  .\ngelcs 
county;  ?*lrs.  Sarah  Wilcox,  residing  at  Tus- 
tin.  Orange  county ;  Mrs.  Lucy  Campbell,  of 
San  Francisco ;  Frank,  who  is  now  at  Gold- 
field,  Nev. ;  and  John  Bacon,  who  w-as  born  in 
Chittenden  county,  Vt..  November  23,  1829, 
and  now  makes  his  home  in  San  Diego,  prac- 
tically retired  from  lieaAy  business  cares. 

When  eleven  }-ears  of  age  John  Bacon  Jud- 
son accompanied  his  parents  from  Canada  to 
Indiana,  where  he  attended  country  schools. 
Later  he  studied  in  the  schools  of  Ypsilanti. 
Mich.,  and  then  taught  school  in  northern  In- 
diana until  1852.  when  he  crossed  the  plains 
with  teams.  For  a  time  he  worked  in  the 
mines  near  the  old  town  of  Shasta  and  from 
there  went  to  Hangtown.  where  he  remained 
from  January,  1853.  until  the  4th  of  July,  1854. 
.\t  the  latter  date  he  removed  to  Sonoma 
county  and  bought  land,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming.  About  twent}"  busy  yeans  were 
passed  in  tliat  county,  at  the  expiration  of 
which  time,  in  1875,  he  sold  out  and  removed 
to  San  Diego  county,  settling  upon  a  ranch 
of  one  thousand  acres  in  San  Pasqual  valley, 
where,  he  erected  buildings  as  needed  and 
made  other  improvements.  The  land  has  since 
been  given  to  his  children,  and  he  resides  in 
.San  Diego,  where  he  owns  a  spacious  and 
comfortable  home.  However,  much  of  his 
time  is  still  spent  on  the  ranch  with  his  chil- 
dren, for  he  is  more  deeply  interested  in  their 
success  than  in  his  own  comfort.  No  one  has 
done  more  than  he  to  advance  farming  in- 
terests in  .San  Diego  county.  His  efforts,  con- 
tinued  through   n    long  period  of  vears,   were 


1326 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


helpful  to  the  cause  of  agriculture  in  this  lo- 
cality, proving  what  could  be  accomplished 
by  men  of  energ>%  judgment  and  resource- 
fulness. A  man  of  high  honor  as  well  as  busi- 
ness ability,  he  is  respected  by  acquaintances 
and  esteemed  by  associates. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Judson  was  sol- 
emnized in  Bloomfield,  Sonoma  county,  Cal., 
in  October,  1859,  and  united  him  with  Rebec- 
ca, daughter  of  James  Pettit,  originally  of  Elk- 
hart county,  Ind.  ^Irs.  Rebecca  Judson  died 
in  January,  1900,  at  the  age  of  fifty-nine 
years,  and  two  years  later  Mr.  Judson  was 
united  with  Mrs.  Ida  B.  Latta.  His  children, 
eight  in  number,  Avere  born  of  his  first  mar- 
riage, and  are  named  as  follows:  Charles  and 
Helen,  both  of  whom  died  at  two  years  of  age ; 
Elizabeth,  who  m.arried  Frederick  H.  Rob- 
erts, represented  on  another  page ;  Andrew,  of 
ihe  San  Pasqual  valley,  who  married  Mary 
Boyle  of  Illinois  and  has  three  children ;  Ered 
E.,  who  married  Lillian  Paris,  a  native  of 
Virginia,  and  has  two  children;  Newton,  who 
married  Harriet  Frazier ;  May,  who  died  at 
three  years  of  age :  and  Herbert,  who  mar- 
ried Dr.   Sophia  Johnson  and  has  one  child. 

Politically  a  Republican,  Mr.  Judson  al- 
ways has  sunk  politics  beneath  his  consider- 
ation for  the  welfare  of  county,  state  and  na- 
tion. For  some  time  he  served  as  school 
trustee  and  from  1891  to  1895  he  represented 
the  fourth  district  of  San  Diego  county  as  a 
member  of  the  county  board  of  supervisors. 
Since  coming  to  San  Diego  county  he  has  ren- 
dered helpful  service  in  the  interests  of  the 
stock  business,  having  been  among  the  first 
to  introduce  thoroughbred  registered  Durham 
cattle  in  the  count}-.  Later  he  brought  in 
some  fine  registered  Jerseys.  In  addition,  he 
was  the  first  man  to  use  a  cream  separator. 
He  established  the  first  creamery  in  San 
Diego  county  and  this  he  owned  and  operated 
until  IQ03.  when  he  sold  out,  the  plant  being 
taken  by  a  co-operative  company.  The  first 
barb  wire  ever  brought  into  San  Pasqual  val- 
ley or  San  Diego  county  was  ordered  by  him. 
and  he  paid  twenty-five  cents  a  pound  for  it 
in  San  Francisco,  besides  paying  the  freight 
from  there  to  his  ranch.  Another  helpful  con- 
tribution to  the  agricultural  interests  of  the 
community  was  his  sowing  of  alfalfa,  and  he 
was  the  first  farmer  to  sow  this  important 
product  anywhere  in  San  Diego  county.  Since 
then  the  raising  of  alfalfa  has  transformed 
the  dairy  business  and  has  become  one  of 
the  most  'important  industries  of  the  countv. 
Hundreds  of  acres  are  now  in  alfalfa  where 
before  the  land  lay  unprofitable  and  unculti- 
vated: and  three  hundred  separators  are  now 
in   use  in   the  countv.  where  he  was  the  firsi 


to  purchase  such  a  device,  so  that  in .  more 
than  one  respect  he  has  been  most  helpful  to 
the  agricultural  development  of  the  county  and 
is  deserving  of  a  high  place  as  a  benefactor 
of  the  agriculturists  in  this  part  of  the  state. 


WILLIAM  ALBERT  EACHES.  A  fund 
of  energy,  ability  and  resource  was  the  capi- 
tal with  which  William  A.  Eaches  came  to 
California  in  1891,  at  the  age  of  twenty-five, 
and  undertook  the  upbuilding  of  his  personal 
fortunes,  while  at  the  same  time  he  gave  his 
best  efforts  toward  the  material  development 
of  the  community  in  which  he  has  made  his 
home  for  over  fifteen  years.  During  this 
time  his  name  has  been  associated  with  a  num- 
ber of  enterprises,  in  Pomona,  where  he  lo- 
cated in  that  year,  but  it  is  perhaps  as  pro- 
prietor of  the  Opera  stables  that  he  is  best 
known,  having  purchased  the  stock  and  equip- 
ment of  the  former  owner.  F.  H.  Merrill,  in 
1905. 

A  native  of  Missouri,  Mr.  Eaches  was  born 
in  St.  Louis,  on  the  corner  of  Thirty-first  and 
Pine  streets,  August  30,  1866,  and  on  both 
sides  of  the  family  is  directly  descended  from 
good  old  Virginia  stock.  The  grandfather  on 
the  paternal  side.  Dr.  A\'illiam  Albert  Eaches, 
was  an  able  and  distinguished  medical  prac- 
titioner in  St.  Louis.  ;\[o.,  whither  he  located 
after  his  graduation  from  the  medical  col- 
lege in  Washington,  D.  C.  His  entire  profes- 
sional life  was  spent  in  the  former  cit}-,  and 
his  death  removed  from  that  community  one 
of  its  stalwart  citizens.  His  son,  D.  A.,  was 
born  in  old  Virginia,  but  as  he  removed  to 
St.  Louis  while  he  was  still  quite  young  he 
was  practically  reared  there.  For  many  years 
lie  filled  the  capacity  of  cit}-  weigher  of  St. 
Louis,  in  fact  he  held  this  position  until  he 
retired  from  business  altogether,  spending  his 
last  years  in  retirement.  During  young  man- 
hood he  chose  as  his  life  companion  Miss 
Amanda  Quisenberr}-,  who  like  himself  was 
a  native  of  old  Virginia.  Her  father,  Hon. 
James  Quisenberr}'  of  that  commonwealth, 
removed  to  the  frontier  of  Missouri  and  be- 
came a  pioneer  farmer  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
present  city  of  St.  Louis,  where  in  later  years 
he  became  well  known  in  legislative  circles, 
representing  his  district  in  the  state  legisla- 
ture. His  strong  mental  characteristics  were 
borne  out  in  his  physically  strong  make-up, 
being  extremely  tall  and  capable  of  great 
physical  endurance.  ]\Irs.  Eaches  is  still  liv- 
ing, and  makes  her  home  in  St.  Louis,  a  spot 
dear  to  her  through  the  associations  of  many 
years.  both  of  her  girlhood  years  and  of  her 
later   married  life. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


132 


\\'illiam  A.  E.aches  was  the  youngest  of  the 
two  children  born  to  his  parents  and  was  tlie 
only  son.  As  his  parents  were  well  able  to 
give  him  a  good  education  he  passed  from 
the  public  to  the  high  school,  acquitting  him- 
self creditably  in  each,  and  thereafter  was 
permitted  to  complete  his  education  in  a  pri- 
vate school.  As  has  been  previously  intimat- 
ed, he  remained  at  home  until  reaching  his 
twenty-fifth  year,  when,  in  1891,  he  left  par- 
ents and  friends  and  started  for  the  west  to 
make  a  start  in  the  business  world.  Coming 
direct  to  Pomona  in  that  year  he  entered  the 
employ  of  A.  I.  Stewart,  a  general  contractor 
in  the  building  of  streets,  and  remained  with 
this  employer  for  about  five  years.  Subse- 
quently he  became  interested  in  freighting  be- 
tween Pomona  and  Los  Angeles,  making  two 
trips  per  week  with  his  eight-horse  team  and 
trailers,  an  undertaking  which  was  remuner- 
ative until  the  building  of  the  San  Pedro,  Los 
Angeles  and  Salt  Lake  Railroad.  It  was  this 
change  in  his  plans  that  led  him  into  the  liv- 
ery business,  purchasing  the  Opera  stables 
from  F.  H.  Merrill  in  1905.  He  has  since  con- 
tinued the  business  in  the  same  quarters.  No. 
245  West  Third  street,  which  is  a  large,  com- 
modious brick  structure,  giving  ample  capac- 
ity for  his  boarding  and  sales  stables.  Be- 
sides the  usual  equipment  of  fine  horses  and 
vehicles,  he  has  a  number  of  tally-ho  coaches 
used  for  pleasure  trips  to  the  mountains,  one 
of  these  coaches  having  a  seating  capacity  for 
fourteen  passengers.  He  also  runs  a  stage 
between  Pomona  and  Claremont,  making  three 
trips  a  day. 

^Ir.  Eaches  is  a  Democrat,  and  as  an  earn- 
est and  broad-minded  citizen  gives  his  sup- 
port to  all  movements  and  enterprises  best 
calculated  to  advance  the  general  welfare. 
This  characteristic  is  emphatically  borne  out 
by  his  membership  and  valuable  assistance  in 
two  of  the  town's  most  active  organizations, 
t  the   Board  of  Trade  and  the   Business   Men's 

Association. 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN  FAl LOR.  What 
is  known  as  Summit  ranch,  in  the  Garapatos 
canyon,  sixteen  miles  north  of  Santa  Monica, 
has  been  the  home  of  Mr.  Failor  for  the  past 
thiiteen  years,  he  having  located  here  in  1894 
in  the  hope  of  recovering  his  health.  Too 
close  application  to  the  profession  of  law  was 
the  beginning  of  his  physical  break-down,  and 
thereafter  he  followed  teaching,  mining  and 
contracting  and  building  in  the  order  named, 
in  the  hope  that  he  would  not  be  compelled 
to  give  lip  work  entirely,  but  in  this  he  was 
disappointed,    and    in    the   }-ear    mentioned    he 


relinquished  his  business  interests  in  Los  An- 
geles and  removed  to  the  higher  altitude  in 
the  Garapatos  canyon.  Here  he  not  only  en- 
joys excellent  health,  but  from  a  financial 
point  of  view  is  meeting  with  splendid  suc- 
cess as  an  apairist,  having  about  one  hundred 
stands  of  bees. 

A  native  of  Ohio,  Mr.  Failor  was  born  in 
Upper  Sandusky  September  24,  1853,  ^"^  """ 
til  he  was  twelve  years  of  age  was  reared  and 
educated  under  the  training  of  his  father, 
whose  death  in  1865  left  him  an  orphan.  He 
was  then  taken  into  the  home  of  his  uncle, 
Major  B.  M.  Failor,  who  was  also  his  guar- 
dian, and  who  had  recently  served  as  a  sur- 
geon in  the  Civil  war.  Going  to  Jasper  coun- 
ty, Iowa,  with  his  uncle,  he  there  attended  a 
private  academy  for  about  six  years,  when,  at 
the  age  of  eighteen,  he  was  enrolled  as  a  pupil 
in  Wittenberg  College  at  Springfield,  Ohio, 
remaining  there  for  three  years.  After  one 
year  in  a  private  school  in  Iowa  he  began  the 
study  of  law  in  the  Iowa  LTniversity,  complet- 
ing his  legal  training  m  a  private  law  office 
in  Newton,  Iowa.  His  admission  to  the  bar 
occurred  in  1876,  and  the  same  year  he  be- 
gan to  practice  in  Newton,  later  going  to  Stew- 
art, that  state,  and  remaining  there  about  two 
3'ears.  Relinquishing  his  practice  in  1879  he 
came  west  and  for  a  time  engaged  in  pros- 
pecting and  mining  in  Montana,  Idaho  and 
British  Columbia,  interspersing  this  work  with 
teaching,  for  which  he  had  a  special  liking  and 
aptitude.  When  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age 
he  received  a  teacher's  certificate  and  for 
some  time  he  had  charge  of  a  school  in  Iowa. 
His  identification  with  California  dates  from 
the  year  1884,  at  which  time  he  located  in  San 
Francisco  and  for  about  a  year  engaged  in 
contracting  and  building  there.  Transferring 
his  interests  to  Los  Angeles  at  the  end  of  that 
time  he  there  continued  contracting  until  the 
partial  failure  of  his  health  in  1894  made  it 
necessary  for  him  to  discontinue  the  business. 
Thereupon  he  came  to  the  Garapatos  canyon 
in  search  of  a  desirable  spot  for  a  country 
home,  and  the  squatter's  right  which  he  then 
bought  formed  the  nucleus  of  his  present 
ranch  of  two  hundred  and  seventy-six  acres. 

While  the  year  1884  is  memorable  as  mark- 
ing Mr.  Failor's  introduction  to  the  Golden 
state,  it  is  even  better  remembered  as  the  year 
of  his  marriage,  for  on  January  14  of  that 
}-ear  he  was  united  with  Mary  A.  Carroll, 
who  though  born  in  Sacramento  was  reared 
in  Washington.  The  only  fraternal  order  to 
which  Mr.  Failor  belongs  is  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  being  a  member  of 
Semi  Tropic  Lodge  No.  371,  of  Los  Angeles. 
^^.'hilo   in    college   he  joined    the    Greek   letter 


1328 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


society  known  as  Beta  I'heta  Pi,  and  has  since 
retained  his  interest  in  the  order,  though  not 
an  active  member.  While  nominally  he  might 
be  called  a  Democrat,  he  yet  retains  the  privi- 
lege to  vote  as  he  sees  fit.  JNIr.  Failor  is  ap- 
preciated for  his  many  sterling  qualities  of 
heart  and  mind,  his  unfailing  good  nature  and 
general  interest  in  all  things  that  tend  to- 
ward the  betterment  of  his  fellowmen. 


ALLEN  RUSSELL.  No  state  of  our  great 
Lnion  alTords  greater  opportunities  to  the  poor 
man  than  California,  as  here  an  industrious, 
frugal  man  has  an  excellent  opportunity  to  ac- 
cumulate wealth.  It  is  true  that  many  fail  to 
do  so.  but  the  best  of  our  population  lay  by 
some  of  their  earnings,  make  wise  investments, 
and  soon  find  themselves,  through  their  own 
strenuous  efiforts,  in  the  possession  of  a  hand- 
some property.  Conspicuous  among  this  num- 
ber is  Allen  Russell,  familiarly  known  as  "Budd" 
Russell,  who  has  been  in  truth  the  architect  of 
his  own  fortunes,  and  is  now  one  of  the  leading 
agriculturists  of  Fallbrook,  where  he  is  well 
known  and  very  popular.  A  son  of  Joseph  T. 
Russell,  he  was  born,  October  ii,  1854,  in  Bu- 
chanan county.  Mo. 

A  native  of  Tennessee,  Joseph  T.  Russell  was 
a  pioneer  settler  of  Missouri,  and  while  yet  a 
young  man  cleared  and  improved  a  farm  from 
the  wilderness.  In  1866,  before  the  days  of  rail- 
roads, he  went  to  Dallas,  Tex.,  where  he  pur- 
chased cattle  that  he  drove  back  to  ]\Iissouri,  and 
was  subsequently  there  employed  in  general 
farming  and  stock-raising  until  his  death,  while 
yet  in  manhood's  prime.  He  was  born  Augtist 
14,  1829,  and  died  May  4,  1869,  being  in  the 
fortieth  year  of  his  age.  December  5,  1850,  in 
Missouri,  he  married  Mary  E.  Russell,  who  was 
born  in  North  Carolina,  February  7,  1835,  and 
died  at  Clearwater,  Kans.,  October  29,  1899. 
He  was  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  nine  chil- 
dren, of  whom  but  one,.  Elijah  Russell,  of 
Miami  county,  Kans.,  is  living.  The  latter  is 
now  a  venerable  man  of  over  four  score  years.  Of 
the  eighteen  children  born  to  Joseph  T.  and  Mary 
E.  Russell  fifteen  are  living,  a  large  and  note- 
worthy family. 

The  earh'  educational  advantages  of  Allen  Rus- 
sell were  limited  to  a  brief  attendance  at  a  pri- 
vate school,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  he 
became  a  cowboy  in  Texas.  After  spending  five 
years  in  that  occupation  he  returned  to  Missouri, 
and  for  about  a  year  and  a  half  was  employed 
as  a  tiller  of  the  soil  in  Buchanan  county,  the 
ensuing  two  years  being  similarly  engaged  in 
Holt  county.  '  Removing  from  there  to  Miami 
county,  Kans.,  he  remained  there  until  1886, 
when  he  came  to  Fallbrook,  Cal,  where  he  car- 


ried on  general  farming  about  four  years.  Not 
quite  satisfied  with  the  result  of  his  labors,  he 
went  back  to  Kansas,  purchased  land  in  Miami 
county,  and  after  farming  there  two  years  dis- 
posed of  his  interests  in  that  section  and  re- 
moved with  his  family  to  Oklahoma  county, 
Okla.,  where  he  purchased  a  claim,  on  which  he 
resided  two  years. 

June  9,  1895,  Mr.  Russell  started  for  Cali- 
fornia overland.  Leaving  Oklahoma  City,  he 
came  with  a  train  composed  of  five  wagons 
drawn  by  horses,  in  the  party  being  Mr.  Russell, 
wife  and  six  children;  his  brother,  Lee  Russell, 
and  his  wife ;  and  A.  J.  Russell,  wife  and  four 
children.  Following  the  southern  panhandle 
route,  the  little  band  passed  through  Texas, 
thence  by  way  of  White  Oaks  to  F'ort  Sumner, 
where  they  camped  a  number  of  days.  Contin- 
uing along  the  trail  to  Fort  Craig,  the  river  at 
that  point  being  too  high  to  cross,  the  party 
had  to  go  up  stream  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
to  get  on  the  other  side,  and  return  to  Fort 
Craig.  From  there,  by  way  of  Mule  Gap  and 
Hudson  Hot  Springs,  they  crossed  the  Colorado 
at  Yuma,  thence  by  way  of  Palm  Springs  and 
Banning  they  came  to  San  Diego  county,  arriv- 
ing in  Fallbrook  after  a  long  but  pleasant  trip, 
the  California  line  having  been  crossed  on  Octo- 
ber 27.  At  once  taking  up  the  independent  oc- 
cupation to  which  he  was  reared,  Mr.  Russell 
has  been  very  fortunate  in  all  of  his  undertak- 
ings, and  has  attained  a  noteworthy  position 
among  the  most  prosperous  and  most  intelligent 
farmers  of  Southern  California.  Arriving  here 
without  pecuniary  resources  of  any  kind,  he  has 
labored  perseveringly,  conquering  all  obstacles, 
in  his  square  and  just  dealings  with  all  men  ob- 
taining a  fine  reputation  for  honesty  and  worth, 
his  word  being  considered  as  good  as  his  bond 
at  any  time. 

October  16,  1881,  in  Miami  county,  Kans., 
]\[r.  Russell  married  Mary  A.  Chilson,  and  of 
their  union  nine  children  have  been  born,  name- 
ly :  Joseph  Oliver,  who  is  married  and  lives  at 
Pomona ;  Hartwell  Cook ;  Myra,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Ernest  Hiller,  and  lives  on  the  home  ranch ; 
Dollie,  attending  the  high  school :  i\Iary  R.,  at- 
tending the  district  school ;  Esther  E.,  also  a 
school  girl:  Candace  Lee:  Allen  George:  and 
Alice  Treat.  Politically  Mr.  Russell  is  a  stanch 
Democrat;  fraternally  he  belongs  to  Fallbrook 
Lodge  No.  317,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  to  Fallbrook 
Lodge  No.  339,  I.  O.  O.  F. ;  and  is  a  supporter 
of  church  work. 


CHARI-ES  JNIANVEG.  The  influences 
which  tended  to  mold  the  character  of  Charles 
Manveg  in  early  boyhood  were  such  as  clus- 
tered  around    the    province   of   Alsace-Lorraine, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RF.CORD. 


1331 


while  it  was  still  a  French  dependency.  He  was 
born  February  24,  1861,  to  the  marriage  of 
Emil  and  Mary  Manveg,  who  like  their  son 
were  natives  of  France.  Both  of  the  parents 
are  now  deceased. 

The  public  schools  of  his  native  locality  sup- 
plied all  of  the  book  learning  which  fell  to  the 
lot  of  Mr.  Manveg  to  enjoy  and  formed  the  sub- 
stantial foundation  for  the  later  knowledge 
gained  by  extensive  travel.  The  restless  spirit 
of  adventure  and  craving  for  life  upon  the  high 
seas,  took  possession  of  him  when  was  litttle 
more  than  a  child  in  years,  for  he  was  only  ten 
years  old  when  he  boarded  a  vessel  in  France, 
bound  for  New  York  City.  Although  he  land- 
ed in  that  metropolis  with  the  ship's  crew,  the 
voyage  on  the  outgoing  ship  was  awaited  with 
keen  interest,  and  from  1871  until  1882  he  was 
on  the  water  continuously,  anchoring  at  many 
of  the  largest  seaports  in  the  world.  In  the  year 
first  mentioned  he  landed  in  the  harbor  of  San 
Pedro,  Cal.,  but  at  that  time  was  not  sufficiently 
attracted  by  its  appearance  to  give  up  the  sea 
for  the  life  of  a  landsman,  although  after  eleven 
years  of  sea-faring  he  again  came  to  San  Pedro, 
in  1882,  and  until  1901  was  engaged  as  seaman 
on  the  wharves.  In  the  mean  time,  from  1890 
to  1892,  he  was  interested  in  seal-fishing,  an  oc- 
cupation which  took  him  into  Alaska  and  other 
Arctic  countries.  From  San  Pedro  he  came  to 
Wilmington  in  1901,  carrying  on  a  saloon  here 
for  about  four  years,  or  until  embarking  in  the 
real-estate  business  April  i,  1905.  He  has  be- 
come the  owner  of  considerable  property,  both 
improved  and  vacant,  in  the  dis]X)sition  of  which 
he  is  meeting  with  the  success  which  his  energy 
deserves.  He  is  also  interested  in  mining  prop- 
erty near  Mexecala,  ^Mexico,  Lower  California. 
in  1894,  in  San  Pedro,  Mr.  Manveg  was  mar- 
ried to  Catherine  Gangnear,  who  was  also  born 
in  France,  and  three  children  have  come  to 
bless  their  home,  Amele.  May  and  Qiarles,  Jr. 
Fraternally  Air.  Alanveg  belongs  to  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen,  holding  member- 
ship in  the  lodge  at  Gardiner,  Ore.,  and  also  be- 
longs to  the  Eagles  at  San  Pedro,  being  one  of 
the  charter  members  of  the  latter  order.  Since 
becoming  of  age  Mr.  IManveg  has  studied  the 
principles  of  the  two  great  political  Iwdies  to 
satisfy  himself  as  to  their  respective  merits,  and 
the  fact  that  he  now  supports  the  Democratic 
part\-  shows  the  result  of  his  investigation. 


JOHN  ROBERT  JOHNSON.  An  enterpris- 
ing, wide-aw^ake  rancher  of  San  Diego  county, 
near  Wvnola,  is  John  Robert  Johnson,  who  is  a 
native  son  of  the  state,  having  been  born  in 
Contra  Costa  county.  The  father,  who  also  bore 
the  name  of  John  R.,  was  a  native  of  England. 


and  from  the  time  he  was  quite  a  small  boy  dis- 
played a  predilection  for  sea-faring,  finally  be- 
coming a  full-fledged  sailor.  This  life  brought 
him  in  contact  with  people  from  all  over  the  world 
and  enabled  him  to  keep  himself  informed  on  all 
current  happenings.  Probably  none  of  the  re- 
ports which  came  to  him  from  other  countries 
was  as  alluring  as  that  resulting  from  the  dis- 
covery of  gold  in  California.  Suffice  it  to  say 
that  the  year  1849  found  him  in  the  state  bus- 
ily engaged  in  delving  for  the  hidden  treasure. 
In  addition  to  mining  he  later  took  up  cabinet- 
making,  a  calling  which  appealed  to  him  more 
strongly  perhaps  than  mining,  for  he  was  of  a 
mechanical  turn  of  mind.  He  died  in  San  Luis 
Obispo  in  1894,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years. 
His  marriage  was  celebrated  in  California  and 
united  him  with  Miss  Antonia  Troll.  She  was 
born  in  Germany  in  March,  1834,  and  was  christ- 
ened in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  in  Baden. 
She  has  no  personal  recollection  of  her  native 
land,  having  been  brought  to  this  country  when 
only  one  year  old.  At  the  age  of  seventy-tliree 
}-ears  she  is  in  the  enjoyment  of  good  health 
and  makes  her  home  with  her  son,  J.  R.,  in  San 
Diego  county.  By  her  first  union  six  children 
were  bom  and  by  her  second  marriage,  with  the 
late  Robert  Reed,  four  daughters  were  born. 

Born  in  Contra  Costa  county.  Cal.,  May  9, 
1856,  J.  Robert  Johnson  can  recall  the  removal  , 
of  the  family  to  San  Liiis  Obispo  county  in  1861, 
an  event  which  the  child  of  six  years  enjoyed  to 
the  fullest  extent.  Going  to  Los  Angeles  county 
six  vears  later  he  became  a  pupil  in  the  common 
school  of  Downey,  and  the  period  which  he 
spent  in  this  temple  of  learning  represented  his 
entire  school  life.  Reading  and  observation  in 
later  years,  however,  have  given  him  a  broad  and 
comprehensive  knowledge,  and  all  who  know 
him  either  in  a  business  or  social  way  unite  in 
praise  of  his  breadth  of  mind,  steadfast  principles 
of  honor  and  uniform  courtesy  towards  all.  He 
first  came  to  San  Diego  county  in  1873,  and  until 
1874  had  charge  of  the  store  at  Warners  ranch, 
on  the  Julian  road.  In  the  latter  year  he  became 
interested  in  mining  in  Mesa  Grande,  and  was 
later  similarly  occupied  at  Julian,  and  although 
the  miner's  life  is  more  or  less  subject  to  danger, 
he  was  fortunate  in  escaping  any  serious  injury. 
It  was  in  1902  that  he  settled  down  perma- 
nentlv  to  the  life  of  the  agriculturist,  purchasing 
his  present  ranch  of  four  hundred  acres  which 
forms  one  of  the  representative  enterprises  in 
this  part  of  the  state.  The  raising  of  stock  and 
growing  of  grain  form  his  chief  source  of  income, 
although  his  orchard  of  ten  acres  also  yields 
abundantly,  and  what  is  raised  over  and  above 
that  used  for  home  consumption  is  readily  dis- 
posed of  at  good  prices. 

I^nlike  his  father,  who  was  a  Democrat  in  hi? 


1332 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


political  belief,  ]\lr.  Johnson  is  a  Republican,  and 
in  him  his  party  has  a  stanch  ally.  His  interest 
in  fraternal  affairs  is  shown  by  his  membership 
in  San  Diego  Lodge  No.  153.  I.  O.  O.  F..  and 
Court  Julian  Banner  No.  8522,  A.  0.  F..  at 
Julian.  Mr.  Johnson  possesses  in  a  large  degree 
those  sterling  and  reliable  traits  which  are  bound 
to  win  appreciation  in  any  community,  and  his 
success  and  enterprise  are  matters  of  no  ordinary 
pride  with  his  many  friends  and  associates. 


EDMUND  F.  BO^^'EN.  It  is  a  fact  of  gen- 
eral recognition  among  the  people  of  the  little 
town  of  Ramona  that  Mr.  Bowen  has  accom- 
plished much  in  behalf  of  commercial,  educa- 
tional and  civic  progress  and  has  given  freely 
of  his  time  toward  the  development  of  move- 
ments for  the  general  welfare.  While  busily 
engaged  in  the  management  of  his  meat  mar- 
ket, the  supervision  of  his  large  stock  ranch 
and  the  charge  of  his  slaughter-house,  he  finds 
leisure  to  aid  any  measure  helpful  to  the  peo- 
ple and  has  maintained  an  especial  interest  in 
educational  afifains.  For  six  years  he  held  of- 
fice as  trustee  of  the  grammar  school  and  at 
this  writing  is  one  of  the  high  school  trustees, 
in  which  capacity  lie  has  proved  efficient, 
prompt,  intelligent  and  resourceful.  Another 
movement  which  commands  his  time  is  that 
of  the  public  library  and  he  is  now  acting  as 
a  member  of  the  library  board  of  trustees,  be- 
sides which  he  is  one  of  the  town  trustees. 

A  native  of  Wisconsin,  Ijorn  in  Creen  C(iun- 
ty,  on  the  4th  of  July.  1850,  Edmund  F.  Bow- 
en  is  a  son  of  Jared  and  Lucy  Ann  (  Fleek) 
Bowen,  natives  respectively  of  Pennsylvania 
and  Virginia.  As  early  as  1S44  his  father  be- 
came a  pioneer  of  the  then  wilderness  of  A\^is- 
consin,  where  he  was  among  the  first  settlers 
-of  Green  countj^  and  took  up  a  tract  of  raw 
land  from  the  government.  All  of  the  arduous 
labors  of  pioneer  existence  fell  to  his  lot.  but 
gradually  he  brought  the  land  under  cultiva- 
tion and  was  in  a  position  to  enjoy  the  labors 
of  a  lifetime  of  agricultural  activity.  On  the 
old  homestead  he  remained  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1886,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
four  years.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  who 
makes  her  home  at  Broadhead,  Green  county, 
and  remains  physically  robust  for  one  who  has 
reached  the  age  of  eighty-one  y^ears. 

The  country  schools  of  Green  county  af- 
forded Edmund  F.  Bowen  fair  advantages  and 
he  attended  the  same  at  such  times  as  he 
could  be  spared  from  farm  work  at  home.  On 
starting  out  for  himself  he  entered  the  occupa- 
tion in  which  he  had  been  reared  and  settled 
near  the  old  homestead  in  Green  county,  re- 
maining in    that  localit}-   until   1891,   when  he 


removed  to  California  and  established  himself 
in  San  Diego  county.  Soon  after  his  arrival 
he  took  up  a  homestead  near  Mesa  Grande 
and  later  added  to  tlie  tract  by  various  pur- 
chases, until  no^v  he  is  .the  owner -of  a  stock 
ranch  of  nine  hundred  acres.  The  land  is  suit- 
able for  pasturage  and  therefore  meets  the 
needs  of  one  desiring  to  keep  constantly  on 
hand  a  supply  of  young  and  growing  stock 
for  the  later  demands  of  the  market. 

.^ome  years  before  leaving  Wisconsin  Mr. 
Bowen  established  a  home  of  his  own  through 
his  marriage  to  Jennie  Stanton,  a  native  "of 
Indiana,  who  became  his  wife  at  Broadhead, 
AVis.,  October  5,  1887.  and  has  since  minis- 
tered to  his  comforts  with  housewifely  skill. 
Ever  since  girlhood  she  has  been  interested  in 
religious  activities  and  has  attended  services 
at  the  Congregational  Church  and  contributed 
to  the  work  of  that  denomination.  The  family 
consists  of  two  children,  namely :  ]\Iax.  who 
was  born  December  15.  1888:  and  A'erne.  who 
was  born  }.lav  6.  i8qo. 


CHARLES  L.  HOLLIDAY.  One  of  ihe 
large  land  operators  and  ranchmen  of  the  county 
of  San  Diego  is  ^Ir.  Holliday.  whose  identifica- 
tion with  this  region  began  a  number  of  years 
ago  and  has  continued  prosperously  up  to  the 
present  time.  At  his  present  home  in  the  San 
Pasqual  valley  he  leased  and  occupies  a  ranch 
comprising  six  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land 
adapted  to  the  grazing  of  stock,  besides  which  he 
has  a  farm  of  one  thousand  acres  near  Lajolla. 
Both  farms  are  devoted  to  the  raising  of  cattle, 
horses  and  hogs,  and  on  his  home  ranch  he  en- 
gages in  the  dairy  business,  milking  about  thirty 
cows  and  selling  the  product  in  the  local  markets. 
While  he  is  an  exceedingly  busv  man.  he  yet 
finds  leisure  to  keep  in  touch  with  national  is- 
sues and  county  affairs,  and  few  men  in  his 
community  are  better  ]iosted  than  he  nor  are 
lliere  many  more  fond  of  good  literature  as  the 
sine  qua  non  of  mental  development. 

During  the  residence  at  Rock  Island,  111.,  of 
J.  L.  and  Anna  (Baker)  'Holliday,  natives  of 
Indiana,  their  son.  Charles  L..  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 9,  1871,  and  he  was  a  boy  of  seven  years 
when  the  family  came  to  California,  settling  at 
Byron,  Contra  Costa  county.  For  many  years 
the  father  engaged  in  tlie  stock  business  in  that 
portion  of  the  state,  but  in  1895  he  came  to  San 
Diego  county,  where  now  he  makes  his  home  at 
Lajolla.  Supplementarv  to  a  common  school  ed- 
ucation Charles  L.  Holliday  was  sent  to  the 
Normal  Institute  and  Business  College  at  Stock- 
ton, and  upon  leaving  school  he  took  up  agri- 
cultural pursuits  in  Linn  county.  Ore.,  where 
he  remained  for  five  years  busily  engaged  in  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1333 


\ 


routine  work  of  farm  life.  At  the  expiration  of 
that  time  he  removed  to  San  Diego  county  and  es- 
tablished himself  on  a  stock  ranch  at  Lajolla, 
where  he  still  retains  interests,  although  for  some 
years  he  has  made  his  home  in  the  San  Pasqual 
valley.  The  demands  made  upon  him  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duties  as  a  stock  raiser  and  large 
landed  operator  leave  him  little  leisure  for  parti- 
cipation in  politics,  in  which,  indeed,  he  takes  no 
part  aside  from  voting  the  Democratic  ticket. 
His  pleasant  home  is  brightened  by  his  two  chil- 
dren, Charles  L.,  Jr.,  and  Laura  M.,  and  blessed 
by  the  presence  of  a  devoted  wife  and  mother. 
Mrs.  Holliday  was  formerly  JNIarion  M.  Thresher 
and  was  bom  in  Chicago,  111.,  but  at  an  early  age 
came  to  California  and  at  the  time  of  her  mar- 
riage, in  July  of  1898,  was  making  her  home  in 
San  Diego,  where  she  has  a  large  number  of 
warm  personal  friends. 


I 


THOMAS  BELL.  The  Bell  family  has  been 
established  in  Los  Angeles  county  since  1858, 
when  W.  C.  Bell  crossed  the  plains  to  California 
and  on  the  20th  of  October  of  that  year  arrived 
in  El  Monte,  where  the  name  has  since  become 
prominent  in  agricultural  circles  as  well  as  in 
the  general  upbuilding  of  the  community.  W.  C. 
Bell  was  born  in  Washington  county,  Pa..  Sep- 
tember 17,  1S32,  the  second  in  a  family  of  five 
sons  and  two  daughters,  of  whom  five  are  now 
surviving.  His  father,  William  Bell,  was  also  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  who  in  1850  removed  to 
Richland  county,  III,  where  he  engaged  as  a 
farmer  and  millwright.  His  wife  was  in  maiden- 
hood, Jane  Caldwell,  also  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. W.  C.  Bell  was  reared  in  his  native  state 
until  he  was  fifteen  years  old,  when  he  came  as 
far  west  as  Ohio,  where  in  Concord,  he  learned 
the  trade  of  shoemaker.  It  was  in  1852  that  he 
first  started  to  California,  taking  passage  on  the 
old  steamer  Saluda,  which  blew  up  at  Lexington, 
whence  he  walked  to  Independence  and  thence 
to  St.  Louis.  He  then  went  to  Clinton,  III,  and 
followed  his  trade,  and  subsequently  was  vari- 
ously located  until  1857,  when  he  went  to  Texas, 
thence  the  following  year  to  California  by  the 
southern  route.  He  was  a  member  of  the  train 
commanded  bv  Captain  Coffee.  Upon  his  arrival 
in  El  Monte  he  engaged  in  freighting  to  Arizona 
by  the  Owens  river,  and  continued  this  occupa- 
tion for  fifteen  years,  after  which  he  located 
permanently  in  the  El  Monte  district  and  en- 
gaged in  farming.  He  is  now  retired  from  active 
cares  and  makes  his  home  in  El  Monte.  He  has 
held  various  public  positions,  among  tliem  that 
of  road  overseer  under  Martin  two  years,  and 
under  Cook  four  years.  He  was  married  in  El 
Monte  in  the  spring  of  1839  to  Mrs.  Rebecca 
Ann    (Fears)    Cundifif,  a  native  of  Clinton,  111., 


who  came  to  California  in  1858  across  the  plains 
and  died  in  El  Monte  in  1901.  They  became 
the  parents  of  the  following  children :  Thomas, 
of  this  review ;  Charles  AL,  in  Arizona ;  John,  in 
Los  Angeles;  Susie,  wife  of  George  Wandling, 
of  Los  Angeles,  and  Annie,  Mrs.  Baker,  of  Ocean 
Park. 

Thomas  Bell  was  born  in  El  Monte  October 
5,  1859,  and  in  this  place  was  reared  to  young 
manhood,  receiving  his  educational  training  in  the 
public  schools  of  the  place.  Upon  attaining  ma- 
turity he  engaged  in  general  farming  for  himself, 
leasing  the  old  Temple  place,  where  he  conducted 
a  dairy  farm,  having  four  hundred  acres  of  pas- 
ture land  and  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  head  of 
milch  cows.  He  met  with  success  and  accumu- 
lated sufficient  means  to  enable  him  to  purchase 
his  present  property,  which  consists  of  twentv 
acres  located  two  and  a  half  miles  south  of  El 
Monte,  which  he  cleared  from  tules  and  willows, 
and  this  peet  land  he  now  rents  for  gardening 
purposes.  He  continued  his  dairy  enterprises 
until  1904,  when  he  sold  out  and  built  a  resi- 
dence in  El  Monte,  put  out  walnut  trees  and 
otherwise  improved  his  property.  He  is  enter- 
prising and  progressive,  seeking  to  upbuild  the 
general  interests  of  the  community,  while  he  at 
the  same  time  carves  out  his  own  fortunes.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  identified  with  Lexington  Lodge 
No.  104,  F.  &  A.  M..  and  politically  is  a  stanch 
adherent  of  Democratic  principles. 


HENRY  C.  BEASLEY.  Fidelity  to  duty  may 
be  attributed  as  the  keynote  to  the  success  which 
has  always  followed  the  efiforts  of  Mr.  Beasley. 
formerly  as  a  stationary  engineer,  and  latterly 
as  a  rancher  in  ^'entura  county.  The  six  hun- 
dred acres  over  which  he  has  control  forms  a 
part  of  what  is  known  locally  as  the  Las  Posos 
.grant,  and  in  the  cultivation  of  the  same  Mr. 
Beasley  is  interested  especially  in  the  raising  of 
beets,  beans  and  barley. 

A  native  of  the  state  in  which  he  has  made 
his  life-long  home,  Mr.  Beasley  was  born  in 
Mendocino  county,  Cal.,  and  is  a  son  of  David 
T.  and  :\[artha  Polly  Bea.sley,  natives  of  New 
York  and  i\lassachusetts  respectively.  Both  of 
the  parents  settled  in  the  Golden  state  during 
the  days  of  its  early  history,  and  before  the  dawn 
of  the  present  prosperous  conditions  which  ex- 
ist throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
state,  the  father  was  called  hence,  his  death  oc- 
curring at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  By  trade  he 
was  a  blacksmith.  He  was  a  man  who  took  con- 
siderable interest  in  the  aflfairs  of  life,  a  fact 
which  was  demonostrated  nowhere  no  more 
strongly  perhaps  than  in  the  ]\Iasonic  Lodge  of 
which  he  was  a  member.  His  widow  is  still  liv- 
ing,  at  a   .good   old   age,   making   her   home   in 


i;!;j4 


mSTURleWL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Texas.  Throughout  her  life  she  has  been  an  ac- 
tive member  of  the  jNIethodist  Episcopal  Church. 

Born  January  6,  1862,  ]\Ir.  Beasley  was  a  lad 
of  ten  years  when,  in  1872,  he  became  associated 
with  affairs  in  Ventura  county.  An  inborn  love 
for  things  of  a  mechanical  nature  became  appar- 
ent at  an  early  age,  and  the  first  opportunity 
which  he  found  for  giving  vent  to  his  ambition 
in  this  direction  was  running  the  engine  of  a 
threshing  machine.  He  later  had  charge  of  an 
engine  in  a  starch  factory,  also  ran  engines  which 
propelled  machinery  used  for  boring  wells,  and 
altogether  his  experience  as  a  traction  engineer 
covered  over  seventeen  years.  About  1895  his 
interest  turned  toward  agriculture,  and  an  ex- 
perience in  the  employ  of  others  for  twelve  years 
gave  him  the  knowledge  and  assurance  necessary 
for  managing  an  undertaking  on  his  own  account, 
which  was  followed  by  his  assuming  control  of 
his  present  property. 

In  1892  H.  C.  Beasley  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Tennie  Glenn,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
jNIary  (Crowns)  Glenn,  and  who  was  born  in 
Kern  county  in  1864.  Like  his  father  Mr.  Beas- 
ley takes  considerable  interest  in  fraternal  mat- 
ters, belonging  to  Oxnard  Lodge  No.  361,  F. 
&  A.  M.,  and  to  Lodge  No.  iiooo,  M.  W.  A. 
at  Somis.  Politically  he  is  interested  in  what- 
ever affects  the  Republican  party,  and  his  vote 
may  always  be  depended  upon  to  support  its 
candidates.  Personally  he  is  a  broad-minded, 
progressive  citizen,  thoroughly  believing  that 
what  is  worth  doing  at  all  is  worth  doing  well, 
a  belief  which  has  had  practical  demonstration  in 
whatever  he  has  attempted. 


E.  SMITH.  Standing  prominent  among  the 
active,  intelligent  and  progressive  agriculturists 
of  San  Diego  county  is  E.  Smith,  a  successful 
rancher  and  fruit-grower  of  Lakeside.  His 
small  but  valuable  ranch  is  pleasantly  located, 
and  is  well  improved,  everything  about  the  prem- 
ises indicating  the  thrift,  industry  and  keen  judg- 
ment of  its  owner.  A  son  of  M.  Smith,  he  was 
born,  March  30,  1870,  in  Mexico,  where  he  re- 
ceived an  excellent  education. 

A  Mexican  born  and  reared,  M.  Smith  was 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  in  Mexico  dur- 
ing the  earlier  years  of  his  life,  and  was  quite 
successful.  Coming  with  his  family  to  Califor- 
nia in  1888,  he  lived  for  a  year  in  San  Diego, 
and  then  settled  on  the  famous  Canado  De  Los 
Cochis  ranch,  one  of  the  noted  Spanish  ranchos, 
which  he  managed  for  five  years.  Settling  then 
in  this  valley,  he  purchased  his  present  ranch 
of  ten  acres,  and  has  since  been  extensively  en- 
gaged in  the  growing  of  raisins,  in  addition  rais- 
ing  some    grain.      He   has    met    with    good    re- 


sults in  his  undertakings,  becoming  one  of  the 
leading  agriculturists  and  vineyardists  of  this 
locality,  and  one  of  the  most  respected  citizens, 
being  known  far  and  wide  for  his  generosity  and 
benevolence.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  were  married, 
in  Mexico,  and  are  the  parents  of  three  children, 
two  sons  and  a  daughter. 

Coming  with  the  family  to  Southern  California 
in  1888,  E.  Smith  assisted  his  father  in  his  agri- 
cultural labors,  while  thus  employed  on  the 
Canado  De  Los  Cochis  ranch  obtaining  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  leading  branches  of 
agriculture  and  horticulture.  In  1892  he  bought 
his  present  ranch  of  five  acres,  situated  in  Lake- 
side, and  in  its  improvement  has  taken  much 
pride  and  pleasure,  by  his  industry  and  ju- 
dicious labor  bringing  it  to  a  high  state  of 
cultivation. 

i\Ir.  Smith's  first  wife,  to  whom  he  was  mar- 
ried in  1892,  died  leaving  five  children,  Marcel, 
Lomez.  Pas,  Aurora  and  Edward.  In  1905  he 
married  for  his  second  wife  Candelaria  Martinez, 
who  was  born  and  educated  in  California.  Polit- 
ically Mr.  Smith  is  an  Independent  voter,  and 
religiously  he  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
Church. 


ROBERT  HOLMES  MACLAY.  Occupying 
an  assured  position  among  the  thriving  agri- 
culturists and  highly  esteemed  citizens  of 
Fernando  is  Robert  Holmes  Maclay,  who  :s  held 
in  high  estimation  throughout  the  community  as 
a  man  of  undoubted  integrity  and  sterling  worth. 
A  native  of  California,  he  was  born  October  27, 
1857,  in  Santa  Clara  county,  a  son  of  the  late 
Senator  Charles  Maclay,  of  whom  a  brief  sketch 
mav  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

Completing  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  county,  Robert  H.  Maclay 
remained  at  home  until  1874,  when  he  came  with 
his  parents  to  Fernando.  At  once  embarking  in 
agricultural  pursuits,  he  settled  not  far  from 
the  village,  where  he  now  owns  a  well  cultivated 
ranch  of  fifty-seven  acres,  from  which  he  derives 
a  good  yearly  income.  He  has  likewise  valuable 
property  in  the  village,  his  residence  being  one 
of  the  most  attractive  on  Hagar  street.  Enter- 
prising and  active,  he  has  met  with  financial  suc- 
cess in  his  various  business  transactions,  and  is 
in  all  respects  one  of  the  solid  men  of  his  com- 
munity. 

In  Fernando,  ^Ir.  Maclay  married  Jennie 
Beale.  a  native  of  Oregon,  and  thev  have  one 
child,  a  daughter  named  Mary.  Politically  Mr. 
Maclav  is  an  earnest  Republican,  and  religiously 
both  lie  and  his  wife  attend  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  and  are  liberal  contributors  to- 
wards its  support. 


fl^L^y-^^^-'-^^^  JtiAiX^, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHIC.\L  RECORD. 


1337 


HIRAA'I  KEYES.  Numbered  among  the 
veteran  agriculturists  of  San  Diego  county  who 
have  achieved  success  in  their  independent  occu- 
pation is  Hiram  Keyes  of  Ramona,  who  has  made 
farming  his  life  work,  and  having  acquired  a 
competency  is  now  living  free  from  business  ac- 
tivity and  care.  Intelligent  and  well-informed,  the 
possessor  of  excellent  judgment  and  sound  sense, 
he  is  ably  performing  his  duty  as  a  faithful  cit- 
izen, and  is  everywhere  respected.  A  native  of 
Ohio,  he  was  born  December  5,  1832,  in  Morgan 
county,  of  good  old  New  England  stock.  His 
father,  Phineas  C.  Keyes,  a  native  of  iNIaine, 
learned  the  tanner's  trade  when  young,  and  for 
many  years  carried  on  a  successful  business  in 
Morgan  county,  Ohio.  He  was  a  man  of  strong- 
individuality,  a  noted  abolitionist,  and  a  valued 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  married 
Mary  Gould,  who  was  born  in  Massachusetts, 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  eig'ht  children,  six 
of  whom  have  passed  to  the  life  beyond,  one 
daughter,  Mary  G.  Benedict,  a  resident  of  Kan- 
sas, and  Hiram,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  being 
the  only  survivors. 

Brought  up  in  Ohio,  Hiram  Keyes  attended  the 
common  schools  of  Morgan  county,  after  which 
he  attended  a  high  school  in  Washington  county, 
his  early  education  being  completed  by  an  at- 
tendance of  one  term  at  Oberlin  College.  Re- 
turning home  from  the  latter  institution,  he 
taught  school  a  few  years,  in  the  mean  time 
assisting  his  father  in  the  tan  yard  whenever  he 
was  at  leisure.  In  1855,  while  Kansas  was  yet 
a  territory,  he  there  took  up  a  pre-emption  claim 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  and  en- 
gaged in  farming.  In  1856  he  took  part  in  the 
Border  Ruffian  war,  serving  under  "Jim"  Lane, 
In  1861,  when  the  Civil  war  broke  out,  he  en- 
listed in  Company  K,  Eleventh  Kansas  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  and  served  under  command  of 
General  Blount  for  three  years,  when  he  re- 
ceived his  honorable  discharge  from  the  army. 
Returning  then  to  his  Kansas  home,  he  resumed 
his  labors  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil,  remaining  there 
twenty  or  more  years.  Coming  to  California  in 
1886  he  located  first  in  San  Diego,  and  was  after- 
wards engaged  in  ranching  near  Julian,  after 
which  he  lived  at  Banner  one  year.  He  subse- 
quently located  a  homestead  claim  to  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land  at  Eagles  Nest  re- 
sort, near  Warner  Hot  Springs,  where  he  resided 
a  number  of  years.  About  1900  he  purchased 
a  ten-acre  ranch  in  Ramona,  and  having  improved 
it,  is  now  living  here  retired,  enjoying  a  well- 
earned  leisure. 

In  1858  Mr.  Keyes  married  Lucinda  C. 
Hovey,  who  was  born  in  Washington  county, 
Ohio,  July  23,  1838,  a  daughter  of  Harvey  Qark 
Hovey,  the  latter  a  son  of  William  Hovey,  an 
officer  in  the  Revolutionarv  armv.  Eleven  child- 


ren were  born  to  Mr.  and  jNlrs.  Keyes,  namely: 
Charles,  who  died  in  infancy ;  George  C,  of 
Pasadena ;  Harvey  Stanley  and  Phineas  Stanton, 
twins,  who  died  in  infancy ;  Clara,  a  teacher  in 
Manila,  Philippine  Islands;  Mattie,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  twenty-three  years ;  Mrs.  Charlotte 
Janeway  of  Ramona  :  Edwin  E.,  a  lawyer  in 
Berkeley ;  Lucile,  wife  of  Henry  A.  Hanigan,  first 
lieutenant  in  a  United  States  regiment  in  the 
Philippine  Islands ;  Hiram,  who  died  in  childhood 
and  Minnie,  who  died  in  infanc}-.  Politicallv  Mr. 
Keyes  is  a  straightforward  Republican,  and 
religiously  he  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
Church.  He  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  while 
living  near  Warner,  and  while  in  San  Diego  was 
a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 
For  his  services  during  the  Civil  war  he  receives 
a  pension. 


EDWARD  C.  COOMER.  In  her  young  men 
is  a  country's  hope,  and  when  by  honesty  and  in- 
dustrious personal  effort  a  man  of  but  twenty- 
six  years  becomes  as  prosperous  and  successful 
as  is  E.  C.  Coomer,  they  are  also  her  pride.  Mr. 
Coomer  is  of  southern  parentage,  his  father. 
Thomas  Coomer,  having  been  born  in  Kentucky 
and  his  mother  belonging  to  a  Virginia  family. 
Thomas  Coomer  served  four  years  in  the  Union 
army  during  the  Civil  war,  having  enlisted  in 
Company  I,  of  the  Twenty-seventh  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  and  had  the  honor  of  serving  on 
General  Sheridan's  staff.  His  was  not  idle  camp 
service,  but  the  forward  firing  line  was  his  favor- 
ite post  an.d  he  carries  the  scars  of  four  wounds 
received  in  battle.  He  is  now  an  honored  mem- 
ber of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  in  the 
Carpinteria  Post,  for  both  he  and  his  wife  are 
now  living  in  the  Carpinteria  valley,  they  having 
moved  here  with  their  son  in  igoi.  Fraternally 
he  affiliates  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  lodge. 

Edward  C.  Coomer  was  born  in  Edgar  county, 
111.,  February  15,  1880.  His  parents  moved  to 
Canada  when  he  was  quite  small,  then  went  back 
to  Michigan  when  he  was  five  years  old.  After 
remaining  there  for  five  years  they  next  made 
their  home  in  Tennessee,  where  Mr.  Coomer  re- 
ceived a  common-school  education.  This  he  sup- 
plemented with  a  commercial  course,  specializing 
on  shorthand,  and  for  two  years  after  his  gradua- 
tion he  did  stenographic  reporting.  Later  he  ac- 
cepted a  position  near  Covington,  Ky.,  where  he 
had  charcre  of  coke  ovens  and  also  acted  as  in- 
spector. This  work  did  not  agree  with  him,  how- 
ever, and  his  health  requiring  a  change  of  climate 
he  came  with  his  parents  to  California.  After  lo- 
cating in  the  state  he  purchased  eighteen  acres  of 
land  in  Arroyo  Grande,  San  Luis  Obispo  county, 
but  has  since  disposed  of  it  and  now  has  a  fine 


];;;j8 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ranch  of  twenty  acres  near  Carpinteria  which  he 
has  improved,  thirteen  acres  being  planted  to  wal- 
nut trees. 

In  1903  Mr.  Coomer  was  united  in  marriage 
with  !Miss  ^lay  B.  Fowler,  a  native  daughter  of 
California.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch  Republican 
and  is  prominent  in  all  matters  of  interest  in  the 
upbuilding  of  the  community  in  which  he  resides. 
He  enjoys  the  good  will  and  esteem  of  a  host  of 
friends  and  acquaintances,  who  value  him  as  one 
of  their  leading  citizens. 


CHARLES  WALTER  SAMERS.  Among 
the  industrious,  far-sighted  and  prosperous  farm- 
ers of  Oxnard,  C.  W.  Savie'rs  is  worthy  of  spe- 
cial mention.  Starting  in  life  with  no  other 
endowments  than  strong  hands,  a  willing  heart, 
and  the  elements  of  character  essential  to  noble 
manhood,  a  brief  review-  of  his  life  affords  a 
good  illustration  of  the  exercise  of  perseverance 
and  resolution  under  the  pressure  of  financial 
disaster  as  well  as  amid  the  sunshine  of  pros- 
perity. He  has  labored  with  untiring  energy 
and  zeal  to  establish  a  home  for  himself  and 
family,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  a  ranch  which, 
with  its  appurtenances,  is  one  of  the  best  and 
most  attractive  in  his  neighborhood,  bearing  visi- 
ble evidence  of  the  intelligence  and  ability  of 
the  owner.  A  son  of  the  late  J.  Y.  Saviers.  he 
was  born,  November  11,  1866,  in  Yuba  City, 
Sutter  county,  Cal..  but  has  spent  the  larger 
part  of  his  life  in  Ventura  county. 

A  native  of  Ohio,  J.  Y.  Saviers  was  a  tiller 
of  the  soil  from  early  life  until  his  death.  In 
1850  he  came  to  California,  following  the  trail 
of  the  gold  seekers,  but  was  not  fortunate  enough 
as  a  miner  to  accumulate  any  amount  of  the 
glittering  mineral.  Returning  therefore,  by  way 
of  the  Isthmus,  to  Ohio,  he  remained  there  for 
a  number  of  years,  working  as  a  farmer.  In 
i860,  however,  he  concluded  to  again  try  his 
luck  in  the  extreme  west,  and  as  captain  of  a 
train  came  with  ox-teams  across  the  plains.  He 
had  no  special  trouble  on  the  trip,  but  after 
his  arrival  in  California  was  wounded  in  a 
scrimmage  with  the  Indians.  Locating  in  Ven- 
tura county,  he  resumed  his  agricultural  labors, 
continuing  as  a  rancher  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  Oxnard.  in  February,  1904,  at  the 
advanced  age  of  eighty-one  vears.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Jones,  who  was  born  in  Ohio,  and 
died,  in  1867,  in  California,  leaving  four  chil- 
dren, three  sons,  all  of  whom  reside  in  this  state, 
and  a  daughter,  who  is  now  living  in  Bell  coun- 
ty.  Tex. 

Left  motherless  in  infancy,  Charles  W.  Saviers 
was  brought  to  ^^entura  county  when  but  eigh- 
teen months  old.  and  was  here  brought  up 
and  educated.     As  early  as  practicable,  he  was 


initiated  by  his  father  into  the  mysteries  of  farm- 
ing, and  proved  a  most  faithful  worker,  remain- 
ing on  the  home  farm  until  twenty-one  years  of 
age.  Starting  then  for  himself,  he  worked  for 
wages  for  awhile  in  Ventura  county,  after  which 
he  spent  four  years  in  Taylor  county,  Tex., 
where  he  had  a  brief  and  rather  disastrous  ca- 
reer as  a  general  farmer.  Returning  to  this 
county,  he  was  again  a  wage  earner  for  three 
years.  Accumulating  some  capital,  he  again  be- 
gan life  for  himself  on  rented  land,  and  in  its 
management  was  quite  successful.  In  1902  he 
purchased  his  present  ranch  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  and  has  since  carried  on  an  exten- 
sive and  lucrative  business  as  a  grower  of  beets 
and  beans,  two  of  the  staple  crops  of  this  sec- 
tion of  the  state.  In  addition  to  this  he  leases 
seven  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land,  which  he 
devotes  almost  entirely  to  the  raising  of  barley, 
harvesting  on  an  average  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
sacks,  of  eighty-two  and  one-half  pounds  each, 
to  the  acre.  As  a  general  farmer,  he  has  been 
fortunate,  and  as  a  stock  raiser,  on  a  moderate 
scale,   is  meeting  with  success. 

Mr.  Saviers'  marriage  united  him  with  Lot- 
tie M.  Eggleston,  who  was  born  in  Iowa,  of  New 
England  stock,  her  Grandfather  Eggleston  hav- 
ing been  a  native  of  Massachusetts.  Her  par- 
ents were  married  in  San  Francisco,  but  after- 
wards removed  to  Iowa.  ]\Ir.  and  ]\Irs.  Saviers 
are  the  parents  of  three  children.  Walter  J.,  Roy 
A.  and  Annie.  Mr.  Saviers  is  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican in  politics,  and  is  now  serving  as  school 
trustee. 


ELI_  MILTON  HADDOX.  Liberal  and  en- 
terprising, throughout  his  residence  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  El  Mcnte  Mr.  Haddox  has  won  a  place 
among  the  representative  citizens  who  may  al- 
w-ays  be  counted  upon  to  uphold  public  interest 
and  public  honor.  He  is  a  native  of  Hancock 
count)',  Ohio,  and  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of 
Findlay,  February  14,  1853.  His  grandfather 
William  Haddox,  was  a  pioneer  of  Ohio,  having 
immigrated  from  Virginia  with  his  family  at  an 
early  date  in  the  history  of  the  middle  west.  Hi^ 
father,  Eli  Haddox  was  born  in  Virginia  and 
reared  in  Ohio,  where  the  family  located  in  1802. 
By  trade  he  was  a  wagon  maker,  but  in  man- 
hood he  followed  farming,  remaining  a  resident 
of  Ohio  until  his  death.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Oliver,  a  native  of  Virginia,  who  settled  in  Ohio 
with  her  parents.  They  had  ten  children,  four 
of  whom  are  living,  the  youngest  being  Eli  Mil- 
ton Haddox. 

Reared  in  Ohio,  Eli  M.  Haddox  received  his 
education  in  the  public  schools,  remaining  at  home 
until  twenty  years  old,  when  he  became  depend- 
ent upon  his  own  resources.  He  engaged  in  farm- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1339 


ing  for  a  livelihood,  renting  land  at  first  and 
finally  purchasing  forty  acres,  upon  which  he 
continued  his  work.  In  1882  he  removed  to  Ne- 
braska and  at  Fort  Kearney  bought  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  of  railroad  land,  which  he 
improved  and  cultivated  for  four  years.  Remov- 
ing to  Stirling  (now  Buffalo  county)  he  home- 
steaded  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  and 
improved  this  property  also.  In  1900  he  disposed 
of  these  interests  and  came  to  California  and  in 
El  Monte  engaged  in  farming,  having  in  the 
meantime  (1896)  purchased  forty  acres  from  the 
Bassett  property  which  was  immediately  set  out 
in  walnuts,  a  pumping  plant  installed  in  1899 
with  a  ten-horse  power  engine,  with  a  capacity 
of  one  hundred  inches,  this  being  the  first  pump- 
ing plant  on  the  east  side  of  the  San  Gabriel 
river.  Twenty  acres  of  his  property  has  since 
been  given  over  to  the  raising  of  apples,  while 
the  remainder  is  in  walnuts  and  alfalfa.  He  car- 
ries on  general  farming  on  leased  land  in  the 
neighborhood  and  is  uniformly  successful  in  his 
enterprises.  He  has  improved  his  own  property 
by  the  erection  of  a  residence,  barns  and  out- 
buildings, good  fences,  and  every  convenience 
that  bespeaks  the  thrifty  and  successful  farmer. 
In  Putnam  county,  Ohio,  October  3,  1875,  Mr. 
Haddox  married  Miss  Caroline  Riter,  a  native  of 
Findlay,  that  state,  and  the  daughter  of  John 
M.  Riter,  an  old  settler  of  that  section  of  Ohio. 
They  are  the  parents  of  the  following  children : 
Eliza,  Mrs.  Gunnels,  of  Oxnard :  Benjamin,  in 
Los  Angeles ;  Jefiferson,  of  Oxnard ;  James  and 
Milton,  of  Los  Angeles ;  and  the  others  at  home, 
Peter,  Cora,  Wallace,  Emmet,  Goldie  and  Ar- 
nold. Mr.  Haddox  is  a  Republican  on  all  na- 
tional issues,  although  locally  he  can  always  be 
counted  upon  to  support  the  man  best  qualified 
for  ofificial  duties.  Fraternally  he  is  identified 
with  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen. 


CHARLES  RICHARDSON.  A  pioneer  of 
California,  and  the  son  of  a  pioneer,  Charles 
Richardson,  living  near  Simi,  \"entura  county, 
has  had  a  varied  experience  in  life,  meeting  with 
fortunes  and  with  misfortunes,  but  in  the  end 
overcoming  all  obstacles.  When  he  came  to  this 
state  the  country  was  largely  in  its  original  wild- 
ness,  game  being  abundant,  and  the  Indians  num- 
erous. There  being  no  railways,  transportation 
was  with  ox-teams  chiefly,  and  the  trading  points 
were  few  and  far  between.  Possessing  a  vast 
fund  of  historical  information  in  regard  to  pio- 
neer days,  and  being  an  intelligent  and  interest- 
ing talker,  with  a  good  memor}-,  Mr.  Richard- 
son is  a  most  entertaining  conversationalist,  and 
one  whom  it  is  a  pleasure  to  meet  He  was  born, 
August   27,    1836,    in    Warren   county.   Mo.,   be- 


ing one  of  the  thirteen  children  of  the  late  John 
Richardson,  all  of  whom  with  the  exception  of 
two  that  died  in  Wisconsin  came  to  California  to 
reside. 

A  native  of  New  York  state,  John  Richardson 
migrated  to  Missouri  at  an  early  day,  and  after 
spending  some  years  in  that  state  went  to  Wis- 
consin. From  there  lie  came  in  i860  to  the  Pa- 
cific coast,  crossing  the  plains  with  ox-teams, 
starting  from  Missouri  in  a  train  composed  of 
eighteen  families.  While  on  the  journey  his  old- 
est child  suddenly  disappeared,  and  it  was  three 
days  before  he  was  found,  that  incident  being 
the  only  one  to  seriously  mar  the  pleasure  of  the 
trip.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  convictions,  a 
Democrat  in  politics,  and  an  old-school  Baptist 
in  religion.  In  Missouri  he  married  Lucy 
Wright,  who  was  born  in  Kentucky,  and  died 
at  an  advanced  age  in  Ventura  county,  near  Ox- 
nard, while  his  death  occurred  in  Sutter  county. 
He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  during 
his  entire  life  was  a  loyal  and  faithful  citizen, 
and  instilled  into  the  minds  of  his  children  the 
spirit  of  true  patriotism. 

Accompanying  his  parents  to  Wisconsin  in 
April,  1847,  Charles  Richardson  was  there  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools  of  Grant  county. 
Thirteen  years  later  he  came  with  the  family  to 
California,  having  a  four  months'  trip  across  the 
plains  in  the  train  commanded  by  Captain  Mc- 
Farland,  and  arriving  in  Shasta  county  April 
9,  i860.  He  subsequently  spent  several  months 
in  Sacramento,  from  there  going  to  the  San  Joa- 
quin valley,  where  he  bought  land  and  was  en- 
gaged in  ranching  for  two  years,  being  in  part- 
nership with  his  father  and  brother.  Disposing 
of  his  interest  in  the  land  he  continued  his  agri- 
cultural' operations  alone,  being  first  located  in 
Sacramento,  and  then  in  Sutter  county,  where 
he  resided  eleven  years.  Selling  out,  he  went  to 
Santa  Barbara  in  1874,  and  was  there  for  four- 
teen years,  busily  employed  in  tilling  the  soil. 
Again  disposing  of  his  land  he  moved  to  San 
Diego,  bought  land,  and  embarked  in  general 
farming,  remaining  there  eleven  years,  when  he 
had  the  misfortune  to  lose  title  to  his  ranch. 
Locating  in  Ventura  county  in  1900  he  carried  on 
farming  on  an  extensive  scale  for  three  years 
on  rented  land,  in  his  ventures  succeeding  well. 
In  1903  he  purchased  his  present  ranch,  near 
Simi,  and  now  has  a  highly  improved  farm  of 
forty  acres,  which  he  devotes  principally  to  the 
raising  of  fruit,  having  a  large  orchard  of  apri- 
cots and  prunes,  also  making  a  specialty  to  some 
extent  of  raising  chickens. 

In  Wisconsin,  in  1859,  Mr.  Richardson  married 
Candace  Burton,  who  was  born  in  Warren  county, 
Mo.,  being  one  of  the  ten  children  of  Alsop  and 
Lucy  (Graves)  Burton.  Her  father  was  born 
in  ^^irginia,  and  died  in  Wisconsin,  at  the  age 


1340 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  fifty-seven  years,  and  his  wife,  who  was  born 
in  Kentucky,  died  in  Missouri,  aged  sixty-seven 
years.  Thirteen  children  blessed  the  union  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richardson :  Lionel  W.,  of  Ven- 
tura county,  married  ]\Jary  Rystrum,  by  whom 
he  has  seven  children;  Laura  died  in  infancy; 
Letitia  S.,  wife  of  Fay  Colby,  of  Sonoma  coun- 
ty, has  five  daughters ;  Sarah  M.,  wife  of  J. 
W.  Lewis,  of  Camarillo,  has  five  children; 
Charles  W.,  of  Sawtelle,  married  Florence  Wil- 
son, and  they  have  four  children ;  Ida  C,  wife  of 
Lorenzo  Jackson,  of  Sonoma  county,  has  two 
children ;  Lucy  A.  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
years;  Viola  D.,  wife  of  Harry  Wilson,  of  Saw- 
telle, has  three  children ;  Lizzie,  who  married 
John  Houston,  died  at  the  age  of  thirty  years, 
leaving  three  children;  Vesta  B.  is  the  wife  of 
Robert  Beardsley;  and  Thomas  H.,  Roxie,  qind 
Samuel  C.  are  living  at  home.  In  his  political 
relations  Mr.  Richardson  is  a  strong-  Democrat, 
and  has  served  many  terms  as  school  trustee  and 
as  road  overseer.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member 
of  Ventura  Lodge  No.  120,  K.  of  P. 


JOHN  R.  DOIG,  M.  D.  During  his  resi- 
dence in  San  Diego  county,  J.  R.  Doig,  M.  D., 
has  become  known  as  one  of  its  able  and  skilful 
physicians  and  surgeons,  and  by  his  genial  man- 
ners and  kindly  courtesy  endears  himself  to  all 
classes  of  people.  Cultured  and  talented,  his 
long-continued  studies  and  his  wide  experience 
as  a  general  practitioner  have  given  him  a  thor- 
ough knowledge  of  the  many  branches  of  his 
profession  and  gained  for  him  a  place  of  promi- 
nence in  medical  circles.  While  devoted  to  his 
life  work,  the  doctor  takes  great  interest  in  the 
progressive  movements  of  the  day  and  his  sym- 
pathies are  as  broad  as  humanity.  The  son  of 
Prof.  James  R.  Doig,  he  was  born,  March  8,.  1845, 
in  Wa)'ne  county,  Ohio. 

A  native  of  New  York  state,  James  R.  Doig 
received  excellent  educational  advantages,  in 
early  manhood  being  graduated  from  Union  Col- 
lege'. Fitted  for  a  professional  career,  he  moved 
to  Ohio  after  his  marriage,  and  for  several  years 
held  a  chair  in  Franklin  College,  at  New  Athens, 
Harrison  county.  Going  from  there  to  Wash- 
ington. Washington  county,  Iowa.  Professor  Doig 
served  as  president  of  the  college  there  until  its 
destruction  by  a  tornado  in  1864.  Removing  then 
to  Monmouth,  III,  he  was  for  ten  years  professor 
of  languages  in  Monmouth  College,  resigning  the 
position  on  account  of  his  advanced  age.  He 
subsequently  lived  retired  at  Vinton.  Iowa,  un- 
til his  death,  in  1885,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three 
vears.  He  was  a  stanch  Republican  in  politics, 
at  all  times  being  active  in  advancing  the  inter- 
ests of  his  party,  and  was  a  faithful  member  of 
the     United     Presbvterian     Church.       Professor 


Doig  was  twice  married,  first  to  Hannah  Rankin, 
a  native  of  Washington  count}',  Pa.  She  died 
at  the  age  of  twenty-seven  years  in  1850,  leav- 
ing four  children,  one  of  whom  is  J.  R.  Doig, 
M.  D.,  of  this  review.  He  married  for  his  second 
wife  Agnes  Rankin,  who  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  of  this  union  nine  children,  five  sons 
and  four  daughters,  were  born. 

Removing  with  his  parents  to  Iowa  when  a 
boy,  J.  R.  Doig  attended  the  college  which  his 
father  established  in  Washington,  there  complet- 
ing his  early  education.  During  the  progress  of 
the  Civil  war,  enthused  by  patriotic  ardor,  he  en- 
listed in  1862  in  the  Nineteenth  Iowa  \'olunteer 
Infantry,  from  which  he  was  later  transferred  to 
the  medical  department  and  in  the  fall  of  1863 
he  was  discharged.  Subsequently  he  re-enlisted 
in  Company  L,  Second  Iowa  Cavalry,  in  which 
he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  being  under 
General  Hearn  at  first,  and  later  under  command 
of  Gen.  Edward  Hatch.  With  his  comrades  he 
took  an  active  part  in  many  of  the  noted  engage- 
ments of  the  period,  including  among  others  the 
battles  at  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  and  at  Nashville. 
Tenn.  After  receiving  his  honorable  discharge 
from  the  army  he  began  the  study  of  medicine, 
and  in  1869  was  graduated  from  the  University 
of  Iowa.  Beginning  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion, he  met  with  success  from  the  first.  In  1884, 
desirous  of  further  advancing  his  professional 
knowledge,  he  took  a  post-graduate  course  at 
the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  Chi- 
cago, 111.,  while  there  making  a  special  study  of 
the  diseases  of  women  and  children  under  the 
eminent  specialist.  Dr.  J.  Reeves  Jackson.  Re- 
turning then  to  Kansas,  his  former  field  of  labor, 
he  practiced  in  that  state  for  two  years,  acquir- 
ing a  fine  reputation  for  skill  and  ability.  In 
1886,  on  account  of  ill  health,  he  was  forced  to 
seek  a  milder  climate,  and  therefore  came  to  San 
Diego,  Cal..  where  he  remained  for  twelve  years, 
building  up  a  large  practice  in  both  medicine  and 
surgery.  Returning  then  to  Kansas,  he  was  for 
six  years  traveling  surgeon  for  the  LTnion  Pacific 
Railroad  Company,  a  good  position  which  he  had 
to  resign  on  account  of  failing  health,  his  old 
enemy,  asthma,  again  attacking  him.  Coming 
to  Ramona  in  1905,  Dr.  Doig  has  here  found  re- 
lief from  his  physical  troubles,  and  is  so  much 
improved  in  health  that  he  has  purchased  prop- 
erty and  intends  to  make  this  his  future  home.  As 
a  physician  and  surgeon  he  has  built  up  a  large 
and  remunerative  practice,  and  has  gained  to  an 
eminent  degree  the  confidence  and  good  will  of 
the  community,  his  professional  skill  and  ability 
being  recognized  and  appreciated. 

In  1880  Dr.  Doig  married  Nellie  E.  Seiver. 
a  native  of  Muskegon,  Mich.,  and  they  have  one 
child.  Ruth  P..  a  pupil  in  the  San  Diego  Normal 
school.     The  doctor  is  a  Republican  in  his  polit- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1343 


ical  affiliations,  and  for  a  number  of  years  served 
as  pension  examiner  for  the  United  States  gov- 
ernment. Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  Ells- 
worth (Kans.)  Lodge  No.  146,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ; 
of  Ellsworth  Chapter,  R.  A.  j\[.;  demitted  from 
Ellsworth  Commander)-,  K.  T. ;  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Isis  Temple  (Salina,  Kans.j,  A.  A.  O.  N. 
M.  S. ;  and  of  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men. He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic. 


PROF.  JOHN  HARVEY  STRINE.  Rank- 
ing as  one  of  the  foremost  educators  of  Cali- 
fornia, Prof.  John  Harvey  Strine  has,  during 
the  twenty  years  of  his  active  work  in  this 
field,  given  much  valuable  service  both  in  the 
schoolroom  and  in  an  official  position,  for  he 
served  a  term  as  superintendent  of  the  Los 
Angeles  county  schools,  during  which  time  he 
greatly  impro\ed  the  school  system.  Genera- 
tions ago  the  ancestors  of  Professor  Strine 
immigrated  to  America  and  showed  the  value 
of  the  inheritance  of  the  best  blood  of  Eng- 
land, Holland  and  France  by  becoming  active 
participants  and  leaders  in  the  development  of 
the  new  country.  On  both  paternal  and  ma- 
ternal sides  Professor  Strine's  grandparents 
were  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  the  former  hav- 
ing spent  their  entire  lives  in  Franklin  coun- 
ty and  the  latter  in  Lancaster  county.  Tlie 
family  made  a  commendable  reputation  for 
patriotism  during  the  Civil  war.  Peter  Strine, 
a  great-uncle,  fought  in  the  arm}'  of  the  Po- 
tomac during  the  entire  conflict ;  Samuel  G. 
Strine,  an  uncle,  in  the  Eighty-third  Illinois 
Regiment  of  the  Army  of  the  West,  served 
throughout  the  war;  Jacob  Strine,  another 
uncle,  in  1861  enlisted  for  a  term  of  nine 
months  and  at  the  expiration  of  that  time  re- 
enlisted  for  three  years,  and  was  killed  at 
Petersburg  just  two  days  before  the  surren- 
der of  Lee ;  the  third  uncle.  Jonathan  G.  Strine, 
who  had  also  enlisted  for  three  years,  was 
shot  in  the  head  at  Petersburg,  the  same  bat- 
tle in  which  his  brother's  life  was  lost,  and  in 
spite  of  his  wound  is  yet  living,  his  home  be- 
ing in  the  vicinity  of  Greencastle,  Pa. 

On  October  26,  1858,  occurred  the  birth  of 
John  Harvey  Strine,  in  Newbridge,  Franklin 
county.  Pa.,  he  being  a  son  of  John  and  ^laria 
Catharine  (Long)  .Strine.  tlie  father  having 
been  born  Februarv  28.  1829,  in  Franklin  coun- 
ty. Pa.,  and  the  mother  December  25,  1832.  in 
Lancaster  county,  of  the  same  state.  The 
father  died  February  13,  1906,  and  those  of  the 
family  now  living  besides  John  Harvey  are 
his  mother,  his  sister,  A.  ]\r.  Strine,  and  his 
brother,  D.  L.  Strine,  all  residents  of  Downey, 
Cal..  and   A.  T.   Strine.  of  Los  Angeles. 


John  H.  Strine's  school  days  began  at  the 
early  age  of  five  years  in  Roxbury,  Pa.,  and  a 
}ear  later,  his  father  removing  to  ^lartins- 
burg,  W.  Va.,  where  he  conducted  a  brick- 
yard, he  attended  the  common  schools,  and 
when  he  was  twelve  years  of  age  he  com- 
menced to  work  for  his  father  during  vaca- 
tions. The  father  also  purchased  a  farm  near 
Martinsburg,  and  when  business  was  espe- 
cially brisk  in  the  brickyard  he  left  the  man- 
agement of  the  farm  to  his  sons.  In  1877  the 
family  removed  to  Missouri,  after  which  John 
Harvey  Strine,  whose  educational  privileges 
until  that  time  had  been  confined  to  the  com- 
mon schools,  entered  the  state  university  of 
Missouri.  In  1882  he  graduated  from  the 
teacher's  course,  having  earned  his  expenses 
by  teaching  a  part  of  the  time.  At  the  time 
of  his  graduation  he  also  passed  an  examina- 
tion which  entitled  him  to  a  life  diploma  as 
a  teacher  in  JMissouri,  and  after  his  arrival  in 
California  he  was  given  a  similar  certificate  as 
a  high-school  instructor.  He  taught  for  a 
time  in  the  district  schools  of  Missouri,  but 
soon  arose  to  the  position  of  principal  of  the 
Rolla  public  schools,  and  after  filling  it  for 
two  years,  resigned  in  order  to  remove  to  Cali- 
fornia, he  having  been  offered  a  position  at 
the  head  of  the  Downe)^  schools. 

Professor  Strine's  arrival  in  Downey  dates 
from  July  30,  1887,  at  which  time  he  assumed 
his  duties  in  the  schools,  his  first  work  being 
the  grading  of  the  pupils.  His  amljition  was 
to  have  his  school  produce  as  high  class  work 
as  any  in  the  state,  and  within  a  short  time 
the  results  of  his  efforts  began  to  show,  in  a 
short  time  pupils  from  Downey  being  accepted 
in  other  higher  schools  without  examination. 
During  his  residence  in  Downej^  Professor 
Strine  has  been  a  leader  in  many  lines,  his  su- 
perior education,  talents  and  position  natural- 
ly giving  him  a  prominent  place  in  the  com- 
munity. In  Jul}',  1891,  upon  the  re-organiza- 
tion of  the  Downev  P>ank,  he  w^as  unanimously 
elected  a  director  by  the  stockholders  and  was 
immediately  placed  upon  the  auditing  com- 
mittee. In  i8qo  he  was  appointed  a  member 
of  the  board  of  education  of  Los  Angeles  coun- 
ty, and  in  1892  was  made  president  of  that 
body,  being  re-elected  the  following  year. 

In  Julv.  1893,  Professor  Strine  was  elected  to 
the  principalship  of  the  IMonrovia  Grammar  and 
High  schools,  and  continued  in  that  position 
until  1899,  when  he  resigned  in  order  to  en- 
ter upon  his  duties  as  superintendent  of  the 
county  schools.  In  recognition  of  his  efficient 
work  in  the  interests  of  the  schools  of  the 
county  he  was  at  the  time  of  its  organization, 
in  T895.  elected  to  the  presidency  of  the  Los 
Angeles  Pedagogical  Society  and  continued  to 


i;j44 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


till  that  position,  also,  until  his  election  as 
county  superintendent.  He  was  one  of  the 
most  earnest  and  zealous  incumbents  of  that 
office  that  the  county  has  ever  had,  and  the 
influence  of  his  work  and  methods  are  still 
felt  in  the  schools  throughout  the  county.  This 
was  followed  by  two  years  of  faithful  service 
as  -secretary  of  the  California  state  text-book 
committee.'  While  it  would  be  natural  to  ex- 
pect Professor  Strine  to  find  his  greatest  in- 
terest in  matters  educational,  he  has  not  con- 
fined his  talents  to  those  lines,  but  has  been  a 
moving  influence  in  other  matters  of  progres- 
sive interest  to  the  community  in  which  he 
lives.  He  is  the  possessor  of  considerable 
musical  talent  and  was  repeatedly  made  presi- 
dent of  the  Apollo  Club  of  JNIonrovia,  and  also 
assisted  materially  in  the  organization  of  th'' 
INIonrovia  Opera  House  Company,  the  chief 
purpose  of  Avhich  was  to  provide  a  suitable 
hall  for  public  assemblages,  and  the  enterprise 
as  carried  out  has  been  of  untold  benefit  to  the 
citv.  During  the  past  two  years  he  has  been 
organizing  syndicates,  which  have  been  among 
the  most  successful  in  the  state  in  quickly  han- 
dling large  tracts  of  valuable  lands.  He  is  a 
prominent  Mason  and  is  past  master  of  Mon- 
rovia Lodge  No.  308,  F.  &  A.  M.  He  always 
stands  ready  to  aid  any  measure  for  the  bene- 
fit of  the  people,  whether  from  a  religious, 
moral  or  educational  point  of  view,  and  does 
not  neglect  any  of  the  duties  of  an  intelligent 
citizen. 


contains  three  hundred  and  eleven  acres  of  land, 
most  of  which  is  tillable.  The  farm  is  well  im- 
proved, having  a  fine  residence  and  a  good 
orchard,  at  one  time  selling  for  $75,000.  Mr. 
Reed  has  now  excellent  prospects  of  becoming 
a  mine  owner  and  discovering  on  his  estate  gems 
or  tourmaline,  as  on  the  ridge  which  passes 
through  it  mines  have  been  opened,  and  bid  fair 
to  yield  valuable  minerals. 

in  1903  Mr.  Reed  married  Dorothy  Mufifley, 
who  was  born. in  Grant  county,  Wis.,  and  the 
home  over  which  she  so  graciously  presides  is 
pleasant  and  attractive.  Politically  Mr.  Reed  is 
a  stanch  Republican,  and  fraternally  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows 
and  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters. 


FRANK  H.  REED.  Wide-awake,  ambitious 
and  enterprising,  Frank  H.  Reed,  of  \'ista,  is 
numbered  among  the  younger  generation  of  suc- 
cessful and  prosperous  agriculturists  of  San 
Diego  county,  and  as  a  man  of  upright  charac- 
ter and  good  principles  is  fast  winning  for  him- 
self an  enviable  reputation  in  both  the  business 
and  social  affairs  of  his  adopted  home.  A  son 
of  Dr.  J.  H.  and  Ella  (Halbert)  Reed,  of  Wis- 
consm,  he  was  born,  February  2,  1880,  in  Ne- 
braska, but  was  brought  up  in  Grant  county, 
Wis.,  where  his  parents  settled  when  he  was  a 
small  child. 

Immediately  after  his  graduation  from  the 
high  scliool,  Frank  H.  Reed  was  obliged  to  leave 
home  on  account  of  ill  health,  the  climate  of 
Wisconsin  being  too  severe  for  him.  Coming  to 
Southern  California  to  recuperate,  he  spent  three 
years  at  Redlands  and  Long  Beach,  inhaling  the 
iife-giving  air,  each  day  feeling  the  beneficial  in- 
fluences of  the  invigorating  breezes  from  the  Pa- 
cific. Turning  his  attention  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits, he  located  in  San  Diego  county  in  1905, 
and  at  once  assumed  possession  of  his  present 
property,  known  as  the  Edge  Hill  ranch,  which 


CLAUDIUS  OTIS  DEMSEY.  Early  in  the 
colonization  of  America  the  Demsey  famih-  came 
from  Scotland  to  aid  in  the  development  of  the 
new  country.  John  M.  Demsey,  M.  D.,  a  son 
of  the  immigrant,  was  born  in  .Ohio,  and  there 
practiced  his  profession,  later  becoming  a  promi- 
nent physician  of  Decatur,  111.,  and  serving  as  a 
surgeon  in  the  Blackhawk  and  Mexican  wars. 
The  lady  whom  he  married,  !Miss  Alary  Duncan, 
M.  D.,  was  a  graduate  of  a  medical  college  in 
Edinburgh,  Scotland,  and  possessed  unusual  en- 
dowments of  mind  and  character.  Under  their 
influence  it  was  natural  that  their  son,  C.  F.,  a 
native  of  Akron,  Ohio,  should  take  up  the  study 
of  materia  medica,  for  which  indeed  he  seemed 
to  possess  inherited  talents.  After  having  ac- 
companied the  California  Hundred  to  the  west 
in  1858  and  having  gained  further  knowledge  of 
the  country  and  mankind  through  his  service  as 
a  non-commissioned  officer  in  the  Second  Massa- 
chusetts Cavalry  during  the  Civil  war,  at  the 
close  of  that  historic  struggle  he  entered  Rush 
Medical  College,  took  the  complete  course  and 
subsequent  to  graduation  practiced  in  Missouri 
and  Decatur,  111.  The  year  1886  found  him 
again  in  California,  viewing  with  gratification 
the  many  improvements  wrought  by  the  passing 
years.  For  a  time  he  practiced  in  San  Fran- 
cisco and  then  removed  to  Mojave  as  surgeon 
of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  for  that  dis- 
trict, and  since  then  he  has  remained  in  that 
town,  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  and 
in  the  oversight  of  his  mining  interests.  The 
Republican  party  receives  his  support  in  all  elec- 
tions, and  fraternally  he  affiliates  with  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  and  the  Independent  Or- 
der of  Odd  Fellows.  During  early  life  he  met 
and  married  Clarinda  Gates,  who  was  born  in 
Ohio  and  died  at  Pasadena,  Cal.,  in  1901 ;  her 
father  and  two  of  her  brothers  served  in  the 
Union  army  during  the  Civil  war.  Her  mother 
was  a  member  of  the  Barrett  familv. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1347 


The  older  among  two  children  and  the  only 
son  in  the  family,  Claudius  Otis  Demsey  was 
born  in  Dayton,  Cass  county.  Mo.,  JMarch  i, 
1870.  At  an  early  age  he  displayed  energy  ot 
character  and  force  of  will.  When  ten  he  began 
to  learn  telegraphy  and  at  the  age  of  thirteen  he 
was  appointed  night  operator  on  the  Pleoria, 
Decatur  &  Evansville  Railroad  at  Warrensburg, 
111.  The  year  1886  found  him  in  California, 
employed  in  the  electrical  department  of  the 
Southern  Pacific  Railroad  at  San  Francisco. 
The  example  of  his  father,  grandfather  and 
grandmother  led  him  to  take  up  the  study  of 
medicine  in  1888  in  Rush  INIedical  College,  but 
a  course  of  lectures  covering  two  years  was  suf- 
ficient to  convince  him  that  his  talents  did  not 
lie  in  the  direction  of  therapeutics,  and  he  re- 
turned to  the  employ  of  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad  Conipan_\-  in  San  Francisco  and  Oak- 
land. In  1897  he  married  Miss  lunma  Solari. 
who  was  born  and  reared  in  \'entura,  her  father, 
Augustine  Solari,  a  native  of  Zoagli,  Italy,  hav- 
ing been  a  representative  of  one  of  the  oldest  and 
most  honored  families  of  that  county. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Demsey  resigned  from 
railroad  work  and  went  to  the  City  of  Mexico 
in  the  employ  of  Wells-Fargo  Company,  his 
work  being  the  changing  of  rates  at  the  adop- 
tion of  the  metric  system.  For  such  a  responsi- 
bility his  knowledge  of  the  Spanish  language 
admirably  qualified  him.  At  the  expiration  of 
six  months  he  became  an  operator  at  Mojave 
and  later  was  made  train  dispatcher  at  Bakers- 
field.  At  the  latter  town,  with  three  others,  he 
located  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  oil  lands, 
which  he  later  sold  at  a  fair  profit.  In  1902  he 
came  to  Los  Angeles  as  train  dispatcher  for  the 
Coast  Line  at  River  station,  but  a  year  later  re- 
signed the  position,  and  in  August,  1904.  came 
to  Redondo,  where  he  and  a  partner  purchased 
the  grocery  stock  of  Spradling  &  Lyon.  Sep- 
tember II,  1905,  he  sold  his  interest  to  J.  M. 
Qirisman,  and  in  January,  1906,  opened  a 
grocery  and  bakery  in  the  Bank  building.  Here 
he  has  the  latest  type  of  oven,  with  a  capacity 
greater  than  that  of  any  similar  plant  in  the 
town.  The  entire  equipment  is  modem  and  in- 
cludes a  refrigerator  and  ice  machine.  Besides 
his  other  interests  he  owns  stock  in  the  People's 
Savings  Bank  and  the  First  National  Bank. 
With  his  wife  and  two  sons.  Raymond  and  Clem- 
ent, he  occupies  a  comfortable  home  in  Redondo 
and  has  manv  friends  in  the  town.  Since  com- 
ing to  this  place  he  has  been  a  leading  member 
of  the  Board  of  Trade  and  a  local  worker  in  the 
Republican  party.  Though  he  no  longef-  follows 
telegraphy,  he  is  still  an  active  member  of  the 
Order  of  Railway  Telegraphers,  and  also  affili- 
ates with  Lodge  No.  99.  Benevolent  Protective 
Order  of  Elks   at  Los   Angeles,   and   is   worthy 


past     president     of     the     Order    of    Eagles    at 
Redondo. 


WILLIAM  M.  THOMAS.  Among  the 
active,  progressive  and  substantial  citizens  of 
Long  Beach,  William  M.  Thomas  occupies  an 
assured  position.  As  a  street  grader  and  con- 
tractor he  has  carried  on  an  extensive  busi- 
ness for  a  number  of  years,  and  to  his  skilful 
and  S}-stematic  work  is  the  city  largely  in- 
debted for  the  excellent  condition  of  its  prin- 
cipal public  thoroughfares.  A  son  of  J.  E. 
Thomas,  he  was  born,  April  13,  1871,  in  Brown 
county,  Kans.  A  native  of  Virginia,  J.  E. 
Thomas  was  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits, 
and  when  a  young  man  followed  the  march 
of  civilization  v.'estward,  settling  as  a  pioneer 
farmer  in  Brown  county.  Kans.,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  general  farming  for  many  years. 
Coming  to  California  in  1892,  he  was  first  en- 
gaged in  ranching  in  Santa  Ana,  but  is  now 
retired  from  active  pursuits,  having  a  pleas- 
ant home  on  Atlantic  avenue.  Long  Beach. 
He  married  Lizzie  Ramey,  who  was  born  in 
Virginia,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  eight 
sons  and  two  daughters,  William  M.  being 
the   eldest  child. 

Brought  up  in  Kansas,  William  M.  Thomas 
left  school  when  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  from 
that  time  was  self-supporting,  working  at  any 
honorable  employment.  In  February,  1890, 
before  attaining  his  majority,  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, settling  at  Santa  .\na.  where  he  rent- 
ed an  alfalfa  ranch,  which  he  managed  suc- 
cessfully for  about  six  years.  In  1897  he  lo- 
cated at  Long  Beach,  and  with  the  two  teams 
that  he  brought  with  him  established  the  Pio- 
neer Truck  Company.  Engaging  at  once  in 
heavy  hauling,  street  grading  and  contract- 
ing, he  has  built  up  a  large  and  remunerative 
business,  keeping  now  ten  teams  of  his  own 
constantly  at  work,  besides  having  many 
more.  When  he  located  here  there  was  but 
one  street  graded,  and  under  his  supervision 
almost  all  of  the  other  streets  and  public  high- 
ways have  been  constructed  and  graded.  He 
has  acquired  some  city  property,  and  at  the 
corner  of  Seventh  street  and  Linden  avenue 
has  an  attracti^'e  residence,  in  which  his  ofifice 
is  located. 

Mr.  Thomas  was  first  married  in  Whittier. 
Cal..  to  Minnie  Shank,  who  was  born  in  Texas, 
and  died  at  Long  Beach.  He  married  for  his 
second  wife,  in  Los  Angeles.  Cal..  Neva  Crav- 
en, a  native  of  Nebraska,  and  they  have  one 
son.  William  M.,  Jr.  In  his  political  affilia- 
tions AFr.  Thomas  is  a  strict  Bepublican,  ever 
Inyal  10  the  interests  of  his  party. 


13tt8 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


A.  R.  ROB  BINS.  In  promoting-  the  devel- 
opment, growth  and  material  prosperity  of 
Ocean  Park  A.  R.  Robbins  stands  second  to 
none,  his  influence  being  apparent  in  industrial, 
business  and  social  lines,  and  to  him  belongs 
the  distinction  of  having  the  original  name  of 
the  town,  South  Santa  Monica,  changed  to  the 
name  by  which  it  is  now  known.  A  son  of  Chand- 
ler Robbins,  he  was  born,  October  30,  1859,  in 
Aladison,  Ind.,  of  substantial  Puritan  ancestry. 
His  grandfather,  Chandler  Robbins,  Sr.,  was 
born  and  reared  in  Connecticut,  and  in  early 
manhood  went  with  Gen.  Rufus  Putnam  to  Ohio, 
settling  on  the  Western  Reserve  with  the  New- 
England   colony   of   brave   pioneers. 

Chandler  Robbins  was  born  in  Marietta,  Ohio, 
March  i,  1818,  and  died  in  Topeka,  Kans.,  May 
I,  1885.  A  talented  musician,  he  was  in  his 
earlier  life  a  professor  of  music  in  some  of  the 
best  known  colleges  of  the  east,  and  was  after- 
wards for  many  years  connected  with  W,  W. 
Kimball  &  Co.,  music  publishers  in  Chicago,  111. 
Subsequently  reiuoving  to  southern  Illinois,  he 
was  in  business  for  himself  in  Cairo  until  1877, 
when  he  went  to  Kansas,  where  he  spent  his  re- 
maining years. 

But  a  }ear  old  when  his  parents  located  in 
Chicago,  A.  R.  Robbins  lived  there  until  fifteen 
years  old,  receiving  his  elementary  education  in 
its  public  schools,  and  completing  his  studies  in 
Cairo,  111.,  and  in  Kansas.  Beginning  life  for 
himself  as  a  merchant  he  was  first  located  in  In- 
dependence, Kans.,  and  afterwards  in  Topeka. 
Retiring  from  mercantile  pursuits  after  a  brief 
experience,  he  entered  the  service  of  the  Santa 
Fe  Railroad  Company,  from  1885  until  1888  be- 
ing employed  in  the  treasury  department  at  To- 
peka, His  health  failing,  he  then  went  to  Las 
Vegas,  N.  Mex.,  to  recuperate,  and  was  there 
claim  clerk  for  the  same  company  for  two  years. 
Being  then  appointed  by  President  Harrison  post- 
master of  the  city,  he  served  for  four  years,  be- 
ing well  liked  and  prominent  in  the  community. 
In  the  spring  of  1894  he  came  to  Los  Angeles 
county  and  for  three  years,  as  agent  of  the  Santa 
Fe  Railroad  Company,  had  charge  of  the  upbuild- 
ing of  South  Santa  i\Ionica,  now  called  Ocean 
Park,  Continuing  with  his  em]3loyers,  he  was 
afterwards  made  oil  inspector  of  the  Fullerton 
oil  wells,  a  position  that  he  retained  for  some 
time.  Going  then  into  business  on  his  own  ac- 
count, he  was  engaged  principally  in  promoting 
oil  properties  in  the  Puente  district  and  in  Ven- 
tura county,  continuing  until  the  boom  abated. 
Returning  to  Ocean  Park,  he  embarked  in  the 
real-estate  business,  helping  to  organize  the 
Southern  California  Realty  Company.  Subse- 
quently selling  his  interests  in  that  firm,  he 
started  the  Robbins  Realty  Company  (Inc.),  of 
which  he  has  since  been  elected  president.     This 


company  is  carrying  on  an  extensive  and  sub- 
stantial business,  its  main  office  being  located  at 
No.  144  Pier  avenue.  Ocean  Park,  with  branch 
offices  at  Santa  Monca,  \'enice,  and  at  Shakes- 
peare Beach,  all  of  these  being  places  which 
have  been  largely  developed  through  ^Ir,  Rob- 
bins' forethought  and  good  judgment  of  prop- 
erty values. 

In  July,  1883,  Mr,  Robbins  married  Laura  N. 
Rowe,  and  into  their  home  five  children  have 
been  born,  namely:  Gardner,  Earl,  Gilbert,  Ber- 
tha and  Vivian.  Politically  JNIr.  Robbins  is  a 
Republican,  and  is  now  serving  as  Republican 
precinct  committeeman  and  as  notary  public  in 
Ocean  Park. 


HENRY  ALLGEYER,  a  rancher  located  a 
mile  and  a  quarter  from  El  Monte,  Los  An- 
geles county,  was  born  in  Rhineland,  Mont- 
gomery county,  Mo.,  March  25,  1875.  The  fam- 
ily is  of  German  origin,  and  thfe  grandfather, 
who  was  seven  feet  in  height,  served  as  body- 
guard to  Kaiser  '\\'ilhelm.  The  father,  John  B. 
Allgeyer,  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  where 
until  1868  he  engaged  in  viticulture.  In  that 
year  he  immigrated  to  the  United  States  and 
located  in  Missouri,  there  following  a  similar 
occupation  in  addition  to  general  farming. 
Coming  to  California  in  1881  he  spent  four 
months  in  Napa,  after  which  he  returned  to 
Missouri  and  settled  down  to  his  old  occupa- 
tion. Subsequently  he  again  came  to  the  state 
and  located  in  Anaheim,  Orange  county,  en- 
gaging as  a  vinej-ardist.  A  year  later  he  Avent 
to  Norwalk,  Cal.,  and  after  spending  another 
year  in  the  state  returned  to  his  old  home  in 
Missouri.  Two  months  later  he  concluded  to 
locate  permanently  in  California,  and  accord- 
ingly sold  his  property  and  in  the  fall  of  1885 
brought  his  fam.ily  to  Norwalk.  He  remained 
in  that  location  for  three  years  engaged  as  a 
vineyardist,  when,  in  1888,  he  located  in  El 
Monte  and  purchased  sixteen  acres  of  new 
land,  which  he  set  out  in  walnuts  and  other- 
wise improved  and  cultivated  until  his  retire- 
ment. His  death  occurred  in  this  location  No- 
vember 5,  1906.  Ever  since  his  location  in  the 
United  States  he  had  been  deeply  interested  in 
its  public  afifairs  and  was  a  stanch  Republican. 
His  wife,  Martina  Mair,  was  also  born  in  Ba- 
den, Germajiy  :  she  survives  her  husband  and 
still  resides  in  this  section,  being  now  seventy- 
two  years  old.  They  were  the  parents  of  four- 
teen children,  of  whom  seven  grew  to  3'ears  of 
maturit)'  and  five  are  now  living. 

The  youngest  of  the  children  born  to  his 
jDarents.  Henry  Allgeyer  was  reared  in  Mis- 
souri until  attaining  the  age  of  ten  years,  when 
lie   was   brought   to   California  by  his  parents 


-^m^AxA. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1351 


and  here  completed  his  education  in  the  public 
schools.  He  remained  at  home  and  engaged  in 
farming  until  1900,  when  he  purchased  the 
home  farm  and  continued  its  improvement  and 
culti\'ation.  He  also  purchased  adjoining  prop- 
erty until  he  now  owns  twenty-eight  acres  on 
the  San  Bernardino  road,  all  in  walnuts  and 
ten  acres  of  peet  land,  which  he  is  engaged  in 
farming.  He  has  been  successful  in  his  work 
and  at  the  same  time  takes  a  deep  interest  in 
all  movements  calculated  to  advance  the  gen- 
eral welfare,  like  his  father  supporting  the  Re- 
publican party  and  advancing  its  principles.  He 
is  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the  Mountain 
View  \\'alnut  Growers'  Association.  In  Ana- 
heim Mr.  .Mlgeyer  married  j\liss  Emily  Martin, 
a  native  of  Germany,  and  daughter  of  Ludwig 
Martin,  who  died  in  Anaheim.  They  have  three 
children.  Pearl,  Albert  and  an  infant  daughter 
unnamed. 


WILLIAM  H.  NEHER.  Though  still  a 
young  man  in  the  prime  of  life,  Mr.  Xeher 
has  attained  a  success  for  which  many  give  a 
lifetime  of  arduous  effort.  Eor  some  j^ears  he 
has  made  his  home  on  a  ranch  one  mile  south 
of  Inglewood.  Upon  coming  to  this  property 
in  1896  he  bought  five  acres  on  the  install- 
ment plan.  Erom  time  to  time  he  added  to 
the  original  tract  until  he  finally  acquired 
ninety  acres,  but  afterward  he  sold  seventy- 
acres  of  the  ranch  at  a  gratifying  advance  on 
the  first  cost.  Twenty  acres  are  left  in  his  pos- 
session, bearing  modern  improvements,  in- 
cluding a  neat  residence.  In  the  cultivation  of 
the  land  Mr.  Neher  found  the  raising  of  pop- 
corn and  Indian  corn  especially  profitable  and 
these  he  made  his  specialties.  In  the  midst 
of  his  ranching  operations  he  found  leisure  to 
invent  and  construct  a  corn  harvester  which  is 
unique  in  that  it  will  not  only  cut  the  corn,  but 
also  husk  and  shell  the  ears.  At  this  writing  he 
is  devoting  his  attention  to  a  number  of  impor- 
tant inventions  and,  in  order  to  concentrate 
his  thought  upon  their  perfection,  he  has  rent- 
ed his  ranch  and  devotes  himself  exclusively 
to  his  patents. 

Near  Salem,  in  the  count}-  of  ^Marion.  III., 
]Mr.  Xeher  was  born  October  21,  1872,  being 
a  son  of  John  and  Margaret  (Beydler)  Neher, 
natives  of  Indiana,  and  a  grandson  of  Daniel 
Neher,  who  was  a  pioneer  of  Indiana,  going 
there  from  Pennsylvania.  Upon  attaining 
man's  estate  John  Neher  left  Indiana  and  set- 
tled in  Illinois,  where  he  improved  a  tract  of 
land  near  Salem  arid  remained  for  a  number  of 
years.  When  Kansas  was  attracting  settlers 
to  its  rich  farm  lands,  he  took  his  family  to 
that  state,  and  in  1889  came  to  California,  set- 


tling at  Lordsburg.  Five  xears  later  he  re- 
moved to  Texas,  but  e\entually  settled  in 
Oklahoma,  and  now,  at  sixty-three  years  of 
age,  is  making  his  home  in  that  territory. 
During  the  residence  of  the  family  in  Kansas 
his  wife  died  at  forty  years  of  age.  She  was 
a  daughter  of  an  American  family  of  German 
extraction  and  her  parents  were  natives  of 
Pennsylvania,  removing  from  there  to  Indiana 
and  securing  government  land  in  an  early  day. 

The  children  of  pioneer  families  have  few 
advantages  for  acquiring  educations,  and  the 
early  life  of  William  H.  Neher  proved  no  ex- 
ception to  this  rule.  It  early  became  neces- 
sary for  him  to  earn  his  own  livelihood.  Being 
ambitious  by  nature,  he  did  not  allow  obsta- 
cles to  discourage  him,  but  at  the  age  of  six- 
teen years  began  to  be  self-supporting  and 
worked  his  way  through  the  college  at  Mc- 
Pherson,  Kans.  In  1890  he  entered  school  at 
Lordsburg,  Cal.,  where,  as  before,  he  paid  his 
own  way,  earning  a  neat  sum  by  teaching 
singing  classes.  Later  he  secured  a  teacher's 
grammar-grade  certificate  and  for  two  years 
taught  a  country  school  in  Riverside  county, 
but  in  1896  gave  up  that  work  and  came  to 
Inglewood,  Los  Angeles  county,  where  he  has 
since  resided,  engaging  in  ranch  pursuits  and 
in  the  perfection  of  various  inventions. 

Mr.  Neher  has  met  with  success  with  his 
inventions  and  has  just  perfected  and  put  on 
the  market  a  crude  oil  generator  for  use  on 
any  gasoline  engine,  the  use  of  which  reduces 
the  cost  of  operation  fifty  to  seventv-five  per 
cent.  The  generator  will  be  manufactured  by 
Fairbanks-Morse  of  Los  Angeles.  During 
T906  he  perfected  a  water  system  for  irrigat- 
ing five  hundred  acres  of  land  in  his  vicinity, 
by  sinking  two  wells  to  a  depth  of  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty  and  four  hundred  and  eighteen 
feet,  giving  a  flow  of  two  iiundred  inches,  and 
by  using  his  crude  oil  generator  he  lifts  the 
w'ater  one  hundred  feet  at  a  cost  of  only  thir- 
ty cents  per  hour,  which  is  one-half  of  the  for- 
mer cost. 

As  the  development  of  adecpiate  water  su]")- 
ply  is  made  possible  and  the  ability  to  distrib- 
ute the  same  at  small  cost  becomes  known 
ihere  is  reason  to  suppose  that  a  demand  for 
the  Neher  generator  will  grow  as  soon  as  the 
public  at  large  are  convinced  of  its  merits. 

In  politics  Mr.  Neher  has  been  an  ardent 
Republican  ever  since  casting  his  first  ballot 
and  has  been  interested  in  the  success  of  his 
party.  Always  active  in  school  affairs,  he 
has  served  efficiently  as  a  school  director  and 
has  maintained  a  warm  interest  in  the  educa- 
tion of  the  young.  In  1895  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  TiTiss  Lottie  E.  Elory,  who  was 
born  in  Grcclev.  Colo.,  and  has  made  Califor- 


1352 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


nia  her  home  since  girlhood.  Four  children 
were  born  of  their  union,  namel)' :  May  E. 
and  Maude  E.  (twins),  Minerva  Josephine 
and  Virgil  William.  It  is  Mr.  Neher's  ambi- 
lion  to  give  to  his  children  the  opportunities 
and  advantages  which  he  was  denied,  and  the 
success  he  has  achieved  is  especially  gratify- 
ing to  him,  because  it  enables  him  to  surround 
his  family  with  every  comfort  and  give  his 
children  the  encouraging  aid  so  helpful  to 
their   moral   and   educational   development. 


GEORGE  S.  RAYCRAFT.  Among  the  suc- 
cessful business  men  of  Compton  is  George  S. 
Raycr'aft,  who  has  for  many  years  been  actively 
identified  with  the  manufacturing  interests  of 
this  locality  as  a  harness-maker.  A  man  of  reso- 
lution and  ambition,  enterprising  and  self-re- 
liant, he  has  made  his  own  way  in  the  world,  and 
in  every  sense  implied  by  the  term  is  a  self- 
made  man.  He  was  born  September  20,  1852, 
in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
months,  his  mother  dying,  he  was  placed  in  the 
]\Irs.  Benjamin  Ross  Orphans'  Home,  in  that 
city.  He  is  of  English  ancestry,  his  father,  Tim- 
othy Raycraft,  having  been  born  in  Yorkshire, 
while  his  mother,  a  descendant  of  the  House  of 
Stuart,  was  born  and  reared  in  Lancashire.  The 
father,  a  well-educated  man,  was  a  skilled  me- 
chanic, a  cabinet,  maker  by  trade,  and  after  com- 
ing to  the  United  States  was  foreman  for  the 
Brooks  Importing  Company,  in  Cleveland,  Ohio. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  he  married,  his 
bride  being  a  girl  of  sixteen.  After  her  death 
he  went  to  the  Black  River  mining  regions. 

.\t  the  age  of  nine  years  George  S.  Raycraft 
made  his  escape  from  the  home  in  which  he  had 
been  placed,  and  from  that  time  paddled  his  own 
canoe.  He  worked  as  opportunity  offered,  at- 
tended the  common  schools,  subsequently,  in 
Chicago,  111.,  earning  enough  money  to  pay  his 
tuition  for  a  year  in  Allen's  Academy.  Leav- 
ing Chicago,  he  went  to  Sterling,  III,  where  he 
served  an  apprenticeship  of  three  years  at  the 
harness-maker's  trade,  in  the  mean  time  making 
his  home  with  Rev.  Jerome  T.  Mason,  a  Bap- 
tist minister.  Becoming  familiar  with  his  trade, 
he  had  charge  of  his  employer's  shop  for  some 
time.  .  Resigning  his  position  in  1885,  he  made 
his  way  to  California,  and  for  a  short  time  re- 
sided in  Los  Angeles.  Coming  from  there  to 
Compton.  he  was  for  eight  months  in  the  em- 
ploy of  Charles  Lyman,  receiving  a  salary  of  $t8 
a  week.  In  1886  he  started  in  business  on  his 
own  account,  and  with  the  exception  of  a  short 
time  has  since  resided  here.  In  his  operations 
he  has  met  with  success,  having  built  up  a  large 
and  lucrative  patronage,  his  reputation  for  hon- 


est, reliable  work  Ijeing  known  throughout  this 
part  of  the  county. 

In  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  December  25,  1887, 
Mr.  Raycraft  married  for  his  first  wife  lanthea 
Rae,  assistant  principal  in  one  of  the  public 
schools,  the  marriage  ceremony  being  performed 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  parsonage  by  Rev. 
R.  E.  Moore.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
Rae,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Maine,  and 
is  now  a  resident  of  Sonoma  county,  Cal.  Eigh- 
teen months  after  their  marriage,  which  was  an 
especially  happy  one,  Mrs.  Raycraft  died,  leav- 
ing a  babe  of  six  months.  This  child,  i^Iyron 
Leslie  Raycraft,  now  a  young  man  of  eighteen 
years,  is  living  with  his  maternal  grandparents 
in  Sonoma  county.  Mr.  Raycraft  married  for 
his  second  wife,  December  25,  1890,  Bertha 
Voight,  a  daughter  of  David  Voight,  who  was 
born  in  Berlin,  Germany,  and  immigrated  to 
America  with  his  family,  settling  in  Lake  county, 
Cal,  where  he  has  since  resided.  From  this 
wife  ^Ir.  Raycraft  was  divorced,  and  their  only 
child,  ^Marvel  Addie,  fourteen  years  old,  lives 
with  her  mother  in  Lake  county.  In  politics 
Mt.  Raycraft  casts  his  vote  for  the  best  men  and 
measures,  regardless  of  party  restrictions.  In 
1872,  while  living  in  Illinois,  he  joined  the  Odd 
Fellows,  passed  through  all  the  chairs  of  his 
lodge,  and  three  times  served  as  state  represen- 
tative. In  1895  he  was  made  a  member  of 
Anchor  Lodge  No.  273,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Comp- 
ton, of  which  he  is  now  past  master. 


JOHN  M.  WESTLUND.  From  Sweden  have 
come  some  of  the  most  loyal  subjects  of  the 
United  States,  and  wherever  they  may  be  located 
we  find  them  among  the  most  highly  respected 
and  successful  citizens  and  business  men.  John 
M.  Westlund,  of  Santa  Paula,  was  born  in 
Sweden  April  ig,  1870,  and  when  only  nine  years 
old  he  was  left  motherless.  There  were  six 
children  in  the  parental  family,  only  one  of 
whom,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  lives  in  Cali- 
fornia. The  father  immigrated  to  America  and 
settled  in  Kansas,  where  he  finally  died,  at  the 
good  old  age  of  eighty-two  years.  John  M. 
Westlund  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  Sweden  and  was  fifteen  years  old 
when  he  came  to  the  new  world  and  joined  his 
father  in  Kansas,  where  they  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, and  also  worked  on  the  ^lissouri  Pacific 
Railroad. 

After  three  years'  residence  in  Kansas,  in  1888 
John  M.  Westlund,  removed  to  A'entura  county, 
Cal.,  and  worked  on  the  wharf  at  \^entura  for 
three  years.  He  was  anxious  to  resume  ranch- 
ing, however,  and  upon  a  ranch  near  Saticoy,  he 
remained  about  thirteen  years,  after  which  he 
moved  onto  the  place  where  he  now  resides.     He 


HISTORTXAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1353 


carries  on  operations  on  a  large  scale,  and  be- 
sides cultivating  the  thirty-three  acre  ranch  of 
walnuts  which  he  owns,  he  rents  a  tract  con- 
taining a  hundred  acres  on  which  he  has  thirty 
acres  of  walnuts  and  seventy  acres  of  beans.  On 
another  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  forty  acres 
he  has  twenty  acres  in  walnuts  and  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  in  beans.  He  has  lived  in  his 
present  home  for  eight  years. 

In  1902  Mr.  Westlund  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Sarah  Wilson,  a  native  of  Nebraska,  and  to 
them  three  children  have  been  born:  Francis, 
Mary  and  Carl.  Both  Mr.  Westlund,  who  is  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  his  wife, 
who  belongs  to  the  JNIethodist  Episcopal  Church, 
are  deeply  interested  in  religious  matters  and 
contribute  liberally  to  the  support  of  both  de- 
nominations represented  by  their  membership. 
Fraternally  Mr.  Westlund  affiliates  with  the 
Foresters  Lodge  of  Saticoy,  and  politically  be- 
longs to  the  Republican  party. 


JOSEPH  EUGENE  SHREWSBURY.  The 
present  efficiency  of  the  fire  department  of  Long 
Beach  is  in  large  measure  due  to  the  efforts  of 
Chief  Joseph  E.  Shrewsbury,  with  which  de- 
partment of  the  city's  activity  he  has  been  con- 
nected since  May  27,  1902.  At  the  same  time  he 
has  built  up  for  himself  a  position  of  prominence 
among  the  business  men  of  this  city,  being  as- 
sociated with  the  firm  of  W.  W.  Lowe  &  Co., 
real-estate  dealers.  Mr.  Shrewsbury  is  a  native 
of  the  middle  west,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
Stillwater,  i\Iinn.,  August  19,  1867,  although 
California  has  been  his  home  since  he  was  three 
years  of  age.  His  father,  W.  P.  Shrewsbury, 
located  in  Minnesota  from  his  native  state,  Ohio, 
having  served  in  the  Sixty-third  Regiment  Ohio 
Infantry  during  the  Civil  war,  a  member  of  the 
Signal  Corps.  After  his  removal  to  Minnesota 
he  engaged  in  the  livery  business  in  Stillwater, 
where  he  remained  until  1870;  in  that  year  he 
located  in  Point  Arena,  Mendocino  county.  Cal., 
and  engaged  in  ranching  for  a  time.  In  Clover- 
dale,  Somona  county,  he  followed  the  livery  busi- 
ness until  his  removal  to  Skagit  county.  Wash., 
where  he  now  resides.  His  wife,  formerly  Nora 
Kerns,  died  in  Seattle.  Wash. 

One  of  three  children  born  to  his  parents.  Jo- 
seph Eugene  Shrewsbury  received  his  education 
in  the  public  school  of  California,  which  he  at- 
tended up  to  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  when  he 
became  dependent  upon  his  own  resources.  For 
several  years  he  was  employed  in  the  lumber 
milling  business  in  Mendocino  county,  after 
which  he  was  engaged  in  Seattle  as  a  stationary 
engineer,  later  going  to  Butte.  Mont.,  and  fol- 
lowing the  same  occupation,  .\fter  seven  months 
in  tilt  last  i.amcd  pb.co  he  went  to  Strum,  ^^'^s., 


and  remained  in  that  locality  until  1896.  Com- 
ing then  to  Southern  California  he  located  in 
Long  Beach  and  with  a  friend,  JNIr.  Lollich,  con- 
ducted the  Long  Beach  Steam  Laundry,  the  first 
enterprise  of  its  kind  here.  Later  he  sold  his 
interest  to  James  Clewett,  after  which  he  operat- 
ed a  stationary  engine  and  engaged  as  a  ma- 
chinist for  the  Mineral  Hill  Mining  Company. 
Returning  to  Long  Beach  in  1902  he  purchased 
an  interest  in  the  real-estate  business  of  W.  W. 
Lowe  &  Co.,  and  has  continued  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  ever  since.  He  was  actively  in- 
terested in  the  laying  out  of  the  Atlantic  avenue 
subdivision.  Overlook  Park  tract.  Mew  Acre 
tract,  Summer  Villa  tract,  Fry  Walnut  tract. 
Palm  Vista  tract.  Van  Orman  tract  and  others. 

In  Seattle,  Wash.,  Mr.  Shrewsbury  married 
Miss  Maggie  Baldridge,  a  native  of  Wisconsin, 
and  born  of  this  union  are  two  children,  Elenora 
and  Ruby.  INIrs.  Shrewsbury  is  a  woman  of 
culture  and  refinement,  prominent  in  social  cir- 
cles and  gives  her  religious  support  to  the  Con- 
gregational Church,  of  which  she  is  a  member. 
Mr.  Shrewsbury  from  the  first  has  taken  a  promi- 
nent part  in  public  affairs,  one  of  the  first  of  his 
official  positions  being  city  plumbing  inspector, 
he  being  the  first  incumbent  of  this  position. 
r^Iay  27,  1902,  he  became  connected  with  the 
Long  Beach  fire  department,  having  previously 
had  experience  in  Anacortes,  Wash.,  as  captain 
of  a  truck  company.  Three  months  after  he  be- 
came associated  with  the  fire  department  of 
Long  Beach  he  was  elected  chief  and  assumed  the 
duties  in  the  volunteer  department.  In  Janu- 
ary, 1 906.  upon  the  organization  of  a  new  de- 
partment, he  was  again  elected  chief  by  the  mem- 
bers of  the  department.  The  central  house  is  lo- 
cated on  Third  street  and  Pacific  avenue,  with 
branches  at  Second  and  Lime,  Tenth  and  Lime 
and  at  Terminal ;  many  improvements  have  been 
made  in  the  methods  and  management  of  the  de- 
partment, its  equipment,  which  is  thoroughly 
modern  and  up-to-date,  consisting  of  a  steamer 
and  combined  chemical  engine  and  hose  wagon ; 
also  two  ordinary  hose  wagons ;  and  hook  and 
ladder,  while  there  has  been  installed  a  machine 
shop  where  they  manufacture  their  own  fire 
hydrants,  the  invention  of  this  department.  The 
fire  alarm  system  is  one  of  unusual  merit,  and 
unlike  most  systems  an  adequate  protection  for 
the  city.  Mr.  Shrewsbury  is  keenlv  alive  to  the 
success  of  the  department  and  is  enthusiastic  in 
his  work.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Pacific  Coast 
Fire  Chiefs'  Association  and  the  National  Fire- 
man's Association.  Fraternally  he  is  associated 
with  the  Knights  of  Pvthias,  of  which  he  is  past 
chancellor  commander :  Uniformed  Rank, 
Knights  of  Pythias,  of  which  he  is  ex-lieutenant ; 
and  of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 
He  is  likewise  a  member  of  Sons  of  ^''eterans, 


1354 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


being  associated  with  Lawton  Camp  Xo.  2  and 
is  one  of  the  state  councillors.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  Good  Roads 
Societ_y  and  the  Cosmopolitan  Club.  Politically 
he  is  a  stanch  adherent  of  the  principles  advo- 
cated in  the  platform  of  the  Republican  party. 
Mr.  Shrewsbury  merits  the  high  position  which 
he  holds  in  the  esteem  of  all  who  have  been  as- 
sociated with  him  throughout  his  residence  in 
Southern  California,  appreciated  alike  for  his  re- 
markable qualities  along  business  lines  and  the 
characteristics  of  the  man  and  citizen. 


WILLIAM  H.  CARPENTER.  In  the  de- 
velopment and  advancement  of  the  material  and 
industrial  prosperity  of  Compton  no  one  per- 
son was  more  active  and  influential  than  the  late 
William  H.  Carpenter,  who  during  the  quarter 
of  a  centurv  that  he  resided  here  was  identified 
with  the  establishment  of  every  beneficial  enter- 
prise of  importance.  Industrious,  thrifty  and 
capable,  he  accumulated  wealth  and  distinction 
through  his  own  strenuous  efforts,  became  prom- 
iment  in  business  circles,  and  as  a  man  and  a 
citizen  was  held  in  the  highest  regard  through- 
out the  community,  his  many  sterling  traits  of 
character  and  upright  moral  principles  winning 
the  respect  of  all  witli  whom  he  was  brought  in 
contact.  A  native  of  New  York  state,  he  was 
born.  July  20,  1855,  in  the  city  of  Utica,  where 
he  lived  until  nine  years  old. 

Reared  in  the  Empire  state,  Mr.  Carpenter  at- 
tended the  public  schools  as  a  boy  and  youth, 
completing  his  early  education  at  the  Clinton 
Liberal  Institute,  in  Clinton,  N.  Y.  At  the  age 
of  twenty-one  years  he  came  to  California,  join- 
ing his  father,  who  had  three  months  previously 
settled  in  Rakersfield,  Kern  county.  A  few 
months  later,  in  October,  1877,  Mr.  Carpenter 
located  in  Compton  as  a  pioneer  of  this  section 
of  Los  Angeles  county.  Purchasing  land,  he 
engaged  extensively  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and 
in  his  independent  occupation  met  with  eminent 
success.  He  farmed  on  a  large  scale,  at  one 
time  having  four  thousand  acres  of  grain  to  care 
for,  at  the  same  time  running  a  threshing  out- 
fit. Continuing  his  operations,  he  was  each  sea- 
son well  repaid  by  the  bountiful  harvests  pro- 
duced in  his  fertile,  well-tilled  fields  and  or- 
chards, which  readily  responded  to  his  care  and 
management.  December  3,  1901,  while  yet  in 
manhood's  prime,  he  was  called  to  the  life  be- 
yond, his  death  being  a  sad  loss  to  the  commun- 
ity as  well  as  to  his  immediately  family  and 
friends.  Politically  he  was  a  stanch  Republican, 
active  in  party  ranks,  many  times  serving  as 
delegate  to  county  and  state  conventions.  Fra- 
ternalh'  he   was   a   prominent   Mason    and   Odd 


Fellow,  holding  all  of  the  important  offices  m 
the  lodges  of  both  organizations. 

December  18,  1881,  in  Compton.  I\Ir.  Car- 
penter married  Mary,  daughter  of  William  and 
Lucy  (Heath)  Malott,  natives  of  Virginia,  who 
came  to  California  about  1875,  purchased  a  part 
of  a  Spanish  grant  near  Compton,  and  there  spent 
tlieir  remaining  years.  Of  the  union  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Carpenter  six  children  were  born,  two 
daughters  and  four  sons.  The  daughters,  Mabel 
C.  and  Helen  L.,  died  in  childhood,  and  the 
sons  are  living,  as  follows :  William  O.  and 
Arthur  L.,  attending  the  Los  Angeles  Military 
Academy;  and  Lawrence  E.  and  Raymond,  liv- 
ing with  their  mother. 

January  22,  1903,  Mrs.  Carpenter  married  Lee 
O.  Funk,  of  Compton,  a  prosperous  agriculturist, 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  dairying,  his 
ranch  of  two  hundred  and  sixty-four  acres  ly- 
ing two  miles  east  of  the  village.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Funk,  however,  live  in  Compton,  having  a  fine 
home  in  the  pleasantest  part  of  the  town.  They 
have  one  daughter,  Lucille  Funk,  who  was  born 
January  26,   1906. 


CHARLES  Y.  FORD.  The  position  of  post- 
master at  Wynola,  which  he  has  filled  for  a 
period  of  about  ten  years,  occupies  the  attention 
of  J\Ir.  Ford  to  some  extent,  but  the  duties  are 
not  sufficiently  heavy  to  deter  him  from  engaging 
in  other  activities.  Accordingly  he  devotes  con- 
siderable attention  to  the  care  of  his  farm  in  the 
Wynola  district,  where  he  and  his  sister.  Miss 
Mary  E.  Ford,  have  established  a  comfortable 
home  and  invested  their  savings  in  the  .land  and 
its  improvement.  The  tract  comprises  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres,  the  larger  portion  of 
which  is  under  cultivation  to  farm  crops  or  in 
pasturage,  but  twenty-five  acres  have  been  set 
aside  for  a  fruit  orchard  and  apple  and  cherry 
trees  have  been  planted  that  now  produce  bounti- 
ful crops  of  their  special  varieties. 

On  a  farm  near  Pinckneyville,  Perry  county, 
111.,  Charles  Y.  Ford  was  born  October  20,  1865. 
his  parents  being  John  P.  and  Louisa  H. 
(Youngblood)  Ford,  natives  respectively  of  Ken- 
tucky and  Illinois.  His  father  was  but  a  small 
boy  when  the  family  removed  from  Kentucky  to 
the  then  frontier  of  Illinois,  and  hence  much  of 
his  active  life  was  passed  in  the  developing  en- 
vironment of  a  new  community.  In  time  he  be- 
came one. of  the  well-known  farmers  and  stock- 
raisers  in  the  vicinity  of  Pinckneyville,  and  he 
continued  in  the  same  locality  until  1885,  when 
he  came  to  California  and  settled  on  a  ranch  near 
Santa  Ana.  On  that  homestead  his  death  oc- 
curred December  27,  1904,  when  he  was  four- 
score years  of  age,  and  his  wife  passed  away  in 
1897,  ''t  the  age  of  seventy. 


<Lyi^y^hz>£,$?icz^'-^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1357 


Un  removing  to  California  Charles  Y.  Ford 
was  a  young  man  about  t\vent\'  j'ears  of  age, 
ready  for  the  active  responsibilities  of  earning  a 
livelihood  and  ambitious  to  work  his  own  way  in 
the  world.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  in  the  state 
he  purchased  the  land  which  he  still  owns  and  in 
which  his  sister  also  is  interested.  In  addition  to 
managing  the  home  property  he  rents  land  which 
he  sows  in  grain.  Recently  he  has  erected  a  com- 
fortable farm  residence  that  adds  greatly  to  the 
appearance  and  value  of  the  farm.  In  1897  he 
was  appointed  postmaster  and  has  held  the  office 
under  a  Republican  administration,  although  he 
is  stanchly  Democratic  in  his  opinions.  His  sister 
liolds  membership  with  the  Baptist  Church  and 
he  is  a  contributor  to  religious  measures,  al- 
though not  identified  with  any  denomination. 
Fraternally  he  has  his  membership  with  Court 
Julian  Banner  No.  8522,  A.  O.  F.,  at  Julian. 
During  the  long  period  of  his  residence  in  the 
locality  he  has  gained  the  confidence  of  acquaint- 
ances and  has  won  an  assured  position  in  the  es- 
teem of  those  with  whom  business  or  social  rela- 
tions have  brought  him  into  contact. 


NILES  NELSON.  One  among  the  oldest 
settlers  of  San  Diego  county  and  the  oldest 
resident  of  Poway,  Niles  Nelson  was  born 
near  Kongsberg,  Norway,  July  15th,  1832.  He 
was  the  son  of  Ole  and  Anneken  (Stabeck) 
Nelson,  who  were  among  the  most  substantial 
and  honored  old  families  of  the  Northland.  In 
1842  they  sold  their  farm  and  made  the  long 
journey  of  that  day  to  the  New  World,  bring- 
mg  their  family.  The  father  died  while  cross- 
ing Lake  Michigan.  At  Milwaukee  they  were 
met  by  Mrs.  Nelson's  brother,  Clement  Sta- 
beck, who  had  settled  in  Illinois  in  1839  ^"'^ 
by  teams  they  proceeded  to  Rock  Run,  Step- 
henson county,  Illinois.  Mrs.  Nelson  still  had 
sufficient  funds  to  purchase  a  good  farm  near 
what  is  now  the  town  of  Davis,  and  there  she 
resided  until  her  death  in  1883  at  the -age  of 
eighty-three  years.  She  was  a  woman  of 
strong  character,  high  ideals,  and  great  moral 
worth,  her  amiable  disposition  and  strong  re- 
ligious convictions  endeared  her  greatly  to  her 
large  circle  of  friends.  Her  teachings  left  their 
deep  imprint  on  Mr.  Nelson,  who  grew  to  re- 
spect, honor  and  regard  them  as  his  guilding 
star  tlirough  life. 

Mr.  Nelson  is  now  the  only  survivor  of  the 
family.  He  grew  to  manhood  on  the  farm  and 
attended  the  common  schools,  but  they  were 
limited  in  those  days  and  most  of  his  educa- 
tion was  obtained  by  self-study  at  night  after 
a  hard  day's  work  and  by  experience  when  in 
contact  with  the  problems  of  the  business 
world.     When   nineteen   years  of  age  he   and 


jiis  half-brother,  Thurston  Kiuidson,  joined  a 
company  starting  for  the  gold  fields  of  Cali- 
fornia. Outfitting  with  ox-teams  and  wagons 
ihey  left  April  25,  1852,  crossing  the  Alissouri 
river  at  Council  Bluffs  and  on  up  the  Platte 
river,  then  a  wilderness  with  herds  of  buffalo 
and  roving  bands  of  Indians.  They  crossed 
the  summit  of  the  Rockies  at  South  Pass  and 
followed  the  old  Oregon  trail  to  Bear  river, 
vvhere  they  crossed  to  the  Humboldt,  which 
they  followed  until  arriving  at  the  Upper 
Humboldt  Meadows,  vv-hen  they  came  by  the 
Lassen  route  to  Shasta  count}',  California,  aft- 
er a  six  months"  trip.  There  they  engaged  in 
placer  mining  lor  about  lour  years  on  Clear 
Creek,  meeting  v.dth  considerable  success, 
and  as  they  made  money  they  sent  it  to  Illi- 
nois and  purcliased  land.  Concluding  to  return 
east  they  left  San  Francisco  on  the  steamer 
Cortez,  April,  1836,  to  go  via  the  Nicaragua 
'oute,  but  on  account  of  the  Walker  insurrec- 
tion the  steamer  went  on  to  Panama,  landing 
them  just  before  the  Panama  riots  of  April  15, 
1856,  and  history  gives  credit  to  the  valor  and 
courage  of  the  passengers  of  the  Cortez  (re- 
turning California  miners)  for  saving  the  day 
for  the  Americans  against  the  greasers.  Dur- 
ing the  rict  ]\Ir.  Nelson  was  robbed  of  gold 
dust  to  the  amount  of  $1,500,  but  under  the 
circumstances  was  fortunate  to  escape  with  his 
life  which  had  also  been  attempted.  From 
Aspinwall  they  took  a  mail  boat  to  Havana, 
Ihenceito  Ne^v  York  City,  and  returned  to  Il- 
linois. There  he  engaged  in  farming  until  1861, 
when  he  again  returned  to  California  via  Pana- 
ma. He  followed  mining  at  the  Orofino  mines, 
next  in  Josephine  county.  Ore.,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1862,  when  he  made  his  way  to  the 
Caribou  mine  on  Williams  Creek,  B.  C,  where 
he  mined  until  fall :  tlien  he  went  to  the  Boise 
mines,  in  Idaho,  via  San  Francisco.  The  fall 
found  him  in  Astoria,  Ore.,  where  he  remained 
until  the  spring  of  1865,  when  he  returned  to 
Illinois  via  the  Panama  route.  He  located  on 
his  farm  adjoining  Davis  and  engaged  in  the 
pursuit  of  agriculture  for  eight  years.  But  the 
Pacific  coast  had  such  attractions  for  him  that 
he  could  not  content  himself.  During  his  min- 
ing experience  he  had  met  and  formed  the 
friendship  of  A.  E.  Hortcn,  the  founder  of  San 
Diego,  and  in  May,  1873,  he  sold  his  farm  and 
removed  to  the  southland.  He  embarked  in 
business  in  San  Diego  with  the  prospect  that 
Thomas  Scott  Avould  build  the  I'exas  Pacific 
R.  R..  but  when  the  financial  crash  came  Scott 
failed  in  business  and  San  Diego  suffered  ac- 
cordingly. He  then  located  on  a  homestead 
in  Pow-ay  and  there  began  improving  a  farm 
and  building  a  liouse  in  what  was  then  prac- 
tically  a  wilderness.     He  has   met   with   sue- 


1358 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


cess  as  a  farmer  and  horticulturist  and  now 
owns  four  hundred  and  tliirty  acres  of  land 
devoted  to  raising  grain  and  cattle ;  has  a 
vineyard  of  thirty-five  acres  raising  both  table 
and  raisen  grapes  and  also  an  orchard  of  eight 
acres.  He  has  also  installed  a  pumping  plant 
for  irrigating  a  small  aiea. 

At  Davis,  III,  jNIr.  Nelson  was  married  Oc- 
tober 25,  1865,  to  Miss  Helene  Joranleid,  who 
was  born  near  Christiania,  Norway,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Hans  and  Ingeborg  (Bratlien)  Joran- 
leid, who  were  very  substantial  and  extensive 
farmers.  Mrs.  Nelson  came  to  America  in 
1856  and  has  been  truly  a  helpmate  to  her 
husband.  She  is  a  woman  of  much  native 
ability  and  is  greatly  appreciated  by  her  many 
friends,  who  esteem  her  for  her  excellent  quali- 
ties. They  are  the  parents  of  four  children, 
three  of  wdiom  are  living,  namely:  Henry  Os- 
car, a  farmer  and  horticulturist  in  Poway,  Gal. ; 
Albert  I.,  assists  his  father  in  the  management 
of  the  home  ranch ;  Ida  Glarisse,  wife  of  Will- 
iam L.  Stone,  proprietor  of  the  Jersey  Dairy 
in  San  Diego ;  and  Nels  who  died  in  his  teens. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nelson  adhere  to  the  teachings 
of  the  Lutheran  Church  and  are  strong  advo- 
cates of  temperance.  Mr.  Nelson  is  a  very 
public-spirited  and  enterprising  man  and  has 
ever  been  active  in  the  upbuilding  of  his  com- 
munity. The  schools  have  always  received 
his  hearty  support  and  co-operation.  For 
many  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  byard  of 
school  trustees,  a  part  of  the  time  acting  as 
clerk.  Other  enterprises  that  have  been  start- 
ed from  time  to  time  have  always  received 
his   liberal   support   and   aid. 


H.  P.  SGHOFIELD.  Several  successive 
generations  of  the  Schofield  family  have  made 
their  homes  in  the  LTnited  States,  the  first  of 
the  name  in  this  countr}^  having  been  Arthur 
-Schofield,  a  native  of  Schofield,  England,  and 
by  occupation  a  manufacturer  of  broadcloth. 
On  coming  to  America  he  embarked  in  busi- 
ness at  Pittsfield,  I\Tass.,  where  he  made  the 
first  yard  of  broadcloth  e\'er  manufactured  in 
the  United  States.  At  the  time  of  his  death 
he  had  rounded  out  a  full  centun,'  of  useful- 
ness and  activity.  Next  in  line  of  descent  was 
Arthur,  Jr.,  Avho  learned  the  trade  of  carriage- 
making  and  followed  the  occupation  with  con- 
siderable success  in  South  Egremont,  Mass., 
remaining  a  resident  and  business  man  of  that 
city  until  his  death  at  sixty-eight  years. 

Although  his  early  years  were  passed  in 
Massachusetts,  famed  for  the  high  character 
of  its  literary  institutions  and  the  wide  scope 
of  its  educational  opportunities,  it  was  not  pos- 
sible for  H.  P.  Schofield  to  attend  school  ow- 


ing to  conditions  over  which  he  had  no  control. 
Horn  in  Sheffield,  Mass.,  the  son  of  Arthur, 
Jr.,  he  was  only  eight  years  of  age  when  he 
ran  away  from  home  and  from  that  time  on- 
ward he  was  self-supporting.  The  success 
which  he  later  achieved  was  not  the  result  of 
educational  privileges  or  the  help  of  others,  but 
came  as  the  result  of  his  unaided  exertions  in 
the  field  of  business  enterprise.  The  world 
was  his  school-room  and  experience  his  teach- 
er, and  who  shall  say  that  he  failed  to  learn 
his  lessons  under  the  rigid  discipline  of  his 
stern  instructor?  After  having  served  a  full 
apprenticeship  to  the  trade  of  carriage-maker 
in  Massachusetts,  at  the  age  of  eighteen  he  en- 
listed in  the  Union  army  for  service  during  the 
Civil  war.  As  a  member  of  Company  K,  Four- 
teenth New  York  Infantry,  enlisting  at  Hud- 
son, N.  Y.,  he  accompanied  his  regiment  to 
the  front,  where  he  remained  for  two  years. 
He  was  then  summoned  to  Washington,  D.  C, 
where  he  served  nearh^  one  }-ear  in  the  quar- 
termaster's department. 

At  the  expiration  of  the  Civil  war  in  1865 
Mr.  Schofield  went  to  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  and 
opened  a  carriage-manufacturing  plant,  which 
proved  a  success  from  the  inauguration  of  the 
enterprise.  After  ten  profitable  years  in  the 
same  location  he  went  into  the  oil  regions  as 
an  operator  and  contractor  and  builder,  be- 
sides which  he  operated  at  Elmira,  N.  Y.  The 
next  industry  which  engaged  his  attention 
was  in  Chicago,  where  he  manufactured  ma- 
•chinery  under  special  patents.  The  plant  on 
Canal  street  gave  employment  to  one  hundred 
and  fifty  workmen  and  produced  machinery.' 
for  the  filing  of  every  variety  of  saw!  from  the 
smallest  hand  saw  to  the  largest  circular  kind. 
By  this  process  the  work  of  filing,  previously 
done  by  hand,  was  entirely  revolutionized  and 
simplified.  From  a  small  beginning  the  bus- 
iness grew,  vvithout  the  aid  of  any  traveling 
men  whatever,  until  orders  were  received 
from  every  part  of  the  United  States  and 
eventually  from  every  portion  of  the  civilized 
world. 

After  a  remarkably  successful  business  ca- 
reer as  a  manufacturer  of  his  inventions  and 
patents  l\Tr.  Schofield  eventually  disposed  of 
his  interest  in  the  factory  to  his  partner,  L.  L. 
Filstrup.  Being  thtis  released  from  business 
cares,  he  was  able  to  seek  the  delights  of  a 
genial  climate  and  thereupon  came  to  Southern 
California,  where  he  built  his  beautiful  home, 
Walholla,  at  Ocean  Park.  Though  his  busi- 
ness life  was  one  of  great  responsibilities  and 
his  labors  often  kept  him  at  his  desk  from  dawn 
until  midnight,  yet  he  retains  to  a  large  degree 
the  robustness  of  youth.  In  a  large  measure 
this  is  due  to  his  temperament  and  fine  poise 


HTSTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1359 


of  mind.  Business  cares  were  left  behind  when 
the  office  door  was  closed.  Anxious  moments 
he  had,  as  do  all  who  control  great  enterprises, 
yet  he  never  allowed  himself  to  be  worried  or 
irritated  by  his  anxieties,  and  thus  has  re- 
tained his  physical  and  mental  strength  and 
alertness.  In  fraternal  matters  he  affiliated 
with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows 
and  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  while 
living  in  Chicago.  While  living  in  Rochester, 
N.  Y.,  just  after  the  close  of  the  Civil  war.  he 
married  Mary  A.  Darling-,  who  died  in  New 
York,  and  later  he  married  Margaret  Buttrey, 
who  was  born  in  London,  Canada,  and  was 
making  her  home  at  Galesburg,  this  state,  at 
the  time  of  their  union. 


FRANCIS  PERRY  SAPPINGTON,  M.  D. 
The  family  with  which  Dr.  Sappington,  of  El 
Monte,  is  connected  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most 
prominent  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  the  town  of  Sap- 
pington, in  St.  Louis  county,  being  his  birth- 
place. His  father,  T.  J.,  was  born  there,  while 
his  grandfather,  John,  belonged  to  an  old  family 
of  Kentucky  and  in  1803  settled  in  St.  Louis, 
which  was  then  a  part  of  the  Louisiana  territory. 
He  inherited  the  patriotic  spirit  which  induced 
him  to  serve  in  the  war  of  1812,  an  ancestor, 
John  Sappington,  of  Maryland,  having  served 
throughout  the  Revolutionary  war,  after  which 
he  removed  to  Kentucky  and  became  a  planter, 
serving  in  the  state  legislature  and  becoming  rec- 
ognized as  one  of  the  strong  upbuilding  factors 
of  the  section.  He  had  seventeen  children,  all 
of  whom  he  sent  to  Missouri  to  buy  land  nine 
miles  from  St.  Louis  and  agreed  to  come  himself 
as  soon  as  Jefferson  purchased  the  territory.  John 
Sappington,  Jr.,  became  the  owner  of  three 
thousand  acres  of  land  and  received  a  medal 
from  the  Missouri  legislature  for  having  the 
model  farm  of  the  state.  In  the  war  of  18 12  he 
was  the  first  man  to  plunge  into  the  Mississippi 
river  and  swim  across  to  join  Governor  Edwards, 
of  Illinois,  for  service.  T.  J.  Sappington  became 
a  farmer  in  Missouri,  where  his  death  occurred 
at  an  advanced  age.  He  was  a  friend  of  Gen- 
eral Grant  and  helped  him  build  his  loghouse  at 
what  was  known  as  Hardscrabble.  He  married 
Julia  Leffingwell,  a  native  of  Beloit,  Wis.,  and 
daughter  of  William  Leffingwell,  of  Salem, 
Mass.,  and  a  descendant  of  Alayflower  ancestry 
and  Revolutionary  sires.  He  himself  served 
with  Perry  in  the  war  of  1812  as  a  musician. 
The  mother  still  survives  and  makes  her  home  in 
Sappington,  Mo. 

The  oldest  in  a  family  of  four  children,  all  of 
whom  are  living,  Francis  Perry  Sappington  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Sappington,  September  8, 
1871.     He  was  brought  up  on  his  father's  farm 


and  educated  primarily  in  the  public  schools  and 
Kirkwood  Military  Academy  under  Professor 
Haight.  He  then  entered  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  Washington  University,  from  which  in- 
stitution he  was  graduated  in  1893  ^^''^h  the  de- 
gree of  M.  D.  Locating  in  Sappington,  he  prac- 
ticed medicine  there  for  nine  years.  In  No- 
vember, 1902,  he  came  to  California  and  in  Whit- 
tier  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  in  partner- 
ship with  A.  G.  Oabaugh,  the  firm  name  being 
Clabaugli  &  Sappington.  Six  months  later  he 
sold  out  his  interest  in  this  enterprise  and  re- 
turned to  Missouri,  where  he  settled  up  his  busi- 
ness and  in  January,  1904,  once  more  located  in 
the  Pacific  state.  In  El  Monte  he  purchased  a 
fifteen-acre  ranch  on  Tyler  street,  erected  a 
handsome  residence,  and  at  the  same  time  es- 
tablished a  lumber  business  and  the  first  lumber 
yard  in  the  town.  He  now  owns  an  acre  on  the 
railroad,  where  he  has  put  up  sheds,  etc.,  and  is 
carrying  on  an  extensive  and  constantly  increas- 
ing business. 

In  St.  Louis,  i\Io.,  Dr.  Sappington  married 
I\Iiss  Fannie  Walls,  a  native  of  that  city  and  a 
daughter  of  William  C.  Walls,  a  broker.  They 
have  three  children,  Thomas  Jeiiferson,  and  twin 
daughters,  Mildred  Halpain  and  Joyce  Harbison. 
Fraternally  the  doctor  was  made  a  Mason  in 
Whittier  Lodge  No.  323  and  now  belongs  to  Lex- 
ington Lodge  No.  104,  of  El  IMonte.  He  is  also 
identified  with  the  Independent  Order  of  For- 
esters and  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  In 
religion  he  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church, 
and  politically  is  a  Democrat. 


GEORGE  ELLIOT.  An  instance  of  a  man 
who  has  gone  out  to  meet  opportunity,  who  has 
had  the  alertness  to  grasp  it  and  the  ability  to 
develop  it,  is  found  in  George  Elliot,  a  rancher 
engaged  in  strenuously  promoting  the  grain  and 
bean  industry  in  the  neighborhood  of  Santa 
Maria.  Mr.  Elliott  possesses  the  steadfastness 
of  purpose  and  perseverance  of  the  Scotchman, 
and  that  determination  which  minimizes  obstacles 
and  rises  upon  defeat.  He  was  born  near  Edin- 
burg,  Scotland,  October  11.  1850,  the  son  of 
Francis  and  Jane  (Douglas)  Elliot,  who,  in 
1862,  brought  their  family  to  America  and  set- 
tled on  a  farm  in  Delaware  county,  N.  Y.  The 
elder  Elliot  was  an  experienced  dairyman,  and 
he  continued  to  follow  this  occupation  until  a 
few  years  before  his  death,  at  the  age  of  eighty 
years.  His  wife  died  in  1877,  at  the  age  of  forty- 
four.  She  was  the  mother  of  eight  children,  of 
whom  one  daughter  died  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
seven  years,  and  of  whom  three  sons  live  in  Cal- 
ifornia. 

George  Elliot  was  twelve  years  old  when  his 
youthful  activities  were  shifted  from  Scotland  to 


VMO 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Delaware  county,  N.  Y.  There  he  learned  all 
about  dairying  from  his  father,  and  at  irregular 
intervals  attended  the  public  schools.  In  1873  he 
came  to  California  to  seek  the  rewards  of  an  in- 
dependent life,  settling  in  San  Jose,  where  he 
found  employment  for  a  couple  of  years.  In  1875 
he  came  to  the  Santa  i\Iaria  valle_v,  rented  a 
ranch  for  two  years,  and  then  engaged  in  the 
stock  business  in  the  mountains  for  four  years. 
For  the  following  two  jears  he  was  emplo_\-ed  on 
a  ranch  in  the  valley,  and  in  1886  purchased  the 
farm  of  two  hundred  acres  which  formed  the 
nucleus  of  his  present  large  property.  From 
general  farming  and  stock-raising  he  eventually 
changed  to  grain  and  beans,  and  these  crops 
proved  so  profitable  that  in  1903  he  added  two 
hundred  acres  to  his  farm,  the  majority  of  it  un- 
der these  two  products.  Excellent  improvements 
have  resulted  from  his  occupation  of  this  large 
estate,  and  all  are  of  a  practical  and  enduring  na- 
ture. The  owner  has  studied  well  the  economic 
side  of  agriculture,  and  is  quick  to  adopt  the  new 
order  of  things. 

The  family  of  ]\Ir.  Elliot  consists  of  his  wife, 
formerly  Ellen  Bradley,  a  native  of  California, 
and  whom  he  married  in  1886,  and  a  son,  Fran- 
cis. His  political  affiliations  are  with  the  Repub- 
lican party,  and  as  its  chosen  representative  he 
has  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  educa- 
tion. Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Santa 
Alaria  Lodge  No.  340,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  the 
Knights  of  Pythias.  He  finds  a  religious  home 
in  the  Presbyterian  Church.  The  life  and  labor 
of  Mr.  Elliot,  as  an  expression  of  earnest  and 
praiseworthy  resolve,  is  entitled  to  enrollment 
among  those  adopted  sons  of  the  state  who  are 
adding  to  its  material,  intellectual  and  moral 
wealth. 


SAMUEL  H.  FLINT  is  one  of  the  highly  re- 
spected pioneers  of  Ventura  county  who  has  been 
very  successful  in  his  ranching  projects.  He  was 
born  January  22,  1834,  in  Clinton  county,  N.  Y., 
being  a  member  of  a  family  of  ten  children,  nine 
of  whom  grew  to  maturity,  but  only  two  are  now 
living:  Samuel  H.  and  John,  the  latter  living  in 
Iowa.  The  father,  Samuel  Flint,  was  born  in 
New  Hampshire,  and  the  mother,  who  was  Ann 
Dominy  before  her  marriage,  was  a  native  of 
Long  island,  N.  Y.,  and  was  married  in  Clinton 
county.  In  1835  the  father  went  to  Ohio  with 
his  family  and  there  he  remained  until  his  death, 
at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years.  He  was  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics  and  belonged  to  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity. The  mother  also  died  in  Ohio,  when 
forty-five  years  old. 

Samuel  H.  Flint  was  less  than  two  years  old 
when  his  parents  took  him  to  Ohio  and  in  that 
state  he  received  a  part  of  his  education  in  the  ear- 


ly subscription  schools.  From  Ohio  he  went  to  La- 
Salle  county.  111.,  with  an  older  brother  and  there 
finished  his  schooling,  after  which  he  engaged  in 
farming.  He  later  was  the  owner  of  a  fine  farm, 
but  he  finally  sold  it  and  came  to  California  in 
1875.  He  went  to  Santa  Barbara  county,  living 
near  what  is  now  Montecito,  where  he  remained 
one  year.  He  then  came  to  the  Santa  Clara  val- 
ley of  Southern  California  and  bought  his  pres- 
ent ranch,  upon  which  he  has  resided  ever  since. 
Besides  the  fifty-two  acre  ranch  near  Santa  Paula 
he  also  owns  fifty-five  acres  near  Saticoy,  which 
is  devoted  to  farming  purposes.  The  home  ranch 
is  planted  to  corn  and  barley,  and  the  fact  that 
Mr.  Flint  has  always  given  his  attention  to  farm- 
ing and  not  divided  it  with  other  pursuits  may  be 
one  reason  why  he  has  met  with  the  success  that 
has  been  his.  Practically  all  the  improvements  on 
his  ranch  are  of  his  own  making. 

In  1857  Mr.  Flint  married  Miss  Eliza  J.  Sin- 
clair, a  native  of  Kentucky.  Six  children  were 
born  to  them,  three  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  and 
the  three  living  are  Henrj'  A.,  Lizzie  and  Clara. 
Politically  Mr.  Flint  affiliates  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party  on  national  issues,  being  a  Cleveland 
Democrat. 


JACKSON  FREER,  son  of  William  H.  Freer, 
who  is  represented  elsewhere  in  this  work,  was 
born  April  6,  1870,  in  San  Jose,  Santa  Clara 
county,  Cal.  In  1875  he  was  brought  to  South- 
ern California  by  his  parents  and  was  reared  to 
young  manhood  on  the  parental  ranch,  receiv- 
ing his  preliminar}'  education  in  the  public 
schools  and  completing  it  in  St.  Vincent's  Col- 
lege. He  remained  at  home  with  his  father  un- 
til he  was  twenty-three  years  old.  assisting  in 
the  cultivation  of  the  ranch,  when,  in  1893,  he 
located  on  his  present  property,  of  forty-six 
acres,  which  he  had  purchased  upon  attaining 
his  majority.  This  he  began  to  improve  and 
cultivate,  installing  a  pumping  plant,  building 
a  house  and  barn,  and  setting  the  land  to  walnuts, 
the  grove  nov.-  being  pronounced  one  of  the  finest 
in  this   district. 

In  El  Monte  Mr.  Freer  married  Miss  Eliza 
Jane  Schmidt,  a  native  of  El  Monte,  whose 
father,  Henry  Schmidt,  was  born  in  Lorraine, 
France.  October  15,  1842.  Her  grandfather, 
Henry  Schmidt,  was  born  in  Bordeaux.  France, 
and  was  superintendent  of  the  Count  of  Ham- 
burg's dominion  in  Lorraine  until  his  death  in 
1866.  His  wife,  ^Margaret,  also  died  in  that 
location.  They  were  the  parents  of  sixteen  chil- 
dren, of  whom  fifteen  attained  maturity.  Henry 
Schmidt  was  the  ninth  in  order  of  birth ;  in 
boyhood  he  was  apprenticed  in  Luxemburg  to 
learn  the  trade  of  blacksmith.  After  completing 
his  apprenticeship  he  traveled  throughout  France, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1363 


Belgium  and  Holland,  and  finally  went  to  Poland, 
returning  thence  to  Paris  in  1863  and  making 
that  city  his  home  for  three  years.  In  1866  he 
came  to  California  via  the  Nicaragua  route,  and 
from  San  Francisco  went  to  San  Jose,  where 
he  worked  at  his  trade  for  a  time.  He  was  next 
located  in  Marysville,  then  \"irginia  City,  Nev. ; 
then  to  Winnemucca,  same  state ;  thence  went 
to  Silver  City  and  Boise  City,  Idaho;  and  from 
the  last-named  place  overland  to  Alaska.  Forced 
back  by  the  snow  he  returned  south  and  located 
for  a  time  in  Salt  Lake  City,  thence  went  to 
Wliite  Pine,  then  Lincoln  county,  Nev.,  and  in 
1869  came  to  El  Monte,  Cal.,  where  he  estab- 
lished a  blacksmith  shop  and  has  ever  since 
followed  his  trade.  He  married  in  El  Monte 
Eliza  Slack,  a  native  of  Cole  Creek,  Utah,  and 
a  daughter  of  William  Slack,  mentioned  at 
length  in  the  sketch  of  his  son,  George  Slack, 
found  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  They  had  the 
following  children  :  Eliza  Jane,  wife  of  Jackson 
Freer ;  Victoria,  wife  of  Thomas  Freer ;  Frank. 
a  butcher  located  in  Arizona ;  Maggie,  wife  of 
William  Chambers,  D.  D.  S.,  of  Los  Angeles; 
and  Camilla,  who  became  the  wife  of  Herman 
Piatt,  and  whose  death  occurred  in  Los  Angeles. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Freer  had  three  children,  only 
one  surviving,  Delma.  ATr.  Freer  is  a  member 
of  the  Ancient  Oder  of  United  Workmen,  while 
politically  he  is  a  stanch  Democrat.  He  is  a 
charter  member  of  the  Mountain  A'iew  Walnut 
Growers'   Association. 


JOHN  CROSBY  OLMSTED  is  remem- 
bered in  Southern  California  as  one  of  the 
noblest  pioneers  whose  aims  and  purposes 
were  always  for  the  upbuilding  of  his  adopted 
state,  the  development  of  its  resources,  the 
promotion  of  great  public  enterprises,  rather 
than  for  personal  gain,  while  his  hand  was 
ever  held  out  to  assist  those  less  fortunate 
than  himself,  his  death  in  1891  removing  from 
the  community  a  man.  citizen  and  friend  whose 
place  could  never  be  filled.  His  sterling  traits 
of  character  were  an  inheritance  from  an  old 
New  York  family,  members  of  which  had  been 
prominent  in  public  affairs  for  generations. 
His  father,  John  Olmsted,  was  president  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Yonkers,  to  which 
place  he  had  removed  from  New  York  City, 
where  John  Crosby  Olmsted  was  born,  the 
oldest  son  of  his  parents.  He  was  reared  in 
Yonkers,  receiving  his  preliminary  education 
in  its  public  schools,  after  which  he  graduated 
from  Williams  College,  then  he  went  south  and 
engaged  as  a  tutor  for  a  short  time.  The  west 
held  out  great  attractions  to  a  young  man  of 
energy  and  ambition  and  accordingly  in  1864 
he  turned  his  face  toward  California,  making 


the  journey  to  San  Franicsco  via  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama  and  upon  his  arrival  engaging  with 
A.  Rowan,  the  most  extensive  book  and  sta- 
tionery dealer  in  that  city.  His  education  and 
scholarly  tendencies  made  of  Mr.  Olmsted  a 
very  successful  man  in  this  line,  and  it  was 
not  much  later  that  he  became  a  partner  in  a 
similar  business  with  a  Mr.  Cohn,  the  firm 
name  being  known  as  Olmsted  &  Cohn,  lo- 
cated on  Kearney  street.  In  1877  he  disposed 
of  his  business  interests  in  San  Francisco  and 
cam«  to  Los  Angeles,  where  under  the  firm 
name  of  Olmsted  &  W^ales  he  conducted  a 
book  and  stationery  business  on  First  street 
between  Main  and  Spring  streets,  and  later 
was  located  on  South  Main  street.  Some  time 
after  this  his  partnership  was  dissolved  and 
alone  he  established  a  similar  enterprise  on 
South  Spring  street,  where  he  remained  oc- 
cupied until  his  death,  which  occurred  Jan- 
uary 6.  1891.  He  had  been  active  in  religious 
work  ever  since  his  location  in  Los  Angeles, 
being  a  member  of  the  Third  Presbyterian 
Church  in  which  he  officiated  as  elder  many 
years.  Politically  he  was  an  ardent  Republi- 
can and  gave  his  support  to  the  advancement 
of  these  principles,  although  locally  no  man 
could  be  counted  upon  more  to  further  public 
welfare,  regardless  of  party  affiliations. 

Mr.  Olmsted  was  married  in  San  Francisco 
June  17,  1868,  to  Miss  Millicent  Marshall 
Hickcox.  a  native  of  Cleveland.  Ohio.  She 
boasts  an  ancestry  which  has  given  to  her 
some  of  the  best  blood  of  the  eastern  states, 
^Massachusetts  and  Connecticut  being  the  home 
of  the  name  originally,  her  paternal  grand- 
father. Benjamin,  born  in  Durham  county, 
Conn.,  in  17,^6,  having  married  Miss  Hannah 
Clark,  of  Norwich,  Mass.,  whose  direct  ances- 
tor was  mate  on  the  Mayflower  in  its  memor- 
able voyage.  Benjamin  Hickcox  became  a 
pioneer  of  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  and  was 
postmaster  at  Clinton,  and  there  Edward  Y. 
Hickcox,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Olmsted,  was 
born.  He  was  a  merchant  in  Bufifalo  for  many 
years,  later  was  located  in  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
in  the  management  of  a  furniture  business  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  Chas.  &  D.  A.  Shepard. 
In  1863  he  came  to  California  via  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama  in  search  of  the  health  which  the 
state  has  since  given  to  countless  numbers  of 
the  world's  seekers.  He  lived  but  three  years, 
dying  in  !^an  Jose  in  1866.  He  was  survived 
by  his  wife,  formerly  Sophia  L.  Scott,  who 
was  born  in  Mayville,  Chautauqua  county,  N. 
Y.,  her  mother  being  a  member  of  the  Holmes 
family.  Orsamus  Flolmes,  a  great-uncle  of 
Mrs.  Olmsted,  was  a  soldier  under  Washing- 
ton in  the  Revolutionary  war.  She  afterward 
made  her  home  with  her  daughter  in  Los  An- 


i;^64 


HISTORICAL  AXl)  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


geles,  where  her  death  occurred  in  1893,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-five  years.  She  was  the 
mother  of  the  following  children  :  Sophia,  w-ife 
oi  Judge  James  Gary,  who  came  to  California 
in  1852.  She  died  in  San  Francisco; 
Edward,  who  came  to  California  in  1853, 
and  engaged  in  mining,  his  death  oc- 
curring in  Idaho  in  1863;  John  S.,  of  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  who  served  as  superintendent  of 
the  Senate  folding  room  for  over  twenty  years ; 
Harriet,  who  died  at  the  age  of  nine  years; 
Benjamin,  who  died  in  infancy;  Seth  H.,  of  El 
Monte;  and  Millicent  M.,  Mrs.  Olmsted,  who 
was  horn  January  18,  1844,  in  Cleveland,  Ohio. 
She  was  educated  in  the  Cleveland  semi- 
nary and  in  1863  accompanied  her  parents  to 
California,  where  in  San  Franicsco  she  was 
married  to  Mr.  Olmsted.  In  1877  she  came  to 
Los  Angeles  and  after  the  death  of  her  hus- 
band she  continued  to  make  that  city  her  home 
for  about  ten  years,  when  she  came  to  El 
3.Tonte  and  about  a  mile  and  a  half  north  of 
the  town  purchased  the  property  where  she 
now  resides.  This  consists  of  forty  acres  de- 
voted to  walnuts.  She  is  also  interested  in 
real  estate  in  Los  Angeles,  with  her  brother 
owning  a  building  which  was  erected  at  Xo. 
452-454  South  Main  street,  also  JLos  Angeles 
street  property,  as  well  as  residence  prop- 
erty throughout  the  city.  Mrs.  Olmsted  is  a 
member  of  the  Central  Presbyterian  Church, 
of  Los  Angeles.  She  is  a  woman  of  rare 
worth  of  character,  eager  to  give  of  the  best 
of  her  life  to  others,  rather  than  to  keep  for 
herself,  glad  of  her  ability  to  lessen  some  of 
the  trials  and  troubles  of  the  world.  Her 
chief  aim  and  ambition  is  the  founding  of  a 
hospital,  and  for  this  purpose  she  placdl  in 
the  hands  of  Dr.  Hugh  Walker  the  power 
to  select  a  board  of  trustees  for  the  erection 
of  such  a  building,  but  this  has  later  devel- 
oped into  a  Presbyterian  Hospital.  This  is  to 
be  conducted  on  humanitarian  principles,  and 
will  be  the  foundation  of  a  substantial  l^uild- 
ing  to  be  conducted  as  a  Presbyterian  Hos- 
pital, constructed  and  suoported  by  dona- 
tion and  endowments  of  those  who  desire  to 
assist  such  a  worthy  enterprise.  One  of  the 
main  objects  which  ]\Irs.  Olmsted  has  in  mind 
is  that  this  enterprise  be  not  wdiolh-  for  physi- 
cal needs,  but  will  prove  of  untold  benefit 
spiritually,  in  her  donation  requesting  that  it 
be  conducted  on  spiritual  grounds  and  that  all 
the  nurses  be  Christian  womeiv.  This  will  at 
its  consummation  be  one  of  the  noblest  and 
far-reaching  influences  in  the  upbuilding  of 
l^hysical  and  moral  betterment,  and  will  for- 
ever perpetuate  the  name  of  its  donor — rich  in 
the    Higher   things,   broad   in    the   truest   con- 


ception of  Christianity,  and  gladly  holding  out 
her  influence  to  extend  beyond  "life's  little 
dav." 


E.  W.  SELBACH  is  a  successful  business 
man  of  El  IMonte,  Los  Angeles  county,  where 
he  is  conducting  a  fine  meat  market,  modern 
in  all  its  appointments,  a  refrigerator  of  con- 
siderable capacity,  a  three-horse  power  gaso- 
line engine,  all  appurtenances  for  the  manu- 
facture of  sausage,  lard,  etc.,  and  since  his  es- 
tablishment of  this  enterprise  he  has  built  up 
a  wide  custom.  Mr.  Selbach  is  a  native  Cali- 
fornian,  born  in  Pleasanton  February  7,  1871 ; 
his  father,  A.  Selbach,  was  born  near  Ham- 
burg, Germany,  became  a  butcher  b}'  trade, 
and  in  the  early  "50s  came  around  the  Horn 
to  California,  arriving  in  San  Francisco  and 
starting  a  butcher  business,  owning  two  stalls 
in  the  old  California  market  for  many  years. 
He  established  his  home  in  Pleasanton.  Lat- 
er in  life  he  went  on  the  stock  exchange  and 
lost  the  greater  part  of  his  accumulated  fort- 
une. He  then  returned  to  the  butcher  business 
and  worked  for  wages,  first  in  San  Felipe,  then 
in  Lemoore,  Kings  county,  in  the  latter  place 
establishing  a  market  which  he  conducted  for 
fifteen  years.  His  death  occurred  in  that  loca- 
tion. Fraternally  he  was  an  Odd  Fellow,  and 
politically  cast  his  ballot  for  the  Republican 
party.  His  wife  was  formerly  Pauline  Bots- 
ford,  a  native  of  ^Michigan  and  daughter  of  a 
pioneer  of  California ;  her  death  also  occurred 
in  Lemoore. 

From  the  age  of  six  years  E.  W.  Selbach 
was  reared  in  Lemoore  and  in  that  'place  re- 
ceived his  education  through  the  medium  of 
the  public  schools.  His  business  education 
was  obtained  in  the  Chestnutwood  Business 
College,  of  Santa  Cruz,  through  which  he 
worked  his  own  way.  He  continued  with  his 
father  until  attaining  his  majority,  when  in 
1892  he  came  to  Los  Angeles  and  engaged  in 
the  butclier  business,  which  he  had  learned 
from  early  boyhood.  He  was  employed  by 
Vickrey  &  Hines  until  they  went  out  of  bus- 
iness, when  lie  went  to  \\"ilmin,gton  and  con- 
tinued for  George  Hines,  and  in  time  became 
manager  of  the  Wilmington  department.  LTp- 
on  the  death  of  his  father  he  resigned  this 
position  to  look  after  the  interests  of  the  es- 
tate, which  was  finally  sold  and  settled  up, 
when  he  returned  to  Los  Angeles.  He  was 
then  identified  Avith  the  business  of  John  Brin- 
er,  of  Pasadena,  with  whom  he  remained  but 
a  short  time,  however,  when  he  purchased  a 
ranch  in  the  peet  lands,  consisting  of  forty 
acres,  which  he  improved  for  two  years.     Dis- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL   RI-XORlJ. 


1.1(55 


posing  of  this  property  at  a  good  figure,  he 
then  went  to  jNIonrovia,  Cal.,  and  engaged  at 
Iiis  trade  until  1900,  when  he  located  in  EI 
Alonte.  He  here  established  a  meat  market, 
which  has  since  grown  to  lucrative  propor- 
tions, a  wide  trade  growing  up  throughout 
the  country,  and  an  equipment  modern  and 
up  to  date  in  every  way  following  in  order  to 
respond  to  the  large  demands  made  upon  the 
business. 

Air.  Selbacli  lias  built  two  residences  here, 
and  has  also  improved  a  lot  with  a  store  build- 
ing, which  he  still  owns.  He  was  married  in 
Los  Angeles  to  Miss  Mariette  Teague,  who 
was  born  in  Uniontown.  Kans.  He  is  one  of 
the  original  stockholders  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  El  JMonte,  and  in  other  ways  has  tak- 
en every  interest  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  town. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Modern 
^^'oodmen  of  America,  Ancient  ( )rder  of  Ignit- 
ed AVorkmen,  and  a  charter  member  of  the 
Lemoore  Parlor,  X.  S.  G.  \\\  Politically  he  is 
a  Republican. 


CHARLES  M.  STONE.  Not  a  few  of  the 
men  now  prominent  in  commercial  and  financial 
circles  in  Pomona  are  those  whose  initial  train- 
ing in  these  lines  was  obtained  in  the  east.  Such 
is  the  record  of  Charles  M.  Stone,  cashier  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Pomona,  the  oldest  and 
most  influential  financial  institution  in  the  Po- 
mona valley.  Under  its  original  charter,  granted 
in  Alay,  1886,  a  flourishing,  though  conserva- 
tive, business  was  carried  on  for  twenty  years, 
when,  in  May.  iyo6.  a  new  charter  was  granted. 
The  bank  is  capitalized  for  $100,000,  with  sur- 
plus and  profits  amounting  to  the  same  figure, 
and  has  a  record  for  reliability  and  conservatism 
unequaled  by  any  similar  institution  in  Southern 
California.  The  First  National  occupies  its  own 
building,  known  as  the  First  National  Bank 
block,  and  is  the  only  bank  in  the  city  able  to 
make  this  boast.  Besides  doing  a  general  bank- 
ing business  the  bank  has  a  fine  equipment  of 
steel  vaults,  of  the  most  modern  construction, 
where  valuables  of  all  kinds  may  be  stored  with 
perfect  safety. 

The  Stone  family  was  represented  in  New 
England  by  at  least  three  generations,  and  the 
grandfather,  Micah  Stone,  founded  a  settlement 
in  Vermont  which  in  his  honor  was  named 
Stoneville ;  it  is  now  a  part  of  the  town  of  Enos- 
burg.  There  he  reared  his  family  and  carried 
on  a  manufacturing  Inisiness  throughout  his 
active  years.  Among  his  children  was  Micah 
H.,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Eno.sburg,  Vt. 
In  his  young  manhood  he  was  assistant  postmas- 
ter of  the  cit\-  of  Burlington,  Vt..  and  later  es- 
tablished himself  there,  in  the  scneral  merchan- 


dise business,  making  that  his  home  throughout 
the  remainder  of  his  life,  although  his  death  oc- 
curred in  Pomona,  while  visiting  his  son.  His 
marriage  united  him  with  Alary  Converse  Gil- 
mour,  who  like  himself  was  born  in  Vermont, 
and  was  a  daughter  of  Duncan  Gilmour,  who 
was  born  in  Scotland  and  became  well  known  in 
mercantile  circles  in  Burlington.  The  mother 
])assed  away  in  Burlington  in  March,  1906,  hav- 
ing become  the  mother  of  six  children,  of  whom 
Charles  AI.  is  next  to  the  oldest  and  the  only  one 
in  California. 

Born  in  Burlington,  Vt.,  August  4,  1863, 
Charles  M.  Stone  was  given  good  school  advan- 
tages and  was  a  diligent  student  in  the  public 
and  high  schools  of  his  native  city.  A  desire  to 
put  his  education  to  practical  use,  and  at  the 
same  time  establish  himself  in  the  business 
world,  led  him  to  accept  the  position  of  book- 
keeper with  a  lumber  firm.  Later  he  secured  a 
position  with  the  Alerchants  National  Bank  of 
Burlington,  but  after  remaining  with  them  for 
a  few  months  as  assistant  bookkeeper  he  re- 
signed his  position  and  came  west,  reaching  Po- 
mona in  December,  1887.  For  two  years  there- 
after he  was  with  the  Pomona  Land  and  Water 
Company  as  cashier,  giving  this  up,  however,  to 
accept  the  position  of  assistant  cashier  of  the 
People's  Bank,  an  institution  which  was  found- 
ed as  a  state  bank  in  1887.  l^pon  the  death  of 
J.  H.  Dole,  the  cashier.  Air.  Stone  was  elected 
to  that  position,  in  T898,  filling  the  same  credit- 
ablv  until  the  People's  Bank  was  consolidated 
with  the  National  Bank  of  Pomona  in  1901.  His 
connection  with  the  latter  bank  as  cashier  con- 
tinued uninterruptedly  until  January  of  1904. 
when  he  resigned  to  accept  the  cashiership  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Pomona,  a  position 
which  he  still  holds.  His  broad  knowledge  along 
financial  lines  makes  him  a  valuable  assistant  in 
the  management  of  the  bank,  to  which  is  added 
a  charm  of  personality  which  makes  friends  with 
all  who  are  broue^ht  in  contact  with  him.  .\s  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Trade  of  Pomona  he 
is  actively  interested  in  all  measures  that  come 
before  that  body  which  will  enhance  the  welfare 
of  the  community,  in  fact  his  support  is  gfiven 
freely  and  unstintedly  to  all  helpful  and  uplifting 
undertakings.  Besides  holdiuD-  the  position  of 
cashier  in  the  First  National  Bank  he  is  treas- 
urer of  the  Del  Alonte  Irrigating  Company,  and 
has  interests  in  other  business  enterprises  in  his 
home  city  and  surrounding  country. 

In  Pomona,  June  i,  1895,  Air.  Stone  was  mar- 
ried to  Afiss  Alabel  Wilcox  Ruffington,  who  was 
born  in  Onawa,  Towa,  and  three  children  have 
been  Ixirn  to  them.  Edmund,  George  and  Alarian. 
The  familv  are  communicants  of  the  Pilo-rim 
Congregational  Church  of  Pomona,  of  which 
Mr.    Stone   is    treasurer.      Fraternally    he     was 


];!(iG 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


made  a  Mason  in  Pomona  Lodge  No.  246,  F.  & 
A.  AL,  and  at  this  writing"  is  filling  the  position 
of  treasurer  of  his  lodge,  likewise  holding  the 
same  position  in  the  chapter  and  commandery, 
in  both  of  which  he  is  a  valued  member.  He  is 
also  identified  with  Al  Alalaikah  Temple,  A.  A. 
O.  N.  M.  S.,  and  with  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World.  Coming  to  Pomona  at  a  time  when  it 
was  little  more  than  a  village  Mr.  Stone  has  seen 
it  rise  and  take  rank  as  one  of  the  prominent 
cities  of  the  Pacific  coast,  and  in  its  transforma- 
tion he  has  taken  more  than  a  passing  interest, 
for  many  helpful  measures  have  originated  and 
been  carried  to  completion  through  his  personal 
efforts. 


AVILLIAM  J.  BUTLER.  One  of  the  old- 
est settlers  in  San  Diego  county  is  William  J. 
Butler,  who  first  crossed  the  plains  to  Califor- 
nia in  1856,  but  did  not  become  a  permanent 
resident  of  the  state  until  1876,  some  years 
later  settling  in  San  Diego  county  and  from 
that  time  until  the  present  identifying  himself 
with  the  upbuilding  of  this  section.  The  But- 
ler family  is  of  English  and  Welsh  descent, 
and  the  early  members  who  came  to  this  coun- 
try were  pioneers  in  Virginia.  The  grand- 
father, Joel  Butler,  was  born  in  South  Caro- 
lina, early  settled  on  a  farm  in  Tennessee  and 
later  removed  to  Kentucky,  where  he  died. 
The  father,  B.  F.  Butler,  was  a  native  of  Lin- 
coln, Tenn.,  and  in  1840  removed  to  Spring- 
field, Mo.,  where  he  conducted  a  carriage  and 
wagon  shop.  In  1856  he  came  to  California 
with  his  family,  making  the  trip  with  ox 
teams,  and  bringing  a  herd  of  cattle  to  the 
new  country,  the  journey  from  Springfield, 
Mo.,  to  Marysville,  Cal..  requiring  exactly  five 
months.  In  1857  he  located  in  Napa  county, 
where  he  purchased  and  improved  a  ranch 
upon  which  he  raised  grain  and  stock.  It  was 
later  decided  that  this  land  belonged  to  one  of 
the  Mexican  grants  and  Mr.  Butler  was 
obliged  to  vacate  it.  He  then  went  to  Salinas 
and  made  that  city  his  home  until  his  death, 
when  sixty-two  years  of  age.  His  wife,  who 
was  before  her  marriage  Harriet  Shipp,  was  a 
member  of  an  old  Virginia  family  and  a  native 
of  Lincoln,  Tenn.  She  survived  her  husband 
many  years,  and  passed  away  January  g,  1902, 
having'  attained  the  advanced  age  of  eighty- 
four  years. 

William  J.  Butler  was  a  member  of  a  family 
of  five  children  and  is  the  only  one  now  living. 
His  bii-th  occurred  Novemljer  18,  1842,  in 
Springfield,  Mo.,  and  on  the  trip  across  the 
plains  in  1856  he  rode  a  mule  and  drove  the 
cattle.  Four  years  later  he  resolved  to  return 
to  the  east  and  in  t8C>o  left  Napa,  came  down 


through  Southern  California,  taking  the  old 
Butterfield  stage  route  via  Sherman  to  Spring- 
field, Mo.  After  arriving  there  he  entered 
Carrollton  College.  In  1861,  at 'the  outbreak 
of  the  Civil  war,  he  enlisted  in  Campbell's 
Battalion  of  Missouri  State  Guards,  subse- 
quently joined  Cornell's  Regiment,  which  lat- 
er consolidated  with  the  Second  Regiment  of 
Alissouri  Cavalr}'  under  Price,  and  served  un- 
til the  close  of  the  war.  Going  to  New  Or- 
leans at  the  close  of  his  military  service  he 
was  employed  by  a  commission  merchant  for 
a  time,  and  afterwards  carried  on  farming 
near  \A^arrensburg  until  1876,  when  he  re- 
turned to  California.  Locating  at  Salinas  he 
entered  the  employ  of  Vanderhurst,  Sanborn 
&  Co.,  a  ■  hardware  firm,  as  a  boy  having 
learned  the  wheelwright's  trade.  He  contin- 
ued here  until  1887,  in  which  year  he  came  to 
San  Diego  and  engaged  in  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness. Later  he  purchased  ten  acres  of  raw 
land  at  La  Mesa,  which  he  improved  and  upon 
which  he  engaged  in  raising  berries.  In  addi- 
tion to  carr^'ing  on  this  industry  he  also  took 
building  contracts  in  San  Diego  county  and 
citv.  In  July,  1905,  he  sold  the  ranch  and  re- 
moved to  No.  3742  Third  street.  San  Diego, 
and  is  now  devotmg  his  entire  time  to  con- 
tracting and  building. 

By  his  marriage  in  Johnson  county.  Mo., 
Air.  Butler  was  united  with  Miss  Lavinia  Ir- 
win, a  native  of  that  state,  and  of  this  union 
six  children  were  born,  and  all  of  those  living 
make  their  home  in  San  Diego.  Named  in  or- 
der of  their  births  the  children  are  as  follows: 
Julia,  now  Mrs.  A.  P.  Johnson,  Jr. ;  Hattie, 
:\Irs.  O.  C.  Crane;  Alary,  Mrs.  Burt  Watkins ; 
Alartha,  who  died  in  San  Diego;  Thomas  I.,  a 
draughtsman;  and  Belle,  deceased.  Air.  Butler 
is  a  member  of  the  Alethodist  Episcopal 
Church  South,  which  he  supports  liberally 
with  both  his  means  and  personal  service,  be- 
ing at  the  present  time  a  member  of  the  board 
oftrustees.  As  a  citizen  he  is  active  and  pro- 
gressive and  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by 
all  who  know  him. 


DAVID  POWELL.  For  more  than  ten 
years  David  Powell,  now  a  successful  real- 
estate  dealer  of  Long  Beach,  has  been  actively 
identified  with  the  "business  interests  of  this 
thriving  city  and  aided  in  its  upbuilding  and 
development.  He  was  born  Alay  27.  1861, 
in  Alichigan  City.  Ind.,  the  son  of  William 
and  Jane  (Crandall)  Powell,  the  former  a 
native  of  Ontario,  Canada,  and  the  latter  born 
in  Illinois,  of  an  old  New  England  family. 
Her  fath'T.  David,  was  a  farmer  and  trapper 
of  the   tvpical   pioneer  frontier   type,   and   his 


^-  ^'^^.^^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1369 


death  occurred  in  Missouri.  William  Powell, 
who  was  left  an  orphan  when  young,  located 
Avith  his  foster-parents  in  Michigan  City, 
where  he  cleared  a  farm  for  himself  and  lived 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  His  wife  still  lives 
in  the  old  home. 

The  only  son  of  a  family  of  four  children 
David  Powell  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  his 
father's  farm,  was  educated  in  the  grammar 
and  high  schools  of  ^Michigan  City,  and  after 
his  graduation  from  the  latter  was  occupied 
for  a  time  as  a  farmer  and  dairyman.  Later 
he  conducted  a  men's  furnishing  establishment, 
disposing  of  it,  however,  to  deal  in  real  estate, 
a  business  which  he  followed  until  1893.  when 
he  came  to  Los  Angeles  as  a  merchant.  One 
year  later,  in  1894,  he  took  up  his  residence 
in  Long  Beach  and  conducted  a  grocery  on 
Pine  street  near  Ocean  avenue  for  over  three 
years.  He  then  sold  out  and  returned  to  In- 
diana, where  he  still  owned  a  farm  of  eighty 
acres  within  the  limits  of  Michigan  City  and 
]5roceeded  to  plat  it,  forming  two  additions, 
which  he  named  Powell's  and  Powell's  Gardena 
additions.  It  took  three  years  to  finish  the 
work  and  dispose  of  the  lots  and  after  its 
completion  he  returned  to  Long  Beach.  He 
bought  a  berry  ranch  at  .Signal  Hill  and  for 
three  and  one-half  years  engaged  in  horticult- 
ural pursuits.  In  IQ06  he  sold  the  ranch 
and  established  himself  in  the  real-estate  busi- 
ness again,  buying  and  selling  property  for 
himself  and  transacting  a  general  business. 

Mr.  Powell  was  married  in  Michigan  City 
to  Miss  Grace  Boothroyd,  a  native  of  that 
city,  and  five  children  have  been  born  to  bless 
the  union  ;  Lee  is  paying  teller  in  the  Long 
Beach  National  Bank  :  Ralph  is  a  special  officer 
of  Long  Beach ;  Harry  is  a  barber  here ;  Guy 
is  employed  in  the  Long  Beach  National  Bank ; 
and  Mildred  lives  at  home.  Mr.  Powell  is  a 
stanch  advocate  of  the  principles  embraced  in 
the  platform  of  the  Republican  party,  and  both 
for  his  personal  worth  and  superior  qualities 
as  a  progressive  and  public-spirited  citizen  is 
highlv   esteemed    and   respected. 


EXUPERE  SENTOUS.  A  very '  success- 
ful business  man  and  one  who  enjoyed  a 
wide  esteem  throughout  Southern  California, 
was  Exupere  Sentous.  a  member  of  one  of  the 
families  of  this  section  whose  best  interests 
have  always  been  parallel  with  the  upbuild- 
ing and  development  of  the  general  welfare. 
He  was  a  resident  of  this  section  just  twenty- 
five  years,  having  emigrated  from  his  native 
land  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years  and  made 
this  place  his  home  until  his  death  at  the  age 


of  fort}-seven.  He  was  born  in  Haute- 
Garonne,  France,  March  22  1859,  ^  son  of 
Francisco  and  Marie  (Fadeuill)  Sentous,  life- 
long residents  of  that  section,  where  the  father 
engaged  as  a  prosperous  farmer  and  stockman. 
There  were  eight  children  born  to  his  father 
(who  was  married  twice),  and  all  are  located 
in  California.  The  first  to  emigrate  was  John 
Sentous  in  1852;  tlien  Louis  in  1855:  \^incente 
in  1S74,  and  finally,  in  1881,  Exupere  Sentous 
left  his  native  land  and  coming  to  Los  An- 
Sfeles  made  this  place  his  home  the  remainder 
of  his   life. 

In  the  common  schools  of  France  Exupere 
.'^entous  received  his  education,  after  which  he 
engaged  with  his  father  in  stock-raising,  in 
which  he  learned  much  that  proved  of  benefit 
to  him  in  .Southern  California.  Following  his 
brothers  to  the  western  world  in  1881  he  en- 
tered into  partnership  with  his  two  brothers. 
Louis  and  Vincente,  and  for  fifteen  years  the 
firm  of  Sentous  Brothers  carried  on  business 
on  San  Fernando  street.  At  the  ex- 
piration of  that  period  Louis  Sentous  retired 
from  the  enterprise,  and  the  two  left  removed 
their  business  to  the  corner  of  Los  Angeles 
and  Aliso  streets  and  continued  in  partnership 
for  nine  years. 

Desiring  at  that  time  to  give  more  of  his 
personal  attention  to  his  ranch  at  Lemon, 
Exupere  Sentous  disposed  of  his  business  in- 
terests and  removed  to  the  country  in  the  fall 
of  1903.  He  owned  eighteen  hundred  '  acres 
of  land,  of  which  nine  hundred  acres  were 
devoted  to  grain  and  the  balance  was  a  stock 
range.  Lie  raised  sheep,  cattle  and  horses 
and  was  one  of  the  prominent  farmers  of 
Southern  California.  Politically  he  was  a  Re- 
publican and  although  never  desirous  of  per- 
sonal recognition  gave  his  efforts  toward  the 
advancement  of  the  principles  he  endorsed. 
In  religion  he  was  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
Church.  His  death  occurred  June  10.  1906, 
through  a  stroke  of  apoplexy. 

December  4.  1894.  in  Los  Angeles,  Mr. 
-Sentous  was  unitei!  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Anna  Goaillardeu,  born  in  the  Pyrenees, 
France,  a  daughter  of  Francois  and  Marian 
(Higetie)  Goaillardeu,  her  father  a  farmer  and 
builder  of  that  section,  where  they  both  died. 
Thev  had  six  children,  two  daughters  and  four 
sons,  of  whom  four  are  in  America.  Mrs. 
Sentous  was  next  to  the  oldest  in  the  family 
nnd  came  to  California  in  1891.  She  is  the 
mother  of  four  children,  namely:  Zoe, 
Alphonse.  Francois  and  .Antoinette.  She  is  a 
member  of  the  Catholic  Church.  Since  her 
husband's  death  she  has  removed  to  Los  .An- 
geles and  now  makes  her  home  on  Berendo 
street. 


137U 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ISAAC  D.  STOCKTOX.  Among  the  active. 
progressive  and  substantia!  ranchers  of  Wmtura 
county  is  Isaac  D.  Stockton,  of  ^Nloorpark,  who 
is  carrying  on  general  farming,  including  the 
raising  of  beans  and  fruit,  with  excellent  pe- 
cuniary results.  He  possesses  strong  individual- 
ity, a  hearty  and  genial  disposition,  is  patriotic 
and  public-spirited,  and  has  an  enviable  reputa- 
tion as  a  straightforward  and  upright  man  and 
a  loyal  citizen.  A  son  of  Dr.  I.  D.  Stockton,  he 
was  born  March  ii,  1859,  in  Sonoma  county, 
coming  from  distinguished  ancestr\-,  teing  a 
cousin  twice  removed  of  General  Stockton, 
prominent  in  the  early  history  of  California, 
while  on  the  paternal  side  he  also  had  eleven 
great-great-uncles  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 

Dr.  I.  D.  Stockton  was  born,  reared  and  ed- 
ucated in  Illinois,  and  there  married  Louisa  M, 
Spiller,  a  native  of  Tennessee.  He  subsequent- 
ly removed  to  Kansas,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  medicine  until  1856.  Coming  then 
to  Sonoma  county,  Cal.,  he  continued  his  pro- 
fessional labors,  and  was  also  engaged  to  some 
extent  in  horticultural  pursuits  and  in  raising 
grapes.  Moving  from  there  to  Kern  county  in 
1872,  he  took  up  a  homestead  claim  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  and  there  continued  as  a 
physician  and  a  farmer,  building  up  a  litcrative 
professional  practice  and  improving  a  good 
property,  which  he  called  Lakeside  ranch.  He 
was  an  able  and  successful  ph}'sician,  during  his 
fift}-  years  of  active  practice  being  well  patron- 
ized and  traveling  many  miles  through  valleys 
and  over  mountains.  He  attained  the  venerable 
age  of  eighty-three  years,  dying  in  1900.  His 
wife  died  in  Los  Angeles,  Cal..  when  fifty-six 
years  old,  having  borne  him  nineteen  children, 
fifteen  reaching  maturity  and  fourteen  of  whom 
are  still  living.  While  in  Illinois  he  served  in 
the  Pdack  Hawk  war  in  1832.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Christian  Church,  and  was  a  member 
of  Santa  Rosa  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  ]\[.,  which  he 
served  as  worshipful  master,  and  was  an  active 
member  of  the  Republican  party. 

Acquiring  his  education  in  Kern  county, 
where  his  father  settled  in  1872,  Isaac  D.  Stock- 
ton remained  at  home  until  about  seventeen  years 
old,  when  he  began  life  for  himself.  Going  to 
Montana,  he  was  for  a  while  employed  in 
freighting  and  blacksmithing.  and  then,  after 
living  for  a  year  in  Los  Angeles,  he  traveled  on 
horseback  through  Arizona,  Idaho  and  Montana, 
becoming  thoroughlv  familiar  with  that  part  of 
the  country.  Locating  in  Ventura  county  in 
1888,  he  farmed  for  two  years  in  El  Rio,  and 
then,  in  1890,  purchased  one  hundred  acres  of 
his  present  home  ranch.  It  now  contains  two 
hundred  and  eiglity-three  acres  of  rich  and  fer- 
tile land,  and  in  addition  to  its  management  he 
has  also  leased  one  hundred  and  fift\'  acres.     He 


makes  a  specialty  of  raising  beans,  having  two 
hundred  acres,  which  yield  on  an  average  ten 
sacks  to  the  acre,  besides  which  he  raises  consid- 
erable hay.  He  also  has  a  valuable  apricot  or- 
chard of  twenty  acres. 

April  17,  1886,  Mr.  Stockton  married  Ida  B. 
Duncan,  a  native  of  Kansas,  and  a  daughter  of 
William  Duncan,  who  removed  from  that  state 
to  California,  locating  in  ]\Iariposa  county  with 
his  family.  He  died  there  in  1903,  when  seven- 
ty-three years  of  age.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stockton 
became  the  parents  of  ten  children,  namely : 
Nellie  E.,  Isaac  Denton,  Jr,,  Robert  Ivan.  Louis 
M.,  William  Allen,  Mary  Belle,  and  an  infant, 
N.  Duncan  :  the  others  dying  in  early  childhood. 
Politically  Mr.  Stockton  supports  the  principles 
of  the  Republican  part}',  antl  fraternally  he  be- 
lons:s  to  \'entura  Lodsre  No.  201,  I.  O.  O.  F. 


HAR\^EY  E\'ANS.  A  pioneer  settler  of 
\'entura  county,  Harvey  Evans,  of  Oxnard,  has 
for  many  vears  been  actively  identified  with  its 
industrial  interests,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of 
its  most  intelligent  and  thorough-going  farmers, 
being  the  owner  of  as  comfortable  a  homestead 
as  can  be  found  in  this  locality.  During  his  long 
and  busy  career  he  has  pursued  the  even  tenor 
of  his  way  as  an  honest  man  and  a  good  citizen, 
advancing  the  interests  of  his  community  as  he 
has  had  opportunity,  and  is  now  reaping  the  re- 
ward of  his  persistent  toil  and  enjoying  the  con- 
fidence and  respect  of  his  neighbors  and  friends. 
A  son  of  the  late  Thomas  J.  Evans,  he  ^vas 
born  ^larch  29,  1847.  in  Platte  county,  Mo. 

Thomas  J.  Evans  was  a  Kentuckian  by  birth 
and  breeding.  After  his  marriage  to  Catherine 
King,  a  Virginian,  he  went  with  his  wife  to  Mis- 
souri, migrating  to  that  state  at  the  time  of 
the  Platte  purchase,  and  there  began  the  im- 
provement of  a  farm  from  the  forest-covered 
land.  In  1852  he  crossed  the  plains  with  ox- 
teams,  taking  his  family  to  Linn  county.  Ore., 
where  he  took  up  six  hundred  and  forty  acres 
of  wild  land  and  embarked  in  general  farming. 
Removing  in  1858  to  Jackson  county.  Ore.,  he 
spent  a  Vear  in  that  localitv,  and  the  ensuing 
ten  vears  was  a  resident  of  Sonoma  coimty,  Cal. 
Coming  to  Ventura  county  in  1869,  he  located  at 
Saticoy,  and  was  there  engaged  in  tilling  the 
soil  until  his  death,  in  1887,  at  the  age  of  four 
score  years.  His  good  wife  preceded  him  to 
the  better  land,  dying  in  1886,  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-eight years. 

Spending  the  days  of  his  Ijoyhood  and  youth 
in  Oregon  and  in  Sonoma  countv,  Cal..  Harvey 
Evans  completed  his  earlv  education  at  the  Santa 
Rosa  Academy.  In  1867  he  located  in  i\Ion- 
terey,  Cal..  where  he  followed  farming  for  two 
years.     In  1869  he  came  with  the  family  to  \'en- 


^     t^     dia^a^^ 


HISTORICAL  .VXD  BIOCiRAPHICAL  RFX'ORD. 


(3 


tura  county,  and  for  a  year  assisted  his  father  in 
the  management  of  the  home  farm  at  Saticoy. 
Purchasing  then  the  farm  which  he  now  owns 
and  occupies,  he  labored  energetically,  and  in 
his  struggle  with  nature  has  been  successful, 
his  eighty  acres  of  land  being  well  improved  an(l 
finely  cultivated,  yielding  abundant  crops  of 
beets,   beans   and   loarle}-. 

March  9,  1873,  in  Napa  county,  Cal.,  Mr. 
Evans  married  Nancy  Eliza  Montgomery,  a  na- 
tive of  Oregon,  and  into  their  home  three  chil- 
dren were  born,  namely :  Frances  Josephine, 
wife  of  Archie  Hart,  of  \'entura  county ;  Mrs. 
Lillian  V.  Mitchell,  of  Los  Angeles ;  and  Clar- 
ence Harvey,  who  died,  at  the  age  of  seven 
weeks,  in  1889.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Evans  have  also 
an  adopted  son,  Albert  W.,  whom  they  love  and 
cherish  as  their  own.  Mrs.  Evans  is  a  member 
of  the  Christian  Oiurch,  in  which  she  is  a  faith- 
ful worker.  Mr.  Evans  has  never  cared  for  pub- 
lic office,  but  has  served  as  trustee  of  the  Spring- 
ville   schools. 


ALVIN  B.  HANCOCK.  The  name  of  Alvin 
B.  Hancock,  deceased,  is  inseparably  connected 
with  every  detail  of  the  development  and  up- 
building of  the  community  surrounding  San 
Bernardino,  in  which  section  he  spent  his  life 
from  the  age  of  four  years.  He  was  the  son  of 
Joseph  Hancock,  who  was  born  near  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  in  1822,  the  latter's  parents  being  Solomon 
and  Alta  (Adams)  Hancock,  born  in  Massachu- 
setts in  1793  and  Vermont  in  1795  respectively, 
both  being  of  English  descent.  The  great- 
grandfather was  one  of  the  signers  of  the  De- 
claration of  Independence,  and  the  great- 
grandmother  was  a  daughter  of  General  Ward 
of  Revolutionar)'  fame.  Thomas  Hancock,  the 
grandfather  of  Joseph,  enlisted  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary army  when  but  fourteen  vears  of  age 
and  fought  valiantly  for  the  freedom  of  his 
country. 

When  Joseph  Hancock  was  ten  years  old  his 
father  removed  to  Clay  county.  Mo.,  where  he 
lived  three  years  and  experienced  many  hard- 
ships. Some  of  his  neighbors  were  less  fortu- 
nate than  he,  however,  and  upon  one  occasion 
the  son  gave  his  shoes  to  another  boy  who  had 
none.  Four  years  later  the  family  went  to 
Adams  county,  111.,  and  remained  there  for  three 
years,  after  which  they  resided  a  like  period 
in  Hancock  county,  that  state.  In  1846  they 
left  Illinois  and  from  that  time  until  1851  made 
their  home  in  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa.  That  year 
they  pushed  on  further  west  and  became  early 
settlers  of  L^tah.  The  trip  on  this  occasion  was 
fraught  with  many  dangers  and  ]>rivations,  and 
in  crossing  the  Missouri  river  they  barely  escancd 
drowning.     After  stopping  a  short  time  in   Salt 


Lake  City  they  finally  resumed  their  journey 
to  California.  During  the  early  part  of  the 
journey  Mr.  Hancock  was  very  sick  with  chills 
and  fever,  and  while  crossing  the  desert  between 
Salt  Lake  and  Bitter  Springs  nearly  perished 
for  want  of  water,  the  entire  train  being 
almost  without  that  precious  commodity.  Al- 
though burning  with  a  raging  fever  Mr.  Han- 
cock refused  to  drink,  insisting  upon  saving  the 
scant  supply  for  the  children.  A  Mr.  Thorn, 
who  with  his  family  was  a  member  of  the  train, 
ran  entirely  out  of  water  about  this  time,  and 
athough  Airs.  Hancock  had  but  a  scant  pint  left 
she  divided  it  with  his  children,  who  were  crv- 
ing  pitifully  from  thirst.  It  is  needless  to  say 
diat  the  train  was  devoutly  thankful  when  Bitter 
Springs  was  reached.  On  this  part  of  the  trip 
Mrs.  Hancock  had  walked  and  driven  the  team. 

The  first  piece  of  land  which  Mr.  Hancock 
purchased  upon  his  arrival  in  San  Bernardino 
consisted  of  five  acres,  and  he  later  added  to  this 
holding  fifty-six  acres,  upon  which  he  built  a 
new  house,  thereafter  the  family  homestead. 
He  had  many  interesting  stories  to  tell  bearing 
on  his  life's  exciting  experiences,  and  possessed 
numerous  interesting  relics  of-  bygone  davs, 
among  them  being  a  board  which  was  used  as 
their  table  when  crossing  the  plains,  and  a  pow- 
der horn  used  in  the  war  of  1812  bv  an  ances- 
tor who  took  part  in  that  conflict.'  The  first 
marriage  of  :\Ir.  Hancock  occurred  in  Hancock 
county,  III,  and  united  him  widi  Miss  Harriet 
Brook,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Brook,  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Her  death  occurred  in  Council  Bluffs, 
Iowa.  In  1848  he  wedded  Miss  Nancy  Bemis, 
and  of  this  union  seven  children  were  born : 
Alvin  B.,  who  married  Elizabeth  Nish  and  is 
now  deceased ;  Solomon,  who  married  Eudora 
Hammock;  Elenora,  the  wife  of  George  Miller: 
Jerusha,  wife  of  Charles  Tyler:  Lucina,  wife 
of  George  Lord,  Jr. :  Foster,  who  married  Kate 
Mapstead :  and  Joseph. 

The  birth  of  Alvin  B.  Hancock  occurred  Jan- 
uary 13,  1850,  near  Council  Bluff's,  Iowa,  and  in 
1854  he  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  San  Ber- 
nardino county,  where  he  received  a  common 
school  education.  After  the  completion  of  his 
studies  [le  ranched  with  his  father  on  the  home 
place  until  he  attained  his  majority,  when  he 
began  his  independent  business  career.  In  1882 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Nish,  who  was 
born  in  San  Bernardino.  Her  parents,  William 
and  Isabelle  (Henderson)  Nish,  were  both  na- 
tives of  Scotland  and  immigrated  to  this  coun- 
try when  very  young,  living  with  their  parents 
in  Iowa  and  Alissouri  before  their  marriage, 
which  occurred  in  the  former  state.  Airs.  Han- 
cock's father  received  a  good  education  in  Scot- 
land, where  he  was  engaged  as  a  contract  miner, 
and   her   mother  attended   the   public   schools   of 


1374 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  United  States.  The)'  came  to  San  Bernardino 
county  in  1856  and  hved  there  the  remainder  of 
their  lives,  the  father  dying  in  1872,  at  the  age 
of  forty-two  years,  and  the  mother  in  1890,  at 
fifty-five  years.  Mrs.  Hancock  became  the  moth- 
er of  seven  children,  namely;  Robert,  who 
married  Eula  Hamilton,  has  one  child  and  lives 
in  San  Bernardino ;  William,  Lester,  James, 
Beauford,  Earl  and  Clyde.  Mrs.  Hancock  is  the 
owner  of  a  fine  ranch  of  sixty-acres,  upon  which 
is  grown  grain  and  hay,  which  yield  her  a  very 
comfortable  income.  Mr.  Hancock  was  a  stanch 
advocate  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party  during  his  lifetime  and  fraternally  was  a 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows at  San  Bernardino. 


THOMAS  H.  SIMONTON.  Among  the 
highly  respected  and  esteemed  citizens  of  Santa 
jMonica  is  Thomas  H.  Simonton,  who  by  his  in- 
dustry, thrift  and  business  ability,  has  acquired 
enough  of  this  world's  goods  to  enable  him  to 
live  retired  from  active  life.  A  son  of  Hamil- 
ton Simonton.  he  was  born  October  2,  1827,  in 
Frankstown,  Pa.  A  native  of  Perry  county,  Pa., 
Hamilton  Simonton  spent  the  earlier  part  of  his 
life  in  that  vicinity.  Subsequently  removing 
with  his  family  to  Indiana,  he  carried  on  a  large 
business  as  a  canal  contractor  until  1837,  when 
the  state,  from  whom  all  contracts  were  let,  sus- 
pended payment,  and  he  stopped  work.  The  en- 
suing three  years  he  was  employed  as  a  miller. 
The  state  then  settling  for  fifty-five  cents  on  a 
dollar,  he  purchased  five  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  in  Miami  county.  Embarking  in 
agricultural  pursuits,  he  met  with  marked  suc- 
cess, continuing  thus  employed  until  his  death, 
in  1852.  He  was  a  member  and  an  elder  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  a  man  of  sterling  char- 
acter. His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Keziah  Woodburn,  was  born  in  Perry  county, 
Pa.,  and  died  in  1895,  aged  eighty-two  years. 

The  oldest  of  a  family  of  eight  children,  Thom- 
as H.  Simonton  attended  first  the  public  schools, 
completing  his  early  education  at  a  private 
school  in  Peru.  Ind.,  and  at  the  Gambia  school 
in  Ohio.  While  in  the  latter  institution,  in  1850, 
he  had  an  attack  of  the  California  fever,  and 
after  a  short  visit  at  home  started  for  the  gold 
fields.  Going  to  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  he  paid  $200 
to  Jerome.  Hanson  &  Smith,  who  conducted  a 
train  of  twenty- eight  wagons  across  the  plains. 
The. train  broke  up  at  Salt  Lake  City,  where  Mr. 
Simonton  remained  nineteen  days.  Continuing 
then  his  journey,  he  and  his  comrades  had  a 
fight  with  the  Indians,  but  none  of  the  party  were 
seriously  injured.  Arriving  in  Hangtown,  now 
Placerville,  he  mined  successfully  until  stricken 
with  the  cholera,  with  which  he  was  sick  the  en- 


tire winter.  He  was  then  engaged  for  some  time 
in  mining  along  the  Feather  river,  after  which, 
with  three  companions,  he  located  twelve  miles 
west  of  Marysville,  where  he  put  up  hay,  haul- 
ing it  to  the  Marysville  market.  Subsequently 
purchasing  mule  teams,  he  was  engaged  in 
freighting  to  the  mines  northeast  from  Sacra- 
mento, from  1851  until  1854,  when  he  re- 
turned east.  For  a  short  time  thereafter  he  re- 
mained on  the  old  homestead,  and  then  went  to 
Peru,  Ind.,  where  he  speculated  in  grain,  hogs 
and  produce  for  two  years,  carrying  on  a  prof- 
itable business.  In  1859  he  outfitted,  and  went 
to  Denver,  Colo.,  and  later  to  Redclifif,  Eagle 
county,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,  stock- 
raising  and  mercantile  pursuits,  having  two  stores 
in  that  place.  In  each  of  these  vocations  he  met 
with  success,  staying  there  until  1900.  Coming 
from  there  to  California  for  the  sake  of  his  wife's 
liealth  as  well  as  his  own,  they  took  up  their 
residence  in  Santa  Monica,  and  are  now  respect- 
ed citizens  of  this  community-. 

In  Indiana,  Mr.  Simonton  married  Frances 
M.  Reed,  a  native  of  that  state,  and  they  became 
the  parents  of  five  children,  namely :  Clara,  at 
home;  George  and  Frank,  merchants  in  Victor, 
Colo. ;  Jennie,  wife  of  Newton  Riley,  of  Victor, 
Colo. ;  and  Fannie  E.,  who  died  aged  twenty-one 
years.  Politically  Mr.  Simonton  is  a  steadfast 
supporter  of  the  Republican  party. 


OSCAR  D.  STEWART.  Not  far  from  Cama- 
rillo,  A'entura  county,  lies  the  ranch  of  ninety- 
eight  acres  which  has  been  the  home  of  Mr. 
Stewart  for  nearly  forty  years.  Born  at  Battle 
Creek,  Calhoun  county,  JNIich.,  August  20,  1845, 
he  is  a  son  of  Enoch  and  Nancy  A.  (Oscar) 
Stewart,  both  of  whom  claimed  the  Empire  state 
as  their  birthplace.  Following  the  life  to  which 
he  had  been  reared  the  father  immigrated  to 
Michigan  at  an  early  day  in  the  history  of  that 
commonwealth,  and  upon  the  farm  which  he  es- 
tablished there  made  his  home  for  many  years. 
His  later  life,  however,  was  spent  under  the 
sunny  skies  of  California,  his  death,  February 
I,  1896,  closing  a  career  of  seventy-nine  years 
of  usefulness.  After  the  birth  of  their  three 
children  the  wife  and  mother  was  taken  from 
them.  Oscar  D.  at  the  time  being  a  verv  small 
child. 

Calhoun  county,  Mich.,  was  the  scene  of  the 
early  life  of  Oscar  D.  Stewart,  in  fact  he  was 
about  twenty  years  old  when  he  severed  connec- 
tions with  his  surroundings  in  that  state  and 
struck  out  boldly  for  the  west  in  1864.  After 
remaining  in  California  for  one  year  a  strong 
desire  to  see  his  old  home  and  kinsmen  once 
more  caused  him  to  return  to  Michigan,  but 
the  following  ^•ear  found  him  readv  to  return  to 


7jr^%cr4\A^ 


^i^i^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1377 


the  west  permanently.  For  about  two  years  he 
was  located  in  the  vicinity  of  Sacramento,  but 
in  1868  he  came  to  Ventura  county,  and  with 
the  exception  of  two  years  spent  in  Oregon  he 
has  made  his  home  in  this  county  continuously. 
For  a  few  months  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  on 
ranches  in  the  county,  but  in  the  fall  of  the  same 
year  located  on  the  ranch  which  he  now  occu- 
pies, which  fell  as  an  inheritance  to  his  wife. 
The  greater  part  of  the  ranch  is  in  beans,  which 
form  his  principal  crop,  and  yield  from  twelve 
to  fifteen  sacks  to  the  acre. 

A  marriage  ceremony  performed  on  his  ranch 
in  1869  united  the  destinies  of  Oscar  D.  Stew- 
art and  Fredericka  Lucy  Sip,  the  latter  a  native 
of  Iowa.  The  home  of  Mr.  and  }ilrs.  Stewart 
was  blessed  and  brightened  by  the  birth  of  five 
children,  all  of  whom  are  now  grown  and  es- 
tablished in  homes  of  their  own  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  youngest,  who  although  married  still 
remains  with  his  parents.  George,  born  June 
II,  1870,  married  Lilie  Shields  and  resides  in 
Camarillo;  Edward  J.,  who  was  born  Septem- 
ber 24,  1871,  chose  for  his  wife  Lucy  Russell, 
and  he  too  lives  in  this  vicinity ;  Walter  O.,  born 
July  16,  1873,  married  Anna  Sebastian,  their 
home  being  near  Oxnard ;  Clara  A.,  born  Feb- 
ruary ig,  1875,  is  the  wife  of  George  Hughes; 
and  Arthur  Clyde,  born  October  30,  1883,  and 
who  married  Catherine  Schmitz,  still  makes  his 
home  on  the  old  homestead.  During  the  long 
period  of  his  residence  in  this  county  Mr.  Stew- 
art has  won  and  retained  the  respect  of  associ- 
ates and  has  a  large  circle  of  friends  among 
the  pioneers  of  this  part  of  the  state.  His  polit- 
ical views  coincide  with  the  principles  laid  down 
in  the  platform  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  its 
candidates  rarelv  fail  to  receive  his  vote. 


CAPT.  WILLIAM  EDWIN  HOFMAN. 
California  is  a  favorite  location  for  retired  army 
officers  who  seek  a  place  of  rest  and  comfort  for 
their  declining  years  after  a  life  of  nomadism  and 
active  campaigning.  Capt.  William  Edwin  Hot- 
man,  who  spent  more  tlian  twenty-five  years  of 
his  life  in  military  service,  has  been  living  in 
Elsinore  since  1897  and  has  a  nicely  improved 
home  in  this  city.  He  was  born  on  Christmas 
Day,  1836,  in  Mansfield,  Ohio,  the  son  of  Jacob 
and  Jane  W.  (Caruthers)  Hofman,  the  father 
being  a  native  of  the  Shenandoah  valley,  Va.. 
and  the  mother  of  Mansfield,  Ohio.  On  his 
father's  side  Captain  Hofman  is  descended  from 
German  ancestors  and  from  his  mother  he  re- 
ceived Scotch-Irish  blood.  The  elder  Hofman 
was  an  early  settler  in  Ohio  and  was  occupied 
as  a  jeweler  in  Mansfield  until  1840,  when  he 
removed  to  I\It.  Carmel,  111.,  and  from  there  to 
Olney,  where  for  twelve  years  he  filled  the  office 


of  clerk  of  Richland  county,  after  which  he  re- 
tired. Both  parents  died  in  Olney.  There  were 
six  children  in  the  family,  three  of  whom  are 
now  living.  One  son,  John,  who  was  a  rail- 
road man,  was  killed  by  accident  in  Kansas 
City,  while  Rudolph,  who  served  in  the  Civil 
war  in  the  same  company  and  regiment  as  his 
brother.  Captain  Hofman,  was  wounded  at  Big 
Shanty,  Ga.,  and  died  from  the  effects  nine  days 
later. 

The  education  of  Captain  Hofman  was  re- 
ceived in  the  public  schools  of  Illinois  and  when 
a  young  man  the  congressman  from  their  dis- 
trict offered  him  a  cadetship.  His  mother  ob- 
jected to  his  accepting  it,  however,  and  it  was 
then  given  to  Wesley  Merritt  of  Salem,  111.,  who 
afterwards  became  major-general.  He  then 
served  a  four-years'  apprenticeship  to  the  man- 
ufacture of  tin,  copper  and  sheet  iron,  and  in 
1859  left  Olney  for  Pike's  Peak,  traveling  by 
team  from  Leavenworth,  Kans.  Locating  at 
Central  City  he  mined  in  Russell  and  California 
gulches  until  1861  when  he  returned  to  his  home 
in  Illinois.  In  1862,  after  the  breakmg  out  of  the 
war,  he  assisted  in  raising  Company  B,  Ninety- 
eighth  Illinois  A-^olunteer  Infantry,  was  mustered 
in  at  Centralia  on  September  3,  and  was  com- 
missioned by  Governor  Yates  as  first  lieutenant 
of  his  company.  After  the  battle  of  Stone  river 
the  regiment  was  mounted  the  same  as  the 
mounted  cavalry  and  took  part  in  the  engagement 
at  Hoover's  Gap  and  in  the  Tullahoma  cam- 
paign, which  ended  with  the  battle  of  Chicka- 
mauga.  Following  this  he  took  part  in  the 
Georgia  campaign  until  the  capture  of  Atlanta. 
He  was  in  Girard's  cavalry  which  was  dismount- 
ed in  order  to  turn  the  horses  over  to  Kilpat- 
rick  for  use  in  Sherman's  march  to  the  sea,  and 
was  then  sent  to  Louisville,  Ky.,  for  new  mounts 
and  outfits,  when  the  regiment  was  sent  in  pur- 
suit of  Morgan.  They  did  not  meet  him,  how- 
ever, and  were  ordered  back  to  Georgia,  Mississ- 
ippi and  Alabama.  From  then  until  the  close 
of  the  war  he  served  under  General  Wilson,  took 
]">art  in  \\'ilson's  raid  and  the  capture  of  several 
cities  in  the  south,  while  a  portion  of  his  reg- 
iment assisted  in  the  taking  of  Jefferson  Davis. 
He  had  in  the  meantime  been  promoted  and 
commissioned  as  captain,  and  when  mustered  out 
at  Nashville,  in  August,  1865,  he  was  the  senior 
captain  of  the  regiment. 

Returning  home  Captain  Hofman  began  to 
look  about  for  a  business  opening.  Following  the 
suggestion  of  his  cousin.  Col.  Mc.  E.  Dye.  he 
decided  instead  to  enter  the  regular  service.  Six 
months  after  making  his  application  he  was  com- 
missioned as  a  first  lieutenant.  June  12.  1867, 
and  was  later  assigned  to  Company  K,  Thirty- 
first  Lnited  States  Infantry.  Going  to  Ft.  Tot- 
ten.  N.  Dak.,  he  was  a  participant  in  the  Tur- 


1378 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


tie  Mountain  Indian  troubles  until  iSCjiy,  when 
he  was  sent  to  Ft.  Sully,  S.  Dak.  About  this 
time  the  army  was  reduced  in  numbers  but  he 
was  retained  and  assigned  by  General  Han- 
cock to  the  Xinth  Infantry  as  first  lieutenant  of 
Company  H,  and  sent  to  Ft.  Russell,  Wyom. 
Later  he  went  to  Ft.  Saunders  and  in  1873  escort- 
ed the  surveying  part\-  which  ran  the  prelimi- 
nary line  for  what  is  now  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railroad  from  the  Missouri  river  to  Yellowstone. 
From  there  he  was  stationed  at  Ft.  Omaha,  Xeb., 
and  subsequently  sent  to  various  points,  includ- 
ing Ft.  McKinney,  Wyom.,  Ft.  Russell,  and  Ft. 
Bridger,  then  was  promoted  to  a  captaincy  and 
returned  to  Ft.  Russell  to  accompany  an  expe- 
dition to  Crisfield.  Kans..  in  1885.  In  1886  he 
was  sent  to  Ft.  ^^'ing■ate.  X'.  !Mex.,  and  was  in 
command  of  three  companies  from  his  regiment 
in  the  Geronimo  campaign  until  that  warrior  was 
captured.  L'pon  his  return  to  Ft.  \\'ingate  he 
applied  for  sick  leave  in  order  to  come  to  the 
western  coast,  but  when  his  application  reached 
General  Howard  he  ordered  Captain  Hofman"s 
company  from  Ft.  Wingate  to  San  Diego,  Cal. 
This  was  in  1887.  and  after  remaining  there  for 
six  months  Captain  Hofman  was  retired  in  1888 
for  disability.  He  remained  in  San  Diego  for 
a  time,  then  removed  to  Alurrietta,  and  in  1897 
came  to  Elsinore. 

Captain  Hofman  was  married  in  Clay  county, 
III.  to  Miss  Sarah  Hance,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  one  daughter.  Alice,  who  is  now  the 
wife  of  E.  Michener  of  Elsinore.  Captain  Hof- 
man is  a  member  of  the  T.  B.  Stevens  Post.  G. 
A.  R.,  at  Elsinore,  of  which  he  is  past  com- 
mander, and  politically  affiliates  with  the  Repub- 
lican party.  He  served  his  city  one  year  on  the 
board  of  trustees  and  in  every  way  has  proven 
himself  a  valuable  citizen,  interested  in  every 
cause  tending  toward  the  upbuilding  of  the  coni- 
munitv  in  which  he  resides. 


GIDEOX  ED\\"ARDS  THURMOXD.  A 
fine  type  of  the  southern  gentleman  of  that  school 
which  is  rapidly  passing  away  is  G.  E.  Thm-- 
mond,  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  highlv  re- 
spected citizens  of  Santa  Barbara  county.  Both 
his  father,  Thomas  J-  Thurmond,  and  his  mother, 
who  was  Sarah  Franklin  before  her  marriage, 
were  born  in  North  Carolina.  There  were  seven 
children  in  the  familv  and  two  of  the  sons  were 
killed  during  the  Civil  war  while  doing  active 
military  service  in  the  Confederate  cause.  The 
father  died  before  the  commencement  of  the  war. 
at  the  age  of  forty-five  years,  and  his  wife  sur- 
vived him  but  a  short  time,  she  also  dying  at  the 
same  age.  Thomas  J-  Thurmond  was  a  memlier 
of  the  ]\Iasonic  fraternitv  and  during  bis  lifetime 
occupied   a   prominent   place   as   a    leading    and 


highly  respected  citizen  of  his  home  community. 

G.  E.  Thurmond  was  born  in  Hardeman  coun- 
t)-.  Tenn.,  Xovember  27,  1843.  His  preliminary 
education  was  received  in  the  common  schools, 
after  which  college  preparatory  work  was  done 
at  Wilson  Hall  in  Mississippi  for  entrance  into 
the  University  of  North  Carolina.  When  war 
was  declared  between  the  north  and  south  Mr. 
Thurmond  enlisted  in  Company  B,  Seventeenth 
Regiment  of  Mississippi  Infantry,  and  became  a 
member  of  the  Featherstone  Brigade.  His  gal- 
lantry, bravery  and  worth  as  a  soldier  were  rec- 
ognized in  his  appointment  to  the  position  of 
first  lieutenant  of  Company  B  during  the  first  two 
years  of  his  service,  and  during  the  last  two  years 
of  the  war  he  filled  the  higher  office  of  captain  of 
the  same  compan\-.  With  his  regiment  he  took 
part  in  the  battles  of  Bull  Run,  Balls  Bluff.  Seven 
Pines,  and  the  seven  days"  engagements  before 
Richmond,  and  later  in  the  Fredericksburg  cam- 
paign, and  other  minor  engagements.  At  the  close 
of  the  war  he  returned  to  Tennessee  and  taught 
school  near  Bolivar  for  two  years,  and  after  that 
he  removed  to  Texas  and  engaged  in  the  mer- 
chandising business  for  a  like  period.  In  ]\Iay, 
1868,  he  decided  to  follow  the  then  popular  road 
to  the  west,  and  reached  San  Jose,  Cal..  as  his 
first  stopping  point.  He  remained  there  for  a 
short  time  only,  however,  before  removing  to  the 
Carpinteria  valley,  which  has  ever  since  been  his 
honie.  l*"or  a  number  of  years  he  owned  and 
managed  a  store  in  Carpinteria,  finallv  disposing 
of  it  to  devote  his  time  to  the  duties  of  the  office 
of  county  superintendent  of  schools  of  Santa  Bar- 
bara county,  which  office  he  held  for  nearly  a 
quarter  of  a  century.  At  the  time  of  assuming 
the  duties  of  this  position  in  1874  there  were 
eleven  districts  and  fifteen  teachers,  and  at  the 
end  of  twenty-five  years  there  were  fiftv-six  dis- 
tricts and  one  hundred  and  forty  teachers.  Mr. 
Thurmond  held  the  office  longer  than  any  other 
incumbent  of  the  same  office  in  Southern  Califor- 
nia. WHien  it  is  remembered  that  Santa  Barbara 
county  is  a  strong  Republican  district  and  Mr. 
Thurmond  is  an  equally  strong  Democrat,  the 
long  period  during  which  the  people  continued 
him  in  office  is  a  flattering  tribute  to  the  personal 
popularity  and  official  efficiencv  of  the  man.  Aft- 
er this  long  term  of  office  holding  j\Ir.  Thurmond 
retired  to  private  life,  feeling  that  he  had  given  a 
just  share  of  his  years  of  active  work  for  the 
good  of  the  schools  in  his  section — and  no  work 
is  of  more  importance  and  far-reaching  influence. 
He  now  resides  on  his  ranch,  which  consists  of 
about  thirty  acres  of  land,  a  third  of  it  being 
planted  to  walnuts.  He  takes  a  deep  interest  in 
matters  of  public  import,  and  throughout  the 
county  claims  the  admiration  and  respect  of  all 
who  appreciate  what  he  has  accomplished. 

Fraternalh'  ^Tr.  Thurmond  affiliates  with  sev- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1379 


eral  lodges,  among  them  the  Knights  of  i'ythias, 
the  Maccabees  and  Fraternal  Brotherhood.  He 
is  an  adherent  of  the  Episcopal  faith  and  his  wife 
is  a  Presb\-terian.  a  liberal  support  being  given 
to  all  religious  benevolences  and  charitable 
causes  in  Carpinteria.  The  marriage  of  Mr. 
Thurmond  to  Miss  Ellen  Dickinson  of  Glade 
.Sjjring.  \a.,  occurred  November  23,  1870,  and 
four  children  have  blessed  the  union :  Hunter, 
who  has  charge  of  the  commercial  department  in 
the  O'xnard  high  school ;  Gwyn,  who  married 
Edith  Shepard  and  has  two  children ;  Mary,  who 
married  lien  llailard  and  is  the  mother  of  five 
children:  and  Miklred,  a  student  in  Pomona  col- 
lege. 


MILETUS  HENRY  SNOW.  The  prosperity 
of  any  community  depends  upon  its  business 
activity,  and  the  enterprise  manifest  in  commer- 
cial circles  is  the  foundation  upon  which  is  biiild- 
ed  the  material  welfare  of  town,  state  and  nation. 
The  most  important  factors  in  public  life  at  the 
present  day  are  therefore  the  men  who  are  in 
control  of  successful  business  interests,  and  such 
a  one  is  Mr.  Snow,  well  known  as  the  manager 
of  the  Pomona  Lumber  Company,  which  has 
one  of  the  largest  lumber  yards  in  the  Pomona 
valley,  and  is  located  at  No.  491  East  Second 
street. 

A  native  of  Kansas,  Air.  Snow  was  born  in 
Winfield,  Cowlev  county,  the  eldest  of  five  sons 
born  to  his  parents,  A.  15.  and  Marietta  (Brown) 
Snow,  the  former  a  native  of  Illinois.  Before 
leaving  his  native  state  the  father  had  become 
interested  in  the  lumber  business  and  upon  his 
removal  to  Kansas  during  his  young  manhood 
he  established  himself  in  that  Inisiness  in  Cow- 
ley county.  After  continuing  there  for  several 
years  he  transferred  his  business  to  the  adjoining 
territory  of  Oklahoma,  and  still  later  removed 
further  south  into  Indian  territory.  The  locality 
in  which  he  located  was  almost  a  wilderness  as 
compared  with  present  activity,  and"  among  those 
who  were  instrumental  in  organizing  the  settle- 
ment now  known  as  Chickasha,  none  was  more 
active  than  A.  B.  Snow,  for  it  was  he  who  put 
up  the  first  building,  it  being  portable  and  hauled 
in  with  cattle :  he  also  put  in  the  first  stock  of 
lumber.  With  his  wife  he  is  now  living  in 
Long  Beach,  among  whose  citizens  he  is  classed 
as  one  of  her  active  business  men,  for  he  is 
still  engaged  in  the  lumber  business. 

Born  in  Winfield,  Kans.,  October  9,  1877, 
Miletus  H.  Snow  attended  school  first  in  his  na- 
tive state  and  later  in  Oklahoma  and  Indian  ter- 
ritory. As  far  back  as  his  memory  can  carry 
him  he  recalls  associations  connected  with  hi.s 
father's  lumber  yard,  and  in  fact  when  he  was 
fourteen   vears   old   he   entered   his   father's   em- 


ploy. So  thoroughly  did  he  learn  the  details 
of  the  business  that  he  became  an  invaluable 
assistant,  the  two  working  harmoniously  to- 
gether for  a  number  of  years  in  Chickasha,  I.  T. 
In  March,  1904,  Mr.  Snow  came  to  California 
and  the  following  June  located  in  Pomona.  In 
1904  his  father  and  brother  organized  the  Pomo- 
na Lumber  Company,  Inc.,  of  which  A.  B,  Snow 
is  president,  and  Miletus  H.  Snow  is  manager. 
Besides  lumber  of  all  kinds  usual  to  an  establish- 
ment of  this  kind  they  carry  a  full  line  of  shin- 
gles, sash,  doors,  lath,  lime  and  cement,  and 
under  the  capable  management  of  the  son  a 
flourishing  business  has  grown  up  which  dis- 
tinguishes it  as  one  of  the  thriving  institutions  of 
tl-.e  Pomona  valley. 

In  Qiickasha,  I.  T.,  Miletus  H.  Snow  was 
married  to  Miss  Nellie  Ellis,  a  native  of  Texas, 
and  two  children  have  come  to  add  brightness 
to  their  home  life.  Pearl  and  Gladys.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Snow  are  consistent  members  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Pomona  and  are  active 
in  the  various  departments  of  benevolent  work 
carried  on  by  the  local  church.  While  in  Indian 
territory  Mr.  Snow  became  identified  with  the 
Odd  Fellows  organization,  being  initiated  into 
Chickasha  Lodge,  and  since  coming  to  Califor- 
nia has  transferred  his  membership  to  Pomona, 
and  he  also  belongs  to  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America.  Politically  he  gives  his  support  to 
Republican  principles,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Board   of  Trade. 


EARLE  CARR.  The  magnificent  section  of 
countrv  in  Southern  California  has  been  devel- 
oped and  improved  by  some  of  the  most  stirring 
and  enterprising  men  of  this  day  and  age,  no 
part  of  the  globe  having  been  more  quickly 
transformed  from  its  original  wild  condition  into 
a  beautiful  garden  spot,  rich  with  bloom  and 
harvests,  than  that  portion  of  \'entura  county 
Iving  in  and  around  the  town  of  Oxnard.  One 
of  the  leading  spirits  in  this  wonderful  trans- 
formation is  Earle  Carr,  an  active  and  progres- 
sive agriculturist,  and  one  of  Oxnard's  most  in- 
fluential citizens,  occupying  a  position  of  promi- 
nence in  industrial,  business  and  social  circles. 
A  son  of  P.  S.  Carr,  he  was  born  December  24, 
1878,  in  Kalamazoo  county,  Mich. 

A  native  of  Michigan,  P.  S.  Carr  was  brought 
up  on  a  farm,  and  for  many  years  was  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits  in  that,  state.  In  1888 
with  a  view  to  bettering  his  financial  condition, 
he  came  to  California,  settling  in  \'entnra  coun- 
tv.  where  he  has  since  been  prosperously  em- 
ploved  in  his  chosen  calling.  He  is  a  man  of 
strict  integrity,  and  is  very  prominent  in  Ma- 
sonic circles,  being  a  Scottish  Rite  and  a  York 
Rite    Mason,    and   belonging   to   ^'entura    Com- 


1380 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


mandery,  K.  T.  He  married  Mary  Ann  Earle, 
who  was  born  in  England,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  three  children,  all  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing. 

Coming  with  his  parents  to  Southern  Cali- 
fornia when  ten  years  of  age,  Earle  Carr  was 
educated  principally  in  \'entura  county,  attend- 
ing first  the  common  schools,  and  afterwards  the 
Ventura  Business  College,  ^^'hile  Remaining  at 
home  he  assisted  his  father  in  the  management 
of  his  ranch,  acquiring  in  the  mean  time  valuable 
agricultural  knowledge.  In  1896  he  began  the 
battle  of  life  for  himself  as  a  ranchman,  and  by 
dint  of  perseverance,  thrift  and  wise  judgment 
has  succeeded  almost  beyond  his  most  sanguine 
expectations.  In  1901  he  took  possession  of  his 
present  ranch  of  three  hundred  acres,  and  has 
since  placed  all  of  the  land  under  a  high  state 
of  cultivation,  devoting  twenty-five  acres  of  it 
to  beets,  and  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres 
to  beans.  Both  are  profitable  crops  to  raise,  the 
latter  yielding  on  an  average  nineteen  sacks  to 
the  acre.  In  the  care  of  his  farm,  Mr.  Carr 
takes  genuine  pride  and  pleasure,  sparing  neither 
time  nor  expense  in  his  efforts  to  improve  it, 
his  ranch  in  its  appointments  being  one  of  the 
best  in  the  neighborhood. 

In  1896  Mr.  Carr  married  Winnifred  Fair- 
banks, who  was  born  in  Hueneme,  Cal.,  a  daugh- 
ter of  E.  B.  Fairbanks,  for  twenty-five  years 
foreman  of  the  wharf.  Three  children  have 
blessed  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carr,  namely : 
Philetus  Sprague,  Robert  and  Earle  Edward. 
Politically  Mr.  Carr  upholds  the  principles  of 
the  Republican  party  by  voice  and  vote.  Fra- 
ternallv  he  is  a  member  of  Oxnard  Lodge  No. 
341,  F.  &  A.  M.;  of  Oxnard  Chapter  No.  86. 
R.  A.  M.;  of  A'entura  Commanderv  No.  18,  K. 
T.;  and  of  Al  :\Ialaikah  Temple,  A."  A.  O.  N.  M. 
S.,  of  Los  Angeles.  He  is  highly  esteemed  in 
Masonic  circles,  and  is  now  serving  as  worship- 
ful master  of  Oxnard  Lodge. 


NOAH  R.  SMITH,  D.  D.  S.  Prominent 
among  the  leading  professional  members  of  the 
industrial  community  of  Santa  Monica  is  Noah 
R.  Smith,  D.  D.  S.,  who  has  a  large  and  re- 
munerative patronage,  his  natural  talents  and  in- 
dustry placing  him  among  the  most  noted  and 
successful  dentists  of  this  part  of  the  county.  A 
native  of  Missouri,  he  was  bom  in  Pike  county, 
February  11,  1874. 

Having  completed  his  preliminary  education 
in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  state,  Noah 
R.  Smith  was  graduated  from  La  Grange  Col- 
lege, in  La  Grange,  Lewis  county.  Mo.  He  aft- 
erwards went  to  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  there  en- 
tering the  Western  Dental  College,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1896.     Im- 


mediately opening  an  ofiice  in  Howard  county, 
Mo.,  Dr.  Smith  remained  there  five  years,  being 
successfully  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  chosen 
profession.  Desiring  a  complete  change  of  clim- 
ate, he  came  to  Los  Angeles  county  in  1901,  lo- 
cating as  a  dentist  in  Santa  Monica,  where  he 
has  built  up  a  splendid  practice,  his  professional 
knowledge  and  skill  having  won  for  him  the  con- 
fidence and  esteem  of  his  numerous  patrons. 

In  Howard  county,  Mo.,  Dr.  Smith  married 
Roberta  M.  Todd,  a  native  of  that  county,  as 
was  her  father,  H.  M.  Todd.  She  came  of  pio- 
neer ancestry,  her  grandfather,  Joshua  Todd, 
having  been  a  pioneer  of  Howard  county,  and 
also  being  distinguished  as  having  been  the  first 
settler  of  Omaha,  Neb.,  getting  his  grant  from 
the  old  Council  Bluffs  Ferry  Company.  The 
doctor  and  Mrs.  Smith  have  three  children, 
namely :  Nelson  R.,  John  Robert,  and  an  infant 
unnamed.  The  doctor  is  domestic  in  his  tastes 
and  practices,  his  home  being  far  more  to  him 
than  any  club,  and  is  a  valued  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church. 


THOMAS  IMcCORMICK.  One  of  the  in- 
dustrious and  thoroughgoing  ranchers  of  Ven- 
tura county  is  Thomas  [NlcCormick,  whose  well- 
appointed  and  productive  ranch  is  pleasantly  and 
conveniently  located  two  miles  from  Camarillo. 
Becoming  a  tiller  of  the  soil  from  choice  at  an 
early  age,  he  has  followed  that  vocation  ever 
since,  and  since  locating  on  his  present  ranch 
has  made  a  specialty  of  raising  beans  and  barley. 

Of  foreign  birth  and  antecedents,  Thomas  Mc- 
Cormick  was  born  in  County  Longford,  Ireland, 
Julv  9,  1867,  and  is  a  son  of  James 'and  Cath- 
erine (McCormick)  McCormick,  both  of  whom 
were  also  natives  of  the  Emerald  Isle.  ]Mr.  Mc- 
Cormick has  no  personal  recollections  of  his 
father,  for  the  latter  died  when  he  was  an  in- 
fant. His  mother,  however,  endeavored  to  sup- 
ply the  loss  to  her  family  by  giving  them  the 
care  and  protection  of  both  parents,  with  the  re- 
sult that  the  children  were  trained  to  lives  of  use- 
fulness and  high  ideals.  The  death  of  the  mother 
occurred  in  1904,  when  she  was  about  fifty-six 
years  of  age.  Prior  to  coming  to  the  United 
States  in  1888  Thomas  McCormick  had  taken 
advantage  of  every  opportunity  offered  in  his 
native  countv  for  obtaining  an  education,  and  the 
foundation  there  laid  has  been  greatly  added  to 
in  the  later  years  by  intelligent  reading  and  care- 
ful observation.  Landing  in  New  York  City,  he 
soon  made  his  way  across  the  continent,  coming 
at  once  to  what  is  now  Oxnard,  Ventura  county, 
where  for  seven  years  he  worked  in  the  employ 
of  others,  an  experience  which  was  of  great  ad- 
vantage to'  him,  in  that  it  gave  him  an  excellent 
opportunity  to  learn  the  methods  of  farming  in 


1 


i 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1383 


this  country.  Before  becoming  a  land  owner, 
however,  he  tested  his  ability  as  a  rancher  by 
starting  out  for  himself  on  rented  land,  operating- 
leased  land  from  1895  ""'^il  1902,  in  which  latter 
year  he  came  to  his  present  location.  Besides 
owning  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  twelve  acres, 
he  leases  one  hundred  acres  of  land  adjoining,  the 
entire  acreage  under  his  control  being  devoted 
to  the  raising  of  beans  and  barley  exclusively. 
The  raising  of  beans  constitutes  his  chief  indus- 
try, and  in  harvesting  twenty-three  sacks  to  the 
acre  he  is  exceeding  by  far  the  average  yield  for 
that  commodity. 

October  27,  1901,  Thomas  McCormick  and 
Elizabeth  McGrath  were  united  in  marriage,  the 
ceremony  taking  place  in  El  Rio.  The  three 
children  born  of  their  marriage  are,  Mary  Jose- 
phine Dolores,  Thomas  Hubert  and  James 
Dominick.  The  family  are  adherents  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  faith,  and  worship  in  the  church 
of  that  denomination  at  Oxnard.  Politically  Mr. 
McCormick  is  a  Republican,  and  the  only  fra- 
ternal order  with  which  he  is  connected  is  the 
Knights  of  Columbus.  Few  citizens  of  the  coun- 
tv  enjoy  to  a  greater  extent  than  does  Mr.  Mc- 
Cormick the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  fellow- 
townsmen,  nor  are  any  more  in  touch  with  the 
needs,  aspirations  and  successes  of  the  commun- 
ity. 


FORREST  :^,1AKLEY  ERSKINF.  The  suc- 
cess which  has  accompanied  the  efforts  of  Air. 
Erskine  since  his  location  in  California  has 
been  such  as  to  place  him  among  the  repre- 
sentative citizens  of  the  vicinity  of  Bryn 
Mawr,  win  him  a  competency,  and  establish 
his  fortunes  on  a  firm  basis.  A  native  of 
Stoughton,  Mass.,  Forrest  Manley  Erskine  was 
born"  February  4,  1850.  a  son  of  Robert,  of 
.\bingdon,  that  state,  a  shoemaker  by  trade, 
and  who  lived  to  the  age  of  eighty-one  years. 
His  mother,  in  maidenhood  Joan  Whitmash, 
was  born  in  Abingdon,  Mass.,  where  she  also 
passed  away  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years. 
They  were' the  parents  of  eight  children,  of 
whom  seven  are  now  living,  a  son,  Frank,  hav- 
ing served  in  the  Civil  war  in  a  Massachu- 
setts regiment. 

The  fourth  in  his  father's  family,  Forrest 
Manley  Erskine  was  reared  in  his  native  state 
and  educated  in  its  public  schools,  after  which 
he  learned  the  trade  of  shoemaker,  engaging 
first  as  heeler  and  then  as  heel  trimmer  on 
the  machine  with  various  companies  in 
Stoughton  and  Brockton.  He  was  employed 
bv  the  Stacy  Adams  Company  and  made  $100 
per  month  as  heel  trimmer.  He  came  to  Cali- 
fornia in  October,  tSqt,  with  $1,500,  the  en- 
tire amount  that  he  had  been  able  to  accumu- 


late in  the  passing  years,  and  secured  a  posi- 
tion with  Isam  Mitchell,  acting  as  foreman 
on  his  ranch  for  ten  years.  Duripg  this  time 
he  had  become  interested  in  horticultural  pur- 
suits and  had  purchased  ten  acres  of  land  and 
set  it  out  in  navel  oranges;  three  years  later 
he  bought  ten  acres  adjoining,  and  later  bought 
twenty  acres  of  raw  land,  now  owning  twenty 
acres  in  full  bearing.  He  made  all  the  im- 
provements on  the  property  and  about  five 
years  ago  began  to  devote  his  entire  time  and 
attention  to  his  groves  and  now  has  one  of  the 
finest  properties  of  this   section. 

In  Stoughton.  Alass.,  Mr.  Erskine  was  unit- 
ed in  marriage  with  Miss  Alice  Eldora  Mad- 
an,  a  native  of  that  place,  and  they  have  one 
child,  Gladdys  Wayne,  now  Mrs.  \'.  G.  Klien- 
berger,  of  Los  .\ngeles.  She  was  educated  in 
private  schools.  Politically  Mr.  Erskine  is  a 
true  blue  Republican. 


STEPHEN  LEXTON.  A  central  figure  in 
commercial  and  agricultural  affairs  in  Long 
Beach  was  the  late  Stephen  Lenton,  whose  death 
in  1905  removed  from  the  community  an  enter- 
prising and  able  citizen.  He  was  a  native  of  Eng- 
land, his  birth  having  occurred  in  the  vicinity  of 
Birmingham  in  1847.  He  there  grew  to  man- 
hood and  after  serving  an  apprenticeship  in  land- 
scape gardening  engaged  in  that  business  for 
some  rears.  Deciding  to  locate  in  the  LTnited 
States 'he  brought  his  wife,  formerly  Mary  Fluck, 
also  a  native  of  England,  and  their  two  children 
across  the  Atlantic  in  the  year  1873.  and  after  lo- 
cating in  the  state  of  Mississippi  followed  farm- 
ing for  a  livelihood.  Later  he  went  to  New  Jer- 
sey, where  he  engaged  as  a  florist  for  seven  years, 
meeting  with  success  in  his  efforts.  His  next 
move  found  him  a  resident  of  Elgin,  111.,  where 
the  same  business  offered  him  opportunities  for 
advancement,  and  in  that  section  he  remained  un- 
til his  final  location  in  California.  He  first  set- 
tled in  Piru,  Ventura  county,  where  he  engaged 
for  a  time  on  a  ranch,  in  the  nursery  department, 
after  which  he  embarked  in  the  nursery  business, 
following  the  same  for  the  period  of  eight  years. 
During  this  time  his  wife  died  at  the  age  of  fiftv- 
five  years.  Coming  to  Los  Angeles  in  1896.  he 
established  a  floral  store  and  also  raised  many 
varities  of  flowers  and  plants.  In  .\pril,  1899,  ^i^ 
came  to  Long  Beach  and  on  the  corner  of  Fourth 
and  Alamitos  avenues  conducted  a  nursery  and 
floral  establishment.  At  the  time  of  his  death 
there  were  four  and  a  half  acres  in  the  home 
place,  which  has  since  been  subdivided. 

In  1899  Mr.  Lenton  was  united  in  marriage 
with  ]\Trs.  Jennie  (Braly)  Hargrave.  the  widow 
of  Judge  J."  P.  Hargrave.  of  Prescntt.  Ariz.,  and 
she  now  makes  her  home  in  Long  Beach.    By  his 


1384 


HISTORICAL  AXI)  B10GRAPHIC.\L  RECORD. 


first  marriage  he  had  tlie  following  children : 
Rose,  widow  of  E.  \'.  Lawson,  of  Long  Beach ; 
Albert,  also  of  Long  Beach ;  Ada,  wife  of  A. 
,  Alartin  of  \'entura,  Cal. ;  Lavinia,  a  teacher ;  and 
Alice,  a  trained  nurse. 

Albert  Lenton,  the  only  son,  was  born  in  Eng- 
land, May  6,  1872,  and  was  brought  to  America 
when  only  one  year  old.  In  the  schools  of  New 
Jersey  and  Illinois  he  received  his  scholastic 
training,  graduating  in  the  Elgin  schools.  He 
learned  the  trade  of  landscape  gardener  and 
florist  under  the  instruction  of  his  father,  with 
whom  he  worked  a  considerable  portion  of  his 
time,  remaining  in  Fullerton,  Orange  county, 
Cal.,  where  his  father  had  located  after  leaving 
Los  Angeles,  prior  to  his  settlement  in  Long 
Beach.  Following  his  father  to  this  city  he  en- 
gaged as  foreman  in  the  ornamental  department 
of  the  Orange  County  Nursery  in  Fullerton, 
during  which  time  he  was  offered  the  position  of 
foreman  of  the  University  grounds  in  Berkeley, 
Cal.  After  thirteen  months  in  that  location  he 
returned  to  Long  Beach  on  account  of  his  fath- 
er's failing  health,  and  here  took  up  the  duties 
of  his  father's  business.  For  about  two  years 
he  held  the  Fourth  street  nursery  independently, 
but  since  his  father's"  death  he  has  removed  to 
Fullerton  in  the  employ  of  the  Orange  County 
Nurserv. 


ARTHUR  PINCKNEY  NELSON,  super- 
visor of  the  Fifth  Supervisoral  district,  is  a  well 
known  horticulturist  and  is  superintendent  of 
the  Whittier  ranch  at  Redlands  Junction,  in 
which  work  he  has  met  with  great  success.  Of 
southern  lineage,  he  was  born  in  ^^'hite  countw 
Tenn.,  July  22,  1848,  and  was  thus  a  lad  of 
nearly  thirteen  years  at  the  time  of  the  breaking- 
out  of  the  Civil  war.  His  father.  Jesse  T..  was 
born  in  A'irgiiiia  and  reared  in  North  Carolina, 
when  he  removed  to  Tennessee  and  engaged  at 
his  trade  of  wagon  and  carriage  maker,  and  also 
was  occupied  in  farming.  At  the  breaking  out 
of  the  war  the  family  was  located  in  Spencer, 
^'an  Buren  county,  where  Mr.  Nelson  was 
prominent  in  public  affairs,  serving  as  justice  of 
the  peace  and  in  other  positions  of  i'mportance, 
his  livelihood  at  that  time  being  obtained  as  a 
miller.  Because  of  his  avowed  Union  sympathies 
he  was  constantly  threatened  by  the  Secession- 
ists, and  finally  in  1863  he  started  his  family  for 
Illinois  by  team,  and  with  his  son  (who  was  then 
reaching  an  age  when  he  would  be  forced  into 
the  Confederate  army)  traveled  at  night  to  Ken- 
tucky, and  thence  to  Illinois.  Up  to  this  time 
they  had  acted  in  the  interests  of  the  famous 
underground  railway,  Arthur  P.  Nelson  assist- 
ing as  conductor  in  aiding  the  Union  men  to  es- 


cape from  Tennessee  to  the  Federal  lines  in 
Kentucky,  piloting  them  by  night  from  his  fath- 
er's house  over  the  mountains  to  their  next  place 
of  refuge.  In  Olney,  Richland  county,  III,  the 
father  located  his  family,  and  there  engaged  in 
farming  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1866. 
His  wife,  formerly  Sarah  liarckley.  was  born  in 
North  Carolina  and  died  in  Illinois,  leaving  a 
family  of  seven  children. 

The  eldest  in  his  father's  family,  Arthur 
I'inckney  Xel^nn,  rccei\e(l  his  preliminary  edu- 
cation in  the  district  schools  of  Tennessee  and 
also  attended  Llurrett  College  at  Spencer  one 
term,  when  the  war  interrupted  educational  pur- 
suits. In  February,  1865,  after  his  escape  from 
his  native  state,  he  enlisted  in  Company  E,  One 
Hundred  and  Fifty-fifth  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, was  mustered  in  at  Springfield  and 
served  in  Tennessee  within  sixty  miles  of  his  old 
home.  He  was  honorably  discharged  in  August 
of  the  same  year  and  soon  after  his  return  home 
his  father  died,'  leaving  him  the  head  of  the  fam- 
il}'  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years.  He  engaged 
in  the  management  of  the  home  farm  and  until 
1875  cared  for  his  mother,  brothers  and  sisters, 
and  then,  having  previously  learned  the  trade 
of  carpenter,  worked  at  this  jjursuit  for  two 
years.  He  then  accejited  a  i"isition  in  the  de- 
]5artment  of  bridges.  lniiMinL:s  and  water  sup- 
ply for  the  Ohio  &  AlisMssijipi  Railroad,  now 
the  Baltimore  &  ( )hio,  and  retained  his  connec- 
tion with  the  road  uiitil  1887.  Coming  to  Cali- 
fornia in  this  year  he  looked  about  in  Riverside 
and  San  Bernardino,  and  finally  accepted  em- 
ployment as  a  carpenter  on  the  Mound  City 
buildings.  The  bench  at  that  time  was  covered 
with  sage-brush,  where  he  shot  jack  rabbits  and 
quail.  He  worked  in  Southern  California  until 
February  of  1889,  when  hc'deciiled  to  go  to  San 
Francisco,  and  from  there  continued  to  Portland, 
where  he  followed  the  building  business  until 
fall.  He  then  returned  to  California  and  worked 
at  his  trade  in  Berkeley  until  April,  i8go,  and 
then  came  again  to  San  Bernardino  county,  as 
he  had  previously  become  interested  in  the  nurs- 
ery business  in  ^'lound  City  and  felt  it  necessary 
to  return  to  attend  to  his  interests.  After  locat- 
ing here  in  1890  he  took  charge  of  the  work  him- 
self and  in  the  fall  of  the  year  bought  property 
and  continued  the  work,  improving  first  four 
acres  and  later  adding  fifteen  acres,  the  latter 
property  still  being  in  his  possession  and  now 
devoted'  to  oranges.  In  1894  Mr.  Whittier  called 
upon  him  to  accept  the  management  of  his  ranch 
of  one  hundred  and  seventy  acres,  of  which  one 
hundred  and  sixty-five  acres  are  in  oranges  and 
grape  fruit,  being  set  out  by  Mr.  Nelson  and 
thoroughly  improved  by  him,  irrigated,  etc.,  the 
residence,  barns,  outbuildings,  wells,  pumping 
plant,  all  being  his  own  work.     He  has  made  a 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOCIRAPHIC.VL  RECORD. 


13S5 


success  of  his  work  and  is  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful horticulturists  of   this   section. 

Mr.  Nelson  has  been  twice  married,  the  first 
ceremony  being  performed  in  Richland  county, 
111.,  and  uniting  him  with  Miss  ^larv  L.  Bowen, 
who  was  born  in  Ohio  and  died  in  Illinois.  In 
San  Bernardino  county  he  married  Miss  Lou 
Perkins,  a  native  of  Michigan.  Mr.  Xelson  was 
made  a  ^lason  in  Olney,  111.,  and  now  belongs  to 
Redlands  Lodge  No.  300,  F.  &  A.  M.  Political- 
ly he  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  in  1904  was 
elected  supervisor  of  the  Fifth  Supervisoral 
district,  and  is  now  discharging  the  duties  of  that 
position.  For  years  he  has  served  as  a  member 
of  the  Republican  Count\  Central  Committee. 
As  a  member  of  the  Redlands  Board  of  Trade  he 
is  active  in  advancing  the  business  interests  of 
this  section. 


JOSEPH  E.  WILSHIRE.  The  name  which 
heads  this  review  is  one  well  known  in  Southern 
California  and  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by 
those  whose  pioneer  efforts  toward  the  devlop- 
ment  of  the  state  left  nothing  to  be  desired  in 
the  present  generation  but  the  same  self-sacri- 
ficing devotion  to  the  cause  of  their  forefathers. 
Joseph  E.  Wilshire  is  a  native  of  California.  His 
father,  George  T.,  was  born  in  England  and  emi- 
grated to  America  in  }oung  manhood.  After 
spending  some  time  in  Boston,  Mass.,  he  located 
in  the  middle  west,  married  in  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
and  from  thence  in  1855  he  crossed  the  plains 
to  Salt  Lake,  where  he  followed  farming  for  the 
period  of  two  years.  In  1857  he  came  to  San 
Bernardino  county  by  means  of  ox-teams,  and 
purchasing  a  farm  on  \\'orm  creek,  he  there  be- 
gan its  cultivation  and  impr(ivement.  He  re- 
mained in  that  location  for  seventeen  years,  when 
he  went  to  the  vicinity  of  what  is  now  River- 
side and  engaged  in  the  raising  of  alfalfa  and 
became  a  horticulturist.  Locating  at  Oak  Glen 
in  1882,  he  bought  a  farm  on  the  upper  Yucaipe 
and  followed  general  farming  and  stock  raising 
for  the  period  of  two  years,  thence  to  Cuca- 
monga,  where  he  engaged  as  a  horticultnrist, 
finally  retiring  from  active  business  and  making 
his  home  with  his  son  for  about  twelve  years,  his 
death  occurring  in  Colton  in  September.  1905, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years.  His  wife  was 
formerly  Susan  Edes,  a  native  of  Boston,  whose 
death  occurred  in  Colton  at  the  age  of  eighty 
years.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
of  whom  two  are  livine.  the  fourth  in  order  of 
birth  being  Joseph  E.  Wilshire. 

Born  in  what  is  now  Colton,  .\])ril  12,  1858. 
Joseph  E.  Wilshire  was  reared  in  San  Bernardino 
county  and  educated  in  its  public  schools,  after 
which,  in  line  with  his  early  training,  he  fol- 
lowed farming  with  his   father.     His  first  inde- 


pemlent  venture  was  made  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
years  when  he  went  to  Los  .\ngeles  coiuitv  and 
engaged  in  the  stock  business  in  Laguna  canon 
just  below  Newport,  remaining  in  that  location 
for  one  year,  when  he  went  to  Lake  Elsinore  and 
there  on  unsurveyed  land  engaged  in  the  cattle 
business.  One  year  later  he  retumcl  to  Jumpa, 
the  home  of  his  parents,  sold  his  cattle  and  went 
to  school  for  a  time.  His  next  employment  was 
with  Judge  Arthur  Parks  on  his  farm,  after 
which,  in  1877,  he  located  at  Oak  Glen  and 
bought  a  claim  and  engaged  again  in  general 
farming  and  stock-raising.  He  with  others  built 
a  ditch  from  the  little  San  Gorgonia  creek,  from 
which  they  obtained  their  water  supply  for  irri- 
gation ;  he  set  out  an  apple  orchard  of  thirty-five 
acres,  and  seven  acres  of  cherries,  pears  and 
peaches,  and  devoted  the  remainder  of  the  land 
to  the  raising  of  cattle.  He  has  si.x  hundred 
acres  of  land  at  an  altitude  of  forty-five  hundred 
feet,  with  two  and  a  half  miles  of  stone  and  con- 
crete flume  to  his  orchard,  where  he  raises  the 
finest  apples  in  Southern  California. 

In  the  fall  of  1906  he  located  in  Redlands  and 
purchased  a  comfortable  residence  at  No.  103 
.Sonora  street.  Air.  Wilshire  has  been  twice  mar- 
ried, the  first  ceremony  being  performed  in  Yu- 
caipe, when  he  was  united  with  Miss  Rosalia 
Webster,  a  native  of  San  Bernardino.  She  died 
in  Yucaipe  leaving  three  children,  namelv  :  AIar\-. 
wife  of  George  Parks,  of  Riverside :  Eva,  wife 
of  A.  E.  Carter,  of  Lodono  Beach :  and  Earl,  of 
the  United  States  army,  serving  in  the  Philip- 
pines. His  second  marriage  occurring  in  San 
Bernardino,  united  him  with  Miss  iMelissa  Week, 
a  native  of  Missouri,  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
the  following  named  children :  Ida.  Clarenn', 
Alice,  Ruth,  Emma.  George  and  Susie.  Mr. 
Wilshire  has  taken  a  keen  interest  in  all  matters 
nf  public  import  and  is  especiallv  active  in  edu- 
cational affairs,  having  served  as  a  member  of 
the  school  board  of  the  Yucaipe  district  for  the 
period  of  ten  vears.  and  officiated  as  clerk  for  the 
greater  part  of  that  time.  Fraternally  he  is  iden- 
tified with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  nf 
Elks  :  politicallx-  he  adheres  to  the  ]5rinciples  ad- 
A'ocated  in  the  platform  of  the  Democratic  part\'. 


F.  C.  Rl'SaiNI.  The  successful  manage- 
n.ent  of  a  dairy,  stock  and  grain  ranch  nf  twcn- 
tv-four  hundred  acres  demonstrates  the  posses- 
sion of  liroad  agricultural  knowledge,  combined 
with  business  and  executive  ability  of  a  high  or- 
der. That  these  requirements  are  realized  in 
F.  C.  Rusconi,  for  the  past  three  vears  in  charge 
of  the  M.  D.  Tognazzini  ranch,  admits  of  no 
doubt  in  the  minds  of  tho.se  familiar  with  ranch- 
ing conditions  in  Santa  Barbara  county.  Mr. 
Rusconi  augments  the  colony  of  capable  -Swiss- 


1386 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Americans  who  have  brought  to  this  state  their 
invakiable  lessons  in  dairying,  and  who,  more 
than  the  representatives  of  any  other  immigrat- 
ing nation,  have  behind  them  the  example  of  gen- 
erations of  forefathers  similarly  employed. 

Frank  and  Liberata  (Prescom)  Rusconi,  par- 
ents of  the  Santa  Barbara  county  rancher,  still 
occupy  the  old  home  in  Switzerland,  where  their 
son  was  born  February  20,  1870.  The  latter 
left  his  mountain  home  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years,  a  fact  not  surprising,  since  there  were 
fourteen  children  dependent  upon  the  resources  of 
a  comparatively  small  farm.  Arriving  at  his  in- 
tended destination  in  California,  the  youth  at 
once  entered  upon  his  dairying  career,  finding 
employment  with  a  ranch  owner  near  Napa, 
Napa  count}-,  with  whom  he  lived  for  several 
years.  His  labor  thenceforth  was  along  dairy- 
ing lines,  and  his  experiences  amply  qualified 
him  for  the  responsible  position  he  has  held  the 
past  three  years.  Of  the  seven  hundred  head 
of  cattle  on  the  Tognozzini  ranch,  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  are  milch  cows,  and  the  chief 
product  is  cream,  although  formerly  the  dairy 
produced  large  quantities  of  butter.  Thirteen 
men  are  required  the  year  round  and  additional 
recruits  during  the  harvesting  of  the  twelve  hun- 
dred acres  of  grain.  A  new  creamery  has  just 
been  completed,  which,  for  completeness,  sur- 
passes anything  of  the  kind  hitherto  found  in  the 
county.  All  of  the  buildings  of  the  ranch  are 
kept  in  excellent  repair,  and  many  of  them  are 
of  recent  and  costly  construction.  It  is  a  prop- 
erty which  fulfills  expectations,  no  matter  how 
ambitious,  of  those  most  interested  in  the  growth 
and  reputation  of  the  county,  and  that  this  is 
so  is  in  large  measure  due  to  the  energ}-,  re- 
source and  intelligence  of  its  present  manager. 

In  May,  1905,  Mr.  Rusconi  married  Josie 
Tognazzini,  who  is  distantly  related  to  M.  D. 
Tognazzini,  and  who  was  born  in  Sidney,  Aus- 
tralia. I\Ir.  Rusconi  is  a  Republican  in  political 
affiliation,  and  fraternally  is  connected  with  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  of  Solano 
county,  and  the  Druids  of  Guadaloupe.  He  is 
a  man  of  strong  character,  fine  education,  and 
pronounced  views  upon  subjects  which  engage 
popular  attention.  He  is  personally  popular,  and 
has  the  faculty  of  infusing  his  subordinates  with 
that  earnestness  and  enthusiasm  which  spells  suc- 
cess in  all  lines  of  human  endeavor. 


ERNEST  RONSSE.  Conspicuous  among 
the  substantial  citizens  of  San  Diego  county  who 
selected  agriculture  as  their  vocation  in  life,  and 
who,  judging  from  all  appearances,  have  realized 
their  most  sanguine  anticipations,  is  Ernest 
Ronsse,  a  general  farmer  and  stockman,  residing 
near  Bonsall.     His  large,  highly  cultivated  ranch 


is  well  improved,  the  fine  set  of  buildings  which 
he  has  erected  being  made  more  attractive  by  the 
artistic  arrangement  of  flowers  around  and  near 
them,  while  the  practical  work  is  greatly  facili- 
tated by  the  use  of  the  most  approved  patterns  of 
modern  machinery,  the  estate,  with  its  appur- 
tenances, being  one  of  the  most  noteworthy  in  the 
neighborhood.  A  son  of  Leonard  Ronsse,  he 
was  born,  April  9,  1858,  in  France,  not  far  from 
the  beautiful  city  of  Paris. 

Born  and  reared  in  Belgium,  Leonard  Ronsse 
settled  as  a  farmer  in  France  when  a  young  man, 
and  was  thus  engaged  until  1871.  Immigrating 
to  the  United  States  that  year,  he  taught  for 
three  years  in  the  agricultural  college  at  Roches- 
ter, N.  Y.  In  1889  he  came  to  California,  and 
is  now  a  resident  of  Watsonville.  He  is  a  man 
of  great  worth,  a  stanch  Democrat  in  politics, 
and  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church.  His 
marriage  united  him  with  Mary  \'ackman,  also 
a  native  of  Belgium,  and  of  the  four  children 
that  blessed  their  union  all  are  living. 

After  his  graduation  from  the  high  school 
Ernest  Ronsse  worked  first  in  a  factory  in 
France,  and  was  subsequently  for  a  short  time 
employed  as  a  traveling  salesman.  In  1880  he 
came  to  the  United  States,  and  after  a  brief  stay 
in  Philadelphia  joined  his  parents  in  Kansas, 
settling  near  Topeka,  where  for  five  years  he  as- 
sisted his  father  in  farming.  Embarking  then  in 
agricultural  pursuits  on  his  own  account,  he  car- 
ried on  general  farming  in  Kansas  until  1888, 
when  he  came  to  the  Pacific  coast  in  search  of  a 
favorable  location.  After  visiting  San  Diego 
and  San  Francisco,  he  returned  to  Kansas,  but 
not  quite  satisfied  with  his  financial  prospects 
there,  removed  to  Flagstafif,  Ariz.,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business  for  eight  years. 
In  the  mean  time,  about  1892,  he  made  a  trig 
to  'Southern  California,  and  while  in  San  Diego 
county  purchased  his  present  ranch,  lying  near 
Bonsall,  and  began  its  improvement  by  setting 
out  many  trees.  Taking  up  his  residence  on  this 
ranch  in  1896,  he  has  since  managed  it  most  suc- 
cessfully, carrying  on  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising  with  profitable  results.  He  has  three 
hundred  and  sixty-five  acres  of  rich  and  fertile 
land,  and  in  its  improvement  takes  genuine  pride 
and  pleasure. 

In  1884,  in  Kansas,  Mr.  Ronsse  married  Helen 
A'erschalden,  who  was  born  in  Belgium,  and  into 
the  pleasant  household  thus  established  eight 
children  have  been  born,  namely :  August :  Hen- 
ry ;  Julius :  Charles  and  Joseph,  twins ;  Mary  and 
Martha,  twins :  and  Helen.  In  politics  Mr. 
Ronsse  is  an  independent  voter,  reserving  the 
right  to  support  the  man  whom  he  considers  the 
best  qualified  to  serve  the  interests  of  the  people, 
and  in  religion  both  he  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers  of  the   Mission   Catholic   Church. 


fy^,  l(f> ,  ic>  ^Jo^^A^^K. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOCiRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1389 


HENRY  C.  CARSON.  Prominent  among 
the  prosperous  agriculturists  and  substantial 
business  men  of  Compton  was  tlie  late  Henry 
C.  Carson,  whose  success  in  life  was  largely 
self-acquired.  For  many  years  he  had  been 
actively  identified  with  the  industrial  inter- 
ests of  this  part  of  Los  Angeles  county,  and 
had  taken  an  intelligent  interest  in  all  mat- 
ters that  concerned  the  welfare  of  the  com- 
munity at  large.  A  son  of  John  Carson,  he 
was  born  December  8,  1S35,  in  Jordan,  N.  Y., 
where  he  grew  to  man's  estate.  His  father 
was  born  in  Salem,  N.  Y.,  and  spent  his  life 
in  his  native  state.  He  married  Sophia  Cady, 
and  of  the  six  children  that  blessed  their 
union  all  are  deceased  excepting  Mrs.  J.  M. 
Smith,  of  Santa  Maria.  Cal.  On  the  maternal 
side  Mr.  "Carson  came  from  a  family  noted  for 
its  longevity,  his  Grandmother  Cady  having 
attained  the  remarkable  age  of  one  hundred 
and  three  years. 

After  leaving  the  district  school,  Henry  C. 
Carson  learned  the  harness-maker's  trade, 
serving  an  apprenticeship  of  five  years.  Start- 
ing for  himself  in  1854,  he  migrated  to  Illi- 
nois, locating  in  Freeport,  where  he  was  for 
a  time  engaged  in  railroading.  Going  thence 
to  Savanna,  III.,  he  established  himself  in  the 
harness  business,  which  he  carried  on  success- 
fully for  six  years.  The  following  nine  years 
he  was  similarly  employed  in  Winona,  Minn., 
from  there  going  to  Alissouri  and  becoming  a 
resident  of  Hannibal.  Not  content  with  his 
financial  prospects  in  that  region,  he  came  to 
California,  arri^-ing  in  Compton  July  26,  1872, 
I'oining  his  brother  George,  with  whom  he  was 
for  awhile  engaged  in  general  ranching,  mak- 
ing a  specialty  of  raising  sheep.  Turning  his 
attention  then  to  mercantile  pursuits,  he  es- 
tablished himself  here  as  a  butcher,  and  for 
thirty  years  carried  on  a  large  and  lucrative 
meat  business,  running  wagons  all  through 
this  section  of  country.  About  1900  he  re- 
tired from  this  business,  and  until  his  death, 
April  8,  1906,  cievoted  his  attention  and  en- 
ergies to  the  cart  of  his  home  ranch  of  twenty 
acres.  He  was  an  extensive  stock  raiser,  keep- 
ing horses  and  cattle,  and  in  his  agricultural 
operations  was  successful.  A  man  of  much 
ability  and  practical  judgment,  he  was  ex- 
ceedingly prosperous,  and  invested  considera- 
ble money  in  real  estate,  owning  five  ranches, 
aggregating  in  all  ninety-five  acres  of  rich 
and  valuable  land. 

In  Savanna,  111.,  in  1856,  Mr.  Carson  mar- 
ried Leonora  E.  Pien^e.  a  daughter  of  Aaron 
Pierce,  a  pioneer  of  illinois,  and  one  of  the 
original  settlers  of  Savanna.  Two  children 
blessed  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carson, 
namelv:   Harriet,  who    .vas   born   in   Savanna, 


111.,  and  died  in  \Vinona,  Minn.;  and  Frank 
Henry,  born  in  Winona,  Mmn. ;  during  boy- 
hood he  came  with  his  parents  to  Compton, 
married  Mae  Palmer,  and  died  here  at  the 
early  age  of  twenty-six  years.  Politically  Air. 
Carson  was  a  straightforward  Democrat. 


HON.  FRANK  PIERCE  JNIESERVE.  The 
advantages  of  foreign  travel  have  been  added  to 
education  and  culture  received  at  home,  which 
have  made  of  the  Hon.  Frank  Pierce  Meserve  a 
personality  both  pleasing  and  entertaining,  and 
his  close  observation  and  retentive  memory  have 
combined  to  give  him  the  best  that  could  be  ob- 
tained through  such  intercourse  with  the  world's 
geography.  He  is  now  located  in  Redlands,  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  cities  of  Southern  Califor- 
nia, and  here  he  has  contributed  of  all  of  his  gifts 
to  add  to  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  com- 
munity, no  movement  calculated  to  advance  the 
general  welfare  lacking  his  support.  Mr.  Me- 
serve comes  of  an  old  New  England  family  whose 
ancestry  can  be  traced  to  the  Isle  of  Jersey, 
whence  emigrating  ancestors  located  the  name  on 
American  soil.  Here  they  have  been  prominent 
in  public  affairs,  many  serving  as  eminent  jurists 
of  their  day.  In  New  Hampshire  his  paternal 
grandfather  served  as  colonel  in  the  war  of  1812 ; 
in  that  state  his  father,  Samuel,  was  born,  reared 
and  educated,  and  there  engaged  as  a  brick  and 
stone  mason  until  his  death.  By  marriage  he  al- 
lied his  fortunes  with  those  of  another  old  New 
Hampshire  family,  his  wife  being  before  marriage 
Alary  A.  Hanson,  a  native  of  that  state  and 
daughter  of  John  Hanson.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  six  children,  all  of  whom  are  now  living. 
Two  sons  served  in  Company  A,  First  Regiment 
New  Hampshire  Infantry,  and  one  in  the  Con- 
federate army. 

The  >-oungest  in  the  family  of  his  parents, 
Frank  Pierce  Meserve  was  born  in  Rochester,  N. 
H.,  November  30,  1852,  and  there  received  his 
preliminary  education  through  the  medium  of  the 
public  and  private  schools.  He  later  became  a 
student  in  Lebanon  Academy,  in  Maine,  which  he 
attended  to  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  and  was 
then  apprenticed  to  learn  the  trade  of  tailor.*  A 
year  later  he  purchased  the  business  where  he 
was  an  apprentice,  this  being  in  Newport,  and  he 
there  continued  his  eft'orts  for  the  period  of  thir- 
teen years.  In  1888  he  disposed  of  this  business 
and  in  the  same  year  brought  a  carload  of  mer- 
chandise to  California  and  in  Redlands  opened  a 
clothing  business  on  Monday  morning  after  his 
arrival  here  Saturday.  Ever  since  that  date  he 
has  conducted  this  enterprise  here  and  has  been 
very  successful  in  the  work.  In  1900  he  incor- 
porated the  Meserve  Gothing  House,  of  which  he 
is  acting  as  president,  and  they  are  now  located  at 


1390 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


No.  IO-I2  East  State  street,  where  they  carry  one 
of  the  best  Hnes  in  Redlands,  and  also  conduct  a 
branch  store  at  Beaumont.  Mr.  Meserve  has  tak- 
en a  prominent  part  in  pubhc  afifairs  of  Redlands 
and  is  a  prominent  factor  in  many  enterprises  of 
merit.  He  is  now  serving  as  treasin-er  of  the 
Home  Gas  &  Electric  Company  and  for  many 
years  was  a  director  in  the  Redlands  National 
Bank.  He  was  instnur.ental  in  the  organization 
of  the  Home  Realty  Company,  in  which  corpora- 
tion he  is  now  serving  as  president,  they  owning 
many  valuable  orange  groves  throughout  this 
section.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Red- 
lands  Library  Association,  when  it  was  a  private 
library  and  served  for  the  period  of  three  years  as 
a  trustee.  Three  different  times  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  city  council,  and  was  a  member 
of  the  school  board  for  three  years ;  he  is  now  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Trade  and  is  director 
and  vice-president,  and  chairman  of  the  member- 
ship committee.  It  will  thus  be  seen  how  active 
has  been  his  championship  of  matters  of  public 
import.  This  impression  of  his  loyalty  and  the 
strength  and  power  of  his  citizenship  became  so 
generally  a  matter  of  public  sentiment  that  in 
1898  he  was  elected  on  the  independent  ticket  to 
the  state  legislature,  serving  his  constituents  in 
the  session  of  1899,  and  again  in  the  special  ses- 
sion of  1900.  He  has  never  disappointed  those 
who  have  put  their  trust  in  him,  both  as  to  his 
fidelity  and  ability,  and  as  such  no  man  is  held  in 
higher  esteem  in  the  city  of  Redlands  than  is  he. 
Mr.  Meserve  has  been  twice  married,  the  first 
union  occurring  in  1878  in  New  Hampshire,  when 
he  married  Minnie  A.  Harvey,  who  was  born  in 
New  Hampshire  and  died  in  Sacramento  in 
March,  1899,  when  her  husband  was  attending  the 
legislature  as  a  member.  In  Los  Angeles  on  De- 
cember 25.  1904,  he  married  Helen  Grossman,  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania  and  born  of  this  union  are 
two  children,  Frank  P.  Jr.,  and  Harold  Arthur. 
In  his  fraternal  relations  Mr.  Meserve  is  promi- 
nent, having  been  made  a  Mason  in  Mt.  Vernon 
Lodge  No.  15,  and  was  its  youngest  master;  here 
he  assisted  in  the  organization  of  Redlands 
Lodge  No.  300,  and  was  its  first  master  under  the 
dispensation ;  having  been  raised  to  the  degree  of 
Royal  Arch  in  New  Hampshire  he  assisted  in  the 
organization  of  the  Redlands  Cbapter,  of  which 
he  was  the  first  high  priest ;  he  is  also  a  member 
of  St.  Bernard  Commandery  No.  23,  K.  T.,  of 
San  Bernardino ;  Al  Malaikah  Temple,  A.  A.  O. 
N.  M.  S.,  of  Los  Angeles;  and  also  belongs  to 
the  Scottish  Rite  bodies  in  Los  Angeles.  He  is 
also  identified  with  the  Order  of  Eastern  Star,  of 
which  he  is  past  worthy  patron  and  an  honorary 
member  of  the  Daughters  of  Isis.  He  was  like- 
wise active  in  the  Odd  Fellows,  having  been  made 
a  member  of  this  organization  in  New  Hampshire 
and  there  officiated  as  past  grand  and  is  associated 


with  the  Encampment,  Canton  and  Rebekahs,  in 
all  of  which  he  is  past  officer,  and  is  a  director  in 
the  Odd  Fellows  Hall  Association,  which  he 
helped  to  organize.  He  is  a  charter  member  of 
the  lodge  of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of 
Elks  in  Redlands,  and  was  its  first  exalted  ruler, 
and  has  been  to  four  Grand  Lodge  sessions.  He 
is  also  identified  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  of 
which  he  is  past  chancellor ;  the  Uniformed 
Rank  of  the  K.  of  P.,  of  which  he  is  past  captain ; 
the  Rathbone  Sisters;  the  D.  O.  K.  K.,  of  Los 
Angeles ;  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  of 
which  he  is  a  charter  member  here  and  its  first 
C.  C.  He  belongs  to  the  Royal  Court  and  the 
Fraternal  Union.  In  religion  he  belongs  to  the 
Unitarian  Cburch,  and  officiates  as  a  member  of 
its  board  of  trustees. 

The  travels  of  Mr.  Meserve  have  taken  him 
practically  into  every  corner  of  the  world,  in 
1904  taking  a  trip  around  the  world  which  lasted 
eighteen  months,  spending  six  weeks  in  India, 
traveling  seven  hundred  miles  up  the  Nile,  visit- 
ing every  country  and  famous  city  of  Europe, 
and  in  fact,  leaving  nothing  unseen  that  he  had 
set  out  to  see  on  his  magnificent  tour.  Previous 
to  this  he  had  visited  in  every  state  and  territory 
in  the  Union,  had  made  several  trips  to  Alaska 
and  to  Honolulu,  and  is  thus  familiar  with  the 
manners  and  customs  of  every  civilized  country 
in  the  world.  He  is  endowed  with  mental  gifts 
which  have  made  his  advantages  of  vast  impor- 
tance in  his  life;  he  retains  a  vivid  impression  of 
countries  he  has  visited,  can  give  in  detail  their 
manner  of  living,  their  habits  and  customs,  and  as 
an  entertaining  companion  has  no  superior  in 
Southern  California  or  indeed  in  the  state.  He 
has  been  broadened  by  his  contact  with  the  world 
and  brought  into  closer  understanding  and  sym- 
pathy with  its  problems;  He  is  always  liberal 
and  enterprising,  holding  out  his  hands  to  uphold 
the  efforts  of  those  who  seek  to  advance  the  ma- 
terial prosperity  of  the  place.  He  is  justly  named 
among  the  representative  citizens  of  Redlands. 


REMIF  CALLENS.  Although  a  young  man 
who  has  been  engaged  in  business  for  himself 
but  a  few  years  Remie  Callens  has  already  at- 
tained a  success  which  gives  him  a  position 
among  the  most  prominent  ranchmen  of  Ven- 
tura county.  He  was  born  in  Menin,  Belgium, 
October  25,  1881,  the  son  of  August  and  Leona 
(Martens)  Callens.  both  of  whom  were  born  in 
Belgium,  the  former  in  Mynde  and  the  latter 
at  Besseghem.  The  elder  Callens  was  engaged 
as  a  farmer  in  his  native  land  and  when  he  im- 
migrated to  this  country  in  1888,  settling  in 
Ventura  county.  Gal.,  near  Hueneme,  he  spent 
the  two  years  preceding  his  death  in  the  same 
pursuits.      Tbey   were   the   parents   of   six   chil- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1391 


dren,  two  of  the  five  sons  now  residing  in 
France  and  the  remainder  of  the  family  Hving 
in  California. 

Shortly  after  her  husband's  death  Mrs.  Cal- 
lens  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  in  the  Ocean  View  district  and  on  this 
ranch  the  son,  Remie,  was  reared,  and  now  lives. 
His  education  was  received  for  the  most  part 
in  the  public  schools  of  Ocean  View  and  when 
he  came  to  choose  a  life  work  he  naturally  de- 
cided upon  that  in  which  his  father  engaged  and 
in  which  he  had  received  his  training.  He 
helped  his  mother  until  reaching  his  majority, 
when  in  1902,  he  rented  the  place  from  her  and 
conducted  it  as  an  independent  venture.  This 
proved  very  successful  and  in  1905  he  took  in 
his  brother,  Rene,  as  a  partner  and  they  con- 
tinued business  as  Callens  Brothers,  cultivating 
in  addition  to  the  acreage  in  the  home  ranch  a 
tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  rented 
land.  The  lines  which  they  follow  are  stock- 
raising  and  the  cultivation  of  grain  crops,  beans 
and  beets. 

Remie  Callens  was  married  in  Oxnard  to  Miss 
Mary  Callens,  a  native  of  Belgium,  and  they 
are  the  parents  of  one  child,  Henry.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  CoIumlDUs  of  Ox- 
nard, and  is  a  loyal  adherent  of  the  Democratic 
party  in  politics.  He  is  energetic  and  ambitious 
and  there  is  no  doubt  but  that  the  future  holds 
still  greater  success  for  him  than  has  the  past. 


WILLIAM  THOMAS  MORRIS.  Remem- 
bered throughout  San  Bernardino  county  as  one 
of  its  early  and  successful  pioneer  settlers,  Will- 
iam Thomas  Morris  was  liorn  in  Lewis  County, 
Mo.,  March  8,  1838.  His  father,  Robert  Morris, 
was  born  near  Louisville,  Ky.,  the  descendant 
of  a  prominent  family  of  that  state,  and  in  young 
manhood  located  in  Lewis  county.  Mo.,  where 
he  engaged  as  a  farmer  and  stockman'  until  his 
death  at  the  age  of  fifty-two  years.  His  wife, 
formerly  Eliza  Price,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  a 
member  of  the  same  family  to  which  Gen. 
Sterling  Price  belonged.  She  also  died  in  Mis- 
souri, leaving  nine  children,  of  whom  four 
daughters  are  now  living.  William  T.  Morris 
received  his  education  in  the  public  school  and 
the  Academy  at  St.  Erancisville,  Mo.,  after  which 
he  engaged  in  teaching  for  a  time,  and  finally 
embarked  in  the  mercantile  business.  He  was 
located  in  Monticello,  Mo.,  where  he  attended 
school  for  a  time  and  from  which  point  in  1859 
he  started  to  Pike's  Peak,  and  thence  returned 
to  Missouri.  Of  southern  tendencies  he  served 
for  a  time  in  a  Missouri  regiment  in  the  Con- 
federate amiy,  participating  in  several  important 
engagements,  among  them  the  battle  of  Wilson's 
creek.     In  1863  he  came  to  California,  a  member 


of  the  same  train  in  which  his  future  wife  travel- 
ed with  her  parents.  He  engaged  in  mining  in 
Arizona,  and  later  engaged  in  the  raising  of 
grain  and  hay  until  1866,  after  which  he  came 
to  California  and  in  San  Bernardino  was  married 
August  14,  and  following  this  began  horticult- 
ural pursuits  with  his  father-in-law  on  a  tract 
of  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  devoted  to  a 
vineyard,  orchard  and  the  raising  of  alfalfa.  In 
1871  he  disposed  of  his  California  interests  and 
returned  to  Lewis  county.  Mo.,  and  there  farmed 
for  a  time  and  then  engaged  as  a  merchant  in 
the  grocery  and  hardware  business,  being  located 
in  Williamstown.  Because  of  asthma  Mr.  Morris 
returned  to  California  in  1884  and  purchased 
the  property  owned  by  his  widow,  fifteen  acres 
located  at  the  foot  of  the  Terracina  bluff,  and 
improved  the  place  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1899,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church  and 
an  earnest  and  upright  citizen.  Fraternally  he 
was  identified  with  the  Masonic  organization, 
and  politically  was  a  Democrat. 

The  wife  of  Mr.  Morris  was  in  maidenhood 
Miss  Lucynthia  McCoy,  who  was  born  in  Osage, 
now  Maries  county,  Mo.  Her  father,  David 
McCoy,  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  where  the 
paternal  grandfather,  Hugh,  located  upon  his 
emigration  from  Scotland,  having  come  to 
America  as  a  member  of  the  British  army  and 
was  wounded  in  the  engagement  which  was  the 
scene  of  Burgoyne's  defeat.  He  was  taken  from 
the  battlefield  to  the  house  of  John  Franklin,  and 
was  nursed  by  the  family,  a  daughter,  Jemima, 
falling  in  love  with  him  and  marrying  him.  They 
settled  in  Burke  county,  N.  C,  where  Mr. 
McCoy  engaged  as  a  farmer.  Later  he  returned 
to  Scotland  for  some  property  and  was  lost  at 
sea.  His  wife  and  family  eventually  removed 
to  Kentucky,  where  David  McCoy  married,  and 
from  that  state  went  to  Indiana  and  improved 
a  farm.  Locating  in  Osage  county,  Mo.,  he 
spent  eighteen  months,  thence  going  to  Iowa  for 
a  time,  and  then  returning  to  Missouri  farmed 
in  Lewis  county  until  1863.  In  the  last  named 
year  he  brought  his  family  to  California  across 
the  plains  with  mule  and  horse  teams,  the  jour- 
ney made  in  less  than  four  months  to  Marys- 
ville.  Yuba  county.  They  remained  in  northern 
California  for  three  years,  when  they  came  to 
San  Bernardino  and  in  Crafton  Mr.  AlcCoy  pur- 
chased a  farm  in  conjimction  with  his  son-in-law, 
Mr.  Morris,  and  together  the  two  engaged  in 
its  cultivation  until  1871,  when  they  both  took 
their  families  back  to  Missouri.  After  thirteen 
years  Mr.  McCoy  returned  to  California  and 
made  his  home  with  his  daughter  until  his  death 
in  1895  at  the  remarkable  age  of  one  hundred 
and  four  years  and  eleven  months.  He  served  in 
the  war  of  1812  under  General  Harrison  and  was 


1392 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


present  at  the  battle  of  the  Thames  when 
Tecumseh  was  killed.  He  was  a  Democrat 
politically.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  integrity 
of  character,  of  personal  worth,  and  was  justly 
named  among  the  respected  and  helpful  citizens 
of  whatever  community  he  made  his  home.  His 
wife  was  formerly  Lucynthia  Davis,  a  native  of 
Casey  county,  Ky.,  and  a  daughter  of  Robert 
Davis,  who  died  in  that  state.  j\lrs.  McCoy 
died  in  Missouri  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  She 
was  the  motlier  of  seven  children,  of  whom  six 
attained  maturity.  Mrs.  Morris  was  the  young- 
est and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
]\Iissouri,  and  three  years  after  going  to  Califor- 
nia was  married  and  located  at  Crafton.  Since 
her  husband's  death  she  has  sold  a  part  of  the 
property,  retaining  nine  acres,  of  which  six  are 
in  oranges.  She  has  two  children,  Emma  B., 
wife  of  Stephen  Bedford,  of  Fort  Worth,  Tex., 
and  Lucy  M.,  wife  of  W.  H.  Bedford,  of  Los 
Angeles.  Mrs.  Morris  is  a  member  of  the 
Qiristian   Church. 


JOHN  J.  STRATTON.  Although  Mr. 
Stratton  has  been  a  resident  of  Pomona  only 
since  June  of  1905  his  skill  as  a  contractor 
and  builder  in  Los  Angeles  had  given  him  a 
wide  reputation  and  paved  the  way  to  success 
for  him  in  his  new  location.  In  connection 
with  his  building  interests  he  also  owns  a  five 
acre  orange  grove  on  East  Second  street,  which 
is  in  fine  bearing  condition. 

On  both  sides  of  the  family  yir.  Stratton 
comes  of  southern  antecedents,  his  parents, 
John  and  Sarah  (Lansdowne)  Stratton,  both 
claiming  Kentucky  as  their  birthplace.  After 
the  close  of  the  war,  in  1865,  the  parents  re- 
moved to  Muscatine  county,  Iowa,  and  it  was 
during  the  five  years  spent  on  a  farm  in  that 
locality  that  our  subject  was  born.  From 
Iowa  they  removed  to  Jefiferson  county,  Kans., 
in  1870.  and  after  about  sixteen  years  of  farm 
life  in  that  state  the  father  sold  out  his  hold- 
ings and  came  to  California.  Here  as  in  the 
middle  west  he  continued  to  follow  agricultural 
pursuits  for  a  time  near  Los  Angeles,  but  is 
now  living  in  Bonsall,  San  Diego  county,  own- 
ing an  interest  in  the  Mount  Fairview  hotel. 
Mrs.  Stratton  died  in  San  Diego  county  in 
1898. 

Of  the  eight  children  born  into  the  parental 
family  seven  are  living,  John  J.  being  next 
to  the  youngest  of  the  family.  He  was  born 
in  Muscatine  county.  Iowa,  December  23,  1866, 
but  as  he  was  only  about  four  years  old  at  the 
time  his  parents  transferred  their  home  into 
the  adjoining  state  of  Kansas  his  earliest 
recollections  are  of  the  latter  state.  His  boy- 
hood  and    youth   were   spent   on   the   parental 


farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Williamstown,  Jeffer- 
son county,  Kans.,  conning  his  lessons  in  the 
schools  of  the  latter  city.  When  he  was  eight- 
een years  old  he  determined  to  carrj'  out  his 
plans  for  future  business  life,  having  in  the 
mean  time  decided  upon  the  carpenter's  trade 
as  the  most  congenial,  hence  the  most  promis- 
ing financially.  Two  of  his  older  brothers, 
W.  A.  and  S.  M.  Stratton,  had  been  established 
in  the  west  as  builders  and  contractors  for 
some  time,  and  hither  he  came  in  1884  and 
placed  himself  under  them  as  a  carpenter's 
apprentice.  Both  of  the  brothers  are  now 
well  known  in  building  circles  in  Los  Angeles, 
and  for  a  time  after  completing  his  apprentice- 
ship John  J.  also  worked  at  his  trade  in  that 
metropoHs.  In  1889  he  located  in  Seattle, 
Wash.,  and  during  the  time  he  spent  there 
working  at  his  trade  the  city  was  visited  by 
a  destructive  fire.  Locating  once  more  in  Los 
Angeles  in  1S91,  he  resumed  work  at  his  trade 
and  continued  to  follow  carpentering  exclu- 
sively for  about  six  years,  when,  in  1897,  he 
branched  out  as  a  contractor  and  builder. 
]\Iany  of  the  finest  residences,  flat  buildings 
and  blocks  in  that  metropolis  stand  as  an 
evidence  of  his  skill  and  ability,  and  among 
the  number  we  mention  the  Hinman,  the  Dono- 
hue  flats  and  the  Fremont  Avenue  school.  It 
was  with  a  record  as  a  finished  and  successful 
master  of  his  calling  that  he  came  to  Pomona 
in  June  of  1905,  and  as  his  reputation  had  pre- 
ceded him  he  found  opportunities  awaiting  him 
of  which  he  had  little  dreamed. 

The  family  residence  on  East  Second  and 
Reservoir  streets  is  the  embodiment  of  Mr. 
Stratton's  artistic  skill  and  practical  workman- 
ship, and  is  one  of  the  most  modern  residences 
in  Pomona.  The  home  is  presided  over  by 
his  wife,  who  before  her  marriage  was  Miss 
Kate  Thomas  and  was  born  in  Texas.  Three 
children  have  added  sunshine  and  happiness  to 
their  marriage  and  are  receiving  every  ad- 
vantage which  it  is  in  the  power  of  their  par- 
ents to  bestow.  Named  in  order  of  birth  they 
are  as  follows;  John  J.  Jr.,  Wesley  Lincoln  and 
Leonard  Thomas.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stratton  are 
members  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  of  Pomona,  both  being  stanch  sup- 
porters of  its  various  benevolent  departments. 
Mr.  Stratton  is  an  active  worker  in  the  Sunday- 
school,  being  assistant  superintendent,  and  he 
is  also  a  stanch  Prohibitionist. 


Jl^LES  HUGUES.  Since  locating  in  Pomona 
in  igoi  Mr.  Hugues  has  made  a  specialty  of 
raising  wine  grapes,  which  he  manufactures  into 
wine,  his  plant  being  located  on  South  Garey 
street  between   Crow  avenue  and   Phillips  road. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1395 


Bom  in  Gap,  Hautes-Alpes,  France,  April  20, 
1875,  he  is  a  son  of  Van  Zant  Hugues,  the  latter 
carrying  on  a  farm  in  that  country  during  his 
entire  life,  both  parents  now  being  deceased.  Of 
the  four  children  born  to  them  one  is  deceased 
and  two  are  residents  of  California.  As  his 
father  was  a  farmer  it  was  natural  that  Jules 
should  become  familiar  with  the  duties  of  the 
home  farm,  and  when  his  school  days  were 
over  to  follow  in  his  father's  footsteps  in  the 
choice  of  an  occupation.  This  he  did  for  a 
number  of  years  in  his  own  country,  and  upon 
coming  to  the  new  world  in  1899  he  also  sought 
a  similar  occupation.  His  first  location  was  at 
Cucamonga,  San  Bernardino,  county,  there  en- 
tering the  employ  of  J.  B.  Lafercate,  a  large 
manufacturer  of  wine,  and  during  the  eighteen 
months  of  their  association  Mr.  Hugues  thor- 
oughly learned  the  process  of  wine  manufacture. 
In  1901  he  removed  to  the  Tisnerat  ranch,  which 
he  ran  as  a  winery  for  three  years,  when,  in  1903, 
he  bought  his  present  vineyard  of  fifteen  acres 
on  South  Garey  street,  between  Crow  avenue  and 
Phillips  road.  All  of  the  improvements  now 
seen  on  the  place  are  the  result  of  Mr.  Hugues' 
own  efforts,  he  having  built  the  house,  large 
barn,  and  also  the  distillery,  which  is  52x82  feet, 
with  an  excellent  storage  cellar.  Taken  all  in 
all  the  plant  is  one  of  the  finest  in  Southern 
California  and  in  the  light  of  his  past  accomplish- 
ments, with  youth  and  health  at  his  command, 
failure  is  impossible. 

In  Los  Angeles  Mr.  Hugues  was  married  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Gambot,  who  like  himself  is  a 
native  of  France.  Three  children  have  come 
to  add  brightness  to  their  home — Grace,  Jean 
Baptiste  and  Jean.  Politically  Mr.  Hugues  is 
a  Republican.  Much  credit  is  due  him  for  what 
he  has  accomplished  since  coming  to  Pomona, 
and  as  a  business  man  and  citizen  he  is  highly 
esteemed. 


IRA  FRANK  REYNOLDS.  Frank  Rey- 
nolds, one  of  the  substantial  ranchers  of  the 
Puente  district,  is  a  man  who  has  made  his 
own  way  in  the  world  and  by  his  own  per- 
sonal eflforts  has  acquired  a  competence,  while 
at  the  same  time  he  has  won  the  distinction 
among  his  fellow  citizens  of  being  a  business 
man  of  ability,  keen  judgment,  and  an  integ- 
rity in  his  dealings  with  others  which  places 
him  prominently  in  the  citizenship  of  this  sec- 
tion of  Los  Angeles  county.  Mr.  Reynolds  is 
a  native  of  Illinois,  his  birth  having  occurred 
in  East  St.  Louis,  June  21,  1862;  his  father, 
Ira  J.,  a  native  of  New  York  and  his  mother, 
Mary  (Davis)  Reynolds,  a  native  of  Ohio, 
were  married  in  East  St.  Louis.  The  father 
was  a  railroad  man,  working  as  conductor  on 


the  Alton  &  Terre  Flaute  line,  but  he  gave 
this  up  to  cross  the  plains  to  California  in  1849, 
driving  an  ox-team,  and  upon  his  safe  arrival 
in  the  state  he  engaged  in  the  mines  at  Feath- 
er river,  in  Yuba  county.  His  mining  claims 
he  sold  out  to  his  two  brothers  who  had  ac- 
companied him.,  and  in  1850  he  returned  east 
via  Cape  Horn,  and  after  two  years  in  his  East- 
ern home,  once  more  crossed  the  plains,  driving 
a  herd  of  cattle.  While  in  California  the  sec- 
ond time  he  was  with  Kit  Carson  in  his  In- 
dian expeditions.  Finally  returning  to  his 
home  he  remained  until  1875,  in  which  year  he 
brought  his  family  to  California  over  the  Union 
Pacific  Railroad,  and  both  father  and  mother 
still  survive,  he  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  and 
she  seventy-six.  Mr.  Reynolds  is  a  Democrat 
in  politics  and  both  himself  and  wife  are 
members  of  the  Baptist  Church.  They  be- 
came the  parents  of  twelve  children,  of  whom 
tight   are  now  living. 

Reared  to"  the  age  of  thirteen  years  in  his 
native  place,  I.  Frank  Reynolds  received  his 
education  in  its  schools,  and  also  the  schools 
of  San  Luis  Obispo,  where  his  parents  located 
after  spending  the  first  winter  in  Woodland, 
Yolo  county.  When  his  schooldays  were  over 
he  came  to  Southern  California  and  locating  in 
the  vicinity  of  El  iMonte  began  raising  grain 
and  hogs.  In  1889  he  bought  ten  acres  of 
land  and  to  this  purchase  he  added  forty  acres 
in  1900,  the  first  property  being  in  eighteen 
year  old  walnut  trees  in  full  bearing,  and 
which  he  recently  sold  for  $9,000  cash.  The 
forty-acre  piece  he  sold  for  $15,000.  In  1892 
he  came  to  his  present  property,  and  since 
that  time  has  given  his  best  eflforts  toward  its 
•mprovem.ent  and  developm.ent.  He  general- 
ly carries  on  grain  farming  with  his  horticult- 
ural interests,  leasing  from  six  to  eight  hun- 
dred acres,  upon  which  he  raises  wheat,  bar- 
ley and  oats. 

In  1887  Mr.  Rej'nolds  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Rosa  Alexander,  a  native  of 
California,  and  a  daughter  of  John  Alexander, 
now  deceased,  her  mother  still  surviving  and 
making  her  home  in  El  :Monte.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Revnolds  are  the  parents  of  the  following 
children,  two,  Frank  and  Francis  dying  in 
childhood :  George  A..  Edith,  Cora,  Foster  and 
Delia.  Politically  Mr.  Reynolds  is  a  stanch 
adherent  of  the  principles  embraced  in  the  plat- 
form of  the  Republican  party,  and  although 
never  desirous  of  personal  recognition  by  his 
party  has  still  given  every  effort  toward  the 
advancement  of  the  principles  he  endorses. 
He  has  serv'cd  as  school  trustee  for  several 
terms.  In  addition  to  his  farming  interests 
he  also  conducts  a  meat  market  in  Puente, 
and  runs  a  wagon  through  the  country.     His 


1396 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


business  sagacity  and  judgment,  combined 
with  his  straightforward,  honorable  methods 
in  the  conduct  of  his  enterprises,  have  won  for 
him  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  patrons,  who 
are  glad  to  witness  his  unusual  success.  In 
1907  he  was  appointed  by  the  board  of  super- 
visors as  road  overseer  of  the  Rowland  dis- 
trict. 


HERVEY  EBENEZER  SHA^¥.  For  twen- 
ty years  Hervey  Ebenezer  Shaw,  city  engineer 
of  Long  Beach,  has  been  a  resident  of  this 
section  of  Southern  California  and  has  been 
actively  identified  with  its  development.  He 
is  a  thoroughly  experienced  practical  worker 
and  fulfills  the  duties  of  his  office  with 
credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  the  public. 
That  branch  of  the  Shaw  family  of  which  he 
is  a  member  is  of  Scotch  extraction,  his  great- 
great-grandfather.  Tames,  having  been  born  in 
Aberdeen,  Scotland.  He  came  to  America  in 
1743,  settling  first  in  New  Jersey  and  later  re- 
moving to  Virginia,  where  he  became  a  large 
plantei".  Both  he  and  his  son,  John,  who  was 
born  in  Virginia,  were  loyal  patriots  and  served 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.  His  grandson,  Eb- 
enezer, was  born  in  Westmoreland  county.  Pa., 
but  in  1802  removed  to  Ohio,  which  territory 
at  that  time  belonged  to  Virginia,  and  settled 
first  in  that  section  now  embraced  in  Stark 
county,  later  removing  to  Savannah,  Ashland 
county,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  lived 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  His  son,  Dr.  Will- 
iam S.,  became  the  father  of  Hervey  Ebenezer. 
l-fe  was  a  graduate  of  the  Western  Reserve 
College,  from  which  he  received  his  medical 
degree,  and  Avas  engaged  as  an  active  practi- 
tioner in  Ashland  county,  Ohio,  during  his  en- 
tire lifetime.  Politically  he  was  an  ardent  ad- 
vocate of  Republican  principles  and  was  a 
member  of  the  original  Whig  party.  His  wife, 
Elizabeth  Hanna  in  maidenhood,  was  the 
daughter  of  Rev.  Archibald  Hanna,  a  pioneer 
Presbyterian  minister  of  Ohio,  in  which  state 
the  daugliter  was  born  and  also  died. 
.  The  only  child  of  his  parents,  Hervey  E. 
Shaw  was  born  in  his  father's  native  home  near 
Canton,  Stark  county,  Ohio,  April  24,  1849, 
and  was  reared  in  Savannah,  Ashland  county, 
where  he  received  a  preliminary  education  in 
the  public  schools  and  later  entered  Savannah 
Academy,  taking  a  college  preparatory  course. 
After  finishing  his  studies  he  learned  the  car- 
penter's trade,  although  he  followed  that  occu- 
pation but  a  short  time,  later  engaging  in  the 
drug  business  at  Ashland.  Subsequently  re- 
moving to  Virginia  he  then  took  up  survey- 
ing and  civil  engineering  for  a  time,  and  on 
his  later  removal  to  ]\Iansfield,  Ohio,  became 


a  contractor  and  builder.  It  was  while  resid- 
ing in  that  city  that  he  lived  as  next-door 
neighbor  to  Senator  John  Sherman,  of  whom 
he  can  tell  man}^  interesting  anecdotes. 

In  1886  Mr.  Shaw  came  to  California,  his 
first  home  being  in  Altadena,  where  he  entered 
the  employ  of  Woodbury  Brothers  as  general 
overseer  in  the  construction  of  improvements 
of  the  Woodbury  ranch,  and  at  the  same  time 
was  engaged  in  contracting  and  building  in 
Altadena.  It  was  during  this  time  that  his 
employers  built  the  road  from  Pasadena  to 
Altadena  now  owned  by  the  Salt  Lake,  and  he 
rode  on  the  first  train  that  passed  over  the 
new  line  in  1887.  In  that  year  he  also  made  a 
survey  of  a  road  to  Mt.  Lowe,  the  line  which 
he  marked  going  by  way  of  Millard  Canon, 
across  to  the  present  line,  and  on  to  Mt.  AVil- 
son.  In  1889  he  located  in  Pasadena  and  was 
occupied  as  a  contractor  until  1896,  when  he 
continued  the  business  in  Long  Beach,  which 
city  has  since  been  his  home.  After  two  years 
he  again  took  up  surveying  and  did  consider- 
able work  in  San  Bernardino  county.  Enter- 
ing the  Long  Beach  city  engineer's  office  in 
1901  as  assistant  he  continued  in  that  capaci- 
ty until  1906,  v.'hen,  upon  the  resignation  of 
W.  A.  Foster,  he  was  appointed  by  the  city 
council  as  city  engineer,  his  long  experience  in 
the  office  having  given  him  the  confidence  of 
the  people  who  look  for  efficient  service  from 
its  officials. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Shaw  occurred  in  Chase 
City,  Va.,  uniting  him  with  Miss  Mary  E. 
Ramsey,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  to  them 
have  been  born  three  children.  The  daughter 
is  now  the  wife  of  Dr.  Austin,  of  Long  Beach ; 
Ray  is  a  surveyor  in  Long  Beach ;  and  Clark 
is  assistant  city  surve^'or.  Fraternally  Mr. 
Shaw  is  a  member  of  Long  Beach  Lodge  No. 
327,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  religiously  is  an  active 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  is  an 
advocate  of  the  principles  embraced  in  the 
platform  of  the  Republican  party,  and  in  the 
development  and  upbuilding  of  the  city  is  one 
of  the  most  enthusiastic  workers. 


CHARLES  EDWARD  BECK.  The  family 
to  which  Charles  Edward  Beck  belongs  was  one 
of  the  earliest  to  locate  in  Southern  California, 
Thomas,  a  native  of  Coventry,  England,  coming 
hither  in  1853  and  about  1858  locating  in  San 
Bernardino  county.  He  had  been  brought  to 
America  by  his  father,  also  Thomas  Beck,  the 
elder  man  coming  to  New  York  City  with  his 
two  sons,  Thomas  and  Joseph.  In  that  city 
Thomas  Beck,  Jr.,  learned  the  trade  of  baker, 
after  which  he  went  to  sea  and  followed  this 
life  for  about  four  years,  his  last  voyage  being 


q/,  S,  ^^?i^^^^?^^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1399 


around  Cape  Horn  to  San  Francisco,  where  in 
1850  he  left  the  vessel.  Three  years  later  he 
came  to  Southern  California  and  in  San  Bernar- 
dino county  was  employed  as  a  ranch  hand.  In 
that  location  also  he  married  Caroline  Single- 
ton, she  too  being  a  native  of  England.  Her 
father,  Robert  Singleton,  brought  his  family 
from  England  to  Philadelphia,  then  across  the 
plains  over  the  old  trail,  via  Salt  Lake  City  and 
San  Bernardino.  In  her  girlhood  Mrs.  Beck  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  this  section. 
In  1S60  Mr.  Beck  came  to  Los  Angeles  county 
and  remained  for  a  time  in  the  vicinity  of  El 
Monte,  but  finally  returned  to  San  Bernardino 
county,  where  he  purchased  a  place  and  made  his 
home  until  his  death.  Three  children  were  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beck  :■  Charles  E.,  of  this  re- 
view ;  Thomas  and  George,  both  of  whom  died 
in  childhood.  Mrs.  Beck  subsequently  became 
the  wife  of  Tames  Cleminson,  and  died  in  El 
Mont?  in  1880. 

Reared  in  San  Bernardino  county,  where  he 
was  born  January  8,  1862,  Qiarles  E.  Beck  was 
fourteen  years  old  when  he  was  brought  by  his 
parents  to  El  Monte,  and  here  he  completed  his 
education  in  the  public  schools.  He  remained 
at  home  until  he  was  eighteen  years  old,  when 
he  returned  to  San  Bernardino  and  entered  the 
employ  of  an  uncle,  E.  P.  Clyde,  again  in  1886  lo- 
cating in  El  Monte,  where  he  farmed  the  old 
Qeminson  place.  He  was  married  in  El  Monte,  in 
1887,  to  Miss  Lulu  ]\IcGarvin,  a  native  of  Mis- 
souri. He  continued  farming  in  this  section,  pur- 
chasing and  improving  farms  in  the  vicinity,  and 
then  selling  and  at  the  present  writing  is  engaged 
in  the  dairy  business  on  the  old  W.  L.  Hinman 
place,  where  he  has  twenty-eight  Jerseys,  and 
twenty-six  acres  in  alfalfa.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beck 
have  four  children,  Harold  E.,  James  Ivor,  Hazel 
M.  and  Clyde  E.  Mr.  Beck  served  for  a  time 
as  school  trustee  in  the  Eassett  district  and  is 
otherwise  interested  in  the  general  welfare  of 
the  community.  Fraternally  he  is  identified  with 
the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters  of  El  Monte, 
of  which  he  is  past  chief  ranger,  and  also  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  being  a  mem- 
ber of  its  board  of  directors.  Politically  he  is  a 
stanch  Republican. 


SILAS  E.  KENNEDY.  The  name  of  Silas 
E.  Kennedy  is  familiar  to  most  of  the  resi- 
dents in  the  southern  part  of  Los  Angeles 
county,  and  carries  with  it  an  impression  of 
influence,  large  luidertakings  and  unques- 
tioned integrity.  His  identification  with  Wil- 
mington dates  back  to  the  year  1876.  at  which 
time  he  and  a  brother  left  their  home  in  the 
east  and  came  directly  to  this  town,  with 
whose  activities  and  industries  the  life  of  Silas 


E.  has  since  been  closely  connected.  As  pro- 
prietor of  a  meat  market  here  he  enjoys  a  suc- 
cess far  above  the  average,  but  not  more  than 
is  his  just  due,  for  years  of  training  in  the 
butcher  business  have  made  him  a  connois- 
seur in  the  selection  and  curing  of  meats,  and 
this,  taken  in  connection  with  tactfulness  and 
fair  dealing,  is  the  secret  of  his  high  stand- 
ing in   the   community. 

Born  in  Centerbridge,  Bucks  county,  Pa., 
October  31,  1861,  Mr.  Kennedy  is  a  son  of 
WiUiam  and  Sarah  (McCourt)  Kennedy,  both 
of  whom  came  from  Ireland  and  settled  in 
Pennsylvania  during  the  early  days  in  the 
history  of  that  commonwealth.  The  father  is 
still  living,  making  his  home  in  the  same  lo- 
cality in  which  he  first  settled  with  his  wife 
upon  coming  to  this  countrj^  The  wife  and 
mother  passed  away  in  1906.  As  their  cir- 
cumstances were  exceedingly  limited  it  was 
not  possible  for  the  children  to  consume  much 
time  in  acquiring  an  education,  and  it  was  on 
this  account  that  Silas  E.  began  to  earn  his 
own  living  when  a  lad  of  nine  years.  Until 
fifteen  years  old  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand 
in  return  for  his  board  and  clothes,  but  the 
work  was  hard  and  not  altogether  satisfac- 
tory, so  when  the  opportunity  was  offered  him 
to  come  to  California  and  work  for  an  uncle 
he  was  not  long  in  making  up  his  mind  to 
take  the  journey.  For  about  four  years  he 
and  his  brother,  who  had  accompanied  him 
across  the  plains,'  were  in  the  employ  of  their 
uncle,  George  Hinds,  who  was  the  proprietor 
of  a  butcher  shop  in  Wilmington.  Going  to 
Los  Angeles  in  1880  Silas  E.  continued  work 
in  this  line  for  two  years,  when  he  once  more 
located  in  Wilmington,  working  in  a  meat 
market  until  1893.  It  was  during  this  year 
that  he  gave  up  work  at  his  trade  to  devote 
his  time  to  the  ranch  near  Redondo  in  which 
he  had  an  interest.  This  did  not  prove  to  be 
a  wise  move,  however,  for  three  dry  years 
which  prevailed  from  then  until  1896  made 
the  ranching  business  unprofitable.  This  turn 
in  his  affairs  led  him  to  return  to  Wilming- 
ton and  establish  the  meat  market  of  which 
he  is  now  the  proprietor,  and  thus  what  seemed 
a  hardship  had  proved  a  blessing  in  disguise. 
}lesides  his  commodious  home,  which  is  sur- 
rounded by  spacious  grounds,  he  also  owns 
several  fine  lots  in  Long  Beach  and  a  small 
ranch  in  the  vicinity  of  Redondo,  which  is  a 
part  of  the  Meadow  Park  tract. 

Mr.  Kennedy  was  mnrried  October  27,  1887, 
to  Carrie  Venable,  a  daughter  of  J.  W.  Ven- 
able.  who  is  well  known  throughout  Los  An- 
geles county  for  the  prominent  part  he  has 
taken  in  political  matters.  He  is  a  Virginian 
bv   birth    and    came   to    California    during   the 


1400 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


early  da3"s  of  its  settlement.  Mr.  and  I\Irs. 
Kennedy  are  the  parents  of  three  children, 
Mary,  George  and  Silas  E.,  Jr.  In  fraternal 
relations  ]Mr.  Kennedy  holds  membershio  in 
Wilmington  Lodge  No.  198,  F.  &  A.  M.; 
Long  Beach  Chapter  No.  84,  R.  A.  M. ;  and 
also  belongs  to  the  Eastern  Star  Chapter  No. 
173.  of  that  place.  Perhaps  in  no  respect  has 
he  rendered  his  city  more  signal  service  than 
through  his  work  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board,  of  which  he  has  been  clerk  for  the  past 
six  years.  He  is  also  treasurer  of  the  Masonic 
Hall  Building  Association.  In  his  political 
sympathies  he  is  a  stanch  Democrat,  is  chair- 
man of  the  board  of  trustees  of  Wilmington, 
and  religiousl_v  he  is  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church.  He  is  one  of  the  solid,  re- 
liable men  of  the  community,  and  as  such 
merits  the  many  friendships  and  blessings 
Avhich  have  come  to  him. 


LEANDER  LODGE.  In  the  part  of  Redlands 
district  known  as  Greenspot,  Leander  Lodge  is 
engaged  in  horticultural  pursuits  on  one  of  the 
fine  ranches  of  this  section,  highly  improved  and 
cultivated,  although  he  makes  his  home  in  Long 
Beach  for  the  greater  part  of  the  year.  He  was 
bom  in  West  Greenville,  Pa.,  December  21,  1840, 
a  son  of  Samuel,  a  native  of  Westmoreland  coun- 
ty, and  grandson  of  Benjamin,  born  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Philadelphia.  The  grandfather  served  in 
the  Revolutionary  war  as  a  civil  engineer  with 
the  rank  of  lieutenant  under  the  direct  command 
of  General  Greene.  Upon  the  close  of  hostilities 
he  settled  in  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  surveyed 
and  laid  out  the  town  of  Greenville,  Mercer  coun- 
ty, making  his  home  in  Westmoreland  county, 
where  he  came  to  his  death  by  drowning.  He 
came  of  an  old  English  family  of  Quaker  ances- 
try, and  early  settlers  of  Philadelphia.  Samuel 
Lodge  was  a  tanner  and  currier  by  trade,  he  and 
his  brother  having  operated  a  tannery  in  Green- 
ville for  some  years.  In  1852  he  removed  to 
Henry  county.  111.,  and  located  at  Geneseo  where 
he  was  killed  in  a  runaway.  His  wife,  formerly 
Jane  McCord,  was  born  in  Mercer  county.  Pa., 
a  daughter  of  James  McCord,  of  Scotch  ancestry, 
a  patriot  in  the  Mexican  war.  j\Irs.  Lodge  died 
in  Iowa ;  of  her  eleven  children  five  are  now  liv- 
ing, of  whom  three  sons  served  in  the  Civil  war, 
Oscar  and  Albert  in  an  Iowa  regiment,  and 
George  in  an  Indiana  regiment. 

Leander  Lodge  was  reared  for  the  first  twelve 
years  of  his  life  in  his  native  county,  after  which, 
in  1852,  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Henry 
county.  III.  He  was  there  reared  on  the  home 
farm  and  educated  in  the  common  schools,  from 
boyhood  working  on  the  farm  and  acquiring  a 
practical  experience  in  life.     In   1863  he  taught 


school  in  Illinois.  Removing  to  Iowa  in  1867,  he 
located  near  Wilton,  Cedar  county,  and  engaged 
in  the  dual  interests  of  teaching  and  farming.  He 
was  married  in  Cedar  county  in  1869  and  two 
years  later  removed  to  Pottawattamie  county, 
same  state,  and  there  purchased  a  farm  and  be- 
gan its  improvement  and  cultivation.  Eight 
months  later  he  opened  a  general  merchandise 
store  in  Walnut,  erecting  a  building  in  which  he 
continued  operations  for  the  period  of  twelve 
years.  For  the  greater  part  of  this  time  he  held 
the  postmastership  of  the  place,  and  was  one  of 
the  principal  upbuilders  of  its  interests.  In  1884 
he  located  in  Neola,  same  county,  and  engaged  in 
the  banking  business,  the  institution  being  known 
as  the  Bank  of  Neola.  He  remained  at  the  head 
of  this  enterprise  for  five  years,  when  he  sold  his 
interests  and  spent  three  years  in  Nebraska  and 
Boston  for  rest  and  the  better  education  of  his 
children.  Deciding  to  locate  in  the  remote  west 
he  came  to  Seattle,  Wash.,  and  there  engaged  in 
the  brokerage  business  for  the  period  of  two  and 
a  half  years,  in  December,  1892,  locating  in 
Greenspot,  San  Bernardino  county,  Cal.  Here 
he  purchased  forty  acres  of  land,  cleared  it  and 
set  it  out  in  oranges,  became  connected  with  the 
Mentone  \\^ater  Company  and  brought  the  water 
to  the  place.  During  the  dry  years  when  they 
could  not  get  water  he  dug  a  well  eighty-five  feet 
deep,  after  a  depth  of  forty-five  feet  being  com- 
pelled to  put  in  a  gasoline  engine  to  sink  the  re- 
mainder of  the  well.  He  now  has  a  centrifugal 
pump  with  a  capacity  of  thirty  inches,  operated 
with  a  Weber  gasoline  engine.  Mr.  Lodge  now 
has  twenty-five  acres  in  oranges,  composing  as 
fine  an  orchard  as  is  to  be  found  in  Southern  Cal- 
ifornia. 

Mr.  Lodge  built  a  residence  on  East  Ocean 
avenue.  Long  Beach,  and  spends  his  summers  in 
that  city.  His  wife  was  formerly  ]Miss  Sarah  M. 
Woodhouse,  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  who 
was  engaged  in  educational  work.  They  became 
the  parents  of  the  following  children :  Leta  A.,  a 
graduate  of  the  Boston  LTniversity  and  now  prin- 
cipal of  a  school  in  Los  Angeles ;  Helen  H.,  who 
took  a  course  in  the  Boston  Conservatory  of 
Music,  and  wife  of  Leland  Lyons,  of  Grafton; 
Elizabeth  L.,  graduate  of  Stanford  University ; 
and  Freda  M.,  a  student  in  the  Marlborough 
School,  of  Los  Angeles.  With  his  family  Mr. 
Lodge  is  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  of  Redlands,  and  is  active  in  its  work. 
Politically  he  is  a  stanch  Republican. 


WILLIAM  HENRY  LYON.  A  pioneer  of 
California  and  an  upbuilder  of  the  state,  William 
H.  Lyon  came  to  Redlands  in  1888,  where  his 
brother,  Isaac  L.,  had  already  begun  the  develop- 
ment of  what  is  now  known  as  the  Lvon  orange 


^&  ^^^-^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1403 


grove,  and  ultimately  he  improved  a  two  hundred 
acre  orange  grove,  which  was  one  of  the  finest 
properties  in  Southern  California.  He  was  born 
in  Ugdensburg,  N.  Y.,  September  27,  1818,  the 
eldest  of  three  children  born  to  his  parents, 
Stephen  S.,  a  native  of  New  Jersey  and  a  lumber 
manufacturer  of  New  York,  where  he  died,  and 
Eliza  (Wheeler)  Lyon,  who  was  born  in  Con- 
necticut and  died  in  New  York.  He  was  reared 
in  his  native  city  and  educated  in  the  Ogdens- 
burg  Academy,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years 
went  to  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  with  a  letter  to  the 
city  surveyor  obtained  a  position  in  his  office. 
When  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  was  built  Mr. 
Lyon  worked  on  the  first  survey  in  its  location, 
and  also  on  the  construction  had  charge  of  a  sub- 
division of  ten  miles.  He  was  next  on  the  sur- 
vey of  the  Rutland  &  Burlington  Railroad,  in 
Vermont,  and  was  also  resident  engineer  during 
its  construction.  In  1850  he  came  to  California 
via  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  and  with  five  others 
engaged  in  mining  in  Placer  county.  He  was 
very  successful  and  with  his  accumulated  earn- 
ings established  a  brewery  in  San  Francisco 
which  later  grew  to  extensive  proportions  on 
Jessie  street  in  the  rear  of  the  Palace  hotel.  The 
firm  was  known  as  Lyon  &  Co.  Because  of  a 
severe  illness  in  1877  1^^  closed  out  his  business 
and  in  1880  returned  east  again  (having  made 
the  trip  several  times  after  the  transcontinental 
railway  was  completed)  and  deciding  this  time 
to  make  the  journey  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama.  He  finally  concluded  to  locate  in  Paris, 
France,  and  accordingly  he  spent  eight  years  and 
three  months  in  Europe,  after  which  he  returned 
to  America  and  with  his  brother,  Isaac  L.  Lyon, 
he  came  to  Redlands  and  has  ever  since  made 
this  place  his  home.  His  brother  died  in  Decem- 
ber, 1901,  when  Eldridge  M.  Lyon,  his  brother's 
son,  assumed  charge  of  the  vast  interests. 

In  San  Francisco  Mr.  Lyon  was  made  a  Mason 
in  California  Lodge  No.  i,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which 
he  is  still  a  member,  and  also  belongs  to  Califor- 
nia Chapter  No.  5,  R.  A.  M.,  California  Com- 
mandery  No.  i,  K.  T.,  and  San  Francisco  Con- 
sistory. He  was  made  an  Odd  Fellow  in  New 
York  and  also  holds  membership  with  this  organ- 
ization at  the  present  writing.  He  is  numbered 
among  the  California  pioneers  of  San  Francisco. 
Politically  he  is  a  stanch  Republican. 


JOB  EDWARD  APSEY.  When  a  man 
spends  nearly  a  half  century  in  active  labor  it 
is  but  just  that  the  rewards  of  his  industry 
represented  by  the  accumulation  of  property 
should  enable  him  to  live  in  rest  and  retire- 
ment in  his  later  years.  J.  E.  Apsey,  a  leading 
citizen  of  Arroyo  Grande,  is  thus  situated  and 
enjoys  great  popularity  and  the  possession  of  a 


host  of  friends  who  congratulate  him  on  his 
success  in  life.  He  is  of  English  parentage, 
both  his  father,  Isaac  Apsey,  and  his  mother, 
who  was  Jane  Long  before  her  marriage,  hav- 
ing been  born  in  England.  They  emigrated  to 
America  in  1836  and  made  a  home  in  Iowa 
when  it  was  far  out  on  the  frontier,  living 
there  until  1853,  when  they  continued  their 
journey  across  the  continent  and  became  pio- 
neers of  the  state  of  California,  where  four 
years  later  the  father  died,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
lour  years-  The  mother  lived  ten  years  longer 
and  was  the  same  age  as  her  husband  at  the 
time  of  her  demise.  Mr.  Apsey  was  a  minister 
of  the  ^.lethodist  Episcopal  denomination  and 
a  man  of  strong  principles  and  integrity  of 
character.  Of  the  five  children  in  the  family 
one  son  now  lives  in  Nevada  and  a  daughter 
near  Red  Bluff,  Cal. 

J.  E.  Apsey  was  born  in  Jones  county,  Iowa, 
July  g,  1847,  and  came  to  California  with  his 
parents  in  1853,  Tehama  being  the  point  at 
which  they  settled.  In  this  location  Air.  Ap- 
sey attended  the  common  schools,  after  which 
he  acquired  a  practical  business  education  and 
in  young  manhood  engaged  in  cattle  raising 
in  Tehama  county.  Following  this  occupation 
until  1867,  he  then  came  to  San  Luis  Obispo 
county  with  cattle ;  however,  he  soon  engaged 
in  the  livery  business,  which  he  conducted  for 
a  time  and  then  had  charge  of  the  San  Simeon 
wharf  for  two  years.  After  retiring  from  this 
position  he  began  his  career  as  a  hotel  keeper, 
having  charge  of  the  Cambria  house  for  several 
years.  Disposing  of  his  interest  in  that  place 
he  came  to  San  Luis  Obispo,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  business  and  in  1891  settled  in  .Ar- 
royo Grande  and  conducted  the  Ryan  house  for 
the  ensuing  nine  years.  After  that  he  had 
charge  of  a  threshing  outfit  for  three  years,  and 
at  the  end  of  this  time  gave  up  active  business. 

In  1871  Mr.  Apsey  was  married  in  Cambria 
to  Airs.  Mary  Gross,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  a 
vv^idow  with  three  children.  Fraternallv  he  is 
a  member  of  the  Cambria  Lodge  and  Hesper- 
ian Lodge  No.  181,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  which  he  joined 
in  1876.  In  politics  he  has  always  taken  a  deep 
interest  and  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  tenets  ad- 
vocated in  the  platform  of  the  Republican  par- 
ty. He  has  repeatedly  ser\-ed  in  official  ca- 
pacities and  among  other  offices  has  held  that 
of  constable  several  times  and  has  also  been  a 
deputy  sheriff.  He  was  recently  honored  with 
the  appointment  by  the  governor  to  the  office 
of  supervisor  of  the  Fourth  District  of  San 
Luis  Obispo  count3^  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused 
by  the  death  of  Patrick  Moore.  No  man  in  the 
comniunitv  is  held  in  greater  esteem,  being  ap- 
preciated especially  for  his  demonstrated  in- 
tegrity nnd  abilitv. 


140-t 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


DANIEL  SMITH  JORDAN.  The  section 
about  the  city  of  Redlands  is  particularly  adapted 
to  dairy  products,  which  are  of  such  quality  and 
quantity  as  to  have  won  a  distinction  throughout 
Southern  California,  and  among  the  many  citi- 
zens thus  occupied  mention  may  be  made  of  Dan- 
iel S.  Jordan,  whose  proprietorship  of  the  Glen 
Dairy  has  resulted  in  its  upbuilding  and  financial 
prosperity.  Air.  Jordan  came  to  California  in 
January,  1891,  and  was  variously  occupied  for 
some  years  before  venturing  upon  his  present  en- 
terprise, when  he  did,  however,  bringing  to  bear 
in  his  work  such  intelligence  and  perseverance 
that  he  quickly  systematized  his  plans  and  soon 
accomplished  satisfactory  results. 

Born  in  Bourbon,  Ind.,  August  9,  1857,  Mr. 
Jordan  was  a  son  of  David  K.  Jordan,  a  native 
of  Virginia  and  a  farmer  in  Indiana,  where  his 
death  eventually  occurred.  The  mother  was  in 
maidenhood  Nancy  Wood^  a  native  of  Lexington, 
Stark  county,  Ohio,  and  her  death  also  occurred 
in  Indiana.  They  became  the  parents  of  ten 
children,  of  whom  three  are  living,  two  sons,  Will- 
iam Henry  and  Jesse,  Jr.,  having  served  in  the 
Fifteenth  Regiment  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry 
in  the  Civil  war  and  the  latter  was  killed  at  At- 
lanta. Daniel  S.  Jordan  was  reared  on  the  pa- 
ternal farm  in  Indiana  and  when  fourteen  years 
old  went  to  St.  John,  Putnam  county.  Mo.,  where 
he  attended  the  public  school  in  pursuit  of  an 
education.  When  twenty-one  he  spent  two  terms 
in  the  Wasioja  Seminary  in  the  town  of  that  name 
in  Minnesota.  Following  this  he  went  to  Red- 
field,  So.  Dak.,  and  there  honiesteaded  a  claim 
and  also  took  up  a  tree  claim,  improving  in  all 
a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres.  He  fin- 
ally returned  to  ^Minnesota  and  in  Nobles  county 
engaged  in  a  mercantile  enterprise  in  the  town  of 
Rushmore,  and  there  remained  until  1891.  In 
the  last  named  year  he  came  to  California  and  in 
Rialto  engaged  in  a  nursery  business  and  horti- 
culture, setting  out  a  ten-acre  orange  grove.  In 
March,  1895,  he  sold  out  and  coming  to  Red- 
lands  located  in  San  Timoteo  cafion,  where  he 
farmed  until  1896,  purchasing  in  that  year  a  part 
of  his  present  property,  forty  acres  of  which  he 
later  set  out  in  peaches  and  apricots  and  finally 
grubbed  out  to  make  room  for  alfalfa :  he  added 
to  his  purchase  until  he  now  owns  two  hundred 
and  forty  acres  located  three  miles  from  Red- 
lands,  given  over  to  the  raising  of  grain,  hay, 
alfalfa  and  stock,  and  the  management  of  the 
Glen  Dairy.  This  last  is  supplied  by  a  herd  of 
twenty-five  cows  of  high  grade  stock,  the  product 
being  retailed  in  the  city  of  Redlands.  Mr.  Jor- 
dan is  interested  in  the  Lower  Yucaipe  Water 
Company,  and  also  has  a  pumping  plant  on  his 
own  property,  which  supplies  a  part  of  his  irriga- 
tion. 

In  Minnesota  Mr.  Jordan  was  united  in  mar- 


riage with  i\Iiss  Ermina  Bedford,  a  native  of  Sul- 
livan county,  Pa.,  and  born  of  this  union  are  the 
following  children :  Winifred  Alice,  a  student  in 
the  Los  Angeles  Normal  School ;  Ernest  W. ; 
Ramona;  Ruth;  Willard ;  and  Helen.  Mrs.  Jor- 
dan is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  ]\Ir.  Jordan  is  associated  fraternally 
with  the  Odd  Fellows  of  Redlands  and  with  his 
wife  belongs  to  the  Rebekahs.  He  takes  an  active 
interest  in  educational  affairs  and  for  six  years 
has  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees 
of  the  railroad  district.  Politically  he  votes  the 
Republican  ticket. 


HARRY  LEE  MARTIN.  The  first  repre- 
sentative of  the  Martin  family  in  America  became 
a  pioneer  of  Maryland,  but  later  generations  es- 
tablished themselves  in  North  Carolina  and 
Georgia,  from  which  states  they  scattered  through 
the  south  and  west.  Robert  Martin,  a  native  of 
North  Carolina  and  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution, 
was  the  father  of  James,  who  was  born  and  reared 
in  South  Carolina  and  settled  upon  a  farm  near 
Cuthbert,  Randolph  county,  Ga.  By  his  marriage 
to  Hester  Bogan  he  had  seven  sons,  all  but  one 
of  whom  became  ministers  in  the  Baptist  denom- 
ination. Among  the  six  preachers  was  Rev.  Isaac 
Alartin,  a  native  of  South  Carolina  and  for  som.e 
years  a  farmer  in  Georgia,  where  he  earned  a 
livelihood  by  farming  and  donated  his  services 
to  the  church.  Eventually  he  removed  to  Texas 
and  settled  at  Rusk,  Cherokee  county,  where  his 
death  occurred.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Mary  Pruitt,  was  born  in  Wilkes  county. 
Ga.,  of  an  old  family  in  that  state,  and  her  death 
also  took  place  at  their  Texas  home.     ■ 

In  the  family  of  Rev.  Isaac  and  Mary  ?\Iartin 
there  were  eleven  children,  all  but  one  of  whom 
attained  maturity  and  four  are  now  living.  Two 
came  to  California,  these  being  Isaac  T.  and  Will- 
iam Purnell,  who  engaged  in  the  furniture  busi- 
ness in  Waco,  Tex.,  and  also  were  together  after 
coming  to  the  Pacific  coast.  Isaac  T.  died  Sep- 
tember 19,  1904,  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years. 
Fraternally  he  was  identified  with  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  while  in  religion  he 
was  of  the  Baptist  faith.  William  Purnell,  who 
received  his  name  from  the  Purnell  family  of 
Maryland  (relatives  of  the  Martin  family),  was 
born  near  Cuthbert,  Ga.,  jNIarch  8,  1839,  and 
passed  the  years  of  bo^'hood  on  a  Georgia  farm, 
during  the  winter  months  attending  a  subscription 
school  in  the  home  neighborhood.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  years  he  left  the  old  associations  and 
started  out  in  the  .world  for  himself,  his  first  lo- 
cation being  in  Columbia  county.  Ark.  When  the 
Civil  war  began  he  was  among  the  first  in  the  lo- 
cality to  offer  his  services  as  a  soldier  and  was 
accepted  as  a  private  in  Company  E,  Eleventh 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD, 


1405 


Arkansas  Infantry,  in  which  he  remained  until 
the  close  of  the  war,  meantime  receiving  a  com- 
mission as  first  lieutenant.  After  the  first  year  of 
service  the  regiment  was  mounted  and  served  as 
cavalry  during  the  balance  of  the  struggle. 

Upon  the  close  of  the  war  William  i'urnell 
Martin  joined  his  father  in  Texas  and  soon  after- 
ward secured  employment  with  an  uncle,  Col. 
James  Diamond,  proprietor  of  the  Houston 
Journal.  Next  he  went  to  Waco  and  found  em- 
ployment in  the  furniture  store  of  William  An- 
derson. Meanwhile  he  sent  for  his  brother,  Isaac 
T.,  whom  he  sent  to  school  and  when  his  educa- 
tion had  been  completed,  the  brothers  embarked 
in  business  under  the  title  of  W.  P.  ]\Iartin  & 
Bro.,  continuing  together  in  the  furniture  trade 
for  twenty  years.  During  1887  they  disposed  of 
their  store  and  in  1888  removed  to  California, 
settling  in  Los  Angeles,  where  in  a  short  time 
they  opened  a  furniture  store  on  Third  street 
near  Hill,  later  removing  their  establishment  to 
Spring  street.  In  a  short  time  they  had  estab- 
lished -  growing  trade  in  the  line  of  their  spe- 
cialties. During  1893  W.  P.  Martin  disposed  of 
his  interest  to  his  brother  and  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  the  dairy  business,  establishing  a  dairy 
on  the  west  side  of  the  city  and  continuing  the 
business  for  about  six  years.  On  selling  out  the 
dairy  he  became  city  salesman  for  the  Standard 
Oil  Company  and  later  for  six  months  acted  as 
superintendent  of  the  Inglewood  Water  Com- 
pany's ranch.  Upon  the  death  of  his  brother  he 
became  administrator  of  the  estate  and  conducted 
the  furniture  business  until  February,  1905,  when 
it  was  sold  to  the  Gem  Furniture  Company. 

The  marriage  of  W.  P.  Martin  was  solemnized 
at  Gainesville,  Tex.,  and  united  him  with  Mildred 
Washington  Walker,  who  was  bom  in  South  Car- 
olina and  is  a  woman  of  exceptional  education  and 
culture.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  children 
now  living,  namelv :  Harry  Lee,  whose  name  in- 
troduces this  article  and  who  is  secretary  of  the 
Inglewood  Water  Company;  Mary  Nina,  princi- 
pal of  the  Inglewood  high  school;  and  Mildred 
Purnell,  now  a  student  in  the  Los  Angeles  high 
school.  While  living  in  Texas,  Mr.  Martin  was 
initiated  into  the  JNIasonic  order.  In  religion  he 
believes  in  Baptist  doctrines.  He  is  a  Jeffersonian 
Democrat  and  a  member  of  the  Los  Angeles 
Home  League.  Of  late  years  he  has  acquired 
various  property  interests  in  Los  Angeles, 
which  the  general  rise  in  real  estate  values 
has  made  quite  valuable.  Loyalty  to  his 
country  is  one  of  his  predominant  traits,  and  it 
comes  to  him  by  inheritance  from  patriotic 
ancestors.  On  both  sides  he  had  five  great- 
grandfathers in  the  Revolutionary  war.  His 
wife's  mother  was  a  Miss  Dean,  descended  from 
Major  Thomas  Farrow,  a  Revolutionary  officer. 
His  father-in-law,  William  Walker,  was  proprie- 


tor of  the  Pacolet  iron  mills  near  Spartanburg, 
S.  C,  now  one  of  the  largest  iron  mills  in  the 
south. 

The  eldest  of  three  children  now  living,  Harry 
Lee  Martin  was  born  in  Waco,  Tex.,  January  24, 
1875,  and  received  his  primary  education  in  his 
native  towri.  After  coming  to  the  Pacific  coast 
he  attended  the  Baptist  College  in  Los  Angeles 
and  for  a  )-ear  was  a  student  in  the  academic  de- 
partment of  the  University  of  Southern  Califor- 
nia, after  which  he  entered  the  classical  depart- 
ment of  the  institution,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1896  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.,  and  with 
the  first  honors  of  his  class  and  the  appointment 
of  valedictorian.  After  completing  his  education 
he  spent  two  years  in  the  employ  of  his  uncle. 
I.  T.  Martin,  and  then  bought  what  was  left  of 
the  Union  iron  works  on  First  street,  where  he 
began  to  work  up  a  business  in  the  manufacture 
of  foundry  supplies.  A  year  later  he  sold  the 
plant  to  D.  P.  N.  Little,  the  present  owner.  Short- 
ly afterward  he  joined  with  others  in  organizing 
the  Guarantors  Investment  Company,  Incor- 
porated, of  which  he  was  the  first  president  and 
still  holds  that  office,  although  since  the  spring 
of  1904  he  has  given  the  management  of  the  or- 
ganisation into  other  hands. 

The  Inglewood  Water  Company,  of  which  H. 
L.  Martin  was  one  of  the  incorporators,  bought 
the  holdings  of  A.  C.  Freeman  at  Inglewood, 
comprising  seventeen  hundred  acres  of  land  and 
the  water  supply  for  Inglewood.  In  January, 
1903,  ]\Ir.  Martin  began  the  management  of  the 
company's  property,  since  which  time  the  water 
capacity  has  been  doubled  by  means'  of  an  in- 
creased supply  of  wells.  The  Orpington  tract, 
the  Inglewood  Poultry  Colony,  and  three  other 
subdivisions  comprising  in  all  some  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  acres,  have  been  laid  out  by  the 
company  and  the  ground  is  sold  to  home-seekers. 
Mr.  iMartin  aided  in  the  organization  and  is  a 
director  of  the  First  State  Bank  of  Inglewood.  be- 
sides being  secretary  of  the  James  Cook  corpora- 
tion, owners  of  a  wool-pulling  factory  in  Los  An- 
geles. 

The  residence  erected  in  Inglewood  by  Mr. 
Martin  in  1904  is  presided  over  by  Mrs.  Martin, 
formerly  Miss  Daisie  E.  Cook  of  Los  Angeles, 
daughter  of  James  Cook,  and  a  native  of  Marys- 
ville,  Cal.  There  are  two  daughters  of  the  union, 
named  Virginia  Lee  and  Winifred  Louise. 
Though  not  a  partisan  in  his  opinions  Mr.  Mar- 
tin has  the  courage  of  his  convictions  and  never 
loses  an  opportunity  to  cast  his  ballot  for  the 
candidates  and  principles  of  the  Republican  par- 
tv.  At  one  time  he  was  honored  with  the  presi- 
dency of  the  Alumni  Association  of  the  LTnivers- 
ity  of  Southei'n  California  and  also  he  has  been 
actively  associated  with  the  work  of  the  Sigma 
Chi  fraternity.     Among  the  people  of  his  county, 


Ii06 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


where  so  much  of  his  active  life  has  been  passed, 
he  has  a  host  of  friends  who  possess  every  confi- 
dence in  his  abihty  and  his  prospects  for  increas- 
ing success. 


MRS.  KATE  C.  McCORMICK.  One  of  the 
show  places  of  Los  Angeles  county  is  the  famous 
grape  vine  at  San  Gabriel,  the  largest  in  the 
world,  covering  nearly  five  thousand  square  feet, 
and  over  five  feet  in  circumference,  its  roots  ex- 
tending more  than  two  hundred  feet  in  every  di- 
rection. It  is  composed  of  one  root  and  three 
branches  and  in  the  early  days  was  known  as  "El 
Paron  de  la  Trinidad"  (Trinity  vine — three  in 
one).  It  never  receives  irrigation  or  cultivation 
and  owing  to  this  and  its  dense  foliage  the  grapes 
are  small  but  a  large  crop  is  secured  each  year. 
The  grapes  make  excellent  medicinal  wine,  and 
also  jelly;  the  leaves,  some  of  which  measure 
twelve  inches  across,  are  used  by  the  natives  for 
fevers  and  headaches.  This  vine,  which  grows 
in  the  "patio"  of  the  San  Gabriel  adobe  hotel,  one 
block  from  the  mission  church,  is  said  to  have  been 
a  full  grown  plant  as  early  as  1750,  it  being  an 
impossibility  to  estimate  its  age  with  any  degree 
of  accuracy. 

This  property  is  owned  by  Mrs.  Kate  McCor- 
mick,  a  most  estimable  lady,  whose  residence  in 
this  section  has  been  prolific  of  much  practical 
help  and  sympathy  to  those  who  needed  friends, 
for  that  she  is  to  all  who  call  upon  her.  She  was 
born  in  Keenansville,  Canada,  near  Toronto,  and 
when  three  years  old  was  taken  to  the  United 
States  by  her  parents.  Her  father,  John  Pon- 
sonby  Bayly,  located  his  family  in  Wisconsin, 
from  which  state  with  a  son,  Robert  Bayly,  he 
joined  the  famous  Van  Veet  party  and  came  over- 
land to  California  in  1852,  and  after  their  arrival 
in  Downieville  engaged  in  the  mines  in  the  north- 
ern part  of  the  state.  He  remained  on  the  Pa- 
cific coast  for  five  years,  when  in  1857  he  re- 
turned to  Wisconsin.  Some  time  later,  with  a 
government  surveying  party,  he  again  started 
westward,  and  neither  he  nor  the  party  were  ever 
heard  from  afterward.  It  was  thought  that  they 
had  been  destroyed  by  the  Indians,  although  noth- 
ing definite  was  ever  learned.  Mr.  Bayly  had  al- 
ways been  a  great  traveler,  visiting  many  points 
of  interest  in  Africa  and  South  America.  His 
wife  was  Mary  Keenan,  a  native  of  County  Ty- 
rone, Ireland,  and  born  of  this  union  were  six 
children,  four  of  whom  are  now  surviving:  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Hannon,  of  Chicago;  Mrs.  Margaret 
McClave,  of  Benton  Harbor,  Mich. ;  William  T., 
of  Duluth,  Minn. ;  and  Mrs.  Kate  C.  McCormick, 
of  this  review.  By  a  previous  marriage  Mr. 
Bayly  had  two  children,  Robert  and  Frances. 
Robert  Bayly,  who  came  west  with  his  father  in 
1852,  drifted  to  the  southern  portion  of  the  state 


and  here  pre-empted  a  government  claim,  which 
in  1869  he  sold  to  a  Mr.  Hastings,  the  property 
known  today  as  the  Hastings  ranch.  He  then 
purchased  the  grapevine  property  in  San  Gabriel, 
where  he  made  his  home  until  1884,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Chicago,  then  the  home  of  the  family, 
and  on  account  of  his  impaired  health  he  brought 
back  to  California  his  sister,  Kate  C.  The  brother 
dying  in  1895  the  sister  became  the  owner  of  this  ' 
well  known  property,  which  she  now  owns. 

On  the  24th  of  December,  1870,  Kate  C.  Bayly 
became  the  wife  of  Joseph  T.  McCormick;  he 
was  born  in  La  Fargeville,  N.  Y.,  and  received 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Watertown, 
same  state.  In  1869  he  left  his  native  state  and 
going  to  Chicago  became  associated  with  a  job 
printing  firm.  After  the  Chicago  fire  he  became 
a  partner  in  the  Illinois  Staats  Zeitung  Job 
Printing  Company,  and  after  several  years,  he 
with  Franz  Gindele  withdrew,  establishing  The 
Gindele  &  McCormick  Job  Printing  Company.  In 
1879  on  account  of  failing  health  he  went  to  Col- 
orado and  the  following  year  his  death  occurred 
in  that  location.  He  was  taken  back  to  Chicago 
for  interment.  Mrs.  McCormick  has  three  sons, 
Cyrene,  William  T.  and  Edgar  Bayly.  Besides 
the  property  in  San  Gabriel,  Mrs.  McCormick  is 
also  interested  in  real  estate  in  Glendora,  Mon- 
rovia, Santa  Monica  and  Chicago.  She  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Catholic  Church  at  San  Gabriel,  and 
gives  of  her  means  and  time  freely  to  all  its  char- 
ities and  upbuilding  enterprises.  She  is  a  woman 
of  rare  worth,  intelligent  and  educated,  and  qual- 
ities of  heart  equal  to  those  of  mind.  She  is  a 
friend  to  all  who  are  in  need  and  nothing  gives 
her  more  happiness  than  to  minister  to  those  in 
distress.  To  know  her  is  to  hold  her  in  highest 
esteem. 


JOHN  LEMBERGER.  Among  the  prom- 
inent citizens  of  Redlands  mention  belongs  to 
John  Lemberger,  who  is  now  engaged  as  a  horti- 
culturist in  the  vicinity  of  this  place.  He  is  a 
native  of  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  his  birth  having 
occurred  near  Schoendorf  February  17,  1821  ;  his 
father,  John  G.  Lemberger,  was  a  civil  engineer 
who  brought  his  family  to  .\merica  in  1832  and 
in  the  vicinity  of  Philadelphia  followed  farming. 
Later  he  was  similarly  engaged  in  Darke  county, 
Ohio,  where  his  death  eventually  occurred.  His 
wife  was  formerly  Elizabeth  Magdalene  Hott- 
man,  a  native  of  Germany  also,  her  death  occur- 
ring later  in  Iowa.  They  were  the  parents  of 
five  sons  and  one  daughter,  of  whom  John  Lem- 
berger is  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth  and  the  only 
one  now  living. 

About  ten  years  old  when  brought  to  America, 
John  Lemberger  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Pennsylvania.     At  the  age  of 


^(yhit-      ^-^/U^dJiH/S, 


(71^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1409 


eleven  years,  however,  he  was  apprenticed  to 
learn  the  trade  of  a  tobacconist  and  completed 
the  work  in  four  years,  after  which  he  worked 
as  a  journeyman  until  1847.  He  then  engaged 
for  himself  in  Cambridge,  Ind.,  remaining  in  that 
location  for  about  nine  years,  when  in  1856  he 
became  a  farmer  in  Boone  county,  same  state. 
Two  }-ears  later  he  removed  to  Beardstown,  111., 
and  there  worked  at  his  trade  of  tobacconist  un- 
til 1878.  In  the  last  named  year  he  went  to 
Pana,  111.,  and  followed  a  similar  enterprise,  then 
disposing  of  his  interests  in  1893  he  came  to  Cal- 
ifornia and  purchased  a  ten-acre  ranch  which  had 
just  been  set  to  navel  oranges,  and  since  that 
time  has  been  actively  identified  with  the  horti- 
cultural interests  of  this  section.  He  is  interested 
in  the  Crafton  Water  Company,  from  which  he 
receives  water  for  the  irrigation  of  his  property. 
In  Cambridge  City,  Ind.,  Mr.  Lemberger  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Caroline  Chartel, 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  the  following  children:  Susan,  Mrs. 
Rucher,  of  Crafton ;  Nina,  wife  of  a  merchant  of 
Poplar  Bluff,  Mo. ;  Frank,  of  Reno,  Nev. ;  Lillie, 
who  died  in  Redlands :  Katie,  at  home ;  Annie, 
Mrs.  Glasgow,  of  Pana,  111. ;  Ella,  Mrs.  Wheeler, 
of  Ladd,  III;  and  Charles,  of  Pana,  111.  Mr. 
Lemberger  is  identified  fraternally  with  the  Odd 
Fellows,  of  Beardstown,  111.,  and  politically  in- 
clines to  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party, 
although  he  reserves  the  right  to  cast  his  ballot 
for  the  man  he  considers  best  qualified  for  official 
position. 


JOHN  CLEAIINSON.  The  Cleminson 
family  are  prominent  citizens  of  Los  Angeles 
county,  where  the  pioneer,  John  Cleminson, 
established  the  name  at  an  early  date  in  the 
history  of  California,  two  succeeding  genera- 
tions serving  to  keep  alive  the  records  and 
deeds  of  their  ancestor,  who  proved  himself 
worthy  to  cope  with  the  trials  and  hardships 
of  a  new  land.  The  pioneer,  John  Cleminson, 
Sr.,  was  a  native  of  England,  who,  in  1812, 
came  with  his  father  to  St.  John's,  New  Bruns- 
wick, whence  they  made  their  way  to  the 
United  States,  and  finally  located  in  Louis- 
ville, Ky.  Later,  in  Lexington,  Lafayette 
county.  Mo.,  he  engaged  in  teaching  school, 
then  worked  as  a  cabinet-maker  and  carpenter. 
Removing  to  Galena,  111.,  he  made  his  home  in 
that  section  until  1852,  when  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornin.  and  engaged  with  his  older  son,  James, 
in  farming,  first  in  San  Bernardino  county, 
then  in  El  Monte,  his  death  occurring  in  the 
latter  place  in  1879,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years. 
His  wife,  formerly  Lydia  Lightner,  was  born 
in  Lancaster,  Pa.,  and  went  to  IMis.souri  with 
her  parents.     Fler  death  occurred  in   1873,  at 


the  age  of  seventy-three  years.  She  left  a 
family  of  four  daughters  and  two  sons,  of 
whom  two  daughters  and  the  two  sons  are  still 
surviving. 

John  Cleminson,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Hancock 
county.  111..  December  8,  1842,  the  youngest 
in  the  family  of  his  parents,  and  was  but  ten 
years  of  age  when  he  accompanied  the  family 
across  the  plains.  Leaving  Illinois  in  the  fall 
of  1851,  they  went  to  Missouri,  where  they 
wintered,  and  in  the  early  spring  the  company 
collected  their  belongings  and  outfitted  for 
the  tedious  journej^  Their  route  lay  through 
the  Indian  Territory,  Socorro,  N.  Alex.,  and 
Arizona.  Just  before  they  reached  the  latter 
place  the  Apaches  stampeded  their  cattle, 
leaving  but  half  enough  to  draw  their  wagons, 
and  three  days  later  one  of  the  number  was 
murdered  while  gathering  fuel.  They  re- 
mained a  few  days  at  Santa  Cruz  to  rest  up, 
then  moved  on  to  San  Xavier  Del  Sac  Mission 
and  on  to  Tucson,  one  of  the  largest  towns 
they  passed  through.  This  was  a  post  for 
Spanish  soldiers,  who  kept  on  the  watch  for 
the  Indians.  Here  was  witnessed  the  crude 
method  of  grinding  corn  with  stones.  The 
only  money  in  circulation  was  a  copper  cent 
about  the  size  of  a  twenty-five  cent  piece. 
They  remained  in  Tucson  several  months, 
then  came  on  by  the  Pemos  Indian  Village, 
Maricopa  Wells  and  crossed  the  Gila  river 
about  the  point  where  it  empties  into  the  Col- 
orado. Here  they  had  to  give  nearly  every- 
thing they  possessed  to  be  ferried  across  and 
waited  on  the  opposite  bank  until  a  govern- 
ment train  came  along,  when  they  were  taken 
to  San  Diego.  Thence  they  made  their  way 
to  San  Bernardino  county,  where  they  were 
established  on  a  farm  for  "five  j-ears. 

Mr.  Cleminson  received  but  one  year  of 
schooling  in  that  place,  his  services  being  re- 
quired in  the  improvement  and  cultivation  of 
the  home  farm.  He  accompanied  his  father  to 
El  Monte  in  1857  and  there  took  up  farming. 
Finally  becoming  dependent  upon  his  own  re- 
sources he  engaged  in  general  farming  and 
dairying  on  the  property  which  he  now  oc- 
cupies, consisting  of  thirty-six  acres,  all  of 
which  is  tillable  land  and  devoted  to  alfalfa 
and  corn.  Like  his  father  and  brother,  James, 
he  is  one  of  the  leading  citizens  in  the  up- 
building of  the  country,  seeking  every  avenue 
for  the  development  of  the  section,  giving 
time,  money  and  personal  effort  to  promote 
the  general  progress  of  the  community.  He 
gave  the  right  of  way  to  the  Pacific  Electric 
Railway,  which  will  give  to  this  section  its 
greatest  impetus  toward  development.  Mr. 
Cleminson  is  a  Republican,  his  first  vote  hav- 
ing been  cast  for  Lincoln.    The  highest  esteem 


1410 


HISTORICAL  Ax\D  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  the  community  is  given  to  this  gentleman 
for  his  citizenship,  as  well  as  his  personal 
character,  which  is  such  as  to  have  won  the 
friendship  of  those  with  whom  he  has  had 
business  or  social  intercourse  throughout  the 
long  years  of  his  residence  in  this  section. 


JOSEPH  DeWOLF  king.  The  horticult- 
ural interests  of  San  Bernardino  are  well  rep- 
resented by  Mr.  King,  of  Craftonville,  where 
he  is  rounding  out  the  years  of  a  well  spent 
life  among  the  pleasant  surroundings  of  a  Cali- 
fornia home.  He  is  the  representative  of  one  of 
the  old  eastern  families  of  Irish  descent,  his 
birth  occurring  in  Ravenna,  Portage  county, 
Ohio,  j\Iarch  21,  1836;  his  great-grandfather, 
Dr.  Robert  King,  came  from  Ireland  to  Massa- 
chusetts and  there  practiced  his  profession,  mar- 
ried and  reared  a  family.  His  son,  William, 
removed  with  liis  family  to  Ravenna,  Ohio, 
and  engaged  as  a  farmer  and  a  hotel  keeper 
until  his  death.  John  B.  King,  the  father  of 
Joseph  D.  King,  was  born  in  JNIassachusetts 
and  accompanied  his  parents  to  Ohio,  where 
he  followed  farming  and  also  acted  as  pro- 
prietor of  King's  Tavern.  Later  he  was  a 
member  of  the  banking  firm  of  Robinson-King 
&  Co.,  and  also  organized  the  Second  National 
Bank,  of  Ravenna,  and  served  as  an  officer 
until  his  death.  He  married  2^Iiss  Caroline 
]^Iars'  Selby,  who  was  born  in  Canandaigua, 
N.  Y.,  a  daughter  of  Ira  Selby,  of  English  de- 
scent, and  who  removed  to  Ohio  and  became 
a  judge  in  Portage  county.  ]\Irs.  King  died 
in  Ohio,  leaving  a  family  of  six  children,  one 
son,  Ira  S.,  serving  in  the  Civil  war  as  hospital 
steward,  surviving  the  struggle,  and  making 
his  home  in  Michigan  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1903. 

Joseph  DeWolf  King  was  reared  in  Ra^'en^a 
and  educated  in  its  public  schools  and  the 
Mount  Union  Seminary,  from  which  institu- 
tion he  was  graduated,  and  then  took  up  the 
study  of  law  under  John  L.  and  H.  C.  Ranny, 
continuing  so  occupied  until  he  had  exhausted 
his  supply  of  funds.  He  then  taught  school 
for  one  year,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  (1858) 
went. to  Texas  because  of  ill  health,  and  in 
Galveston  engaged  in  the  cotton  commission 
business.  .Six  months  later  lie  sold  out  and  in 
Navasota,  Tex.,  engaged  with  a  commercial 
house  until  he  was  driven  out  by  the  yellow 
fever,  when  he  returned  north  and  after  his 
marriage  in  Vassalboro.  Me.,  in  i860  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  near  Ravenpa.  His  work 
was  interrupted  by  the  call  to  arms  in  1861, 
and  he  immediately  set  to  work  to  raise  a 
battery,  known  as  the  Twelfth  Ohio  Battery, 
he    being    in    command,    and    this    was    later 


consolidated  with  the  First  Ohio  Artillery, 
Battery  I,  and  he  then  became  first  lieutenant. 
He  was  taken  prisoner  in  Virginia  on  the 
upper  Potomac  in  1862,  and  for  two  and  a 
half  months  he  was  imprisoned  in  Lynchburg, 
Salisbury  and  Libby.  He  was  then  paroled 
and  was  stationed  at  Camp  Lew  Wallace, 
at  Columbus,  Ohio,  in  command  of  paroled 
artillerj',  and  after  remaining  there  for  several 
months  became  impatient  for  his  exchange,  and 
then  resigned  his  commission. 

Returning  to  Ravenna  he  followed  farming 
until  1888,  when  he  went  to  the  Sandwich 
Islands  via  California,  and  there  accepted  a 
position  as  principal  in  a  government  school 
on  Kauai  Island  and  continued  thus  occupied 
for  the  period  of  three  years.  Resigning  in 
1891  he  returned  to  the  United  States  and  lo- 
cating in  Redlands,  Cal.,  purchased  the  prop- 
erty he  now  owns,  consisting  of  twenty  acres 
devoted  to  Valencia  oranges.  He  has  built  a 
residence  here,  barns,  etc,  and  also  owns  ten 
acres  at  Grafton  Station.  His  home  is  in 
Craftonville,  on  King  street,  between  High- 
land and  Fifth  avenues.  His  wife  was  former- 
I}'  Miss  Lucy  L.  Homans,  a  native  of  Vassal- 
boro, 'Sle.,  and  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Ho- 
mans, a  native  of  that  state  also.  The  paternal 
grandfather,  Stephen  Gray  Otis  Homans,  was 
born  in  England,  and  after  coming  to  America 
located  in  Boston,  where  the  family  owned 
the  long  wharf.  Later  he  removed  to  Maine 
and  engaged  as  a  merchant  in  Vassalboro, 
which  business  Benjamin  Homans  also  fol- 
lowed. The  younger  man  married  Elizabeth 
Bunker  Weeks,  a  native  of  Nantucket,  and 
daughter  of  Capt.  Reuben  Weeks,  commander 
of  a  whaler  as  were  his  sons,  Edward  and 
Daniel.  He  died  in  Iowa  at  the  advanced  age 
of  eight-five  years.  Of  their  three  sons  and 
one  daughter,  three  are  now  living,  Mrs.  King 
ha\ing  received  her  education  in  the  Coney 
Female  Academy,  and  later  the  Tappan  Female 
Seminary  of  Ravenna,  where  she  completed 
the  course. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  King  are  the  parents  of  two 
children,  Stephen  Gray  Otis,  a  graduate  of 
the  ^^^estern  Reserve  College,  of  Ohio,  and 
now  manager  of  an  oil  refinery  in  Oakland, 
Cal. :  and  Fred  Bunker,  a  jeweler  in  Redlands. 
Fi-aternaily  Mr.  King  is  identified  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  belongs  to  Bear  Valley 
Post  No.  126,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  of 
Redlands.  He  is  a  Universalist  in  his  religious 
beliefs,  and  politically  he  is  a  Republican.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trade  of  Red- 
lands,  the  Redlands  Fruit  Exchange,  and  a 
director  in  the  Southern  California  Fruit  Ex- 
change. He  is  a  member  and  one  of  the 
organizers   of  the  Californi.q  Stale  Audubon  So- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1411 


ciety,  and  is  on  the  membership  committee. 
He  is  one  of  the  esteemed  and  able  citizens  of 
this  section  and  is  justly  named  among  the 
representative  men  who  have  brought  this  por- 
tion of  Southern  California  to  rank  with  the 
most  highly  developed  and  improved  of  the 
state. 


I 


CLARE-XCE  E\ERETT  IVESON.  Born 
at  Addison,  Lenawee  county,  Mich.,  December 
27,  1868,  Clarence  Everett  Iveson  is  the  son  of 
Benjamin  and  Jane  (Abbott)  Iveson,  both  na- 
tives of  New  York  state.  The  father  was  a 
contractor  and  builder  and  died  a  middle-aged 
man,  while  the  mother  is  residing  in  Redlands 
and  is  now  Mrs.  Cleveland.  Of  their  ten  chil- 
dren Mr.  Iveson  is  the  youngest  and  lived  in 
Addison  until  nine  years  of  age,  when  the  fam- 
ily removed  to  a  farm  in  Wheatland,  Hills- 
dale county,  Mich.,  where  he  had  the  advantages 
of  the  public  and  high  schools.  In  November, 
1887,  he  came  to  Redlands,  Cal,  where  for 
some  time  he  followed  carpentering  and  later 
began  the  pursuit  of  horticulture  and  was  for 
seven  years  superintendent  of  the  E.  C.  Stir- 
Img  ranch.  In  1902  he  was  appointed  superin- 
tendent of  streets  of  Redlands  and  held  the  office 
for  twenty  months.  His  next  appointment  to 
the  same  position  was  in  April,  1906,  since  which 
time  he  gives  it  all  his  attention  and  best  ef- 
forts and  is  filling  the  position  with  credit  and 
satisfaction. 

In  Redlands  June  12,  1894,  JMr.  Iveson  was 
married  to  Miss  Lucie  Underwood,  a  native  of 
Palmyra.  Mich.,  and  by  this  union  there  are 
three  children,  namely:  Alethea,  Charles  and 
Ellen.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Pythias,  Woodmen  of  the  World,  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America  and  Independent  Order 
of  Foresters.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Redlands 
Board  of  Trade  and  politically  is  a  Republican. 
Mr.  Iveson  is  a  young  man  who  has  worked  his 
own  way,  is  a  self  made  man  in  the  best  sense 
implied  by  the  term,  and  is  well  and  favorably 
known  in  the  community  where  he  has  passed 
so  manv  vears  of  his  life. 


HON.  WILLIS  E.  PUTNAM.  Now  re- 
tired from  the  active  cares  of  business  life, 
Hon.  Willis  E.  Putnam  is  making  his  home 
in  Redlands  and  participating  in  the  develop- 
ment and  advancement  of  the  city's  interests. 
He  was  born  in  Germantown,  Juneau  county, 
■VVis.,  September  6,  1857,  the  second  in  a  family 
of  seven  children,  of  whom  six  are  now  living. 
His  father,  T.  W.  Putnam,  was  born  in  Cen- 
tralia,  N.  Y.,  where  the  paternal  grandfather, 
Gilbert    (a   grand-nephew   of   Israel    Putnam), 


engaged  as  a  larmer.  T.  \V.  Putnam  removed 
tu  Wisconsin  in  an  early-day  and  engaged  as 
a  farmer;  later  locating  in  \Vabasha  county, 
Minn.,  he  follov.-ed  a  similar  occupation.  In 
Missouri  he  engaged  as  a  merchant  and  in 
Iowa  as  a  builder,  and  finally  removing  to 
Dodge  county,  Neb.,  he  improved  a  homestead. 
He  is  now  retired  and  makes  his  home  in  Red- 
lands.  His  wife,  formeidy  Lucretia  Towne,  a 
native  of  New  York,  is  also  living.  She  is  a 
devout  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  and  active  in  its  charities. 

Willis  E.  Putnam  was  thirteen  years  old 
when  taken  by  his  parents  to  Nebraska,  and 
he  there  completed  his  education  in  the  public 
schools.  He  was  twenty  years  old  when  he 
left  home  to  become  dependent  upon  his  own 
resources,  in  April,  1878,  going  to  the  Black 
Hills,  where  he  followed  mining  and  prospect- 
ing for  about  nine  years.  A  part  of  this  time 
he  was  located  in  Idaho,  in  the  Coeur  d'Alene 
mines.  Returning  to  Dakota  he  entered  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  homesteaded 
a  similar  acreage,  and  took  up  a  tree  claim 
also  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  This 
was  in  Lawrence  county  (now  Meade),  and 
there  he  improved  his  property,  erecting  a 
residence,  barns,  outbuildings,  etc.,  and  en- 
gaged in  general  farming  and  the  raising  of 
cattle.  Returning  to  Nebraska  in  1892,  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  in  the  Elk 
Horn  valley  and  engaged  in  the  raising  of  corn 
and  cattle  for  a  number  of  years,  when  he  once 
more  located  in  Dakota  and  rented  land.  Dis- 
posing of  his  farming  interests  in  the  fall  of 
1906  he  came  to  Southern  California  and  has 
since  made  Redlands  his  home,  having  pre- 
viously come  here  in  1902  and  purchased  the 
property  which  he  now  owns  at  No.  120  Still- 
man  avenue. 

While  a  resident  of  Dakota  Mr.  Putnam 
was  elected  to  the  state  legislature  from  Meade 
county,  on  the  Republican  ticket,  being  a  mem- 
ber of  the  second  assembly ;  the  close  of  the 
term  found  him  in  Nebraska.  In  January-, 
1906,  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  board 
of  trustees  of  Redlands  to  fill  a  vacancy.  In 
the  same-  year  he  became  a  candidate  on  the 
good  government  ticket  and  was  elected  to 
the  position,  which  he  is  now  fiilling.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trade  and  active 
in  his  interests  to  advance  the  general  welfare 
of  the  community.  He  has  always  voted  the 
straight  Republican  ticket  and  is  thoroughly 
imbued  with  its  principles,  although  he  is  too 
loyal  a  citizen  to  let  politics  interfere  with  his 
ideas  of  good  government. 

In  South  Dakota,  February  18,  1888,  Mr. 
Putnam  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Grace    Lewis,   a   native   of  Springfield,   Mass., 


1412 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  a  daughter  of  Samuel  A.  Lewis,  born  in 
Montpelier,  Vt.  The  paternal  grandfather  was 
a  native  of  \^ermont  and  a  pioneer  settler  of 
Minnesota ;  later  in  life  he  returned  to  New 
England  and  located  in  Massachusetts.  Samuel 
A.  Lewis  was  in  a  Minnesota  regiment  during 
the  Civil  war  and  served  against  the  Sioux 
Indians,  and  after  the  close  of  this  strife  he 
returned  to  Massachusetts  and  engaged  in  a 
mercantile  enterprise.  Later  he  followed  the 
stock  business  in  South  Dakota,  and  finally  re- 
turned to  Massachusetts,  and  is  nov^r  living 
retired  in  Athol.  His  wife,  formerly  Cynthia 
Childs,  a  native  of  Vermont,  died  in  South 
Dakota.  They  had  two  children,  of  whom 
Mrs.  Putnam  was  the  elder.  She  is  the  mother 
of  the  following  children :  Harold,  Meryl, 
Clyde,  Ross,  Edgar  and  Majorie.  Mrs.  Putnam 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  Mr.  Putnam  was  made  a  Mason  in 
Scribner  Lodge  No.  132,  in  Nebraska,  and  both 
himself  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Order  of 
Eastern  Star  in  Redlands.  He  is  also  identi- 
fied with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 


RICHARD  P.  McINTOSH.  A  pioneer  of 
Mentone  and  one  of  its  upbuilding  factors  is 
Richard  P.  Mcintosh,  who  came  to  California  in 
1887  and  entered  the  ranch  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  which  he  now  owns  and  operates. 
He  is  a  native  of  Ontario,  Canada,  where  he 
was  born  August  11,  1856;  his  father,  Peter 
Mcintosh,  was  born  in  the  same  place  as  was 
also  his  grandfather,  Donald,  the  descendant  of 
Scotch  ancestry.  Peter  Mcintosh  was  a  bailiff 
or  deputy  sheriff  for  thirty  years  and  also  en- 
gaged as  a  small  farmer  during  that  period,  his 
death  occurring  some  time  after  his  retirement 
from  this  work.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  and  one  of  its  stanch  supporters. 
His  wife,  formerly  Annie  McBain,  was  born  in 
Ontario,  where  she  died  late  in  life.  They  were 
the  parents  of  nine  children,  six  sons  and  three 
daughters,  of  whom  six  children  are  still  living. 

Richard  Peter  Mcintosh  was  the  youngest 
son  in  his  father's  family.  He  was  reared  in 
Ontario  and  educated  in  its  public  schools,  and 
in  young  manhood  he  followed  his  early  train- 
ing and  engaged  as  a  farmer  near  Cornwall, 
Ontario.  Later  he  purchased  a  fifty-acre  farm 
there  which  he  gave  to  his  sister  in  1875,  when 
he  left  his  native  land  and  came  to  Nevada 
and  in  the  vicinity  of  Carson  City  engaged  in 
lumbering  with  the  Sierra  Nevada  Wood  &  Lum- 
ber Company.  During  the  summers  he  flumed 
lumber  and  wood  to  Virginia  City  and  Gold  Hill, 
and  in  the  winters  superintended  the  water  sup- 
ply for  the  Virginia  City  and  Gold  Hill  Water 
Company.     He  remained  in  that  state  until  1887 


when  he  came  to  Redlands  and  entered  the  ranch 
which  he  now  owns,  consisting  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  and  being  joined  by  his  wife 
the  following  year  he  began  its  improvement 
and  cultivation.  Later  he  sold  off  all  but  ten 
acres  on  Mentoije  avenue,  devoted  to  navel 
oranges,  and  where  he  has  a  pumping  plant  with 
a  capacity  of  twenty  inches.  He  also  purchased 
five  acres  in  the  Greenspot  district,  all  of  which 
is  in  navel  oranges. 

In  Carson  City,  Nev.,  Mr.  Mcintosh  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Sarah  Thompson, 
of  Ontario,  the  ceremony  being  performed 
December  3,  1876.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Robert  John  Thompson,  a  native  of  Ontario 
and  a  farmer  and  merchant  there,  where  he  still 
resides.  Her  mother,  formerly  Mary  Ann  Bend- 
er, a  daughter  of  Richard  Bender,  died  in  On- 
tario. She  is  the  youngest  living  of  the  four 
children  born  to  her  parents,  of  whom  three  are 
surviving.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mcintosh  were 
born  nine  children,  of  whom  six  are  still  liv- 
ing, namely  :  John,  farming  in  Grafton  ;  George  ; 
Alice  ;  Leland ;  Kate ;  and  Edith.  Eraternally 
Mr.  Mcintosh  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World,  his  wife  being  affiliated  with  the 
Women  of  Woodcraft;  she  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Grafton  Club,  and  both  are  identified  with 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  of  Redlands, 
which  receives  an  active  support  from  them. 
Politically  Mr.  Mcintosh  is  a  Republican,  and 
through  the  influence  of  this  party  he  has  served 
for  the  past  six  years  as  road  overseer  of  the 
Fifth  supervisoral  district,  and  has  also  acted  as 
school  trustee  of  the  Greenleaf  district  for  sever- 


OLO  J.  CHAMBERLAIN.  A  successful 
rancher  is  named  in  the  person  of  Olo  J.  Qiam- 
berlain,  who  is  located  in  the  vicinity  of  Norwalk, 
Los  Angeles  county,  and  engaged  in  the  man- 
agement of  a  forty-acre  ranch  and  a  large  tract 
of  leased  land,  and  although  he  has  been  in  this 
section  a  comparatively  brief  time  he  has  already 
established  his  position  among  the  representa- 
tive citizens.  Born  in  Lincoln,  Neb.,  October  12, 
1880,  he  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Ella  (Stone) 
Chamberlain,  natives  of  England.  They  located 
in  Nebraska  and  made  that  state  their  home  un- 
til 1882,  when  they  immigrated  to  California 
and  in  Santa  Barbara  engaged  in  farming  and 
the  cultivation  of  a  fine  orchard.  The  mother 
was  accidentally  killed  in  that  county,  where  the 
father  is  still  living  and  engaged  in  his  work. 
During  the  Civil  war  Mr.  Chamberlain  served 
his  adopted  country  in  an  Ohio  regiment,  and  in 
memory  of  that  time  is  now  affiliated  with  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He  is  an  inde- 
pendent voter,  but  a  patriotic  and  conservative 


J^    £m.c^ 


PIISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1415 


citizen.  He  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  The  six  children  comprising  the  pa- 
rental famil)-  are  as  follows :  Glenn  S.,  who  mar- 
ried Edith  Dotty;  Clarence  Z.,  of  Bakersfield, 
Cal. ;  Roy  W.,  who  married  Hattie  Marritt  and 
lives  in  this  vicinity ;  Qlo  J.,  of  this  review ; 
Mary  E.,  with  her  father ;  and  Ella  L.,  a  resident 
of  Tehachapi,   Cal. 

Qlo  J.  Chamberlain  was  only  two  years  old 
when  brought  to  California  by  his  parents,  and 
in  this  state  he  received  his  education,  attending 
the  common  schools  of  Santa  Barbara  county, 
first  in  Cathedral  Oaks  and  later  in  Goleta,  where 
he  completed  the  course.  His  education  was 
supplemented  by  a  commercial  training  in  the 
Santa  Barbara  Business  College,  under  E.  B. 
Hoover.  He  then  learned  the  blacksmith«s  trade, 
following  this  in  Goleta  for  several  years,  when, 
in  1903,  he  came  to  Los  Angeles  county  and  near 
Norwalk  purchased  a  ranch  of  twenty  acres. 
This  he  finally  disposed  of  and  purchased  the 
one  he  now  owns,  consisting  of  forty  acres  de- 
voted to  grain  and  corn  and  general  products, 
while  he  also  leases  from  W.  D.  Woolwine,  one 
hundred  and  forty-three  acres,  of  which  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  are  in  grain  and  twen- 
ty in  alfalfa.  Mr.  Chamberlain  has  a  comforta- 
ble residence  on  his  property  and  also  improved 
it  with  other  necessary  buildings  and  equipment. 
In  his  fraternal  relations  he  is  identified  with 
the  Fraternal  Brotherhood  of  Norwalk,  Enter- 
prise Lodge  No.  19,  K.  P.,  of  Santa  Barbara, 
and  Castle  Rock  No.  151,  also  of  Santa  Barbara. 
Politically  he  follows  the  example  of  his  father 
and  reserves  the  right  to  cast  his  ballot  for  the 
man  he  considers  best  qualified  for  official  posi- 
tion. 


DAVID  CAWELTI.  Numbered  among 
the  industrious,  practical  and  successful  agri- 
culturists of  \"entura  county  is  David  Cawcl- 
ti,  who  is  carrying  on  general  farming  near 
Somis,  his  ranch  being  under  an  excellent 
state  of  cultivation.  He  has  made  substantial 
improvements  on  the  place,  his  buildings  be- 
ing comfortable  and  convenient,  and  well 
adapted  for  his  purpose,  while  his  stock  and 
machinery  are  of  first-class  description,  every- 
thing about  the  premises  being  indicative  of 
the  thrift,  skill  and  good  management  of  the 
owner.  Of  excellent  German  ancest^3^  he  was 
born,  June  27,  1853,  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  a  son 
of  John  and  Catherine  ^M.  (Wagner)   Cawelti. 

John  Cawelti  was  born  in  Germany;  and 
when  fifteen  years  of  age  came  to  the  United 
States.  Learning  the  trade  of  a  butcher,  he 
worked  at  the  same  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  for 
eleven  years.  Removing  then  to  Iowa,  he 
was  for  two  years  employed  in  farming,  after 


which  he  was  a  butcher  in  Clayton  county, 
that  state,  for  a  number  of  years.  In  1864  he 
made  another  westward  move,  coming  to  So- 
noma county,  Cal.,  where  he  carried  on  gen- 
eral farming  about  four  years.  In  November, 
1868,  he  located  in  Ventura  county,  and  hav- 
ing purchased  twelve  hundred  and  fifty  acres 
of  grazing  land  was  here  engaged  in  farming 
and  stock-raising  until  his  death,  in  1893,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-eight  years.  He  was  held 
in  high  respect  as  a  man  of  integrity,  and  was 
an  active  member  of  the  Democratic  party. 
His  wife  survived  him,  passing  away  in  1905. 
Their  children  consisted  of  five  sons  and  four 
daughters,  all  of  whom  are  living. 

Beginning  his  studies  in  the  common  schools 
of  Iowa,  where  he  lived  until  eleven  years  old, 
David  Cawelti  completed  his  early  education 
at  Healdsburg,  Sonoma  county,  where  the  fam- 
ily settled  in  1864,  after  their  long  and  tedious 
journey  across  the  plains.  He  subsequently 
came  with  the  family  to  Ventura  county, 
where,  with  the  exception  of  six  years  spent 
in  San  Bernardino  county,  he  has  since  re- 
sided. When  ready  to  establish  himself  as  a 
householder,  he  purchased  land  near  South 
Camarillo,  and  by  dint  of. sturdy  and  judicious 
labor  has  improved  a  valuable  estate,  his  ranch 
of  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  being  under 
good  cultivation  and  very  productive. 

In  1879  Mr.  Cawelti  married  Alary  E.  Fay, 
who  was  born  in  California,  and  of  the  nine 
children  born  of  their  union,  one  died  in  in- 
fancy, and  eight  are  living,  namely:  Norman 
D. ;  Sadie  E.  T  Chester  L. ;  Edith  L.  and  Effie 
L.,  twins;  John  C.  and  Lucy  C,  twins;  and 
Ernest  E.  In  his  political  affiliations  Mr. 
Cawelti  is  a  steadfast  Democrat,  and  relig- 
iously he  and  his  wife  attend  the  Presbyterian 
Church. 


RUFUS  THOMAS  CLYDE.  One  of  the  en- 
terprising and  progressive  native  sons  of  San 
Bernardino  county  is  Rufus  Thomas  Clyde,  who 
owns  a  ten-acre  ranch  and  residence  in  Highland, 
besides  a  ranch  in  the  Yucaipe  valley.  He  was 
born  in  San  Bernardino  May  20,  1864.  a  son  of 
Edward  Prentis  Qvde,  the  latter  a  native  of  New 
York ;  he  removed  'to  Salt  Lake  City  in  the  early 
'40s  and  thence  in  1852  crossed  the  plains  to 
California  and  in  San  Bernardino  county  pur- 
chased a  farm  on  the  Base  Line,  where  he  now 
resides.  The  mother  was  Mary  Singleton  in 
maidenhood,  who  came  from  England  to  Salt 
Lake  City,  thence  to  San  Bernardino,  where  she 
was  married.  They  are  the  parents  of  two  other 
sons,  William  R.,  farming  on  the  Base  Line,  and 
George  E.,  who  resides  on  the  Base  Line. 

Rufus  Thomas  Clyde  was  reared  on  the  pa- 


1416 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ternal  farm  and  at  the  same  time  that  he  attended 
the  pubHc  schools  in  pursuit  of  an  education  he 
received  a  practical  training  along  agricultural 
lines,  which  has  proven  of  benefit  to  him  in  more 
mature  years.  He  remained  at  home  until  at- 
taining his  majority,  when  he  entered  into  part- 
nership with  his  father  in  general  farming,  re- 
maining so  occupied  until  1889,  when  he  came  to 
the  Yucaipe  valley  and  still  with  his  father  and 
brothers  carried  on  farming.  Later  he  pur- 
chased an  interest  with  his  brothers  in 
the  tract  of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres 
of  land,  where  they  farmed  for  some  years, 
finally  dissolving  partnership.  Mr.  Clyde  now 
owns  one  hundred  acres  of  bench  land  where  he 
has  built  a  residence  and  necessary  outbuildings, 
while  he  leases  two  hundred  acres  adjoining  and 
carries  on  the  raising  of  grain  and  hay.  He  also 
owns  ten  acres  two  and  a  half  miles  southwest 
of  Highland,  where  he  has  a  residence  which  is 
the  home  of  the  family  during  the  school  year. 
He  was  married  in  San  Bernardino  to  Miss 
Geneva  V.  Hawse,  a  native  of  San  Bernardino 
county,  and  they  have  one  son,  Robert  S.  For 
five  years  Mr.  Clyde  served  as  trustee  for  the 
Pass  school  district  and  was  clerk  for  three  years 
of  that  time.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  San 
Bernardino  Lodge  No.  290,  I.  O.  O.  F. 


FREDERICK  H.  ROBERTS.  The  four 
hundred  acre  tract  forming  the  homestead  of 
Mr.  Roberts  comprises  land  as  fine  as  any  that 
tlie  San  Pasqual  valley  boasts  and  has  been  im- 
proved with  a  substantial  residence  of  thirteen 
rooms  equipped  with  hot  and  cold  water,  bath 
and  other  modern  conveniences.  The  larger  part 
of  the  estate  is  under  cultivation  to  grain,  but 
there  is  also  considerable  pasture  land  for  the 
grazing  of  milch  cows  and  the  other  stock  kept 
on  the  farm.  A  noticeable  feature  of  the  ranch 
is  the  creamery,  in  which  Mr.  Roberts  is  one 
of  the  principal  owners.  With  the  exception  of 
the  years  from  1893  to  1898,  when  he  was  en- 
gaged in  tlie  hardware  business  in  Escondido,  he 
has  followed  agricultural  pursuits  throughout 
his  active  life,  and  without  any  one  to  aid  him 
in  getting  a  start  he  has  reached  a  position  of 
independence  and  prestige. 

The  birthplace  of  Mr.  Roberts  was  in  the 
town  of  Nauvoo,  111.,  once  the  stronghold  of 
the  Mormons  and  the  headquarters  of  Joseph 
Smith.  One  of  the  elders  of  the  Mormon  Church 
at  Nauvoo  was  Calvin  A.  Beebe,  who  witnessed 
many  of  the  exciting  scenes  connected  with  the 
history  of  the  church  in  Hancock  county.  After 
the  killing  of  Smith  and  the  expulsion  of  the 
Mormons  from  Illinois,  Mr.  Beebe  started  west- 
ward with  Brigham  Young,  intending  to  follow 
the  Mormons  to  their  new  home.   However,  he 


became  disgusted  with  some  of  Young's  methods 
and  accordingly  returned  to  Illinois,  where  he 
and  his  wife  remained  until  death.  Among  their 
children  was  a  daughter,  Harriet,  who  was  born 
in  Sandusky,  Ohio,  and  in  young  womanhood 
became  the  wife  of  Nathaniel  R.  Roberts,  a  na- 
tive of  Maine,  but  about  1862  an  emigrant  to 
Hancock  county.  111.,  where  he  followed  the 
stonemason's  trade.  While  living  there  his  son, 
Frederick  H.,  was  born  January  27,  1865.  In 
1874  the  family  came  to  California  and  made  a 
brief  sojourn  near  Bakersfield,  but  in  the  spring 
of  1875  came  by  team  to  San  Diego  county,  pass- 
ing through  Los  Angeles,  then  merely  a  hamlet 
of  insignificant  proportions.  After  his  arrival 
in  the  San  Pasqual  valley  the  father  bought  a 
claim  and  embarked  in  ranch  pursuits,  remain- 
ing on  the  farm  until  his  death,  September  4, 
1902,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years.  The 
mother  did  not  long  survive  him,  her  death  oc- 
curring in  February,  1904,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
nine  years. 

When  the  family  came  to  California  Frederick 
H.  Roberts  was  a  lad  of  nine  years,  and  after- 
ward he  attended  the  schools  of  San  Diego  coun- 
ty, also  took  a  course  of  study  in  Healdsburg 
College.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  he 
bought  one  hundred  acres  in  the  Escondido  val- 
ley and  subsequently  he  there  located  the  gold 
mines,  which  in  the  spring  of  1900  he  sold,  to- 
gether with  the  land,  to  the  Orofino  Mining 
Company.  Immediately  afterward  he  bought 
four  hundred  acres  near  Escondido  and  erected 
the  elegant  country  house  now  occupied  by  his 
family.  The  ranch  possesses  especial  interest 
because  it  is  the  site  of  the  San  Pasqual  battle. 
Formerly  Mr.  Roberts  acted  as  a  director  of  the 
Escondido  irrigation  district  and  at  this  writing 
he  fills  the  office  of  school  director.  Though  a 
Democrat  in  national  aflfairs.  locally  he  votes  for 
those  whom  he  considers  best  qualified  to  pro- 
mote the  welfare  of  the  people.  His  marriagt 
was  solemnized  in  San  Diego  November  i,  1892. 
and  united  him  with  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Judson 
Hardy,  who  was  reared  in  California  and  has 
many  friends  in  San  Diego  county.  In  religion 
she  is  identified  with  the  Advent  Church,  and 
her  children,  Charles  Henry,  George  Beebe  and 
Helen,  are  being  trained  in  Christian  doctrines 
and  kindly  deeds.  The  sketch  of  her  father,  J. 
B.  Judson.  gives  the  family  history  and  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  volume. 


LORENZO  DOW  TWEEDY.  The  Tweedy 
family,  represented  in  California  by  several  pio- 
neers, among  whom  is  Lorenzo  Dow  Tweedy,  is 
of  English  extraction,  the  immigrating  ancestor 
having  located  in  Alabama  in  the  early  part  of 
the  nineteenth  century.    Later  members  removed 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1417 


to  Missouri,  where  occurred  the  birth  of  Robert 
Tweedy,  who  became  in  _voung  manhood  a  farmer 
and  merchant.  He  married  Mary  Holyfield,  a 
native  of  South  Carohna,  the  two  later  establish- 
ing their  home  in  Arkansas.  Attracted  to  the 
west  by  the  glowing  reports  of  the  California  gold 
fields,  Mr.  Tweedy  oufitted  with  ox-teams  and 
necessary  provisions  and  equipment,  and  in  1852 
with  his  wife  and  children  began  the  perilous 
journey  across  the  plains.  Several  months  later 
they  reached  California  in  safety  and  located  at 
the  Twenty-six  J\Iile  House,  near  Stockton, 
where  they  spent  the  ensuing  year.  In  1853 
they  came  to  Los  Angeles  county  and  engaged 
in  farming  and  stock-raising  for  a  time,  when 
Mr.  Tweedy  established  a  store  in  San  Ber- 
nardino and  conducted  the  same  successfully  un- 
til 1857;  Returning  to  Los  Angeles  county  he 
purchased  a  large  tract  of  land,  known  as  the 
Tweedy  ranch  and  for  many  years  engaged  in 
its  cultivation  and  improvement.  Some  years 
prior  to  his  death  (whieh,.  occurred  upon  the 
ranch)  he  leased  the  land  for  farming  and  stock- 
raising  purposes.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife, 
who  is  now  in  her  eighty-seventh  year.  She 
makes  her  home  upon  the  ranch  with  her  daugh- 
ter. She  is  the  mother  of  seven  sons  and  one 
daughter,  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth  being 
Lorenzo  Dow  Tweedy,  whose  birth  occurred  in 
Conway,  Ark.,  October  2,  1850. 

But  two  years  old  when  he  was  brought  to 
California  by  his  parents,  practically  the  entire 
life  of  L.  Dow  Tweedy  has  been  passed  in  this 
state.  His  education  was  received  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Los  Angeles  county,  and  at  the 
same  time  he  received  a  practical  training  along- 
agricultural  lines.  In  young  manhood  he  took 
up  the  work  in  which  he  had  been  so  thoroughly 
trained,  devoting  his  time  principally  to  the  cul- 
tivation of  fruit  in  the  country  adjacent  to  Rivera 
and  Downey.  He  has  met  with  success  'in  his 
work  and  acquired  considerable  property,  now 
owning  three  hundred  acres  of  land  near  Down- 
ey; twenty  acres  of  this  is  devoted  to  English 
walnuts,  while  the  balance  is  largely  given  over 
to  the  cultivation  of  alfalfa  and  garden  vege- 
tables. For  several  years  the  familv  made  their 
home  in,  Long  Beach,  where  Mr.  Tweedy  was 
prominent  in  public  affairs,  but  they  are  now  liv- 
ing in  their  new  home  on  the  ranch  near  Downey. 
Mr.  Tweedv  is  a  member  of  the  First  Baptist 
Church  of  Long  Beach,  and  is  a  liberal  contrib- 
utor to  all  its  charities.  Politicallv  he  is  a  stanch 
adherent  of  the  principles  advocated  in  the  plat- 
form of  the  Democratic  party. 

In  Downey,  in  1874,  Mr.  Tweedy  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Emily  Stanley,  a  native  of  Ar- 
kansas, and  born  of  this  union  are  four  sons  and 
three  daughters,  as  follows :  Eugene  E..  Louis 
L.,  Angic  E.,  H.  Burtis,  L.  Dow,  Jr..  \'ieva  Y. 


and  Alma  L.  The  Tweedy  family  are  known 
throughout  Southern  California  and  held  in  the 
highest  esteem  for  their  qualities  of  citizenship; 
they  have  built  up  positions  of  financial  inde- 
pendence for  themselves  and  at  the  same  time 
have  become  citizens  of  prominence  and  worth. 
Personally  L.  Dow  Tweedy  is  a  man  of  broad 
character,  is  liberal  minded  and  enterprising,  and 
can  always  be  counted  upon  to  further  any  move- 
ment advanced  for  the  benefit  of  the  general  com- 
munitv.    ■ 


HON.  FRANK  WILES  BARNES.  The 
collector  of  customs  for  the  port  of  San  Diego 
is  a  descendant  of  ancestors  who  came  from 
Holland  to  America  during  the  colonial  epoch  of 
our  national  history  and  settled  on  Long  Island 
near  the  present  site  of  Flushing.  After  becom- 
ing identified  with  American  colonization  the 
original  family  name  of  Barness  was  changed  to 
its  present  form  by  the  dropping  of  the  final  "s." 
The  genealogical  records  show  that  from  Long 
Island  certain  members  of  the  family  drifted  to 
Dutchess  county,  N.  Y.,  while  that  region  was 
still  a  forest  primeval.  During  the  Revolution- 
ary war  William  Barnes  laid  aside  his  plow  and 
shouldered  a  rifle,  with  which  he  went  to  the 
front  and  served  in  the  patriotic  army.  A  son 
of  this  Revolutionary  soldier,  Josuah,  of  Dutchess 
county,  was  the  father  of  Capt.  Henry  M.  Barnes, 
who  was  a  supervisor  of  Dutchess  county,  a 
farmer  near  Poughkeepsie  and  a  member  of  the 
state  militia.  It  was  he  who  established  the  fam- 
ily in  the  further  west,  when  he  settled  on  a 
bleak  prairie  farm  in  Madison  county.  Neb.,  and 
took  up  the  task  of  transforming  a  raw  tract  into 
a  fertile  farm.  At  the  time  of  his  arrival  the 
county  had  not  been  organized  and  little  attempt 
had  been  made  to  build  up  towns  or  develop 
farms,  but  in  the  years  that  elapsed  between  his 
arrival  and  his  death  he  witnessed  the  gradual 
improvement  of  that  section  of  country  and  him- 
self contributed  thereto. 

While  still  living  in  the  east  Captain  Barnes 
married  Sallie  Ann  Lockwood,  who  was  born 
and  reared  in  Dutchess  county,  the  daughter  of 
an  eastern  farmer  and  the  granddaughter  of  a 
Revolutionary  soldier.  Spared  to  a  venerable 
age,  she  passed  away  at  eighty-nine  years  in  New 
York.  Of  her  five  children  four  are  living,  of 
whom  F.  W.,  the  youngest,  is  the  only  one  to 
settle  in  California.  Born  on  the  home  farm  in 
Dutchess  county,  N.  Y.,  September  10,  1850,  he 
was  a  youth  of  sixteen  years  when  the'  family  re- 
moved to  Nebraska,  and  there  he  took  a  high 
school  course.  After  having  studied  civil  engi- 
neering under  a  preceptor  he  became  deputy 
United  States  land  surveyor,  later  served  for  one 
term  as  countv  surveyor  and  one  term  as  countv 


1418 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


judge.  In  1870  he  entered  the  land  and  laid  out 
the  village  of  Madison,  which  became  the  county 
seat  of  2\Iadison  county,  Neb.,  and  in  1874  Ke 
organized  the  Madison  County  Savings  Bank,  tlie 
first  institution  of  its  kind  in  the  county.  By  a 
re-organization  in  1885  he  established  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Madison,  of  which  he  acted 
as  vice-president  and  with  which  he  is  still  iden- 
tified. The  city  which  he  had  platted  and  found- 
ed always  commanded  his  aid  and  influence. 
Movements  for  its  permanent  upbuilding;  received 
his  stanch  support.  For  many  years  he  served 
as  its  mayor,  in  which  position  he  used  his  in- 
fluence for  the  development  of  local  enterprises. 
At  the  time  of  the  building  of  the  branch  rail- 
road from  Columbus  to  Madison  he  donated  ten 
acres  as  site  for  a  depot  and  grounds.  In  1883 
he  aided  in  the  establishment  of  the  Northern 
Nebraska  Normal  at  Madison  and  was  chosen 
chairman  of  its  board  of  trustees,  a  responsible 
position  in  which  he  displayed  tact,  energy  and 
keen  sagacity,  besides  all  of  his  other  interests  he 
owned  land  near  town  and  engaged  in  the  stock 
business. 

An  arduous  and  long-continued  devotion  to 
the  demands  of  his  business  interests  undermined 
the  health  of  Mr.  Barnes,  who  was  therefore 
obliged  to  seek  a  more  genial  climate  and  an  oc- 
cupation permitting  of  considerable  outdoor  ex- 
ercise. These  reasons  constrained  him  to  remove 
to  California,  and  in  1886  he  settled  at  the  pres- 
ent site  of  Pacific  Beach,  where  he  planted  a 
lemon  orchard  and  carried  on  a  packing  house. 
By  the  gradual  purchase  of  adjoining  tracts  he 
acquired  seventy  acres,  but  in  time  all  of  this  land 
was  laid  out  as  Pacific  Beach.  In  the  fall  of 
1890  he  came  to  San  Diego,  where  later  he  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Security  Savings 
Bank  and  the  San  Diego  Title  and  Abstract  Com- 
pany. Both  in  San  Diego  and  Lajolla  he  has 
acquired  property  holdings  of  considerable  value. 
For  two  terms  Mr.  Barnes  was  president  of 
the  city  council.  In  1900,  on  the  Republican 
ticket,  he  was  elected  to  represent  the  Seventy- 
ninth  legislative  district  in  the  lower  house  of 
the  state  legislature,  his  majority  being  more 
than  one  thousand.  During  that  term  he  served 
as  chairman  of  the  committee  on  banks  and  bank- 
ing and  a  member  of  the  committees  on  irrigation 
and  public  buildings  and  grounds.  At  the  ex- 
piration of  his  first  term  he  was  again  elected  to 
the  legislature,  and  during  the  session  following 
he  served  as  chairman  of  the  committee  on  pub- 
lic buildings  and  grounds,  also  as  a  member  of 
the  committees  on  public  printing  and  banks  and 
banking.  Elected  for  a  third  term  in  1904.  he 
was  honored  with  the  chairmanship  of  the  com- 
mittee on  public  buildings  and  grounds,  and 
served  on  three  committees  as  a  member,  viz. : 
banks   and  banking,   revenue   and   taxation,    and 


commerce  and  navigation.  After  a  long  and  hon- 
orable service  as  the  people's  representative  in 
the  halls  of  legislature,  he  resigned  February  i, 
1906,  in  order  to  accept  the  appointment  as  col- 
lector of  customs  for  the  port  of  San  Diego,  ten- 
dered him  by  President  Roosevelt.  When  first 
nominated  for  the  legislature  it  was  on  a  plat- 
form favoring  an  appropriation  to  complete  the 
state  normal  school  building.  Such  a  bill  was 
passed  in  1901  but  vetoed,  but  was  again  passed 
in  1903,  duly  signed,  and  the  building  completed, 
and  in  1905  an  additional  appropriation  was 
granted  for  the  improving  of  the  grounds.  In 
1903  he  gave  his  support  to  United  States  Sen- 
ator Perkins  and  in  1905  voted  for  United  States 
Senator  Flint.  In  addition  to  "his  many  other  help- 
ful sendees  to  his  party  he  has  been  frequently 
a  delegate  to  local  and  state  conventions,  and 
there,  as  in  every  other  circumstance  and  sur- 
rounding, he  has  given  his  voice  and  vote  toward 
measures  of  undoubted  value  to  his  county  and 
state. 

The  marriage  of  ^Ir.  Barnes  took  place  at 
Madison,  Neb.,  and  united  him  with  jNIiss 
Phoebe,  daughter  of  ^lichael  Bauch,  who  in  1870 
established  his  home  among  the  pioneers  of  j\lad- 
ison  county.  Neb.,  having  previously  made  his 
home  in  Kankakee  county.  111.  (her  native  local- 
ity). Three  children  comprise  the  family  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Barnes.  The  older  son,  Edward  Y.,  is 
a  graduate  of  the  Northern  Nebraska  Normal 
School  at  Madison  and  is  now  junior  member  of 
the  Doyle-Barnes  Company.  The  second  son. 
Theodore  L.,  graduated  as  a  mining  engineer 
from  the  University  of  California  and  is  now 
superintendent  of  mines  in  Lower  California. 
The  only  daughter.  Mary  Ruth,  is  a  graduate  of 
Leland  Standford  l^niversitv.  The  family  hold 
membership  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  Mr. 
Barnes  officiates  as  an  elder  of  his  congregation. 
The  San  Diego  Chamber  of  Commerce  has  long 
numbered  him  among  its  leading  members  and 
active  workers.  Since  coming  to  "his  present 
home  town  he  has  become  identified  with  INIas- 
onrv  through  membership  in  San  Diego  Lod2:e 
No.'  35,  F."&  A.  M.,  and  is  further  allied  with 
the  chapter  and  commanderv  at  San  Diego  and 
Al  Mqlaikah  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  N.  M.  S..'of  Los 
Angeles. 


JOSEPH  A.  COLE.  The  name  of  Cole  is 
svnonymous  with  progress  and  development  in 
the  vicinity  of  Downey,  for  it  was  in  this  section 
of  Southern  California  that  the  immigrating 
pioneer  first  located  at  a  time  when  there  was  no 
promise  of  future  productiveness  to  induce  set- 
tlement here.  This  ancestor  was  George  W. 
Cole,  the  father  of  Joseph  A.,  whose  name  ap- 
pears at  the  head  of  this  article.     For  more  com- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1421 


plete  details  concerning  his  life  refer  to  his  bi- 
ography, which  appears  on  another  page  of  this 
volume. 

The  seventh  child  in  order  of  birth  in  tlie  fam- 
ily of  his  parents  Joseph  A.  Cole  was  born  De- 
cember lo,  1865,  near  Downey,  Los  Angeles 
count}',  Cal.,  on  his  father's  farm,  and  in  that  vi- 
cinity attended  the  public  schools  until  he  was 
ten  years  old,  when  his  parents  located  on  a 
ranch  near  Whittier.  He  became  a  student  in 
the  Los  Nietos  schools  and  completed  the  course, 
after  which  he  prepared  to  enter  upon  the  work 
for  which  he  had  been  so  thoroughly  trained. 
Prosperity  followed  his  efforts  and  he  soon  be- 
came known  throughout  this  part  of  the  county 
as  an  enterprising  and  progressive  rancher,  fully 
in  touch  with  all  modern  methods  and  improve- 
ments, and  intent  upon  advancing  the  best  in- 
terests of  the  business  he  follows.  He  owns  con- 
siderable property,  forty  acres  of  the  old  Cole 
homestead  now  belonging  to  him  and  being  fully 
improved  with  all  modern  buildings  (among 
them  a  beautiful  residence  in  which  he  makes 
his  home),  and  substantial  barns  adequate  for 
the  protection  of  stock  and  machinery.  He  also 
owns  a  walnut  orchard  of  twenty  acres  near  his 
home,  and  twenty  acres  in  the  frostless  belt  of 
La  Habra  valley,  which  is  very  productive  for 
the  raising  of  vegetables  throughout  the  entire 
vear.  Mr.  Cole  belongs  to  the  Los  Nietos  and 
Ranchito  Walnut  Growers'  Association,  one  of 
the  oldest  associations  of  its  kind  in  the  world, 
and  is  serving  as  a  director  in  the  same. 

Mr.  Cole  was  married  to  Nola  L.  Landreth, 
one  of  the  prominent  ladies  of  Whittier,  who  was 
educated  in  Whittier  College.  Their  union  has 
been  blessed  by  the  birth  of  two  sons,  Roy  Ken- 
neth and  Cawthern  Chester.  In  his  political  af- 
filiations Mr.  Cole  is  a  Democrat. 


HERMAN  KOHLER.  From  Germany  the 
United  States  receives  some  of  her  best  and 
most  enterprising  citizens.  Herman  Kohler, 
one  of  the  most  highly  respected  ranchmen 
in  Ventura  county,  was  born  October  6,  1853, 
at  Brailingen,  Bu'rgdorf,  Germany,  the  son  of 
Henry  and  Mary  (Gerke)  Kohler,  both  na- 
tives '  of  Germany,  where  they  died  several 
vears  ago.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  chil- 
dren, nine  of  whom  are  living  and  two  of 
whom  have  homes  in  California. 

Herman  Kohler  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  country,  and 
was  also  married  there  at  .Shernbustel,  in  1875, 
bis  wife  being  Marv,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Sophia  Boedeker.  The  parents  of  both  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Kohler  were  farmers  and  so  it  was 
but  natural  that  the  vcunger  generation  should 
follov;   the    same   calling.      They   remained   in 


the  old  country  until  1883,  when,  attracted 
by  the  opportunities  offered  to  ambitious 
young  people  in  this  new  country,  they  im- 
migrated to  America,  coming  to  Ventura  coun- 
ty, Cal.,  where  Mr.  Kohler  located  on  a  ranch 
and  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising.  As 
he  had  only  $50  when  he  arrived  it  was  nec- 
essary for  him  to  work  by  the  month  for  a 
short  time  and  he  was  in  the  employ  of  Anton 
iMaulhardt  until  the  opportunity  presented  it- 
self to  rent  a  farm.  By  careful  management 
and  the  employment  of  good  business  meth- 
ods he  was  soon  able  to  buy  a  place  of  his  own 
and  now  owns  two  hundred  acres  of  land  lo- 
cated two  and  a  half  miles  from  Hueneme  on 
the  Conejo  road.  He  has  seventy  acres 
planted  to  beets,  the  remainder  being  devoted 
to  beans  and  hay.  The  property  is  very  fine- 
ly improved  with  modern  buildings  and  all 
necessary  appliances  and  Mr.  Kohler  may  well 
be  proud  of  the  success  he  has  achieved. 

Politically  Mr.  Kohler  affiliates  with  the 
Democratic  party.  There  are  three  children 
in  his  family,  Otto,  Albert  and  Louis,  and  both 
parents  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church 
at  Oxnard.  In  1904  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Kohler  at- 
tended the  World's  Fair  at  St.  Louis  and  alsO' 
returned  to  Europe  for  a  visit  at  the  old  home 
and  other  points  of  interest  in  Germany.  They 
were  absent  three  months  and  enjoyed  their 
well-earned  outing. 


FRANK  L.  TROXEL.  A  wide-awake,  keen- 
sighted,  enterprising  business  man,  Frank  L. 
Troxel,  of  Fernando,  is  prominently  identified 
with  one  of  the  leading  industries  of  Southern 
California,  and  as  manager  for  the  Stewart  Fruit 
Company  of  Los  Angeles  is  carrying  on  a  flour- 
ishing business.  He  is  an  expert  horticulturist 
and  fruit  grower,  and  owns  and  occupies  a  finely 
improved  ranch,  situated  a  mile  and  a  half  west 
of  Fernando.  He  was  born  February  5,  1864.  in 
Seneca  county,  Ohio,  but  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  whither  his  parents  re- 
moved when  he  was  but  a  year  old. 

Brought  up  on  a  farm,  Mr.  Troxel  became  fa- 
miliarly acquainted  with  the  various  branches  of 
agriculture  while  young,  and  until  after  attain- 
ing his  majority  was  engaged  in  farming  in  Mis- 
souri. Migrating  then  to  the  Pacific  coast,  he 
settled  in  Elmira,  Solano  county,  Cal.,  where  he 
was  for  two  years  engaged  in  the  culture  of 
fruit.  Going  then  to  Placer  county,  he  was  in 
business  at  Auburn  for  two  years,  and  from  that 
time  until  1901  was  associated  with  the  develop- 
ment of  the  fruit  industry,  residing  during  the 
summer  seasons  in  Sacramento,  and  making  Lo> 
Angeles  his  headquarters  winters.  Purchasing 
ten  acres  of  land  in  Fernando  in  iqoi  he  at  once 


1422 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


erected  a  fine  residence,  and  has  made  other  im- 
provements of  an  excellent  character,  his  home 
estate  being  one  of  the  best  in  its  appointments 
of  any  in  the  neighborhood.  In  1906  he  added 
seven  acres  of  adjoining  land  to  his  ranch.  Ten 
acres  of  the  estate  is  in  walnuts  and  the  balance 
in  oranges.  In  addition  to  caring  for  his  own 
ranch  Mr.  Troxel  is  now  manager  for  the 
Stewart  Fruit  Company  of  Los  Angeles,  having 
control  of  the  Fernando  district,  and  in  this  ca- 
pacity is  meeting  with  undisputed  success.  This 
company  owns  four  hundred  acres  of  land,  the 
greater  part  of  which  is  devoted  to  the  raising 
of  oranges,  although  lemons  are  raised  to  some- 
extent. 

In  Missouri  Mr.  Troxel  married  Louie  Cooper, 
who  died  in  Auburn,  Cal.,  leaving  one  childj  Clay- 
ton C.  Troxel.  Mr.  Troxel  married  for  his  sec- 
ond wife  Ella  Eslick,  a  native-born  Californian. 
Politically  he  is  an  earnest  supporter  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Republican  party,  and  fraternally 
he  is  a  member  and  the  treasurer  of  Fernando 
Lodge  No.  343,  F.  &  A.  M.,  is  a  Scottish  Rite 
Thirty-second  Degree  Mason,  belonging  to  Al 
Malaikan  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  U.  M.  S.,  and  a 
member  and  past  officer  of  Fernando  Lodge  No. 
365,  I.  O.  O.  F.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Troxel  at- 
tend the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  are  willing 
contributors  towards  its  support. 


JOHN  HUGH  BARCLAY.  One  of  the  in- 
fluential and  successful  business  men  of  Fernando 
is  John  Hugh  Barclay,  a  real  estate  dealer  and 
insurance  agent,  who,  as  justice  of  the  peace,  is 
actively  associated  with  the  administration  of 
public  affairs.  He  is  well  known  throughout 
this  section  of  the  county,  and  is  held  in  respect 
as  a  man  of  integrity,  faithful  and  trustworthy 
in  every  relation  of  life.  The  earliest  recollections 
of  Mr.  Barclay  are  of  a  modest  home  in  the  town 
of  London,  province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  where 
his  birth  occurred  November  20,  1844,  and  where 
he  spent  his  early  life. 

After  graduating  from  the  London  high  school, 
John  H.  Barclay  learned  the  carpenter's  trade, 
which  he  followed  in  his  native  province  for 
about  ten  years.  His  health  failing,  he  came  to 
California  in  1869,  hoping  in  this  land  of  sun- 
shine to  recover  his  natural  physical  vigor.  After 
spending  a  year  in  San  Luis  Obispo  county,  and 
about  one-half  that  length  of  time  in  Marysville, 
he  located  in  Los  Angeles  county,  and  for  a  num- 
ber of  seasons  was  engaged  in  the  hotel  business. 
first  at  Wilmington,  and  then  in  Los  Angeles. 
Coming  then  to  Fernando,  he  subsequently  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Rail- 
road Company,  which  he  served  as  a  bridge  and 
tunnel  carpenter  from  1886  until  1896.  Resign- 
ing his  position  in  the  latter-named  year  he  has 


since  carried  on  a  prosperous  business  as  a  fire 
and  life  insurance  agent  and  a  dealer  in  real 
estate,  and  has  become  the  owner  of  valuable 
property  in  town  and  county.  He  has  been  prom- 
inent in  local  matters,  and  since  1894  has  served 
most  acceptably  to  all  as  justice  of  the  peace,  his 
decisions  being  invariably  fair  and  just. 

In  1878,  in  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  Mr.  Barclay 
married  Ellen  Collins,  a  native  of  Canada,  and 
they  have  two  children,  namely:  Richard  J.,  of 
Los  Angeles ;  and  Margaret  J.,  living  at  home. 
Politically  Mr.  Barclay  is  a  zealous  supporter  of 
the  principles  of  the  Republican  party,  and  fra- 
ternally he  is  a  member  of  Fernando  Lodge  No. 
343,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  a  member  and  past  officer 
of  Fernando  Lodge  No.  365,  I.  O.  O.  F. 


JACOB  HARPS.  One  of  the  active,  prom- 
inent and  enterprising  residents  of  Fernando  is 
Jacob  Harps,  who  has  ably  performed  his  full 
share  in  promoting  and  advancing  the  upbuilding 
and  growth  of  the  village  in  which  he  lives,  his 
contributions  in  this  line  being  fully  recognized 
and  appreciated  by  his  fellow-citizens.  A  man 
of  excellent  judgment  and  fine  business  capacity, 
he  has  labored  earnestly  and  wisely,  and  his  for- 
tune has  grown  with  the  town  and  county.  A 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  he  was  born,  April  24, 
1849,  in  Mercer  county,  where  he  received  his 
education,  remaining  there  until  twenty  years  of 
age. 

Learning  the  trade  of  bridge  building  when 
young,  Mr.  Harps  worked  for  wages  for  a  few 
years,  after  which  he  started  in  business  for  him- 
self, taking  contracts  for  building  railroad  and 
county  bridges.  He  was  subsequently  for  four 
years  road  superintendent  for  the  Smith  Bridge 
Company  of  Toledo,  Ohio.  Leaving  that  city 
in  1872,  he  located  in  San  Francisco,  and  the  en- 
suing two  years  was  superintendent  for  the  Pa- 
cific Bridge  Company.  From  1874  until  1876 
he  was  engaged  as  a  contractor  in  Saft  Francis- 
co. Giving  up  that  business  then,  he  came  to 
Los  Angeles  county,  settling  about  three  miles 
east  of  Fernando.  Buying  a  tract  of  wild  land, 
he  cleared  and  improved  a  ranch,  and  for  twelve 
years  was  there  successfully  employed  in  raising 
small  fruits  and  bees.  Moving  then  into  the  vil- 
lage, he  opened  the  first  lumber  yard  in  the  com- 
munity, and  for  ten  years  carried  on  a  substan- 
tial business  as  a  lumber  manufacturer  and 
dealer.  Disposing  of  his  interests  in  that  line, 
he  spent  the  next  two  years  in  Klondike,  making 
two  trips  to  that  region.  Since  that  time  he  has 
lived  practically  retired  for  active  pursuits,  al- 
though he  devotes  some  time  to  the  raising  of 
poultry,  supplying  to  some  extent  the  local  mar- 
kets with  eggs  and  chickens,  having  a  well-ap- 
pointed  and   finely  equipped  poultry  yard.     He 


^^     O^Ccr^ 


cyT^^T-z^c^t^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  -RECORD. 


1425 


erected  a  handsome  residence  in  the  village,  and- 
also  built  a  substantial  block,  known  as  Harps' 
hall,  in  which  are  office  rooms,  a  store  and  a  good 
auditorium. 

In  California,  in  1876,  Mr.  Harps  married 
Lillian  Nickerson,  who  was  born  in  this  state, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  name- 
ly :  Beulah,  wife  of  J.  O.  Jenifer,  whose  sketch 
appears  elsewhere  in  this  work ;  Clarence,  who  is 
employed  in  the  signal  service  department  of  the 
Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Company;  and  Harry, 
who  is  employed  in  the  surveying  department  of 
the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company.  Politically  Mr. 
Harps  is  a  sound  Democrat,  but  has  never  been 
an  aspirant  for  public  honors,  having  held  no 
office  excepting  that  of  school  director.  Frater- 
nally he  is  a  member  of  Fernando  Lodge  No.  343, 
F.  &  A.  M.  He  belongs  to  no  religious  organiza- 
tion, but  contributes  towards  the  support  of  the 
Presbyterian  Giurch,  of  which  Mrs.  Harps  is  a 
consistent  member. 


JASPER  XEWTOX  CONNER.  One  of 
the  many  worth}-  citizens  and  capable  and  in- 
dustrious agriculturists  of  Los  Angeles  coun- 
ty, Jasper  Newton  Conner  is  prosperously  en- 
gaged in  his  ^independent  occupation  at  Fer- 
nando. He  has  had  a  varied  and  busy  career, 
during  which  he  has  pursued  the  even  tenor 
of  his  Avay  as  an  honest,  hard-working  man, 
ever  advancing  the  interests  of  his  community 
as  opportunity  cfl'ered,  and  wherever  he  has 
resided  has  enjoyed  the  respect  and  esteem  of 
his  neighbors  and  friends.  A  son  of  Richard 
Conner,  he  Avas  born,  January  i,  1854,  at 
Mount  Vernon,  Ohio.  His  grandfather,  Rob- 
ert Conner,  a  native  of  West  Virginia,  moved 
from  there  to  Ohio  with  the  early  pioneers, 
cleared  and  improved  a  farm,  and  afterwards 
settled  in  Knoxville,  111.,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits  until  his  death. 

Born  and  reared  in  Ohio,  Richard  Conner 
was  first  engaged  in  farming  in  his  native 
state,  and  was  subsequently  similarly  employed 
in  Knox  county.  III,  having  a  farm  near  Knox- 
ville. He  moved  from  there  to  Missouri,  and 
spent  the  closing  years  of  his  life  in  Kansas 
City.  He  married  Cynthia  Furgeson,  who  was 
born  of  Scotch  ancestors  in  Ohio,  and  is  now 
residing  in  Fernando,  with  her  son  Jasper.  She 
is  a  most  estimable  woman,  and  a  faithful 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
She  bore  her  husband  nine  children,  seven 
of  whom  are  living,  Jasper  N.  being  the  fourth 
in  order  of  birth. 

But  a  child  when  the  family  removed  to  Illi- 
nois, Jasper  N.  Conner  was  brought  up  on  a 
farm,  obtaining  a  practical  education  in  the 
district  schools  and  remaining  at  home  until 


becoming  of  age.  Starting  life  for  himself  in 
1875,  he  went  to  the  Black  Hills,  where  he  was 
engaged  for  about  a  3'ear  in  mining,  when,  on 
account  of  the  frequent  raids  of  the  Indians  on 
lone  miners,  he  left  that  region,  going  to  Butte 
City,  Mont.  After  mining  in  that  locality  for  a 
short  time  he  purchased  horses  aild  wagons 
and  engaged  in  freighting  on  a  large  scale, 
running  ten  four-horse  wagons,  keeping  forty 
of  his  forty-six  horses  working  ever}'  day.  He 
carried  freight  from  the  Anaconda  and  Gar- 
rison mines,  hauling  ten  thousand  pounds  to  a 
team,  averaging  four  loads  a  day,  and  many 
days,  receiving  $1  a  ton  for  freighting,  made 
S200  a  day.  In  addition  to  this  work,  he  was 
also  engaged  to  some  extent  in  mining  and 
prospecting,  discovering  two  good  mines,  the 
Bluebird  and  the  Black  Rock,  both  of  which 
he  sold.  The  railway  companies  laying  tracks 
to  the  mines  in  1893,  ]\Ir.  Conner  sold  his 
freighting  outfit  and  located  at  Great  Falls, 
Mont.,  where  he  purchased  six  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  of  land,  on  which  he  was  engaged 
in  farming  and  stock  raising  for  two  years. 

In  1895,  on  account  of  the  ill  health  of  his 
wife  and  children,  Mr.  Conner  sold  his  Mon- 
tana farm  and  came  to  California,  locating  in 
Fernando,  where  he  continued  as  a  tiller  of  the 
soil  for  two  years.  In  February,  1898,  he  went 
to  Alaska  on  a  prospecting  trip,  going  up  Cop- 
per river,  and  up  to  the  divide.  He  found  some 
of  the  largest  copper  deposits  known,  but 
would  not  locate  claims  on  account  of  the  dan- 
gers incurred  in  getting  to  them,  the  fording 
of  deep  rivers  and  rough  rides  over  precipices 
and  chasms  being  exceedingly  risky,  so  much 
so  that  he  wondered  that  he  got  out  alive.  In' 
1900  he  returned  to  Fernando,  glad  enough  to 
be  back  in  "God's  own  country."  He  has  since 
resided  in  this  place,  owning  his  home,  but  is 
engaged  in  farming  just  outside  the  city,  rent- 
ing land,  which  he  is  carrying  on  successfully. 

In  Lacygne,  Kans.,  ]\Ir.  Conner  married 
^lary  Kendall,  who  was  born  in  Kansas,  a 
daughter  of  David  Kendall,  a  soldier  in  the 
Civil  war.  She  had  a  frail,  delicate  constitu- 
tion, and  it  was  hoped  that  the  genial  climate 
of  California  might  prove  of  great  benefit  to 
her  health,  but  the  family  were  doomed  to  dis- 
appointment, her  death  occurring  in  Fernando 
in  November,  1896.  Four  children  were  born 
to  them,  and  these,  too,  have  passed  to  the 
higher  life,  Daphine  and  Dallas  dying  in  this 
city.  Pearl  passing  away  in  Montana,  and 
Walter  dying  at  Colorado  Springs.  Although 
■Mr.  Conner  devoted  himself  to  the  care  of  his 
family,  sparing  neither  time  nor  expense  in 
trying  to  alleviate  their  sufferings,  that  dread 
disease,  consumption,  proved  fatal  to  his  wife 
and   children.      For  a  second   wife  he   married 


1426 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  February,  1904,  in  Fernando,  Helen  Wis- 
ner,  a  native  of  Iowa,  but  a  resident  of  Cali- 
fornia since  1902;  by  this  marriage  one  child, 
Daphine,  has  been  born.  In  national  affairs 
Mr.  Conner  invariably  supports  the  principles 
of  the  Democratic  party,  but  in  local  matters 
he  supports  the  best  men  and  measures.  He  is 
a  man  of  sterling  character,  honest  and  up- 
right in  his  dealings,  and  is  a  consistent  mem- 
ber of  the  ]\Iethodist  Episcopal  Church. 


HON.  CHARLES  MaCLAY.  Conspicuous 
among  the  pioneer  jNIethodist  preachers  of  Cal- 
ifornia was  the  late  Hon.  Charles  Maclay,  who 
came  to  the  Pacific  coast  in  1851,  and  for  many 
years  thereafter  was  actively  engaged  in  religious 
work,  proclaiming  glad  tidings  of  great  joy  to 
anultitudes  of  people.  A  man  of  strong  person- 
ality and  much  force  of  character,  he  toiled  with 
faithful  zeal  in  his  Master's  vineyard,  his  con- 
scientious lalsors  being  legitimately  rewarded  by 
the  establishment  of  numerous  churches  and  the 
conversion  of  many  souls  to  the  true  Christian 
faith.  A  native  of  Pennsylvania,  he  was  born, 
November  9,  1822,  in  Concord,  Franklin  county, 
where  he  was  brought  up  and  educated.  Of  a 
deeply  religious  nature,  he  early  determined  to 
devote  hin-fself  to  the  special  work  of  spreading 
the  gospel,  and  in  1844  joined  the  Baltimore  Con- 
ference. Soon  afterward  when  Bishop  Bowman 
founded  the  Dickinson  Seminary  at  William- 
sport,  Pa.,  he  was  appointed  its  agent  and  was 
also  licensed  to  preach. 

Coming  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  to 
Cahfornia  in  1851,  Mr.  Maclay  began  his  labors 
as  a  preacher  in  that  city,  and  was  subsequently 
very  active  in  denominational  circles,  presiding 
at  the  first  Methodist  Episcopal  Conference  held 
in  the  state,  and  being  influential  in  the  founding 
of  the  California  Christian  Advocate.  Subse- 
quently removing  to  Santa  Clara,  he  built  the 
first  Protestant  church  erected  in  that  city  and 
was  practically  one  of  the  founders  of  the  town. 
He  was  very  popular  with  the  general  public, 
being  elected  as  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  first 
college  established  on  the  Pacific  coast,  and  as  a 
loyal  and  patriotic  citizen  he  rendered  appre- 
ciated service  as  a  member  of  the  vigilance  com- 
mittee. In  local  aflfairs  he  took  a  prominent 
place,  and  it  was  largely  through  his  eflforts  that 
the  state  purchased  land  and  built  the  old  toll 
road  between  Santa  Clara  and  Santa  Cruz.  He 
served  two  terms  as  representative  to  the  state 
legislature,  to  which  he  was  elected  in  1861  and 
T862,  and  from  1864  until  1868  was  a  member  of 
the  senate.  While  in  the  legislature  he  was  in- 
strumental in  having  a  state  normal  school  lo- 
cated at  San  Jose,  and  in  having  passed  the  bill, 
under  the  old  constitution,  exempting  church  and 


school  properties  from  taxation.  He  was  always 
among  the  foremost  in  the  inauguration  of  state 
improyements,  giving  freely  of  his  time  and 
money  to  promote  beneficial  movements,  and  es- 
pecially while  a  resident  of  both  San  Francisco 
and  Santa  Clara  was  his  influence  apparent. 

Coming  to  Fernando  in  1873,  ^^^-  -Vlaclay,  with 
two  other  men,  purchased  the  north  half  of  the 
Fernando  ranch,  which  consisted  of  fifty-six 
thousand  two  hundred  and  seventy-six  acres  of 
land,  with  scarce  any  improvements,  paying  the 
sum  of  $40,000  for  it.  The  partnership  being 
dissolved  in  1881,  he  took  as  his  third  of  the 
property  the  land  lying  east  of  the  Southern  Pa- 
cific Railroad,  and  north  of  Pacoima,  and  this  he 
soon  afterward  put  on  the  market.  In  1885  he 
established  and  endowed  the  Maclay  chair  and 
theology  in  Fernando  College,  in  which  the  ap- 
pointment of  the  faculty  was  subject  to  the  bishop 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The  corner- 
stone of  the  college  building  was  laid  in  1888, 
but  after  a  few  years  the  school  and  the  chairs 
were  moved  to  Los  Angeles,  being  merged  with 
the  University  of  Southern  California.  The  col- 
lege building  is  now  owned  by  the  Seven  Day 
Adventists,  who  use  it  for  educational  purposes. 

March  2,  1851,  Mr.  Maclay  married  Kate  P. 
Lloyd,  who  was  born  at  Williamsport,  Pa.,  and 
into  their  household  six  children  were  born, 
namely :  Thomas  Lloyd,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  years  ;  Arabella,  who  is  the  widow  of  the 
late  A.  B.  Moffitt,  and  resides  in  San  Francisco; 
Robert  Holmes,  of  whom  a  brief  sketch  may  be 
found  on  another  page  of  this  volume ;  Mary,  of 
Fernando,  the  widow  of  the  late  H.  W.  Gris- 
wold ;  Kate  Paxton,  wife  of  H.  C.  Hubbard,  of 
Fernando,  whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in 
this  work ;  and  Josephine  Lloyd,  wife  of  T.  J. 
Walker,  of  Fernando.  When  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Maclay  came  with  their  family  to  Fernando 
there  was  no  church  of  their  denomination  in 
this  part  of  the  county,  but  largely  through  the 
strenuous  efforts  of  this  godly  couple  a  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  was  erected,  and  for  a  time 
Mr.  Maclay  supplied  the  pulpit,  while  Mrs.  Ma- 
clay saw  to  it  that  the  building  was  well  cared 
for.  They  were  truly  generous,  hospitable  peo- 
ple, keeping  open  house  for  both  strangers  and 
friends,  and  often  having  it  filled  to  overflowing 
with  ministers,  laymen  and  politicians.  They 
were  Christians  in  the  highest  and  best  sense 
implied  by  the  term,  benevolent  and  charitable, 
and  in  their  every  dav  life  were  guided  by  the 
highest  moral  principles.  Both  have  passed  to 
the  bright  world  beyond,  the  death  of  ]\Ir.  Maclay 
having  occurred  at  his  home  in  Fernando.  July 
ig,  1890,  and  that  of  Mrs.  Maclay,  July  2,  i8q8. 
Their  deaths  were  a  loss  to  the  entire  coinmunitv, 
and  were  mourned  bv  a  wide  circle  of  friends 
and  acquaintances.     Politically  Mr.   Maclay  was 


^  £  (y-^^i^ni-Z/c^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1429 


a  stanch  Republican,  and  during  tlie  second  elec- 
tion of  Abraham  Lincoln  to  the  presidency  his 
name  was  on  the  state  electoral  ticket.  Frater- 
nally he  was  made  a  Mason  when  young. 


ARCHIE  CONNELLY.  A  pioneer  settler 
and  a  veteran  of  the  harvest  fields,  Archie 
Connell}'  is  one  of  the  best  known  and  most 
liighly  esteemed  men  of  Ventura  county,  dis- 
tinguished for  his  honesty,  integrity,  industry 
and  kindheartedness.  The  owner  of  two  valua- 
ble ranches,  he  gives  close  attention  to  the  de- 
velopment and  improvement  of  his  land,  and 
in  liis  agricultural  labors  is  meeting  with  note- 
worthy success.  He  is  prudent  in  the  man- 
agement of  his  alTairs,  strictly  honorable  in  his 
dealings,  and  is  recognized  by  his  fellow-men 
as  a  true  and  loyal  citizen  of  his  adopted  coun- 
try. A  native  of  Ireland,  he  jvas  born  IMarch 
TO,  1845,  in  County  Monaghan,  being  one  of 
the  seven  children  of  Owen  and  Ann  (Duffy) 
Connelly,  who  were  life-long  residents  of  the 
Emerald  Isle.  One  of  his  brothers  resides  in 
California,  and  one  of  them  is  now  living  in 
Ireland,  occupying  the  farm  on  which  his 
great-grandfather  spent  the  larger  part  of  his 
long  fife. 

Beginning  the  battle  of  life  for  himself  when 
a  lad  of  eleven  years,  Archie  Connelly  spent 
some  time  in  Scotland  and  England,  working 
at  any  honorable  employment.  Not  satisfied 
with  his  future  prospects  on  British  soil,  he 
immigrated  to  the  United  States  at  the  age 
of  eighteen  years,'  and  for  the  next  two  and 
one-half  years  worked  at  the  trade  of  a  stone 
and  brick  mason  in  New  York  City.  Going 
then  to  New  Jersey,  he  was  employed  on  a 
farm  for  several  seasons,  there  acquiring  a 
fair  knowledge  of  general  farming  as  carried 
on  in  the  Atlantic  states.  In  1869  he  came 
to  California,  locating  first  as  a  ranchman  in 
Sonoma  county,  later  going  to  Contra  Costa 
county,  where  he  remained  about  a  year. 
Coming  then  to  Ventura  county,  he  worked 
for  James  Leonard  for  three  years,  receiving 
good  wages.  \A'^ise  in  his  expenditures,  he  ac- 
cumulated quite  a  sum  of  money,  and  with  it 
in  1876  purchased  his  home  ranch,  lying  near 
Oxnard,  and  has  since  been  here  profitably  en- 
gaged in  the  cultivation  of  beets  and  beans, 
two  of  the  best  crops  that  can  be  raised  in  this 
part  of  the  conntv.  the  land  hereabout  yield- 
ing on  an  average  twenty  sacks  of  beans  to 
the  acre.  He  has  also  acquired  other  property 
of  value,  owning  three  hundred  acres  of  land 
in  the  Conejo  valley,  upon  which  he  raises 
large  quantities  of  hay,  wheat  and  barley. 

In  T877  Air.  Connelly  married  Lizzie  Kline, 
a   native  of  Ireland,  their  marriage  being  sol- 


enmized  in  Ventura  county.  Thirteen  chil- 
dren were  born  of  this  marriage,  three  of  whom 
have  passed  to  the  life  beyond.  Those  living 
are  as  follows :  John  T.  of  Los  Angeles  coun- 
ty, Annie,  Mary  K.,  Joseph,  Frank,  James, 
Peter,  Charles,  Thomas  and  Raymond.  Mrs. 
Connelly  died  on  the  home  farm  in  1899,  at 
the  comparatively  early  age  of  forty  years. 
Politically  Mr.  Connelly  is  a  Democrat  in  na- 
tional aifairs;  fraternally  he  belongs  to  the 
Knights  of  Columbus ;  and  religiously  he  and 
his  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church. 


IRA  EZRA  MILLS.  One  of  the  most  en- 
terprising men  of  Crafton  is  Ira  Ezra  Mills, 
whose  residence  is  located  in  Crafton,  at  the 
corner  of  Fourth  avenue  and  E  street.  His  at- 
tention is  given  over  to  horticultural  pursuits  in 
the  vicinitv,  where  he  located  in  1890,  and  since 
that  time  he  has  accomplished  notable  results  in 
this  line  of  work.  Born  in  New  Haven,  Vt., 
June  7,  1867,  he  is  the  representative  of  an  old 
and  honored  New  England  family ;  his  father, 
Ira,  and  grandfather,  Ralph,  were  both  natives 
of  that  state,  where  they  engaged  in  farming 
throuehout  their  entire  lives.  Ira  !\Iills  served 
as  a  musician  in  the  Civil  war,  as  a  member  of 
Company  B,  Fifth  Regiment  Vermont  Volunteer 
Infantry  His  death  occurred  in  1867,  being 
survived  until  1873  by  his  wife,  formerly 
Adelaide  Gullev,  a  native  of  Addison,  Vt.,  and 
daughter  of   Erasmus    Gulley,   a    farmer. 

The  only  child  of  his  parents,  Ira  Ezra  Mills 
was  orphaned  at  the  age  of  six  years.  He  was 
reared  on  the  home  farm  and  received  a  pre- 
liminary education  in  the  district  school,  after 
which  he  completed  the  course  by  two  terms  at 
Beeman  Academy.  In  July,  1888,  he  came  to 
California  and  in  Los  Angeles  secured  a  position 
as  conductor  on  the  Central  avenue  street-car 
line.  He  remained  in  this  work  for  two  years, 
when  he  came  to  Crafton  November  14,  1890, 
and  began  horticultural  pursuits  the  same  year. 
He  purchased  the  property  which  he  now, owns 
located  at  the  corner  of  Fourth  avenue  and  E 
street,  then  raw  land,  began  improvements,  and 
set  out  an  orange  grove  and  since  that  time  has 
devoted  himself  to  that  interest.  He  has  finely 
improved  his  place  by  the  building  of  a  fine 
residence,  cement  flumes,  barns  and  outbuildings, 
and  in  the  meantime  has  also  become  the  owner 
of  twenty  acres  devoted  to  navel  and  Valencia 
oranges,  located  at  E  and  Citrus  streets,  also 
five  acres  corner  of  Crafton  street  and  Highland 
avenue.  He  has  demonstrated  his  ability  in  this 
work  and  has  set  out  about  forty  acres  of  orange 
groves  for  others  in  this  section. 

In  Crafton,  January  31,  189^,  Mr.  Mills  was 
united    in    marriage    with   ^iliss   Jennie   Johnson, 


1430 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


a  native  of  California,  whose  birth  occurred  in 
Port  Harford,  San  Louis  Obispo  county.     She 
was    the    eldest    of    four    children    born    to    her 
parents,  N.  A.  and  Kittie  (Upchurch)   Johnson, 
.the  others  being  Nathan  R.,  ilabel  and  Charles 
J.     Her  father  was  a  native  of  New  York  from 
which  state  he  enlisted  in  Sixteenth  Battery  New 
York  Artillery,  for  service  in  the  Civil  war.    His 
father,   Solomon  Johnson,  was  born  in  Greene, 
N.  Y.,  a  son  of  Barent,  whose  ancestors,  Hol- 
landers,  had   made   their   home  in   New  Jersey, 
emigrating:  thither  about  the  year  1700.    Solomon 
Johnson  became  a  farmer  in  Greene,  Chenangc; 
county,    where    his    death    eventually    occurred. 
He   married   Hannah    Jane    Reynolds,    a   native 
of  New  York,   where  her  death  also  occurred. 
Nathan   A.   was   their   only   child,   his  birth  oc- 
curring March  11,  1845.     He  was  reared  on  the 
home   farm  and  educated  in  the  district  school. 
He  volunteered  in  1862  and  served  in  Virginia 
and  North  Carolina,  for  the  greater  part  of  the 
time  acting  as  clerk  of  the  battery.     After  the 
close  of  the  war  he  was  mustered  out  at  El- 
mira,   N.  Y.,  in  July,   1865,  after  which  he  at- 
tended school  during  the  following  winter,  and 
then   going   to   Omaha,   Neb.,   joined   a   govern- 
ment  expedition  to  lay  out  a  direct  road  from 
Sioux    City,    Iowa,    to    Virginia    City,    Mont., 
whence  he  came  on  to  San  Francisco  via  Port- 
land.    In  old  Sonoma  he  engaged  at  farm  work 
until   1868.  when  he  came  to  San  Luis   Obispo 
county  and  there  followed  general  farming  and 
stock-raising  for  about  twenty  years,  and  for  a 
number  of  years  managed  a  lumber  3'ard  in  Port 
Harford.       Removing    to    Palm    Springs,     San 
Bernardino  county,  in  1888,  he  spent  one  winter 
there,  and  then  came  to  Crafton,  where  he  set 
out    an   orange   grove   at   the   corner   of   Citrus 
avenue   and   Crafton.     He   then   sold   and   pur- 
chased his  present  property  which  is  all  in  navel 
oranges.    He  is  a  member  of  the  Crafton  Orange 
Growers'    Association    and    is   director   in   same, 
is  a  member  of  the  Redlands  Board  of  Trade, 
and   active   in   the   advancement   of  his   adopted 
city.     Fraternally  he  was  made  a  Mason  in  Paso 
Robles    and    is    now    identified    with    Redlands 
Lodge  No.  300,  F.  &  A.  M.     Politically  he  is 
a  stanch  Republican.     He   was  married   in   San 
Luis    Obispo   county   to   Miss   Kittie   Upchurch, 
who   was   born   August  30,    1853,   near   Nevada 
City.   Cal.,   while  her  parents  were  en  route  to 
California  over  the  old  wagon   road  across  the 
plains,    and  was   reared    in   Napa   county.      Her 
father,   Richard   D.   Upchurch,  was   a  native  of 
Nortli   Carolina,   and   his   ancestors   were   active 
participants  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  being  en- 
gaged   in    most    of    the    skirmishes    and    battles 
which  were  fought  in  the  southern  states. 

]\Tr.  and  Mrs.  Mills  became  the  parents  of  the 
followina:    children :    Ravmond,    Karl,    Herbert, 


Maude,  Frank  and  May.  Mr.  Mills  is  a  director, 
president  and  manager  of  the  Crafton  Orange 
Growers'  Association,  of  which  he  was  one  of 
the  organizers,  and  in  the  building  of  the  pack- 
ing house  of  this  concern  was  one  of  the  most 
potent  factors.  He  is  also  interested  in  the 
Crafton  Water  Company,  is  a  member  of  the 
Redlands  Board  of  Trade,  and  for  years  has 
served  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education 
of  the  Redlands  district.  Politically  he  is  a 
stanch  Democrat  and  is  an  ex-member  of  the 
County  Central  Committee.  Fraternally  he  is 
identified  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order 
of  Elks,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America, 
while  his  wife  is  associated  with  the  Order  of 
Eastern  Star,  Ladies  of  the  Maccabees  and  the 
Women's  Relief  Corps.  Mr.  Mills  is  a  thor- 
oughly liberal  and  enterprising  citizen,  public- 
spirited  and  progressive,  actively  interested  in 
the  development  and  upbuilding  of  Southern 
California. 


BERNARDO  FELIPE  ROWLAND.  Three 
generations  of  the  Rowland  family  have  contrib- 
uted to  the  well-being  and  upbuilding  of  South- 
ern California,  the  first  of  the  name  to  locate 
here  being  the  grandfather,  John  Rowland.  An 
Englishman  by  birth  and  training,  he  learned 
the  miller's  trade  in  his  native  country  and  fol- 
lowed it  there  some  time  before  coming  to  Amer- 
ica. On  coming  to  the  new  world  he  went  direct 
to  Taos,  Mexico,  where  he  engaged  in  mill- 
wrighting  and  also  in  the  milling  business  until 
1840,  when  he  came  to  California.  Locating  at 
Puente,  Los  Angeles  county,  he  erected  the  first 
mill  in  this  entire  section  of  country,  and  man- 
ufactured all  of  the  flour  used  in  the  country 
round  about  for  many  miles.  In  partnership  with 
]\Ir.  ^^'orkman  he  bought  La  Puente  rancho, 
which  consisted  of  forty-eight  thousand  acres, 
upon  which  for  years  they  were  associated  in 
raising  stock,  making  a  specialty  of  horses  and 
cattle.  Mr.  Rowland  was  also  the  first  one  to 
erect  a  brick  building  in  this  countr\-,  this  being 
his  own  residence,  which  was  completed  in  1855, 
and  is  now  the  property  of  J.  W.  Hudson,  of 
Puente.  The  death  of  John  Rowland  in  Puente 
at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years  removed  from  the 
community  one  whose  influence  had  been  far- 
reaching  and  invaluable  to  both  county  and  state. 
No  less  influential  and  notable  was  the  son  of 
this  old  settler.  Thomas  Rowland,  who  was  born 
in  Taos,  Mexico,  in  1838,  and  was  a  child  of  only 
two  years  when  brought  by  his  parents  to  Los 
Angeles  county  in  1840.  He  too  became  a  large 
land  owner,  at  the  time  of  his  death  owning 
twenty-four  hundred  and  thirty-nine  acres  on 
La  Puente  rancho,  one  of  the  most  valuable  and 
remunerative  stock  ranches  in  Southern  Califor- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD, 


1431 


nia.  Like  his  father  he  was  a  broad-minded  and 
influential  citizen,  entering  heart  and  soul  into 
any  enterprise  whose  object  was  toward  the  bet- 
terment of  conditions  or  that  would  uplift  or 
assist  his  fellowman.  This  latter  characteristic 
was  nowhere  more  distinctly  brought  out  than 
in  the  enthusiasm  he  displayed  along  educational 
lines.  He  not  only  built  up  the  Rowland  school, 
but  was  an  important  factor  in  the  erection  and 
maintenance  of  the  schools  at  Lemon  and  also 
the  one  at  Puente  mill.  He  was  indeed  a  valua- 
ble citizen  in  his  community,  and  his  death  in 
1900,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three,  was  mourned  as 
a  public  loss.  Politically  he  was  a  believer  in 
Democratic  principles.  His  wife  was  before  her 
marriage  Senobia  Yorba,  who  was  born  in  Yorba, 
Orange  county,  Cal.,  the  daughter  of  Bernardo 
Yorba,  a  native  of  Castile,  Spain.  He  was  the 
owner  of  the  well-known  Yorba  rancho  in  the 
vicinity  of  Fullerton,  and  there  his  death  oc- 
curred. Mrs.  Rowland  passed  away  at  the  com- 
paratively early  age  of  forty-nine  years,  in  1892. 
Eleven  children  were  born  to  this  worthy  couple, 
all  of  whom  are  still  living,  those  besides  Ber- 
nard Felipe  being  as  follows :  Samuel  P.,  a 
rancher  at  Puente;  Thomas,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  butcher  business  in  Los  Angeles ;  Fidel,  an 
engineer  in  Puente ;  Aurelia,  Mrs.  Vejar,  of 
Pomona :  Ernest,  David  and  Alejandro,  all  of 
whom  are  farmers  near  Puente ;  Albertina,  who 
also  resides  in  Puente ;  Alesandro,  an  engineer 
in  Los  Angeles ;  and  John  B.,  who  is  a  resident 
of  the  city  of  Mexico. 

Bernardo  F.  Rowland  was  born  on  the  parental 
homestead  in  Los  Angeles  county,  May  19,  1864, 
and  was  reared  to  a  practical  knowledge  of 
farm  duties.  He  was  educated  in  the  Rowland 
school,  which  was  named  in  honor  of  his  father, 
who  gave  three-quarters  of  an  acre  from  his 
ranch  for  the  school  site.  Subsequently  he 
matriculated  in  St.  Vincent's  College,  in  Los 
Angeles,  and  after  his  graduation  therefrom  re- 
turned to  the  home  locality  and  took  up  farming 
and  stock-raising.  His  grandfather  had  been  the 
pioneer  miller  in  this  part  of  the  country,  and 
his  father  bore  the  distinction  of  building  the 
first  school  house,  but  it  was  left  for  him  to  sink 
the  first  deep  well  in  the  valley.  His  initial 
venture  in  this  line  was  in  1898,  at  which  time 
he  sunk  the  well  at  the  east  end  of  his  ranch. 
This  well  has  a  depth  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
feet,  the  water  being  pumped  by  means  of  a 
forty  horse-power  gas  engine.  From  this  pump- 
ing plant  water  is  furnished  to  about  four  him- 
dred  acres  of  the  Rowland  tract,  besides  which 
the  Rowland  ditch,  which  is  under  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Puete  Irrigation  Association,  waters 
about  two  hundred  acres  of  the  ranch.  The 
pumping  plant  is  owned  by  the  Thomas  Rowland 
heirs,  after  whose  death  his  son  Bernardo,  who 


was  administrator  of  the  estate,  apportioned  the 
ranch  among  the  children.  The  family  also  own 
a  stock  ranch  of  six  hundred  and  sixteen  acres 
in  the  hills.  Mr.  Rowland's  portion  of  the  old 
homestead  lies  on  Walnut  street,  where  he  has 
ten  acres  in  walnuts,  besides  thirty  acres  at  the 
pumping  plants  also  in  walnuts.  To  him  be- 
longs the  distinction  of  setting  out  the  first  straw- 
berries in  the  valley,  a  fruit  which  up  to  that  time 
had  not  been  grown  successfully  outside  of 
Tropico  and  Gardena.  He  has  made  a  careful 
study  of  this  particular  fruit  and  can  now  pro- 
duce a  better  quality  than  is  obtainable  in  either 
of  the  aforementioned  cities.  In  consequence 
his  trade  in  this  commodity  has  grown  to  large 
proportions,  his  entire  crop  of  strawberries  being 
marketed  in  Pomona,  Riverside  and  Colton.  He 
also  owns  an  eight  acre  rancR  south  of  the  rail- 
road which  is  also  in  strawberries  and  walnuts. 

In  Los  Angeles  Mr.  Rowland  was  married  to 
Miss  Caroline  Sanchez,  who  is  a  native  of  the 
same  city.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Foresters,  and  politically  he  is  a 
Democrat,  and  at  one  time  was  a  member  of  the 
county  central  committee  of  his  party.  Like 
his  father  he  is  deeply  interested  in  educational 
aflfairs,  and  has  done  much  to  continue  the  good 
work  inaugurated  by  his  father.  At  this  writing 
he  is  school  trustee  and  clerk  of  the  board  of 
Rowland  district.  Throughout  this  part  of  the 
state  there  is  probably  no  other  one  family  that 
has  contributed  more  largely  to  its  well-being 
than  have  the  Rowlands,  grandfather,  father  and 
son,  the  accomplishments  of  the  latter  comparing 
favorably  with  either  of  his  predecessors.  He 
is  a  man  of  pleasing  personality,  which  is  equal 
to  saying  that  he  is  popular  and  well  liked  by  all 
who  are  fortunate  enousrh  to  know  him. 


REUBEN  W.  HILL,  M.  D..  was  born  No- 
vember 2^,  1845,  in  Arlington,  Bennington 
county,  Vt.,  the  native  state  of  both  his  father, 
Abner  Hill,  and  his  mother,  who  before  her  mar- 
riage was  Marian  Webb.  There  were  eight  chil- 
dren born  to  them,  three  of  whom  still  survive,  a 
son  and  daughter  who  are  residents  of  the  east, 
and  Reuben  W.,  of  Carpinteria.  The  father  died 
in  Salem,  N.  Y.,  at  sixty  years  of  age,  the  mother 
having  died  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-eight  years. 
The  elder  Hill  was  a  Whig  in  politics,  was  cap- 
tain of  the  militia  company  and  lived  as  a  neigh- 
bor to  Ethan  Allen  at  one  time.  Reuben  W.  Hill 
received  his  early  education  in  the  schools  at 
Salem,  after  which  he  attended  the  Salem  Wash- 
ington Academy  for  his  preparatory  work  and 
received  his  medical  degree  from  Belleview  Hos- 
pital Medical  College.  His  determination  to 
thoroughly  prepare  himself  for  his  profession  in- 


1432 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


duced  him-  to  spend  ten  years  for  that  purpose, 
and  his  later  success  as  a  practitioner  is  due  to 
his  thorough  knowledge  of  the  medical  science. 

In  1876  Dr.  Hill  located  in  Santa  Barbara 
county,  practicing  here  for  two  years,  then  went 
to  Ventura,  where  he  remained  nineteen  years, 
building  up  in  that  time  a  large  and  lucrative 
practice.  His  fine  education,  as  well  as  profes- 
sional ability,  enabled  him  to  gain  the  entire  con- 
fidence and  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens,  who  re- 
gretted their  own  loss  when  he  retired  from  the 
greater  part  of  his  extensive  practice  and  re- 
sponded only  to  local  calls.  He  is  broad  minded 
and  liberal  in  policy,  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  has  been  honored  with  the  office  of  coroner 
in  A'entura  county  and  county  physician  in  Santa 
Barbara  county,  and  is  clerk  of  the  Punta  Gorda 
district  school  board.  In  the  line  of  his  profes- 
sion he  is  a  member  of  the  Santa  Barbara  Med- 
ical Society  and  fraternally  he  serves  as  master 
workman  of  the  lodge  of  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workman,  and  is  a  member  of  Ihe  Mas- 
onic Lodge  at  Ventura. 

The  fifty-acre  ranch  upon  which  Dr.  Hill  lives 
was  purchased  in  1889.  and  while  he  has  raised 
some  large  harvests  of  grain,  the  principal  crop 
is  fruit.  There  are  oil  prospects  upon  the  land, 
however,  and  it  is  his  intention  to  begin  oper- 
ations on  an  oil  well  which  he  says  will  be  at 
least  three  thousand  feet  deep,  as  the  deposits 
are  admittedly  very  deep.  He  considers  the  pros- 
pects very  bright  for  a  strong  flow  of  oil  of  a 
high  grade,  as  the  oil  already  found  is  of  the 
twenty  gravity  grade. 

In  1875  Dr.  Hill  was  married  to  Mary  C. 
Gutierrez,  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and 
a  native  of  Santa  Barbara  city.  Twelve  children 
were  born  to  them :  Louis,  who  married  Alice 
Henry  and  has  two  children :  Ruby,  the  wife  of 
B.  O.  Clark,  of  Berkeley ;  Benigno,  who  married 
Juanita  Hayes ;  Edwin,  who  married  Bertha 
West ;  Jessie,  Carmelita,  James,  Isolina,  Grace, 
Abner,  Newton  and  Emmet. 


WILLI A]\I  C.  CAMPBELL.  The  pioneer 
life  has  held  great  attractions  for  William  C. 
Campbell,  the  larger  portion  of  whose  career 
has  been  spent  among  the  primitive  surround- 
ings of  a  beginning  civilization,  his  retirement 
at  the  present  writmg  on  the  fruits  of  personal 
labor  placing  him  among  the  honored  and  rep- 
resentative citizens  of  the  beautiful  little  town 
of  Whittier.  Born  in  Huron,  AVayne  county. 
N.  Y..  July  26.  i8.^g,  he  is  a  son  of  William 
C.  and  Silence  (Demmon)  Campbell,  both 
natives  of  Vermont  and  representatives  of  old 
and  honored  New  England  families.  His  par- 
ents moved  to  New  York  in  their  voung  mar- 
ried life,  and  later  to  Wisconsin,  the  death  of 


the  father  occurring  in  Iowa,  his  last  home, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years.  The  mother 
died  after  coming  to  California,  when  seventy- 
four  years  old.  Paternal  ancestors  were  rep- 
resented in  the  Revolutionary  war,  while 
various  members  of  the  family  were  active  in 
the  public  aft'airs  of  their  native  state. 

When  five  years  old  William  C.  Campbell 
accompanied  his  parents  to  AVisconsin,  where 
in  the  vicinity  of  Mihvaukee  they  spent  three 
years,  thence  located  in  Washington  county 
for  a  time,  and  then  removed  to  Sheboygan 
Falls,  in  the  public  schools  of  which  Mr. 
Campbell  received  his  education,  studying  in 
the  common  schools  and  with  a  private  tutor. 
After  completing  his  normal  education  he  be- 
gan the  study  of  medicine  but  because  of  his 
father's  wishes  gave  it  up  and  returned  home, 
where  he  assisted  in  the  cultivation  and  im- 
provement of  his  parent's  farm,  which  con- 
sisted of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  devoted 
to  general  farming  and  also  a  well  equipped 
dairy.  The  fatiier  finally  disposed  of  this  in- 
terest and  moved  into  Dickinson  county,  Iowa, 
about  six  miles  from  Spirit  Lake,  and  there 
their  home  remained  for  thirteen  years.  Mr. 
Campbell  then  located  in  Mitchell  county, 
Kans.,  and  during  the  fourteen  years  of  his 
residence  there  accumulated  large  properties, 
owning  one  thousand  acres  of  land,  and  still 
retaining  the  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  of 
land  he   owned   in   Iowa. 

His  health  becoming  impaired  by  the  rigor- 
ous climate  and  hardships  of  the  frontier,  Mr. 
Campbell  decided  to  seek  a  milder  climate  and 
accordingly  came  to  California  and  in  Santa 
Ana,  Orange  county,  purchased  '  a  grain 
ranch  upon  which  he  now  makes  his  home. 
when  he  came  to  Los  Angeles  county  and  in 
the  vicinity  of  Whittier  bought  the  five-acre 
ranch  upon  which  he  now  makes  his  home. 
This  is  devoted  to  walnuts  and  is  well  im- 
proved in  everv  way.  His  home  is  presided 
over  by  his  wife,  formerly  Miss  Jeanette  Pat- 
terson, a  native  of  New  York,  whom  he  mar- 
ried in  1863.  They  became  the  parents  of  the 
following  children  :  George  AV. ;  Erank  :  Net- 
tie, wife  of  Plarry  Covell ;  Minnie,  wife  of 
John  AVright :  Lillie.  wife  of  A.  N.  Jackson, 
of  Whittie'r;  Herbert;  Sylvia.  In  his  pohtical 
convictions  Mr.  Campbell  is  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican, and  fraternally  has  been  identified  with 
the  Imlependent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  His 
wife  is  a  member  of  the  Holiness  Church. 
During  his  residence  on  the  Kansas  frontier 
Mr.  Campbell  found  himself  called  upon  to 
use  his  knowledge  of  medicine  in  an  attend- 
ance of  those  families  who  were  so  far  re- 
moved from  medical  aid  that  it  was  almost 
impossible    to   secure    a   physician    in    time   of 


£/C(M,    *^^c:cu/ 


'\ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1435 


need.  The  success  he  achieved  in  this  desul- 
tory practice  was  such  as  to  demonstrate  the 
ability  he  possessed  in  this  line,  which  would, 
no  doubt,  if  perfected  by  study  and  research, 
have  placed  his  name  among  the  prominent 
physicians  of  the  country.  Personally  he  is 
such  a  man  as  to  win  and  hold  the  confidence 
and  friendship  of  those  with  whom  he  comes 
in  contact,  either  business  or  social  affairs, 
and  it  is  by  reason  of  these  qualities  that  he 
IS  today  ranked  among  the  representative 
citizens  of  this  section. 


JEAN  CAZAUX.  Among  the  many  settlers 
of  Southern  California  who  came  from  France, 
there  is  none  that  came  of  a  more  distinguished 
family  than  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  whose 
family  is  one  of  the  oldest  of  the  nobility  of 
France,  who  have  held  important  military  and 
political  positions  under  the  government.  His 
father  was  Guilliame  Cazaux,  an  extensive 
farmer,  who  for  many  years  served  as  mayor 
of  Cier  de  Riviere  in  Haute-Garonne.  His  wife 
was  formerly  Jeanne  Maubie  and  both  were 
highly  esteemed  and  led  useful  and  apprecia- 
tive lives.  They  were  the  parents  of  thirteen 
children,  ten  of  whom  grew  up,  namely:  Piar- 
etta,  Jules,  Firman,  Omer,  Osmin  and  Jeanne, 
all  of  whom  died  in  France ;  Marie  resides  in 
France ;  Auguste  in  the  City  of  Mexico,  and 
Serine  and  Jean  in  California.  The  brother 
Osmin  was  a  very  prominent  man  in  the  city 
of  Cier  de  Riviere,  where  he  served  as  mayor 
and  was  consul-general  de  la  Haute-Garonne, 
and  chevalier  de  la  Legion  dHonneaux. 

Mr.  Cazaux  was  born  in  Cier  de  Riviere, 
September  ig,  183Q,  where  his  childhood  was 
spent  and  where  he  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools.  In  1868  he  left  Havre,  his 
destination  being  California,  coming  via  New 
York  and  Panama  to  San  Francisco,  thence  by 
steamer  to  San  Pedro,  where  he  took  a  stage 
for  Los  Angeles.  After  working  for  Jean  Sen- 
tous  for  three  months,  he  began  the  dairy  busi- 
ness, which  he  continued  successfully  for 
about  twenty  years  at  the  following  places : 
JefTerson  street  between  San  Pedro  and  South 
Main,  Agricultural  Park,  Elysian  Park,  Hyde 
Park  and  Westlake  Park.  In  1870  he  pur- 
chased the  present  place  where  he  is  now  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  viticulture.  Also  owns 
eighty  acres  near  Aston,  Cal.,  nineteen  acres 
in  the  city  of  Hollywood,  house  and  lot  on 
Belmont  avenue,  Los  Angeles,  a  house  and  lot 
in  Sherman,  three  acres  on  Western  avenue 
and  two  acres  on  Melrose  and  Hartford 
streets,  Los  Angeles,  The  farm  is  fifty-seven 
acres  located  on  Gower  and  Melrose  street  just 


south  of  Hollywood  and  the  growth  of  the  city 
has  now  made  it  very  valuable. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Cazaux  occurred  in 
Los  Angeles  November  23,  1876,  uniting  him 
with  Celestine  Sentous,  who  was  born  in 
Hous,  Haute-Garonne,  France,  a  daughter  of 
P'rancisco  and  Maria  (Fadeiulle)  Sentous  and 
came  to  Los  Angeles  in  1874.  They  have  four 
children :  Guilliame,  Jennie,  Blanche  and  Vic- 
tor. The  latter  is  attending  St.  Gaudens  Col- 
lege, France,  class  of  1907. 

Mr.  Cazaux  has  always  been  a  Republi- 
can, but  never  sought  office.  He  has  helped 
to  develop  and  improve  the  farm  lands  of 
Southern  California,  has  been  a  hard  worker, 
ever  ready  to  help  build  up  the  country  of  his 
adoption  and  of  which  he  became  a  citizen  as 
soon  as  possible  after  his  arrival.  Mrs.  Cazaux 
is  a  most  excellent  wife  and  has  been  the  help- 
meet of  her  husband  in  the  caring  for  and  up- 
building of  their  home. 


JACOB  H.  BATES.  A  thorough-going  hor- 
ticulturist, well  skilled  in  the  art  and  science  of 
fruit  growing,  Jacob  H.  Bates,  of  Fernando,  is 
actively  identified  with  one  of  the  leading  indus- 
tries of  Los  Angeles  county,  and  as  an  orchardist 
is  meeting  with  eminent  success.  His  home  es- 
tate, bordering  on  Griswold  and  Fifth  streets, 
compares  favorably  in  regard  to  its  improve- 
ments with  any  in  the  vicinity,  his  residence  and 
other  farm  buildings  being  models  of  comfort 
and  convenience,  with  their  attractive  surround- 
ings evincing  the  thrift  and  prosperity  of  the 
owner.  He  comes  of  substantial  New  England 
ancestry,  and  was  born,  March  4,  1837,  in  Con- 
necticut, where  he  lived  until  four  years  of  age. 

Accompanying  his  parents  to  Western  New 
York  in  1841,  Jacob  H.  Bates  lived  there  six 
years,  when,  in  1847,  the  family  removed  to 
Whiteside  county.  111.  From  that  time  until  at- 
taining his  majority  he  resided  in  Illinois,  either 
in  Whiteside  or  Henry  county,  obtaining  a 
practical  common  school  education,  and  becom- 
ing proficient  at  the  carpenter's  trade.  Leaving 
Illinois  about  1858,  he  followed  his  trade  in  Ne- 
braska until  the  fall  of  1861,  when  he  enlisted  in 
Company  I,  Second  Kansas  Cavalry,  as  a  private, 
and  was  assigned  to  the  Department  of  the  Miss- 
issippi. He  took  part  in  many  engagements, 
serving  the  gFeater  part  of  the  time  in  Kentucky, 
Tennessee,  Mississippi,  Missouri  and  Alabama. 
He  was  slightly  wounded  in  one  battle,  his  old 
Colt's  revolver  being  struck  by  a  bullet  which 
knocked  off  the  sight,  the  latter  flying  up  and 
hitting  Mr.  Bates  on  the  left  cheek.  September 
21),  1865,  Mr.  Bates  was  honorably  discharged 
from  the  army,  having  served  from  November 
II,  1 861,  until  that  date. 


U36 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Locating  then  in  Nebraska,  Mr.  Bates  was 
there  employed  in  general  farming  for  a  number 
of  years.  In  1880  he  moved  to  Kansas,  where 
he  continued  as  a  farmer  for  six  years.  Decid- 
ing then  upon  a  complete  change,  he  came  to 
California,  '  locating  in  San  Jacinto,  where  he 
purchased  land  that  was  in  its  original  wildness, 
on  which  he  made  good  improvements,  building 
a  house,  setting  out  trees,  and  placing  the  major 
part  of  the  remainder  in  a  tillable  condition.  He 
met  with  success  in  his  agricultural  operations 
while  there,  and  as  a  carpenter  carried  on  a  sub- 
stantial business.  Disposing  of  his  interests  in 
Riverside  county  in  1894,  he  came  to  Fernando 
to  reside.  Purchasing  ten  acres  of  land  he  set 
out  a  grove  of  orange  trees,  and  in  two  years 
from  that  time  he  bought  seven  acres  lying  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  and  this  he  de- 
voted to  oranges,  having  one  of  the  finest  im- 
proved and  best-bearing  orchards  in  this  part  of 
the  county.  He  sold  the  greater  part  of  his 
ranch  in  June,  1906,  retaining  only  three  and  one- 
half  acres. 

August  8,  1865,  in  Nebraska,  Mr.  Bates  mar- 
ried Rebecca  Matilda  Hobson,  a  daughter  of 
Stephen  B.  and  Mary  A.  Hobson,  who  came  to 
Fernando  in  1894,  and  here  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  lives.  Of  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bates,  six  children  were  born,  two  of  whom  are 
living,  namely :  George  W.,  a  clerk  in  the 
Maclay  store,  who  married  Dolly  Cressap ;  and 
Carrie  L.,  the  wife  of  Elmer  Boaz,  a  policeman 
in  Los  Angeles,  and  they  have  three  children, 
Muriel,  Gilbert  and  Eveline.  Politically  Mr. 
Bates  is  a  Prohibitionist ;  fraternally  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  N.  P.  Banks  Post- No.  170,  G.  A.  R.,  of 
Tropico,  Cal.,  and  religiously  he  belongs  to  the 
Metliodist  Episcopal  Church,  with  which  he 
united  many  years  ago. 


JOHN  OLIVER  JENIFER.  A  man  of  much 
enterprise  and  ability,  John  Oliver  Jenifer  is  ac- 
tively identified  with  the  agricultural  advance- 
ment of  Fernando,  being  prosperously  engaged 
in  general  farming.  Distinguished  as  a  native- 
born  citizen  of  California,  his  birth  occurred  May 
14,  1870,  at  Hueneme,  \"entura  county.  His 
father,  the  late  John  M.  Jenifer,  for  several  years 
engaged  in  the  livery  business,  died  at  his  home 
in  Fernando,  October  14,  1904,  his  body  being 
laid  to  rest  in  Morning  Side  Cemetery.  His  wife 
survives  him  and  is  living  in  Fernando. 

A  boy  of  seven  vears  when  he  came  with  his 
parents  to  Fernando,  John  Oliver  Jenifer  was 
here  educated,  attending  the  public  schools.  Be- 
ginning life  for  himself  when  a  young  man,  he 
was  employed  in  teaming  and  ranching  until  the 
death  of  his  father,  in  1904,  when  he  succeeded 
to   the  latter's  business,  becoming  proprietor  of 


the  Buckhorn  Livery  and  Feed  Stable,  which  he 
conducted  with  characteristic  forethought  and 
energy  until  disposing  of  it.  Besides  owning 
property  in  the  village  he  is  engaged  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits,  renting  a  ranch  in  this  vicinity. 

In  1897,  in  Fernando,  Mr.  Jenifer  married 
Beulah  Harps,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Harps,  of 
whom  a  brief  sketch  may  be  found  on  another 
page  of  this  volume,  and  they  have  two  children, 
Clarence  and  Ida.  Politically  Mr.  Jenifer  is  Dem- 
ocratic in  his  views.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member 
of  Fernando  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  was  one  of 
the  charter  members  of  San  Fernando  Lodge, 
M.  W.  A.,  which  has  since  been  transferred  to 
Los  Angeles.  He  attends  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  of  which  Mrs.  Jenifer  is  a  member. 


J.  ALEC  GATE.  A  native  Californian  and  one 
imbued  with  the  progressive  and  enterprising 
spirit  which  has  distinguished  the  advancement 
of  the  state  in  the  past  half  century,  J.  Alec  Cate 
is  engaged  in  the  management  and  improvement 
of  the  ranch  where  he  was  born,  June  15,  1880. 
His  father,  Daniel  W.  Cate,  was  a  native  of  Illi- 
nois, born  in  Ouincy,  September  i,  1856,  there 
reared  to  the  age  of  seven  years,  when  he  was 
brought  to  California  in  1864  by  his  parents, 
James  W.  and  Eliza  (Henderson)  Cate,  natives 
respectively  of  New  Hampshire  and  Indiana. 
The  elder  man  died  in  1900  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
three  years,  while  his  wife  still  survives  at  the 
age  of  seventy-nine.  He  was  a  stanch  Democrat 
politically,  and  in  religion  a  member  of  the 
^Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South,  to  which  de- 
nomination his  wife  also  belonged.  Daniel  W. 
Cate  was  reared  on  this  ranch  in  the  .vincinity 
of  Rivera,  and  educated  in  the  district  schools, 
and  after  attaining  his  majority  he  engaged  in 
ranching  for  himself,  leasing  his  father's  land 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres.  Of  this  prop- 
erty eighteen  acres  were  in  walnuts  and  the  bal- 
ance in  general  farm  products.  He  married  in 
1879  Miss  Emma  Pierce,  a  native  of  Texas,  who 
was  brought  to  the  state  of  California  at  the  age 
of  one  year.  Five  children  blessed  their  union : 
J.  Alec  Cate,  of  this  review :  Harlan,  who  mar- 
ried ]\Iaud  Gilman ;  Earle ;  Glenn :  and  Dean. 
A[r.  Cate  is  independent  in  his  political  views; 
in  religion  he  is  a  member  of  the  iMethodist 
Episcopal  Church  South.  He  served  as  school 
trustee  for  a  number  of  years,  and  is  a  director 
of  the  Cate  Ditch  Company. 

Reared  on  the  paternal  ranch,  J.  Alec  Cate 
received  his  preliminary  education  in  the  public 
schools,  after  which  he  attended  ^^^oodbury 
Business  College  in  Los  Angeles.  Returning  to 
the  ranch,  he  made  his  home  with  his  parents 
until  his  marriage,  which  took  place  in  January, 
1906,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Laura  Graham. 


HISTORKIVL,  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1437 


She  is  also  a  native  of  the  slate,  born  in  Los 
Nietos,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Graham,  an  early 
settler  of  this  section  of  Los  Angeles  county, 
now  deceased,  her  mother  still  living.  Mr.  Gate 
owns  this  ranch  of  sixteen  acres  upon  which  he 
lias  erected  a  fine  cottage  and  made  many  other 
improvements,  setting  out  walnut  trees  and  de- 
voting the  remainder  of  the  land  to  gardening. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Good  Templars,  and  is  chief  Templar  of  South- 
ern California;  in  his  political  views,  like  his 
father,  he  reserves  the  right  to  cast  his  ballot 
accordingly  to  his  own  convictions  of  the  possibili- 
ties of  the  candidate. 


J\IRS.  MARCELLINA  BERNASCONI. 
Among  the  many  notable  things  which  attract 
the  attention  of  those  who  travel  in  California 
is  the  large  number  of  women  who  are  display- 
ing their  great  business  ability  as  managers  of 
important  business  enterprises  throughout  the 
state.  One  of  the  most  successful  of  these  is 
Mrs.  Marcellina  Bernasconi,  whose  ranch  of  two 
hundred  and  eighty-four  and  one-eighth  acres, 
which  was  formerly  a  part  of  one  of  the  Mexi- 
can grants,  is  supplemented  by  three  hundred 
acres  of  rented  land,  and  who  conducts  the 
Southern  hotel  at  Ferris,  where  she  now  lives 
in  order  that  her  children  may  receive  the  ad- 
vantages of  the  schools  there.  She  was  born  at 
Tessin,  Switzerland,  the  daughter  of  Jack  and 
Marianna  Ossi,  her  father  also  being  a  native 
of  that  land,  where  he  died  November,  1904, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years.  There  were 
sixteen  children  in  the  family  the  most  of  whom 
came  to  the  L-nited  States  and  reside  here. 
Among  them  we  name :  Ponpeo  Orsi,  of  Santa 
Cruz ;  Jack,  a  large  wholesale  paint  dealer  of 
San  Francisco ;  Felix,  who  was  a  painter  in  New 
York  City,  and  was  killed  by  accident  in  1876, 
at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years ;  John,  a  stock- 
man of  Ferris ;  Daniel  and  Teodolinda,  residing 
in  Faris,  France ;  Eliseo,  living  at  San  Francis- 
co; Felicita,  who  became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Bacelli, 
and  died  November  12,  1888.  at  the  age  of  twen- 
ty-six years;  Mary,  who  lives  at  Eldorado; 
Carolina,  Virginia  and  Amalia  still  in  Switzer- 
land; and  Marcellina,  who  is  now  Mrs.  Bernas- 
coni. At  the  age  of  ten  years  Mrs.  Bernasconi 
was  by  death  deprived  of  a  mother's  loving  care 
and  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  being  of  an  energetic 
and  ambitious  nature,  she  came  to  the  United 
States,  arriving  in  New  York  City  in  1877.  She 
remained  there  for  a  year  and  a  half  and  then 
removed  to  the  Pacific  coast,  making  her  home 
in  San  Francisco  during  the  following  four  years. 

Her  marriage  to  Bernardo  Bernasconi,  who 
was  born  in  Switzerland,  and  came  to  America 
in   187T,  occurred  at   San  Francisco,  September 


I,  1883,  and  three  weeks  later  her  husband 
brought  her  to  Ferris,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
ranching  near  Lakeview,  and  which  enterprise 
he  now  conducts.  The  premises  connected  with 
it  have  a  great  historic  interest,  for  when  she 
first  built  the  house  there  was  a  four-acre  plot 
surrounding  it  enclosed  by  an  adobe  wall,  the 
place  having  formerly  been  called  Corral  Pilares 
and  being  used  in  the  early  days  by  the  people 
at  San  Luis  Rey  and  San  Juan  Capistrano  mis- 
sions as  a  place  in  which  to  brand  their  stock. 
In  1888  Mrs.  Bernasconi  built  the  Southern  hotel 
at  Ferris.  Since  1903  she  has  lived  in  Ferris 
and  had  charge  of  the  hotel  which  she  manages 
with  flattering  success.  She  is  a  woman  of  en- 
ergy and  good  business  tact  and  ability.  While 
Mrs.  Bernasconi  conducts  the  hotel  Mr.  Bern- 
asconi is  engaged  in  the  management  of  the 
ranch  on  which  large  crops  of  grain  are  raised, 
they  owning  a  third  interest  in  one  of  those 
wonderful  thirty-two  horse-power  combined  har- 
vesters and  threshers.  They  have  a  family  of 
six  children  of  whom  they  are  justly  proud : 
Matilda,  wife  of  Virgil  Roberts,  who  lives  on 
the  home  ranch ;  Felicita,  Joseph,  Stella  and 
Ernest,  all  residing  at  home ;  and  Edith  whose 
death  occurred  in  igoo  at  the  age  of  nine  years. 
Mrs.  Bernasconi  is  also  the  proud  grandmother 
of  her  only  grandchild  Dorothy  Helen  Roberts, 
who  was  born  September  25,  1906.  jNIrs.  Ber- 
nasconi is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Giurch. 


HOWARD  C.  BURMISTER.  Throughout 
Southern  California  and  Central  Arizona  the 
name  of  Burmister  is  synonymous  w^th  thrift 
and  prosperity,  in  mercantile  circles  especially 
standing  pre-eminent,  H.  C.  Burmister  being 
one  of  the  foremost  grocers  in  Ocean  Park,  Los 
Angeles  county,  while  his  father,  R.  H.  Burmis- 
ter, has  been  for  upwards  of  thirty  years  a  prom- 
inent merchant  in  Frescott,  Ariz.,  which  is  the 
central  trading  point  for  a  large  territory. 

After  his  marriage  with  Margaret  Bashford, 
R.  H.  Burmister  was  for  a  few  years  engaged  in 
business  at  San  Diego,  Gal.  Deciding,  how- 
ever, to  change  his  field  of  operations,  he  left 
that  city  in  1871,  going  by  boat  up  the  Colorado 
river  to  Needles,  thence  by  teams  to  Frescott, 
Ariz.,  where  in  partnership  with  his  wife's  un- 
cle, the  late  Levi  Bashford,  he  embarked  in  mer- 
cantile pursuits.  Enterprising  and  progressive, 
he  built  up  an  extensive  trade,  both  retail  and 
wholesale,  and  is  still  carrying  it  on,  being  one 
of  the  best-known  and  most  highly  respected 
merchants  of  that  locality. 

Born  in  Frescott,  Ariz.,  Howard  C.  Burmister 
was  educated  principally  in  California,  attending 
a  preparatory  school  in  San  ^Mateo,  and  after- 
wards entering  Leland  Stanford.  Jr.,  University, 


1438 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1899,  having 
taken  the  full  course  in  the  department  of  mines. 
After  his  graduation  he  entered  his  father's 
store,  remaining  there  until  he  had  mastered  the 
details  of  its  management.  Leaving  Prescott  in 
the  spring  of  1905,  he  located  in  Ocean  Park, 
and  on  March  i  of  that  year  opened  the  largest, 
best  equipped  and  most  up-to-date  grocery  in  this 
section  of  the  county.  It  is  furnished  with  all 
the  modern  improvements  and  conveniences 
known  to  the  trade,  its  furnishings  being  unique, 
its  mode  of  shelving  entirely  new,  the  store  in 
all  of  its  details  comparing  favorably  with  any 
like  establishment  in  the  state.  Carrying  a  com- 
plete assortment  of  anything  and  everything  in 
this  line  of  merchandise,  he  has  won  an  excellent 
patronage  since  he  has  been  in  Ocean  Park,  and 
is  meeting  with  great  success.  Energetic,  pro- 
gressive, of  honest,  upright  character,  he  is 
highely  esteemed,  and  is  fast  winning  for  him- 
self an  enviable  reputation  in  both  social  and 
business  affairs. 

In  San  Francisco,  September  19,  1900,  Mr. 
Burmister  married  Virginia  Breeden,  daughter 
of  H.  C.  Breeden,  a  prominent  business  man  in 
Portland,  Ore.,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Vir- 
ginia Margaret.  Politically  Mr.  Burmister  is  a 
sound  Republican;  he  belongs  to  the  Sigma  Nu 
fraternitv  of  the  Leland  Stanford,  Jr.,  Univer- 
sity. 


HOWARD  B.  SMITH.  The  financial  in- 
terests of  Colton,  as  represented  by  varying 
commercial,  professional  and  railroad  activities, 
furnish  to  the  First  National  Bank  of  the  town 
an  abundant  field  for  the  building  up  of  an  ex- 
tensive and  increasing  banking  business,  and 
give  to  the  towns-people  an  advantageous  op- 
portunity for  the  safe  deposit  of  their  funds. 
The  history  of  the  bank  dates  back  to  the  year 
1886,  when  it  was  organized  by  J.  W.  Davis, 
Sr.,  and  J.  W.  Davis,  Jr.,  both  of  whom  are 
now  deceased.  From  the  start  the  institution 
has  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  the  people, 
its  conservatism  in  investments  and  the  wise 
judgment  of  its  officials  having  given  it  a 
place  of  importance  among  similiar  concerns. 
With  a  capital  stock  of  $50,000,  the  bank 
transacts  a  general  banking,  loan  and  ex- 
change business- .  and  still  shows  the  same  cau- 
tion and  prudence  in  investments  and  the  same 
dislike  for  speculation  that  characterized  earlier 
officers.  The  board  of  directors  comprises  the 
following  gentlemen :  Edward  D.  Roberts.  M. 
A.  Hebbard,  W.  W.  Wilcox,  J.  E.  Davis  of  Red- 
lands,  and  Howard  B.  Smith,  while  the  officers 
at  this  writing  are:  Edward  D.  Roberts,  presi- 
dent; Howard  B.  Smith,  vice-president;  and  C. 
W.  Curtis,  cashier. 


The  vice-president  of  the  bank,  who  has  been 
connected  with  the  institution  from  a  period  very 
shortly  after  its  organization,  is  a  native  of  Wis- 
consin and  was  born  at  Sparta,  that  state,  in  1863. 
The  family  came  from  the  east,  his  father, 
Robert,  having  been  born  and  reared  in  New 
York,  but  ultimately  removing  to  Wisconsin, 
where  he  became  a  prosperous  farmer.  The 
early  education  of  Howard  B.  Smith  was  ob- 
tained in  common  schools  and  later  he  matricu- 
lated in  the  Wisconsin  State  University  at  ;\Iadi- 
son,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class 
of  1885.  Immediately  after  his  graduation  he 
left  home  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world 
and  came  direct  to  California,  where  he  secured 
employment  in  a  short  time  as  bookkeeper  with 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Colton.  In  1888 
he  was  promoted  to  be  cashier  and  continued 
in  that  capacity  until  1905,  when  he  was  elected 
vice-president  of  the  bank.  Besides  his  con- 
nection with  this  institution  he  owns  stock  in 
the  San  Bernardino  County  Savings  Bank  and 
the  San  Bernardino  National  Bank,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  latter 
institution. 

Remaining  a  bachelor  for  some  years  after 
coming  to  California,  Mr.  Smith  in  1890  married 
Miss  Virginia,  daughter  of  J.  A.  Van  Arsdale, 
a  prominent  citizen  of  Colton,  where  she  was 
reared  and  educated.  Born  of  their  union  were 
two  sons,  Robert  L.  and  Howard  V.  Fraternally 
Mr.  Smith  holds  membership  with  Ashland 
Lodge  No.  306,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Keystone  Chapter 
R.  A.  M. ;  St.  Bernard  Commandery,  K.  T., 
and  Los  Angeles  Consistory,  and  in  the  phi- 
lanthropies of  these  various  degrees  he  has  main- 
tained a  keen  and  continued  interest  through  all 
the  period  of  his  association  with  them.  At  no 
time  has  he  displayed  a  spirit  of  partisanship. 
Indeed,  he  is  not  a  politician  in  any  sense  in 
which  that  word  may  be  used.  His  opinions  are 
not  moulded  by  either  of  the  two  great  political 
organizations,  but  he  maintains  an  independence 
of"  opinion  and  party  allegiance.  While  refus- 
ing to  take  part  in  politics,  he  is  public-spirited 
in  his  support  of  worthy  measures  for  the  benefit 
of  the  town,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the 
most  progressive  citizens  of  Colton. 


JAMES  THOMAS  MARTIN.  Prominent  in 
public  affairs  in  San  Pedro,  James  Thomas 
Martin  is  justly  entitled  to  the  position  of  re- 
spect and  esteem  which  he  holds  in  this  place 
as  one  of  the  foremost  and  enterprising  citizens 
and  a  promoter  of  all  worthy  projects.  Mr. 
Martin  is  a  native  of  Cornwall,  England,  his 
birth  having  occurred  near  Plymouth,  October 
18,  1858.  His  father,  William  Martin,  was  also 
a  native  of  that  locality,  where  he  engaged  as 


^..^*^te^.*;5;^,xC 


HJSTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1441 


a  carpenter  and  builder  until  his  death.  He  mar- 
ried Mar_v  Benney,  also  born  .in  Corwall,  and 
she  survives  her  husband,  still  making  her  home 
in  the  vicinity  of  Plymouth.  Six  of  her  eight 
children  are  living,  a  son,  Lewis,  being  located 
in  San  Pedro,  where  also  a  daughter,  Mrs.  Pid- 
well,  made  her  home  until  her  death. 

The  eighth  in  order  of  birth  in  the  family  of 
his  parents,  James  Thomas  Martin  was  reared 
to  young  manhood  in  his  native  country,  re- 
ceiving his  education  through  the  medium  of 
the  common  schools.  He  learned  the  trade  of 
carpenter  and  engaged  in  the  prosecution  of  the 
same.  In  1883  he  married  Elizabeth  Cosmer, 
who  was  born  in  St.  Clear's  Parish,  England,  and 
in  the  same  year  migrated  to  America,  where  in 
Tombstone,  Ariz.,  he  followed  his  trade.  He  re- 
mained in  that  location  for  four  years,  when,  in 
1887,  he  came  to  California  and  in  San  Pedro 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Wilmington  Trans- 
portation Company,  with  whom  he  remained  suc- 
cessfully engaged  for  six  or  seven  years.  Fol- 
lowins:  this  connection  he  became  associated  with 
the  Ganahl  Lumber  Company,  and  in  1897  with 
the  San  Pedro  Lumber  Company,  with  whom  he 
has  since  remained  as  order  clerk.  He  has  pros- 
pered in  his  work  and  won  a  place  among  the 
enterprising  citizens  of  San  Pedro.  He  owns 
a  home  on  Sixteenth  street,  near  Palos  Verdes, 
where  his  family  are  located,  two  children  hav- 
ing blessed  the  union  of  himself  and  wife: 
Marian  A.  and  William  J.  C.  ]\Ir.  ]\Iartin  is 
charter  member  of  the  first  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  of  San  Pedro,  in  which  he  officiates  as 
a  member  nf  tlie  Board  of  Trustees,  treasurer 
and  steward.  He  has  been  a  member  of  this 
denomination  since  he  was  seventeen  years  old, 
having  united  in  England,  and  in  San  Pedro  has 
taken  a  most  prominent  part  in  the  work,  serv- 
ing on  the  building  committee  and  on  others 
equally  important.  In  his  political  convictions 
he  endorses  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party,  but  advocates  prohibition.  For  four 
vears  he  served  as  school  trustee  and  was  clerk 
of  the  board,  the  Sixteenth  street  school  being 
built  during  his  term  of  service.  In  1896  he 
was  appointed  a  member  of  the  city  council  to 
fill  an  unexpired  term  and  in  April,  1902,  was 
elected  to  the  position,  where  he  is  a  factor  in 
the  Building  and  Land  Committee,  and  Light 
Committee.  He  is  a  man  of  energy,  ability  and 
strong  principles  and  as  such  commands  the  re- 
spect of  all  who  know  him  either  socially  or  in 
a  business  wav. 


ROBERT  W.  DAWSON.  Attracted  to  the 
Pacific  coast  by  the  manifold  advantages  this 
section  of  the  country  offers  to  its  residents, 
Mr.  Dawson  has  made  his  home  in  California 


since  1894  and  after  an  experience  of  eight 
years  as  a  rancher  he  relinquished  agricultural 
cares  in  order  to  enjoy  the  rest  his  years  per- 
mitted. However,  being  a  man  of  active  tem- 
perament, he  is  not  satisfied  to  join  the  ranks 
of  retired  citizens,  and  accordingly  we  find  him 
conducting  a  real-estate  business  as  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Dawson  &  Sherman  at  Long 
Beach,  where  he  erected  and  now  occupies  the 
residence  at  No.  445  Pacific  avenue.  In  addi- 
tion he  built  two  other  dwelling  houses  and 
owns  other  lots  in  the  town,  his  investment  in 
real  estate  proving  the  faith  wdiich  he  holds  in 
the  future  of  the  thriving  town  where  he 
makes  his  home. 

Of  English  birth  and  ancestry,  Mr.  Dawson 
was  born  in  Lancashire,  November  3,  1833, 
and  at  ten  years  of  age  accompanied  his  pa- 
rents to  the  United  States,  settling  in  New 
England,  where  he  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut.  Eor  ten 
years  he  made  his  home  near  the  city  of  Hart- 
ford. In  1857  he  became  interested  in  photog- 
raphy, which  for  years  he  made  his  principal 
occupation  and  in  which  he  acquired  a  skill 
that  made  his  name  the  synonym  of  local  suc- 
cess in  his  art.  During  the  year  i860  he  be- 
came a  photographer  in  the  city  of  Elgin,  111., 
where  he  conducted  a  studio  for  seven  years, 
and  then  removed  tq  Blair,  Washington  coun- 
ty. Neb.,  where  he  carried  on  a  photographic 
establishment.  Tlie  year  1878  found  him  a  resi- 
dent of  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  where  he  conducted 
V.  studio  and  gained  a  reputation  for  skill  in 
his  chosen  art.  After  a  long  career  in  photog- 
raphy in  1892  he  sold  out  and  returned  to  Ne- 
braska, where  he  lived  at  Blair  for  a  short 
time.  Meanwhile,  having  heard  much  con- 
cerning the  climate  of  California,  he  decided 
to  remove  to  the  coast,  and  in  1894  he  settled 
on  a  nine-acre  tract  one  and  one-half  miles 
east  of  Long  Beach,  removing  from  there  into 
the  town,  where  six  months  later  he  opened 
the  real  estate  office  of  R.  W.  .Dawson  &  Co. 
For  a  time  he  conducted  business  alone,  but 
since  then  he  has  had  three  different  partners, 
and  with  each  he  has  made  a  specialty  of  the 
sale  of  real  estate  and  the  renting  of  houses 
and  other  properties. 

In  the  early  years  of  manhood  Mr.  Dawson 
married  Miss  Lucy  Freeman  of  Wisconsin, 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  four  children, 
two  living,  viz.:  Nelson,  of  Texas;  and  Clara, 
living  in  Little  Rock,  Ark.  The  wife  and 
mother  died  in  Little  Rock,  and  in  that  city 
Mr.  Dawson  was  again  married,  his  wife  being 
Laura  Stillwell,  who  also  died  in  the  same 
city.  The  only  child  of  that  union  died  at  the 
age  of  two  years.  After  coming  to  the  west 
Mr.  Dawson  was  united  in  marria,ge  with  Sue 


1442 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


V.  Neil,  of  Los  Angeles,  who  shares  with  him 
the  esteem  of  associates,  and  with  him  is  an 
earnest  member  of  the  Christian  Church,  in 
which  he  holds  the  office  of  trustee.  In  poli- 
tics he  has  voted  with  the  Republican  party 
ever  since  its  organization  and  had  the  dis- 
tinction of  casting  his  vote  for  John  C.  Fre- 
mont. 


JOSEPH  H.  SPECHT  is  one  of  the  old  set- 
tlers of  the  Ojai  valley  and  is  a  progressive  and 
successful  rancher,  who  during  his  long  years 
of  continuous  residence  in  the  same  community 
has  made  no  enemies  and  is  highly  spoken  of  by 
all  who  have  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance. 
He  was  born  on  the  high  seas  March  19,  1856, 
while  his  parents  Thomas  and  Anna  (Helcal) 
Specht,  were  journeying  across  the  ocean  toward 
New  York  harbor  from  their  home  in  Germany, 
where  they  were  born.  L'pon  their  arrival  in  this 
country  they  settled  in  Hamilton  county,  111., 
where  the  father  died  when  the  son  was  only  four 
years  of  age.  His  early  education  was  received  in 
the  common  schools  of  Hamilton  county,  where  he 
resided  until  he  had  attained  the  age  of  twenty 
years.  The  family  gained  their  livelihood  on  a 
farm  in  Illinois  and  when  Mr.  Specht  came  to 
California  he  resolved  to  continue  in  the  busi- 
ness for  which  he  was  best  trained  and 
equipped.  He  filed  on  the  land  in  Ventura  coun- 
ty which  is  now  his  home,  in  due  time  receiv- 
ing his  title  to  it  from  the  government,  and  now 
owning  a  ranch  comprising  seventy-eight  acres 
of  as  good  land  as  there  is  in  the  state,  and 
which  is  planted  to  all  kinds  of  fruit,  especially 
apricots,  prunes  and  almonds ;  another  fruit  farm 
of  fifty-four  acres  is  also  among  his  possessions. 

Air.  Specht  is  unmarried  and  his  mother 
makes  her  home  with  him  at  the  present  time. 
He  was  her  only  child  by  her  first  marriage,  but 
she  married  a  second  time  and  to  this  union 
were  born  four  children,  three  sons  and  one 
daughter.  j\lr.  Specht  is  a  man  with  pro- 
gressive ideas  on  all  social  and  economic  sub- 
jects and  is  a  great  reader,  his  political  affilia- 
tions being  with  the  Socialist  party,  in  the  ten- 
ets of  which  he  is  an  enthusiastic  believer. 


A.  J.  SWIFT.  Actively  identified  with  the  in- 
dustrial advancement  of  Ocean  Park  is  A.  J. 
Swift,  who  was  until  recently  one  of  the  pro- 
prietors of  a  general  repair  shop,  but  since  pur- 
chasing his  partner's  interest  has  given  his  at- 
tention to  following  his  trade  as  an  electrician. 
A  son  of  Barnabas  and  Amelia  (Balcomb)  Swift. 
he  was  born,  November  7,  1874,  in  Juniata, 
Adams  county,  Neb. 

The  descendant  of  one   of  the   early  colonial 


settlers  of  New  England,  Barnabas  Swift  was 
born  in  the  historic  town  of  Plymouth,  Mass., 
not  far  from  the  rock  on  which  the  Pilgrim 
fathers  landed  in  December,  1620.  In  1870  he 
migrated  westward,  becoming  a  pioneer  of  Ad- 
ams county.  Neb.,  where  he  followed  his  trade 
of  a  carpenter  and  builder  for  a  number  of 
seasons,  and  was  also  engaged  to  some  extent 
in  agricultural  pursuits.  Coming  to  California 
in  1889,  he  purchased  two  lots  at  Pico  Heights, 
where  he  resided  for  about  fifteen  years.  Since 
January,  1905,  he  has  lived  retired  from  life's 
activities  in  Ocean  Park. 

Brought  up  and  educated  in  Nebraska,  A.  J. 
Swift  came  with  the  family  to  Los  Angeles 
county  in  1889,  and  subsequently,  in  the  city  of 
Los  Angeles,  learned  the  trade  of  an  electrician, 
which  he  followed  successfully  for  awhile. 
Starting  in  business  for  himself,  he  located  at 
No.  1040  Main  street.  Ocean  Park  in  April, 
1905,  forming  a  partnership  with  F.  A.  Jennings 
under  the  name  of  the  Novelty  repair  and 
electric  work.  Later  Mr.  Swift  bought  out  his 
partner  and  has  since  carried  on  an  extensive 
business  as  an  electrician. 

Mr.  Swift  is  a  young  man  of  great  energy, 
enterprise  and  ability,  and  is  held  in  high  regard 
in  business  and  social  circles.  He  resides  with 
his  parents,  his  home  being  at  No.  147  Dwight 
street.  Politically  he  casts  his  vote  for  the  best 
men  and  measures,  regardless  of  party  restric- 
tions, and  fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 


B.\ZIL  T.  ROZELLE.  Devoting  his  atten- 
tion principally  to  farming,  in  which  li-e  is  quite 
successful,  Bazil  T.  Rozelle  is  actively  identified 
with  the  agricultural  interests  of  Los  Angeles 
county,  and  is  contributing  his  full  share  towards 
advancing  and  promoting  the  prosperity  of  the 
community  in  which  he  resides.  His  ranch,  ly- 
ing near  Compton,  is  well  improved  and  judici- 
ously cultivated,  constituting  one  of  the  model 
fanns  of  the  neighborhood.  A  son  of  Miles  M. 
Rozelle,  he  was  born,  September  13,  1864,  in 
Anderson,  Ind.,  and  was  there  reared  and  edu- 
cated. His  father,  a  native  of  Indiana,  married 
M.  M.  Tillson,  who  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  eight  children,  four  of 
whom  have  passed  to  the  life  beyond,  and  four 
are  living,  namely :  Bazil  T.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch ;  Charles  J.,  of  Anderson,  Ind. ;  Miles  A., 
of  Compton,  Cal,  and  Chester  A.,  of  Anderson, 
Ind. 

After  his  graduation  from  the  Anderson,  Ind., 
high  school,  Bazil  T.  Rozelle  took  a  course  in 
stenography  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he  was 
subsequently  in  the  employ  of  the  Big  Four 
Railway  Company   for  four  }ears.     In  1894  he 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1443 


came  to  Los  Angeles  county,  locating  near 
Compton,  where  he  has  since  been  prosperously 
engaged  in  general  farming,  on  his  finely  cul- 
tivated ranch  of  one  hundred  and  fourteen  acres 
raising  large  crops  of  alfalfa. 

Previous  to  coming  here,  in  1891,  Mr.  Rozelle 
married  Edith  Owens,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Will- 
iam Owens,  a  physician  of  prominence  of  Cin- 
cinnati. William  Owens,  j\I.  D.,  was  born  in 
Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  and  as  a  )oung  man 
traveled  extensively,  for  two  years  residing  in 
South  America.  Returning  home,  he  learned  the 
cooper's  trade,  after  which  he  entered,  in  1843, 
Woodward  College,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1846,  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  En- 
listing in  Company  E,  First  Regiment  of  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry,  he  served  in  the  Mexican 
war,  and  during  the  Civil  war  was  a  surgeon 
in  the  army.  Dr.  Owens  married  Sarah  E.  Wil- 
cox, of  Cincinnati,  and  they  have  six  children. 
Politically  the  doctor  is  a  true  blue  Republican, 
and  in  religion  he  is  a  Unitarian.  Of  the  union 
of  J\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Rozelle  six  children  have  been 
born,  namely:  Walter  j\l.,  William  Owens,  jMabel, 
Raymond  F.,  Elmer  D.,  and  Edwin  Glen,  and 
all  are  natives  of  California  with  the  exception 
of  the  oldest  child,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Ohio. 
Politically  Mr.  Rozelle  sustains  the  principles  of 
the  Republican  party.  Religiously  he  is  a  Bap- 
tist, and  Mrs.  Rozelle  is  a  Unitarian. 


WILLIAM  S.  SMITH,  M.  D.  Very  early 
in  the  colonial  history  of  America  representa- 
tives of  the  Smith  family  crossed  the  ocean  from 
Holland  to  seek  the  opportunities  ofifered  by  the 
new  v.-orkl.  Several  generations  lived  and  died 
in  Pennsylvania,  the  majority  of  them  making 
Union  county  the  scene  of  their  labors.  Dur- 
ing the  latter  half  of  the  nineteenth  century 
John  Smith,  who  was  a  native  of  Union  county, 
drifted  from  the  home  of  his  ancestors  into  the 
south  and  settled  in  San  Antonio.  Tex.  In  early 
manhood  he  married  Winnifred  Taylor,  who 
was  born  in  Ireland  and  at  the  age  of  two  years 
accompanied  her  parents  to  the  United  States, 
settling  in  New  York  City  and  receiving  a  com- 
mon-school education  in  its  excellent  schools. 
While  they  were  living  at  San  Antonio  their 
onlv  son,  William  S..  was  born  March  11,  1879. 
The  family  came  to  California  in  1885  and  settled 
at  San  Diego,  but  later  removed  to  San  Fern- 
ando, where  the  father  was  stationed  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Company. 
Since  his  death,  which  occurred  in  Los  .-Xngeles, 
the  mother  has  made  her  home  with  her  son. 

While  still  a  mere  boy  William  S.  Smith 
showed  himself  to  be  the  possessor  of  a  fine 
mind  and  a  keen  aptitude  for  study.  .'Kfter  he 
had  completed  the  studies  of  tlic  San   Fernando 


high  school,  graduating  with  the  class  of  1898, 
he  entered  the  University  of  Southern  Califor- 
nia and  took  the  regidar  medical  course,  gradu- 
ating from  that  department  in  1902  with  the 
degree  of  M.  D.  The  first  experience  which  he 
gained  as  a  practicing  physician  was  in  Pres- 
cott,  Ariz.,  where  he  built  up  a  growing  practice 
during  the  three  years  of  his  sojourn  there.  How- 
ever, though  enjoying  a  gratifying  share  of  the 
patronage  of  the  people,  he  found  the  environ- 
ment less  satisfactory  than  in  California  and  in 
three  years  returned  to  this  section.  Since  then 
he  has  had  his  office  in  the  Keller  block  in  Santa 
Monica,  where  he  is  known  as  a  capable  rep- 
resentative of  his  profession.  His  talents  seem 
to  adapt  him  especially  for  surgery  and  he  is 
making  a  specialty  of  that  department,  although 
by  no  means  diminishing  his  interest  in  the 
regular  practice  of  medicine. 

The  marriage  of  Dr.  Smith  was  solemnized  in 
Los  Angeles  and  united  him  with  Mabel  Wilson, 
whose  father,  J.  S.  Wilson,  is  a  retired  citizen 
of  Santa  Alonica,  well  known  to  the  residents 
of  the  place.  As  a  progressive  citizen,  it  has 
been  Dr.  Smith's  policy  to  keep  posted  concern- 
ing the  problems  affecting  our  national  welfare 
and  a  careful  study  of  the  political  situation  has 
made  him  a  stanch  supporter  of  Republican  prin- 
ciples, yet  he  displays  no  sentiment  of  narrow 
partisanship,  but  concedes  to  others  the  same 
privilege  of  independent  thought  which  he  de- 
mands for  himself.  To  discharge  his  duty  as  a 
patriot,  to  aid  in  movements  promoting  the  wel- 
fare of  town,  county  and  state,  and  to  give  his 
influence  toward  plans  for  the  benefit  of  his 
fellowmen,  this  is  the  measure  of  responsibility 
which  he  places  upon  himself  and  this  his  ideal 
of  citizenship. 


M.  SWEENEY.  One  of  the  largest  ranches 
in  Santa  Barbara  county  is  owned  by  M. 
Sweeney,  a  leading  dairyman  of  this  section 
of  the  state.  He  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  and 
was  born  on  his  father's  farm  in  1856.  The 
father.  James  Sweeney,  and  the  mother,  Mary 
(.Sweeney)  Sweeney,  were  both  born  in  Ireland 
and  lived  there  until  their  death,  the  former  at 
ihe  age  of  sixty-three  years,  and  the  latter  at 
ihe  early  age  of  forty  years.  Mr.  Sweeney  was 
one  of  a  family  of  seven  children,  and  was 
ten  years  old  when  he  was  left  motherless. 
He  is  the  only  member  of  the  famih'  in  this 
country,  two  of  the  children  still  remaining 
on  the  old  homestead  in  Ireland,  and  the  others 
li\ing  either  in  New  Zealand  or  their  native 
land.  The  father  had  during  his  entire  life- 
time been  engaged  in  farming  and  cattle  rais- 
ing, and  the  son  was  from  childhood  trained  to 
the  work.     His  education  was  received  in  the 


1444 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


schools  of  the  Emerald  Isle  and  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  he  decided  to  immigrate  to  the  United 
States  and  make  his  foi-tune  in  the  golden  land 
of  promise  which  ofifers  so  much  opportunity 
to  the  vigorous  and  industrious  young  man. 
He  came  directly  to  California,  arriving  in 
San  Francisco,  where  he  remained  one  year, 
and  from  there  came  to  Lompoc,  where  he 
has  since  remained.  It  was  necessary  for  him 
to  begin  at  the  very  bottom  of  the  ladder,  and 
this  fact  makes  his  success  all  the  more  flat- 
tering, for  today  he  is  mdependent  in  fortune, 
is  well  posted  in  the  stock  industry  and  the 
details  of  the  dairy  business,  and  is  popular 
in  the  community. 

The  ranch  upon  'which  Mr.  Sweeney  lives 
and  which  he  owns  comprises  ten  hundred  and 
fort)^  acres,  eighty  acres  of  which  is  farm  land, 
and  the  remainder  is  devoted  to  pasturage  for 
the  three  hundred  head  of  cattle  and  general 
stock,  including  one  hundred  head  of  high 
grade  dairy  cows.  It  is  necessary  to  employ 
two  additional  men  to  conduct  this  immense 
ranch  and  keep  up  its  high  state  of  improve- 
ment and  cultivation.  He  has  been  at  his 
present  location  for  nine  years,  and  in  addition 
to  the  other  branches  mentioned  also  gives 
some  attention  to  the  raising  of  horses. 

In  the  fall  of  1877  I\Ir.  Sweeney  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Isabell  Rogers,  a  native  Cali- 
fornian,  and  to  them  have  been  born  four  chil- 
dren:  Hugh,  now  in  business  with  his  father; 
Sylvia,  wdio  became  the  wife  of  Frank  Callis, 
of  Lompoc;  Lena  and  Vernon.  Politically 
Mr.  Sweeney  is  a  strong  believer  in  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Democratic  party,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Catholic  Church  at  Lompoc. 


PHILLIP  DOERR,  one  of  the  best  known 
and  most  highly  respected  citizens  of  Carpin- 
teria,  has  for  eleven  years  been  engaged  in  the 
hotel  and  livery  business  in  this  village  and  the 
wants  of  the  public  in  his  line  are  ably  attended 
to.  Mr.  Doerr  is  a  member  of  a  family  of  four- 
teen children,  four  of  whom  are  living,  John, 
one  of  the  brothers,  making  his  home  at  Santa 
Ana.  The  father,  Phillip  Doerr,  a  native  of 
Germany,  immigrated  to  ^Missouri  in  the  early 
half  of  the  nineteenth  century  and  died  in  that 
state  in  1861 ;  the  mother,  in  maidenhood  The- 
resa Michaels,  was  a  native  of  Belgium  and  had 
attained  the  age  of  sixty-five  years  at  the  time 
of   her   death. 

Phillip  Doerr  was  born  in  Perry  county,  Mo,, 
March  12,  1853,  and  received  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  that  county.  After  his 
school  days  were  over  he  filled  a  position  as  clerk 
in  a  store  for  six  years,  and  in  1880,  when  twen- 
ty-seven years  of  age,  left  Missouri  and  came 


to  Carpinteria,  Cal.,  where  he  worked  on  a 
ranch  for  his  step-father.  He  then  removed  to 
Santa  Barbara,  where  he  worked  at  the  carpen- 
ter's trade  two  years  and  was  employed  on  the 
old  street-railway  for  two  years.  Following  this 
he  returned  to  Carpinteria  and  accepted  a  posi- 
tion in  the  warehouse  of  the  S.  P.  Milling  Com- 
pany. Aside  from  his  hotel  experience,  as  pro- 
prietor of  the  Doerr  hotel  at  Carpinteria,  he 
spent  four  years  in  the  business  at  the  Asphalt 
mines. 

May  30,  1885,  J^I""-  Doerr  was  married  to  Miss 
Lizzie  B.  Gay,  a  native  of  Minnesota,  and  to 
them  two  children  have  been  born.  Lewis  H., 
born  November  8,  1886,  lives  at  home,  and  be- 
long to  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 
Lawrence  R.  was- born  January  14,  1889,  and 
works  at  the  plumber  trade  in  Los  Angeles.  Mr. 
Doerr  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
Lodge  of  Carpinteria,  and  with  Mrs.  Doerr,  be- 
longs to  the  Rathbone  Sisters.  Politically  he  af- 
filiates with  the  Democratic  party,  and  while 
he  is  a  firm  believer  in  its  principles  and  does 
his  full  duty  as  a  public  citizen  interested  in 
good  government,  his  business  forms  his  chief 
interest  and  occupies  the  greater  part  of  his  time. 
IMrs.  Doerr  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church. 


GEORGE  T.  STONEHAM.  Prominent 
among  the  leading  citizens  of  Ocean  Park  is 
George  T.  Stoneham,  a  man  of  superior  busi- 
ness qualifications,  who  has  met  with  success  in 
his  active  career,  and  wherever  he  has  lived  has 
fully  established  himself  in  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  his  friends  and  associates.  .  A  son  of 
John  Stoneham,  he  was  born,  April  25,  1843,  i" 
Elizabeth  City,  N.  J.,  where  the  first  two  years 
of  his  life  were  spent. 

jNIoving  with  his  family  to  Illinois  in  1845, 
John  Stoneham  became  a  pioneer  of  Chicago, 
settling  there  at  the  time  when  Fort  Dearborn 
was  occupied  by  a  garrison.  There  were 
neither  railroads  nor  docks  in  Chicago  at  that 
date ;  there  were  no  sidewalks,  and  on  Randolph 
and  other  now  prominent  business  streets  there 
were  signs  on  which  was  printed  in  bold  letters 
the  words  "No  bottom  here."  For  a  number 
of  years  he  had  what  was  called  the  Railroad 
eating  house,  near  the  landing  place  for  boats,  at 
the  foot  of  State  and  Water  streets,  where  he 
also  kept  a  supply  store  until  burned  out  by  the 
fire  that  likewise  destroyed  the  first  theater 
erected  in  that  city.  This  was  subsequently  re- 
placed by  Rice's  theater.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Muddell,  and  they  both  spent  their  last  years  in 
Chicago. 

Receiving  his  early  education  in  Chicago, 
George  T.  Stoneham  attended  a  school  on  Mad- 


^.  /m.  ^^^^i^te,  ^^, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1447 


ison  street,  just  opposite  the  present  site  of  Mc- 
Vicker's  theater.  He  subsequently  learned  the 
trade  of  carriage  manufacturer,  but  instead  of 
following  that  long  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  fire  apparatus,  being  foreman  for  a  number 
of  years  for  the  Babcock  Fire  Extinguisher 
Company  in  Chicago.  While  thus  employed  he 
made  the  aerial  hook  and  ladder  trucks  for  Los 
Angeles,  and  also  manufactured  fire  apparatus 
for  foreign  countries,  including  England  and 
Russia.  During  the  memorable  fire  of  1871  he 
lost  nothing,  being  located  south  of  the  fire  zone. 
He  subsequently  moved  to  the  west  side  of  the 
city,  and  giving  up  his  manufacturing  business 
became  a  successful  dealer  in  real  estate,  making 
much  money  in  his  operations. 

Coming  to  California  May  i,  1899,  Mr. 
Stoneham  resided  for  three  years  in  Sierra 
Madre,  Los  Angeles  county,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  cultivation  of  oranges,  having  a 
grove  of  twenty-five  acres  in  the  heart  of  the 
town.  Disposing  of  that  at  an  advantage,  he 
speculated  in  real  estate  in  Pasadena  for  a  year, 
meeting  with  good  success.  Locating  in  Ocean 
Park  in  April,  1903,  he  purchased  twelve  acres 
of  land,  lying  between  Fourth  and  Sixth  streets, 
and  this,  known  as  the  Stoneham  tract,  he  has 
since  sold  at  a  profit.  On  Fourth  street  he  erect- 
ed a  fine  residence,  which  he  now  occupies,  and 
has  since  been  identified  with  the  best  interests 
of  his  adopted  city.  He  possesses  great  financial 
and  executive  ability,  and  for  seventeen  years 
was  officially  connected  with  the  Union  Savings 
Loan  and  Building  Association,  of  Chicago, 
serving  as  director,  vice-president  and  president, 
in  the  latter  capacity  carrying  it  safely  through 
with  its  real  estate  dealings. 

In  Chicago,  111.,  Mr.  Stoneham  married  Sarah 
F.  Vest,  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  they  have  one 
child,  Charles  J.  Stoneham,  of  Ocean  Park.  The 
son  married  Bertha  Richardson,  and  they  have 
two  children,  Ada  and  Sarah. 


G.  M.  DOANE,  Sr.  The  active  and  en- 
terprising people  of  Santa  Maria  who  have 
done  so  much  to  promote  the  industrial  pros- 
perity of  Santa  Barbara  county  have  no  more 
wortliy  representative  than  G.  M.  Doane,  Sr., 
a  leading  contractor  and  builder  and  an  es- 
teemed citizen.  As  a  boy  he  was  noted  for 
his  thoroughness,  self-reliant  energy  and  per- 
sistency of  purpose,  and  these  traits  of  char- 
acter, strengthened  by  his  honesty  and  fidelity, 
have  been  the  leading  factors  in  winning  him 
success  in  the  business  and  social  circles.  A 
son  of  M.  i\I.  Doane,  he  was  born  September 
27,  1849,  in  Winnebago  county,  111. 

A  native  of  Canada,  M.  M.  Doane_  crossed 
the  border  when  a  young  man,  locating  first 


in  Michigan,  then  in  Illinois,  from  there  go- 
ing to  Wisconsin.  He  subsequently  settled 
on  a  farm  in  Iowa,  and  there  resided  until  his 
death,  at  the  venerable  age  of  four  score  and 
four  years.  During  his  earlier  years  he  was 
a  miller,  but  later  in  life  confined  his  atten- 
tion entirely  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He  was 
a  Republican  in  politics,  and  although  an  ac- 
tive party  worker  was  never  an  office  seeker. 
In  religion  he  was  a  member  of  the  ^Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  He  married  Jane  Albright, 
who  was  born  in  Indiana,  and  died  in  Iowa,  at 
the  age  of  fifty-two  years.  They  were  the 
parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  G.  M.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  is  the  only  one  residing 
on  the  Pacific  coast. 

Taken  when  a  small  child  by  his  parents  to 
Wisconsin,  G.  M.  Doane,  Sr.,  lived  there  until 
eleven  years  of  age,  when  the  family  removed 
to  Iowa.  Completing  his  early  education  in 
the  public  schools,  he  began  as  a  youth  to 
learn  the  carpenter's  trade,  serving  an  appren- 
ticeship in  Elgin,  Fayette  county.  Iowa.  He 
subsequently  followed  his  trade  in  Iowa  for 
a  number  of  years,  in  addition  carrying  on  a 
lively  business  as  a  dealer  m  real  estate.  Com- 
ing to  California  in  1880,  he  located  at  once 
inSanta  Maria,  and  as  a  contractor  and  build- 
er has  since  built  up  an  extensive  and  lucra- 
tive business.  He  has  had  charge  of  the  erec- 
tion of  some  of  the  largest  and  most  notable 
buildings  in  this  vicinity,  for  the  past  six  years 
keeping  about  twenty  men  steadily  employed. 
In  addition  to  his  work  in  this  line  he  also  car- 
ries on  a  sub-stantial  mercantile  business,  han- 
dling all  the  supplies  necessary  in  building,  in- 
cluding doors  and  moldings,  and  finishing  ma- 
terials of  all  kinds. 

In  1869.  in  Iowa.  ]\Ir.  Doane  married  Mary 
M.  Hatfield,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  into 
their  home  seven  children  have  been  born, 
namely:  George  M..  Jr..  of  Santa  i\Iaria,  who 
married  Jennie  INTcFall,  bv  whom  he  has  three 
children;  Marv  G.,  wife 'of  W,  A.  Mattocks, 
of  Santa  ]\laria.  and  the  mother  of  one  child; 
Clarence  M..  of  Santa  Maria,  who  married 
Gloria  Frates ;  Milford  L.,  also  of  Santa  Maria, 
who  married  Sadie  Bloomer,  by  whom  he  has 
one  child:  Perry:  Oscar:  and  Richard.  Al- 
rhougb  an  independent  voter  in  local  matters, 
Mr.  Doane  is  a  stanch  Republican  in  national 
affairs,  and  fraternally  he  is  an  active  member 
of  Hesperian  Lodge,  No.  264,  F.  &  A.  M., 
which  he  has  ser\ed  as  junior  warden  and  as 
senior  deacon. 


ROCK  S.-XRRAIL.  Among  the  old  settlers 
of  Southern  California  who  deserve  special 
mention   in    tliis   work    is    the    subject    of   this 


1448 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


article.  Rock  Sarrail,  who  was  born  in  Basses- 
P^'renees,  October  12,  1839,  the  son  of  Pierre 
and  Madelena  Cassou,  who  were  the  parents 
of  five  children,  four  of  whom  grew  to  ma- 
turity. 

Rock  Sarrail  was  the  third  of  the  famil}' 
and  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  educated  in 
the  common  schools.  Having  heard  of  the 
great  advantages  of  the  Pacific  coast,  he  de- 
termined to  cast  his  fortune  in  California,  and 
with  that  end  in  view,  in  the  spring  of  1859, 
then  in  his  twentieth  }'ear,  he  left  Havre  on 
the  sailer  Besan,  and,  after  being  tossed  about 
on  the  waves  for  five  months  and  three  days, 
came  around  Cape  Horn  and  landed  in  San 
Francisco  with  only  five  dollars  as  his  world- 
ly possession.  With  a  courage  and  determin- 
ation to  succeed  he  immediateh^  sought  em- 
ployment, and  the  next  day  after  arrival  went 
to  work  in  a  dairy,  but  a  few  months  later 
obtained  a  place  as  gardener,  and  followed  that 
occupation  and  mining  for  several  years,  and 
then  leased  a  small  farm  in  San  Francisco 
across  from  the  old  race  track,  where  he  had 
floral  and  vegetable  gardens.  In  1870  he  came 
to  Los  Angeles  and  in  1871  purchased  a  band 
of  sheep,  ranging  them  in  different  places  in 
San  Diego,  Orange,  and  Los  Angeles  counties 
for  nineteen  years.  Meantime  in  1877  he  pur- 
chased eleven  acres  on  AVest  Jefferson  and 
Durango  streets ;  this  property  he  improved 
with  a  vineyard  and  still  owns,  and  on  it  he 
has  erected  seven  residences,  fronting  Jeffer- 
son street,  a  property  that  has  become  verj' 
valuable. 

His  estimable  wife  was  Madelena  Cassou, 
also  from  France.  She  passed  away  in  1889 
at  the  age  of  forty-three  years.  They  had  a 
family  of  eight  children,  as  follows:  Mary,  now 
Mrs.  John  Cassou  of  Anaheim :  Pierre,  pro- 
prietor of  the  Ramona  Bottling  Works  of  Los 
Angeles ;  Leona,  now  I\Irs.  John  Massalin  of 
this  city  ;  Jennie,  Mrs.  Albert  Blanchard,  died  in 
Los  Angeles ;  and  Joseph,  Louis  and  Silvan, 
all  engaged  in  feed  and  fuel  business  on  West 
Jefferson  street,  Los  Angeles,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Sarrail  Bros.;  and  Julius,  also  of  Los 
Angeles. 

Mr.  Sarrail  is  a  Republican  and  is  a  member 
of  the  French  Hospital  Association,  has  always 
assisted  in  various  ways  in  the  upbuilding  of 
his  community  and  has  great  faith  in  the 
growth  and  future  of  the  state  of  his  adoption. 


JUSTIN  E.  PATTERSON._  The  family  rep- 
resented by  the  above-named  citizen  of  Pomona 
was  established  in  Crawford  county.  Pa.,  by  the 
grandparents,  and  there  their  son,  James  H., 
was  born,  near  Meadville.     Reared  to  an  agri- 


cultural life  on  the  Crawford  county  homestead, 
James  H.  Patterson  further  followed  the  exam- 
ple set  by  his  father  and  pushed  out  into  the 
frontier,  during  young  manhood,  settling  on  new 
land  in  Boone  county,  111.,  which  he  had  taken 
up  from  the  government.  The  land  responded 
readily  to  his  careful  cultivation,  and  in  the 
course  of  the  years  spent  on  that  farm  he  became 
financially  independent,  finally  retiring  from  act- 
ive life.  His  last  days  were  spent  in  Pomona, 
Cal.,  where  he  passed  away  in  1904,  at  the  age 
of  eighty-six  years.  Politically  he  was  in  sym- 
pathy with  Republican  principles,  and  was  a 
faithful  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  to  which 
denomination  his  wife  also  belongs.  She  was 
formerly  Rhoda  Moss,  born  near  Ripley,  Chau- 
tauqua county,  N.  Y.,  the  daughter  of  James 
]Moss,  and  is  now  living  in  Pomona,  aged  over 
eighty  years.  Nine  children  originally  gathered 
around  the  family  fireside,  but  of  the  number 
only  six  are  now  living. 

The  fourth  in  order  of  birth  was  Justin  E. 
Patterson,  who  was  born  in  Belvidere.  Boone 
county.  III,  October  17,  1856,  and  was  brought 
up  to  an  intimate  knowledge  of  farming  on  the 
family  homestead  in  that  vicinity.  L^nlike  many 
farmer  lads  he  had  fairly  good  opportunity  for 
securing  an  education,  and  when  he  had  ex- 
hausted the  resources  of  the  schools  of  Belvidere 
he  took  up  the  higher  branches  of  study  in  Chi- 
cago. This  equipment  qualified  him  as  a  teacher 
and  thereafter  he  followed  teaching  in  Boone 
county  for  five  years.  During  this  time  he  had 
formed  definite  plans  to  take  up  the  furniture 
and  undertaking  business,  and  upon  relinquish- 
ing his  position  as  teacher  entered  upon  the  work 
with  a  will.  After  learning  all  departments  of 
the  business  he  followed  it  for  about  four  years 
in  Belvidere,  111.,  and  in  1891  came  to  Pomona 
and  opened  undertaking  parlors  on  Main  street. 
From  that  location  he  subsequently  removed  to 
West  Second  street,  and  still  later,  in  1903, 
erected  the  building  which  he  now  occupies  at 
No.  151  East  Second  street.  The  building  is 
23^x120  feet,  two  stories  in  height,  the  lower 
floor  being  occupied  as  office  and  chapel,  while 
in  the  warerooms  are  displayed  the  fine  line  of 
caskets  and  other  needful  accessories  to  a  first- 
class  undertaking  establishment.  Since  locating 
in  Pomona  he  has  also  erected  a  fine  family  res- 
idence at  the  corner  of  Holt  and  Garey  avenue. 

In  Belvidere,  III,  Mr.  Patterson  was  married 
to  Miss  Carrie  Bement,  who  was  born  there,  and 
two  children,  Millicent  and  Donald,  have  been 
born  to  them.  Besides  his  associations  of  a  busi- 
ness nature,  being  a  member  of  the  State  Fu- 
neral Directors'  Association  and  a  member  and 
president  of  the  Southern  California  Funeral 
Directors"  Association,  'Mr.  Patterson  is  well 
known  in   fraternal  circles,  holding  membership 


ROBERT  C.  KIRKPATRICK 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1451 


in  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  For- 
esters, Woodmen  of  the  World,  Woodmen  of 
America,  Fraternal  Aid,  Fraternal  Brotherhood 
and  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  is  an  enthusiastic 
worker  in  behalf  of  the  welfare  of  his  home 
city  and  is  an  active  member  of  the  Board  of 
Trade.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican,  and  with 
his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  both 
taking  their  places  among  the  active  and  zealous 
workers  of  that  organization,  which  they  also 
support  liberally  in  a  financial  sense. 


ROBERT  C.  KIRKPATRICK.  The  true 
though  trite  saying  that  in  union  there  is  strength 
is  nowhere  better  exemplified  than  in  the  Menifee 
valley,  Riverside  county,  where  the  four  sons  ol 
the  pioneer,  Robert  C.  Kirkpatrick,  and  one  of 
his  grandsons  own  and  operate  one  of  the  larg- 
est ranches  in  the  county.  When  Menifee  valley 
was  still  a  part  of  San  Diego  county  the  father 
came  to  this  part  of  the  country  in  1879  and  lo- 
cated in  tlie  center  of  the  valley,  taking  up  three 
quarter-sections  of  land  from  the  government, 
besides  buying  railroad  land.  Some  idea  of  the 
newness  of  the  country  may  be  formed  when  it 
is  told  that  between  his  ranch  and  Box  Springs 
(a  distance  of  twenty-five  miles)  there  was  only 
one  house.  Robert  C.  Kirkpatrick,  the  inspirer 
of  the  enterprise  which  has  since  grown  up 
around  his  pioneer  undertakings,  has  passed  to 
his  reward,  and  his  estate  has  fallen  to  his  four 
sons,  John  A.,  Amos  G.,  Claudius  AL,  and  Will- 
iam T.,  -who  are  no  less  ambitious  and  enter- 
prising, and  in  carrying  out  the  wise  policy  of 
their  father  are  meeting  with  a  success  no  less 
gratifying.  Robert  H.  Kirkpatrick,  a  grandson 
and  the  son  of  William  T.  Kirkpatrick,  is  also 
interested  in  the  ranch,  as  is  a  daughter,  Keziah 
Tecl,  of  Long  Beach,  who  accompanied  the  fam- 
ily to  the  coast. 

The  sons  well  recall  the  appearance  of  the 
property  when  their  father  first  assumed  control 
of  it  in  1879  and  have  not  only  witnessed  its 
transformation  from  a  desert  to  one  of  the  finest 
ranches  in  the  county,  but  have  taken  no  small 
part  in  the  work  which  this  involved.  They  now 
control  over  th.ree  thousand  acres  of  land,  the 
greater  part  of  which  is  in  barley  and  wheat,  the 
harvesting  of  which  requires  two  large  twentv- 
six  horse-power  combined  harvesters.  These  are 
drawn  over  the  fields  by  seventy-five  head  of 
work  horses,  which  are  fine  animals  of  their  own 
breeding  and  raising.  All  of  the  grain  raised 
on  this  immense  tract  is  shipped  direct  to  the 
Globe  Mills  in  Colton. 

Robert  C.  Kirkpatrick  and  his  four  sons  were 
all  natives  of  Tennessee.  Leaving  the  south  in 
1874  the  father  and  sons  made  their  way  across 
the    plains    to    the    Golden    state    and    settled    in 


Orange  county,  remaining  there  for  five 
}ears.  The  next  removal  brought  them  to  San 
Diego  county,  where  besides  buying  railroad 
land  they  took  up  three  quarter-sections  of  land 
from  the  government.  Since  they  settled  here  the 
county  lines  have  been  changed,  so  that  their 
property  now  lies  in  Riverside  county.  Together 
the  sons  own  fifteen  hundred  acres,  besides  which 
they  lease  land  which  brings  the  acreage  under 
riieir  control  up  to  three  thousand  acres,  all  in 
grain.  The  machinery  and  stock  necessary  to 
conduct  this  large  ranch  represent  $10,000,  be- 
sides which  they  have  money  to  their  credit  in 
the  bank.  The  wonderful  success  which  has 
come  to  the  Kirkpatrick  brothers  is  due  in  a 
great  measure  to  the  excellent  water  facilities  with 
which  their  ranch  is  supplied.  \'arying  in  depth 
from  seven  to  twenty  feet  water  may  be  bored 
for  in  any  part  of  the  ranch.  What  is  true  of  this 
part  of  the  valley  holds  good  throughout  this 
portion  of  the  county  and  is  rapidly  bringing  it 
into  prominence  as  one  of  the  best  grain-raising 
sections  of  the  state. 

The  wife  and  mother,  who  in  her  maidenhood 
was  Elizabeth  Thompson,  died  in  Tennessee  in 
1864;  ten  years  before  the  removal  of  the  father 
and  sons  to  the  west.  The  father  passed  away 
upon  the  homestead  ranch  in  Menifee  valley. 
Cal.,  near  Perris,  in  1904,  at  the  good  old  age  of 
eighty-five  years.  Claudius  AT.  and  William  T. 
are  married  and  have  families,  while  John  A.  and 
Amos  G.  are  still  single.  In  their  political  opin- 
ions the  brothers  are  united,  all  voting  the  Dem- 
ocratic ticket.  They  are  held  in  the  highest  re- 
spect wherever  known  and  are  foremost  in  as- 
sisting any  project  for  the  betterment  of  the 
communitv.  Too  much  praise  cannot  be  accord- 
ed them  for  what  they  have  accomplished,  and 
both  their  lives  and  their  accomplishments  are 
excellent  examples  for  the  younger  generations 
to  take  as  their  patterns. 


WILLL\M  MERRITT  PIERSON.  The  re- 
sort of  Skyland  was  largely  the  result  of  the  ef- 
forts of  Mr.  Pierson,  who  gave  it  the  name, 
built  the  hotel,  and  in  other  ways  took  a  most 
active  interest  in  its  upbuilding.  He  is  now  re- 
siding at  Bryn  Mawr  in  a  delightful  home  over- 
looking the  San  Bernardino  valley  and  engaped 
in  horticultural  pursuits.  He  is  a  native  of  Ce- 
dar county,  Iowa,  where  he  was  born  September 
15,  t8^6.  the  oldest  of  four  children,  all  of  whom 
are  living,  born  to  his  parents,  George  and  Deb- 
orah (Smith)  Pierson.  Thev  were  both  natives 
of  \ew  York,  the  father  being  born  in  Cattar- 
augus county  and  the  mother  in  Erie  county : 
they  became  early  settlers  of  Cedar  countv,  Iowa, 
where  the  father  engaged  as  a  farmer  until  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war,  when  he  enlisted 


1452 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  Company  K,  Thirty-second  Iowa  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  died  in  service  in  1863.  The 
mother  passed  away  in  Highgrove  and  was  in- 
terred in  Pasadena,  Cal. 

Reared  in  Cedar  county,  Iowa,  William  Mer- 
ritt  Pierson  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  that  state,  and  also  in  Gowanda,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  lived  with  his  paternal  grandfather  from  the 
age  of  seven  years  to  twelve.  He  then  returned 
to  Iowa  and  worked  out  on  farms  until  he  was 
seventeen,  when  he  was  apprenticed  to  learn  the 
trade  of  carpenter,  and  after  its  completion  en- 
tered the  Davenport  Business  College  for  a  term. 
Following  he  taught  school  for  three  winter  terms 
and  worked  at  his  trade  during  the  summers. 
Removing  to  Kansas  in  1877  he  purchased  a 
farm  near  Osage  City,  but  rented  it  and  made 
his  home  in  the  town,  where  he  secured  a  posi- 
tion as  bookkeeper  in  the  Osage  County  Bank. 
In  December,  1885,  he  came  to  California  and  in 
Pasadena  engaged  in  the  building  business  for 
two  years,  then  in  the  real  estate  business  in 
Santa  Ana,  and  El  Modena  for  three  years.  At 
the  expiration  of  that  time  he  went  to  Portland, 
Ore.,  and  followed  his  trade  for  two  years,  then 
returned  to  Southern  California  and  in  Riverside 
purchased  a  home  and  followed  his  trade.  He 
resided  in  Riverside  until  1901  and  then  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  up  Water- 
man canon,  where  he  built  a  hotel  and  called  the 
place  Skyland,  one  of  the  scenic  places  of  beau- 
tiful Southern  California.  He  set  out  an  apple 
orchard  of  four  acres  and  otherwise  improved 
his  property,  continuing  the  management  of  the 
hotel  for  five  years,  when  he  sold  out  at  a  good 
profit,  and  coming  to  Bryn  Mawr  purchased 
twenty  acres  of  land,  of  which  ten  acres  are  in 
full  bearing  navel  oranges.  In  Riverside  Mr. 
Pierson  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Olive 
Bayley,  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  born  of  this 
union  is  one  son.  Hartley  B.  Fraternally  Mr. 
Pierson  is  identified  with  the  Knights  of  the 
Maccabees  of  Riverside,  and  politically  is  a 
stanch  advocate  of  Republican  principles.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Red- 
lands,  and  liberally  supports  its  charities. 


WALTER  L.  PECK.  A  keen-sighted,  pro- 
gressive agriculturist,  Walter  L.  Peck  is  carry- 
ing on  an  extensive  and  lucrative  business  as 
dairyman  and  farmer,  his  ranch  being  advan- 
tageously located  three-fourths  of  a  mile  south- 
east of  Compton.  His  land  is  under  good  cul- 
tivation, with  improvements  of  a  substantial 
character,  the  estate  being  a  credit  to  his  in- 
dustry, enterprise  and  wise  management.  A  son 
of  the  late  Sedley  Peck,  he  was  born  in  Trum- 
bull county,  Ohio,  October  26,  1862,  and  was 
there  reared  and  educated. 


Sedley  Peck  was  for  many  years  a  leading 
citizen  of  Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  and  an  im- 
portant factor  in  promoting  its  growth  and  pros- 
perity. Possessing  good  business  ability  and 
judgment,  he  was  quick  to  take  advantage  of  all 
offered  opportunities,  and  was  among  the  first 
of  the  '49ers  that  staked  a  claim  in  the  Cali- 
fornia gold  fields.  Returning  to  Ohio,  he  re- 
mained in  business  there  for  several  years, 
making,  however,  three  more  trips  to  the  Pa- 
cific coast  before  coming  here  permanently  in 
i8go.  Disposing  of  his  Ohio  property  in  that 
year,  he  resided  for  two  years  in  Los  Angeles. 
In  1892  he  bought  land  in  Compton,  and  was  en- 
g'aged  in  ranching  for  two  years,  when  he  sold 
out  and  thenceforward  made  his  home  with  his 
son  Walter  L.  until  his  death,  in  February,  1905, 
at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-two  years.  He 
was  a  man  of  great  prominence,  filling  most  of 
the  offices  within  the  gift  of  his  feHow-citizens, 
and  was  an  active  member  and  an  officer  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  married  Mary 
Hazen,  who  died  in  Compton,  at  the  home  of  her 
daughter,  Mrs.  Levitt.  She  bore  him  nine  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  were  a  credit  to  their  parents. 

Having  acquired  his  rudimentary  education 
in  the  common  schools,  Walter  L.  Peck  was 
graduated  from  the  high  school  in  Mesopotamia, 
Trumbull  county,  Ohio;  subsequently  worked  on 
a  farm  four  years,  after  which  he  spent  a  year 
in  Florida.  Returning  to  Ohio,  he  stayed  there 
a  short  time,  and  then  came  to  California,  set- 
tling in  Los  Angeles  in  1886.  Engaging  in  the 
sidewalk,  cement  and  grading  business,  he  was 
for  the  next  thirteen  years  actively  engaged  in 
adding  to  the  city  improvements,  working  both 
for  individual  property  owners  and  for  the  mu- 
nicipal government.  Giving  up  that  work  he 
invested  his  money  in  land,  buying  his  present 
ranch,  and  since  that  time  has  been  prosperously 
employed  as  a  farmer  and  dairyman  with  the  ex- 
ception of  1904,  when  he  again  engaged  in  ce- 
ment contracting  in  Long  Beach,  Los  Angejes 
and  Compton.  He  has  twenty-five  acres  of  his 
land  in  alfalfa,  and  is  carrying  on  a  profitable 
dairy  business,  meeting  with  well  deserved  suc- 
cess in  his  undertakings. 

October  4,  1886,  Mr.  Peck  married  Kathryn 
Heaton.  who  was  born  in  Illinois,  a  daughter 
of  William  Heaton,  now  living  retired  in  Los 
Angeles.  Of  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peck 
two  children  have  been  born,  namely :  Sedley, 
a  student  in  the  Compton  high  school ;  and 
Mabel,  born  in  1896.  Mrs.  Peck  is  a  woman  of 
culture  and  refinement,  a  graduate  of  the  high 
and  Normal  schools.  Both  she  and  her  hus- 
band are  good  musicians,  and  for  the  greater  part 
of  their  lives  have  belonged  to  the  church  choirs, 
Mr.  Peck  singing  bass,  while  ]\Irs.  Peck  has  a 
strong,   sweet  contralto  voice.     Both   are  active 


-A^i^^^yh:::::^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1455 


members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
PoHtically  Mr.  Peck  is  a  Repubhcan,  and  is  a 
member  and  president  of  the  Fraternal  Aid  So- 
ciety of  Compton.  He  is  widely  and  favorably 
known  as  a  man  of  unquestioned  worth,  and 
both  he  and  his  estimable  wife  are  very  highly 
esteemed  throughout  the  communitv. 


JAMES  D.  KNOX  is  known  as  the  efficient 
mayor  of  the  city  of  Colton,  and  as  a  promi- 
nent and  successful  contractor  and  builder. 
He  is  a  descendant  of  a  well-known  Southern 
family,  tracing  his  lineage  directh^  to  John 
Knox  who  came  to  North  Carolina  in  1730  and 
left  an  indelible  impress  on  the  history  of  that 
state.  His  parents,  Joseph  S.  and  Mary  E. 
(Carlock)  Knox,  were  both  natives  of  Ten- 
nessee and  the  father  was  an  enrolling  officer 
under  General  Lee  during  the  Civil  war.  He 
was  captured  and  sent  to  Camp  Chase,  where 
he  was  held  about  six  months,  and  after  his 
release  returned  home  a  life  invalid.  He 
died  at  the  age  of  fifty-four  3-ears.  There  were 
nine  children  in  the  family,  six  of  whom  are 
living,  and  the  mother  also  survives,  being 
now  sixty-four  years  old,  and  living  in  Colton. 
Of  the  children,  !Mrs.  Fuller  lives  in  Col- 
ton; Mrs.  John  P.  Isbell  lives  in  Whittier; 
Clarence  M.  is  a  commercial  agent  for  the 
Southern  Pacific  at  Santa  Ana ;  Dr.  Charles 
H.  is  a  surgeon  at  Decatur,  Tex.,  and  Mrs. 
W.  H.  Mann,  whose  husband  is  agent  for  the 
Santa  Fe  at  Wickenburg,  Ariz. 

The  birth  of  James  D.  Knox  occurred  Sep- 
tember 18,  1861,  in  McMinn  county,  Tenn., 
and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years  he  removed 
with  his  parents  to  Decatur,  Tex.,  where  he 
attended  the  common  schools,  the  country  at 
that  timie  being  but  sparsely  settled,  and  he 
found  it  necessary  to  carry  a  revolver  to 
school.  As  a  young  man  Mr.  Knox  worked 
on  his  father's  ranch  for  several  years,  then 
started  on  an  independent  career,  engaging 
in  the  stock  business  for  another  period.  He 
afterwards  secured  employment  with  the 
bridge  building  department  of  the  Fort  Worth 
&  Denver  Railroad,  working  on  bridges  and 
stations  for  three  years,  then  was  given  a  po- 
sition as  baggage  master  at  Decatur,  and 
was  also  at  one  time  check  clerk  at  the  same 
place. 

In  1885  Mr.  Knox  came  to  Downey,  Cal., 
and  was  first  engaged  in  the  erection  of  the 
depot  at  Downey  for  the  Southern  Pacific, 
then  superintendent  of  the  signal  service  for 
the  same  company  near  AVhittier.  Later  he 
was  postmaster,  clerk  of  the  board  of  school 
trustees  and  notary  public  for  five  years.  He 
was  then  in  Los  Nietos,  Los  Angeles  county. 


for  a  time,  after  which  he  secured  the  posi- 
tion of  commercial  agent  for  the  Southern  Pa- 
cific at  Whittier,  retaining  the  place  for  four 
years.  Following  this  he  was  a  brakeman  on 
the  line  between  Los  Angeles  and  Yuma, 
Ariz.,  for  one  year  and  resigned  the  position 
to  engage  in  the  fruit  business,  buying  and 
shipping  oranges.  For  four  years  he  was 
agent  for  the  Fay  Fruit  Company  and  in  1902 
settled  in  Colton,  purchased  a  ranch  of  three 
acres  planted  to  oranges  and  carried  on  a  fruit 
business.  About  a  year  ago  he  again  took  up 
his  old  business  of  contracting  and  has  been 
engaged  therein   since  that  time. 

In  1881  occurred  the  marriage  of  ]Mr.  Knox 
to  INIiss  Nancy  Graves,  a  native  of  Illinois, 
and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren :  ]\iinnie  Lee  is  the  wife  of  Mathew  Moss, 
of  Rivera,  and  has  two  children ;  James  O. 
married  Lowell  Rounds,  of  Selma,  and  resides 
in  Colton ;  Jodie  C.  is  the  wife  of  R.  W.  Cur- 
tis, of  Colton,  and  has  one  child ;  Elizabeth  G., 
Charles  E.,  and  Loma  E.  complete  the  family. 
Mr.  Knox  is  prominent  in  fraternal  circles  and 
has  been  a  member  of  nineteen  different  se- 
cret societies.  He  now  belongs  to  the  Ash- 
lar Lodge  No.  306,  F.  &  A.  ]\I. ;  the  Indepen- 
dent Order  of  Odd  Fellows ;  Knights  of 
Pythias ;  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  at  Whit- 
tier;  Fraternal  Aid  at  Whittier;  Independent 
Order  of  Foresters  at  Norwalk ;  Knights  of 
the  Maccabees  at  Norwalk  ;  Fraternal  Brother- 
hood ;  and  both  he  and  his  wife  are  affiliated 
with  the  Eastern  Star  and  Rebekah  lodges. 
They  are  also  active  members  and  liberal  sup- 
porters of  the  Christian  Church  and  their 
influence  is  given  to  the  furtherance  of  all 
charitable  and  benevolent  enterprises.  Polit- 
ically he  follows  the  teachings  of  his  father 
and  adheres  to  the  beliefs  of  the  Democratic 
party.  He  is  especially  interested  in  educa- 
tional matters  and  has  at  various  times  served 
on  the  board  of  school  trustees.  As  mayor 
of  Colton,  to  which  office  he  was  elected  in 
the  spring  of  1906,  Wr.  Knox  has  proven  him- 
self an  able  executive  and  conscientious  pub- 
lic servant  and  the  duties  of  the  office  were 
never  more  satisfactorily  administered  than 
under  his  direction.  He  is  public  spirited  and 
energetic  and  in  all  matters  exercises  an 
intelligent  caution  that  makes  his  judgment 
valuable. 


CHAUNCEY  E.  CARPENTER  is  one  of  the 
oldest  settlers  and  best-known  ranchers  in  San 
Luis  Obispo  county,  he  having  been  the  first 
man  to  locate  in  the  valley  which  now  bears  his 
name.  He  has  an  exceptionally  well-improved 
ranch  <if  fifty-six  acres  of  as  fertile  land  as  can 


1456 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


be  found  in  the  county,  which  is  devoted  prin- 
cipally to  beans  and  potatoes,  with  a  few  acres 
planted  to  vegetables  and  small  fruit,  including 
blackberries,  dewberries  and  Loganberries.  As 
a  citizen  and  neighbor  he  is  well  liked  and  highly 
esteemed,  and  enjoys  the  reputation  of  being 
strictly  a  man  of  his  word  in  every  particular. 
Mr.  Carpenter  was  born  in  Herkimer  county, 
N.  Y.,  May  29,  1845,  his  father,  Halsey  C.  Car- 
penter, being  a  native  of  Rhode  Island,  and  his 
mother,  Sarah  \'an  Natter,  was  a  direct  de- 
scendant of  one  of  the  old  Dutch  families  who 
settled  in  New  York  state  in  the  early  days. 
Both  parents  are  now  deceased,  the  father  hav- 
ing reached  the  age  of  eighty-three  years,  while 
the  mother  was  of  still  greater  vitality  and  sur- 
vived her  ninetieth  birthday,  all  of  the  ten  chil- 
dren of  her  family  being  yet  alive  at  the  time 
of  her  demise.  There  were  seven  sons  andlhree 
daughters,  and  the  youngest  of  the  children  is 
now  forty-six  years  and  the  oldest  seventy.  The 
mother  was  a  woman  of  deep  religious  convic- 
tions and  during  her  lifetime  was  a  member  of 
the  ]\Iethodist  Episcopal  Church. 

When  Chauncev  E.  Carpenter  was  but  ten 
years  of  age  his  parents  removed  to  Wisconsin, 
in  which  state  he  received  his  education  through 
the  medium  of  the  public  schools,  subsequently 
learning  stationar}-  engineering  in  Galesburg, 
111.,  where  he  worked  four  years  in  the  engine 
manufacturing  establishment  of  Frost  &  Co.  He 
then  returned  to  Wisconsin  and  engaged  in 
farming  for  two  years,  after  which,  in  1870,  he 
removed  to  Kansas,  and  purchased  a  piece  of 
school  land  upon  which  he  farmed  and  raised 
stock  until  the  spring  of  1888.  He  then  put  into 
execution  his  plans  to  cross  the  plains  and 
mountains  and  locate  in  California,  and  was  so 
favorably  impressed  by  the.  climate  and  quality 
of  soil  found  in  San  Luis  Obispo  county  that  he 
chose  a  location  in  what  is  now  Carpenter  val- 
ley and  bought  the  ranch  which  has  ever  since 
been  his  home. 

On  the  loth  of  March,  1866,  Mr.  Carpenter 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Fannie  Han- 
dey,  and  of  this  union  eleven  children  were 
born,  two  dying  in  infancy.  Lorena,  who  re- 
sides in  Kansas,  became  the  wife  of  Riley  LTn- 
derwood,  by  whom  she  has  thirteen  children ; 
DeWayne,  living  in  Oregon,  married  Lida  Bell, 
and  they  have  five  children ;  ]\Iina,  who  became 
the  mother  of  eleven  children  by  her  marriage 
with  William  Dowel,  of  Arroyo  Grande,  died 
December  21,  1905.  Nellie  died  in  1889,  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  years ;  Eva,  who  married  Fred 
Iversen,  of  Paso  Robles,  has  two  daughters ; 
Adda  became  the  wife  of  Dow  ^^'ood,  of  Paso 
Robles,  and  is  the  mother  of  three  children; 
Edith  married  Dean  Laughlin,  of  Santa  Maria, 
and  has  one  son :  Cliffie,  unmarried,  lives  in  Los 


Angeles,  and  Theresa,  also  unmarried,  makes 
her  home  with  her  parents.  Politically  Mr. 
Carpenter  affiliates  with  the  Socialist  party,  and 
he  serves  his  district  officially  in  the  capacity  of 
school  trustee.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Quirch 
of  the  Latter  Dav  Saints. 


ROBERT  OSBORNE  HURSEY.  Con- 
spicuous among  the  more  active,  keen-sighted 
and  progressive  business  men  of  Compton  is 
Robert  O.  Hursey,  who  is  identified  with  the 
foremost  interests  of  this  part  of  the  county,  and 
in  its  industrial  and  financial  progress  is  an  im- 
portant factor.  A  son  of  the  late  Adam  Hursey, 
he  was  born  February  25,  1852,  in  Licking  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  coming  from  substantial  ancestry  on 
both  sides. 

A  native  of  Ohio,  Adam  Hursey  w^as  a  mer- 
chant during  young  manhood.  Migrating  west- 
ward in  1857,  he  settled  in  Illinois,  where  he 
engaged  as  a  farmer  for  many  years,  living  first 
in  Dewitt  county,  afterwards  being  a  resident 
of  Woodford  and  INIcLean  counties.  On  retiring 
from  active  pursuits  he  located  in  Normal,  111., 
where  he  died  at  the  venerable  age  of  eighty- 
three  years.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Mary  Melick,  also  lived  to  an  advanced  age,  and 
died  at  Normal,  111.  In  politics  he  was  a  Demo- 
crat, ever  loyal  to  his  party. 

About  six  years  old  when  his  parents  moved 
to  Illinois,  Robert  O.  Hursey  attended  first  the 
district  schools,  completing  his  early  education 
at  the  Normal  school  in  Normal.  He  subse- 
quently taught  school  during  seven  winter  terms, 
being  quite  successful  in  his  pedagogical  labors. 
In  order  to  further  fit  himself  for  a  business  ca- 
reer he  then  took  a  course  at  the  Woodberry 
Business  Colleg'e  in  Bloomington,  111.,  from 
there  going  to  Bellflower,  McLean  county,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  for  two 
years.  The  ensuing  year  he  had  charge  of  a 
grocery  in  Fairbury,  111.  Coming  then  to  Cali- 
fornia, he  became  interested  in  the  various 
branches  of  agriculture  and  horticulture,  and 
for  eight  years  had  charge  of  ranches  for  other 
people.  Locating  permanently  in  Compton  in 
1896,  he  resumed  mercantile  affairs,  and  has 
since  been  manager  of  the  Co-operative  Associa- 
ton  which  was  organized  in  1891  with  a  paid- 
up  capital  of  $30,000,  and  under  his  efiicient 
management  is  carrying  on  a  flourishing  busi- 
ness. The  association  has  large  financial  inter- 
ests outside  of  its  large  store,  having  stock  in 
the  Compton  Water  and  Lighting  Company. 
]Mr.  Hursey  owns  forty  acres  of  land  near 
Compton :  twelve  acres  near  La  Verne ;  and 
two  hundred  and  fifty-one  acres  in  the  vicinity 
of  Bakersfield,  Kern  county.  By  means  of  thrift 
and     good    management    he    has     accumulated 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1457 


money,  and  is  a  stockholder,  a  director,  and  the 
assistant  cashier  of  the  Bank  of  Compton,  a  well- 
established  financial  institution,  having  a  large 
list  of  depositors. 

In  1881,  at  Le  Roy,  111.,  Air.  Hursey  mar- 
ried Eliza  Kinsey,  who  was  born  in  Indiana, 
where  her  father,  the  late  Henry  Kinsey,  was 
born  and  reared,  and  spent  a  large  part  of  his 
life.  Her  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Mary  Stanley,  survived  her  husband,  and  is  now 
a  resident  of  Rcdondo,  Gal.  Politically  Mr. 
Hnrsey  is  in  sympathy  with  the  Prohibitionists, 
but  in  local  matters  he  is  an  independent  voter. 
He  takes  an  intelligent  interest  in  public  affairs, 
and  since  coming  to  Compton  has  been  a  member 
of  the  school  board.  Fraternally  he  belongs  to 
Compton  Camp,  M.  W.  A. 


NEWTON  EMMETT  MAY,  secretary  of  the 
United  Syndicates  Company  Limited,  ranks 
among  the  most  enterprising  and  progressive 
men  of  Long  Beach,  who  is  taking  an  active 
interest  in  the  upbuilding  and  increasing  the  im- 
portance of  the  city  by  the  sea.  Mr.  May  was 
born  in  Galveston,  Texas,  June  28,  1866,  and 
was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth  of  a  family  of 
eight  children  bom  to  David  R.  and  Hattie 
(Lindsey)  ]\Iay,  natives  respectively  of  Kentucky 
and  Pennsylvania.  The  father  was  a  stock 
raiser  in  Texas  and  a  cotton  planter  in  Missis- 
sippi, and  both  parents  spent  their  last  days  in 
the  latter  state. 

Mr.  May  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Mississippi  until  the  age  of  seventeen, 
when  he  began  for  himself,  doing  newspaper 
work  in  New  Orleans,  La.,  on  an  industrial 
paper,  then  on  the  Times-Dcuiocrat  until  1888, 
when  he  came  to  the  Pacific  Coast.  The  first  four 
years  were  spent  in  Washington  and  Oregon 
and  in  1892  he  located  in  San  Francisco,  where 
he  engaged  with  the  New  York  Life  Insurance 
Company  as  a  solicitor.  In  1876  he  located  in 
Los  Angeles  as  manager  of  the  Germania  Life 
Insurance  Company  for  Southern  California.  In 
1897  he  removed  to  Honolulu  as  manager  of  the 
same  company  for  the  Hawaiian  Islands  and 
built  up  a  business  for  them  at  the  rate  of  $50,000 
per  year  in  premiums.  In  the  spring  of  1903. 
having  become  interested  in  real  estate  and  gen- 
eral business  affairs  on  the  islands,  he  gave  up 
the  management  of  the  Germania  and  devoted 
all  his  time  to  personal  affairs.  However,  in  iqo.i 
he  closed  up  his  business  and  returned  to  Los 
Angeles,  where  he  began  operating  in  real  es- 
tate. In  1906  he  organized  and  incorporated  the 
United  Syndicates  Company,  Ltd..  with  a  capital 
of  $200,000.  of  which  he  was  elected  secretary 
and  assumed  the  management,  launching  the  en- 
terprise in  Long  Beach,  where  he  has  built  up  a 


successful  business.  They  are  at  present  using 
the  debenture  system  of  syndicating  property,  al- 
though he  has  copyrighted  five  different  plans  of 
syndicating  real  estate.  Mr.  May  promoted  and 
organized  the  United  Building  Company,  with  a 
capital  of  $200,000,  of  which  he  is  secretary. 
They  have  valuable  patent  rights  of  America's 
greatest  invention,  a  disappearing  bed  and  apart- 
ment house  plans,  thus  saving  and  utilizing  every 
bit  of  space,  and  destined  to  become  very  popu- 
lar and  universal. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  May  occurred  in  Hono- 
lulu, uniting  bin:  with  Miss  Rose  Roth,  who  was 
born  in  that  capital  city  and  chief  seaport  of  the 
Hawaiian  Islands.  They  have  one  child,  New- 
ton Emmett,  Jr.  Mr.  May  is  a  member  of  the 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  is 
an  ardent  and  stanch  Republican.  He  is  an  active 
member  of  the  Long  Beach  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce and  was  chairman  of  the  committee  and 
the  main  factor  in  raising  the  $100,000  bonus 
for  the  securing  of  the  Craig  shipbuilding  plant 
for  Long  Beach,  chairman  of  the  Harbor  Char- 
ter Day  committee  which  made  that  celebration  a 
success.  Since  coming  to  Long  Beach  he  has 
aided  in  every  public  enterprise  that  has  been 
started,  sparing  neither  time  nor  money  to  make 
it  a  success,  and  he  is  much  appreciated  by  the 
men  of  aft'airs.  who  esteem  him  for  his  many 
excellent  qualities,  integrity,  worth  and  enter- 
prise. 


J.  E.  STONES.  One  of  the  oldest  settlers  in 
this  part  of  the  country  and  a  citizen  well  known 
and  highly  esteemed,  is  J.  E.  Stones,  who  has 
witnessed  the  development  of  the  state  from  the 
days  of  its  infancy.  He  was  born  in  St.  Louis. 
Mo.,  October  23,  1845.  ^  son  of  William  and 
Mary  Stones,  natives  of  England,  where  they 
were  married,  thence  emigrating  to  the  United 
States  in  1843.  They  made  their  home  in  St. 
Louis  until  1850.  when  they  crossed  the  plains  as 
far  as  Ogden,  Utah,  there  spending  two  years, 
and  again  starting  on  a  perilous  overland  jour- 
ney which  landed  them  in  California.  They  lo- 
cated first  in  Amador  county,  where  the  death 
of  the  mother  occurred  at  the  age  of  thirty-five 
years ;  later  in  life  the  father  removed  to  the 
vicinity  of  Artesia.  Los  Angeles  county,  and  there 
he  passed  awav  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty- 
eight  years.  He  took  a  keen  interest  in  the  de- 
velonment  of  the  country,  was  a  Republican  in 
politics,  seeking  the  advancement  of  that  part\'s 
principles.  He  had  eight  children,  of  whom  five 
are  still  living. 

J.  E.  Stones  was  but  seven  vears  old  when 
they  finallv  arrived  in  California,  he  but  dimlv 
remembering  the  portion  of  two  years  spent  in 
Ogden,  I'tah,  where  his  father  put  in  a  crop  of 


1458 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


wheat.  In  the  spring  of  1S52  they  arrived  in 
Sacramento,  and  thence  went  to  Amador  county, 
where  the  father  took  up  a  government  claim. 
He  received  his  first  educational  training  in  that 
county,  more  or  less  limited,  and  after  complet- 
ing the  course  of  the  common  schools  in  1857 
he  came  to  San  Bernardino  county,  in  Southern 
California,  where  his  father  had  in  the  meantime 
become  the  owner  of  a  small  ranch.  Mr.  Stones 
remained  at  home  until  he  was  twenty-two  years 
old,  when  he  started  out  for  himself,  ranching 
and  working  in  the  lumber  mills  of  that  section, 
where  he  continued  to  make  his  home  until  1876, 
wlien  he  came  to  Artesia,  Los  Angeles  county, 
rented  land,  and  began  farming  operations.  He 
finally  purchased  twenty  acres  of  land  and  en- 
gaged in  general  farming,  later  purchasing  the 
five  acres  which  constitutes  his  home,  where  he 
carries  on  the  raising  of  poultry  and  also  a  small 
dairy,  which  is  supplied  by  eight  cows.  Through- 
out the  years  he  has  also  been  interested  in  other 
kinds  of  work — well-boring,  the  conduct  of  a 
threshing  machine,  hay  press,  etc. 

In  July,  1870,  Mr.  Stones  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Emily  C.  Bingham,  a  daughter 
of  H.  T.  Bingham,  located  on  Twenty-fifth  street, 
in  Los  Angeles,  and  born  of  this  union  are  the 
follow'ing  children:  Emma,  wife  of  H.  Robin- 
son ;  Mary,  wife  of  Edward  Trapp ;  Ida,  wife 
of  Claude  French ;  Annie,  wife  of  Bert  Hille- 
bert ;  Herbert ;  and  George.  Mr.  Stones  is  iden- 
tified with  the  Fraternal  Aid.  and  his  wife  is  a 
member  of  the  Woodcraft.  He  is  an  independent 
voter,  reserving  the  right  to  cast  his  ballot  for 
the  man  he  considers  best  qualified  for  official 
position.  His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Church,  to  which  he  gives  a  liberal  support. 


ADOLPH  D.  DIAZ.  The  agricultural  inter- 
ests of  Adolph  D.  Diaz  extend  throughout  San 
Bernardino  and  Riverside  counties,  where  his 
name  is  well  known  as  belonging  to  that  of  one 
of  the  upbuilders  and  enterprising  citizens  of 
this  section.  Mr.  Diaz  is  the  representative  of 
one  of  the  old  families  of  Southern  California, 
his  father,  Manuel  Diaz,  being  a  native  of  Cadiz, 
Spain,  where  his  grandfather,  Fernando,  en- 
gaged as  an  extensive  merchant  and  also  had 
large  land  holdings  in  both  Spain  and  Cuba. 
Manuel  Diaz  went  to  Havana,  Cuba,  to  look 
after  his  father's  interests  and  from  that  point 
came  to  Mexico  and  enlisted  in  the  Mexican 
army,  serving  as  paymaster  and  lieutenant.  He 
was  given  a  grant  of  land  known  as  the  San 
Vicente  grant,  in  Lower  California,  and  there 
he  built  up  a  large  farm  and  stock  ranch,  and 
also  owned  the  Santo  Thomas  ranch,  located  on 
the  border.  In  1853  he  commanded  the  soldiers 
that  drove  Walker  out  of  Mexico.     Some  vears 


later  the  Indians  rose  against  the  white  settlers 
and  practically  exterminated  them,  Mr.  Diaz 
being  saved  only  through  his  wife's  ability  to 
speak  the  Indian  language,  and  because  of  their 
paying  of  a  ransom.  He  made  his  escape  to 
San  Diego  with  a  friend  named  Jose  Maria 
Necochea.  On  the  way  Mr.  Diaz  lost  his  horse 
and  the  friend  decided  to  journey  on  alone  and 
not  wait  for  him  to  make  his  way  on  foot,  where- 
upon he  drew  his  revolver  and  killed  Necochea's 
animal,  and  then  together  they  made  the  balance 
of  the  journey  unmounted.  The  wife  brought 
the  family  by  ox-cart  to  San  Diego  and  that  city 
remained  their  home  for  a  time,  finally  remov- 
ing to  San  Jacinto.  About  1859  Mr.  Diaz  lo- 
cated in  San  Timoteo  canon,  wdiere  he  purchased 
the  grant  known  by  this  name,  the  Rofle  brothers 
owning  it  at  that  time,  and  there  he  at  once 
established  a  small  store  and  also  engaged  in  the 
raising  of  stock.  Later  he  lost  by  suit  the  grant 
of  land  he  had  purchased,  but  not  daunted  by  the 
misfortune  he  immediately  purchased  other  prop- 
erty, that  which  is  now  owned  by  his  son — El 
Caiion  San  Timoteo — and  later  obtained  the  title 
to  two  hundred  acres  of  the  valley  land.  Here 
he  engaged  in  a  mercantile  enterprise  and  the 
raising  of  stock,  also  later  entering  the  Diaz 
Springs,  in  the  Moreno  valley.  He  finally  sold 
his  interests  to  the  Van  Luvens,  and  in  1889 
passed  to  his  reward,  being  then  eighty-one  years 
old.  His  wife  was  in  maidenhood  Encarnacion 
Bermudez,  a  native  of  Lower  California,  and  a 
daughter  of  a  prominent  cattleman  of  that  sec- 
tion. Her  death  occurred  January  17,  1906,  of 
her  eight  children,  three  surviving:  Adolph  D.. 
of  this  review ;  Nettie,  Mrs.  Disdier,  of  Los  An- 
geles;  and  Inez.  Mrs.  York,  of  Los  Angeles. 

Adolph  D.  Diaz  was  born  in  Lower  California, 
on  the  Santa  Thomas  ranch,  December  19.  i8.s6, 
and  being  brought  to  California  in  his  child- 
hood received  his  educational  training  in  San 
Bernardino  county,  where  he  was  reared,  and 
at  the  state  normal  school  of  Los  Angeles,  then 
under  the  direction  of  Prof.  I.  M.  Sylva.  Re- 
turning to  San  Bernardino  he  engaged  as  a  clerk 
in  that  place  and  later  was  so  occupied  in  Los 
Angeles.  He  was  next  employed  as  a  manager 
of  a  mercantile  enterprise  in  Julian,  and  later 
superintended  a  branch  store  at  Banner,  San 
Diego  county.  In  1878  in  San  Bernardino  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mattie  Le 
Barr,  a  native  of  northern  California,  and  a 
daughter  of  John  Le  Barr,  a  pioneer  miner  of 
the  state,  of  French  origin ;  he  was  murdered  in 
Phoenix  by  a  man  by  the  name  of  McCloskey, 
who  was  lynched  the  following  morning. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Diaz  removed  to 
Phoenix,  Ariz.,  and  there  engaged  in  business 
until  the  excitement  in  Tombstone  attracted  him 
thither,  after  which  he  soon  engaged  in  mining 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1461 


in  Santa  Rita,  where  he  also  opened  a  general 
merchandise  establishment.  The  Skaget  river 
gold  excitement  in  British  Columbia  attracted 
him  north,  and  after  mining  in  that  location  for 
a  time  he  returned  to  Arizona  and  in  Tucson 
engaged  as  a  clerk  until  he  raised  a  stake,  when 
he  returned  to  San  Bernardino,  there  following 
a  different  line  in  the  management  of  the  Santa 
Fe  stables  and  the  Opera  House  Parlor  for  the 
period  of  seven  or  eight  years.  Finally  dis- 
posing of  these  interests,  he  returned  to  the 
ranch,  until  the  Alaska  excitement  induced  him 
once  more  to  try  his  fortunes  in  a  mining  camp, 
and  accordingly  in  1900  he  took  passage  on  the 
South  Portland,  a  steamer  bound  for  the  frozen 
north.  After  spending  one  year  in  Council  City, 
he,  in  a  partnership  with  a  Mr.  Hansen,  started 
out  to  buy  the  Big  Hurrah  mine ;  during  their 
trip  to  see  it  they  got  lost  and  wandered  for  four 
days  with  nothing  but  salmon  berries  to  eat,  and 
with  never  a  moment  for  rest.  They  finally 
found  their  way  out  and  also  discovered  the  mine 
to  be  absolutely  valueless.  Returning  to  Solo- 
mon by  way  of  the  Solomon  river,  thence  to 
Nome,  they  took  passage  on  the  Oregon,  bound 
for  Seattle',  their  journey  occupying  thirty-seven 
days,  during  which  they  were  shipwrecked  and 
so  nearly  ran  out  of  provisions  that  for  a  time 
but  one  scant  meal  a  day  was  allowed,  until  they 
crossed  the  track  of  the  Empress  of  Japan,  from 
whom  necessary  provisions  were  obtained. 

Upon  his  return  in  1901  Mr.  Diaz  went  to 
Sonora,  Mexico,  and  there  obtained  a  concession 
from  the  Mexican  government  which  will  per- 
mit the  development  of  two  mines  which  he  has 
■  in  his  control.  Upon  the  death  of  his  mother  he 
became  administrator  of  the  estate,  and  has  im- 
self  purchased  the  home  farm,  which  is  devoted 
to  alfalfa,  grain  and  fruits.  In  1906  he  obtained 
a  postoffice  for  this  section,  built  upon  hisprop- 
ertv,  known  as  Diaz,  where  he  is  now  serving  as 
postmaster.  He  is  a  stanch  Republican  polit- 
ically and  seeks  to  advance  the  principles  he  en- 
dorses. 


CHRIS  KREMPEL.  The  opportunities 
for  acquiring  financial  independence  which 
have  brought  large  numbers  of  Germans  to 
America  were  the"  principal  inducements  lead- 
ing to  the  emigration  of  Mr.  Krempel  from 
his  native  land.'"  The  family  to  which  he  be- 
longs is  among  the  oldest  in  the  Rhenish 
provinces,  the  "father,  Tohn  P.,  having  been 
born  in  Rhenish  Prussia,  while  the  mother, 
Susanna  Stocker,  was  born  in  Worms,  in  the 
province  of  Rhein-Hessen.  As  a  brick  manu- 
facturer and  contractor  the  father  attained 
considerable  prominence  in  his  native  land, 
and  died  there  in  1887,  his  wife  following  him 


in  1902.  Of  the  nine  children  born  to  them 
.all  are  living  with  one  exception,  four  sons 
and  four  daughters,  and  of  the  number  only 
two  are  in  America,  Chris  and  John  P.,  the 
latter  an  architect  in  Los  Angeles. 

The  eldest  child  in  the  parental  family,  Chris 
Krempel  was  born  in  Kreuznach,  a  town  and 
watering  place  in  Rhenish  Prussia,  eight  miles 
from  Bingen,  the  date  of  his  birth  being  Oc- 
tober 8,  1857.  His  childhood  and  youth  were 
spent  in  Kreuznach,  where  he  attended  the 
primary  schools  and  later  was  a  pupil  in  the 
gymnasium.  Following  the  custom  which 
prevails  in  Germany  he  was  obliged  to  learn 
a  trade,  but  instead'  of  taking  up  his  father's 
trade,  as  is  very  often  the  case,  he  appren- 
ticed himself  to  a  banker,  and  for  three  years 
was  associated  with  the  firm  of  Beckhardt  & 
Sons.  His  apprenticeship  over,  he  became  a 
member  of  Company  3,  Eightieth  Regular 
Army,  and  served  for  three  years,  thus  ful- 
filling another  obligation  which  the  strict 
laws  of  his  native  country  lays  upon  her  citi- 
zens. When  he  was  once  more  free  to  en- 
gage in  commercial  life,  for  which  he  had  pe- 
culiar adaptation,  he  entered  the  employ  of  a 
fruit  and  grain  firm,  and  from  1880  to  1883 
gave  praiseworthy  and  conscientious  service 
to  his  employers.  To  a  young  man  of  ]\Ir. 
Krempel's  ambitious  temperament  the  in- 
ducements offered  in  America  far  outstripped 
those  which  his  own  country  had  to  ofTer,  and 
he  determined  to  take  advantage  of  them. 
Suiting  the  action  to  the  word  he  debarked 
from  Hamburg,  Germany,  in  1883,  and  in  due 
time  cast  anchor  in  the  port  of  New  York. 
Coming  at  once  to  Los  Angeles,  he  soon  found 
a  position  as  bookkeeper,  and  served  in  this 
capacity  with  various  firms,  in  the  mean  time 
learning  the  language  of  his  adopted  country 
and  familiarizing  himself  with  both  her  busi- 
ness and  social  customs. 

It  was  a  fortunate  step  in  the  life  of  Mr. 
Krempel  when  he  accepted  the  position  of- 
fered him  with  the  Maier  &  Zobelein  Brewing 
Company,  and  during  the  twelve  years  which 
he  represented  them  as  salesman  and  collector 
he  not  only  rendered  valuable  services  to  his 
employer,  but  acquired  a  business  training 
which  was  of  inestimable  value  to  him  in  later 
years.  Filled  with  the  conviction  that  he 
was  capable  of  managing  a  business  of  his 
own,  in  1902  he  bought  out  the  business  and 
good-will  of  the  San  Pedro  Wholesale  Com- 
pany, an  enterprise  founded  by  M.  W.  Til- 
ton,  from  whom  he  purchased  the  stock.  With 
himself  as  president  and  Richard  Mahar  as 
secretary  and  treasurer  business  has  since 
been  carried  on  under  the  old  name.  Besides 
dealing  in  wholesale  wines,  liquors  and  cigars, 


1462 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  company  manufacture  sodas,  seltzer,  syrups 
and  cordials,  and  are  sole  agents  for  the  Union 
Ice  Company,  IMaier  &  Zobelein,  and  John 
'  Wieland,  and  handle  all  kinds  of.  eastern  beer. 
In  Los  Angeles,  October  i6,  1886,  Mr. 
Krempel  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Anna  Bauermann,  who  like  himself  was  a  na- 
tive of  Kreuznach,  Rhenish  Prussia,  Ger- 
many. Since  becoming  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States  ]\Ir.  Krempel  has  studied  the  political 
platforms  of  the  two  great  parties  and  now 
gives  his  allegiance  to  the  Democracy.  While 
in  Los  Angeles  he  was  made  a  Mason  in  Los 
Angeles  Lodge  No.  42,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  he 
also  belongs  to  the  Red  Men  and  the  Sons  of 
Herman  of  that  city,  and  the  Eagles  of  San 
Pedro.  Socially  he  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Turner  Society,  and  he  is  also  identified  with 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  San  Pedro. 
When  it  is  considered  that  he  came  to  Ameri- 
ca less  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago  with- 
out friends  or  capital  the  success  with  which 
he  has  since  been  blessed  bespeaks  an  intel- 
ligent mind,  a  determined  will  and  a  persever- 
ing disposition,  and  it  is  largely  to  these  at- 
tributes that  his  present  standing  is  due. 


EDWARD  W.  DURANT.  One  of  the  old- 
est settlers  in  Riverside  county  is  Edward  W. 
Durant,  who  is  located  on  a  twenty-acre  ranch, 
seven  acres  of  which  is  devoted  to  a  peach  or- 
chard, four  acres  to  alfalfa,  and  the  remainder 
being  planted  to  potatoes  and  garden  vegetables. 
He  was  born  May  19,  1857,  in  Darke  county, 
Ohio,  the  son  of  E.  W.  and  Susanna  (Cook) 
Durant,  the  father  being  a  native  of  Mississippi 
and  the  mother  of  West  ^''irginia.  In  early  life 
the  parents  removed  to  Ohio,  and  later,  in  1884, 
came  to  California,  buying  a  ranch  near  Los  An- 
geles, on  which  they  lived  for  two  years.  In 
1886  Mr.  Durant  sold  the  place  and  removed  to 
the  San  Jacinto  valley  and  the  raw  land  which  he 
bought  and  cleared  was  the  first  piece  improved 
on  the  Mesa.  In  1887  he  was  hooked  by  a  cow 
and  from  the  injuries  received  died  October  11 
following,  at  the  age  of  fifty-seven  years. 

The  education  of  Edward  \\\  Durant  was  re- 
ceived in  Ohio,  and  he  came  with  his  parents  to 
California  and  lived  with  them  until  the  death  of 
the  father,  when  he  took  charge  of  the  home 
place.  He  had  two  brothers.  Blakely.  a  resident 
of  Riverside  county,  and  Sumner,  who  died  in 
Ohio,  in  1888.  at  the  age  of  twenty-six  years.  Mr. 
Durant  was  married  in  August,  1893,  to  Angle 
Swope.  who  was  born  in  Indiana,  and  they  have 
one  child,  Mary  Fred,  aged  twelve  vears.  Mrs. 
Durant  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church.  Po- 
liticallv  Mr.  Durant  is  a  strong  believer  in   the 


principles  embraced  in  the  platform  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  and  he  is  now  serving  the  public 
as  fruit  inspector  of  the  third  supervisoral  dis- 
trict in  which  he  lives.  He  is  a  man  of  good 
business  ability  and  progressive  public  spirit 
and  is  interested  in  all  matters  tending  toward 
the  upbuilding  of  the  community  in  which  he  re- 
sides, and  where  he  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem 
bv  all  who  know  him. 


THOMAS  A.  FREEMAN.  Though  a  re- 
cent acquisition  to  the  list  of  land-owners  in 
the  northern  part  of  San  Diego  county,  Mr. 
Freeman  is  by  no  means  a  newcomer  in  this 
part  of  the  state ;  on  the  other  hand,  almost 
the  entire  period  of  his  active  life  has  been 
passed  within  the  limits  of  the  county  where 
he  now  resides,  and  he  has  a  large  circle  of 
acquaintances  among  its  miners,  ranchers  and 
business  men.  It  was  during  the  year  1904 
that  he  bought  the  ranch  of  eighty  acres  near 
Bonsall  and  established  his  home  on  the  prop- 
erty', which  has  since  been  increased  to  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres.  The  improvement 
of  the  ranch  is  now  engaging  his  attention.  It 
is  his  ambition  to  briiig  the  tract  into  a  condi- 
tion where  it  will  compare  favorably  with  the 
best  ranches  of  this  locality,  and  he  is  spar- 
ing no  pains  in  an  effort  to  attain  that  result. 

The  Freeman  family  is  of  southern  extrac- 
tion, and  Mr.  Freeman  is  a  Texan  by  nativity, 
born  in  Collin  county  Jul}-  20,  1865,  his  par- 
ents being  Alfred  and  Amelia  (Freeman) 
Freeman,  both  natives  of  jNIissouri.  His  fa- 
tiier  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade  and  during  the 
entire  period  of  the  Civil  war  was  engaged  in 
shoeing-  horses  for  the  cavalry  regiments.  Af- 
terward he  returned  to  the  same  occupation 
under  the  more  favorable  environment  of 
peace,  and  for  ten  years  he  remained  in  the 
south  laboring  with  diligence  and  skill  in  his 
little  shop.  Removing  to  California  in  1875 
he  settled  at  San  Luis  Rey,  San  Diego  county, 
and  opened  a  shop,  which  he  conducted  as 
long  as  his  health  and  strength  permitted 
manual  toil.  Since  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  iqoi,  his  widow  was  made  her  home  near 
A'ista,  San  Diego  count}-. 

^^^^en  the  family  came  to  California  Thom- 
as A.  Freeman  was  a  boy  of  ten  years,  active, 
robust,  energetic  and  capable,  a  willing  help- 
er in  the  shop  and  the  home.  Though  he  did 
not  receive  superior  educational  advantages, 
yet  he  was  sent  to  the  San  Luis  Rey  schools 
and  gained  a  thorough  knowdedge  of  the  com- 
mon branches.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  years 
he  began  to  earn  his  livelihood  as  a  farm  hand 
and  for  a  long  period  he  worked  by  the  month 
on   ranches,      ^^'ith   the   monev   earned   bv   his 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RiaORl). 


1463 


industry  and  saved  by  his  economy  he  in- 
vested in  the  property  which  he  now  owns. 
For  some  time  he  has  been  interested  in  min- 
ing, and  in  1904  located  the  Mountain  Belle 
mine,  a  very  profitable  proposition,  in  which 
he  owns  one-half  interest,  and  Godfrey  G. 
Thatcher  owns  the  remaining  one-half.  In 
addition  he  owns  interests  in  about  eight  other 
claims,  almost  all  of  which  give  promise  of 
large  returns  upon  their  development. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Freeman  took  place  at 
San  Luis  Rey  in  1881  and  united  him  with 
Miss  Nola  Gooden,  a  native  of  Texas.  Seven 
children  bless  their  union,  namely:  Clarence, 
Edward,  Asa,  Rupert,  Verna,  Evelina  and 
Pearl.  The  family  are  identified  with  the 
Christian  Church  and  Air.  Freeman  is  a  regu- 
lar contributor  to  its  current  expense  fund 
and  to  its  missionary  interests  and  charities. 
Though  he  has  never  connected  himself  with 
any  party  and  votes  independently,  this  is  not 
the  result  of  indifiference  to  the  problems  faced 
by  our  government  nor  does  it  indicate  ne- 
glect of  duty  as  a  citizen ;  with  him  indepen- 
dent thought  is  the  result  of  his  mental  at- 
tributes and  where  parties  show  weaknesses 
and  a  desire  to  divide  the  spoils  his  lack  of 
sympathy  with  their  failings  throws  him  into 
the  camp  of  the  independents.  With  the  over- 
sight of  his  mining  claims  and  the  improve- 
ment of  his  land  he  finds  little  leisure  for  par- 
ticipation in  public  afi^airs,  nor  do  his  tastes 
incline  in  that  direction.  Of  a  domestic  na- 
ture, he  enjoys  the  society  of  wife  and  chil- 
dren, and  is  happiest  when  occupied  with  pro- 
moting their  welfare.  Since  he  came  to  his 
present  farm  nsar  Bonsall  he  has  made  need- 
ed improvements,  has  secured  an  equipment 
of  stock  and  machinery,  has  established  a 
colony  of  bees  of  seventeen  stands,  and  has 
shown  an  interest  in  every  department  of  ag- 
riculture. 


JACOB  WATSON.  The  earliest  recollec- 
tions of  this  native  son  of  California  are  asso- 
ciated with  the  stirring  scenes  of  pioneer  days. 
His  father,  Henry,  a  Virginian  by  birth  and 
in  early  life  a  teamster  engaged  in  the  Santa 
Fe  trade,  came  to  California  in  1849  ^s  cap- 
tain of  a  train  of  three  hundred  wagons  drawn 
by  oxen  and  occupied  by  hundreds  of  emi- 
grants seeking  the  El  Dorado  of  their  dreams. 
After  the  arduous  journey  had  reached  a 
peaceful  termination  he  engaged  in  teaming 
to  the  mines,  and  while  he  and  his  wife,  Ma- 
thilda (Cox)  Watson,  a  native  of  Missouri, 
were  making  their  home  at  the  mines  on  the 
Feather  river  their  son,  Jacob,  was  born  De- 
cember   19.    1850.        After   a   time   the    family 


settled  on  a  tract  of  raw  land  on  the  San  Joa- 
quin river  and  for  some  years  Watson's  terry 
was  the  popular  mode  of  crossing  that  river 
by  emigrants  and  farmers. 

In  addition  to  general  farming  and  the  rais- 
ing of  sheep,  Henry  Watson  also  at  one  time 
was  interested  in  the  milling  business.  Dur- 
mg  the  year  1869  he  removed  to  Olive,  now  in 
Orange  county,  and  there  he  bought  a  large 
tract  of  land  and  bought,  bred  and  sold  sheep. 
With  the  incoming  ot  settlers  the  sheep  busi- 
ness ceased  to  be  as  profitable  as  when  the 
ranges  were  unlimited  in  extent,  and  he  then 
concentrated  his  attention  upon  general  farm- 
ing. Surviving  to  the  age  of  eighty-six  years, 
he  peacefully  passed  away  after  a  strenuous 
life,  and  his  wife,  who  lived  to  be  fifty,  also 
tlied  at  their  Olive  homestead.  Both  were 
faithful  members  of  the  Christian  Church. 
They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of 
whom  six  still  survive,  Jacob  being  next  to 
the  youngest  and  the  only  one  to  settle  in  San 
Diego  county.  Reared  on  the  San  Joaquin 
river  near  the  present  site  of  Fresno,  he  at- 
tended the  common  schools  of  Fresno  and 
Monterey  counties,  and  also  for  a  short  time 
after  coming  to  southern  California  he  stud- 
ied in  the  schools  of  what  was  then  Los  An- 
geles  county. 

After  having  gained  a  thorough  practical 
knowledge  of  agriculture  through  helping  his 
father  on  the  home  farm,  in  1876  Jacob  Wat- 
son came  to  the  San  Luis  Rey  valley  and 
purchased  from  O.  H.  Borden  the  land  which 
since  has  been  the  center  of  his  activities.  On 
the  knoll  he  built  a  farm  house  which  is  the 
home  of  his  family  and  which  commands  an 
attractive  view  of  the  surrounding  countr}\ 
The  ranch  comprises  three  hundred  and  twen- 
ty acres,  all  of  which  may  be  irrigated  as 
needed.  In  former  years  the  raising  of  sheep 
was  the  owner's  principal  occupation,  but 
more  recently  he  has  given  his  attention  to 
stock  and  has  made  a  specialty  of  the  dairy 
business.  The  property  lies  five  and  one-haff 
miles  from  Oceanside  on  the  Southern  Cali- 
fornia Railroad  and  is  adjacent  to  the  village 
of  San  Luis  Rey,  memorable  in  the  early  his- 
tory of  the  state.  Besides  his  important  farm 
and  dairy  activities,  Mr.  Watson  is  a  director 
and  stockholder  in  the  San  Luis  Creamery 
Company  and  has  the  office  of  president  in 
the  San  Luis  Rey  Irrigating  Company,  in  ad- 
dition to  which  he  gives  his  influence  and  sup- 
port to  other  enterprises  for  the  upbuilding  of 
his  communit}.  Religious  movements  have 
felt  the  impetus  of  his  encouraging  aid,  and 
he  has  been  particularly  active  in  the  work 
of  the  San  Luis  Rey  Christian  Church,  in 
which    he   is  a   leading  member.     Though   he 


1464 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


has  never  been  a  leader  in  politics  and  has  not 
solicited  official  honors,  he  has  always  been 
stanch  in  his  support  of  the  Democratic  party. 
The  marriage  of  Mr.  Watson  took  place  at 
Olive,  this  state,  and  united  him  with  JNIiss 
Ellen  J.  Borden,  a  native  of  Alissouri,  and  a 
daughter  of  O.  H.  Borden,  who  was  a  pio- 
neer of  the  San  Luis  Rey  valley,  but  now  re- 
sides at  Lakeside,  San  Diego  county.  The 
family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Watson  consists  of 
four  children  now  living,  and  in  addition  they 
lost  a  daughter,  Laura,  at  the  age  of  four 
years.  The  daughters  now  living  are  Mrs. 
Clara  L.  Woodruff  and  Flora  May,  Mrs. 
Charles  Libby,  both  residing  in  the  San  Luis 
Rey  valley.  The  sons,  Roy  and  Percy,  are 
assisting  their  father  in  the  management  of 
the  home  ranch. 


CHARLES  J.  BARNES  was  born  in  Smith- 
field,  R.  I.,  the  youngest  child  of  James  A.  and 
Abby  N.  (Bishop)  Barnes,  and  was  educated 
in  the  schools  of  East  Providence,  R.  I.  From 
his  youth  he  gave  much  time  to  the  piano  and 
then  spent  three  years  abroad  studying  at  the 
Royal  Conservatory  of  Music  in  Leipsic.  On 
his  return  to  the  United  States  he  located  in 
Chicago  and  later  attended  the  Massachuetts  In- 
stitute of  Technology,  where  he  made  a  specialty 
of  the  study  of  chemistry.  Desiring  to  engage 
in  horticulture  he  came  to  Redlands  in  1897, 
where  he  has  become  much  interested  in  orange 
culture.  He  now  owns  forty  acres  in  Bryn 
Mawr,  of  which  twenty  acres  are  in  oranges. 
The  residence  and  place  are  well  improved  and 
modern  in  every  way.  It  is  located  on  a  gentle 
slope  with  a  most  magnificent  view  of  the  valley 
and  mountains  and  is  sufficiently  high  to  be  frost- 
less,  which  fact  is  illustrated  by  tomato  vines 
growing  the  year  around.  Mrs.  Barnes  was 
Miss  Jean  M.  Brophy,  of  Chicago,  and  they  have 
two  children,  Florence  and  Charles  J.,  Jr.  Mr. 
Barnes  is  an  active  member  of  the  First  Congre- 
gational Church  of  Redlands,  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Trade,  and  takes  an  active  part  and 
gives  liberally  of  his  means  toward  enterprises 
that  are  launched  with  a  view  to  promoting  the 
welfar  of  Redlands  and  its  people. 


ANTHONY  J.  HAPPE.  The  proprietor  of 
the  Pony  Stables  of  Redlands  is  one  of  the  en- 
terprising and  progressive  citizens  of  the  place, 
and  as  such  he  has  added  no  little  impetus  to  the 
advancement  of  the  general  welfare.  Mr.  Happe 
is  a  native  of  Germany,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred in  Westphalia,  September  17,  1876;  his 
father,  Anthony  Happe,  brought  the  family  to 
America   in    1880  and  located    them    at    Little 


Rock,  Ark.,  where  he  engaged  as  a  farmer  for 
the  period  of  seven  years,  at  the  expiration  of 
that  time  coming  to  Southern  California  and 
spending  the  ensuing  two  years  in  San  Bernar- 
dino county.  In  1890  he  went  to  Perris,  River- 
side county,  and  there  improved  a  farm,  in  con- 
nection with  which  he  followed  quartz  mining. 
He  is  now  about  sixty-three  years  of  age,  re- 
taining health  and  mental  faculties.  While  a 
member  of  the  Fatherland  he  served  in  the  Fran- 
co-Prussian war  and  was  severely  wounded.  He 
is  one  of  the  respected  citizens  of  Riverside 
county  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  devel- 
opments of  the  community,  being  especially  ac- 
tive along  educational  lines.  His  wife,  former- 
ly Annie  Hunstich,  a  native  of  Germany,  is  also 
living.  They  are  the  parents  of  seven  chil- 
dren of  whom  six  are  living. 

Anthony  J.  Happe  is  the  third  child  in  the 
family  of  his  parents,  and  was  but  four  years 
old  when  the  journey  was  made  to  America,  and 
eleven  when  he  came  to  California.  In  this  state 
he  received  his  education  through  the  medium 
of  the  public  schools,  after  which  he  remained  at 
home  and  assisted  on  the  paternal  farm.  In 
February,  1896,  he  located  permanently  in  Red- 
lands  where  he  had  spent  a  portion  of  every 
year  since  1888,  and  here  engaged  as  a  horticult- 
urist, each  adding  to  his  interests  until  he  was 
cultivating  a  large  acreage.  In  conjunction  with 
J.  H.  Garretson  he  purchased  in  1902  the  pony 
stables  owned  by  J.  T.  Bennett,  which  was  then 
but  a  small  enterprise.  This  he  continued  to 
enlarge  from  time  to  time  until  in  May,  1905, 
he  moved  into  new  and  more  commodious  quar- 
ters at  the  corner  of  East  State  and  Sixth  streets, 
a  brick  building  80x120  feet  in  dimensions,  where 
he  has  a  capacity  for  fifty  head  of  horses.  He 
also  carries  on  a  livery,  feed  and  transfer  com- 
pany, the  latter  meeting  all  trains,  and  in  all 
these  various  lines  he  has  met  with  deserved  suc- 
cess. In  1906  he  became  sole  owner  of  the  en- 
terprise, purchasing  his  partner's  interest  and 
has  since  conducted  it  independently.  His  meth- 
ods of  conducting  his  business  have  won  for 
him  the  esteem  and  respect  of  all  with  whom  he 
has  had  business  dealings. 

In  Redlands  Mr.  Happe  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  !Miss  Carrie  Gessmann,  a  native  of 
Iowa,  and  their  home  is  now  located  in  this  city. 
Mr.  Happe  is  interested  in  the  Redlands  Driv- 
ing Association,  which  was  formed  for  the  pur- 
pose of  caring  for  the  tourist  trade  which  comes 
to  the  city  annually,  providing  carriages  for  their 
accommodation.  In  his  fraternal  relations  Mr. 
Happe  is  identified  with  the  Odd  Fellows  here 
and  also  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  and  active  in 
his  efforts  to  advance  the  general  welfare  of  the 
city. 


A-oU-kji^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1467 


JACOB  MILLER.  After  twenty-four  years 
of  successful  ranch  life  Mr.  Miller  has  retired 
from  the  active  duties  which  once  engaged  his 
attention,  contentment  and  the  joy  of  living  in 
this  favored  country  being  enhanced  by  the 
fact  that  the  wife  of  his  youth  is  also  spared  to 
share  the  benefits  and  luxuries  which  have 
been  made  possible  as  much  by  her  assistance 
and  co-operation  as  by  his  exertions.  When 
he  came  to  Los  Angeles  county  in  1869,  and 
purchased  the  tract  of  sixty  acres  to  which  he 
brought  his  famih',  Indians  had  but  recently 
left  the  region.  Bare  spots  in  the  cacti  showed 
where  their  tents  had  been  pitched,  and  their 
fireplaces  and  cooking  utensils  were  scattered 
about  the  fields.  Many  curious  Indian  relics 
have  been  unearthed  during  the  man}'  years 
that  l\Ir.  Miller  has  made  his  home  here,  these 
now  being  the  property'  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  and  on  exhibition  in  their  rooms. 
It  was  under  the  foregoing  conditions  that  Mr. 
Miller  settled  on  his  ranch  in  Miller's  caiion,  as 
it  Avas  called,  and  undertook  to  cultivate  what 
up  to, this  time  had  been  a  cactus  field.  His 
first  improvement  was  the  erection  of  a  small 
house  18x20  feet.  From  j^ear  to  year  as  his 
means  would  permit  he  made  additions  to  the 
original  structure  until  he  now  has  a  very 
comfortable  and  attractive  home.  The  city  of 
Hollywood  has  practically  grown  up  around 
him,  and  as  a  consequence  his  property  has  be- 
come very  valuable.  Recently  he  disposed  of 
twenty-three  acres  to  a  realt}^  company,  he  still 
owning  thirt}--seven  acres  for  his  own  use. 
This  is  located  on  the  west  side  of  the  canon, 
besides  which  he  owns  three  acres  on  the  east 
side. 

A  native  of  the  Fatherland,  Jacob  Miller 
was  born  in  one  of  the  Rhine  provinces  August 
5,  1833,  and  Vi'as  educated  in  native  schools 
until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age.  Leaving 
home  and  parents  at  this  tender  age  he  set  sail 
for  the  new  world  on  an  old-fashioned  sailing 
vessel  which  dropped  anchor  at  New  Orleans 
forty-seven  days  later.  From  New  Orleans  he 
Vv'ent  up  the  ^lississippi  river  to  St.  Louis, 
where  for  aboiit  four  years  he  was  employed 
in  a  marble  sliop.  While  in  his  native  coun- 
try he  had  devoted  two  years  to  learning  the 
marble  business,  and  for  two  years  during  the 
time  he  was  employed  in  St.  Louis  he  contin- 
ued his  studies  along  this  line,  thus  complet- 
ing the  course  which  made  him  a  full-fledged 
marble-cutter.  For  one  year  following  this  he 
worked  at  his  trade  in  Nashville,  Tenn.  The 
year  1852  again  found  liim  in  New  Orleans, 
whither  he  had  gone  to  set  sail  for  California. 
The  dawning  of  the  New  Year,  1853,  found 
him  on  the  Isthmus,  and  also  on  the  very  sum- 
mit which   todav  is  being  cut   for    the    canal 


which  is  to  connect  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific 
oceans.  While  there  he  cut  his  name  and 
New  Year's  greetings  upon  a  tree.  In  com- 
pany with  several  others  he  was  rowed  up  the 
Chagres  river  by  natives  as  far  as  Gorgona, 
where  the  crew  became  intoxicated  and  were 
no  longer  responsible  or  safe  companions. 
From  Gorgona  to  Panama  they  made  the  trip 
on  foot,  a  very  dangerous  undertaking  for 
any  one,  much  more  so  for  those  with  no 
knowledge  of  the  country  whatever.  However, 
Ihey  arrived  in  safety  and  debarked  on  a  ves- 
sel bound  for  San  Francisco,  arriving  in  Jan- 
uary, 1853.  From  there  i\Ir.  Miller  went  to 
Mariposa  county  and  took  up  several  mining 
claims  which  he  worked  alone  for  three  j^ears, 
when,  in  1856,  with  a  few  companions,  he  went 
into  the  Yosemite  valley,  they  being  the  first 
white  men  to  pass  over  the  new  trail  from 
Mariposa  to  that  country.  His  companions 
became  fearful  of  the  dusky  neighbors  who 
surrounded  them  and  left  for  safer  quarters. 
For  four  days  Mr.  Miller  remained  alone  with 
a  large  tribe  of  Indians,  whose  confidence  he 
gained  and  consequently  he  was  not  molested. 
His  mining  venture  in  the  valley  proved  an  es- 
pecially fortunate  one,  and  he  remained  there 
until  1869,  when  he  came  to  Los  Angeles  and 
established  the  pioneer  marble  works  in  the 
city.  In  the  interests  of  his  business  he  trav- 
eled over  the  hills  between  Los  Angeles  and 
San  Bernardino  and  in  so  doing  learned  of  the 
rich  quarry  at  Lytic  creek.  Besides  opening  a 
quarry  at  the  latter  place  he  also  opened  one 
on  the  Slova  mountains,  and  some  of  the  mar- 
ble which  he  quarried  from  these  places  may 
still  be  seen  in  the  cemetery  at  Los  Angeles. 
Subsequently  lie  discontinued  working  the 
quarries  on  account  of  the  heavy  expense  at- 
tached to  it.  After  twelve  years  of  successful 
business  life  in  Los  Angeles  j\lr.  Miller  sold 
his  business  and  good  will  and  came  to  Holly- 
wood, with  v.'.hich  city  his  name  has  been  iden- 
tified for  the  past  twenty-four  years. 

In  Los  .\ngeles.  Cal.,  in  October,  1878.  Ja- 
cob AHller  was  married  to  Dorothea  Grelck, 
who  like  himself  was  born  in  Germany.  She 
has  been  a  resident  of  the  United  States  ever 
since  her  twenty-fifth  year.  Six  children  have 
been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  ^Filler,  as  follows: 
Emma,  Mrs.  Otto  Glardy.  of  Los  Angeles: 
Elise,  Mrs.  Lvman  F.  Hathaway,  a  resident  of 
Hollvwood :  Tlieressa,  who  for  two  years 
taught  school  in  Hollywood  and  in  August, 
190(1,  entered  .Stanford  University  to  complete 
her  education ;  and  Dora,  \\'iHiam  .\.,  and 
Edith,  the  three  last  mentioned  at  home 
with  their  parents.  Until  recently  Mr.  Miller 
was  a  member  of  the  school  bo^rd  of  Hollv- 
wood, to  which   he  gave  faithful   service  for 


1468 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


thirteen  years.  While  in  Los  Angeles  he 
joined  the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters,  but 
of  late  years  he  has  not  been  as  active  in  the 
ranks  of  the  order  as  formerly.  Although  he 
is  not  a  member  of  any  church,  he  gives  liber- 
ally toward  the  support  of  all  denominations, 
and  has  the  good-Yv^ill  and  veneration  of  all 
who  have  lived  and  labored  with  him  in  Hol- 
lywood for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century. 


DOLORES  M.  VEJAR.  A  skillful,  intelli- 
gent and  capable  ranchman,  the  late  Dolores  M. 
Vejar  was  actively  associated  with  the  advance- 
ment of  the  agricultural  prosperity  of  Los  An- 
geles county,  owning  large  tracts  of  land,  which 
he  managed  successfully.  In  his  boyhood  days 
the  now  attractive  city  of  Los  Angeles,  in  which 
he  spent  many  years,  was  very  sparsely  settled, 
the  only  residences  being  the  adobe  houses  of  the 
early  settlers.  He  was  of  Spanish  descent,  and 
was  born,  June  22,  1845,  in  Los  Angeles,  a  son  of 
John   Christopher  Vejar. 

Coming  from  Spain,  his  native  country,  to  Cal- 
ifornia, John  Christopher  Vejar  served  as  a  sol- 
dier in  the  Spanish  army,  after  which  he  received 
as  a  grant  Cone  jo  rancho,  a  tract  of  one  thousand 
six  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Ventura  county. 
He  also  owned  extensive  and  valuable  interests 
in  Los  Angeles,  which  city  he  made  his  home  for 
a  number  of  years.  He  engaged  extensively  in 
stock  raising  in  the  Ventura  locality,  although 
resident  in  Los  Angeles,  where  he  was  a  man  of 
distinction,  having  served  as  councilman  and  as 
mayor.  He  was  a  man  of  wealth,  at  the  time  of 
his  death  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years,  leaving 
a  handsome  property  to  his  family.  He  married 
Marv  Grace  Reyes,  the  descendant  of  a  promi- 
nent Spanish  family.  She  was  born  in  Los  An- 
geles, and  died,  at  the  venerable  age  of  eighty- 
six  years,  in  that  city. 

Educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Los  Angeles, 
Dolorgs  M.  Vejar  learned  much  of  the  various 
branches  of  agriculture  while  young,  and  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years  acquired  bv  inheritance 
the  old  Vejar  ranch,  lying  between  Los  Angeles 
and  Ventura,  and  containing  six  hundred  and 
thirty-five  acres  of  land.  He  followed  stock 
raising  during  his  life,  but  a  number  of  years 
asro  moved  into  Los  Ansreles  in  order  to  give  his 
children  better  educational  advantages,  buying 
the  ranch  now  owned  and  occupied  by  his  widow 
and  children.  In  addition  to  this  ranch  of  thirtv 
acres,  Mr.  Vejar  also  owned  two  hundred  an'd 
forty-five  feet  of  land  on  Flower  street.  Los  An- 
geles, a  valuable  residential  property.  He  was 
very  active  and  enterprising,  and  in  addition  to 
operating  both  of  his  ranches  he  rented  large 
tracts  of  land,  and  was  successfully  engaged  in 


general  ranching  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
March  22,  1904,  after  a  brief  illness  of  only  two 
weeks. 

In  1883  Mr.  Vejar  married  Mary  E.  Goss, 
who  was  born,  June  22,  1855,  in  Onetis,  Mari- 
posa county,  this  state,  a  daughter  of  Willis  G. 
Goss.  A  native  of  Georgia,  Mr.  Goss  came  over- 
land with  ox-teams  to  California  in  1852,  settling 
as  a  miner  in  Mariposa  county,  where  he  resided, 
an  honored  and  influential  citizen,  until  his  death, 
at  the  a,ge  of  si.xty-two  years.  His  wife,  Eliza- 
beth Petty,  was  born  in  Texas,  and  came  across 
the  plains  with  her  father  in  1852,  in  the  same 
train  with  her  future  husband,  Willis  G.  Goss. 
Mr.  Goss  died  March  19,  1870,  and  his  widow 
then  removed  to  Los  Angeles,  where  she  spent 
the  remainder  of  her  life,  passing  away  at  the 
age  of  thirty-nine  years.  Of  the  union  of  I\Ir. 
and  Mrs.  Vejar  seven  children  were  born, 
namely:  Theodore  J.,  Beatrice  E.,  j\lary  Grace, 
Victoria  G.,  Annie  Ray,  Dolores  R.  and  Rudolph 
G.  Vejar.     All  living  at  home. 


ELGAR  REED,  M.  D.  A  successful  expo- 
nent of  the  medical  profession  is  named  in  the 
person  of  Elgar  Reed,  who  has  been  located  in 
El  Monte  since  1893,  and  has  built  up  an  exten- 
sive practice.  He  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  the  vicinitv  of  Cincinnati, 
December  13,  1865 ;  his  father,  Garrett  R.  Reed, 
was  born  in  1827  in  Franklin,  Ohio,  while  his 
grandfather,  Gilbert,  was  born  in  New  Jersey 
in  1796  and  became  a  pioneer  settler  of  Ohio, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  until  his  death. 
He  came  of  fine  old  eastern  stock,  being  related 
to  the  A'an  Shaicks  and  also  to  George  Read,  the 
signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  the 
spelling  of  the  name  being  changed  by  himself. 
Garrett  R.  Reed  attained  years  of  maturity  in 
Ohio,  where  he  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade, 
after  which  he  settled  in  Iowa  at  an  early  date  in 
the  history  of  the  state,  and  in  Louisa  county 
engaged  as  a  farmer  and  blacksmith.  Later  he 
engaged  in  the  hardware  business  for  a  time, 
finally  removing  to  Carmi,  .111.,  where  he  became 
a  lumber  manufacturer.  In  1882  he  made  a 
trip  to  Southern  California  and  spent  some  time 
in  Los  Angeles,  but  returned  to  Carmi  because 
of  his  business  interests  and  remained  there 
seven  years.  In  Los  Angeles,  where  his  death 
occurred  in  1904,  he  was  interested  in  the  Los 
Angeles  Box  Comnanv.  He  is  survived  by  his 
wife,  formerly  Elizabeth  ^^'eller,  a  native  of 
Ohio.  Her  father,  Tobias  Weller,  was  born  in 
Preble  county,  Ohio,  in  1801,  and  in  manhood 
engaged  as  a  fanner  in  that  state  until  1875, 
when  he  came  to  Los  Angeles  and  purchased  a 
ranch  upon  which  he  made  his  home  until  his 
death  in  1892,  when  nearly  ninety-one  years  old. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1469 


Mrs.  Reed  makes  her  home  in  Los  Angeles,  and 
is  the  mother  of  two  sons  and  one  daughter. 

Elgar  Reed  was  the  youngest  in  the  family 
and  was  reared  in  the  states  of  Iowa,  Illinois  and 
California,  his  preliminary  education  being  re- 
ceived in  the  schools  of  the  two  former  states 
before  his  removal  to  Los  Angeles.  In  this  city, 
in  1884,  he  entered  the  preparatory  department 
of  the  University  of  Southern  California  and 
graduated  therefrom  in  1890  with  the  degree  of 
B.  S.,  later  receiving  the  degree  of  M.  S.  In  the 
same  year  he  returned  to  Ohio  and  entered  the 
Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery, 
from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in 
1893  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  He  at  once  lo- 
cated in  El  Monte  and  began  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  which  has  since  absorbed  his  entire 
time  and  attention.  He  has  built  up  an  extensive 
practice  and  is  looked  upon  as  a  physician  of 
unusual  ability,  whose  most  conscientious  efforts 
are  given  wherever  his  services  are  required. 

In  Los  Angeles  Dr.  Reed  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  Sawyer,  who  was  born  in  Colorado.  Dr. 
Reed  is  prominent  in  fraternal  associations,  hav- 
ing been  made  a  Mason  in  Lexington  Lodge  No. 
104,  of  El  Monte,  and  is  also  associated  with  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  the  Independent 
Order  of  Foresters,  Fraternal  Brotherhood  and 
the  Modern  Brotherhood.  Politically  he  casts 
his  ballot  for  Republican  candidates. 


CHARLES  POWERS.  A  citizen  of  worth 
and  ability  is  Charles  Powers,  who  first  saw  San 
Pedro  in  1880,  and  has  witnessed  much  of  the 
growth  and  development  which  have  marked  the 
city's  history.  Mr.  Powers  is  a  native  of  Sweden, 
his  birth  having  occurred  at  Oskersham  Septem- 
ber 19,  1863.  His  father,  Olander  Powers,  .also 
a  native  of  Sweden,  spent  his  entire  life  in  that 
country  with  the  exception  of  a  short  time  in 
Chicago,  III,  where  he  located  in  the  early  days 
of  that  city.  Of  the  five  children  born  to  his 
parents  Charles  Powers  is  the  only  one  in  Amer- 
ica, and  his  residence  here  is  probably  due  to  the 
fact  that  his  travels  as  a  seaman  brought  him 
to  the  Pacific  shores  of  this  country.  From 
boyhood  he  followed  the  sea,  becoming  cabin 
boy  and  in  time  a  sailor  before  the  mast.  In 
1879  he  shipped  on  the  McMillan  of  Glasgow, 
rounding  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  and  in  Sep- 
tember of  the  same  year  touching  at  the  port  of 
San  Diego,  Cal.  He  disembarked  and  for  a  few 
montlis  remained  in  that  location.  In  January 
of  the  following  year  he  came  to  Los  Angeles 
county  and  in  Wilmington  engaged  with  the 
Wilmington  Transportation  Company,  with 
whom  he  continued  until  1889.  He  then  se- 
cured employment  with  the  Kirckhoff  Cuzner 
Lumber  Company  as  shipping  clerk,  and  in  1891 


became  the  foreman  of  their  yards  in  San  Pedro, 
the  wholesale  and  distributing  point  for  the  com- 
pany, and  since  that  time  he  has  remained  so  oc- 
cupied, being  located  permanently  in  this  city. 
He  thoroughly  understands  his  business  and  is 
successful   in   his   work. 

After  his  location  here  Mr.  Powers  married 
Mercy  J.  Crocker,  a  native  of  Wilmington,  Cal., 
and  the  daughter  of  Henry  Crocker,  a  pioneer 
of  this  section.  They  have  one  son,  Charles 
A\'aldo.  In  his  political  affiliations  ]\Ir.  Powers 
is  a  Democrat,  but  is  liberal  and  broad  in  his 
views,  reserving  the  right  to  cast  his  local  ballot 
for  the  man  whom  he  considers  best  qualified 
for  official  duty.  As  a  trustworthy  citizen  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  city  board  of  trus- 
tees, which  position  he  held  until  removing  be- 
\ond  the  city  limits,  when  he  resigned.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  prominent,  being  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  of  which  he  is  a  past  officer: 
the  Eagles,  and  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of 
Elks.  Until  1905  he  was  also  associated  with 
the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  in 
which  he  officiated  as  an  officer,  but  in  the  last 
named  ^■ear  withdrew   from  the  ors:anization. 


GEORGE  BAY.  When  George  Bay  first 
came  to  California,  like  many  others  it  was  in 
search  of  good  health  and  he  has  gained  not  only 
that,  but  a  very  generous  material  prosperity  as 
well,  as  a  progressive  and  energetic  man  who 
adopts  up-to-date  methods  cannot  fail  to  do  in 
the  fertile  Ojai  valley.  His  father,  William  Fin- 
ley  Bay,  a  native  of  Ohio,  was  one  of  the  early 
Oregon  pioneers  who  crossed  the  plains  in  1850 
and  settled  in  that  western  coast  state.  He  con- 
ducted a  ranch  in  Oregon,  where  he  died  at  the 
age  of  fifty-six  years,  being  survived  by  his  wife, 
formerly  Nancy  J.  Kirkpatrick,  a  native  of  Quin- 
cy.  111.,  and  who  is  still  residing  on  the  old  home- 
stead at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety  years. 

Of  the  family  of  ten  children  George  Bay  is  the 
only  member  residing  in  California  and  he  came 
to  this  state  when  a  young  man  of  twenty-two 
years.  He  w^as  born  July  30,  1853.  in  Oregon, 
and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  that 
state.  Impaired  health  induced  him  to  come  to 
California  and  to  Ventura  county  in  particular. 
In  April.  1875,  he  settled  on  a  piece  of  govern- 
ment land  which  is  now  a  part  of  his  homestead, 
owning  at  the  present  writing  one  hundred  and 
twelve  acres  of  land  upon  which  he  raises  fruit 
and  hay,  and  in  addition  rents  and  cultivates  a 
grain  ranch  of  two  hundred  acres.  The  Ojai  val- 
ley has  some  of  the  best  apiaries  in  the  state  lo- 
cated in  the  foothills  and  ^Ir.  Ba\-  owns  four 
hundred  stands  of  honey  bees  which  net  him  a 
handsome  income  during  the  season.  Upon  one 
occasion  ninety-six  of  the  stands  made  the  splen- 


1470 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


did  record  of  producing  nine  tons  of  that  clear 
white  honey  for  which  the  state  is  famous. 

In  1878  Mr.  Bay  was  married  to  Maggie  Van- 
curen,  a  native  daughter  of  Iowa,  and  to  them 
were  born  four  children :  Guy  Ora,  who  married 
Bertha  Whitney ;  Nellie  Agnes,  the  wife  of  Frank 
T.  Brooks;  James  W.,  who  is  fourteen  years  old; 
and  Fred  Leo.  Mr.  Bay  is  well  versed  in  social 
and  economic  subjects  and  after  a  careful  study 
of  the  policies  to  which  the  old-line  parties  are 
pledged  he  believes  that  they  do  not  stand  for  the 
best  and  most  progressive  ideas  and  so  gives  his 
allegiance  to  the  Socialist  party.  He  has  always 
taken  an  active  interest  in  all  affairs  of  interest 
to  the  public  welfare  and  as  an  intelligent  and 
leading  citizen  he  is  accorded  a  high  esteem 
throughout  the  Ojai  valley. 


JOHN  W.  SPEED.  Prominent  among  the 
earlier  settlers  of  the  Santa  Maria  valley  is 
John  W.  Speed,  an  influential  resident  of  the 
city  of  Santa  IMaria.  He  has  won  his  own  way 
through  life,  by  his  honesty  and  upright  deal- 
ings establishing  a  reputation  for  integrity  that 
any  man  might  well  covet,  and  gaining  an  as- 
sured position  among  the  business  men  of  this 
part  of  the  county.  A  native  of  Missouri,  he 
was  bom  August  4,  1849,  i"  Morgan  county,  be- 
ing one  of  a  family  of  five  children  born  of  the 
union  of  James  H.  and  Lucy  A.  (Maroni) 
Speed.  His  parents  were  both  born  and  reared 
in  Virginia,  and  both  died  on  the  home  farm 
in  Missouri,  the  death  of  the  mother  occurring 
at  the  age  of  fifty  years,  while  the  father,  who 
survived  her,  attained  the  age  of  seventy-two 
years.  John  W.,  of  this  review,  is  the  only 
member  of  the  family  living  in  California. 

John  W.  Speed  labored  hard  to  acquire  an  ed- 
ucation, and  after  leaving  the  public  schools  of 
Morgan  county  spent  three  years  at  the  State 
University,  in  Columbia,  Mo.,  taking  the  regular 
scientific  course,  by  his  own  efforts  paying  all  of 
his  college  expenses.  At  the  early  age  of  six- 
teen years  he  began  to  be  self-supporting,  and 
after  leaving  college  embarked  in  agricultural 
pursuits,  for  two  years  having  charge  of  a  grain 
ranch.  Leaving  home  in  1S75,  he  came  to  Santa 
Barbara  county,  and  for  a  while  was  employed 
in  ranching  in  this  valley.  Returning  to  Mis- 
souri, he  resumed  farming,  remaining  there  un- 
til 1879,  when  he  again  came  to  the  Santa  Maria 
valley,  settling  as  a  farmer  in  Santa  Barbara 
county.  Leasing  land  near  Guadaloupe,  he  car- 
ried on  dairying  and  stock-raising  for  eleven 
years,  meeting  with  satisfactory  success  in  his 
operations.  In  1890  he  bought  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  in  the  upper  part  of  the  val- 
ley, and,  with  the  exception  of  two  years  that  he 
spent  as  a  hay  and  grain  dealer  in  San  Francisco 


he  was  for  fourteen  years  engaged  in  horticult- 
ural pursuits,  making  a  specialty  of  apricots. 
He  subsequently  bought  his  home  ranch,  which 
consists  of  forty  acres  of  valuable  land,  and  is 
advantageously  located  in  Santa  Maria.  Be- 
sides this  ranch  he  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  near  the  Sunset  oil  fields  of  Kern 
county;  has  title  to  thirty  acres  of  land  in  the 
district  near  Orcutt;  is  a  stockholder  in  the 
Brookshire  Oil  Company ;  and  is  a  shareholder 
and  the  president  of  the  Meridian  Oil  and  Land 
Company,  that  is  developing  oil  in  the  Santa 
Maria  fields. 

In  1884  Mr.  Speed  married  Fannie  Herndon, 
who  was  born  in  Carrollton,  Mo.,  in  1857,  and 
died  in  Santa  Barbara  county  in  1890,  at  the  age 
of  thirty-three  years,  leaving  two  children, 
James  H.  and  John  W.,  Jr.  The  former  took  a 
preparatory  course  in  the  academic  department 
of  the  Missouri  Valley  College,  at  Marshall, 
Mo.  In  1893  Mr.  Speed  married  for  his  second 
wife  Mary  Bocay,  who  was  born  and  educated 
in  England.  In  politics  Mr.  Speed  is  independ- 
ent, using  his  own  judgment  in  casting  his  bal- 
lot, instead  of  blindly  following  any  political 
leader,  or  giving  unqualified  adherence  to  any 
party. 


JOSEPH  B.  ROBISON.  Ten  miles  north- 
west from  Santa  Monica,  in  the  Garapatos 
school  district  No.  10,  lies  the  stock  ranch  on 
which  Mr.  Robison  resides,  and  which  he  owns 
in  partnership  with  his  father-in-law,  Benjamin 
F.  Berkey.  The  ranch  includes  one  hundred 
and  eighty  acres,  of  which  about  fifty  acres  are 
under  cultivation,  while  the  remainder  of  the  land 
forms  a  range  for  the  cattle.  Stock-raising  is 
the  principal  industry  engaged  in,  although  they 
also  conduct  a  small  dairy  and  raise  fruit  and 
nuts. 

Mr.  Robison  is  a  native  of  the  middle  west, 
born  in  Vernon  county.  Mo.,  not  far  from  the 
village  of  Harwood,  October  13,  1871.  His 
father  was  born  in  the  adjoining  state  of  Illi- 
nois, and  was  reared  on  a  fann  there  until  re- 
moving to  Missouri  during  young  manhood. 
There  also  he  established  himself  on  a  fann, 
and  in  addition  to  its  management  also  conducted 
a  sawmill  and  jwned  threshing  machines,  with 
the  latter  assisting  farmers  throughout  the  local- 
ity during  the  harvest  season.  His  active  and 
well-planned  course  in  life  has  resulted  in  mak- 
ing him  fairly  well-to-do,  so  that  he  is  now  prac- 
tically retired  from  business  cares,  although  to 
keep  his  mind  occupied  he  still  manages  a  small 
farm  near  Harwood,  Mo.  The  wife  of  his  youth 
is  still  spared  to  him  and  together  they  are 
spending  their  later  years  in  the  enjoyment  of 
the  competency  accumulated  through  hard  work 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1473 


and  frugality.  J\lrs.  Robison  was  before  her 
marriage  Elmira  Hodgson  and  like  her  husband 
was  born  in  Illinois. 

\'ernon  count)',  Mo.,  was  the  scene  of  the 
early  life  of  Joseph  B.  Robison,  and  by  the  time 
he  was  nineteen  years  old. his  school  days  were 
over  and  his  business  career  was  fairly  begun. 
It  was  at  this  age  that  he  crossed  the  "plains  to 
the  west  and  located  in  California,  coming  direct 
to  Santa  Monica,  where  he  worked  as  a  farm 
hand  for  about  nine  months.  With  commenda- 
ble ambition  to  become  a  land  owner  he  squatted 
on  railroad  land  in  Antelope  valley,  but  after 
holding  it  about  a  year  he  sold  the  property. 
Coming  to  the  Garapatos  school  district  in  No- 
vember, 1894,  he  bought  a  squatter's  right  to 
his  present  ranch,  filing  on  the  same  in  i8g6. 
Since  his  marriage  he  and  his  father-in-law  have 
combmed  their  interests,  their  landed  possessions 
aggregating  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  up- 
on which  they  raise  cattle,  horses,  hogs  and 
poultry. 

In  November,  1900,  was  celebrated  the  mar- 
riage of  Joseph  B.  Robison  and  Miss  Ethel  Ber- 
key,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Nebraska, 
where  for  six  years  she  taught  school.  She  has 
been  a  resident  of  California  since  she  was 
twenty-three  years  of  age,  and  after  coming  to 
this  state  also  taught  school  for  a  time.  Three 
children  have  been  born  to  JNfr.  and  Mrs.  Robi- 
son, Irriia  Eleanor.  Florence  Edna  and  Bertha 
Blanche.  Mr.  Robison's  political  views  are  in 
harmony  with  the  Democratic  party,  which  he 
stanchly  upholds.  For  two  }ears  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  school  trustees  of  his  district. 


JOHN  F.  ^ilOORE.  The  versatile  ability 
of  John  F.  Moc'c.  one  of  the  successful  ranch- 
ers of  the  vicinity  of  Norwalk,  Los  Angeles 
county,  has  enabled  him  to  make  a  success 
financially  and  at  the  same  time  build  up  for 
himself  a  position  of  respect  and  esteem  among 
the  citizens  of  whatever  community  he  has 
made  his  home.  He  boasts  a  California 
birth,  for  his  parents  were  both  pioneers  of 
the  state,  the  father,  Henry  Moore,  a  native 
of  Ohio,  having  come  to  the  Pacific  coast  in 
1855  via  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  and  in  the 
mines  near  Camptonville  was  engaged  for 
seven  years.  He  then  followed  freighting  to 
various  California  and  Nevada  points,  and 
at  the  same  time  purchased  a  ranch  in  Yuba 
countv,  Cal.  Later  he  sold  this  and  took  up  a 
government  claim  in  Colusa  county,  but  event- 
ually had  to  give  it  up.  Fie  then  went  to  Or- 
!and,  Glenn  countv.  Cal.  and  there  purchased 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  sold  it  in 
iSqt,  and  then  in  Oregon  bought  a  ranch  of 
two  hundred  and  fiftv-one   acres.     His   death 


occurred  in  that  location  in  1892  at  the  age  of 
sixty  years.  He  was  a  man  of  public  spirit 
and  energy.  A  Republican  in  politics,  he  was 
called  upon  by  this  party  to  discharge  the 
duties  of  supervisor  of  Colusa  county  for 
twelve  years.  Fraternally  he  was  a  Mason. 
He  came  of  a  loyal  and  patriotic  family,  two 
of  his  brothers  serving  valiantly  in  the  Civil 
war.  He  married  Adaline  Andrews  in  Cali- 
fornia and  she  is  still,  living  on  the  old  home- 
stead. She  was  the  mother  of  six  children, 
of  whom  four  are  still  living,  besides  John  F., 
the  eldest,  being  Retta,  wife  of  John  Sexton, 
of  Los  Angeles  county ;  Edward,  who  lives  on 
the  home  place  in  Oregon ;  and  Charles,  a 
student  in  a  divinity  school  in  Oregon  in 
preparation  for  the  Christian  ministry. 

Born  in  Marysville,  Yuba  county,  Cal.,  Sep- 
tember 21,  1866,  John  F.  Moore  sp'ent  the.  first 
three  years  of  his  life  in  that  place,  when  he 
was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Colusa  county, 
and  five  years  later  to  Orland,  Glenn  county. 
He  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  that  place,  and  after  his  schooldays 
were  over  he  went  to  work  at  Marysville  to 
learn  the  trade  of  harness  maker.  He  was 
then  but  eighteen  years  old  and  henceforth  he 
was  dependent  upon  his  own  resources.  He 
also  started  to  learn  the  trade  of  blacksmith 
but  because  of  defective  eyesight  had  to  give 
this  up.  He  ranched  for  his  father  for  a  time 
following  this,  and  finally,  in  the  fall  of  1890, 
lie  went  to  Oregon.  He  was  married  in  that 
state  and  there  rented  land  and  farmed  for 
about  seven  years.  At  the  expiration  of  that 
time  he  came  south  and  in  Santa  Barbara 
county  spent  one  year,  then  came  to  Los  An- 
geles county  and  in  the  vicinity  of  his  pres- 
ent property  rented  land  and  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming.  Fie  again  rented  land  here  and 
then  with  his  brother-in-law  purchased  forty 
acres.  Mr.  Moore  now  owning  the  north  twen- 
ty acres  of  the  tract,  of  which  fourteen  acres 
are  devoted  to  alfalfa,  three  acres  to  a  fine 
family  orchard,  and  a  dairy  business  being 
supplied  by  five  cows.  He  has  made  his  own 
improvements,  built  residence,  barns,  out- 
buildings, and  installed  a  pumping  plant 
equipped  with  a  fifteen  horse  power  gasoline 
engine.  He  is  also  interested  in  poultry  breed- 
ing. It  may  also  be  added  that  Mr.  Moore 
is  a  natural  carpenter  and  has  added  to  his  in- 
come at  times  because  of  this  ability. 

Mr.  Moore's  wife  was  in  maidenhood  Rosa 
Newlan,  the  ceremony  which  united  them  in 
marriage  being  performed  July  3,  1892.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  J.  N.  Newlan.  whose  personal 
history  also  appears  in  this  work.  They  be- 
came   the   parents   of   the   following   children: 


1474 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


INIaud,  aged  fourteen ;  Roy,  aged  thirteen ;  Jo- 
seph, aged  eleven;  Ethel,  aged  eight;  Lester, 
aged  six;  Ada,  aged  three.  Both  Mr.  Moore 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Christian 
Church.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch  Republi- 
can and  fraternally  is  associated  with  the 
Woodmen  of  the  \\^orld,  while  both  himself 
and  wife  are  members  of  the  Fraternal  Aid. 
Mr.  ^iloore  is  much  esteemed  in  the  community 
and  is  justl)-  named  among  the  representa- 
tive citizens. 


SYLVESTER  KINCADE  SMITH.  In  the 
vicinity  of  Beaumont,  Riverside  county,  is  lo- 
cated the  ranch  operated  by  Sylvester  Kincade 
Smith,  one  of  the  enterprising  and  successful 
farmers  who  have  assisted  materially  in  the  up- 
building of  the  best  interests  of  this  section  of 
Southern  California.  He  was  born  in  Yates 
Cit_v,  Knox  county,  111.,  January  12,  1854,  among 
the  youngest  in  a  family  of  fifteen  children  of 
whom  thirteen  are  now  living.  His  father,  Seth 
Smith,  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  a  son  of 
William,  also  of  that  state,  whence  he  removed 
to  Hillsboro,  Ohio,  and  engaged  as  a  farmer 
until  his  death.  Seth  Smith  engaged  in  fanning 
in  Ohio,  where  he  attained  manhood,  and  later 
located  in  Yates  City,  III,  and  there  followed 
farming  and  also  the  trades  of  stone  and  brick 
mason,  carpenter,  wagon  maker  and  blacksmith, 
being  gifted  with  natural  mechanical  ability.  In 
1869  he  removed  to  Iowa  and  in  Adams  county 
improved  a  farm  and  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  His  wife,  formerly  Mary  George,  was 
a  native  of  Mrginia  and  a  daughter  of  William 
George,  who  removed  to  Ohio,  thence  to  Yates 
City,  III,  where  he  engaged  as  a  farmer  until 
his  death.  A  son,  John,  served  in  the  Eighty- 
sixth  Regiment  Illinois  Infantry,  and  is  now  a 
resident  of  loWa ;  and  also  William  Smith,  served 
in  the  Fourth  Regiment  Iowa  Battery,  and  is  now 
a  resident  of  Williamsfield,  111. 

Reared  on  the  paternal  farm  in  Illinois,  Syl- 
vester Kincade  Smith  received  his  education 
through  an  attendance  of  the  public  school  in 
the  vicinity  of  his  home,  after  which  he  went 
to  work  for  his  father.  He  accompanied  the 
family  to  Iowa  in  1871,  and  remained  with  his 
father  until  attaining  his  majority,  when,  in  May, 
1885,  he  came  to  California  because  of  his  health. 
He  spent  the  first  summer  at  El  Monte,  Los 
Angeles  county,  and  in  the  fall  came  to  San 
Gorgonia  Pass  and  secured  employment  on  va- 
rious farms  in  the  section.     In  the  summer  of 

1887  he  engaged  in  freighting  lumber  from  the 
mountains,  and  following  this  in  the   spring  of 

1888  began  farming  operations  with  H.  J. 
Roberts,  with  whom  he  continued  for  two  years. 
At  the  close  of  that  time  they  dissolved  partner- 


ship and  Mr.  Smith  purchased  the  farm  upon 
which  they  have  been  operating,  and  it  is  that 
which  he  owns  at  the  present  writing.  He  has 
since  added  to  the  original  purchase  a  ranch  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  the  greater  part  of 
which  is  devoted  to  the  raising  of  grain,  and  in 
addition  to  this  he  leases  eleven  hundred  acres 
for  the  purpose  of  raising  grain,  hay  and  stock. 
He  owns  three  six-horse  teams  and  carries  on 
an  extensive  business,  in  which  he  has  been  very 
successful,  acquiring  a  competence  and  at  the 
same  time  a  place  in  the  estimation  of  his  fellow 
citizens. 

In  Beaumont  Mr.  Smith  was  married  to  Miss 
Catherine  Adams,  a  native  of  Maine  who  died 
in  California  July  20,  1902.  She  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Episcopal  Church  and  devoted  to  its 
interests.  Mr.  Smith  was  made  a  Mason  in  San 
Jacinto  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  in  the  same  place 
was  raised  to  the  degree  of  Royal  Arch.  Polit- 
ically he  is  a  Republican. 


GEORGE  W.  CAIMPBELL.  A  broad-minded 
citizen  and  one  of  the  progressive  and  up-to- 
date  ranchers  of  this  section  of  Los  Angeles 
county,  George  W.  Campbell  is  located  in  the 
vicinity  of  Whittier  and  engaged  in  the  manage- 
ment and  improvement  of  thirty-eight  acres  of 
land,  which  he  purchased  about  five  years  ago. 
He  was  born  in  Sheboygan,  Wis.,  April  27, 
1868.  a  son  of  William  C.  Campbell,  the  latter 
a  pioneer  of  California  and  for  many  years  pre- 
vious a  frontiersman  in  Iowa  and  Kansas,  where 
he  endured  the  hardships  and  privations  of  a 
beginning  civilization.  For  more  complete  de- 
tails concerning  his  career  refer  to  his  personal 
sketch  which  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
Taken  by  his  parents  to  the  Iowa  frontier,  George 
W.  Campbell  spent  his  boyhood  years  in  Dickin- 
son county,  and  later  in  IMitchell  county,  Kans., 
where  the  father  improved  a  farm  in  Solomon  val- 
ley. He  had  engaged  with  his  father  on  the  home 
farm  and  also  attended  the  public  schools  in 
pursuit  of  an  education,  after  coming  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1890  completing  the  course  in  the  state 
Normal  school  at  Los  Angeles,  and  University 
of  California  at  Berkeley,  where  he  spent  two 
years.  He  then  engaged  in  teaching  and  for  two 
years  was  located  at  Portersville,  Tulare  county, 
Cal.,  where  he  built  up  a  reputation  for  thorough- 
ness of  work  and  breadth  of  education.  For  a 
time  he  also  labored  in  San  Fernando,  the  Mill 
district  and  Carmenita,  pursuing  the  course 
which  has  brought  him  success  in  his  efforts. 
In  1902  he  decided  to  locate  on  a  farm,  follow- 
ing the  bent  of  his  early  training,  and  he  then 
purchased  the  ranch  above  mentioned,  consist- 
ing of  thirty-eight  acres,  of  which  fifteen  acres 
are    devoted   to   the   cultivation   of   walnuts   and 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1477 


twenty-three  acres  to  the  raising  of  alfalfa.  He 
has  improved  his  property  in  every  possible  way, 
his  home  being  presided  over  by  his  wife,  form- 
erly Miss  Ella  Newlin,  whom  he  married  De- 
cember 18,  1904.  She  was  born  in  Indiana,  a 
daughter  of  J.  E.  Newlin,  a  resident  of  Nor- 
walk.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell  have  one  son, 
Chester.  They  are  members  of  the  Christian 
Church,  which  receives  their  most  liberal  and 
helpful  support.  Mr.  Campbell  is  a  Republican 
in  politics  and  it  is  in  this  connection  that  he  is 
most  prominent  in  Los  Angeles  county  as  well 
as  the  state,  serving  as  county  delegate  to  con- 
ventions and  giving  time,  means  and  personal 
attention  to  the  advancement  of  the  principles 
he  endorses.  He  is  a  man  of  high  intellectual 
attainments,  broad  in  thought  and  comprehen- 
sion, and  has  brought  to  bear  in  all  his  efforts 
the  qualities  which  bespeak  the  citizen  of  worth 
and  helpfulness.  He  takes  the  keenest  interest 
in  the  higher  education  of  the  California  schools 
and  seeks  to  promote  all  movements  calculated 
to  advance  the  standard.  He  has  served  for 
some  years  as  school  trustee.  All  in  all  he  is  a 
citizen  whose  efforts  speak  eloquently  of  his 
worth. 


HERMAN  ECKELKAMP.  In  the  vicinity 
of  Norwalk  is  located  the  ranch  of  twenty 
acres  owned  and  operated  by  Herman  Eckel- 
kamp,  one  of  tlie  enterprising  ranchers  of  this 
section.  He  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  June 
26,  1847,  a  son  of  Henry  and  Mary  (Brinker) 
Eckelkamp,  both  natives  of  German}^  and  who 
came  to  the  United  States  and  finally  located 
in  St.  Louis,  where  the  father  worked  at  his 
trade  of  baker,  conducting  a  bakery  and  gro- 
cery in  that  city.  During  the  war  the  family 
moved  into  the  country,  the  father  still  con- 
ducting a  general  merchandise  store,  but  lost 
heavily  by  robbers,  who  carried  away  three 
wagon  loads  of  goods.  The  father  died  in  1902, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-two  j-ears,  the 
mother  having  passed  away  when  sixty-four 
years  old.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven 
children,  of  whom  two  died  in  infancy. 

Herman  Eckelkamp  received  a  substantial 
education  in  the  public  and  high  schools  of  St. 
Louis,  after  which  he  attended  the  Jonathan 
&  Kelly  Business  College,  where  he  took  a 
course  in  bookkeeping.  In  1873  he  came  to 
California  and  in  San  Francisco  spent  the  ensu- 
ing two  years,  and  while  there  worked  on  a  pile 
driver  in  the  harbor  and  also  drove  a  transfer 
team.  He  then  returned  to  Missouri  and  en- 
gaged in  farming,  purchasing  a  fine  farm  of 
forty  acres,  of  which  twenty  acres  was  in  fruit 
and  twenty  acres  in  vegetables.  This  he  later 
disposed  of  but  still  owns  a  twenty-acre  farm 


near  St.  Louis.  In  1905  Mr.  Eckelkamp  came 
back  to  California  and  purchased  his  present 
property,  which  consists  of  twenty  acres  near 
Norwalk,  which  is  devoted  entirely  to  garden- 
ing, while  he  also  owns  a  fine  residence  in  Ar- 
tesia,  being  the  first  to  build  after  the  town 
site  was  located  and  platted.  Mr.  Eckelkamp's 
first  marriage  united  jiim  with  Miss  ]\Iary  Finn, 
a  native  of  Missouri,  and  born  of  this  union 
were  two  children  :  Josephine,  wife  of  Ted 
Ryan,  of  St.  Louis;  and  Annie,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  twenty-two  years.  His  wife  died  in 
Missouri,  and  in  1892  he  married  Miss  Alice 
Finn,  a  sister  of  his  first  wife,  and  born  of  this 
union  are  two  children :  Alice  and  Julius.  Mr. 
Eckelkamp  is  associated  with  the  Democratic 
party  in  his  political  afiiliations,  and  in  religion 
is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church. 


WILLIAM  B.  COVINGTON,  a  successful 
horticulturist  and  dairyman  of  San  Bernardino 
county,  was  born  in  Calhoun  county.  Miss.,  Julv 
5,  1869,  the  oldest  son  in  the  family  of  P.  H. 
Covington,  a  pioneer  of  Southern  California, 
whose  biography  is  given  at  length  in  another 
part  of  this  volume.  But  seven  years  old  when 
he  was  brought  to  the  state,  William  B.  Coving- 
ton is  practically  a  Californian,  having  been 
reared  on  the  farm  where  he  now  lives,  and  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  and  the  Redlands 
Academy.  In  1891  he  married  Miss  Mattie 
Reed,  a  native  of  Nebraska,  and  immediately  af- 
terward he  began  farming  this  property,  then 
raw  land,  with  no  cultivation  nor  improvement. 
He  built  a  residence,  substantial  barns  and  out- 
buildings, set  out  an  orchard  of  peaches  and  apri- 
cots, and  began  an  intelligent  farming  that  was 
soon  productive  of  large  returns.  He  eventually 
dug  out  his  peaches  and  apricots  and  set  out 
eleven  acres  in  an  orange  grove,  which  is  now  in 
full  bearing  and  produces  \he  fine  fruit  that  this 
section  of  tlie  country  is  famous  for.  At  the 
present  writing  Mr.  Covington  has  just  sold  his 
orange  grove.  In  1902  he  started  the  Tremont 
Dairy  farm  on  his  father's  place,  farming  two 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  the  home  ranch,  and 
this  property  he  has  since  bought  outright,  while 
he  rents  eighty  acres  adjoining,  and  owns  seven- 
ty-five acres  besides,  making  a  ranch  of  over 
four  hundred  acres  under  his  management.  He 
has  forty  acres  in  alfalfa,  raised  by  irrigation 
from  the  Lower  Yucaipe,  and  also  a  pumping 
plant  which  has  been  installed  on  the  ranch,  while 
the  balance  is  given  over  to  grain  and  pasture. 
His  dairy  herd  consists  of  ninety  head  of  cows, 
of  Jersey.  Holstein  and  Durham  stock,  the 
product  being  retailed  in  Redlands  and  delivered 
to  the  customers  twice  per  day.  He  has  a  sepa- 
rator and  all  modern  methods  for  conducting  his 


1478 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


enterprise.  The  Edison  Electric  Co.  supply  the 
power  for  running  the  separator,  pumping  plant 
and  various  other  work  to  which  it  can  be  ap- 
plied on  the  premises.  The  dwelling,  bams  and 
grounds  are  lighted  by  electricity  furnished  by 
same  company.  All  these  improvements  have 
been  made  at  large  outlay,  but  have  proven  a 
financial  success,  while  making  his  farm  an  ideal 
one. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Covington  were  born  the  fol- 
lowing children:  Irma;  Carl,  Henrietta,  Ralph 
and  Ibel. 

Mr.  Covington  is  a  school  trustee  for  the  R. 
R.  district.  He  is  prominent  fraternally,  being 
a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  lodge  of  Red- 
lands  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  of  the 
same  place.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch  Democrat. 
He  takes  an  active  interest  in  all  upbuilding 
movements  of  the  section  and  can  always  be 
counted  upon  to  further  any  plan  with  both 
time  and  means.  It  can  safely  be  said  that  it 
was  through  the  influence  of  Mr.  Covington,  and 
his  alone,  that  after  six  months"  negotiating  the 
Edison  Electric  Co.  poled  their  power  into  the 
San  Timoteo  canon.  At  the  present  writing  he 
is  serving  as  secretary  and.  treasurer  of  the 
Lower  Yucaipe  Water  Company,  one  of  the  de- 
veloping resources  of  the  section. 


EUGENE  MACLOA^E  VAN  DEVENTER. 
In  his  work  a?  an  agriculturist  Eugene  M. 
Van  Deventer  has  brought  to  bear  a  general  in- 
telligence as  well  as  an  unusual  perseverance  and 
energy,  which  have  resulted  in  the  accomplish- 
ment of  his  aims  and  ambitions  and  have  placed 
him  high  among  the  ranchers  of  San  Timoteo 
canon.  He  is  a  native  Californian,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  Napa  county,  November  15, 
1857.  The  name  is  an  old  and  honored  one 
among  the  Knickerbocker  families  of  New  York, 
where  the  emigrating  ancestor  located  in  1620 
from  his  home  in  Germany.  His  father,  Michael 
F.  Van  Deventer,  was  born  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
whence  the  paternal  grandfather,  Qiristopher, 
removed  with  his  family  to  Michigan  in  the  early 
days  of  that  state.  Later  he  went  to  Louisville, 
Kans.,  and  engaged  as  a  pioneer  farmer  until  his 
death.  Michael  F.  Van  Deventer  was  reared  in 
Kansas  and  there  followed  his  early  training  and 
engaged  as  a  farmer :  he  participated  in  the 
Mexican  war  as  sergeant  and  received  a  severe 
wound.  In  Mexico  he  met  and  married  his  wife, 
formerlv  Francisca  Diaz,  born  in  Chihuahua, 
Mexico,  and  a  daughter  of  Francisco  Diaz,  one 
of  the  old  Spanish  "families.  In  1854  Mr.  Van 
Deventer  came  to  California  and  first  engaged  in 
the  mines.  He  finally  located  on  a  ranch  in 
Napa  county,  thence  moved  to  Oak  Glenn  in 
1865,  where  he  entered  land  which  is  now  the 


farm  owned  by  Joseph  Wilshire,  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  this  section.  Following  this  he  en- 
gaged in  freighting  to  Arizona,  and  in  1868  was 
attacked  by  the  Indians  while  crossing  the  desert, 
l)eino-  wounded  with  two  poisoned  arrows,  from 
the  effects  of  which  he  never  full)'  recovered. 
He  managed,  however,  to  stampede  the  Indians 
with  a  gun,  and  unhitching  one  horse  left  the 
others  and  rode  this  one  to  Aqua  Caliente,  under 
attack  the  greater  part  of  the  way  and  bleeding 
profusely  from  his  wounds.  He  located  in  San 
Timoteo  canon  and  engaged  as  a  farmer  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  1871.  His  wife 
survives  him  and  makes  her  home  with  her  son. 
They  -were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  four 
of  whom  are  living. 

The  second  child  in  the  famil}"  of  his  father, 
Eugene  Maclove  \'an  Deventer  was  reared  on 
his  father's  farm  in  Southern  California  and 
educated  in  the  public  schools  until  he  was  thir- 
teen years  old,  when  by  the  death  of  his  father 
he  and  his  older  brother  took  charge  of  the 
home  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  He 
remained  at  home  until  his  marriage,  which  took 
place  May  17,  1881,  uniting  him  with  Miss 
Martha  Jane  Singleton,  a  native  daughter  of 
San  Bernardino  county;  he  then  purchased  his 
present  property,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and 
fourteen  acres  adjoining  the  James  Singleton 
property,  and  on  this  made  all  the  improvements, 
set  out  an  orchard  of  six  acres  in  prunes  and 
two  acres  in  apricots,  ten  acres  were  devoted  to 
alfalfa,  and  the  balance  of  the  ranch,  since  in- 
creased by  eighty  acres,  is  given  over  to  the 
raising  of  grain  and  hay.  His  ranch  is  located 
eleven  miles  from  Redlands,  where  he  has  an 
excellent  market  for  all  his  produce.  To  himself 
and  wife  have  been  born  three  children,  Cyrus 
E.,  who  graduated  from  the  high  school  in  1905; 
Arthur,  who  will  graduate  in  1908;  and  Grover, 
who  will  graduate  in  1909.  He  takes  a  keen  in- 
terest in  educational  affairs,  and  has  served  for 
years  as  a  trustee  of  the  San  Timoteo  district, 
officiating  for  a  time  as  clerk  of  the  board.  Fra- 
ternallv  he  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World,  and  in  politics  votes  the  Democratic 
ticket.  Mrs.  Van  Deventer  died  November  6, 
1903. 


JOHN  TERRIBILINI.  As  proprietor  of 
the  Live  Oak  dairy  in  the  Yucaipe  valley  John 
Terribiliiti  is  one  of  the  successful  and  enter- 
prising citizens  of  Riverside  county.  He  is  a 
native  of  Tessini,  Switzerland,  where  he  was  born 
May  12,  1873  ;  his  father,  Joseph,  was  born  there 
as  was  also  his  mother,  Julia  (Garbani)  Terri- 
bilini.  and  there  both  passed  away,  the  father 
having  engaged  all  his  life  as  a  farmer  and 
merchant.      Thev   had    four   children,    of   whom 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1481 


two  are  living,  the  only  one  in  California  being 
John,  the  subject  of  this  review.  He  was  reared 
in  his  native  county  and  educated  in  its  com- 
mon and  high  schools,  after  which,  in  the  spring 
of  1889,  he  came  to  California.  He  located  in 
Winchester  (now  in  Riverside  county),  and 
secured  employment  in  a  dairy,  and  followed  a 
similar  employment  in  the  Martin  dairy  of 
Riverside.  Two  years  later  he  went  with  H.  D. 
Noland,  and  there  managed  his  employer's 
dairy  for  seven  years,  after  which  he  purchased 
the  interests  of  Mr.  Noland,  who  retired  from 
business.  He  followed  this  business  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  and  built  up  a  large  dairy,  having 
as  many  as  one  hundred  and  twenty  cows  at  a 
time,  the  product  being  retailed  in  the  city,  and 
also  utilized  in  the  creamery  which  he  estab- 
lished, where  he  manufactured  butter  and 
cheese.  In  1903  he  sold  this  enterprise  and  lo- 
cating in  the  Imperial  country  entered  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land,  placed  it  un- 
der irrigation,  and  began  the  raising  of  alfalfa 
and  the  conduct  of  a  dairy.  Leasing  his  ranch 
in  October  two  years  later  he  returned  to  River- 
side county  and  purchased  the  Bonita  dairy, 
which  he  conducted  until  July,  1906,  then  sold 
it,  and  in  August  sold  his  farm  in  Imperial,  and 
in  Riverside  county  purchased  a  ranch  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  where  he  has  a  pump- 
ing plant,  a  twenty  horse-power  gasoline  engine, 
with  a  capacity  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  inches. 
This  ranch  is  devoted  exclusively  to  the  raising 
of  alfalfa.  He  also  owns  business  property  in 
Long  Beach,  where  he  has  invested  for  future 
profits.  In  January,  1907,  he  leased  the  Live 
Oak  dairy  in  the  Yucaipe  valley  and  here  has 
one  of  the  largest  enterprises  of  its  kind  in  this 
section,  milking  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 
cows,  and  retailing  the  product  in  Redlands. 

In  Riverside  Mr.  Terribilini  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Bonnie  Woolfolk.  a  native 
of  Texas,  and  born  of  this  union  is  one  son,  John 
Horace.  Fraternalh'  Mr.  Terribilini  is  identi- 
fied with  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World,  of  Redlands,  and  politically  he  is  a 
stanch  Republican. 


EZRA  DAVIS  AlOSHER.  A  career  which 
began  in  Bradford,  Pa..  February  3,  1837,  and 
closed  in  Pomona,  Cal.,  June  20,  1897,  rep- 
resented a  life  of  over  sixty  years  of  busv  use- 
fulness, of  which  four  had  been  spent  in  the 
latter  city.  Hi.s  father,  Erastus  Mosher,  wa.s 
a  native  of  the  Empire  state,  but  during  his 
vounger  years  he  removed  south  into  the  ad- 
joining state  of  Pennsylvania,  where  a  num- 
ber of  his  children  were  born.  It  was  in  1848 
that  with  his  wife  and  children  he  removed 
to  Wisconsin,  settling  on  a  farm  near  .\rgyle. 


Lafayette  county,  where  he  later  died,  as  did 
also  his  wife,  formerly  Polly  Smith,  she  too 
being  a  native  of  Nev/  York  state.  Two  of 
their  nine  children  sacrificed  their  lives  in 
their  country's  cause,  Frank  and  Dallas  dying 
on  the  field  of  battle. 

Of  his  parents'  large  family  Ezra  D.  Mo- 
sher was  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  and  could 
clearly  recall  the  interesting  journey  which 
brought  the  family  from  Pennsylvania  to  Wis- 
consin, he  then  being  eleven  years  of  age.  He 
attended  the  common  schools  of  the  latter 
state  and  to  prepare  himself  for  business  life 
he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade.  It  was  in 
i860,  when  twenty-three  years  of  age,  that  he 
struck  out  for  himself  independently,  remov- 
ing that  year  to  Neosho  Rapids,  Lyon  county, 
Kans.,  following  his  trade  there  for  some  time. 
Subsequently  he  put  to  practice  his  knowl- 
edge of  agriculture.  He  began  in  a  modest 
way  with  only  forty  acres,  adding  to  it  •from 
time  to  time  as  his  means  would  permit,  until 
lie  finally  laid  claim  to  four  hundred  acres  of  the 
finest  land  in  the  state.  As  he  was  a  carpenter 
as  well  as  a  farmer  it  goes  without  saying 
that  his  buildings  were  of  the  best,  and  taken 
all  in  all  he  had  one  of  the  finest  farms  in  the 
state.  During  the  Price  invasion  in  that  part 
of  the  country  he  assisted  in  the  restoration 
of  peace  and  quiet  as  a  member  of  the  state 
militia. 

After  tliirty-thrce  years  of  successful  farm- 
ing in  Kansas  Mr.  :\fosher  sold  out  his  entire 
holdings  in  that  state  and  removed  to  Cali- 
fornia, coming  at  once  to  Pomona,  where  the 
remainder  of  his  life  was  passed.  Two  miles 
south  of  the  town  he  purchased  a  ranch  of 
fifty-fi\-c  acres  which  he  devoted  to  raising  al- 
falfa and  otherwise  improved  the  property, 
making  it  one  of  the  fine  estates  for  which 
this  part  of  California  is  noted.  In  the  fam- 
ily residence  which  he  erected  at  the  corner  of 
Palomares  and  Holt  avenues  his  earth  life 
came  to  a  close  June  20,  1897,  when  in  his 
sixty-first  }-ear,  and  when  it  would  seem  that 
many  years  of  usefulness  yet  lay  before  him. 

In  Neo.=ho  Rapids.  Kans..  :\Ir.  Mosher 
formed  domestic  ties  by  his  marriage  with 
Miss  Snrah  Jane  Harper,  the  cerenionv  being 
performed  October  28.  1866.  She  was  born 
near  Madison,  Ind.,  the  daughter  of  George 
R.  Harper,  wdio  was  born  in  Crawford  countv. 
Pa.  The  grandfather.  George  Henry  Harper. 
v.'as  also  a  native  of  that  state,  and  throughout 
his  life  followed  farming  and  stock-dealing, 
first  in  Pennsylvania,  later  in  Indiana,  arid 
stil!  later  in  West  T/nion.  Iowa,  where  he  died. 
His  .son,  George  R.  Harper,  was  a  merchant 
in  that  place  until  i8S7.  '"  which  year  he  re- 
moved   to    Neosho    Rapids.    Kans..'   wlicre    as 


14S2 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


captain  of  a  local  militia  company  he  did  val- 
iant service  during  the  border  ruffian  difficul- 
ties, taking  a  prominent  part  in  the  Quantrell 
and  Price  raids.  After  relinquishing  his  mer- 
cantile interests  in  Neosho  Rapids  he  removed 
to  Hartford,  where  his  death  occurred  at  the 
age  of  sixt3--t\vo  years.  In  his  young  man- 
hood he  married  Miss  I\Iary  Jane  McCullough, 
who  was  born  in  Ripley  county,  Ind.,  the 
daughter  of  John  IMcCullough,  a  native  of  old 
Virginia.  Removing  from  the  south  he  took 
up  farming  in  Indiana,  later  was  likewise  en- 
gaged in  Iowa,  and  finally  removed  to  Lyon 
county,  Kans.,  and  there  both  himself  and 
wife  passed  away.  Of  the  nine  children  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harper  six  are  living,  Mrs. 
Mosher  being  the  next  to  the  oldest  of  the 
family.  She  was  educated  in  Kansas.  Of 
the  thirteen  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Mosher  we  mention  the  following:  Achsa 
Jane  became  tb.e  wife  of  Arthur  Roach  and 
they'reside  in  Pomona ;  Ella  Dora  is  a  teacher 
in  Glendora;  George  Erastus  is  a  graduate  of 
dental  surgery  and  is  practicing  his  profession 
in  Pomona ;  Emma  Nora  is  the  wife  of  Frank 
W.  Johnson  and  resides  in  Pomona;  Mabel 
]\Iay"is  the  wife  of  Ernest  JNIorgan,  they  mak- 
ing their  home  in  Honolulu ;  Orra  Ruth  mar- 
ried Charles  Carter,  of  Pomona;  Eva  Laura, 
with  her  husband,  Arthur  Waters,  lives  in 
Ontario:  and  Maude  E.,  Blanche  O..  John  A., 
Ezra  Davis.  Frank  R.  and  Helen  Elaine  are 
still  at  home  with  their  mother.  Mr.  Mosher 
was  an  active  member  of  the  Christian  Church, 
with  which  his  wife  and  family  are  also  as- 
sociated, and  like  him  too  Mrs.  iMosher  is  a 
liberal  contributor  to  all  noble  causes  which 
tend  toward  the  uplifting  of  mankind.  With 
her  six  youngest  children  she  makes  her  home 
on  the  ranch  on  the  corner  of  Philadelphia 
avenue  and  Reservoir,  and  in  its  management 
carrying  out  the  wise  policy  maintained  by 
Mr.  Mosher  during  liis  life.  A  kind  husband 
and  father,  his  death  was  deeply  lamented, 
and  though  he  has  been  gone  from  their  midst 
nearh^  ten  years,  his  memory  is  still  held  in 
the  deepest  reverence. 


JACOB  STERN.  One  of  the  largest  general 
merchandise  establishments  in  Orange  county, 
Cal.,  is  that  owned  by  Mr.  Stern  and  his  partner, 
Mr.  Goodman,  and  located  in  Fullerton.  Thev 
make  the  claim  of  handling  anything  from  a  pin 
to  a  threshing  machine,  as  well  as  from  a  canary 
bird  to  milk  cows  and  other  live  stock,  and  from 
a  town  lot  to  a  multitudinous  parcel  of  acres. 
Starting  in  business  in  1889  in  an  unpretentious 
way,  they  first  carried  a  small  stock  and  occu- 
pied a  building  with  a  frontage  of  twenty-five 


feet.  Seventeen  years  of  activity  has  worked  a 
wonderful  change  in  the  aspect  and  no  one  would 
recognize  their  present  emporium  as  having  any 
relation  to  the  humble  beginning.  As  the  growth 
of  the  business  demanded,  additions  have  been 
built  to  the  nucleus,  until  the  store  now  has  a 
frontage  of  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet, 
and  the  amount  of  capital  involved  is  $500,000. 
Mr.  Goodman  takes  entire  charge  of  the  store 
in  Fullerton,  while  i\Ir.  Stern  has  under  his  su- 
pervision the  hay  and  grain  business  and  the  real 
estate  business,  and  makes  his  headquarters  at 
No.  404  Huntington  building,  Los  Angeles. 
Three-fourths  of  the  hay  and  grain  business  of 
Orange  county  passes  through  Mr.  Stern's  hands. 
Much  of  the  real  estate  handled  and  owned  by 
the  firm  lies  in  Orange  and  Los  Angeles  counties, 
also  some  outside  property  located  in  the  east, 
north  and  west.  Personally  Mr.  Stern  owns  land 
in  Imperial,  San  Diego  county,  also  considerable 
property  in  the  northern  part  of  the  state,  and 
with  that  in  other  towns  in  Orange  and  Los  An- 
geles counties  aggregates  over  twenty  thousand 
acres.  He  also  owns  several  buildings  in  Los 
Angeles,  and  is  interested  in  the  firm  of  Stern 
Brothers,  Anaheim,  being  associated  with  his 
brother  in  the  merchandise  business.  Besides  the 
interests  already  enumerated  the  firm  owns  a 
store  building  in  Placentia,  and  oil  wells  in  Olin- 
da.  Orange  county,  where  they  also  conduct  a 
general  merchandise  business. 

Jacob  Stern  is  a  native  of  the  Fatherland, 
born  in  Saxony  September  20,  1859.  Consider- 
ing his  parents'  circumstances,  he  was  given  a 
good  education,  attending  first  the  common 
schools  and  later  a  business  college  in  his  native 
country.  From  the  time  of  leaving  school  until 
reaching  his  twentieth  year  he  assisted  his  'parents 
on  the  homestead  farm,  marketing  the  livestock 
and  produce.  In  1884  he  determined  to  emi- 
grate to  America.  Embarking  from  the  German 
port  of  Hamburg,  in  June.  1884.  in  due  time  his 
vessel  dropped  anchor  in  the  harbor  at  New 
York.  Making  his  way  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  he 
obtained  a  position  in  the  wholesale  clothing  store 
of  Lehman,  Richman  &:  Co..  filling  it  for  five 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  in  1889,  he  came 
to  Fullerton  and  formed  the  partnership  with 
Mr.  Goodman,  as  previously  stated. 

In  Los  Angeles,  in  1891  IMr.  Stern  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Sarah  Laventhal.  a  daughter  of  E. 
Laventhal,  a  pioneer  settler  in  the  county.  Dur- 
ing the  earlier  years  of  their  married  life  Mr. 
and  ]\Irs.  Stern  made  their  home  in  Fullerton, 
Mrs.  Stern's  native  city,  but  in  July,  1904.  they 
purchased  Colonel  Northam's  beautiful  home  in 
Hollvwood  on  the  corner  of  Vine  and  Prospect 
streets,  where  the  family  have  since  lived.  Four 
children  add  brightness  and  cheer  to  the  home, 
as  follows:     Harold,  Elsa,  Helen  and  Eugene. 


HISTORICAl.  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1483 


Mr.  Stern  joined  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  at  Fullerton  an  is  also  identified  with 
the  Fraternal  Aid,  while  in  his  political  prefer- 
ences he  is  a  Republican.  Mr.  Stern  is  a  fair 
representative  of  the  men  that  have  accomplished 
so  much  in  the  advancement  of  all  the  enterprises 
of  this  great  western  country — energetic,  force- 
ful, progressive.  Starting  out  in  this  new  world 
a  total  stranger  and  with  little  means,  what  Mr. 
Stern  has  accomplished  in  the  meantime  is  little 
short  of  marvelous  and  displays  the  quality  of 
his  mettle  as  no  mere  words  can. 


EX'OCH  K.  PARRISH.  The  late  Enoch  K. 
Parrish  is  remembered  as  one  of  the  upbuilding 
factors  in  the  life  of  San  Bernardino  county,  to 
which  section  he  came  in  the  pioneer  days  of  the 
state.  He  was  born  in  Brownsville,  Jefferson 
county,  N.  Y.,  August  6,  1835,  a  son  of  Ezra  and 
Susanna  (Sherwin)  Parrish.  The  father  was 
born  in  Jefiferson  county,  N.  Y.,  May  4,  1804, 
and  there  grew  to  manhood,  becoming  a  ship 
calker  at  Sackett's  Harbor  and  also  followed 
farming.  He  eventually  removed  to  Missouri, 
thence  to  Illinois  and  to  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa, 
from  there  crossing  the  plains  in  1852  to  Salt 
Lake  City,  where  he  engaged  as  a  farmer.  His 
last  day.s  were  spent  in  California  with  his  son, 
his  death  occurring  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine 
years.  The  mother  was  a  native  of  the  same 
place  in  New  York  state  and  a  daughter  of 
Azariah  Sherwin.  She  died  in  San  Bernardino 
at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-six  years.  They 
became  the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom 
three  are  now  living. 

The  youth  of  Enoch  K.  Parrish  was  spent  in 
]\Iissouri,  Illinois,  Iowa  and  Utah,  in  all  of 
which  he  attended  the  public  schools  in  pursuit 
of  an  education.  Early  in  the  '50s  he  crossed  the 
plains  to  Salt  Lake  with  his  parents,  and  re- 
mained at  home  until  1857,  when  he  came  to  San 
Bernardino  by  mule-teams  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing on  Mill  street.  In  December,  1867,  he  pur- 
chased the  property  now  owned  by  his  widow, 
and  in  March  of  the  following  year  he  located 
with  his  family  in  Yucaipe.  He  improved  the 
place  and  built  a  residence,  barns,  etc.,  and  also 
homesteaded  a  place,  and  added  by  purchase 
until  he  owned  three  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
acres.  His  death  occurred  in  Redlands  July  5, 
1904,  removing  from  the  community  a  "helpful 
and  practical  citizen  and  one  whose  eflforts  were 
always  given  toward  the  upbuilding  of  the 
countrv.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics  and 
gave  his  influence  to  support  this  party. 

In  Beaver  City,  Utah,  December  7,  1863,  Mr. 
Parrish  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  .Susan 
M.  Merchant,  who  was  born  in  New  South 
Wales,    Australia.     Her    father,    Richard    Mer- 


chant, was  born  in  England  and  became  one  of 
the  first  settlers  of  New  South  Wales,  making 
the  trip  to  Australia  on  one  of  the  first  ships 
that  carried  free  citizens  to  that  country.  He 
leased  land  and  engaged  in  farming  and  im- 
proved property,  making  that  place  his  home 
until  his  death.  He  married  in  Australia  Eliza- 
beth Barnes,  a  native  of  England,  and  after  the 
death  of  her  husband  she  brought  her  family  to 
America  in  1856.  They  located  in  San  i3er- 
nardino  and  in  December  of  the  following  year 
went  to  Utah,  where  she  resided  until  her  death, 
which  occurred  in  June,  1863.  Of  the  family 
of  twelve  children  born  to  her  parents  Mrs. 
Parrish  was  among  the  youngest ;  she  was  reared 
to  the  age  of  twelve  years  in  Australia,  after 
which  she  accompanied  her  mother  on  the  boat 
Jennie  Ford  to  America,  coming  via  Honolulu 
to  San  Pedro,  where  they  landed  in  August, 
1856.  Since  her  husband's  death  she  has  re- 
sided on  the  old  home  place,  and  has  continued 
to  add  to  its  improvements,  the  land  being  ir- 
rigated by  running  water.  A  large  apple  orchard 
contributes  to  the  income  from  the  place,  where 
they  deal  largely  in  the  raising  of  potatoes. 

She  is  the  mother  of  the  following  children: 
Esther  M.,  wife  of  Stephen  Covington,  of  Beau- 
mont;  Ezra  K.,  teaming  in  Redlands;  Charles 
H.,  a  carpenter  of  Redlands;  William  E.,  of 
Dixon,  Cal. ;  Maude  S.,  wife  of  Hugh  Livingston, 
of  Redlands  ;  John  Qiester,  a  farmer  of  Yucaipe  ; 
Frank  M.,  in  charge  of  the  home  place.  Two 
children,  James  L.  and  George  R.,  died  aged 
respectively  twenty  and  thirteen  years. 


JOHN  N.  SMITH.  A  pioneer  of  Los  Angeles 
county  and  one  of  its  successful  ranchers  and 
fruit  growers,  John  N.  Smith  holds  a  high  place 
in  its  citizenship.  He  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  his 
birth  having  occurred  in  Cuyahoga  county  De- 
cember 21,  1832,  his  parents  being  John  G.  and 
Nancy  (Burnside)  Smith,  natives  respectively 
of  New  York  and  Ohio,  the  mother  a  cousin  of 
the  famous  General  Burnside  of  Civil  war  fame. 
A  more  complete  history  of  the  Smith  family 
will  be  found  in  the  biography  of  James  A.  Smith, 
which  is  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  In 
the  common  schools  of  Ohio  John  N.  Smith  re- 
ceived his  education  and  then  went  to  work  with 
his  father  in  a  steam  sawmill.  During  the  six 
years  in  which  he  was  so  occupied  he  also  learned 
the  moulder's  trade,  and  followed  it  for  a  time 
in  Ohio,  and  later  in  South  Bend,  Ind.,  eventu- 
ally returning  to  the  sawmill  business  and  giving 
tliat  the  greater  part  of  his  attention.  He  finally 
became  interested  in  farming  and  was  located  for 
a  time  in  Ohio;  going  to  De  Kalb  county,  111., 
he  rented  land  for  four  years,  and  then  w-ent  to 
Nebraska  and  took  up  a  homestead  of  one  hun- 


1484 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


dred  and  sixty  acres.  He  improved  this  prop- 
erty and  farmed  there  for  eleven  years,  raising 
broom  corn  extensively,  the  first  car  of  this  prod- 
uct shipped  from  the  state  being  from  his  farm. 
He  finally  decided  to  locate  on  the  Pacific  coast, 
and  accordingly  came  to  California  and  in  Sacra- 
mento engaged  in  ranching  for  two  years,  and 
in  1879  located  in  Norwalk.  In  the  same  year 
he  returned  to  Nebraska  and  sold  out  his  inter- 
ests in  that  state  and  with  the  proceeds  purchased 
his  present  ranch  in  1881,  originally  consisting 
of  eighty  acres,  of  which  twenty  acres  have  since 
been  given  to  his  son.  The  property  was  a  sheep 
camp  without  improvements,  and  this  part  of  the 
work  has  devolved  entirely  upon  Mr.  Smith,  who 
has  built  a  residence,  barns  and  outbuildings, 
and  set  out  trees  for  shade  and  fruit.  He  now 
has  thirty-five  acres  in  a  vineyard  and  has  his 
own  winery,  in  1906  turning  out  nine  thousand 
gallons  of  wine.  The  balance  of  the  property  is 
devoted  to  the  raising  of  grain,  corn  and  alfalfa. 
In  i860  Mr.  Smith  was  married  to  Miss  Ase- 
nath  Cooper,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  they  have 
three  children,  namely :  Nelson  A.,  married ; 
Theron;  and  Nancy,  wife  of  John  Clanton,  of 
Norwalk.  In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Smith 
is  a  stanch  adherent  of  Republican  principles. 


WILLIAM  DUNFORD.  A  name  well  known 
in  Ferris  valley  is  that  of  William  Dunford,  who 
until  recently  conducted  a  six  hundred  acre  ranch 
there,  raising  hay  and  grain,  and  owning  a  stack- 
er and  other  haying  machinery.  In  November, 
1906,  however,  he  sold  out  his  holdings  there  and 
removed  to  Riverside,  wliere  he  has  associated 
himself  with  John  Garner  in  the  raising  of  hogs. 

Born  August  29,  1872,  in  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  the 
son  of  E.  J.  and  Mary  (Shields)  Dunford.  Will- 
iam Dunford  spent  his  younger  boyhood  days  in 
his  native  city.  His  father  was  a  native  of 
Georgia  and  his  mother  of  Indiana,  and  Missouri 
was  one  of  the  frontier  states  when  they  re- 
moved there  in  1853.  The  senior  Dunford  was 
engaged  in  the  hotel  business  and  for  many  years 
was  proprietor  and  manager  of  the  Dunford 
house.  In  1883  he  removed  with  his  family  to 
Washington  county.  Kans.,  and  six  years  later, 
in  1889,  came  to  the  western  coast,  locating  in 
Perris  county,  Cal.,  and  adopting  the  occupation 
of  ranchman.  He  lived  to  be  a  trifle  more  than 
four  score  years,  his  death  occurring  December 
19,  1905,  at  the  age  of  eighty-one.  His  wife  sur- 
vives him  and  now  resides  in  Perris  valley,  being 
at  the  present  time  fifty-eight  years  old.  It  was 
in  the  public  schools  of  St.  Joseph.  Mo.,  that 
William  Dunford  received  his  education,  and 
when  his  father  removed  to  California  he  came 
with  him,  the  two  being  partners  in  a  ranching 
enterprise  until  the  death  of  the  father.     For  al- 


most a  year  thereafter  the  son  continued  the  busi- 
ness alone,  when,  as  previously  stated,  he  sold  the 
ranch  in  November,  1906,  and  removed  to  River- 
side, where  he  is  associated  with  John  Garner  in 
the  raising  of  hogs. 

Alay  23,  1899,  William  Dunford  was  married 
in  Los  Angeles  to  Miss  May  Reynolds  and  they 
have  become  the  parents  of  one  child,  Edna,  who 
is  four  years  old.  The  family  attends  the  Con- 
gregational Church  and  liberally  supports  the 
charitable  and  benevolent  enterprises  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  they  reside.  Politically  Mr. 
Dunford  is  an  advocate  of  the  principles  em- 
braced in  the  platform  of  the  Democratic  party, 
and  all  public  social  and  civic  interests  receive  his 
intelligent  co-operation  in  their  furtherance. 


CHARLES  HENRY  THOMAS.  Among 
the  residents  of  Santa  Monica  conspicuous  for 
their  ability  and  worth  is  Charles  Henry  Thomas, 
a  practical  millman  and  an  expert  machinist,  who 
is  carrying  on  an  extensive  and  lucrative  busi- 
ness, employing  in  his  shop  from  three  to  five 
men  daily,  increasing  the  number  in  busy  times. 
A  son  of  the  late  Samuel  Thomas,  he  was  born 
in  Ogle  county.  111.,  being  the  oldest  of  a  fam- 
ily of  five  children. 

The  descendant  of  a  Welsk  family  of  note, 
Samuel  Thomas  was  born  and  reared  in  Hagers- 
town,  Md.  A  young  man  of  high  ambitions, 
he  resolved  to  take  advantage  of  the  sale  of 
cheap  lands  in  the  then  distant  west,  and  in  1845 
made  his  way  overland  to  Illinois,  settling  near 
Oregon,  Ogle  county,  where  he  improved  a 
good  homestead,  and  in  addition  worked  at  the 
trade  of  a  cabinet  maker  and  joiner.  Soon  af- 
ter locating  in  Oregon  he  married  Siisan  C. 
Hess,  whose  parents  settled  in  that  vicinity  as 
jjioneers  in  1839.  and  there  both  he  and  his  wife 
spent  their  remaining  days.  He  died  November 
12,  1905,  at  'the  age  of  eighty  years,  and  she 
died   Jul}-   2T,.    1905.    aged    seventy-seven    years. 

Having  completed  his  early  education  in  the 
educational  institutions  of  Ogle  covmty,  Charles 
Henry  Thomas  went  to  Maryville,  Nodaway 
count)-,  ?iIo.,  where  he  followed  various  oc- 
cupations, and  after  reading  law  for  a  time  was 
admitted  to  the  Missouri  bar.  For  a  number  of 
years  he  practiced  his  profession  most  success- 
full\-,  but  gave  it  up  to  engage  in  newspaper 
work,  which,  owing  to  an  unfortunate  partner- 
ship, was  not  a  financial  success.  Coming  to 
Los  Angeles  county  April  2/,  1S87,  just  as  the 
memorable  boom  was  at  its  height  and  the 
beaches  were  humming  with  its  real-estate  opera- 
tions, he  and  his  father,  who  accompanied  him 
on  the  trip,  took  contracts  for  building  and  car- 
ried on  a  successful  business  in  carpentering. 
Mr.    Thomas    also    purchased    land,    becoming 


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HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1487 


owner  of  a  house  and  lot  on  Tenth  street,  where 
he  has  now  a  vakiable  homestead.  Giving  up 
carpentering  when  the  boom  burst,  he  entered 
.the  employ  of  the  Santa  Monica  Mill  &  Lum- 
ber Company  as  foreman,  and  for  eight  years 
had  charge  of  a  planing  mill.  The  ensuing 
six  years  he  was  connected  with  the  United 
Electric  Gas  and  Power  Company,  and  was 
afterwards  associated  with  the  Edison  Company. 
While  with  the  Electric  Gas  and  Power  Coip- 
pany  he  had  charge  of  some  very  important 
pieces  of  work  in  this  county,  installing  gas 
plants  in  many  of  its  cities  and  towns.  An  ex- 
pert mechanic,  he  embarked  in  his  present  busi- 
ness in  June,  1905,  starting  with  two  partners, 
both  of  whom  he  has  since  bought  out.  He  has 
been  very  successful  in  the  management  of  his 
shop,  and  is  fast  building  up  a  large  business, 
his  patronage  being  extensive  and  well-paying. 

In  JNIaryville,  Mo.,  Mr.  Thomas  married  Anna 
Williams,  and  of  their  union  five  children  have 
been  born,  three  of  whom  are  living,  namely 
Charles  Henry,  Ruth  Emma  and  Paul  Denslow. 
Politically  Mr.  Thomas  is  a  Democrat,  and  is 
now  serving  acceptably  as  chief  of  the  local  fire 
department  of  Santa  Iilonica.  Fraternally  he 
belongs  to  the  order  of  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  and  is  a  member  and  the  secretary  of 
both  the  Royal  Arcanum  and  of  the  Independent 
Order   of    Foresters. 


ANGELO  DOMENIGONI.  The  possibili- 
ties afforded  by  California  to  those  seeking  a 
livelihood  within  its  boundaries  find  illustra- 
tion in  the  life  of  Mr.  Domenigoni,  who  left 
Europe  so  poor  that  he  was  obliged  to  leave 
his  family  behind  and  to  borrow  the  money 
necessary  for  the  paying  of  his  expenses  to 
the  new  world,  ^^'ithout  friends  or  money  he 
landed  in  Southern  California,  where  since 
he  has  achieved  noteworthy  success.  The  val- 
ley in  Riverside  county  which  bears  his  name 
and  of  which  he  was  the  first  settler  has  been 
his  home  since  the  year  1880,  when  he  took  up 
a  large  tract  of  government  land  as  yet  un- 
surveyed.  The  necessity  of  an  immediate  sur- 
vey led  him  to  hire  the  work  done  at  his  own 
cost,  thus  entailing  an  expense  of  $300.  The 
year  following  his  arrival  he  was  appointed 
the  first  postmaster  at  Winchester  and  for 
four  years  he  filled  the  office.  Meanwhile  his 
farming  interests  rapidly  increased  in  im- 
portance, and  from  time  to  time  he  has  added 
to  his  property  until  his  ranch  now  embraces 
three  thousand  acres,  besides  which  he  owns 
fifteen  hundred  acres  in  the  San  Rafael  valley 
in  Lower  California. 

Of  Swiss  birth,  Mr.  Domenigoni  was  born 
in  the  canton  of  Ticino  December  21,  1851,  be- 


ing a  son  of  Anton  and  Dominica  (Gartni) 
Domenigoni,  also  natives  of  that  portion  of 
Switzerland  lying  near  the  Italian  border. 
The  father,  though  ninety  years  of  age,  is  re- 
markably robust  and  during  the  year  1906 
made  the  trip  to  the  Alps,  walking  around  and 
up  the  mountains  a  distance  of  twenty-five 
miles  or  more.  The  mother  died  in  1873,  at  the 
age  of  forty-five  years.  After  having  completed 
his  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native  can- 
ton, Angelo  Domenigoni  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen years  took  up  the  stone-mason's  trade, 
at  which  he  served  an  apprenticeship,  and 
later  worked  as  a  journeyman  in  many  of  the 
countries  of  Europe.  These  travels  broad- 
ened his  mind  and  were  the  direct  incentive 
leading  him  to  emigrate -from  Switzerland  to 
America.  JNIay  i,  1874,  he  landed  in  New 
York  City,  from  which  point  he  traveled  west- 
^vard  to  California  and  secured  work  near 
Stockton.  F^'or  five  y£ars  he  acted  as  superin- 
tendent of  a  large  dairy  in  that  locality  and 
from  there  removed  to  Riverside  county, 
where,  he  embarked  in  the  dair^-  business  at 
Temecula  Station  in  1879.  His  dairy  herd 
comprised  fifty  head  of  cows,  and  the  prod- 
ucts were  sold  in  the  city  market.  After  one 
year  on  that  place  he  came  to  the  vicinity  of 
"Winchester,  where  he  now  owns  three  thou- 
sand acres,  improved  with  a  neat  ranch-house 
and  substantial  barns. 

The  raising  of  wheat  and  barley  and  the 
carrying  on  of  a  dairy  form  the  principal  in- 
dustries in  which  Mr.  Domenigoni  engages. 
He  has  three  thousand  acres  in  grain,  yielding 
an  average  of  seven  sacks  per  acre  from  year 
to  year.  'The  year  1906  was  exceptionally  fav- 
orable, the  crop  averaging  much  larger  than 
usual.  The  grain  is  cut  with  a  combined  har- 
vester of  thirty-six  horse-power.  About  fifty 
head  of  horses  are  utilized  in  caring  for  the 
crops,  and  all  of  these  he  raises  himself,  be- 
sides which  he  frequently  sells  stock  to  others. 
In  addition  to  his  grain  land  he  has  three  thou- 
sand acres  of  pasture  land,  on  which  he  keeps 
five  hundred  head  of  cattle,  and  each  year  re- 
duces his  herd  bv  the  sale  of  about  one  hun- 
dred head.  The  "Helvetia  creamery,  of  which 
he  is  proprietor  and  which  is  located  on  his 
ranch,  comprises  seventy  cows,  and  the  out- 
put (several  thousand  pounds  of  butter  per  an- 
num) finds  a  readv  sale  in  the  Los  Angeles 
markets.  In  addition  to  his  other  enterprises 
he  has  a  vineyard  of  five  acres  and  from  the 
grapes    manufactures    wine    for   family   use. 

On  coming  to  the  United  States  Mr.  Dom- 
enigoni left  his  wife  and  two  children  in  the 
old  country.  There  he  had  married,  Novem- 
ber   10,    1870,    .Mary   A.    Gorbani,   a   native   of 


1488 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Switzerland.  In  May,  1882,  she  joined  liim 
in  his  new  home,  and  they  have  since  labored 
earnestly  and  intelligently  in  the  accumulation 
of  their  property  and  the  rearing  of  their  six 
children,  Anton,  Peter,  Jack,  Margaretta, 
Serefina  and  Sunday.  The  family  are  identi- 
fied with  the  Catholic  faith  and  aided  gen- 
erously in  building  the  church  of  that  denomi- 
nation at  San  Jacinto.  In  1893  J\Ir.  Domeni- 
goni  visited  the  World's  Fair  at  Chicago  and 
from  there  proceeded  to  his  old  home  in 
Switzerland,  where  he  enjoyed  a  pleasant  visit 
among  old  friends.  His  father  and  grand- 
father for  many  years  served  as  members  of 
the  legislature  in  Switzerland,  but  he  has  never 
cared  to  participate  in  political  affairs,  pre- 
ferring to  devote  himself  to  the  development 
of  his  ranch  and  the  management  of  his  busi- 
ness interests.  The  only  office  which  he  ever 
accepted  is  that  of  president  of  the  boai-d  of 
trustees  of  the  Helvetia,  school  district.  The 
organization  of  this  district  was  due  to  his  ef- 
forts, and  in  order  to  place  the  work  upon 
a  permanent  basis  he  consented  to  serve  as  the 
first  president  of  the  board,  an  office  that  he 
filled  for  nine  years,  meanwhile  grading 
the  school,  improving  the  property  and  intro- 
ducing the  best  text-books  to  be  obtained  for 
their  varied  purposes.  Every  movement  for 
the  benefit  of  the  valley  and  the  county  re- 
ceives his  quiet  but  steadfast  and  stanch  sup- 
port, and  he  has  accomplished  much  as  a 
rancher,  dairyman  and  grain-raiser,  proving 
by  his  own  success  that  diligent  application 
and  constant  labor  will  bring  their  own  meas- 
ure of  prosperity. 


HON.  ELI  T.  BLACK^IER._  The  family 
represented  by  this  prominent  pioneer  of  San 
Diego  springs  from  English  progenitors  and 
the  first  record  of  their  settlement  in  America 
dates  back  to  1650,  when  Peter  Blackmer 
identified  himself  with  the  sparsely  settled 
regions  of  Cape  Cod.  From  him  the  line  of 
descent  is  traced  through  Peter,  Jr.,  Solomon, 
John  and  Lewis  to  Eli  T.,  the  latter  represent- 
ing the  sixth  generation  in  the  new  world. 
John  and  Lewis  Blackmer  were  born  in  the 
vicinity  of  AVarren,  Mass.,  where  for  a  time 
they  engaged  in  farm  pursuits,  then  took  up 
shoemaking,  and  later  resumed  farming,  fol- 
lowing this  occupation  until  their  deaths.  The 
lady  whom  Lewis  chose  as  his  wife  was  also 
a  member  of  an  old  family  of  the  Bay  state 
and  was  Miss  Nancy  Keep,  a  native  of  Wor- 
cester county,  where  her  father,  Chellis  Keep, 
followed  the  blacksmith's  trade.  Her  death 
occurred  in  Connecticut  when  she  was  eighty- 
nine   vears   and   five   months   old.        Of   their 


twelve  children,  six  sons  and  six  daughters, 
four  sons  and  six  daughters  grew  to  maturity, 
and  three  sons  living  in  California,  and 
three  daughters  in  New  England.  The. 
eldest  son,  Eli  T.,  was  born  at  New  Braintree, 
]\Iass.,  February  14,  1831,  and  from  the  age 
of  three  years  was  reared  at  North  Brook- 
field,  also  in  Worcester  county,  Mass.  There 
he  was  a  pupil  in  the  grammar  schools  and  also 
attended  the  high  school,  after  which  he 
learned  the  shoemaker's  trade  and  then  worked 
at  Chicopee,  Hampden  county,  in  the  employ 
of  the  Ames  ^Manufacturing  Company. 

During  a  short  period  of  the  Civil  war 
(from  July,  1862,  to  November  of  the  same 
year)  Mr.  Blackmer  was  a  volunteer  in  Com- 
pany A,  Thirty-seventh  ^lassachusetts  Infan- 
try, of  which  he  was  elected  and  commissioned 
first  lieutenant,  but  after  a  brief  service  he 
was  obliged  to  resign  his  commission  owing  to 
the  failure  of  his  health.  As  soon  as  he  was 
able  to  resume  work  he  became  identified  with 
a  musical  organization  traveling  from  New 
York,  and  from  there  in  1866  he  removed  to 
Indianapolis,  where  he  engaged  in  the  music 
business.  A  year  later  he  went  to  Chicago 
and  opened  a  music  store,  but  this  he  soon  sold 
and  turned  his  attention  to  the  tuning  of 
pianos.  In  1873  he  came  to  California  for 
the  benefit  of  his  wife's  health,  and  on  the 
I2th  of  October  arrived  in  San  Diego,  com-^ 
ing  from  San  Francisco  on  the  old  Orizaba, 
commanded  by  Captain  Johnson.  In  1874  he 
opened  on  H  street  the  first  music  house  in 
San  Diego  and  this  he  conducted  until  Febru- 
ary of  1888.  when  he  sold  out.  Meanwhile  he 
taught  voice  culture,  trained  choruses,  gave 
lessons  on  the  violin,  etc.,  acted  as  instructor 
of  music  in  public  and  private  schools  and  was 
director  of  the  Philharmonic  Society  for  six 
years.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the  present 
standing  of  San  Diego  as  a  musical  center. 
Later  he  made  a  specialty  of  tuning  and  rent- 
ing pianos,  but  in  1894  retired  from  that  busi- 
ness and  has  since  had  no  business  interests 
aside  from  the  management  of  his  property 
holdings.  In  his  familv  there  were  two  chil- 
dren. The  daughter,  Nettie,  married  F.  AI. 
Lewis  and  resides  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  and 
the  son,  Leon,  makes  his  home  in  Gardner, 
Worcester  county,  Mass. 

The  Republican  party  has  received  the  sup- 
port of  Mr.  Blackmer  ever  since  its  organiza- 
tion. In  1879-80  he  served  as  superintendent 
of  the  schools  of  San  Diego  county.  As  a 
member-at-large  from  San  Diego  county  he 
attended  the  constitutional  convention  in  1880 
and  served  as  member  of  the  committee  on 
education  and  as  chairman  of  the  committee 
on  amendments.     For  five  vears  he  filled  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1489 


office  of  library  trustee.  Personally  he  is  a 
man  of  admirable  attributes  of  character.  A 
love  of  travel,  as  well  as  the  management  of 
his  business  affairs,  led  him  to  make  frequent 
trips  to  the  east,  and  he  has  a  record  of  four- 
teen trips  across  the  continent.  To  one  of  his 
ger.ial,  warm-heirted  qualities,  the  fraternities 
present  the  attractions  of  comradship  and  con- 
genial association,  and  for  years  he  has  been 
active  in  various  organizations  of  such  a  na- 
ture. Among  these  is  Heintzelman  Post  No. 
33,  G.  A.  R.,  of  which  he  served  as  command- 
er at  one  time.  In  San  Diego  Lodge  No.  35, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  he  was  made  a  Mason  and  served 
as  master,  besides  having  been  secretary  of 
the  lodge  since  1896,  and  since  1898  has  served 
as  secretary  of  the  board  of  relief.  For  three 
terms  he  officiated  as  high  priest  of  San 
Diego  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  and  for  years  was 
an  officer  of  the  Grand  Chapter  and  in  April 
of  1898  he  was  elected  grand  high  priest  of 
the  Grand  Chapter  of  California.  With  the 
Scottish  Rite  bodies  he  is  identified  as  follows : 
Lodge  of  Perfection,  in  which  he  has  officiat- 
ed as  venerable  master  since  1896;  Chapter  of 
Rose  Croix,  in  which  he  acts  as  master  of 
Ceremonies ;  Council  of  Kadosh,  in  which  he 
is  second  sub-preceptor :  and  the  Consistory, 
in  which  he  served  as  minister  of  state.  In 
addition,  he  has  been  chosen  Knight  Com- 
mander of  the  Court  of  Honor,  and  is  also 
identified  with  the  San  Francisco  Command- 
ery  of  the  Loyal  Legion. 


THOMAS  VINCENT  COONY.  Among 
the  skillful  mechanics  and  energetic  business 
men  of  Ocean  Park  conspicuous  for  their  ability 
and  integrity  is  Thomas  Vincent  Coony,  one  of 
the  leading  plumbers  of  the  place.  Paying  strict 
attention  to  his  business,  he  has  met  with  en- 
couraging success  since  locating  here  and  has 
built  up  an  extensive  and  remunerative  patron- 
age. A  son  of  Alfred  Coony,  he  was  born  in 
Edina,  Knox  county.  Mo.,  where  his  grand- 
father, Patrick  Coony,  was  an  early  pioneer,  set- 
tling there  in  1846,  when  the  country  was  in  its 
original  wildness. 

Born  in  Ohio,  Alfred  Coony  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Missouri,  and  when  ready  to  start  in 
life  for  himself  estalDlished  himself  as  a  merchant 
in  Edina.  In  1901  he  came  with  his  family  to 
California,  giving  up  farming,  in  which  he  had 
previously  been  engaged  for  a  few  years,  and  is 
now  living  retired  from  active  pursuits  in  Santa 
Monica.  He  married  Harriet  Winterbottom,  and 
they  reared  a  family  of  ten  children,  of  whom 
nine  are  living,  seven  sons  and  two  daughters. 

Educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Missouri 
and  western  Kansas,  Thomas    V.  Coony  subse- 


quently went  to  Denver,  Colo.,  where  he  learned 
the  plumber's  trade,  which  he  followed  for  a  time 
in  that  city.  Coming  to  Los  Angeles  in  1895,  he 
remained  there  a  year,  and  then  went  to  Alexico. 
From  there  he  returned  to  the  United  States,  and 
after  visiting  in  New  Mexico  and  many  of  the 
principal  cities  of  the  western  states,  including 
Omaha,  Kansas  City,  Salt  Lake  City  and  San 
Francisco,  he  spent  a  year  in  Topeka,  Kans.  Re- 
turning then  to  California,  he  worked  as  a  jour- 
neyman plumber  in  Los  Angeles  until  1902,  when 
he  established  himself  in  business  in  Ocean  Park, 
opening  a  shop  of  his  own,  which  he  has  con- 
ducted successfully  from  the  start,  his  record  as 
a  skillful  workman  being  above  reproach. 

In  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  Mr.  Coony  married 
Katherine  Kennelly,  a  native  of  New  York  state, 
and  they  have  one  child,  Thomas  E.  Politically 
Mr.  Coony  is  independent,  voting  as  his  con- 
science dictates,  without  regard  to  party  restric- 
tions. 


ALBERT  ARTHUR  THOMAS.  The 
chief  of  police  of  San  Diego  is  a  member  of 
an  old  southern  family  descended  from  Welsh 
progenitors.  Of  Virginian  birth,  his  father, 
James  B.,  removed  to  Ohio  at  an  early  age  and 
then  settled  at  Springfield,  111.,  where  he  fol- 
lowed the  occupations  of  millwright  and  build- 
er. Becoming  a  pioneer  of  Iowa  in  1844,  he 
took  up  the  difficult  task  of  clearing  a  farm 
and  supporting  his  family  in  the  midst  of 
frontier  surroundi,ngs.  During  the  fall  of  1856 
he  removed  to  the  frontier  on  the  Des  Moines 
river  near  the  Minnesota  and  Iowa  state  line, 
where  he  had  large  herds  of  cattle  on  the 
plains.  Indians  were  numerous  and  hostile 
and  the  while  settlers  fortified  their  cabins  in 
preparation  for  attacks.  Early  in  the  year 
1857,  at  the  time  of  the  massacre  at  Spirit 
lake,  Mr.  Thomas  helped  to  defend  the  white 
people  from  the  onslaughts  of  the  savages  and 
lost  an  arm  in  the  fight.  One  of  his  sons, 
AVilliam,  was  shot  on  the  doorstep  of  their 
home,  and  after  the  family  had  hastily  fled 
for  Fort  Dodge,  Iowa,  an  infant  daughter 
died  en  route  from  exposure.  As  it  seemed 
unwise  to  again  establish  the  family  so  far 
from  civilization,  he  settled  in  Marshall  coun- 
ty, Iowa,  and  opened  a  mercantile  store  at 
Marietta.  Later  he  became  interested  in 
farming,  and  that  occupation  he  was  follow- 
ing when  he  died  in  1865,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
five  vears.  After  settling  in  Illinois  he  mar- 
ried Irene  Clark,  daughter  of  John  Clark,  and 
a  native  of  Illinois,  but  now  a  resident  of 
?ilarshall  county,  Iowa. 

In  a  family  of  nine  children,  six  of  whom 
survive,   Albert  Arthur  Thomas   was   next   to 


1490 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  oldest  and  is  the  only  one  to  settle  in  Cali- 
fornia. Born  in  Springfield,  111.,  September 
2,  1844,  his  early  recollections  are  associated 
with  the  frontier  of  Iowa  and  the  primeval 
conditions  then  characteristic  of  that  country. 
Early  in  life  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  aid 
in  the  support  of  the  family  and,  while  work- 
ing on  the  farm,  he  learned  lessops  of  thrift, 
self-reliance  and  perseverance,  of  inestimable 
value  to  him  in  later  years.  In  addition  to 
public-school  alvantages  he  enjoyed  a  course 
of  instruction  in  the  Lutheran  College  of  Al- 
bion, Marshall  county,  Iowa,  and  afterward 
clerked  in  his  father's  store  and  worked  on  the 
home  farm.  In  1862  he  offered  his  services  as 
a  volunteer  in  the  Union  army,  but  was  re- 
jected. However,  he  was  more  successful 
when  in  June  of  1864  he  again  volunteered  in 
the  defense  of  the  Union.  At  Davenport  he 
was  mustered  into  Company  G,  Forty-fourth 
Iowa  Infantr}^,  and  went  with  his  regiment  to 
the  south,  serving  principally  in  Tennessee, 
where  he  was  promoted  to  be  a  corporal.  At 
the  close  of  the  war  he  was  mustered  out  at 
]\Iuscatine,  Io\va,  and  returned  to  farm  pur- 
suits. 

The  marriage  of  l\Tr.  Thomas  took  place  in 
Marshall  county,  Iowa,  March  14,  1867,  and 
united  him  with  Miss  Harriet  A.  Hixson,  who 
was  born  in  Jamestown,  Greene  count3\  Ohio, 
being  a  daughter  of  Dr.  O.  F.  and  Elizabeth 
(Dawson)  Hixson.  natives  of  Harpers  Ferry, 
W.  Va.  Her  maternal  grandfather,  John 
Dawson,  removed  from  West  Virginia  to 
Ohio  and  followed  the  tanner's  trade  at 
JamestOAvn.  Dr.  Hixson  also  removed  from 
West  A''irginia  to  Ohio  and  settled  at  James- 
town, where  he  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
medicine.  Eventuallv  he  became  a  resident 
of  Marshall  county,  Iowa,  and  there  remained 
until  death.  Long  before  the  outbreak  of  the 
Civil  war  he  espoused  the  cause  of  anti-slav- 
erv  and  was  a  stanch  abolitionist  in  the  davs 
when  that  word  was  used  as  a  term  of  re- 
proach and  contempt.  Among  his  nine  chil- 
dren there  were  three  sons,  John,  Erasmus 
and  George,  who  served  as  Iowa  volunteers 
in  the  T^nion  army,  and  John  rose  to  the  com- 
mand of  a  companv. 

Removing  to  Nebraska  in  1869  Mr.  Thomas 
settled  in  Lyons,  Burt  county,  at  a  period  so 
early  in  the  settlement  of  the  village  that  Mr. 
Lyons  and  familv  v/ere  the  only  other  resi- 
dents of  the  hamlet.  For  three  years  he  car- 
ried on  a  general  store  and  then  ooerated  a 
farm  adjoining  the  town.  Meanwhile  he  hnd 
become  prominent  in  local  Republican  poli- 
tics and  on  that  ticket,  in  the  fall  of  1879,  '^^ 
was  elected  sheriff,  after  which  he  removed 
to  Tekamah,  the  county  seat.     LTpon  the  ex- 


piration of  his  term  as  sheriff  in  1881  he  was 
elected  county  clerk  and  two  years  later  was 
chosen  to  succeed  himself  in  that  office,  which 
he  filled  until  the  ist  of  January,  1886.  Not 
long  afterward  he  closed  out  his  interests  in 
Nebraska  and  arranged  for  removal  to  the 
west.  April  7,  1887,  he  came  to  San  Diego, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business, 
but  like  all  others  similarly  interested,  he  suf- 
fered heavy  losses  in  the  reaction  subsequent 
to  the  memorable  "boom."  Later  he  set  out 
an  orchard  of  ten  acres  of  lemons,  also  con- 
tinued in  the  real-estate  business  and  built  his 
present  resident  on  the  corner  of  Third  street 
and  Ash.  For  fi.ve  years  he  was  employed  as 
a  conductor  on  the  San  Diego  electric  street- 
cars and  for  some  years  he  was  one  of  the 
inspectors  in  the  customs  service,  resigning 
that  position  to  accept  the  appointment  as 
chief  of  police,  tendered  him  in  June,  1903,  by 
Mayor  F.  P.  Frary.  Under  re-appointment 
by  Captain  Sehon  he  is  now  serving  his  sec- 
ond term  as  the  head  of  the  police  depart- 
ment. He  is  a  member  of  the  San  Diego 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  belongs  to  the  Union 
League  Club,  is  identified  with  Boomer  Post, 
G.  A.  R.,  and  with  his  wife  belongs  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  While  in  Ne- 
braska he  was  made  a  Mason  in  Tekamah 
Lodge  No.  35,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  now  holds 
membership  with  San  Diego  Lodge  No.  35, 
F.  &  A.  M.  Both  of  his  daughters  have  mar- 
ried and  now  reside  further  east,  so  that  he 
and  his  wife  are  alone  in  their  home  by  the 
seashore.  The  older  daughter,  Ella  M.,  be- 
came the  wife  of  O.  G.  Tabor,  of  Holton, 
Kans.,  and  the  younger  daughter,  Frances, 
married  Dr.  J.  JJ.  Scott  of  Missouri,  who  is 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  at  Har- 
risonville,  that  state. 


FELIPE  J.  CAZAS.  With  the  exception  of 
three  years  while  in  Lower  California  Felipe  J. 
Cazas  has  spent  his  life  in  Southern  California. 
On  February  5,  1854.  he  was  born  in  Ventura 
countv,  the  son  of  Paul  and  Ramona  (Bemis)  Ca- 
zas. The  father,  a  native  of  Mexico,  fought  in  the 
Mexican  war,  arid  his  death  occurred  in  Ventura  : 
the  mother,  who  was  born  in  Ventura,  died  in 
1883.  The  education  of  Mr.  Cazas  was  received 
through  the  medium  of  the  common  schools  of 
Ventura  county  and  in  1869  he  removed  to  Los 
Angeles  countv,  locating  in  the  San  Fernando 
valley.  In  1871  he  returned  to  Ventura  county, 
remaining  for  three  years,  when  he  again  came 
to  this  section  of  the  state.  The  three  years  fol- 
lowing 1875  he  spent  in  Lower  California  and 
the  remainder  of  his  life  thus  far  has  been  spent 
in  farming  on  his  present  ranch,  located  six  miles 


HISTORICAL  v\ND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1493 


south  of  Temecula.  He  is  also  interested  to  some 
extent  in  honey  production,  owning  thirty-four 
colonies  of  bees  which  yield  him  a  nice  income. 
In  1885,  in  Temecula,  Mv.  Cazas  was  married 
to  Louisa  Aval,  who  is  a  native  of  Riverside 
county,  and  of  this  union  six  children  have  been 
born :  Sarah,  Estefana,  Joseph,  Louisa,  Marie  and 
Louis.  They  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church  and  contribute  liberally  to  the  support  of 
all  enterprises  tending-  to  elevate  and  upbuild  the 
community  in  which  they  make  their  home.  Mr. 
Cazas  is  an  enterprising-  and  progressive  citizen 
and  possesses  many  sterling  qualities  which  have 
won  for  him  the  highest  esteem  and  respect  of  all 
who  have  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance. 


WILLIAM  OTTERBINE  GRAHAM. 
The  development  of  the  walnut  industry  as 
one  of  the  profitable  enterprises  of  California 
may  be  attributed  to  the  sagacity  and  per- 
severance of  a  comparatively  small  number  of 
men,  among  whom  mention  belongs  to  Mr. 
Graham  of  Whittier,  a  horticulturist  who  has 
ever  been  anxious  to  experiment  with  new 
methods  in  order  to  ascertain  those  that  are 
the  most  practical  and  successful.  Through 
a  long  series  of  experinients  he  has  arrived  at 
a  certain  theory  and  definite  conclusion  re- 
garding the  growing  of  walnuts,  and  the  value 
of  his  plan  of  work  is  proved  by  his  success 
with  the  trees.  When  he  came  to  Whittier 
he  bought  twenty-five  acres  from  B.  F.  Max- 
im, the  same  forming  a  part  of  the  old  Gunn 
and  Hazard  tract,  watered  by  the  old  Banta 
ditch,  but  wholly  unimproved.  Immediately 
after  the  purchase  of  the  property  he  set  out 
walnut  trees,  which  are  of  such  value  that  he 
has  been  oiTered  $800  per  acre  for  the  orchard. 
However,  as  he  has  no  desire  to  change  his 
place  of  residence,  he  has  declined  all  ofifers. 

In  his  care  of  the  orchard  Mr.  Graham  has 
adopted  a  method  as  unique  as  it  is  success- 
ful. Briefly  stated,  his  plan  is  as  follows:  In 
the  spring  the  weeds  are  allowed  to  grow  tall, 
for  the  weeds  that  are  so  obnoxious  to  a  grain 
farmer  are  a  blessing  to  the  orchardist.  After 
the  rains  of  April  and  ?*Tay  he  uses  a  disk 
plow  to  turn  the  soil  to  a  depth  of  ten  or  twelve 
inches,  then  harrows  the  land.  During  the 
latter  part  of  July  he  irrigates  by  means  of 
a  system  of  furrows.  A  stream  of  water  is 
turned  into  each  of  six  furrows  between  rows 
of  trees  forty  feet  apart,  and  from  forty-eight 
to  sixty  hours  are  allowed  for  irrigation,  after 
which  he  harrows  the  ground  crosswise  and 
then  uses  the  Killifor  weed-knife  cultivator. 
Each  season  he  plows  deep  but  once  and  ir- 
rigates but  once.  Many  of  his  acquaintances  are 
adopting  his  methods,  convinced  by  his  suc- 
71  ■   Ti 


cess  that  jiis  plan  of  cultivation  is  judicious. 
The  success  of  his  system  entitles  him  to  a 
place  among  those  men  who  have  benefited 
their  community  by  the  exercise  of  wise  judg- 
ment and  original  methods. 

At  the  family  home  on  the  banks  of  Wills 
creek  in  Maryland,  near  the  old  Savage  Fur- 
nace. ;\Ir.  Graham  was  born  February  21, 
1843,  ^"'3  from  there  when  three  weeks  old  he 
was  taken  to  Pennsylvania  by  his  parents, 
William  and  Sarah  Graham.  Somewhat  later 
he  accompanied  the  family  to  Illinois  and  set- 
tled on  a  farm  in  Adams  county  near  the  Mis- 
sissippi river,  where  he  was  trained  to  a  knowl- 
edge of  agriculture  and  to  habits  of  industry 
and  frugality.  At  the  same  time  he  also  ap- 
plied himself  to  the  cabinet-maker's  trade, 
which  he  learned  in  youth,  and  did  consider- 
able work  in  carpentering  after  his  removal 
in  1884,  to  Jasper  county,  Iowa,  where  also 
he  conducted  a  farm.  While  living  in  Illi- 
nois he  niarried  Aliss  Gilly  Mustain,  who  was 
born  in  that  state  and  died  in  Iowa.  The  two 
daughters  of  that  union  were  Sarah  Belle 
(deceased)  and  ^.frs.  Gilly  J.  Wolf.  After  go- 
ing to  Iowa  he  was  a  second  time  married, 
his  union  with  Miss  Carrie  Taylor  being  sol- 
emnized in  August  of  1886.  In  March  of  1887 
he  brought  his  family  to  California  and  set- 
tled at  Garvanza,  a  suburb  of  Los  Angeles, 
where  he  built  a  house,  but  remained  only  a 
short  time.  From  there  he  went  to  Pasadena 
and  took  charge  of  the  building  of  a  brick 
block,  after  which  he  filled  a  contract  to  build 
a  substantial  hotel  at  Fairmont  in  the  Ante- 
lope valley.  On  the  completion  of  that  con- 
tract he  came  to  Whittier,  where  he  and  his 
wife  and  their  three  children,  William  J.,  Mil- 
lie Elmira  and  Harry  Reuben,  have  niany 
friends  among  their  circle  of  acquaintances. 
In  addition  to  his  home  place  he  owns  thirty 
acres  of  pasture  land  near  by.  also  a  small 
orange  orchard  in  Whittier,  and  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  in  Antelope  valley,  these  vari- 
ous properties  representing  a  considerable 
monetary  value  and  the  nccumi'.lations  of  years 
of  energetic  application. 


ALBERT  DUANE  EASTDX.  Since  De- 
cember, 1905,  Mr.  Easton  has  been  engaged  in 
the  conduct  of  the  ^Todel  market,  of  Ocean 
Park,  and  although  a  resident  of  this  place  for 
so  brief  a  time  he  has  still  made  for  him.self  a 
place  among  the  business  men  and  bids  fair  to 
acquire  a  noteworthy  success  in  his  venture. 
He  is  a  native  of  the  middle  west,  his  birth  hav- 
ing occurred  in  Piatt  county.  111.,  April  10.  1873: 
when  he  was  but  six  weeks  old  his  parents,  Ezra 
and  ^lary   (Hodge)   Easton   (natives  respective- 


1494 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ly  of  Ohio  and  Indiana),  removed  to  Iowa  and 
located  in  Monona  county  on  a  farm.  For 
twelve  years  they  remained  in  that  location,  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits,  when,  in  1885, 
they  came  to  California  and  in  Colton  estab- 
lished their  home,  j\lr.  Hasten  following  ranch- 
ing there.  In  that  place  Mrs.  Easton  died  in  her 
thirty-eighth  year ;  she  is  survived  by  her  hus- 
band, who  is  now  living  retired  in  iNIonrovia. 

Of  the  six  children  born  to  his  parents,  Albert 
Duane  Easton  was  third  in  order  of  birth.  His 
boyhood  years  were  spent  in  Iowa  and  Califor- 
nia, and  he  received  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  both  states,  eventually  attending 
the  high  school  of  Colton.  In  }oung  manhood 
he  learned  the  trade  of  tailor,  but  not  caring  for 
the  work  he  later  engaged  in  the  grocery  busi- 
ness. Eventually  learning  the  trade  of  butcher 
in  Colton,  he  opened  a  shop  in  Los  Angeles,  and 
later  was  located  in  various  cities  of  the  state, 
among  them,  San  Francisco  and  San  Jose,  in 
the  latter  city  conducting  the  business  of  the 
noted  Saratoga  ^Market.  Coming  to  Ocean 
Park,  in  December,  1905,  he  purchased  the 
Model  market  and  hag'  conducted  the  same  since, 
with  every  prospect  of  meeting  w^ith  entire 
success. 

Bv  his  marriage  Mr.  Easton  has  one  daughter, 
Roberta  Lillian.  In  his  political  convictions  he 
is  identified  with  the  Republican  party,  while 
socially  he  is  esteemed  for  the  many  qualities 
of  manhood  as  displayed  by  him  in  both  his  busi- 
ness and   social   life. 


JOHN  VERPLANK  LARZALERE,  M.  D. 
Noteworthy  among  the  influential  an<l  re- 
spected citizens  of  Escondido  is  J.  V.  Larza- 
lere,  Isl.  D.,  a  well-known  physician,  who,  now 
in  the  prime  of  life,  is  followmg  a  career  of 
usefulness,  being  exceptionally  well  fitted  for 
the  duties  of  his  responsible  position.  His 
skill  and  ability  and  his  thorough  knowledge 
of  medicine  have  won  for  him  the  confidence  of 
the  community  to  such  an  extent  that  his  suc- 
cess is  assured,  and  his  patronage  is  of  the 
best  and  most  lucrative.  A  son  of  John  Lar- 
zalere,  he  was  born,  January  28,  1859,  in  Wa- 
terloo, N.  Y. 

The  lineal  descendant  of  a  family  that  emi- 
grated from  France  to  the  United  States  in 
colonial  days,  John  Larzalere  was  born  in  New 
York  state  more  than  eighty  years  ago.  \\'hen 
a  ^roung  man  he  learned  the  trade  of  harness- 
maker,  which  he  followed  successfully  for  a 
number  of  years.  Enlisting  during  the  Civil 
war  in  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Forty- 
eiglith  New  York  Volunteer  Infantry,  he  was 
detailed  as  a  harness  maker,  and  served  in, 
that    capacity    during   his   term   of   enlistment. 


After  the  war  l:e  was  machinist  and  superin- 
tendent of  a  woolen  mill  in  Waterloo,  N.  Y., 
where  he  is  now  living,  retired  from  active 
business.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic.  He  married  Maria  Schick,  a 
native  of  Faj-ette,  Seneca  county,  N.  Y.  Her  fa- 
ther, David  Schick,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
of  German  ancestry,  and  was  for  many  years 
engaged  in  business  in  Fayette,  N.  Y.,  being  a 
stock-dealer,  a  butcher  and  a  merchant.  She 
died  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-seven  years, 
leaving  six  children,  four  of  whom  are  living, 
J.  v.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  being  the  only 
one  on  the  Pacific  coast. 

Brought  up  in  Waterloo,  N.  Y.,  J.  V.  Larza- 
lere there  laid  the  foundation  for  his  future 
education,  attending  the  public  schools  and  the 
village  academy.  After  studying  medicine  for 
awhile  with  Dr.  John  W.  Day,  of  Waterloo, 
in  1881  he  entered  the  University  of  Buffalo, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree 
of  M.  D.  in  1884.  Immediately  beginning  the 
practice  of  his  profession  with  Dr.  Day  in  Wa- 
terloo, he  remained  there  a  year,  and  in  the 
mean  time  served  as  county  physician.  Going 
then  to  Poplar  Ridge,  Cayuga  county,  N.  Y., 
he  continued  there  as  a  practitioner  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  meeting  with  excellent  success. 
Coming  to  San  Diego  county,  Cal.,  in  1895,  he 
was  engaged  in  his  professional  labors  at  Na- 
tional City  for  a  year,  succeeding  Dr.  Buxton. 
Locating  in  Escondido  in  1896,  he  has  built 
up  a  large  and  lucrative  practice  in  this  city, 
his  natural  talents  and  industry  placing  him 
among  the  most  able  physicians  of  this  part 
of  the  county.  In  the  treatment  of  diseases, 
the  doctor  uses  the  most  modern  methods,  and 
in  his  finely  equipped  office  he  has  '  a  static 
electrical  apparatus,  with  an  X-ray  attachment 
and  all  forms  of  electricity  used  in  the  treat- 
ment of  diseases.  He  is  local  surgeon  at  Es- 
condido for  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company, 
in  this  direction  ably  performing  the  duties 
devolving  upon  him.  In  1901,  Dr.  Larzalere, 
ambitious  to  keep  up  to  the  times  in  his  pro- 
fessional work,  went  to  New  York  City  to  take 
a  post-graduate  course  at  the  New  York  Hos- 
pital College. 

The  doctor  is  much  interested  in  horticult- 
ure, and  for  a  few  years  had  twelve  acres  of 
oranges  and  lemons.  He  has  recently  sold 
five  acres,  and  has  now  seven  acres,  all  under 
irrigation,  on  which  he  built  his  present  two- 
story  residence,  lying  one  and  one-half  miles 
east  of  the  cit3^  Since  coming  to  Escondido 
he  has  taken  a  genuine  interest  in  local  aflfairs, 
and  was  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Irrigating 
District  at  the  lime  of  the  work  that  was  car- 
ried on  in  connection  with  the  committee  of 
fifteen  that  were  successful  in  raising  money  to 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1495 


settle  the  bonds,  which  were  burned  upon  h- 
quidation,  the  directorate  being  then  dissolved. 
He  is  president  of  the  Escondido  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  and  has  served  one  term  of  the 
board  of  health  in  Escondido  district. 

In  Poplar  Ridge,  N.  Y.,  Dr.  Larzalere  mar- 
ried Frances  E.  Peckham,  a  native  of  that 
place,  and  they  have  three  children,  namely : 
Ray  v.,  a  pupil  in  the  high  school,  belonging 
to  the  class  of  1907;  Lena  M. ;  and  Harriet  E. 
Politically  the  doctor  is  a  zealous  supporter 
of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party  and 
an  ex-member,  of  the  county  central  commit- 
tee, being  a  delegate  to  the  state  convention 
in  1906.  Professionally  he  belongs  to  the 
County,  State  and  American,  Medical  Associ- 
ations. Fraternally  he  is  a  member  and  past 
chancellor  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias ;  is  a  past 
officer  and  district  deputy  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  with  which  he  united 
at  Poplar  Ridge,  N.  Y. ;  is  a  member  and  the 
medical  examiner  of  both  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 
ica ;  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Foresters :  and  a  member  of  the  Knights  and 
Ladies  of  Security.  Religiously  Mrs.  Larza- 
lere belongs  to  the  Congregational  Church, 
towards  the  support  of  which  the  doctor  con- 
tributes willingly  and  liberally. 


RICHARD  J.  WELTY.  A  goodly  number 
of  the  men  who  were  identified  with  the  early 
.\merican  colonization  of  Southern  California 
have  been  spared  to  witness  its  remarkable  de- 
velopment and  prosperity.  Included  in  this  class 
may  be  mentioned  Richard  J.  Welty,  who  since 
the  year  1866  has  made  his  home  in  this  section 
of  the  country  and  who  has  been  a  factor  in  its 
material  growth.  Born  and  reared  in  Illinois,  he 
became  a  resident  of  Iowa  in  early  life 
and  there  met  and  married  Miss  Mary 
Singleton,  a  native  of  the  state.  On  leav- 
ing the  settled  regions  of  the  Mississippi  val- 
ley for  the  unknown  and  remote  locality  beyond 
the  desert  and  the  mountains,  he  traveled  with 
wagon  and  team  across  the  plains,  accompanied 
by  his  family.  After  an  uneventful  journey  of 
six  months  he  arrived  in  San  Bernardino  county, 
where  he  established  his  liome  and  engaged  at 
the  carpenter's  trade,  also  for  a  time  worked  in  a 
lumber  mill  on  the  San  Bernardino  mountains. 
When  the  tide  of  immigration  turned  toward 
San  Diego  county  in  1869  he  took  up  land  on  the 
Pala  road  and  for  seven  years  superintended  his 
ranch,  which  is  now  occupied  by  Victor  Magee 
and  is  known  as  the  McCumber  ranch. 

Drifting  from  the  occupation  of  a  rancher  into 
the  specialty  of  an  apiarist.  Mr.  Welty  established 
his  liome  at  Aguanga  and  for  twelve  years  en- 


gaged in  the  bee  business,  meanwhile  becoming 
the  owner  of  four  apiaries,  which  he  conducted 
in  a  profitable  manner.  At  the  same  time  he  had 
charge  of  a  cattle  ranch  at  San  Ignacio.  During 
the  year  1885  he  came  to  Temecula,  Riverside 
count}-,  where  he  still  makes  his  home.  Soon  aft- 
er his  arrival  he  bought  real  estate  and  erected  a 
building  for  hotel  purposes.  Later  this  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  and  soon  afterward  he  put  up  the 
Welty  hotel  on  the  same  site.  For  some  time  this 
hotel  was  leased  to  other  parties,  but  June  17, 
1906,  Mr.  Welty  again  assumed  its  management 
and  since  then  has  been  its  popular  and  efficient 
landlord.  In  addition  to  this  property  he  owns 
several  houses  in  Temecula  and  has  ranch  prop- 
erty in  the  locality. 

The  family  of  Mr.  Welty  now  comprises  the 
following-named  daughters:  Nancy  E.,  who 
married  \^'illiam  Kinkead,  of  Moosa  Canon ;  Ma- 
tilda A.,  at  home;  Hattie  A.,  who  was  appointed 
postmaster  at  Temecula  in  1888  and  has  held  the 
office  continuously  with  the  exception  of  one  and 
one-half  years;  Laura,  wife  of  Hugh  McCon- 
ville,  the  well-known  liveryman  at  Temecula ; 
Mattie  E.,  Fronie  J.  and  Allie  A.  The  daughters 
are  educated  and  refined,  possess  charitable  dis- 
positions and  high  principles,  and  in  their  re- 
ligious views  favor  the  Baptist  and  Christian 
Churches.  Miss  Hattie  A.,  who  has  charge  of 
the  postoffice,  fills  the  position  with  characteristic 
fidelity  and  tireless  energy,  and  has  won  the  con- 
fidence of  the  patrons  of  the  office  by  her  long 
and  efficient  service.  Fraternally  Mr.  Welty 
long  ago  became  identified  with  the  jMasonic  Or- 
der and  has  remained  to  the  present  time  an  ar- 
dent disciple  of  the  fraternity's  principles  of 
brotherhood  and  charitv. 


VINCENT  SENTOUS,  a  successful  business 
man  of  Los  Angeles,  and  one  of  the  old  pioneers, 
was  born  in  Mont  Rejeau,  in  the  department  of 
Haute-Garonne,  France,  August  4,  1857,  ^  son 
of  Francisco  and  Marie  (Fadeuill)  Sentous. 
They  were  both  natives  of  France,  where  they 
passed  their  entire  lives.  The  father  was  a 
farmer  and  stockman  and  successful  in  his  ef- 
forts, acquiring  a  competence  and  a  position  of 
prominence  among  the  citizens  of  his  section.  He 
was  twice  married,  having  three  children  by  the 
first  union  and  five  by  the  second,  all  of  whom 
are  located  in  California.  The  first  of  the  fam- 
ily to  emigrate  was  John  Sentous,  who  came  to 
California  in  1852 ;  this  led  to  another  brother, 
Louis,  following  in  1855,  and  in  1874  Vincent 
Sentous  severed  his  connections  with  the  Mother 
country,  a  lad  not  yet  in  his  eighteenth  year  and 
just  through  his  course  in  college.  July  i,  1874, 
he  reached  San  Francisco  and  on  the  3rd  of  that 
month    was    in   Los   Angeles   and   in   the   sunny 


149(3 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


land  of  Southern  California.  His  brothers  were 
already  established  here  in  the  sheep  business, 
and  he  at  once  secured  employment  with  them, 
beginning  on  the  bottom  rung  of  the  ladder  and 
with  nothing  to  presage  a  future  success  save 
his  energy,  perseverance  and  industry.  Three 
years  later  with  his  accumulated  earnings  he  pur- 
chased a  flock  of  sheep  and  continued  the  busi- 
ness alone  until  1883,  when  he  sold  out  and  in 
partnership  with  his  brother  purchased  a  meat 
market  on  the  corner  of  Los  Angeles  and  Aliso 
streets,  where  the  firm  of  Vincent  and  Exupere 
Sentous  became  widely  known  to  an  appreciative 
public.  They  dissolved  partnership  in  1903  and 
Vincent  Sentous  established  a  similar  enterprise 
at  No.  228  Aliso  street,  which  was  first  known 
as  the  Vincent  Sentous  Market  and  later  as  the 
New  Orleans  Market.  In  addition  to  this  busi- 
ness he  is  also  engaged  as  an  extensive  farmer 
and  stockman  at  Lemon  Station,  Los  Angeles 
county,  where  he  owns  sixteen  hundred  acres  of 
land,  a  part  of  the  old  San  Jose  grant.  This 
extensive  property  is  well  watered  by  living 
streams  and  springs  and  much  of  it  can  be  placed 
under  irrigation.  His  chief  interests  here  are  in 
the  raising  of  cattle  and  fine  horses,  in  which  he 
has  met  with  unusual  success,  and  which  places 
him  among  the  prominent  farmers  of  Southern 
California. 

In  Los  Angeles  Mr.  Sentous  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Zelia  Meysan,  a  native  of 
Columbia,  Cal.,  but  reared  and  educated  in  Inyo 
county,  this  state.  Her  father,  Giarles  Mey- 
san, was  a  miner  in  the  early  days  and  later  a 
merchant  at  Lone  Pine,  Inyo  county.  Mr.  Sen- 
tous is  a  member  of  the  Los  Angeles  Chamber 
of  Commerce  and  is  in  every  way  interested  in 
the  advancement  of  the  city  and  the  development 
of  its  best  interests. 


CLAUDE  WOOLMAN.  During  an  early 
period  in  the  settlement  of  America  the  Wool-- 
man  family  crossed  the  ocean  from  England 
and  became  identified  with  the  fortunes  of  the 
new  world,  where,  as  in  their  old  home,  they 
adhered  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Society  of 
Friends  and  displayed  the  peace-loving  and  up- 
right qualities  characteristic  of  the  members  of 
that  organization.  As  the  trend  of  emigration 
drifted  toward  the  Mississippi  valley  the  family 
were  quick  to  identify  themselves  with  the  newer 
and  undeveloped  regions  whose  fertile  soils  of- 
fered a  large  return  for  their  care  and  cultiva- 
tion. Benjamin  Woolman,  who  was  a  pioneer 
farmer  of  Iowa,  afterward  became  an  early  set- 
tler of  Nebraska,  and  eventually  established  his 
home  at  Julesburg,  Colo.,  where  he  still  lives. 
In  his  family  was  a  son,  J.  H.  Woolman,  who 
was  born  in  Osceola.  Iowa,  and  became  a  hard- 


ware merchant  of  York,  Neb.,  but  as  early  as 
1882  came  to  California,  where,  after  a  year  in 
National  City,  he  established  his  headquarters  in 
San  Diego,  embarking  in  business  as  a  tinsmith 
and  hardware  merchant.  For  some  years  he 
was  one  of  the  local  leaders  of  the  Republican 
party,  on  which  ticket  he  was  twice  elected  to 
the  office  of  city  trustee  and  also  for  four  years 
held  a  position  as  member  of  the  county  board 
of  supervisors.  Largely  to  his  tireless  labors 
and  enthusiastic  support  may  be  attributed  the 
movement  which  led  to  the  purchase  and  im- 
provement of  City  Park  on  F  street,  and  many 
other  local  enterprises  of  permanent  value  re- 
ceived the  impetus  of  his  support.  Eventually 
he  transferred  his  allegiance  to  the  Democratic 
party,  on  which  ticket  in  1902  he  was  nominated 
for  the  legislature,  but  suffered  defeat.  Fra- 
ternally he  long  has  affiliated  with  the  Knights 
of  Pythias.  A  busy  life  covering  fifty-five  years 
has  not  diminished  his  physicial  powers  or  men- 
tal energies,  for  he  still  remains  active  in  busi- 
ness, interested  in  the  issues  of  the  age,  in- 
telligently informed  concerning  matters  of  gen- 
eral importance,  and  public-spirited  in  his  sup- 
port of  projects  for  the  general  welfare. 

While  still  a  resident  of  Iowa  J.  H.  Woolman 
married  Mary  Estes,  who  was  born  in  Osceola, 
that  state,  her  father,  J.  M.  Estes,  having  been 
a  member  of  an  old  southern  family  and  for 
some  years  a  resident  of  Missouri,  but  in  his  last 
davs  a  citizen  of  California.  There  are  two 
children  in  the  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wool- 
man.  The  daughter,  Mrs.  Ida  Maude  Deeble, 
lives  in  Los  Angeles,  and  the  son,  Claude,  is  a 
business  man  of  San  Diego.  The  latter  was 
born  in  Clarinda,  Iowa,  February  3,  1875,  and 
was  a  small  boy  when  the  family  removed  to 
the  Pacific  coast,  so  that  his  education  was  ob- 
tained almost  wholly  in  the  west.  After  having 
graduated  from  the  San  Diego  gramr.iar  school 
and  •  having  taken  a  course  in  the  San  Diego 
Business  College,  he  learned  the  plumber's  trade 
under  his  father's  oversight,  after  which  for 
five  years  he  was  connected  with  McKinzie 
Brothers  (now  the  Western  ]\Ietal  Supply  Com- 
pany) and  as  a  traveling  salesman  in  Southern 
California  and  Arizona  for  three  years  he  opened 
up  the  territory  for  them  and  established  an  ex- 
cellent business  in  their  line. 

Upon  resigning  from  the  company's  employ 
in  the  fall  of  1904.  Mr.  Woolman  formed  a 
partnership  with  A.  J.  Bradley  under  the  firm 
title  of  Bradley  &  Woolman.  The  partners  pur- 
chased a  lot  and  erected  a  three-story  building, 
60x30  feet,  where  now  they  conduct  an  under- 
taking business.  The  establishment  is  said  to 
be  the  finest  of  its  kind  in  this  part  of  the  state 
and  is  fitted  up  in  the  most  modern  manner  with 
every  convenience.     The  basement  is  utilized  as 


PATRICK  DONOVAN 


HISTORICAL  .\ND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RFXORD. 


1499 


an  embalming  room,  stockroom  and  workroom, 
while  the  first  floor  has  the  office  and  reception 
room,  and  the  second  floor  contains  a  chapel  with 
appropriate  furnishings.  In  addition  to  taking 
his  part  in  the  management  of  the  business,  JNIr. 
Woolman  has  been  interested  in  all  movements 
for  the  city's  development,  has  maintained  a 
warm  interest  in  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and 
until  November,  1905,  served  for  some  time  as  a 
member  of  the  board  of  police  commissioners. 
For  three  years  he  served  in  the  Naval  Reserve 
at  San  Diego.  After  the  outbreak  of  the  war 
with  Spain  he  enlisted  at  Pasadena  as  a  musi- 
cian in  Company  I,  Seventh  California  Infantry, 
and  went  with  the  regiment  to  the  Presidio.  The 
course  of  the  war  was  such  that  he  was  not  called 
into  action,  but  after  seven  months  received 
an  honorable  discharge  at  Los  Angeles.  When 
an  association  was  organized  of  the  Spanish- 
American  war  veterans  he  became  identified  with 
the  movement  and  attended  their  gathering  at 
Camp  Bennington.  At  different  times  he  has 
been  connected  with  the  majority  of  the  bands 
of  Southern  California,  and  now  plays  the  trom- 
bone in  the  City  Guard  Band,  besides  which  he 
is  a  charter  member  of  the  Musicians'  Union. 
In  San  Francisco,  April  21,  1904,  he  married 
Miss  Edna  B.  Bradley,  only  daughter  of  A.  J. 
Bradley,  now  of  San  Diego.  Mrs.  Woolman  was 
born  in  Boise  City,  Idaho,  and  is  a  graduate  of 
Alills  College,  Oakland,  an  earnest  member  of 
the  Episcopal  Church  and  a  leading  worker  in 
the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star.  In  fraternal 
relations  Mr.  Woolman  is  an  officer  in  the  Be- 
nevolent Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  also  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Woodmen 
of  the  World  and  Independent  Order  of  For- 
esters. Under  an  appointment,  which  dates 
from  November  26,  1905.  he  fills  the  office 
of  city  treasurer  and  tax  collector,  in  which  work 
he  has  proved  painstaking,  efficient,  prompt  and 
trustworthy,  a  strict  guardian  of  the  city's  funds, 
a  careful  accountant  and  an  honorable  repre- 
sentative of  the  people  in  an  office  of  trust  and 
responsibility. 


PATRICK  DONOA^AN.  Rising  from  pov- 
erty to  independence  and  from  obscurity  to 
prominence  in  his  county,  Patrick  Donovan 
proved  himself  to  be  the  possessor  of  the  facul- 
ties that  lead  to  success.  Nor  was  his  prosper- 
ity alone  that  of  gaining  a  valuable  ranch  by 
dint  of  persevering  energj-  and  wise  judgment. 
He  was  also  successful  in  winning  friends  and 
in  gaining  the  respect  of  associates.  When 
he  passed  from  his  labors  into  rest  there  was 
none  to  say  an  unkind  word  of  his  character; 
on   the  other  hand,  all   united  to  bestow   trib- 


utes of  praise  upon  the  man  whose  progressive 
character  they  admired,  whose  kindness  of 
heart  had  often  been  proved,  and  whose  gen- 
erosity to  those  in  need  was  one  of  the  leading 
traits  of  his  disposition.  Throughout  all  of  his 
active  life  he  was  a  friend  of  higher  education 
for  the  rising  generations ;  having  been  de- 
prived of  educational  advantages  himself,  he 
realized  their  value  and  was  solicitous  that 
others  might  enjoy  the  privileges  he  was  de- 
nied. 

Born  in  County  Cork,  Ireland,  February  22, 
1840,  Patrick  Donovan  was  a  brother  of  Dan- 
iel Donovan  whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere 
in  this  volume.  On  attaining  the  age  of  twen- 
ty-one years  he  came  to  the  United  States  and 
settled  in  Boston,  where  he  was  employed  as  a 
longshoreman.  Two  years  later,  in  1863.  he 
came  to  California  and  made  a  brief  sojourn  at 
Watsonville,  Santa  Cruz  county,  after  which 
he  carried  on  a  farm  in  Alonterey  county  for 
three  years.  Next  he  came  to  Santa  Barbara 
county  and  remained  for  three  years  at  Guada- 
loupe.  From  there  he  removed  to  Nipomo, 
San  Luis  Obispo  county,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  ranching  for  five  years.  Eventually 
he  came  to  the  vicinity  of  Arroyo  Grande  and 
bought  a  ranch  of  four  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  acres,  of  which  a  considerable  portion  is 
under  cultivation  to  beans  and  grain.  On  this 
place  he  remained  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years,  March  16, 
1906. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Donovan  occurred  in 
1867  and  united  him  with  Jane  McCarty,  who 
came  to  the  United  States  in  girlhood  from 
her  native  place  in  County  Cork,  Ireland. 
There  she  attended  the  same  school  with  Mr. 
Donovan  and  a  mutual  attachment  was 
formed.  Her  parents  died  in  Ireland  and  she 
came  to  America,  where  she  was  married  in 
San  Francisco.  Of  her  union  four  children 
were  born.  The  eldest.  IMary,  is  :\Irs.  J.  E. 
Adams  of  Santa  Maria.  John  A.  spends  a 
part  of  the  year  in  looking  after  the  interests 
of  the  home  ranch,  and  the  remainder  of  the 
year  is  occupied  in  Arizona,  where  he  is  en- 
gaged in  stock-raising  as  well  as  being  inter- 
ested in  a  number  of  other  enterprises;  he  is 
a  young  man  of  exceptional  abilities,  inherit- 
ing many  fine  qualities  from  his  father;  hon- 
est, capable  and  energetic,  he  is  making  de- 
cided progress  in  his  business  undertakings  and 
the  future  has  much  in  store  for  him;  his  per- 
sonal qualities  are  such  as  to  make  him  a  gen- 
eral favorite  and  none  know  him  but  to  ad- 
mire and  respect  him.  The  next  child  in  order 
of  birth  is  Katie,  Mrs.  C.  Williams,  of  Los 
Berros  valley.  '  .Agnes  resides  with  her  mother 
on  Ihc  ranch  in  San  Luis  Obispo  county.     The 


1500 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


family  are  identified  with  the  CathoHc  Church 
of  Arroyo  Grande,  and  Mr.  Donovan  always 
contributed  generously  to  the  work  of  the 
church,  in  whose  faith  he  passed  from  earth. 
Though  he  never  held  any  offices,  he  was  well 
posted  concerning  politics  and  voted  the  Dem- 
ocratic ticket  at  all  elections.  From  the  time 
( 1871)  that  he  became  a  naturalized  citizen  of 
the  United  States  he  was  deeply  interested  in 
the  political  history  and  material  progress  of 
his  adopted  country,  and  those  born  under  the 
stars  and  stripes  were  not  more  loyal  to  the 
Union  nor  more  devoted  to  its  prosperity  than 
was  Mr.  Donovan. 


JAMES  A.  JASPER.  The  history  of  the 
Jasper  family  in  America  dates  back  to  the  colo- 
nial settlement  of  Virginia,  whence  one  of  their 
number  crossed  the  mountains  into  the  wilder- 
ness of  Kentucky.  Among  the  children  of  this 
Kentucky  pioneer  was  a  son,  Hon.  Achilles 
Jasper,  who  was  born  in  the  Blue  Grass  state 
and  served  as  a  member  of  its  legislature,  also 
conducted  a  stock  farm  there  for  some  years. 
After  a  time  he  became  a  pioneer  of  Missouri, 
settling  in  Holt  county.  Eventually  in  1853  he 
removed  to  Te.xas,  where  he  died  ten  miles  east 
of  Fort  Worth.  In  his  family  there  was  a  son, 
William  H.,  who  was  born  in  Kentucky,  lived 
for  some  years  in  Holt  county.  Mo.,  and  in  the 
fall  of  1853  removed  to  Texas,  engaging  in  the 
cattle  business  in  that  state.  Not  only  did  he 
serve  throughout  the  entire  period  of  the  JNIexi- 
can  war,  but  also  through  the  Civil  war,  and  at 
the  expiration  of  the  latter  conflict  he  was  a 
cripple  through  disability  brought  on  by  ex- 
posure and  privation.  Returning  from  Texas 
to  Missouri,  he  settled  in  Clay  county,  but  in 
1868  made  another  change  of  residence,  this 
time  coming  to  California  with  his  wife  and  five 
children  via  New  York  and  Panama.  After  one 
one  year  at  Santa  Clara  county  in  1869  he  went 
to  San  Luis  Obispo  county,  and  in  1870  removed 
to  what  was  then  Los  Angeles  (now  Orange") 
county,  settling  at  Santa  Ana,  where  he  took 
up  horticulture  and  general  ranching.  At  the 
time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  November  7. 
1900,  he  was  eightj'-two  years  of  age. 

The  marriage  of  William  H.  Jasper  united 
him  with  Mary  E.  Brown,  who  was  born  in 
Holt  county.  Mo.,  and  now  resides  at  Santa 
.A.na,  Cal.  One  of  her  brothers,  Rev.  Samuel 
Brown,  is  a  well-known  Methodist  Episcopal 
preacher  in  northern  California.  Her  father. 
Samuel  Brown,  who  was  a  pioneer  farmer  of 
Holt  county,  Mo.,  crossed  the  plains  to  Califor- 
nia in  1850  with  ox-teams  and  wagon  and  settled 
near  San  Jose,  buying  an  unimproved  tract  of 
ranch  land.     Tn   1 861  he  removed  via  the  south- 


ern route  to  Texas  and  settled  in  Denton  county, 
but  in  1865  returned  to  Missouri  and  a  year 
later  followed  the  old  California  trail  across  the 
plains  to  San  Jose,  where  he  remained  until  his 
death.  There  were  nine  children  in  the  family 
of  William  H.  and  Mary  E.  Jasper  and  all  but 
one  of  these  are  still  living,  James  A.  being 
next  to  the  eldest  in  order  of  birth.  While  the 
family  were  living  on  a  farm  in  Holt  county. 
Mo.,  he  was  born  INIarch  7,  1853.  His  earliest 
recollections  are  of  Texas,  and  when  he  was  yet 
a  small  child  his  father  left  home  and  entered 
the  army  as  a  volunteer  in  the  Civil  war,  from 
which  he  returned  permanently  disabled.  Up- 
on his  son  fell  the  burden  of  helping  to  support 
the  family  and  to  educate  the  younger  children, 
hence  he  had  no  opportunity  to  attend  school 
himself  nor  did  he  enjoy  any  of  the  advantages 
that  fall  to  the  lot  of  most  boys  of  the  middle 
class.  Yet  he  was  ambitious  to  acquire  know- 
ledge and  neglected  no  opportunity  to  gain  in- 
formation by  reading  and  self-culture. 

Upon  leaving  home  at  the  age  of  twenty-six 
years  Mr.  Jasper  married  Aliss  Mary  E.  Will- 
iams, of  Santa  Ana,  Cal.,  and  began  housekeep- 
ing at  what  was  known  as  the  old  Gospel  swamp, 
four  miles  south  of  Santa  Ana.  However,  poor 
health  forced  him  to  abandon  agricultural  pursuits 
and  he  thereupon  engaged  in  merchandising  in 
Santa  Ana,  but  in  1885  removed  to  Julian, 
where  he  engaged  in  ranching  and  stockraising. 
Soon  he  became  interested  in  newspaper  work 
through  the  purchase  of  the  Julian  Sentinel. 
which  he  published  every  week  for  eight  }-ears 
and  which  was  noteworthy  as  the  only  paper  in 
San  Diego  county  printed  away  from  direct  ac- 
cess to  telegraph,  telephone  and  railroad.  In 
1902  he  removed  to  the  Imperial  country  and 
purchased  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty- 
six  acres  which  he  still  owns.  After  he  settled 
on  the  place  he  became  interested  in  the  dig- 
ging of  the  canal  and  saw  the  first  shovel  of 
dirt  thrown  up  in  its  construction.  After  hav- 
ing engaged  in  raising  grain  and  stock  for  a  few 
years,  in  December  of  1905  he  brought  his  fam- 
ily to  San  Diego,  where  he  now  resides. 

For  years  ]\Ir.  Jasper  has  been  a  stanch  ad- 
herent of  the  Democratic  party  and  one  of  its 
local  leaders.  The  members  of  his  party  in  the 
third  district  in  1892  elected  him  to  represent 
them  on  the  county  board  of  supervisiors,  and 
he  was  re-elected  in  1896,  1900  and  1904,  serv- 
ing until  January,  1906,  when  he  resigned  owing 
to  the  pressure  of  other  duties.  Since  t888  he 
has  been  a  member  of  the  San  Diego  Chamber 
of  Commerce  and  in  October,  IQ05,  he  was 
chosen  its  secretary  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of 
Mr.  Wood,  being  duly  elected  to  the  office  in 
Jantiarv  following.  The  organization  possesses 
a    membership    of   five    hundred   and    thirty-five 


/i.A  >^ 


(m/^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1503 


and  is,  with  one  exception,  the  largest  in  South- 
ern California.  In  the  upbuilding  of  the  town 
and  county  it  has  proved  most  helpful.  Al- 
though having  for  its  ultimate  aim  the  attract- 
ing of  a  desirable  class  of  permanent  settlers,  it 
yet  has  been  equally  helpful  in  promoting  the 
prosperity  of  the  people  already  resident  here, 
and  has  proved  a  power  in  the  material  develop- 
ment of  the  community. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Jasper  holds  membership  with 
the  Order  of  Foresters,  while  in  religious  views 
he  upholds  the  doctrines  of  the  Christian  Qiurch 
and  is  identified  with  that  congregation  in  San 
Diego.  His  wife  has  been  a  lifelong  resident 
of  California  and  was  born  near  Watsonville, 
Santa  Cruz  county,  being  a  daughter  of  Isaac 
and  Lydia  (Patterson)  Williams,  who  crossed 
the  plains  to  California  respectively  in  1844  and 
1846.  After  a  brief  experience  as  a  miner  Mr. 
\Mlliams  settled  near  \\'atsonville  and  planted 
the  first  large  apple  orchard  in  the  Pajaro  val- 
ley, later  becoming  a  leading  horticulturist  of 
the  locality.  Three  children  comprise  the  fam- 
ily of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jasper,  namely:  Ralph,  who 
is  engaged  in  ranching  near  Imperial;  Mollie, 
who  married  Thomas  Doss  and  resides  in  Los 
Angeles ;  and  Virgil,  who  remains  with  his 
parents  in  their  San  Diego  home. 


RUSSELL  B.  WILSON,  a  resident  of  Sher- 
man, Cal.,  since  1896,  was  born  in  Sherburne, 
Vt.,  in  1832,  a  son  of  Jonathan  and  a  grandson 
of  Ezra  Wilson.  The  latter  was  a  farmer  of 
the  pioneer  period,  being  the  first  white  man 
to  settle  in  Rutland  county,  Vt.  There  he 
hewed  a  farm  out  of  the  timber  lands,  living  on 
berries  and  such  game  as  he  could  kill  until 
the  harvest  of  his  first  crop,  when  he  carried 
liis  wheat  on  his  back  to  the  mill  to  have  it 
ground  into  flour.  The  greater  part  of  his  life 
was  spent  in  Rutland  county,  where  his  death 
occurred  at  an  advanced  age.  He  inherited 
the  valiant  spirit  of  his  forefathers — early  set- 
tlers of  the  colonics — and  during  the  Revolu- 
tionar}'  war  served  as  a  Continental  soldier. 
His  son  Jonathan  was  reared  among  the 
primitive  surroimdings  of  a  pioneer  section 
and  followed  farming  his  entire  life,  having  re- 
ceived a  limited  education  in  the  rude  schools 
of  the  day.  He  was  induced  by  his  son  to  go 
to  Wisconsin,  where  land  was  cheap  and  op- 
portunities greater  for  a  growing  family,  and 
in  Menomonee  took  up  government  land,  and 
with  the  aid  of  his  sons  cleared  a  farm  which 
remained  his  home  until  his  death.  His  wife 
was  formerly  Huldah  Thompson,  also  a  native 
of  Vermont.  They  became  the  parents  of  thir- 
teen children,  twelve  of  whom  were  livins:  at 


the  time  of  their  removal  to  Wisconsin,  and 
one  son  still  makes  that  state  his  home. 

It  was  through  the  influence  of  Russell  U. 
Wilson  that  the  family  fortunes  were  removed 
to  the  middle  west,  he  being  then  a  young 
man.  His  education  was  received  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Rutland  county,  which  he  at- 
tended during  the  winter  months  and  assisted 
during  the  summer  on  the  home  farm.  In 
1852  he  took  a  course  in  the  Leoni  (Mich.) 
high  school  preparatory  to  taking  up  educa- 
lional  work,  after  wdiich  he  taught  in  that 
town  for  two  years.  Then  going  to  Minne- 
sota, he  took  up  a  quarter  section  of  land  in 
the  vicinity  of  Northfield,  cleared  it  and  began 
farming.  Well  satisfied  with  the  country  he 
returned  to  Vermont  and  induced  his  parents 
to  locate  in  Wisconsin,  just  across  the  river 
from  his  farm  in  Minnesota.  He  gave  valua- 
ble assistance  in  the  clearing  of  his  father's 
farm  and  during  the  winter  worked  in  the 
lumber  camp  on  the  Menominee  river.  After 
two  years  he  returned  to  Northfield  and  be- 
came prominent  in  public  afi^airs,  supporting 
the  principles  of  the  Republican  party  (having 
cast  his  first  vote  for  Fremont)  and  served  for 
a  time  in  the  Minnesota  legislature.  In  1868 
he  disposed  of  his  interests  in  that  section  and 
went  to  Kansas,  following  contracting  and 
building  successfully  there  for  one  year. 

January  I,  1880,  Mr.  Wilson  started  for  Cal- 
ifornia and  arrived  in  Los  Angeles  county  on 
the  loth  of  that  month.  He  took  up  a  home- 
stead of  a  quarter  section  on  the  slope  back 
of  Pasadena,  later  selling  this  property  to  ]\Iil- 
ton  Lindley  for  the  erection  of  the  Esperanza 
Sanatorium.  After  having  disposed  of  this 
interest  he  engaged  in  contracting  and  build- 
ing in  Los  Angeles  for  five  years,  and  with 
the  means  thus  acquired  invested  in  a  ranch 
of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  the 
vicinity  of  Cucamonga.  This  venture  proving 
disastrous  he  sold  out  and  in  1896  located  in 
.Sherman,  where  he  purchased  property  which 
lias  since  become  very  valuable.  Since  his 
location  here  he  has  taken  great  pride  in  the 
growth  of  the  place  and  the  improvement  of 
his  property,  setting  out  various  tropical  trees, 
among  them  the  Mexican  lemon  guava  and  the 
cherimoya  or  custard  apple  tree,  so  named  be- 
cause of  the  resemblance  to  custard  in  con- 
sistency. This  fruit  is  prized  for  its  delicate 
flavor.  Mr.  Wilson  does  not  raise  this  for 
profit,  although  the  market  price  is  from  fifty 
to  seventj'-five  cents  each.  His  friends  are 
liberally  supplied  with  this  fruit. 

Mr.  Wilson  was  married  in  1857  to  Aliss 
Mary  Potter,  a  resident  of  Pittsburg,  but  a 
native  of  Allegheny,  Pa.,  whose  death  occurred 
in   California.     They  became    the    parents    of 


1504 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


three  sons:  Russell  B.,  Ji^.,  of  Los  Angeles; 
W.  W.,  of  Texas ;  and  one  son  who  died  at  the 
age  of  three  years.  Air.  Wilson  is  well  in- 
formed and  in  touch  with  current  events,  keep- 
ing abreast  of  the  times  by  the  perusal  of  the 
best  papers  and  magazines  the  country  alTords, 
and,  although  in  no  sense  narrow,  he  is  de- 
cided in  his  opinions,  and  frank  in  his  utter- 
ance of  them.  He  has  been  an  interested  spec- 
tator of  the  growth  of  California  and  has  as- 
sisted in  ever}'  way  possible  towards  its  up- 
building. 


ROBERT  L.  OWENS.  A  well-known  and 
respected  citizen  of  Saticoy,  and  a  progressive 
and  prosperous  ranchman,  Robert  L.  Owens  is 
closely  associated  with  the  agricultural  and  busi- 
ness interests  of  this  part  of  Ventura  county, 
and  may  well  be  classed  as  one  who  has  con- 
tributed his  full  share  toward  its  growth  and 
improvement.  He  is  a  man  of  solid  worth,  pos- 
sessing in  a  high  degree  those  traits  that  com- 
mand respect  in  all  circles,  and  win  esteem 
among  one's  neighbors  and  associates.  A  son  of 
David  C.  Owens,  he  was  born,  May  24,  1862,  at 
Glade   Spring,   Washington   county,  Va. 

Born  and  reared  in  Washington  county,  Va., 
David  C.  Owens  spent  his  entire  life  in  the  old 
Dominion  state.  He  was  a  planter  by  occupation, 
raising  grain,  hay  and  cereals.  During  the  Civil 
war  he  enlisted  in  Company  F,  Sixty-third  Vir- 
ginia Volunteer  Infantry,  in  which  he  served 
four  years.  Returning  home,  he  continued  in 
agricultural  pursuits  until  his  death,  in  1895,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-eight  years.  He  married  Sarah 
O'Neil,  who  spent  her  forty-five  years  of  earthly 
life  in  Virginia.  Of  the  six  children  born  of 
their  union,  Robert  L.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
is  the  only  one  living  outside  of  their  native  state. 
The  father  was  a  stanch  Democrat  in  politics, 
and,  with  his  wife,  belonged  to  the  Baptist 
Church. 

Having  first  attended  the  common  schools,  R. 
L.  Owens  completed  his  early  education  at  the 
Emory  and  Henry  College,  in  Emory,  Washing- 
ton county.  Beginning  the  struggle  of  life  for 
himself,  he  then  went  to  Florida,  where  for  two 
years  he  was  clerk  in  a  general  store.  Coming 
to  California  in  1888,  he  worked  as  a  wage- 
earner  in  Saticoy  for  two  years,  after  which 
he  was  employed  in  ranching  on  his  own 
account  in  Los  Angeles  county  for  a  year 
having  land  in  Inglewood.  Returning  to  Ven- 
tura county  in  1 89 1,  he  leased  the  Santa  Del 
Norte  ranch  of  two  hundred  acres,  which  he  is 
still  carrying  on,  devoting  it  entirelv  to  the  rais- 
ing of  beans,  which  yield  bountiful  harvests, 
averaging  twenty-five  sacks  to  the  acre.  The 
yield  in   1905  was  exceptionally  large,  one  hun- 


dred acres  producing  thirty-five  sacks  to  the 
acre.  For  some  time  after  locating  here,  he  was 
engaged  in  mercantile  business  in  addition  to 
ranching,  having  a  variety  store  in  Saticoy.  He 
disposed  of  that,  however,  and  purchased  seven- 
teen acres  of  land,  which  he  has  set  out  to  wal- 
nuts, and  here  he  also  has  a  fine  artesian  well 
for  irrigating. 

December  27,  1893,  Air.  Owens  married  Lil- 
lian Kimball,  who  was  born  in  Sonoma  county, 
a  daughter  of  George  Kimball,  and  they  are  the 
parents  of  four  children,  namely :  Winnifred, 
Carleton,  Leland  and  Helen.  Politically  Mr. 
Owens  votes  independent  of  party  affiliations, 
supporting  the  best  men  and  measures  at  the 
polls.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  Saticoy 
Lodge  No.  1419,  I-  O.  F.  Religiously  he  at- 
tends the  Congregational  Church,  of  which  Mrs. 
Owens  is  a  consistent  member. 


JOSEPH  W.  NICHOLSON.  Distinguished 
alike  as  a  native  son  of  California,  and  for  the 
noteworthy  position  that  he  has  won  among  the 
rising  young  business  men  of  Los  Angeles  coun- 
ty is  Joseph  W.  Nicholson,  who  is  connected 
with  the  Compton  branch  of  the  San  Pedro 
Lumber  Company.  Active,  energetic  and  pro- 
gressive, he  had  done  much  to  promote  the  in- 
terests of  his  employers,  at  all  times  proving 
himself  capable  and  reliable.  A  son  of  the  late 
F.  H.  Nicholson,  he  was  born  March  18,  1875, 
in  San  Jose,  Santa  Clara  county,  being  there 
reared  and  educated. 

Although  born  in  New  York,  F.  H.  Nicholson 
began  life  for  himself  in  Illinois,  embarking  in 
mercantile  pursuits  in  Joliet,  Will  county.  Fol- 
lowing the  tide  of  emigration  westward,  he  came 
to  California  in  1849,  and  for  a  few  years  sought 
for  gold  in  the  mining  regions,  in  his  efforts 
meeting  with  some  degree  of  success.  In  1863 
he  married  Elizabeth  Charles,  a  native  of  Ire- 
land, and  for  some  time  thereafter  was  located 
in  San  Jose,  where  he  engaged  in  the  general 
merchandise  business.  In  1879  he  removed  to 
Maderia  and  became  cashier  and  manager  of  a 
store  belonging  to  a  lumber  company.  He  was  a 
man  of  good  business  judgment,  and  continued 
in  mercantile  pursuits  until  his  death,  in  1884. 
To  him  and  his  good  wife  eight  children  were 
born,  and  all  are  living,  namely :  Annie  M., 
Frank  R.,  Charles  H.,  Louis  F.,  Edmund  A,, 
Joseph  W.,  George  H.,  and  Genevieve  E.  He 
was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  was  a  member 
of  the  Catholic  Church,  to  which  his  wife  also 
belongs. 

Having  laid  a  substantial  foundation  for  his 
future  education  in  the  common  schools,  Joseph 
W.  Nicholson  attended  the  State  Normal  school 
in   San  Jose.     He  was  then  employed  in  teach- 


"^^dLws^^^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1507 


ing  school  for  a  year  and  a  half,  meeting  with 
success  in  his  professional  work.  Since  that 
time  he  has  had  charge  of  the  San  Pedro  Lum- 
ber Company's  yard  in  Compton.  This  com- 
pany was  first  organized  thirty  years  ago,  be- 
ing incorporated  with  a  capital  of  $300,000.  In 
his  present  position  Mr.  Nicholson  shows  a  thor- 
ough understanding  of  the  details  of  his  busi- 
ness, which  he  is  managing  to  the  entire  satis- 
faction of  the  compan)'.  He  is  a  man  of  up- 
right character,  highly  esteemed  by  his  associ- 
ates. Politically  he  is  identified  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  but  has  never  been  an  aspirant  for 
public  office.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
San  Pedro  Lodge  of  Elks  No.  966,  and  relig- 
iously he  is  true  to  the  faith  in  which  lie  was 
reared,  belonging  to  the  Catholic  Church. 


WILLIAM  P.  DUNCAN.  For  many  years 
the  late  William  P.  Duncan  was  well  known 
throughout  Compton  and  its  vicinity  as  an  in- 
dustrious and  enterprising  farmer,  an  honor- 
able and  upright  citizen,  a  kind  neighbor,  and 
a  loving  husband  and  father :  and  his  death, 
which  occurred  April  15,  1899,  on  his  home 
farm,  was  a  cause  of  general  regret.  A  na- 
tive of  jMississippi,  he  was  born,  February  23, 
1826,  in  Lowndes  county,  about  three  miles 
from  the  city  of  Columbus,  where  his  father, 
William  Duncan,  an  extensive  cotton  raiser, 
had  large  mercantile  interests.  William  Dun- 
can was  born  in  North  Carolina,  while  his 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Jane  Dowdle, 
was  a  native  of  jNIississippi,  and  a  life-long 
resident  of  that  state. 

Having  received  such  educational  advan- 
tages as  were  afforded  by  the  common  schools 
of  his  boyhood  days.  William  P.  Duncan  be- 
gan life  for  himself  as  overseer  on  a  plantation, 
retaining  the  position  several  years.  In  1851 
he  went  to  Texas,  where  he  w-as  engaged  in 
the  stock  business  for  upwards  of  a  quarter  of 
a  century.  Going  from  there  to  New  Mexico 
in  1878,  he  continued  in  that  occupation  for 
about  five  years,  when  he  disposed  of  his  stock 
and  removed  to  Kansas  Cit}-.  Mo.  Four  years 
later,  in  1886,  he  came  with  his  family  to  Cali- 
fornia, just  after  the  completion  of  the  Santa 
Fc  road  to  Mojavc,  and  for  a  few  months  re- 
sided in  Los  Angeles.  Investing  his  money 
then  in  land  near  Compton,  he  purchased  one 
hundred  acres,  from  which  he  improved  one 
of  the  best  and  most  productive  ranches  in 
this  section  of  the  state.  Twenty  acres  of  the 
original  tract  were  subsequently  sold,  but  still 
later  five  acres  were  added  by  purchase,  the 
ranch  now  containing  eighty-five  acres,  upon 
which  Mrs.  Duncan  and  children  are  carrying 
on    dairying  M'itli    good    residts.      To   the   im- 


provements previously  inaugurated  the}-  are 
making  continual  additions,  each  year  adding 
substantially  to  its  attractiveness  and  value. 
Airs.  Duncan  also  owns  one  hundred  and  six- 
ty acres  of  wheat  land  in  Riverside  county,  in 
the  Alamos  school  district. 

In  1859,  in  Texas,  Mr.  Duncan  married 
Elizabeth  J.  Hall,  who  w^as  born  in  Tennessee, 
which  was  also  the  birthplace  of  her  parents, 
John  M.  and  Elizabeth  (Moore)  Hall.  Mr. 
Hall,  a  stock-raiser  and  dealer,  moved  from 
Tennessee  to  Texas  after  the  death  of  his  wife, 
and  there  spent  his  last  years.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  uniting 
with  that  organization  about  twelve  years  be- 
fore he  died,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  were 
members  of  the  Baptist  Church.  Of  the  union 
of  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Duncan  six  children  were 
born,  namely :  John  W.,  who  married  Dollie 
Connor,  and  has  one  son ;  James  E.,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  forty-one  years ;  Mary  P.,  who 
died  when  thirty-nine  years  old;  Robert  'SI.. 
of  Arizona ;  and  David  P.,  and  Harry  H.,  liv- 
ing at  home.  Politically  Mr.  Duncan  was  a 
strong  Democrat.  Mr.  Hall,  Mrs.  Duncan's 
father,  was  also  a  Democrat,  and  four  of  his 
sons  served  in  the  Civil  war  on  the  Confeder- 
ate side. 


JOHN  JOHNSTON.  A  man  of  great  men- 
tal attainments,  untiring  industry  and  incor- 
ruptible integrity,  John  Johnston  is  a  well- 
known  citizen  of  Southern  California.  For 
many  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
law  in  Chicago,  where  he  met  with  well  mer- 
ited success.  He  was  born,  April  2,  1845,  i" 
Illinois,  and  there  received  his  elementary  edu- 
cation. After  his  graduation  from  the  Peoria 
high  school  he  attended  Gambier  College  for 
two  years,  subsequently  taking  a  full  course 
of  four  j'ears  at  Yale  College,  and  then  enter- 
ing the  Albany  Law  School,  from  wdiich  he 
was  graduated  three  years  later. 

Beginning  the  practice  of  his  chosen  pro- 
fession in  Chicago.  Mr.  Johnston  was  in  part- 
nership with  Emor}'  Storrs,  a  noted  lawyer, 
for  a  short  time.  Subsequently  becoming  head 
of  the  law  firm  of  Johnston,  Rogers  &  Apple- 
ton,  he  built  up  an  extensive  practice,  becom- 
ing well  known  throughout  northern  Illinois, 
his  clientele  being  large  and  lucrative.  He  ac- 
quired wealth  while  thus  employed,  becom- 
ing owner  of  real  estate  in  Chicago,  also  at 
Lake  Geneva,  Wis.,  where  he  had  a  beautiful 
summer  home,  wdiich  he  called  Gaylynne. 
Near  this  home  is  the  famous  Yerkes  Observ- 
atory, for  the  site  of  which  Mr.  Johnston  gave 
sixtv-three  acres  of  land,  and  in  which  is  the 
largest  refracting  lens   ui   the  world.     A  bril- 


1508 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


liant  scholar  from  his  bojhood  days,  he  had  an 
honorable  record  in  school  and  college,  and  on 
graduating  from  Yale,  in  1863,  was  class  his- 
torian. He  is  highly  esteemed  as  a  man  and 
as  a  citizen  in  Oceanside.  and  his  home,  which 
he  calls  Gay  Mount,  is  a  center  of  social  activ- 
ity. 

In  1871  Mr.  Johnston  married  Elizabeth  Con- 
stance Gay,  who  was  born  in  Georgia,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Capt.  Charles  H.  Gay,  the  descendant 
of  a  Virginia  family  of  prominence  and  influ- 
ence. She  was  brought  up  in  Baltimore,  Md., 
and  was  educated  at  a  school  in  New  Haven, 
Conn.  John  Johnston,  Jr.,  the  only  son  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Johnston,  was  prepared  for  college 
at  Racine  College,  after  which  he  was  gradu- 
ated from  Princeton  College.  He  is  now  a 
real  estate  owner  in  San  Diego,  and  it  was 
partly  to  be  near  him,  partly  for  the  mild  cli- 
mate, and  partly  on  account  of  ill  health,  that 
■N'Ir.  and  Mrs.  Johnston  come  to  Oceanside  to 
live.  Politicall}'  Mr.  Johnston  is  an  unswerv- 
ing Republican,  and  while  a  resident  of  Chica- 
go served  for  a  number  of  years  as  a  member 
of  the  board  of  education.  He  belongs  to  the 
University  Club  of  that  cit}',  and  is  an  active 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  belonging 
to  lodge,  chapter  and  to  ]\Iontjoie  Command- 
erv,  K.  T. 


DAVID  G.  HARRIN^GTON.  Among  the 
wide-awake,  enterprising  men  who  have  been 
largel>-  interested  in  the  upbuilding  of  Ocean- 
side David  G.  Harrington  holds  an  important 
position.  He  is  successfully  engaged  in  general 
ranching  and  carries  on  a  substantial  business  as 
a  dealer  in  real  estate,  his  transactions  in  this 
line  being  many  and  large.  As  a  loyal,  public- 
spirited  citizen  he  is  ever  among  the  foremost 
to  encourage  and  support  all  enterprises  con- 
ducive to  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  his 
adopted  town,  and  as  a  public  official  has  per- 
formed the  duties  devolving  upon  him  ably  and 
faithfully.  A  son  of  William  Harrington,  he 
was  born  November  12,  1833,  in  Franklin  county, 
Vt.,  coming  on  the  paternal  side  of  Irish  an- 
cestry, and  on  the  maternal  side  of  good  old 
New  England  stock. 

A  native  of  Ireland.  William  Harrington  im- 
migrated to  the  United  States  when  young,  set- 
tling in  Vermont,  where  he  was  engaged  as  a 
tiller  of  the  soil  until  his  death,  in  1849,  when  a 
comparatively  young  man.  He  married  Lydia 
Stockwell,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  New 
Hampshire.  She  survived  him,  and  died  in  Min- 
nesota in  1893,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety- 
five  years,  at  the  home  of  her  son,  David  G.  She 
was  a  most  estimable  woman  and  a  valued  mem- 
lier   of   the    Methodist    Episcopal    Church.      She 


bore  her  husband  eight  children,  and  these  are 
scattered  in  different  parts  of  the  Union,  some 
living  in  Minnesota,  some  in  Texas  and  some  in 
California. 

Educated  in  Franklin,  A't.,  David  G.  Harring- 
ton attended  first  the  district  school  and  then  the 
village  academy,  remaining  on  the  home  farm 
until  after  the  death  of  his  father.  At  the  age 
of  seventeen  he  began  learning  the  trade  of  car- 
penter and  joiner,  and  after  serving  an  appren- 
ticeship of  four  years  in  his  native  county  went 
to  Toledo,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  a  short 
time.  Going  thence  to  West  Superior,  on  Lake 
Superior,  he  was  there  employed  in  carpenter- 
ing and  fishing  for  eight  years.  Desirous  then 
of  broadening  his  scope  of  action,  in  1862  he 
went  to  Dakota  county,  Minn.,  locating  near  St. 
Paul.  Turning  his  attention  to  agriculture,  he 
became  owner  of  one  thousand  acres  of  land, 
on  which  he  was  prosperously  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming  for  thirty-six  years,  by  his  diligent 
labor  and  judicious  management  acquiring  a 
handsome  property.  In  1898  he  came  to  South- 
ern California  in  search  of  a  desirable  place  of 
location.  Charmed  with  the  site,  scenery,  cli- 
mate and  future  possibilities  of  Oceanside,  he 
bought  land,  and  has  since  carried  on  an  ex- 
tensive business  as  a  buyer  and  seller  of  real 
estate  in  this  vicinity,  and  has  also  continued  the 
pursuit  of  agriculture,  owning  and  occupying  a 
valuable  ranch  of  twenty  acres,  which  he  de- 
votes to  general  farming  purposes. 

In  1859  ]\Ir.  Harrington  married  Alary  A. 
Seward,  who  was  born  in  Franklin  county,  Vt., 
and  of  their  union  seven  children  have  been  born, 
of  whom  we  make  the  following  mention :  Lloyd 
M.,  of  Oceanside,  is  married,  and  has  one  child : 
Nancy,  wife  of  Guy  Maltby.  of  San  Diego,  has 
eight  children ;  D.  Seward,  of  Dakota  county. 
Minn.,  has  two  children ;  Charles  D.  is  a  well- 
known  physician  of  Minneapolis,  Alinn. :  Reuben 
B.,  of  Farmington,  Alinn.,  is  married,  and  has 
one  child ;  Stephen  G.,  also  of  Farmington, 
jNIinn..  has  three  children ;  and  Herbert  E.  resides 
at  home.  Mrs.  Harrington  was  a  woman  of  great 
intelligence  and  thrift,  doing  credit  in  her  daily 
life  to  her  New  England  training,  and  was  a 
faithful  member  of  the  Alethodist  Episcopal 
Church,  with  which  she  united  when  a  girl.  She 
died  while  on  a  visit  in  Minnesota.  September 
24.  1906. 

Politically  Mr.  Harrington  is  a  stanch  Demo- 
crat, as  was  his  honored  father.  During  the 
Civil  war  he  served  as  a  soldier  about  six  months, 
being  a  sergeant  of  Company  C,  First  ^Minnesota 
Volunteer  Infantry.  He  took  part  in  several 
engagements  around  Petersburg,  including  that 
preceding  the  evacuation  of  the  city,  and  was 
present  at  the  surrender  of  Lee  at  .\ppomattox 
Court  House,  after  which  he  was  mustered  out 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1509 


of  service.  While  a  resident  of  Minnesota  he 
was  very  prominent  in  pohtical  afifairs,  serving 
for  eigfht  years  as  county  commissioner  of  Da- 
kota county;  as  assessor,  as  township  supervisor, 
and  for  thirty  years  was  a  member  of  the  school 
board  of  his  district.  In  1896  he  belonged  to 
the  Bryan  Club  of  Dakota  county,  and  in  1900 
was  a  member  of  the  Bryan  Club  of  Oceanside. 
^'or  four  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
board  of  trustees  of  Oceanside,  the  past  two 
_\ears  serving  as  president  of  the  board. 


JAMES  W.  DAVIS.  Varied  enterprises 
have  engaged  the  attention  of  Mr.  Davis  since 
first  he  came  to  California  many  years  ago  in 
the  hope  of  regaining  his  health,  which  had 
become  impaired  by  service  in  the  army  and 
by  later  exposure  to  the  inclement  weather  of 
a  northern  climate.  The  immediate  object  of 
jiis  removal  was  accomplished  and  with  re- 
stored strength  he  was  able  to  take  upon  him- 
self the  duties  of  active  life,  working  at  differ- 
ent occupations  and  filling  a  number  of  posi- 
tions. For  a  number  of  years  he  has  made  his 
home  in  Whittier,  where  he  owns  real  estate 
and  at  this  writing  officiates  as  city  superin- 
tendent of  water  supply. 

Early  in  the  settlement  of  Illinois  the  Davis 
family  removed  from  North  Carolina  to  the 
newer  country  and  took  up  agricultural  pur- 
suits in  the  midst  of  a  frontier  environment. 
Ransom  Davis,  who  was  a  farmer  of  Greene 
county,  married  Elizabeth  Hart,  a  member  of 
a  South  Carolina  family,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  five  children,  among  whom  was 
James  W.,  born  in  Whitehall,  Greene  county, 
March  19,  1843.  From  Illinois  the  family 
moved  to  the  north  and  took  up  a  raw  tract  of 
land  in  Hennepin  county.  Minn.,  where  the 
parents  labored  earnestly  in  the  development 
of  a  farm  homestead.  Eventually  they  moved 
to  the  town  of  Litchfield  and  there  died.  The 
early  years  of  James  W.  Davis  were  passed 
uneventfully  in  the  routine  of  farm  work,  but 
when  he  was  eighteen  the  outbreak  of  the  Civ- 
il war  broke  the  monotony  of  existence.  Fired 
with  the  enthusiasm  of  youth  he  determined  to 
offer  his  services  to  the  Union.  August  15. 
1861,  he  became  a  member  of  Company  K. 
Twenty-sixth  Illinois  Infantry,  in  which  he 
served  as  corporal  and  non-commissioned  of- 
ficer. 

The  experiences  which  fell  to  the  young  sol- 
dier were  such  as  fate  brought  to  the  lot  of 
all  who  participated  in  bringing  success  to 
Union  arms.  The  memorable  campaign  be- 
fore Atlanta  and  the  march  to  the  sea  with 
General  Sherman  remain  impressed  upon  his 
nieni(ir\-   as   among  his   most   thrilling  cx]ieri- 


ences  of  war  times.  When  the  war  ended  he 
was  sent  to  Washington  and  there  took  part 
in  the  grand  review.  On  returning  to  the  pur- 
suits of  peace  he  became  a  farmer  and  thresh- 
erman  in  Minnesota.  After  some  years  his 
health  failed  him  .and  in  November,  1879,  ^^^ 
sought  the  more  healthful  climate  of  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  settled  in  November  of  1879. 
For  three  years  he  was  connected  with  a  gro- 
cery on  Spring  street,  Los  Angeles,  and  then 
entered  the  police  department  as  a  city  guard. 
(Dne  years  later  he  was  chosen  chief  of  po- 
lice by  the  city  council,  and  in  that  capacity- 
proved  himself  a  fearless,  trustworthy  and 
capable  ofKcer,  determined  in  his  efforts  to  up- 
hold law  and  justice.  The  collapse  of  the 
boom  brought  financial  disaster  to  him  as  to 
the  entire  population  of  Los  Angeles.  The  de- 
pression and  loss  in  values  left  him  $15,000 
the  poorer  and  somewhat  discouraged  him  as 
to  immediate  investments  in  Los  Angeles,  so 
he  removed  to  Whittier,  where  he  was  con- 
nected with  the  state  school  for  four  years  and 
one  month,  meanwhile  filling  various  positions 
of  trust  with  credit  to  himself.  Twice  he  was 
elected  city  marshal  and  since  leaving  that  of- 
fice he  has  served  as  city  water  Superintend- 
ent. W^hile  in  Minnesota  he  married  Miss 
Olive  Gilman.  Tliey  have  no  children  of  their 
own,  but  reared  an  adopted  daughter,  Daisy, 
who  is  now  the  wife  of  H.  G.  W^ebster  of  Los 
Angeles.  In  politics  Mr.  Davis  always  gives 
his  vote  to  Republican  candidates  and  meas- 
ures, and  in  matters  fraternal  he  holds  mem- 
bership with  the  Masons  and  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic. 


JOHN  LAUGHLIN.  Ventura  county  is  for- 
tunate in  having  been  settled  by  a  most  enterpris- 
ing, industrious  and  intelligent  class  of  people; 
and  among  this  number  is  John  Laughlin,  of 
Moorpark,  who  is  actively  identified  with  the 
development  and  promotion  of  its  agricultural 
interests.  In  the  management  of  his  ranch  he 
has  shown  good  judgment,  and  has  placed  his 
land,  which  is  advantageously  located,  under  ex- 
cellent tillage,  and  made  improvements  of  a  sub- 
stantial character.  A  son  of  Alfred  Laughlin,  he 
was  born,  March  25,  1852,  in  Lincoln  county, 
Mo.,  where  he  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood. 
His  father  was  horn  and  reared  in  Missouri,  liv- 
ing there  until  1865,  when,  having  been  left  a 
widower  the  previous  year,  he  started  westward 
with  his  four  children,  traveling  across  the  plains 
with  ox-teams  to  Oregon,  where  he  passed  his 
remaining  years,  dying  at  the  age  of  sixtv.  He 
was  a  man  of  high  character,  honest  in  all  of  hi- 
dealings  with  his  fellow-men.  and  a  faithful  mem- 
ber  of   the    Methodist    Epi.scopal    Church.       He 


1510 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


married  Lucy  Kent,  who  died  in  Missouri,  her 
native  state,  in  1864.  Two  of  the  children  born 
of  their  union  are  residents  of  CaUfornia,  Mr. 
Lauglilin  having-  a  sister  residing  in  Santa  Bar- 
bara. 

Accompanying  the  famil}-  to  Oregon  in  1865, 
John  Laughlin  soon  after  began  to  be  self-sup- 
porting, working  for  wages  in  Oregon  for  a  num- 
ber of  seasons.  Going  from  there  to  Nevada, 
he  was  employed  in  agricultural  pursuits  for 
two  or  three  years,  but  was  not  sufficiently 
pleased  with  the  country  to  remain  there  per- 
manently. Making  a  decided  change,  therefore, 
in  1872  he  came  to  Southern  California,  and  for 
fifteen  years  was  a  ranchman  in  Santa  Barbara 
county.  Migrating  then  to  Riverside  county,  he 
took  up  a  claim  of  school  land,  and  having  proved 
his  title,  sold  out  and  went  to  San  Luis  Obispo 
county,  where  he  purchased  a  ranch  of  sixty 
acres,  and  for  about  five  years  made  a  specialty 
of  raising  beans.  In  1893  he  came  to  Ventura 
count}',  and  having  bought  his  present  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  forty-three  acres,  has  since  been 
actively  and  prosperously  engaged  in  its  care  and 
cultivation.  He  raises  beans  in  large  quantities, 
his  land  yielding  about  fifteen  sacks  to  the  acre 
on  an  average,  which  is  a  profitable  crop,  and  he 
has  recently  set  out  a  fine  grove  of  walnut  trees. 

In  1889  Mr.  Laughlin  married  Jane  Morgan, 
who  was  born,  reared  and  educated  in  Iowa,  and 
into  their  home  three  children  were  born,  namely : 
Pauline,  who  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen  months ; 
Frank;  and  Charles,  who  died  in  infancy.  Mrs. 
Laughlin  died  in  1899,  at  the  early  age  of  thirty- 
seven  years.  She  was  a  woman  of  many  excel- 
lent qualities,  highly  respected  by  her  many 
friends  and  acquaintances,  and  was  a  valued 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Po- 
litically Mr.  Laughlin  is  an  unswerving  Repub- 
lican, and  fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias. 


WILLIAM  LIGHT  GRIFFITHS.     One  of 

the  most  successful  men  of  Los  Angeles  county 
is  William  Light  Griffiths,  who  in  addition  to  an 
eighty-acre  ranch  he  owns  conducts  extensive 
properties  throughout  the  section  surrounding 
Covina,  Los  Angeles  county,  as  well  as  a  steam 
threshing  machine  which  has  brought  him  in 
large  financial  returns  in  the  past  years.  Mr. 
Griffiths  is  a  native  Californian,  his  birth  having 
occurred  in  Humboldt  county,  at  Bear  River 
Ridge,  September  15,  1873.  His  father,  George 
W.  Griffiths,  also  represented  in  this  work,  was 
born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  the  paternal  grand-  _ 
father,  Giarles,  had  located  upon  his  emigration " 
from  Wales  with  three  brothers.  Charles  Grif- 
fiths  came  to    California   in    1849,    crossing  the 


plains  with  ox-teams  and  upon  his  safe  arrival 
established  a  hotel  and  confectionery  at  Sacra- 
mento. He  was  flooded  three  times  and  burned 
out  a  like  number  of  times,  but  survived  all  his 
disasters  and  each  time  rebuilt  his  enterprise. 
His  death  occurred  in  San  Francisco.  George 
W.  Griffiths  came  to  California  in  1850  and  en- 
gaged in  teaming  in  California  and  Nevada,  after 
which  he  engaged  in  the  cattle  and  dairy  busi- 
ness in  Humboldt  county,  then  as  a  farmer  in 
Yolo  county  and  finally,  in  1889,  came  to  Ven- 
tura county,  thence  to  Orange,  then  Los  Angeles 
county,  following  general  farming  occupations 
in  each  place.  He  is  now  living  retired  in  Los 
Angeles.  His  wife,  formerly  Eliza  Moore,  a  na- 
tive of  Lansing,  Mich.,  was  a  daughter  of  Ed- 
ward Moore,  who  crossed  the  plains  in  1849 
and  located  in  Marin  county  and  engaged  in 
dairy  farming.  He  is  now  living  in  San  Benito 
county,  where  he  has  a  large  stock  ranch,  re- 
tired from  active  business  life  at  the  age  of 
eighty  years.  Mrs.  Griffiths  died  in  1904  at 
Fairview.  They  became  the  parents  of  four 
sons  and  one  daughter,  namely :  Catherine,  who 
became  the  wife  of  Fred  Wickersham,  of  Peta- 
luma,  and  after  his  death  married  A.  L.  Dowler, 
of  San  Francisco ;  Charles  E.,  a  large  contractor 
of  Bakersfield,  Cal. ;  George,  a  cement  contractor 
of  Covina ;  William  L.,  of  this  review ;  and 
Walter,  a  farmer  and  stockman,  of  Napa  county. 
William  Light  Griffiths  was  reared  on  the 
paternal  farm  and  educated  in  the  public  schools, 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  beginning  life  for 
himself.  His  first  venture  was  raising  potatoes, 
then  bean  growing  in  Ventura  county,  remain- 
ing at  Camarillo  for  the  period  of  three  years. 
Deciding  to  engage  in  farming  on  a  larger  scale 
in  1890  he  went  to  the  San  Joaquin  valley  and 
rented  one  thousand  acres,  which  he  cultivated 
for  three  years,  then  located  on  La  Puente  ranch, 
while  he  also  rented  a  part  of  the  Baldwin  ranch, 
farming  in  all  seven  thousand  acres.  He 
equipped  with  every  possible  improvement  in  the 
manner  of  carrying  on  his  farming  enterprise, 
purchasing  a  Best  steam  traction  engine,  of  one 
hundred  and  ten  horse  power,  equal  to  from 
five  to  seven  gang  plows,  he  having  plowed  one 
thousand  acres  in  ten  and  a  half  days.  He  also 
owns  a  steam  thresher  and  reaper,  which  has  a 
thirty-five  foot  cut ;  it  has  an  auxiliary  engine  of 
twenty-five  horse  power  which  runs  the  separator. 
In  addition  to  his  general  farming  he  also  raised 
fine  roadsters,  and  full-blooded  Jersey  cattle. 
With  his  brother,  George  W.,  he  was  inter- 
ested in  the  Griffiths'  Bros.  Milling  Co.,  which 
they  organized,  building  a  large  concrete  mill 
and  warehouse  on  Citrus  avenue  and  the  Pacific 
Electric  carline,  where  they  manufactured  cereals 
and  flour,  and  also  handled  hay.  grain,  coal  and 
wood.     He  served  as  vice-president  of  the  com- 


^  r^  ^o/Tff^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1513 


pany  until  they  sold  out  in  1905  to  the  San  Gab- 
riel V^alley  ^Milling  Co. 

In  San  Luis  Obispo,  Cal,  June  14,  1904,  Mr. 
Griffiths  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Elenore  Russell,  a  native  of  Missouri  who  had 
been  educated  in  the  schools  of  New  York.  Mr. 
Griffiths  is  prominent  in  Masonic  circles,  hav- 
ing been  made  a  member  of  the  order  in  Santa 
Ana,  raised  to  the  degrees  of  Royal  Arch  and 
Knight  Templar,  and  is  now  a  member  of  Al 
Malaikah  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  N.  :M.  S.  He  also 
belongs  to  Pomona  Lodge  No.  789,  B.  P.  O.  E. 
He  belongs  to  the  Episcopal  Church  in  religion, 
while  politically  he  is  a  stanch  adherent  of  the 
principles  advocated  in  the  platform  of  the  Re- 
publican party.  Socially  he  is  prominent  in 
Covina,  being  a  member  of  the  Covina  Country 
Club.  Mr.  Griffiths  enjoys  the  esteem  and  con- 
fidence of  all  who  have  known  him  during  his 
long  residence  in  this  section,  appreciated  for  his 
sterling  traits  of  character  as  manifested  in  both 
business  and  social  life. 


STEPHEN  D.  LANPHER.  A  substantial 
and  prosperous  rancher  and  a  respected  citizen 
of  San  Luis  Rey,  the  late  S.  D.  Lanpher  is 
specially  deserving  of  mention  in  this  historical 
record,  having  been  a  fine  representative  of  the 
brave  and  courageous  pioneers  who  came  to  Cal- 
ifornia in  1849,  a"d  were  thereafter  identified 
with  the  best  interests  of  their  adopted  state. 
Little  do  the  people  of  the  present  generation 
realize  the  hardships  and  the  trials  endured,  the 
great  ambition  required,  and  the  physical  strength 
demanded  to  secured  the  homes  established  by 
the  early  settlers  for  themselves  and  their  de- 
scendant's. How  well  they  succeed  in  their  ef- 
forts is  plainly  proved  in  the  broad  expanse  of 
cultivated  fields  and  the  large  and  productive  or- 
chards and  vineyards  everywhere  visible,  the 
many  fine  farm  residences  and  buildings  that  have 
been  erected,  and  in  the  long  trains  of  palace 
cars  that  are  used  for  transportation  in  place 
of  the  wagon  drawn  by  oxen.  Of  New  England 
ancestry,  Mr.  Lanpher  was  horn  January  11, 
1822.  in  Bucksport,  Me. 

Completing  his  early  studies  in  the  district 
school  of  Sangerville,  I\Ie.,  S.  D.  Lanpher  began 
life  as  a  sailor,  for  seventeen  years  following  the 
sea.  He  visited  many  ports,  as  first  mate  of  his 
vessel  making  a  number  of  trips  around  the  Horn, 
being  engaged  in  trade  along  the  Pacific  coast. 
After  his  marriage  he  worked  for  a  time  as  a 
wharf  hand,  remaining  in  New  England  until 
1849,  when  he  came  bv  wav  of  Cape  Horn  to  Cali- 
fornia. Settling  in  San  Francisco,  he  was  there 
engaged  in  the  milk  business  for  a  little  while, 
and  then  went  to  ^larin  county,  where  for  six 
years  he  carried  on  a  prosperous  dairy  business. 


Removing  then  to  Sonoma,  he  purchased  fifty 
acres  of  land,  from  which  he  improved  a  ranch, 
on  which  he  resided  eight  years.  Coming  to  the 
San  Luis  Rey  valley  in  1875  he  purchased  the 
ranch  now  owned  and  occupied  by  his  widow  and 
son,  and  continued  his  agricultural  labors.  He 
carried  on  general  farming  and  stock-raising  with 
both  profit  and  pleasure,  placing  a  large  portion 
of  his  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in 
a  tillable  condition,  residing  here  until  his  death, 
September  9,  1890.  Inheriting  in  a  marked  meas- 
ure the  habits  of  industry,  energ)-  and  thrift  char- 
acteristic of  his  Maine  ancestors,  he  became  suc- 
cessful in  his  business  career  through  his  own 
strenuous  eftorts,  by  his  integrity,  honesty  and 
upright  dealings  winning  the  esteem  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  so  many  years  of  his  long  and 
useful  life  were  passed.  He  was  a  Republican 
in  politics,  and  served  his  district  most  accept- 
ably as  school  director. 

In  ]\Iaine,  in  1853,  Mr.  Lanpher  married 
Sarah  Knowlton,  who  was  born,  reared  and  mar- 
ried in  that  state,  and  is  now  living  on  the  home 
ranch,  beloved  and  respected  by  all  who  know 
her  warm  heart,  and  kindly,  sympathetic  nature, 
winning  for  her  a  large  circle  of  sincere  friends. 
Two  children  were  born  to  her  and  her  husband. 
Philantha  died  at  the  age  of  seven  vears,  and 
Fay,  born  in  California,  resides  with  his  mother 
on  the  home  place. 


E.  Y.  CA^iIMER.  A  man  of  enterprise  and 
ability,  E.  Y.  Cammer  was  for  many  years  a 
leading  journalist  of  Los  Angeles  county,  in  that 
capacity  becoming  widely  and  favorably  known, 
and  is  now  actively  identified  with  the  mercan- 
tile interests  of  Ocean  Park,  owning  and  man- 
aging a  well-stocked  grocery  store.  A  son  of 
the  late  B.  W.  Cammer,  he  was  born.  October  9, 
1857.  in  Huntsville.  Tex. 

Born  and  reared  in  South  Carolina,  B.  W. 
Cammer  moved  to  Texas  in  early  manhood,  and 
for  a  few  years  was  employed  in  mercantile  pur- 
suits, first  in  Centerville,  and  afterwards  in 
Bremond.  He  subsequently  made  a  decided 
change  of  occupation,  engaging  in  newspaper 
work  in  different  towns,  including  Huntsville, 
Centerville  and  Bremond,  Tex.  His  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Mary  J.  Lee,  was  a  native  of 
Alabama. 

The  oldest  son  of  the  parental  household,  E. 
Y.  Cammer  worked  in  his  father's  office  until 
familiar  with  the  printer's  trade,  which  he  first 
followed  in  his  native  state.  For  several  years 
he  was  editor  of  the  Hearne  Enter/^rise,  at 
Hearne.  Tex.,  after  which  he  edited  the  Calvert 
Clipper,  in  Calvert,  Tex.  Coming  from  there 
to  California  in  1886,  he  worked  in  the  job  print- 
ing office  of  the   Los  Angeles   Times    for    two 


1514 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


years.  Locating  in  Lancaster,  Los  Angeles 
county,  in  1888,  he  published  the  Lancaster  Ga- 
zette for  four  years,  when,  in  1892,  he  sold  out 
to  Walter  S.  Alelick.  He  continued  in  the  same 
office,  however,  for  two  years  longer,  and  then 
embarked  in  mercantile  pursuits,  opening  in 
Lancaster  a  general  store,  which  he  managed 
with  good  results  until  April,  1904.  Coming  in 
that  month  to  Ocean  Park,  he  opened  a  grocery 
at  No.  15  Pier  avenue,  where  he  established  a 
fine  trade,  his  patronage  being  large  and  luca- 
tive. 

Mr.  Cammer"s  first  marriage  occurred  in  Cam- 
eron, Tex.,  in  1880,  uniting  him  with  Elizabeth 
Peoples,  and  to  them  were  born  three  children, 
as  follows :  Edna,'  wife  of  C.  W.  Crawford,  of 
Los  Angeles;  J.  Benjamin,  in  the  store  with 
his  father;  and  Margaret  M.  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Cammer  died  in  Los  Angeles  in  1901,  and  in 
Sacramento,  Cal.,  in  1892,  Mr.  Cammer  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Emma  J.  Menzies,  who 
was  born  in  California,  a  daug'hter  of  Thomas 
Menzies,  now  a  well-known  resident  of  Ocean 
Park.  Politically  :\Ir.  Cammer  is  an  ardent 
supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Democratic 
partv,  and  fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Be- 
nevolent and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  of  the 
INIodern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Foresters. 


BISHOP  J.  EDI^IONDS.  .-V  man  of  marked 
business  ability  and  judgment,  B.  J.  Edmonds 
is  numbered  among  the  active  and  useful  citi- 
zens of  San  Diego,  and  now,  as  city  auditor  and 
assessor,  is  filling  the  position  with  credit  to  him- 
self and  acceptably  to  the  people.  Of  English 
ancestrv,  he  was  born  January  4,  1864,  in  New 
Brunswick,  N.  J.,  which  was  likewise  the  birth- 
place of  his  father,  James  C.  Edmonds.  He 
comes  from  patriotic  stock,  his  great-grand- 
father, James  Edmund  Edmonds,  having  served 
as  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  His  grand- 
father, Jacob  Edmonds,  was  born  in  Dover,  N. 
J.,  but  when  a  young  man  removed  to  New 
"Brunswick,  N.  J.,  where  he  embarked  in  the  lum- 
ber business,  establishing  the  first  lumber  yard 
opened  in  that  city. 

Brought  up  and  educated  in  New  Brunswick, 
James  C.  Edmonds  developed  great  executive 
power  when  young,  and  for  forty  years  was 
manager  of  the  Meyer  Rubber  Company,  the 
plant  being  located  in  New  Brunswick,  X.  J., 
and  the  office  in  New  York  City,  He  was  an 
able  assistant  in  developing  and  promoting  the 
business  of  the  company,  devoting  his  energies 
in  that  direction  until  his  death,  December  6, 
1879,  while  yet  in  manhood's  prime.  He  mar- 
ried Alary  Brown,  who  was  born  in  Philadelphia, 
and    died    in .  New    Jersey    December    13,    1880. 


Her  father,  Benjamin  F.  Brown,  a  wholesale 
paint  dealer,  served  in  the  Civil  war,  and  her 
grandfather,  William  Brown,  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary   army. 

The  ninth  child  in  a  family  consisting  of  eight 
daughters  and  three  sons,  B.  J.  Edmonds  received 
excellent  educational  advantages,  and  after  his 
graduation  from  the  high  school  attended  Rutgers 
College,  in  New  Brunswick,  N.  J.  At  the  age  of 
nineteen  years  he  went  to  New  York  City,  where 
he  was  for  a  time  employed  as  a  clerk.  Re- 
turning to  his  native  city  he  was  subsequently 
emplo}'ed  in  the  plant  of  the  New  Brunswick 
Rubber  Company,  for  six  or  seven  years  being 
assistant  superintendent.  Resigning  the  position 
in  1894,  he  entered  the  United  States  Internal 
Revenue  service,  at  East  Millstone,  N,  J.,  in 
Meischman's  distillery,  which  was  paying 
$1,000,000  taxes  per  year.  At  the  end  of  six 
years  he  resigned  that  position,  and  on  account 
of  the  ill  health  of  his  wife  came  to  California, 
hoping  that  in  this  land  of  kind  sunshine  and 
balmy  airs  she  might  regain  her  physical  vigor, 
and  in  this  wish  he  has  not  been  disappointed. 
Locating. in  San  Diego  in  1900,  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Southern  California  Railway  Com- 
pany, having  charge  of  its  wharf  until  the 
steamer  line  was  discontinued.  He  was  after- 
wards bookkeeper  for  Simon  Levi,  wholesale 
commission  merchant,  until  receiving  his  appoint- 
ment to  his  present  position  as  city  auditor  and 
assessor. 

In  New  Brunswick,  N.  J.,  Mr.  Edmonds  mar- 
ried .\nnie  \'room,  who  was  born  in  that  city, 
a  descendant  of  a  Holland-Dutch  family  of  prom- 
inence. Five  children  have  blessed  the  union  of 
Air.,  and  Mrs.  Edmonds,  namely:  Cora;  War- 
ner, a  graduate  of  the  San  Diego  high  school, 
and  now  with  the  Southern  California  Railroad 
Company ;  Eleanor ;  and  James  Clark  and  Bishop 
Jacob,  twins.  In  politics  Mr.  Edmonds  has  the 
courage  of  his  convictions,  voting  according  to 
the  dictates  of  his  conscience.  He  belongs  to  the 
Episcopal  Church,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Cham- 
ber of  Conimerce. 


GEORGE  H.  HAZELTON.  An  honorable 
service  during  the  entire  period  of  the  Civil 
war  and  an  equally  honorable  record  as  a  pri- 
vate citizen  mark  the  life  of  George  H.  Hazel- 
ton,  a  retired  business  man  of  Ocean  Park  and 
the  ow-ner  of  valuable  real  estate  in  that  sub- 
urb, as  well  as  in  the  Seagirt  tract.  Though 
for  years  a  resident  cf  the  east  and  also  for  a 
considerable  period  identified  with  northern 
California,  he  has  found  no  spot  so  nearly  ap- 
proaching the  ideal  as  the  southern  part  of  the 
Sunset  state,  where  kind  Nature  smiles  upon 
the    intelligent    efl^orts   of   man    and    a   pictur- 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1515 


esque  environment  pleases  his  artistic  tastes. 
Since  coming  to  Ocean  Park  in  1898  lie  has 
witnessed  the  rapid  growth  of  this  locality 
and  has  enjo3xd  the  benefits  accruing  there- 
from, while  at  the  same  time  he  has  won  the 
esteem  of  associates  and  acquaintances. 

Directly  across  the  line  from  Pennsylvania, 
in  Braceville,  a  town  of  Trumbull  county, 
Ohio,  Mr.  Hazelton  was  born  August  21,  1844, 
the  son  of  Thaddeus  Hazelton,  an  industrious 
carpenter  descended  from  an  English  family 
early  identified  with  the  history  of  Vermont. 
It  was  natural  that,  on  the  conclusion  of  his 
school  studies,  he  should  take  up  the  carpen- 
ter's trade  under  the  oversight  of  his  father, 
who  taught  him  to  be  efficient,  skillful  and 
practical  in  the  work.  At  the  opening  of  the 
Civil  war  he  was  only  a  youth,  scarcely  old 
enough  for  service,  yet  he  solicited  admission 
as  a  private  and  was  accepted  in  1861,  becom- 
ing a  soldier  in  the  Eighty-third  Pennsylvania 
Infantry.  With  his  regiment  he  marched  to 
the  front  and  bore  a  part  in  the  numerous  en- 
gagements falling  to  their  lot.  In  the  second 
battle  of  Bull  Run,  August  30,  1862,  he  was 
wounded,  but  soon  recovered  and  rejoined  his 
regiment,  with  which  he  remained  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  When  peace  once  more 
reigned  in  the  country  he  was  mustered  out  of 
service  and  honorably  discharged  June  26, 
1865,  after  which  he  returned  to  his  old  home 
and  resumed  the  occupation  of  a  private  cit- 
izen. 

After  having  worked  as  a  carpenter  in  Penn- 
sylvania for  a  number  of  years,  in  1876  ]\Ir. 
Hazelton  sought  the  undeveloped  regions  of 
the  northwest,  settling  in  Winona  county, 
Minn.  Considerable  building  was  being  done 
in  that  locality  and  he  had  a  part  in  the  new 
jsrosperity  coming  to  the  region.  Land  was 
quite  lovv  and  he  invested  his  savings  in  farm 
property,  in  which  way  he  became  the  owner 
of  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres. 
However,  the  long  and  severe  winters  of  the 
northwest  proved  trying  and  irksome,  and  to 
secure  more  favorable  climatic  conditions  he 
disposed  of  his  holdings  and  removed  to  Cal- 
ifornia, where  in  1889  he  became  a  resident 
of  Santa  Rosa.  Agricultural  pursuits  and 
the  carpenter's  trade  occupied  his  attention 
here  as  in  his  former  home.  Upon  coming 
to  Ocean  Park  he  bought  property  and  erect- 
ed houses,  several  of  which  he  yet  owns.  Of 
a  quiet,  retiring  disposition,  he  has  had  little 
inclination  to  identify  himself  with  social  or 
fraternal  organizations,  none  of  which  has 
gained  his  allegiance  exce])t  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic.  After  settling  in  Minnesota 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Agnes 
Graves,   an   estimable   lady   who   had   accom- 


[janied  her  father  from  their  native  place  in 
Canada  into  the  States  and  had  settled  in 
Minnesota  during  the  pioneer  history  of  that 
region. 


WILLIAM  H.  FRINK.  The  Frink  family 
were  established  in  California  in  the  famous  days 
of  '49  and  since  that  time  members  have  taken  a 
prominent  part  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  interests 
of  the  state.  The  pioneer,  John  R.,  was  born 
in  New  York,  a  son  of  Jefferson  Frink,  the  latter 
of  an  old  ^lassachusetts  family  who  located  in 
Xew  York.  John  R.  Frink  was  reared  in  St.  Louis, 
whither  his  parents  removed  later,  and  thence 
he  began  freighting  across  the  plains  and  act- 
ing as  captain  of  trains.  In  1849  he  came  to 
Sacramento  and  began  mining,  remaining  in  that 
section  of  the  state  until  1852  when  he  came  to 
Southern  California  and  in  Los  Angeles  estab- 
lished a  feed  and  sale  stable.  He  married  there  ■ 
Sarah  Peacock,  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  England ; 
her  father  having  died  in  Canada,  she  crossed 
the  plains  with  Mrs.  Jane  Lathrop  and  her 
mother  in  1849,  the  latter  dying  in  Council 
Bluffs,  Iowa.  In  1854  Mr.  Frink  brought  his 
family  to  San  Bernardino  and  located  on  a  small 
farm,  and  a  year  later  he  bought  a  farm  in  San 
Timoteo  caiion,  while  at  the  same  time  he  con- 
tinued interested  in  mining  ventures,  being  as- 
sociated with  the  Vulture  Mining  Company  at 
Wickenburg,  Ariz.,  and  acting  for  some  years  as 
its  manager.  The  gold  obtained  was  carried  in 
a  four-horse  carriage  across  the  desert  to  San 
Pedro,  thence  by  boat  to  the  mint  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. After  the  mine  ceased  to  pay  he  went 
into  the  stock  business  at  Wickenburg.  He  was 
later  interested  in  the  mines  at  Darwin,  Inyo 
county,  where  they  had  a  stamp  mill,  and  also 
interested  in  the  mines  near  Virginiadale,  this 
county.  He  sold  his  cattle  business  in  Arizona 
in  1886,  and  then  engaged  in  ranching  in  Tulare 
county,  southwest  of  the  town  of  that  name.  His 
death  occurred  there  at  the  age  of  sixty-two 
years.  His  wife  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-nine years,  and  makes  her  home  with  her 
son.  Of  their  four  children  three  are  living, 
George  M.,  of  Los  Angeles ;  Daniel  J.,  of  Red- 
lands  ;  and  William  H..  of  this  review. 

William  H.  Frink  was  born  in  San  Bernar- 
dino, Cal.,  May  23,  1865,  and  was  reared  on 
the  paternal  farm,  and  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  after  which  he  attended  the  San  Ber- 
nardino Business  College  for  a  more  complete 
preparation  for  his  work  in  life.  He  then  re- 
turned to  the  home  ranch  and  followed  farming 
on  the  old  Frink  ranch  in  San  Timoteo  canon. 
In  1892  he  engaged  in  dairying  and  farming 
for  himself,  improving  property,  which  consisted 
of  five  hundred  acres  eight  miles  from  Redlands. 


1516 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


eighty  acres  being  in  alfalfa  and  under  irrigation 
from  the  San  Timoteo  creek.  He  devoted  his 
time  to  the  raising  of  hay  and  grain,  and  also 
had  a  creamery  outfit  which  utilized  the  products 
of  his  dairy.  In  December,  1905,  he  sold  the 
ranch  and  located  in  Redlands  at  No.  231  West 
C_ypress  street,  where  he  has  five  and  a  half 
acres  in  navel  oranges,  a  handsome  residence, 
and  necessary  outbuildings,  this  being  one  of  the 
valuable  little  ranches  in  the  city.  Mr.  Frink 
is  associated  fraternally  with  the  Benevolent 
Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  the  Odd  Fellows, 
of  Redlands,  where  he  also  belongs  to  the  Board 
of  Trade  and  gives  his  best  eflforts  toward  the 
material  upbuilding  of  the  city.  He  is  a  Re- 
publican in  politics,  and  is  ex-member  of  tiie 
Riverside  Republican  County  Central  Commit- 
tee. He  has  been  very  successful  in  his  wck 
and  is  accounted  one  of  the  progressive  and  en- 
terprising citizens  of  Redlands. 


JOHN  DUSCH.  Noteworthy  among  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  Ventura  county  was  the 
late  John  Dusch,  who  came  here  in  1873,  and 
from  that  time  until  his  death  was  an  import- 
ant factor  in  developing  its  agricultural  re- 
sources. Purchasing  land  that  was  mostly  in 
its  native  condition,  he  labored  with  unremit- 
ting toil  until  he  had  it  under  good  cultiva- 
tion, with  substantial  improvements.  A  hard- 
working, honest  and  industrious  man,  he  was 
in  every  way  trustworthy  and  highly  respect- 
ed. He  was  born  April  9,  1849,  in  Switzer- 
land, the  country  which  has  given  us  so  inany 
of  our  most  valued  citizens,  and  died  on  the 
home  farm  in  October,  1904,  aged  fifty-five 
years. 

Brought  up  and  educated  iii  Switzerland, 
John  Dusch  there  learned  the  baker's  trade,  in 
which  he  became  proficient.  Immigrating  to 
the  United  States  when  a  young  man,  he  spent 
a  short  time  in  New  York  City,  from  there 
going  to  Philadelphia  in  search  of  congenial 
employment.  Not  contented,  however,  he 
pushed  onward  to  the  Pacific  coast,  in  1872  ar- 
riving in  San  Diego,  where  he  remained  about 
a  year.  In  1873  he  located  in  Ventura  county, 
and  in  the  Santa  Clara  valley  made  his  first 
purchase  of  land,  buying  ten  acres.  Very  soon 
afterward  he  took  up  a  homestead  claim  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  immediately  be- 
gan the  improvement  of  his  home  ranch.  Suc- 
ceeding in  his  ventures,  in  the  course  of  time 
lie  bought  ninety  acres  of  adjoining  land.  En- 
terprising and  thrifty,  he  raised  all  of  the  grain, 
fruit  and  cereals  common  to  this  section  of 
the  country,  having  an  apricot  orchard  of  fif- 
ten  acres,  and  raising  wheat,  barley,  hay  and 
beans  in  large  quantities. 


In  San  Diego,  in  1873,  ^^^'-  Dusch  married 
Alary  Gisler,  who  was  born  and  reared  in 
Switzerland;  coming  to  this  country  when  a 
girl,  she  lived  in  Philadelphia  until  1871,  when 
she  came  to  this  state,  where  she  has  since  re- 
sided. Two  of  her  sisters  have  also  resided 
here  since  1884.  ]\Irs.  Dusch's  parents  are 
both  deceased,  as  are  the  parents  of  Air.  Dusch, 
both  of  whom  were  life-long  residents  of  Swit- 
zerland. In  May,  1905,  Airs.  Dusch  and  her 
daughter  Amelia  took  a  trip  across  the  Atlan- 
tic, visiting  friends  and  relatives  in  the  moth- 
er's childhood  home.  Of  the  children  born  of 
the  union  of  Air.  and  Mrs.  Dusch,  six  died  in 
infancy,  and  five  are  living,  namely:  William, 
of  Santa  Paula,  who  married  Mary  White ; 
Bertha,  wife  of  Christopher  Nelson,  of  Somis, 
and  the  mother  of  two  sons;  Leonora,  wife  of 
^V.  P.  Daily :  Arno ;  and  Amelia,  a  pupil  in  the 
Santa  Paula  high  school.  Politically  Mr. 
Dusch  was  a  firm  supporter  of  the  principles 
of  the  Democratic  party,  and  took  a  warm  in- 
terest in  the  affairs  of  his  adopted  town  and 
countv. 


FRANK  PITTS.  Occupying  an  honored 
position  among  the  many  worthy  citizens  of 
A'entura  county,  Frank  Pitts  is  a  successful  and 
energetic  farmer  residing  at  Somis.  A  native 
son  of  the  state,  he  was  born  in  Alendocino 
county,  August  10,  i860,  and  is  one  of  ten  chil- 
dren, eight  of  whom  are  living.  He  is  the  son 
of  W.  O.  and  Isabella  (Burrse")  Pitts,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  Alissouri  and  the  latter  of  Illi- 
nois, both  of  whom  are  living,  aged  seventy-four 
and  sixty-six  respectively.  The  father  is  also 
a  rancher,  and  in  connection  with  his  agricultural 
pursuits  runs  a  profitable  livery  business  and 
besides  has  mining  interests  in  Idaho,  where  he 
spends  a  portion  of  his  time.  In  his  political 
views  he  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Repub- 
lican platform  and  of  the  candidates  of  that 
partv.  The  mother  is  a  consistent  member  of 
the  Episcopal  Church. 

Remaining  at  home  with  his  parents  until  fif- 
teen years  of  age,  during  which  time  he  attended 
the  common  schools,  Frank  Pitts  started  out  in 
the  world  for  himself  at  that  age,  engaging  in 
agricultural  pursuits  in  Ventura  county,  where 
he  has  since  resided.  It  has  been  his  good  for- 
tune to  succeed  beyond  his  expectations,  and 
he  now  operates  a  five  hundred  acre  ranch  which 
is  dovoted  principally  to  raising  sugar  beets, 
Lima  beans,  barley,  wheat  and  stock.  The  land 
vields  on  an  average  ten  sacks  of  beans  to  the 
acre  and  is  also  well  adapted  to  fruits  and  grain. 
The  ranch  upon  which  he  has  lived  for  the  past 
fifteen  vears  is  a  part  of  the  Los  Posas  ranch. 
He   owiis   a   ranch   at  Hueneme,   a   comfortable 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1519 


home  at  Somis  and  property  at  Oxnard,  and  has 
won  success  by  his  individual  and  persistent  ef- 
forts, industry  and  progressive  spirit.  His 
standing  in  the  community  is  the  best  proof  of 
his  abihty,  integrity  and  worth. 

In  1892  Mr.  Pitts  formed  domestic  ties  by  his 
marriage  with  j\liss  Emma  Willard,  who  is  a 
native  of  Idaho,  and  two  children,  Earl  and 
Edna,  have  been  born  of  their  union.  At  the 
present  writing  Mr.  Pitts  is  identified  with  the 
Fraternal  Brotherhood.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch 
adherent  of  the  principles  advocated  in  the  plat- 
form of  the  Republican  party,  lending  his  sup- 
port to  its  men  and  measures. 


SAjNIUEL  M.  LESHER.  One  of  the  most 
up-to-date  and  progressive  ranchmen  in  Riverside 
county  is  found  in  Samuel  M.  Lesher,  who  has 
upon  his  six  hundred  acre  ranch,  located  near 
Murrietta,  every  convenience  for  farming,  dairy- 
ing and  stock-raising,  and  in  addition  has  a  fine 
blacksmith  shop  on  the  farm.  He  is  a  man  of 
more  than  usual  intelligence  and  whatever  he 
does  is  accomplished  in  the  best  and  most  scien- 
tific manner  possible.  He  is  a  natural  mechanic 
of  ability,  a  progressive  business  man  and  con- 
ducts his  ranching  operations  in  a  thoroughly 
modern  manner,  being  well  read  and  thoroughly 
familiar  with  all  new  developments  in  his  lines 
of  work.  He  was  born  November  i,  1868,  in 
Henderson,  Minn.,  the  son  of  Benjamin  and 
Annie  (Gunderson)  Lesher,  the  former  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  of  London,  Eng- 
land. The  father  was  a  pioneer  settler  in  Min- 
nesota, having  removed  to  that  state  in  1865,  and 
there  continued  the  prosecution  of  his  business 
as  contractor  and  builder,  having  been  engaged 
at  that  occupation  in  the  south  before  coming 
west.  He  assisted  in  the  erection  of  the  state 
capitol  of  Minnesota  in  St.  Paul,  and  later  con- 
ducted a  hotel  on  the  Minnesota  river  in  the 
city  of  Henderson.  In  1880  he  pushed  on  further 
west,  and  locating  in  Montana  continued  the 
hotel  business  first  in  Forsyth  and  later  in  Glen- 
dive,  in  which  latter  place  he  also  engaged  in 
mercantile  pursuits.  His  residence  in  Califor- 
nia dated  from  1888.  when  he  arrived  in  Los 
Angeles  county,  subsequently  removing  to  Valley 
Center.  San  Diego  county,  at  which  point  he 
took  up  land.  Following  this  he  spent  a  great 
deal  of  time  in  travel,  visiting  in  Washington, 
D.  C,  and  making  a  trip  to  Dawson.  Alaska. 
His  last  years  were  spent  with  his  son,  Samuel 
M.,  his  death  occurring  in  1902.  at  the  age  of 
seventy-three  years.  His  wife  died  in  Montana 
in  1884.  in  her  fifty-seventh  year.  Of  their 
children  one  son.  Jacob  C.  is  a  draughtsman 
in  W^ashington,  D.  C. ;  another  son,  Benjamin, 
resides  in  Los  Angeles :  a  daughter,  Gcorgiana, 
72 


is  now  the  wife  of  Edward  Keys,  of  Fairbanks, 
Alaska. 

The  preliminary  education  of  Mr.  Lesher  was 
received  in  the  public  schools  of  Minnesota,  this 
being  supplemented  by  work  in  St.  Johns  Uni- 
versity, at  Collegeville,  Minn.  After  the  com- 
pletion of  his  studies  he  went  to  Montana  and 
was  for  three  years  employed  on  the  cattle  ranges 
of  that  state,  and  after  his  removal  to  Glendive, 
in  1887,  began  his  training  at  the  blacksmith's 
trade.  The  following  year  he  came  to  Los  An- 
geles, from  that  place  removing  to  Escondido, 
where  he  worked  on  a  ranch  for  a  couple  of 
years,  after  which  he  returned  to  Los  Angeles 
and  engaged  in  blacksmitliing  until  1895.  Sub- 
sequently locating  in  Murrietta  on  his  present 
ranch  he  has  since  made  this  place  his  home. 
About  three  hundred  acres  of  land  is  given  over 
to  the  raising  of  crops,  while  a  like  amount  is 
devoted  to  pasturage  purposes.  He  has  a  dairy 
and  creamery  and  milks  thirty-eight  cows,  makes 
and  ships  butter  supplying  Murrietta  Hot 
Springs  and  Elsinore  with  this  product.  His 
creamery  was  established  in  1903  and  was  the 
first  one  located  in  this  vicinity.  He  is  also  a 
breeder  of  fine  horses  of  both  trotting  and  the 
Percheron-Norman  stock,  owning  Poco  Pronto 
and  Roscoe,  two  standard-bred  stallions  which  are 
considered  the  best  in  this  section  of  the  state. 
Among  his  other  property  interests  is  a  fine 
ranch  at  Valley  Center. 

Mr.  Lesher's  marriage  in  Los  Angeles,  in 
1891,  united  him  with  Henrietta  R.  Christian, 
of  Minnesota,  and  they  have  become  the  parents 
of  seven  children,  namely:  Roy,  Earl,  Edward, 
Ira,  Oliver,  Rena  and  John.  The  prominent 
interest  which  Mr.  Lesher  takes  in  educational 
matters  is  evidenced  by  his  service  as  a  trustee 
of  the  Murrietta  school  district.  He  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics  and  an  active  worker  in  his 
locality  for  the  interest  of  the  party.  He  is  a 
public-spirited  and  well-informed  citizen  who 
takes  an  interest  in  all  matters  of  importance 
to  the  community  at  large,  his  influence  being  al- 
ways exerted  on  the  side  that  builds  up  and 
develops  the  section  in  which  he  lives. 


WILLIAM  HARVEY  BENTLEY.  The 
genealogy  of  the  Bentle\-  family  in  America  is 
traced  back  to  the  year  1720,  when  settlement 
was  made  in  Rhode  Island  by  James  Bentley,  an 
Englishman  by  birth  and  a  brother  of  Sir  Rich- 
ard Bentley  of  England.  In  the  family  of  James 
there  was  a  son.  Benjamin,  who  had  a  son 
named  Gideon,  the  latter  following  farming  pur- 
suits in  Rhode  Island  and  New  York,  eventually 
dying  at  Constantia,  Oswego  county,  N.  Y.. 
when  he  had  attained  the  age  of  one  hundred  and 
ten   years.     From   him   the    genealogy   descends 


1520 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


through  his  son^  Gideon,  who  was  a  farmer  of 
New  York  and  Ohio,  but  in  1831  removed  to  the 
sparsely  settled  state  of  Illinois  and  settled  on  a 
tract  of  raw  land  in  Pike  county,  remaining  there 
until  his  death.  When  the  family  became  estab- 
lished in  Pike  county  in  1831  William  was  then 
but  a  year  old,  hence  his  earliest  recollections 
were  associated  with  the  frontier,  and  as  a  boy 
he  assisted  his  father  in  operating  a  woolen  and 
flour  mill  run  by  water  power.  Upon  starting  out 
for  himself  he  went  to  Iowa  and  there  married 
Malinda  C.  Shaul,  who  was  born  in  Indiana,  and 
is  a  sister  of  M.  J.  Shaul  of  Oceanside  (see  his 
sketch  for  the  family  history). 

Shortly  after  his  marriage  William  Bentley 
bought  a  farm  in  Wapello  county,  Iowa,  but  in 
1873  he  removed  to  Kansas  and  improved  a  large 
tract  of  land  near  Westmoreland,  Pottawatomie 
county.  At  this  writing  he  still  makes  his  home 
in  the  same  county,  but  has  retired  from  agricult- 
ural labors  and  resides  in  Havensville.  In  poli- 
tics he  votes  with  the  Republican  party  and  in 
religious  views  he  is  in  sympathy  with  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Christian  Church.  In  his  family 
there  are  five  sons  and  one  daughter,  namely : 
Rev.  F.  H.  Bentley,  pastor  of  the  Christian 
Church  at  Topeka,  Kans. ;  William  Harvey,  of 
San  Diego;  O.  L.,  a  merchant  at  Havensville, 
Kans. ;  Rev.  Charles  C,  pastor  of  the  Christian 
Church  at  Hanford,  Cal. :  jMrs.  Hattie  \\'itten, 
of  Westmoreland,  Kans.;  and  Bert  I.,  who  is  an 
evangelistic  singer  and  makes  his  home  in  To- 
peka. The  second  of' the  sons,  W^illiam  Harvey, 
was  born  at  Ottumwa,  Iowa,  October  20,  i860, 
and  at  the  age  of  six  years  accompanied  the  fam- 
ily in  their  removal  from  town  to  a  farm  six 
miles  away.  In  1873  he  went  with  them  to  Kan- 
sas and  afterward  attended  the  country  schools 
near  Westmoreland.  On  leaving  school  he  gave 
his  attention  to  farming  and  stock-raising. 

During  the  spring  of  1882  Mr.  Bentley  left 
Kansas  and  made  a  tour  of  investigation  through 
the  region  further  west.  While  in  Idaho  he  took 
up  a  claim  and  proved  on  the  land.  About  1886 
he  returned  east  as  far  as  South  Dakota  with  a 
drove  of  horses  which  he  sold  there  and  then  vis- 
ited relatives  in  Kansas.  On  again  coming  west 
during  1887  he  settled  at  Fallbrook.  San  Diego 
county,  and  secured  work  with  the  American  Os- 
trich Company  which  had  started  in  the  ostrich 
business  in  San  Diego  as  early  as  November  of 
1883.  Their  importation  of  twentv-three  birds 
was  the  first  to  be  brought  to  the  United  States 
except  with  shows.  In"  February  of  1884  they 
removed  to  Fallbrook  and  established  a  farm,  and 
in  1887  started  the  Coronado  ostrich  farm.  In 
December,  1891,  Mr.  Bentley  and  C.  F.  A.  John- 
son started  an  ostrich  farm  at  Riverside.  During 
1893  Mr.  Bentley  had  charge  of  the  exhibit  of 
the  American  Ostrich  Company  at  the  World's 


Fair  in  Chicago.  At  the  close  of  the  exposition 
E.  J.  Johnson  signed  a  contract  to  exhibit  at  the 
Antwerp  (Belgium)  exposition,  having  first  se- 
cured from  Mr.  Bentley  a  promise  to  take  charge 
of  the  exhibit.  From  Qiicago  the  birds  were 
taken  to  London,  England,  and  wintered  at  the 
Royal  Aquarium  at  Westminster,  arriving  at 
Antwerp  in  May,  1894,  where  they  were  exhibit- 
ed until  Sepember  15,  same  year,  and  were  then 
sold  to  Hagenbach  at  Hamburg. 

After  having  disposed  of  the  birds  Mr.  Bentley 
traveled  on  the  continent  and  in  January,  1905, 
returned  to  San  Diego,  where  he  bought  the  for- 
ty-eight birds  owned  by  the  American  Ostrich 
Company.  Before  this  he  had  acquired  the  birds 
from  the  Riverside  farm  ( twenty  in  number) 
and  in  December,  1893,  had  them  sent  to  Coro- 
nado to  be  put  with  the  birds  owned  by  the  com- 
pany. For  a  few  years,  owing  to  the  small  de- 
mand for  feathers,  there  was  little  profit  in  the 
business,  but  eventually  the  demand  increased 
and  the  profits  became  commensurate  with  the 
risks.  From  Coronado  in  December,  1904,  the 
farm  was  removed  to  its  present  location,  a  por- 
tion of  the  old  Mission  Cliff  park,  where  the  nine- 
ty-five birds  have  ample  room  and  comfortable 
quarters.  Some  of  the  birds  formerly  owned  by 
Mr.  Bentley  have  been  sold  to  other  breeders, 
and  several  have  secured  their  start  from  his 
farm.  The  manufacture  of  boas  and  plumes  and 
tips  is  his  specialty  and  orders  for  these  come 
from  all  parts  of  the  country.  With  one  excep- 
tion the  farm  is  the  .largest  of  its  kind  in  Cali- 
fornia and  no  spot  in  San  Diego  county  yields  to 
the  tourist  more  of  interest  or  instruction  than 
this  farm,  which  is,  indeed,  included  among  the 
most  attractive  "show"  places  for  visitors  to 
Southern   California. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Bentley  took  place  in 
Clarinda,  Iowa,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Ros- 
ena  Stuart,  who  was  born  and  educated  in  that 
town  and  is  a  cultured  lady  and  an  earnest  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  Qiurch.  Their  two  sons 
are  William  Harvey.  Jr.  (nine  years  of  age)  and 
Gilbert  Stuart  (two  years  old).  For  some  years 
Mr.  Bentley  has  been  connected  with  the  San 
Diego  Chamber  of  Commerce,  for  three  terms 
he  served  as  treasurer  of  Coronado  and  for  one 
term  officiated  as  town  trustee.  In  politics  he 
gives  his  allegiance  to  the  Republican  party  and 
fraternally  holds  membership  with  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 


WILLARD  B.  HAGE.  One  of  the  large 
business  enterprises  of  San  Diego  is  the  Ne>v 
England  Dairy  and  Creamery,  whose  owner 
and  proprietor,  Willard  B.  Hage,  since  com- 
ing to  the  city  in  1891,  has  built  up  an  indus- 
try of  important   and   increasing  proportions. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1521 


The  management  of  his  retail  milk  business, 
with  the  utilizing  of  six  milk  wagons  for  de- 
livery to  customers,  is  only  a  small  part  of 
his  business,  although  this  is  the  largest  dairy 
in  the  city.  Even  more  important  is  the 
creamery  plant,  occupying  a  modern  build- 
ing on  the  corner  of  5th  and  G  streets,  op- 
erated by  steam  power  and  equipped  with  the 
latest  appliances  for  butter-making.  Often 
three  thousand  pounds  of  butter  are  churned 
in  one  day  and  at  times  the  pay  roll  to  farm- 
ers reaches  $500  per  day.  Receiving  stations 
have  been  established  at  Escondido,  Ramona, 
San  Luis  Rey  and  Bonsall.  and  the  balance 
of  the  cream  is  shipped  by  stage  and  railroad 
to  San  Diego.  In  addition  to  the  operation  of 
this  plant  he  started  the  first  creamery  at  Im- 
perial, but  finding  it  to  far  away  to  be  given 
personal  attention  he  sold  the  plant ;  for  two 
years  he  also  owned  a  creamery  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, but  this  too  he  sold  to  other  parties,  so 
that  now  his  energies  are  concentrated  upon 
the  business  at  San  Diego. 

A  native  of  Wisconsin,  j\Ir.  Hage  was  born 
at  Eagle,  Waukesha  county,  June  i,  1868,  and 
was  the  eldest  child  and  onlv  son  among  four 
children,  all  still  living.  His  father,  S.  S., 
was  born  in  Livingston  county,  N.  Y.,  and 
married  Sarah  Kelloway,  also  a  native  of  New 
York  state.  The  paternal  grandfather,  John 
Hage,  was  of  English  birth  and  parentage  and 
on  coming  to  America  settled  in  Livingston 
county,  N.  Y.,  but  later  became  a  pioneer  of 
Wisconsin  and  took  up  a  tract  of  raw  land 
in  Waukesha  county  near  Eagle  lake,  where 
he  improved  a  farm  and  remained  until  death. 
The  father  likewise  followed  farming  pursuits 
in  Waukesha  county  and  made  a  specialty  of 
the  dairy  business,  shipping  milk  to  Milwau- 
kee, thirty-five  miles  distant.  On  selling  out 
there  in  1904  he  came  to  .San  Diego  and  since 
then  he  and  his  wife  have  lived  retired  from 
active  cares. 

After  having  completed  the  studies  of  the 
grammar  schools  and  the  Waukesha  high 
school,  Mr.  Hage  began  to  assist  his  father, 
whom  in  1890  he  accompanied  to  Phoenix, 
Ariz.,  for  the  purpose  of  engaging  in  the  stock 
business.  The  following  year  he  came  to  San 
Diego  and  embarked  in  the  dairy  business, 
which  he  has  since  conducted  with  unusual 
success.  By  reason  of  his  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  the  principles  of  butter-making  he  has 
gained  considerable  prominence  among  men 
following  that  occupation  and  at  this  writing 
he  holds  office  as  vice-president  of  the  Cream- 
ery Operators'  Association  of  California,  in 
addition  to  being  a  leading  member  of  the  Los 
Angeles  Creamery  Board  of  Trade.  The  close 
attention  which  he  has  gi\en  to  business  mat- 


ters has  prevented  him  from  becoming  active 
in  politics,  in  which  he  takes  no  part  aside 
from  voting  the  Republican  ticket  at  general 
elections.  The  San  Diego  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce numbers  him  among  its  members  and 
no  one  is  more  interested  than  he  in  its  plans 
for  the  upbuilding  of  the  town  and  county.  In 
fraternal  associations  he  is  identified  with  the 
Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  While 
living  in  Wisconsin  he  was  married  at  Eagle 
Lake  to  Miss  x\ddie  Scofield,  a  native  of  Chi- 
cago, 111.  Four  children  were  born  of  their 
union,  namely:  Frederick,  Edna,  Ruth  and 
Willard,  all  of  whom  are  at  home. 


JAMES  HENRY  CASSIDY.  The  supervis- 
or from  the  second  district  of  San  Diego  county 
has  made  his  home  in  the  city  of  San  Diego  for 
twenty  years  or  more  and  meanwhile  has  formed 
a  circle  of  business  and  social  acquaintances  ex- 
tending throughout  his  home  town  and  county. 
The  present  place  of  his  residence  is  far  re- 
moved from  the  scenes  familiar  to  him  in  early 
life,  for  he  is  a  native  of  New  Brunswick  and  as 
a  boy  grew  accustomed  to  the  bleak  and  storm- 
tossed  shores  of  that  province.  His  parents, 
James  and  Elizabeth  (]\Iilligan)  Cassidy,  were 
also  natives  of  New  Brunswick,  whence  his  pa- 
ternal grandfather,  Andrew  Cassidy,  had  emi- 
grated from  the  north  of  Ireland.  For  some  years 
the  father  followed  the  carpenter's  trade  in  his 
native  province,  thence  came  to  the  United 
States  and  worked  in  Calais,  Me.,  later  in  Min- 
neapolis, Minn.,  but  eventually  in  1900  he  came 
to  San  Diego,  where  at  the  age  of  eighty-three 
years  he  is  living  in  retirement  from  business 
cares.  While  residing  in  Minnesota  he  lost  his 
wife  by  death.  . 

There  were  seven  children  in  the  family.  Of 
these  James  Henry  was  second  in  order  of  birth 
and  is  the  only  one  living  in  California.  Born 
at  St.  John's,  New  Brunswick,  June  10,  1853.  he 
was  eight  years  of  age  when  his  parents  removed 
to  a  farm  near  Gagetown.  At  the  age  of  twelve 
years  he  began  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade  and 
four  years  later,  upon  removing  to  Calais,  Me., 
he  commenced  to  assist  his  father  in  the  building 
business.  After  removing  to  Minneapolis  in  1878 
he  secured  employed  as  foreman  for  W.  H. 
Haight  &  Co.,  a  firm  of  prominent  and  extensive 
contractors,  with  whom  he  continued  for  seven 
years.  Coming  west  in  1885,  he  began  to  work 
at  his  trade  in  Portland,  Ore.,  but  tlie  following 
year,  in  August,  he  established  himself  in  San 
biego,  where  for  seven  years  he  held  a  position 
as  foreman  with  J.  D.  Raymond,  and  then  took 
up  contracting  for  liimself.  In  the  pursuit  of  his 
duties  he  has  worked  in  various  sections  of  San 
Diego  county  and  everywhere  has  held  a  reputa- 


1522 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


tion  for  reliability,  energy,  promptness  and   ac- 
curacy. 

Decidedly  Republican  in  his  political  opinions, 
Mr.  Cassidy  always  has  given  his  support  to  the 
principles  of  the  party  which  he  supports,  and  for 
years  he  has  been  prominent  in  local  affairs.  In 
November,  1904,  he  was  elected  to  represent  the 
second  district  as  a  member  of  the  county  board 
of  supervisors,  and  in  January  following  he  as- 
sumed the  duties  of  the  office,  which  he  now  fills 
with  conscientious  devotion  to  the  welfare  of  the 
people.  Measures  for  the  development  of  the 
county  receive  his  stanch  co-operation  when  once 
he  is  convinced  of  their  permanent  value  to  the 
property  owners,  but  at  the  same  time  he  does 
not  jeopardize  the  interests  of  the  taxpayers.  The 
San  Diego  Qiamber  of  Commerce  and  the  Lhiion 
League  Club  number  him  among  their  members. 
While  making  his  home  in  ]\Iinneapolis  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Nellie  Rose,  who  was  born  in  St.  Law- 
rence county,  N.  Y.,  and  who  always  has  shared 
with  him  the  good-will  and  respect  of  acquaint- 
ances. After  coming  west  he  was  made  a  Mason 
in  Silver  Gate  Lodge  No.  296,  F.  &  A.  M.,  in 
which  he  officiated  as  master.  The  Woodmen  of 
the  World  have  his  name  enrolled  as  one  of  the 
members  of  their  San  Diego  camp.  In  addition 
he  is  a  leading  member  and  past  grand  of  San 
Diego  Lodge  No.  153,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  also  past  chief 
patriarch  of  Centennial  Encampment  No.  ^4,  at 
San  Diego,  and  likewise  identified  with  the  Or- 
der of  Rebekahs. 


GUY  W.  WISDOM.  Prominent  among  the 
recent  energetic,  thorough-going  business  men 
of  Escondido,  who,  through  their  own  tact,  abil- 
ity and  good  judgment  have  attained  success  hi 
life,  is  Guy  W.  Wisdom,  a  well-known  general 
merchant.  A  native  of  Iowa,  he  was  born  Oc- 
tober 18,  1867,  in  Taylor  county,  near  Block- 
ton, _  a  son  of  P.  J.  Wisdom.  His  grandfather, 
John  A.  Wisdom,  removed  from  Kentucky  to 
Missouri  when  a  young  man,  from  there  going 
to  Taylor  county,  Iowa,  where  he  spent  his  last 
years.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  patriotism,  and 
during  the  Civil  war  served  in  the  Federal  Army. 
His  wife  was  a  \'irginian  by  birth,  the  descend- 
ant of  an  old  southern  family. 

Born  and  brought  up  in  the  northwestern  part 
of  Missouri,  P.  J.  Wisdom  began  life  as  a  farmer 
in  Iowa.  On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war 
he  enlisted  in  the  Twenty-ninth  Iowa  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  as  a  soldier  rendered  his  country 
much  service.  He  subsequently  settled  near 
Blockton,  Iowa,  where  for  a  number  of  years  he 
was  employed  in  mercantile  pursuits.  In  April, 
1904,  he  came  with  his  family  to  San  Diego 
county,  locating  in  the  Escondido  valley,  where 
he  was  for  two  years  activelv  and   successfullv 


engaged  in  the  culture  of  fruit,  having  a  well- 
cultivated  ranch  of  twenty  acres.  This  he  has 
since  sold  and  is  now  senior  member  of  the  firm 
of  Wisdom  &  Co.  He  is  a  Republican,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  a  prom- 
inent j\Iason,  having  attained  the  Knights  Temp- 
lar degree  in  Iowa.  He  was  postmaster  of 
Blockton,  Iowa,  from  1872  to  1884,  and  from 
1888  to  1892.  He  married  Thankful  Jane  Carter, 
who  was  born  in  Taylor  county,  Iowa,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Col.  John  D.  Carter,  formerly  of  Indiana, 
who  served  as  an  officer  in  the  Civil  war,  com- 
manding a  regiment,  and  is  now  a  resident  of 
Iowa.  Mrs.  Wisdom  died  in  1881,  leaving  four 
children,  one  son  and  three  daughters,  Guy  W. 
being  the  oldest  child. 

Obtaining  the  elements  of  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Blockton,  Guy  W.  Wisdom  sub- 
sequently attended  Parson's  College,  at  Fairfield, 
Iowa,  for  two  years,  after  which  he  completed  a 
business  course  in  the  Capital  City  Commercial 
College,  in  Des  Aloines,  Iowa,  After  his  gradu- 
ation from  tbe  latter  institution  he  was  in  busi- 
ness with  his  father  in  Blockton  as  a  general 
merchant  until  1901,  when  he  sold  out,  removing 
to  Portland,  Ore.,  where  he  remained  two  years. 
Coming  to  Southern  California  in  1903,  he  was 
a  resident  of  Los  Angeles  until  July,  1904,  when 
he  located  in  Escondido.  Three  months  later, 
on  the  first  of  October,  1904,  he  purchased  his 
present  store  building,  which  he  has  enlarged 
and  remodeled,  it  being  now  25x92  feet,  and  has 
since  established  an  extensive  and  remunerative 
general  mercantile  business,  his  stock  of  goods 
being  one  of  the  most  varied  and  complete  to  be 
found  in  this  section  of  the  count)',  embracing 
everything  demanded  Ijy  the  trade. 

In  Oskaloosa,  Iowa,  Mr.  Wisdom  married 
Mittie  A.  Nelson,  who  was  born  in  Wayne 
county,  Iowa,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  three 
children,  namely :  Gail  L.,  Eva  Marie,  and  Alta 
Marguerite.  Mr.  Wisdom  taeks  an  active  in- 
terest in  the  welfare  of  his  adopted  city,  being 
very  public-spirited  and  doing  his  full  share 
towards  advancing  its  material  and  business  pros- 
perity. He  is  a  member  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce and  of  the  school  board  of  the  Escondido 
High  School  District.  Politically  he  is  a  sound 
Republican,  and  religiously  he  belongs  to  the 
Baptist  Church,  and  is  assistant  superintendent 
of  the  Sunday-school. 


WINFIELD  SCOTT  KEEN.  Among  the 
prosperous  and  enterprising  citizens  of  Whittier, 
Los  Angeles  county,  especial  mention  may  be 
made  of  Winfield  Scott  Keen,  who  is  carrying 
on  a  successful  business  in  teaming  and  grading, 
and  is  an  important  factor  in  advancing  the  in- 
dustrial interests  of  the  communitv.     A   son  of 


/^^^^i^ti^^^^t^^^'C^^^ii^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1525 


the  late  George  Washington  Keen,  he  was  born, 
November  12,  1863,  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  being 
lineally  descended  from  an  early  colonial  family 
of  that  state.  His  grandfather,  Edward  Keen, 
a  life-long  resident  of  Alaryland,  was  a  success- 
ful farmer  and  fruit  grower. 

A  native  of  Maryland,  George  W.  Keen  was 
there  reared  and  educated.  Becoming  a  farmer 
from  choice,  he  was  first  employed  as  a  tiller  of 
the  soil  near  the  home  of  his  youth,  remaining 
there  until  about  1872,  when  he  removed  with 
his  family  to  Iowa.  Buying  land  in  Marshall 
county,  he  continued  in  his  free  and  independent 
occupation  the  remainder  of  his  life.  In  Balti- 
more, Md.,  he  married  Eliza  Smardon,  who  was 
born  in  England,  and  died  in  Iowa. 

But  nine  years  of  age  when  he  accompanied 
his  parents  to  Iowa,  Winfield  Scott  Keen  com- 
pleted his  early  education  in  the  public  schools. 
Wliile  on  the  home  farm  he  was  well  trained  in 
the  various  branches  of  agriculture.  Following 
in  the  footsteps  of  his  honored  ancestors,  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  for  himself  as  soon  as  he  be- 
came of  age,  owning  a  good  ranch  of  fifty  acres 
in  jMarshall  county.  In  1897  he  came  with  his 
family  to  the  Pacific  coast,  arriving  in  Whittier 
December  9.  After  ranching  for  two  years  lie 
changed  his  occupation,  and  has  since  that  time 
been  actively  engaged  in  teaming  and  grading, 
having  established  a  large  and  profitable  business. 
He  has  seventeen  teams,  and  a  complete  grading 
outfit,  one  of  the  best  in  this  vicinity,  and  keeps 
several  men  constantly  employed.  Industrious, 
thrifty,  and  a  man  of  sterling  character,  he  is 
highly  respected,  and  occupies  an  assured  posi- 
tion among  the  valued  citizens  of  his  adopted 
town. 

While  a  resident  of  Iowa,  Mr.  Keen  married 
Nellie  Willets,  a  native  of  Iowa,  and  they  have 
now  six  children  living,  two  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters, narnely :  Walter  S.,  Blanch  C.,  Maria  E., 
George  Willets,  Mary  E.  and  Dorothy  May :  all 
at  home.  Politically  Air.  Keen  is  a  stanch  sup- 
porter of  the  principles  promulgated  by  the  Re- 
pulilican  partv,  and  fraternallv  he  belongs  to 
^\•hittier  Lodge   No.  315,   I.   O.   O.  F. 


PIERRE  LAPEYRE.  A  large  landholder, 
and  one  of  the  most  active  and  prosperous  farm- 
ers of  X^entura  county,  Pierre  Lapeyre  is  meet- 
ing with  excellent  success  in  his  labors,  accumu- 
lating wealth  and  distinction.  A  man  of  pleas- 
ing address,  cultured  and  talented,  his  geniality 
invites  acquaintance,  while  his  intelligence  and 
kindly  manners  inspire  respect  and  friendship.  He 
was  born  March  9,  1862,  in  sunny  France,  where 
he  received  excellent  educational  advantages.  His 
father  spent  his  entire  life  in  France,  and  his 
widowed  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Mary 


Minvielle,  still  resides  in  that  country.  He  has 
two  brothers  in  the  United  States,  one  of  whom 
lives  with  him  in  California. 

On  leaving  school,  Pierre  Lapeyre  began  work- 
ing on  a  farm,  and  while  there  became  somewhat 
acquainted  with  the  science  of  agriculture.  Just 
before  becoming  of  age  he  immigrated  to  the 
United  States,  landing  in  New  York  City.  Stay- 
ing but  a  short  time  in  the  east,  he  came  to 
Southern  California,  and  for  ten  years  resided  in 
Los  Angeles.  Locating  in  Ventura  county  in 
1890,  he  was  at  first  engaged  in  sheep  raising.  In 
1891  he  bought  his  present  home  ranch,  near 
Moorpark,  and  has  since  been  employed  in  gen- 
eral farming.  His  ranch,  which  he  purchased 
from  the  Simi  Land  and  \\^ater  Company,  con- 
tains six  hundred  and  sixty-five  acres  of  land, 
a  large  part  of  which  he  uses  for  pasturage,  de- 
voting two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  to  grain.  In 
the  management  of  his  place  he  uses  sound 
judgment  and  wisdom,  his  land  being  well  im- 
proved and  productive,  bringing  him  in  a  hand- 
some annual  income.  Not  affiliated  with  any  po- 
litical organization,  Mr.  Lapeyre  has  the  cour- 
age of  his  convictions,  voting  independently  for 
the  men  and  measures  that  are  most  likely  to 
advance  the  interests  of  town  and  countv. 


LEBBEUS  _  SCOFIELD.  Several  genera- 
tions of  the  Scoficld  family  have  been  identified 
with  lumbering  interests.  Some  have  owned 
tracts  of  timber  and  have  rafted  the  same  down 
rivers  to  sawmills;  and  others  have  been  con- 
nected only  with  the  sale  of  lumber,  having  no 
connection  with  its  manufacture.  Many  years 
ago  a  farmer  of  Dutchess  county,  N.  Y.,  bear- 
ing the  name  of  Lebbeus  Scofield,  operated  a 
sawmill  at  Fishkill  and  manufactured  lumber 
for  the  local  needs.  A  son  of  this  pioneer  miller, 
Jerome,  followed  the  lumber  business  all 
through  a  very  active  life  and  was  still  interested 
in  the  industry  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  at  Clinton,  Iowa,  at  seventy-eight  years 
of  age.  Surviving  him,  at  the  old  Clinton  home- 
stead, is  his  wife,  now  eighty-nine  years  of  age, 
and  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Ann  Van 
Voorhis,  being  of  Mohawk  Dutch  lineage. 

In  the  family  of  Jerome  and  Ann  Scofield 
there  were  two  sons,  James  T.  and  Lebbeus,  both 
of  whom  were  soldiers  in  the  Civil  war.  Leb- 
beus enlisted  at  Clinton,  Iowa,  August  15,  1862, 
and  served  as  sergeant  in  Company  K,  Twenty- 
sixth  Iowa  Infantry  until  the  end  of  the  war. 
In  the  memorable  march  of  General  Sherman  to 
the  sea  he  bore  a  brave  part,  and  later  it  was  his 
privilege  to  participate  in  the  Grand  Review  at 
Wasliington.  Though  he  was  with  his  company 
in  almost  the  entire  number  of  battles  in  which 
his  regiment  participated,  he  was  never  wounded. 


1526 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


nor  did  he  fall  a  prisoner  in  the  enemy's  hands. 
The  other  son,  James,  was  a  member  of  the 
Brooklyn  Zouaves,  Fourteenth  New  York  In- 
fantry, known  as  the  Henry  Ward  Beecher  Regi- 
ment; less  fortunate  than  his  brother,  he  re- 
ceived severe  wounds  while  serving  in  the  battle 
of  Gettysburg. 

A  native  of  Dutchess  county,  N.  Y.,  born 
September  2,  1838,  Libbeus  Scofield  received  his 
primary  and  common-school  education  princi- 
pally in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  At  sixteen  years  of 
age  he  went  to  Buffalo,  where  also  he  attended 
school.  After  two  years  he  moved  to  Clinton, 
Iowa,  and  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  from 
which  later  he  drifted  into  the  lumber  business. 
From  his  father  he  inherited  a  sawmill  at  Du- 
buque, Iowa,  and  logging  interests  above  La- 
Crosse,  Wis.  The  timber  was  cut  from  the  for- 
ests and  then  the  logs  were  rafted  down  the 
[Mississippi  river  to  Dubuque  and  Clinton,  where 
they  were  converted  into  lumber,  and  finally 
shipped  to  the  markets  of  the  west.  About  1870 
:\Ir.  Scofield  disposed  of  his  interest  in  the  busi- 
ness and  moved  to  Crawford  county,  in  western 
Iowa,  where  he  leased  a  tract  of  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres.  Later  ,he  became  postmaster 
of  Westside,  a  village  in  Crawford  county, 
Avhere  he  held  office  for  two  years  under  Presi- 
dent Cleveland.  There  he  also  bought  and  op- 
erated eighty  acres  of  land. 

On  resigning  as  postmaster '  Mr.  Scofield 
came  to  California  in  1887  and  settled  in  the 
Santa  ]\Iaria  valley,  where  he  carried  on  a  hotel 
for  some  eight  months.  Next  he  worked  at  his 
trade  in  San  Diego.  During  April  of  1888  he 
came  to  Los  Angeles  and  secured  a  position  as 
manager  of  the  yards  of  the  Ganahl  Lumber 
Company,  later  being  in  chatge  of  the  lumber 
yard  of  A.  H.  Carey.  For  ten  years  he  was 
superintendent  of  the  Los  Angeles  Lumber 
Company.  On  resigning  from  their  em- 
ploy he  became  connected  with  the  San 
Pedro  Lumber  Company  in  San  Pedro,  later 
was  transferred  by  the  company  to  Compton, 
and  in  December,  1901.  he  came  to  Whittier  as 
the  company's  manager  at  this  point,  where  he 
still  remains  in  charge  of  their  business.  While 
living  in  Iowa  he  married  Alice  Santee,  who  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  by  whom  he  has  four 
children,  Jerome,  Helen,  Harold  and  Florence. 
In  fraternal  relations  he  is  connected  with  the 
Masonic  Order  and  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public. 


S.  D.  RYNEARSON.  Not  infrequently  those 
who  have  passed  years  of  busy  activity  in  the 
sterner  climates  of  the  north  and  east,  after  gain- 
ing competencies  as  the  result  of  their  wise  judg- 
ment,  seek   the   genial   sunshine  of    the    Pacific 


coast  and  in  our  equable  climate  establish  a  home 
for  the  twilight  years  of  existence.  Such  is  the 
experience  of  ^Ir.  Rynearson,  formerly  an  exten- 
sive stock-raiser  in  Iowa,  more  recently  a  busi- 
ness man  of  Nebraska,  and  now  a  resident  of 
San  Diego,  whither  he  came  in  the  fall  of  1895 
for  the  purpose  of  enjoying,  in  the  midst  of  at- 
tractive climatic  surroundings,  the  leisure  so 
amply  earned  by  previous  years  of  application 
and  endeavor. 

Descended  from  a  colonial  family  originally 
from  Holland,  Air.  Rynearson  was  born  in  Ohio 
near  the  city  of  Cincinnati,  and  was  the  third  son 
of  Jacob  and  Phoebe  (Sharp)  Rynearson.  The 
paternal  grandfather,  John  Rynearson,  and  also 
the  maternal  grandfather  removed  from  New 
Jersey  to  Ohio  in  a  very  early  day  and  engaged 
in  the  development  of  farm  land  in  the  then 
frontier.  Jacob  Rynearson  was  born  after  the  re- 
moval of  the  family  to  Ohio  and  in  1834  he  re- 
moved to  Illinois,  where  he  spent  a  }^ear  in  Pe- 
oria county  and  then  bought  land  near  Farming- 
ton,  Fulton  county.  On  the  farm  he  there  im- 
proved, he  remained  until  his  death  in  1846.  His 
wife  was  born  in  New  Jersey  and  died  in  Illinois. 
They  were  the  parents  of  four  sons  and  two 
daughters,  of  whom  two  sons  and  one  daughter 
survive.  One  of  the  surviving  sons  is  S.  D.,  who 
was  born  Januery  16,  1827,  and  at  the  age  of 
seven  years  accompanied  his  parents  to  Illinois, 
where  he  had  such  advantages  as  the  subscrip- 
tion schools  afforded. 

Upon  starting  out  for  himself  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two  years  Mr.  Rynearson  went  to  Lee 
county,  Iowa,  and  settled  thirty  miles  north  of 
Keokuk.  The  country  was  new,  settlers  few 
and  improvements  almost  wholly  wanting.  In 
the  transformation  of  the  primeval  region  into  a 
finely  improved  farming  country  he  bore  his 
share  and  reaped  the  reward  which  comes  with 
the  increased  value  of  land.  During  1870  he  re- 
moved to  Red  Oak,  Iowa,  where  altogether  he 
improved  about  thirteen  hundred  acres  of  land 
and  conducted  an  extensive  business  in  the  buy- 
ing, feeding  and  shipping  of  cattle  and  hogs. 
Often  many  carloads  of  stock  were  shipped  to 
the  markets  from  his  farm  at  the  same  time.  In 
common  with  other  stock-raisers  he  experienced 
reverses  and  successes,  gaining  large  profits 
when  the  fluctuations  of  the  market  brought  high 
prices  for  stock,  and  on  the  other  hand  suffering 
losses  when  a  depression  occurred  in  prices.  In 
1888  he  disposed  of  his  stock  interests  in  Iowa 
and  removed  to  Nebraska,  where  he  engaged  in 
business  at  South  Omaha  and  also  bought  farm 
lands  in  Saunders  county.  From  Nebraska  he 
came  to  California  in  the  fall  of  1895  and  settled 
at  San  Diego,  where  he  now  owns  a  comfortable 
residence  with  pleasant  surroundings.  While  he 
has  been  interested  in  local  enterprises  in  every 


HTSTORTCAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1527 


place  where  he  has  resided,  yet  he  has  never  been 
prominent  in  poHtics  nor  has  he  sought  the  offi- 
cial positions  which  a  man  of  his  ability  might 
command.  Both  in  religion  and  in  politics  he 
has  maintained  independent  views  and  has  not 
allied  himself  with  any  organization. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Rynearson  took  place  in 
Lee  county,  Iowa,  September  25,  1855,  and 
united  him  with  Miss  Rebecca  Townsend,  who 
was  born  near  Richmond,  Ind.,  being  the  only 
surviving  member  of  the  family  of  Jonathan  and 
Mary  (Long)  Townsend,  natives  respectively  of 
Ohio  and  South  Carolina.  Her  paternal  grand- 
father, John  Townsend,  was  a  member  of  a 
Quaker  family  and  in  an  early  day  went  from 
Pennsylvania  to  Ohio ;  her  maternal  grandfather, 
John  Long,  who  also  was  a  member  of  the  So- 
ciety of  Friends,  became  a  pioneer  farmer  of  In- 
diana. The  former  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.  At  an  early  age  Jonathan  Town- 
send  began  to  assist  in  the  task  of  transforming 
raw  land  into  fertile  farms,  and  at  different  times 
he  helped  to  clear  three  farms  in  Indiana.  In 
that  state  he  was  married,  but  some  years  later 
he  removed  to  Iowa,  where  he  continued  to  make 
his  home  until  death.  The  family  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Rynearson  consists  of  two  daughters,  both 
of  whom  have  left  the  parental  home  for  homes 
of  their  own.  The  elder,  Cora,  was  graduated 
from  the  University  of  Iowa  with  the  degree  of 
B.  S.,  and  was  valedictorian  of  her  class:  later 
she  became  the  wife  of  Prof.  C.  M.  Wirick  and 
now  resides  in  Chicago.  The  younger  daughter, 
^linnie,  the  widow  of  Dr.  F.  L.  Breed,  is  at 
home. 


NICHOLAS  HERKELRATH.  A  well- 
known  citizen,  Mr.  Nicholas  Herkelrath  is  lin- 
ing in  San  Bernardino  retired  from  active  busi- 
ness life  and  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  labors. 
He  is  a  native  oi"  Germany,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred in  Bavaria,  February  5,  1838,  the  son  of 
John  and  Anna  Baum  Herkelrath.  His  father 
was  a  baker  by  trade  and  emigrated  to  America 
in  1848.  He  landed  at  New  Orleans  from  there 
making  his  way  up  the  river  to  Belleville,  St. 
Clair  county.  111.,  where  he  remained  for  sev- 
eral years.  From  there  he  went  to  Peru,  and 
La  Salle  county,  but  remained  only  a  short  time 
when  he  decided  to  go  still  further  west  and  lo- 
cated in  Nicollet  county,  Minn.,  near  St.  Peter 
on  the  Minnesota  river. 

Nicholas  Herkelrath  commenced  his  business 
career  by  clerking  in  a  general  store  in  Minne- 
sota, after  which  he  went  to  Qiicago  and  en- 
gaged in  the  railway  business.  After  several 
years  employed  in  this  capacity  Mr.  Herkelrath 
decided  to  change  his  location  and  occupation  and 
removed  to  Ortonville,  INfinn.,  engaging  in  gen- 


eral merchandising  for  six  years,  after  which 
he  sold  out  his  business  and  went  to  St.  Peter, 
Minn.  In  1893  Air.  Herkelrath  came  to  Cali- 
fornia to  spend  the  winter  and  was  so  well 
pleased  with  the  climate  and  conditions  that  it 
Ijecame  a  practice  with  him  to  come  to  this  state 
when  the  cold  weather  set  in  at  his  northern 
home.  In  1898  he  became  a  permanent  resident 
of  California,  making  his  home  in  San  Bernar- 
dino, where  his  residence  is  on  South  E  street. 
In  politics  he  is  independent. 


MRS.  COLLISTO  WILLARD  SCOTT,  of 
the  firm  of  C.  W.  Scott  &  Co.,  of  Ocean  Park, 
Cal.,  is  a  native  daughter  of  the  state,  being 
a  daughter  of  Alexander  Hamilton  ^^'illard, 
Jr.,  a  pioneer  of  1849,  and  Mary  A.  (Wake- 
field) Willard,  his  wife.  Alexander  Hamilton 
\\'inard,  Jr..  was  one  of  the  sons  of  Alexander 
Hamilton  Willard.  Sr..  and  his  wife,  Eleanor 
(McDonald)  Willard,  the  elder  man  being  one 
of  the  Lewis  and  Clark  men  of  1804.  (See  his- 
tory of  that  expedition.)  His  name  will  be 
found  on  the  roster  and  in  the  original  rec- 
ords of  that  expedition  on  file  at  the  Smith- 
sonian Institute,  and  in  other  historical  works. 
He  was  one  of  the  nine  picked  men  who  left 
St.  Louis  wdth  Lewis  and  Clark,  selected  for 
his  fine  physique  and  known  courage  and 
hardihood.  After  returning  from  the  expedi- 
tion he  married  Eleanor  McDonald,  of  Ken- 
tucky, and  born  of  this  union  were  five 
daughters  and  seven  sons.  He  was  actively 
engaged  in  the  Indian  war  of  181 1  with  Te- 
cumseh  and  was  selected  by  General  Clark  to 
carry  his  despatches  from  St.  Louis  to  Prairie 
du  Chien.  which  he  did  with  many  hairbreadth 
escapes  and  much  suft'ering.  He.  with  four 
of  his  sons  (George,  Austin,  Royland  and  Ham- 
ilton. Jr.),  fought  in  the  Black  Hawk  war.  In 
1852  iie  again  crossed  the  plains,  this  time 
to  California,  with  other  members  of  his  own 
family,  where  he  joined  his  son,  Hamilton. 
Jr..  and  other  members  of  the  same  family 
who  had  emigrated  to  the  Sacramento  valley 
in  1849  ^"'^  lia^  acquired  part  of  a  large  Span- 
ish grant  on  Cache  creek,  near  Sacramento. 
He  was  born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1778  and 
died  in  1868,  and  is  buried  in  Georgetown, 
near  Sacramento,  Cal.  He  had  one  brother 
by  the  nam.e  of  Joel  Willard.  who  remained  in 
New  Hampshire ;  and  two  sisters  who  married 
men  by  the  name  of  Willard.  He  was  a  de- 
scendant of  the  two  Harvard  presidents.  Sam- 
uel and  Joseph  Willard.  who  were  descended 
from  Simon  Willard,  one  of  the  founders  of 
Concord,  Mass.,  in  1634.  and  whose  ancestry 
has  been  traced  for  eight  hundred  years  on 
English   soil.     The   late  Frances  W'illard.  the 


1528 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


noted  temperance  reformer,  is  a  descendant  of 
the  same  famil}'. 

Alexander  Hamilton  Willard,  Jr.,  was  born 
in  Missouri  in  1812,  and  died  in  California  in 
1870.  He  married  Alary  A.  Wakefield,  a 
daughter  of  Judge  John  A.  Wakefield,  and  to 
them  fourteen  children  were  born,  most  of 
whom  grew  to  maturity  in  California.  Judge 
John  A.  Wakefield  was  born  in  South  Caro- 
lina in  179s,  his  mother  being  a  member  of 
the  celebrated  Barnwell  family.  When  seven 
years  of  age  his  parents  removed  to  Ken- 
tuck}^  and  he  there  attained  manhood,  and 
during  the  war  of  1812  served  as  a  member  of 
the  battalion  of  mounted  rangers,  and  also 
served  through  the  Black  Hawk  war,  attain- 
ing the  rank  of  major.  In  later  life  he  wrote 
a  history  of  the  Black  Hawk  war  which  has 
alwaj^s  been  standard.  He  came  of  Revolu- 
tionary stock,  his  father  and  several  uncles 
being  members  of  Mariona's  "Immortal 
Band."  He  was  also  a  pioneer  in  the  states 
of  Illinois,  Minnesota  and  Kansas,  having 
served  several  terms  in  Illinois  legislature, 
being  a  fellow  member  of  Stephen  A.  Doug- 
las, between  whom  a  warm  friendship  exist- 
ed. Judge  Wakefield  entered  the  legal  pro- 
fession when  a  young  man  and  acquired  a 
noteworthy  success  in  this  line,  being  a  schol- 
ar as  well  as  a  good  financier,  having  accumu- 
lated a  large  fortune  in  lands  and  stock.  He 
also  wrote  several  books  and  from  Judge 
Wakefield's  library  in  Galena,  111.,  Abraham 
Lincoln  received  his  first  instruction  toward 
an  education,  and  in  the  home  of  the  judge 
found  a  trusted  and  valued  friend.  Judge 
Wakefield  married  Eliza  Thompson,  with 
whom  he  lived  a  long  life  and  reared  a  large 
family.  He  was  distinguished  for  his  energy 
of  character  and  hi  eh  sense  of  personal  honor, 
and  was  one  of  the  men  who  helped  to  make 
the  historv  of  this  country. 


G.  W.  NEULS.  Although  he  has  been  a  per- 
manent resident  of  San  Bernardino  county,  but 
little  more  than  a  year,  G.  W.  Neuls  succeeded  in 
establishing  himself  in  one  of  the  extensive  lum- 
ber dealing  and  manufacturing  enterprises  in  that 
section  of  the  county,  being  a  director  and  former- 
ly secretary  and  general  manager  of  the  San  Ber- 
nardino Lumber  &  Box  Company. 

G.  W.  Neuls  was  born  November  11,  1857,  at 
Scranton,  Pa.,  where  he  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools,  and  early  went  to  work  as  a 
mechanic  for  the  Dickson  Manufacturing  com- 
pany, under  direction  of  his  uncle,  Mr.  Dupree. 
He  remained  at  this  employment  for  three  years, 
then  became  manager  of  a  furniture  factory,  after 
which  he  accepted  a  position  in  the  brush  handle 


factory  of  Holgate  Brothers  &  Co.,  at  Daleville. 
In  1 88 1  he  went  to  Mexico  to  install  machinery 
for  a  large  manufacturing  plant,  and  after  that 
work  was  completed  came  to  California,  locating 
at  San  Francisco  for  a  short  period,  later  accept- 
ing a  position  with  L.  Shover,  a  lumber  merchant 
of  San  Rafael.  In  1885  he  returned  to  PennsxI- 
vania,  intending  to  spend  six  months  with  the 
Holgate  firm,  which  had  removed  to  Kane,  Pa. 
He  became  general  manager  of  the  factory,  and 
in  1889,  when  the  firm  was  incorporated  as  Hol- 
gate Brothers  Company,  Mr.  Neuls  was  made 
vice-president  and  general  manager.  He  set 
about  to  develop  the  business  into  one  of  much 
more  importance  than  it  had  been  and  succeeded 
in  building  up  the  capacity  of  the  factory  from 
an  enterprise  demanding  the  labor  of  twenty-live 
men  to  one  which  employed  two  hundred  hands. 
He  invented  many  machines  to  be  used  in  the 
manufacture  of  brush  handles  and  ultimately  the 
factory  became  the  largest  in  the  world  in  that 
line,  manufacturing  one  thousand  seven  hundred 
different  varieties  of  brush  handles,  handling 
eighty-five  per  cent  of  the  trade  in  the  United 
States  and  securing  large  export  orders.  Mr. 
Neuls  had  been  carrying  the  whole  responsibility 
of  the  business  and  detail  work  at  the  factory 
when  realizing  that  his  duties  were  undermining 
his  health  he  resigned  the  position. 

For  five  years  Mr.  Neuls  had  been  spending  his 
winters  in  California  and  in  March,  1905,  he  de- 
cided to  make  Redlands  his  home.  He  has  a  fine 
twelve-acre  orange  grove  on  Fern  avenue  and 
takes  considerable  pride  in  his  residence  there.  In 
June,  1905,  the  San  Bernardino  Lumber  &  Box 
Company  was  re-organized  and  Mr.  Neuls  became 
secretary  and  general  manager.  They  have  the 
largest  planing  mill  in  San  Bernardino,  which  is 
fitted  with  steam  and  electric  power,  employs 
from  thirty-five  to  forty  hands,  and  is  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  boxes  and  planing  mill  work, 
as  well  as  dealing  in  all  kinds  of  lumber.  His 
marriage  occurred  at  Champaign,  III,  where 
Miss  Grace  Dale,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  who 
was  educated  at  the  University  of  Illinois,  became 
his  wife.  This  union  has  been  blessed  with  the 
birth  of  three  children,  Joseph  D.,  William  D., 
who  died  aged  two  years,  and  IMarion.  Mrs. 
Neuls  is  an  active  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Qiurch,  and  a  woman  of  superior  intelligence 
and  education.  Fraternally  Mr.  Neuls  is  promi- 
nent in  the  Masonic  order,  of  which  he  was  made 
a  member  in  Kane  Lodge  No.  566,  F.  &  A.  M., 
and  is  past  master  of  the  same ;  is  a  member  of 
Kane  Chapter  No.  279,  R.  A.  M.,  and  is  past 
high  priest ;  also  belongs  to  Warren  Command- 
ery  No.  63,  K.  T. ;  Bradford  Council  No.  43,  and 
Valley  Consistory  at  Williamsport,  Pa.  In  1902 
he  was  sent  as  a  representative  from  Kane  lodge 
to   the  Sesquia  Centennial  of    the  initiation    of 


^^^^^^^^.e^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1531 


George  Washington  as  a  Mason  which  was  held 
in  Philadelphia.  Politically  he  believes  in  the 
principles  advocated  in  the  platform  of  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  has  always  been  interested 
in  military  matters  and  while  in  Scranton  was  a 
member  of  Company  A  of  the  Thirteenth  Regi- 
ment of  Pennsylvania  National  Guards.  At  San 
Rafael  he  assisted  in  the  organization  of  a  com- 
pan}'  of  state  militia  and  was  commissioned  lieu- 
tenant just  as  he  removed  his  residence  from  that 
place.  Air.  Neuls  is  a  liberal  and  public-spirited 
man  of  pleasing  personality  and  has  won  the  es- 
teem of  his  fellow  citizens  of  San  Bernardino 
county  during"  his  residence  among  them. 


WILLIAM  ALEXANDER  McFARLANE. 
In  tracing  the  ancestry  of  this  honored  pioneer 
of  San  Bernardino  we  find  that  he  descends  from 
families  connected  with  the  colonial  history  of 
Virginia  and  boasting  records  for  patriotism  and 
lo}-al  devotion  to  country.  The  old  Common- 
wealth gave  to  our  struggling  colonies  no  de- 
fender more  brave  than  the  young  Virginian, 
Andrew  McFarlane,  who  left  home  at  the  open- 
ing of  the  Revolution  and  gave  seven  years  to 
the  service  of  the  patriotic  spirits  aiming  at  in- 
dependence. During  the  progress  of  the  war  he 
was  captured  by  the  English  and  Indians,  by 
whom  he  was  held  a  prisoner  for  some  time  and 
forced  to  run  the  Indian  gauntlet.  The  McFar- 
lane family  was  related  to  Lewis  and  Clark,  who 
made  the  memorable  expedition  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Columbia  river  and  thus  opened  to  settle- 
ment one  of  the  most  fertile  regions  of  the 
country. 

Among  the  children  of  Alexander  McFarlane 
was  a  son,  Thomas  Lewis,  who  was  born,  reared 
and  educated  in  Pennsylvania,  and  from  there 
in  1843  removed  to  Iowa,  settling  among  the 
frontiersmen  of  Jackson  county.  After  farming 
there  for  a  short  time  he  went  to  Illinois  and 
secured  employment  in  the  Galena  mines,  but 
eventually  returned  to  Jackson  county,  Iowa, 
where  he  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  until 
his  death  in  1875.  Early  in  manhood's  prime  he 
married  Susan  Alexander,  who  was  born  in  Ire- 
land of  Scotch  ancestry,  the  daughter  of  an 
English  officer,  William  Alexander.  In  their 
family  was  a  son,  William  Alexander,  whose 
name  introduces  this  article,  and  whose  birth 
occurred  in  Jackson  county,  Iowa.  Alay  19,  1845. 
Educated  in  the  primitive  log  schoolhouses  of 
the  frontier,  he  managed  to  acquire  a  broad 
knowledge  despite  the  primitive  conditions  of 
the  schools.  Each  summer  he  helped  to  till  the 
soil  and  gather  in  the  harvest ;  each  winter  found 
him  diligently  pursuing  his  studies  in  the  com- 
mon schools. 

During    the    spring    of    1865    William    Alex- 


ander McFarlane  crossed  the  plains  with  a 
freighting  expedition,  leaving  Iowa  and  fol- 
lowing the  customary  route  along  the  Platte 
and  through  Qieyenne  pass.  When  he  started 
on  the  journey  he  had  hired  as  driver  of 
a  team  of  mules,  but  it  soon  developed  that 
he  was  an  expert  shot.  Accordingly  he  was 
taken  from  the  team  and  appointed  hunter 
for  the  train.  With  the  aid  of  his  gun  he  sup- 
plied the  large  party  during  the  entire  trip  with 
an  abundance  of  wild  game,  including  bear  and 
deer.  The  first  stop  in  California  was  made  at 
San  Bernardino,  from  which  point  he  proceeded 
to  Los  Angeles  and  thence  to  Kern  county, 
where  his  three  brothers  were  living.  In  that 
county  he  engaged  in  placer,  gulch  and  quartz 
mining  for  a  number  of  years,  meanwhile  meet- 
ing with  fair  success.  During  1869  he  went  to 
White  Pine,  Nev.,  where  he  engaged  in  silver 
mining  for  a  time,  but  in  the  fall  of  the  same 
year  he  returned  to  Kern  county.  From  1870 
until  1872  he  engaged  in  silver  mining  at  the 
Ivanpah  mines,  in  which  he  still  retains  an  in- 
terest. 

Since  establishing  his  home  in  San  Bernardino 
in  1872  Mr.  McFarlane  has  lived  somewhat  in 
retirement  from  business  cares,  but  still  main- 
tains an  active  supervision  of  his  various  in- 
terests, including  mines  in  Inyo  county  and  else- 
where. In  this  city  he  married  Mrs.  Anne 
AIcFarlane.  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  an  estimable 
lady,  who  presides  with  cordial  hospitality  over 
their  beautiful  home  at  No.  581  E  street.  While 
he  came  west  wholly  without  means  and  friends, 
he  has  been  successful  in  gaining  a  fair  share  of 
the  world's  goods  and  in  winning  the  warm 
friendship  of  a  large  circle  of  acquaintances,  by 
whom  he  is  highly  esteemed  for  his  record  as 
a  pioneer  of  the  state  and  for  his  integrity  of 
character  and  geniality  of  temperament. 


PROF.  G.  WALTER  AIONROE.  There  is 
in  the  whole  world  no  higher  field  of  usefulness 
than  that  of  educational  activity,  and  the  men 
and  women  who  give  their  lives  to  the  training 
of  the  young  are  of  all  others  the  most  helpful 
factors  in  the  development  of  the  race.  South- 
ern California  has  gained  a  wide  reputation  for 
its  thoroughness  in  educational  work,  and  this 
high  standing  is  due  to  its  talented  educators, 
one  of  whom.  Prof.  G.  Walter  Monroe,  holds  the 
responsible  position  of  principal  of  the  Whittier 
high  school  and  superintendent  of  the  grammar 
schools  of  the  same  district.  Educated  prin-r 
cipally  in  the  schools  of  the  west,  he  may  be 
called  a  product  of  California  institutions  of 
learning  and  whatever  of  success  he  has  achieved 
(which  is  large)  the  credit  may  be  attributed  to 


1532 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  development  of  his  talents  through  a  correct 
and  systematic  course  of  training. 

It  was  during  1886  that  Felix  M.  and  Chloe 
H.  (Sevier)  Monroe,  natives  respectively  of  In- 
diana and  iNIissouri,  removed  to  California, 
bringing  with  them  their  son,  G.  Walter,  who 
was  born  in  Floris,  Davis  county,  Iowa,  and 
was  a  youth  of  sixteen  years  at  the  time  of  the 
removal.  The  father  settled  in  Monrovia  and 
still  makes  that  place  his  home,  being  well  known 
to  the  people  of  the  vicinity.  After  having  com- 
pleted the  studies  of  the  Monrovia  _  public 
schools,  the  son  was  sent  to  the  California  State 
Normal  School  of  Los  Angeles,  where  he  took 
the  complete  course  and  was  graduated  in  1892. 
Immediately  afterward  he  began  to  teach  school 
and  for  three  years  held  the  position  of  principal 
of  the  schools  of  San  Gabriel,  Los  Angeles  coun- 
ty. With  the  savings  of  that  period  he  deter- 
mined to  broaden  his  education  and  accordingly 
inatriculated  in  the  California  State  University 
at  Berkeley,  where  he  carried  on  a  thorough 
course  of  study  for  two  years.  Afterward  he 
became  a  teacher  in  the  ^Nlonrovia  high  school 
and  continued  in  that  position  for  three  years, 
resigning  in  order  to  resume  his  studies  at 
Berkeley,  where  he  remained  until  his  gradua- 
tion in  1900.  For  the  ensuing  years  he  was  en- 
gaged in  post-graduate  work  at  the  university 
and  then  came  to  his  present  position  at  the 
head  of  the  Whittier  schools. 

The  marriage  of  Professor  Monroe  took  place 
in  Monrovia  and  united  him  with  Miss  Leila  E. 
Bent,  of  that  place,  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
a  daughter,  Muriel  I.  The  religious  affiliations 
of  the  family  are  with  the  Baptist  Church,  to 
the  maintenance  of  which  Professor  Monroe  has 
been  a  regular  contributor.  Having  devoted  his 
life  thus  far  to  the  acquiring  of  a  broad  educa- 
tion and  the  mastering  of  the  most  thorough 
principles  of  pedagogy,  he  has  had  little  leisure 
for  participation  in  public  afl'airs,  in  which,  in- 
deed, he  takes  no  part  aside  from  voting  the  Re- 
publican ticket  at  local  and  general  elections.  In 
fraternal  relations  he  is  a  ^lason,  upholding  the 
principles  of  brotherhood  for  which  that  order 
stands. 


OLIVER  J.  NEWLAN.  Holding  a  position 
among  the  successful  ranchers  in  the  vicinity  of 
Norv.'alk  is  Oliver  Newlan,  who,  although  he  has 
been  located  here  but  a  comparatively  brief  time, 
has  already  established  himself  among  the  up- 
building factors  of  the  section.  He  is  a  native  of 
^loultrie  county.  111.,  where  he  was  born  October 
27,  1878;  his  father,  Joseph  N.  Newlan,  was  also 
born  in  that  section,  the  date  of  his  birth  being 
!May  27,  1841,  while  the  paternal  grandparents, 
William  and  Rachel    (Funk)    Newlan,  were  na- 


tives of  Ohio.  They  removed  to  Illinois  and  en- 
gaged in  general  farming,  owning  one  hundred 
acres  of  productive  land.  His  death  occurred 
there  at  the  age  of  forty-seven  years,  his  wife  sur- 
viving him  and  removing  to  Alissouri,  where  she 
passed  away  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years. 
They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom 
seven  are  living,  two  sons  and  two  daughters  re- 
siding in  Missouri,  two  in  Illinois  and  one  in  Cal- 
ifornia. ^^'illiam  Newlan  was  a  Democrat  in  his 
political  affiliations  and  was  prominent  in  affairs 
in  his  community.  His  wife  was  a  member  of 
the  Christian  Church,  which  received  a  liberal 
support  from  the  family.  Joseph  N.  Newlan  was 
reared  in  Illinois  and  educated  through  the  medi- 
um of  the  public  schools,  after  which  he  engaged 
with  his  father  in  the  conduct  of  the  home  farm. 
He  remained  so  occupied  until  he  was  twenty-sev- 
en years  old,  when  he  started  out  for  himself, 
having  previously  purchased  a  forty-acre  tract  of 
land.  He  also  added  a  forty-acre  tract  to  this 
first  purchase,  retained  it  for  a  time,  then  sold 
and  going  to  Bethany  bought  one  hundred  and 
thirty  acres,  and  made  this  his  home  for  a  period 
of  ten  years  engaged  in  grain  and  stock-raising. 
He  finally  came  to  California  and  in  Santa  Bar- 
bara was  located  for  one  year,  engaging  in  ranch- 
ing. Then  he  returned  to  his  old  faryn  in  Illinois 
for  one  year ;  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  rented 
this  property  and  went  to.  Oregon,  where  in  Sil- 
verton  he  raised  hops  and  then  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming  at  Lynn,  same  state,  for  some  time. 
In  1883  he  returned  to  California  and  rented  a 
place  of  eighty-five  acres  near  Carpinteria,  Santa 
Barbara  county,  and  after  residing  there  for  seven 
years  he  came  to  Los  Angeles  county  and  bought 
twenty  acres.  He  sold  his  properties  in  the  east 
and  in  Oregon  and  with  the  proceeds  invested  in 
two  forty-acre  tracts,  and  finally  adding  another 
twent}-  acres  now  owns  a  fine  ranch.  He  was 
married  in  1869  to  ]\Iiss  Sarah  E.  Hostetter,  a 
native  of  Indiana,  and  they  became  the  parents 
of  the  following  children :  Corwin  E.,  who  mar- 
ried Annie  Sentney,  and  has  one  child ;  Rosa, 
wife  of  J.  M.  Moore,  and  who  has  seven  children  : 
Oliver,  of  this  review ;  Ella,  wife  of  George 
Campbell:  and  Roscoe  V.  Mr.  Newlan  is  a 
stanch  adherent  of  Democratic  principles,  and 
while  in  Illinois  was  chosen  by  this  party  to  the 
position  of  road  commissioner  of  Moreborn  town- 
ship. In  religion  he  belongs  to  the  Ctiristian 
Church. 

Oliver  Newlan  was  reared  in  his  native  state  of 
Illinois  and  in  California  and  Oregon,  and  return- 
ing to  California  in  1893  he  completed  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Santa  Barbara  coun- 
ty. At  the  age  of  seventeen  years  he  became  de- 
pendent upon  his  own  resources  and  following  his 
early  training  engaged  in  farming  enterprises.  In 
1900  he  came  to  his  present  ranch,  a  well    im- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1533 


proved  tract  of  twenty  acres,  given  over  entirely 
to  pasturage  for  twenty-three  cows,  which  consti- 
tute a  dairy  herd,  the  product  being  shipped  to 
Los  Angeles.  In  August,  1902,  he  married  Mrs. 
Sarah  Hammerton,  a  native  of  Illinois,  who  had 
three  children  by  her  former  husband.  i\Ir.  Now- 
lan  is  identified  fraternally  with  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America,  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  the 
Fraternal  Aid.  He  is  independent  in  his  political 
affiliations,  reserving  the  right  to  cast  his  ballot 
for  the  candidate  he  considers  best  qualified  for 
official  position.  The  Christian  Church  receives 
the  support  of  the  family,  both  being  active  mem- 
bers of  the  same. 


SIDNEY  VORIS  HORTON.  Positions  of 
honor  have  been  the  part  of  Air.  Horton  since 
his  location  in  Southern  California,  for  he  has 
demonstrated  during  his  residence  here  the  high 
qualities  of  character  and  the  sturdy  integrity 
of  manhood  which  bespeak  for  him  the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens.  Born  in  Green- 
ville. Hunt  county,  Tex.,  January  4,  i860,  he 
was  a  member  of  a  family  of  three  children, 
two  of  whom  attained  maturity  and  are  now  liv- 
ing, his  brother.  Benjamin  Sterling  Horton,  be- 
ing located  in  Indio,  Cal.,  as  roadmaster  of  the 
Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Company.  His  father, 
Peter  Ivory  \^oris  Horton,  was  born  in  Tennes- 
see, and  came  to  Texas  in  boyhood,  and  there 
engaged  as  a  farmer  and  stockman.  At  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  the 
First  Texas  Cavalry  and  served  as  captain  until 
the  close  of  the  struggle,  being  wounded  at  the 
battle  of  Shiloh.  In  1868  he  brought  his  family 
to  San  Bernardino  and  here  purchased  a  farm 
and  began  the  raising  of  grain  and  the  cultiva- 
tion of  a  vineyard  and  orchard.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  February,  1885,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
eight  years.  His  wife  was  formerly  Mary  Ann 
Eliza  Melton,  a  native  of  Selma,  Ala.,  and  a 
daughter  of  Peter  Melton,  a  planter  who  is  sup- 
posed to  have  died  on  a  trip  to  Mexico;  the  ma- 
ternal grandfather,  named  SoRelle.  was  a  planter 
in  Alabama  and  later  in  Texas,  and  was  of 
French  descent.  Mrs.  Horton  died  in  San  Ber- 
nardino county  in  1878. 

Sidney  Voris  Horton  was  reared  in  Texas  for 
the  first  eight  years  of  his  life,  when  he  was 
brought  to  California  by  his  parents  and  has 
here  continued  to  mal<e  his  home.  He  attended 
the  public  school  at  the  old  Alission  and  was 
early  trained  to  the  life  of  a  farmer's  son,  learn- 
ing methods  used  in  horticulture  and  general 
farming  which  have  proven  of  benefit  to  him  in 
later  years.  At  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  went 
on  the  railroad  and  for  three  or  four  years  was 
engaged  in  the  construction  of  the  Southern  Pa- 
cific Railroad,  after  which  he  returned  to  farm- 


ing, and  has  since  been  so  occupied.  He  owns 
twenty-three  acres  in  ]\Iission  valley  at  the  foot 
of  the  Terracina  bluff,  all  of  which  is  set  out  in 
Valencia  and  navel  oranges.  In  igo6  he  was 
elected  justice  of  the  peace  of  Mission  town- 
ship on  the  Democratic  ticket,  his  office  being 
at  Bryn  Mawr. 

In  San  Bernardino  Air.  Horton  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Beulah  Hamner,  a  native 
of  Mississippi,  and  born  of  this  union  are  the 
following  children ;  Clara  Evelyn,  Alice,  Mil- 
dred, Sidney  V.,  Jr.,  Gladys,  Hugh,  Bertha,  Eu- 
gene and  Floyd.  The  first  three  named  are  grad- 
uates of  the  Redlands  high  school  in  the  class 
of  1906.  Mr.  Horton  has  served  as  school  trus- 
tee of  the  mission  district  for  one  term,  and  was 
clerk  of  the  board  for  that  time.  Fraternally  he 
is  associated  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Or- 
der of  Elks,  of  Redlands ;  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  Odd  Fellows,  of  San  Bernardino:  and  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America  of  Redlands. 
Mrs.  Horton  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  Politically  Mr.  Horton  is  a  stanch 
Democrat,  and  for  many  years  has  served  as 
a  member  of  the  Democratic  County  Central 
Committee. 


JOHN  \\".  BARTON.  A  pioneer  miner  and 
rancher.  John  W.  Barton  is  located  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  El  Monte  and  engaged  in  the  cultivation 
of  an  extensive  ranch  of  between  fifteen  hun- 
dred and  eighteen  himdred  acres,  while  he  is 
improving  a  homestead  of  twenty-four  acres.  He 
has  met  with  gratifying  success  in  his  efforts, 
has  acquired  a  competence,  and  at  the  same  time 
has  taken  his  place  among  the  citizens  of  his  lo- 
cality, who  are  always  counted  upon  to  uphold 
public  honor  and  support  progressive  and  de- 
veloping measures.  Mr.  Barton  is  a  native  of 
Berrien  county,  Alich.,  born  October  ig.  1841, 
a  son  of  John  W.  and  Emeroy  (Williams)  Bar- 
ton, earlv  pioneers  of  California,  whose  historv 
is  given  at  length  in  that  of  their  son,  Giester  I^. 
Barton,  which  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
The  mother  lived  to  a  ripe  old  age.  her  death 
occurring  December  19,  1906. 

During  childhood  John  W.  Barton  was  brought 
to  California  by  his  parents  and  located  in 
Solano  county,  and  there  he  attended  the  public 
schools.  After  completing  his  educational  work 
he  went  to  the  mines  of  Nevada  and  engaged 
in  driving  a  twenty-six  mule  team  in  the  hauling 
of  ore.  During  this  time  and  later  he  made  his 
home  in  A'irginia  City,  which  was  then  one  of 
the  flourishing  cities  of  the  west.  Later  he  en- 
gaged in  buying  and  selling  stock  of  mining 
companies  and  the  numerous  mining  operations 
in  hand  at  that  time  enabled  him  to  occupy  his 
time  very  thoroughly.     He  also  owned  stock  in 


1534 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


some  of  the  best  mines  known  at  that  time,  mak- 
ing and  losing  several  fortunes  during  his  con- 
tinuance in  this  work.  Thirty  years  of  his  life 
were  thus  spent  in  the  mining  towns  of  Nevada, 
but  finally  he  withdrew  his  interests  and  going 
to  Arizona  became  manager  of  quartz  teams  with 
the  Pinal  Company,  of  that  state.  After  three 
years  of  this  work  he  resigned,  and  returning 
to  California  located  in  Los  Angeles  county, 
since  which  time  he  has  been  extensively  en- 
gaged in  grain  raising,  renting  a  part  of  the  Bald- 
win property,  and  he  also  owns  twenty-four 
acres  upon  which  he  is  making  his  home.  He 
employs  more  men  than  any  other  one  man  in 
this  section  and  his  success  has  given  him  no 
little  prestige  among  the  ranchers  of  the  county. 
In  1876  Mr.  Barton  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Scioto  Eggleston.  a  native  of  Iowa, 
and  a  cultured  woman,  who  occupies  a  promi- 
nent place  in  the  social  life  of  the  community. 
She  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  whose 
charities  are  liberally  supported  by  Mr.  Barton. 
In  his  political  convictions  he  is  a  stanch  adher- 
ent of  Republican  principles,  and  although  he 
has  never  cared  for  official  recognition  has  still 
taken  an  active  interest  in  the  advancement  of 
his  party's  welfare.  Fraternally  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Lexington  Lodge  No.  104,  F.  &  A.  M., 
of  El  Monte,  in  which  he  has  served  as  treas- 
urer for  the  past  twenty  years,  being  elected  with- 
out a  dissenting  vote— an  eloquent  tribute  to  his 
honesty  and  nobility  of  character. 


DANIEL  M.  DURRELL.  Not  only  as  a  pio- 
neer of  Los  Angeles  county  has  Daniel  M.  Dur- 
rell  won  for  himself  a  position  among  the  citi- 
zens of  this  section,  but  as  well  for  the  success 
which  he  has  won  as  a  rancher.  Although  his 
ranch  is  now  onl}-  moderate  in  size,  yet  he  has 
owned  considerable  property  here  and  has  as- 
sisted materially  in  the  development  of  the  farm- 
ing interests  in  and  about  Compton,  where  he  has 
been  located  since  the  fall  of  1876.  He  is  a  na- 
tive of  Maine,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  So- 
lon, Somerset  county,  February  25,  1842.  His 
father,  Daniel  M.  Durrell,  Sr.,  was  of  English 
parentage,  while  his  mother,  Elizabeth  (Toms) 
Durrell  was  the  representative  of  a  family  long 
established  on  American  soil.  Both  were  natives 
of  Maine,  where  the  father  followed  farming  un- 
til 1872,  when  he  brought  his  family  of  ten  chil- 
dren to  California  and  located  on  a  part  of  the 
Tajanta  ranch  in  the  vicinity  of  Florence. 
There  he  died  at  the  age  of  eighty  years,  while 
his  wife  passed  away  wlien  eighty-five.  He  was 
a  citizen  of  worth  and  prominence,  taking  an  act- 
ive part  in  public  afifairs,  always  voting  the  Re- 
publican ticket  and  seeking  always  to  advance 
the  principles  advocated  in  the  platform  of  this 


party.  Both  himself  and  wife  were  affiliated 
with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Qiurch. 

Daniel  M.  Durrell,  Jr.,  was  reared  to  young- 
manhood  in  his  native  place,  receiving  his  educa- 
tion through  the  medium  of  the  public  schools. 
At  the  age  of  nineteen,  in  i860,  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia. In  Plumas  county  he  engaged  in  min- 
ing until  1876  (having  in  the  meantime  made  one 
trip  to  British  Columbia  prospecting),  when  he 
came  to  Los  Angeles  county  and  in  1879  pur- 
chased the  property  upon  which  he  now  lives. 
He  now  owns  of  this  acreage  a  tract  of  twenty- 
five  acres,  devoted  principally  to  the  cultivation 
of  alfalfa,  although  he  raises  some  vegetables. 
His  alfalfa  crop  averages  about  seven  tons  to  the 
acre.  He  is  also  interested  in  a  pumping  plant 
which  has  a  twenty-two  horse  power  engine,  with 
a  flow  of  one  hundred  inches. 

November  9,  1880,  Daniel  M.  Durrell  married 
Miss  Margaret  J-  Juden,  a  native  of  Missouri, 
and  the  daughter  of  George  W.  and  Mary 
(Caker)  Juden.  Mr.  and  INIrs.  Durrell  are  the 
parents  of  the  following  children :  Nellie  E., 
Catherine  I.,  who  married  Raymond  Ball  and  has 
one  child ;  Herbert  J. ;  and  Frank  and  Maggie 
Mae,  twins.  Mr.  Durrell  is  associated  fraternal- 
ly with  the  Odd  Fellows,  having  become  a  mem- 
ber of  the  organization  in  Plumas  county,  and  is 
now  an  Ancient  Odd  Fellow.  Like  his  father  he 
is  and  always  has  been  a  Republican  in  politics 
and  like  him  also  takes  an  active  and  intelligent 
interest  in  all  movements  of  the  party,  as  well  as 
any  movement  calculated  to  advance  the  general 
welfare  of  the  community.  The  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Mr. 
Durrell  is  a  man  of  broad  ideas  and  very  well 
read  on  all  topics  of  contemporan,'  interest,  mak- 
ing him  an  entertaining  and  interesting  compan- 
ion. He  is  thorough  and  painstaking  in  his 
methods,  conscientious  in  all  of  his  efforts,  and 
has  deservedly  won  the  position  of  esteem  which 
he  holds  among  those  who  have  known  him  for 
so  many  years. 

The  history  of  the  Juden  family  can  be  traced 
to  John  Juden,  who  was  born  in  Kent.  England, 
February  15,  1700,  and  he  it  was  who  first  repre- 
sented the  name  in  the  new  world.  Descended 
from  this  ancestor  was  Thomas  Juden,  who  was 
born  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  April  12,  1799.  A  farm- 
er by  occupation,  he  followed  this  calling  in  Cape 
Girardeau  county.  Mo.,  where  he  was  well  known 
as  a  citizen  of  worth  and  abilitv.  For  four  terms 
he  served  as  judge  of  Capt  Girardeau  coiinty,  a 
position  to  which  he  was  elected  on  the  Whig 
ticket.  In  his  religious  belief  he  was  a  Baptist. 
His  marriage  united  him  with  Nancy  Holcomb,  a 
native  of  North  Carolina,  where  her  father  car- 
ried on  farming.  The  first  representative  of  the 
Holcomb  family  in  the  United  States  was  James 
Holcomb. 


63,^\H.h(.rm^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1537 


To  the  marriage  of  Thomas  and  Nancy  (Hol- 
comb)  Juden  George  Washington  Juden  was 
born  in  Cape  Girardeau  county.  Mo.,  May  lo, 
1829,  and  in  that  locahty  he  received  his  educa- 
tion and  was  tliere  reared  to  a  practical  knowl- 
edge of  agriculture  on  his  father's  farm.  At  the 
time  of  the  gold  excitement  in  California  he  was 
a  young  man  of  twenty-one  years  and  like  many 
others  he  came  west  to  try  his  luck  in  the  mines, 
and  in  addition  to  mining  also  followed  farming 
to  some  extent.  Subsequently  he  returned  to  the 
east,  and  January  10,  1854,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Mary  Caker,  who  was  born  in  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.,  the  daughter  of  S.  T.  and  Margaret 
J.  Caker.  The  latter  were  pioneer  settlers  in  the 
west,  the  family  having  located  in  Watsonville. 
Cal.,  at  an  early  day.  Eight  children  were  born 
of  the  marriage  of  George  W.  and  Mary  (Caker) 
Juden,  as  follows :  Mrs.  F.  E.  Turner,  T.  S.  Ju- 
den, Mrs.  M.  A.  Hollowav,  Margaret  T.  (Mrs. 
Daniel  M.  Durrell),  G.  W.  luden,  J.  W.  Tuden, 
C.  F.  Juden  and  Mrs.  M.  C.  Wheat.  When  their 
daughter  Margaret  was  a  child  of  eight  months 
Mr.  Juden  brought  the  family  to  California  and 
in  1867  located  in  Azusa,  where  he  still  makes 
his  home.  The  wife  and  mother  is  deceased.  In 
politics  Mr.  Juden  is  a  Democrat  and  fraternally 
he  is  a  ]\Iason. 


BOYD  M.  MOORE.  Friends  as  well  as  a 
competence  have  been  the  result  of  the  ener- 
getic and  well  directed  efforts  of  Mr.  Moore, 
who  is  located  in  the  vicinity  of  Norwalk  and 
engaged  in  the  management  of  a  twenty-acre 
ranch.  Of  southern  lineage,  he  was  born  in 
North  Carolina  August  23,  1859,  ^  son  of 
William  R.  and  Sarah  (McCrary)  Moore,  both 
natives  of  Transylvania  county,  same  state. 
The  father  was  a  planter  and  owned  two  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  susceptible  of  cultivation 
and  about  five  hundred  acres  of  mountain 
pasture  land.  He  was  a  Republican  in  poli- 
tics and  was  elected  county  treasurer  for  six 
terms.  He  served  in  the  Civil  war  as  a  sol- 
dier in  a  regiment  of  North  Carolina  Infantry, 
and  sui-vived  the  perils  of  warfare.  He  is  now 
living  in  North  Carolina,  his  wife  also  is  liv- 
ing. They  were  the  parents  of  twelve  chil- 
dren of  whom  ten  are  living,  another  son  be- 
sides Boyd  being  in  California,  Perry  Moore, 
of  Long  Beach. 

Boyd  jMoore  received  his  education  in  the 
public  and  high  schools  after  which  he  entered 
Judson  College,  at  Hendersonville,  N.  C.  Aft- 
er completing  the  course  he  began  teaching 
and  continued  this  occupation  for  the  period 
of  nine  years,  oeing  employed  in  the  erammar 
grades,  high  schools  and  subscription  schools, 
i)5  both  the  Carolinas.     He  finally  gave  up  his 


educational  work,  and  going  to  Texas  en- 
gaged in  ranching  for  the  next  five  years, 
when,  December  11,  1893,  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia. On  his  arrival  he  took  an  inventory 
and  found  the  extent  of  his  worldly  posses- 
sions amounted  to  $2.40.  Nothing  daunted 
he  went  to  work  with  the  determination  and 
will  to  succeed  and  found  employment  on 
ranches  for  two  years ;  then  rented  a  ranch 
in  the  vicinity  of  Norwalk,  farmed  there  for 
about  four  years,  and  then  purchased  his  pres- 
ent property  of  tw.enty  acres.  After  batching 
it  for  several  years  he  resolved  it  was  not 
good  for  man  to  live  alone,  so  in  1902  he  made 
a  visit  to  his  old  home  and  while  there  married 
Miss  Carrie  Batson,  a  native  of  that  state  and 
the  daughter  of  Ed.  E.  and  Sallie  (Lyon)  Bat- 
son,  who  are  still  living  in  North  Carolina. 
Of  the  family,  Mrs.  ^Nfoore  is  the  only  one  in 
California,  she  having  seven  brothers  and  one 
sister  still  living  in  the  sunny  south.  Mrs. 
Moore  obtained  her  education  in  the  public 
schools.  She  is  a  woman  of  much  abilit)'  and 
excellent  qualities,  which  endear  her  to  a 
large  circle  of  friends ;  and  she  is  an  active 
member  of  the  Baptist  Church.  Mr.  Moore 
by  his  energy  has  improved  his  place  until  it 
has  become  a  very  valuable  farm  with  eight 
acres  in  bearing  walnut  trees  and  eleven  acres 
in  one  and  two  year  old  trees.  The  balance 
is  devoted  to  a  family  orchard  with  substantial 
improvements,  including  his  residence,  out- 
buildings and  a  fine  well.  From  his  twenty- 
acre  ranch  in  1906  he  cleared  the  sum  of 
$1,700,  a  very  large  yield  considering  eleven 
acres  are  in  young  trees.  He  is  also  inter- 
ested in  copper  and  last  year  invested  $2,000 
in  copper  mines  that  looks  very  promising. 
They  are  the  parents  of  two  children.  Vera 
and  Thelma.  In  his  fraternal  relations  ]\Ir. 
]\Ioore  is  identified  with  the  Fraternal  Broth- 
erhood, and  also  carries  in.surance  in  the  Etna 
vOld  Line  Company  and  the  INIutual  Life  of 
New  York.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics 
and  while  in  North  Carolina  worked  for  his 
father  in  the  office  of  county  treasurer.  In  re- 
ligion he  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church 
and  liberally  supports  its  charities. 


ORIN  PORTER.  Mining  has  occupied  much 
of  the  attention  of  Orin  Porter,  but  he  is  now 
spending  the  evening  of  his  days  in  the  pleasant 
surroundings  of  Redlands,  engaged  in  horticul- 
tural pursuits.  He  was  born  in  Troy,  Orleans 
county,  ^'t..  November  11,  1838.  a  son  of 
Charles  Porter,  the  latter  was  a  native  of  Cale- 
donia countv,  Vt.,  where  the  grandfather. 
Eleazer,  of  English  ancestry,  came  from  Con- 
necticut and   followed  farming.     Charles  Porter 


1538 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


died  when  his  son  was  but  nine  j'ears  old,  being 
at  that  time  employed  as  a  grading  contractor  on 
the  C.  P.  &  S.  Railway.  His  mother,  Electa 
Hand  in  maidenhood,  was  a  native  of  Peacham, 
Vt.,  and  a  daughter  of  Capt.  Charles  Hand,  a 
farmer  at  that  place  and  later  in  Troy,  where  he 
died.  Mrs.  Porter  died  in  Redlands  at  the  age  of 
eighty  years,  when  making  her  home  with  her 
son.  She  was  the  mother  of  four  sons  and  one 
daughter,  of  whom  three  sons  are  living. 

Reared  in  Vermont  on  the  paternal  farm,  Orin 
Porter  received  his  education  through  the  medi- 
um of  the  public  schools  and  the  Peacham  Acad- 
emy, which  he  attended  for  one  term.  At  seven- 
teen years  of  age  he  came  to  Iowa  and  made  his 
home  with  Arad  Hitchcock,  in  Osage,  Mitchell 
county,  where  he  continued  for  four  years.  Re- 
turning to  \'ermont  in  1859  ^e  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  three  years,  also  following  the  blacksmith 
trade.  In  1868  he  removed  to  Idaho,  making  the 
trip  by  rail  to  Cheyenne,  thence  by  mule  teams 
and  on  horseback  to  Boise  basin,  Idaho,  where 
he  prospected  and  mined  for  a  time,  and  then  en- 
gaged in  teaming.  In  Nevada  he  worked  at  lum- 
bering where  logs  were  worth  $100  a  thousand, 
and  then  again  took  up  mining  and  teaming.  He 
returned  to  Vermont  in  1872  and  engaged  in  the 
blacksmith  trade  in  Troy,  going  again  to  Idaho 
four  years  later,  where  he  was  occupied  in  min- 
ing at  Rocky  Bar,  Alturas  county,  that  state,  and 
assisted  in  opening  the  following  mines :  The 
Governor  Bennett,  the  Golden  Eagle,  after  which 
he  went  to  Wood  river  and  engaged  with  his 
brother,  E.  H.  Porter,  and  his  partner,  J.  L.  Ma- 
son, in  the  lead  and  silver  mines,  and-  there 
opened  the  Red  Cloud  group  as  the  Red  Cloud 
Mining  Company.  He  worked  in  that  section 
until  the  spring  of  1890  when  he  sold  out  for 
$250,000,  and  in  the  same  fall  came  to  Califor- 
nia and  was  so  impressed  with  the  country  that 
he  decided  to  locate  here  permanently.  The  fol- 
lowing winter  he  accordingly  purchased  a  ten- 
acre  tract  on  Wabash  street,  which  he  set  to 
oranges,  and  settling  here  in  1892  he  built  a  res- 
idence, barns,  outbuildings,  and  made  all  neces- 
sary improvements.  Since  that  time  he  has 
added  to  his  original  purchase  a  twenty-acre 
tract  on  Wabash,  ten  acres  of  which  being  in 
oranges,  and  he  also  has  a  ten-acre  grove  on  the 
Williams  tract,  thirty  acres  in  bearing. 

In  Idaho  Mr.  Porter  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Mrs.  Sarah  (Rogers)  Gregory,  a  native  of 
\'ermont,  and  they  have  one  child,  Ora.  Mrs. 
Porter  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
Qiurch.  Fraternally  Mr.  Porter  was  made  a 
Mason  in  Troy  Lodge  No.  16,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
and  now  belongs  to  Haley  Lodge  No.  16  in 
Idaho.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch  Republican.  He 
is  interested  in  the  East  Redlands  Water  Com- 
pany and  is  serving  as  a  director,  and  is  also  act- 


ing in  the  same  capacity  in  the  Redlands  Orange 
Producers'  Association.  He  is  one  of  the  promi- 
nent citizens  of  the  town,  and  is  accounted  one 
upon  whom  public  honor  may  safely  rest,  every 
movement  looking  toward  the  general  welfare 
being  liberally  and  enthusiastically  supported  by 
his  efforts. 


JAAIES  BRCJWN  GLO\'ER.  Among  the 
pioneers  of  Redlands  mention  belongs  to  James 
Brown  Glover,  who  came  to  California  in  1855 
and  to  this  location  in  1869,  and  since  that  time 
has  given  his  efforts  toward  the  material  up- 
building and  development  of  this  section  of 
Southern  California.  He  was  born  in  Warsaw, 
Mo.,  near  the  farm  owned  by  Thomas  H.  Ben- 
ton, June  29,  1842.  His  father,  Milton  \Miite, 
was  born  in  Kentucky,  a  son  of  Richard,  a  farmer 
who  lived  and  died  in  that  state.  Milton  White 
Glover  became  a  minister  in  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  South,  was  ordained  in  Kentucky 
and  after  his  location  in  jMissouri  in  an  early 
day  engaged  in  the  ministry  of  his  church.  He 
attended  the  St.  Louis  Conference  and  was  ap- 
pointed to  a  circuit  six  hundred  miles  in  circum- 
ference. He  worked  at  the  builder's  trade  for  a 
livelihood.  In  1850  he  crossed  the  plains  to  Cali- 
fornia by  means  of  ox-teams  and  after  his  ar- 
rival engaged  in  the  mines  of  the  state  and  also 
preached  on  Sundays  as  a  local  preacher.  He 
returned  to  Missouri  in  1855  via  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama  and  in  the  same  year  brought  his  fam- 
ily to  California  via  Nicaragua.  After  his  re- 
turn to  the  state  he  engaged  in  mining  for  a 
time,  and  finally  in  1858  on  the  formation  of 
the  Pacific  Conference  of  the  IMethodist  Epis- 
copal Church  .South  he  joined  it  and  was  sent 
as  a  missionary  to  San  Bernardino,  where  he 
established  the  first  church  of  this  denomination 
in  the  county.  After  serving  for  three  years  he 
went  to  Los  Angeles  and  preached  in  the  old 
courthouse,  Mr.  Harper,  the  father  of  the  pres- 
ent ma)'or  of  that  city,  being  one  of  his  principal 
supporters,  and  with  him  and  Bishop  Keener, 
Mr.  Glover  purchased  a  lot  on  Spring  street 
between  Second  and  Third  streets,  where  the 
first  church  of  this  denomination  was  erected  in 
Los  Angeles.  He  was  later  sent  to  San  Luis 
Obispo  and  there  he  formed  a  church  and  erect- 
ed a  building,  doing  the  work  with  his  own 
hands.  Overwork  and  exposure  caused  him  to 
lose  his  health  and  he  was  forced  to  retire  from 
the  ministry,  and  coming  to  the  home  of  his 
son  at  Highland  he  made  this  place  his  home 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1878,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-seven  years.  His  wife  was  Eliza- 
beth Osburn,  who  was  born  near  ]\It'.  Wash- 
ington, Ky. ;  her  death  occurred  in  Los  Angeles 
at  the  home  of  the  Rev.  William  A.  Knighten. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1539 


She  was  the  mother  of  the  following  children: 
James  Brown,  of  this  review;  Sarah  Margaret, 
Mrs.  Carter  of  San  Bernardino;  Nancy  ^Maria, 
wife  of  Rev.  William  A.  Knighten,  of  Los  An- 
geles ;  Jasper,  a  horticulturist  of  Redlands ;  and 
Newton,  who  died  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years. 

The  oldest  in  the  family  of  children  born  to 
his  parents,  James  Brown  Glover  was  reared  in 
Missouri  to  the  age  of  thirteen  years,  when  he 
w-as  brought  to  California,  the  journey  being 
made  by  way  of  the  Nicaragua  route,  their  pas- 
sage being  on  the  Prometheus  to  Greytown  and 
thence  on  the  Uncle  Sam  to  San  Francisco. 
Their  landing  was  made  in  October,  1855,  when 
they  went  to  Drytown,  Amador  county.  In  1858 
Mr.  Glover  was  apprenticed  to  learn  the  trade 
of  blacksmith  and  after  two  years  he  went  to 
Sonoma  county,  and  there  completed  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  the  state.  He  was 
married  in  1863  to  Miss  Elizabeth  A.  McGuire, 
who  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  St.  Joseph,  Mo., 
a  daughter  of  Cornelius  McGuire,  who  brought 
his  family  to  California  in  1852  across  the  plains 
and  in  Sonoma  county  engaged  as  a  farmer. 
After  his  marriage  Mr.  Glover  located  in  the 
vicinity  of  Ukiah,  Mendocino  county,  Cal..  and 
there  engaged  in  general  farming.  Through 
the  glowing  reports  made  by  his  father  of  the 
climate  and  opportunities  of  San  Bernardino 
county  he  came  to  Southern  California  in  1869 
and  entered  land  on  the  Bench  (now  Redlands) 
and  began  the  improvement  of  a  tract  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres.  Five  years  later  he  proved 
up  on  the  property,  but  having  no  water  he  re- 
moved to  Crafton  and  leased  a  fruit  farm, 
which  he  cultivated  for  two  years.  He  was  next 
located  in  Highland  and  engaged  in  fruit  cult- 
ure. Returning  in  1878  to  his  original  farm 
he  with  other  settlers  who  were  now  located  in 
this  district  formed  the  Sunnyside  Company  and 
took  out  a  ditch  from  the  Santa  Ana  river  and 
began  irrigation,  later  forming  the  Lugonia 
Water  Company  which  took  out  a  large  ditch, 
rocked  and  cemented  it.  This  is  still  in  exist- 
ence and  is  now  a  pipe  line.  He  improved  his 
property  and  in  the  fall  of  1878  set  out  fifty 
orange  trees  and  continued  to  set  out  oranges 
until  he  had  twelve  acres  devoted  to  this  fruit. 
In  1890  he  sold  out  this  property  and  engaged 
in  a  mercantile  enterprise  in  Redlands,  locating 
on  Orange  and  Central  avenues,  where  he  con- 
ducted a  grocery  business  for  the  period  of  six 
years.  In  the  fall  of  i8g6  he  was  nominated  on 
the  Democratic  ticket  as  supervisor  of  district 
No.  3,  and  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  forty- 
three  votes  in  a  district  where  the  Republicans 
led  by  a  plurality  of  five  hundred  and  sixty 
votes.  He  was  re-elected  in  1900  with  a  ma- 
jority of  one  hundred  and  fifty  votes,  and  re- 
elected in  1904  by  seventy-three  votes,  witli  his 


district  going  Republican  by  a  plurality  of  nine 
hundred  and  ninety-one  votes.  He  is  chairman 
of  the  finance  committee,  and  a  member  of  the 
hospital  committee,  for  the  first  eight  years  hav- 
ing served  as  chairman  of  the  board  of  super- 
visors and  ex  officio  member  of  the  Law  Library 
of  San  Bernardino  county.  From  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  city  of  Redlands  in  1 888  Mr.  Glover 
served  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees, 
and  officiated  as  president  of  the  board.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  school  trustees  of  the 
Lugonia  district  for  nine  years  and  served  as 
president,  during  which  time  the  first  school 
building  was  erected. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Glover  are  the  parents  of  the 
following  children:  Ida  M.,  wife  of  Walter 
Lawry,  of  Redlands;  \"irginia  Lee,  wife  of  F. 
A.  Armstrong,  proprietor  of  Eden  Springs ;  Ed- 
win Milton,  operator  for  the  Edison  Electric 
Company  at  Inglewood,  Cal. ;  and  Anna  Katie, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  two  years.  Fraternally 
Mr.  Glover  is  identified  with  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  is  past  chief  counsellor  of  Redlands 
lodge;  and  the  Uniformed  Rank  of  the  K.  of 
P.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  South,  and  has  held  every  office  in  the 
church,  having  served  as  trustee  and  Sunday- 
school  superintendent  for  the  past  tw-enty-six 
years.  He  served  as  delegate  to  the  General 
Conference  held  at  Birmingham,  Ala.,  in  1906, 
and  during  his  trip  east  visited  his  old  home  in 
Missouri  after  an  absence  of  fifty-one  years.  He 
is  a  stanch  Democrat  politically.  As  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Trade  and  an  ex-director  he 
has  been  instrumental  in  the  material  prosperity 
of  the  city.  Mr.  Glover  has  not  been  too  much 
engrossed  with  his  multifold  duties  to  entirely 
ignore  his  mechanical  ability,  taking  time  to  in- 
vent various  articles,  among  them  the  Glover 
roadoiler,  for  oiling  streets  and  roads,  a  patent 
for  which  he  secured  in  IQ03.  This  is  used  in 
San  Bernardino  county,  Los  Angeles,  Santa 
Cruz,  San  Luis  Obispo,  Ventura,  Santa  Bar- 
bara and  Orange,  and  is  justly  considered  one 
of  the  most  important  achievements  in  the  mat- 
ter of  improvements  in  Southern  California. 


IVES  E.  COBB.  Perhaps  no  man  in  A'enice 
is  better  informed  on  its  public  affairs  and  the 
valuation  of  property  than  Ives  E.  Cobb,  who 
has  been  a  resident  of  the  place  since  its  phenom- 
enal rise  upon  the  business  horizon  of  Southern 
California.  Natural  ability  enhanced  by  educa- 
tion, experience  and  contact  with  the  world  in 
all  its  business  forms,  has  given  to  him  a  knowl- 
edge that  he  has  found  invaluable  in  his  work  in 
this  section  of  the  state,  and  putting  into  prac- 
tice the  quick,  unerring  decision  which  distin-- 
guishes  the  man  equal  to  progress,  he  has  ac- 


1540 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


quired  both  financial  success  and  a  wide  influ- 
ence as  a  capable  man  of  affairs.  His  name  is 
associated  with  practically  every  movement  which 
has  for  its  end  the  growth  and  upbuilding  of 
\^enice,  in  whose  future  he  has  unbounded 
faith. 

It  is  not  a  matter  of  surprise  that  Mr.  Cobb  is 
endowed  with  a  mentality  of  unusual  caliber, 
for  this  has  long  been  a  characteristic  in  his  fam- 
ily, whose  members  have  distinguished  them- 
selves in  professional  and  business  life.  His 
father,  James  T.  Cobb,  of  eastern  birth,  was  edu- 
cated at  Dartmouth  College,  where  he  was  a 
brilliant  member  of  an  unusually  brilliant  class, 
comprising  such  men  as  Phillips  Brooks,  Digby 
Bell,  George  W.  Emery  (afterward  governor  of 
Utah"),  and  others  of  equal  prominence  and  note. 
.'Mthough  a  man  of  advanced  years  he  is  con- 
sidered today  one  of  the  best  Shakespeare 
scholars  in  the  United  States,  for  his  services 
along  this  line  having  been  included  bv  Ignatius 
Donnelly  in  his  Cryptogram.  Mr.  Cobb  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Salt  Lake  City.  Utah,  where  he  en- 
gaged as  a  journalist  on  two  of  the  leading 
papers  many  years  ago.  Time  has  not  lessened 
his  ardor  in  the  matter  of  research  or  literary 
criticism,  and  he  is  still  named  among  the  lights 
of  his  home  citv,  where  he  has  acquired  a  wide 
circle  of  friends.  His  wife,  formerly  Camilla 
C  ]\Ieathe.  a  native  of  Dresden,  Germany,  is  also 
living.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Professor  Meathe, 
a  well-known  educator  of  German^',  and  in  her 
young  womanhood  received  a  most  excellent  edu- 
cation, being  a  clever  lins:uist  and  able  to  both 
speak  and  write  fluentlv  in  three  languages. 

.A  native  of  Utah.  Ives  E.  Cobb  spent  the 
first  years  nf  his  life  in  Salt  Lake  City,  where 
he  received  his  education  through  the  medium 
of  the  public  schools.  Preferring  active  business 
life  rather  than  a  professional  career,  at  the  age 
of  twenty-one  years  he  accepted  an  opening  in  a 
bank  of  his  native  city,  being  first  employed  as 
messenger.  Promotion  was  not  long  in  coming 
to  him  and  from  one  position  to  another  he  was 
chosen  until  he  became  bank  teller.  Having  in 
the  mean  time  become  interested  in  mining,  he 
resigned  his  bank  position  to  enable  him  to  give 
his  entire  attention  to  this  other  enterprise,  and 
for  some  time  thereafter  he  engineered  important 
deals  in  this  line  of  work.  In  igoo  he  came  to 
California  and  in  the  southern  portion  of  the 
state  became  identified  with  real  estate  opera- 
tions, finally  locating  in  Ocean  Park,  and  thence 
opening  an  office  in  A^enice.  where  he  was  in- 
strumental in  the  organization  of  the  Venice  In- 
vestment Company,  of  which  he  became  presi- 
dent. He  is  also  serving  at  the  present  wanting 
as  president  of  the  Venice  .\musement  Company, 
and  is  thus  closelv  identified  with  everv  movi.- 
nunl    for   tlic   improvement  of  the  place,   stand- 


ing close  to  the  master  mind  that  has  conceived 
and  with  the  help  of  invaluable  lieutenants  has 
executed  this  gigantic  plan. 

In  spite  of  his  engrossing  business  affairs  ilr. 
Cobb  has  found  time  to  ally  himself  with  social 
organizations,  being  a  valued  member  of  the 
Country  Club.  Politically  a  Republican,  he  sup- 
ports the  men  and  measures  of  his  party  and  seeks 
to  advance  the  best  interests  of  the  country  ac- 
cording to  the  principles  he  endorses.  That  iie 
is  a  loyal  citizen  has  been  demonstrated,  for  at 
the  call  of  his  country  during  the  Spanish- 
American  war  he  enlisted  in  Company  One,  Utah 
\"olunteer  Cavalry,  in  the  capacity  of  sergeant, 
although  to  do  so  he  was  compelled  to  resign  a 
lucrative  position. 


DR.  FREDERICK  C.  SHELDON.  On 
both  sides  of  the  house  the  late  Dr.  Sheldon 
of  San  Diego  descended  from  ancestry  prom- 
inent in  the  public  affairs  of  New  England,  the 
states  of  Vermont  and  Massachusetts  profiting 
by  their  participation  in  the  upbuilding  and  de- 
velopment of  that  section.  The  only  child  of 
his  parents,  Dr.  Sheldon  was  born  September 
13,  i860,  in  Boston:  his  father,  Leonard  R, 
Sheldon,  a  native  of  Vermont,  was  a  prominent 
physician  of  that  cit}^  Avhere  his  death  oc- 
curred in  1872.  Plis  mother  was  formerly 
Anne  M.  Cartwright,  of  Boston,  whose  father, 
Charles  W.  Cartwright,  the  representative  of 
an  old  Quaker  family,  was  a  successful  bus- 
iness man  in  banking  and  railroad  circles  and 
acquired  considerable  wealth  before  his  death. 
She  died  in  1866  in  the  family  home  in  Boston. 

Dr.  Sheldon  was  the  recipient  of  every  ad- 
vantage in  youth,  besides  inheriting  the  force- 
ful characteristics  of  his  New  England  ances- 
tors being  trained  in  the  best  schools  afforded 
bv  his  native  city.  Following  his  first  im- 
pressions in  life  he  took  up  the  study  of  med- 
icine and  graduated  from  a  college  of  physi- 
cians and  surgeons  in  Burlington,  Vt.,  hav- 
ing been  capable  of  graduation  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  years,  but  was  refused  his  degree 
until  just  three  months  before  attaining  his 
majoritv.  He  then  took  a  course  in  Bellevue 
Hospital  in  New  York  City,  from  which  he 
also  received  a  degree.  Being  taken  ill  with 
pneumonia  he  sought  a  milder  climate,  and  in 
the  fall  of  1882  came  to  San  Francisco,  whence 
he  went  to  San  Jose  and  practiced  medicine 
for  one  year.  Pasadena  was  his  next  location 
and  there  he  remained  for  three  years,  during 
Vihich  time,  in  addition  to  practicing  his  pro- 
fession he  also  established  the  first  drug  store 
of  that  place.  While  there,  too,  he  also  be- 
came interested  in  horticulture,  setting  out  an 
orchard  and  also  developed  several  pieces  of 
pn.i)crty.      From    November.    1885.    Dr.    Shel- 


^  j^  <^2i 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1543 


don  dated  his  residence  in  San  Diego,  at  that 
time  making  a  visit  to  the  city  on  the  old 
steamer  Orizaba  and  becoming  so  favorably 
impressed  with  existing  conditions  he  de- 
cided to  make  this  lier  permanent  home.  He  at 
once  engaged  in  the  development  of  the  prop- 
erty which  he  had  purchased  on  Sixth  street, 
known  as  the  Sheldon  Block,  and  in  December 
of  the  following  3'ear  beginning  the  erection 
of  the  magnificent  residence  at  the  corner  of 
Eleventh  and  D  streets,  which  is  now  the  home 
of  his  widow  and  children.  This  was  com- 
pleted in  March,  1887,  and  became  their  home 
at  that  time,  and  on  the  14th  of  June  of  the 
same  year  the  death  of  Dr.  Sheldon  occurred. 
The  illness  which  caused  his  death — typhoid 
pneumonia — was  contracted  through  exposures 
during  a  trip  to  the  vicinity  of  Ensenada  in 
the  gold  excitement  of  the  previous  May,  dur- 
ing this  experience  enduring  many  hardships 
and  privations. 

To  the  energy  and  progressive  spirit  of  Dr. 
Sheldon  is  due  much  of  the  development  of 
San  Diego,  for  although  he  was  a  resident  but 
a  brief  time  he  gave  every  effort  toward  the 
upbuilding  of  the  section  in  which  he  had  de- 
cided to  make  his  home.  In  the  year  of  his 
death  he  completed  the  fine  Sheldon  block  at 
the  corner  of  Sixth  and  F  streets  and  had  made 
many  other  im.provements  on  property  which 
he  owned.  Among  other  holdings  he  owned 
five  hundred  acres  of  musselbeds  upon  which 
Ocean  Beach  now  stands.  Since  his  death  his 
business  undertakings  have  been  ably  carried 
on  by  his  wife,  who  was  before  marriage  Em- 
ma Bancroft.  She  was  born  in  A^ermont,  a 
daughter  of  George  Bancroft,  a  -farmer  and 
lumberman,  whose  death  occurred  in  Febru- 
ary, 1888,  in  San  Diego,  as  did  that  of  his 
wife  in  1896,  she  being  Caroline  Sheldon  be- 
fore marriage,  and  a  native  of  Vermont.  The 
Bancrofts  were  members  of  the  same  family 
which  gave  to  the  world  the  famous  historian. 
Mrs.  Sheldon  was  the  only  child  in  her  parents' 
family,  and  in  her  girlhood  received  every  ad- 
vantage, being  a  graduate  of  the  high  school 
at  St.  Albans,  Vt.  She  is  the  mother  of  two 
children.  George  Bancroft,  who  is  preparing 
himself  for  the  medical  profession  ;  and  Anna 
Cartwright.  Since  her  husband's  death  l\Trs. 
Sheldon  has  improved  her  property  with  hand- 
some flat  buildings  and  bungalows,  and  she 
also  built  the  Richelieu,  a  rooming  house, 
which  she  has  since  sold.  She  is  a  member 
of  the  Congregational  Church  and  is  active  in 
its  development  in  every  possible  way,  but 
being  particularly  interested  in  missionary 
work.  Dr.  Sheldon  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  gave  his 
support  liberally  to  all  its  charities.  In  poli- 
73 


tics  he  was  a  stanch  adherent  of  the  principles 
advocated  in  the  platform  of  the  Republican 
party  and  fraternally  was  a  Master  Mason. 
The  name  of  Sheldon  is  justly  accorded  a  place 
among  the  upbuilders  of  San  Diego,  honored 
remembrance  being  given  to  Dr.  Sheldon  for 
his  participation  in  public  enterprises  and  a 
place  of  prominence  is  accorded  Mrs.  Sheldon 
lor  her  active  work  of  to-dav. 


CHARLES  S.  LIBBY.  I'rominent  among 
the  ambitious,  energetic  and  progressive  agri- 
culturists of  San  Diego  count}-  is  Charles  S. 
Libby,  one  of  the  largest  landholders  of  San  Luis 
Rey,  and  one  of  its  most  extensive  stock-raisers 
and  dealers.  He  has  been  an  important  factor 
in  developing  and  promoting  the  farming  inter- 
ests of  this  part  of  the  county,  and  is  numbered 
among  its  most  enterprising  and  public-spirited 
citizens.  Coming  from  substantial  New  England 
stock,  he  was  born  November  27,  1857,  in  Good- 
hue county,  Minn.,  a  son  of  Jacob  Libby. 

Jacob  Libby  was  born  in  Lebanon,  Me.,  Feb- 
ruary 24,  1825,  and  died  in  San  Luis  Rey  Febru- 
ary 22,  1902.  Following  the  occupation  in  which 
he  was  reared  he  carried  on  farming  and  for 
many  years  was  successfully  engaged  in  his 
chosen  occupation  in  Minnesota.  In  1887  he 
came  to  San  Diego  county,  locating  in  San  Luis 
Rey,  where  he  purchased  a  ranch  of  four  hun- 
dred and  si.xty-five  acres,  on  which  he  resided 
until  his  death.  He  married  Rebecca  Bliss,  a 
native  of  Maine,  and  of  the  five  children  born 
of  their  union  two  died  in  infancy,  and  three 
grew  to  years  of  maturity.  He  was  a  man  of 
sterling  character,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  were 
valued  members  of  the  Baptist  Church. 

Having  acquired  a  practical  education  in  the 
district  schools  of  Goodhue  county,  Minn.,  Charles 
S.  Libby  went  to  Iowa,  settling  there  as  a  farmer. 
Removing  from  there  to  Gage  county.  Neb.,  in 
1880,  he  remained  there  three  years,  in  the  spring 
of  1883  locating  in  Platte  county,  where,  having 
purchased  four  liundred  and  forty  acres  of  land, 
he  was  successfully  engaged  in  general  farming 
and  stock-raising  for  ten  years.  In  ]\Iarch,  1893, 
he  came  to  San  E)iego  county,  locating  first  in  San 
Luis  Rey,  and  buying  a  half  interest  in  a  ranch 
lying  two  and  one-half  miles  from  the  village. 
Going  then  to  Bernardo,  he  was  employed  in  gen- 
eral ranching  for  five  years.  Returning  to  San 
Luis  Rey  he  subsequently  bought  his  present 
large  ranch  of  one  thousand  acres,  and  in  its  care 
and  management  has  met  with  eminent  success. 
He  carries  on  general  farming  and  stock-raising 
on  an  extensive  scale,  paying  especial  attention 
to  the  breeding  and  raising  of  horses  and  cattle. 
A  man  of  keen  foresight  and  excellent  judgment 
he  has  accumulated  a  large  share  of  this  world's 


loU 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


goods,  and  in  addition  to  his  realty  in  San  Luis 
Rey  owns  valuable  residence  property  at  Ocean- 
side. 

Mr.  Libby's  first  marriage  was  solemnized  in 
Nebraska  in  1884,  uniting  him  with  Susan  E.  Lat- 
termire,  who  died  October  20,  1900,  leaving  four 
children,  namely :  Edna  May,  wife  of  C.  G. 
Borden,  of  Carlsbad,  San  Diego  county ;  Victor 
S. ;  Clarence  M. ;  and  Gladys  L.  In  February, 
1902,  Mr.  Libby  married  May  Watson.  Politi- 
cally he  was  formerly  identified  with  the  Repub- 
lican party  but  is  now  an  ardent  Prohibitionist. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order 
of  United  Workmen,  with  which  he  united  when 
twenty-nine  years  of  age.  Religiously  he  and  his 
wife  belong  to  the  Christian  Church. 


JOHN  E.  SMITH.  Occupying  a  foremost 
position  among-  the  worthy  and  respected  cit- 
izens of  Ventura  county  is  John  E.  Smith,  of 
Moorpark,  an  able  and  skilful  agriculturist, 
who  has  never  been  satisfied  with  less  than  the 
highest  possible  results  in  his  farming  oper- 
ations. A  man  of  culture  and  scholarly  at- 
tainments, he  holds  a  position  of  influence  in 
the  community,  and  among  his  fellow-men  is 
respected  for  his  many  fine  qualities  of  both 
heart  and  mind,  and  honored  for  his  integrity 
and  strength  of  character.  A  son  of  John 
Smith,  he  vi'as  born,  August  22,  1843,  i"  Hen- 
rysburg,  Canada  East,  now  province  of  Que- 
bec, coming  from  English  stock. 

Emigrating  from  England,  his  native  coun- 
try, in  1830,  John  Smith  settled  in  the  United 
States,  living  first  in  the  east.  In  1836  he  pur- 
chased a  tract  of  heavily  wooded  land  in  Ohio, 
cleared  an  opening,  and  having  erected  a  small 
house  moved  into  it  with  his  familj'.  Work- 
ing with  indomitable  perseverance  and  a  reso- 
lute will,  he  improved  a  good  homestead  and 
gave  material  aid  in  advancing  the  growth  of 
the  town,  county  and  state.  He  was  success- 
ful as  a  farmer,  and  remained  a  resident  of 
Ohio  until  his  death,  in  1887,  at  the  advanced 
age  of  eighty-two  years.  He  married  'Slary 
Braithwaite,  a  native  of  England,  and  of  this 
union  there  are  three  children  living.  She  sur- 
vived him  ten  years,  dying  in  Canada  in  1897, 
at  the  age  of  four  score  and  two  years. 

Having  received  his  elementary  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Lorain  county,  Ohio, 
John  E.  Smith  continued  his  studies,  intend- 
ing to  fit  himself  for  college.  The  Civil  war 
breaking  out  in  1861,  his  patriotic  ardor  was 
aroused,  and,  enlisting  in  Company  H,  Forty- 
first  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  he  served  for 
one  year,  during  which  time  he  saw  some  hard 
fighting,  taking  part  in  the  engagement  at 
Pittsburg    Landing   and    at    Corinth.      Subse- 


quently, at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  he  was  honorably 
discharged  on  account  of  physical  disability. 
Returning  to  Ohio,  he  remained  at  home  a 
year,  and  then  entered  Oberlin  College,  at 
Oberlin,  Ohio,  and  having  finished  the  course 
was  graduated  from  the  classical  department. 
Then,  after  teaching  a  year  in  Fisk  University, 
at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  he  took  a  three  j^ears' 
course  of  study  at  the  Andover  (Mass.)  Theo- 
logical Seminary.  Going  south  after  his  grad- 
uation from  that  institution,  he  taught  Latin 
in  the  Atlanta  l^niversity  for  two  years.  The 
ensuing  six  j^ears  he  was  engaged  in  minis- 
terial work,  preaching  four  years  at  West  An- 
dover and  Andover,  Ohio. 

Subsequently  removing  to  Dakota.  ]\Ir. 
Smith  took  up  government  land,  and  the  next 
eighteen  months  resided  in  that  state.  Sell- 
ing his  land,  he  then  accepted  a  position  in  Nio- 
brara, Neb.,  and  for  a  number  of  years  had 
entire  charge  of  the  Indian  work  in  that  place, 
at  the  same  time  being  a  teacher  "in  the  In- 
dian school.  Coming  to  Ventura  county  in 
1891,  he  invested  his  money  in  land,  buying 
eighty  acres  near  Moorpark,  where  he  has 
improved  a  fine  orchard,  the  entire  tract  be- 
ing devoted  to  apricots  and  walnuts.  About 
one-fourth  of  this  place  is  in  bearing  condition, 
and  he  carries  on  an  excellent  business  as  a 
fruit  dryer,  the  amount  disposed  of  in  1903 
reaching  twenty  tons.  He  also  carries  on 
general  farming,  cultivating  one  hundred  and 
ninety  acres  in  all,  raising  grain,  corn  and 
beans  on  a  part  of  his  ranch.  Laboring  dili- 
gently and  successfully,  he  is  continually  im- 
proving and  beautifying  his  property,  each  suc- 
ceeding season  bringing  him  in  richer  rewards 
from  a  financial  standpoint. 

September  9,  1874,  Mr.  Smith  married  L)^dia 
E.  Stratton,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  they  have 
three  children,  namely:  Hope  B.,  a  graduate 
of  Pomona  College ;  Raymond  S.,  a  senior  in 
that  institution :  and  Philip  E.,  a  junior.  Pol- 
itically Mr.  Smith  invariably  and  conscien- 
tiously supports  the  principles  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  and  for  several  years  served  as 
school  trustee  in  his  district.  He  is  an  active 
member  of  the  Presbyterian   Church. 


HOTEL  ESCONDIDO,  located  at  the 
head  of  Grand  avenue,  on  an  elevated  point  of 
land,  overlooks  the  "City  of  the  Hidden  Val- 
ley," and  commands  on  either  side  views  of 
unsurpassed  beauty.  The  house  and  its  en- 
vironments present  an  unusually  attractive 
appearance,  the  ten-acre  park  being  adorned 
with  beautiful  shrubbery  and  a  large  variety 
of  ornamental  trees,  while  its  winding  walks 
and    driveways    are    made    brilliant    and    fra- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1545 


grant  by  the  many  rows  of  "exotic  plants  and 
nati\-e  roses.  The  entrance  to  the  grounds  is 
carefull}'  guarded  by  two  tall  Norfolk  Island 
pines,  one  on  each  side  of  the  drive,  giving  to 
the  visitor  a  faint  suggestion  of  the  wealth  of 
beauty  within.  A  deep  well  furnishes  clear, 
sparkling  water  for  use  in  the  house,  while 
the  grounds  are  watered  by  irrigation  from 
the  city  water  works. 

This  hotel,  which  was  built  by  the  Escon- 
dido  Land  and  ToVn  Company  at  a  cost  of 
J]?50,ooo,  was  at  the  time  of  its  construction 
most  modern  in  every  respect.  It  is  three 
stories  in  height,  and  with  its  rose-covered' 
veranda,  which  extends  almost  entirely  around 
the  building,  is  indicative  of  the  comfort  to 
be  found  therein.  It  is  finely  equipped  and 
furnished,  having  large  corridors,  baths,  and 
with  its  superior  ventilation  and  excellent  sew- 
er system,  is  an  ideal  health  resort.  It  con- 
tains one  hundred  guest  rooms,  each  furnished 
comfortably,  and  in  busy  seasons  is  usually 
taxed  to  its  utmost  capacity.  In  the  base- 
ment is  a  billiard  table  which  gives  the  guests 
opportunities  for  social  recreation  indoors,  and 
out  of  doors  is  a  tennis  court  for  their  especial 
use.  The  hotel  is  noted  for  its  select  class  of 
guests,  and  under  the  supervision  of  its  pro- 
prietor, Mrs.'  D.  F.  Henderson,  and  its  man- 
ager, H.  M.  Hawkins,  it  gives  to  each  visitor 
all  of  the  comforts,  ease  and  pleasures  of  a 
well-kept  home.  Mrs.  Henderson  came  from 
St.  Paul,  Minn.,  to  Escondido,  Cal.,  in  1899, 
and  being  charmed  by  the  location  of  the 
house,  the  climatic  conditions  of  the  surround- 
ing country,  and  its  many  natural  attractions 
and  varied  improvements,  she  purchased  the 
hotel,  which  is  now  recognized  as  one  of  the 
very  best  in  its  appointments  of  any  in  South- 
ern California. 


FRANK  J.  GARRISON.  Associated  in  the 
largest  building  and  plumbing  business  in 
Rivera  and  its  vicinity,  Frank  J.  Garrison  is 
named  among  the  progressive  and  enterprising 
men  of  the  community.  He  is  a  son  of  James 
A.  Garrison,  the  senior  member  of  their  busi- 
ness firm,  and  a  prominent  and  successful  citi- 
zen. (For  complete  details  concerning  his  life 
refer  to  his  biographical  sketch,  which  appears 
elsewhere  in   this  volume.) 

Frank  J.  Garrison  is  a  native  of  Bellona,  N. 
Y.,  his  birth  occurring  September  26,  1864; 
his  childhood  and  youth  were  passed  in  that 
city,  where  he  received  his  education.  He 
learned  the  trades  of  builder  and  plumber  under 
the  instruction  and  practical  training  of  his 
father,   and  after   their    location    in    California 


ihey  established  the  business  which  they  have 
since  conducted  with  a  full  measure  of  success. 
Mr.  Garrison  has  established  home  ties 
through  his  marriage  with  Mrs.  Ellen  Marlin, 
a  daughter  of  John  McLaughlin,  of  Los  An- 
geles, who  brought  his  family  to  this  section 
of  California  when  his  daughter  was  only  a 
small  child.  She  received  her  education  in 
Los  Angeles,  and  here  married  Mr.  Garrison. 
In  religion  she  belongs  to  the  Baptist  Church 
and  is  prominent  in  all  its  charitable  move- 
ments. Mr.  Garrison  is  a  citizen  whose  worth 
is  appreciated  by  all  who  know  him  and  who 
is  universallv  esteemed  wherever  known. 


JOHN  HOOK.  On  Christmas  Day  in  1847, 
John  Hook  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  the 
son  of  Magnus  and  Anna  (Willman)  Hook, 
both  of  whom  lived  their  entire  lives  in  that 
country,  where  the  father  was  occupied  as  a 
farmer.  There  were  eleven  children  in  the  fam- 
ily of  which  John  Hook  was  a  member,  and  two 
of  his  brothers  are  still  residents  of  Germany. 
He  received  a  good  common  school  education  in 
Baden  and  in  his  fifteenth  year  began  to  learn  the 
carpenter  trade,  no  progressive  and  enterprising 
German  family  considers  the  education  of  the 
sons  complete  until  it  embraces  the  knowledge  of 
some  good  trade.  After  completing  his  appren- 
ticeship he  followed  the  occupation  as  a  traveling 
journeyman  for  three  years  in  different  parts 
of  Germany,  Switzerland  and  Italy,  while  in  the 
latter  named  country  having  had  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  Pope  Pius  IN.  On  returning  to  his  na- 
tive land  he  enlisted  in  the  German  army  and 
served  a  term  of  three  years,  after  which,  in 
1870,  he  emigrated  to  America,  landing  in  New 
York  City.  He  did  not  remain  at  that  point, 
however,  but  pushing  his  way  westward  stopped 
for  seven  months  in  Arkansas,  where  he  plied 
his  trade,  from  there  traveling  the  rest  of  the 
distance  across  the  continent  into  California. 
His  first  stop  was  at  Sacramento,  then  at  San 
Francisco,  where  he  remained  two  years,  next 
coming  to  Southern  California  and  locating  in 
Los  Angeles  for  a  year,  after  which  he  became 
a  resident  of  San  Bernardino. 

Arriving  at  this  place  he  first  secured  employ- 
ment in  a  sawmill  in  the  mountains  and  subse- 
quently adopted  the  occupation  of  farmer.  He 
formed  a  partnership  with  John  Suverkrup  some 
time  later  and  for  twenty-six  years  carried  on 
a  lumber  manufacturing  business  under  the  firm 
name  of  Suverkrup  &  Hook.  Disposing  of  his 
interests  in  this  enterprise  Mr.  Hook  then  re- 
tired to  San  Bernardino  city  and  this  place  has 
since  been  his  home.  In  1890  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Johanna  Jacobson.  who  had  two  years 
previously    come    from    Sweden     to     California, 


1546 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  they  have  one  daughter,  Bertha,  a  very  tal- 
ented young  lady.  Mrs.  Hook  is  a  woman  of 
much  culture  and  refinement  and  is  especially 
well  versed  in  languages,  speaking  a  number  of 
them  fluently.  Their  home  which  is  located  at 
503  B  street  is  an  attractive  one  comfortably  and 
artistically  furnished.  Air.  Hook  is,  fraternally, 
a  member  of  Phoenix  Lodge  No.  178,  F.  &  A. 
I\r.,  and  of  Keystone  Qiapter  No.  56,  R.  A.  M. 
He  is  an  advocate  of  the  principles  embraced  in 
the  platform  of  die  Republican  party,  but  has 
never  sought  political  office,  preferring  to  per- 
form his  duties  as  an  intelligent  and  progressive 
citizen  in  the  private  ranks. 


POMEROY  B.  FUSSELL.  The  horticultural 
interests  of  San  Bernardino  county  have  in 
Mr.  Fussell  truly  a  most  successful  exponent, 
every  detail  of  the  business,  all  modern  methods 
and  improvements,  being  a  part  of  the  under- 
standing which  he  has  brought  to  bear  in  his 
work.  He  is  a  native  of  the  middle  west,  his 
birth  having  occurred  in  Fayette  county,  Iowa, 
near  the  town  of  Fayette,  September  14,  1857; 
his  father,  David  E.  Fussell,  was  born  in  Ohio 
and  in  1844  became  a  settler  of  Linn  county, 
Iowa,  there  engaging  in  farming  for  four  years, 
when  he  located  in  Fayette  county  and  improved 
a  farm  from  the  wilderness  lands,  his  death 
eventually  occurring  in  that  place.  His  wife, 
formerly  Rachel  Jennings,  was  born  in  Ohio  and 
died  in'  Iowa.  They  had  twelve  children,  of 
whom  seven  survived  and  are  now  living. 

The  sixth  child  in  the  family  of  his  parents, 
Pomeroy  B.  Fussell  was  reared  on  the  paternal 
farm  and  educated  in  the  district  school  in  the 
vicinity  of  his  home  until  old  enough  to  enter 
a  more  advanced  institution,  when  he  became  a 
student  in  the  Tapper  Iowa  University  at  Fay- 
ette. He  attended  this  institution  for  four  years, 
and  upon  leaving  school  engaged  in  the  hard- 
ware business  in  Fayette,  the  firm  being  known 
as  Fussell  &  Co.  After  ten  years  in  this  work 
he  disposed  of  his  interests  and  then  engaged 
in  general  farming  and  fancy  stock  breeding, 
raising  Polled  Angus  cattle,  Poland  China  hogs, 
and  fine  poultry,  and  continuing  so  occupied  for 
five  years.  In  November,  1888,  he  came  to 
Redlands,  which  had  then  a  population  of  but 
four  hundred  people,  and  the  following  year  took 
charge  of  one  hundred  and  forty  acres,  which 
he  set  out  in  oranges  and  for  the  ensuing  seven 
years  proceeded  to  cultivate.  During  this  time 
he  set  out  several  other  orchards,  over  one  hun- 
dred acres  in  all.  The  year  1897  was  spent  in 
San  Diego  as  assistant  under  the  chief  engineer 
of  the  ice  plant  of  the  Coronado  Hotel  Com- 
pany. Returning  to  Redlands  he  purchased  fif- 
teen acres  in  San  Timoteo  canon,  under  the  Ter- 


racina  blufif,  and  proceeded  to  set  it  out  in  navel 
oranges,  irrigation  being  received  from  the  Lower 
Yucaipe  Water  Company.  In  1906  he  bought 
the  old  Grant  place  containing  thirty-two  and  a 
half  acres,  of  which  twenty-four  acres  are  in 
oranges,  while  the  property  is  further  improved 
with  a  residence,  barns  and  outbuildings.  There 
is  a  pumping  plant  on  the  ranch,  and  two  one 
hundred  and  twenty  foot  wells,  operated  by  a 
nine  horse  power  gasoline  engine  with  a  twenty- 
seven  inch  capacity,  which ,  allows  him  to  sell 
water  as  well  as  irrigate  his  own  ranch. 

In  Iowa,  in  1879,  Mr.  Fussell  was  married 
to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Houlsworth,  a  native  of  that 
place  and  a  daughter  of  Joseph,  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania and  a  pioneer  farmer  of  Iowa.  Her  mother 
was  in  maidenhood  Eliza  Jane  McConn.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Fussell  are  the  parents  of  the  following 
children :  Nellie  L.,  wife  of  G.  W.  Zellers,  of 
Los  Angeles;  Homer  Leo,  engaged  with  father; 
Georgia  O.,  a  graduate  of  the  San  Bernardino 
Business  College  in  1907.  Fraternally  j\Ir.  Fus- 
sell is  very  prominent,  being  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  of  Redlands,  and  belonging 
to  the  Uniformed  Rank  of  the  K.  of  P. ;  the 
Rathbone  Sisters  ;  Modern  Woodmen  of  America, 
of  which  he  is  V.  C;  the  D.  O.  K.  K. ;  Royal 
Neighbors,  of  which  his  wife  is  also  a  member ; 
and  the  Fraternal  Aid.  He  is  identified  with 
the  Mutual  Orange  Growers'  Distributers,  of 
Bryn  Mawr,  in  which  he  is  a  director,  and  polit- 
ically is  a  stanch  Republican. 


CAPT.  jNIITCHELL  DUFFY.  As  pro- 
prietor of  the  Salt  Lake  ferry  Captain  Duffy 
operates  four  naptha  launches  and  carries  on  a 
successful  business  in  San  Pedro,  of  which  city 
he  has  been  an  upbuilder  and  a  promoter  of 
movements  calculated  to  advance  the  general 
welfare.  The  captain  is  a  pioneer  of  the  state, 
having  come  west  in  1871,  locating  two  years 
later  in  Santa  Monica,  Los  Angeles  county,  and 
in  1881  in  San  Pedro,  which  was  then  known  as 
Fyall.  He  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  his  birth  hav- 
ing occurred  in  French  Park,  County  Roscom- 
mon, December  9,  1841,  one  of  a  family  of 
thirteen  children,  nine  sons  and  four  daughters,  of 
M-hom  all  attained  maturity  and  five  are  now  liv- 
ing. His  father,  Mitchell  Duffy,  was  an  exten- 
sive contractor  and  bridge  builder,  having  worked 
in  nearly  every  section  of  Ireland.  He  died  in 
his  native  land,  as  did  also  his  wife,  formerly 
Maria  Cullen. 

LTntil  he  was  sixteen  years  old  Mitchell  Duf- 
fy, Jr..  was  reared  in  Ireland,  there  receiving  his 
education  and  youthful  training.  He  became  an 
expert  horseman  in  his  native  land  and  after  his 
arrival  in  New  York  City  in  1847,  became  a 
jockey,   riding  in  many  races,  principally  under 


JOHN  McCain 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1549 


Hiram  Woodruff  on  the  Fashion  track  of  Long 
island,  where  he  won  thirteen  races  out  of  twen- 
t}-.  He  also  performed  a  noteworthy  feat  in  the 
stopping  of  a  runaway  team  attached  to  a  car- 
riage containing  seven  people.  Climbing  over 
the  rear  of  the  carriage  he  caught  the  reins, 
which  were  hanging  over  the  dashboard,  and 
succeeded  in  stopping  the  frightened  animals. 
He  was  fond  of  all  sports  and  was  an  expert 
swimmer,  an  accomplishment  which  he  has  put 
to  good  use  since  locating  in  California.  On  ac- 
count of  his  increasing  weight  he  finally  gave  up 
his  work  as  jockey  and  in  1871  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, in  San  Francisco  locating  as  a  dealer  in 
horses  and  from  that  point  making  several  trips 
to  New  York  City.  In  1873  he  removed  to  Santa 
Monica,  during  the  first  sale  of  lots  in  that  place, 
and  built  a  residence  on  Fifth  street,  and  later 
erected  the  bath  house  on  Southern  Beach.  Resi- 
dents of  the  place  regarded  such  a  move  as  a 
mistake,  but  results  soon  justified  his  faith  in 
the  future  of  the  town,  taking  in  on  his  first  Sun- 
day $107  from  9:45  A.  M.  to  4:30  P.  M.  At 
the  same  time  he  conducted  a  restaurant  in  the 
canon  and.  up  town,  continuing  this  business  un- 
til 1881,  when  he  sold  out  and  came  to  what  was 
then  known  as  Fyall,  where  there  were  but  three 
shanties.  The  following  year  he  bought  several 
lots  and  built  the  first  house  in  San  Pedro,  be- 
ing located  on  Terminal  Island.  He  ran  the  first 
row  boats  to  Terminal  for  the  benefit  of  his 
bath  house  and  also  built  and  ran  the  first  gaso- 
line launch  here.  Since  the  building  of  the  Salt 
Lake  Railroad  he  has  conducted  a  ferry  serv- 
ice, operating  four  launches,  Blanche,  May,  Ida 
and  the  Orient,  the  latter  the  largest,  having  a 
capacity  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  passengers.  At 
one  time  he  also  owned  and  operated  the  Dora 
and  Elsie.  He  is  assisted  in  his  work  by  his  three 
sons,  and  together  they  are  carrying  on  a  suc- 
cessful business. 

Mr.  Duffy  owns  several  residences  in  San 
Pedro,  his  home  place  being  on  Fifth  street,  near 
Center,  one  of  the  finest  houses  in  San  Pedro, 
while  four  of  his  other  houses  are  located  on 
Fifth  street  and  one  on  Sixth  street,  the  cost  of 
all  the  buildings  which  he  has  put  up  in  the  city 
amounting  to  $21,000.  He  has  been  an  inter- 
ested witness  and  participant  in  the  growth  and 
progress  of  the  place  and  has  given  his  best  ef- 
forts to  advance  the  general  welfare.  His  home 
is  presided  over  by  his  wife,  formerly  Anna  M. 
Reddy,  a  native  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  where  they 
were  married.  Thev  became  the  parents  of  ten 
children,  of  whom  eight  are  living:  Edward, 
captain  of  the  Orient :  Ida,  wife  of  Walter  Rccht- 
wig,  of  San  Pedro ;  George,  of  St.  Louis ;  Dora, 
wife  of  Norbey  Olds,  of  San  Pedro ;  Elsie,  who 
graduated  with  highest  honors  from  the  Univer- 
sity of  California   in  the  class  of   1905 ;   Cyrus, 


in  business  with  his  father ;  Blanche,  at  home ; 
and  Horace,  also  in  business  with  his  father. 
Mr.  Duffy  is  a  member  of  the  Foresters  of 
America,  and  politically  is  a  stanch  adherent  of 
the  principles  advocated  in  the  platform  of  the 
Democratic  party,  having  served  as  a  member  of 
the  county  central  committee. 


JOHN  McCAIN.  To  become  an  associate 
of  Mr.  McCain  is  to  enjoy  the  privilege  of  lis- 
tening to  many  exciting  stories  of  his  experi- 
ences when  crossing  the  plains  or  running  cat- 
tle on  the  desert,  for  during  his  younger  years 
he  remained  for  a  considerable  period  upon 
the  outposts  of  civilization  and  endured  the 
dangers  incident  to  the  existence  of  a  fron- 
tiersman. When  lie  had  abandoned  that  life 
of  vicissitude  he  settled  down  to  agricultural 
pursuits  and  in  1871  came  to  Julian,  San  Diego 
county,  where  he  engaged  in  blacksmithing 
and  since  1884  he  has  been  proprietor  of  the 
Mountain  Glen  hotel  and  livery  barns  in  the 
same  town,  besides  owning  and  taking  charge 
of  eighty  acres  of  orchard  and  pasture,  also 
owning  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  which 
are  located  the  Borago  springs. 

Born  near  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  January  25, 
1843,  -Toll"  McCain  is  a  son  of  George  Mc- 
Cain, a  pioneer  of  1851  in  the  far  west.  When 
the  latter  had  decided  to  establish  a  perma- 
nent home  in  California  he  returned  across 
the  plains  for  his  family,  and  with  them  start- 
ed back  toward  the  coast,  but  en  route,  in 
1854,  he  was  bereaved  by  the  death  of  his 
wife.  The  year  following  he  settled  in  Mendo- 
cino county,  and  in  1868  became  a  resident  of 
Acampo,  where  he  died  in  1882,  at  the  age  of 
eightv-three  years.  The  removal  of  the  family 
\o  the  west  when  John  jNIcCain  was  a  mere 
lad  caused  him  to  become  familiar  with  pio- 
neer life  at  an  early  age  and  gave  him  an  ac- 
curate insight  into  conditions  as  they  then 
existed  throughout  a  sparsely  settled  tract  of 
country.  With  his  father  he  settled  near 
Acampo  in  1868  and  took  up  the  raising  of 
cattle  and  the  carrying  on  of  ranch  pursuits. 
From  that  locality  in  1S71  he  came  to  Julian, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  In  the  midst  of 
]jleasant  surroundings,  in  the  quiet  spot  where 
he  has  established  his  home,  he  passes  his  days 
in  bus}'  contentment,  remote  from  the  frontier 
scenes  of  Idaho  and  Montana  where  the  ad- 
venturous experiences  of  a  cattleman  filled 
his  younger  years. 

The  marriage  of  Air.  McCain  took  place 
near  Julian  in  1872  and  united  him  with  Alary' 
E.  Cline,  who  was  Ijorn  in  this  state  near  the 
line  of  Oregon.     Of  the  marriage  five  children 


1550 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


were  born :  Christian  is  married ;  John  is  at 
home;  Maude,  Mrs.  Russ,  who  Uves  near  Es- 
condido,  has  one  child :  LilHe,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Robert  Haley,  has  three  children  and  lives 
near  Julian ;  and  Edith,  the  wife  of  Joseph 
McGann,  has  one  child.  Politically  Mr.  Mc- 
Cain always  has  orjven  alle£;;iance  to  the  Dem- 
ocratic part}',  but  has  not  been  active  in  local 
politics  nor  has  he  been  a  candidate  for  any 
of  the  offices  of  town  or  county ;  however,  at 
all  times  he  is  anxious  to  aid  measures  for  the 
benefit  of  the  party  and  especially  those  for 
the  upbuilding-  of  his  community.  He  has  al- 
ways been  ready  when  called  upon  to  aid 
those  less  fortunate  than  himself  and  has  sur- 
rounded his  fam.ily  with  all  the  luxuries  that 
have  come  within  his  reach. 


OSCAR  WILLIAM  HARRIS.  Among  the 
pioneers  of  Redlands  prominent  place  belongs  to 
Oscar  William  Harris,  residing  at  No.  114  West 
Palm  avenue,  who  since  his  location  here  in 
1887  has  bent  his  energies  to  the  accumulation  of 
personal  means  and  at  the  same  time  building 
up  for  himself  a.  position  among  the  representa- 
tive citizens.  Mr.  Harris  was  born  in  Newton 
county,  Ind.,  October  14,  i860,  a  son  of  John 
T.,  also  an  Indianian,  born  in  Tippecanoe  county. 
The  grandfather,  Benjamin,  was  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia and  became  an  early  settler  of  Indiana, 
where  he  engaged  as  a  farmer  until  his  death. 
John  T.  Harris  participated  in  the  Civil  war  as 
a  soldier  in  the  Fifty-first  Regiment  Indiana  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  enlisting  in  iSfii  and  serving 
for  over  three  years.  Upon  the  close  of  the  war 
he  returned  to  Indiana  and  engaged  in  farming 
near  Kentland,  Newton  county,  spending  his  last 
two  years  in  Jasper  county,  same  state.  His 
wife,  formerly  Louisa  Cashaw,  was  born  near 
Kokomo,  Ind.,  and  also  died  in  that  state.  They 
were  the  parents  of  four  children,  of  whom  Os- 
car William  is  the  eldest  and  the  only  one  living. 

Reared  on  the  paternal  farm  and  educated  in 
the  district  school,  Oscar  William  Harris  re- 
mained at  home  until  attaining  his  majority,  when 
January  4,  188^,  in  Newton  count  v.  he  married 
Miss  Alice  Cook,  a  native  of  Miami,  Ind.,  and 
a  daughter  of  Milton  E.  Cook,  of  Vermilion 
county,  Ind.,  and  granddaughter  of  Eli,  of 
North  Carolina,  and  an  early  settler  in  Vermilion 
county  and  later  in  Miami  county,  where  he  fol- 
lowed farming.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Friends  Church  and  a  helpful  and  practical 
citizen.  Milton  E.  Cook  was  a  farmer  and 
Quaker,  and  married  Rebecca  Rinker,  who  was 
born  in  Virginia  and  died  in  Indiana.  They 
were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom  all 
are  living  and  five  are  in  California,  Mrs.  Har- 
ris being  the  fifth  in  drder  of  birth.     After  mar- 


riage Mr.  Harris  located  on  an  eighty  acre  farm 
and  later  purchased  eight  acres  adjoining,  en- 
gaging in  general  farming  and  stock-raising.  In 
order  to  enjoy  the  healthful  climate  of  Southern 
California  he  decided  to  locate  here,  so  disposing 
of  his  property  in  1887  he  came  to  California 
and  located  in  Redlands,  where  his  brother, 
Grant  D.  Harris,  had  preceded  him.  He  bought 
ten  acres  and  set  it  out  in  navel  oranges,  and 
later  bought  three  acres  adjoining,  making  thir- 
teen acres  in  all  on  the  Bench,  at  East  High- 
land. He  has  lived  in  Redlands  since  1887  on 
the  same  property,  owning  ten  acres  at  No.  114 
West  Palm  avenue,  near  Cajon  street,  all  of 
which  is  in  oranges.  In  1904  he  completed  a 
handsome  residence  on  his  ranch.  In  addition 
to  the  property  already  named  he  owns  seven 
and  a  half  acres  in  oranges  on  Highland  avenue, 
and  sixty  acres  on  Judson  between  Lugonia  and 
Colton  avenue,  which  he  is  now  setting  out  in 
navel  oranges.  He  has  also  improved  a  fifty- 
acre  ranch  at  Oak  Glen,  watered  by  Oak  Glen 
creek,  which  supplies  also  water  for  domestic 
purposes,  and  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  is 
now  president  of  the  Oak-Glen  Domestic  Water 
Company,  with  canal  and  stone  flumes,  siifteen 
acres  being  in  apple  orchard.  He  is  a  director 
in  the  Redlands  Water  Company  and  interested 
in  the  development  of  the  resources  of  the  coun- 
try, also  a  director  and  was  one  of  the  promoters 
of  the  Redlands  Golden  Orange  Association. 

Seven  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Harris,  namely:  Ruth  E.,  attending  Oc- 
cidental College;  Chester  C,  in  Imperial,  Cal; 
Hazel,  who  died  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years; 
Benjamin  Harrison;  Virginia  R. ;  John  Milton; 
and  Olive.  Politically  Mr.  Harris  is  a  stanch 
Republican. 


\ 


CHESTER  JOHN  HOLMES.  The  Holmes 
family  was  first  established  on  American  soil  in 
1687,  the  emigrating-  ancestor  being  an  English- 
man who  came  to  jMassachusetts  and  later  was 
one  of  the  original  settlers  of  Woodstock,  Conn. 
He  was  a  civil  engineer  by  occupation  and  as- 
sisted in  the  first  surveys  of  the  country.  Suc- 
ceeding generations  were  prominent  in  the  social, 
civic  and  political  life  of  Connecticut,  where  the 
name  became  a  representative  one.  A  son  of  the 
emigrant  John  Holmes,  born  in  Woodstock, 
Conn.,  was  named  David  ;  he  engaged  as  a  farmer 
in  that  state,  married  and  reared  a  family,  his 
son,  Josiah,  representing  the  family  name  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.  He  was  engaged  in  the 
hotel  business  as  a  means  of  livelihood ;  in  his 
family  was  a  son,  David,  who  again  returned  to 
the  soil  and  followed  agricultural  pursuits 
throughout  his  entire  life.  He  reared  a  family, 
among  his  sons  being  one  whom  he  called  John, 


'b.'B.^c^  oAx 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1553 


who  was  born  in  Stafford,  Conn.,  and  was  the 
father  of  Che.ster  John  Hohnes,  the  subject  of 
this  review,  and  the  CaHfornia  representative  of 
the  name.  John  Hohnes  followed  farming 
throughout  his  entire  life  in  his  native  state, 
there  passing  away  at  an  advanced  age.  He 
married  Sabrina  Case,  a  native  of  Stafford, 
Conn.,  and  a  daughter  of  Stephen  Case,  who 
was  born  in  Tolland,  the  paternal  great-grand- 
father having  located  the  name  in  that  state 
from  Nantucket,  Mass.,  where  he  engaged  as  a 
farmer.  Mrs.  Holmes  also  died  in  Connecticut. 
She  was  the  mother  of  eight  children,  of  whom 
but  two  are  now  surviving,  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Thrall 
living  in  Rockville,  Conn.  One  son,  David, 
served  in  an  Ohio  regiment  during  the  Civil  war 
and  Chester  John,  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth  and 
born  February   19,    1837,  in  Stafford,  Conn. 

Reared  on  the  paternal  farm  until  he  was  six- 
teen years  old,  Chester  J.  Holmes  attended  the 
public  schools  in  pursuit  of  an  education  and  re- 
ceived the  first  lessons  in  life.  He  was  first  ap- 
prenticed to  learn  the  trade  of  a  machinist,  and 
following  this  became  superintendent  of  a  linen 
mill.  Because  of  impaired  health  be  left  Con- 
necticut in  1856  and  in  Red  Wing,  Minn.,  en- 
gaged at  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  builder  for 
two  years,  when  he  went  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and 
followed  a  similar  line  of  work.  In  i860  he  went 
to  Louisiana  and  in  Madison  Parish  engaged  in 
contracting  and  building,  putting  up  houses  on  a 
new  plantation  until  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Civil  war,  and  was  there  compelled  to  enlist  in 
Company  B,  Third  Regiment  Louisiana  Cavalry, 
in  1862,  and  served  to  the  close  of  the  war.  He 
was  engaged  in  the  Trans-Mississippi  depart- 
ment until  the  close  of  the  struggle,  when  he 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber,  operat- 
ing a  steam  sawmill  above  Grand  Gulf  for  two 
years.  The  climate  was  not  salubrious  and  he 
returned  to  Connecticut,  there  married,  and  fol- 
lowing engaged  in  the  coal  and  lumber  busi- 
ness in  Stafford  Springs  for  seventeen  years.  In 
search  of  a  milder  climate  he  moved  his  family 
to  California  in  i88g.  locating  in  Pomona,  Los 
Angeles  county,  for  one  vear.  and  then  coming 
to  Redlands.  and' in  the  following  year  (1891), 
located  on  his  present  propert\-,  which  consists 
of  twenty  acres  set  to  navel  and  Valencia  oranges, 
while  he  also  raises  poultry  on  a  larse  scale,  his 
preferred  fowl  being  full-blooded  \\'hite  Wyan- 
dottes.  He  has  three  incubators  and  carries  on 
the  work  in  a  thoroughly  scientific  manner,  his 
son.  B.  G.,  assisting  him  in  this  work. 

Mr.  .Holmes'  wife  was  formerly  Miss  .\melia 
M.  Gay,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  and  a  de- 
scendant of  Puritan  ancestry,  direct  from  John 
-Mden.  and  born  of  this  union  was  one  son, 
Bernese  Gay,  who  was  born  in  Stafford,  Conn., 
and  educated  in  its  public  and  high  schools.  He 


came  to  California  with  his  father  in  1889,  and 
was  here  married  to  Miss  Blanche  M.  Walton,  of 
Philadelphia,  and  they  have  three  sons,  Alden 
Walton,  Charles  Chester  and  J.  Walton.  Mr. 
Holmes  was  made  a  Mason  in  Stafford ;  polit- 
ically he  is  a  stanch  adherent  of  the  principles 
advocated  in  the  platform  of  the  Republican 
party. 


EDGAR  DOUGLAS  GOODE.  Prominent 
among  the  representative  citizens  of  Glendale  is 
Edgar  Douglas  Goode,  who  during  his  residence 
in  this  locality  has  been  conspicuously  identified 
with  the  best  interests  of  town  and  county,  gen- 
erously using  his  influence  to  promote  the  public 
welfare.  -  A  native  of  Illinois,  he  was  born, 
March  10,  1858,  in  Taylorville,  Cliristian  county, 
of  English  ancestry.  His  father,  Benjamin  E. 
Goode,  was  a  son  of  Morgan  Goode,  and  a  grand- 
son of  Benjamin  Goode,  the  emigrant  ancestor. 

Born  and  reared  in  England,  Benjamin  Goode 
crossed  the  ocean  to  America  in  colonial  days, 
settling  first  as  a  planter  in  Virginia.  He  took 
an  active  part  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  partici- 
pating in  many  important  .battles,  and  subse- 
quently fought  the  Indians  on  the  frontier.  Go- 
ing then  to  Indiana,  he  took  up  land,  and  there 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  dying  at  a  ven- 
erable' age.  These  facts  were  gleaned  in  part 
from  an  old  Bible  formerly  in  the  possession  of 
Peter  Cartwright,  the  noted  frontier  evangelist. 
He  was  twice  married,  and  his  children  were 
born  and  reared  on  the  western  frontier,  one  of 
them  being  Morgan  Goode,  the  next  in  line  of 
descent. 

A  native  of  Indiana,  Morgan  Goode  was  there 
brought  up,  receiving  excellent  educational  ad- 
vantages for  his  day.  Going  in  early  manhood 
to  Qiristian  county.  111.,  he  became  distinguished 
as  the  first  school  teacher  in  Taylorville.  Set- 
tling there  permanently,  he  became  prominent 
in  public  life,  serving  as  county  treasurer,  and 
filling  other  offices  of  importance.  He  died  while 
in  the  prime  of  life,  at  the  age  of  sixty  years. 
He  married  Elizabeth  Schoonover,  who  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  and  died,  at  the  advanced  age 
of  ninety-two  years,  in  Illinois.  They  reared 
four  sons  and  four  daughters,  bringing  them  up 
wisely  and  well. 

Benjamin  F.  Goode  was  born  and  educated  in 
Illinois,  and  during  the  earlier  years  of  his  life 
was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  but  is  now 
living,  a  retired  farmer,  in  Brookfield,  Mo.  He 
married  Mary  Bennett,  also  a  native  of  the 
Prairie  state,  and  they  became  the  parents  of 
.thirteen  children,  nine  sons  and  four  daughters, 
all  of  whom,  excepting  one  son,  are  now  living, 
Edgar  D.,  the  special  subject  of  this  sketch,  being 
the  first-born. 


1554 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Having  completed  his  early  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Taylorville,  Edgar  Douglas 
Goode  was  graduated  from  Bogardus  Business 
College,  in  Springfield,  111.  Returning  home,  he 
chose  for  his  occupation  the  one  to  which  he  was 
reared,  and  for  a  number  of  years  carried  on 
general  farming  in  his  native  state.  The  day 
after  his  marriage,  in  the  fall  of  1882,  he  started 
with  his  bride  for  California,  coming  a  stranger 
to  a  strange  state,  having  no  acquaintances  here. 
After  spending  a  year  in  Santa  Barbara  he  went 
into  the  Conejo  mountains,  becoming  superin- 
tendent of  the  large  Hunt  estate,  of  which  he  had 
charge  a  year.  The  ensuing  two  years  he  was  in 
business  in  Los  Angeles,  and  the  following  twelve 
years  he  was  engaged  in  tilling  the  soil  in  EagFe 
Rock  valley.  Coming  from  there  to  -  Glendale, 
Mr.  Goode  has  since  been  a  resident  of  the  place, 
and  is  now  leading  an  ideal  Californian  life.  He 
is  identified  with  many  enterprises,  and  occupies 
a  position  of  prominence  among  the  leading  citi- 
zens of  this  part  of  the  county.  He  takes  genu- 
ine interest  in  aiding  all  beneficial  projects,  and 
is  overseer  of  the  Los  Angeles  road  district,  su- 
perintending nearly  two  hundred  miles  of  road. 
He  was  instrumental  in  having  the  Glendale 
Electric  Railway  established,  being  one  of  its 
most  ardent  promoters,  and  securing  to  the  com- 
pany a  free  right  of  way.  He  is  interested  to 
some  extent  in  literary  matters,  and  is  the  local 
correspondent  for  the  Los  Angeles  Times. 

In  Taylorville,  III,  in  October,  1882,  Mr. 
Goode  married  Aletia  E.  Suttle,  who  had  been 
his  sweetheart  since  early  boyhood,  their  fathers 
having  been  boys  together  in  the  pioneer  days  of 
Illinois;  her  father  was  editor  of  the  Taylorville 
Democrat  for  years,  and  was  also  county  assessor 
of  Christian  county ;  her  grandmother  was  Lady 
Jane  Sturgeon  of  England.  Into  the  pleasant 
home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goode  five  children  havfe 
made  their  advent,  namely :  Lillie  Fay,  Ray  Ed- 
gar, Pearl  C,  Leo  Douglas  and  Donald  Bryan, 
the  two  first  mentioned  having  graduated  from 
the  Glendale  Union  high  school  in  1904  and  1906, 
respectively.  Their  home  life  is  ideal.  Mr. 
Goode  says  he  believes  he  has  established  a  new 
record,  in  that  during  the  first  twenty-one  years 
of  their  married  life,  he  and  his  wife  were  not 
separated  twenty-four  hours  at  one  time.  Mrs. 
Goode  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Glendale 
Library  Association  and  was  one  of  its  most  act- 
ive promoters  and  enthusiastic  supporters.  Much 
credit  is  due  her  for  her  tireless  efforts  in  estab- 
lishing this  first  library  for  the  new  citv  of  Glen- 
dale. 

In  politics  Mr.  Goode  is  Democratic,  and  at 
the  recent  Los  Angeles  county  convention  he- 
was  unanimously  nominated  for  the  state  legis- 
lature in  the  sixty-seventh  assemblv  district.  He 
worked  out  the  necessarv  details  for  the  organi- 


zation of  the  Glendale  Union  high  school,  which 
is  composed  of  seven  grammar  schools ;  he  has 
always  been  the  Glendale  member  of  the  board, 
and  also  clerk  of  the  board  of  trustees.  In  the 
contest  between  the  various  districts  for  the  loca- 
tion of  the  building,  he  won  it  for  Glendale 
against  strong  opposition.  He  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Glendale  Improvement  Asso- 
ciation, being  its  first  secretary,  and  was  the 
first  citizen  to  advocate  the  incorporation  of  Glen- 
dale as  a  city,  under  his  leadership  and  against 
great  opposition,  the  incorporation  being  accom- 
plished. He  is  a  charter  member  of  Glendale 
Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  also  of  Carnation  Re- 
bekah  Lodge  of  Glendale.  At  all  times  he  has 
the  courage  of  his  convictions;  he  believes  in  a 
square  deal,  and  a  fight  in  the  open  when  a  fight 
is  necessarv. 


JOHN  F.  AHLSTROM.  The  development 
of  Los  Angeles  county  and  Southern  California 
in  general  has  had  in  John  F.  Ahlstrom  one  of 
its  most  interested  witnesses,  and  as  well  a  citi- 
zen whose  best  efforts  were  always  given  toward 
the  furtherance  of  every  movement  which  tend- 
ed to  upbuild  his  community.  He  is  a  native  of 
Sweden,  born  May  14,  i8ji8.  the  son  of  John  F. 
and  Johanna  (Warlin)  Ahlstrom,  also  natives  of 
Sweden ;  both  are  deceased,  the  father  dying, 
when  seventy-two  years  of  age,  and  the  mother 
when  thirty-six.  The  father  was  a  cooper  by 
occupation,  a  trade  which  he  followed  through- 
out his  entire  life.  O'f  their  family  of  eight 
children  two  sons  and  two  daughters  are  located 
in  the  United  States,  the  others  being  residents 
of  their  native  land.  The  Lutheran  State  Church 
of  Sweden  claimed  the  religious  allegiance  of 
the  parents  and  their  children  have  been  true  to 
their  early  teachings. 

John  F.  Ahlstrom  was  reared  to  young  man- 
hood in  his  native  country,  receiving  a  limited 
education  in  the  public  schools,  after  which  he 
learned  the  trade  of  carpenter.  He  worked  at 
his  trade  in  Sweden  until  1873,  when  he  im- 
migrated to  America,  and  coming  direct  to  Cali- 
fornia, located  in  the  vicinity  of  Niles.  Alameda 
county,  where  he  engaged  as  foreman  in  a  nurs- 
ery. After  twentv  months  he  went  to  Yuba 
county  and  in  Marysville  engaged  in  carpenter 
work,  following  this  with  a  period  of  ranching 
in  Sutter  county.  He  then  went  to  ^lendocino 
county  and  engaged  in  the  logging  business  in 
the  Redwoods,  and  after  one  year,  on  the  20th 
of  Mav.  1876,  he  arrived  in  Los  Angeles,  where 
he  engaged  at  ranching  and  other  pursuits  in 
the  vicinity  of  Anaheim.  A  little  later  he  ac- 
cepted employment  in  the  planing  and  grist  mills 
of  this  section,  remaining  thus  occupied  for  two 
years  when  he  went  to  Chatsworth  and  engaged 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1557 


in  ranching  for  a  time,  finally  disposing  of  these 
interests  because  of  dry  seasons.  After  his 
marriage  in  1881  to  ]\Iiss  Hannah  J.  Johnson,  a 
native  of  Utah,  he  came  to  Los  Angeles  and  en- 
gaged in  carpenter  work  and  also  worked  on 
the  street  cars.  In  1894  he  purchased  his  present 
property,  which  consists  of  eleven  acres  of  land 
devoted  principally  to  the  raising  of  berries. 
He  has  placed  many  improvements  on  the  place 
and  by  an  intelligent  cultivation  also  has  added 
to  the  value  of  the  property. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ahlstrom  are  the  parents  of 
the  following  children :  Arthur,  Grace,  Reuben, 
Bertha,  Lilian,  Maie  Corinne,  Qiarles  and  Elea- 
nor. In  his  fraternal  relations  Mr.  Ahlstrom  is 
associated  with  the  Independent  Order  of  For- 
esters of  Los  Angeles ;  politically  he  takes  an 
active  interest  in  the  principles  of  the  various 
parties,  but  reserves  the  right  to  cast  his  ballot 
for  the  man  whom  he  considers  best  qualified 
for  public  duties.  With  his  family  he  belongs  to 
the  Baptist  Church.  Mr.  Ahlstrom  is  a  man  of 
many  admirable  traits  of  character,  faithful  in 
the  discharge  of  all  duties  that  fall  to  the  lot 
of  a  citizen,  earnest  in  his  efforts  to  advance  the 
best  interests  of  the  community,  and  as  such  a 
man,  citizen  and  neighbor  he  has  won  a  large 
number  of  friends  who  best  appreciate  the  quali- 
ties  so   demonstrated  throughout  his   life. 


DANIEL  McINTOSH.  Occupying  a  fore- 
most position  among  the  worthy  and  respected 
citizens  of  the  town  of  Ramona  is  Daniel  Mc- 
intosh, wdio  has  been  a  resident  of  this  place 
for  thirty-five  years,  and  during  that  time  has 
been  actively  identified  with  its  best  interests, 
generously  using  his  influence  to  promote  its 
prosperity.  A  man  of  rare  judgment,  honest 
and  true  in  all  of  his  dealings,  he  has  won  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  old  and  young,  and 
holds  a  place  of  importance  in  the  community. 
A  son  of  the  late  Neil  Mcintosh,  he  was  born, 
July  22.  1838,  in  Nova  Scotia,  coming  from 
thrifty  Scotch  ancestry. 

Born  and  reared  on  Cape  Breton  Island, 
Nova  Scotia,  Neil  Mcintosh  was  reared  to 
agricultural  pursuits,  and  during  his  entire 
life  was  engaged  in  general  farming  in  Nova 
Scotia.  He  married  Margaret  Pringle,  who 
was  born  in  Scotland,  and  died  in  Nova  Scotia, 
at  the  early  age  of  forty  years.  Eight  children 
v/ere  born  of  their  union,  and  all,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  Daniel,  are  living  in  the  land  of 
their  birth. 

Brought  up  near  the  Atlantic  coast,  almost 
within  sound  of  the  ocean's  roar,  it  is  not 
strange  that  Daniel  Mcintosh  was  an  enthu- 
siastic lover  of  the  sea  from  his  boyhood  days, 
and  that,  on  leaving  school,  he  should  choose 


the  life  of  a  sailor  rather  than  that  of  a  farmer. 
After  coasting  awhile  in  familiar  waters,  in 
1S56  he  came  to  the  United  States,  and  in 
New  York  City,  in  the  School  for  Navigators, 
further  fitted  himself  for  a  seafaring  life. 
Thus  equipped,  he  made  several  voyages  to 
foreign  ports,  sailing  as  first  officer  on  differ- 
ent vessels,  and  during  the  fourteen  years 
that  he  was  thus  employed  visited  many  of 
the  largest  countries  of  the  globe,  making 
trips  to  Australia,  China,  South  America,  Ja- 
pan, the  Philippines,  and  on  his  last  voyage 
sailing  from  San  Francisco  to  Mediterranean 
ports. 

Retiring  from  the  sea,  Mr.  Mcintosh  lo- 
cated in  L.ower  California,  where  he  was  for 
a  while  connected  with  the  salt  works  in 
Scammon's  Lagoon.  In  1872  he  came  to  San 
Diego  county  to  make  a  permanent  settlement. 
Taking  up  two  government  claims  near  Ra- 
mona, he  resumed  the  occupation  with  which 
he  became  familiar  while  living  on  the  parent- 
al homestead,  and  in  his  agricultural  labors 
has  met  with  undisputed  success.  His  ranch 
of  four  hundred  and  forty  acres  is  under  a 
good  state  of  cultivation,  and  with  its  many 
valuable  improvements  is  now  one  of  the  most 
attractive  and  desirable  in  the  neighborhood, 
being  a  credit  to  his  energy'  and  good  man- 
agement. He  carries  on  general  farming, 
raising  fruit,  grain  and  stock,  in  each  branch 
being  successful. 

In  1871  Mr.  Mcintosh  married  Romana 
Murillo,  who  was  born  in  Lower  California,  a 
daughter  of  Leandro  Murillo,  a  native  of 
!\lexico,  and  into  their  household  seven  chil- 
dren have  been  born,  namely :  Daniel,  Jr.,  liv- 
ing on  the  home  ranch ;  Alexander,  a  mer- 
chant in  Santa  Ysabel ;  Rose,  wife  of  J.  E. 
Bachelor,  of  Ramona ;  Louisa,  wife  of  H.  C. 
Doll,  of  Kern  county ;  Mary,  at  home,  and 
two  sons,  deceased,  Joseph  at  sixteen  years 
and  Andrew  at  six  months.  Politically  Mr. 
Mcintosh  is  a  stanch  advocate  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Republican  party.  Mrs.  Alcln- 
tosh  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church,  but 
Mr.  Mcintosh  is  not  connected  with  any  re- 
ligious organization  by  membership,  although 
he  was  reared  a  Presbyterian,  both  of  his  par- 
ents belonging  to  that  denomination. 


JA:\IES  a.  GARRISON.  Noteworthy  among 
the  esteemed  residents  of  Rivera  and  its  most 
prominent  business  men  is  James  A.  Garrison, 
a  leading  contractor  and  builder,  who  has  con- 
tributed largely  toward  making  the  town  of  his 
adoption  a  desirable  place  of  residence,  both  from 
a  social  and  from^a  financial  point  of  view.  A 
native  of  New  York,  he  was  born  December  14. 


1558 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1842,  in  Yates  county.  His  father,  Stephen 
Garrison,  was  born  in  Westchester  county,  N. 
Y.,  but  after  his  mariage  settled  in  Bellona,  Yates 
county,  where  he  carried  on  a  good  business  as  a 
carriage  manufacturer  until  his  death,  at  the  age 
of  sixty-three  years.  His  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Eleanor  Brown,  survived  him,  passing 
away  at  the  venerable  age  of  eighty-three  years. 

The  youngest  child  and  only  son  in  a  family 
of  five  children,  James  A.  Garrison  grew  to  man's 
estate  in  Bellona,  and  there  learned  the  trades 
of  carriage  maker  and  contractor  and  builder, 
becoming-  familiar  with  the  details.  He  followed 
the  carriage  maker's  trade  in  Geneva,  N.  Y. ; 
after  learning  the  details  from  his  father,  and 
when  twenty-two  years  of  age  learned  the  car- 
penter's trade  in  Bellona  from  a  New  York  City 
contractor.  He  followed  this  trade  around  Yates 
and  Ontario  counties  until  1887,  when  he  came 
to  the  present  site  of  Rivera,  Cal.,  to  fill  a 
contract  for  a  man  who  had  purchased  a  ranch 
in  the  vicinity  and  was  so  pleased  with  the 
country  that  he  has  never  had  any  desire  to 
return  to  the  east.  He  has  followed  his  trade 
all  over  Southern  California  and  has  met  with 
his  share  of  success  and  patronage.  He  erected 
his  home  in  Rivera,  two  years  after  coming  to 
the  state.  He  now  controls  a  large  part  of 
the  building  trade  around  Rivera,  he  and  his 
son,  the  junior  partner  of  the  firm,  employing 
many  men  in  filling  their  large  contracts  for 
building  and  plumbing,  their  business  being  ex- 
tensive and'  lucrative.  Mr.  Garrison  has  also 
other  financial  interests,  being  agent  for  the  Aer- 
motor  company,  of  Chicago,  111. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  in  1863,  Mr. 
Garrison  married  Sarah  E.  Dickinson,  a  native 
of  New  York,  being  born  in  Starkey  in  1846, 
and  they  have  one  child  living,  Frank  James 
Garrison,  of  whom  a  sketch  will  be  found  else- 
where; one  son,  Fred,  died  aged  nine  months. 
Politically  Mr.  Garrison  is  a  Democrat,  and  fra- 
ternallv  he  is  a  member  of  Downev  Lodge,  No. 
220,  F.  &  A.  M. 


AUGUST  PENKERT.  The  predominating 
characteristics  of  the  Teutonic  race  are  pos- 
sessed in  large  degree  by  Mr.  Penkert,  as  is 
evidenced  in  the  care  which  he  displays  in 
the  cultivation  of  his  ranch  in  Los  Angeles 
county,  not  far  from  the  city  of  that  name. 
Altogether  he  owns  twenty-five  acres,  all  of  which 
is  in  alfalfa,  a  commodity  which  grows  with  ex- 
ceptional rapidity  and  luxuriance  under  right  con- 
ditions, and  these  ]\Ir.  Penkert  possesses,  for  bv 
means  of  the  pumping  plant  which  is  located  on 
his  ranch  he  is  enabled  to  thoroughly  irrigate  the 
land,  and  as  a  result  harvests  a  crop  which  aver- 
ages from  eight  tn  ten  tons  per  acre. 


Born  in  Germany,  October  16,  1858,  August 
Penkert  is  a  son  of  Jeremiah  and  Annie  (Han- 
nel)  Penkert,  who  were  also  natives  of  the 
Fatherland,  and  there  died  when  their  son  was 
too  young  to  realize  his  loss.  Besides  himself 
there  were  two  daughters  in  the  family,  but  only 
one  of  them  is  now  living,  and  she  also  is  a  resi- 
dent of  California.  Until  he  was  about  twelve 
years  old  August  Penkert  was  reared  in  the  home 
of  an  uncle,  liut  at  that  age  he  set  out  to  make 
his  own  livelihood.  In  the  meantime  he  had  re- 
ceived a  fair  education  in  the  schools  near  his 
uncle's  home  and  upon  leaving  the  school  he  im- 
mediately apprenticed  himself  to  learn  the  brick- 
mason's  trade,  which  he  accomplished  in  three 
years,  and  thereafter  he  followed  the  trade  in  his 
native  country  for  nearly  eight  years.  In  view  of 
the  possibilities  which,  according  to  reports, 
awaited  the  young  man  of  persevering  qualities 
on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic,  work  at  his  trade  be- 
gan to  be  irksome  to  Mr.  Penkert,  and  according- 
ly, when  he  was  just  past  twenty-two  years  of 
age,  he  embarked  for  the  new  world,  sailing  from 
Germany  November  15,  1880,  and  landing  in 
New  York  January  i,  1881.  Before  he  reached 
his  destination,  however,  he  was  shipwrecked  and 
lost  everything  he  had  brought  with  him,  even  his 
ticket,  but  in  some  way  he  was  able  to  prove  that 
his  passage  had  been  paid  as  far  as  Pittsburg,  Pa., 
and  transportation  was  furnished  him  to  that  city 
soon  after  anchoring  in  New  York  harbor.  For 
many  weeks  after  reaching  his  destination  he  was 
unable  to  work  on  account  of  illness.  He  worked 
in  the  rolling  mills  of  that  city  for  a  time,  going 
from  there  to  Chicago,  111.,  where  he  obtained 
work  in  a  pipe  factory,  and  later  in  the  same  year, 
1881,  removed  still  further  west,  going  to  Mis- 
souri, where  he  resumed  work  at  his  trade.  In 
Nodaway  county,  that  state,  he  was  employed  at 
his  trade  in  the  erection  of  a  large  Catholic 
church.  Later  he  worked  on  a  farm  in  that  lo- 
cality, and  still  later  removed  to  St.  Joseph,  at 
once  taking  up  work  at  his  trade.  The  desire  to 
get  still  further  west  was  at  last  gratified  when 
before  the  close  of  1883  he  had  located  in  Por-t- 
land.  Ore.,  where  for  one  year  he  was  emploved 
in  the  harvest  fields.  The  following  year,  1884, 
he  came  to  Los  Angeles,  where  for  three  years  he 
was  in  the  employ  of  the  Oregon  Lumber  Com- 
pany, of  whose  plant  he  was  foreman.  A  desire 
to  become  a  land  owner  led  to  the  relinquishment 
of  this  position  and  resulted  in  the  purchase  of 
five  acres  near  Los  Angeles,  and  is  a  part  of  the 
ranch  which  he  now  occupies.  As  his  means 
would  permit  he  purchased  adjoining  land  until 
he  now  has  twenty-five  acres,  all  of  which  is  cul- 
tivated to  the  very  best  advantage.  He  erected 
his  own  residence  and  otherwise  added  such  im- 
provements as  are  usually  found  upon  a  well- 
regulated  ranch. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1559 


In  1893  Mr.  Penkert  was  married  to  Miss 
Annie  Koppe,  like  himself  a  native  of  Germany, 
and  of  their  marriage  five  children  have  been 
born,  Albert,  August,  Annie,  Theodore  and  Wil- 
lie. The  family  are  communicants  of  the  Catho- 
lic Church,  in  which  faith  the  parents  had  been 
trained  from  earliest  years.  Mr.  Penkert  is  a 
member  of  the  St.  Joseph  Society  of  his  parish 
church  in  Los  Angeles.  In  his  political  leanings 
he  is  a  Democrat. 


FREDERIC  AGGEN.  It  is  an  undisputed 
fact  that  of  all  the  foreign  born  citizens  of 
the  United  States  those  who  come  from  the 
Fatherland  possess  in  a  greater  degree  than  all 
others  the  thrift  and  fixedness  of  purpose  for 
which  the  Germans  as  a  nation  are  noted. 
Transplanting  from  one  soil  to  another  in  no 
way  weakens  these  prime  characteristics,  but 
rather  enlarges  their  growth  and  usefulness,  to 
the  end  that  wherever  the  German  citizen  may 
go  he  inculcates  in  the  less  ambitious  a  desire 
to  get  ahead  in  the  world.  The  qualities  above 
mentioned  are  not  lacking  in  the  make-up  of 
Frederic  Aggen,  but  on  the  other  hand  were  his 
chief  asset  when,  at  the  age  of  twenty  years,  he 
landed  a  stranger  upon  the  shores  of  the  New 
World  in  1869. 

Born  December  24,  1848,  in  the  northern  part 
of  Germany,  Frederic  Aggen  is  a  son  of  Gerhard 
and  Abbie  (Johnson)  Aggen,  both  of  whom  were 
also  born  in  the  Fatherland.  Influenced  no 
doubt  by  the  fact  that  their  son  Frederic  had 
come  to  this  country  two  years  previously  the 
year  1871  found  the  parents  in  Iowa,  where 
the  father  became  the  owner  of  a  farm.  After 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  spent  in  that  lo- 
cality his  earth  life  was  brought  to  a  close  by 
his  death  in  1895,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six 
years  and  fifteen  days.  His  wife  had  preceded 
him  by  a  number  of  years,  dying  in  1888,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-six  years,  one  month  and 
sixteen  days.  The  only  child  of  their  union  be- 
sides Frederic,  Hinrich,  also  died  on  his  Iowa 
farm.  In  their  religious  belief  the  parents  were 
members  of  the  German  Lutheran  Church. 

After  landing  in  New  York  City  Frederic 
Aggen  lost  no  time  in  making  his  way  to  Illi- 
nois, where  for  about  two  years  he  worked  as 
a  farm  hand,  at  the  same  time,  as  opportunity 
offered,  continuing  the  studies  in  which  he  had 
gained  a  good  headway  before  leaving  his  na- 
tive land.  Going  to  Iowa  two  years  later  he 
worked  on  his  father's  farm  for  a  time,  but  in 
1873  purchased  a  farm  and  made  his  home 
there  until  1895.  the  year  of  his  advent  in  Cali- 
fornia. Previous  to  locating  here  permanently, 
however,  he  had  satisfied  himself  as  to  the  ad- 
visability of  taking  up  his  abode  here  by  visit- 


ing the  west  and  judging  for  himself  of  its 
merits  and  demerits.  The  fact  that  before  leav- 
ing for  his  Iowa  home  he  had  invested  in  a 
ranch  speaks  louder  than  can  words  of  his  opin- 
ion of  the  west  in  general,  and  of  \'entura  coun- 
tv  in  particular.  To  his  original  purchase  of 
eighty-four  acres  in  1894  he  added  adjoining 
acreage  in  1901,  and  now  has  altogether  one 
hundred  and  twenty-six  acres  devoted  to  lima 
beans,  which  produce  abundant  crops,  yielding 
up  to  twenty-three  sacks  to  the  acre.  He  still 
owns  his  farm  in  Cass  county,  Iowa,  which  coniT 
prises  one  hundred   and  twenty  acres. 

While  a  resident  of  Iowa,  in  1878,  Mr.  Ag- 
gen was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mar- 
gret  Qianey,  a  native  of  Ohio.  The  four  chil- 
dren who  have  been  born  to  them  are  as  fol- 
lows:  Frederic  M.,  at  home:  May,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Frank  Reed  and  resides  at  Somis ; 
Amie  and  Charlie,  both  of  whom  are  at  home 
with  their  parents.  The  family  hold  member- 
ship in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Somis. 
Politically  Mr.  Aggen  is  a  Republican,  and 
while  in  Iowa  served  his  party  three  terms  as 
township  clerk,  and  since  his  residence  in  Ven- 
tura county  has  been  school  trustee  and  clerk 
of  the  board  for  six  years.  Personally  Mr.  Ag- 
gen is  a  genial,  companionable  man,  who  has  a 
host  of  warm  friends  and  associates  in  and 
around  Somis,  and  one  whose  life  has  been  such 
as  to  win  for  him  the  confidence  of  all. 


JOHN  E.  SHANNON.  One  of  the  best- 
known  citizens  of  Arroyo  Grande  is  John  E. 
Shannon,  a  fine  gentleman  to  meet  and  one 
who  is  noted  for  his  sterling  qualities  of  char- 
acter. He  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  growth  of 
San  Luis  Obispo  beach  property  in  value  and 
always  stands  ready  to  invest  his  means  in  en- 
terprises which  are  organized  for  the  promo- 
tion of  this  section  of  the  state.  He  makes  his 
home  on  a  seventeen-acre  ranch  ^vhich  he  owns 
and  which  is  devoted  to  the  cultivation  of 
vegetables,  strawberries,  dew  berries,  logan 
berries,  etc.  Mr.  Shannon  was  born  in  Pike 
county.  Pa.,  January  5,  1849,  his  father,  Will- 
iam Shannon  being  also  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  died  at  the  age  of  fifty  years. 
His  mother,  Betsy  Everets  before  her  mar- 
riage, was  born  in  New  Jersey,  and  was  sixty 
years  old  at  the  time  of  her  death.  Tliere 
were  nine  children  in  the  family  of  which 
the  subject  of  this  sketcli  was  a  member.  He 
received  his  education  through  the  medium 
of  the  public  schools  of  Pike  county  and  when 
lie  grew  to  manhood  decided  to  follow  rail- 
roading as  an  occupation.  In  carrying  out  this 
decision  he  worked  as  a  brakeman,  fireman, 
eno-incer    and    conductor    in    the    seven    vears 


1560 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


wliich  he  spent  in  service  on  the  New  York  & 
Erie  Railroad.  He  was  then  seized  with  the 
ambition  to  go  west  and  take  advantage  of 
some  of  the  golden  opportunities  which  the 
states  on  this  side  of  the  Rocky  mountains 
hold  out  to  industrious,  wide  awake  young 
men.  Arriving  at  Reno,  Nev.,  when  that 
town  was  in  its  infancy,  he  engaged  in  the 
restaurant  business,  following  this  for  four- 
teen years.  The  nature  of  this  business  is  such 
that  'a  man  who  engages  in  it  becomes  ac- 
quainted with  a  very  large  circle  of  people,  and 
there  are  few  of  the  old  timers  at  Reno,  or  in 
fact  in  the  state  of  Nevada,  who  do  not  remem- 
ber Mr.  Shannon  and  speak  well  of  him.  In 
1893  he  sold  out  his  business  at  Reno  and 
came  further  west  into  California,  his  objective 
point  being  Arroyo  Grande,  and  here  he  has 
since  been  engaged  in  ranching  and  the  real- 
estate  business,  as  well  as  in  money  lending, 
for  he  accumulated  a  large  fortune  while  at 
Reno,  and  being  possessed  of  that  rare  abil- 
ity to  take  care  of  money  as  well  as  to  make 
it,  he  now  has  an  independent  fortune.  Be- 
sides having  considerable  property  at  Oceano 
Beach  he  also  o^vns  town  lots  and  business 
property  at  Pismo.  upon  which  he  is  erecting 
several  cottages  and  business  blocks.  His  pol- 
itical belief  is  represented  by  the  platform  of 
the  Republican  party,  which  he  gives  his 
hearty  support. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Shannon  occurred  in 
1879.  uniting  him  with  ^liss  Catherine  Bren- 
nan,  who  was  born  in  Canada,  and  one  son  was 
born  to  them,  John.  They  have  also  an  adopt- 
ed son,  Lester  Leivre.  Mrs.  Shannon  is  a 
member  of  the  Catholic  Church  and  ;\Ir.  Shan- 
non's religious  affiliations  are  with  the  Baptist 
denomination. 


HYPOLITE  ESCALLIER.  One  of  the  old- 
est pioneers  in  Riverside  county,  Hypolite  Es- 
callier  is  now  located  on  a  forty-acre  ranch  one 
mile  south  of  Temecula,  where  he  raises  grain 
and  potato  crops.  He  is  also  well  known  as  the 
mail  carrier  between  Temecula  and  Warner's 
ranch,  having  held  the  contract  for  this  route 
during  the  past  eight  years  and  has  just  re- 
newed it  for  an  additional  term  of  four  years. 
He  was  born  January  22,  1855,  in  Hautes-Alpes, 
France,  the  son  of  Hypolite  and  Annie  Rena 
Escallier,  both  natives  of  that  country  and  now 
deceased.  After  securing  a  common  school  ed- 
ucation in  his  native  land  ]\Ir.  Escallier  immi- 
grated to  the  LTnited  States  in  1872,  arriving  at 
the  port  of  New  York  and  coming  from  there 
directly  to  San  Francisco.  Spending  a  few 
months  in  the  last-named  city  he  came  by  boat  to 
Los    Angeles,    where    he     remained     for    three 


years,  later  removing  to  Long  Pine,  then  to 
Bakersfield,  returned  to  Los  Angeles,  and  in 
1876  removed  to  Temecula.  After  staying  here 
a  short  time  he  went  to  Old  Mexico  and  re- 
mained for  two  years.  At  the  expiration  of  this 
time  he  again  took  up  his  residence  in  Temecula 
and  has  since  made  this  his  home. 

Mr.  Escallier 's  marriage,  which  occurred  in 
Temecula.  in  Februarv,  1881,  united  him  with 
]\Iarie  Cabaco,  and  they  have  become -the  par- 
ents of  six  children,  namely :  Brigela,  Ellen, 
Matilda,  Louisa,  Hypolite,  Jr.,  and  Arthur. 
They  are  attendants  of  the  Catholic  Church  and 
exert  their  influence  toward  the  upbuilding  of  the 
community  in  which  they  reside.  By  his  honest 
dealings  and  integrity  of  character  Mr.  Escallier 
has  won  the  highest  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact  and  has  a  host  of  friends  in 
Riverside  county,  where  he  has  resided  so  many 
vears. 


JOHN  T^IAHAN.  Few  of  the  men  now  liv- 
ing in  Camarillo  have  been  identified  with  the 
history  of  California  for  a  longer  period  than 
has  Mr.  J\Iahan.  He  was  one  of  the  '49ers 
who  cast  in  their  lot  with  the  unknown  west 
at  the  time  of  the  discovery  of  gold  here,  and 
has  since  made  his  home  in  the  state.  The 
wonderful  improvements  that  have  brought 
this  state  to  a  foremost  position  among  the 
great  commonwealths  of  America  he  has  wit- 
nessed and  aided,  and  he  deservedly  occupies 
a  position  among  the  public-spirited  pioneers 
to  whose  self-sacrificing  efforts  the  organiza- 
tion and  development  of  the  state  may  be  at- 
tributed. Although  he  was  only  about  twenty- 
two  years  old  at  the  time  he  came  to  the  state 
he  had  spent  a  number  of  j-ears  on  the  ocean 
in  the  employ  of  trading  vessels,  and  partici- 
pated in  the  Mexican  war,  and  the  trip  across 
the  plains  in  1849  was  made  as  an  employe 
of  the  government,  as  driver  of  a  team  in  a 
train  bound  for  Oregon  City.  The  sailing  ves- 
sel which  brought  him  from  Astoria  to  San 
Francisco  was  six  weeks  in  making  the  voj'- 
age,  landing  its  passengers  in  the  latter  city 
November  16,  1S49. 

As  the  name  would  indicate,  ^Nlr.  !Mahan 
comes  of  Irish  antecedents.  Both  of  his  par- 
ents, Wilham  and  Helen  (Driscoll)  Mahan, 
were  born  in  the  Emerald  Isle,  but  while  the}' 
were  still  voung  they  came  to  the  United 
States,  and  made  settlement  in  New  York 
state.  There  they  both  died,  the  father  at  the 
early  age  of  forty-five.  Besides  John  they  had 
one  daughter,  IMary,  who  still  makes  her  home 
in  the  Empire  state.  Born  in  ]\Iadison  county. 
N.  Y.,  July  5,  1827,  John  Mahan  was  educated 
in  the  temple  of  learning  known  as  the  sub- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1563 


scription  school.  Just  what  his  reasons  were 
for  leaving  home  are  not  stated,  but  it  is 
known  that  he  went  to  New  York  City  when 
thirteen  years  of  age  Avith  the  intention  of 
going  to  sea.  He  first  shipped  on  a  whaling 
vessel  bound  for  New  Bedford,  Alass.,  and 
when  the  harbor  was  reached  left  the  crew 
and  went  to  Providence,  R.  I.  From  the  lat- 
ter port  he  sailed  as  one  of  the  crew  on  a 
small  trading  sloop,  following  the  sea  in  all 
about  five  years  in  this  capacity.  As  surf 
boatman  he  next  was  in  the  employ  of  the 
United  States  during  the  Mexican  war,  serv- 
ing throughout  the  entire  conflict,  and  receiv- 
ing his  discharge  in  1848,  at  St.  Louis,  i\Io. 
Immediately  thereafter,  in  1849,  he  drove  a 
team  across  the  plains  for  the  government, 
and  upon  reaching  his  destination,  Oregon 
City,  made  his  way  to  Southern  California. 
From  San  Francisco  he  went  to  the  mines  in 
the  vicinity  of  Sacramento,  but  after  three 
years  of  rather  uncertain  and  varying  success 
he  established  a  store  on  Feather  river  which 
he  ran  successfully  until  1855.  During  this 
time  he  had  noted  the  success  of  agriculturists 
and  wished  to  try  his  luck  as  a  tiller  of  the 
soil.  His  first  experience  was  in  Yuba  county 
on  Honcut  creek,  where  he  conducted  a  ranch 
for  two  years,  afterward  going  to  Sonoma 
county  and  carrying  on  a  ranch  for  eleven 
}"ears.  His  advent  nito  V^entura  county  dates 
from  the  year  1868,  at  which  time  he  took  a 
patent  from  the  government  for  eighty  acres 
of  land,  but  as  it  proved  to  be  a  Mexican  grant 
he  finally  lost  the  land  as  well  as  the  improve- 
ments which  he  had  placed  upon  it.  The  one- 
hundred-acre  ranch  upon  which  he  now  re- 
sides was  purchased  in  1882,  and  the  years 
which  have  intervened  have  proven  the  value 
of  his  previous  experiences,  all  of  which  have 
tended  to  make  him  the  all-around  agricultur- 
ist which  he  is  to-day.  Aside  from  eighteen 
acres  devoted  to  walnuts,  the  entire  ranch  is 
m  beans,  hay  and  barley,  the  harvests  from 
which  bring  him  in  handsome  returns  annu- 
ally. 

in  1853  Mr.  Mahan  was  married  to  Rebecca 
Blakeley,  who  was  born  in  IMissouri,  and  of 
the  eight  children  born  to  them  we  mention 
the  following:  W.  S.,  the  eldest  child,  mar- 
ried Emma  Sisson,  and  they  make  their  home 
in  Santa  Paula;  George  F.  married  Maggie 
Johnson,  but  both  are  now  deceased;  Sterling 
"p.  is  married  and  makes  his  home  in  Lbs  An- 
geles;  Eva,  the  wife  of  Horace  Crinklaw,  also 
lives  in  Los  Angeles ;  Henry  L.  married  Miss 
Nettie  Benn.  and  they  reside  in  the  Simi  val- 
ley;  Miles  O.,  a  miner,  is  married  and  resides 
in'  Colorado;  and  Grace  and  Rolley,  the  two 
voungest,    complete    the   family.      In    religious 


belief  the  family  are  Baptists,' the  parents  and 
the  children  at  home  attending  the  church  of 
that  denomination  at  Camarillo.  Although 
nominally  a  Democrat  Mr.  Mahan  votes  ac- 
cording to  his  conscience,  under  all  circum- 
stances voting  for  the  man  of  highest  prin- 
ciples. He  himself  is  a  man  of  undoubted 
worth  in  his  community,  and  as  school  trustee 
and  a  member  of  the  Farmers'  Grange  has 
rendered  valuable  assistance. 


GEORGE  W.  PECK,  M.  D.  One  of  the  most 
prominent  and  successful  physicians  of  Saw- 
telle  is  Dr.  George  W.  Peck,  who  although  he 
has  been  in  Sawtelle  but  two  years,  has  in  that 
time  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative  practice.  He 
is  a  native  of  Cedarville,  N.  J.,  and  was  born 
March  8,  1841,  His  father.  Rev.  Simon  Peck, 
was  born  in  New  Hampshire,  being  a  descendant 
of  those  Huguenots  who  landed  on  the  New 
England  coast  in  1636.  He  received  his  edu- 
cation at  Princeton  College,  and  spent  his  en- 
tire life  in  the  Presbyterian  ministry  in  New 
York,  Ohio  and  Nebraska,  and  his  death  re- 
moved a  faithful  and  well  beloved  man.  He 
married  Christina  HoUinghead,  who  was  born 
in  Princeton,  N.  J.,  a  direct  descendant  of  Will- 
iam Wright,  who  served  in  the  Revolutionary 
war  under  George  Washington  and  was  one  of 
those  who  kept  up  the  decoy  fires  on  that  mem- 
orable night  when  Washington  crossed  the  Dela- 
ware and  made  the  attack  upon  the  British.  His 
service  extended  over  a  period  of  seven  years. 

It  was  in  Findlay,  Hancock  county,  Ohio,  that 
Dr.  Peck  spent  his  childhood  days,  and  after 
preliminary  school  work  he  entered  Rush  ]Medi- 
cal  College  at  Chicago  in  1885,  graduating  in 
1890.  After  securing  his  medical  degree  he 
went  to  Omaha  and  practiced  his  profession  for 
ten  years,  and  was  an  influential  member  of  the 
Medical  Society  of  that  city.  Seeking  a  more 
genial  climate  he  came  to  California,  arriving  in 
Los  Angeles  on  May  21,  1900.  After  spending 
two  weeks  there  he  went  north  and  located  in 
the  San  Joaquin  valley,  practicing  medicine  be- 
tween Fresno  and  Merced  for  three  years.  Later 
he  traveled  over  the  greater  part  of  the  state 
in  his  endeavor  to  find  the  most  favorable  cli- 
mate, spending  a  part  of  one  year  in  Petaluma, 
Santa  Rosa  and  Sebastopol,  all  in  Sonoma  coun- 
ty :  taking  all  things  into  consideration  he  chose 
Sawtelle  as  the  most  desirable  place.  He  arrived 
here  April  21,  1904,  and  after  purchasing  prop- 
erty opened  an  office  for  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession and  rapidly  built  up  a  large  and  lucra- 
tive practice.  He  is  health  officer  of  Sawtelle, 
is  a  member  of  the  California  State  Medical 
Societv,   the   Los   Angeles   County   Medical   As- 


1564 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


sociation,    and    the    American    Medical    Associa- 
tion. 

During  the  Civil  war  Dr.  Peck  served  eleven 
months  in  Company  A,  First  Nebraska  Cavalry. 
He  is  an  active  member  of  the  First  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  of  Sawtelle  and  president  of 
the  board  of  trustees  and  he  stands  for  all  the 
best  and  highest  interests  of  society,  be  they 
of  a  social  or  a  financial  character.  His  wife, 
a  native  of  New  York  state,  is  also  an  active 
rriember  of  the   Methodist   Episcopal   Church. 


WALTER  LOUIS  DA\'ENPORT.  Con- 
spicuous among  the  energetic  and  enterprising 
men  who  are  active  assistants  in  advancing  the 
manufacturing  and  shipping  interests  of  Los  .\n- 
geles  county  is  \\^alter  Louis  Davenport,  of  San 
Pedro,  secretary  of  the  Lumber  Surveyors'  As- 
sociation of  Southern  California.  A  native  of 
California,  he  was  born,  October  20,  1867,  in 
Soquel,  Santa  Cruz  county.  He  comes  of  sturdy 
New  England  ancestry,  distinguished  alike  for 
their  morality,  intelligence  and  industry,  his 
father,  J.  P.  Davenport,  having  been  born  and 
brought  up  in  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  a  descend- 
ant of  one  of  the  earlier  settlers  of  that  part  of 
the  country. 

At  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  J.  P.  Daven- 
port began  his  career  as  a  sailor,  going  on  a 
whaling  trip.  Continuing  his  chosen  occupa- 
tion, he  was  promoted  from  rank  to  rank,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-three  years  being  master  of  a  ves- 
sel. Putting  in  at  San  Francisco  in  1849,  when 
the  gold  excitement  was  at  its  height,  he  im- 
mediately engaged  in  whaling,  meeting  with  such 
success  that  he  went  back  to  the  Atlantic  coast 
for  his  family,  returning  with  them  to  ]\Ion- 
terey  in  1852.  Soon  afterwards  he  bought  the 
schooner  Caroline  E.  Foot,  and  for  many  years 
was  employed  in  whaling  along  the  Pacific 
coa.st.  Giving  up  seafaring  pursuits,  he  built 
a  wharf  at  Davenport's  landing,  fifteen  miles 
north  of  Santa  Cruz,  where  he  subsequently  set- 
tled, Vv'hile  living  there  ser\'ing  as  justice  of  the 
peace.  His  last  days  were  spent  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, his  death  occurring  in  tliat  city  when  he 
was  seventy-four  years  of  age.  His  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Ellen  Clark  Smith,  was  bom 
at  Fairhavgn,  Mass.,  and  is  now  a  resident  of 
San  Francisco.  Of  the  ten  children  born  of 
their  union,  five  are  living. 

The  sixth  child  of  the  parental  household, 
Walter  Louis  Davenport  received  a  practical  ed- 
ucation in  the  public  schools  of  Santa  Cruz. 
Beginning  life  for  himself  at  the  age  of  six- 
teen, he  was  for  a  number  of  years  employed  in 
a  sawmill  at  Aptos,  Santa  Cruz  county.  Going 
from  there  to  San  Francisco,  he  became  clerk  for 
Polk   &   Talbot,   of   the    Pacific    Pine   Company, 


a  position  that  he  retained  about  twelve  years. 
Coming  to  San  Pedro  for  a  visit  in  1903,  his 
services  were  very  shortly  called  into  requisi- 
tion on  account  of  a  lack  of  inspectors  in  the 
Lumber  Surve_yors"  Association,  which  he  glad- 
ly assisted  for  awhile  before  beginning  his  visit. 
Deciding  subsequently  to  locate  permanently  in 
this  city,  he  was  made  a  member  of  the  Lumber 
Surveyors'  Association  of  Southern  California 
in  September,  1903,  and  in  January,  1904,  he 
was  elected  to  his  present  responsible  position 
as  its  secretary,  and  in  addition  to  faithfully  per- 
forming his  varied  dutes  in  this  capacity  he  is 
agent  for  the  association  at  East  San  Pedro. 

March  26,  1902,  at  Valle  Vista,  Riverside 
county,  Mr.  Davenport  married  ]\Iaude  Saun- 
ders, who  was  born  in  Mendocino  county,  Cal. 
Amasa  Saunders,  her  father,  who  was  born  and 
reared  in  Dedham,  jMe.,  came  to  California  in 
1852,  and  for  a  number  of  years  was  engaged 
in  lumbering,  first  in  ^lendocino  county,  and 
then  in  Riverside  county.  Subsequently  turning 
his  attention  to  horticultural  pursuits,  he  pur- 
chased a  large  orange  grove  at  Valle  Vista, 
where  he  was  employed  in  fruit  growing  until 
his  death.  He  married  Jane  Phillips,  who  came 
to  California  in  1858,  and  now  resides  in  San 
Pedro,  making  her  home  with  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Davenport.  Mrs.  Davenport  has  inherited  a 
part  of  the  Saunders  ranch  at  Valle  Vista,  where 
she  has  a  fine  bearing  orange  grove  of  forty 
acres.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davenport  have  one  child, 
John  Lloyd.  Politically  Mr.  Davenport  is  a 
Republican,  and  fraternallv  he  belongs  to  Santa 
Cruz  Parlor  No.  90,  N.  S.  G.  W.  ''He  attends 
the  Congregational  Church,  of  which  his  wife 
is  a  member. 


THEODORE  G.  SCHULZE.  A  wide-awake, 
active  business  man,  ever  ready  to  take  advan- 
tage of  favorable  opportunities  for  advancing 
his  financial  interests.  T.  G.  Schulze  is  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  important  industries  of 
Los  Angeles  county,  being  a  member  of  the 
Long  Beach  Realty  Company.  A  native  of 
Texas,  he  was  born  in  April,  1859.  '"  Freestone 
county,  coming  from  excellent  German  ancestry. 
His  parents,  Hardwick  and  Caroline  Schulze, 
emigrated  from  Germany  to  the  LTnited  States 
soon  after  their  marriage  and  located  in  Texas, 
where  he  followed  his  trade  of  butcher  for  many 
years.  He  died  of  yellow  fever,  in  Houston, 
Tex.,  in  1867,  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-two 
years,  and  she  survives  him,  being  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

Having  completed  his  earlv  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  Texas.  T.  G.  Schulze  left 
hom.e  when  fifteen  years  old.  becoming  an  ap- 
prentice at  the  butcher's  trade,  which  he  after- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1565 


wards  followed  four  years.  Learning  then  the 
blacksmith's  trade,  he  was  engaged  in  black- 
smithing  in  Texas  until  his  removal  to  Cali- 
fornia. Coming  to  Los  Angeles  county  in  1887 
he  located  at  Whittier  on  July  9,  and  there  fol- 
lowed his  trade  for  two  years.  He  was  simi- 
larly employed  the  succeeding  two  years  in  Los 
Angeles,  after  which  he  settled  in  San  Pedro, 
where  he  lived  eight  years,  carrying  on  general 
blacksmithing,  including  a  good  deal  of  ship 
work.  His  health  failing,  he  established  himself 
as  a  butcher  at  Oceanside,  San  Diego  county, 
where  he  built  up  a  prosperous  business.  Jan- 
uary I,  1903,  he  purchased  the  interests  of  the 
Long  IBeach  Ice  Company,  at  Long  Beach,  and 
for  nearly  three  years  carried  on  a  substantial 
business  as  a  dealer  in  ice,  also  in  ice  cream  and 
soda  water,  his  manufacturing  plant  being  lo- 
cated at  No.  121  West  First  street,  and  in  this 
branch  of  industry  he  met  with  excellent  suc- 
cess. On  November  i,  1905,  he  disposed  of  his 
interests  in  these  various  lines  of  business  and 
assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  Long  Ileach 
Realty  Company,  and  in  this  connection  is  doing 
a  general  real  estate  business. 

On  April  10,  1889,  in  Houston,  Tex.,  Mr. 
Schulze  married  Grace  Davidson,  a  daughter  of 
L.  P.  and  Caroline  Davidson,  of  Louisiana. 
]\Ir.  Davidson  died  m  1888,  at  the  age  of  forty- 
seven  years,  and  Mrs.  Davidson  now  lives  in 
Texas.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schulze  have  one  child, 
Laclair  Schulze.  Politically  Mr.  Schulze  sup- 
ports the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party  by 
voice  and  vote.  He  takes  great  interest  in  pub- 
lic affairs,  and  while  in  San  Pedro  served  for  one 
term  as  town  trustee.  Fraternally  he  belongs  to 
Long  Beach  Lodge  No.  327,  F'.  &  A.  M. ;  to 
San  Pedro  Lodge  No.  348,  I.  O.  O.  F. ;  to  Long 
Beach  Lodge  No.  888,  B.  P.  O.  E. :  to  San  Pedro 
Lodge  No.  126.  K.  of  P.;  and  to  Court  Occi- 
dent No.  467,  I.  O.  F. 


ALEXANDER  McKIE.  Among  the  active 
and  progressive  agriculturists  of  Los  Angeles 
county  is  Alexander  McKie,  who  has  met  with 
no  mean  measure  of  success  in  his  independent 
calling.  His  home  ranch,  lying  near  Talms.  con- 
tains some  fine  farming  land,  and  under  his  in- 
telligent management  has  been  highly  cultivated 
and  improved,  rendering  it  rich  and  productive. 
Of  thrifty  Scotch  stock,  he  was  born  in  Wigton- 
shire,  Scotland,  where  his  parents,  James  and 
Janet  (Hennay)  McKie,  spent  their  entire  lives, 
the  father  dying  in  1885.  The  parents  reared 
five  children,  all  of  whom  are  residents  of  Cal- 
ifornia, namely:  Alexander,  James.  Charles, 
\Mlliam  and  Jane  Grace. 

Reared  by  his  wise  parents  to  habits  of  in- 
dustrv,    economv    and    thrift,    .Alexander    McKie 


assisted  in  the  various  duties  connected  with  the 
management  of  the  little  farm  in  Wigtonshire 
during  the  days  of  his  youth,  obtaining  a  knowl- 
edge and  experience  that  have  since  been  of 
value  to  him.  Immigrating  to  the  United  States, 
he  came  at  once  from  New  York  City  to  Cal- 
ifornia in  search  of  a  favorable  opening.  He 
located  first  as  a  farmer  near  Santa  Monica,  and 
is  still  in  the  bottom  lands.  He  has  a  finely  im- 
proved ranch  of  sixty-one  acres,  which  is  under 
an  excellent  state  of  cultivation  and  is  largely 
devoted  to  the  raising  of  alfalfa,  although  eight 
acres  of  it  are  set  out  to  walnut  trees,  from  which 
he  reaps  a  satisfactory  income  annually. 

Mr.  ^IcKie  married,  in  1895,  Henrietta  Burg- 
witz,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  three  children, 
Lena  Janet,  Alexander  Hennay  and  Grace  Jane. 
Politically  Mr.  McKie  is  a  steadfast  adherent  of 
the  Republican  party,  and  religiously  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  his 
wife  of  the  German  Lutheran. 


H.  W.  ROGERS.  Three  generations  of  the 
Rogers  family  have  lived  and  labored  in  South- 
ern California,  the  subject  of  this  review,  H.  W. 
Rogers,  being  the  only  native  son  of  the  state, 
his  birth  having  occurred  in  Compton,  Los  An- 
geles county,  February  26,  1875.  His  grand- 
father, Sylvester  Rogers,  brought  his  wife. 
Martha,  and  their  son,  Henry,  across  the  plains 
from  Missouri  in  an  early  period  in  the  devel- 
opment of  the  Pacific  coast  country  and  in  South- 
ern California  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
Henry  Rogers  married  Ellen  Watros,  a  native 
of  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  William  S.  and  Har- 
riet B.  Watros,  who  crossed  the  plains  with  ox- 
teams  in  1861,  settling  in  San  Jose,  Cal.,  and 
shortly  aftenvard  locating  in  Southern  Cali- 
fornia. Mrs.  Rogers  died  in  Santa  Monica  in 
1903,  at  the  age  of  forty-two  years,  survived  by 
her  husband,  who  still  makes  his  home  in  Comp- 
ton. 

The  only  child  born  to  his  parents,  H.  W. 
Rogers  spent  the  first  years  of  his  life  in  his 
native  town  of  Compton,  where  he  received  some 
education,  which  was  later  supplemented  by 
study  in  the  public  schools  of  Santa  Monica.  In 
young  manhood  he  decided  to  learn  the  trade 
of  plumber,  and  accordingly  spent  some  time  in 
the  employ  of  J.  S.  Wilson,  now  a  retired  citizen 
of  Santa  Monica.  Upon  the  completion  of  his 
apprenticeship  he  opened  a  shop  for  himself  in 
partnership  with  W.  A.  Penny,  in  Ocean  Park. 
In  1904.  after  three  }ears  in  the  work,  he  pur- 
chased the  interests  of  Mr.  Penny  and  has  since 
continued  in  the  business  alone.  It  can  truly 
be  said  of  him  that  success  has  accompanied  his 
efforts,  for  he  is  widely  recognized  as  one  of  the 
best  workmen  of  his  class,  and  enjoys  not  alone 


1566 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  distinction  of  superior  workmanship,  but  is 
also  held  in  high  esteem  for  the  reliable  business 
traits  which  he  has  always  displayed.  He  has 
done  considerable  work  in  the  best  buildings  of 
the  city,  among  them  the  Casino,  the  Hammel 
building,  the  Alyer  and  Zobelein  building,  and 
others  of  equal  note. 

The  marriage  of  j\lr.  Rogers  occurred  in 
Ocean  Park  and  united  him  with  Mrs.  Lizzie  B. 
(Mitchell)  JNIarvin,  of  Ohio,  and  they  have  since 
established  a  pleasant  and  comfortalDle  home  in 
this  city.  Mr.  Rogers  is  identified  with  the  Re- 
publican party,  and  although  not  desirous  of 
official  recognition,  he  takes  a  deep  interest  in 
the  affairs  of  his  party.  Fraternally  he  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Foresters  of  America  for  twelve 
years  and  is  prominent  in  the  order.  He  is  a 
substantial  and  reliable  citizen  and  holds  a  place 
among  the  successful  citizens  of  Ocean  Park. 


JOSEPH  NEWTON  COVERT.  When  Mr. 
Covert  came  to  Long  Beach  in  1901  he  brought 
with  him  an  experience  of  over  fourteen  years 
in  the  restaurant  business,  this  alone  explaining 
the  phenomenal  success  v.-hich  has  come  to  him 
along  this  line  during  the  past  five  years.  Of 
late,"however,  he  has  given  less  attention  to  this 
and  concentrated  his  efforts  more  closely  upon 
his  real-estate  business,  owning  valuable  prop- 
erty in  Long  Beach,  Los  Angeles,  Newport  and 
Oceantide. 

Born  in  Franklin,  Ind.,  September  13.  1862, 
Joseph  N.  Covert  is  a  son  of  Samuel  H.  Covert, 
born  near  Hopewell,  that  state,  where  he  carried 
on  farming  throughout  his  entire  life,  his  death 
resulting  from  a  fall  from  a  tree.  His  marriage 
was  with  Emily  McCaslin,  also  a  native  of  the 
Hoosier  state,  and  the  daughter  of  Alexander 
McCaslin.  Though  born  in  "Kentucky  Mr.  Mc- 
Caslin was  a  descendant  of  Scotch  ancestors,  and 
was  one  of  the  early  pioneer  settlers  in  Indiana. 
Mrs.  Covert  is  still  living,  and  makes  her  home 
with  her  only  son,  Joseph  N.  Her  other  child, 
Mary  I.,  is  the  wife  of  B.  F.  Crutchfield,  and 
resides  at  Lakeport,  Cal.  Until  he  was  eighteen 
years  old  Joseph  N.  Covert  remained  with  his 
parents  on  the  farm  in  Indiana,  in  the  mean- 
time making  the  most  of  his  opportunities  from 
an  educational  standpoint.  In  his  home  town  of 
Franklin  he  engaged  in  the  picture  business  in 
1880,  the  following  year  transferring  his  busi- 
ness to  North  Vernon,  that  state,  but  owing  to 
the  failure  of  his  eyesight  he  was  obliged  to 
discontinue  this  line  of  work.  It  was  in  the  year 
1884  that  he  took  the  initial  step  into  the  busi- 
ness which  was  to  bring  him  such  remarkable 
success,  and  from  that  time  until  1898  he  fol- 
lowed the  restaurant  business,  in  North  Vernon. 
a  period  of  fourteen  years  and  one  week. 


As  has  been  previously  stated,  it  was  with  this 
experience  that  Mr.  Covert  came  to  Long  Beach 
in  October,  1901.  For  about  one  year,  however, 
he  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business,  but  at 
the  end  of  this  time  purchased  the  Raymijud 
cafe,  Ocean  Front,  and  ran  it  for  nineteen 
months.  In  the  meantime  he  had  leased  the  site 
of  the  Palace  cafe,  which  he  opened,  continuing 
this  until  December,  1903,  when  he  enlarged  its 
capacity  by  the  erection  of  an  addition  demanded 
by  his  large  patronage,  and  at  the  time  he  sold 
out  in  September,  1906,  he  controlled  the  largest 
restaurant  business  in  Long  Beach.  Prior  to 
this  he  had  purchased  the  Pie  lunch  room  and 
is  still  interested  in  it,  although  his  son-in-law, 
Carl  Ransdell,  has  charge  of  the  details  of  man- 
agement. His  own  time  is  given  almost  exclu- 
sively to  his  real  estate  transactions,  which  are 
numerous  and  important,  and  are  confined  en- 
tirely to  property  which  he  himself  owns,  han- 
dling none  for  outsiders. 

While  living  in  North  Vernon,  Ind.,  Mr. 
Covert  was  married  to  Miss  Zoe  Grinstead,  a 
native  of  that  place,  and  two  children  have  been 
born  to  them,  Lucile,  the  wife  of  Carl  Ransdell, 
and  Paul.  In  North  Vernon  Mr.  Covert  was 
made  a  Mason  in  the  local  lodge,  and  since  com- 
ing to  Long  Beach  he  has  transferred  his  mem- 
bership to  Long  Beach  Lodge  No.  286.  Other 
fraternal  orders  also  claim  his  membership, 
among  them  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of 
Elks  and  Knight  of  Pythias,  in  which  latter  he 
has  attained  the  uniformed  rank.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Long 
Beach,  and  politically  is  a  Republican.  Both 
himself  and  wife  have  many  friends  who  re- 
spect them  highly  for  their  many  comniendable 
qualities. 


WALTER  D.  HAMBLETON,  D.  D.  S. 
Prominent  in  professional  circles  is  Walter  D. 
Hambleton,  D.  D.  S.,  who  has  the  distinction  of 
being  the  first  dentist  to  open  an  office  in  Ocean 
Park,  where  he  has  built  up  a  large  and  remun- 
erative practice,  his  natural  talents  and  skill 
being  recognized  and  thoroughly  appreciated  by 
those  who  need,  as  we  all  do  at  some  period  of 
life,  a  judicious  application  of  dental  surgery. 
A  native  of  Iowa,  he  was  born,  July  i,  1875,  in 
Davis  county,  in  the  same  house,  and  in  the  same 
room,  in  which  the  birth  of  his  father.  Elbert  A. 
Hambleton,  occurred.  His  grandfather,  Abra- 
ham Hambleton,  was  a  pioneer  settler  of  Davis 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  became  a  large  property 
owner  and  one  of  its  most  successful  farmers. 
In  1887  Elbert  A.  Hambleton  migrated  with  his 
family  to  the  Pacific  coast,  and  is  now  living,  re- 
tired from  active  pursuits,  in  Modesto,  Cal. 

Coming  with  his  parents  to  California   when 


TiSX.lK^/. 


CUyt^-\^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1569 


a  boy,  Walter  D.  Hambleton  completed  the 
course  of  study  in  the  Modesto  high  school,  after 
which  he  entered  the  dental  department  of  the 
University  of  California,  at  Berkeley,  where  he 
was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1902.  Immedi- 
ately opening  an  office  in  Ocean  Park,  Dr.  Ham- 
bleton began  the  practice  of  his  chosen  profes- 
sion, being  the  first  dentist  to  locate  in  this  vicin- 
ity. The  town  was  then  in  its  infancy,  and  in 
its  upbuilding  and  rapid  growth  he  took  great 
interest,  making  judicious  investments  in  real 
estate.  As  the  population  grew,  the  doctor's 
patronage  increased,  his  success  as  a  dental  sur- 
geon being  assured  from  the  first,  as  was  his 
popularity  in  business  and  social  circles. 

Politically  the  doctor  is  a  loyal  Republican, 
and  fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent 
Protective  Order  of  Elks  of  Santa  Monica. 


HEXRY  L.  :\IcLAIX.  Few  of  the  men 
now  active  in  various  occupations  in  the  west 
have  reason  to  regret  their  decision  in  estab- 
lishing their  homes  in  this  part  of  the  country, 
and  certainly  Mr.  McLain  is  not  among  these 
few  citizens,  for  he  has  achieved  a  steadily  in- 
creasing success  and  has  risen  to  a  position 
of  prominence  as  one  of  the  successful  resi- 
dents of  San  Bernardino  county.  The  occu- 
pation which  he  now  so  successfull}'  follovVs 
differs  from  that  which  engaged  his  attention 
during  the  earlier  years  of  manhood,  for  in  early 
life  he  studied  architecture  and  for  twenty- 
years  he  devoted  himself  exclusively  to  that 
occupation.  As  a  boy  he  had  lived  on  a  farm 
in  Blair  county.  Pa.,  where  he  was  born  July 
ig,  1845;  however,  agriculture  did  not  attract 
him  sufficient!}-  for  him  to  select  it  for  a  life- 
work,  but  instead  he  turned  his  attention  to 
the  study  of  architecture.  After  having  fol- 
lowed this  occupation  about  one-Cjuarter  of  a 
century  he  can-.e  to  California  in  1889  and 
settled  in  Los  Angeles,  but  two  years  later 
removed  to  Highland,  where  since  he  has  made 
Inis  home. 

The  purchase  of  tw';nty  acres  of  the  Lingo 
claim  gave  Mr.  McLain  an  unimpro\-ed  tract 
on  which  to  concentrate  his  labors,  and  here 
be  erected  a  neat  house  and  substantial  barns. 
Ten  acres  of  the  land  he  set  out  in  lemon 
trees  and  for  a  time  devoted  consideration  to 
lemon-culture,  but  the  failure  of  the  water 
sui^ply  obliged  him  to  abandon  the  occupation. 
Meanwhile  he  had  begun  in  the  poultry  busi- 
ness on  a  small  scale  and  gradually  developed 
a  large  plant.  On  his  place  he  has  chicken- 
yards  neatly  fenced  and  a  complete  equipment 
ior  the  care  of  the  fowls.  At  this  writing 
he  has  two  thousand  her.s  of  the  single  white- 
comb  Leghorn  and  barred  Plymoutli  Rock 
74 


varieties,  and  during  the  season  of  1906  he 
shipped  twenty  thousand  eggs  for  setting  pur- 
poses, shipments  being  made  to  the  various 
cities  and  towns  along  the  coast.  On  his  farm 
he  utilizes  incubators  with  a  capacity  of  one 
thousand  eggs  altogether,  which  enables  him 
to  raise  an  enormus  number  of  chickens  each 
season.  Through  careful  attention  to  detail 
and  thoroughness  of  work  he  has  developed 
a  ver}^  profitable  industry  and  gained  a  wide 
reputation  as  a  poultry  fancier. 

In  fraternal  relations  Mr.  McLain  formerly 
took  an  active  part  in  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
but  of  recent  years  he  has  not  been  active  in 
any  order.  Interested  in  politics,  he  always 
has  been  stanch  in  his  allegiance  to  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  Since  1894  he  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Democratic  county  central  committee 
and  since  1900  he  has  filled  the  office  of  road 
overseer,  both  of  which  positions  he  has  filled 
^vith  painstaking  care  and  fidelity.  However, 
partisanship  does  not  appeal  to  him,  for  he  is 
a  citizen  first,  not  a  politician,  and  his  devotion 
to  the  welfare  of  county,  state  and  nation  has 
been  apparent  in  all  of  his  acts.  From  Pitts- 
burg, in  1863  he  enlisted  in  the  Fifth  Penn- 
sylvania Heavy  Artillery,  Company  L.,  and 
was  assigned  to  the  army  of  the  Potomac, 
taking  part  in  its  engagements.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Cornman  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  San  Ben- 
nardino.  Though  not  identified  with  any 
church,  he  contributes  to  religious  activities, 
and  especially  to  the  missionary  enterprises  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  denomination,  with 
which  his  family  holds  membership.  His  wife, 
who  shares  with  him  the  esteem  of  acquaint- 
ances and  the  good-will  of  the  community, 
Avas  Mary  Dunlap  Blood,  a  native  of  England, 
but  from  an  early  age  a  resident  of  Pittsburg, 
Pa.,  where  she  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools.  Their  marriage  was  solemnized  on 
the  4th  of  July,  1869,  and  was  blessed  with  two 
children.  The  daughter,  Mary  Belle,  is  the 
wife  of  E.  L.  Howell  and  resides  in  San  Ber- 
nardino. The  son,  Francis  George,  has  made 
liis  home  in  Redlands  for  several  years  and 
follows  the  trade  of  a  builder,  taking  contracts 
for  tile  erection  of  houses  and  other  buildings. 


D.    ML'Xt; 


rronnnent  among  the 
active  and  enterprising  Inisiness  men  nf  [Nloor- 
park  is  S.  D.  Munger.  'who  in  connection  with, 
his  farming  interests  successfully  managed  the 
Moorpark  hotel,  of  which  he  was  formerly  the 
proprietor.  Industrious  and  energetic  by  nattire, 
possessing  great  business  ability  and  tact,  he  has 
ever  made  the  most  of  his  opportunities,  and  for- 
tune   has    evidently    attended    his    everv    effort. 


1570 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


bringing  him  well  deserved  returns  for  his  labors. 
As  a  general  farmer,  he  uses  excellent  judgment, 
and  as  proprietor  of  the  hotel  was  pleasant,  agree- 
able and  accommodating,  proving  himself  an  ideal 
host,  and  well  worthy  of  the.  extensive  and  lucra- 
tive patronage  which  he  built  up.  A  son  of 
Dexter  Munger,  he  ~\vas  born,  February  8.  i860, 
in  Shiawassee  county,  Mich.,  where  he  received 
his  elementary  education. 

A  native  of  Xew  York  state.  Dexter  Munger 
migrated  from  there  to  Michigan  when  young, 
and  when  the  Civil  war  broke  out  offered  his 
services  to  his  country.  Enlisting  in  a  Michigan 
cavalry,  he  was  in  active  duty  for  four  years, 
taking  part  in  the  many  engagements  in  which 
his  company  participated,  and  at  the  siege  of 
Petersburg  being  severely  wounded.  He  spent 
his  last  days  in  California,  dying  at  the  age  of 
sixty-three  years  in  Santa  Paula.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Grand  Arm_\-  of  the  Republic,  in 
which  he  took  great  interest.  He  married  Jennie 
Hall,  who  was  born  in  Michigan,  and  died  in 
Tennessee,  leaving  two  children. 

But  sixteen  years  old  when  he  came  to  Ven- 
tura county,  S.  D.  Munger  completed  his  early 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Xordhoff.  Go- 
ing then  to  Ojai  valley,  he  followed  ranching 
for  fifteen  years  in  that  locality,  after  which  he 
was  engaged  in  grain  and  fruit  raising  at  Santa 
Alaria  for  ten  years.  The  ensuing  three  years 
he  was  a  resident  of  Riverside  county  and  one  of 
its  prosperous  agriculturists.  Investing  his 
money  then  in  ^Nloorpark  property,  he  bought 
farming  land,  village  lots,  and  the  A'loorpark 
hotel,  and  has  since  been  one  of  the  busiest  and 
most  active  men  of  the  place,  carrying  on  general 
farming  and  managing  the  hotel  until  disposing 
of  the  latter. 

In  1890  Mr.  ]ilunger  married  Julia  Robison, 
a  native  of  Texas,  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
four  children,  namely :  Ruby,  thirteen  years  of 
age ;  Marion,  ten  years  old ;  Claude,  five  years 
of  age;  and  Leon,  two  years  old.  Politicalh'  Mr. 
Munger  gives  his  cordial  support  to  the  Repub- 
lican party;  fraternally  he  belongs  to  Saticoy 
Lodge  No.  1419,  I.  O.  F. ;  and  religiously  he  is 
a  .member  of  the  Christian  Church. 


LOXG  BEACH  BUSINESS  COLLEGE. 
The  Long  Beach  Business  College  is  one  of  col- 
leges owned  by  The  Private  Schools  Company, 
incorporated  in  1905,  of  which  R.  S.  Knudson 
is  president  and  \'.  E.  Nielson  is  secretary.  The 
college  was  founded  and  opened  by  Mr.  Knudson 
on  September  8,  1902.  and  has  grown  until  it  has 
become  one  of  the  largest  and  leading  commercial 
colleges  in  Southern  California.  In  the  fifth 
year  of  its  growth,  there  are  enrolled  over  eight 
hundred  students.   The  college  is  located  on  First 


street  and  American  avenue  and  occupies  two 
floors  of  the  Bartow  building.  It  is  modern  and 
conveniently  arranged,  has  large,  light  and  airy 
classrooms  and  is  equipped  with  roll-top  desks 
and  overy  fifty  Smith  Premier  and  Remington 
typewriters.  i3esides  full  business  and  short- 
hand courses  they  have  a  Conservatory  of  Music, 
Art  and  Elocution.  Branch  schools  have  re- 
centlv  been  established  at  Ocean  Park  and  San 
Pedro. 

Mr.  Knudson  is  a  Minnesotan,  and  is  a  grad- 
uate of  the  Rochester  Business  University, 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  the  Northwestern  College  of 
Shorthand,  Minneapolis,  ]\Iinn.,  and  the  banking 
department  of  the  Metropolitan  Business  Col- 
lege, Chicago,  111.  He  has  been  engaged  in 
school  work  for  nearly  twenty  years. 

Mr.  Nielson  is  a  native  of  Kansas.  He  is  a 
graduate  of  the  Lincoln  Center  and  of  the 
Great  Western  Business  College.  Concordia, 
Kansas,  and  was  a  member  of  the  faculty  of  the 
Riverside  Commercial  College  until  August, 
1903,  when  he  became  a  member  of  the  present 
faculty.  The  two  gentlemen,  by  their  ability 
and  energy  have  made  the  college  a  success  and 
their  efforts  are  appreciated  by  the  people  of  the 
ocean  cities. 


EDMOND  LEONARD  DORAN.  An  in- 
teresting career  has  fallen  to  the  lot  of  Edmond 
Leonard  Doran,  one  of  the  prominent  business 
men  of  Avalon.  He  was  a  resident  of  the  great 
plains  country  and  worked  on  the  large  cattle 
ranches  at  the  time  of  the  passing  of  the  buffalo 
and  the  subduing  of  the  Indians,  being  engaged 
in  line  riding  at  the  time  of  the  Geronimo  cam- 
paign in  1886.  He  is  now  greatly  interested  in 
the  wonderful  glass  bottomed  boats  which  are 
the  source  of  more  interest  and  admiration  than 
any  other  single  attraction  at  Catalina,  being 
a  member  of  the  Meteor  Boat  Company  at 
Avalon.  A  history  of  these  glass  bottomed 
boats  contains  much  of  interest.  Lentil  1895 
glass  bottomed  boxes  were  placed  on  the  water 
at  the  side  of  an  ordinary  boat  when  parties 
were  looking  for  abalones  and  viewing  the  sub- 
marine gardens.  In  that  year  Alex  O'Leary  the 
hermit  of  San  Clemente  island,  who  spent  some 
time  at  Avalon,  suggested  the  construction  of  the 
glass  bottom  boat,  and  acting  upon  this  suggestion 
Bill  Condit  and  Charles  Page  proceeded  to  build 
the  first  craft  of  the  kind  ever  made,  and  in  which 
Mr.  O'Leary  was  skipper  for  some  time.  The  first 
sidewheel  glass  bottom  boat  was  built  by  Curious 
&  Tobin  in  Mathewson's  boatyard,  and  after- 
ward became  the  property  of  the  ]\Ieteor  Boat 
Company,  although  it  is  now  dismantled  and 
idle.  The  second  large  boat  was  Lady  Lou,  the 
third    Cleopatra,   and  the   fourth   and   largest  of 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1571 


all  is  the  Empress,  which  is  the  first  one  to  be 
jirovided  with  two  rows  of  glass  boxes,  instead 
of  one  as  the  others  had,  the  capacity  of  the 
Empress  being  one  hundred  and  twenty  people 
— as  large  as  it  is  considered  practicable  to  build 
a  boat  of  this  description.  All  of  these  boats 
are  now  the  property  of  the  Meteor  company. 
Mr.  Doran  has  spent  many  months  on  the  dif- 
ferent islands  along  the  coast,  has  explored  all 
of  them  thoroughly,  and  owns  a  very  large  col- 
lection of  Indian  relics  from  them,  being  with- 
out doubt  the  best  posted  man  in  that  line  of 
anyone  now  living. 

October  14,  1864,  Edmond  Leonard  Doran 
was  born  in  Ontario,  near  Montreal,  the  son  of 
Solomon,  a  native  of  the  same  place,  and  a 
grandson  of  Samuel,  who  was  a  native  of  New 
England  and  became  a  pioneer  in  Ontario,  set- 
tling near  Montreal.  A  part  of  the  Doran  fam- 
ily were  L'nited  Empire  Loyalists,  as  different 
members  settled  on  each  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
river,  thinking  they  were  in  Canada,  the  settle- 
ment of  the  boundary  question  proving  those 
on  the  south  side  to  l)e  in  the  L'nited  States, 
however.  The  grandfather  cleared  and  im- 
proved lands  imtil  he  had  enough  to  provide  each 
of  six  children  with  one  hundred  acres,  also 
utilized  the  water  power  of  the  creek  which 
coursed  through  his  possessions,  established  a 
saw  mill,  and  proceeded  to  manufacture  lum- 
ber. His  death  removed  a  man  of  considerable 
prominence  in  that  part  of  the  countr\-.  The 
father  owned  a  farm  on  Doran 's  creek  which  he 
later  sold,  removing  to "  Iroquois,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  merchandising  business,  building 
the  first  large  brick  block  at  that  place.  He 
subsequently  took  his  oldest  son  as  a  partner  and 
together  they  were  interested  in  many  important 
enterprises,  building  a  wharf  on  the  St.  Lawrence 
river,  building  a  grist  mill,  and  engaging  in 
traffic  on  the  river.  They  also  owned  a  lumber 
yard ;  they  shipped  eggs,  to  Boston  by  the  whole- 
sale, and  their  house  was  the  first  one  to  be  fur- 
nished with  a  base  burner  hard  coal  stove  in  that 
locality.  The  senior  Doran  was  captain  of  a  local 
company  of  militia,  was  prominent  in  politics,  be- 
ing at  one  time  mayor  of  the  city,  and  fraternally 
belonged  to  the  Masonic  lodge.  He  died  at  the 
age  of  fifty-three  years.  His  wife  was  Margaret 
Bailey  before  her  marriage,  a  native  of  the  L'nited 
States,  her  people  being  also  United  Empire 
Loyalists.  She  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-two  years,  her  death  occurring  at  the 
old  home  in  February,  1906.  Of  the  nine  chil- 
dren in  this  family  but  three  are  now  living,  and 
one  brother,  Edgar  A.,  is  a  resident  of  Los  An- 
geles, being  president  of  the  Doran,  Brouse  & 
Price  Oil  Company,  and  engaged  in  general 
contracting. 

The   next   to   the  youngest  of  the   family   Ed- 


mond Leonard  Doran  was  lirouglit  u|i  on  the 
farm  in  Ontario,  where  he  attended  tlie  public 
.schools  as  a  boy,  and  in  1883  removed  to  Den- 
ver, Col.  where  he  remained  through  the  winter 
and  in  the  spring  of  1884  secured  employment 
on  Dr.  Tuttle's  ranch,  continuing  on  tlie  ranch 
four  years.  The  spring  of  1888  found  Mr.  Doran 
in  San  Bernardino,  Cal.,  where  he  engaged  in 
business,  conducting  a  cigar  and  news  stand  in 
the  old  Hotel  Stewart.  Later  he  became  clerk 
of  the  Stewart,  under  the  proprietor,  L  G.  Burt, 
who  had  so  many  outside  public  interests  that 
the  duties  of  a  private  secretar\-  devolved  upon 
Mr.  Doran  until  Mr.  Burt's  death  in  1893,  when 
he  came  to  Los  Angeles.  The  following  year 
he  slarted  in  the  oil  business,  becoming  the  fifth 
stockholder  in  the  American  Crude  Oil  Com- 
i)any,  which  was  the  first  prominently  successful 
company  in  Los  Angeles.  He  was  president  of 
that  company  at  one  time,  and  also  held  in- 
terests in  other  companies,  which  jjaid  him  well. 
In  1895  I'e  first  visited  Catalina,  and  owned  the 
.Mascot,  which  was  the  onl\-  launch  at  San  Pedro 
at  that  time  except  Captain  Dufifv's.  Mr.  Doran 
renamed  his  boat  the  Narod,  which  is  his  own 
name  spelled  backwards.  There  is  also  a  station  on 
the  Southern  Pacific  and  Salt  Lake  routes  by 
that  name  which  was  given  in  honor  of  Mr. 
Doran.  This  same  year  he  purchased  other 
launches  and  became  interested  in  the  Avalon 
Boat  Company,  which  was  later  consolidated  with 
the  Meteor  Boat  Company,  and  incorporated 
with  him  as  vice-president  and  general  manager. 
He  holds  both  a  master's  and  an  engineer's 
license  and  can  run  anv  of  his  hunches  as  skil- 
fully as  the  best  of  his  men.  The  other  busi- 
ness interests  of  Mr.  Doran  include  the  Doran, 
Brouse  &  Price  Company  of  Los  .A.ngeles,  being 
a  director  of  that  incorporation :  large  land  hold- 
ings in  Tulare  county  on  the  Kings  river ;  and 
oil  wells   in   Bakersfield. 

The  marriage  of  ^Tr.  Doran  occurred  in  San 
Lorenzo,  where  he  was  united  with  Susanna, 
daughter  of  William  Meek,  owner  of  the  large 
Meek  tract  at  that  place,  comprising  three  thou- 
sand acres.  He  crossed  the  plains  in  an  early 
day  and  settled  at  Llewell_\n.  Ore.,  and  broke 
the  first  wagon  road  from  that  point  to  Cali- 
fornia. Mrs.  Doran  is  a  woman  of  superior  at- 
tainments and  fine  education,  being  a  graduate 
of  Mills  College.  They  have  a  beautiful  modern 
residence  on  Breezy  Point  where  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Doran  live  with  their  two  children,  Margaret 
and  Gertrude.  Politically  Mr.  Doran  is  a  strong 
believer  in  the  principles  embraced  in  the  plat- 
form of  the  Republican  party,  and  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  L'nion  League  Oub  of  Los  Angeles. 
He  is  a  man  of  generous  disposition  and  liberal 
princijjles,   taking  an  active   interest   in   all  busi- 


1572 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ness,  social,  and  civic  enterprises,  and  holds  the 
highest  respect  of  all  who  have  the  pleasure  of 
his  acquaintance. 


WILLIS  BURR  McDonald.  As  a  success- 
ful business  man  Willis  Burr  McDonald  is  ad- 
ding his  influence  to  the  growth  and  upbuilding 
of  the  city  of  Redlands,  where  he  has  been  lo- 
cated since  1900  and  engaged  for  the  greater  part 
of  the  time  in  the  management  of  the  Palace 
Livery,  of  which  he  is  proprietor.  He  was  born 
in  Waukon,  Iowa,  March  23,  1868,  a  son  of 
Judge  C.  W.  McDonald,  a  native  of  Indiana  and 
a  prominent  citizen  in  whatever  section  of  the 
union  he  made  his  home.  His  father,  C.  B.,  was 
a  pioneer  of  Illinois,  of  Scotch  descent,  building 
and  owning  the  first  flour  mill  in  Peoria,  \A'hence 
he  later  removed  to  Indiana.  C.  W.  !\IcDonald 
located  in  New  York  City  and  there  engaged  as 
foreman  of  a  large  daily,  remaining  so  occupied 
for  some  time,  when  he  returned  to  the  middle 
west  and  in  Sioux  Falls  established  the  Independ- 
ent, which  he  conducted  successfully.  Later  he 
established  the  Wessington  Springs  (Dak.) 
Herald,  and  at  the  same  time  entered  land  and 
engaged  in  general  farming.  A  man  of  erudition 
and  talent  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  county 
judge,  which  he  filled  satisfactorily.  He  is  a 
prominent  Mason  and  well  known  in  fraternal 
circles.  His  wife,  formerly  Clara  Burr,  was  a 
member  of  the  New  York  family  of  that  name 
and  was  a  second  cousin  of  Aaron  Burr.  She 
died  early  in  life,  leaving  but  the  one  child,  Willis 
Burr  McDonald,  of  this  review. 

Reared  in  Dakota  and  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Sioux  Falls  and  Wessington  Springs, 
Willis  Burr  iMcDonald  grew  to  young  manhood 
among  the  surroundings  of  a  frontier  home.  He 
followed  the  training  received  in  the  paternal 
home  and  in  )-oung  manhood  began  farming  and 
stock-raising  on  a  homestead  which  he  took  up 
adjoining  the  town.  In  1898  he  disposed  of  these 
interests  and  located  in  Boulder,  Colo.,  where  he 
established  a  feed  and  fuel  business,  and  also  fol- 
lowed farming  to  some  extent,  but  because  of  the 
extremely  high  altitude  he  was  forced  to  leave 
that  place.  Again  disposing  of  his  business  in- 
terests he  located  in  Redlands  and  six  months 
later  purchased  the  business  of  J.  H.  Kelley,  who 
was  then  proprietor  of  the  Palace  Livery  Stable, 
well  located  on  Orange  street,  in  a  building  50X 
120  feet  in  dimensions.  He  has  built  up  a  large 
business  and  continues  to  hold  a  wide  patronage. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Redlands  Driving  Associa- 
tion, which  company  was  formed  for  the  purpose 
of  caring  for  the  tourists  that  come  annually  to 
the  city. 

In  Wessington  Springs,  Mr.  McDonald  was 
uniterl  in  marriage  with  Miss  Floy  Tofflemire,  a 


native  of  Illinois,  and  born  of  this  union  are  the 
following  children :  Burr,  Lottie,  Carl  and  Floy. 
Fraternally  Mr.  McDonald  is  associated  with  the 
Odd  Fellows,  having  been  made  a  member  of  the 
organization  in  Boulder  Lodge  No.  7,  and  is  now 
a  member  in  Redlands,  and  also  belongs  to  the 
Encampment  and  Canton.  In  religion  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and 
politically  is  a  stanch  advocate  of  the  principles 
embraced  in  the  platform  of  the  Republican 
party.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trade 
and  takes  every  interest  in  all  movements  calcu- 
lated to  advance  the  general  welfare  of  the  com- 
munity. 


CHARLES  G.  DAVIDSON.  Numbered 
among  the  practical,  self-reliant  and  prosperous 
young  business  men  of  Compton  is  Charles  G. 
Davidson,  who  is  actively  engaged  in  mercan- 
tile pursuits,  carrying  in  his  store  a  full  line  of 
general  sporting  goods,  and  likewise  conduct- 
ing a  well-equipped  bicycle  repair  shop.  He 
was  born  in  Lafayette  county,  Mo.,  December 
5,  1874,  a  son  of  the  late  G.  C.  Davidson. 

Born  and  reared  in  Missouri,  G.  C  David- 
son became  a  land  owner  in  that  state,  and  for 
a  number  of  years  was  there  employed  in  gen- 
eral farming  and  stock-raising.  Disposing  of  his 
property  there  in  1875,  he  came  to  California 
with  his  famil)-,  locating  in  San  Luis  Obispo 
count)-,  where  lie  ran  a  dairy  farm  for  a  few 
vears.  Coming  to  Los  Angeles  county  in  1882. 
he  bought  land,  and  in  addition  to  farming  was 
also  engaged  in  business  here  as  a  blacksmith  for 
a  time.  Giving  up  his  smithy'  some  time  later, 
he  devoted  himself  to  ranching  altogether  until  his 
death,  in  1889,  at  the  comparatively  early  age 
of  fifty-one  years.  He  married  Eliza  Goodrich, 
a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  she  survived  him  a 
number  of  years,  dying  in  Compton  in  May. 
1902.  Eight  children  were  born  of  their  union, 
namely:  Rebecca,  wife  of  B.  Aberle;  Rosie,  wife 
of  J.  N.  Brinkerhoff;  Alice,  wife  of  A.  Mc- 
Comas ;  James,  who  married  Minnie  Ridgeway ; 
Martha,  wife  of  H.  M.  Dillon;  Annie,  wife  of 
Jesse  Sutton ;  Charles  G.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch ;  and  John,  who  married  Lena  Andrews. 
Politically  the  father  was  a  steadfast  supporter 
of  the  principles  of  the  Republican,  party,  and 
both  he  and  his  wife  were  faithful  members  of 
the  Baptist  Church. 

Coming  with  his  parents  to  Compton  when 
about  seven  years  of  age,  Qiarles  G.  Davidson 
was  here  brought  up  and  educated,  attending  the 
public  schools,  and  until  after  the  death  of  his 
father  assisting  in  the  labors  incidental  to  farm 
life.  His  widowed  mother  then  bought  property 
in  the  village  of  Compton,  and  here  spent  the 
remainder  of  her  life.     In    1898  Mr.   Davidson 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1575 


enlisted  for  service  in  the  Spanish-American 
war,  becoming  a  member  of  Company  C,  Sev- 
enth California  Volunteer  Infantry,  which  was 
stationed  for  five  months  in  San  Francisco.  Sub- 
sequently, after  a  furlough,  he  went  to  Los  An- 
geles, where,  in  December,  1898,  he  was  mus- 
tered out  of  the  army.  Returning  home,  he  was 
for  six  months  in  the  employ  of  S.  F.  Catey, 
acting  as  engineer  in  well  drilling.  In  1899  he 
started  in  business  on  his  own  account,  opening 
a  store  well  stocked  with  sporting  goods  of  all 
kinds,  and  has  since  built  up  a  substantial  and 
profitable  trade  in  this  line.  He  has  in  connec- 
tion with  this  business  a  bicycle  repair  shop, 
which  is  on  a  paying  basis,  being  liberally  pat- 
ronzed. 

A  stanch  adherent  of  the  Republican  party. 
Air.  Davidson  is  active  in  local  affairs,  and  is 
serving  as  a  deputy  sheriff,  and  as  constable  of 
Compton.  He  is  a  man  of  upright  principles,  and 
a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  socially 
belongs  to  the  Fraternal  Brotherhood. 


SA:MUEL  MUDGETT.  Long  association 
with  the  agricultural  interests  of  Santa  Bar- 
bara county  and  close  identification  with 
movements  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  same 
have  made  Mr.  INIudgett  one  of  the  most  prom- 
inent figures  in  this  part  of  the  county,  his 
ranch  of  forty  acres  lying  in  close  proximity 
to  Orcutt.  A  quarter  of  a  century,  lacking 
only  a  few  years,  has  elapsed  since  he  cast  in 
his  lot  with  the  few  settlers  of  this  county  and 
began  the  task  of  developing  a  ranch  from  the 
wild  prairie  soil.  Age  has  not,  weakened  his 
intellectual  powers  nor  lessened  his  interest  in 
the  prosperity  of  the  county;  on  the  other 
hand,  while  the  years  have  taken  from  him  a 
capacity  for  long  physical  endurance,  they 
have  made  a  recompense  in  their  accumulating 
fund  of  experience  and  mental  grasp. 

For  years  antedating  the  Revolutionary  war 
the  Mudgett  family  Jiad  lived  and  labored  in 
the  New  England  colonies,  and  it  was  while 
the  grandparents  of  Air.  Mudgett  were  living  in 
New  Hampshire,  that  their  son  Stephen  was 
born.  By  his  marriage  with  J\lary  Porter,  also 
of  New  England  parentage,  and  a  native  of 
Maine,  eight  children  were  born,  but  two  of 
them  are  now  deceased.  Two  sons  fought  for 
their  country's  cause  in  the  Civil  war,  enlist- 
ing in  Company  A,  Eleventh  Alaine  Volun- 
teers, and  a  daughter,  .'Vnn  Alary  Hunter,  now 
makes  her  home  in  Alameda,  this  state.  Both 
parents  lived  to  enjoy  a  ripe  old  age,  their 
earth  life  coming  to  a  close  amid  the  scenes 
familiar  to  them  throughout  their  long  and 
useful   lives,  both   dying  in    Alaine.  the  father 


when  in  his  ninety-fifth  year,  and  the  mother 
when  eighty-six  years  of  age. 

Born  in  Penobscot  county,  Me.,  January  31, 
1828,  Samuel  Aludgett  passed  his  boyhood 
years  without  much  variation,  for  when  he  was 
not  attending  the  subscription  school  he  was 
generally  to  be  found  performing  tasks  upon 
his  father's  farm.  However,  in  later  years  he 
did  not  confine  himself  to  agriculture  exclus- 
ively, for  in  addition  to  managing  a  farm  which 
he  had  purchased  near  the  home  place  he  also 
carried  on  a  substantial  lumbering  business. 
Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  he  was  succeed- 
ing well  from  a  financial  standpoint  he  had 
fallen  a  victim  to  the  western  fever,  and  all 
who  have  been  similarly  affected  will  appre- 
ciate Mr.  Mudgett's  paling  interest  in  affairs 
which  had  once  held  liis  closest  attention. 
AAHien  forty  years  of  age,  in  1868,  he  disposed 
of  his  Maine  farm  and  crossed  the  country  as 
far  as  Iowa,  there  purchasing  a  farm  of  eighty 
acres  in  Buena  Vista  county.  Then  as  now  the 
land  was  excellent  for  grain  raising,  and  he 
put  his  entire  acreage  in  this  commodity,  corn 
and  wheat  forming  his  largest  crops.  Eight 
years  in  the  Mississippi  valley,  however,  had 
made  him  desirous  to  reach  out  still  further 
toward  the  setting  sun,  and  thus  it  was  that  in 
1876  he  made  to  the  west  a  tour  of  inspection, 
going  direct  to  Nevada  county,  Cal.,  where  he 
established  a  lumbering  business.  After  he 
had  been  in  the  far  west  long  enough  to  satisfy 
himself  that  he  would  not  care  to  live  in  the 
cast  again  he  decided  to  dispose  of  his  Iowa 
property,  and  returned  to  that  state  for  the 
purpose  of  settling  up  his  affairs  in  the  middle 
west.  Going  back  to  Nevada  county,  he  re- 
mained there  in  all  about  three  years,  after 
ivliich  he  made  his  home  in  Mono  county. 
this  state,  for  two  years.  It  was  at  this  period 
in  his  career  that  he  came  to  Santa  Barbara 
county,  at  tlie  same  time  (1882")  purchasing 
the  ranch  of  forty  acres  upon  which  he  has 
since  made  his  home.  All  of  the  acreage  not 
planted  to  apples,  pe.nches  or  almonds  is  in 
grain,  all  of  which  produce  abundantly,  and 
while  continued  activity  is  no  longer  a  neces- 
sity Mr.  Mudgett  is  not  content  to  be  idle,  and 
every  dav  finds  him  working  among  his  chick- 
ens, in  the  raising  of  which  he  has  established 
(|uite  a  paying  business. 

In  t8.S4.  while  still  a  resident  of  his  native 
state.  Air.  Mudgett  was  married  to  Afiss  Susan 
Alansur.  who  was  also  born  in  Afaine,  as  was 
also  her  father,  Alvah  Mansur.  Alvah  and 
ATary  Ann  (Trast)  Mansur.  the  latter  a  native 
of  New  Hampshire,  became  the  parents  of 
seven  children,  of  whom  one  son  died  in  the 
Civil  war  (he  having  enlisted  in  Company  .A, 
Eleventh   Alaine   A^olunteers")    and   Airs.    Alud- 


1576 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


gett  is  the  only  one  of  the  famih-  in  Cahfornia. 
-\ir.  Mansur  died  at  the  early  age  of  forty 
years,  his  wife,  howex'er,  surviving  to  reach 
her  sixty-seventh  year.  Six  children  were 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mudgett,  but  all  were 
taken  from  them  at  an  early  age  with  one  ex- 
ception. C)rin  died  in  infancy,  as  did  also  the 
next  child;  Arthur  died  when  two  and  a  half 
years  old ;  Frank  when  nine ;  and  Ernest  at  the 
age  of  five  and  a  half  ^ears.  The  only  surviv- 
ing child  is  Laura  A.,  who  was  born  in  1855, 
and  is  now  the  wife  of  Daniel  Toy,  and  the 
the  mother  of  seven  children.  Though  in  the 
twilight  of  their  lives  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mudgett 
are  cheerful  and  as  young  hearted  as  at  the 
beginning  of  their  married  life,  and  enjoy  the 
close  companionship  of  their  only  living  child, 
Mrs.  Toy  and  her  family  living  on  a  ranch 
near  by.  In  i860,  while  still  a  resident  of 
Maine,  Mr.  Mudgett  joined  the  Masonic  order, 
and  he  now  holds  membership  in  Hesperian 
Lodge  No.  341,  F.  &  A.  M..  at  Santa  Maria. 
Diflfering  from  his  father  in  his  political  belief 
he  is  a  stanch  Democrat,  and  it  was  on  this 
ticket  while  a  resident  of  Iowa  that  he  was 
elected  one  of  the  trustees  of  Grant  township, 
later  becoming  treasurer.  Personally  he  is  a 
man  of  many  fnne  qualities,  and  with  his  wife 
stands  in  the  highest  esteem  in  the  community 
which  for  nearly  twenty-five  years  has  been 
their  home.  Both  are  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  at  Santa  INIaria. 


JEAN  BERDELIN  LOUSTAU.  Born  in 
Lescar,  Basses-Pyrenees,  France,  .\ugust  12, 
1865,  Jean  B.  Loustau  was  the  youngest  of  five 
children  born  to  Jean  and  Marie  Lerfarger.  He 
spent  his  boyhood  on  the  farm  and  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools.  He  served  one  year  in  the 
Fourth  Company,  Eighteenth  Regiment  of  In- 
fantry in  the  French  army.  In  189 1  he  came  to 
Los  .\ngeles,  California,  and  in  1892  engaged  in 
farming  on  West  JefTerson  street.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Los  Angeles  June  17,  1893,  to  Miss  Natali 
Riviere,  who  was  born  in  Los  Angeles.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  Bertrand  and  Sacramenta  (Rezi) 
Riviere.  The  father  was  born  in  Haute  Garonne, 
France,  in  1817,  and  came  to  California  in  185a 
via  Cape  Horn,  being  nine  months  and  three  da}s 
on  the  sailer  that  landed  him  in  San  Francisco. 
He  followed  mining  until  1852  when  he  came  to 
Los  Angeles  and  began  the  dairy  business  on 
San  Pedro  near  Seventh  street.  Then  he  pur- 
chased twenty-five  acres  on  the  corner  of  South 
Main  and  Washington,  the  present  Schuttes  Park. 
He  paid  $1.25  per  acre  and  a  few  years  later  sold 
it  for  $25  per  acre,  which  at  that  time  was  con- 
sidered a  big  price.  He  then  purchased  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  on  what  is  now  the  corner 


of  West  JetTerson  and  Santa  Monica  avenue  for 
$1.25  per  acre.  Later  he  bought  adjoining  land 
so  he  had  three  hundred  and  eighty  acres  and  was 
a  successful  farmer.  Some  years  later  he  sold 
off  several  tracts,  but  retained  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  until  his  death  in  1897.  His  wife 
who  was  born  in  Los  Angeles  died  in  1883.  Of 
their  six  children,  Mrs.  Clara  Eschordiaz,  Mrs. 
Enez  Berges,  Francisco  and  Louis  died  in  Los 
Angeles.  Jean  Pierre  is  a  grocer  on  West  Jeffer- 
son street;  and  Natali,  the  wife  of  our  subject. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Loustau  owns  thirty-three  acres 
of  very  valuable  land  on  West  Jefferson  and  Santa 
^lonica  avenue  which  will  soon  have  to  be  platted 
as  a  part  of  the  rapidly  growing  city.  They  have 
four  children :  Hortense,  Louis,  Jean  and  Bert- 
rand. Mr.  Loustau  is  a  member  of  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Foresters,  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  is  a  progressive  man  much  esteemed  b\-  his 
nianv  friends. 


DENIS  .MULMHILL.  One  of  the  old  set- 
tlers of  San  Bernardino  county  and  an  enterpris- 
ing and  progressive  horticulturist  is  Denis  Mul- 
vihill,  who  came  to  California  in  1875  and  has 
since  made  this  state  his  home.  He  was  born  in 
County  Kerry,  Ireland,  June  i,  1849,  ^  member 
of  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  prominent  families 
of  that  section,  their  ancestry  being  traced  back 
to  the  sixth  century.  His  father  was  a  farmer 
who  brought  his  family  to  the  Isle  of  Guernsey, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  cement 
blocks.  In  1871  he  came  to  Brooklyn,  N.  Y., 
and  five  years  later  to  California,  his  death  oc- 
curring in  April,  1887,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six 
years,  while  on  a  visit  to  his  son.  The  mother, 
formerly  Mary  Lynch,  was  also  a  native  of  Coun- 
ty Kerry,  Ireland;  she  still  survives  and  makes 
her  home  in  Los  Angeles  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
four  years.  She  became  the  mother  of  three 
sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom  one  son  and 
two  daughters  are  deceased.  A  son,  Edmund  J.. 
was  roadmaster  for  the  Southern  Pacific  Rail- 
road for  over  twenty-four  years,  when  he  re- 
signed and  is  now  living  retired  in  Los  Angeles ; 
the  daughter,  Catherine,  is  the  wife  of  James 
C.  Mclnerny,  of  Los  Angeles. 

In  infancy  Denis  Mulvihill  was  taken  by  his 
parents  to  the  Isle  of  Guernsey,  and  there  at- 
tended the  public  schools  in  pursuit  of  an  edu- 
cation. In  1868  he  came  to  Brooklyn,  N.  Y., 
and  there  engaged  in  different  lines  until  1875. 
when  he  came  to  California  and  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad,  work- 
ing in  the  freight  house  in  Los  Angeles  and  later 
as  section  foreman.  In  1876  he  was  sent  to 
Dry  Camp  on  the  desert,  nine  miles  west  of 
Indio  when  that  place  was  the  terminus.  He  re- 
mained   there    as    foreman    for    the    period    of 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1577 


two  years,  when  he  went  to  El  Casco  as  fore- 
man of  section  41.  In  the  fall  of  1880  he  pur- 
chased his  present  ranch,  known  as  the  old  I^cter 
Horton  place,  and  in  1885  he  resigned  his  ])osi- 
tion  as  foreman  to  give  his  time  and  at- 
tention to  the  improvement  and  cultivation 
of  his  propert}'.  This  consists  of  ..one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  of  rich  land,  all  King 
in  the  valley,  three  miles  south  of  Red- 
lands  and  adjoining  its  city  limits,  has  a  pipe 
line  for  irrigation  from  Yucaipe  creek,  he  own- 
ing one-ninth  of  the  water  right.  He  has 
ten  acres  in  apricots,  five  acres  in  prunes,  twelve 
acres  in  oranges,  ten  acres  in  alfalfa,  and  the 
remainder  devoted  to  grain  and  stock.  He  has 
built  a  comfortable  and  substantial  resi<lence  and 
many  other  improvements  which  have  placed  his 
ranch  among  the  valuable  ranches  of  the  county. 
In  Los  Angeles,  in  the  old  Plaza  Oiurch.  Mr. 
Mulvihill  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Margaret  Hanrahan,  who  was  also  a  native  of 
Isle  of  Guernsey,  the  ceremony  being  performed 
by  Peter  \'erdeguer,  who  was  made  Bishop 
of  Brownsville,  Texas,  in  1878.  They  are  the 
parents  of  the  following  children  :  Mary  Frances, 
a  graduate  of  the  Redlands  high  school  and 
Stanford  L^niversity.  and  now  a  teacher  in  the 
Los  Angeles  Polytechnic  high  school ;  Edmund. 
a  graduate  of  the  Redlands  high  school,  and  en- 
gaged with  his  father  in  the  management  of  the 
home  ranch ;  John  H..  a  graduate  of  Redlands 
high  school  and  a  clerk  in  that  city ;  Margaret 
Ellen,  a  graduate  of  the  Redlands  high  school 
and  now  a  student  in  the  San  Diego  Normal ; 
and  Frank  G.,  attending  the  Redlands  high 
school.  Mr.  Mulvihill  was  school  trustee  for 
twenty-one  years  and  clerk  of  the  board  for 
twenty  years  in  the  Railroad  district.  Fraternally 
he  is  identified  with  the  Benevolent  Protective 
Order  of  Elks,  of  Redlands,  and  politically  is  a 
stanch  adherent  of  the  principles  advocated  in 
the  platform  of  the  Democratic  party,  having 
served  as  a  member  of  the  Democratic  County 
Central  Committee  for  the  past  eight  years. 
With  his  family  he  is  a  member  of  the  Sacred 
Heart  Church  of  Redlands.  and  is  one  of  its 
most  liberal  supporters.  He  is  liberal  and 
progressive  and  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by 
all  who  know  him. 


GEORGE  EL]\1ER  TRIGGS.  Enterprising, 
energetic  and  capable,  George  Elmer  Triggs.  of 
Rivera,  is  a  valuable  member  of  the  community 
in  which  he  resides,  and  as  a  skilled  mechanic, 
expert  in  all  departments  connected  with  lilack- 
smithing  is  doing  his  part  in  promoting  its  in- 
dustrial prosperity.  A  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary 
Triggs.  he  was  born  in  Marshall  county.  Kans.. 
where  1  ' ,  parents  .settled  soon  after  the  close  of 


the  Civil  war.  His  father,  a  farmer,  sub.se- 
quently  removed  to  Nebraska,  and  there  spent  his 
last  years,  dying  in  Barnston,  while  his  wife,  who 
survived  him,   died   in  Topeka,   Kans. 

Being  taken  by  his  parents  to  Nebraska  when 
a  small  child,  George  E.  Triggs  was  then; 
brought  up,  acquiring  a  practical  education  in  the 
district  schools.  After  the  death  of  his  father 
he  went  with  the  family  to  Topeka,  Kans.,  where 
he  served  an  apprenticeship  at  the  blacksmith's 
trade,  which  he  subsequently  followed  for  a  time 
in  Douglas,  Wyom.  The  Spanish-American  war 
breaking  out  while  he  was  there,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  F,  First  Wyoming  \'olunteer  Infantry, 
in  which  he  served  as  corporal  for  eighteen 
months.  For  a  year  he  was  stationed  in  the 
Philippine  Islands,  where  he  was  an  active  par- 
ticipant in  twelve  or  more  engagements.  Re- 
turning to  California,  he  was  mustered  out  of 
service  in  San  Francisco,  receiving  his  honor- 
able discharge.  Going  back  then  to  Topeka, 
Kans.,  he  operated  a  blacksmith's  shop  there 
for  a  year,  meeting  with  good  success.  Com- 
ing then  to  Los  Angeles  county,  he  was  located 
for  six  months  at  Whittier.  From  there  he  came 
to  Rivera,  where  he  opened  a  well-equipped 
blacksmith  and  machine  shop,  in  which  he  is  pre- 
pared to  do  all  kinds  of  work  in  his  line  with 
promptness  and  ability. 

In  Rivera.  Cal..  November  29.  igo2.  Mr.  Triggs 
married  Belle  Ellis,  who  had  been  postmaster 
here  for  seven  years,  and  they  have  one  child. 
Ira  Ellis  Triggs.  Politically  Mr.  Triggs  is  a  strong 
Prohibitionist,  and  fraternally  he  belongs  to  the 
Rivera  Lodge  of  Good  Templars,  is  a  member  of 
Rivera  Camp,  M.  W.  A.,  the  Red  ;\Ien  and  the 
Philip])ine  \'eterans'  Society. 


J.  CHARLES  MACLAY.  A  wide-awake. 
progressive,  thorough-going  business  man,  L 
Charles  iMacIay  has  for  the  past  twenty  years 
been  intimately  associated  with  the  mercantile  in- 
terests of  Fernando,  and  has  been  an  important 
factor  in  advancing  the  welfare  of  the  commun- 
ity in  which  he  has  so  long  resided.  The  Maclay 
Company,  of  which  he  is  a  member,  is  one  of  the 
long-established  firms  of  the  place,  and  has  built 
up  a  large  and  lucrative  trade  in  general  mer- 
chandise. He  is  distinguished  as  a  native  son 
of  California,  his  birth  having  occurred  Januarv 
20.  1860.  in  the  city  of  Stockton,  where  liis  fath- 
er. Alexander  Maclay.  lived  for  a  nuniber  of 
years. 

I'ntil  fourteen  years  of  age  J.  C.  Maclay  lived 
in  the  Santa  Clara  and  San  Joaquin  valleys  and 
in  April,  1874,  came  with  the  family  to  Fernando, 
where  he  completed  his  public  school  education. 
He  subsequently  farmed  for  a  year,  after  which 
he  continued  his  studies  for  two  vears  at  the  l^tv- 


].j7S 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


versit}-  of  Southern  California,  in  Los  Angeles. 
Returning  to  Fernando  at  the  end  of  that  time, 
he  was  employed  in  agricultural  pursuits  for  a 
season.  Embarking  then  in  mercantile  trade,  he 
met  with  success  from  the  first  and  now  as  a 
member  of  the  JMaclay  Company  is  carrying  on 
a  flourishing  business  as  a  general  merchant,  his 
store  being  well  stocked  with  a  choice  line  of 
groceries,  dry  goods  and  everything  demanded 
by  the  trade,  his  aim  being  to  supply  and  satisfy 
the  wants  of  his  numerous  customers. 

February  28,  1900,  J\Ir.  ^laclay  married  Isa- 
bella Rice  Granger,  who  was  born  and  reared 
in  New  York,  and  they  have  one  child,  Fredericka 
Maclay.  Politically  Mr.  jNIaclay  is  a  steadfast 
Republican.  Fraternally  he  is  a  charter  member 
and  past  noble  grand  of  Fernando  Lodge  No. 
365,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  a  charter  member  of 
Fernando  Lodge  No.  214,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  in  which 
he  has  passed  all  the  chairs,  and  represented  his 
lodge  at  the  Grand  Lodge  in  1892.  Religiously 
both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Maclay  attend  the  Presby- 
terian Cburcli. 


HENRY  C.  HUBBARD.  Prominent  among 
the  earl)-  settlers  of  Fernando  is  Henry  C.  Hub- 
bard, who  came  here  upwards  of  thirty  years 
ago,  when  the  post  office  and  the  little  village 
store  were  the  only  business  establishments  of 
the  place.  In  the  development  of  this  straggling 
hamlet  to  a  populous  township,  rich  in  its  agri- 
cultural and  industrial  resources,  he  has  taken 
an  active  part,  watching  its  growth  with  genuine 
pride  and  satisfaction.  Of  New  England  an- 
cestry, he  was  born  September  19,  1844,  in  Hart- 
ford, Windsor  county,  Vt.,  but  was  brought  up 
and  educated  in  New  Hampshire,  living  there 
until  after  attaining  his  majority. 

In  1867,  fired  by  the  ambitions  of  youth,  Mr. 
Hubbard  came  from  the  Atlantic  coast  to  the  Pa- 
cific shores,  locating  in  Santa  Cruz,  Cal,  where 
he  lived  until  1875,  working  first  for  wages,  and 
afterwards  as  a  lumber  manufacturer  and  dealer. 
Coming  then  to  Fernando,  he  has  since  been  an 
honored  resident  of  the  place.  Subsequently 
forming  a  partnership  with  F.  M.  Wright,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Hubbard  &  Wright,  he  pur- 
chased, in  1887,  eleven  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  partly  improved  land,  which  was  then 
used  as  a  sheep  ranch,  there  having  been  at  that 
time  one  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  sheep  in 
the  valley.  He  has  placed  the  land  under  culti- 
vation, devoting  it  entirely  to  grain,  and  every 
year  he  and  his  partner  raise  excellent  crops.  In 
the  carrying  on  of  their  profitable  occupation  this 
enterprising  firm  uses  all  of  the  latest  improved 
machinery  and  appliances,  including  steam  plows 
and  steam  harvesters,  and  are  meeting  with  ex- 
ceUent  financial  returns. 


In  1884  Mr.  Hubbard  married  Kate  E.  Maclay,. 
a  daughter  of  the  late  Hon.  Charles  Maclay,  of 
whom  a  sketch  may  be  found  on  another  page  of 
this  biographical  work.  Two  children  have 
blessed  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hubbard, 
Catherine  P.  and  M.  Wright.  Politically  Mr. 
Hubbard  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  for  four 
years  served  as  supervisor  of  Los  Angeles  covm- 
ty.  Fraternally  he  is  one  of  the  charter  mem- 
liers  of  Fernando  Lodge  No.  343,  F.  &  A.  M., 
and  a  charter  member  and  past  workman  of  San 
Fernando  Lodge  No.  214,  A.  O.  IJ.  W. 


J.  EUCLID  AIILES.  The  real-estate  in- 
terests of  Santa  jNIonica  have  an  able  representa- 
tive in  the  above-named  gentleman,  who,  al- 
though he  has  been  a  resident  only  since  1902, 
is  a  prominent  factor  in  the  material  upbuild- 
ing of  the  city.  He  is  a  native  of  (  )hio.  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  ]\Iorrow  county.  His  father, 
Enos  Miles,  was  born  in  Chester\-ille,  that  coun- 
ty, where  he  carried  on  a  groce,j'y.  In  1849  ^^ 
crossed  the  plains  with  ox-teams  and  came  to 
California,  locating  in  JNIarysville,  Yuba  county, 
where  he  engaged  in  placer  mining,  and  was 
also  one  of  the  builders  of  the  Yuba  river  dam. 
Having  returned  to  the  east  in  the  mean  time, 
in  1853  he  made  a  trip  to  the  coast  by  way  of 
the  Isthmus,  and  located  once  more  in  Marys- 
ville.  Subsequently  he  returned  once  more  to 
Ohio,  and  in  Mansfield,  that  state,  his  death  oc- 
curred in  1888.  His  wife  was  in  maidenhood 
Margaret   A.    Claflin. 

J.  Euclid  Miles  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native 
state,  receiving-  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  near  his  home  and  also  in  Notre  Dame 
University  and  the  Brothers  School  in  Dayton, 
Ohio.  His  first  position  was  as  a  clerk  in  a  busi- 
ness house  on  Wall  street.  New  York  Cit}-,  which 
he  accepted  in  1872,  but  subsequently  he  re- 
turned to  Ohio  and  for  a  short  time  was  en- 
gaged in  the  book  business  with  his  father  in 
Mansfield.  In  1873  he  became  an  employe  of 
the  Cleveland,  Columbus,  Cincinnati  &  Indiana- 
polis Railroad,  and  after  giving  this  up  went  to 
Colorado,  there  securing  a  position  in  the  motive 
power  department  of  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande 
which  he  held  for  a  number  of  years.  With  the 
means  accumulated  during  that  time  he  went 
into  business  for  himself  in  Pueblo,  Colo.,  estab- 
lishing a  real-estate  and  insurance  office  at  that 
point.  During  the  twent}'-two  }'ears  in  which 
he  made  that  place  his  home  and  the  scene  of  his 
activities  he  rose  to  a  position  of  prominence 
among  the  citizens  both  socially  and  financially 
and  accumulated  considerable  valuable  property. 
Deciding  to  locate  in  Southern  California,  on 
July  4,  1902,  he  came  to  Santa  Monica  and  at 
once    organized    the    Santa    JNIonica    Investment 


^^fc<>Z>w//^^ 


'/ 


-^^^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1581 


Company,  one  of  the  strongest  real  estate  con- 
cerns of  this  place.  He  is  now  acting  as  general 
manager  for  the  company,  while  Robert  F.  Jones 
serves  as  president;  Edwin  Dike  as  vice-presi- 
dent; Roy  Jones,  as  secretary;  and  the  Bank  of 
Santa  Monica  as  treasurer.  They  conduct  a 
general  business  and  have  met  with  more  than 
the  expected  success. 

Mr.  Miles  was  married  in  New  York  City  to 
an  accomplished  lady,  a  native  of  Ireland',  in 
which  country  she  received  her  education.  In 
his  fraternal  relations  Mr.  Miles  is  associated 
with  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  and  the  Benevo- 
lent Protective  Order  of  Elks,  of  which  latter  he 
is  treasurer.  A  man  of  ability  and  many  ad- 
mirable personal  traits  of  character,  he  is  held 
in  high  esteem  by  all  who  know  him  and  ac- 
counted a  representative  citizen  of  his  adopted 
city. 


DANIEL  ilYERS.  While  there  are  many 
people  in  Southern  California  engaged  in  the 
poultry  business,  few  devote  themselves  so 
exclusively  to  the  turkey  raising  branch  of  the 
occupation  as  does  Daniel  Myers  of  Hemet. 
He  also  carries  on  general  ranching  on  a  large 
scale  and  has  three  hundred  acres  of  land 
planted  to  grain  crops,  a  like  area  being  used 
for  pasturage  purposes.  There  are  twenty- 
five  head  of  cattle,  eighteen  horses  and  a  thou- 
sand young  turkeys  on  the  place  at  the  pres- 
ent time.  Mr.  Myers  was  born  August  4, 
1843,  i"  Wayne  county.  Ohio,  the  son  of 
John  and  Mary  (MiddlekauflF)  Myers,  the 
father  being  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the 
mother  of  Maryland.  Both  parents  settled  in 
Ohio  when  they  were  children,  and  Mr.  My- 
ers, who  was  occupied  as  a  farmer  in  that 
state,  is  now  living  there  at  the  advanced  age 
of  ninet\'  \'ears.  His  wife  died  in  Ohio  in 
1887. 

It  was  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
state  that  Daniel  Myers  was  educated,  his  boy- 
hood days  being  spent  on  his  father's  farm. 
When  twenty-one  years  of  age,  being  of  an 
ambitious  nature  and  desiring  to  see  some- 
thing of  the  world,  he  joined  a  party  of  emi- 
grants coming  to  California  in  the  spring  of 
1864,  and  after  a  trip  occupying  four  months 
and  five  days  arri\-ed  in  Sacramento  August 
25  of  that  year.  For  the  following  twelve 
months  he  secured  employment  by  the  month, 
and  then  established  himself  in  the  turkey 
business,  raising  twelve  hundred  the  first  year, 
and  during  the  following  four  years  marketed 
eight  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty  birds. 
Poultry  was  high  in  those  days  and  this  busi- 
ness was  almost  as  good  as  a  gold  mine  to  Mr. 
Myers.    In  1870,  desiring  to  make  a  change,  he 


disposed  of  his  interests  in  Sacramento.  Lo- 
cating in  the  San  Jacinto  valley  he  purchased 
an  interest  in  the  E.studillo  grant  and  later 
added  to  his  possessions  by  acquiring  one  hun- 
dred and  eleven  acres  of  government  land, 
upon  which  his  home  is  now  located.  He  built 
substantial  and  commodious  buildings  and  oth- 
erwise improved  the  ranch.  He  engaged  in 
farming  operations  exclusively  for  six  years, 
then  added  turkey  raising  to  his  pursuits,  and 
has  since  that  time  built  up  the  business  to  its 
present  extensive  proportions. 

In  1873,  while  in  Ohio,  Mr.  Myers  was  unit- 
ed in  marriage  with  Amanda  Shanklin,  a  na- 
tive of  that  state,  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
three  children  :  Charles  C]  living  at  home  :  Ed- 
win, engaged  in  mining  in  Alaska;  and  Etta, 
the  wife  of  Charles  Slanker  of  Riverside.  Fra- 
ternally Mr.  Myers  is  a  member  of  Pomona 
Lodge,  I.  O.  F.,  and  politically  he  affiliates 
with  the  Democratic  party.  He  takes  a  spe- 
cial interest  in  educational  matters  and  has 
been  trustee  of  his  school  district,  also  of  the 
Hemet  high  school  for  one  term.  He  is  a  man 
of  progressive  ideas  and  upright  character  and 
exerts  a  salutary  influence  in  the  communitv. 
the  welfare  of  which  he  has  alwavs  had  at 
heart. 


HORACE  J.  SEELY.  Some  years  after  the 
fever  heat  of  excitement  over  the  discovery  of 
gold  in  California  had  subsided  Horace  J. 
Seely  was  brought  to  the  state  by  his  parents, 
Timothy  and  Mary  (Love)  Seely,  natives  of 
Xew  York  and  Ohio  respectively,  although 
their  married  life  up  to  that  time  had  been 
))assed  in  Michigan.  Besides  Horace  J.,  who 
was-  born  in  Berrien  county,  Mich.,  September 
2,  1850,  there  was  one  other  child  in  the  parent- 
al family,  Qiarles,  who  was  born  in  Napa 
county,  Cal,  September  27,  1859:  he  died  of 
cancer  of  the  stomach  March  21,  1906.  From 
Napa  county,  where  the  family  first  settled, 
they  removed  to  Solano  and  Contra  Costa 
counties  respectively,  remaining  only  a  short 
time  in  each,  however,  and  in  1871  settled  in 
Arroyo  (irande,  San  Luis  Obispo  county, 
where  the  father  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  During  a  part  of  the  twelve  years  which 
Mr.  Seely  lived  in  Napa  county  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  National  Guards,  and  fraternally 
lie  belonged  to  the  I\Iasonic  order.  His  church 
affiliations  were  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
denomination  at  Arroyo  Grande,  with  which 
body  of  believers  his  wife  is  still  connected. 
Air.  Seely  died  at  the  age  of  seventv-seven 
years,  his  death  terminating  a  life  filled  with 
noble    and    tm<;elfish    deeds.      His    widow    still 


1582 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


survives  and  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years 
enjoys  her  facuhies  unimpaired. 

As  he  was  a  lad  of  eight  years  at  the  time 
the  family  left  .Michigan  to  take  up  life  in  the 
west  Horace  J.  Seely  was  educated  almost  en- 
tirely in  the  schools  of  Napa  county,  which 
was  his  home  for  twelve  years.  Following  the 
fortunes  of  his  parents  he  came  to  Arroyo 
Grande  in  1871,  and  for  thirty-live  years  has 
assisted  in  the  march  of  progress  in  this  flour- 
ishing center  of  activity.  His  twenty-two  and 
a  half  acre  ranch  produces  twenty-five  sacks 
of  beans  to  the  acre,  besides  which  he  raises 
large  quantities  of  beets. 

In  1875,  in  Arroyo  Grande,  Mr.  Seely  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Dora  Casteele,  a  na- 
tive of  Missouri,  and  four  children  have  been 
born  to  them.  The  eldest  born,  W.  J.,  is  now 
thirty  years  old  and  a  resident  of  Santa  Rita : 
A'lary,  who  is  twenty-eight  years  old,  is  the 
wife  of  Fred  Keller,  of  Santa  Barbara  county, 
and  the  mother  of  one  child;  A.  T.  chose  as 
his  wife  Sarah  Fillmore,  and  they  have  one 
child  :  the  youngest  child  of  the  family  is  Clara, 
now  in  her  seventeenth  year.  In  his  political 
belief  Mr.  .Seely  is  a  Republican,  and  his  re- 
ligious inclinations  are  tow^ard  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  of  which  his  wife  is  a  mem- 
ber, her  membership  being  in  the  church  at 
Arroyo  Gr-ande.  The  accumulation  of  exces- 
sive wealth  has  at  no  time  been  the_  aim  or 
object  of  Mr.  Seely's  life,  but  rather  to  live 
well  and  worthily,  and  that  his  life  has  been 
above  reproach  is  the  universal  acknowledg- 
ment of  those  Avho  have  been  associated  with 
him  for  the  long  period  of  thirty-five  years. 


ALFRED  C.  DRAKE.  The  western  repre- 
sentative of  a  fine  old  family  of  New  York,' Al- 
fred C.  Drake  is  located  in  the  vicinity  of  El 
Monte  and  engaged  in  the  management  of  a  fine- 
ly improved  ranch  of  ten  acres,  in  walnuts  six- 
teen years  old,  and  also,  a  fifteen  acre  tract  in 
the  Bassett  district  which  is  set  to  walnuts  and 
alfalfa.  Born  in  St.  Lawrence  county,  N.  Y., 
March  10,  1873.  he  was  a  son  of  James  and 
Martha  (Vincent)  Drake,  the  former  of  whom 
was  a  native  of  the  same  place  and  the  latter  of 
Ontario,  The  grandfather,  Francis  Drake,  was 
a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  serving  in  a  New  York 
regiment,  after  which  he  followed  farming  in 
St.  Lawrence  county,  where  his  son  James  was 
engaged  as  a  builder.  The  latter  subsequently 
removed  to  Franklin  county,  Iowa,  and  followed 
his  trade,  and  from  there  went  to  Minnesota  and 
North  Dakota,  finally  coming  to  California.  He 
died  in  El  Monte  in  1898.  at  the  age  of  forty- 
eight  years.  His  wife  had  previously  died  in 
tlicir  home  in  Iowa. 


The  on!}-  child  born  to  his  parents,  Alfred  C. 
Drake  was  reared  in  the  different  states  where 
his  parents  made  their  home,  removing  to  Iowa 
at  the  age  of  four  years,  thence  to  Minnesota  at 
seven,  and  at  nine  to  Valley  City,  N.  Dak.,  his 
education  being  received  in  the  public  schools 
and  the  St.  Cloud  ( Minn. )  Normal  School.  He 
then  attended  a  business  college  in  Fargo  and 
in  1893.  after  his  graduation,  located  in  Phoenix, 
Ariz.  In  the  same  year  he  came  to  El  Monte, 
where  his  father  had  purchased  a  ranch  on  the 
Santa  Anita  road.  He  farmed  this  property  for 
a  year  and  a  half,  when  he  bought  a  ranch  in 
the  Puente  district  and  when  twenty-three  years 
of  age  he  engaged  in  farming  for  himself.  In 
El  Monte.  March  10,  1896,  "he  married  Miss 
Myra  Maxson,  a  native  of  Colusa  county,  Cal., 
and  a  daughter  of  B.  F.  Alaxson,  whose  name  is 
one  well  known  in  this  section  of  Southern  Cali- 
fornia. (For  more  complete  details  concerning 
his  life  refer  to  the  sketch  of  his  son,  which  ap- 
pears elsewhere  in  this  volume.)  Mrs.  Drake 
traces  her  ancestry  on  the  maternal  side  to  Pris- 
cilla  Alden.  She  is  a  woman  of  excellent  quali- 
ties, well  educated  and  highly  cultured,  and  has 
a  wide  circle  of  friends  in  El  Monte  and  vicin- 
ity. They  have  four  children,  namely :  James 
Merwin,  Elizabeth  Fay,  Frederick  Arthur  and 
Francis  Maxson. 

In  1904  Mr.  Drake  improved  his  property  by 
ihe  erection  of  a  new  residence  and  also  made 
other  improvements.  Both  himself  and  wife  are 
members  of  the  Mountain  View  Presbyterian 
Church,  in  which  Mr.  Drake  officiates  as  chair- 
man of  the  board  of  trustees.  Fraternally  he  is 
prominent,  having  been  made  a  Mason  in  1903 
in  Lexington  Lodge  No.  104,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of 
El  Monte,  of  which  he  is  now  serving  ai  master, 
and  both  himself  and  wife  are  members  of  the 
Order  of  Eastern  Star,  El  Monte  Giapter  No. 
172,  of  which  he  is  Worthy  Patron.  He  is  also 
identified  with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
^^'orkmen,  having  served  in  his  local  lodge  as 
recorder  for  seven  terms,  and  the  Independent 
Order  of  Good  Templars.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
his  political  convictions,  and  actively  supports  his 
party  principles.  Since  its  organization  he  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Mountain  Mew  Walnut 
Growers'  Association.  In  educational  afifairs  Mr. 
Drake  has  always  taken  a  prominent  part,  having 
served  for  the  past  six  years  as  a  member  of  the 
board  of  trustees  of  the  Mountain  View  School 
district. 


EDWARD  J.  STE^^"ART.  In  the  .selection 
of  Mr.  Stewart  as  overseer  of  their  pipe  lines 
the  Los  Posas  Water  Company  of  Somis  have 
secured  the  services  of  one  who  will  guard  the 
interests  of  his  superiors  with  the  same  care  that 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RFXORD. 


1583 


his  own  affairs  would  receive.  In  the  (Hstribii- 
tion  of  water  over  the  town  and  vicinity  three 
engines  are  kept  in  constant  operation,  besides 
which  four  windmills  are  at  all  times  adding  to 
the   supply. 

As  a  native  son  of  the  state  Mr.  Stewart  was 
born  in  \'entura  county  September  24,  1871,  a 
son  of  Oscar  D.  Stfiwart,  a  native  of  Michigan. 
(For  a  more  complete  history  of  the  Stewart 
family  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  .sketch  of  the 
father,  which  will  be  found  on  another  page  of 
this  volume.)  The  common  schools  of  this 
county  furnished  the  text-book  knowledge  which 
Mr.  Stewart  was  permitted  to  enjoy,  but  he  has 
never  ceased  to  be  a  student,  for  by  the  reading 
of  carefully  selected  literature  he  has  become 
well  informed,  and  all  who  know  him  speak  of 
him  in  the  highest  terms.  His  school  days  over, 
his  energetic  disposition  made  immediate  work 
essential,  and  in  the  selection  of  ranching  he 
chose  the  work  nearest  at  hand,  for  he  was 
reared  on  a  farm  and  during  his  boyhood  and 
youth  had  assisted  his  father  very  materially  in 
the  care  and  management  of  the  home  place. 
He  discontinued  his  agricultural  enterprise,  how- 
ever, in  November,  1905,  at  which  time  he  ac- 
cepted his  present  position  with  the  Los  Posas 
Water  Company.  Though  he  has  been  with  the 
company  little  more  than  a  year  the  time  has 
been  all  sufficient  to  prove  his  trustworthiness, 
for  lie  believes  that  what  is  worth  doing  is  worth 
doing  well. 

In  1895  Mr.  Stewart  was  married  to  Miss 
Lucy  Russell,  who  is  of  southern  parentage, 
born  in  Mississippi,  the  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Lucretia  (Sheffield)  Russell.  The  mother  is  de- 
ceased, but  the  father  still  survives  and  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Ventura,  being  marshal  of  the  town. 
Two  children  have  blessed  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Stewart,  Lorraine  and  Russell.  Mr. 
-Stewart  is  proud  of  the  privilege  to  claim  mem- 
bership in  the  organization  known  as  the  Native 
Sons  of  the  Golden  West,  which  is  his  bv  right  of 
birth  in  this  state,  and  he  affiliates  with  the  par- 
lor at  Ventura.  The  only  other  order  to  which 
he  belongs  is  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  .America, 
belonging  to  the  camp  at  Somis.  His  political 
sympathies  are  in  accord  with  Democratic  prin- 
ciples, which  he  supports  whenc\-er  the  occasion 
arises. 


GEORGE  W.  GLF.NN.  The  descendant  of 
a  representative  pioneer  family,  and  a  lifelong 
resident  of  California,  G.  W.  Glenn  occupies 
a  prominent  position  among  the  thriving  ag- 
riculturists of  Ventura  county,  his  highly  im- 
proved and  productive  ranch  being  located 
near  Camarillo.  A  man  of  industry  and  sound 
judgment,  the  success  which  has  attended  him 


throughout  his  career  has  been  brought  about 
by  persistent  energy,  well-directed  toil  and 
exceptional  business  ability  on  his  part,  and 
he  is  in  truth  well  deserving  of  the  respect 
and  confidence  in  which  he  is  everywhere  held. 
A  son  of  the  lale  Joseph  Glenn,  he  was  born 
January  5,  1857,  in  X'isalia,  Tulare  county, 
and  there  and  in  Kern  county  he  receix'ed  his 
early  education. 

A  native  of  Tennessee,  Joseph  Glenn  suc- 
ceeded to  the  occupation  of  his  ancestors,  be- 
coming a  farmer.  In  1852  he  came  to  Califor- 
nia, and  for  a  while  tried  mining,  but  not 
meeting  with  the  anticipated  success  he  re- 
sumed his  foruicr  independent  calling.  Re- 
moving from  Kern  county  to  Ventura  county, 
he  first  took  up  a  government  claim  near 
Hueneme.  Later  he  spent  some  time  as  a 
farmer  in  Los  Angeles  county,  but  in  1886  re- 
turned to  Ventura  county,  and  was  here  em- 
ployed as  a  tiller  of  the  soil  until  his  death 
in  1891,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years.  He 
was  a  man  liighly  esteemed,  and  a  stanch 
Democrat  in  his  political  views.  He  married 
Mary  Grounds,  a  native  of  Arkansas,  and  she 
is  now  living  in  Hueneme,  a  bright  and  active 
woman  of  seventy-eight  years,  and  a  valued 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Four- 
teen children  blessed  their  union,  five  of  whom 
are  deceased,  and  of  the  nine  that  survive 
seven  are  residents  of  California. 

Brought  up  on  a  farm,  G.  W' .  Glenn  became 
well  versed  in  agricultural  lore  during  the 
days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth,  and  started 
out  on  his  own  account  at  an  early  age.  Com- 
ing to  Ventura  county,  for  si.x  y^ears  he  car- 
ried on  general  farming  in  Hueneme  on  rented 
land.  The  ensuing  four  years  he  was  similarly 
employed  in  Los  Angeles  county,  but  not 
being  quite  contented  with  the  results  of  his 
operations  in  that  locality  he  returned  to  Ven- 
tura county.  Laboring  earnestly  and  success- 
fully, he  made  money,  and  in  1893  purchased 
seventy-seven  acres  of  his  present  home  ranch, 
which  now  comprises  one  hundred  and  fifty 
acres.  A  part  of  his  land  he  devotes  to  rais- 
ing hay,  but  he  makes  a  specialty  of  beans,  his 
land  readily  yielding  about  twelve  sacks  per 
acre. 

In  1880  Mr.  Glenn  married  Catherine  M. 
Cawelti,  a  daughter  of  the  late  John  Cawelti. 
Mr.  Cawelti  was  born  January  26,  1828,  in 
Germany,  and  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-three 
years  in  Ventura  county,  Cal.  He  came  with 
his  jiarents  to  this  country  when  young,  and 
for  many  years  was  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  in  Ohio.  In  1864  he  migrated  with 
liis  family-  to  Sonoma  county,  Cal.,  and  in 
1868  removed  to  Ventura  county,  where  he  ac- 
quired a  handsome  property,  becoming  owner 


1584 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  ten  hundred  and  three  acres  of  land  in  the 
Santa  Clara  valley  of  the  south.  As  a  gen- 
eral farmer  he  was  exceedingly  prosperous, 
and  as  a  man  and  a  citizen  was  much  respect- 
ed. He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics.  While 
living  in  Ohio  he  married  Catherine  M.  Wag- 
ner, who  was  born  in  Germany,  and  died  in 
Ventura  county,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three 
years.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  in  that  faith  reared  her  nine  chil- 
dren, ail  of  whom  are  living  in  California,  in 
Pleasant  Valley.  Air.  and  Mrs.  Glenn  are  the 
parents  of  four  children,  Ethel,  Lena,  Clifford 
and  Edward.  In  his  political  affiliations  Mr. 
Glenn  is  a  Democrat,  and  religiously  he  be- 
longs to  the  Baptist  Church.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Fraternal  Brotherhood,  an  organi- 
zation in  which  he  takes  great  interest.  Mr. 
and  ]\Irs.  Glenn  are  known  far  and  wide  as 
generous,  hospitable  people,  and  their  pleas- 
ant home  is  a  center  of  social  activity. 


LEROY  ARXOLD.  Until  his  death  Leroy 
Arnold  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  citizens 
of  \'entura  county,  where  he  settled  in  1870. 
He  was  born  January  22,  1842,  in  DeKalb  county, 
III,  his  father,  Cutler,  being  a  native  of  Ohio, 
born  in  1818,  and  his  mother,  Emily  Hough  in 
maidenhood,  being  a  native  of  Illinois.  Tliey 
removed  to  California  in  1852,  coming  by  the 
Panama  route  to  Marysville,  and  from  there 
they  went  to  Sierra  count}',  remaining  there  for 
a  time.  The  year  1857  found  them  in  Lassen 
county,  where  the  father  engaged  in  ranching 
until  1868,  when  he  came  to  Ventura  county  and 
engaged  in  that  business  on  a  large  scale.  Both 
parents  continued  to  reside  here  until  their 
deaths,  having  spent  their  last  days  in  the  home 
of  their  son  Leroy.  The  father  lived  to  be  eighty- 
two  vears  of  age.  Of  the  nine  children  born  to 
the  parents  six   are   still  living. 

In  Lassen  county.  September  19,  1865,  Leroy 
Arnold  was  married  to  Miss  Carrie  F.  Hill,  a 
native  of  Indiana  and  the  daughter  of  William 
R.  and  Sarah  (Gragg)  Hill,  the  former  a  native 
of  Xew  York  state  and  the  latter  born  in  Noble 
county,  Ind.  William  R.  Hill,  who  was  a  farmer 
and  carpenter  by  trade,  settled  in  Indiana  prior 
to  his  marriage.  From  there  he  removed  to 
Missouri  and  one  year  later  settled  in  Iowa.  In 
1859  he  started  for  Pike's  Peak  with  his  wife 
anil  seven  children.  He  began  the  trip  with 
horses,  but  while  on  the  way  decided  to  come  to 
California  instead  and  traded  his  horses  for 
oxen.  His  route  followed  the  Sublet  cut-oilf  by 
Harney  Lake  valley,  Mr.  Hill  coming  only  a 
few  da>-s  after  the  Shepard  party,  which  was 
massacred.  He  located  on  Lassen  county  and 
engaged    in    contracting    and    building    in    ad- 


dition to  farming  until  1865,  when  he  removed 
to  a  farm  near  Eugene,  Lane  county,  Ore.,  re- 
maining there  for  six  years.  After  this  he  re- 
turned to  California,  first  to  \'entura  county,  and 
after  a  few  years  bought  a  home  in  Tulare 
county.  He  died  at  the  latter  location  in  the 
year  1884,  and  his  wife  in  A'entura  county  in 
1870.  There  were  seven  children  in  the  family, 
Mrs.  .\rnold  being  next  to  the  oldest. 

In  1870  Mr.  and  ^Irs.  Arnold  removed  to 
Hueneme.  j\Ir.  Arnold  rented  a  ranch  for  a 
time,  and  then  bought  out  the  interest  of  his 
brother  Eugene  in  a  one  hundred  and  sixty  acre 
ranch  and  engaged  in  farming,  in  addition  to 
which  he  operated  a  thrashing  machine  and 
raised  thoroughbred  horses.  He  took  a  promi- 
nent interest  in  all  public  affairs  of  this  section, 
was  an  advocate  of  the  principles  of  the  Republi- 
can party,  and  fraternally  affiliated  Avith  the 
Alasonic  lodge.  His  death,  which  occurred 
February  25,  1902,  at  the  age  of  sixty  years, 
one  month  and  three  days,  removed  one  of  the 
most  successful  men  and  highly  respected  citizens 
of  \'entura  county.  His  wife  and  seven  children 
survive  him,  the  youngest  son,  Dell,  and  Airs. 
Arnold  conducting  the  home  ranch,  which  com- 
prises over  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
land  devoted  to  beet  growing.  It  is  a  well  im- 
proved piece  of  property  and  has  a  ten-inch  well 
located  on  the  highest  point,  from  which  the 
whole  ranch  may  be  irrigated.  The  other  chil- 
dren are:  Effie,  who  married  Arthur  Smith,  of 
Hueneme;  Afollie,  now  Mrs,  W.  T.  Fulton,  of 
Camarillo ;  Martha,  the  wife  of  J.  E.  Fulton,  of 
Oxnard :  Olive,  who  married  Walter  Rowe,  of 
Hueneme ;  and  Roy  and  Alton,  both  residing  in 
Hueneme.  Airs.  Arnold  adheres  to  the  faith  of 
the  Christian  Science  Church. 


LAZARUS  I^ETER  CASXER.  An  active, 
wide-awake  man  of  versatile  talents,  broad 
and  progressive  in  his  views,  L.  P.  Casner 
has  had  a  varied  career  in  life,  and  wherever 
he  has  lived  and  labored  has  won  for  himself 
an  honored  position  in  business  circles.  He 
now  has  charge  of  the  stage  station  on  the 
stage  line  route  between  Foster  and  Julian, 
the  station  being  located  on  the  boundary  line 
of  the  Ballena  and  Ramona  precincts,  and  in 
this  capaciLv  is  ably  and  faithfully  performing 
the  duties  devolving  upon  him,  winning  the 
approval  of  his  emplovers,  and  the  esteem  and 
hearty  good  will  of  the  traveling  public.  He 
is  a  native  of  San  Diego  county,  born  Alay  14, 
1873.  a  son  of  Alartin  A^'an  and  Alary  (Little- 
page)  Casner. 

Endowed  b\^  nature  with  those  three  char- 
acteristics, energy,  ability  and  push,  which  are 
jire-eminent  in  all  true  born  Americans,  L.  P. 


IS^<L.(S,71AV. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1587 


Casner  started  in  life  at  the  early  age  of 
seventeen  years,  for  two  years  being  employed 
on  the  Hurt  stock  ranch  in  Arizona.  Return- 
ing home,  he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade, 
which  he  followed  for  a  while,  after  which  he 
was  engaged  in  the  cattle  business  on  his  own 
account  for  five  years.  He  subsequently 
learned  the  trade  of  butcher,  which  he  fol- 
lowed in  Monrovia,  Los  Angeles  county,  for 
two  years,  during  which  time  he  joined  the 
Los  Angeles  Butchers'  Union,  to  which  he 
still  belongs.  Going  then  to  Lower  California, 
he  ran  a  store  there  for  a  year.  Returning  to 
Los  Angeles,  he  was  for  five  years  connected 
with  a  private  detective  force,  and  while  thus 
employed  traveled  extensively  throughout  the 
west  and  northwest.  Settling  then  in  San 
Diego  county,  he  was  for  a  few  seasons  em- 
ployed in  general  ranching,  and  then  accepted 
his  present  position  with  Mr.  Foster,  and  has 
had  full  charge  of  the  stage  station,  as  above 
mentioned,  managing  its  business  most  suc- 
cessfully and  satisfactorily. 

In  1898  Mr.  Casner  married  Edith  M.  Clev- 
enger,  who  was  born  in  Chico,  Butte  county, 
Cal.,  a  daughter  of  J.  K.  P.  Clevenger,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  namely: 
Charlotte  C,  Lorain  and  Violet  Pearl.  Mr. 
Casner  is  a  straightforward  Republican  in 
politics. 


LLOYD  E.  NOBLE.  The  impetus  afford- 
ed to  all  business  enterprises  through  the  rap- 
idly growing  popularity  of  Long  Beach  has 
attracted  to  its  citizenship  a  large  number  of 
men  directly  or  indirectly  connected  with  the 
real  estate  business  and  the  building  industry, 
and  among  these  men  may  be  mentioned 
Lloyd  E.  Noble,  who  has  been  interested  in 
the  building  for  sale  of  modern  cottages  and 
substantial  residences,  as  well  as  doing  a  gen- 
eral real  estate  business.  Though  familiar 
with  every  detail  connected  with  contract  car- 
pentering and  himself  the  possessor  of  varied 
experience  in  the  occupation,  he  is  yet  a  young 
man,  having  been  born  December  8,  1881,  and 
is  a  native  of  Lake  City,  Calhoun  county, 
Iowa.  His  father,  William  M.  Noble,  was 
born  in  Illinois  and  became  interested  in  the 
hardware  and  building  business  in  Iowa, 
where  he  became  an  extensive  and  successful 
contractor  at  Lake  City.  On  coming  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1887  he  took  up  work  at  his  chosen 
trade  in  Whittier  and  erected  a  number  of 
substantial  structures  in  that  locality,  later 
being  similarly  occupied  in  Santa  Ana.  For 
some  years  he  has  made  his  liome  in  Los  An- 
geles, where  he  is  financially  interested  in  a 
flourisliing  industry.     His  first  wife,  who  bore 


the  maiden  name  of  Sarah  Seaburn.  died  in 
California  August  6,  1892,  at  thirty-nine  years 
of  age,  and  he  remained  a  widower  until  Oc- 
tober II,  1905,  when  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Jennie  R.  Kirby  of  Los  Angeles. 

When  the  family  came  to  the  Pacific  coast 
Lloyd  E.  Noble  was  less  than  six  years  of  age, 
hence  his  education  has  been  secured  almost 
wholly  in  the  west  and  principally  in  the 
schools  of  Whittier.  When  fifteen  years  of 
age  he  began  to  assist  his  father  in  carpenter- 
ing and  thus  acquired  an  early  and  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  trade.  At  the  age  of 
eighteen  he  became  a  partner  of  his  father  in 
contracting  and  building  and  aided  in  the 
erection  of  houses  at  Santa  Ana  and  Long 
Beach.  In  December,  1904,  he  became  a  part- 
ner in  the  D.  C.  Lamb,  Noble  Grill  Company 
of  Los  Angeles,  with  which  his  father  was  as- 
sociated, but  at  the  expiration  of  six  months 
he  sold  his  one-third  interest.  Subsequently 
lie  engaged  in  building  houses  in  Long  Beach, 
his  plan  being  to  buy  vacant  property,  im- 
prove with  modern  dwellings  and  then  sell. 
Since  January  r,  igo6,  he  has  been  engaged 
independently  in  the  general  real  estate  and 
investment  business,  also  doing  building  to 
improve  his  own  properties. 

Since  coming  to  Long  Beach  Mr.  Noble 
has  been  connected  with  the  Volunteer  Fire 
Company  as  a  department  officer,  the  com- 
pany' having  proved  a  distinct  advantage  and 
source  of  protection  to  the  city.  Further  he  is 
active  in  the  California  National  Guard  as  a 
'member  of  Company  H,  Seventh  Regiment, 
maintains  affiliations  with  the  Fraternal  Aid 
and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  in  re- 
ligion gives  his  support  to  the  First  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church,  and  takes  an  active  in- 
terest in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  as  chairman  of  the 
membership  committee  from  the  First  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church.  In  political  affairs 
he  favors  Republican  principles  in  national  is- 
sues, but  in  local  elections  maintains  an  inde- 
pendent attitude,  favoring  the  men  and  meas- 
ures best  adapted  to  promote  the  progress  of 
city  and  coimt-\'. 


HENRY  DARIUS  FREEMAN.  Ranking 
high  among  the  active  and  thriving  ranchers 
of  the  Santa  ^laria  valley  is  H.  D.  Freeman,  a 
man  of  ability,  intelligence  and  good  business 
capacity,  whose  ranch  of  two  hundred  acres  lies 
directly  south  of  Santa  Maria.  ■  The  greater 
part  of  the  tract  is  sown  to  grain,  sixty  acres 
alone  being  given  over  to  corn,  which,  though 
not  raised  for  commercial  purposes  direct,  sup- 
plies feed  for  his  hennery,  which  is  the  largest 


1588 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  one  of  the  most  flourishing  industries  of  the 
kind  in  the  valley.  At  this  writing  (1906)  he 
has  eighteen  hundred  laying  hens  and  two  thou- 
sand young  chickens,  the  latter  produced  by  the 
use  of  three  incubators,  which  are  kept  in  con- 
stant operation.  The  incubators  which  are  used 
on  the  ranch  are  manufactured  by  Air.  Free- 
man's brother,  Albert  J.,  both  being  authorities 
in  the  raising  of  chickens,  and  that  their  theo- 
retical and  practical  knowledge  produce  un- 
deniable results  will  be  seen  when  it  is  stated 
that  during  1905  they  sold  in  the  San  Francisco 
market  $3,300  wortli  of  eggs  and  $500  worth 
of  poultry. 

A  native  son  of  the  state,  Henry  D.  Freeman 
was  born  in  Marin  county  August  8,  1859,  ^ 
son  of  William  D.  and  Mary  (Halstead)  Free- 
man, of  whom  more  facts  are  given  in  the  sketch 
of  Albert  J.  Freeman.  Mr.  Freeman  has  known 
no  other  home  than  his  native  state,  and  in 
fact  his  life  has  been  about  equally  divided  be- 
tween Marin  and  Santa  Barbara  counties.  Edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools  of  Marin  county. 
while  still  a  school  boy  he  became  interested  in 
the  dairy  business  through  association  with  his 
older  brother's  dairy,  and  finally  started  in  busi- 
ness in  the  same  line  for  himself.  This  con- 
tinued for  some  time,  but  in  the  mean  time  he 
had  been  making  investigations  along  the  line  of 
poultry  raising,  which  in  1890  took  tangible 
form  ijy  the  inauguration  of  his  present  ranch  in 
the  Santa  Maria  valley.  Having  a  thorough 
understanding  of  poultry  raising,  in  1897  '""^  f"" 
gaged  in  the  business  on  a  large  scale,  and  by 
giving  personal  attention  to  details  he  has  gained 
a  standing  in  the  business  communitv  from  a 
financial  standpoint  of  which  he  is  well  worthy. 
and  judging  from  his  past  record  still  greater 
successes  await  him. 

In  1878  Henry  D.  Freeman  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Alary  Lucas,  a  native  of  Alis- 
souri,  and  the  following  children  have  been  born 
to  them  :  Chester  L.,  Ruth,  Lulu,  Emil,  Joe,  Nellie 
and  Lillian.  Air.  and  Airs.  Freeman  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  Church,  and  are  rearing 
their  children  to  lives  of  usefulness.  PoHticall\- 
Air.  Freeman  is  a  Republican,  and  fraternally 
he  belongs  to  the  Good  Templars  and  the  Red 
Alen,  affiliating  with  the  lodges  at  Santa  A  [aria. 


EDW.\RD  AlARIOX  CHURCHILL. 
Among  the  prosperous  business  men  of  Es- 
condido  E.  Alarion  Churchill,  a  hardware  mer- 
chant, holds  a  position  of  importance.  He  is 
a  man  of  recognized  ability  and  worth,  pos- 
sesses keen  judgment,  and  is  enterprising  and 
progressive.  .A.  son  of  C.  B.  Churchill,  he  was 
horn,  Alarch  15.  1870.  at  Prairie  City.  lasper 
count  V,    Iowa.      His    Grandfather   Churchill,    a 


native  of  Xew  York  state,  moved  to  ^^■iscon- 
sin  at  an  early  day,  being  a  pioneer  farmer 
of  that  state,  and  afterwards  followed  the 
march  of  civilization  still  further  westward, 
locating  in  Iowa,  where  he  resided  until  his 
death. 

Born  in  Erie  county,  X.  Y..  C.  B.  Churchill 
went  with  his  parents  to  A\'isconsin.  where  he 
followed  farming  for  a  niunber  of  years.  Sub- 
sequently settling  at  Prairie  City.  Iowa,  he 
improved  a  fine  farm,  and  was  profitably  em- 
ployed in  agricultural  pursuits  for  a  number  of 
years.  He  kept  abreast  of  the  times  in  his  la- 
bors, using  the  most  approved  farm  machin- 
ery, and  was  one  of  the  first  to  own  a  thresh- 
ing machine  in  that  state.  In  the  fall  of  1871 
he  moved  to  Butler  county.  Xeb.,  where  he 
purchased  wild  land  and  continued  his  opera- 
tion.s  as  a  farmer  and  stock-raiser.  In  1883,  '" 
])artnership  with  his  son.  G.  D.  Churchill,  he 
embarked  in  business  as  a  general  merchant 
at  David  Cit\%  Xeb.,  where  he  remained  a  few 
years.  Selling  his  interest  in  the  firm  he  re- 
sumed farm.ing  for  awhile,  and  in  1893  locat- 
ed in  Escondido,  where,  in  addition  to  general 
ranching,  he  w?.s  engaged  in  the  milling  bus- 
iness until  his  retirement  from  active  pursuits. 
He  married  B.  A.  Stephens,  who  was  born  in 
Erie  county.  Pa.,  a  daughter  of  Sylvester 
Stephens. 'who  spent  his  last  years  on  a  ^^'is- 
consin  farm.  She  bore  her  husband  six  chil- 
dren, of  whom  two  sons  and  three  daughters 
are  living,  Edward  Alarion.  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  being  the  youngest  child. 

Brought  up  and  educated  in  Xebraska,  Ed- 
ward Marion  Churchill  was  graduated  from 
the  David  City  high  school,  after  wdiich'he  took 
a  course  of  study  at  a  business  college  in  Des 
AFoines.  Iowa.  Returning  to  Xebraska.  he  re- 
mained at  home  until  1893.  when  he  came 
with  the  family  to  Escondido.  where  for  two 
years  he  assisted  his  father  in  improving  a 
ranch.  Entering  the  flour  mill  then,  he  learned 
the  miller's  trade,  and  changed  the  process  of 
manufacture  of  flour  to  the  E.  P.  .\l!is  bolting 
system,  bv  which  two  hundred  and  sixty-five 
]iounds  of  wheat  were  made  to  produce  a  bar- 
rel of  flour,  inst-'-ad  of  three  hundred  and  twen- 
ty-five pounds,  as  formerlv  required.  Until 
1899.  he  continued  the  management  of  the 
plant,  when,  finding  the  location  undesirable 
for  milling  purposes,  he  gave  up  the  business, 
intending  to  go  east  for  awhile.  Changing  his 
mind,  he  bought  a  half  interest  with  C.  Young 
in  a  bicycle  business,  paying  $too  for  his  share, 
and  ran  the  shop  until  October,  1900,  w^hen 
the  plant,  w^ith  the  exception  of  the  repair 
shop,  was  burned  out.  F"or  $200  Air.  Churchill 
then  purchased  his  partner's  interest  in  the 
Imsiness  and  the  lot.  md.  moving  into  a  new 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1589 


building,  dealt  in  bicycles  and  sporting  goods 
for  a  year,  during  which  time  he  was  robbed 
one  night  of  goods  worth  $150.  In  December, 
1901,  forming  a  copartnership  with  Prof.  I.  E. 
Thomas,  principal  of  the  high  school,  Mr. 
Churchill  bought  out  the  hardware  business 
of  Arthur  Jones,  and  has  since  been  resident 
manager  of  the  store,  in  which  he  carries  a 
full  line  of  hardware,  agricultural  implements, 
bicycles  and  sporting  goods.  His  store,  which 
he  moved  into  in  March,  1902,  is  25.X80  feet, 
and  the  warehouse  is  50x120  feet.  He  han- 
dles the  Pope  Alanufacturing  goods,  the  J.  I. 
Case  threshers  and  engines,  Oliver  chilled 
plows,  and  the  Studebaker's  wagons  and  bug- 
gies, carrying  a  fine  assortment.  He  has  ac- 
quired considerable  property,  and  on  Iowa 
street  has  erected  a  fine  residence. 

In  David  City,  Neb.,  Mr.  Churchill  married 
J.  F.  Lierle,  who  was  born  in  Illinois,  a  daugh- 
ter of  \\'illiam  Lierle,  now  a  resident  of  Xor- 
■>valk,  Iowa,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  three 
children,  namely:  Arthur  R.,  Ruth  and  Mil- 
dred. Mr.  Churchill  is  a  member  of  the  Escon- 
dido  Chamber  cf  Commerce,  and  for  two  years 
rendered  good  service  as  city  marshall  and  tax 
collector.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 
Fraternally  he  was  made  a  Mason  in  David 
City,  and  is  now  a  member  and  past  master 
of  Consuelo  Lodge,  No.  325,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of 
Escondido,  which  he  joined  at  the  time  of  its 
organization  ;  is  a  member  of  the  knights  of 
Pythias  ;  and  both  he  and  his  wife  belong  to 
the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star.  Mrs.  Churchill 
is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church, 
towards  the  support  of  which  he  contributes 
generously. 


WILLIAM  H.  SMITH.  To  attain  to  so 
honored  a  place  in  the  community  as  has  William 
H.  Smith  is  to  live  worthily  and  improve  the 
opportunities  within  reach  of  one's  ability  and  in- 
dustry. Without  doubt  the  surroundings  of  his 
youth  had  much  to  do  with  formulating  those 
principles  of  truth  and  honesty  which  are  the 
keynote  of  his  character  and  which  have  helped 
him  in  surmounting  difficulties.  A  native  of  Wis- 
consin, he  was  born  in  Lafayette  county,  No- 
vember 15,  1847,  ^  son  of  William  and  Sarah 
(Davis)  Smith,  the  former  born  in  England,  and 
the  latter  a  native  of  Illinois.  When  their  son 
William  was  a  small  child  they  left  Wisconsin 
and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Clay  county.  111.,  re- 
maining there  until  1874,  when  they  came  to 
California.  The  father  died  in  Tulare  county 
when  seventy-six  years  old,  and  the  mother  was 
seventy-two  at  the  time  of  her  death.  P>oth  were 
devout  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  throughout  tlicir  lives  they  exempli- 


fied the  teachings  of  the  Master,  who  went  about 
doing  good.  Of  the  seven  children  Ijorn  to  them, 
two  are  deceased. 

Educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Clav  coun- 
ty, 111.,  William  H.  Smith  interspersed  with  his 
studies  the  duties  that  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  aver- 
age farmer's  son,  and  remained  at  home  with 
his  parents  until  his  twenty-fifth  year.  Upon* 
coming  to  California  in  1872  he  went  first  to 
Alameda  county,  working  on  a  stock  ranch  there 
for  about  two  years,  after  which  he  went  to  Stan- 
islaus county  to  take  charge  of  a  wheat  ranch 
as  foreman.  An  experience  of  ten  years  there  en- 
abled him  to  lay  by  means  with  which  to  pur- 
chase a  ranch  of  his  own.  his  choice  of  a  location 
taking  him  within  a  short  distance  of  Pomona. 
Five  years  later  he  disposed  of  the  property  and 
came  to  \'entura  county,  here  also  continuing  to 
carry  on  a  ranch,  although  it  was  not  until  about 
i(j03  that  he  purchased  and  settled  upon  his  pres- 
ent property.  With  the  exception  of  about  twenty 
acres  of  hay  land  the  entire  ranch,  one  hundred 
and  twenty-two  and  a  half  acres,  is  planted  in 
beans,  his  vines  producing  on  an  average  fifteen 
sacks  to  the  acre.  Although  Mr.  Smith  may  be 
called  a  pioneer  of  Southern  California,  he  is 
comparatively  speaking  a  newcomer  to  this  im- 
mediate vicinity.  This  fact,  however,  would  not 
be  known  from  the  appearance  of  his  ranch,  for 
he  has  spared  no  means  to  supply  himself  with 
the  latest  labor-saving  devices  and  install  im- 
provements of  a  high  order,  with  the  result  that 
his  ranch  takes  high  rank  among  the  best  in  \'cn- 
tura  county. 

Air.  Smith's  marriage  in  1884  united  him  witli 
Aliss  Belle  Williams,  a  native  of  Kansas,  and 
the  only  child  of  their  marriage  is  Raymond,  who 
is  now  a  clerk  in  a  store  in  Camarillo.  The  fam- 
ily attend  and  support  the  Baptist  Church,  and 
politically  Mr.  Smith  is  a  believer  in  Republican 
principles. 


EDWARD  T.  HUGHES.  The  modern  and 
well-kept  ranch  which  belongs  to  Edward  T. 
Hughes,  bespeaks  the  ability  and  energy  which 
have  characterized  the  eflfort  put  into  the  culti- 
vation of  the  property.  Camarillo,  \'entura 
county,  is  his  postoffice.  and  Oxnard  his  market 
town,  where  he  finds  a  ready  sale  for  the  com- 
modities produced  on  his  ranch,  which  com- 
prises beans  and  hay  exclusively. 

Richard  \".  and '  Elizabeth  (Cullen)  Hughes 
were  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  but  prior  to 
the  birth  of  their  son  Edward,  they  established 
their  home  in  Nebraska.  There  the  father  prac- 
ticed his  profession,  becoming  known  as  a  law- 
yer of  exceptional  talents  and  marked  abilitv.  a 
fact    which    was    emphasized    liy    his    election    to 


1590 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  office  of  district  judge.  He  died  at  the  age 
of  fifty-nine  years  and  his  funeral  was  conducted 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fel- 
low fraternities,  in  both  of  which  bodies  he 
had  been  an  active  member.  The  mother,  who 
is  also  deceased,  passed  away  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
eight  years,  leaving  to  mourn  her  loss  many 
friends  who  had  worked  side  by  side  with  her  in 
the  various  benevolent  societies  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  of  which  she  was  an  active 
member. 

Edward  T.  Hughes  was  born  in  Brownsville. 
Neb.,  January  17,  1868,  and  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  village. 
When  he  was  a  lad  of  only  seven  years  his  life 
was  saddened  by  the  death  of  his  father,  and 
early  in  life  he  began  to  assume  duties  which 
but  for  this  circumstance  might  have  been  avert- 
ed until  more  mature  years.  After  leaving  school 
he  began  to  work  on  the  neighboring  fanns  in 
Nebraska,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  }-ears  he  had 
acquired  sufficient  confidence  in  himself  to  strike 
out  in  the  world  alone.  Not  content  with  the  out- 
look which  he  saw  before  him  in  his  native  state. 
he  came  to  California  in  1888,  locating  first  in  Los 
.■\ngeles,  but  finally  came  to  Ventura  county.  To 
one  with  less  grit  and  determination  the  pros- 
pects which  confronted  him  would  have  seemed 
dark  indeed,  but  he  was  not  daunted  by  the  fact 
that  he  was  without  money  or  friends,  and  phil- 
osophically set  about  to  find  some  honest  em- 
ployment. Farm  work,  the  only  thing  with 
which  he  was  familiar,  could  be  obtained  with 
ease,  and  for  a  number  of  years  he  \\nrked  in  the 
employ  of  others.  During  this  time,  however. 
the  one  thought  paramount  in  his  mind  was  to 
lay  by  whatever  could  be  spared  after  paying 
his  honest  debts,  in  the  hope  of  becoming  a  land- 
owner himself  at  no  far  distant  dav.  His  earn- 
estness and  frugalit}-  were  rewarded  ^\-hc!i,  in 
1901,  he  became  the  owner  of  his  present  ranch 
of  one  hundred  acres.  He  has  planted  eighty 
acres  to  beans,  from  which  he  reaps  fifteen  sacks 
to  the  acre,  and  the  remainder  of  the  land  is  in 
hay. 

In  1891  Mr.  Hughes  formed  domestic  ties  bv 
his  marriage  with  Miss  Lulu  Rice,  who  was  born 
in  Kansas,  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Marv 
Rice.  Mrs.  Rice  is  still  living,  making  her  home 
in  Pomona,  the  death  of  her  husband  having  oc- 
curred in  Pasadena.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hughes'have 
a  bright  and  interesting  family  of  five"  children, 
named  in  the  order  of  their  birth  as  follows: 
Herbert,  Richard,  Estella,  Edna  and  Lottie.  Like 
his  father  before  him  Mr.  Hughes  is  a  Republi- 
can in  his  political  inclination,  and  like  him,  too, 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternitv,  holding 
membership  in  Oxnard  Lodge  No.  341.  Educa- 
tional affairs  have  always  been  a  matter  of  deep 


interest  to  Mr.  Hughes  and  he  is  now  serving 
as  school  trustee.  His  friends  are  not  confined 
to  any  age  or  class,  but  are  drawn  from  all  the 
walks  of  life,  for  he  is  the  same  to  all — high  and 
low,  rich  and  poor — and  all  honor  him  for  his 
success  and  wish  him  many  years  of  prosperity. 
He  has  recently  improved  the  appearance  of  his 
property  b}-  the  erection  of  new  buildings 
throuehout. 


JOHN  C.  HARTMAN.  Throughout  the 
neighborhood  of  Camarillo,  Ventura  county, 
where  he  has  made  his  home  since  1874,  j\Ir. 
Hartman  is  known  as  an  enterprising  and  efficient 
rancher,  few  surpassing  him  in  the  output  of  beans 
to  which  his  ranch  is  devoted  almost  exclusively. 
Immediately  after  coming  to  this  place  he  pur- 
chased his  present  ranch,  comprising  eighty-one 
acres,  and  put  it  in  vines,  the  venture  proving  so 
successful  that  he  later  rented  adjoining  land  un- 
til he  now  has  four  hundred  acres  under  his 
control.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  acres  which 
are  in  hay,  all  of  the  land  is  in  beans,  which 
harvest  from  fifteen  to  eighteen  sacks  to  the 
acre. 

An  only  child,  John  C.  Hartman  was  born  at 
Mount  Pleasant,  Henry  county,  Iowa,  May  26, 
1858,  a  son  of  John  and  Belinda  (Gray)  Hart- 
man, born  in  Ohio  and  Indiana  respectively. 
The  greater  part  of  their  later  life  was  passed 
in  Iowa,  however,  and  it  was  there  that  the  death 
of  the  father  occurred  when  he  was  only  thirty- 
six  years  of  age.  After  this  bereavement  the 
mother  came  to  California,  her  death  occurring 
in  Santa  Barbara  in  1896,  when  fifty-nine  years 
old.  Both  had  been  stanch  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  and  politically  Mr.  Hart- 
man was  a  Republican.  By  the  time  he  was 
sixteen  years  old  John  C.  Hartman  had  left 
school  and  had  entered  the  world  of  business. 
Coming  to  California  in  1874  he  purchased  the 
ranch  in  Ventura  county  on  which  he  now  re- 
sides, his  energy  and  shrewd  business  methods 
bringing  him  an  early  financial  success. 

January  2,  1881,  Mr.  Hartman  was  married  to 
Eliza  A.  Wilhite,  a  native  of  the  Lone  Star  state 
and  a  daughter  of  Rev.  W.  L.  Wilhite,  a  minis- 
ter in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South,  at 
Santa  Ana,  where  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilhite  make 
their  home.  Four  children  have  been  born  into 
the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hartman,  Georgia, 
Elmer,  Jessie  and  Bertha,  all  of  whom  are  receiv- 
ing every  educational  advantage  which  their  par- 
ents can  bestow.  They  are  now  attending  the 
schools  of  Los  Angeles,  in  which  city  Mr.  Hart- 
man owns  property,  and  for  the  time  being  the 
family  make  their  home  there,  although  Mr. 
Hartman's    duties   confine   him   very  closely     to 


y^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1593 


the  ranch.  JMrs.  Hartman  is  an  earnest  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  toward  the  support 
of  which  Mr.  Hartman  gives  Hberally.  Through- 
out his  life  he  has  kept  in  touch  with  the  issues 
before  our  government,  has  voted  the  Repubhcan 
ticket,  and  upheld  its  principles  whenever  the  op- 
portunity has  been  offered.  Accompanied  by 
his  wife  and  one  daughter  Mr.  Hartman  re- 
turned to  the  scene  of  his  boyhood  home  in  Iowa, 
in  1904,  after  an  absence  of  thirty  years,  from 
there  taking  an  extended  trip  throughout  the 
east  and  south.  A  fitting  climax  to  this  journey 
was  a  visit  to  the  World's  Fair  held  in  St.  Louis. 


GEORGE  PALMER.  During  the  twenty 
years  that  George  Palmer  has  been  a  resident 
of  Compton  he  has  been  industriously  and 
actively  employed  in  advancing  its  agricult- 
ural prosperity,  and  has  his  ranch  well  im- 
proved and  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 
His  residence  and  outbuildings  are  neat,  and 
everything  around  him  evinces  the  thrift  and 
care  of  its  owner.  A  native  of  Indiana,  he  was 
born  November  23,  1839,  of  English  ancestry. 
His  parents,  William  and  Sarah  (Bellamy) 
Palmer,  emigrated  from  England,  their  native 
country,  to  the  United  States  in  1835,  locating 
first  in  Indiana,  from  there  going,  in  1855,  to 
Marshall  county.  111.,  where  they  spent  the 
remainder  of  their  lives.  Of  the  four  children 
that  blessed  their  union,  two  are  living,  name- 
ly: George,  the  special  subject  of  this  sketch; 
and  Mrs.  Emily  Litchfield,  who  was  born  in 
England  and  is  now  living  in  Illinois.  The 
parents  were  people  of  sound  religious  prin- 
ciples, and  belonged  to  the  Baptist  Church. 

Brought  up  in  a  rural  district,  two  and  one- 
half  miles  from  the  nearest  school,  George 
Palmer  received  limited  educational  advan- 
tages, pursuing  his  studies  in  the  winter 
terms  only.  After  removing  with  the  family 
to  Illinois  he  assisted  his  father  in  the  pio- 
neer labor  of  improving  a  farm,  and  of  this 
homestead  he  ard  his  brother  afterwards  had 
charge  for  a  few  years.  Subsequently  start- 
ing in  life  for  himself,  Mr.  Palmer  purchased 
land  in  Marshall  county,  111.,  becoming  own- 
er of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  now  in- 
cluded within  the  limits  of  the  city  of  Toluca. 
Selling  out,  he  went  to  Livingston  county, 
111.,  where  he  bought  a  half  section  of  land,  on 
which  he  was  successfully  engaged  in  general 
farming  for  several  years.  Disposing  of  that 
estate  in  1885,  he  came  to  Los  Angeles  coun- 
ty, Cal.,  and  having  purchased  his  present 
home  ranch  of  sixty-two  acres  has  since  car- 
ried on  general  farming  with  satisfactory  re- 
sults. The  estate  is  now  under  the  manage- 
75 


mcnt  of  liis  s>.)ns,  who  make  a  specialty  of  rais- 
ing alfalfa,  for  which  the  land  is  well  adapted. 
In  1864,  in  Illinois,  Mr.  Palmer  married  Isa- 
bel Ruston,  a  native  of  Indiana,  and  of  the 
eleven  children  born  of  their  union  three  died 
in  infancy,  and  eight  are  living,  namely: 
\Villiam  R. ;  George  H. ;  Eliza  Belle,  wife  of 
Frank  \Valton ;  Emily  L. ;  Anna  Mary ;  John 
L. ;  Jane  E. ;  and  Robert  L.  Politically  Mr. 
Palmer  is  an  uncompromising  Democrat,  and 
when  the  town  of  Compton  was  incorporated 
was  elected  to  the  office  of  town  trustee.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  a  member  of  Centennial  Lodge 
No.  247,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  has  been  through  all 
of  the  chairs  of  the  lodge  with  which  he  is 
connected.  Religiously  he  belongs  to  the  old 
school  of  Baptists,  and  is  a  faithful  follower 
of  its  creeds. 


E.  WRIGHT  DAILY.  An  extensive  and 
prosperous  agriculturist,  now  in  the  prime  of  life, 
E.  W.  Daily  is  successfully  engaged  in  his  inde- 
pendent vocation  on  one  of  the  best  and  most 
valuable  homesteads  in  Ventura  county.  Located 
near  Oxnard,  his  ranch,  with  its  comfortable  and 
convenient  set  of  buildings  and  their  neat  and 
tasteful  surroundings,  invariably  attracts  the  at- 
tention of  the  passerby,  its  general  appearance 
bearing  evidence  of  the  thrift  and  enterprise 
which  first  established  it,  and  by  which  it  has 
since  been  managed.  A  man  of  ability,  industry 
and  intelligence,  he  has  met  with  marked  suc- 
cess in  his  undertakings,  and  stands  well  in  his 
community,  both  from  a  social  and  a  financial 
point  of  view.  A  son  of  C.  W.  Daily,  he  was 
born,  May  10,  i860,  in  Kansas,  but  was  brought 
up  and  educated  in  New  York  state. 

A  native  of  New  York  state,  C.  W.  Daily  be- 
came a  farmer  from  choice,  and  soon  after  his 
marriage  removed  to  Kansas,  where  for  a  few 
seasons  he  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits. 
Returning  to  the  Empire  state  in  1862,  he  enlist- 
ed in  the  Fiftieth  New  York  Engineer  Corps,  in 
which  he  served  two  or  more  years.  At  the 
close  of  the  Civil  war  he  resumed  his  chosen 
occupation  in  New  York,  living  there  until  1892, 
when  he  came  to  California.  He  is  now  retired 
from  active  labor,  and  makes  his  home  with  his 
son  Charles.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  a 
member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and 
belongs  to  the  Masonic  order.  He  married  Ruth 
(Fordham)  Green,  who  was  born  in  New  York 
state,  and  is  now  living  there.  Three  childre* 
were  born  of  their  union. 

But  two  years  of  age  when  his  parents  re- 
turned to  New  York  state,  E.  W.  Dailv  there  ob- 
tained a  common  school  education,  and  during  the 
days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  acquired  an  ex- 


1594 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


cellent  knowledge  of  general  farming.  Coming 
to  California  in  1884^  he  located  in  \'entura 
county,  and  for  three  years  worked  for  wages 
on  the  Patterson  ranch.  Pleased  with  the  coun- 
try and  his  prospects  herein,  he  then,  after  a 
brief  visit  at  his  old  home  in  the  east,  purchased 
three  hundred  acres  of  land,  and  by  dint  of  hard 
labor  and  good  management  has  since  improved 
the  ranch  which  he  now  occupies.  As  a  tiller  of 
the  soil,  he  has  met  with  success,  and  is  now  de- 
voting his  time  and  attention  to  the  raising  of 
beans  and  barley,  making  a  specialty  of  beans, 
which  vield  a  good  crop,  averaging  fifteen  sacks 
to  the  acre. 

In  1889  Mr.  Daily  married  Etta  Crowley,  who 
was  born  and  reared  in  New  York  state,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  namely: 
Nellie,  Ruth,  Bernice  and  Gladys.  Politically  Mr. 
Daily  is  a  warm  advocate  of  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  party,  and  for  the  past  tw-elve  years 
has  rendered  srood  service  as  school  trustee. 


HENRY  BJORKMAN.  A  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  the  lumber  industry  in  all  its  depart- 
ments enables  Mr.  Bjorkman  to  discharge  with 
efficiency  the  duties  connected  with  his  chosen 
occupation.  Since  the  year  1895  he  has  made 
San  Pedro  his  home  and  has  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business  continuously,  by  careful  in- 
dustry gaining  a  thorough  knowledge  of  its  many 
details.  While  he  is  a  loyal  American  and  a 
patriotic  Californian,  his  early  years  were  spent 
in  the  midst  of  scenes  far  different  from  those 
that  now  surround  him  in  the  sunny  west,  for 
in  the  cold  and  cheerless  province  of  Finland  his 
eyes  first  opened  upon  a  gray  sombre  world. 
The  home  farm,  which  his  father,  John,  cul- 
tivated, was  one  with  sterile  soil  scarce  sufficing 
to  earn  a  livelihood  for  the  family  though  all 
combined  in  their  efforts  to  eke  out  an  exist- 
ence from  the  barren  acres.  There  were  five 
children  in  the  family  and  of  these  Henry,  the 
third  in  order  of  birth,  was  born  February  25, 
1873,  his  birthplace  being  the  homestead  at 
Nykarleby.  Such  advantages  as  were  possible 
his  parents  gave  him,  sending  him  to  the  public 
schools  of  the  town  and  training  him  to  habits 
of  self-reliance  and  patient  industry. 

When  nineteen  years  of  age  Mr.  Bjorkman 
came  to  the  United  States  and  sought  employ- 
ment in  New  Mexico,  where  he  engaged  for 
eleven  months  in  a  sawmill  at  Qiama.  Next  he 
worked  at  lumbering  in  the  South  Park  of 
Colorado  and  from  there  went  to  Nebraska  near 
Ogallala.  where  he  worked  in  the  employ  of  the 
Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company  for  eighteen 
months.  During  1895  he  came  to  California, 
since   which   time   he  has  made    San   Pedro  his 


home.  Securing  emplojment  in  a  humble  ca- 
pacity with  the  Southern  California  Lumber 
Company,  he  learned  the  entire  business  thor- 
oughly and  proved  himself  an  efficient  workman. 
September  29,  1903,  he  resigned  to  enter  upon 
business  independently;  since  1905  he  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Lumber  Surveyors"  Association, 
and  is  following  as  a  business  lumber  surveyor. 
During  1901  he  erected  on  Second  near  Mesa 
street  a  neat  and  comfortable  residence,  which 
is  presided  over  by  his  wife,  formerly  Alma 
Sophia  Newman,  of  Los  Angeles.  Mrs.  Bjork- 
man was  born  in  the  same  part  of  Finland  as 
her  husband,  and  both  are  sincere  members  of 
the  Lutheran  Oiurch,  in  which  faith  they  were 
reared. 


HENRY  S.  LANE.  When  the  massacre  of 
St.  Bartholomew's  day  forced  many  Huguenots 
to  flee  from  France  and  seek  refuge  in  other 
lands,  the  Lane  family  found  a  haven  of  safety 
in  England.  The  opening  of  the  new  world  to 
colonization  gave  them  an  opportunity  to  trans- 
plant their  race  into  a  country  where  toleration 
in  religion  might  be  anticipated,  and  they  became 
pioneers  of  Massachusetts,  whence  later  genera- 
tions scattered  throughout  the  entire  country. 
Jonathan,  son  of  Joseph  Lane,  was  born  at  Or- 
rington,  Penobscot  county.  Me.,  became  an  archi- 
tect and  builder,  and  died  at  Bangor.  The  even 
tenor  of  his  life  was  broken  by  the  outbreak  of 
the  Civil  war,  in  which  he  enlisted  as  a  private 
in  the  First  Maine  Heavy  Artiller}-.  At  the  ex- 
piration of  three  years  and  six  months  he  was 
honorably  discharged  and  immediately  after- 
ward raised  a  company  which  entered  the  Eight- 
eenth Maine  Infantrj'.  Although  he  bofe  a  part 
in  many  engagements  the  only  wounds  he  re- 
ceived were  at  Gettysburg :  at  all  other  times  he 
remained  on  the  battlefield  until  the  end  of  the 
engagement,  and  bore  a  part  in  all  the  activities 
of  his  regiment. 

Born  i"n  Bangor,  JNIe.,  July  8,  1861.  Henry  S. 
Lane  was  an  infant  during  the  period  of  his 
father's  war  service.  As  a  boy  he  attended  the 
common  schools  of  Bangor,  and  when  he  started 
out  to  earn  his  own  livelihood  he  went  to  Bos- 
ton, three  months  later  proceeding  to  Provi- 
dence, R.  I.,  where  he  served  apprenticeship  to 
the  jewelry  trade.  During' the  year  1882  he  en- 
listed in  the  LTnited  States  army  and  was  sent  to 
David's  Island  in  New  York  harbor,  and  in  the 
same  year  was  also  sent  to  Salt  Lake.  Utah,  as- 
signed to  Company  E,  Sixth  LTnited  States  In- 
fantry, under  Col.  Alexander  McD.  Cook.  Later, 
for  eighteen  months  he  was  stationed  at  Fort 
Washakie,  ^^^■o.,  and  then  returned  to  Salt  Lake 
Citv.  where  he  was  mustered  out  January  9, 
1887,  after  five  years  of  service. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1595 


Coming  to  Cailifornia  and  from  San  Francisco 
to  Los  Angeles,  Mr.  Lane  engaged  in  contract- 
ing and  building  with  a  brother,  W.  E.,  for 
more  than  two  years.  Next  he  was  employed  on 
the  Second  street  cable  road  until  the  failure  of 
the  company  operating  the  same,  after  which  he 
removed  to  Redondo,  and  for  two  and  one-half 
years  was  foreman  with  the  Willamette  Lumber 
Company.  Another  year  was  spent  with  the 
same  company  as  salesman  in  Riverside  and 
San  Bernardino  counties,  after  which  he  bought 
an  interest  in  the  old  St.  Charles  hotel  at  San 
Bernardino  and  operated  the  same  for  eighteen 
months.  On  disposing  of  his  interest  in  the  ho- 
tel he  came  to  San  Pedro  in  1894  and  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Southern  California  Lumber 
Company  as  yard  foreman,  since  which  time  he 
has  continued  in  the  same  position.  In  point  of 
years  of  service  he  is  the  oldest  employe  of  the 
company.  Few  surpass  him  in  accurate  knowl- 
edge of  lumber  and  he  has  proved  a  reliable 
man  in  his  responsible  place.  At  no  time  or 
place  has  he  been  active  in  politics.  Partisanship 
spirit  is  foreign  to  his  disposition  and  temper- 
ament, and  he  takes  no  part  in  public  affairs 
aside  from  the  casting  of  a  Republican  ticket  at 
general  elections.  Since  coming  to  San  Pedro 
he  has  liecome  identified  with  Masonry,  having 
been  made  a  Mason  in  San  Pedro  Lodge  No. 
332.  F.  &  A.  j\r..  of  which  he  is  past  master. 


JOHN  BENN.  One  of  the  many  thrifty 
ranches  in  the  vicinity  of  Oxnard,  \'entura  coun- 
ty, which  elicits  special  notice  is  that  occupied 
b\-  Tobn  P.enn.  In  common  with  many  in  tliis  part 
of  the  county  fie  is  interested  exclusively  in  the 
raising  of  beans,  a  commodity  which  seems  par- 
ticularly adapted  to  this  soil  and  climate,  and 
from  his  tract  of  eighty  acres  ]\Ir.  Benn  gathers 
on  an  average  fifteen  sacks  per  acre. 

Although  Mr.  Benn  is  of  English  birth  he  has 
has  no  personal  knowledge  of  his  native  land, 
for  when  he  was  only  one  year  old  his  parents 
immigrated  to  the  United  States  to  make  their 
permanent  home.  Landing  in  New  York  Citv  in 
1847,  tlic  "6^t  year  found  them  on  the  way  to 
Iowa,  where  the  father,  although  a  carpenter  by 
trade,  carried  on  farming  on  a  tract  of  land  which 
he  had  previously  purchased  there.  \Vhile  he  was 
fairly  successful  in  the  middle  west,  after  four 
years  he  determined  to  locate  in  the  far  west 
and  disposed  of  his  Iowa  farm.  He  reached 
Salt  Lake  City.  Utah,  in  the  winter  of  1852.  and 
on  account  of  the  difficulty  of  travel  at  that  time 
of  the  year  decided  to  remain  tliere  until  the 
opening  of  spring.  Again  taking  up  the  march 
he  got  as  far  as  Fillmore,  l^tah,  where  the  In- 
dians were  on  the  warpath.     Being  in  sympathy 


with  the  cause  of  the  white  settlers  he  took  up 
arms  against  the  Indians  and  for  three  years 
aided  in  subduing  the  dusky  foe.  ( )nce  more  re- 
suming his  westward  journey  he  reached  Santa 
Barnardino  in  1855,  renmining  in  that  cit>-  one 
winter,  when  he  purchased  a  ranch  and  also  took 
up  a  claim  not  far  from  Montecito,  Santa  Barbara 
county.  His  earth  life  was  brought  to  a  close  on 
the  home  ranch  when  he  was  in  his  eighty-eighth 
year,  while  his  wife  passed  away  when  she  was 
seventy-two  years  of  age.  Both  were  faithful 
members  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  politically 
Mr.  Benn  was  a  Democrat.  The  welfare  of  his 
party  was  always  of  deep  concern  to  him  and  his 
constituents  elected  him  a  member  of  the  city 
council. 

One  of  five  children  which  comprised  the  par- 
ental family,  John  Benn  was  born  in  Liverpool, 
England,  August  27,  1846,  and  was  little  more 
than  a  child  in  arms  when  his  parents  landed  on 
the  shores  of  the  new  world.  He  was  about  seven 
years  old  at  the  time  of  the  Indian  war  in  Lftah, 
and  distinctly  recalls  the  exciting  times  which  the 
family  experienced  prior  to  their  removal  to  Cal- 
ifornia. His  school  days  began  when  the  family 
became  established  in  Santa  Barbara  county,  at- 
tending first  the  city  schools  of  Santa  Barbara, 
later  the  schools  of  Montecito.  Until  attaining 
his  majority  he  had  taken  an  equal  interest  with 
his  father  in  the  care  of  the  home  ranch,  but  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one  he  determined  to  strike  out 
in  the  world  on  his  own  behalf,  his  first  inde- 
pendent step  being  his  marriage  which  occurred 
in  1867,  and  united  him  with  Mary  E.  Scull,  who 
was  born  and  reared  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  After 
his  marriage  he  carried  on  a  ranch  in  Santa  Bar- 
bara county  until  the  year  1884,  when  he  came 
to  Ventura  county  and  bought  forty  acres  of  the 
ranch  on  which  he  now  resides.  Subsequently 
he  was  enabled  to  secure  forty  acres  adjoining  his 
original  purchase,  and  now  has  eighty  acres  de- 
voted to  the  raising  of  beans  exclusively.  Suc- 
cess has  followed  his  persevering  efforts  and  has 
enabled  him  to  accumulate  some  means,  but  his 
personal  gain  has  not  been  at  the  expense  of  prin- 
ciple or  honor,  as  is  attested  by  his  hearty  en- 
dorsement as  a  business  man  and  neighbor  from 
all  who  are  brought  in  contact  with  him  either  in 
a  business  or  social  capacity. 

Six  children  blessed  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Benn,  whose  names  in  order  of  birth  are  as 
follows :  Nettie  A.,  now  Mrs.  Henry  Mahan ; 
Qiarles  F..  Nellie,  who  died  in  infancy,  Law- 
rence D..  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-four 
years:  Mav,  and  .\gnes.  who  is  now  the  wife 
of  John  Riggs.  .\lthough  Mr.  Benn  is  not 
identified  with  any  religious  body  he  contrib- 
utes to  the  maintenance  of  the  Baptist  Church, 
of  which  his  wife  is  a  member,  and  may  always 


1596 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


be  relied  upon  to  lend  a  helping  hand  in  any 
cause  that  tends  to  further  the  good  of  the  com- 
munity. Nominally  Mr.  Benn  is  a  Republican, 
but  strictly  speaking  he  is  independent  in  the 
matter  of  casting  his  vote,  invariably  giving  bis 
ballot  to  the  man  who  shows  the  highest  prin- 
ciples of  honor  and  to  the  one  best  fitted  for  the 
office  in  question. 


MARTIN  VAN  CASNER.  Distinguished 
as  an  early  pioneer  of  Southern  California, 
and  as  a  substantial  and  prosperous  farmer  of 
Ramona,  M.  Van  Casner  is  eminently  worthy 
of  representation  in  this  volume.  Settling  in 
Ballena  valley  nearly  forty  years  ago,  he  put 
his  shoulder  to  the  wheel,  and,  in  common 
with  his  neighbors,  who  were  but  few  in  num- 
ber, toiled  unceasingly  and  uncomplainingly 
in  his  efforts  to  improve  a  homestead.  Little 
do  the  people  of  this  day  and  generation  real- 
ize the  hardships  endured,  the  great  ambition 
required,  and  the  physical  effort  demanded  to 
secure  the  homes  established  by  the  pioneers 
for  themselves  and  their  descendants.  How 
well  they  succeeded  is  evident  in  the  broad 
expanse  "of  cultivated  fields,  the  large  fruit- 
bearing  orchards,  and  the  productive  vine- 
3'ards  that  bespeak  in  no  uncertain  tones  of 
their  courage,  industry  and  thrift.  In  the  up- 
building and  growth  of  Ramona  and  vicinity 
he  has  ever  evinced  a  warm  interest,  contrib- 
uting his  full  share  towards  the  establishment 
of  beneficial  enterprises.  A  son  of  Martin 
Casner,  he  was  born  October  t,  1842,  in  Travis 
countv.  Tex.,  where  he  spent  his  early  life. 

Born  in  Alabcima.  Martin  Casner  began  his 
business  career  in  that  state,  and  for  many 
years  was  influential  in  town  and  county  af- 
fairs, serving  several  terms  as  sheriff.  Re- 
moving from  there  to  Texas,  he  bought  large 
tracts  of  land,  some  of  which  is  still  owned  by 
his  descendants,  and  in- addition  to  being  ex- 
tensively engaged  in  the  cattle  business  oper- 
ated a  s'awm'^ill'and  a  grist  mill.  Coming  from 
there  to  California,  he  bought  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land,  and  on  the  homestead 
which  he  improved  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  passing  away  at  the  age  01  sixty-six  years. 
He  married  Jane  Medford,  who  was  born  in 
Alabama,  coming  from  a  family  noted  for  its 
inventive  talent,  and  its  mechanical  skill  and 
ability.  She  survived  him,  dying  at  the  ven- 
erable age  of  eighty-seven  years. 

One  of  a  family  of  nine  children,  M.  Van 
Casner  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
and  under  private  tutors,  receiving  exceptional 
advantages  in  that  line.  At  the  age  of  seven- 
teen vears  he  enlisted  in  the  Southern  army, 
ioining    Company    E,    Texas    Rangers,    com- 


manded by  General  McCord,  and  served  for 
four  years.  During  three  years  of  this  time 
he  was  doing  frontier  duty  under  General 
VVatkins,  being  stationed  at  either  Bankhead 
or  McGregor.  After  being  mustered  out,  Mr. 
Casner  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land  near  the  three  hundred  and  twenty- 
acre  ranch  belonging  to  his  father,  and  was 
there  employed  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil  for  about 
three  years.  Coming  to  San  Diego  county  in 
1868,  he  took  his  Christmas  dinner  in  Ballena 
valley,  and  has  since  resided  here.  Taking 
up  a  homestead  claim  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  he  immediately  began  clearing 
the  land,  and  by  dint  of  persevering  toil  has 
now  a  finely  improved  estate,  which  he  de- 
votes to  the  raising  of  fruit,  grain  and  stock. 
His  vines,  which  are  ten  years  old,  yield  on 
an  average  of  one  ton  per  acre,  of  raisins,  the 
altitude  of  his  vineyard  being  twenty-four 
hundred  feet.  In  his  labors  Mr.  Casner  has 
met  with  acknowledged  success,  obtaining  an 
assured  position  among  the  prosperous  and 
substantial  agriculturists  of  this  part  of  the 
county. 

In  1865  Mr.  Casner  married  Mary  J.  Little- 
page,  a  native  of  ]Missouri,  and  they  are  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  namely :  Allie  B., 
wife  of  O.  D.  Crothers,  of  Santa  Barbara; 
William  D.,  of  Orcut,  Santa  Barbara  county, 
who  married  Tillie  Bergman;  Effie  J.,  wife  of 
Harry  Hill,  of  El  Cajon ;  Lazarus  P.,  of  whom 
a  brief  personal  sketch  may  be  found  on  an- 
other page  of  this  volume;  Victor  A.,  an  en- 
gineer: Vida,  wife  of  J.  C.  Ouinn,  of  Hanford, 
Kings  comity;  Amy,  living  at  home;  Grace, 
attending  the  normal  school;  and  Lillie,  also  a 
pupil  in  the  normal  school.  Politically  ]\Tr. 
Casner  is  a  zealous  supporter  of  the  principles 
of  the  Democratic  party,  and  for  two  terms 
served  as  constable.  .Religiously  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South. 


LUCIUS  B.  PALMER.  Among  the  men  who 
possess  a  strong  faith  in  the  future  of  Long 
Beach  and  who  give  evidence  of  that  faith 
through  their  large  business  transactions  and 
extensive  investments,  mention  properly  belongs 
to  Lucius  B.  Palmer,  member  of  the  real-estate 
firm  of  Palmer  &  Patterson,  and  identified  with 
the  recent  growth  of  this  city.  Mr.  Palmer  is 
a  native  of  Iowa  and  a  son  of  A.  B.  Palmer, 
whose  settlement  in  that  state  dated  back  to  the 
davs  of  its  territorial  existence  and  witnessed 
the  gradual  peopling  of  the  commonwealth  with 
sturdy  frontiersmen.  For  many  years  he  rnade 
Muscatine  his  trading  point,  but  later  resided 
at  Iowa  Citv,  Jefferson  county,  and  it  was  in 
that  town   that"  the  birth   of  Lucius   B.    Palmer 


AcA>.P^^yt^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1599 


occurred  May  17,  1845.  ^  few  years  later  the 
family  moved  to  Illinois  and  about  185 1  settled 
in  Monmouth,  where  he  received  his  primary 
education  in  the  public  schools.  Later  he  sup- 
plemented his  early  studies  by  attendance  at 
Monmouth  College  for  a  short  time. 

When  the  Civil  war  began  Lucius  B.  Palmer 
was  a  stalwart  youth  of  sixteen  years,  with  all 
the  fiery  enthusiasm  of  youth,  deepened  by  an 
intense  devotion  to  the  cause  of  the  Union.  Dur- 
ing the  first  months  of  the  war  he  offered  his 
services  and  was  assigned  to  Company  H,  Sixty- 
second  Illinois  Infantry,  where  he  served  for 
four  years  and  two  months,  although  the  orig- 
inal period  of  his  enlistment  had  been  for  three 
_\ears  only.  With  his  regiment  he  bore  a  part 
in  a  number  of  notable  engagements,  chief  among 
which  was  the  battle  of  Shiloh.  At  the  close  of 
the  war  he  was  honorably  discharged  while  still 
less  than  twenty-one  years  of  age,  with  a  record 
of  which  he  might  well  be  proud. 

The  first  independent  venture  in  which  j\Ir. 
Palmer  engaged  was  the  management  of  a 
mercantile  establishment  at  Kewanee,  111.,  where 
he  remained  for  five  years.  At  the  expiration 
of  that  time  he  removed  to  Iowa  and  took  up 
agricultural  pursuits  near  Grinnell,  where  he 
made  his  home  for  three  years.  During  the  early 
part  of  his  residence  in  Iowa,  in  1870,  he  mar- 
ried Lucinda  M.  Spooner,  a  native  of  Ohio. 
While  they  were  living  on  their  Iowa  farm  a 
daughter  was  born  to  them  whom  they  named 
Elsie,  and  who  is  now  the  wife  of  S.  L.  Wallis, 
of  Pasadena.  In  1873  the  family  removed  to 
Nebraska,  where  Mr.  Palmer  took  up  a  home- 
stead claim  in  the  vicinity  of  Hastings  and  later 
became  a  resident  of  the  town,  engaging  in  busi- 
ness as  a  hardware  and  furniture  merchant  and 
also  superintending  his  large  tracts  of  farm 
land.  In  Nebraska  four  children  were  born, 
Grove  M.,  Lilah  B.,  Forest  M.  and  Alta  H.,  all 
of  whom  are  with  their  parents  in  Long  Beach. 

On  coming  to  California  in  1889  after  dis- 
posing of  his  interests  in  Nebraska,  Mr.  Palmer 
made  Pasadena  his  home  for  ten  years  and  then 
became  a  citizen  of  Long  Beach,  being  attracted 
to  this  city  on  account  of  it  being  a  prohibition 
town  and  also  by  reason  of  the  locating  of  the 
government  breakwater.  Arrived  in  Long 
Beach,  he  was  the  first  to  enter  upon  real-estate 
deals  with  office  on  the  Ocean  Front  and  in  1901 
formed  a  partnership  with  J.  W.  Patterson,  the 
two  now  handling  city  property  almost  exclu- 
sively. In  politics  he  formerly  affiliated  with  the 
Republican  party,  but  the  evils  of  the  liquor 
traffic  caused  him  to  ally  himself  with  the 
Prohibitionists.  In  the  various  places  of  his 
residence  he  has  been  an  active  supporter  of 
good  schools.  While  in  Nebraska  he  was  not 
only  a  member  of  the   Hastings  board   of  edu- 


cation, but  also  for  six  years  officiated  as  secre- 
tary of  Hastings  College.  In  religion  a  Presby- 
terian, he  contributes  to  his  own  denomination 
and  also,  with  characteristic  liberality,  aids  other 
creeds  and  churches  in  the  furtherance  of  their 
work.  Since  coming  to  Long  Beach  he  has  been 
an  active  worker  in  the  Independent  Order  of 
Good  Templars.  Other  fraternities  in  which 
he  holds  membership  are  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  Order  of  Pendo,  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America   and   Ancient   Order  of   United   Work- 


ANSON  MAXWELL  PETERS.  During 
the  entire  period  of  his  residence  in  San  Di- 
ego county  Mr.  Peters  has  made  his  home 
near  Fallbrook,  where  in  1886  he  bought  the 
tract  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-four  acres  that 
he  still  owns.  Since  it  came  into  his  posses- 
sion he  has  erected  a  packing  house  and  has 
planted  eleven  acres  in  orange  and  lemon 
trees.  The  neat  appearance  of  the  ranch 
bears  testimony  to  the  thrifty  disposition  of 
the  owner,  and  those  who  know  him  state  that 
he  is  a  substantial  farmer.  More  than  that,  he 
stands  high  as  a  large-hearted,  liberal  man, 
generous  to  those  in  need,  interested  in  all  lo- 
cal progressive  movements,  a  contributor  to 
worthy  enterprises,  a  warm  friend  and  genial 
companion,  furnishing  in  his  attributes  the 
highest  type  of  citizenship. 

The  Peters  family  is  of  eastern  ancestry. 
Luard  and  Merinda  (Cochran)  Peters  were 
natives  of  Vermont,  and  there  married  and 
remained  for  some  years  after  their  union.  In 
Grand  Isle  county,  that  state,  their  son,  An- 
son Maxwell,  was  born  December  5,  1828. 
The  family  became  pioneers  of  Illinois  in  1840 
and  settled  in  De  Kalb  county,  w-here  they 
were  pioneers  and  industrious  farmers.  Leav- 
ing the  locality  in  1851,  the  parents  settled  in 
Iowa  and  some  years  later  they  died 
at  Farmersburg,  that  state.  It  was  im- 
possilile  for  the  son,  A.  M..  to  attend  school 
regularly,  for  much  of  the  time  they  lived  re- 
mote from  any  educational  institution,  and 
even  the  crude  log-cabin  schoolhouse  of  front- 
ier days  was  not  always  sufficiently  near  for 
him  to  attend  with  any  regularity.  Hence  the 
knowledge  he  now  possesses  has  been  ac- 
quired mostly  by  habits  of  close  observation 
and  careful  reading  of  the  best  periodicals  and 
other  literature.  When  a  mere  boy  he  hired 
out  to  work  by  the  month  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty  years  he  bought  his  time,  so  that  he 
was  free  to  start  out  for  himself. 

Removing  to  low^a  in  1850  Mr.  Peters  took 
up  government  land  in  Clayton  county  and  at 
once   entered   upon   the   arduous   task  of   put- 


KiOO 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ting  the  soil  into  proper  condition  for  cultiva- 
tion. However,  he  was  not  long  content  to 
remain  there,  but,  hearing  much  concerning 
the  openings  offered  to  3'oung  men  b}-  the  re- 
mote west,  he  determined  to  seek  a  home  and 
livelihood  beyond  the  distant  mountains  and 
beside  the  sunset  sea.  January  5,  1854,  he  was 
a  passenger  on  a  vessel  that  sailed  from  New 
York  City  for  tlie  Isthmus  of  Panama,  from 
which  point  he  proceeded  up  the  Pacific  ocean, 
landing  in  San  Francisco  about  February  2. 
Immediately  afterward  he  proceeded  to  the 
mines  at  Georgetown  and  for  about  fourteen 
months  he  followed  the  adventurous  life  of  a 
miner,  without,  iiowever,  meeting  with  any  re- 
markable success.  .\  brief  experience  con- 
vinced him  that,  while  the  climate  of  the  west 
was  almost  ideal,  the  occupation  of  mining 
was  not  congenial  to  his  tastes,  so  he  returned 
to  Claj'ton  county,  Iowa,  in  April,  1855,  and 
resumed  the  quiet  life  of  a  farmer.  For  a  con- 
siderable period  he  remained  in  that  county, 
hut  in  1868  he  removed  to  Madison  county, 
Iowa,  and  secured  a  large  tract  of  farm  land. 
During  1882  he  came  to  California  for  the  sec- 
ond time  and  sett.led  near  Satico)',  in  Ventura 
county,  where  he  bought  land  and  took  up 
general  farm  pursuits.  Four  years  later  he 
disposed  of  his  property  in  Ventura  county 
and  came  to  the  extreme  southern  part  of  the 
state,  where  he  has  since  lived  in  the  vicinity 
of  Fallbrook. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Peters  took  place  in 
Clayton  county,  Iowa,  in  December,  1855,  and 
united  him  with  Jane  Smith.  Ten  children 
were  born  of  their  union,  and  one  of  these 
died  in  infancy.  The  following  attained  ma- 
ture years :  Ella,  wife  of  Thornas  Gabbert,  of 
Ventura  county,  this  state ;  Dora,  who  mar- 
ried William  Bernett,  and  lives  at  Avery, 
Cal. ;  Herbert,  living  at  Fallbrook ;  Frankie, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Rev.  Mr.  Ashley,  a  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  preacher  living  at  Garden 
Grove ;  Luard,  who  resides  in  Garvanza ;  Su- 
sie, Mrs.  David  Brown  of  Ventura  county; 
Millie,  wife  of  Rev.  Albert  Embre,  pastor  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  San  Ja- 
cinto; Mary,  JNIrs.  Albert  Ross,  who  died  at 
Oxnard,  Cal.,  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  3'ears ; 
and  Lloyd,  who  remains  with  his  parents  on 
the  home  ranch.  Interested  in  educational  af- 
fairs, Mr.  Peters  has  served  with  fidelity  and 
tact  as  a  member  of  the  school  board  of  his 
district.  In  fraternal  relations  he  holds  mem- 
bership with  the  blue  lodge  of  Masons  at 
Fallbrook.  Religion  mingles  with  the  other 
elements  that  go  to  perfect  his  character.  For 
many  years  he  has  been  an  earnest  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  a  gen- 
erous contributor  to  its  charities  and  mission- 


ary movements,  as  indeed  he  is  to  all  philan- 
thropic measures  calculated  to  promote  the 
welfare  of  liumanitv. 


JAMES  P.  WARD.  Prior  to  the  outbreak  of 
the  war  with  England  James  Ward  left  Ireland 
and  sought  the  opportunities  of  the  new  world. 
Settling  m  New  Jersey  he  became  a  prominent 
citizen  of  Leesburg,  maintained  a  constant  activ- 
ity in  civic  affairs,  and  when  the  country  ap- 
pealed to  its  patriotic  men  for  support  in  the 
struggle  with  England  he  enthusiastically  offered 
his  aid  and  assisted  in  equipping  a  company  of 
volunteers.  Eventually  he  became  a  wealthy 
shipbuilder  and  the  owner  of  three  marine  rail- 
ways at  Leesburg,  also  a  number  of  stores  and 
other  properties,  including  farm  lands.  Until 
shortly  before  his  death  at  seventy-three  years 
he  continued  actively  at  the  head  of  his  extensive 
business  interests. 

Among  the  children  of  the  shipbuilder  was  a 
son,  John  D.,  who  was  born  near  Cape  May. 
N.  J.,  and  before  he  died  at  forty-one  years,  built 
up  the  largest  coal  and  wood  business  in  Phila- 
delphia, occupying  four  wharves  and  two  places 
of  business  and  receiving  contracts  to  supply 
fuel  for  the  largest  industries  of  the  city,  in 
early  manhood  he  married  Margaret  Sharp,  who 
was  born  at  Shamokin,  Pa.,  and  at  the  age  of 
seventy-five  years  (1906)  is  now  living  in  Los 
Angeles.  The  family  was  founded  in  America 
by  her  father,  Patrick  Sharp,  who  was  born  in 
Ireland,  but  established  himself  in  the  United 
States  at  an  early  age  and  became  a  prosperous 
clothing  merchant  of  Philadelphia,  where  he 
died  at  fifty-five  years  of  age. 

During  the  residence  of  John  D.  and  Margaret 
Ward  in  Philadelphia  their  son,  James  P.,  was 
born  January  3,  1855,  and  there  he  was  educated 
in  the  Broad  street  military  school  and  in  La- 
Salle  College.  Upon  embarking  in  business  pur- 
suits he  became  a  clerk  to  an  uncle  in  the  wood 
and  coal  business,  but  after  a  clerkship  of  two 
years  he  began  in  the  same  business  for  himself. 
By  arduous  effort  he  laid  the  foundation  of  a 
prosperous  enterprise,  but  ill  health  deprived  him 
of  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  labors,  for  at  the 
expiration  of  eighteen  months  he  was  obliged 
to  relinquish  his  business  interests  in  Philadel- 
phia and  seek  a  more  genial  climate  for  the 
benefit  of  his  health.  After  having  spent  one 
year  in  Texas  he  returned  to  Philadelphia  with 
health  restored,  and  during  the  next  fifteen 
months  he  acted  as  city  representative  for  a 
wholesale  soap  company. 

Coming  to  California  in  1880  Mr.  Ward  set- 
tled in  Los  Angeles  and  for  two  and  one-half 
years  engaged  with  R.  J.  Hambrook  in  the  manu- 
facture of  furniture  by  water  power,  but  at  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1601 


expiration  of  that  period  he  disposed  of  his  in- 
terest in  the  factor}'.  His  next  investment  was 
the  purchase  of  sixty-live  acres  occupying  the 
present  site  of  Hollywood,  Los  Angeles  county, 
and  for  two  seasons  he  raised  vegetables  on  that 
land,  shipping  to  the  San  Francisco  markets. 
On  selling  the  tract  he  bought  five  hundred  and 
fifty  acres,  which  is  now  embraced  in  the  town 
site  of  Lancaster,  Los  Angeles  county.  During 
the  "boom"  period  of  the  middle  '80s  he  was 
extensively  engaged  in  farming,  also  followed 
the  lumber  business  and  carried  on  a  livery,  but 
the  reaction  following  upon  the  bursting  of  die 
boom  caused  him  to  close  out  many  of  his  inter- 
ests at  a  loss.  The  next  enterprise  which  en- 
gaged his  attention  was  the  opening  of  an  install- 
ment business  in  Los  Angeles  and  also  in  Tuc- 
son, Ariz.  After  leaving  Tucson  he  managed 
the  United  States  hotel  of  Los  Angeles  for  a 
year  and  later  acquired  mining  interests  in  Yuma 
county,  Ariz.,  and  San  Bernardino  county,  Cal. 
Since  1898  he  has  made  his  home  at  P'alms  and 
now  is  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business,  for 
which  his  long  experience  admirably  qualifies 
him.  He  was  the  first  to  sell  lots  in  Lancaster 
on  the  installment  plan  and  also  has  sold  lots 
in  other  parts  of  the  county. 

The  marriage  of  Air.  Ward  in  1883  united  him 
with  Miss  Lizzie  Winshank,  daughter  of  An- 
drew Winshank,  of  Los  Angeles  county.  They 
are  the  parents  of  eight  children,  namely:  Mar- 
gareta,  Mary,  John  D.,  James,  Andrew,  Frank. 
Elizabeth  and  Joseph,  all  of  whom  yet  remain  at 
home.  The  family  are  identified  with  the  Ro- 
man Catholic  Church.  Mr.  Ward  is  connected 
with  the  Fraternal  Aid  and  the  Order  of  For- 
esters, and  politically  has  always  stood  stead- 
fastly by  the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party. 
Since  coming  to  Palms  he  has  held  the  position 
of  school  trustee  for  two  years,  in  which  office 
he  not  only  showed  his  interest  in  educational 
affairs  as  a  citizen,  but  also  proved  himself  well 
adapted  for  the  work,  aiding  materially  in  the 
advancement  of  the  schools  and  in  the  raising  of 
the  standard  of  scholastic  training. 


BURT  G.  HURLBURT.  Noteworthy  among 
the  esteemed  and  influential  citizens  of  Los  An- 
geles county  is  B.  G.  Hurlburt,  one  of  the  lead- 
ing attorneys  of  Santa  Monica,  and  a  man  of 
wealth  and  prominence.  He  has  lived  in  four  of 
the  most  prosperous  states  of  the  Union,  and  in 
the  different  localities  in  which  he  has  made  his 
home  is  well  known,  having  been  actively  identi- 
fied with  the  foremost  industries  of  each.  A  son 
of  Henry  Hurlburt,  he  was  born,  November  17, 
1853,  in  Wyoming  county,  N.  Y.,  the  descendant 
of  an  old  and  honored  New  England  family.  His 
grandfather.  Barzilla  Hurlburt,  a  native  of  Con- 


necticut, was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  be- 
came one  of  the  first  settlers  of  western  New 
York,  living  on  the  homestead  that  he  reclaimed 
from  the  wilderness  until  his  death  at  the  re- 
markable age  of  ninety-nine  years. 

The  eighth  child  in  a  family  of  nine  children, 
Henry  Hurlburt  was  born  and  reared  in  New 
York,  and  there  spent  the  seventy-six  years  of 
his  earthly  life,  being  successfully  employed  as  a 
tiller  of  the  soil.  He  married  Arvilla  Austin, 
who  died  on  the  home  farm,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
seven  years.  They  reared  eight  children,  of 
whom  B.  G.  was  the  seventh  child. 

Having  completed  his  early  education  by  tak- 
ing a  commercial  course  of  study  at  Pike  Sem- 
inary, B.  G.  Hurlburt  went  to  Iowa,  where  he 
taught  school  five  terms,  first  in  Adair,  and  then 
in  Guthrie  Center.  In  1872  he  began  the  study 
of  telegraphy  at  Anita,  Iowa,  and  in  1876  was 
appointc.l  operater  at  Stuart,  where  he  remained 
two  years,  becoming  well  known  throughout 
Guthrie  county  while  in  that  capacity.  Obtain- 
ing in  the  meantime  some  political  influence,  he 
then  accepted  the  ofiice  of  deputy  county  treas- 
urer, which  he  held  four  years.  Embarking  then 
in  mercantile  pursuits,  with  a  partner  he  bought 
out  a  hardware  establishment,  which  he  managed 
successfully  for  several  years.  In  1886  he  set- 
tled in  Wallace  county,  Kans.,  which  was  then 
but  sparsely  populated,  and  on  April  13  he 
opened  the  first  grocery  store  established  at 
Sharon  Springs,  a  newly-organized  town.  At  , 
that  time  there  were  thirty  young  men  in  busi- 
ness there,  but  no  woman  appeared  in  the  place 
for  six  weeks  after  his  arrival,  the  first  ones  com- 
ing in  July. 

in  the  upbuilding  of  the  new  town  Mr.  Hurl- 
burt took  a  prominent  part,  encouraging,  aiding 
and  promoting  all  enterprises  conducive  to  the 
growth  and  prosperity  of  the  place,  which  sub- 
sequently became  the  county  seat.  He  became 
one  of  the  leading  attorneys  of  Wallace  county, 
for  ten  years  serving  as  county  attorney.  He 
also  filled  other  offices  of  importance,  being  a 
member  of  the  school  board,  and  for  eight  years 
being  justice  of  the  peace.  Possessing  excellent 
business  ability  and  good  financial  judgment,  he 
acquired  considerable  property,  becoming  owner 
of  a  ranch  containing  forty-six  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  adjoining  Sharon  Springs,  which 
he  helped  name,  and  of  another  valuable  ranch 
lying  about  ten  miles  south  of  the  town.  He 
looked  carefully  after  his  agricultural  aflfairs, 
and  as  a  stock  raiser  and  dealer  met  with  more 
than  ordinary  success.  Resigning  his  various 
offices  in  July,  1903,  he  settled  in  Santa  Monica, 
Cal..  and  has  since  won  an  enviable  reputation 
as  a  lawyer  of  ability,  and  has  built  up  a  fine 
clientage,  his  ofiice  being  on  Pier  avenue.  Ocean 
Park.  ■ 


1602 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


]\Ir.  Hurlburt  has  been  three  times  married. 
In  Grinnell,  Iowa,  he  married  Kate  L.  Dosh, 
daughter  of  a  prominent  citizen  of  Davenport. 
She  died  in  1886,  leaving  three  children,  namely: 
Vida,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years; 
Mrs.  Mildred  Leonhardt ;  and  Addie,  wife  of 
Rev.  Frederick  R.  Raby,  of  Kansas.  Subse- 
quently Mr.  Hurlburt  married  Mrs.  Ella  Cook, 
of  Kansas,  who  died  in  California,  leaving  three 
children,  Abigail,  Edith  and  Emmett.  After  the 
death  of  his  second  wife  Mr.  Hurlburt  married 
Mrs.  -Rebecca  Bond  Kempton,  of  Ocean  Park, 
a  native  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.  Politically  Mr. 
Hurlburt  is  a  Republican;  fraternally  he  is  an 
Odd  Fellow :  and  religiously  he  is  a  member,  a 
trustee  and  treasurer  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 


GEORGE  E.  BENNETT.  A  man  who  has 
seen  much  of  the  world  and  has  been  very  active 
in  local  public  life  wherever  he  has  lived  is 
George  E.  Bennett,  who  has  been  a  resident  of 
Elsinore  since  1887.  He  is  of  English  descent, 
and  the  first  member  of  the  famih'  to  come  to 
America  was  his  grandfather,  James  S.,  who 
was  a  wholesale  and  retail  grocer  in  Bath,  Me., 
owned  a  coasting  vessel  at  that  port,  and  served 
this  country  in  the  second  war  with  Great  Britain 
in  1812.  His  father,  James  H.,  was  born  at 
Bath,  and  was  a  sailor  and  captain  of  a  coast- 
ing vessel  until  during  the  '6o's,  when  he  re- 
moved to  West  Branch,  Iowa,  remaining  in  that 
place  until  1886,  and  then  came  to  California, 
where  he  died  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  Mr. 
Bennett's  mother,  who  was  Catherine  Roach  be- 
fore her  marriage,  was  of  Scotch  descent,  born  in 
Vermont,  and  removed  with  her  parents  to  Bath, 
Me.,  where  her  father  was  engaged  in  the  dry 
goods  business.  He  also  served  in  the  war  of 
1812.  The  mother  is  still  living  and  makes  her 
home  with  her  son  in  Elsinore,  and  although  she 
is  eighty-six  years  old  is  very  active  and  enjoys 
good  health.  She  was  the  mother  of  eight  chil- 
dren, George  E.  being  the  oldest  son.  One  son, 
James,  was  a  member  of  Company  B,  Ninth  Reg- 
iment Maine  A'olunteer  Infantry,  and  died  in 
Iowa  in  1868. 

The  birth  of  George  E.  Bennett  occurred  July 
20,  1842.  in  Bath,  Me.,  in  which  town  he  was 
reared  and  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools.  \Vhile  yet  a  youth  he  went  on  a  trip 
with  his  uncle.  Captain  Winthrop  Bennett,  to 
Havre.  France,  and  also  to  the  West  Indies, 
shipping  as  cabin  boy.  Upon  his  return  to  Maine 
he  went  to  Brunswick  and  learned  the  shoemak- 
ers' trade,  continuing  at  that  employment  until 
1861.  when,  in  April  of  that  year,  he  volunteered 
for  a  three  months'  term  in  Company  D,  Fifth 
IMaine  A'ohmteer  Tnfantrv.     He  saw  active  serv- 


ice from  the  first  and  was  engaged  in  the  first 
battle  of  Bull  Run  before  the  expiration  of  his 
term  in  September,  when,  he  was  mustered  out. 
His  was  too  patriotic  a  nature  to  remain  impas- 
sive while  his  country  was  calling  for  help,  how- 
ever, and  almost  immediately  he  re-enlisted,  this 
time  becoming  a  soldier  in  Company  B,  of  the 
Ninth  Infantry,  in  his  native  state.  Among  the 
other  engagements  which  found  his  regiment  in 
the  firing  line  was  the  battle  of  Port  Royal  and 
at  Fernandina,  Fla.,  and  they  also  took  part  in 
the  siege  of  Fort  Wagner.  Mr.  Bennett  was  then 
transferred  from  the  Ninth  regiment  to  the 
Tenth  Army  Corps  and  sent  to  the  front  at 
Petersburg,  where  he  was  detailed  as  dispatch 
carrier.  While  performing  duties  in  this  capacity 
he  and  four  companions  were  captured  by  rebels 
on  Amelia  island  and  started  on  their  way  to  the 
Confederate  camp  by  boat.  Mr.  Bennett,  who 
was  a  most  unwilling  prisoner,  watched  his 
chance  and  suddenly  jumped  at  one  of  the  cap- 
tors, tipped  the  boat  over,  precipitating  the  party 
into  the  water  and  he  and  his  comrades  made 
good  their  escape.  The  rebels,  who  were  loaded 
heavily  with  weapons  and  ammunition,  were  un- 
able to  swim  ashore  and  it  was  afterwards  learned 
that  they  w-ere  drowned.  Later,  while  carrying 
dispatches,  ]\Ir.  Bennett  received  a  saber  wound 
on  the  left  knee,  which  completely  disabled  him. 
He  was  sent  to  the  hospital  and  remained  there 
until  able  to  move  about  on  crutches,  when  he 
returned  to  camp  until  he  received  an  honorable 
discharge  in  September,  1863.  He  has  many  in- 
teresting stories  to  tell  concerning  his  war  ex- 
periences, for  he  had  many  narrow  escapes  dur- 
ing the  years  of  his  service. 

For  two  years  following  his  return  home  ]\Ir. 
Bennett  was  obliged  to  use  crutches  and  during 
that  time  he  plied  his  trade  in  Brunswick,  Me.  In 
1865  he  rem.oved  to  West  Branch,  Iowa,  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  for  a  few  years,  but  subse- 
quently lived  in  Jasper  and  Shelby  counties  and 
was  variously  employed  in  agricultural  pursuits 
and  at  the  shoemaker's  trade.  In  1873.  John 
Long,  the  sherifif  of  Shelby  county,  appointed  him 
deputv  sheriff  and  a  little  latter  he  was  elected 
constable,  serving  in  that  office  for  two  years. 
Long's  successor  also  re-appointed  him  as  deputy 
and  when  the  regularly  elected  sheriff'  died  dur- 
ing his  term  of  office  Mr.  Bennett  was  appointed 
to  fill  the  vacancy.  He  performed  his  official 
duties  with  such  ability  and  satisfaction  that  the 
voters  elected  him  to  the  office  after  the  expira- 
tion of  his  appointed  term  and  he  continued  as 
sheriff  of  that  county  until  1887.  when  he  came 
to  California  in  search  of  a  more  healthful  loca- 
tion. After  two  months  spent  in  Elsinore  he  felt 
so  much  better  that  he  decided  to  remain  perma- 
nently, and  spent  the  vcars  until  1890  in  recu- 
perating  his    strength.      He    then    established    a 


(^.e..(/l/e^ 


eox-*-^^^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1605 


second-hand  store,  which  he  conducted  for  two 
years,  giving  it  up  at  the  end  of  this  time  to 
devote  his  whole  time  to  the  conduct  of  a  shoe 
and  harness  business,  which  he  had  been  engaged 
in  simultaneous!)'  with  the  second-hand  business. 
In  Elsinore  also  J\Ir.  Bennett  has  been  active 
in  official  life.  In  1904  he  was  appointed  by  the 
board  of  supervisors  as  justice  of  the  peace  and 
city  recorder,  positions  to  which  he  was  re-elected 
in  1906,  and  has  been  a  city  trustee  for  four 
years,  half  of  which  time  he  acted  as  president  of 
the  board.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch  advocate  of 
the  principles  of  the  Republican  party  and  is  an 
ex-member  of  the  county  central  committee.  He 
has  a  nice  residence  in  Elsinore,  presided  over  by 
his  wife,  who  was  formerly  Miss  Elsadia  Coombs, 
a  native  of  Brunswick,  Me.  Their  marriage  oc- 
curred in  Maine,  and  they  became  the  parents  of 
four  children  :  Edward,  who  was  a  railway  con- 
ductor, was  accidentally  killed  at  Atlantic,  Iowa; 
Lewis  H.  is  a  fruit  grower  in  Highgrove;  Fred 
E.  Conducts  a  shoe  and  bicycle  store  at  Santa 
Ana,  and  Frank  H.  follows  the  painters'  trade  in 
Elsinore.  Mr.  Bennett  is  a  member  of  T.  B. 
Stevens  Post  No.  103,  G.  A.  R.,  at  Elsinore,  be- 
ing past  commander  of  the  post.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  are  active  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  he  having  served  as  a  member  of 
the  official  board  at  one  time. 


PETER  CARL  PETERSEN.  The  sub- 
stantial and  well-to-do  citizens  of  Wilmington 
have  no  better  representative  than  Peter  C. 
Petersen,  a  capable  and  progressive  hardware 
merchant,  who  has  accumulated  a  goodly 
share  of  this  world's  goods.  Enterprising  and 
far-sighted,  he  has  made  judicious  invest- 
ments, and  is  the  owner  of  much  valuable  res- 
idence property,  from  the  rental  of  which  he 
receives  a  fine  annual  income.  A  native  of 
Denmark,  he  was  born  in  Copenhagen  in  1836, 
a  son  of  Terkl  Petersen.  His  parents  spent 
their  entire  lives  in  Denmark,  both  dying  at  a 
comparatively  early  age. 

Completing  his  studies  in  the  city  schools 
of  Copenhagen,  Peter  C.  Petersen,  who  was 
left  an  orphan  when  a  small  lad,  began  work- 
ing for  himself  as  a  farm  hand,  continuing 
thus  employed  a  number  of  years.  Immigrat- 
ing to  the  United  States  in  1867,  he  stopped 
for  a  few  months  in  Philadelphia,  and  then 
proceeded  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he  en- 
listed in  the  Fifth  United- States  Cavalry,  in 
which  he  served  five  years,  when,  at  Camp 
Grant,  .\riz.,  he  was  honorably  discharged. 
Coming  to  California  in  1872,  he  located  in 
Wilmington,  and  for  six  years  thereafter  was 
in  the  employ  of  Banning  Brothers  and  the 
Southern   Pacific  Railroad  Company.     Invest- 


ing his  money  then  in  land,  he  became  the 
owner  of  several  ranches,  which  he  improved, 
making  them  among  the  most  valuable  farm- 
ing estates  to  be  found  in  this  part  of  the 
state.  He  also  bought  land  in  Wilmington, 
and  built  several  modern  residences,  wdiich  he 
rents,  and  in  the  spring  of  1905  he  erected,  on 
Canal  street,  the  first  modernly  constructed 
two-story  building  in  the  place.  For  the  up- 
building and  improving  of  the  place,  Mr.  Pe- 
tersen lias  done  much,  being  an  important  fac- 
tor in  aiding  the  growth  and  material  prosper- 
ity of  Wilmington,  and  takes  great  interest  in 
beautifying  his  own  property,  and  adding  to 
the  attractiveness  of  the  town  thereby. 

In  1870,  at  Fort  McPherson,  Neb.,  'Mr.  Pe- 
tersen married  Alary  J.  Short,  who  died  in 
Wilrnington,  Cal.,  March  28,  1903.  Politically 
he  is  a  loyal  supporter  of  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  party,  and  religiously  he  is  a  faith- 
ful member  of  the  Presbvterian  Church. 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN  LASSWELL.  A 
successful  ranchman,  B.  F.  Lasswell  is  located 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  west  of  Compton,  Los 
Angeles  county,  where  on  his  twenty  acre  ranch 
he  is  extensively  engaged  in  the  raising  of  alfalfa 
and  the  prosecution  of  his  dairy  interests.  He 
is  a  native  of  the  middle  west,  his  birth  having 
occurred  in  the  southern  part  of  Illinois,  Febru- 
ary 7,  1844,  he  being  a  son  of  the  late  Isaac 
Lasswell,  a  native  of  Virginia,  who  removed  to 
the  Prairie  state  and  engaged  in  farming  for  a 
livelihood.  The  father  made  his  home  in  Illinois 
for  many  years,  engaging  prominently  in  public 
aflfairs,  and  as  a  Democrat  was  elected  to  the 
office  of  sheriff,  where  he  ably  discharged  the 
duties  incumbent  upon  him.  After  the  death  of 
his  wife,  formerly  Anna  Norton,  also  a  native 
of  Virginia,  he  came  to  California  and  followed 
ranching  pursuits  in  Lincoln,  Placer  county, 
until  his  death.  He  was  a  Mason,  and  in  religion 
belonged  to  the  Baptist  Church. 

B.  F.  Lasswell  remained  a  member  of  the  pa- 
rental family  until  attaining  his  majority,  receiv- 
ing his  education  through  an  attendance  of  the 
common  school  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home,  and 
also  ensaging  with  his  father  in  general  farm- 
ing in  Hamilton  county.  He  finally  engaged  in- 
dependentlv  in  the  work,  renting  land  in  his 
native  state  until  1868,  in  which  year  he  was 
married  and  came  to  California.  He  first  located 
in  Marvsville,  Yuba  countv.  where  he  remained 
for  a  short  time,  when  he  became  a  rancher  in 
\'entura  county  and  followed  these  pursuits  for 
nine  or  ten  years ;  coming  to  Compton  at  the 
close  of  that  period  he  nurchased  his  present 
property,  consisting  of  thirtv-two  acres,  holdincr 
the  same  in  his  possession  until  about  one  year 


1606 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ago,  when  he  disposed  of  twelve  acres.  The 
balance  of  the  property  is  devoted  to  the  raising 
of  alfalfa  and  dairy  purposes.  He  is  an  es- 
teemed citizen  of  this  community,  where  he  takes 
a  helpful  interest  in  public  affairs. 

Mrs.  Lasswell  was  formerly  Anna  Flynn,  a 
native  of  Ireland,  whose  parents  brought  her  to 
America  during  her  childhood.  They  located  hi 
the  east  and  spent  the  balance  of  their  lives  in 
Boston,  Mass.  About  six  years  ago  Mrs.  Lass- 
well  suffered  a  paralytic  stroke,  which  has  seri- 
ously afifected  her  health.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lass- 
well'  belong  to  the  Catholic  Church  and  politic- 
ally Mr.  Lasswell  is  a  stanch  adherent  of  the 
principles  advocated  in  the  platform  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic party. 


P.  S.  VENABLE.  The  Venable  family  is  of  old 
Virginia  stock  which  was  originally  of  English 
descent  a  representative  of  the  name  later  going 
with  Daniel  Boone  to  Kentucky,  where  Judge 
J.  W.,  the  father  of  P.  S.  Venable,  was  born  in 
"1831.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  he  served  for 
three  months  in  the  Mexican  war  and  when 
eighteen  came  around  by  the  way  of  Cape  Horn 
to"  California.  When  the  ship  on  which  he  took 
passage  reached  Lower  California  he,  with  three 
companions,  abandoned  it  and  made  the  rest  of 
the  journey  to  San  Francisco  by  foot,  reaching 
their  destination  in  the  year  1849.  He  went  to 
Placer  county  and  worked  in  the  mines  for  several 
years,  after  which  he  carried  on  ranching  and 
stock-raising  for  a  long  period.  At  one  time  he 
owned  the  stock  ranch  where  Oakland  is  now 
located,  and  he  was  the  first  man  to  pilot  a  boat 
up  the  Sacramento  river  to  Red  BlutT.  He  had 
many  interesting  experiences  during  those  early 
year's,  for  at  that  time  the  countrs'  was  full  of 
Indians  who  were  primitive  enough  to  wear  cow- 
hides on  their  feet,  having  no  moccasins.  In  1869 
he  removed  to  Los  Angeles  and  purchased  a 
ranch  near  Downey,  engaging  in  horticultural 
pursuits,  and  he  still  lives  on  this  place  at  the 
advanced  age  of  seventy-four  years.  In  1852  he 
was  married  to  Angeline  Garrett,  who  died  in 
i860,  leaving  him  with  one  daughter,  Elizabeth 
Louise,  who  became  the  wife  of  Joseph  Albright, 
now  of  Redondo.  His  second  wife  was  Annie 
Elizabeth  Tate,  of  Contra  Costa  county,  and  to 
them  the  following  children  were  born :  Mrs. 
Kennedy  of  Wilmington ;  P.S.,of  Redondo ;  John, 
a  farmer  near  Redondo;  J.  W.,  Jr.,  also  a  farmer 
near  Redondo;  Mrs.  Grider,  living  near  Holly- 
wood ;  Mollie ;  James ;  Thomas ;  Mrs.  Hall  of 
Redondo ;  Mrs.  Venable  of  Los  Angeles  ;  George  ; 
and  Mrs.  Howards  of  Long  Beach.  The  father 
was  an  active  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  was  affiliated  with  the  Masons  frater- 
nally,  having  served  as  master  of  the   Downey 


lodge  for  ten  years.  He  was  very  active  in 
politics  and  was  elected  by  the  Democratic  party, 
which  he  supported,  to  numerous  official  positions, 
among  them  being  a  member  of  the  state  as- 
sembly, four  years  as  assessor  and  eight  years 
as  deputy  assessor  of  Los  Angeles  county,  and 
four  years  as  supervisor.  While  in  Contra  Costa 
county  he  held  the  offices  of  justice  of  the  peace 
and  associate  justice. 

It  was  on  January  19,  1862,  that  P.  S.  A'enable 
was  born  at  ( )akland,  Cal.  When  seven  years 
of  age  his  father  brought  him  to  Los  Angeles 
county  and  the  ranch  upon  which  they  settled 
was  then  in  tlie  midst  of  a  wild  waste.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  and  at  Los  Neitos 
Military  Institute,  and  when  his  schooling  was 
completed  remained  at  home  until  twenty-two 
years  old.  In  1884  he  became  foreman  of  a 
ranch  at  Compton  and  in  1888  he  secured  the 
contract  for  hauling  the  stone  to  be  used  in  the 
construction  of  the  Los  Angeles  court  house. 
This  kept  him  busy  for  three  years,  during  which 
time  he  used  five  and  six  teams  and  hauled  stones 
weighing' twenty-four  thousand  pounds.  In  1890 
he  located  in  Redondo  and  engaged  in  farming 
on  the  Norbone  ranch  of  two  thousand  acres  and 
the  Hellman  ranch  of  one  thousand,  and  has 
operated  these  places  ever  since.  Everything  is 
conducted  on  a  very  large  scale  and  the  most 
modern  machinery  is  in  use  in  the  cultivation  and 
harvesting  of  the  crops,  which  consist  principally 
of  wheat  and  barley.  Twenty-five  men  are  re- 
quired to  work  this  large  acreage. 

One  year  ago  Mr.  Venable  built  a  residence 
in  Redondo  on  Catalina  and  Diamond  streets. 
In  addition  to  the  cement  work  which  he  has  ex- 
ecuted in  Redondo  he  has  paved  Pacific,  Benito 
Guadaloupe  and  Ocean  View  avenues,  Diamond, 
Emerald,  Commercial,  Gertrude,  Francisco  and 
Beryl  streets.  In  Hermosa  he  graded  Hermosa 
and' Santa  Fe  avenues,  and  has  completed  much 
satisfactory  work  in  other  places.  He  is  also 
heavily  interested  in  various  business  enterprises 
in  other  lines,  having  been  one  of  the  party  that 
built  the  mill  and  warehouses  in  Redondo  and 
is  on  the  board  of  directors  of  both  the  Farmers' 
and  Merchants'  Na4:ional  Bank  and  the  People's 
Saving  Bank  of  this  city. 

The  remarkable  development  of  this  section  of 
the  state  can  be  realized  somewhat  when  it  is 
known  that  Mr.  Venable  can  himself  remember 
the  first  engine  ever  run  in  the  county  and  re- 
members the  driving  of  the  golden  spike  which 
completed  the  railroad  connecting  Los  Angeles 
with  San  Francisco,  when  the  tunnel  this  side 
of  San  Fernando  was  cut  through ;  also  remem- 
bers when  the  railroad  was  built  from  Los 
Angeles  to  Wilmington,  where  the  government 
barracks  were  located  in  the  days  when  passen- 
gers were  carried  in  large  stage  coaches,  and  to 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1607 


know  that  he  has  been  so  largely  instrumental 
in  the  building  up  of  the  community  may  well 
be  a  source  of  pride  and  satisfaction  to  him.  He 
is  an  adherent  of  the  Democratic  party  and  has 
been  elected  a  trustee  of  the  grammar  school, 
also  a  member  of  the  high  school  board  of  which 
he  is  clerk.  He  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Qiurch,  serving  as  a  trustee 
and  as  a  member  of  the  building  committee.  Fra- 
ternally he  affiliates  with  the  Independent  Order 
of  Foresters,  the  Royal  Arcanum,  and  was  made 
a  Alason  in  the  Wilmington  Lodge  No.  198,  F. 
&  A.  M.,  becoming  charter  member  of  the  Re- 
dondo  Lodge  No.  328,  of  which  he  served  as 
master  for  two  years.  He  is  past  patron  of  the 
Order  of  Eastern  Star  and  his  wife  is  past  ma- 
tron of  the  same  fraternity.  His  marriage  to 
Miss  Susie  Malott,  a  native  of  Platte  county,  the 
dauqfhter  of  William  Malott,  an  early  settler  in 
California,  occurred  at  Compton  and  they  have 
become  the  parents  of  five  children,  Hazel,  Max, 
Carrie,  Helen  and  Mabel. 


IT.  H.  ZILLGITT.  Noteworthy  among  the 
young,  wide-awake  business  men  of  Los  Angeles 
county  is  H.  H.  Zillgitt,  of  Inglewood,  one  of  the 
active  members  of  the  Inglewood  Mercantile 
Company.  Since  becoming  a  resident  of  this 
place  he  has  identified  himself  thoroughly  with 
the  best  interests  of  his  adopted  city,  and,  by  his 
integrity  and  sterling  character,  has  won  the  es- 
teem of  his  fellowmcn  and  the  confidence  of  the 
community.  A  native  of  Fairmount,  Richland 
county,  N.  Dak.,  he  was  born  Deceml>er  11,  1882, 
a  son  of  the  late  Frederick  T.  Zillgitt. 

r.orn  and  reared  in  Germany,  Frederick  A. 
Zillgitt  immigrated  to  this  country  in  early  man- 
hood, settling  first  at  Lake  City,  TvTinn.,  apd  then 
at  Fairmount,  N.  Dak.,  where  he  bought  land 
and  improved  a  farm.  Removing  from  there  to 
Vernonia,  Ore.,  in  1889,  he  was  for  a  number  of 
years  successfully  engaged  in  mercantile  pur- 
suits in  that  citv.  Coming  to  Los  Angeles  county 
in  1903,  he  resided  in  Inglewood  until  his  death, 
in  February,  1904.  He  married  Mary  A.  Seigne, 
who  was  born  in  Wisconsin,  of  French  ancestry, 
and  is  now  living  in  Inglewood.  Six  children, 
five  sons  and  one  daughter,  blessed  their  union, 
and  all  are  living,  H.  PL,  the  special  subject  of 
this  sketch,  being  the  youngest  child. 

P.rought  up  in  Richland  county,  N.  Dak.,  H. 
II.  Zillgitt  attended  first  the  nublic  school  of  Fair- 
mount,  after  which  he  took  a  full  commercial 
course  at  the  Red  River  Valley  Ihiiversity,  in 
Wahpeton.  In  1900  he  came  to  California,  and 
for  four  years  was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  the 
store  of  his  brother,  Frank  A.  Zillgitt,  one  of  the 
leading  merchants  of  Inglewood.  In  December, 
,1904,   in   company   with    Lvman    O.    Calkins,    of 


whom  a  brief  sketch  may  be  found  elsewhere,  he 
organized  the  Inglewood  Mercantile  Company, 
and  has  since  carried  on  a  thriving  business,  hav- 
ing built  up  a  lucrative  trade. 

Politically  Mr.  Zillgitt  is  a  steadfast  Repub- 
lican, and  since  1900  has  served  as  deputy  post- 
master. He  takes  great  interest  in  the  advance- 
ment of  the  public  welfare,  and  is  one  of  the  di- 
rectors of  the  Citizens'  Home  Water  Company. 
He  is  a  member  and  one  of  the  directors  of  the 
Inglewood  Commercial  Club,  and  is  a  member 
and  the  clerk  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 


JOHN  FRANKLIN  TEDFORD.  A  self- 
made  man  who  has  gained,  while  still  young,  the 
degree  of  success  that  has  crowned  the  eflforts 
of  John  Franklin  Tedford  is  always  worthy  of 
the  admiration  and  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens. 
His  father  died  when  he  was  but  eight  years  of 
age  and  it  became  necessary  for  him  to  early  as- 
sume the  responsibility  of  his  own  support,  and 
he  now  leases  six  hundred  acres  of  fertile  hay 
land  in  the  Perris  valley  in  Riverside  county. 
He  is  the  son  of  Thomas  J.  and  Anna  Elizabeth 
(Fickas)  Tedford,  natives  of  Texas  and  Mis- 
souri, respectively.  The  family  had  many  dis- 
tressing experiences  with  the  Indians  in  the 
early  days  of  their  residence  on  the  frontier.  At 
one  time  the  Indians  captured  two  of  the  father's 
brothers  and  while  one  of  them  was  saved  the 
other  was  taken  away  and  has  never  been  heard 
from  since.  In  1849  the  elder  Tedford  crossed 
the  plains  with  ox  teams  and  located  in  California 
at  Bullwell  Point  and  engaged  in  mining  in  San 
Antonio  canon.  Later  he  took  up  ranching  in 
the  Newport  district  and  remained  there  until 
his  death  in  1882.  The  mother  is  still  living  in 
Sawtolle.  Her  father  was  an  old  settler  of  this 
state,  who  arrived  in  the  early  '50s,  and  in  1867 
located  on  a  ranch  in  \'entura  county,  where  he 
remained  until  1887,  when  he  went  to  Santa 
Ana  then  to  the  Powav  valley  in  San  Diego 
county,  living  there  until  his  death  in  T905. 

The  birth  of  John  F.  Tedford  occurred  in 
January,  1874,  in  Orange  county,  Cnl..  and 
since  the  age  of  fourteen  he  has  supported  him- 
self. Fie  commenced  by  engaging  himself  to  the 
ranchmen  by  the  month  at  various  locations,  in- 
cluding .Santa  .Ana,  Santa  Fe  .Springs,  Lagona. 
Florence  and  in  the  San  Fernando  vnllev.  and 
after  a  time  went  to  Redondo  and  became  a  long- 
shoreman and  stevedore.  Failing  health  com- 
pelled him  to  change  his  occupation,  however, 
and  he  then  went  to  Chino  and  worked  in  the 
sugar  factory  there  for  about  three  years.  After- 
wards he  went  to  San  P>crnardino  and  resided  at 
that  place  until  T905.  when  he  came  to  Perris 
valley,  and  located  the  ranch  which  he  now 
operates,  and  has  since  made  it  his  home.     He 


1608 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


was  married  at  San  Jacinto,  November  i,  1900, 
to  Miss  Emma  Easton,  a  daughter  of  George 
Easton,  who  is  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
They  became  the  parents  of  one  child,  Nelva 
lone.  j\lr.  Tedford  is  a  member  of  the  Red- 
lands  Lodge  No.  319,  A.  O.  U.  W..  and  also  be- 
longs to  the  Redlands  Parlor,  N.  S.  G.  W.  In 
national  politics  he  advocates  the  principles  of 
the  Democratic  party,  but  in  local  affairs  re- 
serves the  right  to  vote  for  the  man  whom  he 
believes  will  most  efficiently  perform  the  duties 
of  his  office.  He  is  a  man  with  many  friends  and 
exerts  an  elevating  influence  upon  all  with 
whom  he  comes  in  contact. 


JOHN  WILLIAM  BLACK.  Occupying  an 
assured  position  among  the  energetic,  enterpris- 
ing and  valued  residents  of  Ocean  Park  is  J. 
W.  Black,  who,  in  partnership  with  his  brother, 
J.  W.  C.  Black,  is  carrying  on  an  extensive  and 
prosperous  business,  being  identified  with  the 
industrial  and  mercantile  interests  of  this  part 
of  the  county.  A  native  of  Iowa,  he  was  born 
in  Indianola,  Warren  county,  being  one  of  the 
six  children  of  William  and  Mary  (Culbertson) 
Black,  both  of  whom  were  born  and  brought  up 
in  Illinois,  near  Monmouth.  Grandfather  Black 
was  a  pioneer  of  Illinois,  settling  there  when 
young,  and  becoming  a  farmer  of  prominence. 
William  Black  was  an  early  settler  of  Warren 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  was  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  until  1901,  when  he  came  with 
his  family  to  Los  Angeles  county,  locating  in 
Santa  Monica,  where  he  is  living  retired. 

After  his  graduation  from  the  high  school  in 
Indianola,  Iowa,  J.  W.  Black  learned  the 
baker's  trade  in  that  city,  and  subsequently  fol- 
lowed it  there  and  in  neighboring  places,  meet- 
ing with  success.  He  traveled  to  some  extent 
while  thus  employed,  coming  to  the  Pacific  coast, 
and  in  December,  1903,  located  in  Ocean  Park, 
and  here,  in  partnership  with  his  brother,  who 
attends  the  outside  interests,  he  is  conducting  a 
well-stocked  store,  devoting  his  entire  attention 
to  his  business.  Politically  Mr.  Black  is  a  stanch 
supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party,  but  he  is  not  connected  with  any  fraternal, 
benevolent  or  social  organization. 


ADAM  WASEM.  To  an  unusual  degree  suc- 
cess has  crowned  the  intelligent  and  well-directed 
efforts  of  Mr.  Wasem,  who,  while  still  retaining 
large  and  valuable  landed  interests  in  Iowa,  has 
also  more  recently  acquired  property  in  Long 
Beach,  where  he  erected  and  now  owns  a  mod- 
ern residence  of  nine  rooms,  situated  on  the 
corner  of  Wasem  avenue  and  Railroad  streets, 
two  blocks  from  the  ocean,  and  one  and  one-half 


blocks  east  of  Alamitos  Park,  on  the  line  of  the 
Pacific  electric  railroad.  At  the  time  of  erecting 
this  comfortable  dwelling  the  neighborhood  was 
sparsely  settled,  but  since  then  a  number  of  ele- 
gant residences  have  been  erected  in  this  portion 
of  the  city  and  its  popularity  is  growing  with  a 
rapidity  startling  even  to  its  warmest  friends. 

The  far-famed  city  of  Bingen-on-the-Rhine  is 
the  native  place  of  Adam  Wasem,  and  JNIay  10, 
1838,  the  date  of  his  birth.  His  parents,  Adam 
and  Anna  Marie  (Hirshman)  Wasem,  came  to 
the  United  States  in  1856,  and  settled  in  Wright 
county,  Iowa,  where  they  took  up  farm  pursuits. 
There  the  mother  died  in  1 861,  at  forty-eight 
years  of  age,  and  was  survived  until  1882  by  the 
father,  who  passed  away  at  eightj^-two  years. 
Their  son,  Adam,  Jr.,  received  an  excellent  edu- 
cation in  the  gymnasiums  of  his  native  land. 
After  accompanying  his  parents  to  the  LTnited 
States  he  took  up  agricultural  pursuits,  for  which 
he  early  displayed  an  especial  aptitude.  From 
the  date  of  his  settlement  in  the  United  States 
he  was  always  loyal  to  his  adopted  country  and 
a  friend  to  its  progressive  enterprises.  When  the 
Civil  war  began  he  was  a  stanch  supporter  of  the 
Union  cause,  and  August  6,  1862,  was  accepted 
as  a  member  of  Company  B,  First  Missouri  Light 
Artillery,  with  which  he  marched  to  the  south 
and  bore  a  part  in  various  campaigns.  The  most 
important  engagements  in  which  he  participated 
were  those  at  Vicksburg  and  Fort  Blakeley. 
During  the  entire  period  of  his  service  he  was 
wounded  twice,  once  in  the  face  and  again  in  the 
hip.  but  fortunately  neither  wound  proved  to  be 
of  a  serious  nature.  At  the  expiration  of  his 
term  of  enlistment,  in  September,  1865.  he  was 
honorably  discharged  and  thereupon  returned  to 
his  Iowa  farm. 

Diu-ing  the  long  period  of  his  residence  in 
Webster  county,  Iowa,  ]\Ir.  Wasem  enjoyed  a 
steadily  growing  success.  From  time  to  time  he 
added  to  his  possessions  until  he  acquired  the  title 
to  six  hundred  acres  of  land,  as  fine  as  the  state 
of  Iowa  contains,  and  this  he  still  owns.  i\Iuch 
of  his  success  was  due  to  the  wise  prosecution  of 
the  stock  business,  his  greatest  profits  coming 
from  the  breeding  of  black  polled  .\ugus  cattle. 
^^'hen  finallv  he  had  accumulated  large  holdings 
and  was  in  a  position  to  seek  recreation  and  rest, 
he  came  to  California,  arriving  at  Long  Beach. 
February  10,  1904,  and  since  then  he  has  in- 
vested about  $27,000  in  property  at  this  place. 
Included  in  his  purchases  were  twenty-six  acres 
all  of  which,  excepting  nine  and  one-half  acres, 
he  subdivided  into  town  lots,  and  he  also  owned 
the  Alamitos  Park  tract  of  five  acres.  He  owns 
the  IMira  Mar  tract  of  ten  acres.  Palm  Island  of 
nine  and  one-half  acres,  besides  a  number  of  lots. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Wasem  was  solemnized 
at  Fort  Dodge,  Iowa,  October  6,  1866,  and  united 


"^ajl/^^^^^^  ^i^^'^^^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1611 


him  with  Miss  Henrietta  Wise,  a  native  of  Ger- 
many. Fourteen  children  were  born  of  their 
union,  namely :  Frederick,  who  died  at  twelve 
years  of  age ;  William,  Henrietta,  Charles,  John, 
Adam,  Otto,  Ella,  Bertha,  Carrie,  Henry,  Wal- 
ter, Mary  and  Lena.  Ella,  Bertha  and  Carrie  are 
college  graduates  and  formerly  teachers  in  Iowa. 
All  of  the  sons  are  stockmen  and  are  attaining  a 
gratifying  degree  of  success  in  the  occupation 
which  their  father  followed  in  former  years.  To 
accommodate  their  large  herds  they  have  four 
thousand  acres  of  grazing  land  in  Nebraska,  be- 
sides taking  charge  of  the  six  hundred  acres 
owned  by  their  father  in  Iowa. 

While  living  in  Iowa  Mr.  Wasem  was  an  active 
worker  in  Fort  Donelson  Post  No.  236,  G.  A.  R., 
at  Fort  Dodge,  and  also  was  an  interested  worker 
m  the  German  Refomid  Church,  and  in  politics 
affiliated  with  the  Republican  party.  For  thirteen 
years  he  held  the  office  of  township  trustee  and 
during  the  greater  part  of  his  residence  in  Iowa 
he  officiated  as  a  member  of  the  school  board,  giv- 
ing considerable  time  and  thought  to  the  develop- 
ment of  the  rural  schools  of  his  district.  Both  in 
the  state,  where  for  years  he  was  an  extensive 
stockman,  and  in  the  more  recent  place  of  his 
residence,  he  has  proved  himself  a  public-spirited 
and  progressive  man,  in  sympathy  with  all  for- 
ward movements  and  a  contributor  to  helpful 
projects. 


MADISON  D.  PUTMAN.  Fair  View  fruit 
farm  lies  in  Spencer  valley  near  the  village  of 
Wynola  and  comprises  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  whose  care  and  cultivation  occupy  the 
attention  of  the  owner,  Mr.  Putman,  giving  in 
return  a  satisfactory  and  increasing  moneyed 
recompense  for  his  assiduous  labors.  When  he 
came  to  this  valley  in  1869  he  secured  a  large 
tract  of  land  from  the  government  and  began  to 
make  improvements  on  the  raw  land.  Since  then 
he  has  erected  a  neat  house  and  necessary  out- 
buildings, and  has  made  other  improvements  on 
his  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  be- 
sides which  he  has  planted  twenty  acres  in  apples 
of  the  choicest  varieties,  including  the  White 
Winter,  Pomerain,  Eureka,  Belleflower,  Ben 
Davis,  Smith,  Cider,  Royal,  Jeanette,  Delaware 
Reds,  etc.  The  thrifty  appearance  of  the 
orchard  proves  him  to  be  a  man  of  tireless  in- 
dustry and  wise  judgment,  while  his  pioneer 
work  in  fruit-culture  in  this  valley  shows  that 
he  possesses  a  genuine  progressive  spirit. 

For  a  number  of  years  Madison  and  Olivia 
(Davidson)  Putman,  natives  respectively  of  Ten- 
nessee and  Pennsylvania,  made  their  home  in 
Alabama,  where  their  son,  ]\Iadison  D.,  was  born 
Novemlier  15,  1841.  From  that  state  the  family 
removed    to    Texas    about    1848   and    settled    in 


Williamson  county,  later  removing  to  Llano  coun- 
ty, where  the  father  died  in  1875,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-three  years.  The  mother  survived  him  for 
a  considerable  period  and  attained  the  age  of 
eighty-one  years.  During  boyhood  Madison  D. 
Putman  had  fewer  opportunities  to  attend  school 
than  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  average  youth,  for  the 
family  were  poor  and  it  was  necessary  for  him  to 
aid  them  in  earning  a  livelihood.  Yet,  in  spite  of 
lack  of  advantages,  he  has  gained  a  broad  fund 
of  information,  for  he  possesses  the  faculty  of 
close  observation  and  has  always  been  fond  of 
reading.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  he 
enlisted  in  McCord's  Regiment  and  served  on 
the  frontier,  remaining  in  the  army'  until  the 
close  of  the  struggle  in  1865.  While  herding 
some  horses  his  horse  fell  on  him  and  the  ac- 
cident resulted  in  the  breaking  of  his  leg. 
Through  all  of  his  army  service  as  well  as  in 
private  life  he  was  known  as  a  man  of  fearless 
courage,  and  there  are  still  living  those  who 
tell  of  his  valor  in  killing  the  noted  Comanche 
Indian.  Big  Foot,  on  the  Llano  river. 

Coming  to  California  in  1868,  the  following 
year  Mr.  Putman  secured  his  present  farm  from 
the  government  and  on  this  place  he  and  his 
wife  have  since  improved  a  comfortable  home- 
stead. Mrs.  Putman  was  bqrn  and  reared  in 
Texas  and  in  that  state  in  1866  hecame  his 
wife,  after  which  they  remained  in  the  old  home 
neighborhood  for  two  years  and  then  removed 
to  the  Pacific  coast.  They  are  the  parents  of 
five  children,  namely :  John  E.,  of  Los  Angeles ; 
Callie  C,  wife  of  Theodore  Yerrick :  James  R., 
of  San  Diego  county;  David  R.,  living  in  New 
Mexico:  and  Harvey  D.,  who  remains  at  home 
and  aids  in  the  care  of  the  property.  The  fam- 
ily attend  the  Baptist  Church,  of  which  Mrs. 
Putman  was  an  earnest  member  and  a  liberal 
contributor  to  its  charities.  She  died  February 
18.  1906,  aged  sixty-one  years.  For  a  number 
of  years  Mr.  Putman  filled  the  office  of  school 
trustee,  in  which  capacity  he  was  helpful  to  the 
educational  interests  of  the  district.  With  that 
exception  he  has  refused  official  positions  and 
lias  taken  no  part  whatever  in  politics  aside  from 
the  voting  of  the  Democratic  ticket  at  local  and 
general  elections. 


CHARLES  E.  CHAMBERS.  One  of  the 
most  energetic  and  enterprising  business  men  of 
San  Jacinto  is  Charles  E.  Chambers,  who  in  com- 
pany with  H.  S.  Roach,  is  owner  of  the  San 
Jacinto  electric  light  plant,  and  the  sole  proprietor 
of  the  lumber  yard,  warehouse  and  feed  mill  in 
that  city.  He  was  born  May  24.  1868,  in  Polk 
county.  Iowa,  the  son  of  James  S.  and  Isabella 
(Fay)  Chambers,  the  father  being  a  native  of 
Scotland,  who  came  to  this  country  in  1838,  and 


1612 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


located  in  New  York ;  the  mother  claiming  Ohio 
as  the  place  of  her  nativity.  The  elder  Oiambers, 
who  was  a  coremaker  by  trade,  removed  to  Illi- 
nois when  that  couiitry  was  new,  and '  located 
at  Freeport,  in  1861  enlisting  for  service  in  the 
Civil  war  in  Company  G,  Forty-sixth  Regiment 
of  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  later  becoming  a 
member  of  the  Eighth  Regiment  of  Illinois 
Cavalry.  In  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  he  was 
wounded  in  the  leg  and  was  discharged  on  ac- 
count of  disability.  At  the  close  of  tlie  war  he 
returned  to  Illinois  and  was  there  married,  after 
which  he  removed  to  Iowa,  and  later  came  to 
California,  arriving  in  Los  Angeles  in  1884.  He 
remained  in  that  city  for  a  short  time  only,  go- 
ing to  San  Jacinto  and  taking  up  a  homestead 
in  that  valley.  He  improved  the  place  and  added 
to  the  acreage  from  time  to  time  and  the  ranch 
is  now  a  large  and  valuable  property.  ^Ir. 
Chambers  died  February  9,  1903,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-nine  years,  and  his  wife,  who  is  now  sixty 
years  old,  is  still  living  on  the  old  homestead. 

It  was  in  the  public  schools  of  Iowa  and  Los 
Angeles  that  Charles  E.  Chambers  received  his 
education,  and  when  his  studies  were  completed 
he  learned  engineering,  securing  a  position  with 
the  Santa  Fe  Railroad,  wdiich  he  held  for  two 
years.  Later  he  learned  tlie  machinist's  trade 
with  the  Baker  Iron  Works  of  Los  Angeles,  after 
which  he  came  to  San  Jacinto  in  1898  and  es- 
tablished the  electric  light  plant,  buying  a  lot, 
on  which  to  erect  a  building  for  the  installation 
of  tlieir  own  machinery,  and  from  which  plant 
the  company  now  furnishes  to  the  people  of  that 
section  electricity  for  both  light  and  power  pur- 
poses, the  plant  being  modern  in  every  way, 
equipped  with  a  one  hundred  and  sixty  horse 
power  Corliss  engine. 

In  May,  1897,  Mr.  Chambers  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Nora  Vines,  of  Phoenix,  Ariz., 
and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  two  chil- 
dren, Shirley  and  Geraldine.  He  is  an  advocate 
of  the  principles  embraced  in  the  platform  of  the 
Republican  party,  and  is  now  filling  the  office  of 
deputy  city  marshal  of  San  Jacinto.  In  all 
matters  of  public  interest  to  the  community  Mr. 
Chambers  takes  a  leading  part  and  he  is  held 
in  the  highest  esteem  by  all  who  have  the  pleas- 
ure of  his  acquaintance. 


GAUDENZIO  GARB  AN  I.  One  of  the  sub- 
stantial ranchmen,  who  has  many  friends,  is 
Gaudenzio  Garbani,  who  has  a  large  ranch  near 
Winchester,  in  Riverside  county.  He  was  born 
July  2,  1849,  "1  Gresso.  Switzerland,  the  son 
of  Giatomo  and  Rosa  Garbani,  both  of  whom 
lived  their  entire  lives  and  died  in  Switzerland. 
Mr.  Garbani  received  a  good  education  in  his  na- 
tive country  and  when  the   time  came   for  him 


to  choose  an  occupation  he  adopted  that  of  agri- 
culturist and  engaged  in  farming  in  his  own 
country  until  1874,  when  he  immigrated  to  Amer- 
ica. Coming  to  California  in  that  year  he  located 
first  in  Sonoma  county,  which  section  was  then 
attracting  many  men  of  his  nationality.  He  work- 
ed on  a  ranch  there  for  a  short  time  and  the 
following  year  decided  that  Southern  California 
offered  greater  advantages,  and  came  to  Los 
Angeles.  After  remaining  here  a  few  months  he 
settled  in  Temecula,  living  there  for  the  succeed- 
ing five  years.  In  1880  he  took  up  a  government 
claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  later 
bought  a  five  hundred  and  sixty-acre  tract  where 
he  now  lives.  The  land  was  entirely  unimproved 
when  he  came  into  possession  and  the  house,  barn 
granaries,  etc.,  which  are  now  on  the  place  were 
built  by  Mr.  Garbani.  He  has  also  brought  the 
soil  into  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  raises 
very  fine  grain  crops.  He  has  all  necessary 
modern  machinery  for  use  in  planting,  cultivat- 
ing and  harvesting,  for  the  latter  purpose  using 
a  thirty-two  horse  power  combined  harvester. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Garbani  occurred  in 
Switzerland  in  1873,  uniting  him  with  ]\Iary  Ann 
Speziali,  a  native  of  that  country,  and  they  are 
now  the  parents  of  four  children.  Rose,  Lena, 
Elizabeth  and  Dolores.  They  are  devout  mem- 
bers of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  their  influence 
upon  the  community  in  which  they  live  is  an 
elevatins:  one. 


BARTLEY  F.  PITTS.  For  many  years  Bart- 
ley  F.  Pitts  has  been  a  resident  of  Hueneme, 
where  he  fills  the  position  of  engineer  and  as- 
sistant superintendent  of  the  wharf.  He  is  a 
native  of  California,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
Eldorado  county,  April  15,  1857.  His  father, 
William  O.  Pitts,  was  born  in  Missouri  and 
crossed  the  plains  about  1850,  arriving  in  El- 
dorado county,  where  for  a  time  he  engaged  in 
mining.  From  there  he  went  to  Mendocino 
county,  where  he  farmed  and  raised  stock  until 
1875,  when  he  removed  to  Hueneme  and  con- 
ducted a  livery  business  for  the  following  twelve 
years.  He  met  with  good  financial  success  which 
now  enables  him  to  live  retired  from  active  work, 
his  present  age  being  seventy-two  years.  The 
mother  of  Mr.  Pitts  was  Isabel  Burris  before  her 
marriage.  She  came  from  her  native  home  in 
Keithsburg,  111.,  with  her  father,  Shered  Burris, 
who  settled  as  a  farmer  in  Mendocino  county, 
Cai.,  where  he  died.  The  mother  of  Bartley  F. 
Pitts   is   still   living. 

There  were  nine  children  in  the  parental  fam- 
ily Bartley  F.,  being  the  oldest.  He  received 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Mendocino 
countv  and  when  his  father  brought  the  family 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1(313 


to  Hueneme  and  located  on  a  ranch  he  remained 
with  him  until  he  had  reached  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  years.  He  then  began  an  independent  busi- 
ness career,  working  on  ranches  for  a  time,  and 
in  1884  entered  the  employ  of  the  Hueneme 
Wharf  Company  as  stationary  engineer,  being 
later  assigned  to  the  position  of  assistant  superin- 
tendent in  addition  to  that  of  engineer.  Mr.  Pitts 
has  succeeded  in  accumulating  considerable  prop- 
erty and  his  holdings  include  a  twenty-two  acre 
ranch  near  Hueneme,  which  is  planted  to  beets 
and  on  which  he  has  a  nice  residence ;  also  a 
six  acre  tract  lying  near  the  town. 

Mr.  Pitts  was  married  in  his  home  town  to 
Miss  Ella  C.  Bacon,  a  native  of  Marysville,  Cal., 
and  a  daughter  of  Qiarles  W.  Bacon,  a  pioneer 
miner  of  this  state.  Politically  he  affiliates  with 
the  Republican  party,  and  fraternally  holds  mem- 
bership in  the  Hueneme  Camp  No.  9591,  M.  W. 
A.,  of  which  he  is  a  past  V.  C.  He  was  also  a 
member  of  the  Hueneme  Parlor,  N.  S.  G.  W., 
until  its  removal  to  Ventura.  Mr.  Pitts  is  a 
highly  respected  man  who  has  many  warm 
friends  in  the  county  where  he  has  so  long 
resided. 


FRANK  WARNER  PHELPS.  Numbered 
among  the  active  and  capable  busines  men  of  In- 
glewood  is  Frank  Warner  Phelps,  who  is  render- 
ing excellent  service  as  superintendent  and  secre- 
tary of  the  Inglewood  Domestic  Water  Company. 
Well  educated  and  progressive,  he  takes  a  genu- 
ine interest  in  local  matters,  using  his  influence 
to  advance  the  welfare  of  the  general  public,  and 
as  a  man  and  a  citizen  has  the  respect  and  esteem 
of  the  community  in  which  he  resides.  A  son  of 
I.  W.  Phelps,'  he  was  born  November  26,  1877, 
at  Ellsworth,  Kans. 

Born  in  New  York  state,  I.  W.  Phelps  spent 
his  early  life  in  that  part  of  the  country,  living 
there  until  1859,  when  he  made  an  overland  trip 
to  Colorado,  where  he  engaged  for  awhile  in  min- 
ing. As  soon  as  news  of  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Civil  war  reached  him  he  started  for  the  nearest 
fort  in  order  to  offer  his  services  to  his  countr\\ 
Enlisting  in  a  Kansas  regiment  he  seiwed  eighteen 
months  in  an  independent  company  of  scouts, 
under  command  of  Bill  Cody,  after  which  he 
was  commissary  sergeant  of  his  regiment  until 
the  close:  of  the  war.  Subsequently  settling  in 
Ellsworth,  Kans..  he  opened  a  store  of  general 
merchandise,  and  there  built  up  a  large  business, 
having  an  extensive  trade  with  the  incoming 
trailers.  A  man  of  good  financial  ability  he  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  Ellsworth  Bank,  and 
quite  prominent  in  public  affairs.  Coming  to 
California  in  1885  he  established  a  large  real  es- 
tate business  in  Los  Angeles,  and  having  pur- 
chased much  West  Lake  property,  he  improved 


it,  and  is  now  living  retired  from  active  pursuits. 
He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  and  is  a  Knight  of  Pythias.  He 
married  Rose  M.  Sternberg,  who  was  born  in  New 
York,  a  daughter  of  the  late  Rev.  Levi  Stern- 
berg, a  pioneer  Lutheran  minister  of  Ellsworth, 
Kans.,  and  a  sister  of  Dr.  George  Sternberg,  a 
retired  surgeon-general  of  the  United  States 
army.  Of  the  two  sons  and  two  daughters  born 
of  their  union,  Frank  Warner,  the  special  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  is  the  second  child  in  order  of 
birth. 

But  a  young  lad  when  he  came  with  his  par- 
ents to  California,  Frank  Warner  Phelps  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Los  Angeles,  re- 
ceiving his  diploma  from  the  high  school  in  1896. 
He  subsequently  entered  the  University  of  Cali- 
fornia, at  Berkeley,  from  which  he  was  gradu- 
ated with  the  degree  of  B.  S.  in  1900.  Engaging 
then  in  the  oil  busines  in  Los  Angeles,  he  was 
secretary  of  the  Lincoln  Crude  Oil  Company  for 
a  year,  afterwards  as  manager  of  the  Phelps  & 
Beveridge  Oil  Company,  buying  lands,  putting 
down  wells  in  different  places,  and  overseeing 
the  pumping,  remaining  as  manager  of  the  firm 
until  the  closing  of  the  works  in  1904,  the  prop- 
ertv  not  being  sold  until  1905.  Coming  to  Ingle- 
wood in  1903,  Mr.  Phelps  was  for  a  year  super- 
intendent of  the  Inglewood  Water  Company  and 
its  property,  but  since  that  time  has  been  super- 
intendent of  the  Inglewood  Domestic  Water 
Company,  of  wliich  he  is  also  secretary,  filling 
both  positions  most  ably  and  satisfactorily.  Feb- 
ruary I,  1906.  he  was  made  president  of  the  Ingle- 
wood Realty  Company,  engaged  in  the  general 
real  estate  and  brokerage  business. 

July  I,  1903,  in  Los  Angeles,  Mr.  Phelps  mar- 
ried Mabel  Morton,  who  was  born  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, Cal..  a  daughter  of  William  Morton,  now 
assistant  city  electrician  at  Los  Angeles.  She  is 
a  woman  of  culture  and  a  graduate  of  the  Los 
Angeles  normal  school.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Phelps 
have  one  child,  Morton  Warner  Phelps.  Politi- 
cally Mr.  Phelps  is  a  stanch  Republican,  invaria- 
bly casting  his  votes  for  his  party's  candidates. 
He  belongs  to  the  Inglewood  Commercial  Club 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Chi  Psi  fraternitv. 


JAMES  :\r.  SHEPARD.  Prominent  among 
the  foremost  business  men  of  Los  Angeles  coun- 
ty is  J.  M.  Shepard,  who  is  activelv  associated 
with  two  of  the  leading  organizations  of  Comp- 
ton,  being  vice-president  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Compton,  and  of  the  mercantile  firm  in- 
corporated under  the  name  of  the  Ambrose 
Shepard  Company.  A  man  of  excellent  execu- 
tive and  financial  abilitv,  he  takes  great  interest 
in  the  general  welfare  of  town  and  county,  and 
in  developing  and  advancing  the  industrial  pros- 


1614 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


perity  of  central  California  is  doing  his  full  share. 
He  was  born  in  September,  1837,  in  Mason  coun- 
ty, Kentucky,  which  was  also  the  birthplace  of  his 
father,  George  Shepard,  Jr.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, George  Shepard,  Sr.,  a  native  of  Virginia, 
was  an  officer  of  the  Revolutionary  army,  serving 
as  sergeant  of  his  company,  and  while  at  the 
fort  in  Lexington,  A'a.,  was  married  to  a  Miss 
McDermott. 

Born,  reared  and  married  in  Kentucky,  George 
Shepard,  Jr.,  remained  in  his  native  state  until 
the  spring  of  1856,  being  employed  in  agricult- 
ural pursuits.  Moving  then  to  jNIissouri,  he  took 
up  land,  but  before  he  had  made  any  improve- 
ments on  it  he  died,  his  death  occurring  August 
26,  1856.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Malida  Davis,  died  a  few  months  earlier,  in  No- 
vember. 1855,  in  Kentucky. 

Having  obtained  his  rudimentary  knowledge 
of  books  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
state,  James  M.  Shepard  completed  his  early  edu- 
cation in  Alanchester,  Ohio.  In  1856  he  went  to 
Missouri,  where  he  entered  upon  a  professional 
career,  teaching  school  there  until  1861.  In  1862 
he  located  in  Jacksonville,  111.,  and  for  several 
years  was  a  resident  of  that  city,  being  engaged 
in  the  general  merchandise  business,  and  also 
being  interested  to  some  extent  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  Returning  to  Missouri  in  1870,  he  fol- 
lowed general  farming  for  many  years,  first  in 
that  state  and  then  in  Nebraska.  Coming  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1887,  he  spent  six  months  in  Pasadena, 
and  then,  in  partnership  with  his  son.  opened  a 
mercantile  house  in  Compton.  Building  up  a 
large  trade  in  general  merchandise,  this  firm  en- 
larged its  operations  in  1896,  incorporating  the 
business  under  its  present  firm  name,  the  Am- 
brose Shepard  Company,  with  J.  V.  Shepard  as 
president ;  J.  M.  Shepard.  vice-president,  and  A. 
J.  Shepard,  secretary  and  treasurer.  This  firm 
is  also  connected  with  the  Compton  Water  Com- 
pany, and  A.  J.  Shepard  is  secretary  of  the  Home 
Telephone  Company.  Although  his  business  in- 
terests are  in  Compton  Mr.  Shepard  has  for  two 
years  resided  in  Los  Angeles,  his  home  being  at 
No.  807  Adams  street. 

August  18,  1862,  in  Jacksonville,  III,  Mr. 
Shepard  married  Rebecca  Van  Winkle,  a  native 
of  Illinois,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren, all  sons,  namely :  Samuel,  cashier  of  the 
Farmers'  Bank,  at  Union  Star,  Mo. ;  J.  V.,  presi- 
dent of  the  Ambrose  Shepard  Company,  in 
Compton ;  A.  J.,  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
company;  J.  L.,  engaged  in  farming  near  Comp- 
ton, and  Charles  Hubert,  a  graduate  of  the  Le- 
land  Stanford,  Jr.,  University,  who  has  for  the 
past  five  years  been  chemist  for  the  LTnion  Iron 
Works,  in  San  Francisco.  Politically  Mr.  Shep- 
ard is  a  sound  Republican,  and  while  living  in 
Andrews  countv,  Missouri,  served  two  terms  as 


county  judge.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shepard  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at 
Compton.  Both  come  from  substantial  Revolu- 
tionary stock,  their  paternal  grandfathers  having 
fought  for  the  independence  of  the  colonies,  and 
both  are  eligible  to  membership  in  the  Sons  and 
Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution. 


GUSTAVUS  LOUIS  JUNOD.  Prominent 
among  those  who  have  given  substantial  assist- 
ance in  promoting  the  growth  and  upbuilding  of 
Long  Beach  is  Gustavus  Louis  Junod,  a  real- 
estate  dealer,  at  the  present  time  actively  engaged 
in  the  sale  and  transfer  of  city  property.  A  native 
of  Switzerland,  he  was  born,  February  15,  1849, 
in  the  canton  of  Vaud,  which  was  likewise  the 
birthplace  of  his  parents,  August  and  Nannette 
(Bornan)  Junod. 

A  watchmaker  by  trade,  August  Junod  im- 
migrated with  his  family  to  the  United  States  in 
1849,  settling  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where,  during 
the  same  year,  he  died  of  cholera,  being  then  but 
twenty-nine  years  of  age.  His  widow,  a  stranger 
in  a  strange  country,  with  five  little  children  to 
support,  left  St.  Louis,  settling  on  a  farm  about 
thirty  miles  east  of  that  city,  near  Highland, 
III,  where  she  reared  her  family,  although  she 
spent  the  last  years  of  her  life  in  Sangamon 
cou.nty,  dying  in  Springfield.  Of  the  five  chil- 
dren she  bore  her  husband,  four  are  living,  Gusta- 
vus L.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  being  the 
youngest  child.  One  of  her  sons,  A.  H.  Junod, 
of  San  Francisco,  was  employed  in  the  United 
States  service  at  Benton  Barracks  during  the 
war.  A  son  by  another  marriage,  Julius  Cuendet, 
now  a  resident  of  Idaho,  served  as  a  musician 
in  the  Twenty-second  IlHnois  Volunteer'  Infantry 
during  the  war. 

An  infant  when  brought  to  this  country,  Gus- 
tavus Louis  Junod  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Highland,  III,  obtaining  his  early  education  in 
the  district  schools,  and  becoming  familiar  with 
the  various  branches  of  agriculture  while  yet  a 
boy.  He  subsequently  served  an  apprenticeship 
at  the  carpenter's  trade  on  his  own  account.  Giv- 
ing that  up  for  a  time,  he  carried  on  a  general 
mercantile  business  there  for  a  few  years,  be- 
ing quite  successful.  Going  to  Pawnee  coun- 
ty, Kans..  in  1892,  he, bought  a  ranch  at  Earned, 
where  he  established  a  very  successful  busi- 
ness in  raising,  buying  and  shipping  cattle. 
Disposing  of  his  interests  in  Kansas  in  1903, 
he  came  to  Los  Angeles  county,  and  for 
two  years  was  employed  as  a  contractor  and 
builder  at  Long  Beach,  building  up  both  business 
and  residence  property.  In  1905,  as  head  of  the 
firm  of  Junod  &  Scales,  he  embarked  in  his 
present  occupation,  and  in  addition  to  buying  and 
selling  city  realty  has  laid  out  the  Junod  addition 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1617 


to  Long  Beach.  A  man  of  sterling  integrity, 
courteous  and  genial,  he  is  most  pleasant  to  deal 
with,  and  is  conducting  his  extensive  real-estate 
transactions  with  great  financial  ability  and  suc- 
cess. 

In  Madison  county.  111.,  I\Ir.  Junod  married 
Elizabeth  Bosler,  who  was  born  in  canton  Aargau, 
Switzerland,  of  German  ancestry,  and  of  the 
children  born  of  their  union  seven  are  living, 
namely :  E.  H.,  of  Springfield,  111.,  conductor  on 
a  passenger  train ;  Annie,  of  Long  Beach ;  Mrs. 
Ellen  Converse,  of  Los  Angeles;  Mrs.  Rosa 
Colgin,  of  Los  Angeles;  ]\Irs.  Nellie  Burkhart, 
of  Long  Beach ;  and  Flora  and  Minnie,  of  Long 
Beach.  In  national  politics  Mr.  Junod  is  a  firm 
supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party,  but  in  local  affairs  votes  according  to  the 
dictates  of  his  conscience. 


ANTOIXE  REVOLON.  The  decadence 
of  the  mining  industry  in  California  was  fol- 
lowed by  the  rapid  development  of  stock- 
raising  and  for  years  the  vast  ranges  were 
supposed  to  be  worthless  except  for  the  pas- 
turage of  stock.  It  was  during  the  stock-rais- 
ing epoch  of  California's  history  that  Mr.  Re- 
volon  became  a  resident  of  the  state,  where 
for  years  he  was  engaged  extensively  in  the 
raising  of  sheep,  and  experienced  all  the  hard- 
ships incident  to  the  development  o.f  that  in- 
dustry in  the  midst  of  discouraging  circum- 
stances. Notwithstanding  the  obstacles  he 
encountered  and  the  hardships  he  endured  he 
met  with  considerable  success,  and  still  retains 
his  large  ranch  holdings  where  once  his  sheep 
v^-andered  over  the  broad  range.  Since  1903, 
however,  the  large  ranch  has  been  rented  and 
he  has  made  his  home  in  Los  Angeles  county, 
where  he  owns  twenty-five  acres  two  miles 
southwest  of  Palms,  a  well-improved  home- 
stead worth  $600  per  acre  and  improved  with 
a  neat  and  adecjuate  set  of  buildings. 

A  native  of  France,  born  August  15.  1847, 
Antoine  Revolon  received  a  fair  education  in 
his  native  tongue,  and  afterward  served  an 
aj^prenticeship  lo  the  trade  of  baker  and  con- 
fectioner in  Paris.  In  the  fall  of  1868  he  ar- 
rived at  Boston,  Mass..  from  France,  and  at 
once  oroceeded  to  Chicago,  where  for  six 
months  he  was  employed  at  his  trade.  How- 
ever, it  was  his  ambition  to  become  a  land- 
owner, and  with  this  object  in  view  he  left 
Chicago  for  Kansas  And  pre-empted  a  home- 
stead near  Williamsburg.  Franklin  county. 
After  he  had  the  title  to  the  land  he  set  about 
making  needed  improvements  and  in  time 
]>laccd  the  land  under  cultivation  and  in  ex- 
cellent condition  for  profitable  management. 
Many   conditions.    liowe\-er.    proved     unsatis- 

y6 


factory,  and, in  the  fall  of  1874  he  disposed  of 
the  farm  and  came  to  California,  settling  near 
Oxnard,  in  Ventura  county.  Immediately  aft- 
erward he  became  interested  in  the  raising 
of  sheep  and  six  years  later  he  purchased  a 
sheep  ranch  of  thirty-five  hundred  acres,  the 
larger  part  of  which  was  in  range  and  pasture- 
land,  although  a  portion  was  under  cultiva- 
tion. In  1884  he  sold  his  flocks  of  sheep  and 
gave  his  attention  wholly  to  general  farming, 
remaining  on  tlie  Ventura  county  farm  until 
1903,  when  he  rented  the  land  to  tenants  and 
removed  to  Los  Angeles  county. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Revolon  took  ])lace 
November  15,  1871,  and  united  him  Avith  Miss 
Catherine  Gormont.  who  was  born  in  Clear- 
field county.  Pa.,  June  4,  1841,  being  the 
daughter  of  French  parents.  While  still 
quite  small  she  accompanied  other  members 
of  the  family  to  Kansas  and  there  remained 
until  after  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Revolon.  They 
are  the  parents  of  three  daughters,  one  of 
whom,  Eugenie,  remains  with  them  at  home. 
The  others  are  twins.  Louise  Antoinette  and 
Tvfarie  Josephine,  and  they  married  brothers, 
who  are  partners  in  business  in  Prescott, 
.\riz.,  where  tl-,ey  are  prominent  citizens, 
Louise  A.  being  the  wife  of  Floyd  J.  McCoy, 
and  Marie  J.,  the  wife  of  Lawrence  B.  Mc- 
Coy. The  family  are  earnest  members  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  and  contribute  to  its 
various  charities.  Since  becoming  a  citizen 
of  the  United  States  Mr.  Revolon  has  voted 
the  Republican  ticket  at  all  elections  and  has 
been  a  delegate  to  county  conventions.  When 
it  is  remembered  that  he  came  to  our  country 
without  means,  unfamiliar  with  the  language 
and  unused  to  the  customs  of  the  people,  his 
])resent  success  cntitLs  him  to  special  praise 
and  proves  that  he  is  a  man  of  ability  and  en- 
terprise. 


ALOXZO  OSMOND  HOUGHTON.  Edu- 
cational afi'airs  of  Norwalk  have  had  in  Mr. 
Houghton  one  of  its  most  earnest  advocates,  but 
not  to  this  upbuilding  alone  is  he  devoted,  for 
throughout  his  residence  here  he  has  proven  him- 
self a  conservative  and  helpful  business  man  in 
whatever  avenue  the  community  has  sought  ad- 
vancement. Mr.  Houghton  is  a  native  of  Hop- 
kins county.  Tex.,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
that  section  December  2,  i860;  his  father.  James 
Houghton,  died  in  Texas,  after  which  the  mother. 
Nancy  (Hastings)  Houghton,  came  to  Califor- 
nia in  1868  across  the  plains  with  his  paternal 
grandparents.  They  first  located  in  Stanislaus 
county  and  remained  for  one  year,  when  they 
came  south  to  Los  .\ngeles  county,  where  the 
grandfather.   W.   L.    Houghton,   purchased   land 


1618 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  kept  his  grandson  with  him  until  his  death. 
The  lad's  mother  died  in  California  in  1871  when 
about  thirty-three  years  old.  A.  O.  Houghton 
received  a  common  school  education  and  after 
the  close  of  his  schooldays  worked  with  his 
grandfather  on  the  ranch.  He  was  about  twenty 
years  old  when  they  passed  away,  and  he  then 
began  ranching  for  himself.  In  1881  he  pur- 
chased his  present  property,  which  consists  of 
thirty-nine  acres  of  land,  and  here  he  has  erected 
necessary  buildings  for  the  successful  conduct 
of  his  ranch,  set  out  a  fine  family  orchard  of 
various  fruits,  and  devotes  fifteen  acres  to  hay 
and  barley.  He  also  leases  land  and  extends 
his  farming  interests.  In  1888  he  married  Miss 
Ollie  Day,  a  native  of  Mississippi,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  James  Warren  Day,  who  was  born  in 
Mississippi.  August  30,  1836.  His  wife, 
Margurite  C.  Orman  was  born  in  ^ilississippi, 
October  4,  1847.  Her  marriage  to  ]\Ir.  Day 
occurring  October  26.  1862,  in  Tippah  county. 
Miss.  They  came  to  California  in  January,  1884 
and  located  near  Norwalk,  where  he  engaged  in 
ranching  until  his  death  here  in  January,  1887. 
The  wife  survives  him  and  resides  in  Sher- 
man, Cal. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Houghton  are  the  parents  of 
four  children  of  whom  three  are  living,  the  second 
daughter,  Eula,  having  died  at  the  age  of  thirteen 
years ;  Myrtle,  Lena  and  Alta.  Fraternally  J\Ir. 
Houghton  is  associated  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Foresters,  of  Downey,  and  politically 
is  a  stanch  Democrat.  He  is  serving  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  boards  of  trustees  for  both  the  Little 
Lake  grammar  and  the  Norwalk  high  schools 
and  is  especially  active  in  the  advancement  of 
educational  interests. 


IS.\AC  CLAY  IJAMS.  Those  who  are  in- 
terested in  the  study  of  heredity  will  find  ample 
support  for  their  theory  regarding  the  trans- 
mission of  traits  and  tendencies  in  the  life  of 
Mr.  Ijams  and  will  admit  unhesitatingly  that  he 
comes  of  progenitors  who  were  honorable  and 
high-minded.  History  records  the  pathetic  fact 
that  when  he  was  but  one  day  old  he  was  left 
without  a  natural  guardian,  his  father  having 
died  three  weeks  before  he  was  born,  and  his 
mother  passing  away  twenty-four  hours  after 
his  birth.  Thus  destined  to  never  know  parental 
love  and  protection  he  was  left  to  the  mercy 
of  others  who  had  little  or  no  interest  in  his  wel- 
fare. And  right  here  it  must  be  noted  that  future 
developments  show  that  he  certainly  was  a  child 
of  noiole  qualities.  Until  he  was  about  four 
years  old  he  was  brought  up  in  the  home  of  a 
Mr.  Leib,  a  relative  on  his  mother's  side,  and 
thereafter  until  he  was  fourteen  years  old  lived 
with   a  relative  of  his   father.     At  that  age  he 


decided  to  strike  out  in  his  own  behalf  and  for 
the  following  six  years  worked  as  a  farm  hand 
in  the  neighborhood  of  his  birthplace,  Logan, 
Hocking  county,  Ohio,  his  birth  occurring  Sep- 
tember 2,  1840.  Thus  far  in  his  life  he  had  had 
no  advantages  for  an  education,  but  from  the 
time  he  began  to  be  self-supporting  he  diligently 
laid  aside  from  his  small  earnings  such  sums  as 
could  be  spared  after  providing  the  actual  neces- 
sities of  life,  with  the  intention  of  having  this 
apply  towards  an  education.  In  i860,  when  he 
was  twenty  years  old.  he  went  to  Iowa  City, 
Iowa,  and  obtained  three  months'  schooling,  dur- 
ing which  time  he  also,  became  interested  in  the 
patent  rights  business  through  his  association 
with  an  uncle  on  his  father's  side.  He  continued 
with  his  relative  until  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Civil  war,  when  he  decided  to  remove  to  the 
west. 

It  was  in  1862  that  Mr.  Ijams  with  a  company 
of  others  with  like  ambitions  undertook  the 
journey  across  the  plains,  and  just  four  months 
to  a  day  from  the  time  they  left  Iowa  City  they 
reached  their  destination.  Auburn,  Ore.,  after 
a  journey  the  hardships  and  dangers  of  which 
cannot  now  be  told.  It  was  not  accomplished 
without  hardships  and  great  loss  of  life,  how- 
ever, for  they  had  literally  to  fight  their  way 
among  the  Snake  and  Banock  Indians,  through 
whose  territory  their  route  led.  While  they 
were  crossing  the  Snake  river  on  a  raft  fifteen 
of  their  number  were  killed  by  the  redmen  with 
one  fell  swoop,  and  a  number  of  others  were 
killed  singly.  Mr.  Ijams  remained  in  Oregon 
for  about  eighteen  months  and  then  returned  to 
Iowa  City,  where  during  the  following  winter 
he  recruited  another  party  of  emigrants  for  the 
west.  The  train  consisted  of  about  one  hundred 
wagons,  destined  for  Boise  City,  Idaho,  which 
they  reached  just  three  months  from  the  time 
of  starting.  With  five  others  Mr.  Ijams  pur- 
chased considerable  land  in  that  vicinity,  he  him- 
self owning  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  near 
what  is  now  Boise  City,  and  in  1863  he  had  the 
town  site  surveyed  and  laid  out  into  lots.  As  he 
had  a  half  interest  in  the  undertaking  it  was 
with  considerable  pride  that  he  watched  the 
growth  of  the  new  town,  and  during  the  three 
years  that  he  remained  there  he  saw  the  strag- 
gling village  increase  to  a  population  of  one 
thousand,  he  himself  building  the  first  adobe 
house  in  the  settlement.  It  was  about  1866  that 
he  left  Idaho  for  Montana,  where  he  hoped  to 
fined  sudden  wealth  in  the  mines,  but  after  pros- 
pecting for  some  time  with  unsuccessful  results 
he  finally  gave  up  the  search.  His  time  and 
cfl:"orts  were  not  wholly  lost,  however,  for  he 
gained  a  wonderful  insight  into  the  western  part 
of  our  country  and  he  became  noted  as  a  scout 
and  guide  to  less  experienced  travelers.     During 


HISTORICL\L  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1619 


his  residence  in  Montana  he  made  his  headquar- 
ters in  Helena.  Before  coming  further  west  he 
went  on  a  visit  to  Arizona  and  Utah,  making 
the  trip  on  horseback.  After  spending  the  winter 
in  Fort  Mojave  he  retraced  his  steps  westward, 
continuing  on  to  Los  Angeles.  From  there  he 
went  to  the  mines  of  Kern  county,  later  going 
to  San  Diego  county,  and  still  later  to  Mexico, 
during  all  of  this  time  being  interested  in  min- 
ing. After  spending  one  year  in  Mexico  he 
again  went  to  San  Diego  county,  and  during  the 
year  he  was  there  was  married.  His  identifica- 
tion with  California  in  reality  dates  from  the 
year  1885,  at  which  time  he  located  a  govern- 
ment claim  of  two  hundred  acres  in  Los  An- 
geles county  not  far  from  Toluca,  which  has 
been  his  home  ever  since.  As  he  took  the  land 
from  the  government  not  a  furrow  had  been 
turned  when  it  came  into  his  possession  and  he 
has  literally  carved  out  his  own  fortune,  for  to- 
day he  has  one  of  the  finest  ranches  in  this  part 
of  Los  Angeles  county.  In  1899  he  added  td 
his  acreage  by  the  purchase  of  one  hundred  and 
five  acres  of  partially  improved  land.  Besides 
building  a  commodious  residence  and  ample 
barns  he  has  erected  a  windmill,  this  latter  how- 
ever being  more  for  ornament  than  service,  for 
his  ranch  is  so  located  that  irrigation  is  unneces- 
sary. He  has  about  sixty  acres  set  out  to  wal- 
nuts and  fruits,  including  peaches,  pears,  apples 
and  prunes,  besides  which  he  raises  some  stock, 
having  about  twenty  head  of  work  horses  and 
fifteen  head  of  cattle. 

Mr.  Ijams'  marriage  united  him  with  Miss 
Edith  Shaw,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Elizabeth 
(Sikes)  Shaw,  and  of  their  marriage  four  chil- 
dren were  born.  The  eldest,  Isaac  Edwin,  re- 
sides with  his  father  on  the  ranch ;  Nettie 
Cornelia  grew  to  young  womanhood  and  died 
in  Los  Angeles  county  at  the  age  of  twenty 
years ;  Katie  May  became  the  wife  of  John  Haas, 
and  with  her  husband  lives  in  Calabasas,  Los 
Angeles  county ;  and  William  Frederick,  who 
with  his  older  brother  lives  on  the  home  ranch 
and   assists   in   its  management. 

While  j\Ir.  Ijams  is  the  pioneer  of  Calabasas  he 
is  also  called  the  father  of  Toluca,  a  name  to  which 
he  is  honestly  entitled,  for  he  was  one  of  the 
originial  settlers  in  this  part  of  the  country,  which 
owes  so  much  to  his  fostering  care  and  valuable 
hints  along  agricultural  lines.  It  would  be  hard 
to  find  anyone  who  has  experienced  more  thrill- 
ing adventures  in  this  western  country  than  has 
Mr.  Ijams.  He  has  met  face  to  face  all  of  the 
wild  animals  of  the  plains,  and  has  partaken  of 
the  flesh  of  all  edible  kinds.  Many  and  hazardous 
have  been  the  trips  which  he  has  made  across 
the  plains,  and  while  he  has  been  called  upon 
to  bury  many  a  comrade  whose  ready  aim  the 
redskins  has  laid  low,  vet  through  it  all  he  has 


been  mercifully  spared,  and  there  is  probably 
no  one  in  this  part  of  the  country  who  can 
depict  more  graphically  than  can  he  the  life  of 
the  frontiersmen,  that  vanguard  of  civilization 
whose  lives  must  inspire  their  followers  with 
gratitude  and  reverence  for  the  conditions  that 
have  been  brought  about.  Besides  his  election 
to  minor  offices  within  the  gift  of  his  fellow- 
citizens  he  has  twice  been  elected  justice  of  the 
peace,  and  is  now  filling  that  office.  Inde- 
pendent in  politics  and  as  generous  in  all  other 
matters  he  gives  his  religious  affiliations  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


JOHN  R.  ABBOTT.  Living  retired  from  ac- 
tive business  at  his  pleasant  home  in  Long 
Beach  is  John  R.  Abbott,  who  during  his  long 
and  useful  life  has  labored  wisely  and  well,  and 
is  now  enjoying  a  well-deserved  reward.  As  a 
young  man,  he  was  industrious,  courageous  and 
progressive,  and  the  success  with  which  he  met 
during  his.  working  career  was  brought  about  b\ 
persistent  energy,  well-directed  toil  and  excep- 
tional business  ability.  Since  coming  to  this 
country  he  has  shown  himself  a  man  of  honest 
purpose  and  sterling  integrity,  well  worthy  of 
the  esteem  and  respect  of  the  community.  A 
native  of  New  York,  he  was  born,  February  23. 
1829,  in  Saratoga  county,  a  son  of  John  C.  and 
Lydea  (Hudson)  Abbott.  His  father  was  a 
life-long  resident  of  New  York  state,  while  his 
mother  was  born  and  reared  in  New  Jersey, 
and  died  in  Portland,  Mich. 

Educated  in  the  common  schools,  John  R.  Ab- 
l)ott  had  as  a  boy  few  of  the  advantages  granted 
to  the  young  of  this  generation.  At  an  early  age 
he  began  working  for  a  living,  toiling  early  and 
late.  He  subsequently  learned  the  shoemaker's 
trade,  which  he  followed  a  few  years  in  Led- 
yard,  Cayuga  county.  Going  then  across  the 
country  to  Michigan,  he  settled  in  Ionia  county, 
where  he  resided  many  years,  obtaining  a  good 
jxisition  among  the  capable  business  men  of  his 
conununity.  From  1870  until  1880  he  was  post- 
master at  Hubbardston.  He  afterwards  removed 
to  St.  Johns,  in  Clinton  county,  and  was  there 
one  of  the  leading  citizens  for  many  years.  Dur- 
ing the  time  he  made  many  visits  to  the  Pa- 
cific coast,  coming  first  on  a  pleasure  trip  in 
1882.  In  1899,  having  made  up  his  mind  that 
(!"alifornia  was  the  only  place  for  a  man  to  live 
and  thoroughly  enjoy  himself,  he  located  in 
Long  Beach,  and  has  since  made  this  his  home. 
He  purchased  a  lot  and  erected  a  house  soon 
after  coming  here,  and  has  since  dealt  to  some 
extent  in  real  estate,  having  bought  and  sold  a 
number  of  city  lots. 

Mr.  Abbott  married  first,  in  1857,  in  Led- 
yard,  N.  Y.,  Almira  E.  Deyo,  who  died  at  her 


1620 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


home  in  r^Iichigan  in  1889.  He  subsequently 
married  October  3,  1893.  in  St.  Johns,  Mich., 
Louisa  AValdron,  who  was  born  in  Bristol,  Eng- 
land, and  came  with  her  father,  the  late  Will- 
iam Waldron,  tq  the  United  States  in  1871,  lo- 
cating in  Zilichigan.  Mr.  Abbott  has  one  daugh- 
ter, Almira  \\'."  Abbott.  In  his  political  affilia- 
tions Air.  Abbott  has  been  identified  with  the 
Republican  party  since  casting  his  vote  for  its 
first  presidential  candidate,  John  C.  Fremont. 
Fraternally  he  was  made  a  Alason  in  Hubbards- 
ton,  Mich.,  about  thirty  years  ago,  and  since 
coming  to  Long  Beach  has  joined  the  Order  of 
the  Eastern  Star.  While  a  resident  of  New 
York  state  he  was  connected  with  the  Indepen- 
dent Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 


JOHN  KUEBLER.  The  proprietor  of  the 
Penny  Arcade  in  Long  Beach,  John  Kuebler 
is  a  well  known  citizen  here,  and  as  a  pioneer 
settler  in  Orange  county  he  has  a  large  acquaint- 
ance throughout  this  section  of  Southern  Cali- 
fornia. The  family  is  of  German  origin  and  the 
first  meniber  to  come  to  this  country  was  the 
grandfather,  George  Kuebler,  who  was  a  native 
of  Wurtenberg.  He  first  settled  in  Mary- 
land and  plied  his  trade  as  a  weaver  and  later 
removed  to  Pennsylvania,  where  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  John  Kuebler,  who  was 
born  April  23,  1859,  in  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa, 
was  the  son  of  William  and  Margaret  (Serena) 
Kuebler,  the  former  a  native  of  western  Alary- 
land  and  the  latter  of  Westmoreland  county.  Pa. 
The  father  was  engaged  as  a  weaver  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  when  he  removed  to  Cedar  Rapids, 
Iowa,  in  1854,  superintended  the  building  of  the 
first  woolen  mill  in  that  city  for  Nick  Brown  and 
conducted  the  plant  for  many  years.  At  the 
outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  as  a  pri- 
vate in  Company  G,  Twenty-fourth  Regiment  of 
Iowa  \"olunteer  Infantry,  and  sacrificed  his  life 
on  the  altar  of  his  country's  need,  his  death  oc- 
curring in  ser\ace  at  Helena,  Ark.,  in  1864.  His 
wife  lived  for  manv  vears  and  died  in  Anaheim, 
Cal. 

The  youngest  of  a  family  of  four  children, 
three  of  whom  are  residents  of  California, 'John 
Kuebler  was  reared  in  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa, 
where  he  attended  the  public  schools  until  twelve 
years  of  age,  then  finding  it  necessary  to  work 
for  his  own  support  and  that  of  his  mother. 
His  first  employment  was  secured  on  farms  and 
in  brickyards  and  later  he  engaged  in  indepen- 
dent farming  operations  near  Cedar  Rapids  for 
several  years.  During  the  years  of  1880  and 
1B81  he  spent  seven  months  in  Colorado,  after 
which  he  returned  to  Iowa  and  in  1882  filed  on 
a  homestead  in  Holt  county.  Neb.,  near  O'Neill, 
improved  the  place  and  the  following  four  years 


•  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  His  resi- 
dence in  California  dates  from  1886,  when  he 
came  to  Anaheim  and  began  farming  on  four 
acres  of  land,  and  also  engaged  in  the  i'  anu- 
facture  of  asphalt  pipes  for  sewers  and  .oad 
crossings.  In  1902  he  disposed  of  his  mter- 
csts  in  Orange  county  and  locating  m  Long 
Beach  established  a  confectionery  business  on 
the  wharf,  becoming  the  pioneer  business  man 
there.  When  the  old  pavilion  was  burned  his 
losses  amounted  to  $2,350.  After  this  he  bought 
and  sold  real  estate,  meeting  with  good  success, 
and  now  has  a  nice  residence  at  No.  1334  Apple- 
ton  street.  On  July  4,  1906,  he  opened  on  the 
wharf  the  most  modern  and  complete  Penny  Ar- 
cade in  this  state.  It  has  three  entrances  from 
the  wharf  and  pavilion  and  covers  a  large  space 
in  two  rooms  with  dimensions  respectively  20x 
50  feet  and  36x15  feet. 

By  his  marriage  in  Holt  county.  Neb.,  Mr. 
Kuebler  was  united  with  Aliss  Martha  Picker- 
ing, a  native  of  Wisconsin.  She  is  a  member 
of  the  Ladies  of  the  Maccabees  Lodge,  and  Mr. 
Kuebler  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks.  In  politics  he  exercises 
independence  in  the  casting  of  his  ballot,  pre- 
ferring to  vote  for  the  men  whom  he  believes 
will  best  fill  the  offices  to  which  they  are  elected. 
He  is  a  citizen  of  progressive  ideas,  wnth  energy 
and  business  ability  to  carry  them  out,  and  in 
every  developing  and  upbuilding  enterprise  lends 
an  enthusiastic  support. 


M.  T.  OWENS.  Although  he  has  been  a 
resident  of  Long  Beach  but  a  few  months  M.  T. 
Owens  has  built  up  a  large  plumbing  and  steam 
and  gas  fitting  business  and  has  a  fine  estab- 
lishment located  at  No.  441  Pine  street.  Having 
learned  the  trade  in  boyhood  and  followed  it 
continuously  ever  since,  he  has  mastered  the  work 
in  every  detail,  as  is  fully  proven  by  the  numer- 
ous satisfactory  contracts  he  has  completed  in 
this  city.  He  was  born  July  30,  1864,  in  Liver- 
pool, England,  the  son  of  John  and-  Mary 
(Roberts")  Owens,  natives  respectively  of  Eng- 
land and  Wales,  and  a  grandson  of  John  Owens, 
who  spent  a  portion  of  his  life  in  America,  but 
returned  to  England  and  Wales,  and  spent  his 
remaining  years  on  that  side  of  the  ocean. 
Reared  in  Wales,  the  father  learned  the  trade 
of  moulder,  plying  it  in  Liverpool  until  the  time 
of  his  death  in  that  city,  his  wife  having  also 
died  there.  They  became  the  parents  of  fifteen 
children  and  eleven  of  them  grew  to  maturity. 

Lentil  fifteen  years  of  age  Mr.  Owens  attend- 
ed the  public  schools  of  his  native  city,  then  be- 
gan to  learn  the  plumber's  trade  and  upon  the 
completion  of  his  apprenticeship  followed  that 
occupation  as  a  traveling  journeyman  for  several 


HISTORIOAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1623 


years.  In  1887  he  came  to  the  United  States, 
locating  in  Utica,  N.  Y.,  and  subsequently 
worked  at  his  trade  and  traveled  throughout  the 
states  of  New  York,  Michigan,  Indiana,  Illi- 
nois, Wisconsin,  Iowa,  and  again  in  New  York, 
after  which  he  went  to  Toronto,  Canada,  for  a 
season,  then  to  Iowa  for  a  year,  and  in  1901 
came  to  Los  Angeles.  He  continued  to  work  as 
a  plumber  in  that  city  until  1906,  in  the  spring 
of  which  year  he  located  in  Long  Beach  and 
established  his  present  business.  His  marriage 
in  Indiana  united  him  with  Miss  Margaret  E. 
Nichol,  a  native  of  Toronto,  Canada,  and  they  are 
the  parents  of  one  child,  Elmer  C.  In  national 
politics  Mr.  Owens  favors  Republican  principles. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  St.  George  and 
Canadian  Workman  Lodge,  and  belongs  to  the 
Merchant  Plumbers'  Associetion  of  Long  Beach. 
Of  high  personal  integrity,  successful  in  busi- 
ness, and  progressive  and  public  spirited  as  a 
citizen  he  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  all  wlio  know 
him. 


AMLLARD  G.  PHILLIPS.  Having  come 
to  Southern  California  in'  18;^  Willard  G. 
Phillips  is  one  of  the  oldest  settlers  in  this 
part  of  the  state.  In  all  of  his  business  trans- 
actions he  has  met  with  flattering  success 
and  is  now  a  large  property  holder  and  money 
lender.  His  home  ranch,  which  is  located  in 
Valle  Vista,  comprises  forty  acres,  the  larger 
part  of  it  being  devoted  to  the  raising  of  na- 
vel, blood  and  Valencia  oranges.  The  eleva- 
tion in  this  section  being  about  eighteen  hun- 
dred feet  makes  it  an  ideal  place  for  the  culti- 
vation of  this  fruit,  and  oranges  of  better  qual- 
ity and  flavor  cannot  be  grown  anywhere.  A 
stock  ranch  which  Air.  Phillips  owns  on  Smith 
Mountain,  San  Diego  county,  comprises  three 
liundred  and  eighty  acres,  and  upon  this  place 
he  has  also  a  sawmill  in  which  he  manufact- 
ures- lumber  for  his  private  use.  This  valua- 
ble propertv  has  been  in  his  possession  since 
1801. 

The  birth  of  Mr.  Phillips  occurred  in  1850, 
in  the  state  of  Maine,  and  his  parents,  Rich- 
ard and  Phoebe  (Cowingl  Phillips,  both  of 
whom  are  now  deceased,  came  to  California  in 
1850  via  Panama,  when  the  gold  excitement 
\vas  attracting  so  many  people  to  this  state 
from  all  parts  of  the  country.  The  father  en- 
gaged in  mining  in  the  Dutch  Flat  district  for 
eighteen  months,  after  which  he  returned  to 
his  old  home  in  Maine  and  remained  there  the 
rest  of  his  days.  The  son,  whose  education 
was  received  in  the  Maine  public  schools, 
came  to  California  in  the  fall  of  1872,  locating 
first  in  Mendocino  county,  where  he  engaged 
in    lumbering   until    1880.    when     he   came    to 


Southern  California  and  bought  his  present 
ranch  in  the  San  Jacinto  valley,  the  place  be- 
ing at  chat  time  entirely  unimproved.  He 
erected  all  of  the  buildings  now  located  on  the 
land,  set  out  the  trees  and  hqs  one  of  the  best 
cultivated  groves  in  this  part  of  the  country. 
Mr.  Phillips  is  a  man  who  is  interested  in 
social  and  civic  matters,  the  good  government 
of  his  community  and  the  highest  develop- 
ment of  the  country  at  large,  and  is  held  in 
the  highest  esteem  by  all  who  know  him.  He 
was  made  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order  in 
Ellsworth,  Me. 


PROF.  HOMER  F.  PINNELL.  Liberally 
educated,  well  informed,  and  a  man  of  excep- 
tionally fine  executive  ability.  Prof.  Homer  F. 
Pinnell,  supervising  principal  of  the  San  Pedro 
schools,  and  principal  of  its  high  school,  is  ably 
discharging  the  duties  devolving  upon  him  in  his 
responsible  position,  giving  good  satisfaction  to 
all  concerned.  As  a  teacher  he  has  had  a  prac- 
tical experience  in  different  grades,  and  has  met 
with  eminent  success,  becoming  known  as  one 
of  the  most  popular  and  efficient  educators  of 
this  part  of  the  state.  A  son  of  Dr.  Elijah  A. 
Pinnell,  he  was  born,  January  26,  1869,  in  La- 
doga, Montgomery  county,  Ind.  His  grand- 
father, George  Pinnell,  was  a  pioneer  settler  of 
Indiana,  where  he  spent  the  later  years  of  his 
life.  He  comes  of  French  Huguenot  extraction, 
the  emigrant  ancestor,  whose  name  in  France 
was  spelled  Pinel,  having  settled  in  South  Caro- 
lina in  early  colonial  days. 

Elijah  A.  Pinnell  was  born  and  reared  in 
Kentuck}-,  but  when  a  )'Oung  man  removed  to 
Illinois,  and  during  the  Civil  war  enlisted  in  an 
Illinois  .regiment,  taking  part  in  many  serious 
engagements.  Preparing  himself  for  a  profes- 
sional career,  he  subsequently  settled  as  a  physi- 
cian in  Ladoga,  Ind.,  from  there  removing  to 
Bedford,  Iowa,  where  he  continued  in  practice 
until  his  death.  Dr.  Pinnell  married  Mrs.  Eliza- 
beth (Britts)  Byrd,  who  was  born  in  old  Vir- 
ginia, and  died  in  Indiana.  She  was  of  German 
ancestry,  her  Grandfather  Britts  having  been 
born  in  Germany.  Of  her  union  with  Dr.  Pin- 
nell liut  (ine  child  was  born.  Homer  F.,  the  sub- 
ject lit  this  sketch.  Ry  her  first  marriage  she 
had  six  children,  one  of  whom,  George  Byrd, 
is  a  successful  attorney  in  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  and 
a  man  of  prominence  and  influence,  being  an  ex- 
state  senator,  and  the  grand  supreme  secretary 
and  treasurer  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  Knights 
and  Ladies  of  Honor. 

Brought  up  in  Montgomery  county,  Ind., 
Homer  F.  Piimell  received  his  elementarv  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools.  .\s  a  boy  lie  was 
a  brilliant  scholar,  and  when  but  thirteen  vears 


1624 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  age  entered  the  Normal  School  at  Ladoga. 
The  following  year  he  began  teaching  in  Clay 
county,  Ind.,  aiul  taught  tor  six  consecutive 
years,'  each  summer  pursuing  his  studies  at  the 
Ladoga  Normal  School,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1886.  in  i88y  he  entered  DePauw 
University,  which  he  attended  a  year,  and  in 
1890  came  to  California,  locating  in  Los  Ange- 
les. The  same  year  he  entered  the  sophomore 
class  of  the  University  of  Southern  California, 
where,  in  addition  to  doing  some  junior  work,  he 
was  tutor  in  English. 

Removing  to  Redlands  in  1891,  Air.  Pinnell 
started  a  nursery,  but  as  a  horticulturist  was  not 
particularly  successful.  Resuming  his  profes- 
sional labors,  he  taught  in  CaHco,  San  Bernar- 
dino county,  for  a  year,  and  then  went  to  Beau- 
mont, Riverside  county,  where  he  taught  the 
ensuing  year.  In  1894,  when  the  high  school 
was  established  at  San  Jacinto,  he  assumed  its 
charge,  and  remained  as  its  principal  for  two 
\ears,  being  very  successful  in  his  work.  For 
a  year  he  was  afterwards  principal  of  the  Hemet 
high  school,  and  then  for  the  same  length  of 
time  had  charge  of  the  grammar  school  at 
Rialto.  From  1898  until  1901,  he  taught  in  the 
Pomona  high  school,  as  an  instructor  proving 
very  efficient.  Resigning  the  position,  he  served 
as  principal  of  the  high  school  at  Santa  Maria 
for  two  years,  when,  on  account  of  the  ill  health 
of  his  wife,  he  went  to  Anaheim,  where  he  had 
charge  of  the  high  school  for  a  year.  In  1904 
he  accepted  his  present  position  of  principal  of 
the  San  Pedro  high  school,  which  was  organized 
in  1903,  and  in  addition  to  having  charge  of 
this  school  is  also  supervising  principal  of  the 
grammar  schools  of  the  city.  In  his  labors  he 
is  meeting  with  eminent  success,  and  is  widely 
known  as  one  of  the  leading  educators  of  South- 
ern California.  The  new  high  school  building 
just  completed  cost,  furnished,  about  $55,000, 
and  is  one  of  the  best  in  its  appointments  and 
equipments  of  any  in  the  county. 

In  Redlands,  Cal.,  Professor  Pinnell  married 
Bertha  E,  Coveney,  who  was  born  in  Michigan, 
and  was  educated  at  the  Northern  Indiana  Nor- 
mal School,  at  Valparaiso,  Professor  and  Mrs. 
Pinnell  have  three  children,  Vivian,  Marion  and 
Aluriel,  Politically  the  professor  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  national  affairs,  but  in  local  matters 
casts  his  ballot  for  the  men  best  suited  for  the 
positions.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Southern  Cali- 
fornia Teachers'  Association,  and  both  he  and 
his  wife  are  valued  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Qiurch 


E\AN  AIOSHER.  Significant  testimony 
concerning  the  attractions  of  Long  Beach  as  a 
residence  citv  is  offered  bv  the  thousands  of  men 


and  women  who  have  come  hither  from  all  parts 
01  the  United  States  and  have  established  per- 
manent homes  within  its  limits.  In  the  midst  of 
of  an  environment  rendered  picturesque  by  the 
pro-ximity  of  the  mountains  and  the  ocean,  and 
surrounded  by  evidences  of  a  cultured  people 
and  a  progressive  citizenship,  Air.  Mosher  lias 
selected  the  place  where  he  hopes  to  pass  the 
remaining  years  of  his  life  and  where,  blessed 
with  the  comforts  rendered  possible  by  long  busi- 
ness activity,  he  is  enabled  to  retire  from  the 
strenuous  labors  of  the  past.  Of  eastern  birth 
and  parentage,  descended  from  a  long  line  of 
eastern  ancestry,  he  believes  the  east  to  be  sur- 
passed by  the  west  in  climate  and  fully  equaled 
m  point  of  business  opportunities. 

A  native  of  Jefferson  county,  N.  Y,,  born  Au- 
gust 4,  1840,  Mr.  Mosher  is  a  son  of  Leonard 
and  Margaret  (Strickland)  Mosher,  also  na- 
tives of  that  state,  where  the  father  died  in  1884, 
at  seventy-live  years  of  age,  and  the  mother 
passed  away  in  1891,  also  aged  seventy-five 
years.  During  all  of  their  active  years  they  re- 
sided upon  a  farm  and  maintained  agricultural 
interests.  Their  son,  Evan,  was  the  recipient  of 
such  advantag«s  as  country  schools  afforded,  in 
addition  to  which  he  had  the  privilege  of  attend- 
ing the  Wesleyan  College  at  Gouverneur,  N,  Y,, 
for  about  nine  months.  While  he  was  yet  making 
his  home  with  his  parents  the  Civil  war  began 
and  from  the  first  he  was  an  ardent  believer  in 
L'nion  principle^.  Offering  his  services  to  the 
country,  he  was  enrolled  September  7,  1863,  as 
a  private  in  Company  C,  Tenth  New  York  Heavy 
Artillery,  and  at  once  accompanied  his  regiment 
to  the  front.  Among  his  engagements  were 
those  of  the  Shenandoah  valley  and  Petersburg, 
where  he  served  under  the  gallant  General  Sheri- 
dan, At  the  expiration  of  his  time  he  was  hon- 
orably discharged  June  2^,  1865,  at  Sacket  Har- 
bor, and  from  there  returned  to  the  home  farm. 

The  first  experience  which  Mr,  Mosher  gained 
in  business  affairs  was  as  a  business  man  of 
Gouverneur,  N,  Y.,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
sale  of  books,  stationery  and  wall  paper.  After 
a  brief  connection  with  that  line  of  activity  he 
embarlved  in  the  furniture  and  undertaking-  busi- 
ness in  the  same  town,  and  for  twenty-five  years 
he  remained  proprietor  of  the  same  store,  mean- 
while winning  the  confidence  of  the  people 
through  his  reliable  methods  of  transacting  busi- 
ness and  his  strict  conformity  to  the  highest  rules 
of  honor.  On  retiring  from  business  in  that  city 
he  closed  out  his  interests  in  the  east  and  re- 
moved to  California,  arriving  June  i,  1891,  in 
the  city  of  Pasadena,  where  he  made  his  home 
for  a  few  years.  From  there  in  1895  he  moved 
to  Long  Beach  and  for  fourteen  months  en- 
gaged in  the  furniture  business,  but  at  the  ex- 
piration   of   that   time    disposed    of   his    interest 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1625 


in  the  business  to  his  partner,  W.  P.  Wilson, 
since  which  time  he  has  had  no  business  inter- 
ests except  the  bu\ing  and  selHng  of  real  es- 
tate. 

While  living  in  New  York  Air.  Mosher  was 
united  in  marriage,  Alarch  20,  1867,  with  Miss 
Ratherine  ( )rmiston,  a  native  of  that  state.  Three 
children  were  born  to  their  union,  and  the  heavi- 
est bereavement  of  the  married  lives  came  in  the 
loss  of  the  two  eldest.  The  son,  William  L., 
died  in  1877,  when  a  boy  of  ten  years,  and  Anna 
M.  died  in  1884,  at  the  age  of  eleven  years.  The 
younger  daughter,  Katherine  A.,  was  spared  to 
bless  their  home  with  her  cheerful  presence.  The 
family  are  identified  with  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  with  which  Mr.  Mosher  has  been  con- 
nected as  an  active  member  since  attaining  the 
age  of  sixteen  years.  When  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic  came  into  existence  he  affiliated 
with  the  post  at  Gouverneur,  N.  Y.,  and  is  now- 
associated  with  the  Long  Beach  Post.  Frater- 
nally he  was  made  a  Master  Mason  in  March, 
1869,  and  three  months  later  took  the  chapter 
degree,  at  this  writing  being  connected  with 
Long  Beach  Lodge  No.  327,  F.  &  A.  M.  (of 
which  he  is  secretary).  Long  Beach  Chapter  Xo. 
84.  R.  A.  M.,  and  Long  Beach  Commandery  No. 
40,  K.  T.  He  is  also  secretary  of  the  Masonic 
Temple  Association.  In  politics  he  supports  Re- 
publican principles.  For  years  he  has  been  a  finu 
believer  in  temperance  work  and  by  his  influ- 
ence has  done  much  to  bring  to  the  attention 
of  public-spirited  citizens  the  evils  wrought  by 
the  liquor  traffic. 


EDGAR  R.  REEL.  .Conspicuous  in  the  pres- 
ent generation  of  the  active  and  enterprising 
citizens  of  Long  Beach  is  Edgar  R.  Reel,  a  young 
man  of  mark  and  of  recognized  worth,  his  busi- 
ness ability  being  unquestioned  and  his  charac- 
ter above  reproach.  A  son  of  James  B.  Reel, 
he  was  born,  February  26,  1879,  '"  Maryland, 
where  the  first  two  years  of  his  life  were  spent. 

A  native  of  Alaryland,  James  B.  Reel  lived 
there  until  1881,  when  he  migrated  with  his 
family  to  Page  county,  Iowa,  where  he  followed 
general  farming  for  a  few  years.  In  1887  he 
came  to  the  Pacific  coast,  locating  first  in  Pasa- 
dena, from  there  going  subsequently  to  Los  .An- 
geles, where  he  lived  retired  from  active  busi- 
ness. He  married  Josephine  B.  Reel,  who  was 
also  born  and  reared  in  ^Maryland.  ■ 

Beginning  his  .school  life  in  Page  county,  Iowa, 
Edgar  B.  Reel  completed  his  studies  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Pasadena,  Cal.  At  the  age  of 
sixteen  years  he  Ix^gan  to  be  self-supporting,  as 
a  farm  laborer  working  in  Hynes  for  ten  years. 
Industrious,  ambitious  and  thirfty,  he  saved  his 
money,   and   in    1902  established  himself  in   his 


present  business  in  Long  Beach,  becoming  pro- 
prietor of  the  Crown  dairy,  and  as  a  dairy  and 
butter  commissioner  has  an  extensive  and  prof- 
itable trade  throughout  Southern  California,  the 
products  of  his  dairy  being  widely  and  favorably 
known. 

In  1903  Mr.  Reel  married  Bessie  A.  Anderson 
who  was  born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  and  came 
with  the  family  to  the  United  States  in  1895. 
Her  father,  John  Anderson,  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion, lived  for  nearly  eleven  years  on  a  ranch  in 
Hynes,  Los  Angeles  county,  but  is  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Long  Beach,  being  retired  from  active 
pursuits.  He  married  Janet  Alston,  who  is  the 
mother  of  four  living  children.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Reel  have  one  child,  Dorothy  Reel.  Politically 
Mr.  Reel  is  a  stanch  Republican.  He  has  met 
with  excellent  success  in  business,  and  has  built 
for  himself  and  family  a  nice  home  at  Xo.  645 
Pacific  avenue. 


EDWIX  L.  BARNARD.  Occupying  a  posi- 
tion of  prominence  among  the  foremost  agricult- 
urists of  Southern  California  is  Edwin  L.  Bar- 
nard, of  Ocean  Park,  who,  as  head  of  the  firm 
of  Barnard  &  Oreb,  is  one  of  the  founders  and 
proprietors  of  the  Santa  Monica  pepper  ranch, 
the  largest  ranch  of  the  kind  in  the  United  States. 
Progressive,  practical  and  enterprising,  he  uses 
excellent  judgment  in  his  operations,  and  never 
allows  anything  to  escape  his  observation  which 
may  improve  his  methods  of  farming  or  ad- 
vance his  business  opportunities.  A  son  of  A.  D. 
Barnard,  he  was  born  in  Corvallis,  Ore.,  Novem- 
ber 23,  1862,  coming  from  substantial  X'ew  Eng- 
land stock. 

Born  and  reared  in  Maine,  A.  D.  Barnard 
came  as  a  young  man  to  California,  journeying 
by  the  Panama  route,  and  for  a  time  was  suc- 
cessfully employed  in  mining.  Going  thence  to 
Corvallis,  Ore.,  he  remained  there  several  vears. 
carrying  on  an  extensive  and  remunerative  trade 
as  a  merchant.  Returning  to  California  in  1868. 
he  located  in  \'entura.  where  he  was  prosper- 
ously engaged  in  the  lumber  and  real-estate  busi- 
ness until  his  death,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four 
years,  in  1895.  Left  an  orphan  when  a  boy,  he 
made  his  own  way  in  the  world,  carving  out  his 
own  fortune.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  as  a  man  and  a  citizen  was  honored  and  re- 
spected by  all.  He  married  Sarah  E.  Lehman, 
a  native  of  Ohio,  who  now  resides  in  Ventura, 
Cal.,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years. 

But  six  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his 
parents  from  Oregon  to  California,  Edwin  L. 
Barnard  was  educated  in  Ventura,  attending  the 
public  schools  and  the  commercial  college.  Re- 
maining at  home  until  attaining  his  majority,  he 
assisted  his  father  on  the  ranch  and  later  began 


1626 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


farming  on  his  own  account  in  \'entura,  his 
father  giying  him  financial  assistance,  and  in 
that  county  made  quite  a  success  of  raising  chiU 
peppers.  In  1901,  forming  a  partnership  with 
Frank  Oreb,  of  whom  a  brief  sketch  may  be 
found  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  he  came  down  to 
Los  Angeles  county,  locating  not  far  from  Santa 
Monica,  where  he  purchased  the  ranch  now 
owned  by  himself  and  Mr.  Oreb,  with  whom  he 
had  previously  been  associated  in  Ventura 
county.  Here  these  gentlemen  are  carrying  on  a 
substantial  business,  raising  lima  beans  and  chili 
peppers,  making  a  specialty  of  the  latter  indus- 
try. They  have  every  convenience  for  success- 
fully carrying  on  their  work,  having  erected 
dryers,  and  having  all  other  modern  appliances. 
Their  land  is  rich  and  fertile,  and  being  well 
improved  and  well  cultivated  is  worth,  at  a  con- 
servative estimate,  $1,000  per  acre,  making  their 
ranch  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  acres  one 
of  the  most  valuable  estates  in  this  part  of  the 
state. 

In  February,  1890,  j\lr.  Barnard  married  Hat- 
tie  Mandeville,  a  native  of  Qiico,  Cal.,  and  they 
have  one  child,  Austin  Alandeville  Barnard.  Po- 
litically JMr.  Barnard  is  a  Republican,  and  re- 
ligiously he  was  reared  in  the  Presbyterian  faith, 
but  is  not  a  membef  of  any  church.  He  resides 
in  Ocean  Park. 


CHARLES  A.  FREEMAN.  Very  early  in 
the  history  of  American  colonization  the  Free- 
man family  became  established  in  New  England 
and  several  successive  generations  lived  and  died 
in  that  region.  John,  Jr.,  son  of  John  Freeman, 
Sr.,  was  a  native  of  Maine  and  spent  his  entire 
active  life  as  a  farmer  in  that  state,  where  he 
passed  away  at  the  age  of  four  score  years.  In- 
terested in  public  matters  and  political  affairs, 
he  was  a  local  leader  of  the  Whigs  and  accom- 
plished much  in  the  interests  of  his  party  in  the 
home  neighborhood.  In  early  manhood  he  mar- 
ried Sarah  Doe,  who  was  born  and  reared  in 
^Maine  and  died  there  at  the  age  of  eighty-four 
years.  The  genealogy  of  the  Doe  family  is 
traced  to  Scotland,  whence  Mrs.  Freeman's 
grandfather  migrated  to  the  new  world.  Little 
is  known  of  his  history,  but  the  family  records 
state  that  he  was  a  man  six  feet  and  eight  inches 
tall,  a  giant  in  stature,  and  physically  well  pro- 
portioned. 

On  the  home  farm  in  Kennebec  county.  Me., 
Charles  A.  Freeman  was  born  August  10,  1841, 
being  a  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Doe)  Freeman. 
AfteV  having  completed  common-school  and  sem- 
inary studies  he  gave  his  help  to  his  father,  whom 
he  aided  in  paying  for  the  homestead  and  in 
securing  a  competency.  Then,  starting  out  for 
himself  with  $200  of  borrowed  money,  he  went 
lo  Montana,  where  he  worked  in  the  mines  for 


several  years.  On  his  return  to  jNIaine  he  be- 
came interested  in  dealing  in  horses  and  in  cul- 
tivating the  home  farm,  but  after  seven  years 
he  again  came  to  the  western  regions,  this  time 
settling  in  Washington.  For  four  years  he  en- 
gaged in  freighting  from  The  Dalles,  Ore.,  to 
what  is  now  EUensburg,  and  in  that  work  he 
utilized  six  horses  which  he  owned.  At  the  ex- 
piration of  four  years  he  gave  up  the  business 
and  in  1880  came  to  California,  hoping  that  a 
change  of  climate  might  prove  of  benefit  to  his 
wife's  health.  Settling  in  Santa  Monica,  he  car- 
ried on  a  lumber  yard  for  two  years,  and  then 
engaged  in  the  transfer  business  for  twenty 
years,  meeting  with  fair  success, in  the  enterprise. 
In  1901,  his  health  preventing  further  continu- 
ance in  business,  he  removed  to  a  ranch  for 
which  in  1881  he  had  paid  about  $35  an  acre, 
and  which  is  now  valued  at  $500  per  acre.  This 
property  comprises  fifty  acres  and  is  situated 
near  Palms,  Los  Angeles  county. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Freeman  took  place  Oc- 
tober 18,  1864,  and  united  him  with  Laura  B. 
Bean,  who  was  born  in  Maine  and  received  her 
education  in  the  schools  of  that  state.  The  chil- 
dren born  of  their  union  are  as  follows :  John 
W.,  who  is  employed  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. ;  Annie 
and  Frederick,  who  died  respectively  at  nineteen 
and  twenty  years :  Elliott,  who  died  aged  eight 
months ;  Edward,  who  owns  the  transfer  busi- 
ness at  Santa  Monica  established  by  his  father ; 
Margaret,  jNIrs.  C.  Olsen,  a  resident  of  Santa 
Monica ;  Marian,  wife  of  Thomas  Peterson,  of 
Santa  Monica ;  William  Y.  and  Dwight, 
both  of  whom  are  living  in  Santa  Mo- 
nica :  and  Frank,  who  resides  with  his  pa- 
rents near  Palms.  In  addition  to  the  home 
place  Mr.  Freeman  owns  a  residence  and  sev- 
eral unimproved  lots  in  Santa  Monica.  Wliile 
living  in  Elaine,  he  was  initiated  into  the  blue 
lodge  of  Masonry  at  Vassalboro.  Kennebec 
coimty,  but  has  not  been  active  in  the  order  since 
coming  to  the  Pacific  coast.  In  politics  he  has 
been  a  warm  adherent  of  the  Republican  party, 
which  he  supports  with  his  ballot  and  his  influ- 
ence. 


THOMAS  F.  McLOUCxHLIN.  Prominent 
among  the  younger  generation  of  agriculturists 
in  Ventura  'coun'ty  is  Thomas  F.  jNIcLoughlin, 
who  had  wisely  chosen  to  follow  the  occupation 
to  which  he  was  reared,  and  is  now  actively  and 
prosperously  employed  in  general  farming.  The 
representative  of  one  of  the  old  and  respected 
pioneer  families  of  the  El  Cajon  valley,  he  is  also 
distinguished  as  a  native-born  son  of  California, 
his  birth  having  occurred,  December  9,  1873,  in 
Ventura  county,  on  the  ranch  owned  by  his  father, 
Mark    INlcLoughlin.      Further   parental    and    an- 


^.;tfe/^^w^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RF.CORD. 


1(529 


cestral  history  may  be  found  elsewhere  in  this 
vohime,  on  connection  with  the  sketch  of  Mark 
AIcLoughHn. 

Thomas  F.  JNIcLoughlin  received  excellent  ed- 
ucational advantages  when  young,  attending  first 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  county,  after 
which  he  entered  the  commercial  department  of 
St.  Vincent's  College,  at  Los  Angeles,  where  he 
was  graduated  in  1892.  Returning  home,  he  has 
since  devoted  his  time  and  attention  to  general 
ranching,  and  has  proved  himself  a  master  of 
his  calling,  being  skilful,  practical  and  progres- 
sive, in  every  way  capable  of  managing  his  busi- 
ness affairs. 

November  8,  1899,  ]Mr  JNIcLoughlin  married 
Anna  Leidel,  a  daughter  of  Michael  Leidel,  and 
they  have  four  children,  namely  :  Mark,  Margaret, 
Frances  and  Anna.  Politically  Mr.  McLoughlin 
is  a  democrat,  and  religiously  he  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church  at  Oxnard. 

Michael  Leidel  and  his  wife,  Monica  (iNIiller) 
Leidel,  were  born,  reared  and  married  in  Ger- 
many. Immigrating  to  the  United  States,  they 
settled  first  in  Iowa,  from  there  coming,  to  Los 
Angeles  county  in  1883.  Taking  up  land  near 
Palms,  Mr.  Leidel  has  since  been  prosperously 
employed  in  cultivating  the  soil,  and  is  now  liv- 
ing on  the  ranch  which  he  improved,  being  now 
seventy-eight  years  old.  His  wife  died  on  the 
home  farm,  December  17,  1905,  aged  sixty-seven 
years.  She  was  a  faithful  member  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  to  which  Mr.  Leidel  also  belongs,  and 
towards  the  support  of  which  he  contributes 
generously. 


PETER  F.  SCHANIEL.  As  a  member  of 
the  board  of  public  works  and  as  president  of 
the  Master  Carpenters'  Association,  Mr.  Schan- 
iel  for  years  has  been  intimately  associated  with 
the  material  development  of  his  home  city  of 
San  Diego  and  through  his  able  service  in  both 
capacities,  as  well  as  through  his  skill  as  a  car- 
penter and  builder,  he  has  been  of  the  greatest 
assistance  to  the  building  interests  of  the  place. 
His  residence  in  San  Diego  he  dates  from  Octo- 
ber 7,  1887,  and  during  much  of  the  intervening 
period  he  has  engaged  in  taking  contracts  for 
the  erection  of  private  residences  and  buildings 
of  a  public  nature  for  commercial,  religious  and 
other  purposes.  For  three  years  he  engaged  in 
business  with  Thomas  Jobbitt  as  a  jjartner  and 
after  thev  had  dissolved  their  connection  he  and 
his  brother,  Nicholas,  formed  the  firm  of  Schan- 
iel  Brothers,  still  engaged  in  the  building  busi- 
ness. Among  their  contracts  may  l>e  mentioned 
those  for  the  San  Diego  Congregational  Church, 
the  Keating  and  Cole  blocks,  the  Los  Banos  baths, 
and  a  large  number  of  residences. 

The  Schaniel  family  originated  in  Germany, 
whence   Peter   Schaniel.   Sr..   immigrated   to  the 


Lnited  States  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years  and 
settled  in  Wisconsin.  Later  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Effingham  county.  111.,  and  from  there  re- 
moved to  Qiampaign  and  thence  to  Decatur, 
same  state,  but  in  1888  he  removed  to  California 
to  spend  his  last  days  in  the  mild  climate  and 
attractive  surroundings  of  the  coast.  While  still 
making  his  home  in  Illinois,  in  1878  his  wife 
died  at  Decatur,  she  was  a  native  of  Germany 
and  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Annie  Willcome. 
Ten  children  were  born  of  their  union  and  seven 
survive  them,  namely :  Mary,  living  in  San 
Diego ;  Anna,  who  remains  in  Illinois ;  Susie,  of 
San  Diego;  Charles,  who  makes  his  home  at 
Trinidad,  Colo.,  and  Theresa  and  Peter  F.,  and 
Nicholas,  all  residents  of  San  Diego. 

While  the  family  were  living  at  Eden,  Fond 
du  Lac  county,  Wis.,  Peter  F.  Schaniel  was 
born  December  4,  1855,  and  from  there  he  ac- 
companied his  parents  to  Illinois  at  the  age  of 
eight  years,  settling  in  Effingham  county.  The 
following  year  he  went  with  the  family  to  Cham- 
paign, 111.,  and  there  completed  the  studies  of 
the  grammar  schools.  When  he  was  sixteen  he 
removed  to  Decatur  and  there  ser\'ed  an  appren- 
ticeship to  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  fol- 
lowed in  that  town  as  a  journeyman.  A  trip  to 
Florida  in  1881  gave  him  an  opportunity  to  fol- 
low his  trade  in  the  south,  but  in  1882  he  re- 
turned to  Decatur  and  resumed  his  trade  in  that 
city,  remaining  there  until  he  removed  to  Cali- 
fornia during  the  fall  of  1887.  In  the  spring 
of  the  following  year  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  Thomas  Jobbitt  in  contracting  and  three 
years  later,  on  dissolving  that  connection,  he 
became  interested  in  the  building  business  with 
his  younger  brother.  He  has  built  a  number  of 
houses  for  himself  and  has  sold  them  as  oppor- 
tunity offered,  and  now  owns  and  occupies  the 
property  at  No.  2358  Columbia  street.  With  his 
brother  in  1901  he  became  interested  in  the  Im- 
perial country,  where  he  owns  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land.  W'hile  he  manages  the  build- 
ing business  his  brother  manages  the  ranch,  mak- 
ing his  home  there  and  superintending  its  im- 
provement. 

Under  appointment  by  Mayor  Sehon  in  the 
fall  of  1905  ]\Ir.  Schaniel  became  a  member  of 
the  board  of  public  works  and  has  since  rendered 
efficient  service  in  that  position.  In  national  poli- 
tics he  votes  with  the  Democratic  party.  On  the 
organization  of  the  ^ [aster  Carpenters'  Associa- 
tion he  l>ecanie  a  charter  member  and  during  the 
greater  part  of  the  time  since  then  he  has  held 
riie  office  of  president.  Fraternally  he  holds  mem- 
bership with  the  Sons  of  Herman  and  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World,  and  is'  a  member  of  the  board 
of  managers  of  the  latter  order  in  San  Diego,  be- 
sides which  he  is  an  honorary  member  of  the 
^^■omcn  of  Woodcraft. 


1630 


HISTORICWL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


FRANK  OREB.  In  no  country  are  greater 
opportunities  afforded  the  poor  man  than  in  our 
own  free  land,  where  many  a  foreign-born  citizen 
of  industry,  frugahty  and  enterprise  has  accumu- 
lated wealth  and  attained  a  position  of  influence 
and  affluence  in  the  community  in  which  he  set- 
tles permanently.  Prominent  among  this  number 
is  Frank  Oreb,  one  of  the  owners  of  the  noted 
Santa  jMonica  pepper  ranch,  and  a  partner  of 
Edwin  L.  Barnard,  whose  sketch  appears  on  an- 
other page  of  this  work.  Coming  to  this  country 
poor  in  pocket,  but  rich  in  ambitions,  he  has  made 
diligent  use  of  his  faculties,  and  is  rapidly  mak- 
ing his  way  to  the  top  of  the  ladder  of  attain- 
ments. A  native  of  Europe,  he  was  born,  Au- 
gust 31,  1841,  in  Austria,  where  he  grew  to  man- 
hood, married,  and  lived  for  many  years. 

Immigrating  with  his  family  to  the  United 
States,  Mr.  Oreb  settled  in  Ventura,  Cal.,  on 
June  20,  1 89 1,  and  for  some  time  thereafter  ran 
a  lodging  house  and  a  restaurant  in  that  city. 
Having  acquired  a  good  knowledge  of  agri- 
culture in  his  native  land,  he  subsequently 
formed  a  partnership  with  E.  L.  Barnard,  and 
in  Ventura  county  began  the  business  of  raising 
chili  peppers.  Succeeding  beyond  their  expecta- 
tions in  their  venture,  Messrs.  Barnard  &  Oreb 
purchased  their  present  ranch  of  one  hundred 
and  eighty-five  acres,  lying  neaT  Santa  Monica, 
and  have  since  continued  their  profitable  busi- 
ness. Their  ranch  is  the  largest  of  the  kind  in 
the  United  States,  and  with  its  many  improve- 
ments of  value  is  yielding  large  crops  of  chili 
peppers,  and  also  of  lima  beans. 

January  7,  1878,  Mr.  Oreb  married  Antonia 
Marcovich,  also  an  Austrian  by  birth  and  breed- 
ing, and  they  are  the  parents  of  three  children, 
namely :  Frank,  of  Los  Angeles ;  and  Peter  and 
Antonio,  of  San  Francisco.  Politically  Mr.  Oreb 
is  a  Republican,  and  religiously  he  is  a  CathoHc. 


FREDERICK  E.  SCHUEDDIG.  The  family 
represented  by  this  well-known  manufacturer 
and  leading  citizen  of  Los  Angeles  county  comes 
of  German  ancestry,  and  he  himself  is  of  Prus- 
sian birth,  born  February  19,  1849.  His  father, 
Frederick,  a  native  of  the  same  country,  and  a 
confectioner  by  trade,  served  for  twelve  rears 
in  the  Prussian  army  and  during  a  part  of  that 
time  he  filled  the  office  of  orderly  sergeant.  Ac- 
companied by  his  family,  in  1851  he  came  to  the 
United  States  and  settled  in  St.  Louis.  ;Mo.. 
where  he  followed  the  confectioner's  business. 
Immediately  after  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war 
he  assisted  in  organizi;ig  the  Fourth  Missouri 
\'olunteers  and  was  chosen  captain  of  Corapanv 
C,  with  which  he  served  until  the  expiration  of 
his  time,  three  months.  Later  he  enlisted  in  the 
Sixteenth  Illinois  Cavalrv  and   was  chosen   first 


lieutenant  of  Company  I,  with  which  he  served 
through  the  period  of  his  service.  Exposure 
while  in  the  army  injured  his  vision  and  eventu- 
ally caused  the  loss  of  his  sight.  The  blind  old 
soldier  is  passing  his  last  days  in  East  Los  An- 
geles, and  is  now  (1906)  eighty-eight  years  of 
age.  For  a  time  after  the  war  he  worked  in  the 
quatermaster's  department  at  Oak  Hall  under 
the  government  employ,  but  the  work  proved  too 
trying  for  his  eyes  and  he  was  obliged  to  re- 
sign. In  1880  he  came  to  California  and  since 
has  made  Los  Angeles  his  home.  Fond  of  mili- 
tary affairs,  he  enjoys  in  his  old  age  recounting 
the  experiences  of  the  past,  when  in  the  United 
States  army  and  also  when  serving  in  the  army 
of  his  native  land. 

The  earliest  recollections  of  the  gentleman 
whose  name  introduces  this  sketch  are  associated 
with  St.  Louis,  for  he  was  only  two  years  of  age 
when  the  family  located  in  that  city.  He  well 
remembers  the  excitement  occasioned  by  the  out- 
break of  the  Civil  war  and  recalls  the  fact  that 
his  father  was  one  of  the  "Black  Hunters."  who 
contributed  their  own  arms,  ammunition  and 
clothing,  and  wore  uniforms  distinguished  by  a 
skull  and  cross-bones  as  an  emblem  and  with 
hats  adorned  with  waving  ostrich  plumes.  Later 
the  lad  worked  in  the  United  States  arsenal  in 
St.  I,ouis,  where  he  was  the  first  to  operate  the 
bullet  gauge  invented  by  a  Mr.  Ingalls.  After 
completing  his  education  in  the  Jones  Commer- 
cial College  of  St.  Louis  he  went  to  Franklin 
county.  Mo.,  with  the  home  guards  and  for  sev- 
eral months  engaged  in  helping  to  guard  the 
railroad  bridges,  his  associates  in  the  work  being 
men  who  were  either  too  old  or  too  young  to 
enlist  in  the  army.  Emulating  the  example  of 
his  father  in  business  as  well  as  in  military  af- 
fairs, he  began  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  confec- 
tioner with  one  of  the  leading  firms  of  that  line 
in  St.  Louis.  The  owner  was  a  personal  friend 
of  the  youth  and  not  only  taught  him  the  busi- 
ness and  helped  him  in  acquiring  his  first  knowl- 
edge of  chemistry,  but  also  encouraged  him  to 
endeavor  to  develop  his  talents.  However,  on 
account  of  trouble  with  his  eves  he  could  not 
follow  the  trade  and  later  he  took  up  frescoing 
and  paper-hanging  in  his  home  city. 

Coming  to  Los  Angeles  in  1882.  Mr.  Schued- 
dig  followed  his  trade  until  1893,  when  he  be- 
came deepiv  interested  in  the  eucalyptus  oil. 
After  special  and  long-continued  studv  he  pro- 
duced a  cjuality  of  oil  that  has  never  been  sur- 
passed, and  this  he  manufactured  in  Los  An- 
peles  until  igoi.  when  he  removed  to  Palms  and 
built  a  new  plant  for  the  manufacture  of  the 
product.  The  sales  of  the  oil  have  extended  all 
over  the  countrv  as  far  north  as  Canada,  as  far 
south  as  New  Orleans,  and  as  far  east  as  New 
York,   and   even   to  Europe,   and   without  doubt 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1631 


die  business  will  have  a  steadily  increasing  de- 
velopment, both  in  our  own  land  and  in  foreign 
countries.  As  an  authority  of  eucalyptus  trees 
and  oil,  Mr.  Schueddig  has  been  called  upon 
frequently  to  prepare  articles  for  magazines  and 
to  lecture  before  chemical  and  medical  associa- 
tions. When  he  first  embarked  in  the  business, 
it  was  necessary  for  him  to  plan  all  of  the  ma- 
chinery to  be  used,  for  no  one  was  able  to  tell 
him  how  the  machinery  should  be  constructed 
and  he  was  obliged  to  depend  upon  his  own 
ingenuity  and  talents. 

As  is  generally  known,  there  are  many  adul- 
terated oils  on  the  market  and  some  of  these 
have  no  medicinal  value  whatever.  Often  Mr. 
Schueddig  has  been  approached  with  solicitations 
to  adulterate  his  oil,  the  claim  being  made  that 
sales  would  be  much  larger  if  the  oil  were 
cheaper,  but  he  has  insisted  upon  manufacturing 
pure  oil  only,  and  has  no  difficulty  in  disposing 
of  the  same,  although  obliged  to  ask  higher  prices 
than  the  oils  are  sold  for  which  contain  adul- 
terations of  alcohol,  turpentine,  petroleum,  etc. 
The  oil  has  many  uses.  In  cases  of  burns,  cuts 
and  bruises,  it  heals  immediately.  x\s  an  anti- 
septic some  claim  that  it  is  superior  to  carbolic 
acid.  Externally  it  is  applied  for  chronic  skin 
affections.  It  has  even  been  known  to  be  suc- 
cessfully used  in  cases  of  tapeworm.  Many  other 
diseases  yield  readilv  to  treatment  with  the  pure, 
unadulterated  oil,  hence  in  the  development  of 
the  oil  industry  and  in  his  rigid  enforcement  of 
his  decision  regarding  the  manufacture  of  pure 
oil  only,  Mr.  Schueddig  has  been  a  benefactor 
to  the  human  race.  In  order  to  keep  up  the 
source  of  supply  he  is  making  every  effort  to  in- 
duce holders  of  acreage  to  plant  the  trees. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Schueddig  took  place 
April  23,  1872,  and  united  him  with  ]\Iiss  Bar- 
bara Zepp,  who  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.  Her 
father.  Philip  Zepp,  came  from  Bavaria  to  the 
United  States  in  1830  and  engaged  in  gardening 
and  dairying  on  the  present  site  of  Concordia 
College  in  St.  Louis,  later  serving  in  the  Civil 
war  as  a  private  in  a  company  of  artillery.  The 
two  sons  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schueddig  are  Fred- 
erick L.  and  William  H.,  the  former  of  whom  is 
employed  as  chemist  with  the  Los  Angeles  Ice 
and  Cold  Storage  Company.  The  sons  inherit 
a  love  for  military  aft'airs  and  during  the  war  with 
Spain  they  enlisted  in  the  Seventh  Regiment, 
but  after  they  had  been  stationed  for  some  time 
in  San  Francisco,  it  developed  that  no  more 
troops  would  be  needed  in  the  Philippines,  so 
they  were  honorably  discharged  without  seeing 
active  service.  In  politics  Mr.  Schueddig  is  a 
Republican  and  votes  that  ticket  in  national  elec- 
tions, but  in  local  aft'airs  considers  the  man 
rather  than  the  party.  Fraternally  he  is  identi- 
fied   with    the   Maccabees    and    the   Independent 


Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  has  been  an  office- 
holder in  the  latter  lodge. 

When  it  is  considered  that  Mr.  Schueddig  lost 
his  mother  when  he  was  only  nine  years  of  age 
and  that  he  started  out  for  himself  when  little 
more  than  eleven  years  old,  credit  is  due  him  for 
the  success  he  has  gained  and  the  high  standing 
he  has  achieved.  Self-educated  and  self-disci- 
plined, he  was  prepared  for  success  in  life  by  the 
development  of  those  self-reliant  traits  which 
make  toward  a  man's  highest  achievements,  and 
the  fact  that  he  now  stands  as  a  recognized  au- 
thority in  his  chosen  occupation  proves  that  the 
active  years  of  his  life  have  been  busily  and 
worthily  passed. 


HERMAN  C.  SCHMIDT,  LL.  B.  A  man  of 
fine  education  and  thorough  business  methods  is 
Herman  C.  Schmidt,  who  is  engaged  in  a  mer- 
cantile business  at  Hemet,  Cal.  He  was  born 
December  5,  1873,  in  New  Ulm,  Minn.,  tiie  son 
of  Carl  M.  and  Sophie  (Pankow)  Schmidt,  both 
of  whom  were  natives  of  Mecklenburg,  Ger- 
many, the  father's  birth  having  occurred  in  1835. 
Following  the  calling  of  his  ancestors  for  many 
generations  back,  he  was  a  flour-miller  by  trade, 
having  a  mill  in  Strelitz.  He  immigrated  to 
America  in  1857,  when  a  young  man,  and  settled 
at  New  Ulm,  Alinn.,  following  his  trade,  and 
later  building  a  mill  of  his  own  in  New  Ulm, 
installing  both  burr  and  roller  machinery.  The 
full  roller  process  was  ultimately  adopted,  how- 
ever, and  having  formed  a  partnership  with  a 
brother  and  two  other  men,  business  was  con- 
ducted under  the  name  of  the  Empire  Roller 
Mill  Company.  Mr.  Schmidt  being  the  manager 
until  the  time  of  his  death  in  1887.  The  plant 
had  a  capacit}-  of  but  fifty  barrels  daily  when 
first  established,  but  grew  to  be  a  mill  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  barrels  capacity.  In  those 
early  days  when  the  Schmidt  family  first  became 
residents  of  New  Ulm  the  country'  was  infested 
with  Indians  and  they  were  in  the  famous  Sioux 
Indian  massacre  which  occurred  in  1862.  The 
town  was  besieged  for  several  days  and  the  set- 
tlers who  were  barricaded  in  the  brick  buildings 
fought  oft'  the  savages  until  assistance  arrived 
from  Mankato  and  St.  Peter,  one-half  of  the 
town  having  been  burned  before  help  arrived. 
Mr.  Schmidt  served  in  a  militia  company  under 
Capt.  John  Belm,  which  pursued  the  Indians 
until  they  were  captured.  Mrs.  Schmidt  resides 
at  Hemet  with  her  son  Herman  C,  who  is  the 
only  one  of  her  family  now  living. 

The  boyhood  days  of  Mr.  Schmidt  were  spent 
in  New  Ulm,  where  he  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  and  after  completing  the  common 
branches  he  entered  the  Shattuck  Military  School 
at     Faribault,    attending    that    institution     four 


1632 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


years  in  pursuing  a  general  course.  He  also 
graduated  from  the  Curtiss  Business  College  at 
St.  Paul  in  1892.  Following  his  graduation  he 
clerked  in  a  store  at  New  Ulm  for  a  time,  and 
later,  returning  to  St.  Paul,  he  secured  a  posi- 
tion as  bookkeeper  for  a  fire  insurance  agency, 
remaining  there  until  1895,  then  came  to  Los 
Angeles  to  spend  the  succeeding  winter.  Re- 
turning to  Minnesota  he  took  up  the  study  of  law 
and  in  1897  went  to  Chicago,  spending  a  few 
months  with  a  law  firm.  In  the  fall  he  went  to 
Minneapolis,  where  he  entered  the  law  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Minnesota,  graduating 
in  1900  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  Immediately 
afterwards  he  came  to  California  and  was  em- 
ployed for  a  time  in  Senator  Flint's  office,  later 
going  into  the  office  of  Lawler,  Allen  &  Van 
Dyke,  then  the  attorneys  for  the  Los  Angeles 
Board  of  Trade,  remaining  there  until  1903,  at 
the  same  time  practicing  to  some  extent  for  him- 
self. In  October  of  1903  he  located  in  Hemet 
and  engaged  in  business  with  V.  E.  Peterson, 
and  subsequently  with  R.  F.  McKesson.  In 
March,  1906,  he'  became  sole  proprietor  of  the 
merchandising  business  and  has  since  been  con- 
ducting it.  He  carries  a  full  line  of  dry  goods, 
notions,  clothing,  shoes,  etc.,  and  his  store  is 
the  largest  of  its  kind  in  Hemet  and  vicinity. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Schmidt  is  a  member  of  East 
Gate  Lodge  No.  290,  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Los  An- 
geles ;  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows 
at  Hemet;  Riverside  Lodge  No.  643,  B.  P.  O. 
E. :  and  also  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  lodge 
of  Los  Angeles.  Politically  he  affiliates  with 
the  Republican  party,  but  is  independent  in  cast- 
ins:  his  ballot  in  local  affairs. 


JOHN  C.  McMILLIN.  .\mong  the  well- 
known  citizens  of  Long  Beach  is  John  C.  McMil- 
lin,  who,  as  a  member  of  the  police  force,  has 
been  for  a  number  of  years  in  the  employ  of 
the  city,  and  in  this  capacity  has  been  an  im- 
portant factor  in  enforcing  the  municipal  laws 
and  in  maintaining  peace  and  order  on  the  streets 
and  public  highways.  A  son  of  the  late  J.  B. 
McMillin,  he  was  born,  September  13,  1862,  in 
Overton  county,  Ky.,  but  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Illinois. 

Coming  from  thrifty  Scotch  ancestors.  J.  B. 
McMillin  was  born  in  Kentucky,  where  he  lived 
until  after  his  marriage  with  Rebecca  Peterson, 
also  a  Kentuckian.  He  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade  when  young,  and  followed  it  for  a  number 
of  years,  although  he  was  especially  interested  in 
cabinet-making.  Moving  with  his  family  to  Ma- 
coupin county.  III,  in  1864,  he  bought  land  in 
Girard,  and  was  there  prosperously  employed  in 
general  farming  until  his  death,  in  1889,  at  the 
age    of    seventy-six    years.      His    wife    survived 


him,  passing  away  in  May,  1904,  at  Marion 
Center,  Kans.,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-two 
years. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  having  acquired 
a  practical  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Girard,  111.,  John  C.  McMilhn  began  an  appren- 
ticeship at  the  blacksmith's  trade,  at  which  he 
subsequently  worked  eight  years.  Going  to  Pea- 
body,  Kans.,  in  1889,  he  was  there  engaged  in 
the  restaurant  business  for  about  eight  months, 
but  not  with  sufficient  success  to  continue  long. 
Coming  to  California  in  1890,  he  located  in  An- 
telope A^alley,  where,  on  account  of  his  wife's 
health,  he  remained  for  a  year  and  a  half.  Set- 
tling then  in  Los  Angeles  county,  he  became 
a  resident  of  Long  Beach,  and  in  1898  accepted 
a  position  on  the  police  force,  with  which,  with 
the  exception  of  about  four  years,  he  has  since 
been  connected.  A  man  of  strong  personality, 
honest,  resolute  and  determined,  he  has  proved 
himself  very  efficient,  and  has  rendered  the  city 
most  acceptable  service  in   this   capacity. 

March  24,  1900,  Mr.  McMillin  married,  in 
Santa  Ana,  Carrie  Green,  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Politically  Mr.  I^IcMillin  is  a  zealous 
adherent  of  the  Republican  party,  and  frater- 
nally he  is  a  member  of  Long  Beach  Lodge  No. 
390,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  of  Aerie  Lodge  No.  791, 
Order  of  Eagles,  of  Long  Beach. 


H.  GEORGE  COOLEY.  The  community  of 
Long  Beach  and  vicinity  has  in  H.  George  Cooley 
a  citizen  of  worth  and  abilit}-,  and  one  who  has 
always  made  his  personal  effort  lie  parallel  with 
that  for  the  advancement  of  the  general  wel- 
fare. He  is  the  junior  member  of  the  firm  of 
Paine  &  Cooley,  one  of  the  leading  real-estate 
firms  in  Long  Beach.  A  native  of  Waverly, 
N.  Y.,  he  was  born  January  12,  1862,  and  in  the 
vicinity  of  his  birth  remained  until  the  year  1880, 
attending  the  public  schools  in  pursuit  of  a  prim- 
ary education.  In  the  last-named  year  he  became 
a  resident  of  Illinois,  and  in  Jacksonville  en- 
tered Illinois  College,  where  he  continued  his 
studies  for  some  years.  Desiring  to  take  up  the 
study  of  the  ministry,  he  became  a  student  in 
the  Chicago  Theological  Seminary,  from  which 
mstitution  he  was  graduated  in  1891,  having 
worked  his  way  through  the  course  of  four  years. 
As  a  minister  of  the  Congregational  Church  he 
accepted  a  pastorate  in  Minnesota,  where  he  re- 
mained for  five  years,  and  following  this  spent 
a  like  period  in  the  state  of  Iowa.  On  account 
of  his  health  he  was  compelled  to  give  up  his 
labors  in  the  states  of  the  middle  west  and  seek 
a  milder  climate,  and  accordingly  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, reaching  the  state  December  24,  1900. 

After  his  removal  to  the  west  Mr.  Cooley  took 
up  work  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  following  this 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1635 


for  fifteen  months  at  Ontario,  Los  Angeles 
county,  later  in  Los  Angeles  for  a  year,  after 
which  he  became  a  resident  of  Long  Beach, 
where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  For  a  time 
he  engaged  in  contracting  independently,  later 
becoming  associated  with  Mr.  Thompson,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Cooley  &  Thompson,  and  still 
later  the  firm  name  was  changed  to  Paine  & 
Cooley,  its  present  title.  They  are  meeting  with 
good  success  in  their  work  and  are  among  the 
material  upbuilders  of  the  city.  Mr.  Cooley  has 
purchased  and  sold  considerable  real-estate  in 
and  about  the  city  of  Long  Beach,  his  home 
being  located  at  No.  1357  East  Ocean  avenue. 
In  1905  he  purchased  the  Rogers  ranch  at  La- 
guna,  which  he  intends  to  subdivide,  and  besides 
tiiis  owns  other  valuable  property  in  that  vi- 
cinity. 

Mr.  Cooley 's  wife  was  formerly  Margaret  A. 
Thompson,  a  native  of  Minnesota  and  the  de- 
scendant of  Scotch  ancestry.  He  is  an  active 
member  of  Plymouth  Congregational  Church  of 
Long  Beach,  and  politically  casts  his  ballot  for 
the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  He  takes 
an  active  interest  in  all  movements  which  have 
for  their  end  the  advancement  of  the  best  in- 
terests of  the  city  and  community,  being  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Trade,  and  has  been  a  stanch 
supporter  of  all  benevolent  enterprises  for  the  up- 
building of  the  city. 


NATHANIEL  D.  ROBINSON.  A  suc- 
cessful rancher  of  Los  Angeles  county,  Na- 
thaniel D.  Robinson  is  located  in  the  vicinity 
of  Artesia  and  engaged  in  the  management  of 
his  property.  He  was  born  in  Summit  county, 
Ohio,  July  17,  1840,  a  son  of  Leonard  and 
Irene  (Moody)  Robinson,  natives  of  New 
York.  They  located  in  Ohio  at  an  early  date 
and  engaged  in  farming,  eventually  remov- 
ing to  Wisconsin  where  the  mother  died,  and 
thence  to  Minnesota,  where  the  father  died. 
They  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  of 
whom  all  but  Nathaniel  D.  are  living  in  the 
east. 

Taken  to  ^\'!sconsin  when  only  five  }'ears 
old,  Nathaniel  D.  Robinson  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  and  Mt.  Pleasant 
College,  Henry  county,  Iowa.  His  studies 
were  interrupted  by  the  call  to  arms  in  the 
cause  of  his  country,  enlisting  July  11.  1862. 
in  Company  B,  Twenty-fifth  Regiment  Iowa 
Infantry,  and  following  participated  in  many 
important  engagements  during  a  service  last- 
ing three  years  and  six  days.  He  was  later 
transferred  to  the  Reserve  Corps.  In  the  siege 
of  Vicksburg  his  company  participated  for 
forty-six  days.  After  the  close  of  his  serv- 
ice  I\Ir.   Robinson    returned   to   Iowa,   remain- 


ing until  the  fall  of  1866  when  he  came  to 
California  and  in  San  Joaquin  county  taught 
school  and  later  followed  a  similar  occupa- 
tion in  Amador  county.  After  a  few  years  he 
returned  to  Iowa  via  the  Isthmus  of  Panama 
and  New  York  City  and  May  26,  1868,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Amanda  Allen, 
a  native  of  that  state,  and  a  daughter  of  George 
and  Nancy  (Neal)  Allen,  both  natives  of 
Pennsylvania.  They  became  pioneers  of  Iowa 
in  1846,  where  her  father  eno^aged  as  a  hotel 
keeper  and  farmer  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years,  the 
mother  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-four.  They 
had  four  children,  of  whom  one  sister  is  living 
in  Iowa. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Robinson  attended 
Grinnell  College  about  forty  miles  from  Fort 
Des  Moines,  graduating  therefrom  in  1871  in 
the  regular  civil  engineering  and  scientific 
course.  Coming  to  California  in  1873  he  lo- 
cated in  Los  Angeles  county  in  the  vicinity  of 
Artesia.  where  he  taught  the  first  school  in 
this  vicinity.  His  hearing  being  impaired  he 
took  up  farming  and  has  since  continued  this 
occupation,  spending  five  years  in  Los  Ange- 
les for  the  sake  of  educational  advantages  for 
his  children.  He  has  a  family  of  three  chil- 
dren, namely:  George  Hershell,  who  married 
Emma  Stones,  and  has  four  children,  their 
home  being  at  Watts:  Thomas  Shilling,  who 
married  Esther  Hineman,  has  one  child,  and 
is  now  living  in  Oregon ;  and  Lucy  Mabel, 
who  married  S.  T.  Arkills,  an  engineer  for  the 
Southern  Pacific  Railroad  in  .\rizona.  Mr. 
Robinson  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  belonging  to  Stanton  Post,  of 
Los  Angeles.  Politically  he  reserves  the  right 
to  cast  his  ballo+  for  the  candidate  he  consid- 
ers best  qualified  for  official  position.  In  re- 
ligion Mrs.  Robinson  is  a  member  of  the  Sev- 
enth Day  Adventists  Church.  Mr.  Robinson 
is  one  of  the  best  informed  men  of  this  section, 
taking  a  keen  interest  in  all  contemporary  af- 
fairs, and  although  in  the  evening  of  his  days 
he  is  ever  a  student,  reading  with  avidity  ev- 
erything he  can  obtain  in  classic  and  scientific 
literature.  Iiaving  a  fine  library  in  his  home. 
He  stands  high  in  the  estimation  of  his  fellow 
citizens,  who  appreciate  the  sterling  traits  of 
character  he  has  displayed  during  his  long 
residence  in  this  section. 


JOIIX  MILTON  F;RAZIER.  a  prominent 
horticulturist  of  Riverside  county  is  John  Milton 
Frazier  of  Ilemet.  who  has  been  a  resident  of 
California  since  1886.  He  was  born  December 
27.  1864,  near  Rockville,  Ind..  the  son  of  Eli 
and    grandson    of   John    Frazier.   both    of   whom 


1636 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


were  natives  of  North  Carolina,  the  family  re- 
moving later  to  Parke  county,  Ind.,  where  they 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  The  father 
subsequently  went  still  further  west  and  .settled 
at  Lawrence,  Kans.,  where  he  remained  until 
1886.  when  he  came  to  El  Modena,  Cal.,  where 
his  death  occurred  the  .same  year.  His  wife, 
who  was  Martha  Durham  before  her  marriage, 
was  born  in  Indiana,  of  Quaker  parents,  and  she 
died  a  few  years  ago  in  \\'hittier.  Of  their 
seven  children  only  three  are  now  living.  John 
Milton  was  ne.xt  to  the  oldest  and  lived  until 
his  sixteenth  year  in  Indiana,  where  he  received 
his  education  through  the  medium  of  the  pub- 
lic schools.  In  1880  he  went  with  the  family  to 
Kansas  and  assisted  his  father  on  the  farm  there 
until  the  removal  of  the  family  to  California. 
After  his  father's  death  he  took  up  the  car- 
penter's trade  and  followed  it  for  three  years  at 
El  Modena,  and  at  Santa  Ana  for  two  years. 
From  the  latter  place  he  moved  to  Redlands  and 
engaged  in  contracting  and  building  there  and 
at  Los  Angeles  for  a  time,  after  which  he  set- 
tled at  Whittier  and  continued  the  same  em- 
ployment for  nine  years,  erecting  both  business 
blocks  and  residences.  He  next  worked  a  year 
at  Long  Beach  on  the  Salt  Lake  depot,  and  fol- 
lowing that  went  to  Pasadena,  where  he  erected 
buildings  and  sold  them  and  also  did  general 
contract  work.  In  1905  he  came  to  Hemet.  pur- 
chased a  twenty-five  acre  ranch  and  has  since 
been  engaged  in  horticultural  pursuits.  Eigh- 
teen acres  are  in  peaches,  three  acres  are  planted 
to  alfalfa,  and  the  remainder  of  the  ground  is 
given  over  to  the  raising  of  potatoes.  He  built 
a  new  residence  upon  the  place  and  otherwise 
improved  it  and  has  now  one  of  the  most  attrac- 
tive homes  in  this  section  of  the  country. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Frazier  took  place  in 
Whittier,  uniting  him  with  Lena  Jackson,  who 
was  born  in  Ohio.  The  union  has  been  blessed 
by  the  birth  of  three  children,  Josephine.  Alonzo 
and  Leota.  Both  parents  are  active  members 
of  the  Society  of  Friends  and  are  supporters  of 
all  influences  tending  to  elevate  the  community 
in  which  they  reside.  Fraternally  Mr.  Frazier 
is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  Lodge  at 
Whittier  and  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 
ica at  Pasadena.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch  be- 
liever in  the  principles  advocated  by  the  Social- 
ist party.  A  man  of  energy,  enterprise  and 
liberalty  he  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  all 
who  have  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance. 


PIERRE  AGOURE.  A  successful  farmer 
and  stockman,  Pierre  Agoure  is  named  among 
the  representative  citizens  who  have  made  South- 
ern California  the  great  section  that  it  is  to- 
day  in   the   state   of   California.      As   the   name 


would  indicate  he  is  of  French  birth  and  ancestry, 
Basses-Pyrenees  being  the  scene  of  his  nativity, 
and  there  he  first  saw  the  light  of  day  May  15, 
1853.  His  parents,  Francisco  and  Marie  (Mon- 
dotte)  Agoure,  were  both  born  in  that  section, 
and  there  spent  their  entire  lives,  the  father  en- 
gaged as  a  prosperous  farmer  and  stockman. 
They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren :  Pierre,  of  this  review ;  Jean,  who  died  in 
Bakersfield,  Cal. ;  J.  P.,  who  died  in  Los  .\ngeles 
four  years  ago,  leaving  a  widow  who  is  now  the 
wife  of  J.  Apiou ;  Joseph,  in  Wyoming ;  Fran- 
cisco, in  France;  Anna,  wife  of  Joseph  Luquette. 
of  Los  Angeles ;  and  Marie,  wife  of  A.  Luquette, 
also  of  Los  Angeles. 

Pierre  Agoure  was  reared  on  the  paternal 
farm  and  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools,  and  was  but  seventeen  years  old  when 
he  set  out  for  that  mecca  of  all  fortune  hunters 
— California.  It  was  in  1871  that  he  arrived  in 
San  Francisco,  and  two  months  later  he  came 
to  Southern  California,  landing  at  San  Pedro, 
and  thence  went  to  Los  Angeles.  Here  he  en- 
tered the  employ  of  a  Mr.  Rivierra,  who  owned 
a  sixty-acre  farm  on  Western  avenue,  where  he 
conducted  a  dair\'  and  for  assistance  in  this  line 
of  work  Mr.  Agoure  received  as  compensation 
$25  per  month.  Later  he  herded  sheep  on  the 
Conejo.  In  1873  lie  began  sheep  raising  on  his 
own  account,  first  owning  four  hundred  head 
which  he  herded  with  the  herds  belonging  to 
Dr.  Griffith  on  the  Newhall  ranch,  and  con- 
tinuing to  add  to  his  own  band  until  he  would 
have  from  twenty  to  twentv-five  thousand  at 
a  time.  He  purchased  twelve  thousand  head 
at  one  time  from  Bard  and  Perkins.  During 
the  dry  \ear  of  1898  he  lost  about  eight  thousand 
head.  He  later  combined  with  sheep  the  raising 
of  cattle,  and  continued  to  add  to  his  purchases 
of  land  until  to-day  he  owns  a  fifteen  thousand 
acre  ranch  at  Calabasas,  a  part  of  the  Simi  ranch, 
well  improved,  a  part  being  cultivated  to  grain 
and  hay  and  the  balance  devoted  to  the  raising 
of  Herefords  and  Shorthorns :  he  also  owns  a 
fifteen  hundred  acre  ranch  near  Moorpark,  which 
he  leases ;  a  sixty  acre  ranch  on  Western  avenue, 
this  being  the  first  place  he  worked  in  Southern 
California ;  and  three  hundred  and  eighty  acres 
near  Calabasas. 

The  home  of  Mr.  Agoure  is  located  on  a  nine- 
tv  foot  lot  at  No.  723  South  Olive  street,  Los 
.Angeles,  one  of  the  valuable  pieces  of  property 
in  this  section  of  the  city.  This  is  presided  over 
by  his  wife,  whom  he  married  in  Los  .Angeles. 
January,  I,  1883.  She  was  formerly  Miss  Kate 
Smith,  a  native  of  California,  having  been  born 
September  26,  i8q6,  in  Coloma,  iust  across  the 
river  from  Sutter's  Mill.  Her  father.  Dr.  David 
Steward  Smith,  was  born  in  Aberdeen,  Scotland, 
educated   in  the   Royal  College  of  Surgeons,  in 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1637 


Edinburgh.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneer  physicians 
in  California,  having  come  to  San  Francisco  in 
1848,  eating  his  Oiristmas  dinner  that  year  in 
the  San  Francisco  harbor.  He  first  practiced  his 
profession  in  San  Francisco,  then  in  Coloma, 
and  later  in  different  parts  of  California,  ac- 
quiring a  wide  reputation  because  of  the  skill 
he  manifested  in  his  work.  He  was  a  man  of 
fine  physique,  being  six  feet,  one  and  a  half 
inches  tall,  and  weighing  three  hundred  pounds, 
and  was  said  to  be  the  largest  man  in  the  state. 
He  was  a  prominent  Mason  fraternally  and  in- 
terested in  the  workings  of  the  organization.  He 
inherited  considerable  wealth  as  he  was  an  only 
child,  owning  five  schooners  that  were  engaged 
in  East  Indian  and  Oiina  trade,  which  he  later 
disposed  of.  His  death  occurred  in  San  Fran- 
cisco in  1875.  His  wife  was  formerly  Amelia 
Crofton.  who  was  born  in  London,  England,  an 
only  child  of  Major  Crofton,  an  officer  in  the 
English  army.  She  spent  her  last  days  with 
Mr.  Agoure  and  family,  her  death  occurring  in 
1891.  She  was  the  mother  of  four  children,  of 
whom  two  are  living :  Mrs.  Amy  Foster  of  Los 
Angeles,  and  Mrs.  Agoure,  being  second  in  order 
of  birth.  She  received  her  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  California,  coming  to  the  south- 
ern part  of  the  state  in  1875.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Agoure  are  the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren :  Juliette,  wife  of  Leo  DeCelis,  of  Los  An- 
geles ;  Angele ;  Bijou  :  Beatrice ;  Lester  Pierre, 
and  Vivian.  Mr.  Agoure  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  Cathedral  of  Los  Angeles  and 
devoted  to  the  support  of  its  charities.  Politi- 
cally he  is  a  true-blue  Republican,  and  although 
never  desirous  of  personal  recognition  has  never- 
theless given  time  and  energy  to  the  advance- 
ment of  the  principles  he  endorses.  He  is  a 
worthy  and  esteemed  citizen  in  every  particular, 
appreciated  for  the  high  qualities  of  character 
he  has  displayed  during  his  long  residence  in 
Southeni  California. 


WILLIAAI  BENJA:MIN  TRIPP  is  a  na- 
tive son  of  California,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred in  San  Bernardino  February  15,  1861. 
His  education  was  received  through  the  me- 
dium of  the  public  schools  in  San  Jacinto  and 
Temecula,  where  he  was  reared  to  young  man- 
hood. He  drove  the  stage  from  Julian  to  Col- 
ton  for  three  years  (from  1879  to  1882),  run- 
ning from  Julian  to  Warner's  ranch,  thence 
to  Oak  Grove  and  Bergman,  and  on  to  Teme- 
cula and  San  Jacinto,  and  thence  to  Colton,  a 
distance  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles. 
Just  about  this  time  he  took  a  position  in  a 
store  at  Julian,  remaining  seventeen  months, 
then  took  the  position  occupied  by  ^Irs.  Tick- 
nor  as  teacher  in  the  Indian  schools,  discharg- 


ing the  duties  in  this  capacity  until  June,  1884, 
a  period  of  six  months.  In  the  meantime,  in 
1883,  he  had  married  Alice  M.  Hopkins,  who 
was  born  on  a  vessel  in  the  Gulf  of  ^Mexico,  a 
daughter  of  F.  M.  Hopkins,  an  early  settler 
of  Julian,  and  later  a  merchant  in  the  country. 
After  giving  up  mercantile  afifairs  he  lived  re- 
tired in  Hemet  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  November,  1906. 

^  Following  his  resigr.ation  as  teacher  Mr. 
iripp  prepared  to  establish  a  home  near  the 
Cahuilla  Indian  village,  -where  he  took  up 
seven  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  partner- 
ship with  his  brother,  S.  A.,  the  property  be- 
coming known  as  tlio  Tripp  valley  ranch. 
Here  they  engaged  in  the  raising  of  cattle  on 
a  large  scale,  having  several  hundred  head, 
for  which  they  had  three  brands,  Mr.  Tripp's 
being  a  small  letter  "H"  turned  back,  his 
brother's  the  same  with  a  bar  above  it,  and  the 
company's  an  "O"  with  a  half  circle  joining 
it  on  the  top  of  the  letter.  In  1886  Mr.  Tripp 
engaged  in  the  meat  business  with  his  brother. 
O.  C.  but  later  sold  out  his  interest,  and  with 
Mr.  Hopkins  established  a  similar  enterprise 
in  San  Jacinto,  which  is  still  a  leading  busi- 
ness in  that  city.  He  opened  a  meat  market 
in  Hemet  in  1902  and  conducted  it  success- 
fully for  a  year  and  seven  months,  then  giving 
it  over  to  his  son,  who,  after  having  it  in 
charge  for  two  years,  turned  it  over  to  the 
care  of  his  father.  In  1905  Mr.  Tripp  bought 
out  his  brother,  O.  C.  Tripp,  who  was  con- 
ducting a  meat  market,  and  with  his  partner. 
Mr.  Hopkins,  established  an  extensive  busi- 
ness, having  a  cold  storage  plant,  a  slaughter 
house  in  the  vicinity  of  San  Jacinto  and  a 
'arge  refrigerator  at  each  market,  with  every 
appurtenance  for  conducting  a  successful 
business.  At  the  same  time  he  has  remained 
actively  identified  w-ith  the  raising  of  cattle, 
which  enterprise  is  looked  after  by  his  oldest 
son  and  carried  on  in  the  San  Jacinto  moun- 
tains. He  has  met  with  unusual  success  in 
his  work,  has  acquired  a  competence,  and  has 
at  the  same  time  built  ud  for  himself  a  place 
in  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  those  who 
have  known  him  throughout  his  entire  busi- 
ness career,  which  has  been  passed  in  this 
section.  He  is  respected  for  the  qualities  no- 
ticeable in  both  his  business  and  private  life 
and  no  citizen  more  deserves  the  esteem  in 
which  he  is  held. 

In  1902  Wt.  Tripp  established  his  home  in 
Hemet,  where  he  has  built  a  comfortable 
house.  Twelve  children  were  born  to  himself 
and  wife  and  ten  are  living:  Edith  R. :  Ar- 
thur, encraged  in  the  cattle  business  with  his 
father:  Rose  F. ;  Roy  M. :  Alberta  D. :  Hester 
A.:  Annie  L. ;  Xava  :  Iris  Devcda  :  and  Naomi. 


1638 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Mr.  Tripp  was  school  trustee  in  Cahuilla  for 
sixteen  years  and  has  held  other  positions  of 
trust  and  responsibility,  being  an  ex-member 
of  the  county  central  committee  for  the  Demo- 
cratic partV;  of  which  tenets  he  is  a  stanch 
adherent.  'Fraternally  he  belongs  to  the  Odd 
Fellows'  Lodge  at  Hemet  and  the  Rebekahs 
at  San  Jacinto:  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees 
of  Hemet;  and  the  Fraternal  Aid  of  the  same 
place.  He  takes  a  strong  interest  in  all  move- 
ments tending-  toward  the  advancement  of  his 
home  town,  but  is  not  narrow  in  his  public 
interests,  supporting  state  and  national  issues 
in  a  loyal  and  heartv  manner. 


W.  CLIFFORD  SMITH.  As  a  merchant  of 
Long  Beach  W.  Clififord  Smith  is  active  in  the 
upbuilding  of  the  place,  being  located  at  Nos. 
810-822  East  Fourth  street,  where  he  carries 
on  a  feed  and  fuel  business.  A  native  of  Clarke 
county,  Ohio,  born  July  3,  1873,  he  is  a  son  of 
Oliver  Smith,  the  latter  a  pioneer  of  Clarke 
county  and  a  farmer  until  compelled  to  seek  a 
milder  climate  on  account  of  his  health,  when  he 
came  to  Long  Beach,  Cal,  and  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days.  His  wife,  Margaret  B. 
(Negus)  Smith,  survives  him  and  is  now  re- 
siding in  Long  Beach  at  the  age  of  seventy-two 
years. 

W.  Clififord  Smith  was  reared  in  his  native 
state,  his  preliminary  education  being  received 
in  the  public  schools  of  Springfield.  Subse- 
quently his  parents  located  in  Emporia,  Kans., 
where  he  attended  and  graduated  from  the  high 
school.  After  farming  in  Kansas  for  a  time, 
the  father  located  in  Denver,  Colo.,  and  engaged 
in  the  insurance  business.  In  that  city  W.  C. 
Smith  attended  and  graduated  from  the  Central 
Business  College  in  1895,  after  which  the  famih 
came  to  Long  Beach,  Cal,  on  account  of  the 
father's  health.  Here  he  purchased  the  feed 
business  owned  and  conducted  by  John  Wilson, 
located  at  that  time  at  No.  121  Pine  street.  As 
the  town  grew  the  business  was  moved  to  First 
and  Locust  streets,  a  lot  being  purchased  in  that 
location  and  the  old  buildings  moved  upon  it. 
After  three  years  he  came  to  his  present  location. 
For  three  years  he  was  associated  in  business 
with  F.  N.  Lewis,  during  which  time  he  took  a 
commercial  course  in  the  College  of  Commerce 
of  the  State  University  at  Berkeley.  His  busi- 
ness has  continued  to  grow  in  extent  and  he  has 
recently  established  a  second  office  and  ware- 
house at  Fourth  and  Alamitos  streets.  He  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  the  upbuilding  of  Long- 
Beach,  himself  putting  up  two  residences,  one 
of  which,  at  No.  344  East  Sixth  street,  he  makes 
his  home  and  the  other  he  rents. 

In  Springhill,  Kans.,  in  1901,  Mr.  Smith  was 


united  in  marriage  with  Gladys  L.  Phillips,  and 
they  have  one  son,  W.  Clififord,  Jr.  In  his  fra- 
ternal relations  Mr.  Smith  is  a  prominent  Mason, 
being  a  member  of  the  Blue  Lodge,  Chapter, 
Commandery,  Scottish  -Rite  and  Shrine,  all  of 
Long  Beach.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican  and 
a  stanch  advocate  of  the  principles  of  this  party, 
although  personally  he  has  never  cared  for 
official  recognition,  and  in  religion  is  a  birth- 
right member  of  the  Friends  Church.  He  has 
been  active  in  the  growth  of  Long  Beach,  being 
a  stockholder  in  the  new  hotel,  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Trade,  and  a  member  and  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Cosmopolitan  Club,  to  which 
he  gave  the  name.  He  was  also  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  city  library,  its  secretary,  and 
for  two  years  its  president,  and  much  is  owed 
to  his  efiforts  in  this  line.  He  has  established  a 
place  of  prominence  for  himself  in  this  city  and 
is  held  in  high  esteem  for  the  many  qualities 
which  have  distinguished  his  citizenship. 


MARCUS  CA-MPBELL.  The  work  of 
iMarcus  Campbell  has  contributed  materially  to 
the  upbuilding  of  the  best  interests  of  Long 
Beach,  for  in  his  business  as  contractor  and 
builder  he  gives  conscientious  effort  along 
architectural  lines.  A  native  of  Racine  Wis., 
born  July  i.  1868,  he  is  a  son  of  Stephen 
P.  and  Eliza  (Menzies)  Campbell,  both 
of  whom  are  living.  The  father  brought  the 
family  to  California  when  his  son  was  eight  years 
old  and  located  in  Solano  county,  near  \^aca- 
ville,  where  the  latter  attended  the  common 
schools.  In  young  manhood  he  returned  to  the 
middle  west,  and  in  lola,  Kans.,  served  an  ap- 
prenticeship to  learn  the  trade  of  locksmith  and 
machinist,  after  which  he  returned  to  \'acaville 
and  engaged  in  running  threshers  and  engines 
in  various  places.  In  1888  he  came  to  Southern 
California  and  began  farming,  in  which  he  con- 
tinued for  seven  }-ears.  Not  meeting  with  the 
desired  success  he  branched  out  into  other  opera- 
tions, one  of  which  was,  during  the  first  oil 
boom,  to  conduct  an  oil  rig,  which  he  owned. 
This  he  later  sold  to  the  Actonia  Oil  Company. 

In  1901  Mr.  Campbell  came  to  Long  Beach  to 
follow  the  carpenter's  trade,  wdiich  he  under- 
stood and  which  he  had  followed  in  Los  Angeles 
prior  to  his  removal  to  this  city.  In  1903  he  be- 
gan contracting  and  in  tlie  meantime  has  put 
up  about  one  hundred  buildings  in  Long  Beach 
and  vicinity.  Employing  from  eight  to  ten  men 
in  his  successful  and  constantly  growing  busi- 
ness. He  has  bought  a  number  of  lots  and  put 
up  twelve  houses,  six  of  which  he  has  sold,  still 
owning  the  remainder.  His  residence  is  located 
at  No.  434  West  Eighth  street,  and  is  presided 
over  by   his    wife,    formerly   Katie    A.    Spencer, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1641 


with  whom  he  was  united  in  marriage  in  Los 
Angeles  county.  They  are  the  parents  of  two 
children,  Edith  V.  and  Edwin  Marcus. 

Fraternally  J\lr.  Campbell  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  organization  and  is  associated  with  both 
the  blue  lodge  and  the  chapter  of  Long  Beach. 
In  religion  he  attends  and  supports  the  Plymouth 
Congregational  Church,  and  politically  is  a 
stanch  Republican.  He  takes  an  active  interest 
in  the  upbuilding  of  his  home  city,  being  a 
stockholder  in  the  Peoples'  Bank  of  Long  Beach, 
and  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trade.  In  the 
line  of  his  work  he  is  treasurer  of  the  Car- 
penters' Union.  He  has  an  abiding  faith  in  the 
future  prosperity  of  this  section  of  the  country 
and  has  invested  his  means  in  real  estate. 


W.  F.  SECHREST.  A  man  of  more  than 
average  business  capacity,  and  an  authority  on  all 
questions  connected  with  the  raising  of  fruit  in 
Southern  California,  W.  F.  Sechrest,  of  Escon- 
dido,  is  well  and  favorably  known  as  the  owner 
and  manager  of  the  Limken  Lemon  Company. 
Public-spirited  and  enterprising,  he  is  an  able 
factor  in  advancing  tlie  interests  of  Escondido 
valley,  encouraging  and  supporting  the  establish- 
ment of  all  beneficial  projects.  A  son  of  Joshua 
Sechrest,  now  living  in  Oceanside,  he  was  born 
April  5,  1875,  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  where  he 
lived  until  seven  years  of  age. 

Born  and  reared  in  Kentucky,  Joshua  Sechrest 
spent  several  years  in  Missouri,  after  which  he 
resided  for  a  time  in  Kansas.  At  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Civil  war  he  offered  his  services  as  a 
soldier,  enlisting  in  the  Union  army  and  taking 
part  in  many  battles.  At  the  engagement  at 
Lonejack,  Mo.,  he  was  wounded  and  subsequently 
in  another  engagement  was  captured,  and  there- 
after confined  until  the  close  of  the  war.  In  his 
political  affiliations  he  is  a  strong  Democrat.  He 
married  Sarah  ]\Iiles,  who  was  born  in  Indiana, 
and  is  now  residing  in  Redlands,  Cal,  where 
the  familv  settled  when  coming  to  this  state  in 
1889. 

Moving  from  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  to  Kansas 
when  seven  years  of  age,  W.  F.  Sechrest  ob- 
tained the  rudiments  of  his  education  in  that 
state.  Completing  his  school  life  in  Redlands. 
Cal.,  he  immediately  began  the  study  of  fruit 
growing  and  in  working  for  different  fruit  firms 
along  the  southern  coast,  became  familiar  with 
the  details  of  the  business,  and  since,  with 
the  exception  of  five  years  spent  in  the  mill  of 
the  De  LaMar  Mining  Company,  has  been  con- 
nected with  this  industrv.  Coming  to  Escondido 
in  1902,  he  was  engaged  in  ranching  and  fruit 
growing  on  his  own  account  for  two  years, 
renting  a  ranch.  The  following  year  he  was 
secretary   for  the   Limken   Lemon   Company,   in 

77 


May,  1905,  accepting  the  position  of  manager. 
In  the  care  of  its  ranch,  which,  aside  from  its 
fruit  orchards,  contained  five  hundred  acres  of 
land,  part  being  devoted  to  grain  and  part  to 
grazing,  he  made  many  excellent  improvements, 
among  others  of  note  being  the  planning  of  the 
large,  fourteen-room  residence  which  is  of  mod- 
ern construction.  Eight  or  nine  years  ago  he 
planted  fifty  acres  of  lemons,  and  from  this  mag- 
nificent grove  he  gathered  immense  crops  of 
fruit,  shipping  by  the  carload  to  the  principal 
markets  of  die  United  States.  In  the  care  of  this 
ranch,  he  employed  from  fifteen  to  twenty  men, 
and  from  year  to  year  steadily  added  to  its  pro- 
ductive value.  March  i,  1906,  he  gave  up  the 
management  of  the  ranch  and  purchased  the 
packing  business  of  which  he  is  now  the  owner. 
In  1900  Mr.  Sechrest  married  Fannie  Trout- 
man,  who  was  born  in  Arkansas,  a  daughter  of 
J.  W.  Troutman,  now  a  resident  of  Colton,  Cal., 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  two  children :  Malissa 
and  Ralph.  Politically  Mr.  Sechrest  is  identified 
with  the  Repubican  party  as  one  of  its  strongest 
adherents,  and  while  at  Doble  served  as  post- 
master, and  in  Gold  Mountain  was  notary  pub- 
lic. He  was  reared  in  the  religious  faith  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  has  not  de- 
parted from  the  teachings  of  his  youth. 


ABEL  ADAMS.  Numbered  among  the 
best  known  and  most  highly  esteemed  citizens 
of  Ramona  is  Abel  Adams,  who,  as  proprietor 
of  the  Adams  house,  is  popular  with  the  trav- 
eling public,  his  genial  courtesy  and  evident 
desire  to  please  and  accommodate  his  numer- 
ous guests  winning  hini'  a  large  and  lucrative 
patronage.  An  ambitious,  energetic  man,  he 
is  also  identified  with  other  business  interests, 
besides  which  he  owns  a  ranch  and  has  the 
care  of  considerable  land.  A  son  of  the  late 
Elihu  Adams,  he  was  born  October  25,  1853, 
near  Kempville,  Canada,  coming  on  the  pa- 
rental side  from  substantial  English  stock, 
and  on  the  material  side  from  Holland-Dutch 
ancestry. 

Elihu  A.dams  was  born  in  Canada,  and  was 
there  engaged  in  general  farming  during  his 
active  life.  On  retiring  from  business,  being 
then  a  widower,  he  came  to  California,  and 
here  spent  his  In.st  days,  making  his  home  in 
Ramona  with  his  son,  Abel  Adams.  He  v^fas 
a  man  of  strong  mental  and  physical  vigor, 
and,  with  the  exception  of  being  nearly  blind, 
was  in  robust  health  until  about  twelve  days 
before  his  death,  which  occurred  at  the  ven- 
erable age  of  eighty-six  years,  in  1903.  He 
was  a  man  of  depp  religious  faith,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  tlie  Episcopal  Church.  He  married 
Diana  Dopencier.  who  spent  her  entire  life  in 


1642 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Canada,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  seven 
children,  three  of  whom,  two  sons  and  a 
daughter,  have  passed  to  the  life  beyond. 

After  his  graduation  from  the  Kempville 
high  school,  Abel  Adams  learned  the  trade  of 
a  shoe  and  harness  maker,  and  for  six  years 
was  in  business  in  his  native  town.  Coming 
to  California  in  1880,  he  was  similarly  em- 
ployed in  Sonoma  county  for  two  years.  Lo- 
cating in  San  Diego  in  1882,  he  was  employed 
as  clerk  in  a  shoe  store  for  six  years.  Starting 
in  business  for  himself  in  Ramona  in  1888,  he 
opened  a  shoe  and  harness  shop,  and  very 
soon  afterward  embarked  in  the  hotel  busi- 
ness, buying  the  property  which  he  now  owns. 
During  the"  eighteen  years  that  he  has  been 
engaged  as  "mine  host"'  he  has  met  with  un- 
questioned success,  his  care  and  attention  to 
the  wants  and  comforts  of  his  many  patrons 
gaining  for  him  a  substantial  business. 

In  .San  Diego,  January  31,  1884,  Mr.  Adams 
mai-ried  Carrie  Rogers,  a  native  of  Philadel- 
phia, and  they  became  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren, namely:  Carrie  Belle,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  two  vears  and  four  months;  Pearl 
Irene ;  Hazel  Dell,  wife  of  Doc  Wilson,  of  San 
Diego;  Hubert  Abel;  and  Harold  W.  Polit- 
icallv  Mr.  Adams  is  a  steadfast  RepubHcan, 
and  "fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  San  Diego 
Lodge  No.  28,  K.  P.,  and  of  the  Ancient  Order 
of  Foresters.  The  family  are  members  of  the 
Episcopal  Church. 


PETER  TRAUB.  In  1877  the  property  now 
owned  by  the  widow  was  purchased  by  Peter 
Traub,  one  of  the  early  and  substantial  settlers 
of  the  vicinity  of  Long  Beach,  Los  Angeles 
county,  and  a  pioneer  of  that  state,  and  since  that 
time  the  family  have  remained  residents  of  this 
section.  PeterTraub  was  a  native  of  Wittenberg, 
Germany,  born  January  2,  1841,  his  parents, 
Peter  and  Mary  Traub,  also  being  natives  of 
the  same  locality.  He  was  reared  among  the 
scenes  of  his  childhood  and  after  receiving  an 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  the  country 
became  apprenticed  to  learn  the  trade  of  miller. 
His  apprenticeship  completed,  he  remained  in  his 
native  country  until  1866,  when  he  decided  to 
emigrate,  and  accordingly  cast  in  his  lot  with 
those  of  his  countrymen  who  were  seeking  homes 
and  broader  opportunities  in  the  western  world. 
He  located  in  the  city  of  Chicago  upon  his  de- 
barkation and  there  worked  in  a  sash  and  door 
factory.  Later  in  Wliite  county,  111.,  he  engaged 
in  general  fanning,  in  which  occupation  he  con- 
tinued until  1874.  Taking  up  his  residence  in 
California  at  that  time,  he  was  located  in  Ven- 
tura county  for  three  years,  when  he  came  to 
Los  Angeles  county,  and  here  purchased  a  farm 


of  forty-five  acres  upon  which  he  made  his  home 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  December  20, 
1896.  He  was  a  successful  fanner  and  acquired 
a  competency  and  a  place  among  the  early  citizens 
of  this  community. 

In  Ventura  county,  Cal.,  April  15,  1877,  ^^■ 
Traub  was  united  in  marriage  with  j\'Iargaret 
Burkley,  a  daughter  of  Christ  and  Mary  Burkley, 
both  natives  of  Germany.  They  became  the 
parents  of  the  following  children :  Peter  C,  who, 
October  12,  1904,  married  Emma  Manger,  a 
native  of  Indiana;  Mary,  wife  of  John  Shiesel, 
of  Los  Angeles ;  John  G. ;  Louise,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  nine  months  and  sixteen  days  ;  August ; 
Oiarles  H. ;  Albert  A. ;  and  George  Bl 


JOSEPH  I.  KELLOGG.  Industrious,  en- 
ergetic and  practical,  Joseph  I.  Kellogg  has 
for  a  number  of  years  been  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  in  Fallbrook,  San  Diego 
county,  and  is  here  carrying  on  general  farm- 
ing with  excellent  results,  year  by  year  adding 
to  his  wealth  and  to  the  value  of  his  estate. 
A  native  of  Iowa,  he  was  born,  June  2,  1856, 
in  Clinton  county,  a  son  of  Luther  and  De- 
borah E.  (Sherer)  Kellogg,  the  former  of 
whom  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  the  latter  in 
Pennsylvania.  His  parents  are  now  living  in 
Santa  Ana,  Cal.,  being  highly  respected  resi- 
dents of  that  place,  and  members  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  Church.  The  father  was  em- 
ployed in  ranching  and  cabinet-making  dur- 
ing his  years  of  activity,  and  was  a  stanch 
worker  in  the  Republican  ranks. 

One  of  a  family  of  nine  children,  five  of 
whom  are  living,  Joseph  I.  Kellogg  was 
brought  up  on  the  home  farm,  acquiring  his 
early  knowledge  of  books  in  the  district 
schools  of  his  native  county.  Taking  upon 
himself  the  cares  and  responsibilities  of  a  mar- 
ried man  soon  after  attaining  his  majority, 
he  embarked  in  farming  on  his  own  account, 
raising  grain,  cattle  and  hogs  on  his  farm  of 
eighty  acres.  In  March,  1891,  he  made  a 
change  of  residence,  going  to  Missouri,  where 
for  one  and  one-half  years  he  was  identified 
with  the  agricultural  interests  of  that  state. 
Not  entirely  pleased  with  his  prospects,_  how- 
ever, he  sold  his  farm  and  stock,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1893  came  to  Fallbrook  to  make  a 
permanent  settlement.-  Buying  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land,  he  has  since  been 
busily  employed  in  general  ranching,  includ- 
ing the  raising  of  hay,  grain,  bees  and  chick- 
ens, profitable  industries,  which  yield  him  a 
good  income.  A  judicious  worker  and  a  good 
manager,  prosperity  has  seemingly  smiled  on 
his  every  eflfort,  and  now,  while  yet  in  the 
prime   of   life,   he    has    secured    a   comfortable 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1643 


competence  and  occupies  an  assured  position 
among  the  thrifty  farmers  of  the  community 
in  which  he  resides. 

In  Iowa,  in  1878,  Mr.  Kellogg  married 
Fanny  D.  Whitaker,  who  was  born  in  that 
state,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  two  chil- 
dren, namely:  Edna  Lillian,  twenty-six  years 
of  age;  and  RoUo  M.,  seventeen  years  old. 
In  former  years  Mr.  Kellogg  was' identified 
with  the  Republican  party,  but  he  is  now  a 
Socialist.  Religiously  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kel- 
logg are  consistent  members  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  Church,  towards  the  support  of 
which  they  contribute  liberally. 


JEROME  T.  LAMB.  One  of  the  many 
worthy  citizens  and  capable  and  industrious  agri- 
culturists of  Los  Angeles  county,  Jerome  T, 
Lamb  is  the  owner  of  a  valuable  little  ranch, 
pleasantly  located  near  Palms.  Here  he  is  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  general  ranching,  exercising 
great  skill  and  excellent  judgment  in  this  pur- 
suit. A  son  of  the  late  James  O.  Lamb,  he  was 
born,  December  17,   1854,  at  Waukesha,  Wis. 

A  native  of  Wethersfield,  N.  Y.,  James  Owen 
Lamb  was  born  August  19,  1825,  and  was  left 
an  orphan  when  a  child.  Subsequently  he  was 
bound  out  to  a  neighbor  who  proved  very  unkind 
to  him.  abusing  him  shamefully,  overworking 
him,  and  giving  him  such  educational  advantages 
only  as  could  be  obtained  in  the  short  terms  of 
night  schools.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  years 
he  ran  away  from  his  master,  and  with  the  as- 
sistance of  an  uncle  shipped  as  cabin  boy  on  a 
whaler,  in  New  Bedford,  Mass.  He  served  in 
that  capacity  and  as  deck  hand  for  four  years, 
subsequently  following  the  seas  as  second  mate 
for  seven  years.  Returning  home  at  the  end  of 
that  time,  he  visited  first  his  mother,  and  then 
his  brother,  who  was  living  in  Wisconsin.  Re- 
maining in  that  state,  he  took  up  a  tract  of  wild 
land  and  settled  there  as  a  householder,  for  two 
years  being  engaged  in  general  farming.  In 
1862  he  started  with  a  company  of  miners  for 
Oregon,  taking  the  overland  trail,  and  after 
getting  in  Echo  Canyon  all  of  the  stock  belong- 
ing to  the  little  band  of  emigrants  was  stolen. 
He  therefore  decided  to  remain  where  he  was, 
and  for  six  year.,  .esided  in  Utah,  being  engaged 
in  freighting  across  the  mountains.  In  the  fall 
of  i866.  with  five  companions,  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, settling  at  San  Bernardino,  where  he  had 
charge  of  a  dairy  for  two  years.  The  following 
six  years  he  was  engaged  in  farming  on  his  own 
account,  renting  a  tract  of  land  near  Los  An- 
geles. Coming  then  to  Palms,  he  rented  a  ranch, 
and  in  addition  to  managing  it  successfully  was 
road  overseer  of  his  district  for  twelve  years. 
Removing  to   Fallbrook,    San    Diego  county,   in 


1900,  he  there  lived  retired  until  his  death,  June 
17>  1905.  at  the  advanced  age  of  four  score  years. 
He  was  a  stanch  Republican  in  politics,  active 
in  county  and  state  conventions,  and  when  young 
was  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  February  21,  1854,  he  married  j\Iary 
Jane  Fillmore,  who  was  born  in  New  York  state, 
and  is  now  living  at  Fallbrook,  Cal.  She  was 
a  second  cousin  of  Millard  Fillmore,  once  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  and  her  mother  was 
an  own  cousin  of  President  Ulysses  S.  Grant. 

The  oldest  of  a  family  of  eight  children, 
Jerome  T.  Lamb  remained  at  home  until  about 
twenty-two  years  old,  when  he  began  working 
out,  giving  his  wages  to  his  parents.  Three 
years  later  he  bought  a  small  ranch  at  Lincoln 
Park,  near  Pasadena,  where  he  lived  four  years, 
carrying  on  his  own  farm  and  working  by  the 
day  in  addition.  Selling  out,  he  came  to  Palms, 
purchasing  twenty-five  acres  of  land,  and  has 
since  been  prosperously  employed  in  ranching, 
carrying  on  his  own  farm  and  renting  other  land 
in  this  vicinity.  He  pays  some  attention  to  fruit 
growing,  having  set  out  four  acres  of  walnuts. 
He  has  made  many  excellent  improvements  on 
his  place,  which  has  increased  in  value  ten  fold 
under  his  management,  he  having  paid  but  $50 
per  acre  for  it,  while  now  it  is  worth  over  $500 
per  acre. 

November  13,  1879,  Mr.  Lamb  married  Clara 
E.  Short,  who  was  born  in  Illinois,  and  came  to 
the  Pacific  coast  in  1878.  Two  children  blessed 
the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lamb,  namely :  Mary 
Edella,  wife  of  E.  W.  Jonnas,  of  Los  Angeles, 
and  the  mother  of  two  children,  Helen  Irene  and 
Thelma;  and  Walter  T.,  a  well-known  surveyor. 
Politically  Mr.  Lamb  is  an  unswerving  Repub- 
lican, and  a  strong  temperance  man. 


LORIN  S.  WARNER.  During  his  ten  years 
of  residence  on  his  ranch,  one  mile  north  of  Valle 
Vista,  Lorin  S.  Warner  has  taken  an  active  in- 
terest in  the  life  of  his  community  and  made 
many  friends  who  hold  him  in  the  highest  esteem. 
He  was  born  October  23,  1853,  in  Wayne  county, 
Ohio,  the  son  of  Joshua  and  Rebecca  (Baker) 
Warner,  both  of  whom,  were  natives  of  the  same 
state.  The  father  resided  on  a  farm  in  Ohio  until 
1879,  when  he  went  to  Jefferson  county,  Kansas, 
remaining  there  until  his  death,  in  1881,  at  the 
age  of  fifty-four  years.  The  mother  removed 
from  Kansas  to  California  in  1902,  remained  a 
short  time,  returned  to  Kansas  for  a  period,  and 
in  1904  went  to  San  Diego  to  live,  her  death  tak- 
ing place  in  that  city  October  4,  1905,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-four  years. 

The  public  schools  of  Ohio  were  the  medium 
through  which  Mr.  Warner  received  his  educa- 
tion,   and    after   the    removal    of   the    familv    to 


1644 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Kansas  in  1879,  he  engaged  in  farming  in  that 
state  for  a  number  of  years,  being  also  occupied 
at  the  carpenter's  trade  a  part  of  the  time.  Com- 
ing to  California  in  1897  he  located  immediately 
on  the  ranch  where  he  now  lives,  the  tract  of  ten 
acres  being  devoted  to  apricots,  peaches,  pears, 
etc.  In  1904  he  got  another  tract  of  ten  acres, 
which  is  devoted  to  alfalfa.  By  his  marriage  in 
Ohio,  October  12,  1876,  Mr.  Warner  was  united 
with  Sarah  Shutt,  a  native  of  that  state,  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  four  children,  one  of  whom 
died  in  infancy.  The  oldest  son,  George  E.,  came 
with  the  family  to  California,  and  his  death  oc- 
curred December  10,  1899,  at  twenty-two  years 
of  age ;  L.  L.  is  engaged  in  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness in  Los  Angeles,  and  Ossian  R.,  who  is  mar- 
ried and  living  at  home,  is  engaged  in  teaming. 
The  family  are  adherents  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  Fraternally  Mr.  Warner  is 
a  member  of  the  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security 
of  Los  Angeles,  and  takes  an  independent  stand 
in  political  matters,  preferring  to  vote  for  men 
rather  than  measures  when  casting  his  ballot. 
That  he  takes  an  enthusiastic  interest  in  educa- 
tional matters  is  evidenced  by  his  election  to  a 
trusteeship  on  the  high  school  board  of  Hemet, 
a  position  which  he  filled  for  three  years,  and  he 
has  also  served  on  the  school  board  of  Valle 
Vista. 


JUAN  JOSE  CHAPMAN.  A  substantial  and 
a  highly  respected  resident  of  Palms,  Juan  Jose 
Chapman  is  specially  deserving  of  mention  in 
this  volume,  being  a  direct  descendant  of  one  of 
the  first  American  settlers  in  this  section  of  Cali- 
fornia. A  son  of  the  late  Jose  Juan  Chapman,  he 
was  bom  February  11,  1855,  in  Los  Angeles.  His 
paternal,  grandfather,  Joseph  Qiapman,  an  Eng- 
lishman by  birth,  emigrated  from  his  native  land 
to  the  United  States  when  young  coming  over  in 
a  vessel  that  was  wrecked  on  the  Pacific  coast, 
near  the  present  port  of  San  Pedro.  He  was 
picked  up  on  the  beach  by  Andreas  Machado, 
who  took  him  to  the  home  of  his  father,  Ignacio 
Machado,  owner  of  La  Ballona  rancho.  Joseph 
Chapman  could  speak  no  Spanish,  and  his  res- 
cuers could  not  understand  English.  He  re- 
mained with  the  Machados  for  some  time,  and 
being  handy  with  tools  subsequently  built  several 
houses  in  Los  Angeles,  and  also  erected  the  first 
flouring  mill  in  the  county,  where  the  Capitol 
now  stands.  It  was  in  Los  Angeles  that  he  be- 
came acquainted  with  and  married  Guadalupe 
Ortega.  She  was  born  in  Santa  Barbara,  the  de- 
scendant of  an  old  and  prominent  Spanish  family, 
and  her  father  owned  a  large  grant  of  land, 
which  included  the  site  of  present  city  of  Santa 
Barbara.     Tlirough  his  wife  Joseph  Chapman  in- 


herited  much   valuable    land.      He    died    in   the 
prime  of  life,  leaving  eight  children. 

Born  in  Santa  Barabara,  Cal.,  Jose  Juan  Chap- 
man inherited  a  portion  of  his  parents'  estate, 
but,  in  common  with  many  other  descendants  of 
the  early  Spanish  settlers  of  Southern  California, 
lost  title  to  his  landed  possessions.  ^Moving  then 
to  Los  Angeles  he  was  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  until  his  death,  at  the  early  age  of  forty- 
five  years.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Josefa  Villa,  was  born  in  San  Jose,  Cal.,  where 
her  father,  a  Spaniard  by  descent,  was  living.  In 
the  early  days  he  moved  to  Los  Angeles  county 
and  became  owner  of  a  large  ranch,  now  known 
as  the  Hamlin  &  Denker  ranch,  which  the  heirs 
lost,  being  forced  to  give  up  on  account  of  faulty 
title.  His  wife,  Mrs.  Villa,  owned  at  one  time 
land  in  the  heart  of  the  city  of  Los  Angeles, 
where  the  old  postoffice  stood,  and  this  was  sold, 
many  years  ago.  for  a  barrel  of  whiskey.  She 
also  owned  the  land  on  which  St.  Charles  hotel, 
in  Los  Angeles,  now  stands.  She  died  in  that 
city  in  1862.  Mrs.  Jose  J.  Chapman  died  at 
the  Palms  in  1881  leaving  four  children,  of  whom 
Juan  Jose,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  the 
youngest  child,  and  the  only  son. 

Eleven  years  old  when  his  father  died,  Juan 
Jose  Qiapman  remained  with  his  mother  until 
her  death,  during  the  later  years  of  her  life  sup- 
porting her.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  years  he 
began  his  agricultural  career,  working  for  others 
at  first  and  subsequently  locating  at  Inglewood, 
where  he  rented  a  large  tract  of  land,  four  hun- 
dred or  five  hundred  acres,  from  Daniel  Freeman. 
While  there  he  became  active  in  public  matters, 
through  the  influence  of  Mr.  Freeman  being  ap- 
pointed road  overseer  of  La  Ballona  district,  a 
position  in  which  he  served  seven  years.  Com- 
ing from  Inglewood  to  Palms,  he  has  served  here 
as  road  overseer  for  an  equal  length  of  time,  and 
for  four  years  was  deputy  sheriff  of  the  county, 
during  which  time  he  also  had  charge  of  the 
farm  of  his  father-in-law. 

In  1882  Mr  Chapman  married  Maria  C. 
Hignera,  who  was  born  in  Los  Angeles  county, 
near  Palms,  a  daughter  of  Francisco  Higuera, 
who  owned  about  fifteen  hundred  acres  of  land 
in  this  vicinity,  his  farm  being  called  the  Ranch 
of  the  Oxen,  or  in  Spanish.  Rancho  Rincon  de 
los  Buyes.  Of  his  estate  his  daughter,  ]\Irs.  Chap- 
man, inherited  about  one  hundred  acres  in  the 
Palms  district,  and  this  Mr.  Qiapman  carried  on 
successfully.  They  now  own  and  manage  about 
seventy  acres  of  land,  forty  acres  of  which  are 
valued  at  $1,000  per  acre,  while  the  remaining 
thirty  acres  are  worth  at  least  $300  per  acre.  In 
7900  Air.  Chapman  was  appointed  game  warden 
by  the  county  board  of  supervisors,  being  the 
only  Democrat  to  receive  an  appointment  by  the 
board,  and  was  afterwards  appointed  deputy  game 


M/^_^4uxA^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


11)47 


warden  of  the  state,  a  position  in  which  he 
served  faithfully  for  two  years.  For  three  terms 
he  was  trustee  of  La  Ballona  school  district, 
rendering  efficient  service.  In  politics  he  is  an 
Independent  Democrat,  voting  for  the  best  men 
and  measures.  Socially  he  is  a  member  of 
Pomona  Parlor  No.  log,  N.  S.  G.  W.,  of  Los 
x\ngeles.  Mr.  and  Airs.  Chapman  have  four 
children,  namely:  Jose  D.,  Juanita  E.,  Eva  C. 
and  Frank  J- 


WILLIAM  F.  SHARP.  To  be  designated 
as  one  of  the  best-posted  men  on  the  sub- 
ject of  orange  culture  in  a  section  in  which 
there  are  located  as  many  experts  engaged  in 
citrus  fruit  growing  as  there  are  in  the  coun- 
try surrounding  Colton  is  indeed  an  honor. 
This  distinction  belongs  to  William  F.  Sharp, 
manager  of  the  Colton  Fruit  Exchange,  which 
handles  an  average  of  four  hundred  carloads 
of  fruit  in  a  season,  fifteen  to  twenty  cars  be- 
ing lemons.  A  native  of  England,  Mr.  Sharp 
was  born  Alarch  3,  1872,  in  Portsmouth,  where 
he  lived  until  eighteen  years  of  age.  His  par- 
ents, Charles  and  Sarah  (Rowe)  Sharp,  were 
also  natives  of  England,  and  now  make  their 
home  at  North  Havant.  near  Portsmouth. 
The  father  was  educated  in  the  naval  engineer- 
ing school  on  H.  M.  S.  Marlborough  at  Ports- 
mouth and  served  in  the  English  navy  for 
about  forty  years,  acting  as  chief  engineer  in 
the  Sheerness  and  T'ortsmouth  government 
dock  yards,  a  part  of  his  duties  being  to  ex- 
amine the  ships  built  by  contractors  for  gov- 
ernment service.  He  is  now  retired  from  ac- 
tive life  and  enjoying  the  fruits  of  a  well-spent 
life.  Mr.  and  ^Irs.  Sharp  became  the  par- 
ents of  thirteen  children,  eight  of  whom  are 
living,  only  one  being  in  America.  Two  of 
the  sons  are  engineers  in  the  employ  of  the 
English  government.  The  parents  are  mem- 
bers of  the  AV'esleyan  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  of  England,  and  have  always  exerted 
an  elevating  influence  upon  the  community  in 
which  they  resided. 

The  early  education  (it  ^^'illiam  I".  Sharp 
was  received  in  private  schools  in  England, 
where  he  finished  with  a  special  college  course, 
and  after  his  graduation  came  to  the  American 
continent,  spending  the  first  four  years  on  a 
cattle  rancli  in  the  Northwest  Territory,  Can- 
ada. From  there  he  went  to  Corinne,  Utah, 
where  he  became  foreman  of  a  three  thousand 
acre  ranch  owned  by  the  Rear  River  Water  & 
Land  Company,  remaining  in  that  position  for 
sixteen  months.  In  1895  he  came  to  Colton  and 
immediately  began  to  learn  the  orange  busi- 
ness.    Determined   to  become   thoroughly   fa- 


mdiar  with  all  branches  of  the  work  from  the 
growing  of  the  fruit  to  its  marketing  he  first 
secured  employment  on  a  ranch  in  San  Ber- 
nardino county  and  when  he  accepted  a 
position  with  the  company  with  which 
he  is  now  connected  he  started  at  the 
bottom  and  worked  up  to  the  managership 
and  has  during  the  busy  season  as  high  as 
forty-two  women  and  fifteen  men  working  un- 
der him,  the  fruit  being  sorted  and  graded  as 
standard,  choice  and  fancy  quality.  In  his 
ten  years  of  service  for  the  Colton  Fruit  Ex- 
change he  has  proven  his  worth  to  the  firm  and 
they  regard  him  as  one  of  their  most  valuable 
men. 

In  1899  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Sharp 
and  Miss  Minnie  O.  Robinson,  who  was  born 
in  Te.xas.  Her  father  died  there  several  years 
ago  and  her  mother  is  at  present  living  in 
Los  Angeles.  Three  children  have  blessed 
this  union,  Charles,  Winifred  and  Herbert. 
The  parents  belong  to  the  Christian  Advent 
Church,  hberall}-  supporting  its  various  char- 
.itable  and  benevolent  enterprises,  and  Mr 
Sharp  is  an  adherent  of  Republican  principles 
He  IS  a  member  of  the  California  Fruit  Grow- 
ers Exchange,  and  is  also  secretary  of  the 
Colton  Automatic  Rotary  Engine  Company 
He  has  always  devoted  a  large  share  of  his 
tune  to  matters  of  public  import  and  is  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  most  progressive  citizens 
oi    his   community. 


1'.  h.  HLBBERT.  Among  the  enterprising 
and  progressive  men  who  have  assisted  in  de- 
veloping the  agricultural  resources  of  San  Diego 
county  15.  F.  Hubbert  holds  a  noteworthy  po- 
sition. ( )wning  and  occupying  one  of  the'  larg- 
est and  best  ranches  in  the  vicinity  of  Ocean- 
side,  he  is  carrying  on  general  farming  and 
stock-raising  with  satisfactory  results,  giving 
excellent  care  and  attention  to  his  extensive  in- 
terests. A  man  of  sterling  integrity  and  up- 
right principles,  he  has  won  tiic  confidence  of 
the  community  in  which  he  resides,  his  word 
.Ijcing  universally  recognized  as  good  as  his 
liond,  and  is  we'll  wortliy  of  the  esteem  and  re- 
spect so  heartily  accorded  him.  A  native  of 
Texas,  he  was  born.  Jnne  16.  i8f)0.  in  San  Saba 
county,  where  he  spent  his  childhood  days.  A 
brief  sketch  of  his  parents  may  be  found  on  an- 
other jiage  of  this  work,  in  connection  with  that 
of  his  brother,  Presley  T.  Hubbert. 

At  the  age  of  thirteen  years,  B.  F.  Hubbert 
came  with  his  parents  to  California,  locating  in 
San  Diego  county,  where  he  completed  his  ear- 
ly education,  attending  the  district  schools.  He 
subsc<|ueiitly  assisted  his   father  to  some  extent 


1648 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  his  mining  operations  at  the  Banner  gold 
mines,  and  was  likewise  interested  in  agricult- 
ural pursuits.  Deciding  to  confine  his  attention 
entirely  to  the  tilling  of  the  soil,  he  located  near 
Oceanside,  buying  land  that  was  in  its  virginal 
condition.  By  dint  of  judicious  labor  and  good 
management  he  has  since  converted  this  tract 
into  a  well-cultivated  and  highly  productive 
farm,  and  is  now  proprietor  of  a  valuable  ranch 
of  six  hundred  and  four  acres,  which  in  its  ap- 
pointments and  improvements  compares  fav- 
orably with  any  in  the  neighborhood.  Public- 
spirited  and  energetic,  he  takes  great  interest  in 
the  welfare  of  his  adopted  county,  assisting  the 
many  enterprises  tending  towards  the  advance- 
ment of  its  interests,  and  for  the  past  sixteen 
years  has  held  an  official  position  in  the  com- 
munitv,  serving  as  constable  of  Oceanside. 

May  6,  1886,  Mr.  Hubbert  married  Mary 
Hicks,  who  was  born  in  Cahfornia.  a  daughter 
of  H.  B.  and  M.  J.  Hicks,  early  pioneers  of  this 
state.  Her  parents  were  both  born  and  reared 
in  Texas,  living  there  until  after  their  marriage. 
Starting  subsequently  for  the  Pacific  coast,  they 
had  a  hard  trip  across  the  plains,  and  after  tak- 
ing up  their  residence  in  California  had  a  full 
share  of  troubles  and  hardships  to  endure.  Of 
the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hubbert  two  chil- 
dren have  been  born,  namely  :  Murray,  now  eight- 
een years  of  age,  and  Ethel,  attending  school 
Politically  Mr.  Hubbert  is  a  stanch  supporter 
of  the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party,  and 
religiously  Mrs.  Hubbert  is  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church. 


GEORGE  F.  ALLEN.  Whatever  of  success 
has  come  into  the  life  of  George  E.  Allen,  a 
citizen  of  Somis,  Ventura  county,  has  been  the 
result  entirely  of  his  own  efforts,  as  he  was 
earlv  thrown  upon  his  own  resources  with  noth- 
ing but  courage  and  industry  to  presage  the 
worth  of  his  future.  Born  in  Madison  county, 
111.,  January  4,  1872.  he  was  a  son  of  George 
W.  and  Jane  (Renfrow)  Allen,  the  latter  of 
whom  died  when  her  son  was  an  infant.  The 
father  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  following 
agricultural  pursuits  in  Missouri  until  his  enlist- 
ment for  service  in  the  Civil  war,  participating 
in  the  engagements  of  three  years.  His  death 
occurred  at  Mt.  Moriah.  Mo..  April  i,  1898. 

George  F.  Allen  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Missouri,  in  which  state  his 
boyhood  and  young  manhood  were  passed,  at  the 
age  of  nineteen  years  becoming  dependent  upon 
his  own  resources.  The  opportunities  of  the  west 
attracted  him  to  the  Pacific  coast  and  in  the 
vicinity  of  Portland.  Ore.,  he  found  employment 
on  a  ranch  for  a  time.  Following  this,  he  \vas 
located  in  the  \^^!llamette  valley,  after  which  he 


came  to  California  and  in  Hueneme  worked  for 
Senator  Bard  for  the  period  of  seven  years.  He 
then  engaged  independently  in  ranching,  at  the 
present  writing  renting  one  hundred  acres  and 
cultivating  thirty  acres  to  beans,  twenty  acres  to 
apricots,  the  remainder  of  the  land  being  in  gen- 
eral farm  products.  He  has  been  successful  in 
his  work  and  has  accumulated  some  property, 
owning  a  residence  in  Hueneme,  while  his  yearly 
crops  bring  him  substantial  financial  returns.  In 
Hueneme,  January  25,  1898,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Elizabeth  Susanna  Dewar,  a 
native  of  Canada,  and  born  of  this  union  was 
one  child,  now  deceased.  IMr.  Allen  is  a  member 
of  the  Baptist  Qiurch  and  a  man  of  sound  prin- 
ciples, as  a  public  spirited  citizen  seeking  to  ad- 
vance the  best  interests  of  the  community. 


GEORGE  J.  WEIGLE.  One  of  thV  popu- 
lar and  successful  German-American  merchants 
of  Pomona  is  George  J.  Weigle,  who  was  born  in 
Wurtemberg,  near  Stuttgart,  February  6,  1865, 
and  is  a  son  of  Michael  and  Qiristina  (Myers) 
Weigle,  also  natives  of  Wurtemberg.  In  1872 
the  family  immigrated  to  the  United  States  and 
settled  on  a  farm  in  Lenawee  county,  Mich., 
six  miles  from  Adrian,  which  was  the  family 
home  for  many  years,  or  until  the  father  dis- 
posed of  the  property  and  removed  to  Pomona, 
Cal.,  where  he  and  his  wife  are  still  living. 

Among  the  eight  children  born  to  his  parents 
seven  are  living  and  George  J.  Weigle  is  the 
oldest  of  the  number.  As  he  was  only  about 
seven  years  of  age  when  he  left  his  native  land 
the  greater  part  of  his  education  was  received 
in  the  school  of  Palmyra,  Mich.  When  his 
school  life  was  over  he  took  up  farming  in  the 
vicinity  of  his  home,  and  in  fact  remained  with 
his  parents  until  he  was  twenty-two  years  old, 
when,  in  1887,  he  came  to  California.  As  yet 
he  had  no  experience  outside  of  agriculture  and 
on  coming  to  the  west  he  very  naturally  sought 
employment  along  that  line.  During  the  same 
year,  1887,  he  secured  employment  on  the  Qiino 
ranch  in  San  Bernardino  county,  working  as  a 
butcher  on  this  large  stock  ranch  for  three  years. 
Upon  giving  up  this  position  in  1891  he  came 
to  Pomona  and  bought  out  the  stock  and  good 
will  of  the  proprietor  of  the  West  Second  street 
market.  Under  his  management  the  business 
grew  to  such  proportions  that  larger  quarters 
were  necessary  and  in  1894  he  came  to  his  pres- 
ent location.  No.  240  South  Main  street,  pur- 
chasing the  property  and  opening  his  new  busi- 
ness under  the  name  of  the  Central  market. 
However,  he  still  owns  and  manages  the  orig- 
inal m.arket  on  Second  street.  In  connection 
with  his  markets  Mr.  Weigle  has  erected  a  large 
cold    storage    plant    and    refrigerator,    in    which 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1649 


his  meats  are  carefully  preserved  until  required 
to  supply  either  his  wholesale  or  retail  trade. 
His  markets  are  supplied  from  stock  which  he 
buys  and  feeds  on  his  twenty-acre  ranch  two 
miles  south  of  Pomona.  Here  also  he  is  erect- 
ing a  modern  cold-storage  plant  to  further  facil- 
itate his  business.  This  will  have  a  capacity  of 
about  a  carload  of  dressed  beef,  also  pork  and 
mutton  in  proportion. 

The  home  of  Mr.  Weigle  at  the  corner  of 
Seventh  and  Main  streets  was  erected  accord- 
ing to  his  own  plans,  and  is  considered  one  of 
the  most  home-like  residences  in  the  city.  His 
wife  was  before  her  marriage  Emma  Hensler, 
who  was  born  in  Niles,  Mich.,  but  was  married 
in  Pomona.  Three  children  have  brightened 
their  home  life,  Hazel,  Leola  and  Anita.  Fra- 
ternally he  holds  membership  in  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  Foresters,  the  Fraternal  Aid  and  the 
Elks. 


ROBERT  LEE  BRAND.  The  owner  and 
proprietor  of  the  Seaside  market,  R.  L.  Brand  is 
one  of  the  ablest  men  in  his  line  not  only  in  San 
Pedro,  but  in  this  part  of  the  county,  having  ac- 
quired a  success  since  his  connection  with  this 
business  in  1895  which  has  placed  him  among  the 
prominent  business  men  of  this  section.  A  na- 
tive of  West  Virginia,  he  was  born  August  2, 
1863,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  L.  and  Delia 
(Furby)  Brand,  the  former  being  a  physician 
by  profession.  Giving  up  a  lucrative  practice  in 
West  Virginia  in  1869  he  located  the  same  year 
in  Balltown,  Vernon  county.  Mo.,  and  from  that 
time  until  a  few  years  ago  followed  his  profes- 
sion in  that  town  and  vicinity.  Upon  relinquish- 
ing his  practice  he  removed  to  the  adjoining 
county  on  the  north,  Bates  county,  where  he 
owned  a  farm,  and  there  followed  an  agricult- 
ural life  until  called  to  his  reward,  August  14, 
1905,  at  which  time  he  was  in  his  eighty-sixth 
year.  For  twenty-five  years  he  was  deprived  of 
the  love  and  companionship  of  his  wife,  her 
death  having  occurred  in  1880. 

Up  to  the  time  he  was  six  years  old  Robert 
L.  Brand  made  his  home  in  the  locality  of  his 
birthplace,  and  vividlv  recalls  the  scenes  and  in- 
cidents connected  with  the  removal  of  the  family 
from  West  Virginia  to  Balltown,  Mo.,  in  1869. 
His  youth  and  early  manhood  were  spent  in  the 
latter  state,  first  attending  the  common  schools 
in  Balltown  and  later  becoming  interested  in  ag- 
ricultural pursuits  in  that  vicinity.  _  Farming, 
however,  was  not  the  occupation  which  destiny 
had  planned  for  his  life  work,  for  upon  his  "re- 
moval to  Visalia,  Tulare  county.  Gal.  in  1886. 
he  turned  his  attention  to  learning  the  butcher's 
trade,  a  business  which  he  has  followed  for  near- 
Iv  twenty  rears.     During  this  time,  however,  he 


spent  two  years  in  Montana,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  lumber  business,  but  upon  giving 
this  up  he  returned  to  N'isalia  and  resumed  work 
at  his  trade.  Another  interruption  occurred  in 
1894,  at  which  time  he  returned  to  the  old  fam- 
il_\-  home  in  Bates  county.  Mo.,  and  after  manag- 
ing its  aft'airs  for  one  year  again  came  to  the 
Golden  state,  locating  this  time  in  San  Pedro. 
Once  more  resuming  work  at  the  butcher's  trade 
he  clerked  in  the  shop  of  George  Hinds  for  a 
short  time  and  subsequently  worked  in  the  same 
capacity  for  J.  L.  Griffin  for  one  year,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  he  bought  out  his  employer, 
thus  establishing  himself  in  the  business  life  of 
San  Pedro.  Under  his  ownership  and  super- 
vision the  sales  of  the  Seaside  market  have  in- 
creased to  such  an  extent  that  three  clerks  and 
a  cashier  are  in  constant  service.  Although  ^Ir. 
Brand  commands  a  large  local  trade,  he  makes  a 
specialty  of  furnishing  supplies  in  his  line  for 
out-going  ships,  his  location  being  especially 
convenient  to  the  docks. 

After  coming  to  San  Pedro,  in  May,  1900, 
Mr.  Brand  was  united  in  marriage  with  Clara 
L.  Hansen,  and  one  child,  Clarence  L.,  has 
blessed  their  union.  While  Mr.  Brand  is  deeply 
interested  in  the  prosecution  of  his  private  affairs 
he  is  not  so  absorbed  as  to  neglect  his  duties  as 
a  citizen,  but  on  the  other  hand  is  alive  to  the 
well-being  of  his  adopted  home  town  and  casts 
his  ballot  for  Democratic  candidates.  His  fra- 
ternal connections  include  membership  in  the 
Masonic  order.  Eagles,  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  and  Eastern  Star,  all  of  San  Pedro,  and 
in  all  of  which  organizations  he  is  known  as  a 
helpful,  agreeable  member.  Personally  Mr. 
Brand  is  a  man  of  excellent  character  and  genial 
manners  and  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  suc- 
cessful merchants  of  San  Pedro. 


CHARLES  H.  RUTLEDGE.  The  scenic 
wonders,  the  luscious  fruits  and  brilliant  flowers, 
and  the  genial  climate  of  Southern  California 
have  made  this  section  of  the  state  the  mecca 
for  thousands  of  tourists  and  health-seekers 
every  year,  the  number  of  visitors  increasing 
each  season.  The  lodging  and  entertaining  of 
these  strangers  has  become  an  art  and  a  science 
in  which  many  men  of  enterprise  and  progression 
have  become  proficient,  prominent  among  the 
number  being  Oiarles  H.  Rutledge.  widely  and 
favorably  known  as  proprietor  of  the  Casa  Del- 
Mar,  at  Ocean  Park.  Los  .A.ngeles  county.  A 
son  of  Lewis  Rutledge.  he  was  born  at  Kenton. 
Hardin  county.  Ohio,  where  his  ancestors  on 
both  sides  of  the  house  settled  in  pioneer  days. 

Born  and  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits. 
Lewis  Rutledge  continued  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil 
during  his   entire  life  of  fiftj'-six   years,   dying 


1650 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  Hardin  county,  Ohio.  He  married  Jane  Tidd, 
who  had  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  white 
child  born  in  Hardin  county,  where  she  was  a 
Hfe-long  resident,  her  death  occurring  when  she 
was  about  fifty-six  years  of  age.  Her  brother 
Charles,  after  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  named,  still  resides  in  that  county,  a  ven- 
erable and  respected  man  of  ninety-three  years, 
and  during  the  sixty-one  years  that  he  and  his 
wife  have  lived  together  they  have  occupied  the 
same  house. 

Having  completed  his  studies  in  the  normal 
school  at  Ada,  Ohio,  Charles  H.  Rutledge  se- 
cured a  position  and  for  seven  years  served  as 
deputy  county  auditor.  Subsequently,  his  wife's 
health  demanding  a  change  of  climate,  he  came 
to  California,  settling  first  in  Los  Angeles,  where, 
as  a  member  of  the  De  Van  &  Rutledge  Com- 
pany, he  carried  on  a  very  successful  brokerage 
business  for  a  few  years.  Removing  then  to 
Riverside  county,  he  embarked  in  the  hotel  busi- 
ness, being  first  manager  for  two  years  of  a 
hotel  in  Idyllwild,  and  afterwards  occupying  a 
similar  position  at  Hemet  for  two  years.  Re- 
turning then  to  Los  Angeles,  he  owned  and  man- 
aged the  Beacon  hotel  for  about  two  years. 
Since  that  time  he  has  devoted  his  time  and 
energies  to  the  management  of  his  present  hotel, 
the  Casa  Del-J\Iar,  and  has  met  with  excellent 
success,  his  patronage  being  large  and  lucrative. 
Genial,  courteous  and  accommodating,  he  makes 
his  house  attractive  to  all,  and  is  popular  with 
his  guests. 

In  Ohio,  Mr.  Rutledge  married  Laura  Hub- 
ble, a  daughter  of  R.  G.  Hubble,  and  into  their 
home  two  children  have  been  born,  namely : 
Jessie,  wife  of  L.  L.  Warner,  manager  of  the 
Smith  Realty  Company;  and  Harold  Kenton. 
Politically  Mr.  Rutledge  is  a  stanch  supporter 
of  the  principles  promulgated  by  the  Republican 
party,  and  fraternally  he  is  a  Knight  of  Pythias 
and  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Foresters. 


HANNA  SCOTT  TURNER,  M.  D.  _  A  half 
a  century  in  the  world's  progress  has  witnessed 
vast  changes  in  customs,  and  whereas  at  one 
time  the  association  of  women  with  any  of  the 
professions  would  have  been  looked  upon  as  an 
intrusion,  and,  in  many  cases,  perhaps,  as  un- 
feminine,  so  general  has  her  appearance  become 
in  the  professional  and  business  life  of  the  world 
that  she  is  now  esteemed  an  essential  element  in 
public  life.  The  medical  profession  claims  a 
goodly  share  of  the  gentler  persuasion  and 
among  the  number  mention  belongs  to  Dr.  Tur- 
ner, who  since  November  of  1895  has  been  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  her  profession  in 
Pomona,  with  office  in  the  Hansler-Rutan  build- 


ing, at  the  corner  of  Garey  and  Second  streets. 
In  addition  to  caring  for  her  large  private  prac- 
tice, in  which  she  makes  a  specialty  of  obstetrics, 
she  is  also  on  the  staff  of  Dr.  Welbourn's  hos- 
pital in  Los  Angeles. 

Hanna  Scott  was  born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland, 
the  daughter  of  Alexander  Scott,  a  graduate  of 
Dublin  College.  Immigrating  to  the  new  world 
with  his  family  in  1853,  h^  established  his  home 
in  New  Philadelphia,  Ohio,  but  did  not  long 
survive  to  enjoy  the  benefits  which  awaited  him, 
for  his  death  occurred  three  years  later.  His 
wife,  formerly  Cecelia  Sweeney,  survived  him 
many  years,  her  death  occurring  in  Bowerston, 
Ohio,  in  1903.  She  became  the  mother  of  four 
children,  only  two  of  whom  are  now  living. 
Miss  Scott  was  reared  principally  in  Leesville, 
Carroll  county,  Ohio,  having  been  brought  to 
the  United  States  when  quite  a  small  child. 
Her  common-school  training  was  supplemented 
by  a  course  in  Hagerstown  Academy,  going  from 
there  to  the  normal  at  Lebanon.  From  Lebanon 
she  went  to  Mattoon,  III,  where  she  was  prin- 
cipal of  schools  for  three  years,  leaving  this  po- 
sition at  the  end  of  that  time  to  become  an  in- 
structor in  the  high  school  of  Des  Moines,  Iowa. 
It  was  during  her  incumbency  of  this  position, 
in  1875,  that  she  took  up  the  study  of  medicine 
under  Dr.  Dickinson,  of  the  homeopathic  school 
of  medicine.  Three  years  later  the  failure  of 
her  health  made  further  study  impossible  at  that 
time  and  in  1878  she  came  to  the  west,  settling 
in  Salinas,  Cal.,  where  for  a  time  she  followed 
teaching.  In  1879  she  became  the  wife  of 
George  Madison  Turner,  now  a  well-known  hor- 
ticulturist of  Pomona,  Cal.  In  the  meantime,  in 
1878  and  1879,  she  had  resumed  her  medical 
studies,  entering  the  College  of  Physiciatis  and 
Surgeons  of  the  Pacific,  and  in  1885  and  1886 
she  took  an  eclectic  course  in  the  California 
Medical  College,  graduating  therefrom  in  1887 
with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  Immediately  after- 
ward she  commenced  the  practice  of  her  pro- 
fession in  Oakland,  and  eight  years  later,  in  No- 
vember, 1895,  she  established  her  office  in 
Pomona,  a  change  which  from  a  material  stand- 
point to  herself  has  been  a  wise  one,  for  she  has 
a  large,  lucrative  practice  and  on  the  other  hand 
Pomona  has  gained  one  more  thoroughgoing 
citizen.  Professionally  she  is  identified  with  the 
National  Eclectic  Medical  Association,  State 
Eclectic  Medical  Association  (of  which  she  was 
at  one  time  vice-president).  Southern  California 
Eclectic  Medical  Association  (of  which  she  was 
president  in  1904),  and  the  County  Eclectic 
Medical  Society.  Sociallv  she  is  a  well-known 
member  of  the  Ebell  Club  and  the  Pomona 
Woman's  Club,  and  is  associated  with  the  fol- 
lowing secret  orders :  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star, 
Fraternal    Aid,    Fraternal    Brotherhood,    Pendo.. 


MR.  AND  MRS.  E.  S.  SHORT 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1653 


Ladies  of  the  Maccabees  and  the  order  of  \\'ash- 
ington.  Her  rehgious  affihation  is  with  the 
Presbyterian  Church. 

George  Madison  Turner,  a  native  of  Greens- 
burg,  Ky.,  was  a  young  lad  when  taken  to  Iowa, 
and  in  that  state  he  was  reared  and  educated. 
On  attaining  maturity  he  became  identified  with 
commercial  affairs,  dealing  in  wholesale  produce 
in  Burlington,  Iowa.  Later  years  found  him 
interested  in  mining  in  Montana,  and  still  later 
he  was  interested  in  the  canning  business  with 
the  J.  Lusk  Canning  Company,  at  Oakland,  and 
subsequently  he  was  identified  with  a  similar 
business  in  Sacramento.  In  1890  he  located  in 
Chino,  San  Bernardino  county,  purchasing  a  ranch 
in  that  county  not  far  from  Ontario  upon  which 
he  is  successfully  engaged  as  a  horticulturist,  al- 
tiiough  he  makes  his  home  in  Pomona.  Polit- 
ically Mr.  Turner  is  a  Democrat,  and  his  fra- 
ternal associations  include  membership  in 
Pomona  Lodge  No.  246,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Pomona 
Chapter  No.  76,  R.  A.  \I.,  Southern  California 
Commandery  No.  37,  K.  T.,  and  the  Woodmen 
■of  the  World. 


JAMES  SHURT.  A  native  Californian, 
Tames  Short  v/as  born  in  San  Bernardino  Jan- 
uary 7,  1865.  a  son  of  Elemelech  S.  and  Sarah 
Ann  (]\[cGirr)  Short.  The  father  was  the 
representative  of  an  old  Virginia  family,  his 
birth  occurring  in  Howard  county.  Mo.,  June 
28,  1826;  the  paternal  grandfather,  Zachariah 
Morgan,  was  born  in  Kentucky  and  became  an 
early  settler  in  Missouri,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  boots  and  shoes,  finally 
going  to  Texas  at  the  time  of  the  war  for 
independence  and  serving  under  General  Fan- 
ning they  were  cut  off  by  the  Mexicans  and 
eventually  all  were  taken  prisoners,  but  two 
escaping  death,  these  a  ]\Ir.  Hudson  and  Mr. 
White,  returning  and  relating  the  story  of  the 
massacre.  His  wife  was  in  maidenhood  Mary 
Swearingen,  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  who  was  born  in  Holland, 
a  member  of  the  Van  Swerin  family  whose 
name  was  later  changed  to  Swearingen.  He 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  was  a 
factor  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  community  in 
v/hich  he  made  his  home.  Mrs.  Short  died  in 
Missouri,  leaving  a  family  of  five  children,  of 
whom  E.  S.  is  the  only  one  living.  E.  S. 
Short  was  reared  in  Missouri  and  in  1848 
when  just  past  his  eighteenth  birthday  he  en- 
listed for  service  in  the  Mexican  war.  He 
served  in  the  Howard  county  volunteers  un- 
der General  Donothaus,  and  participated  in 
the  battle  of  Hornada,  San  Jacinto,  Guade- 
loupe and  the  City  of  Mexico.  After  his  hon- 
orable discharge   in   Santa   Fe   in   1848  he   re- 


turned to  -Missouri  and  remained  in  that  state 
until  1852,  when  he  outfitted  with  ox-teams 
and  crossed  the  plains  to  California,  via  the 
Carson  route  to  the  mines  of  the  El  Dorado 
state.  He  followed  mining  for  a  time  and 
then  farming  in  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin 
counties,  after  which,  in  1857,  he  made  a  trip 
to  Tucson,  Ariz.  There  he  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  stage  station  at  Butterfield,  six- 
ty miles  we.st  of  Tucson,  and  there  he  remained 
for  the  period  of  two  years.  He  had  many 
exciting  adventures,  one  of  which  was  an  at- 
tempt of  the  Indians  one  night  to  steal  his, 
horses  from  the  corral,  and  although  thev 
were  not  successful  they  killed  eight  of  the 
animals.  In  1859  Mr.  Short  came  to  San  Ber- 
nardino county  and  engaged  in  farming  on 
the  Base  line,  remaining  in  that  location  for 
several  years,  when  he  took  up  a  ranch  on 
Vucaipe  Bench,  where  he  has  since  resided 
engaged  in  general  farming.  He  was  married 
in  San  Joaquin  county,  January  16,  1857,  to 
-Miss  Sarah  Ann  McGirr,  a  native  of  Rhode  Ls- 
land  and  a  daughter  of  James  and  Ann  (  Dough- 
erty) McGirr,  who  came  from  Ireland  to  .Amer- 
ica, locating  first  in  Rhode  Island  and  later  in 
Clay  county.  Mo.,  whence  in  1852  they  crossed 
the  plains  to  California  by  means  of  ox-teams 
and  located  in  San  Joaquin  county.  Later 
they  came  to  San  Bernardino  county.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Short  became  the  parents  of  ten 
children,  seven  living,  namely:  John,  a  con- 
tractor of  Kern  county  ;  James,  of  this  review  ; 
Sylvester,  of  Yucaipe :  Anna,  Mrs.  Merrilees, 
of  San  Bernardino ;  Rodolphus,  of  Kern  coun- 
ty ;  Susan  Belle,  wife  of  Ed  Burns,  of  Yucaipe 
Bench :  and  Tlieodore.  in  Kern  countv.  Mr. 
Short  is  identified  with  the  Odd  Fellows  fra- 
ternally, and  both  himself  and  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Pioneer  Society  of  San  Bernar- 
dino. He  is  an  entertaining  companion,  his 
retentive  memory  bringing  to  mind  forcibly 
many  interesting  events  of  by-gone  years,  his 
recollection  remaining  vivid  of  the  crowning 
of  Queen  Victoria,  while  he  also  remembers 
having  personally  met  General  Jackson. 

James  Short  was  reared  on  the  home  farm 
and  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  San  Ber- 
nardino, and  when  sixteen  years  old  went  out 
on  the  desert  on  a  stock  ranch,  where  he  re- 
mained for  three  years.  He  then  sold  out  his 
interests  and  engaged  in  teaming,  hauling 
lumber  for  the  San  Bernardino  mills.  In  1886 
he  .started  farming  on  the  Yucaipe  homestead, 
now  owning  one  hundred  and  forty-nine  acres 
here,  upon  which  he  has  built  many  improve- 
ments, and  al.sc  owns  one  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-two acres,  upon  which  are  running 
springs  from  which  water  is  piped  to  hishome- 
stead.     He  leases  land  to  enlarge  liis  farming 


1654 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


operations,  and  carries  on  an  extensive  rais- 
ing of  grain  and  hay.  He  was  married  in  San 
Bernardino  county  to  Miss  Susan  Warren,  a 
native  of  that  section  of  Southern  California, 
and  born  of  this  union  are  three  children,  Ber- 
tha, Sylvia  Valentine  and  Sarah  Eleanor.  Fra- 
ternally Mr.  Short  is  identified  with  the  Red- 
lands  Lodge  Nc.  341,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  also  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World,  of  that  city.  Polit- 
ically he  casts  his  ballot  in  the  interests  of  the 
Democratic  party.  He  purchased  a  place  on 
Stillman  avenue  and  in  1907  erected  a  com- 
fortable residence,  where  he  has  located  his 
family  in  order  that  his  children  should  have 
the  advantages  of  a  graded  school. 


WILLIAM  SHUGG.  As  a  prominent  and 
successful  walnut  grower,  William  Shugg  holds 
rank  among  the  enterprising  citizens  of  the 
Mountain  View  district,  his  finely  improved 
ranch  of  nineteen  acres  being  located  within  a 
mile  and  a  half  of  El  Monte.  Mr.  Shugg  is  a 
native  Californian,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
Alhambra  November  26,  1863.  His  father, 
James  Shugg,  was  bora  in  Kelston,  England,  and 
was  there  reared  to  young  manhood,  when  he 
engaged  as  a  miner.  He  immigrated  to  America 
and  in  ^Michigan  worked  in  the  copper  mines  in 
the  Lake  Superior  region,  and  while  thus  en- 
gaged the  great  gold  discovery  of  California 
turned  his  attention  toward  the  Pacific  coast.  He 
immediately  outfitted  and  set  out  across  the  plains 
taking  the  extreme  southern  route  which  led  him 
through  New  Mexico  and  Sonora,  Mexico, 
whence  he  made  his  way  to  Los  Angeles,  then 
only  a  pueblo.  Deciding  to  remain  in  this  section 
he  secured  for  his  first  employment  work  with 
Nathan  Kelley.  Later  he  became  foreman  for 
B.  D.  Wilson  at  Alhambra  and  there  helped  set 
out  orchards.  With  the  thrift  characteristic  of 
his  countrymen  he  saved  his  earnings  and  was 
thus  able  to  finally  purchase  land,  locating  in  the 
vicinty  of  Rivera,  where  in  1869,  he  set  out  the 
first  walnut  orchard  of  the  section.  From  that 
time  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1882, 
he  added  to  his  property  both  as  to  acres  and  im- 
provements, his  sixty- acre  ranch  taking  rank 
among  the  finest  of  this  section  of  Los  Angeles 
county.  Up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  at  the  age 
of  sixty-four  years,  he  was  hale  and  hearty,  re- 
taining his  interests  in  all  public  matters,  and  vot- 
ing the  Democratic  ticket.  He  was  survived  by 
his  wife,  formerly  Esther  Graham,  who  was  born 
in  Crawford  county,  and  crossed  the  plains  with 
her  father  in  1852.  She  now  resides  in  Rivera. 
They  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  namely : 
Alyda,  wife  of  Thomas  Gooch,  of  Rivera :  Mary. 
wife  of  Joseph  Stanley,  of  Los  Angeles ;  Joanna, 
wife  of  William  Story,  of  Rivera ;  Thomas,  who 


died  in  El  ;\Ionte  in  1902 ;  Alartha,  wife  of  Jus- 
tice Allison  of  Los  Angeles,  and  William,  of 
this  review. 

The  boyhood  days  of  William  Shugg  were 
passed  on  his  father's  farm  near  Alhambra,  his 
education  being  received  in  the  public  schools  in 
the  vicinity  of  his  home.  He  remained  with  his 
father  until  the  latter's  death,  after  which  he  and 
his  brother  Thomas  engaged  in  the  management 
of  the  home  farm  until  1886.  At  that  date  he 
purchased  his  present  property  and  two  years 
later  set  out  a  walnut  orchard,  now  owning  nine- 
teen acres  upon  which  he  has  built  a  fine  resi- 
dence, substantial  outbuildings,  etc.,  making  of  it 
one  of  the  best  ranches  in  this  section.  His 
brother  Thomas  also  engaged  as  a  walnut  grower 
until  his  death  in  1902. 

In  Alhambra,  November  2,  1892,  Mr. '  Shugg 
married  Miss  Alice  McCaig,  who  was  born  in 
Downey,  a  daughter  of  George  jNIcCaig,  who  was 
brought  by  his  father,  John,  from  Arkansas  in 
1877.  George  McCaig  engaged  as  a  farmer  in 
Downey  for  several  years,  and  now  resides  in 
Puente  following  the  same  occupation.  His  wife 
formerly  Janey  Hurst,  was  born  in  Arkansas  and 
died  in  Los  Nietos  in  1882.  They  had  three  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Mrs.  Shugg  is  the  oldest.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Shugg  are  the  parents  of  two  children, 
Mabel  and  Emery.  ]\Ir.  Shugg  takes  a  deep  in- 
terest in  educational  work,  and  is  now  serving 
as  president  of  the  school  board.  Fraternally  he 
is  associated  with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen,  in  which  he  is  past  master  workman, 
and  both  himself  and  wife  are  members  of  the 
Degree  of  Honor,  his  wife  being  past  chief.  He 
also  belongs  to  the  Modern  Brotherhood.  Politi- 
cally he  is  a  stanch  Democrat.  He  is  a  charter 
member  of  the  Mountain  View  Walnut  Growers' 
Association,  and  is  serving  as  a  director  and  vice- 
president. 


EDSON  A.  BENEDICT.  A  man  of  enter- 
prise, ability  and  strong  personality,  the  late 
Edson  A.  Benedict  held  a  position  of  prominence 
and  influence  among  the  early  pioneers  of  Los 
Angeles  county,  being  one  of  the  original  settlers 
and  his  the  first  white  family  in  Benedict's 
canyon.  A  man  of  keen  discernment  and  excel- 
lent business  tact,  he  took  an  important  part  in 
advancing  the  mercantile  and  agricultural  pros- 
perity of  this  part  of  the  state,  and  throughout 
the  community  was  held  in  high  esteem.  A 
native  of  New  York,  he  was  born  October  8, 
1819,  in  Elba,  Genesee  county,  where  he  received 
a  public  school  and  college  education.  He  sub- 
seque.ntly  read  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  of  New  York  state,  but  never  practiced  his 
profession  to  any  extent. 

Ambitious    to    enter    upon    a    business    career 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1655 


when  a  young  man,  JNIr.  Benedict  went  to  Boon- 
ville,  Mo.,  where  he  was  prosperously  employed 
as  a  general  merchant  for  a  number  of  years,  ac- 
quiring considerable  wealth.  In  November, 
1862,  sailing  from  New  York  City  on  the  Ariel, 
he  started  for  the  Pacific  coast,'  and  while  en 
route  the  vessel  was  captured  by  the  Alabama, 
near  Kingston,  and  he  and  all  on  board  were 
held  as  prisoners  for  twenty-four  hours.  Con- 
tinuing the  journey  at  the  end  of  that  time, 
Mr.  Benedict  came  to  California,  and  for  four 
years  thereafter  was  engaged  in  mercantile  pur- 
suits in  Los  Angeles.  During  the  war,  in  which 
he  took  no  active  part,  although  his  sympathies 
were  with  the  south,  his  goods  were  confiscated, 
and  he  was  left  comparatively  poor,  having  but 
$10,000  when  he  came  here.  His  health  failing, 
he  then  located  in  the  canyon,  near  Sherman, 
taking  up  a  government  claim  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  on  which  he  made  substantial 
improvements,  by  good  management  enhancing 
its  value  each  season.  He  cultivated  a  part  of 
the  land  himself,  renting  the  remainder  of  his 
ranch  on  shares  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
at  his  home,  March  30,  1886. 

On  December  5,  1855,  Mr.  Benedict  married 
Josephine  Pierce,  who  was  born  June  3,  1832, 
in  Virginia,  where  she  lived  for  five  years.  Her 
father  subsequent!)-  removed  as  a  pioneer  to  Mis- 
souri, there  becoming  an  extensive  landholder 
and  the  owner  of  many  slaves,  the  greater  num- 
ber of  whom  refused  to  accept  their  freedom, 
pleading  to  remain  with  their  old  master.  Of 
the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Benedict  three  chil- 
dren were  born,  all  sons,  namely :  Edson  Pierce, 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  near  Sherman; 
Frank  Lee,  of  Los  Angeles;  and  Angelo  E.,  an 
oil  well  driller.  After  the  death  of  her  hus- 
band, Mrs.  Benedict  leased  the  home  ranch  until 
very  recently,  when  she  sold  it  for  $10,000,  re- 
serving the  house  and  a  half  acre  of  land.  She 
also  has  property  in  Santa  Monica,  owning  a 
lot  in  the  residence  part  of  the  city.  She  is_  a 
woman  of  great  intelligence  and  Christian  vir- 
tues, and  a  ""faithful  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church. 


JOHN  KENNEDY.  As  a  business  man  John 
Kennedv  has  been  located  in  Santa  Monica  for 
a  number  of  years,  having  established  himself 
as  a  butcher,  at  first  in  a  very  small  wav,  but 
graduallv  increasing  his  operations  with  his  in- 
crease of  trade  until  to-day  he  is  named  among 
the  successful  men  of  this  community.  Like  the 
great  majority  of  the  men  who  have  been_ prime 
movers  in  the  development  of  this  section  of 
California,  Mr.  Kennedy  is  not  a  native  of  the 
state,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Qeveland, 
Ohio,    where   his   parents,    James   and   Mary   J. 


( Thornton)  Kennedy,  removed  after  their  mar- 
riage. His  father  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  who 
in  youth  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  Canada, 
where  he  was  reared  and  educated,  while  his 
mother  is  of  English  birth.  They  are  both  liv- 
ing and  are  residents  of  California,  where  they 
located  when  their  son  was  still  a  boy  in  years. 

John  Kennedy  was  educated  principally  in  the 
schools  of  California.  Upon  leaving  school  he 
learned  the  trade  of  butcher  in  Santa  Monica 
(where  his  home  was  located,  his  father  being 
a  rancher  at  tliat  time,  now  retired),  and  in  July, 
1903,  he  opened  a  shop  on  his  own  responsibility. 
He  necessarily  began  business  on  a  limited 
scale,  but  it  was  not  long  before  he  was  com- 
pelled to  increase  his  capacity  to  supply  the  de- 
mands made  upon  his  enterprise.  He  is  now 
named  among  the  successful  business  men  of  this 
city  and  bids  fair  to  acquire  financial  returns 
which  shall  adequately  compensate  him  for  his 
efforts. 

In  1895  Mr.  Kennedy  established  home  ties  by 
his  marriage  in  Los  Angeles  to  Nettie  Marshall 
Leeper,  a  native  of  Kansas,  in  which  state  she 
attained  womanhood.  Mr.  Keimedy  is  identified 
fraternally  with  the  Masonic  organization,  being 
a  member  of  the  lodge  of  Santa  Monica,  while 
in  his  political  convictions  he  adheres  to  the 
principles  advocated  in  the  platform  of  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  is  a  man  of  energy  and 
ability,  takes  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs, 
and  can  be  counted  upon  to  further  any  plan 
for  the  advancement  of  the  city's  welfare. 


ALBERT  E.  MEIGS.  Noteworthy  among 
the  men  of  prominence  in  Los  Angeles  county  is 
Albert  E.  ]\Ieigs,  who,  as  the  pioneer  real  estate 
dealer  at  Ocean  Park,  has  taken  an  active  part 
in  the  upbuilding  of  this  section  of  the  county 
and  has  been  a  promoter  of  its  industrial  and 
business  prosperity.  He  evinces  a  deep  interest 
in  public  affairs,  and  as  postmaster  at  Ocean 
Park  is  giving  able  and  satisfactory  service.  A 
son  of  William  and  Julia  (Austin)  Meigs,  he 
was  born  in  1831,  near  Deposit,  Broome  county, 
N.  Y. 

Attending  first  the  district  schools  of  his  na- 
tive district,  Albert  E.  Meigs  completed  his  ear- 
ly education  at  the  village  academy  in  Deposit. 
He  afterwards  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  in 
Broome  county  and  there  followed  it  until  his 
removal  with  the  family  to  Wisconsin  in  1852. 
In  Dodge  county  he  worked  at  both  farming 
and  carpentering  for  a  number  of  years,  in  the 
meantime  obtaining  a  good  knowledge  of  bridge 
building.  In  1864  he  enlisted  in  Company  E. 
Fiftieth  Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
served  as  quartermaster  sereeant  until  his  hon- 
orable  discharge,   in  the  spring   of     1866.     Re- 


1656 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


turning  home,  he  soon  afterwards  removed  to 
Mower  county,  Minn.,  where  he  bought  land  and 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  for  a  time.  Be- 
ing subsequently  appointed  postmaster  at  Aus- 
tin, the  county  seat,  he  served  two  terms  under 
the  administration  of  President  Grant.  Moving 
from  there  to  Tennessee  in  1877,  he  resumed 
his  mechanical  labors,  and  for  nine  years  was  in 
the  employ  of  the  Louisville  and  Nashville  Rail- 
road Company  as  a  bridge  builder. 

Coming  to  California  in  1886,  Mr.  Meigs  en- 
gaged in  bridge  building  in  Los  Angeles  county, 
and  when  the  boom  was  on  in  Los  Angeles  car- 
ried on  an  extensive  and  lucrative  business  in 
real  estate,  buying  and  selling  freely.  He  sub- 
sequently engaged  in  the  nursery  business  there 
for  a  few  years,  and  at  the  same  time  was  prom- 
inent in  public  affairs,  serving  a  number  of 
terms  as  deputy  county  and  city  assessor.  In 
1899  he  established  himself  in  Ocean  Park,  be- 
coming the  pioneer  real  estate  dealer  of  this 
place,  as  such  being  active  and  prominent  in  its 
development.  In  1902  he  was  appointed  post- 
master by  President  Roosevelt,  and  has  served  in 
this  capacity  since  November  of  that  year. 

In  Fond  du  Lac,  \\"is..  Mr.  Meigs  married 
Mary  P.  Davis,  and  into  their  household  four 
children  have  been  born,  namely :  Nellie  A. ; 
Bert  H. ;  Julia,  wife  of  Linn  McKinstry,  of 
Minneapolis,  Minn. ;  and  Ernest.  Politically, 
Mr.  Meigs  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for 
lohn  C.  Fremont,  and  has  since  been  an  earnest 
supporter  of  the  Republican  party.  Fraternally 
he  is  an  Odd  Fellow,  and  belongs  to  Kenesaw 
Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Los  Angeles. 


HENRY  F.  FRYER.  When  .Air.  Fryer 
purchased  the  ten-acre  ranch  on  which  he  now 
lives  near  Pomona  he  set  it  out  to  apricot 
trees,  but  these  were  later  replaced  by  walnut 
trees.  A  native  son  of  the  state,  he  was  born 
January  4,  1855.  at  El  Monte,  Los  Angeles 
county,  and  is  a  son  of  Rev.  R.  C.  and  Caro- 
line (Veazey)  Fryer.  The  father  was  born  in 
Alabama  in  1821.  When  he  was  eighteen 
years  old  he  made  his  first  removal  toward 
the  west,  at  that  time  going  to  Conway  county, 
Ark,,  and  settling  on  a  farm.  It  was  about 
this  time,  too,  that  he  formed  domestic  ties 
by  his  marriage  with  JNIiss  Caroline  Veazey, 
the  ceremony  being  performed  in  Alabama  in 
1839.  Thirteen  years  later  Mr.  Fryer  con- 
tinued his  westward  journey,  coming  over  the 
plains  behind  slow-plodding  ox-teams,  having 
taken  the  southern  route,  which  brought  him 
to  Los  A.ngeles  county.  Pleased  with  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  country  he  purchased  a  ranch 
in  the  vicinity  of  what  is  now  El  ^lonte  and 
settled  down  to  the  life  which  he  had  ahvavs 


followed.  He  had  from  early  years  been  a 
man  of  deep  religious  convictions,  and  it  was 
while  on  his  ranch  near  El  Monte  that  he  re- 
ceived the  call  to  prepare  for  special  service 
in  the  Masters  vineyard.  In  1854  he  was  or- 
dained a  minister  in  the  Baptist  faith,  he  being 
the  first  minister  of  this  denomination  or- 
dained in  Southern  California.  For  many 
years  he  devoted  his  time  exclusively  to  the 
missionary  field  m  the  southern  part  of  the 
state,  and  in  fact  the  remainder  of  his  life  was 
spent  here.  In  1867  he  purchased  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  acres  of  land  near  Spadra,  upon 
which  he  made  his  home  until  1888,  when  he 
removed  to  Los  Angeles,  his  death  occurring 
in  that  city  the  following  year,  when  he  was 
in  his  sixty-ninth  year.  Some  time  after  the 
death  of  his  first  wife  Mr.  Fryer  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Mrs.  Mattie  ]\Iaston,  and  since 
the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Fryer  has  con- 
tinued to  make  her  home  in  Los  Angeles.  Fra- 
ternally Mr.  Fryer  was  a  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic Lodge,  and  was  at  one  time  master  of 
El  Monte  Lodge  and  also  of  Pomona  Lodge. 
After  removing  to  Spadra,  in  1870,  he  was 
elected  on  the  Democratic  ticket  to  represent 
his  constituents  in  the  state  assembly,  besides 
which  he  filled  many  lesser  offices  within  the 
gift  of  his  fellow-citizens,  among  them  school 
trustee.  A  man  of  considerable  ability  and 
prominence,  he  Avielded  a  broad  influence  for 
good  wherever  he  was  placed  and  all  who 
were  associated  with  him  in  the  pioneer  days 
revere  his  memory.  Born  of  his  first  marriage 
were  eleven  children,  but  of  this  number  only 
six  are  now  living. 

It  was  after  the  removal  of  the  family  to 
California  that  Henry  F.  Fryer  was  born,  his 
birth  occurring  in  El  jNIonte,  Los  Angeles 
countv.  January  4,  1855.  Such  educational 
advantages  as  the  schools  of  that  locality  had 
to  offer  Avere  his.  and  of  these  he  made  the 
most,  thus  giving  him  a  foundation  upon 
which  to  build  in  later  3rears  by  reading  and 
observation.  Lentil  twenty-three  years  he  re- 
mained at  home  with  his  parents,  and  then 
started  out  on  his  own  behalf  by  renting  a 
ranch  near  El  Monte.  Some  time  later  he 
gave  this  up  and  w^ent  to  Spadra,  same  county, 
where  he  was  married  to  Miss  Ella  ]M.  Arnett, 
a  native  of  Mendocino  county  and  a  daughter 
of  Robert  S.  Arnett,  the  latter  coming  of  a 
familv  well  known  in  the  south.  (For  a  more 
detailed  account  of  the  family,  refer  to  the 
sketch  of  Robert  S.  Arnett,  found  elsewhere 
in  this  volume.)  Soon  after  his  marriage  ^Ir. 
Fryer  returned  to  El  ]\Ionte  and  resumed  ag- 
ricultural life,  renting  a  ranch  upon  which  he 
lived  for  about  three  years.  It  was  in  1882 
that  he  came  to  the  vicinitv  of  Pomona  and 


^o.A^<- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1659 


took  up  ranching:,  and  since  1892  he  had  made 
his  home  on  the  ranch  which  he  now  occu- 
pies, comprising  ten  acres  of  as  fine  land  as  is 
to  be  found  in  the  county.  When  it  came  into 
his  possession  it  was  bare  land,  but  he  set  out 
apricots  and  for  a  time  continued  to  raise  this 
commodity,  but  believing  better  returns  would 
be  forthcoming  if  the  land  was  planted  to 
walnuts  he  had  the  apricot  trees  taken  up  and 
walnuts  set  out  in  their  place. 

One  son  blessed  the  marriage  of  J\fr.  and 
Mrs.  Fryer,  Wallace  F.,  who  married  Miss 
Grace  Bottsford,  who  was  born  in  Pomona. 
Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  F.  Fryer  are  members 
of  the  Baptist  Church.  Politically  Mr.  Fryer 
is  a  believer  in  Democratic  principles,  and  fra- 
ternally he  holds  membership  in  the  Fraternal 
Aid. 


REV.  GEORGE  D.  STEVENS.  As  an  in- 
structor of  youth  in  his  early  manhood  and  as 
a  minister  of  the  Gospel  in  his  mature  years.  Rev. 
Mr.  Stevens  filled  a  sphere  of  distinct  usefulness 
in  the  localities  whither  duty  called  him,  and  as 
he  looks  back  over  the  past  he  may  gather  en- 
couragement and  happiness  from  the  thought 
that  the  days  of  his  greatest  physical  and  men- 
tal activity  were  given  to  the  spiritual  and  edu- 
cational upbuilding  of  the  race.  In  the  quiet 
routine  of  his  self-sacrificing  labors,  helping  the 
needy,  encouraging  the  despondent,  uplifting  the 
fallen,  teaching  the  erring  and  ignorant,  he  pass- 
ed from  the  morning  of  life  to  its  evening  twilight 
calm,  yet  he  has  not  allowed  his  activities  to  be 
diminished,  having  merely  changed  their  form 
of  F.ervice.  Since  coming  to  California  on  his 
retirement  from  the  ministry  he  has  made  his 
home  in  San  Diego  county,  and  is  now  a  leading 
citizen  of  Bonsall,  where  he  has  officiated  as 
postmaster,  has  served  as  notary  public,  has  acted 
as  telephone  agent  and  during  the  entire  period 
since  1893  has  been  proprietor  of  a  general  mer- 
cantile store. 

Farlv  in  the  colonization  of  Massachusetts  the 
Stevens  familv  became  identifitVl  with  its  pioneers 
and  some  of  that  name  moved  to  Maine  while  it 
was  still  a  district  of  the  old  Bay  state.  Thomas 
and  Mahala  (Bartlett)  Stevens  were  natives  of 
Maine,  the  latter  l>eing  a  descendant  of  a  noble 
and  wealthv  familv  of  England.  In  addition  to 
engaging  in  agricultural  pursuits.  Thomas 
Stevens  followed  the  trades  of  carpenter  and  har- 
ness-maker. Prominent  in  local  affairs,  he  filled 
practicallv  all  of  the  offices  of  his  township.  Jn 
earlv  life  he  was  a  believer  in  Democratic  prin- 
ciples as  enunciated  bv  Andrew  Jackson,  but 
when  the  slaverv  ouestion  became  the  most  se- 
rious problem  confronting  the  nation  he  changed 
his  affiliations  to  the  Reiniblican  partv.  for  he  was 


a  thorough-going  abolitionist  in  sentiment.  His 
father,  Daniel,  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier  and 
he  himself  possessed  the  military  instincts,  but 
the  age  limit  prevented  him  from  enlisting  in  the 
Civil  war.  In  religious  faith  both  he  and  his  wife 
were  Baptists  and  devoted  to  the  progress  of  that 
denomination.  After  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  Maine  at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years,  his  widow 
went  to  Wisconsin  and  there  died  when  sixty- 
eight  years  old. 

In  the  family  of  Thomas  Stevens  there  were 
seven  children,  and  of  these  four  sons  are  now 
living,  among  them  being  George  D.,  who  was 
born  at  South  Paris,  Oxford  county.  Me.,  Sep- 
tember 5,  1836,  and  received  excellent  educa- 
tional advantages  in  the  schools  of  the  state. 
After  a  preparatory  course  of  study  in  Hebron 
Academy  he  matriculated  in  Waterville  College 
and  remained  a  student  in  that  institution  until 
he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1863.  Imme- 
diately after  completing  his  college  course  he 
took  up  the  work  of  teaching,  spending  a  few 
months  in  that  occupation  in  New  York,  after 
which  he  removed  to  Wisconsin  and  for  seven 
years  acted  as  principal  of  the  Richland  Center 
public  schools.  In  addition  he  was  honored  with 
the  office  of  county  superintendent  of  schools  of 
Richland  county,  to  which  position  he  was  elected 
on  the  Republican  ticket.  The  work  of  an  edu- 
cator was  relinquished  for  the  duties  attendant 
upon  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  and  for  twenty- 
six  years  he  was  a  patient,  resourceful  and 
faithful  preacher  in  the  Baptist  denomination, 
holding  a  number  of  important  pastorates  in  Wis- 
consinand  accomplishing  much  for  the  upbuild- 
ing of  the  denomination  and  the  cause  of  Qirist- 
ianitv.  Shortly  after  he  had  started  out  to  make 
his  own  wav  in  the  world  he  established  domestic 
ties,  being  united  with  Miss  Helen  Wing  in  1865 
and  some^  years  after  her  death  he  married  again, 
in  1894  being  united  with  Mrs.  Linda  (Wing) 
Stevens,  a  native  of  Somerset  county.  Me.,  and 
like  himself  a  faithful  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church. 


THOMAS  SCHULYER  INGHAM.  Al- 
though far  removed  from  the  scene  of  his 
birth  and  early  training  Mr.  Ingham  is,  to 
all  intents  and  purposes,  a  native  Californian, 
his  residence  in  the  state  dating  from  the  year 
1870,  December  of  that  years  witnessing  the 
removal  of  his  parents  from  the  more  thickly 
settled  east  to  the  broad  and  promising  west. 
Born  December  12.  1855,  '''^  '*^  ^  ^on  of  War- 
ren R.  and  Sarah  Louise  '(Schuyler)  Ingham, 
the  latter  still  living  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
nine  years.  The  death  of  the  father,  Alay  19, 
1905.  closed  a  long  and  useful  career  of  eighty- 
three  years.     Upon  coining  to  the  west  in  1870 


1660 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


he  first  located  in  Santa  Barbara  county,  but 
the  following  year  he  came  to  San  Bernardino 
county,  and  shortly  afterward  took  np  land 
trom  the  government  in  section  33,  the  same 
now  being  the  site  of  the  thriving  village  of 
Highland.  His  waving  fields  of  barley,  to 
which  his  land  was  first  planted,  in  time  gave 
place  to  the  cultivation  of  oranges,  a  decided 
innovation  in  this  locality,  for  to  him  is  cred- 
ited the  planting  of  the  first  orange  grove  in 
the  vicinity  of  Highland. 

While  still  an  infant  Thomas  S.  Ingham 
was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Lockport,  Ni- 
agara county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  educated 
and  v/here  he  received  his  initiation  into  the 
world  of  business.  Some  time  after  coming 
to  the  west  with  his  parents  he  engaged  in  the 
nursery  business  on  land  which  is  now  in- 
cluded in  the  corporate  limits  of  Highland. 
After  making  his  home  in  Los  Angeles  for 
several  j^ears  he  returned  in  1900  and  pur- 
chased the  property  upon  Avhich  he  now  re- 
sides, consisting  of  fifty  acres,  thirty  acres  in 
wine  grapes,  eight  in  oranges  and  four  ;n  al- 
falfa, the  remainder  being  in  other  fruits.  The 
previous  owner  had  not  been  especiall)-  suc- 
cessful in  his  ranching  efiforts,  as  was  evi- 
denced in  the  dilapidated  condition  of  the 
ranch  when  Mr.  Ingham  assumed  its  control. 
His  pioneer  efiforts  in  the  matter  of  irrigation 
have  practically  been  the  making  of  the  town, 
and  as  the  father  of  irrigation  he  bears  the 
esteem  of  its  grateful  citizens.  His  first  at- 
tempt dates  back  to  the  year  1887,  before  the 
panic,  and  as  early  as  1884  he  raised  grain  on 
ground  where  now  stands  the  depot  and  busi- 
ness portion  of  the  town.  While  in  the  nurs- 
ery business  during  this  time  he  sold  over 
$200,000  worth  of  orange  trees  in  one  year, 
but  as  has  been  previously  stated  a  turn  in 
the  tide  followed  and  resulted  in  the  loss  of 
his  business.  Once  more,  however,  he  is  on 
the  high  road  to  success,  and  is  conceded  to 
be  one  of  the  most  prosperous  ranchers  in  San 
Bernardino  countv. 


LEWIS  NATHANIEL  SMITH.  Very 
early  in  the  colonial  history  of  America  the 
Smith  family  came  from  England  and  estab- 
lished the  name  in  New  England,  and  the  rec- 
ords state  that  the  great-great-grandfather  of 
L.  N.  Smith,  Caleb  Smith,  was  born  in  Need- 
ham,  Mass.,  and  followed  fanning  in  that  state 
throughout  his  active  years.  Among  his  chil- 
dren was  a  son  Barak,  who  was  born  in  Ded- 
ham,  Mass.,  in  1755.  The  next  in  line  of  de- 
scent was  Jabez.  who  was  born  in  Dover, 
Mass.,  was  subsequentlv  in  Connecticut  for  a 
time,   and  still   later  established  the  familv  in 


Verm.ont,  which  was  then  practically  a  new 
country,  and  he  made  his  way  to  his  destina- 
tion in  Windham  county  by  means  of  ox- 
teams,  blazing  a  path  through  the  forests.  It 
was  while  the  family  were  residing  in  Connec- 
ticut that  Reuel  Smith  was  born  near  Ash- 
ford,  that  state,  and  he  was  still  quite  young 
when  his  parents  established  the  family  home 
in  the  Vermont  wilderness.  Near  Wilming- 
ton, that  state,  he  improved  a  fine  farm  from 
the  heavy  forest  covered  land  and  made  his 
home  thereon  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He 
died  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years,  cheered 
and  upheld  by  his  faith  in  the  Christian  re- 
ligion, having  been  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Congregational  Church  for  many  years. 
During  his  young  manhood  he  chose  as  his 
life  companion  Lucinda  Adams,  who  was  born 
in  Vermont,  the  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Adams, 
the  latter  being  a  native  of  Ashburnham, 
Mass.,  and  a  pioneer  farmer  in  Vermont.  The 
mother  also  died  on  the  Vermont  homestead, 
and  of  the  four  children  born  to  her  two  are 
now  living,  Lewis  N.  and  F.  R.,  the  latter  a 
farmer  near  Wilmington,  Vt.  One  son,  Will- 
iam H.,  participated  in  the  Civil  war  as  a 
member  of  the  Eighth  Vermont  Regiment, 
being  made  captain  of  his  company.  He  was 
wounded  a  number  of  times  during  Sheridan's 
raid  and  the  battle  of  New  Orleans,  and  as  a 
result  his  death  occurred  soon  afterward  in 
Chicago,  111. 

The  youngest  of  the  four  children  in  the 
parental  family  was  Lewis  Nathaniel  Smith, 
who  was  born  on  the  family  homestead  near 
Wilmington,  AVindham  county,  Vt.,  October 
10,  1840.  Brought  up  to  an  intimate  .knowl- 
edge of  farm  duties,  until  nineteen  years  of 
age  he  was  an  invaluable  assistant  to  his 
father,  and  in  the  meantime  he  had  attended 
the  district  school  and  also  taken  a  course  in 
Leland  Gray  Academy,  in  Townshend,  Vt. 
His  experience  thus  far  had  taught  him  that 
his  tastes  did  not  lie  in  the  direction  of  a'gri- 
culture  and  when  nineteen  years  old  he  took 
a  position  in  a  general  store  in  Newfane,  Vt., 
with  the  idea  of  learning  the  business.  After 
remaining  six  months  with  his  employer  in 
that  place  he  went  to  Chicopee,  Mass..  and 
later  to  Springfield,  that  state,  in  both  of 
which  places  he  continued  his  interest  in  the 
dry  goods  business.  An  interruption  came 
into  his  life  during  1862-63,  during  which  time 
he  had  enlisted  in  the  army,  but  he  was  re- 
iected  on  account  of  his  height.  Thereafter 
he  removed  to  Troy,  N.  Y.,  where,  from  1864 
until  1873,  he  engaged  in  the  dry  goods  busi- 
ness, in  the  latter  year  removing  to  Worcester, 
Mass.,  and  continuing  in  the  same  line  of 
business  for  one  year.     For  eight  years  there- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1661 


after  he  carried  on  a  grocery  business  in  the 
same  location,  and  at  the  same  time  handled 
and  improved  considerable  real  estate,  finally 
disposing  of  his  grocery  in  order  to  devote  his 
entire  time  to  the  real  estate  business. 

It  was  in  1898  that  Lewis  N.  Smith  severed 
his  connection  with  the  east,  so  long  his  own 
home  as  well  as  many  generations  of  the  fam- 
ily, and  established  himself  in  California,  in 
November  of  the  same  year  locating  in  Po- 
mona. He  purchased  a  ranch  on  San  Antonio 
and  Central  avenues,  upon  which  he  made  a 
specialty  of  raising  oranges  for  about  three 
years,  selling  his  ranch  at  the  end  of  that  time 
and  purchasing  his  present  property  in  Clare- 
mont,  on  Central  avenue.  Here  he  owns  fif- 
teen acres,  twelve  of  which  are  in  oranges  and 
three  in  lemons,  and  in  1902  he  erected  the 
family  residence  on  the  corner  of  College  ave- 
nue and  Seventh  street.  The  ranch  has  an 
excellent  location,  being  a  part  of  the  Loop 
tract,  and  is  irrigated  from  the  San  Antonio 
canon.  The  organization  of  the  Citizens' 
Light  and  Water  Company  of  Claremont.  in 
1903,  was  largely  the  work  of  Mr.  Smith,  who 
from  the  first  was  a  director  in  the  company. 
From  1904  until  January.  1907,  he  was  its 
president  and  manager,  and  since  that  date  has 
been  its  secretary  and  manager.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Southern  California  Fruit 
Exchange,  and  is  president  of  Claremont  Cit- 
rus Lnion,  which  is  a  branch  of  the  former 
organization.  Other  enterprises  in  the  town 
outside  of  horticultural  interests  also  benefit 
by  his  broad  knowledge  and  keen  insight, 
among  which  are  the  Claremont  Lumber  Com- 
pany, of  which  he  is  president,  and  the  State 
Bank  of  Claremont.  of  which  he  was  one  of 
the  organizers  and  is  now  a  director.  He  is 
also  amember  of  the  board  of  selectmen  of 
Claremont.  He  finds  his  religious  home  in 
the  Congregational  Qiurch,  in  which  he  is  an 
active  worker  as  he  is  in  everything  else  to 
which  he  lends  his  name  and  influence.  Since 
1903  he  has  served  as  treasurer  of  the  church. 
He  was  made  a  Mason  in  Chicopee  (Mass.) 
Lodge,  and  subsequently  transferred  his  mem- 
bership to  Athelstan  Lodge,  Worcester,  that 
state,  and  also  belongs  to  the  chapter  in  that 
city.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch  supporter  of 
Republican  principles. 

Mr.  Smith's  marriage,  March  14,  1866, 
united  him  with  Miss  Elizabeth  W.  Wood, 
the  ceremonv  being  performed  in  Worcester, 
Mass.  The  Wood  family  is  one  whose  history 
can  be  traced  to  the  early  settlement  of  New 
England,  the  immigrant  of  the  familv,  Thomas 
Wood,  leaving  his  native  England  in  1654,  at 
the  age  of  twentv.  and  establishing  the  family 
in    Massachusetts.      Great-grandfather   De.xter 


Wood  was  a  native  of  Uxbridge,  Mass.,  and 
from  there  enlisted  his  services  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.  His  son  Samuel  was  also  born 
in  Uxbridge,  and  throughout  his  active  years 
carried  on  farming  in  that  vicinity;  his  wife, 
before  her  marriage,  was  Rachel  Albee. 
Among  the  children  born  to  Samuel  and  Ra- 
chel Wood  was  Amos  Wood,  he  too  being  a 
native  of  U.xbridge,  where  he  followed  the 
builder's  trade  throughout  his  active  years. 
His  marriage  to  Miss  Rozetta  Storrs  united 
two  old  colonial  families,  and  Mrs.  Smith's 
maternal  great-grandfather.  Major  Joseph 
Storrs,  fought  valiantly  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  He  also  donated  one  hundred  and  ten 
acres  to  Dartmouth  College,  in  Hanover,  N. 
H.  Mrs.  Smith's  maternal  grandfather,  Rev. 
William  Storrs,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  was  a 
graduate  of  Dartmouth  College,  receiving  his 
diploma  in  1788.  As  a  minister  in  the  Con- 
gregational denomination  he  served  as  pastor 
of  the  congregation  at  Westford,  Conn.,  for 
about  thirty  years  and  for  a  time  was  also 
chaplain  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  His  wife 
was  formerly  Abigail  Hovey.  Two  children 
were  born  to  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lewis  N.  Smith.  The  son,  William  Lewis 
Smith,  who  is  a  graduate  of  Worcester  Poly- 
technic Institute,  is  now  assistant  city  en- 
gineer in  Worcester;  and  the  daughter,  Mary 
E.,  died  in  infancv. 


CHESTER  B.  LOOMIS.  When  a  man  with 
mechanical  talents  secures  not  only  a  thorough 
general  education,  but  all  of  the  scientific  train- 
ing available  at  the  best  engineering  schools  in 
the  United  States,  he  is  in  a  position  to  make 
rapid  strides  in  his  profession  when  he  pursues 
it  on  practical  lines.  Chester  B.  Loomis.  who  is 
superintending  engineer  of  the  Abbot  Kinney 
Company  at  Venice,  Cal..  was  born  at  Three  Riv- 
ers, Mich.,  a  son  of  Elisha  and  Lucy  (Brown) 
Loomis,  the  former  a  native  of  New  York  and 
the  latter  of  Ohio.  The  father  went  to  Ypsilanti 
when  a  voung  man  and  studied  under  some  of 
the  best  railroad  engineers,  and  followed  that  oc- 
cupation for  many  years.  Later  he  became  a 
merchant  in  Ypsilanti.  where  he  and  his  wife  are 
now  living. 

The  preliminary  education  of  Chester  B. 
Loomis  was  received  in  the  Ypsilanti  public 
schools  and  after  completing  his  work  there  he 
entered  the  engineering  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan,  graduating  with  the  degree 
of  B.  S.  As  he  had  previously  had  some  years 
of  practical  work  in  engineering  lines  he  made 
rapid  strides  in  his  profession  after  his  gradua- 
tion  from  college.     His  first  position  was  with 


1662 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  Western  Electric  Company  of  Chicago,  then 
he  became  a  draughtsman  and  made  estimates 
for  the  Brooks  Locomotive  Works  at  Dunkirk,  N. 
Y.,  after  which  he  went  to  Sparrows  Point,  Md., 
being  employed  as  erecting  engineer  and  assist- 
ant chief  engineer  for  the  Maryland  Steel  Com- 
pany. Following  this  he  accepted  the  position  as 
chief  engineer  for  the  Rockhill  Furnace  Com- 
pany at  Rockhill  Furnace,  Pa.  Resigning  from 
this  place  Mr.  Loomis  came  to  San  Francisco  and 
became  draughtsman  and  estimate  man  at  the 
Union  Iron  Works  of  that  city.  His  first  posi- 
tion in  Los  Angeles  was  with  the  Edison  Elec- 
tric Company,  which  place  he  continued  to  oc- 
cupy as  their  engineer  until  he  became  superin- 
tending engineer  for  the  Short  Line  Beach  Com- 
pany. After  finishing  their  construction  work  he 
accepted  his  present  position. 

Mr.  Loomis  is  a  thoroughly  educated  man  and 
an  expert  engineer,  and  in  all  of  his  business  un- 
dertakings he  has  met  with  remarkable  success. 
His  devotion  to  his  work  does  not  prevent  him 
from  taking  an  active  interest  in  matters  of  pub- 
lic import  and  he  is  recognized  as  a  public  spirit- 
ed citizen,  who  is  ready  to  lend  a  hand  in  every 
progressive  enterprise.  His  marriage  to  Miss 
B.  ll.  Burck,  a  native  of  Texas,  occurred  in  Los 
Angeles. 


HOWARD  L.  SEYMOUR.  The  planing 
mill  industry  of  Southern  California  has  had  in 
Mr.  Seymour  one  of  its  most  enterprising  ad- 
vocates, his  thorough  knowledge  of  the  business 
and  his  splendid  mechanical  ability  having  mate- 
rially augmented  his  success  in  this  line.  With 
his  brother,  J.  E.,  he  is  located  in  Redlands  and 
under  the  firm  name  of  Seymour  Brothers  is 
conducting  an  extensive  enterprise,  which  in  its 
employment  of  men  and  its  output  of  product 
has  proven  one  of  the  upbuilding  factors  of  the 
city  and  surrounding  country.  A  native  of 
Oneonta,  Otsego  county,  N.  Y.,  he  was  born 
January  26,  1849,  being  a  son  of  Elias  Chidsey 
and  Lucy  (Loveland)  Seymour,  both  natives 
of  Delaware  county,  same  state.  The  father  was 
born  in  February,  1815,  and  in  young  manhood 
learned  the  trade  of  cabinet  maker.  In  1852 
he  removed  to  Pennsylvania,  following  a  similar 
enterprise,  and  finally  locating  in  Bradford  coun- 
ty, in  the  town  of  Tro\',  he  combined  with  it 
the  work  of  undertaker  and  also  established  a 
planing  mill.  He  is  now  a  resident  of  Athens, 
Pa.,  being  in  his  ninety-second  year.  His  wife 
died  in  Pennsylvania  some  years  since.  They 
had  six  children,  namely :  J.  E.,  who  served  in 
the  First  New  York  Veteran  Cavalry  during  the 
Civil  war,  and  is  now  engaged  with  his  brother 
in  Redlands :  Frances  N.,  Mrs.  Mettler,  of  Wash- 
ington ;  E.  C,  who  served  in  the  Civil  war  and  is 


now  located  in  Highland,  Cal. ;  H.  L.,  of  this 
review ;  Lucy,  Mrs.  Newman  of  Athens,  Pa. ; 
and  Josephine,  Mrs.  Baker,  of  Canton,  Pa. 

Howard  L.  Seymour  was  reared  in  Bradford 
county.  Pa.,  from  three  years  of  age,  and  edu- 
cated in  its  common  schools  and  the  Troy  Acad- 
emy. He  learned  the  trade  of  cabinet  maker 
and  the  planing  mill  business,  working  as  en- 
gineer from  young  manhood,  having  been  in  the 
shops  from  the  age  of  fourteen  years.  He  re- 
mained with  liis  father  until  he  was  twenty-six, 
when  he  went  to  Elmira,  N.  Y.,  spent  five  years 
there  and  then  came  to  Southern  California  and 
in  San  Bernardino  valley  engaged  in  the  plan- 
ing mill  business  for  Lenville  &  Son,  and  J.  J. 
Whitney,  and  also  established  an  independent  en- 
terprise under  the  firm  name  of  Pratt  &  Sey- 
mour. L^pon  the  founding  of  Redlands  he  estab- 
lished the  first  planing  mill  in  partnership  with 
Al  Pratt,  the  firm  being  Pratt  &  Seymour.  They 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber  for  six 
months  when  Mr.  Pratt  purchased  the  entire 
interest,  and  six  months  later  Mr.  Seymour 
established  another  enterprise  in  partnership  with 
his  brother,  J.  E.  Seymour.  The  latter  was  born 
in  Bainbridge,  N.  Y.,  and  in  that  place  learned 
the  trade  of  cabinet  maker.  His  work  was  in- 
terrupted by  the  call  to  arms  in  1861,  when  he 
enlisted  as  a  musician  in  the  Twenty-seventh 
Regiment  New  York  Infantry,  and  served  in 
the  Civil  war  until  the  mustering  out  of  all 
musicians.  In  1863  he  served  in  the  Twenty- 
sixth  Pennsylvania  Emergency  Regiment ;  in  the 
fall  of  that  year  he  entered  the  First  New  York 
^'eteran  Cavalry  as  quartermaster  sergeant,  and 
was  located  in  the  Shenandoah  valley  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  He  received  a  wound  at  Wood- 
stock, A^a.,  but  was  not  long  from  the  field. 
After  returning  to  civic  life  he  engaged  in  the 
milling  business  in  the  east  until  1887,  when  he 
came  to  California,  locating  first  in  San  Ber- 
nardino and  a  year  later  in  Redlands,  where  he 
has  since  been  engaged  with  his  brother  in  the 
planing  mill  business.  His  marriage  occurred 
in  Canton,  Pa.,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Martha 
Newman,  who  was  born  in  the  Wyoming  val- 
ley. Pa.,  and  they  have  two  children,  Carl,  of 
Redlands,  and  Emma,  wife  of  F.  Cryor.  of  Los 
Ang-eles. 

The  Seymour  Brothers  built  the  second  plan- 
ing mill  in  Redlands  in  1888,  it  being  then  a  very 
small  affair  about  16x20  feet  in  dimensions,  and 
since  that  time  they  have  enlarged  the  enterprise, 
putting  up  a  building  80x100  feet,  two  stories 
in  height,  and  fully  equipped  with  all  modern 
methods — electric  and  steam  power,  etc., — the 
greater  part  of  the  wooden  machinery  being  their 
own  inventions.  They  have  carried  on  the 
greater  part  of  the  business  of  the  city  for  many 


^^^^  (A,£jjryyL^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1665 


years  and  are  named  among  the  strongest  up- 
building factors  of  the  industries  of  the  section. 
Mr.  Seymour  was  married  in  Elmira,  New  York, 
to  Miss  OHve  Merrill,  a  native  of  Rockford,  III. 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  the  following 
children:  Sylva,  Mrs.  Everett,  of  San  Bernar"^ 
dino;  Nellie,  Mrs.  Rulin,  of  San  Pedro;  Grace, 
Mrs.  Kinzel,  of  East  San  Pedro:  Olive,  Mrs. 
Rulin,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  Etta,  Rubv.  Pearl 
and  Byron  at  home.  Their  home  is 'in  San 
Bernardmo.  Mrs.  Seymour  is  a  member  of  the 
Seventh  Day  Adventist  Church,  and  their  sup- 
port is  liberally  given  to  its  charities.  In  politics 
Mr.  Seymour  is  a  stanch  advocate  of  the  princi- 
ples embraced  in  the  platform  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party. 


JOHN  D.  STONE.  Southern  lineage  reach- 
ing back  to  the  early  settlement  of  our  country- 
is  represented  in  the  genealogy  of  the  Stone 
family,  whose  members  were  intimately  asso- 
ciated with  the  development  of  Kentucky  during 
the  nineteenth  century.  Coleman  D.  Stone,  who 
was  born  and  reared  in  the  Blue  Grass  state,  be- 
came an  early  settler  of  Missouri,  moving  there 
at  a  period  when  land  was  cheap,  settlers  few 
and  the  surroundings  those  of  the  frontier.  Aft- 
er establishing  his  home  in  the  midst  of  such 
environments  he  met  and  married  Louise 
Keithly,  a  native  of  that  state,  and  they  contin- 
ued to  reside  there  during  the  remainder  of  their 
lives.  Her  death  occurred  in  1878,  at  the  age  of 
sixty  and  two  years  later  he  passed  away  at  the 
age  of  seventy-four.  While  they  were  living  in 
Monroe  county.  Mo.,  their  son,  John  D.,  was 
born  in  1841,  and  in  that  section  of  the  state  he 
passed  the  years  of  youth.  The  first  experience 
he  had  of  the  world  outside  of  his  home  locality 
was  gained  by  the  journey  across  the  plains  to 
California  in  1863,  when  he  traveled  via  team 
and  wagon  with  a  party  of  emigrants,  bringing 
four  hundred  head  of  mules  and  fifty  head  of 
horses. 

After  a  tedious  but  uneventful  journey  of  six- 
ty-one days  the  party  landed  at  Sacramento  in 
June  of  1863,  and  soon  afterward  Mr.  Stone  se- 
cured employment  as  a  farm  hand.  During  the 
same  year  he  went  to  Nevada  and  began  to  op- 
erate a  stage  line,  which  he  continued  for  six 
years,  and  then  worked  in  the  quartz  mills  on 
the  Carson  river.  Returning  to  ]\Iissouri  in 
1869.  he  visited  old  friends  for  a  time,  and  then 
spent  a  few  years  in  the  Indian  Territory  and 
Texas.  It  was  not  until  1882  that  he  returned 
to  California,  at  which  time  he  settled  in  San 
Diego,  being  led  to  come  hither  in  the  hope  that 
the  equable  climate  might  prove  beneficial  to  his 
failing  health.  Not  only  was  this  hope  gratified 
in  the  realization  of  restored  health,  but  in  addi- 


tion he  has  prosperously  engaged  in  ranch  pur- 
suits and  has  acquired  a  fine  ranch  of  four  hun- 
dred and  one  acres  near  Mesa  Grande.  Almost 
ever  since  coming  to  this  locality  he  has  officiated 
as  school  trustee  and  his  services  have  been  help- 
ful in  the  development  of  a  satisfactory  free- 
school  system. 

After  his  return  from  California  to  his  old 
Missouri  home  Mr.  Stone  married  Miss  Lucv 
H.  Leach,  who  was  born  and  educated  in  Mis- 
souri and  with  whom  he  had  been  acquainted 
prior  to  his  first  trip  to  the  west.  It  was  in 
1870  that  they  established  a  home  of  their  own 
and  twelve  years  later  they  became  residents  of 
California,  buying  the  ranch  they  now  occupy. 
They  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  namely: 
Carrie  Belle,  wife  of  Cleason  Ambler,  who  re- 
sides in  Mesa  Grande ;  James  H.,  also  living  in 
Mesa  Grande ;  Imogene,  a  student  in  the  San 
Diego  Normal  School;  and  Arthur  G.,  the 
youngest  of  the  family,  who  is  yet  at  home  with 
his  parents  on  the  ranch  and  assists  in  the  su- 
pervision and  care  of  the  place.  Habits  of  close 
observation,  wide  travels  and  much  reading  have 
given  Mr.  Stone  a  broad  fund  of  information 
upon  all  subjects  of  general  importance  and  he 
has  formed  decided  opinions  upon  questions  per- 
taining to  the  general  welfare,  being  politically 
an  adherent  of  the  Socialistic  party  and  a  firm 
believer  in  the  doctrines  of  socialism. 


SHASTA  AUGUSTUS  TRIPP.  A  ro- 
mantic interest  centers  about  the  name  and 
fortunes  of  the  Tripp  family  of  Riverside 
county,  for  it  was  on  the  ranch  owned  by  a 
member  of  the  family  that  the  scene  for  the 
famous  novel  of  Helen  Hunt  Jackson  was  laid, 
the  goats  mentioned  in  the  story  belonging  to 
the  subject  of  this  review,  whose  father  fig- 
ured as  Judge  Wells  in  the  book.  The  name 
was  established  in  Southern  California  at  an 
early  date  in  the  history  of  the  state,  the  father 
of  the  present  generation,  S.  V.  Tripp,  having 
located  here  in  t86o  and  ever  afterward  proved 
himself  an  important  factor  in  the  upbuilding 
and  development  of  this  section  of  the  coun- 
try. For  full  particulars  concerning  his  life 
refer  to  his  biogra])hy%  which  appears  on  an- 
other page  of  this  volume. 

Shasta  Augustus  Tripp,  the  subject  of  this 
review,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Los  Angeles, 
December  22,  i8s7:  the  family^  fortunes  being 
located  in  San  Bernardino  county  three  years 
later,  his  education  was  received  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  that  place.  In  young  man- 
hood he  was  apprenticed  to  learn  the  trade  of 
blacksmith,  and  this  occupation,  combined 
with   bricklaying   fwhich   he  learned   with   his 


1666 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


father),  has  continued  his  principal  employ- 
ment up  to  the  present  time.  He  has  been 
successful  in  his  work  and  has  built  up  a  repu- 
tation for  excellence  in  his  line,  both  in  River- 
side and  San  Diego  counties,  having  spent 
considerable  time  in  the  latter  section.  His 
home  is  now  located  in  San  Jacinto  and  is  pre- 
sided over  by  his  wife,  formerly  Miss  Viola 
Covington ;  they  are  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren, namely :  Alay  Etna,  who  married  W.  E. 
Simpson  and  has  one  son,  Joseph  Augustus; 
William  C.  and  Charles  H.,  twins ;  Lillie, 
Maude,  Effie,  Jesse  H,  and  Frederick  J.  JNIr. 
Tripp  is  held  in  high  esteem  for  the  qualities 
of  manhood  which  have  been  demonstrated 
throughout  his  long  residence  in  this  section, 
appreciated  for  his  helpful  characteristics  in 
both  private  and  public  life,  for  he  is  a  citizen 
who  may  always  be  depended  upon  to  support 
the  best  interests  of  the  community,  state  or 
nation. 


CHESTER  G.  ARNOLD.  One  of  the  most 
successful  young  men  in  the  Santa  Clara  valley 
is  Chester 'G.  Arnold,  of  Ventura  county,  who 
farms  his  father's  ranch  of  four  hundred  acres, 
which  is  one  of  the  best  and  most  highly  improved 
properties  in  the  state.  He  was  born  September 
29,  1881,  on  the  place  where  he  now  lives,  the 
son  of  :Mathew  H.  Arnold,  a  native  of  Illinois, 
whose  parents.  Cutler  and  Emily  (Hough) 
Arnold,  came  to  California  in  1852  by  the  Panama 
route.  They  ranched  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
state  for  sixteen  years  before  settling  in  A'entura 
county.  The  father  of  Chester  G.  bought  this 
ranch  in  1868  and  now  lives  on  a  farm  near 
Ventura.  He  is  sixty-three  years  old.  has  led 
an  active  life,  taking  an  interest  in  all  matters 
of  public  interest,  and  at  one  time  served  on  the 
board  of  supervisors  of  A'entura  county.  The 
mother,  who  was  Eliza  Jane  Perkins  before  her 
marriage,  is  a  native  of  JNlaine  and  is  also  living. 

Of  the  four  children  in  the  familx",  Chester  G. 
Arnold  is  next  to  the  oldest.  He  received  a  pre- 
liminary education  in  the  public  schools  of  \'en- 
tura  county,  then  graduated  from  the  Ventura 
Business  College,  after  which  he  completed  a 
course  in  the  "Woodbun-  Business  College  of 
Los  Angeles.  When  his  education  was  finished 
in  1901  he  returned  to  his  home  and  took  charge 
of  the  ranch  which  he  now  condvtcts.  His  crops 
are  principally  beets,  beans  and  alfalfa.  He  is 
interested  in  the  raising  of  fine  stock  and  has 
on  the  place  some  fine  hogs  of  the  Poland-Qiina 
and  Berkshire  breeds,  while  his  standard-bred 
horses,  especially  the  G.  W.  McKinney  and  Silver 
Coin  colts,  are  his  pride,  for  he  is  a  great  ad- 
mirer and  good  judge  of  horse  flesh.  The  ranch 
has  on  it  a  splendid  twelve-inch  flowing  well,  and 


is  provided  with  all  kinds  of  necessary  buildings 
and  other  modern  improvements. 

]\Ir.  Arnold  is  a  Republican  politically,  and 
fraternally  he  affiliates  with  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America  and  Royal  Neighbor  lodges 
of  Hueneme.  His  marriage  to  Miss  Daisy  Emma 
Korts,  a  native  of  Hueneme,  occurred  at  Ocean 
View.  As  a  liberal  and  enterprising  citizen  he 
takes  a  leading  interest  in  all  public  matters  of 
social  and  economic  interest  and  is  now  doing 
his  share  in  developing  this  section  of  the  state. 


CHARLES  ENGEBRETSON.  During  the 
period  of  his  residence  in  San  Diego  Mr. 
Engebretson  has  shared  the  city's  experiences 
of  mingled  adversity  and  prosperity,  for  not 
only  has  his  builder's  trade  proved  more  prof- 
itable in  times  of  local  prosperity,  but  in  addi- 
tion his  real  estate  investments  have  brought 
him  more  satisfactory  returns,  ^^'hen  he  came 
to  San  Diego  in  the  fall  of  1886  he  found  con- 
ditions favorable  for  a  carpenter,  hence  de- 
cided to  remain  and  work  at  his  chosen  occu- 
pation. ^^"ith  his  earnings  he  made  invest- 
ments in  property,  but  when  the  financial  de- 
pression depreciated  land  values  throughout 
all  of  Southern  California  he  found  himself 
Si, 000  in  debt  with  the  passing  of  the 
boom.  Since  then,  however,  he  has  not  only 
repaid  all  that  he  owed,  but  also  has  accumu- 
lated a  competency  through  unwearied  appli- 
cation to  his  business  affairs. 

Near  the  rock-bound  shores  of  Norway, 
where  Bohus  bay  juts  into  the  mainland,  lies 
the  village  of  Skien,  and  there  for  years  a 
carpenter,  Engebret,  and  his  wife,  Karen  Jen- 
sen, made  their  home  and  reared  their  family. 
Of  their  eight  children  three  sons  and  four 
daughters  are  now  living,  and  the  youngest  of 
these,  Charles,  who  was  born  at  Skien,  April 
21,  1864,  is  the  only  one  who  settled  in  Cali- 
fornia. ^^^^en  he  was  j^et  a  small  boy  he 
learned  every  detail  of  carpentering  under  his 
father's  oversight  and  at  sixteen  he  began  to 
work  for  wages,  soon  gaining  a  local  reputa- 
tion for  skilled  work  and  devotion  to  duty. 
On  coming  to  the  United  States  in  1883  he 
secured  employment  in  Chicago  and  remained 
there  for  three  years. -but  in  the  spring  of 
1886  came  to  the  Pacific  coa.st  to  establish  his 
home.  After  six  months  in  San  Francisco  he 
settled  in  .San  Diego,  where  he  has  since  en- 
gaged at  his  trade.  AVith  the  exception  of 
three  weeks  during  i88g,  when  he  prospected 
with  little  luck  in  Lower  California,  he  has 
continued  uninterruptedly  at  carpentering  and 
contracting,  having  taken  up  the  latter  work 
in  J892.  In  addition  he  draws  plans  for  build- 
ings, when  so  desired.     Among  his  contracts 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1667 


may  be  mentioned  those  for  the  Sefton  block, 
Fox  &  Heller  block,  WilHams  building,  Coro- 
nado  pavilion,  the  residences  of  Mrs.  Garrett- 
son,  Rev.  Mr.  Mills,  Messrs.  Hawley,  Herbert, 
Xason,  Carroll,  Heffelman,  etc.,  besides  a  num- 
ber of  the  buildings  at  Fort  Rosecrans.  At 
various  times  he  has  built  ten  houses  on  his 
own  lots  and  seven  of  these  he  still  owns,  in- 
cluding his  family  residence  at  No.  1120 
Twenty-first  street. 

The  first  marriage  of  Air.  Engebretson  tuuk 
place  in  Chicago  and  united  him  with  Aliss 
Dora  Gundersen,  who  was  born  in  Christian- 
sand,  in  the  southern  part  of  Norway,  and 
died  at  San  Diego,  leaving  three  children,  Es- 
ther, Francis  and  Paul.  In  San  Diego,  De- 
cember 6,  1894,  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
Engebretson  and  Miss  Ida  Carlson,  who  was 
born  in  Smaland,  Sweden.  Two  children  bless 
this  union,  Ralph  and  Carl.  The  father  of 
;yrs.  Engebretson  is  Carl  Carlson,  a  railroad 
inspector,  who  with  his  wife  still  survives,  as 
do  all  of  their  seven  children.  One  of  the 
sons,  Axel,  resides  in  New  York,  while  two 
of  the  family,  Mrs.  Engebretson  and  Gustav 
Carlson,  are  making  San  Diego  their  home. 
The  famih'  are  identified  with  the  Lutheran 
Church  and  interested  in  its  progress. 

After  coming  to  San  Diego  Air.  Engebret- 
son was  initiated  into  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  and  further  has  been  actively 
connected  with  the  \A'oodmen  of  the  World, 
in  addition  to  being  a  charter  member  of  the 
Scandinavian  .Society,  of  which  he  now  acts 
as  treasurer.  The  San  Diego  Chamber  of 
Commerce  numbers  him  among  its  members. 
On  the  organization  of  the  Alaster  Carpenters' 
Association  he  became  one  of  its  charter  mem- 
bers and  now  is  serving  upon  its  board  of 
directors.  Lo3'al  to  his  adapted  country,  a 
voter  in  the  Republican  party,  a  contributor 
to  local  enterprises  as  his  ability  permits,  so- 
licitous for  the  development  of  his  home  town 
and  county,  he  represents  that  class  of  for- 
eign-born residents  wlio  have  added  so  mate- 
rially to  the  progress  and  present  standing  of 
California  and  have  proved  their  progressive 
spirit  by  their  practical  management  of  af- 
fairs. 


CHARLES  P.  LITTLEP.\GE.  Occupy- 
ing a  picturesque  location  on  a  mountain  in 
San  Diego  county  and  affording  a  splendid 
view  of  the  surrounding  country,  the  ranch 
home  of  Mr.  Littlciiage  possesses  unusual  at- 
tractions by  reason  of  its  unique  environment. 
The  property  has  been  in  the  possession  of 
the  family  foV  a  long  term  of  years,  their  pat- 
ent   coming    to    them    from    the    government. 


/\.t  the  time  it  was  acquired  by  its  present 
owner  the  homestead  comprised  only  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres,  but  he  has  added  to  the 
original  tract  from  time  to  time  until  now  his 
possessions  aggregate  seven  hundred  and  sixty 
ac»es.  Owing  to  the  mountainous  character 
of  the  farm  it  is  well  adapted  to  stock-raising, 
and  the  owner's  specialty  is  the  raising  of 
grade  cattle  and  the  carrying  on  of  a  dairy 
business  with  about  twenty  cows  in  the  dairy. 

The  Littlepage  family  is  of  Virginian  ex- 
traction, and  William  \V.  Littlepage  left  the 
Old  Dominion  to  seek  a  home  in  the  then 
frontier  regions  of  Missouri,  later  going  south 
to  Texas  and  eventually  crossing  the  desert 
and  mountains  to  California.  While  making 
his  home  in  Blanco  county,  Tex.,  a  son, 
Charles  P.,  was  born  February  4,  1864,  and 
at  the  time  of  coming  west  this  son  was  only 
four  years  of  age ;  hence  Ids  early  recollections 
cluster  around  the  count}-  of  San  Diego,  where 
the  family  were  pioneer  ranchers  in  Ballena 
district.  One  cf  his  childhood's  recollections 
is  that  of  the  building  of  a  house  of  hewed 
logs  in  1870.  and  he  recalls  how  the  logs  were 
hewed  by  the  older  members  of  the  family 
and  then  hauled  by  ox-teams  to  the  site  of 
the  home.  The  ijuilding  was  constructed  in 
a  substantial  maijner  and  its  roof  is  as  good 
to-day  as  when  put  on  nearly  thirty-seven 
years  ago.  For  some  years  the  house  has 
been  used  for  the  colonies  of  bees  kept  by  the 
owner. 

When  a  boy  Charles  P.  Littlepage  was  sent 
to  the  Ballena  school  and  acquired  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  "three  R's,"  but  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen years  he  was  obliged  to  stop  school  and 
take  up  the  serious  responsibilities  of  life. 
This  step  was  rendered  necessary  on  account 
of  an  accident  to  his  father,  who  had  fallen 
from  a  scaffold  and  broken  a  leg.  The 
fourteen-year-old  son  was  given  charge  of  the 
farm  in  order  to  meet  the  emergenc}',  and 
bravely  he  set  himself  about  the  task,  which 
he  discharged  with  devotion,  energy  and  wise 
judgment.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  years  he 
bought  out  his  father  and  acquired  the  prop- 
erty, which  forms  the  nucleus  of  jiis  present 
possessions.  While  working  with  arduous 
and  unflagging  zeal  in  the  care  of  his  4)Iace 
he  has  neglected  none  of  his  duties  of  citizen- 
ship, but  on  the  other  hand  he  has  proved 
him.sclf  to  be  public-spirited,  prompt  to  aid 
all  worthy  movements,  interested  in  enter- 
prises for  the  benefit  of  the  community,  and 
ardent  in  his  devotion  to  the  Democratic 
partv.  in  whose  faith  he  was  reared  from  child- 
hood. Educational  matters  command  his 
ready  sympathy  and  generous  aid.  and  since 
1897   l^*"    '^•'^    rendered    efficient    service    as   a 


1668 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


member  of  the  board  of  school  trustees  of  his 
district. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Littlepage  was  sol- 
emnized January  20,  1887,  and  united  him  with 
jNIar}'  Blanche  Bergman.  Though  a  native  of 
California,  Mrs.  Littlepage  is  of  German  par- 
entage, her  father,  Jacob  Bergman,  having 
been  born  in  that  country.  When  a  small  boy 
he  came  to  the  United  States  and  aided  the 
American  cause  at  the  time  of  the  Mexican 
war,  serving  as  a  private  in  the  ranks.  Later 
he  became  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  in  the 
American  occupancy  of  California,  where  at 
an  advanced  age  he  died  in  Riverside  county. 
The  family  of^Mr.  and  Mrs.  Littlepage  con- 
sists of  the  following  children :  Frank  E.,  Ar- 
thur M.,  Ethel  Blanche.  Eli  S.  and  Omar  L., 
all  of  whom  yet  remain  beneath  the  home 
roof. 


HERMAN  SETH  PHILBROOK,  farmer  and 
apiarist  of  Ocean  View  district,  Ventura  county, 
■was  born  in  Normal,  111.,  January  5,  1869,  a  son 
of  Ignatius  Philbrook.  The  latter  was  a  native 
of  Ohio,  whence  he  located  in  McLean  county, 
111.,  and  there  conducted  the  Normal  shoe  store. 
He  came  to  California  in  1878  and  settled  at 
Duarte,  Los  Angeles  county,,  where  he  set  out 
an  orange  orchard;  four  years  later  he  disposed 
of  this  interest  and  in  the  Big  Simi  valley  en- 
gaged in  bee  culture,  which  occupied  his  atten- 
tion for  the  ensuing  ten  years.  He  was  next 
located  in  Cone  jo  m  the  management  of  a  hotel, 
after  a  period  of  five  years  coming  to  Ventura 
county  and  in  Ocean  View  district  purchased  a 
farm  upon  which  he  made  his  home  for  four 
vears.  In  Mariposa  county,  engaged  as  a  farmer, 
he  spent  his  last  days,  his  death  occurring  in  1903. 
He  is  survived  bv  his  wife,  formerly  America 
Morgan,  a  native  of  Indiana,  whose  home  is  now 
in  Ventura. 

Of  the  eight  children  born  to  his  parents,  four 
sons  and  three  daughters  now  surviving,  Her- 
man Seth  Philbrook  was  the  sixth  in  order  of 
birth.  From  the  age  of  nine  years  he  was  reared 
in  California,  obtaining  his  education  through 
an  attendance  of  the  public  schools  of  the  state. 
In  Simi  he  secured  his  first  knowledge  of  bee 
culture  and  since  his  location,  in  Ocean  View 
■  district,  Ventura  county,  about  fifteen  years  ago, 
he  has  combined  that  work  with  general  ranching 
pursuits.  He  owns  a  productive  ranch  five  miles 
east  of  Hueneme,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty-seven  acres  devoted  to  the  raising  of  beets, 
barley  and  alfalfa,  stock,  and  has  two  hundred 
stands  of  bees  in  Bee  canon,  at  the  foot  of  the 
old  long  grade  on  the  Conejo  road.  He  has  met 
with  gratifying  success  in  all  his  operations  and 
is  accounted  one  of  the  most  progressive  citizens 


of  this  section  of  Ventura  county.  In  spite  of 
his  engrossing  personal  interests  he  has  still 
found  time  to  ally  himself  with  fraternal  and 
social  orders,  being  a  member  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  of  Hueneme,  while  politi- 
cally he  adheres  to  the  principles  advocated  in 
the  platfonn  of  the  Republican  party.  Mr.  Phil- 
brook is  best  appreciated  where  best  known,  for 
he  is  both  a  man  of  ability  and  integrity,  and 
stands  high  among  the  citizens  of  this  section 
of   \'entura  county. 


EUGENE  THEODORE  ARNOLD.  One  of 
the  most  interesting  men  of  this  state  is  Eugene 
Theodore  Arnold,  of  Ventura  county,  whose  life 
has  been  spent  amid  the  stirring  scenes  of  west- 
ern life  since  the  early  fifties.  He  was  born 
April  3,  1848,  in  DeKalb  county.  111.,  and  when 
a  child  of  five  years  was  brought  by  his  mother 
via  Panama  to  JMarysville,  Cal,  where  his  father 
was  then  located,  he  having  crossed  the  plains 
in  1849.  The  father  engaged  in  various  enter- 
prises the  first  few  years  of  his  residence  in  this 
state,  includmg  mining,  storekeeping  and  in  con- 
ducting pack  trains  between  Laporte  and  Good- 
year Bar.  Later  he  went  to  Contra  Costa  county, 
located  eight  miles  from  Martinez,  and  engaged 
in  farming  for  a  time,  after  which  he  removed 
to  Sacramento  and  became  proprietor  of  the  Old 
Eagle  hotel.  From  there  he  went  to  Marysville, 
where  .he  had  a  pack  train,  later  going  to  Rabbit 
creek  to  conduct  a  hotel  and  store.  In  1857  he 
settled  in  Lassen  county,  at  Susanville,  where 
he  erected  the  third  house  in  that  town  and  en- 
gaged in  merchandising  and  the  hotel  business 
until  1868.  He  then  came  to  Southern  California 
and  located  successively  near  Hueneme,  in  Santa 
Barbara  county,  and  then  in  Ventura  county. 
He  became  a  large  land  owner,  having  eleven 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  three  miles  east  of 
Hueneme,  upon  which  he  engaged  in  grain  grow- 
ing and  stock-raising.  He  had  some  of  the  best 
standard  and  thoroughbred  horses  in  that  sec- 
tion and  owned  the  fastest  trotter  in  the  country 
at  that  time.  About  fifteen  years  ago  he  also 
owned  a  large  ranch  in  Conejo.  Mr.  Arnold's 
mother  was  Emily  Hough  in  maidenhood,  a 
native  of  New  York ;  she  died  in  California  at 
the  age  of  seventy-three  years.  There  were  eight 
children  in  the  family,  namely :  Henry,  deceased, 
formerly  postmaster  at  Hueneme ;  Leroy,  who 
died  at  Ocean  View ;  Mathew  H.,  residing  near 
Ventura:  Edward  F.,  a  merchant  in  Hueneme; 
Emma,  the  wife  of  Charles  F.  Pitcher  of  Ocean 
View ;  George  G.,  a  farmer  in  the  San  Fernando 
Valley;  Fannie,  the  wife  of  Joseph  Baxter,  of 
Los  Angeles;  and  Eugene  T.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

The  education  of  Mr.  Arnold  was  received  in 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1671 


the  public  schools  at  Marj'sville  and  Susanville, 
and  during  the  winter  of  1862  he  attended  Pro- 
fessor Brighton's  college.  From  1864  until  1868 
he  engaged  with  his  father  in  freighting  in  Idaho 
and  Nevada,  after  which  he  came  to  what  is  now 
\"entura  county  and  became  a  farmer  and  stock 
raiser  locating  on  a  farm  in  Ucean  \^ie\v.  In 
1878  he  removed  to  Orange  county  and  contin- 
ued to  farm  for  a  time  before  going  to  Nevada 
and  engaging  in  stock  ranching.  In  1890  he 
returned  to  California,  locating  on  a  homestead 
in  Los  Angeles  county  near  Calabasas,  and  re- 
sided there  for  nine  years  before  he  received  his 
patent  from  the  government.  He  improved  it 
with  a  residence  and  other  buildings  and  rents 
the  land  for  a  hay  ranch.  A  natural  spring 
located  on  the  place  adds  materially  to  its  value. 
Mr.  Arnold  has  various  property  interests, 
among  them  being  some  stock  in  mines  located 
near  Prescott,  Ariz.  Politically  he  is  a  firm  be- 
liever in  the  principles  advocated  by  the  Republi- 
can party  and  he  served  as  a  juror  on  the  first 
grand  jury  held  in  Southern  California.  While 
the  place  which  he  calls  home  is  Ventura  county 
he  spends  the  greater  part  of  his  time  traveling 
and  has  seen  much  of  the  world.  He  is  a  man 
of  pleasing  address  and  makes  friends  with  all 
with  whom  he  comes  in  contact,  either  socially 
or  in  a  business  way. 


JOSEPH  M.  STUART.  When  reflectmg 
concerning  the  changes  wrought  in  the  aspect 
of  Ventura  county  since  he  first  identified  himself 
with  the  ranching  interests  of  this  part  of  Cali- 
fornia, Mr.  Stuart  is  reminded  of  the  marvelous 
transfonnation  the  years  have  brought  to  his 
locality.  It  was  not  until  1884,  twenty-two  years 
after  he  came  to  the  Pacific  coast,  that  he  took  up 
a  tract  of  government  land  in  Fairview  valley 
forming  his  present  homestead.  His  intention 
was  to  devote  himself  to  the  management  of  an 
apiary  and  with  that  object  in  view  he  brought 
with  him  to  the  new  place  sixty-four  stands  of 
bees,  which  he  has  increased  to  the  present  num- 
ber of  nearly  five  hundred  stands.  The  surroumi- 
ings  were  uninviting  when  he  arrived  here.  The 
land  was  covered  with  brush  and  to  a  casual  ob- 
server seemed  worthless  except  for  a  sheep  range, 
the  only  purpose  to  which  it  had  been  pre- 
viously devoted.  With  only  one  e.xception  he 
had  no  neighbor  nearer  than  the  hamlet  of  Somis, 
seven  miles  away,  and  the  nearest  school  being 
there  his  children  walked  all  that  distance  during 
the  school  terms,  while  all  of  his  water  also  was 
hauled  from  that  place.  His  postoffice  town  was 
Santa  Paula,  twelve  miles  from  his  ranch,  while 
he  did  his  trading  at  Ventura,  a  distance  of 
twenty-seven  miles.  Only  those  familiar  with 
the   difficulties   attendant   upon     isolation      from 


water,  schools,  mail  facilities  and  stores  can 
realize  the  hardships  of  his  lot  in  those  pioneer 
days,  yet  he  and  his  family  worked  happily  and 
contentedly,  -and  few  complaints  were  heard 
from  old  or  young.  While  many  of  the  early 
settlers  have  passed  from  the  scene  of  their  toils, 
it  has  been  his  privilege  to  survive  to  witness 
the  development,  prosperity  and  civilization  of 
the  twentieth  century,  and  to  him  together  with 
all  of  the  other  pioneers  belongs  much  of  the 
credit  for  laying  the  foundation  that  rendered 
possible  the  present  fortunate  condition. 

From  the  far-away  shores  of  Maine  Mr.  Stuart 
came  to  Califomia  ere  yet  he  had  attained  his 
majority.  Born  at  Exeter,  Penobscot  county, 
that  state,  September  30,  1844,  he  was  a  son  of 
Solomon  and  Sarah  (McOrison)  Stuart,  also 
natives  of  Maine.  Both  parents  were  lifelong 
residents  of  tliat  state.  The  father  passed  away 
in  1881  at  seventy  years  of  age,  having  long  sur- 
vived his  wife,  who  died  in  1855,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-six  years.  Their  son,  Joseph  M.,  was  only 
about  eleven  years  of  age  when  death  deprived 
him  of  a  mother's  affectionate  oversight.  After- 
ward he  remained  with  his  father  and  attended 
the  public  schools  of  Medford,  Me.,  from  which 
place  in  1862  he  started  for  California.  The 
journey  by  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  was  made 
without  special  event  and  he  landed  safely  at 
San  Francisco  in  due  course  of  time.  From  there  . 
he  proceeded  to  Solano  county.  During  1864-65 
he  mined  at  Copperopolis,  Calaveras  county,  and 
at  Eldorado.  From  1870  until  1880  he  was  a 
resident  of  Lake  county,  and  during  the  latter 
year  removed  to  Ventura,  whence  in  1881  he 
went  to  Santa  Paula,  and  from  there  came  to 
his  ranch  in  the  Fairview  valley  during  1884. 
Shortly  after  his  arrival  he  set  out  twenty  acres 
in  prunes,  thirty  acres  in  olives  and  thirty  acres 
in  apricots,  almonds,  apples  and  other  fruits.  Be- 
sides making  these  improvements  he  erected  a 
neat  house  and  such  other  buildings  as  the  needs 
of  the  place  demanded.  At  this  writing  he  has 
two  hundred  and  twelve  acres  in  apricots,  olives, 
and  blackeye  and  lima  beans,  and  gives  his  at- 
tention to  the  care  of  these  crops  and  to  the 
management  of  his  apiary. 

A  few  years  after  his  arrival  in  California  Mr. 
Stuart  established  a  home  of  his  own.  His  mar- 
riage was  solemnized  in  Solano  county  on  Christ- 
mas Eve  of  1866  and  united  him  with  Miss  Lot- 
tie V.  Campbell,  who  like  himself  was  born  and 
educated  in  Maine.  Thev  became  the  parents  of 
six  children,  namely :  William  H..  who  follows 
the  carpenter's  trade  and  makes  his  home  at 
Nordhoff,  \'entura  county:  .'Solomon  F..  also  a 
carpenter  by  trade,  and  now  living  at  Buckhom, 
\'cntura  county :  ^'ictor  C.  who  died  in  1900,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-five  years ;  Joseph  E.,  who  is 
carrying  on  a  blacksmith's  shop  at  Ventura ;  Roy, 


1672 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


who  died  at  four  years  of  age ;  and  May,  who 
resides  on  the  ranch  with  her  parents  and  is  one 
of  the  popular  young  ladies  of  the  neighborhood. 
The  family  hold  membership  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church  and  contribute  to  its  missionary  and  char- 
itable work.  While  Mr.  Stuart  has  at  no  time 
consented  to  occupy  positions  of  a  political  na- 
ture his  interest  in  school  work  led  him  to  ac- 
cept the  office  of  trustee  of  the  Fairview  school, 
in  which  capacity  he  proved  himself  to  be  pro- 
gressive and  intelligent,  always  alert  to  pro- 
mote the  interests  of  the  school  and  the  welfare 
of  the  pupils. 


ALBERT  L.  PFEILER  was  born  in  Oxnard, 
Cal.,  January  7,  1877,  a  son  of  Louis  and  Caro- 
line (Kaufman)  Pfeiler,  both  of  whom  are  still 
living  and  make  their  home  on  a  ranch  near  Ox- 
nard. After  completing  his  education  in  the  public 
.schools  of  Ventura  county  he  took  a  three-year 
course  in  Throop  Polytechnic  Institute  of  Pasa- 
dena, making  a  specialtyy  of  cabinet  work.  He 
remained  at  home  with  his  parents  until  his  mar- 
riage in  1905  to  Lydia  Fricken,  a  native  of  this 
county,  his  father  at  this  time  starting  him  in 
business  on  the  ranch  he  now  occupies.  Since 
making  his  home  on  the  ranch  Mr.  Pfeiler  has 
made  many  improvements  to  render  it  adequate 
for  his  needs.  One  child  has  been  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Pfeiler,  a  daughter,  to  whom  they  have 
given  the  name  of  Florence.  Politically  Mr. 
Pfeiler  adheres  to  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party,  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  and 
is  a  commtmicant  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  men  the  visitor 
meets  at  Oxnard  is  Albert  L.  Pfeiler,  who  i? 
farming  a  hundred  acre  ranch  devoted  to  the 
cultivation  of  beets  and  beans,  and  the  possessor 
of  one  of  the  most  scientific  and  up-to-date  poul- 
try ranches  in  the  west.  The  poultry  business 
is  conducted  in  connection  with  his  other  affairs 
and  for  the  pleasure  it  gives  to  one  who  loves 
poultry  and  has  studied  their  characteristics  and 
liabits  so  closely  as  to  be  able  to  appreciate  to  a 
nicety  the  fine  points  of  each  individual  fowl.  An 
intelligent  consideration  of  the  good  points  of  the 
various  breeds  has  convinced  Mr.  Pfeiler  that 
the  Black  Orpington  is  the  best  all-purpose  class 
of  poultry  to  be  found,  and  on  this  ranch  one  finds 
some  of  the  finest  specimens  of  that  variety.  It 
is  not  as  a  fancier  alone  that  he  considers  poultry, 
but  he  recognizes  that  the  commercial  capabilities 
are  very  important  to  the  poultry  grower  and  the 
Black  Orpington  besides  being  one  of  the  heav- 
iest in  weight  of  the  various  breeds  (single  birds 
weighing  as  high  as  twelve  pounds')  is  also  a 
very  large  egg  producer.  Mr.  Pfeiler  has  brought 
to  his  flock  some  expensive  Ijirds  purchased  in 
the   east   and   has  as   near  a   ]5erfect    foundation 


stock  as  it  is  possible  to  get  and  witli  these  birds 
to  w^ork  with,  is  by  careful  breeding  succeeding 
in  creating  a  strain  of  egg  producers  that  it  will 
be  hard  for  anyone  to  beat,  as  he  proposes  to 
get  all  out  of  his  fowls  that  it  is  possible  for  fowls 
to  produce.  His  methods  are  highly  scientific 
and  while  it  would  require  considerable  space  to 
fully  explain  every  detail  in  regard  to  the  breed- 
ing of  poultry  to  eliminate  from  the  stock  all 
weak  and  objectionable  points  and  enhance  all 
strong  and  desirable  ones,  some  of  the  more  im- 
portant points  will  be  of  interest. 

The  Black  Orpington  is  an  original  combina- 
tion of  the  Plymouth  Rock,  Black  Langshange 
and  Black  Minorcas,  inheriting  from  them 
qualities  of  superior  merit,  unexcelled  beauty 
and  a  strong  constitution  which  enables  them  to 
endure  the  strain  of  heavy  egg  production  for 
which  the  breed  is  noted.  The  one  objection 
which  some  raise  against  the  Black  Orpington  is 
its  black  pin  feathers,  but  in  Mr.  Pfeiler's  opinion 
this  is  really  an  advantage,  for  since  pin  feathers 
are  not  easy  to  see  when  white  there  is  no  excuse 
for  the  black  ones  being  found  on  the  properly 
dressed  fowl.  As  to  egg  production  he  believes 
that  in  this  variety  will  be  ultimately  secured  the 
three-hundred-egg  per  year  hen  for  which  poul- 
try breeders  arc  now  striving.  And  this  is  what 
Air.  Pfeiler  is  working  for  with  his  strain,  and, 
by  adopting  the  trapnests  and  carefully  marking 
each  hen  and  keeping  track  of  her  record,  he 
knows  that  he  is  advancing  toward  that  mark 
rapidly,  some  of  his  hens  having  already  passed 
the  two  hundred  mark.  In  Mr.  Pfeiler's  estima- 
tion it  does  not  pa\'  to  raise  mongrel  fowls,  for  it 
costs  much  to  keep  them  and  the  money  value  of 
their  production  is  only  about  a  third  as  much  as 
that  of  the  pure-bred  fowl. 

On  his  twentieth  century  poultry  ranch  every 
convenience  is  found  to  facilitate  the  handling  of 
the  mated  fowds,  and  upon  this  one  point  of  in- 
telligent selection  of  hen  and  cock,  and  the  most 
careful  consideration  of  the  records  of  the  fami- 
lies from  which  each  springs  is  hinged  the  suc- 
cess of  producing  a  "bred-to-lay"  pullet.  The 
painstaking  care  is  sure  to  bring  its  reward,  how- 
ever, as  j\lr.  Pfeiler  has  proven  with  entire  satis- 
faction to  himself  and  to  the  admiration  of  the 
numberless  people  who  delight  to  visit  his  plant 
and  have  explained  to  them  the  methods  em- 
ployed, for  the  owner  takes  just  pride  in  the  plant 
and  is  always  willing  to  pass  on  to  those  who  may 
be  interested  the  valuable  information  which  he 
has  gained  in  his  years  of  poultry  breeding.  But 
heavy  egg  producing  qualities  are  not  the  only 
thing  to  take  into  consideration ;  the  show  room 
must  not  be  forgotten,  and  in  requiring  of  the  an- 
cestors of  both  male  and  female  birds  egg  rec- 
ords, the  standard  marks  must  also  lie  in  evi- 
dence.     Shape    and    color   are    important    points 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1673 


and  also  the  vigor  of  the  fowl ;  for  the  hitter  rea- 
son too  close  inbreeding"  must  be  avoided,  so  the 
practice  of  line  breeding  is  adopted.  This  is  a 
system  of  inbreeding,  but  brothers  and  sisters 
are  never  mated,  and  in  mating  mother  and  son 
the  greatest  care  is  taken  to  have  the  male  bird 
of  strong  constitution,  for  the  female  bird  being 
bred  on  her  record  as  an  egg  producer  must  re- 
ceive vig'or  from  the  male  in  her  offspring. 
\\'hen  the  necessity  for  the  introduction  of  abso- 
lutely new  blood  into  the  flock  is  apparent  it  is 
xhe  best  policy  to  secure  male  birds  from  other 
rlocks  which  are  of  the  same  strain. 

Like  all  up-to-date  poultry  raisers  Mr.  Tfeiler 
uses  incubators  for  hatching  purposes  and  the 
separating  and  marking  of  the  chicks  is  in  itself 
no  inconsiderable  task.  Heretofore  he  has  not 
entered  his  birds  in  the  show  room,  for  it  is  his 
ambition  to  win  blue  ribbons  with  them  from  the 
first  exhibition  he  enters,  and  so  he  has  patiently 
waited  until  his  flock  has  been  brought  up  to  the 
very  highest  standard  before  entering  them  in 
competition.  Anyone  who  has  noticed  the  beauti- 
ful carriage  and  color  and  perfect  markings  of 
his  Black  Orpingtons  knows  that  other  exhibit- 
ors will  find  them  hard  to  beat.  Free  alfalfa 
range  is  given  to  the  poultry  on  this  ranch,  and 
while  every  beneficial  contrivance  in  the  equip- 
ment of  a  modern  poultry  ranch  that  could  be 
found  on  the  market  has  been  purchased,  JMr. 
Pfeiler  has  found  it  to  his  advantage  to  invent 
his  own  improvements  on  many  of  them  and  so 
one  observes  here  many  contrivances  which  no 
other  establishment  of  a  like  nature  could  show. 
JMr.  Pfeiler  is  an  affable  gentleman  to  meet  and 
while  he  is  very  apt  to  "talk  chickens"  when  one 
is  viewing  his  poultry  and  plant,  he  is  fully  in- 
formed on  all  subjects  of  public  interest  and  fills 
an  important  place  in  the  comnnmit\'  in  which 
he  lives. 


JAMES  DOCD.  In  Southern  California  are 
many  extensive  and  prosperous  agriculturists 
who  bring  to  their  calling  rare  business  skill  and 
excellent  judgment.  Some  of  the  most  progres- 
sive and  enterprising  of  this  class  of  men  may 
he  found  in  Ventura  county,  and  ranking  high 
among  these  is  James  Doud,  whose  fine  and  well- 
cultivated  ranch  lies  near  Oxnard.  He  is  a  self- 
made  man  in  llie  highest  sense  implied  by  the 
term,  has  ever  made  the  best  of  hi';  opportunities, 
keeping  his  eyes  open  to  what  was  going  on 
around  him  in  the  world,  and  these  qualities,  in 
connection  with  his  natural  industry  and  perse- 
verance, have  been  dominant  factors  in  winning 
for  him  success  in  life  and  placing  him  among 
the  substantial  citizens  of  this  valley.  A  native 
of  Ireland,  he  was  born  Marcli  24.  1873.  in 
Longford,  where  he  spent  his  boyhood  days.    His 


father,  iMichael  Doud,  is  still  living  in  Ireland, 
and  there  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Ann  Cloyne,  spent  her  entire  life,  dying  in  1878. 

When  fourteen  years  of  age  James  Doud  im- 
migrated to  the  United  States,  an  active,  ener- 
getic boy,  full  of  ambition  and  enthusiasm.  Ar- 
riving in  New  York  city  he  made  his  way 
straight  across  the  country  to  Los  Angeles, 
where  he  subsequently  completed  his  education, 
attending  Woodbury  College.  Entering  then  the 
employ  of  Donlon  Brothers  he  worked  near  Ox- 
nard for  a  number  of  seasons.  Thrifty  and  eco- 
nomical, he  accumulated  considerable  money,  and 
m  1902  purchased  his  present  home  ranch  and 
built  the  residence  which  he  now  occupies.  He 
has  two  hundred  acres  of  good  land,  and  is  rais- 
ing beets  and  beans  on  an  extensive  scale,  having 
one  hundred  acres  of  each. 

In  Oxnard,  April  29,  1903,  JMr.  Doud  married 
Josephine  McGrath,  a  daughter  of  Dominick  Mc- 
Crath,  of  whom  a  brief  sketch  may  be  fourul  else- 
where in  this  volume.  Mr.  and  Airs.  Doud  have 
two  bright  and  interesting  little  children,  Robert 
and  Genevieve.  Fraternally  Mr.  Doud  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  and  religiously 
both  he  and  his  v/ife  are  members  of  the  CathoHc 
Church. 


PETER  BURFEINDT.  Energetic,  industri- 
ous and  persevering,  well  equipped  both  mentally 
and  physically.  Peter  Burfeindt  is  a  fine  repre- 
sentative of  the  rising  young  agriculturists  of 
Pleasant  valley,  being  prosperously  employed  in 
his  chosen  vocation  near  Camarillo.  Thrown 
upon  his  own  resources  early  in  life,  he  began 
his  battle  with  the  world  at  the  foot  of  the  lad- 
der of  attainments,  and  by  sturdy  toil  and 
praiseworthy  perseverance  has  steadily  climbed 
upward,  by  his  own  efforts  earning  an  assured 
position  among  the  successful  men  of  his  com- 
munity. He  was  born  December  18,  1863,  in 
Germany,  and  in  its  common  schools  acquired 
his  early  education.  His  parents.  Claus  and 
Catherine  (Wiebusch)  Burfeindt,  were  life- 
long residents  of  Germany,  and  there  reared  a 
family  of  thirteen  children,  of  whom  Peter,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  and  one  daughter,  are  resi- 
dents of  California. 

Becoming  familiar  with  the  many  branches  of 
general  farming  in  the  Fatherland,  Peter  Bur- 
feindt made  up  his  mind  while  yet  a  lad  that  his 
native  country  aft'orded  but  meagre  opportuni- 
ties for  a  poor  man,  and  that  in  America  only 
could  he  rise  to  a  position  of  affluence  and  com- 
fort solely  by  his  own  efforts.  Having  arrived 
at  his  conclusion,  he  left  home  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enteen years,  crossing  the  Atlantic  to  New  York 
City,  where  he  was  for  a  short  time  employed 
as  clerk  in  a  grocery  store.     Coming  from  there 


1674 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


to  Los  Angeles  he  was  for  a  number  of  years 
associated  with  the  N.  \V.  Stowell  Company, 
working  on  cement  pipe.  Receiving  good  wages, 
he  accumulated  money,  and  in  1896,  determin- 
ing to  make  a  change  of  occupation,  he  came  to 
Ventura  county,  where  he  has  since  been  actively 
and  profitably  employed  in  ranching.  He  now 
operates  two  hundred  and  eighty-five  acres  of 
leased  land,  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  being 
planted  to  beans,  one  hundred  acres  to  beets  and 
sixty  acres  to  barley.  In  the  management  of  his 
farm  he  has  all  the  requisite  machinery  and  ap- 
pliances, and  keeps  busily  employed  fourteen 
head  of  work  horses. 

In  1888  Mr.  Burfeindt  married  Lena  Otte, 
who  was  born  in  Germany,  and  they  have  one 
child,  Fritz,  four  years  of  age.  In  politics  Mr. 
Burfeindt  earnestly  supports  the  principles  of 
the  Republican  party,  and  in  religion  both  he 
and  his  good  wife  are  faithful  members  of  the 
German  Lutheran  Church. 


CHARLES  H.  JOHNSON.  Conspicuous 
among  the  industrious  and  enterprising  men  who 
have  been  active  and  prominent  in  devel- 
oping and  advancing  the  agricultural  resources 
of  \  entura  county  is  Charles  H.  Johnson,  of  Ox- 
nard.  Purchasing  a  tract  of  land  that  was  in 
its  pristine  wiklness,  he  has  labored  persistently 
and  wisely,  bring  it  to  a  condition  of  excellent 
cultivation,  and  it  stands  today  a  monument  to 
his  good  management  and  business  qualifications. 
Besides  his  home  ranch  of  fifty  acres  he  owns 
fifty  acres  of  land  lying  one  mile  southward, 
which  he  has  acquired  by  the  investment  of  his 
surplus  capital,  and  in  addition  to  successfully  op- 
erating these  two  farms  he  rents  another  tract 
of  fifty  acres,  which  he  cultivates.  A  son  of  the 
iate  Henry  B.  Johnson,  he  was  born,  April  9, 
1850,  in  Onondaga  county,  N.  Y.,  where  the 
first  two  years  of  his  life  were  passed. 

About  1852  Henry  B.  Johnson  removed  with 
his  family  to  ^^'isconsin,  locating  at  Rural.  Wau- 
paca county,  where  he  was  a  pioneer  farmer. 
Going  from  there  to  Minnesota  in  1863,  he  con- 
tinued there  as  a  farmer  for  about  twenty  years. 
when,  in  1883,  he  came  to  Ventura  county,  lo- 
cating on  the  ranch  now  conducted  bv  his  son, 
Charles,  and  here  resided  until  his  death,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-six  years,  in  1889.  He  married 
Harriet  H.  Walker,  who  was  born  eighty  years 
ago,  in  New  York  state,  and  now  makes  her 
home  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson. 

Educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Wisconsin 
and  Minnesota,  Charles  H.  Johnson  earlv  be- 
came inured  to  the  hardships  of  pioneer  life,  his 
boyhood  days  being  full  of  incident  and  danger. 
In  the  new  townships  in  which  his  parents  set- 
tled the  families  were  widelv  scattered,  and  the 


Indians  were  plenty  and  oftentimes  troublesome. 
He  assisted  his  father  in  improving  a  ranch  from 
the  forest  covered  land,  remaining  at  home  until 
1876.  Coming  then  to  California,  he  worked  by 
the  month  for  five  years,  after  which  he  began 
farming  on  rented  land.  Meeting  with  encour- 
aging success  in  his  undertakings,  in  1889,  he 
bought  the  farm  which  he  now  owns  and  occu- 
pies. It  was  then  a  raw,  uncultivated  tract,  with 
no  improvements.  He  has  since  brought  the 
land  to  an  excellent  state  of  tillage,  erected  a 
substantial  house  and  barn,  and  as  a  general 
rancher  is  exceedingly  prosperous.  As  time  has 
■passed  he  has  bought  additional  land,  and  with 
the  fifty  acres  that  he  rents  is  carrying  on  an 
extensive  business  in  the  raising  of  lima  beans 
and  beets,  an  industry  that  is  proving  quite  re- 
munerative. 

November  24,  1881,  Mr.  Johnson  married 
Minnie  Alexander,  who  was  born  on  California 
soil,  a  daughter  of  the  late  Thomas  Alexander. 
A  native  of  Ohio,  Mr.  Alexander  was  there  born 
in  1 819.  At  an  early  age  he  followed  the  trail 
of  the  emigrant  westward  to  Iowa,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  pioneer  labor  of  improving  a 
farm.  In  April,  1853,  he  came  with  his  family  to 
California,  journeying  with  ox-teams  across  the 
dreary  plains.  Arriving  in  Nevada  county  the 
last  of  August,  he  located  at  Grass  Valley,  and 
for  some  time  was  engaged  in  freighting  from 
San  Francisco  and  Sacramento  through  north- 
ern California  and  into  Nevada.  He  subse- 
quently built  a  sawmill  just  north  of  Nevada 
City,  where  he  was  engaged  for  a  number  of 
years  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber.  Removing 
to  Ventura  county  in  1870,  Mr.  Alexander  lo- 
cated north  and  west  of  Oxnard,  buying  land  on 
the  Colona  grant.  Subsequently  selling  out,  he 
removed  to  near  Compton,  Los  Angeles  county, 
still  later  selling  his  ranch  and  buving  a  home  in 
Garvanza,  where  he  resided  until  his  death,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-nine  years,  in  1888.  Mr.  Alex- 
ander married  Sarah  Shockley,  who  was  born  in 
Ohio,  in  April,  1824,  and  is  now  living  in  Los 
Angeles  with  her  youngest  daughter.  Mrs.  Cline. 
Fifteen  children  were  born  of  the  union  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Alexander,  nine  of  whom  grew  to 
years  of  maturity,  and  seven  are  now  living, 
namely :  Mary,  wife  of  John  Conrad,  of  the  San- 
ta Clara  valley;  William  L.,  engaged  in  the  real- 
estate  business  at  Los  Angeles ;  Celia  I.,  wife  of 
John  H.  Thompson,  living  near  San  Luis  Obis- 
po ;  Minnie,  wife  of  Oiarles  Johnson :  Robert, 
engaged  in  farming  near  Downey;  Effie,  wife 
of  William  Rodgers.  of  Garvanza ;  and  Edna, 
wife  of  William  Cline,  of  the  Los  Angeles 
Pioneer  Carpet  works. 

Four  children  were  born  of  the  union  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Johnson,  and  of  these  but  two.  the 
oldest  child.  Charles  E..  and  the  youngest,  Law- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1677 


rence,  are  living.  The  death  of  the  other  two 
children  was  a  particularly  sad  incident  in  the 
lives  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson,  who  have  borne 
their  affliction  bravely.  It  occurred  in  1890, 
while  they  were  crossing  the  Santa  Clara  river. 
The  wagon  containing  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson 
and  their  three  children  was  accidentally  upset, 
throwing  all  of  the  occupants  into  the  stream. 
Mr.  Johnson  succeeded  in  saving  his  wife  and 
eldest  child,  but  the  two  little  ones.  Archie,  two 
years  of  age,  and  Ira,  a  babe  of  three  months, 
were  drowned.  In  his  political  affiliations  Mr. 
Johnson  is  independent,  voting  for  the  best  men 
and  measures,  and  religiously  he  is  a  member  and 
a  trustee  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  to 
which  Mrs.  Johnson  also  belongs. 


F.  A.  J.  SHAFFER.  The  real  estate  interests 
of  Norwalk,  Los  Angeles  county,  have  in  Mr. 
Shaffer  one  of  their  most  earnest  advocates, 
whose  efforts  have  been  largely  instrumental  in 
bringing  the  notice  of  people  to  this  section  of 
the  county  and  adding  to  its  material  upbuilding 
and  development.  He  was  born  in  St.  Louis, 
Mo..  Febriiary  27,  1855,  a  son  of  Robert  and 
Elizabeth  (Fonts)  Shaffer,  both  natives  of  Penn- 
sylvania; they  are  now  residents  of  Iowa,  aged 
respectively  seventy-four  and  seventy-three  years. 
The  father  served  in  Company  H,  Eight}-third 
Regiment  Illinois  Infantry,  then  being  trans- 
ferred to  Company  J,  Sixty-first  Regiment  Illi- 
nois Infantry,  during  the  Civil  war.  He  is  now 
identified  with  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 
In  religion  he  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  in  which  he  has  officiated  as  stew- 
ard and  class  leader.  They  had  six  children,  all 
of  whom  are  living,  three  being  located  in  Iowa, 
two  in  Washington  and  one  in   California. 

F.  A.  J.  Shaffer  was  taken  to  Illinois  when 
three  months  old,  living  in  Fulton  and  Hancock 
counties  where  he  received  his  education  through 
the  medium  of  the  common  schools.  He  also  took 
a  brief  college  course,  which  further  fitted  him 
for  business  life.  He  began  to  farm  in  Illinois 
after  leaving  school,  and  continued  there  until 
he  was  of  age,  when  he  went  to  Iowa,  and  from 
there  to  Kansas,  farming  in  both  states,  being 
principally  occupied  in  grain  raising  in  the  lat- 
ter state.  He  was  located  for  a  short  time  in 
Nebraska,  then  after  returning  to  Kansas  he  went 
to  Oklahoma.  A  part  of  this  time  he  had  worked 
as  a  carpenter  and  also  in  excavating.  After 
coming  to  California  November  2,  IQ02,  he 
worked  on  ranches  for  a  time,  and  also  conducted 
the  hotel  in  Norwalk.  For  the  past  three  years 
he  has  been  established  in  his  present  enterprise, 
operating  in  both  Norwalk  and  Artesia.  handling 
citv  lots  and  acreage.  He  has  been  very  success- 
ful and  has  accumulated  means  since  coming  to 


the  state,  and  he  has  also  taken  a  strong  interest 
in  the  development  of  his  adopted  home. 

Mr.  Shaffer  has  traveled  extensively  and  has 
visited  every  state  in  the  Union  excepting  three, 
namely:  Georgia,  South  Carolina  and  Florida, 
and  in  comparison  with  all  the  places  that  he 
has  seen  likes  his  present  location  best  of  all.  He 
is  keenly  interested  in  all  measures  for  the  pro- 
motion of  the  community's  welfare.  Straightfor- 
ward in  business,  he  strives  to  make  every  trans- 
action promotive  of  his  customer's  good  as  well 
as  a  benefit  to  the  locality.  He  is  active  in  the 
Woodmen,  admires  the  principles  of  that  organ- 
ization. A  lover  of  good  horses,  he  was  asso- 
ciated with  the  A.  H.  T.  A.,  a  law  and  order 
fraternal  order,  and  for  one  year  was  organizer, 
seeing  its  membership  increase  from  a  few  indi- 
viduals to  thousands.  He  takes  pride  and  pleas- 
ure in  telling  of  the  capture  and  punishing  of 
thieves,  and  enforcing  the  law. 

In  1876,  Mr.  Shaffer's  first  marriage,  united 
him  with  Miss  Mattie  Stoneking,  daughter  of 
lames  Stoneking;  in  1881  he  married  Miss  Emma 
Guss,  a  native  of  Illinois.  They  are  the  parents 
of  the  following  children;  Charles.  Bessie  and 
Willie.  Mr.  Shaffer  is  prominently  identified 
with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  to  which  the 
entire  family  also  belong.  He  is  a  Republican 
politically  and  through  the  influence  of  his  party 
has  served  as  road  overseer  and  school  trustee. 


SAMUEL  NAUMANN.  Few  men  are  more 
deserving  of  representation  in  a  work  of  this 
character  than  the  late  Samuel  Naumann,  of  Ox- 
nard,  an  industrious,  hard-working  man,  who, 
during  the  later  years  of  his  life,  was  actively 
identified  with  the  agricultural  interests  of  this 
part  of  Ventura  county.  He  had  a  comparatively 
long  and  busy  career,  rich  with  experiences,  and 
possessed  in  an  eminent  degree  those  sterling 
qualities  of  character  that  greatly  endeared  him 
to  his  family  and  gained  for  him  the  esteem  of 
the  communitv  and  the  confidence  and  good  will 
of  all  who  knew  him.  He  was  born  in  February, 
1836,  in  Magdeburg.  Germany,  and  died  in  Ox- 
nard  township,  on  the  home  farm.  jMarch  16, 
1905. 

Educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
land,  Samuel  Naumann  subsequently  learned  the 
trade  of  bricklayer  in  Magdeburg,  and  there  fol- 
lowed it  for  awhile.  In  1873  he  married  Rosine 
Wilke.  and  three  years  later  he  came  across  the 
.\tlantic  with  jiis  family,  locating  first  in  New 
York  City,  from  there  going  by  boat  to  Galves- 
ton, Tex.,  where  he  was  ensfasred  in  farming  for 
several  years.  Coming  to  California  in  1893,  he 
purchased  land  in  Chino.  San  Bernardino  county, 
began  the  improvement  of  a  ranch,  and  lived 
there  three  years.     Selling  out  in  1896  he  rented 


1678 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


land  in  Santa  Clara  county  for  five  years,  and  then 
came  to  Ventura  county,  settling  on  the  ranch 
now  owned  and  occupied  by  his  widow  and  chil- 
dren. He  bought  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of 
land,  and  with  the  energy  and  thrift  character- 
istic of  his  countrymen,  at  once  began  its  im- 
provement, in  his  labors  meeting  with  well- 
merited  success.  Since  his  death  his  sons  have 
continued  the  improvements  previously  inaugu- 
rated, and  are  managing  the  home  estate  with 
great  ability,  each  year  adding  to  its  value  and 
productiveness. 

Of  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Naumann  seven 
children  were  born :  Herman,  born  in  Germany 
in  1874,  is  single  and  lives  at  home;  ]\Irs.  Louisa 
Young,  is  a  resident  of  Oxnard ;  Emma  is  at 
home ;  Paul  and  Otto,  twins,  born  November  4, 
1879,  are  both  at  home;  Gustavus,  born  May  12, 
1884,  is  living  at  home,  and  Martha  is  also  at 
home.  The  family  are  all  members  of  the  Luth- 
eran Church  at  Oxnard,  in  the  building  of  which 
Mr.  Naumann  took  an  active  part,  and  of  which 
he  served  as  a  trustee  until  his  death,  when  he 
was  succeeded  by  his  son  Herman.  He  was  a 
Republican,  and  his  sons  are  all  loyal  to  the  po- 
litical faith  in  which  thev  were  reared. 


CARL  LUNDOUIST.  That  the  Scandi- 
navian element  forms  a  most  desirable  ac- 
quisition to  American  citizenship  is  every- 
where conceded,  and  nowhere  more  than  in 
San  Diego,  some  of  whose  most  enterprising 
and  resourceful  residents  trace  their  lineage 
to  long  lines  of  Scandinavian  ancestry.  Be- 
longing to  this  class  is  Carl  Lundquist,  who 
ranks  among  the  pioneer  business  men  of  San 
Diego  and  whose  residence  in  this  city  dates 
from  October  of  1887.  A  native  of  Sweden, 
he  was  born  in  Goteborg,  February  11,  1849, 
and  was  the  youngest  child  of  John  and  Anna 
Lundquist,  the  former  at  one  time  a  property 
owner  of  Goteborg,  but  now  deceased.  Sur- 
viving him  are  seven  of  his  eight  children,  two 
being  in  California,  namely:  Carl,  of  San 
Diego ;  and  Lorenz,  a  contracting  painter  of 
Los  Angeles. 

After  having  received  common-school  ad- 
vantages Carl  Lundquist  was  apprenticed  to 
the  painter's  trade  at  the  age  of  fourteen  and 
two  years  later  he  crossed  the  ocean  to 
America,  in  1866  .settling  in  Chicago, 
where  he  completed  his  trade  and 
later  followed  the  occupation.  For  a  consid- 
erable period  he  worked  in  the  employ  of 
others,  but  in  1878  he  took  up  contract  paint- 
ing and  opened  a  store  on  Hal.sted  street, 
where  he  car'-ied  a  line  of  wall-paper,  paints, 
oils,  glass,  etc.  Ai  length  he  decided  to  re- 
move to  a  more  desirable  climate  and  in   1887 


he  disposed  of  his  interests  in  Chicago,  from 
which  city  he  crossed  ihe  continent  to  San 
Diego.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  he  purchased 
a  lot  on  the  corner  of  State  and  B  streets  and 
erected  a  two-story  building,  50x70  feet  in  di- 
mensions. At  this  location  he  has  since  car- 
ried a  full  line  of  paints  and  paper.  \\'ithout 
exception  he  has  the  oldest  business  of  the 
kind  in  San  Diego,  there  being  no  other  paint 
store  which  has  remained  in  the  hands  of  the 
same  proprietor  for  eighteen  years  or  more. 
^Yhile  carrying  on  the  store  he  has  taken  con- 
tracts for  painting  and  has  had  charge  of  the 
painting  of  many  of  the  finest  residences  of 
San  Diego,  also  the  Leland  block,  St.  Joseph's 
sanitarium,  Pierce  &  Morse  block,  and  other 
structures.  In  addition  he  has  been  interest- 
ed in  buying  and  selling  real  estate  and  has 
erected  cottages  on  a  mmiber  of  lots,  later 
selling  the  same. 

During  the  period  of  his  residence  in  Chi- 
cago Mr.  Lundquist  married  Miss  Mary  John- 
son, who  was  born  in  Alvistad,  Sweden,  and 
from  there  removed  to  Chicago  in  1867.  They 
are  the  parents  of  three  children,  namely : 
Helma,  wife  of  A.  G.  Edwards,  of  San  Diego ; 
Elenora,  who  married  Henry  G.  Jones,  also 
of  San  Diego ;  and  Carl  Edward.  The  family 
hold  membership  in  the  Lutheran  Church  and 
Mr.  Lundquist  lias  been  a  generous  contribu- 
tor to  religious  work  and  charitable  move- 
ments. While  living  in  Chicago  he  joined 
both  the  lodge  and  encampment  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  on  his  re- 
moval to  the  west  he  transferred  his  member- 
ship to  Sunset  Lodge  in  San  Diego,  with  which 
since  then  he  has  been  connected.  A  .study  of 
the  political  issues  of  his  adopted  countr)'  led 
him  to  ally  himself  with  the  Republican  party, 
whose  candidates  and  principles  he  supports 
at  all  general  elections. 


SANFORD  C.  WING.  One  of  the  promi- 
nent and  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  High- 
land Park  is  Sanford  C.  Wing,  who  was  born 
at  Glens  Falls,  Warren  county,  N.  Y.,  Jan- 
uary I,  1867.  The  father  was  a  native  of  the 
same  place  and  as  a  3'oung  man  became  a 
clerk  in  a  general  merchandise  store,  but  soon 
established  an  independent  business  of  his 
own  in  Glens  Falls,  where  he  lived  his  entire 
lifetime.  The  mother  was  also  a  native  of 
Glens  Falls,  and  at  the  time  of  her  death,  Jan- 
uary 23,  1906,  was  eighty-one  years  old.  Of 
their  family  of  seven  children  one  died  in  in- 
fancy and  the  rest  are  still  living.  The  oldest 
daughter,  Minnie  D.,  has  never  married  and 
is  now  living  at  INIinneapolis,  Minn. ;  Lucy  W. 
DeForest  lives  at  Fort  Edward.   N.  "S'. :  Fred 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1679 


is  purchasing  agent  for  the  Minneapolis  and 
St.  Louis  Railroad  Company  at  Minneapolis ; 
William  H.  is  a  traveling  salesman  for  the  St. 
Joseph  (Mo.)  Wholesale  Millinery  Company, 
and  resides  at  St.  Joseph  ;  George  B.  is  man- 
ager of  the  Security  Warehouse  Company  of 
New  York  City. 

Sanford  C.  Wing  is  the  youngest  child  and 
the  only  member  of  the  family  living  in  Cali- 
fornia. He  recei^■ed  his  early  education  in  the 
common  schools  and  at  Glens  Falls  Academy 
and  after  the  completion  of  school  work  went 
to  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  where  he  secured  a  po- 
sition as  collector  for  the  city  vyater  works 
company.  In  a  short  time  he  was  promoted 
to  the  office  of  cashier  and  remained  with  the 
company  in  that  capacit}^  for  ten  years.  He 
then  decided  to  come  to  California  to  locate 
and  organized  the  Foster-Wing  Typewriter 
&  Supply  Company,  of  Los  .Angeles.  Subse- 
quently he  sold  his  interest  in  the  business  and 
became  a  bookkeeper  in  the  LTnion  Bank  of 
Savings,  continuing  as  such  for  two  years. 
Following  this  he  was  general  manager  of  the 
United  Typewriter  Supply  Company  for  a 
like  period,  and  then  formed  a  partnership 
with  W.  F.  Poor  in  the  real-estate  business. 
This  was  in  1902,  and  in  the  short  period  since 
then  they  have  established  a  large  and  profit- 
able business  at  Highland  Park  and  are  con- 
sidered one  of  the  most  reliable  firms  in  the 
business.  The  company  is  now  incorporated 
with  a  paid  up  capital  of  $25,000. 

Before  her  marriage  Mrs.  Wing  was  Lila 
B.  Colby,  a  native  of  Cambridge,  Mass.  Two 
children  have  been  born  to  them :  Harold,  thir- 
teen years  of  age,  and  Dorothy,  nine,  both  of 
whom  are  attending  school.  Both  Mr.  and 
Airs.  Wing  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Highland  Park,  of  which  Mr.  Wing 
is  an  elder,  and  >.Irs.  Wing  is  active  in  social 
and  church  matters,  being  a  member  of  the 
Ebell  Club  and  treasurer  of  the  Ladies'  Aid 
Society.  Fraternally  Mr.  Wing  is  a  member 
of  the  Royal  Arcanum,  and  politically  he  affili- 
ates with  the  Republican  party,  in  the  prin- 
ciples of  which  he  is  a  firm  believer. 


L.  A.  LORBEER.  Pomona  is  one  of  the  most 
active  and  enterprising  towns  of  its  size  in 
Southern  California,  its  prosperity  and  growth 
being  due  to  the  energy  and  ability  of  its  early 
settlers,  who  proved  to  be  men  of  good  judgment 
and  wise  forethought.  Prominent  among  these 
early  settlers  were  ().  W.  and  J.  B.  Lorbecr,  who 
about  1888  came  to  Pomona  and  started  the 
nucleus  of  what  in  later  years  has  become  one 
of  the  largest  laundrv  enterprises  in  the  Pomona 
vallcv.     It  was  in  i8qs  that  L.  A.  Lurheer  added 


his  name  and  co-operation  to  the  enterprise,  and 
ten  years  later,  in  1905,  the  business  was  incor- 
porated as  the  Lorbeer  Brothers  Company,  O. 
W.  being  president,  L.  A.  vice-president,  and  J. 
B.  secretary  and  treasurer.  The  Lorbeer  family 
is  of  German  origin  and  the  grandfather,  J.  G. 
Lorbeer,  was  the  first  to  represent  the  name  in 
the  new  world.  Among  his  children,  was  an- 
other J.  G.,  who  accompanied  his  father  to  the 
United  States,  and  like  his  father  he  too  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation.  For  many  years  the 
father  made  his  home  in  Iowa,  owning  a  large 
farm  in  Humboldt  county,  but  he  is  now  living 
retired  in  Pomona,  Cal.  By  his  marriage  with 
Emma  M.  Wickes  six  sons  and  two  daughters 
were  born,  of  whom  four  sons  and  the  two 
daughters  are  living,  and  with  one  exception  all 
of  the  sons  are  included  in  the  firm  of  Lorbeer 
Brothers.  T.  L.  Lorbeer  is  a  phvsician  of  Hemet. 
Cal. 

L.  A.  Lorbeer  was  born  on  the  parental  home- 
stead in  Humboldt  county,  Iowa,  March  24,  1867, 
and  his  entire  early  life  was  associated  with  that 
locality.  His  education  in  the  public  schools  was 
supplemented  by  a  course  in  Humboldt  Acad- 
emy, and  thereafter  he  put  his  knowledge  to 
use  by  teaching  school  for  two  years.  His  iden- 
tification with  the  west  and  with  Pomona  in  par- 
ticular dates  from  the  year  1890,  at  which  time 
he  established  himself  in  the  feed  and  fuel  busi- 
ness on  Main  street.  Misfortune  overtook  him 
twice  by  wa}'  of  disastrous  fires,  but  each  time 
he  rebuilt  upon  the  ashes,  having  as  his  part- 
ner in  the  enterprise  George  A.  Carter,  the  firm 
being  known  as  Lorbeer  &  Carter.  Finally,  in 
1895,  he  sold  his  interest  to  his  partner,  and  as 
has  been  previously  stated,  during  the  same  vear 
associated  himself  with  his  brothers,  who  were 
proprietors  of  a  thriving  laundry  industry  in 
this  town.  Fire  had  destroyed  the  plant  in  1894, 
but  it  was  immediately  rebuilt  and  new  machin- 
ery installed.  In  point  of  equipment  it  is  uuex- 
celled  by  any  like  enterprise  in  this  part  of  the 
country,  and  occupies  two  floors  50x165  feet. 
Power  is  furnished  by  two  seventy-five  horse 
power  boilers  and  one  seventy-five  horse  power 
engine,  and  electric  irons  are  used  entirely.  •  All 
of  the  water  used  in  the  business  is  furnished  by 
the  company's  water  plant.  A  better  idea  of  the 
scope  of  the  business  carried  on  from  the  central 
office,  which  is  located  at  the  corner  of  Palomares 
and  Bertie  streets,  may  perhaps  be  gained  when 
it  is  said  that  eight  teams  are  in  constant  service 
and  thtit  a  portion  of  their  patronage  conies 
from  Monrovia  and  Etiwanda.  The  firm  also 
have  established  laundries  in  Ocean  Park,  in 
Santa  Alonica,  Ontario,  and  are  interested  in 
the  San  Bernardino  Steam  Laundry  Company. 
In  connection  with  their  plant  in  Pomona  they 
have    established    a    steam    roller    mill     for     the 


1680 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


grinding  of  barley,  an  innovation  which  is  great- 
ly appreciated  by  neighboring  ranchers,  for  whom 
the  enterprise  was  established,  as  they  handle  no 
grain  of  their  own. 

In  Pomona  L.  A.  Lorbeer  was  married  to  Miss 
JMay  Snow,  who  was  born  in  Illinois.  She  is  a 
devoted  member  of  the  Congregational  Church 
and  one  of  its  active  workers,  and  toward  the 
support  of  its  various  benevolences  her  husband 
contributes.  Mr.  Lorbeer  is  interested  in  a 
ranch  near  Chino  which  is  planted  to  alfalfa,  and 
is  also  superintendent  of  a  ranch  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  near  San  Dimas,  which  is 
owned  by  the  Laurlette  Park  Company,  and 
conducted  as  a  pleasure  resort.  It  is  beautifully 
located  in  the  foothills,  about  eight  miles  from 
Pomona,  and  has  an  abundant  supply  of  the 
purest  mountain  water.  Mr.  Lorbeer  is  also  a 
director  in  the  Pomona  Building  and  Loan  As- 
sociation and  holds  the  same  position  in  the 
Home  Telephone  Company.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Trade  and  politically  is  a  Republi- 
can, and  belongs  to  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 


FREMONT  LOVELAND.  Among  the 
thriving,  well-to-do  agriculturists  of  Bonsai', 
Fremont  Loveland  occupies  a  good  position,  and 
as  an  enterprising  and  faithful  citizen  is  per- 
forming his  full  share  in  advancing  the  highest 
interests  of  town  and  county.  The  son  of  an 
early  pioneer  of  California,  he  is  a  native  and  to 
the  manner  born,  his  birth  having  occurred  No- 
vember 19,  1853,  in  Santa  Qara  county.  Like 
the  majority  of  the  business  people  of  this  state, 
he  comes  of  eastern  stock,  his  father,  Cyrus  C. 
Loveland,  having  been  born,  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  the  Empire  state,  in  Cooperstown,  Ot- 
sego county. 

When  old  enough  to  choose  a  trade,  Cyrus  C. 
Loveland  was  bound  out  to  William  M.  Tweed, 
later  known  in  political  circles  as  "Boss"  Tweed, 
and  under  his  instructions  learned,  in  New  York 
City,  the  trades  of  a  painter  and  cabinet-maker. 
He  subsequently  enlisted  in  Company  K,  First 
New  York  Regiment,  and  during  the  progress 
of  the  Mexican  war  came  with  his  commander. 
Colonel  Stevenson,  to  California,  sailing  around 
the  Horn,  and  landing  at  San  Francisco  March  4, 
1847.  After  serving  as  a  soldier  for  two  years 
he  was  honorably  discharged  in  1849,  and  im- 
mediately started  for  the  mines,  where  he  was 
fortunate  enough  to  strike  a  paying  claim.  Re- 
turning east  then  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Pan- 
ama, he  disembarked  at  New  Orleans,  from 
there  proceeding  up  the  Mississippi  river  to  Mis- 
souri. Buying  there  a  bunch  of  cattle  and 
horses,  he  came  with  his  cattle  across  the  plains 
in  1850  and  settled  in  Santa  Clara  county,  where 
he  was   afterwards   for   manv   vears   extensivelv 


engaged  in  stock  breeding  and  raising.  Going 
east  on  a  visit  in  1885,  he  died  in  New  York. 
He  was  a  man  of  high  character,  honest  and  just 
in  his  dealings,  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  and  a  Republican  in  politics.  He 
married  Catherine  Davis,  a  native  of  ChiUicothe, 
Ohio,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  are  living  in  California.  The 
mother  died  in  May,  1905,  m  this  state. 

After  leaving  tlie  grammar  school,  Fremont 
Loveland  received  an  excellent  training  in  the 
various  branches  of  agriculture  on  the  home 
farm,  thus  becoming  well  fitted  for  his  future 
occupation.  Starting  in  life  on  his  own  account 
before  attaining  his  majority,  he  continued  in 
the  independent  calling  of  his  ancestors,  and  in 
1877  bought  a  ranch  in  the  San  Luis  Rey  valley. 
Subsequently  selling  that,  he  entered  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  government  land  near 
Bonsall,  and  has  since  been  here  profitably  en- 
gaged in  ranching  and  dairying.  At  the  present 
time  he  keeps  but  six  cows,  although  he  has  at 
times  a  very  much  larger  dairy.  He  raises  hay 
and  grain,  and  as  a  general  fanner  is  meeting 
with  marked  success.  He  also  runs  the  Bonsall 
creamery,  which  was  purchased  in  1902,  handling 
now,  in  the  dull  season,  about  six  hundred 
pounds  of  milk  daily,  an  amount  which  is  in- 
creased to  two  thousand  pounds  a  day  in  busy 
times,  shipping  the  cream  to  San  Diego. 

In  1881  Air.  Loveland  married  Lottie  Sander- 
son, who  died  April  18,  1901.  Of  their  union 
seven  children  were  born,  one  of  whom  died  in 
infancy,  and  six  are  living,  namelv :  Ralph  W., 
Ethel  v.,  Arthur  S.,  Florence  R.,'  Floyd  F.  and 
Roswell  P.  Mrs.  Loveland  was  a  woman  of  fine 
character,  highly  esteemed  by  all.  and  a  valued 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Politically  Mr.  Loveland  is  a  steadfast  Repub- 
lican, and  fraternally  was  identified  with  the 
Masonic  order  in  by-gone  days. 


EDMUND  C.  ROBINSON.  Probably  one 
of  the  most  productive  fruit  belts  in  Southern 
California  is  in  the  vicinity  of  Pomona,  and 
those  who  have  bought  land  here  and  culti- 
vated orchards  are  counted  fortunate  indeed. 
Since  1892  Mr.  Robinson  has  been  engaged  in 
fruit  raising  on  his  twent3--acre  ranch  in  this 
vicinity  and  has  recently  purchased  another 
ranch  of  like  size  which  he  expects  to  set  out 
exclusively  to  oranges,  to  which  the  greater 
part  of  his  present  ranch  is  devoted. 

Mr.  Robinson  is  a  descendant  of  good  old 
New  England  ancestry,  and  on  both  sides  of 
the  house  his  forefathers  can  be  traced  to  the 
historical  Mayflower.  During  the  residence 
of  his  parents  in  Washington,  D.  C,  Edmund 
C.    Robinson    was    born    September    8,    1875. 


ANTONIO  J.  SOUZA 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1683 


When  he  was  about  four  years  old  the  family 
removed  to  Texas,  remaining  there  about  six 
and  a  half  years  at  that  time,  thence  going  to 
Fort  Union,  N.  Mex.  In  the  latter  place  Ed- 
mund C.  gained  his  first  knowledge  of  books 
at  the  post  school,  which  was  presided  over 
by  a  soldier  teacher,  and  upon  returning  to 
Texas  two  years  later  he  attended  the  public 
school  at  EI  Paso.  Further  training  was  re- 
ceived in  the  schools  of  Oakland,  Cal.,  whither 
his  parents  removed,  later  attended  Throop 
I'olytechnic  Institute  at  Pasadena,  and  com- 
pleted his  school  life  in  the  high  schools  of 
Pomona  and  Denver.  Since  i8g6  he  has  been 
a  permanent  resident  of  Pomona  and  in  the 
years  which  have  since  passed  marvelous 
changes  have  taken  place  both  in  the  town 
and  upon  the  ranch  of  which  he  is  the  pro- 
prietor. As  one  of  the  live  and  progressive 
ranchers  of  the  Pomona  valley  he  has  done 
considerable  to  promote  the  cause  of  horti- 
culture in  this  section  of  country,  and  judging 
from  his  past  success  much  still  is  in  store  for 
him,  for  he  is  a  young  man,  with  life  as  yet 
before  him.  For  the  past  eight  years  he  has 
been  a  director  in  the  Indian  Hill  Citrus  Union 
and  since  1905  he  has  been  vice-president. 
He  is  also  a  director  in  the  San  Antonio  Fruit 
Exchange  of  the  Pom.ona  Valley. 

In  1902  Mr.  Robinson  was  married  to  Miss 
Myrtle  Deck,  a  native  of  Kansas,  and  one 
child,  Margaret  Estelle,  has  been  born  to  them.- 
Politically  he  is  a  Republican,  and  fraternally 
he  is  a  JMason,  belonging  to  the  blue  lodge 
and  chapter  of  Pomona. 


ANTONIO  J.  SOUZA.  As  one  who  is 
maintaining  a  high  standard  of  agricultural  suc- 
cess and  among  pleasant  surroundings  pursuing 
his  chosen  calling,  A.  J.  Souza  represents  the 
stable  and  promising  element  in  Santa  Barbara 
county,  where  his  valuable  ranch  of  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  acres  is  located  in  the  vicinity  of 
Santa  Maria.  In  his  prosperous  neighborhood 
Mr.  Souza  exerts  an  influence  in  common  with 
men  who  have  risen  from  lowly  conditions,  and 
who,  in  consequence,  possess  rational,  practical 
and  useful  ideas.  He  is  especially  prominent 
among  tlie  Portuguese  citizens,  who  place  un- 
questioned reliance  upon  his  judgment  and  busi- 
ness sagacity. 

Mr.  Souza  was  born  in  Flores.  the  westernmost 
of  the  Azores  or  Western  Islands.  June  10,  1862, 
a  son  of  M.  J.  and  Mary  (Urcela)  Souza,  na- 
tives of  the  mother  country  of  Portugal.  His 
mother  died  when  he  was  five  years  old.  and  his 
father  lived  to  be  seventy-two  years  old.  Five 
of  the  eight  children  in  the  family  are  living, 
and  two  are  residents  of  California.     A.  J.  re- 


ceived a  grannnar-school  education  in  Flores, 
and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  marked  out  his  fu- 
ture career  as  a  landowner  and  agriculturist  of 
California.  With  him  to  plan  was  to  accom- 
plish, and  upon  arriving  on  the  Pacific  slope  he 
began  to  save  money  and  store  up  experience  as 
an  employe  of  ranchers  in  the  Santa  Maria  val- 
ley. Eight  years  later  he  invested  his  money  in 
his  present  ranch,  which  he  has  occupied  for  the 
past  ten  years,  and  which  has  enabled  him  to 
realize  in  large  measure  the  ambition  which  led 
him  from  the  Azores.  Two  hundred  and  seventy 
acres  of  his  ranch  are  under  cultivation  and  of 
these  two  hundred  acres  are  under  beans,  and 
seventy  acres  under  hay,  corn  and  general  pro- 
duce. A  variety  of  stock  graze  upon  the  eighty 
acres  of  pasture.  In  adding  to  the  improvement 
of  his  ranch  Mr.  Souza  has  shown  marked  con- 
sideration for  the  comfort  of  the  dumb  creatures 
under  his  care,  as  well  as  practical  forethought 
for  the  protection  and  economic  disposal  of  his 
crops.  He  has  introduced  the  finest  labor  saving 
devices  of  the  times,  and  on  every  hand  are  in- 
dicated thrift  and  regard  for  the  comforts  and 
refinements  of  existence. 

The  wife  of  Mr.  Souza  formerly  was  Mary 
Concicao,  a  native  also  of  the  Azores,  and  their 
marriage,  which  occurred  November  29,  1888, 
has  resulted  in  the  birth  of  eight  children :  Mary, 
Joe,  Manuel,  Annie,  Isabella,  Ida,  Tony  and 
Angelo.  Mt.  Souza  has  done  much  to  foster 
purity  in  local  politics,  and  while  professing  no 
partisanship,  ranges  his  forces  on  the  side  of  the 
Republicans.  As  a  member  and  clerk  of  the 
school  board  he  has  helped  to  secure  the  best 
possible  instruction  for  the  rising  generation,  and 
to  place  every  practical  advantage  at  the  disposal 
of  both  teachers  and  pupils.  His  pronounced 
social  inchnations  find  an  outlet  in  various  fra- 
ternal and  other  organizations,  among  them  the 
Portuguese  Lodge,  I.  D.  E.  S..  of  which  he  has 
served  as  master  and  secretary.  He  also  is  iden- 
tified with  the  Santa  Maria  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.. 
the  Guadaloupe  Lodge  No.  237,  F.  &  A.  M..  and 
Santa  Maria  Chapter,  R.  A.  M..  and  the  Eastern 
Star.  His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
Church.  Mr.  Souza  is  an  exponent  of  the  most 
progressive  and  substantial  element  of  this  com- 
munity and  enjoys  the  respect  and  good  will  of 
all  who  know  him. 


JOHX  C.  LYOX.  The  prime  of  his  young 
manhood  was  given  by  lohn  C.  Lyon  to  the 
service  of  his  country  when  her  need  arose  in 
the  war  between  the  North  and  South,  but  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  these  years  were  those  in 
which  he  would  naturally  have  made  a  good 
start  in  his  business  life,  and  when  the  war  was 
over  he  came  back  to  a  devastated  countrv,  Mr. 


1684 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Lyon  has  made  a  success  that  many  other  men 
who  have  started  earher  have  not  eqiiahed.  He 
now  owns  a  ranch  of  twenty-one  acres,  planted  to 
beans,  vegetables,  strawberries  and  other  small 
fruit,  and  makes  a  very  satisfactory  income  from 
the  sale  of  these  crops.  His  parents,  John  and 
Sarah  (Canfield)  Lyon,  were  born  in  New  York 
state,  but  removed  to  Iowa,  where  the  father 
died  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-seven  years, 
and  the  mother  at  sixty. 

A  member  of  a  family  of  five  children,  John 
C  Lyon  was  born  May  4,  1849,  i"  ^^"  Buren 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  received  his  education 
through  the  medium  of  the  common  schools. 
When  the  Civil  war  broke  out  he  enlisted  in 
Company  A,  First  Iowa  Volunteer  Cavalry,  and 
served  two  years,  he  having  seen  active  service 
at  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  Perry  Grove  and  at  other 
points.  The  greater  part  of  the  time  he  was 
under  the  command  of  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith,  but 
at  the  close  of  the  war  was  under  Gen. 
George  A.  Custer  as  his  private  orderly.  When 
his  military  duties  were  over  Mr.  Lyon  went 
back  to  Iowa  and  engaged  in  farming.  In  1870 
he  moved  to  Cowley  county,  Kans.,  and  took  up 
a  claim  on  the  Osage  Indian  reserve,  where  he 
remained  two  years.  He  then  sold  out  and  went 
back  to  Iowa,  bought  a  farm,  sold  it  and  again 
removed  to  Kansas,  buying  three  hundred  and 
twenty-eight  acres  of  land  there.  After  five 
years  he  sold  this  ranch,  went  to  Hebron,  Neb., 
and  there  engaged  in  the  livery  business.  While 
there  he  was  appointed  deputy  sheriff,  a  posi- 
tion which  he  held  for  four  years,  and  he  also 
served  for  two  terras  as  constable.  His  identi- 
fication with  California  dates  from  the  year  1887, 
when  he  located  in  Nipomo.  Subsequently  he 
made  his  home  for  two  years  in  Santa  Maria, 
and  since  1901  he  has  been  the  owner  of  his 
present  ranch  of  twenty-one  acres  lying  one  mile 
and  a  half  north  of  Arroyo  Grande. 

In  1869  Mr.  Lyon  was  married  to  Lavinia 
Bucher,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  to  them 
have  been  born  nine  children  :  James  F..  mar- 
ried Marie  Gambert,  and  is  employed  in  the  sur- 
veyor-general's office  at  Sacramento:  Rosa,  who 
lives  at  Manhattan,  Kans.,  became  the  wife  of 
A.  B.  Heddington,  and  has  a  family  of  four  chil- 
dren ;  Molly  V.  became  the  wife  of  Frank  May, 
by  whom  she  had  five  children,  and  at  the  age 
of  twenty-nine  years  was  accidentally  burned  to 
death ;  John  C,  a  carpenter  by  trade,  married 
Mamie  Hill,  and  thev  with  their  two  children  live 
in  Los  Angeles:  Edward  H.,  a  motorman  in 
Stockton,  chose  as  his  wife  Vera  McClain ; 
Lloyd  O.  is  a  barber  in  Eureka ;  Roy  is  a  con- 
ductor on  a  street  railroad  in  Sacramento : 
Arthur  and  Glayds  complete  the  family.  Mr. 
Lyon  is  a  prominent  member  of  Colonel  Harper 
Post  No.   126,  G.  A.  R.,  at   Arrovo  Grande,  in 


which  he  occupies  the  office  of  quartermaster,  and 
of  which  he  has  served  as  commander  for  four 
years.  Airs.  Lyon  was  president  of  the  Woman's 
Relief  Corps  of  the  same  name  for  two  terms 
and  also  served  as  department  aid.  Mr.  Lyon 
"is  also  a  member  of  the  Central  California  \'et- 
erans'  Association,  holding  the  office  of  com- 
mander in  that  organization.  In  politics  he  is 
an  ardent  Republican  and  at  one  time  served  his 
part}-  as  delegate  to  the  Republican  State  Con- 
vention, doing  valuable  work  in  that  capacity. 
His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 


JOHN  Mac  GILLI\'RAY.  Representatives 
of  almost  every  country  in  the  world  by  their 
citizenship  in  California  give  to  the  state  a  cos- 
mopolitan variety  blended  in  an  harmonious  ele- 
ment of  loyalty  and  devotion  to  their  adopted 
land.  Not  the  least  conspicuous  among  the  rug- 
ged characters  that  have  brought  strength  to  the 
citizenship  may  be  mentioned  the  Scotch  resi- 
dents with  their  energy,  thrift  and  irreproachable 
integrity,  and  John  MacGillivray  is  one  of  the 
men  possessing  the  attributes  eminently  charac- 
teristic of  the  Scotch  the  world  around.  When 
he  came  to  the  Pacific  coast  in  early  manhood  he 
settled  in  Santa  Barbara  county  and  now  super- 
intends seven  thousand  acres  in  Los  Alamos  val- 
ley. Of  his  large  ranch  five  hundred  acres  are 
sown  in  grain,  while  the  balance  furnishes  abun- 
dant pasturage  for  the  eight  hundred  head  of 
stock  cattle  kept  on  the  farm  as  well  as  for  the 
horses  raised  for  the  market. 

Born  in  the  north  of  Scotland  September  23, 
1859,  John  MacGillivray  is  a  son  of  a  Scotch 
farmer  bearing  the  same  name  as  himself.  Both 
the  father  and  mother  were  natives  of  Scotland 
and  never  left  that  country,  where  the  former 
died  at  seventy-three  years  and  the  latter  at  sIxt 
ty-five  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  si.x 
children,  of  whom  John  was  the  fifth  in  order  of 
birth.  Wlien  a  boy  he  attended  the  schools  of 
Scotland  and  early  was  trained  to  make  himself 
useful  in  the  world  by  developing  habits  of  per- 
severance and  industry.  At  the  age  of  twenty 
years  he  left  the  home  farm  and  crossed  the 
ocean  to  Canada.  A  year  later  he  removed  from 
that  country  to  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed in  the  oil  business  about  twelve  months. 
During  1880  he  came  to  California  and  settled 
in  Santa  Barbara  county,  where  he  secured  em- 
ployment on  the  Laguna  ranch  under  Dr.  Shaw, 
remaining  in  the  same  place  for  six  years.  From 
that  position  he  came  to  his  present  farm  as 
manager  for  John  Wigmore  &  Sons,  and  about 
1894  he  started  out  independently,  since  which 
time  he  has  carried  forward  large  agricultural 
undertakings  with  a  fair  degree  of  success. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1GS5 


Reared  in  tlie  faith  of  tlie  Presbyterian  Church 
and  trained  in  its  creed,  Mr.  MacGilHvray  al- 
ways has  been  devoted  to  its  interests.  Since 
becoming  a  voting  citizen  of  the  Lnited' States 
he  has  supported  the  RepubUcan  party,  but  at 
no  time  has  he  been  a  candidate  for  official  hon- 
ors. In  fraternal  connections  he  holds  member- 
ship with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  VVorkmen  at  Los  Alamos.  With 
his  wife,  who  was  Serena  \'oogt,  a  native  of 
Ohio,  and  whom  he  married  January  3,  1901, 
he  holds  a  high  place  in  the  esteem  of  the  peo- 
ple of  his  locality  and  is  favorably  known  among 
those  who  give  character  and  integrity  the  high- 
est value  in  the  citizenship  of  the  county.  Prior 
to  his  present  marriage  he  had  been  married  to 
Miss  Annie  F.  Henderson,  who  was  born  in 
Scotland  November,  1868,  and  died  in  California, 
March,  1897,  leaving  three  children,  !Maryetta 
Ann,  Barbara  M.  and  John  F.,  all  now  living  in 
Los  Alamos,  Santa  Barbara  county.  During  the 
year  1906,  Mr.  MacGillivray  purchased  seven 
hundred  acres  at  Los  Olivos,  called  the  Glen 
Olivos  ranch,  where  he  intends  to  build  a  resi- 
dence and  make  his  home. 


FRANK  JAMES  J^IARTIX.  Early  records 
concerning  the  Martin  family  disclose  the  fact 
that  ancestors  for  several  generations  flourished 
in  the  Quaker  state,  the  name  being-  especially 
well  known  in  Jersey  Shore,  Lycoming  count), 
where  the  grandfather,  James  j^lartin,  closed  a 
long  and  active  career.  There  too  occurred  the 
birth  of  his  son,  Richard  Martin,  a  saddler  by 
trade,  who  in  young  manhood  removed  to  what 
was  then  considered  the  frontier,  settling  in  Ris- 
ing Sun,  Ohio  county.  Lid.  There  as  in  I'cnnsyl- 
vania  the  name  was  destined  tn  conic  into 
prominence  through  the  large  and  varied  busi- 
ness undertakings  of  Richard  Martin,  who  be- 
came the  proprietor  of  two  harness  shops  and 
a  tannery,  also  owning  a  livery  business  in  con- 
nection with  which  he  ran  a  line  of  omnibuses 
He  lived  to  see  the  frontier  push  its  way  to  the 
Pacific  coast,  but  was  content  to  remain  in  the 
country  that  he  had  practically  grown  up  with, 
his  death  occurring  in  Rising  Sun.  His  wife, 
formerly  Ann  C.  Turner,  was  also  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  her  ancestors  also  having  been 
early  settlers  in  the  vicinity  of  Jersey  Shore, 
Lycoming  county.     She  too  died  in  Indiana. 

Five  of  the  seven  children  born  to  his  parents 
are  living,  and  of  these  Frank  James  Martin 
is  the  oldest.  He  was  born  in  Rising  Sun,  Ind., 
July  29.  1852,  and  as  his  parents  appreciated  the 
value  of  an  education  no  pains  were  spared  to 
give  him  the  best  opportunities  that  their  means 
would  afford.  An  apt  ])U])il.  he  made  steady 
progress  in  the  common  .schools  of  his  home  town 


antl  later  pursued  a  business  course  in  Indiana- 
polis Commercial  College.  Subsequently  he 
returned  to  Rising  Sun  and  began  an  apprentice- 
ship at  the  saddler's  trade  under  his  father,  and 
after  he  had  mastered  it  removed  to  \'evay,  Ind., 
and  established  a  harness  shop  of  which  he  was 
the  proprietor  for  three  and  one  half  years. 
Thereafter,  having  closed  out  his  business  in 
\'evay,  he  returned  once  more  to  Rising  Sun, 
this  time  taking  up  farming,  which  he  followed 
continuously  for  nine  years.  In  the  mean  time 
plans  had  been  formulating  in  his  mind  to  come 
to  the  Pacific  coast  country  and  in  fact  he  had 
begun  to  make  preparations  for  the  trip,  but  the 
death  of  his  father  in  1875  brought  them  to  a 
sudden  close,  and  instead  he  remained  in  Rising 
Sun  and  looked  after  his  father's  varied  interests 
as  well  as  continued  the  care  of  his  own  farm. 
Twelve  years  later,  however,  he  closed  out  his 
affairs  in  Indiana  and  the  year  1887  found  him 
in  Pomona. 

Purchasing  the  stock  and  accessories  of  Charles 
Sollars  Mr.  Martin  engaged  in  the  ice  and  soda 
manufacturing  business  on  Main  street,  where 
he  carried  on  a  wholesale  and  retail  business 
for  about  three  years,  when  he  sold  the  plant 
to  John  Weber,  and  re-invested  the  proceeds  in 
the  harness  business  then  owned  by  J.  C.  Robert- 
son, on  the  corner  of  Second  ancl  Main  streets. 
Subsequently  he  added  a  line  of  carriages.  For 
a  time  he  continued  at  the  original  stand,  but 
finally,  in  February,  1903,  removed  to  his  present 
commodious  quarters.  No.  160  South  Main  street, 
which  he  owns.  The  building  has  a  floor  space 
40.X65  feet,  is  two  stories  in  height,  and  is  in 
every  way  suited  to  the  business  in  which  he  is 
engaged.  All  of  the  finest  and  most  dependable 
makes  of  the  lighter  road  vehicles  are  carried 
in  his  spacious  repository,  including  the  Brock- 
way  and  Flint  buggies. 

In  Vevay,  Ind.,  Mr.  Martin  was  married  to 
Miss  Laura  J.  Rutherford,  who  was  born  in 
that  city,  and  one  child,  Helen  A.,  has  been  bom 
to  them.  Fraternally  Mr.  Martin  belongs  to 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  formerly  to  tlie 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  His  politi- 
cal sympathies  place  him  in  the  ranks  of  the 
Republican  party.  As  one  of  the  oldest  settlers 
and  business  men  of  Pomona  Mr.  Martin  is 
secure  in  the  esteem  of  the  community  in  which 
he  lives,  not  alone  for  what  he  has  accomplished 
from  a  material  standpoint,  but  ratlicr  for  the 
high  principles  of  honor  and  integrity  which  have 
actuated  all  of  his  undertakings. 


CH.\RLES  SUMNER  MERRI  FIELD. 
For  more  than  twenty  years  Giarles  Sumner 
Merrifield  has  been  identified  with  the  business 
interests   of   Elsinore   and   has   taken    an    active 


l(J8ti 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


part  in  the  development  of  that  section  of  River- 
side county.  He  comes  from  old  New  England 
stock,  his  parents,  Augustin  Washington  and 
Cordelia  (Burnham)  Merrifield,  both  having 
been  natives  of  Bangor,  Me.  The  father,  who 
was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  became  an  early  set- 
tler of  Wisconsin  and  purchased  and  improved 
a  farm  on  the  edge  of  the  prairie  near  Janesville. 
Later  he  removed  to  Fulton,  Rock  county,  Wis., 
reared  his  family  there,  and  there  passed  the  re- 
mainder of  his  lifetime.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
died  there  inany  years  ago. 

The  sixth  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of 
twelve  children,  eleven  of  whom  are  still  living, 
Mr.  Merrifield  was  born  June  21,  1858,  near 
Janesville,  Rock  county.  Wis.  His  boyhood  was 
"spent  on  the  farm  and  his  preliminary  education 
was  received  in  the  public  schools  of  that  county, 
after  which  he  attended  Milton  College.  Upon 
the  completion  of  his  studies  he  apprenticed  him- 
self to  a  Mr.  Price,  who  lived  in  the  vicinity  of 
his  home,  and  learned  the  carpenter's  trade.  He 
followed  the  occupation  of  builder  and  contract- 
or for  a  time  in  his  native  state  and  in  1885  came 
to  Elsinore,  Cal.,  and  continued  in  pursuit  of  the 
same  industry.  He  built  up  a  large  business, 
superintended  the  erection  of  the  first  Lake  View 
hotel,  as  well  as  many  other  building  improve- 
ments at  that  place,  and  has  been  continuously 
active  in  this  work  ever  since,  with  the  exception 
of  two  years  which  he  spent  in  Los  Angeles. 
Business  slackening  up  somewhat  in  1898  he  be- 
gan carriage  and  wagon  making,  and  gradually 
worked  himself  into  the  blacksmithing  trade  and 
now  has  a  blacksmithing  and  carriage  shop 
which  he  conducts  in  addition  to  his  business  as 
contractor  and  builder.  He  is  also  sole  agent  fo"- 
the  remedy  known  as  Hanford's  balsam  myrrh 
and  has  quite  an  extensive  trade  in  that  specific. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Merrifield  occurred 
in  San  Bernardino  and  united  him  with  Miss 
P.erdella  M.  Dewey,  who  was  born  in  Delaware. 
At  her  death  in  Elsinore  she  left  one  child,  Al- 
thea  Berdella.  His  second  wife  was  Miss  Ida 
Wall,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  to  this  union  two 
children  have  been  born,  Zorah  and  Leslie.  That 
]\Ir.  JMerrifield  has  always  been  especially  inter- 
ested in  educational  matters  is  evidenced  bv  the 
fact  that  he  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  board 
of  school  trustees  for  ten  years,  being  at  one 
time  clerk  of  that  body ;  is  a  member  and  ex- 
clerk  of  the  hiffh  school  board  of  trustees  in  El- 
sinore, and  is  also  a  member  of  the  city  board  of 
trustees.  Fraternally  he  affiliates  with  a  num- 
ber of  orders,  among  them  being  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows ;  is  a  charter  member 
of  the  Knights  of  Pvthias,  ser\nng  as  chief  clerk 
of  that  order  four  diflferent  terms,  also  being  past 
district  deputy :  was  made  a  Mason  in  Milton 
Junction  Lodge  No.  i6i.  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  is 


now  a  member  of  Elsinore  Lodge  No.  289,  F.  & 
A.  M. ;  with  his  wife  he  belongs  to  the  Order  of 
Eastern  Star,  of  which  he  is  now  (1906)  secre- 
tary. He  is  a  man  of  broad  and  independent 
views  on  social  and  civic  questions  and  in  na- 
tional politics  votes  the  Socialist  ticket.  He  has 
been  instrumental  in  securing  many  beneficial 
enterprises  in  his  town  and  was  one  of  the  chief 
influences  in  securing  the  electric  light  plant  here. 
His  position  as  president  of  the  Elsinore  Promo- 
tion Club  gives  him  prominence  in  all  develop- 
ment interests  and  as  a  public  spirited  citizen,  as 
well  as  an  energetic  and  successful  private  busi- 
ness man,  he  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  all 
who  know  him. 


THOMAS  REECE  McMICHAEL.  In  1892 
Mv.  McMichael  came  to  California  and  since 
that  time  has  acquired  a  position  of  financial 
independence  among  the  walnut  growers  of  Los 
Angeles  county  and  at  the  same  time  has  built 
up  for  himself  a  place  among  the  representative 
citizens,  respected  alike  for  his  personal  and  pub- 
lic efforts  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  country.  He 
is  a  native  of  Bloomsburg,  Columbia  county. 
Pa.,  born  November  14,  1868.  He  is  the  fifth 
in  a  family  of  six  children,  all  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing, he  being  the  only  one  in  California.  His 
parents,  J.  K.  and  Elizabeth  (White)  Mc- 
Michael, are  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  the 
former  born  of  .Scotch  ancestry,  the  latter  of 
German.  The  paternal  grandfather.  James  Mc- 
Michael, was  the  Scotch  emigrant,  who  first  lo- 
cated in  Pennsvlvania  and  later  in  Rock  Island, 
III,  as  did  also  his  son,  J.  K.  The  latter  laid 
down  his  farming  implements  to  answer  the  call 
to  arms  in  1861.  enlisting  in  a  Pennsylvania  regi- 
ment. He  and  his  wife  are  now  living  in  Rock 
Island,  111. 

Thomas  Reece  McMichael  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  Rock  Island,  after 
which  he  took  up  the  work  of  a  stationary  en- 
gineer, following  this  until  1892,  when  he  came 
to  California,  and  in  Whittier  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  East  Whittier  Light  &  Water  Com- 
pany in  a  similar  capacity.  He  later  established 
the  plant  for  them  at  Bassett  and  pumped  the 
first  water.  In  the  meantime  he  had  become  in- 
terested in  the  horticultural  possibilities  of  the 
section  and  had  purchased  a  walnut  grove,  and 
seven  years  later  he  resigned  from  his  work  as 
engineer  to  look  after  these  interests.  He  con- 
tinued to  add  to  his  land  until  at  the  present 
writing  he  owns  thirty-five  acres  located  a  mile 
and  a  half  from  El  Monte,  just  off  the  San  Ber- 
nardino road,  all  devoted  to  walnuts.  He  has 
built    a   comfortable   residence,   barns    and    out- 


/^?^^J^^^^ 


^n^,:/yL — 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1689 


buildings,    and    has    surrounded    his    home    with 
every  possible  comfort  and  convenience. 

In  El  Monte  Mr.  McMichael  married  Miss 
Anna  Maxson,  a  native  of  Santa  Ana,  Orange 
county,  where  her  father,  B.  F.  Maxson,  a  pio- 
neer, located  in  an  early  day.  Subsequently  he 
made  his  home  in  the  vicinity  of  El  Monte, 
where  he  set  out  the  first  walnut  grove,  and  here 
his  death  occurred.  He  participated  in  the  Civil 
war  as  a  member  of  Company  K,  Thirteenth 
Wisconsin  Infantry.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McMichael 
are  the  parents  of  one  child,  George  Dudley. 
Mrs.  McMichael  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyter- 
ian Church,  which  Mr.  McMichael  liberally  sup- 
ports in  all  its  charities.  He  is  associated  fra- 
ternally with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America, 
politically  is  a  stanch  Republican.  He  belongs 
to  the  Mountain  Mew  Walnut  Growers'  Asso- 
ciation. 


JACOB  P.  THOMPSON.  The  success 
achieved  by  Jacob  P.  Thompson  is  entirely  the 
result  of  his  own  efforts,  for  with  nothing  but 
his  native  qualities  of  courage,  energy  and 
ability  he  faced  the  world  and  has  won  a  com- 
petence. His  inherited  traits  of  character  are 
from  southern  birth  and  lineage,  his  parents, 
Robert  S.  and  Margarette  (Surbaugh)  Thomp- 
son, both  being  natives  of  West  Virginia. 
The}'  eventually  removed  to  Illinois,  where  the 
father  gave  up  his  trade  of  tanner,  which  he 
had  hitherto  followed  to  the  exclusion  of  other 
pursuits,  and  became  interested  in  farming, 
owning  a  fine  farm  where  he  spent  his  last 
days.  He  died  at  the  comparatively  early  age 
of  forty-five  years,  while  the  mother  passed 
away  when  about  forty-three. 

The  fourth  in  a  family  of  seven  children,  Ja- 
cob P.  Thompson  was  born  in  Greenbrier 
county,  W.  Va.,  April  2,  1845,  and  while  a 
child  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Kane  county, 
111.,  where  he  received  a  common  school  edu- 
cation. After  the  close  of  his  schooldays  he 
learned  the  trade  of  gunsmith.  All  his  plans 
were  interrupted  in  1863  when  he  enlisted  in 
Company  K,  Fifteenth  Regiment  Illinois  Caval- 
ry, and  served  until  the  close  of  the  Civil  war, 
participating  in  many  important  engagements 
and  with  Sherman  marching  to  the  sea  over 
the  necessarily  devastated  state  of  Georgia. 
He  was  with  the  force  that  captured  General 
Johnston,  after  which  they  marched  to  Wash- 
"ingon  to  participate  in  the  Grand  Review. 
Mustered  out  at  Louisville  and  honorably  dis- 
charged from  seriace  at  Chicago,  111..  JMr. 
Thompson  returned  to  his  old  home  in  Kane 
county,  and  there  remained  for  a  few  subse- 
quent vears.  Going  then  to  Plainfield,  Bremer 
c^unt^■,   Iowa,   he   engaged   in   a   general   mer- 


chandise enterprise,  after  two  years  sold  out, 
and  in  1870  came  to  California  for  the  first 
time.  He  located  in  Gilroy,  Santa  Clara  coun- 
ty, and  followed  a  mercantile  business  for  the 
period  of  six  years,  and  in  1876  came  to  Santa 
Ana,  Orange  county,  and  took  up  his  old  trade 
of  gunsmith,  which  he  followed  for  seven 
years.  He  came  to  the  vicinity  of  Norwalk  in 
1883  and  here  purchased  the  property  which 
he  now  owns,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and 
thirty-two  acres  of  entirely  uncultivated,  un- 
improved land.  He  has  since  changed  it  into 
one  of  the  best  ranches  in  this  section,  erecting 
a  fine  residence,  substantial  barns  and  out- 
buildings and  every  possible  equipment  for 
successful  ranching  being  added.  He  devotes 
the  land  to  alfalfa,  hay  and  corn,  and  also  has 
a  fine  dair}^  herd  of  twenty  cows,  and  also 
raises  cattle  to  some  extent.  He  is  a  very  suc- 
cessful rancher  and  in  the  matter  of  progress 
and  enterprise  has  no  superior  throughout  the 
country. 

In  Santa  Ana,  in  1881,  ^Ir.  Thompson  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Minnie  J. 
Brown,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Mary  (Set- 
tle) Brown,  natives  of  South  Carolina.  They 
came  to  California  in  1872  and  eventually  lo- 
cated on  a  ranch  adjoining  Mr.  Thompson. 
Mrs.  Thompson  was  the  second  eldest  of  seven 
children.  Their  father  died  on  the  old  home- 
stead in  1888,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years, 
the  mother  still  surviving  and  making  her 
home  with  Mrs.  Thompson.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Thompson  have  one  son,  Robert  S.,  who  is  lo- 
cated at  Newport.  Mr.  Thompson  liberally 
supports  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
South,  of  which  his  wife  is  a  member.  Frater- 
nally he  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  lodge 
at  Gilroy,  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  the 
Maccabees  at  Artesia,  and  is  associated  with 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  holding 
membership  with  the  Dan  Bidwell  Post  No. 
140,  at  Norwalk.  Politically  he  reserves  the 
right  to  cast  his  1)allot  for  the  candidate  he 
considers  best  qualified  to  discharge  official 
position.  He  has  served  as  school  trustee  and 
takes  an  active  interest  in  the  advancement  of 
educational  affairs. 


CHARLES  EDWARD  GREASER.  Since 
coming  to  Pomona  in  1895  the  record  of  the  life 
of  Mr.  Greaser  has  been  intimately  associated 
with  the  history  and  development  of  the  city. 
For  about  ten  years,  or  until  he  retired  from 
business  in  1905,  many  sales  and  transfers  of 
city  property  were  made  through  him,  and  he 
also  laid  out  a  number  of  subdivisions.  One  of 
these  was  the  ten-acre  high-school  tract  which 
he  subdivided  and  laid  out  into  lots  with  S.  N. 


1690 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Curry.  Aside  from  caring  for  his  own  property 
he  is  no  longer  actively  interested  in  the  real-es"- 
tate  business,  although  he  still  retains  his  inter- 
est in  the  Pomona  Abstract  and  Trust  Company, 
m  which  he  is  a  director  and  also  in  the  Dei- 
bert-Greaser  Company  (Inc.)  of  which  he  is 
president.  The  latter  is  a  furniture  and  under- 
taking business  in  Ontario,  San  Bernardino 
county,  and  as  it  is  the  leading  business  of  the 
kind  in  the  town  it  is  a  financial  success. 

Mr.  Greaser  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in 
Enon,  Clark  county,  the  descendant  of  Ger- 
man ancestors  on  the  father's  side.  From  Wur- 
temberg,  Germany,  where  he  was  born,  Michael 
Greaser  came  to  the  United  States  and  settled 
in  Pennsylvania  during  young  manhood,  and 
still  later  crossed  over  iijto  the  adjoining  state 
of  Ohio  and  settled  in  Clark  county  on  a  farm. 
In  response  to  the  country's  call  for  able-bodied 
men  he  became  a  member  of  Companv  C.  Six- 
teenth Ohio  Heavy  Artillery,  serving  from  1861 
until  his  discharge  in  1864,  during  which  time  he 
saw  much  hard  service  but  was  mercifully 
spared  from  any  serious  injury.  Returning  once 
more  to  his  farm  in  Qark  county,  he  continued 
to  farm  there  for  a  time  and  later  removed  to 
Springfield,  same  county,  and  from  there  in 
1869  he  removed  to  Topeka,  Kans.  In  the  lat- 
ter state  as  in  Ohio  he  continued  to  carry  on  a 
farm  for  a  number  of  years,  but  finally  retired 
from  active  work  altogether.  Some  time  later 
he  removed  to  Denver,  Colo.,  and  there  his 
earth  life  came  to  a  close  when  he  was  in  his 
sixty-seventh  year.  His  war  service  made  him 
eligible  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and 
no  comrade  in  Lincoln  Post,  of  which  he  was 
a  member,  was  held  in  higher  esteem  than  Mich- 
ael Greaser.  His  widow,  formerly  Barbara 
Baney,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  now 
makes  her  home  in  Florence,  Colo. 

Of  the  seven  children  originally  comprising 
the  parental  family  six  are  now  living  and 
Charles  E.  is  next  to  the  oldest.  He  was  born 
November  29,  1859,  in  Enon,  Ohio,  and  was 
therefore  about  ten  years  old  when  the  family  re- 
moved to  Kansas.  After  completing  his  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  Topeka  he  apprenticed 
himself  to  the  carpenter's  trade  under  ]\Iillard 
Updyke  and  after  mastering  the  trade  secured  a 
position  with  the  Santa  F'e  road,  in  the  bridge 
and  building  department. 

From  work  at  the  carpenter's  trade  he  latter 
branched  out  into  contracting  and  building,  fol- 
lowing this  in  Kansas  until  i88g,  in  which  year 
he  located  in  Denver,  Colo.,  and  associated  him- 
self as  supervising  architect  with  the  firm  of 
Coe  Brothers.  Owing  to  an  injury  which  he 
had  received  in  a  street-car  accident  he  gave  up 
his  position  in  the  fall  of  1895,  and  in  the  same 
year  he  came  to  Pomona.     When  suflficientlv  re- 


covered he  began  to  deal  in  realty  and  during 
the  ten  years  which  he  followed  the  real-es- 
tate business  was  known  as  one  of  the  most  en- 
ergetic and  thoroughgoing  business  men  in  his 
line  in  Pomona.  Pie  owns  considerable  valuable 
property  which  he  has  accumulated  from  time 
to  time,  and  aside  from  looking  after  his  own 
interests  in  this  line  he  is  practically  retired  from 
business. 

The  pleasaiit  family  home  at  No.  702  North 
Garey  street  is  graciously  presided  over  by  his 
wife,  formerly  Ida  Wizer,  who  was  born  near 
Topeka,  in  which  city  their  marriage  was  cele- 
brated. Two  children  have  been  born  to  them, 
Arthur  L.  and  Helen.  In  Manhattan,  Kans., 
Mr.  Greaser  was  first  married  to  Miss  Alice 
Kneeland,  a  native  of  Waitsfield,  Vt.,  her  death 
occurring  while  on  a  visit  to  her  old  home  in 
that  state.  Mr.  Greaser  is  a  stanch  inember  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  serving  his 
congregation  as  steward,  and  he  is  also  a  firm 
believer  in  temperance  principles.  His  mem- 
bership in  the  Board  of  Trade  is  a  proof  of  his 
interest  in  his  home  city,  and  in  the  discussions 
in  that  body  his  opinion  carries  considerable 
weight.  His  fraternal  affiliations  ally  him  with 
the  Odd  Fellows,  belonging  to  both  the  lodge 
and  encampment,  and  also  to  the  kindred  order 
of  Rebekahs.  Another  organization  of  which 
he  is  a  member  is  the  Heptosophs. 


LYMAN  O.  CALKINS.  Enterprising,  prac- 
tical and  progressive,  Lyman  O.  Calkins  holds 
an  assured  position  among  the  leading  merchants 
of  Inglewood,  where  he  is  carrying  on  a  substan- 
tial mercantile  business  and  is  also  serving  as 
postmaster.  A  son  of  the  late  Nathan  O.  Cal- 
kins, he  was  born  August  8,  1877,  i"  Bagley, 
Grant  county,  Wis.,  where  his  grandfather,  Ly- 
man Calkins,  was  a  pioneer  settler  and  a  farmer 
of  prominence. 

A  native  of  New  York  state,  Nathan  O.  Cal- 
kins was  but  a  child  when  he  was  taken  by  his 
parents  to  Wisconsin,  where  he  grew  to  man's 
estate.  Soon  after  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil 
war  he  enlisted  in  Com.pany  D,  Thirty-third  Wis- 
consin Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  until  the 
close  of  the  conflict,  being  first  lieutenant  of  his 
company.  He  afterward  followed  farming  in 
Bagley,  Wis.,  until  1878,  when  he  removed  with 
his  family  to  Elm  Creek,  Buffalo  county.  Neb., 
where  he  was  employed  in  mercantile  pursuits 
for  ten  years.  Going  from,  there  to  Kimball 
county,  that  state,  he  was  there  engaged  in  busi- 
ness as  a  furniture  dealer  for  about  seven  years. 
Coming  to  Los  Angeles  county  in  1895,  h^  was 
engaged  in  farming  at  Inglewood.  until  his 
death,  in  1903.  He  was  a  man  of  sterling  traits 
of  character,  highly  respected  by  all.     In  politics 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1691 


he  was  a  Republican,  and  socially  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Grand  Army  of  tlie  Republic  and  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity.  His  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Jennie  C.  Eastman,  was  born  in  Ohio, 
and  is  now  a  resident  of  Inglewood.  Her  father, 
Reuben  R.  Eastman,  removed  from  Ohio  to  Wis- 
consin, thence  to  Michigan,  and  is  now  living  re- 
tired from  active  pursuits  in  Inglewood. 

The  third  child  and  oldest  son  in  a  family  of 
seven  children,  Lyman  O.  Calkins  was  but  a 
year  old  when  his  parents  settled  in  Buffalo 
county,  Nebraska,  where  he  acquired  his  rudi- 
mentary education.  He  afterward  attended  the 
Kimball  county  high  school,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1895.  Coming  very  soon  after  that 
important  event  to  Los  Angeles  county,  he  fol- 
lowed farming  for  about  two  years,  subse- 
quently serving  three  years  as  a  clerk  in  the 
store  of  Carr  &  Stevens,  at  Los  Angeles.  In 
December,  1904,  he,  in  partnership  with  H.  H. 
Zillgitt,  engaged  in  business  on  his  own  account, 
and  as  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Inglewood 
Mercantile  Comp.qny,  has  built  up  a  substantial 
and  profitable  trade.  The  building  occupied  by 
this  enterprising  firm  is  30x100  feet,  and  is  well 
stocked  with  a  fine  line  of  goods,  the  ambition  of 
Messrs.  Calkins  and  Zillgitt  being  to  supply  the 
demands  and  to  please  the  tastes  of  their  many 
patrons.  In  January,  1905,  Mr.  Calkins  was 
commissioned  by  President  Roosevelt  postmaster 
of  Inglewood,  and  as  such  is  performing  the 
duties  devolving  upon  him  with  ability  and  fidel- 
ity. 

A  stanch  adherent  of  the  Republican  party 
Mr.  Calkins  takes  an  intelligent  interest  in  po- 
litical matters,  and  is  a  generous  supporter  of  all 
beneficial  projects.  He  belongs  to  the  Inglewood 
Commercial  Club  and  is  a  member  of  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World. 


ALFRED  B.  COMSTOCK.  The  family  rep- 
resented in  Ventura  county,  Cal.,  by  Alfred  B. 
Comstock,  is  one  prominently  named  among  the 
substantial  citizens  of  the  middle  west,  a  son  of 
A.  J.  and  Adelaide  (Binns)  Comstock,  the  for- 
mer residing  on  the  farm  that  was  entered  from 
the  government  by  his  father.  A.  J.  Comstock 
was  born  in  Ohio,  but  was  taken  by  his  parents 
to  Iowa  while  still  a  lad  in  years,  and  in  that 
state  he  was  married  at  Oskaloosa,  his  wife  be- 
ing a  native  of  England,  but  was  brought  to 
New  York  City  when  four  years  old,  and  finally 
to  the  Hawkeye  state.  When  only  seventeen 
years  old  A.  J.  Comstock  manifested  his  loyalty 
and  patriotism  to  his  country  by  enlisting  for 
service  in  the  Mexican  war,  fighting  gallantly 
for  one  year;  in  1862  he  again  gave  his  serv- 
ices to  his  country,  enlisting  in  Company  C, 
Thirty-third     Iowa     Infantry,    and     as     captain 


serving  three  years.  At  Tyler,  Tex.,  he  was  se- 
verely wounded  and  but  for  the  devotion  of  one 
of  his  men  who  stayed  gallantly  by  him  on  the 
field  he  would  probably  have  died.  The  two 
were  taken  prisoners  and  after  three  months' 
incarceration  Mr.  Comstock  was  paroled  and 
later  discharged,  and  on  the  home  farm  in  Iowa 
he  once  more  resumed  the  duties  of  civic  life. 
Mr.  Comstock  is  to  be  named,  also,  with  the 
pioneers  of  California,  for  in  1852  he  came  to 
the  Pacific  coast  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Pana- 
ma, and  after  landing  in  San  Francisco  went  at 
once  to  the  mines  in  the  vicinity  of  Sacramento, 
Marysville,  Dutch  Flat,  and  Gold  Hill,  where 
he  remained  for  two  years,  when  he  returned  to 
Iowa.  His  father-in-law,  Thomas  Binns,  also 
crossed  the  plains  to  California  in  1852,  and  in 
San  Francisco  engaged  at  his  trade  of  brick 
mason,  returning  two  years  later  with  Mr.  Com- 
stock by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama. 

Alfred  B.  Comstock  was  born  in  Mahaska 
county,  Iowa,  August  3,  1854,  and  in  the  public 
schools  of  Oskaloosa  received  his  education. 
Young  manhood  found  him  occupied  as  a  hard- 
ware merchant  in  Fremont,  Iowa,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1886,  in  which  year  he  disposed  of 
his  interests  and  coming  to  the  Pacific  coast  lo- 
cated in  Ventura  county.  In  the  city  of  Ven- 
tura he  engaged  as  clerk  for  one  year,  when  he 
purchased  land  on  Ventura  avenue  and  entered 
upon  ranching  pursuits.  He  remauied  in  that  lo- 
cation for  seven  years,  when  he  came  to  his 
present  property,  eight  hundred  acres  of  raw 
land,  entirely  devoid  of  cultivation  or  improve- 
ments. He  bent  every  energy  and  effort  toward 
the  development  of  that  which  is  today  appro- 
priately named  among  the  most  valuable  ranches 
in  this  section  of  Ventura  county,  adding  a  good 
residence,  comfortable  and  substantial  barns  and 
outbuildings,  good  fences,  and  setting  out  a 
large  orchard  of  apricots  and  walnuts.  He  de- 
votes considerable  of  his  time  to  the  raising  of 
stock,  in  which  line  he  has  met  with  uniform 
success,  for  he  combines  with  ability  a  steadfast- 
ness of  purpose  and  unlimited  energy  which 
could  only  result  in  successful  termination  of 
his  plans.  At  the  same  time  he  has  not  allowed 
his  personal  affairs  to  engross  his  attention  en- 
tirely, but  has  given  thought  and  effort  toward 
the  advancement  of  the  best  interests  of  the 
community,  being  accounted  one  of  the  substan- 
tial and  enterprising  citizens  of  Ventura  county. 

Mr.  Comstock  established  home  ties  through 
his  marriage  in  Oskaloosa,  Iowa,  May  6,  1882, 
with  Miss  Anna  E.  Ellis,  a  native  of  that  state. 
Mr.  Comstock  has  served  as  school  trustee  and 
in  other  like  positions  since  residing  in  this  com- 
munity and  takes  a  strong  interest  in  educational 
matters.  He  believes  in  advancement  in  what- 
ever line  a  man  engages,  and  holds  that  the  de- 


1692 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


velopment  of  one's  own  personal  property  is  the 
surest  way  to  increase  the  value  of  property 
throughout  the  section.  He  is  at  present  con- 
templating the  sinking  of  an  artesian  well  to  be 
five  feet  in  diameter,  and  thirty  feet  deep  before 
any  drilling  is  done,  the  supply  of  water  to  be 
used  for  irrigation  purposes.  He  has  just  com- 
pleted a  twelve-inch  well  and  has  also  recently 
added  other  valuable  improvements  to  his  ranch. 
He  breeds  the  best  stock  and  works  for  the  best 
crops  that  can  be  produced  in  this  section  of 
California,  counting  no  effort  lost  that  brings  his 
■work  to  a  higher  grade. 


ROBERT  B.  EDMONDSON.  The  agri- 
cultural interests  of  Ventura  county  are  well  rep- 
resented by  Robert  B.  Edmondson,  one  of  the 
most  successful  ranchers  in  the  vicinity  of  Ox- 
nard,  and  a  man  of  public  spirit  and  energy,  who 
is  alive  to  the  best  interests  of  both  state  and 
county,  giving  his  best  efforts  to  the  advance- 
ment of  all  movements  of  a  progressive  char- 
acter. Descending  from  a  long  line  of  southern 
ancestors,  his  immediate  progenitors  were  of 
good  old  Virginia  stock,  and  he  himself  was 
born  in  Virginia  July  4,  1867. 

On  the  old  family  homestead  in  Washington 
county,  Va.,  where  his  son  was  born  on  Inde- 
pendence day,  William  B.  Edmondson  carried  on 
general  farming  until  the  close  of  his  brief  life 
in  1876,  when  he  was  only  thirty-seven  years  of 
age.  He  was  a  son  of  Col.  R.  B.  Edmondson, 
who  won  his  title  for  meritorious  services  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.  The  wife  of  William  B. 
Edmondson,  who  before  her  marriage  was  Fan- 
nie C.  Dolin,  is  still  living,  and  makes  her  home 
in  Saulsbury,  Tenn. 

The  early  boyhood  years  of  Robert  B.  Ed- 
mondson were  closely  associated  with  the  pater- 
nal farm  in  Washington  county,  Va.,  and  in  the 
nearby  public  schools  he  was  one  of  the  most 
diligent  of  students.  He  supplemented  this  train- 
ing by  a  course  in  Emory  and  Henry  College,  lo- 
cated in  Emory,  Va.,  and  in  fact  has  never 
ceased  to  be  a  student,  for  the  broad  school  of 
experience  has  enlarged  his  scope  of  knowledge, 
as  well  as  the  reading  of  carefully  selected  litera- 
ture. After  leaving  college  Mr.  Edmondson  car- 
ried on  farming  in  his  native  county  for  a  time, 
but  he  soon  began  to  chafe  under  the  restrictions 
by  which  he  was  bound  and  longed  for  broader 
fields  upon  which  to  develop  his  ideas  along  ag- 
ricultural lines.  Removing  to  California  in  1887, 
he  came  direct  to  the  Santa  Clara  valley  and  for 
four  years  lived  on  rented  property.  His  resi- 
dence near  Oxnard.  A''entura  county,  dates  from 
the  year  1891.  at  which  time  he  purchased  his 
present  home  ra:nch,  comprising  one  hundred 
and  fortv-one  and  one-half  acres.     Seventv  acres 


of  this  are  in  a  walnut  orchard,  of  which  thirty- 
acres  are  in  bearing  condition,  and  in  addition 
he  has  one  hundred  acres  in  lima  beans.  He  has 
brought  to  bear  in  his  ranching  the  habit  of  study 
and  penetration  which  has  characterized  every- 
thing that  he  undertakes,  and  as  a  result  he  en- 
joys a  substantial  income  from  the  plentiful  har- 
vests yielded. 

November  16,  1898,  in  Oxnard,  Robert  B. 
Edmondson  and  Mrs.  E.  J.  Crinklaw  were  unit- 
ed in  marriage,  the  latter  being  a  native  of  North 
Carolina.  By  her  first  husband,  James  L.  Crink- 
law, four  children  were  born,  Leslie,  Charles, 
Ruth  and  Mitford,  and  by  her  marriage  with 
M.  Edmondson  she  become  the  mother  of  two 
children,  Fannie  and  Robert  B.,  Jr.  All  of  the 
family  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  are  identified  with  the  congregation 
at  Oxnard.  Mr.  Edmondson's  personal  inter- 
ests do  not  prevent  him  from  enjoying  the  ameni- 
ties of  fraternal  intercourse,  and  many  of  his 
pleasantest  hours  are  passed  in  the  Masonic  and 
Odd  Fellow  lodges  of  which  he  is  a  member. 


THOMAS  TOMPKINS.  One  of  the  earliest 
pioneers  of  the  state  of  California  was  Thomas 
Tompkins,  now  deceased,  who  arrived  in  San 
Francisco  in  1846  and  in  spite  of  the  trials  and 
privations  of  a  frontier  existence  had  a  long  and 
successful  career  in  this  state.  He  was  of 
English  birth,  the  city  of  his  nativity  being  Lin- 
colnshire, where  he  was  born  August  15,  1817. 
When  but  eleven  years  old  he  was  brought  by 
his  parents  to  America,  the  family  settling  in 
New  York  state,  where  the  mother's  death  oc- 
curred shortly  after  their  arrival,  the  father  liv- 
ing there  until  he  had  reached  the  advanced 
age  of  eighty-four  years,  when  his  death  oc- 
curred. There  were  ten  children  in  the  family. 
Thomas  Tompkins  received  his  education  through 
the  medium  of  the  public  schools  of  New  York, 
his  home  being  about  nine  miles  from  Rochester. 
After  school  days  he  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  in  New  York,  and  in  that  state  occurred 
his  marriage  to  INIiss  Jane  Rollins,  a  young  lady 
of  English  parentage  who  came  to  America  with 
her  father  and  mother  on  the  same  ship  that 
brought  the  Tompkins  family,  the  vessel  being 
a  sailing  craft  that  required  three  months  to 
make  this  trip.  Of  this  union  were  born  two 
children :  Amanda  who  became  the  wife  of  B. 
F.  Garner  of  San  Bernardino,  and  is  now  de- 
ceased ;  and  Jane  E.,  now  Mrs.  Hunter  of  Los 
Angeles. 

In  1846  Mr.  Tompkins  and  his  family  boarded 
the  ship  Brooklyn,  which  had  been  chartered 
by  three  hundred  IMormons.  and  was  bound  for 
San  Francisco  via  Cape  Horn,  visited  the  islands 
on  whicli  Robinson  Crusoe  lived,  and  arrived  at 


/^t^#^..<v^._- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1695 


its  destination  June  3,  1846.  Soon  after  land- 
ing he  took  up  government  land  and  engaged  in 
ranching,  and  when  gold  was  discovered  a  couple 
of  vears  later  he  was  one  of  the  few  who  kept 
his  head  throughout  the  excitement,  and  instead 
of  rushing  off  to  the  mines  he  found  his  gold 
mine  in  a  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  potatoes 
and  other  vegetables  and  grains  which  sold  at 
almost  fabulous  prices.  He  also  owned  and 
operated  the  first  threshing  outfit  that  was  ever 
run  in  that  part  of  the  state.  He  with  his  fam- 
ily made  a  visit  and  spent  some  six  months  on 
the  Society  Islands.  In  1852  Mr.  Tompkins, 
thinking  there  were  still  greater  opportunities 
for  the  ranchman  in  San  Bernardino  county, 
brought  his  family  here,  purchasing  the  present 
ranch  which  is  a  part  of  the  original  purchase 
from  the  Mormon  elders  of  Salt  Lake  City. 
Later,  in  1858  he  sold  out  his  holdings  and  re- 
moved to  Salt  Lake  City,  but  not  being  quite  satis- 
fied with  the  entire  workings  of  the  jNlormon  faith 
there  he  soon  returned  to  San  Bernardino  county 
and  was  fortunate  in  being  able  to  buy  back  his 
original  purchase,  and  tliis  place  is  now  held  by 
his  widow.  His  first  wife  died  in  San  Bernardino 
county  and  in  1865  he  married  Miss  A.  F.  Perry, 
a  daughter  of  Jeremiah  and  Jane  (Merrick) 
Perry,  all  natives  of  Tennessee.  When  quite 
young  she  was  taken  by  her  parents  to  Texas 
where  they  died,  and  when  thirteen  }-ears  old 
she  and  her  three  sisters  came  to  the  northern 
part  of  California,  living  in  that  section  for  a 
number  of  years,  later  came  to  Los  Angeles, 
and  finally  in  1864  settled  in  San  Bernardino. 
By  this  union  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tompkins  became 
the  parents  of  seven  children,  namely:  Perry, 
married  Miss  Zora  Avery,  lives  in  Berkeley, 
and  has  one  child ;  Henry,  married  Miss  Lelia 
Patton,  lives  in  Los  Angeles;  Walter,  married 
Miss  Lula  Alexander,  lives  in  San  Bernardino; 
Birdie  ;  Daisy  ;  Violet ;  and  ]\ label  at  home.  Polit- 
ically he  was  a  strong  advocate, of  the  principles 
embraced  in  the  platform  of  the  Republican  party. 
His  death  in  January,  1885,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
six  years,  removed  a  most  successful,  honorable 
and  highly  respected  man.  Mrs.  Tompkins  who 
survives  him  is  an  active  member  and  liberal 
supporter  of  the  benevolences  of  the  Unitarian 
Church.  She  owns  a  fine  ranch  of  eighty-five 
acres,  devoted  to  the  raising  of  hay  and  grain, 
and  lives  in  a  verv  comfortable  home  thereon. 


JOSEPH  PERRY  SYLVA.  In  the  United 
States  it  is  a  matter  of  pride  that  a  large  por- 
tion of  the  best  and  most  prominent  citizens  in 
the  different  walks  of  life  have  risen  to  distinc- 
tion solely  through  their  own  efforts,  unaided 
by  wealth,  influential  family  or  circumstances 
over  which  they  have  no  control.     A  notable  in- 


stance of  tlie  sterling  worth  which  overcomes 
obstacles  and  creates  its  own  opportunities  is 
presented  in  the  career  of  Joseph  P.  Sylva,  for- 
merly a  merchant  and  the  postmaster  of  Wilming- 
ton, and  one  of  the  most  honored  men  of  the 
county. 

On  the  Isle  of  Pico,  one  of  the  Azores,  which 
belongs  to  Portugal,  A'lanuel  and  Isabelle  Sylva 
were  born,  and  there  also  they  reared  their  fam- 
ily and  spent  their  entire  lives,  the  father  living 
to  reach  his  eighty-seventh  year,  while  the  moth- 
er was  in  her  seventy-fourth  year  at  the  time 
of  her  death.  Born  on  the  Isle  of  Pico  August 
24,  1845,  Joseph  P.  Sylva  was  reared  under  the 
sunny  skies  of  his  native  land  until  he  reached 
his  nineteenth  year,  prior  to  which  time  he  had 
received  a  fair  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  tliat  country.  At  the  age  mentioned  he  left 
home  and  friends  and  was  a  sailor  on  the  high 
seas  for  the  following  two  years.  Touching  at 
the  port  of  San  Francisco  in  1866  he  was  so  fav- 
orably impressed  with  the  prospects  which  he 
foresaw  that  he  determined  to  remain  in  the 
United  States.  Before  he  could  make  much 
headway  in  a  strange  country,  however,  it  was 
necessary  for  him  to  learn  the  language  of  his 
adopted  countrymen,  and  he  therefore  lost  no 
time  in  seeking  out  and  joining  a  night  school. 
During  the  year  thus  spent  in  school  he  paid  his 
expenses  by  working  at  any  honorable  employ- 
ment that  he  could  find.  July  27,  1867,  marks 
the  date  of  his  arrival  in  Wilmington,  where 
he  first  worked  as  a  laborer.  As  he  became  more 
familiar  with  the  language  and  customs  of  the 
country  he  naturally  sought  more  responsible 
and  remunerative  employment,  and  from  the 
time  he  became  an  employe  of  the  Southern  Pa- 
cific Railroad  Company  his  advance  was  steady 
and  well  merited.  During  the  years  which  he 
was  with  the  latter  company  he  was  enabled  to 
lav  by  considerable  money,  and  on  February  i, 
1877,  he  invested  his  means  in  a  small  grocery 
store  which  had  been  established  here,  and  with 
the  determination  which  had  characterized  all 
of  his  former  efforts  set  about  to  convert  it  into 
one  of  the  leading  enterprises  of  the  town.  His 
efforts  met  with  success  from  the  start,  and  it  was 
not  long  before  he  had  built  up  a  large  trade. 
Misfortune,  however,  overtook  him  in  1882,  his 
store  and  stock  being  totally  destroyed  by  fire 
that  year.  Phoenix-like  he  erected  upon  the 
ashes  of  his  former  prosperity  a  substantial  brick 
store  which  stands  today  in  the  heart  of  the  bus- 
iness center  of  town.  After  conducting  a  gro- 
cery in  this  building  for  about  twenty-three  years 
he  was  obliged  to  give  up  business  on  account  of 
failing  eyesight,  and  is  now  living  retired,  finding 
sufficient  occupation  in  caring  for  his  property. 
Besides  the  building  just  mentioned  he  owns  two 
buildings  in  San  Pedro,  which  are  up-to-date  in 


1696 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


every  particular   and   bring   him   in   a   good   in- 
come. 

Mr.  Sylva  was  married  in  Los  Angeles,  No- 
vember 7,  1870,  to  Francisca  Villa,  a  lady  of 
Spanish  antecedents,  and  six  children  came  to 
bless  their  union.  Ida  is  the  wife  of  John  S. 
Thomas,  and  they  make  their  home  in  Wilming- 
ton; Joseph,  who  is  his  father's  namesake,  is  as- 
sistant cashier  in  the  State  Bank  of  San  Pedro; 
Isabelle  is  principal  of  the  schools  at  La  Ballona ; 
Martha  is  her  father's  housekeeper,  the  mother 
having  died  October  20,  1897;  Lillian  is  attend- 
ing high  school  at  Wilmington,  and  Carl  is  at 
home.  Ever  since  1872  Mr.  Sylva  has  given 
his  vote  and  support  to  the  Republican  party, 
and  was  school  trustee  of  Wilmington  for  seven 
years,  three  years  of  this  time  being  clerk  of  the 
board.  From  1897  until  1904  he  served  as  post- 
master of  the  town,  giving  entire  satisfaction  to 
those  who  had  secured  his  appointment,  and  is 
now  serving  as  one  of  the  town  trustees.  Fra- 
ternally he  was  made  a  Mason  in  Wilmington 
Lodge  No.  190,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  formerly  be- 
longed to  the  chapter  at  Los  Angeles,  but  has 
lately  had  his  membership  transferred  to  San 
Pedro.  He  also  belongs  to  Bohen  Lodge  No.  138 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  at  San  Pedro,  and  to  Lodge  No.  55, 
A.  O.  U.  W.,  at  Los  Angeles. 


WILLIAM  T.  GILLIS.  A  man  of  excellent 
financial  and  executive  ability,  progressive  in 
his  ideas,  with  a  strong  personality,  William  T. 
Gillis  is  one  of  the  representative  men  of  Los 
Angeles  county,  holding  a  noteworthy  position 
in  business,  fraternal  and  social  circles,  his  influ- 
ence being  felt  through  the  community.  Coming 
from  a  long  line  of  thrifty  ancestors,  he  was  born 
and  reared  in  Nova  Scotia,  receiving  his  educa- 
tion in  Pictou,  graduating  when  young  from  the 
Pictou  Academy. 

As  a  young  man,  Mr.  Gillis  began  his  active 
career  as  a  druggist,  for  three  years  owning  a 
store  in  Pictou.  Coming  to  Santa  Monica  in 
1887,  just  after  the  close  of  the  great  boom,  he 
opened  a  drug  store,  which  he  managed  a  num- 
ber of  years.  Subsequently  settling  in  Redlands, 
he  was  there  employed  in  the  drug  business  for 
six  years,  being  successful  in  his  operations. 
Returning  to  Santa  Monica  in  1901,  he  has 
since  been  a  resident  of  this  place.  Becoming 
identified  with  the  Pacific  Land  Company  in 
September  of  that  year  as  vice-president  and 
manager,  he  assisted  in  developing  Sawtelle  and 
the  surrounding  country  between  that  place  and 
Santa  Monica.  Recently  this  company  has  pur- 
chased stock  in  the  Santa  Monica  Land  and 
Water  Company,  which  owns  thirty  thousand 
acres  of  land  in  this  vicinity,  including  Santa 
Monica  canon,  and  also  owns  the  water  svstem. 


The  company  to  v^hich  Mr.  Gillis  belongs  also 
organized  the  Palisade  Investment  Company, 
which  recently  acquired  title  to  fifty  acres  of 
most  valuable  land,  known  as  the  Palisade.  Hav- 
ing improved  three-fourths  of  the  tract,  they 
put  it  on  the  market,  readily  disposed  of  it  at 
advantageous  prices,  and  the  remaining  fourth 
has  just  been  put  on  the  market  by  the  Alta 
California  Land  Company,  of  which  Roy  Jones 
is  president. 

Mr.  Gillis  is  likewise  identified  with  other  en- 
terprises, being  vice-president  of  the  Santa 
Monica  Investment  Company,  which  during  the 
past  year  built  thirty  houses,  varying  in  cost 
from  $1,000  to  $4,000,  for  the  special  benefit  of 
the  laboring  class  of  people,  who  enjoy  owning 
their  homes,  but  are  unable  to  build  tliem  with- 
out help.  He  is  a  stockholder  and  a  director  in 
the  Bank  of  Santa  Monica,  and  is  treasurer  of 
the  Santa  Monica  Savings  Bank,  of  which  T.  H. 
Dudley  is  president.  Mr.  Gillis  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Sunset  Brick  and  Tile  Com- 
pany, which  was  later  merged  into  the  Los  An- 
geles Pressed  Brick  Company,  still  retaining  his 
interest  in  the  latter,  and  he  is  also  identified 
with  the  Southwest  Warehouse  Company,  which 
has  a  large  warehouse  in  Santa  Monica,  on  the 
tracks  of  the  Southern  Pacific  &  Electric  Rail- 
way. 

Politically  Mr.  Gillis  is  a  straightforward  Re- 
publican. Fraternally  he  is  prominent  in  Ma- 
sonic circles,  being  a  member  and  past  master 
of  Santa  Monica  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  a  member 
of  Los  Angeles  Commandery,  K.  T. ;  and  a  mem- 
ber of  Al  Malaikah  Temple,  Mystic  Shrine,  of 
Los  Angeles.  He  is  likewise  a  member  of  Santa 
JNIonica  Lodge,  B.  P.  O.  E.,  of  which  he  is  past 
exalted  ruler,  and  from  which  he  received  a 
handsome  jewel  as  an  appreciative  token  of  serv- 
ices that  he  rendered  the  organization ;  and  of 
Redlands  Lodge,  K.  of  P.  Mr.  Gillis  has  one 
son,  Robert  William  Gillis. 


ASHBY  C.  VICKERS.  Conspicuously  iden- 
tified with  the  best  interests  of  Ventura  county 
is  Ashby.  C.  A'^ickers,  an  extensive  and  prosperous 
ranchman,  living  on  the  Schiappa  Pietra  ranch. 
•He  owns  one  hundred  and  three  acres  of  fine 
land,  and  rents  a  large  tract,  being  engaged 
principally  in  the  raising  of  beans.  By  industry, 
energy  and  wise  management  he  has  improved 
a  good  home,  which,  with  its  environments  de- 
notes the  supervision  of  an  intelligent  farmer 
and  capable  business  man.  At  the  same  time 
he  has  proved  himself  a  useful  member  of  the 
community,  and  one  well  deserving  the  esteem 
and  confidence  so  generously  accorded  him  by 
the  people.  A  son  of  William  Vickers,  he  was 
born,    December   25,    1861,    in    Cape    Girardeau, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1697 


Mo.,  of  Virginian  ancestry.  Born  and  brought 
up  in  Virginia,  William  Vickers  became  a  pioneer 
settler  of  Missouri,  living  there  until  1862,  when 
he  removed  to  Sangamon  county,  111.,  where  he 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  dying  in  1879, 
at  the  age  of  fifty-six  years.  His  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Martha  Derry,  was  born  in 
Virginia  seventy  years  ago,  and  is  now  a  resident 
of  Illinois. 

Educated  in  the  public  schools  of  the  Prairie 
state,  Ashby  C.  Vickers  remained  in  Illinois 
until  1884,  when  he  came  to  Ventura,  Cal.,  where 
he  resided  two  years.  He  was  subsequently  en- 
gaged in  the  livery  business  at  different  places, 
being  located  Santa  Paula  a  year,  at  Los 
Angeles  two  years,  at  Pleasant  Valley  a  year, 
and  at  Hueneme  two  years.  Purchasing  then 
one  hundred  and  three  acres  of  the  Schiappa 
Pietra  ranch,  he  has  since  been  actively  employed 
in  ranching,  at  the  present  time  renting  adjoining 
land,  and  making  a  specialty  of  cultivating  beans 
on  about  three  hundred  acres,  an  industry  which 
he  is  carrying  on  most  successfully. 

In  May,  1888,  at  Santa  Paula,  Mr.  Vickers 
married  Addie  Holden,  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
Holden,  who,  in  1876,  came  from  Michigan  to 
California  with  his  family,  and  is  now  a  resident 
of  Los  Angeles.  Of  tlie  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Mckers  four  children  have  been  born,  namely: 
Josephine  M.,  Gladys  G.,  Mattie  E.  and  Vesta  E. 
in  his  political  affiliaticns  Mr.  Vickers  is  a  sound 
Democrat,  and  fraternally  he  is  a  member  of 
Oxnard  Lodge  No.  341,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of 
Oxnard  Chapter  No.  86,  R.  A.  M.  He  is  liberal 
in  his  religious  beliefs,  attending  the  Univer- 
salist  Church  of  Santa  Paula,  and  is  contributing 
his  full  share  toward  advancing  the  intellectual 
and  moral  progress  of  the  community. 


GUY  W.  MAHAN.  Numbered  among  the 
bright  and  enterprising  young  farmers  of  Ven- 
tura county  is  Guy  W.  Mahan,  who  is  located  in 
the  vicinity  of  Somis  and  engaged  in  general 
ranching  pursuits  which  have  been  productive  of 
large  financial  returns.  Inheriting  the  industry 
and  perseverance  which  have  thus  early  distin- 
guished his  efforts,  he  was  born  of  pioneer  an- 
cestry December  31,  1876,  his  parents,  William 
Samuel  and  Emma  (Sisson)  Mahan,  both  being 
natives  of  California.  The  paternal  grandfather, 
John  Mahan,  who  is  written  up  at  length  in  an- 
other part  of  this  volume,  was  one  of  the  early 
pioneers  of  the  state  and  one  of  its  upbuilders  in 
the  locality  in  which  he  settled.  Ventura  county 
has  been  the  scene  of  all  the  efforts  of  Guy  W. 
?vlahan,  his  parents  now  residing  near  Somis,  al- 
though in  his  boyhood  they  lived  on  the  Los 
Posas  ranch,  where  he  attended  the  public  school. 
This   preliminary   education    was    supplemented 


by  a  course  in  Kanard  College,  of  Ventura,  where 
in  the  commercial  department  he  received  a  prac- 
tical training  which  has  been  of  material  assist- 
ance since.  The  most  important  part  of  his 
training  having  been  along  agricultural  lines  it 
was  but  natural  that  he  should  seek  this  means 
of  a  livelihood,  although  for  a  year  he  was  occu- 
pied with  his  brother,  George  Mahan,  in  a  gro- 
cery store  in  Santa  Paula.  He  is  now  the  owner 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  fine  farm  land, 
upon  which  he  has  placed  all  the  improvements, 
and  in  addition  to  this  property  he  rents  three 
hundred  and  thirty  acres,  of  which  two  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  are  devoted  to  the  raising  of 
beans  and  hay.  Thus  far  he  has  met  with  un- 
qualified success  in  his  work  and  bids  fair  to 
rank  among  the  representative  farmers  of  this 
section. 

In  Camarillo,  Ventura  county,  j\Ir.  Mahan  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ethel  Glenn,  on 
the  23d  of  December,  1900.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  George  Glenn,  of  Camarillo,  for  further  in- 
formation regarding  whom  refer  to  his  biography 
which  appears  on  another  page  of  this  volume. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mahan  are  the  parents  of  two 
children,  Oris  and  Vivian.  The  Baptist  Church 
of  Somis  receives  the  support  of  Mr.  Mahan  in 
both  attendance  and  financial  matters.  Fraternal- 
ly he  is  identified  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  of  Santa  Paula,  and  Knights  of  Pythias 
of  the  same  place,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Fraternal  Brotherhood. 


LOUIS  FRANK  DIEDRICH.  The  rich 
agricultural  resources  of  Ventura  county  have 
been  developed  and  advanced  by  the  many  live, 
energetic  and  persevering  farmers  who  have 
labored  industriously  and  are  now  meeting  with 
their  due  reward.  Prominent  among  this  num- 
ber is  Louis  F.  Diedrich,  who  lives  near  Oxnard, 
where  he  owns  a  part  of  the  old  Schiappa  Pietra 
ranch,  and  also  leases  a  large  tract  of  land. 
Beginning  life  with  no  other  endowments  than 
strong  hands  and  a  courageous  heart,  he  has 
steadily  worked  his  way  upward,  gaining  ex- 
perience and  business  ability  as  the  years  have 
passed,  and  now,  in  manhood's  prime,  is  exceed- 
ingly prosperous.  A  native  of  Germany,  he  was 
born,  September  30,  1859,  ^^  Hanover,  where 
he  obtained  a  practical  common  school  education. 
His  parents,  Louis  and  Margaret  (Bemeke) 
Diedrich,  spent  their  entire  lives  in  Germany,  the 
mother  dying  in  1866,  at  the  age  of  forty-seven 
years,  and  the  father  in  1870,  aged  fifty-eight 
years. 

Living  in  the  Fatherland  until  after  attaining 
his  majority,  Louis  F.  Diedrich  became  familiar 
wath  the  many  branches  of  agriculture  on  his 
native  soil.     Immigrating  to  the  United   States 


1698 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  1882,  lie  spent  a  very  brief  time  in  New  York 
Cit}-,  and  then  started  for  the  Pacific  coast,  com- 
ing by  rail  to  Los  Angeles,  and  from  there  to 
Ventura  coimty  by  stage.  For  several  years  he 
was  employed  as  a  wage-earner.  Enterprising 
and  thrifty,  he  saved  his  money,  and  having  ac- 
cumulated considerable  capital  purchased  his 
present  ranch  in  1901,  and  at  once  .began  its 
improvement.  He  owns  one  hundred  and 
twenty-four  acres  of  good  land,  and  on  this  he 
has  erected  a  modem  house,  an  excellent  set  of 
farm  buildings,  and  these,  with  their  attractive 
surroundings,  add  materially  to  the  appearance 
of  the  estate,  and  to  its  value  from  a  financial 
point  of  view.  He  rents  additional  land,  farm- 
ing about  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  two 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  being  planted  to  beans, 
and  the  remainder  devoted  to  the  raising  of 
barley. 

February  20,  1887.  Mr.  Diedrich  married  Eliz- 
abeth Reiman,  who  was  born  in  Germany,  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1880  with  her  parents, 
the  late  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  (Schnider)  Rei- 
man. Her  father  diecl  in  1903,  and  her  mother 
now  lives  near  Oxnard.  Mr.  and  ^Irs.  Diedrich 
are  the  parents  of  six  children,  namely:  Louis, 
Laura.  Tillie,  Robert,  Mary  and  ]\Iorris.  Politi- 
cally Mr.  Diedrich  is  an  independent  Democrat, 
voting  with  the  courage  of  his  convictions  for  the 
best  men  and  measures.  Religiously  he  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church  at 
Oxnard. 


J.  ].  SUESS.  The  mercantile  life  of  Redlands 
has  in  J.  J.  Suess  a  prominent  and  upbuilding 
factor  and  one  who  has  made  his  efforts  for  a 
personal  success  parallel  with  those  for  the  up- 
building of  his  adopted  city.  The  sturdy  qualities 
of  character  he  has  displayed  are  an  inheritance 
from  Swiss  ancestry,  his  birth  having  occurred 
in  Zurich,  Switzerland.  August  22.  1862;  his 
father,  John,  was  born  there,  as  was  also 
his  grandfather,  John,  the  records  of  the  family 
tracing  the  ancestry  back  to  1532  and  earlier. 
John  Suess,  Jr.,  was  a  blacksmith  and  viti- 
culturist,  the  farm  he  owned  in  Switzerland  still 
being  a  part  of  the  family  estate.  He  brought 
his  family  to  America  in  1868  and  located  at 
Fort  Madison,  Iowa,  where  he  conducted  a 
blacksmith  and  carriage  shop,  later  removing  to 
Webster  county.  Neb.,  and  there  improving  a 
farm  until  his  death.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Reformed  Church  and  a  helpful  and  practical 
citizen.  His  wife  was  formerly  Susan  Ulrich, 
who  was  born  in  Zurich,  her  death  occurring  in 
Iowa  three  months  prior  to  that  of  her  husband. 
They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom 
nine  are  living  and  six  are  in  California. 

The  second  in  the  family  of  his  parents,  J.  J. 


Suess  was  brought  to  Iowa  when  about  six  years 
old,  and  in  1874  was  taken  to  Nebraska,  his 
education  being  received  through  the  medium 
of  the  public  schools  of  both  states  and  a  private 
institution  which  he  attended  for  a  time.  He 
lost  his  parents  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years ;  four 
years  later  he  decided  to  seek  the  broader  op- 
portunities of  the  Pacific  coast  and  accordingly 
came  to  California  (this  being  in  1882)  and  lo- 
cated in  Los  Angeles,  then  a  city  of  twenty 
thousand  inhabitants.  The  following  year  he 
went  to  Widmore  City  (now  Long  Beach), 
where  he  conducted  a  small  store  through  the 
summer,  thence  locating  in  \'entura  and  later  in 
Nordhofi^,  where  he  was  employed  in  a  general 
merchandise  business  until  1890.  In  the  fall  of 
that  year  he  went  to  Lompoc  and  followed  a 
similar  occupation  until  the  summer  of  1891, 
when  he  located  in  Redlands,  purchasing  a  one- 
half  interest  in  the  grocery  business  of  J.  W. 
Lewis,  the  firm  name  being  Lewis  &  Suess.  A 
year  later  he  purchased  the  remaining  interest  in 
the  business  and  has  since  continued  the  enter- 
prise alone,  building  up  and  enlarging  the  busi- 
ness, increasing  his  store  room  and  stock,  and 
adding  every  equipment  for  the  expeditious 
managment  of  the  constantly  increasing  custom. 
His  building,  which  is  located  at  the  corner  of 
State  and  Orange  streets,  is  40x120  in  dimen- 
sions, and  to  this  he  added  a  bakery  in  1903, 
now  owning  and  conducting  two  bakeries,  and 
also  has  a  branch  store  at  Crafton.  He  conducts 
the  largest  establishment  of  its  kind  in  Redlands, 
and  by  his  business  methods,  his  honesty,  and 
integrity  in  dealing  with  the  public,  has  acquired 
a  wide  reputation  which  has  resulted  in  an  in- 
creased patronage.  In  addition  to  his  mercan- 
tile mterests  he  also  owns  an  orange  grove  in 
the  vicinity  of  Redlands. 

Mr.  Suess  has  been  twice  married,  his  first 
wife  being  Miss  jNIattie  Dewey,  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  a  member  of  the  New  England 
family  of  Deweys.  She  died  in  Redlands  leav- 
ing two  children,  Donald  Ensign  and  Dorothea. 
Later  he  was  married  here  to  Rliss  Nellie  West- 
land,  a  native  of  Michigan.  In  1904  JNIr.  Suess 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees 
of  Redlands  for  a  term  of  four  years,  and  is 
now  serving  as  chairman  of  that  body.  He  is 
a  director  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Red- 
lands  and  active  in  the  advancement  of  its  in- 
terests. Fraternally  he  is  a  prominent  l\Iason, 
having  been  made  a  member  of  the  organization 
in  Redlands  Lodge  No.  300,  of  which  he  is  now 
past  master ;  and  also  belongs  to  Redlands 
Qiapter  No.  yy,  R.  A.  M. ;  St.  Bernard  Com- 
manderv  No.  23.  K.  T.,  of  San  Bernardino;  and 
Al  Malaikah  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  N.  M.  S.  He 
is  also  identified  with  the  Benevolent  Protective 
Order  of   Elks,   of   Redlands.      Mr.   Suess  is   a 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1701 


member  of  the  Unitarian  Church,  and  politi- 
cally is  a  stanch  advocate  of  the  principles  em- 
braced in  the  platform  of  the  Republican  party, 
taking  an  active  interest  in  the  advancement  of 
his  party's  interest,  and  is  now  a  member  of  the 
Republican  County  Central  Committee.  He  is 
a  charter  member  of  the  Board  of  Trade  and  has 
served  as  director  of  the  organization.  Justly 
he  is  accounted  a  citizen  of  worth,  held  in  the 
highest  esteem  for  his  splendid  qualities  of  char- 
acter, and  in  the  midst  of  his  busy  efforts  to- 
ward a  personal  competence  has  proven  himself 
an  important  factor  toward  the  upbuilding  and 
development  of  Southern   California. 


JAMES  K.  TRIPLETT.  Throughout  the 
greater  part  of  his  life  Mr.  Triplett  has  been  a 
resident  of  California  and  during  much  of  that 
period  he  has  made  his  home  in  Santa  Barbara 
county,  where  he  has  the  distinction  of  being  one 
of  the  oldest  surviving  pioneers  of  the  Santa 
Maria  valley.  Shortly-  after  he  first  came  to  this 
fertile  region  he  purchased  a  tract  included  with- 
in the  Lagona  ranch  and  since  then  he  has  bought 
and  sold  a  number  of  farms,  while  he  still  owns 
the  stock  ranch  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  in  the  valley  and  for  a  few  years  made 
his  home  on  that  place.  More  recently  (1902) 
he  purchased  and  since  then  has  occupied  and 
operated  a  farm  of  fifty  acres  under  cultivation 
to  grain  and  beans,  and  also  utilized  to  some  ex- 
tent as  a  poultry  ranch.  The  people  of  the  val- 
ley among  whom  he  has  lived  for  many  years  es- 
teem him  as  a  man  of  sterling  worth,  progressive 
character  and  undoubted  integrity. 

The  Triplett  family  is  of  southern  ancestry. 
Very  early  in  the  agricultural  development  of 
Illinois  there  removed  to  it  as  pioneers  A.  J.  and 
Frances  K.  (Mews)  Triplett,  natives  respectively 
of  Bourbon  county,  Ky.,  and  Mrginia.  Shortly 
after  their  arrival  in  their  frontier  surroundings 
they  secured  a  homestead  from  the  government 
and  engaged  in  transforming  the  soil  from  its 
primeval  condition  into  a  farm  of  productive  ca- 
pacity and  neat  appearance.  During  the  spring 
of.  1864  they  disposed  of  the  Illinois  property 
and  proceeded  south  and  west  to  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama,  thence  up  the  Pacific  ocean  to  Califor- 
nia, where  they  settled  in  Sonoma  county.  The 
mother  died  at  Salinas  when  forty-two  years  of 
age,  and  the  father  passed  away  in  Santa  Barbara 
county  at  the  age  of  sixty-one  years.  Of  their 
ten  children  five  died  in  infancy;  Hairy  lives  in 
Whitti'er,  Cal.,  and  S.  D.  is  a  resident  of  Kent, 
in  the  state  of  Washington.  Actively  interested 
in  public  affairs,  the  father  remained  an  adherent 
of  the  Democratic  party  as  long  as  he  lived, 
while  in  religious  connections  he  and  his  wife 
were  identified  with  the  Qiristian  Church. 


The  schools  of  Pike  county,  111.,  (in  which 
county  he  was  born  November  4,  1848J,  afforded 
James  K.  Triplett  the  rudiments  of  a  fair  edu- 
cation and  subsequent  habits  of  close  observa- 
tion and  thoughtful  reading  have  broadened  his 
fund  of  knowledge.  When  fifteen  years  of  age  he 
accompanied  the  family  to  California  and  settled 
witli  them  in  Sonoma  county,  where  he  assisted 
in  the  development  of  a  ranch.  For  a  time  he 
enjoyed  the  privilege  of  taking  a  general  course 
of  study  in  Hesperian  College  at  Woodland,  and 
after  leaving  the  college  he  embarked  in  inde- 
pendent ranching.  For  four  years  or  more  he 
engaged  in  ranching  near  Salinas,  Monterey 
county,  and  in  1873  came  to  the  Santa  Maria 
valley,  where  he  has  since  become  prominently 
identified  with  the  permanent  development  of  the 
ranching  interests  of  the  locality. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Triplett  took  place  in 
1871  and  united  him  with  Miss  Susan  K.  Rice, 
one  of  the  native  daughters  of  California,  and  a 
lady  of  estimable  character,  with  him  a  sincere 
member  of  the  Christian  Qiurch.  Four  children 
blessed  their  union,  but  one  son,  John  H.,  died 
at  the  age  of  six  years,  and  another,  Francis,  died 
in  infancy.  William  H.,  the  only  surviving  son, 
married  Lydia  Holland  and  has  two  children. 
The  only  daughter,  Bessie  M.,  resides  with  her 
parents  on  the  ranch.  For  thirty-four  years  or 
more  Mr.  Triplett  has  been  actively  connected 
with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  of 
Guadaloupe  and  Santa  Maria  and  has  been  a  con- 
tributor to  its  charities.  Reared  in  the  Demo- 
cratic faith,  he  has  seen  no  reason  to  change  his 
political  afiiliations  and  remains  stanchly  inter- 
ested in  local  and  general  Democratic  affairs. 
While  never  a  candidate  for  office,  he  consented 
at  one  time  to  fill  the  office  of  high  school  trus- 
tee and  in  that  position  rendered  efficient  service 
in  the  interest  of  educational  affairs  in  his  dis- 
trict. 


BREEN  BROTHERS.  The  name  of  the 
Breen  brothers,  both  collectively  and  individually, 
is  well  known  in  Wilmington,  where  for  the 
past  ten  years  they  have  carried  on  a  general 
merchandise  store,  besides  owning  a  rolling  mill 
and  dealing  in  grain  extensively.  On  both  sides 
of  the  family  they  are  of  Irish  descent,  their  par- 
ents, James  and  Sarah  (Synnott)  Breen,  com- 
ing to  the  United  States  from  the  Emerald  Isle 
and  locating  in  Vermont.  Both  the  father  and 
mother  are  now  deceased. 

Fred  F.  Breen  was  born  in  Underbill,  Chit- 
tenden county,  Vt.,  August  15,  1868,  and  his 
lirother,  Edward  H.,  was  born  in  the  same  place. 
June  16,  1870.  Nothing  of  unusual  interest 
transpired  during  their  early  lives  to  distinguish 
them  from  those  of  other  boys  in  their  locality. 


17U:; 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  when  not  attending  the  pubhc  school  at  Un- 
derhill  they  assisted  their  father  in  the  care  and 
management  of  the  home  place.  When  twenty- 
two  years  of  age  Fred  F.  Breen  began  farming 
on  his  own  account,  but  after  five  years  of  hard 
work  he  gave  it  up  and  came  to  California,  which 
by  that  time  had  become  known  for  its  marvel- 
ous agricultural  possibilities.  Coming  to  Wil- 
mington, Los  Angeles  county,  he  carried  on  a 
ranch  in  this  vicinity  from  1895  until  1901,  giv- 
ing it  up  in  the  latter  year  to  engage  in  the  gro- 
cery business.  To  his  original  stock  he  has  add- 
ed a  complete  line  of  general  commodities,  from 
which  he  is  able  to  supply  any  and  all  household 
demands.  Interested  with  him  in  the  enter- 
prise is  his  brother  Edward  H.,  and  they  also  are 
associated  in  the  buying  and  selling  of  grain, 
which  forms  no  small  source  of  income. 

In  Wilmington,  CaL,  October  15,  1901,  Fred 
F.  Breen  was  united  in  marriage  with  Myrtle 
McMahon,  who  was  born  in  Kansas,  but  has  been 
a  resident  of  California  since  1898,  at  which 
time  she  located  in  Long  Beach  as  a  teacher  in 
the  public  school.  Subsequently  she  taught  in 
Wilmington,  and  she  has  also  served  in  the  same 
capacity  in  Washington  and  other  states.  Two 
children  have  blessed  their  union,  Fred  and  Bert. 
Following  in  the  training  in  which  they  were 
both  reared  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Breen  are  communi- 
cants of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  are  rearing 
their  children  in  that  faith.  Possessing  shrewd 
business  sense  and  a  pronounced  desire  to  please 
their  many  customers  the  Breen  brothers  are  also 
discerning  in  the  selection  of  their  stock  and  as  a 
result  are  winning  the  patronage  which  their  ef- 
forts deserve. 


EMIL  SUESS.  The  business  interests  of 
Redlands  have  in  Emil  Suess  one  of  its  most 
enterprising  men,  his  business  interests  being 
as  proprietor  of  the  Club  Stables,  one  of  the 
chief  liveries  of  the  city.  Mr.  Suess  comes  of 
a  fine  old  Swiss  family,  his  father,  John  J-. 
bringing  the  family  to  America  a  year  after  his 
birth,  which  occurred  October  10,  1869;  their 
home  was  located  in  Iowa  and  Nebraska,  the 
father  engaging  as  a  farmer  in  Webster  county 
of  the  latter  state.  For  more  complete  details 
concerning  his  life  refer  to  the  sketch  of  John 
J.  Suess,  which  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
Emil  Suess  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  Webster  county.  Neb.,  where  he  made  his 
home  until  1891,  when  he  came  to  California, 
locating  first  in  Ventura  county,  where  later 
he  homesteaded  a  ranch  in  the  Ojai  valley,  near 
Nordhofif.  He  improved  this  property  and  at 
the  same  time  drove  the  stage  for  the  Oak  Glen 
Cottages  for  the  period  of  three  years.  Coming 
to    Southern    California    in    1895    he   located    in 


Redlands  and  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  the  Star 
Grocery,  then  his  brother's  business  establish- 
ment, but  not  caring  for  the  indoor  work  gave 
it  up  after  two  years  and  entered  the  transfer 
business.  His  association  with  this  work  in- 
duced his  purchase  of  an  interest  after  six  years 
in  the  Redlands  Livery,  then  owned  by  Mr. 
Wilmot,  and  conducted  on  Central  avenue.  The 
two  continued  in  partnership  for  the  period  of 
eighteen  months,  when  Mr.  Suess  sold  his  in- 
terest to  Mr.  Wilmot.  He  spent  the  ensuing 
year  in  traveling,  during  which  he  visited  the 
St.  Louis  exposition  and  also  his  old  home  in 
Nebraska.  On  his  return  he  purchased  in 
September,  1904,  the  Qub  Stables  then  con- 
ducted by  Singleton  &  Haskell.  These  were  the 
oldest  stables  in  Redlands  and,  located  at  the 
corner  of  Fourth  and  State  streets,  commanded 
a  large  portion  of  the  custom.  He  is  located  in 
a  substantial,  three-story  building,  80x300  feet 
in  dimensions  and  facing  both  streets,  with  a 
second  floor  arranged  for  stalls,  having  a  capacity 
for  one  hundred  and  fifty  head,  and  a  third 
floor  for  the  storage  of  hay  and  grain,  all 
vehicles  being  on  the  first  floor.  Mr.  Suess  is 
interested  in  the  Redlands  Driving  Association, 
formed  for  the  purpose  of  caring  for  the  tourists 
who  come  to  the  city  sightseeing,  he  being  secre- 
tary and  manager. 

Mr.  Suess  was  married  in  Redlands  to  Miss 
Martha  Kindscher,  a  native  of  Iowa,  and  born 
of  this  union  is  one  daughter.  Gladys.  In  his 
fraternal  relations  Mr.  Suess  is  identified  with 
the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and 
also  the  Odd  Fellows,  having  been  made  a  mem- 
ber of  this  organization  here  and  is  now  past 
grand,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Encamp- 
ment and  Canton.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch 
advocate  of  the  principles  embraced  in  the  plat- 
form of  the  Republican  party.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Trade  and  active  in  its  aflfairs. 


JONATHAN  F.  FULKERSON,  general 
blacksmith  and  wagonmaker  of  Somis,  Ventura 
county,  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  his  birth  having 
occurred  in  Pope  county,  February  17,  1867. 
His  father,  William  B.  Fulkerson,  now  residing 
in  Graham  county,  Kans.,  is  also  a  native  of  Illi- 
nois, to  which  state  his  parents  removed  in  the 
early  days  of  the  northwest.  He  was  a  shoe- 
maker by  trade,  but  always  followed  agricultural 
pursuits  instead.  In  1872  he  removed  to  Rooks 
county,  Kans.,  from  that  point  located  in  Graham 
county,  and  he  is  now  conducting  a  hotel  in 
Eogue.  His  wife,  formerlv  Mary  Wliiteside. 
was  born  in  Illinois  and  died  in  Kansas  in  1879, 
at  the  age  of  thirtv-nine  years. 

Reared  in  Kansas,  Jonathan  F.  Fulkerson  re- 
ceived   his    education    in    the  public    schools   of 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


170i 


that  state,  after  which  in  Webster,  Kans.,  he  was 
apprenticed  to  learn  the  trade  of  blacksmith. 
He  was  early  attracted  to  the  Pacific  coast  by  the 
more  abundant  opportunities  held  out  to  the  am- 
bitious, enterprisnig  young  man,  and  on  the  23rd 
of  March,  1891,  he  located  in  Somis,  Ventura 
county,  where  for  the  past  fifteen  years  he  has 
been  engaged  in  the  prosecution  of  his  trade. 
Step  by  step  he  has  steadily  advanced  to  a  high 
position  in  his  work,  winning  the  confidence 
of  those  whose  patronage  he  sought  until  to-day, 
having  owned  his  shop  since  January,  1900,  he 
has  a  large  and  lucrative  trade.  He  has  every 
equipment  for  the  conduct  of  a  large  business, 
carrying  a  stock  of  the  best  iron  and  steel  afforded 
by  shops  of  this  character  in  the  county,  and  mak- 
ing a  specialty  of  horse-shoeing  and  plow  work 
which  gives  universal  satisfaction.  He  always 
has  a  force  of  three  men  and  for  a  part  of  the 
time  employes  five. 

]Mr.  Fulkerson  was  married  in  Somis,  Decem- 
ber 25,  1902,  to  Miss  Fannie  G.  Hughes,  a 
daughter  of  W.  A.  Hughes,  of  whom  extended 
mention  is  made  in  another  part  of  this  volume. 
They  have  two  daughters :  Birdie  Adell  and  Inez 
Floyd.  Mr.  Fulkerson  is  associated  fraternally 
with  the  Masons,  being  a  member  of  Oxnard 
Lodge  No.  341,  F.  &.  A.  M.,  and  Oxnard  Chap- 
ter No.  86,  R.  A.  M. ;  and  also  affiliates  with  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  being  consul  of 
the  Camp  at  Somis.  He  was  the  first  postmaster 
of  Somis,  being  appointed  to  the  position  May  12, 
1893,  and  discharging  the  duties  in  an  able  man- 
ner for  the  period  of  two  years.  He  is  actively 
interested  in  affairs  concerning  Somis  and  is 
liberal  and  public  spirited  in  his  support  of  its 
best  interests.  As  a  trustee  of  the  Somis  school 
board  he  seeks  the  advancement  of  its  educa- 
tional interests.  The  qualities  of  his  citizenship 
have  won  for  him  the  high  position  which  he 
holds  in  the  esteem  of  his  fellow-townsmen,  who 
count  him  among  the  men  who  uphold  our  civic 
honor. 

JOHN  LOYNACHAN.  One  of  the  most 
popular  young  men  in  the  Lompoc  valley  is  John 
Loynachan,  a  progressive  and  enterprising 
rancher,  who  has  made  a  success  in  his  business 
enterprises  and  gained  a  host  of  friends.  His 
father,  John  Loynachan,  Sr.,  was  born  in  Scot- 
land and  immigrated  to  Canada,  which  latter 
country  was  the  birthplace  of  the  mother.  Seven 
children  comprised  the  parental  family,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  being  the  only  son.  Of  the 
six  daughters  four  still  live  in  Canada,  which 
was  the  parental  home,  and  one  in  Massa- 
chusetts. The  father  was  a  ranchman  in  Can- 
ada and  lived  there  until  his  death,  at  the  age 
of  sixtv-two  vears.  The  mother  was  forty-nine 
at  the  time  of  her  death. 


John  Loynachan  was  born  July  15,  1865,  in 
Canada,  where  he  received  his  early  education, 
and  when  his  school  days  were  over  imme- 
diately engaged  in  ranching  there,  having  as- 
sumed charge  of  his  father's  farm  when  only 
fourteen  years  old.  At  the  age  of  twenty-seven 
he  decided  to  immigrate  to  California,  and  made 
San  Francisco  his  first  objective  point.  He  soon 
went  to  the  redwood  lumber  country,  where  he 
worked  for  a  time,  and  in  the  fall  of  1893  ar- 
rived in  Lompoc,  where  he  has  been  engaged  in 
ranching  ever  since.  The  twenty  acres  of  land 
which  he  owns  is  situated  in  the  limits  of  the 
town  of  Lompoc  and  it  is  his  intention  to  erect 
a  fine  home  thereon  in  the  fall  of  1907.  He  is 
now  farming  a  rented  ranch  of  three  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  and  raises  hogs  and  cattle  on  the 
two  hundred  acres  of  pasture  land,  farming  the 
remainder,  which  is  planted  to  barley  and  beans, 
and  five  acres  is  devoted  to  a  Bellflower  apple 
orchard. 

In  1893  Mr.  Loynachan  was  married  to  Miss 
Jeanette  McAdam,  a  native  Canadian,  and  to 
them  have  been  born  three  children:  Gertrude 
i\I.,  Bernice  A.  and  J.  Dean.  The  wife  is  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  Church ;  while  in  Canada 
Mr.  Loynachan  gave  his  allegiance  to  the  Pres- 
byterian Church.  Politically  he  affiliates  with 
the  Republican  party,  and  fraternally  he  holds 
membership  in  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  Lodge  at  Lompoc  and  belongs  to  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World. 


N.  H.  HAMILTON,  M.  D.  One  of  the  most 
prominent  physicians  of  Southern  California  is 
N.  H.  Hamilton,  widely  known  and  highly  es- 
teemed in  Santa  Monica,  where  he  has  engaged 
in  active  practice  since  September,  1894,  firmly 
establishing  himself  among  the  medical  fratern- 
ity of  this  section.  He  has  brought  to  bear  in 
his  work  a  thorough  knowledge  broadened  by 
practical  experience  covering  a  period  of  over 
thirty  years,  constantly  increased  by  wide  read- 
ing (for  he  is  an  indefatigable  student  and 
keeps  thoroughly  in  touch  with  modern  thought 
and  methods),  and  is  also  possessed  of  personal 
qualities  of  character  which  enable  him  to  come 
in  closer  contact  with  his  patients  than  is  the 
case  with  the  average  physician.  He  is  a  native 
of  the  middle  west,  his  birth  having  occurred  at 
Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  February  17,  1852,  but  when 
only  two  years  old  he  w-as  taken  by  his  parents 
to  Winona,  Minn.,  where  he  grew  to  manhood. 
His  preliminary  education  was  received  through 
an  attendance  of  the  grammar  and  high  schools 
of  the  town  in  which  he  lived,  after  which  he 
returned  to  his  birthplace  and  became  a  student 
in  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of 
Michigan,  having  selected  this  profession  for  his 


1704 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


lifework.  Later  he  entered  Rush  Medical  Col- 
lege of  Chicago,  from  which  institution  he  was 
graduated  with  honors  in  1877,  thoroughly 
equipped  theoretically  for  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession. 

Following  the  westward  trend  of  immigration, 
Dr.  Hamilton,  immediately  following  his  gradu- 
ation, located  in  the  then  new  town  of  Grafton, 
N.  Dak.,  and  established  himself  as  a  practi- 
tioner. Step  by  step  he  advanced  to  a  place  of 
prominence  in  his  profession,  constantly  increas- 
ing his  patronage  and  widening  his  influence 
until  he  became  known  as  a  representative  physi- 
cian of  that  section.  For  seventeen  years  he 
remained  a  resident  of  that  place,  and  for  four- 
teen years  of  this  time  sen-ed  as  president  of 
the  United  States  board  of  examining  surgeons 
for  soldiers'  pensions ;  also,  for  a  similar  period, 
served  as  county  physician.  For  two  years  he 
served  as  county  coroner,  for  four  years  as  a 
member  of  the  examining  board  for  the  insane, 
and  for  nine  years  acted  as  secretary  and  super- 
intendent of  the  county  board  of  health.  He 
was  the  first  vice-president  of  the  North  Dakota 
State  Medical  Society,  and  served  as  district 
surgeon  for  the  Northern  Pacific  and  Great 
Northern  Railroad  Companies.  Significant  of 
his  ability,  his  standing  as  a  physician  and  citi- 
zen, were  the  honors  which  came  to  him  un- 
sought, and  in  which  positions  he  faithfully  and 
efiiciently  discharged  all  duties  incumbent  upon 
him.  Impaired  health,  however,  caused  by  con- 
stant application  to  his  duties  and  the  rigors 
of  the  northern  climate  finally  induced  Dr.  Ham- 
ilton to  leave  Grafton,  and  in  September,  1894, 
he  came  to  Southern  California  and  established 
his  home  in  Santa  Monica,  where  he  has  ever 
since  remained.  Besides  his  private  practice 
he  is  district  surgeon  for  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railway ;  is  the  medical  examiner  for  all  the  old- 
line  insurance  companies  in  Southern  California ; 
and  also  acts  in  the  same  capacity  for  four  fra- 
ternal societies.  He  is  a  director  in  the  Santa 
:\Ionica  Bank  and  is  actively  connected  with 
other  local  enterprises,  in  the  success  of  which 
he  is  deeply  interested.  During  the  anti-saloon 
movement  in  Santa  Monica  in  March  and  April, 
1900,  he  was  one  of  five  constituting  the  execu- 
tive committee  that  rid  the  town  of  her  ten 
saloons.  In  1906  he  with  others  organized  the 
Santa  Monica  Bay  Hospital  Company,  with  a 
capital  stock  of  $100,000,  he  being  made  presi- 
dent of  the  company.  At  a  cost  of  about  $40,000 
the  company  has  erected  a  building  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Pacific  and  Fourth  streets.  Santa  ^lonica. 
overlooking  the  ocean. 

Dr.  Hamilton  has  taken  a  deep  interest  in 
various  medical  societies  of  Southern  California, 
being  a  member  of  the  Los  Angeles  County 
Medical    Association.    California    State    IMedical 


Society,  and  also  belongs  to  the  American  IMed- 
ical Association,  which  is  the  largest  medical 
association  in  the  world.  Despite  his  engross- 
ing professional  cares  he  has  also  taken  an  active 
interest  in  fraternal  organizations,  in  Grafton 
having  been  made  a  JMason  and  there  raised  to 
the  degrees  of  Royal  Arch  and  the  Commandery, 
and  also  became  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine, 
which  he  joined  in  Fargo,  N.  Dak.  He  secured 
demits  from  these  various  lodges  and  is  now 
identified  with  Santa  Monica  Lodge  No.  307. 
F.  &  A.  M.,  Chapter  and  Commandery,  and  Al 
Alalaikah  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  N.  M.  S.,  of  Los 
Angeles.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Uniformed 
Rank,  Knights  of  Pythias,  in  Santa  Monica, 
and  the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters  of  the 
same  place.  He  is  a  director  in  the  Western 
Masons"  I^Iutual  Life  Association  of  Los  An- 
geles, and  maintains  a  deep  interest  in  its  wel- 
fare. In  his  political  affiliations  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  believing  in  the  active  duties  of  a 
citizen  he  has  sought  to  advance  the  principles 
he  endorses.  As  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Santa  Monica  he  takes  a  deep  interest 
in  forwarding  all  charitable  and  denominational 
movements.  Personally  he  is  held  in  the  high- 
est esteem  by  all  who  have  known  him,  either 
professionally  or  socially,  admiring  and  respect- 
ing him  for  the  sterling  integrity  of  his  char- 
acter, for  the  personal  honor  he  steadfastly  main- 
tains, and  tlie  practical  demonstration  of  his  be- 
lief in  the  universal  brotherhood  of  man. 

The  home  of  Dr.  Hamilton,  in  Santa  Monica, 
is  presided  over  by  his  wife,  whom  he  married 
October  21,  1887.  She  was  formerly  Miss 
Bertha  R.  Crookston,  a  native  of  Ann  Arbor, 
Mich.,  and  a  woman  of  rare  personal  qualities 
and  grace  of  manner.  In  the  years  of  their  mar- 
ried life  she  has  proven  a  worthy  helpmate  to 
her  husband  and  has  maintained  through  all 
conditions  her  good  cheer  and  Christian  help- 
fulness. Four  daughters  were  born  of  their 
union,  three  of  whom  are  living,  Helen,  Clara 
and  Esther.  The  second  daughter,  Edith,  died 
October  16.  1900,  after  an  unsuccessful  opera- 
tion for  appendicitis.  The  Hamilton  home  is 
a  place  of  refinement  and  culture,  and  there  also 
true  hospitality  abounds.  Both  the  doctor  and 
his  wife  hold  a  high  place  in  the  social  life  of 
the  citv  and  are  universally  esteemed. 


BRUCE  E.  DOUGLAS.  One  of  the  many 
active,  enterprising  and  worthy  citizens  of  Los 
Angeles  county  is"  Bruce  E.  Douglas,  who  until 
recently,  as  proprietor  of  the  Bay  Mew  Trans- 
fer Company,  carried  on  a  thriving  business  in 
Long  Beach.  Energetic,  accommodating  and 
painstaking  he  met  with  much  success  in  his  oc- 
cupation, being  popular  with  his  patrons.    In  1906 


64*Mts^ylU. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1707 


he  embarked  in  the  real-estate  business  under  the 
name  of  the  Riverside  Real  Estate  Company.  A 
son  of  Cyrus  Douglas,  he  was  born  in  March, 
184s,  in  Vermilion  county,  111.,  being  one  of  a 
large  family  of  children. 

Born  in  1792,  in  Vermont,  Cyrus  Douglas  lived 
there  until  1820,  when  he  migrated  to  Illinois, 
becoming  a  pioneer  farmer  of  Vermilion  county. 
He  was  a  man  of  influence  and  patriotism,  and 
served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Black  Hawk  war,  and 
was  afterwards  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
in  Illinois  until  his  death,  in  1880,  when  nearly 
ninety  years  of  age.  In  1822  he  married  Ruby 
Bloss,  they  obtaining  distinction  by  being  the 
first  white  couple  married  in  Vermilion  county. 
She  was  born  in  1800,  and  died  in  1865.  Thirteen 
children,  nine  boys  and  four  daughters,  were  bom 
of  their  union,  Bruce  E.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  being  the  youngest  child.  Six  of  the 
children  are  still  living  of  the  eleven  that  grew 
to  years  of  maturity.  Of  the  two  that  died 
young,  one  was  killed  accidentally  on  the  ice,  and 
the  other  by  being  thrown  from  a  horse.  Three 
of  the  sons  served  in  the  Civil  war,  Thomas  en- 
listing in  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  while  Joseph  and 
Luther  belonged  to  a  Missouri  regiment.  Dor- 
man,  one  of  the  older  children,  came  to  California 
in  company  with  several  friends  in  1849,  ^^d 
after  mining  two  years  with  good  success  re- 
turned to  Illinois,  and  is  still  living  there,  being 
now  over  eighty  years  of  age.  Three  other  sons 
besides  Bruce  settled  permanently  in  California, 
namely:  Cyrus,  who  came  here  in  1852,  served 
in  the  Indian  war  in  Oregon,  and  subsequently 
located  in  Lompoc,  Santa  Barbara  county,  resid- 
ing there  until  his  death :  George,  who  has  been 
a  resident  of  Lompoc  since  coming  here  in  1888; 
and  Joseph,  who  settled  in  Pomona  in  1892,  and 
is  now  one  of  the  city  trustees. 

On  account  of  ill  health  when  young,  Bruce 
E.  Douglas  was  unable  to  attend  school  at  all,  so 
that  he  is  largely  self-educated,  having  gleaned 
his  knowledge  by  reading  and  observation.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-two  years  he  left  home, 
and  until  September,  1887,  was  engaged  in 
farming  for  liimself  in  his  native  state.  Com- 
ing to  California  in  that  year  he  located  in  River- 
side when  the  boom  was  at  its  height,  purchased 
an  orange  grove,  but  when  the  property  depreci- 
ated he  lost  everything.  The  following  thirteen 
years  he  carried  on  a  good  business  in  establishing 
orange  groves,  setting  out  and  budding  trees, 
after  which  he  had  charge  of  S.  F.  Herrick's 
nursery  for  three  years.  January  i.  1904,  he 
purchased  the  business  of  the  Bay  View  Trans- 
fer Company,  which  he  managed  successfully 
until   April,    igo6. 

In  March,  1866.  in  Illinnis.  Mr.  Douglas  mar- 
ried   Lucv    Girard.    of    Ohio,    and   they   are   the 


parents  of  three  children,  namely :  Cyrus  E., 
manager  of  the  Bay  View  Transfer  Company, 
who  is  married  and  has  one  child ;  Minnie,  wife 
of  John  L.  Tummond,  of  Los  Angeles ;  and  Clara, 
wife  of  P.  M.  Ogden.  of  High  Grove,  Riverside 
county.  Politically  Mr.  Douglas  is  a  loyal  adher- 
ent of  the  Republican  party.  Fraternally  he  was 
made  a  Mason  in  Illinois  in  1870,  joining  Fair- 
mount  Lodge  No.  590,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  is 
now  a  member  of  Long  Beach  Lodge  No.  327, 
F.  &  A.  M.  Religiously  both  he  and  his  wife  are 
Christian  Scientists. 


AUSTIN  WALSH.  Conspicuous  among 
the  earlier  settlers  of  San  Diego  county  is 
Austin  Walsh,  who,  with  his  twin  brother, 
Ambrose  Walsh,  located  near  Valley  Center 
upwards  of  thirty  years  ago,  and  has  since 
been  a  valued  and  useful  member  of  the  com- 
munity. By  his  intelligent  industry  and  wise 
management  he  has  built  up  one  of  the  finest 
homesteads  along  the  western  coast,  and  by 
his  sterling  worth  as  a  man  and  a  citizen  is 
held  in  high  esteem  by  his  neighbors  and 
friends.  He  was  born,  January  29,  1845,  i" 
Atchison  county.  Mo.,  a  son  of -the  late  Walter 
Walsh. 

The  birth  of  ^V^alter  Walsh  occurred  on  the 
high  seas,  while  his  parents  were  crossing  the 
Atlantic  ocean,  en  route  to  the  L^nited  States. 
Reared  and  educated  in  ^Maine.  he  began  life 
there  as  a  farmer.  Wishing,  however,  to  take 
advantage  of  cheap  lands .  on  the  western 
frontier,  he  subsequently  migrated  to  Mis- 
souri, taking  un  land  that  was  in  its  virgin 
wildness,  and  there  improving  a  homestead. 
Again  .starting  westward  in  1854,  he  crossed 
the  plains  with  ox  teams,  following  the  noted 
train  in  which  all  of  its  members  were  mas- 
sacred, and  during  the  long  journey  had  much 
trouble  with  the  Indians.  Purchasing  one 
hundred  and  eightv  acres  of  land  in  Contra 
Costa  county,  he  lived  there  about  sixteen 
vears,  when  he  sold  out  and  moved  to  Mission 
valley,  San  Diego  county.  Entering  land  at 
Valley  Center  October  16,  1879.  he  began  the 
improvement  of  a  ranch,  on  which  he  resided 
until  his  death,  in  1887,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
nine  years.  He  was  a  man  of  excellent  charac- 
ter, a  Democrat  in  politics,  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  and  belonged  to  the  Cath- 
olic Church.  In  Maine  he  married  Jane  H. 
Colby,  a  native  of  that  state,  and  they  became 
the  parents  of  eleven  children,  nine  of  whom 
are  living.  His  wife  survived  him,  dying  in 
1888,  aged  sixty-five  years. 

Coming  across  the  plains  when  a  lad  of  nine 
years,  .\ustin  Walsh  was  educated  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  Contra  Co.sta  countv.  and  until 


17( 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


twenty-three  years  old  lived  with  his  parents, 
assisting-  in  the  care  of  the  farm.  Upon  be- 
ginning the  battle  of  life  for  himself  he  entered 
one  hundred  and  sixt}'  acres  of  land  in  San 
Diego  county  and  set  to  work  as  a  farmer  in 
earnest.  In  his  undertakings  he  has  met  with 
some  reverses,  but  his  good  fortunes  have  far 
outnumbered  his  failures,  and  he  is  now  the 
owner  of  two  valuable  ranches  in  Valley  Cen- 
ter, one  containing  one  hundred  acres,  and  the 
other  forty-five  acres.  He  is  devoting  himself 
to  general  ranching,  and  is  numbered  among 
the  progressive  and  prosperous  agriculturists 
of  the  communitv. 

]\'Iay  3.  1884,  in  Merced,  Cal.,  Mr.  Walsh 
married  Nancy  C.  Merrill,  who  was  born  in 
this  state,  and  died  at  Valley  Center  in  1901. 
Seven  children  blessed  the  union  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Walsh,  namely:  Alice  G.,  Anna,  Norval 
(who  died  in  infancv").  Norman,  Fannie,  Mer- 
rill and  Paul  W.  "Politically  :\Ir.  Walsh  is 
identified  with  the  Democratic  party,  and  for 
a  number  of  years  has  served  as  clerk  of  the 
Vespa  school  district. 


THOMAS  HAZEL  STEWART.  Now  re- 
tired from  the  active  cares  of  life,  Thomas  H. 
Stewart  is  enjoying  the  competency  acquired  by 
him  during  the  past  busy  years.  He  is  of 
southern  birth  and  breeding,  his  grandfather, 
Thomas  Stewart  of  Scotland,  having  located  the 
family  fortunes  in  North  Carolina,  where  he  en- 
gaged as  a  farmer  "and  Baptist  minister.  One 
of  his  sons,  Charles  Stewart,  was  also  a  Baptist 
minister,  who  organized  a  church  in  Pickens 
county,  Ala.,  serving  for  forty  years  as  its  pastor 
with  the  exception  of  the  thirty-seventh  year 
when  he  took  a  vacation,  Aaron  Stewart,  another 
son,  was  born  in  North  Carolina  and  in  young 
manhood  became  a  farmer  and  millwright,  erect- 
ing water  mills  in  Alabama  and  Mississippi.  He 
died  m  Winston  county,  jNIiss.,  after  a  life  of 
usefulness  and  helpfulness  to  those  about  him. 
He  was  a  patriot,  serving  in  the  war  of  181 2  in 
Colonel  Alcom's  regiment  and  Harpool's  Com- 
panv.  He  married  Sarah  Brock,  who  was  torn 
in  Bedford  county,  Tenn..  a  daughter  of  Isaac 
Brock,  also  a  native  of  the  same  state,  and  a 
farmer  throughout  his  entire  life.  Mrs.  Stewart 
also  died  in  Mississippi.  She  was  the  mother  of 
thirteen  children,  of  whom  ten  attained  maturity 
and  six  are  now  living. 

Thomas  Hazel  Stewart  was  born  in  Pickens 
county,  Ala.,  June  7,  1828,  the  fourth  in  the 
family  of  his  parents.  He  was  reared  principally 
in  Mississippi  in  the  vicinity  of  Louisville,  and 
received  a  meager  education  in  a  subscription 
school,  whose  sessions  were  held  in  the  primitive 
log  cabin  of  the  age.     The  death  of  his  father 


occurring  when  he  was  only  six  years  of  age 
necessitated  his  remaining  at  home  to  assist  in 
the  management  of  the  plantation.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  a  trip  made  to  California  in  1852  he 
remained  at  home  until  he  was  twenty-seven 
years  old.  His  trip  to  California  was  made  via 
Nicaragua  and  upon  his  arrival  in  the  state  he 
went  to  the  mines  on  the  American,  Yuba  and 
Feather  rivers,  engaging  in  this  occupation  for 
nearly  two  years.  Returning  east  via  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama,  he  remained  on  the  home  farm  until 
1855,  when  he  purchased  land  and  improved 
property  of  his  own,  also  erecting  a  mill  on  the 
Harshuqua  river.  In  1856  he  married  ]\Iiss 
Anna  L.  Kirk,  whose  death  occurred  the  same 
year.  In  connection  with  his  brother,  he  engaged 
in  the  milling  business,  operating  by  water  power 
flour,  corn,  saw  and  cotton  mills.  They  were  suc- 
cessful in  their  enterprises  and  with  his  ac- 
cumulated means  Mr.  Stewart  added  to  his  land- 
ed property  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil 
war  in  1861.  Loyal  to  the  cause  of  the  "sunny 
south"  he  enlisted  in  Company  A,  First  Regi- 
ment Mississippi  Infantry,  and  after  six  months" 
service  assisted  in  the  organization  of  Company 
A,  Forty-first  Regiment  Mississippi  Infantn'. 
For  over  a  year  he  served  as  orderly  sergeant 
in  that  company,  when  the  quartermaster  de- 
tailed him  in  charge  of  the  transporting  of  the 
regiment,  later  in  transporting  of  the  brigade, 
then  the  division,  and  in  battle  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  ambulance  corps.  He  participated 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  taking  part  in  the 
battles  of  Resaca.  Atlanta,  Chattahoochie,  Frank- 
lin, Nashville  and  many  others.  He  was  wounded 
five  times  and  at  the  close  of  his  service  was  on 
crutches,  it  being  ten  years  before  he .  fully  re- 
covered from  the  effects  of  a  wound  received  at 
Nashville.  He  also  had  two  brothers  in  the  Civil 
war,  Qiarles  J.,  who  was  killed  at  Gettysburg, 
and  Lieut.  Robert  C,  killed  at  Stone  River. 

LTpon  his  return  to  civic  pursuits  Thomas  H. 
Stewart  built  a  large  steam  saw-mill  in  Mont- 
gomery county.  Miss,,  on  Black  river,  and  there 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber  for  seven, 
years.  Disposing  of  these  interests  at  the  close 
of  this  period  he  engaged  in  farming  for  several 
years,  in  1881  again  making  a  trip  to  California. 
He  located  near  Saticoy,  Ventura  county,  where 
he  homesteaded  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres. 
shortly  afterward  improving  the  property  by 
the  erection  of  a  substantial  residence,  bam  and 
outbuildings.  With  the  accumulating  means  he 
bought  adjoining  property  until  he  now  owns 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  all  in  a  high  state 
of  cultivation.  For  many  years  he  was  known 
as  one  of  the  extensive  farmers  in  that  section. 
In  .1904  he  located  in  Long  Beach,  investing  in 
business  property  on  Third  street,  where  he 
erected  the  Stewart  buildins:  in  connection  with 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1709 


his  son,  Charles,  and  daughter,  j\Irs.  Hill.  They 
also  erected  Armory  Hall,  a  building  40x80  feet 
in  dimensions. 

In  Mississippi  J\Ir.  Stewart  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  i\iiss  Mattie  C.  Dooley.  a  native  of 
Georgia,  and  born  of  this  union  are  three  chil- 
dren :  John  of  Long  Beach ;  Eloise,  wife  of  R.  L. 
Hill,  of  Long  Beach ;  and  Qiarles  W.,  a  real- 
estate  dealer  of  this  city.  INIr.  Stewart  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Baptist  Church  in  his  religious  affilia- 
tions. Politically  he  adheres  to  the  principles 
embraced  in  the  platform  of  the  Democratic  party. 
He  was  made  a  Mason  in  Robert  Burns  Lodge 
No.  177  in  Kilmichael,  J\liss. 


HENRY  THOMAS  KORTNER.  A  wide- 
awake rancher  in  Santa  Barbara  county  is  found 
in  Henry  T.  Kortner,  brother  of  Christian  Kort- 
ner,  one  of  the  extensive  agriculturists  and  stock 
raisers  of  the  vicinity  of  Santa  Alaria.  Mr. 
Kortner  was  born  in  Norway  September  9,  i860, 
and  like  his  father  followed  the  sea  in  the  early 
part  of  his  life,  leaving  home  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen, and  continuing  upon  the  deep  for  nine  years. 
The  last  four  and  a  half  years  of  his  sea-faring 
life  was  spent  along  the  Pacific  coast.  He  first 
located  across  the  river  in  San  Luis  Obispo  coun- 
ty, where  he  started  at  the  bottom  round  of  the 
ladder  as  a  farm  hand. 

In  1891  Mr.  Kortner  rented  the  three  hundred 
acres  of  land  upon  which  he  still  lives,  and 
where  he  is  engaged  principally  in  grain  raising. 
He  is  making  a  success  of  his  chosen  calling,  and 
is  supplementing  his  practical  work  by  study  and 
research  along  these  lines.  He  is  a  bachelor,  and 
his  home  is  presided  over  by  his  sister,  Otelda 
Kortner,  who  shares  his  ambitions  and  attends 
to  his  comfort  and  well  being.  Mr.  Kortner  is 
broad  minded  and  liberal,  a  believer  in  education 
and  good  government,  and  a  supporter  of  the 
Democratic  party.  While  not  aspiring  to  office, 
he  has  served  as  road  commissioner  and  has 
held  other  offices  within  the  gift  of  his  fellow- 
townsmen.  Socially  he  is  connected  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Independent  Order 
of  Foresters  at  Santa  Maria.  Industry  and  in- 
tegritv  are  among  the  most  valuable  assets  of 
Mr.  Kortner.  and  these,  combined  with  intelli- 
gence and  good  judgment,  assure  him  a  liberal 
share  of  material  prosperity. 


JOHN  P.  CHRISTENSEN.  a  contractor 
and  builder  of  San  Diego,,  was  born  at  Aal- 
borg,  Denmark,  June  S,  1827,  being  the  young- 
est of  nine  children,  of  whom  only  four  sur- 
vive. He  received  a  common-school  education, 
studied  architecture  at  tlie  Architectural  In- 
stitute, and   also  learned  the  bricklayer's  and 


plasterer's  trade,  which  he  followed  for  a  num- 
ber  of   years. 

In  the  spring  of  1866  Air.  Christensen  left 
Denmark,  taking  the  steamer  at  Hamborg  for 
New  York.  Going  to  Chicago  he  found  em- 
ployment in  the  office  of  AI.  Waskyer,  an  archi- 
tect of  that  city,  but  later  went  to  work  at 
his  trade  as  bricklayer.  In  the  fall  he  went 
to  New  C>rleans,  remaining  there  until  the 
spring  of  1867,  when  he  went  to  St.  Louis  and 
there  worked  at  his  trade  until  the  fall  of  1869, 
when  he  came  to  California,  reaching  San 
Francisco  in  October.  While  there  he  read 
about  the  different  places,  among  them  being 
San  Diego  with  its  fine  climate  and  excellent 
harbor.  He  came  to  San  Diego  December  18, 
1869,  going  to  work  at  plastering  for  Van 
Poser  &  Eraser.  When  the  Horton  house  was 
ready  for  bricklaying  he  went  to  work  on  that 
under  Henry  Hamphill  (the  pioneer  bricklay- 
er) and  after  the  Horton  house  was  finished 
he  began  contracting  for  himself  in  bricklay- 
ing and  plastering.  He  sent  to  San  Francisco 
for  two  barrels,  of  English  Portland  cement, 
for  which  was  paid  $10  per  barrel.  That  was 
the  first  Portland  cement  which  ever  came  in- 
to San  Diego.  Having  done  considerable 
cement  work  in  the  old  country  the  trade  was 
not  new  to  him  and  his  architectural  and  prac- 
tical training  m.ade  him  well  qualified  to  in- 
troduce the  innovation  into  San  Diego,  where 
his  satisfactory  filling  of  such  contracts  did 
much  toward  interesting  people  in  the  use  of 
cement.  He  is  the  pioneer  manufacturer  of 
artificial  stone  in  San  Diego,  as  well  as  all 
other  kinds  of  plain  and  ornamental  concrete 
and  cement  work. 

May  6,  1874,  Mr.  Christensen  was  married 
to  Mrs.  Hannah  Alarshall,  a  native  of  Bur- 
lington, Iowa,  and  of  their  five  children  only 
one  daughter  survives.  She  is  a  school  teach- 
er and  a  graduate  of  the  Normal  school  at  San 
Diego.  Mr.  Christensen  is  a  member  of  San 
Diego  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows,  Veterans  and 
Encampment,  and  has  always  supported  the 
Republican  party. 


ALVAH  DOWNEY.  Mr.  Downey's  coming 
to  the  west  can  in  no  way  be  traced  to  the 
influence  which  brought  the  Argonauts  hither 
in  1849,  for  three  years  prior  to  this  he  had 
set  out  on  his  m.arch  toward  the  setting  sun. 
Leaving  his  parents  in  Illinois,  in  1846  he  came 
overland  as  far  as  Salt  Lake,  and  some  years 
later  again  took  up  the  journey  to  the  coast, 
arriving  in  San  Bernardino  county  in  1854. 
Indians  were  numerous  here  at  that  time,  but 
as  they  were  peaceable,  gave  little  or  no  cause 
for  disquiet  or  fear  on  the  part  of  the  newcomer. 


1710 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Wild  game  was  also  plentiful,  and  many  a  buf- 
falo and  deer  fell  before  his  unerring  rifle,  thus 
furnishing  the  meat  supply  for  the  family.  It 
was  his  custom  in  the  early  days  to  go  on  an 
expedition  of  this  kind  every  fall,  dressing  and 
drying  the  meat  in  the  mountains,  and  later 
bringing  it  down  to  the  ranch. 

A  son  of  Calvin  C.  and  Nancy  (Meyers) 
Downey,  Alvah  Downey  was  born  in  Canada, 
September  29,  1828.  When  he  was  a  lad  of 
ten  years  his  parents  came  to  the  States,  locat- 
ing in  Hancock  county.  III,  near  Carthage,  and 
there  the  father's  earth  life  came  to  a  close 
fifteen  years  later,  his  death  occurring  in  1853. 
The  wife  and  mother  also  passed  away  there  a 
few  years  later.  In  the  meantime  Alvah  Downey 
had  left  the  parental  homestead  and  become 
established  on  the  Pacific  coast.  Upon  first  com- 
ing to  the  county  he  purchased  a  number  of 
lots  in  San  Bernardino,  and  later  bought  the 
ranch  upon  which  he  now  makes  his  home.  This 
originally  included  forty  acres,  but  he  has  since 
disposed  of  a  portion  of  it  and  now  has  twenty- 
five,  admirably  located  one  and  one  half  miles 
southwest  of  Highland.  Probably  no  one  in  the 
county  who  came  here  as  early  as  he  chd  recalls 
more  vividly  the  transformation  which  has  taken 
place  during  the  last  half  century.  Excellent 
roads  have  taken  the  place  of  the  blazed  trail, 
telegraph  and  telephone  wires  cross  and  recross 
the  fields,  and  the  daily  service  of  the  rural  free 
delivery  adds  immeasurably  in  distancing  the 
discomforts  and  isolation  of  former  days. 

After  coming  to  the  west,  February  22,  1849, 
Alvah  Downey  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Elizabeth  Hawes.  and  of  the  two  children  born 
to  them  only  one  is  now  living,  William  A.,  a 
resident  of  San  Bernardino.  "  The  daughter, 
Mary  E.,  died  when  one  and  a  half  years  old. 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Downey  passed  away  in  1876, 
and  the  following  year  Mr.  Downey  married 
Mary  Benson,  the  daughter  of  Jerome  Benson. 
Three  children  were  born  of  the  second  mar- 
riage, as  follows:  Calvin  H.,  who  makes  his 
home  with  his  parents  on  the  home  place ;  Edna 
E.,  who  is  the  wife  of  Samuel  Johnson  and  lives 
in  Oregon :  and  Jerome  Henry,  who  lives  near  his 
parents.  ATr.  Downey  is  now  nearing  the  four- 
score milestone  of  life,  contented  with  his  lot,  at 
peace  with  the  world  and  enjoying  life  only  as 
one  can  who  has  lived  well  and  worthily. 


ERNST  KOHLER.  When  Ernst  Kohler 
came  to  ^^entura  county  he  had  nothing  but  his 
two  hands  and  a  determination  to  succeed  to 
enable  him  to  achieve  the  success  which  is  now 
his,  but  they  were  enough,  for  he  is  now  in  com- 
fortable circumstances  and  has  a  fine  home  on 
his  ranch  near  Oxnard.     He  is  of  German  par- 


entage, his  birth  having  occurred  March  26, 
1858,  in  the  province  of  Hanover,  Germany, 
where  his  father,  Henry  Kohler,  owned  a  farm. 
The  son  received  his  education  through  the 
medium  of  the  common  schools  of  Hanover  and 
at  the  age  of  twenty-three  decided  to  come  to 
America,  landing  in  San  Francisco  and  remaining 
there  two  weeks  to  see  the  city  and  visit  the 
various  places  of  interest  there.  He  then  came 
to  Ventura  county  and  found  employment  on 
ranches  in  the  vicinity  of  Hueneme.  He  soon 
decided  to  establish  himself  independently,  how- 
ever, and  rented  a  piece  of  land  in  the  Ocean 
View  district  and  commenced  to  raise  grain  and 
stock.  In  1892  he  has  accumulated  sufficient 
funds  to  enable  him  to  purchase  the  land  which 
he  had  been  renting  and  he  now  owns  ninety 
acres  upon  which  he  has  put  all  of  the  fine  im- 
provements it  boasts.  His  crops  are  principally 
beets  and  beans,  and  in  addition  to  farming  his 
own  land  he  rents  an  adjoining  tract  of  fifty 
acres  which  is  devoted  to  beets. 

Mr.  Kohler  was  married  in  Ventura  county  to 
Miss  Barbara  Furrer,  who  was  born  in  Switzer- 
land, and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  three 
children :  Francis  Christopher,  Dora  Clara,  and 
Mary  Hulda.  They  are  members  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church.  Mr.  Kohler  is  considered  one 
of  the  most  reliable  men  of  that  vicinity  and  his 
many  admirable  qualities  have  won  for  him  the 
highest  respect  and  esteem  of  the  citizens  of 
Wntura  county. 

NATT  W.  TILTON.  Capable  and  in- 
dustrious, with  a  remarkable  degree  of  push  and 
energy,  Natt  W.  Tilton  holds  a  noteworthy 
position  among  those  who  have  contributed 
liberally  towards  the  growth  and  upbuilding  of 
San  Pedro.  For  many  years  he  has  been  promi- 
nent as  a  city  official,  possessing  in  an  eminent 
degree  the  discretion,  trustworthiness  and  force 
of  character  which  have  made  him  so  useful  as 
a  member  of  the  common  council,  a  position 
which  he  has  filled  acceptably  to  all  for  nearly 
a  decade.  A  son  of  John  A.  Tilton,  he  was 
born  September  17,  1857,  in  Fremont,  Rocking- 
ham county,  N.  FI.,  coming  from  a  long  line  of 
honored   New   England   ancestry. 

A  native  of  Tilton,  N.  H.,'john  A.  Tilton 
grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  town.  In  1849, 
lured  by  the  thrilling  stories  concerning  the  dis- 
covery of  gold  in  California,  he  came  around 
the  Horn  to  this  state,  but  after  mining  a  few 
months  with  moderate  recompensation  for  his 
labors  he  returned  to  the  rugged  hills  of  New 
Hampshire.  In  1851  he  made  a  second  trip  to 
the  mining  regions,  coming  by  way  of  the 
Isthmus,  and  returning  to  New  York  by  the 
same  route  the  following  year.  Locating  then 
in  Fremont.  N.  H.,  he  carried  on  general  farm- 


URIAH  U.  TYLER 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1713 


ing  for  a  number  of  seasons.  During  the  Civil 
war  he  enhsted  in  the  Eleventh  New  Hamp- 
shire Volunteer  Infantry,  was  wounded  in  bat- 
tle, and  at  the  end  of  a  year  was  honorably  dis- 
charged. In  1868  he  removed  to  Chicago,  111., 
where  he  was  employed  for  a  few  years  as  a 
contractor  and  builder.  Buying  a  farm  in  Reno, 
Nev.,  in  1878,  he  was  there  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  for  about  three  years.  Com- 
ing to  California  in  1881,  he  settled  first  at 
Stockton,  then  in  Kern  county,  finally  coming 
to  San  Pedro,  where  he  resided  until  his  death, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years.  He  married 
Sarah  Ann  Heath,  who  was  born  in  New 
Hampshire,  a  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Heath,  a 
farmer,  and  of  the  eight  children  born  of  their 
union,  six  survive.  Two  of  the  sons  served  in 
the  Civil  war,  both  being  members  of  the 
Eleventh  New  Hampshire  \'olunteer  Infantry. 
One  of  these,  George  A.  Tilton,  died  from 
wounds  received  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  the 
other  son,  Edward  D.,  served  until  the  close  of 
the  war,  after  which  he  came  to  California,  and 
for  many  years  has  not  been  heard  from. 

About  eleven  years  old  when  his  parents  re- 
moved to  Chicago,  Natt  W.  Tilton  was  edu- 
cated principally  in  the  public  schools  of  that 
city.  Going  from  there  to  Reno,  Nev.,  in  1875, 
he  followed  farming  and  teaming  until  1881, 
when  he  settled  in  Stockton,  Cal.,  where  he  con- 
tinued as  a  teamster  for  five  years.  In  1886  he 
took  up  a  homestead  claim  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  in  Delano,  Kern  county,  where  he 
carried  on  general  farming  during  the  summer 
seasons,  spending  his  winters  in  Fresno,  for  four 
years  of  the  time  superintending  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Risden  and  Kirby  canal.  Coming  to 
San  Pedro  in  1893,  he  accepted  the  agency  of 
the  Union  Ice  Company  and  here  built  up  a 
large  and  remunerative  business  for  the  firm. 
He  was  likewise  agent  for  three  breweries,  the 
M.  &  Z.  Brewery,  the  Los  Angeles  Brewing 
Company  and  the  Weiland  Brewery.  Under 
his  supervision  ice  houses  were  erected,  and  for 
nine  years,  under  the  name  of  the  San  Pedro 
Wholesale  Company,  he  carried  on  a  very  large 
'business.  In  1902  he  incorporated  the  business 
under  that  name  and  served  as  its  president  and 
manager  until  selling  out  his  interests  in  the 
concern  in  February,  1903.  A  man  of  great 
financial  and  executive  ability,  far-seeing  and 
possessincT  good  judgment  as  an  investor,  he 
has  acquired  a  fine  property.  In  company  with 
Air.  'Menburg  he  has  established  a  large  busi- 
ness as  a  dealer  in  real  estate  under  the  title  of 
the  San  Pedro  &  Wilmington  Realty  Company, 
with  office  in  Wilmington.  He  has  built  a  large 
residence  for  himself  and  family  in  San  Pedro, 
and  also  owns  a  valuable  farm  of  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  near  Calexico,  San  Diego 


county,  on  which,  in  addition  to  raising  alfalfa, 
cattle  and  horses,  he  has  a  bearing  vineyard  of 
five  acres. 

In  Delano,  Cal.,  j\lr.  Tilton  married  Mattie 
Meier,  who  was  born  at  Cole  Camp,  Mo.  Polit- 
ically Mr.  Tilton  is  an  active  adherent  of  the 
Republican  party,  which  he  has  served  with 
fidelity  and  ability  in  public  affairs.  In  1895 
he  was  elected  councilman,  and  served  until  he 
moved  outside  of  the  city  limits.  Eighteen 
months  later  that  part  of  the  town  was  taken 
into  the  municipal  limits  and  he  was  re-elected 
to  the  same  position,  and  has  served  continuously 
ever  since.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  of 
the  Eagles. 


URIAH  URBAN  TYLER.  Though  thirty- 
five  years  have  pas.'^ed  since  the  death  of  Mr. 
Tyler  so  indissolubly  was  his  life  associated 
with  the  upbuilding  of  San  Bernardino,  where 
he  had  made  his  home  for  twenty  years,  that 
his  name  and  deeds  are  alike  imperishable. 
Born  November  13,  1826,  in  New  York  state, 
at  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  came  across  the 
plains  as  far  as  Salt  Lake,  remaining  there 
until  the  following  year,  when  he  completed 
the  journey  to  California.  Coming  the  same 
year  to  San  Bernardino,  which  was  then  lit- 
tle more  than  a  hamlet,  he  entered  heart  and 
soul  into  whatever  project  was  started  for  its 
upbuilding  and  for  the  part  which  he  per- 
formed in  bringing  about  better  conditions  all 
who  remember  him  revere  his  memory.  For  a 
number  of  years  during  the  early  days  his 
meat  market  was  the  only  store  of  the  kind  in 
town,  and  after  he  gave  this  up  he  engaged 
in  various  lines  of  business.  At  the  time  John 
C.  Fremont  was  surveying  for  the  base  line 
Mr.  Tyler  assisted  in  the  work  and  also  helped 
to  place  the  monument  on  the  mountain. 

In  Salt  Lake  City.  May  14,  1865.  Mr.  Tyler 
\vas  married  to  Rachael  Aloore,  who  was  born 
•in  Ft.  Madison,  Iowa,  August  26,  1841.  the 
daughter  of  John  Harvev  and  Clarissa  (Droll) 
Moore.  Six  children  were  born  to  ]\Ir.  and 
Mrs.  Tyler,  as  follows:  George  W..  who  lives 
at  home  with  his  mother;  Lizzie  A.,  Mrs.  R. 
W.  Colson.  of  Portland.  Ore. :  Emery  B..  in 
Nome.  Alaska  •  ITrban  A.,  living  in  San  Ber- 
nardino:  John  Hugh,  also  at  home  with  his 
mother;  and  Edward  Guy.  deceased. 

Not  only  was  Mr.  Tyler  a  believer  in  Re- 
publican principles,  but  he  was  a  stanch  sup- 
porter of  those  principles  and  did  his  part  in 
gaining  converts  to  his  belief.  As  a  candi- 
date on  his  party's  ticket  he  was  elected  the 
first  deputy  sheriff  in  Los  Angeles,  later  was 
county    clerk   of   San    Bernardino    countv.   his 


1714 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


election  as  assessor  following  still  later.  As 
the  first  justice  of  the  peace  in  San  Bernar- 
dino his  position  was  no  sinecure,  for  he  fought 
lawlessness  and  corruption  to  the  bitter  end, 
with  the  result  that  he  was  a  terror  to  evil- 
doers and  had  the  stanch  support  and  good- 
will of  the  better  element.  For  over  thirty 
years  he  had  been  affiliated  with  the  Alasonic 
order,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  July  4,  1871, 
being  a  member  of  the  lodge  at  San  Bernar- 
dino. In  her  declining  years  the  widow  is 
blessed  in  the  companionship  of  her  eldest  and 
youngest  sons,  the  three  living  together  in 
the  family  home  on  Second  street,  San  Bernar- 
dino. 


JOSEPH  WILEY  WRIGHT.  Since  coming 
to  Long  Beach  in  1904  Mr.  Wright  has  gained 
considerable  renown  as  a  contractor,  the  initial 
training  in  that  line  being  among  his  boyhood 
accomplishments  at  the  carpenter's  bench. 
Among  the  larger  structures  which  stand  as 
monuments  to  his  handiwork  are  the  Townsend 
building  and  the  Eastman  block,  while  in  the 
residence  district  he  has  erected  many  of  the 
finest  homes  in  the  city.  Contracting,  however, 
is  only  one  of  the  lines  in  which  he  is  engaged, 
for  he  is  equally  well  known  as  a  reliable  real- 
estate  dealer,  and  owns  considerable  valuable 
property  in  the  residence  district  particularly. 

The  ancestry  of  the  Wright  family  is  traceable 
to  Irish  antecedents,  for  the  grandfather,  Joseph 
Wright,  who  established  the  family  in  the  United 
States,  was  a  native  of  the  Emerald  Isle.  He 
settled  in  Virginia,  in  Roanoke  county,  and  there 
his  son,  Chester  B.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  that 
name,  as  was  also  the  grandson,  our  subject. 
Besides  following  farming,  a  life  to  which  he  had 
been  trained  from  boyhood,  he  also  was  a  mill- 
wright, and  it  is  safe  to  presume  that  he  was 
very  successful  in  both  lines  of  endeavor,  for 
he  is  now  living  retired  on  his  Virginia  farm, 
where  he  and  his  wife  had  lived  for  so  many 
years  and  trained  their  eleven  children.  Before 
her  marriage  Martha  Sweeney,  Mrs.  Wright 
was  also  born  in  Virginia,  and  her  death  oc- 
curred on  the  home  farm  in  1905. 

Of  the  eleven  children  born  to  his  parents,  J. 
W.  Wright  was  the  eldest,  his  birth  occurring 
in  Roanoke,  October  15,  1877.  From  the  public 
schools  of  that  place  he  matriculated  in  Norfolk 
college,  there  as  well  as  in  the  common  schools 
acquitting  himself  nobly.  During  his  boyhood 
and  youth  he  had  applied  himself  to  mastering 
the  carpenter's  trade  whenever  he  could  spare 
the  time  from  his  studies,  so  that  when  he  was 
little  more  than  a  boy  he  had  a  knowledge  of 
the  business  which  justified  him  in  starting  out 
on  his  own  behalf  in   1896.     Going  to  Lincoln, 


Logan  county,  111.,  he  followed  his  trade  there 
for  about  one  year,  during  which  time  he  erected 
the  Spitley  hotel,  one  of  the  finest  buildings  in 
that  city.  Returning  to  \'irginia  at  the  end  of 
that  time,  he  engaged  in  millwrighting,  besides 
which  he  also  worked  at  his  regular  trade.  The 
years  1897-98  were  spent  in  West  A'irginia, 
where  he  made  a  specialty  of  dealing  in  lumber 
and  building  mills,  and  during  this  time  he  also 
bought  a  farm  and  erected  a  mill  upon  it.  Once 
more  he  returned  to  old  Virginia,  there  follow- 
ing the  lumber  business  until  his  removal  to 
Dayton,  Ohio,  remaining  in  the  latter  place 
seven  months.  His  coming  to  the  west  dates 
from  the  year  1902,  at  which  time  he  went  to 
Whittier,  following  his  trade  there  for  two 
years,  at  the  end  of  that  time  locating  in  Long 
Beach,  where  he  has  become  well  known  as  one 
of  the  leading  contractors  and  builders  as  well 
as  reliable  real-estate  dealers  in  the  city. 

]\Ir.  Wright  has  a  very  pleasant  and  com- 
modious residence  at  the  corner  of  Lemon  and 
Alamitos  streets,  his  home  being  presided  over 
by  his  wife,  who,  before  her  marriage,  was  Miss 
Sallie  Light,  she  also  being  a  native  of  the  Old 
Dominion.  Two  children  have  blessed  their 
marriage,  Clarence  B.  and  Alta  May.  Mr. 
Wright  is  a  valued  member  of  numerous  fra- 
ternal organizations,  among  them  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  (being  high  priest  of 
the  encampment  branch  of  his  lodge,  and  is  also 
serving  as  vice-grand  of  the  subordinate  branch). 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Modern  Broth- 
erhood, Rebekahs  and  the  Benevolent  Protective 
Order  of  Elks. 


GEORGE  H.  MARSH.  Since  taking  up  his 
residence  in  Pomona  in  1897  Mr.  Jilarsh  has  sub- 
stantially impressed  his  merit  upon  the  com- 
munity. Among  the  busy  enterprises  of  this 
thriving  town  due  mention  belongs  to  his  man- 
ufactory at  the  corner  of  Cypress  and  Sixth 
streets,  where  he  makes  a  specialty  of  manu- 
facturing ladders  and  screens.  Among  the  for- 
mer are  the  Acme  extension  ladder,  the  tripod 
fruit-picking  ladder,  and  the  painter's  extension 
ladder.  The  plant  is  supplied  with  modern  con- 
veniences and  appliances,  and  a  ten-horse  pow- 
er gas  engine  furnishes  the  motive  power  for 
the  planers,  saws  and  lathes. 

Mr.  Marsh  is  of  English  birth  and  ancestry, 
and  was  born  in  Kent,  November  3,  1859,  the 
son  of  William  Henry  and  Emma  (Crow)  Marsh. 
The  father  now  makes  his  home  in  Pasadena, 
his  wife  having  died  in  England.  George  H. 
Marsh  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Seven  Oaks,  Kent,  England,  and  when  he  had 
reached  his  seventeenth  year  had  definite  plans 
as  to  his  future  business  career.     Going  to  Bris- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1715 


tol,  England,  he  apprenticed  himself  to  learn 
parlor-organ  building  and  such  was  his  applica- 
tion and  interest  in  the  work  that  it  was  not  long 
before  he  had  established  a  factory  of  his  own 
in  the  same  city  in  which  he  had  learned  his 
trade,  his  plant  being  known  as  the  Temple 
Organ  works.  After  a  number  of  years'  close 
application  to  the  business  he  took  a  deserved 
respite  in  the  year  1891  and  came  to  the  United 
States,  visiting  Santa  Rosa,  Gal.,  among  other 
places.  Returning  to  England  he  once  more 
took  up  the  work  of  organ-building  and  for 
two  years  carried  it  on  with  apparent  content. 
His  visit  to  California,  however,  had  made  a 
lasting  impression  on  his  mind,  and  his  object 
in  disposing  of  his  business  in  1896  was  to  take 
up  his  permanent  residence  in  the  Land  of  Sun- 
shine and  Flowers.  For  about  a  year  after 
coming  to  Southern  California  he  was  interested 
in  the  furniture  business  in  Los  Angeles,  and 
the  following  year  he  came  to  Pomona  and  estab- 
lished himself  as  a  manufacturer  of  ladders  and 
screens,  his  plant  being  the  only  one  of  the  kind 
in  town,  hence  the  rapid  growth  of  his  business. 
The  products  of  his  factory  are  well  known 
commodities  throughout  this  part  of  the  country. 
Not  only  is  Mr.  Marsh  a  manufacturer,  but 
he  is  an  inventor  as  well,  having  originated  the 
bolted  step  used  in  the  ladders  of  his  manu- 
facture, as  well  as  the  patent  lock. 

Mr.  Marsh  was  married  in  England  to  Miss 
Nellie  Sewell,  who  was  a  native  of  that  country 
also,  and  two  children,  William  Gordon  and 
Louisa  have  been  born  to  them.  The  family 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
and  in  their  daily  living  exemplify  the  teaching 
they  profess.  Public-spirited  and  enterprising, 
Mr.  Marsh  is  one  who  is  not  content  to  live 
for  himself  alone,  but  is  happiest  when  giving 
joy  or  comfort  to  others,  which  makes  it  super- 
fluous to  sav  that  he  has  friends  innumerable. 


JOHN  BJORKMAN.  A  man  of  sterling 
worth  and  integrity,  industrious,  energetic  and 
progressive,  John  Bjorkman  is  numbered 
among  the  valued  citizens  of  San  Pedro,  where 
for  one  year  he  served  as  treasurer  of  the  Lum- 
ber Surveyors'  Association  of  Southern  Cali- 
fornia, one  of  its  most  important  business  or- 
ganizations. A  native  of  Finland,  he  was  born, 
May  4,  1871,  in  Nyacarleby,  where  his  parents, 
John  Frederick  and  Sophia  (Harold)  Bjork- 
man, spent  their  entire  lives,  being  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits.  He  is  one  of  a  family 
consisting  of  eight  children,  five  of  whom  are 
living,  namely:  Carl,  of  Los  Angeles:  John, 
the  special  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Mary,  of  Los 
Angeles :  Henry,  of  San  Pedro ;  and  Mrs.  Louise 
Gustason,  of  Nyacarleby,  Finland. 


Brought  up  on  the  home  farm,  John  Bjork- 
man received  his  elementary  education  in  the 
common  schools.  Immigrating  to  America  in 
1889,  he  came  directly  in  San  Pedro,  which  was 
then  but  a  comparatively  small  place,  and  for 
about  four  months  worked  on  a  farm.  Entering 
then  the  employ  of  the  San  Pedro  Lumber  Com- 
pany, he  began  in  a  humble  capacity,  and  grad- 
ually worked  his  way  upward,  becoming  lumber 
inspector  for  that  firm.  Resigning  that  position 
in  1895,  he  established  himself  as  a  lumber  sur- 
veyor, working  for  different  companies  as  tally- 
man, and  meeting  with  excellent  success.  In 
1901  he  assisted  in  organizing  the  Lumber 
Surveyors'  Association  of  Southern  California, 
of  which  he  has  since  been  an  active  and  promi- 
nent member,  and  for  one  year  was  its  treas- 
urer. Mr.  Bjorkman  is  a  man  of  good  financial 
ability,  and  in  addition  to  accumulating  other 
property  has  a  fine  residence  at  No.  119  Orizaba 
street. 

September  4,  1902,  Mr.  Bjorkman  married 
Hannah  Sisbacka,  a  native  of  Purmo,  Finland, 
from  which  she  emigrated  in  1902,  coming  from 
there  to  San  Pedro,  arriving  in  this  city  on  July 
12  of  that  year.  In  religion,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bjorkman  are  Lutherans. 


CHARLES  L.  MULLHOLAND.  In  1884 
Mr.  Mullholand  came  to  California  and  since  that 
time  has  succeeded  in  building  up  for  himself  a 
competence,  proving  himself  a  pioneer  farmer  in 
the  peet  lands  and  successfully  establishing  his 
claim  that  these  lands  could  be  profitably  culti- 
vated. Mr.  Mullholand  is  a  native  of  Wyandot 
county,  Ohio,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Carey 
June  25,  1864;  his  father,  William,  was  also 
born  in  Ohio,  near  McCutchenville,  while  his 
grandfather,  Hugh,  was  born  in  Ireland  and  be- 
came a  pioneer  farmer  of  Ohio,  where  he  died. 
William  Mullholand  engaged  as  a  farmer  in 
Ohio  until  his  retirement  from  active  life,  when 
he  located  in  Adrian,  Ohio.  His  wife,  formerly 
Lucinda  Long,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
she  also  survives.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten 
children,  of  whom  seven  are  now  living. 

The  fifth  child  in  the  family,  Charles'"  L.  Mull- 
holand, was  reared  on  the  paternal  farm  in  Ohio, 
receiving  an  education  in  the  district  school  in 
the  vicinity  of  his  home.  At  the  age  of  thirteen 
years  he  became  dependent  upon  his  own  re- 
sources, inheriting  the  sturdy  spirit  of  his  ances- 
tors. He  worked  on  various  farms  throughout 
the  country,  his  last  five  years  in  Ohio  being 
spent  on  the  farm  of  David  Straw.  In  1884  'le 
came  to  Los  Angeles,  thence  went  to  Colton.  and 
from  there  to  the  Greenlead  mines,  after  which 
he  mined  in  the  Holcomb  valley  for  two  years. 
Going  to  San  Diego  he  was  employed  for  two 


1716 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


months  in  the  building-  of  the  No.  2  tunnel,  after 
which  he  returned  to  Colton  and  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  J.  V.  Suman.  In  1889  he  came  to  Los 
Angeles  county  and  made  a  contract  with  Rich- 
ard Garvey  to  run  a  tunnel  into  the  hills.  This 
he  did,  at  a  cost  of  $8,000.  He  was  then  em- 
ployed on  the  Ripatti  ranch,  working  for  Hell- 
man,  Newmark  and  Bicknell,  and  while  in  their 
employ  ran  a  nine  hundred  foot  tunnel  for  them. 
He  then  did  two  thousand  feet  of  work  on  the 
Titus  ranch  for  Bradbury  and  Bicknell.  In  the 
meantime  he  had  purchased  ten  acres  of  swamp 
land,  which  he  now  began  to  improve  and  in 
1892  purchased  another  ten  acres  and  improved 
it,  his  horses  having  to  wear  peet  shoes  when 
he  ditched  and  tiled  the  land.  In  1896  he  pur- 
chased another  ten  acres  adjoining,  which  he 
ditched  and  improved,  and  the  next  year  planted 
seven  acres  in  potatoes,  from  which  he  obtained 
three  hundred  sacks  per  acre.  He  sold  at  a  profit 
of  $450  per  acre,  this  being  the  first  large  yield 
in  the  vicinity.  He  continued  his  farming  enter- 
prise and  finally  bought  the  old  Bolton  place 
near  the  Durfee  ranch,  where  he  made  many  im- 
provements and  began  general  farming  and  gar- 
dening. The  first  ten  acres  he  purchased  he  has 
now  set  to  walnuts,  apples  and  peaches,  and  on 
this  has  erected  his  home  residence,  owning  in  all 
thirty  acres ;  besides  which  he  owns  property  in 
Adrian,  Ohio,  where  his  father  still  lives.  He 
has  taken  a  prominent  part  in  matters  of  public 
import  and  has  served  efficiently  as  school  trus- 
tee in  the  Puente  district.  Politically  he  is  a 
stanch  adherent  of  Democratic  principles. 


ALBERT  SLACK.  A  native  son  of  the 
state,  Albert  Slack  was  born  near  El  Monte,  Los 
Angeles  county,  July  14,  1868,  a  son  of  Will- 
iam Slack,  a  well  remembered  pioneer  of  South- 
ern California  and  one  of  its  prominent  citizens, 
whose  history  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this 
volume.  He  was  next  to  the  youngest  in  a 
family  of  ten  children,  all  of  whom  are  now  liv- 
ing. Reared  on  the  paternal  farm  near  El 
Monte,  he  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  this  place,  after  which,  at  the  age 
of  nineteen  years,  he  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a 
general  merchandise  establishment  here.  In 
Monrovia,  January  12,  1890,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Eva  Irene  Durfee,  born  on 
her  father's  homestead  near  El  Monte.  James 
Devine  Durfee  was  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers 
of  this  section,  locating  here  in  1859,  and  grad- 
ually rising  to  a  position  of  affluence  and  in- 
fluence in  Southern  California.  More  complete 
details  concerning  his  career  are  given  in  his 
personal  biography,  which  appears  elsewhere  in 
this  volume.  Immediately  following  their  mar- 
riage ]\Tr.  and  Mrs.  Slack  located  on  a  farm  near 


El  Alonte,  upon  which  Air.  Slack  engaged  in 
general  farming  with  financial  success,  which 
enabled  him  in  1902  to  purchase  his  present 
property.  This  consists  of  a  portion  of  the  old 
Allen  property,  located  two  and  a  half  miles 
south  of  El  Monte,  ten  acres  having  been  set 
out  in  walnuts,  while  twenty  acres  of  peet  land 
is  rented  for  celery  and  general  gardening  pur- 
poses. Mr.  Slack  has  one  of  the  finest  ranches 
in  this  section,  well  improved  and  highly  culti- 
vated, and  which  brings  him  in  large  financial 
returns.  In  addition  to  his  farming  enterprises 
he  is  also  interested  in  teaming  and  as  a  whole- 
sale dealer  in  hay,  grain  and  wood,  furnishing 
the  first  named  commodity  to  South  Pasadena. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Slack  have  three  children,  Howard 
Albert,  Perry  Durfee  and  Majorie  Diantha. 
Politically  Mr.  Slack  is  a  stanch  Republican. 


OLIVER  PERRY  THORNE.  The  fact  that 
Oliver  Perrv  Thome  is  a  new  resident  of  Long 
Beach  does  not  in  any  sense  signify  that  he 
is  new  at  the  cement  business,  for  he  has 
been  engaged  in  this  work  all  of  his  life  and 
has  a  thorough,  practical  knowledge  of  it 
in  all  its  details,  which  accounts  in  a  large 
measure  for  the  success  of  the  Ornamen- 
tal Stone  and  Brick  Company,  of  which  he 
has  been  manager  since  acquiring  an  interest 
in  the  firm  in  Alay.  1906.  A  member  of  a  family 
of  seven  children,  six  of  whom  are  now  living, 
Mr.  Thome  was  born  Alarch  5,  1871,  in  Win- 
chester, Ind.,  the  son  of  D.  M.  and  Lucy 
(Keever)  Thorne,  both  natives  of  Indiana.  The 
father  was  a  prominent  business  man  of  Win- 
chester,' and  a  large  landowner,  and  was  an 
influential  citizen  who  took  an  active  interest 
in  the  public  life  of  the  community,  at  one 
time  serving  on  the  board  of  county  com- 
missioners from  his  district.  During  the  Civil 
war  he  served  in  the  Fifth  Regiment  of  Indiana 
\'olunteer  Infantry  as  a  first  lieutenant,  fought 
valiantly  for  his  country,  and  during  the  remain- 
der of  his  life  carried  scars  from  wounds  re- 
ceived in  battle.  His  death  in  Indiana  removed 
a  man  who  had  many  friends  and  was  held  in  the 
highest  respect  and  esteem  by  all  who  knew  him. 

After  completing  his  studies  in  the  public 
and  high  schools  of  his  native  state  Mr.  Tliorne 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade  and  followed  it 
for  two  years,  after  which  for  a  like  period  he 
was  employed  by  T.  J.  Lyst  &  Son,  large  cement 
contractors  of  Anderson,  Ind.,  working  for  them 
as  foreman  in  various  parts  of  Indiana  and  Ohio. 
Following  this  he  established  himself  in  a  cement- 
contracting  business  in  Winchester,  where  he 
owned  one  of  the  first  cement  block  machines 
brought  into  that  city.  His  business  at  this  time 
also  embraced  general  street  contracting,  and  in 


SAMUEL   WARNOCK 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1719 


all  he  met  with  excellent  success.  It  was  in  the 
fall  of  1905  that  he  located  in  Long  Beach  and 
engaged  in  cement  contracting  for  a  few  months 
before  buying  an  interest  in  his  present  business. 
The  Ornamental  Stone  and  Brick  Company 
manufacture  ornamental  stone  and  cement  pressed 
brick,  using  two  Wingate  cement  block  machines 
and  one  Jackson  cement  pressed  brick  machine. 
They  also  do  a  general  contracting  business 
in  heavy  cement  and  re-enforced  concrete  work 
and  have  furnished  materials  for  many  public 
and  business  buildings  in  the  city,  giving  entire 
satisfaction   to   their   patrons. 

Mr.  Thome's  marriage,  which  occurred  in 
Lynn,  Ind.,  united  him  with  Miss  Mattie  Norton, 
a  native  of  that  place.  Fraternally  he  is  connected 
with  a  number  of  the  more  prominent  organiza- 
tions, having  been  made  a  Mason  in  Lynn  Lodge 
No.  223,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  is  a  member  of  Lynn 
Lodge  No.  294,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  belonging  also  to 
the  Encampment  of  Lynn  and  the  canton  at 
Winchester,  Ind. ;  and  holds  membership  in  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  Lodge  at  Lynn.  Politically 
he  is  an  advocate  of  Republican  principles.  As 
a  public  spirited  citizen,  an  enterprising  business 
man,  and  one  whose  well-rounded  interests  give 
him  broad  and  liberal  views  he  is  accorded  a 
high  place  in  the  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact. 


SAMUEL  WARNOCK.  The  changing 
destinies  of  military  service  established  the 
Warnock  family  in  Southern  California,  the 
first  to  found  the  race  on  this  soil  having  been 
Samuel  Warnock.  a  native  of  the  north  of  Ire- 
land and  a  soldier  in  the  United  States  army. 
While  in  the  early  dawn  of  manhood  he  enlist- 
ed in  the  army  and  in  1849  was  sent  to  Cali- 
fornia as  a  member  of  Company  I,  Second  In- 
fantry of  Major  Heintzelman's  command. 
When  the  discovery  of  gold  in  the  far  west 
attracted  emigrants  by  the  thousands  the  gov- 
ernment found  it  necessary  to  establish  mili- 
tary posts  along  the  route  of  travel  in  order 
to  protect  the  defenseless  gold-seekers  from 
the  hostility  of  the  Indians.  For  this  purpose 
the  secretary  of  war  ordered  Alajor  Heintzel- 
man  with  several  companies  of  the  Second  In- 
fantry to  establish  posts  at  various  points 
along  the  western  coast  and  on  the  lonely  des- 
erts. Among  other  posts  the  major  estab- 
lished was  that  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Col- 
orado river  at  its  junction  with  the  Gila,  and 
this  he  named  Fort  Yuma.  The  location  was 
an  exceedingly  important  one,  for  the  emi- 
grants, having  fought  their  way  down  the 
Gila,  had  previous  to  the  coming  of  the  sol- 
diers fallen  an  easy  prey  to  the  red  man. 

Concerning  the  .experiences  of  the  soldiers 


at  Fort  Yuma  in  those  early  days  Joseph  Swy- 
caffer,  an  old  comrade  of  Samuel  VVarnock,  has 
given  this  statement:  "Although  the  establish- 
ment of  the  post  at  Fort  Yuma  was  a  benefit 
to  the  emigrant  it  was  a  death  trap  to  many  a 
soldier.  It  was  one  of  the  most  forbidding  and 
desolate  places  at  that  time  on  the  continent 
of  America ;  there  was  no  rest  for  the  wicked 
and  no  peace  for  the  righteous.  The  red  men 
were  always  on  the  alert  to  surprise  the  camp 
and  murder  the  occupants.  This  was  in  1850, 
and  they  were  then  particularly  active  in  their 
eiTorts  to  destroy  the  camp.  The  year  before 
they  were  successful  in  their  raid  on  the 
Clanton  party  near  the  same  place,  destroying 
the  entire  party  of  over  forty  people,  not  one 
escaping  to  tell  the  tale. 

"Thus  it  was  that  the  soldiers  were  always 
on  duty  and  slept  on  their  arms,  if  sleep  they 
could,  with  the  thermometer  ranging  any- 
where from  one  hundred  and  twelve  to  one 
hundred  and  thirty-two  degrees,  with  swarms 
of  gnats  and  flies  by  day  and  myriads  of  mos- 
quitoes by  night.  The  soldiers'  rations  were 
of  the  poorest  kind  and  no  vegetables  of  any 
sort  whatever — old  army  stores  that  perhaps 
had  been  lying  in  warehouses  since  the  com- 
mencement of  the  Mexican  war,  then  shipped 
to  California  for  the  troops  in  service  here. 
The  rations  were  five  or  six  months  at  sea  in 
a  ship's  hold  before  reaching  Benicia,  thence 
to  San  Diego,  thence  across  the  mountains 
and  desert  to  Fort  Yuma,  about  a  year  in 
transit.  Under  such  conditions  disease  broke 
out  and  it  did  not  take  long  to  start  a  grave- 
vard  under  the  hill  at  Fort  Yuma.  It  will 
readily  be  seen  that  the  available  force  of  the 
camp  was  soon  greatly  reduced  and  that  the 
lives  of  all  depended  entirely  upon  the  bravery 
and  endurance  of  a  few  hardy  men  whom 
neither  climate,  red  men  or  other  productions 
of  this  'hell  hole'  (as  it  was  called)  could 
swerve  from  duty.  One  of  those  brave  boys 
was  the  comrade  who  has  heard  and  answered 
the  last  bugle  call.  He  had  the  entire  confi- 
dence of  his  officers  and  if  there  was  any  dan- 
gerous or  confidential  duty  to  be  done,  Sam- 
uel Warnock  was  always  on  the  detail.  He 
completed  his  service  in  1854,  and  was  honor- 
ably discharged,  with  character  good." 

After  leaving  the  army  Mr.  Warnock  was 
engaged  by  the  quartermaster's  department  at 
Fort  Yuma  to  carry  the  mail  to  that  point 
from  San  Diego.  The  work  was  one  of  ex- 
ceeding difficulty  and  taxed  the  powers  of  en- 
durance of  even  a  hardy  man,  while  none  but 
the  bravest  would  attempt  the  work.  It  was 
felt  by  all  that  he  was  the  man  for  the  place. 
Not  only  was  he  the  possessor  of  fearless  cour- 
age which  no  peril  could  daunt,  but  in  addition 


1720 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


he  had  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  desert  and 
the  mountains  and  hence  could  find  his  way 
over  the  trackless  stretch  of  sands  and  barren 
wastes.  For  three  years  he  pursued  this  haz- 
ardous undertaking  and  then  resigned  in  order 
to  take  up  ranching. 

The  distinction  of  having  been  the  first 
farmer  in  Ballena  valley,  San  Diego  county, 
belonged  to  Samuel  Warnock.  It  was  he  who 
in  1855  turned  the  first  furrows  and  sowed  the 
first  seed  in  the  rich  virgin  soil  of  the  valley, 
and  for  years  afterward  he  was  intimately  as- 
sociated with  the  agricultural  development  of 
the  region.  As  newcomers  began  to  be  at- 
tracted to  the  district  they  came  to  him  for  ad- 
vice as  to  land  and  from  the  first  he  wielded  a 
large  influence  among  his  fellow-workers.  In 
all  business  transactions  he  was  the  soul  of 
honor,  and  never  was  known  to  dispute  a  debt 
nor  to  owe  a  dollar  he  did  not  pay.  Often 
strangers  came  to  his  door  in  search  of  lodging 
and  food,  and  none  was  refused  shelter  and 
the  hospitality  of  the  table,  although  most  of 
these  were  unable  to  make  any  return  for  the 
kindness.  He  was  ever  ready  to  help  others, 
even  those  who  had  been  unfriendly  to  him 
were  treated  with  the  same  generous  spirit 
shown  toward  his  friends.  A  citizen  of  irre- 
proachable life  and  kindly  heart,  he  was 
mourned  when  death  ended  his  labors,  No- 
vember 9,  1905,  and  it  was  felt  throughout  the 
entire  valley  that  one  of  its  greatest  men  was 
gone  from  among  the  people.  His  marriage 
united  him  with  Maria  Bradley,  who  was  born 
in  the  north  of  Ireland. 

The  old  homestead  of  four  hundred  and 
twenty  acres,  which  forms  one  of  the  finest 
ranches  in  the  valle}',  is  now  owned  by  the 
family  and  operated  by  the  three  sons  of  the 
former  owner,  all  of  whom  were  born  in  San 
Diego,  the  dates  of  their  births  being  as  fol- 
lows:  Robert,  February  26,  1876;  Samuel  H., 
October  20,  1877 ;  and  James  B.,  Christmas 
day  of  1879.  The  only  daughter  now  living, 
Elizabeth  Ann,  was  born  April  11,  1883.  The 
young  men  have  been  life  long  residents  of 
San  Diego  county  and  are  familiar  with  its  ag- 
ricultural conditions.  As  yet  none  of  the  three 
has  married,  but  they  remain  together,  work- 
ing in  partnership  the  tract  inherited  from  the 
estate.  At  this  writing  they  have  two  hun-- 
dred  acres  in  grain  and  much  of  the  remain- 
ing acres  are  in  pasturage,  affording  facilities 
for  the  care  of  a  large  number  of  head  of  stock. 
In  the  management  of  the  land  they  display 
energy  and  wise  judgment,  and  already  they 
rank  among  the  capable  agriculturists  of  the 
vallev. 


JAMES  L.  DOUGHERTY.  A  pioneer  of 
tlie  state  and  one  of  its  most  successful  ranchers 
and  dair>'men,  James  L.  Dougherty,  of  Norwalk, 
has  succeeded  in  establishing  for  himself  a  posi- 
tion of  high  esteem  among  the  citizens  of  this 
section  of  Los  Angeles  county.  He  is  of  south- 
ern birth  and  lineage,  his  birth  having  occurred 
in  Grayson  county,  Va.,  June  17,  1847 ;  his 
parents,  Charles  and  Rosamond  (Hale)  Dougher- 
ty, were  natives  respectively  of  North  Carolina 
and  Virginia.  In  1868  they  came  to  California 
with  their  son  and  located  in  Los  Angeles  county, 
living  first  at  El  Monte  and  then  at  Azusa, 
where  the  death  of  the  father  occurred  after  an 
active  career  as  a  farmer,  which  pursuit  he 
followed  throughout  his  entire  life.  His  wife 
survives  him  and  makes  her  home  in  Pomona, 
Cal.  Mr.  Dougherty  was  identified  with  the 
Odd  Fellows  fraternally  and  politically  was  a 
stanch  advocate  of  Democratic  principles.  Both 
himself  and  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  South.  Of  their  seven  chil- 
dren, one  son  is  deceased,  and  the  remaining 
dfildren  are  living  in  California. 

The  family  removing  to  Texas  when  James 
L.  Dougherty  was  but  four  years  old,  he  received 
his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  that 
state.  He  was  a  very  youthful  recruit  when  he 
enlisted  in  Captain  White"s  company,  Gittings 
Battalion,  under  General  Ford's  command  for 
service  in  the  Civil  war,  but  no  more  faithful  or 
courageous  soldier  was  found  than  he  during 
the  three  years  in  which  he  acted  in  various 
capacities  in  the  cause  he  loved.  After  the  close 
of  the  war  he  remained  in  Texas  until  1866, 
when  he  set  out  for  California,  only  reaching 
San  Antonio,  however,  before  he  turned  back 
to  the  old  home  place  and  began  raising 'cotton. 
He  finally  sold  out  and  with  his  parents  in  1868 
made  the  trip  overland  with  mule-teams  to  the 
El  Dorado  state,  from  San  Bernardino  journey- 
ing to  El  Monte,  where  they  passed  the  ensu- 
ing two  years.  Mr.  Dougherty  then  engaged  in 
ranching  and  finally  went  to  Azusa,  where  he 
purchased  a  tract  of  thirty  acres  and  later  set 
it  out  in  fruit  of  various  kinds.  He  remained 
in  that  section  for  about  fifteen  years  and  during 
this  time  was  compelled  to  fight  for  his  land, 
which  was  a  part  of  a  Spanish  grant;  he  won 
the  suit,  however,  and  retained  the  property. 
Disposing  of  his  interests  in  Azusa  he  came  to 
the  vicinity  of  Artesia,  purchased  thirty-five  acres, 
later  sold  it,  and  bought  his  present  ranch  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  This  is  devoted 
to  grain  and  alfalfa,  while  much  of  his  time  is 
given  over  to  the  management  of  a  dairy,  which 
is  supplied  by  thirty-five  cows  of  fine  stock,  the 
product  being  shipped  to  Los  Angeles.  He  has 
improved  his  property  by  the  erection  of  a  com- 
fortable   residence,    barns    and    outbuilding    and 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1721 


all   necessar_v  equipment    for   conducting   a   suc- 
cessful ranching  enterprise. 

In  Texas,  in  1868,  Mr.  Dougherty  was  united 
in  marriage  with  JNIiss  Lorinda  C.  Barling,  a 
native  of  Missouri,  and  born  in  McDonald  county 
in  1851.  Her  father,  Henry  A.  Barling,  was 
born  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  and  reared  in  Fort 
Smith,  Ark.,  while  the  mother,  Sarah  Price 
in  maidenhood,  was  a  native  of  Missouri. 
The  mother  died  when  her  daughter  (who 
was  one  of  seven  children,  four  of  whom 
are  living)  was  but  a  small  child ;  later  tiie 
family  removed  to  Texas,  where  the  father  passed 
away.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dougherty  became  the 
parents  of  the  followang  children :  S_vbil,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  three  years ;  Qiarles,  at  home ; 
and  Frank  H.,  who  died  June  20,  1900,  while 
on  a  trip  to  Taliiti  Island  for  his  health,  and  was 
buried  at  sea.  He  left  a  widow,  formerly  Esther 
Lowenstein,  and  two  children,  one  of  whom  has 
since  died  at  the  age  of  five  years.  Fraternally 
jAIr.  Dougherty  is  a  meinber  of  the  Knights  of 
the  Maccabees,  of  Artesia,  and  politically  is  a 
lifelong  Democrat.  He  supports  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  South  of  which  his  wife  is 
a  member.  Mr.  Dougherty  is  highly  esteemed 
throughout  this  section  and  merits  the  position  of 
general  respect  which  he  enjoys. 


BERNHARD  MAIER.  So  closely  allied  is 
the  name  of  Bernhard  Maier  with  that  of  the 
Greater  Los  Angeles  Realty  Company,  that  to 
mention  one  immediately  suggests  the  other.  The 
company  has  been  in  existence  since  September. 
1905,  at  which  time  Bernhard  Maier,  Henry 
Kahn,  Samuel  J.  Harris  and  Samuel  Waktor 
united  their  efforts  under  the  name  of  the  Greater 
Los  Angeles  Realty  Company  and  have  since 
carried  on  an  immense  business  in  their  line, 
operating  in  Los  Angeles  and  the  adjoining 
country,  principally,  although  they  also  buy  and 
sell  improved  and  unimproved  property  in  other 
parts  of  the  country. 

Bernhard  Maier  'is  of  German  nativity  and 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Reckendorf,  Bavaria, 
April  8,  1869,  the  son  of  Hirsch  and  Fannie 
(Raiss)  Maier,  they  too  being  natives  of  the 
Fatherland.  The  public  schools  of  his  home 
town  furnished  him  with  the  only  training  he 
was  destined  to  receive  in  that  line,  for  when  he 
was  scarcely  more  than  a  primary  student  he 
bad  formulated  plans  whereby  the  remainder  of 
his  life  was  to  be  associated  with  the  New  World. 
In  1886,  when  a  lad  of  seventeen  years  of  age, 
he  debarked  from  the  German  port  of  Bremen 
and  nine  days  later  had  passed  inspection  at 
Castle  Garden,  New  York  City.  Without  loss 
of  time  in  the  east  he  immediately  made  his  way 
overland  to  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,. reaching  this  city 


August  ID,  1886.  Though  unfamiliar  with  our 
customs  and  language  he  proved  so  apt  a  scholar 
in  both  that  these  disadvantages  were  only  tem- 
])orary  handicaps.  Going  to  Norwalk,  Cal.,  he 
secured  a  clerkship  in  the  general  merchandise 
establishment  of  Speier  &  Swigart,  a  position 
which  he  held  for  eig'ht  years,  having  served  his 
employer  well  and  faithfully  during  that  time. 
The  national  characteristic  of  thrift  had  been 
generously  bestowed  upon  him  by  a  long  line 
of  German  ancestors,  as  was  demonstrated  dur- 
ing the  eight  years  just  mentioned.  So  frugally 
had  he  saved  his  earnings  and  so  carefully  had 
he  noted  and  studied  the  details  of  the  business, 
that  upon  leaving  his  first  position  he  felt  him- 
self qualified  to  start  in  business  for  himself. 
Going  to  Rincon,  Riverside  county,  in  February, 
1894,  he  established  a  merchandise  business  which 
he  managed  with  good  financial  results  for  six 
years.  In  the  meantime  he  had  been  appointed 
postmaster  of  the  town,  serving  for  four  years 
in  this  capacity  under  the  presidency  of  Grover 
Cleveland,  besides  which  he  also  acted  as  agent 
for  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  for  about  one  year. 
In  1899,  after  selling  his  stock  and  good- will  to 
L.  Wells  &  Son,  he  went  to  Benson,  Ariz.,  and 
again  established  a  general  merchandise  busi- 
ness, which  he  conducted  personally  for  five 
years  and  ten  months,  after  which  he  turned 
its  management  over  to  his  brother,  L.  Maier, 
and  Henry  Waktor,  although  Mr.  Maier  himself 
still  owns  tlie  business.  As  the  stock  carried  is 
first-class  in  every  way,  and  always  has  been 
from  the  time  the  store  was  established,  an 
immense  and  dependable  patronage  has  been  the 
result,  goods  being  handled  both  in  wholesale 
and  retail  quantities.  In  order  to  carry  out  a 
business  undertaking  which  had  been  under  con- 
sideration for  some  time  Mr.  Maier  found  it* 
necessary  to  give  the  entire  management  of  this 
large  business  into  the  care  of  others,  and  since 
September  of  1905,  his  own  time  has  been  given 
entirely  to  the  new  company  then  organized  and 
known  as  die  Greater  Los  Angeles  Realty  Com- 
pany, with  offices  in  the  Huntington  building, 
Los  Angeles. 

Mr.  Maier's  home  at  No.  1610  Union  avenue, 
Los  Angeles,  is  carefully  presided  over  by  his 
wife,  to  whom  he  was  married  in  tliis  city  May 
12,  1895.  and  who  before  her  marriage  was 
Frieda  Fichtelberger,  a  daughter  of  Moses  and 
Minnie  (Stern)  Fichtelberger.  Of  the  two  chil- 
dren born  of  this  marriage  Louis,  born  in  Rin- 
con, Cal.,  December  5,  1897,  is  the  only  one  liv- 
ing. The  other  child.  Norma,  born  in  Benson, 
Ariz.,  May  31,  1901,  was  taken  from  them  by 
death  September  10,  1904.  Mr.  Maier's  busi- 
ness duties  consume  the  greater  part  of  his  time 
and  thought,  but  not  bowev-er  to  the  exclusion 
of  his  fraternal  obligations,  which  are  numerous 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  varied.  He  was  initiated  into  the  Benev- 
olent Trotective  Order  of  Elks  in  Lodge  No. 
671  in  Bisbee,  Ariz.,  and  is  now  a  member  of 
Westgate  Lodge  No.  335  of  Los  Angeles.  He 
also  belongs  to  Artesia  Tent  No.  10,  K.  O.  T.  M., 
of  Artesia,  Cal. :  and  Circle  City  Lodge  L  O.  F., 
of  Corona,  Cal.,  of  which  latter  lodge  he  had 
held  the  position  of  financial  secretary-  for  three 
years.  His  initiation  into  the  order  of  Foresters 
occurred  in  Norwalk,  Cal.,  he  being  one  of  the 
charter  members  of  his  lodge.  Fraternally  Mr. 
Maier  is  a  believer  in  Republican  principles. 


ADOLPH  iNIULLER.  The  late  Adolph 
Aluller  is  remembered  as  one  of  the  prominent 
citizens  of  San  Pedro,  where  he  was  located  for 
many  years  prior  to  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  June,  1904,  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years. 
He  was  a  native  of  Germany,  his  birth  having 
occurred  in  Breton  Hebein  where  his  ancestors 
had  been  located  for  generations.  He  was  reared 
to  young  manhood  in  his  native  country  and  was 
apprenticed  to  learn  the  trade  of  ship  carpenter, 
which  he  mastered.  He  spent  a  large  portion  of 
his  young  manhood  on  the  sea  and  in  the  course 
of  his  travels  came  to  the  coast  of  California. 
Landing  at  San  Francisco  he  decided  to  settle 
here  permanently  and  engage  in  building,  which 
occupation  he  followed  for  some  time.  In  1882 
he  came  to  Los  Angeles  in  the  employ  of  the 
Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  thence  com- 
ing to  San  Pedro  and  following  the  same  work 
until  his  retirement. 

Mr.  Muller  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife 
being  Annetta  Wyllie,  who  was  born  in  Los 
Angeles  and  died  in  San  Pedro.  In  San  Ber- 
nardino, he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Marie 
Pico,  who  was  born  near  San  Diego,  Cal.,  a 
daughter  of  Jose  Antonio  Pico,  a  brother  of 
Governor  Pio  Pico  and  of  Gen.  Andreas  Pico, 
all  of  whom  were  sons  of  Jose  Marie  Pico.  The 
elder  man,  an  officer  under  the  Mexican  govern- 
ment, located  in  San  Diego,  Cal.,  and  later  settled 
in  San  Gabriel,  where  his  death  occurred.  Jose 
Antonio  Pico,  who  was  born  in  San  Diego  county, 
became  a  military  man  and  as  a  lieutenant  served 
for  many  years  in  the  army  located  in  various 
parts  of  California,  from  the  extreme  southern 
portion  to  Benicia,  Solano  county.  About  the 
time  of  the  American  occupation  of  the  state 
he  was  retired,  making  his  home  on  the  Santa 
Margarita  ranch,  in  San  Diego  county,  of  which 
he  was  part  owner.  He  married  Magdalena 
Baca,  a  native  of  Santa  Fe,  N.  Mex.,  and  a 
daughter  of  Manuel  Baca,  an  early  settler  of 
Solano  county,  where  he  became  an  extensive 
land  owner.  He  was  a  man  of  fine  character, 
tracing  his  descent  to  the  Bacas  of  Castile.  Spain. 
He  became  a  prominent  man  and  citizen  in  So- 


lano county,  taking  an  active  part  in  its  develop- 
ment and  upbuilding,  the  town  of  Vacaville  be- 
ing named  for  him.  Mrs.  Pico  died  in  San 
Bernardino,  Cal.,  leaving  the  following  children: 
Francisco,  engaged  in  the  cattle  business  in  San 
Jacinto ;  Pio,  a  farmer  near  Tucson,  Ariz. ;  Jose, 
located  in  San  Juan  Capistrano;  Francisca,  of 
San  Bernardino;  Andreas,  a  farmer  at  Ocean- 
side,  Cal. ;  Manuel,  located  in  San  Jacinto ;  Marie ; 
Rudecinda,  wife  of  M.  Aguirre,  of  San  Jacinto; 
and  Dolores,  Mrs.  Huzzalla,  of  San  Bernardino. 
Marie  Pico  was  reared  in  San  Jacinto,  River- 
side county,  Cal.,  where  her  father  was  then  en- 
gaged in  stock-raising,  their  home  being  known 
as  Casa  Louia,  which  interpreted  means  "House 
on  the  Hill".  She  received  her  education  in  St. 
Catherine's  Academy  and  in  young  womanhood 
became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Aluller,  since  whose 
death  she  has  continued  to  make  her  home  in 
San  Pedro.  She  is  a  devout  member  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  in  which  faith  she  was  reared. 
Her  husband  was  associated  fraternally  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  serving  as  treasurer  of  the 
lodge  of  which  he  was  a  member. 


SCHUYLER  COLE.  Since  becoming  a  resi- 
dent of  Colegrove  and  a  promoter  of  its  financial, 
commercial  and  landed  development,  Mr.  Cole 
has  accomplished  much  in  behalf  of  local  prog- 
ress. During  the  year  1902  he  opened  a  branch 
of  the  Bank  of  Santa  j\Ionica  at  Sawtelle  of  which 
he  was  manager  for  several  years,  and  still  holds 
the  position  of  assistant  cashier  in  the  Bank  of 
Santa  Monica.  Besides  being  a  close  student  of 
the  financial  world  and  a  discriminating  judge  of 
banking  affairs,  he  has  an  expert  knowledge  of 
real  estate  values  in  the  region  lying  between 
Los  Angeles  and  the  ocean.  As  a  member  of  the 
real  estate  firm  of  Loomis  &  Cole,  he  was  inter- 
ested in  the  opening  of  the  Artesian  tract  of  one 
hundred  acres  adjoining  Sawtelle  on  the  west, 
which  was  platted  into  residence  lots  and  has 
proved  a  successful  investment  for  all  parties 
concerned.  With  the  addition  of  anotlier  partner 
and  under  the  title  of  Health,  Loomis  &  Cole,  the 
firm  carries  on  a  real  estate  brokerage  business 
at  Ocean  Park  and  acts  as  selling  agents  for  the 
Santa  Monica  Land  and  Water  Company. 

A  son  of  Senator  Cornelius  Cole,  a  native  of 
Lodi,  Seneca  county,  N.  Y.,  and  for  years  a  lead- 
ing man  of  affairs  in  California,  Schuyler  Cole 
was  born  in  Schuyler  county,  N.  Y.,  February  4, 
1865,  and  received  a  fair  education  in  the  gram- 
mar and  high  schools  of  San  Francisco,  preparing 
for  admission  to  Cornell  LTniversity.  but  obliged 
to  forego  higher  educational  advantages  on  ac- 
count of  poor  health.  In  company  with  his 
brother,  Seward  Cole,  in  1880  he  came  to  his 
father's  ranch  at  Colegrove,  Los  Angeles  county. 


Uji.^  WUu^^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BlOGRAPillCAL  RECORD. 


and  here  engaged  in  raising  wheat  and  barle\' 
on  an  extensive  scale.  For  a  long  period  he  re- 
mained on  the  ranch,  but  in  1898  he  left  in 
order  to  become  superintendent  and  general  man- 
ager of  the  Cold  Bug  mine  near  Grant's  Pass  in 
Oregon,  a  well-known  and  rich  quartz  mine  with 
a  stamp  mill  and  full  equipment.  During  the 
four  years  in  which  he  had  charge  of  the  mine  he 
gained  a  practical  knowledge  of  mining  as  con- 
ducted in  Oregon  and  proved  successful  as  a 
superintendent.  On  the  sale  of  the  mine  in  1902 
he  returned  to  Colegrove,  where  he  has  since 
made  his  home.  October  i,  1906,  he  organized 
die  Occident  Motor  Car  Company,  of  which  he 
is  president  and  manager,  and  which  has  the  Pa- 
cific coast  agency  for  the  Cartercar. 

At  Santa  Monica  in  December  of  1896,  Mr. 
Cole  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Elizabeth 
Gorham,  who  was  born  in  Ohio  and  is  niece  of 
Senator  Jones  of  Santa  Monica.  Possessing 
genial  companionable  traits,  an  affable  manner 
and  uniform  courtesy  of  demeanor.  Mr.  Cole  en- 
joys a  high  standing  in  society  and  is  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Jonathan  Club  of  Los  Angeles. 
Supplementing  these  traits  which  contribute  to 
his  personal  popularity,  he  possesses  keen  judg- 
ment and  mitiring  energy  in  the  prosecution  of 
business  aii'airs,  and  is  therefore  able  to  maintain 
the  highest  standing  among  men  of  commerce. 
Though  not  a  partisan  in  political  views,  he 
stanchly  advocates  the  principles  of  the  Republi- 
can party  and  invariably  gives  his  support  to 
the  party's  candidates  in  national  elections. 


WILLIAM  A/'OLKMOR.  The  substantial 
and  well-to-do  citizens  of  Whittier  have  no 
better  respresentative  than  William  Volkmor, 
who  is  actively  identified  with  the  industrial 
interests  of  this  part  of  the  county,  and  stands 
high  among  the  keen,  progressive  business  men 
of  the  place.  A  man  of  strong  individuality, 
possessing  excellent  executive  ability,  and  an 
expert  mechanic,  he  served  for  many  years 
as  foreman  of  the  blacksmithing  department 
at  the  state  school,  where  his  personal  influ- 
ence was  felt  and  appreciated.  A  son  of  Levi 
Volkmor,  he  was  born.  August  30,  1864,  in 
Massillon,  Stark  county.  Ohio,  of  German  an- 
cestry. 

A  native  of  Germany.  Levi  Volkmor  immi- 
grated to  the  United  States  when  a  young 
man.  locating  in  Ohio,  where  for  a  few  years 
he  ran  the  tow-boat  from  Cleveland  to  Cin- 
cinnati. Settling  then  in  ATassillon.  Stark 
county,  he  entered  the  Russell  machine  shops, 
where  he  had  charge  of  the  department  in 
which  threshing  machines  were  manufactured 
for  twentv-two   consecutive  rears.     On   retir- 


ing from  that  position  he  purchased  a  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Stark  county, 
and  having  made  excellent  improvements  up- 
on it  is  now  devoting  himself  to  its  manage- 
ment, meeting  with  good  success  as  an  agri- 
culturist. His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Mary  Ertle,  has  resided  in  Stark  county  dur- 
ing her  entire  life. 

Having  completed  his  early  education  in  the 
public  schools,  William  Volkmor  learned  the 
trade  of  a  horse-shoer.  serving  an  apprentice- 
ship of  four  years  with  his  uncle.  Adam  Volk- 
mor. Coming  then  with  his  brother  Adam  to 
California,  he  arrived  in  Los  Angeles  in  No- 
vember, 1888,  just  at  the  time  the  great  land 
boom  collapsed,  and  the  people  were  nearly 
discouraged,  the  city  being  in  a  rather  demoral- 
ized condition.  However,  he  was  fortunate 
enough  to  secure  work  on  the  day  of  his  ar- 
rival, but  three  weeks  later  his  brother  died, 
and  he  returned  with  his  body  to  their  old 
home  in  Massillon.  Coming  back  before  very 
long  to  Los  Angeles,  Mr.  Volkmor  worked 
at  his  trade  for  three  years,  being  employed 
for  six  months  by  one  man,  and  working  on 
the  east  side  for  another  blacksmith  for  two 
and  one-half  y^ears. 

Being  then  appointed  foreman  of  the  black- 
smithing  department  in  the  state  school  at 
Whittier,  j\Tr.  Volkmor  retained  the  position 
for  twelve  years,  three  months  and  fifteen 
days,  giving  good  satisfaction.  Serving 
through  various  administrations,  he  had  boys 
from  twelve  to  fifteen  years  of  age  under  his 
instruction,  and  as  a  teacher  was  very  suc- 
cessful, his  moral  influence  in  the  schools  be- 
ing good,  his  pupils  becoming  expert  work- 
men, and  honest,  upright  citizens.  Resigning 
from  the  school.  Mr.  Volkmor  opened  a  shop 
at  the  corner  of  College  and  Greenleaf  streets, 
\\niittier.  where  he  has  since  been  busily  em- 
ployed as  a  general  blacksmith,  horse-shoer 
and  horse-clipper,  doing  an  annual  business 
that  amounts  to  from  $8,000  to  $10,000,  keep- 
ing two.  or  three  men  to  assist  him  in  his  work. 
When  he  arrived  in  L.os  .\ngeles  he  had  but 
$40,  and  that  same  day  he  lost  his  money  and 
everything  that  he  possessed  excepting  the 
clothes  that  he  wore.  Beginning  then  at  the 
\-ery  foot  of  the  ladder  of  success,  he  has 
steadily  mounted,  rung  by  rung,  and  is  well 
entitled  to  hi.s  present  fine  position  among  the 
self-made  men  of  our  day. 

In  Whittier,  ]\Tr.  \'olkmor  married  Sarah 
King,  who  was  born  in  Michigan,  a  daughter 
of  Michael  King,  and  into  their  household  three 
children  have  been  born.  Hilda  Afarv,  ]\Iildred 
Barbara  and  Charles  Walter.  Mr.' Volkmor. 
true  to  the  religious  f.-iith  in  which  he  was 
reared,  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church. 


1726 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


J.  R.  ABBOT.  Associated  with  agricultural 
development  of  Los  Angeles  county,  J.  R.  Abbot 
occupies  a  prominent  place  among  the  represen- 
tative citizens  of  this  section,  where  he  has 
been  located  since  1893  and  engaged  in  the  cul- 
tivation of  a  twenty-five  acre  ranch.  He  was 
born  in  Lansing,  Mich.,  jMarch  30,  1865,  the  rep- 
resentative of  an  old  eastern  family  established 
on  American  soil  in  the  colonial  days  of  our 
history.  His  grandfather  was  a  noted  lawyer 
and  representative  to  the  legislature  which  met 
in  Boston,  before  the  separation  of  ]\Iaine  from 
the  Boston  Bay  colony.  His  fatlier,  Theophilis 
C.  Abbot,  was  a  Congregational  clergyman  who 
was  born  in  Vassalboro,  Me. ;  he  was  the  first 
professor  of  the  Ann  Arbor  high  school,  which 
position  he  retained  for  about  three  years,  when 
in  1857  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  Lansing  State 
Agricultural  College,  and  the  following  year 
was  elected  president  of  the  same  institution. 
Thirty  years  later  impaired  health  compelled  his 
resignation  from  this  position  but  he  still  held 
an  important  chair  until  his  death,  which  occurred  ' 
in  his  sixty-sixth  year.  His  devoted  zeal  and 
enthusiasm  in  the  upbuilding  of  this  institution 
won  him  commendation  among  those  who  rec- 
ognized his  endeavors ;  for  with  others  he  en- 
dured the  hardships  of  maintaining  this  school 
as  it  was  the  first  agricultural  college  established 
in  the  United  States  and  was  necessarily  forced 
to  combat  the  prejudice  of  many  who  failed  to 
see  the  need  of  scientific  education  along  this  line. 
In  his  political  convictions  the  Rev.  Mr.  Abbot 
was  always  a  stanch  Republican.  In  Ann  Arbor, 
Mich.,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Merrylees, 
who  was  born  in  Lerwick,  on  the  Shetland  Isles, 
and  she  is  still  surviving  and  making  her  home 
with  her  son  on  his  California  ranch  and  enjoy- 
ing good  health  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight 
years.  She  had  one  other  child,  a  daughter. 
Mary  M.,  who  became  the  wife  of  C.  M.  Moore 
and  died  in  1902  leaving  one  daughter.  ]\Iargaret. 
J.  R.  Abbot  received  his  preliminary  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Lansing,  after  which  he 
attended  Lansing  State  Agricultural  College  and 
graduated  therefrom  in  tlie  class  of  1884.  Upon 
leaving  the  college  work  he  received  an  appoint- 
ment in  the  state  library  of  Michigan,  which  posi- 
tion he  held  for  the  period  of  two  years.  At 
the  expiration  of  that  time  he  went  into  the  lum- 
ber camps  of  the  state  to  learn  the  lumber  busi- 
ness, and  later  had  charge  of  a  part  of  the  mill 
work  of  a  lumber  company  of  Saginaw,  one  of 
the  largest  concerns  of  that  section.  He  engaged 
in  this  occupation  for  about  seven  years,  when 
he  severed  his  connections  and  coming  to  Cali- 
fornia purchased  the  ranch  which  he  now  owns, 
consisting  of  twenty-five  acres,  of  which  six 
are  devoted  to  oranges  and  the  balance  in  grain 
and    pasture.      He    has    thirty    head    of    Jersey 


cattle  and  conducts  a  dairy,  now  supplying 
Alhambra  with  dairy  products,  his  wagons  mak- 
ing daily  trips  to  that  town.  He  is  unusually 
successful  in  his  work,  having  brought  to  bear 
the  knowledge  and  science  acquired  during  his 
years  of  study  in  preparatory  work,  and  prov- 
ing beyond  doubt  the  "advantage  of  such  a  course. 
Politically  he  is  like  his  father  a  stanch  Republi- 
can, and  although  never  desirous  of  official  rec- 
ognition he  still  takes  an  active  interest  in  the 
advancement  of  the  principles  he  endorses.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church,  as 
is  also  his  mother,  who  keeps  his  home  for  him. 
He  is  public  spirited  and  progressive,  interested 
in  matters  of  public  import,  a  worthy  citizen 
and  friend,  and  is  looked  upon  as  one  of  the 
representative  men  of  this  section. 


LESLIE  A.  MILLER.  San  Pedro  is  the 
center  of  an  extensive  lumber  trade,  which  has 
been  built  up  through  the  sagacity  and  foresight 
of  men  of  enterprise  and  ability,  prominent 
among  the  number  to  whom  credit  for  advanc- 
ing this  profitable  industry  is  due  being  Leslie 
A.  Miller,  superintendent  of  the  National  Lum- 
ber Company.  Possessing  a  wide  knowledge  of 
the  business  in  all  of  its  details,  he  devotes  his 
energies  to  the  promotion  of  the  business  in 
which  he  is  employed,  and  is  meeting  with 
marked  success  in  his  operations.  Of  excellent 
New  England  ancestry,  he  was  born.  May  9, 
1869,  in  ^^'hitneyville,  Washington  county,  Me., 
which  was  also  the  birthplace  of  his  parents, 
Albion  and  Maria  Helen  (Lowell)  Miller.  His 
father  removed  with  his  family  to  Minneapolis, 
Minn.,  in  1876,  and  there  built  up  a  large  and 
profitable  lumber  business,  becoming  head  of  the 
Albion  Miller  Lumber  Company.  He  was  a  man 
of  strong  personality,  a  stanch  Republican  in 
politics,  and  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

The  youngest  child  in  a  family  of  which  three 
sons  and  two  daughters  survive,  Leslie  A.  Mil- 
ler was  graduated  from  the  Minneapolis  high 
school  when  young,  and  for  two  years  thereafter 
was  in  the  employ  of  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee 
&  St.  Paul  Railroad  Company,  first  as  a  clerk, 
and  then  as  foreman  of  the  freight  department. 
Beginning  then  to  learn  the  lumber  business 
with  his  father,  he  remained  in  his  employ  until 
1896,  when  he  went  to  Seattle.  Wash.,  where 
he  became  connected  with  Cosh-Murray  Com- 
pany as  .commercial  salesman,  traveling  through 
Washington  with  a  good  line  of  cigars  and 
tobacco.  Coming  to  San  Pedro  in  1902.  he  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Whiting  Lumber  and 
Supply  Company,  and  as  its  superintendent  had 
charge  of  opening  and  building  all  of  its  yards. 
March  29,  1905,  the  name  of  the  firm  was 
changed  to  its  present  name,  the  National  Lum- 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1727 


bcr  Company,  with  Perry  Whiting  as  manager, 
H.  W.  .NIcLeod  treasurer,  and  Mr.  JMiller  as 
superintendent,  a  responsible  position  which  he 
is  filling  with  credit  to  himself  and  to  the  entire 
satisfaction  of  the  company  and  its  patrons. 

In  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  Mr.  jNIiller  married 
Minnie  Campbell,  who  was  born  in  Sioux  City, 
Iowa,  and  they  have  one  child,  Lois  M.  Miller. 
Politically  Mr.  Miller  is  true  to  tKe  faith  in 
which  he  was  reared,  and  is  a  loyal  supporter 
of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  Fra- 
ternallv  he  is  a  member  of  the  Elks  of  Long 
Beach.' 


PETER  J.  EILANC,  Sr.  The  death  of 
Peter  J.  Filanc  in  1896  closed  a  career  which 
extended  over  a  period  of  seventy-seven  years. 
Of  this  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  had  been 
spent  on  his  ranch  near  Colton,  San  Bernardino 
county,  the  same  on  which  his  son  and  name- 
sake now  resides.  The  elder  Mr.  Filanc  was 
a  native  of  southern  France,  born  November  3, 
1818,  the  oldest  child  in  his  parents'  family. 
During  young  manhood  he  went  to  Africa, 
where  for  nine  years  he  engaged  in  the  slave 
trade,  a  business  which  required  considerable 
travel.  In  1845  ^^^  sailed  from  Mecca,  Arabia, 
to  China,  from  there  taking  slaves  to  Salem, 
Mass.  After  following  the  sea  many  years  in 
the  interests  of  this  business  he  gave  it  up  in 

1848,  with  the  determination  to  make  his  future 
home  in  America.  From  New  York  he  made 
his  way  b}'  water  to  New  Orleans,  thence  went 
up  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri  rivers  as  far 
as  Council  Bluft's,  Iowa.  Winter  overtaking 
him  at  that  point  he  spent  several  months 
there  and  the  following  spring  crossed  the 
plains  with  ox-teams  to  Salt  Lake  City.  The 
winter  of  that  year  was  spent  in  Utah  and 
with  the  opening  of  spring  he  joined  a  party 
consisting  of  fifty-two  wagons  under  the  lead- 
ership of  Captain  Foote.  The  journey  was  a 
fortunate  one,  for  none  of  the  large  band  was 
seriously  ill  and  no  mishaps  befell  them.  They 
arrived    in    San    Bernardino   in    September    of 

1849,  ^^  which  time  there  was  only  one  fort  in 
the  place. 

It  was  during  the  same  year  that  ^Ir.  Filanc 
purchased  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres 
of  land  in  this  county  not  far  from  what  has 
since  sprung  up  and  been  known  as  the  town 
of  Colton.  By  adding  to  the  tract  from  time 
to  time  he  finally  had  one  thousand  acres  under 
his  control  and  ownership,  for  which  he  paid 
$5  per  acre.  Over  this  vast  tract  his  large 
bands  of  sheep  roamed  at  will,  sheep-raising 
forming  his  .principal  occupation  for  many 
years,  a  business  which  netted  him  a  good 
income.     In  later  years,   however,   lie  gave  it 


up  and  stocked  his  ranch  for  dairy  purposes. 
It  was  while  carrying  on  this  latter  industry 
that  he  met  his  sudden  death,  being  gored  by 
a  bull.  Before  his  death  he  had  disposed  of 
considerable  of  his  land,  the  ranch  now  com- 
prising two  hundred  and  thirty  acres,  upon 
which  a  specialty  is  now  made  of  cattle-raisinq-. 
besides  growing  large  crops  of  hay  and  alfalfa. 
In  1859  Peter  J.  Filanc  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Elizabeth  Lughan,  a  native 
of  Los  Angeles  and  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Mary  Lughan,  who  were  born  respectivel}^  in 
Spain  and  California.  Mr.  Lughan  came  to 
the  state  in  a  very  early  day  and  was  one  of 
the  first  settlers  in  Los  Angeles.  At  his  death 
in  1881  he  left  a  family  of  ten  children,  of 
whom  Elizabeth  was  the  third  in  order  of 
birth.  She  is  still  living,  at  the  age  of  sixty 
years,  and  makes  her  home  with  her  son.  Of 
the  three  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Filanc 
the  eldest,  Louisa,  is  now  the  wife  of  Samuel 
Lambert,  of  Redondo,  and  the  mother  of  four 
children;  the  next  child,  Aeneas,  died  at  the 
age  of  thirty  years ;  by  his  marriage  with  Josie 
Salsar  one  child  was  born,  the  widow  and  child 
now  residing  in  Arizona;  the  youngest  child. 
Peter  J.,  his  father's  namesake,  now  has  charge 
of  the  homestead  ranch,  in  the  management  of 
which  he  is  having  the  same  success  that  made 
his  father  a  well-to-do  and  substantial  citizen. 


JOHN  H.  STEWART.  For  many  years  a 
well-known  and  successful  farmer  of  Ventura 
county  and  now  a  business  man  of  Long  Beach, 
John  H.  Stewart  is  widely  known  in  this  sec- 
tion of  Southern  California,  and  has  won  a  large 
circle  of  friends.  Born  of  a  southern  family 
of  prominence,  and  inheriting  the  qualities  of 
his  Scottish  forefathers,  Mr.  Stewart  first  saw 
the  light  of  day  July  19,  1858,  in  Macon,  Miss. 
His  father,  Thomas  H.  Stewart,  is  one  of  the 
prominent  citizens  of  Long  Beach,  where  he  is 
now  retired  from  the  active  cares  of  life.  A 
complete  history  of  the  family  will  be  found  on 
another  page  of  this  volume. 

Reared  to  young  manhood  in  his  native  state. 
Mr.  Stewart  received  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  and  later  accepted  for  his  life  work 
the  occupation  to  which  he  had  early  been 
trained,  engaging  in  farming  in  Lafayette  coun- 
ty. Miss.  In  1882  he  followed  his'  father  to 
California,  locating  in  Ventura  county,  where 
he  homestcaded  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
four  miles  east  of  Saticoy.  He  made  all  of  the 
improvements  upon  his  property,  which  he 
brouglit  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  being  a 
pioneer  in  many  lines  in  farming  activity.  He 
was  the  first  farmer  to  plant  and  raise  corn  in 
the  Los  Posas  vallev  and  also  the  first  to  raise 


1728 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


beans  in  that  section.  He  remained  in  that 
location  until  November.  1903.  when  he  sold  out 
and  located  in  Long  Beach,  engaging  in  the  feed 
and  fuel  business.  He  is  located  at  No.  321 
East  Anaheim  road,  near  American  avenue, 
where  he  deals  in  hay,  grain,  wood  and  coal, 
also  the  buying  and  selling  of  horses  and  mules. 
He  built  this  property  and  also  owns  a  residence 
at  No.  1314  American  avenue.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  New  Orleans  in  1880  to  Miss  Sarah 
Todd,  a  native  of  Louisiana,  and  born  of  this 
union  are  the  following  children :  Celena,  wife 
of  Theo.  Sanchez,  of  Long  Beach ;  Claude,  en- 
gaged in  teaming  in  Long  Beach ;  Minnie,  wife 
of  Henry  Steplar,  of  Long  Beach ;  Lorena  and 
Alice  at  home.  In  1898  ^Ir.  Stewart  made  a 
trip  to  Alaska,  and  in  February  of  that  year 
crossed  Chilcoot  Pass  and  reached  Lake  Bennet 
about  the  time  of  the  "great  slide,"  when  he 
made  one  of  the  party  which  dug  out  the  buried 
prospectors.  Later  he  went  on  to  Dawson  City 
and  engaged  in  prospecting  and  mining  until 
December.  1898,  when  he  returned  to  his  home 
in  California.  ^Ir.  Stewart  is  a  Democrat  in 
his  political  affiliations,  although  he  endorses 
the  present  administration,  and  is  liberal  and  en- 
terprising and  an  all  around  business  man. 


JOHN  R.  HEINRICH.  No  country  con- 
tributes more  valuable  citizens  to  the  United 
States  than  does  Germany  and  those  industrious 
and  well  educated  young  men  whose  ambitions 
prompt  them  to  come  to  this  country  where  so 
many  opportunities  await  them  are  heartily  wel- 
comed to  whatever  community  they  may  choose 
as  their  new  home.  They  are  quick  to  see  and 
take  advantage  of  openings  which  promise  good 
returns  for  the  labor  expended,  and  are  almost 
invariably  flatteringly  successful  in  their  under- 
takings. John  R.  Heinrich,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  is  one  of  those  young  men  about  whom 
all  of  the  foregoing  is  true,  and  while  he  has 
been  in  the  L'nited  States  only  three  years,  two 
of  which  have  been  spent  in  this  state,  he  is 
very  enthusiastic  about  evervthing  concerning 
California,  speaks  the  English  language  fluent- 
ly and  is  highly  spoken  of  by  all  who  kncnv  him. 

It  was  on  October  20,  1877,  that  John  R. 
Heinrich  was  born  in  Germany,  where  his 
father,  Carl  Heinrich,  died  several  years  ago, 
and  where  his  mother,  witli  the  remaining  five 
children  of  the  family,  still  resides.  He  received 
his  education  in  the  high  school  of  his  native 
town  and  upon  his  arrival  at  New  York  in  1903 
he  secured  a  position  at  John  Wanamaker's 
store,  which  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most  promi- 
nent in  the  metropolis.  After  working  there 
for  one  year  he  came  to  Arroyo  Grande,  Cal., 
where  he  has  since  resided.     Immediately  upon 


his  arrival  here  he  bought  the  place  which  he 
now  occupies,  he  himself  putting  on  the  im- 
provements, which  consist  of  a  very  fine  large 
house  and  buildings  to  accommodate  fifteen 
hundred  chickens,  for  his  eight  acres  of  land 
is  given  over  entirely  to  his  chicken  ranch.  He 
now  has  four  hundred  laying  hens  and  one  thou- 
sand young  chickens,  which  yield  hnn  a  hand- 
some income. 

In  1904  Mr.  Heinrich  was  married  to  JNIiss 
Helen  Thiele,  a  native  German,  and  both  are 
members  of  the  German  Presbyterian  Gmrch, 
and  contribute  generously  to  the  support  of  all 
benevolent  and  charitable  interests  of  that  de- 
nomination. 


JAMES  B.  RIDDICK.  Considerably  more 
than  one-half  a  century  ago  the  Riddick  family 
became  connected  with  the  agricultural  develop- 
ment of  the  United  States;  their  race  being 
founded  in  this  country  by  Joseph  B.  Riddick,  a 
native  of  Glasgow,  Scotland,  and  an  immigrant 
of  1846.  From  the  time  of  his  arrival  in  the 
LTnited  States  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
October,  1891,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years,  he 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  in  \'ermont, 
owning  and  cultivating  a  farm  in  Chittenden 
county,  near  Milton.  When  he  crossed  the  ocean 
he  was  a  young  man  without  domestic  ties,  but  a 
few  years  later  he  established  a  home,  being 
united  in  marriage  with  Mary  A.  Blair,  who  was 
born  in  Maine,  and  later  became  a  resident  of  Ver- 
mont, where  she  remained  until  her  death  on  the 
home  place  in  1872,  at  the  age  of  forty -one  }'ears. 

Among  three  sons  and  five  daughters  compris- 
ing the  parental  family  and  of  whom  seven  are 
now  living,  James  B.  Riddick  is  the  second  in 
order  of  birth,  and  was  born  in  Alilton,  Vt.,  De- 
cember 28,  1852.  On  the  completion  of  his 
studies  taught  in  the  country  schools,  he  entered 
Georgia  academy  in  Vermont,  where  he  finished 
his  education.  Afterward  he  secured  employ- 
ment on  a  farm,  remaining  in  Vermont  until 
1872,  when  he  removed  to  New  Hampshire  and 
began  to  work  in  a  cotton  mill  at  ]\Ianchester. 
During  the  year  1877  he  removed  to  Lowell, 
Mass.,  and  was  similarly  employed  in  that  city 
until  1884.  The  following  year  found  him  as  far 
west  as  Minnesota  and  for  two  years  he  made 
his  headquarters  in  Minneapolis,  meanwhile  trav- 
eling through  \Msconsin  and  Illinois  in  the  in- 
terest of  a  rubber-stamp  business.  Late  in  the 
year  1883  he  went  back  to  Lowell,  and  from  there 
traveled  to  Florida,  where  he  remained  until  the 
spring  of  1886,  and  then  again  went  to  Minne- 
apolis, soon,  however,  proceeding  to  Kansas  City, 
Mo.,  where  he  was  employed  for  j  brief  period. 

It  was  during  the  fall  of  1887  that  James  B. 
Riddick  came  to  California  and  secured  a  posi- 


Qyi.0i.Q4^u;6D,.<^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1731 


tion  as  letter  carrier  connected  with  the  Los  An- 
geles postoffice,  continuing  in  that  capacity  until 
April  of  1903,  when  he  resigned  in  order  to  take 
up  the  real-estate  business.  For  a  year  he  had 
his  offices  at  No.  2602  Downey  avenue,  Los  An- 
geles, and  he  still  owns  property  in  that  city. 
Some  years  ago  his  attention  was  called  to 
Long  Beach  as  affording  a  profitable  field  for  in- 
vestment, and  in  1900  he  erected  ten  cottages  on 
First  street  between  American  avenue  and  Elm 
streets.  The  interests  of  his  property  led  him  to 
remove  to  I.X)ng  Beach  in  March,  1904,  and  he 
now  has  a  real-estate  office  at  No.  343  East  First 
street,  where  he  manages  the  details  of  his  real- 
estate  holdings  and  is  in  a  position  to  consult 
with  would-be  investors  as  to  desirable  property. 
After  coming  to  California  he  married  Miss  Mary 
A.  Collins,  who  was  born  in  Malone,  Franklin 
county,  N.  Y.,  and  has  been  a  resident  of  the 
Pacific  coast  since  1889.  They  are  the  parents 
of  three  sons,  Arthur.  Joseph  and  James.  The 
family  are  identified  with  the  Long  Beach  Con- 
gregational Church,  in  which  Mr.  Riddick  is  a 
member  of  the  board  of  deacons  and  one  of  the 
most  liberal  contributors  and  influential  workers. 
A  stanch  opponent  of  the  liquor  traffic,  he  has 
given  his  support  to  the  cause  of  prohibition  and 
for  years  has  advocated  the  theory  that  the  in- 
discriminate sale  of  intoxicants  should  be  sup- 
pressed in  the  interests  of  the  prosperity  of  our 
country  and  the  happiness  of  its  people.  The 
only  fraternal  organization  with  which  he  has 
identified  himself  is  the  Independent  Order  of 
Foresters  at  Los  Angeles,  in  which  he  remained 
an  active  worker  during  the  period  of  his  resi- 
dence in  that  citv. 


M.  N.  WESTOVER.  Upon  coming  to  the 
state  in  1889  Mr.  Westover  was  attracted  to 
the  extreme  southern  section  as  offering  the 
greatest  number  of  opportunities,  and  it  is 
reasonable  to  suppose  that  his  expectations 
have  been  realized,  for  at  no  time  in  the  in- 
tervening years  has  he  contemplated  remov- 
ing from  hi.s  original  location.  Coming  to  the 
west  from  the  extreme  east,  where  the  farms 
are  necessarily  much  smaller  than  in  any  other 
portion  of  the  country,  he  purchased  a  ranch 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  in  San  Diego 
county,  not  far  from  the  village  of  Mesa 
Crande,  and  here  inaugurated  a  stock  and 
grain  ranch  in  addition  to  establishing  a  dairy 
business.  He  now  has  twenty-five  cows,  and 
it  is  his  intention  to  give  more  attention  to 
the  latter  industry  in  the  future,  relinquishing 
the  stock-raising  and  grain  interests  as  the 
growth  of  his  dairy  warrants. 

A  native  of  Minnesota.  Mr.  Westover  was 
born   in    Blue   Earth    conntv   Mav   13,    t8=;8,   a 


son  of  Orlin  J.  Westover.  The  latter  was 
born  in  the  Empire  state,  but  during  his  early 
manhood  went  to  Minnesota,  and  there  es- 
tablished domestic  ties  by  his  marriage  with 
Mary  J-  Britton,  a  native  of  Missouri.  Two 
children  were  born  of  this  marriage,  Calvin 
E.  and  M.  N.,  but  while  they  were  quite 
young  they  were  deprived  of  the  love  and  care 
of  their  mother,  who  passed  away  in  1863, 
when  only  twenty-eight  years  of  age.  This 
calamity  to  both  husband  and  children  result- 
ed in  their  removal  to  the  east,  the  children  be- 
ing placed  in  the  public  schools  of  Oxford,  N. 
Y.,  while  the  father  joined  the  regular  army 
and  at  once  entered  upon  active  duty  in  be- 
half of  the  Union.  Six  months  after  enter- 
ing the  service  he  was  taken  prisoner  and  con- 
fined in  the  loathsome  dungeon  at  Anderson- 
ville,  and  although  he  v,'as  later  removed,  did 
not  long  survive,  his  death  being  the  result  of 
privations  and  im.proper  treatment.  By  trade 
he  Avas  an  experienced  'lurveyor,  following  this 
to  a  considerable  extent  in  addition  to  carry- 
ing on  farming. 

His  school  da^'s  over  AI.  N.  Westover  found 
employment  on  neighboring  farms  in  Chen- 
ango county,  and  before  he  had  attained  his 
majority  had  established  a  home  of  his  own. 
After  his  marriage  with  Clara  N.  Beardsley, 
a  native  of  New  York  state,  he  carried  on  a 
farm  in  that  state  for  ten  years,  giving  it  up 
St  the  end  of  that  time  to  settle  in  the  west. 
While  Mr.  Westover  is  the  gainer  by  larger  op- 
portunities as  a  result  of  the  change.  San  Diego 
county  is  also  reaping  a  benefit  from  his  en- 
terprising spirit,  his  ranch  ranking  among  the 
most  prosperous  and  productive  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Mesa  Grande. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Westover  and  Clara  N. 
Beardsley  resulted  in  the  birth  of  two  chil- 
dren, Alice  D.  and  Mary  Estella,  the  latter  the 
wife  of  T.  O.  Fewel,  of  AVarner  .Springs,  San 
Diego  county.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Westover 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  politically  the  former  is  a  Re- 
publican. 


JEAN  APIOU.  The  pioneer  element  of 
Southern  California  has  in  Mr.  Apiou  one  of  its 
well  educated  and  informed  gentlemen  who  has 
made  a  personal  success  and  at  the  same  time  has 
acquired  a  position  of  prominence  among  the 
citizens  of  this  section.  He  was  born  in  Lescun. 
Basses-Pyrenees,  France,  Februarv  6.  1852,  the 
fourth  in  a  family  of  five  children  born  to  his 
parents,  Jean  and  Elizabeth  (Casau)  Apiou. 
natives  of  the  same  place,  where  they  passed  their 
entire  lives.  Jean  Apiou  was  reared  on  the  pater- 
nal farm  and  educated  in  the  public  and  private 


1732 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


schools  of  his  native  land.  November  i8,  1868, 
he  left  Havre,  France,  bound  for  America,  and 
after  landing  in  New  York  City  took  passage 
via  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  for  San  Francisco, 
which  he  reached  January  4,  1869.  His  first 
employment  was  on  a  farm  in  that  vicinity, 
where  he  remained  until  November  of  following 
year,  when  he  came  to  Los  Angeles  and  found 
a  like  occupation  here  until  1874.  At  this  date 
he  purchased  a  herd  of  sheep  in  partnership 
with  a  cousin,  Pierre  Beilhes,  and  with  this 
herd  of  twelve  hundred  began  an  independent  ef- 
fort in  sheep  raising.  In  1876  they  located  in 
San  Bernardino  county  and  there  in  1879  Mr. 
Apiou  purchased  his  partner's  interest  and  con- 
tinued alone  for  two  years.  Disposing  of  the 
business  at  the  expiration  of  that  time  because 
of  impaired  health,  he  took  a  trip  to  France  and 
at  Vichy  Springs  took  treatments  which  restored 
his  health.  Returning  to  California  in  1889,  the 
following  year  he  again  embarked  in  the  sheep 
business,  retaining  his  herd  for  three  months, 
when  he  sold  out,  and  since  that  time  has  acted 
as  business  agent  for  his  countrymen  occupied  in 
this  work.  He  acts  occasionally  as  interperter 
for  both  French  and  Spanish  in  the  courts  of 
Los  Angeles,  where  he  is  most  widely  and  favor- 
ably known. 

In  Los  Angeles,  Alay  19,  1906,  jNIr.  Apiou 
was  united;  in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Jeannette 
Agoure,  also  a  native  of  France,  and  a  daughter 
of  Jean  Pierre  Higue,  formerly  a  farmer  in 
France  and  a  town  official,  and  now  a  resident 
of  Los  Angeles.  Her  first  marriage  united  her 
with  Jean  Pierre  Agoure,  a  native  of  France, 
who  came  to  America  in  1873  and  engaged  in 
the  sheep  business  until  his  retirement,  when  he 
located  in  Los  Angeles  and  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  days,  his  death  occurring  February  25, 
1903.  They  had  three  children,  Emma,  Annie 
and  Theresa.  Mr.  Apiou  is  a  member  of  the 
French  Benevolent  Society  of  San  Francisco, 
and  politically  leans  toward  the  principles  of  the 
Democratic  party,  although  he  is  too  broad  to 
be  bound  to  cast  his  ballot  for  any  set  of  men, 
reserving  the  right  to  interest  himself  for  the 
man  whom  he  considers  best  qualified  for  public 
service.  Mr.  Apiou  is  broad  minded  and  liberal 
in  his  ideas,  and  as  a  progressive  citizen  has  done 
much  for  the  material  upbuilding  of  Los  Angeles. 


FR.\NK  A.  BORCHARD.  Descended  from 
a  family  that  was  represented  among  the  pioneers 
in  the  early  days  of  the  American  occupancy  of 
California  and  that  has  since  given  to  the  state 
citizens  of  worth  and  intelligence,  Frank  A. 
Borchard  has  passed  his  life  within  the  imme- 
diate vicinity  of  his  present  home,  and  was  born 
November  7,  1876,  on  a  ranch  within  two  miles 


of  where  Oxnard  now  stands.  The  first  of  the 
name  to  settle  on  the  Pacific  coast  was  his  grand- 
father. Christian  Borchard,  a  native  of  Germany, 
and  during  early  manhood  a  resident  of  Iowa. 
Attracted  by  reports  concerning  the  discovery  of 
gold  in  California  he  closed  out  his  interests  in 
Iowa  and  accompanied  by  his  family  and  such 
supplies  as  were  necessary,  he  started  upon  the 
long  and  dangerous  trip  across  the  plains  through 
a  region  inhabited  only  by  hostile  Indians.  Ar- 
riving safely  on  the  western  coast,  he  took  up 
farm  work  near  Antioch  and  later  moved  to 
Ventura  county,  where  he  died  about  1903,  at 
an  advanced  age.  It  was  his  privilege  to  be 
spared  to  witness  the  remarkable  growth  of  the 
state  to  which  he  came  when  it  was  sparsely  set- 
tled and  comparatively  unknown,  and  he  was 
wont  to  contrast  the  hardships  of  pioneer  days 
with  the  improvements  and  conveniences  of  the 
twentieth  century. 

In  the  family  of  Christian  Borchard  was  a  son. 
J.  E.,  who  was  born  in  Iowa  and  was  eighteen 
months  old  when  the  family  crossed  the  plains  to 
Contra  Costa  county,  Cal.,  and  later  he  came  with 
them  to  Ventura  county,  where  he  was  one  of 
the  earliest  settlers  on  this  side  of  the  river. 
After  he  had  removed  to  this  locality  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Alary  Kaufman,  who  was  born  in 
Alinnesota  and  came  across  the  plains  with  her 
father,  Michael  Kaufman,  settling  among  the 
pioneers  of  the  Sacramento  valley,  but  later  re- 
moving to  the  Santa  Clara  valley,  Ventura  coun- 
ty, where  Mr.  Kaufman  remained  until  death. 
Both  J.  E.  and  Mrs.  Borchard  are  living  and  nine 
of  their  twelve  children  survive,  Frank  A.  being 
third  in  order  of  birth.  Reared  on  the  home 
farm,  he  was  given  the  advantages  of  local 
schools,  supplemented  by  attendance  at  St.  Vin- 
cent's College  in  Los  Angeles  and  Throop  In- 
stitute in  Pasadena. 

Upon  starting  out  for  himself  Mr.  Borchard 
engaged  in  raising  beets  on  a  ranch  near  Ox- 
nard. During  the  dry  years  it  was  necessary  to 
irrigate  the  land.  For  that  purpose  he  bought 
a  gasoline  engine,  installed  the  same  and  operated 
it  with  success,  finding  that  it  proved  a  valuable 
acquisition  for  a  rancher.  During  May  of  1900 
he  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  Oxnard 
Implement  Company,  of  which  he  was  chosen 
assistant  manager.  On  the  incorporation  of  the 
com.pany  he  continued  to  act  as  assistant  manager 
and  in  addition  held  the  office  of  vice-president. 
The  company  owns  the  largest  implement  house 
in  Ventura  county  and  he  still  retains  stock  in 
the  enterprise.  In  August  of  1903  he  bought 
the  stationery  and  news  business  owned  by  H. 
A.  Thatcher,  and  about  the  same  time  was  ap- 
pointed agent  at  Oxnard  for  the  Wells-Fargo 
Express  Companv.  At  the  store  on  the  corner 
of  Fifth  and  B  streets,  on  the  Plaza,  he  carried  a 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1733 


full  line  of  stationery,  and  handled  all  of  the 
Los  Angeles  papers  in  addition  to  the  San  Pran- 
clsco  Clironicle,  Call,  Examiner  and  Bulletin. 
In  1906  he  disposed  of  the  business  in  order  to 
engage  in  the  selling  and  setting  up  of  g'asoiine 
engines  of  the  Fairbanks-JMorse  type,  varying  in 
horse  power  from  two  to  one  hundred  and  fifty, 
these  being  especially  adapted  for  the  purposes 
of  the  farmers  of  this  locality.  In  May,  1906, 
he  purchased  an  interest  in  the  Oxnard  Furniture 
and  Plumbing  establishment.  Mr.  Borchard's 
home  in  Oxnard  is  presided  over  by  his  wife, 
who  was  formerly  Miss  Millie  AIcLaughlin,  and 
is  a  native  of  this  valley,  receiving  her  education 
in  local  schools.  For  some  years  Mr.  Borchard 
has  been  identified  with  the  Citizens  Club  of  Ox- 
nard and  he  further  holds  membership  with  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  and  the  Fraternal  Brother- 
hood. 


CHRIS  N.  OHRE.  On  the  rugged  coast 
of  Norway,  near  where  the  tempestuous  waves 
of  the  Skager  Rack  and  Cattegat  merge  into 
the  calmer  waters  of  Bohus  bay,  there  lies  the 
seaport  town  of  Tonsberg,  whose  inhabitants 
are  principally  of  the  seafaring  class.  Gen- 
eration after  generation  of  the  Ohre  family 
sailed  the  high  seas  and  the  smaller  bodies  of 
water  skirting  the  shores  of  Scandinavia,  and 
not  a  few  of  the  name  rose  to  the  command  of 
ships  of  considerable  importance.  Amid  the 
sights  and  scenes  familiar  to  all  maritime  en- 
vironments Nils  Ohre  passed  the  years  of 
boyhood  in  Tonsberg,  his  native  village,  and 
under  the  influence  of  his  father,  who  was  a 
sea  captain,  he  early  learned  to  love  the  life  of 
a  sailor,  and  eventually  he  rose  to  be  captain 
of  a  brig  engaged  in  the  lumber  trade  on  the 
Norwegian  coast.  Both  he  and  his  wife,  Mar- 
tina, died  in  their  native  village,  Tonsberg, 
and  they  are  survived  by  six  of  their  eight 
children,  Chris  N.  being  the  youngest  of  the 
number. 

The  village  of  Tonsberg  is  the  native  town 
of  Mr.  Ohre  and  May  24,  1855,  the  date  of  his 
birth.  As  a  boy  he  became  familiar  with  sail- 
ing and  when  fifteen  he  went  to  sea  in  his 
father's  brig  under  a  brother,  Anton,  as  cap- 
tain. After  two  years  on  that  brig  he  left  to 
accept  a  position  on  another  vessel  and  there- 
after was  connected  at  different  times  with 
various  barges  and  brigs  sailing  the  waters  of 
the  Baltic  and  North  seas.  Later  he  obtained 
a  captain's  certificate  and  for  years  sailed  to 
New  Orleans,  Philadelphia  and  New  York, 
making  perhaps  twenty  trips  in  all.  Eventual- 
ly he  left  his  ship,  the  Sir  John  Lawrence,  in 
New  York  in  1883  and  gave  up  a  seafaring 
life  for  that  of  a  landsman.     For  some  years 


he  was  employed  in  a  wholesale  farm  ma- 
chinery house  in  Minneapolis,  but  in  1887  he 
came  to  San  Diego,  and  here  since  then  he 
has  made  his  home.  From  the  time  of  his  ar- 
rival until  1893  he  \wrs  connected  with  a 
wholesale  commission  business,  but  since  the 
latter  date  he  has  devoted  his  attention  to  the 
poultry  business  and  other  enterprises. 

At  the  time  of  purchasing  the  property  at 
No.  4057  Eighth  street,  San  Diego,  Mr.  Ohre 
secured  two-thirds  of  an  acre  covered  with 
sage  totally  unimproved.  On  that  unpromis- 
ing site  he  now  owns  a  comfortable  modern 
residence  surrounded  by  a  beautiful  lawn  and 
fruit  trees  of  all  kinds,  besides  all  of  the  equip- 
ment necessary  for  the  poultry  industry. 
Among  his  six  breeds  of  poultry  he  is  making 
a  specialty  of  Buff  Cochins,  Plymouth  Rocks 
and  Leghorns,  and  has  altogether  about  two 
hundred  and  fifty  hens.  In  addition  he  has 
nine  high-grade  Jersey  cows  and  delivers  milk 
to  customers  in  the  city.  The  enterprise  is 
conducted  under  the  title  of  the  Scandia  dairy 
and  poultry  yards,  the  name  being  given  in  hon- 
or of  his  old  Scandinavian  home.  In  his  work 
he  has  the  able  and  cheerful  co-operation  of 
his  wife,  who  was  Miss  Mathilda  Olson,  a  na- 
tive of  Sweden,  but  resident  of  San  Diego 
from  girlhood.  Four  bright  sons  bless  their 
union.  Mauritz,  Clarence,  Oscar  and  Albert. 
Since  becoming  a  citizen  of  the  United  States 
Mr.  Ohre  has  been  a  stanch  adherent  of  the 
Republican  party,  and  in  fraternal  afifiliations 
has  been  connected  with  the  Order  of  For- 
esters. 


E.  FRANCIS  CONRAD.  The  farming  re- 
gions lying  in  the  vicinity  of  Arroyo  Grande  are 
among  the  most  fertile  of  San  Luis  Obispo  coun- 
ty and  present  fair  opportunities  for  gratifying 
returns  to  those  willing  to  devote  time,  thought, 
energies  and  untiring  industry  to  their  develop- 
ment. Coming  to  this  neighborhood  in  the  fall 
of  1876  Mr.  Conrad  rented  the  farm  which  he 
later  purchased  and  on  which  he  since  has  made 
his  home.  The  ranch  comprises  three  hundred 
and  seventy  acres,  of  which  two  hundred  acres 
are  in  grain  and  pasture,  forty-five  acres  in  hill 
pasture,  while  seventy  acres  of  leased  land  are 
devoted  to  the  raising  of  seed.  With  his  brother, 
W.  A.  Conrad,  as  partner  he  owns  a  walnut  or- 
chard of  sixteen  acres  of  bearing  trees,  and  the 
profits  from  the  orchard  are  a  considerable  por- 
tion of  his  annual  revenues. 

Born  in  North  Carolina.  November  21,  i8-|8, 
Frank  Conrad  is  a  son  of  E.  and  Sarah  (Holder) 
Conrad,  also  natives  of  that  state,  and  pioneers 
of  1864  in  California.  As  early  as  the  middle 
of   the   nineteenth   centurv    the    familv    left   the 


1734 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


south  and  became  pioneers  of  Iowa,  and  from 
there  started  across  the  plains  in  1863.  The 
winter  season  set  in  before  they  reached  the 
last  range  of  mountains,  so  they  spent  some 
months  in  Nevada  and  arrived  in  California  early 
in  1864.  For  a  time  they  remained  in  Nevada 
county  and  for  four  years  engaged  in  grain  farm- 
ing in  Sonoma  county,  after  which  they  spent 
two  years  in  Stanislaus  county,  but  each  year 
the  weather  conditions  were  such  as  to  cause 
a  failure  of  their  crops.  In  search  of  a  better 
location  they  removed  as  far  north  as  Tehama 
county,  where  they  took  up  ranch  pursuits.  Later 
they  carried  on  a  ranch  in  Shasta  county  for 
three  years.  In  the  fall  of  1873  they  settled  at 
Guadaloupe,  Santa  Barbara  county,  and  engaged 
in  ranching  in  the  Santa  Maria  valley  for  three 
years.  On  coming  to  the  present  homestead  in 
the  fall  of  1876  tliey  rented  the  land,  and  here 
the  father  died  at  eight>'-nine  years  and  the  moth- 
er when  eighty-seven.  Of  their  seven  chil- 
dren four  still  survive.  The  parents  were  earnest 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  in 
politics  the  father  advocated  the  cause  of  prohi- 
bition. 

The  farm  formerly  occupied  by  his  parents  is 
now  the  home  and  property  of  E.  F.  Conrad, 
who  in  addition  to  engaging  in  ranch  pursuits 
has  been  identified  with  the  ministry  of  the  Cum- 
berland Presbyterian  Church  for  a  long  period 
and  has  given  his  services  freely  to  the  work 
of  preaching  the  Gospel.  In  this  responsible 
service  he  has  labored  without  financial  returns, 
but  wholly  from  love  of  the  ministry  and  from 
a  desire  to  extend  the  kingdom  of  Clirist  in  the 
world.  Mainly  through  his  unaided  exertions 
he  acquired  a  broad  education  and  is  particularly 
well  versed  in  the  Scriptures.  As  a  speaker 
he  is  both  interesting  and  instructive,  while  in 
the  pulpit,  when  depicting  to  his  hearers  the 
value  of  Christian  service,  he  is  especially  earn- 
est and  eloquent.  For  seven  years  he  gave  his 
entire  time  to  the  ministry,  during  the  greater 
part  of  his  active  life  he  has  earned  a  livelihood 
from  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  and  has  engaged 
in  religious  work  gratuitously,  without  expecta- 
tion of  reimbursement. 

In  1876  occurred  the  marriage  of  E.  F.  Conrad 
and  Mary  Frances  Bryan,  who  was  Ixjrn  and 
educated  in  California.  They  are  the  parents  of 
the  following  children :  Edna  May,  who  married 
-A..  C.  Haskin  and  lives  in  San  Francisco ;  Clara 
Belle,  Mrs.  J.  R.  Reinike,  of  Arroyo  Grande; 
Howard  F..  who  married  Georgia  Plieonix  and 
resides  in  Arroyo  Grande ;  Edwin  A.,  who  mar- 
ried Chrystal  Tully ;  Nellie  C,  Marion  McGrady, 
Leila  I.,  Laura  Grace,  Merle  M.  and  Landreth 
Bryan.  The  importance  of  the  suppression  of 
the  liquor  traffic  appeals  to  Mr.  Conrad  with  such 
force  that  he  has   for  years   supported   Prohibi- 


tion principles  at  the  jxjils,  and  both  by  precept 
and  example  he  has  given  his  support  to  the 
cause  of  temperance.  Interested  in  educational 
matters,  he  served  as  trustee  of  the  Arrovo 
Grande  high  school  and  in  other  ways  has  aided 
the  cause  of  free  schools  in  his  countv. 


ABNER  D.  JACOBS.  Conspicuous  among 
the  pioneer  residents  of  California  is  Abner  D. 
Jacobs,  now  living  on  a  farm  in  the  Belvidere 
district,  Los  Angeles  county,  retired  from  tine 
activities  of  life.  Coming  here  when  the  coun- 
try was  in  its  original  wildness,  ere  the  dusky 
savage  had  fled  before  the  advancing  -steps  of 
civilization,  he  has  taken  an  important  part  in 
developing  the  resources  of  this  wonderful  coun- 
try, and  by  his  sagacity  and  foresight  has  at 
the  same  time  been  enabled  to  accumulate  a 
goodly  estate.  A  son  of  John  Jacobs,  he  was 
born  in  1838  in  Arnheim,  Brown  county,  Ohio, 
and  was  there  brought  up  until  fifteen  years  old. 

Engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  throughout 
his  life,  John  Jacobs  cleared  and  improved  a 
farm  in  Ohio.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  patriotic 
principles,  and  in  the  war  of  1812  offered  his 
services  to  his  country.  He  took  part  in  several 
engagements,  and  fought  under  General  Jack- 
son in  the  battle  of  New  Orleans,  when  General 
Pakenham,  the  British  commander,  was  killed. 
He  married  Maria  Devore,  a  daughter  of  Abner 
Devore,  a  native  of  Ohio,  who,  in  1844.  made  a 
trip  to  western  Texas,  and  on  his  return  trip,  a 
few  months  later,  was  murdered  at  Fort  Leaven- 
worth, Kans.  Of  the  children  born  of  their 
union,  all  grew  to  years  of  maturity,  namely :  El- 
len, Rebecca.  Abner  D.,  Elsie  and  Benjamin 
Franklin.  Enlisting  at  the  beginning  of  the 
Civil  war,  Benjamin  Franklin,  served  as  a  sol- 
dier in  an  Ohio  regiment,  continuing  until  the 
close  of  the  conflict.  He  is  now  living  in  Ken- 
tucky. 

Remaining  with  his  parents  on  the  home  farm 
until  1852,  Abner  D.  Jacobs  then  went  to  Illi- 
nois, intending  to  settle  there.  Meeting  with 
friends  who  were  on  their  way  to  Missouri,  he 
accompanied  them  to  that  state,  but  as  he  was 
dissatisfied  with  the  prospects  in  that  locality  he 
returned  to  Hancock  county.  111.,  where  he  re- 
sided two  years.  In  1854  he  started  for  the  Pa- 
cific coast  with  Dr.  T.  L.  Barnes,  crossing  the 
plains  with  ox-teams,  the  trip  taking  six  months. 
He  began  life  here  as  a  miner  in  Eldorado  coun- 
ty, and  while  thus  employed  went  to  Coloma, 
Eldorado  county,  to  see  four  desperadoes  exe- 
cuted. After  two  years  of  prospecting  he  went  to 
Petaluma,  Sonoma  county,  where  he  remained  for 
a  time,  and  from  there  going  to  Mendocino  coun- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1737 


t}-,  where  he  was  for  many  years  engaged  in  the 
timber  business.  Subsequently  purcliasing  land 
east  of  Redondo,  Los  Angeles  count}',  he  has 
improved  a  fine  ranch,  on  wliich  he  is  living  free 
from  the  cares  of  active  business,  enjoying  to  the 
utmost  the  fruits  of  his  many  years  ot  toil.  Not 
far  from  him  is  the  home  of  one  of  his  early 
playmates  and  schoolmates,  and  they  take  solid 
pleasure  and  comfort  in  each  other's  society, 
meeting  frequently  and  talking  over  the  events 
of  their  boyhood  days. 

in  1868,  in  Mendocino  county,  2\lr.  Jacobs 
married  Aiartha  Jane  Pound,  who  had  the  dis- 
tinction of  being  the  first  white  girl  born  in 
Uakdale,  the  site  of  the  present  populous  city 
of  Oakland.  She  died  March  22,  1885,  leaving 
four  children,  namely:  John  F.,  Charles  Ji., 
Ida  i\I.,  and  Violet.  Politically  Mr.  Jacobs  is  a 
Republican,  and  fraternally  he  is  a  member  of 
the   Independent  Order  of  Odd   Fellows. 


JOHN  XAVIER  WOODS.  Conspicuous 
among  the  public-spirited,  progressive  men, 
who  by  their  energy,  wealth  and  keen  fore- 
sight have  done  much  towards  building  up 
Southern  California,  and  were  among  the  fore- 
most in  developing  and  advancing  its  many 
and  varied  interests,  was  J.  X.  Woods,  a  well- 
known  resident  of  Oceanside,  and  president 
of  the  Bank  of  Oceanside.  A  son  of  the  late 
F.  X.  Woods,  he  was  born,  December  28,  1844, 
in  Ottawa,  Canada,  on  a  farm. 

Born,  reared  and  married  in  Canada,  F.  X. 
Woods  lived  in  his  native  land  until  1865, 
when  he  settled  in  Ohio.  Subsequently  re- 
moving to  Missouri,  he  resided  in  St.  Louis 
until  his  death,  in  1878.  His  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  ^lary  Daze,  was  born  in 
Canada,  and  died  in  1874  in  Oakland,  Cal. 
Both  were  members  of  the  Catholic  Church. 
Of  their  large  family  of  children,  ten  grew  to 
years  of  maturity. 

Having  acquired  a  good  common  school  ed- 
ucation in  Ottawa,  Canada,  J.  X.  Woods 
worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  about  twen- 
ty years  old.  Going  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  in 
1864,  he  began  life  as  a  railroad  man,  working 
in  the  motor  department  of  the  New  York, 
Pennsylvania  &-  Ohio  Railroad  for  five  years. 
Removing  to  Kansas  in  1869,  he  secured  a  po- 
sition on  the  .St.  Joseph  &  Denver  Railroad, 
running  a  locomotive  and  train  for  three  years. 
From  1872  until  1874  he  was  employed  in  the 
motor  department  of  the  Missouri  Pacific 
Railroad,  after  which  he  went  to  Terre  Haute, 
Ind.,  where  he  had  charge  of  a  locomotive  on 
the  Vandalia  Railway  for  five  years.  Going 
from  there  to  Colorado  in  1879,  'i^  invested  his 
money  in   mining  property,  and  losing  all  of 

81 


his  capital  he  resumed  railroad  work,  being 
employed  in  the  motor  department  of  the 
ianta  i-e  Railroad  until  1882,  when  he  as- 
sumed charge  of  that  company's  shops  at 
Winslow,  Ariz.,  a  position  that  he  retained 
hve  years.  Becoming  interested  in  stock  rais- 
ing, he  then  resigned  his  position  with  the 
Santa  Fe  Company  and  turned  his  attention  to 
the  cattle  business,  in  which  he  continued  un- 
til the  hard  times  of  1892  and  1893,  when  he 
again  entered  the  railroad  service.  While  liv- 
ing in  Winslow,  Ariz.,  Mr.  Woods  became 
prominent  in  public  life,  and  for  six  years 
served  as  supervisor  of  Navajo  county.  He 
was  also  elected  to  the  upper  house  of  the 
territorial  legislature,  and  by  the  governor  was 
appointed  a  member  of  the  territorial  board  of 
equalization,  a  position  which  he  held  up  to 
six  months  prior  to  his  death,  which  occurred 
September  17,  1906. 

Forced  to  leave  Arizona  on  account  of  ill 
health,  Air.  Woods  came  to  Oceanside,  where 
he  took  up  his  residence  and  became  actively 
identified  with  many  of  the  leading  interests 
of  town  and  county.  He  was  one  of  the  pro- 
prietors of  the  Bank  of  Oceanside ;  and  besides 
owning  real  estate  in  this  locality  was  finan- 
cially interested  in  the  local  electric  light 
plant. 

In  1874  Mr.  Woods  married  Alary  Curvin  of 
Illinois.  She  and  their  infant  child  died  a  few 
years  later,  and  he  then  went  to  Colorado.  Re- 
turning to  Illinois  he  married  for  his  second 
wife  Emma  Anderson,  who  was  also  a  native 
of  the  Prairie  state,  and  of  this  union  three 
children  were  born,  Selma  P.,  Pauline  and 
Francis.  Politically  Mr.  Woods  was  a  true- 
blue  Republican,  active  in  party  matters,  and 
while  in  Arizona  v/as  one  of  the  six  delegates 
sent  to  the  national  convention  in  Chicago, 
where  he  assisted  in  nominating  Theodore 
Roosevelt  for  president.  Fraternally  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive 
luigineers,  and  belonged  to  the  Benevolent 
Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Catholic  Church  at  Oceanside,  and  also 
attended  the  Mission,  and  Mrs.  Woods  is  a 
communicant  of  the  same  church. 


HUMPHREY  G.  SULLIVAN  has  been  a 
resident  of  California  for  more  than  a  quarter  of 
a  century  and  has  identified  himself  prominently 
with  the  upbuilding  of  the  state  and  especially 
San  Luis  Obispo  county,  where  he  has  resided 
continuously  since  1882.  This  section  of  the 
state  has  undergone  many  changes  since  Mr. 
Sullivan  first  settled  here,  and  from  a  wild  and 
uncultivated  region  dotted  here  and  there  with 
small  shanties  has  emerged  into  one  of  the  finest 


1738 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  most  highly  developed  farming  sections  in 
the  state,  the  scattering  homes  having  multi- 
plied many  fold,  and  tlie  crude  shanties  made 
way  for  large  modern  residences,  the  pride  of 
their  owners.  Mr.  Sullivan's  ranch  comprises 
one  hundred  and  two  acres  of  fertile  land  which 
is  devoted  to  the  growing  of  corn  and  beans  and 
some  vegetables  and  orange  and  lemon  trees. 

County  Kerry,  Ireland,  was  the  place  of  the 
birth  of  Humphrey  G.  Sullivan,  and  August  6, 
1850,  the  date.  He  is  a  son  of  Peter  and  Mary 
(Gallivan)  Sullivan,  both  of  Irish  nativity,  and 
a  member  of  a  family  of  six  children."  He  re- 
ceived his  education  in  Ireland  and  after  his 
school  days  were  over  engaged  in  farming  there 
until  he  was  thirty  years  of  age.  Immigrating 
to  California  in  1880,  he  landed  first  in  Alame- 
da county,  where  he  remained  about  two  years. 
From  there  he  came  directly  to  San  Luis 
Obispo  county  and  for  twelve  years  worked  for 
Dr.  Hayes,  who  lived  near  San  Luis  Obispo,  be- 
ing engaged  as  foreman  of  his  vineyard.  He 
then  decided  to  purchase  a  ranch  of  his  own  and 
bought  the  place  in  Verde  Canyon  which  is  now 
his  home.  In  1897  occurred  the  marriage  of 
Mr.  Sullivan  to  Sidney  Clark,  who  was  born  in 
Ireland,  and  to  them  have  been  born  two  sons, 
Lester  and  George.  He  is  an  ardent  Republi- 
can in  politics  and  has  always  taken  a  prominent 
interest  in  matters  of  interest  to  the  public  at 
large,  while  for  several  j'ears  he  has  done  active 
service  on  the  school  board  of  his  district  and 
has  filled  the  obligations  of  his  trusteeship  with 
entire  credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  the 
patrons  of  the  schools.  His  election  to  the  office 
was  also  in  recognition  of  the  intelligent  and  en- 
thusiastic interest  he  has  always  displayed  in 
matters   of  educational   importance. 


JAMES  C.  COLE.    One  of  the  oldest  pioneers 
of  San  Bernardino  county  and  a  man  who  has 

prominently  identified  himself  with  the  improve- 
ment of  that  section  of  Southern  California  is 
James  C.  Cole,  by  occupation  a  farmer  and  of- 
ficially a  member  of  the  city  council  of  San 
Bernardino.  He  was  born  September  3,  1853, 
in  Spring^'ille,  Utah,  the  son  of  James  Alfred 
and  Elizabeth  (Kelley)  Cole;  the  father  a  native 
of  Dayton.  Ohio,  and  the  mother  born,  educated 
and  reared  to  womanhood  in  the  same  state.  In 
1849  '^'"'s  father  removed  his  family  to  Utah, 
settling  on  a  farm  near  Springville.  where  he 
resided  until  1857  when  he  journeyed  still  farther 
west  and  settled  in  San  Bernardino,  locating  in 
the  old  town  at  the  Mission.  He  purchased  a 
farm  of  five  hundred  acres  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising  until  the  time  of  his  death 
in  1888.  The  mother  still  lives  on  the  old  home- 
stead at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-six  years. 


There  were  eight  sons  and  two  daughters  in 
the  family  of  which  James  C.  Cole  was  a  mem- 
ber. He  attended  school  at  the  old  Mission  until 
fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he  secured  employ- 
ment on  a  ranch  for  a  time,  but  being  ambitious 
to  acquire  an  independent  business  he  went  to 
Nevada  and  started  in  the  stock  raising.  Those 
were  years  of  great  excitement  in  the  western 
country  and  Mr.  Cole  had  his  share  of  the  thril- 
ling times  during  his  sojourn  in  the  sage-brush 
state.  In  1874  he  returned  to  San  Bernardino, 
purchased  sixty-five  acres  of  the  best  land  in 
that  section  and  turned  his  attention  to  its  culti- 
vation. A  part  of  the  place  is  now  within  the 
corporate  limits  of  the  city  and  upon  that  he 
has  placed  good  buildings.  His  principal  crops 
are  grain  and  alfalfa. 

In  1875  Mr.  Cole  was  married  to  Abbie,  the 
oldest  daughter  of  William  and  Mary  (Noble) 
Davis,  who  became  pioneers  of  San  Bernardino 
county  in  1852.  This  union  has  been  blessed  with 
the  birth  of  four  children:  Laura,  a  graduate 
nurse  of  Los  Angeles ;  Ira  residing  at  San  Jose ; 
Jessie  and  James  W.,  both  of  whom  are  at  home. 
Mr.  Cole  has  taken  an  especial  interest  in  polit- 
ical matters  and  stands  high  in  the  councils  of 
the  Republican  party.  He  has  repeatedly 
served  as  delegate  to  the  county  and  state  con- 
ventions and  is  now  serving  a  term  as  council- 
man from  the  first  ward  of  the  city  of  San  Ber- 
nardino. Fraternallv  he  affiliates  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  Lodge  No.  2~. 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN  PATTERSON. 
Closely  identified  with  the  industrial  and  finan- 
cial advancement  of  Glendale,  a  thriving  town 
in  Los  Angeles  county,  is  Benjamin  F.  Patterson, 
v.-ho  has  been  one  of  the  foremost  in  establishing 
beneficial  enterprises  since  he  first  assisted,  more 
than  twenty  years  ago.  in  laying  out  the  place. 
Energetic,  far-sighted,  with  keen  perceptive 
faculties,  he  has  attained  a  high  position  in  the 
business  community,  and  is  held  in  high  esteem 
as  a  man  and  as  a  citizen.  A  native  of  Ohio,  he 
was  born  in  ]Mount  ^^ernon.  Knox  county,  De- 
cember 9,  1845,  ^  son  of  Robert  Patterson.  His 
grandfather,  James  Patterson,  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  owning  land  in  Pennsylvania. 

Born  and  reared  on  the  paternal  homestead  in 
Pennsylvania.  Robert  Patterson  lived  in  his  na- 
tive state  until  becoming  of  age.  when  he  settled 
in  Ohio,  where,  for  several  seasons,  he  followed 
the  independent  occupation  to  which  he  was 
reared.  Migrating  with  his  family  to  Musca- 
tine county.  Iowa,  in  1850.  he  became  a  pioneer 
farmer  of  that  county,  until  his  death,  at  the  age 
of  forty-seven  years,  he  was  one  of  its  leading 
men,  serving  as  supervisor,  county  commissioner 
and  countv  clerk.    His  wife,  whose  maiden  name 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RFXOKD. 


1739 


was  Laura  Nye,  survived  him,  passing  away  at 
the  age  of  sixty-seven  years. 

On  July  25,  1862,  then  a  boy  of  sixteen  years, 
Benjamin  F.  Patterson  enhsted  in  Company  E, 
Twentieth  Iowa  Vohmteer  Infantry,  with  which 
he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  took  an 
active  part  in  many  of  the  important  engage- 
ments that  followed,  and  before  celebrating"  the 
seventeenth  anniversary  of  his  birth,  was  badly 
wounded,  at  the  battle  of  Perry  Grove,  Ark.,  re- 
ceiving three  buckshots  in  the  calf  of  his  right 
leg.  Subsequently,  on  June  26,  1863,  during  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg,  while  under  the  command  of 
General  Grant,  he  received  a  severe  scalp  wound. 
With  his  regiment,  under  Captain  Barney,  head 
of  his  company,  and  Col.  William  McE.  Dye, 
he  saw  hard  service,  both  in  field  and  camp.  He 
received  his  discharge  in  July,  1865. 

Subsequently  returning  to  Iowa  Mr.  Patterson 
was  for  a  number  of  years  prosperously  employed 
in  farming  and  stock-raising.  Coming  with  his 
family  to  California  in  1882,  he  erected  two  resi- 
dences in  Los  Angeles,  which  he  sold  advanta- 
geously. In  1884  he  purchased  fifty-two  acres  of 
land,  which  he  improved  and  cultivated  and 
which  now  constitutes  part  of  the  townsite  of 
Glendale.  He  soon  became  prominent  in  local 
aft'airs,  and  as  a  member  of  the  Verdugo  Springs 
Water  Company,  which  consisted  of  Capt.  C. 'E. 
Thom,  E.  M.  Ross,  E.  T.  Byram  and  himself, 
laid  out  the  town  in  1886,  at  the  beginning  of 
the  boom.  These  gentlemen,  with  optimistic 
vision,  erected  the  Glendale  hotel,  and  built  the 
narrow  gauge  railroad  between  Glendale  and  Los 
Angeles,  a  line  of  railway  now  owned  by  the  .Salt 
Lake  Railway  Company.  After  the  boom  Mr. 
Patterson  and  the  remaining  members  of  the 
company  paid  up  the  indebtedness  and  it  was 
found  that  this  railroad  was  the  only  one  out  of 
seventeen  that  was  not  put  into  the  hands  of  a 
receiver,  a  fact  that  reflected  great  credit  upon 
the  owners  of  it. 

After  the  boom  collapsed  ]\Ir.  Patterson  again 
turned  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits,  and 
leased  a  ranch  of  four  hundred  acres,  which  he 
devoted  to  grain,  and  for  three  years  was  suc- 
cessfully employed  in  tilling  the  soil,  being  ably 
assisted  by  his  two  older  sons,  William  and 
Eldon.  I-Ie  is  now  an  influential  citizen  of  Glen- 
dale. and  in  every  way  a  representative  man.  He 
owns  considerable  property  of  value,  and,  with 
others,  established  the  Bank  of  Glendale,  the 
leading  financial  institution  of  the  place. 

In  1868,  in  Iowa.  Mr.  Patterson  married  iMary 
Keen,  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  nnd  thev  became 
the  parents  of  five  children.  William  .\lhert  died 
at  the  age  of  eighteen  years:  Eldon.  residing  in 
Glendale,  served  in  the  Philippines  as  a  soldier, 
and  is  now  serving  as  citv  marshal ;  Mabel, 
Jessie  and  Bertlia  complete  the  family.     In  his 


political  views  Mr.  Patterson  is  independent,  vot- 
ing for  the  best  man  and  measures  without  party 
restrictions.  He  is  a  man  of  patriotic  spirit,  and 
assisted  in  organizing  N.  P.  Banks  Post  No 
170,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Glendale,  of  which  he  was  com- 
mander for  years.  The  post  now  has  thirty-five 
members,  and  is  in  a  flourishing  condition,  own- 
ino-  its  own  hall. 


S.\MUEL  ROTANZI.  A  noted  writer  has 
said,  "Never  desert  your  own  line  of  talent ; 
be  what  nature  intended  you  for,  and  you  will 
succeed."  Evidently  Mr.  Rotanzi  is  in  full  syni- 
pathy  with  this  author,  for  he  has  measured  his 
own'  ability  and  hewn  his  way  straight  to  the 
line  thus  marked  out.  Trained  to  agricultural 
pursuits  from  his  youth  up,  he  has  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  all  branches  connected  with  the  art 
and  science  of  agriculture,  and  is  consideredan 
authority  on  all  questions  concerning  the  dairy. 
He  is  extensively  engaged  in  general  farming  and 
cattle  raising,  being  manager  of  the  Martin, 
Bloom  &  Brackett  ranch,  known  as  the  Santa 
Ysabel  ranch,  which  contains  eighteen  thousand 
acres  of  land,  and  in  addition  owns  a  magnificent 
farm  of  seven  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  which 
he  is  successfully  carrying  on,  giving  him  the 
supervision  of  more  than  eighteen  thousand 
seven  hundred  acres  of  as  fine  land  as  can  be 
found  in  San  Diego  county.  A  man  of  sterling 
integrity,  honest  and  upright  in  all  of  his  deal- 
ings, he  is  justly  entitled  to  the  esteem  and  re- 
spect so  universally  accorded  him.  A  son  of 
James  Rotanzi,  he  was  Ixirn,  November  15,  1853, 
m  Switzerland,  where  he  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated. 

Born,  reared  and  married  in  Switzerland,  James 
Rotanzi  became  a  farmer  from  choice,  in  that 
independent  occupation  spending  his  active  life. 
Ambitious  to  try  life  in  .'America,  he  came  to  the 
United  States,  locating  in  Sacramento,  Cal., 
where  his  death  occurred  shortly  afterward. 

In  immigrating  to  the  United  States  when  but 
seventeen  years  old,  Saiuuel  Rotanzi  came  di- 
rect to  Sonoma  county,  Cal.,  where  for  twenty 
vears  he  was  prosperously  engaged  in  the  stock 
and  dairy  business,  becoming  the  owner  of  val- 
uable land,  and  meeting  with  satisfactory  re- 
sults in  his  labors.  Disposing  then  of  his  in- 
terests in  that  county,  he  came  to  San  Diego 
county,  accepting  his  present  position  as  man- 
ager of  the  Santa  Ysabel  ranch  in  1889,  and  has 
since  had  full  control  of  its  affairs.  In  its  su- 
pervision he  has  met  with  eminent  success,  not 
only  as  a  general  farmer,  but  as  a  stock  raiser  and 
dairyman,  having  the  care  of  about  two  thousand 
head  of  cattle  on  the  Santa  Ysabel  ranch  alone. 
Industrious  and  thrifty,  he  has  accumulated 
money,  a  part  of  which  he  invested,  in  1893,  in 


1740 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGR-\PHICAL  RECORD. 


land,  buying  a  ranch  of  seven  hundred  and 
twenty  acres,  which  he  is  managing  with  ex- 
cellent pecuniary  profits.  On  this  ranch  he  has 
a  large  dairy  also,  milking  on  an  average  sixty 
cows  a  day  and  separating  the  cream,  which  he 
ships  to  San  Diego.  Here  he  raises  all  of  the 
grain  needed  for  food,  his  land  being  rich  and 
productive. 

In  1 88 1  Mr.  Rotanzi  married  Katie  Wilson, 
who  was  born  in  California,  a  daughter  of  Fred- 
erick Wilson,  who  immigrated  to  America  from 
Germany,  locating  in  this  state.  Three  children 
have  been  born  of  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Rotanzi,  namely :  JMary,  Birdie  and  Alwin.  Po- 
litically Mr.  Rotanzi  is  a  firm  adherent  of  the 
Republican  party,  and  in  their  religious  beliefs 
both  he  and  Mrs.  Rotanzi  are  Catholics. 


MIGUEL  ANTONIO  AGUIRRE.  Southern 
California  will  always  retain  the  influence  upon 
it  of  the  Spanish  race  in  the  characteristics  of 
its  inhabitants,  and  the  names  of  the  old  families 
will  never  be  forgotten,  for  they  are  planted  all 
over  the  state,  not  only  in  the  individual  repre- 
sentatives of  the  families,  but  in  their  adoption 
as  titles  for  cities,  counties,  streets,  etc.,  and 
the  descendants  of  these  families  also  retain 
ownership  in  some  of  the  finest  properties  of  the 
state.  Miguel  Antonio  Aguirre  is  one  of  the 
most  prominent  Spanish  gentlemen  to  whom  the 
foregoing  may  be  properly  applied.  He  was 
born  at  San  Diego,  August  25,  1849,  of  Spanish 
parents,  Jose  A.  and  Rosario  (Estudillo) 
Aguirre.  His  father,  who  was  a  silk  merchant, 
came  to  the  United  States,  carrying  on  his  trade 
between  the  ports  of  California  and  Japan.  In 
1833  he  was  naturalized  as  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States  at  New  Orleans  and  about  1843  located 
at  Santa  Barbara,  and  as  he  still  owned  vessels 
carried  on  business  as  a  dealer  in  hides  and 
tallow  and  supplied  the  old  missions  with  those 
commodities  which  it  was  necessary  for  them  to 
purchase.  He  later  removed  to  San  Diego,  about 
the  year  1846,  and  engaged  in  general  mer- 
chandising, owning  as  well  several  ranches  at 
different  locations,  among  them  being  the  one 
at  San  Jacinto,  which  the  son  now  owns,  and 
another  near  Compton,  besides  carrying  on  an 
extensive  stock  business.  He  was  married  in 
San  Diego  in  1847  and  had  four  children  :  Miguel 
Antonio,  the  oldest;  Dolores,  who  became  the 
wife  of  Francisco  Pico,  mentioned  elsewhere  in 
this  history;  Jose  A.,  who  has  an  official  posi- 
tion at  the  Folsom  prison  ;  and  Martin  G..  now  of 
Los  Angeles,  formerly  warden  at  San  Quentin 
under  Governor  Gage.  The  father  died  Tulv  31, 
i860. 

After  completing  his  education  at  Santa  Clara 
and  St.  Vincent's  colleges  Air.  Aguirre  immedi- 


ately engaged  in  ranching,  and  later  became  a 
partner  with  Mr.  Pico  in  the  wholesale  butcher- 
ing business  in  Los  Angeles,  their  establishment 
being  one  of  the  first  started  in  that  city.  In 
1877  he  removed  to  San  Jacinto  and  engaged 
in  grain  and  stock-raising,  building  a  house  and 
barns  and  otherwise  improving  the  premises 
which  he  occupied.  He  owns  fifty  acres  of 
this  ranch,  twelve  acres  near  Compton,  in  Los 
Angeles  county,  besides  which  he  rents  and  culti- 
vates one  thousand  acres  in  the  Moreno  valley, 
owning  about  forty  dairy  cows. 

Mr.  Aguirre's  marriage  to  Rudecinda  Pico,  a 
sister  of  Francisco  Pico,  occurred  at  Los  An- 
geles, September  9,  1880,  and  of  this  union  nine 
children  were  born,  namely :  Elena,  Jose,  Rosa- 
rio, Martin,  Dolores,  Francisco,  Marie,  Anita 
and  Carlos.  The  mother  died  September  4,  1895, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  Mr.  Aguirre  is 
a  member  of  the  Native  Sons  of  the  Golden 
West  at  San  Jacinto,  and  a  devoted  communi- 
cant of  the  Catholic  Church.  He  is  a  man  who 
takes  a  great  interest  in  all  matters  of  public 
import,  is  a  constituent  of  the  Democratic  party, 
and  for  six  years  was  deputy  treasurer  of  San 
Diego  countv. 


"WILLIAM  H.  WITHAM.  Many  of  the  rep- 
resentative busmess  men  of  Los  Angeles  county 
are  of  New  England  birth  and  breeding,  and  with 
their  quick  perceptive  faculties,  practical  judg- 
ment and  energetic  activity,  become  conspicuous 
in  the  upbuilding  of  the  cities  and  towns  in  which 
they  settle.  Conspicuous  among  this  number  is 
W.  H.  Witham,  a  comparativel\-  new-comer  in 
Glendale,  of  which  he  became  a  resident  in  1902. 
A  son  of  J.  G.  Witham,  he  was  born  April  20, 
i860,  in  Southington,  Hartford  county,  Conn.,  of 
thrifty  colonial  ancestry. 

A  native  of  Connecticut,  J.  G.  "Witham  was 
there  reared  and  spent  his  long  and  useful  life 
of  eighty-three  years.  He  had  an  excellent  train- 
ing in  the  use  of  tools,  and  during  his  active  ca- 
reer was  employed  in  carpentering  and  building. 
He  married  Laura  Buck,  who  belonged  to  an  old 
and  prominent  New  England  family.  She  died 
when  forty-eight  years  of  age,  leaving  three  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  reside  in  California,  namely : 
J.  N.  Witham,  living  near  Glendale,  where  he  is 
a  large  orange  and  strawberry  grower;  and  W. 
H.,  the  special  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Having  obtained  a  good  common  school  educa- 
tion in  the  city  of  his  birth,  W.  H.  Witham 
worked  for  his  father  until  he  had  acquired  profi- 
ciency in  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  followed 
first  in  his  native  state,  both  in  Southington  and 
in  neighboring  places.  Becoming  skillful  and 
successful  as  a  contractor  and  builder,  he  sought 
new  fields  of  operation,  and,  after  the  destruction 


^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1743 


of  Charleston,  S.  C,  by  an  earthquake,  he  went 
there  and  materially  assisted  in  rebuilding  the 
city.  January  i,  1902,  he  established  himself  in 
Glendale,  where  he  has  since  been  busily  em- 
ployed at  his  chosen  occupation,  and  has  won  a 
fine  reputation  for  his  workmanship.  As  a  con- 
tractor and  carpenter  he  has  erected  many  of  the 
buildings  of  this  locality,  including  his  own  resi- 
dence and  the  one  adjoining  it,  both  being  built 
in  the  mission  style. 

In  Connecticut,  in  1890.  ;\Ir.  Witham  married 
Emma  Gilbert,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Emily 
(Funk)  Gilbert.  On  the  paternal  side  Mrs.  Wit- 
ham  is  of  New  England  stock,  her  father  having 
been  born  in  Connecticut,  while  on  the  maternal 
side  she  is  of  German  origin,  her  mother  having 
been  a  native  of  Baden,  Germany.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Witham  are  held  in  high  esteem  throughout  the 
community  in  which  they  live,  and  are  valued 
members  of  the  Theosophical  Society.  Politic- 
ally Mr.  Witham  is  independent  in  his  views, 
voting  without  regard  to  party  lines,  and  frater- 
nally he  belongs  to  East  Gate  Lodge  No.  290,  F. 
&  A.  M.,  of  Los  Angeles. 


JOSEPH  A.  MORRISON.  The  name  of 
Joseph  A.  ]\Iorrison  is  connected  with  all  that 
is  substantial  in  character,  excellent  in  ranch- 
ing and  admirable  in  social  life  in  the  Santa 
Maria  valley.  Few  among  those  who  may  be 
called  early  settlers  have  contributed  more  to 
the  harmony  of  their  surroundings,  the  delight 
of  their  friends  or  the  encouragement  of  the 
rising  generation.  Mr.  JNIorrison  is  the  owner 
of  a  quarter  section  of  land,  which,  though 
a  former  possession  of  his  father,  has  been 
purchased  by  the  son  with  means  acquired 
through  personal  toil,  economy  and  good 
management.  He  was  born  in  Warren  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  June  28,  1843.  and  is  a  son  of  Ezra 
and  Martha  Jane  (Van  Horn)  Morrison,  also 
natives  of  the  Buckeye  state. 

Ezra  Morrison  was  reared  on  a  farm  in 
Ohio,  and  subsequently  succeeded  to  a  prop- 
erty of  his  own  which  he  operated  for  many 
years.  The  discovery  of  gold  on  the  Pacific 
coast  during  the  middle  of  the  last  century 
diffused  a  new  current  through  his  method 
of  life  and  thought,  opening  up  a  quicker  road 
to  fortune  than  farming  upon  the  prairies  of 
the  central  west.  It  was  typical  of  the  man, 
though,  that  the  gold  fever  which  possessed 
him  did  not  partake  of  that  blindly  speculative 
quality  that  usually  characterized  it.  On  the 
contrary,  upon  reaching  Trinit}'  Center,  Trin- 
ity county.  Cal.,  in  the  fall  of  1855,  he  spent 
but  a  short  time  in  the  mines,  and  then  settled 
down  to  sawmilling  as  his  chief  means  of  live- 
liliood.  regarding  mining  from  then   on  as  in- 


cidental and  hardly  dependable.  So  strong 
was  his  faith  in  the  future  of  the  state  that  he 
made  his  way  back  to  Ohio  in  the  fall  of  i860, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1861  brought  his  family 
across  the  plains  with  wagons  and  mule  teams, 
his  most  able  assistant  being  his  son,  Joseph 
A.,  then  eighteen  years  of  age.  Leaving  the 
family  in  Sacramento  in  July,  1862,  Mr.  Mor- 
rison returned  to  Trinity  county,  where  he 
continued  to  engage  in  sawmilling  and  mining 
until  1868,  during  that  year  locating  upon  a 
farm  in  Butte  county,  this  state.  Sixteen 
years  later,  in  1884,  he  came  to  the  Santa 
Islaria  valley,  bought  the  farm  now  owned  by 
his  son,  Joseph  A.,  and  continued  to  make  this 
his  home  until  his  death,  October  6,  1905,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-eight  years,  eleven  months 
and  six  days.  His  wife  died  in  Kansas  at  the 
age  of  sixty  years.  After  the  death  of  his  first 
wife  he  married  Anna  E.  Osborne  and  two 
children  were  born  in  Butte  county,  John  H. 
and  George  W.  Subsequently^  he  was  married 
to  Amanda  M.  Carman.  Mr.  Morrison  pos- 
sessed force  of  character  and  determination, 
and  that  he  was  a  shrewd  business  man  was 
evident  from  the  fact  that  at  the  close  of  his 
life  he  owned  ten  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  a  Pres- 
byterian in  religion,  and  for  years  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

Joseph  A.  Morrison  followed  the  changing 
fortunes  of  his  father  until  the  latter's  removal 
to  Butte  county  in  1868.  He  first  engaged  in 
teaming  in  Sacramento  in  1861  and  '62  and 
then  worked  at  mining  among  the  crude  sur- 
roundings of  Trinity  county  until  the  fall  of 
1870.  Up  to  this  time  his  wealth  consisted 
rather  of  experience  than  money,  and  it  was 
with  a  wholesome  respect  for  the  safe  and 
sure  reward  of  farming  that  he  returned  to  his 
native  state  of  Ohio  in  1870.  Doubtless  the 
Buckeye  prairies  sent  forth  to  the  coast  a  still 
more  alluring  call,  for  he  soon  married  Alice 
Apgar,  a  native  daughter  of  Ohio,  with  whom 
he  settled  on  a  rented  farm  for  four  years.  In 
the  meantime  two  children  were  born  to  him- 
self and  wife,  of  whom  Estella  is  the  wife  of 
Stephen  Ruimels  of  San  Luis  Obispo  count\% 
and  Roland,  a  rancher  of  this  valley,  married 
Pearl  Wylie.  In  1877  Mr.  i\Torrison  sold  his 
stock  and  farm  equipment  and  purchased  a 
quarter  section  of  land  m  Washington  count}-, 
Kans.,  where  he  lived  until  1891,  and  where 
three  of  his  children  were  born :  Frank,  an 
electrician,  of  San  Francisco.  Avho  married  Sa- 
die McCaw ;  Blanche,  the  wife  of  .Abraham  Ri- 
mirez,  of  Los  Angeles;  and  Joseph  A.,  Jr.,  liv- 
ing with  his"  father. 

Mr.  Morrison  came  to  the  Santa  INIaria  val- 
ley in  1891,  and  lived  on  rented  land  until  pur- 


1744 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


chasing  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  his 
lather's  estate.  His  ranch  is  fertile  and  well 
improved,  and  devoted  principally  to  grain  and 
beans.  Two  3'ears  after  coming  here,  in  1893, 
his  wife  died  at  the  age  of  forty  years,  and  in 
January,  1904,  ho  was  united  in  marriage  with 
-Mrs.  Jane  Shea,  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  a 
member  of  the  Catholic  Church.  In  1901  JMr. 
Alorrison  added  to  his  man}'  experiences  a  trip 
to  the  Klondike,  where  he  prospected  and 
mined  for  a  few  months.  He  has  been  an  ob- 
serving traveler,  and  in  settled  and  frontier 
communities  has  drawn  \aluable  deductions 
and  evolved  sound  philosophies.  He  has  made 
friends  wherever  fortune  has  directed  his 
.steps,  and  his  genial  and  interesting  personal- 
ity, his  generosity  and  kindly  intent  have 
smoothed  many  rougli  places  iii  a  career  rich 
m  incident  and  useful  in  scope. 


JOSEPH  W.  YOUxNG,  JR.  As  a  member  of 
the  Young-Parmley  Investment  Company  Mr. 
Young  has  been  interested  in  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness in  Long  Beach  since  October,  1905,  the 
incorporation  of  the  company  following  one 
year  later.  Both  JMr.  Young'  and  his  partner 
are  capable  and  energetic  business  men  and  in 
the  comparatively  short  time  which  they  have 
been  in  business  have  gathered  around  them  one 
of  the  largest  real  estate  enterprises  in  the  cily. 
While  they  handle  business  and  residence  prop- 
erty of  all  kinds,  their  specialty  may  be  said  to 
lie  in  subdividing  large  tracts"  and  selling  the 
lots  as  homesteads.  The  following  is  a  partial 
list  of  the  tracts  which  they  have  thus  subdivided  : 
Young  and  Parmley's  annexation.  Young  and 
Parmley's  tract,  Windemere,  Signal  Park',  East 
Long  Beach,  North  Long  Beach,  Jessie,  Hill 
street  and  Hillside  tracts,  besides  laying  out  the 
town   of  Hynes. 

Joseph  W.  Young  is  a  native  of  the  east,  born 
in  New  York  City  August  4,  1881,  a  son  of 
Joseph  Wesley  and  Rose  (Fisher)  Young,  the 
latter  of  French  descent.  The  paternal  grand- 
father, Joseph  Young,  was  a  cotton  planter  in 
Tennessee,  but  in  an  early  day  left  the  south  and 
settled  as  a  pioneer  in  California,  his  death  oc- 
curring in  San  Francisco  during  the  memorable 
days  of  '49.  On  his  father's  plantation  near 
Memphis,  Tenn.,  Joseph  W.  Young,  Sr.,  was 
born,  and  at  the  time  of  his  parents'"  removal  to 
the  west  he  was  quite  young.  At  one  time  he 
was  proprietor  of  the  Jumbo  hotel  in  Salt  Lake 
City,  but  in  the  main  his  interests  have  been 
along  the  line  of  mining.  For  many  years  he 
had  mining  claims  in  California,  but  at  this  writ- 
ing his   interests   are  almost  wholly,  in  Nevada. 

Of  the  three  children  born  to  his  parents, 
Joseph  W.  Young,  Jr..  was  the  eldest  and  re- 
ceive.1    his   early    school    training   in    New    York 


City.  When  only  eleven  jears  old  he  started 
out  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world,  and  that 
he  has  been  successful  in  accomplishing  his  pur- 
pose has  already  been  dem.onstrated.  When  he 
had  secured  suiificient  means  to  warrant  fur-' 
iher  schooling  he  took  a  two-year  course  in 
Gonzaga  College  in  Spokane,  Wash.  Few 
}oung  men  of  his  years  have  had  the  world-wide 
experience  which  has  fallen  to  Mr.  Yoimg's 
lot,  for  he  has  sailed  in  all  of  the  principal 
waters  of  the  globe,  having  shipped  as  a  sailor 
on  a  vessel  whicli  touched  port  in  China,  Japan 
and  Australia  among  other  places.  The  years 
from  1898  to  1 90 1  were  spent  in  Alaska,  all  of 
which  country  he  has  traversed  by  boat.  It  was 
in  1903  that  he  came  to  Long  Beach  and  en- 
gaged as  a  salesman  m  the  real  estate  business 
with  Frank  Shaw  for  a  short  time.  Thereafter 
he  carried  on  a  similar  business  alone  until  his 
association  with  Mr.  Parmley,  the  business  being 
later  incorporated  as  the  Young-Parmley  In- 
vestment Company. 

In  Long  Beach  ]\Ir.  Young  was  married  to 
Miss  Jessie  Cook,  a  native  of  Footville,  Wis., 
and  two  sons,  John  ]\Iarshall  and  Joseph  W., 
have  been  born  to  them.  Fraternally  Mr. 
Young  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the  Cos- 
mopolitan Club,  and  in  his  political  inclinations 
is  a  Republican. 


GEORGE  CHARNOCK.  Situated  on  the 
Charnock  road  one-half  mile  South  of  Palms 
lies  the  ranch  which,  since  1884.  has  been  the 
home  of  George  Charnock  and  the  center  of  his 
varied  activities.  The  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres 
comprising  the  estate  were  purchased  for  ?to 
an  acre  by  the  present  owner.  By  reason  of  the 
improvements  made  and  also  the  general  rise  in 
land  values,  the  tract  is  now  valued  at  about 
$500  per  acre  and  therefore  represents  large  finan- 
cial holdings  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Qiarnock.  Gen- 
eral farming  engages  his  attention  and  in  addi- 
tion he  has  been  interested  in  dairying  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  Through  sagacious  management 
he  secures  from  the  property  a  fair  income  as 
well  as  interest  on  the  investment  represented. 

By  birth  and  lineage  ^Ir.  Charnock  is  a  rep- 
resentative of  the  English  race,  by  the  associa- 
tions of  boyhood  he  is  a  Canadian,  and  by  choice 
of  citizenship  he  is  identified  with  the  United 
States.  Born  in  the  shire  of  Lancaster,  England, 
December  18,  1835,  he  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Anna  Sophia  (Pearce)  Charnock,  natives  re- 
spectively of  Preston  and  Liverpool,  England. 
At  one  time  the  family  had  possessed  wealth  and 
the  maternal  grandfather  had  held  lands  and 
shwcs  in  the  \A'est  Inilies.     The  father  was  reared 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1745 


on  a  farm,  but  in  early  life  turned  his  attention 
to  the  mercantile  business  and  later  lost  large 
sums  of  money  in  the  hotel  business.  For  two 
years  he  carried  on  the  Clifton  Arms  hotel  at 
Lythan,  an  unusually  large  inn,  whose  furnish- 
ings cost  him  about  $75,000,  and  afterward  he 
conducted  a  hotel  at  Preston,  England,  but  both 
ventures   brought   him   heavy   losses. 

Hoping  to  retrieve  his  losses  in  America  John 
Qiarnock  brought  his  family  to  the  new  world 
in  May,  of  1843.  Foi"  ten  years  he  engaged 
in  farming  in  Canada  and  then  settled  on  a 
farm  near  Madison,  Wis.,  but  two  years  later  re- 
moved to  Minnesota,  where  he  took  up  govern- 
ment land  in  Dodge  county  and  improved  a  farm. 
The  possessor  of  a  splendid  constitution,  he  re- 
mained active  and  robust  until  his  last  sickness 
at  eighty-six  years  of  age.  After  coming  to 
America  he  gave  his  allegiance  to  the  Republican 
])arty,  and  in  religion  he  was  always  faithful  to 
the  doctrines  of  the  Oiurch  of  England.  His 
wife,  who  also  was  an  earnest  Episcopalian,  died 
four  years  after  they  settled  in  Canada  and-  was 
then  forty-seven  years  of  age.  Ten  children  were 
born  of  their  union,  but  one  died  before  they 
left  England. 

When  the  family  settled  in  Canada  George 
Charnock  was  a  boy  of  seven  years,  and  he  re- 
mained on  a  farm  there  until  he  was  seventeen. 
On  coming  to  the  States  he  aided  his  father  in 
developing  a  farm  in  Wisconsin  and  went  from 
there  to  Minnesota,  where  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years  he  took  up  a  pre-emption  claim  in 
Brown  county.  As  owing  to  the  hostilities  of  the 
Indians  it  was  unsafe  to  remain  in  that  sparsely 
settled  region,  he  returned  to  his  father's  home 
in  Dodge  county.  Purchasing  the  home  place, 
he  tilled  its  soil  for  a  long  period,  but  sold  out 
in  1882  and  removed  to  Nevada,  where  his 
brother,  John  J.,  had  preceded  him.  With  him 
he  became  interested  in  raising  sheep  near  Eu- 
reka, where  he  had  a  large  range  and  thousands 
of  sheep  in  his  flocks.  Next  he  went  to  Arizona 
with  the  intention  of  engaging  in  the  sheep  busi- 
ness, but  the  Indians  were  hostile  and  numerous, 
and  in  a  year  he  abandoned  his  holdings  and 
removed  to  the  Pacific  coast. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Qiarnock  took  place 
April  2,  1868,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Esther 
Irene  Marcy,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  from 
which  state  her  grandfather  went  to  the  front  as 
captain  of  a  company  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
Two  sons  were  born  to  the  union  of  ]\Ir.  and 
Mrs.  Charnock,  namely :  Nathan  Snow,  now  liv- 
ing at  Pasadena :  and  George  F)ancroft.  who  is 
associated  with  his  father  in  the  management 
of  the  home  ranch.  Politically  Mr.  Charnock 
votes  with  the  Republican  party  in  national  elec- 
tions, but  in   local   matters   he   maintains   liberal 


views,  believing  the  character  and  intelligence  of 
the  candidate  to  be  of  greater  importance  than 
his  ideas  concerning  national  problems.  In  the 
community  where  for  about  one-quarter  of  a 
century  he  has  made  his  home,  he  is  honored  as 
a  man  of  upright  character,  tireless  energy,  va- 
ried agricultural  knowledge  and  high  principles 
of  honor. 


c;EORGE  SAMUEL  BENSON.  But  little 
more  than  two  years  have  elapsed  since  George 
Samuel  Benson  located  in  Long  Beach,  yet  in  his 
work  as  a  merchant  and  real  estate  dealer  he  has 
ably  demonstrated  qualities  which  give  him  a 
place  among  tlie  representative  citizens  of  this 
section.  He  is  a  native  of  Livingston  county, 
Mo.,  and  was  born  December  22,  1852.  His 
father,  Ira  Benson,  was  born  in  Baltimore 
county.  Md.,  in  1826,  and  when  twelve 
years  of  age  was  brought  to  the  middle  west  by 
his  father,  Samuel  Benson,  who  located  in  Tren- 
ton, ]\'Io.  Ira  Benson  was  there  reared  to  young 
manhood,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  Mexican  war 
and  served  until  its  close  as  a  lieutenant  under 
Captain  Slack.  Returning  home  in  1849  ^^  spent 
one  year  there,  and,  in  1850,  outfitted  with  ox- 
teams  and  crossed  the  plains  to  California.  Upon 
his  arrival  in  the  state  he  followed  the  example 
of  the  great  majority  and  engaged  in  mining,  but 
later  conducted  a  provision  store  on  the  American 
river.  In  185 1  he  returned  to  the  east  by  way 
of  Cape  Horn,  experiencing  many  hardships,  and 
on  account  of  storms,  was  forced  to  put  in  for  re- 
pairs at  Peru.  He  reached  his  home  in  safety, 
however,  and  in  Chillicothe,  Mo.,  engaged  as  a 
farmer  and  hotel  keeper  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  the  winter  of  1862,  at  the  age  of 
thirty-six  vears.  His  wife,  formerly  Sarah  Mon- 
roe, a  native  of  Cooper  county,  Mo.,  died  in 
that  state  in  October,  1904,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
two  years. 

Ira  Benson  and  his  wife  became  tne  parents 
of  one  son  and  three  daughters,  of  whom  the  son, 
George  Samuel,  was  the  oldest  child.  He  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
his  native  state  and  in  young  manhood  followed 
his  early  training  and  engaged  as  a  farmer.  He 
finally  became  connected  with  the  grocery  busi- 
ness in  Giillicothe,  remaining  there  until  T902, 
in  which  year  be  went  to  Oklahoma  and  in  Nor- 
man estalilished  a  laundry  enterprise.  After  two 
vears  in  that  business  and  location  he  came  to 
California,  in  March.  T904,  locating  at  Long 
Beach,  where  he  established  the  George  S.  Benson 
&  Son  grocery  business,  located  at  the  corner  of 
Sixth  and  American  avenue,  an  enterprise  which 
proved  successfid.  Subsequentlv,  however,  he 
gave  un  the  business,  and  in  July,  1906,  em- 
barked in  the  real  estate  business  under  the  name 


1746 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  Benson,  Fager  &  Benson,  with  offices  at  350 
Pine  avenue,  where  they  do  a  general  real  estate 
and  insurance  business. 

In  Missouri  Mr.  Benson  married  Anna  Mar- 
low,  native  of  that  place.  Her  father,  P.  M.  Mar- 
low,  was  a  teamster  in  the  Mexican  war  and  in 
1849  h^  crossed  the  plains  to  California  and  en- 
gaged in  mining  on  the  American  river.  He 
eventually  returned  to  ilissouri,  in  which  state 
his  deatli  occurred.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Benson  are 
the  parents  of  five  children,  namely :  John  Paul, 
engaged  with  his  father  in  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness;  S.  Ethel,  M.  Fay,  Claude  M.,  in  the  city 
clerk's  office,  and  A.  Ruth.  In  his  fraternal  re- 
lations Mr.  Benson  is  a  member  of  Long  Beach 
Lodge  No.  327.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Long  Beach 
Lodge  No.  888,  B.  P.  O.  E.  Politically  he  is  a 
Democrat  on  national  issues,  while  locally  he  re- 
serves the  right  to  vote  for  the  man  whom  he 
considers  best  qualified  for  public  office.  On  this 
issue,  in  April,  1906,  he  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  board  of  trustees  of  Long  Beach  and  is 
serving  as  chairman  of  the  police  and  sanitary 
committee  and  is  a  member  of  the  committee  on 
public  works.  He  is  a  member  of  the  First  Bap- 
tist Church,  in  which  he  officiates  as  trustee.  In 
1906  he  erected  a  modern  and  commodious  resi- 
dence at  No.  351  East  Sixth  street. 


Robert  Boag.  Formerly  he  was  a  minister,  but 
is  now  living  retired  in  Los  Angeles.  By  her 
marriage  Mrs.  Anderson  became  the  mother  of 
two  children,  Stanley  S.  and  Ruth  C,  the  latter 
a  student  in  the  Marlborough  school,  Los  An- 
geles. The  son,  Stanley  S.,  was  born  in  the- 
San  Gabriel  valley  and  attended  the  primary 
schools  of  that  locality,  finishing  his  education 
by  taking  a  course  in  the  Los  Angeles  Business 
College.  It  was  with  this  preparation  that  he 
came  to  the  Hollywood  hotel  to  become  an  assist- 
ant to  his  mother  in  the  care  and  management  of 
one  of  the  largest  hostelries  in  this  part  of  the 
country  outside  of  Los  Angeles. 


THE  HOLLYWOOD  HOTEL.  No  more 
commodious  and  home-like  hostelry  can  be  found 
in  this  part  of  Los  Angeles  county  than  the  Holly- 
wood hotel,  whose  reputation  for  dispensing  good 
cheer  as  well  as  the  more  substantial  comforts  of 
life  are  proverbial.  The  hotel  was  established 
by  G.  W.  Hoover,  who  also  built  the  original 
structure  in  1902.  Two  years  later  it  was  sold 
to  Mrs.  M.  J.  Anderson  and  still  later  was  merged 
into  a  stock  company,  who  enlarged  and  refur- 
nished the  hotel  throughout,  and  at  this  writ- 
ing (1906)  still  another  addition  is  being  con- 
structed, which  will  give  it  a  total  of  two  hun- 
dred rooms.  The  company  owning  this  structure 
and  carrying  forward  the  improvements  was  cap- 
italized for  $100,000  in  1904,  but  on  December  i, 
1906,  the  valuation  of  the  hotel  was  placed  at 
$230,000.  Besides  owning  the  plant  which  fur- 
nishes light  for  the  building,  they  also  have  a 
cold  storage  and  compressed  air  plant.  In  fact, 
everything  connected  with  the  hotel  and  its  man- 
agement is  first-class,  one  of  the  finest  six-piece 
bands  dispensing  music  for  the  pleasure  of  guests 
while  meals  are  being  served  and  during  the 
evening  hours. 

The  management  of  the  Hollywood  hotel  is  un* 
der  the  immediate  care  of  Mrs.  M.  J.  Anderson, 
who  is  ably  assisted  by  her  son,  Stanley  S.  An- 
derson. Mrs.  Anderson  was  born  in  Iowa  and 
was   brought   to   the   west   by   her   father.    Rev. 


ELMER  BACON.  When  the  stalwart  farm- 
ers of  the  east  were  beginning  to  seek  new  lands 
further  removed  from  the  Atlantic  seaboard, 
Samuel  Bacon,  who  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey 
(born  at  Bridgeton,  according  to  family  tradi- 
tions), took  his  household  goods  and  traveled 
across  the  countn,-  to  Ohio.  Arriving  in  what  is 
now  "Trumbull  county  he  selected  a  tract  of  land 
lying  on  the  banks  of  the  Mahoning  river,  where 
a  fertile  valley  smiled  upon  the  waters  of  the 
tranquil  stream  and  gave  to  the  location  an  at- 
mosphere of  romance.  In  that  neighborhood,  in 
the  township  of  Bazetta,  he  platted  a  town,  to 
which  the  name  of  Baconsburg  was  given  in  his 
honor,  but  at  a  later  date  the  name  was  changed 
to  Cortland.  There  he  passed  the  remaining 
years  of  his  busy  life  and  there  he  passed  away 
at  about  the  time  of  the  Civil  war.  After  he  set- 
tled in  Ohio  he  married  and  reared  a  family, 
among  whom  was  Moses,  who  was  born  in  War- 
ren, Trumbull  county,  and  died  in  the  same  lo- 
cality after  a  life  devoted  to  dairy  farming.  In 
his  marriage  he  was  imited  to  Eliza  Hovey,  who 
was  born  in  Ohio  and  remained  in  the  same  state 
until  death. 

Six  sons  and  one  daughter  comprised  the 
family  of  Moses  Bacon,  of  whom  the  third  son, 
Elmer,  was  bom  at  Cortland,  Trumbull  county, 
Ohio,  May  6,  1838,  and  received  a  fair  education 
in  common  and  select  schools.  While  still  quite 
young  he  left  home  in  order  to  see  something  of 
the  world,  it  being  his  intention  to  settle  in  Iowa. 
But  a  disagreement  arose  with  a  cousin,  in  whose 
company  he  traveled,  and  he  was  led  for  that  rea- 
son to  change  his  plans  and  join  an  expedition  to 
Pike's  Peak,  then  attracting  thousands  of  gold- 
seekers.  When  he  arrived  in  Denver  there  were 
only  a  few  settlers  in  the  place  and  prospects  for 
work  were  so  discouraging  that  he  returned  to 
Ohio,  where  he  took  up  school  teaching.  WHien 
the  Civil  war  began  his  younger  brother  enlisted, 
and  as  he  was  a  delicate  lad,  the  older  brother 
gave  up  his  school  and  enlisted  in  the  Fourteenth 
Ohio  Infantrv  in  order  to  be  with  the  one  less 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1749 


sturdy  than  himself.  The  two  fought  side  by 
side  and  served  honorably  until  the  expiration 
of  their  time,  escaping  imprisonment  and  injur}.-.- 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Bacon  became  in- 
terested in  wholesale  and  retail  milling  at  Corry, 
Pa.,  and  from  there  in  1877  he  removed  to 
Streator,  111.,  where  he  engaged  in  the  wholesale 
and  retail  flour  business  for  sixteen  years.  Mean- 
while both  himself  and  wife  began  to  sufter  from 
poor  health  and  for  this  reason  they  made  a  tour 
of  Southern  California,  hoping  that  a  temporary 
change  would  benefit  them  so  as  to  permit  their 
return  to  Illinois.  While  they  found  their  trip 
in  1893  proved  even  more  beneficial  than  they 
dared  to  hope,  they  were-  so  attracted  by  the 
chann  of  the  ocean  and  -the  climate  that  1;hey 
settled  in  Long  Beach,  where  Mr.  Bacon  re- 
mained until  his  death,  in  November  of  1898. 
During  the  latter  part  of  his  life  he  lived  retired, 
taking  little  part  in  the  activities  of  the  town,  but 
enjoying  to  the  full  the  tranquil  sunshine  and  the 
pure  ocean  air. 

While  living  at  Corry,  Pa.,  Mr.  Bacon  married, 
in  August,  1868,  Miss  Fannie  L.  Frisbie,  who 
■was  born  at  Madison,  Lake  county.  Ohio,  and 
now  resides  at  No.  446  Pacific  avenue.  Long 
Beach.  In  religion  she  is  ideiitified  with  the 
Christian  Churcji  and  maintains  a  warm  interest 
in  its  progress.  The  only  child  of  her  marriage, 
Lura  13.,  now  Mrs.  H.  W.  Wohlgemuth,  resides 
at  Glendora.  this  state.  I\Irs.  Bacon  was  a 
(laughter  of  Henry  and  Eliza  ( Astly)  Frisbie,  na- 
tives respectively  of  Connecticut  and  Ohio,  the 
former  of  whom  migrated  to  Ohio  in  young  man- 
hood and  settled  on  a  farm  near  Madison,  where 
he  remained  until  death.  While  Mr.  Bacon 
never  took  an  active  part  in  politics  he  kept 
posted  concerning  public  matters  and  gave  his 
support  to  the  Republican  party.  The  old  war 
days  were  kept  in  memor\'  through  his  associa- 
tion with  members  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  while  in  fraternal  aflfairs  he  affiliated 
with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 


ANTONIO  TOMASINT.  Few  of  the  na- 
tive sons  of  Switzerland  have  worked  out  their 
dreams  of  agricultural  success  in  California 
with  more  patience  and  perseverance  than  did 
.\ntonio  Tomasini.  During  thirty-three  years, 
from  the  time  of  his  arrival  on  the  coast  at 
the  age  of  sixteen,  to  his  lamented  death  near 
Casmalia,  Santa  Barbara  county,  February  2. 
1898,  he  advanced  from  an  unknown  lad  to 
one  of  the  prosperous  and  influential  dairy- 
men of  the  Santa  ATaria  valley,  the  possessor 
(if  a  model  and  paying  property,  and  the  es- 
teem and  good  will  of  all  who  had  ever  known 
In'm. 

^fr.  Tomasini  came  of  forefathers  long  iden- 


tified with  farming  and  dairying  in  Switzer- 
land, and  his  birth  occurred  on  a  small  Alpine 
farm  January  8,  1849.  His  own  existence 
failed  to  reflect  the  longevity  enjoyed  by  his 
parents,  his  father  surviving  until  his  eighty- 
fifth  year,  while  his  mother,  at  the  same  age, 
gives  promise  of  several  more  years  of  use- 
fulness. There  were  eleven  children  in  the 
family,  and  three  still  are  residents  of  Cali- 
fornia. Antonio  began  to  work  at  the  dairy 
business  soon  after  his  arrival  in  California, 
and  spent  about  four  years  in  Sonoma  county, 
removing  from  there  to  Salinas  county,  and 
from  there  to  Guadaloupe,  Santa  Barbara 
count}%  where  he  conducted  a  brewery  for 
about  eight  years.  From  there  he  went  to 
Point  Sal,  where  he  had  a  dairy,  and  after 
five  j^ears  located  on  a  ranch  near  Casmalia, 
this  county,  where  terminated  his  useful,  well- 
directed  career.  He  was  the  personification  of 
industry,  and  always  lived  within  his  means. 
To  the  co-operation  and  sympathy  of  a  capa- 
ble wife  Air.  Tomasini  attributed  much  of  his 
success  in  life.  He  married,  July  i,  1878,  Vir- 
ginia Bonetti,  who  also  was  born  in  Switzer- 
land, and  whose  mother,  Domenica  Piezzi, 
died  in  that  country  when  fifty-three  years  old. 
Her  father.  Paul  Bonetti,  immigrated  to  the 
United  States,  and  died  at  the  home  of  his 
daughter  near  Casmalia,  at  the  age  of  sev- 
entv-one  years.  Four  children  came  to  bright- 
en the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tomasini :  Sil- 
vio, Ellis.  Isadore  and  Romilda.  Two  ji-ears 
after  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Tomasini 
purchased  the  ranch  upon  which  she  since  has 
lived  with  her  children,  and  which  has  the 
rep!itation  of  being  one  of  the  best  equipped 
dairying  plants  in  the  county.  It  is  largel}'' 
under  the  management  of  Mrs.  Tomasini.  who 
has  mastered  every  detail  of  the  business,  and 
is  possessed  of  shrewd  financial  and  executive 
ability.  She  has  about  thirty  cows,  and  man- 
ufactures butter  which  she  sells  to  the  stores. 
In  connection  with  the  dairy,  the  children  of 
Airs.  Tomasini  lease  several  hundred  acres  of 
land  and  conduct  a  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising  business.  Thev  are  all  industrious  and 
capable,  and  inherit  the  thirft  and  ambition  of 
their  parents.  Mrs.  Tomasini  is  a  devout  mem- 
ber of  the  Cathoh'c  Church  at  Guadaloupe. 


_  SHIRLEY  y.  BACON.  Distingui.shed  as  the 
pioneer  photographer  of  Long  Beach  and  as  one 
of  the  leading  artists  of  Los  Angeles-  county, 
Shirlev  \'.  Bacon  is  justly  entitled  to  mention  in 
n  work  of  this  character.  By  skill  and  ability  in 
his  profession  he  has  built  up  a  fine  business  in 
this  vicinitv.  having  an  excellent  patronage  and 
commanding  good  prices  for  liis  work.     A  son  of 


1750 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Oliver  C.  Bacon,  he  was  born  August  ii,  1878, 
in  Streator,  La  Salle  county,  111.,  where  he 
grew  to  man's  estate.  A  native  of  Ohio,  the 
father  immigrated  to  Illinois  when  young,  and 
after  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  located  in 
Streator,  111.  From  there,  in  1895,  he  caine  to 
Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  where  he  resided  until  his 
death.  He  married  Emma  Kelly,  who  was  born 
in  Virginia,  and  i?  now  a  resident  of  Long  Beach. 
She  bore  him  three  children,  two  sons  and  one 
daughter,  of  whom  Shirley  V.  is  the  second-born. 

Receiving  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  town  Sh'rlev  V.  Bacon  was  gradu- 
ated from  the  Streator  high  school  in  1896,  and 
soon  after  began  the  study  of  photography,  for 
which  his  artistic  talent  peculiarly  fitted  him. 
Subsequently  leaving  Streator  he  followed  his 
profession  in  many  different  cities,  including 
Eranklin,  Marion  and  Anderson,  in  Indiana ; 
Augusta,  Ga. :  Columbus,  S.  C.  and  Champaign. 
III.  Coming  to  California  in  1900,  he  located  at 
Long  Beach,  opening  a  studio  at  No.  119  East 
Ocean  avenue,  and  has  since  carried  on  a  sub- 
stantial business.  His  artistic  talent,  aided  by  his 
many  years  of  experience,  has  given  him  a  strong 
hold  on  the  vast  possibilities  of  the  future,  which 
every  artist  is  trying  to  seize,  and  his  work  now 
compares  favorably  with  that  done  by  his  profes- 
sional brethren  in  the  larger  cities  of  the  east. 

At  Long  Beach,  Cal.,  May  .^o,  1903,  l\Ir. 
Bacon  married  Grace  Mendenhall,  a  native  of 
Iowa,  and  their  pleasant  home,  which  he  erected 
at  the  corner  of  Ninth  and  iMagnolia  streets,  is 
ever  open  t(3  their  larsjc  circle  of  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances. Politically  ]\Ir.  Bacon  is  independ- 
ent, voting  for  the  best  men  and  measures.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  a  member  of  Long  Beach  Lodge,  K. 
of  P.,  of  which  he  was  secretary  two  vears,  and 
of  Long  Beach  Lodge,  B.  P.  O.'  E. 


GRANT  SIMPSON  STONE.  The  fame  of 
Long  Beach  and  the  band  which  plays  there  the 
year  around  are  inseparable  and  as  manager  of 
the  first  band  which  began  furnishing  continuous 
entertainment  to  residents  of,  and  visitors  to,  the 
city,  Grant  Simpson  Stone  has  been  prominent 
in  contributing  this  feature  to  the  enterprises 
which  have  made  Long  Beach  the  thriving  city 
that  it  is  todav.  This  is  but  one  of  the  wavs  he 
has  assisted  in  the  upbuilding  of  Long  Beach, 
however,  and  besides  carrying  on  a  successful 
real  estate  business,  he  is  actively  interested  in 
various  other  enterprises.  At  one  time  he  also 
set  out  a*  forty-acre  orange  grove  at  La  Habra, 
Orange  county,  and  otherwise  improved  the 
ranch. 

July  23,  1862,  Mr.  Stone  was  bnrn  near  Madi- 
son, in  Dane  county.  Wis.,  the  son  of  Ethel  Sam- 
uel Stone,  who  was  born  in  New  "S'ork.  and  the 


grandson  of  Dr,  Ethel  Samuel  Stone,  during  his 
lifetime  an  eminent  physician  of  that  state.  The 
father  removed  to  Ohio,  later  to  Dane  county, 
^^' is.,  where  he  became  a  pioneer  farmer,  and 
finally  to  Grant  county,  that  state,  locating  on  a 
farm  near  Bloominglon,  where  his  death  occur- 
red. The  mother,  who  was  before  her  marriage, 
Melvina  Boyles,  was  a  native  of  Athens  county, 
Ohio,  and  died  in  Wisconsin.  Of  the  twelve  chil- 
dren in  the  family  all  grew  to  maturity  and 
seven  are  yet  living.  Grant  Simpson  being  the 
youngest.  He  was  five  years  of  age  when  taken 
l3y  his  parents  to  Bloomington,  wdiere  he  re- 
ceived his  education  through  the  medium  of  the 
public  schools.  Remaining  on  the  home  farm 
until- he  was  of  age,  he  then  married  and  followed 
the  occupation  of  farming  for  one  year.  Remov- 
ing to  Madison  he  took  up  the  study  of  teleg- 
raphy and  nine  months  later  secured  the  position 
of  agent  at  Edgerton.  From  there  he  went  to 
Pipestone,  JNIinn.,  and  continued  in  the  employ  of 
the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway  until 
F.  D.  Cnderwood  was  made  general  manager  of 
the  Soo  line,  when  he  became  agent  at  Tenney, 
Minn.,  and  later  filled  the  same  position  in  An- 
nandale,  remaining  there  two  and  one-half  years, 
and  becoming  one  of  the  incorporators  of  that 
city. 

in  1889  Mr.  Stone  came  to  California  and  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Southern  Pacific,  which 
soon  sent  him  to  Wilcox,  Arizona,  as  telegraph 
operator  and  during  the  following  two  years  he 
was  employed  in  the  same  capacity  at  different 
times  in  Benson  and  Tucson.  Returning  to  Cal- 
ifornia he  was  given  the  station  at  Compton 
and  there  remained  for  nine  years,  after  which  he 
was  sent  by  Wells,  Fargo  &  Company  to  Long 
Beach  to  open  their  first  regular  city  office  at 
that  place  on  Second  street,  near  Pacific.  A  year 
later  he  resigned  the  position  to  engage  in  the 
real  estate  business,  and  being  a  talented  cornetist 
he  at  the  same  time  organized  the  Long  Beach 
band,  which  later  became  the  Long  Beach  Marine 
Band,  of  which  he  continued  to  be  manager  until 
May,  1904,  when  he  relinquished  the  position  in 
order  that  he  might  give  all  of  his  time  to  the 
prosecution  of  his  real  estate  business,  that 
having  grown  from  a  very  small  beginning  to 
large  proportions.  He  has  laid  out  Lincoln  Park 
tract,  comprising  eighty-five  acres  of  land  located  , 
on  the  main  line  of  the  Pacific  Electric  Railroad's 
four-track  system,  and  also  on  the  line  of  the 
Southern  Pacific,  There  are  three  hundred  and 
eighty-five  lots  well  situated  and  well  drained, 
and  the  whole  tract  will  be  graded,  curbed,  side- 
walked  and  set  to  ornamental  trees  before  the 
lots  are  deeded  to  buyers.  The  tract  is  within 
the  corporate  limits  of  Compton,  and  the  lots 
have  a  fiftv-foot  frontage.     He  was  one  of  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1751 


original  incorporators  and  is  now  president  of 
the  Ornamental  Stone  arid  Brick  Company,  en- 
gaged in  the  extensive  manufacture  of  stone  ce- 
ment blocks  and  brick,  and  carrying  on,  as  well. 
a  contracting  and  building  business. 

The  family  residence  is  located  on  Ocean  ave- 
nue and  Esperance  street.  By  his  marriage  in 
IMiddleton,  Dane  county.  Wis.,  he  was  united  with 
iNIiss  Jessie  Sanford.  and  they  have  become  the 
parents  of  four  children.  Edna,  George,  Ray  and 
Harley.  Fraternally  Mr.  Stone  is  a  member  of 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Fra- 
ternal Aid  Society,  and  he  belongs  to  the  First 
Congregational  Church  in  Long  Beach.  Politi- 
cally he  is  a  believer  in  Republican  principles. 
He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce of  this  city,  and  every  movement  tending 
to  forward  the  development  of  Long  Beach  has 
his  enthusiastic  support,  and  as  a  man  of  many 
admirable  personal  qualities  he  is  highly  esteemed 
by  a  host  of  friends  and  acquaintances. 


ABRAHAM  T.  ORELLI.  One  of  the  young 
business  men  of  Long  Beach  who  is  rapidly  forg- 
mg  to  the  front  is  Abraham  T.  Orelli,  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  OreIli-McFad)-en  Company,  which 
conducts  a  city  livery  at  No.  127  West  First  street 
and  is  engaged  in  undertaking  at  No.  115  East 
Third  street,  both  branches  of  the  business  being 
in  a  thriving  condition.  Augustine  Orelli,  the 
father  of  Abraham  T.,  was  born  in  Canton  Ticino, 
Switzerland,  in  1834,  and  as  a  young  man  plied 
the  painter's  and  plasterer's  trade.  In  1845  l^^ 
went  to  France  and  in  1858  came  to  California 
via  the  Panama  route,  locating  in  Placer  county 
and  later  in  Georgetown,  and  engaging  in 
mining  on  the  American  river  at  Forest  Hill 
divide.  Subsequently  he  was  occupied  as  a  dairy- 
man for  six  years,  and  having  met  with  good 
success  in  all  of  his  ventures,  returned  to  Switzer- 
land and  married  a  daughter  of  his  own  native 
place,  Marie  Anna  Orelli.  Bringing  his  wife  to 
Georgetown  he  then  engaged  in  the  hotel  busi- 
ness until  about  1892,  when  he  bought  an  under- 
taking establishment  which  he  still  owns  and 
which  is  now  under  the  management  of  his  son. 
C.  A.  Of  their  five  children  now  living  Camille  A. 
is  a  funeral  director  in  Georgetown ;  Abraham  T. 
and  Augustine  J.,  are  in  business  in  Long  Beach  ; 
while  Mary  Louise  and  Rose  reside  with  their 
parents  in  the  same  city.  Mr.  Orelli  is  a  member 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and 
the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen. 

Tllie  birth  of  Abraham  T.  Orelli  occurred 
August  9,  1879.  in  Georgetown,  Cal..  and  after 
acquiring  an  education  in  the  public  and  high 
schools  of  that  city  he  assisted  his  father  in  his 
un<lertaking  business.      Tn    ujoi   he  went  to  Au- 


burn and  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade,  which 
he  followed  until  1904,  when  he  again  took  up 
work  with  his  father,  continuing  until  January. 
1906,  when  he  came  to  Long  Beach  and  engaged 
in  his  present  business.  The  company  was  in- 
corporated in  March  with  A.  J.  Orelli  president; 
A.  T.  Orelli  vice-president;  Edgar  McFadyen 
secretary,  and  became  the  successors  of  W.  P. 
Wilson  &  Son.  Mr.  Orelli  is  a  meml>er  of 
Georgetown  Parlor  No.  91,  N.  S.  G.  W. ;  and  of 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World  lodge  of  Long 
Beach.  Politically  he  is  a  believer  in  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Republican  party.  His  brother,  A. 
J.  Orelli,  who  is  associated  in  business  with  him, 
was  also  born  in  Georgetown,  and  after  attend- 
ing the  public  and  high  schools  worked  at  under- 
taking for  a  time,  then  took  a  professional  course 
in  Myers  College  of  Embalming  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, graduating  therefrom  in  1903.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  State  Funeral  Directors'  As- 
sociation of  California  and  is  considered  one  of 
the  most  competent  men  of  the  state  in  his  line 
of  work.  He  also  belongs  to  Georgetown  Parlor 
No  91,  N.  S.  G.  W.,  and  fraternally  holds  mem- 
bership in  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of 
Elks  lodge  in  Long  Beach.  Being  young  men 
of  enterprise  and  energy  and  thoroughly  trained 
in  every  department  of  their  business  their  con- 
tinued success  is  fullv  assured. 


RAYMOND  E.  CFIASE,  M.  D.  Prominent 
in  the  medical  fraternity  of  Los  Angeles  county 
is  Raymond  E.  Chase,  M.  D.,  of  Glendale.  Pos- 
sessing keen  intelligence,  ability  and  good  mental 
attainments  he  keeps  in  touch  with  modern,  up- 
to-date  methods  in  vogue  in  his  profession,  and 
is  meeting  with  flattering  results  as  a  genera! 
practitioner,  having  an  extensive  practice  in  both 
Los  Angeles  and  in  his  home  town.  Of  substan- 
tial New  England  ancestry,  he  was  born  in  New 
York  state.  His  father,  S.  Everett  Chase,  was 
born  and  reared  among  the  hills  of  the  Granite 
state,  and  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  estate, 
inheriting  from  his  colonial  ancestors  habits  of 
thrift  and  industry,  and  developing  a  strong, 
manly  character.  He  worked  for  several  years 
as  a  machinist,  and  then  removed  with  his  family 
to  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
business  as  a  shoe  manufacturer  for  a  few  years. 
Coming  from  there  to  Los  Angeles  county.  Cali- 
fornia, in  1883,  he  located  in  Glendale.  Buying 
twenty  acres  of  land,  he  improved  it,  and  for 
awhile  was  pleasantly  and  profitably  employed  in 
diversified  ranching,  raising  all  kinds  of  decidu- 
ous fruits,  and  paving  much  attention  to  the  culti- 
vation of  oranges.  Subsequently  selling  his  ranch 
he  lived  retired  from  active  ]nu-suits  until  his 
death,  October  28.  1904.  During  his  residence  in 
t  Ilcndale  lie  evinced  n   genuine  interest  in   local 


1752 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


progress  and  improvement,  heartily  indorsing  all 
enterprises  calculated  to  benefit  the  town  or 
county.  For  twelve  }  ears  he  was  connected  with 
the  Qiilds'  Track  Pipe  and  Reservoir  Company 
as  its  secretary.  Fraternally  he  was  a  member  of 
the  JMasonic  order.  Politically  he  cast  his  vote 
for  the  best  men  and  measures,  independent  of 
party  restrictions,  and  for  several  terms  served 
as  road  overseer.  Air.  Chase  married  Ella  T. 
Harris,  of  Rochester,  X.  Y.,  and  she  survives 
him,  living  in  Glendale.  Three  children  were 
born  of  their  marriage,  namely :  \V.  E.  Chase,  of 
Los  Angeles ;  Jennie  L.,  wife  of  J.  D.  Robinson, 
of  Los  Angeles,  and  Raymond  E. 

Coming  with  his  parents  to  Glendale  in  1883 
Raymond  E.  Chase  acquired  his  rudiinentary 
education  in  the  public  schools,  after  which  he 
took  the  full  course  at  the  Los  Angeles  high 
school,  receiving  his  diploma.  Subsequently  en- 
tering the  medical  department  of  the  University 
of  Southern  California,  at  Los  Angeles,  he  was 
graduated  from  tliat  institution  in  1901  with  the 
degree  of  M.  D.  Since  that. time  he  has  been  in 
active  practice  of  his  chosen  profession,  both  in 
Los  Angeles,  where  he  has  an  office,  and  in  Glen- 
dale, where,  among  his  neighbors  and  friends,  he 
has  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative  patronage,  his 
professional  skill  being  recognized  and  appreci- 
ated. 

September  14,  1904,  Dr.  Chase  married  May 
Rogers  Pirtle,  daughter  of  John  A.  Pirtle,  well- 
known  in  business  circles  as  president  of  the 
Bank  of  Los  Angeles.  They  are  parents  of  one 
child,  Shirley  E.  The  Doctor  is  prominent  in 
medical  circles,  belonging  to  the  Los  Angeles 
County  Medical  Societ}-,  and  likewise  to  the 
State  Medical  and  the  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciations. Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason,  holding 
membership  in  Unity  Lodge  368.  F.  &  A.  M., 
of  Glendale,  and  is  a  member  of  Glendale  Lodge 
No.  388,  I.  O.  O.  F. 


Coy,  of  whom  a  more  detailed  account  will  be 
found  in  the  sketch  of  Benton  McCoy,  given  else- 
where in  this  volume.  Until  the  home  was  broken 
up  by  the  death  of  the  father,  Oliver  ]\IcCoy, 
was  a  resident  of  Iowa,  in  whose  public  schools 
he  was  educated.  Coming  to  California  in  1881 
he  located  near  .Long  Beach,  where  he  later 
bought  fifty  acres  of  land  upon  which  he  resided 
for  seven  years  or  until  his  removal  to  Los  An- 
geles. Three  years  afterward  he  came  to  the 
vicinity  of  his  present  home,  renting  six  hun- 
dred acres  directl)'  north  of  the  ranch  he  now 
owns.  As  previously  stated  he  purchased  his 
present  property  in  1900. 

Whatever  of  good  fortune  has  fallen  to  Mr. 
McCoy  has  been  brought  about  by  the  combined 
efforts  of  himself  and  wife,  who  has  been  a  help- 
mate to  him  under  all  conditiens.  She  was  for- 
merly Mary  Ann  Matilda  Bell,  a  native  of  ]\Iiss- 
issippi,  and  the  ceremony  which  united  her  with 
Mr.  McCoy  was  celebrated  July  20,  1893.  They 
have  four  children,  Esther,  Rena  Lemar,  Agnes 
B.  and  Frances  \\'illard.  Mrs.  McCoy  is  a  faith- 
ful member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  while  her 
husband  is  identified  with  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  His  fraternal  connections  bring  him 
into  membership  with  Wilmington  Lodge  No. 
130,  A.  O.  U.  ^^'.  From  a  material  standpoint 
i\Ir.  McCoy  has  been  very  successful,  and  his  per- 
sonal attributes  are  in  accord  with  sterling  west- 
ern citizenship. 


OLIVER  ilcCOY.  It  is  a  trite  but  true  say- 
ing that  industry  hath  its  own  reward,  and  this 
is  nowhere  better  illustrated  than  in  the  life  of 
Oliver  McCoy.  In  1900  he  purchased  one  hun- 
dred acres  of  choice  land  lying  five  miles  north 
of  San  Pedro,  and  during  the  six  years  which 
have  since  elapsed  he  has  wrought  a  transforma- 
tion which  the  average  rancher  would  have  re- 
quired twice  as  long  to  perform.  Neither  time, 
money  nor  effort  has  been  spared  in  bringing 
about  present  conditions,  a  fact  which  was  dem- 
onstrated in  the  erection  of  his  present  resi- 
dence in  1902.  It  is  a  modern  eight-room  house, 
in  which  all  of  the  accessories  to  convenience  and 
comfort  have  been  included. 

Born  in  Iowa  September  i.   1857.  Oliver  Mc- 
Coy is  a  son  of  John  and  Marietta  (Miller)  Mc- 


FRED  L  KIMBALL.  The  long  term  of 
years  during  which  Fred  I.  Kimball  has  been 
.supervisor  of  the  State  Hospital  for  the  Insane 
located  in  Highland  is  sufficient  proof  of  his 
efficiency  in  that  capacity  and  the  satisfactory- 
service  he  is  rendering.  He  was  born  Sep- 
tember II,  1858,  in  Orleans  county,  Yt.,  the 
son  of  Dr.  Isaac  and  Finette  S.  (Percival) 
Kimball,  both  of  whom  were  also  natives  of 
Vermont.  In  1861,  during  the  Civil  war,  the 
mother  went  to  the  front  as  a  nurse,  and  while 
taking  care  of  the  wounded  soldiers  contracted 
t3'phoid  fever.  Her  husband,  wdio  attained  the 
rank  of  a  lieutenant  and  later  was  appointed  to 
the  medical  staff",  removed  her  from  a  tent 
where  she  was  raving  with  fever  and  took  her 
to  the  nearby  home  of  a  Mr.  Mason,  a  Confed- 
erate sympathizer,  and  there  she  died  in  June, 
1861,  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven  years,  in  Vir- 
ginia. Mr.  Kimball's  health  became  impaired 
while  still  serving  in  the  army  and  he  was 
sent  home  to  act  as  a  recruiting  officer  until 
the  close  of  the  conflict.  He  was  a  successful 
medical  practitioner  throughout  his  life,  and 
li\ed  to  be  seventy-six  years  old,  his  death  hav- 
ing occurred  in  October,  1903. 

After  securing  a  good  common  school  educa- 


i^  i^Oii^^'&^^^/f^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1755 


tion  in  his  native  county  Fred  I.  Kimball  went 
to  Independence,  Iowa,  and  was  for  ten  years 
engaged  as  an  attendant  in  the  hospital  there. 
Later  he  became  connected  with  the  Elgin 
(111.)  hospital  as  supervisor,  retaining  the  posi- 
tion for  three  years.  Returning  to  Indepen- 
dence he  filled  a  similar  position  there  and  at 
the  expiration  of  eighteen  months  came  to  Los 
Angeles  and  was  steward  of  the  Los  Angeles 
hospital  for  two  and  one-half  years.  It  was  in 
June,  1893,  that  he  came  to  the  State  Hospital 
for  the  Insane  at  Highland  in  the  capacity  of 
supervisor,  and  he  continued  to  fill  that  position 
until  December,  1904,  when  he  resigned,  nine 
months  later  returning  to  the  position,  which 
he  has  since  filled. 

Mr.  Kimball  became  the  father  of  three  chil- 
dren, namely:  Blanche,  who  was  engaged  in 
hospital  work  for  four  years  in  the  California 
Hospital  at  Los  Angeles,  and  is  now  the  wife 
of  Dr.  Arthur  F.  Godin  of  that  city ;  Donald  F., 
and  JMerritt  Percival,  the  latter  two  being 
students  of  the  Highland  schools.  Mrs.  Kim- 
ball, who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Maren  A. 
Berg,  a  native  of  Norway,  holds  membership 
in  the  Congregational  Church  of  Highland  and 
is  actively  interested  in  all  religious  work. 
Fraternally  Air.  Kimball  was  made  a  Mason  in 
Independence,  Iowa,  in  1882,  and  still  belongs 
to  the  lodge  at  that  place;  joined  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  lodge  at  Independence  in  1887,  and 
is  a  charter  member  of  the  Knights  of  Korasan 
of  Los  Angeles ;  and  in  1895  was  made  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Benevolent  Protective  C)rder  of 
Elks  of  Redlands. 


WILLIAINI  CALEB  LITTLEPAGE. 
When  a  young  man  of  twent}'  years,  well 
qualified  by  youthful  energy  for  the  arduous 
responsibility  of  pioneer  life,  Mr.  Littlepage 
came  to  California  in  company  with  his  father 
and  other  members  of  the  family,  and  settled 
among  the  pioneers  of  Ballena  district,  San 
Diego  county.  By  inheritance  he  possesses 
the  chivalrous  traits  and  genial  manner  char- 
acteristic of  southerners.  His  parents.  Will- 
iam W.  and  Mary  Ann  (Woods)  Littlepage, 
were  natives  respectively  of  Virginia  and  Ken- 
tucky, and  for  some  years  made  their  home 
in  Missouri,  where  W.  Caleb  was  born  Feb- 
ruary II,  184S.  A  few  years  later  the  father 
sought  the  cheaper  lands  of  Texas  and  es- 
tablished a  home  in  the  midst  of  lonely  fron- 
tier environments,  where  he  labored  with 
ceaseless  indtistry  but  without  the  gratifica- 
tion of  attaining  success.  Hearing  much  con- 
cerning the  prospects  ofifered  by  California  to 
men  of  persistent  application  he  determined  to 
seek   a  home   near  tlic   Pacific   coast,   and   ac- 


cordingly disposed  of  his  Texas  interests  in 
1868,  loaded  his  effects  in  a  wagon  and  with 
wife  and  children  journeyed  along  the  south- 
ern route.  After  a  tedious  trip  behind  an  ox- 
team  El  Cajon  valley  was  reached  and  a  tem- 
porary home  there  established,  but  soon  re- 
moval was  made  to  the  Ballena  district  ■  and 
land  was  taken  up  from  the  government.  For 
many  years  the  father  lived  on  the  quarter- 
section  ranch  he  had  pre-empted  from  the 
government  and  on  that  homestead  he  died  in 
1899,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years,  and  the 
demise  of  his  wife  occurred  two  years  before, 
at  sixty-five  years  of 'age. 

Shorty  after  he  had  attained  his  majority 
W.  C.  Littlepage  took  up  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  government  land  near  the  tract 
secured  by  his  father,  and  all  through  the  years 
that  have  since  intervened  he  has  given  his 
attention  to  the  bringing  of  the  land  under 
cultivation,  the  making  of  necessary  improve- 
ments, the  building  of  needed  structures,  and 
the  general  development  of  his  homestead. 
Besides  he  has  rented  other  tracts  and  has  al- 
most two  hundred  acres  in  grain.  As  might 
be  supposed,  farm  work  takes  the  precedence 
of  other  activities,  yet  he  never  neglects  any 
duty  that  falls  to  a  public-spirited  citizen  and 
at  present  he  fills  the  office  of  clerk  of  the 
school  board  in  his  district.  Politically  he 
has  been  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  ever  since  casting  his  first  ballot 
in  favor  of  its  principles.  A  few  years  after 
he  came  to  San  Diego  county,  in  1874,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Etta  Deming, 
a  native  of  ]\Iichigan,  but  from  childhood  a 
resident  of  California.  Four  children  were 
born  of  their  union,  namely:  Fannie  May.  who 
married  Martin  Cnrlee  and  makes  her  home 
in  Pomona;  Edgar  G..  who  is  married  and 
lives  in  Poway :  Jt-  dith  F.,  who  is  married  to 
E.  F.  Cravath  and  lives  in  Ballena,  this  coun- 
ty; and  Albert  E.,  who  is  married  and  resides 
in  San  Diego,  where  he  holds  a  position  as 
foreman  in  the  Kelley  stables.  Throughout 
Ballena  district  the  Littlepage  family  has  been 
known  for  many  years  and  its  members  have 
the  confidence  and  esteem  of  those  who  have 
shared  with  them  the  agrictiltural,  moral  and 
educational  upbuilding  of  this  section. 


JOHN  B.  SNODDY.  One  of  the  success- 
ful farmers  of  Los  Angeles  county  is  John  B. 
Snoddy,  who  is  located  two  miles  northeast  of 
El  Monte  and  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  a- 
walnut  ranch  of  fifty  acres.  His  father,  Will- 
iam Snoddy,  represented  elsewhere  in  this  work, 
is  one  of  the  early  pioneers  of  California,  a  man 
of  worth  and  works,   successful  in  his  personal 


1/3G 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


affairs  and  an  enterprising  and  prominent  man 
among  the  citizens  of  this  community.  John 
L>.  Snoddy  was  born  on  his  father's  ranch  in 
Ll  Monte  November  i,  1874,  the  oldest  child 
in  the  family,  and  all  of  his  boyhood  days  were 
passed  in  that  place.  He  received  his  education 
in  tbe  public  schools  and  at  the  same  time  was 
trained  to  the  practical  duties  of  a  farmer's  son. 
After  leaving  the  public  school  of  Savannah  he 
attended  ^^'oodbury's  Business  College  of  Los 
Angeles,  from  which  institution  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1894.  Returning  home  he  remained  on 
his  father's  ranch  until  attaining  his  majority, 
when  he  became  dependent  upon  his  own  re- 
sources, his  first  business  ventufe  being  as  pro- 
prietor of  a  feed  and  sale  stable  in  Pasadena. 
He  was  successful  in  his  enterprise,  but  after 
three  years  was  burned  out.  The  greater  part 
of  his  capital  being  lost  he  then  engaged  in 
farming,  and  in  1898  purchased. the  G.  W.  Tun- 
gate  walnut  ranch  at  El  ]\Ionte,  adjoining  his 
father's  property.  The  trees  had  just  begun 
bearing  and  since  that  time  have  proved  a  profit- 
able investment,  each  year  bringing  him  large 
returns  for  his  efforts.  In  1906  he  improved 
his  property  by  the  erection  of  a  handsone  resi- 
dence, and  has  otherwise  added  to  its  value, 
bringing  to  bear  in  his  work  an  intelligent  in- 
terest and  capability  which  have  justly  placed 
him  among  the  enterprising  and  successful  men 
of  this  section.  This  ranch  receives  irrigation 
from  the  Tungate  and  Snoddy  ditch,  -which 
his  father  took  out  in  1870. 

.In  Pasadena  Mr.  Snoddy  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Anna  C.  French,  who  was  bom 
in  jMissouri  and  reared  in  California  from  the 
age  of  twelve  years,  her  parents  being  early 
pioneers  of  the  state.  She  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  active  in  its 
work.  They  have  one  son,  Emory.  Mr.  Snoddy 
belongs  to  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  of  Pasa- 
dena "and  the  Ancient  Order  of  LTnited  Work- 
men of  El  Monte.  Ijoth  himself  and  wife  having 
the  Degree  of  Honor  in  the  latter,  while  his 
wife  is  chief  of  honor.  Politically  Air.  Snoddy 
is  a  stanch  Democrat. 


BERNARD  SCHMITZ.  William  Schmitz, 
one  of  the  representative  men  of  \'entnra  county, 
and  the  father  of  Bernard  Schmitz,  of  this  review, 
accompanied  his  parents  to  the  new  world  in 
1860,  having  been  born  in  Prussia,  April  16, 
1851.  The  first  twenty  years  of  his  life  in  this 
country  were  spent  in  Butler  county.  Neb., 
which  he  left  in  1880  to  take  up  life  in  the  far 
west.  He  first  located  in  Santa  Ana.  Orange 
county,  and  upon  the  ranch  which  he  purchased 
there  he  made  his  home  for  nine  years,  or  until 
removing  to  the  Santa  Clara  valley,  in  Ventura 


county,  and  purchasing  the  ranch  of  sixty  acres, 
upon  which  he  now  lives,  and  which  is  planted  to 
iima  beans.  His  marriage  in  1876  united  him 
with  Mary  Stiner,  a  native  of  New  York  state, 
and  the  following  children  were  born  to  them: 
John,  who  is  married  and  lives  near  Hueneme, 
N'entura  county;  Bernard,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Stella  Carlson,  Emma,  at  home;  Robert 
[ngersoll,  and  one  child  who  died  in  infancy. 

Born  in  Butler  county,  Nebraska,  January  10, 
1880,  Bernard  Schmitz  was  next  to  the  oldest 
in  his  parents'  family,  but  as  he  was  an  infant 
at  the  time  of  his  parents'  removal  to  the  coast 
he  has  no  knowledge  of  an}-  other  home  than 
California.  His  schooling  was  received  in  the 
common  schools  of  the  Santa  Clara  valley,  and, 
after  his  education  was  completed,  he  remained 
with  his  father  until  attaining  his  majority. 
Ambitious  to  engage  in  ranching  on  his  own  be- 
half, in  1901  he  rented  the  property  near  Ox- 
nard,  on  which  he  now  resides,  and  in  the  abund- 
ance of  harvests,  which  he  has  gathered,  has 
more  than  realized  his  fondest  expectations.  One 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  are  in  beets  and  barley, 
while  the  remainder  of  the  ranch,  or  two  hundred 
and  fifty  acres,  are  in  lima  beans. 

The  marriage  of  Bernard  Schmitz  and  Flor- 
ence Moore  was  celebrated  May  10,  1903,  she  be- 
ing a  native  of  Ohio.  She  is  an  active  worker 
in  the  Christian  Church  of  Oxnard.  of  which  she 
is  a  member,  and  with  her  husband  stands  high 
in  the  social  circles  of  Oxnard.  Mr.  Schmitz  is 
conceded  to  be  one  of  the  most  enterprising  citi- 
zens in  this  part  of  Ventura  county,  and  if  what 
he  has  alreadv  accomplished  can  be  taken  as  a 
■criterion,  future  years  will  find  him  ranking 
among  the  wealthv  men  of  the  state. 


E.  LYNN  COVERT.  While  the  term  pioneer 
as  generally  understood  would  hardly  be  appli- 
cable to  Mr.  Covert,  he  was,  nevertheless,  an 
early  settler  in  Long  Beach,  coming  here  in  1891. 
at  which  time  its  population  scarcely  reached 
seven  hundred.  No  one  has  been  a  more  inter- 
ested witness  of  the  advancement  and  progress 
along  all  lines  of  its  growth  than  he,  and  during 
the  past  fifteen  years  he  has  not  onlv  been  a 
witness  but  has  been  one  of  the  most  active  work- 
ers in  bringing  about  present  conditions. 

Mr.  Covert  was  born  in  Hopewell,  Ind..  No- 
vember II,  1854,  the  eldest  of  the  five  children 
born  to  his  parents,  George  W.  and  Mary  E.  (La 
Grange)  Covert,  of  whom  more  may  be  learned 
by  referring  to  the  sketch  of  the  father  else- 
where in  this  volume.  When  he  was  a  lad  of 
about  six  years  the  family  removed  from  Indiana 
to  Kansas,  locating  near  Carlyle,  and  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  the  latter  place  he  gained  his 
first     educational     training.      Some     time     later, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1757 


about  1873,  removal  was  again  made  to  Indiana, 
and  in  the  high  school  of  Whiteland  he  com- 
pleted his  education.  He  was  now  of  an  age 
when  he  could  be  of  assistance  to  his  father, 
who  was  a  practicing  physician  and  dentist,  a 
dual  profession  which  he  followed  in  Whiteland 
and  later  in  P'ranklin,  that  state.  After  work- 
ing for  a  time  in  the  dental  office  he  relinquished 
this  to  take  up  farming  and  stock  raising  in 
that  locality,  and  continued  this  occupation  as 
long  as  he  remained  in  the  East.  As  has  been 
previously  stated  he  came  to  Long  Beach  in  1891 
and  two  years  later  established  himself  in  the  real 
estate  business  in  this  city.  It  was  no  doubt, 
his  favorable  report  concerning  the  country,  and 
especially  of  Long  Beach,  that  induced  the  father 
to  remove  west  the  following  year,  and  he  has 
made  his  home  in  this  city  ever  since.  In  1904 
Mr.  Covert  and  his  father  became  associated  in 
the  subdivision  of  a  tract  of  land  on  American 
avenue  between  Fifteenth  and  Sixteenth  streets, 
an  undertaking  which  has  been  exceedingly 
profitable,  for  practically  all  of  the  lots  have  been 
sold  at  good  prices.  Besides  the  residence  which 
he  built  on  Stanwood  avenue  Mr.  Covert  also 
owns  residence  property  in  other  parts  of  the 
city,  and  is  carrying  on  a  very  lucrative  business 
as  a  real  estate  dealer. 

In  Whiteland,  Ind.,  Mr.  Covert  was  married 
to  Miss  V.  Belle  Brewer,  a  native  of  that  State, 
and  to  them  two  children  have  been  born,  Ada 
Edell  and  Angelo.  Mr.  Covert's  interest  in  his 
adopted  cit}-  has  been  recognized  by  his  fellow- 
citizens,  who  nominated  and  elected  him  a  mem- 
ber of  the  city  council,  serving  to  their  satisfac- 
tion and  to  his  own  credit  for  one  term.  Further 
proof  of  his  loyalty  and  devotion  to  the  well-be- 
ing of  Long  Beach  was  demonstrated  when  he  set 
on  foot  the  organization  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, composed  of  business  men  of  the  city, 
who  in  every  community  are  the  bone  and  sinew 
which  sustain  it.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  having  joined  the 
order  in  Greenwood,  Ind.,  and  politically  he  is 
a  Republican.  Both  Mr.  Covert  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Long  Beach,  and  share  the  love  and  respect 
of  their  many  friends  and  acquaintances. 


AUGCSTE  CANTARINI.  One  of  the 
more  exten.sive  ranchmen  in  Riverside  coun- 
ty is  Auguste  Cantarini,  who  lives  one-half 
mile  north  of  Temecula,  on  his  large  grain 
ranch.  His  birth  occurred  in  i860,  in  Ticino, 
Switzerland,  in  which  country  he  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools.  His  parents 
were  Eustorgio  and  Lucia  Cantarini,  both  na- 
tives of  Switzerland.     The  death  of  the  father 


occurred  in  1882,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years, 
and  that  of  the  mother  in  1904,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-seven.  Auguste  Cantarini  immigrat- 
ed to  the  United  States  when  sixteen  years  of 
age,  locating  in  Temecula  in  1876,  and  secur- 
ing employment  by  the  month  until  1881, 
when  he  became  of  age  and  was  able  to  file 
on  a  tract  of  government  land.  He  improved 
the  property  thus  acquired  and  gradually  add- 
ed to  his  holdings,  until  at  the  present  time  his 
ranch  embraces  four  iiuudred  and  fifty-one 
acres  of  land. 

In  1886  Mr.  Cantarini  returned  to  his  native 
land  and  there  married  I'ia  Cantarini,  born  in 
Switzerland,  and  brought  her  with  him  to  this 
country.  Her  parents  were  Onorato  and 
Sophia  Cantarini ;  the  mother's  death  occurred 
in  1887,  at  forty-five  years  of  age,  the  father 
being  now  sixty-six  years  old  and  residing  in 
South  America.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Auguste  Can- 
tarini are  the  parents  of  eight  children,  name- 
ly :  Leo  Paul,  Angelina,  iMary,  John,  Joseph, 
Elvezi,  Daniel,  and  Serena.  Mr.  Cantarini 
is  a  progressive  and  enterprising  citizen,  and 
by  industry,  thrift  and  honesty, earned  a  suc- 
cess in  his  business  which  he  richlv  deserves. 


EDWARD  REBER.  As  a  contracting  plumb- 
er Edward  Reber  conducts  a  successful  business 
in  San  Bernardino  and  his  work  shows  him  to 
be  thoroughly  familiar  with  all  parts  of  his  trade. 
Mr.  Reber  is  of  German  descent,  his  father,  John, 
having  been  born  in  that  country.  Upon  immi- 
grating to  America  he  settled  first  in  Iowa  on  a 
farm,  and  later  went  to  Staiiford  county,  Kans., 
where  he  secured  a  piece  of  raw  land  and  im- 
proved it  until  it  became  a  valuable  piece  of  prop- 
erty. In  early  days,  before  the  railroads  thread- 
ed their  way  across  the  continent,  he  and  a  com- 
rade undertook  the  hazardous  trip  of  crossing 
the  plains  from  the  farm  in  Kansas  to  California 
by  foot,  and  proved  their  powers  of  endurance 
and  courage  by  accomplishing  the  task  not  only 
once,  but  twice,  for  they  returned  to  Kansas  in 
the  same  way.  In  1885  j\Ir.  Reber  located  in 
Los  Angeles  and  is  now  engaged  in  ranching  at 
Redondo.  His  wife,  formerly  Mary  Olliman, 
was  also  a  native  of  Germany,  and  they  are  the 
parents  of  ten  children,  all  of  whom  are  living.     ■ 

It  was  on  October  26,  1870,  that  Edward 
Reber  was  born  in  Stafford,  Kans.,  where  he 
lived  until  1890,  when  he  came  to  Los  Angeles. 
His  education  was  received  through  the  medium 
of  the  public  schools  and  after  coming  to  San 
Bernardino,  in  1892,  he  began  his  apprenticeship 
at  the  plumber's  trade.  Subsequently  he  was  em- 
ployed successively  by  Wilcox  &  Rose,  Thomas 
Hadden   and   George   Cooley,   and   in     1902    he 


1758 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


opened  a  shop  of  his  own  on  Court  street  and 
began  to  take  contracts  for  general  plumbing  and 
heating.  His  work  is  all  done  in  a  highly  satis- 
factory manner,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  Home 
Telephone  building,  the  St.  Oiarles  hotel,  and 
the  residences  of  Mrs.  Cochrane,  Messrs.  James 
Fleming,  Crossman  and  Glasgow,  as  well  as  else- 
where. He  erected  the  family  residence  at  No. 
776  Fourth  street,  where  he  resides  with  his 
wife,  who  was  formerly  Miss  Sadie  Kenyon,  a 
native  of  San  Bernardino  county,  where  her 
father  is  a  prominent  ranchman.  Mr.  Reber  is  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Trade  and  the  Mer- 
chants' Protective  Association,  and  fraternally 
affiliates  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and 
Knights  of  Pythias.  He  is  an  enterprising  and 
progressive  citizen,  an  energetic  business  man 
and  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  all  who 
know  him. 


MICHAEL  HENRY  BURKE.  One  of  the 
most  enterprising  representatives  of  the  indus- 
trial interests  ofLos  Angeles  county  is  Michael 
Henry  Burka,  of  Terminal,  who  has  attained 
marked  distinction  as  a  millwright,  having  built 
and  equipped  many  of  the  more  important  saw- 
mills and  planing-mills  of  this  part  of  the  state. 
A  man  of  inventive  genius,  familiar  with  every 
detail  concerning-  the  manufacture  of  lumber,  his 
quick,  keen  intellect,  practical  training  and  wide 
experience  have  made  him  complete  master  of 
his  trade,  and  as  superintendent  of  the  Southern 
California  Lumber  Company's  planing  mill  his 
knowledge  and  services  are  thoroughly  appre- 
ciated by  his  superiors.  A  son  of  the  late  Al- 
exander Burke,  he  was  born  June  3,  1855,  in 
Jefferson  county,  N.  Y. 

On  emigrating  from  Tipperary,  Ireland,  his 
native  town,  to  the  United  States,  Alexander 
Burke  lived  for  a  while  in  Jeflferson  county,  N. 
Y.,  being  employed  as  a  veterinary  surgeon  and 
a  farmer.  He  subsequently  removed  to  Canada, 
but  on  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war  re- 
turned to  New  York  to  offer  his  services  to  the 
country  of  his  adoption,  and  as  a  gunner  in  Cap- 
tain G'reen's  company  of  heavy  artillery  served 
until  the  close  of  the  conflict.  Removing  then 
with  his  family  to  Excelsior,  Wis.,  he  improved 
a  farm,  and,  in  connection  with  his  work  as  a 
veterinary  surgeon,  was  engaged  in  tilling  the 
soil  until  his  death,  which  occurred  at  Rice  Lake. 
His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Helen  Con- 
nors, was  born  at  Cape  Vincent,  N.  Y.,  and  died 
at  Rice  Lake,  Wis.  Of  their  family  of  twelve 
children,  five  sons  and  three  daughters  are  liv- 
ing. 

Moving  to  Canada  with  his  parents  when  a 
small  child,  Michael  H.  Burke  lived  in  Kingston 
until   after   the   close   of  the   Civil   war.     Going 


then  with  the  family  to  Wisconsin,  he  continued 
his  studies  in  the  public  schools,  being  after- 
wards graduated  from  Princeton  College,  in 
Princeton,  Minn.  Returning  then  to  Wisconsin, 
he  learned  the  trade  of  a  mechanical  engineer, 
and  subsequently,  as  head  sawyer  in  different 
mills,  became  proficient  with  every  detail  of  lum- 
ber manufacturing.  An  expert  mechanic,  he  in- 
stalled machiner}'  in  many  mills  of  Wisconsin 
and  Minnesota,  and  was  permanently  employed 
by  one  firm  for  eight  years. 

Coming  to  San  Pedro,  Cal.,  in  1901,  Mr. 
Burke  built  and  started  the  Southwestern  Lum- 
ber Company's  mill.  Subsequently  locating  on 
Terminal  Island,  he  erected  his  present  fine  resi- 
dence, and  built  for  the  Southern  California 
Lumber  Company  the  finely  equipped  planing 
mill  of  which  he  has  since  had  charge.  He 
bought  all  of  the  equipments,  installed  the  ma- 
chinery, which  is  of  the  most  approved  modern 
construction,  on  the  planer  having  two  new  in- 
ventions of  his  own,  a  shifter  and  a  tightener. 
This  mill,  one  of  the  finest  in  southern  Califor- 
nia, has  a  capacity  of  two  hundred  thousand  feet 
a  day. 

In  Richland,  Wis.,  Mr.  Burke  married  Emma 
Morgan,  a  native  of  that  place,  and  they  are  the 
parents  of  six  children,  namely :  William,  a 
]Dractical  chemist ;  James,  Sylvester  and  Francis, 
all  expert  machinists  and  engaged  in  the  mill 
with  their  father;  Harvey;  and  Nellie.  Polit- 
ically Mr.  Burke  affiliates  with  the  Republican 
party,  and  fraternally  he  belongs  to  the  Forest- 
ers of  America,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 
ica and  to  the  Modern  Brotherhood  of  America. 


HAL  W.  BALY.  Prominent  among  the  ris- 
ing young  business  men  of  San  Pedro  is  Hal 
W.  Baly,  bookkeeper  for  the  E.  K.  Wood  Lum- 
"ber  Company.  Possessing  an  active  brain,  keen 
and  quick  at  solving  mathematical  problems,  he 
is  a  skilful  accountant,  and  in  his  present  posi- 
tion is  performing  the  duties  devolving  upon 
him  with  ability  and  fidelity.  Having  great  faith 
in  the  future  possibilities  of  his  adopted  city,  he 
is  warmly  interested  in  everything  that  tends  to 
promote  the  welfare  of  the  community  in  which 
he  resides  and  in  which  he  is  very  popular,  few 
men  having  a  larger  list  of  warm  friends  than 
he.  •  A  native  of  Kansas,  he  was  born  Septem- 
ber 21,  1880,  in  Butler  county,  a  son  of  Henry 
Baly,  in  whose  sketch,  on  another  page  of  this 
volume,  further  parental  and  ancestral  history 
may  be  found. 

Brought  by  his  parents  to  San  Pedro  in  1886, 
Hal  W.  Baly  was  here  brought  up.  receiving  a 
good  education  in  the  public  schools.  In  1899 
he  began  his  active  career  as  an  assistant  book- 
keeper for  the  Kirchkoff  &  Cuesner  Lumber  Com- 


\>;^^^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1761 


pany,  with  which  he  was  associated  two  years. 
Resigning  his  position  with  that  firm  in  1901, 
lie  has  since  been  bookkeeper  for  the  E.  K. 
Wood  Lumber  Company,  and  in  this  capacity 
has  contribnted  largely  towards  the  advancement 
of  the  financial  prosperity  of  his  employers.  He 
is  a  man  of  sterling  integrity,  honest  and  up- 
right in  all  of  his  dealings,  and  is  well  worthy 
of  the  regard  in  which  he  is  so  universally  held. 
In  San  Pedro,  ]Mr.  Baly  married  Frances  Mor- 
ris, who  was  born,  reared  and  educated  in  Los 
Angeles,  and  th.eir  pleasant  home,  at  No.  357 
Sixth  street,  is  a  center  of  social  activity.  Po- 
litically Mr.  Baly  is  a  stanch  Republican.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  both  he  and  his 
wife  belong  to  the  Daughters  of  Rebekah.  Relig- 
iously Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baly  are  members  of  the 
Episcopal  Church,  and  liberal  contributors  to- 
wards its  support. 


PHILIP  NOURBOURNE  MYERS.  No 
name  in  the  San  Jacinto  valley,  Riverside 
county,  is  more  enduringly  associated  with  its 
substantial  development  than  that  of  IMr.  My- 
ers, general  manager  of  the  Hemet  Land  and 
Water  Company,  and  one  of  the  large  land 
owners  and  prosperous  citizens  of  this  section. 
He  is  a  native  of  tlie  south,  born  in  Covington, 
Ky.,  September  16,  1866,  the  son  of  Hon.  Har- 
vey Myers.  The  latter  was  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, born,  reared  and  educated  in  Great 
Bend,  Susquehanna  county,  leaving  there  dur- 
ing young  manhood  to  take  up  teaching  in 
Kentucky.  Subsequently  he  began  reading 
law  and  in  due  time  was  admitted  to  the  bar, 
establishing  his  office  in  Covington,  Ky.  Po- 
litically a  Republican  and  hence  a  strong 
Union  man,  he  was  not  only  a  witness  but  was 
a  participant  in  the  Civil  conflict,  and  assisted 
in  the  defense  of  Cincinnati  against  the  Con- 
federate raider,  Kirby  Smith.  Some  time  after- 
ward he  was  the  choice  of  his  party 'as  their 
representative  in  the  state  legislature,  there 
as  elsewhere  serving  his  constituents  faithful- 
ly and  to  the  best  of  liis  ability.  At  the  close 
of  his  term  he  returned  once  more  to  Coving- 
ton and  resumed  his  law  practice,  having  in 
the  meantime  associated  himself  in  business 
with  J.  W.  Stevenson,  ex-governor  of  Ken- 
tucky. Thus  far  in  his  experience  Mr.  Myers 
had  received  many  honors  and  a  brilliant  ca- 
reer of  many  years  of  usefulness  apparently 
lay  before  him,  but  in  the  midst  of  it  all  he  was 
suddenly  cut  down,  being  killed  by  William 
J.  Terrell,  who  held  a  grievance  against  Mr. 
Myers  for  his  stand  upon  some  legal  matter 
which  was  detrimental  to  him.  His  untimely 
death  occurred  'n  1874.  when  he  was  only  for- 


ty-six years  of  age.  He  was  survived  only  five 
_vears  by  his  widow,  Vvdio  before  her  marriage 
was  Susan  Scott,  born  in  Georgetown,  K}^, 
the  descendant  of  an  old  Virginia  family.  Four 
children  blessed  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Myers,  of  whom  we  mention  the  following: 
The  eldest,  Harvey,  is  an  attorney  of  consid- 
erable note  in  Covington,  and  for  two  terms 
was  speaker  in  the  House  of  Representatives ; 
besides  being  prominent  at  the  bar  he  is  also 
a  well-known  business  man,  having  a  large  in- 
terest in  the  Independent  Telephone  Com- 
pany, is  president  of  the  ^Memphis  Telephone 
Company  and  is  also  interested  in  the  Corsi- 
cana  and  Dallas  (Texas)  Independent  Tele- 
phone Companies.  The  second  child  in  the 
parental  family,  Adeline  L.,  became  the  wife 
of  Rev.  William  A.  Shedd.  who  died  in  Per- 
sia, while  there  representing  the  Presbyterian 
Board  of  Missions.  Susan  is  the  wife  of 
Thomas  J.  Willison,  the  family  making  their 
home  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

The  youngest  child  in  his  parent's  family. 
Philip  X.  M}crs  attended  the  conmion  and 
high  schools  of  Covington  and  after  his  grad- 
uation began  reading  law  in  the  office  of  Hal- 
lam  iS:  Alyers  in  that  city.  He  gained  a  val- 
uable insight  into  legal  ailfairs  in  his  capacity 
of  official  reporter,  his  duties  taking  him  into 
the  United  States  district  court,  the  courts 
throughout  the  northern  district  of  Kentucky 
and  the  criminal  courts.  In  addition  to  this 
he  held  other  city  and  county  offices  which 
proved  of  considerable  benefit  to  him  from  an 
educational  standpoint.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  iSgo,  and  the  year  following  he  came 
to  California,  in  San  Francisco  being  admitted 
to  practice  at  the  bar  of  the  supreme  court. 
Notwithstanding  his  excellent  legal  training 
circumstances  seemed  to  lead  him  in  another 
direction.  Going  to  Bakersfield  in  1891  he  was 
ofl^ered  and  accepted  the  position  of  private 
secretary  to  the  general  manager  of  the  Kern 
County  Land  and  Water  Company,  of  which 
Haggin  &  Tevis  were  the  owners  and  proprie- 
tors. Owing  to  his  wife's  ill-health  he  was 
compelled  to  give  up  his  position  four  years 
later  and  seek  a  climate  more  suited  to  her 
condition,  and  for  this  reason  located  in  Los 
Angeles  temporarily.  In  the  mean  time  he  had 
been  offered  a  position  in  Hemet,  and  hither 
he  came  in  1896  to  become  secretary  of  the 
Hemet  Land  and  Water  Company,  an  enter- 
prise which  during  the  past  ten  years  has 
made  rapid  strides  under  his  capable  manage- 
ment. The  originator  of  the  enterprise  which 
has  made  a  garden  spot  of  the  San  Jacinto  val- 
ley is  Col.  E.  L.  Mayberry,  who  in  1887  ac- 
quired the  water  rights  and  incorporated  the 
Hemet   Land   and  Water  Company.     The  re- 


1762 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


serve  supply  of  water  is  held  in  Lake  Hemet, 
which  drains  a  watershed  of  over  one  hun- 
dred thousand  acres,  and  from  which  water  is 
tapped  when  the  supply  from  the  streams  be- 
low runs  low.  Water  is  diverted  below  Lake 
Hemet  at  four  points,  from  Strawberry  creek, 
the  South  fork.  North  fork  and  from  the  San 
Jacinto  river,  which  during  the  winter  and 
spring  are  constantly  replenished  from  the 
mountains  and  give  an  abundant  supply  with- 
out drawing  upon  the  reserve,  until  the  irrigat- 
ing season  opens,  when  a  partial  supply  is  of- 
ten necessary  for  about  three  months.  In 
1890  Colonel  jMayberry  began  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Hemet  dam.,  which  is  a  solid  piece 
of  masonry  built  across  a  narrow  granite 
gorge  at  the  lower  end  of  Hemet  mountain 
vallev.  On  top  it  is  two  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  long,  and  is  imbedded  into  the  solid 
walls  of  the  canon  on  either  side  and  also  be- 
low bedrock  at  the  bottom.  Its  base  is  one 
hundred  feet  thick  and  at  present  its  height  is 
one  hundred  and  twenty-two  and  a  half  feet, 
although  the  plans  now  are  to  raise  this  to  one 
hundred  and  fifty  or  one  hundred  and  sixty 
feet.  The  dam  has  an  elevation  of  forty-four 
hundred  feet  aboA-e  sea  level,  or  twenty-eight 
hundred  feet  above  the  town  of  Hemet,  a  con- 
dition which  precludes  any  fear  of  water  fam- 
ine on  the  part  of  residents  of  the  surround- 
ing countr}-.  The  holdings  of  the  Hemet  Land 
and  Water  Company  at  one  time  comprised 
seven  thousand  acres,  to  which  was  subsequent- 
ly added  three  thousand  acres  by  purchase 
from  the  Fairvievv-  Land  and  Water  Com- 
pany. About  half  of  this  large  tract  has  been 
sold  in  ten-acre  plats,  upon  which  deciduous 
and  citrus  fruits,  alfalfa,  broom  corn  or  sugar 
beets  are  grown  with  considerable  profit.  The 
company  is  capitalized  at  $3,000,000,  and  is 
under  the  direct  management  of  Mr.  [Myers, 
who  resides  in  Hemet,  while  the  president,  W. 
F.  Whittier,  makes  his  headquarters  in  San 
Francisco. 

In  St.  Louis.  ATo..  December  6,  1886.  Mr. 
Alyers  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Alma 
Newman,  who  is  a  native  of  Fulton,  !Mo.  Two 
children  have  been  born  to  them.  Harvey  H., 
who  is  attending  Leland  Stanford  L^niversity, 
and  Philip  N..  Jr.  Politically  Mr.  ]\Iyers  is 
a  Republican,  and  is  active  in  party  ranks. 
For  six  years  he  served  as  county  central 
committeeman,  and  in  June.  1906,  was  chair- 
man of  the  county  convention  for  the  nomina- 
tion of  candidates.  On  June  18,  1906,  he  was 
sent  as  a  delegate  to  the  state  convention 
which  met  in  Santa  Cruz.  Numerous  fra- 
ternal organizations  claim  his  membership, 
among  them  the  Reiniblican  Club,  of  which  he 
was  the  first  president.  Benevolent  Protective 


Order  of  Elks  of  Riverside,  Independent  Or- 
der of  Foresters,  Fraternal  Aid  and  the  Knights 
of  the  Maccabees.  With  his  wife  Mr.  Myers 
attends  the  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  they 
are  both  members.  By  right  of  her  descent 
from  Revolutionary  ancestors  Mrs.  Myers  has 
received  certificate  of  membership  in  the 
Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution,  in 
whose  ranks  she  is  an  active  worker.  The 
I\fyers  home  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and 
attractive  places  in  Hemet,  a  town  which  is 
indebted  immeasurably  to  Mr.  Myers  for  what 
he  has  accomplished. 


WILLIAM  T.  AIcLAUGHLIN.  An  ener- 
getic and  enterprising  young  rancher,  William 
T.  ]McLaughlin  is  located  two  and  one-half  miles 
southwest  of  Palms,  Los  Angeles  county,  en- 
gaged in  the  cultivation  and  improvement  of  a 
ranch  of  fifty  acres  which  he  owns,  besides  rent- 
ing two  hundred  acres  which  he  carries  on  in  con- 
nection with  his  own  property. 

A  native  of  Douglas  county,  Kans..  born  No- 
vember 17,  1865,  William  T.  McLaughlin  is  a 
son  of  John  and  Mary  (Riggs)  [McLaughlin, 
born  in  Pennsylvania  and  Missouri  respectively. 
While  he  was  still  a  young  man  the  father  be- 
came a  pioneer  settler  in  the  commonwealth  of 
Kansas,  and  as  he  was  born  in  1834,  was  less 
than  thirty  years  old  at  the  time  of  the  outbreak 
of  the  Civil  war.  He  joined  a  Kansas  regiment 
in  defense  of  the  LTnion,  and  though  his  service 
was  not  protracted,  it  was  rendered  willingly 
and  faithfully.  When  he  located  in  Kansas  many 
years  ago  he  took  up  from  the  government  a 
quarter  section  of  land  which  he  improved  and 
cultivated  with  the  idea  of  making  his  home 
there  indefinitely,  but  the  year  1870  brought 
about  a  change  in  his  plans  and  witnessed  his 
removal  to  California.  His  first  purchase  of 
land  in  the  state  was  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  in  Los  Angeles  county  not  far  from 
Comptofi.  and  upon  selling  this  some  time  later 
he  invested  the  proceeds  in  a  ranch  on  Adams 
street  in  the  same  vicinity.  At  this  writing  he 
is  living  retired  in  Los  Angeles,  making  his 
home  on  Twentieth  street.  Named  in  order  of 
birth  the  children  comprising  the  parental  family 
are  as  follows :  Ellen,  who  became  the  wife  of 
F.  Garrison;  Mattie.  [Mrs.  C.  R.  Coe :  William 
T.,  tlie  subject  of  this  sketch :  Belle,  who  is  un- 
married and  makes  her  home  with  her  parents; 
George,  who  chose  as  his  wife  Bessie  Andrews ; 
Eva  and  Walter,  also  at  home;  Ida,  [Mrs.  George 
Rittsman ;  and  Minnie,  the  wife  of  H.  W.  Qiase. 

When  twenty-one  years  of  age  William  T. 
[McLaughlin  assumed  the  responsibilities  of  life 
on  his  own  account,  and  the  property  which  he 
then  selected  and  purchased  is  the  same  on  which 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1763 


lie  makes  liis  Iiome  today.  This  comprises  fifty 
acres  not  far  from  the  village  of  Bollona,  but 
as  the  latter  is  not  a  postoffice  he  receives  his  mail 
and  markets  his  produce  in  Palms,  which  is 
about  two  and  a  half  miles  distant  from  his 
ranch.  Besides  this  property  he  owns  two  hun- 
dred acres  in  Tulare  and  Kings  counties.  Carson 
City,  Nev.,  was  the  early  girlhood  home  of  Mrs. 
McLaughlin,  who  before  her  marriage  was  Miss 
Laura  Kitzmeyer.  She  is  now  the  proud  mother 
of  two  daughters,  Inez  and  Lulu.  While  Mr. 
McLaughlin  is  not  named  as  a  follower  of  either 
of  the  great  political  bodies,  it  is  no  indication 
that  he  is  luke-warm  in  his  interest  in  the  af- 
fairs of  his  nation  and  count}-,  but  on  the  other 
hand  suggests  an  independent  spirit,  and  in  cast- 
ing his  ballot  for  the  man  best  fitted  for  the 
office  rather  than  for  the  support  of  a  political 
organization  he  is  acting  from  the  point  of  prin- 
ciple. 


JOHN  McC;LASMAX.  In  whatever  part  of 
the  world  the  Scotch  people  may  elect  to  reside 
they  are  welcomed  as  valued  additions  to  the 
citizenship  of  the  locality,  for  their  thrift,  energy 
and  high  principles  of  honor  are  knowm  the 
whole  world  around,  and  it  is  generally  conceded 
that  no  race  excels  them  in  the  qualities  that 
contribute  toward  ideal  citizeilship.  Represent- 
ative of  that  nation  is  John  McGlashan,  a  pros- 
perous rancher  who  owns  and  operates  a  ranch 
of  seventy-eight  acres  in  the  vicinity  of  Arroyo 
Grande,  San  Luis  Obispo  county,  and  who  for 
a  number  of  years  has  cultivated  this  tract  with 
increasing  financial  returns  and  gratifying  suc- 
cess. A  portion  of  the  property  is  under  culti- 
vation to  beans,  while  twenty  acres  are  utilized 
as  pasture  land  for  horses. 

Born  in  Scotland  August  28,  1835,  this  pro- 
gressive farmer  is  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth 
(Rogers)  McGlashan,  also  natives  of  that  coun- 
try, but  during  much  of  their  married  lives  citi- 
zens of  Fulton  county,  N.  Y..  where  the  mother 
died  at  sixty-six  years  and  the  father  when 
eighty-two  years  of  age.  Of  their  ten  children 
seven  are  still  living,  and  these  were  trained  to 
habits  of  uprightness,  industry  and  honesty  under 
the  wise  preceptorship  of  the  parents.  In  re- 
ligious views  the  family  were  earnest  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  During  all  of  his 
active  life  the  father  followed  agricultural  pur- 
suits and  while  he  did  not  reap  a  fortune  from 
his  labors,  he  was  enabled  to  support  his  large 
family  in  comfort  and  accumulated  a  competency 
for  his  old  age. 

When  the  family  left  Scotland  for  the  shores 
of  the  new  world  John  ^IcGlashan  was  a  boy  of 
eight  years,  and  much  of  his  education  was  ac- 
quired in  the  schools  of  Fulton  county.  N.  Y., 


where  he  grew  to  manhood.  In  addition  to  work- 
ing on  a  farm  in  youth  he  learned  the  trade  of 
mason,  but  this  he  did  not  follow  for  any  consid- 
erable period.  Leaving  the  east  in  1858  he  went 
to  the  frontier  regions  of  what  was  then  known 
as  the  Colorado  desert.  For  one  year  he  worked 
for  Butterfield  &  Co.,  in  the  overland  mail  route. 
On  settling  in  California  he  engaged  in  ranching 
in  Alameda  county,  where  he  remained  about  ten 
years.  Later  he  went  to  the  San  Joaquin  valley, 
but  met  with  heavy  reverses  in  his  agricultural 
enterprises  in  that  part  of  the  state.  After  six 
years  in  that  locality  he  left  to  start  anew  in 
another  region,  and  proceeded  to  San  Luis  Obispo 
county,  where  he  has  made  his  home  since  1875. 
For  a  time  he  owned  a  ranch  on  the  other  side  of 
Arroyo  Grande,  but  eventually  he  sold  and  in 
1903  he  bought  the  property  he  still  owns.  Here 
he  is  retrieving  the  losses  of  earlier  years  and  by 
dint  of  perseverance  and  energy  he  has  won  re- 
cogniition  among  the  progressive  ranchers  of  the 
valley. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  jMcGlashan  took  place 
in  1866  and  united  him  with  Lucy  A.  Rooker, 
a  native  of  Iowa  and  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  The}'  are  the  parents  of  four 
children,  The  eldest  son,  John  A.,  was  first 
married  to  Malinda  Gibson,  and  to  them  one 
child  was  born ;  his  marriage  with  Eva  Beavers 
resulted  in  the  birth  of  two  children.  The  second 
son.  David  R.  married  Mattie  Bray  and  has  three 
children.  The  third  son,  Joe  W..  now  deceased, 
married  Rose  Eubanks,  who  survives  him.  The 
youngest  son,  Qiarles.  is  unmarried  and  resides 
on  the  home  ranch.  Politically  Mr.  McGlashan 
gives  allegiance  to  the  Democratic  party,  but  he 
displays  no  partisan  spirit  and  is  liberal  and 
broad-minded  in  his  views. 


FREDERICK  C.  HESS.  Comparatively  few 
of  the  men  now  prominent  in  agricultural  or 
commercial  affairs  in  San  Luis  Obispo  county 
have  spent  their  entire  lives  within  its  limits, 
but  such  is  the  record  of  the  young  gentleman 
whose  name  introduces  this  article  and  whose 
energy  and  progressive  spirit  have  made  him 
popular  among  the  ranchers  in  the  vicinity  of 
Arroyo  Grande.  This  village  is  his  native  place 
and  November  24,  1873,  the  date  of  his  birth. 
In  addition  to  attending  the  grammar  school 
here  he  had  the  advantage  of  a  course  of  study 
in  the  San  Francisco  Business  College,  and  on 
his  return  to  this  county  he  began  to  work  on 
a  ranch,  starting  out  for  himself  in  1897.  The 
farm  which  he  occupies  and  operates  near  Arroyo 
Grande  comprises  seventy-three  acres  of  valuable 
land.  Besides  this  tract  he  has  fifteen  acres  at 
Pismo  devoted  principallv  to  beans  and  ten  acres 
planted  to  apricots  and  walnuts.      His  marriage 


1764 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  his  independent  undertaking  of  ranching 
were  both  events  of  the  year  1897,  the  former  oc- 
curring in  September,  at  which  time  he  was  united 
with  Miss  Tessie  Ransom,  a  native  of  San  Jose, 
this  state.  Mrs.  Hess  was  one  of  the  two  chil- 
dren comprising  the  family  of  Amasa  and  Mary 
(Wallace)  Ransom,  the  former  of  whom  was 
born  in  New  York  and  died  at  thirty-six  years, 
while  the  latter  was  born  in  Michigan  and  died 
at  forty-five  years  of  age.  To  the  union  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hess  there  have  been  born  two 
children,  Freda  and  Carl.  Fraternally  ^Ir.  Hess 
holds  membership  with  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias  at  Arroyo 
Grande. 

The  Hess  family  is  of  German  origin,  and  the 
parents  of  Frederick  were  both  natives  of  Germ- 
any, but  emigrated  from  there  to  the  United 
States  in  1866.  The  father,  Henry,  was  a  native 
of  the  city  of  Frankfort,  and  in  that  part  of  the 
empire  married  Susan  Schimph,  by  whom  he  be- 
came the  father  of  five  children.  Of  this  family 
two  daughters  are  now  deceased.  Both  parents 
survive  and  at  this  writing  make  their  home  in 
the  city  of  Berkele)',  where  they  have  many 
friends,  and  they  also  are  remembered  with  es- 
teem and  respect  by  old  friends  in  San  Luis 
Obispo  county.  After  coming  to  this  country 
the  father  allied  himself  with  the  Republican 
party  and  the  son  was  reared  in  that  faith,  to 
which  he  still  adheres,  voting  the  regular  party 
ticket  at  local  and  national  elections. 


PETER  L.  IVERSEN.  .-Vmong  the  many 
prominent  residents  of  San  Pedro  worthy  of 
special  representation  in  this  volume  is  Peter 
L.  Iversen,  who,  as  president  of  the  Terminal 
Ship  and  Boat  Building  Company,  is  actively  as- 
sociated with  the  advancement  of  the  industrial 
and  commercial  interests  of  Southern  California. 
A  native  of  Denmark,  he  was  born,  October  31, 
1846,  at  Skjelskor,  Sjaeland,  where  his  father, 
Hartvig  Steffen  Iversen,  a  shoemaker  by  trade, 
spent  his  entire  life.  His  mother,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Anne  Dorthea  Peterson,  was  born  in 
Aggerso,  Denmark,  and,  like  her  husband,  was 
a  life-long  resident  of  her  native  land.  They 
were  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  six  of  whom 
grew  to  years  of  maturity,  the  fourth  child  in 
order  of  birth  being  Peter  L.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  Several  of  their  descendants  set- 
tled in  this  country,  some  of  whom  are  promi- 
nent in  public  life,  one  of  their  grandchildren. 
Jens  Iversen  Westengaard,  a  graduate  of  Harv- 
ard University,  being  at  present  one  of  the  legal 
advisers  of  the  King  of  Siam. 

Brought  up  in  his  native  town,  Peter  L.  Iver- 
sen was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  and  at 
the   age   of   fourteen    years   began   learning  the 


trade  of  a  ship  carpenter,  serving  an  appren- 
ticeship of  three  years  at  Karrchaks  minde.  He 
was  afterwards  ship  carpenter  on  deep  water 
vessels  for  a  short  time,  acquiring  practical  ex- 
perience in  his  chosen  industry.  In  1867  he 
came  to  California,  sailing  from  Scotland  as  a 
ship  carpenter,  and  seven  months  later,  having 
rounded  the  Horn,  arrived  in  San  Francisco. 
For  several  years  thereafter  he  was  engaged  in 
the  coasting  trade,  going  as  a  common  sailor, 
and  subsequently  being  similarly  employed  on 
the  Sacramento  river,  where  he  was  at  first  mate 
on  a  schooner,  and  afterwards  master  of  a  ves- 
sel. In  1880,  as  master  of  the  schooner  Adeline, 
he  came  to  San  Pedro  to  assist  in  hauling  the 
rock  from  Catalina  to  build  the  break-water  in 
this  harbor.  Completing  his  work  in  that  line, 
he  entered  the  employ  of  the  government,  and 
as  ship  carpenter  was  employed  in  different  ca- 
pacities, among  other  things  having  charge  of 
the  building  of  two  lighters.  He  was  after- 
wards ship  carpenter  for  the  Wilmington  Trans- 
]iortation  Company  for  awhile,  and  on  giving  up 
that  position,  in  1891,  established  a  boat  yard  on 
Terminal  Island.  The  land  being  subsequently 
claimed  by  the  railroad  company,  Mr.  Iversen 
compromised  with  it,  retaining  his  present  yard, 
which  is  140x140  feet,  and  is  located  just  op- 
posite Terminal.  With  his  partner,  he  is  car- 
rying on  a  large  and  lucrative  business  as  a 
member  of  the  enterprising  firm  of  Fulton  & 
Iversen,  and  in  addition  to  building  boats  and 
launches  of  all  kinds,  and  repairing  vessels  in 
port,  he  erected  the  building  for  the  San  Pedro 
Canning  Company.  Mr.  Iversen  is  a  man  of 
excellent  business  ability,  and  by  dint  of  industry, 
forethought  and  good  management  has  acquired 
a  handsom.e  property.  When  he  first  came  to 
San  Pedro  he  erected  a  house  for  himself  and 
family  on  Eleventh  street,  and  has  since  built 
the  pleasant  residence  that  he  now  occupies,  at 
No.   248  Eleventh   street. 

June  9,  1897,  in  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  Mr.  Iver- 
sen married  Helena  Bertha  Lang,  who  was  born 
in  Luzern,  Switzerland,  of  German  ancestry. 
Her  parents,  John  and  Lucilla  (Marfort)  Lang, 
were  life-long  residents  of  Luzern,  and  she  was 
their  only  child.  Her  father,  who  was  a  miller  by 
trade,  died  in  manhood's  prime,  and  her  mother 
died  when  Mrs.  Iversen  was  a  child  of  eleven 
years.  Being  thus  left  an  orphan,  she  came,  in 
1883,  to  the' United  States  with  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hoffman,  who  were  traveling  through  Switzer- 
land, and  for  four  or  more  years  lived  with 
them  in  Enterprise,  Kans.,  while  there  perfect- 
ing her  studies  in  English.  In  1887  she  came  to 
San  Diego.  Cal.,  and  four  years  later  went  to 
San  Francisco,  from  there  going  to  San  Jose, 
and  later  locating  in  Los  Angeles,  where  she 
resided  until  her  marriage.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Iver- 


L^'tZ^^f-7<y^^-<>^-'-&%^XyC.C^  ^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


sen  have  t->\-o  children,  Anna  Lucilla  and  Harold 
Steffen.  Fraternally  Mr.  Iversen  is  a  member 
and  past  grand  district  deputy  of  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows : 'and  a  past  officer 
of  the  Kniohts  of  Pythias:  and  both  he  and  his 
wife  belono-  to  the  Rebekahs.  Religiously  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Iversen  are  Lutherans. 


S.  CAMPODOXICO.  Since  in  its  most 
intelligent  form  success  is  measured  by  the 
faculty  of  contributing  to  the  well-being  of 
the  community,  by  promoting  soundness  in 
finance,  politics,  education,  ethics  and  some 
of  the  useful  arts  of  living,  the  career  of  S. 
Campodonico  must  be  regarded  as  of  vital  im- 
portance to  the  town  of  Guadaloupe,  of  which 
he  has  been  a  resident  for  the  past  twenty- 
two  years,  and  of  which  be  is  the  largest  mer- 
chant, and  wealthiest,  most  influential  citi- 
zen. 

The  rise  of  Mr.  Campodonico  has  been  from 
a  small  beginning  and  meagre  advantages. 
P)eing  of  Italian  ancestry  he  is  further  to  be 
commended  on  account  of  having  achieved 
pronounced  mercantile  success  in  a  rugged 
western  community.  In  Italy,  where  he  was 
born  Januarv  to,  1840.  be  received  the  rudi- 
ments of  an  education  since  diversified  by 
continuous  research.  The  expectation  of  long 
life  would  seem  justified  bv  his  parentage,  for 
his  father,  John  Campodonico,  lived  to  be 
seventy  years  old,  while  his  mother  attained 
to  the  age  of  ninety  years. 

Mr.  Campodonico  was  seventeen  and  a  half 
years  old  when  be  arrived  in  America.  July 
18.  1857,  he  began  to  work  for  a  toy  manu- 
facturer in  New  York  City  for  $1.50  a  week, 
but  he  soon  afterv/ard  apprenticed  himself  to 
a  marble  sculptor,  with  whom  he  remained 
three  and  a  half  vears.  In  t86i  he  came  to 
San  Francisco  and  worked  at.  marble  cutting 
until  1864,  when  he  moved  to  Mariposa  county 
and  clerked  in  a  general  .store  a  couple  of 
years.  He  then  returned  to  San  Francisco  and 
worked  at  marble  cutting  for  $5  a  day,  a  year 
later  establi.shing  a  marble  business  of  his  • 
own  which  was  successfullv  conducted  until 
disposing  of  the  same  in  1880.  IMr.  Campo- 
donico then  became  a  partner  in  a  canning 
venture,  upon  the  failure  of  which  he  took 
charge  of  the  small  mercantile  store  in  Guada- 
louoe,  for  the  creditors,  this  being  the  nucleus 
of  his  present  large  business.  This  was  in 
TS84,  and  his  future  prospects  were  centered 
around  the  contents  of  a  small  room,  valued 
at  a  few  hundred  dollars. 

Forceful  and  energetic,  and  with  a  keen  de- 
sire to  please.  Mr.  Campodonico  won  the  con- 
fidence of  the  purchasing  public,   and   an   en- 


1767 

largement  of  his  stock  soon  became  a  neces- 
sity. Today  he  has  one  of  the  best  equipped 
and  best  managed  stores  in  the  Santa  ?\Iaria 
valley,  and  a  patronage  by  no  means  confined 
to  the  limits  of  the  town  or  county.  He  has 
made_  an  exhaustive  study  of  merchandising, 
and  in  his  own  character  and  acquirements 
subscribes  to  the  essentials  of  this  important 
branch  of  industry.  He  carries  general  mer- 
chandise of  all  descriptions  and  graded  to  suit 
all  tastes  and  purses.  Neatness,  order  and 
dispatch  are  among  his  watchwords,  and  liv- 
uig  within  his  income  has  advanced  him  to  a 
position  where  he  is  unaffected  bv  temporarv 
depressions  or  falling  ofl"  of  trade." 

July  8,  1S69,  Mr.  Campodonico  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Lizzie  Biglcr,  a  native  of 
Missouri,  and  of  the  union  there  are  nine  chil- 
dren: Lottie,  who  became  the  wife  of  J.  B. 
Acquistapace;  Sylvia,  wife  of  M.  L.  Smith, 
manager  of  Union  Sugar  Factorv  store; 
Frank  E.,  who  married  Hulda  Burola :  Step- 
hen Victor :  Joseph  A. :  ^larguerite  E. :  Charles 
L.  ;_Alma  E. :  and  Victoria  M.  Mr.  Campo- 
donico is  prominent  in  social  as  well  as  busi- 
ness circles,  and  a  member  and  past  master 
of  the  Masonic  lodge  of  Guadaloupe.  Polit- 
ically he  is  independent.  His  fitness  for  pub- 
lic service  has  resulted  in  his  election  to  the 
school  board,  of  which  he  was  clerk  during 
the  erection  of  the  present  substr.ntial  school 
building.  He  is  the  active  and  unceasing 
friend  of  education,  the  promoter  of  sound 
local  government,  and  the  upholder  of  high 
civic-  and  private  ideals.  In  adding  his  nanie 
to  its  citizenship  more  than  a  score  of  veprs 
ago,  Guadaloupe  was  to  profit  by  the  efforts 
of  a  man  thoroughly  in  sympathy  with  its 
progress,  and  one  who  was  in  a  position  to 
grasp  its  most  desirable  opportunities. 


MORRIS  A.  ROSENFELD.  Prominent 
among  the  successful  and  influential  business 
men  of  San  Pedro  is  Morris  A.  Rosenfeld,  the 
popular  and  leading  merchant  tailor  of  the  citv. 
Identified  with  the  manufacturing  and  mercan- 
tile interests  of  the  place,  he  gives  careful  at- 
tention to  his  business,  is  prudent  in  the  man- 
agement of  his  affairs  and  strictly  honorable  in 
his  dealings,  and  as  a  man  of  undoubted  integ- 
rity and  worth  has  won  the  confidence  and  es- 
teem of  all  with  whom  he  has  been  brought  in 
contact.  In  following  his  trade.  Mr.  Rosenfeld 
has  had  a  broad  experience,  having  traveled  quite 
cxten.'iively  in  England  and  on  the  continent  as 
a  journeyman  cutter  and  tailor,  obtaining  a  prac- 
tical knowledge  of  every  branch  connected  with 
his  trade.  During  the  earlier  years  of  his  busi- 
ness career  he  pursued  his  vocation  in  a  number 


176S 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  eastern  cities.  In  1903  he  decided  to  come 
west,  attracted  by  the  mildness  of  the  chmate 
and  the  glowing  accounts  of  the  brilliant  pros- 
pects for  business  enterprises  in  this  portion  of 
Southern  California.  Coming  to  the  city  of  Los 
Angeles,  he  followed  his  trade  there  for  a  year, 
having  a  finely  furnished  and  stocked  establish- 
ment on  Broadway,  between  Fifth  and  Sixth 
streets.  Settling  in  San  Pedro  in  August,  1904, 
Mr.  Rosenfeld  established  his  present  business, 
which  has  grown  rapidly  and  satisfactorily.  Since 
his  advent  in  San  Pedro  he  has  given  a  great 
deal  of  attention  to  real-estate  investments,  and 
has  been  very  successful  in  this  respect.  In  1905 
he  began  the  erection  of  the  Rosenfeld  building, 
on  Fourth  street,  between  Pales  Verdes  and  Cen- 
ter streets,  where  he  has  ample  accommodations 
for  himself,  his  patrons,  and  for  the  large  stock 
of  fine  goods  which  he  carries.  This  building, 
37x60  feet,  two  and  three  stories  in  height,  with 
a  buff-colored,  pressed  brick  front,  is  a  credit 
to  his  good  taste,  and  an  ornament  to  the  city. 
Having  purchased  two  lots  on  Seventh  street  he 
has  erected  thereon  a  large  apartment  house, 
which  is  up-to-date  in  every  respect.  It  is  a 
two-story  frame,  with  a  classic  colonial  front, 
contains  twenty-five  rooms  with  modern  equip- 
ments, baths  and  accommodations  for  the  trav- 
eler, to  which  class  of  patronage  the  proprietor 
devotes  his  best  attention.  Other  investments  in 
property  have  been  most  successful  and  several 
choice  sites  are  being  held  with  a  view  to  suita- 
ble improvement  when  the  city's  requirements 
have  so  far  advanced  as  to  permit  the  additional 
outlay. 

In  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  Mr.  Rosenfeld  married 
Sophia  Bejach,  and  they  have  three  children, 
Harry,  Abe  and  Sylvia.  ^Ir.  Rosenfeld,  familiar- 
ly known  as  "Morris,  the  tailor,"  is  a  member 
of  the  San  Pedro  Chamber  of  Commerce,  which 
is  composed  of  the  forefnost  business  men  of 
the  city,  and  fraternally  he  belongs  to  the  Knights 
of  Pvthias  and  to  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  "Fellows. 


ROBERT  MORRIS  McGEE.  Occupying 
a  good  position  among  the  leading  merchants 
and  real-estate  dealers  of  Long  Beach  is  Rob- 
ert M.  McGee,  who  until  recently  conducted 
a  thriving  grocery  business,  having  built  up 
an  excellent  reputation  among  the  people  of 
his  community  for  fairness  and  honesty.  A 
son  of  Patrick  Henry  ^IcGee,  he  was  born 
March  i,  1867,  in  Massac  county.  111.,  on  the 
paternal  side  coming  from  thrifty  Scotch  an- 
cestry, and  on  the  maternal  side  being  de- 
scended from  a  Pennsylvania-Dutch  family. 

Of  Scotch-Irish  stock,  Patrick  Henry  'Mc- 
Gee was  born  in  Tennessee  June  3,  1826,  the 


son  of  Benjamin  and  Nancy  McGee,  of  Graves 
county,  Ky.  From  I'ennessee  the  father  re- 
moved to  southern  Illinois,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits  for  a  time,  but 
when  war  was  declared  between  the  United 
States  and  Mexico  he  enlisted  and  served  un- 
der Gen.  Zachary  Taylor-  until  its  close.  Re- 
turning to  Illinois,  he  continued  as  a  farmer 
in  Massac  cotmLV  for  a  number  of  years.  In 
1861,  with  true  patriotic  spirit,  he  answered 
President  Lincoln's  first  call  for  troops,  en- 
listing in  Company  A,  Fifty-sixth  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  and  served  until  after  the  sur- 
render of  General  Lee.  He  participated  in 
many  of  the  important  engagements  of  that 
time,  including  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  and 
Sherman's  March  to  the  Sea,  part  of  the  time 
being  under  command  of  that  gallant  hero, 
Gen.  John  A.  Logan.  Being  honorably  dis- 
charged from  the  service  in  Washington,  D. 
C,  he  returned  to  JMassac  county,  and  there 
resided  until  his  death,  November  29,  1875, 
when  forty-nine  years  of  age.  November  30, 
1 85 1,  he  married  Anna  Mary  Hewitt,  a  native 
of  Huntingdon  county.  Pa.,  born  October  5, 
1832.  Her  father,  Henry  Hewitt,  removed 
from  Huntingdon  county.  Pa.,  to  Missouri, 
where  he  was  employed  in  farming  until  his 
death,  in  1848.  His  widow,  Mrs.  Margaret 
Hewitt,  who  was  a  native  of  Huntingdon 
county.  Pa.,  subsequently  settled  in  Illinois 
with  her  children.  Of  the  union  of  Patrick 
Henry  and  Anna  JNIary  (Hewitt)  McGee  six 
children  were  born,  concerning  whom  we  men- 
tion the  following:  Izora,  who  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 26,  1853,  married  W.  P.  Brown,  of  Bel- 
knap, 111.,  and  died  January  11,  1892;  lona, 
born  August  7,  1855,  married  Robert  Grimes 
and  died  October  5,  1896,  her  husband  also  be- 
ing deceased ;  Benjamin  H.,  born  November 
22"  1857,  died  January  15,  1874;  Patrick  Hen- 
ry, Jr.,  born  March  8,  i860,  resides  in  Massac 
coimty.  111. ;  Andrew  Jackson,  also  a  resident 
of  the  latter  county,  was  born  July  20,  1863: 
and  Robert  M.,  the  subject  of  this  biographical 
sketch,  was  born  I\Iarch  i,  1867.  The  mother 
of  these  children  passed  way  August  16, 
1900. 

After  taking  the  full  course  of  study  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  town  Robert  M. 
McGee  was  graduated  from  a  business  col- 
lege in  Delaware.  Ohio.  He  subsequently 
taught  school  with  good  success  for  seven 
years,  being  in  Massac  county  six  years,  and 
in  Pulaski  county  one  year.  Locating  then  in 
Boaz,  111.,  he  was  there  engaged  in  mercan- 
tile pursuits  for  several  years,  having  a  gen- 
eral store,  and  also  serving  as  postmaster. 
Coming  to  California  in  ]\tay,  1903,  he  settled 
at    Long   Beach,    buying  a   home    for   himself 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1769 


and  family,  and  likewise  purchasing  other  val- 
uable real  estate.  On  April  16,  1904,  he  es- 
tablished a  grocer)-  on  the  corner  of  Fourth 
and  Cherry  streets  and  built  up  a  substantial 
business,  but  two  years  later,  in  April,  1906, 
he  sold  out  and  organized  the  Sunset  Realty 
Company,  doing  a  general  real-estate  and  in- 
surance business  in  association  with  Thomas 
Patch. 

September  3,  1893.  Mr.  McGee  married  Alice 
Alena  Wade,  a  daughter  of  George  W.  and 
Rebecca  (Cook)  Wade,  her  birth  occurring  in 
Massac  county.  111.,  June  23,  1872.  Three 
children  have  blessed  their  union:  Gracie 
Maud,  born  June  18.  1894,  died  November  28, 
1897;  Lewis  Wallace  was  born  January  3, 
1896,  and  Alice  Alena  October  25,  1897.  Polit- 
ically Mr.  McGce  afifiliates  with  the  Republi- 
can partv,  and  fraternallv  he  belong  to  Cen- 
ter Point  Lodge  No.  Sii,'l.  O.  O.  F^,  of  Boaz, 
111.  Religiously  he  and  his  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  ^[ethodist  Episcopal  Church,  of 
wliich  he  is  a  trustee. 


JOHN  T.  SHOOP.  Properly  numbered 
among  the  self-made  men  of  our  times  is  John 
T.  Shoop,  who  for  many  years  has  been  ac- 
tively identified  vv'ith  the  agricultural  interests 
of  the  western  part  of  San  Diego  county,  his 
ranch,  situated  about  ten  miles  east  of  Ocean- 
side,  being  favorabl)'  located.  Thrown  prac- 
tically upon  his  own  resources  when  a  mere 
child,  he  began  life  with  no  other  capital  than 
strong  hands,  resolute  will,  and  an  abundance 
of  determination,  even  as  a  bo)^  being  handi- 
capped by  a  lack  of  the  educational  advan- 
tages that  are  today  in  the  reach  of  every 
.Vmerican  child,  whether  born  in  a  palace  or 
a  hut.  Industrious,  diligent  and  persevering, 
he  has  attained  success  in  his  undertakings, 
now  owning  and  occupying  a  valuable  home 
estate,  and  being  numbered  among  the  re- 
spected members  of  his  community.  A  native 
of  Virginia,  he  was  born  January  22,  1835,  a 
son  of  Lsaac  and  Polly  (Robinson)  Shoop.  His 
parents,  both  of  whom  were  born  and  reared 
in  Pennsylvania,  settled  first  in  ^^irginia,  from 
there  removing,  in  1837,  ^o  Alabama,  where 
both  spent  the  remaining  years  of  their  lives, 
the  father  dying,  at  the  age  of  fifty-four  years, 
in  T850,  and  the  mother  a  few  years  before. 

Until  seven  years  old.  John  T.  Shoop  made 
liis  home  with  a  married  sister,  after  which 
he  was  bound  out  to  a  man  named  Green  Ed- 
monson, with  whom  he  lived  three  years,  in 
the  meantime  attending  a  subscription  school 
for  a  brief  time.  ?Te  subsequently  lived  for 
awhile  with  his  brother-in-law.  Mr.  Moore, 
with  whom  he  hjid  previously  lived  for  a  time, 


and  then  went  to  work  for  a  Mr.  Adkinson, 
who  was  to  pay  him  for  his  services  in  stock. 
In  1851  Mr.  Shoop  migrated  to  Mississippi, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
chairs  for  a  few  months.  Not  very  successful 
in  that  occupation,  he  settled  in  Arkansas, 
working  as  a  day  laborer  until  he  had  saved 
some  money.  Not  contented,  however,  with 
his  condition  or  his  future  prospects,  he  came 
across  the  plains  with  an  ox-team  train  in  1861, 
and  for  a  short  time  lived  in  Los  Angeles. 
Then  after  spending  a  few  months  in  Wat- 
sonville,  he  engaged  in  mining  on  Owens  riv- 
er. He  subsequently  went  to  Sonoma  county, 
from  there  going  to  Napa  county,  where  for 
two  years  he  was  employed  in  a  fruit  orchard. 
He  subsequently  lived  for  a  time  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, but  not  liking  city  life  went  to  San  Luis 
Obispo  county,  where  he  located  a  govern- 
ment claim.  Selling  that  in  1878,  he  pur- 
chased land  in  Jones  county,  Tex.,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  stocking-raising  and  dealing 
for  four  years.  Disposing  of  his  interests  in 
that  place,  he  came  to  San  Diego  county,  and 
on  November  2.  1882,  bought  out  a  claim  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  the  greater  part 
of  which  is  now  included  in  his  home  ranch, 
although  he  has  sold  forty  acres  of  his  orig- 
inal purchase.  He  has  since  been  profitably 
engaged  in  general  ranching,  and  in  his  vari- 
ous undertakings  has  met  with  excellent  suc- 
cess. 

In  1866  Mr.  Shoop  married  Margaret  Conley 
Foley,  who  was  born  in  Galway,  Ireland,  one 
of  a  family  of  twelve  children.  She  came  to 
the  United  States  in  1855,  and  after  living 
for  a  few  3'ears  in  Boston,  crossed  the  con- 
tinent to  California,  locating  in  San  Francisco, 
where  she  resided  until  her  marriage.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Shoop  are  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren, namely :  Isaac  Henry,  who  was  educated 
in  the  River  District  school  and  is  now  farm- 
ing with  his  father:  Margaret,  wife  of  Frank 
Peters,  of  San  Diego:  and  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
Stonewall  J.  W^alker,  who  is  engaged  in  min- 
ing in  Riverside.  Politically  ]\Ir.  Shoop  is 
identified  with  the  Socialists. 


WILLIAM  DAMS.  One  of  the  most  pros- 
perous and  highly  esteemed  residents  of  San 
Pedro  is  William  Davis,  a  substantial  represen- 
tative of  the  lumber  interests  of  this  part  of  Los 
Anceles  county,  and  one  of  its  active  and  hon- 
ored business  men.  In  a  true  sense  he  has  been 
the  architect  of  his  own  fortunes,  his  success  in 
life  being  due  to  his  persistent  efforts  and  de- 
termined pluck.  Coming  to  this  country  as  a 
young  man.  poor  in  pocket,  but  rich  in  energy 
and  ambition,  he  laboriouslv  toiled  onward  and 


1770 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


upward,  rising  b}-  slow  degrees  to  his  present 
position  of  affluence  and  influence.  A  native  of 
Wales,  he  was  born  in  Cardiff,  October  31,  1863, 
and  was  there  brought  up  and  educated.  His 
grandfather,  Thomas  Davies,  came  from  one  of 
the  older  families  of  Cardiff,  and  there  his  par- 
ents, David  and  Sarah  (Griffith)  Dav-ies,  spent 
their  entire  lives,  the  father,  who  was  a  hotel- 
keeper,  dying  in  1903,  and  the  mother  a  few 
months  later. 

After  leaving  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
land,  William  Davis  was  employed  as  a  clerk 
for  a  number  of  years.  Not  satisfied  with  the 
financial  returns  of  his  employment,  he  immigrat- 
ed to  the  United  States  in  1888,  coming  direct- 
ly to  San  Pedro,  Cal,  where  for  about  three 
years  he  had  a  hard  time  in  trying  to  meet  his 
expenses,  although  he  tried  various  occupations. 
In  1890  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  San  Pedro 
Lumber  Company,  beginning  as  switch  clerk,  and 
for  ten  years  remained  with  the  company,  the 
greater  part  of  the  time,  however,  being  lumber 
survej^or.  Resigning  the  position  in  1900  he 
has  since  carried  on  a  thriving  business  as  lum- 
ber surveyor,  and  in  1902  was  one  of  the  or- 
ganizers of  the  Lumber  Surs^eyors'  Association 
of  Southern  California,  which  he  served  as  first 
vice-president  until  sending  in  his  resignation. 
Prudent  in  his  expenditures  and  wise  in  his  in- 
vestments, he  has  accumulated  a  good  property, 
and  in  1903  erected  on  Front  street,  at  Knob 
Hill,  the  Alta  Vista,  a  modern,  well-finished,  up- 
to-date  house,  containing  twenty  rooms,  and 
from  this  receives  quite  an  income. 

In  national  politics  Mr.  Davis  is  strongly  Re- 
publican, but  in  local  affairs  he  votes  independent 
of  party  restrictions.  Fraternally  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  San  Pedro  Lodge  No.  332,  F.  &  A.  M., 
of  which  he  is  secretary ;  a  member  of  Los  An- 
geles Consistory  No.  3,  and  is  also  a  Shriner; 
and  is  past  chancellor  commander  of  San  Pedro 
Lodge  No.  126,  K.  P. 


ROBERT  LEE  WATSON.  The  entire  life 
of  Robert  Lee  Watson  has  been  passed  in  Cali- 
fornia, for  he  is  a  native  son  of  the  state,  his 
birth  having  occurred  in  the  city  of  Los  Ange- 
les, January  29.  1864.  His  parents,  James  J. 
and  "Marv  D.  (Dominguez)  Watson,  were  na- 
tives respectively  of  Scotland  and  Los  Angeles 
county.  The  father,  a  pioneer  of  the  Pacific 
state,  was  a  prominent  citizen  of  Los  Angeles, 
his  wealth,  acquired  after  coming  to  California, 
and  his  wide  personal  influence,  combining  to  win 
for  him  a  high  place  in  political  and  municipal 
affairs. 

The  schools  of  Los  Angeles  furnished  fair  ad- 
vantages to  Robert  Lee  Watson,  who,  after  com- 
pleting  the  course   attended   commercial  college 


in  Santa  Clara.  Having  attained  manhood's  es- 
tate and  being  well  equipped  for  the  future  which 
lay  before  him,  he  then  returned  to  his  native 
city,  where  he  established  an  insurance  business 
and  also  loaned  money.  He  continued  success- 
fully engaged  in  this  work  for  the  period  of 
three  years,  when  he  decided  to  take  up  agricult- 
ure, and  accordingly  located  on  his  present  prop- 
erty, three  miles  north  of  Wilmington.  He  is 
now  engaged  in  extensive  ranching  operations 
and  also  raises  fine  horses  and  a  large  number 
of  sheep,  having  made  for  himself  a  place  among 
the  enterprising  ranchers  of  this  section.  His 
home  is  presided  over  by  his  w'ife,  formerly 
Louisa  Poggi,  whom  he  married  April  29,  1899. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  Rafael  Poggi,  who  oper- 
ates a  large  winery  in  this  vicinity.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Watson  are  the  parents  of  one  child,  Sus- 
anna, who  is  six  years  old. 


MRS.  MARY  E.  LINDSKOW.  For  up- 
wards of  thirty-seven  years  a  resident  of  San 
Pedro,  ]\Irs.  JNIary  Lindskow  is  widely  and  fav- 
orably known  throughout  the  communit}-  in 
which  she  lives,  and  has  the  respect  and  esteem 
of  her  neighbors  and  friends,  who  have  ever 
found  her  a  kind,  helpful  and  genial  companion, 
always  ready  and  willing  to  render  assistance 
any  sympathy  wherever  and  whenever  needed. 
A  daughter  of  William  Sanford,  she  was  born 
in  New  York  City,  where  the  earlier  days  of  her 
childhood  were  spent. 

A  native  of  Germany,  William  Sanford  was 
born  in  Detmasten,  Schleswig-Holstein,  and 
early  in  life  embarked  in  seafaring  pursuits.  Be- 
coming master  of  a  vessel  in  course  of  time,  he 
visited  many  of  the  important  ports  of  the  globe, 
in  1848  coming  to  California,  where  he  was  sub- 
sequently, as  captain  of  a  vessel,  engaged  in  the 
coasting  trade.  In  1858,  having  returned  east 
for  his  family,  as  master  of  the  ship  John  Bar- 
ing, he  sailed  from  New  York  City  for  San 
Francisco.  After  rounding  Cape  Horn  the  ves- 
sel was  disabled,  and  for  some  time  laid  at  Val- 
paraiso for  repairs.  On  arriving  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, Captain  Sanford  continued  coasting,  and 
in  1870,  in  charge  of  the  schooner  Ajax,  de- 
livered the  first  load  of  rock  used  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  San  Pedro  breakwater,  dump- 
ing it  about  one  hundred  feet  south  of  the  pres- 
ent ship  yard  of  the  Wilmington  Transportation 
Company.  He  subsequently  retired  from  active 
labor,  and  was  a  resident  of  this  city  until  his 
accidental  death  by  drowning,  in  the  San  Pedro 
Harbor,  January  16,  1882.  He  married  Mary 
]\IcGrogan,  who  was  of  Scotch  descent.  She 
died  in  California,  in  1863.  Eight  children 
blessed  their  union,  and  of  these  Mary  E.,  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1773 


subject  of  this  sketch,   was   tlic   first  horn,   and 
is  the  sole  survivor. 

Mary  E.  Sanford  obtained  the  rudiments  of 
her  education  in  the  pubHc  schools  of  San  Fran- 
cisco and  Vallejo,  completing  it  at  the  Palace 
Street  convent,  in  San  Francisco.  February  i8, 
1866,  she  married  for  her  first  husband  John 
McGuire,  who  was  born  in  Ireland,  but  was 
reared  and  educated  in  Albany,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Mc- 
Guire was  a  man  of  great  patriotism,  intensely 
devoted  to  his  adopted  country,  which  he  first 
served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican  war.  being 
under  command  of  General"  Kearney.  During 
the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  the  first  volunteer 
regiment  of  cavalry  from  Albany,  N.  Y.,  and 
aftenvard  as  an  artilleryman  fought  the  full 
four  years.  After  two  weeks  incarceration  in 
Libby  Prison  he  was  exchanged,  and  at  the  close 
of  the  conflict  entered  the  regular  army,  under 
General  Stoneman  fighting  the  Indians  in  Cali- 
fornia and  Arizona.  After  his  marriage  with 
Miss  Sanford,  Mr.  McGuire,  as  regimental  tailor 
went  on  the  vessel  John  C.  Stephens  to  Sitka, 
Alaska,  as  a  member  of  Company  H,  Second 
Artillery,  being  one  of  the  first  body  of  troops 
to  land  in  that  territory  after  it  passed  into  the 
control  of  the  United  States.  He  died  while  in 
service,  at  Cape  Disappointment,  Wash.,  June 
24,  1871,  leaving  two  children:  Susan  Alaska,  the 
first  white  girl  born  at  Sitka,  is  the  wife  of  Will- 
iam M.  Hart,  of  San  Pedro ;  and  Emily  Ellen  is 
the  wife  of  C.  B.  Parker,  of  Catalina  Island,  a 
taxidermist.  Fraternally  Mr.  McGuire  was  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  order,  and  was  a  man  of 
much  worth. 

October  7,  1873.  Airs.  McGuire  married  for 
her  second  husband  Martin  Emil  Lindskow, 
who  was  born  in  Copenhagen,  Denmark,  where 
the  family  name,  originally  spelled  Lindskov, 
meant  Lind  forest,  or  Lind  woods.  His  father, 
Andrew  J.  Lindskow.  was  head  gunner  on  the 
frigate  Christiania  the  Ninth,  which  was  destined 
to  "be  captured  by  the  Prussians;  rather  than 
be  made  prisoners  by  the  enemy  or  have  their 
three  ships  taken  they  blew  themselves  up.  Im- 
migrating to  America  when  a  lad  of  fourteen 
years,  Martin  Emil  Lindskow  subsequently  fol- 
lowed the  sea  for  many  years,  being  often  em- 
ploved  in  foreign  service.  At  nineteen  years  of 
age  he  went  back  to  Denmark.  Enlisting  in  the 
Danish  navy,  he  was  assigned  to  the  frigate 
Sjelland,  which  was  dismantled  in  a  sea  fight, 
and  nearly  all  on  board  were  killed.  From  that 
battle  he  carried  a  piece  of  shell  in  his  leg  to 
his  grave.  Coming  to  ■  California  in  1868  Mr. 
Lindskow  was  for  a  time  employed  as  superin- 
tendent under  Captain  PoUieamus  and  Thomas 
Haves,  to  deliver  rock  to  build  the  government 
breakwater  at  San  Pedro.  In  1870  he  secured 
a  position  with  Genera!  Banning  as  head  lighter 


man,  and  while  with  this  emplojer  he  helped  to 
build  the  old  breakwater,  and  also  assisted  in  dis- 
charging vessels.  Subseciuently  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  hotel  business  in  San  Pedro,  and 
was  also  active  in  civic  affairs,  serving  as  dep- 
uty marshal,  night  watch  and  jailer.  While 
firing  salutes  during  the  first  election  of  Con- 
gressman McLaughlan,  IMr.  Lindskow  lost  his 
right  hand  by  a  premature  explosion,  a  sad  ac- 
cident. He  died  August  23,  1902,  leaving  a 
wide  circle  of  friends  to  mourn  his  loss.  He 
was  a  man  of  high  standing  in  the  community 
and  much  respected.  He  was  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican in  politics,  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  and  belonged  to  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  and  to  the  Ancient  Order  of 
L^nited  Workmen.  Of  the  union  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lindskow,  the  following  children  were 
bom :  George  W.  E.,  of  San  Pedro ;  Axel  Rich- 
ard ;  Edward  Sylvester ;  Mrs.  Carrie  J.  Wack, 
of  San  Pedro ;  Ellen  Christine,  widow  of  the 
late  G.  B.  Sullivan,  of  this  city ;  Rose  Dagmar, 
at  home;  and  Hugo  Valdmar,  who  died  when 
but  thirteen  months  old.  Mrs.  Lindskow  re- 
sides at  the  old  family  home,  at  the  corner  of 
Eleventh  and  Center  streets,  and  is  happy  in  hav- 
ing her  children  near  her.  She  is  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps,  and  Foresters 
Circle  of"  America,  and  belongs  to  the  ]\Iethodist 
Episcopal  Church. 


HORACE  A.  JOHNSON.  The  agricultural 
resources  of  San  Diego  county  have  been  devel- 
oped by  a  large  number  of  intelligent  and  in- 
dustrious farmers,  among  whom  may  be  men- 
tioned Mr.  Johnson,  the  owner  of  a  large  farm 
lying  in  the  vicinity  of  Bonsall,  his  postoffice 
town,  and  somewhat  to  the  east  of  Oceanside,  his 
railroad  station.  On  coming  to  San  Diego  county 
in  18B4  Mr.  Johnson  settled  upon  his  present 
propert}-  of  three  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres, 
which  he  bought  from  the  government.  At  that 
time  the  land  was  bare  and  unimproved.  No 
attempt  had  been  made  to  ])lace  the  soil  under 
cultivation.  Hence  he  became  the  possessor  of 
virgin  soil,  with  all  its  possibilities  of  develop- 
ment. LTnder  his  supervision  buildings  have 
been  erected,  fences  have  been  built  as  needed, 
and  three  hundred  acres  of  the  farm  have  been 
placed  under  cultivation  to  grain,  of  which  he 
makes  a  specialtv. 

Mr.  Johnson  is  proud  of  the  fact  that  he  can 
claim  to  be  a  native  son  of  California,  San  Jose 
is  his  native  city  and  May  19.  1863,  the  date  of 
his  birth,  his  parents  being  S.  V.  R.  and  Almira 
(Rooker)  Johnson,  natives  respectively  of  New 
York  and  Ohio.  The  fatlier.  who  learned  the 
butcher's  trade  in  early  life,  crossed  the  plains 
from  the  east  to  California  in  1852  and  after  his 


1774 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


arrival  engaged  in  mining.  After  a  brief  and 
not  especially  successful  experience  in  various 
mines  (including  those  of  the  Fraser  river)  he 
again  turned  his  attention  to  the  butcher's  trade, 
which  he  followed  with  varying  success  for  a  long 
period.  On  disposing  of  his  interests  in  San 
Jose  he  came  to  Oceanside  in  1887  and  opened 
a  meat  market,  which  he  conducted  in  addition  to 
operating  a  ranch  and  raising  stock.  The  re- 
maining years  of  his  life  were  passed  in  Ocean- 
side,  where  he  died  in  1899,  at  the  age  of  sixty 
years;  one  month  after  his  demise  his  wife 
passed   from  earth. 

Educated  in  California  schools  and  reared  in  a 
California  home.  Mr. 'Johnson  early  became  im- 
bued with  an  affectionate  loyalty  and  patriotic 
devotion  to  the  state,  and  this  feeling  is  still  one 
of  the  leading  attributes  of  his  character.  In 
youth  lie  was  familiar  with  the  northern  and 
central  portions  of  the  state,  but  since  the  fall 
of  1884,  when  he  removed  to  San  Diego  county, 
his  interests  have  been  concentrated  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  commonwealth.  Industrious 
in  disposition,  genial  in  temperament,  of  an  ac- 
commodating nature,  ready  to  assist  the  unfor- 
tunate and  to  relieve  the  distressed,  he  furnishes 
a  type  of  the  quiet,  unostentatious  farmer  and  na- 
tive-born citizen,  and  among  the  people  of  his 
locality  he  has  many  friends.  Though  never 
active  as  a  partisan,  he  has  pronounced  opinions 
on  political  questions  and  is  in  sympathy  with 
the  Democratic  party.  At  Santa  Ana  in  1890  he 
married  ]\Iiss  Fannie  J\I.  Pickle,  who  was  born 
and  reared  in  California,  and  is  a  woman  of 
gentle  disposition,  an  earnest  Christian  and  a 
faithful  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  Their  family  consists  of  five  children, 
namely :  Lerue,  Lila,  Horace,  Jr..  Erva  and  Leo, 
all   vet  at  home. 


BENTON  AIcCOY.  It  would  be  difficult 
to  find  a  man  more  emjjhatically  in  accord  with 
the  true  western  spirit  of  progress  or  more  keen- 
ly alive  to  the  opportunities  awaiting  the  indus- 
trious and  intelligent  man  of  alTairs  in  Los  An- 
geles county  than  is  Benton  McCoy,  who  in  ad- 
dition to  carrying  on  a  real-estate  and  teaming 
business  is  also  managing  a  small  ranch.  De- 
termination and  tenacity  of  purpose  are  char- 
acteristics which  have  been  paramount  in  all  of 
his  undertakings,  traits  which  he  no  doubt  in- 
herits from  his  father,  John  Benton.  The  latter 
was  born  in  Scotland,  and  when  he  was  eleven 
years  of  age  shipped  as  a  cabin  boy  on  a  vessel 
bound  for  the  United  States.  Life  on  the  water 
had  a  particular  fascination  for  him  and  he  fol- 
lowed the  sea  for  twenty-one  years.  Later  he 
joined  the  United  States  navy  as  carpenter,  and 
was  in  the  countrj^'s  service  for  three  years  and 


four  months.  During  this  time  he  was  stationed 
at  Monterey  when  the  fort  was  built  at  that 
point,  and  he  was  on  the  vessel  at  the  time  the 
soldiers  were  buried  on  Dead  Man's  Island  at 
San  Bernardino.  After  he  was  mustered  out  of 
the  service  at  Norfolk,  'V'a.,  in  1848,  he  went  to 
the  JNIississippi  valley  and  settled  in  Illinois  not 
far  from  Joliet,  where  for  a  number  of  years  he 
farmed  on  land  which  he  had  taken  up  from  the 
government.  Selling  this  in  1853  he  bought  a 
farm  near  Homestead,  Iowa,  whither  he  removed 
the  same  year.  Prior  to  leaving  Illinois,  however, 
he  was  married,  in  1852,  to  Marietta  Miller,  who 
was  born  in  New  York  state,  and  they  made 
their  home  in  Iowa  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Mc- 
Coy, which  occurred  in  September,  1880,  at 
which  time  he  was  in  his  seventy-third  year. 

Born  in  Iowa  December  10,  1854,  Benton  Mc- 
Coy was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  that 
state  and  when  not  in  attendance  during  the 
summers  helped  his  father  with  the  farm  duties. 
In  the  mean  time  he  had  been  giving  consider- 
able thought  as  to  his  plans  for  the  future,  and 
b\-  the  time  he  was  of  age  had  made  up  his 
mind  to  locate  on  the  Pacitic  coast,  whither  so 
many  stories  of  the  possibilities  for  ambitious 
young  men  had  originated.  Upon  coming  to  the 
state  in  1875  he  worked  on  a  fann  in  the  vicinity 
of  Chico,  Butte  county,  for  one  year,  and  after 
a  five  months'  stay  in  Oregon  again  returned  to 
that  city.  The  year  of  1878  was  spent  in  Los 
Angeles,  after  which  he  again  went  to  Qiico, 
leaving  there  in  the  fall  of  1879  to  investigate 
the  possibilities  in  Plumas  county.  A  few"  months 
later  he  went  back  to  his  home  in  Iowa,  but  after 
spending  the  winter  there  returned  to  this  state 
in  April,  1880,  and  spent  one  season  in  lumber- 
ing in  Butte  county;  for  about  two  months  he 
was  also  interested  in  mining  at  the  Cherokee 
mines.  His  father's  death  in  September,  1880, 
broke  up  the  family  home  in  Iowa  and  in  the 
following  spring  the  mother,  two  daughters  and 
John  Oliver  came  to  Los  Angeles  county.  Giv- 
ing up  his  mining  enterprise  Benton  ^IcCoy 
came  to  Los  Angeles  county  to  meet  them  and 
thus  since  1881  he  has  been  a  resident  of  this 
county.  The  death  of  the  mother  occurred  near 
Wilmington  in  1887,  when  fifty-four  years  of 
age.  Locating  in  Wilmington  in  1881,  from 
that  date  until  1893  ;Mr.  Benton  was  engaged 
in  bridge  carpentering,  in  the  latter  year  pur- 
chasing a  ranch  of  four  and  three-quarters  acres 
for  $280,  selling  the  same  tract  three  years  after- 
ward for  $5,200.  He  still  owns  a  ranch  of  one 
and  three-quarters  acres  upon  which,  in  1903.  he 
erected  a  modern  eight-room  house,  24x40  feet, 
which  is  equipped  with  all  of  the  conveniences 
and  man}-  of  the  luxuries  of  latter-day  homes. 

Mr.  McCoy's  home  is  presided  over  by  his 
wife,   who  before   her   marriage,    December    10, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1775 


i8y4,  was  Leonora  Sylva.  Mrs.  AlcCoy  is  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  Sylva,  one  of  the  very  early 
settlers  of  Wilmington.  The  four  children  com- 
prising the  2\lcCoy  family  are  Otto  Benton,  Ruth 
E.,  Joseph  A.,  and  Earl  J.  Fraternally  Mr.  Mc- 
Co\'  is  a  member  of  Lodge  No.  198,  E.  &  A.  AL, 
at  Wilmington;  and  Bohen  Lodge  No.  138,  I. 
O.  O."  F.,  at  San  Pedro;  and  in  his  political 
views  is  independent.  He  is  one  of  the  trustees 
of  the  Wilmington  Cemetery  Association.  Mrs. 
McCoy  is  an  adherent  of  the  Catholic  Church, 
while  Mr.  McCoy  is  a  believer  in  the  Presby- 
terian faith. 


GEORGE  HANSEN.  Descended  from  an 
ancient  family  of  the  Danish  race  and  Luth- 
eran faith,  George  Hansen  of  San  Diego  was 
born  at  Bornholm,  Denmark,  April  16,  i860, 
and  was  next  to  the  youngest  among  four  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  are  now  living.  His  par- 
ents, Lars  and  Elizabeth  (Jorgensen)  Hansen, 
were  natives  of  the  same  locality  as  himself 
and  the  former  followed  the  occupation  of  a 
contracting  mason  throughout  all  of  his  active 
life.  Of  the  entire  faanly  George  was  the  only 
one  to  cross  the  ocean  to  the  United  States 
and  he  came  in  1882,  after  having  served  at 
the  carpenter's  and  cabinet-maker's  trade  from 
fourteen  until  seventeen  years  of  age,  then  at- 
tended high  school  for  a  year  and  afterward 
returned  to  his  trade  at  Bornholm.  After  com- 
ing to  the  United  States  he  was  employed  in 
putting  up  derricks  in  the  Pennsylvania  oil 
regions  and  from  there  crossed  the  continent 
to  San  Francisco  in  1883,  securing  employ- 
ment as  a  cabinet-maker  at  fair  wages.  In 
1887  he  arrived  in  San  Diego  and  secured  work 
as  a  journeyman  until  about  1891,  when  he 
embarked  in  contractmg  and  building  as  a 
member  of  the  Tirm  of  Hansen  &  Engebretsen. 
The  partnership  was  dissolved  at  the  expira- 
tion of  two  years  and  since  then  he  has  been 
alone.  In  addition  to  his  residence  at  No. 
2380  C  street,  he  has  built  six  houses  of  his 
own,  but  several  of  these  are  now  sold.  Fre- 
quently he  has  drawn  his  own  plans  and  dis- 
charged the  duty  of  architect  as  well  as  build- 
er. Among  his  contracts  were  those  for  the 
Southwestern  Investment  Company's  building 
on  Fifth  street.  Fry,  Garritt  &  Smith's  build- 
ing, the  Fry  fiat,  and  the  residences  of  Major 
.Schon,  Bishop  J.  Edmonds,  L.  A.  \\'right,  C. 
M.  Gifford  and  many  others.  August  i,  1906, 
Mr.  Hansen  was  appointed  street  superin- 
tendent of  the  city  of  San  Diego. 

In  San  Diego  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
Hansen  and  Miss  Emma  Carlson,  a  native  of 
Sweden.  Their  family  consists  of  four  chil- 
dren, Roy,  Alva,   Ella  and   George,  Jr.     The 


Republican  party  receives  the  ballot  of  Air. 
Hansen  in  local  and  general  elections.  On 
the  organization  of  the  Union  League 
Club  he  became  one  of  its  charter  members 
and  he  is  similarly  connected  with  the  Scan- 
dinavian Society,  of  which  he  was  the  first 
financial  secretary.  Along  the  line  of  his  oc- 
cupation he  is  prominent  in  the  Master  Car- 
penters' Association,  of  which  he  formerly 
served  as  treasurer  and  now  officiates  as  sec- 
retary. The  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  are  among  the  fraternal 
organizations  to  which  he  belongs.  After  com- 
ing to  San  Diego  he  was  made  a  Mason  in 
Silver  Gate  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  later  rose 
to  the  Royal  Arch  Chapter  and  the  thirty-sec- 
ond degree  of  Masonry.  Prominent  in  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  he  was  in- 
itiated in  Sunset  Lodge  No.  328,  at  San  Diego, 
of  which  he  is  past  noble  grand.  During 
1893  he  was  honored  with  the  office  of  dis- 
trict deputy  grand  master.  In  the  Encamp- 
he  is  past  high  priest,  while  in  the  Canton  he 
officiates  as  an  aide  on  the  colonel's  staff,  with 
the  rank  of  lieutenant.  With  his  wife  he  is 
actively  associated  with  the  Order  of  Re- 
bekahs.  On  the  occasion  of  the  Grand  En- 
campment at  San  Diego  in  1905,  he  officiated 
as  treasurer  of  the  executive  committee.  The 
unusual  and  gratifying  success  of  the  conven- 
tion may  be  attributed  to  the  tact,  energy  and 
sagacit}-  of  the  executive  committee,  aided  by 
the  members  of  the  order  in  San  Diego  and 
by  the  co-operation  of  the  citizens  of  the  place, 
irrespective  of  fraternal  relations. 


JAMES  McPHERSON.  After  having  lived 
in  many  different  cities  and  states  of  the  Union, 
the  varied  attractions  of  scenery  and  climate  of 
Southern  California,  with  the  opportunities  of- 
fered here  to  men  of  spirit  and  determination, 
lured  J\lr.  McPherson  to  this  section  to  estab- 
lish his  permanent  home.  He  is  a  native  of  Scot- 
land, having  been  born  on  the  Shetland  Islands, 
and  IS  one  of  two  children  born  to  John  and 
Christina  (Jamison)  McPherson.  the  fomier  of 
whom  is  deceased.  Spending  the  first  sixteen 
years  of  his  life  in  his  native  country,  where  he 
received  a  common-school  education,  he  then 
went  to  Canada,  there  learning  the  baker's  trade, 
which  he  followed  during  the  remainder  of  his 
stay  in  that  country.  In  1886  he  went  to  Wy- 
oming, where  he  remained  for  awhile,  then  went 
to  Denver,  Colo.,  and  his  trade  met  with  such 
success  there  that  he  was  soon  enabled  to  take 
charge  of  a  large  bakery,  which  he  continued  to 
manage  during  the  remainder  of  his  stay  in  that 
city. 

Deciding  to  try  his  fortune  on  the  west  coast. 


1776 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Mr.  McPherson  went  to  Oregon  for  a  short 
while,  then  visited  Seattle,  Wash.,  and  British 
Columbia.  Prior  to  coming  west  he  took  out 
naturalization  papers,  thus  becoming  a  true  citi- 
zen of  the  United  States,  with  all  the  privi- 
leges and  opportunities  which  are  enjoyed  by 
citizens  of  our  country.  After  returning  from 
British  Columbia  to  Seattle  he  determined  to 
come  to  Southern  California  and  accordingly,  in 
1900,  he  located  in  Los  Angeles,  following  his 
trade  here  very  successfully  until  1901,  in  June 
of  which  year  he  opened  up  the  first  bakery  in 
Ocean  Park,  and  from  being  the  pioneer  baker 
of  this  town,  he  has  become  one  of  its  most  hon- 
ored and  progressive  citizens.  Close  attention  to 
business  and  honest  dealing  have  won  for  him 
the  respect  and  confidence  of  his  fellow-citizens, 
as  well  as  given  him  a  competence  of  the  world's 
goods. 

In  1898,  at  Colorado  Springs,  Colo.,  Mr.  Mc- 
Rierson  was  united  in  marriage'  with  Bessie 
Flause,  and  of  their  three  children,  John  and 
James  survive,  the  daughter,  Mary,  having  died 
when  about  one  year  old.  In  religious  connec- 
tions IMr.  McPherson  holds  membership  with 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Ocean  Park, 
and  also  aids  in  the  philanthropic  work  of  the 
Fraternal  Aid  Society,  of  which  he  is  a  mem- 
ber. In  his  political  views  Mr.  McPherson  is 
a  Prohibitionist,  having  adopted  the  principles  of 
that  party  in  1904,  since  which  time  he  has  used 
his  influence  towards  furthering  the  best  inter- 
ests of  mankind  on  the  liquor  question. 


ENOCH  GRIFFIN.  From  the  earliest  period 
within  his  recollection  Enoch  Griffin  has  lived 
in  California  and  memories  of  childhood  bring 
to  him  thoughts  of  a  settlement  remote  from 
the  then  centers  of  civilization,  a  region  where 
the  Indian  and  the  Mexican  were  more  numer- 
ous than  the  white  man,  and  where  the  search 
for  gold  was  the  most  -absorbing  occupation  of 
the  pioneers.  The  family  history  shows  that  his 
father,  Enoch  Griffin,  Sr.,  was  born  and  reared 
on  a  Missouri  farm  and  was  of  southern  lineage. 
From  boyhood  he  aided  in  the  clearing  of  a 
raw  tract  of  farm  land,  hence  enjoyed  few  oppor- 
tunities for  gaining  an  education.  After  having  re- 
mained a  bachelor  until  middle  life  he  then  mar- 
ried Mrs.  Ellenda  (Holmau)  Rose,  who  was 
born  in  Kentucky  and  removed  to  JMissouri  in 
girlhood.  At  an  early  age  she  became  the  wife 
of  John  Rose,  whose  death  some  years  later  left 
her  with  several  small  children.  After  some 
years  of  widowhood  she  was  married  to  Enoch 
Griffin,  and  in  the  course  of  time  they  disposed 
of  their  Missouri  interests  for  the  purpose  of 
removing  to  the  Pacific  coast.  Before  they  had 
left    Missouri   and   while    thev    were    traveling 


through  Macon  county  a  son  was  born  to  them, 
May  16,  1852,  and  to  him  the  father's  name  was 
given.  For  some  weeks  they  continued  on  their 
journey  without  trouble,  but  ere  the  summer  had 
waned  the  father  fell  a  victim  to  the  ciiolera  and 
was  buried  on  the  plains.  At  the  expiration  of 
six  months  spent  in  the  "prairie  schooner." 
drawn  by  oxen,  the  mother  reached  Eldorado 
county,  accompanied  by  her  infant  son,  and  by 
the  sons  of  her  first  marriage,  who  were  then  stal- 
wart lads. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Woodland,  this  state,  and 
at  San  Gabriel  Mission,  Enoch  Griffin,  Jr.,  re- 
mained until  seven  years  of  age,  when  he  ac- 
companied his  mother  to  the  ranch,  a  part  of 
which  he  now  owns.  All  of  this  country  was 
new,  in  respect  to  .\merican  settlement,  though 
it  long  had  been  occupied  b\'  the  Mexicans,  In- 
dians and  some  Castilians  of  aristocratic  pedi- 
gree. Fences  had  not  been  built  to  separate 
ranches.  Grain-raising  had  not  yet  been  taken 
up,  but  stock  roamed  over  the  country  at  will. 
The  lad,  finding  few  American  boys  with  whom 
to  play,  found  pla5Tuates  among  the  Mexicans, 
and  thus  acquired  a  command  of  the  Spanish 
language  which  has  constantly  proved  helpful  to 
him.  Before  coming  to  this  county  his  mother 
had  married  William  Young,  who  died  about 
1870.  On  coming  here  Mr.  Young  purchased 
for  $1.25  an  acre,  land  that  now  sells  for  $500 
to  $1,000  an  acre,  and  he  acquired  large  tracts, 
but  much  of  the  land  was  sold  nt  a  low  figure 
compared  with  its  present  valuation.  On  the 
homestead  which  she  retained  for  her  own  use 
she  died  in  1900  at  eight\--three  years  of  age. 
A  part  of  the  homestead  was  inherited  by  her 
son,  Enoch,  and  he  also  bought  land,  so  that  he 
now  owns  thirty-four  acres  of  valuable  land. 
For  about  seven  years  he  engaged  in  the  livery 
business  in  Los  Angeles,  but  during  1896  he 
returned  to  the  ranch  near  Palms  and  has  since 
engaged  in  farming  and  buying  and  selling 
horses.  An  expert  judge  of  horse-flesh,  he  is 
admirably  qualified  for  the  business  to  which  he 
gives  his  attention  and  his  opinion  is  always  con- 
sidered of  great  value  by  those  making  impor- 
tant purchases  in  the  line  of  his  specialty.  In 
politics  he  shows  great  interest  and  fraternally 
holds  membership  with  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World.  October  9,  1877,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Belle  Suits,  a  native  of  Calaveras 
county,  Cal.,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  two 
sons,  namely:  Arthur  E.,  residing  in  Seattle, 
Wash. ;  and  Walter  S..  who  is  a  traveling  sales- 
man for  a  wholesale  business  house  of  Los  An- 
geles. 

The  father  of  Mrs.  Griffin  was  Stephen  Suits, 
a  native  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  who  rounded  the 
Horn  and  came  to  California  in  the  exciting 
period  of  1849.     For  a  time  he  tried  his  luck  in 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1779 


the  mines  of  Calaveras  county.  Later  he  freighted 
from  Stockton  to  the  mining  camps,  after  which 
he  engaged  in  raising  cattle  and  followed  the 
butcher's  trade.  After  seven  years  on  a  farm  in 
the  San  Joaquin  valley  he  removed  to  Santa 
Monica,  of  which  he  was  among  the  first  set- 
tlers. In  addition  to  carrying  on  a  meat  business 
he  teamed  between  the  town  and  Los  Angeles.  At 
an  advanced  age  he  died  in  Santa  Monica.  After 
coming  to  California  he  met  and  married  Mar- 
garet Marshall,  who  was  born  in  Scotland  and 
at  the  age  of  seventeen  years  came  to  the  United 
Stales,  proceeding  direct  via  Panama  to  Cali- 
fornia, and  landing  in  this  state  about  1850. 
Since  the  death  of  her  husband  she  has  continued 
to  reside  in  Santa  Monica  and,  despite  her  sev- 
enty years,  retains  possession  of  mental  and  physi- 
cal faculties  to  an  unusual  degree. 


WILLIAM  O'CONNELL.  Remembered 
among  the  pioneers  of  Los  Angeles  county  is 
WilHam  O'Connell,  whose  death  occurred  No- 
vember 23,  1 89 1.  He  was  born  in  Isjiox- 
ville,  Tenn.,  April  25,  1832,  and  was  ed- 
ucated in  his  native  state.  Completing  the 
course  in  the  high  school  of  his  native  town, 
he  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  engaged 
in  this  work  for  a  short  time  prior  to  1852,  in 
which  year  he  came  to  California,  following 
the  westward  trend  of  civilization.  He  worked 
in  the  mines  of  northern  California  for  some 
years  and  finally  came  south,  where  in  San 
Bernardino,  December  25,  1865,  he  allied  him- 
self by  marriage  with  one  of  the  earl)'  pioneer 
families  of  the  state.  His  wife  was  formerly 
Elizabeth  E.  See,  a  native  of  Monroe  county, 
111.,  where  she  was  born  in  1843 ;  her  parents, 
William  and  Leah  (O'Neil)  See.  were  both 
natives  of  Kentucky.  They  located  in  Illi- 
nois, where  the  father  engaged  in  farming,  but 
he  afterward  settled  in  Missouri,  in  which 
state  his  death  occurred  in  1853.  In  1857  the 
mother  brought  her  family  of  six  children 
across  the  plains  to  California  and  in  this  state 
this  honored  mother  died,  at  Whittier,  having 
attained  the  age  of  eighty  years,  one  month 
and  ten  days.  One  of  her  sons,  John  C,  is 
deceased.  Besides  Mrs.  O'Connell  the  other 
living  children  are  M.  C,  Mary  Ann,  INIrs. 
Nicholson,  Joseph  C.  Sarah,  Mrs.  McDonald. 

Elizabeth  E.  See  was  educated  in  San  Ber- 
nardino county  and  there  in  young  woman- 
hood she  married  Mr.  (I'Connell  who  had  be- 
come the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  that  section.  In  1874  he  sold  out  his 
interests  in  San  Bernardino  county  and  com- 
ing to  Los  Angeles  county  purchased,  a  forty- 
acre  tract  and  later  twenty  acres  additonal, 
and   at  the  time  of  his   death   was   improving 


and  cultivating  this  property.  After  the  death 
of  her  husband  Mrs.  O'Connell  continued  to 
manage  the  home  ranch,  raising  alfalfa  and 
having  about  sixteen  acres  devoted  to  wal- 
nuts, while  she  also  leases  one  hundred  and 
forty  acres  and  raises  grain.  She  manages  a 
well  equipped  dairy,  having  about  forty  cows, 
and  also  raises  horses  for  the  market.  She 
has  proven  herself  a  woman  of  rare  business 
ability  and  thoroughly  capable  of  managing 
the  business  interests  left  her  by  her  husband. 
She  became  the  mother  of  the  following 
children:  William,  who  married  Ruby  Dur- 
and  and  has  one  child ;  Ada  Belle,  who  mar- 
ried V.  V.  Jerome,  of  Downey,  and  has  six 
children ;  Valentine,  who  married  Obe  Den- 
denger,  has  two  children,  and  is  located  on  the 
old  homestead ;  Wesley  died  at  the  age  of 
three  years ;  John :  Dora,  wife  of  Henry  Jos- 
lin,  of  Long  Beach,  and  has  two  children;  El- 
mer, at  home :  and  Gruver,  who  married  Mabel 
Hill.  The  first  four  children  were  born  in 
San  Bernardino  county  and  the  others  in  Los 
Angeles  county.  Mr.  O'Connell  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Seventh  Day  Adventist  Church 
while  his  wife  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  Fraternally  he  was  connected 
witli  the  Odd  Fellows  of  San  Bernardino,  one 
of  his  sons  also  being  connected  with  that  or- 
ganization as  well  as  the  Masons,  while  an- 
other son  is  identified  with  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World. 


CHARLES  FREDERICK  IRONMONGER. 
It  takes  the  real  artistic  temperament  and  talent 
to  become  a  successful  photographer.  No  matter 
how  good  the  subject  may  be,  whether  it  be  a 
person  or  landscape,  if  the  artist's  eye  is  not  there 
to  choose  the  exact  range  from  which  to  secure 
all  of  the  advantages  of  the  composition  possible 
to  the  situation  the  picture  will  not  be  the  suc- 
cess it  should  be.  Qiarles  Frederick  Ironmonger, 
whose  views  of  Santa  Catalina  Island  and  Avalon 
have  become  famous,  is  an  artist,  as  is  well 
proven  by  the  photographs  which  he  makes.  He 
has  hundreds  of  views  of  this  beautiful  island 
and  has  made  a  specialty  of  carbons  on  cellu- 
loid, which  sell  at  from  $1  up  to  $30  for  a  pic- 
ture 10x30.  He  has  also  a  fine  collection  of  fish 
pictures.  Catalina  being  noted  for  the  size  and 
numbers  of  species  found  in  the  waters  sur- 
rounding it.  In  addition  to  his  own  photographic 
work  ]\Ir.  Ironmonger  also  does  an  extensive 
business  in  finishing  and  developing  views  for 
amateurs,  and  is  the  originator  of  all  the  fine 
portraits  of  Catalina. 

The  birth  of  Mr.  Ironmonger  occurred  in  1868. 
in  Greenwich.  Ohio,  his  father.  John,  having  be- 
come  an   earlv   settler   in   that   state   from   Eng- 


1780 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


land.  He  was  a  inacliiiiist  by  trade  and  also 
engaged  at  one  time  in  the  lumber  business.  His 
death  occurred  in  Ohio  in  1870.  His  wife,  who 
was  Eliza  Ellis  before  her  marriage,  was  born 
in  New  York,  a  member  of  an  old  family  there, 
and  the  daughter  of  Elias  Ellis,  who  became  a 
pioneer  in  Ohio.  The  mother  is  still  living  in 
the  old  home  in  Ohio.  The  parental  family  com- 
prised seven  children,  five  of  whom  are  now  liv- 
ing, Charles  Frederick  being  the  youngest.  He 
received  a  high-school  education  and  in  1892 
came  to  California  and  began  the  photographic 
business  in  Los  Angeles  in  Waite's  studio.  In 
1895  he  came  to  Avalon  and  built  the  first  studio 
and  since  1896  has  been  alone  in  the  conduct  of 
the  business.  His  present  studio  on  the  beach 
was  built  in  1904. 

In  Santa  Barbara.  August  i.  1906,  Mr.  Iron- 
monger was  united  in  marriage  with  \'iola 
Packard,  who  was  born  in  China.  Fraternally 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Order  of  Eagles  and  of 
the  Royal  Arcanum.  Politically  he  believes  in 
the  principles  embraced  in  the  platform  of  the 
the  Republican  party.  As  a  man  who  has  been 
successful  in  business,  as  a  public-spirited  citi- 
zen, and  the  possessor  of  many  pleasing  person- 
al qualities  he  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  all 
who  have  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance. 


RUSSELL  KINGCADE.  While  the  com- 
monwealth of  Illinois  was  still  an  undeveloped 
region  there  came  from  the  north  of  Ireland 
to  the  new  world  a  young  man  of  excellent 
education  and  fine  medical  training,  by  name 
Henry  Kingcade.  It  was  he  who  established 
the  family  in  the  United  States,  and  he  re- 
mained a  professional  practitioner  in  Illinois 
until  he  passed  from  earth.  Among  his  chil- 
dren was  a  son,  Archibald,  who  was  born  in 
Illinois,  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade  and 
followed  the  same  in  conjunction  with  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  remaining  in  Illinois  until 
his  death  about  1855.  His  wife.  Elizabeth, 
like  himself,  was  a  native  of  Illinois  and  died 
there  while  still  in  middle  age.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  William  Johnson,  a  man  of  pioneer 
instincts,  fond  of  hunting  and  trapping,  and 
possessed  of  the  tastes  of  a  frontiersman.  To 
such  a  man  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California 
was  a  call  to  the  far  west.  With  members  of 
his  family  he  started  for  the  gold  mines  in 
the  spring  of  1850,  but  cholera  broke  out  among 
the  travelers  and  he  and  two  of  his  sons  fell 
victims  to  that  dread  disease ;  their  bodies 
were  buried  near  the  Platte  river,  and  thus 
ended  the  expedition  from  which  they  had 
hoped  so  much.  The  widowed  grandmother, 
Mrs.  Johnson,  remained  in  Illinois,  and  took 
under  her   care   her   grandson.    Russell    King- 


cade,  who  was  born  in  Pike  county,  111.,  Alay 
23,  1850,  and  who  was  the  elder  of  two  chil- 
dren, the  younger  being  a  sister.  When  he 
was  five  years  of  age  he  lost  his  father  and, 
as  previously  stated,  found  a  home  afterward 
with  his  grandmother,  on  wdiose  farm  he  re- 
mained until  he  was  old  enough  to  earn  a 
livelihood  by  working  out  for  farmers. 

On  his  arrival  in  California  during  1871 
Mr.  Kingcade  settled  near  Modesto  and  bought 
thirteen  hundred  acres,  on  which  he  raised 
grain.  After  some  time  he  disposed  of  the 
ranch  and  in  1882  removed  to  the  vicinity  of 
Long  Beach,  Avhere  he  bought  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  lying  three  and  one-half  miles 
northwest  of  town.  This  he  farmed  for  some 
time  and  still  owns,  but  in  1902  moved  from 
the  farm  into  Long  Beach,  where  in  1887  he 
had  purchased  a  lot  at  No.  720  American 
avenue.  Immediately  after  coming  to  town  he 
erected  the  residence  which  he  now  occupies. 
The  pleasant  home  is  presided  over  by  Mrs. 
Kingcade,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mary 
Ellen  Tharush  and  is  a  native  of  Missouri,  but 
at  the  time  of  their  marriage  was  a  resident 
of  Pike  county.  111.  Of  their  union  five  daugh- 
ters and  three  sons  were  born,  namely:  Nora, 
who  married  A^'alter  Martin  and  resides  in 
Long  Beach  :  Ollie,  Mrs.  Robert  Martin,  also 
of  Long  Beach :  George,  now  employ-ed  in  Los 
Angeles :  Lulu,  wife  of  Charles  Kelly,  of  Santa 
Ana :  Walter,  living  in  Los  Angeles ;  Ida  and 
Lettie,  who  are  with  their  parents ;  and  Leland, 
deceased. 

While  fraternal  movements  have  never 
especially  interested  Mr.  Kingcade,  he  is  an 
ardent  supporter  of  Masonic  principles  and 
holds  membership  with  the  blue  lodge  at  Long 
Beach.  Early  in  life  he  began  to  take  an  active 
part  in  local  politics  as  a  member  of  the  Re- 
publican party  and  this  interest  he  has  main- 
tained to  the  present.  At  no  time  has  he  been 
a  candidate  for  office,  his  tastes  inclining 
toward  other  work  than  ofiice  holding.  Hoav- 
ever.  he  supports  with  enthusiasm  the  candi- 
dacy of  friends  and  is  willing  to  aid  with  time 
and  influence.  \A'ith  George  Bixb}'  he  was  the 
first  delegate  from  Long  Beach  township  to 
the  county  convention  and  ever  since  then  has 
been  active  in  county  convention  w-ork  of  the 
party.  In  1902  and  1906  he  was  a  delegate  to 
the  state  convention. 


H.  N.  STONE.  Occupying  a  position  of 
note  among  the  rising  ^-oung  business  men  of 
San  Pedro  is  H.  N.  Stone,  who,  as  a  druggist,  is 
actively  identified  with  the  development  and  pro- 
motion of  the  industrial  and  mercantile  interests 
of  this  part  of  the  state.     Capable,  talented  and 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


17SI 


far-seeing,  he  has  built  up  a  fine  trade  in  his 
special  line,  by  his  courtesy,  care-taking  and 
promptness  having  won  an  extensive  and  lucra- 
tive patronage.  Coming  on  both  sides  of  the 
house  from  Kentucky  families  of  prominence 
and  worth,  he  was  born,  April  4,  1871,  in  Green- 
castle,  Ind.  His  father,  James  Stone,  a  native 
of  Kentucky,  removed  with  his  family  to  Indi- 
ana, settling,  after  his  marriage  with  Sarah  A. 
Williams,  in  Greencastle.  He  was  a  man  of 
influence  in  his  adopted  home,  and  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  served  as  sheriff  of  his  county.  He 
died  in  California,  while  on  a  visit  to  friends, 
and  his  widow  now  resides  at  the  old  home  in 
Greencastle,   Ind. 

The  fourth  child  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family 
of  five  children,  H.  N.  Stone  received  excellent 
educational  advantages  in  his  native  city,  be- 
ing graduated  from  the  common  and  high  schools. 
At  the  age  of  seventeen,  in  Greencastle,  he  be- 
gan learning  the  drug  business,  staying  there 
three  years.  Going-  then  to  Kansas,  he  was 
located  in  Topeka  for  some  time,  being  after- 
wards in  Catskill,  N.  Mex.,  one  year.  In  1894 
he  came  to  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  and  there  con- 
tinued his  employment  as  a  druggist,  being  first 
with  Thomas  &  Ellington,  pharmacists,  and  sub- 
sequently with  other  druggists  in  dift'erent  parts 
of  the  county.  Locating  in  San  Pedro  in  1897, 
he  started  a  new  drug  store  in  this  cit\',  and 
has  now  the  distinction  of  being  the  longest- 
established  druggist  in  this  part  of  the  county, 
his  store  being  on  Eront  street,  near  Sixth  street, 
where  he  is  carrying  on  an  extensive  general 
drug  business.  He  is  a  man  of  great  enter- 
prise and  energy,  and  in  addition  to  his  regular 
trade  has  other  interests  of  a  financial  nature, 
in  his  store  being  located  the  ticket  offices  of 
the  Independent  Steamship  line,  and  the  Salt 
Lake  Railway  Company,  and  the  pay  station  of 
the  Sunset  Telephone  Company,  for  all  of  which 
he  is  the  agent. 

In  Topeka,  Kans.,  Mr.  Stone  married  Edna 
Pearl  Yohey,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  that 
city,  and  they  have  two  children,  Helen  Marie 
and  Harry  Earl.  Politically  Air.  Stone  is  a 
straightforward  Republican,  and  fraternally  he  is 
a  member  of  the  Eagles,  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Eoresters.  and  a  memlier  and  past 
treasurer  of  the  Eoresters  of  .\merica. 


STEPHEN  G.\NO  LONG.  Genealogical 
records  of  the  Long  family  show  that  they  be- 
came established  upon  Kentucky  soil  during  the 
earliest  period  of  the  settlement  of  that  common- 
wealth, and  several  successive  generations  con- 
tributed to  the  upbuilding  of  Russellville  and 
Logan  county.  There  Nimrod  Long  was  born 
and   there  he   died   after   a   busy   hut   uneventful 


career  as  banker  and  planter.  In  the  same  town 
Spencer  C,  a  son  of  Nimrod,  was  born  and 
reared,  and  there  he  became  connected  with  bank- 
ing and  niercantile  interests.  Early  in  his  busi- 
ness life  he  removed  to  Louisville  and  engaged  in 
the  tobacco  business  upon  a  large  scale,  but 
eventually  returned  to  Russellville  to  resume  his 
banking  interests  in  the  town.  During  his  youth- 
ful years  he  had  attended  Georgetown  College 
and  there  met  Miss  Cornelia  Gano,  a  native  of 
Kentucky.  They  were  married  while  still  quite 
young,  and  in  their  advanced  years  they  returned 
to  Georgetown,  where  Spencer  C.  Long  died 
in  March,  1899,  at  sixty-four  >cars  of  age.  In 
politics  he  was  a  stanch  adherent  of  Democratic 
principles.  Educational  interests  received  his 
earnest  support,  as  did  also  the  work  of  the 
Baptist  Quirch,  in  which  he  was  a  lifelong  and 
faithful  member. 

The  Gano  family  came  to  America  during  the 
colonial  era,  and  during  the  war  of  the  Revohi- 
tion  Rev.  John  Gano,  a  prominent  Baptist  min- 
ister living  in  New  York  City,  served  in  the 
United  States  army  under  Cieneral  ^^'ashington 
as  a  chaplain.  A  grandson  of  this  Revolutionary 
chaplain  was  Stephen  F.  Gano,  a  prominent 
physician  and  influential  Whig  residing  at 
Georgetown,  Kv.  In  the  family  of  Spencer  C. 
and  Cornelia  (Gano)  Long,  there  were  four  sons 
and  three  daughters,  all  of  whom  are  still  liv- 
ing except  two  sons.  Of  those  now  living 
Stephen  Gano  Long  was  third  in  order  of  birth, 
and  was  born  in  Louisville,  Ky.,  October  i,  1864. 
Common-school  studies  were  followed  by  the 
studies  of  Bethel  College,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1883  with  the  degree  of  A.  B., 
and  later  received  the  degree  of  A.  M.  Subse- 
quent to  his  college  course  he  studied  in  the 
University  of  \'irgniia,  from  which  he  received 
the  degree  of  LL.  B.,  in  1886,  and  at  the  same 
time  was  admitted  to  practice  at  the  bar. 

After  having  gained  an  earlv  professional  ex- 
perience in  Russellville,  Ky.,  during  1888  Air. 
Long  came  to  California  and  opened  an  office 
in  Los  Angeles,  where  he  still  has  his  main 
office  at  Nos!  215-217  Bullard  block.  Immediate- 
ly after  his  arrival  he  fomied  a  partnership  with 
an  attorney  who  still  remains  with  him,  the  firm 
of  Long  &  Baker  being  probably  as  old  a_  firm 
as  anv  in  the  city.  In  1895  Mr.  Long  established 
his  residence  in  Long  Beach,  where  he  has  an 
office  in  the  Long  Beach  Bank  building,  and 
during  1898-99  officiated  as  city  attorney  of  Long 
Beacli.  Since  coming  to  this  city  he  has  aided 
in  the  establishment  of  the  Citizens  Savings 
Bank  and  the  State  Bank  of  Long  Beach  of  the 
latter  of  which  he  now  acts  as  attorney.  In 
addition,  he  is  retained  as  attorney  for  the  Long 
Beach  Water  Company,  the  Pacific  Surgical 
Company  of  Los  Angeles,  the  Home  Telephone 


1782 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Company  of  Long  Beach  and  the  Home  Land 
and  Water  Company.  The  firm  of  Long  & 
Baker  are  city  attorneys  of  Azusa  and  Glendale. 
The  marriage  of  Mr.  Long  was  solemnized 
in  Los  Angeles  and  united  him  with  Miss  Mary 
Obear,  a  native  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.  Five  sons 
were  born  of  this  union,  namely :  Spencer  C, 
who  died  in  infancy,  Frank  C.  Stephen  G.,  Jr., 
Thomas  O.  and  Walter  B.,  who  are  receiving 
the  best  educational  advantages  their  home  city 
affords.  The  family  are  identified  with  the  First 
Baptist  Giurch  of  Long  Beach  and  contribute 
generously  to  its  maintenance,  as  to  other  move- 
ments for  the  general  welfare.  In  fraternal  con- 
nections Mr.  Long  holds  membership  with  the 
blue  lodge  of  Masons  and  the  Knights  of  P}i:hias 
at  Long  Beach,  while  in  politics  he  is  a  stanch 
Democrat,  an  active  worker  in  the  party,  and 
during  1905  was  honored  with  the  presidency 
of  the  Democratic  Club  of  Long  Beach.  He 
has  been  a  delegate  to  the  county  conventions  of 
his  party  and  in  1906  was  elected  a  delegate  to 
the  state  Democratic  convention. 


WALTER  C.  EYAL\NN.  Prominent  among 
the  highly  esteemed  and  influential  citizens 
cf  Ocean  Park  is  Walter  C.  Eymann,  a  prac- 
tical business  man  and  a  leading  real-estate 
dealer,  who  has  been  an  important  factor  in 
promoting  the  rapid  growth  of  this  beautiful 
coast  city,  and  a  liberal  contributor  towards 
the  establishment  of  its  varied  enterprises. 
Distinguished  not  only  as  a  native-born  son 
of  California,  but  for  the  honored  ancestry 
from  wliich  he  traces  his  lineage,  he  occupies 
a  conspicuous  position  in  the  annals  of  Los 
.Angeles  county,  and  no  person  is  more  worthy 
than  he  of  representation  in  a  work  of  this 
kind.  A  son  of  Charles  F.  Eymann,  "SI.  D.,  he 
was  born,  November  3,  1867,  in  Anaheim, 
Orange  county.  Tlie  Eymann  family  has 
long  been  prominent  in  Germany,  among  its 
members  being  doctors,  lawyers  and  merchants 
of  distinction,  one  of  its  members  having  served 
as  court  physician  to  the  Czar  of  Russia. 

A  native  of  Germany,  Charles  F.  Eymann 
was  born,  reared  and  educated  in  Oldenburg, 
the  home  of  many  of  his  ancestors.  Immigrat- 
mg  to  the  United  States  when  a  young  man, 
he  continued  his  studies  in  the  medical  college 
at  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  Subsequently  going  over- 
land to  California,  he  engaged  in  mining  and 
prospecting  with  unusual  success,  amassing  a 
fortune.  As  banks  were  unsafe  in  those  days 
it  was  customary  to  bur}'  money ;  one  day 
he  returned  and  was  bitterly  disappointed  to 
find  that  some  one  had  visited  the  spot  where 
he  had   secreted  his  wealth,  and   robbed  him. 


Afterwards  settling  in  San  Francisco,  he  built 
up  a  substantial  business  as  a  merchant,  and 
became  a  large  property  owner.  He  married 
.\malia  Hammes,  whose  father,  Philip 
Plammes,  immigrated  to  San  Francisco  from 
Germany  in  1856,  and  there  followed  his  trade 
of  watchmaker,  clockmaker  and  jeweler  until 
his  removal  to  .Anaheim  with  the  original  Ger- 
man colony. 

Leaving  school  when  about  sixteen  years  of 
age,  Walter  C.  Eymann  assumed  charge  of  a 
vineyard  of  thirty-three  acres,  managing'  it 
successfully  until  the  destruction  of  the  vines 
by  a  disease  that  killed  all  of  the  vineyards 
of  that  locality  and  ruined  the  wine  industry. 
He  subsequently  took  a  course  of  study  at 
Heald's  Business  College,  after  which  he  was 
a  resident  of  San  Francisco  for  two  and  one- 
half  years,  being  employed  as  collector,  sales- 
man and  bookkeeper,  first  for  Hueter  Brothers, 
and  later  for  the  Bass-Hueter  Paint  Company. 
Going  then  to  Europe,  he  visited  a  favorite 
aunt  at  the  home  of  his  ancestors,  after  which 
he  traveled  extensively  on  the  continent,  visit- 
ing the  principal  art  galleries,  and  other  places 
of  interest. 

On  returning  to  California,  ]\Ir.  Eymann 
settled  near  Anaheim,  on  land  left  him  by  his 
father,  and  at  once  began  its  improvement,  in 
the  course  of  a  few  j'ears  developing  a  valuable 
walnut  grove.  He  built  a  fine  house  and  sub- 
stantial farm  buildings,  making  noteworthy 
improvements.  This  place  he  sold  in  Novem- 
ber, 1904,  realizing  a  handsome  profit  from  his 
expenditure  of  time  and  money.  Coming  to 
Ocean  Park,  he  bought  the  Summerheim  flats, 
which  he  has  since  managed,  and  continued 
in  the  real-estate  business,  with  which  he  had 
previously  been  associated  for  three  years.  In 
the  spring  of  1905  he  opened  a  real-estate  office 
in  the  city  of  Los  Angeles,  but  this  he  aban- 
doned when  the  beach  cities  began  to  show- 
signs  of  life  and  activity  and  has  since  main- 
tained an  office  on  ocean  front.  He  not  only 
deals  in  Southern  California  property,  but  also 
handles  northern  lands,  owning  property  in 
the  San  Joaquin  valley  and  Tulare  county. 

Mr.  Eymann  is  a  man  of  great  inventive 
talent  as  well  as  a  business'  man  of  ability, 
'^n  1893  he  received  from  the  Ignited  States 
government  a  patent  that  was  an  improvement 
on  a  patent  that  he  then  possessed,  it  being  a 
valuable  invention  utilizing  a  combination  of 
coal  and  gas  ranges.  In  introducing  it  to  the 
public  he  traveled  over  one-half  of  the  states 
of  the  Union,  and  from  the  royalty  now  given 
him  by  its  manufacturers,  the  J.  L.  Mott  Iron 
Works  Company,  of  New  York  City,  he  re- 
ceives a  good  annual  income.   He  also  has  other 


(^^^a.  /2 


.^C^>^E^. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1785 


incomplete  inventions,  one  contemplated  one 
being  the  taking  of  electric  currents  from  the 
earth  and  using  them  in  stationary  engines. 
He  is  an  expert  in  oil  and  water,  and  has  acted 
in  this  capacity  in  Southern  California  for  a 
number  of  years,  always  with  satisfactory  re- 
sults. He  is  a  fine  business  man,  and  has  ac- 
quired extensive  property  interests  in  Ocean 
Park,  San  Joaquin  valley  and  Tulare  county. 

In  Europe,  in  1894,  Air.  Eymann  married 
Dorothea  H.  Schellens,  a  daughter  of  Richard 
Schellens,  a  noted  railway  man,  who  is  a 
government  director  of  all  the  railroads  in  the 
Rhine  provinces,  and  an  inventor  of  the  Schel- 
lens railway  train  blocking  devices.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Eymann  have  one  child,  Gilbert  H.  W. 
Eymann.  Fraternally  Mr.  E3'mann  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters. 


WILLIAM  A.  REEVES.  As  a  well  known 
and  highly  respected  rancher  and  dairyman, 
William  A.  Reeves  is  located  in  the  vicinity 
of  Hynes  and  engaged  in  the  management  of 
his  business,  which  has  brought  him  a  com- 
petence and  placed  him  among  the  successful 
men  of  this  community.  He  is  a  native  son, 
his  birth  having  occurred  near  El  Monte,  Los 
Angeles  county,  Januar}^  7,  1862,  his  parents, 
Samuel  and  Lydia  (Cleminson)  Reeves,  being 
natives  respectively  of  Kentucky  and  Missouri. 
The}'  were  the  first  white  people  married  in 
San  Diego,  the  father  having  crossed  the  plains 
in  1849;  he  teamed  for  a  time  from  the  port 
of  Wilmington  to  Los  Angeles,  and  finally  re- 
moved to  El  Monte  and  took  up  government 
land,  making  that  place  his  home  for  a  few 
years,  when  he  Ipcated  in.  Azusa.  He  there 
owned  thirty  acres  upon  which  he  made  his 
bome  for  fifteen  years,  when  he  sold  out  and 
came  to  the  vicinity  of  Hynes  and  purchased 
ten  acres  with  his  son,  but  made  his  home  in 
Hynes,  where  his  death  occurred  at  the  age  of 
seventy-two  years.  The  mother  is  still  sur- 
viving and  makes  her  home  in  Clearwater  at 
the  age  of  seventy  years.  She  became  the 
mother  of  eight  children,  of  whom  the  follow- 
ing are  living:  William  A.,  of  this  review; 
Mrs.  Mary  Dougherty,  a  widow ;  Lucetta,  wife 
of  D.  W.  McDonald,  of  Santa  Ana;  Minnie, 
wife  of  H.  W.  Snodgrass.  of  Covina  :  Lillian, 
who  resides  with  her  mother  at  Clearwater, 
and  Ina,  wife  of  John  G.  Lewis,  residing  near 
Hynes.  Mr.  Reeves  was  a  stanch  Republican 
in  politics  and  while  in  Azusa  served  as  justice 
of  the  peace. 

In  El  Monte  William  A  Reeves  received  his 
education  in  the  public  schools,  and  also  at- 
tended school  in  Azusa.  He  worked  at  home 
until    his    marriage,    which    occurred    in    1885, 


when  he  went  to  San  Bernardino  and  about 
three  miles  up  Lytle  creek  engaged  in  ranch- 
ing. After  four  years  he  removed  to  Santa 
Monica  and  engaged  in  the  stock  business, 
raising  beef  for  the  market  and  making  that 
place  his  home  for  ten  years.  He  finally  took 
up  a  government  claim  of  one  hundre'd  and 
sixty  acres,  the  greater  part  of  which  was 
grazing  land,  and  improved  the  property  with 
buildings  and  by  setting  out  a  fine  orchard. 
Subsequently  he  sold  out  at  Santa  Monica 
and  coming  to  the  vicinity  of  Hynes  purchased 
his  present  property  of  twenty-five  acres,  all 
devoted  to  the  raising  of  alfalfa,  and  he  also 
leases  forty-five  acres  devoted  to  alfalfa,  beets, 
and  pasture  land.  He  has  a  dairy  of  twenty- 
four  cows  and  disposes  of  his  product  to  the 
Crescent  Cream  Company  through  the  Hynes 
Co-operative  Creamery  Company,  of  which  he 
is  a  member. 

To  Mr.  Reeves  and  his  wife  were  born  three 
children,  namely:  Claude,  Lyda  and  Pearl. 
Before  marriage  Mrs.  Reeves  was  Miss  Molly 
E.  Swinney;  she  was  born  in  Missouri,  a 
daughter  of  Henry  G.  and  Cordelia  (Shores) 
Swimrey,  natives  respectively  of  Kentucky  and 
Pike  county.  Mo.  The  family  came  to" Cali- 
fornia in  1870  and  here  the  father  engaged  in 
ranching  and  the  sale  of  real  estate  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1901,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-seven  years.  During  the  Civil  war  Mr. 
Swinney  enlisted  in  a  Kentucky  regiment  and 
was  taken  prisoner  and  confine'd  in  prison  for 
some  time.  Mrs.  Swinney  still  survives  and 
makes  her  home  at  Ocean  Park,  Cal.  Besides 
-Mrs.  Reeves  she  is  the  mother  of  the  following 
chddren :  Laura,  wife  of  \^^illiam  Clark,  of  Los 
Angeles:  James,  of  Alamitos  Bay;  Rudolph,  of 
Roseberr}-:  and  ^^'■i]liam,  residing  with  the 
mother  at  Ocean   Park. 

Mr.  Reeves  is  a  stanch  Republican  in  his 
political  convictions  and  takes  a  keen  interest 
in  the  advancement  of  these  principles.  He 
served  for  some  years  as  a  school  trustee  in 
Santa  Monica.  Mrs.  Reeves  is  a  member  of 
the  United  Brethren  Church 


FRANK  BROCKMAN  PETTIS.  When  the 
early  years  of  the  '50s  were  drawing  thousands 
of  strong,  self-reliant  young  men  from  the  east 
to  the  unknown  shores  of  the  western  sea.  B.  F. 
Pettis,  who  was  a  native  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  and 
a  blacksmith  by  trade,  joined  a  party  of  emi- 
grants bound  for  the  west  with  wagons  and 
oxen.  In  common  with  many  of  the  early  set- 
tlers, he  was  anxious  to  tempt  Dame  Fortune  in 
the  gold  mines  and  this  plan  he  carried  out, 
only  to  find  that  the  goddess  was  fickle  and  re- 
fused to  respond  to  his  labors  in  the  mines  of  the 


1786 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


mountains.  Thereupon  he  sought  a  more  re- 
hable  if  less  fascinating  occupation,  and  took  up 
the  work  of  horse-shoeing  in  Alpine  county, 
working  both  in  the  towns  of  Genoa  and  Mark- 
leeville.  A  brief  subsequent  experience  in  placer 
mining  was  followed  by  his  removal  further 
south,  and  in  1871  he  arrived  at  Goleta,  Santa 
Barbara  county,  accompanied  by  his  family. 
Soon  after  his  arrival  he  bought  a  blacksmith's 
shop  and  afterward  engaged  at  blacksmithing 
until  his  retirement  from  business  cares,  since 
which  time  he  has  remained  at  Goleta,  honored 
by  the  entire  community  as  a  man  of  warm 
heart,  fine  principles  of  honor  and  unquestioned 
integrity. 

After  coming  to  California  B.  F.  Pettis  met 
and  married  Mary  Brockman,  who  was  born  in 
Sonoma  county,  Cal.,  and  died  at  Goleta,  Santa 
Barbara  county.  Her  father,  Capt.  Israel  Brock- 
man,  was  a  pioneer  of  1846  in  California,  having 
come  to  the  then  territory  with  General  Fre- 
mont's expedition,  and  serving  as  an  officer  in 
the  Mexican  war.  Upon  the  close  of  that  strug- 
gle he  settled  in  Sonoma  county,  of  which  he 
was  a  pioneer,  and  in  1850  was  elected  sheriff, 
the  first  incumbent  of  the  office  in  that  county. 
Not  long  afterward  he  removed  to  Mexico  with 
the  intention  of  settling,  but  he  failed  to  make 
satisfactory  arrangements  for  land  with  the 
i\Iexican  government,  and  therefore  returned  to 
California,  where  he  secured  large  tracts  on  the 
Sweetwater  in  San  Diego  county.  After  a  long 
and  unusually  active  existence  he  passed  away 
in  San  Diego,  and  was  followed  to  his  last  rest- 
ing place  by  tributes  of  respect  and  admiration 
from  old  and  young.  With  his  departure  an- 
other link  was  broken  binding  the  past  with  the 
present. 

In  the  family  of  B.  F.  and  Mary  Pettis  there 
were  seven  children,  five  of  whom  are  now  liv- 
ing. The  eldest,  Frank  Brockman  Pettis,  was 
born  near  Markleeville,  Alpine  county,  Cal., 
January  11,  1871,  and  in  infancy  was  brought  to 
Santa  Barbara  county.  During  boyhood  he  was 
a  pupil  in  the  Goleta  common  schools.  Upon 
leaving  school  he  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade 
under  his  father,  with  whom  he  worked  until 
1895,  and  then  engaged  in  business  alone,  hav- 
ing a  large  trade  as  a  blacksmith  and  also  sell- 
ing agricultural  implements.  During  1903  he 
came  to  Oxnard  and  embarked  in  the  hardware 
and  implement  business  on  Sixth  and  B  streets, 
dealing  in  heavy  and  shelf  hardware,  cutlery, 
implements,  etc.,  and  acting  as  agent  for  tlie 
Osborne  and  Planet,  Jr.,  machinery,  the  Milbum 
wagons  and  the  Oliver  plows.  In  the  spring  of 
1906  he  removed  to  more  commodious  quarters 
at  No.  525  Saviers  road. 

Before  leaving  Goleta  Mr.  Pettis  married  Miss 
Carrie  E.   Carr,  of  that  citv,   a  native  of  Wis- 


consin, and  they  are  the  foster  parents  of  one 
daughter,  Helen  B.  In  religious  connections 
they  are  identified  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  in  which  Mr.  Pettis  officiates  as  a 
steward.  Politically  he  always  has  voted  the  Re- 
publican ticket  and  believes  in  the  platform  for 
which  that  party  stands.  Initiated  into  Masonry 
during  his  residence  in  Santa  Barbara  county,  he 
is  now  a  member  of  Oxnard  Lodge  No.  341, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  and  his  Masonic  relations  are  fur- 
ther extended  through  his  membership  in  the 
Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  Oxnard. 


RICHARD  HOFF.  Among  the  residents 
of  Los  Angeles  county  who  are  specially 
worthy  of  notice  in  this  volume  is  Richard 
Hoff,  now  living  on  a  farm  at  Hyde  Park, 
retired  from  active  pursuits.  A  man  of  un- 
questioned courage  and  bravery,  persistent  of 
purpose  and  of  upright  principles,  he  has  had 
a  varied  career,  and  during  the  Civil  war 
acquired  distinction  for  his  gallant  work  in 
the  United  States  navy.  A  son  of  Richard 
Hoff,  Sr.,  he  was  born  in  1841,  in  New  York 
state,  of  English  ancestr)'. 

A  native  of  Lincolnshire,  England,  Richard 
Hoff,  Sr.,  lived  there  until  1827,  when  he 
immigrated  to  the  United  States.  Settling  in 
New  York  state,  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand 
at  first,  and  until  his  death,  in  1861,  was 
acti\"ely  employed  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Crane,  who  was  born  in 
New  York  state,  and  she  survived  him  many 
years,  dying  in  1882.  Seven  children  were 
born  of  their  union,  namely :  George,  William, 
Charles,  Richard,  Edward,  Mary  and  An- 
toinette, and  with  the  exception  of  Richard, 
the  subject  of  thfs  sketch,  the  sons  are  all 
deceased. 

Starting  in  life  for  himself  in  1856,  then  a 
lad  of  fifteen  years.  Richard  Hoff'  labored  in- 
dustriously at  any  honest  employment,  work- 
ing at  first  as  a  farm  hand.  In  1858  he  em- 
barked in  seafaring  pursuits,  and  for  six  years 
was  a  common  sailor  on  board  a  New  Bed- 
ford, Mass..  whaling  vessel.  In  1864  he  en- 
listed in  the  United  States  navy,  and  on  the 
gunboat  Huron,  Avhich  was  commanded  by 
.\dmiral  Thomas  O.  Selfridge.  he  participated 
in  the  two  engagements  at  Fort  Fisher,  the 
first  one  being  on  Christmas  day.  1864,  and 
the  last  one  on  January  15,  1865,  when  the 
garrison  was  forced  to  surrender.  In  this 
attack  the  sailors  fought  gallantly,  armed  with 
revolvers  and  cutlasses,  and  Mr.  Hoff  had  the 
distinction  of  being  one  of  the  very  first  of  the 
bluejackets  that  attempted  to  mount  the  fort. 
The  Huron  was  then  sent  to  the  Norfolk  navy 
yard  for  repairs,  and  after  the  mast,  which  had 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1787 


been  shot  off,  was  replaced  by  a  new  one, 
Admiral  Selfridge  was  ordered  to  Key  West, 
Fla.,  with  his  men  in  order  to  head  off  Jef- 
ferson Davis,  who,  it  was  thought,  had  fled 
in  that  direction.  At  the  close  of  the  war, 
Air.  Hoff  was  honorably  discharged  at  the 
Brooklyn  navy  yard,  in  June,  1865,  and  is 
now  a  retired  admiral. 

Resuming  his  agricultural  labors,  Mr.  Hoft' 
worked  on  a  farm  for  a  year,  after  which  he 
came  by  way  of  Panama  to  California,  arriv- 
ing in  San  Francisco  May  23,  1866.  Going 
from  there  to  Santa  Cruz,  he  secured  a  posi- 
tion in  the  powder  works,  with  which  he  was 
connected  for  thirteen  years.  In  1881  he  be- 
came fireman  on  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad, 
remaining  with  the  company  for  two  years, 
when  he  went  to  Ogden,  Utah,  and  became 
superintendent  ol  the  Utah  powder  works, 
a  position  which  he  held  for  seven  years. 
Settling  in  Hyde  Park,  Los  Angeles  county, 
in  iSgo,  he  has  since  resided  here,  and  is  now 
living  retired  on  the  small  rancli  which  he 
owns.  His  services  in  the  war  have  won 
recognition,  and  he  has  been  entered  in  the 
Soldier's  Home,  in  Los  Angeles  county.  Po- 
liticallv  he  is  a  true-blue  Republican. 

Mr.'  Hoff  married  first,  in  1878,  Flora 
Bennett,  a  daughter  of  Eben  Bennett,  who 
came  to  California  with  the  Crockers  in  pioneer 
days,  .^.t  her  death  she  left  three  children, 
namely:  George,  Clara  and  Edwin.  Mr.  Hoff 
married  for  his  second  wife,  in  1901,  the  widow 
of  E.  A.  Lamphere,  of  Los  Angeles.  Mrs. 
Hoff  is  a  most  estimable  woman,  and  a  con- 
sistent member  of  the  Congregational  Church. 
Bv  her  first  mnrriage  slie  had  five  children, 
none  of  whom  is  now  living, 


REV.  CHARLES  H.  LAA\-REXCE.  The 
First  Alethodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Escon- 
dido,  of  which  Rev.  Mr.  Lawrence  has  acted  as 
pastor  for  five  3'ears,  holds  a  prominent  position 
among  the  uplifting  spiritual  forces  of  the  city 
and  has  proved  a  power  for  good  during  the 
period  of  its  existence.  The  organization  of 
the  congregation  dates  back  to  September  16- 
21,  1886,  when  the  San  Diego  district  was  cre- 
ated, and  on  the  7th  of  October,  of  the  same 
year,  the  first  quarterly  conference  was  held, 
resulting  in  the  permanent  establishment  of 
the  cause  at  Escondido.  Under  the  original 
board  of  trustees,  consisting  of  T.  B.  Thaver, 
John  Hudson,  W.  H.  Sharp,  D.  T.  Oakes  and 
F.  M.  Statler,  the  movement  was  incorporated 
for  a  period  of  fifty  yeaf-s.  The  first  meeting- 
house utilized  by  the  congregation  was  a  brick 
building  now  used  as  a  warehouse.  When  a 
schoolhouse  was  erected  on    Lime  street  per- 


mission was  given  the  congregation  to  hold 
their  Sunday-school  and  church  services  in 
that  building.  Their  first  permanent  home, 
which  is  still  their  house  of  worship,  was  erect- 
ed of  brick,  and  on  the  occasion  of  the  dedica- 
tion, August  21,  1887,  the  entire  cost  of  the 
structure.  $1600,  was  raised  within  one  hour. 
Under  the  present  pastorate  a  parsonage  has 
been  erected  at  a  cost  of  $2500,  containing  the 
modern  conveniences,  including  hot  and  cold 
water,  and  admirably  adapted  to  contribute 
to  the  bodily  comfort  of  the  occupants. 

The  present  pastor  of  the  Escondido  church 
is  a  Canadian  by  birth  and  education.  His 
parents,  Erastus  and  Elizabeth  (Gilman) 
Lav,-rencc,  were  natives  of  Canada,  where  the 
former  was  postma.ster  and  a  leading  mer- 
chant of  his  town.  Warmly  interested  in  all 
movements  for  the  development  of  local  re- 
sources, he  was  particularly  interested  in  rail- 
road building  and  accomplished  much  in  that 
important  department  of  progress.  Overwork 
and  anxiety  in  connection  with  his  extensive 
investments  brought  on  his  death  in  1881,  when 
he  was  sixty-one  years  of  age.  Afterward  his 
widow  came  to  California  and  now,  at  the  age 
of  eighty-three  years,  makes  her  home  with 
her  son  in  Escondido.  In  the  province  of  Que- 
bec Charles  H.  Lawrence  was  born  March  20, 
1859.  At  an  early  age  he  displayed  unusual 
aptitude  for  intellectual  pursuits  and  conse- 
quently was  given  every  educational  advan- 
tage within  the  means  of  the  family.  After  a 
course  of  three  years  in  Stanstead'  Wesleyan 
College  he  matriculated  in  The  Wesleyan 
Theological  College  at  Montreal,  Canada,  an 
institution  afifiliated  with  McGill  University, 
and  there  he  completed  his  theological  studies 
and  prepared  for  the  ministry  of  the  Methodist 
Church.  In  the  spring  of  18S1  he  entered  upon 
his  first  pastorate  at  St.  Henri  de  Montreal 
Methodist  Church,  where  he  did  effective  work 
for  three  years.  His  next  two  pastorates  also 
covered  three  years  each  and  then  he  remained 
for  brief  periods  at  Frclighsburg  and  Rich- 
mond. 

After  eleven  }-ears  of  ministerial  work  in 
the  province  of  Quebec,  in  the  fall  of  1892 
Rev.  Mr.  Lawrence  came  to  Southern  Califor-  . 
nia,  bringing  with  him  a  younger  brother 
whose  ill-health  demanded  a  change  to 
a  climate  less  rigorous  than  that  of  their 
old  Canadian  home.  For  five  months  he  re- 
mained in  Los  Angeles,  but  in  the  spring  of 
1803  'le  was  given  the  pastorate  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  at  Santa  Alaria,  Santa 
Barbara  county,  where  he  remained  for  three 
years.  Next  he  was  stationed  at  Arroyo 
Grande,  San  Luis  Obispo  county,  for  three 
years.     While  there  the  church  received  a  onft 


17S8 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  iifteen  acres  of  land  admirably  adapted  for 
an  assembly-ground,  and  he  at  once  took  steps 
toward  securing  the  establishment  of  a  perma- 
nent camp-ground  at  that  place.  Largely 
through  his  ceaseless  efforts  a  fund  of  $1600 
was  raised  with  which  to  erect  a  large  taber- 
nacle on  the  grounds,  and  since  then,  summer 
assemblies  have  been  held  for  the  members  of 
the  denomination  and  other  Christian  workers. 
From  Arroyo  Grande  he  was  transferred  to 
the  Union  Avenue  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  of  Los  Angeles,  and  during  a  pastorate 
of  two  years  with  that  congregation  he  was 
instrumental  in  the  erection  of  a  commodious 
edifice  on  the  corner  of  Court  and  Union 
avenues.  A  pastorate  of  one  year  at  Santa 
Paula,  Ventura  county,  was  followed  in  1901 
by  his  removal  to  Escondido,  where  under  his 
efficient  labors  the  church  has  enjoyed  a  steady 
growth.  In  liis  ministerial  work  he  has  the 
co-operation  of  his  wife,  formerly  Mary  Jarvis, 
of  Quebec,  whom  he  married  August  25,  1886, 
and  by  whom  he  has  two  children,  Arthur  D. 
and  ?ilabel  Jarvis,  now  (190$)  seventeen  and 
twelve  years  of  age  respectively. 

Since  the  above  was  written  Rev.  Mr.  Law- 
rence has  been  removed  from  Escondido  to 
the  pastorate  of  the  South  Main  street  ]\Ieth- 
odist  Episcopal  Church  of  Los  Angeles,  with 
residence  at  No.  127  West  Fifty-first  street. 


HARRY  JULIUS  HOFFMAYR.  There  are 
few  grain-buyers  in  Southern  California  who 
possess  a  more  thorough  knowledge  of  the  de- 
tails of  the  business  or  are  more  adequately  pre- 
pared for  the  successful  discharge  of  affairs 
connected  with  the  business  than  J\Ir.  Hoffniayr, 
a  gentleman  of  broad  experience  in  the  line  of 
his  special  calling.  While  the  period  of  his  resi- 
dence in  Oxnard  is  of  comparatively  brief  dura- 
tion, nevertheless  he  has  formed  a  large  circle  of 
acquaintances  throughout  all  of  this  section  of 
country.  The  importance  of  his  position  as 
agent  for  the  Southern  Pacific  Milling  Company 
may  be  inferred  from  the  statement  that  he  has 
charge  of  all  the  company's  warehouses  at  Ox- 
nard,  Camarillo,  Somis,  Moorpark  and  St.  Sus- 
anna, and  takes  entire  charge  of  the  buying  of 
grain,  beans  and  produce  from  the  farmers  of 
the  adjacent  country. 

The  genealogy  of  the  Hoffmayr  family  shows 
that  they  come  from  ancient  German  ancestry 
and  as  far  back  as  the  records  can  be  traced 
some  of  their  name  flourished  in  the  land  of  the 
Teutons.  The  first  to  cross  the  ocean  to  Ameri- 
ca was  Col.  Julius  Charles  Hoffmayr,  a  native 
of  Hochzeit,  Prussia,  a  son  of  Charles  J.  Hoff- 
mavr.  a  large  land  owner,  and  Emma,  nee  von 
Treskow,  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  mili- 


tary families  of  Prussia.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  \ears  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  set- 
tled at  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  where,  although  a 
civil  engineer  by  profession,  he  followed  the 
miller's  trade,  building  at  St.  Mary's  the  first 
sawmill  in  the  entire  western  slope  of  the  Mis- 
souri river,  and  operating  it  for  Col.  Peter  A. 
Sarpy,  the  noted  old  Indian  trader  of  the  North 
Western  Fur  Company.  Somewhat  later  he 
built  a  flour  mill  at  the  same  location.  The  next 
work  1.1  which  he  became  interested  was  the . 
furnishij  -  of  oak  ties  and  car  lumber  for  the 
building  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company, 
he  and  h:s  partner,  John  W.  Cooper  (a  brother 
of  Air.  Cooper  living  near  Santa  Barbara,  Cal.), 
obtaining  the  lumber  for  the  ties  and  car  lumber 
in  the  extensive  woods  near  Honey  Creek,  Iowa, 
on  the  Chicago  &  North  Western  Railroad.  At 
Council  Bluffs  he  assisted  in  piling  the  first 
wooden  ice  bridge  across  the  Alissouri  river,  for 
the  Union  Pacific  Railroad.  Next  he  erected  a 
flour  mill  at  Council  Bluff's,  Iowa,  and  this  he 
operated  for  thirty-seven  years.  He  was  also 
a  director  of  the  Pacific  National  Bank.  Event- 
ually he  left  Iowa  for  the  more  genial  climate 
of  New  Mexico  and  there  he  engaged  in  hor- 
ticultural pursuits  until  his  retirement  from 
business,  since  which  he  has  made  his  home 
with  his  son  in  California.  The  title  by  which 
he  is  known  came  to  him  through  service  as  a 
colonel  of  Iowa  State  troops  during  the  Civil 
war.  He  was  wounded  several  times  in  fights 
with  Sioux  Indians.  Fraternally  he  is  identified 
with  the  Masons  and  the  Knights  Templar,  and 
while  living  in  Iowa  was  one  of  the  most  emi- 
nent men  in  the  Masonic  fraternity  in  the  state, 
at  one  time  officiating  as  eminent  commander  of 
Ivanhoe  Commandery  No.  17,  and  in  other  ways 
impressing  the  strength  of  his  individuality  up- 
on the  order. 

The  marriage  of  Colonel  Hoffmayr  united  him 
with  JNIiss  Antoinette  Wolfram,  who  was  born 
at  the  ancestral  home  in  the  province  of  Posen, 
Germany,  and  died  at  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  in 
1876.  Seven  children  were  born  of  that  union, 
of  whom  Harry  Julius,  the  eldest,  and  his  broth- 
er Arthur  are  the  sole  survivors.  Born  at  Coun- 
cil Bluffs,  Iowa,  June  29,  1865,  Harry  Julius  was 
only  eleven  years  of  age  when  death  deprived 
him  of  a  mother's  affectionate  oversight.  After 
having  studied  in  the  grammar  and  high  schools 
of  Council  Bluffs  until  he  was  sixteen  years  of 
age,  he  then  began  to  earn  his  own  livelihood, 
and  since  then  has  been  independent  of  aid  from 
others.  The  first  position  which  he  held  was 
that  of  bookkeeper  for  his  father,  with  whom  he 
continued  in  business  for  eight  years.  At  the 
expiration  of  that  time  he  came  to  California  in 
i8go  with  the  hope  that  a  change  of  climate 
might  benefit  his  health,  which  had  been  injured 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


by  the  confining  work  of  bookkeeping-.  For  a 
tnne  he  engaged  in  horticultural  pursuits  at  San 
Miguel  and  found  the  open-air  work  conducive 
to  health.  For  a  j-ear  afterward  he  worked  with 
Eppn:ger  &  Co.,  at  Paso  Robles,  but  at  the  ex- 
piration of  that  time  he  found  it  necessary  to 
seek  the  mountain  air  for  the  benefit  of  .  his 
health.  Later  he  engaged  as  bookkeeper  with 
Eppinger  &  Co.,  for  eight  months.  Since  March 
of  1895  he  has  been  employed  by  the  Southern 
Pacific  Milling  Company,  first  acting  as  their 
agent  at_  Guadaloupe,  and  then  as  agent  at  San 
Buena  Ventura  for  nine  and  one-half  \-ears,  af- 
ter which  in  1904  he  came  to  Oxnard,'his  pres- 
ent headquarters. 

Before  leaving  Iowa  Mr.  Hoffmavr  was  unit- 
ed in  marriage  at  Crescent  City  with  Miss  Mag- 
gie S.  Corbaley,  a  native  of  Indiana,  and  like 
himself  a  faithful  member  of  the  Christian 
Church.  Five  children  comprise  their  family, 
namely :  Antoinette  May,  Kate  Janet,  Eva  Leona, 
Olive  Marguerite  and  Charles  Arthur.  Fra- 
ternally Mr.  Hoffmayr  affiliates  with  the  An- 
cient Order  of  United  Workmen,  while  in  mat- 
ters political  he  gives  his  stanch  support  to  the 
men  and  measures  advocated  by  the  Republican 
party.  Keen,  intelligent,  capable  and  energetic, 
he  forms  a  valuable  acquisition  to  the  business 
element  of  Oxnard  and  holds  a  distinct  position 
in  the  regard  and  esteem  of  associates. 


WILLIAM  M.  BROWN.  Fortified  by  a 
previous  extended  and  comprehensive  experi- 
ence in  the  sash  and  door  business  and  in 
woodwork  of  every  kind.  Mr.  Brown  was  qual- 
ified to  successfully  conduct  the  plant  which 
he  established  after  coming  to  Long  Beach  in 
1903.  The  Long  Beach  Sash  and  Door  Corn- 
pan)'  was  originally  started  on  American  av- 
enue, but  now  occupies  suitable  quarters  on 
the  corner  of  Appleton  and  Bonita  streets, 
where  employment  is  furnished  to  twentj^-sev- 
en  men.  The  company  was  incorporated  Sep- 
tember 30,  1904,  capitalized  at  $25,000.  and  un- 
der the  guidance  of  the  following  corps  of  of- 
ficers:  W.  M.  Brown,  president  and  manager; 
George  Howe,  vice-president ;  B.  C.  Hatch, 
secretary;  and  P.  E.  Hatch,  treasurer. 

Of  eastern  birth  and  descent,  Mr.  Brown 
was  born  in  the  village  of  St.  George,  Me.,  Au- 
gust 2,  1852,  being  a  son  of  Charles  Brown,  a 
native  of  the  same  locality.  After  having  com- 
pleted the  studies  of  the  common  schools  he 
began  to  earn  his  own  livelihood  and  at  the 
age  of  nineteen  was  apprenticed  as  a  ship 
joiner  in  Belfast,  Me.,  where  he  remained  for 
some  time.  During  1S83  he  removed  to  Min- 
neapolis, TkTinn.,  and  became  interested  in  the 


1789 

manufacture  of  sash,  doors  and  moulding.  For 
four  years  he  was  in  charge  of  the  moulding 
department  of  the  Minneapolis  Sash  &  Door 
Company  and  for  three  and  one-half  vears  he 
was  connected  with  the  Flour  Citv  Sash  and 
Door  Company.  In  July,' 1892,  he' accepted  a 
position  as  woodworker  with  the  street  rail- 
way company  and  in  1895  was  promoted  to  be 
master  mechanic  of  the  Twin  City  Rapid 
Transit  Company,  in  which  position  he  de- 
signed the  type  of  car  adopted  for  use  on  the 
street  railways  of  those  cities. 

Considerations  of  health  induced  ]\Ir.  Brown 
to  give  up  a  profitable  position  in  Minneap- 
olis and  seek  the  west,  Avhere  he  made  a  brief 
sojourn  in  Seattle,  Wash.  On  his  return  to 
Minneapolis  he  took  charge  of  the  sash  and 
door  department  of  the  Abbott  Manufacturing 
Company  of  St.  Paul,  but  soon  found  that  it 
would  be  necessary  to  remove  permanently 
from  that  section  of  the  country  in  order  to 
retain  his  health.  During  the  latter  part  of 
1902  he  came  to  California  and  settled  at  Wil- 
mington, where  he  erected  the  Southwestern 
Lumber  Company's  plant  and  took  charge  of 
the  same  until  it  was  in  accurate  and  satisfac- 
tory running  order.  From  there  he  came  to 
Long  Beach,  where  he  has  gained  a  place  as  a 
reliable,  intelligent  and  trustworthy  business 
man.  Before  leaving  the  east  he  married  Miss 
Vesta  Frost,  who  was  born  in  ?\Iaine.  They 
are  the  parents  of  one  son  and  four  daughters, 
namely :  AValter  M. ;  Edith  ;  Albertha,  who  re- 
sides in  :\Iinneapolis;  May,  assistant  librarian 
of  the  Long  Beach  library;  and  Vesta,  at 
home.  The  family  attend  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  in  their  home  city. 

Always  interested  in  fraternal  organiza- 
tions, Mr.  Brown  was  active  in  a  number  of 
these  during  his  residence  in  Minneapolis,  and 
was  especially  interested  in  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  as  a  member  of  the 
lodge,  encampment  and  kindred  order  of  Re- 
bekahs.  In  1888  he  was  chosen  a  delegate  to 
the  grand  lodge  and  also  represented  at  vari- 
ous times  ,his  local  lodge  at  the  Grand  En- 
campment. In  the  work  of  organizing  the 
Northern  Light  Lodge  No.  121,  of  Alinneap- 
olis,  he  was  a  leading  factor  and  became  one 
of  its  charter  members,  as  also  he  was  of  Hen- 
nepin Encampn.ient  at  Minneapolis.  The  lola 
Lodge  of  Rebekahs  in  Minneapolis  also  owed 
its  establishment  largely  to  his  energetic  ef- 
forts and  constant  interest,  and  he  was  among 
its  charter  members.  Though  not  a  partisan 
in  politics,  he  sup])orts  Republican  candidates 
and  believes  thoronghix  in  the  jirinciples  for 
which  that  party  stands. 


1790 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


J.  DANIEL  CARD.  Prominent  among  the 
men  of  Long  Beach,  is  J.  Daniel  Gard,  who  has 
been  a  resident  of  this  city  since  1901  and  a  con- 
stant contributor  to  its  growth  and  progress.  He 
was  born  on  a  farm  in  Warren  county,  Ohio, 
August  13,  1836  a  son -of  John  Gard,  a  Virginian 
by  birth  and  a  pioneer  of  Ohio  in  the  year  1820. 
The  elder  man  engaged  as  a  farmer  throughout 
the  years  of  his  manhood,  dying  on  the  family 
homestead  at  an  advanced  age.  He  inherited 
from  English  ancestors  the  sturdy  qualities 
which  distinguished  his  citizenship,  acquiring  a 
position  of  both  affluence  and  influence  in  the 
section  of  country  where  he  made  his  home.  His 
wife,  formerly  Hannah  Hisey,  was  a  native  of 
Virginia,  but  she  received  her  education  in  War- 
ren County,  Ohio. 

The  youth  of  J.  Daniel  Gard  was  passed  upon 
his  father's  farm,  receiving  a  practical  training 
along  business  lines  while  he  attended  the  public 
schools.  In  young  manhood  he  followed  the  ex- 
ample of  his  father  and  engaged  actively  in  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising  in  Ohio,  buying  and  selling 
stock.  He  traveled  all  over  the  state  of  Ohio  in 
the  course  of  his  business,  but  preferred  to  make 
his  home  in  Warren  County,  where  he  owned  a 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  fine  land. 
This  property  he  cultivated  actively  until  1887,  in 
which  year  he  was  impelled  to  seek  a  milder  cli- 
mate on  account  of  impaired  health  ;  coming  to  the 
Pacific  slope,  he  spent  an  enjoyable  seven  months 
in  Southern  California.  He  returned  home  and 
for  five  years  continued  in  his  former  pursuits. 
Once  more  he  sought  the  temperate  climate  of 
California,  where  he  passed  one  year,  returning 
at  the  end  of  that  period  entirely  cured  of  his 
bronchial  trouble.  A  few  more  years  passed  in 
his  native  state  were  all  that  Mr.  Card  desired, 
and  in  igoi  he  closed  out  his  business  in  Ohio 
and  came  to  California  with  the  intention  of  mak- 
ing this  place  his  permanent  home.  He  located 
in  Long  Beach  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  an 
extensive  handling  of  real  estate,  buying  and  sell- 
ing lots.  With  his  brother.  William  Gard.  he  now 
owns  one  hundred  and  eleven  lots  at  Oceanside, 
in  addition  to  much  other  valuable  property.  In 
May,  igoi^,  he  built  a  comfortable  residence  at 
No.  63:;  Pine  avenue,  which  is  presided  over  by 
his  wife.  She  was  formerly  ^liss  ]Mar\'  j- 
"Walter,  a  native  of  Ohio,  in  which  state  their 
union  occurred.  They  have  had  three  children, 
all  of  whom  are  deceased,  two  dying  in  infancv. 
and  Walter  meeting  his  death  accidentallv  in 
1886. 

Mr.  Gard  has  met  with  success  in  all  his  vent- 
ures and  particularly  since  coming  to  California. 
Previous  to  this  move  he  had  given  all  of  his 
time  and  attention  to  as:riculture.  which  occupa- 
tion had  Ix-en  followed  bv  his  ancestors  for  gen- 
erations.    The  outdoor  life  and  healthful  occu- 


lion  of  mind  and  body  bred  in  the  mem- 
bers of  the  family  the  best  qualities  of  man- 
hood, health,  strength  and  vigor,  with  the 
best  possible  use  of  the  talents  with  which  nature 
has  endowed  them  being  their  chief  character- 
istics. Mr.  Gard  is  a  man  of  energetic  tempera- 
ment, strong  and  forceful  in  character,  and  has 
brought  to  bear  m  his  operations  in  California  all 
of  these  qualities.  He  has  a  firm  belief  in  the 
future  of  this  section  and  supports  it  enthusias- 
tically, financially  and  odierwise.  He  is  conserv- 
ative and  yet  progressive,  the  possession  of  good 
judgment  enabling  him  to  act  upon  opportunity. 
He  takes  an  active  part  in  the  promotion  of  all 
worthy  movements  for  the  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  Long  Beach,  being  particularly  active  in 
educational  affairs,  in  Ohio  having  served  on  the 
school  board  for  many  years.  In  his  political  af- 
filiations he  is  a  stanch  Republican  and  firmly 
grounded  in  the  principles  he  endorses.  He  is 
liberal  by  nature,  generous  to  a  fault  and  can 
always  be  depended  upon  to  contribute  freely  to 
charitable  movements  and  public  enterprises.  He 
has  won  a  position  of  exceptional  prominence 
among  the  citizens  of  Long  Beach,  where  he  is 
held  in  the  highest  esteem  for  the  character  and 
quality  of  his  manhood. 


S.  A.  SANDERSON.  While  yet  a  young 
man,  S.  A.  Sanderson,  manager  for  the  United 
States  Trust  Company  at  Long  Beach  has 
achieved  an  enviable  degree  of  success  in  the 
business  world,  and  his  success  in  life  is  due 
principally  to  his  own  efforts.  He  can  be  prop- 
erly styled  a  self-made  man,  for  he  has  won  his 
position  entirely  through  his  own  talents,  energy 
and  the  desire  to  succeed.  The  stories  of  men 
who  have  overcome  obstacles  and  risen  in  the 
line  of  their  endeavor  are  always  an  inspiration 
to  other  men.  They  give  to  the  disheartened 
and  discouraged  new  impetus  to  push  forward, 
and  success  will  follow  persistent  efTort,  for  am- 
bition, accompanied  by  untiring  industry,  is  the 
kev  to  success. 

Mr.  Sanderson  was  born  in  Alayfield.  Graves 
rountv,  Kv..  on  the  T8th  of  October.  1873. 
Like  the  majority  of  boys  he  received  his  first  in- 
struction in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  state. 
Early  in  life  he  was  thrown  on  his  own  resources, 
and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  vears  was  teaching  a 
school  consisting  of  eightv-five  pupils,  being  dis- 
tinguished as  the  vouneest  teacher  in  the  public 
schools  of  the  south.  His  ambition  was  to  enter 
college  to  better  nrepare  himself  for  the  larger 
duties  of  the  world.  Through  his  own  unaided 
efiforts  he  paved  the  way,  and  bv  teaching  and 
other  work  accumulated  sufficient  money  to  en- 
able him  to  matriculate  at  the  University  of  Ken- 
tucky, graduating  therefrom  in   1892.     Desiring 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1791 


further  instruction  along  special  lines  he  entered 
the  University  for  a  post-graduate  course  of  two 
years.  In  1894  he  resumed  teaching  and  during 
six  years  following  taught  in  the  public  schools 
of  Mayfield,  Ky.,  and  at  West  Kentucky  Col- 
lege. He  then  removed  to  Arkansas  and  there 
engaged  for  a  time  as  teacher  in  the  State  Uni- 
versity at  Fayetteville.     , 

While  teaching  at  Fayetteville  Mr.  Sanderson 
married  Miss  Lucy  Dickson,  a  native  of  Georgia, 
and  they  have  one  son,  Clyde,  born  in  Arkansas. 
Having  confined  himself  too  closely  to  his  work 
Mr.  Sanderson  suffered  the  usual  result,  a 
■breaking-down  in  health,  and  found  it  necessary 
to  give  up  his  work  as  teacher  and  return  to  his 
native  state.  As  his  health  did  not  improve  he 
concluded  that  an  entire  change  of  location  and 
of  occupation  would  be  beneficial.  Following 
this  resolve  he  came  to  California  in  April,  1902, 
locating  at  Long  Beach,  and  engaged  as  travel- 
ing salesman  for  a  large  clothing  establish- 
-ment.  He  traveled  throughout  the  state  for  one 
year,  meeting  with  excellent  success  in  his  new 
line  of  work.  At  the  end  of  the  year,  when  he 
severed  his  connection  with  the  firm,  he  became 
head  salesman  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  win- 
ning the  premiums  offered  by  the  company  to 
the  employe  selling  the  largest  amount  of  goods 
for  the  firm.  Having  visited  nearly  every  town 
and  city  in  the  state  he  was  in  a  position  to  judge 
for  himself  as  to  the  desirability  of  a  location 
for  establishing  himself  in  business  which  would 
combine  church,  social  and  educational  advan- 
tages for  the  benefit  of  his  young  son.  Long 
Beach  seemed  to  offer  exceptional  opportunities, 
and  the  family  made  the  city  their  home,  and 
now  reside  at  No.  729  Cedar  avenue. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sanderson  are  members  of  the 
Christian  Church.  They  are  deeply  interested 
in  all  that  pertains  to  the  welfare  of  the  church 
and  charities  connected  with  church  work.  Both 
are  members  of  the  church  choir,  and  Mr.  San- 
derson is  the  youngest  elder  in  the  church.  He 
gives  all  of  his  spare  time  to  the  furtherance  of 
church  interests.  In  1902,  when  he  came  to 
Long  Beach,  the  church  numbered  forty  mem- 
bers, with  property  valuation  of  $1,500.  To-day 
they  have  a  membership  of  six  hundred  and 
property  valuation  of  $35,000.  He  is  \'ice-Pres- 
ident  of  the  Christian  Endeavor  State  Union, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Young  Men's  Oiristian 
Association,  being  chairman  of  membership 
committee,  and  an  energetic  temperance  advo- 
cate and  worker.  Quite  naturally  he  takes  great 
interest  in  the  public  schools  and  in  maintaining 
a  perfect  school  system  is  in  full  sympathy  with 
the  demands -of  the  day,  requiring  educational 
facilities  to  be  of  the  highest  order.  Mr.  San- 
derson is  identified  with  fraternal  organizations. 


being  a  member  of  the   Masonic,   Odd   Fellow, 
and  Knights  of  Pythias  lodges. 

In  business  he  has  the  full  confidence  of  the 
community.  His  motto  is  the  Golden  Rule  and 
his  business  is  carried  on  with  that  divine  in- 
junction in  view.  Not  only  has  he  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Long  Beach  office  for  the  company 
he  represents,  but  in  addition,  carries  on  an  ex- 
tensive business  of  his  own,  handling  high-class 
bonds,  investments  and  insurance.  He  has 
shown  his  confidence  in  the  future  of  Long 
Beach  property  as  an  investor  in  real  estate 
holdings,  buying,  improving  and  selling  real  es- 
tate, and  has  met  with  gratifying  success  in  his 
real  estate  transactions.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  city  of  Long 
Beach,  and  is  a  notary  public,  his  commission 
issued  by  Governor  Pardee  bearing  date  of  April 
10,   1905. 


WALTER  B.  JOY.  As  a. pioneer  in  his  busi- 
ness, which  is  that  of  cornice,  sheet  metal  work- 
er and  plumber,  Walter  B.  Joy,  located  in  Long 
Beach,  in  the  spring  of  1896  and  leased  land 
at  the  corner  of  Pine  and  Second  streets,  where 
he  erected  a  building  adequate  for  the  needs  of 
his  business.  This  business  has  since  grown  to 
proportions  in  keeping  with  the  advancement  of 
the  city  itself  and  the  passing  of  years  has 
brought  to  Mr.  Joy  financial  returns,  as  well 
as  making  him  a  factor  in  the  industrial  life  of 
Long  Beach.  Born  December  24,  1857,  in  Mus- 
catine, Iowa,  Mr.  Joy  was  a  son  of  W.  H.  Joy, 
a  pioneer  of  Iowa  in  1856,  being  agent  for  the 
United  States  Express  Company  in  that  section 
for  thirty  years.  His  death  occurred  in  that 
locality  after  attaining  advanced  years.  In  the 
public  schools  of  Muscatine  Walter  B.  Joy  re- 
ceived an  education,  after  which  he  served  an 
apprenticeship  as  metal  worker  in  that  citv.  Fol- 
lowing his  mastery  of  the  trade  he  worked  in 
various  places  throughout  Iowa  and  Dakota  as 
journeyman.  Induced  to  come  to  California 
through  representations  made  by  relatives  who 
had  located  here,  he  came  to  the  state  in  1885 
and  in  Pasadena.  Los  Angeles  county,  found 
employment  at  his  trade.  He  remained  in  that 
city  for  a  number  of  years,  when,  in 
the  spring  of  1896.  he  located  permanently 
in  Long  Beach,  whose  future  possibilities 
he  believed  to  be  unsurpassed.  His  own 
success  and  the  growth  of  the  city  have  justi- 
fied his  faith.  He  began  on  a  small  scale  and  has 
increased  several  hundred  fold,  employing  at 
the  present  time  about  nine  men,  his  specialty 
being  furnace  work.  His  second  loction  was  on 
t'le  presi  nt  site  of  the  Masonic  Teniple,  but  widi 
the  growth  of  the  city  he  removed  to  his  pres- 


1792 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


eiit  location,  where  he  is  carrying  on  a  success- 
ful business. 

^Ir.  Joy  was  married  in  Iowa,  in  1886,  to  Lot- 
tie Burlingame,  whose  death  occurred  in  Cali- 
fornia November  6,  1903.  She  left  one  daughter, 
Edith  W.,  who  is  now  attending  the  University 
of  California.  Fraternally  Mr.  Jov  is  identified 
with  the  Uniformed  Rank  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  (in  which  he  is  past  chancellor),  Wood- 
men of  the  World  and  Order  of  Pendo.  He 
belongs  to  the  :Master  Plumbers  Association  and 
is  active  in  the  same.  In  religion  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Congregational  Church,  in  which  he  offi- 
ciates as  trustee,  and  politically  is  a  staunch  Re- 
publican. Air.  Joy  has  ably'  demonstrated  his 
ability  in  the  line  of  his  work  and  has  also  made 
for  himself  a  place  among  the  enterprising  and 
helpful  citizens  of  Long  Beach. 


A.  M.  CASWLLL.  A  descendant  of  good 
old  Puritan  stock  that  traces  back  to  the  earliest 
settlement  of  New  England,  no  one  has  more 
reason  to  be  proud  of  his  lineage  than  A.  AI. 
Caswell.  His  father,  Isaac  Caswell,  a  native  of 
Greene,  Me.,  was  descended  from  the  Massachu- 
setts Caswells,  who  came  from  Holland  with  the 
first  settlers  of  Plymouth.  Isaac  Caswell,  a  farm- 
er by_  occupation  and  a  Quaker  in  his  relig- 
ious views,  was  a  man  of  stern  integrity  of  char- 
acter, loved  and  esteemed  by  his  fellow-citizens, 
by  whom  he  was  honored  with  many  offices  of 
trust  in  the  community.  He  died  on  the  old 
homestead  overlooking  the  blue  waters  of  Penob- 
scot bay,  after  a  long  and  useful  life. 

On  the  maternal  side,  A.  M.  Caswell  comes 
of  pioneer  New  England  stock;  his  mother, 
Mary  Spring,  native  of  Maine,  was  a  descendant 
of  the  Daggett  family,  early  settlers  of  Mar- 
tha's \'ineyard,  Mass.  Her  father,  William 
Spring,  and  his  son,  William,  were  soldiers  in 
the  war  of  1812.  For  her  day  and  generation^ 
the  day  of  the  slow-moving  stage  coach  and 
limited  advantages — Mar\-  Spring  Caswell  was 
possessed  of  unusual  mental  ability,  having  been 
a  teacher  for  several  years  previous  to  her  mar- 
riage. She  was  the  mother  of  ten  children,  six 
of  whom  are  living,  and  of  these  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  is  the  youngest.  Mrs.  Caswell  was 
noted  for  her  noble  qualities  of  mind  and  heart. 
She  died  at  the  old  homestead,  aged  ninety-eight 
years,  in  the  faith  of  the  Baptist  teachings  in 
which  she  had  lived. 

A.  M.  Caswell  attended  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  town  until  he  was  sixteen  years  old, 
when  he  learned  the  trade  of  trunk-making.  In 
1861  he  sailed  from  New  York  on  the 
steamer  Champion  via  Panama  for  California; 
from  Panama  he  was  a  passenger  on  the  old 
side-wheel   steamer    Constitution,   which    arrived 


in  San  Francisco  shortly  before  Christmas,  the 
entire  trip  having  been  made  in  twenty-four 
days. 

j\lr.  Caswell  followed  his  trade  in  San  Fran- 
cisco for  a  year  and  then  went  to  San  Jose, 
where  he  was  an  orchardist  and  engaged  in  the 
fruit  commission  business  about  the  same  length 
of  time. 

Some  eight  or  nine  years  were  passed  as  a 
successful  merchant  in  San  Francisco,  when  the 
rapid  growth  and  boom  in  real  estate  values  in 
San  Diego  attracted  him  to  that  city.  Five 
.years  and  a  half  were  passed  as  a  merchant  there, 
when  Mr.  Caswell  decided  to  invest  his  money 
in  Santa  Monica  property  and  has  since  made 
some  valuable  improvements  in  that  place.  He 
was  also,  for  fourteen  years.  Southern  California 
agent  for  the  Westervelt  National  \'inegar 
Works,  with  headquarters  in  Los  Angeles. 

Mr.  Caswell  is  a  substantial  and  highly  es- 
teemed citizen  of  Santa  Alonica  and  while  lie  is 
Republican  in  political  affiliations,  he  is  not  a ' 
strict  adherent  to  party  lines.  Fraternally  he  is 
a  rhember  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows. 


GEORGE  B.  STETTER,  of  the  firm  of 
George  B.  Stetter  &  Co.,  of  Long  Beach,  was 
born  in  Tipton,  Moniteau  county.  Mo.,  January 
14,  1875.  His  father,  George  Stetter,  was  a 
native  of  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  his  birth  hay- 
ing occurred  in  the  vicinity  of  Stuttgart.  Left 
an  orphan  at  an  early  age  he  was  thrown  upon 
his  own  resources  and  in  young  manhood  came 
to  America,  his  industry  and  energy  bringing 
him  success  in  his  undertakings.  He  finally  lo- 
cated in  Alissouri,  where  he  engaged  as  a' broker 
and  land  dealer  until  his  death,  in  1882.  He 
was  loyal  to  the  country  of  his  adoption  and 
served  in  the  Union  army.  He  married  Sarah 
M.  Snorgrass,  a  native  of  Tipton,  Mo.,  and  a 
daughter  of  Isaac  Snorgrass,  also  a  native  of  that 
state,  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  the  descendant 
of  an  old  Kentucky  family.  Some  time  after 
the  death  of  her  husband,  Mrs.  Stetter  became 
the  wife  of  C.  G.  Ely,  of  Long  Beach,  who  served 
during  the  Civil  war  in  the  Fourth  Ohio  Cavalry. 
By  her  first  marriage  she  had  three  children, 
of  whom  George  B.  Stetter  is  the  youngest  and 
only  son.  By  her  second  marriage  she  had  one 
son,  Roscoe  C.  Ely,  \vlio  is  a  member  of  the 
real-estate  firm  previously  mentioned. 

The  preliminary  education  of  George  B.  Stetter 
was  received  in  the  public  schools  near  his  home, 
after  which  he  attended  Robinson's  Business 
College  at  Sedalia,  Mo.  After  graduation  from 
this  institution,  he  accepted  a  position  as  book- 
keeper in  Sedalia,  and  later  he  located  in 
Webster  Grove,  Mo.,  and  engaged  in  the  drug 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1793 


business.  Shortl)-  afterward  he  located  in  Kan- 
sas City,  wliere  he  engaged  as  commercial  traveler 
for  the  Robert-Wicks  Company  of  New  York, 
in  the  interest  of  whom  he  traveled  throughout 
the  mountain  and  coast  states.  In  1897  he 
made  his  first  trip  to  California  and  in  1899  he 
came  to  Loi  Angeles  and  followed  the  drug 
business  a  short  time.  The  following  year  ( 1900) 
he  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business  and  two 
years  later  came  to  Long  Beach,  where  with  his 
half-brother,  Roscoe  C.  Ely,  he  established  the 
George  B.  Stetter  &  Co.,  real  estate  enterprise. 
They  are  especially  interested  in  handling  busi- 
ness property  and  are  themselves  holders  of 
valuable  real  estate  in  the  business  district  of 
this  city.  Their  faith  in  the  permanency  of  con- 
ditions here  have  led  them  to  invest  largely,  their 
erection  of  the  apartment  house  at  Nos.  219-221 
Locust  avenue  resulting  in  large  financial  re- 
turns for  them. 

Mr.  Stetter  was  married  in  Long  Beach  to 
Miss  Margaret  Johnson,  a  native  of  Story  City, 
Iowa.  Socially  Mr.  Stetter  is  a  member  of  the 
Cosmopolitan  Club. 


G.  W.  E.  GRIFFITH,  of  Los  Angeles,  Cal, 
was  born  in  Tippecanoe  county,  Ind.,  Decem- 
ber 22,  1833,  a  son  of  Rev.  James  and  Nancy 
(Hunt)  Griffith,  both  natives  of  New  York, 
who  early  removed  to  Indiana  and  there  re- 
sided until  their  deaths  at  advanced  ages.  ]\Ir. 
Griffith  was  one  of  a  family  of  eight  children 
and  lived  with  his  father  on  the  farm  until  his 
education  in  the  common  branches  was  com- 
pleted, when  he  went  to  live  with  his  brother, 
who  was  at  that  time  president  of  Mount 
Pleasant  College  at  Mount  Pleasant,  Pa.  He 
was  married  there  and  in  1855  removed  to 
Franklin  county,  Kans.,  where  he  filed  on  a 
government  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres.  While  residing  there  he  took  a  promi- 
nent part  in  public  life  and  was  elected  at  dif- 
ferent times  to  the  offices  of  county  commis- 
sioner, county  clerk  and  recorder  and  county 
treasurer,  and  also  served  in  the  state  legisla- 
ture. After  a  number  of  years  he  removed 
with  his  family  to  Lawrence,  Kans.,  and  es- 
tablished a  hardware  and  mercantile  business, 
which  he  conducted  until  the  time  of  the  fam- 
ous Quantrell  raid  at  Lawrence,  when  he  lost 
all  of  his  property  and  was  left  with  nothing 
but  a  linen  coat  and  a  pair  of  slippers.  This 
was  discouraging,  but  did  not  dishearten  Mr. 
Griffith,  who  immediately  borrowed  money 
and  re-established  the  same  business,  which 
was  carried  on  for  a  number  of  years  under 
the  firm  name  of  Griffith,  Duncan  &  Co.  and 
became  one  'of  the  largest  business  houses  in 
the  state. 


Mr.  Griffith  sold  out  of  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness to  accept  the  position  of  cashier  of  the 
Second  National  Bank  of  Lawrence,  Kans.,  of 
which  he  was  one  of  the  promoters.  Having 
sold  his  interest  in  this  bank,  he  acted  as  agent 
for  eastern  investors  for  several  years,  and 
was  instrumental  in  introducing  a  great  deal 
of  capital  in  Kansas  at  reduced  rates  of  inter- 
est. \Miile  thus  engaged  he  was  selected  by 
the  creditors  to  liquidate  the  State  Bank,  which 
had  failed,  and  all  the  assets  and  business  was 
turned  over  to  his  control.  It  was  not  expect- 
ed that  over  fifty  per  cent  would  be  realized  by 
the  depositors  in  the  then  depressed  condition 
of  aft'airs,  but  under  the  able  and  economical 
management  the  depositors  were  paid  one 
hundred  per  cent. 

Soon  after  this  business  was  so  satisfactor- 
ily settled  Mr.  Griffith  organized  the  Mer- 
chants' National  Bank,  with  $100,000  paid  up 
capital  at  Lawrence,  Kans.,  and  became  its 
president  and  manager.  This  bank  was  a  suc- 
cess from  the  start,  and  paid  a  dividend  of 
eight  per  cent  the  first  year,  which  it  has  con- 
tinued to  do  to  this  day.  In  1888  he  resigned 
liis  position  as  president  of  the  Merchants' 
National  Bank  to  accept  a  position  as  manager 
of  the  Western  Farm  ^Mortgage  Trust 
Company  and  removed  to  Denver,  Col.  After 
two  years  he  foresaw  that  unfortunate  results 
were  likelv  to  be  the  result  of  the  management 
of  the  company,  and  a  meeting  of  the  board  of 
directors  was  called  to  consider  the  subject, 
which  was  represented  by  capitalists  from 
New  York,  Philadelphia  and  Boston.  The 
board  of  directors  refused  to  go  into  liquida- 
tion or  change  the  policy  being  pursued, 
whereupon  Air.  Griffith  resigned  and  severed 
liis  connection  with  the  company.  Thereafter 
in  about  one  year  the  company  failed,  and  Mr. 
Griffith  was  appointed  receiver  in  February, 
1892,  by  the  court  in  Denver  to  wind  up  the 
business  of  the  company,  which  had  sold 
throughout  the  eastern  states  some  $5,000,000 
guaranteed  securities.  The  winding  up  of 
such  a  business  was  one  of  great  responsibil- 
ity, wdiich  was  accomplished,  and  all  accounts 
approved  by  the  court,  in  1896. 

About  the  years  1890  and  '91  Mr.  Griffith 
organized  and  established  the  United  States 
National  Bank  of  Portland,  Ore.,  and  the 
Seattle  National  Bank  of  Seattle,  Wash.,  with 
S250.000  capital  each.  The  stock  of  the  latter 
bank  is  worth  at  this  time  $300  and  has  a  de- 
posit of  around  $5,000,000.  Mr.  Griffith  re- 
moved to  this  state  in  1900.  In  1904  he  organ- 
ized the  South  Pasadena  Bank,  and  after- 
wards, in  T906,  the  Bank  of  Highland  Park 
was  established,  the  latter  with  a  capital  of 
Sioo,ooo.  one-third   of  whicli    is   paid   up.   and 


1794 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


A[r.  Griffith  fills  the  office  of  president  of  this 
institution.  He  occnpies  a  prominent  position 
in  financial  circles  and  is  held  in  high  esteem 
bv  his  associates. 

'Politically  Mr.  Griffith  affiliates  with  the 
Republican  party  and  takes  an  active  interest 
in  all  affairs  of  civic  interest.  His  wife,  who 
was  Facita  A.,  daughter  of  Abraham  Horbach, 
a  farmer  of  Pennsylvania,  is  a  native  of  West- 
moreland county.  Pa.,  and  they  have  had  four 
children :  Charles  E.  died  in  Panama,  where 
he  was  stricken  with  yellow  fever;  Mary  G. 
Osborn  resides  with  her  father  and  is  promi- 
nent in  club  circles,  being  president  of  the 
Ebell  Club  at  Highland  Park;  George  W.  is  a 
broker  at  No.  25  Pine  street.  New  York  City ; 
and  Mrs.  Elida  G.  Van  Pelt  resides  at  No.  1206 
West  Lake  avenue,  Los  Angeles. 


LEWIS  FILLMORE  CRAM.  -Numbered 
among  the  pioneers  of  San  Bernardino  county, 
whither  he  came  as  early  as  1851  after  a  tedious 
overland  trip  from  Illinois  through  New  Mex- 
ico and  Arizona  into  California,  Mr.  Cram  holds 
an  honored  position  among  those  who  assisted 
in  the  development  of  this  region  from  the 
primeval  conditon  of  nature  into  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  sections  of  the  state.  As  a  re- 
sult of  wise  management  and  judicious  labors 
he  has  attained  a  competency  and  has  been 
able  to  assist  his  children  in  acquiring  a  sub- 
stantial start  in  the  world  of  activity.  Though 
his  life  has  been  filled  with  indefatigable  labors 
and  though  he  has  now  passed  his  three  score 
years  and  ten,  he  retains  his  mental  activity 
and  to  some  extent  the  physical  vigor  of 
younger  days :  however,  through  an  abscess  in 
the  head,  the  left  side  of  his  face  became  para- 
lized  and  the  hearing  of  the  left  ear  was  lost, 
but  with  that  exception  he  retains  excellent 
health. 

Essex  county,  N.  Y.,  is  Mr.  Cram's  native 
place,  and  April  19,  1834,  the  date  of  his  birth. 
When  about  eighteen  months  old  he  was  taken 
to  Michigan  by  his  parents,  who  settled  near 
Detroit  on  a  farm.  At  the  age  of  seven  years 
he  accompanied  the  family  to  Ohio  and  for  a 
time  lived  near  Akron,  also  sojourned  tempo- 
rarily in  other  places.  Two  years  later  he  went 
to  Illinois  with  the  famih^  and  settled  in  Schuy- 
ler county,  where  he  remained  for  eight  years, 
meanwhile  attending  the  country  schools.  On 
leaving  Illinois  in  May.  1851.  he  came  with  the 
family  to  California  and  during  the  long  jour- 
ney suflfered  a  bereavement  in  the  death  of  his 
mother.  On  account  of  sickness  in  the  com- 
pany, whose  numbers  were  small,  this  latter 
fact  making  them  easy  prey  to  the  hostile  In- 
dians who  beset  their  pathway,  they  halted  in 


New  i\Iexico  and  Arizona  to  await  recruits  for 
the  train,  and  it  was  not  until  May  of  1852  that 
they  finally  arrived  in  Los  Angeles.  Going  to 
Redlands  in  1854  Mr.  Cram  made  his  first  home 
in  the  state  at  that  place.  During  1858  he  and 
his  brother  Henry  each  took  up  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land  near  Highland,  and  on 
this  tract  they  still  live,  meanwhile  having  de- 
veloped the  land  into  one  of  the  finest  ranches 
in  the  entire  county.  Some  of  his  original 
property  has  been  sold,  but  he  still  owns  eighty 
acres,  representing  a  very  important  investment 
at  present  valuations.  The  substantial  resi- 
dence, erected  in  1886,  superseded  the  two  orig- 
inal dwellings  built  in  the  early  days  and  fur- 
nishes an  excellent  example  of  the  growing 
prosperity  of  the  country. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Cram  was  solemnized 
September  27,  1866,  and  united  him  with  Sarah 
Ann  Wakefield,  daughter  of  Andrew  Jackson 
and  Nancy  (Garner)  Wakefield,  of  High- 
land, San  Bernardino  county.  From  early 
life  Mrs.  Cram  has  been  identified  with 
the  Congregational  Church,  to  whose  mis- 
sionary and  charitable  enterprises  Mr. 
Cram  contributes,  although  not  a  member 
thereof  or  identified  with  any  denomination. 
Politically  he  always  has  been  stanch  in  his  al- 
legiance to  the  Republican  party.  On  that 
ticket  he  twice  was  elected  to  "the  office  of 
county  supervisor,  in  which  capacity  he  served 
with  efficiency  and  fidelity.  During  the  early 
days  of  the  organization  of  the  Grange  he 
identified  himself  with  the  movement  and 
served  as  a  local  officer  in  the  same,  maintain- 
ing a  deep  interest  in  the  work  as  one  calcu- 
lated to  promote  the  permanent  prosperity  of 
the  agricultural  class.  All  of  his  children  are 
living,  namely:  Andrew  Jackson.  William 
Henry,  John  Edwin,  Lewis  Franklin,  James 
Eaton,  Robert  and  Mary  Emile,  Mrs.  Joseph 
Cole,  of  Redlands.  The  father  and  sons  own 
about  one  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  orange 
land.  While  they  have  the  different  varieties 
of  oranges,  their  specialty  is  the  navels,  of 
which  they  have  some  fine  specimens  in  their 
groves.  With  one  exception  all  of  the  sons 
are  married  and  have  established  homes  of 
their  own;  all  are  prosperous  and  enjoy  the 
confidence  of  associates,  exemplifying  in  their 
characters  the  efficient  training  and  wise  ex- 
ample of  their  parents. 


ZENAS  FREEMAN.  Fallbrook  counts  it- 
self fortunate  in  having  among  its  substantial 
farmers  and  prominent  citizens  a  man  who  has 
stood  unflinchingly  for  the  best  interests  of  his 
neighborhood  and  the  community  af  large.  Mr. 
Freeman   has   always   been   conspicuous   for   his 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1795 


enterprise  in  the  advancement  of  the  common 
schools  and  in  all  public  projects  that  tended 
toward  the  upbuildmg  of  the  locality  in  which 
he  lived.  The  son  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  A. 
(Eubanks)  Freeman,  tlie  former  a  native  of 
Georgia  and  the  latter  of  Alabama,  Zenas  Free- 
man was  born  in  Washington  county.  111.,  April 
lo,  1846.  About  1830  Jacob  Freeman  removed 
to  Illinois  where  he  married  and  settled  on  gov- 
ernment land.  He  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life  on  his  original  farm ;  his  wife  is  still  living, 
at  the  age  of  eightv-nine  years,  in  Webb  City, 
Mo. 

Zenas  Freeman  was  educated  in  the  district 
schools  of  the  time  and  lived  at  home  on  the 
farm  until  he  was  of  age.  In  1867  he  removed 
to  Jasper  county,  J\Io.,  where  he  bought  land 
and  engaged  in  farming  and  growing  fruit. 
Where  the  flourishing  city  of  Joplin  now  stands 
he  killed  ducks  in  1872  on  land  which  is  now  the 
main  street.  In  company  with  his  brother  he 
erected  a  sawmill  on  the  present  city  site  and 
also  conducted  a  lumberyard,  furnishing  the 
lumber  of  which  the  first  buildings  were  con- 
structed, and  doing  a  business  which  totaled 
$25,000  a  year.  This  he  disposed  of  later  and 
returning  to  the  farm,  set  out  seventy-five  acres 
to  fruit,  this  being  considered  a  large  orchard 
at  that  time. 

In  1886  the  failing  health  of  his  wife  induced 
Mr.  Freeman  to  leave  his  home  in  Missouri  and 
remove  temporarily  to  San  Diego,  Cal.  The 
climate  proving  beneficial  a  month  later  they 
came  to  Fallljrook,  purchased  their  present  hold- 
ings and  subseci'aently  disposed  of  the  eastern 
property.  Flis  land,  comprising  sixty  acres,  is 
devoted  to  general  farming,  with  the  exception 
of  fourteen  acres  in  bearing  olive  trees. 

While  in  Missouri  Mr.  Freeman  served  six- 
teen years  on  the  school  board  of  Jasper  county 
and  soon  after  removing  to  Fallbrook  was  elect- 
ed, in  1888,  to  a  similar  office  here,  a  position  he 
held  eleven  years.  He  was  also  one  of  the  or- 
ganizers of  the  high  school  district  and  in  1893 
was  elected  first  president  of  the  board  of  trus- 
tees, an  office  which  he  continued  to  fill  until 
July,  IQ04-  It  is  due  in  no  small  degree  to  Mr. 
Freeman's  efforts  that  the  school  is  now  con- 
sidered one  of  the  best  in  the  county. 

While  in  Missouri  he  was  for  some  years 
deputy  state  organizer  for  the  Grangers.  FIc 
has  been  for  the  past  five  years  deputy  clerk  for 
San  Diego  county,  is  also  one  of  the  road  super- 
intendents of  the  fifth  district,  and  was  both  ac- 
tive and  efficient  in  working  against  the  voting 
of  irrigation  bonds  in  that  district,  a  measure 
which  has  proved  so  disastrous  to  other  localities. 

In  the  spring  of  1895  Mr.  Freeman  issued  a 
call  and  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  Co- 
operative Association,   which  was   consummated 


in  the  autumn  v.-ith  fourteen  members  and  a 
capitalization  of  $400.  This  store  did  a  cash 
business  of  S140  per  day  for  1906  and  has  now 
membership  stock  of  over  $10,000.  Mr.  Free- 
man was  also  instrumental  in  organizing  the 
Fallbrook  Horticultural  Society,  which  kept  the 
banner  exhibit  in  the  San  Diego  Chamber  of 
Commerce  for  several  years. 

Mr.  Freeman  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  E. 
Glasscock,  a  native  of  Jasper  county.  Mo.,  and 
the  daughter  of  Eli  Glasscock,  of  Tennessee. 
Six  children  were  the  result  of  the  union :  Zula 
E.,  who  died  when  two  years  old ;  Margaret  A., 
who  died  when  one  and  a  half  years  of  age; 
Frederick  J.,  of  Los  Angeles;  ]\'lamie  Myrtle, 
wife  of  A.  C.  Reche,  of  Fallbrook;  Eli  E.,  en- 
gaged in  farming  on  a  large  scale  near  Fall- 
brook; and  Earnest  L.,  a  student  in  the  Fall- 
brook high  school.  Mr.  Freeman  is  a  demitted 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, which  he  joined  when  twenty-one  years  of 
age. 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON  COVERT.  M.  D. 
The  Covert  family  is  of  Holland-Dutch  origin 
and  became  established  in  America  as  early  as 
1645.  in  which  >ear  it  is  thuught  the  great-grand- 
fatlur  cr^'Ssed  tiic  (icenn  and  settled  in  !\Ianiiattan, 
N.  Y.  Siiliscqucntly  he  removed  to  Morristown. 
N.  J.,  and  it  was  there  that  the  grandfather, 
Isaac  Covert,  was  born.  As  one  of  the  valiant 
defenders  of  the  young  colonies'  interests  he 
served  for  seven  years  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
fir.st  as  a  scout  under  General  Armstrong,  and 
later  as  fife  major.  After  the  close  of  hostilities 
he  removed  to  Mercer  county,  Ky.,  where  in 
addition  to  following  his  trade  of  weaver  he 
also  carried  on  a  farm.  He  located  seven  quarter 
sections  of  land  in  Johnson  County,  Ind.,  which 
he  had  planned  to  apportion  equally  among  his 
seven  children,  but  his  death  occurred  in  1825, 
on  the  very  day  set  for  the  transfer  and  settle- 
ment of  the  transactions.  His  wife  passed  away 
in  Indiana  three  years  later.  Their  son  Daniel 
was  born  in  Mercer  County,  Ky.,  where  besides 
following  agricultural  life  to  which  he  was  early 
trained,  he  learned  the  cabinet-maker's  trade. 
After  his  removal  to  Franklin,  Ind.,  he  still  con- 
timied  farming,  but  made  a  specialty  of  building 
and  contracting,  into  which  he  finally  drifted, 
having  branched  out  into  this  line  through  his 
knowledge  of  cabinet-making  and  the  carpenter's 
trade.  During  his  later  years  he  retired  from 
active  life,  dying  on  the  homestead  farm  in  In- 
diana in  his  eighty-ninth  year.  Throughout  life 
he  had  enjoyed  the  consolation  of  religion  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Qiurch,  in 
which  he  served  aa  deacon  for  many  years. 
Politically  he  was  a  Republican.     In  his  young 


1796 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


manhood  he  married  Miss  Rachel  X'oorhies,  who 
like  himself  was  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  a 
descendant  of  Holland-Dutch  ancestors  on  the 
paternal  side.  Her  father,  John  Voorhies,  who 
was  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  removed  to  Mercer 
county,  Ky.,  following  farming  there  some  time 
before  his  removal  to  Indiana  in  1825.  There  he 
remained  until  i860,  when  he  moved  to  Allen 
county,  Kans.,  but  in  1873  settled  once  more  m 
Indiana,  and  in  that  state  he  passed  away.  Mrs. 
Covert  died  on  the  Kansas  homestead  when  in 
her  eighty-third  year. 

Of  the  five  children  who  comprised  the  parental 
family  George  AV.  was  next  to  the  youngest  and 
is  now  the  only  one  living.  He  was  born  August 
18,  1833,  on  the  Indiana  homestead  near  Frank- 
lin, Johnson  county,  and  received  such  meager 
educational  training  as  the  schools  of  the  time 
and  locality  afforded.  In  brief,  his  education 
was  limited  to  three  months  in  the  pay  schools 
during  winters,  the  remainder  of  the  year  being 
given  to  his  father  in  caring  for  the  farm.  Tak- 
ing advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  become  a 
landowner  by  the  opening  up  of  government 
land  in  Kansas  he  went  thither  in  i860  and  en- 
tered land  in  Allen  coimty  in  the  vicinity  of 
Carlyle,  carrying  on  a  farm  for  a  number  of  years. 
As  late  as  1863  there  was  only  one  physician  in 
Carlyle  and  he  determined  to  prepare  himself  for 
the  profession  and  open  an  office  in  his  home 
town.  During  the  years  1864-65  he  attended 
Rush  ]\Iedical  College,  Qiicago,  III,  and  there- 
after returned  to  Carlyle  and  began  the  practice 
of  medicine,  in  addition  to  which  he  also  prac- 
ticed dentistry.  A  brief  interruption  in  his  prac- 
tice occurred  in  1865,  during  which  time  he 
served  in  the  Kansas  Militia, but  when  his  services 
were  no  longer  necessary  he  returned  to  Carlyle 
and  resumed  his  practice.  The  strain  of  over- 
work began  to  impair  his  health  and  he  gave 
up  his  practice  in  Kansas  and  returned  to  Indiana 
in  1873,  locating  in  Whiteland,  where  he  soon  re- 
gained his  former  vigor.  It  was  not  long  after 
this  that  he  opened  an  office  in  Whiteland,  follow- 
ing his  profession  there  for  a  number  of  years, 
or  until  1887,  when  he  located  in  Franklin, 
that  state,  there  continuing  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine until  1894.  His  identification  with  the  west 
and  more  particularly  with  Long  Beach  dates 
from  May,  1894,  coming  here  at  that  time  to 
engage  in  the  practice  of  dentistry  with  his  son, 
he  himself  having  charge  of  the  plate  work.  Dr. 
Covert  is  an  enthusiastic  believer  in  the  future 
of  Long  Beach  and  has  demonstrated  this  belief 
by  investing  quite  heavily  in  city  real  estate.  He 
bought  a  large  tract  on  American  avenue  and 
Sixteenth  street,  known  as  the  Covert  tract,  which 
he  subdivided,  and  all  of  which  is  now  practically 
sold.  He  also  owns  property  on  the  corner  of 
Third  and  Locust   streets,  upon  which   are  two 


residei^ices,   one   of   which   h.e   occupies   with  his 
family. 

In  1854  Dr.  Covert  was  married  to  ^liss 
jNlary  E.  LaGrange,'a  native  of  Indiana,  and 
hve  children  have  been  born  to  them,  as  follows: 
E.  L.,  a  real-estate  dealer  in  Long  Beach;  Car- 
rie C,  Mrs.  Lynn,  also  of  this  city;  Electa,  the 
wrfe  of  J.  D.  \V'hiteside,  and  resident  of  Frank- 
lin, Ind. ;  Mollie,  the  wife  of  J.  Sharp,  of  Long 
Beach ;  and  A.  T.,  a  graduate  of  the  dental  pro- 
fession, who  is  now  in  the  employ  of  the  Town- 
send  Dayman  Compan\-.  The  famih'  attend  the 
Presbyterian  C'hurch  of  Long  Beach,  in  which 
Dr.  Covert  and  his  son  A.  T.  are  ruling  elders, 
and  politically  he  is  a  Prohibitionist. 


FRED  P.  BALDWIN.  During  his  three 
years'  residence  in  Long  Beach  Fred  P.  Baldwin 
nas  shown  his  enterprise  and  progressiveness  as 
a  citizen,  and  since  his  election  to  the  office  of 
city  clerk  has  proven  himself  an  exceptionally 
efticient  official.  He  was  born  February  22,  1866, 
in  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  the  son  of  Fred  A.  and 
Ellen  (Perry)  Baldwin,  the  former  having  been 
born  on  the  Atlantic,  and  the  latter  of  Welsh 
descent  and  a  native  of  Utica,  N.  Y.  The  father 
was  reared  until  his  sixteenth  year  in  England 
and  after  coming  to  America  learned  the 
plumber's  and  tinner's  trade  in  Utica,  and  was  a 
resident  of  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  from  1866  until 
the  time  of  his  death  in  1892,  his  wife  surviv- 
ing him  three  years. 

Of  their  three  children  Fred  P.  was  the  oldest. 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  New 
York,  and  in  1885  graduated  from  the  Water- 
town  high  school.  Possessed  of  unusual  musical 
talent  he  had  in  the  meantime  become  a  pro- 
ficient piani.st  and  after  the  completion  of  his 
school  work  he  traveled  for  two  years  with  a 
light  opera  company.  After  giving  up  this  line 
of  work  he  went  to  Ticonderoga,  N.  Y.,  and  was 
for  a  short  time  secretary  of  the  Young  !Men's 
Christian  Association  there,  but  soon  resigned 
and  returned  to  Watertown,  where  in  1888  he 
secured  an  appointment  as  a  sub-carrier  in  the 
postoffice.  A  year  later  he  was  made  a  regular 
carrier  and  continued  at  that  employment  for 
fourteen  years.  Then  deciding  that  a  change 
would  be  beneficial  he  decided  to  come  to  Cal- 
ifornia and  in  1903  located  in  Long  Beach.  He 
secured  bookkeeping  positions  successively  with 
Bailey  Brothers,  the  Long  Beach  Ice  Company, 
and  the  Long  Beach  Hardware  Company,  resign- 
ing from  the  latter  position  after  his  election  to 
the  city  clerkship  April  9.  1906.  He  was  nominat- 
ed on  the  Independent  ticket  and  the  good  reputa- 
tion he  had  gained  among  his  fellow  citizens  was 
then  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  he  received  a 
majority  of  three  hundred  and  seventy-nine  votes. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1797 


Upon  April  i6  the  oath  of  office  was  administered 
and  he  will  continue  to  fill  the  position  to  which 
he  was  elected  for  two  years  from  that  date. 

In  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  Mr.  Baldwin  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Maud  M.  Greene,  who 
was  born  in  Belleville,  N.  Y.,  and  they  have  be- 
come the  parents  of  one  son,  Raymond  F.  Both 
Air.  and  Mrs.  Baldwin  are  active  members  of 
the  Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Baldwin  keeps  up 
his  piano  practice  and  is  considered  one  of  the 
most  talented  musicians  in  Long  Beach.  Frater- 
nally he  is .  affiliated  with  numerous  prominent 
lodges,  among  them  being  the  Benevolent  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks,  the  Eagles,  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  Royal  Court.  In  national  politics  he 
advocates  Republican  principles,  in  local  affairs 
believing  that  men  are  more  important  than  plat- 
forms in  securing  good  and  efficient  government. 
He  is  interested  in  military  affairs  and  while  in 
New  York  he  was  a  member  of  the  Thirty-ninth 
Separate  Company,  N.  G.  S.  N.  Y.,  in  which  he 
enlisted  the  second  time,  serving  in  all  eleven 
years  or  until  the  law  excluding  government  em- 
ployes from  the  national  guard  ranks  went  into 
effect.  As  a  man  of  well-roimded  interests  and 
talents  he  is  held  in  the  highest  respect  and  esteem 
througliout  the  community. 


JAMES  CHRISTOPHER  HASKINS.  The 
ancestry  of  the  Haskins  family  is  traced  to  Eng- 
land, the  emigrating  ancestor  having  established 
the  name  upon  American  soil  in  the  colonial  days 
of  our  history.  Massachusetts  was  the  state 
chosen  by  this  ancestor  and  there  the  name 
flourished  for  many  generations,  members  of 
the  family  participating  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  Lafayette  Haskins  was  a  farmer  through- 
out; his  entire  life.  The  patriotism  of  the  family 
was  his  by  inheritance,  demonstrated  by  his  ser- 
vice in  the  war  of  1812.  In  his  family  was  a  son, 
Caleb  R.,  who  was  born  in  Assonet,  Mass. ;  in 
young  manhood  he  entered  upon  a  sea-faring 
life  and  in  time  became  master  of  a  whaler  out 
of  New  Bedford.  He  came  to  his  death  by 
drowning  in  1852.  His  wife,  formerly  Jane  Slo- 
cum,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  born  on  the 
Island  of  Cuttyhunk,  one  of  the  Elizabeth  Group, 
was  a  daughter  of  Frederic  Slocum,  and  died  in 
New  Bedford  in  1853. 

The  birth  of  two  children  blessed  the  union  of 
Captain  Haskins  and  his  wife,  the  younger  of 
whom,  James  Christopher  Haskins.  was  born  in 
New  Bedford,  Mass..  January  23,  1842.  He  was 
reared  in  his  native  town,  receiving  his  prelim- 
inary education  in  the  common  schools  of  that 
place,  and  later  attending  the  schools  of  Provi- 
dence, R.  I.  Trained  to  habits  of  industry  and 
self-reliance,  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  he  was 
apprenticed  in  Providence  to  learn  the  jeweler's 


trade,  remaining  so  occupied  until  the  breaking 
out  of  [he  Civil  war,  when  on  the  16th  of  April, 
1861,  he  volunteered  in  the  First  Rhode  Island 
Detached  Militia  Company  under  Colonel  Burn- 
side.  He  was  mustered  in  at  Washington  May 
2,  and  with  his  company  was  immediately  or- 
dered to  the  front,  participating  in  the  battle  of 
Bull  Run.  His  three  months'  service  expiring 
on  August  2,  he  re-enlisted  as  sergeant  on  the 
28th  of  that  month  in  the  Third  Rhode  Island 
Heavy  Artillery,  his  service  continuing  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  He  participated  in  the  battle 
of  Hilton  Head  on  November  7,  1861,  Skull 
Creek,  Pocotaligo,  Ahista,  Secessionville,  James 
Island,  and  many  other  important  engagements. 
For  thirteen  months  he  was  located  on  the  ex- 
treme point  of  Morris  Island,  at  Fort  Gregg,  en- 
gaged in  the  bombarding  of  Fort  Sumter,  S.  C. 
Upon  the  evacuation  of  Giarleston  he  was  the 
first  man  to  place  the  colors  over  the  city,  plant- 
ing the  flag  over  the  old  postoffice  at  the  foot 
of  Broad  street,  assisted  by  four  of  Company 
B  of  the  Fifty-fourth  Regiment  of  Massachu- 
setts, who  volunteered  to  row  him  over  to  the 
mainland.  During  the  war  he  received  several 
wounds.  While  on  Morris  Island  at  Fort  Gregg 
the  explosion  of  a  two  hundred  pound  Parrot 
gun  threw  him  over  a  gun  carriage  and  in- 
jured his  spine  in  such'  a  way  as  to  cause  par- 
tial paralysis  in  later  life.  At  Pocotaligo  he  re- 
ceived a  gun  thrust  in  the  forehead  and  at  James 
Island  a  pistol  ball  in  the  chin.  He  was  mus- 
tered out  of  service  at  Providence,  R.  I.,  August 
24,  1865. 

Returning  again  to  the  jewelry  business  Mr. 
Haskins  engaged  in  this  work  until  the  fail- 
ure of  eyesight  induced  him  to  seek  other  em- 
ployment. He  secured  a  position  as  traveling 
salesman  for  his  cousin,  W.  L.  Douglas,  the 
well-known  eastern  shoe  manufacturer,  with 
whom  he  remained  until  his  retirement  from  ac- 
tive business  life  because  of  failing  health.  He 
made  his  home  in  Providence  for  some  years, 
later  in  Brockton  and  finally  in  Boston,  from 
which  city  in  1902  he  came  to  Long  Beach,  Cal., 
where  he  has  since  resided.  His  home  is  pre- 
sided over  by  his  wife,  formerly  Miss  Addie 
Clark,  of  Springfield,  Mass.  She  also  boasts 
an  ancestry  of  the  best  blood  of  New  England, 
John  Clark,  mate  of  the  ship  Ann,  having  land- 
ed in  Plymouth  in  1620.  A  descendant,  John 
Clark,  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  an- 
other John  Clark  served  in  the  war  of  1812 — 
all  men  of  patriotism,  earnestness  of  purpose 
and  of  citizen.ship  that  meant  no  little  in  the 
upbuilding  of  the  nation.  Mrs.  Haskin's  father, 
Norman  Clark,  also  born  in  Springfield,  Mass., 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  like  his  an- 
cestors, a  patriot,  serving  in  Company  C, 
Twenty-ninth  Regiment  Massachusetts  Infantry, 


17C 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


during  the  Civil  war,  his  death  occurring  on 
Ship  Island  in  1862.  His  wife,  formerly  Maria 
Baker,  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  her  death 
also  occurring  in  that  state.  They  were  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  four  are  now 
living,  another  son,  Charles  H.,  also  serving  in 
the  Civil  war  in  a  Massachusetts  cavalry  regi- 
ment. By  a  former  marriage  Mrs.  Haskins  is 
the  mother  of  one  son,  E.  N.  Whittaker,  a  man- 
ufacturer of  paper.  By  her  marriage  with  Mr. 
Haskins  she  also  has  one  son,  Waldo  F.  She  is 
a  member  of  the  Women's  Relief  Corps  and  the 
Ladies  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  Daughters  of  Veterans 
of  the  Civil  war  and  the  Bess  Ross  Society.  Mr. 
Haskins  is  a  member  of  Long  Beach  Post  No. 
181,  G.  A.  R.,  and  both  himself  and  wife  are 
identified  with  the  First  Congregational  Church 
of  this  city.  Mr.  Haskins  is  a  Republican  and 
gives  a  most  earnest  support  to  the  principles  he 
endorses.  He  is  a  citizen  of  worth  and  merits 
the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held. 


HEXRV  Z.  GILL.  M.  D.,  LL.  D.  Varied  ex- 
periences and  a  cosmopolitan  knowledge  of  the 
world,  acquired  through  travels  in  the  old 
world  and  the  new,  and  through  the  strenuous 
career  of  an  army  surgeon,  give  to  Dr.  Gill  a 
distinctive  position  among  the  physicians  of 
Southern  California,  where  he  has  made  his  home 
since  the  autumn  of  1902.  Although  he  was  at- 
tracted to  this  section  by  its  charms  of  climate 
and  scenery,  he  has  not  allowed  his  life  to  sink 
into  passive  enjoyment  of  surrounding  com- 
forts, but  has  given  of  his  best  to  the  promotion 
of  local  interests.  Perhaps  in  no  other  respect 
has  he  accomplished  as  much  good  as  through 
his  efforts  to  secure  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
the  laws  of  health  on  the  part  of  the  people. 
That  "prevention  is  better  than  cure"  is  one  of 
his  theories,  and  acting  upon  that  sentiment  he 
has  maintained  an  interest  in  the  construction 
of  public  school  buildings  in  order  that  the 
ventilation  and  the  lighting  facilities  may  be 
conducive  to  the  health  of  the  children.  In  the 
latter  part  of  1902  he  strongly  advocated  the 
establishing  of  city  sewers,  and  also  gave  his 
most  earnest  efforts  toward  securing  the  sanitary 
systems  and  conditions  which  now  exist. 

The  early  years  of  Dr.  Gill's  life  were  asso- 
ciated with  a  farm  in  Bucks  county,  Pa.,  where 
he  was  born  October  6,  1831,  and  where  he 
passed  the  uneventful  years  of  boyhood.  On  the 
completion  of  an  academic  education  he  engaged 
in  teaching  school  in  Pennsylvania.  After  going 
to  Columbus,  Ohio,  in  1854,  he  followed  teach- 
ing in  Franklin  county,  and  in  the  leisure  hours 
of  school  work  he  took  up  the  studv  of  medicine 
with  R.  J.  Patterson,  M.  D.,  of  Columbus,  as 
preceptor.     Later  he  attended  one  and  one-half 


courses  of  lectures  at  Starling  Medical  College, 
and  then  completed  his  course  in  Jefferson  Medi- 
cal College  of  Philadelphia,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1857.  From  that  time  until  the 
Civil  war  he  engaged  in  professional  practice  at 
Columbus,  Ohio,  where  he  gained  a  reputation 
as  a  rising  young  surgeon  and  physician. 

An  appointment  as  assistant  surgeon  in  the 
Eleventh  Ohio  Infantry  was  tendered  Dr.  Gill 
in  April,  1861,  and  he  accepted  for  a  service  of 
three  months,  but  in  July  again  enlisted,  this  time 
for  three  years.  In  July  of  1862  he  resigned  his 
commission  and  returned  to  Columbus.  Imme- 
diately afterward  he  accepted  an  appointment 
as  surgeon  of  the  Ninety-fifth  Ohio  Infantry, 
where  he  remained  in  active  service  until  May 
of  1864,  thus  giving  the  State  of  Ohio  three  years 
of  active  professional  labors  in  her  regiments. 
In  July,  1864,  he  was  commissioned  surgeon  of 
United  States  Volunteers  by  Abraham  Lincoln, 
after  a  brief  service  as  an  assistant  surgeon  with 
the  same  troops,  and  he  continued  to  hold  his 
commission  until  the  war  closed  and  he  was 
mustered  out  in  August  of  1865.  During  the 
first  year  of  the  war  he  was  stationed  in  West 
Mrginia,  and  during  the  second  year  participated 
in  the  campaigns  in  Kentucky,  where  he  was 
captured  at  Richmond  and  imprisoned  for  six 
weeks  within  the  enemy's  lines.  In  January, 
1863,  he  entered  upon  the  Vicksburg  campaign, 
where  he  participated  in  that  long  and  terrible 
ordeal  memorable  in  the  annals  of  history.  Dur- 
ing the  following  year  he  was  a  participant  in 
the  Atlanta  campaign,  later  was  in  the  Savannah 
campaign  and  through  the  Carolinas,  his  service 
being  in  the  capacity  of  surgeon-in-chief  of  the 
First  Division,  Twentieth  Army  Corps,  which 
position  he  held  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

Following  the  stirring  years  of  the  war  Dr. 
Gill  traveled  through  Missouri  and  purchased 
property  in  Kansas  City.  Later  he  took  a  com- 
plete course  of  lectures  in  Jefferson  Medical 
College.  In  May  of  1866  he  left  the  United 
States  for  professional  study  in  Europe,  where 
he  spent  two  years  in  the  hospitals  of  Berlin, 
A'ienna,  Breslau  and  Prague,  and  then  visited 
Paris,  where  he  spent  five  months  during  1867- 
68,  and  after  a  month  in  London  crossed  the 
ocean  to  the  United  States.  Opening  an  office 
in  St.  Louis  in  1868,  he  not  only  conducted  a 
private  practice,  but  also  lectured  in  the  St. 
Louis  Medical  College.  In  1873  he  removed  to 
Jerseyville,  III,  where  he  had  a  large  and  profit- 
able practice  from  that  year  until  1881.  but  re- 
moved then  to  Chester  in  order  to  enter  upon 
his  duties  as  surgeon  of  the  Southern  Illinois 
penitentiary.  In  that  position  he  was  remarkably 
successful.  Prior  to  his  appointment  the  records 
showed  the  death  rate  to  be  thirt3--seven  for 
every   one   thousand    prisoners,    but    under    his 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


179f> 


supervision  and  insistence  upon  sanitary  methods 
the  rate  was  reduced  to  five  per  thousand. 

After  a  service  as  surgeon  for  two  )ears  and 
four  months  Dr.  Gill  resigned  and  became  pro- 
fessor of  surgery  in  the  medical  department  of 
the  University  of  Wooster,  in  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
where  he  delivered  five  courses  of  lectures. 
Owing  to  his  health  becoming  affected  by  tlie 
climate,  he  resigned  in  i886  and  went  to  Kan- 
sas, where  he  established  a  large  practice  at 
Eldorado  and  continued  there  for  seven  years. 
From  1893  until  1902  he  had  his  office  at  Pitts- 
burg, Kans.,  where  he  became  widely  known  as 
a  specialist  in  treatment  of  diseases  of  the  eye, 
ear,  nose  and  throat.  Prior  to  this,  in  1886,  he 
had  published  the  largest  work  in  the  English 
language  treating  on  diphtheria,  croup  and 
tracheotomy.  After  a  very  successful  career  in 
Kansas,  he  removed  to  California  in  order  to 
avail  himself  of  the  climatic  advantages  offered 
by  this  region,  and  extended  travels  in  the  state 
upon  a  tour  of  investigation  ended  in  his  decis- 
ion to  settle  at  Long  Beach,  where  he  makes  his 
home  at  No.  338  Pacific  avenue,  and  has  estab- 
lished a  practice  extending  through  the  city  and 
surrounding  country.  Since  coming  to  this  loca- 
tion he  has  erected  five  houses,  all  of  which  have 
been  sold,  and  he  has  also  bought  and  sold  real 
estate  in  the  city. 

in  Columbus,  Ohio,  in  April,  1869,  Dr.  Gill 
married  Aliss  ]\Iattie  C.  Carpenter,  native  of  that 
city.  They  are  the  parents  of  a  daughter,  ]\Irs. 
Elizabeth  McAlister  of  Long  Beach,  and  a  son,  R. 
F.,  who  has  charge  of  the  Long  Beach  water 
works.  The  family  are  identified  with  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  denomination,  of  which  the  doc- 
tor has  been  a  member  for  fifty  years,  and  in  the 
work  of  which  he  has  been  a  generous  contri- 
butor. In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  believer 
in  Republican  principles,  but  no  trace  of  partisan- 
ship has  shown  in  his  acts ;  in  every  relation  he 
has  been  the  fair-minded,  impartial  citizen.  In 
Masonry  he  has  affiliated  with  the  blue  lodge, 
chapter  and  commandery,  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  and  Grand  Army  Post  No.  181, 
California  and  Nevada  Department,  of  which  he 
was  surgeon  and  now  ranks  as  senior  vice-com- 
mander. During  his  residence  in  Kansas  he 
served  for  two  years  as  secretary  of  the  state 
board  of  health,  and  since  coming  to  the  coast 
he  was  for  two  years  surgeon  of  the  Southern 
California  Veterans'  Association.  In  the  course 
of  his  long  professional  life  he  has  accumulated 
a  large  library  of  valuable  medical  works,  as 
well  as  many  other  volumes,  and  this  library  he 
has  donated  to  the  Southern  California  Univer- 
sity, the  medical  department  receiving  the  bulk 
of  the  volumes.  Through  this  gift  the  informa- 
tion  he  gleaned   in   former  years  of  thoughtful 


study  may  now  be  acquired  by  others,  who  in 
their  turn  may  enter  upon  careers  as  active  and 
helpful  as  his  own  has  been  to  the  world. 


ARTHUR  L.  PARMLEY.  Among  the 
yoimger  generation  of  business  men  in  Long 
Beach  is  Arthur  L.  Parmley,  who  as  a  member 
of  the  Young-Parmley  Investment  Company  has 
been  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business  here 
since  October  of  1905.  JNIany  of  the  large  tracts 
in  and  around  Long  Beach  have  been  bought 
and  subdivided  by  this  company,  and  if  their 
accomplishments  in  the  past  can  be  taken  as  a 
criterion  of  what  lies  before  them  their  success 
is  assured,  for  both  members  of  the  firm  possess 
those  qualities  which  make  for  success  in  any 
calling,  push  and  determination. 

Mr.  Parmley  is  a  native  of  Wisconsin,  bom 
in  Janesville,  Rock  county.  May  28,  1874,  the  son 
of  R.  G.  and  Fannie  A.  (Dann)  Parmley,  born 
in  Ohio  and  Wisconsin  respectively,  and  the 
latter  of  English  descent  on  both  sides  of  the 
family.  Though  born  and  reared  in  Ohio,  R.  G. 
Parmley  became  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  the 
commonwealth  of  Wisconsin,  and  for  many  years 
was  a  merchant  in  Janesville.  From  there  he  re- 
moved to  Sioux  Falls,  S.  Dak.,  and  there  as  in 
Wisconsin  followed  merchandising  for  many 
years.  In  1904,  however,  he  disposed  of  his  inter- 
ests there  and  has  since  lived  retired  in  Long 
Beach,  with  his  wife  enjoying  the  rest  and  quiet 
which  their  means  will  permit,  to  which  is  added 
the  still  greater  comfort  which  invariably  comes 
to  those  who  have  lived  worthily. 

Arthur  L.  Parmley  was  quite  a  young  child 
at  the  time  of  the  family  removal  to  Sioux  Falls, 
so  that  he  has  little  or  no  knowledge  of  his  birth- 
place from  personal  recollection.  He  passed  a 
creditable  school  life  in  the  institutions  of  learn- 
ing in  Sioux  Falls,  after  which  he  took  a  course 
in  the  State  University  at  Vermilion.  It  was 
with  this  training  as  his  stock  in  trade  that  he 
entered  the  business  world  in  1890,  becoming  a 
messenger  in  the  Union  National  Bank  of  Sioux 
Falls.  From  this  humble  position  he  rose  steadily 
until  he  was  numbered  among  the  stockholders 
of  the  institution  and  was  made  assistant  cashier. 
In  1894  he  became  interested  in  the  life  insurance 
business,  in  ]\Iay  of  that  year  accepting  the  posi- 
tion of  superintendent  with  the  Northwestern  of 
Milwaukee,  having  entire  charge  of  the  agencies 
in  North  and  South  Dakota  for  four  years.  In 
the  mean  time  he  had  become  interested  in  min- 
ing in  the  west,  locating  in  Shasta  county,  Cal., 
in  1902,  in  that  year  opening  what  was  known  as 
the  Mountain  Lion  Mine,  located  not  far  from 
old  .Shasta.  There  he  established  a  five-stamp 
mill  which  is  still  in  operation  under  Mr.  Parm- 
ley's  ownership,  although  he  does  not  now  give 


1800 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


it  his  personal  supervision,  having  removed  to 
Long  Beach  in  October  of  1905  to  engage  in 
tlie  real-estate  business  with  ]\Ir.  Young.  One 
year  later,  in  October,  1906,  the  company  was 
incorporated  as  the  Young-Parmley  Investment 
Company. 

While  in  Sioux  Falls  Mr.  Parmley  was  made  a 
JMason  and  it  was  there  also  that  he  joined  the 
Knights  of  Pythias.  Since  locating  in  Long 
Beach  he  has  become  identified  with  the  Benevo- 
lent Protective  Order  of  Elks,  is  a  member  of 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Cosmopolitan  Club,  a  social  organization. 
Politically  he  is  a  believer  in  Republican  prin- 
ciples, and  in  his  religious  belief  he  is  a  Congre- 
gationalist. 


CHARLES  A.  WEIDENFELLER.  Per- 
suaded to  come  to  California  through  the  vivid 
descriptions  given  of  its  mild,  health-invigorat- 
ing cHmate,  its  rarely  beautiful  scenery,  and  its 
many  special  attractions  as  a  place  of  residence, 
Charles  A.  Weidenfeller  located  in  Los  Angeles 
county  in  1904,  and  is  now  living  in  his  pleasant 
home,  Oakhurst,  in  Glendale.  His  enthusiasm  in 
regard  to  the  ir.erits  of  Southern  California  as 
an  abiding  place  has  been  in  no  wise  dimmed,  its 
peculiar  charms  being  enhanced  upon  a  more  in- 
timate acquaintance  with  its  natural  resources, 
while  the  improvements  that  are  constantly  being 
carried  on  render  it  an  ideal  garden  spot,  a  verit- 
able haven  of  rest,  comfort  and  happiness. 

Although  born  on  the  high  seas,  wlyle  his  par- 
ents were  en  route  to  America,  Mr.  Weidenfeller 
is  a  native  of  America,  his  father,  John  Weiden- 
feller, of  Newark,  N.  J.,  being  >an  American  citi- 
zen. Brought  up  in  Newark,  N.  J.,  he  completed 
the  course  of  study  in  the  public  schools  of  that 
city,  and  afterwards  there  served  an  apprentice- 
ship at  tlie  jeweler's  trade.  Turning  then  his  at- 
tention to  mechanical  pursuits,  he  entered  one 
of  the  largest  sash  and  fjlind  factories  of  Newark 
as  a  workman,  ?nd  during  the  twelve  years  that 
he  was  employed  he  became  an  expert  and  skilled 
mechanic.  Giving  up  his  position  in  the  factory 
he  was  two  years  associated  with  the  Provident 
Savings  Life  Assurance  Company  of  New  York 
Citv.  After  retiring  from  this  company  he  became 
similarly  connected  with  the  John  Hancock  Life 
Insurance  Company  of  Boston,  remaining  there 
for  two  years.  Being  then  offered  a  position  with 
the  Metropolitan  Life  Insurance  Company  of  New 
York  Citv,  he  accepted  it,  and  for  twenty  years 
was  its  general  agent,  with  headquarters  in  either 
New  York  or  Chicago,  being  first  located  in  the 
former  city,  then  from  1883,  until  1893,  in  Chi- 
cago, and  from  1893  until  1897  in  New  York.  In 
the  latter  year,  having,  by  superior  business  tact 


and  ability  and  wise  financial  management,  ac- 
quired a  competency,  he  sold  out  his  renewals  to 
the    company  and  retired  from  active  business. 

Since  retiring  Mr.  Weidenfeller  has  devoted 
much  of  his  time  to  looking  after  his  Chicago  in- 
terests, and  for  a  few  years  superintended  the 
management  of  his  country  seat  in  Allegan 
county,  Mich.,  where  he  had  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land.  He  kept  fine  trotting  horses, 
and,  as  a  fad.  became  interested  in  raising  Here- 
ford cattle.  This  beautiful  farm  he  disposed  of,  and 
it  was  subsequently,  while  spending  the  summer 
at  Macatawa  Park,  ^lich.,  that  he  met  two  gen- 
tlemen from  California  who  praised  the  state,  its 
beauties  and  advantages  to  such  purpose  that  Mr. 
Weidenfeller  was  filled  with  a  desire  to  come 
here,  and  havjng  taken  up  his  residence  here  he 
never  regretted  it.  The  first  few  months  of  his 
life  in  this  county  he  spent  traveling  about,  mak- 
ing his  headquarters  in  Ocean  Park.  In  passing 
through  Glendale  he  saw  the  estate  on  which  he 
now  lives,  and,  being  conquered  by  its  charms, 
liought  it,  added  many  improvements,  and  gave  to 
it  the  unique  name  of  Oakhurst. 

Mr.  Weidenfeller  married,  in  Chicago,  111., 
Celia  M.  Hammon,  who  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Michigan,  where  her  father,  James  D.  Ham- 
mon, still  resides. 


N.  C.  NIELSEN.  As  proprietor  of  the  men's 
furnishings  business  at  No.  208  Pine  street. 
Long  Beach,  N.  C.  Nielsen  is  known  as  one  of 
the  most  prosperous  and  successful  merchants 
in  this  thriving  city,  which  is  noted  for  the  energy 
and  enterprise  of  its  business  men.  Mr.  Nielsen 
is  a  native  of  Wensyssel,  Denmark,  born  July  18, 
1 85 1,  the  son  of  a  Danish  farmer.  After  acquiring 
a  good  common-school  education,  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  he  was  apprenticed  to  a  merchant  tailor 
for  three  vears,  and  immediately  upon  the  ex-' 
piration  of  his  term  of  service  started  in  busi- 
ness for  himself,  carrying  it  on  until  1883,  when 
he  came  to  America.  The  first  year  in  this 
country  he  spent  in  Mt.  iMorris,  111.,  and  in  1884 
he  located  in  Abilene,  Ivans.,  where  for  three 
vears  he  was  occupied  at  his  trade,  then  con- 
tinued the  same  occupation  for  a  number  of 
years  in  Herington,  that  state.  His  residence 
in  Long  P.each  dates  from  1904,  when  he  estab- 
lished the  business  which  he  now  conducts. 

May  8.  1879,  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
Nielsen  to  INIiss  Kirsten  Kathrine  Hansen,  and 
of  this  union  three  children  were  bom :  Niels  H., 
who  is  a  partner  in  his  father's  business ;  Hannah, 
a  talented  music  teacher,  and  an  infant  who  died 
aged  six  days.  Mr.  Nielson  has  always  taken 
an  especially  active  interest  in  church  work  and 
is  one  of  the  most  earnest  and  enthusiastic  leaders 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHIC.VL  RECORD. 


1801 


in  the  Progressive  Brethern  Church  (Dunkard), 
being  at  the  present  time  chairman  of  the  board 
of  trustees  of  the  Los  Angeles  Church  of  that 
denomination  at  No.  412  East  Miles  street,  the 
building  of  which  was  largely  due  to  his  self- 
sacrificing  zeal ;  he  is  a  member  and  treasurer 
of  the  .state  mission  board,  and  a  member  and 
representative  of  the  California  district  of  the 
national  mission  board  of  his  church.  He  is 
also  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school  and 
is  a  valued  contributor  to  the  denominational 
papers,  discussing  especially  the  tithe  question, 
and  through  this  was  organized  the  Tenth  Legion 
of  the  church,  of  which  he  is  secretary.  As  a 
man '  of  unimpeachable  character  in  private  or 
public,  social,  business  or  civic  life,  he  is  held  in 
the  highest  esteem  bv  all  who  know  him. 


SYLVAIN  BERGES  was  born  in  Basses- 
Pyrenees,  France.  jNIarch  i,  1855,  and  is  the  son 
of  Jean  and  Mariana  ( Bambalero )  Berges,  botli 
of  whom  died  in  France.  The  father,  who  was  a 
builder  by  trade,  was  the  only  son  and  his  sister, 
Mrs.  Bambalero,  died  in  Los  Angeles. 

Mr.  Berges  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  in  1874,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years, 
he  came  to  the  United  States.  Until  1879  he  was 
employed  in  the  dairy  business,  and  then,  having 
come  to  California,  he  engaged  in  the  same  line 
of  work  in  San  Francisco.  In  1881  he  came  to 
Los  Angeles  and  was  in  the  employ  of  John 
Lankershim  on  his  canyon  ranch  in  San  Diego 
county  for  two  years,  and  later  on  his  Palton 
ranch  in  San  Fernando  valley.  He  tlien  rented 
for  six  years  an  eighty-acre  ranch  on  Jefferson 
street,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  In  i88g 
he  married  Anna  Riviere,  who  was  born  in  Los 
Angeles,  the  daughter  of  Bertrand  and  Sacra- 
mento Ruiz,  pioneers  of  Los  Angeles.  She  died 
in  189s,  leaving  five  children:  Marie  Louise, 
who  died  in  1895 ;  Clara,  Mrs.  Eselon :  Pierre, 
Ellen  and  Cecelia,  all  at  home. 

All  these  years  Mr.  Berges  has  engaged  in 
farming  and  gardening  and  owns  thirty  acres  of 
larid  on  wfest  Jeiiferson  and  Arlington  which  has 
now  become  very  valuable.  His  political  prin- 
ciples coincide  with  those  of  the  Republican 
party.  He  is  a  man  of  worth  and  integrity  and 
is  much  esteemed  by  all  for  his  many  noble  and 
liberal  acts. 


ADOLPH  LEUZTNGER.  Since  establish- 
ing his  home  in  Southern  California  Mr.  Leu- 
zinger  has  operated  large  tracts  of  rented  land 
and  since  1891  lie  has  also  been  a  land-owner, 
his  first  purchase  consisting  of  eighty  acres  situ- 
ated four  and  onc-balf  miles  southwest  of  Ingle- 
wood  near  the  postoflice  of  Wiseburn.  To  bis 
S4 


original  purchase  he  has  added  from  time  to 
time  until  now  his  landed  possessions  aggregate 
three  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  valued  at  $200 
per  acre,  and  in  addition  to  operating  this  large 
tract  he  continues  to  cultivate  rented  lands. 
Where  Inglewood  now  stands  there  was  once  a 
field  of  grain  and  he  plowed  the  ground  there 
and  placed  it  under  cultivation,  little  dreaming 
that  soon  a  beautiful  village  would  spring  up  on 
that  site. 

The  Leuzinger  family  is  of  Swiss  origin,  and 
.Adolph  was  born  in  that  republic  April  13,  1859, 
being  a  son  of  John  J.  and  Verena  (Durst) 
Leuzinger,  natives  of  the  same  country.  His 
father,  who  was  the  owner  of  a  small  farm  in 
his  native  land,  sold  out  in  1866  and  crossed  the 
ocean  to  the  United  States.  While  Kansas  was 
still  sparsely  settled  and  only  partly  improved 
he  established  his  home  in  Dickinson  county, 
wliere  he  took  up  a  homestead  claim.  Settlers 
\\ere  few  and  buffaloes  still  abounded  on  the 
nlains,  a?  well  as  other  animals  now  seldom  seen. 
'When  the  railroad  was  built  through  his  county 
he  lost  his  land  and  was  obliged  to  buy  it  a 
second'  time  from  the  railway  company,  a  mis- 
fortune which  took  from  him  the  earnings  of 
vears.  Until  the  fall  of  1883  he  remained  in 
Kansas,  but  at  that  time  he  brought  his  wife  to 
California  and  settled  at  Hyde  Park.  The  ranch 
which  be  purchased  from  General  Rosecrans 
consisted  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  all  of 
which  remains  intact  with  the  exception  of  five 
acres,  forming  a  valuable  pronertv.  Mr.  Leu- 
zinger died  Januarv  14.  1906,  having  attained  a 
sjood  old  aee.  Of  the  .  eiffht  children  born  to 
himself  and  wife  all  but  two  are  living;  two 
daughters.  Elizabeth  and  Fannie,  are  in  Los  An- 
reles :  Andrew  resides  at  Hvde  Park ;  Mary  in 
Port  Costa :  and  Jolm  A.  in  Pennsvlvania. 

^^''ben  the  fannly  came  to  the  United  States 
Adolph  Leuzinger  was  a  child  of  seven  years, 
hence  he  retains  onlv  disconnected  recollections 
of  the  land  of  his  birth.  As  a  bov  he  attended 
the  country  schools  in  Kansas  and  assisted  in 
placing  his  father's  farm  under  cultivation.  In 
the  spring  of  1882  he  came  to  California  on  a 
tour  of  inspection  with  a  view  to  purchasing 
land  for  his  father,  nnd  the  result  of  his  investi- 
fjations  was  the  purchase  of  the  ranch  still  owned 
bv  the  family.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  he  rent- 
ed land  owned  bv  Daniel  Freeman  and  after- 
ward increased  his  rentings  until  he  operated 
one  thousand  acres  of  grain  and  hav  land.  For 
four  -vears  he  rented  from  Mr.  Freeman  and 
later  rented  from  the  p-entleman  who  bought  the 
property  from  the  first  owner,  at  this  writing 
'-enting  an  entire  section  in  one  body.  In  1893 
lie  married  Emmn  L.  Bollinger,  who  was  horn 
and  reared  in  Wisconsin,  and  bv  whom  be  has 
three  children,  John  A..  Louis  Edward  and  Ar- 


1802 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


thur  Theodore.  In  political  belief  i\Ir.  Leu- 
zinger  stanchly  upholds  the  principles  of  the 
Democratic  party,  but  he  takes  no  part  in  local 
affairs  aside  from  voting  the  regular  ticket  and 
giving-  his  influence  toward  such  of  his  friends 
as  may  be  candidates  for  office.  Political  offices 
he  has  always  declined,  his  only  position  having 
been  in  the  interests  of  education,  when  he 
served  as  school  trustee  lor  a  number  of  years. 
Fraternaiiy  he  holds  membership  with  Redondo 
Lodge  No.  328,  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Redondo,  also 
the  Royal  Arcanum,  in  both  of  v/hich,  as  also  in 
general  social  circles,  he  has  a  large  number  of 
"friends  drawn  to  him  by  his  integrity,  energy 
and  high  principles  of  character. 


WILLIAM  M.  SXUFFIN.  The  middle  era 
of  the  nineteenth  centun,-  that  brought  thousands 
of  gold  seekers  across  the  plains  in  search  of 
fortunes  in  the  mines  of  the  west  and  that  for 
the  first  time  awakened  within  the  spirit  of  the 
east  a  desire  to  colonize  the  regions  along  the 
coast,  was  the  period  that  saw  the  Snuffin  family 
established  in  California.  During  1852  Lyne 
Starling  Snuffin,  a  native  of  Iowa,  crossed  the 
plains  with  a  throng  of  emigrants  in  "prairie 
schooners"  drawn  by  oxen,  and  immediately  after 
his  arrival  he  engaged  in  mining,  however,  with- 
out any  special  success.  Soon  he  turned  his  at- 
tention to  raising  stock  and  grain,  and  for  years 
he  cultivated  a  farm  in  Mendocino  county,  but 
in  1876  he  removed  to  Santa  Paula,  Ventura 
county,  where  he  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  at 
first,  and  then  resumed  agricultural  pursuits. 
With  his  wife,  who  was  Emily  Dukes,  a  native 
of  Illinois,  he  still  makes  his  home  in  Santa  Paula. 
His  father,  Martin  Snuffin,  who  was  a  native  of 
Philadelphia  and  a  pioneer  farmer  of  Iowa,  came 
to  California  in  the  latter  '70s,  and  remained  in 
Los  Angeles  county  until  his  death. 

Among  the  five  children  of  L.  S.  Snuffin  the 
gentleman  whose  name  introduces  this  article  was 
third  in  order  of  birth,  and  he  was  born  near 
Hopland.  Mendocino  county,  this  state,  Febru- 
ary 19,  1863.  When  the  family  removed  to  Santa 
Paula  he  was  a  lad  of  twelve  years  and  after- 
ward he  attended  the  schools  of  that  town  for 
a  few  years.  His  time  was  given  to  his  father 
until  he  became  of  age,  after  which  he  started 
out  to  earn  his  own  livelihood,  his  first  work 
being  that  of  teaming  from  Santa  Paula  to 
neighboring  points.  Later  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing near  Somis,  where  he  leased  about  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  acres  under  cultivation  to 
beans  and  beets.  In  August  of  1904  he  started 
a  feed  and  wood  yard  on  the  Savier  road,  and  in 
August  of  the  following  year  he  erected  on  the 
same  road  a  building  44x100  feet  in  dimensions, 
where  he  now  conducts  a  liverv,  feed  and  sales 


business,  the  same  being  known  as  the  Valley 
Stable.  The  barn  is  equipped  with  first-class 
vehicles  and  the  necessary  horses,  and  has  proved 
an  important  addition  to  the  business  enterprises 
of  the  locality. 

An  attractive  residence  in  Oxnard,  on  the  cor- 
ner of  E  and  Second  streets,  was  erected  by  Mr. 
Snuffin  a  few  years  ago,  and  forms  a  pleasant 
home  for  his  wife  and  three  children,  Edwin, 
Amelia  and  Merle.  JNIrs.  Snuffin  formerly  was 
!Miss  Benetta  Halbert,  and  was  born  in  Alabama, 
but  came  to  California  in  girlhood  and  at  the 
time  of  her  marriage  was  residing  in  Santa 
Paula.  She  is  connected  with  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Qiurch  and  has  contributed  generous- 
ly of  time  and  means  to  the  forwarding  of  its 
work.  \M:ile  living  in  Santa  Paula  Mr.  Snuffin 
was  an  active  member  of  the  Native  Sons  of  the 
Golden  West,  and  at  this  writing  he  affiliates  with 
the  ^Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Fra- 
ternal Brotherhood.  In  national  politics  he  votes 
with  the  Democratic  party,  but  in  local  affairs  he 
gives  his  support  to  the  men  whom  he  considers 
best  qualified  to  represent  the  people,  irrespective 
of  their  party  allegiance.  While  as  a  rule  declin- 
ing official  candidacies,  his  interest  in  educational 
matters  led  him  to  accept  the  position  of  school 
trustee  and  he  served  in  that  capacity  in  the  Cen- 
tral school  district. 


WTLLIAAI  CH.\RLES  SPROUL  was  born 
in  tlie  town  of  China,  Kennebec  county,  ]\Ie., 
April  20,  1858,  being  the  third  oldest  of  a  family 
of  eight  children  born  to  William  H.  and  Marshie 
?ilarcella  (Putnam)  Sproul.  The  father  was 
a  native  of  Giina,  Me.,  and  was  engaged  in 
farming  there  until  1876.  when  he  brought  his 
family  to  California  and  now  resides  on  his  farm 
at  Harper  Station.  Orange  county.  The  mother 
was  born  in  Cavendish,  Vt.,  and  is  a  great-grand- 
daughter of  General  Israel  Putnam  of  Revolu- 
tionary fame,  whose  courage  and  bravery  is 
known  to  every  school  child  in  America,  hav- 
ing read  the  story  of  his  escapade  with  the  wolf. 

William  Qiarles  Sproul  was  reared  on  the 
New  England  farm  and  attended  the  public 
schools.  In  1876  he  came  to  Norwalk  and  for 
a  few  years  assisted  his  father  in  clearing  a 
farm  in  the  days  when  the  country  that  is  now 
so  wealthy  and  prosperous  was  one  of  ups-and- 
downs  and  might  well  be  termed  hard-scrabble. 
\\'hen  he  reached  his  majority  he  followed  min- 
ing in  Arizona  and  Oregon  and  in  tlie  latter  state 
was  married  to  Miss  Louisa  Frey.  a  native  of 
Tvlinnesota,  and  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Fred- 
ricka  Frev.  After  spending  six  vears  in  Grant 
county.  Oregon,  he  returned  to  Southern  Cali- 
fornia in  1886  and  the  next  year  he  purchased 
his  present  place  of  twenty  acres,  then  wild  and 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1803 


unimproved.  He  went  to  work  with  an  energy 
and  will  to  make  a  success  and  now  has  a  vine- 
yard of  ten  acres  and  three  acres  of  alfalfa  and 
the  balance  devoted  to  deciduous  and  citrus  trees, 
The  place  is  located  two  miles  southwest  of 
Norwalk  and  is  well  improved  with  commodious 
and  comfortable  buildings  and  a  flowing  artesian 
well.  They  are  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
namely:  Charles,  Edward,  Herman,  Eugene, 
Laura,  Evelyn  and  Ada.  Mr.  Sproul  was  made  a 
Mason  in  Canon  City  Lodge  No.  22,  Oregon,  and 
is  now  a  member  of  Norwalk  Lodge  No.  315, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  was  a  charter  member  of  the  Fra- 
ternal Brotherhood,  Norwalk,  and  served  as  its 
first  president  and  himself  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  order  of  Eastern  Star.  Mr.  Sproul 
has  taken  an  active  part  in  educational  matters 
and  the  upbuilding  of  the  schools  to  a  high 
standard,  hence  it  is  little  wonder  that  the  citi- 
zens of  Norwalk  district  have  elected  him  as 
school  trustee  and  he  faithfully  discharges  his 
duties.  Mr.  Sproul  is  liberal  and  public-spirited 
and  there  is  not  an  enterprise  tending  to  promote 
the  importance  of  his  neighborhood  that  does 
not  receive  his  hearty  support. 


JONATHAN  H.  SHARPS.  An  enterpris- 
ing citizen  of  Newport  Beach  is  named  in  the 
person  of  Jonathan  H.  Sharps,  whose  liberality 
and  progressive  spirit  have  resulted  in  material 
development  for  the  place.  He  was  born  in  Iowa, 
near  Ottumwa,  January  8,  1843.  The  family, 
originally  known  as  Sharpe,  came  from  Eng- 
land and  settled  in  Parkersburg,  W.  Va.,  where 
members  served  in  tlie  Revolutionary  war  and 
again  in  the  war  of  1812.  His  father,  Jackson 
J.  Sharps,  was  born  in  Virginia  February  15, 
1816,  and  became  a  settler  of  Iowa  in  1838.  He 
was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and  he  followed  this 
in  conjuction  with  farming  for  some  time,  finally 
establishing  a  blacksmith  shop  in  Ottumwa,  and 
later  removing  to  Worth  county,  AIo.,  where  he 
engaged  at  the  prosecution  of  his  trade  for  the 
period  of  twenty-two  years.  His  last  years  were 
spent  with  his  son  in  California,  his  death  oc- 
curring in  Newport  Beach  December  25,  1904. 
He  was  a  Mason  fraternally  and  in  religion  be- 
longed to  the  J\Iethodist  Episcopal  Qiurch.  In 
politics  he  was  a  stanch  Democrat.  His  wife 
was  formerly  Catherine  Parsons,  a  native  of 
Virginia  and  the  descendant  of  English  ancestry. 
She  died  in  Jefferson  county,  Iowa.  December  23, 
1859.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  children, 
three  sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom  two 
sons  and  two  daughters  are  now  living:  Celia 
Ann,  wife  of  J.  J.  Green,  of  Newport  Beach ; 
Jonathan  H.,  of  this  review;  C.  D..  located  in 
Eldon,  Iowa;  Nellie  Miller,  who  died  in  Mis- 
souri; Virginia,  Mrs.   Folan,  of  Worth  county. 


Mo. ;   and  John   Emory,   who   died   in    Newport 
Beach  in  1898. 

Jonathan  H.  Sharps  was  reared  in  Iowa  and 
educated  in  the  public  school  in  the  vicinity  of 
his  home.  Upon  attaining  his  majority  he  se- 
cured employment  to  drive  a  team  across  the 
plains  to  Montana,  for  Teddy  Wood  and  Temple- 
ton  of  Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa,  the  time  consumed 
in  this  journey  being  from  May  14  to  July  14; 
there  were  but  nine  wagons  and  fourteen  people 
in  the  train,  but  they  succeeded  in  making  their 
way  to  their  destination  without  serious  trouble. 
He  returned  to  his  home  by  boat  on  the  Mis- 
souri river.  In  January  of  the  following  year 
( 1865)  he  outfitted  in  Omaha  and  May  17  again 
set  out  across  the  plains,  this  time  driving  a 
freight  team  for  the  Crayton  Brothers,  bound 
for  Montana.  There  were  thirty  teams  and  seven 
yoke  of  oxen  to  each  train  and  a  large  number 
of  people  in  the  train,  notwithstanding  which 
they  had  considerable  trouble  with  the  Indians, 
losing  one  man  while  outside  of  camp.  They  ar- 
rived in  Salt  Lake  City.  October  9,  and  from  that 
]5oint  journeyed  on  to  Virginia  City,  Mont.,  reach- 
ing there  December  12,  and  there  spending  the 
winter.  In  February  they  continued  their  trip  to 
Helena  and  from  that  point  Mr.  Sharps  went  to 
Confederate  Gulch  and  engaged  in  mining.  He 
followed  a  similar  occupation  on  Engine  Creek 
and  then  went  to  Gallatin  valley,  near  Bozeman 
and  engaged  in  farming  and  dairying  for  the 
period  of  four  years.  In  1869  he  disposed  of  this 
interest  and  came  to  California  by  horse-teams, 
spending  three  months  in  Sacramento  and  thence 
coming  on  to  Southern  California,  where  he 
located  at  San  Juan  Capistrano.  Orange  county, 
purchasing  ten  acres  and  there  acting  as  super- 
intendent for  the  stage  stock  for  Seeley  &  Wright. 
In  1872  he  located  at  Santa  Ana,  Orange  coun- 
ty, and  the  ensuing-  year  was  spent  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  in  form- 
ing the  grade  between  Florence  and  Downey  in 
Los  Angeles  county.  In  January,  1874,  he  re- 
moved to  San  Bernardino  county  and  engaged  in 
the  dairy  business  for  the  period  of  four  years, 
when  he  returned  to  Santa  Ana  and  followed 
general  fanning  occupations.  Later  he  was  again 
employed  by  the  Southern  Pacific  to  grade  be- 
tween Santa  Ana  and  Oceanside.  and  was  active 
in  grading  for  the  town  site  of  San  Juan  by 
the  Sea,  building  the  Pioneer  Hotel,  which  he 
conducted  successfully  until  1890.  In  the  last 
named  year  he  located  in  Newport  Beach  in 
the  employ  of  McFadden  &  Co..  until  they  sold 
out,  when  he  moved  his  hotel  from  San  Juan  by 
the  Sea  to  this  place,  and  here  he  conducted  this 
enterprise  until  recently.  He  is  the  prime  mover 
and  he  and  his  wife  the  sole  owners  of  the  New- 
port Beach  Water  Company,  which  was  estab- 
lished  and   incorporated   July    14,    1905,   Robert 


1804 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


McFadden  being  president  of  the  concern,  Mr. 
Sharps  vice-president  and  M.  J.  Sharps  secretar}-. 
The  water  was  developed  by  wells  in  Santa  Ana 
valley  four  miles  northwest  of  Newport  Beach, 
the  pumping  plant  being  equipped  with  a  thirty- 
five  horse  power  engine  with  a  Byron  Jackson 
Centrifugal  pump,  with  a  capacity  of  seventy- 
five  inches.  There  is  now  an  ample  supply  of 
water  furnished  to  East  Newport,  Balboa  and 
Bay  Island  Club,  both  for  domestic  purposes  as 
well  as  irrigation.  Mr.  Sharps'  son,  Frank  C, 
is  the  engineer  in  charge  of  this  plant.  Mr. 
Sharps  was  also  one  of  the  organizers  and  is 
still  a  stockholder  in  the  State  Bank  of  Newport, 
as  well  as  being  interested  with  other  upbuild- 
ing movements  of  the  place. 

In  Gospel  Swamp,  Orange  comity,  Cal.,  JNIr. 
Sharps  was  united  in  marriage,  July  4,  1876,  with 
Miss  May  J.  Salter,  a  native  of  Minnesota,  and 
born  of  this  union  are  two  children  :  Frank  C,  en- 
gineer for  the  Newport  Beach  Water  Company, 
and  Ethel  E.,  a  merchant  in  Newport  Beach. 
Fraternally  Mr.  Sharps  is  identified  with  the 
Odd  Fellows  of  Santa  Ana.  In  religion  he  is 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Politically  he  is  a  stanch  adherent  of  the  prin- 
ciples advocated  in  the  platform  of  the  Republi- 
can party  and  is  deeply  interested  in  the  temper- 
ance cause. 


LORING  BOYD  HASKELL.  The  earliest 
ancestor  of  the  Haskell  family  of  whom  we  have 
authentic  knowledge  is  William  Haskell,  who 
was  born  in  England  in  1617.  With  his  two 
older  brothers,  Roger  and  Mark,  he  crossed  the 
ocean  to  America  in  1632,  settling  in  Beverly, 
Mass.,  but  later,  in  1643,  removed  to  Gloucester, 
that  state,  where  his  death  occurred  in  August, 
1693.  In  direct  line  the  ancestry  is  traced  from 
William  Haskell  through  William,  Jacob,  Zebulon, 
Zebulon  and  Benjamin,  the  latter  the  father  of 
Loring  Boyd  Haskell.  The  English  coat-of- 
arms  bore  the  motto,  Veritas  vincit,  Truth  con- 
quers, a  saying  which  was  not  only  handed  down 
from  one  generation  to  another,  but  bore  fruit 
in  noble  living  ancj  large  accomplishments.  Ben- 
jamin Haskell  was  born  in  the  New  England 
town  which  had  been  the  home  of  his  forefathers 
for  so  many  generations.  Gloucester,  Mass., 
where  he  engaged  first  as  a  blacksmith,  and  later 
as  a  merchant.  To  himself  and  wife,  formerly 
]\Iary  Noble,  a  descendant  of  an  old  Virginia 
family,  thirteen  children  were  born,  but  of  this 
large  family  only  four  are  living.  Three  of  the 
sons  fought  with  valor  in  the  Civil  war  and  thus 
added  lustre  to  the  name.  Otis  L.  served  as  an 
ensign  in  the  United  States  navy  from  his  native 
state,  ^Massachusetts,  and  is  now  a  resident  of 
Denver,  Colo;  ^^'illiam  B.,  who  enlisted  in  the 


Twelfth  ^lassachusetts  Regiment,  was  wounded 
in  the  battle  of  Antietam,  July  17,  1862,  but 
recovered  sufficiently  to  again  take  his  place  in 
the  ranks  and  was  one  of  the  brave  defenders  of 
the  union  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg;  his  life 
was  sacrificed  in  his  country's  cause,  for  he 
did  not  long  survive  the  wounds  and  exposure 
of  warfare,  his  death  occurring  in  Washington, 
D.  C.  in  1864,  Howard  Haskell  volunteered  his 
service  in  the  Eighth  Massachusetts  Regiment 
and  is  now  a  resident  of  Gloucester,  Mass. 

The  youngest  of  the  parental  family  now  liv- 
ing is  Loring  Boyd  Haskell,  who  was  born  in 
Gloucester,  Mass.,  March  25,  1850.  Before  he 
had  reached  his  twentieth  year  he  had  completed 
his  school  training,  having  attended  the  public 
and  high  schools  of  his  native  town,  and  had 
entered  the  business  world.  Under  the  name  of 
B.  Haskell  &  Sons  he  was  interested  with  his 
three  brothers  in  the  merchandise  business  which 
his  father  had  established  many  years  before. 
In  connection  with  the  business  they  had  la 
large  shipping  trade,  and  ran  a  fleet  of  fishing 
schooners  from  Gloucester  by  way  of  Florida  to 
Greenland. 

After  an  association  of  about  thirty-five  years 
in  business  life  in  the  east  Mr.  Haskell  came  tc 
California  in  October  of  1904,  and  was  so  well 
pleased  with  the  outlook  in  Long  Beach  that 
he  determined  to  remain  and  identify  himself 
with  the  business  life  of  the  town.  Associated 
with  others  he  established  in  1905  the  Boston 
Realty  Company,  with  offices  at  No.  243  Pine 
avenue,  where  a  large  business  in  the  buying  and 
selling  of  real  estate  has  since  been  transacted. 

In  Gloucester,  Mass.,  Mr.  Haskell  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Lizzie  M.  Center,  who 
like  himself,  was  a  native  of  that  state.  The 
Center  family  was  established  in  New  England 
early  in  the  seventeenth  century,  the  first  re- 
presentative in  this  country  leaving  England  and 
settling  in  Vermont.  Mrs.  Haskell's  father. 
Capt.  Addison  Center,  received  his  title  in  the 
Civil  war  as  a  member  of  the  Eighth  Massachu- 
setts Regiment,  Company  G,  and  of  Company 
E  of  the  Twenty-third  Regiment.  His  entire 
life  was  spent  in  Massachusetts,  where  he  be- 
came known  as  a  portrait  artist  of  considerable 
note.  His  wife,  formerly  Mary  Phelps,  was  also 
a  native  of  Massachusetts,  born  in  Salem,  and 
a  granddaughter  of  Judge  Phelps.  Six  chil- 
dren blessed  the  marriage  of  i\Ir.  and  i\Irs.  Has- 
kell, the  eldest  of  whom,  Otis  L.,  died  when  four 
years  old ;  the  others  are.  Mary  C.  Hannah 
Dorothea,  Grace  Otis,  and  Esther  and  Elizabeth, 
the  two  last  named  twins.  In  their  religious 
leanings  the  family  are  LTniversalists.  Frater- 
nally Mr.  Haskell  belongs  to  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Royal  Arcanum,  while  in  his  political  belief 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1805 


he  is  Independent,  voting  for  the  best  man  in 
question  regardless  of  party  name.  While  a  resi- 
dent of  the  east  he  was  an  influential  member  of 
the  Board  of  Trade,  president  of  an  electric  light 
company  and  a  director  of  banks,  and  though  a 
comparatively  new  comer  to  Long  Beach  has 
identified  himself  with  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
and  is  one  of  its  most  interested  members. 


TILGHAL^N  DAVIS  ANDREW.  An  ear- 
ly settler  of  .Southern  California,  Mr.  Andrew 
has  witnessed  the  development  of  this  section 
of  the  state  and  has  given  his  best  efforts  to- 
ward its  material  upbuilding.  He  is  the  west- 
ern representative  of  a  proud  old  Maryland 
family,  father,  grandfather  and  great-grand- 
father as  well  as  himself,  all  natives  of  Caro- 
line county  and  each  one  occupying  a  place  of 
prominence  in  the  aff'airs  of  his  day.  Revolu- 
tionary stock  bred  patriotism  and  Alelvin  An- 
drew served  in  the  war  of  1812;  his  son  Rich- 
ard became  a  farmer  in  Maryland,  where  he 
spent  his  entire  life.  The  latter  married  Re- 
becca Kamper,  born  in  Doroliester,  Md.,  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  Kamper,  a  native  of  the 
same  locality,  a  farmer  in  manhood,  and  a  loy- 
al soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  Mrs.  Andrew 
survives  and  still  makes  her  home  in  J^Iaryland 
at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-seven  years.  She 
had  nine  children,  of  whom  eight  still  survive; 
inheriting  the  stanch  patriotism  of  a  loyal  an- 
cestry two  served  in  the  Civil  war,  Isaac  in  the 
First  Regiment  Maryland  Infantry,  being 
wounded  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  and 
James,  a  lieutenant  in  the  First  Delaware  Cav- 
alry, also  being  wounded  at  the  famous  battle 
mentioned  above. 

Tilghman  Davis  Andrew  was  born  in  Caro- 
line county,  Md.,  May  11,  1846,  and  was  reared 
on  the  paternal  farm  until  the  year  1867.  On 
the  25th  of  May  of  that  year  he  enlisted  in 
Company  H.  Thirty-second  Regiment,  LTnited 
States  Infantry,  which  was  immediately  sent 
via  Panama  to  San  Pedro,  Cal.,  whence  they 
marched  one  thousand  miles  to  Tucson,  Ariz., 
to  engage  in  the  Apache  war,  their  combined 
force  being  four  regiments,  two  of  infantry^  and 
two  of  cavalry.  They  remained  in  that  loca- 
tion for  three  years.  Air.  Andrew  being  pro- 
moted to  sergeant.  When  the  government  re- 
duced the  army  m  1869  he  was  supernumerary 
and  was  tran.sferred  to  Company  H,  Twenty- 
first  Regiment,  U.  S.  A.,  and  in  the  same  year 
was  honorablv  discharged,  after  a  service  of 
two  years  and  four  months.  Returning  to  Cal- 
ifornia Mr.  Andrew  located  in  San  Bernardino 
and  entered  the  employ  of  John  M.  James,  en- 
gaged in  the  sawmilling  business.  In  that  sec- 
tion he  was  married   April   30.    1872,  to   Miss 


Sarah  James,  of  Sunny  Slope,  Los  Angeles 
county.  Her  father,  John  M.  James,  was  born 
in  Tennessee,  married  in  Arkansas  and  came 
across  the  plains  with  ox-teams  in  1852  and  lo- 
cated in  the  vicinity  of  San  Gabriel.  He  was  a 
millwright  and  carpenter  by  trade,  both  of 
which  he  followed  with  considerable  profit 
throughout  Southern  California.  He  engaged 
in  whipsawing  lumber  in  Saw  Pit  canon, 
which  he  sold  for  $100  per  thousand.  Going  to 
San  Bernardino  he  rented  a  saw  mill  from 
John  Rowland  and  later  purchased  it  outright 
and  continued  to  conduct  these  interests  in  the 
mountains  north  of  the  city  for  many  years. 
His  death  occurred  in  1903,  when  nearly 
eighty-eight  years  of  age.  He  was  a  man 
prominent  in  the  early  history  of  the  state, 
having  served  efficiently  as  a  member  of  the 
legislature  for  one  term.  He  married  iMargaret 
Johnson,  a  native  of  Missouri,  and  daughter 
of  .\lfred  Johnson,  who  also  crossed  the  plains 
in  1852  and  eventually  died  in  El  Monte.  Mrs. 
Tames  died  in  1883  in  San  Bernardino.  They 
^vere  the  parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom  five 
are  now  living,  'Mrs.  Andrew,  wdio  was  reared 
in  San  Bernardino,  being  the  fifth  in  order  of 
birth.      She   passed   away   February   22,    1907. 

.\fter  a  time  Mr.  Andrew  left  his  work  in 
the  sawmill  to  engage  in  stock-raising  on  the 
Mojave  desert,  and  after  three  years  returned 
to  San  Bernardino  to  engage  in  farming  pur- 
suits. In  1882  he  came  to  El  ^Monte  and  fol- 
lowed farming  on  three  hundred  acres  of  the 
Baldwin  ranch,  remaining  so  employed  until 
1890,  when  he  came  to  his  present  property, 
purchasing  the  same,  which  consists  of  ten 
acres  set  out  in  walnuts  located  on  Mountain 
Yiew  and  Andrew  avenue,  while  at  the  same 
lime  he  carries  on  general  farming  and  grain- 
raising  on  other  lands.  He  is  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  the  Mountain  View  Walnut  Growers' 
Association  and  active  in  the  development  of 
this  section. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Andrew  became  the  parents 
of  the  following  children  :  Lillie.  wife  of  David 
Wright,  of  Fullerton  ;  Charles,  a  farmer  of  EI 
Monte :  Lawrence,  Clarence  and  Stanley.  Mr. 
Andrew  supports  the  Christian  Church,  of 
which  his  wife  was  a  devoted  member,  and  po- 
litically he  is  a  stanch  adherent  of  the  princi- 
ples embraced  in  the  platform  of  the  Repub- 
lican party. 


ROY  C.  SILVERNALE.  Among  the  rising 
young  business  men  of  Santa  Monica  Roy  C. 
Silvemale  has  attained  a  noteworthy  position,  and, 
as  proprietor  of  one  of  the  best  and  most  mod- 
ernly-equipped  drug  stores  of  the  place,  is  carry- 
ing on  a  most  successful  trade,  his  patronage  be- 


1806 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ing  extensive  and  lucrative.  A  son  of  Daniel  and 
Catherine  (Niver)  Silvernale,  he  was  born  July 
19,  1880,  in  Waukesha,  Wis.,  where  his  parents 
were  early  settlers.  His  grandfather,  Henry  Sil- 
vernale, was  a  pioneer  settler  of  New  York  state, 
and  one  of  the  most  successful  farmers  of  his 
neighborhood. 

After  his  graduation  from  the  Waukesha  high 
school  Roy  C.  Silvernale  began  the  study  of 
pharmacy,  which  he  completed  in  Milwaukee, 
Wis.,  where  he  subsequently  passed  the  state  ex- 
amination in  a  satisfactory  manner.  Thus  equipped 
for  his  chosen  work  lie  worked  awhile  for  the 
well-known  firm  of  John  A.  Dadd  &  Son,  obtain- 
ing a  practical  experience  in  the  drug  business, 
and  then  went  to  New  London,  Wis.,  where  he 
was  employed  in  a  drug  store  for  a  year.  Coming 
from  there  to  California  in  search  of  a  favorable 
opening,  he  located  immediately  in  Santa  jNIonica, 
purchasing  his  present  drug  store,  at  the  corner 
of  Third  street  and  LTah  avenue,  .where  he  is 
rapidly  building  up  a  substantial  business.  A 
young  man  of  sterling  integrity  and  ability,  hon- 
est and  square  in  all  his  dealings,  he  has  gained 
the  confidence  and  good  will  of  the  community 
and  is  already  known  as  one  of  the  most  popular 
and  esteemed  residents  of  the  place. 

Politically  Mr.  Silvernale  is  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican, and  fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Foresters  and  of  the  Benevo- 
lent and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 


GUS  P.  DREHER.  Three  generations  of  the 
Dreher  family  have  been  identified  with  business 
aii'airs  in  the  L'nited  States  and  two  generations 
have  been  residents  of  California.  It  was  Carl 
J.  Dreher  who  founded  the  family  in  America, 
he  having  crossed  the  ocean  from  Germany  in 
1850  and  settled  in  St.  Clair  county.  III,  where 
he  built  up  a  large  mercantile  business  in  a  rural 
community.  Following  him  came  his  son,  P.  J., 
also  a  native  of  Germany  and  a  merchant  of  St. 
Clair  county,  where  he  carried  on  a  general 
store  at  Lenzburg.  From  the  latter  town  in 
1885  he  came  to  California  and  settled  in  Pomona, 
where  he  bought  and  sold  real  estate  and  im- 
proved an  orange  and  lemon  grove.  Still  active 
in  business  affairs,  he  acts  as  secretary  and  man- 
ager of  the  San  Antone  Fruit  Exchange  of 
Pomona  and  as  president  of  the  P.  J.  Dreher 
Company,  Incorporated,  having  under  his  direct 
supervision  sixty  acres  of  orchard.  The  fact 
that  he  had  no  experience  in  horticulture  prior  to 
coming  to  California  did  not  work  to  his  detri- 
ment, for  he  has  proved  naturally  adapted  for 
sucli  work  and  has  gained  a  reputation  for  saga- 
cious judgment  in  the  growing  and  selling  of 
fruit. 

Of  the  marriage  of  P.  J.  Dreher    and    Miss 


Margaret  Greibel,  a  native  of  St.  Clair  county, 
111.,  and  now  a  resident  of  Pomona,  Cal.,  there 
were  born  eight  children,  all  but  two  of  whom 
are  still  living.  The  fourth  in  order  of  birth  was 
Gus  P.,  who  was  born  at  Lenzburg,  St.  Clair 
county,  111.,  March  12,  1876,  and  received  his 
primary  education  in  the  Lenzburg  schools.  Ac- 
companying the  family  to  California  in  1885,  he 
afterward  was  a  student  in  the  grammar  and 
high  schools  of  Pomona,  and  was  graduated  from 
the  latter  in  1890,  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years. 
In  seeking  a  means  of  livelihood  he  found  em- 
ployment on  ranches  and  the  range,  but  while 
still  a  mere  youth  he  embarked  in  the  livery 
business  on  Avenue  Twenty-two,  Los  Angeles, 
where  he  remained  a  year,  and,  then  spent  a  sim- 
ilar period  in  a  livery  business  at  Covina.  Dur- 
ing June  of  1904  he  came  to  Oxnard  and  pur- 
chased the  liverv  barn  of  Gordon  Brothers,  since 
which  time  he  has  conducted  a  livery,  boarding 
and  sales  stable  on  A  street  near  Fifth.  Special 
attention  is  given  to  the  boarding  of  horses  and 
to  the  giving  of  prompt  and  efficient  service  along 
the  lines  of  the  business.  In  addition  to  the 
management  of  the  barn,  he  is  interested  in  the 
P.  J.  Dreher  Company  at  Pomona.  Since  com- 
ing to  Oxnard  he  has  identified  himself  with  the 
Citizens  Club  and  has  become  associated  with 
Masonry  in  the  Oxnard  Lodge  No.  341,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  in  which  he  is  an  active  worker  and  to 
whose  philanthropic  principles  he  gives  stanch  , 
support.  As  yet  he  has  not  been  active  in  party 
affairs,  and  the  casting  of  a  Republican  ballot 
represents  the  limit  of  his  participation  in  politics  ; 
however,  he  keeps  posted  concerning  problems 
of  national  importance  and  is  intelligently  in- 
terested in  measures  tending  to  the  permanent 
prosperity  of  the  city,  state  and  countr}'. 


JOHN  A.  PEARSON.  After  traveling  ex- 
tensively in  the  central  and  western  states  of  the 
Union.  John  A.  Pearson  came  to  the  wise  con- 
clusion that  there  were  few  sections  of  the  coun- 
try more  desirable  for  an  abiding  place  tlian 
Southern  California,  and  has,  accordingly,  taken 
up  his  residence  in  San  Pedro.  He  has  been  en- 
gaged in  various  occupations,  and  from  a  finan- 
cial point  of  view  has  attained  success,  while  his 
sterling  integrity  and  honorable,  upright  man- 
hood justly  entitle  him  to  the  assured  position 
which  he  holds  in  the  estimation  of  the  people 
of  the  community.  A  native  of  Sweden,  he  was 
born  in  the  city  of  Lund,  in  tlie  southern  part  of 
the  countr}-.  His  father,  a  farmer,  spent  his 
entire  life  in  his  native  land,  and  of  his  family  of 
four  sons  and  one  daughter,  John  A.,  the  special 
subject  of  this  sketch,  is  the  only  one  that  has 
crossed  the  Atlantic. 

The  second   child   of   the  parental   household. 


HISTORICAL  AXlJ   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1807 


John  A.  Pearson  was  born  December  14,  1858, 
and  was  brought  up  on  the  home  farm.  At  the 
age  of  fifteen  years  he  began  working  in  a  minor 
capacity  in  hotels,  and  two  years  later  went  to 
Copenhagen,  where  he  was  employed  in  a  hotel 
for  five  years.  Immigrating  to  the  United  States 
in  1879,  he  spent  eighteen  months  in  Chicago, 
111.,  and  was  afterwards  in  Eagle  Grove,  Iowa, 
for  six  months.  Coming  to  the  Pacific  coast  in 
1881,  he  resided  for  two  years  in  San  Francisco, 
and  then  settled  m  Yakima  county.  Wash.,  where 
he  ran  a  hotel  and  was  also  engaged  in  farming 
and  stock-raising  until  1892.  During  the  ensu- 
ing four  years  he  was  a  resident  of  Walla  Walla, 
Wash.,  and  then,  in  1896,  went  to  Butte  City, 
Mont.,  remaining  there  until  1901,  when  he  was 
■employed  in  a  hotel  in  Anaconda,  Mont.  Com- 
ing to  California  in  December,  1902,  he  located 
first  in  Los  Angeles,  from  there  coming  in  1903 
to  San  Pedro,  where  he  has  since  resided.  At 
the  corner  of  Eighth  and  Palos  Verdes  streets 
he  erected  the  Brunswick,  a  large  three-story 
apartment  house,  45x45  feet,  and  in  its  manage- 
ment has  been  very  successful.  He  has  likewise 
had  other  interests,  and  has  carried  on  contract- 
ing and  building  to  some  extent. 

In  Chicago,  III,  Mr.  Pearson  married  Ellen 
P.  Pearson,  who  was  born  near  Helsingborg, 
Sweden,  and  into  their  household  the  following 
children  have  been  born :  Qiarles  A.,  a  real- 
estate  dealer  in  San  Pedro ;  Gyde,  in  Bntte  City, 
Mont. ;  Harry,  in  the  United  States  navy ;  Oscar, 
with  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Company; 
and  Annie  and  Benjamin,  living  at  home.  True 
to  the  religious  faith  in  which  he  was  reared, 
Mr.  Pearson  is  a  Lutheran. 


FRANK  JOHNSON.  One  of  the  enterpris- 
ing and  progressive  citizens  of  San  Bernardino 
is  Frank  Johnson,  who  came  to  this  state  in  1884. 
He  was  born  November  10,  1863,  in  Frederick- 
town,  Mo.,  the  son  of  N.  and  Martha  (Mathews) 
Johnson,  the  former  a  native  of  Tennessee  and 
the  latter  of  Mississippi.  The  father  settled  in 
Missouri  when  a  young  man  and  followed  the 
occupation  of  stone  and  brick-work  contractor 
for  many  years.  His  last  days  were  spent  in  the 
home  of  his  son.  Frank,  at  San  Bernardino,  and 
the  mother  is  still  living  here,  and  is  now  eighth- 
years  old.  Of  the  nine  children  born  to  them 
only  three  are  now  living. 

The  early  education  of  Frank  Johnson  was  re- 
ceived in  the  district  schools  of  his  native  state 
and  after  school  days  were  over  he  there  learned 
the  brick-mason's  trade  under  the  direction  of  his 
father.  In  1884  he  came  to  California  and  locat- 
ed at  Colton,  following  his  trade  at  that  point 
for  one  vear.  then  removing  to  San  Bernardino, 
which  place  has  ever  since  been  his  home.    While 


in  Colton  he  assisted  in  the  erection  of  the 
Cuma  building  and  other  business  houses,  was 
at  one  time  employed  on  the  Santa  Fe  round 
house  and  the  first  shops  built  here,  and  in  1889 
he  began  contracting  for  buildings  independently. 
He  has  erected  a  number  of  the  brick  buildings 
in  San  Bernardino,  including  the  Traction  com- 
pany's buildings,  and  has  satisfactorily  iilled 
many  contracts  for  brick  and  cement  work  in 
the   city. 

Mr.  Johnson's  marriage  to  Miss  Martha  Hicks, 
a  native  of  Farmington,  Mo.,  occurred  in  that 
state,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  one  child, 
Marvin.  The  family  residence  in  an  attractive 
one  located  at  No.  778  Second  street.  Fraternal- 
ly Mr.  Johnson  is  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  being  past  noble  grand 
of  his  lodge,  and  politically  he  is  a  stanch  believer 
in  the  principles  advocated  in  the  platform  of  the 
Republican  party.  He  is  progressive  and  up- 
right, well  informed  and  agreeable,  and  has  many 
friends  in  the  cit}-  which  has  been  his  home  for 
so  manv  vcars. 


JOHN  MILNER.  Prominent  among  those 
early  settlers  to  whom  the  city  of  Los  Angeles 
is  deeply  indebted  for  its  wonderful  development, 
rapid  progress,  and  present  prosperity,  was  the 
late  John  Milner.  During  his  residence  here 
of  a  quarter  of  a  century,  he  was  identified  with 
the  establishment  of  various  beneficial  enter- 
prises, by  his  enthusiastic  and  able  support  con- 
tributing toward  their  success.  He  was  recog- 
nized as  a  man  of  unquestioned  integrity,  straight- 
forward and  honest  in  all  of  his  transactions, 
and  as  one  of  the  most  competent  and  successful 
financiers  of  his  time.  A  native  of  Germany,  he 
was  born,  February  5,  1834,  in  the  city  of  Han- 
over,  where  he   received   a  collegiate  education. 

Leaving  the  Fatherland  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
years,  John  Milner  emigrated  to  the  United 
States,  and  for  about  five  years  resided  in  New 
York  City.  In  1858  he  made  his  first  trip  to 
California,  coming  by  way  of  the  isthmus,  and 
for  two  years  was  employed  in  mining.  In 
i860  he  returned  east,  and  on  the  breaking  out 
of  the  Civil  war  entered  the  quartermaster's 
department,  in  which  he  served  until  the  close 
of  the  conflict.  Mr.  Milner  then  came  again  to 
Los  Angeles  county,  and,  under  Captain  Swazey, 
served  in  the  quartermaster's  department  in 
Wilmington  for  a  number  of  years.  Resigning- 
from  the  army,  he  entered  the  employ  of  Gen- 
eral Banning,  becoming  business  agent  for  the 
Los  Angeles  and  Wilmington  Railroad  Company, 
with  headquarters  in  Wilmington.  In  1874,  giv-  , 
ing  up  that  position,  ]\Ir.  Milner  became  as- 
sociated with  the  management  of  the  newly  or- 
ganized  Farmers  and  Merchants'  Bank,  in  Los 


ISOS 


HISTORICAL  Ai\D  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Angeles,  first  as  secretarj-,  and  then  as  cashier 
of  the  institution.  Showing  marked  financial 
ability,  he  retained  this  responsible  position  until 
his  sudden  death,  April  27,  1895.  For  twenty- 
one  years  Mr.  Milner  was  connected  officially 
with  the  bank,  and  by  his  superior  business  tact 
and  judgment  did  much  towards  placing  it  among 
the  strong  and  substantial  financial  institutions 
of  Southern  California.  A  man  of  rare  ability, 
quick  and  accurate  in  discernment,  he  was  ever 
equal  to  all  emergencies,  and  exerted  a  good 
influence  in  business  circles.  Inherent  in  him 
were  the  qualities  of  a  noble  manhood,  his  un- 
selfishness, amiability,  broad  views,  and  high- 
minded  principles  winning  him  the  esteem  and 
.  love  of  all  with  whom  he  was  brought  in  con- 
tact.    His  death  was  a  public  loss. 

Mr.  Milner  was  a  stanch  Republican  in  poli- 
tics, a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic, a  devoted  Episcopalian,  and  belonged  to  the 
Masonic  order.  Mr.  Milner  was  happy  in  his 
social  home  life.  Mrs.  Milner  came  to  California 
in  1861,  and  since  1864  h'^s  been  a  resident  of 
Los  Angeles. 


GILBERT  A.  BIXLER.  As  a  cement  block 
manufacturer  and  contractor  Gilbert  A.  Bixler 
is  ranked  as  one  of  the  most  successful  young 
business  men  of  San  Bernardino,  in  whicla  city 
he  has  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life  since 
early  childhood.  He  was  born  November  13, 
1878,  in  Portland,  Mich.,  the  son  of  Frank  and 
Flora  E.  (Gilbert)  Bixler,  the  former  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  of  Ohio. 
Throughout  his  lifetime  the  father  followed  the 
builder's  trade,  first  in  Portland,  Mich.,  and  later 
in  Kendallville,  Ind.  Mrs.  Bixler,  who  is  still 
living,  is  the  daughter  of  George  W.  Gilbert,  an 
inventor  and  machinist  residing  at  the  present 
time  in  Kendallville. 

In  that  city  Gilbert  A.  Bixler,  the  oldest  of  the 
three  children  now  living,  spent  his  childhood 
days  until  1886,  when  he  came  to  San  Bernardino 
and  here  received  his  education  in  the  public 
and  high  schools.  After  the  completion  of  his 
studies  he  learned  the  jeweler's  trade  under 
George  Jordan  and  subsequently  worked  a  short 
time  in  Los  Angeles  in  the  employ  of  H.  J.  Whit- 
ley, but  found  the  work  too  confining  and  turned 
his  attention  to  the  study  of  stenography  under 
Harry  Luce.  Neither  of  these  occupations  ap- 
pealed to  his  inclinations,  however,  and  as  his 
greatest  talents  seemed  to  run  along  mechanical 
lines  he  took  up  stationary  engineering  under  the 
tuition  of  W.  S.  Fryett.  After  obtaining  his  li- 
cense he  was  employed  as  a  stationary  engineer 
in  Los  Angeles  for  a  time,  and  came  to  San 
Bernardino  as  chief  engineer  for  the  San  Ber- 
nardino Lumber  &  Box  Co.,  retaining  this  posi- 
tion for  six  years.     In  the  meantime  his  grand- 


father Gilbert  had  succeeded  in  interesting  :\Ir. 
Bi.xler  in  the  cement-block  work  and  in  1904  he 
resigned  his  position  as  engineer  to  engage  in 
his  present  business.  Mr.  Gilbert  purchased  a 
model  concrete  block  machine  and  together  with 
Mr.  Bixler  set  it  up  and  started  to  manufacture 
in  a  small  way.  When  Mr.  tjilbert  returned  to 
the  east  Mr.  Bixler  continued  the  work  alone  and 
soon  began  to  engage  in  contracting  on  a  large 
scale.  The  plant  is  located  on  the  corner  of  Sixth 
and  B  streets.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  he  is  an  ex- 
member  of  the  International  Association  of  Sta- 
tionary Engineers.  His  marriage  in  San  Ber- 
nardino united  him  with  Miss  Adah  Flack,  a 
native  of  Ohio.  They  are  members  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church  and  every  uplifting  enterprise  re- 
ceives their  hearty  support. 


HENRY  F.  WEGXURI,  the  present  build- 
ing inspector  of  San  Bernardino  is  one  of  the 
most  enterprising  citizens  of  this  city.  He  has 
been  the  incumbent  of  the  office  ever  since  the 
adoption  of  the  new  city  charter  and  at  the 
same  time  conducts  a  business  as  general  con- 
tractor and  builder.  Mr.  Wegnori  is  of  French 
descent,  his  grandfather,  H.  F.,  having  been  a 
native  of  Lyons,  France,  from  which  place  he  im- 
migrated to  New  Orleans,  La.,  when  a  young 
man  and  there  became  a  captain  on  a  steamboat 
plying  on  the  Mississippi  river.  The  father, 
John  Wegnori,  who  was  born  in  New  Orleans 
and  was  also  for  a  time  a  captain  on  Mississippi 
river  boats,  was  later  sent  by  a  company  of  boat 
builders  to  Geneva,  Switzerland,  to  build  and 
run  a  pleasure  boat  on  that  famous  lake.  His 
wife,  who  was  Annie  Walther  before  her  mar- 
riage, was  a  native  of  New  Orleans,  at  which 
place,  also,  her  death  occurred.  They  were  the 
parents  of  four  children,  Henry  F.  being  the 
youngest  of  the  family,  and  but  three  years  old 
when  taken  by  his  father  to  Geneva,  his  birth 
having  occurred  at  New  Orleans,  November  i, 
1846.  His  father  continued  to  operate  the  boat 
on  Lake  Geneva  until  his  death,  in  1865. 

It  was  at  Geneva,  Switzerland,  thiat  Henry  F. 
Wegnori  was  educated  in  the  public  schools, 
there  learning  besides  the  other  necessary 
branches  of  study  the  French,  German  and 
Italian  languages,  becoming  very  proficient  both 
as  a  reader  and  a  writer.  When  the  time  arrived 
for  him  to  choose  a  trade  he  decided  to  learn 
that  of  cabinet-maker  and  carpenter.  In  1864. 
being  anxious  to  see  his  native  land,  he  located 
in  New  Orleans,  and  followed  his  trade  for  a 
couple  of  years.  In  1866  he  went  to  Ogden, 
Utah,  and  secured  employment  on  the  Central 
Pacific  Railroad,  which  was  then  being  built. 
He  was  occupied  as  carpenter  and  bridge  build- 


^^-yjM^c^y^^^^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RFXORD. 


1809 


er  and  was  present  at  the  ceremonies  when  the 
golden  spike  was  driven  at  Promontory  Point, 
Utah,  which  signahzed  the  completion  of  that 
part  of  the  transcontinental  railway. 

In  1868  Mr.  Wegnori  removed  to  San  Fran- 
cisco and  for  ten  years  prosecuted  his  trade  at 
that  point.  From  there  he  removed  to  Virginia 
City,  i\'ev.,  and  engaged  in  contracting  and  build- 
ing during  the  summers  and  mining  in  the  win- 
ter time.  After  remaining  tliere  for  five  )ears 
he  went  to  Truckee,  where  for  some  time  he  was 
foreman  in  a  large  planing  mill.  The  year  1886 
found  him  in  San  Bernardino  as  foreman  of  the 
West  Coast  Lumber  Company's  planing  mill, 
which  position  he  filled  for  three  years  and  then 
commenced  business  as  contractor  and  builder. 
Among  odier  contracts  which  he  secured  were 
those  tor  the  erection  of  the  Harbison  and  Levy 
residences  and  in  all  his  work  there  is  evident 
the  hand  of  the  expert  builder. 

Mr.  Wegnori's  marriage  to  Miss  Hattie  Dill, 
a  native  of  Ohio,  occurred  in  Los  Angeles,  and 
they  own  and  occupy  a  fine  residence  in  San 
Bernardino.  Politically  Mr.  Wegnori  is  a  strong 
advocate  of  the  principles  embraced  in  the  plat- 
form of  the  Republican  party.  He  is  a  member 
of  several  lodges,  among  them  being  the  Knights 
9f  Pythias,  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men and  the  Masonic  order.  He  was  made  a 
Mason  in  Pacific  Lodge  at  San  Francisco,  and 
is  now  a  member  of  Plioenix  Lodge  No.  185, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  at  San  Bernardino,  being  also  a 
member  of  Keystone  Chapter,  R.  A.   M. 


PERCY  A.  JOHNSON.  As  one  of  the 
largest  ranch  owners  in  Southern  California  and 
assemblyman  to  the  state  legislature  from  his 
district,  Percy  A.  Johnson  is  known  as  a  man  of 
considerable  prominence  in  this  state.  He  was 
born  May  19,  1867,  in  Bangor,  Me.,  the  son  of 
C.  F.  A.  and  Sarah  (Jewett)  Johnson,  both  of 
whom  were  born  in  Maine  and  died  in  California 
at  advanced  ages,  the  father  being  seventy-five 
and  the  mother  seventy.  There  were  four  chil- 
dren in  the  family,  two  sons  and  two  daughters, 
both  of  the  latter  now  residing  in  this  state. 
Percy  A.  Johnson  received  his  education  in  the 
Bangor  public  schools  and  at  the  Hallowell  (Me.) 
preparatory  school  and  after  the  completion  of 
his  studies,  although  only  a  young  boy,  he  came 
to  San  Diego  county,  Cal.,  arriving  in  January, 
1884,  and  securing  employment  of  ranchmen  in 
that  vicinity.  From  there  he  came  to  Fallbrook 
and  continued  in  the  same  occupation  for  a  time, 
then  feeling  that  he  had  become  thoroughly  fa- 
miliar with  ranching  in  all  its  branches  he  began 
independent  operations  on  a  large  scale,  in  1896 
moving  to  his  present  location,  which  is  known 
as  a  part  of  the  Magee  &  Johnson  ranch.     Mr. 


Johnson  runs  the  thirty-five  hundred  acreage, 
the  greater  part  of  which  is  devoted  to  grain 
farming,  while  his  partner  has  charge  of  the  two 
thousand  acre  ranch  upon  which  a  large  dairy 
is  operated.  They  now  have  one  hundred  fine 
milch  cows,  but  expect  soon  to  increase  the  herd 
to  three  hundred  head.  The  ranch  is  a  highly 
improved  property,  having  a  barley  crushing 
mill,  an  up-to-date  pumping  plant,  and  being 
fitted  with  all  necessary  modern  machinery  to 
carry  on  operations  in  the  most  scientific  manner. 
The  amount  of  money  invested  in  stock,  horses, 
mules  and  machinery  is  considerable. 

In  1891  i\Ir.  Johnson  was  married  to  Miss 
Marie  A.  Alagee,  three  children  blessing  this 
union :  Ynez,  aged  thirteen ;  Antonio,  aged  eleven 
and  Josephine,  aged  five.  The  mother  is  a  native 
Californian  and  a  d.evout  member  of  the  Cath- 
olic Church.  Fraternally  iMr.  Johnson  is  a 
member  qf  Fallbrook  Lodge  No.  317,  F.  &  A. 
M.,  which  he  served  as  grand  master  for  five 
years;  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows at  Fallbrook ;  and  of  the  Benevolent  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks  at  San  Diego.  As  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Republican  party  he  takes  a  leading 
part  in  its  councils  and  the  confidence  and  esteem 
in  which  he  is  held  by  his  fellow-citizens  is  dem- 
onstrated in  his  unsolicited  nomination  and  elec- 
tion to  the  state  assembly  from  the  Eightieth 
district   of  California. 


L.  BERT  MORGAN.  The  boyhood  years  of 
Mr.  Morgan  were  passed  upon  a  farm  in  Kan- 
sas, where  he  experienced  all  of  the  vicissitudes 
incident  to  the  agricultural  development  of  that 
state  in  the  period  before  the  era  oi  her  perman- 
ent prosperity.  Born  in  Cherokee  county,  that 
state,  March  16,  1870,  he  was  early  trained  to 
habits  of  industry  and  perseverance,  and  was 
made  an  assistant  on  the  farm  as  soon  as  old 
enough  to  handle  horses  and  machinery.  His 
parents,  Enos  and  Annie  (Harvey)  Morgan, 
were  natives  of  Indiana,  and  the  former  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  at  the  close  of  which  he 
took  up  a  homestead  in  Kansas.  There  were  two 
sons  and  two  daughters  in  the  family  and  when 
the  eldest  of  these,  L.  Bert,  was  a  child  of  five 
years,  the  mother  was  taken  from  the  home  by 
death.  The  father  and  children  remained  on 
the  home  farm  until  1887,  when  they  came  to 
California  and  settled  on  a  ranch  near  San 
Diego,  but  came  to  Long  Beach  in  1893,  and  the 
father  has  since  made  his  home  on  Signal  Hill. 

In  addition  to  attending  common  school  L. 
Bert  Morgan  was  a  student  in  Spring  River  acad- 
emy, a  school  in  Kansas  conducted  by  the  So- 
ciety of  Friends.  When  he  was  seventeen  years 
of  age  he  came  to  California  with  his  father, 
whom  he  accompanied  a  few  years  later  to  Long 


1810 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Beach.  During  1898  he  became  an  employe  of 
the  Long  Beach  steam  laundry  and  after  working 
there  for  eighteen  months  l.e  bought  a  one-half 
interest  in  the  business,  but  later  disposed 
of  the  same.  In  1902  he  started,  with  others, 
the  Model  laundry  at  No.  644  West  Fifth  street, 
Long  Beach,  the  company  consisting  of  L.  B. 
Morgan  and  H.  D.  Vail.  The  company  is  in- 
corporated with  a  capital  stock  of  $9,000  and 
owns  a  fine  plant  with  a  reputation  for  careful 
and  reliable  workmanship. 

Since  coming  to  Long  Beach  Mr.  Morgan 
.has  established  domestic  ties  through  his  mar- 
riage to  Lydia  B.  Wildman,  a  native  of  Indiana, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  one  son,  Leslie 
Earl.  The  residence  is  located  at  No.  1145  East 
Fourth  street,  where  he  erected  a  comfortable 
residence.  The  family  are  members  of  the  So- 
ciety of  Friends,  in  which  faith  Mr.  Morgan  was 
reared  and  to  which  he  adheres  with  sincere  de- 
votion. Interested  in  all  movements  for  the 
public  good,  he  has  rendered  efficient  service 
in  the  Young  j\Ien's  Christian  Association  and 
has  given  his  stanch  support  to  the  cause  of 
Prohibition. 


HIRAjNI  CALVIN  MATTESON.  For  the 
past  three  years  Hiram  Calvin  Matteson  has 
been  conducting  one  of  the  most  successful 
dairies  and  creameries  in  San  Bernardino,  where 
his  butter  has  gained  a  wide  reputation  for  its 
superior  quality.  Mr.  Matteson  was  born  Jan- 
uary I,  1863,  near  Fond  du  Lac,  Wis.,  the  only 
child  of  C.  K.  and  Caroline  (Robinson)  Mat- 
teson, both  natives  of  New  York.  Calvin  Matte- 
son, the  grandfather,  was  a  pioneer  farmer  in 
Wisconsin,  a«d  the  father,  though  reared  on  a 
farm,  chose  the  medical  profession  as  his  life 
work.  The  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war  found 
him  in  the  midst  of  his  medical  studies,  but  he 
relinquished  them  for  the  time  being  and  entered 
his  country's  service,  enlisting  three  times  in  as 
many  different  Wisconsin  regiments.  His  brav- 
ery and  soldierly  qualities  were  noted  by  his 
superiors  in  rank,  and  in  recognition  of  these  he 
was  chosen  as  one  of  Earle's  picked  men,  and  at 
the  time  that  brave  officer  was  killed  he  was  one 
of  those  who  helped  to  carry  him  from  the  field 
of  battle.  At  the  close  of  the  war  |vlr.  Matteson 
entered  Eclectic  Medical  College  in  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  receiving  his  medical  degree  in  1868.  He 
then  engaged  in  professional  practice  in  Fond 
du  Lac,  Wis.,  later  in  Tennessee,  and  in  1885 
came  to  San  Bernardino  and  engaged  in  hor- 
ticultural pursuits  on  a  ranch  of  forty  acres,  sit- 
uated one  mile  south  of  Harlem  Springs,  that 
place  being  now  his  home.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  as  an  en- 
terprising and  progressive  citizen  is  held  in  the 
highest  esteem  in  that  community. 


The  boyhood  days  of  Hiram  C.  Matteson 
were  spent  in  Iowa  and  Tennessee,  his  education 
being  received  in  the  public  schools.  His  moth- 
er died  when  he  was  six  years  old.  Coming 
with  his  father  to  California  in  1885  he  remained 
at  home  for  a  time,  helping  to  improve  the  place, 
then  engaged  in  independent  farming  operations, 
raising  grain  and  hay.  For  two  years  he  sub- 
sequently worked  for  the  Pacific  Clay  Company 
at  Corona.  Returning  to  San  Bernardino  he 
again  engaged  in  grain  and  hay  raising,  and 
later  entered  the  employ  of  W.  F.  Somers,  for 
over  twelve  years  having  charge  of  his  ranch, 
which  was  devoted  largely  to  stock  and  had  a 
dairy  and  creamery  in  connection,  thus  enabling 
Mr.  Matteson  to  become  thoroughly  familiar 
with  all  the  details  of  the  business.  It  was  in 
1903  that  he  purchased  the  Lightfoot  milk  route 
in  San  Bernardino,  with  a  consumption  of  about 
three  hundred  gallons  daily.  He  is  located  on 
South  C  street  near  Mill  street,  owns  a  dairy 
herd  of  twelve  cows,  and  also  buys  milk  from 
other  dairymen,  with  whom  he  makes  yearly  con- 
tracts. In  the  creamery  which  he  has  built  up 
he  manufactures  ^Matteson's  creamery  process 
butter,  which  is  of  as  fine  quality  as  can  be 
bought  anywhere  at  any  price.  The  plant  is  a 
modern  one,  fitted  with  refrigerators,  two-horse 
power  engine  and  other  machinery  necessary  to 
the  production  of  a  first-class  product. 

By  his  marriage  in  San  Bernardino  Mr.  Mat- 
teson was  united  with  Miss  Elizabeth  Walton,  a 
native  of  Pleasanton,  Alameda  county,  and  of 
this  union  three  children  have  been  born :  Car- 
rie, Francis  and  Qiarles  Kenneth.  Fraternally 
Mr.  Matteson  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America  and  politically  he  is  a  stanch 
believer  in  the  principles  embraced  in  the  plat- 
form of  the  Republican  party. 


DWIGHT  M.  CRUM.  During  the  last  twenty 
years  many  changes  have  marked  the  history 
of  Southern  California  and  there  are  few  prop- 
erties which  in  that  period  have  been  held  by 
the  same  owners,  one  instance  of  this  kind  being 
furnished  by  Mr.  Crum,  who  came  to  the  state 
in  October  of  1887  and  has  since  owned  and  oc- 
cupied a  ranch  near  Compton.  The  property 
comprises  eighty-seven  and  one-fourth  acres  and 
is  devoted  to  the  raising  of  barley  and  alfalfa, 
whicl"!  products  have  proved  profitable  to  the 
owner.  In  his  farm  operations  Mr.  Crum  utilizes 
modern  methods  of  work  and  thus  is  enabled  to 
gain  the  largest  results  possible  from  every  acre ; 
indeed,  his  ranch  is  among  the  most  attractive 
and  also  among  the  best-cultivated  tracts  in  the 
county.  Upon  it  he  has  put  down  two  artesian 
wells,  with  adequate  water  for  irrigation  of  the 
entire  ranch. 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1811 


Descended  from  an  eastern  family,  2\Ir.  Crum 
is  a  son  of  David  S.  and  Mary  (Walton)  Crum, 
natives  of  Pennsylvania,  the  former  born  in  1826. 
During  childhood  they  accompained  their  respec- 
tive parents  to  Ohio  and  there  were  united  in 
marriage.  While  they  were  yet  living  in  that 
state  their  son,  D.  M.,  was  born  January  3,  1852. 
Two  years  after  his  birth  the  family  removed  to 
Illinois  and  purchased  a  tract  of  raw  land  in 
Livingston  county,  where  the  mother  died  in 
i860.  Throughout  his  entire  life  the  father  has 
followed  agricultural  pursuits  and  he  still  re- 
sides at  his  old  homestead  in  Livingston  count)-, 
where  he  is  an  honored  citizen,  a  sincere  member 
of  the  JNIethodisi  Episcopal  Church,  a  devoted 
adherent  of  Republican  principles,  and  at  one 
time  held  office  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  as  a 
member  of  the  county  board  of  supervisors. 

Upon  the  completion  of  common-school  studies, 
D.  M.  Crum  mati-iculated  in  the  Wesleyan  Uni- 
versity at  Bloomington,  111.,  where  he  carried  on 
his  studies  for  two  years,  and  thus  acquired  the 
foundation  of  a  broad  education.  On  his  re- 
turn to  Livingston  county  he  took  up  agricult- 
ural pursuits  and  became  the  owner  of  a  well- 
improved  farm  devoted  to  the  raising  of  grain 
and  corn  and  the  feeding  of  cattle.  After  a  suc- 
cessful experience  as  an  Illinois  farmer  he  came 
to  California  and  settled  near  Compton,  where 
he  yet  resides.  Some  years  before  leaving  Illi- 
nois he  married,  in  1877,  Miss  Lydia  Van  Pet- 
ten,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  Van  Pet- 
ten.  Though  bom  m  New  York  state  the 
father  spent  his  life  in  Illinois ;  since  his 
death  the  mother  has  continued  to  reside  in  Col- 
fax, McLean  county.  ]\Irs.  Crum  was  born  and 
reared  in  Illinois,  receiving  a  fair  education  in 
McLean  county  schools,  the  Peoria  Normal  and 
the  Illinois  State  Normal,  after  which  she  fol- 
lowed teaching  until  her  marriage.  Of  her  mar- 
riage there  are  four  children  namely :  Mabel,  who 
is  employed  as  a  teacher  in  the  Compton  schools ; 
Lula,  who  is  in  the  employ  of  the  Los  Angeles 
City  Railwav  Company ;  Margaret,  a  student  in 
the  class  of  IQ08  at  the  California  State  Uni- 
versity ;  and  Van,  who  is  now  attending  the 
Compton  high  school.  The  family  are  attendants 
upon  the  services  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  and  contribute  to  religious  and  charita- 
ble movements.  For  years  Mr.  Crum  has  been 
a  stanch  supporter  of  Republican  principles.  At 
every  election  he  casts  his  ballot  for  the  party 
nominees  and  for  the  principles  represented  by 
the  same.  Some  years  ago  he  was  selected  to  act 
as  deputy  assessor  of  six  school  districts  of  Los 
Angeles  county  and  devoted  three  months  to  the 
work,  discharging  everv  duty  with  conscientious 
fidelity  and  patience.  For  a  time  he  held  office 
as  justice  of  the  peace,  where  his  decisions  dis- 
played an  impartial  spirit  and  a  broad  knowledge 


of  local  and  general  laws.  By  faithful  service  as 
school  trustee  he  has  evinced  his  interest  in  the 
free-school  system  of  education,  which  he  con- 
siders indissolubly  associated  with  the  permanent 
welfare  of  our  country.  In  fraternal  connections 
he  has  jiassed  the  various  degrees  of  Masonry, 
has  been  warmly  interested  in  the  Eastern  Star 
and  has  officiated  for  years  as  chief  ranger  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Foresters. 


MORGAN  PERRY.  As  a  contractor  and 
builder  who  makes  a  specialty  of  planning  resi- 
dences and  cottages  Morgan  Perry  does  a  fine 
business  in  San  Bernardino.  He  is  a  native  of 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  born  December  6,  1848,  and  is 
the  son  of  Joseph  Perry,  a  native  of  Lancaster, 
Pa.  His  grandfather  Perry  died  when  com- 
paratively young  in  Pennyslvania  and  his  wife 
was  subsequently  married  to  Dr.  Oberdorf,  an 
old  German  physician  who  had  been  surgeon 
under  Napoleon  for  twenty-six  years,  and  was 
with  him  when  he  crossed  the  Alps  on  the  way 
to  Moscow.  Dr.  Oberdorf  removed  with  his 
family  to  Cincinnati  in  1815  and  was  a  prac- 
ticing physician  there  until  his  death.  Joseph 
Perry  was  a  bricklayer  and  contractor  in  Cincin- 
nati, from  there  removing  to  Sunman,  Ripley 
county,  Ind.,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
eight  years.  The  mother  who  was  Hannah  J. 
Marsh  before  her  marriage,  was  born  on  the  bat- 
tlefield of  Buffalo,  in  1812,  and  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  Marsh.  The  latter  was  born  in 
New  Jersey,  and  removed  with  his  family  to 
Cincinnati,  where  he  followed  the  trade  of  brick- 
layer, which  trade  he  taught  to  Joseph  Perry. 
The  mother  died  in  Indiana,  and  of  the  eight 
children  born  to  her  three  are  now  living. 

Until  1862  Morgan  Perry  lived  in  Cincinnati, 
where  he  attended  the  public  schools,  and  in  that 
year  went  to  Kentucky  and  was  engaged  in  gov- 
ernment service  as  a  cook  at  Camp  Nelson,  lo- 
cated near  Nicholasville.  In  1865  he  went  to 
Nashville  and  began  the  study  of  bridge  build- 
ing. Subsequently  he  was  employed  by  L.  B. 
Boomer  &  Co.,  now  the  American  Bridge  Com- 
pany, and  worked  with  crews  on  the  Nashville 
&  Chattanooga,  Tennessee  &  Alabama  and  East 
Tennessee  &  Georgia  Railways.  Following  this 
he  was  with  the  Southern  IBridge  Contracting 
Company  at  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  working  in 
Georgia,  Alabama  and  Tennessee,  and  after 
the  flood  in  1867  returned  to  the  Ameri- 
can Bridge  Company  for  a  time.  Going 
to  Cincinnati  in  1868  he  was  associated  in  busi- 
ness with  his  brother  until  his  removal  to  Beards- 
town,  111.,  when  he  again  worked  at  bridge  build- 
ing for  F.  E.  Cauda  &  Co.  of  Qiicago,  con- 
tinuing with  them  for  a  year,  after  which  he  er- 
tered   the   government   employ   at    Ft.    Leaven- 


1812 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


worth,  Kans.  In  the  fall  of  1870  he  went  to 
Little  Rock,  Ark.,  and  from  there  to  Lewisburg, 
in  the  latter  place  engaging  in  contracting  and 
building  until  1887,  when  he  came  to  San  Ber- 
nardino and  was  emplo3'ed  at  the  carpenter's 
trade,  working  at  various  times  for  the  Santa  Fe 
Railway  Company  on  bridges  and  buildings  and 
in  their  carshops.  Since  1891  he  has  given  the 
greater  part  of  his  time  to  planning  and  erecting 
residences  and  cottages  and  has  been  very  suc- 
cessful in  the  work.  . 

Mr.  Perry  was  married  in  Lewisburg,  Ark., 
to  Miss  Martha  Merryman,  a  native  of  Johnson 
county,  in  that  state.  Having  no  children  of  their 
own,  they  adopted  a  daughter,  Lula.  Mr.  Per- 
ry was  made  a  Mason  at  Lewisburg,  Ark.,  and 
is  now  a  member  of  Phoenix  Lodge  No.  178, 
F.  &  A.  M.  at  San  Bernardino.  He  also  Idc- 
longs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters. 
Both  he  and  has  wife  are  active  members  of  the 
Bethel  Congregational  Church,  of  which  Mr. 
Perry  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees.  Po- 
litically he  is  an  advocate  of  the  principles  em- 
braced' in  the  platform  of  the  Democratic  party, 
and  as  a  member  of  the  Mt.  Vernon  Improve- 
ment Qub  he  takes  an  interest  in  the  beautifying 
of  the  city.  His  well  rounded  interests  in  busi- 
ness, social  and  civic  lines  give  him  a  large  and 
favorable  acquaintance  among  the  residents  of 
San  Bernardino,  who  regard  him  as  a  highly  re- 
spectable citizen. 

ALBERT  THOMAS  KIMBELL.  The  fam- 
ily represented  by  the  supervisor  of  the  fourth 
district  of  Riverside  county  is  of  southern  ex- 
traction. His  father,  A.  G.,  was  born  in  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.,  January  20,  1817,  and  in  early  life 
removed  to  Texas,  where  for  a  time  he  was  em- 
ployed as  a  clerk  in  the  state  capitol  at  Austin 
and  also  as  a  clerk  in  the  land  office.  At  Red 
River,  Tex.,  October  12,  1841,  he  married  Sarah 
C.  Cleaves,  who  was  born  in  Davidson  county, 
Tenn.,  May  15,  1825.  When  news  came  of  the 
discovery  of  gold  in  California  he  immediately 
determined  to  journey  to  the  unknown  regions 
of  mining  activity.  With  a  party  of  five  men 
he  started  from  Austin  by  muleback  to  Mazat- 
lan,  at  which  point  he  took  a  ship  for  San  Fran- 
cisco and  arrived  at  the  Golden  Gate  in  January 
of  1850.  His  health  had  been  impaired  by  the 
confinement  incident  to  his  clerical  duties  in 
Texas,  and  accordingly  he  spent  some  time  in 
hunting  deer  and  bear,  thereby  deriving  all  the 
benefits  of  the  splendid  western  climate  and  the 
outdoor  exercise.  In  the  fall  of  1850  he  secured 
a  position  as  enrolling  clerk  in  the  state  legisla- 
ture for  the  term,  after  which  he  mined  in 
Tuolumne  county  for  two  years.  For  the  pur- 
pose of  .giving  his  children  good  educational 
advantages  he  removed  to  San  Francisco,  where 


he  was  assistant  marshal  in  1860-61  and  also 
assisted  in  taking  the  census  of  the  city.  Some- 
what later  he  became  interested  in  the  reclaim- 
ing of  the  tule  lands  in  San  Joaquin  and  Contra 
Costa  counties,  where  he  lived  until  1878,  and 
then  removed  to  the  San  Gabriel  valley  in  Los 
Angeles  county. 

In  order  to  take  up  mining  A.  G.  Kimbell 
went  to  Arizona  in  1880  and  became  a  miner 
in  Cochise  county,  from  which  point  he  made 
a  trip  to  Texas  and  other  southern  states.  In 
1883  he  left  Arizona,  and  two  years  later  set- 
tled in  the  San  Gabriel  valley.  When  the  de- 
velopment of  the  Imperial  valley  was  first 
agitated  he  became  a  stanch  champion  of  the 
measure  and  endeavored  to  interest  capitalists 
in  the  undertaking.  In  1888  he  removed  to  the 
vicinity  of  Perris,  Riverside  county,  where  he 
died  June  20,  1899,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three 
years  and  five  months.  His  wife  had  passed 
away  in  the  San  Gabriel  valley  December  2, 
1880,  and  was  buried  in  Evergreen  cemetery  at 
Los  Angeles.  They  were  the  parents  of  eleven 
children,  namely :  John  F.,  who  was  born  Jan- 
uary 23,  1843,  and  died  I\Iay  15,  1893,  at  the 
age  of  fifty  years ;  Mary  E.,  who  was  born  De- 
cember 31,  1844,  and  in  San  Francisco  was  mar- 
ried to  William  C.  Harrington  November  22, 
1864,  afterward  living  at  Sousma,  but  in  1877 
removing  to  San  Gabriel  valley,  where  Mr. 
Harrington  died  August  22,  1875 ;  William  Y., 
who  was  born  October  i,  1847,  and  now  resides 
with  his  next  younger  brother  and  his  older 
sister  at  Perris ;  Albert  Thomas,  who  was  born 
in  Austin,  Tex.,  October  23,  1849;  Frank  G., 
who  was  born  in  California  June  6,  1854,  and 
died  January  7,  1859;  Henry  S..  who  was  born 
in  May,  1856,  and'  died  September  11,  •  1857; 
Charles  J.,  who  was  born  in  San  Francisco  July 
9,  1858,  and  is  now  living,  unmarried,  in  Ari- 
zona ;  Edward  G.,  who  was  born  December  20, 
i860,  and  is  living  in  California;  Eugene  L., 
who  was  born  January  i,  1863,  and  is  now  mar- 
ried and  living  at  Riverside ;  Sallie  R.,  who  was 
born  in  San  Francisco  January  17,  1865,  and  is 
the  wife  of  C.  H.  Cowles  of  Perris ;  and  Samuel 
B.,  who  was  born  February  3,  1867,  and  with 
his  familv  now  makes  San  jose  his  home. 

Brought  to  California  during  infancy.  Albert 
Thomas  Kimbell  was  educated  in  San  Francisco 
and  Oakland  college,  and  in  1878  accompanied 
his  parents  to  the  San  Gabriel  valley,  seven  years 
later  removing  to  the  Perris  valley,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming.  The  following  year  he 
removed  to  Los  Angeles  and  secured  an  ap- 
pointment as  storekeeper  and  ganger  at  the 
bonded  warehouse  under  the  first  administration 
of  President  Cleveland.  After  having  filled  the 
position  for  four  years  he  resigned  and  returned 
to  the  vicinit^•  of  Perris,  where  he  resumed  agri- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1813 


cultural  pursuits.  November  4,  1898,  he  was 
elected  supervisor,  the  duties  of  which  he  as- 
sumed in  January,  1899,  and  since  then  he  has 
been  a  member  of  the  county  board  of  super- 
visors. Reared  in  the  Democratic  faith,  he  al- 
ways has  been  stanch  in  his  allegiance  to  that 
party.  However,  he  places  loyalty  to  count)-  and 
coinmonwealth  before  partisanship,  and  in 
private  life  and  public  service  has  displayed  a 
keen  sense  of  responsibility  as  a  citizen  and  a 
desire  to  aid  in  securing  lasting  improvements. 
In  fraternal  relations  he  holds  membership  in 
Elsinore  Lodge  No.  289,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  the 
Eastern  Star;  also  the  Independent  Order  of 
Foresters  at  Ferris,  and  Knights  of  Pythias  No. 
90,  at  Ferris,  in  which  he  has  been  honored  with 
the  office  of  chancellor  commander.  Socially  he 
is  respected  for  his  manly  traits  and  sterling 
quahties.  His  popularity  is  evidenced  by  the 
fact  that  he  has  three  times  been  elected  super- 
visor in  a  district  containing  twice  as  many  Re- 
publicans as  Democrats,  yet  it  is  known  every- 
where that  he  champions  Democratic  principles 
and  votes  the  straight  party  ticket.  Sharing 
with  him  in  the  esteem  of  neighbors  is  his  sister, 
Mrs.  Harrington,  who  has  charge  of  his  home, 
and  who  is  a  lady  of  culture  and  kindly  disposi- 
tion. 


LEWIS  -AlORSE.  One  mile  southeast  from 
the  city  of  San  Bernardino  may  be  seen  one  of 
the  neatest  and  most  orderly  dairy  ranches  to 
be  found  anywhere  in  the  county.  The  prop- 
erty formerly  belonged  to  Governor  Water- 
man, from  whom  Mr.  Morse  purchased  it  in 
1897,  removing  with  his  family  to  the  same 
in  the  fall  of  that  year.  The  ranch  comprises 
twenty-one  acres,  and  with  the  exception  of  the 
house  which  was  upon  it  at  the  time  of  pur- 
chase Mr.  Morse  has  made  all  of  the  improve- 
ments which  are  to  be  seen  upon  the  property 
today.  Besides  this  ranch,  which  is  pasture 
land  exculsively,  and  devoted  entirely  to  dairy 
purposes,  Mr.  Morse  also  owns  other  property 
in  the  county.  In  November,  1905,  he  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  thirty-three  and  three- 
quarters  acres  near  San  Bernardino,  twenty- 
iive  acres  of  which  he  has  under  cultivation 
and  five  acres  set  out  to  various  kinds  of  fruit. 
A  good  residence,  excellent  barns  and  an 
abundant  supply  of  water  which  is  stored  in 
a  large  reservoir,  add  immeasurably  to  the 
value  of  the  property. 

Mr.  Morse  is  of  eastern  birth  and  parentage, 
born  in  Yates  county,  N.  Y.,  March  12,  1841, 
the  son  of  Samuel  and  Mary  (Shepard)  Morse. 
His  boyhood  and  early  manhood  years  were 
spent  in  and  around  his  native  place,  but  the 
year    1874   found    him    in    Virginia,   where   he 


remained  for  six  years,  engaged  in  farming. 
To  his  ambitious  spirit  the  slow  and  unpro- 
gressive  methods  which  prevailed  in  the  south 
became  irksome  to  him  and  influenced  him  in 
his  'decision  to  remove  to  the  west.  Putting 
this  decision  into  execution  in  1880  he  came  to 
Merced,  Gal.,  remaining  there  for  eighteen 
months,  after  which  he  came  to  San  Bernardi- 
no county.  It  was  a  number  of  years  before 
he  was  enabled  to  secure  a  piece  of  property 
to  his  liking,  and  in  the  meantime  he  lived 
on  various  ranches  in  the  vicinity.  In  the 
purchase  of  the  two  pieces  of.  property  which 
he  now  owns  he  has  been  amply  repaid  for 
the  delay,  for  without  doubt  he  now  possesses 
two  of  the  finest  ranches  to  be  found  in  the 
county. 

One  year  after  coming  to  California  Mr. 
Morse  formed  domestic  ties  by  his  marriage 
with  Mardula  Carney,  their  marriage  being 
celebrated  in  October,   1881. 


JOSEPH  INGERSOLL.  Listed  among  the 
business  enterprises  of  San  Bernardino  that  have 
experienced  a  steadv  growth  and  gratifying  pros- 
perity may  be  mentioned  the  IngersoU  &  Esler 
Company,  of  which  Joseph  IngersoU  acts  as 
president.  From  the  time  of  the  establishment 
of  the  business  in  March,  1891,  until  1904,  the 
company  existed  as  a  co-partnership,  but  during 
the  latter  year  papers  of  incorporation  were  tak- 
en out  under  the  laws  of  the  state  of  California, 
the  capital  stock  being  $60,000.  At  this  writing 
the  officers  are  as  follows:  Joseph  IngersoU, 
president ;  Frederick  John  Esler,  vice-president ; 
and  John  Batchellor,  secretary.  Besides  the 
wholesale  business  in  wines  and  liquors,  the  firm 
is  largely  interested  in  the  Brookside  winery  at 
Brookside,  San  Bernardino  county,  incorporated 
under  the  title  of  E.  Vache  &  Co.  Large  wine 
cellars  are  utilized  for  the  storage  of  wines,  and 
distilleries  with  modern  improvements  aiTord 
ample  facilities  for  the  manufacture  of  an  out- 
put recommended  for  its  purity.  The  winery, 
which  has  a  capacity  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  gallons  per  year,  contains  an  equip- 
ment which  is  said  to  be  unsurpassed  by  any 
similar  plant  in  the  entire  state. 

The  president  of  the  company  is  a  native  of 
Michigan  and  was  born  at  Watertown,  Eaton 
county,  wliere  he  received  a  fair  common-school 
education  and  grew  to  manhood.  Remaining  a 
resident  of  Michigan  until  1881,  he  then  removed 
to  California  and  settled  at  San  Bernardino, 
where  for  a  time  he  was  employed  at  the  Brook- 
side winery.  In  a  few  years-  he  purchased  stock 
in  the  business  and  associated  with  himself  Mr. 
Esler.  also  a  practical  business  man.  The  corn- 
pan}-  has  established  a  large  local  trade  and  also 


1814 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ships  extensively  to  many  parts  of  California  and 
into  Nevada  and  New  Mexico.  While  devot- 
ing his  attention  closely  to  the  management  of 
the  plant  and  the  development  of  the  large  and 
important  trade,  Mr.  Ingersoll  has  found  leis- 
ure to  identify  himself  with  other  commercial 
'interests,  including  the  following:  the  Home 
Gas  Company,  of  which  he  is  a  stockholder ;  the 
L}-tle  Creek  Light  and  Power  Company,  of 
whose  board  of  directors  he  is  a  member;  the 
Building  and  Loan  Association  of  San  Bernar- 
dino, in  which  he  owns  stock ;  and  the  Seal  of 
Gold  Mining  Company  of  California,  all  of  which 
organizations  receive  from  him  the  attention  and 
sagacious  supervision  which  their  importance 
renders  necessary,  and  with  his  partner,  F.  J. 
Esler,  is  interested  in  the  growing  of  oranges. 

Before  coming  to  California  jNIr.  Ingersoll  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Alice  Stoddard, 
of  Detroit,  Mich.  They  have  two  daughters,  of 
whom  Mamie  was  born  in  Michigan  and  Lozie 
M.,  in  California.  Fraternally  Mr.  Ingersoll  is 
identified  with  San  Bernardino  Lodge  No.  348, 
F.  &  A.  M. ;  San  Bernardino  Lodge  No.  146,  I. 
O.  O.  F.,  of  which  he  is  past  grand,  also  a 
member  of  the  Encampment ;  and  Aerie  No.  506, 
Order  of  Eagles,  of  which  he  is  past  worthy 
president.  While  stanch  in  his  allegiance  to  the 
Republican  party,  he  has  never  consented  to  hold 
office  and  political  honors  have  been  unsought 
at  his  hands,  but,  nevertheless,  he  was  elected 
one  of  the  Freeholders  that  got  up  the  new  city 
charter.  He  gives  generously  of  his  time  and 
means  to  promote  movements  for  the  benefit  of 
his  home  city  and  is  ardently  loyal  to  the  wel- 
fare of  his  state. 


MRS.  MABEL  L.  HACKMAN.  An  accom- 
plished, enterprising  and  progressive  business 
woman,  Mrs.  Mabel  L.  Hackman  is  actively  iden- 
tified with  the  mercantile,  agricultural  and  horti- 
cultural progress  of  Glendale,  where  she  is  now 
serving  as  postmaster!  She  is  a  clear-headed, 
brainy  woman,  possessing  excellent  judgment  and 
great  executive  ability ;  with  her  brother-in-law 
she  owns  a  large  department  store  in  Glendale, 
and  in  addition  to  owning  and  managing  a  large 
fruit  ranch  she  has  title  to  much  real  estate  in 
this  vicinity.  Notwithstanding  her  many  respon- 
sibilities she  looks  carefully  after  all  of  her  af- 
fairs, and  as  a  landholder  and  a  merchant  has  met 
with  success  and  very  few  discouragements.  A 
native  of  New  England,  she  was  born  in  Harri- 
son, Me.,  a  daughter  of  Eleazer  Newcomb,  being 
descended  from  one  of  the  early  colonial  families. 

A  native  of  ]\Iaine.  Eleazer  Newcomb  sprung 
from  an  old  English  family,  and.  as  shown  by  the 
genealogy  of  the  Newcomb  family,  can  trace  his 
Hneage    liack    to    Henry   ATII.      His    emigrant 


ancestor  came  from  England  to  America 
at  an  early  date,  and  by  marriage  and  intermar- 
riage his  descendants  of  to-day  are  closely  re- 
lated to  the  distinguished  family  of  Wentworths, 
one  of  whom,  Benning  Wentworth,  was  the  first 
governor  of  New  Hampshire.  Air.  Newcomb 
was  a  millwright  in  his  earlier  years,  and  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war  served  as  a  soldier  in  Compaay 

B,  Twenty-third  Maine  Volunteer  Infantry.  He 
married  Ellen  Brown,  also  a  native  of  "jMaine, 
and  they  are  now  living  in  Glendale,  making 
their  home  with  their  daughter,  i\Irs.  Hackman. 
She  is  a  woman  of  talent  and  culture,  and  al- 
though seventy-three  years  of  age,  writes  a  good 
deal  and  contributes  many  articles  of  merit  to  tlie 
local  literary  club.  At  the  age  of  sixty  years, 
without  any  previous  instruction,  she  took  up 
painting,  and  among  her  productions  are  numer- 
ous beautiful  pictures  of  flowers  and  fruit. 

After  leaving  her  native  state  Mabel  L.  New- 
comb lived  for  awhile  in  Chicago,  in  its  schools 
receiving  her  elementary  education.  Subse- 
quently going  to  Plattsmouth,  Neb.,  she  was 
graduated  from  the  high  school,  and  afterwards 
taught  school  for  two  years  in  Kansas  City,  Mo. 
Giving  up  her,  position  as  a  teacher  Miss  New- 
comb married  David  M.  Hackman,  and  for  a 
number  of  years  resided  in  that  cit}-. 

A  native  of  Pennsylvania  David  AI.  Hackman 
was  born  in  Bethlehem,  Lehigh  county,  where  his 
early  ancestors  settled  when  they  first  came  to 
America.  He  is  of  patriotic  stock,  some  of  his 
kinsmen  having  fought  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
He  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  state, 
but  in  early  manhood  went  to  Chicago.  111.,  where 
he  embarked  in  mercantile  pursuits,  being  for  a 
time  in  the  employ  of  Partridge  &  Co.  Still  re- 
taining his  connection  with  that  firm,  he  went  to 
Kansas  City,  where  he  had  a  part  interest  in  their 
store,  and  of  which  he  was  general  manager  for 
several  years.  As  a  m.erchant  he  has  been  ex- 
ceedingly prosperous,  and  is  now  a  part  owner 
and  the  superintendent  of  one  of  the  largest  de- 
partment stores  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hackman  have  one  child,  Eulalie  W.  Hackman, 
who  attended  first  the  public  schools  of  Kansas 
City,  later  going  to  the  Marlborough  School  and 
the  Girls'  Collegiate  Institute  of  Los  Angeles. 
Fraternally  !Mr.  Hackman  is  a  thirty-second  de- 
gree Alason. 

Coming  with  her  parents  to  Los  Angeles 
county,  in  1886,  ]\Irs.  Hackman  purchased  a 
ranch  of  forty  acres  on  First  street  and  Verdugo 
road,  Glendale,  and  has  since  improved  it,  having 
now  a  valuable  orchard  of  deciduous  fruit  trees, 
which  she  is  managing  successfully  and  profita- 
bly.    In  1903,  with  her  brother-in-law,  Walter 

C.  Fraley,  she  embarked  in  mercantile  pursuits, 
buying  a  store,  which  they  have  enlarged,  con- 
verting it  into  a  fine  department  store,  one  of  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1815 


best  in  its  equipment  of  an\-  in  the  vicinity.  The 
postoffice  is  located  in  her  store,  and  since  Oc- 
tober, 1904,  .she  has  served  most  acceptably  to  all 
as  postmaster.  In  addition  to  her  property  in 
Glendale  Mrs.  Hackman  has  other  interests,  be- 
ing owner  of  considerable  real  estate  and  other 
property  of  value  in  the  east.  Mrs.  Hackman  is 
a  member  of  the  Tuesda}-  Afternoon  Club  of 
Glendale,  and  is  very  popular  and  prominent  in 
social  circles  throughout  the  vallev. 


THOMAS  A.  BLAKELY.  The  establish- 
ment of  the  important  business  enterprise  with 
which  the  name  of  j\lr.  Blakely  is  indissolubly 
associated  dates  back  to  the  year  1899,  when  in 
conjunction  with  Prof.  S.  M.  Woodbridge,  of 
Pasadena,  he  embarked  in  the  manufacture  of 
chemical  fertilizer  at  San  Bernardino.  Three 
years  later  the  Woodbridge  Chemical  Works 
were  incorporated  with  a  capital  stock  of  $50,- 
000,  and  the  following  officers :  Hiram  M.  Bar- 
ton, president;  Samuel  M.  Woodbridge,  vice- 
president  ;  and  Thomas  A.  Blakely,  treasurer. 
The  works  are  situated  in  the  southeastern  part 
of  the  city  of  San  Bernardino,  occupying  a  plant 
erected  especially  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  busi- 
ness, and  equipped  with  modern  machinery  oper- 
ated by  electricity.  The  bones  of  which  the  fer- 
tilizer is  largely  composed  are  bought  at  slaugh- 
ter houses.  The  potash  is  imported  from  Ham- 
burg, Germany,  and  the  other  ingredients  are 
brought  from  Chile,  South  America,  thus  secur- 
ing in  each  instance  the  pure  and  unadulterated 
article  and  material.  The  output  of  the  plant  is 
purchased  in  large  quantities  by  the  orange- 
growers  of  Southern  California  and  also  by 
market  gardeners,  and  the  value  of  the  product 
has  become  so  widely  recognized  that  orders  fre- 
quently have  to  be  filled  from  Arizona,  New 
Mexico  and  other  points  outside  of  the  area  of 
the  home  trade. 

The  treasurer  of  the  company,  who  owns  two- 
thirds  of  the  stock  in  the  incorporation,  has  lived 
in  the  United  States  since  he  was  nineteen  years 
of  age.  Born  in  Ireland,  November  2,  1863, 
he  is  a  son  of  Ambrose  Blakely,  an  Englishman 
by  birth  and  education,  but  for  years  prosper- 
ously engaged  in  business  in  Ireland.  His  edu- 
cation was  received  in  the  schools  of  the  Irish 
town  where  his  father  engaged  in  business. 
From  an  early  age  he  had  been  ambitious  to 
come  to  America,  and  as  soon  as  he  was  per- 
mitted to  start  out  in  the  world  for  himself  he 
crossed  the  ocean  to  the  new  world.  For  eigh- 
teen months  he  was  employed  in  Ohio  and  then 
went  to  Missouri.  Two  and  one-half  years  later 
he  went  to  Kansas  City,  that  state,  and  em- 
barked in  the  cattle  business,  buying  and  selling 
to  the  large  cattle-dealers  in  the  state.     For  this 


work  he  had  the  advantage  of  previous  exper- 
ience in  Ireland,  where  he  had  received  a  thor- 
ough training  in  the  handling  of  thoroughbred 
and  pedigreed  stock.  The  parties  by  whom  he 
was  employed  and  with  whom  later  he  was  as- 
sociated owned  a  number  of  animals  each  of 
which  they  valued  at  thousands  of  dollars. 

Disposing  of  his  interests  in  Kansas  City  in 
1 89 1  Mr.  Blakely  came  to  California  and  estab- 
lished his  home  at  Redlands,  where  soon  he 
acquired  valuable  property.  While  for  fourteen 
years  he  made  his  home  in  Redlands  he  mean- 
while acquired  important  interests  at  San  Ber- 
nardino and  eventually  in  1902  moved  to  this 
town,  where  now  he  makes  his  home  at  No. 
369  D  street.  At  the  time  of  the  organization 
of  the  San  Bernardino  County  Savings  Bank, 
in  which  he  took  a  leading  part,  he  purchased 
stock  in  the  new  institution,  and  since  then  has 
officiated  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors. 
Another  important  local  enterprise  which  num- 
bers him  among  its  stockholders  and  enthusias- 
tic supporters  is  the  San  Bernardino  Valley 
Traction  Company.  Besides  his  interests  pre- 
viously mentioned'  he  owns  valuable  real  estate 
in  San  Bernardino  and  is  interested  in  various 
enterprises  with  capitalists  in  Los  Angeles  and 
San  Francisco.  Possessing  practical  ideas  and 
a  fine  mind,  his  presence  in  financial  undertak- 
ings is  deemed  of  great  value  to  the  profitable 
development  of  the  work  under  consideration 
and  by  his  co-operation  beneficial  measures  have 
been"  profitably  promoted.  While  he  has  had 
little  leisure  for  participation  in  social  afifairs  or 
fraternal  movements,  he  has  been  actively  asso- 
ciated with  the  Knights  of  Pvthias  and  the 
Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  in  his  home 
citv. 


JERO:\IE  ^^^  love.  Distinguished  as  a 
California  pioneer,  and  as  one  of  the  oldest  and 
most  highly  respected  residents  of  San  Diego 
county,  J.  W.  Love  has  contributed  his  share 
towards  advancing  the  industrial  prosperity  of 
his  adopted  state,  in  everv  respect  being  recog- 
nized as  a  true  and  loyal  citizen.  During  his 
long  and  useful  life  he  has  pursued  the  even 
tenor  of  his  way  as  an  honest  man,  promoting 
the  interests  of  the  communitv  as  opportunity 
has  ofifered,  and  now  in  his  declining  years  is 
reaping  the  reward  of  his  many  years  of  per- 
sistent toil,  living  retired  in  Ramona,  and  here 
enjoying  the  respect  and  esteem  of  his  neigh- 
bors and  friends.  A  son  of  Robert  Love,  he 
was  born,  December  12,  1827.  in  ATonroe  county, 
N.  Y. 

Bom  and  reared  in  Oneida  county.  N.  Y., 
Robert  Love  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  when 
a    young   man.    and    also    became    familiar    with 


18  u; 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  methods  of  farming  then  in  vogue.  Settling 
in  jMonroe  county,  N.  i'.,  he  carried  on  general 
farmmg  for  several  Ncars,  and  then,  about  1836, 
moved  with  his  family  to  Wisconsin,  settling  on 
the  present  site  of  the  city  of  Milwaukee,  where 
one  of  his  daughters  was  born,  she  being  the 
second  white  female  child  born  in  that  locaHty. 
He  followed  his  trade  for  a  number  of  years,  and 
was  also  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  until 
his  death,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years.  He 
married  JMartha  Barnett,  who  was  born  in 
Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  and  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-two  years,  in  Wisconsin.  They  were 
honest.  God-fearing  people,  and  valued  members 
of  the  Congregational  Church.  Of  the  nine  chil- 
dren born  of  their  union,  live  are  living,  three 
of  the  sons  being  engaged  in  the  commission 
business  in  Chicago,  111. 

Removing  with  his  parents  to  Wisconsin  in 
1836,  J.  W.  Love  obtained  the  rudiments  of  his 
education  in  the  Milwaukee  schools,  after  which 
he  attended  Oberlin  College,  in  Oberlin,  Ohio, 
for  two  years.  The  following  three  years  he  was 
employed  in  a  wholesale  and  retail  book  store  in 
Milwaukee,  also  being  agent  for  the  Wells- 
Fargo  Express  Company.  In  1849,  influenced 
by  the  enthusiastic  reports  concerning  the  dis- 
covery of  gold  in  California,  he  determined  to 
investigate  the  truth  of  the  stories  for  himself, 
and  with  that  object  in  view  followed  the  trail 
of  the  emigrants  across  the  continent.  For  four 
years  thereafter  he  was  engaged  in  mining,  con- 
fining his  operations  to  the  Sacramento  and 
Feather  River  valleys,  and  meeting  with  more 
than  average  success  in  finding  the  desired  metal. 
Embarking  then  in  the  lumber  business,  he  fol- 
lowed it  for  five  years,  being  especially  inter- 
ested in  the  manufacture  of  shingles,  having  a 
mill  in  Santa  Cruz.  In  1861,  going  to  Sacra- 
mento, he  enlisted  in  Company  K,  Fifth  Cali- 
fornia Volunteer  Infantry,  in  which  he  served 
three  years,  the  following  two  years  being  in  a 
regiment  of  cavalry.  With  his  comrades  he  was 
sent  at  the  time  of  the  Indian  disturbances  to 
Arizona,  and  from  there  to  Texas,  being  under 
the  command  of  General  Carlton.  While  going 
down  the  Rio  Grande  river  about  one  hundred 
miles  below  El  Paso  with  his  comrades  he  first 
heard  of  the  death  of  Lincoln.  Returning  to 
San  Francisco  at  the  expiration  of  his  term  of 
enlistment,  he  was  mustered  out  of  service  in 
that  city,  after  which  he  rode  horseback  to  his 
home  in  Santa  Cruz. 

In  December,  1879,  Mr.  Love  located  in  San 
Diego,  and  the  following  year  took  up  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  government  land  in  the 
Ramona  district  and  began  the  improvement  of 
a  farm.  He  met  with  good  success  from  the 
start,  clearing  a  part  of  the  land  from  its  orig- 
inal wildness  and  placing  it  under  a  good  state  of 


cultivation.  For  a  number  of  years  he  carried 
on  general  ranching,  raismg  wlieat  and  barley, 
and  m  addition  worked  for  his  cousin  in  his 
apiary.  On  retiring  from  active  pursuits  Mr. 
Love  rented  his  ranch  and  for  several  years  lived 
with  William  Warnock.  About  1900  he  returned 
to  Ramona,  and  has  lived  here  since,  esteemed 
and  respected  throughout  the  community.  Dur- 
ing the  Civil  war  he  suffered  the  privations  of 
army  and  camp  life,  and  for  his  services  at  that 
time  now  receives  a  government  monthly  pen- 
sion. Politically  .Mr.  Love  is  a  straightforward 
Republican. 


HARRY  JOHNSTONE  WOODS,  of  El 
Monte,  has  met  with  success  in  the  conduct  of 
his  bakery  and  restaurant  in  this  place,  and  is 
counted  among  the  substantial  business  men  of 
the  section.  He  came  to  California  in  1897,  bring- 
ing with  him  the  sturdy  traits  of  character  which 
were  his  by  inheritance  from  New  England  an- 
cestors descended  from  Scotch  forefathers.  His 
birth  occurred  in  West  Burke,  Caledonia  county. 
\'t.,  :\iarch  28,  1872,  being  next  to  the  oldest  in 
a  family  of  eight  children,  five  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing. His'  father,  John  M.  Woods,  was  born  in 
Hamilton,  N.  Y.,  while  his  grandfather,  Harry 
Johnstone  Woods,  was  born  in  Scotland,  be- 
came an  immigrant  to  America,  and  served  his 
adopted  country  in  the  war  of  1812.  John  M. 
Woods  was  a  civil  engineer  during  the  con- 
struction of  the  Hoosac  tunnel.  His  wife  was  in 
maidenhood  INIargaret  McLeod,  born  in  Scotland 
and  reared  in  the  Presbyterian  faith. 

In  childhood  Harry  Johnstone  Woods  was 
taken  by  his  parents  to  ]\Ianchester,  N.  H.,  where 
he  received  his  education  in  the  public  and  high 
schools,  also  attending  Dartmouth  College  for 
six  months.  In  St.  Johnsbury,  Vt.,  he  was  ap- 
prenticed to  learn  the  baker's  trade  and  after  its 
completion  worked  in  various  places,  among  them 
Boston,  New  York  City,  and  Philadelphia.  He 
finally  went  into  business  in  Manchester  and  suc- 
cessfully conducted  a  bakery  for  seven  years.  In 
1897  he  disposed  of  his  interests  in  that  city  and 
came  to  California  and  on  Buena  Vista  street, 
Los  Angeles,  established  a  bakery,  which  he  con- 
ducted for  a  ■  time,  later  carrying  on  a  similar 
business  on  Seventh  street  and  Broadway.  He 
met  with  success  and  built  up  a  large  trade, 
which  he  sold  out  in  1903  to  come  to  El  Monte, 
first  acting  as  manager  for  the  El  Monte  bakery 
and  the  following  year  he  purchased  property 
and  engaged  in  business  for  himself.  In  1906 
he  enlarged  his  business  by  restaurant  equipment, 
and  the  combined  enterprise  has  resulted  in  ma- 
terial gain.  His  business  methods  are  such  as  to 
win  for  him  friends  among  his  patrons  and  thus 
constantly  increase  an  already  wide  custom. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1817 


In  Los  Angeles  Mr.  Woods  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Lizzie  M.  Willis,  born  in 
Shrewsbury,  Ky.,  and  a  daughter  of  Professor 
Willis,  president  of  the  Shrewsbury  Academy. 
They  have  one  daughter,  Maggie.  In  his  frater- 
nal relations  Mr.  Woods  is  associated  with  the 
Masons,  having  been  made  a  member  of  the  or- 
ganization in  Lexington  Lodge  No.  104,  March, 
1905,  and  is  now  acting  as  senior  warden  ;  Wood- 
men of  the  World  of  El  Monte ;  Hillsboro  Lodee 
I.  O.  O.  F.  of  IManchester,  N.  H.,  and  Agwai-ii 
Tribe  No.  208,  I.  O.  R.  M.,  also  of  Manchester; 
and  has  been  identified  with  the  Knights  of  Py- 
thias. His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Order  of 
Eastern  Star.  In  his  political  affiliations  Mr. 
Woods  is  a  stanch  Republican. 


JAMES  Y.  JOHNSON.  One  of  the  suc- 
cessful men  of  Los  Angeles  county  is  James 
Y.  Johnson,  who  was  born  in  Sweden,  May  18, 
1847,  snd  spent  the  first  eight  years  of  his  life 
in  his  native  land.  In  1855  his  parents  emi- 
grated to  America,  looking  to  betterment  of 
their  financial  condition  in  the  western  world 
where  opportunities  abounded  for  the  prog- 
ressive and  enterprising  spirit.  Inheriting  the 
sturdy  traits  which  distinguish  the  natives  of 
Sweden,  success  accompanied  their  efiforts  and 
they  acquired  a  competence  and  at  the  same 
time  became  worthy  citizens  of  the  country 
they  had  adopted  for  their  home.  James  Y. 
Johnson  remained  with  his  parents  until  at- 
taining maturity,  making  his  home  in  differ- 
ent sections  of  the  countr}-.  Previous  to  his 
location  in  California  fourteen  years  ago,  he 
engaged  in  the  raising  of  sheep,  cattle  and 
horses  in  southern  Utah  and  met  with  suc- 
cess sufficient  to  give  him  considerable  finan- 
cial returns.  Upon  his  settlement  in  Los  An- 
geles county  in  18Q3  he  decided  to  engage  in 
the  poultry  business,  and  until  1900  continued 
so  occupied,  at  first  buying  and  selling  poul- 
trjr  and  later  raising  for  the  market.  He  gave 
to  his  work  a  sagacious  interest  and  judg- 
ment which  enabled  him  to  perfect  his  efforts 
and  brought  him  a  noteworthy'  success.  In  the 
meantime,  however,  he  became  interested  in 
the  raising  of  pigeons,  beginning  this  enter- 
prise with  a  stock  of  one  hundred  and  continu- 
ing to  increase  his  operations  until  at  the  pres- 
ent writing  he  owns  a  flock  of  about  one  hun- 
dred thousand  flying  birds.  This  is  the  most 
extensive  enterprise  of  its  kind  in  the  world 
and  represents  a  big  outlay  of  both  capital  and 
energy.  Besides  Mr.  Johnson,  four  men  are 
required  for  the  care  of  this  immense  flock, 
and  the  utmost  pains  are  taken  in  their  man- 
agement, every  modern  device  being  used  on 
the  ranch  ;  the  ranch   consists  of  eight  and  a 


half  acres  located  in  East  Los  Angeles,  with 
easy  access  by  means  of  the  Garvanza  car 
line.  All  kinds  of  fancy  birds  are  included  in 
the  flock,  but  are  kept  both  for  breeding  and 
show  purposes,  admission  being  gained 
through  the  entrance  on  West  Dayton,  near 
the  Los  Angeles  river.  His  product  is  shipped 
to  all  portions  of  the  west  and  is  in  demand 
wherever  known.  The  success  achieved  by 
Mr.  Johnson  in  this  line  of  work  is  only 
equaled  by  the  spirit  of  enterprise  which  in- 
duced him  to  establish  it.  He  conceived  the 
plan  and  put  it  in  operation  about  twelve  years 
ago.  and  against  more  or  less  obstacles  and 
discouragements  has  carried  it  to  success  and 
firmly  established  a  branch  which  was  en- 
tirely original.  He  has  displayed  business 
ability  and  judgment,  as  well  as  an  energy 
and  perseverance  unusual  in  character  and 
quality,  and  the  combined  attributes  of  inher- 
itance and  training  have  brought  about  sat- 
isfactory results. 

Mr.  Johnson  owns  a  handsome  residence  on 
Downey  avenue,  in  the  city  of  Los  Angeles. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
Latter  Day  Saints,  while  politically  he  ad- 
heres to  the  principles  advocated  in  the  plat- 
form of  the  Democratic  party.  He  is  a  man 
of  ability  and  energy  and  during  his  long  resi- 
dence in  this  section  has  won  the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  all  who  have  come  to  know 
him. 


CLINTON  BLYTHE.  A  prominent  citi- 
zen of  Long  Beach,  Los  Angeles  county,  is 
Clinton  Blythe,  who  is  now  living  retired  in 
his  home  at  No.  344  East  Sixth  street.  He  is 
a  native  of  Graves  county,  Ky.,  born  July  7, 
1859,  a  son  of  J.  T.  Blythe.  'The  latter  was 
born  in  Virginia,  the  descendant  of  an  old 
southern  family,  and  when  still  a  young  man 
immigrated  to  Kentucky.  He  located  in  Graves 
county  and  engaged  as  a  farmer  for  some  years 
and  in  1875  moved  to  Texas.  In  the  town  of 
Meridian  he  lived  retired  until  1887,  when  he 
came  to  Downey,  Cal.,  and  spent  the  remain- 
der of  his  life  in  retirement,  dying  at  the  age 
of  seventy-four  3'ears.  During  his  residence  in 
that  place  he  was  active  in  the  organization 
the  Los  Nietos  Valley  Bank,  of  which  he 
served  as  president.  His  wife,  formerly  Sarah 
Adair,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  also  died  in 
Downey,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years.  Born 
of  this  union  were  thirteen  children,  six  sons 
and  seven  daughters:  of  tlie  five  sons  and  three 
daughters  who  attained  maturity,  two  sons 
have  since  died. 

The  sixth  in  order  of  birth.  Clinton  Blythe 
received   his    education    in    a    log   schoolhouse 


1818 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  his  native  state,  where  he  spent  the  first  six- 
teen years  of  his  hfe.  He  engaged  in  farming 
with  his  father  in  Kentucky  and  later  con- 
ducted a  general  farming  and  stock-raising 
business  for  himself  in  Texas.  He  remained  in 
that  state  until  1888,  when  he  followed  his 
parents  to  California,  locating  one  mile  east 
of  Downey,  where  he  purchased  a  small  ranch, 
raising  alfalfa  and  conducting  a  dairy.  Dis- 
posing of  this  interest  he  purchased  fifty-three 
acres  three  miles  southeast  of  Downey,  which 
property  he  still  owns,  although  he  has  never 
made  his  home  upon  it.  In  1900  he  came  to 
Long  Beach  and  first  located  at  No.  233  Ameri- 
can avenue,  later  removing  to  his  present  resi- 
dence, No.  344  east  Sixth  street.  He  still  acts 
as  a  director  and  president  of  the  Los  Nietos 
Valley  Bank  of  Downey,  with  which  institu- 
tion his  family  has  been  identified  ever  since 
its  organization,  his  father  serving  as  president 
until  his  death,  v\dien  his  brother.  S.  A¥.  Blythe, 
entered  upon  the  duties  of  this  position,  con- 
tinuing there  until  he  died.  Mr.  Blythe  is  a 
man  of  ability  and  energy  and  as  such  holds 
a  position  of  esteem  among  his  fellow  citizens. 
In  IMeriilian,  Tex..  ^^Ir.  Blythe  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Alary  Parks,  s  native  of  that 
jilace,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  the  following 
children :  lames,  on  a  ranch  in  this  vicinity : 
Pearl,  wife  of  R.  Smith,  located  in  the  vicinity 
of  Los  Angeles:  Lee,  wife  of  E.  R.  Creeth ; 
Nora;  Sue";  Paul;  and  Mary,  all  -at  home. 
Politically  Mr.  Blythe  is  a  stanch  adherent  of 
the  principles  advocated  in  the  platform  of 
the  Democratic  part>',  which  he  supports  with 
voice  and  vote. 


THOAIAS  W.  WILLIAMS.  The  family  name 
of  this  enterprising  business  man  of  Long  Beach 
indicates  his  Welsh  descent.  The  genealogical 
records  show  that  tlie  founder  of  the  family  in 
America  was  his  paternal  grandfather,  a  native 
of  Wales  and  for  many  years  a  resident  of  Staten 
Island  in  New  York.  John  A.,  son  of  this  immi- 
grant, was  born  on  Staten  Island  and  about  1859 
settled  in  Coles  county.  111.,  from  which  point,  at 
the  age  of  nineteen  years,  he  enlisted  in  the 
United  States  army  and  served  for  three  years 
and  eight  months.  The  drum  sticks  which  he 
used  in  the  capacity  of  drummer  are  now  in  the 
possession  of  his  son,  Thomas  W,  At  the  close 
of  the  war  he  entered  the  St.  Louis  Medical  Col- 
lege and  took  a  course  in  therapeutics.  During 
the  remainder  of  his  life  he  was  actively  engaged 
in  professional  work  and  practiced  successively 
at  Rocheport,  Boone  county ;  Higbee,  Randolph 
county  ;  Deepwater,  Henry  county ;  and  Carthage. 
Jasper  county,  all  in  Missouri.  At  the  latter  city 
iie  died  in  September,  1902,  at  sixty-one  years  of 


age.*  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Lucy  A.  White,  was  born  near  Lexington,  Ky., 
grew  to  womanhood  in  Illinois,  and  afterward 
lived  in  Missouri,  where  in  1891  she  died  at 
Deepwater. 

Among  six  sons  and  two  daughters  compris- 
ing the  family  Thomas  W.  AVilliams  was  third 
in  order  of  birth  and  was  born  in  Coles  county, 
111.,  November  i,  1869.  Primarily  educated  in 
the  common  schools  of  Deepwater,  Mo.,  he  later 
h.ad  the  advantages  of  a  course  in  Clinton  acad- 
emy, and  in  1888  was  graduated  from  that  in- 
stitution. The  first  occupation  on  which  he  en- 
tered was  landscape  gardening,  which  he  followed 
in  Kansas  City  and  St.  Louis.  April  26.  1893,  he 
arrived  in  California  and  settled  at  Long  Beach, 
with  whose  growing  fortune  his  own  interests 
have  since  been  associated.  For  six  years  he 
w^as  employed  as  gardener  by  J.  Bixby  and  for 
three  years  served  by  appointment  as  superinten- 
dent of  parks  and  special  police,  after  which  for 
two  years  he  held  the  office  of  city  marshal.  His 
introduction  into  the  real-estate  business  was 
with  the  Long  Beach  Commission  and  Real  Es- 
tate Company,  whose  business  he  soon  purchased. 
After  conducting  it  alone  for  four  months  he  sold 
a  one-half  interest  to  Al.  H.  Irvine.  Februar}'  i, 
T905,  the  business  was  merged  into  the  Walker 
Real  Estate  Company,  in  \\hich  he  now  owns  one- 
fourth  interest.  Besides  this  he  has  improved 
and  now  owns  several  residence  properties.  In 
response  to  earnest  solicitations  Mr.  Williams 
consented  a  second  time  to  fill  the  office  of  city 
marshal  until  the  city  council  could  find  a  com- 
petent man  to  accept  the  place,  and  he  accepted 
the  appointment  August  28.  T905,  upon  these 
conditions.  Owi-ng  to  the  growing  demands  of 
liis  business  he  felt  it  unwise  to  assume  official 
duties  except  in  response  to  an  appeal  for  tem- 
nrarv  work.  While  acting  in  that  capacity  he 
wiped  out  of  existence  ,Tn  organization  of  the 
"blind  pig"  order  and  in  the  raid  confiscated 
eighteen  hundred  and  fiftv  gallons  of  whiskey. 
During  liis  administration  Long  Beach  gained  a 
record  for  enforcement  of  the  laws  which  no 
town  in  the  country  can  surpass.  Law  and  order 
have  been  sriven  to  the  city  and  the  law-abiding 
class  of  citizens  appreciate  the  efforts  which 
have  culminated  in  such  a  satisfactory  condition 
of  municipal  affairs. 

Upon  the  organization  of  the  Young  Alen's 
Christian  Association  of  Long  Beach  in  1900  Mr. 
\\'il!iams  took  a  warm  interest  in  the  founding 
of  the  movement  and  has  since  officiated  as  a 
director.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Cliamber  of 
Commerce  of  Long  Beach  and  a  director  and  one 
of  the  organizers  of  the  Peoples  Bank  of  Long 
Beach.  In  the  Humane  Society  he  holds  of- 
ficial position  and  its  work  has  always  received 
his  cordial  co-operation.     Upon  the   starting  of 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1819 


the  lodge  of  Knights  of  Pythias  Mr.  Williams 
became  a  charter  member  and  ever  since  has  aided 
in  the  upbuilding  of  the  society.  In  addition  he 
takes  an  enthusiastic  interest  in  the  work  of  the 
Sons  of  Veterans  at  Long  Beach.  His  home  in 
Long  Beach,  at  No.  22-/  Linden  avenue,  is  pre- 
sided over  by  his  wife,  who  was  Ruth  M.  Brown, 
a  native  of  Illinois,  and  its  pleasures  are  enhanced 
by  the  presence  of  their  two  children,  Dwight 
B.  and  Ruth  H.  The  family  attend  the  Con- 
gregational Church,  to  the  work  of  which  he  is 
a  contributor,  as  well  as  an  active  worker  in  its 
philanthropies.  In  politics  he  gives  his  support 
to  the  Republican  party,  which  in  igoo  and  1906 
he  served  as  delegate  to  the  county  central 
committee,  and  since  then  in  various  instances 
has  promoted  the  local  welfare  of  the  party. 


CAPT.  WILLIAM  W.  BURKE.  Pre- 
ceded by  years  of  experienece  as  a  civil  engin- 
eer Captain  Burke  came  to  San  Pedro  in  1904. 
Purchasing  a  lot  40x120  on  Fourth  street  he 
erected  a  two-story  modern  store  building, 
one-half  of  which  he  occupies  himself  as  a 
grocery  and  meat  market,  Avhile  the  other  part 
is  rented  and  occupied  as  a  furniture  and 
crockery  store.  Thus  far  Captain  Burke  has 
realized  his  expectations  to  a  gratifying  degree 
and  the  town  and  his  fellow-citizens  are 
doubtless  the  gainers  by  his  change  of  occupa- 
tion. Born  under  the  rule  of  the  British  ilag 
in  1846,  he  is  a  native  of  the  West  Indies  and 
a  son  of  Francis  and  Marion  Burke,  the  form- 
er a  native  of  Ireland.  During  his  early  life 
the  father  located  in  the  ^A'est  Indies,  where 
as  an  extensive  planter  he  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  His  w'fe  nris  a  native  of  the  is- 
lands,   and    there    lhe\-    reared    their    children. 

When  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  prior 
to  which  time  he  had  been  educated  in  Eng- 
land, Captain  Burke  left  home  and  friends 
and  for  two  years  followed  the  sea.  Landing 
on  the  shores  of  the  United  States  at  the  end 
of  the  voyage  he  found  the  country  in  the 
midst  of  Civil  warfare,  in  which  he  later  bore 
a  part  in  1865  joining  the  Union  army.  Com- 
pany D,  battalion  of  engineers.  After  peace 
was  restored  he  entered  the  United  States 
service  as  civil  engineer.  Contracts  in  this 
line  which  he  accepted  and  completed  consist- 
ed of  work  on  the  San  Francisco  harbor,  con- 
structing the  harbors  from  Michigan  City, 
Ind.,  to  Petoskey,  Mich.,  in  fact  all  of  the  har- 
bors on  the  Michigan  coast.  In  1S83  he  re- 
signed his  position  to  engage  in  contracting 
and  building  harbors  for  the  United  States 
and  Mexican  governments.  His  first  work  in 
this  line  was  building  three  miles  of  the  Gal- 
veston jetty,  following  this  by  constructing  the 


jetties  at  Pas  Cavalla,  Rockport,  Port  Isabella 
and  at  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande  river. 
His  latest  work  in  this  line  was  on  the  coast 
of  Mexico,  where  for  six  years  he  was  en- 
gaged on  the  harbor  at  Manzanillo.  Upon  the 
completion  of  the  undertaking,  in  1904,  he 
relinquished  the  arduous  work  which  for  so 
many  years  had  engaged  his  attention,  and 
coming  to  San  Pedro  purchased  the  property  on 
Fourtli  street  as  previously  stated  and  here  he 
expects  to  make  his  permanent  home.  His 
building  was  completed  in  December,  1904,  at 
which  time  he  stocked  it  with  a  complete  line 
of  goods,  and  it  goes  without  saying  that  the 
equipment  is  up-to-date  in  every  particular. 
Adding  to  this  condition  the  fact  that  the  pro- 
prietor possesses  many  fine  personal  attributes 
including  tact  and  geniality,  his  success  is  a 
matter  of  no  speculation. 

In  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  Captain  Burke  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Cornelia  Minder  Hout 
a  native  of  that  state,  and  three  children  have 
been  born  to  them.  William  W.,  Jr.,  is  a 
clerk  in  the  Angelus  hotel  in  San  Pedro ;  John 
Francis  assists  his  father  in  the  store;  and 
Douglas  is  also  at  home.  As  can  be  gathered 
from  the  foregoing  brief  account  of  Captain 
Burke's  life  it  will  be  seen  that  he  has  traveled 
extensively  and  the  breadth  of  knowledge 
which  this  privilege  invariably  bestows  has 
not  been  de'nied  him,  but  on  the  other  hand 
has  furnished  fund  of  information  which  makes 
liim  a  ready  and  agreeable  conversationalist. 
To  some  extent  he  is  interested  in  mining 
properties  in  Mexico.  Politically  he  casts  his 
vote  in  favor  of  the  Republican  candidates. 


jOHiV  GEORGE  BAUM.  Three  miles  south- 
cast  of  Inglewood  lies  the  ranch  which  is  owned 
and  operated  by  John  George  Baum  and  which 
comprises  one  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  val- 
uable land.  In  addition  to  the  management  of 
this  tract  he  operates  rented  lands  adjoining, 
so  that  the  total  aggregate  of  his  holdings  reach- 
es five  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  ^^^^en  he 
first  came  to  Los  Angeles  county  in  October, 
1902,  he  rented  the  ranch  which  he  still  operates 
and  at  once  became  interested  in  the  raising  of 
beans  and  of  grain,  managing  the  tract  as  a 
renter  until  November,  1905,  when  he  acquired 
that  portion  of  the  estate  now  under  his  title. 
Energetic  and  capable,  he  is  already  gaining  a 
position  among  the  prosperous  ranchers  of  the 
locality,  and,  should  misfortune  not  betide,  the 
future  years  will  place  his  fortunes  upon  a  sub- 
stantial basis   and   increase  his  landed  holdings. 

A  native  son  of  California,  Mr.  Baum  \vas 
born  in  Ventura  county,  this  state,  April  i,  1875, 
and   is   the   second   among  the   six   children  of 


1820 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


George  and  Linnie  (^Hartman)  Baum,  natives 
of  Jackson  county,  Ohio.  His  father  grew  to 
manhood  upon  a  farm  and  followed  agricultural 
pursuits  in  Ohio  until  1873,  when  he  brought 
his  wife  to  California,  settling  near  Springville, 
Ventura  county,  where  since  he  has  engaged  in 
raising  beans  and  beets.  At  this  writing  (1906) 
he  is  about  sixty-four  years  of  age  and  his  wife 
fifty-five,  but  both  are  yet  quite  active  and  vig- 
orous, and  superintend  their  ranch  of  fifty  acres 
with  energy  and  success.  It  was  on  this  old  home- 
stead that  their  son,  John  George,  gained  his 
early  knowledge  of  agricultural  pursuits  and  the 
raising  of  beans  and  beets,  and  when  not  in 
school  he  proved  a  capable  assistant  on  the  ranch. 
On  attaining  his  majority  he  rented  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty-five  acres  in  Ventura  county  and 
took  up  ranching  for  himself,  but  after  three 
years  he  b^gan  to  raise  beans  and  beets  for  the 
American  Beet  Sugar  Company  at  Oxnard,  and 
during  the  five  years  he  remained  in  the  work  he 
met  with  encouraging  success.  On  severing  his 
connection  with  interests  in  Ventura  county  he 
came  to  Los  Angeles  county  and  since  has  be- 
come a  land  owner  and  rancher  of  this  portion 
of  the  state. 

The  marriage  of  3ilr.  Baum  took  place  April 
27,  1898,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Sarah  Big- 
gart,  who  was  born  in  Xew  York  but  since  1886 
has  made  her  home  on  the  Pacific  coast.  Three 
children  comprise  their  family,  namely :  Alvin 
Walter,  Jennie  Alice  and  Arline  Lotta.  The 
only  organization  in  which  ]\Ir.  Baum  holds 
membership  is  the  Fraternal  Brotherhood,  and 
he  has  maintained  a  warm  interest  m  the  work 
of  that  order.  Public-spirited  as  a  citizen,  pro- 
gressive as  a  man,  stanch  in  his  allegiance  to  the 
Democratic  party,  liberal  in  his  views,  willing  to 
aid  friends  who  are  candidates  for  office  but 
never  desirous  of  securing  office  for  himself,  he 
furnishes  an  illustration  of  the  native  Califor- 
nians  whose  energy  and  intelligence  promise 
success  for  themselves  and  prosperity  for  the 
commonwealth. 


HARVEY  W.  HINCKS.  One  of  the  rising 
young  business  men  of  Long  Beach  is  Harvey  W. 
Hincks,  surve3'or  and  draughtsman,  with  offices 
in  the  Long  Beach  Bank  building,  from  which 
emanates  much  of  the  most  important  business 
in  that  line  transacted  in  Long  Beach  and  vicin- 
ity. He  is  a  descendant  of  Scotch-Irish  an- 
tecedents, who  founded  the  family  in  Ontario, 
Canada,  and  there  the  father,  John  F.  Hincks, 
was  Iwrn  August  7,  1857.  During  his  boyhood 
years  he  had  been  trained  to  perform  his  share 
of  the  duties  which  fall  to  the  lot  of  farmers' 
sons,  but  he  was  not  sufficiently  pleased  with  the 
life  to  follow  it  after  he  reached  vears  of  discre- 


tion and  could  choose  his  own  calling.  His  tastes 
lay  rather  along  professional  lines,  and  thus 
it  was  that  he  matriculated  as  a  student  in  Detroit 
Medical  College  and  prepared  himself  for  the 
medical  profession.  After  his  graduation  he 
settled  in  Manistee,  Mich.,  where  he  enjoyed  a 
lucrative  practice  the  remainder  of  his  life,  pass- 
ing away  there  in  1901.  In  his  young  manhood 
he  married  Mary  A.  Porter,  also  a  native  of 
Ontario,  who  still  resides  on  the  old  homestead 
in  Manistee,  Alich.  The  younger  of  the  two 
sons  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hincks,  J.  Frank,  has 
followed  in  the  footsteps  of  his  father  in  the 
matter  of  a  profession  and  is  a  graduate  of  the 
University  of  Michigan  and  is  now  a  practicing 
surgeon  in  the  Jackson  Citv  Hospital,  in  Jackson, 
Mich. 

Harvey  W.  Hincks  was  born  in  Goderich, 
Ontario,  June  24,  1880,  his  parents  removing 
to  Michigan  when  he  was  a  child  of  only  four 
years.  As  for  him,  his  life  really  began  in  Man- 
istee, where  he  attended  both  the  common  and 
high  schools  and  later,  in  1899,  entered  as  a  stu- 
dent in  the  University  of  Michigan.  His 
intention  had  been  to  take  a  thorough  course  in 
mechanical  and  civil  engineering,  but  the  death 
of  his  father  in  1901  brought  his  student  life 
to  a  close  and  put  before  him  the  necessity  of  ob- 
taining his  own  support.  Accepting  the  first  op- 
portunity that  offered,  for  a  short  time  he  was 
a  clerk  in  the  office  of  the  Manistee  &  North- 
eastern Railroad,  but  the  fall  of  that  year  found 
him  in  Los  Angeles,  where  he  was  employed  as 
draughtsman  in  the  office  of  E.  T.  Wright  and 
S.  O.  Wood,  until  he  obtained  a  position  with 
a  party  on  the  United  States  Geological  Survey. 
Later  in  the  same  year  he  came  to  Long  Beach 
and  entered  the  office  of  the  city  engineer  as  chief 
draughtsman,  a  position  which  he  filled  with 
credit  to  himself  until  he  was  appointed  building 
inspector  for  the  city  of  Long  Beach.  In 
December,  1905,  he  opened  an  office  of  his  own, 
and  has  since  been  established  in  the  Long  Beach 
Bank  Building.  All  of  the  large  and  authentic 
maps  of  Long  Beach  now  in  use  are  his  work, 
and  he  has  likewise  surveyed  and  made  plats 
of  Long  Beach,  Alamitos,  Compton,  and  much 
of  the  adjacent  country.  Each  month  these  plats 
are  brought  up  to  date,  noting  all  changes 
and  subdivisions,  which  makes  them  absolutely 
correct  and  invaluable  for  reference.  He  has 
lately  completed  an  official  map  of  the  city  of 
Long  Beach,  which  was  the  first  of  the  kind  to 
give  in  minute  detail  the  new  city  limits.  It 
is  a  work  of  art  and  considered  one  of  the  finest 
pieces  of  work  ever  given  to  the  public  in  South- 
ern California.  Besides  the  line  of  work  just 
noted  ]\Ir.  Hincks  also  does  landscape  garden- 
ing, such  as  laying  out  parks  and  gardens,  a 
line  which  in  itself  forms  quite  a  feature  of  his 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1821 


business.  Twelve  men  are- employed  under  his 
direction,  either  in  the  office  or  in  the  field,  each 
being  an  expert  in  his  line.  Mr.  Hincks  has 
recently  completed  an  authentic  automobile  road 
map  known  as  the  "'.Vuto-Roads  of  Southern 
California." 

In  Los  Angeles  ]\Ir.  Hincks  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Mabel  E.  Smith,  a  native  of  Paris, 
Tex.,  and  one  child,  Marion  Elizabeth,  has  been 
born  to  them.  Politically  Mr.  Hincks  is  a  Re- 
publican. As  a  member  of  the  National  Guard 
of  California  he  served  in  the  Signal  Corps  of  the 
First  Brigade  for  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  received  his  honorable  discharge.  He 
has  always  been  an  enthusiast  along  the  line  of 
athletics,  and  has  given  much  of  his  time  to 
numerous  clubs,  such  as  the  Turn  Verein, 
Germania  and  the  local  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  at  Long 
Beach. 


HARVEY  S.  MOURNING.  The  San  Ber- 
nardino flour  mills,  which  form  one  of  the 
leading  industries  of  the  city,  were  estab- 
lished by  J.  V.  Suman,  who  erected  at  Colton 
in  1893  a  plant  consisting  of  a  complete  roller 
system.  Four  years  later  the  building  and 
equipment  were  moved  to  San  Bernardino  and 
since  then  the  business  has  enjoyed  a  steady- 
growth.  The  original  owner  was  succeeded 
by  Harvey  S.  Mourning,  the  present  propri- 
etor, under  whose  intelligent  oversight  a  high 
grade  of  flour  is  produced,  surpassed  by  none 
in  California,  according  to  the  testimony  of 
competent  judges.  The  plant  has  a  capacity 
of  ^seventy-five  barrels  per  day  and  is  operated 
by  electricity,  besides  being  provided  with 
other  modern  appliances  well  adapted  to  pro- 
mote the  saving  of  labor  and  the  increasing  of 
speed,  as  well  as  enhancing  the  quality  of  the 
flour.  In  addition  to  the  principal  product, 
some  attention  is  devoted  to  the  grinding  of 
chicken  feed,  horse  feed  and  dairy  feed,  for 
which  there  are  constant  orders  sent  in  by 
farmers  of  the  vicinity. 

The  proprietor  of  the  mills  came  to  Califor- 
nia from  Illinois,  where  he  was  born  on  a  farm 
near  Macomb,  McDonough  county,  January 
27,  1867,  being  a  son  of  William  H.  and  Nan- 
cy A.  (Breeden)  Mourning.  His  father,  a 
native  of  Kentucky,  was  taken  to  Illinois  by 
his  parents  in  infancy  and  there  grew  to  man- 
hood, married,  and  settled  on  a  farm.  For 
years  he  was  a  prosperous  stock-raiser  and 
general  farmer.  Since  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1898,  his  widow  has  continued  to 
live  on  the  old  Illinois  homestead.  Reared 
on  that  farm,  Harvey  S.  Mourning  received 
such  advantages  as  country  schools  aft'orded, 
and  later  took  a   course  of  study  in    the   Ma- 


comb Normal  School.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years  he  left  the  old  home  and  the  asso- 
ciations of  youth,  in  order  to  start  out  for  him- 
self, and  his  first  stopping  place  was  in  Cali- 
fornia, whore  he  worked  at  the  milling  busi- 
ness for  a  lime.  \Mth  the  means  thus  earned 
he  returned  to  Illinois  and  took  a  two-years' 
course  of  stud}'  in  the  Macomb  Normal 
School.  At  the  expiration  of  his  course  of 
study  he  returned  to  Southern  California  and 
secured  employment  in  the  Colton  roller  mills. 
During  the  progress  of  the  Spanish-Ameri- 
can war  in  1898  Mr.  Alourning  enlisted  in 
Company  K,  Seventh  California  Infantry, 
commanded  by  Colonel  J.  R.  Berry.  The  regi- 
ment was  ordered  to  San  Francisco  and  en- 
camped at  the  Presidio  until  honorably  dis- 
charged at  the  expiration  of  six  months. 
Thereupon  Mr.  Mourning  returned  to  his  work 
in  the  roller  mill.  During  October  of  1899  he 
went  to  New  York,  but  in  a  short  time  re- 
turned to  San  Bernardino  and  became  a  part- 
ner in  the  milling  busines.'?  with  his  father-in- 
law,  J.  V.  Suman,  with  whom  he  continued 
until  the  death  of  Mr.  Suman  July  3,  1904. 
Since  then  he  has  continued  the  business  alone. 
Besides  the  management  of  the  mill  he  is  a 
stockholder  in  and  president  of  the  Gem  Min- 
ing Company  of  San  Bernardino  county,  and 
has  interests  in  other  enterprises  of  an  impor- 
tant nature.  His  comfortable  home  is  presided 
over  bv  his  wife,  Josephine  F.,  daughter  of  J. 
\".  Suman.  and  a  prominent  member  of  the  so- 
cial circles  of  San  Bernardino,  wiiere  .she  was 
residing  at  the  time  of  her  marriage,  June  14, 
1900.  In  fraternal  relations  Wr.  ^Mourning  has 
his  membership  with  Ashlar  Lodge  No.  306, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Colton,  besides  which  he  is  iden- 
tified with  the  Alodern  ^^'oodmen  of  America. 


JACOB, B.  RENTCHLER.  Ever  since  the 
death  of  her  husband,  in  1905,  Mrs.  Rentchler 
has  made  her  heme  on  the  ranch  of  fifty  acres, 
not  far  from  the  village  of  La  Ballona,  in  Los 
Angeles  county,  upon  which  he  settled  in  1895, 
and  began  the  work  of  improvement  and  culti- 
vating the  soil  for  the  raising  of  alfalfa,  which  is 
the  chief  crop  ban'ested. 

In  common  with  many  who  have  assisted  in 
developing  the  possibilities  which  abound  in  the 
west,  Mr.  Rentchler  was  of  eastern  birth,  and 
was  bom  in  I'nion  county,  Pennsylvania,  Feb- 
ruary 5,  1828.  into  the  home  of  Jacob  and  Eliza- 
beth Rentchler.  The  subscription  school,  which 
he  attended,  was  located  on  his  father's  farm. 
In  that  early  day  advantages  were  poor  at  best, 
but.  meager  as  thev  were.  Mr.  Rentchler  man- 
aged to  gain  a  fairly  good  education.  Later 
A-ears  found  him  a  resident  of  Tllionis.  where  for 


1822 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ten  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
wheat  drills  and  cuhivatcrs.  In  Belleville,  that 
state,  he  carried  on  a  banking  business  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  but  finally  gave  this  up  and  became 
interested  in  mining  in  New  Mexico.  During 
the  six  years  spent  there  he  operated  several 
mines,  besides  owning  stock  in  the  Eclipse  and 
Comstock  mines.  The  sale  of  the  famous  Kan- 
garoo mine,  which  he  owned,  but  which  was 
leased  to  and  was  worked  by  other  parties,  made 
him  a  wealthy  man,  and  with  the  means  which 
this  gave  him,  he  came  to  California,  purchasing 
the  ranch  upon  which  his  widow  now  lives,  not 
far  from  La  Ballona,  although  Palms  is  the  post- 
office  and  market  town.  He  passed  away  in  1905, 
having  attained  the  ripe  age  of  seventy-seven 
years. 

The  lady  who  became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Rentch- 
ler  was,  in  maidenhood,  jNIary  J.  Beecher, 
and  spent  her  early  years  in  New  Orleans.  Her 
father's  relatives  are  connected  with  Henry 
Ward  Beecher  and  Harriet  Bteecher  Stowe. 
W'ith  an  aunt,  whom  she  had  visited  in  St.  Louis, 
she  went  to  Illinois,  and  on  the  way  became  ac- 
quainted with  Mr.  Rentschler,  their  marriage 
following  in  1855.  Six  children  were  born  of 
their  marriage,  but  only  five  reached  years  of 
maturity.  Louis  is  in  the  employ  of  a  railroad 
in  St.  Louis;  Frank  R.  is  connected  with  the 
auditor's  office  in  Los  Angeles ;  Anna  resides  in 
Belleville,  111.,  where  her  husband,  George  Rog- 
ers, owns  an  iron  foundry :  Alice  is  the  wife 
of  Edward  Powell,  yardmaster  in  the  employ  of 
a  railroad  in  New  Mexico;  George  was  formerly 
a  builder  in  Los  Angeles,  but  is  now  in  New  jNIex- 
ico.  Mr.  Rentchler  was  a  man  of  public  spirit, 
a  good  business  man  and  one  who  always  lived 
a  Christian  life,  following  the  Golden  Rule. 


ELBERT  A.  SPAULDING.  The  genealogy 
of  the  Spaulding  family  in  America  dates  back 
to  the  year  1632,  when  one  of  that  name  crossed 
the  ocean  to  the  primeval  wilderness  of  New 
England  and  from  the  time  of  his  arrival  until 
his  death  endured  the  hardships,  privations  and 
perils  incident  to  existence  on  the  bleak  shores 
of  an  unknown  sea.  Some  time  after  the  Pil- 
grim Fathers  had  set  up  their  cabins  along 
the  Massachusetts  shores,  a  band  of  emigrants 
started  from  that  colony  to  found  homes  in  Con- 
necticut and  with  them  went  a  member  of  the 
Spaulding  family.  Later  generations  of  that 
race  bore  an  active  part  in  the  upbuilding  of 
Connecticut.  In  that  state  Sampson  Spaulding 
was  born  and  reared  and  from  there  he  re- 
moved to  Vermont,  settling  on  the  frontier  with 
no  neighbors  except  Indians.  The  cabin  home 
on  the  then  frontier  at  Orweh,  was  the  birth- 
place of  his  son,   Ira,  and  there  he  passed   the 


years  of  boyhood  and  youth,  industriously  assist- 
ing in  the  converting  of  a  raw  tract  of  land  into 
a  profitable  farm.  During  the  war  of  181 2  he 
assisted  his  country  in  winning  a  second  triumph 
over  England,  and  subsequently  he  followed  the 
tanner's  trade.  While  Michigan  was  still  one 
vast  unbroken  wilderness  he  traveled  thither  by 
"prairie  schooner,"  and  in  1833  became  one  of 
the  very  first  settlers  of  Washtenaw  county, 
where  he  filed  a  claim  to  a  tract  of  government 
land  and  engaged  in  tilling  the  soil  during  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  Eighty-three  useful  and 
active  years  were  granted  him  and  he  died  at  his 
old  Michigan  home. 

At  the  time  of  the  removal  of  the  family  to 
^Michigan  ^^'arren  Spaulding,  a  native  of  "\'er- 
mont,  was  a  child  of  five  years,  and  afterward  he 
gained  his  education  in  the  early  schools  of 
Washtenaw  county,  eventually  taking  up  agri- 
cultural pursuits  and  reaping  a  financial  suc- 
cess which  his  large  talents  abundantly  merited. 
Among  his  children  there  was  a  son,  Elbert  A., 
whose  name  introduces  this  article  and  who  is 
now  a  prominent  citizen  of  Inglewood,  Los  An- 
geles county.  He  owns  and  makes  his  home  in 
the  house  once  owned  and  occupied  by  John  C. 
Fremont.  This  son  was  born  at  Hillsdale.  Mich.. 
February  29,  1856,  and  grew  to  manhood  upon 
a  farm.  Although  his  educational  advantages 
were  meagre,  by  observation  and  self-culture  he 
supplemented  his  text-book  lore  with  knowledge 
of  even  greater  value  in  the  busy  world  of  af- 
fairs. When  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  joined 
with  his  father  and  brother  in  starting  a  colony 
in  Richland  county,  N.  Dak.,  where  in  the  brief 
interval  of  eighteen  months  they  located  two 
hundred  and  sixteen  families  on  carefully  se- 
lected lands.  Later  for  eight  years  he  traveled 
as  emigrant  agent  in  the  employ  of  the  railroad, 
and  also  for  twelve  years  held  office  as  notary 
public  and  two  years  as  postmaster  at  Fairmount. 
N.  Dak.,  also  for  twenty  years  he  was  engaged 
in  the  sale  of  threshing  machines.  With  his 
brother  in  1899  he  came  to  California,  looking 
for  a  suitable  location  for  settlers,  and  being 
pleased  with  Inglewood  he  brought  back  a  com- 
pany of  people  for  this  place.  Further  acquaint- 
ance with  the  climate  and  soil  increased  his  ad- 
miration for  this  country,  and  he  has  no  cause 
for  regret  in  his  choice  of  a  permanent  location. 
Three  months  after  coming  west  he  began  to 
take  contracts  for  the  erection  of  houses  and 
since  August  of  1905  he  has  also  conducted  a 
real-estate  business,  and  as  emigration  agent  has 
located  manv  hundred  people  in  Inglewood. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Spaulding  and  Miss  Net- 
tie M.  Allen,  a  native  of  Michigan,  was  sol- 
emnized on  Christmas  day  of  1879,  and  has  been 
blessed  with  three  sons  and  six  daughters: 
Zora,  deceased ;  Ava,  wife  of  L.  O.  Calkins ;  Ot- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1823 


tie;  Harry;  William,  deceased;  Winnie,  deceased; 
Lecra,  Edna  and  .Mildred.  Though  stanchlv  Re- 
publican in  his  views,  j\lr.  Spaulding  has  shown 
no  partisanship  in  his  preferences  and  has  nev- 
er solicited  official  honors  at  the  hands  of  his  fel- 
low-citizens, although  he  has  accepted  various 
local  offices,  including  that  of  postmaster  of 
Fairmount,  Richland  county,  N.  Dak.,  and  in  ev- 
ery position  has  displayed  energy,  intelligence 
and  sagacity.  In  Masonry  he  has  affiliated  with 
the  blue  lodge  at  Redondo  and  has  maintained  a 
warm  interest  in  the  philanthropies'  of  the  fra- 
ternity. 


JOHN  G.  PALMER.  Countless  hosts  of  visi- 
tors to  the  World's  Fair  in  Chicago  in  1893  saw 
and  admired  the  California  exhibit  and  not  a 
few  of  them  were  so  pleased  with  the  display  of 
products  that  they  determined  to  come  to  the 
Pacific  coast  whenever  opportunity  offered. 
Among  such  was  John  G.  Palmer,  who  formerly 
had  been  a  minister  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
denomination,  but  was  obliged  to  discontinue 
preaching  on  account  of  impaired  health  and  at 
the  time  of  tlie  Exposition  was  engaged  in  the 
publishing  business  at  Blairstown,  Iowa.  A 
native  of  Iowa,  born  November  16,  1854,  he  had 
prepared  for  the  ministry  in  Northwestern  Uni- 
versity at  Evanston,  111.,  and  commenced  to 
'preach  at  Andrew,  Iowa.  Two  years  later,  in 
1878.  he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  denomination  at  Maquoketa, 
Iowa,  and  later  held  charges  at  Andrew,  Otter- 
ville  and  Blairstown.  Iowa,  and  at  Aberdeen  and 
Highmore,  S.  Dak.  During  his  pastorate  at 
Aberdeen  he  was  instrumental  in  securing  the 
erection  of  a  parsonage  and  a  church  building 
Vv'hich  cost  $10,000  and  which  at  dedication  was 
paid  for  with  the  exception  of  only  $700.  After 
the  town  of  Highmore  had  been  almost  wholly 
wiped  out  by  a  cyclone  he  went  to  that  place 
and  aided  in  saving  the  Methodist  house  of  wor- 
ship from  being  sold  at  a  sheriff's  sale.  Indeed, 
in  every  place  where  he  labored,  he  proved  his 
genius  as  a  financier  and  executive,  and  every 
congregation  was  left,  at  his  departure,  in  a  sat- 
isfactory condition  financially  as  well  as  spiritu- 
ally. During  his  residence  in  South  Dakota  in 
1884-85  he  published  a  Methodist  Church  histori- 
cal directory  of  the  state  and  shortly  after- 
ward became  interested  in  the  publication  of  the 
Blairstown  Prrss.  which  he  conducted  for  eight 
years. 

The  prospects  offered  by  Long  Reach  induced 
]\rr.  Palmer  to  settle  in  this  city  after  coming  to 
the  west  and  here,  in  18Q7.  he  established  the 
Press  Printing  office  with  F.  R.  Smith  as  a 
partner.  While  in  charge  of  the  Press  he  be- 
came interested  in  the  construction  of  the  present 


pleasure  wharf.  This  matter  he  continued  to 
agitate  until  a  committee  was  finally  selected  by 
the  city  council  and  the  board  of  trade  and 
authorized  to  design  such  a  wharf  and  report 
costs,  etc.,  to  the  authorities.  As  secretary  of 
this  committee,  Mr.  Palmer  labored  assiduously 
for  nine  months  and  carried  on  a  voluminous 
correspondence  in  relation  to  similar  structures, 
endeavoring  to  secure  accurate  data  as  to  cost 
and  best  metliods  of  construction.  It  was  a 
source  of  great  gratification  to  him  when  the 
report  of  the  committee  was  accepted  and  the 
building  brought  forward  to  completion  with  the 
result  that  the  wharf  is  now  one  of  the  city's 
principal  attractions.  Since  coming  to  Long 
Beach  he  has  erected  eleven  dwelling  houses  and 
three  business  blocks,  and  has  maintained  a  con- 
stant interest  in  the  building  activities  of  the  city. 
The  marriage  of  Mr.  Palmer  united  him  with 
Miss  Ida  R.  Smith,  who  was  born  in  Illinois. 
Their  family  consists  of  four  children,  all  at 
home,  and  named  as  follows :  Harry  R.,  a  prin- 
ter by  trade;  Jennie  M.,  a  stenographer;  Ruth 
Ann  and  Percy  Edward.  In  politics  Mr.  Palmer 
votes  with  the  Republican  party.  While  living 
in  South  Dakota  he  became  affiliated  with  the 
lodge,  chapter  and  commandery  of  Masonry  at 
Aberdeen.  Though  no  longer  identified  with  the 
ministry,  he  is  deeply  interested  in  the  work  of 
his  denomination,  and  for  many  years  offi- 
ciated as  secretary  of  the  board  of  trustees 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Long 
Beach  and  as  secretary  of  the  official  board  of  the 
church.  At  the  time  of  the  erection  of  the  first 
edifice  he  served  on  the  building  committee  and 
gave  freely  of  time  and  means  to  push  the  work 
forward  to  a  satisfactory  completion,  and  is  still 
a  member  of  the  lioard  of  trustees. 


IRVING  LEWIS  BLINN.  Although  young 
in  years  the  above  named  gentleman  holds  rank 
with  the  most  progressive  and  enterprising  citi- 
zens of  WHiittier,  Los  Angeles  county,  where  he 
is  a  leading  factor  in  the  industries  of  the  place 
as  manager  of  the  Whittier  Lumber  &  Mill 
Company,  a  well  known  enterprise  of  Southern 
California.  Mr.  Blinn  is  a  native  son  of  the 
state,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  San  Francisco 
.\ugust  2,  1870.  In  that  locality  he  was  reared 
to  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  receiving  his  edu- 
cation in  St.  IMatthew's  Hall  school  of  San 
Mateo  and  Hopkins  Academy  of  Berkeley.  Fol- 
lowing the  completion  of  his  .studies  he  was  sent 
by  his  father,  Lewis  W.  Blinn.  to  represent  tlie 
latter's  interest  at  Tombstone,  .^riz..  where  he 
remained  until  December,  1888.  In  that  vear 
he  came  to  Los  .•\ngeles  and  opened  an  office, 
representing  the  Blinn  Lumber  Companv  in  a 
clerical     position,     continuing     so    occupied    for 


1824 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


some  time,  when  he  became  an  emplo3-e  of  the 
San  Pedro  Lumber  Company  in  order  to  become 
thoroughly  familiar  with  the  lumbering  business. 
Both  companies  engaged  extensively  in  the 
wholesale  and  retail  lumber  trade  and  by  his  ap- 
plication to  the  work  he  became  proficient  in 
every  department  and  capable  of  superintending 
the  business.  In  1889  he  resigned  from  his  po- 
sition in  Los  Angeles  and  went  north  in  order 
to  accept  a  position  in  Tacoma,  Wash.,  to  thor- 
oughly familiarize  himself  with  the  details  of  the 
lumber  manufacturing  business.  He  became 
associated  with  the  Tacoma  Mills  Company  in 
the  capacity  of  manager,  having  charge  of  their 
retail  business  for  the  period  of  two  years.  Go- 
ing to  Portland,  Ore.,  at  the  expiration  of  that 
time  he  opened  a  lumber  brokerage  office,  and 
later,  in  company  with  others,  bought  a  sawmill 
located  at  Westport,  on  the  Columbia  river.  He 
met  with  gratifying  success  in  this  enterprise 
and  acquired  an  experience  which  has  been  of 
inestimable  service  to  him  throughout  his  career 
in  this  line  of  business.  Heeding  a  wish  of  his 
father's,  he  returned  to  Southern  California  in 
June,  1903,  and  assumed  the  management  of  the 
Whittier  Lumber  Company,  which  position  he 
still  occupies.  He  is  justly  numbered  among 
the  most  enterprising  and  substantial  men  of  this 
section. 

I\Ir.  Blinn  now  makes  his  home  in  Whittier. 
where  he  is  a  leading  citizen.  He  has  one  son, 
Lewis  W.  Blinn,  by  a  former  marriage.  Fra- 
ternally Mr.  Blinn  is  associated  with  the  Elks, 
being  a  member. of  Lodge  No.  142,  of  Portland, 
Ore.,  Lodge  No.  323,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Lodge 
No.  91,  R.  A.  M.,  the  two  latter  of  Whittier, 
Cal. 


JOSEPH  AUSTIN  EDWARDS.  Among 
the  business  men  of  Hemet  there  is  none  more 
enterprising  and  energetic  than  Joseph  Austin 
Edwards,  who  has  been  a  resident  of  Southern 
California  since  1887.  The  Edwards  family  has 
been  a  prominent  one  in  this  country  ever  since 
the  early  colonial  days,  when  the  great-grand- 
father, Casper  Edwards,  fought  in  the  French 
and  Indian  wars,  and  as  a  participant  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Quebec  was  one  of  the  men  who  assisted 
in  carrying  the  body  of  General  Wolfe  from  the 
field.  He  also  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war, 
was  in  the  battle  of  Princeton,  and  was  at  one 
time  taken  captive  by  the  Indians,  who  carried 
him  to  Quebec.  Joseph  Edwards,  the  son  of 
Casper,  married  Abigail  Buell,  whose  father 
also  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier.  The  grand- 
father, who  was  born  in  Windsor,  Broome  coun- 
ty, N.  Y.,  removed  to  Chenango  county,  and 
later,  in  1843,  to  Wisconsin,  where  his  death 
finallv     occurred.       Edward     F.     Edwards,     the 


father  of  "Joseph  Austin,  was  born  in  Chenango, 
N.  Y.,  in  1822,  and  removed  to  Wisconsin  when 
twenty  years  of  age.  He  bought  a  farm  near 
East  Troy,  in  Walworth  county,  and  improved 
it,  in  1852  removing  to  LaCrosse  county,  buy- 
ing a  farm  at  West  Salem,  twelve  miles  from 
LaCrosse.  He  was  one  of  the  very  first  set- 
tlers in  that  section  of  the  state,  became  the  first 
postmaster  at  West  Salem,  and  was  also  a  justice 
of  the  peace  there.  That  place  continued  to  be 
his  residence  until  1882,  when  he  went  still 
further  west  and  located  at  Huron,  S.  Dak. 
After  living  there  a  number  of  years  he  came  to 
California  to  make  his  home  with  his  son.  The 
mother,  who  was  Almira  Carver  in  maidenhood, 
was  a  daughter  of  Austin  Carver,  also  an  early 
settler  in  Walworth  county.  Wis.,  and  is  now 
living  with  J.  A.  Edwards,  he  being  the  only 
one  of  their  two  children  now  living.  The  elder 
Mr.  Edwards  is  eighty-four  years  of  age,  and 
his   wife  five  years  younger. 

It  was  in  July,  1848,  that  Mr.  Edwards  was 
born  near  East  Troy,  Walworth  county,  Wis., 
his  boyhood  days  being  spent  on  the  farm  at 
West  Salem,  where  he  received  his  preliminary 
education  in  the  public  schools,  and  took  a  fin- 
ishing course  in  the  West  Salem  Academy. 
After  graduation  he  taught  one  term  of  school, 
but  finding  that  he  preferred  a  business  career 
in  1872  he  began  to  deal  in  grain,  wool  and  live 
stock,  shipping  stock  and  produce  from  six  dif- 
ferent stations  along  the  Chicago  &  Northwest- 
ern Railway  to  Chicago,  soon  conducting  the 
largest  business  of  that  nature  on  the  division. 
Impaired  health  compelled  him  to  seek  a  milder 
climate,  and  in  1887  he  came  to  Los  Angeles, 
spending  two  years  in  recuperating,  and  in  1889 
again  took  an  active  part  in  business  operations. 
He  purchased  an  orange  orchard  at  Azusa,  kept 
it  a  short  time,  then  sold  it  and  located  at  Bur- 
bank  where  he  engaged  in  the  dried  fruit  busi- 
ness, built  a  packing  house  and  continued  to 
conduct  it  for  seven  years.  From  there  he  re- 
moved to  Phoenix,  Ariz.,  where  he  was  in  the 
grocery  business  until  1905.  In  the  meantime 
he  had  also  become  the  owner  of  an  alfalfa  and 
stock  ranch  at  Glendale.  Ariz.  Disposing  of  his 
property  interests  in  that  state  he  returned  to 
California,  and  in  Hemet  purchased  the  Cree  & 
Bruce  grocery  store  and  also  the  stock  of  Gra- 
ham &  Fast,  and  has  turned  his  business  into 
general  merchandising,  with  a  very  complete 
stock,  it  being  the  largest  store  of  its  kind  in 
Riverside  county.  He  employs  eight  experienced 
assistants  and  three  horses  and  wagons.  His 
business  grew  to  such  an  extent  that  the  old 
quarters  were  inadequate  and  in  November  of 
1905  he  erected  a  new  building  50x75  feet  in 
dimensions,  which  is  used  as  a  salesroom,  with 
warehouses  in  the  rear.     He  has  also  opened  up 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1825 


a  branch  srocery  store  in  Valle  Vista,  and  to 
all  his  interests  he  gives  his  personal  super- 
vision. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Edwards  occurred  in 
Wisconsin,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Mona 
Dickinson,  a  native  of  Massachusetts.  One 
daughter,  who  is  now  Mrs.  Hattie  Noyes,  of 
Greenwood.  Wis.,  was  born  to  them.  Mrs.  Ed- 
wards died  in  Wisconsin.  Politicallv  he  is  an 
advocate  of  the  principles  embraced  in  the  Re- 
publican party  and  while  official  positions  do  not 
appeal  to  him  he  does  his  dutv  as  an  active  and 
public  spirited  citizen  and  is  held  in  the  highest 
esteem  by  all  who  know  him. 


EBER  K.  P.ITHER.  Since  the  founding 
of  the  town  of  Oxnard  during  the  vear  1898 
Vr.  Bither  has  been  identified  with'  its  com- 
mercial and  agricultural  interests,  and  mean- 
while has  developed  a  transfer  business  from 
an  insienificant  enterprise  to  its  present  large 
proportions.  The  management  of  this  busi- 
ness with  the  filling  of  the  contract  for  the 
sprinkling  of  the  ^.treets  and  also  the  filling 
of  orders  for  draying.  he  gives  over  largely 
to  his  sons,  while  his  attention  is  devoted  in 
large  measure  to  the  management  of  three 
hundred  and  thirtv  acres  near  town,  utilized 
in  the  raising  of  beets  and  beans  as  well  as 
other  farm  produce.  The  barns  necessary  for 
the  proper  care  of  his  twenty-six  head  of 
horses  as  well  as  the  substantial  residence 
occupied  by  his  family  have  been  erected  under 
his  supervision  in  recent  years,  and  each  is 
well  adapted  for  its  special  purpose. 

Of  remote  Scotch  descent.  Mr.  Bither  is 
a  member  of  an  old  Maine  family,  and  was 
born  in  Aroostook  county,  that  state,  February 
27,  1851,  being  a  son  of  Phineas  and  Maria 
(Porter)  Bither,  natives  respectively  of  Free- 
dom, Waldo  county.  Me.,  and  Nova  Scotia. 
The  paternal  grandfather,  Benjamin  Bither, 
was  a  native  and  lifelong  resident  of  ^Nlaine, 
where  he  followed  the  builder's  trade.  The 
maternal  grandfather.  David  Porter,  became 
a  pioneer  of  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota,  where 
he  engaged  in  mining,  also  labored  as  a  pion- 
eer agriculturist  and  frontiersman,  and  during 
the  Blackhawk  war  went  out  against  the 
Indians  with  other  earlv  settlers.  .A.t  the  age 
of  twenty-tw^o  years  Phineas  Bither  settled 
upon  seventy-five  acres  of  timbered  land, 
which  he  cleared  and  made  ready  for  cultiva- 
tion, and  afterward  he  devoted  the  tract 
principally  to  potatoes.  On  that  place  he  re- 
mained until  death. 

Four  sons  and  three  daughters  comprised 
the  parental  family  and  of  these  three  .sons  and 
two   daughters   survive,   the  gentleman   whose 


name  introduces  this  article  being  the  eldest  of 
the  number.  As  a  boy  he  became  familiar 
with  work  in  the  lumber  regions  of  Maine  and" 
with  the  cea.seless  toil  connected  with  the  care 
of  the  small  home  place,  which  under  the  most 
intensive  form  of  cultivation  scarcely  produced 
enough  for  the  proper  education  of  the  large 
family  of  children.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two 
years  he  left  home  to  make  his  own  way  in  the 
world.  During  two  winter  seasons  he  was 
employed  in  driving  teams  in  Clearfield,  Pa., 
and  from  there  in  1876  came  to  California,  es- 
tablishing himself  on  a  farm  near  the  Cotton- 
wood, in  Merced  county,  where  he  leased 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  grain  land. 
From  that  beginning  he  increased  his  lease- 
holds until  he  had  the  cultivation  of  three 
thousand  acres  under  his  personal  care,  and  the 
large  output  of  grain  he  hauled  to  Hill's  Ferry 
for  shipment.  After  the  death  of  his  wife  in 
1887  he  removed  to  Saticoy  and  for  two  years 
engaged  in  farming  and  teaming,  after  which 
he  cultivated  a  portion  of  the  Las  Posas 
rancho  for  three  years.  During  the  next  two 
years  he  engaged  in  teaming  in  Santa  Cruz, 
from  which  point  he  returned  to  Ventura 
county  and  the  Las  Posas  rancho.  Three 
years  later,  in  1898,  he  came  to  the  new  town 
of  Oxnard,  where  he  rented  land  and  em- 
barked in  the  raising  of  beans  and  beets. 
Shortly  afterward  he  bought  out  Bell's  trans- 
fer line  and  from  it  has  developed  a  large  and 
profitable  business. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Bither  took  place  in 
Maine  and  united  him  with  Miss  Mary  Buck, 
who  was  born  in  that  state  and  died  in  Mer- 
ced county,  Cal.,  leaving  four  children,  name- 
ly :  Vivian  R.,  who  married  Frank  Runkle,  of 
Simi,  Ventura  county ;  Miriam  A.,  who  resides 
with  her  father  in  Oxnard ;  Harry  S.  and  Hart- 
ley S.,  who  have  charge  of  the  transfer  busi- 
ness owned  by  their  father.  Another  son, 
Eber,  di^d  while  yet  a  small  child.  Politically 
a  Democrat.  Mr.  Bither  at  no  time  has  been 
active  in  politics  nor  has  he  ever  sought  polit- 
ical offices,  but  he  has  maintained  a  keen  in- 
terest in  affairs  tending  toward  the  progress 
of  county,  state  and  nation.  Since  coming  to 
Oxnard  he  has  been  identified  actively  with 
the  lodge  and  encampment  of  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows, and  in  addition  has  held  membership 
with  the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters. 


EDWARD  PRENTISS  CLYDE.  Probably 
no  one  in  the  vicinity  of  Highland  can  more  fit- 
tinglv  claim  the  title  of  pioneer  than  Edward 
P.  Clyde,  who  for  nearly  half  a  century  has 
lived  on  his  present  property  not  far  from  High- 
land.     When   he   located    here    in     September, 


1826 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1855,  Indians  were  his  nearest  neighbors  and  the 
frequent  visitations  from  wild  animals  made 
constant  watchfulness  on  the  part  of  the  settlers 
a  necessity.  All  of  this  is  now  changed,  and  in 
the  transformation  which  the  intervening  years 
have  brought  about  in  the  introduction  of  labor- 
saving  machinery  and  the  multitudinous  influ- 
ences that  make  for  progress  none  has  been  a 
more  interested  witness  than  Mr.  Clyde. 

A  native  of  the  Empire  state,  Edward  P. 
Clyde  was  born  in  St.  Lawrence  county  Novem- 
ber 9,  1 83 1,  a  son  of  George  W.  and  Cynthia 
(Davis)  Clyde.  About  1835,  when  their  son 
was  a  lad  of  four  years,  the  parents  took  up  their 
westward  march,  crossing  the  Mississippi  river 
and  locating  for  a  time  in  Missouri.  Another 
removal  found  them  in  Illinois,  from  there  go- 
ing to  Iowa,  and  in  1850  they  crossed  the  plains 
and  took  up  their  abode  in  Utah.  Of  the  seven 
children  originally  comprising  the  parental  fam- 
ily Edward  P.  is  next  to  the  oldest  living.  In 
April,  185s,  he  started  from  Utah  with  Cali- 
fornia as  his  destination.  Settling  in  San  Ber- 
nardino county,  he  erected  the  first  house  which 
appeared  in  this  part  of  the  valley.  In  1858  he 
purchased  one  hundred  acres  near  what  is  now 
Highland,  but  from  time  to  time  he  has  dis- 
posed of  portions  of  it  until  now  he  has  only 
thirty  acres,  upon  which  he  is  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming  with  very  satisfactory  results.  In 
the  early  days  he  planted  trees  which  have 
grown  and  flourished  with  passing  years  until 
today  one  of  the  most  distinguishing  features  of 
the  Clyde  ranch  is  the  grove  of  alanthus  trees, 
which  have  grown  to  enormous  size. 

A  marriage  ceremony  performed  December 
26,  1858,  united  the  destinies  of  Edward  P. 
Clyde  and  ]\Iary  .Singleton,  the  latter  a  daugh- 
ter of  Robert  and  Betsy  (Hindle)  Singleton. 
Three  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clyde, 
William  Robert.  George  Edward  and  Rufus 
Thomas,  all  of  whom  are  living. 


DANFORD  ATWOOD.  The  years  that  have 
elapsed  since  the  death  of  Danford  Atwood  have 
not  effaced  from  the  minds  of  those  who  knew 
him  the  splendid  characteristics  and  qualities  of 
manhood  shown  in  his  career  of  pioneer  and 
upbuilder  of  the  best  interests  of  San  Bernardino 
county.  He  was  the  representative  of  an  old 
New  England  family  on  his  mother's  side.  She 
was  formerly  Lucy  Turner,  a  native  of  Con- 
necticut, while  his  father,  Reuben  Atwood,  and 
two  brothers,  immigrated  from  England  and 
took  up  their  residence  in  that  state.  Some  time 
after  his  marriage  Reuben  Atwood  decided  to 
immigrate  to  the  western  part  of  the  middle 
west,  and  in  Nauvoo,  III.  made  his  home  for 
some  time.     Finallv  removing  to  Council  Bluffs, 


Iowa,  he  resided  there  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred at  an  advanced  age.  His  wife  survived 
him  for  some  time,  eventually  passing  away  in 
Springfield,  Utah.  They  were  the  parents  of 
four  children,  of  whom  Danford  was  the  eldest; 
Rebecca,  Mrs.  Wareham,  died  in  Springfield, 
Utah,  in  which  city  Celah  and  Dwight  also  passed 
away. 

Danford  Atwood  was  born  in  Connecticut  in 
1823  and  in  childhood  was  brought  to  the 
frontier,  where  he  was  reared  to  manhood  among 
the  primitive  surroundings  of  the  middle  west. 
Early  imbued  with  the  frugal  and  conscientious 
habits  of  his  New  England  ancestors,  he  em- 
barked in  an  independent  career  with  no  capital 
save  that  of  his  qualities  of  manhood.  In  1850, 
in  Council  Bluffs,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Jane  Garner,  a  native  of  Illinois. 
Her  father,  George  Garner,  was  born  in  North 
Carolina  and  in  young  manhood  located  in 
Ouincy,  111.,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  for 
some  years,  later  removing 'to  Council  Bluffs, 
Iowa.  In  1850  he  removed  to  Payson,  Utah, 
following  stock-raising  and  farming  there  and 
making  that  place  his  home  throughout  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  He  was  a  descendant  of  a 
Revolutionary  family,  his  father  having  served 
in  the  Colonial  army.  He  died  at  the  advanced 
age  of  one  hundred  and  five  years,  while  the 
grandmother  lived  to  the  age  of  one  hundred 
and  six.  George  Garner  was  first  married  in 
Hancock  county.  111.,  to  Elizabeth  Hedrick,  a 
native  of  Indiana,  and  a  daughter  of  Reuben 
Hedrick.  She  died  in  Illinois  at  the  age  of 
thirty-two  years.  They  had  six  children,  of 
whom  three  are  now  living,  namely :  Mrs.  At- 
wood;  John  E.  Garner,  a  farmer  of  San  Ber- 
nardino ;  and  Mrs.  Rathbun,  also  of  -San  Ber- 
nardino. For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Garner  mar- 
ried Lydia  Hill.  In  1846  he  removed  to  Coun- 
cil Bluffs,  Iowa,  whence  he  crossed  the  plains 
with  ox-teams  in  1852  and  located  in  San  Ber- 
nardino, Cal.  He  purchased  land  on  Lytle  creek 
and  farmed  until  1872,  when  he  sold  out  and 
went  to  Utah,  where  he  was  killed  by  a  runa- 
way team  August  31,  1877. 

After  his  marriage  Danford  Atwood  farmed 
in  Council  Bluffs  until  May,  i860,  when  with 
his  family  he  crossed  the  plains  to  California, 
arriving  in  San  Bernardino  December  i  of  the 
same  year.  The  trip  was  a  hard  and  dangerous 
one.  The  night  before  they  reached  Vagus 
Springs  the  train  called  a  halt  at  two  o'clock 
in  the  morning  and  every  man  and  ox  laid  down 
to  sleep,  but  ISIrs.  Atwood,  realizing  the  danger 
they  were  in,  stood  guard  for  two  hours,  the 
train  reaching  their  destination  early  the  next 
morning  in  safety.  Soon  after  his  arrival  in  the 
state  Mr.  Atwood  purchased  land,  which  after 
two  years   he  sold  and  reinvested  the  proceeds 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1827 


in  one  hundred  acres  in  the  Warm  creek  dis- 
trict. In  addition  to  improving  the  land  he 
erected  a  fine  residence,  good  barns  and  out- 
buildings. Together  with  his  wife  he  labored 
as  a  pioneer  in  both  his  personal  affairs  and  the 
community  in  which  he  made  his  home,  estab- 
lishing himself  as  a  citizen  of  worth  and  works, 
and  one  to  whom  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all 
who  knew  him  were  generously  given.  His 
death  was  caused  by  injuries  received  in  a  run- 
away on  November  8,  1892,  passing  awav  a 
month  later. 

Mr.  Atwood  left  a  widow  and  eight  children, 
namely:  Eveline,  Mrs.  Kirkpatrick,  of  Santa 
Monica ;  Ernestine,  Mrs.  C.  C.  Janney,  of  San 
Bernardino;  Arnold,  the  only  son,  also  of  San 
Bernardino:  Ann,  wife  of  William  Banford,  of 
Nordhoff,  Gal.;  Emma,  wife  of  John  Shay,  of 
San  Bernardino;  Ida,  wife  of  William  Benson, 
of  Colton.  Gal.;  Sarah,  wife  of  George  Holiday, 
of  San  Bernardino;  and  Lizzie,  wife  of  Judd 
Rush,  a  leading  attorney  of  Los  Angeles.  Since 
her  husband's  death  Mrs.  Atwood  has  resided 
in  San  Bernardino,  where  she  looks  after  her 
extensive  interests.  She  is  a  devoted  member  of 
the  Christian  Qiurch  and  a  woman  of  rare  worth 
of  character,  esteemed  by  all  who  have  known 
her  durinsr  her    residence  in  Southern  California. 


WILLIAM  NEWPORT.  The  city  of  Ches- 
ter, where  Mr.  Newport  spent  the  years  of  his 
early  life,  presents  a  marked  contrast  to  the  local- 
ity of  his  residence  during  mature  years.  When 
he  came  to  Southern  California  he  found  the  land 
undeveloped,  the  towns  new  and  the  conditions 
those  of  the  frontier,  while  in  his  old  home  town 
antiquity  had  set  its  seal  upon  land  and  buildings. 
One  of  the  oldest  cities  of  England,  Chester, 
still  has  in  a  fair  state  of  presei-vation  its  en- 
circling walls  built  by  the  Romans  in  A.  D.  73, 
in  order  to  protect  the  inhabitants  from  invasion. 
In  all  of  England  there  is  but  one  other  city  that 
has  its  ancient  walls  preserved.  It  is  the  proud 
boast  of  Chester  that  never  once,  since  its  walls 
were  built,  has  the  city  been  taken  by  an  enemy 
or  succumbed  to  any  foe.  Visitors  from  other 
points  always  enjoy  the  walk  along  these  old 
walls,  with  the  fine  view  of  the  placid  and  wind- 
ing river  Dee,  and  the  view  of  the  narrow  streets 
of  the  ancient  town  with  their  gabled-roofed 
houses  and  galleried  stores. 

Such  were  the  surroundings  with  which  ^Ir. 
Newport  became  familiar  in  boyhood  days.  Born 
June  5,  1856,  he  was  the  only  child  of  the  union 
of  William  and  Mary  (Newns)  Newport.  The 
father  was  born  in  England  in  1818  and  the 
paternal  grandfather  in  1788.  The  mother  was 
born  in  1820.  became  the  wife  of  William  New- 
port in   1854,  and  had  only  one  child,  to  whom 


was  given  the  name  of  the  father,  \Villiam.  As 
far  back  as  the  records  can  be  traced  the  an- 
cestors followed  farming  pursuits,  and  it  is  nat- 
ural that  William  Newport  should  have  inherit- 
ed a  taste  for  agriculture.  Determining  to  seek 
a  home  in  a  country  where  a  young  man  could 
find  a  desirable  opportunity  to  prosecute  large 
landed  holdings,  he  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1876,  at  the  age 'of  twenty  years,  and  at  once 
proceeded  to  San  Francisco,  thence  going  to 
Los  Angeles  county,  where  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  nine  years,  meanwhile  studying  the  soil, 
climate  and  possibilities  of  different  localities. 

During  the  year  1885  Mr.  Newport  came  to 
Riverside  county  and  purchased  two  thousand 
acres,  almost  all  of  which  could  be  tilled. 

His  removal  to  the  ranch  resembled  the  migra- 
tions of  the  patriarchs  whose  journeyings  are 
recorded  in  Biblical  history.  Twelve  wagons 
formed  the  train  and  were  loaded  with  provisions, 
lumber,  implements  and  other  necessities,  includ- 
ing a  building  9x18  feet  in  dimensions,  and 
one  story  in  height,  which  was  utilized  as  a  cook- 
house. Cattle,  horses  and  mules  in  large  num- 
bers were  driven  by  his  men  servants.  Menifee 
valley  he  found  very  dry  and  its  few  settlers  look- 
ed with  pity  upon  the  young  man  who,  they  de- 
clared, could  not  make  a  success  of  farming  in 
such  a  dry  country.  However,  their  sentiments 
did  not  discourage  him.  Taking  up  the  work 
in  hand,  he  built  a  substantial  ranch-house  and 
two  large  barns.  Later  he  planted  ten  acres  in 
fruit  and  laid  out  ample  grounds  adorned  with 
shade  and  ornamental  trees,  hedges,  walks  and 
drives,  making  of  the  homestead  one  of  the  most 
attractive  in  the  entire  country. 

To  aid  in  the  cultivation  of  the  land  Mr. 
Newport  employs  about  thirty  men.  some  of 
whom  have  been  with  him  twenty  years  or  more. 
The  cooking  is  in  charge  of  four  Chinamen. 
The  plowing  is  done  by  means  of  twenty  gang- 
plows  with  a  total  capacity  of  two  hundred  acres 
per  day.  In  addition  to  his  large  holdings  he 
operates  other  land,  aggregating  fifteen  thou- 
sand acres,  of  which  thirteen  thousand  acres 
are  in  grain  (wheat  and  barley)  and  the  balance 
in  pasture  and  alfalfa  meadow.  The  grain  crops 
average  seven  bags  per  acre  each  year,  but  the 
present  crop  (1906)  will  average  much  more,  as 
the  season  has  been  unusually  favorable.  The 
harvesting  is  quickly  dispatched  with  the  aid 
of  his  four  thirty-horse  combined  harvesters,  and 
all  of  the  other  work  moves  with  rapidity  and 
system  under  the  judicious  oversight  of  the  pro- 
prietor. 

One  of  the  specialties  of  the  ranch  is  the  rais- 
ing of  blooded  horses  and  mules.  Experience 
has  proved  that  the  pasturage  and  climate  are 
adapted  to  the  production  of  fine  stock,  and  some 
of   the    animals    raised    on    the    land   have    won 


1828 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


wide  recognition  by  their  excellent  markings 
and  speed.  All  of  the  teams  used  in  the  cultivation 
of  the  land  are  raised  here,  as  well  as  many 
others  for  the  general  markets.  In  addition  Mr. 
Newport  engages  in  raising  Berkshire  hogs,  of 
which  he  has  some  specimens  as  fine  as  can  be 
found  in  the  United  States.  Both  in  stock  and 
in  grain  nothing  satisfies  him  that  is  short  of  the 
best.  In  sowing  the  land  he  uses  the  finest  quah- 
ties  of  wheat  and  barley  and  as  a  consequence 
his  grain  brings  the  very  highest  market  prices. 
The  pumping  plant  which  he  built  about  1894, 
was  the  first'  in  this  part  of  the  country.  Later 
he  put  in  another  plant,  both  of  which  he  now 
uses,  pumping  the  water  into  a  large  lake,  from 
which  it  is  distributed  to  any  part  of  the  two 
hundred  acres  under  irrigation. 

The  putting  in  of  the  crops,  their  harvest- 
ing and  marketing,  are  conducted  under  a  reg- 
ular business  system,  with  the  aid  of  corps 
of  efificient  workmen  under  the  capable  supervis- 
ion of  Mr.  Newport.  Energy  is  the  watchword 
of  the  proprietor.  Laziness  is  not  tolerated, 
being  utterly  foreign  to  his  own  nature.  At  half- 
past  four  in  the  morning  the  hands  arise  to  take 
care  of  the  stock  and  while  it  is  yet  early,  the 
work  in  the  fields  is  begun.  Dry  years  have 
brought  hardships  and  failures  of  crops,  yet  in 
spite  of  many  discouragements  Mr.  Newport  has 
worked  indefatigably  and  with  such  energy  that 
he  now  ranks  among  the  foremost  ranchmen  of 
Southern  California,  and  the  broad  acres  which 
he  has  transformed  into  an  attractive  ranch 
prove  him  to  be  a  man  of  unusual  capability. 

After  having  worked  for  years  without  a  vaca- 
tion, in  1890  J\'Ir.  Newport  laid  aside  agricultural 
cares  for  a  time  and  returned  to  visit  Chester 
and  his  relatives  in  old  England.  There  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Kathryn  Lloyd,  who,  like  himself,  was 
born  and  educated  in  Chester.  They  are  the 
parents  of  five  children,  namely:  William  Lloyd. 
George  Denson,  Frederick  William,  Samuel 
Newns,  and  Mary  Kathr\'n.  The  importance  of 
educational  work  appeals  to  Mr.  Newport,  who 
since  1902  has  officiated  as  school  trustee  and 
meanwhile  has  done  much  to  promote  the  wel- 
fare of  the  schools  of  the  district. 


HENRY  BALY.  The  Bank  of  San  Pedro,  a 
financial  institution  organized  and  established  in 
1888,  has  for  its  cashier  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent and  influential  citizens  of  San  Pedro,  in 
which  city  and  vicinity  he  has  been  a  resident 
for  the  greater  part  of  twenty-five  years.  Mr. 
Baly  is  a  native  of  London,  England,  born 
August  4,  1853,  the  third  of  a  family  of  eleven 
children,  of  whom  six  attained  maturity  and  five 
are  now  living.    His  father,  William  Baly,  was  a 


man  of  ability  and  education,  having  graduated 
from  the  Royal  Academy  of  ^lusic,  in  London, 
where  he  became  a  professor  of  the  science  of 
composition.  He  finally  retired  from  active  cares 
and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  at  his  country 
home  at  Exeter.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife, 
formerly  Adelaide  C.  B_\Tn,  a  native  of  London, 
whose  home  is  still  in  Exeter. 

Henry  Baly  was  reared  in  Exeter  and  edu- 
cated in  Mt.  Radford  College,  which  he  attended 
until  he  was  fourteen  years  old,  when  he  went  to 
sea  as  midshipman.  During  the  three  or  four 
years  ensuing  he  rounded  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope  three  times  and  Cape  Horn  twice  during 
his  first  trip  to  Melbourne  on  the  Champion  of 
the  Sea  (of  the  Black  Ball  Line),  the  vessel  be- 
ing dismasted.  When  eighteen  years  of  age  he 
quit  the  sea,  and  in  the  fall  of  1872  came  to 
America.  He  spent  three  years  in  Illinois  and 
Indiana,  farming  for  a  part  of  the  time  in  Du 
Page  county,  Illinois,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Good- 
land,  Newton  county,  Indiana.  In  the  spring  of 
1876  he  came  to  California,  from  Los  Angeles 
going  north  to  Colusa  county,  where  he  spent  his 
first  summer  in  Bear  valley  in  farming  and 
stock-raising.  Early  in  the  fall  he  returned  to 
Los  Angeles  county  and  located  in  Wilmington, 
where  he  entered  the  employ  of  Jacoby  Brothers, 
merchants  of'  that  place.  He  remained  in  this 
occupation  for  three  years,  engaged  as  a  book- 
keeper, when  he  located  in  the  vicinity  of  Eldo- 
rado, Butler  county,  Kans.,  where  he  followed 
farming.  Disposing  of  the  two  farms  which  he 
owned,  in  1885,  he  once  more  located  in  Wil- 
mington and'  engaged  in  the  employ  of  the 
Southem  Pacific  Railroad  Company  and  also  as 
United  States  custom  house  inspector.  He  be- 
came prominent  in  public  afifairs  in  the  city  and 
for  two  terms  served  as  city  clerk,  and  in  the 
meantime,  in  1893,  had  entered  the  Bank  of  San 
Pedro  as  bookkeeper.  In  1897  he  became  assis- 
tant cashier,  which  position  he  held  until  1902, 
when  he  was  elected  cashier.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  directors  and  is  an  important 
factor  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  institution.  This 
bank  was  established  as  a  state  institution  in 
1888  and  from  its  organization  has  made  rapid 
progress  toward  an  important  place  among  the 
financial  institutions  of  this  section,  in  the  last 
three  years  having  trebled  its  deposits.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  position  with  this  bank  Mr.  Baly  is 
also  interested  as  vice-president  and  director 
of  the  Citizens'  Savings  Bank  of  San  Pedro, 
which  he  helped  to  organize.  He  owns  his 
residence  in  San  Pedro  and  also  other  valuable 
real  estate  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  the 
development  and  progress  of  the  place. 

In  Wilmington  Mr.  Baly  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Anna  Louise  Parsons,  a  native  of 
Iowa,  and  the  daughter  of  William  Parsons,  who 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1829 


came  to  California  with  the  Iowa  colony  that  set- 
tled in  Riverside.  His  death  occurred  in  Ven- 
tura county,  California.  Mr.  and  j\lrs.  Baly  be- 
came the  parents  of  the  following  children  :  John, 
in  business  in  San  Pedro ;  Henry,  bookkeeper  for 
the  E.  K.  Wood  Lumber  Company,  of  San 
Pedro ;  Adelaide  and  Robert.  Fraternally  Mr. 
Baly  was  made  a  Mason  in  San  Pedro  and  has 
been  raised  to  the  Royal  Arch  degree  in  this 
lodge.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  and  is  past  noble  grand.  Polit- 
ically he  is  an  adherent  of  the  principles  advo- 
cated in  the  platform  of  the  Republican  part}-, 
and  in  his  religious  views  is  a  member  of  the 
Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Baly  occupies  a  place  of 
importance  among  the  citizens  of  San  Pedro,  all 
who  know  him  recognizing  the  ability  and  integ- 
rity which  have  marked  his  residence  in  this 
section. 


FRED  SCHOLDER.  Since  1858  Mr.  Schol- 
der  has  been  closely  identified  with  all  plans  and 
projects  inaugurated  for  the  advancement  and 
well-being  of  San  Diego  county,  his  interest  cen- 
tering more  particularly  perhaps  around  Mesa 
Grande,  where  he  has  resided  continuously  for 
nearly  half  a  century.  In  recalling  incidents 
connected  with  the  early  days  in  the  vicinity 
Mr.  Scholder  would  no  doubt  give  first  place  to 
the  disturbance  experienced  at  the  hands  of  the 
Mexicans,  who  resented  the  invasion  of  the  white 
man  and  manifested  their  dislike  in  no  unmistak- 
able manner.  Some  idea  of  the  remoteness  of 
neighbors  may  be  gathered  when  it  is  known  that 
in  order  to  form  a  jury  it  required  all  of  the  men 
in  the  county.  The  same  year  in  which  Mr. 
Scholder  came  to  the  state  he  purchased  the 
ranch  upon  which  he  now  resides.  It  bore  little 
resemblance  to  the  fine  ranch  which  is  to  be  seen 
today,  for  it  was  almost  entirely  covered  with 
timber  and  brush,  and  much  labor  was  neces- 
sary before  crops  could  be  planted.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  original  purchase  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  he  has  added  adjoining  land 
to  the  amount  of  nine  hundred  acres,  devoted 
almost  entirely  to  the  raising  of  stock,  although 
some  of  the  land  is  in  grain. 

Mr.  Scholder  is  of  German  birth  and. parent- 
age, and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Victoria  (Hier^ 
Scholder,  both  of  whom  spent  their  entire  lives 
in  Germany,  the  former  passing  away  at  the 
age  of  seventy-six  and  the  latter  when  sixty 
years  of  age.  Four  of  their  eight  children,  how- 
ever, became  residents  of  the  United  States,  all 
settling  in  Ohio  with  the  exception  of  Fred.  The 
latter  was  born  in  Wurtemberg  May  6,  1832,  and 
until  he  attained  his  eighteenth  year  remained  in 
his  native  land.  Equipped  with  a  good  common- 
school  education  he  came  to  the  United  States  in 


1850,  going  direct  to  Philadelphia  from  New 
\orli  City.  After  working  on  a  farm  m  New 
jersey  tor  about  three  years  he  joined  the  reg- 
ular ai-my  and  was  detailed  for  duty  in  the 
Apache  Indian  war  in  Arizona.  His  service  ex- 
tended over  five  years,  during  which  time  he 
was  wounded  in  the  leg,  and  he  received  his 
discharge  at  Tucson.  It  was  at  this  pomt  m 
his  career  that  he  decided  to  come  to  San  Diego 
county,  demonstrating  his  approval  and  satis- 
faction upon  coming  here  by  taking  up  land  from 
the  government  and  becoming  a  permanent  set- 
tler. 

In  1864  Mr.  Scholder  was  married  and  of  the 
thirteen  children  born  to  himself  and  his  wife, 
two  died  in  infancy  and  Lulu,  when  about  four 
years  old.  Named  in  order  of  birth  the  others 
are  as  follows:  Fritz,  who  married  isabelle 
Martinas;  Adolph;  Pauline;  Joseph;  Margaret, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-six ;  Samuel,  who 
died  when  in  his  seventeenth  year;  William; 
Ora ;  John  and  Louisa.  In  his'  political  belief 
jNIr.  Scholder  is  independent,  casting  his  vote, 
as  every  good  citizen  should  do,  with  a  view  to 
the  candidate's  fitness  for  office,  irrespective  of 
party  name  or  creed.  At  one  time  Mr.  Schol- 
der was  considerably  interested  in  mining,  lo- 
cating several  tourmaline  claims  which  later 
proved  very  productive,  and  several  gold  claims ; 
and  from  one  ton  of  rock  he  secured  $500  worth 
of  gold.  He  still  has  a  fine  claim  on  his  ranch, 
but  of  late  years  he  has  relinquished  mining  to 
a  great  extent  and  given  his  attention  more  ex- 
clusively to  the  management  of  his  ranch. 


JAMES  C.  WATKINS.  A  man  of  unlim- 
ited energy,  enthusiasm  and  enterprise,  J.  C. 
Watkins  is  successfully  engaged  in  the  livery 
business  in  Fallbrook,  and  is  here  prominently 
identified  with  many  of  its  leading  interests, 
being  proprietor  of  the  local  transfer  line,  a 
mail  carrier,  and  a  stockholder  in  both  the 
Fallbrook  Hardware  Company  and  the  Fall- 
brook  Mercantile  Company.  A  man  of  strong 
mental  vigor  and  great  business  aptitude,  he 
holds  a  good  position  among  the  leading  citi- 
zens of  the  place,  and  is  ever  among  the  fore- 
most to  forward  all  enterprises  calculated  to 
develop  and  promote  the  general  welfare  of 
the  people  and  the  community.  A  son  of  the 
late  W.  K.  Watkins,  he  was'  born,  April  18, 
1866,  in  .Sonoma  county,  Cal,  where  he  lived 
until  three  years  old. 

Born  in  Arkansas,  W.  K.  Watkins  came  to 
California  when  a  young  man,  crossing  the 
plains  v^'ith  ox-teams  in  1853.  Traveling  in 
the  same  train  as  far  as  Salt  Lake  was  a  little 
girl  nine  years  old,  named  Pathenia  Catherine 
Miller,  whom  he  subsequently  wooed  and  won. 


1830 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


marrying  her  in  1858.  She  remained  with  her 
parents  in  Utah  for  a  year,  and  then  came 
with  them  to  California,  and  her  mother,  now 
an  aged  woman  of  ninety-one  years,  resides 
with  her  in  Fallbrook.  W.  K.  Watkins  was 
a  farmer  throughout  his  life,  beginning  his 
operations  in  that  direction  in  Arkansas,  and 
closing  his  career  in  San  Diego  county,  where 
his  death  occurred  in  1896,  at  the  age  of  six- 
ty-six years.  His  father,  Ewell  Watkins,  was 
a  pioneer  preacher  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  first  in  Arkansas,  and  later  as  a  cir- 
cuit rider  throughout  Southern  California. 

But  three  years  of  age  when  he  was  brought 
by  his  parents  to  Los  Angeles  county,  J.  C. 
Watkins  lived  there  until  1880,  when  he  came 
with  them  to  San  Diego  county.  Here  he 
completed  his  early  education,  walking  three 
miles  each  morning  to  the  district  school.  Se- 
lecting the  independent  occupation  with  which 
he  became  familiar  in  his  boyhood,  he  pur- 
chased land  in  Valley  Center,  and  was  there 
engaged  in  tilling  the  soil  for  a  number  of 
years.  Desirous  then  of  making  a  change,  he 
traded  his  ranch  for  his  present  livery  busi- 
ness in  Fallbrook,  and  in  its  management  has 
been  exceedingly  successful.  Taking  posses- 
sion in  1893,  h?  has  built  up  a  lucrative  pat- 
ronage, in  addition  to  running  a  livery  and 
feed  stable  carrying  the  mail  and  operating  a 
transfer  line.  Kind,  obliging  and  accommo- 
dating, he  is  verv  popular  with  his  many 
patrons,  and  as  a  man  and  a  citizen  is  held  in 
high  esteem. 

On  Thanksgiving  day,  November  30,  1904, 
Mr.  Watkins  married  Ella  Bunkerman,  a 
daughter  of  Fred  and  Rebecca  Bunkerman, 
formerly  residents  of  Kansas,  but  since  1902 
residents  of  Southern  California.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Watkins  haw  one  daughter,  Anna  Izetta. 
rolitically  Air.  Watkins  is  a  steadfast  Demo- 
crat ;  fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows:  and  religiously 
both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  \'\"atkins  are  members  of 
the  iMethodist  Episcopal  Church. 


CAPT.  JAMES  A.  :\1(,\'ICAR.  During  the 
early  portion  of  the  nineteenth  century  Alex- 
ander l^TcVicar,  a  native  df  the  >hire  of  Argyle 
on  the  rock-bound  shores  of  western  Scotland, 
came  to  the  new  world  and  settled  in  New 
P.runswick.  where,  as  in  his  earlier  home,  he 
followed  a  seafaring  life.  For  a  time  he  was 
emDloyed  as  a  stevedore  in  St.  George.  His 
wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Elizabeth 
McDermid,  was  of  Scotch  birth  and  came  from 
the  vicinity  of  Edinlnirgh.  Among  their  chil- 
dren was  a  son.  Archibald,  who  was  bom  at  St. 
George  and  followed  the  occupation  of  a  steve- 


dore at  the  docks  of  St.  Johns,  dying  in  the 
former  town  in  1865.  In  early  life  he  had  mar- 
ried Eliza  Tracy,  who  was  born  in  New  B'runs- 
wick  of  English  parentage.  Seven  children  were 
Ijorn  of  their  union,  one  of  whom,  William, 
died  at  San  Pedro,  Cal.  Only  three  of  the  fam- 
ily are  now  living,  and  of  these  James  A.  is 
the  only  one  living  on  the  Pacific  coast.  The 
third  among  the  children,  he  was  born  at  St. 
John,  New  Brunswick,  August  14,  1851,  and 
at  five  years  of  age  removed  to  St.  George  with 
the  other  members  of  the  family. 

The  circumstance  of  environment  determined 
Captain  McVicar's  occupation  in  life.  As  he 
lived  in  a  seaport  town  and  belonged  to  a  sea- 
faring family,  it  was  natural  that  he  should 
drift  into  a  sailor's  life.  June  8,  1865,  he  entered 
the  coasting  trade  on  the  American  ship  Leb- 
anon, and  later  went  on  the  deep  water  in  the 
trans-Atlantic  trade  and  to  the  West  Indies.  In 
1874  he  was  mate  and  the  following  year  became 
master  of  his  vessel.  In  1876  he  sailed  around  the 
Horn  and  north  to  Central  America,  and  later 
made  a  second  trip  to  the  same  point,  thence 
north  to  San  Francisco,  where  his  ship  cast  an- 
chor in  .\ugust  of  1878.  Following  his  arrival 
on  the  Pacific  coast  he  acted  as  second  mate  on 
the  Rival;  mate  on  the  Serena  Thayer  out  from 
San  Pedro ;  mate  on  the  Jessie  Nickerson  and 
then  on  the  H.  L.  Tiernan  :  second  mate  on  the 
brig  Hazard,  to  Honolulu  (where  he  was  ill  in 
a  hospital  for  three  months)  ;  and  back  to  San 
Francisco,  where  he  secured  a  position  as  mate 
on  the  coaster  Haves. 

While  acting  as  mate  on  the  schooner  Edward 
Parks,  in  i88io  Captain  McVicar  was  wrecked 
on  Humboldt  Bar.  Several  of  those  on  board 
were  lost.  By  jumping  overboard  and  swim- 
ming to  a  larger  boat  near  by.  his  life  was 
saved,  but  he  lost  all  of  his  possessions.  The 
next  position  which  he  held  was  that  of  mate 
on  the  Serena  Thayer,  after  which  he  made  two 
voyages  on  the  Anna  Larson,  and  then  ser^^ed 
as  foreman  of  the  San  Pedro  dock  for  one  year. 
Subsequent  positions  were  with  the  Halcyon  and 
the  I'ncle  juliii  as  mate,  during  which  time  he 
made  a  v(i\a,L;e  tn  Australia.  In  October  of  1885 
he  became  master  of  the  Serena  Thayer,  which 
]insition  he  rniitiinied  tn  fill  until  January  of 
U)Oi,  aiKl  then  was  master  of  the  Reporter  for 
six  nionths  and  of  the  brig  Geneva  for  two  and 
(me-half  years,  meanwhile  making  two  trips  to 
Australia,  one  voyage  to  Peru  and  several  on 
the  coast.  After  a  long  and  eventful  life  as  a 
mariner  he  quit  the  sea  April  29,  1904.  and  took 
up  the  quiet  life  of  a  landsman. 

Buying  an  interest  with  R.  L  Brand  in  the 
meat  business,  in  February.  igo=;,  Captain  Mc- 
Vicar established  the  firm  of  ATcVicar  &  Brand, 
who  had   a   large  local  trade   and   also  made  a 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1831 


specialty  of  furnishing  meats  to  vessels  and 
ships  that  anchor  at  the  port  of  San  Pedro.  The 
residence  of  Captain  McVicar  stands  on  Four- 
teenth street  near  Mesa  and  was  erected  under 
his  supervision  in  1889.  His  marriage  was  sol- 
emnized in  Los  Angeles  November  13,  1887,  and 
united  him  with  Annie  Edwards,  who  was  born 
at  Hastings,  England,  being  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Mary  (Hines)  Edwards,  also  na- 
tives of  England.  During  early  years  Mr.  Ed- 
wards learned  the  pla.sterer's  trade  and  this  he 
followed  for  m.any  years  after  bringing  his  fam- 
ily to  Los  Angeles.  At  this  writing  he  and  his 
wife  make  their  home  with  their  daughter,  Mrs. 
McVicar.  The  latter  was  educated  in  Los  An- 
geles and  for  about  four  years  held  a  position 
as  a  bookkeeper  in  the  office  of  the  Western 
Union  Telegraph  Company,  resigning  at  the  time 
of  her  marriage.  Four  children  were  born  of 
her  union,  but  one,  Annie  Leona,  died  at  six 
years  of  age.  Those  now  living  are  James  Will- 
iam, Allen  Archibald  and  Edward  Randolph. 
In  religion  Mrs.  McVicar  is  identified  with  the 
Episcopal  Church  and  the  captain  is  of  the 
Presbyterian  faith.  In  1884  he  was  made  a 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  at  Humboldt  and  now  belongs  at  San 
Pedro,  while  his  wife  is  past-grand  of  the  kin- 
dred order  of  Rebekahs.  At  one  time  he  .was 
active  in  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men, for  many  years  was  a  member  of  St. 
Andrew's  Societv  of  San  Francisco,  and  since 
1886  has  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
at  San  Pedro.  Before  leaving  New  Brunswick 
he  was  made  a  Mason  at  St.  George  in  1872  and 
in  1886  transferred  his  membership  to  the  lodge 
at  Humboldt,  Cal.  where  he  .still  has  his  name 
enroHed.  Since  becoming  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States  he  has  kept  posted  concerning  political 
questions  and  has  given  his  support  to  the  Re- 
publican party. 


RAVAUD  HOVEY  CHITTENDEN,  ]\I.  D., 
is  descended  from  a  hardy  race  of  pioneers.  His 
ancestors  were  among  those  sturdy  men  and 
women  of  the  earl}-  day  in  the  history  of  our 
country,  whose  indomitable  courage  led  them  to 
face  hardship  and  privations  in  order  to  found 
for  themselves  homes  in  a  new  land,  and  in  doing 
so  became  the  founders  of  a  great  nation.  Their 
descendants  are  a  long-lived  race.  On  the  for- 
ward march  of  civilization  the  graves  of  the 
weaker  ones  border  the  trail,  and  only  the 
stronger  ones  survive  to  the  end  of  the  journey. 
These  leave  to  their  children,  and  their  children's 
children,  an  inheritance  of  strength  and  endur- 
ance that  serves  them  well  in  the  battle  of  life. 
The  first  Giittenden,  founder  of  the  family  in 
America,   landed    on   our   shores    in     1639,    and 


numerous  descedants  are  scattered  throughout 
the  country.  Dr.  Chittenden's  father  was  Linus 
Chittenden;  his  mother,  Julia  Ann  Hovey,  was 
of  Revolutionary  stock,  and  the  fourth  white 
child  born  in  the  Genesee  Valley,  New  York. 

Dr.  Chittenden  was  bom  near  Pittsford,  a 
small  town  near  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  in  1835.  He 
received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Buffalo,  and  for  a  time  after  leaving  school 
was  a  teacher  in  Erie  county.  New  York.  In 
1855,  at  the  age  of  twenty  years,  he  removed  to 
McHenry  county,  Illinois,  and  in  the  fall  of  1856 
married  Miss  Maggie  F.  Mitchell,  a  native  of 
Newburg,  N,  Y.  For  a  number  of  years  follow- 
ing he  was  engaged  as  a  bricklayer  and  mason, 
but  with  an  ambition  to  prepare  himself  for  a 
profession,  at  the  same  time  he  took  up  the  study 
of  medicine.  In  August,  1861,  soon  after  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war,  he  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  Company  H,  Thirty-sixth  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  and  with  his  regiment  was  en- 
gaged in  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge.  When  later  he 
received  his  discharge  from  the  volunteer  service 
it  was  to  enter  the  hospital  service  as  hospital 
stew-ard,  "his  knowdedge  of  medicine  proving  of 
advantage  to  him  in  obtaining  this  position,  as 
well  as  making  of  him  a  valuable  assistant.  After 
one  year  as  hospital  steward  he  was  discharged 
for  disability,  at  Lookout  Mountain,  Tennessee. 
He  subsequently  re-enlisted  in  the  Seventh  Regi- 
ment United  States  Veteran  \'olunteers,  and  w"as 
steward  of  that  regiment  until  receiving  his  final 
discharge  from  service  in  1866.  During  his  vari- 
ous periods  of  enlistment  he  saw  much  active 
service.  He  was  stationed  at  Washington,  D.  C, 
at  the  time  of  the  assassination  of  Presdent  Lin- 
coln and  was  in  the  midst  of  the  excitement  of 
those  thrilling  days  that  followed.  He  was  at  the 
final  grand  review  of  the  troops  in  Washington, 
the  closing  year  of  the  war. 

^^'lliIe  in  Philadelphia,  in  1866,  Dr.  Chittenden 
attended  his  first  course  of  lectures  at  the  old 
Jefferson  Medical  College,  from  there  going  to 
Long  Island,  where  he  graduated  in  die  fall  of 
1866.  Immediately  thereafter  he  removed  to 
Iowa  and  located  in  Jones  county,  where  he  suc- 
ceeded in  building  up  for  himself  a  large  prac- 
tice, covering  not  only  his  home  county,  l3ut  also 
Cedar  county  adjoining.  He  remained  in  Jones 
county  five  years,  and  then  removed  to  Stan- 
wood,  where  he  practiced  two  years,  and  from 
there  went  to  Kansas  and  settled  in  Emporia. 
Becoming  weary  of  citv  life  he  traded  his  prop- 
erty in  the  city  for  a  farm  and  for  a  time  lived 
in  tlie  country,  but  did  not  in  the  meantime  aban- 
don the  practice  of  his  profession.  Later  he  re- 
moved to  Mound  City.  Holt  county,  and  in  the 
following  seven  years  built  up  a  fine  practice, 
treating  over  four  thousand  c.nses  during  that 
time.      He   next   removed    to   Kansas   Citv,    and 


1832 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


opened  an  office,   where   lie   practiced   for  three 
3'ears. 

Dr.  Chittenden  lias  lieen  a  resident  of  CaH- 
fornia  since  igoo.  He  first  located  in  Santa  Cruz 
and  followed  the  practice  of  his  profession  three 
years,  then  removing  to  Long  Beach,  where  he 
continues  his  practice.  The  doctor  has  a  long  rec- 
ord as  general  medical  practitioner,  and  several 
degrees  attest  his  knowledge  of  his  profession. 
He  took  the  regular  course  in  medicine  and  grad- 
uated from  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons, Chicago,  in   1883. 

After  completing  the  study  of  osteopathy  he 
occupied  a  chair  in  the  National  School  of  Oste- 
opath\'  one  year.  He  is  well  known  in  medical 
circles,  having  been  a  member  of  the  State  J\Ied- 
ical  Socitties  of  Kansas  and  Iowa,  and  is  a  con- 
stant contributor  to  various  well-known  medical 
journals.  He  was  a  member  of  the  board  of 
United  States  Pension  Medical  Examiners  in 
both  Missouri  and  Kans.as. 

Mrs.  Chittenden  has  been  a  valuable  assistant 
to  her  husband  in  his  profession  and  has  worked 
side  by  side  with  him  during  his  long  years  of 
practice.  In  order  to  be  with  him  she  volunteered 
as  a  nurse  during  the  Civil  war,  and  in  minister- 
ing to  sick  and  suffering  soldiers  endured  trials 
that  few  women  of  the  time  had  courage  to  face. 
Since  then  she  has  secured  a  certificate  as  reg- 
istered pharmacist  in  Kansas.  Both  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Chittenden  are  interested  in  Grand  Army  affairs, 
Mrs.  Chittenden  being  a  member  of  the  Wom- 
an's Relief  Corps,  and  the  Doctor  a  member  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  serving  as  com- 
mander of  the  post  at  ]\'[ound  City.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  the  An- 
cient Order  of  United  Workmen  in  Kansas.  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Qiittenden  are  members  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church  in  Long  Beach.  The  family 
consists  of  five  children,  three  daughters  and 
two  sons :  Mrs.  Essie  Morrin  lives  at  Rumsey, 
Yolo  county,  Cal.,  and  Mrs.  Alida  Humphrey  at 
Berkeley ;  another  daughter,  Maggie  Monahan, 
is  deceased,  and  her  two  daughters,  Dessie  and 
Merl,  have  since  made  their  home  with  their 
grandparents,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Chittenden ;  Homer 
T.  is  a  printer  of  Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  Horace 
Walter.  M.  D.,  is  a  practitioner  at  Melvern,  Kas. 
Since  cominsr  to  Long  Beach  Dr.  Chittenden 
has  interested  himself  in  real  estate  and  has  met 
with  success  in  that  line  of  business.  The  family 
residence  is  at  No.  626  West  Third  street. 


HENRY  SEYMOUR  CALLAHAN.  Ac- 
tive, enterprising,  and  of  great  business  aptitude 
and  talent,  H.  S.  Callahan  holds  high  rank 
among  the  prominent  citizens  of  Long  Beach, 
and  is  ever  among  the  foremost  to  forward  all 
projects   conducive   to   the   public   welfare.      He 


is  counted  one  of  the  most  conservative  busi- 
ness men  in  Long  Beach,  where  in  1901  he  start- 
ed with  a  stock  of  household  furnishings  and 
furniture  valued  at  $2,000,  and  at  this  writing 
(1905)  his  stock  is  valued  at  $20,000. 

Born  in  Houston,  Jackson  county,  Ind.,  Au- 
gust 19,  1868,  H.  S.  Callahan  is  a  son  of  Dent 
and  Edith  (Matlock)  Callahan,  the  former  of 
whom  was  born  in  1818  and  settled  in  Indiana 
during  a  very  early  period  in  the  history  of  that 
state.  Throughout  his  entire  active  life  he  was 
a  tiller  of  the  soil,  and  is  now  living  retired  in 
Kurtz,  Jackson  county,  Ind.,  his  wife  having 
died  in  that  state  in  1900.  Although  his  parents 
were  people  of  some  means,  H.  S.  Callahan  was 
earl}-  iji  life  initiated  into  the  world  of  work, 
and  after  attending  the  public  school  at  Hous- 
ton and  graduating  from  the  county  school  he 
accepted  a  position  in  a  furniture  store  in  Sey- 
mour, Ind.  He  continued  in  the  employ  of  oth- 
ers until  1892,  when  he  came  to  California  mere- 
ly to  see  the  country,  and  with  little  thought  of 
settling  here  permanently.  With  the  keenness 
of  perception  which  is  one  of  his  notable  char- 
acteristics he  foresaw  possibilities  here  in  the 
west  which  did  not  exist  in  the  Hoosier  state 
and  he  wisely  determined  to  remain  and  estab- 
lish himself  in  the  newer  country.  For  a  short 
time  he  clerked  in  a  store  in  Santa  Ana,  but  be- 
fore long  he  was  enabled  to  purchase  a  half  in- 
terest in  the  firm  of  F.  S.  Northrup  &  Co.,  a 
business  arrangement  which  existed  for  two 
years  and  a  half,  when  he  sold  out  his  share  in 
the  business.  Again  entering  the  employ  of 
others  he  worked  for  Ira  Chandler  for  about  six 
years,  and  later  was  collector  for  E.  J.  Brent, 
of  Los  Angeles,  for  nine  months.  Still  later  he 
had  charge  of  the  store  of  J.  D.  Beach  &  Sons 
on  Broadway,  a  position  which  he  held  until  re- 
signing in  1901  to  engage  in  business  on  his  own 
account  in  Long  Beach.  In  order  to  get  a  start 
he  purchased  a  half  interest  in  the  E.  V.  Hill 
Furniture  Company,  but  one  year  later  he  pur- 
chased the  entire  business  and  removed  to  his 
present  quarters  in  the  Masonic  Temple.  The 
fact  that  he  was  enabled  to  increase  the  value 
of  his  stock  in  four  years  to  ten  times  its  origi- 
nal value  tells  more  plainly  than  can  words  of 
his  tenacity  of  purpose  and  business  understand- 
ing. 

In  Santa  Ana  Mr.  Callahan  was  united  in 
marriage  with  .\ugusta  Young,  a  native  of  Kan- 
sas, and  one  child  has  been  born  to  them,  to 
whom  they  have  given  the  name  of  Thelma.  The 
family  home  is  on  Pine  street,  above  the  store. 
From  the  fact  that  Mr.  Callahan  has  made  such 
rapid  strides  in  the  development  of  his  business, 
it  being  conceded  that  he  has  the  largest  stock 
in  Long  Beach,  it  goes  without  saying  that. his 
time  for  outside  affairs  is  rather  limited.     Not- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1833 


withstanding  this  he  is  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Trade,  a  stockholder  in  the  Masonic  Associa- 
tion building  and  the  new  hotel,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Trade  Exchange  of  Los  Angeles,  be- 
sides having  stock  in  the  Bank  of  Commerce. 
In  his  religious  inclinations  he  is  a  Methodist, 
politically  is  a  Republican,  and  his  fraternal  as- 
sociations ally  him  with  Lodge  No.  327,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  Chapter  No.  84,  R.  A.  M.,  Commandery 
No.  40,  K.  T.,  and  Lodge  No.  192,  B.  P.  O.  E., 
all  of  Long  Beach.  As  a  proof  of  his  faith. in 
Long  Beach,  Mr.  Callahan  has  purchased  con- 
siderable property  in  town,  in  the  management 
of  which  he  has  been  very  successful.  Person- 
ally, he  is  a  sincere  and  high-minded  gentleman, 
proud  of  his  good  name,  his  many  loyal  friends, 
and  the  success  which  has  been  so  fairly  and 
strenuously  won. 


JOHN  BARTLEY  SMITHSON.  Num- 
bered among  those  who  came  to  the  state  over 
a  half  century  ago  is  John  B.  Smithson,  who 
has  witnessed  the  ups  and  downs  of  life  in  a 
new  country  and  has  himself  shared  in  its 
fluctuating  fortunes.  The  stress  and  anxiety 
of  former  days  are  now  matters  of  memory 
only,  for  in  their  declining  years  he  and  his 
wife  are  surrounded  by  every  comfort  and  are 
living  retired  in  San  Bernardino. 

Of  English  descent  and  of  southern  par- 
entage, John  B.  Smithson  was  born  in  Morgan 
county,  Ala.,  October  6,  1841,  and  is  a  son 
of  Allen  F.  Smithson,  who  for  many  years 
was  a  planter  in  Mississippi.  As  early  as 
1846  he  brought  his  family  across  the  plains, 
winter  overtaking  them  in  Pueblo,  Colo., 
where  they  lived  in  log  houses  which  they 
erected  until  the  opening  of  spring.  The  next 
step  brought  them  to  Salt  Lake,  where  they 
remained  for  about  two  years,  during  which 
time  the  father  carried  on  a  farm,  which  pro- 
vided for  the  support  of  his  family.  Taking 
up  the  westward  march  again,  by  means  of  ox- 
teaius  the  family  finallv  reached  San  Bernar- 
dino, then  almost  entirely  inhabited  by  In- 
dians, and  so  treacherous  were  they  that  it 
was  necessary  to  build  a  fort  for  the  protection 
of  the  women  and  children.  On  what  is  now 
A  street  Mr.  Smithson  purchased  a  farm  which 
he  ran  until  1857,  selling  it  that  year  and  re- 
turning to  Salt  Lake.  Utah,  from  there  going 
to  Pahreah,  Kane  countv,  where  he  became  in- 
terested in  the  cattle  business  and  also  was 
made  postmaster  of  the  town.  He  died  there 
at  the  age  of  sixtv-tbrec  years.  The  wife  and 
mother  was  before  her  marriage  Letitia  Hol- 
lidav.  who  was  born  in  Alabama,  a  daughter 
of  Tohn  Hollidav.  who  left  the  south  in  1846 
and    the    following    year    came    to    California. 

8G 


His  death,  however,  occurred  in  Utah.  Airs. 
Letitia  Smithson  died  in  Salt  Lake,  having 
become  the  mother  of  five  children. 

Of  the  parental  family  John  B.  Smithson  is 
the  eldest  and  is  the  only  one  in  California. 
He  was  a  lad  of  about  six  years  when  the 
family  removed  to  Utah  in  1847,  and  he  was  too 
young  to  appreciate  the  dangers  and  hard- 
ships which  the  journey  involved.  In  San 
Bernardino,  where  they  located  in  1851,  he 
attended  school  three  weeks,  which  was  the 
only  school  training  he  ever  received,  and  in 
1857  returned  to  Utah  with  his  parents.  The 
following  year,  however,  found  him  back  in 
San  Bernardino.  The  first  opening  which 
came  to  him  in  a  business  way  was  in  the  lum- 
ber business  in  San  Bernardino,  a  line  of  en- 
deavor which  he  followed  for  nineteen  years, 
during  which  time  he  drove  seven  yoke  of 
oxen  in  hauling  logs  to  the  mills.  Subsequent- 
ly he  gave  this  up  and  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Strawberry  valley,  owning  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  to  which  he  later  added  until  at 
one  time  he  had  in  his  possession  four  hun- 
dred and  eighty  acres.  He  made  a  specialty 
of  raising  fine  apples,  having  fifteen  hundred 
trees,  besides  peaches  and  plums.  Many  of 
the  vegetables  which  he  raised  grew  to  enor- 
mous size,  and  it  was  no  uncommon  occur- 
rence to  gather  cabbages  which  weighed  for- 
ty-two pounds  eacli.  Dairying  and  stock-rais- 
ing also  formed  important  industries  carried 
on  in  connection  with  the  ranch.  In  spite  of 
his  many  private  interests  he  had  time  for 
matters  of  public  import,  and  for  a  number  of 
years  was  road  overseer,  a  position  to  which 
lie  was  appointed  in  1890,  having  charge  of 
the  roads  in  district  No.  i.  Feeling  that  he 
was  entitled  to  a  rest  after  many  years  of 
arduous  labor,  Mr.  Smithson  sold  his  farm 
in  1904  and  has  since  lived  retired  in  San  Ber- 
nardino, and  in  December,  1905,  he  resigned 
his  position  as  overseer,  which  leaves  him  prac- 
tically free  from   care. 

In  San  Bernardino,  in  1866,  Mr.  Smithson 
was  married  to  IMiss  Jane  Cadd,  who  was  born 
•n  .South  Adelaide,  Australia,  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  Cadd,  a  native  of  England.  Her 
grandfather,  John  Cadd,  also  of  English  birth, 
removed  to  Australia  with  his  family  and 
there  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising  for 
a  number  of  years.  In  1855  he  located  in  San 
Bernardino,  Cal.,  and  two  years  later  went  to 
.'^alt  Lake  City.  The  following  year  found 
him  again  in  San  Bernardino,  and  on  the  farm 
which  he  there  established  he  passed  away. 
At  the  time  of  his  migration  to  California  in 
1S55  he  Avas  accompanied  by  his  son  Thomas^ 
who  has  ever  since  been  a  resident  of  San  Ber- 
nardino, engaging  first  as  a  farmer  and  stock- 


1S34 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


raiser,  and  later  as  a  freighter.  He  is  now 
living  in  a  substantial  residence  on  Seventh 
street,  and  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years  is 
in  the  enjoyment  of  good  health.  His  wife, 
formerly  Mary  Stetsberry,  was  also  born  in 
England.  Her  death  occurred  in  San  Ber- 
nardino. Of  the  thirteen  children  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cadd  ten  are  living,  Mrs.  Smith- 
son  being  the  eldest  of  the  family.  The  fourth 
anniversary  of  her  birth  was  spent  in  Honolu- 
lu. Ten  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  ^Irs. 
Smithson,  as  follows:  Thomas  Allen,  deputy 
sherifi'  of  Barstow ;  John  Bartley,  holding  the 
same  position  at  Needles;  Rose  Adelle,  Mrs. 
Henry  Scharf,  of  San  Bernardino ;  Effie,  also 
a  resident  of  this  city  and  the  wife  of  John 
McGarvey;  William  F.,  deputy  sheriff  of  Dag- 
gett; Adolphus  H.,  a  merchant  of  this  city; 
George  F.,  who  also  resides  here  and  is  en- 
gaged in  teaming;  M.  Nell  and  Lena,  both  at 
home ;  and  Charles  Frederick,  a  clerk  in  a  mer- 
cantile establishment  in  this  city.  Mr.  Smith- 
son  is  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Utah  Pio- 
neers of  1847,  and  also  belongs  to  the  Society 
of  California  pioneers,  of  which  latter  society 
he  is  president.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat 
of  no  uncertain  sound,  and  at  one  time  served 
on  the  county  central  committee.  Mrs.  Smith- 
son  is  a  member  of  tlie  church  of  Latter  Day 
Saints. 


WENDELL  P.  DAILY.  The  Daily  family 
is  one  well  known  in  Southern  California,  and  the 
ancestry  of  the  above  representative  can  be  traced 
to  the  great-grandfather.  Thomas  Dailv,  Sr., 
who  was  born  in  the  parish  of  Groton,  in  County 
Tyrone,  and  who,  in  young  manhood,  came  to 
the  United  States  and  settled  in  Pennsylvania. 
Later  years  found  him  established  on  a  farm  in 
jMonroe  county,  N.  Y.,  his  death  occurring  there 
at  the  age  of  ninety-six  years.  The  eldest  child 
of  his  marriage  with  Miss  Wilcox  was  Arthur 
Daily,  who  was  the  first  white  child  born  in 
Rush  township,  Monroe  county.  The  latter  never 
left  his  native  county  and  died'  on  his  farm  there 
when  he  was  sixty-nine  years  of  age.  His  mar- 
riage united  him  with  Lorada  Baker,  a  native 
of  New  York,  who  died  in  young  womanhood, 
leaving  two  children,  Charles  W.  and  Elizabeth. 

Giarles  W.  Daily,  the  father  of  Wendell  P. 
Daily,  carried  on  a  farm  in  his  native  state  for 
some  vears.  hut  later  went  to  Kansas.  At  the  time 
when  the  abolition  and  pro-slavery  elements  were 
fighting  for  supremacy,  he  served  two  years  and 
a  half  in  Company  L,  Fiftieth  New  York  En- 
gineers, and  at  the  close  of  the  war  received  his 
honorable  discharge  at  Elmira,  N.  Y.  After  his 
war  experience  he  conducted  a  farm     in     Van 


Buren  count)',  Mich.,  then  returned  to  New  York, 
but  once  more  located  in  Michigan,  this  time  set- 
tling in  Isabella  county.  After  another  trip  to 
his  native  state  he  finally  came  to  California  in 
1892,  since  which  time  he  has  made  his  home 
with  his  son,  Charles  J.  Bv  his  marriage  with 
Ruth  F.  Green,  a  native  of  Ohio,  three  children 
were  born,  Charles  J.,  Erastus  W.  and  Wendell 
P.,  all  of  whom  are  residents  of  California. 

While  the  family  were  residing  in  Van  Buren 
county,  Mich.,  W.  P.  Daily  was  born  March  25, 
1875.  His  boyhood  years,  however,  were  spent 
almost  exclusively  in  New  York  state,  and  his 
education  was  received  in  the  common  and  high 
schools  of  Monroe  county.  While  he  was  still  a 
student  in  the  high  school  he  filled  his  spare 
moments  by  working  in  a  boot  and  shoe  store, 
and  after  his  graduation  took  up  the  work  in  ear- 
nest, following  it  for  about  five  years. 

Following  the  example  of  his  elder  brother, 
who  had  come  to  the  state  in  1885,  W.  P.  Daily 
came  direct  to  Ventura  county  in  1893  ^nd  found 
employment  in  a  boot  and  shoe  store  in  the  city 
of  that  name.  Thus  far  in  life  he  had  displayed 
no  special  interest  in  agricultural  matters,  and  it 
is  probable  that  he  w-ould  have  continued  in  the 
mercantile  line  had  it  not  been  for  the  fact  that 
his  brother  Charles,  who  for  many  years  was 
manager  of  the  large  Patterson  ranch,  was  meet- 
ing with  such  splendid  success  as  a  rancher. 
During  the  six  years  spent  as  an  employe  on  the 
Patterson  ranch  he  .gained  a  practical  experience 
which  warranted  him  in  purchasing  a  ranch  of  his 
own  in  1899.  This  consists  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  not  far  from  Camarillo,  where  he 
finds  a  market  for  his  barley  and  beans,  these 
two  commodities  forming  his  entire  harvest.  With 
the  exception  of  forty  acres  planted  to  barley  the 
ranch  is  given  over  to  the  raising  of  beans,  which 
average  from  fifteen  to  twenty  sacks  to  the  acre. 
In  1898  W.  P.  Daily  was  married  to  Miss 
Lenora  Dusch,  who  was  born  in  California,  the 
daughter  of  John  Dusch.  The  latter  is  now  de- 
ceased, having  passed  away  in  1905,  but  the 
ninther  is  still  living  and  makes  her  home  in 
Somis,  this  county.  Five  bright  and  interesting 
children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Daily, 
as  follows:  Ralph,  Mabel,  Frank,  Emma  and 
Roscoe.  Although  Mr.  Daily  is  not  identified 
by  membership  with  a  religious  body,  he  is  in 
sympathy  with  and  assists  liberally  all  denom- 
inations, never  withholding  assistance,  in  fact, 
from  any  good  cause,  whether  religious  or  sec- 
ular. Politically  he  is  a  Republican.  Through- 
out his  community  he  enjoys  an  enviable  reputa- 
tion, not  only  because  he  has  made  a  success  of 
life  in  a  business  sense,  but  also  by  reason  of  the 
many  fine  personal  attributes  which  constitute 
the  most  praiseworthy  citizenship. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1835 


GEORGE  B.  WHITED.  The  association  of 
George  B.  Whited  with  the  business  affairs  of 
Long  Beach  and  Los  Angeles  dates  from  1890, 
when  he  disposed  of  all  interests  in  other  sections 
and  sought  California  with  the  intention  of  mak- 
ing it  his  future  home.  He  has  thrown  himself 
heartily  into  the  upbuilding  enterprises,  has  given 
time  and  means  freely,  and  is  justly  accorded  a 
place  among  the  representative  citizens.  He  is 
a  native  of  Kansas,  having  been  born  in  Ft. 
Harker,  July  29,  1869,  the  representative  of  a 
prominent  family  long  established  on  Virginian 
soil,  the  inunigrating  ancestor  having  been  an 
Englishman,  whose  descendants  fought  valiantly 
for  the  freedom  of  his  adopted  country.  His 
father,  Payton  George  Whited,  was  a  native  of 
Swords  Creek,  W.  Va.,  and  a  son  of  Robert 
Whited,  who  removed  to  Chautauqua  county, 
Kans.,  where  he  engaged  as  a  farmer.  Payton 
G.  Whited  was  a  soldier  in  Company  B,  Fifth 
United  States  Infantry,  and  was  stationed  at 
various  places,  among  them  Wilmington  in  1858, 
Alcatraz  Island,  at  San  Francisco,  and  also  saw 
active  service  during  the  Civil  war.  In  1876,  at 
the  time  of  the  troubles  with  Sitting  Bull,  he 
was  stationed  at  Fort  Keogh,  Mont.,  after  over 
twenty-one  years  of  army  life  retiring  from  active 
service.  For  a  time  he  engaged  in  the  cattle 
business  in  Montana,  later  engaged  in  a  general 
merchandise  business  in  Miles  City,  finally  locat- 
ing in  Los  Angeles,  where  he  passed  his  last 
days.  He  was  made  a  Mason  in  1883,  and  at- 
tained the  Knights  Templer  degree.  His  wife, 
formerly  Ellen  Romaro,  was  a  native  of  Watrous, 
N.  Mex.,  and  a  daughter  of  a  cattleman  of  that 
section ;  she  survives  her  husband,  still  making 
her  home  in  Los  Angeles.  She  became  the 
mother  of  seven  children,  of  whom  but  two  are 
now  surviving. 

The  only  son  born  to  his  parents,  George  B. 
Wliited  passed  his  boyhood  days  among  the 
frontier  forts  of  the  remote  west,  receiving  an 
education  through  an  attendance  of  public  schools 
wherever  the  family  chanced  to  be  located,  but 
gleaning  much  more  of  knowledge  through  his 
associations  in  the  life  about  him.  In  young  man- 
hood he  engaged  with  his  father  in  the  cattle 
business  at  Miles  City,  ]\Iont.,  remaining  in  that 
location  until  1890,  when  he  disposed  of  these 
interests  and  coming  to  California  prepared  to 
enter  upon  another  line  of  work.  Since  his  loca- 
tion in  Southern  California  he  has  engaged  in 
the  outdoor  advertising  business,  city  bill  post- 
ing, etc.,  doing  business  in  Long  Ijeach,  San 
Pedro,  Wilmington,  Compton,  Watts,  Alamitos 
and  Huntington  Beach  and  carrying  on  one  of 
the  most  extensive  enterprises  of  its  kind  in  the 
state.  He  takes  a  deep  interest  in  his  work, 
keeping  throughly  in  touch  with  all  progress, 
and  holds  membership  with  the  Associated  Bill 


Posters  &  Distributers  Association  of  United 
States  and  Canada,  and  also  a  member  of  the 
Pacific  Coast  Bill  Posters  and  Distributers  As- 
sociation. He  has  purchased  considerable  prop- 
erty in  Southern  California,  freely  manifesting 
his  faith  in  its  continued  prosperity  and  growth. 
His  business  headquarters  in  Long  Beach  are  at 
No.  29  Locust  avenue,  whde'  his  home  is  located 
on  Elden  avenue,  in  Los  Angeles.  He  is  quite 
prominent  fraternally,  being  a  member  of  Aerie 
No.  791,  Order  of  Eagles,  of  Long  Beach ;  Fre- 
mont Lodge  No.  466,  W.  O.  W. ;  and  Fair  Oaks 
Camp  No.  15,  Sons  of  Veterans,  of  San  Francisco. 
In  his  political  affiliations  he  is  a  stanch  Republi- 
can on  all  national  issues,  but  locally  gives  his 
support  to  the  men  and  measures  best  qualified 
to  advance  the  interests  of  the  general  public. 
He  has  served  as  deputy  sheriff  under  Sheriff 
White  for  several  years  and  has  proven  himself 
an  efficient  assistant.  In  every  avenue  Mr. 
Whited  has  proven  himself  a  broad  minded, 
liberal  citizen,  intent  on  the  upbuilding  and  de- 
velopment of  the  best  interests  of  the  portion  of 
the  state  in  which  he  has  chosen  to  make  his 
home. 


WALTER  F.  POOR,  of  Highland  Park,  was 
born  at  Newark,  N.  J.,  November  21,  1850,  his 
lineage  showing  a  group  of  men  prominent  in 
church  and  educational  work  in  this  country  and 
in  foreign  fields.  His  father.  Rev.  Daniel  W. 
Poor,  was  born  at  the  Island  of  Ceylon,  where 
his  father  was  living  as  a  missionaiw  at  that  time. 
When  twelve  years  of  age  his  parents  sent  him 
alone  to  the  United  States  and  he  located  in 
eastern  Massachusetts,  where  his  preliminary  ed- 
ucation was  received  in  the  common  schools 
before  his  entrance  to  Amherst  College.  His 
first  pastorate  after  his  graduation  was  at  Fair- 
haven,  Mass..  and  in  the  year  1849  he  removed 
to  Newark,  N.  J.  There  he  organized  and  be- 
came the  first  pastor  of  the  High  Street  Presby- 
terian Church,  which  position  he  continued  to  fill 
for  twenty  years.  In  1869  he  accepted  a  call  to 
the  pastorate  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  in 
Oakland,  Cal.,  serving  for  about  five  years  and 
from  then  until  the  spring  of  1876  was  identified 
with  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary  at 
San  Francisco.  The  remainder  of  his  life  he 
spent  as  Secretary  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of 
Education,  and  he  resided  at  Philadelphia,  Pa., 
his  death  occurring  at  Newark,  N.  J.,  in  1898, 
while  visiting  at  that  place.  His  wife,  who  was 
before  her  marriage  Susan  H.  Ellis,  was  a  native 
of  Fairhaven,  Mass.,  and  has  always  been  an 
active,  interested  church  worker.  She  was  the 
mother  of  six  children,  five  of  whom  are  now 
living,  and  she  makes  her  home  with  her  son. 
Dr.  b.  W.  Poor,  in  Orange,  N.  J. 


1836 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Walter  F.  Poor  was  educated  in  the  Newark 
Academy,  Newark,  N.  J.,  and  graduated  from 
that  institution  before  his  removal  with  his  parents 
to  Oakland,  Gal,  in  1869.  For  two  years  he 
remained  in  Oakland,  then  came  to  Los  Angeles 
county  and  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  West- 
minster, now  in  C)range  count}-.  It  was  while 
living  there  that  he  attended  the  wedding  of 
Prof.  J.  M.  Guinn,  the  historian  of  this  work. 
For  nine  years  Mr.  Poor  engaged  in  fanning 
at  Westminster  on  a  fort}-  acre  ranch  which  he 
had  purchased.  He  then  removed  to  Los  An- 
geles and  shortly  afterwards  entered  the  abstract 
business.  He  continued  at  this  for  twelve  years 
and  then  for  two  years  following  engaged  in  the 
insurance  business.  In  1900  he  removed  to  High- 
land Park,  a  suburb  of  Lcs  Angeles,  where  he 
has  since  been  connected  with  the  firm  of  Poor 
&  Wing,  conducting  a  successful  real-estate  busi- 
ness. He  is  a  Republican  and  has  always  been 
active  in  politics,  and  interested  in  educational 
matters,  having  served  for  two  years  on  the  Board 
of  Education  of  Los  Angeles.  He"  is  secretary 
of  the  Highland  Park  Improvement  Association 
and  is  always  a  leader  in  any  project  that  tends 
toward  the  upbuilding  of  the  community  in  which 
he  lives.  He  is  a  member  and  elder  of  the  High- 
land Park  Presbyterain  Church  and  liberally 
supports  the  various  benevolent  and  charitable 
interests  of  that  denomination.  He  is  a  man  high- 
ly respected  for  his  many  sterling  qualities  and  is 
universally  recognized  as  a  leading  citizen. 
While  living  in  Westminster  Mr.  Poor  was  mar- 
ried to  Anna  Adelaide  Leffler,  a  native  of  Illinois, 
a  woman  of  many  admirable  traits  and  an  active 
church  worker.  She  died  September  16,  1906. 
Of  three  children  born  to  them  one,  a  daughter, 
is  now  living. 


JAY  GERALD  LYBARGER.  Among  the 
large  number  of  real-estate  dealers  in  Long  Beach 
there  is  none  more  enterprising  and  energetic 
nor  more  successful  than  Jay  Gerald  Lybarger, 
who  has  been  a  resident  of  this  city  since  1900. 
Ten  generations  ago  three  Lybarger  brothers  came 
from  Germany  and  settled  in  Pennsylvania  and  in 
that  state  the  succeeding  generations  have  been 
lx)rn  with  the  exception  of  the  present  Jay  Gerald, 
whose  birth  occurred  April  21,  1871,  in  Woodford 
county.  111.,  near  Metamora.  Both  his  father, 
Samuel,  and  grandfather,  Anthony,  were  born  in 
Bedford  county.  Pa.  In  1837,  when  his  son  was 
four  year  of  age,  the  latter  removed  to  Knox 
county,  Ohio,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  and 
became  very  prominent  in  official  circles  of  that 
county.  Obeying  the  inborn  instinct  of  the 
pioneer,  in  1852  Samuel  Lybarger  located  in 
Illinois,  bought  land  in  ShellDy  county,  and  be- 
came a   pioneer  farmer  of  that   section.     Later 


he  continued  agricultural  pursuits  on  a  fine  farm 
of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  Woodford 
county  until  1891,  when  he  came  to  California. 
Three  years  later  he  located  in  Pasadena  and 
lived  retired  from  business  until  1902,  when  his 
death  occurred.  His  wife,  a  native  of  Ohio,  was 
Mary  Jane  Ayres,  of  the  same  family  as  the 
Ayres  of  medical  fame,  and  her  death  also  oc- 
curred in  Pasadena.  Four  of  their  five  children 
are  still  living:  Fanny,  now  Airs.  Mondell  of 
San  Diego;  J.  G.,  of  this  sketch,  and  Ray  and 
Clay,  both  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business 
in  Long  Beach. 

Reared  in  Illinois  Jay  G.  Lybarger  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  and  the  high  school  at  Wash- 
burn, and  after  the  completion  of  his  studies, 
in  1894  came  to  California  and  secured  employ- 
ment as  a  salesman.  In  1898  he  removed  to 
the  Al-gadonas  rancho  near  Yuma,  Ariz.,  located 
on  a  quarter  section  of  land,  and  for  two  and 
one-half,  years  endured  the  hardships  and  pri- 
vations of  frontier  life.  Returning  to  California 
in  1900  he  located  in  Long  Beach  and  has  ever 
since  been  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business  in 
this  city.  He  has  successfully  handled  about 
twenty  tracts  of  land,  comprising  from  five  to  ten 
acres  each,  and  is  now  subdividing  the  Harbor 
Home  tract  of  forty  acres,  in  which  he  has  a 
large  interest.  To  Mr.  Lybarger  belongs  the 
credit  of  organizing  the  Long  Beach  Realty 
Board,  of  which  he  is  a  charter  member  and 
vice-president. 

Mr.  Lybarger's  marriage  which  occurred  in 
Pasadena,  united  him  with  j\Iiss  Lucile  Cum- 
mings,  who  was  born  in  Knox  county,  Ohio,  and 
whose  parents  were  early  pioneers  of  Pasadena. 
She  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church 
of  that  city.  The  one  son,  J.  G.,  Jr.,  born  of  this 
union,  died  in  January,  1906,  aged  one  year  and 
five  days.  Fraternally  Mr.  Lybarger  is'  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Eagles,  and  politically  is  prominent 
in  Democratic  circles,  having  recently  been  named 
as  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic  county  con- 
vention. As  a  man  of  strong  principles  and 
sterling  personal  worth  he  is  regarded  as  one  of 
the  most  valued  citizens  of  the  community  in 
which  he  resides. 


JOHN  KEMPLEY.  Many  of  the  residents 
of  Long  Beach  are  men  who,  having  reaped  suc- 
cess in  other  portions  of  the  country,  have  sought 
this  balmy  climate  in  order  that  their  declining 
years  may  be  filled  with  a  greater  measure  of 
health  and  happiness  than  would  be  possible  in 
the  rigorous  winters  of  northern  latitudes.  Qi- 
matic  reasons  were  largely  instrumental  in  lead- 
ing Mr.  Kempley  to  remove  from  his  Iowa  farm 
to  the  Pacific  coast,  which  he  visited  for  the 
first  time  in  1897  and  four  years  later  became  a 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1837 


permanent  resident  of  his  present  home  city. 
Though  practically  retired  from  active  cares  and 
the  possessor  of  ample  means  rendering  further 
labors  unnecessary,  he  still  retains  various  in- 
terests, included  among  which  may  be  men- 
tioned a  half  interest  in  eighteen  valuable  claims 
on  Providence  mountain  in  San  Bernardino  coun- 
ty. 

In  Yorkshire,  England,  Mr.  Kempley  was  born 
June  29,  1832,  being  a  son  of  Qiarles  and  Han- 
nah (Page)  Kempley,  natives  of  the  same  coun- 
try. The  father,  after  having  followed  the 
blacksmith's  trade  in  Yorkshire  for  some  years, 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1842  and  settled 
among  the  pioneers  of  Wisconsin,  where  he  took 
up  a  tract  of  raw  land  in  Racine  county.  In 
addition  to  cultivating  his  farm  he  carried  on  his 
trade,  having  a  shop  on  the  farm.  Later  he 
moved  to  Marquette  county.  Wis.,  where  his 
son  was  a  pupil  in  a  country  school.  Eventually 
he  established  his  home  at  Fort  Dodge,  Iowa, 
where  he  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-five  years. 
Longevity  has  been  noticeable  on  both  sides  of 
the  ancestry.  His  v>'ife,  islrs.  Hannah  Kempley, 
lived  to  be  ninety-one,  a,nd  her  father  attained 
the  great  age  of  one  hundred  and  two  years. 

Among  the  recollections  of  ^Ir.  Kemplev's 
boyhood  none  is  more  vivid  than  that  of  walk- 
ing five  miles  to  school,  where  one  of  his  play- 
mates was  Ann  Whitehead.  That  she  was  a 
special  favorite  of  his  own  became  evident  when 
he  chose  her  to  be  his  wife.  They  were  united 
in  marriage  in  Marquette  county  February  18, 
1856,  and  settled  down  in  the  home  neighbor- 
hood, where  he  followed  his  father's  example  in 
combining  the  blacksmith's  trade  with  agricult- 
ural pursuits.  In  1864  he  removed  to  Iowa  and 
settled  on  a  farm  near  Fort  Dodge,  where  he 
became  the  owner  of  a  valuable  tract  of  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres,  the  land  remaining  in 
his  possession  until  May,  1905,  when  it  was  sold 
at  a  high  valuation.  JNIeanwhile  he  also  operat- 
ed a  gristmill  worth  $10,000,  but  lost  the  plant 
as  the  result  of  a  washout.  While  living  on  his 
farm  he  took  a  warm  interest  in  local  affairs, 
was  regarded  as  one  of  the  leading  Republicans 
in  his  locality,  and  also  aided  greatly  in  the  de- 
velopment of  the  schpol  interests,  serving  as  a 
member  of  the  school  board,  and  in  addition 
was  a  member  of  the  board  of  township  trustees. 
Consistent  in  his  character  and  upright  in  life, 
he  was  from  youth  an  exemplary  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Qiurch  and  still  main- 
tains a  wann  interest  in  its  welfare. 

Through  his  marriage  to  Miss  Whitehead  of 
Wisconsin  Mr.  Kempley  became  allied  with  an 
English  family  of  lionored  history.  Her  par- 
ents, Benjamin  and  Sarah  Whitehead,  were  born 
and  reared  in  England  and  came  to  the  United 
States  in   1845,  settling  in  Racine  county.  Wis.. 


thence  removing  to  Marquette  county,  where 
both  remained  until  death.  To  the  union  of  ^Ir. 
and  Mrs.  Kempley  there  were  nine  children  born, 
named  as  follows :  Sarah,  who  married  Harry 
Eubanks  of  Long  Beach  and  has  six  children ; 
Hannah  Mary,  Mrs.  H.  Wonder,  of  Washington, 
who  has  five  children;  Esther,  who  married  El- 
bert Handy  of  Fort  Dodge,  Iowa,  and  has  four 
children;  James,  who  lives  in  Fort  Dodge,  Iowa, 
is  married  and  has  six  children;  J.  P.,  who  has  a 
family  of  si.x  children ;  Charles,  living  in  Green 
Bay,  Wis. ;  John  F.,  whose  family  comprises 
four  children;  Elbert,  who  is  unmarried;  and 
Elsie,  Mrs.  James  Scoville,  who  has  three  chil- 
dren. Descended  from  Mr.  Kempley  are  thirty- 
four  grandchildren  now  living  and  three  de- 
ceased, and  there  are  also  six  great-grandchil- 
dren livincf. 


RALPH  E.  WATSON.  Although  a  young 
man  Ralph  E.  Watson  is  one  of  the  most  pro- 
gressive and  enterprising  ranchers  of  this  sec- 
tion, much  of  his  time  being  devoted  to  the  man- 
agement of  a  dairy,  having  assumed  charge  of 
this  work  when  onl}-  a  lad  in  years.  His  many 
friends  speak  highly  of  his  ability  in  this  line,  and 
of  the  tact  and  zeal  with  which  he  has  handled 
the  enterprise.  Born  in  Washington  College, 
Tenn.,  June  2,  1886,  he  was  a  son  of  John  A. 
Watson,  a  native  of  Shenandoah  valley,  Virginia, 
where  he  was  educated  and  became  a  professor 
of  mathematics,  which  position  he  held  for  ten 
years  in  Washington  College,  Tenn.  He  was 
then  active  in  educational  work  as  professor  in 
high  schools  in  both  Nebraska  and  South  Da- 
kota. He  came  to  California  and  died  in  Nor- 
walk  at  the  age  of  fifty-four  years.  His  wife, 
formerly  Fannie  Phelps,  was  a  native. of  Park- 
ersburg,  W.  Va.,  and  died  in  Lyons,  Neb.,  at  the 
age  of  forty-five  years. 

The  greater  part  of  the  education  of  Ralph 
E.  Watson  was  received  in  the  public  schools 
of  Nebraska  and  South  Dakota,  where  his  par- 
ents removed  when  he  was  a  small  child.  He 
completed  the  high  school  course  in  Custer,  S. 
Dak.,  and  then  on  account  of  the  failing  health 
of  his  father  the  family  removed  to  Southern 
California,  this  being  in  1900,  and  located  in 
Gardena.  They  purchased  a  tract  of  ten  acres 
and  engaged  in  the  culture  of  small  fruit;  two 
years  later  disposing  of  this  interest  they  came 
to  Norwalk  and  purchased  thirty-two  acres  of 
fine  farming  land  and  established  dairy  business. 
The  death  of  the  father  in  1903  threw  the  entire 
responsibility  upon  the  son,  but  he  proving  equal 
to  the  occasion  successfully  managed  theaflfairs 
until  to-day  he  has  one  of  the  modern  and  up-to- 
date  dairies  in  this  section.  He  has  twenty  fine 
milch  cows  unsurpassed  in  quantity  and  qualit> 


1838 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  product,  the  Good  Saiiiaritan  Hospital  of  Los 
Angeles  being  one  of  his  regular  patrons.  He  is 
also  a  fine  judge  of  cattle  and  an  expert  in  his 
line  of  work.  He  has  built  a  fine  barn  for  the 
care  of  his  stock,  with  all  modern  conveniences 
from  an  economic  and  sanitar}-  standpoint.  He 
has  a  part  of  his  ranch  in  alfalfa  and  grain  and 
also  leases  other  land  for  com  and  grain.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  popular,  being  a  member  of  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  politically  is  a  stanch 
advocate  of  Democratic  principles. 

Miss  Edna  E.  Watson,  sister  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  Ravenswood,  W.  Va.,  July  30,  1883, 
and  is  now  completing  her  M.  S.  degree  in  the 
University  of  California,  class  '06.  She  has  re- 
ceived prominent  mention  from  the  faculty  in 
zoological  research. 


HOX.  BENTON  PETTIS  TAYLOR.  As 
pioneer,  frontiersman,  miner  and  capitalist  Mr. 
Taylor  has  been  a  conspicuous  figure  for  the 
past  half  century  in  the  middle  and  western 
states,  and  when  he  was  only  sixteen  years  old 
was  in  Mexico  with  Col.  Izale  Prigmore.  This 
experience  seemed  to  create  an  insatiable  thirst 
for  travel  and  adventure,  with  the  result  that  he 
lias  become  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  topog- 
raphy of  tlie  western  coast  of  the  Americas, 
extending  from  British  Columbia  on  the  north  to 
Chile  on  the  south,  and  has  also  visited  the 
Hawaiian  Islands.  An  important  deduction  may 
be  taken  from  the  fact  that  for  the  past  eight 
years  he  has  been  a  continuous  resident  of  Po- 
mona, showing  that  while  there  may  be  attrac- 
tions for  trade  and  commerce  elsewhere,  it  is  in 
the  quiet  and  restful  sun-ht  valley  where  his 
home  is  nestled  that  he  prefers  to  spend  his 
later  years. 

A  native  of  Missouri,  Benton  P.  Taylor  was 
born  seven  miles  from  the  present  site  of  Sedalia 
December  6,  1833,  and  is  a  son  of  Elijah  and 
Elizabeth  (Fisher)  Taylor,  both  of  whom  were 
born  in  Pennsylvania.  In  1803  the  father  left 
the  Quaker  state,  going  first  to  Tennessee,  then 
to  Kentucky,  from  there  to  Illinois,  and  in  1822 
removed  to  St.  Louis,  j\Io.  A  few  years  later  he 
went  to  Cooper  county,  but  two  years  afterward 
became  a  pioneer  settler  in  Pettis  county,  that 
state.  In  addition  to  carrying  on  the  farm  which 
he  purchased  and  improved  in  that  locality,  he 
also  followed  the  miller's  trade,  and  among  many 
others  erected  a  mill  north  of  Sedalia,  whither 
the  farmers  of  the  country  roundabout  brought 
their  grain.  Both  of  the  parents  passed  away  in 
Missouri.  Of  the  seven  children  born  to  them 
three  are  now  living,  and  one  of  the  number, 
Leonard  S.,  is  a  resident  of  Colorado  Springs, 
Colo. 

His  father  being  a  miller  it  was  natural  that 


Benton  P.  Taylor,  who  was  next  to  the  youngest 
in  the  famil}-,  should  become  interested  in  the 
same  trade,  and  under  his  father's  training  he 
learned  it  thoroughly.  Subsequently  he  estab- 
lished a  business  of  his  own  not  far  from  his 
home,  but  in  1856,  he  disposed  of  it  and  removed 
to  Mills  county,  Iowa,  there  erecting  a  mill  on 
Silver  creek.  In  connection  with  carr}ing  on  this 
enterprise,  for  three  years,  during  1856,  '57  and 
'58.  he  went  on  freighting  expeditions  for  the 
government  to  Aurora  (now  Denver),  Colo.,  but 
was  forced  to  give  up  the  work  in  the  latter  year 
owing  to  liis  election  to  the  Iowa  state  legislature. 
The  opening  of  hostilities  between  tiie  north  and 
the  south  brought  a  change  in  his  plans  and  ex- 
pectations, and  his  muster  in  at  Council  Bluffs 
made  him  a  member  of  the  Twenty-ninth  Iowa 
Volunteer  Infantry,  Company  B.  He  partici- 
pated in  the  battles  of  Vicksburg,  Island  No.  10, 
and  while  at  Helena,  Ark.,  in  J^Iarch,  1863,  he 
was  injured  by  the  breaking  of  the  barracks. 
However,  he  participated  in  the  battle  of  Helena 
on  July  4  following.  Besides  the  shock  which 
his  system  received  in  the  accident  his  hip  was 
dislocated,  and  after  lying  in  a  hospital  in  Keokuk 
for  nearly  three  months  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged September  4,  1863.  Returning  home  he 
remained  there  practically  an  invalid  throughout 
the  winter,  but  in  the  mean  time  had  been  mak- 
ing plans  for  an  expedition  to  the  west.  With 
the  opening  of  spring  his  health  was  so  far  re- 
covered that  he  was  enabled  to  earn'  out  his  plans 
for  going  to  Montana,  leaving  Omaha  March  12, 
1864.  After  reaching  his  destination,  A'irginia 
City,  Mont.,  he  took  up  a  claim  in  Alder  gulch, 
upon  which  he  worked  diligently  until  the  follow- 
ing fall.  With  twenty-two  companions  he  -started 
for  the  Yellowstone  country,  and  finally  reached 
it,  but  interference  from  the  Indians  was  the 
means  of  taking  some  of  the  romance  out  of  their 
plans  and  they  decided  to  return  home.  Building 
a  boat,  they  came  down  the  Yellowstone  and 
Missouri  rivers  and  finally  reached  their  desti- 
nation in  Iowa,  December  24,  1864.  but  not  with- 
out experiencing  numerous  attacks  from  the  In- 
dians, three  of  the  party  receiving  wounds,  Mr. 
Taylor  being  one  of  the  number.  On  the  whole 
he  had  no  cause  to  complain,  however,  for  in  ad- 
dition to  renewed  health,  from  the  lack  of  which 
he  had  suffered  for  so  many  months,  his  summer's 
work  had  netted  him  $58,000  in  greenbacks.  Re- 
turning to  his  farm  near  Glenwood  Mills,  Iowa, 
he  operated  it  for  about  two  years,  in  the  mean 
time  adding  to  its  acreage  by  the  purchase  of 
adjoining  land,  but  in  1866  he  disposed  of  his 
holdings  in  that  state  and  returned  to  Missouri. 
In  Knobnoster,  Johnson  county,  he  established  a 
merchandise  business  which  proved  a  very  suc- 
cessful undertaking,  and  he  also  carried  on  a 
large  grain  business.     He  was  one  of  the  largest 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1839 


landowners  in  that  vicinity,  owning  a  farm  of 
ten  hundred  and  sixty  acres  upon  which  he 
carried  on  an  extensive  stocI<  business,  in  fact 
for  eighteen  years  he  was  one  of  the  best-known 
business  men  and  most  enterprising  citizens  of 
his  community.  The  organization  of  the  Knob- 
noster  Bank  was  partly  due  to  his  efiforts,  he  be- 
ing one  of  the  first  to  promote  the  project,  and 
for  eight  years  he  was  assessor  and  collector  of 
Johnson  county. 

Upon  closing  out  his  holdings  in  INIissouri  ]\Ir. 
Taylor  came   another  step   towards   the   Golden 
West  by  his  location  in  Colorado  Springs,  Colo., 
in  1884,  and  there  as  in  the  middle  west  he  was 
destined  to  become  an   important  factor   in   the 
town's  welfare.     He  was  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  Exchange  National  Bank  and  was  one  of 
its  directors,  and  was  also  interested  in  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Colorado  Springs  electric  light 
plant.     In  fact,  many  beneficial  measures  for  the 
town's    permanent    good    may    be    traced    either 
directly  or  indirectly  to  Mr.  Taylor's  far-sighted- 
ness in  recognizing  them  first,  and  then  making 
them   a   reality  by   interesting  other   citizens   in 
the  project.     Many  such  bear  the  impress  of  Mr. 
Taylor's  handiwork,  but  probably  there  is  no  proj- 
ect which  will  be  of  more  lasting  benefit  than 
the  water  system  of  Colorado  Springs,  which  is 
conceded  to  be  one  of  the  finest  systems  in  the 
United    States.      The    initial    procedure    was    to 
secure  the  perpetual  use  of  Lake  Marine  as  a 
reservoir,  to  which  was  later  added  seven  other 
lakes  for  the  same  purpose,  the  result  being  that 
Colorado  Springs  and  vicinity  have  an  abundant 
and  constant  supply  of  the  purest  mountain  water 
possible  to  obtain  anywhere  in  the  United  States. 
In   1890  Mr.  Taylor  removed  to  Oregon  and 
purchased  a  large  ranch  near  Stayton,  and  there 
he  became  interested  in  the  stock  and  grain  busi- 
ness.     Mr.    Taylor   was   too    active    and   broad- 
minded  to  give  his  whole  time  and  thought  to 
private  interests,  and  thus  it  happened  that  wher- 
ever  circumstances   placed   him  he   immediately 
became  interested  in  the  welfare  of  those  about 
him.    Believing  that  better  results  and  more  satis- 
factory   service    to    the    citizens    would    follow 
through  municipal  ownership  of  the  water  works 
he  worked  diligently  for  this  end,  which  finally 
prevailed,    and    resulted    further   in    establishing 
the  present  excellent  system  of  Portland,  water 
being  secured    from    Bull    Run.   at   the    foot   of 
Mount  Hood.    While  in  Stayton  Mr.  Taylor  was 
a  member  of  the  city  council  for  five  years,  dur- 
ing a  part  of  that  time  serving  as  president  of 
that  body. 

Although  Mr.  Taylor  had  come  to  Pomona  as 
early  as  1S93,  it  was  not  until  four  years  later 
that  he  came  here  and  took  up  his  permanent 
home,  the  family  residence  being  at  No.  5;8o  East 
Fifth  avenue.     He  was  first  married  in  Missouri 


to  Miss  Martha  M.  Van  Bibber,  who  was  born 
in  Callaway  county,  that  state,  and  was  a  great- 
granddaughter  of  Daniel  Boone.     At  her  death, 
which  occurred  in  Colorado,  she  left  five  children, 
of  whom  we  mention  the  following :  George,  who 
for  eight  years  was  an  electrician  with  the  Col- 
orado Springs  Electric  Company,  was  killed  by 
a  live  wire  in   1889:  Anna  became  the  wife  of 
E.  J.  Dolbear,  a  conductor  on  the  Oregon  Short 
1-ine  of  Pocatello,  Idaho,  where  in  1905  she  was 
grand  matron  of  the  Eastern  Star  lodge ;  Maggie 
is    a    resident   of    Pomona ;    Mamie   died    in    St. 
Helen.  Ore.,  and  James  S.,  a  resident  of  Pocatello, 
Idaho,  is  also  with  the  Oregon  Short  Line.  Mr. 
Taylor's  second  marriage  occurred  in   Missouri 
and  united  him  with  Miss  Edith  Moore,  who  was 
born  in  Illinois,  and  died  in  Idaho,  leaving  two 
children,    Helen    and    Lela.      The    present    Mrs. 
Taylor  was  formerly  Kate  Young,  of  Missouri, 
and  it  was  in  that  state  that  their  marriage  was 
celebrated.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Chris- 
tian   Church,   and    fraternally    Mr.   Taylor   is   a 
Democrat.     While  in  Knobnoster,  Mo!,  he  was 
made  a  Mason  in  Knobnoster  Lodge  No.  245,  and 
for  several  years  was  past  master  of  his  lodge. 
Upon  his  removal  to  Colorado  he  transferred  his 
membership,  belonging,  to  the  lodge  at  Colorado 
Springs  and  later  to  Stayton  Lodge  No.  25.     In 
Warrensburg,  Mo.,  he  was  raised  to  the  Royal 
Arch  degree,  and  was  made  a  high  priest  of  his 
lodge.     In  the  same  city  he  was  later  made  a 
Ivnight  Templer,  belonging  to  Mary  Command- 
ery  No.  19.     In  Warrensburg  he  was  also  made 
a  member  of  the  council  of  the  Order  the  Eastern 
Star.     After  coming  to  California  he  associated 
himself   with    the    foregoing   orders    except   the 
Eastern  Star,  and  now  holds  a  demit  from  those 
mentioned.     As  a  veteran  of  the  Civil   war  he 
keeps  in  touch  with  comrades  of  other  days  by 
associating  with   members  of  the   Grand   Army 
post  of  which  he  is  a  member.    During  the  manv 
years  that  Mr.  Tavlor  has  been   identified  with 
the  country  west  of  the  Mississippi  river  he  has 
been  more  or  less  interested  in  mining,  and  still 
has  valuable  claims  throughout  the  west  as  well 
as  in  Old  Mexico  and  .\laska. 


GEORGE  HENRY  B.\NKS.  engineer  of 
?*lill  Creek  Station  No.  t,  of  the  Edison  Elec- 
tric Power  Company,  is  one  of  the  oldest  em- 
ployes of  the  compan}^  and  one  of  its  most 
trusted  men,  his  mechanical  ability  and  engin- 
eering skill  having  given  him  a  lucrative  "po- 
sition. He  is  a  native  of  ^^.faine,  his  birth  hav- 
ing occurred  in  Kenduskeag.  Penobscot,  June 
26,  1863;  his  father,  J.  J.,  was  born  there  in 
1826,  the  grandfather,  John,  being  a  farmer 
of  old  and  honored  Puritan  stock.  T-  J.  Banks 
was    a    ministc-    in    the    Free    Will"  Baptist 


1840 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Church  until  his  retirement  from  active  life ; 
he  now  makes  his  home  in  South  La  Grange, 
Me.,  with  his  eldest  son,  Edmond  L.  Banks. 
His  wife,  formerly  Catherine  Chandler,  was 
born  in  East  Corinth,  Ale.,  a  daughter  of  John 
Chandler,  a  farmer  and  also  the  representative 
of  an  old  New  England  family.  She  is  also 
living,  the  mother  of  two  sons,  of  whom 
George  H.  is  the  younger  and  the  only  one  in 
California. 

Reared  in  his  native  state,  George  Henry 
Banks  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  and  also  attended  East  Corinth  Acad- 
emy for  two  terms.  His  first  independent 
venture  in  life  was  in  the  lumbering  camps  of 
]Maine,  where  he  spent  two  winters ;  in  1886 
he  came  to  California  and  spent  his  first  year 
in  Pasadena  as  a  carpenter,  the  following  year 
was  a  carpenter  and  farmer  in  Pomona,  and 
in  1889  went  to  Fresno  and  engaged  in  team- 
ing and  transfer  work.  He  continued  in  this 
last  named  location  for  six  months,  when  in 
1890  he  returned  to  Los  Angeles  and  for  one 
year  was  in  the  employ  of  Morris  &  Jones, 
coal  merchants.  Coming  to  Redlands  in  1891 
he  engaged  in  carpentering  and  building  for 
a  time  and  later  entered  the  employ  of  Alvin 
Pratt,  proprietor  of  the  Sloan  house ;  in  1892- 
93  he  was  employed  in  Terrace  Villa,  and  the 
Windsor  in  1893-94.  During  the  summers  Mr. 
Banks  conducted  the  Seven  Oaks  resort  for 
his  employer,  remaining  in  this  connection  un- 
til'October  14,  1894,  and  acting  in  various  ca- 
pacities. On  the  last  named  date  he  entered 
the  employ  of  The  Redlands  Electric  Light  & 
Power  Company  as  headworks  man,  and  was 
in  charge  of  the  pipe  lines  for  more  than  a 
year.  In  January.  1896,  he  began  work  on  the 
construction  of  the  large  plant  on  the  Santa 
Ana  river,  workhig  from  the  first  survey  until 
its  completion  in  1898.  He  was  then  employed 
similarly  in  the  plant  on  Mill  creek  No.  2, 
from  its  beginning  to  its  completion,  July  2, 
1899.  coming  to  his  present  position  at  Mill 
Creek  Station  No.  i,  as  oiler.  He  here  began 
the  study  of  engineermg,  and  assisted  by  his 
natural  mechanical  ability  he  soon  mastered 
the  details  and  in  1902  was  made  foreman  of 
the  station.  He  has  made  a  success  of  the 
work  and  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  the  officials 
of  the  company.  In  addition  to  these  inter- 
ests he  is  interested  in  horticulture,  having  a 
five  acre  orange  orchard  in  Ontario. 

In  Redlands  in  1892  Mr.  Banks  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Airs.  Lillia  B.  (Casey)  Fitz- 
patrick,  a  native  of  New  York,  and  a  daughter 
of  Henry  Casey,  a  farmer,  and  Mary  (Wait) 
Casey,  the  father  of  the  latter,  John  Wait,  al- 
so being  a  farmer  in  that  section.  Her  father 
is  deceased   bi't  llic  mother  still  survives  and 


makes  her  home  with  her  daughter  in  Crafton- 
ville.  Mrs.  Banks  had  a  sister  and  a  brother, 
but  she  is  the  only  child  of  the  family  now  liv- 
ing. She  was  educated  in  the  Young  Ladies 
Seminary  in  Windsor,  Conn.,  where  she  mar- 
ried William  Fitzpatrick,  whose  death  oc- 
curred in  California.  Mr.  Banks  is  a  stanch 
Republican  in  politics,  and  although  never  de- 
sirous of  personal  recognition  at  the  hands  of 
his  party,  still  gives  his  most  earnest  support 
to  these  principles. 


MRS.  LUCY  ANN  SAN  FORD.  Three  miles 
southeast  of  Palms  lies  the  large  and  valuable 
ranch  which  is  owned  and  managed  by  Mrs.  San- 
ford,  and  which  she  acquired  by  dint  of  tlie 
greatest  frugality  and  most  rigid  economy.  She 
is  of  southern  birth  and  ancestry  and  was  born 
near  Nashville,  Tenn.,  January-  17,  1840,  being  a 
daughter  of  Madison  and  Susan  (Laughhn) 
Tucker,  natives  respectively  of  Tennessee  and 
Charleston,  S.  C.  On  her  mother's  side  she  is 
the  granddaughter  of  an  Irish  immigrant  to  the 
United  States,  while  her  paternal  grandfather, 
John  Tucker,  was  an  Englishman,  who  came  to 
America  at  an  early  age,  settled  in  Tennessee 
and  died  there  during  middle  age.  Madison 
Tucker  was  born  in  181 2  and  for  years  engaged 
in  fanning  in  Tennessee,  but  about  1845  h^  took 
his  family  to  Illinois,  purchased  land  and  de- 
veloped a  farm.  When  advanced  in  years  he  and 
his  wife  went  to  Texas  to  make  their  home  with 
their  children;  both  died  in  that  state,  he  at  the 
age  of  eighty-six,  and  she  in  JMarch,  1885,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-six. 

When  the  family  moved  to  Illinois  Mrs.  San- 
ford  was  quite  a  small  child,  and  in  1852  she  ac- 
companied them  to  Texas.  In  January,  1857,  she, 
with  the  other  members  of  the  family,  started 
overland,  with  ox  teams,  for  the  Pacific  coast, 
and,  arriving  at  Visalia,  remained  there  for  two 
years,  when  the  parents  returned  to  Texas  with 
mule  teams  and  wagons.  Mrs.  Sanford,  with  a 
brother  and  sister,  remained  at  the  present  site 
of  Pasadena.  June  14,  1858,  she  was  married  to 
Cyrus  Sanford,  a  native  of  Missouri,  and  the  son 
of  an  Englishman  who  came  to  the  United  States 
in  early  life.  In  1849  Cyrus  Sanford  came  to 
California  and  engaged  in  mining.  During  i860 
he  came  to  Southern  California  and  purchased 
about  nine  hundred  and  ninety  acres  of  La  Bal- 
lona  grant,  where  he  settled  down  to  ranch  pur- 
suits. When  sixty-six  years  of  age  he  died  at 
Stockton,  this  state,  but  m-.unvhilc,  about 
1877,  he  and  his  wife  separated,  and  she 
assumed  the  management  of  the  ranch 
and  the  care  of  the  nine  children.  The 
property  was  mortgaged,  and  it  was  on- 
1\-  bv  the  most  arduous  exertions  that  she  was 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1841 


enabled  to  free  it  from  encumbrance  and  to  pro- 
vide for  her  children  until  they  were  old  enough 
to  become  self-supporting.  Now  she  is  classed 
among  the  wealthy  women  of  Los  Angeles 
county,  being  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and 
thirty-five  acres,  valued  at  $400  per  acre.  She 
became  the  mother  of  the  following  children : 
George  A.,  who  has  charge  of  the  ranch  and 
superintends  its  cultivation ;  John,  \vho  died  at 
thirty-two  years  of  age ;  Amanda,  who  was  born 
July  18,  1863,  and  died  in  1901 ;  Luella,  who  was 
iDorn  April  15,  1865,  and  died  Api-il  17,  1899; 
William,  who  was  born  April  23,  1867,  and  re- 
sides with  his  mother ;  Rebecca,  who  was  born 
April  2"/,  1869,  and  died  September  16,  1890; 
Cyrus,  who  was  born  January  4,  1871,  and  re- 
mains on  the  home  ranch ;  Joe,  born  August  27, 
1873,  also  living  on  the  home  place,  and  Leland, 
born  January  20,  1877,  "ow  living  on  the  home 
ranch. 


CHARLES  H.  THOMAS.  The  family  of 
this  honored  pioneer  has  been  represented  in 
every  war  of  the  United  States,  where  mem- 
bers of  it  have  risen  to  prominence  and  suc- 
cess, and  besides  being  patriots  in  the  time  of 
their  country's  need  have  also  proven  them- 
selves a  part  of  that  quiet  yet  distinctly  potent 
influence  in  the  every  day  development  and 
upbuilding  of  the  nation.  The  characteristics 
of  the  family  have  been  passed  from  father  to 
son,  from  generation  to  generation,  their  hos- 
pitality opening  their  doors  to  many  who  have 
ever  afterward  counted  themselves  among 
their  friends :  they  have  gone  forward  in  the 
vanguard  of  civilization,  established  their 
homes  on  the  frontier,  and  hx  their  courage, 
and  steadfastness  of  purpose,  their  fortitude 
and  unselfish  devotion  to  the  public  welfare, 
have  tipheld  the  hands  of  those  seeking  to  de- 
velop and  reclaim  wilderness  lands  for  the 
needs  of  countless  emigrants  in  their  home 
quest.  Such  men  have  been  the  heads  of  the 
Thomas  family,  and  such  an  one  is  Charles  H. 
Thomas,  known,  honored  and  esteemed 
throughout  Southern   California. 

Born  in  Saratoga  county,  N.  Y.,  October  i, 
1836,  Cliarles  H.  Tliomas  was  next  to  the 
youngest  child  in  the  family  of  his  parents, 
Murray  and  Sylvia  (Beebe)  Thomas,  natives 
respectively  of  Saratoga  and  Madison  coun- 
ties. N.  Y.  The  paternal  grandfather  was  one 
of  the  fir.st  settlers  of  Saratoga  county  and  a 
distinguished  patriot  in  the  Re\-olutionary 
war.  Tlie  maternal  grandfather,  Silas  Beebe, 
was  of  Puritan  anrestry.  the  name  transmitted 
by  a  member  of  the  Afa^fiower  company,  and 
who  was  also  related  to  tlie  famous  Beecher 
familv ;  he  was   born   in   Connecticut   and   be- 


came an  early  settler  of  Madison  county, 
where  he  served  as  the  first  sheriff  of  the  coun- 
1.3'.  He  was  a  gallant  soldier  in  the  War  of 
1812,  and  also  in  the  Black  Hawk  war.  Mur- 
ray Thomas  inherited  qualities  of  character 
from  a  AVelsh  ancestr}-,  the  family  however 
having  long  been  established  on  American  soil. 
He  engaged  as  a  calico  printer  throughout  his 
active  career,  his  death  occurring  at  the  com- 
])aratively  early  age  of  forty-five  years.  His 
wife  had  died  some  years  previous,  leaving  a 
family  of  four  sons  and  two  daughters :  Will- 
iam S.,  of  Little  Rock.  Ark.,  in  the  employ  of 
the  Goulds  of  tlie  Iron  Mountain  Railroad  as 
chemist  and  mineralogist  until  his  retirement, 
served  in  the  Stevenson  regiment  during  the 
Mexican  war,  in  which  struggle  he  was  wound- 
ed ;  John  served  in  the  Confederate  army  during 
the  Civil  war  and  was  killed  at  New  Orleans; 
Martin,  who  died  at  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  was  a 
chaplain  in  an  Illinois  regiment  of  the  Federal 
army  during  the  Civil  war;  two  daughters, 
Mrs.  Rogers  and  Mrs.  Scott,  live  in  Minne- 
sota ;  and  Charles  H.  is  the  s-ubject  of  this  re- 
view. 

Charles  H.  Thomas  was  reared  in  New  York 
and  being  left  an  orphan  at  an  early  age  he 
was  taken  into  the  home  of  his  maternal  grand- 
parents and  there  trained  to  the  first  duties  of 
life.  His  education  was  received  in  the  dis- 
trict school  in  the  vicinity  of  the  home  farm. 
The  gold  fever  of  famous  '49  took  possession 
of  him  and  he  decided  to  come  to  California, 
expecting  that  his  brother  William,  then  a 
soldier  in  the  i\Iexican  war,  would  be  in  that 
section  shortly.  Lie  accordingly  took  passage 
on  the  ship  Tecumseh  for  a  trip  around  the 
horn  to  San  Francisco,  arriving  in  November, 
184Q,  when  with  a  young  companion  he  pur- 
cb;ised  a  mining  outfit  and  went  at  once  to 
Mariposa  creek,  in  Mariposa  county,  where  for 
six  months  the  two  diligently'  and  successfully 
dug  for  gfold.  ^Ir.  Thomas  then  returned  to 
San  Francisco.  In  the  fall  of  1853  Gen.  Will- 
iam \\'alker.  th.e  noted  filibuster,  came  to  San 
Francisco  from  Marysville  and  organized  the 
band  of  adventurous  spirits  numbering  forty- 
five  all  told,  chartered  the  bark  Carolina  and 
in  November  left  San  Francisco  for  La  Paz 
in  Lower  California.  Here  Walker  disem- 
barked his  forces,  attacked  and  captured  the 
town,  taking  the  governor  prisoner.  .Another 
man  was  sent  by  the  Mexicans  to  take  com- 
mand but  he  also  was  captured  by  Walker's 
forces.  Finrling  himself  too  weak  to  hold  the 
nlace  "Walker  and  his  forces  left  the  town  after 
holding  iiossession  a  week  or  more.  Walker 
sailed  first  to  Cape  .St.  Lucas,  then  to  Ensena- 
da,  whence  he  landed  his  men  and  a  portion 
of  his  supplies,  leaving  the  vessel  in  charge  of 


1842 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  second  mate.  He,  it  is  supposed,  had  been 
bribed  by  Ihe  Mexicans;  at  any  rate,  at  the 
first  opportunity  he  deserted  his  comrades  and 
took  the  vessel"  to  Guyamas,  leaving  Walker 
and  his  men  in  a  hostile  town,  short  of  food 
and  ammunition.  Mr.  Thomas  started  immedi- 
ately for  San  Diego  for  a  supply  of  percus- 
sion caps,  of  which  there  was  a  great  need; 
he  was  successful  in  obtaining  all  he  needed 
from  a  JNIr.  Rose  who  then  resided  in  San 
Diego,  and  he  at  once  returned  to  Ensenada  tj 
find  that  his  companions  were  about  to  be  at- 
tacked by  a  large  body  of  Alexicans,  and  they 
were  so  nearly  out  of  percussion  caps  that 
there  were  not  more  than  five  to  each  man. 
His  return  doubtless  saved  his  companions 
from  capture  for  within  fifteen  minutes  they 
were  surrounded  by  several  hundred  Mexi- 
cans who  made  a  vigorous  attack,  in  which 
five  of  Walker's  men  were  killed.  The  Mexi- 
cans were  repulsed  with  several  killed  and 
wounded.  During  the  following  night  Walker 
assumed  the  ofifensive  and  in  a  sharp  fight 
succeeded  in  driving  the  Mexicans  from  the 
field.  Walker  then  buried  his  guns  and  tak- 
ing such  supplies  as  he  could  started  for 
Sonora  bv  way  of  Santa  Catherine  Passo,  but 
after  marching  several  leagues  found  the  route 
impracticable  and  most  of  the  party  returned 
and  surrendered  to  Captain  Burton,  then  in 
command  of  the  United  States  troops  at  San 
Diego.  A  few  of  the  men  went  on  and  finally 
succeeded  in  reaching  Sonora,  but  what  be- 
came of  them  has  never  been  known.  Walker 
was  tried  in  the  United  States  court  for  a 
violation  of  international  law  and  on  his  ac- 
quittal in  February.  1854,  the  others  were  re- 
leased. 

Finding  himself  a  free  man  once  more,  Mr. 
Thomas  \vent  to  Halfmoon  Bay  and  there 
took  charge  of  the  Pescadero  ranch,  and  there 
he  remained  for  about  a  year,  when  he  went 
to  Trinitv  river  and  for  the  ensuing  three 
years  was  engaged  in  mining.  In  1858  he  re- 
turned to  San  Francisco  and  in  the  same  year 
came  to  Los  Angeles,  and  here  with  others 
discovered  the  celebrated  tin  mines  of  Temes- 
cal.  He  continued  his  identification  with  this 
project  until  1861  when  he  disposed  of  his  in- 
terests to  Don  A.  Stearns,  and  went  to  the 
Hemet  valley  in  San  Diego  county  (now  Riv- 
erside) and  there  took  up  a  tract  of  four  hun- 
dred and  eighty  acres  of  land,  while  he  at  the 
same  time  purchased  forty-three  hundred 
acres  of  railroad  land.  This  he  developed  to 
general  farming  and  stock-raising,  bringing 
the  first  herd  of  Shorthorns  into  San  Diego 
county,  and  now  owns  some  of  the  finest  thor- 
oughbred horses  in  the  west.  His  herd  of 
Durham    cattle    will    compare    favorably    with 


any  to  be  found  on  the  Pacific  coast.  The 
Hemet  valley  is  about  twenty-three  miles  east 
of  the  town  of  Hemet  at  an  elevation  of  about 
four  thousand  feet,  and  with  its  mild  climate 
and  abundance  of  pasturage  and  water  is  ad- 
mirably adapted  for  the  raising  of  stock.  In- 
cluded in  the  ranch  are  two  thousand  acres 
of  moist  grass  land,  while  the  grain  crop  is  one 
of  the  best  in  this  section.  Near  the  ranch 
liousc  is  an  unfailing  spring,  containing  iron, 
soda  and  sulphur.  Mr.  Thomas  was  the  first 
white  settler  in  the  Hemet  and  San  Jacinto 
valleys;  when  lie  first  came  there  bears  as 
well  as  deer,  were  plentiful,  which  supplied  the 
table  with  meat.  The  Thomas  ranch  became 
known  as  the  Thomas  valley,  where  they  built 
a  large  and  comfortable  residence,  with  wide 
verandas,  flower  decked  and  all  on  stone  foun- 
tains, and  where  they  extended  the  famous  hos- 
pitality of  the  family  to  whomsoever  might 
come  within  its  portals,  friend  and  stranger 
alike  welcome  in  the  midst  of  the  early  habita- 
tion. 

May  14,  t86i,  in  Los  Angeles,  Mr.  Thomas 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Genevieve 
Bavdico;  she  was  born  in  Santa  Barbara,  Cal., 
a  daughter  of  Francisco  Bardico,  a  native  of 
Spain  who  came  to  the  cit)^  of  Mexico  and 
thence  to  Santa  Barabara,  Cal.,  where  he  en- 
gaged as  a  merchant ;  he  married  Raphalita  Gar- 
cia, a  native  of  San  Gabriel,  whose  grandfather, 
Ayalla,  was  sent  by  the  government  of  Spain 
to  take  charge  of  the  mission  stock  of  San 
Gabriel,  whence  Don  Garcia  was  sent  by  Don 
Ayalla  to  San  Bernardino  county  to  take 
charge  of  the  cattle  ranch  in  this  large  valley, 
his  residence  being  on  the  hill  which'  is  the 
present  site  of  the  Barton  ranch  residence. 
The  name  of  Bardico  is  a  prominent  one  in 
the  city  of  Mexico,  where  members  of  the 
family  remained  and  became  prominent  in 
public  affairs,  one  serving  for  years  as  city 
treasurer.  Mrs.  Thomas  was  reared  in  Santa 
Barbara  and  there  educated,  is  a  cultured  and 
well  informed  woman,  endowed  by  nature  with 
gifts  of  more  than  ordinary  value,  among  them 
a  voice  of  wonderful  range  and  thrilling  power, 
sweet  and  true  to  the  highest  idealization  of 
music.  .She  is  the  mother  of  the  following 
children  :  .-\deli/a,  wife  of  H.  Tififan)^  of  Bak- 
ersfield:  Fannie,  the  wife  of  George  Johnson, 
of  San  Bernanlino;  Josepli,  now  a  resident  of 
the  City  of  Mexico  and  formerly  interpreter 
for  the  United  States  army  at  Rfanila,  where 
he  interviewed  Agninaldo :  Charles,  a  mining 
expert  in  Guadalajara  ;  Victoria,  wife  of  Frank 
Brooks,  of  Hemet;  Lulu,  wife  of  Harry  Mc- 
Condless,  of  Arizona;  James,  a  stockman  in 
Corona :  George,  a  buyer  of  the  Cudahy  Pack- 
ing Company  of  Los  Angeles;   Emma,   grad- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1843 


uate  of  St.  Catherine's  Academy  at  San  Ber- 
nardino and  now  a  student  of  music  ;  and  Mary, 
wife  of  Henry  Pram,  of  Prescott,  Ariz.  The 
daughter  Fannie  had  a  remarkable  and  bril- 
liant career  in  foreign  lands  across  the  At- 
lantic, as  a  scholar  and  a  business  woman,  be- 
fore settling  down  in  her  native  state.  She 
was  one  of  the  first  students  at  Santa  Cath- 
erine Academy  and  after  her  graduation  went 
abioad  and  continued  her  study  of  languages 
in  Santa  Maria  College  in  Antwerp,  when 
later  she  accepted  a  position  as  representative 
for  Docet  of  Paris,  France,  traveling  through 
France,  England,  Germany,  Italy  and  Spain, 
introducing  the  latest  patterns  and  fashions 
for  twelve  years,  having  in  all  spent  seventeen 
years  in  Paris.  In  1900  she  resigned  her  po- 
sition and  returned  to  California,  where  May 
3,  J904,  she  became  the  wife  of  George  Liv- 
ingston Johnson,  a  native,  of  Oxford,  Ohio, 
who  came  to  San  Bernardino  in  1885,  where 
he  is  successfully  engaged  in  the  wholesale 
and  retail  liquor  business.  They  are  the  pro- 
prietors of  the  Oxford  hotel. 

In  Januarv,  1906,  Mr.  Thomas  sold  his 
ranch  iti  Hemet  valley  and  located  in  Red- 
lands,  where  he  purchased  a  livery  located  at 
the  corner  of  Central  avenue  and  Fourth  street, 
and  he  has  here  continued  in  business  and  met 
with  success.  He  retained  his  thoroughbred 
herd  of  cattle  and  horses,  in  which  he  takes 
the  greatest  pride.  He  has  taken  a  keen  in- 
terest in  afifairs  of  the  city  and  community,  pro- 
viding the  site  for  the  Hemet  Land  &  Water 
Company  and  in  many  other  ways  assisting 
in  the  development  of  the  community.  Up  to 
1896  he  had  been  Democratic  in  his  tendencies 
but  the  silver  issue  of  that  year  turned  his  in- 
terest toward  the  Republican  party,  and  he 
has  since  voted  that  licket.  As  early  as  1866 
lie  was  elected  supervisor  of  San  Diego  county 
and  held  the  office  for  two  terms.  He  was 
school  trustee  from  the  organization  of  the  dis- 
trict near  his  home,  he  himself  laying  out  the 
first  school  district  in  San  Diego  county.  Ev- 
ery achievement  of  his  adopted  state  has  been 
a  matter  of  pride  with  I\Ir.  Thomas — the  first 
telegraph,  the  first  telephone,  and  other  mod- 
ern methods  and  equipment  being  welcomed 
into  the  country  with  eager  assistance  by  him  ; 
•at  the  feast  of  the  newsboys  of  Los  Angeles 
he  was  foremost  in  his  donation  of  a  magni- 
ficent Durham  cow,  movements  of  this  kind 
being  ever  helped  by  his  counsel,  time  and 
means.  He  recalls  the  early  days  of  the  state, 
his  earlv  adventures,  and  especially  a  trip  tak- 
en in  1861,  through  Strawberry  valley,  piloted 
by  an  Indian  chief,  this  being  probably  the 
first  white  man  who  ever  penetrated  its  then 
remove    lands.      The   dominant    characteristics 


of  an  American  gentleman,  enterprise,  prog- 
ress and  public  spirit,  are  the  salient  qualities 
in  the  makeup  of  Mr.  Thomas,  lending  their 
aid  to  make  of  him  a  citizen  among  citizens, 
a  man  among  men,  a  friend  among  friends, 
revered,  honored  and  esteemed  by  all  who 
have  known  him  since  his  boyhood  days,  which 
were  spent  as  a  miner  in  the  state  of  California. 


JUDGE  JULIUS  ADELBERT  HOAG.  Al- 
though he  has  been  connected  with  different  legal 
cases  in  Riverside  county  during  his  residence  at 
Elsinore  Judge  Julius  Hoag  is  practically  retired 
from  the  practice  of  law,  in  which  profession  he 
had  been  ver^-  prominent  and  successful  in  the 
east.  Judge  Hoag  is  a  member  of  an  old  New 
York  family,  his  grandfather,  Daniel,  having 
been  born  in  that  state,  of  English  descent,  and  be- 
came a  pioneer  Quaker  west  of  the  Hudson  river. 
The  father  of  Judge  Hoag,  Philo  Hoag,  was  bom 
near  Saratoga  Springs,  and  after  he  grew  to 
manhood,  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  at 
Norwich,  where  his  death  occurred  in  his  fifty- 
sixth  year.  His  wife  was  Celia,  a  daughter  of 
Philip  Phetteplace,  a  native  of  Rhode  Island,  who 
settled  in  Norwich,  N.  Y.,  and  on  his  farm  there 
the  daughter  was  born  and  in  that  location  she 
remained  until  the  time  of  her  death.  Her  family 
was  of  old  Congregational  stock. 

There  were  nine  cliildren  in  the  family  of 
which  Judge  Hoag  was  a  member,  and  three  of 
ills  brothers  are  still  living.  He  was  the  young- 
est, his  birth  occurring  May  15,  1840,  at  Nor- 
wich, Qienango  county,  N,  Y.  His  early  boy- 
hood days  were  spent  on  the  farm,  but  after  the 
completion  of  his  studies  in  the  common  schools 
he  was  sent  to  Oxford  Academy,  and,  upon  his 
graduation,  matriculated  in  Yale  College,  enter- 
ing in  1 861,  and  graduating  four  years  later  with 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  Following  this 
he  began  the  studv  of  law  under  Judge  Elisha 
Prindle,  of  Norwich,  and,  in  1867,  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  practice  before  the  supreme  court  at 
Binghamton,  N.  Y.  Believing  that  opportunities 
for  tlie  young  attorney  were  greater  in  the  west 
than  in  the  east,  he  sought  a  location  in  the  great 
plains  country,  and  settled  at  Paola,  Kans.,  the  old 
stamping  ground  of  John  Brown,  where,  for 
twenty-four  years  he  identified  himself  with  the 
history  of  that  state  in  legal  circles,  becoming  one 
of  the  most  prominent  attorneys  and  the  recipient 
of  numerous  official  honors.  He  was  prosecuting 
attorney  at  the  time  that  the  state  prohibition  law 
was  enacted  and  St.  John  was  governor  of  Kan- 
sas, and  took  active  steps  in  the  enforcement  of 
the  law.  He  was  open  and  fearless  in  his  de- 
nunciation of  illegal  and  unjust  combinations  of 
capital  and  in  many  cases  was  successful  in  de- 
fending men  against  corporations,  thereby  gain- 


1844 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ing  the  ill-will  of  the  latter  and  making  it  neces- 
sary for  him  to  keep  constantly  on  his  guard 
against  them.  He  was  city  attorney  at  Paola  for 
a  long  period  and  for  many  years  held  the  posi- 
tion of  United  States  commissioner,  having  been 
appointed  by  Judge  John  F.  Dillon.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  practice  in  the  United  States  district 
and  circuit  courts  while  a  resident  of  Kansas. 

In  1890  Judge  Hoag  made  his  first  trip  to  El- 
sinore,  Cal.,  on  account  of  his  sister's  health,  and, 
being  favorably  impressed  with  conditions,  as 
well  as  being  in  need  of  rest  himself,  he  located 
here  permanently  in  1891.  He  engaged  in  horti- 
culture for  a  time,  set  out  an  orchard  on  a  ten- 
acre  ranch  which  he  purchased,  and  now  has  a 
fine  lot  of  prime,  apricot  and  olive  trees  in  bear- 
ing. He  makes  his  home  in  Elsinore,  wdiere  he 
is  a  highly  respected  citizen,  and  is  now  filling 
for  a  second  term  a  place  on  the  Elsinore  board 
of  trustees.  He  was  at  one  time  a  member  of 
the  lodges  of  the  Woodmen  of  die  World  and  of 
the  Knights  of  Honor.  While  not  affiliated  with 
any  church  denomination  Judge  Hoag  is  a  gen- 
tleman of  Christian  character  and  exerts  an  ele- 
vating influence  on  the  community  in  which  he 
resides.  A  man  of  his  education,  culture  and 
large  experience  could  not  fail  to  be  a  leader 
wherever  he  might  live  and  the  people  of  Elsi- 
nore are  glad  to  accord  to  him  the  high  position 
in  their  midst  to  which  his  talents  entitle  him. 


CORNELIUS  STOUT.  In  the  truest  sense 
in  which  that  much-used  term  could  be  applied, 
Cornelius  Stout  is  a  self-made  man,  having 
made  his  own  way  in  the  world  from  early  boy- 
hood. With  a  thorough  understanding  of  the 
carpenter's  trade  and  with  the  previous  experi- 
ence of  about  eleven  }ears  as  a  contractor  and 
builder  in  other  parts  of  the  state  he  came  to 
Pomona  with  his  tool  chest  in  June  of  1887,  and 
in  little  less  than  twenty  years  has  built  up  the 
large  business  which  he  commands  today..  The 
mill  covers  a  floor  space  of  65x120  feet,  while 
the  lumber  yard  is  of  the  same  dimensions,  all 
in  all  it  is  one  of  the  largest  manufacturing 
plants  of  the  kind  in  this  part  of  the  county. 

The  Stout  family  has  been  represented  in  this 
country  for  at  least  four  generations,  for  it  is 
known  beyond  a  doubt  that  the  great-grand- 
father, Richard  Stout,  fought  as  a  soldier  in 
the  Revolutionary  war  among  the  patriots  from 
New  Jersey.  Among  his  twenty-three  children, 
seventeen  of  whom  were  sons,  was  one  John,  who 
was  born  in  New  Jersey  and  in  that  state  be- 
came well  known  as  a  farmer  and  an  expert 
judge  of  horse  flesh.  His  son,  Michael  F.,  was 
also  born  in  New  Jersey,  but  while  he  was  still 
a  young  man  he  came  to  what  was  then  con- 
sidered the  frontier,  as  early  as  1836  settling  in 


Fairview,  Fulton  county.  111.  As  a  means  of 
livelihood  he  continued  farming  with  work  at 
the  carpenter's  trade,  both  of  which  he  followed 
in  Fairview  and  in  DeKalb  county,  that  state, 
whither  he  later  removed,  and  where  also  his 
death  occurred.  During  his  young  manhood 
he  had  formed  domestic  ties  by  his  marriage 
with  Ann  Maria  Suydam,  who  like  himself  wa^ 
a  native  of  New  Jersey.  She  was  a  daughter 
of  Simon  Byce  Suydam,  also  a  native  of  New 
Jersey,  but  who  later  settled  in  Ohio  and  Illinois 
respectively,  passing  away  in  DeKalb  county, 
as  did  also  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Stout.  Three 
children  were  born  of  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Stout,  as  follows :  John,  who  died  in  Hum- 
boldt county,  Cal. ;  Cornelius ;  and  Mary  Eliza- 
beth, now  Mrs.  JNI.  E.  Arnold,  a  resident  of 
Iowa. 

While  his  parents  were  living  in  Illinois  Cor- 
nelius Stout  was  born  in  Fairview,  Fulton  coun- 
ty, September  23,  1849,  being  next  to  the  old- 
est in  the  family.  He  interspersed  work  on  the 
home  farm  with  his  school  studies,  and  when 
he  was  still  a  mere  boy  had  decided  to  learn  the 
carpenter's  trade.  As  his  father  was  an  ex- 
perienced workman  along  that  line  he  was 
taught  the  business  thoroughly  and  was  soon  able 
to  contract  for  work  on  his  own  account.  Leav- 
ing the  middle  west  in  1875  he  came  west  to 
I'ortland,  Ore.,  and  subsequently  went  to  Al- 
bany, that  state,  carrying  on  work  at  his  trade 
in  both  places.  The  following  year  he  located 
in  Susanville,  Cal,  and  from  working  at  the 
carpenter's  trade  he  finally  branched  out  into 
contracting  and  building,  a  venture  which 
proved  remunerative  and  which  he  continued  un- 
til June,  1887,  when,  as  has  been  stated,  he 
identified  himself  with  the  growing  town  of 
Pomona.  He  entered  upon  his  career  here  as 
a  carpenter  and  builder  and  later  added  car- 
riage and  wagon  manufacturing.  After  eight 
years  he  gave  up  the  latter  and  started  the  plan- 
ing mill  of  which  he  is  now  the  proprietor.  Gen- 
eral mill  work  of  all  kinds  is  here  manufactured, 
and  the  plant  is  one  of  the  live  industries  which 
have  added  to  the  commercial  activity  of  die 
town.  Mr.  Stout  is  also  an  inventor  of  some 
ability,  and  among  other  of  his  patents  is  a 
turner's  gauge  ancl  a  sugar  paddle,  both  of 
which  have  merits  at  once  recognized  by  those 
in  need  of  those  articles. 

In  Susanville,  Cal,  Mr.  Stout  was  married  to' 
Jessie  E.  Soule,  who  was  born  in  Iowa,  and  one 
child,  Frances  Estella,  has  blessed  their  mar- 
riage. Mrs.  Stout  is  a  member  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church.  Politically  Mr.  Stout  is 
a  believer  in  Republican  principles.  His  experi- 
ence as  a  business  man  of  many  years  standing 
makes  his  membership  in  the  Board  of  Trade  a 
decided   acquisition.     While   in   Susanville,   Cal., 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOC7RAPHICAL  RECORD. 


18^5 


he  joined  the  Odd  Fellows,  and  is  now  affiliated 
with  Pomona  Lodge  No.  246,  of  which  he  is 
past  noble  grand,  and  is  past  chief  patriarch  of 
San  Antonio  Encampment.  With  his  wife  he  is 
a  member  of  the  Rebekahs,  of  which  she  is  past 
noble  grand.  The  Woodmen  of  the  World  also 
claim  the  membership  of  Mr.  Stout,  and  in  that 
as  in  other  organizations  with  which  he  is  as- 
sociated he   is  a  valued  and  esteemed  member. 


CADET  YRIBARNE.  For  nearly  twenty 
years  Mr.  Yribarne  has  been  a  resident  of  Cal- 
ifornia, and  during  that  time  he  has  been  con- 
nected with  a  number  of  undertakings  directly 
or  indirectly  connected  with  agricultural  life. 
In  none  of  them,  however,  has  he  been  more 
successful  than  in  the  growing  of  grapes  and 
their  later  manufacture  into  wine,  his  distillery 
and  vineyard,  known  as  the  Tisnerat  vineyard, 
being  located  in  Long  Beach  on  Anaheim  road 
and  Alamitos  avenue. 

Mr.  Yribarne  is  a  native  of  France,  and  was 
born  in  Basses-Pyrenees  January  i,  1865,  the 
eldest  of  three  children  born  to  his  parents, 
Jean  and  ^Madeline  Yribarne.  As  the  father 
"died  when  Cadet  was  only  seven  j'ears  old, 
leaving  liis  mother  with  two  children  younger 
than  himself,  it  was  not  surprising  that  his 
school  days  were  limited.  However,  he  ap- 
plied himself  diligentlv  and  gained  a  fair 
general  knowledge  in  the  common  schools 
near  his  home.  Subsequently  he  took  charge 
of  the  home  farm,  which  he  managed  for  his 
mother  until  he  was  eighteen  years  old,  when 
in  1884,  he  went  to  Montevidio,  South  Amer- 
ica, working  as  a  farm  hand  there  for  two 
years.  The  next  year  he  returned  to  his  home 
in  France,  but  he  was  not  satisfied  to  remain 
there  after  getting  a  glimpse  of  the  new  world, 
and  the  following  year,  1887,'  he  was  among 
the  passengers  who  embarked  from  France 
bound  for  California  by  way  of  Panama.  A 
strong  factor  in  directing  his  steps  towards 
California  was  the  fact  that  an  uncle,  John 
Ballan,  lived  in  San  Pedro,  and  it  was  at  that 
seaport  that  his  ship  cast  anchor.  For  two 
years  he  was  in  his  uncle's  employ  as  assistant 
to  him  in  the  management  of  his  stock  busi- 
ness, but  later  he  purchased  a  drove  of  sheep 
and  started  in  business  for  himself.  In  iSgf 
he  came  to  this  part  of  Los  Angeles  county 
and  rented  four  thousand  acres  of  the  Ala- 
mitos Land  Company  lying  east  of  Long 
Beach,  which  he  ran  as  a  stock  rancli  until 
1897.  Selling  out  his  stock  he  at  once  pur- 
chased four  acres  on  the  corner  of  Second  and 
Ansel  streets,  where  he  made  his  home  and 
continued  ranching  for  about  three  years,  and 


then,  in  1900,  bought  two  and  a  half  acres  at 
the  corner  of  Seventh  and  Temple  streets.  He 
still  owns  a  portion  of  this  latter  tract,  al- 
though since  1902  his  interests  have  been  cen- 
tered in  the  Tisnerat. vineyard,  which  he  pur- 
chased that  year,  and  which  consists  of  six 
and  seventy  one-hundredths  acres.  On  this 
property  he  is  conducting  a  very  profitable 
business  in  the  raising  of  grapes,  his  brand  of 
wine  and  brandy  having  a  wide  sale  on  its  su- 
perior quality,  and  a  reputation  that  is  more 
than  local. 

After  locating  in  Long  Beach  Mr.  Yribarne 
formed  domestic  ties  by  his  marriage  with 
Miss  Mary  Cilbete,  a  native  of  Spain,  but  her 
death  in  April,  1904,  left  him  alone  with  two 
children,  John  and  ^larguerite.  Mr.  Yribarne 
has  shown  himself  a  true  American  citizen  b}' 
making  a  study  of  the  platforms  of  the  two 
great  political  bodies,  and  after  weighing  the 
principles  of  each  has  decided  that  the  Repub- 
lican party  stands  for  that  which,  in  his  mind, 
will  bring  the  most  good  to  the  greatest  num- 
ber. The  only  fraternal  organization  of  which 
he  is  a  member  is  the  Eagles. 


iNIILLARD  FILL^IORE  NEFF.  Among  the 
intelligent,  wide-awake  agriculturists  and  the  en- 
ergetic and  progressive  business  men  of  San 
Diego  county,  Millard  Fillmore  Neff,  of  Fall- 
brook,  occupies  an  assured  position.  He  is  a  fine 
representative  of  the  native-born  sons  of  this 
state,  his  birth  having  occurred  January  24,  i860, 
in  Yolo  county,  where  his  father,  Benjamin  W. 
Neff,  was  a  pioneer  settler. 

Leaving  Maryland,  his  native  state,  when  a 
yoimg  man,  Benjamin  W.  Neff  started  westward, 
and,  with  a  band  of  emigrants,  crossed  the  plains 
with  ox-teams  in  1849.  From  San  Francisco 
he  went  directly  to  Virginia  City,  Nev.,  where  he 
worked  at  his  trade  of  blacksmith  at  the  mines, 
and  was  afterward  similarly  employed  in  both 
Yolo  and  Placer  counties.  Coming  to  San  Diego 
county  in  1874,  he  located  near  the  present  home 
of  his  son,  Millard  F.  Neff,  taking  up  a  tract  of 
government  land,  on  which  he  was  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  until  his  death,  at  the  age 
of  sixty-four  years,  in  1882.  He  married  ]\Iatilda 
Copeland,  who  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  is  now  a 
resident  of  Florida. 

Having  received  a  practical  common-school 
education  in  Placer  county  Millard  Fillmore  Neff 
came  with  his  parents  to  Fallbrook  town.ship 
when  a  boy  of  fourteen,  and  assisted  in  the  pio- 
neer lalxir  of  improving  a  ranch  from  the  wild 
land  which  his  father  purchased.  After  the 
death  of  his  father  he  had  the  management  of 
the  home  estate  until  it  was  sold  in  1888.  Moving 
then  into  the  village  of  Fallbrook  he  purchased  a 


184G 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


one-half  interest  in  the  general  merchandise  busi- 
ness of  J.  E.  Tracy  &  Son,  and  for  two  jears  the 
business  was  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of 
Tracy  &  Neflf.  At  the  end  of  that  time  Mr.  NefiE 
sold  out  to  J.  W.  Oieatem.  Removing  then  to 
his  present  ranch  he  has  since  been  prosperously 
employed  in  general  farming,  having  now  a 
finely  cultivated  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres.  He  is  especially  interested  in  raising  bees, 
being  very  successful,  at  the  present  time  having 
two  apiaries,  each  containing  one  hundred  and 
ten  colonies  of  these  busy  little  honey-makers. 
j\Ir.  Neff  is  a  man  of  eminent  business  qualifica- 
tions, and  is  one  of  the  stocl-diolders  in  the  Fall- 
brook  Mercantile  Company  store,  in  which  he 
was  for  two  years  the  bookkeeper.  He  takes  an 
intelligent  interest  in  local  matters,  is  a  firm  sup- 
porter of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party, 
and  for  a  number  of  years  has  served  as  school 
trustee. 

March  i8,  1885,  in  Fallbrook,  ^,lr.  Xeff  mar- 
ried Sarah  E.  Locke,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  three  children, 
namely:  Clarence,  at  home;  Edith,  a  pupil  in 
the  Fallbrook  high  school,  and  Benjamin  Gerry. 
Fraternallv  Mr.  Nefif  is  a  member  of  Fallbrook 
Lodge  No.  33q,  1.  O.  O.  F.,  and  of  Fallbrook 
Lodge  No.  317,  F.  &  A.  M.  Mrs.  Nefif  is  a 
woman  of  culture  and  refinement  and  a  member 
of  the  Baptist  Church. 


PIERCE  BROTHERS.  Among  the  repre- 
sentatives of  old  New  England  families  who  have 
transferred  their  substantial  traits  of  character 
to  the  far  west,  and  have  given  their  moral  and 
business  support  to  the  upbuilding  of  San  Pedro, 
mention  is  due  the  firm  of  Pierce  Brothers,  who 
as  dealers  in  staple  and  fancy  groceries  are 
carrying  on  a  profitable  business.  Qiarles  E., 
Frank  A.  and  Dennis  G.  Pierce  are  sons  of  Milo 
and  Miranda  (Galusha)  Pierce,  New  Englanders 
by  birth,  and  both  of  w-hom  are  now  deceased. 

The  eldest  of  the  three  sons  is  Charles  E. 
Pierce,  who  was  born  January  13,  1852,  in  South 
Shaftsbury.  Bennington  county,  Vt.,  and  was  ed- 
ucated at  the  Burr  and  Burton  Seminary  at 
Manchester,  that  state.  His  first  experience  in 
the  business  world  dates  back  to  the  time  when 
he  entered  the  employ  of  his  father,  who  con- 
ducted a  general  store  in  South  Shaftsbury.  The 
w^ork  was  congenial  and  his  services  were  like- 
wise .satisfactory  to  his  father,  but  owing  to 
failing  health  he  was  compelled  to  seek  a  change 
of  climate  and  consequently  went  to  St.  Paul, 
Minn.  He  remained  in  that  city  for  seven  years 
as  bookkeeper  for  a  building  and  loan  association 
and  real-estate  firm,  of  which  he  finally  became 
a  director,  and  in  the  meantime  also  organized 
and   became  president  of  another  building  and 


iuan  society.  During  his  residence  in  that  city 
he  became  one  of  its  employes,  and  as  bookkeeper 
for  one  year  in  the  city  treasurer's  office  and 
assistant  in  the  comptroller's  office  for  eight  years 
lie  not  only  won  the  commendation  of  his  supe- 
riors, but  gained  what  was  of  far  more  value  in 
the  business  training  which  his  various  duties 
placed  in  his  way. 

Leaving  the  middle  west  in  1903  ilr.  Pierce 
came  to  California,  and  after  spending  about  two 
months  in  Long  Beach,  with  his  brother  Frank 
A.  came  to  San  Pedro  and  established  themselves 
in  the  grocery  business  at  the  comer  of  Palos 
\'erdcs  and  Eleventh  streets.  So  rapidly  did 
their  business  increase  that  in  a  short  time  they 
realized  that  more  help  was  a  necessity,  and  forth- 
with asked  their  younger  brother,  Dennis  G.,  and 
his  wife  to  come  west  and  join  them  in  their 
growing  enterprise.  While  their  stock  includes 
everything  that  the  demands  of  the  household 
could  suggest,  such  as  staple  and  fancy  groceries, 
fruits  and  notions,  they  also  carry  a  complete 
line  of  shelf  and  heavy  hardware,  besides  deal- 
ing in  hay  and  grain. 

Charles  E.  Pierce  was  married  in  St.  Paul, 
Minn..  September  25,  1885,  to  Ellen  Bartlett, 
who  like  himself  was  a  native  of  New  England, 
her  birth  occurring  in  North  Adams,  Mass.  She 
died  in  St.  Paul,  Minn..  August  8,  1903.  While 
a  resident  of  St.  Paul,  Mr.  Pierce  was  initiated 
mto  Masonn-,  becoming  a  charter  member  of 
Shekinah  Lodge  No.  171,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  with 
which  he  is  still  affiliated ;  is  a  member  of  Chap- 
ter No.  18,  R.  A.  M.,  of  Bennington,  Vt. ;  Capitol 
Citv  I..odge  No.  48,  I.  O.  O.  F. ;  Capitol  City 
Lodge  No.  2,  K.  of  P.,  at  St.  Paul ;  North  Star 
Grove  Lodge  No.  4.  A.  U.  O.  D. ;  Bethesda 
Lodge  No.  I  of  the  Rebekahs  at  St.  Paul;  and 
Harbor  Chapter  No.  174,  O.  E.  S.,  at  San  Pedro. 

Frank  A.  Pierce  was  born  in  1856  and  reared 
in  South  Shaftsbury,  \'t.,  and  prior  to  coming  to 
California  in  1903  held  a  position  with  the 
American  Steel  Wire  Company  at  Allentown,  Pa. 
The  youngest  brother,  Dennis  G.,  was  also  born 
m  tlie  fa]nily  home  in  X'ermont,  February  2,  1872, 
and  his  early  training  and  education  were  re- 
ceived in  the  Green  Mountain  state.  Subse- 
quently he  took  a  higher  course  of  training  in 
the  Fort  Edward  (N.  Y.)  Institute.  His  mar- 
riage in  1896  in  Rochester,  Minn.,  united  him 
with  Anna  E.  Sischo.  a  native  of  Wisconsin. 
On  coming  to  California  in  1904  to  assist  his 
brothers  in  the  management  of  the  store  he  gave 
up  his  position  with  the  American  Steel  Wire 
Company,  as  his  brother  F.  A.  had  done  the  year 
previously.  F'raternally  F.  A.  Pierce  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  ?tIasonic  lodge  at  North  Bennington, 
Vt.,  the  Odd  Fellows  and  Knights  of  the  Golden 
Eagle  lodges  in  Allentown.  Pa.,  and  the  Elks 
lodge  in  San  Pedro,  while  D.  G.  Pierce  is  iden- 


HISTORIC.VL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1847 


tified  with  the  Odd  Fellows  and  Knights  of  Malta, 
both  of  AUentown,  Pa.  Although  the  Pierce 
brothers  are  among  the  more  recent  settlers  in 
San  Pedro  they  have  already  become  known  as 
men  of  sterling  worth  and  irreproachable  charac- 
ter. They  are  members  of  the  San  Pedro  cham- 
ber of  commerce  and  stockholders  in  the  Harbor 
Savings  Bank. 


FRANK  L.  MOORE.  A  farmer  of  practical 
experience  and  skill,  Frank  L.  Moore  is  actively 
identified  with  the  promotion  of  the  agricultural 
prosperity  of  Los  Angeles  county,  having  charge 
of  his  father's  ranch,  at  Palms,  and  also  of  the 
hotel  belonging  to  his  father,  Joseph  K.  Moore. 
He  comes  of  good  old  New  England  stock,  and 
was  born,  July  27,   i860,  in  St.  Peter,  Minn. 

Born  in  Massachusetts  in  1827,  Joseph  K. 
Moore  was  brought  up  and  educated  in  his  native 
state,  and  as  a  young  man  learned  the  printer's 
trade,  which  he  followed  for  awhile  in  the  east. 
With  the  venturous  ambition  of  youth  he  came 
overland  to  California  in  1852,  making  the 
tedious  journey  with  ox-teams.  Locating  in  San 
Francisco,  he  accepted  a  position  as  foreman  in 
a  printing  office,  receiving  $300  per  month  wages 
for  the  three  years  in  which  he  was  so  employed. 
Going  as  far  east  as  Minnesota  in  1856,  he  lo- 
cated at  St.  Peter,  where  he  started  the  St.  Peter 
Tribune.  He  was  subsequently  burned  out,  but 
immediately  rebuilt  and  continued  operations, 
remaining  in  that  city  thirty-five  years.  He  be- 
came very  prominent  in  municipal  atTairs,  serv- 
ing as  postmaster  twenty-four  years.  During  his 
residence  there  he  served  in  the  treasury  depart- 
ment at  Washington,  D.  C,  and  was  also  private 
secretary  for  Governor  McGill,  of  that  state. 
Disposing  of  his  interests  in  St.  Peter  in  1888, 
he  lived  in  retirement  at  St.  Anthony  Park  for 
six  years.  Coming  to  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  in 
1894,  he  bought  sixty  acres  of  land  near  Palms, 
where  he  improved  a  ranch  now  valued  at  over 
$500  per  acre.  He  also  owned  town  lots  and 
the  hotel  at  Palms,  valuable  real  estate  holdings 
at  Los  Angeles  and  Ocean  Park,  and  was  finan- 
ciallv  interested  in  silver  mines.  Fraternally  he 
was  a  Mason  and  quite  prominent  in  the  order. 
Although  physically  feeble,  his  mind  was  clear 
and  his  mental  vigor  unimpaired  until  his  death, 
in  February,  1906.  His  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Clara  Hosley,  was  born  in  Massachu- 
setts, and  is  still  living,  a  bright  and  active  wo- 
man, and  a  devoted  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  Four  children  blessed  their  union, 
namely:  Frank  L.,  the  special  subject  of  this 
sketch ;  Frederick  S.,  foreman  of  a  printing  office 
in  Downev,  Cal.;  Florence  K.,  living  at  home; 
and  Harry  E.,  of  Los  Angeles,  bookkeeper  for 
the  Conservative  Life  Insurance  Company. 


Educated  in  the  public  schools  of  St.  Peter, 
Frank  L.  Moore  subsequently  worked  in  his 
father's  printing  office  for  awhile,  after  which 
he  attended  Milton  College,  at  Milton,  Wis.,  for 
two  years.  On  attaining  his  majority  he  em- 
barked in  farming  pursuits,  for  a  number  of  years 
renting  land  in  Wisconsin.  Going  then  to  South 
Dakota,  he  took  up  a  homestead  claim  and  a  tree 
claim,  and  there  pursued  his  independent  calling 
for  awhile.  Selling  out,  he  returned  to  Wiscon- 
sin, and  after  farming  for  a  few  seasons  went  to 
St.  Paul,  Minn.,  where  he  was  employed  for  a 
year  in  a  printing  establishment.  Coming  to 
California  in  i8go,  he  located  near  San  Diego, 
where  for  three  years  he  had  charge  of  a  ranch 
belonging  to  his  father.  Going  then  to  Redlands, 
he  carried  on  farming  on  rented  land  for  two 
years,  when  he  returned  to  Los  Angeles  county, 
the  following  year  having  charge  of  a  ranch 
near  San  Gabriel.  Since  that  time  he  has  man- 
aged his  father's  ranch  of  sixty  acres  at  Palms, 
and  in  his  operations  has  met  with  marked  suc- 
cess. November  15,  1905,  he  assumed  control 
of  the  hotel  property,  which  he  managed  for  a 
short  time,  and  then  embarked  in  the  bakery  and 
confectionery  business, 

Mr.  Moore  married  first,  in  1881,  Annie  Mc- 
Nitt,  who  was  born  in  Wisconsin,  and  died  in 
that  state  at  the  age  of  twenty-six  years.  Of 
the  three  children  born  of  this  union,  two  died  in 
childhood,  and  one  is  living,  Frank  F.,  a  ranch- 
man of  Palms.  In  San  Diego,  Cal.,  Mr.  Moore 
married  Mrs.  Emma  (Swords)  Bales,  a  native 
of  Illinois,  and  they  have  one  child,  Edith  F. 
Moore.  Politically  Mr.  Moore  is  a  Republican, 
and  fraternallv  he  belongs  to  Palms  Camp  No. 
567,  W.  O.  W. 


H.  C.  KELSEA.  Prominent  among  the  lead- 
ing citizens  of  Compton  is  H.  C.  Kelsea,  who  lo- 
cated here  when  the  town  was  comparatively 
new,  and  in  its  upbuilding  and  growth  has  been 
an  important  force.  Enterprising  and  energetic, 
he  has  generously  aided  and  encouraged  the  es- 
tablishment of  all  beneficial  projects,  in  the  ma- 
terial and  business  advancement  of  town  and 
county  taking  an  active  part.  Brave  and  public- 
spirited,  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  vigilance 
committee  in  the  early  days,  being  captain  of 
the  local  company.  Of  thrifty  New  England 
stock,  he  was  Ijorn,  September  11,  1845,  in  New 
Hampshire,  which  was  likewise  the  birthplace 
and  life-long  residence  of  his  parents,  Benja- 
min Franklin  and  Martha  (Merrill)  Kelsea.  His 
father,  a  farmer  in  his  earlier  days,  subsequent- 
Iv  sold  his  land  and  settled  as  a  merchant  at 
Center  Harbor,  N.  H.  He  was  a  Whig  until 
the  formation  of  the  Republican  party,  when  he 
liecame  one  of  its  stanchest  adherents,  and   was 


1848 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


aclive  in  local  affairs,  serving  as  postmaster  un- 
der both  Lincoln  and  Johnson.  He  was  a  man 
of  high  moral  principles,  and  his  wife  was  a 
member  of  the  Alethodist  Episcopal  Church. 

After  leaving  the  district  school,  which  he  at- 
tended six  months  of  the  year,  H.  C.  Kelsea 
worked  for  awhile  in  his  father's  store,  at  Cen- 
ter Harbor,  N.  H.,  and  then  learned  the  trade 
of  machinist.  Enlisting,  in  August,  1861,  in 
Company  I,  Fifth  New  Hampshire  \'olunteer 
Infantr}-,  he  served  until  July  5,  1865,  during 
which  time  he  participated  in  thirty-two  engage- 
ments, including  the  battles  of  Gettysburg,  Seven 
Pines  and  the  Wilderness.  Being  wounded 
in  the  right  lung  during  the  latter  engagement, 
he  was  confined  in  the  hospital  for  two  months, 
and  on  being  released  was  sent  home  on  a  fur- 
lough. He  afterwards  reported  for  duty,  and 
remained  with  his  regiment  until  the  close  of 
the  war.  Locating  then  in  Salem,  J\Iass.,  he 
learned  the  trade  of  a  carpenter  and  builder,  at 
which  he  worked  as  a  journeyman  for  five  years, 
and  as  a  contractor  for  himself  for  two  years. 
Then,  the  wounds  that  he  received  in  the  war 
beginning  to  trouble  him  seriously,  he  came  by 
way  of  the  Isthmus  to  Cahfornia  in  1874,  hoping 
in  this  land  of  sunshine  to  receive  permanent 
benefit.  After  spending  a  brief  time  in  San 
Francisco,  he  came  on  a  coast  steamer  south  to 
Santa  Barbara,  from  there  going  up  into  the 
mountains.  He  subsequently  worked  at  his 
trade  in  Los  Angeles  for  a  year,  from  there 
coming  to  Compton.  Deciding  to  locate  here 
permanently  he  bought  a  ranch  of  twenfy-eight 
acres  and  began  life  as  a  farmer.  He  afterwards 
purchased  another  ranch,  one  containing  forty 
acres,  and  in  the  management  of  his  two  farms 
has  been  very  successful.  He  carries  on  general 
farming,  making  a  specialty  of  raising  two  of  the 
staple  products  of  this  section  of  the  county,  al- 
falfa and  beets.  In  addition  to  ranching  he  has 
carried  on  an  extensive  business  as  a  contractor 
and  builder,  having  erected  many  of  the  larger 
public  buildings  and  private  residences  of  Comp- 
ton and  vicinity,  being  popular  as  a  carpenter  and 
a  most  pleasant  and  agreeable  man  to  deal  with, 
as  he  is  upright  and  honest  in  all  of  his  trans- 
actions. 

In  1870,  in  Danvers,  Mass.,  Mr.  Kelsea  mar- 
ried Mary  E..  daughter  of  Frederick  A.  Wil- 
kins,  of  ^lassachusetts,  and  into  their  home  five 
children  have  been  born :  Frederick,  born  Oc- 
tober 6,  1873,  married  Sarah  Lothrop,  and  re- 
sides in  Long  Beach ;  Frank,  living  in  Los  An- 
geles, was  born  July  21,  1875;  Chester,  also 
of  Los  Angeles,  was  born  August  24,  1879;  Har- 
old, born  October  21,  1883,  resides  in  Los  An- 
geles; and  Gertrude,  born  August  24,  1887,  is  at- 
tending the  University  of  California  at  Berkeley. 
In  national  politics  ■\Ir.  Kelsea  supports  the  can- 


didate of  the  Republican  party,  but  in  local  af- 
fairs he  invariably  casts  his  ballot  for  the  men 
best  fitted  in  his  judgment  for  the  offices,  regard- 
less of  party  prejudices.  He  takes  great  inter- 
est in  town  and  city  matters,  and  has  served  as 
school  trustee.  Socially  he  is  a  member  and 
the  commander  of  Shiloh  Post  No.  60,  G.  A.  R., 
of  Compton. 


ROBERT  KIRKWOOD.  Familiar  with  va- 
rious portions  of  California  through  travel  and 
brief  sojourns  in  a  number  of  cities.  Air.  Kirk- 
wood  on  coming  to  Long  Beach  was  especially 
attracted  by  the  possibilities  of  this  city  and  so 
disposed  of  his  holdings  in  five  dift'erent  counties 
of  the  state,  in  order  that  his  investments  might 
be  centered  in  Long  Beach.  Here  he  now  lives, 
retired  from  business  activities,  in  the  comfort- 
able residence  which  he  erected  on  the  corner  of 
Alagnolia  avenue  and  ^^'est  Seventh  street.  Of 
Scotch  birth .  and  ancestry,  he  was  born  in  the 
city  of  Glasgow,  December  29,  1827,  being  a 
son  of  Robert  and  Jane  (Gilbur)  Kirkwood. 
natives  of  Scotland.  His  father,  who  was  a 
steam  engineer  by  occupation,  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1848  and  settled  near  St.  Louis,  where 
a  suburb  was  given  the  family  name.  There 
both  he  and  his  wife  remained  until  deatlT. 

In  a  family  of  three  sons  and  three  daughters 
Robert  Kirkwood  was  next  to  the  youngest.  Ed- 
ucated in  the  schools  of  his  native  city  and 
reared  to  habits  of  industry,  he  was  well  quali- 
fied to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world  when,  in 
1848,  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  the  United 
States.  The  trade  of  machinist,  which  he  had 
learned  in  Glasgow,  he  followed  in  St.  Louis 
until  1856,  when  he  came  to  the  Pacific  coast 
by  way  of  Panama.  For  a  time  he  worked  in 
San  Francisco  as  an  employe  of  the  Union  foun- 
dry (now  the  Union  Iron  Works),  but  in  1857 
he  went  to  Angel's  Camp  to  take  up  the  work 
of  a  mining  engineer.  After  working  for  two 
companies  he  formed  the  firm  of  Kirkwood  & 
Co.,  but  in  i860  discontinued  activities  there  and 
removed  to  Sonora,  where  he  was  employed  in 
a  foundry  for  eight  years.  The  year  1869  found 
him  in  Soulsbyville,  where  he  put  in  mining  ma- 
chinery and  then  acted  as  foreman  of  the  me- 
chanical department  in  the  mines.  Next  he  ex- 
perimented in  a  new  field  of  labor,  that  of  grape 
culture,  purchasing  in  1875  a  vineyard  near 
Fresno;  however,  not  finding  the  occupation 
profitable  at  that  time  and  place,  he  sold  the 
vineyard.  Later  he  made  his  home  in  Pasadena 
and  engaged  in  engineering  work  elsewhere  until 
1901,  when  he  came  to  Long  Beach  and  bought 
his  present  property. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Kirkwood  was  solemnized 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1849 


in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and  united  him  with  EHza- 
beth  Harris,  who  was  born  at  Worcester,  Eng- 
land, and  died  at  Long  Beach,  Gal.,  in  June  of 
1903.  Of  their  union  six  children  were  born 
and  four  are  now  living,  namely:  Alfred  Rob- 
ert, who  remains  with  his  father;  Mrs.  Jeannie 
Davies,  of  Long  Beach ;  Charles,  who  is  engaged 
in  mining  in  Alaska ;  and  Annie,  who  has  charge 
of  the  famil}'  home  since  the  death  of  her  mother. 
The  only  fraternity  with  which  j\lr.  Kirkwood 
has  been  identified  is  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows;  nor  has  he  been  active  in  politics, 
taking  no  part  in  the  same  aside  from  voting  the 
Republican  ticket  at  elections.  Through  his 
active  years  the  duties  of  his  occupation  were  such 
as  to  preclude  activity  in  fraternal  or  political 
organizations,  and  now,  when  retired  from  busi- 
ness, he  finds  his  greatest  enjoyment  in  the  quiet 
of  his  home  and  the  companionship  of  children 
and  friends. 


WILLIAM  EDWARD  PHELPS.  No 
citizen  takes  a  keener  interest  in  the  history 
of  California  than  does  Dr.  Phelps,  of  Red- 
lands,  and  no  citizen  is  more  ready  and  able 
to  lend  an  impetus  to  the  upbuilding,  of  the 
section  than  he.  Inheriting  from  an  old  New 
York  family  those  qualities  of  character  domi- 
nant in  the  life  of  the  early  settler,  he  was 
born  in  Phelps  Street,  Fulton  county,  N.  Y., 
November  12,  i860;  his  grandfather,  Chester, 
was  born  in  that  place,  as  was  his  father, 
George  R.,  a  farmer,  who  died  in  Gloversville 
in  May,  1903.  His  mother  was  a  member  of 
the  W^hitney  family,  her  birth  occurring  in 
Saratoga  county,  N.  Y.,  near  Glens  Falls ;  she 
still  survives  and  makes  her  home  in  Glovers- 
ville. She  has  two  sons  and  three  daughters 
living,  one  daughter  being  deceased ;  one  son, 
W.  W.,  is  now  a  glove  manufacturer  in  Glov- 
ersville. 

The  second  child  in  the  famil_\-  of  his  par- 
ents, ^VilIiam  Edward  Phelps  was  reared  in 
the  paternal  home  until  he  was  twent}'  years 
old,  receiving  a  preliminary  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  the  state.  In  Gloversville 
he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  gloves  and 
at  the  same  time  studied  and  began  the  prac- 
tice of  veterinary  surgeon.  Severing  his  busi- 
ness relations  in  that  place  in  June,  1890,  he 
came  to  California  and  located  in  Redlands, 
then  but  a  small  place,  and  here  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  his  profession,  which  he  has 
since  continued,  now  being  the  oldest  veteri- 
nary surgeon  in  San  Bernardino  county.  He 
has  been  successful  in  his  work  and  has  ac- 
quired a  competence,  and  at  the  same  time  by 
reason  of  his  interest  in  public  afifairs  has  as- 
sumed  a   place   of  prominence   in   the  citizen- 


ship of  the  place.  He  has  contributed  no  lit- 
tle toward  the  upbuilding  of  Redlands,  has 
purchased  and  improved  property,  and  now 
owns  a  comfortable  residence  on  Walnut  street, 
where  he  makes  his  home. 

In  Fulton  county,  N.  Y.,  Dr.  Phelps  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Emily  Banks, 
a  native  of  Phelps  Street,  N.  Y.,  where  her 
death  occurred.  She  had  two  children,  Jessie 
May  and  Harold  Chester,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  three  months.  The  second  marriage  of  Dr. 
Phelps  took  place  in  Redlands  and  united 
him  with  Miss  Hester  J.  Mums,  a  native  of 
Illinois,  and  born  of  this  union  is  one  son, 
Raymond  Chester.  Dr.  Phelps  gives  his  sup- 
port to  the  Baptist  Church,  of  which  his  wife 
is  a  member.  The  doctor  served  as  county 
veterinarian,  having  been  appointed  by  the 
board  of  supervisors  in  June,  1905.  Frater- 
nally he  is  prominent,  being  past  grand  of  the 
Odd  Fellows,  and  belonging  also  to  the  en- 
campment of  that  organization;  the  Redmen ; 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen ;  Fraternal 
Brotherhood;  Knights  of  the  Maccabees;  and 
the  Royal  Court,  of  which  he  is  serving  as 
trustee.  He  belongs  to  the  State  Veterinary 
Medical  Association  and  is  prominent  in  the 
Southern  California  Auxiliary.  Politically  he 
is  a  stanch  advocate  of  the  principles  advo- 
cated in  the  platform  of  the  Republican  party, 
and  is  serving  as  a  member  of  the  Republican 
County  Central  Committee.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Trade,  and  in  all  things  gives 
his  stanch  support  to  the  advancement"  and 
upbuilding  of  the  city.  He  is  justly  esteemed 
among  the  representative  citizens  of  Redlands, 
and  appreciated  for  the  high  qualities  of  char- 
acter displayed  during  his  residence  here. 


IRWTN  FELLOWS.  Indiana  has  contrib- 
uted her  quota  of  dependable  citizens  toward 
making  California  the  greatest  commonwealth  in 
the  west,  and  among  those  of  her  number  men- 
tion is  due  Irwin  Fellows,  who  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  the  state  since-  1887.  Born  in  Putnam 
county,  Ind.,  May  28,  1858,  he  is  a  son  of  War- 
ner and  Charlotte  (Howe)  Fellows,  the  latter 
both  natives  of  the  Empire  state.  In  Onondaga 
county,  where  he  was  born  in  1812,  W^arner 
Fellows  was  reared  to  young  manhood,  and  there 
also  he  settled  down  to  follow  an  agricultural  life. 
For  a  number  of  years  after  this  venture  he  w^as 
well  content  with  his  lot,  but  a  desire  to  settle 
in  a  newer  country  led  to  the  sale  of  his  eighty- 
acre  farm  and  the  year  1842  found  him  among 
the  pioneer  settlers  in  Indiana.  Selecting  a  lo- 
cation in  Putnam  county,  he  purchased  a  fann 
of  seventy-two  acres,  upon  which  he  made  his 
home   for  nearly   thirty   vears,    his   death   occur- 


1850 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ring  there  in  1870.  Politically  he  favored  Re- 
publican principles,  and  fraternally  he  was  iden- 
tified with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows. Although  he  was  not  allied  with  any  re- 
ligious organization  he  assisted  in  the  mainte- 
nance of  the  Baptist  Church,  of  which  denomina- 
tion his  wife  was  a  member. 

The  parental  family  comprised  twelve  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Irwin  was  the  youngest.  His 
early  boyhood  years  were  not  unlike  those  of  the 
average  boy  in  a  new  countr_\-,  and  when  not  at- 
tending the  subscription  school  he  was  perform- 
ing his  share  of  the  chores  on  the  farm.  This 
desultor}-  training  was  found  to  be  a  valuable 
asset  when,  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  he  was 
given  charge  of  the  home  farm,  running  it  for 
four  years.  About  this  time,  1879,  he  was  mar- 
ried and  with  his  bride  removed  to  Missouri,  re- 
moving back  to  Indiana  two  years  later,  how- 
ever. After  spending  a  like  period  in  the  Hoos- 
ier  state  he  went  to  Kansas,  there  learning  the 
mason's  trade.  Thus  doubly  equipped  for  mak- 
ing a  livelihood  he  came  to  California  in  1887, 
locating  at  once  in  Los  Angeles  county,  and  up- 
on the  property  which  he  then  purchased,  near 
Palms,  he  has  since  been  a  resident.  His  ranch 
comprises  eight  acres,  and  in  addition  to  its 
care  and  management  he  also  works  at  his  trade, 
the  combined  income  enabling  him  to  enjoy  the 
comforts  of  life  and  to  bestow  upon  his  children 
advantages  of  which  he  himself  was  deprived. 
To  himself  and  wife,  fonnerly  Martha  A.  Whit- 
taker,  two  children  have  been  born,  Luther  J., 
born  in  1879,  and  Warner  E.,  in  1882.  All  of 
the  family  attend  the  Baptist  Church,  of  which 
'Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fellows  are  members,  and  polit- 
ically Air.  Fellows  is  a  Republican.  The  only 
fraternal  order  of  which  he  is  a  member  is  the 
^^'oodmen  of  the  World. 


TA:\IES  B.  PROCTOR.  The  establishment 
of  the  Proctor  family  in  the  United  States  oc- 
curred under  circumstances  somewhat  peculiar. 
One  of  that  name  was  a  millwright  in  a  cotton 
mill  in  England  and.  being  a  man  of  unusual 
ability  and  energy,  he  acquired  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  business.  With  keen  foresight 
he  decided  that  the  United  States  offered  a 
splendid  field  for  the  establishment  of  a  cotton 
mill,  for  up  to  that  time  none  had  been  started 
in  the  new  world.  However,  the  English  gov- 
ernment, naturally  averse  to  the  building  up  of 
cotton  factories  in  our  country,  refused  to  give 
him  permission  to  come  to  the  United  States, 
but  allowed  him  to  go  as  far  as  Nova  Scotia. 
From  there  he  made  three  attempts  to  steal 
away,  but  each  time  was  caught  by  officers  until 
the  third  time,  when  he  secreted  himself  on 
board  of  a  vessel  bound  for  Massachusetts.    The 


officers  of  the  ship  and  the  crew  were  ignorant 
of  his  presence.  Scarcely  had  the  ship  set  sail 
when  he  was  missed  and  a  British  war  vessel 
was  dispatched  in  pursuit  of  the  craft.  Soon 
overtaken,  the  officers  made  a  thorough  search, 
but  could  not  find  the  missing  man,  so  they  de- 
parted, and  in  this  way  the  fugitive  reached 
Massachusetts  in  safety.  Shortly  after  his  ar- 
rival he  started  the  first  cotton  mill  in  the  United 
States  and  the  remainder  of  his  life  was  devoted 
to  that  occupation. 

Among  the  descendants  of  this  sturdy  English 
pioneer  of  JMassachusetts  was  a  grandson,  Al- 
fred A.  Proctor,  who  was  born  in  New  York, 
and  for  years  lived  in  I^lichigan,  but  about  1872 
came  to  California  and  started  the  first  black- 
smith's shop  at  Compton.  A  sincere  member  of 
the  Christian  Qiurch,  he'  died  in  that  faith  in 
Alay  of  1904.  In  early  manhood  he  had  married 
Margaret  Chrysler,  who  was  born  in  Canada, 
removed  in  childliood  to  \"ermont,  and  from 
there  to  r^Iichigan,  later  coming  to  California, 
where  in  1888  her  death  occurred.  Among  her 
three  children  there  was  one  daughter,  now  a 
resident  of  Los  Angeles.  One  of  the  sons  is 
living  at  Norwalk  and  the  other,  J.  B.,  makes 
his  home  at  Compton.  The  latter  was  born  at 
Lowell.  Kent  county,  ]\Iich.,  on  the  4th  of  July, 
1857,  and  came  with  his  parents  to  California, 
arriving  November  2,  1872,  after  which  he  at- 
tended school  at  Compton.  At  the  age  of  nine- 
teen years  he  became  interested  in  boring  wells 
and  has  since  engaged  in  this  business,  using 
two  machines  in  his  work.  For  ten  years  he 
made  his  home  in  Riverside,  but  with  that  ex- 
ception he  has  resided  at  Compton  since  coming 
to  the  coast. 

The  marriage  of  Air.  Proctor  took  place  No- 
vember 2,  1882,  and  united  him  with  Mary  Wil- 
son, a  native  of  California.  Three  children  were 
born  of  their  union,  namely :  Mctor  E.,  born 
August  9,  1883 :  Leona  AI.,  April  26,  1897 ;  and 
Viola  I.,  August  30,  1899.  The  father  of  Airs. 
Proctor  was  William  A.  Wilson,  who  was  born 
in  Alissouri  and  crossed  the  plains  with  his  wife 
in  the  first  train  behind  the  victims  of  the  Moun- 
tain Aleadow  massacre,  from  whom  they  were 
distant  only  forty  miles.  The  savages  came  upon 
their  own  little  party  and  took  all  of  their  stock, 
but  allowed  the  men  and  women  to  go  on 
through  Utah  unmolested.  When  Air.  \\'ilson 
arrived  in  California  he  had  nothing  but  his  yoke 
of  oxen  and  fifty  cents  in  money.  Notwith- 
standing his  condition  among  strangers,  with  a 
family  dependent  upon  him,  he  was  able  to  sup- 
plv  the  needs  of  wife  and  children  and  gradually 
gained  a  position  of  prosperity.  Of  his  eleven 
children  eight  survive,  four  sons  making  their 
home  at  Long  Beach.  His  death  occurred  in 
1892  and  was  mourned  by  the  people  of  Conip- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1851 


ton,  where  he  had  been  one  of  the  earhest  set- 
tlers. His  wife  and  her  mother  still  survive, 
and  there  are  altogether  five  generations  of  their 
family  living  in  this  vicinity.  The  Republican 
party  receives  the  stanch  support  of  j\Ir.  Proctor 
in  national  elections,  but  in  local  matters  he  sup- 
ports the  men  he  considers  best  qualified  to  pro- 
mote the  local  welfare.  In  fraternal  relations 
he  holds  membership  with  Anchor  Lodge,  No. 
273,  F.  &  A.  AL,  and  has  officiated  as  steward  of 
the  same. 


FRED.  A.  JMcCCRDY.  Among  the  enterpris- 
ing and  self-reliant  men  who  are  actively  as- 
sociated with  the  development  of  the  agricult- 
ural resources  of  Los  Angeles  county  is  F.  A. 
McCurd}',  a  well-known  ranchman  of  Clearwater 
township.  He  pays  especial  attention  to  dairy- 
ing and  poultry  raising,  and  in  the  management 
of  his  interests  shows  marked  ability  and  excel- 
lent judgment.  A  son  of  the  late  Daniel  Mc- 
Curdy,  he  was  born  January  2.2,  1852,  in  Waldo 
county,  ]\Ie.,  coming  from  honored  New  Eng- 
land stock. 

A  native  of  ]\Iaine,  Daniel  AJcCurdy  there 
spent  the  larger  part  of  his  comparatively  brief 
life,  being  a  true  and  loyal  citizen.  In  1862  he 
enlisted  in  his  country's  service,  becoming  a 
member  of  the  Eighteenth  Elaine  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, and  in  1864  met  his  death  on  the  field  of 
battle,  being  killed  at  the  siege  of  Petersburg. 
He  married  Hannah  Field,  who  was  born  in 
Maine,  living  there  until  1880,  when  she  re- 
moved to  Kansas.  From  there  she  subsequent- 
ly came  to  California,  and  died  at  the  home  of 
her  son,  F.  A.  McCurdy.  She  was  a  member  of 
the  Baptist  Church,  while  her  husband  belonged 
to  the  Christian  Church.  He  was  a  Republican 
in  politics,  and  a  man  of  sterling  character. 

Brought  up  in  his  native  town,  F.  A.  JMcCurdy 
received  hisi  early  education  in  the  district  schools, 
and  as  a  youth  was  well  trained  in  the  New 
England  habits  and  virtues.  Being  left  father- 
less when  a  boy,  he  was  thrown  partly  upon  his 
own  resources,  and  began  earning  his  living  by 
working  as  a  farm  hand  in  summer  and  in  the 
Maine  lumber  camps  winters.  Leaving  his 
native  state  in  1876.  he  made  his  way  westward 
to  Lawrence.  Kans.,  where  he  was  successfullv 
employed  in  the  agricultural  implement  business 
for  about  ten  years.  Coming  to  California  in 
1886,  he  was  for  six  years  engaged  as  a  wind- 
mill tank  contractor,  being  located  in  Alameda 
county,  near  Oakland.  Settling  then  in  San 
Luis  Obispo  county,  he  embarked  in  agricultural 
pursuits,  remaining  there  a  number  of  seasons. 
Disposing  of  his  property  in  that  locality,  he 
purchased  his  present  ranch  of  twenty  acres  near 
Clearwater,  and  since  devoted  himself  to  the 
raising  of  hay.  grain  and  alfalfa   for   feed,  and 


to  dairying  and  chicken   raising,   carrying  on   a 
large  and  lucrative  business  in  this  line. 

In  Kansas,  in  1879,  J^^r.  McCurdy  married 
Rachel  Walton,  who  was  born  in  Indiana.  Her 
father,  Amos  Walton,  was  born  and  reared  in 
Ohio,  but  after  his  marriage  settled  first  in 
Indiana,  later  moving  to  Kansas,  and  is  now  a 
resident  of  Long  Beach,  Cal.  His  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Sallie  Hiatt,  died  when  the 
daughter  Rachel  was  a  young  girl.  Of  the 
union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCurdy  six  children 
have  been  born,  and  of  them  we  mention  the 
following:  Clemie  Raye,  who  was  born  in  Kan- 
sas, died  at  the  age  of  four  years ;  Fred,  born 
in  Kansas,  lived  but  two  years;  Nicholas,  also 
born  in  Kansas,  is  following  the  carpenter's 
trade  in  Los  Angeles  county;  Helen  A.,  born 
in  Alameda  county,  Cal..  is  living  at  home; 
Blanche,  born  in  Alameda  county,  is  at  the 
Home  for  Cliildren,  in  Eldridge,  Sonoma  coun- 
ty ;  and  Joseph  F.,  is  the  only  one  of  the  children 
born  in  Los  Angeles  county,  his  birth  having 
occurred  on  the  home  ranch.  Politically  Mr. 
McCurdy  is  a  Republican,  and  fraternally  he 
is  a  member  of  Alameda  Lodge,  K.  of  P.  He 
is  an  esteemed  and  consistent  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  toward  the  support 
of  which  he  contributes  generously. 


MERCURIAL  LUGO.  The  ranch  of  eigh- 
teen acres  now  the  property  of  Mr.  Lugo  was 
formerly  a  part  of  La  Ballon'a  rancho,  the  latter 
in  times  past  one  of  the  vast  properties  held  by 
the  Spanish.  A  man  of  progressive  ideas,  he 
looks  forward  to  the  betterment  of  the  commun- 
ity in  which  he  makes  his  home,  in  a  special  as 
well  as  an  agricultural  way,  giving  the  best  of 
his  efforts  toward  this  end.  A  native  son  of  the 
state,  he  was  born  in  Los  Angeles  county  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1859.  (For  an  account  of  the  parental 
history  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  sketch  of 
\'icente  Lugo,  which  will  be  found  elsewhere  in 
this  volume.) 

The  first  seven  years  of  Mr.  Lugo's  life  were 
closely  associated  with  his  birthplace  in  Los  An- 
geles county,  the  family  at  this  period  remov- 
ing to  a  ranch  in  San  Diego  county.  Ten  or 
twelve  years  later  Mr.  Lugo  and  his  mother  re- 
moved to  the  ranch  in  Los  Angeles  county  which 
the  latter  owned  in  the  vicinity  of  Palms,  the 
two  making  their  home  together  until  the  son 
attained  his  twenty-fifth  year.  At  this  period 
in  his  career  he  formed  domestic  ties  of  his  own 
and  established  his  home  on  the  ranch  of  ei'gh- 
teen  acres  which  he  now  owns.  This  was  a  gift 
from  his  mother  at  the  time  of  his  marriage  and 
was  a  part  of  the  ranch  upon  which  he  and  his 
mother  had  resided  for  so  many  years  previously. 

Seven  children  were  born  of  the  marriage  of 


180-2 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Mercurial  Lugo  and  Reta  Rays,  the  latter  also 
a  native  of  Los  Angeles  county.  Named  in  or- 
der of  birth  their  children  are  as  follows:  An- 
tonio. Francisco.  Jean.  George.  Becinta.  Lovena 
and  Loquano.  \Vith  the  exception  of  Lovena, 
who  died  when  seven  years  of  age,  all  of  the 
children  are  at  home  with  the  parents.  The 
family  are  communicants  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  and  politically  ^Ir.  Lugo  is  a  Democrat. 
The  esteem  in  which  Z^Ir.  Lugo  is  held  by  his 
fellow  citizens  is  well  deserved  and  reflects 
further  credit  on  a  name  already  well  known  in 
this  part  of  California. 


AMOS  DAVIS  THATCHER.  The  Thatcher 
family  comes  of  old  Quaker  ancestry  and  became 
established  in  the  \'irginian  colony  during  the 
early  colonization  of  America.  One  hundred  and 
fifty-se\'en  years  ago  Jonathan  Thatcher  pur- 
chased from  Lord  Fairfax  a  plantation  situated 
near  what  is  now  ^lartinsburg.  W.  \'a.,  and  the 
house  he  erected  still  stands,  in  a  fair  state  of 
preservation.  The  old  homestead  has  been 
lianded  down  from  father  to  son  and  now  be- 
longs to  Newton  J.  Thatcher.  Perhaps  one  hun- 
dred years  ago  the  then  owner  of  the  property 
planted  an  orchard  of  apple  trees  and  long  after- 
wards this  was  still  considered  one  of  the  finest 
orchards  in  the  entire  state.  A  single  tree  one 
year  bore  one  hundred  and  forty-five  bushels  of 
apples,  and  some  of  the  trees  measured  as  much 
as  twenty-six  inches  in  diameter. 

The  original  owner  of  the  plantation  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  son  and  namesake,  who  was  a 
native  of  West  \'irginia  and  spent  his  entire  life 
in  that  state.  Next  in  line  of  descent  was  Mark 
Carr  Thatcher,  who  was  born  near  Martinsburg, 
W.  Ya..  and  at  an  early  age  removed  to  Ohio  and 
took  up  a  tract  of  raw  land.  During  1839  he  set- 
tled in  the  then  frontier  regions  of  the  territory 
of  Iowa,  where  he  improved  a  prairie  fami  in 
Yan  Buren  county,  and  continued  to  reside  there 
until  his  death.  As  early  as  1850  one  of  his  sons, 
Ezekiel,  crossed  the  plains  with  an  ox  team, 
arriving  in  California  after  a  fatiguing  journey 
of  five  months.  Eventually  settling  in  Shasta 
county,  he  is  still  one  of  the  leading  men  and 
honored  pioneers  of  that  section.  On  the  com- 
pletion of  the  railroad  across  the  continent  the 
father  determined  to  visit  Ezekiel  and  view  the 
great  and  hitherto  unknown  west.  Accompanied 
by  his  wife,  in  1868  he  went  to  Omaha  and  there 
paid  $600  for  two  tickets  to  Sacramento,  where 
they  arrived  at  the  expiration  of  five  days.  Dur- 
ing the  visit  in  California  he  lost  his  wife,  who 
was  Hannah  Thomas,  a  native  of  the  Shenandoah 
vallev  in  West  Virginia  and  a  descendant  of  an 
English  family  identified  with  the  Society  of 
Friends. 


There  were  nine  children  in  the  family  of 
;\Iark  Carr  Thatcher  and  seven  sons  are  still  liv- 
mg,  Amos  Davis  being  sixth  in  order  of  birth. 
Four  of  the  sons  were  Union  soldiers  in  the  Civil 
war,  namely:  Jonathan,  who  served  in  Com- 
pany E.  Fifteenth  Iowa  Infantr\- ;  Isaac,  also  of 
that  regiment,  and  who  was  wounded  in  the  bat- 
tles of  Corinth  and  Shiloh  ;  Aaron,  a  member  of 
the  First  Iowa  Cavalry :  and  Amos  D..  who 
served  with  the  Fifteenth  Iowa  Infantry.  On  the 
occasion  of  the  Grand  Army  Encampment  at 
\\'ashington.  D.  C,  in  October.  1902,  nine  mem- 
bers of  the  Thatcher  family  marched  abreast  in 
the  column  down  Pennsylvania  avenue  and  were 
given  a  flag  bearing  the  words.  "One  Family  of 
Thatchers." 

While  the  family  were  living  near  Wilming- 
ton. Qinton  county,  Ohio.  Amos  Davis  Thatcher 
was  born  April  9,  1838.  His  earliest  recollec- 
tions are  associated  with  frontier  surroundings  in 
Iowa.  Neighbors  were  few,  land  was  in  the  orig- 
inal condition  of  nature,  and  the  farmer's  task 
one  of  arduous  labor  and  self-sacrifice.  Free 
schools  had  not  yet  been  generally  introduced, 
and  he  was  a  pupil  in  a  subscription  school  con- 
ducted in  a  log  building  wholly  destitute  of  com- 
forts. When  the  war  opened  he  was  eager  to 
ofl^er  his  services  to  the  Union,  and  October  14, 
1861,  he  was  accepted  as  a  volunteer  in  Com- 
pany E  Fifteenth  Iowa  Infantry,  where  he  was 
first  a  sergeant  and  later  a  sergeant-major. 
Among  the  engagements  in  which  he  participated 
were  those  at  Shiloh.  Corinth.  luka.  siege  and 
surrender  of  \'icksbura:.  Oiampion  Hill.  Jackson 
and  Black  River  Bridge.  Ill-health  occasioned 
by  exposure  to  inclement  weather  and  the  hard- 
ships of  long  marches  forced  him  to -leave  the 
army,  and  he  received  an  honorable  discharge  in 
September.  1863.  at  the  close  of  little  less  than 
two  years  of  service. 

Returning  to  Van  Buren  county,  Iowa.  ^Ir. 
Thatcher  engaged  in  the  drug  business  and  also 
followed  farm  pursuits.  In  1878  he  removed  to 
Kansas  and  settled  on  a  farm  near  Topeka.  but 
after  three  years  on  the  farm  he  moved  into 
town  and  built  a  store  building  on  the  corner  of 
Sixth  and  Clay  streets,  a  locality  still  known  as 
Thatcher's  Corner.  On  account  of  the  ill-health 
of  a  son  he  eventually  disposed  of  his  interests 
in  Topeka  and  moved  to  California,  settling  in 
San  Diego  in  1889.  Two  years  later  he  went  to 
Pomona,  where  first  he  engaged  in  the  fruit  busi- 
ness and  later  was  superintendent  of  a  plant 
owned  by  the  Deciduous  Fruit  Growers  .Asso- 
ciation, his  special  work  being  the  preparation 
of  olives  for  tlie  market,  and  of  these  he  cured 
each  year  ten  thousand  gallons  during  the  winter 
months. 

Immediately  subsequent  to  his  arrival  at  O.x- 
nard.    February    27,    1900.    Mr.    Thatcher    took 


0f^/)r^O90-^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1853 


cliarge  of  the  business  of  the  CaHfornia  Imple- 
ment Company.  However,  within  a  short  time 
he  organized  the  Oxnard  Implement  Company, 
which  purchased  the  interests  of  the  former  or- 
ganization and  has  continued  the  business  to  the 
present  time,  with  himself  as  president  and  man- 
ager. The  implement  house  is  the  largest  busi- 
ness of  its  kind  in  Ventura  county.  The  company 
acts  as  exclusive  agents  for  the  machinery  man- 
ufactured by  the  jNIoline,  jMcCormick,  Stude- 
baker  and  Fish  Brothers  Companies,  also  handles 
gasoline  engines  manufactured  by  the  Fairbanks- 
Alorse  Company,  and  transacts  a  large  business 
in  the  line  of  its  specialties. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Thatcher  was 
solemnized  in  Iowa  and  united  him  with  Miss 
Alelissa  Hartsell,  who  was  born  in  Indiana.  Her 
death  occurred  in  1902,  while  attending  the 
Grand  Army  Encampment  at  Washington,  from 
which  city  the  bod}-  was  brought  to  Pomona, 
Cal.,  for  interment.  Five  children  were  born  of 
their  union,  namely :  George,  who  died  while 
his  father  was  at  Corinth  with  the  army  during 
the  Civil  war;  Mark,  who  died  at  Topeka,  Kans., 
October  15,  1888;  Frank,  who  died  at  San  Diego 
in  February,  1891  ;  Frederick,  cashier  of  the 
Bank  of  Oxnard ;  and  Hugh,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  drug  business  at  Los  Angeles.  Four  years 
after  coming  to  Oxnard  Mr.  Thatcher  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Mrs.  T.  E.  Parker,  who  was 
born  in  Massachusetts,  and  now  owns  mercan- 
tile interests  at  Littleton,  N.  H.  Both  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Thatcher  are  members  of  the  Order  of  the 
Eastern  Star  and  both  are  identified  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Qiurch,  in  which  he  offi- 
ciates as  a  trustee.  Politically  he  supports  Re- 
publican principles.  While  living  in  Kansas  he 
was  initiated  into  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  in  Topeka  Lodge  No.  40,  and  'also  af- 
filiated with  the  Encampment,  Canton  and 
Rebekahs.  He  was  made  a  Mason  in  Pomona 
Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  now  belongs  to  Oxnard 
Lodge  No.  341,  and  Oxnard  Chapter.  At  the 
time  of  removing  from  Kansas  he  was  com- 
mander of  Abe  Lincoln  Post  No.  i,  at  Topeka, 
and  now  has  his  membership  with  Vicksburg 
Post  No.  61, -G.  A.  R.,  in  Pomona,  this  state. 


WILLIAM  WARREN  ORR.  A  Cali- 
fornian  in  ever}-  sense  of  the  word  save  that 
of  birth,  William  W.  Orr  is  one  of  the  stanch 
supporters  of  the  commonwealth  and  an  im- 
portant factor  in  its  upbuilding.  He  is  locat- 
ed in  Los  Angeles  county  and  in  the  vicinity 
of  Norwalk  is  engaged  as  a  rancher,  owning 
a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  highly 
cultivated  and  improved  and  also  forty  acres 
just  north  of  his  home,  all  of  which  is  devoted 
to  grain   and   alfalfa   and   the   pasturage    for  a 


large  herd  of  cows  which  supplies  a  fine  dairy 
kept  by  Mr.  Orr.  Born  in  Union  county,  Ky., 
February  15,  1832,  Air.  Orr  was  a  son  of  Will- 
iam and  Su.san  (Stone)  Orr,  both  natives  of 
tlie  same  state,  the  paternal  grandfather,  John, 
having  emigrated  from  Ireland  in  an  early 
day  and  located  in  Kentucky  where  he  en- 
gaged as  a  surveyor  for  many  years.  Will- 
iam W.  Orr  is  the  sole  survivor  of  the  Orr 
family  of  Kentucky,  his  brothers  and  sisters 
being  deceased. 

A  limited  education  was  all  that  Mr.  Orr 
was  able  to  obtain  as  he  was  orphaned  by  the 
death  of  his  father  when  only  five  years  old, 
and  with  seven  children  in  the  family  it  was 
necessar)'  for  them  all  to  seek  some  means  of 
earning  their  own  livelihood.  As  soon  as  he 
was  old  enough  he  assumed  charge  of  his 
mother's  farm,  remaining  at  home  until  1852 
when  he  started  across  the  plains  to  California. 
He  arrived  in  Placerville,  Eldorado  county, 
the  same  year  and  engaged  in  mining  for  the 
ensuing  four  years.  He  then  went  to  Alameda 
county  and  purchased  a  ranch  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  and  carried  on  general 
farming  for  about  five  years,  when  he  dis- 
posed of  these  interests  and  removed  to  Con- 
tra Costa  county  and  purchased  a  stock  ranch 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  He  followed 
this  enterprise  for  a  time  and  then  bought 
ihe  La  Fayette  hotel  at  La  Fayette  and  spent 
ten  years  "in  that  section.  In  1864  in  com- 
pany with  Judge  \'enable  he  went  to  Nevada 
and  was  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  in 
that  state  for  three  years,  when  he  returned 
I0  Kenetucky  via  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  and 
the  following  year  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah 
E.  Ryle,  a  native  of  Oldham  county,  Ky.,  and 
a  daughter  of  William  and  Annie  ( Baldock) 
Rvle.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ryle  came  to  California 
aiid  spent  their  last  days  with  their  daughter 
on  the  old  homestead,  his  death  occurring  in 
1889  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years  and  hers 
at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years. 

In  1869  Mr.  Orr  and  his  wife  set  out  for 
California  with  an  ox-team,  coming  via  the 
southern  route,  and  while  camping  at  Waco, 
Tex.,  their  first  child  was  born.  Pushing  on 
toward  their  journey's  end  they  arrived  in 
San  Diego,  where  Mr.  Orr  found  himself 
without  means,  but  here  he  received  a  letter 
from  his  friend  and  former  associate.  Judge 
Venable,  advising  him  to  come  on  to  Los  An- 
geles. They  reached  Los  Angeles  county  and 
in  the  vicinity  of  Norwalk  Mr.  Orr  rented 
land  and  began  farming,  two  years  later  pur- 
chasing the  first  forty  acres  he  owned,  and 
where  the  old  home  now  stands.  The  coun- 
try was  then  wild,  with  but  few  settlers.  He 
lias  since  continued  to  ]nirchase  propert)-  until 


1S54 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


he  now  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 
the  home  property  and  a  forty-acre  tract  one 
mile  north,  all  well  improved  and  finely  culti- 
vated. With  his  general  farming  he  also  man- 
ages an  extensive  dairy  business,  milking  over 
thirty  cows,  while  at  times  he  has  had  as 
many  as  eighty  in  his  herd.  He  has  put  up 
a  model  dairy,  which  is  sanitary  in  all  its  ap- 
pointments. He  is  also  interested  in  the  rais- 
ing of  thoroughbred  draft  horses.  Mr.  Qrr 
owns  a  fine  residence  property  on  Maple  ave- 
nue, near  Sixteenth,  Los  Angeles. 

Mr.  Qrr  lost  his  wife  August  21,  1905,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-three  years.  He  has  a  family 
of  five  children,  namely:  Emma,  wife  of  Wal- 
lace Randall  and  the  mother  of  four  children, 
their  home  being  in  the  vicinity  of  the  new  Riv- 
era school  house;  William,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  twenty-one  years,  John  Avho  married  Mi- 
randa Sackett,  has  two  children,  and  resides 
on  a  forty-acre  ranch  ;  Robert,  who  married 
Mabel  Miller  and  now  lives  in  Tulare  county, 
Cal. ;  and  Charles  A.,  who  married  Grace  Gib- 
son, and  is  located  on  the  old  place.  ^Ir.  Qrr 
is  a  charter  member  of  Downey  Lodge  No. 
220,  F.  &  A.  'SL,  and  is  proud  of  the  fact  that 
all  of  his  sons  are  identified  with  the  Masonic 
organization.  Mr.  Qrr  is  one  of  the  esteemed 
residents  of  this  section,  his  home  having  been 
upon  this  property  he  now  owns  for  the  past 
thirty-five  years,  during  which  he  has  taken  a 
keen  interest  in  the  development  and  upbuild- 
ing of  his  adopted  home ;  has  established  for 
himself  a  position  of  respect  among  his  fellow 
citizens  for  his  integrity  and  personal  worth  : 
and  has  also  accumulated  a  competence.  Al- 
though ad\'anced  in  years  he  is  still  actively 
engaged  in  the  management  of  his  ranch  and 
is  proud  of  his  superior  products.  He  is  just- 
ly named  among  the  representative  citizens  of 
Los  Angeles  county  for  to  such  characters  as 
his  is  owed  the  progress  of  the  western  com- 
monwealth. 


JOSEPH  ERAXKLIN  NADEAU.  The 
name  of  Nadeau  is  inseparably  linked  with  the 
history  and  highest  development  of  Southern 
California,  and  especially  is  it  synonymous  with 
progress  in  Los  Angeles  county  and  city,  where 
Remi  Nadeau,  the  father  of  Joseph  Franklin, 
became  a  pioneer  settler  in  i860,  and  it  was  he 
who  erected  the  first  real  modern  building  within 
the  precincts  of  the  city.  The  senior  Nadeau. 
who  was  born  in  the  province  of  Quebec,  Canada, 
was  descended  from  French  ancestry  and  early 
settled  in  Concord,  N.  H.,  where  he  was  occupied 
as  a  millwright  and  built  a  number  of  mills. 
In  1857  li^  removed  to  Chicago,  remaining  there 
a    short    time    only    before    going    to    Faribault, 


Minn.,  where  he  erected  mills  and  engaged  in 
milling  operations.  Two  years  later  he  decided 
to  push  his  way  further  west  and  crossed  the 
plains,  going  by  way  of  Pike's  Peak  to  Salt 
Lake  City,  and  after  a  year's  sojourn  there 
finished  his  westward  trip  to  the  Pacific  coast 
and  became  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Los  An- 
geles. Upon  his  arrival  here  he  began  to  do 
heavy  teaming,  later  engaged  in  merchandising 
and  again  in  freighting,  using  sixteen  and  twenty 
mule  teams  to  haul  merchandise  to  the  mines, 
returning  with  loads  of  bullion.  His  extensive 
business  in  this  line  embraced  the  Owens  river 
country,  and  he  also  brought  borax  from  the 
deserts  of  California  and  Nevada,  for  his  were 
the  largest  teaming  outfits  owned  bv  anyone  in 
those    days. 

It  was  about  the  year  1884  that  he  erected 
the  Nadeau  building,  which 'was  the  largest  in 
the  city  and  the  first  large  building  on  Spring 
street.  He  had  succeeded  in  accumulating  ex- 
tensive property  interests  in  various  locations,  be- 
came interested  in  agriculture  and  horticulture, 
and  owned  four  thousand  acres  of  land  embraced 
in  what  is  now  known  as  the  Cudahy  ranch, 
adjoining  the  city  on  the  south,  upon  which 
he  planted  a  twenty-five-hundred-acre  vineyard, 
making  his  the  largest  one  in  this  section  of  the 
state  for  many  years.  The  remainder  of  his 
land  was  devoted  to  the  raising  of  alfalfa  hay 
and  other  grain  crops.  Politically  he  was  a 
stanch  advocate  of  the  principles  embraced  in 
the  platform  of  the  Republican  party  and  was 
actively  interested  in  the  public  welfare  of  the 
municipality  in  which  he  lived.  His  death,  in 
January,  1887,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years, 
removed  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  pro- 
gressive .citizens  this  section  has  known,  and  a 
man  whose  honesty  and  integritv  of  character 
were  acknowledged  by  all  who  had  the  pleasure 
of  his  acquaintance.  His  wife,  who  was  before 
her  marriage  Martha  Fry,  was  a  native  of  Con- 
cord. N.  H.,  and  a  daughter  of  Amos  Fry,  who 
patriotically  served  his  country  in  the  war  of 
181 2.  The  death  of  Mrs.  Nadeau  occurred  in 
Los  Angeles. 

The  oldest  in  a  family  of  seven  children,  four 
of  whom  grew  to  maturity,  Joseph  Franklin 
Xadeau  was  born  in  1845  in  Concord.  N.  H., 
and  reared  in  that  state  until  fourteen  years  of 
age,  his  education  being  received  there  in  the 
public  schools  and  at  an  academy.  In  i8>q  he 
removed  with  the  family  to  Faribault,  Minn., 
and  in  1862  became  a  volunteer  in  Company 
H,  First  Regiment  of  Minnesota  Cavalry,  having 
mustered  into  service  at  St.  Peter.  He  was 
engaged  in  the  Sioux  Indian  campaign  until  186.^, 
when  the  redskins  were  forced  to  cross  the  Mis- 
"iouri  river,  and  returning  to  ^Minnesota  he  was 
mustered  out  at  Fort  Snelling  in  the  fall  of  1863. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1855 


Following  this  he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade 
and  was  occupied  as  a  builder  in  Faribault  for 
a  time.  In  1868  he  came  to  California  via  Pan- 
ama and  located  in  Los  Angeles  for  one  year, 
ihen  removed  to  the  northern  states  and  spent 
the  subsequent  four  years  in  Washington  and 
( )regon  on  the  Cowlitz  and  Columbia  rivers. 

Returning  to  California  in  1873  Air.  Xadeau 
engaged  in  the  teaming  business  with  his  father 
in  the  Nevada  and  California  deserts,  becoming 
interested  in  the  borax  mines  at  Columbus,  Xev. 
He  built  four  plants  for  refining  the  product 
with  a  capacity  of  twenty  tons  daily.  The  cost 
of  hauling  the  borax  from  Columbus  to  Wads- 
worth  was  four  cents  per  hundred  weight,  and 
the  railroad  haul  to  San  Francisco  was  from 
one  to  two  cents,  so  that  when  great  quantities 
were  shipped  the  market  was  soon  flooded  and 
the  operation  of  the  plants  became  unprofitable. 
Again  returning  to  California  the  father  teamed 
in  Inyo  county,  forming  a  partnership  with 
Judson  &  Belshaw,  known  as  the  Cerro  Gordo 
Freighting  Company,  he  acting  in  the  capacity 
(  f  manager.  The  son  went  to  Modoc  count}- 
and  engaged  in  the  cattle  business  at  Goose 
Lake  for  a  year,  then  returned  to  Los  Angeles 
and  was  in  busmess  with  his  father  for  several 
years,  after  w-hich  he  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock-raising  on  a  large  scale,  operating  the  Cen- 
tinello  and  White  &  Denman  ranches,  and  hav- 
ing from  one  thousand  to  three  thousand  acres 
of  land  in  crops  each  year.  He  operated  four 
steam  threshing  outfits  at  one  time  at  an  ex- 
pense of  $250  per  day.  Later  he  bought  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  adjacent  to 
the  city  and  planted  it  to  grapes.  This  land  now 
adjoins  Ascot  Park  on  the  south  and  lies  be- 
tween Central  and  Main  streets.  The  price 
of  grapes  w-ent  down  so  low  as  to  make  their 
raising  an  unprofitable  business  and  he  was 
obliged  to  dispose  of  his  vineyard  in  a  few  years. 
He  then  engaged  in  the  furniture  business  in 
San  Diego,  and  for  the  following  six  years 
was  interested  in  the  development  of  that  sec- 
tion of  the  state.  Returning  to  Los  Angeles 
he  there  continued  in  the  furniture  business. 

In  1897  ^^''-  Nadeau  w^ent  to  Skagway,  Alaska, 
and  inspected  the  Alton  mines,  but  finding  them 
commercially  unprofitable  he  settled  in  Seattle 
for  five  years,  occupied  as  a  manufacturer  of 
show  cases  and  office  fixtures.  January  of  1904 
found  him  again  a  resident  of  Los  Angeles,  and 
a  year  later  he  located  in  Long  Beach,  building 
a  residence  on  Riverside  Drive  and  Third  street, 
and  here  he  h.as  since  devoted  his  time  to  looking 
after  his  large  business  interests.  He  subdivided 
the  Nadeau  homestead  tract  on  the  Long  Beach 
car  line  on  Nadeau  street,  the  plat  embracing 
thirtv-six  acres ;  laid  out  thirtv-two  acres  on 
Xadeau  street  across  from  the  first-named  tract 


and  called  it  the  Edgewood  Park  tract ;  then  laid 
out  ten  additional  acres  adjoining  Woodland 
Park  tract,  and  has  established  one  large  water 
plant  for  the  three  additions.  The  Powers  pump 
over  the  well  has  a  capacity  of  two  hundred 
inches  of  water.  He  is  interested  in  the  Inner 
Harbor  tract  developed  by  the  Inner  Harbor- 
Realty  Company,  of  which  he  is  a  director,  and 
owns  other  valuable  real  estate  in  Long  Beach. 

Politically  Mr.  Xadeau  is  a  firm  believer  in 
Republican  principles  and  is  interested  in  the 
good  government  of  the  community.  He  has 
a  family  of  five  children ;  George  J.,  residing 
at  X'adeau  station,  and  having  charge  of  his 
father's  interests  there ;  Remi,  in  the  real-estate 
business  at  Florence  station ;  Amos,  a  fanner 
at  Florence  station ;  Laura,  the  wife  of  Will- 
iam Anderson,  of  Los  Angeles;  and  Don  Cle- 
n-iont,  living  at  home.  Personally  Mr.  X'adeau 
is  a  man  of  quiet  habits  and  modest  disposition, 
but  possesses  an  innate  strength  which  causes 
hi-.n  to  be  immediately  recognized  as  a  leader 
b\-  all  those  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact, 
i-ither  sociallv  or  in  a  business  wa\-. 


WALTER  E.  BARKER.  Xot  a  few  of  the 
men  yet  prominent  in  business  affairs  and  public 
life  are  veterans  of  the  Civil  war,  whose  youthful 
participation  in  the  turmoil  of  a  bitterly  contested 
struggle  has  been  followed  by  long  years  of  hon- 
orable association  with  civic  movements  and 
peaceful  perseverance  in  commercial  pursuits. 
Among  such  men  there  may  be  mentioned  Walter 
E.  Barker,  for  the  past  few  years  a  resident  of 
Southern  California  and  a  business  man  of  Long 
Beach.  The  year  after  the  beginning  of  the  war, 
when  he  was  only  seventeen  years  of  age,  he  was 
accepted  as  a  private  in  Company  C,  Thirtieth 
Maine  Infantry,  and  went  to  various  parts  of 
the  south  in  company  with  his  regiment,  taking 
part  in  the  battle  of  Pleasant  Hill  under  General 
Banks  and  fighting  at  Cedar  Creek  with  General 
Sheridan.  The  hardships  of  camp  life  and  the 
exposure  incident  to  long  marches  resulted  in  a 
sickness,  which  detained  him  in  New  Orleans 
for  a  tinie,  but  with  that  exception  he  remained 
with  his  regiment  in  camp  and  on  the  battlefield 
until  the  expiration  of  his  period  of  ser\'ice  in 
1864,  when  he  retumed  to  his  northern  home. 

Descended  from  an  ancient  family  of  New 
England,  Mr.  Barker  was  one  of  eight  children, 
all  of  whom  live  in  the  east  with  the  exception 
of  himself,  and  whose  parents'.  D.  K.  and  Julia 
A.  (Green)  Barker,  were  natives  and  lifelong 
residents  of  Maine.  It  was  in  Maine  that  he  was 
born  June  4,  1845,  and  there  he  received  such 
advantages  as  the  con-imon  schools  afforded,  leav- 
ing school  to  march  with  a  gallant  troop  of  Maine 
boys   to  the  seat  of  war   in  the   service  of  the 


1856 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGR-APHICAL  RECORD. 


Union.  From  boyhood  he  had  been  familiar 
with  the  lumber  industry  and  at  the  close  of  the 
war  he  took  up  tiiat  occupation,  of  which  he  soon 
acquired  a  thoroug;h  knowledge.  For  eight  years 
he  was  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  in  Penn- 
sylvania, and  from  there  went  to  \\'isconsin, 
where  he  remained  about  one-quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury, meanwhile  conducting  a  lumber  business 
with  Chippewa  Falls  as  his  headquarters  and 
place  of  residence.  On  coming  to  California,  in 
1902,  he  established  his  home  in  Long  Beach, 
where  he  has  since  been  a  stockholder  in  a  paint 
and  paper  business. 

The  marriage  of  'Sir.  Barker  occurred  in 
Wisconsin  and  united  him  with  ]\Iiss  Static, 
daughter  of  Abel  Brownell.  and  a  native  of  Wis- 
consin, where  her  entire  life  was  passed  until  ten 
years  after  her  marriage.  In  her  old  home  in  that 
state  she  has  a  host  of  personal  friends  and  was 
one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  Episcopal 
Church,  her  membership  in  which  denomination 
later  was  transferred  to  the  Long  Beach  Church. 
During  the  long  period  of  his  residence  in  Wis- 
consin Mr.  Barker  maintained  an  active  part  in 
local  politics  and  was  known  as  one  of  the  lead- 
ing Republicans  of  his  locality,  yet  he  had  no  as- 
pirations toward  official  honors  and  never  sought 
office  at  anv  time  or  in  any  capacity.  Yet,  had 
his  inclinations  turned  in  that  direction,  his  fel- 
low-citizens would  have  tendered  him  such  of- 
fices as  were  within  their  gift,  for  he  was  a  man 
of  great  popularity  in  his  section  of  Wisconsin, 
and  since  coming  to  the  west  has  also  gained  a 
circle  of  warm  friends  in  his  new  home. 


JOHN  C.  WEES.  An  identification  of  more 
than  thirty  years  with  the  city  of  San  Ber- 
nardino entitles  j\lr.  ^^'ees  to  be  numbered 
among  its  early  settlers,  as  also  he  has  been  one 
of  its  leading  builders.  While  for  some  years 
he  has  been  retired  from  business  cares,  the 
work  which  he  did  in  the  past  still  stands  a 
monument  to  his  thrift,  efficiency  and  reliability. 
\'arious  of  the  houses  of  worship  in  the  city 
were  erected  by  him,  as  were  also  numerous 
business  properties  and  many  residences.  Dur- 
ing all  the  years  of  his  energetic  devotion  to  his 
trade  he  has  owned  and  superintended  a  ranch 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Riverside 
county,  which  is  in  hay  and  grain,  and  which 
at  this  writing  is  operated  by  a  son.  Since  re- 
tiring from  his  trade  he  has  devoted  his  atten- 
tion to  the  supervision  of  his  property  and  to 
the  discharge  of  his  duties  as  member  of  the 
citv  council  from  the  fourth  ward. 

The  genealogy  of  the  \\'ees  family  shows  that 
they  removed  from  Wales  to  the  north  of  Eng- 
land many  generations  gone  by,  and  some  of  the 
ancestors  also  came  to  .\merica   from   Holland. 


John  C.  Wees  was  born  near  Toronto  in  Belle- 
ville, Canada,  August  9,  1835,  being  a  son  of 
Peter  and  Joyce  (Brown)  Wees,  natives  respec- 
tively of  Canada  and  England.  The  parents 
were  lifelong  residents  of  Canada  and  followed 
agricultural  pursuits.  Reared  on  the  home  farm 
and  given  the  advantages  of  a  common  school 
education,  John  C.  Wees  grew  to  manhood  with- 
out special  incident  to  mark  the  passing  years  of 
boyhood  and  youth.  At  an  early  age  he  began 
to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade,  but  he  remained 
at  home  until  he  was  twenty-one  and  assisted 
his  father  in  the  management  of  the  large  farm. 
After  having  completed  his  trade,  in  i860,  he 
crossed  into  the  States  and  settled  at  Appleton, 
Wis.,  where  he  worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade, 
remaining  for  a  number  of  busy  and  uneventful 
years. 

Coming  to  California  in  1875  Mr.  Wees  re- 
mained in  San  Francisco  from  May  until  August 
and  then  came  to  San  Bernardino,  where  he  im- 
mediately secured  employment  at  carpentering. 
Such  was  the  success  of  his  work  that  he  was 
kept  constantly  busy,  and  little  by  little,  with 
the  proceeds  of  his  earnings  from  the  trade,  he 
was  able  to  become  a  property  owner  and  he  in- 
vested with  such  wise  judgment  that  he  is  now 
well  to  do,  holding  a  position  among  the  pros- 
perous citizens  of  the  city.  His  various  proper- 
ties afford  him  a  sufficient  income  to  render  un- 
necessary a  continuance  at  carpentering,  and  ac- 
cordingly he  has  retired  from  such  responsibili- 
ties. His  home  at  No.  1334  C  street  is  a  modern 
structure  with  attractive  environments  and  sub- 
stantial furnishings.  Frequently  he  has  been 
oft'ered  a  high  price  for  his  ten  acres  of  walnut 
land  surrounding  the  residence,  but  a&  yet  he 
has  refused  all  offers,  preferring  to  retain  the 
homestead  intact.  For  more  than  one-half  cen- 
tury he  has  had  the  companionship  of  an  excel- 
lent wife,  whose  cheerful  co-operation  has  en- 
hanced his  successes  and  lessened  his  disappoint- 
ments. Mrs.  Wees  was  Louise  Wright,  a  na- 
tive of  Canada,  where  she  was  educated  and 
where  in  1850  she  became  the  wife  of  the  man 
by  whose  side  she  has  since  labored  for  their 
mutual  welfare  and  happiness.  Three  children 
were  born  of  their  union,  namely :  Oscar,  who 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade  with  his  father  and 
now  operates  the  latter's  ranch :  Armantha,  de- 
ceased ;  and  James  H.,  at  home. 

Ever  since  becoming,  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States  Mr.  Wees  has  kept  posted  concerning  our 
national  problems  and  has  maintained  a  constant 
interest  in  movements  for  the  upbuilding  of  his 
county  and  state.  Politically  he  votes  the 
straight  Republican  ticket  and  always  gives  that 
party  his  stanch  allegiance.  For  eight  years  he 
served  efficiently  in  the  office  of  city  trustee  and 
since    1902   he   has   been   a  member  of   the   city 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1857 


council,  representing-  the  fourth  ward,  in  which 
capacity  he  has  given  his  support  to  measures 
hencficial  to  the  city,  yet  bearing  ever  in  mind 
the  interests  of  the  taxpayers.  More  than  forty 
years  ago,  while  living  in  Wisconsin,  he  became 
a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  now  has  his  name  enrolled  with  Token 
Lodge  No.  290,  in  the  work  of  which  he  has 
been  warmly  interested. 


ALLEN  W.  ANDREWS.  Actively  and 
prosperous!)^  engaged  in  business  as  a  dealer 
in  real  estate,  and  as  a  property  owner,  Allen 
W.  Andrews  holds  a  position  of  note  among 
the  representative  men  of  Compton.  Public- 
spirited  and  energetic,  he  has  been  a  promi- 
nent factor  in  the  upbuilding  of  this  part  of 
the  county,  his  aid  and  influence  being  visible 
in  all  movements  for  the  general  welfare  of  the 
community.  The  descendant  of  an  old  colonial 
family  of  New  England,  he  was  born  April  25, 
1845,  i"  McHenry  county.  111.,  a  son  of  George 
Andrews. 

Born  and  reared  in  Massachusetts,  George 
Andrews  left  the  scenes  of  his  childhood  days 
when  a  young  man,  migrating  to  Illinois, 
where  he  took  up  land  from  the  government, 
in  McHenry  county.  With  true  pioneer  grit 
and  courage  he  cleared  and  improved  a  valua- 
ble homestead,  on  which  he  was  prosperously 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  until  his  death 
in  1903.  He  married  Cordelia  Allen,  who  was 
born  in  Alichigan,  and  died  on  the  home  fann 
in  Illinois  in  1847.  Three  children  were  born 
of  their  union,  naniel\':  Henrv  T..  who  served 
throughout  the  Civil  war  in  Company  C, 
Twentieth  Illinois  A^olunteer  Infantry,  subse- 
quentlv  studied  law,  and  now  resides  in  Pres- 
cott.  Ariz. :  John,  who  enlisted  in  Company  D, 
Eighth  Missouri  Volunteer  Infantry,  during 
the  Civil  war.  and  died  of  measles  while  in 
service ;  and  ."Mien  W.,  with  whom  this  sketch 
is  chiefly  concerned.  Both  parents  were  \Jm- 
versalists  in  their  religious  beliefs,  and  in  poli- 
tics the  father  was  a  Republican. 

Brought  up  on  the  home  farm,  Allen  ^^^  .An- 
drews obtained  a  practical  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  district.  Fired  with  the 
same  spirit  of  patriotism  that  enthused  his 
brothers,  he  enlisted,  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
3'ears.  in  Companv  E.  First  Illinois  .\rtillery, 
better  known  as  the  \A''aterhouse  Battery,  was 
mustered  into  service  on  December  13,  1861, 
•and  remained  with  his  comrades  until  mus- 
tered out,  December  24,  1864.  He  participated 
in  many  of  the  important  battles  of  the  war.  in- 
cluding the  engagement  at  Pittsburg  Landing, 
in  .\pril.  1862;  those  at  Corinth.  ATemnhis. 
Guntown.  Raymond.  Champion  Hill,  the  Siege 


of  Vicksburg,  and  at  Jackson,  :\[iss.  During 
the  summer  and  fall  of  1864  he,  with  his  com- 
pany, followed  General  Price  through  Arkan- 
sas, Missouri  and  Kansas,  from  the  latter  state 
going  to  Nashville,  Tenn.,  where  he  took  an 
active  part  in  the  engagements  of  December 
15  and  16,  just  before  he  was  mustered  out. 

Returning  from  the  scene  of  conflict  to  his 
home  in  central  Illinois,  Mr.  Andrews  re- 
mained there  awhile,  after  which  he  resided  in 
Missouri  and  Kansas  for  a  long  time,  living  in 
the  former  state  four  years,  and  in  the  last- 
named  ten  years.  Coming  from  Kansas  to 
California  in  1887,  he  first  engaged  in  the  liv- 
ery business  in  Pasadena,  after  which  he 
turned  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits, 
living  on  a  ranch  for  a  number  of  years.  Sub- 
sequently settling  in  Compton,  he  has  since 
carried  on  an  extensive  business  as  a  general 
dealer  in  real  estate,  by  his  systematic  meth- 
ods and  honest  dealings  building  up  a  fine 
trade  and  winning  the  confidence  and  respect 
of  the  people. 

In  1892  Mr.  Andrews  married  Nellie  Mc- 
Nall.  daughter  of  Chauncey  McNall,  a  native 
of  New  York,  and  into  their  pleasant  home 
three  children  have  been  born,  namely :  Nellie, 
thirteen  years  old ;  Webb,  nine  years  of  age ; 
and  lohn,  seven  years  old.  Politically  Mr. 
Andrews  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  takes  a 
genuine  interest  in  local  and  national  affairs. 
Fraternallv  he  is  a  Knight  of  Pythias,  and  be- 
longs to  Shiloh  Post  No.  60,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Comp- 
ton. Religiously  he  is  a  Congregationalist.  He 
has  accumulated  money  as  a  business  man, 
and  in  addition  to  his  town  property  he  owns 
a  ranch  of  twenty  acres,  situated  one  and  one- 
lialf  miles  cast  of  Compton. 


_DA\TD  MITCHELL  is  well  informed  on 
scientific  farming  and  the  breeding  of  stock,  for 
he  has  spent  many  years  in  securing  the  most 
comprehensive  training  and  education  in  these 
lines  that  could  be  obtained  in  the  best  schools 
on  agriculture  and  stock-breeding  in  England 
and  Ireland.  He  is  highly  esteemed  bv  all  who 
know  him  and  enjoys  an  enviable  reputation  in 
business  and  professional  circles.  His  ranch  of 
one  hundred  and  ten  acres  is  well  improved  and 
is  devoted  to  general  farming,  corn  and  beans 
being  the  principal  crops,  although  he  also  has  a 
walnut  orchard  and  some  berries  planted  and  in 
bearing. 

Mr.  Mitchell  was  born  in  Londonderr\-.  Ire- 
land, a  son  of  John  Mitchell,  a  hardy  Scotchman, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years,  when  his 
son  was  sixteen  vears  of  age.  His  mother. 
Mariorie  (Stewart)  ^litchell,  was  also  a  native 
of   Scotland  and  after   locating  in     Ireland     was 


1858 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


married  to  j\Ir.  Mitchell.  She  died  in  Ireland  at 
the  advanced  age  of  seventy-five  years.  The 
father  was  engaged  as  a  steward  or  manager  of 
a  large  estate  in  Ireland  during  his  lifetime.  It 
was  after  his  death  that  David  attended  the  Bel- 
fast farm  schools,  which  are  conducted  by  the 
English  government,  and  in  1870  he  graduated 
from  the  model  farm  school  at  Cork.  He  then 
attended  the  Albert  institution  at  Dublin,  receiv- 
ing further  instruction  in  agricultural  work  and 
the  breeding  of  stock.  He  did  some  botany  lec- 
ture work  here  and  later  was  given  charge  of  a 
model  farm  located  at  Tervoe,  Limerick,  in 
which  position  he  remained  for  one  year,  when 
he  went  to  Ballyclare,  North  Ireland,  to  manage 
a  farm  for  his  brother.  In  1874  he  decided  to 
immigrate  to  this  country  and  made  San  Fran- 
cisco his  first  objective  point.  He  brought  with 
him  letters  of  introduction  to  Steele  Brothers  in 
Edna,  who  gave  him  a  position  in  their  butcher 
business  which  he  held  for  thirteen  years.  From 
there  he  moved  to  his  present  location,  purchas- 
ing a  ranch  of  fifty  acres,  to  which  he  later  added 
sixty  acres,  making  his  ranch  today  one  hundred 
and  ten  acres. 

In  1877  Mr.  !\litchell  was  married  to  Miss 
Catherine  Donahue,  a  native  of  County  Kerry, 
Ireland,  and  to  them  eight  children  have  been 
born:  Marjorie  S.,  the  wife  of  G.  W.  Bennett 
of  San  Francisco ;  Annie  Laura,  who  is  married 
to  D.  C.  Isom ;  David  Francis.  Agnes,  ^Villianl 
Wallace,  Ethel  Porter,  John  Alexander  and  .An- 
drew Joseph.  Mrs.  Mitchell  is  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  Church  and  Mr.  Mitchell  belongs  to  the 
Presbyterian  denomination.  Politically  he  is  a 
strong  believer  in  the  principles  advocated  by 
the  Republican  party,  and  he  is  especially  inter- 
ested in  educational  matters,  in  recognition  of 
which  he  has  been  serving  as  school  trustee  of 
his  district  for  twenty  years. 


WILLIAM  CARUTHERS.  The  Caruth- 
ers  family,  represented  in  Los  Angeles  county 
by  William  Caruthers,  a  widely  known  and 
prosperous  rancher  in  the  vicinity  of  Downey, 
is  of  Scotch  ancestry  and  possesses  in  a  large 
degree  the  traits  characteristic  of  these  people. 
In  Missouri  John  Caruthers  first  saw  the  light 
of  day  and  ^vas  reared  to  manhood  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  his  birthplace,  receiving  his  education 
in  the  primitive  schools  of  the  middle  west.  In 
his  native  state  he  met  and  married  Miss  Fran- 
ces Murphy,  and  shortly  afterward  they  estab- 
lished their  home  in  Louisiana,  where,  on  the 
22d  of  January,  1S30,  their  son  William  was 
born.  Later  they  removed  to  southeastern 
Texas  and  located  on  a  farm,  where  the  father 
died  in  1855  and  the  mother  a  year  later.  They 
became  the    parents    of    fourteen    children,    of 


whom  twelve  attained  maturity  and  all,  with 
the  exception  of  William  Caruthers,  are  now 
living  in  Texas. 

Rather  limited  advantages  in  an  education- 
al line  were  afforded  the  youth  of  the  south- 
west, the  .subscription  schools  leaving  the 
principal  parts  of  one's  training  to  be  acquired 
b}'  experience  and  observation.  William 
Caruthers  received  his  educational  training 
through  this  medium  and  at  the  same  time 
Avas  drilled  in  the  daily  duties  of  a  farmer  and 
stock-raiser.  He  engaged  in  this  occupation 
in  Texas  upon  attainin;.:'  manhood's  estate,  re- 
maining in  that  lucatiim  until  1859,  when,  with 
his  family  (haxing  pri.'\-ioush-  married  Amar- 
ado  IV'rryi.  lie  imirneyed  to  California,  driv- 
ing Inis  ^t'H-k  before  liim  across  the  plains.  A 
brief  time  w;i<  spent  at  El  Monte,  Los  An- 
geles ciinnty,  wlience  he  went  to  San  Luis 
(  )bis])n  oi'inty  and  there  established  a  farm- 
ing enterprise,  \vhicli  occupied  his  attention 
for  the  ensuing  two  years.  About  this  time 
he  was  imjielled  to  make  a  trip  throughout  the 
northwest  before  locating  permanently  in  Cal- 
ifornia, and  accordingly  he  spent  some  time  in 
Oregon  and  ^^'ashington.  After  his  return  to 
California  he  located  for  a  short  time  in  the 
Soledad  mines,  Kern  county,  which  move 
proved  a  disastrous  one  indeed,  for  he  lost  by 
floods  everything  he  had  accumulated.  In  1865 
he  came  to  Los  Angeles  crmnty  and  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Downe\'  purchased  the  ranch  which 
he  now  owns:  this  was  then  bare,  wild  land, 
devoid  of  all  cultivation  and  giving  no  prom- 
ise of  the  future  productiveness.  Mr.  Caruth- 
ers immediately  began  improvements  and  cul- 
tivation, setting  ont  fruit  trees,  building  fences 
as  needed,  erecting  substantial  buildings,  and 
to-day  owns  a  seventy-five  acre  ranch  largely 
devoted  to  the  raising  of  English  walnuts.  Be- 
sides this  property  he  also  owns  another  ranch 
of  eighteen  acres  in  this  vicinity.  He  has  met 
with  success  in  his  enterprises,  and  although 
suffering  a  misfortune  at  one  time  in  his  life, 
he  was  undaunted  at  the  prospect  of  again  be- 
ginning his  career,  bravely  faced  the  future 
and  energetically  sought  to  build  up  his  for- 
tunes, once  more.  He  is  named  among  the 
prosperous  land-owners  of  this  vicinity  and 
esteemed  for  the  business  qualities  which  he 
has  demonstrated  throughout  his  long  resi- 
dence in  this  section. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Caruthers  occurred 
in  1856,  his  wife  being  a  native  of  Tennessee. 
Thev  became  the  parents  of  the  following- 
children:  Zora,  wife  of  L.  M.  Drider,  of  Los 
Ans:eles,  and  the  mother  of  two  children: 
^^'illiam,  at  home ;  Angle,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  thirty-three  vears :  Jefferson  D.,  who  mar- 
ried  Annie  L.   Ilolmes,  and   resides  in   the  vi- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1859 


cinity  of  Whittier ;  Alollie,  wife  of  J.  T.  Stev- 
ens, of  Mississippi;  Martha,  wife  "of  Marion 
McClure,  of  Biirbank,  and  the  mother  of  two 
children;  Hugh,  who  is  married  and  has  two 
children,  and  resides  in  Merced  county ;  and 
John  P.,  who  married  Bessie  McMillan  and 
has  one  child.  The  family  support  the  Chris- 
tian Church  in  their  religious  inclinations, 
while  politically  i\[r.  Caruthers  adheres  to  the 
principles  advocated  in  the  platform  of  the 
Democratic  party.  Fraternally  he  is  associated 
with  Downey  Lodge  No.  220,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
also  belongs  to  the  Eastern  Star  lodge  of  this 
place.  Mr.  Caruthers  has  proven  himself  a 
citizen  interested  in  all  movements  pertaining 
to  the  advancement  of  the  community  in 
which  he  has  made  his  home,  and  has  been 
particularly  active  in  educational  affairs,  serv- 
ing for  several  terms  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board.  He  is  an  honored  and  useful  member 
of  the  Los  Nietos  and  Ranchito  Walnut  Grow- 
ers' Association,  incorporated,  and  renders 
valuable  aid  in  the  advancement  of  these  in- 
terests. 


SAMUEL  NEWTON  JENNINGS.  Con- 
spicuous among  the  more  prominent  and  pro- 
gressive agriculturists  of  Los  Angeles  county  is 
S.  N.  Jennings,  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of 
Oearwater,  and  one  of  the  foremost  citizens  of 
the  town.  Possessing  a  good  knowledge  of  the 
pleasant  occupation  in  which  he  has  for  so  many 
years  been  actively  engaged,  he  is  carrying  on 
general  ranching  in  a  thorough-going,  system- 
atic manner,  his  labors  being  well  repaid  by  the 
generous  crops  produced  in  his  fertile  and  well- 
tilled  fields.  A  son  of  the  late  John  Jennings, 
he  was  born,  October  i,  1843,  ^t  Mount  Pleas- 
ant, Brown  county,  111.,  where  his  parents  were 
pioneer  settlers. 

Born  and  brought  up  in  Kentucky,  John  Jen- 
nings lived  there  imtil  after  his  marriage  with 
Mary  Fry,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  the  same 
town.  Then,  in  1838,  he  went  with  his  bride  to 
Brown  county.  111.,  where  he  took  up  land, 
from  which  he  cleared  and  improved  a  fine  home- 
stead. He  was  successful  as  a  general  farmer 
and  stock-raiser,  becoming  owner  of  four  hun- 
dred acres  of  valuable  land  before  his  death.  He 
was  a  man  of  sterling  integrity,  highly  respected 
throughout  the  community.  He  was  a  Democrat 
in  politics,  but  belonged  to  no  secret  organiza- 
tions. Both  he  and  his  wife  attended  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  being  valued  members.  They 
became  the  parents  of  five  children,  one  daugh- 
ter and  four  sons.  The  daughter  died  in  early 
childhood,  but  the  sons  are  all  living,  two  in 
California  and  two  in  Illinois. 

Reared    on    the    homestead,    and    educated    in 


the  common  schools,  Samuel  N.  Jennings  be- 
came familiar  with  the  numerous  branches  of 
agriculture  in  his  jounger  days.  Choosing  farm- 
ing as  his  life  occupation,  he  remained  at  home, 
taking  care  of  his  parents  and  managing  the 
home  farm  until  they  died.  Subsequently,  in 
partnership  with  one  of  his  brothers,  he  owned 
over  five  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Brown  county, 
a  large  part  of  it  belonging  to  the  parental  es- 
tate. Selling  his  share  of  the  estate  to  his  broth- 
er for  $50  an  acre,  Mr.  Jennings  left  Illinois  in 
1888,  coming  from  there  to  Los  Angeles  county 
in  search  of  a  favorable  location.  Renting  the 
Cox  ranch,  about  five  miles  from  Clearwater, 
on  the  Santa  Monica  road,  he  lived  there  for  a 
year,  and  in  the  raising  of  barley  and  other  crops 
was  quite  successful.  Being  thus  encouraged,  he 
then  purchased  his  present  ranch,  buying  first 
forty  acres  of  his  farm,  subsequently  adding  two 
other  tracts  of  forty  acres  each,  then  a  tract  con- 
taining fifty-four  acres,  and  still  later  buying 
twenty  acres  of  land.  On  this  extensive  ranch 
he  is  carrying  on  a  large  and  very  remunerative 
1)usiness,  raising  fine  crops  of  alfalfa  and  beets, 
and  running  a  dairy.  He  is  a  man  of  excellent 
business  capacity,  influential  in  public  matters, 
deeply  interested  in  the  growth  and  prosperity 
of  his  adopted  town,  ever  willing  to  contribute 
of  his  time  and  means  to  further  its  interests. 
He  is  successful  financially,  and  is  a  stockholder 
in  the  Commercial  Association  of  Compton,  as 
well  as  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  that  city. 
In  1871.  in  Brown  county,  111.,  Mr.  Jennings 
married  Emma  Haley,  daughter  of  William 
Haley,  a  well-known  farmer  of  that  vicinity, 
and  of  their  tmion  four  children  have  been  born, 
namely :  Clarence ;  Eva,  who  died  when  eigh- 
teen years  old;  Stella,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  years ;  and  E.  D.,  who  is  married,  and 
with  his  son,  Fred,  lives  on  the  homestead  with 
his  parents.  Politically  Mr.  Jennings  affiliates 
with  the  Democratic  party  in  national  affairs, 
luit  in  home  matters  votes  for  the  best  men  and 
measures,  independent  of  party  restrictions.  He 
and  his  family  are  attendants  of  the  Presbyter- 
ian Church. 


WILLIAM  TURBETT.  Many  have  been 
the  changes  wrought  in  the  history  of  California 
since  Mr.  Turbett  landed  at  San  Francisco  in  "the 
year  1852.  after  having  traveled  via  the  Nica- 
ragua route  from  his  eastern  home.  Then  the 
country  presented  an  aspect  of  crudity  and  of 
prinieval  wildness  strangely  depressing  to  one 
fresh  from  the  refining  influences  of  a  high  civil- 
ization. Still  sparsely  settled,  its  population  was 
of  cosmopolitan  variety,  yet  among  its  pioneers 
there  were  young  men  of  remarkable  strength 
of  purpose,  integrity  of  character  and   force  of 


1860 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


will,  and  it  was  these  who  laid  the  foundation  up- 
on which  rests  the  great  commonwealth  of  the 
present  century.  The  pioneers  of  fifty  years 
ago  have  in  many  instances  passed  from  the 
scenes  of  their  labors,  but  a  few  yet  remain  to 
•enjoy  the  fruits  of  their  arduous  efforts  and  the 
refinements  of  the  present  era  of  progress. 

Honored  among  the  pioneers  of  California  and 
for  many  years  a  resident  of  X'entura  county, 
Mr.  Turbett  was  born  near  Mansfield,  Richland 
county,  Ohio,  being  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Martha 
Turbett.  the  former  born  in  Pennsylvania  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent,  and  the  latter  descended 
from  German  progenitors.  Both  died  in  Ohio, 
the  mother  passing  away  when  in  middle  age.  Of 
their  seven  sons  and  two  daughters.  William 
was  the  youngest.  By  a  second  marriage  of  the 
father  there  were  three  children.  Among  the 
sons  was  John,  a  pioneer  of  1849  in  California, 
who  crossed  the  plains  with  an  emigrant  party 
and  eventually  settled  in  \'entura  county,  where 
he  died.  The  father  was  a  farmer  in  Ohio  from 
early  manhood  through  all  of  his  life. 
.  On  the  farm  where  he  was  born  October  16, 
1833,  William  Turbett  passed  the  uneventful 
years  of  youth.  For  a  time  he  attended  school 
held  in  a  log  building  furnished  with  slab 
benches ;  public  schools  had  not  yet  been  intro- 
duced into  the  locality  and  the  wages  of  the 
teacher  were  raised  by  subscription.  When  he 
left  hoine  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world  he 
came  to  California,  which,  in  those  days,  was  at- 
tracting attention  by  reason  of  the  riches  of  its 
mines.  After  he  arrived  in  San  Francisco  he 
went  to  tlie  mines  in  Yuba  county  and  for  a 
time  clerked  in  a  hotel,  but  after  about  five  years 
he  abandoned  that  work  and  went  to  Sutter 
county.  Near  Yuba  City  he  bought  a  farm,  set- 
tled upon  the  land  and  operated  the  same  for 
two  years.  During  the  fall  of  1869  he  returned 
to  Ohio  by  the  newly  completed  railroad  and 
visited  among  friends  in  the  old  home  locality, 
at  the  same  time  working  for  a  livelihood.  Dur- 
■  ing  November  of  1870"  his  brother-in-law  re- 
turned to  Ohio  from  ^'entura  county  and  de- 
scribed the  opportunities  awaiting  settlers  in  this 
part  of  the  state.  Attracted  by  the  description  of 
opportunities,  Mr.  Turbett  accompanied  his 
brother-in-law  to  CaHfornia.  arriving  in  \^entura 
county  late  in  the  year  1870.  For  three  years  he 
worked  for  his  brother-in-law,  and  meanwhile, 
in  1872,  he  and  a  nephew,  Daniel  Gilger,  bought 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  less  than  one  mile 
south  of  the  present  site  of  Oxnard. 

Three  years  after  acquiring  a  partial  interest 
in  the  farm,  Mr.  Turbett  secured  the  deed  to 
forty  acres  of  the  tract  and  this  he  still  owns. 
A  year  after  gaining  the  title  he  put  down  an 
artesian  well  of  one  hundred  and  forty  feet,  using 
a   sixteen-inch  pipe,  and  he   still   has  an   abund- 


ance of  water  from  this  well  which  makes  it 
possible  to  irrigate  his  land  as  needed.  How- 
ever, since  settling  on  his  place  he  has  never 
found  it  necessary  to  use  water  to  raise  his  crops 
and  has  raised  a  crop  every  year.  In  former 
years  he  had  the  land  in  barley  and  corn,  but 
eventually  found  it  far  more  profitable  to  raise 
beans  and  beets,  and  accordingly  gives  his  atten- 
tion exclusively  to  these  products.  In  politics 
he  is  of  the  Republican  faith.  Personally  he 
bears  a  reputation  as  an  unpretentious,  retiring 
man,  averse  to  prominence,  yet  unusually  liberal 
and  public  spirited,  a  friend  to  all  measures  for 
the  development  of  the  county.  After  coming 
to  his  present  place  he  here  married  Miss  Elzora 
Trotter,  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  they  are  the  par- 
ents of  three  children.  The  sons,  Thomas  and 
John,  make  their  home  in  Oxnard,  and  the 
daughter,  Mrs.  Grace  Tapee,  resides  in  Santa 
Barbara. 


STEPHEN  H.  CARSON.  Through  an  in- 
timate association  with  the  commercial  and  pub- 
lic interests  of  San  Bernardino  extending  over 
a  long  period  of  years.  ]\Ir.  Carson  has  acquired, 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  resources  of  the 
locality  and  has  gained  a  wide  acquaintance 
among  its  people.  Much  of  his  life  has  been 
passed  in  this  city.  In  its  schools  he  received 
his  education  and  in  its  stores  he  gained  his  ini- 
tial experience  in  business  methods.  During  the 
greater  part  of  his  business  career  he  has  been 
interested  in  the  drug  business  and  possesses  a 
practical  knowledge  of  that  occupation.  Aside 
from  the  amount  he  still  has  invested  in  that 
line  of  trade,  he  has  other  business  interests, 
besides  which  he  owns  residence  and  business 
property  in  the  city. 

While  he  has  passed  the  greater  portion  of  his 
life  in  San  Bernardino,  !Mr.  Carson  is  a  native 
of  Utah  and  was  born  near  Salt  Lake  City,  De- 
cember 5,  1855,  being  a  son  of  William  and 
Trephina  Ursula  (Goddard)  Carson,  and  a 
grandson  of  Stephen  H.  Goddard,  a  pioneer  of 
San  Bernardino,  who  died  in  this  city  at  the 
age  of  about  eighty-eight  years.  The  father  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1818  and  died  at  Fair- 
field, Utah,  in  1898,  while  the  mother,  who  was 
born  in  Ohio  in  1836,  is  still  living  and  makes 
her  home  with  her  children.  Brought  to  Cali- 
fornia by  his  parents  at  an  early  age.  Stephen 
H.  Carson  received  such  educational  advantages 
as  the  schools  of  San  Bernardino  aft'orded,  and 
after  leaving  school  entered  the  ofifice  of  the 
Daily  Guardian,  where  he  served  an  apprentice- 
ship of  three  years  at  the  printer's  trade.  How- 
ever, he  did  not  follow  that  occupation,  but 
turned  his  attention  to  the  drug  business,  in 
which  he  was  employed  as  a  clerk  by  the  firm 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1861 


of  Bowland  &  Craig  for  two  years.  Meanwhile 
his  health  had  become  impaired  and  hoping  to 
regain  his  strength  he  went  to  the  mountains 
and  worked  in  saw-milling.  The  change  proved 
beneficial  and  soon  he  had  recovered  his  physi- 
cal strength.  Returning  to  San  Bernardino  he 
engaged  as  a  clerk  in  the  grocery  business  with 
Henry  Conner,  but  later  again  became  interested 
in  the  drug  business,  and  still  continues  in  that 
occupation,  being  now  a  silent  partner  with  his 
sons-in-law,  Schlott  &  Clute,  in  the  Owl  drug 
store. 

The  marriage  of  J\Ir.  Carson  took  place  De- 
cember 30,  1877,  and  united  him  with  Anna, 
daughter  of  William  and  Hannah  Harrison. 
Four  children  were  born  of  this  union,  Lillie, 
Ada,  William  S.  and  Clarence  H.  The  elder 
daughter  is  the  wife  of  D.  C.  Schlott,  and  the 
younger  married  William  G.  Clute.  As  before 
mentioned,  the  sons-in-law  are  engaged  in  the 
drug  business :  the  sons  also  are  employed  in  the 
Owl  drug  store.  Throughout  all  of  his  active 
life,  ever  since  attaining  his  majority  Mr.  Car- 
son has  voted  the  Democratic  ticket.  While 
maintaining  his  views  with  firmness  and  voting 
for  them  with  fidelity,  he  has  displayed  no  trace 
of  partisanship,  but  concedes  to  those  of  opposite 
beliefs  and  ideas  the  same  independence  of 
thought  and  ballot  which  he  demands  as  his  own 
privilege..  At  no  time  has  he  solicited  official 
honors,  and  the  only  position  he  has  held  was 
that  of  member  of  the  city  council,  to  which  he 
was  elected  in  1903  for  a  term  of  four  years. 
As  a  citizen  he  is  honored  for  the  qualities  that 
have  brought  him  financial  success  and  for  the 
generosity  of  disposition  and  kindness  of  heart 
that  have  characterized  him  in  his  dealings  with 
others, 

WILLIAM  SMITH.  One  of  the  progress- 
ive and  wide-awake  ranchers  of  Los  Angeles 
countv  is  William  Smith,  who  has  succeeded 
in  building  up  for  himself  and  family  a  home 
and  competence,  and  at  the  same  time  is  win- 
ning the  good  opinion  of  all  who  know  him. 
Of  southern  birth  and  lineage,  he  was  born  in 
Monroe  county.  Tenn.,  November  20,  i860,  a 
son  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Hudgings) 
Smith,  both  natives  of  the  same  state,  where 
the  father  engaged  as  a  farmer  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  shortly  before  this  son  was 
born.  His  mother,  whose  grandfather  Hudg- 
ings served  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  lived  in 
Tennessee  until  her  death,  which  occurred  at 
the  age  of  fiftv-five  years.  She  was  the  mother 
of  two  children.  William  Smith  was  reared 
in  his  native  state  and  educated  in  its  common 
schools,  after  which  he  worked  on  the  home 
farm  until  attaining  the  age  of  twenty-seven 
vears.     He  then   set  out  for  himself  and   not 


many  years  had  passed  away  until  he  was  the 
owner  of  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
acres,  all  of  which  were  devoted  to  the  raising 
of  grain.  In  1887  he  went  to  Texas  and  located 
in  Parker  county,  thence  went  to  Scurry  coun- 
ty and  made  that  place  his  home  for  the  period 
of  three  years,  owning  a  farm  of  six  hundred 
and  forty  acre's  and  being  interested  in  general 
farming  and  stock-raising,  then  returned  to 
Parker  county.  Going  next  to  Indian  Terri- 
tory he  spent  the  ensuing  four  years  there  and 
on  leased  land  raised  cirn  and  cotton.  In  1900 
he  came  to  LalitHrnia  and  located  on  his  pres- 
ent property,  later  purchasing  the  same,  which 
consists  of  twenty  acres  with  good  and  sub- 
stantial improvements.  Besides  his  own  prop- 
erty he  leases  about  sixty  acres  and  raises 
grain,  while  his  principal  interest  is  the  man- 
agement of  a  dairy  of  fifteen  cows.  He  is  also 
giving  some  time  to  the  breeding  of  poultry, 
having  at  the  present  writing  about  three  hun- 
dred hens. 

In  1888  Mr.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Willie  A.  Rogers,  a  native  of 
Mississippi,  and  who  came  to  Texas  with  her 
parents  in  childhood.  They  are  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  namely:  Guy  L..  Izeta  M., 
Roger  C,  Leotha,  Ot'tis  C,  Prilla  J.,  Lowell 
J.  and  William  A.  In  politics  Mr.  Smith  is  a 
Democrat,  and  both  himself  and  wife  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
South. 


JAMES  H.  DOVEY.  One  of  the  recent  in- 
dustries organized  in  Long  Beach  is  the  Orna- 
mental Stone  and  Brick  Company,  of  which  Mr. 
Dovey  was  one  of  the  organizers.  Until  January. 
1906,  he  was  superintendent  of  the  plant,  and  is 
still  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors.  The 
company  was  organized  in  1904  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $25,000,  and  has  since  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  fine  building  stone.  Specimens 
of  the  stone  turned  out  from  the  plant  are  to  be 
seen  in  the  structure  owned  and  occupied  by  the 
Bank  of  Huntington  Beach,  also  in  the  stone 
used  in  the  Harris  residence  and  the  McCullough 
block  at  Long  Beach.  Prior  to  and  also  since  the 
organization  of  the  company  Mr.  Dovey  has  been 
interested  in  the  laying  of  cement  walks  and 
foundations;  in  which  industry  he  has  gained  a 
reputation  for  skilled  and  successful  work. 

The  Dovey  family  is  of  English  lineage,  and 
was  founded  in  America  by  William  Dovey,  a 
native  of  Somersetshire,  and  an  immigrant  of 
1857  to  the  L^nited  States,  where  he  found  em- 
ployment in  Syracuse,  N.  Y.  During  1869  he  re- 
moved to  Michigan  and  settled  on  a  tract  of  land 
near  Coldwater.  where  he  followed  farm  pursuits 
until  his  death.     His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name 


IHGii 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  Elizabeth  Telford  and  was  born  in  Ireland  of 
Scotch  ancestry ;  at  this  writing  she  continues  to 
make  her  home  in  Michigan.  Of  their  ten  sons 
and  four  daughters  the  eldest  was  James  H.,  a 
native  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  born  June  5,  1861,  and 
reared  on  the  home  farm  there  and  in  Michigan, 
which  he  assisted  in  cultivating  until  he  was 
twenty  years  of  age.  He  then  served  an  appren- 
ticeship to  the  miller's  trade  at  Coldwater,  and  at 
the  expiration  of  his  time  (five  years)  he  went 
west  as  far  as  Denver,  Colo.,  where  for  two 
years  he  engaged  in  the  creamery  business.  In 
1888  he  secured  work  as  a  fireman  on  the  Denver 
&  Rio  Gfande  Railroad  between  Denver  and  Sa- 
lida,  where  he  continued  for  two  years. 

It  was  during  1890  that  Mr.  Dovey  came  to 
California,  wh.ere  at  first  he  made  his  home  at 
Pasadena  and  engaged  in  laying  cement  walks 
and  foundations.  After  eleven  busy  years  in  that 
city  he  removed  to  the  then  small  town  of  Long 
Beach,  with  whose  rapid  progress  his  own  for- 
tunes have  materially  advanced,  and  where  he 
has  had  a  large  number  of  important  contracts, 
both  for"  cement  walks  and  for  foundations.  As 
a  business  man  he  is  prompt,  reliable  and  re- 
sourceful, careful  in  planning  his  contracts  and 
even  more  careful  in  executing  them.  Through 
his  reliable  methods  of  doing  business  he  has  es- 
tablished a  reputation  diat  is  not  limited  to  his 
home  town,  but  extends  through  this  part  of 
Southern  Califoniia. 

While  living  in  Denver  IMr.  Dovey  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Ellen  Horan,  who  was 
born  in  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa.  Of  this  union  there 
are  four  sons  and  four  daughters,  all  of  whom 
are  being  given  the  best  advantages  which  the 
means  of  their  parents  permit.  The  family  at- 
tend the  Episcopal  Cburch  and  Mr.  Dovey  con- 
tributes to  the  maintenance  of  that  denomina- 
tion. In  politics  he  supports  Republican  principles 
and  keep*;  well  posted  concerning  the  issues  of 
the  age.  In  fraternal  matters  he  holds  member- 
ship with  the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters. 


JOSEPH  F.  BRYANT.  A  man  of  broad 
and  enlightened  views,  taking  an  intelligent  in- 
terest in  local  affairs,  Joseph  F.  Bryant  is  actively 
associated  with  the  leading  interests  of  the  thriv- 
ing village  of  Palms,  where  he  is  serving  as  post- 
master and  express  agent,  and  is  carrying  on  a 
good  business  as  a  dealer  in  real  estate  and  in 
agricultural  implements.  Wide-awake,  energetic 
and  persevering,  he  is  a  true  type  of  the  self- 
made  men  of  our  times,  and  as  a  public-spirited 
and  faithful  citizen  is  ably  performing  his  duties. 
A  son  of  Enos  Bryant,  he  was  born,  December 
27,  1855,  in  Darke  county,  Ohio,  near  Green- 
ville. His  grandfather,  David  Bryant,  spent  the 
first  sixtv-fivc  vears  of  his  life  in  Butler  county, 


Ohio,  where  his  father,  a  native  of  New  Jersey, 
settled  as  a  pioneer.  Going  then  to  Michigan, 
he  took  up  land  that  was  in  its  pristine  wildness, 
cleared  a  homestead,  on  which  he  resided  until 
his  death,  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-nine 
years. 

Born  and  brought  up  in  Hamilton,  Butler 
county,  Ohio,  Enos  Bryant  settled  as  a  farmer  in 
Darke  county,  Ohio,  when  young,  continuing 
his  residence  in  that  place  until  1870,  when  he 
removed  to  Iowa.  Taking  up  land  in  Wood- 
bury county,  he  cleared  and  improved  a  home- 
stead, and  for  seventeen  years  was  there  em- 
ployed in  farming  and  stock-raising.  Coming 
to  Los  Angeles  county  in  1887,  he  located  about 
a  mile  west  of  Palms,  buying  a  ranch  of  ten 
acres,  a  part  of  which  he  devoted  to  the  culture 
of  fruit,  and  was  there  successfully  engaged  in 
his  independent  occupation  until  his  death  in 
1902,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years.  He  was 
a  man  of  sterling  integrity,  an  earnest  supporter 
of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party,  and 
an  active  member  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church.  He  married  Sarah  Ann  Townsend, 
who  was  born  and  reared  in  Darke  county,  Ohio, 
where  her  father,  Alfred  Townsend,  settled  as  a 
])ioneer.  She  died  on  the  home  ranch  at  Palms 
in  1897,  aged  sixty-seven  years. 

Going  with  the  family  to  Iowa  when  a  lad 
of  fifteen  years,  Joseph  F.  Bryant  assisted  his 
father  in  clearing  a  homestead  and  completed  his 
studies  in  the  public  schools.  A  natural  me- 
chanic, familiar  with  machinery  of  all  kinds,  he 
began  his  active  career  as  an  engineer  on  be- 
coming of  age,  running  stationary  engines  and 
threshing  machines  during  summers,  while  dur- 
ing the  winter  seasons  he  engaged  in  carpenter- 
ing. He  was  subsequently  employed  as  a  fire- 
man for  two  years  on  the  Iowa  divisions  of  the 
Illinois  Central  and  Northwestern  Railways.  In 
November,  i88g,  he  located  at  Palms,  and  for 
eight  years  thereafter  had  charge  of  the  local 
water  works,  the  ensuing  two  years  running  an 
engine  at  the  Downey  avenue  power  house  in 
Los  Angeles.  Establishing  himself  then  as  a 
merchant  in  Palms,  he  ran  a  general  store  for 
about  a  year,  when  he  closed  out  all  of  the  stock 
with  the  exception  of  the  agricultural  imple- 
ments, in  which  lie  still  deals,  carrying  on  a  sub- 
stantial business  in  that  line,  and  likewise  in  the 
sale  and  transfer  of  real  estate  in  this  vicinity. 
Since  1900  he  has  served  as  postmaster  at  Palms, 
and  is  now  agent  for  the  Wells-Fargo  Express 
Companv,  and  ticket  agent  for  the  Los  Angeles 
and  Pacific  Railroad  Companv.  In  these  various 
positions  he  is  rendering  able  service,  perform- 
ing his  duties  with  credit  to  himself  and  to  the 
satisfaction  of  the  general  public. 

.Mr.  Brvant  married  Martha  Devore.  who  was 
born   in  ^^'inneshiek  county.  Iowa,  and  they  are 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1863 


the  parents  of  three  children,  namely  :  Nellie, 
wife  of  Albert  LaForge,  of  Palms ;  Nettie  A,, 
wife  of  Edward  Cook,  of  Palms ;  and  ^Marion  R., 
associated  in  business  with  his  father.  Polit- 
ically Mr.  Bryant  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and 
formerly  served  as  school  trustee,  for  three  years 
being  clerk  of  the  Board.  He  and  his  family 
are  consistent  members  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church,  in  which  thev  are  valued  workers. 


J.  P.  CHRISTENSEN.  Before  the  provinces 
of  Schleswig  and  Holstein  had  been  incorporat- 
ed within  the  German  empire  and  while  they 
were  yet  under  the  sovereignty  of  the  Danish 
government,  Mr.  Christensen  was  born  in  Schles- 
wig September  24,  1841,  and  in  childhood  he 
was  a  student  in  the  schools  of  his  native  land, 
where  he  acquired  a  fair  education  in  the  Dan- 
ish language.  While  still  quite  young  he  de- 
cided to  seek  a  home  and  livelihood  in  the  United 
States,  concerning  whose  opportunities  reports 
were  many  and  favorable.  Bidding  farewell  to 
the  friends  of  his  boyhood  and  the  members  of 
the  family,  he  set  sail  for  the  new  world  June 
26,  i860,  and  after  an  uneventful  voyage  landed 
in  New  York  harbor  on  the  19th  of  July.  Im- 
mediately after  landing  he  proceeded  to  Manka- 
to,  Minn.,  whither  two  of  his  brothers  had  gone 
three -years  before  and  where,  in  1859,  they  had 
opened  a  general  store. 

Scarcely  had  Mr.  Christensen  become  famil- 
iar with  his  new  surroundings  when  a  heavy 
misfortune  befell  him.  While  hunting  on  the 
7th  of  September,  less  than  two  months  after 
his  arrival,  his  gun  burst  and  seriously  crip- 
pled his  left  hand.  The  outlook  was  discourag- 
ing, but  with  his  naturally  optimistic  disposi- 
tion he  did  not  allow  the  catastrophe  to  weaken 
his  energies  or  lessen  his  courage.  In  order 
to  acquire  a  more  thorough  knowdedge  of  the 
English  language  he  attended  a  select  school. 
Meanwhile  he  aided  his  brothers  in  their  mer- 
chandisinig,  and  bought  furs,  ginseng  and  farm 
produce,  exchanging  same  for  goods  at  the 
store.  Times  w'ere  very  hard  then,  a  financial 
depression  pervading  the  entire  country.  Lit- 
tle money  was  in  circulation.  Eggs  brought  only 
four  cents  a  dozen,  butter  five  cents  per  pound, 
and  wheat  thirty  cents  a  bushel,  and  payment 
was  always  made  in  trade,  not  in  cash. 

The  great  Sioux  massacre  commenced  in  Aug- 
ust, 1862,  and  shortly  afterward  Mr,  Christen- 
sen secured  a  government  contract  to  furnish 
supplies  for  all  of  the  military  posts  south  of  the 
Minnesota  river.  The  money  thus  paid  for  pro- 
duce by  the  government  greatly  relieved  the  dis- 
tresses of  the  settlers  on  the  frontier,  besides 
causing  an  advance  in  prices  paid  for  farm 
products    of    from    two   to    four-fnUl.      Supplies 


were  furnished  to  the  troops  until  the  summer 
of  1864,  when  they  were  ordered  to  South  Da- 
kota, On  discontinuing  that  work  ^Ir,  Chris- 
tensen bought  an  interest  with  his  two  brothers 
under  the  fimi  title  of  H,  P,  Christensen  & 
Brothers,  In  the  spring  of  1867  the  senior  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  retired  and  the  business  was  con- 
tinued by  C,  S,  C.  and  J,  P.  Christensen  under 
the  title  of  Christensen  Brothers,  a  large  trade 
being  built  up  throughout  all  that  section  of  the 
country.  After  twenty-one  successful  years  in 
business  they  sold  out  and  in  the  fall  of  1889 
J,  P,  Christensen  moved  to  California,  arriving 
in  San  Diego  on  the  9th  of  September,  Since 
then  he  has  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business 
in  this  cit}-  and  among  other  important  tasks 
carried  out  by  him  may  be  mentioned  the  plat- 
ting of  an  addition  on  the  west  side  of  City 
Park,  and  the  laying  out  of  Golden  Park  on 
Point  Loma. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Qiristensen  took  place 
September  24,  1866,  and  united  him  with  Mary 
A.,  youngest  daughter  of  R.  \\'.  Warren,  and  a 
descendant  of  ancestry  dating  back  in  America 
to  the  coming  of  the  Mayflower  in  1620.  As 
early  as  1834  R.  W.  Warren  left  his  home  in 
the  vicinit}-  of  Lake  Champlain  in  New  York 
and  traversed  the  wilds  of  what  was  then  known 
as  the  frontier  until  he  arrived  in  Wisconsin, 
then  still  under  territorial  government,  and 
there  he  became  the  first  settler  at  Lake  Geneva, 
where  he  remained  for  years,  becoming  one  of 
the  most  prominent  and  most  active  business  men 
in  that  part  of  the  state.  Through  all  of  his  life 
Mr.  Christensen  has  been  an  industrious,  ener- 
getic man,  interested  in  business  to  such  an  ex- 
tent that  he  has  not  participated  in  politics,  nor 
has  he  identified  himself  with  any  fraternity 
other  than  the  Masonic  Order,  in  which  he  is 
a  Master  ]\fason.  .-Ml  who  know  him  unite  in 
bearing  testimony  to  his  upright  life  and  to  the 
energy  with  which  he  has  overcome  misfortune 
and  achieved  success. 


ALBERT  C.  HAIGHT.  A  fine  old  gentle- 
man and  a  pioneer  orange  grower  in  San  Ber- 
nardino county  is  Albert  C.  Haight,  who  has  been 
a  resident  of  this  part  of  the  county  for  nineteen 
years.  His  ranch  comprises  nine  acres,  of  which 
six  and  one-half  acres  are  planted  to  orange 
trees,  which  Mr,  Haight  himself  set  out.  He 
has  a  fine  home  with  all  modern  improvements, 
his  outbuildings  are  good,  and  the  whole  place 
has  an  air  of  thrift  pleasant  to  note.  The  birth 
of  Mr.  Haight  occurred  July  25.  1843,  •"  Steuben 
county,  N,  Y.,  where  his  parents,  Peter  and  Ada 
(Crawford)  Haight,  reared  their  family,  being 
themselves  natives  of  that  state,  in  which  their 
deaths  occurred.     The  father  served  in  tlie  war 


1864 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  1 812,  and  died  when  the  son,  Albert  C,  was 
a  child  of  nine  months,  the  death  of  the  mother 
occurring  when  he  was  seven  years  old.  Of  the 
twelve  children  in  the  family  six  are  now  liv- 
ing, one  son  residing  in  San  Diego  at  the  present 
time. 

Until  seventeen  years  of  age  Mr.  Haight  at- 
tended the  public  schools  of  Steuben  county, 
and  then  removed  to  Belvidere,  Boone  county, 
111.,  where  he  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
for  a  time,  later  continuing  the  same  occupation 
in  Michigan.  He  also  worked  for  a  time  in  a 
factory  in  the  latter  state.  His  next  move  was 
to  Xeljraska.  where  he  remained  two  years,  and 
in  1886  he  arrived  in  California.  After  six 
weeks  spent  in  Riverside  he  came  to  his  present 
ranch  in  San  Bernardino  county,  which  has  been 
his  home  throughout  the  succeeding  years.  Dur- 
ing the  Civil  war  he  served  a  year  and  a  half  in 
Company  B,  Ninety-fifth  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, but  owing  to  sickness  was  not  engaged 
in  active  warfare.  Politically  he  is  a  strong 
believer  in  Republican  principles,  and  fraternally 
is  affiliated  with  the  Loyal  Mystic  Legion. 

In  1875  Mr.  Haight  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Josephine  Dakin,  a  native  of  Mich- 
igan, and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  seven 
children :  John,  who  married  Miss  Alice  Two- 
good  :  Alia ;  Adda ;  Aflfa,  the  latter  now  the 
the  wife  of  David  Downs  of  Highgrove :  Ira ; 
Alzora  and  Elizabeth.  All  charitable  and  b*e- 
nevolent  interests  receive  the  hearty  and  liberal 
support  of  the  family. 


JOHN  FAHLER.  A  man  of  energy,  enter- 
prise and  wise  forethought,  John  Fabler  has 
been  actively  identified  with  the  material  and 
industrial  advancement  of  San  Pedro,  and  oc- 
cupies a  noteworthy  place  among  its  business 
agents.  Starting  in  life  for  himself  when  young, 
he  came  to  California  in  search  of  a  favorable 
opportunity  for  gaining  a  livelihood,  and  by 
means  of  diligent  toil  and  a  wise  use  of  his 
faculties  he  met  with  a  fair  degree  of  success. 
The  third  child  in  order  of  birth  in  the  parental 
household,  John  Fabler  was  born  in  1862,  at 
Malax,  near  \'asa,  Finland,  where  his  father, 
Isaac  Fabler,  was  a  tiller  of  the  soil. 

Immigrating  to  the  United  States  in  1880, 
John  Fabler  landed  in  New  York,  but  after  a 
brief  stay  in  that  metropolis  came  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, where  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Mor- 
gan Oyster  Company.  He  was  subsequently 
engaged  in  fishing,  first  in  San  Francisco  bay. 
and  later  on  the  Columbia  river,  being  located 
at  Astoria.  Ore.  Returning  from  there  to  San 
Francisco,  he  remained  there  until  1891,  when 
he  settled  permanently  in  San  Pedro.  Here  he 
worked   for   awhile   for   the   San   Pedro  Lumber 


Company,  and  has  since  been  profitably  en- 
gaged in  lumbering  or  sailing,  in  either  branch 
of  industry  meeting  with  success.  He  is  a  man 
of  wise  management  and  by  judicious  invest- 
ment has  accumulated  some  property.  On 
Fourth  street,  between  Center  and  Mesa  streets, 
he  erected  the  residence  now  occupied  as  the 
family  home. 

Mr.  Fabler  married  first,  in  San  Pedro.  Annie 
Newland,  who  was  born  in  Finland.  She  died 
in  San  Pedro,  leaving  one  son,  Frederick  Fabler. 
Subsequently  Mr.  Fabler  married,  in  San  Pedro. 
.\nnia  Larson,  a  native  of  Eskilstuna,  Sweden, 
and  they  have  one  child,  a  daughter  named 
Marv.  Fraternallv  Mr.  Fabler  is  a  Knight  of 
Pvthias. 


STEPHEN  O.  DAVIS.  For  upwards  of 
twenty  years  Stephen  O.  Davis,  now  residing  at 
San  Gabriel,  has  been  actively  identified  with  the 
advancement  of  the  agricultural  interests  of  Los 
Angeles  county,  holding  a  noteworthy  position 
among  the  foreinost  farmers  of  Southern  Cal- 
ifornia. He  is  a  broad-minded,  liberal  man, 
enterprising  and  progressive  in  all  matters,  and 
in  the  improvement  of  his  fine  ranch,  located 
two  miles  north  of  Long  Beach,  he  has  spared 
neither  time  nor  expense.  He  is  a  native  of 
New  York,  and  was  born  in  Dutchess  county 
April  2,  1831.  His  parents,  William  and  Cath- 
erine Davis,  were  born  in  New  York  state,  and 
lived  there  until  1837,  when  they  removed  to 
Williams  county,  Ohio,  where  the\-  purchased 
land  and  were  engaged  in  farming  the  remain- 
der of  their  lives,  the  death  of  the  mother  oc- 
curring there  in  1848.  and  that  of  the  father  in 
1857.  ^ 

But  seven  years  old  when  the  family  settled 
in  Ohio,  Stephen  O.  Davis  was  there  educated, 
attending  the  district  school  until  about  four- 
teen years  of  age.  Beginning  life  for  himself 
then,  he  worked  as  a  farm  laborer  until  1850. 
when  he  followed  the  tide  of  emigration  west- 
ward, coming  across  the  plains  with  ox-teams 
to  California,  being  six  months  en  route.  The 
ensuing  year  he  was  engaged  in  mining  on  the 
Scott  river,  and  the  next  twelve  years  was  sim- 
ilarly employed'  in  Shasta  county.  Changing 
his  occupation,  Mr.  Davis  then  went  to  Monterey 
county,  where  he  invested  a  part  of  his  money 
in  cattle,  and  for  twelve  years  thereafter  was 
in  the  stock  business.  Coming  to  Southern  Cal- 
ifornia in  1884.  he  purchased  forty  acres  of  the 
land  included  in  his  ranch  near  Long  Beach, 
paying  $^2  an  acre.  Beginning  at  once  the  im- 
provement of  his  ranch,  he  met  with  most  sat- 
isfactory results,  and  as  a  general  farmer  was 
exceedingly  successful,  meeting  with  good  pe- 
cuniarv    rewards.      Each    vear   he   added   to   the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1865 


value  of  his  estate,  which  is  now  worth  $500 
an  acre.  In  1900  Mr.  Davis  bought  another 
tract  of  land  containing  forty  acres,  and  soon 
afterward  purchased  fifteen  acres  more,  and  has 
now  one  of  the  most  desirable  farms  in  the 
neighborhood.  He  has  a  line  set  of  buildings, 
which  are  models  of  comfort  and  convenience, 
and  which,  with  their  attractive  surroundings, 
evince  the  thrift  and  prosperity  of  their  owner. 
In  the  fall  of  1905  Mr.  Davis  bought  residential 
property  in  San  Gabriel,  where  he  is  now  living 
retired  from  active  pursuits  and  enjoying  the 
competency  which  he  has  acquired  by  industr}-, 
perseverance     and    judicious    management. 

In  June,  1885,  in  Los  Angeles,  Mr.  Davis 
married  Christie  Williams,  a  native  of  Wiscon- 
sin, and  into  their  household  the  following  chil- 
dren have  been  born,  namely  :  Debnoy,  at  home  ; 
Eugenie,  wife  of  Daniel  Harbert,  of  Bakersfield ; 
Carl  and  Arthur.  Politically  Mr.  Davis  is  a 
straight  Republican,  and  fraternally  he  belongs 
to  the  Masons. 


JAjNIES  a.  S;\nTH.  One  of  the  prominent 
ranchers  of  Los  Angeles  county,  James  A. 
Smith,  widely  known  as  Section  Smith,  was 
born  in  Orange  township,  Cuy^ahoga  county, 
Ohio.  Eebruary  12,  1830.  a  son  of  John  G.  and 
Nancy  fBurnside)  Smith,  natives  respectively 
of  New  York  and  Penn.sylvania.  Both  parents 
lived  to  a  ripe  old  age,  the  father,  a  Whig  in 
his  political  affiliations  in  the  early  days  and 
later  a  Republican,  engaging  as  a  farmer  up 
to  the  time  of  his  death.  The  mother  was  a 
first  cousin  of  the  celebrated  General  Burnside 
and  her  great  grandfather,  James  Burnside, 
was  a  fifer  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  They 
were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  five  of 
whom  are  still  living.  James  A.  Smith  ob- 
tained his  education  through  tlie  medium  of 
the  public  schools  in  Ohio,  after  which  he 
learned  the  moulder's  trade  and  followed  it  for 
a  short  time  in  his  native  state.  Finally  re- 
moving to  South  Bend,  Ind..  he  engaged  in  the 
same  kind  of  work  and  was  there  married,  two 
days  afterward  starting  overland  with  his 
bride  for  California.  They  drove  the  entire 
distance  but  arrived  safely  in  Eldorado  county 
in  1853,  and  immediately  engaged  in  mining  at 
Hangtown.  The  name  of  the  place  was 
changed  to  Placerville  soon  after  he  arrived 
there.  He  remained  for  a  short  time  in  that 
l)lace  when  he  went  to  Colusa  county  and  en- 
gaged in  farming,  purchasing  six  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land,  where  he  carried  on  the 
raising  of  grain.  In  connection  with  his  own 
property  he  rented  about  four  hundred  acres 
for  the  purpose  of  raising  grain.  AFr.  Smith 
purchased    and    conducted    one    of    the    first 


threshing  machines  in  that  section  of  the 
country,  being  interested  in  this  for  about  five 
years. 

In  the  fall  of  1864  T\[r.  Smith  returned  to 
Illinois  and  located  in  Livingston  county, 
where  he  purchased  a  fine  farm  of  four  hun- 
dred and  four  acres.  He  remained  there  until 
3876  when  he  again  located  in  California,  hav- 
ing purchased  a  section  of  land  near  Norwalk, 
showing  his  faith  in  the  country  and  obtain- 
ing for  him  the  name  his  friends  like  to  call 
him  ;  since  then  he  has  sold  ofi'  or  given  to  his 
children,  and  now  retains  two  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  two  and  one-half  miles  southeast 
of  Norwalk,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  rais- 
ing of  alfalfa,  stock  and  sugar  beets,  a  part  of 
his  land  being  pasture.  Mr.  Smith  owns  val- 
uable property  in  Los  Angeles  consisting  of 
three  hundred  and  forty-seven  and  one-half 
feet  on  San  Pedro  street,  near  Fourteenth, 
and  one  hundred  and  sixteen  feet  on  AVest 
Eighteenth,  near  Main. 

Mr.  Smith's  first  wife  was  Miss  i\Iaria  Han- 
son, a  native  i-^f  Indiana,  and  while  living  in 
Illinois  the  second  time  her  death  occurred. 
He  then  married  his  wife's  sister,  Mrs.  Mar- 
garet L.  Furgcrson,  a  widow,  also  a  native  of 
Indiana,  and  her  death  occurred  in  1895.  Mr. 
Smith  has  four  living  children,  namely:  Will- 
iam H.,  James  F..  Jay  G.  and  Bessie:  the  last 
named  is  the  wife  of  A.  M.  Costner.  A  life- 
long Republican,  'Mr.  Smith  was  a  schoolmate 
and  personal  friend  of  James  A.  Garfield,  the 
martyred  president. 


JUSTIN  ROUSSEY.  The  family  repre- 
sented by  Justin  Roussey  is  of  French  origin, 
although  he  himself  is  a  native  of  the  Unit- 
ed States,  born  in  Franklin  county,  Kans., 
June  22,  1869.  The  first  representative  of  the 
family  in  America  was  the  paternal  grandfa- 
ther, who  emigrated*  from  France  with  his 
family  in  1830,  making  settlement  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. His  son  John  B.  was  a  lad  of  only 
seven  years  at  the  time  of  the  removal  to  the 
United  States,  and  from  then  until  reaching 
A-oung  manhood  he  knew  no  other  home  than 
Pennsylvania.  A  desire  to  locate  in  the  newer 
parts  of  the  west  was  the  means  of  his  selling 
out  his  holdings  in  the  east  and  removing  to 
Kansas,  where  he  purchased  a  half  section  of 
land.  Besides  this  property,  he  al.so  owned  fif- 
teen acres  of  land  in  Ventura  county,  Cal., 
upon  which  he  lived  until  his  death  in   1900. 

Tlie  wife  of  lohn  P..  Roussey,  before  her 
marriage  Miss  Harriet  Petit,  was  also  born  in 
France,  and  was  brought  to  the  United  States 
bv  her  parents  when  she  was  about  fifteen 
\-ep.rs  old.    The  Petits  also  settled  in  Pennsyl- 


1866 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


vania  not  far  from  the  Roussey  family,  and 
thus  the  young  people  became  acquainted  and 
were  finall}^  married.  Ten  children  were  born 
to  them,  all  of  whom  reached  maturity,  and 
their  names  in  order  of  birth  are  as  follows: 
Charles  S.,  Nicholaus  F.,  Louis  F.,  Addie  A., 
Justin.  Chloe  Elizabeth  (who  married  D.  Jor- 
dan and  lives  in  Kansas),  Jane  Delia  (^Irs.  R. 
B.  Knipsclmre),  Julia  B.,  Margaret  _M.  and 
Catherine  E. 

From  earh'  boyhood  Justin  Roussey  had 
been  associated  with  agricultural  affairs,  so 
that  when  he  chose  his  life  calling  and  start- 
ed out  independently  it  is  a  matter  of  no  sur- 
prise that  he  continued  to  follow  the  business 
with  which  he  was  most  familiar.  At  twenty- 
two  years  of  age  he  began  farming  on  a  tract 
of  rented  land,  his  experience  on  that  farm 
giving  him  the  training  and  confidence  neces- 
sary to  insure  success  in  handling  a  larger  un- 
dertaking. This  resulted  m  the  purchase  of  a 
tract  of  fifteen  acres  in  the  La  Ballona  district, 
and  ten  acres  of  this  property  now  comprises 
the  home  place.  Besides  his  own  ranch  he 
rents  adjoining  land  to  the  extent  of  one  hun- 
dred acres,  all  of  the  tract  under  his  control 
being  devoted  to  beans,  hay  and  barley.  By 
his  marriage  v\'ith  Anna  Luella  Kauffman,  a 
native  of  Ventura  county,  two  children  have 
been  born,  Justin  Edward  and  jMarion  Adeline. 
Politically  ^Ir.  Roussey  is  independent. 


JAMES  QUILL.  Conspicuous  among  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  Downey  is  James  Quill,  an 
extensive  landholder  and  a  citizen  of  influence 
and  wealth.  Beginning  life  with  scant  means, 
he  labored  unceasingly  for  many  years,  follow- 
ing any  honorable  occupation,  and  through  his 
unaided  efforts  has  attained  distinction  as  a  self- 
made  man  and  won  a  position  of  prominence  in 
business  and  social  circles.  Like  many  other  of 
our  most  respected  California  residents,  he  is  of 
foreign  birth,  having  been  born,  December  20, 
1848,  in  Ireland.  His  father,  James  Quill,  Sr., 
immigrated  with  his  family  to  New  England  in 
1852,  locating  in  Ipswich,  Mass.,  not  far  from 
Newburyport,  where  both  he  and  his  good  wife 
spent  their  closing  years. 

But  four  years  old  when  he  came  with  his 
parents  across  the  broad  .\tlantic,  James  Quill 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Massa- 
chusetts. April  9,  1865,  the  very  day  of  Lee's 
surrender,  he  left  his  Newburyport  home.  and. 
with  but  $30  in  his  pocket,  went  to  New  London. 
Conn.,  where  he  was  for  two  months  in  the  em- 
ploy of  G.  G.  Hammond.  Thinking  the  outlook 
for  a  young  man  much  brighter  in  the  west,  he 
proceeded  to  Illinois,  and  for  a  brief  time  worked 
in  Mendota.     Continuing  his  journey  westward. 


he  was  for  awhile  located  in  Iowa,  first  in  Daven- 
port, where  he  received  fifty  cents  a  day  on  a 
farm,  and  afterwards  in  Muscatine.  Subse- 
quently going  to  St.  Louis,  ^lo.,  he  was  em- 
ployed as  a  boatman  on  the  Mississippi  river 
for  a  short  time,  and  afterwards  became  watch- 
man on  a  boat  at  the  dock^  remaining  thus  occu- 
pied for  about  five  weeks.  Still  hoping  to  find 
something  better  to  employ  his  time,  he  then 
went  to  Leavenworth,  Kans.,  where,  as  an  em- 
ploye of  Burrows  &  Trowbridge,  he  engaged  in 
hauling  government  freight  across  the  plains. 
Having  delivered  his  first  cargo  at  Fort  Lara- 
mie, he  drove  to  Council  Grove,  Kans.,  where 
he  reloaded,  and  subsequently  started  for  Fort 
Union,  N.  J\Iex.  On  the  way.  while  crossing 
the  creek,  he  and  his  companions  were  snowed  in 
and  had  to  remain  from  December  4th  until  the 
ensuing  May,  during  which  time  he  lost  most  of 
his  stock.  He  then  continued  the  journey  to 
Fort  Union,  from  there  returning  to  Fort  Leav- 
enworth, traveling  on  an  average  thirty  miles  a 
day. 

Mr.  Quill  next  went  to  St.  Louis,  thence  going 
up  the  Ohio  river  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  from 
there  to  Covington,  Ky.,  but  not  finding  any- 
thing desirable  to  do  in  either  city,  returned 
again  to  St.  Louis.  From  there  he  went  to 
Omaha,  Neb.,  thence  by  steamer  to  Fort  Benton, 
and  after  remaining  there  a  short  time  engaged' 
in  lumbering  in  the  Nebraska  timber-lands. 
January  2,  1868,  he  arrived  in  Chicago,  111.,  be- 
ing then  on  his  \vay  east.  Going  to  New  York 
City  and  Boston,  he  visited  his  old  home  and 
former  friends  in  Newburyport,  Mass.,  after 
which  he  sailed  from  New-  York  for  California, 
arriving  in  San  Francisco  in  February,  1868. 
Going  on  to  San  Jose,  he  was  for  a  time  employ- 
ed in  prospecting  along  the  Kern  river,  after 
which  he  came  by  stage  to  Los  Angeles,  where  he 
worked  two  months.  Returning  then  to  San 
Francisco,  he  proceeded  to  Emigrant  Gap,  where 
during  the  summer  he  drove  a  logging  team  to 
Putnam's  mill.  Going  to  White  Pine,  Nev.,  in 
the  fall,  he  located  several  claims,  remaining  in 
that  vicinity  until  August,  1869.  Coming  to 
Southern  California  that  fall,  he  located  in  the 
Los  Nietos  valley  in  October.  1869,  and  having 
rented  eighty  acres  of  land  embarked  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits. 

Meeting  with  undisputed  success  as  a  farmer, 
Mr.  Quill  purchased  his  first  land  in  1879,  buy- 
ing twenty  acres  now  included  in  his  home 
ranch.  He  afterwards  bought  a  tract  contain- 
ing seventeen  acres,  and  subsequently  purchased 
forty  acres,  and  again  bought  twenty  acres  of 
land  adjoining  his  forty  acres  of  grapes  and  wal- 
nuts. Very  successful  as  a  general  rancher  and 
fruit  grower,  he  continued  investing  in  real 
estate,  and  more  recently  bought  five  acres  of  rich 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1867 


land  lying  just  across  from  his  home  estate.  He 
also  owns  valuable  land  adjoining  the  city  of 
Downey,  and  has  title  to  considerable  city  prop- 
erty, being  owner  in  all  of  one  hundred  and 
seven  acres  of  as  fine  land  as  can  be  found  in 
this  locality.  This  land  he  has  improved  him- 
self, each  year  adding  to  its  richness  and  value. 
Before  becoming  a  landholder  Mr.  Quill  loaned 
money,  and  in  connection  with  farming  carried 
on  a  substantial  business  in  buying  and  selling 
grain,  his  foresight,  practical  judgment  and 
sound  sense  winning  him  success  in  his  extensive 
operations  in  that  line. 

February  2,  1882,  Mr.  Quill  married  Rosina 
Allen,  daughter  of  Judge  O.  H.  Allen  and 
grand-daughter  of  Col.  James  and  Mary  (Reed) 
Allen.  A  native  of  Kentucky,  Judge  O.  H. 
Allen  studied  law  when  young  under  Benjamin 
Harding,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.  He  immediately  located  in  Mis- 
sissippi, going  from  there  to  Texas  in  1832.  En- 
gaging in  journalistic  work,  he  established  the 
first  newspaper  in  the  state,  and  in  it,  as  an  ad- 
vocate of  the  people's  rights,  he  published  the 
celebrated  letter  which  led  to  the  appointment, 
by  the  Mexican  government,  of  Stephen  F.  Aus- 
tin as  grantee  of  the  lands  in  that  vicinity.  In 
1849  judge  Allen  came  across  the  plains  to 
California,  and  here  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  dying.  March  13,  1889.  in  Los  Angeles 
county.  Three  children  have  blessed  the  union 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Quill :  Oliver  James,  Charles 
A.,  and  Joseph  A.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Quill  are 
highly  esteemed  throughout  the  community,  and 
their  pleasant  home  is  a  center  of  gracious  hos- 
pitality. They  have  a  very  conveniently  ar- 
ranged house,  with  sanitary  plumbing,  furnished 
with  water  power  and  a  gas  plant.  Politically 
Mr.  Quill  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  takes 
great  interest  in  local  matters,  although  he  is  no 
aspirant  for  official  honors. 


ALLAN  L.  HART.  In  the  business  circles 
of  Santa  Monica,  no  member  holds  a  more 
assured  position  than  Allan  L.  Hart,  who  is 
actively  identified  with  the  mercantile  inter- 
ests of  the  community  as  a  large  and  active 
dealer  in  staple  and  fancy  groceries.  Begin- 
ning life  with  no  other  assets  than  a  willing, 
courageous  heart  and  strong  hands,  he  labored 
industriously,  meeting  with  success  in  his  va- 
rious undertakings,  and  is  justly  entitled  to 
an  honored  position  among  the  self-made  men 
of  the  county.  A  native  of  New  York,  he  was 
born,  September  11.  1869,  in  Chautauqua  coun- 
ty. His  father,  Lester  Hart,  was  of  New  Eng- 
land stock,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden 
name   was    An.na    '\Villiamson,   was   of   thrifty 


Scotch  descent.  She  died  in  1901,  aged  fifty- 
nine  years. 

The  oldest  child  and  only  son  in  a  family  of 
four  children,  Allan  L.  Hart  was  reared  and 
educated  in  the  Empire  state.  Thrown  upon 
his  resources  when  young,  he  worked  at  any 
honorable  employment  for  many  years,  and 
by  perseverance,  thrift  and  wise  management 
acquired  some  money.  In  August,  1903,  he 
came  with  his  family  to  Los  Angeles  county  in 
search  of  a  favorable  opening  for  business, 
and  October  10  opened  his  present  grocery, 
in  the  Columbian  block.  Starting  in  on  a 
broad  scale,  he  carries  a  complete  line  of  fine 
groceries,  tea  and  coffee,  his  stock  compar- 
ing favorably  in  regard  to  quantity  and  qual- 
ity with  any  in  the  vicinity,  while  his  store  is 
a  model  of  cleanliness  and  thrift. 

While  living  in  New  York,  Mr.  Hart  mar- 
ried Cora  D.  Skinner,  the  descendant  of  an 
old  New  York  family.  Politically  he  is  a  loyal 
supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party.  He  is  a  man  of  upright  character,  well 
worthy  of  the  success  he  has  attained  in  so- 
cial and  financial  success,  and  is  held  in  high 
regard  by  his  associates  and  friends. 


CHAUNCEY  B.  PETTIS.  A  man  of  un- 
questioned business  tact  and  judgment,  possess- 
ing strong  and  intelligent  convictions,  Chauncey 
B.  Pettis  is  identified  with  the  mercantile  pros- 
perity of  Ocean  Park  as  junior  member  of  the 
firm  of  Devore  &  Pettis,  carrying  on  an  extensive 
hardware  business.  Beginning  on  a  small  scale, 
these  enterprising  men  have  established  a  fine 
trade,  which  has  kept  pace  with  the  rapid  growth 
of  the  town,  and  have  thoroughly  identified  them- 
selves with  the  leading  interests  of  this  section 
of  the  county,  becoming  prominent  in  financial, 
social  and  fraternal  circles.  A  son  of  Willard  H. 
Pettis,  Chauncey  B.  Pettis  was  born  in  Canas- 
tota,  Madison  county,  N.  Y.,  of  English  ances- 
try, among  his  early  progenitors  being  one  of  the 
heirs  of  the  famous  Richards  estate  in  England. 
The  founder  of  the  Pettis  family  in  this  country 
came  to  the  United  States  in  early  colonial  days, 
and  the  brother  of  Mr.  Pettis's  grandfather 
served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 

A  life-long  resident  of  New  York  state,  Wil- 
lard H.  Petds  was  born  in  Oswego,  where  he 
learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  builder.  He 
subsequently  lived  in  different  parts  of  the  state, 
including  Canastota  and  Newark,  and  died  at 
the  age  of  seventy-eight  years,  beloved  and  re- 
spected bv  all.  He  married  Jeanette  Scott,  who 
was  born  and  reared  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  and 
of  the  children  born  of  their  union  Chauncey  B. 
was  the  third  in  order  of  birth. 

Educated  in  the  public  schools  of  New  York, 


1868 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Chauncey  B.  Pettis  was  graduated  from  the  high 
school  at  Newark,  after  which  he  studied  draw- 
ing, draughting  and  architecture.  Thus  equipped, 
he  worl<ed  with  his  father  for  awhile  at  the 
carpenter's  'trade,  and  then  started  in  business 
for  himself  as  a  builder  and  contractor,  remain- 
ing in  the  east  a  number  of  years.  In  1886  he 
came  to  California,  arriving  in  Los  Angeles  in 
December.  For  fourteen  years  he  resided  there, 
and  during  the  time  was  .actively  identified  with 
the  upbuilding  of  the  city,  working  sometimes 
with  a  partner,  and  sometimes  alone.  Locating 
at  Ocean  Park  in  December,  1900,  he  formed  a 
co-partnership  with  Mr.  Devore,  with  whom  he 
has  since  built  up  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
profitable  hardware  trades  in  Southern  California. 
As  their  patronage  has  increased,  this  enterpris- 
ing firm  has  enlarged  its  operations,  from  time 
to  time  adding  to  its  stock,  which  is  now  valued 
at  $50,000.  Their  fine  double  store,  on  Pier 
avenue,  is  one  of  the  largest  of  the  kind  in  the 
county,  exceeding  in  size  that  of  any  on  the 
beaches  outside  of  Los  Angeles.  Aside  from 
their  varied  stock  of  hardware  they  carry  a  good 
line  of  paints,  oils  and  glass,  and  in  every  depart- 
ment have  a  most  satisfactory  trade. 

In  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  ]\Ir.  Pettis  married  Mrs. 
Sarah  Haulenbeck,  a  daughter  of  James  H. 
Young,  of  Massachusetts.  Politically  Mr.  Pet- 
tis is  an  independent  Republican,  and  fraternally 
he  is  a  member  of  Ocean  Park  Lodge,  F.  &  A. 
M. ;  of  the  W^oodmen  of  the  World ;  and  of  the 
Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  Both  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Pettis  are  held  in  high  esteem,  and  are 
members  of  the  Qiristian  Science  Church. 


AUGUST  CARL  HEISTERAIANX.  Some 
men's  lives  are  passed  quietly  in  the  enjoyment 
of  their  homes,  while  others  are  so  rudely  buf- 
feted in  the  voj^age  through  life,  and  they  meet 
with  so  many  strange  adventures,  that  the  his- 
tory of  their  wanderings  is  more  like  a  tale  of 
fiction  than  that  of  sober  biography.  Among 
those  whose  life  work  has  been  of  this  character, 
and  whose  wanderings  have  been  far  and  wide, 
is  August  Carl  Heistermann,  of  San  Pedro. 
Resolute,  self-reliant,  energetic  and  enterprising, 
he  has  kept  busily  employed  since  a  boy  of  ten 
years,  having  been  associated  with  various  oc- 
cupations, and  is  now  carrying  on  a  substantial 
business  as  proprietor  of  the  Home  dairy,  the 
largest  institution  of  the  kind  in  this  part  of  Los 
Angeles  county.  A  native  of  Germany,  he  was 
born,  December  23.  1861.  in  Kiel,  duchy  of  Hol- 
stein.  His  father,  the  late  Carl  Hei-stermann, 
was  born  at  Lippe-Detmold,  Germany,  where  he 
learned  the  trade  of  brick  maker,  which  he  sub- 
sequently followed  at  Kiel  until  his  death,  about 
1872.     His  wife,  wliose  maiden  name  was  Char- 


lotte Groath,  was  born  in  Gikon,  Holslein,  and 
died,  August  16,  1904,  in  San  Pedro,  Cal. 

The  oldest  of  a  family  of  four  children,  Au- 
gust Carl  Heistermann  was  brought  up  on  a 
farm  near  Kiel.  When  he  was  but  ten  _\ears  of 
age  he  was  left  fatherless,  and  from  that  time  be- 
came self  supporting.  From  then  until  sixteen 
years  old  he  worked  on  a  dairy  farm,  receiv- 
ing his  board  and  clothes  for  his  labor,  and  hav- 
ing two  half  school  days  each  week.  The  follow- 
ing two  years  he  was  employed  in  the  Kiel  na\7 
yard,  after  which  he  followed  the  sea  for  a  long 
time,  being  engaged  principally  in  the  coasting 
trade.  Subsequently  he  made  three  trips  around 
Cape  Horn,  going  first  to  Iquique,  Chile,  and  re- 
turning. On  his  second  voyage  he  visited  ^'al- 
paraiso,  Chile,  and  then,  after  making  a  trip  to 
Hamburg,  a  home  port,  he  came  to  California  by 
way  of  the  Horn,  being  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
five  days  on  the  way,  and  arriving  in  San  Fran- 
cisco in  October,  1880.  While  following  the  sea, 
he  had  many  perilous  adventures.  While  sail- 
ing on  the  Magdalena,  a  two-master,  the  ves- 
sel was  ship-wrecked  off  the  coast  of  Mecklen- 
burg, but  no  lives  were  lost,  the  entire  crew  be- 
ing saved.  During  his  last  voyage  around  the 
Horn  his  vessel  lost  nearly  ever}-  sail  while 
rounding  the  Cape,  and  for  seven  weeks  laid  off 
the  coast,  being  on  the  beam  end  for  three  days, 
during  which  time  the  men  on  board  came  very 
near  being  frozen  to  death. 

Locating  in  San  Francisco  soon  after  the  ves- 
sel landed,  Mr.  Heistermann  worked  for  four 
months  at  the  confectioner's  trade,  receiving  $4 
a  week  wages.  The  ensuing  five  years  he  was 
in  the  employ  of  the  Pacific  Coast  Steamship 
Company,  and  during  the  time  made  two  voy- 
ages to  Honolulu  on  sailing  vessels,  and  two 
to  Australia  on  the  steamship  Australia,  land- 
ing at  Sydney,  on  one  of  the  latter  trips 
going  as  quartermaster.  Again  giving  up 
his  seafaring  pursuits,  he  was  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  employed  in  dredging  in  dif- 
ferent localities,  first  as  leverman  for  the  Smith 
Company  assisting  in  dredging  the  Oakland 
basin,  and  afterwards  the  San  Pedro  bay.  Then, 
as  captain  of  the  men  employed,  he  dredged  the 
San  Diego  bay,  and  afterwards  the  Oakland 
channel.  Giving  up  his  position  with  the  Smith 
Dredging  Company,  he  was  subsequently  asso- 
ciated with  the  San  Francisco  Bridge  Company 
for  fourteen  months,  being  captain  of  the  dredg- 
ing company  that  dug  the  tidal  canal.  Coming 
again  to  San  Pedro  in  1890  he  served  as  captain 
of  the  dredging  company  that  made  the  channel 
in  the  harbor,  and  filled  in  Bosco  Island,  work- 
ing for  Captain  Polhamus.  Giving  up  his 
position  in  1893,  he  opened  a  feed  and  gro- 
cery store  at  the  corner  of  Fourth  and  ]\Iesa 
streets,  in   San  Pedro,  and  continued  there  until 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1869 


1895,  when  he  moved  into  a  store  which  he  had 
built,  and  there  remained  two  )'ears,  meeting  witli 
excellent  success.  His  health  failing,  he  then 
gave  up  all  business  for  four  years.  Then,  ac- 
cepting the  position  of  foreman  of  the  Coast  Con- 
tracting Company,  in  San  Francisco,  he  had 
charge  of  the  blowing  up  of  Shark  Rock  and 
Arch  Rock,  at  the  first  charge  of  Shark  Rock 
using  ten  tons  of  gelatine.  Returning  to  San 
Pedro  in  the  spring  of  1902,  Air.  Heistermann 
started  in  his  present  business,  locating  at  the 
corner  of  Fourth  and  Mesa  streets.  He  sub- 
sequently enlarged  his  operations,  buying 
another  firm's  stock,  and  in  November,  1902, 
locating  at  his  present  place,  one  mile  from  the 
city,  where  he  is  carrying  on  a  large  and  remun- 
erative business  under  the  name  of  the  Home 
dairy.  He  keeps  about  seventy-five  cows.  Jerseys 
and  Durhams,  and  in  supplying  the  demands  of 
his  numerous  customers  runs  three  wagons. 

In  Alameda,  Cal,  in  1885,  Mr.  Heistermann 
married  Annie  Nicolai,  who  was  born  in  New 
York,  but  when  two  years  old  was  taken  to 
Germany,  remaining  there  until  sixteen  years 
of  age.  She  then  returned  to  the  United  States, 
locating  in  San  Francisco,  and  subsequently,  in 
Alameda,  was  married  to  Mr.  Heistermann. 
Their  marriage  has  been  blessed  by  the  birth 
of  eight  children,  namely :  Gustav,  Bertha,  Mag- 
gie, Tina,  Carl,  Cora,  George  and  Henry.  Polit- 
ically Mr.  Heistermann  is  identified  with  the 
Republican  party  in  national  afifairs :  fraternally 
he  belongs  to  the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men ; 
and  religiouslv  he  is  a  Lutheran. 


ROBERT  E.  L.  SACKETT.  The  univer- 
sal esteem  of  a  communit}-  is  given  to  Mr. 
Sackett  for  his  demonstration  of  business  qual- 
ities which  have  placed  him  in  the  front  rank 
of  ranchers  in  Los  Angeles  county,  where  he 
was  born  December  3,  1869.  the  son  of  a 
worthy  pioneer.  His  father,  Thompson  D. 
Sackett,  was  born  near  Quincy,  111.,  in  1827, 
while  his  mother,  Rebecca  M.  Evans  in  maid- 
enhood, was  a  native  of  Alabama.  The  par- 
ents were  married  in  Arkansas,  and  lived  in 
that  state  until  their  removal  to  Texas,  whence 
they  came  overland  to  California  in  1857. 
From  San  Bernardino  county  they  went  to 
Visalia  for  a  few  years,  then  returned  to  Los 
.\ngeles  county  in  1867.  While  in  the  north 
he  had  engaged  in  the  cattle  business  but  dur- 
ing the  dry  3'ears  lost  all  of  his  stock,  and 
when  he  came  back  to  Los  Angeles  county  he 
had  to  begin  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder  once 
more.  He  established  his  home  in  this  com- 
munity and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  years 
on  the  old  homestead,  passing  away  in  1892 
at   the  age  of  sixty-five  years.      The    mother 


died  in  1906  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years. 
They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  of 
whom  four  are  now  living.  Mr.  Sackett  was 
a  lifelong  Democrat  politically,  and  in  religion 
both  himself  and  wife  were  devoted  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Nor- 
walk. 

The  preliminary  education  of  Robert  E.  L. 
Sackett  was  received  in  the  common  schools, 
after  which  he  took  a  commercial  course  in 
the  Woodbury  Business  College,  of  Los  Ange- 
les. After  the  close  of  his  schooldays  he  re- 
turned to  the  home  ranch  and  worked  with  his 
lather,  until  the  latter's  death,  when  he  went 
to  work  upon  the  forty-acre  tract  which  he 
had  inherited.  He  is  progressive  and  enter- 
prising and  it  was  not  long  before  he  pur- 
chased thirt}'-five  acres  of  land  adjoining  his 
jiroperty,  and  has  since  added  twenty  acres, 
and  a  fifteen-acre  tract,  while  he  also  owns  a 
lot  in  Long  Beach.  The  home  place  is  in 
grain  and  the  management  of  a  dairy  occupies 
a  large  part  of  his  attention,  fifty  cows  sup- 
lilying  this  department  of  the  work,  the  milk 
being  sold  to  the  Alpine  Farm  and  Dairy  Com- 
pany, of  Los  Angeles.  A  considerable  portion 
of  his  other  property  is  devoted  to  the  raising 
of  grain,  although  he  intends  to  set  out  fifteen 
acres  in  gum  trees  in  the  fall  of  1907.  In  1893 
Mr.  Sackett  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Millie  Beasle>%  a  native  of  Oregon,  and  a 
daughter  of  David  I.  Beasley,  who  at  the  time 
of  his  death  was  in  the  employ  of  the  govern- 
ment in  .Arizona.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sackett  are 
the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Edward 
B.,  Irene,  Dorothy  and  Robert  G.  :Mr.  Sackett 
is  a  member  of  Camp  to.  K.  O.  T.  AI..  of  Ar- 
tesia,  and  is  also  identified  with  the  Indepen- 
dent Order  of  Foresters.  Politically  he  is  a 
stanch  Democrat.  Regarding  the  upbuilding 
of  this  section  no  citizen  has  been  more  promi- 
nent than  Mr.  Sackett:  he  has  done  much  to 
|:)romote  the  improvement  of  the  San  Gabriel 
river  in  this  vicinity,  serving  as  secretary  and 
the  superintendent  of  the  new  San  Gabriel  cor- 
poration organized  to  improve  and  straighten 
the  river.  Mr.  Sackett  was  the  right  of  way 
man  and  the  successful  completion  of  this  un- 
dertaking was  largely  due  to  his  efforts  and 
those  of  a  brother. 


WALTER  J.  MAIN.  Ever  since  crossing 
the  ocean  from  his  native  land  and  identifving 
himself  with  the  citizenship  of  the  United 
.States,  Mr.  Main  has  been  a  resident  of  Cali- 
fornia, and  of  recent  years  he  has  made  his 
home  and  business  headquarters  in  Downey, 
where  he  owns  and  operates  a  blacksmith's 
shop.     In  a  shop  in  Scotland,  under  the  over- 


1870 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


sight  of  a  skilled  blacksmith,  he  learned  the 
trade  while  yet  a  boy  and  by  reason  of  thor- 
ough practical  training  and  industrious  per- 
severance there  are  few  now  who  can  surpass 
him  in  skilled  workmanship  along  the  line  of 
his  chosen  occupation.  Those  who  have  once 
entrusted  him  with  their  work  afterward  feel 
every  confidence  in  his  skill  and  painstaking 
care. 

There  were  ten  children,  seven  boys  and 
three  girls,  in  the  family  of  Alexander  and 
Margaret  (Grant)  Main,  natives  of  Scotland, 
and  they  were  reared  to  habits  of  industry  and 
honesty  characteristic  of  their  race.  Some 
years  ago  the  father  passed  away,  but  the 
mother  kill  survives  and  remains  in  her  na- 
tive country,  where  also  the  majority  of  the 
children  reside.  One  brother  who  came  to 
California  is  married  and  occupies  a  ranch  in 
the  vicinity  of  Santa  Barbara.  Walter  J.,  who 
was  next  to  the  youngest  of  the  ten  children, 
was  born  in  Scotland  April  27,  1873,  and  re- 
ceived a  common-school  education.  Leaving 
school  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years  he  became 
an  apprentice  to  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith,  at 
which  he  served  for  three  and  one-half  years, 
and  then  became  a  journeyman  in  the  employ 
of  others. 

Crossing  the  ocean  to  New  York  in  1897  Mr. 
:\rain  proceeded  direct  to  California  and  settled 
at  Santa  Barbara,  where  he  secured  employ- 
ment at  his  trade  and  remained  about  five  years. 
From  there  he  came  to  Downey  and  after  nine 
months  in  the  employ  of  others  he  bought  his 
present  shop,  which  he  conducts  with  care  and 
skill.  While  living  m  Santa  Barbara  he  was 
married,  in  September,  T901,  to  Mary  Ann 
Downev,  a  native  of  Scotland,  but  a  resident  of 
California  from  early  girlhood.  One  child, 
Ann,  blesses  their  union.  The  family  are  iden- 
tified with  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  fra- 
ternally l\Tr.  Main  holds  membership  with  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Knights  of 
the  Maccabees  and  Knights  of  Pythias. 
Though  deeply  interested  in  all  the  questions 
pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  his  adopted  coun- 
try he  has  never  become  an  adherent  of_  either 
of"  the  dominant  political  parties,  but  maintains 
independence  of  opinion  and  ballot. 


CECIL  L.  GRIFFIN.  Descended  from 
Welsh  ancestry,  the  Grififin  family  has  been  iden- 
tified with  the  development  of  the  United  States 
from  an  early  period  and  its  members  have  made 
their  homes  principally  in  the  north  and  east.  In 
New  York  state,  near  the  city  of  Buffalo,  D.  C. 
Griffin  was  born  and  reared  and  there  he  learned 
the  trade  of  a  carpenter,  which  for  some  years  he 
followed   in    the   vicinity   of   Fort   Wayne,   Ind. 


Upon  removing  to  Michigan  he  took  up  land  near 
Charlotte,  in  Eaton  county,  and  there  not  only 
tilled  the  soil,  but  also  devoted  considerable  at- 
tention to  the  building  business.  Emigration  was 
drifting  steadily  toward  the  undeveloped  west, 
and  he  followed  the  tide  of  population  to  Kan- 
sas, where  in  1881  he  secured  farm  land  near 
Wellington,  Sumner  county.  Ten  years  later 
he  removed  to  the  newly  opened  territory  of 
Oklahoma  and  opened  a  mercantile  store  at  Hen- 
nessey, continuing  the  same  until  his  retirement 
from  business  cares.  That  town  continues  to  be 
the  home  of  himself  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom 
was  Amanda  Potter,  a  native  of  the  vicinity  of 
Buft'alo,  N.  Y.  Of  their  two  sons  and  two 
daughters  all  are  living  except  one  daughter, 
Ida.  Cecil  L.,  the  youngest,  was  born  near  Fort 
Wayne,  Ind.,  April  29,  1867,  and  was  two  and 
one-half  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  the  re- 
moval to  Michigan.  Hence  his  early  recollec- 
tions are  of  the  farm  near  Charlotte  and  the 
public  schools  of  that  neighborhood,  where  he 
gained  his  primary  education.  After  removing 
in  1 88 1  to  Kansas  he  completed  his  grammar- 
school  studies. 

On  crossing  the  continent  to  California  in 
1887  Mr.  Griffin  became  an  employe  of  the  Grif- 
fith Lumber  Company  of  Santa  Ana.  Under 
their  supervision  he  learned  tlie  industry  from 
the  foundation  and  acquired  a  trustworthy  and 
important  knowledge  of  the  many  details  con- 
nected with  the  work.  After  he  had  been  with 
the  firm  for  eighteen  months  he  resigned  his  po- 
sition and  returned  to  Kansas,  where  he  spent 
four  years,  a  part  of  the  time  as  a  farmer  and 
the  remainder  of  the  period  as  a  clerk  in  a  store. 
On  his  return  to  the  Pacific  coast  he  secured  a 
position  with  the  Newport  Lumber  Company  as 
a  clerk  and  afterward  was  promoted  to  the 
charge  of  their  shipping  department  in  the  whole- 
sale yards.  When  the  business  was  sold  to  the 
Nofziger  Brothers  he  continued  with  the  new 
owners,  by  whom  he  was  entrusted  with  the 
management  of  the  Santa  Ana  yards.  In  a 
short  time  the  company  sent  him  to  Los  An- 
geles to  superintend  the  building  of  their  whole- 
sale huTiber  yard  on  Palmetto  avenue  and  Sixth 
street,  and  he  remained  in  that  place  until  the 
yard  was  in  running  order.  In  September  of 
1 901  he  came  to  Redondo  as  tallyman  for  the 
company,  and  here  in  July  of  the  following  year 
he  took  an  influential  part  in  the  organization 
of  the  Lumber  Surveyors'  Association  of  South- 
ern California.  This  enterprise  has  since  num- 
bered him  among  its  most  active  members,  and 
at  this  writing  he  holds  the  office  of  vice-presi- 
dent and  agent  for  Redondo,  his  home  town. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Griffin  took  place  in 
Santa  Ana  and  united  him  with  J\Iiss  Campbell, 
who  was  born  in  Nova  Scotia,  but  has  resided  in 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1871 


Southern  California  since  girlhood.  Five  chil- 
dren comprise  their  family,  Leslie,  Perc}',  Fay, 
Clifford  and  Ralph.  After  coming  to  his  pres- 
ent location  Mr.  Griffin  was  made  a  Mason  in 
Redondo  Lodge  No.  328,  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  the 
philanthropies  of  which  he  has  ever  been  in- 
terested. During  his  residence  in  Santa  Ana 
he  was  an  active  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  the  Tents  of  the  Maccabees  in  that 
city.  Though  he  has  never  been  prominent  in 
politics  nor  sought  the  emoluments  of  office,  he 
has  firm  convictions  upon  all  public  questions 
and  gives  his  support  to  the  Republican  party 


CHARLES  E.  FULTON.  Among  the 
talented  and  progressive  residents  of  San  Pedro 
is  Charles  E.  Fulton,  a  skilful  and  capable 
mechanic,  who,  as  a  member  of  the  Fulton  & 
Iversen  Ship  and  Boat  Building  Company,  is 
actively  identified  with  one  of  the  leading  in- 
terests of  Los  Angeles  county.  Dependent  upon 
his  own  resources  from  boyhood,  he  has  labored 
with  untiring  diligence,  steadily  climbing  the 
ladder  of  success,  and  is  to-day  a  fine  represen- 
tative of  the  self-made  men  of  our  country.  Of 
New  England  ancestry,  he  was  born,  February 
17,  1871,  at  Port  Ludlow,  Jefiferson  county. 
Wash.,  a  son  of  William  Fulton,  and  a  lineal 
descendant  of  Robert  Fulton,  the  inventor,  who, 
in  1807,  built  the  first  steamboat,  the  Clemiont, 
which  was  launched  on  the  Hudson  river. 

William  Fulton  was  born  and  reared  in  East 
Machias,  Me.,  and  there  followed  for  awhile  the 
business  of  a  lumberman.  Being  attacked  with 
the  gold  fever  in  1849,  he  came  overland  to  Cal- 
ifornia, and  in  common  with  the  thousands  of 
other  emigrants  embarked  in  mining  pursuits. 
Unsuccessful,  however,  he  went  northward  to 
Port  Ludlow,  Wash.,  where  he  was  for  ten  years 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber.  Giving 
up  that  occupation,  he  was  subsequently  em- 
ployed in  logging  until  his  death,  at  a  com- 
paratively early  age.  He  married  Mary  Ann 
Guptill,  who  was  born  in  East  Machias,  Me.,  and 
died  in  Chico.  Cal.,  in  1879. 

After  the  death  of  his  mother  which  occurred 
wrhen  he  was  but  eight  years  of  age,  Charles  E. 
Fulton  attended  school  a  very  short  time,  and  at 
the  age  of  ten  years  began  life  as  a  wage-earner, 
from  that  time  until  the  present  being  self-sup- 
porting. At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  went  into 
the  woods  to  work,  and  for  a  number  of  seasons 
was  employed  in  a  logging  camp.  Subsequently, 
while  thus  employed,  a  thirst  for  knowledge 
came  upon  him,  and  he  eagerly  seized  upon  every 
opportunity  afforded  him-  for  study.  In  1891, 
at  Port  Blakeley,  Wash.,  he  entered  the  employ 
of  Hall  Brothers,  and  there  began  to  learn  the 
trade   of   shipbuilder.      Going  to    San   Francisco 


in  189s,  he  accepted  a  position  in  the  Fulton  Iron 
Works,  working  a  year  as  ship  carpenter,  and 
afterwards  being  foreman.  While  there  he  at- 
tended the  Lincoln  night  school,  studying  marine 
architecture  and  mechanical  drawing,  in  both  of 
which  he  became  proficient.  Returning  then  to 
Washington,  he  located  at  Bellingham,  where 
he  built  the  four-masted  schooner  Sehome,  the 
schooner  Cecilia  Sudden  (both  of  which  are 
still  in  commission),  a  tug-boat  seventy-five  feet 
in  length,  and  several  launches.  Locating*  at 
San  Pedro  in  1904,  he  was  for  a  year  employed 
in  the  shipyard  of  the  Wilmington  Transporta- 
tion Company.  In  the  spring  of  1905  he  re- 
signed that  position  to  become  the  partner  of 
Peter  Iversen,  since  which  time  business  has 
been  carried  on  under  the  name  of  the  Fulton 
&  Iversen  Ship  and  Boat  Building  Company. 
By  his  wise  management  and  good  judgment 
Mr.  Fulton  has  advanced  the  interests  of  the 
company  and  extended  its  business.  Among 
some  of  the  better  known  boats  built  by  this 
firm  may  be  mentioned  the  steamships  Long 
Ik'ach  and  Empress,  the  latter  the  largest  glass- 
bottomed  boat  in  the  world. 

In  Tacoma,  Wash.,  Mr.  Fulton  married  Car- 
rie Linnie  Johnson,  who  was  born  in  Chicago, 
III,  where  her  parents  settled  on  coming  to  this 
country  from  Cliristiania.  Norway.  Of  their 
union  two  children  have  been  born :  Clara  May 
and  Robert  W.  Politically  Mr.  Fulton  is  a  true- 
blue  Republican,  and  fraternally  he  was  made 
a  Mason  in  San  Francisco  Lodge  No.  212,  F. 
&  A.  M. 


WILLIAM  SHEPPARD.  As  proprietor  of 
the  Hemet  dairy,  which  is  supplied  by  a  herd  of 
twenty-five  high  grade  Jersey  cows,  William 
Sheppard  is  known  as  one  of  the  most  enter- 
prising and  energetic  citizens  of  Riverside  coun- 
ty. He  is  of  German  descent,  the  name  having 
originally  been  Schaefifer,  and  his  father,  George 
Sheppard,  was  brought  to  this  country  by  his 
parents  from  his  native  land  when  but  seven 
years  of  age.  The  family  settled  near  Catawissa, 
Pa.,  where  the  son  attended  the  common  schools 
and  later  learned  cabinetmaking  and  the  painter's 
trade,  attaining  great  proficiency  in  the  work.  He 
afterwards  resided  in  Maryland  for  ten  years, 
then  went  to  Beaver  Dam,  Wis.,  and  in  1856 
settled  in  Fillmore,  Minn.,  where  he  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  and  lived  until  his  death 
in  1906,  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years.  His 
wife,  who  was  Hannah  Yost  before  her  mar- 
riage, was  born  in  Pennsylvania  near  Catawissa, 
and  her  death  occurred  in  1904. 

The  birth  of  William  Sheppard  occurred  at 
Fillmore,  Minn.,  November  10,  1857,  and  his 
education  was  received  through   the  medium  of 


1872 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  common  schools  of  that  state.  From  boy- 
hood he  liclped  his  father  on  the  farm  and  when 
a  young  man  contracted  to  conduct  the  place 
for  a  number  of  \ears.  In  1893  he  went  to 
Kingfisher  county,  Okla..  and  purchasing  a 
homestead  relinquishment  on  a  claim  near 
Okarche,  proved  up  on  the  place  and  engaged  in 
grain  and  stock  raising.  He  also  ran  a  thresh- 
ing outfit  there  and  continued  to  live  in  that 
state  until  1902,  when  he  sold  his  interests  and 
located  in  Hemet,  Cal.  He  first  purchased  five 
acres  of  land  on  Florida  avenue,  adding  sub- 
sequently by  purchase  fifteen  acres  more,  which 
now  gives  him  a  twenty-acre  ranch,  sixteen 
acres  being  in  alfalfa  and  the  remainder  devoted 
to  horticultural  purposes,  a  fine  olive  orchard 
occupying  the  most  of  the  plot.  He  established 
his  dairy  business  in  1903  and  has  since  done 
an  excellent  retail  business. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Sheppard  took  place  in 
Fillmore,  Minn.,  Miss  Lillian  F.  Young,  a 
native  of  that  place,  becoming  his  wife.  They 
have  become  the  parents  of  seven  children,  three 
sons  and  four  daughters:  George  Nelson,  liv- 
ing in  ^Minnesota,  Lee,  Mabel,  Jennie,  Rose,  Aloa 
and  Wallace.  ]\tr.  Sheppard  was  made  a  Mason 
in  Chatfield,  Minn. ;  he  also  belongs  to  the 
Knights  of  the  Maccabees  at  Hemet;  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Foresters,  jNIodern  Woodmen  of 
America,  Fraternal  Aid  and  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  J\Irs.  Sheppard  being  a 
member  of  the  Rebekah  Lodge. 


FREDERICK  BLUEMLE.  Qoselv  identified 
with  the  industrial  prosperity  of  Los  Angeles 
county  is  Frederick  F)luemle,  a  representative 
farmer,  and  a  true  type  of  the  energetic,  hardy 
and  enterprising  men  who  have  actively  assisted 
in  the  development  and  advancement  of  this 
fertile  and  productive  agricultural  region.  His 
ranch,  lying  seven  miles  north  of  San  Pedro,  is 
one  of  the  best  in  the  vicinity,  and  under  his  in- 
telligent management  is  highly  cultivated  and 
improved.  A  German  by  birth  and  ancestry,  he 
was  born,  November  4,  1855.  in  Baden,  Germany. 
His  parents,  George  and  Karoline  (Riess) 
Bluemle,  were  born  in  Germany,  where  the  father 
was  engaged  in  tilling  the  soil  until  his  death,  in 
1856.  The  mother  survived  her  husband,  and  is 
now  living  in  the  Fatherland,  a  bright  and  active 
woman,  seventy-nine  }'ears  old. 

Leaving  the  public  schools  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen years,  in  1870  Frederick  Bluemle  immigrat- 
ed to  the  Ignited  States,  hoping  in  this  land  of 
plenty  to  find  remunerative  employment.  Going 
to  .Somerville.  Ind.,  he  worked  by  the  month  for 
about  eight  years,  and  being  industrious,  and 
prudent  in  his  habits,  accumulated  some  money. 
His   health    failing,   he   came   to  California,    ar- 


ri\ing  in  Los.  Angeles  county  September  i"], 
1878,  and  locating  in  the  German  settlement, 
where  he  worked  by  the  month  for  a  year.  His 
health  improving,  he  then  rented  land,  which  he 
managed  successfully  for  a  number  of  seasons. 
Purchasing  forty  acres  of  the  land  now  included 
in  his  home  ranch  in  1884.  he  has  since  been 
prosperously  employed  in  agricultural  pursuits. 
A  systematic,  thorough-going  farmer,  he  has 
made  all  the  improvements  on  his  ranch,  which  is 
advantageously  located  seven  miles  north  of  San 
Pedro,  his  ranch,  with  its  large  dwelling  house 
and  fine  outbuildings,  being  one  of  the  most 
attractive  in  the  communit}-,  while  everything 
about  the  premises  indicates  the  existence  of 
a  cultivated  taste  and  ample  means.  His  farm- 
ing implements  are  of  the  most  approved  pattern, 
and  all  things  are  in  keeping  with  the  appliances 
of  a  first-class  agriculturist.  In  1903  he  added 
to  the  size  of  his  ranch,  buying  sixty  acres  of 
land  near  the  German  Church,  and  to  this  he 
is  making  extensive  improvements  also. 

March  29,  1883,  in  California,  [Mr.  Bluemle 
married  Elizabeth  Anna  Rockensuess,  a  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  William  Rockensuess,  of  Germany. 
Seven  children  have  been  bom  to  Air.  and  Mrs. 
Bluemle.  namely :  William  Ludwig.  Rudolph 
Henry,  Frederick  Johann,  Emma  Helen,  Lillian 
Mina,  Alaria  Karolina  and  Anna  Elizabeth 
Thusnelda.  Politically  Mr.  Bluemle  is  identified 
with  the  Republican  party,  and  for  a  number  of 
years  has  been  clerk  of  the  Lincoln  school  board. 
Btoth  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Bluemle  are  members  of  the 
German  ]\Iethodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  which 
he  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  served  on  the 
building  committee  of  the  church.  He  is  now 
a  trustee  and  serves  as  local  preacher  of  the 
church.  For  over  twenty  years  he  served  as 
superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School.  He  has 
always  supported  movements  that  have  had  for 
their  object  the  upbuilding  of  the  county. 


WILLIA:\I  I.  STE\'ENS.  Prominent  among_. 
the  well-known  and  thriving  business  men  ot 
Compton  is  ^^■illiam  I.  Stevens,  who  has  spent 
nearly  three  decades  of  his  life  in  this  commun- 
ity, being  formerly  engaged  as  a  lumber  dealer 
in  Gardens,  but  now  employed  by  the  San  Pedro 
Lumber  Company  at  Compton.  He  enjoys  the 
many  improvements  that  have  been  made  in  this 
locality  since  he  first  came  here,  the  establish- 
ment of  home  industries  and  local  benefactions 
being  with  him  of  paramount  importance  and 
well  worthy  of  the  aid  he  so  willingly  gives.  A 
son  of  S.  C.  Stevens,  he  was  born  in  St.  John, 
New  Brunswick,  September  5,   1853. 

Coming  from  old  Virginia  stock,  S.  C.  Stev- 
ens was  horn,  reared  and  educated  in  Canada. 
He   was   engaged   in    seafaring   pursuits    during 


^CuuJ  ^iS^-^T^jc?^  ^^csu^xe^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1873 


his  active  career,  living  in  New  Brunswick  dur- 
ing his  earlier  life,  but  subsequently  settling  in 
Maine,  where  he  lived  for  twenty-five  years, 
dying  there  when  well  advanced  in  years.  His 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Sarah  Jones,  also 
died  in  Maine.  They  were  the  parents  of  five 
children,  namely :  Mrs.  Maud  Bryan ;  Mrs. 
Eliza  Holmes ;  William  I. ;  Mrs.  Catherine  Mc- 
Afee ;  and  Clarence  H. 

Acquiring  a  good  education  in  the  district, 
subscription  and  normal  schools,  William  I.  Stev- 
ens was  employed  as  a  teacher  while  a  young 
man.  Subsequently  learning  the  business  of  a 
lumber  manufacturer,  he  followed  it  for  some 
time,  but  was  unfortunate,  losing  considerable 
money  in  his  transactions.  Departing  from  his 
eastern  home,  he  went  to  Illinois,  arriving  in 
Chicago  with  but  fifty  cents  to  his  name.  Ship- 
ping before  the  mast,  he  went  froiu  there  to 
Green  Bay,  Wis.,  where  he  secured  a  position 
with  a  lumber  company,  receiving  a  salary  of 
$80  a  month.  At  the  end  of  a  year  and  a  half 
he  established  himself  in  business  in  Oiicago  as 
a  lumber  manufacturer  and  dealer.  A  few  years 
later,  in  1874,  he  came  to  California,  locating  in 
Compton,  where,  with  the  exception  of  three 
years  spent  in  Gardena,  where  he  was  in  busi- 
ness for  himself,  he  has  since  been  similarly  em- 
ployed, the  San  Pedro  Lumber  Company  appre- 
ciating his  knowledge  and  experience.  In  his 
operations  he  has  met  with  good  success,  by  his 
industry,  thrift  and  force  of  character  arising 
from  a  condition  of  comparative  poverty  'to  a 
place  of  afffuence.  He  owns  considerable  city 
property  in  Compton,  and  has  recently  erected  a 
fine  residence  in  a  pleasant  part  of  the  place. 

In  1876  Mr.  Stevens  married  Mrs.  Nancy 
(Gaines)  Rogers,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  who 
presides  over  their  new  home  with  grace  and 
hospitality.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Church,  but,  with  Mr.  Stevens,  attends  the  Con- 
gregational Church.  Politically  Mr.  Stevens  af- 
filiates with  the  Socialist  party. 


HOX.  PRESCOTT  E.  COGS\\'ELL.  The 
California  Assembly'  has  acquired  a  distinc- 
tion among  tlie  states  of  the  nation  because  of 
the  men  of  ability  and  enterprise  who  are 
lending  their  eflforts  to  advance  the  interests 
of  the  people  through  legislation,  and  holding 
]3lace  as  a  representative  of  his  district  is  the 
Hon.  Prescott  F.  Cogswell,  a  pioneer  \^alnut 
grower  of  the  Mountain  \''iew  section  in  Los 
Angeles  county.  Mr.  Cogswell  is  of  English 
ancestry,  the  records  tracing  the  name  to  the 
year  1064,  in  the  county  of  Essex,  England, 
where  it  was  then  known  as  Coggeshall.  John 
Cogswell  was  born  in  Westbury,  Leigh,  Wilts 
county.  England,  in   1592.  and  in   163 ^  he  came 


to  America  on  the  ship  Angel  Gabriel,  which 
was  wrecked  off  the  coast  of  Maine  on  the 
16th  of  August  of  that  year.  He  escaped  by 
swimming  to  the  land.  He  finally  settled  in 
Massachusetts  and  there  the  name  flourished 
lor  generations;  his  son,  William,  born  in 
\\'estbury,  Leigh,  Wilts  county,  England, 
married  and  located  in  Massachusetts,  where 
his  son,  William  Jr.,  was  born  in  Ipswich  and 
married  Martha  Emerson ;  their  son,  Edward, 
was  born  in  Gloucester,  while  his  son,  Sam- 
uel, was  born  in  Ipswich,  to  which  place  the 
family  returned.  The  family  fortunes  were 
changed  to  Preston,  Conn.,  where  another 
John  Cogswell  Avas  born,  who  in  young  man- 
hood located  in  South  Britain  and  there 
reared  a  family,  a  son,  Eerris,  marrying  and 
passing  his  remaining  years  in  that  section. 
His  son,  Eranklin  Eerris  Cogswell,  moved  to- 
ward the  north,  passing  some  time  in  Sand- 
gate,  Vt.,  where  was  born  a  son,  Asa  H.,  the 
father  of  Hon.  Prescott  E.  Eranklin  E.  lo- 
cated in .  Ontario,  where  he  engaged  as 
a  farmer  until  his  death  which  occurred  at  an 
advanced  age. 

Asa  H.  Cogswell  became  a  minister  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Ontario  and 
continued  so  occupied  for  a  number  of  j'ears, 
finally,  however,  engaging  as  a  farmer  in  that 
section  until  his  removal  to  Los  Angeles,  Cal., 
where  his  death  occurred  in  1896.  His  wife 
was  formerly  Mary  L.  Allen,  Avho  was  born 
in  Ontario,  a  daughter  of  Nathan  Prescott  Al- 
len, of  Port  Plains,  N.  Y.,  and  granddaughter 
of  Nathan  Allen,  of  Pomfret,  Conn.,  who  mar- 
i-ied  into  the  Goodell  family  of  Mayflower  an- 
cestry. Mrs.  Cogswell  died  in  Los  Angeles  in 
1906,  leaving  a  family  of  two  daughters  and 
three  sons,  namely:  Prescott  Eranklin,  of  this 
review;  Mary,  wife  of  J.  R.  Davis,  sheriff  of 
Luzerne  county.  Pa.;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Rev. 
lohn  P.  .MacPhie,  of  Lynn.  Mass.;  A.  Horatio, 
head  of  the  Latin  department  of  the  .Alameda 
high  school,  and  a  prominent  baritone  singer 
of  that  section  :  and  Trvin  Roy,  of  Los  .An- 
geles. 

Prescott  E.  Cogswell  v.-as  the  oldest  in  his 
father's  family  and  was  born  October  23,  1859, 
in  the  vicinity  of  Ingersoll.  Ontario,  and  there 
spent  the  first  nine  years  of  his  life.  In  1868 
he  was  taken  bv  his  parents  to  Afton,  Iowa, 
where  his  father  engaged  as  a  merchant  for 
the  period  of  two  years;  they  then  returned  to 
the  old  home  in  Ontario,  where  Mr.  Cogswell 
completed  his  education  in  .Albert  University 
of  Belleville.  He  came  to  California  in  1883 
and  in  the  vicinity  of  Tustin  purchased  an 
orange  ranch  of  twenty  acres,  which  he  culti- 
^•atcd  and  impro:-cd  for  a  few  years,  disposing 
of  the  same  during  the  real  estate  excitement 


1874 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  1888.  That  same  3-ear  Mr.  Cogswell  be- 
came associated  with  B.  F.  Maxson  in  the 
purchase  of  the  AlcLeaii  ranch  of  five  hundred 
and  fifteen  acres  in  El  Alonte,  which  they  sub- 
divided, putting  in  streets  and  laying  oiT 
blocks,  and  disposing  of  the  greater  part  of  it 
advantageously.  Mr.  Cogswell  set  out  the 
first  walnut  orchard  in  Mountain  View  district 
and  continued  to  add  to  his  interests  until  he 
now  owns  one  hundred  and  one  acres  in  wal- 
nuts, whiie  he  also  owns  an  alfalfa  farm  ad- 
joining El  Monte.  He  has  laid  out  several 
tracts  in  this  vicinity,  one  of  which,  one  hun- 
dred acres,  is  known  as  the  Cogswell  tract. 

In  Montreal  Mr.  Cogswell  married  ]\liss 
Jane  Belcher,  a  native  of  Calcutta,  and  a 
"daughter  of  the  Rev.  Canon  S.  Belcher,  of 
Grace  Church,  Montreal.  He  was  born  in 
London,  England,  and  was  sent  as  a  mission- 
ary to  India  and  later  to  INIontreal.  Mrs. 
Cogswell  died  in  1898,  leaving  a  family  of 
three  children,  namely:  Frederick  A.,  attend- 
ing the  University  of  Southern  California ; 
Harold  G.  and  Irene,  in  the  high  school  of  El 
Monte.  Mr.  Cogswell  has  always  taken  a 
prominent  part  in  matters  of  public  import 
and  is  especially  interested  in  educational 
work,  now  serving  as  secretary  of  the  board 
of  education  of  the  Union  high  school,  of  El 
Monte,  whidi  position  he  has  occupied  since 
the  organization  of  the  district.  He  was 
prominent  in  the  organization  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  El  Monte  and  is  still  con- 
nected with  the  institution  as  a  director.  He 
also  is  a  director  in  the  Mutual  Fire  Insurance 
Company,  of  Los  Angeles.  In  religion  he  was 
reared  in  the  ^Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and 
is  numbered  among  those  who  may  be  count- 
ed upon  to  support  all  worthy'  charities  of  the 
church  or  community.  In  politics  he  is  a  Re- 
publican and  it  was  on  this  ticket  that  he  was 
nominated  and  elected  in  1906  as  representa- 
tive from  the  Sixty-eighth  district,  having  a 
plurality  of  thirteen  hundred  and  eighty-five 
votes.  His  liberality  and  enterprise  have  won 
for  him  a  wide  friendship  and  given  him  a 
place  among  the  representative  citizens  of  this 
section. 


E.  M.  JOURDAN.  Generations  of  the 
Jourdan  family  have  lived  and  died  in  sunny 
France,  content  with  her  surroundings  and  ad- 
vantages, but  the  continuity  was  broken  when 
E.  M.  Jourdan  set  foot  on  American  soil  in  1876. 
Closely  following  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Cali- 
fornia and  while  the  prospects  for  obtaining  sud- 
den wealth  in  this  locality  were  still  at  high  tide, 
he  was  born  January  6,  1854,  in  Hautes- 
Alpes,    France,   a   son    of    Pierre    and   Edelean 


(Joubert)  Jourdan.  Neither  of  the  parents 
ever  left  their  native  land,  and  throughout  his 
entire  life  the  father  was  a  tiller  of  the  soil. 

Nothing  of  unusual  interest  transpired  during 
the  early  life  of  E.  M.  Jourdan,  and  as  was 
natural  he  gave  a  helping  hand  in  relieving  his 
father  of  such  farm  duties  as  his  strength  would 
permit.  An  irreparable  loss  in  the  death  of  his 
mother  when  he  was  only  nine  years  old  sad- 
dened his  young  life,  and  before  long  he  was 
made  to  realize  the  necessity  of  self  mainte- 
nance. A  period  of  nine  months  in  the  public 
schools  constituted  his  school  life  and  formed 
the  foundation  for  the  later  knowledge  which  he 
obtained  from  reading  good  literature.  His  first 
independent  work  was  herding  cattle  for  neigh- 
boring farmers  and  during  the  two  years  that  he 
was  thus  employed  he  made  his  home  with  his 
father  and  assisted  him  as  his  other  duties  would 
permit.  AMien  onh  thirteen  years  old  he  entered 
the  coal  mines,  but  soon  found  a  better  opening 
in  a  foundry,  where  the  work  was  more  in  keep- 
ing with  his  tastes  and  inclination,  and  he  soon 
became  an  expert  in  his  particular  line,  receiving 
eight  francs  or  $1.52  per  day  for  his  services. 
Although  his  business  undertakings  had  been 
successful  in  his  native  land,  he  was  filled  with 
an  ambitious  spirit  to  advance  still  further,  and 
in  order  to  carry  out  his  plans  he  set  sail  from 
France  in  December,  1875,  and  in  due  time  ar- 
rived in  San  Francisco. 

.Since  locating  in  the  United  States  Mr.  Jour- 
dan "has  been  interested  in  various  undertakings, 
in  all  of  which  he  has  met  with  the  success 
which  his  efiforts  and  determination  made  pos- 
sible. It  was  not  long  after  locating  in  San  Fran- 
cisco that  he  entered  the  employ  of  G.  \'enard, 
dealer  in  tea,  coffee  and  spices,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained for  five  years.  After  severing  his  con- 
nection with  Mr.  Venard  in  1881,  he  went  to 
Los  Angeles,  and  for  one  year  worked  in  the 
foundry  of  Powers  &  Baker,  his  experience  in 
this  branch  of  mechanics  during  early  life  thor- 
oughly qualifying  him  for  the  position.  Later, 
going  to  Riverside,  he  established  a  "restaurant, 
which  he  conducted  for  three  years,  giving  it  up 
at  the  end  of  that  time  to  engage  in  mining  in 
the  Ferris  district.  It  is  safe  to  presume  that  his 
efforts  as  a  miner  were  not  as  remunerative  as 
he  had  hoped,  for  he  soon  afterward  went  to 
Santa  Ana,  where  he  engaged  in  the  liquor 
business  for  one  year.  In  1886,  having  again 
located  in  Los  Angeles,  he  followed  brick- 
making  for  one  year,  and  in  1887  came  to  San 
Pedro,  with  whose  interests  he  has  since  been 
identified.  During  the  eleven  years  which  he 
had  spent  in  the  state  he  had  resided  in  a  num- 
ber of  the  larger  and  more  important  cities,  but 
in  none  had  he  found  the  opening  which  he 
sought  until  locating  in  San  Pedro.     In  partner- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1875 


ship  with  George  H.  Peck  he  purchased  two 
blocks  of  land,  which  has  since  been  divided  and 
is  now  known  as  blocks  Nos.  15  and  17,  Jour- 
dan's  subdivision,  and  block  No.  11,  Hill  &  Jour- 
dan  subdivision.  During  the  twenty  years  which 
Mr.  Jourdan  has  made  his  home  here  he  has  been 
fairly  successful  in  the  handling  of  real  estate, 
making  a  specialty  of  subdividing  and  improv- 
ing large  tracts  and  selling  in  small  lots  for 
homesteads. 

In  San  Francisco,  January  8,  1881,  Mr.  Jour- 
dan was  united  in  marriage  with  one  of  his 
countrywomen,  Victonne  Maouconl,  and  two  chil- 
dren have  blessed  their  union,  E.  A.  and  Edward 
J.,  both  of  whom  are  at  home  with  their  parents. 
True  to  the  faith  in  which  they  were  reared, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jourdan  are  adherents  of  the 
Catholic  Church  and  contribute  generously  to  its 
various  benevolences. 


CHARLES  FREMONT  PITCHER.  The 
Pitcher  family  is  of  English  descent,  although 
the  branch  to  which  Qiarles  Fremont  Pitcher 
belongs  has  lived  in  America  since  Revolutionary 
days,  and  his  great-grandfather,  who  was  a  set- 
tler in  \'ermont,  served  in  that  struggle.  The 
grandfather,  Oren,  was  born  in  Vermont,  after- 
wards removed  to  New  York,  served  in  the  war 
of  1812  and  later  went  to  Bremer  county,  Iowa, 
where  his  death  occurred.  The  father  was  or- 
iginally a  farmer  in  New  York,  but  removed  to 
Iowa  in  1859,  improved  a  farm  there  and  resided 
on  it  during  his  lifetime.  At  the  breaking  out 
of  the  Civil  war  he  volunteered  in  an  Iowa  regi- 
ment, but  was  rejected.  His  wife  was  Phoebe 
Ann  Smith,  who  was  born  in  New  York,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Hiram,  also  a  native  of  that  state,  who 
removed  to  Bremer  county,  Iowa,  in  an  early  day 
and  remained  until  the  time  of  his  death.  He 
served  in  the  Civil  war  in  an  Iowa  regiment,  and 
was  wounded  in  battle.  After  the  war  he  did 
militar}-  service  on  the  Texas  frontier  and  was 
engaged  in  the  Maximilian  troubles.  Mrs  Pitcher 
died  in  November,  1905,  at  her  home  in  Iowa. 

The  oldest  in  a  family  of  five  children  Qiarles 
F.  Pitcher  is  the  only  member  living  in  Califor- 
nia. He  was  born  October  2,  1856,  in  Cat- 
taraugus county,  N.  Y.,  and  when  only  three 
years  old  was  taken  with  his  father's  family  to 
Iowa,  where  his  boyhood  days  were  spent  on 
the  farm.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
and  when  eighteen  years  of  age  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, locating  at  Vacaville,  where  he  worked 
at  his  trade  of  blacksmith  and  machinist.  He 
rem.ained  there  until  1878,  when  he  removed  to 
Mendocino  county  to  work  in  the  lumber  mills. 
He  stayed  there  but  a  few  months,  however,  in 
the  fall  coming  to  Ventura  county  and  locating 
on  a  ranch  on  the   Conejo,  upon   which   he  en- 


gaged in  grain  raising  and  the  stock  business. 
After  a  term  of  four  years  he  removed  to  the 
Ocean  View  district  and  devoted  himself  to  grain 
raising.  His  present  home  is  on  a  ranch  of  three 
hundred  acres  which  was  formerly  in  the  seaside 
tract  of  the  Colonia  grant.  One  hundred  dnd 
twenty  acres  of  the  land  are  in  beets  and  the  re- 
mainder in  grain  and  hay.  He  has  some  very 
finely  bred  cattle  and  horses,  among  the  latter  be- 
ing Young  Mac,  a  black  twelve-year-old  by  j\Ic- 
Kinney,  dam  by  A.  W.  Richmond.  He  also  has 
a  blacksmith  shop  on  the  place  and  does  a  good 
business   working  at  his  trade. 

In  1879  Mr.  Pitcher  was  married  to  Miss 
Emma  Arnold,  a  native  of  Susanville,  Lassen 
county,  Cal.  To  this  union  seven  children  were 
born,  namely:  William,  a  farmer  in  Ventura 
county;  Fannie,  the  wife  of  Joseph  Thompson, 
of  Phoenix,  Ariz.;  Oscar,  in  the  United  States 
navy  service  aboard  the  ship  Paul  Jones ;  Grace, 
a  student  at  the  University  of  California;  Ray, 
Etliel  and  Percy,  the  last  three  named  being 
still  under  the  parental  roof.  Mrs.  Pitcher  is 
a  school  trustee  of  their  district  and  j\lr.  Pitcher 
has  served  on  the  board  of  school  trustees  of 
Ocean  Mew  district  several  terms  in  the  past. 
He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  is  a  man  who 
takes  a  keen  interest  in  everything  pertaining  to 
the  welfare  of  the  community  in  which  he  lives. 
In  1898-99  he  was  engaged  on  the  coast  survey 
under  A.  T.  Mossman,  remaining  with  the  party 
until  the  survey  from  Santa  Barbara  to  Yuma 
was  completed.  In  every  enterprise  which  en- 
gages his  attention  Mr.  Pitcher  gives  faithful 
and  efficient  service  and  he  has  earned  the  high- 
est esteem  of  all  who  have  the  pleasure  of  "his 
acquaintance. 


EDWARD  ATHERTON  BRUNSON.  A 
resident  of  Downey,  Los  Angeles  county,  for 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century.  Dr.  Edward  Ath- 
erton  Brunson  has  been  actively  identified  with 
the  best  interests  of  the  people  and  the  place, 
and  has  contributed  his  full  share  in  advanc- 
ing and  promoting  the  agricultural  and  in- 
dustrial prosperity  of  the  community  in  which 
he  resides.  For  the  past  year  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  the  real-estate  business,  and  in  his 
operations  has  met  with  uniform  success.  A 
son  of  the  late  Robert  A.  Brunson,  he  was 
born,  in  1844,  in  Arkansas,  and  was  there 
brought  up  and  educated. 

Although  born  and  reared  in  North  Caro- 
lina, Robert  A.  Brunson  migrated  when  a 
young  man  to  Tennessee,  thence  to  Arkansas, 
and  for  many  years  was  one  of  the  leading  phv- 
sicians  of  the  community  in  which  he  resid- 
ed. In  1876  he  came  to  California,  locating 
near  Downey,  where  he  purchased  land  from 


1876 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


which  he  improved  a  good  ranch.  In  addition 
lo  his  agricultural  labors  he  was  also  actively 
employed  in  the  practice  of  medicine  until 
1890,  having  an  extensive  patronage  through- 
out this  section  of  the  county.  Retiring  from 
the  profession  in  that  year,  he  lived  on  his 
home  farm,  enjoying  a  well-merited  leisure, 
until  his  death,  in  1902,  at  the  venerable  age 
of  eighty-one  years.  His  first  marriage  unit- 
ed him  with  Mary  J.  Johnson,  who  was  born 
in  Arkansas,  and  there  spent  her  entire  life, 
dying  in  1863.  In  1865  he  married  Annie  Shep- 
perd,  a  niece  of  L.  E.  Conway,  distinguished  as 
the  first  governor  of  Arkansas,  and  also  a  cous- 
in of  ex-governor  Rector  of  Arkansas.  She 
survived  him,  passing  away  in  1903,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-live  years. 

Having  completed  the  course  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  town,  E.  A.  Brunson  con- 
tinued his  studies  at  Bardstown,  Ky.,  after 
which  he  attended  medical  lectures  at  the  Uni- 
\ersity  of  Louisiana.  Beginning  the  practice 
of  his  profession  in  1872,  he  was  located  at 
Columbus,  Ark.,  for  fifteen  years,  and  dur- 
ing that  time  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative 
business.  Listening  to  the  persuasions  of  his 
father,  he  finally  came  to  Los  Angeles  county, 
locating  in  Downey,  where  for  three  years  he 
leased  about  five  hundred  acres  of  the  Cen- 
tenilla  ranch.  He  also  invested  in  land,  buying 
a  farm  of  twenty  acres,  which  he  still  owns. 
A  man  of  much  enterprise  and  energy,  far- 
sighted  and  practical,  he  became  one  of  the 
promoters  of  the  Arroyo  Ditch  and  Water 
Company,  which  he  served  as  president  one 
year,  as  director  five  years,  and  as  superin- 
tendent two  years.  The  latter  position  he  was 
urged  to  accept  for  another  term,  but  refused, 
sending  his  resignation  in  January,  1905,  since 
which  time  he  has  devoted  his  attention  to  the 
buying  and  selling  of  real  estate. 

br.Brunson  married,  in  1876,  in  Arkansas, 
Susie  E.  Kinsvvorthy.  a  native  of  that  state, 
and  into  their  household  three  children  have 
been  born,  namely:  Mary  L.,  a  teacher  in 
the  Lugo  district;  Lillian  M.,  a  medical  stu- 
dent in  Los  Angeles ;  and  Zekie  K.,  a  graduate 
of  the  Downey  high  school  and  teacher  of  mu- 
sic. Fraternally  Dr.  Brunson  belongs  to  Dow- 
ney Lodge  No.'220,  F.  &.  A.  M.,  and  religious- 
ly he  is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church. 


THOMAS  H.  JAMES.  Occupying  an  as- 
sured position  among  the  representative  citizens 
of  Santa  Monica  is  Thomas  H.  James,  city  en- 
gineer, who  has  attained  marked  distinction  in 
his  profession,  and  is  widely  known  as  a  gen- 
tleman of  scientific  attainments.     Since  his  ap- 


pointmcrt  lo  this  office  in  1895  he  has  devoted 
his  attention  to  the  duties  devolving  upon  him, 
giving  most  satisfactory  service,  his  quick,  keen 
intellect,  his  training  and  his  wide  experience 
eminently  qualifying  him  for  his  responsible  posi- 
tion. He  was  born,  November  4,  1857,  in  county 
Devon,  England,  near  the  city  of  Exeter,  which 
was  likewise  the  birthplace  of  his  father,  Thomas 
James. 

Born  of  Welsh  ancestors,  Thomas  James  was 
reared  and  educated  in  his  native  county,  liv- 
ing there  for  a  number  of  years  after  his  mar- 
riage with  Anna  L.  Wright,  by  whom  he  had 
eight  children.  He  died  in  England  in  1868; 
subsequently  emigrating  with  her  family  to  the 
United  States,  Airs.  James  in  1874  settled  in 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  she  had  been  preceded 
two  years  by  her  son  Thomas  H.  She  passed 
away  in  that  city  in  1878. 

After  locating  in  Cleveland,  Thomas  H.  James 
continued  his  studies  under  private  instructors, 
receiving  excellent  educational  advantages.  In- 
terested in  mechanical  pursuits,  he  subsequently 
entered  the  city  engineer's  office  in  Cleveland, 
where,  under  such  men  as  Morse,  Force  and  Rice 
he  received  his  principal  training.  For  four 
years  he  ser^-ed  in  the  engineer's  department  of 
different  railroads,  including  the  New  York, 
Chicago  &  St.  Louis,  known  as  the  Nickel  Plate, 
and  the  Alichigan  &  Ohio,  while  thus  employed 
doing  a  good  deal  of  bridge  and  construction 
work.  April  10,  1888,  he  took  up  his  residence 
in  Los  Angeles,  Cal,  where  he  soon  accepted  a 
position  in  the  city  engineer's  office,  in  the  con- 
struction department.  He  afterwards  assisted 
in  the  construction  of  the  outfall  sewers  of  the 
tunnel  portion  at  Inglewood. 

Starting  then  in  business  on  his  own  account, 
]\Ir.  James  had  an  office  in  the  \\'orkman  block, 
and  was  kept  busily  employed.  Subsequently 
becoming  identified  with  the  Terminal  Railroad 
Company,  now  the  Salt  Lake  Railroad  Com- 
pany, he  served  as  assistant  engineer  until  the 
fall  of  1893,  winning  a  fine  record  for  his  achieve- 
ments in  that  capacity.  In  November,  1893,  he 
came  to  Santa  Alonica  to  take  charge  of  the 
laying  of  the  foundations  of  the  North  Beach 
bath  house,  also  the  general  construction  work 
for  the  Santa  Monica  Land  and  Water  Company, 
at  the  same  time  doing  some  special  engineer- 
ing for  the  Los  Angeles  and  Pacific  Railroad 
Company.  He  afterwards  served,  by  appoint- 
ment, as  city  engineer  and  street  superintendent 
for  two  years,  but  since  1895  has  served  in  the 
capacity  of  city  engineer,  rendering  distinguished 
service.  He  also  does  engineering  to  some  ex- 
tent in  other  portions  of  Southern  California, 
being  frequently  called  upon  for  work  requiring 
special  care,  among  which  may  be  mentioned 
work  for  the  Western  Pacific  Development  Com- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


187: 


pany  in  laying  out  Brentwood  Park  and  all  the 
Palisades  improvements.  In  the  pursuit  of  his 
profession,  Mr.  James  has  accumulated  a  fine 
property,  including  a  handsome  home  at  No. 
322  Fourteenth  street,  in  which  he  resides.  He 
is  maintaining  an  office  in  Los  Angeles  at  No. 
611  Fay  building  to  look  after  his  outside  in- 
terests. 

January  6,  1881,  Mr.  James  married  Mary 
Rose  Lucas,  who  was  born  in  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
a  daughter  of  M.  S.  Lucas,  of  that  city,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  Clarence 
v.,  Grace  L.  and  Myrtle  H.  The  son,  a  mechani- 
cal engineer  and  electrician,  was  for  some  time 
in  the  employ  of  the  Los  Angeles  Pacific  Rail- 
road Company  at  Sherman,  Cal,  but  is  now  as- 
sociated with  the  Wilson  Electrical  Company 
in  Santa  Monica.  The  oldest  daughter,  Grace 
L.,  is  a  member  of  the  senior  class  in  the  Le- 
land  Stanford,  Jr.,  University  and  Myrtle,  the 
youngest  child,  and  the  only  one  born  in  Cali- 
fornia is  in  the  freshman  year  in  the  above  in- 
stitution. Politically  Mr.  James  is  a  sound  Re- 
publican, and  fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 


ROBERT  ALLEN  CRAWFORD.  Con- 
spicuous among  the  men  of  prominence  and  in- 
fluence in  San  Pedro  is  Robert  Allen  Crawford, 
who  is  distinguished  alike  for  his  own  sterling 
qualities,  and  for  the  honored  ancestry  from 
which  he  is  descended.  As  a  civil  engineer  in 
the  employ  of  the  government,  he  has  done  much 
to  advance  the  commercial  interests  of  this  part 
of  Los  Angeles  county,  and  by  careful  atten- 
tion to  those  things  conducive  to  the  welfare 
and  progress  of  business  and  social  affairs  he 
has  shown  himself  a  public-spirited  and  useful 
member  of  the  community.  As  to  his  private 
business,  he  has  never  allowed  anything  to  es- 
cape his  observation  which  might  be  of  benefit 
to  him  in  carrying  on  his  trade,  or  rather  his 
art,  for  his  work  in  this  vicinity  has  almost 
amounted  to  a  fine  art,  so  well  has  it  been  exe- 
cuted. The  descendant  of  an  honored  southern 
family,  he  was  born  September  19,  1864,  in 
Richmond,  Va.,  a  son  of  John  A.  Crawford. 
His  grandfather,  John  Crawford,  was  born  in 
Georgia,  of  substantial  Scotch  ancestry,  and  dur- 
ing his  active  life  was  a  banker  in  the  city  of 
Athens. 

William  H.  Crawford,  Mr.  Crawford's  great- 
grandfather, was  a  very  prominent  figure  in  pub- 
lic life  during  the  first  quarter  of  the  nineteenth 
century.  He  was  born  in  Georgia,  studied  law, 
and  was  among  the  leading  attorneys  of  the 
south.  From  1807  until  181 3  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  United  States  senate,  after  which  he 
served  as  a  cabinet  officer,  first  as  secretary  of 


war,  and  later  as  secretary  of  the  treasury.  At 
one  time  he  was  minister  to  France,  and  in  that 
capacity  was  a  personal  friend  of  Lafayette.  He 
was  a  man  of  strong  individuality,  possessing  a 
keen  intellect,  and  in  his  religious  beliefs  was 
a  Scotch  Presbyterian. 

Born  and  reared  in  Athens,  Ga.,  John  A. 
Crawford  received  a  legal  education,  becoming 
an  attorney  of  note.  For  a  few  years  he  fol- 
lowed his  profession  in  Richmond,  Va.,  being 
while  there  a  court  reporter,  also  serving  as 
a  representative  to  the  state  legislature,  as  state 
senator,  and  as  private  secretary  to  General 
Cobb,  secretary  of  the  treasury.  At  the  close 
of  the  war  he  returned  to  Athens,  Ga.,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  until  his 
death.  He  married  Ellen  Peebles,  who  was 
born  in  Richmond,  Va.,  where  her  father,  Allen 
Peebles,  was  a  jeweler.  She  is  now  living  in 
Athens,  Ga.  She  bore  her  husband  three  chil- 
dren, of  whom  two  survive,  Robert  Allen,  the 
special  subject  of  this  sketch,  being  the  first 
born. 

Educated  in  Athens,  Ga.,  Robert  Allen  Craw- 
ford was  graduated  from  the  University  of 
Georgia  with  the  class  of  1884,  receiving  the 
degree  of  C.  E.  He  was  subsequently  princi- 
pal of  a  school  in  Mitchell  county  for  two  years, 
when  he  resigned  the  position.  Locating  in 
Kansas  City,  Mo.,  in  January,  1887,  he  was  for 
two  years  employed  as  a  civil  engineer  with  the 
firm  of  Tuttle  &  Pike,  while  there  gaining  val- 
uable experience  in  his  special  line  of  work. 
Since  February,  1889,  with  the  exception  of  six 
months  that  he  spent  in  superintending  the  con- 
struction of  the  grounds  for  the  St.  Louis  Expo- 
sition, he  has  been  in  the  service  of  the  United 
States  government  as  a  civil  engineer.  In  1889, 
as  assistant  engineer,  with  headquarters  either 
in  Kansas  City  or  Jefferson  City,  he  was  em- 
ployed on  construction  work,  which  he  followed 
in  that  vicinity  for  twelve  years,  buijding  dikes, 
revetments,  dams,  etc.  From  1901  until  1902 
he  was  engaged  in  dredging  at  Memphis,  Tenn. 
Coming  to  San  Pedro  in  1902  as  assistant  en- 
gineer he  had  charge  of  the  Inner  Harbor  im- 
provements, in  which  capacity  he  designed  and 
built  the  new  government  dredge.  During  the 
comparatively  short  time  that  he  has  been  a 
resident  of  this  city  he  has  won  a  place  of  in- 
fluence in  business  and  social  circles,  and  is  now 
one  of  the  directors  of  the  First  National  Bank. 

In  Jefferson  City,  Mo.,  Mr.  Crawford  mar- 
ried Pauline  Brace,  a  daughter  of  Judge  Theo- 
dore Brace,  chief  justice  of  the  supreme  court 
of  Missouri.  The  judge,  a  native  of  Maryland, 
is  a  skilful  and  able  attorney,  well  known 
throughout  the  western  central  states.  His 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Roanna  Penn. 
was  a  descendant  of  William  Penn,  the  English 


1878 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Quaker  who  founded  Pennsylvania.  Mrs. 
Crawford  is  a  woman  of  talent  and  accomplish- 
ments, and  is  a  fine  musician,  having  been 
graduated  from  the  Conservatory  of  Music  at 
Jacksonville.  111.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crawford  have 
one  child,  Robert  Brace  Penn  Crawford.  Mr. 
Crawford,  true  to  the  religious  training  of  his 
youth,  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  Mrs.  Crawford  belongs  to  the  Christian 
Church. 


LOUIS  F.  STEPHENS.  Although  not  a 
native  of  Southern  California,  Mr.  Stephens  has 
made  his  home  in  this  part  of  the  state  since 
youth  and  is  a  thorough  Californian  b}'  birth, 
training,  education  and  ideals,  keenly  in  sym- 
pathy with  the  progressive  spirit  that  has  con- 
verted the  barren  wastes  into  scenes  of  "beauty 
that  are  a  joy  forever."  The  property  which 
he  owns  and  operates  lies  one  and  one-fourth 
miles  south  of  Palms,  Los  Angeles  county,  and 
comprises  twenty-five  acres  of  large  monetary 
value,  in  addition  to  which  he  owns  thirty  acres 
in  another  tract.  A  native  of  San  Francisco,  he 
was  born  in  that  city  October  29,  1861,  and  is 
a  son  of  Andrew  and  Rosina  (Wetzel)  Steph- 
ens, natives  of  Germany,  who  immigrated  to  the 
LTnited  States  in  early  life  and  were  married  in 
New  York  City.  The  father,  who  was  twenty- 
one  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  landing  in  the 
new  world,  secured  employment  on  a  steamer 
plying  the  waters  of  the  Hudson  river  between 
New  York  and  Albany,  and  remained  with  the 
same  steamboat  company  for  nine  years,  during 
a  part  of  which  time  he  acted  as  third  mate.  On 
resigning  his  position  on  the  steamer  he  came 
to  California  and  settled  in  San  Francisco,  where 
for  nine  years  he  was  a  clerk  in  the  large  mer- 
cantile establishment  of  Redington  &  Co.  From 
1868  to  1878  he  made  his  home  in  Santa  Clara 
county,  where  he  owned  one  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  and  engaged  in  general  farming.  In  the 
mean  time  he  also  became  interested  in  the  cul- 
tivation of  large  areas  of  wheat  land  in  the 
Salinas  valley,  but  several  seasons  of  protracted 
droughts  ruined  his  crops  and  left  him  without 
means  to  continue  agricultural  pursuits. 

While  making  his  home  in  Santa  Clara  coun- 
ty Andrew  Stephens  was  bereaved  by  the  death 
of  his  wife  in  1876.  Discouraged  by  this  loss 
and  by  the  failure  of  his  industrious  efforts  to 
gain  a  livelihood,  he  decided  to  seek  a  new  loca- 
tion, and  in  1878  came  to  Los  Angeles  county. 
Having  practically  no  capital,  he  was  obliged  to 
begin  farming  upon  a  very  small  scale,  but  grad- 
ually he  increased  his  holdings,  and  with  the  sav- 
ings of  these  years  he  invested  in  a  tract  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  near  Palms.  To  this  he 
subsequently  added  by  the  purchase  of  one  hun- 


dred and  sixty-three  acres,  owning  in  all  three 
hundred  and  thirteen  acres.  On  that  place  he 
was  actively  engaged  in  farming  until  a  .short 
time  before  his  death,  which  occurred  at  sixty- 
eight  years.  After  becoming  a  citizen  of  the 
United  States  he  voted  the  Republican  ticket  at 
both  local  and  general  elections.  At  his  death 
he  was  survived  by  four  children,  namely :  An- 
drew C,  now  residing  in  Fresno  county ;  Louis 
F.  and  Carl  E.,  ranchers  near  Palms,  Los  An- 
geles county;  and  Edith,  who  is  the  wife  of 
Luther  Washburn. 

When  the  family  left  the  Santa  Clara  valley 
and  established  a  home  near  the  southern  coast, 
Louis  F.  Stephens  was  a  youth  of  seventeen 
years,  alert,  keen  and  vigorous,  therefore  capa- 
ble of  assisting  his  father  in  the  difficult  task 
of  renewing  the  family  fortunes.  His  time  was 
given  to  his  father  until  1885.  when  he  married 
Mercy,  daughter  of  Jacob  Brown  (see  sketch  else- 
where in  this  work)  and  established  a  home  of 
his  own.  Since  then  he  has  been  interested  in 
general  farming,  at  first  as  a  renter,  then  as  the 
owner  and  operator  of  one  hundred  acres  near 
Palms,  and  still  later,  selling  that  place,  becom- 
ing the  owner  of  his  present  homestead.  With 
his  wife  he  holds  membership  in  the  United 
Brethren  Church  and  they  are  rearing  their  chil- 
dren, Louis  Reuben  and  Melzina,  in  the  faith  of 
that  denomination.  In  political  views  he  has  al- 
way  been  independent,  voting  for  the  man  rather 
than  the  party,  and  with  strong  leanings  toward 
the  cause  of  prohibition  as  a  principle  rather  than 
as  a  party  issue. 


JOSEPH  H.  :McCULLOUGH.  Identified 
with  the  industrial  and  mercantile  interests 
of  the  city  of  Downey  is  Joseph  H.  ]McCul- 
lough,  who  is  carrj'ing  on  an  extensive  and  re- 
munerative business  as  a  dealer  in  farm  im- 
plements and  machinery  of  all  kinds,  and  also 
in  buggies,  wagons,  carriages  and  vehicles. 
One  of  the  early  settlers  of  this  part  of  the 
countv.  he  is  widely  known,  and  as  a  man  of 
upright  character  and  fine  moral  principles  is 
held  in  high  esteem.  A  son  of  the  late  Thomas 
McCullough.  he  was  born,  January  23,  1859, 
in  the  province  of  Quebec,  Canada. 

A  native  of  England,  Thomas  McCullough 
immigrated  to  America  when  a  young  man,  lo- 
cating in  the  province  of  Quebec.  Purchasing 
land  at  North  Hatley,  he  engaged  in  agricult- 
ural pursuits  for  many  years,  and  in  addition 
was  interested  in  the  mercantile  prosperity  of 
ills  adopted  town,  keeping  a  general  store.  He 
died  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-two  years,  in 
Canpda,  where  his  wife,  wdiose  maiden  name 
was  Martha  Irwin,  is  still  living,  having  come 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1879 


to  Quebec  when  a  girl  from  Scotland,  her  na- 
tive country. 

Educated  in  the  common  schools  of  North 
Hatley,  Quebec,  Joseph  H.  McCullough  re- 
mained on  the  home  farm  until  attaining  his 
majority.  Learning  then  the  blacksmith's 
trade,  ht  followed  it  at  Ayer's  Flat,  Quebec, 
until  1887,  when  he  came  to  California  in 
search  of  a  favorable  opening  for  business. 
Spending  the  first  winter  of  his  stay  in  this 
genial  climate  at  Santa  Ana,  he  located  in  Dow- 
ney in  the  spring  of  1888.  and  has  since  resid- 
ed here,  having  now  a  pleasant  and  attractive 
home  of  his  own.  After  working  at  his  trade 
for  six  years,  he  purchased  a  smithy,  and  in  ad- 
dition to  carrying  on  general  blacksmithing 
dealt  in  farm  machinery,  buggies  and  wagons, 
in  both  branches  of  industry  being  very  suc- 
cessful. In  December,  1904,  he  sold  his  shop, 
and  has  since  confined  his  attention  to  mer- 
cantile pursuits  only,  handling  farm  imple- 
ments, machinery,  wagons  and  buggies,  as  be- 
fore mentioned,  and  having  a  fine  trade. 

June  7,  1894,  in  Downey,  Mr.  McCullough 
married  Julia  Ardis,  who  was  born  December 
II,  1873,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Fanny  (Har- 
ris"! Ardis,  and  they  have  two  children,  name- 
ly: Ardis  Irwin,  born  December  4,  1895,  and 
Katherine,  born  Januarj'  17,  1903.  Political- 
ly Mr.  ]\fcCullough  is  a  stanch  supporter  of 
the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  Fra- 
ternally he  belongs  to  the  Independent  Order 
of  Foresters,  to  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  and  to  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees. 
He  and  his  family  attend  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  their  religious  belief  being  in 
sympathy  with  the  teachings  of  that  denomin- 
ation. 


BYRON  S.  COLE.  Distinguished  as  a  na- 
tive-born citizen  of  Los  Angeles  county,  and 
as  one  of  its  most  prosperous  and  practical  ag- 
riculturists and  horticulturists,  Byron  S.  Cole  is 
worthy  of  special  mention  in  this  volume.  A 
man  of  enterprise  and  keen  foresight,  possess- 
ing a  thorough  knowledge  of  ranching  in  all  of 
its  departments,  he  is  meeting  with  signal  suc- 
cess in  his  operations,  his  fine  ranch,  with  its 
many  substantial  improvements,  comparing  fav- 
orably with  any  in  this  part  of  Southern  Cali- 
fornia. A  son  of  George  W.  Cole,  he  was  born, 
December  21,  1871.  in  Los  Angeles  county,  near 
Downey,  and  in  this  section  of  the  state  he  has 
spent  his  entire  life. 

After  leaving  the  district  school,  Byron  S. 
Cole  continued  his  studies  for  awhile  in  \\niit- 
tier  Academy,  completing  his  early  education  in 
the  Baptist  College  at  Los  Angeles.  From  earli- 
est boyhold  he  was  familiar  with  farming  pur- 


suits, being  well  trained  in  the  science  of  agri- 
culture by  his  father,  and  on  attaining  his  ma- 
jority selected  as  his  life  work  the  free  and  in- 
dependent occupation  to  which  he  was  reared. 
He  now  owns  forty  acres  of  the  old  Cole  home- 
stead, and  to  its  care  and  management  is  devot- 
ing all  of  his  energies.  His  ranch,  one  of  the 
most  fertile  and  productive  in  the  neighborhood, 
contains  a  bearing  walnut  grove  of  twenty  acres, 
from  which  he  receives  good  annual  returns, 
and  on  the  other  twenty  acres  he  raises  excel- 
lent crops  of  corn  and  alfalfa. 

In  Whittier,  Cal.,  October  13,  1892,  Mr.  Cole 
married  ;Mayme  King  (daughter  of  John  King, 
a  highly  respected  citizen  of  this  place),  and  they 
have  one  child,  a  son,  named  Clifford  Raymond. 
Mr.  Cole  is  financially  interested  in  horticultural 
organizations,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Los  Nietos 
and  Ranchitos  Walnut  Growers'  Association. 
Politically  he  supports  the  principles  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic party  by  voice  and  vote,  and  fraternally 
he  is  a  member  of  Oro  Lodge  No.  315,  I.  O. 
O.  ¥.,  of  Wliittier. 


REINHOLD  BOETTCHER.  While  retain- 
ing a  deep  affection  for  the  land  of  his  birth  and 
the  home  of  his  ancestors,  j\lr.  Boettcher  is  a 
typical  Californian,  loyal  to  the  country  of  his 
adoption,  interested  in  its  progress  and  firmly 
persuaded  that  no  other  land  can  surpass  it  in 
climate,  soil  and  other  advantages.  Identified 
with  California  since  he  was  a  young  man  of 
twenty-two  years,  he  is  by  birth  a  German,  born 
in  Posen,  Prussia,  July  23,  1850,  being  a  son  of 
Frederick  and  Wilhelmina  (Bledow)  Boettcher, 
natives  and  lifelong  residents  of  Prussia,  where 
the  father  followed  the  blacksmith's  trade  through 
all  of  his  active  life.  Both  are  now  deceased,  but 
all  of  their  six  children  survive  them,  and  of 
these  Reinhold  was  next  to  the  youngest.  Fol- 
lowing the  usual  German  custom  he  was  sent  to 
school  until  fourteen  years  of  age  and  then  was 
apprenticed  to  a  trade,  serving  for  two  years 
under  a  blacksmith  of  the  home  neighborhood. 

Wien  only  sixteen  years  of  age  Mr.  Boettcher 
came  to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, completing  his  trade  in  Philadelphia  and 
Shamokin.  For  a  time  he  was  employed  in  the 
Pennsylvania  railroad  shops,  where  he  had  the 
heavy  blacksmith's  work  in  connection  with  the 
building  of  coal  cars.  From  Pennsylvania  he 
came  to  California  in  1872  and  secured  employ- 
ment in  San  Francisco,  where  he  held  various 
positions,  including  a  brief  period  of  work  in  the 
Fulton  iron  plant.  Next  he  spent  six  months  as 
an  employe  in  a  foundry  at  Greenville,  Plumas 
county,  after  which  he  worked  at  the  blacksmith's 
trade  in  Susanville  for  two  years.  For  several 
\ears  afterward  he  carried    (^n    a    blacksmith's 


1880 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


shop  at  Buntingville,  Lassen  county.  The  year 
1883  found  him  a  newcomer  in  Los  Angeles,  and 
there  he  worked  in  the  Baker  iron  foundry  (at 
that  time  on  Second  street),  as  well  as  with  other 
companies  or  men  engaged  along  the  line  of  his 
specialty.  For  several  years  he  carried  on  a 
shop  at  Anaheim  and  later  worked  at  the  trade 
in  Pomona,  after  which,  in  1894,  he  was  em- 
ployed in  the  factory  at  Chino  in  the  capacity  of 
blacksmith.  At  the  time  of  the  laying  of  the 
foundation  of  the  Oxnard  factory  he  came  to  the 
new  town  and  has  since  been  in  the  employ  of  the 
American  Beet  Sugar  Company  in  the  position 
of  chief  blacksmith,  which  responsible  work  he 
discharges  with  characteristic  efficiency  and 
promptness. 

In  the  numerous  places  whither  work  at  his 
trade  has  taken  him  Mr.  Boettcher  has  made 
many  friends,  so  that  his  circle  of  acquaintances 
and  weJI-wishers  is  unusually  large  and  widely 
scattered  throughout  the  state,  ^^'^^ile  giving  his 
attention  principallv  to  his  chosen  occupation,  he 
has  been  interested  in  other  enterprises  and  has 
the  credit  of  erecting  the  Pomona  house,  a  build- 
ing of  twenty-three  rooms,  situated  on  A  street 
near  Fifth.  Formerlv  he  was  quite  an  active 
worker  in  the  Odd  Fellow  encampment,  but  of 
more  recent  years  he  has  relinquished  his  asso- 
ciation with  anv  section  of  that  order  besides  the 
local  lodge.  While  living  in  Anaheim,  on  April 
28,  1887.  he  married  Miss  Dolores  Portio,  who 
was  born  in  San  Diego  county  and  is  a  member 
of  an  old  family  of  Southern  California.  The 
heaviest  bereavement  of  their  married  lives  came 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boettcher  when  tliev  lost  their 
onlv  child,  Sylvester,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  vears. 


GEORGE  P.  SHANKS.  Fortified  bv  the 
experience  gained  while  following  agricultural 
pursuits  successively  in  Iowa,  Oregon  and  South 
Dakota,  INIr.  Shanks  was  prepared  for  the  prac- 
tical conduct  of  farm  aflfairs  upon  coming  to  the 
southern  coast  of  California  in  1891.  For  a 
year  he  remained  at  Norwalk,  Los  Angeles  coun- 
ty, and  then  removed  to  Palms,  in  the  same 
county.  For  thirteen  vears  he  rented  three  hun- 
dred acres  or  more  of  the  Hammel  and  Dinker 
ranch,  and  utilized  the  land  in  the  raising  of  corn 
and  beans,  also  had  a  portion  of  the  property  in 
meadow  and  pasture.  Meanwhile  the  savings  of 
these  years  were  invested  in  property  and  he 
thus  acquired  a  five-acre  tract  with  a  house,  also 
another  place  near  by,  where  he  has  recently 
erected  for  his  family  a  comfortable  residence 
costing  $4,000,  also  has  erected  a  substantial 
barn  for  the  shelter  of  stock  and  storage  of  grain. 
as   well   as   one   hundred   acres   of   orange   land 


in  the  Lindsay  district,  Tulare  county.  His 
present  possessions  are  the  result  of  judicious 
investments  since  coming  to  California,  as  pre- 
vious to  that  he  had  lost  practically  everything 
through  crop  failures  in  South  Dakota. 

Born  in  Chicago,  111.,  September  i,  i860, 
George  P.  Shanks  was  a  son  of  John  and  Ellen 
(Sharp)  Shanks,  natives  of  Scotland.  His 
father,  who  was  born  March  8,  1828,  immigrated 
to  Chicago  about  1849,  and  for  some  time  was 
connected  with  a  general  mercantile  business  of 
that  city,  also  engaged  in  merchandising  in  El- 
gin, 111.,  for  a  few  years.  About  1867  he  be- 
came a  pioneer  merchant  of  Waterloo,  Iowa,  but 
a  few  years  later  took  up  farm  pursuits  on  rent- 
ed land  in  Blackhawk  county,  Iowa.  Eventually 
he  purchased  farm  land  near  Cedar  Falls,  Iowa. 
On  account  of  ill  health  he  came  to  California 
in  1899  and  now  resides  at  Pomona,  where  he 
has  an  orange  grove  of  two  acres.  Since  coming 
west  his  health  has  been  restored  and  he  is  now 
robust  and  vigorous  for  one  of  seventy-nine 
years.  While  he  was  still  a  lad  in  Scotland  he 
became  acquainted  with  Ellen  Sharp,  who  was 
born  January  i,  1831,  and  an  engagement  was 
entered  into,  which  was  consummated  in  their 
marriage  at  Chicago,  she  having  crossed  the 
ocean  alone  to  join  him  in  his  new  location.  Her 
death  occurred  in  Chicago,  September  i,  i860, 
when  she  was  twenty-nine  years  of  age  and 
when  her  son,  George  P.,  was  an  infant. 

After  having  completed  such  advantages  as 
the  public  schools  offered,  George  P.  Shanks 
started  out  for  himself  at  nineteen  years  of  age 
and  for  three  years  rented  land  in  Plymouth 
county,  Iowa.  Later  he  went  west  to  Oregon 
and  experimented  with  farming  as  conducted  in 
that  state,  carrying  on  a  farm  near  Lebanon, 
Linn  county.  However,  prospects  and  condi- 
tions were  not  satisfactory  and  he  soon  returned 
to  Iowa,  thence  went  to  South  Dakota  and 
bought  a  tree  claim  relinquishment  near  Cham- 
berlain, Brule  county.  Three  years  we're  suffi- 
cient to  convince  him  that  success  could  not  be 
gained  in  that  region.  During  the  last  two 
years  a  drought  set  in,  attended  by  frequent  high 
and  hot  winds,  and  as  a  result  he  lost  his  crops 
and  was  forced  to  start  anew.  In  November  of 
1 89 1  he  came  to  California,  a  decision  which  he 
has  had  no  reason  to  regret,  for  he  has  enjoyed 
a  delightful  climate,  has  earned  a  livelihood  for 
his  large  family  and  in  addition  has  reaped  the 
benefits  accruing  from  the  increase  in  land  val- 
ues. Through  all  of  his  active  life  he  has 
stanchly  supported  Republican  principles,  but  at 
no  time  has  he  solicited  office.  During  the  strife 
in  the  location  of  the  state  capital  in  Soutli  Da- 
kota he  took  an  active  part  in  advocating  Pierre 
as    the    desirable    location.       The    only     position 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1881 


which  he  has  filled,  that  of  school  trustee,  he  held 
for  several  years  in  the  interests  of  the  educa- 
tional advancement  of  his  district.  Fraternally 
lie  affiliates  with  Palms  Camp  No.  567,  W.  O. 
W.,  and  in  religion  favors  the  doctrines  of  the 
United  Brethren  Church,  in  whose  faith  he  was 
reared. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Shanks  in  1883  united 
him  with  Ida  Le  Forge,  who  was  born  in  New 
York,  a  descendant  of  French  ancestry.  They 
are  the  parents  of  eight  children,  namely :  .Ray- 
mond, who  is  employed  as  a  clerk  in  Los  Ange- 
les; Ethel  May,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  Palms 
grammar  school  and  the  Santa  Monica  high 
school;  Mabel,  George  P.,  Jr.,  Edna,  Pearl,  Lu- 
cile  and  Wesley  James,  all  of  whom  are  receiv- 
ing excellent  educational  advantages  in  the 
schools  of  the  countv. 


GEORGE  E.  MOE.  Among  the  prominent 
and  progressive  agriculturists  of  Ventura  county 
who  are  turning  their  attention  to  the  culture 
of  lima  beans,  and  in  this  comparatively  new  line 
of  industry  are  meeting  with  noteworthy  suc- 
cess, is  George  E.  Moe,  living  near  Oxnard,  on 
the  Schiappa  Pietra  ranch.  Believing  that  from 
health  and  labor,  wealth  and  contentment  spring, 
he  had  bent  every  energy  toward  the  perfect- 
ing of  his  agricultural  projects,  and  now  occupies 
a  foremost  position,  not  only  among  the  pros- 
perous farmers  of  the  community  in  which  he 
resides,  but  among  its  most  valued  and  highly 
esteemed  citizens. 

A  son  of  Elmore  Moe,  he  was  born,  May  3, 
1856,  in  Sherbrooke,  Quebec.  His  father  was 
born  in  England,  immigrated  to  Canada  when 
young,  and  was  there  a  resident  until  his  death. 
May  24,  1895,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years. 
He  married  Mary  Robert,  who  was  born  in 
Germany,  and  died  in  Quebec,  in  1899,  in  the 
seventy-third  year  of  her  age. 

At  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  having  acquired 
a  practical  education  in  the  public  schools,  George 
E.  Moe  began  work  for  himself  as  fireman  on 
the  Passumpsic  and  International  Railroad,  sub- 
sequently obtaining  a  similar  position  on  the  St. 
Francis  Railroad.  Coming  to  the  Pacific  coast 
in  February,  1877,  he  located  in  Marin  county, 
and  for  awhile  worked  on  the  North  Pacific 
Coast  and  Narrow  Gauge  Railway.  From  there 
he  went  to  Occidental,  Sonoma  county,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  the  livery  business  until  1881, 
when  he  removed  to  Seattle,  Wash.,  obtaining 
a  position  on  the  Lake  Shore  and  Eastern  Rail- 
road, for  twelve  years  thereafter  being  either 
conductor  or  engineer.  In  1893  he  came  to 
Ventura  county,  and  for  a  year  was  employed  in 
ranching  on  the  old  Gilger  place,  near  Oxnard. 
The  following  eiglit  years  he  carried  on  general 


farming  on  the  McCoy  ranch,  on  the  old  Huen- 
eme  road.  In  the  meantime,  in  February,  1898, 
he  made  a  trip  to  Alaska,  taking  passage  on  the 
ship  Corona,  which  was  rock  bound  for  four 
days.  In  October  of  that  year  he  came  back  to 
his  farm,  and  the  following  spring  returned  to 
the  Alaska  mines  for  another  season's  work. 
Locating  then  on  his  present  ranch,  he  rents  four 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land,  the  larger  part 
of  which  he  devotes  to  the  raising  of  lima  beans. 
Although  renting  the  land,  he  bought  all  of  the 
improvements  that  had  been  previously  made,  and 
to  these  has  made  valuable  additions,  having  a 
substantial  set  of  farm  buildings.  In  carrying 
on  his  work  he  makes  use  of  the  most  modern 
machinery  and  appliances,  this  year,  1906,  intro- 
ducing a  bean  thrasher. 

July  4,  1876,  in  Canada,  Mr.  Moe  married 
Delia  Annable,  who  was  born  in  Canada,  a  daugh- 
ter of  J.  M.  Annable.  Mr.  Annable  was  a  native 
of  New  England,  \'ermont  being  the  state  of  his 
birth.  He  subsequently  removed  to  Canada,  and 
there  spent  his  remaining  years.  In  Vermont, 
he  married  Eunice  Dean,  who  was  born  in  New 
Hampshire,  came  to  California  with  her  daughter, 
Mrs.  Moe,  and  died  here,  September  25,  1899, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-four  years.  Of 
the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moe  five  children 
have  been  born,  namely :  Harry  Elmore,  of  Kelso, 
San  Bernardino  county,  who  married  Bertha 
Pasold,  of  Oxnard:  Daisy,  wife  of  Gale  Dixon, 
of  Los  Angeles ;  Lawrence,  of  Los  Angeles ; 
Lotta,  of  Los  Angeles  :  and  Ernest,  at  home.  Fra- 
ternally Mr.  Moe  is  a  member  of  the  Ventura 
Court,' Palm  City  No.  1800,  I.  O.  F. 


JAMES  SHEDDEN.  As  general  superin- 
tendent of  the  Gage  Canal  System,  Mr.  Shedden 
has  charge  of  eight  miles  of  irrigating  canal 
which  carries  water  for  irrigation  purposes  into 
Riverside  and  San  Bernardino  counties.  He  has 
charge  of  from  twenty  to  one  hundred  and  forty 
men  at  different  seasons  of  the  year,  the  latter 
force  being  necessary  at  times  when  there  may 
be  a  threatened  break  in  the  levees  after  heavy 
rains.  Mr.  Shedden  is  a  native  of  Scotland,  born 
in  Glasgow,  March  21,  1864.  His  parents,  Rob- 
ert and  Mary  (Shearer)  Shedden,  were  both 
natives  of  Scotland  and  lived  in  that  country 
throughout  their  lives.  The  father  was  a  tanner 
by  trade  and  was  for  a  number  of  years  superin- 
tendent of  a  large  tanning  establishment.  James 
Shedden  spent  the  first  nineteen  years  of  his  life 
in  his  native  country,  where  he  received  a  good 
common  school  education,  and,  following  in  the 
footsteps  of  his  father,  learned  the  trade  of  tan- 
ner. On  the  completion  of  his  apprenticeship, 
which  was  spent  under  his  fatlier,  he  immigrated 


1882 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


to  Canada  in  1882  and  located  at  Gananoque, 
where  he  worked  at  his  trade  for  a  time  and  later 
for  five  and  a  half  years  was  in  the  employ  of 
Carranton  &  Son,  who  carried  on  an  extensive 
leather  business.  When  he  came  to  California 
in  1887  he  first  stopped  at  Riverside  and  found 
employment  on  the  Gage  Canal.  In  1889  he 
assumed  his  present  duties  as  general  manager 
of  the  Gage  Canal  System  and  has  since  filled 
the  position  with  entire  satisfaction  to  all  con- 
cerned. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Shedden  occurred  June 
19,  1888,  Miss  Elizabeth  Hewton,  a  native  of 
Canada,  becoming  his  wife.  The  union  has  been 
blessed  by  the  birth  of  the  following  children : 
Winnifred  (a  high  school  student),  Howard 
B.,  Allen  J.,  Robert  H.  and  Archie  G.  Both 
parents  are  active  members  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church  of  San  Bernardino  and  contribute 
liberally  to  the  support  of  the  various  charities 
and  benevolences  connected  therewith.  Fra- 
ternally Mr.  Shedden  is  a  member  of  San  Ber- 
nardino Lodge  No:  348,  F.  and  A.  M. ;  Wood- 
men of  the  World ;  Token  Lodge  No.  290,  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  and  of  Morse  Encampment  No.  51,  all  of 
San  Bernardino. 


\VILLIAMA._  WALLS.  Preceded  by  sev- 
eral years  of  indifferent  success  in  \-arious  lo- 
calities in  the  state,  Mr.  Walls  came  to  Po- 
mona in  1891,  two  years  later  purchased  his 
ranch  of  ten  acres  two  and  a  half  miles  south- 
east of  town,  and  in  1898  established  the  nu- 
cleus of  his  present  dairy  business,  now  grown 
to  be  one  of  the  substantial  enterprises  of  the 
kind  in  the  locality.  When  he  purchased  the 
ranch  in  1893  no  buildings  had  as  yet  been 
erected,  but  as  soon  as  it  came  into  his  pos- 
session he  built  a  comfortable  residence  for 
his  family  and  later  such  outbuildings  as  were 
necessary  for  the  prosecution  of  his  dairy  in- 
dustry. He  now  has  thirty-five  head  of  liiilch 
cows,  in  the  care  of  which  and  in  handling 
the  products  of  the  dairy  he  gives  employ- 
ment to  two  men  in  addition  to  his  own  labor. 

Born  in  Iowa  county,  Wis.,  September  3, 
1857,  William  A.  Walls  is  a  son  of  Daniel 
and  Margaret  (Bernard)  Walls,  who  were 
both  born  on  Prince  Edward  Island.  Both 
parents  removed  to  the  United  States  and  set- 
tled in  Wisconsin  prior  to  their  marriage,  for 
the  ceremony  which  united  their  lives  and  in- 
terests was  performed  in  the  latter  state,  and 
in  that  state  also  a  number  of  their  family  of 
eight  children  were  born.  Later  years  found 
the  family  in  Taylor  county,  Iowa,  where  Mr. 
^Valls  had  purchased  a  quarter  section  of  land, 
and  there  as  in  Wisconsin  he  continued  his 
grain   and   stock   enterprises.      Selling  out  his 


interests  in  Iowa  in  1886  he  came  to  California 
and  located  at  Santa  Ana,  Orange  county, 
where  he  lived  retired  from  business  cares 
until  his  death,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years. 
Mrs.  Walls  still  survives,  and  at  the  age  of 
eighty-two  makes  her  home  in  the  Santa  Ana 
residence,  which  has  been  her  home  for  twenty 
years.  Politically  Mr.  Walls  was  a  Repub- 
lican, and  with  his  wife  was  a  member  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church,  she  still  wor- 
shiping v.^ith  that  congregation.  Uf  the  eight 
children  originally  comprising  the  parental 
family  only  three  are  now  living,  William  A., 
John  W.  and  A[rs.  F.  L.  Benedict,  of  Los  An- 
geles. 

During  his  boyhood  years  the  ill-health  of 
the  father  made  it  necessary  for  William  A. 
Walls  to  shoulder  much  of  the  responsibility 
coimected  with  the  management  of  the  home 
farm  in  ^Visconsin,  with  the  result  that  his 
education  \\'as  sadly  neglected,  but  such  op- 
portunities as  he  had  he  improved  with  greater 
zeal  for  that  very  reason.  At  the  time  of  the 
removal  of  the  family  to  Taylor  county,  Iowa, 
he  was  eighteen  years  old,  and  there  as  in 
Wisconsin  he  continued  to  work  for  his  father 
on  the  home  farm  until  1884,  that  year  wit- 
nessing his  rem.oval  to  the  west  and  his  set- 
tlement in  Los  Angeles  count}-.  He  became 
foreman  of  the  Hollenbeck  fruit  ranch,  but  his 
position  Avas  destined  to  be  shortlived  owing 
to  the  disastrous  fire  which  destroyed  the  en- 
terprise. For  a  short  time  thereafter  he  was 
engaged  in  the  dairy  business  in  Los  Angeles, 
but  later  established  himself  with  his  brother 
in  the  butcher  business  in  Santa  Ana,  his  par- 
ents having  located  there  in  the  meantime. 
During  the  two  years  in  which  he  carried  on 
business  there  he  was  quite  successful,  and 
with  the  money  thus  accumulated  he  joined 
interests  with  his  brother  in  the  purchase  of 
a  forty-acre  ranch.  This  was  during  the  boom 
days,  and  the  fate  of  their  undertaking  went 
the  way  of  the  majority  of  investments  dur- 
ing those  unstable  times.  Putting  his  losses 
and  disappointments  behind  him  Mr,  Walls 
came  to  Pomona  in  189T  and  began  a  fruit- 
ranching  enterprise  which  he  conducted  with 
splendid  results  for  the  following  seven  \-ears. 
During  the  past  nine  years  he  has  demon- 
strated his  ability  along  the  special  line  of 
agriculture  which  he  has  chosen,  and  is  now 
recognized  as  one  of  the  most  thoroughly 
versed  and  successful  dairymen  in  the  vicinity 
;;f  Pomona. 

The  y-ear  before  coming  to  the  west,  in 
1883,  Mr.  Walls  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Hattie  E.  Landcn,  who  was  born  in  Iowa,  the 
daughter  of  Capt.  S.  N.  Landon,  a  well-known 
resident    of    that    commonwealth,    where    his 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1883 


death  occurred.  Mr.  and  JNIrs.  Walls  are  the 
parents  of  two  children,  Roy  and  Guy,  both 
of  whom  are  receiving  the  careful  training 
which  their  parents  are  well  qualified  to  De- 
stow.  Both  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  As  was  his  father,  Mr.  Walls  is  an 
advocate  of  Republican  principles,  and  the 
only  order  of  which  he  is  a  member  is  the 
Fraternal  Aid.  ]\Iuch  praise  is  due  Mr.  Walls 
for  what  he  has  accomplished  since  locating 
in  the  state,  for  in  spite  of  discouragements  he 
still  kept  his  courage  high  and  forged  ahead, 
with  the  result  that  he  is  now  one  of  the  well- 
to-do  ranchers  of  Los  .Angeles  county. 


GEORGE  H.  PECK,  SR.  The  life  which 
this  narrative  depicts  began  at  Burlington,  Vt., 
March  4,  1819,  in  the  home  of  John  and  Almira 
(Keyes)  Peck,  and  closed  in  Southern  Cali- 
fornia in  1903.  The  intervening  years  repre- 
sented a  period  of  wide  travels  in  our  own  land 
and  other  countries  and  a  long  identification 
with  the  educational  interests  of  the  Pacific 
coast,  as  well  a,s  association  with  enterprises  of 
a  commercial  order.  At  no  time  robust  in 
health  as  a  boy,  when  Mr.  Peck  was  graduated 
from  the  University  of  Vermont  in  1837  his 
delicate  constitution  had  been  so  undermined 
by  overstudy  that  he  was  unable  to  take  up  the 
activities  toward  which  his  aspirations  pointed. 
It  was  thought  that  sea-air  might  prove  bene- 
ficial, and  accordingly  he  shipped  on  a  cod-fish- 
ing voyage  through  the  straits  of  Belle  Isle,  as 
far  north  as  the  missionary  settlements  of  Okak 
and  Nairn,  off  the  Labrador  coast.  During  the 
winter  of  1839-40  he  visited  the  Danish  West 
Indies  and  the  islands  of  St.  Thomas,  Porto 
Rico,  Hayti  and  Jamaica.  Returning  to  Ver- 
mont much  improved  in  health,  he  took  up  the 
study  of  law  and  in  1841  was  admitted  to  the  bar, 
but  again  ill-health  took  him  to  the  sea.  From 
1842  until  1846  he  was  a  sailor  before  the  mast 
and  visited  many  ports  of  the  United  States, 
South  America  and  England,  after  which  he  re- 
turned to  Vermont  and  took  up  mercantile  pur- 
suits. 

When  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California 
turned  the  tide  of  emigration  •  across  the  then 
so-called  American  desert  into  the  far  west,  Mr. 
Peck  was  among  the  young  men  who  determ- 
ined to  seek  his  fortune  in  the  new  country. 
December  i,  1849,  ^'^  landed  in  California, 
where  he  found  conditions  unsettled  and  con- 
stantly shifting.  During  his  first  summer  he 
farmed  fifty  miles  south  of  San  Francisco.  The 
next  year  he  engaged  in  the  produce  business  in 
the  citv,  and  in  1851-52  mined  on  the  middle 
fork  of  the  American  river,  investing  his  earn- 
ings in   several  (hnusand  acres  in  Yolo  cnuntv. 


where  he  remained  for  two  years.  February  14, 
1854,  he  opened  in  Sacramento  the  first  public 
school  in  the  state  outside  of  San  Francisco.  In 
1857-58  he  practiced  law  at  Dutch  Flat,  Nevada 
county,  and  then  visited  old  friends  in  Vermont. 
After  his  return  he  taught  bookkeeping  in  San 
Francisco,  where  he  was  the  first  to  teach  the 
double  entry  system.  In  May  of  i860  he 
opened  the  San  Francisco  industrial  school,  and 
from  1861  to  1863  he  was  grammar  master, 
which,  in  those  days,  was  the  highest  educa- 
tional position  in  the  state.  On  reliquishing  the 
work  of  teacher  he  returned  to  merchandising 
and  continued  at  the  same  until  his  removal 
to  the  southern  part  of  the  state. 

A  steamer  brought  the  Peck  family  from  San 
Francisco  to  San  Pedro  in  1869,  and  soon  after- 
ward they  settled  on  a  ranch  of  about  five  hun- 
dred acres  at  El  ]\Ionte.  While  it  was  possible 
to  raise  crops  in  those  days,  it  was  not  possible 
to  find  a  market  for  them,  and  consequently  the 
family  endured  many  privations  and  vicissitudes 
during  those  first  years  in  Los  Angeles  county. 
By  means  of  teaching  Mr.  Peck  was  able  to  eke 
out  a  livelihood,  and  for  two  years  he  acted  as 
county  superintendent  of  schools.  After  a  time 
markets  opened  up,  settlers  came  into  the 
country,  improvements  began  to  be  made  in 
lands  and  the  fortunes  of  the  early  settlers 
changed  for  the  better,  so  that  thereafter  he  en- 
joyed a  gratifying  degree  of  prosperity.  WHiile 
living  in  Northern  California  he  established  do- 
mestic ties,  his  marriage,  April  30,  1864,  unit- 
ing him  with  I\Iary  W.  Chater,  who  was  a  mem- 
ber of  a  New  England  family  early  established 
in  the  west.  Four  children  were  born  of  their 
union,  namely:  John  H.  F.,  a  merchant  of  Soda 
Springs.  Idaho:  George  H.,  whose  sketch  ap- 
pears elsewhere  in  this  volume :  Kate,  wife  of 
Albert  Gibbs,  of  South  Pasadena,  and  Marv  C, 
Mrs.  John  E.  Jardine,  also  a  resident  of  Pasa- 
dena. The  closing  years  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peck 
were  passed  in  quiet  retirement  in  their  Pasa- 
dena liome.  where  to  both  came  the  end  of  ac- 
tivities. United  in  life,  in  death  they  were  not 
long  divided,  the  wife  sun'iving  her  husband 
for  onlv  one  vear. 


JAMES  H.  RITCHIE.  A  pioneer  of  Los 
Angeles  countv  and  a  citizen  well  known  and 
respected  by  all,  James  H.  Ritchie  was  born  in 
Nova  Scotia  May  7.  1843,  and  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  that  section.  He  was  one  of 
eleven  children  born  to  his  parents,  Andrew  and 
Elizabeth  (Jefferson)  Ritchie,  both  natives  of 
the  same  place,  and  both  now  deceased,  the 
father  dying  at  the  age  of  forty-seven  and  the 
mother  at  eighty-two.  The  father  was  a  farmer 
ihroughnut  his  entire  life  and  owned  a  valuable 


1884 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


property  in  Nova  Scotia.  Seven  of  the  children 
are  at  the  present  writing  making  their  home  in 
Nova  Scotia,  while  James  H.  is  the  only  one  in 
California. 

In  Nova  Scotia  James  H.  Ritchie  learned  the 
trade  of  blacksmith,  and  after  serving  his  ap- 
prenticeship at  Yarmouth  he  came  to  California 
and  in  San  Francisco  engaged  in  the  prosecution 
of  his  trade.  He  was  next  located  in  Stockton, 
where  the  ensuing  three  years  were  similarly 
spent.  Coming  to  Los  Angeles  in  1869  he  first 
worked  for  John  Toller,  a  pioneer  blacksmith  of 
tliis  section,  and  later  for  the  Cerro  Gordo 
Freight  Company.  For  about  three  years  fol- 
lowing this  last  employment  he  worked  for  I. 
F.  Nadeau,  after  which  he  went  to  the  mines  in 
Arizona  and  there  followed  his  trade  for  about 
three  years.  Returning  to  Los  Angeles  county 
he  established  a  blacksmith  shop  on  Florence 
and  Compton  avenues  and  has  since  been  occu- 
pied in  the  conduct  of  this  enterprise.  During 
the  years  in  which  he  has  been  located  here  he 
has  made  one  trip  to  Arizona. 

In  1872  Mr.  Ritchie  married  Miss  Mary  F. 
Jennings,  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  born  of  this 
union  are  the  following  children :  Elizabeth, 
who  married  Charles  D.  Burt,  of  Los  Angeles; 
Harry  Clifton,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three 
years:  Georgia  L.,  J.  Harry,  Jr.,  Frances  G. 
and  Charles  E.  The  family  homestead  is  a  hand- 
some structure,  surrounded  by  ample  grounds, 
on  Compton  avenue.  Mrs.  Ritchie  is  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Ritchie 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Masonic  organization 
for  many  years,  having  been  associated  with  a 
lodge  in  Nova  Scotia.  Politically  he  is  a  Re- 
publican and  takes  an  active  interest  in  public 
affairs. 


CLARENCE  E.  COE  was  born  in  Iowa, 
January  23,  1873,  a  son  of  N.  F.  Coe,  who  is 
represented  elsewhere  is  this  volume.  Mr.  Coe 
was  about  ten  years  of  age  at  the  time  the 
family  removed  from  Iowa  to  California,  and 
the  greater  part  of  his  education  was,  therefore, 
received  in  the  latter  state.  As  soon  as  he 
reached  his  majority  he  started  out  on  his  inde- 
pendent career,  renting  a  ranch  of  three  hun- 
dred acres  in  close  proximity  to  Santa  Monica. 
Some  time  after  he  took  charge  of  his  father's 
ranch,  which  he  later  purchased.  By  his  intelli- 
gent industry  and  devotion  to  the  welfare  of 
Los  Angeles  county  he  gained  the  esteem  of  ac- 
quaintances and  a  fair  competence  as  well. 

Mr.  Coe's  marriage.  October  23,  1895,  united 
him  with  a  native  daughter  of  the  state.  Miss 
Laura  E.  Bauder,  whose  father.  Rev.  T.  J. 
Bander,  was  a  presiding  elder  in  the  ITnited 
J'.rctliren  denomination  for  man\-  A'ears.     Bv  his 


wife,  formerly  Miss  Electa  M.  Clifford,  five 
children  were  born,  as  follows :  Minnie,  Lelah, 
Myrtle,  Laura  E.  and  Talmage.  Prior  to  her 
death,  in  1895,  Mrs.  Bauder  was  an  active 
vi'orker  in  the  United  Brethren  Qiurch,  and  took 
an  equal  interest  in  the  work  carried  on  by  the 
Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union.  Four 
children  have  blessed  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Coe.  Named  in  order  of  birth  thev  are 
as  follows:  Theron  E.,  Etta  E.,  Mildred  E.  and 
Clifford  B.  Following  the  teaching  of  her 
parents  Mrs.  Coe  is  an  adherent  of  the 
United  Brethren  Qiurch,  the  welfare  of  whose 
interests  she  has  at  heart,  and  both  by  personal 
efforts  and  financially  she  assists  in  carrying 
on  the  work  of  that  organization. 


GUSTAV  FERDINAND  JOHNSON.  Many 
of  the  most  active  and  prosperous  business  men 
of  Los  Angeles  county  are  of  foreign  birth,  and 
have  transported  to  this  land  of  fertility  and 
plenty  the  habits  of  industry  and  thrift  that  win 
success.  Prominent  among  these  is  Gustav  Fer- 
dinand Johnson,  of  San  Pedro,  who  is  identified 
with  the  advancement  of  the  lumber  trade  of 
this  part  of  the  state  as  a  surveyor  and  tally- 
man, in  both  of  these  lines  being  without  a  peer. 
The  youngest  of  a  family  of  seven  children,  of 
whom  three  daughters  and  one  son  are  living, 
he  was  born,  September  26,  1864,  in  Nikolaistad, 
Finland.  His  father,  the  late  John  Johnson, 
was  there  engaged  in  merchant  tailoring  during 
his  actiA'e  career,  and  there  his  mother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Louisa  Vickstrand,  still  re- 
sides. 

Having  completed  his  studies  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  land,  Gustav  Ferdinand 
Johnson  went  to  sea  when  a  boy  of  fourteen 
years,  going  first  on  a  coaster,  and  afterwards 
sailing  on  an  English  vessel  to  Pensacola,  Fla., 
from  there  going  to  Malaga,  Spain,  and  thence 
back  to  Liverpool.  Shipping  then  on  the  Eng- 
lish vessel  Loyola,  he  came  around  Cape  Horn 
to  the  Pacific  coast,  landing  in  San  Pedro  in 
1881,  after  a  tedious  voyage  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty-two  days.  The  ensuing  four  years, 
he  was  here  employed  in  the  coasting  trade,  the 
last  year  being  second  mate.  Giving  up  sea- 
faring pursuits  in  1885,  he  entered  the  employ 
of  the  San  Pedro  Lumber  Company,  beginning 
in  the  very  lowest  position  to  learn  the  business, 
at  first  being-  a  lumber  carrier.  From  time  td 
time  he  was  promoted,  at  the  end  of  three  years 
becoming  lumber  surveyor,  a  position  that  he 
retained  until  1899,  when  he  severed  his  con- 
nection with  the  company.  Since  that  time 
he  has  been  engaged  in  business  on  his  own 
account,  and  as  a  lumber  surveyor  and  tally- 
man   has    met    with    marked    success.       .\    man 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1885 


of  good  financial  judgrnent,  industrious  and  sav- 
ing, he  has  accumulated  a  fine  property,  and  on 
O'Farrell  street,  Barton  Hill,  has  erected  a  sub- 
stantial residence,  which,  with  its  beautiful  lawn, 
adorned  with  magnificent  roses  and  evergreens, 
is  one  of  the  most  attractive  in  the  cit}-.  He  is 
interested  to  some  extent  in  fruit  culture,  and  has 
a  grape  vine  which  is  said  to  be  the  largest  in 
San  Pedro.  In  ig02  he  assisted  in  organizing 
the  Lumber  Surveyors'  Association,  and  has 
since  been  a  member  of  its  finance  committee. 

In  Astoria,  Ore.,  Mr.  Johnson  married  Wen- 
dla  Nelson,  who  is  also  a  native  of  Nikolaistad, 
Finland,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  three 
children,  Ida,  Otto  and  Carl,  the  last  named  dy- 
ing June  i6,  1906.  Mr.  Johnson  was  made  a 
Mason  in  Wilmington,  demitted  from  that  lodge, 
and  became  a  charter  member  of  San  Pedro 
Lodge  No.  332,  F.  &  A.  M.  He  is  likewise  a 
member  of  the  Ancient  and  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  being  past  grand  of  his  lodge, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Rebekah  Lodge.  In  na- 
tional politics  he  is  a  Republican,  but  in  local 
affairs  votes  for  the  best  men  and  measures,  re- 
gardless of  party  prejudices. 


OSCAR  FITZALLEN  PALMER.  In  every 
progressive  city  the  time  comes  when  the  old 
must  give  way  to  the  new,  and  in  the  case  of 
buildings,  too  valuable  to  be  destroyed,  the  busi- 
ness of  house-moving  becomes  important,  render- 
ing possible  the  removal  of  the  structure  to  a 
lot  less  centrally  located  or  of  less  financial  value. 
Reasons  of  this  character,  supplementing  the 
need  of  the  wreckage  of  buildings  no  longer  hab- 
itable, caused  the  organization  of  the  firm  of 
Palmer  Brothers  in  1901,  the  members  of  the 
finn  being  Oscar,  William  and  Edward  Palmer, 
who  have  established  the  largest  business  of  its 
kind  in  San  Diego  and  devote  their  attention  to 
the  filling  of  contracts  for  the  moving,  remodel- 
ing or  wrecking  of  houses.  They  are  the  own- 
ers of  various  lots  and  houses  in  the  city  and 
some  years  ago  purchased  the  old  Horton  house, 
the  annex  of  which  they  removed  to  their  lot  on 
Union  street  to  be  used  as  a  hotel. 

The  founder  of  the  Palmer  family  in  San 
Diego  was  John  D.,  a  native  of  Ohio,  a  soldier 
in  an  Ohio  regiment  during  the  Civil  war  and  a 
manufacturer  of  lumber  for  many  years.  Re- 
moving from  Ohio  to  California  in  1884,  he  set- 
tled in  San  Diego,  where  he  took  contracts  to 
remove  and  remodel  houses,  continuing  actively 
engaged  in  business  until  his  retirement  in  1904. 
His  death  occurred  in  this  city  in  February  of 
1906  and  was  mourned  by  the  large  circle  of 
friends  he  had  formed  in  this  city  since  coming 
here  as  a  citizen  and  business  man.     For  vears 


he  was  identified  with  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  and  in  religious  views  he  was  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  faith.  His  wife,  who  bore 
the  maiden  nam,e  of  Lydia  Swift,  was  born  in 
Ohio  and  now  makes  her  home  in  San  Diego. 

The  familv  of  John  D.  and  Lydia  Palmer  con- 
sisted of  four  sons  and  four  daughters,  namely: 
Mrs.  Ida  McCann;  Oscar  FitzAllen ;  William, 
who  is  sewer  inspector  in  addition  to  being  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Palmer  Brothers ;  JMrs. 
Maggie  Ferguson  and  Mrs.  Mollie  Crane 
(twins)  ;  Scott,  manager  of  the  Pickwick  thea- 
tre, a  first-class  playhouse  leased  by  the  firm  of 
Palmer  &  Ferguson;  Edward  and  Mrs.  Bessie 
A.  Jones.  All  of  the  brothers  and  sisters  make 
San  Diego  their  home. 

Oscar  FitzAllen  Palmer  was  born  in  McCon- 
nelsville,  Morgan  county,  Ohio,  February  18, 
1868,  and  received  a  fair  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  town.  On  accompany- 
ing his  parents  to  San  Diego  in  1884  he  began 
to  help  his  father  in  the  moving  of  houses  and 
soon  learned  the  business  in  all  of  its  details, 
proving  himself  so  reliable  and  efficient  that  his 
father  gradually  turned  over  to  him  the  manage- 
ment of  affairs,  and  in  time  he  and  his  brothers 
acquired  the  business  which  they  have  conducted 
with  exceptional  enterprise  and  intelligence.  In 
San  Diego  he  has  a  comfortable  home,  presided 
over  by  his  wife,  formerly  Lillian  Pray,  who  was 
born  in  Kansas,  but  came  to  the  Pacific  coast  in 
early  girlhood  and  was  married  in  this  city. 
Aside  from  identification  with  the  Fraternal  Aid 
and  Fraternal  Brotherhood  he  has  no  affiliation 
with  orders  or  organizations,  it  being  his  pref- 
erence to  devote  himself  to  the  business  estab- 
lished by  his  father  and  built  up  to  its  present 
dimensions  largely  through  his  efforts.  Modest 
and  unassuming,  he  takes  little  credit  to  himself 
for  what  he  has  accomplished,  but  gives  the 
greatest  praise  to  his  father,  whose  uprightness 
of  life,  intelligence,  sagacity  and  genial  tempera- 
ment gave  him  an  honored  place  in  the  estima- 
tion of  his  acquaintances  and  in  the  hearts  of  his 
children. 


EMIL  J.  EISENMAYER.  As  treasurer  and 
general  manager  of  the  Colton  Grain  and  Mill- 
ing Company,  E.  J.  Eisenmayer  is  recognized  as 
one  of  the  most  progressive  and  thorough-going 
business  men  in  this  city.  The  close  of  his  school 
training  found  him  eager  to  begin  his  business 
career,  and  from  that  time  to  the  present  he  has 
been  interested  in  the  milling  business,  a  line  of 
endeavor  for  which  he  seems  to  have  a  special 
aptitude.  Born  in  Illinois,  March  8,  1871,  he  is 
a  son  of  P.  H.  and  Emma  (Wise)  Eisenmayer, 
the  father  also  being  a  native  of  Illinois.     From 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


there  he  removed  to  Missouri  in  die  early  days 
of  the  settlement  of  that  state. 

The  preliminary  education  of  Emil  J.  Eisen- 
mayer  was  received  in  the  common  schools  and 
later  he  took  a  course  in  a  manual  training  school 
in  St.  Louis,  Mo.  His  initiatory  training  in  the 
milling  business  was  obtained  in  Illinois,  and 
was  continued  in  Newton,  Kans.,  and  Missouri, 
in  which  states  he  was  a  resident  for  a  number 
of  years.  In  1902  he  came  to  Colton,  Gal,  and 
became  the  principal  organizer  of  the  company 
which  built  the  Globe  mills  here.  After  1903  the 
business  was  conducted  under  the  name  of  the 
Colton  Grain  and  Milling  Company,  with  officers 
as  follows :  W.  E.  Keller,  president ;  J.  B.  Alex- 
ander, vice-president ;  \\".  H.  Joyce,  secretary, 
and  Emil  J.  Eisenmayer,  treasurer  and  general 
manager.  The  plant  is  modern  and  up-to-date 
throughout,  both  buildings  and  machinery  being 
the  best  of  their  kind.  One  hundred  and  fifty 
horse-power  is  required  to  operate  the  mill,  which 
has  a  capacity  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  barrels 
of  flour,  fifty  barrels  of  corn  and  one 
hundred  tons  of  barley  and  feed  per  day. 
In  connection  with  the  plant  are  steel 
storage  tanks  of  one  hundred  thousand 
bushels  capacity,  in  addition  to  which  there  are 
several  large  warehouses  throughout  Riverside 
county.  Taking  the  equipment  throughout,  it  is 
probably  the  most  complete  of  its  kind  in  South- 
ern California  today.  In  addition  to  the  milling 
enterprise,  INIr.  Eisenmayer  is  connected  with  a 
number  of  other  industries  in  this  section.  He 
is  a  stockholder  in  the  First  National  Bank,  and 
has  a  large  interest  in  a  seventeen  thousand  acre 
ranch,  the  owners  having  incorporated  in  1905 
with  H.  E.  Harris,  president;  E.  J.  Eisenmayer. 
vice-president ;  Thomas  Keefer,  secretary. 

Mr.  Eisenmayer's  marriage  occurred  in  1892 
and  united  him  with  Miss  Alice  A.  Burton,  a 
native  of  Trenton.  Ill,  and  a  daughter  of  John 
H.  and  Helen  (Douglas)  Burton,  the  family  be- 
ing an  old  and  prominent  one  in  Illinois.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Eisenmayer  have  one  daughter.  Mil- 
dred A.  Mr.  Eisenmayer  is  especially  talented  as 
an  organizer  and  promoter  of  business  enter- 
prises and  his  energ>-  and  enthusiasm,  when  ap- 
plied to  the  furthering  of  any  undertaking,  are 
factors  which  insure  its  successful  consumma- 
tion. 


JOHN  WEBER.  The  business  interests  of 
Pomona  have  an  able  representative  in  Mr. 
^^''eber,  who  is  the  sole  proprietor  of  the  soda 
works  in  this  place.  He  is  a  native  of  Illinois, 
horn  in  St.  Clair  county,  June  14.  1855.  and  is 
a  son  of  Henry  and  Barbara  (Rock)  Weber. 
Both  of  the  parents  were  born  in  the  Fatherland, 
but  as  they  were  brought  to  this  country  when 


mere  children  (tlie  father  at  five  and  the  mother 
when  three  years  of  age)  they  never  knew  any 
other  home  than  the  United  States.  As  pioneers 
they  settled  in  St.  Qair  county,  Illinois,  when 
Indians  were  still  plentiful  and  wild  animals 
were  so  commonly  seen  as  to  cause  no  comment. 
Clearing  his  farm  of  the  underbrush  with  which 
it  was  covered,  the  father  prepared  the  soil  for 
seed  and  made  a  specialty  of  raising  grain.  When 
a  comparatively  young  man,  at  the  age  of  forty- 
nine,  the  father's  earth  life  came  to  a  close,  the 
mother  surviving  to  reach  her  sixty-sixth  year. 
Of  the  eleven  children  originally  comprised  in 
the  parental  family  only  three  besides  our  sub- 
ject are  now  living,  all  daughters,  one  residing 
in  Los  Angeles,  one  in  St.  Louis,  and  another  in 
Illinois. 

A  student  in  the  common  schools  of  St.  Clair 
county,  Illinois,  during  his  boyhood,  John  Weber 
later  matriculated  as  a  student  in  Central  Wes- 
leyan  College,  of  Warrenton.  Mo.,  and  after  a 
two  years"  course  in  that  institution  took  a  normal 
course  in  order  to  fit  himself  for  teaching.  For 
this  field  of  endeavor  he  seemed  to  have  a  spe- 
cial inclination  and  fitness,  and  no  doubt  would 
have  followed  teaching  indefinitely  had  not  the 
ill-health  of  his  family  necessitated  removal  to  a 
more  salubrious  climate.  His  career  as  a  teacher 
in  St.  Clair  and  Clinton  counties,  Illinois,  was 
therefore  brought  to  a  close  in  1887  and  the 
same  year  he  brought  his  family  to  California, 
locating  in  Pomona,  which  has  ever  since  been 
their  home.  Two  years  later,  in  1889,  Mr.  Weber 
bought  a  half  interest  in  the  soda  works  of  this 
place,  and  two  years  afterward  bought  his  part- 
ner's interest,  since  which  time  he  has  been  sole 
proprietor. 

In  Illinois  Mr.  Weber  was  married  in  1880  to 
]\Iiss  Elizabeth  Koob.  a  native  of  that  state  and 
a  daughter  of  Philip  H.  and  Mary  A.  (Huebsch) 
Koob.  the  father  settling  in  Illinois  as  a  pioneer. 
The  following  children  were  born  to  the  mar- 
riage of  'Sir.  and  Mrs.  \\'eber :  Philip  H.,  Edna 
(now  the  wife  of  Houston  Browning  and  a  resi- 
dent of  Illinois).  Bertha,  Olive,  John  R.  and 
Francis  G.  Mrs.  Weber  is  a  devoted  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  toward  the  sup- 
port of  which  Mr.  Weber  is  a  liberal  contributor, 
as  he  is  to  all  enterprises  of  an  uplifting  and 
benevolent  character.  With  wise  foresight  he 
appreciated  that  with  the  gro^vth  of  the  town 
rea!  estate  values  would  necessarily  advance,  and 
soon  after  locating  here  he  invested  in  consider- 
able property,  and  also  erected  the  commodious 
residence  now  occupied  as  the  family  home.  Fra- 
ternally he  belongs  to  the  Fraternal  Aid  of  Po- 
mona, and  in  his  political  sympathies  he  is  a  Re- 
publican. In  whatever  community  he  has  re- 
sided he  has  always  been  alert  to  the  best  in- 
terests of  his  home  town,  and   ^vhile   in   Illinois 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1887 


was  for  eight  years  village  clerk  of  New  Baden, 
Clinton  county.  This  same  interest  has  been  mani- 
fest in  Pomona,  and  for  eight  years  he  has  been 
one  of  the  most  efficient  members  of  the  board 
of  education.  The  fact  that  his  election  immedi- 
ately preceded  the  expenditure  of  about  $80,000 
for  school  extension  and  improvements  is  an  in- 
dex to  the  value  placed  upon  his  ability  and 
judgment  along  these  special  lines. 


MISS  IDA  E.  WARFIELD.  Eminently 
qualified  by  birth,  training  and  experience  for 
a  business  career,  Ida  E.  Warfield  has  achieved 
acknowledged  success  in  her  realty  dealings, 
by  honest,  earnest  work,  and  much  persist- 
ency of  purpose,  winning  a  place  of  distinc- 
tion among  the  leading  real  estate  agencies  of 
Venice.  A  native  of  New  York,  she  was  born 
in  Ontario  count}-,  the  only  child  of  Leonard 
K.  and  Mary  E.  (Antisdale)  Warfield,  the  for- 
mer of  whom  is  a  resident  of  Ocean  Park,  Cal., 
while  the  latter  died,  in  1896,  in  Michigan. 

The  Warfield  family  originated  in  England, 
and  was  first  represented  on  American  soil 
by  two  brothers,  who  immigrated  to  the  Unit- 
ed States  in  colonial  days,  and  were  after- 
wards prominent  in  public  life,  descendants  of 
both  taking  an  active  part  in  the  Revolution- 
ary war.  The  brother  from  which  Miss  War- 
field  descended  settled  in  ^Maryland,  where  her 
great-grandfather,  Zadock  Warfield,  Sr.,  was 
born  and  reared,  although  he  subsequently  be- 
came a  pioneer  settler  of  New  York  state.  His 
son,  Zadock  Warfield,  Jr.,  the  next  in  line  of 
descent,  was  born  in  Maryland,  but  when  a 
child  was  taken  to  New  York  state,  where  he 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  during  his 
active  life.  He  married  Chloe  Knapp,  who 
lived  and  died  within  half  a  mile  of  the  house 
in  which  she  was  born.  This  energetic  cou- 
ple began  their  married  life  with  scarce  any 
capital,  he  owning  a  pair  of  oxen,  while  each 
had  ten  sheep.  He  was  industrious,  prudent 
and  thrifty,  becoming  a  large  landholder,  and 
rearing  a  fine  family  of  children,  eight  in  num- 
ber, Leonard  K.  being  the  oldest  of  this  fam- 
ily, all  of  whom  at  the  present  writing,  in 
1905,  are  living. 

A  native  of  New  York,  Leonard  K.  W^arfield 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  and  like 
his  ancestors  chose  farming  for  his  life  oc- 
cupation. About  twelve  years  after  his  mar- 
riage he  removed  to  Michigan,  where  he  con- 
tinued in  agricultural  pursuits  for  many  years, 
living  first  in  Hillsdale  county,  and  afterwards 
residing  on  a  farm  in  St.  Joseph  county,  and 
meeting  with  excellent  results  in  his  under- 
takings.    In   May,  1900.  he  came  to  Los  An- 


geles county,  and  has  since  lived  retired  from 
business  activities  in  Ocean  Park. 

Educated  in  the  schools  of  Michigan,  and 
receiving  her  diploma  from  the  State  Univer- 
sit}^  at  Ann  Arbor,  Ida  E.  Warfield  is  highly 
cultured  and  accomplished.  Before  her  grad- 
uation, at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  she  began 
teaching,  entering  upon  a  profession  for  which 
she  was  naturally  fitted  by  birth  and  inher- 
itance, as  in  her  mother's  family,  which  con- 
sisted of  seven  children,  there  were  six  teach- 
ers. She  subsequently  taught  school  in  Mich- 
igan for  a  number  of  years,  having  a  teacher's 
life  certificate  in  that  state.  Afterwards  com- 
ing west,  she  taught  in  California  and  Arizona, 
from  the  latter  place  going  back  to  Michigan 
to  visit  her  parents  and  friends.  Returning  to 
the  coast  in  1900,  she  settled  with  her  father  in 
Ocean  Park,  and  with  a  few  hundred  dollars 
at  her  command  entered  into  her  present  bus- 
iness as  a  dealer  in  real  estate,  having  an  of- 
fice at  No.  3  Ocean  Front.  In  July,  1905,  Miss 
Warfield  removed  to  her  present  spacious  of- 
fice in  Ocean  Park,  where  she  is  managing  her 
afifairs  with  characteristic  enterprise  and  abil- 
ity, her  dealings  in  real  estate  in  this  part  of 
the  county  being  extensive  and  noteworthy. 
Miss  Warfield  is  a  most  estimable  woman  in 
every  respect,  highly  esteemed  by  all,  and  is 
a  valued  member  of  the  Presbvterian  Church. 


FR.-VNK  C.  HOSSLER.  During  the  entire 
period  of  his  residence  in  Southern  California 
Mr.  Hossler  has  been  associated  with  the  lumber 
industry,  first  in  Newport  and  later  in  other 
towns  of  the  same  locality,  eventually  coming 
to  Redondo,  where  he  has  made  his  home  for  a 
number  of  years.  Every  detail  of  the  business 
has  been  learned  thoroughly  by  him,  but  of  re- 
cent years  his  specialty  has  been  surveying,  and 
ever  since  the  organization  of  the  Lumber  Sur- 
veyors" Association  of  Southern  California,  of 
which  he  was  a  charter  member,  he  has  main- 
tained an  active  identification  with  its  interests 
and  has  accomplished  much  in  the  promotion  of 
its  usefulness. 

Mr.  Hossler  is  now  in  the  prime  of  life,  hav- 
ing been  born  February  i,  1872.  His  earliest 
recollections  are  of  Springville,  in  Linn  county, 
Iowa,  where  his  father  worked  as  a  carpenter 
and  builder.  The  latter,  M.  V.  Hossler,  was  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  but  passed  the  years  of 
youth  in  Ohio  and  became  a  pioneer  of  Iowa, 
eventually,  however,  removing  to  Nebraska  and 
settling  at  Hastings,  Adams  county,  where  he 
remained  until  death.  After  he  had  passed  away 
his  wife,  Catherine  (Bowers)  Hossler,  a  native 
of  Ohio,  removed  to  California,  and  here  spent 
her  closing  days.     In  their  family  of  three  sons 


1888 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  three  daughters,  Frank  C.  was  the  youngest 
child,  and  he  was  primarily  educated  in  his  na- 
tive town  of  Springville,  Iowa.  When  nine  years 
of  age,  in  1881.  he  accompanied  the  family  to  Ne- 
braska, where  he  became  a  pupil  in  the  Hastings 
schools  and  later  took  a  complete  course  in  the 
Grand  Island  Business  College. 

After  his  graduation  from  the  commercial 
school  Mr.  Hossler  came  to  California  in  1893 
and  secured  employment  with  the  Newport 
Lumber  Company,  under  whom  he  began  at  the 
bottom  and  learned  every  detail  connected  with 
the  industry.  Proving  efficient  and  competent, 
he  was  sent  to  Santa  Ana  as  a  clerk  in  the  com- 
pany's wholesale  yard,  and  there  not  only  pro- 
moted the  fimi's  interests,  but  also  broadened  his 
own  knowledge  of  the  business.  When  the  yard 
was  sold  to  Nofsinger  Brothers,  he  began  tally- 
ing in  Los  Angeles  for  the  new  proprietors,  and 
in  their  interests  came  to  Redondo  in  Septem- 
ber of  1901.  Subsequently  he  took  a  leading 
part  in  the  organization  of  the  Lumber  Sur- 
veyors' Association  of  Southern  California,  an 
institution  that  has  accomplished  much  for  the 
promotion  of  the  industry  and  the  men  con- 
nected therewith,  as  well  as  advancing  the  gen- 
eral welfare  of  the  people. 

It  has  been  necessary  for  i\Ir.  Hossler  to  give 
his  attention  very  closely  to  the  details  of  his 
business,  hence  as  yet  he  has  taken  no  part  in 
politics  aside  from  voting  the  Republican  ticket, 
nor  has  he  identified  himself  with  any  of  the 
social  or  fraternal  organizations  with  the  sole 
exception  of  the  Fraternal  Brotherhood.  Au- 
gust 3,  1902,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Nellie  Walch,  who  was  born  in  San  Francisco, 
but  at  the  time  of  their  union  was  making  her 
home  in  Riverside.  Both  are  cordially  esteemed 
in  their  home  town  and  have  many  friends  also 
in  other  parts  of  Southern  California. 


JOSEPH  FELLOWS.  A  prominent  repre- 
sentative of  the  manufacturing  interests  of 
Southern  California,  Joseph  Fellows,  of  Ter- 
minal, has  acquired  distinction  along  the  entire 
length  of  the  Pacific  coast  as  a  skillful  boat 
builder,  his  productions  being  in  great  demand, 
and  as  president  of  the  Joseph  Fellows  Yacht 
and  Marine  Construction  Company  is  widely 
and  favorably  known.  Joseph  T.  Pugh  is  sec- 
retary and  treasurer  of  the  company.  Possess- 
ing great  mechanical  ingenuity  and  much  art- 
istic "ability,  with  a  well-trained  eye  and  a  skill- 
ful hand,  Mr.  Fellows  draws  his  own  plans,  be- 
ing an  expert  draughtsman,  and  in  the  building 
of  sea-craft  of  all  kinds  has  no  superior,  his 
yachts,  pleasure  launches,  fishing  smacks,  light- 
ers, sail  boats,  etc.,  being  well  made,  and  meet- 
ing  the   approbation   of   his   numerous    patrons. 


A  son  of  Isaac  Fellows,  he  was  born  Alay  31. 
1865,  in  Staffordshire,  England,  where  his  an- 
cestors  on   both   sides   of  the  house   originated. 

Isaac  Fellows  spent  his  early  life  in  England, 
emigrating  from  there  with  his  family  to  On- 
tario, crossing  the  Atlantic  on  the  Severn.  In 
1873  hs  migrated  to  Iowa,  settling  as  a  carpen- 
ter and  builder  in  Decorah.  From  there  he  went 
to  Minneapolis,  J\Iinn.,  where  he  was  engaged 
at  his  trade  until  his  death,  in  1901.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  Millward,  who  w^as  born  in  England 
and  died  in  Minneapolis  in  March,  1902.  Nine 
children  were  born  of  their  union,  seven  of 
whom  grew  to  years  of  maturity.  One  of  these, 
John  Fellows,  a  fireman,  was  killed  in  the  mem- 
orable fire  at  Minneapolis  December  20,  1894, 
going  down  with  a  burning  building,  so  tliat 
but  six  children  are  now  living,  Joseph,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  being  the  third  child  in  or- 
der of  birth. 

Receiving  a  common-school  education  in  De- 
corah, Iowa,  Joseph  Fellow-s  acquired  a  prac- 
tical knowledge  of  die  use  of  tools  while  work- 
ing with  his  father,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
years  began  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  boat  build- 
er, working  day  times  and  attending  a  business 
college  evenings.  Subsequently  going  to  Wash- 
ington, he  located  at  Spokane,  where  he  built 
boats  for  several  residents  of  Portland,  and  was 
by  them  ofifered  a  good-paying  position  in  the 
city  of  Portland.  Going,  however,  to  Seattle, 
Wash.,  he  built  several  boats  for  people  of  prom- 
inence in  the  west,  and  likewise  built  pleasure 
and  fishing  boats  for  firms  in  San  Francisco 
and  Astoria,  Ore.  In  1896  he  accepted  the  po- 
sition of  superintendent  of  the  yards  of  the  San 
Francisco  Launch  Company  in  San  Francisco, 
and  during"  the  eighteen  months  diat  he  remained 
with  the  company  manufactured  many  boats 
and  steamers.  Coming  to  San  Pedro  in  189S 
to  take  charge  of  the  construction  of  the  J.  C. 
Elliott,  a  sixty-foot  launch,  he  met  with  good 
success,  and  soon  had  so  many  orders  to  fill  in 
that  line  that  he  has  since  remained  here.  Estab- 
lishing himself  as  a  boat  builder  in  1899  ^''^  ^''^^ 
been  actively  employed  ever  since,  and  as  a 
builder  of  yachts,  launches  and  sailboats  has 
won  an  extended  reputation,  being  the  only  man- 
ufacturer of  the  kind  in  this  part  of  the  coun- 
ty. He  has  built  twenty-four  launches,  twenty- 
six  feet  each,  and  several  of  his  boats  exhibit 
great  speed,  the  Venus  having  w'on  thirteen 
straight  races.  He  constructed  the  Mischief,  a 
fine  boat,  and  also  the  Minerva,  which  weathered 
one  of  the  worst  storms  ever  known  on  the  Pa- 
cific coast.  One  of  the  boats,  the  Myth,  which 
he  owns,  is  a  noted  racer,  and  usually  comes  in 
winner.  Mr.  Fellows  and  his  partner,  J.  T. 
Pugh,  have  their  factory  in  Terminal,  which  is 
an    up-to-date   plant,    finely    equipped,    and   em- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1889 


ploys  about  thirty  hands.  Tliey  have  had  as 
many  as  seven  boats  in  process  of  construction 
at  one  time.  Mr.  Fellows  assisted  in  organiz- 
ing the  Southern  Coast  Yacht  Club,  of  which 
he  is  an  active  member.  During  the  summer  of 
1906  the  races  of  the  season  were  held,  the 
competing  boats  being  Mischief  II,  designed  and 
constructed  by  Mr.  Fellows  for  Walter  Folsom, 
and  the  Monsoon,  owned  by  Mr.  Gardner  of 
New  York.  The  latter  boat  was  also  construct- 
ed on  the  coast,  by  J.  T.  Pugh,  the  latter  de- 
signer up  to  this  time  having  the  reputation  of 
designing  the  fastest  boats  in  the  world.  The 
average  winning  time  of  all  the  races  was  six 
minutes  and  fifteen  seconds,  this  result  show- 
ing the  superior  ability  in  building  craft  for 
speed  and  giving  Mr.  Fellows  a  world-wide 
reputation. 

In  San  Francisco  Mr.  Fellows  married  Josie 
K.  McMeans,  who  was  born  in  Nebraska,  the 
daughter  of  James  A.  McMeans,  state  senator, 
and  they  have  two  children,  Robert  Millward 
Fellows  and  an  infant  not  named.  Politically 
Mr.  Fellows  is  a  Republican.  The  family  at- 
tend the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


D.  C.  REED.  An  upbuilder  of  the  city  of  San 
Diego  is  named  in  the  person  of  D.  C.  Reed, 
one  of  the  enterprising  citizens  of  this  section. 
He  was  born  in  Madison  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1847, 
a  son  of  Oliver,  born  in  the  same  place  in  1800, 
and  a  grandson  of  Charles,  who  was  a  native 
of  Genesee  county,  same  state,  a  descendant  of 
English  ancestry,  which  has  been  represented 
in  America  since  1665,  members  of  the  family 
being  prominent  in  Massachusetts  for  many 
generations.  Farming  was  the  chief  occupation 
of  earlier  members  of  the  family.  Oliver  Reed 
engaged  in  this  occupation  first  in  his  native  state 
and  later  in  Wisconsin,  having  located  in  Green 
Lake  county  in  1858.  He  followed  an  active 
life  as  a  pioneer  settler  and  died  at  an  advanced 
age.  His  wife,  formerly  Elizabeth  Brewer,  was 
also  born  in  New  York  of  English  ancestry  and 
died    in   Wisconsin. 

D.  C.  Reed  was  reared  to  young  manhood  in 
Green  Lake,  Wis.,  receiving  a  preliminary  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  of  Madison,  sup- 
plemented by  a  course  at  the  Universitv  of  Wis- 
consin. Desirins-  to  take  up  the  studv  of  law 
he  entered  the  office  of  Dobbs  &  Foote.  being  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  i86c),  and  the  following 
year  he  came  to  California.  January  20.  1870, 
he  located  in  San  Diego,  which  was  then  only 
a  small  town  with  a  few  houses  on  Fifth  street. 
He  immediately  established  an  office  here  and 
shortly  afterward  was  made  deputy  district  at- 
tornev  under  W.  T.  Neeley.  The  .great  possi- 
bilities   of    this    section    early    appealed    to    Mr. 


Reed  and  it  was  in  1878  that  he  became  active- 
ly engaged  in  real-estate  operations.  With  a 
partner  he  established  an  abstract  business  and 
incorporated  the  same  under  the  title  of  the  Reed 
&  Burt  Abstract  Company,  which  made  up  the 
first  set  of  abstracts  in  the  county.  In  Febru- 
ary, 1884,  they  purchased  two  tracts  of  land, 
one  of  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres  and  the 
other  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  two 
years  later  laid  out  the  Reed  &  Daily  addition 
of  forty  acres,  the  Reed  &  Hubbell  addition  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  also  laid  out 
the  Reed-Central  addition  of  twenty  acres,  the 
Reed  &  Swaynes  addition  of  forty  acres,  the 
Bird  Rock  City  of  eighty  acres  and  also  a  forty- 
acre  tract  on  L'niversity  Heights.  It  was 
through  his  instrumentality  that  Pacific  Beach 
became  a  city.  He  continued  actively  interest- 
ed in  the  abstract  business  until  1899  when  he 
sold  out  to  the  LTnion  Title  &  Trust  Company 
of  this  city. 

In  spite  of  his  absorbing  busiiiess  cares  'Sir. 
Reed  has  always  found  time  to  take  an  active 
interest  in  the  public  welfare  of  San  Diego.  He 
has  served  as  director  of  the  Bank  of  Commerce 
for  many  years,  was  president  of  the  Gas  Com- 
pany from  the  time  of  its  organization,  and  has 
served  as  a  member  of  the  city  council  many 
years.  In  1897  he  was  elected  on  the  Republican 
ticket  to  the  office  of  mayor  of  the  city  and 
served  one  term.  He  has  always  been  intensely 
interested  in  the  advancement  of  his  party's 
principles  and  in  1884  was  a  delegate  to  the 
National  Convention  in  Qiicago,  which  nom- 
inated J.  G.  Blaine  for  president,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  notification  committee,  going 
with  the  committee  to  Bar  Harbor.  He  is  a 
life  member  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and 
seeks  in  every  way  to  promote  the  welfare  of 
the  city. 

In  San  Diego  Mr.  Reed  married  Juliet  C. 
Guiou,  who  was  born  in  Grass  Vallev,  Cal.,  a 
daughter  of  Daniel  Guiou,  who  came  from  Ban- 
gor, Me.,  to  California  in  1851,  and  twenty 
years  later  located  in  San  Diego.  Thev  Jiave 
three  children:  Ethel  B..  Vida  B.  and  Ruth. 
Mr.  Reed  was  made  a  Mason  in  San  Diego 
Lodge  No.  35  and  is  now  a  member  of  the  chap- 
ter, commanderv  and  consistory. 


GEORGE  C.  SAWTELLE.  The  son  of  an 
early  settler.  George  C.  Sawtelle  inherits  the 
sturdy  qualities  and  independent  characteristics 
which  distinguished  the  pioneers  of  California 
and  has  in  his  work  since  attaining  manhood 
sought  to  advance  the  standards  set  by  the  men 
who  laid  the  foundation  for  statehood.  Born  in 
Harvard,  Clay  county.  Neb.,  March  8,  1876,  he 
is  a  son  of  J.  F.  and  Adalina  Sawtelle,  natives 


1890 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


respectively  of  New  Hampshire  and  Maine. 
Previous  to  his  removal  from  New  England  the 
father  had  operated  a  shoe  store  on  Hanover 
street,  in  Boston,  Mass.,  which  he  sold  in  1866. 
Later  he  removed  to  Lynnfield,  same  state,  where 
he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  ladies"  and 
men's  shoes,  continuing  in  this  business  until 
1868,  when  he  sold  out  and  removed  to  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  in  the  latter  city  having  the  agency 
of  the  Gold  Medal  sewing  machine.  From 
Cleveland  he  went  to  Nebraska  in  1870,  and  in 
Harvard,  Clay  county,  conducted  an  extensive 
general  merchandise  establishment.  Disposing 
of  a  $25,000  stock,  he  removed  to  Wyoming  in 
1885  and  followed  merchandising  for  three 
years ;  thence  removing  to  Simi,  Ventura  coun- 
ty, he  established  the  store  which  is  now  con- 
ducted by  his  son,  the  first  mercantile  enterprise 
in  Simi.  Ever  since  its  establishment  this  store 
has  been  known  as  the  Pioneer  store.  Mr.  Saw- 
telle  brought  to  bear  in  his  work  business  abil- 
ity, increased  .by  a  wide  experience  in  the  east, 
and  since  locating  in  California  he  has  also  de- 
voted considerable  time  to  ranching,  his  home 
still  being  in  the  Simi  valley. 

George  C.  Sawtelle  received  his  education 
through  the  medium  of  the  public  school  of  Simi, 
after  which  he  immediately  engaged  in  business 
with  his  father.  The  qualities  which  had  dis- 
tinguished the  efforts  of  his  father  have  also 
been  noticeable  in  his  career,  and  the  energy  of 
his  youth  added  immeasurably  to  the  advance- 
ment of  the  enterprise.  For  some  time  the  firm 
name  was  J.  F.  Sawtelle  &  Son,  but  in  1902  he 
purchased  the  entire  interest  of  the  concern  and 
has  since  conducted  it  alone.  In  addition  to  his 
dual  interests  in  the  conduct  of  the  store  and 
livery  stable  he  also  owns  a  ranch  of  one  hun- 
dred and  two  acres.  In  San  Diego,  June  25, 
1903,  he  married  Miss  Elma  M.  Ecoryd,  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  Ecoryd,  of  Simi,  and  they  have  one 
son,  George  John.  They  attend  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Qnirch,  to  which  Mr.  Sawtelle  gives 
a  liberal  support,  as  he  does  to  all  public  mat- 
ters which  have  for  their  end  the  upbuilding  of 
the  community  at  large. 


OSCEOLA  C.  ABBOTT.  Since  the  firm 
of  Abbott  &  Stacy  opened  their  doors  for  bus- 
iness in  San  Pedro  in  1899  they  have  estab- 
lished a  reputation  for  reliable  commercial 
transactions  and  have  acquired  a  business  sec- 
ond to  none  of  its  class  in  the  town.  They 
started  in  a  very  modest,  unpretentious  way,  but 
month  by  month  and  year  by  year  they  have 
added  to  their  real-estate  holdings  until  today 
they  handle  property  in  all  of  the  additions  in 
San  Pedro.  While  it  may  be  said  that  they 
make  a  specialty  of  buying  and  selling  and  ex- 


changing real-estate,  \et  that  by  no  means  repre- 
sents the  scope  of  their  undertakings,  for  they 
write  considerable  insurance  with  many  of  the 
old-line  companies,  among  them  the  Fire  As- 
sociation of  Philadelphia,  Philadelphia  Under- 
writers. Germania,  the  Casualty,  Etna  and 
Northern.  They  have  also  built  a  number  of 
residences  in  San  Pedro. 

Descending  from  a  long  line  of  southern  an- 
tecedents, O.  C.  Abbott  was  born  in  Kouts,  Por- 
ter county,  Ind.,  September  5,  185 1,  a  son  of 
Edwin  C.  and  Mary  Ann  (Wright)  Abbott. 
From  old  \'irginia,  where  he  was  born  and 
where  he  spent  his  early  years,  the  father  first 
removed  to  Porter  county,  Ind.,  and  soon  after 
the  birth  of  his  youngest  child  removed  to  Fay- 
ette county,  Iowa,  locating  not  far  from  Fair- 
bank.  By  occupation  he  was  a  farmer,  and 
followed  that  vocation  in  the  various  states  in 
which  he  made  his  home.  He  died  in  Fayette 
county  when  his  son,  Osceola,  was  a  child  of 
five  years.  His  wife  was  also  of  southern  par- 
entage, and  was  born  in  Kentucky.  She  sur- 
vived her  husband  about  thirty-two  years  and 
died  in  Delaware  county,  Iowa,  whither  she 
had  removed  from  Fayette  county  after  the 
death  "of  her  husband.  The  parental  family 
originally  comprised  five  children,  four  sons  and 
one  daughter,  but  two  of  the  sons  are  now  de- 
ceased. One  of  the  sons,  John  W.,  gave  up  his 
life  in  the  cause  of  his  country,  dying  two  weeks 
after  his  return  home,  from  disease  contracted 
in  the  army  while  a  member  of  tlie  Thirty-fifth 
Iowa  Volunteer  Infantry. 

As  he  was  the  youngest  child  in  his  parents' 
family  O.  C.  Abbott  was  a  small  child  when 
the  family  removed  to  Iowa,  and  he  therefore 
has  little  or  no  recollection  of  his  native  sur- 
roundings in  Indiana.  He  was  reared  on  his 
father's  farm  in  Fayette  county,  and  attended 
the  schools  in  that  locality  until  the  latter's  death, 
when  his  mother  located  in  Delaware  county, 
and  he  completed  his  education  in  the  latter  lo- 
cality. When  twenty  }-ears  of  age  he  was  in- 
terested in  a  mercantile  business  in  Hopkin- 
ton,  Delaware  county,  and  eleven  years  later,  in 
1882,  removed  to  Albion,  Boone  county.  Neb., 
and  established  a  grocery.  During  the  eight 
years  in  which  he  resided  in  Nebraska  he  took 
an  active  interest  in  public  aft'airs  and  for  three 
years  of  this  time  filled  the  office  of  city  treas- 
urer of  Albion.  Since  coming  to  San  Pedro  in 
1890  his  qualifications  as  a  public  official  have 
become  recognized  by  his  fellow-citizens  and 
for  four  years  lie  has  served  them  as  city  clerk 
and  two  years  as  custom  house  inspector,  besides 
serving  as  city  assessor  and  deputy  county  as- 
sessor for  several  years. 

Near  Dixon,  Lee  county.  111.,  Mr.  .\bbott  was 
miited  in  marriage  with  Miss  Emma  E.  Carna- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RF,CORD. 


1S!)1 


han  in  1875.  She  was  a  native  of  Malugin 
Grove,  Lee  county,  that  state,  in  which  vicinity 
she  taught  school  five  years  prior  to  her  mar- 
riage, taking  her  first  school  when  only  seven- 
teen years  of  age.  All  of  the  five  children  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Abbott  are  living,  as  follows : 
Edwin  S.,  a  butcher  in  San  Pedro;  Claire  C. 
and  Osceola  C,  Jr.,  both  residents  of  San  Pe- 
dro, the  latter  foreman  of  the  machinists  in  the 
S.  P.  planing  mill  at  Los  Angeles ;  Lula  E.  and 
John  D.,  who  are  attending  college  in  Los  An- 
geles. All  of  the  family  are  well  liked  by  their 
many  friends  and  acquaintances,  and  at  their 
home  on  Tenth  street  they  dispense  a  gracious 
hospitality.  Fraternally  Mr.  Abbott  is  a  Ma- 
son, being  initiated  into  the  order  in  Malugin 
Grove,  111.,  and  he  was  made  a  Master  Mason 
in  Hopkinton,  la.  Upon  his  removal  to  Albion, 
Neb.,  he  transferred  his  membership  thither,  and 
later  to  San  Pedro.  He  is  also  identified  with 
the  Foresters  of  America,  in  which  he  served  as 
master  of  his  lodge :  and  his  wife  is  a  member 
of  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star.  At  one  time 
he  was  an  officer  in  the  Royal  Arcanum,  an  in- 
surance order  with  which  he  is  identified,  and 
he  is  also  a  member  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce and  now  vice-president  of  that  body.  His 
political  affiliations  ally  him  with  the  Repub- 
lican party,  in  which  he  takes  an  active  inter- 
est, to  the  extent  that  he  has  been  a  member 
of  the  county  central  committee.  The  family 
find  their  church  home  in  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  in  which  Mr.  Abbott  is  now  serv- 
ing as  president  of  the  board  of  trustees.  Few 
residents  of  San  Pedro  have  achieved  a  suc- 
cess more  noteworthy  than  that  w-hich  has  re- 
warded the  efforts  of  Mr.  Abbott  and  to  none  has 
success  come  more  deservedly  than  to  him.  Re- 
cently he  has  been  elected  as  free  holder  of  the 
city  of  San  Pedro,  to  draft  the  city  charter  for 
a  fifth  class  city,  and  is  now  engaged  in  the 
duties  of  his  office. 


OSCAR  C.  WILLIS.  Conspicuous  among 
the  attractive  country  homes  of  \'entura  county 
is  the  ranch  near  Moorpark  which  is  owned  and 
occupied  by  Oscar  C.  Willis  and  utilized  by  him 
in  the  raising  of  barley  and  the  pasturage  of 
stock.  Every  ranchman  has  his  specialty  and 
that  of  Mr.  Willis  is  the  raising  of  horses,  in 
which  department  of  agriculture  he  has  been  re- 
markably successful.  As  a  judge  of  horses  he 
has  few  superiors,  and  his  opinion  concerning  an 
animal  is  usually  accepted  as  authoritative.  At 
this  writing  he  acts  as  manager  of  the  Moor- 
park Horse  Companv,  owners  of  the  Percheron 
stallion  Sampson,  No.  22104,  which  won  the 
first  prize  at  the  Illinois  .^tate  Fair  in  1004  and 
has  a  reputation  as  the  finest  animal  of  its  class 


in  \'entura  county.  Besides  having  charge  of 
this  horse,  Air.  Willis  owns  the  trotting  stal- 
lion Buster,  and  has  engaged  in  the  raising  of 
standard-bred  trotting  horses.  One  of  his  mares, 
Tempest,  has  raised  ten  colts,  six  of  which  he 
sold  for  $1,160,  and  the  remaining  four  he  yet 
owns,  one  of  them  being  a  very  promising  colt 
by  Zolock.  The  ranch  which  he  owns  com- 
prises five  hundred  acres  and  in  addition  he 
leases  three  thousand  acres  for  the  pasturage  of 
his  stock. 

Born  in  Dallas  county,  Iowa,  December  28, 
1862,  Mr.  Willis  is  a  son  of  Jonathan  and  Lu- 
cinda  (Beeson)  Willis,  natives  of  Indiana,  but 
after  1857  residents  of  Iowa,  where  the  moth- 
er died  during  October  of  1865.  For  years  the 
father  was  one  of  the  most  extensive  stock- 
raisers  of  Dallas  county  and  was  one  of  the  first 
to  bring  in  Percheron  horses  to  Iowa.  At  one 
time  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  su- 
pervisors of  Dallas  county.  During  1893  ^^ 
removed  from  Iowa  to  California,  bringing  with 
him  three  of  the  finest  horses  ever  brought  to 
the  coast.  Two  years  later  he  returned  to  Iowa 
and  established  his  home  at  Perry,  where  he 
died  July  27,  1903,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six 
years. 

Educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Perry,  la., 
Oscar  C.  Willis  left  school  to  take  up  ranch  pur- 
suits. On  starting  out  for  himself  he  came  to 
California  in  the  spring  of  1882  and  settled  at 
A  acaville,  Solano  county,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  fruit  and  tobacco  business  for  three  years. 
After  a  visit  of  three  months  among  old  friends 
in  Iowa  he  came  back  to  the  Pacific  coast  and 
settled  in  Ventura  county,  where  he  began  to 
operate  a  ranch  near  Saticoy,  although  it  was 
not  until  1889  that  he  began  ranching  independ- 
ently. In  1891  he  removed  from  his  Saticoy 
ranch  to  the  Los  Posas  estate,  where  he  had  two 
hundred  acres  under  cultivation  to  beans.  The 
Los  Posas  rancho  stood  along  the  route  of  the 
old  pioneer  stage  line  from  Los  Angeles  to  San 
Buena  Ventura  and  Santa  Barbara,  and  formed 
a  portion  of  the  old  Spanish  grant  of  that  name. 
A  number  of  years  he  remained  on  that  place, 
but  in  the  fall  of  1903  he  traded  property  in  Los 
Angeles  county  for  his  present  ranch  near  Moor- 
park, which  is  improved  with  a  comfortable 
ranch  house,  substantial  bams  and  the  other 
equipment  essential  to  a  model  estate  of  the 
twentieth  century.  The  pleasant  home  is  pre- 
sided over  by  Mrs.  Willis,  formerly  Anna  Du- 
val, who  was  born  and  reared  at  Saticoy,  and 
was  there  married  November  9,  1889.  Five  chil- 
dren brighten  the  home  and  the  hearts  of  their 
parents,  namely:  Marie,  Louise,  Lester,  Law- 
rence and  Gertrude.  In  religious  views  Mrs. 
Willis  is  identified  with  the  .Advent  Church  and 
her    children    are   being    trained    in    that    faith. 


1892 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Politically  [Mr.  Willis  gives  his  support  to  the 
Republican  party  in  local  and  national  elections, 
and  fraternally  he  affiliates  with  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Foresters.  Though  averse  to  fill- 
ing positions  of  a  public  nature,  his  interest  in 
educational  work  led  him  to  accept  the  office  of 
school  trustee  at  Moorpark,  and  during  his  bcrv- 
ice  he  has  favored  measures  for  the  benefit  of 
the  school  and  the  welfare  of  the  students. 


O.  J.  SOL.\RI.  The  establishment  of  the 
Solari  family  in  \'entura  county  dates  back  to 
the  pioneer  period  of  the  American  occupancy 
of  California,  and  its  first  representative  in  this 
country,  Augtistin  Solari,  came  from  his  native 
land  of  Italy  ere  yet  he  had  formed  domestic 
ties  or  drifted  into  the  settled  routine  of  business 
affairs.  The  superior  qualities  coming  to  him 
as  an  inheritance  from  a  long  line  of  cultured 
Italian  ancestors  soon  made  him  a  conspicuous 
figure  among  the  ranchmen  of  the  then  sparse- 
ly settled  regions  along  the  coast.  Eventually 
he  became  the  owner  of  one-fourth  interest  in 
the  Santa  Clara  Del  Norte  rancho,  containing 
fourteen  thousand  acres,  and  conceded  to  be 
one  of  the  finest  estates  of  A^entura  county.  The 
other  owners  of  the  rancho  were  Don  Antonio, 
who  had  one-half  interest,  and  Leopoldo  Schi- 
appa  Pietra,  who  owned  the  remaining  one- 
fourth  interest. 

Upon  the  death  of  Augustin  Solari,  which 
occurred  in  Ventura  county  March  i8,  1888, 
twenty-six  years  after  his  arrival  in  CaUfomia, 
his  portion  of  the  rancho  was  divided  among  his 
heirs,  comprising  wife  and  children.  His  wife 
was  !Mercia  Cota,  a  native  of  Santa  Barbara 
county  and  a  member  of  an  old  Spanish  fam- 
ily. Their  marriage  was  solemnized  in  A'entura 
county,  where  she  yet  makes  her  home.  Ten 
children  comprised  their  family,  namely:  Iso- 
dro,  who  died  in  1885;  Elvira,  wife  of  E.  M. 
Wagner,  of  Ventura  county ;  Amalia,  deceased ; 
Ermina,  wife  of  T.  C.  Lutneskey,  of  Los  An- 
geles;  O.  J.,  a  farmer  near  Oxnard;  Emma, 
who  married  O.  C.  Dempsey  and  lives  at  Re- 
dondo;  Lena,  ]\Irs.  E.  F.  Kohlar,  of  Pasadena; 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  J.  J.  Judd,  of  Los  Angeles; 
Delia,  who  married  George  Phillips  and  resides 
in  Santa  Barbara;  and  Eva,  wife  of  A.  L.  Qiaf- 
fee,  of  Ventura. 

A  lifelong  resident  of  A'entura  county,  O.  J. 
Solari  was  "born  here  April  26,  1868,  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  the 
county.  In  1895  he  settled  upon  land  formerly 
owned  by  his  father  and  here  he  has  since  fol- 
lowed farm  pursuits,  having  a  tract  of  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy  acres,  of  which  seventy-five 
acres  are  under  cultivation  to  lima  beans,  and 
the  balance  is  in  barley.     The  neat  residence  is 


presided  over  by  his  wife,  whom  he  married  in 
Ventura  December  5,  1895,  and  who  was  I'etra 
Ruiz,  a  native  of  California.  Both  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Solari  are  devout  believers  in  the  doc- 
trines of  die  Roman  Catholic  Church  and  in  that 
religion  they  are  training  their  two  sons,  Augus- 
tin and  Grabil,  who  at  this  writing  are  respect- 
ively nine  and  six  years  of  age.  In  fraternal 
relations  Mr.  Solari  holds  membership  with  the 
Native  Sons  of  the  Golden  West,  being  an  act- 
ive worker  in  the  Ventura  Parlor.  In  addition 
he  affiliates  with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen  at  Ventura  and  is  prominently  asso- 
ciated with  Union  Latina  Americana  No.  i  at 
Ventura,  which  has  the  distinction  of  being  the 
only  lodge  of  its  kind  in  California.  The  in- 
terest which  Mr.  Solari  maintains  in  the  prog- 
ress of  local  educational  matters  led  him  to  ac- 
cept the  position  of  clerk  of  the  school  board  in 
the  Del  Norte  school  district,  and  in  this  ca- 
pacity he  has  given  painstaking  and  efficient 
service.  By  his  activity  as  a  citizen  and  his 
capability  as  a  rancher  he  has  added  luster  to 
the  honorable  reputation  established  by  his  fa- 
ther during  the  pioneer  history  of  our  common- 
wealth. 


JOHN  BUNYAN  GOODLETT.  A  promi- 
nent business  man  of  San  Bernardino  is  John 
Bunyun  Goodlett,  who  was  born  in  Greenville 
district,  S.  C  March  31,  1840,  the  son  of  Wil- 
son N.  and  Lena  Ann  (Prince)  Goodlett,  both 
of  whom  were  natives  of  South  Carolina.  Leav- 
ing their  native  state  in  1852,  they  removed  to 
Texas  and  there  remained  the  rest  of  their  lives. 
In  Texas  the  father  was  engaged  as  a  farmer, 
planter  and  large  cotton  grower.  The  paternal 
grandfather  was  William  Goodlett,  and  the 
maternal  grandfather  was  Harvey  Prince,  the 
latter  born  in  Scotland.  The  first  twelve  years 
of  the  life  of  John  Bimyan  Goodlett  were  spent 
in  South  Carolina  and  from  there  he  went  to 
Texas  with  the  family.  There  he  attended  a 
private  school  and  assisted  his  father  on  the 
large  plantation  until  grown  to  manhood. 

In  1879  ^^i"-  Goodlett  came  to  California  and 
located  in  San  Bernardino  county.  The  follow- 
ing fifteen  years  he  was  engaged  in  ranching 
and  horticultural  pursuits,  improving  a  ranch  of 
forty  acres,  which  he  superintended  until  1894, 
when  he  removed  to  the  city  of  San  Bernardino. 
On  the  Democratic  ticket  he  was  elected  to  the 
office  of  city  recorder  in  San  Bernardino  for  two 
terms  and  gave  to  the  municipality  most  effi- 
cient service  in  that  capacity. 

Mr.  Goodlett's  marriage  to  Miss  Julia  Mc- 
Donald of  Grimes  comity,  Tex.,  occurred  in  that 
state,  and  at  her  death  in  1881  she  left  one  child, 
a      daughter.      J.      Hope,     who     is     now     the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1893 


wife  of  Arthur  Clark.  The  present  Mrs. 
Goodlett  was  formerly  Miss  Anna  Maria 
McGee,  of  San  Bernardino,  who  although  a  na- 
tive of  Missouri  has  spent  the  most  of  her  life 
in  California,  having-  come  here  when  she  was 
yet  a  young  girl.  Mr.  Goodlett  was  for  several 
years  connected  with  the  banking  interests  of 
this  city,  and  at  one  time  served  as  a  director  of 
the  First  National  Bank  of  San  Bernardino,  in 
which  his  wife  was  also  a  stockholder.  They 
are  both  active  and  devoted  members  of  the 
Baptist  Qiurch  of  San  Bernardino,  and  their 
present  home  is  on  a  valuable  tract  of  land  lo- 
cated within  the  corporate  limits  of  the  city.  Mr. 
Goodlett  is  a  typical  southern  gentleman  and  his 
home  is  noted  for  that  refreshing  hospitality  for 
which  those  born  and  reared  in  the  south  are 
noted. 


CAPT.  G.  L.  F.  FALK.  In  reviewing  the 
career  of  Captain  Falk  one  is  impressed  with 
his  indomitable  spirit,  showing  the  possession 
of  mettle  which  has  never  known  the  word  de- 
feat. His  early  life  was  associated  with  hap- 
penings in  and  around  Hallen,  Sweden,  where 
he  was  born  October  28,  1843,  ^nd  in  which  vi- 
cinity he  was  reared  until  he  was  fourteen 
years  of  age.  With  the  daring  of  youth  he 
shipped  as  a  sailor  before  the  mast  in  1857,  lit- 
tle thinking  at  that  time,  perhaps,  that  so  large 
a  part  of  his  life  would  be  spent  on  the  water. 
As  one  of  the  crew  on  an  American  vessel, 
which  shipped  from  London  in  1861,  he  made 
the  long  and  perilous  voyage  around  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope,  and  finally  reached  Calcutta. 
After  exchanging  cargoes  the  return  trip  was 
undertaken,  the  ship  reaching  London  just  sev- 
enteen months  after  leaving  port.  Subsequently 
he  made  the  voyage  from  Liverpool  to  New 
York,  this  being  his  first  trip  to  America,  and 
later  he  sailed  from  Havre  to  New  Orleans.  In 
1868,  on  the  ship  Taylor,  he  rounded  the  Horn 
in  making  the  voyage  to  San  Francisco,  the 
trip  consuming  one  hundred  and  twenty  days. 
The  second  day  after  landing  he  shipped  as 
second  mate  on  the  schiDoner  Eurenta,  and  be- 
fore returning  to  San  Francisco,  twenty  months 
later,  had  touched  at  the  ports  of  Australia, 
Sandwich  Islands  and  Mexico. 

It  was  after  this  voyage  that  Captain  Falk 
determined  to  embark  in  business  on  his  own 
account.  Purchasing  a  scow  he  engaged  in  the 
transportation  business  on  the  bay  between 
Stockton  and  Sacramento,  following  this  until 
1870.  from  then  until  1874  giving  his  attention 
more  especially  to  the  handling  of  firewood. 
About  this  time  he  built  the  Pauline  Collins,  a 
vessel  which  he  used  in  the  lumber  trade  until 
T877.  in  that  rear  building  the  George  R.  Hig- 


gins,  in  Humboldt  count}',  which  plied  the 
coast  from  San  Francisco  as  far  north  as 
Alaska  for  a  number  of  years.  It  was  about 
this  time,  1880,  that  he  made  a  trip  to  Europe, 
and  upon  his  return  he  purchased  the  schooner 
Bonanza,  and  for  two  years  carried  on  a  coast- 
ing trade  along  the  coast  from  Mexico  to 
Alaska.  In  1882  he  built  the  schooner  Mary 
and  Ida,  in  the  Dickey  shipyards  at  San  Fran- 
cisco, running  this  boat  as  a  coaster  until  1888. 
Going  again  to  tlie  Humboldt  docks  that  year 
he  built  the  Glendale,  but  after  sailing  her  for 
two  3'ears  gave  up  life  on  the  sea  and  settled 
down  as  a  landsman  in  San  Pedro.  It  was  while 
master  of  the  George  R.  Higgins,  in  1877,  that 
he  had  first  became  acquainted  with  the  town, 
and  so  favorable  did  it  impress  him  as  a  desir- 
able place  to  locate  that  the  thirteen  years  which 
had  intervened  had  not  effaced  the  idea  from 
his  memory.  For  three  years,  from  1890  to 
1893,  he  was  interested  in  the  liquor  business 
at  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  Fronts  streets,  prop- 
erty which  he  had  previously  purchased,  but  in 
the  year  last  mentioned,  he  rented  the  property 
and  took  a  trip  to  Europe.  Since  1898  he  has 
not  taken  any  active  interest  in  business  aside 
from  looking  after  his  property,  and  in  1905  he 
erected  a  new  building  in  San  Pedro,  25x50 
feet.  Captain  Falk  has  not  severed  his  connec- 
tion with  nautical  affairs  entirely,  and  is  still 
interested  in  the  schooner  Glendale  and  the 
steam  schooner  Marshfield,  both  of  which  are 
employed  in  the  lumber  trade. 

In  San  Pedro,  in  1893,  Captain  Falk  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ida  Campbell,  a 
native  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  of  the  children 
born  to  them  seven  are  living.  Captain  Falk 
is  identified  with  the  Master  Planners  Associa- 
tion of  San  Francisco,  and  with  the  Eagles  of 
San  Pedro,  and  in  his  political  sympathies  he  is 
a  Republican.  In  retrospect  Captain  Falk  can  look 
back  upon  a  life  checkered  with  high  hopes  fol- 
lowed by  disappointments  and  discouragements, 
for  his  life  on  sea  was  not  always  the  most  pleas- 
ant, nor  was  it  at  all  times  profitable,  but  he 
has  weathere'd  these  breakers  and  is  now  living 
in  the  comfort  which  his  previous  years  of 
hardship  and  toil  have  made  possible.  In  his 
various  trips  and  travels  he  has  acquired  a  fund 
of  general  information,  and  is  as  familiar  with 
the  famous  seaports  throughout  the  world  as  he 
is  with  his  home  siuToundings  in  San  Pedro. 


J.  J.  COLBY,  of  the  Colby  Real  Estate  Com- 
pany of  Long  Beach  has  been  a  resident  of  Cal- 
ifornia since  1900.  first  locating  in  Redlands, 
where  he  set  out  an  orange  orchard.  This  he 
sold  and  in  T903  located  permanently  in  Long 
Beach,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home,  taking 


1894: 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


an  active  interest  in  the  growth  and  development 
of  the  city,  in  whose  future  he  has  unbounded 
confidence.  Mr.  Colb}'  is  a  native  of  Vermont, 
and  was  born  November  6,  1842.  His  boyhood 
years  were  spent  in  the  schools  of  the  Green 
Mountain  state,  and  upon  the  completion  of  his 
scholastic  training  he  engaged  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  children's  carriages,  clothes  wringers  and 
other  small  articles,  having  charge  of  two  hun- 
dred men  in  this  work.  He  was  very  success- 
ful and  remained  thus  occupied  until  1890.  In 
that  year  he  made  a  trip  to  California  and  al- 
though he  returned  home  and  spent  the  ensuing 
ten  years  he  was  so  pleased  with  the  conditions, 
climate  and  opportunities  of  the  Pacific  coast 
that  in  1900  he  came  west  for  a  permanent  set- 
tlement. After  spending  one  summer  in  Long 
Beach  he  decided  to  locate  here,  and  according- 
ly purchased  a  lot  on  East  Ocean  Park  avenue, 
where  he  built  a  comfortable  residence.  He  en- 
gaged in  the  real  estate  business,  buying  acreage 
and  subdividing,  having  put  on  the  market 
Eagle  Park  and  Signal  tracts.  He  has  made  a 
success  of  his  undertakings  and  has  had  no  cause  ■ 
to  regret  coming  to  California. 

In  Vermont  Mr.  Colby  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Alice  Hutchins  and  they  are  now  the  pa- 
rents of  the  following  children :  Bessie  J. :  Ed- 
win A.,  in  the  National  Bank  at  Redlands ;  Jesse 
J.,  Jr.,  in  the  Long  Beach  Bank :  and  Alarv,  wife 
of  k.  C.  Wells,  of  Redlands.  Mr.  Colby  is  a 
member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum,  and  in  religion 
is  a  charter  member  of  the  New  Plymouth  Con- 
gregational Qiurch,  which  was  organized  in 
1904  with  forty  members  and  now  (1905")  has 
one  hundred  and  fiftv.  Politically  he  has  always 
been  a  staunch  Republican  and  a  loyal  supporter 
of  the  government  at  all  times.  In  1862  he  en- 
listed in  the  United  States  navy  in  the  paymas- 
ter's department,  and  during  his  two  years'  ser- 
vice participated  in  the  blockade  of  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico.  He  was  honorably  discharged  at  the 
expiration  of  his  service.  He  is  associated  w'ith 
the  veterans  of  the  Civil  war  as  a  member  of  the 
Long  Beach  Post,  G.  A.  R. 


PETER  H.  SCHWARTZ.  The  life  which 
this  narrative  sketches  began  in  Columbiana 
county,  Ohio,  June  22,  1842,  and  was  brought  to 
a  close  May  2,  1903.  The  intervening  years 
w-ere  filled  with  hard  work,  noble  service  in  the 
cause  of  his  country,  and  latterly  in  making  a 
name  and  place  for  himself  on  the  western  coast. 
His  father,  Jacob  Schwartz,  was  a  fanner  in 
Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  and  it  was  there  that 
he  rounded  out  his  years,  his  wife  passing  away 
in  Kansas. 

Of  the  six  children  born  to  his  parents.  Peter 
H.    Schwartz   was   next   to   the   youngest.     His 


earliest  recollections  were  of  his  father's  farm  in 
Ohio,  upon  which  he  worked  during  the  summer 
seasons  when  not  attending  the  village  school. 
Later  training  was  received  in  Mount  Union 
College,  an  institution  under  the  care  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  denomination  in  Mount 
Union,  Ohio,  but  his  studies  there  were  brought 
to  a  sudden  close  by  his  response  to  his  coun- 
try's call  for  volunteers  during  the  first  year  of 
the  Civil  war.  After  the  expiration  of  his  first 
term  of  enlistment,  which  was  for  three  months, 
he  joined  Company  C,  Eighty-sixth  Ohio  Vol- 
unteer Infantry',  enlisting  as  corporal;  later  was 
sergeant  of  Company  B,  Twelfth  Ohio  Cavalry; 
and  finally,  as  second  lieutenant,  joined  Company 
B  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Eighth  United 
States  Volunteers.  At  the  time  of  his  discharge 
from  the  army,  in  the  fall  of  1865,  he  was  a 
young  man  of  only  twenty-three  years,  but  even 
though  young  in  years  the  hardships  and  trials 
of  warfare  had  opened  up  experiences  to  him 
that  men  thrice  his  age  might  not  have  met  as 
bravely.  He  was  accidentally  wounded  while  in 
camp,  although  the  accident  \vas  not  of  such  a 
serious  nature  as  to  disable  him  from  further 
service.  Mr.  Schwartz  took  pride  in  the  fact 
that  while  he  entered  the  service  as  a  non-com- 
missioned officer,  he  was  promoted  from  time  to 
time,  and  at  the  time  of  his  discharge  was  first 
lieutenant  of  the  Second  L^nited  States  Volun- 
teers, his  commission  bearing  date  of  March  24, 
1865. 

August  I,  1872,  Mr.  Schwartz  was  married  to 
Miss  Isabella  Hoiles,  a  native  of  ]\Iahoning 
county,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  James  Hoiles, 
the  latter  born  in  New  Jersey.  The  grandfather, 
Levi  Hoiles,  left  his  home  in  the  east,  and  be- 
came one  of  the  early  settlers  in  Mahoning 
county,  both  himself  and  his  son  becoming  farm- 
ers in  that  locality.  James  Hoiles  passed  away 
on  his  Ohio  farm.,  and  his  wife  also  died  in  that 
state.  She  was,  before  her  marriage,  Barbara 
Oyster,  and  was  a  natii;e  of  Pennsylvania.  Fol- 
lowing his  discharge  from  the  army  Mr. 
Schwartz  returned  to  his  old  home  in  Ohio  and 
soon  afterward  embarked  in  the  wholesale  and 
'"etail  hardware  business  in  Alliance,  that  state. 
This  proved  a  profitable  and  congenial  under- 
taking, judging  from  the  fact  that  he  continued 
in  the  business  for  over  twenty  years,  but  he 
was  seized  with  the  western  fever  about  this  time 
and  the  year  1887  witnessed  his  arrival  in  Cali- 
fornia. For  about  a  year  he  engaged  in  the  real 
estate  business  in  Santa  Ana,  but  on  coming 
to  San  Pedro  in  1888  he  entered  the  employ  of 
the  Southern  Pacific  Lumber  Company,  branch- 
ing out  from  this  into  contracting  and  building 
on  his  own  account.  During  his  later  years,  and 
at  the  time  of  his  death,  he  was  engaged  in  the 
real  estate  business,  a  line  of  endeavor  into  which 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1895 


he  could  and  did  put  his  whole  soul,  for  his  faith 
in  the  future  of  San  Pedro  was  unbounded  and 
he  had  the  happy  faculty  of  inspiring  his  patrons 
with  the  same  hope.  For  four  years  he  served 
his  fellow-citizens  as  constable. 

Two  children  blessed  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Schwiirtz,  Clifford  D.,  who  is  now  in 
Mexico,  and  Myrtle,  who  makes  her  home  with 
Jier  mother.  Since  the  death  of  her  husband 
Mrs.  Schwartz  has  continued  to  reside  at  the 
old  home  on  Palos  Verdes  street  near  Ninth. 
Politically  Mr.  Schwartz  was  a  Republican,  and 
in  his  fraternal  associations  he  belonged  to  the 
Masons,  having  attained  the  Roa  al  Arch  degree ; 
he  also  belonged  to  the  Knight  of  Pythias.  As 
was  natural  for  one  who  had  served  long  and 
faithfully  in  his  country's  behalf  he  was  also  a 
comrade  in  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and 
his  widow  is  now  a  member  and  active  worker  in 
that  kindred  order,  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps. 
\Vhile  Mrs.  Schwartz  is  a  Lutheran  in  her  re- 
ligious preferences,  she  attends  the  services  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  there  being  no 
Lutheran  congregation  in  San  Pedro.  Mr. 
.Schwartz  was  also  of  the  same  belief  as  his  wife, 
passing  .iway  with  the  Christian's  hope  and  as- 
surance of  a  life  hereafter.  His  bod\-  lies  Jiuried 
in  the  cemetery  at  Wilmington. 


GEORGE  BEARD.  With  the  larger  growth 
of  Long  Beach  noticeable  during  the  recent  years 
of  its  history  Mr.  Beard  has  been  intimately  as- 
sociated and,  as  a  contractor  and  builder,  he  has 
accomplished  much  toward  the  permanent  up- 
building of  the  city.  With  the  assistance  of  the 
fifty  men  now  on  die  pa}--roll  he  is  able  to  take 
charge  of  large  contracts  and  fill  them  without 
delay  or  needless  annoyances.  Since  coming  to 
this  city  in  1901  he  has  built  many  residences 
and  public  buildings,  including  the  Congrega- 
tional Church,  Hoag  and  Yoeman  residences, 
Butte  block,  ]\Iasonic  Hall.  Alamitos  schoolhouse, 
Flint  and  Barndollar  block,  Pine  street  school, 
the  remodeling  of  the  Alamitos  school  and  the 
finishing  work  on  the  high  school,  the  building 
of  the  convention  hall  and  Cynthia  annex.  The 
hall  is  a  casino,  152x257  feet  in  dimensions,  a 
wooden  structure  three  stories  in  height,  with  a 
seating  capacity  of  ten  thousand,  giving  the 
people  of  Long  Beach  adequate  facilities  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  vast  throngs  attending  their 
assemblies  and  other  public  meetings. 

The  Beard  family  is  of  German  extraction. 
John  Beard,  who  was  born  in  Hessen-Darmstadt, 
came  to  America  alone  at  seventeen  years  of  age 
and  in  1837  became  a  pioneer  of  South  Bend, 
Ind.,  where  at  different  times  he  conducted  a 
bakery  and  hotel  and  carried  on  a  farm  consist- 
ing of  t^vo  hundred  and  fift\-  acres.     At  the  time 


of  his  death,  whicli  occurred  at  South  Bend,  he 
was  seventy-eight  years  of  age.  When  a  joung 
man  he  had  married,  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  Miss 
Magdalena  Barth,  who  was  born  at  Baden-Baden, 
Gennany,  and  accompanied  her  parents  to  the 
United  States,  settling  in  Sidney,  Shelby  county, 
Ohio.  When  seventy-eight  years  of  age  she 
died  in  South  Bend.  Of  the  marriage  there  were 
five  sons  and  six  daughters,  George  being  the 
seventh  in  order  of  birtli,  and  he  was  born  at 
South  Bend,  Ind.,  November  2,  1849.  The  fam- 
ily being  poor  and  the  children  numerous,  it  be- 
came necessary  early  in  boyhood  for  him  to 
earn  his  livelihood.  At  fifteen  years  he  became 
an  apprentice  to  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  builder 
with  James  Million,  of  Mishawaka.  His  em- 
ployer had  been  a  school  teacher  in  Maine  and 
was  a  man  of  fine  educational  attainments,  so 
that  the  lad  enjoyed  the  advantage  of  being  in- 
structed by  him,  not  only  in  a  trade,  but  also  in 
the  rudiments  of  an  education.  Indeed,  this 
was  all  the  education  he  enjoyed  in  life,  with 
the  exception  of  a  year  at  Notre  Dame,  South 
Bend,  where  he  paid  his  expenses  1iy  working  for 
others..  On  the  completion  of  his  apprentice- 
ship he  traveled  for  three  years  in  Illinois  and 
Iowa,  the  most  of  the  time  working  in  the  bridge- 
building  department  of  the  railroads. 

On  his  return  to  South  Bend  in  1870  ^Ir. 
Beard  there  married  ]\Iiss  Clara  Spaun.  who  was 
born  and  reared  there  and  died  in  El  Paso,  Tex. 
The  two  sons  of  their  union  died  at  an  early  age. 
The  older  daughter,  Bertha,  is  the  wife  of  T.  W. 
Dougherty,  of  Tocsin,  Wells  county,  Ind. ;  and 
the  younger  daughter,  Grace,  married  John 
Fochtman,  of  Petoskey,  Ind. 

Upon  first  coming  to  California  in  1875  Mr. 
Beard  took  charge  of  a  cattle  ranch  near  Bakers- 
field.  At  that  time  many  settlers  were  coming 
into  that  locality,  without  means  to  pay  for  the 
building  of  homes,  and  to  help  them  in  getting 
a  start  he  donated  his  labor  in  the  building  of 
houses  for  their  families.  During  1878. he  went 
to  Sacramento  and  for  three  years  worked  at 
his  trade  with  Henry  Coates.  When  Tombstone 
was  in  its  balmy  days  as  a  rich  mining  region  he 
went  to  that  town  overland  and  from  there  pro- 
ceeded to  El  Paso,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade. 
After  the  death  of  his  wife  he  took  a  position 
with  the  Atlantic  &  Pacific  Railroad  as  foreman 
of  their  bridge-building  department  and  while 
filling  that  position  he  had  charge  of  the  building 
of  the  first  bridge  erected  across  the  Colorado 
river  at  the  Needles,  on  the  road  now  owned 
by  the  Santa  Fe.  In  1884  he  settled  in  Los 
Angeles,  where  for  three  years  he  engaged  in 
the  planing-mill  business  with  J.  M.  Griffith 
and  for  six  years  was  in  charge  of  a  department 
with  Perry  &  ]\Iott,  also  \\'orked  with  Arnold  as 
foreman  for  a  time.     From  that  citv  he  came  to 


1896 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Long  Beach,  where  he  has  a  large  shop  equipped 
with  the  latest  appliances  for  his  work  and  con- 
taining a  department  for  the  manufacture  of 
mission  furniture  and  bank  fixtures.  During  the 
summer  of  1905  he  enjoyed  a  needed  relaxation 
from  business  cares,  at  which  time  he  returned 
to  the  east  and  visited  tlie  scenes  familiar  to  his 
toyhood  days.  Since  commg  to  Long  Beach  he 
has  been  made  a  Mason  in  the  blue  lodge  in  this 
city.  Politically  he  favors  Democratic  principles 
in  national  issues,  but  in  local  matters  is  indepen- 
dent. Interested  in  everything  pertaining  to 
his  occupation,  he  was  prominent  in  the  Car- 
penter's Union  while  living  in  Los  Angeles  and 
often  aided  in  settling  disputes  which  arose  be- 
tween capital  and  labor. 


NELLIE  H.  AND  ETTA  C.  WILLIS.  Con- 
spicuous among  the  transformations  wrought 
during  the  latter  part  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury and  the  opening  years  of  the  twentieth  cen- 
tury has  been  the  entrance  of  women  into  com- 
mercial affairs.  There  are  now  few  occupations 
and  few  professions  in  which  at  least  a  few 
women  have  not  gained  distinctive  success,  and 
more  and  more  it  is  being  commonly  recognized 
that  the  mental  capacities  of  the  sex  are  far 
broader  than  former  ages  supposed.  Scattered 
through  every  part  of  California  are  women  who 
alone  and  unaided  have  gained  success  in  their 
chosen  callings :  some  may  be  found  on  ranches 
superintending  the  care  of  stock  and  cultivation 
of  the  land :  some  have  entered  professions, 
where  their  knowledge,  skill  and  quickness  have 
won  recognition :  and  some  have  selected  a  cer- 
tain sphere  of  business  activity  for  the  exer- 
cise of  their  special  talents.  In  the  list  of  the 
business  women  of  Ventura  county  appear  the 
names  of  the  Willis  sisters,  who  for  some  years 
have  engaged  in  the  restaurant  business  in  Ox- 
nard  and  also  during  the  busy  season  operate 
a  restaurant  at  the  sugar  factory. 

The  history  of  the  Willis  family  is  traced  back 
to  the  eastern  states.  Jonathan  and  Lucinda 
(Beeson)  Willis,  natives  of  Indiana,  became 
pioneers  of  Iowa  as  early  as  1857,  settling  in 
Dallas  county,  where  he  served  as  supervisor 
and  attained  a  high  position  as  a  progressive 
citizen.  Wliile  carrying  on  a  large  farm  he  made 
a  specialty  of  raising  fine  horses  and  imported 
a  number  from  Europe  in  order  to  secure  the 
finest  strains  for  his  own  herd.  Coming  to  Cal- 
ifornia in  1893  he  remained  on  a  ranch  near  Sat- 
icoy  about  two  years,  but  then  went  back  to 
Iowa,  where  he  died  at  Perry,  July  27,  1903.  at 
the  age  of  seventy-six  years.  His  wife  had  died 
in  Iowa  during  October  of  1865.  Among  their 
children  were  the  son.  Oscar  C.  (who  is  repre- 
sented  elsruliere   in   this   work)    and   the   (laittjh- 


ters,  Nellie  H.  and  Etta  C,  both  of  whom  were 
born  and  reared  in  Dallas  county,  Iowa,  and  re- 
ceived fair  education  in  the  schools  of  their 
home  neighborhood.  During  1887  Miss  NeUie 
came  to  California  and  settled  at  Saticoy,  where 
she  made  her  home  for  three  years,  and  then 
her  sister  joined  her.  The  two  had  very  limit- 
ed means,  but  they  were  energetic,  capable  and 
resourceful,  and  soon  found  the  business  open- 
ing they  desired. 

Coming  to  Oxnard  the  sisters  started  a  deli- 
catessen store  on  a  very  small  scale.  It  was 
not  long  before  the  superior  quality  of  their 
bakery  goods  attracted  attention  and  their  cus- 
tomers grew  in  number.  Gradually  they  changed 
the  business  into  a  restaurant  and  as  such  they 
now  successfully  conduct  the  store.  The  heavi- 
est hardship  of  their  business  experience  came 
to  them  in  1904,  when  a  fire  destroyed  their 
building  and  equipment,  and  they  were  left 
without  insurance  to  cover  the  loss.  However, 
undiscouraged  by  this  catastrophe,  they  soon 
resumed  business,  and  by  their  large  trade  were 
enabled  to  recompense  themselves  for  their 
losses.  Their  restaurant  has  no  superior  in  the 
city,  and  among  the  towns-people  it  is  recog- 
nized that  their  establishment  is  a  credit  to  the 
place  as  well  as  a  tribute  to  the  energy  and  cul- 
inary abilities  of  the  proprietors. 


JOHN  CAMIMACK  WILHOIT.  In  the 
period  subsequent  to  the  Revolutionary  war  the 
people  of  the  east  began  to  drift  toward  the 
frontier  regions  and  at  that  time  many  of  the 
colonial  families  of  Virginia  became  established 
in  the  wilderness  beyond  the  mountains,  where 
they  built  up  the  commonwealth  of  Kentucky. 
Among  those  who  followed  the  trend  of  emigra- 
tion westward  was  Hiram  Wilhoit.  who  was 
born  in  Culpeper  county,  Va.,  in  1797,  and  was 
only  a  lad  of  fourteen  when,  in  company  with 
his  father.  Elijah,  he  blazed  a  path  through  the 
wilderness  into  the  blue-grass  region  of  Wood- 
ford county,  Ky.,  where  he  turned  the  first  fur- 
rows in  the  soil  of  a  frontier  plantation.  After 
his  settlement  in  that  region  he  met  and  luarried 
Miss  Sophia  Thornton,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and 
both  remained  in  that  state  until  they  died. 

In  a  family  of  three  sons  and  two  daughters, 
all  of  whom  except  one  son  attained  mature 
years.  John  C.  Wilhoit  was  the  second  in  order  of 
birth,  and  was  born  in  Frankfort,  Ky.,  February 
6,  185 1.  As  a  boy  he  alternated  attendance  at 
school  with  work  on  the  home  farm,  and  in  young 
manhood  continued  with  his  father  until  the 
latter's  death,  which  occurred  in  1876.  After- 
ward he  remaiuv^d  Tor  some  years  in  Woodford 
county,  where  lie  cultivated  a  farm  and,  like  the 
majority   of    Kontuckians.   became   a    fine    judge 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1897 


of  horse-flesh,  owning  a  number  that  were  of  the 
choicest  stock  and  excellent  pedigree.  From 
Kentucky  he  removed  to  Missouri  and  settled 
in  Cass  county  in  1881,  but  a  few  years  of  farm- 
ing in  that  locality  did  not  prove  satisfactory, 
and  in  1887  he  removed  to  the  Pacific  coast,  set- 
tling two  and  one-half  miles  northwest  of  Long 
Beach,  which  at  that  time  contained  but  one 
house.  The  tract  of  five  hundred  acres  which  he 
leased  was  in  part  under  cultivation  to  alfalfa, 
which  proved  a  profitable  crop.  Meanwhile  he 
bought  and  sold  horses  and  made  a  specialty 
of  raising  the  trotting  breeds,  notable  among 
which  was  Italic,  an  exceptionally  fine  animal. 
With  the  disposal  of  his  ranch  he  sold  his  stable 
of  horses,  but  he  continued  to  be  interested  in 
that  industry  and  is  an  authority  in  equine  values. 
On  removing  from  his  ranch  into  town  JNIr. 
Wilhoit  from  igoi  to  1903  conducted  a  grain, 
hay  and  feed  business,  and  since  then  has  been 
somewhat  retired  from  commercial  activities,  al- 
though he  personally  superintends  his  real-estate 
interests.  In  addition  to  his  residence  at  No.  424 
American  avenue.  Long  Beach,  he  owns  one- 
quarter  of  a  block  on  Fourth  street,  on  which 
he  has  erected  business  houses  for  rental. 
While  living  in  Kentucky  he  was  married  at 
Nicholasville,  that  state,  to  Miss  Nannie  Haw- 
kins, a  native  of  Kentucky.  They  are  the  parents 
of  five  children,  namely:  Bessie,  who  married 
Allen  Walker  and  lives  at  Long  Beach ;  Lulu, 
wife  of  J.  F.  ^IcSwain;  G.  C,  a  bookkeeper; 
Pearl  F.  and  J.  ^\^allace,  who  reside  with  their 
parents.  The  family  attend  the  Christian  Church, 
of  which  Mrs.  Wilhoit  long  has  been  an  earnest 
and  faithful  member.  Though  Mr.  Wilhoit  is 
iiot  active  in  politics,  he  is  stanch  in  his  adherence 
to  Democratic  principles  and  stands  firm  by  the 
faith  of  the  old  party. 


WILLIAM  L.  RUST.  In  tracing  the  line- 
age of  the  Rust  family  the  records  show  that 
they  come  from  old  and  honored  English  stock, 
whose  members  hold  prominent  positions  in 
commerce  and  the  professions.  For  years  Abra- 
ham Rust  was  an  extensive  manufacturer  en- 
gaged in  business  in  the  city  of  London.  Among 
his  children  was  a  son.  Rev.  A.  Rust,  who  was 
born  and  reared  in  London  and  received  a  thor- 
ough classical  education  at  Cambridge,  afterward 
taking  up  the  study  of  theology  and  fitting  him- 
self for  the  ministry  of  the  Episcopal  denomina- 
tion. Immediately  after  he  was  ordained  to  the 
ministry  he  went  to  India,  where  he  had  been 
appointed  a  vicar  in  Calcutta.  On  his  return 
from  that  county  he  became  vicar  at  Dunkirk, 
France,  and  in  1886  returned  to  London,  where 
he  has  since  been  vicar  of  an  Episcopal  parish. 
Widelv  known  throughout  his  denomination,  he 


is  honored  as  a  man  of  broad  knowledge,  earn- 
est life  and  consistent  Christian  character,  and 
his  influence  has  tended  toward  the  spiritual  up- 
lifting of  mankind. 

The  ministerial  labors  of  Rev.  A.  Rust  have 
been  deepened  in  their  usefulness  through  the 
capable  assistance  of  his  talented  wife,  who  was 
a  descendant  of  a  family  noted  for  its  clergymen. 
Her  father.  Rev.  Joseph  Webster,  was  a  gradu- 
ate of  the  University  of  Edinburgh  and  became 
an  ordained  minister  in  the  Presbyterian  denom- 
ination. For  a  time  he  was  a  chaplain  in  the 
English  army,  and  during  his  service  in  that  ca- 
pacity he  took  part  in  the  Crimean  struggle,  the 
Egyptian  campaigns  and  many  other  historic 
events  in  English  history.  Finally  he  died  in 
England  when  a  very  aged  man.  His  daughter, 
Elizabeth,  was  born  in  Kingston,  Jamaica,  while 
he  was  stationed  with  the  army  on  that  island, 
and  she  was  reared  principally  in  England,  where 
she  died  in  1898. 

Among  seven  children,  all  but  one  of  whom  are 
still  living,  William  L.  Rust  was  the  eldest  in  . 
order  of  birth,  and  was  born  in  the  city  of  Cal- 
cutta, India,  while  his  father  was  stationed  there 
as  vicar  of  an  Episcopal  Church.  Born  Febru- 
ary I,  1874,  he  was  four  years  of  age  when  he 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Dunkirk,  France,  and 
in  t886  he  went  with  them  to  England,  where  he 
was  apprenticed  to  the  machinist's  trade  at  Birm- 
ingham in  one  of  the  many  large  factories  of  that 
city.  In  the  iron  works  there  he  completed  his 
trade  after  a  service  of  several  years,  during 
which  time  he  had  acquired  a  thorough  theoret- 
ical and  practical  knowledge  of  his  chosen  occu- 
pation. Crossing  the  ocean  to  the  United  States 
in  1891,  he  proceeded  direct  to  California  and 
joined  his  brotlier,  Henry,  at  Santa  Barbara. 
Soon  afterward  they  became  interested  jointly  in 
cattle-raising  in  the  San  Raphael  mountains,  but 
at  the  expiration  of  three  years  William  disposed 
of  his  interest  and  turned  his  attention  to  his 
trade.  For  five  }ears  he  was  employed  as  en- 
gineer for  the  Seaside  Oil  Company  at  Summer- 
land.  On  resigning  from  that  position  he  became 
chief  engineer  with  the  Guarantee  Oil  and  Re- 
fining Company  at  Beaumont,  Tex.,  where  he 
assisted  in  the  building  of  the  company's  plant 
and  lielped  to  place  the  works  upon  a  substantial 
basis  for  practical  operation. 

Ill-health  resulting  from  an  attack  of  the  Texas 
fever  led  Mr.  Rust  to  resign  his  remunerative  po- 
sition at  Beaumont  and  for  a  time  he  devoted 
himself  to  recreation  and  travel  until  he  had  "re- 
gained his  former  state  of  health.  During  1901 
he  came  to  Oxnard  and  has  since  been  employed 
by  the  American  Beet  Sugar  Company  in  the 
capacity  of  engineer,  his  special  line  being  the 
engine  and  power  work.  For  some  years  he  has 
been  associated  with  the  National  Association  of 


1898 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Stationary  Engineers,  Santa  Barbara  Local.  In 
political  matters  he  gives  his  support  to  the  Re- 
publican party,  while  in  his  religious  views  he  ad- 
heres to  the  doctrines  of  the  Episcopal  denomina- 
tion, in  which  he  was  reared.  After  coming  to 
California  he  formed  domestic  ties  through  his 
marriage  at  Summerland  to  Miss  Ethel  Opple,  a 
native  of  Michigan,  and  now  the  mother  of  one 
son,  Frank  Rust.  At  an  early  age  she  accom- 
panied her  father,  Andrew,  from  JNIichigan  to 
California  and  settled  at  Summerland,  where  Mr. 
Opple  afterward  made  his  home.  During  the 
Civil  war,  while  he  was  making  his  home  in 
Michigan,  he  enlisted  in  the  service  of  the  Union 
and  was  enrolled  as  a  member  of  the  Seventh 
Michigan  Infantry,  with  which  he  went  to  the 
front  and  bore  a  gallant  part  in  various  engage- 
ments with  the  enemy. 


WILLIAM  J.  ALLEN.  A  considerable  pro- 
portion of  the  population  of  Southern  California 
consists  of  men  who,  having  accumulated  com- 
petencies in  other  sections  of  the  country,  have 
sought  in  the  evening  of  their  years  the  climate 
of  the  Pacitic  coast  in  order  that  they  might  en- 
joy the  superior  advantages  it  affords.  Included 
in  this  class  of  citizens  is  William  J.  Allen,  who 
came  to  Inglewood  in  1903,  purchased  two  lots 
in  the  town  and  erected  the  comfortable  resi- 
dence now  occupied  by  himself  and  wife.  In 
genealogy  the  Allen  family  is  of  colonial  ances- 
try, having  been  identified  with  the  original  set- 
tlement and  early  development  of  New  England. 
The  family  records  show  that  Ebenezer  Allen, 
who  was  a  native  of  either  Connecticut  or  Mas- 
sachusetts, became  a  pioneer  of  Vermont,  and 
in  1796,  on  the  occasion  of  the  marriage  of  his 
son,  Noah,  he  presented  the  young  married 
couple  with  a  deed  to  a  tract  of  farm  land  in 
Vermont,  which  state  up  to  that  time  had  at- 
tracted comparatively  few  settlers.  Afterward 
that  same  farm  became  the  centre  of  Noah  Al- 
len's activities  and  there  he  and  his  wife,  who 
was  Mary  Woods,  spent  the  remaining  years  of 
their  busy  lives,  she  dying  on  the  home  place  at 
the  age  of  forty-five,  while  he  survived  until  sev- 
enty-four years  of  age.  The  Woods  family  set- 
tled in  America  at  an  early  date,  and  her  father, 
Daniel,  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  war  of  1812 
and  was  wounded  while  on  picket  duty  during 
the  battle  of  Ticonderoga. 

At  Goshen,  in  the  county  where  Noah  and 
Mary  Allen  for  many  years  made  their  home,  a 
son,  William  J.,  was  born  February  i,  1829,  and 
there  he  early  learned  lessons  of  frugality  and 
industry.  When  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age  he 
lost  his  father  by  death  and  afterward  was  em- 
ployed by  an  elder  brother  as  a  farm  hand  for 
three  rears,   later  starting  out   to  earn  his  own 


livelihood  in  the  world.  In  the  fall  of  1851  he 
sold  his  interests  in  Vermont  and  removed  to 
Michigan,  where  he  bought  a  timber  farm  in 
Van  Buren  county  and  devoted  several  years  to 
the  clearing  of  the  land.  For  twenty-five  years 
he  continued  upon  the  same  place,  meeting'with 
his  share  of  reverses  and  also  not  a  few  suc- 
cesses. Aleanwhile  his  sons  had  grown  to  man- 
hood and  started  out  for  themselves,  going  to 
Dakota  and  becoming  prominent  in  their  locality. 
While  visiting  them  in  their  new  home,  Mr.  Al- 
len took  up  a  homestead  under  the  Dakota  laws, 
and  shortly  afterward  disposed  of  his  Michi- 
gan property  and  moved  to  his  newer  posses- 
sions. The  claim  was  placed  under  cutivation 
and  improved  with  the  necessary  buildings,  and 
he  remained  there  until  his  retirement  from  ag- 
ricultural pursuits  in  1903,  when  he  removed  to 
California  and  settled  on  his  present  property. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Allen  was  solemnized 
December  3,  1850,  and  united  him  with  Lucy 
A.  Brown,  a  native  of  \'ermont.  They  became 
the  parents  of  four  children,  namely:  Anthony, 
who  is  engaged  in  the  hardware  and  furniture 
business  at  Fairmount,  Richland  county,  N.  Dak., 
and  also  owns  farm  lands  in  that  vicinity;  John, 
a  partner  with  his  brother  in  business :  Nettie, 
wife  of  E.  A.  Spaulding,  a  well-known  real-es- 
tate man  whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this 
volume;  and  Mrs.  Mary  IMosier,  who  died  on 
the  last  day  of  the  year  1904.  The  family  are 
identified  with  the  Free  Methodist  Church  and 
Mr.  Allen  has  officiated  as  a  steward  in  that  de- 
nomination. Both  by  precept  and  example  he 
has  given  his  influence  toward  the  cause  of  tem- 
perance and  in  politics  sympathizes  with  the  Pro- 
hibitionists. For  several  years  while  living  in 
North  Dakota  he  filled  the  office  of  supervisor 
of  Richland  county,  but  with  that  exception  has 
declined  ofiice.  preferring  to  devote  his  atten- 
tion to  private  aft'airs.  Though  not  a  man  of 
large  wealth,  he  has  gained  a  competency  by 
constant  labor  through  a  long  and  active  life  and 
is  fully  deserving  of  the  success  he  now  enjoys. 


FRANCISCO  MARCOVINA.  In  noting  the 
various  members  of  any  California  community 
it  is  interesting  to  observe  how  all  of  these  people 
Avere  gathered  together  from  difterent  countries, 
states  and  localities,  and  how  well  they  usually 
combine  to  form  an  intelligent  and  prosperous 
town,  village  or  city.  Francisco  IMarcovina,  a 
well-known  resident  of  San  Pedro,  was  born 
June  10.  1848,  in  Austria,  on  the  Island  of  Cur- 
zola.  where  his  father.  John  Marcovina.  now  a 
venerable  man  of  eightv-nine  years,  has  spent 
his  entire  life,  during  his  active  career  having 
been    a    shipbuilder.      There,    also,    his    mother. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1899 


whosf  maiden  nanit  was  Maria  Kercenich,  lived 
until  her  death,  in  1901. 

The  second  child  in  order  of  birth  of  a  family 
of  four  children,  of  whom  two  sons  and  one 
daughter  are  living,  Francisco  Marcovina  is  the 
only  one  in  America.  At  the  age  of  twelve  years 
he  began  a  seafaring  life  on  a  coasting  vessel 
visiting  the  Mediterranean  ports.  Four  years 
later  he  went  into  tne  deep  waters,  making  voy- 
ages to  China  and  the  East  Indies,  and  in  1866 
coming  across  the  Atlantic  to  New  York  and 
Boston.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  he  was 
made  mate  of  tlie  barque  A.  A.  Drebbett,  and  in 
1868,  on  the  ship  John  Bright,  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, and  there  left  his  vessel,  locating  in  San 
Francisco,  where  he  was  for  a  while  engaged  in 
coasting  and  freighting  for  himself.  Going  then 
to  Contra  Costa  county,  he  was  employed  in 
farming  in  the  Pacheco  valley  for  six  years,  the 
following  year  being  employed  as  a  stevedore  at 
Port  Costa.  Then,  on  account  of  his  wife's 
health,  he  came,  in  1882,  to  San  Pedro,  and  hav- 
ing purchased  a  lot  on  Palos  A'erdes  street  erect- 
ed a  substantial  residence. 

j\lr.  Marcovma  subsequently  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Wilmington  Transportation  Company 
as  stevedore,  and  after  a  few  months  was  made 
assistant  foreman  of  the  San  Pedro  Wharf  & 
Transportation  Company.  This  responsible  po- 
sition, with  the  exception  of  five  years  spent  as 
foreman  of  the  v/harf  at  Port  Los  Angeles  for 
the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  Mr. 
Marcovina  has  since  held,  and  during  hi^  long 
term  of  service  has  performed  the  duties  devolv- 
ing upon  him  with  ability  and  fidelity.  In  1902 
he  sold  his  residence  rm  Palos  Verdes  street  and 
bought  his  present  fine  dwelling-house  at  No. 
lOii  Beacon  street,  near  Tenth  street.  In  north- 
ern California  Mr.  Marcovina  married  Mary  A. 
Markey,  a  native  of  Canada,  and  they  are  the 
parents  of  two  children,  John  Franklin  and  Edith 
Emilia.  In  national  politics  he  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican, but  in  local  matters  he  votes  according 
to  his  best  judgment  for  the  men  and  measures 
advocated  by  the  most  intelligent  and  practical 
citizens.  Fraternally  he  belongs  to  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 


JESUS  SAEXZ.  For  thirty  years  or  more 
Mr.  Saenz  has  been  numbered  among  the  busi- 
ness men  of  Los  Angeles  county,  where  he  has 
built  up  a  substantial  mercantile  establishment  at 
Palms,  on  First  street  and  Washington  street 
road.  In  an  early  day  this  place  was  a  part  of 
La  Ballona  grant  and  the  postoffice  was  known 
as  Machado.  For  ten  years  he  held  the  office  of 
postmaster,  the  office  being  in  his  store.  The 
success  that  has  rewarded  his  efforts  is  especially 
noteworthy  from  the  fact  that  the  business  pre- 


viously had  been  conducted  at  a  loss,  and  when 
he  assumed  the  management  it  was  necessary  to 
establish  credit  among  business  men  and  awaken 
confidence  among  possible  customers,  a  task  that 
called  for  his  persistent  application  and  mental 
alertness.  In  addition  to  his  store  building  and 
his  beautiful  home  he  owns  about  sixty-five  acres 
of  property,  in  five,  ten  and  seventeen  acre  tracts, 
the  whole  representing  an  important  investment 
owing  to  the  high  valuation  of  the  land.  This 
is  devoted  to  alfalfa,  beans,  corn,  etc.,  and  two 
acres  are  in  oranges.  Believing  that  increased 
transportation  facilities  would  benefit  the  com- 
munity he  donated  without  charge  to  the  electric 
railway  company  the  right  of  way  through  his 
lands,  and  in  many  other  ways  he  has  proved 
his  public  spirit  and  enterprise. 

Near  the  gulf  of  California,  at  Guaymas, 
Sonora,  Mexico,  Jesus  Saenz  was  born  Novem- 
ber 14,  1844.  In  his  veins  flows  the  blood  of 
Castilian  and  Indian  ancestors,  of  both  of  which 
he  is  proud ;  but  in  appearance  and  enterprise  he 
shows  a  spirit  decidedly  American.  He  was  the 
only  son  of  Dionisio  and  Andrea  (Rodriguez) 
Saenz,  natives  respectively  of  Durango  and  Guad- 
alajara, Jalisco,  Mexico.  His  father,  who  was 
the  son  of  wealthy  parents,  came  to  California 
during  the  eventful  year  of  1849,  with  associates 
chartering  a  schooner  and  bringing  men  and  pro- 
visions sufficient  for  a  prolonged  sojourn  in  the 
mining  regions.  The  venture,  however,  proved 
very  costly  and  unremunerative,  and  eventually 
about  1863  he  came  to  Los  Angeles  county, 
where  he  died  April  10,  1887,  at  sixty -two  years 
of  age.  In  1891  his  wife  died,  her  son  having 
taken  care  of  her  in  her  declining  years. 

When  quite  a  small  child  Jesus  Saenz  accom- 
panied the  family  to  San  Francisco.  Owing  to 
his  father's  heavy  losses  he  was  unable  to  at- 
tend school  longer  than  two  years,  after  which 
he  earned  his  livelihood  as  an  errand  boy  in  a 
store.  Gradually,  as  he  was  proved  to  be  trust- 
worthy, he  was  given  greater  responsibilities,  and 
in  time  became  a  trusted  clerk  in  Martinez  and 
Ventura.  At  eighteen  years  of  age  he  came  to 
Los  Angeles  and  for  some  years  held  a  clerkship 
in  this  city,  and  then  spent  two  years  at  the  trade 
of  iron-shutter  maker  in  San  Francisco,  but  the 
latter  occupation  did  not  prove  congenial  and  he 
abandoned  it  for  the  management  of  the  store  he 
now  owns.  Many  years  ago  he  attended  the  first 
sale  of  lots  in  Santa  Monica,  but  the  condition  of 
his  finances  did  not  permit  him  to  purchase  an\- 
real  estate  in  the  new  town.  During  the  long 
period  of  his  residence  here  he  has  witnessed  the 
growth  and  prosperity  of  the  county,  the  devel- 
opment of  its  resources  and  the  improving  of  its 
lands,  and  no  one  maintains  a  greater  pride  than 
he  in  the  present  prosperity  of  the  people.  Oc- 
tober  I.   1883,  he  was  united   in  marriage  with 


1900 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


J\Iiss  Amada  Garcia,  a  native  of  Los  Angeles 
and  a  member  of  an  old  Spanish  family.  Ten 
children  were  born  of  their  union,  but  five  died 
at  an  early  age.  Those  now  living  are  Amadita, 
]\Ianuel  E.,  Teresa,  Andrea,  and  Bernardo,  all 
of  whom  are  yet  at  home.  Mr.  Saenz  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Court  Columbus,  Foresters  of  America, 
and  tlie  auxiliary.  In  national  politics  he  is  a 
Republican,  casting  his  first  vote  for  A.  Lincoln, 
but  in  local  matters  selects  men  best  qualified  for 
the   office. 


\\'.  PATTON  WILSON.  During  a  pros- 
pecting tour  in  Southern  California  made  in  the 
fall  of  1893  Mr.  Wilson  was  so  attracted  by  the 
possibilities  of  the  coast  region  that  he  pur- 
chased ten  acres  on  Signal  Hill  and  planted  the 
tract  to  lemon  trees,  since  which  time  increase  in 
land  values  has  made  the  investment  remarkably 
profitable.  Determined  to  settle  in  this  locaHty 
he  brought  his  family  to  the  west  in  April, 
1894,  and  after  a  year  on  Signal  Hill  removed 
into  Long  Beach,  where  he  became  interested  in 
a  drug  business  and  also  carried  on  a  carriage 
and  wagon  manufacturing  plant  and  repair  shop. 
After  having  disposed  of  these  enterprises,  in 
1899  he  embarked  in  the  undertaking  business 
and  until  November,  1905,  conducted  a  modern 
and  well-equipped  establishment  at  No.  115 
East  Third  street.  In  addition  to  the  industries 
named  he  has  been  active  in  many  other  enter- 
prises vitally  important  to  the  permanent  devel- 
opment of  Long  Beach.  At  the  time  the  Citi- 
zens' Water  Company  was  established  he  be- 
came one  of  the  first  stockholders  in  the  con- 
cern and  he  was  active  in  the  starting  of  the 
Oceanside  Development  Company,  in  which  he 
officiates  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors. 
As  a  director  and  original  stockholder  in  the 
United  Improvement  Company  he  was  inter- 
ested in  the  establishment  of  a  gas  plant  for  the 
city  of  Long*  Beach.  The  building  business  also 
has  attracted  his  attention  and  besides  erecting 
dwelling  houses  he  built  the  Wilson  block,  a 
modern"  two-story  brick  structure  on  the  corner 
of  Third  and  Pine  streets. 

Mr.  Wilson  was  born  at  Crawfordsville,  Ind., 
May  2,  1851,  and  is  a  son  of  Hugh  B.  and  Nancy 
Ann  (Patton)  Wilson,  natives  respectively  of 
Hamilton,  Ohio,  and  Dayton,  Ohio.  His  father, 
who  was  born  in  March  of  1810,  learned  the 
tanner's  trade  in  youth  and  after  settling  in  In- 
diana conducted  a  small  tannery,  but  later 
moved  to  Crawfordsville,  and  in  1854  embarked 
in  the  grocery  business  at  Cincinnati.  Ohio, 
where  misfortune  followed  his  arduous  efforts. 
In  1856  he  returned  to  Indiana  and  opened  a 
grocery  at  Anderson,  but  reverses  overtook  him 
and  he  closed  out  at  a  heavy  loss.     In   1864  he 


went  to  Greenfield,  Ind.,  and  while  carr\ing  on 
a  tannery  there  he  saved  enough  to  pay  his  debts. 
For  ten  years  he  served  as  postmaster  at  Green- 
field, and  after  resigning  from  that  position  he 
led  a  retired  life.  Both  he  and  his  wife,  who 
was  two  years  his  junior,  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty-seven. 

In  a  family  of  five  sons  and  six  daughters  W. 
Patton  Wilson  was  ninth  in  order  of  birth  and 
is  the  only  survivor  among  the  sons.  Primarily 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Anderson 
and  Greenfield,  he  was  later  privileged  to  at- 
tend Wabash  College  at  Crawfordsville  for  two 
years,  but  on  account  of  his  father's  ill-health 
and  financial  reverses  he  gave  up  a  scholarship 
tendered  him  by  the  county  of  Hancock  and 
took  up  work  more  immediately  remunerative. 
At  eighteen  years  of  age  he  began  to  learn  the 
cabinet-maker's  trade.  From  1875  to  1878  he 
was  employed  as  clerk  in  a  drug  store  at  Green- 
field. .  Resigning  that  position  in  1878,  he  went 
to  Colorado  and  secured  employment  as  a  cab- 
inet-maker at  Colorado  Springs.  After  a  few 
months  he  removed  to  a  stock  ranch,  hoping  the 
change  would  benefit  his  wife's  health,  and  for 
eight  years  he  remained  a  rancher  in  Colorado. 
At  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  spent  six 
months  in  Kansas  and  then  returned  to  Green- 
field, Ind.,  purchasing  the  furniture  and  under- 
taking establishment  in  which  he  had  learned 
his  trade.  The  business  had  become  demoral- 
ized and  it  required  constant  application  to  bring 
it  to  a  profitable  basis,  but  he  was  successful  in 
the  attempt,  and  continued  in  charge  of  the  store 
for  seven  years.  From  there  he  went  back  to 
Colorado  and  bought  fifty  acres  adjoining  Colo- 
rado Springs,  but  not  being  satisfied  with  the 
country  he  came  to  California  on  a  tour  of  in- 
spection and  was  so  attracted  by  the  country 
that  he  became  a  permanent  resident. 

While  living  at  Greenfield,  Ind.,  Mr.  Wilson 
married  Ella  M.  Crawford,  a  native  of  that  state. 
They  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  namely : 
Hugh  C,  formerly  engaged  in  the  undertaking 
business  with  his  father ;  Annie  and  Bessie,  who 
are  with  their  parents.  The  family  are  com- 
municants of  the  Presbyterian  Qiurch  and  Mr. 
Wilson  officiates  as  an  elder,  in  which  office  his 
father  and  grandfather  likewise  served.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  connected  with  the  lodge  and 
chapter  of  Masonry  at  Long  Beach  and  in  poli- 
tics casts  his  vote  with  the  Republican  party. 


AUGUST  SEDERLUND.  The  name  of  this 
gentleman  is  well  and  favorabl\-  known  through- 
out San  Pedro,  where  he  is  carrying  on  a  large 
and  lucrative  mercantile  business,  dealing  in  gro- 
ceries, feed  and  grain.  He  is  a  man  of  great 
business   capacity,   possesses   keen   judgment,   is 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1901 


enterprising  and  progressive,  and  by  industry, 
diligence  and  Vv-ise  investments  has  acquired  a 
fine  property.  A  native  of  Sweden,  he  was  born 
January  3,  i860,  in  Skaraborg  hasn,  where  his  ■ 
father,  Lars  Anderson,  was  engaged  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits  until  hi.=  death.  His  mother,  a 
life-long  resident  of  Sweden,  died  on  the  home 
farm  in  1866,  leaving  three  daughters  and  one 
son. 

The  youngest  child  of  the  parental  household, 
August  Sederlund  immigrated  to  America  soon 
after  becoming  of  age,  at  Gothenburg,  where  he 
embarked,  taking  the  name  of  Sederlund,  on  ac- 
count of  difficulty  in  getting  mail  by  the  Ander- 
son name.  Arriving  ni  New  York  in  1882,  he 
went  directly  to  the  Northwest  Territory,  where 
he  worked  on  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railroad  for 
a  number  of  months.  Coming  from  there  to  Cali- 
fornia, he  located  in  San  Pedro  February  10, 
1884,  and  has  since  resided  here.  For  about  ten 
years  he  was  in  the  employ  of  different  lumber 
companies,  including  the  San  Pedro,  K.  C.  M. 
&  L.  Co.,  and  the  Perry  companies.  The  ensu- 
mg  three  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  teaming 
and  transfer  business  on  his  own  account,  meet- 
ing with  good  success  while  thus  employed. 
Opening  then  a  store  in  San  Pedro,  he  started 
in  the  grocery  business  on  a  small  scale,  and  as 
his  increasing  trade  demanded  more  commodious 
quarters  he  changed  his  location  to  Beacon  street, 
between  Fourth  and  Fifth  streets,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1904,  when  he  returned  to  his  orig- 
inal site.  As  a  merchant  he  has  been  very  pros- 
perous, and  in  the  spring  of  1906,  he  completed 
the  Sederlund  block,  which  is  a  fine  two-story 
building,  28x54  feet,  with  pressed  brick  front, 
and  has  ample  accommodations  for  his  entire 
stock  of  groceries.  Mr.  Sederlund  was  one  of 
the  original  stockholders  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  San  Pedro,  which  he  assisted  in  organ- 
izing, and  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  directors 
until  he  sold  his  stock  therein.  He  also  owns 
valuable  real  estate,  and  is  proprietor  of  the  Se- 
derlund hotel,  a  large  and  commodious  building, 
on  the  corner  of  Second  and  Palos  Yerdes 
streets. 

In  San  Pedro  I\Ir.  Sederlund  married  Anna 
Sophia  Jacobson,  who  was  born  in  Finland,  and 
they  have  two  children,  Rudolph  Augustine  and 
Jacob  Hjalmar.  Mr.  Sederlund  is  a  member  of 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  in  his  political 
affiliations  is  a  Republican.  Religiously  he  be- 
longs to  the  Lutheran  Giurch. 


HARRISON  J.  BLOOD.  The  highest  hon- 
ors lielong  to  those  brave  men  who  responded  to 
the  appeal  of  their  country  in  her  hour  of  need 
and  offered  their  services  to  aid  in  tlie  defense  of 
the   Cnion  ;  and  especially  should  due  praise  be 


given  where,  as  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Blood,  the 
hardships  and  exposures  of  army  life  and  the 
wounds  received  on  the  battlefield  so  injured 
them  that  they  were  permanently  disabled  and 
prevented  thereby  from  gaining  success  in  com- 
mercial activities.  Shortly  after  the  opening  of 
the  Civil  war  Mr.  Blood  enlisted  in  the  Union 
army  and  from  that  time  until  peace  again 
reigned  throughout  the  land  he  was  a  soldier  at 
the  front.  Many  were  the  perils  he  braved  and 
many  the  hardships  he  endured :  more  than  once 
his  life  was  in  danger,  but  he  bore  the  gallant 
front  of  a  brave  soldier.  When  in  later  years  he 
suffered  from  the  effects  of  his  army  service  he 
came  to  California  in  the  hope  that  the  genial 
climate  of  the  coast  might  rebuild  his  strength, 
but  the  hope  proved  futile  and  his  last  days  were 
passed  in  Ingle  wood. 

A  native  of  \'ermont,  Mr.  Blood  was  born 
January  20,  1835,  and  he  remained  at  home  until 
sixteen  years  of  age,  when,  having  secured  a 
common-school  education,  he  started  out  in  the 
world  to  earn  his  own  livelihood.  Going  to  Wis- 
consin, he  worked  in  the  lumber  woods  and  later 
found  similar  employment  in  ^Minnesota.  De- 
cember 24,  1861,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  under 
Capt.  William  Clayton  in  the  First  ^Minnesota 
Regiment  of  Light  Artillery.  At  the  expiration 
of  his  time  he  was  honorably  discharged  at 
Yicksburg  November  30.  1863,  and  the  follow- 
ing day  re-enlisted  in  the  same  company  and  regi- 
ment, remaining  with  the  same  command  until 
July  I,  1865,  when  he  was  honorably  discharged 
at  St.  Paul,  Minn.  During  the  battle  of  ShUoh 
he  was  wounded  by  a  gunshot  in  the  spine.  The 
bullet  was  removed  by  an  operation,  but  the  in- 
jury caused  him  much  suffering  in  later  years. 
After  the  siege  of  A'icksburg  he  remained  in  the 
south  and  later  accompanied  Sherman  on  the 
famous  march  to  the  sea. 

On  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Blood  settled  in 
Iowa  and  engaged  in  farming  near  Sumner,  Fay- 
ette county.  After  a  number  of  years  he  sold 
his  farm  there  and  moved  into  the  town  of  Sum- 
ner, where  he  engaged  in  buying  and  selling 
stock.  In  1897  he  came  to  California  and  bought 
an  acre  of  ground  at  Ingelwood.  where  he  erect- 
ed a  residence.  However,  it  was  not  his  privi- 
lege to  long  enjoy  the  climate  of  the  coast,  for 
death  came  to  him  November  i,  1898,  and 
brought  him  release  from  his  sufferings.  While 
living  in  Iowa  he  had  met  and  married  Mrs. 
Mary  (Treloar)  Kilby,  who  was  born  in  Eng- 
land March  19.  1845,  and  at  the  age  of  three 
years  was  brought  to  the  United  States  by  her 
parents,  growing  to  womanhood  in  Wisconsin 
and  Iowa.  Her  father  was  successful  in  his 
lalx)rs  and  accumulated  a  competency,  a  portion 
of  which  .she  inherited  at  his  death.  Her  first 
marriasre  was  solemnized  in  AA'isconsin  and  unit- 


1902 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


cd  her  with  Alfred  S.  Kilby,  a  native  of  that 
state.  At  his  death  he  left  his  widow  with  one 
child,  William  C,  now  a  merchant  of  Perth, 
Okla.  The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blood  was 
blessed  with  a  daughter,  Edith  M.,  who  is  now 
the  wife  of  J.  W.  Benn  and  resides  in  Ingle- 
wood.  In  politics  Mr.  Blood  supported  the  Re- 
publican part)-  and  was  a  firm  believer  in  its 
principles,  while  in  religion  he  was  of  the  Pres- 
byterian faith  and  Mrs"  Blood  also  holds  mem- 
bership with  that  denomination.  A  lady  of  at- 
tractive manner  and  kindly  disposition,  she  has 
won  many  friends  since  coming  to  the  coast  and 
has  a  high  position  in  Inglewood  social  circles. 


ALEXANDER  SCHELLING.  The  wealth 
and  prosperity  of  Southern  California  are  whol- 
ly due  to  the  men  whose  judgment  singled  it 
out  as  an  eligible  point  for  business,  being  in 
the  midst  of  a  country  possessing  vast  resources 
ready  for  development  by  master  hands  and 
minds.  Prominent  among  these  men  is  Alex- 
ander Schelling,  who  has  for  many  years  been 
actively  identified  with  the  horticuftural  and 
business  interests  of  Los  Angeles  county,  and  is 
now  one  of  the  leading  horticulturists 'of  Bur- 
bank,  where  he  has  a  most  pleasant  and  attrac- 
tive home.  He  was  born.  October  lo,  1841,  in 
Switzerland,  where  he  grew  to  man's  estate,  liv- 
ing there  for  a  number  of  years  after  his  mar- 
riage. For  some  time  he  was  engaged  as  a 
teacher,  also  held  a  prominent  state  office  for 
several  years. 

In  1885  Mr.  Schelling  came  to  America  to 
see  the  country  of  which  he  had  heard  so  much, 
and  for  the  benefit  of  his  health.  Being  espe- 
cially impressed  with  the  wonderful  climate  and 
the  rich  resources  of  California,  he  returned  af- 
ter a  few  months  to  his  native  country  for  his 
faniil\-.  bringing  them  to  Los  Angeles  Septem- 
ber 17,  1886.  Very  soon  after  his  arrival  he 
bought  forty  acres  of  land  in  the  San  Gabriel 
valley,  ten  acres  of  which  was  a  vineyard,  which 
he  operated  for  a  short  time.  Selling  out,  he 
purchased  a  half  (and  later  on  the  whole)  in- 
terest in  the  California  Vinegar  and  Pickle 
Works,  with  which  he  was  connected  until  1895. 
when  he  sold  out.  Embarking  then  in  business 
as  a  real-estate  agent  and  notary  public,  he  rent- 
ed an  office  at  No.  139  North  Spring  street,  where 
he  was  located  a  few  months.  In  1887  he  had 
purchased  the  corner  of  Fifty-first  and  South 
Main  streets,  making  his  home  there  until  Jan- 
uary, 1902,  during  which  time  he  engaged  in  hor- 
ticultural pursuits  on  a  small  scale.  In  the 
month  and  year  just  mentioned  he  sold  the  prop- 
erty, although  he  continued  his  residence  there 
for  two  years  longer.  In  February,  1904.  he 
removed   to   Burbank.   where   in    1894    he    had 


purchased  twelve  acres.  This  he  improved  by 
erecting  his  beautiful  residence  and  also  set  out 
vines  and  trees  and  has  since  made  this  village 
his  home.  In  addition  to  caring  for  his  vine- 
yard and  walnuts,  he  also  has  a  valuable  apiary, 
and  as  a  bee  raiser  is  meeting  with  excellent 
success. 

In  Switzerland,  ■May,  1875,  :Mr.  Schelling  mar- 
ried Ursula  Muller,  and  of  their  union  five  chil- 
dren have  been  born,  of  whom  we  mention  the 
following:  Oscar,  educated  in  Switzerland  and 
at  the  Los  Angeles  high  school,  is  now  fore- 
man in  the  electric  department  of  the  Los  An- 
geles City  Electric  Railway  Company;  Armin, 
also  educated  in  his  native  country  and  at  the 
Los  Angeles  high  school,  is  bookkeeper  in  the 
Farmers"  and  Merchants'  Bank,  at  Los  Angeles ; 
Eugene,  educated  in  Los  Angeles,  is  now  a 
street  grading  contractor  in  Los  Angeles ;  and 
Minnie  and  Lucy  are  living  at  home.  In  poli- 
tics Mr.  Schelling  is  Independent,  voting  for 
the  best  men  and  measures.  By  a  former  mar- 
riage in  Switzerland  Mr.  Schelling  was  united 
with  Katherine  Muller.  who  died  in  1874,  and 
by  the  union  one  son,  Gottfried,  was  lx)rn.  He 
received  his  preliminary  education  in  his  native 
country,  and  obtained  his  degree  of  M.  D.  in 
Los  Angeles,  where  he  was  successfully  em- 
ployed as  a  physician  until  his  death,  in  April, 
1894.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schelling  are  con- 
sistent members  of  the  German  Evangelical 
Church  of  Los  Angeles. 


JOHN  E.  LOGAN.  In  1887  John  E.  Logan 
came  to  California,  and  in  the  same  year  located 
in  San  Pedro,  Los  Angeles  county,  remaining  in 
this  locality  for  one  year,  after  which  he  removed 
to  Los  Angeles  and  made  that  city  his  home 
until  1901,  when  he  returned  to  San  Pedro.  Mr. 
Logan  is  a  native  of  Newport.  Vt.,  his  birth  oc- 
curring on  his  father's  farm,  December  25,  1865. 
His  father,  Martin  C.  Logan,  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  the  Green  Mountain  state  until  his  death, 
Avhich  occurred  when  his  son  was  about  nine 
years  old.  His  wife,  Mary  A.  (Golden")  Logan, 
survives  him  and  now  makes  her  home  in  San 
Pedro.  Of  the  seven  daughters  and  one  son 
born  to  her,  all  but  one  daughter  are  now  living. 

Until  attaining  the  age  of  nineteen  years  John 
E.  Logan  remained  on  the  paternal  farm,  receiv- 
ing his  education  in  the  public  and  high  school 
of  Newport.  He  then  engaged  as  brakeman  on 
the  Boston  &  Maine  Railroad,  being  located  at 
Lowell,  Mass.,  from  which  position  he  was  pro- 
moted to  that  of  conductor  after  one  year.  He 
performed  the  duties  of  this  position  for  two 
years,  when  he  came  to  California,  in  San  Pedro 
engaging  with  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad 
Company  for  one  year.    Locating  in  Los  Angeles 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1903 


lie  becariie  a  switchman  and  later  engine  fore- 
man. Step  by  step  he  advanced  to  higher  posi- 
tions, becoming  assistant  yard-master  and  fol- 
lowing this  as  night  yard-master.  His  fidelity 
to  duty  and  his  loyalty  to  the  interests  of  the 
company  he  was  serving  continued  to  bring  him 
reward  and  in  1901  he  was  transferred  to  San 
Pedro,  where  he  became  master  of  the  yard 
which  was  just  at  that  time  established,  as  up 
to  that  time  all  work  had  been  done  by  the  road 
crew.  The  business  has  continued  to  grow,  the 
number  of  switch  engines  being  increased  from 
one  to  four  in  the  four  years  in  which  the  }ard 
has  been  established. 

In  addition  to  his  railroad  interests  Mr.  Logan 
has  also  become  identified  with  real  estate  oper- 
ations in  this  city,  now  owning  a  home  on  Ninth 
street,  near  Palos  A'erdes,  presided  over  by  his 
wife,  formerly  Lena  Schlenker,  a  native  of  Des 
Moines,  Iowa,  whom  he  married  in  Los  An- 
geles. They  are  the  parents  of  two  children, 
Helen  M.  and  Jack.  Fraternally  I\Ir.  Logan  is 
a  charter  member  of  the  Elks  Lodge  of  this 
place;  was  made  a  Mason  in  San  Pedro  Lodge 
No.  332,  F.  &  A,  M.,  and  belongs  to  Los  An- 
geles Division  No.  in,  O.  R.  C,  and  Los  An- 
geles Lodge  No.  2,  K.  O.  T.  M.  Politically  he  is 
a  stanch  adherent  of  the  principles  advocated  in 
the  platform  of  the  Republican  party. 


VICTOR  :^rOLLE.  Since  coming  to  Califor- 
nia Victor  J\Iolle  has  acc|uired  a  success  which 
has  made  him  look  upon  this  as  the  land  of 
opportunities,  and  his  adopted  city,  San  Pedro, 
the  place  for  a  man  to  develop  his  native  talent 
in  many  lines  of  business.  He  is  a  native  of 
France,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Haute- 
Garonne,  near  Toulouse,  September  30,  1867. 
His  father,  Louis  Molle,  was  also  born  in  that 
locality,  the  son  of  Frank,  the  representative  of 
an  old  and  honored  family.  Both  were  black- 
smiths by  trade,  which  occupation  they  followed 
throughout  their  entire  lives  in  that  section. 
Louis  iNIolIe  married  Pugo  Pujo,  also  a  native 
of  that  locality,  who  survives  her  husband,  being 
the  mother  of  six  children,  of  whom  Victor 
Alolle  is  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth. 

Reared  in  France  ]\Ir.  Molle  learned  the  black- 
smith's trade  under  the  instruction  of  his  father, 
after  which  he  traveled  as  a  journeyman 
throughout  various  portions  of  his  native  coun- 
try. Deciding  to  emigrate  he  came  to  America 
in  1889,  locating  at  once  in  Los  Angeles,  Cal., 
where  he  engaged  at  his  trade  for  the  ensuing 
three  years.  In  Tehachapi,  Kern  county,  he  was 
next  engaged  as  a  blacksmith  until  1897,  in 
which  year  he  came  to  San  Pedro,  where  he  has 
since  made  his  home.  He  began  at  the  bottom 
in  his  work,  renting  a  shop,  and  taking  up  the 


business  in  an  energetic  manner.  \\'ith  the  pass- 
ing of  time  he  has  built  up  a  profitable  trade, 
and  has  also  become  interested  in  the  real  estate 
of  the  city,  building  a  residence  for  himself  on 
Sixteenth  street,  between  Mesa  and  Pacific. 

In  Tehachapi  Mr,  Molle  married  Mary  Mari- 
tinto,  a  native  of  France,  and  they  have  one 
child.  Euphrosia.  Fraternally  Mr.  Molle  is  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  David,  and  in  his 
political  affiliations  adheres  to  the  principles  of 
the  Republican  party. 


GAWN  JACKSON  LINDSAY,  As  a  ma- 
chinist Gawn  Jackson  Lindsay  has  developed  his 
native  talent  and  is  considered  a  man  of  excep- 
tional ability  in  his  line,  his  position  now  being 
superintendent  of  the  E.  K.  Wood  Planing  mill 
at  San  Pedro.  He  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  his 
birth  having  occurred  in  Belfast,  April  25,  1862, 
the  seventh  in  a  family  of  nine  children,  of  whom 
eight  attained  maturity  and  are  now  residents  of 
the  Pacific  coast  country.  His  father,  George 
^Mathews  Lindsay,  was  born  in  County  Down, 
of  Scotch  descent,  and  engaged  as  a  farmer  until 
his  death.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church,  in  which  faith  he  had  been  reared. 
He  was  survived  by  his  wife,  Alice,  also  a  native 
of  County  Down,  but  of  English  descent,  whose 
death  occurred  in  San  Francisco  in  December, 
1903. 

Reared  on  the  farm  in  County  Down  until  he 
was  thirteen  years  old,  Gawn  Jackson  Lindsay 
received  his  preliminary  education  in  the  public 
school  in  the  vicinitv  of  his  home.  He  was  then 
sent  to  London,  England,  where  he  was  appren- 
ticed to  learn  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  builder. 
He  remained  in  that  city  until  1880,  when  he 
came  to  California  in  Pasadena,  Los  Angeles 
county,  engaging  at  his  trade  with  two  brothers, 
George  and  Charles,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Lindsay  Brothers.  Tliey  then  built  a  shop  and 
three  years  later  a  planing  mill,  in  which  business 
they  engaged  for  two  and  a  half  )ears,  when  it 
was  destroyed  by  fire.  In  1889,  with  his  brother 
George  he  went  to  Redondo  and  built  the  first 
planing  mill  in  that  place,  there  carrying  on 
business  for  five  years.  The  death  of  his  brother 
at  this  time  left  him  alone  in  the  work,  when  he 
Iniilt  a  feed  mill  and  an  electric  light  plant,  fur- 
nishing light  and  power  for  Redondo  for  five 
years.  He  then  sold  out  to  the  A.  B.  Steel  & 
United  Gas  &  Electric  Light  Company,  after 
whicli  he  engaged  in  the  foundry  and  machine 
business  in  Pomona,  same  county,  in  partner- 
ship with  a  Mr.  Addison,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Lindsay  &  Addison.  They  built  up  a  fine 
business,  which  Mr.  Lindsay  managed  success- 
fully for  two  years.  In  April,  1904,  he  sold  out 
and  in  Los  Angeles  accepted  a  position  with  the 


1904 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


E.  K.  Wood  Lumber  Company,  serving  first  as 
superintendent  of  the  mill  in  Los  Angeles,  and 
in  January  of  the  following  year  assuming  the 
same  position  at  San  Pedro,  where  they  then 
began  the  construction  of  the  mill,  which  was 
opened  in  April  of  the  same  year. 

;\rr.  Lindsay's  home,  which  is  in  Los  Angeles, 
is  presided  over  by  his  wife,  formerly  Nellie 
Leonard,  a  native  of  England,  whom  he  married 
in  Pasadena.  They  are  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren :  Genevieve,  Cecelia,  George  Mathews  and 
Charles.  Fraternally  Mr.  Lindsay  was  made  a 
JXIason  in  Redondo  Lodge  No.  328,  on  the  29th 
of  November,  1900,  and  in  religion  is  a  member 
of  the  Presbvterian  Church. 


ALEXANDER  OLSEN.  An  old  citizen  of 
San  Pedro,  Los  Angeles  county,  and  a  man  of 
liberality  and  enterprise,  Alexander  Olsen  has 
assisted  in  the  growth  and  upbuilding  of  this 
western  country.  Like  many  of  the  citizens 
whose  best  years  have  been  spent  in  this  section 
he  is  not  a  native  of  this  country,  but  has  brought 
with  him  to  his  western  home  the  qualities  which 
distinguish  the  best  nations  of  the  European 
countries.  He  was  born  in  Carlstadlsn,  Sweden, 
near  Arvika,  on  the  B\elven,  June  i,  1850,  the 
youngest  of  a  family  of  five  children  and  the  only 
one  in  America  of  the  four  who  are  now  living. 
His  father,  Ole  Olsen,  was  born  on  the  farm 
where  he  spent  the  ninety-one  years  of  his  life, 
while  his  mother,  Annie  (Person)  Olsen,  also 
a  native  of  Sweden,  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine 
years. 

Alexander  Olsen  was  reared  on  the  paternal 
farm  and  received  an  education  in  the  common 
school  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home.  He  learned 
the  bricklayer's  trade  under  the  instruction  of 
an  older  brother,  a  contractor,  with  whom  he 
worked  until  the  spring  of  1871,  when  he  came 
to  America.  Landing  in  New  York  City,  he 
continued  west  to  Nevada,  where  he  began  work 
in  the  mines,  and  finally  drifted  north  into  the 
mines  of  Idaho,  being  located  in  Silver  City. 
After  one  year  he  returned  to  Nevada  and  en- 
gaged in  clerking  and  farming,  improving  three 
different  farms  in  Star  vallev.  He  built  irri- 
gation ditches  under  great  difficulties,  but  this 
proved  a  source  of  revenue  to  him.  A  sheep- 
man, who  owned  two  sections  of  land  in  that 
locality,  offered  him  half  of  the  property  if  he 
would  bring  water  to  it.  He  succeeded  in  the 
enterprise,  after  which  he  sold  his  property  and 
Iwught  land  farther  out.  He  built  the  ditch 
to  this  third  piece  of  land  and  continued  to  im- 
prove it  until  February,  1882,  when  he  sold  out 
once  more.  These  farms  are  still  operated  and 
are  under  the  ditch  irrigation  which  ^Ir.  Olsen 
built.      Following  his   last   sale  he   went   to   So- 


corro, N.  I\Iex.,  but  after  die  brief  stay  of  two 
months  came  on  to  California,  passing  through 
Sau  Diego  and  coming  on  to  Wilmington,  Los 
Angeles  county,  in  the  spring  of  1882.  On  the 
loth  of  September  he  located  in  San  Pedro,  just 
about  the  time  the  town  was  laid  out,  and  here 
entered  the  employ  of  John  Swan.  The  follow- 
ing year  he  was  able  to  purchase  Mr.  Swan's  in- 
terest in  the  business,  which  he  continued  suc- 
cessfully for  ten  years.  At  the  same  time  he 
purchased  business  and  residence  property  and 
assisted  materially  in  the  development  and  up- 
building of  the  city.  He  is  now  one  of  the  com- 
mercial factors  of  the  place,  being  engaged  with 
his  son  in  the  hardware  business. 

In  Nevada  Mr.  Olsen  married  Emma  McAr- 
thur,  a  native  of  Kansas,  and  a  daughter  of  Dan- 
iel McArthur,  who  crossed  the  plains  from  Mon- 
roe county,  Alich.,  and  died  at  Humboldt,  Nev. 
l\Ir.  and  ]\[rs.  Olsen  became  the  parents  of  the 
following  children :  C.  Henry,  proprietor  of  the 
Olsen  Hardware  Company,  of  San  Pedro,  lo- 
cated on  Beacon  street  and  pronounced  one  of 
the  finest  and  most  complete  establishments  of  its 
kind  in  the  city :  Annie,  wife  of  \\'.  W.  Speckler, 
of  San  Pedro;  Roxie ;  Arthur  and  William,  at 
home.  Mr.  Olsen  is  a  Lutheran  in  religion,  as 
were  his  parents,  and  fraternally  is  a  charter 
member  of  San  Pedro  Lodge  No.  126,  K.  P.,  in 
which  he  served  as  treasurer  for  four  years.  He 
has  taken  an  interest  in  the  aifairs  of  the  city, 
having  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  trus- 
tees for  one  term. 


JOSEPH  F.  BODWELL.  Having  by  means 
of  industry,  wise  management  and  judicious  in- 
vestment acquired  a  goodly  share  of  this  world's 
goods,  Joseph  F.  Bodwell  is  now  living  retired 
from  active  labor,  owning  and  occupying  a  well- 
improved  ranch  in  Burbank,  where  he  has  an 
attractive  home,  it  being  situated  on  the  Fer- 
nando road,  about  two  miles  south  of  the  village. 
A  native  of  Ohio,  he  was  born,  July  19,  1841, 
in  Huron  county,  where,  with  the  exception  of 
ten  years,  from  1847  ""til  1857,  when  he  lived 
with  his  parents  in  Wisconsin,  he  was  brought 
up  and  educated. 

As  a  boy  and  youth,  Joseph  F.  Bodwell  assist- 
ed his  father  in  the  various  labors  incidental  to- 
farm  life,  after  which  he  learned  the  carpen- 
ter's trade.  Going  to  Douglas  county,  Kans.,  in 
1867.  he  lived  there  a  number  of  years,  follow- 
ing his  chosen  occupation  the  greater  part  of  the 
time,  although  for  six  years  he  carried  the 
United  States  mail.  Coming  to  the  Pacific  coast 
in  the  spring  of  1883.  he  spent  a  few  months  in 
Portland,  Ore.,  after  which  he  located  in  San 
Francisco,  where  he  worked  as  a  carpenter  for 
two  years.     Proceeding  then  to  Alaska,  which  at 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1905 


that  time  was  a  comparatively  new  and  little 
known  country,  he  worked  as  a  millwright  for 
the  Treadwell  Gold  Mining  Company,  serving 
as  foreman  tmtil  1901,  and  while  thus  employed 
made  several  trips  to  his  California  home.  On 
one  of  these  visits,  in  1895,  he  purchased  the 
ranch  on  which  he  now  lives,  located  his  family 
thereon,  and  in  1901  came  here  himself  to  re- 
side permanently.  His  ranch  contains  fifteen 
acres,  a  large  part  of  which  is  improved,  having 
a  vineyard  of  two  acres,  some  small  fruits,  and 
the  remainder  devoted  to  the  raising  of  alfalfa 
(a  staple  crop  in  this  section),  and  grain.  In 
the  care  of  this  property  he  now  takes  much 
pride  and  pleasure,  and  is  continually  adding 
to  the  excellent  improvements  alreadv  inaugu- 
rated. 

While  living  in  Ohio,  Mr.  Bodwell  married 
Emma  Barnum,  and  of  the  children  born  to  their 
union  five  are  living,  namely :  Grace,  wife  of 
Robert  Brunson,  of  Nevada :  Oiarles  L.,  at 
home :  Maude,  wife  of  Charles  Hill,  of  Chand- 
ler, Okla. ;  Catherine,  wife  of  John  Powers,  of 
Franklin  county,  Kans. ;  and  John  L.,  of  Bur- 
bank.  Politically  Mr.  Bodwell  is  an  active  sup- 
porter of  the  principles  of  the  Prohibition  party, 
and  religiously  he  and  his  family  are  members 
of  the  Holiness  Qiurch  of  Burbank,  in  which 
he  is  a  deacon. 


E.  R.  ERICKSON.  In  1889  E.  R.  Erickson 
came  to  California  and  in  the  same  year  located 
in  San  Pedro,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home. 
He  is  a  native  of  Sweden,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred near  Eahhin,  April  i,  1866,  one  of  a 
family  of  three  children,  of  whom  another,  An- 
drew, is  also  located  in  San  Pedro.  The  father, 
Erick,  a  farmer  in  Sweden,  died  when  his  son 
E.  R.  was  sixteen  years  old,  being  survived  by 
his  wife,  who  still  makes  her  home  in  her  native 
land.  In  the  common  schools  of  that  country 
E.  R.  Erickson  received  an  education,  after 
which  he  worked  on  farms  until  his  emigration 
to  the  United  States.  In  Minneapolis,  Minn., 
he  learned  the  trade  of  butcher,  serving  an  ap- 
prenticeship of  two  years.  Following  this  he 
came  to  California  and  took  up  his  residence  in 
San  Pedro.  He  first  entered  the  employ  of 
George  Hinds  and  James  Dodson,  and  finally 
worked  for  J.  L.  Grififui.  In  March,  1902,  in 
parnership  with  Mr.  .^bbott,  he  bought  out  the 
market  managed  by  Mr.  Griffin  and  the  two  re- 
mained together  until  April,  1905,  when  Mr. 
Erickson  became  sole  owner.  The  San  Pedro 
market,  of  which  he  is  proprietor,  is  one  of  the 
most  extensive  and  thoroughly  equipped  in  the 
city  or  surrounding  country,  having  a  large  re- 
frigerator capacity  and  other  modern  equipment. 


Mr.  Erickson  is  carrying  on  a  large  business  and 
is  one  of  the  commercial  factors  of  the  place. 

In  San  Pedro  Mr.  Erickson  married  Qiristine 
Erickson,  also  a  native  of  Fahlun,  Sweden,  who 
was  brought  to  America  when  six  years  of  age. 
They  have  had  two  children,  only  one  of  whom, 
Esther,  is  living.  Fraternally  Mr.  Erickson  is 
a  member  of  tjie  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  polit- 
ically is  an  adherent  of  the  principles  advocated 
in  the  platform  of  the  Democratic  party. 


JOHN  N'ALLANDINGHAM  FORD.  In 
the  days  when  Kentucky  was  attracting  fron- 
tiersmen from  the  older  commonwealth  of  Vir- 
ginia the  Ford  family  became  established  in 
the  blue  grass  section,  and  from  there  Samuel 
Ford,  a  Kentuckian  by  birth  and  training,  re- 
moved to  the  newer  regions  of  jMissouri.  The 
tract  of  raw  land,  which  he  placed  under  culti- 
vation, afterward  was  made  the  family  home- 
stead. With  hnn  from  Kentucky  came  his 
family,  including  a  son,  Josiah  P.,  who  became 
a  fanner  in  Missouri,  and  in  1850  crossed  the 
plains  to  California  with  ox  teams.  An  experi- 
ence of  two  years  in  the  mines  did  not  prove 
profitable  enough  to  induce  him  to  remain,  and 
lie  returned  to  his  Missouri  homestead.  Next 
removing  to  Kansas  he  took  up  two  hundred 
acres  in  Linn  county,  but  later  sold  out  and 
returned  to  Platte  comity,  IMissouri,  where  he 
died  in  1887,  at  sixty  years  of  age.  Of  south- 
ern blood  and  sentiment,  he  did  not,  however, 
believe  in  the  institution  of  slavers',  yet  he  loved 
the  old  south  too  much  to-  take  up  arms  against 
her  during  the  war,  hence  he  was  placed  in  a 
position  peculiarly  trying.  The  respect  in  which 
he  was  held  by  all,  whether  of  northern  faith  or 
southern  views,  alone  removed  him  from  suffer- 
ing hardships  and  dangers.  His  wife,  Minerva, 
was  a  daughter  of  John  Estes,  a  pioneer  of 
Platte  county.  Missouri,  and  she  was  born  in 
that  locality,  but  now  resides  at  Redondo.  In 
her  familv  there  are  four  daughters  and  two 
sons  still  living.  One  of  her  sons.  Dee,  enlisted 
in  a  California  regiment  at  the  opening  of  the 
Spanish-American  war  and  died  at  the  Presidio 
during  the  period  of  his  service. 

On  the  homestead,  near  Parkville,  Platte 
county,  ^lo.,  John  V.  Ford  was  born  jMarch  21, 
1863,  and  in  neighboring  schools  he  received  a 
fair  education.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two  years 
he  came  to  California  and  secured  employment 
on  a  ranch  owned  by  the  Los  .\ngeles  Farming 
and  Milling  Company,  where  he  remained  for 
ten  years.  On  taking  un  farming  for  himself 
he  spent  a  vear  near  Compton,  and  in  1896 
farmed  near  Redondo,  after  which  he  was  sim- 
ilarly occupied  at  San  Fernando,  and  in  1897 
returned  to  the  vicinit\-  of  Redondo.  where  now 


1906 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


he  cultivates  a  hay  and  grain  farm,  near 
Wiseburn.  This  ranch  originally  comprised 
four  hundred  and  tifty  acres,  but  he  has  sold  a 
portion  of  it  and  contracted  for  the  purchase  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  near  the  town 
of  Tulare,  in  the  great  San  Joaquin  valley,  being 
attracted  there  by  the  cheapness  of  the  land  and 
the  fertility  of  the  soil.  On  the  latter  ranch  it 
is  his  intention  to  engage  in  more  diversified 
farming,  such  as  raismg  grain,  fruit,  alfalfa  and 
also  stock-raising.  At  this  writinghe-ownstwenty- 
five  acres  in  the  McDonald  tract  of  the  San 
Pedro  ranch,  and  also  owns  a  residence  ( erected 
by  himself),  at  Ford's  Crossing,  on  the  Los 
Angeles  &  Redondo  Railroad.  After  coming 
to  Los  Angeles  county  he  married  JMiss  Nettie 
May  Howard,  who  was  born,  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  California,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Re- 
dondo Congregational  Church,  and  a  devoted 
mother  to  their  two  daughters,  Lucille  and 
Mercv  ]\lav. 


FRANK  KARR.  Prominent  among  the  active 
and  capable  lawyers  of  Los  Angeles  county  is 
Frank  Karr,  a  young  man  of  culture  and  ex- 
cellent mental  attainments,  who  has  already 
made  for  himself  an  honorable  record  in  the 
legal  profession,  and  is  widely  and  favorably 
known.  The  family  is  of  Scotch  origin,  the 
name,  which  was  formerly  spelled  Kerr,  having 
been  anglicized  to  its  present  form.  A  native  of 
Illinois.  Mr.  Karr  was  born  February  i8,  1875, 
in  Heyworth,  INIcLean  county,  a  son  of  H.  A. 
Karr,  and  grandson  of  \\'alter  Karr,  a  pioneer 
settler  of  that  place.  He  is  distinguished  not 
only  for  his  own  substantial  qualities,  but  for  the 
honored  ancestry  from  which  he  is  descended, 
the  blood  of  patriots  running  in  his  veins. 

Capt.  John  Karr,  the  great-grandfather  of  i\Ir. 
Karr,  served  as  captain  of  a  company  in  the  Rev- 
olutionary war,  taking  an  active  part  in  the  fa- 
mous battle  at  Cowpens.  He  subsequently  re- 
moved from  Sussex  county,  N.  J.,  to  Ohio,  set- 
tling in  that  state  as  a  pioneer,  but  later  in  life 
he  went  to  Illinois,  where  he  died  and  was  buried. 
The  emigrant  ancestor  was  a  kinsman  of  ]\Iary 
Queen  of  Scots,  and,  being  obliged  to  flee  his 
native  land,  came  to  America,  locating  in  Sussex 
county,  N.  J. 

Walter  Karr  was  born  and  bred  in  Sussex 
county,  N.  J.,  and  went  with  his  parents  to  Ham- 
ilton county,  Ohio,  where  he  was  for  a  number 
of  years  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  Re- 
moving to  Illinois,  he  settled  as  a  pioneer  in 
AIcLean  county,  and  there  followed  his  inde- 
pendent calling  until  his  death,  in  1879. 

A  native  of  Hamilton  county,  Ohio,  H.  A. 
Karr  was  but  four  years  old  when  he  was  taken 
by  his   parents   to   Heyworth.    111.,   to   the   very 


farm  on  which  he  has  since  resided,  and  in  the 
improvement  of  which  he  assisted.  He  learned 
the  trade  of  carpenter  when  a  young  man,  and 
for  a  number  of  years  carried  on  an  extensive 
business  as  a  contractor  and  builder.  He  is  a 
man  of  influence  in  the  community,  and  an  active 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  He  married 
Martha  Elizabeth  Storey,  who  was  born  in  Ten- 
nessee, a  descendant  of  two  of  South  Carolina's 
n:ost  prominent  families,  the  Storeys  and  the 
Aliens,  her  father,  wh.o  died  from  injuries  re- 
ceived in  one  of  the  engagements  of  the  Civil 
war,  having  married  a  jNIiss  Allen.  Of  the  union 
of  IMr.  and  Mrs.  H.  A.  Karr,  four  children  were 
born,  namely :  Grant,  principal  of  the  Normal 
school  in  New  York  City ;  Lyon,  a  banker  at 
Eureka,  111. :  Mary,  an  actress,  known  on  the 
stage  by  her  maiden  name,  Mary  Karr,  and  the 
wife  of  Robert  McDowell,  of  New  York  City; 
and  Frank,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Completing  his  early  education  at  the  State 
Normal  school  at  Normal,  III,  Frank  Karr  was 
subsequently  employed  m  teaching  for  five  years, 
being  for  four  years  employed  in  McLean 
countv,  and  for  one  vear  as  principal  of  the 
Garfield  school  at  Pekin,  111.  In  the  fall  of  1898 
he  entered  the  law  department  of  the  Leland 
Stanford,  Jr.,  University,  and  having  taken  the 
prescribed  course  of  study  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  June.  1901.  Locating  in  San  Pedro  in 
November,  1901,  he  immediately  entered  upon 
the  duties  of  his  profession,  and  so  rapid  and 
honorable  was  his  advance  that  he  soon  won 
recognition  as  a  young  man  of  ability  and  prom- 
ise. For  four  years  he  was  city  attorney,  to 
which  position  he  was  appointed  in  May,  1902. 
He  enjoys  a  large  and  lucrative  practice.  ■ 

In  Los  .A.ngeles,  in  1903,  IMr.  Karr  married 
Dora  ^'an  Ordstrand,  a  native  of  McLean 
county,  111.,  and  they  have  one  child,  Frank  Ran- 
dolph. Politically  Mr.  Karr  is  a  Democrat.  Fra- 
ternally he  was  made  a  Mason  in  Illinois,  joining 
Heyworth  Lodge  No.  231,  from  which  he  de- 
mitted,  and  is  now  a  member  of  San  Pedro 
Lodge  No.  332,  F.  &  A.  M. :  of  San  Pedro 
Chapter  No.  89,  R.  A.  M. :  of  San  Pedro  Chap- 
ter, O.  E.  S. ;  and  of  San  Pedro  Lodge  No.  966, 
B.  P.  O.  E.  Mrs.  Karr  is  a  woman  of  culture 
and  refinement,  and  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Pre,=bvterian  Church. 


EDWARD  H.  BAUTZER.  The  postmaster 
of  San  Pedro,  Los  Angeles  county,  Edward  H. 
Bautzer.  is  a  young  man  of  ability  and  energy 
who  bids  fair  to  take  rank  with  the  successful 
men  of  this  section.  He  is  a  native  of  Missouri, 
his  birth  having  occurred  in  Linn.  Osage  ceunty, 
January  31,  1876.  His  father,  Edward  F.  Baut- 
zer, a  native  of  ^^'iesbaden.  Gernianv,  came  to 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1907 


America  when  a  young  man  and  located  in  the 
state  of  Missouri.  In  Osage  county  lie  held  the 
position  of  county  recorder  for  twenty  \ears,  and 
since  that  time  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  news- 
paper business  in  St.  Louis,  editing  the  Squib. 
In  Missouri  he  married  Nannie  Benson,  a  native 
of  Linn,  that  state,  and  the  descendant  of  Scotch- 
Irish  ancestry  whose  iirst  emigrant  located  in 
the  eastern  states  during  the  colonial  period  of 
our  history.  They  became  the  parents  of  three 
children,  all  of  whom  are  living,  a  brother,  Paul, 
also  being  in  San  Pedro. 

Edward  H.  Bautzer  was  reared  in  Linn,  where 
he  attended  the  public  and  high  schools  in  pur- 
suit of  a  preliminar}-  education,  after  which  he 
entered  the  University  oi  Missouri  at  Columbia, 
from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1893 
from  the  normal  course.  P'ollowing  this  he  en- 
gaged in  teaching  for  one  year  and  was  then  em- 
ployed by  the  government  in  the  engineering 
department  of  the  Missouri  river  commission. 
For  four  years  he  engaged  as  payroll  clerk  for 
R.  A.  Crawford,  when  he  came  to  California  and 
located  at  once  in  San  Pedro  and  became  pro- 
prietor of  the  San  Pedro  News  Company,  while 
he  at  the  same  time  engaged  as  reporter  for  the 
Los  Angeles  Times.  In  March,  1902,  he  was 
appointed  postmaster  of  this  office  by  President 
Roosevelt,  the  receipts  at  that  time  being  about 
$4,000,  since  which  time  they  have  more  than 
doubled. 

Mr.  Bautzer  has  also  become  interested  in  the 
real  estate  of  San  Pedro  and  is  a  motive  power 
in  the  upbuilding  of  the  place,  being  a  member 
of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce.  As  a  Republican 
he  seeks  to  advance  the  principles  he  endorses. 
In  fraternal  relations  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pvthias,  and  is  a  charter  member  of 
San  Pedro  Lodge  No.  g6C\  B.  P.  O.  E.,  of  which 
he  is  esteemed  lecturing  knight. 


ROBERT  M.  LYNX,  one  of  the  old  resi- 
dents of  Long  Beach,  is  responsible  for  the  first 
daily  paper  of  the  city.  The  Eye,  which  was  es- 
tablished by  him  and  published  as  a  weekly,  a 
well-edited,  clean  sheet,  elegant  in  workmanship 
and  in  every  way  a  credit  to  its  manager.  Mr. 
Lynn  inherited  his  strong,  literary  traits  of  char- 
acter, his  forefathers  being  founders  of  many  en- 
terprises in  the  pioneer  days  of  Kentucky,  from 
which  state  the  paternal  grandfather  removed  to 
Indiana  and  became  a  factor  in  its  upbuilding. 
His  father,  E.  K.  Lynn,  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
engaged  in  the  Presbyterian  ministry  in  Indiana 
after  graduating  from  Hanover  College,  in  his 
native  state.  About  1857  '^^  removed  to  Allen 
county,  Kans.,  and  in  the  town  of  lola  built  the 
first  church,  and  later  assisted  materially  in  the 
establishment  of  colleges  and  schools  throughout 


the  entire  state.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  per- 
sonality, highest  integrity  and  honest  purposes, 
and  let  nothing  come  between  him  and  the  ful- 
fillment of  his  kiighest  aim  for  the  betterment  of 
mankind.  His  death  occurred  in  Kansas,  as  did 
that  also  of  his  wife,  formerly  Plarriett  B.  Briggs, 
a  native  of  Massachusetts  and  the  daughter  of 
George  Briggs,  a  native  of  the  same  state  but  for 
many  years  a  contractor  and  builder  in  Madison, 
Ind.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lynn  became  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  two  of  whom  are  now  surviving. 
Samuel,  a  participant  in  the  Civil  war  in  a  Kan- 
sas regiment,  now  residing  in  Butler,  Mo.,  and 
Robert  M.,  of  Long  Beach.  Cal. 

Born  in  New  Philadelphia,  Ind,.  October  -19, 
1849,  Robert  M.  Lynn  received  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Kansas,  com- 
pleting his  schooldays  in  lola.  In  the  office  of 
the  lola  Register  he  learned  the  trade  of  printer 
and  this  work  has  occupied  his  attention  for  the 
greater  part  of  his  manhood  years.  He  was 
employed  for  a  time  following  his  mastery  of 
the  trade  on  a  Lyndon  (Kans.)  paper  and  in 
the  same  state  later  worked  for  the  Ottawa  Daily. 
He  then  employed  his  accumulated  means  in 
studying  music,  for  which  he  had  strong  tastes 
and  talent,  entering  a  conservatory  at  Madison, 
Ind.,  and  completing  the  course  with  honors. 
He  then  followed  teaching  of  music  for  a  time, 
eventually  returning  to  his  trade,  however,  in 
assuming  charge  of  the  Greenfield  (Ind.)  Re- 
publican; later  he  went  to  Franklin,  Ind.,  and 
assisted  in  the  publication  of  the  Daily  Star, 
remaining  so  occupied  until  1894,  when  his  de- 
cision to  change  his  location  resulted  in  his  re- 
moval to  Long  Beach,  where  he  has  ever  since 
resided. 

Long  Beach  was  then  a  very  small  beginning 
of  what  is  now  the  city  of  that  name,  and  only 
to  a  far-seeing  judgment  did  the  future  offer 
returns  for  efforts  put  forth  here.  On  the  corner 
of  Second  and  Pine  streets  Mr.  Lynn  put  up  a 
small  building,  12x20  feet  in  dimensions,  and 
established  a  weekly  paper,  known  as  The  Eye, 
which  was  later  published  as  a  weekly  and  daily 
and  continued  successfully  for  eighteen  months. 
For  a  time  following  his  discontinuance  of  this 
publication  he  engaged  as  ticket  agent  for  the 
Salt  Lake  Railroad  Company,  then  was  engaged 
in  job  printing,  and  later  published  the  One- 
Horsc  Printer,  a  weekly  which  grew  to  a  circu- 
lation of  one  thousand  per  week.  In  the  mean- 
time he  had  gradually  assumed  a  place  of  im- 
portance among  the  representative  men  of  Long 
Beach,  and  in  1902  he  was  honored  with  the 
election  on  the  Republican  ticket  to  the  office  of 
constable  of  Long  Beach  township  for  a  term 
of  four  years.  He  also  served  as  deputy  city 
marshal  under  Marshal  Williams,  and  in  this 
public  ca]iacity  proved  his  fitness  for  official  duty. 


1908 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Ijringing  to  hear  in  llu-  discharge  of  his  work 
the  strong  integrity  and  honorable  purpose  which 
was  his  by  inheritance.  As  a  member  of  the 
board  of  education  durmg  the  erection  of  the 
magnificent  high  school  building  on  American 
avenue  he  proved  a  practical  promoter  of  the 
good  work. 

In  1906  Mr.  Lynn  began  a  real  estate  enter- 
prise which  has  been  successful  when  viewed  in 
the  light  of  financial  returns,  and  has  evidenced 
his  faith  in  the  -future  of  Long  Beach  by  the 
erection  of  a  comfortable  home  at  No.  243  Locust 
street.  In  Whiteland.  Ind.,  he  married  Miss 
Carrie  C.  Covert,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  G.  W.  Co- 
vert, an  early  settler  of  Long  Beach,  and  born 
of  this  union  is  one  daughter,  Theta  Mae.  who 
has  inherited  the  musical  talent  of  her  father 
and  has  cultivated  her  talents  to  a  high  degree, 
not  only  having  graduated  from  a  conservatory 
in  this  country,  but  has  also  studied  in  Paris. 
Mr.  Lynn  is  associated  fraternally  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  having  been  a  member  of 
this  organization  for  twenty-five  years,  and  is 
now  serving  as  prelate.  He  belongs  also  to  the 
Uniformed  Rank.  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Fraternal  Aid  Society,  and  in  re- 
ligion is  active  in  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
which  denomination  has  held  his  loyal  allegiance 
throughout  his  entire  life  since  manhood.  He 
has  served  efficiently  as  musical  director  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Long  Beach.  He  is  a 
stanch  adherent  of  the  principles  advocated  in 
the  platform  of  the  Republican  party,  but  al- 
though strong  in  his  allegiance  does  not  allow 
this  to  prevent  him  giving  his  strongest  support 
to  men  and  measures  best  calculated  in  his  opin- 
ion to  advance  the  general  welfare.  Above  all 
he  is  a  patriotic  and  loyal  citizen,  intent  upon  the 
general  good  of  the  community,  the  city  and  the 
state  which  he  has  made  his  by  adoption. 


MATTHEW  JONES  AUSTLN.  The  family 
represented  by  this  retired  old  settler  of  Pomona 
traces  its  lineage  back  to  England,  where  its 
members  were  well  known  prior  to  the  days  of 
the  Revolution.  With  convictions  and  inde- 
pendence of  thought  that  would  no  longer  brook 
adherence  to  the  Established  church,  the  great- 
grandfather left  the  home  of  his  forefathers  and 
established  the  family  in  America,  locating  in 
^^irginia.  All  of  his  seven  sturdy  sons  partici- 
pated in  the  Revolutionary  war,  among  the 
number  being  the  grandfather,  John  Austin,  who 
became  a  well-known  and  wealthy  planter  in 
Louisa  county,  Va.  He  in  turn  reared  a  stal- 
wart family  who  were  destined  to  shed  even 
more  lustre  upon  the  family  name.  One  of  the 
sons  of  this  Revolutionary  soldier.  David  Sbel- 
ton    Austin,   born   on   the    home    plantation     in 


Louisa  county  thirty  miles  east  of  Richmond,  en- 
tered the  second  war  with  England  with  no  less 
ardor,  and  throughout  his  service  in  that  con- 
flict he  was  stationed  at  Norfolk,  \'a.  With  the 
return  of  peace  he  resumed  agricultural  affairs 
in  Louisa  county,  but  subsequently  removed  to 
the  adjoining  state  of  Tennessee,  locating  near 
Gallatin,  Sumner  county.  There  his  death  oc- 
curred, resulting  from  a  runaway  accident.  In 
his  }oung  manhood  he  had  married  Mar\-  Low- 
rey,  like  himself  a  native  of  old  Mrginia.  and 
the  daughter  of  Overton  Lowrey.  The  latter 
was  also  a  native  of  the  same  state,  but  some 
time  after  the  birth  of  his  daughter  established 
his  home  near  Nashville.  Tenn.,  passing  his  en- 
tire life  thereafter  in  that  vicinity.  Ten  chil- 
dren were  born  to  David  S.  and  Alary  (Lowrey) 
Austin,  eight  of  whom  grew  to  maturity,  and  of 
these  seven  were  sons,  .\mong  the  gold-seekers 
who  crossed  the  plains  in  1849  none  set  out  with 
more  enthusiasm  than  did  five  of  the  afore- 
mentioned sons,  lohn  O.,  Brice,  A.  W.,  T.  T.  and 
M.  J. 

At  this  time  Alatthew  J.  Austin  was  a  youth 
of  nineteen  years,  his  birth  having  occurred  on 
the  old  family  homestead  in  Louisa  county,  \'a. 
When  he  was  two  years  old  the  family  home  was 
transferred  to  Tennessee,  and  near  Gallatin, 
Sumner  county,  he  was  reared  and  educated. 
The  death  of  his  father  when  he  was  a  lad  of 
twelve  years  brought  another  change  into  his 
life.  For  a  time  thereafter  he  attended  a  sub- 
scription school,  and  later  apprenticed  himself 
to  learn  the  blacksmith's  trade  in  Russellville, 
Ky.  When  he  was  seventeen  years  old  he  was 
a  full-fledged  blacksmith  and  with  this  asset  he 
established  himself  in  business  in  Independence, 
Mo.,  following  it  there  for  two  years.  The 
rumors  of  the  finding  of  gold  in  California  put 
a  quietus  upon  all  other  ambitions  which  he 
might  have  had.  and  all  thought  and  surplus 
means  were  devoted  to  preparation  for  crossing 
the  plains  with  his  four  brothers.  With  wagons 
drawn  by  four  ox-teams  they  left  Independence, 
Mo.,  May  10,  1849,  following  the  Platte  and 
Sweetwater  routes  to  South  pass,  and  from 
there  by  the  Carson  route  to  Sacramento,  the 
journey  consuming  just  five  months.  At  Car- 
son sink  Matthew  and  two  of  his  brothers  aban- 
doned the  wagons  and  made  the  rest  of  the  way 
on  foot,  reaching  Sacramento  ahead  of  the  two 
other  brothers.  In  order  to  replenish  their  de- 
pleted finances  they  worked  at  cutting  hay  for 
a  number  of  days  on  the  Sacramento  river,  haul- 
it  to  Sacramento,  where  it  readily  brought  them 
$40  per  ton.  This  good  luck  enabled  them  to 
lay  in  a  supply  Of  provisions  and  necessities 
preparatory  to  going  to  American  bar.  where 
tluy  mined  with  excellent  results,  making  on 
an  average  of  one  ounce  per  day.     During  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1909 


latter  part  of  the  winter  of  1849-50  they  went 
to  Georgetown  by  way  of  Caiion  creek,  mining 
there  with  varying  degrees  of  success  until  Au- 
gust of  1850.  Later  they  went  to  San  Fran- 
cisco and  boarded  a  boat  for  Panama,  and  after 
crossing  the  isthmus  boarded  another  boat  which 
landed  then  in  New  Orleans.  By  way  of  the 
Mississippi  and  Red  rivers  they  made  their  way 
to  Bonham,  Fannin  county,  Tex.,  where  each 
purchased  land  and  engaged  in  farming.  There 
Matthew  J.  bought  eleven  hundred  acres  of 
land  upon  which  he  carried  on  farming  and 
stock-raising  for  three  years,  or  until  his  sec- 
ond removal  to  California  in  1853.  Following 
the  Platte  route  from  Missouri,  as  he  had  done 
on  the  journey  four  years  previously,  he  located 
this  time  near  Yreka,  Siskiyou  county,  where 
he  remained  for  ten  years  engaged  in  mining. 
During  this  time  the  Modoc  Indians  gave  evi- 
dence of  their  resentment  of  the  invasion  of  the 
white  man,  and  in  the  disturbances  which  fol- 
lowed J\Ir.  Austin  took  a  prominent  part,  serv- 
ing as  lieutenant  of  Company  A,  under  Gen. 
John  D.  Cosby. 

From  Siskiyou  county  Mr.  Austin  subsequent- 
ly went  to  Sonoma  county  and  opened  a  cop- 
per mine,  but  the  venture  proved  a  failure  and 
in  1865  he  went  to  Virginia  City,  Nev.,  where 
until  1870  he  carried  on  mining  and  also  worked 
as  an  engineer.  The  latter  year  found  him  lo- 
cated once  more  on  his  farm  in  Texas,  continu- 
ing farming  there  for  a  number  of  years,  be- 
sides which  he  erected  a  building  in  Bonham. 
While  there,  too,  he  invented  and  patented  a 
ditching  machine,  used  for  tile  and  fence  ditch- 
ing, and  for  the  purpose  of  manufacturing  this 
machine  he  removed  to  Danville,  111.  The  Aus- 
tin ditching  machine  was  well  received  wherever 
introduced  and  proved  a  boon  throughout  Illi- 
nois, greatly  facilitating  the  laying  of  drain  tile. 
In  1886  Mr.  Austin  discontinued  the  manufac- 
turing business  in  Illinois  and  the  same  year 
came  to  California,  and  for  one  year  worked  as 
a  blacksmith  in  the  Baker  foundry  and  machine 
shop  in  Los  Angeles.  His  identification  with 
Pomona  dates  from  the  following  year, 
when  he  bought  ten  acres  of  the  Phil- 
lips tract,  which  was  then  a  barley  field, 
and  set  it  out  to  deciduous  fruits.  Subse- 
quently he  substituted  alfalfa  and  walnuts  and 
now  h'^s  a  fine  ranch  devoted  entirely  to  these 
commodities.  He  also  erected  the  famil\'  resi- 
dence on   South  Ellen   street. 

Mr.  Austin's  home  is  presided  over  by  his 
wife,  who  was  formerly  Miss  Annie  Layton, 
a  native  of  Vermilion  county.  111.,  and  to  whom 
he  was  married  in  Danville  in  1881.  Two  chil- 
dren have  blessed  their  marriage,  William  Shel- 
ton,  who  is  an  electician  in  San  Pedro,  and 
Grace,  now  the  wife  of  W.  B.   Binklev,  of  Los 


Angeles,  Fraternally  Mr.  Austin  is  an  Odd 
Fellow,  and  politically  he  is  a  Democrat  of  the 
Jeffersonian  type.  With  his  wife  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Cliurch  of  Christ,  in  which  he  is 
serving  as  elder,  and  both  exemplify  in  their 
daily  hving  the  principles  of  the  religion  which 
they  profess. 


J.  ROSS  JMALKIM.  At  first  glance  the 
name  Malkim  does  not  suggest  the  good  old 
Scotch  cognomen  of  Malcolm,  but  such  was  the 
spelling  of  the  patronymic  down  to  the  time  of 
the  great-grandfather  of  our  subject.  For  some 
reason  not  known  to  the  writer  the  grandfather 
changed  the  spelling  to  its  present  form,  and 
succeeding  generations  have  adhered  to  the  re- 
formed usage.  For  many  years  the  name  was 
well  known  in  Oakland  county,  Mich.,  which  was 
the  birthplace  of  the  father,  Crawford  Malkim, 
and  also  of  the  mother,  Susan  Case,  For  many 
years  the  Case  family  was  identified  with  the 
east,  the  immigrating  ancestor  coming  from  Ger- 
many and  settling  in  New  York  state,  and 
Grandfather  Case  was  the  first  to  represent  the 
family  in  the  west.  He  came  to  Los  Angeles  in 
1887  and  from  then  until  his  death  was  engaged 
in  the  real  estate  business  in  that  city.  Crawford 
Malkim  also  engaged  in  the  same  business  in 
Los  Angeles  until  his  death. 

The  only  child  born  to  his  parents,  J.  Ross 
Malkim  is  a  native  of  Michigan,  born  near  Pon- 
tiac,  Oakland  county,  ]March  28,  1879.  He  was 
about  eight  years  old  at  the  time  his  parents  came 
to  California  and  settled  in  Los  Angeles,  and  as 
he  was  then  of  school  age  entered  at  once  upon 
his  studies  in  that  city.  He  remained  at  home 
until  reaching  his  eighteenth  year,  having  by 
this  time  determined  to  learn  the  trade  of  elec- 
trician and  stage  mechanism.  It  was  for  this 
purpose  that  he  went  to  San  Francisco  in  1898, 
and  as  soon  as  he  was  competent  he  was  made 
theatrical  property  man  and  electrician  at  Fish- 
er's theatre  in  that  city.  The  destruction  of  San 
Francisco  by  earthquake  and  fire  on  the  morning 
of  April  18,  1906,  razed  the  Fisher  theatre  among 
hundreds  of  other  buddings,  and  thus  Mr.  Mal- 
kim was  thrown  out  of  employment.  In  less 
than  a  month,  May  10,  he  was  located  in  Long 
Beach  as  proprietor  of  the  Tal!y-Ho  livery  stable 
at  No.  337  East  Fourth  street,  having  purchased 
the  business  from  L.  H.  Moore.  The  stable, 
which  has  a  frontage  of  sixty  feet  and  a  depth  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  furnishes  accommo- 
dation for  boarding  horses  as  well  as  the  animals 
kept  for  hire.  Feed  of  all  kinds  is  also  kept  for 
sale,  and  all  in  all  Mr.  Malkim  has  one  of  the 
largest  and  best-patronized  livery  stables  in  Long 
Beach. 

In   Salinas,   Monterey  county,  Cal.,   Mr.   Alal- 


1910 


HISTORICAl.  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


kini  was  married  to  Miss  Grace  Munro,  who  was 
born  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  the  daughter  of  Wal- 
lace Munro.  The  latter  was  a  native  of  Inver- 
ness, Scotland,  while  his  wife,  Catherine  Thomp- 
son, was  born  in.  Glasgow,  their  marriage  occur- 
ring in  the  latter  city.  Upon  immigrating  to  the 
United  States  Mr.  Munro  settled  in  Connecticut, 
whence  after  some  years  he  went  to  Chicago,  111., 
where  for  a  time  he  worked  as  an  electrician. 
During  the  >ear  1893  he  came  to  California  and 
settled  in  San  Francisco,  from  which  city  he  trav- 
eled as  salesman  for  a  time,  but  at  the  close  of 
the  season  of  1005-1906  was  advance  man  with 
the  Lewis  James  Company.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Munro 
became  the  parents  of  two  children,  the  only  one 
living  being  Mrs.  Malkim,  who  was  educated  in 
San  Francisco.  Mrs.  Malkim  is  a  member  of 
Trinity  Episcopal  Qmrch  of  San  Francisco,  in 
which  city  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Malkim  are  well 
known.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Theatrical  Me- 
chanical Association  and  is  trustee  of  the  organi- 
zation in  San  Francisco. 


REV.  HENRY  WHITE  JONES.  The  in- 
fluence which  emanates  from  a  life  of  self-sac- 
rilicing  devotion  to  the  cause  of  the  Christian  re- 
ligion is  be_\ond  human  calculation,  but  tlie  lec- 
ords  of  Heaven  will  show  multitudes  of  souls 
turned  thitherward  by  the  spoken  and  written 
words  of  one  filled  with  the  Spirit.  Though  he 
has  passed  from  earth  the  men;ory  of  the  noble 
life  of  Rev.  Henry  W.  Jones  will  ever  remain 
to  refresh  and  encourage  those  who  were 
brought  under  his  influence  during  the  long 
years  of  his  ministry  in  the  Congregational 
Church.  Though  by  reason  of  his  professional 
affiliations  his  time  and  thought  were  devoted 
laigely  to  the  upbuilding  of  his  denomination, 
yet  his  mind  was  never  tinged  by  narrowness  of 
views.  With  a  broad  outlook  upon  mankind 
and  the  destiny  of  the  human  race,  he  aimed 
within  the  chosen  sphere  of  religious  and  intel- 
lectual activity  to  make  the  world  better  for  his 
presence  therein.  To  him  religion  was  a  har- 
monious rounding  of  the  soul,  the  perfect  in- 
dwelling of  the  spirit  of  love  and  truth,  the  un- 
conscious imitation  of  Qirist  in  daily  acts  and 
solitary  thoughts.  To  such  as  he  the  ministry  of 
the  Gospel  was  a  priceless  privilege. 

Among  the  sturdy  band  of  Mayflower  immi- 
grants who  came  to  our  shores  in  1620  was  one 
Elder  White  Jones,  from  whom  Rev.  Henry 
White  Jones  was  descended  in  the  eighth  gen- 
eration. He  was  born  in  Southampton.  :\Iass., 
October  17,  1830.  the  son  of  Bela  B.  and  Sabina 
Jones,  they  also  being  natives  of  the  Bav  state. 
The  father,  who  was  by  profession  a  practicing 
physician,  removed  from  the  east  and  estab- 
lished himself  for  practice  in  Hudson,  Lenawee 


county,  j\Iich.,  where  his  death  occurred.     The 
mother  was  born  in  Whately,  i\Iass. 

As  have  so  many  of  the  brightest  lights  in 
both  the  business  and  professional  realms  of  ac- 
tivity, Rev.  H.  W.  Jones  had  to  work  out  his 
own  financial  problem.  He  was  given  a  fair 
start  in  the  primary  and  public  schools  in  both 
Southampton,  Mass.,  and  Hudson,  Mich.,  but 
all  of  his  later  training  was  gained  as  the  result 
of  his  own  labors  in  the  line  of  telegraphy.  He 
is  credited  with  the  establishment  of  the  first 
telegraph  connection  between  Hudson,  Mich., 
and  Chicago  and  southern  Illinois.  When  he 
had  accumulated  sufficient  means  to  warrant  him 
in  again  taking  up  his  studies  he  entered  Mon- 
son  (Mass.)  Academy  as  a  student  and  gradu- 
ated from  that  institution  in  1853.  Subsequent- 
ly taking  a  course  in  Amherst  College,  he  gradu- 
ated therefrom  in  1857,  and  received  his  diploma 
from  East  \\'indsor  Seminary  (now  Hartford 
Seminary)  in  i860.  In  the  meantime,  however, 
in  1858,  he  had  received  his  license  to  preach  by 
the  Michigan  Association,  although  it  was  not 
until  two  years  afterward  that  he  entered  regu- 
larly into  the  duties  for  which  he  had  been  fit- 
ting himself.  During  the  years  from  i860  un- 
til 1866  he  supplied  the  pulpit  of  the  Congre- 
gational Church  in  Hadlyme,  Conn.,  and  there- 
after became  associated  with  the  Christian  Com- 
mission board,  from  May  24,  1866,  until  June 
4,  1871,  serving  in  Hingham,  Mass.,  from  July 
6,  1871,  to  June  17,  1874,  in  Swampscott,  Mass., 
and  from  October  14,  1875,  to  October  8,  1885. 
in  St.  Johnsbury,  Vt.  With  a  record  of  over  a 
quarter  of  a  century  of  self  sacrificing  labor  to 
his  credit  in  the  east  he  came  to  the  Pacific  coast 
in  1885,  and  from  October  14  of  that  year  until 
October  21,  1890,  he  filled  the  pulpit  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church  at  ^'acaville,  Cal.  From 
June,  1 89 1,  until  July  of  1893,  he  supplied  pul- 
pits throughout  Southern  California  without 
holding  any  regular  charge,  and  thereafter,  from 
September  10,  1893,  until  February  23,  1896. 
he  ministered  to  the  spiritual  needs  of  the  con- 
gregation in  Claremont.  From  the  latter  date  un- 
til his  death,  February  14,  1904,  he  lived  re- 
tired from  active  work  in  the  ministry,  though 
at  no  time  did  his  influence  for  good  cease.  His 
example  of  high  and  noble  living  will  ever  be  a 
benediction  to  those  who  came  under  his  influ- 
ence, and  many  there  are  who  have  cause  to  re- 
member his  many  helpful  acts  in  time  of  need. 
Large-hearted  generosity  was  one  of  his  most 
dominant  characteristics,  which  he  exercised  to 
no  better  advantage,  perhaps,  than  in  assisting 
struggling  young  men  to  gain  their  ecclesiastical 
training. 

Rev.  H.  ^^^  Jones  was  first  married  in  \\"ind- 
liam.  Conn..  September  2.  i860,  to  Isabella  Fan- 
ny  Foster,   the  daughter  of  Sherlock  and  Abi- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1911 


gail  Ga)-  (Bradford)  Foster.  Mrs.  Jones  died 
in  Hingham,  Mass.,  in  1867,  leaving  one  son, 
H.  Foster  Jones,  who  graduated  from  Amherst 
College  and  is  now  professor  of  English  in  Em- 
poria (Kans.)  College.  Mr.  Jones'  second  mar- 
riage occurred  in  Grand  Haven,  Mich.,  Decem- 
ber 25,  1872,  and  united  him  with  Hannah  E. 
Ferry  was  a  native  of  Granby,  Mass.  He  grad- 
daughter  of  Rev.  William  M.  and  Amanda 
(White)  Ferry,  the  latter  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
White.  A  remote  ancestor,  John  White,  was  at 
one  time  lord  mayor  of  London.  William  M. 
Ferry  was  a  native  of  Granby,  Masss.  He  grad- 
uated from  Union  College  in  New  York  and  al- 
so from  New  Brunswick  (N.  J.)  Seminary.  His 
first  ministerial  work  was  among  the  Indians 
of  Mackinac  Island,  from  there  in  November, 
1834,  going  to  Grand  Haven,  Mich.,  where  he 
served  the  congregation  gratuitously  until  it 
was  able  to  keep  the  pastor.  In  later  years  he 
engaged  in  the  general  merchandise  and  lum- 
ber business  there,  and  there  he  and  his  wife 
died  at  advanced  ages.  Mrs.  Jones'  brother, 
Thomas  White  Ferry,  was  at  one  time  president 
of  the  United  States  senate.  During  his  early 
life  Mr.  Jones  was  a  supporter  of  Republican 
principles,  but  in  his  later  years  he  became  a 
Prohibitionist.  A  woman  of  fine  intellectual  at- 
tainments, and  a  great  reader  and  student,  Mrs. 
Jones  was  indeed  a  helpmate  to  her  husband. 


JOHN  JOHNSTON.  Prominent  among  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  California  is  John  Johnston, 
who  came  to  the  state  soon  after  the  discovery 
of  gold  and  has  since  been  a  respected  and 
valued  citizen  in  the  various  communities  in 
which  he  has  been  located  in  business.  In 
common  with  other  pioneers  he  has  experienced 
all  the  ups  and  downs  of  life  in  a  new  coun- 
try and  has  watched  with  keen  interest  its 
transformation  into  one  of  the  finest  spots  on 
the  continent.  For  almost  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury he  has  made  his  home  in  Pomona,  where 
at  one  time  he  conducted  a  large  and  lucrative 
hardware  business,  but  is  now  retired  from 
active  business,  finding  his  time  sufficiently 
occupied  in  looking  after  the  property  which 
he  has  accumulated  from  time  to  time. 

Air.  Johnston  is  of  Irish  birth  and  parentage, 
born  in  Comber,  county  Down,  October  14, 
1829,  the  youngest  of  four  children  born  to  his 
parents,  George  Washington  and  Sarah 
(Moore)  Johnston,  born  in  Lurgan,  county 
Armagh,  and  Downpatrick,  county  Down,  re- 
spectively, and  both  also  were  of  Scotch  de- 
scent. The  father  carried  on  a  large  distillery 
in  Comber,  and  throughout  his  life  remained  in 
Ireland,  as  did  also  his  wife,  the  latter  passing 
awav  in   Comber.     The   eldest    of    their    four 


children,  George,  came  to  the  United  States 
one  year  prior  to  the  finding  of  gold  in  Cali- 
fornia, and  when  he  finally  came  to  the  state, 
in  1852,  he  was  not  lured  into  the  gold  fields ; 
his  tastes  being  rather  in  the  channel  of  me- 
chanics, he  became  well  known  as  an  inventor, 
his  name  being  perpetuated  in  what  is  known 
as  Johnston's  concentrator,  an  apparatus  em- 
ployed in  separating  ore  from  the  rock ;  he  is 
now  associated  with  the  Risdon  Iron  Works  in 
San  Francisco.  Peter  Johnston  also  came  to 
the  United  States  in  1848.  and  like  his  brother 
George  came  to  California  in  18^2 ;  for  a  time 
he  carried  on  a  hardware  business  in  Grass 
Valley,  Nevada  county,  this  state,  was  subse- 
quently president  of  the  Nevada  County  Nar- 
row Gauge  Railroad,  but  is  now  living  retired 
in  Grass  Valley  ;  the  next  child  in  the  parental 
family,  Eliza,  still  resides  in  the  Emerald  Isle. 
The  youngest  child  in  his  parents'  family, 
John  Johnston  was  given  a  good  educa- 
tion in  a  private  school  in  his  native  country, 
and  when  fifteen  years  old  was  apprenticed  to 
learn  the  hardware  and  grocery  business.  It 
was  with  the  knowledge  of  both  of  these  sub- 
stantial trades  that  he  set  sail  for  the  new 
world  when  he  was  twent3'-one  years  of  age, 
in  1850,  going  direct  to  Farmington,  Van 
Buren  county,  Iowa,  where  both  of  his  older 
brothers  were  located,  and  there  the  three  were 
engaged  in  the  grocery  business  for  the  follow- 
ing two  years.  With  the  proceeds  of  the  sale 
of  their  stock  they  purchased  horse  teams  and 
other  essentials  preparatorj'  for  a  trip  to  the 
coast,  and  between  Council  Bluffs  and  Placer- 
ville,  the  journey  consumed  just  eighty  days. 
From  Placerville  George  and  John  went  to 
Marysville  and  under  the  firm  name  of  John- 
ston Brothers  started  a  grocery  business  under 
conditions  which  seemed  very  favorable,  but 
the  location  did  not  prove  as  desirable  as  they 
had  expected  and  in  1853  they  removed  their 
stock  to  Grass  Valley.  Disaster  in  the  form 
of  fire  overtook  them  in  that  place  and  they^ 
lost  all  of  their  investment.  After  this  misfor- 
tune John  mined  for  two  years,  but  at  the  end 
of  that  time  once  more  resumed  mercantile 
life  and  from  1856  until  1883  was  engaged  in 
the  grocery  business  in  Grass  Valley.  During 
his  life  in  that  place  he  was  looked  upon  as  one 
of  the  town's  stalwart  citizens,  and  was  one  of 
the  promoters  and  builders  of  the  Nevada 
County  Narrow  Gauge  Railroad.  L'pon  dis- 
posing of  his  mercantile  interests  in  Grass  Val- 
ley in  1883  Mr.  Johnston  came  to  Pomona  and 
established  himself  in  the  hardware  business  in 
a  brick  building  which  he  erected  for  the  pur- 
pose at  the  corner  of  Ellen  and  Second  streets. 
Three  years  later,  however,  he  disposed  of  his 
stock   and  thereafter  spent  one   year    in    San 


1912 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


I'rancisco.  at  the  ciul  of  that  time  returnino- 
once  more  to  Pomona,  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided continuously.  From  time  to  time  he  has 
accumulated  considerable  property  in  Pomona, 
and  aside  from  the  store  building  which  he 
erected  for  his  own  use  as  a  hardware  store  in 
18S3,  also  erected  two  other  stores  on  Second 
street,  although  he  has  since  disposed  of  one  of 
them.  He  has  also  built  a  number  of  resi- 
dences, and  has  also  included  in  his  landed  pos- 
sessions a  number  of  choice  fruit  ranches,  his 
holdings  now,  however,  comprising  property  in 
the  city  onlj'. 

In  Grass  Valley  JNIr.  Johnston  was  married 
to  Aliss  Annie  Taylor,  who  though  born  in  Ire- 
land was  reared  in  Kentucky  and  in  1863  came 
to  California  by  way  of  Panama.  In  his  re- 
ligious training  Mr.  Johnston  was  reared  in  the 
faith  of  the  Episcopal  Church  and  throughout 
his  life  he  has  adhered  to  his  early  teachings. 
Politically  he  is  a  Republican,  and  at  one  time 
he  was  an  active  !\Iason,  having  joined  the  or- 
der in  Grass  A'allev,  but  he  is  now  demitted. 


tliis  union  two  children  were  lx)rn :  Ormiston 
is  married  and  lives  in  Palms,  Los  Angeles  coun- 
ty :  and  Isabel!  is  the  wife  of  A.  B.  Burnett,  of 
this  place. 


JOSE  J\I.  GONZALEZ.  As  a  pioneer  set- 
tler and  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  influ- 
ential citizens  of  Temecula  Jose  M.  Gonzalez 
has  a  wide  and  favorable  acquaintance  through- 
out Riverside  and  San  Diego  counties.  He 
owns  and  occupies  a  si.xty-acre  ranch  two  miles 
north  of  Temecula,  where  he  also  rents  land  and 
is  engaged  in  the  raising  of  beef  cattle.  On  De- 
cember's, 1834,  he  was  born  in  Cadiz,  Spain,  the 
son  of  J.  J\I.  and  Candelaria  (Pery)  Gonzalez, 
both  parents  being  natives  of  Spain.  The 
father's  death  occurred  in  that  country,  but  the 
mother  came  to  the  United  States  later  and 
made  her  home  in  Nevada,  where  she  died  at 
the  advanced  age  of  ninety-two  years. 

The  recipient  of  a  good  education  in  his  na- 
tive country,  Mr.  Gonzalez  remained  there  until 
1868,  when  he  came  to  the  United  States  and 
located  in  California  in  the  San  Joaquin  valley. 
In  1874  he  removed  to  the  place  where  he  now 
resides  and  bought  a  part  of  an  old  grant  upon 
which  he  built  his  present  home — a  modern 
adobe  house.  In  1884,  when  this  part  of  River- 
side countv  was  still  embraced  within  the  bound- 
aries of  San  Diego,  Mr.  Gonzalez  was.  appoint- 
ed deputv  assessor  and  with  the  exception  of  one 
term  has  continuously  filled  that  office  until  the 
present  time.  Politically  he  is  a  leading  man  in 
the  Republican  ranks  and  is  now  serving  his 
county  as  deputy  clerk.  •  Fraternally  he  is  affili- 
ated with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men. 

Bv  his  marriage  in  Temecula  in  1876,  Mr. 
Gonzalez  was  united  with  Miss  Grace  Street,  a 
native  of  the  southern  part  of  England,  and  of 


ALEXANDER  M.  HAM.  By  reason  of  its 
location  in  the  midst  of  a  prosperous  and  dense- 
ly-populated region  the  city  of  San  Bernardino 
offers  excellent  advantages  for  mercantile  en- 
terprises. Among  its  merchants  to  whose  en- 
ergy and  sagacious  judgment  the  commercial  de- 
velopment of  the  place  may  be  credited,  mention 
belongs  to  Alexander  M.  Ham,  for  more  than 
twenty  years  a  progressive  and  infltiential  busi- 
ness man  of  the  city.  Dating  his  residence  here 
from  November,  1882,  he  dates  his  identification 
with  the  grocery  business  from  a  period  imme- 
diately following  his  settlement  in  the  town.  For 
a  time  he  was  associated  with  his  brother,  H.  H., 
under  the  firm  title  of  Ham  Brothers,  but  after 
several  years  in  that  connection  he  purchased  his 
brother's  interest,  and  has  since  carried  on  a 
large  trade  alone. 

Prior  to  removing  to  Southern  California  Mr. 
Ham  made  his  home  in  Missouri,  where  he  was 
born  in  Benton  county,  near  Warsaw,  September 
19,  1848.  The  family  is  of  southern  lineage. 
His  father,  Harrison  Howard  Ham,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Kentucky,  whence  he  removed  to  Mis- 
souri as  early  as  1818  and  devoted  his  attention 
to  transforming  a  tract  of  raw  land  into  a  culti- 
vated farm.  For  years  he  was  successful  as  a 
farmer  and  his  place  was  stocked  with  horses, 
cattle  and  mules  of  the  best  breeds.  .Throughout 
the  remainder  of  his  life  he  continued  interested 
in  and  identified  with  agricultural  pursuits,  and 
made  his  home  on  the  farm  which  he  had  trans- 
formed from  the  primeval  condition  of  nature. 
Dtiring  early  manhood  he  married  Lucy  Frances 
Parazetta,  who  was  born  in  Virginia  and  at  an 
early  age,  in  1818,  removed  to  ^Missouri  in  com- 
pany with  her  parents,  with  whom  she  remained 
until  her  marriage.  Eleven  children  were  born 
of  their  union.  Of  these  five  sons  and  four 
daughters  attained  years  of  maturity.  Of  the 
sons,  two  are  now  living  in  Alissouri,  one  in 
Kansas  and  two  in  California. 

At  an  early  age  Alexander  M.  Ham  became 
familiar  with  every  detail  of  farm  work  and  was 
instructed  in  the  occupation,  so  that  he  was  pre- 
pared for  independent  work.  After  having  ac- 
quired a  common  school  education,  he  left  school 
when  in  his  eighteenth  year  and  thereafter  as- 
sisted his  father  in  the  cultivation  of  the  home 
farm.  Subsequently  he  began  independent  op- 
erations in  raising,  buying  and  selling  cattle  and 
horses.  On  disposing  of  his  interests  in  Mis- 
souri he  came  to  California  during  the  latter 
part  of  the  year   1882  and  settled  in  San  Ber- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1913 


nartlino,  where  since  he  has  biiiU  up  a  large  gro- 
cery business.  In  addition  to  owning  the  store 
of  which  he  is  proprietor,  he  owns  a  fruit  fann 
of  forty  acres,  ten  of  which  are  in  oranges,  while 
the  balance  is  devoted  to  other  products.  He  is 
also  a  stockholder  and  director  in  the  San  Ber- 
nardino County  Savings  Bank. 

.Stanch  in  his  allegiance  to  the  Republican 
party,  Mr.  Ham  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  ac- 
tive local  workers  of  that  organization,  and  has 
done  much  to  promote  party  success  in  the  local- 
ity. For  four  years  he  served  as  a  trustee  of  the 
city  and  in  other  ways  he  has  proved  himself  in- 
terested in  the  welfare  of  the  town,  as  well  as  a 
forceful  contributor  to  its  commercial  develop- 
ment. When  in  his  twenty-eighth  year  he  mar- 
ried Lenora  Parazetta,  of  Henry  county.  Mo.,  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  Parazetta.  Three  children 
came  to  bless  their  union,  namely :  J.  Garfield, 
who  is  now  a  student  in  the  University  of  South- 
ern California ;  Frances,  at  home ;  and  Howard, 
now  attending  the  Harvard  School  in  Los  An- 
geles. 


ERNEST  E.  FELLOWS.  The  business  in- 
terests of  Long  Beach  have  an  enterprising 
representative  in  E.  F.  Fellows,  who  has  been 
located  in  this  city  since  December,  1902,  en- 
gaged in  the  grocery  business  at  No.  120-122 
West  Second  street.  Mr.  Fellows  is  a  native 
of  Newark,  Wayne  county,  N.  Y.,  being  the 
second  in  a  family  of  two  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter, of  whom  he  is  the  only  one  now  living. 
His  father,  Edgar  B.  Fellows,  is  also  a  native 
of  the  Empire  state,  where  he  is  now  making 
his  home  retired  from  the  active  cares  of  life. 
He  is  a  very  prominent  man  in  Monroe  coun- 
ty, having  served  for  twelve  or  fifteen  years  as 
deputy  sherifif.  He  is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
war,  having  served  over  a  year  in  the  One 
Hundred  and  Fifteenth  New  York  Volunteer 
Infantry.  His  wife,  formerly  Samantha  A. 
Osborne,  a  native  of  Wayne  county,  N.  Y., 
died  in  her  native  state. 

E.  F.  Fellows  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Monroe  county,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  was  reared  from  early  childhood,  after  which 
he  attended  the  Brockport  Normal  and  also 
took  a  commercial  course  in  Oberlin,  Ohio. 
Following  his  business  training  he  engaged 
in  the  grocery  business  in  Brockport  in  1877 
and  continued  successfully  in  that  location  for 
sixteen  years.  On  account  of  his  health  he 
gave  up  his  busine.ss  and  coming  to  California 
located  in  Pomona,  where  he  purchased  a  fruit 
ranch  of  citrus  and  deciduous  trees.  Two  years 
later  he  sold  and  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Chino  Valley  Beet  Sugar  Company  in  the 
capacity  of  bookkeeper,  in  which  position  he 
91 


continued  for  two  years,  w^hen,  in  January. 
1897.  he  came  to  Los  Angeles  and  with  a 
]5artner  established  a  retail  grocery  business 
at  the  corner  of  Pico  and  Trenton  streets.  The 
new  firm  met  with  success  in  their  enterprise 
and  remained  in  that  location  for  six  years.  In 
June,  1902,  Mr.  Fellows  sold  out  his  interests 
and  in  December  of  the  same  year  came  to 
Long  Beach  and  purchased  his  present  grocery 
business,  located  at  No.  120-122  West  Second 
street,  where  he  has  since  built  up  an  extensive 
and  lucrative  custom,  enlarging  his  stock  and 
in  many  ways  improving  the  business.  He  has 
also  taken  an  active  interest  in  the  real-estate 
development  of  Long  Beach  and  has  invested 
in   several   lots. 

In  Brockport,  X.  Y.,  Mr.  Fellows  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Jennie  R.  Hoyt,  a  native  of 
that  state,  and  thev  have  one  daughter,  Maud, 
tlie  wife  of  W.  W.  Martin  of  Pasadena.  In  his 
fraternal  relations  Mr.  Fellows  is  a  member  of 
Long  Beach  Lodge  No.  327,  F.  &  A.  M.  Politi- 
cally he  is  a  Republican  and  in  religion  belongs 
to  the  First  ^[ethodist  Episcopal  Church.  At 
the  organization  of  the  Sons  of  Veterans  in  New 
York  he  was  elected  captain  of  Milo  Stork 
Camp  No.  30.  elected  to  major  at  the  state  en- 
campment and  the  following  year,  1888,  elected 
colonel  of  the  state  division,  taking  a  very  act- 
ive interest  in  the  organization. 


BLAS  OLIVARES.  Another  of  the  residents 
of  Sherman  who  are  descended  from  a  long  line 
of  Spanish  antecedents  is  Bias  Olivares,  who  was 
born  in  Los  Angeles  county  in  1850,  this  also 
being  the  birthplace  of  his  father,  Esmerorgildo 
Olivares,  On  the  ranch  which  he  ran  for  a 
number  of  years  in  this  county  his  earth  life  came 
to  a  close  in  1851,  when  his  son  Bias  was  still 
a  child  in  arms.  He  was  the  only  child  born 
to  his  mother,  who  before  her  marriage  was 
Cornelia  Lopez. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen  years  Bias  Olivares 
formed  domestic  ties  by  his  marriage  with  To- 
masa  Toromio,  and  three  children  were  the  re- 
sult of  this  union,  named  in  order  of  birth,  as 
follows:  Phillip,  Teofilo  and  Cornelia.  Some 
time  after  the  death  of  hi?,  first  wife  Mr.  Olivares 
was  united  with  Delia  Limares,  who  was  also  born 
in  Los  Angeles  county,  in  1875,  she  being  the 
only  child  born  to  her  mother,  who  in  maiden- 
hood was  Marv  IMorano.  Michael  Limares  was 
also  a  native  of  the  Golden  state,  and  has  known 
no  other  home.  During  his  earlier  years  he  ob- 
tained a  grant  of  land  from  the  Spanish  govern- 
ment which  became  well  known  as  the  Limares 
rancho,  and  was  located  not  far  from  Pomona. 
In  addition  to  this  propertv  he  also  owned  eisht 
acres  in  Colegrove.  but  of  late  Acars  he  has  dis- 


1914 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


posed  of  all  of  his  property  and  is  now  making  his 
home  with  Air.  Olivares,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

Mrs.  Delia  Olivares  died  in  Colegrove  in  1899, 
leaving  two  children,  Susie  and  Bias,  since  which 
time  Air.  Olivares  has  made  his  home  in  Sher- 
man, where  he  owns  considerable  valuable  prop- 


ROBERT  STRATHEARN.  Preceded  by 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  as  an  architect  and 
builder  in  the  state  of  Montana,  Mr.  Strathearn 
came  to  Long  Beach  in  1905,  and  has  already 
made  a  name  and  place  for  himself  in  his  adopted 
city,  regardless  of  his  former  accomplishments. 
A  direct  descendant  of  Scotch  antecedents,  he 
was  born  in  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  a  son  of  William 
and  Janet  (Merrie)  Strathearn,  both  natives  of 
Ayrshire,  Scotland.  By  trade  William  Strath- 
earn was  a  builder,  having  mastered  it  in  his 
native  country,  and  after  coming  to  the  new 
world  added  contracting,  following  this  dual  oc- 
cupation in  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  for  many  years. 
Not  only  in  that  city,  but  throughout  Southern 
\Msconsin  there  are  many  fine  specimens  of  his 
handiwork  to  be  seen  in  large  and  valuable 
structures  erected  during  his  residence  there.  To 
himself  and  wife  (the  latter  of  whom  died  in 
Wisconsin)  seven  children  were  born,  six  of 
whom  are  livitig  and  have  been  trained  to  lives 
of  usefulness. 

Next  to  the  eldest  of  the  children  born  to  his 
parents,  Robert  Strathearn  was  born  February  4, 
1857,  and  was  reared  to  manhood  in  his  native 
city,  Milwaukee,  Wis.  His  educational  ad- 
'  vantages  were  perhaps  above  the  average,  for 
in  addition  to  attending  the  city  schools  he  was 
given  a  course  in  the  Spencerian  Business  college 
of  Milwaukee.  Inheriting  from  his  father  a 
predilection  for  work  at  the  carpenter's  trade  as 
soon  as  he  was  out  of  college  he  began  work  at 
the  trade  in  earnest,  having  prior  to  this  time 
worked  side  by  side  with  his  father  at  the  bench 
for  many  years.  The  same  association  was  re- 
sumed and  continued  after  his  college  days  were 
over,  and  in  much  of  the  work  previously  allud- 
ed to  in  Alilwaukee  and  Southern  Wisconsin  as 
performed  by  his  father  he  assisted.  A  tempo- 
rary change  of  occupation  entered  into  his  life 
when  he  accepted  a  position  as  foreman  of  the 
Wisconsin  ^^alley  division  of  the  Chicago,  Mil- 
waukee &  St.  Paul  Railroad,  a  position  which 
he  held  for  three  years.  Leaving  his  native  state 
in  1881.  he  first  went  to  Livingston.  Mont.,  later 
to  \\'hite  Sulphur  Springs,  and  still  later  to 
Helena,  in  all  of  which  places  he  worked  as  a 
contractor  and  builder,  and  remaining  in  the 
latter  city  from  1884  until  1896.  His  ability 
does  not  seern  to  be  limited  to  any  special  char- 


acter of  architecture,  planning  and  executing 
with  equal  facility  the  modern  business  struct- 
ure and  the  palatial  residence.  During  the  year 
last  mentioned,  1896,  he  was  engaged  in  build- 
ing for  the  Golden  Sunlight  Company,  a  mining 
corporation  of  Montana,  and  the  year  following 
went  to  Whitehall,  that  state,  where  for  three 
years  he  did  contracting  and  building  continuous- 
ly, and  during  that  time  practically  built  up  the 
town.  His  next  removal  found  him  in  Sheridan, 
Madison  county,  Mont.,  there,  as  elsewhere,  con- 
tinuing to  work  at  his  trade  and  meeting  with  uni- 
form success  until  1905,  the  year  in  which  his 
name  became  associated  with  Long  Beach.  His 
worth  and  ability  as  a  thorough  artisan  was  im- 
mediately recognized,  and  it  goes  without  say- 
ing that  he  has  had  unprecedented  success  and 
has  built  up  a  large  and  influential  business,  con- 
trolling much  of  the  work  of  that  character  in 
Long  Beach  and  vicinity. 

While  in  Montana  Mr.  Strathearn  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Helena  Aleier,  a  native  of  Dubuque, 
Iowa,  and  two  children  have  been  born  to  them, 
Olive  Lois  and  Roland  J.  Mr.  Strathearn's 
political  sympathies  bring  him  into  association 
with  others  of  like  faith,  being  a  strong  supporter 
of  the  Republican  party.  His  fraternal  associa- 
tions are  no  less  stanch,  and  among  his  asso- 
ciates in  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  the  Knights  of  the 
Maccabees  he  is  universally  esteemed  and  re- 
spected. 


ALBERT  M.  COSTNER.  One  of  the  pro- 
gressive dairymen  of  Norwalk,  Los  Angeles 
county,  is  Albert  M.  Costner,  who  has.  made  a 
success  in  his  work  by  careful  and  steady  atten- 
tion to  business  and  has  won  the  esteem  of  his 
fellow  citizens  through  the  display  of  personal 
characteristics  of  merit  during  his  residence 
here.  Mr.  Costner  is  a  native  of  Blount  county, 
Tenn.,  his  birth  having  occurred  sixteen  miles 
from  Knoxville,  January  4,  1861.  His  parents. 
Philip  and  Mary  (Hays)  Costner,  were  both 
natives  of  North  Carolina;  the  father  enlisted  in 
the  Lnion  army  during  the  Civil  war,  and  was 
captured  and  confined  in  Libby  prison,  where  his 
death  was  caused  through  exposure.  He  had 
three  sons  in  the  same  struggle,  one  of  whom 
lost  his  life  by  drowning  while  attempting  to 
ford  a  river,  another  was  crippled  through  a 
wound  received  in  the  service.  The  mother  died 
in  Tennessee  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-one 
years,  leaving  a  large  family,  of  the  eight  sons 
and  two  daughters  born  to  her  two  sons,  Albert 
M.,  of  this  review,  and  Spencer,  of  Stanislaus 
county,  living  in  California. 

Albert  M.  Costner  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  Blount  county,  Tenn.,  where  he  spent  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1915 


first  twenty-three  years  of  his  life.  He  came  to 
California  in  1884  and  from  here  went  to  Wash- 
iriton,  where  he  remained  a  short  time.  Return- 
ing to  California,  for  one  year  he  had  charge  of 
a  large  wheat  ranch  in  ^lodesto,  Stanislaus  coun- 
ty, then  came  to  Los  Angeles  county,  and  after 
a  brief  time  went  north  to  Stockton,  where  he 
took  a  commercial  course  in  the  Stockton  Busi- 
ness College.  Returning  to  ^\'ashington  he  en- 
gaged in  ranch  work  for  a  time  and  also  in  the 
sawmill  business.  After  a  few  years  he  returned 
to  Los  Angeles  county  and  in  the  vicinity  of 
Norwalk  established  his  present  dairy  business. 
He  was  married  here  to  Aliss  Bessie  Smith,  a 
daughter  of  James  A.  Smith,  a  pioneer  of  Cali- 
fornia, whose  biography  is  given  at  length  on  an- 
other page  of  this  volume.  She  was  born  in  Illi- 
nois and  brought  to  this  state  when  only  three 
months  old.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Costner  have  three 
children,  Sybil,  Sylva  and  Ford.  Fraternally  he 
is  a  member  of  Lodge  No.  331,  I.  O.  Q.  F.,  of  Ar- 
tesia ;  and  in  national  politics  is  a  Republican.  He 
has  lived  upon  his  present  ranch  for  sixteen 
years  and  has  placed  upon  it  all  the  improve- 
ments which  make  of  it  one  of  the  valuable  prop- 
erties of  this  section,  having  built  a  large  barn 
and  stable  for  the  care  of  his  dairy  herd,  consist- 
ing of  twelve  milch  cows.  He  has  a  fine  artesian 
well  which  supplies  an  abundance  of  water.  Be- 
sides his  dairy  interests  and  the  cultivation  of 
alfalfa  and  pasture  of  thirty-five  acres  he  en- 
gages extensively  in  the  raising  of  poultry. 


WILLIAM  ELLIOTT  BEWLEY.  The 
earliest  records  of  the  Bewley  family  trace  their 
ancestry  to  French  soil,  whence  the  emigrat- 
ing ancestor  located  the  name  in  Cumberland, 
England,  and  finally  in  JNIount  ?\Iellick,  Queens 
county,  Ireland.  In  the  city  of  Dublin  the  name 
became  prominent  in  commercial  activity,  Mungo 
B.  being  the  owner  of  large  spice  mills  there. 
His  son,  Thomas  B.,  who  was  born  near  Dublin, 
was  reared  to  young  manhood  in  his  native 
country  and  trained  to  a  practical  business  life 
in  his  father's  establishment.  Seeking  broader 
opportunities,  he  immigrated  to  America  and  in 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  engaged  as  a  grocer.  Later 
he  followed  a  similar  occupation  in  Butlerville, 
Ind.,  where  he  was  also  occupied  as  a  lumber 
manufacturer  and  an  extensive  farmer.  His 
death,  which  occurred  in  1892,  removed  from  the 
community  a  man  of  strong  worth,  his  connection 
with  public  afifairs  always  resulting  in  a  move- 
ment towards  advancement.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Society  of  Friends.  He  is  survived  by 
his  wife,  formerly  Ann  R.  Thomas,  a  native  of 
Elkton,  Ind.,  a  representative  of  an  old  south- 
ern family  long  established  on  American  soil. 
She   makes   her  home   in   Long  Beach.      Of  the 


seven  sons  and  two  daughters  born  to  her,  James 
is  a  railroad  man  of  Indiana :  Edward  is  a  farmer 
in  Indiana ;  Thomas  is  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business  in  Indiana ;  George  is  a  real-estate 
dealer  of  Long  Beach ;  Qiarles  is  located  in  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio ;  William  E.  is  the  subject  of  this 
review ;  Frank  is  located  in  Los  Angeles ;  Eliza- 
beth is  the  wife  of  Elmer  Allen  of  Whittier, 
Cal.;  and  Isabelle  is  the  wife  of  L.  J.  Neill  and 
located  in  Westfield,  Ind. 

William  E.  Bewley  was  born  August  18,  1875, 
in  Butlerville,  Ind.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  and  high  schools  of  his  native  city,  and 
after  completing  the  course  went  to  Cincinnati, 
where,  under  the  instruction  of  G.  N.  Merry- 
weather  of  that  city  he  learned  the  tea  and  coft'ee 
business.  After  four  years  he  went  to  Denver 
and  in  1897  entered,  the  employ  of  Sanders 
Brothers  as  a  salesman  in  the  tea  and  coffee  de- 
partment. He  filled  this  position  successfully 
for  four  years,  when  he  came  to  Southern  Cali- 
fornia and  in  Long  Beach  established  a  grocery 
enterprise  under  the  firm  name  of  Bewley 
Brothers.  In  1903  he  accepted  a  position  in 
Los  Angeles  with  the  Wells-Fargo  Company 
Express,  continuing  with  them  for  two  years, 
when  he  resigned  to  engage  in  the  real-estate 
business  in  Long  Beach.  He  has  since  been  so 
occupied,  his  office  being  located  in  the  Wells- 
Fargo  Company  Express  office  at  429  Pine  street. 
He  has  made  a  success  of  his  enterprise  thus  far 
and  bids  fair  to  take  a  prominent  place  among 
the  business  men  of  this  city. 

Mr.  Bewley  has  been  twice  married,  his  first 
union  occurring  in  Denver,  Miss  Carrie  Wilhelmi 
of  that  city  becoming  his  wife.  Her  death  oc- 
curred in  Long  Beach.  In  Los  Angeles  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Luzina  Kellum,  a 
native  of  Indiana.  Both  are  members  of  the 
Society  of  Friends.  ]Mr.  Bewley  is  a  Republican 
in  politics,  and  although  not  seeking  personal 
recognition  gives  his  active  support  to  the  men 
and  measures  of  his  party. 


JOHN  B.  B.  DeLONG.  The  life  which  this 
narrative  sketches  began  in  the  city  of  Los  An- 
geles May  II,  1852,  and  closed  in  the  county 
of  the  same  name  May  11,  1905.  The  DeLong 
family  is  of  French  extraction,  Martin  DeLong 
having  been  born  and  reared  in  France,  whence 
he  came  to  America  in  early  manhood  and  settled 
in  the  then  Spanish  town  of  Los  Angeles.  After 
coming  to  this  city  he  met  and  married  Miss 
Josephine  Alinez,  a  native  of  California,  but  of 
direct  Spanish  descent.  The  remaining  days  of 
his  life  were  passed  in  this  locality  and  here  he 
passed  awa\-  at  the  age  of  forty-nine  years. 
Among  his  children  was  a  son,  John  B.  B.,  whose 
name  introduces  this  article,  and  who  remained 


1916 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


a  lifelong  resident  of  the  count}-  of  his  birth. 
Educated  principally  in  St.  Xincent's  school  in 
Los  Angeles,  he  gained  a  knowledge  of  both 
French  and  Spanish,  and  used  these  languages  in 
preference  to  the  English  language,  with  which 
he  was  less  familiar. 

When  a  young  man  and  ready  to  start  out  for 
himself,  Mr.  DeLong  received  from  his  mother 
thirty-two  acres  of  bare,  unimproved  land,  then 
of  little  value.  Through  his  efforts  the  land  was 
made  attractive,  the  soil  produced  excellent  crops 
of  their  various  kinds,  improvements  were  made 
that  greatly  added  to  the  desirability  of  the  place 
as  a  homestead,  and  all  in  all  the  tract  was 
transformed  from  its  original  appearance  to  an 
abode  of  comfort  and  simple  content.  Immedi- 
ately before  settling  on  the  ranch  he  was  mar- 
ried, February  8,  1875,  to  Miss  Julia  Ruiz,  who 
was  born  in  Los  Angeles  January  25,  1855,  ^^'-^ 
received  a  fair  education  in  the  Spanish  tongue. 
Her  father,  Martin  Ruiz,  was  a  native  of  Chi- 
huahua, Mexico,  and  a  son  of  a  Spanish  gentle- 
man who  came  to  the  new  world  as  a  representa- 
tive of  the  king  of  Spain ;  her  mother,  who  bore 
the  maiden  name  of  Florence  Raildez,  was  a 
native  of  Los  Angeles  and  a  member  of  a  Span- 
ish family. 

Always  interested  in  educational  matters,  Mr. 
DeLong  officiated  as  a  school  trustee  for  years 
and  maintained  a  warm  interest  in  the  building 
of  schools.  Politically  he  stanchly  supported 
Democratic  principles,  while  in  religion  he  was 
an  earnest  Roman  Catholic,  and  all  of  his  family 
adhered  to  the  same  faith.  Fraternally  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Foresters  of  America.  Surviving 
him  are  his  widow  and  the  following  children : 
Conception.  Mrs.  Joseph  Cyprien,  of  Fullerton, 
this  state;  Constance,  widow  of  Joseph  Toussau, 
also  of  Fullerton :  Alexander,  at  home :  Jessie, 
who  married  Joseph  W.  Reve,  of  Los  Angeles, 
her  wedding  and  that  of  her  eldest  sister  being 
solemnized  on  the  same  day ;  Oiarles,  who  makes 
his  home  at  Sherman,  this  state ;  Ortense,  at 
home ;  Henry  L.,  who  is  employed  in  Los  An- 
geles ;  "Vernie,  Mary,  Josephine  and  Barnaby, 
who  remain  with  their  mother  on  the  home 
ranch. 


MICHAEL  OSMUND.  But  a  brief  time  has 
elapsed  since  the  death  of  Michael  Osmund,  one 
of  the  enterprising  and  progressive  ranchers  of 
the  El  Monte  district,  where  he  had  located 
about  fifteen  years  ago  and  began  the  accumu- 
lation of  the  property  which  placed  him  among 
the  .successful  men  of  this  section.  He  was  a 
native  of  Norway,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
Farsund.  where  his  parents  were  born  and  mar- 
ried. The  father  died  there,  and  the  mother 
later  joined  her  son  in  Iowa,  where  her  death 
occurred.      He   was    educated     in     the     common 


schools  of  Norway,  after  which  he  went  to  sea, 
finally  locating  permanently  in  America,  where 
he  first  engaged  as  a  lumberman.  Later  fol- 
lowed farming  in  Cass  county,  Iowa,  for  some 
time  and  then  came  to  California  in  1891.  For 
a  time  he  was  located  in  Pasadena,  but  later 
purchased  the  property  now  owned  by  his 
widow,  improving  the  land  from  a  wild  state, 
and  building  a  comfortable  residence  and  sub- 
stantial barns  and  outbuildings.  While  he  car- 
ried on  general  farming,  he  made  a  specialty  of 
raising  celery  and  walnuts.  He  was  a  Mason 
fraternally,  being  identified  with  Lexington 
Lodge  No.  104,  of  El  Monte,  and  also  belonged 
to  the  Order  of  Eastern  Star  and  the  Foresters. 
He  was  a  Lutheran  in  religion  and  in  politics 
a  stanch  Democrat.  His  death  occurred  Jan- 
uary 16,  1906,  and  removed  from  the  community 
a  worthy  citizen,  a  helpful  friend,  and  one  who 
tried  to  live  according  to  the  Golden  Rule. 

Mr.  Osmund  was  married  in  Farsund.  Nor- 
way, June  12,  1895,  to  Miss  Christine  Hansen,  a 
native  of  that  place,  and  daughter  of  Ole  and 
Martina  Hansen,  her  father  being  a  builder  and 
farmer  in  Norway,  where  both  parents  still  live. 
Since  her  husband's  death  Mrs.  Osmund  has  con- 
tinued to  conduct  the  ranch,  which  she  has 
managed  profitably.  She  is  the  mother  of  four 
children.  May,  Carl,  Albert  and  Myrtle.  In  re- 
ligion she  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 


_  JOHNMcCLURE.  In  those,  rich  and  fer- 
tile districts  of  Southern  California  that  are 
devoted  to  the  raising  of  luscious  fruits  there 
has  been  established  no  more  important  branch 
of  horticulture  than  that  relating  to  the  grow- 
ing of  grapes.  Prominent  among  the  men 
who  are  doing  much  to  promote  this  special 
branch  of  horticulture  is  John  McClure,  a 
well-known  resident  of  Los  Angeles,  pleasantly 
located  at  No.  3425  Downey  avenue.  Ener- 
getic, progressive,  and  a  man  of  excellent  judg- 
ment and  ability,  he  is  one  of  the  leading  vine- 
yardists  of  Los  Angeles  county,  and  the  pro- 
prietor of  an  extensive  winery.  A  native  of 
Ireland,  he  was  born  in  1854,  in  County  An- 
trim, the  home  of  his  ancestors  for  many  gen- 
erations. 

Immigrating  to  this  country  in  early  man- 
hood. Mr.  AlcClure  came  to  California  in  1875. 
and  for  a  brief  time  resided  at  Los  Angeles. 
Looking  about  for  a  favorable  location,  he 
settled  in  the  San  Fernando  valley,  buying  land 
at  Roscoe,  which  was  then  in  its  infancy,  there 
being  but  very  few  houses  in  the  entire  valley, 
and  for  a  while  was  successfully  employed  in 
grape  raising.  Here  he  demonstrated  that  by 
careful  cultivation  grapes  could  be  raised  with- 
out   irrigation    and    was    the    pioneer    in    this 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


um 


undertaking.  He  subsequently  carried  on  an 
extensive  business  in  the  same  line  as  junior 
member  of  the  firm  of  Dillon,  Kenealy  & 
AtcClure,  the  partnership  continuing  until  1902. 
In  1896  Mr.  McClure  purchased  a  thousand 
acres  of  raw  land,  lying  just  north  of  the 
village  of  Burbank,  and  on  it  has  made  note- 
worthy improvements.  He  has  erected  a  fine 
set  of  buildings,  and  has  set  out  three  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  to  wine  grapes,  having  one  of 
the  most  extensive  and  best  bearing  vineyards 
in  the  vicinity.  He  also  carried  on  a  substantial 
business  at  Dolgeville,  where  he  had  a  winery, 
with  an  annual  capacity  of  one  hundred  thou- 
sand gallons  of  sweet  wine,  and  where  he  also 
manufactured  some  dry  wines.  On  his  ranch, 
which  is  known  as  the  "Sunnyside  Vineyard," 
he  also  raises  bees  on  a  large  scale,  having 
three  apiaries,  stocked  with  about  four  hundred 
hives.  On  this  ranch  he  erected  in  1906,  con- 
crete wine  cellars,  with  about  five  thousand 
tons  yearly  capacity  and  a  complete  modern 
manufacturing  plant. 

In  1891  Mr.  McClure  married  Nellie  M. 
Ouayle,  a  native  of  Michigan,  and  a  resident  of 
California  since  1889.  Of  their  union  five  chil- 
dren have  been  born,  namely :  Mona,  John  Q., 
Edmund  H.,  Robert  G.  and  Marcus  A.  Politi- 
cally Mr.  McClure  is  independent,  voting  ac- 
cording to  the  dictates  of  his  conscience,  re- 
gardless of  party  prejudice.  Fraternally  he  is 
a  member  of  Los  Angeles  Lodge  No.  290,  F. 
e^  A.  M. 


ROLLIE  FRANK  De  GARMO.  Located  in 
the  vicinity  of  El  Monte,  Mr.  De  Garmo  is  en- 
gaged in  the  raising  of  alfalfa  and  the  conduct 
of  a  dairy,  in  both  of  which  enterprises  he  has 
met  with  success.  He  was  born  in  the  vicinity 
of  Girard,  Crawford  county,  Kans.,  June  8,  1877; 
his  father,  Robert  M.  De  Garmo,  was  born  near 
Bloomington,  111.,  and  there  enlisted  in  the 
Fifty-fifth  Regiment  Illinois  Infantry  for  service 
in  the  Civil  war,  after  which,  in  1867,  he  became 
a  pioneer  of  Kansas,  and  in  Crawford  county 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  cattle-raising 
until  his  death  in  the  fall  of  1893.  The  paternal 
grandfather,  Marion,  was  also  born  in  Illinois, 
and  served  in  the  Fifty-fourth  Regiment  Illi- 
nois Infantry;  he  was  the  representative  of  an 
old  New  York  family  of  French  origin.  Robert 
M.  De  Garmo  married  Elizabeth  Willey.  a  na- 
tive of  Illinois,  who  survives  and  now  makes  her 
home  in  Marshall,  Mo.  She  was  the  mother  of 
five  children,  three  of  whom  are  living,  Rollie 
Frank  De  Garmo  being  the  youngest  and  the 
only  one  in  California.  He  was  reared  in  Kan- 
sas on  the  paternal  farm  and  educated  in  the 
public  schools,  completing  his  education  in  Baker 


University,  at  Baldwin,  Kans.,  after  which,  in 
1894,  he  came  to  California  and  in  Pasadena  at- 
tended Williams  Commercial  College,  from 
which  institution  he  was  later  graduated.  He 
then  engaged  in  ranching  near  San  Gabriel,  pur- 
chasing a  five  acre  tract,  and  later  purchasing 
fifty-three  acres  adjoining  El  Monte.  This  was 
semi-damp  land,  upon  which  he  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming,  remaining  so  occupied  until  1899, 
when  he  leased  the  ranch  and  located  in  Long 
Beach.  He  established  a  dairy  at  the  corner  of 
State  street  and  American  avenue,  where  he 
purchased  forty  acres  of  land,  and  conducted  the 
same  successfully  for  four  years.  Disposing  of 
this  business  at  the  time  mentioned,  he  then 
engaged  in  the  dairy  business  in  El  Monte,  and 
also  raised  alfalfa  without  irrigation.  He  has 
installed  a  pumping  plant  on  his  ranch  and  is 
occupied  in  the  raising  of  cabbage  and  potatoes, 
in  addition  to  his  ranch  renting  forty  acres  ad- 
joining his  property. 

In  Savannah,  Cal.,  JMr.  De  Garmo  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Etta  Renfro,  a  native  of 
Missouri,  and  born  of  this  union  are  three  chil- 
dren, Alva,  Glenn  and  Velma.  Mrs.  De  Garmo 
is  the  daughter  of  George  B.  Renfro,  an  early 
settler  of  the  state,  who  was  born  near  Collins- 
ville,  Aladison  county.  111.,  a  son  of  James  Ren- 
fro, who  engaged  as  a  farmer  in  that  state.  The 
elder  man  removed  to  Harrison  county.  Mo.,  in 
187-I,  his  death  occurring  in  Bethany  in  1881. 
He  served  in  the  Civil  war  in  the  Thirty-sixth 
Regiment  Illinois  Infantry  and  was  wounded  at 
the  battle  of  Franklin.  He  was  a  Mason  fra- 
ternally, and  politically  was  a  strong  Republican. 
In  religion  he  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Qiurch.  His  wife  was  Martha  Reed, 
born  in  Missouri,  and  whose  death  occurred  in 
California  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years.  They 
had  three  children,  of  whom  the  eldest  was 
George  B. ;  William  is  located  in  Los  Angeles, 
and  Thomas  is  in  Missouri.  George  B.  Renfro 
was  born  October  9,  1843,  anc^  reared  in  Illi- 
nois, where  he  attended  the  public  schools.  In 
T862  he  volunteered  in  Company  E,  Eightieth 
Regiment  Illinois  Infantry,  and  was  an  active 
participant  in  a  number  of  important  battles, 
among  them  Roseburg,  Chickamauga,  Lookout 
Mountain,  jMissionary  Ridge,  Resaca.  Buzzard's 
Roost  and  siege  of  Atlanta.  In  the  fall  of 
1864  he  went  home  on  a  furlough  and  was  ill 
for  about  fifty  days ;  rejoining  his  regiment  in 
February,  1865,  he  served  until  the  close  of 
the  war.  He  was  mustered  out  of  service  and 
honorably  discharged  in  Springfield,  111..  June 
19,  1865,  and  upon  returning  to  civic  pursuits 
engaged  in  general  farming  in  Jefiferson  county. 
In  1872  he  removed  to  Missouri  and  in  Vernon 
county  purchased  a  farm,  which  he  cultivated 
for   four   years.     In    T876  he  went  to   Harrison 


1918 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


count}-,  Mo.,  and  this  property  he  disposed  of 
in  1882  and  came  to  CaHfornia.  He  located  at 
Sierra  ]\Iadre,  where  he  set  out  an  orchard  and 
improved  the  property  for  two  years,  when  he 
sold  out  and  in  the  spring  of  1885  purchased  the 
property  in  Savannah.  He  owns  twenty-four 
acres,  of  which  twenty  are  devoted  to  alfalfa, 
raised  without  irrigation.  He  was  married  in 
Jefferson  county,  III,  to  Margaret  Williams,  a 
native  of  Kentucky,  and  they  became  the  parents 
of  four  children:"  Alva,  of  Tonopah ;  Lutie, 
who  became  the  wife  of  Brace  S.  Gibson,  and 
is  now  deceased ;  Adella,  wife  of  Charles  Gidly, 
of  El  INIonte;  and  Etta,  Mrs.  De  Garmo.  Mr. 
Renfro  is  a  Mason  fraternally  and  prominent  in 
the  order,  his  wife  also  belonging  to  the  Order 
of  Eastern  Star.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 
Mr.  De  Garmo  is  associated  fraternally  with 
the  Masonic  organization,  belonging  to  Lexing- 
ton Lodge  No.  104,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  El  Monte ; 
also  Lexington  Chapter  No.  172,  R.  A.  M.  His 
wife  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
Politicallv  ]\Ir.  De  Garmo  is  a  stanch  Republican. 


ALBERT  B.  CLAYTON.  The  principal  of 
the  high  school  of  Long  Beach.  Albert  B.  Clay- 
ton is  a  man  eminently  fitted  for  tlie  position 
he  holds,  as  he  has  made  educational  work  his 
life  studv.  at  the  same  time  bringing  to  bear  the 
natural  'abilitv  which  has  distinguished  his 
efforts  as  a  teacher.  He  is  well  and  widely 
known  throughout  this  section  of  the  state,  his 
birth  having  "occurred  near  Downey,  Cal.,  No- 
vember 2.  1876,  and  in  that  location  he  spent 
the  vears  of  his  boyhood.  His  father,  P.  O. 
Clavton,  was  a  pioneer  of  1850,  who  crossed  the 
plains  from  Kentucky,  his  native  state,  and 
located  in  California,  where  he  passed  the  re- 
mainder of  his  Hfe.  As  a  minister  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  South  he  gave  his  best 
efforts  toward  the  moral  uplifting  of  'the  com- 
munity in  which  his  life-work  was  directed,  and 
became  a  popular  friend  of  all  movements  which 
tended  toward  the  upbuilding  of  the  western 
statehood.  His  wife,  formerly  Lennie  L.  Walker, 
a  native  of  Illinois,  survives  him,  and  now  re- 
sides at  No.  930  Pine  avenue,  Long  Beach. 

A.  B.  Clavton  spent  the  first  years  of  his  life 
in  Downev  where  he  attended  the  public  school 
until  qualified  to  enter  the  high  school  of  Los 
Angeles.  He  was  graduated  from  this  institu- 
tion in  1893,  when"  he  went  east  to  Franklin, 
Tenn.,  and  enrolled  as  a  student  in  the  Battle 
Ground  Academy.  Three  years  later  he  was 
graduated  from  the  classical  course  and  imme- 
diatelv  entered  Vanderbilt  University,  at  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.  Graduating  in  1900  with  the  degree 
of  B.  A.,  he  returned  to  California  and  took  the 
same  degree  in  the  l^niversity  of  California,  at 


Berkeley.  Subsequently,  in  1902,  he  was  se- 
cured by  the  Japanese  government  to  work  in 
the  high  schools  and  universities  of  Japan  as  a 
teacher  of  English,  in  which  position  he  re- 
mained for  two  and  a  half  years.  Deciding  to 
return  to  his  native  country  and  state  he  located 
in  Long  Beach  about  1904,  when  he  was  made 
vice-principal  of  the  high  school  here,  holding 
the  position  for  one  year,  when  he  assumed  the 
duties  of  principal.  Although  but  a  brief  period 
has  elapsed  since  his  assumption  of  these  duties, 
yet  he  has  evinced  the  qualities  of  leadership 
and  the  possession  of  executive  ability,  which  is 
necessarily  an  essential  factor  in  the  accomplish- 
ment of  results ;  both  speak  eloquently  of  future 
success  which  shall  place  the  schools  of  this  city 
in  the  front  rank  of  those  in  Southern  Califor- 
nia. 

]\Ir.  Qayton,  in  addition  to  his  educational 
work,  has  taken  a  prominent  part  in  the  social 
life  of  Long  Beach,  where  he  is  granted  the 
position  won  by  his  personal  attributes.  He  is 
a  valued  member  of  the  Methodist  Qiurch  South, 
and  fraternally  is  identified  with  Long  Beach 
Lodge  No.  327,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Qiapter  No.  84, 
R.  A.  M. ;  the  Knights  Templar  and  the  Knights 
of  Pythias.  Throughout  his  entire  career,  even 
as  a  student,  he  was  prominent  in  social  orders, 
at  Berkeley  being  an  active  member  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association.  Thus  far 
in  life  Mr.  Clayton  has  made  his  success  by  the 
exercise  of  his  own  ability  and  energy,  starting 
in  the  world  without  capital,  but  allowing  no 
obstacle  to  daunt  nor  dismay  him.  Whatever  the 
future  holds  for  him  he  carries  that  force  within 
himself  that  enables  him  to  give  his  best  eft'orts 
toward  the  fulfillment  of  his  desires — the  bet- 
terment of  humanity  through  educational  forces. 


JAMES  G.  COX.  The  citizens  of  Long 
Beach  are  a  unit  in  their  unquestioning  and  per- 
fect faith  in  the  future  prosperity  of  the  town 
and  its  increasing  growth  in  population.  A 
number  of  the  influential  men  of  the  place  have 
given  evidence  of  this  faith  through  their  invest- 
ments and  their  close  identification  with  the 
buying  and  selling  of  real  estate.  Among  this 
class  stands  James  G.  Cox,  member  of  the  firm 
of  Cox  &  Cox,  organized  September  i,  1904, 
for  the  general  handling  of  real  estate,  with 
loans  and  insurance  as  auxiliaries  of  the  main 
business.  Though  primarily  the  removal  to  Cal- 
ifornia was  made  for  the  benefit  of  the  health 
of  himself  and  wife,  he  has  had  no  reason  to 
regret  the  change  from  a  financial  standpoint, 
for  he  has  met  with  a  gt-atifying  degree  of  suc- 
cess in  his  investments  and  has  become  an  in- 
fluential member  of  the  Board  of  Trade  and  a 
contributor  to  the  advancement  of  the  citv. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1919 


Indiana  is  well  represented  in  the  citizenship 
of  Long  Beach,  and  Mr.  Cox  is  one  of  those  who 
from  that  state  have  sought  the  wider  oppor- 
tunities of  California.  Born  near  Rockville, 
May  25,  i860,  he  passed  the  years  of  boyhood 
as  a  farmer's  son,  helping  with  the  many  duties 
connected  with  the  care  of  a  large  tract  of  land 
and  attending  the  country  schools  in  the  winter 
seasons.  After  having  completed  the  studies  of 
the  common  schools  he  had  the  privilege  of  at- 
tending the  Indiana  State  Normal  School,  where 
he  availed  himself  of  the  opportunities  for  study 
offered  him.  On  leaving  school  he  established 
himself  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Coloma, 
Parke  county,  and  conducted  a  general  store  in 
that  village.  For  sixteen  years  he  also  held  the 
ofifice  of  postmaster,  having  the  office  in  his 
store,  and  superintending  it  with  the  same  fidel- 
ity characteristic  of  him  in  other  duties. 

On  coming  to  Southern  California  in  Novem- 
ber, 1899,  Mr.  Cox  settled  at  Long  Beach  and 
later  erected  his  present  residence  at  No.  535 
East  Third  street.  The  first  business  in  which 
he  engaged  was  that  of  merchandising,  which  he 
conducted  in  a  brick  block  purchased  by  him  for 
that  purpose.  However,  the  life  of  a  merchant 
proved  too  confining  and  in  a  year  he  disposed 
of  the  stock  of  goods  and  the  building  at  a  fair 
advance.  Gradually  he  drifted  into  the  real- 
estate  business  through  the  buying  of  lots  and 
improving  of  the  same,  and  he  still  continues  in 
the  business,  which  as  yet  has  been  limited  to 
his  home  city.  In  the  future  of  the  beach  towns 
he  has  the  greatest  confidence.  With  their  un- 
rivaled climate  and  beauties  of  scenery  he  be- 
lieves they  will  attract  a  constantly  increasing 
number  of  guests,  and  the  present  rapid  growth 
of  Long  Beach  justifies  his  faith  in  its  prosper- 
ity. Charities  and  churches  receive  his  support, 
and  his  influence  is  given  to  all  movements  for 
the  upbuilding  of  the  city  along  lines  of  perma- 
nent advancement.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Friends  Church  of  Long  Beach,  which  he  has 
served  in  the  capacity  of  trustee  for  the  past 
four  years,  and  was  also  treasurer  of  the  Pasa- 
dena quarterly  meeting.  While  living  in  the 
east  he  married  Miss  Sallie  Lindley,  of  Illinois, 
and  they  have  had  two  daughters,  one  of  whom 
died  at  four  years  of  age  and  the  other,  Mary 
Esther,  is  now  the  chief  joy  of  their  cozy  home. 


HON.  FREDERIC  W.  GREGG.  The  lin- 
eage of  the  family  represented  by  this  influen- 
tial attorney  of  San  Bernardino  and  popular  citi- 
zen of  Redlands  is  traced  back  to  the  north 
of  Ireland  and  to  Scotland,  but  from  an  early 
period  in  American  colonial  history  the  family 
has  been  associated  with  the  development  of 
New  England.    The  genealogy  shows  that  Alex- 


ander M.  Gregg  was  a  native  of  Medford, 
Alass.,  and  established  the  family  in  New  Hamp- 
shire, where,  to  his  marriage  with  a  Miss  Clark, 
there  was  born,  January  21,  1823,  a  son,  Robert 
M.  During  early  manhood  he  met  and  married 
Eliza  M.  Buxton,  whose  ancestors  came  from 
England  to  America  during  the  colonial  era  and 
settled  in  New  England.  When  the  second  war 
began  with  England,  her  father,  William  Bux- 
ton, who  was  a  stanch  defender  of  American 
rights,  enlisted  in  the  service  on  board  a  priva- 
teer which  captured  many  valuable  British  ships. 
His  father  was  also  a  sailor  in  the  American 
navy  and  served  during  the  Revolutionary  war. 

Among  the  children  of  Robert  M.  Gregg  there 
was  a  son,  Frederic  W.,  who  was  born  in  Ver- 
mont on  Christmas  day  of  1856.  It  was  his 
privilege  to  receive  better  advantages  than  fell 
to  many  of  his  day  and  locality,  and  of  these 
privileges  he  availed  himself  to  the  utmost.  On 
the  completion  of  the  studies  of  the  common 
schools  he  matriculated  in  Dartmouth  College, 
where  he  took  the  classical  course  of  study  and 
was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1878.  Immed- 
iately after  leaving  college  he  began  the  study 
of  law  in  the  office  of  Hon.  Frank  Plumley, 
L'nited  States  district  attorney  for  Vermont.  La- 
ter he  pursued  his  law  studies  in  the  Columbia 
Law  School.  On  being  admitted  to  the  bar  he 
sought  a  field  of  practice  in  the  west  and  in 
June  1881,  opened  an  office  at  Tucson,  Ariz., 
where  he  soon  acquired  prominence  through  his 
high  mental  attainments  and  broad  knowledge  of 
the  law. 

Less  than  one  year  after  he  had  established  his 
office  in  Tucson  Mr.  Gregg  was  appointed 
l'nited  States  commissioner  for  the  first  judic- 
ial district  of  Arizona,  which  position  he  filled 
for  three  years.  In  November  of  1882  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  board  of  school  trustees 
of  Tucson.  As  the  nominee  of  the  Republican 
party  in  1884  he  was  a  candidate  for  district  at- 
torney, but  was  defeated  by  a  few  votes.  Upon 
the  petition  of  the  bar  of  the  county  in  March, 
1S85,  he  was  appointed  county  judge  of  Pima 
county.  At  the  expiration  of  the  term  of  two 
years  he  was  elected  to  the  office  as  his  own 
successor,  being  honored  with  a  larger  vote  than 
any  other  candidate  on  the  Republican  county 
ticket. 

On  leaving  Tucson  in  the  summer  of  1887 
Judge  Gregg  removed  to  California  and  opened 
an  office  at  San  Bernardino,  where  he  formed  a 
])artnership  with  William  A.  Harris  under  the 
firm  title  of  Harris  &  Gregg.  Since  coming  to 
this  city  he  has  acquired  a  large  practice  in  all 
of  the  courts,  and  has  won  local  distinction 
through  high  attainments  and  attractive  personal 
qualities.  After  coming  to  California  he  re- 
mained a  bachelor  for  some  years,  but  July  31, 


1920 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


lyoi,  he  established  domestic  ties  through  his 
marriage  to  Miss  Agnes  Wilson,  an  accom- 
plished and  cultured  young  lady  residing  in  Los 
Angeles,  of  which  her  father,  Peter  Wilson,  was 
an  early  settler.  Her  death,  which  occurred 
April  30,  1906,  was  a  bereavement  not  only  to 
Judge  Gregg  and  members  of  her  father's  fam- 
ily, but  also  to  the  large  circle  of  warm  personal 
friends  to  whom  she  had  become  endeared 
through  the  possession  of  refinement  of  manner, 
gentleness  of  temperament  and  a  cultured  mind. 


CODY  J.  FREDERICK.  A  short  distance 
north  of  \  enice  lies  the  homestead  of  Mr.  Fred- 
erick, embracing  a  small  tract  which  cost  him 
only  $47  an  acre  at  the  time  of  its  purchase. 
Owing  to  the  proximity  of  the  markets,  the  place 
afforded  ideal  conditions  for  a  dairy,  and  this 
industry  has  engaged  the  owner's  attention.  Al- 
falfa can  be  raised  exceptionally  well,  hence  ha\- 
is  provided  for  the  milch  cows  of  excellent  qual- 
ity and  in  large  quantities.  (Jn  the  building  of 
the  Short  Line  electric  railroad,  the  track  crossed 
one  corner  of  the  farm,  giving  fine  facilities  for 
reaching  the  city  as  well  as  other  suburbs.  Re- 
cently Mr.  Frederick  sold  eight  acres  for  $950 
an  acre,  reserving  for  himself  five  acres  on  the 
car  line,  just  outside  of  the  city  limits  of  Venice. 
The  five  acres  are  estimated  to  be  worth  $2,000 
an  acre,  and  he  has  erected  thereon  a  comfort- 
able residence,  besides  making  other  improve- 
ments of  value. 

The  birth  of  Cody  J.  Frederick  occurred  in 
Branch  county,  Mich.,  February  5,  1854,  his 
parents  being  Alexander  and  Emeline  (Cody) 
Frederick,  natives  of  New  York.  The  paternal 
grandfather  was  born  in  Germany  and  the  ma- 
ternal grandfather,  John  Cod}-,  was  of  Holland- 
Dutch  extraction,  while  the  maternal  grand- 
mother, who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Hannah 
Hubbs,  was  of  Scotch  lineage.  While  Michigan 
was  still  a  new  country,  on  whose  broad  acres 
few  furrows  had  been  turned,  Alexander  Fred- 
erick sought  its  opportunities  and  identified  him- 
self with  its  pioneers,  clearing  a  farm  where  for 
years  he  made  his  home.  For  a  time  he  also 
engaged  in  teaming  and  in  addition  he  carried 
on  a  hotel  situated  on  the  main  thoroughfare  be- 
tween Qinton  and  Detroit.  His  death  occurred 
when  he  was  fifty-six  years  of  age,  and  his  wife 
survived  him  some  time,  passing  away  on  the 
Michigan  homestead  at  the  age  of  sixty-five 
years. 

When  eleven  years  of  age  Cody  J.  Frederick 
was  orphaned  by  the  death  of  his  father,  and  two 
vears  later  he  began  to  earn  his  own  livelihood. 
To  an  exceptional  degree,  therefore,  whatever, 
of  success  he  has  attained  may  be  attributed  to 
his  unaided  exertions  begun   at   a   period  when 


most  boys  are  enjoying  the  advantages  of  nun:' 
training  in  school.  For  six  years  he  worked  out 
on  farms  for  neighboring  farmers  and  then  he 
rented  the  old  homestead,  which  he  operated 
until  the  place  was  sold  in  1893.  During  the  lat- 
ter year  he  came  to  California  and  settled  at 
Santa  Monica,  where  he  was  employed  in  team- 
ing and  sundry  other  occupations  such  as  pre- 
sented themselves  for  the  obtaining  of  a  liveli- 
hood. After  six  years  in  that  town  he  came  to 
his  present  location  and  purchased  fourteen 
acres,  a  part  of  which  forms  his  present  home- 
stead. While  living  in  JNIichigan  he  married 
Sarah  L.  Purdy,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  that 
state,  and  whom  he  had  known  from  early  child- 
hood. They  became  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren, but  two  died  young  and  onlv  one  survives. 
Alma,  wife  of  William  Lowe,  who  operates  a 
large  dairy  at  Palms.  In  politics  Mr.  Frederick 
always  votes  with  the  Republican  party,  while  in 
fraternal  relations  he  holds  membership  with  the 
Ancient  Order  of  L^nited  Workmen  and  the  Fra- 
ternal Brotherhood. 


CLAUDIUS  LEE  E]\IERSON,  cashier  of 
the  First  National  Bank  of  San  Jacinto,  River- 
side county,  is  one  of  the  foremost  business  men 
of  this  section,  having  risen  to  the  position  of 
esteem  in  which  he  is  universally  held  by  the 
demonstration  of  superior  business  ability.  The 
institution  with  which  he  is  connected  was  first 
organized  as  a  state  bank  in  1886  and  from  a 
modest  beginning  acquired  a  financial  standing, 
which  in  January,  1906,  led  to  its  establishment 
as  a  national  bank,  A.  W.  \\Tight  being  presi- 
dent ;  John  Shaver,  vice-president ;  C.  L.  Emer- 
son, cashier ;  and  J.  C.  Wright,  assistant  -cashier. 
Mr.  Emerson  is  a  native  of  California,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  Fresno  county  in  1872 ;  his 
parents,  J.  H.  and  Nellie  (Neal)  Emerson,  na- 
tives of  Missouri  (the  gateway  for  the  vast  tide 
of  emigration  which  swept  toward  the  Pacific 
coast  in  historic  '49),  crossed  the  plains  with 
ox-teams,  and  after  a  six  months'  trip  located  in 
Grass  valley,  where,  following  the  example  of 
the  majority  who  came  west  in  that  year,  the 
father  engaged  in  mining.  This  occupation  he 
followed  until  injured  by  the  caving  in  of  a 
mine :  at  that  period  he  located  in  Fresno  county 
and  made  that  place  his  home  until  1886.  when 
he  came  to  Riverside  county,  and  in  San  Jacinto 
engaged  in  business.  Failing  health  induced  his 
practical  retirement  from  business  activity  some 
time  previous  to  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1897,  at  the  age  of  sixty-one  years.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  his  wife,  who  is  now  seventy-one  years 
of  age,  her  home  remaining  in  San  Jacinto. 

In    the    public   schools   of    San   Jacinto    C.    L. 
Emerson  received  a  good  education,  after  which. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RLCORD. 


1921 


in  young  manhood,  he  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a 
general  merchandise  store  of  this  place.  In 
1900  he  went  into  business  for  himself,  purchas- 
ing a  grocery  store  which  he  operated  for  three 
years,  when  he  was  chosen  assistant  cashier  of 
the  First  National  Bank,  which  was  then,  how- 
ever, the  State  Bank  of  San  Jacinto.  Upon  its 
being  made  a  national  bank  Mr.  Emerson  be- 
came its  cashier  and  this  position  he  is  filling  at 
the  present  writing.  At  the  same  time  he  has 
retained  an  interest  in  the  agricultufal  life  of  the 
community,  owning  and  operating  a  ranch  in  the 
vicinity  of   San  Jacinto. 

In  San  Jacinto  Mr.  Emerson  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Zelma  Shultz,  and  born  of 
this  union  are  two  children,  Marjorie  and  Nellie. 
Air.  Emerson  is  identified  with  several  fraternal 
organizations,  being  a  member  of  San  Jacinto 
Lodge  No.  383,  I.  O.  O.  F. ;  Independent  Order 
of  Foresters;  and  San  Jacinto  Camp  No.  100, 
W.  O.  W.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Native 
Sons  of  the  Golden  West,  being  associated  with 
the  San  Jacinto  Parlor.  He  takes  a  deep  in- 
terest in  the  general  welfare  of  the  community, 
and  gives  his  best  efforts  toward  all  forward 
movements,  being  particularly  associated  with 
the  educational  affairs  as  trustee  of  the  public 
and  high  schools.  He  is  in  no  sense  a  partisan, 
but  seeks  to  advance  the  interest  of  the  entire 
section  in  which  he  makes  his  home. 


ALBERT  JOHNSON.  It  has  been  a  matter 
of  frequent  comment  among  the  people  of  Cal- 
ifornia that  the  young  men  who  have  come 
hither  from  Germany  and  who  have  learned  their 
trades  in  the  old  country  are  unusually  skilled  in 
their  special  craft  or  occupation ;  as  workmen 
they  have  few  superiors,  and  their  knowledge  of 
their  trades  is  both  thorough  and  extensive.  Such 
in  general  may  be  stated  of  Mr.  Johnson,  whose 
proficiency  in  the  building  business  has  brought 
him  into  prominence  in  Ventura  county  and  given 
him  a  goodly  proportion  of  such  business  in  his 
home  town  of  Oxnard.  Of  German  birth,  he 
had  the  advantage  of  serving  an  apprenticeship 
of  three  years  at  the  carpenter's  trade  in  his 
home  land,  begining  to  serve  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen and  remaining  under  a  master  carpenter 
until  he  was  seventeen  and  thoroughly  grounded 
in  the  occupation. 

Oldenburg  is  Mr.  Johnson's  native  place,  and 
.\pril  19,  i860,  the  date  of  his  birth,  his  parents 
being  John  and  Helen  (Torhorst)  Johnson,  who 
were  likewise  natives  of  Germany  and  lifelong 
residents  of  that  country,  the  father  being  a 
farmer  in  Oldenburg.  Six  children  comprised 
their  family  and  all  but  one  are  still  living,  Al- 
bert being  next  to  the  youngest  and  the  only 
one  in  the  L^nited  States.     It  was  his  good  for- 


tune to  receive  an  excellent  education  in  the 
German  language  in  the  schools  of  Oldenburg, 
and  immediately  after  leaving  school  he  was  ap- 
prenticed to  the  carpenter's  trade.  In  1878  he 
crossed  the  ocean  to  try  his  fortune  in  America. 
Proceeding  west  to  Nebraska,  he  secured  em- 
ployment on  a  farm  in  Webster  county,  and  re- 
mained in  that  postion  for  fifteen  months.  At 
the  expiration  of  that  time  he  began  to  work  at 
carpentering  at  Guiderock,  \\'ebster  county,  and 
later  was  similarly  employed  in  Alilwaukee,  V\'is., 
from  which  city  he  came  to  the  Pacific  coast,  ar- 
riving in  Los  Angeles  February  6,  1885,  and  se- 
curing employment  as  a  carpenter  in  that  city. 

Upon  his  removal  to  Hueneme  in  1888  Mr. 
Johnson  entered  the  employ  of  a  contractor, 
with  whom  he  remained  for  three  years,  mean- 
while acquiring  a  valuable  insight  into  the  con- 
tracting business  with  its  multitudinous  details. 
After  leaving  his  employer,  JMr.  Wilson,  he  be- 
gan to  take  contracts  to  erect  buildings  and  suc- 
ceeded so  well  that  he  was  encouraged  to  con- 
tinue. At  the  time  of  the  founding  of  Oxnard, 
in  1898,  he  came  to  the  new  town  and  com- 
menced to  build  on  contract.  Since  then  he  has 
erected  scores  of  residences,  some  among  them 
being  as  elegant  and  substantial  as  any  to 
be  found  in  Ventura  county.  In  1903  he  brought 
his  family  to  Oxnard,  where  he  owns  and  oc- 
cupies a  neat  residence  near  the  corner  of  A 
and  Third  streets.  In  \'entura  county  he  mar- 
ried Mrs.  Freda  (Bulla)  Engle,  who  was  born 
in  .Saxony,  Germany,  and  is  a  lady  of  fair  educa- 
tion and  the  highest  refinement,  an  earnest  mem- 
ber of  the  Lutheran  Church  and  a  contributor  in 
missionary"  and  charitable  movements.  Reared  in 
the  Lutheran  faith,  Mr.  Johnson  always  has  been 
identified  with  that  denomination  and  gives  his 
support  to  its  doctrines.  \\'ell  informed  con- 
cerning the  national  government  of  the  United 
States  and  the  policy  of  each  administration,  he 
casts  his  ballot  for  Republican  principles  at  all 
elections.  Fraternally  he  hold  membership  with 
the  Sons  of  Herman,  and  has  been  honored  with 
the  office  of  president,  which  he  now  holds. 


RICHARD  W.  SERVICE.  Associated  with 
the  real  estate  firm  known  as  Service  Brothers, 
of  Los  Angeles,  with  a  branch  ofiice  in  EI  Monte, 
Richard  W.  Service  is  active  in  business  aft'airs 
of  the  county  and  as  a  man  of  sagacious  judg- 
ment and  executive  ability  has  proven  a  factor 
in  the  upbuilding  and  development  of  this  enter- 
prise. Mr.  Service  came  to  California  in  1900 
from  his  birthplace  in  Ontario,  where  he  was 
born  April  24,  1869,  a  son  of  Rev.  Richard 
Ser^-ice.  of  English  and  Scotch  ancestry,  the 
paternal  grandfather,  David,  having  emigrated 
from    England    and    located    in    the    province    of 


1922 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Ontario.  Richard  Service  became  a  minister  in 
the  2\Iethodist  Episcopal  Church,  attending  the 
Niagara  conference  and  later  the  London  con- 
ference. His  death  occurred  in  Ontario.  His 
wife,  formerly  Julia  Bristol,  was  born  near 
Tcnawanda,  N.  Y.,  a  daughter  of  Rev.  Emerson 
Bristol  also  a  native  of  New  York  and  a  lumber- 
man in  the  northern  part  of  the  state  on  the 
Erie  canal.  Later  in  life  he  entered  the  ministry 
of  the  iNIethodist  Episcopal  Church,  preached  in 
his  native  state  and  later  went  to  Ontario,  where 
he  served  as  presiding  elder  for  thirty  years. 
?klrs.  Service  still  survives  and  makes  her  home 
in  El  Monte.  She  has  three  sons :  Emerson, 
a  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
located  in  Howard  Lake,  Minn. :  Richard  W., 
of  this  review ;  and  William  E.,  in  partnership 
with  his  brother  in  the  real  estate  business. 

Richard  W.  Service  was  reared  in  St.  Mary"s, 
Ontario,  and  received  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic and  high  schools.  With  his  brother  he  en- 
gaged in  a  real  estate  enterprise  in  their  native 
city,  the  two  remaining  there  until  1900,  when 
they  came  to  California  and  in  Los  Angeles  es- 
tablished a  similar  business,  at  the  same  time 
opening  an  ofifice  in  El  Monte,  the  first  of  its 
character  in  the  place.  In  Los  Angeles  they  are 
located  at  No.  302  Frost  building,  where  they 
make  a  specialty  of  handling  farm  lands,  being 
the  exclusive  selling  agents  for  the  E.  J. 
(Lucky)  Baldwin  ranches.  They  have  met  with 
success  in  their  enterprise,  and  have  laid  out 
Baldwin's  addition  to  El  ^lonte,  also  the  Brock- 
way  tract. 

In  Los  Angeles  Richard  W.  Service  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Venie  Ruland.  a 
native  of  Colorado,  who  was  reared  in  Califor- 
nia, a  graduate  of  the  State  Normal  School  in 
Los  Angeles,  where  she  engaged  in  educational 
work.  %It.  Service  is  a  Methodist,  and  political- 
ly votes  the  Republican  ticket.  In  all  matters  of 
public  import  he  takes  an  active  interest  and 
seeks  in  every  possible  way  to  advance  the  gen- 
eral welfare.  He  is  a  leading  citizen  in  El 
Monte,  and  holds  a  high  place  in  the  regard  of 
his  fellow  citizens. 


JOHN  G.  FRENCH.  A  man  of  advanced 
ideas,  practical  and  progressive,  possessing  men- 
tal vigor  and  business  aptitude,  John  G.  French 
occupies  a  fine  position  among  the  representa- 
tive citizens  of  \''enice,  Los  Angeles  county,  and 
is  among  the  foremost  to  forward  all  enterprises 
conducive  to  the  best  interests  of  the  place.  A 
native  of  Ohio,  he  was  born.  October  22,  1855, 
in  Miami  county,  a  son  of  Asa  D.  French. 

Having  spent  his  earlier  life  in  Oliio,  Asa  D. 
French  subsequently  moved  to  White  county. 
Tnd.,  buying  land,  and  being  extensively  engaged 


in  farming  and  stock-raising  for  man}'  }ears. 
In  1880  he  migrated  to  Oregon,  locating  in 
Morrow  county,  where  he  continued  in  agricult- 
ural pursuits  for  several  years.  On  July  13, 
1891,  he  died  at  his  home  in  Oregon,  where  his 
widow,  whose  maiden  name  was  Ruth  E. 
Glancy,  now  lives,  her  home  being  in  Heppner. 
Brought  up  on  the  home  farm,  John  G.  French 
early  became  acquainted  with  the  various 
branches  of  farming,  including  grain  and  stock- 
raising.  He'  received  excellent  educational  ad- 
vantages, and  after  his  graduation,  in  1872,  from 
the  Brookston  Academy,  in  \Miite  county,  Ind., 
he  taught  school  in  that  locality  for  three  years. 
Going  then  to  Kansas,  he  taught  school  for  a 
>-ear,  and  was  aftenvards  engaged  in  the  cattle 
business  for  awhile,  shipping  stock  to  different 
points.  In  1877,  i"  Halstead,  Kans.,  he  built 
the  first  steam  elevator  on  the  Santa  Fe  Rail- 
road, and  after  operating  it  successfully  for  three 
years  went  to  McPherson,  Kans.,  where  he  built 
the  first  steam  elevator  on  the  line  of  the  LTnion 
Pacific  Railway.  Selling  out  of  the  grain-re- 
ceiving business  in  1881,  he  located  in  Atchison, 
Kans..  becoming  buyer  for  the  Atchison  Eleva- 
tor Company.  Three  years  later,  in  188..1,  he 
closed  out  his  interest  in  the  grain  trade  and 
embarked  in  the  wholesale  grocerv  business  with 
\\\  F.  Dolan  &  Co.,  having  his  western  head- 
quarters in  Newton,  Kans.,  and  while  thus  en- 
gaged invested  in  Kansas  property.  Retiring 
from  this  business  in  1887  he  was  for  two  years 
in  the  retail  drv-goods  business  in  Newton.  Dis- 
posing of  his  stock  in  1889,  he  opened  a  retail 
hardware  and  implement  house  in  Pratt,  Kans., 
where  he  Was  located  two  years.  Selling  out 
in  1891,  he  came  to  the  Pacific  coast  as  agent  for 
manufacturing  companies,  his  territorv  extend- 
ing the  length  of  the  coast,  with  headquarters  in 
San  Francisco  and  Los  Angeles.  In  1898  he 
organized  the  wholesale  department  of  the  Will- 
iam H.  Hoegee  &  Co.  firm  in  Los  Angeles,  with 
which  he  was  connected  for  five  years.  Sever- 
ing his  relations  with  this  firm  in  1904,  he  re- 
sumed his  former  position  w-ith  the  manufactur- 
er's agency,  and  soon  after  was  made  general 
manager  of  the  Abbot  Kinney  Company  in  the 
building  of  \'enice,  remaining  as  such  from  Janu- 
ary, 1905,  until  July,  1905,  when  he  assumed 
the  management  of  the  land  department,  with 
headquarters  at  Venice.  On  January  i.  1906, 
he  organized  the  Venice  of  America  Land  Com- 
pany, a  corporation,  paid-up  capital  $30,000,  of 
which  he  is  vice-president  and  general  manager, 
and  promoting  along  with  other  \''enetian  inter- 
ests. East  Venice  of  America,  a  beautiful  resi- 
dence suburb  of  Venice. 

Jn  the  upbuilding  of  \'enice  Mr.  French  lias 
t-\ken  an  active  part,  lending  his  aid  and  influ- 
ence toward  the  establishment  of  beneficial  proj- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1923 


ects.  He  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  advanced  ideas 
of  education  and  was  one  of  the  first  board  of 
trustees,  and  the  first  president,  of  the  Ocean 
Park  school  board,  a  position  that  he  still  re- 
tains. Many  of  the  new  ideas  used  in  erecting, 
equipping  and  furnishing  the  first  grammar 
school  building  in  Venice  were  his,  and  have 
proved  useful  and  practical,  and  of  great  benefit 
to  teachers  and  pupils. 

In  1879,  in  Kansas,  :\Ir.  French  married 
Birdie  L.  Pence,  of  Leavenworth,  Kans.,  a  grand- 
daughter of  Louis  Burns,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Kansas,  and  of  their  union  three  children  have 
been  bom,  namely :  Ruth  E.,  Elma  P.  and 
Dorothy  G.  Politically  Mr.  French  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  fraternally  he  is  a  Knight  of  Pythias. 


JOSEPH  L.  COLEMAN.  Two  and  a  half 
miles  northeast  of  El  Monte  is  located  the  ranch 
owned  by  Joseph  L.  Coleman,  one  of  the  pro- 
gressive and  enterprising  citizens  of  this  section 
of  Los  Angeles  county.  The  family  of  which. 
Mr.  Coleman  is  the  California  representative  is 
of  English  origin,  the  grandfather,  Steven,  hav- 
ing emigrated  from  England  and  located  in  Vir- 
ginia, where  he  engaged  as  a  farmer  until  his 
death.  The  father,  Richard  D.,  was  born  in 
Tazewell  county,  Va.,  there  reared  to  manhood, 
when  he  followed  a  mercantile  enterprise  until 
the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war.  He  enlisted  in 
the  Union  army  in  Company  H,  Thirty-ninth 
Regiment  Kentucky  Infantry,  as  first  lieutenant 
and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Round  Bottom,  in 
Kentucky,  in  1863.  He  was  survived  by  his 
wife,  formerly  Nancy  King,  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky, and  daughter  of  Louis  King,  also  a  native 
of  that  state,  who  engaged  in  farming  until  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war.  He  participated 
as  a  soldier  in  Company  H,  Thirty-ninth  Regi- 
ment Kentucky  Infantry,  after  which  he  removed 
to  Alinnesota.  Still  later  he  removed  to  Arling- 
ton, Tex.,  where  his  death  eventually  occurred. 
]\Irs.  Coleman  died  in  Minnesota,  leaving  a  fam- 
ily of  eight  children,  of  whom  five  are  now  liv- 
ing 

Next  to  the  oldest  child  in  a  large  family,  Jo- 
seph L.  Coleman  was  born  in  Tazewell  county, 
Va.,  July  9,  i8s2,  and  passed  the  first  ten  years 
of  his  life  in  Virginia,  the  family  removing  to 
Kentucky  in  1862.  After  his  service  in  the  Civil 
war  the  father  located  in  Hutchinson,  Minn., 
with  his  family  and  there  carried  on  farming  un- 
til the  death  of  the  mother  in  1864.  Little  more 
than  a  child  in  years,  Joseph  L.  was  forced  to 
take  up  the  burden  of  self-support,  the  only  work 
at  hand  being  on  a  farm  or  steamboating  on  the 
^[ississippi  river,  both  of  which  he  did.  In  1869 
he  went  to  Montana  and  near  Helena  worked  on 
a  stock  range.     Up  to  the  time  he  was  eighteen 


years  old  he  had  never  had  any  educational  ad- 
vantages, but  the  desire  for  knowledge  was 
strong  within  him,  and  when  opportunity  pre- 
sented he  attended  the  district  school  for  about 
seven  months,  working  on  a  farm  during  the 
summer.  In  1875  he  went  to  Northern  Califor- 
nia and  near  Yreka  engaged  in  the  stock  busi- 
ness. Four  years  later  he  bought  a  ranch  in 
Lake  county  and  engaged  in  the  sheep  and  horse 
business  in  which  he  was  uniformly  successful. 
In  1901  he  sold  his  stock,  leased  his  lands  and 
came  to  Southern  California,  locating  in  Mon- 
rovia. In  1903  he  purchased  sixty-five  acres  of 
the  Peck  tract  and  Chicago  Park,  considered 
waste  land  with  deep  ditches  through  it,  but  un- 
daunted by  its  uninviting  appearance,  he  spent 
time  and  energy  upon  it  and  has  turned  it  into 
a  profitable  walnut  grove  and  alfalfa  farm.  He 
installed  a  pumping  plant,  the  largest  outside  of 
the  city  of  Los  Angeles,  and  has  one  engine  of 
sixty  horse  power. 

In  Los  Angeles  Air.  Coleman  married  Miss 
Lena  Linder,  a  native  of  Switzerland,  and  they 
are  the  parents  of  three  children,  Nancy,  Magda- 
lene and  Mary  E.  Mr.  Coleman  is  a  Republican 
in  his  political  convictions  and  seeks  to  advance 
the  principles  he  endorses,  although  he  has  never 
cared  personally  for  official  recognition.  In  his 
religious  views  he  has  endeavored  to  live  up  to 
the  teachings  of  Qirist  and  do  the  will  of  the 
Lord  in  his  every  movement,  word,  thought  and 
act.  Mrs.  Coleman  has  devoted  her  time  to 
spreading  the  Gospel  for  the  past  thirteen  years. 


CHRISTIAN  KORTNER.  From  the  pictur- 
esque mountains  and  bracing  air  of  Norway  have 
come  many  of  the  most  capable  ranchers  in  Santa 
Barbara  county.  The  sea  and  farming  have  al- 
ways been  the  special  province  of  the  people  nf  the 
Northlands,  steeped  in  their  beautiful  legends  of 
sailors  and  knights,  with  their  simple  attitude  to- 
wards life  and  its  responsibilities,  their  love  of 
home,  and'  their  appreciation  of  the  common, 
homely  virtues.  It  is  to  the  call  of  the  sea.  h<iw- 
ever,  that  the  Norseman  listens  most  readily 
in  his  youth,  and  thus  in  mature  life  there  are 
those  who,  living  in  our  midst,  and  pursuing  pas- 
toral callings,  still  in  memory  recall  the  boom  of 
the  waves,  the  raging  of  the  elements,  and  the 
joy  of  sighting  distant  ports.  Such  a  one  is 
Christian  Kortner,  an  extensive  rancher  near 
Santa  Maria,  who  came  to  this  country  with  a 
seaman's  stipend,  speaking  an  alien  tou'^fue. 
knowing  nothing  of  the  habits  or  customs  of  his 
associates,  and  who  now  is  the  possessor  of  a 
competence  won  through  untiring  perseverance. 

Mr.  Kortner  was  born  in  Norway,  January  14, 
iS.:|5,  and  while  still  the  school  room  should  liavc 
claimed  him,  went  to  sea  as  a  deck  hand.     In 


1924 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


this  lie  had  a  precedent  in  his  father,  who  touched 
at  many  ports  during  a  long  sea-faring  career, 
and  who  finally  died  of  yellow  fever  on  ship 
Ixiard,  and  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  the  sea. 
Ole  Kortner  was  forty-six  years  old  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  and  he  left  a  tamily  of  seven  child- 
ren, three  of  whom  are  living  in  California.  His 
wife,  in  girlhood  Gurna  Nelson,  survived  him 
manv  years,  her  death  occurring  at  the  age  of 
seventy-three.  Christian  Kortner  followed  the 
uncertain  fortunes  of  the  ocean  for  seven  years, 
and  finally  touched  at  New  York,  from  where  he 
shipped  in  the  American  vessel  Twilight  for  the 
long  vo\age  around  the  Horn  to  San  Francisco. 
Here  terminated  his  nautical  career,  and  soon 
after  began  his  agricultural  efforts  in  Alameda 
count}'. 

After  two  years  in  Alameda  county  Mr.  Kort- 
ner spent  two  years  in  the  San  Joaquin  valle}. 
moving  then  to  Monterey  county,  where  he  re- 
mained four  years.  He  next  farmed  for  thirteen 
years  in  San  Luis  Obispo  county,  and  in  1892 
came  to  Santa  Barbara  county,  locating  on  his 
present  ranch  of  two  hundred  and  fifteen  acres. 
He  also  farms  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  and  another  of  eighty  acres,  devoting  his 
land  principally  to  grain,  beans  and  stock.  He 
is  a  studious  and  industrious  farmer,  and  has 
always  adhered  to  the  first  principle  of  saving  as  a 
guarantee  of  financial  success.  However,  the 
habits  of  thrift  and  economy  have  not  prevent- 
ed his  adoption  of  American  comforts  and  con- 
veniences, or  his  appreciation  of  the  diversions 
and  refinements  made  possible  by  the  larger  op- 
portunities by  which  he  is  surrounded. 

In  1887  Mr.  Kortner  married  Mrs.  Maria  Han- 
son, who  was  born  in  Denmark,  and  who.  through 
her  former  marriage,  is  the  mother  of  four  chil- 
dren :  Ellen,  wife  of  George  Tunnel ;  Rasmus, 
Maria  and  Jens.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kortner  have 
been  born  four  children :  Olga,  Laura,  Christian 
and  Henrw  Mr.  Kortner  is  a  Democrat  in  ]3ol- 
itics  and  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Qiurch.  He 
is  a  public  spirited  and  enlightened  rancher,  an 
enthusiastic  supporter  of  schools  and  general 
improving  agencies,  and  an  admirer  of  the  gov- 
ernment and  institutions  of  his  adopted  coinitry. 


CHARLES  GROSJEAN.  A  lumberman  of 
practical  experience  and  judgment  Mr.  Grosjean 
is  connected  with  the  San  Pedro  Lumber  Com- 
pany as  order  clerk.  Like  many  other  enterpris- 
ing young  men  of  the  east,  he  left  home  soon 
after  attaining  his  majority  to  seek  a  new  and 
wider  field  of  operation,  coming  to  the  Pacific 
coast  in  search  of  a  favorable  opportunity  for 
improving  his  financial  condition.  Eor  the  past 
twelve  years  he  has  lived  in  this  thriving  city, 
and  during  the  time  has  labored  with  persistency 


of  purpose  and  has  acquired  a  nice  property. 
A  son  of  Edward  Grosjean.  he  was  born,  Octo- 
ber 2,  1854,  at  Mount  Eaton,  Ohio,  where  his 
paternal  grandfather,  Charles  Grosjean,  was  a 
pioneer  settler,  and  from  the  wild  tract  of  land 
which  he  bought  reclaimed  a  good  farm. 

Born  in  canton  Berne,  Switzerland,  Edward 
Grosjean  came  with  his  parents  to  the  United 
States  when  }Oung,  and  in  the  clearing  and 
improving  of  the  parental  homestead  was  an 
able  assistant.  He  subsequently  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  carrying  on  general  farming, 
and  also  owning  and  operating  a  saw-mill.  In 
1852  he  came  across  the  plains  to  California, 
and  after  mining  for  a  time  with  good  success 
returned,  on  the  Golden  Gate,  which  was  sub- 
sequently burned,  going  home  by  way  of  the 
Isthmus.  Erecting  a  large  mill  in  Ohio,  he 
was  afterwards  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
lumber  until  his  death,  at  the  early  age  of  forty- 
one  years.  He  was  a  man  of  sterling  integrity 
and  worth,  and  occupied  a  place  of  prominence 
in  Masonic  circles,  having  taken  the  thirty- 
second  degree  in  that  order.  He  married  Caro- 
line Wisen.  who  was  born  in  Berne,  Switzerland, 
and  died  in  Mount  Eaton,  Ohio.  Of  the  ten 
children  born  of  their  union,  four  sons  and  one 
daughter  are  living.  Charles  being  the  oldest  son. 

Brought  up  on  a  farm,  and  educated  in  the 
common  schools,  Charles  Grosjean  was  trained  in 
early  life  to  habits  of  industry  and  thrift.  As 
a  bo_\-  he  worked  in  his  father's  saw-mill,  be- 
coming expert  in  all  departments  connected 
with  its  management.  In  1887  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, locating  at  Guerneville,  Sonoma  county, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber, 
in  the  mill  running  everything  from  the  plane 
to  the  big  saw,  and  serving  as  tallyman.  Go- 
ing to  San  Francisco  in  1881,  he  was  tallyman  and 
foreman  for  the  Moore  &  Smith  Company  for 
four  years,  and  the  following  seven  years  was 
similarly  employed  in  Oakland,  with  the  Puget 
Sound  Lumber  Company.  He  was  subsequently 
foreman  for  eight  months  for  Simpson  &  Gray, 
in  Stockton,  afterwards  being  foreman  for  the 
Glenwood  Lumber  Company  in  San  Jose.  Com- 
ing to  San  Pedro  in  1893,  he  accepted  the  posi- 
tion of  foreman  with  the  San  Pedro  Lumber 
Company,  and  in  that  capacity  rendered  ac- 
ceptable service  until  1899.  when  he  resigned. 
He  has  since  continued  his  residence  here,  and 
is  now  order  clerk  for  the  same  firm.  Familiar 
with  the  manufacture  of  lumber  from  his  earlier 
years,  he  brings  to  the  business  experience,  in- 
dustry and  a  large  amount  of  ability.  He  has 
accumulated  some  property  of  value,  and  at  No. 
270  Fifth  street  has  erected  a  fine  residence. 

In  Millersburg,  Ohio,  January  i,  1881.  Mr. 
Grosjean  married  Lina  M.  Beckler,  a  native  of 
that  place,  being  the  daughter  of  Eugene  Beckler, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1925 


who  settled  there  on  coming  to  this  country  from 
France.  Fraternall_v  Mr.  Grosjean  is  a  member 
of  the  Foresters  of  America,  and  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Foresters.  He  is  a  man  of 
high  moral  standing  in  the  community,  and  be- 
longs to  the   Congregational   Church. 


LEAXDER  COLUMBUS  MILLER.  Since 
1886  L.  C.  Miller  has  been  heavilx-  interested 
in  Los  Angeles  county  property  and  in  the  past 
twenty  years  has  bought  and  improved  many 
pieces  of  land  which  he  afterwards  platted  and 
sold  as  town  lots.  He  is  of  German  descent. 
his  grandfather,  John  Miller,  being  a  native  of 
Germany,  where  in  early  manhood  he  was  en- 
gaged as  a  potter  and  farmer.  Later  he  emi- 
grated to  America  and  becamfe  a  pioneer  of 
Union  county,  Ind.,  where  he  pre-empted  the 
first  piece  of  government  land,  and  resided  un- 
til his  death  in  185 1  at  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-three  years.  His  wife  was  Phoebe  Mc- 
Clure  before  her  marriage  in  1792,  and  her 
death  occurred  in  1848,  aged  seventy-seven  years. 
Mr.  Miller's  parents,  Abraham  and  Susanna 
(Lybrook)  Miller,  were  both  natives  of  Indiana, 
the  former  born  in  1810,  died  July  9,  i860,  the 
latter  bom  May  2,  1830,  died  October  30,  1883. 
They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  six  of 
whom  are  living,  and  the  father  was  a  firm  be- 
liever in  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party. 

In  the  middle  of  the  past  century  when 
the  central  states  were  really  the  frontier  border- 
land, it  was  not  easy  to  secure  an  education.  Mr. 
Miller  who  was  born  near  College  comer,  Ohio, 
on  the  Indiana  side,  October  9,  1846,  was  obliged 
to  be  content  with  what  he  could  learn  in  from 
three  weeks  to  three  months  a  year  at  the  dis- 
trict school.  His  father  died  when  the  son  was 
fourteen  years  old  and  until  he  was  twenty-eight 
years  of  age  he  worked  on  the  farm  for  his  moth- 
er. He  then  married  and  came  to  California  but 
soon  returned  to  Indiana  and  again  conducted  the 
home  farm,  his  mother  being  in  ill  health.  After 
her  death  he  sold  the  place,  settled  and  divided 
the  estate  and  came  in  Glendale,  Cal.,  where  he 
purchased  twenty  acres  of  land,  subdivided  and 
sold  it  and  then  in  company  with  three  others 
bought  a  tract  of  eighty  acres  and  disposed  of 
it  in  the  same  way.  The  Santa  Monica  district 
attracted  him  next,  and  selecting  a  tract  of  forty 
acres  which  was  then  bare  and  desolate  h^  im- 
proved it  and  gradually  added  more  acres  to  his 
original  purchase  until  he  had  seventv-five  acres. 
Again  he  decided  to  subdivide  a  portion  of  the 
land,  and  choosing  the  fortv  acres  Iving  nearest 
to  Venice  he  made  the  addition  of  East  Venice. 
In  addition  to  his  other  properties  Mr.  Miller 
also  owns  a  fine  residence  on  Thirtieth  street  in 
Los  Angeles  where  he  makes  his  home. 


His  wife  was  Katharine  Smith  whose  parents 
and  grandparents  were  natives  of  North  Caro- 
lina, with  the  exception  of  her  father,  Alexander 
Smith,  who  was  born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio, 
where  he  engaged  as  a  farmer,  and  stock  dealer, 
later  removing  to  Indiana,  where  he  married 
and  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  Her  mother 
came  to  California  and  her  death  occurred  at 
Santa  Monica.  Mrs.  Miller  was  born  Septem- 
ber 16,  1848,  and  became  the  mother  of  seven 
children,  five  of  whom  are  still  living.  They  are 
Olive  Leona,  married  to  Mr.  Spencer,  now  de- 
ceased :  Glen  G.,  a  dentist ;  Myron  C,  fomierly 
manager  of  the  telephone  office,  and  now  of 
Whittier :  Laurel  Revel,  a  high  school  student ; 
and  Zelma  K.,  at  home.  Religiously  the  fam- 
ily attend  and  support  the  INIethodist  Episcopal 
Cliurch,  and  politically  Mr.  Miller  is  a  stanch 
believer  in  the  principles  advocated  by  the  Repub- 
lican party.  He  is  accorded  a  prominent  place 
in  the  ranks  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Los  An- 
geles and  has  alwa}S  been  ready  to  lend  a  hand 
in  the   forwarding  of  progressive   enterprises. 


OLOF  NELSON.  The  material  upbuilding 
and  practical  development  of  San  Diego  have 
been  promoted  by  the  arduous  efforts  of  the  men 
who  directly  or  indirectly  are  connected  with  the 
building  business,  and  in  this  class  Olof  Nelson 
occupies  an  important  place.  Although  fully 
competent  to  engage  in  any  department  of  the 
building  industry  he  has  limited  his  attention  to 
cement  work  and  teaming  contracts.  For  a  time 
prior  to  1905  he  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Engebretsen  &  Nelson,  but  during  the  latter  year 
he  sold  his  interest  in  the  business  to  Mr.  Enge- 
bretsen and  since  then  has  engaged  independ- 
ently in  contract  grading  and  teaming,  for  which 
purpose  he  utilizes  about  ten  teams.  As  a  con- 
tractor he  has  proved  prompt  and  reliable  and 
has  carried  out  all  work  with  energy  and  dis- 
patch. 

Near  Gottenburg,  Sweden,  Olof  Nelson  was 
born  April  11.  1858,  being  a  son  of  Nels  Ander- 
son by  his  marriage  to  Caroline,  daughter  of 
Andreas,  all  natives  of  the  same  part  of  Sweden 
and  farmers  by  occupation.  In  the  parental  fam- 
ily there  were  four  sons  and  three  daughters, 
all  of  whom  are  still  living,  Olof  being  the 
\-oungest  of  the  seven  and  the  only  one  to  settle 
in  the  United  States.  During  boyhood  he  worked 
on  the  farm  in  summers  and  attended  school  in 
the  winter,  receiving  such  educational  advan- 
tages as  the  time  and  place  afforded.  After  he 
had  attained  his  majority  he  continued  on  the 
old  homestead,  but  it  was  his  ambition  to  emi- 
grate to  the  new  world,  and  at  the  age  of  twentv- 
five  years  he  was  able  to  carry  out  his  wishes  in 
that  respect.     April  20,  1883.  he  set  sail  for  the 


1926 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


western  hemisphere,  and  i\Iay  14  he  landed  at 
Galveston,  Tex.,  where  for  some  months  he  re- 
mained as  an  employe  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad 
Company. 

From  Texas  removing  west  to  California  in 
February,  1884,  Mr.  Nelson  settled  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, where  he  was  employed  in  cutting  stone 
blocks  used  in  making  pavements.  November 
27,  1887,  he  arrived  in  San  Diego.  Shortly  after 
his  arrival  he  began  to  take  contracts  for  grading 
and  opening  roads.  From  quarries  that  he  leased 
he  secured  blocks  which  he  used  in  the  paving 
of  streets,  and  he  soon  came  to  be  known  a,s  a 
reliable  workman  with  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
his  work.  In  street  paving  and  in  cement'  work 
he  was  at  first  associated  with  another  gentleman 
under  the  title  of  Engebretsen  &  Nelson,  but 
more  recently  he  has  been  alone  in  business. 
When  he  came  to  Southern  California  he  was  a 
single  man,  and  here  he  established  a  home  of 
his  own  through  his  marriage,  December  i,  1900, 
to  Miss  Carrie  Johnson,  who  was  born  in  Helge- 
bode,  Varmland,  Sweden,  and  like  himself  is  of 
the  Lutheran  faith.  They  are  the  parents  of  one 
son.  Chester  Odell.  Since  becoming  a  citizen  of 
the  United  States  l\Tr.  Nelson  has  voted  with 
the  Republican  party  and  has  displayed  a  deep 
interest  in  all  measures  relating  to  the  progress 
and  prosperity  of  his  adopted  countn,'.  On  the 
organization  of  the  Scandinavian  Club  of  San 
Diego  he  became  one  of  its  charter  members  and 
still  retains  his  connection  with  that  bodv.  Fra- 
ternally he  holds  membership  with  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  having  been  mitiated  into  the  latter 
order  in  Sunset  Lodge  No.  328.  besides  which  he 
is  also  connected  with  the  encampment  and  the 
canton. 


PETER  HORTON  CO\TNGTON.  In  1876 
Mr.  Covington  came  to  California  and  since  that 
time  he  has  proven  himself  one  of  the  most  de- 
voted upbuilders  of  the  commonwealth  and  a 
citizen  of  unusual  worth  and  ability.  He  was 
born  near  Grenada,  Miss.,  April  4,  1847.  His 
father,  Daniel  A.,  was  born  in  North  Carolina, 
A'larch  27,  1812,  and  was  thence  taken  by  his 
father,  Matthew,  a  native  of  the  same  state,  to 
Hinitingdon,  Tenn.,  and  there  reared  to  young 
manhood.  The  grandfather,  wlio  was  of  English 
descent,  was  a  farmer  in  North  Carolina,  and 
there  gave  his  strength  to  the  American  forces 
in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  1775-83.  Daniel 
A.  Covington  followed  farming  for  a  livelihood, 
being  first  located  in  Tennessee,  and  later,  in 
1835,  coming  south  to  Mississippi  and  locating 
in  the  vicinity  of  Grenada.  He  engaged  as  a 
cotton  planter  on  a  two  thousand  acre  plantation 
until  1870,  when  he  came  to  California  and  lo- 


cated in  San  Timoteo  canon  and  there  home- 
steaded  a  ranch.  After  his  retirement  from  pub- 
lic activities  he  removed  to  San  Bernardino  and 
made  that  city  his  home  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1897,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years. 
He  was  a  Mason  fraternally,  and  in  religion 
was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  South.  He  served  in  a  Mississippi  regi- 
ment during  the  Civil  war.  His  wife,  formerly 
Mary  Horton,  was  born  in  Huntingdon,  Tenn., 
a  daughter  of  William  Horton,  a  planter  in  that 
state ;  her  death  occurred  in  Alississippi  in  1867. 

Peter  Horton  Covington  was  reared  in  Mis- 
sissippi and  educated  in  a  private  academy,  af- 
ter which,  in  1864,  he  enlisted  in  the  Second 
Mississippi  Cavalry,  in  Company  E,  and  served 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  returned  home 
and  continued  Vith  his  father  until  attaining 
his  majority,  when  he  engaged  in  farming  on 
his  own  resources.  In  1870  he  took  charge  of 
the  old  home,  dividing  up  the  property  and  dis- 
posing of  the  interests,  after  which,  in  1876, 
he  came  to  California.  He  entered  forty  acres 
of  land  in  San  Timoteo  canon,  and  purchased 
adjoining  land  and  there  he  engaged  as  a  horti- 
culturist, raising  principally  peaches  and  apricots. 
In  1900  he  grubbed  out  these  fruit  trees  and  set 
out  seven  acres  in  oranges,  devoting  forty  acres 
to  alfalfa  and  the  remainder  of  two  hundred 
and  seventy-five  acres  to  hay  and  grain.  This 
ranch  is  situated  three  and  a  half  miles  from 
Redlands  and  is  one  of  the  valuable  ranches  of 
this  section,  being  equipped  with  a  pumping 
plant.  He  now  rents  this  ranch  and  his  dairy 
herd.  Since  1897  he  has  made  his  home  in 
Redlands,  and  in  1899  built  his  present  residence 
at  No.  104  East  Fern  street.  For  two-  years  he 
was  successfully  engaged  in  the  furniture  busi- 
ness on  West  State  street. 

In  Mississippi,  near  his  birthplace,  October  i, 
1869,  Mr.  Covington  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  ^Martha  Cruthirds,  a  native  of  that 
state,  and  a  daughter  of  Alexander  Cruthirds,  of 
Scotch  ancestry,  and  a  planter  by  occupation. 
He  served  in  the  Civil  war  as  a  member  of  a 
Mississippi  regiment.  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Covington 
are  the  parents  of  the  following  children  :  Will- 
iam, a  dairyman  an<l  horticulturist  near  Redlands  ; 
Anna,  wife  of  William  Picst,  of  Santa  -\na ; 
Hester,  a  music  teacher  of  Redlands :  Wal- 
ter, engaged  in  the  undertaking  business  in 
Houston,  Tex. :  Archie,  in  the  real-estate  bus- 
iness in  Redlands ;  and  Harry,  a  student  at 
home.  Mr.  Covington  served  for  years  as 
a  member  of  the  school  board  in  the  Rail- 
road district  and  officiated  as  its  clerk.  Fra- 
ternally he  was  made  a  Mason  in  Qiapel  Hill 
Lodge  No.  227,  of  Chapel,  Miss.,  and  is  past 
master  of  the  lodge.  In  religion  he  is  a  member 
of   the    Methodist    Episcopal    Church    South,    in 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1927 


which  he  officiates  as  chairman  of  the  Ijoard  of 
trustees.  PoHtically  a  Democrat,  he  has  taken 
a  keen  interest  in  public  affairs.  He  is  a  citizen 
who  can  always  be  counted  upon  to  further 
any  movement  inaugurated  for  the  benefit  of 
the  community,  and  is  liberal  and  progressive 
in  every  sense  of  the  word. 


WAYMIRE  BROTHERS.  The  above  named 
gentlemen  are  leading  citizens  of  Norwalk, 
where  they  are  conducting  a  general  hardware 
and  implement  store,  carrying  a  very  extensive 
stock  in  all  articles  usually  found  in  an  estab- 
lishment of  this  kind,  and  also  sell  buggies  and 
wagons  and  carry  on  a  general  plumbing  and  gas 
fitting  business.  Although  young  men  they  are 
decidedly  progressive  and  enterprising  and  have 
risen  to  a  high  position  among  the  citizens  of 
the  place,  who  holds  them  in  esteem  and  re- 
spect for  their  straighforward  methods  in  con- 
ducting their  enterprise  and  for  their  integrity 
and  uprightness  of  character.  Their  parents, 
David  and  Margaret  (Urmston)  Wayniire,  were 
natives  respectively  of  Indiana  and  Ohio.  Af- 
ter engaging  in  ranching  in  various  states  the 
father  finally  located  in  Kansas,  where  his  death 
occurred  in  1895.  He  was  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
war.  having  enfisted  in  Company  I,  Forty-ninth 
Indiana  Infantry,  and  served  for  three  years, 
being  wounded  in  one  of  the  leading  engage- 
ments. He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  or- 
ganization. Mrs.  Waymire  is  still  living  and 
is  a  resident  of  Norwalk. 

The  eldest  brother,  Jack  \\'ayniire,  was  born 
November  19,  1873,  in  Clay  county.  111.,  also 
the  scene  of  the  birth  of  S.  .\.  Waymire,  who 
was  born  May  18,  1875.  The  brothers  grew  to 
young  manhood  together,  receiving  their  pre- 
liminary education  in  the  public  schools,  the 
elder  learning  the  iron  moulder's  and  tinner's 
trades,  at  which  he  worked  in  Illinois  until  he 
came  to  California.  ■  The  younger  brother  com- 
pleted his  business  education  in  the  Cem  City 
Business  College  of  Onincy,  111.  He  then  came 
to  California  (in  1894),  but  returned  to  Illinois, 
coming  Ijack  to  California  to  make  his  home  in 
I  go  I,  accompanied  by  the  youngest  brother,  F. 
D.  Wavmire,  who  was  born  in  Gay  countv,  Til., 
August  24,  1878,  and  like  him  educated  in  the 
public  schools  and  the  Gem  City  Business  Col- 
lege. He  had  been  engaged  in  business  in  Illi- 
nois and  after  the  three  brothers  came  to  Cali- 
fornia they  engaged  in  ranching  for  some  time, 
when  thev  established  their  present  business  in 
Norw-alk.'  The  eldest  brother.  Jack  Waymire.  is 
the  inventor  of  the  Reliable  Acetylene  Genera- 
tor, patented  in  January.  1906.  this  part  of  the 
brother's  business  being  under  bis  management. 
He  has  also  followed  the  tinner's  trade  in  Cali- 


fornia. He  is  identified  fraternally  with  the  Mod- 
ern Woodmen  of  America,  the  Fraternal  Brother- 
hood, the  Fraternal  Aid,  and  in  politics  is  a 
stanch  Republican. 

S.  A.  Waymire  was  married  in  1905  to  Miss 
Ada  Brissenden,  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  they 
have  one  son,  Robert,  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  the  Maccabees  and  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America,  and  politically  votes  the  Republican 
ticket.  His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal   Church. 

F.  D.  Waymire  is  also  a  Republican  politically 
and  with  his' brothers  wields  a  strong  influence  in 
political  circles  in  the  town.  He  has  been  very 
successful  and  owns  a  half  interest  in  several 
lots  in  Long  Beach. 


MERRITT  H.  DAILEY.  Probably  there  is 
no  one  in  Los  Angeles  county  who  takes  more 
pride  in  his  ranch  than  M.  H.  Dailey,  his  tract 
of  forty  acres  at  Lemon  being  equally  divided 
among  oranges  and  walnuts.  The  entire  ranch 
is  under  irrigation,  water  for  which  is  supplied 
from  a  pumping  station  on  the  premises.  Mr. 
Dailey 's  advent  into  California  came  about  as 
the  result  of  a  visit  to  the  state  in  1902,  in  that 
year  meeting  with  the  Shriners  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. The  impressions  which  he  then  gathered 
concerning  the  country  and  its  possibilities  were 
lasting  ones,  and  it  was  in  the  fall  of  that  year 
that  he  carried  out  his  intentions  to  locate  in 
the  Land  of  Sunshine  and  Flowers. 

Mr.  Dailey  is  a  native  of  New  York  state, 
born  in  Oakfield,  Genesee  county,  June  15,  1848, 
into  the  home  of  Morril  T.  and  Adelia  Ann 
(Moody")  Dailey,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
the  Empire  state  also.  By  trade  the  father  was 
a  mechanic.  During  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted 
in  Company  H,  Eighth  New  York  Heavy  Ar- 
tillery, in  which  he  served  for  three  years,  and 
during  the  engagement  at  Maryland  Heights  re- 
ceived an  injury  which  later  resulted  in  his 
death.  Politically  he  was  a  believer  in  Repub- 
lican principles,  and  with  his  wife  was  a  devoted 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Of 
the  five  children  originally  comprised  in  the 
parental  family  only  two  are  now  living,  M.  H. 
and  his  sister,'  Mrs.  Alice  Talbot,  the  latter  re- 
siding in  Akron,  Erie  county,  N.  Y. 

Mr.  Dailey  received  a  good  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  Oakfield,  N.  Y.,  and  there- 
after attended  the  Oakfield  Collegiate  Semi- 
nary. At  the  age  of  eighteen,  when  his  school 
days  were  over,  he  went  to  .\kron,  Erie  county, 
that  state,  and  took  up  the  study  of  dentistry, 
completing  the  course  in  New  York  City,  where 
he  passed  his  final  examinations  and  received 
the  title  ]\r.  D.  S.  Going  back  to  .Akron  he  be- 
gan the  practice  of  ilental  surgery,  later  remov- 


1928 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ing  to  Buffalo,  and  during  the  twenty-eight  years 
which  he  practiced  in  these  two  cities  became 
known  as  a  thoroughly  competent  and  conscien- 
tious practitioner.  It  was  during  this  time,  in 
1902,  that  he  came  to  California  to  meet  with 
the  Shriners  in  San  Francisco.  During  the  fall 
of  the  same  year  he  located  on  his  present  ranch 
of  forty  acres  near  Lemon,  Los  Angeles  county. 
Twenty  acres  are  in  walnuts,  and  the  remainder 
of  the  land  is  set  out  to  Valencia  and  navel 
oranges,  all  of  which  are  well  adapted  to  this 
special  climate  and  soil,  and  it  is  needless  to  say 
that  he  is  making  a  success  of  his  ranch.  To 
some  extent  he  has  resumed  the  practice  of  his 
profession  since  coming  to  the  west,  but  jnerely 
as  an  accommodation  to  friends  and  to  keep  occu- 
pied, rather  than  for  financial  gain. 

In  1868  Mr.  Dailey  was  married  to  Miss  Annie 
E.  Wainwright,  a  native  of  Akron,  N.  Y.,  who 
spent  her  entire  life  in  the  east.  It  was  in  the 
fall  following  her  death,  which  occurred  in 
April,  1902,  that  Mr.  Dailey  came  to  California, 
and  in  1903  he  was  married  to  Miss  Ella  M. 
Persons,  she  also  being  a  native  of  New  York 
state.  Politically  Mr.  Dailey  is  a  Republican, 
and  it  was  on  the  ticket  of  this  party  that  he 
was  elected  town  clerk  of  Newstead,  Erie  county. 
N.  Y.  His  fraternal  associations  are  numerous 
and  include  membership  in  Blue  Lodge  No.  ^2y. 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  Akron,  N.  Y. :  Western  Star 
Gnapter  No.  34,  Batavia,  N.  Y. ;  Lake  Erie 
Commandery  No.  20,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. ;  Ismalia 
Temple  of  Shriners,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. ;  and  he  is 
also  a  member  of  Pomona  Lodge  No.  789,  B.  P. 
O.  E.,  of  Pomona.  Since  locating  in  the  west 
he  has  united  with  the  Visiting  Shriners  Gub 
of  Los  Angeles.  In  the  vicinity  of  his  old  home 
in  the  east  he  still  owns  considerable  valuable 
property.  Personally  he  is  a  man  who  makes 
friends  readily,  and  what  is  still  better,  has  the 
happy  faculty  of  retaining  them. 


JOHN  H.  SCHINTZ.  While  making  his 
home  in  California  ever  since  early  boyhood  the 
duties  attendant  upon  his  various  positions  as 
steamship  electrical  engineer  have  taken  Mr. 
Schintz  to  various  parts  of  the  world  and  par- 
ticularly to  lands  lying  on  the  shores  of  the  Pa- 
cific ocean.  Through  his  travels  he  has  ac- 
quired a  wide  knowledge  of  people  and  nations, 
for  his  habits  of  close  observation  have  enabled 
him,  during  brief  stops  at  prominent  ports,  to 
gain  a  comprehensive  idea  of  the  locality,  cli- 
mate and  people.  During  the  period  of  his  em- 
ployment as  steamship  electrician  he  visited  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama,  the  countries  of  Japan  and 
Giina  and  even  traveled  as  far  as  the  island  of 
Australia,  as  well  as  northward  along  the  Ameri- 
can coast  as  far  as  Puget  Sound.    No  land,  how- 


ever, of  those  visited  by  him  during  his  voyages 
seemed  as  fair  as  California  nor  does  any  coun- 
try in  his  opinion  offer  more  desirable  oppor- 
tunities to  young  men. 

The  Schintz  family  was  founded  in  America 
by  an  attorney  from  Switzerland,  who  became 
a  pioneer  of  Wisconsin  and  secured  the  first 
Havana  tobacco  seed  ever  planted  in  that  state. 
The  crop  proved  a  success  and  the  ensuing  year 
he  furnished  seed  free  of  charge  to  neighbor- 
ing farmers  who  wished  to  embark  in  the  rais- 
ing of  tobacco.  Eventually  he  returned  to  his 
native  land  and  there  died.  His  son,  John 
Plenry.  was  born  at  Zurich,  Switzerland,  and 
engaged  in  the  banking  business  in  that  city  in 
early  life,  but  after  coming  to  America  he  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits  and  was  a  pioneer 
tobacco  raiser  of  Wisconsin,  where  later  he  fol- 
lowed the  building  business  in  Oshkosh.  Re- 
moving- to  California  in  1876  he  settled  in  San 
Francisco  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  and 
sale  of  cigars,  remaining  in  that  city  until  his 
death  in  1898.  While  living  in  Wisconsin  he 
married  Bertha  Isler,  who  was  born  in  Switzer- 
land, thence  came  to  the  L^nited  States  with  her 
father  and  is  now  a  resident  of  San  Francisco. 

The  third  in  order  of  birth  among  six  chil- 
dren, John  H.  Schintz  was  born  in  Oshkosh, 
Wis.,  February  12,  1871,  and  received  a  public- 
school  education  in  San  Francisco.  L'pon  leav- 
ing school  he  became  an  apprentice  to  the  trade 
of  electrical  engineer  in  San  Francisco  under 
D.  D.  Wass,  with  whom  he  served  for  three 
and  one-half  years.  The  first  practical  experi- 
ence which  he  gained  of  his  trade  as  a  salaried 
worker  was  when  acting  as  assistant  to  an  en- 
gineer on  a  boat  running  to  Coos  Bay..  After 
a  year  in  that  capacity  he  went  to  Panama  as 
steamship  electrician,  and  later  sailed  as  elec- 
trician on  the  Mariposa  to  Sydney,  Australia, 
via  Honolulu  and  Auckland.  On  his  return  to 
California  he  was  employed  as  electrician  with 
the  American  Steamship  Refinery  Company 
A  year  later  he  was  sent  to  China  as  sugar 
electrician  on  the  Peru  and  during  that  voyage 
visited  Japan  and  Yokohama.  Returning  to  the 
L'nited  States  he  sailed  for  seven  months  on  the 
\A'alla  Walla  between  San  Francisco  and  Puget 
Sound.  At  the  expiration  of  that  period  of 
service  he  left  the  sea  and  in  1896  came  to  Los 
Angeles,  but  soon  went  to  Giino  as  electrician 
with  the  American  Beet  Sugar  Company,  later 
filling  the  position  of  mechanical  engineer.  His 
residence  in  Oxnard  dates  from  1898,  when  he 
came  to  the  new  town  as  superintendent  of  the 
wiring  of  this  plant,  and  aided  in  installing  the 
machinery.  Upon  the  starting  of  the  plant  in 
1899  he  was  appointed  electrician  and  mechani- 
cal engineer,  and  the  following  year  became  as- 
sistant  engineer,    since    which   time   he    has    re- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1929 


mained  with  the  company,  and  is  regarded  as 
a  thoroughly  trustworthy  and  efficient  engineer. 
The  comfortable  home  owned  by  Mr.  Schintz 
and  erected  under  his  supervision  stands  on 
South  C  and  Seventh  streets.  It  is  presided 
over  by  his  wife  formerly  Miss  Claudia  B.  Por- 
tillo,  who  was  born  in  Mexico,  but  from  girl- 
hood made  her  home  in  Pomona,  where  her  mar- 
riage was  solemnized.  Their  family  consists  of 
four  children,  John  Henry,  Irene  Clara,  Arthur 
and  Marie  Patricia.  Since  coming  to  Oxnard 
Mr.  .Schintz  has  affiliated  himself  with  the  Citi- 
zens Club  and  the  Sons  of  Herman,  and  has 
given  his  support  to  all  measures  for  the  per- 
manent advancement  of  the  citv. 


S.  A.  CLINE.  The  interests  with  which  Mr. 
Cline  has  been  identified  since  beginning  his 
business  life  have  been  of  a  varied  nature  and 
indicate  his  adaptability  to  different  enterprises 
and  the  resourcefulness  of  his  mind.  By  trade 
he  is  a  cooper,  a  business  which  he  followed 
more  or  less  prior  to  coming  to  California  in 
1876,  but  after  locating  here  gave  his  attention 
particularly  to  ranching  until  establishing  him- 
self in  the  express  business,  in  which  he  is  mak- 
ing an  eminent  success. 

Born  in  New  York  state  May  28,  1843,  S.  A. 
Cline  is  a  son  of  John  A.  Cline,  the  latter  a 
wheelwright  by  trade,  who  in  his  boyhood  was 
a  close  friend  of  Peter  Cooper,  the  noted  inven- 
tor, manufacturer  and  philanthropist.  Many  of 
the  wagons  turned  out  of  Mr.  Cline's  shop  were 
shipped  to  the  southern  states.  He  gave  up  fol- 
lowing his  trade  after  locating  in  Rochester,  be- 
coming interested  in  the  real-estate  business  in- 
stead. It  was  while  a  resident  of  the  latter  city 
that  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Catherine 
North,  and  to  them  were  born  two  children. 

When  fourteen  years  old,  his  school  days 
over,  S.  A.  Cline  began  an  apprenticeship  at  the 
cooper's  trade,  which  he  later  followed  for  eight 
years  in  both  New  York  City  and  Rochester. 
The  call  to  arms  to  aid  in  the  suppression  of 
hostilities  which  had  arisen  between  the  north 
and  the  south  caused  thousands  of  young,  able- 
bodied  men  to  desert  business  for  duty  to  home 
and  country,  and  among  this  number  was  Mr. 
Cline.  In  April,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  Thir- 
teenth New  York  Infantry,  and  after  the  term 
of  his  nine  months  enlistment  had  expired  he 
went  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  enlisted  in  the  Sev- 
enteenth Michigan  Infantry.  After  a  service  of 
two  years  in  that  company  he  was  transferred 
to  the  Second  Michigan  Infantry.  His  war  rec- 
ord shows  him  to  have  been  a  participant  in 
numerous  battles  and  skirmishes,  among  the  for- 
mer being  the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  siege  at  Knox- 
ville,  battle  of  Lowden,  Vicksburg  and  Jackson, 

92 


Tenn.,  and  he  was  in  the  battles  of  the  Wilder- 
ness and  Petersburg.  His  honorable  discharge 
was  tendered  him  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  in  1865,  af- 
ter four  years  of  faithful  service. 

Returning  to  New  York  state,  Mr.  Cline  left 
there  soon  afterward  to  take  up  work  in  the  oil 
fields  of  Pennsylvania,  and  three  years  later  re- 
sumed work  at  the  cooper's  trade  in  the  Em- 
pire state.  His  next  removal  was  to  Michigan, 
locating  first  in  Detroit  and  then  in  East  Sagi- 
naw. In  that  state  he  engaged  in  the  stone  busi- 
ness, taking  out  rock  that  was  used  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  state  prison.  From  Black  Rock, 
N.  Y.,  a  suburb  of  Buffalo,  whither  he  later  re- 
turned, he  went  to  Rochester,  going  from  there 
to  Chicago,  111.,  but  soon  afterward  went  to  New 
York  state  and  remained  one  year.  He  next 
went  to  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  later  returning  again 
to  the  Empire  state,  whence  he  left  for  Iowa  in 
1871.  From  Iowa  he  went  to  Nebraska,  taking 
up  a  homestead  claim  in  the  vicinity  of  Lincoln, 
after  which  he  was  in  Des  Moines,'  Iowa,  for  a 
short  time.  The  next  two  years  were  spent  in 
Nebraska,  after  which,  in  1876,  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, as  previously  stated.  In  the  vicinity  of 
Kingsburg,  Fresno  county,  he  bought  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land  which  at  first  he  de- 
voted to  general  farming,  but  later  set  out  one 
hundred  and  forty  acres  to  grapes  and  ten  acres 
to  prunes.  From  Fresno  county  he  went  to 
Hanford,  Kings  county,  from  there  coming  to 
Los  Angeles  in  1896.  After  one  year's  residence 
in  the  city  he  made  his  home  in  Pasadena  for 
nine  months,  in  1898  coming  to  San  Pedro,  which 
has  since  been  the  scene  of  his  activities.  Al- 
though he  has  changed  his  place  of  residence 
many  times  since  leaving  the  parental  home  it 
is  safe  to  predict  that  he  will  spend  the  remainder 
of  his  life  in  this  town,  as  he  has  erected  a  beau- 
tiful family  residence  and  given  evidence  of  his 
contentment  with  the  locality  in  various  ways. 

In  Iowa,  in  1874,  Mr.  Cline  married  Eliza- 
beth Case,  who  was  born  in  Kansas,  and  they 
have  three  children,  as  follows :  Fred  and  Harry, 
both  of  whom  are  married  and  live  in  San  Pedro ; 
and  Edith.  In  memory  of  the  years  spent  on 
the  battle-field  in  the  service  of  his  country  Mr. 
Cline  finds  recreation  in  associating  with  old 
comrades  in  Harbor  City  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  which 
he  is  a  valued  and  interesting  member. 


WILLIAM  REIMANN.  The  life  history  of 
\\'illiam  Reimann,  who  is  one  of  the  leading 
ranchmen  of  Oxnard,  Ventura  county,  is  a 
forcible  illustration  of  the  exercise  of  persever- 
ance and  resolution  under  the  pressure  of  finan- 
cial disaster  as  well  as  amid  the  sunshine  of 
prosperity.  Coming  here  from  the  Fatherland 
nearly  twenty  years  ago,  he  embarked  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  and,  although  he  has  met  with 


1930 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


reverses,  at  one  time  being  entirely  burned  out, 
be  has  surmounted  all  obstacles,  and  is  now 
numbered  among  the  substantial  farmers  and  the 
most  respected  citizens  of  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try. A  son  of  Christopher  Reimann,  he  was 
born,  January  5,  1844,  in  Sachsen,  Germany, 
where  he  lived  until  six  years  old.  His  fatlier 
spent  his  entire  life  in  Germany,  his  birth  oc- 
curring in  1800,  in  Sachsen,  and  his  death  in 
1878.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Eliza- 
beth Drost,  spent  her  fifty  years  of  life  in  the 
Fatherland  dying  in  1866. 

Removing  with  his  parents  to  Hanover,  Ger- 
manv,  in  1850,  William  Reimann  was  there 
reared  and  educated.  He  subsequently  learned 
the  trade  of  a  furniture  maker,  serving  an  ap- 
prenticeship of  three  years,  in  addition  paying  to 
his  employer  $30  in  money.  He  afterwards  fol- 
lowed his  trade  in  his  native  land,  but  not  finding 
it  sufficiently  remunerative  determined  to  see 
what  he  could  do  in  a  newer  countr_\-.  Accord- 
inglv,  in  1884,  leaving  his  family  at  home,  he 
came  to  California,  and  for  two  years  remained 
here,  in  the  meantime  visiting  the  more  impor- 
tant cities  and  towns.  Going  back  to  Germany 
in  1886.  he  spent  two  vears  in  his  native  land, 
and  ^lav  2-j.  1888,  he  returned  with  his  family 
to  this  state,  coming  with  a  party  of  twelve  peo- 
ple. He  located  at  once  on  his  present  ranch, 
starting  in  as  a  farmer  by  buying  out  the  horses, 
farm  machinerv.  etc..  of  a  neighboring  ranch- 
man. He  had'  just  become  well  established  in 
his  agricultural  venture  when,  November  5, 
1888,  he  was  entirely  burned  out  by  a  prairie 
fire  that  began  on  Las  Pasos  hill,  losing  his 
house.  furnUure.  farming  machinery,  wagons, 
six  hundred  and  fifty  sacks  of  barley,  one  hun- 
dred sacks  of  corn,  'all  of  his  hay,  and  in  fact 
nearly  all  of  his  property.  Nothing  daunted, 
however,  he  borrowed  mone}-,  paying  twelve  per 
cent  interest,  and  began  life  again,  poor,  indeed, 
and  at  one  time  being  in  debt  to  the  amount  of 
$10,000.  Even  with  this  heavy  financial  bur- 
den to  carry,  with  the  able  assistance  of  his  son 
John,  he  paid  the  entire  sum,  and  has  now  a.  clear 
title  to  eightv-seven  acres  of  choice  land,  in  the 
managentof  which  he  is  meeting  with  well  de- 
served success. 

In  1868,  in  Rollshausen.  Germany,  :Mr.  Rei- 
mann married  Catherine  Kreis,  who  was  born 
Februarv  13,  1843,  ''i  Hanover,  a  daughter  of 
Tohn  and  fhe^a  (Truemper)  Kreis.  Her  par- 
ents were  life-long  residents  of  Germany,  her 
mother  dving  there  in  1866,  aged  fifty-one  years, 
and  her  father  in  1891,  at  the  venerable  age  of 
eightv-seven  years.  Of  the  union  of  IMr.  and  Mrs. 
Reimann  two  children  have  been  born,  namely: 
Tohn  William,  whose  birth  occurred  ]\Iarch  20, 
1869,  in  Germany,  and  Margaret,  born  r\Iay  4. 
1874,  and  now  the  wife  of  G.  Gisler,  of  whom  a 


brief  sketch  may  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  vol- 
ume. 

John  \\illiam  Reimann  was  educated  in  Ger- 
many, and,  when  a  young  man,  learned  the  bar- 
ber's trade,  which  he  followed  for  some  time.  On 
November  5,  i886,  he  started  for  the  United 
States,  crossing  the  ocean  to  New  York,  from 
there  coming  by  way  of  New  Orleans  to  Los  An- 
geles. He  subsequently  worked  at  his  trade  in 
San  Luis  Obispo  for  a  time,  after  which  he 
joined  his  father  on  the  home  ranch,  and  in  its 
development  and  improvement  has  since  been  a 
most  capable  and  active  assistant.  He  is  a  man 
of  undoubted  integrity  and  worth,  much  esteemed 
throughout  the  community  as  a  lo}-al  and  true 
citizen  of  his  adopted  country.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  German  National  Society  of  California,  and 
also  belongs  to  the  Sons  of  Herman  Society. 


J.  C.  SHERER.  Active,  energetic  and  enter- 
prising, J.  C.  Sherer  holds  an  assured  position 
among  the  foremost  citizens  of  Glendale.  and  is 
widely  known  as  one  of  its  most  able  business 
men.  For  twenty-five  years  or  more  he  has  been 
a  resident  of  this  locality  and  in  its  affairs  has 
ever  evinced  a  deep  interest,  generously  devoting 
his  energies,  time  and  attention  in  aid  of  enter- 
prises calculated  to  promote  progress  and  pros- 
perity. 

Born  and  reared  in  the  east  Mr.  Sherer  re- 
ceived excellent  educational  advantages,  attend- 
ing the  State  Normal  school  at  Alillersville,  Pa., 
and  afterwards  being  graduated  from  Eastman's 
Business  College  in  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.  Subse- 
quently acquiring  a  thorough  knowledge  of  teleg- 
raphy, he  secured  a  position  as  operator  in  Phil- 
adelphia, where  he  remained  for  awhile.  In  1875 
he  came  to  California,  and  here  followed  his  pro- 
fession in  different  places,  first  in  San  Franciso, 
then  in  Yreka,  from  there  going  to  Kibesillah. 
Alendocino  county.  In  1878  he  located  in  Los 
Angeles,  where  for  upwards  of  ten  years  he  was 
telegraph  operator  for  the  Western  Lnion  Tele- 
graph Company  and  also  for  the  Postal  Telegraph 
Company  for  three  years.  Giving  up  that  busi- 
ness for  a  time  he  was  connected  with  the  Los 
Angeles  Times  as  a  reporter  for  a  number  of 
months,  being  afterward  engaged  in  the  water 
pipe  business  in  Glendale  prior  to  the  collapse  of 
the  boom.  When  that  came  he  returned  to  the 
employ  of  the  Western  L'nion  Telegraph  Com- 
pany, and  for  a  time  was  also  assistant  agent  in 
?kIinneapolis.  Minn.,  for  the  Southern  California 
Fruit  Exchange,  which  he  helped  to  organize, 
later  continuing  as  a  telegraph  operator  for  sev- 
eral years. 

With  many  of  the  improvements  that  have  as- 
sisted in  the  upbuilding  of  Glendale  within  the 
last  twenty-five  years  Mr.  Sherer  has  been  a  pro- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1931 


moter.  contributiiio;  his  full  share  as  a  loyal  and 
public-spirited  citizen.  He  assisted  in  developing 
the  water  supply  of  this  locality,  and  filling  at  dif- 
fere4it  times  the  oiTfices  of  president,  secretary 
and  treasurer  of  the  Paduga  Canon  Water  Com- 
pany. In  Alay,  1905,  when  the  State  Bank  of 
Glendale  was  organized,  he  was  made  cashier,  and 
although  without  previous  experience  in  this  ca- 
pacity, he  has  filled  this  position  of  responsibility 
in  a  most  satisfactory  and  praiseworthy  manner. 
This  institution  is  favorably  known  and  well  con- 
ducted, the  directors  being  J.  C.  Kays,  of  Los 
Angeles,  president ;  Dr.  D.  W.  Hunt,  vice-presi- 
dent; J.  F.  Mclntire,  Capt.  C.  E.  Thom,  B.  F. 
Patterson,  Elias  Ayers  and  James  H.  Wells. 

Mr.  Sherer  was  united  in  marriage  in  Los  An- 
geles with  Miss  E.  C.  Parker,  of  Boston,  Mass. 
Politically  Mr.  Sherer  is  a  Republican,  and  relig- 
iously he  belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He 
is  connected  with  one  secret  organization,  being 
a  member  of  the  Fraternal  Brotherhood.  He  has 
accumulated  some  property,  among  his  real  estate 
holdings  being  a  valuable  deciduous  fruit  ranch 
of  fourteen  acres  at  the  corner  of  Verdugo  road 
and  Ninth  street.  Since  the  organization  of  Glen- 
dale as  a  citv  he  has  filled  the  office  of  treasurer. 


ROBERT  EDWARD  DANCER.  Enterpris- 
ing and  progressive,  Robert  E.  Dancer  has  suc- 
ceeded in  building  up  for  himself  a  competence, 
while  at  the  same  time  he  has  won  a  place  among 
the  representative  citizens  of  Bassett.  He  is  of 
southern  birth  and  breeding,  his  birth  having 
occurred  in  Alcorn  county.  Miss.,  April  18,  1868; 
his  father,  Elisha  Dancer,  was  born  in  England 
and  while  still  a  child  was  brought  to  America 
by  his  parents,  who  located  in  Georgia,  where  he 
was  reared  to  manhood.  He  eventually  removed 
to  Mississippi,  where  he  followed  his  trade  of 
machinist.  He  died  in  1873.  and  his  wife,  for- 
merly Jemima  W'ardlow,  born  in  North  Car- 
olina of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry,  in  1875. 

The  boyhood  days  of  Robert  Edward  Dancer 
were  passed  in  Mississippi,  where  he  attended 
the  public  schools  until  thirteen  years  old,  when 
his  parents  having  died,  he  came  to  California 
with  his  Grandmother  Bird.  They  located  in 
Downey  and  he  there  continued  his  education, 
attending  the  public  school  at  El  Monte  for  a 
short  time  also,  having  removed  hither  in  1883. 
His  first  independent  venture  was  as  a  farm 
hand,  working  by  the  month,  and  in  1893,  with 
his  accumulated  earnings,  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  himself.  The  raising  of  alfalfa  and  gen- 
eral farming  occupied  his  time  until  1904.  when 
he  purchased  a  thirty-four  acre  tract  in  Bassett 
and  at  once  began  its  improvement  and  cultiva- 
tion, putting  in  a  pumping  plant  and  installing  a 


fifty-four  horse  power  gas  engine  with  a  capacity 
of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  inches.  He  de- 
votes his  own  ranch  to  walnuts  and  alfalfa,  and 
also  manages  a  ranch  in  El  Monte. 

In  Artesia  Mr.  Dancer  married  Mrss  Carrie 
Law,  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  her  death  occurred 
in  Artesia  some  time  later.  He  was  afterward 
married  to  Miss  Edith  Cuddeback,  who  was  born 
in  Tehachapi,  Cal.  They  have  three  children, 
\'era,  \'ada  and  Lloyd.  Mr.  Dancer  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Christian  Church,  while  his  wife  be- 
longs to  the  Baptist  denomination.  Mr.  Dancer 
is  a  Democrat  politically  and  fraternally  belongs 
to  the  Alodern  Woodmen  of  America. 


S.\:\IUEL  N.  CCRRV.  With  an  unimpeach- 
able record  of  about  twenty  years  as  a  business 
man  in  Texas  and  Louisiana  Mr.  Curry  came  to 
Pomona  in  1900  and  began  dealing  in  real  estate, 
a  business  for  which  he  seems  to  have  a  special 
aptitude,  judging  from  the  enormous  volume  of 
business  which  he  has  transacted  during  the 
last  si.x  years.  This  has  not  been  accomplished, 
however,  at  the  sacrifice  of  honor,  but  is  the 
result  of  honest,  painstaking  efforts,  and  those 
in  a  position  to  know  are  responsible  for  the 
statement  that  he  bears  the  reputation  of  being 
the  most  reliable  real-estate   dealer  in   Pomona. 

A  descendant  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestors,  Isaac 
Curry,  the  grandfather,  was  born  in  Virginia, 
where  as  a  farmer  he  made  his  home  until  re- 
moving to  Tennessee.  In  Maury  county,  in  that 
state,  his  son  Green  B.  was  born,  he  too  follow- 
ing farming  throughout  his  active  years.  From 
Tennessee  he  enlisted  as  a  soldier  in  the  Civil 
war,  being  wounded  in  the  course  of  his  service. 
Up  to  the  time  of  the  war  he  had  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Tennessee  continuously,  but  afterward 
he  removed  to  Texas,  and  at  the  advanced  age 
of  eighty-four  years  he  still  makes  his  home 
there.  At  one  time  in  his  career  he  was  active 
in  the  Masonic  fraternity.  The  wife  and  mother, 
who  was  of  Scotch  descent,  was  before  her  mar- 
riage ^Margaret  Thompson,  and  was  born  in 
Tennessee.  She  survived  to  reach  her  eighty- 
fifth  year,  dying  in  Texas  in  May,  1906.  Ten 
children  were  originally  comprised  in  the  pa- 
rental family,  but  of  the  number  only  six  are 
now  living. 

Next  to  the  oldest  in  the  family  was  Samuel 
N.  Curry,  who  was  born  in  Maury  county. 
Tenn.,  May  23,  1853.  His  earliest  recollections 
take  hini  back  in  menior\-  to  the  homestead  farm 
in  that  county,  where  he  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated, and  he  also  recalls  the  blighting  effect  of 
the  Civil  war.  He  was  then  a  lad  of  alxnit  eight 
years,  and  was  attending  private  school,  but 
owing    t(T    the    unsettled    condition    of    affairs    in 


1932 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  south  retrenchment  was  necessary  on  all 
sides  and  his  schooling  was  therefore  very  lim- 
ited. It  was  about  1871  that  the  family  removed 
to  Ellis  county,  Tex.,  and  on  the  farm  that  his 
father  purchased  in  the  vicinity  of  Waxahachie 
he  worked  as  his  father's  assistant  until  twenty- 
seven  years  of  age.  He  then  established  do- 
mestic ties  and  at  the  same  time  located  on  an 
adjoining  farm  and  engaged  in  general  farming 
and  stock-raising.  Subsequently  he  relinquished 
agricultural  life  entirely,  and  removing  into 
Waxahachie  in  1880,  followed  the  livery  busi- 
ness for  the  succeeding  five  years.  From  there 
in  1890  he  removed  into  the  adjoining  state  of 
Louisiana,  settling  in  the  rice-producing  section 
around  Crowley,  Acadia  county.  There  he  pur- 
chased a  plantation  devoted  to  rice  culture  and 
for  nine  years  was  a  planter  in  that  vicinity,  be- 
sides which  he  engaged  in  the  agricultural  im- 
plement business  in  Criwley.  It  was  with  this 
business  experience  that  he  came  to  Pomona  in 
1900  and  opened  a  real-estate  office,  the  nucleus 
of  the  business  now  conducted  under  the  name 
of  S.  N.  Curry  &  Co.  Since  1906  W.  O.  Rogers 
has  been  associated  with  Mr.  Curry.  Among 
the  numerous  transactions  that  have  passed 
through  their  hands  may  be  mentioned  the  ten- 
acre  high  school  tract,  which  they  laid  out  into 
lots,  besides  the  Lothrop  tract.  While  they  do 
a  general  real-estate  business,  yet  their  specialty 
is  dealing  in  orange  groves,  having  handled  up- 
wards of  $500,000  in  this  class  of  property  alone. 
Of  this  amount  $300,000  has  come  from  settlers 
from  Crowley,  La.,  which  is  a  high  testimonial 
to  Mr.  Curry's  judgment  and  shows  the  con- 
fidence in  which  he  is  held  by  his  former  busi- 
ness and  social  acquaintances.  The  firm  also 
make  loans  on  good  security  and  write  insur- 
ance, their  office  at  No.  321  West  Second  street 
being  a  busy  center  of  activity.  Besides  his  in- 
terest in  the  business  just  mentioned  Mr.  Curry 
also  owns  a  thirty-acre  orange  grove  in  Pomona 
valley  and  twenty-two  acres  in  walnuts,  both  of 
which  are  in  bearing  condition  and  bring  him  in 
a  handsome  income.  His  interest  in  horticulture 
is  further  shown  in  his  connection  with  the  Cali- 
fornia Produce  Company,  of  which  he  is  a 
director. 

Mr.  Curry's  marriage,  which  occurred  in  Wax- 
ahachie, Tex.,  united  him  with  Miss  Frankie 
Farrar,  who  was  born  in  that  state,  and  two  chil- 
dren, Katie  and  Earl,  have  been  born  to  them. 
The  family  find  their  church  home  in  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Qiurch,  of  which  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Curry  are  members,  and  he  is  now  filling  the 
office  of  class-leader.  Fraternally  he  belongs  to 
the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  politically  he  is  a 
Democrat  and  a  member  of  the  county  central 
committee.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Trade  of  Pomona. 


JOHN  W.  CRUICKSHANK.  It  was  in 
1886  that  John  W.  Cruickshank  came  to  Cali- 
fornia and  began  to  ply  his  trade  as  carpenter 
in  San  Bernardino,  and  in  the  twenty  years 
which  have  since  elapsed  he  has  steadily  pushed 
forward  in  his  work  and  business  until  now  he 
has  reached  a  top  place  as  a  lumber  manufac- 
turer and  has  acquired  a  large  amount  of  prop- 
erty. A  native  of  Aberdeen,  Scotland,  born  No- 
vember 21,  1865,  he  is  a  descendant  of  an  old 
family  of  Jacobites,  his  grandfather,  James,  hav- 
ing been  an  adherent  of  that  faith.  The  father, 
William,  was  by  occupation  a  farmer,  and  spent 
his  entire  lifetime  in  Scotland,  he  being  a  stanch 
Presbyterian  in  his  religious  faith.  The  mother, 
Helen  Stephenson,  was  born  in  Iverness,  Scot- 
land, and  also  lived  in  that  country  until  the 
tune  of  her  death.  She  was  the  mother  of  eight 
children,  seven  of  whom  survive,  and  one  son, 
William,  is  now  engaged  in  horticultural  pur- 
suits in  Rialto. 

The  boyhood  days  of  John  W.  Cruickshank 
were  spent  upon  the  farm  in  Scotland,  and  until 
seventeen  years  of  age  his  time  was  devoted  to 
securing  a  good  common-school  education.  He 
was  then  apprenticed  as  a  carpenter  near  Aber- 
deen, and  for  four  years  worked  at  that  trade 
and  in  the  planing  mill  of  the  firm  to  whom  he 
was  apprenticed.  He  was  an  ambitious  young 
man  and  the  hard  work  of  the  day  did  not  deter 
him  from  acquiring  additional  education  in  a 
night  school,  taking  up  the  study  of  architecture 
and  drawing,  for  he  realized  that  to  attain  the 
highest  success  one  must  be  thoroughly  equipped 
with  a  comprehensive  knowledge  of  every  line 
of  the  work  one  adopts.  One  month  after  the 
expiration  of  his  time  of  apprenticeship  he  took 
passage  to  New  York  City,  arriving  there  in  the 
spring  of  1886.  September  of  the  same  year 
found  him  in  San  Bernardino,  where  he  secured 
employment  as  a  carpenter  and  worked  at  the 
trade  until  he  became  a  foreman.  He  then  took 
up  independent  contracting  and  built  many  resi- 
dences in  that  city,  among  them  being  those  of 
W.  E.  Leonard.  F.  A.  Leonard,  Will  Curtis  and 
Dan  Dedick,  and  he  also  filled  a  contract  for 
the  erection  of  the  Barton  block  and  the  Pres- 
byterian Qiurch. 

Determining  to  branch  out  more  extensively, 
'Sir.  Cruickshank  in  1902  came  to  Long  Beach 
and  started  the  Alamitos  Lumber  Company,  lo- 
cating the  plant  on  Alamitos  and  Second  streets. 
Two  years  later  he  sold  out  to  the  Interstate 
Lumber  Company,  in  which  he  in  turn  acquired 
an  interest  and  was  made  a  director  of  the  com- 
pany and  superintendent  of  the  plant,  and  al- 
though he  resigned  from  his  positions  in  1905 
he  still  retains  an  interest  in  the  business.  In 
1906  he  started  and  incorporated  the  Home  Mill 
and  Lumber  Company,  of  which  he  is  now  presi- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1933 


dent  and  manager,  built  the  present  mill  and 
yards  on  Anaheim  road  and  American  avenue, 
installed  modern  machinery  and  a  thirty-horse- 
power electric  power  plant  in  the  quarters,  which 
are  150x340  feet  in  dimensions.  The  mill  and 
yards  employ  fourteen  hands,  and  here  are 
manufactured  all  kinds  of  finished  lumber  ma- 
terials, including  doors  and  window  sash. 

Mr.  Cruickshank  was  married  in  San  Ber- 
nardino to  Miss  Melissa  Furey,  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  they  have  become  the  parents  of 
four  children,  William  F.,  Bernard  A.,  Helen 
E.  and  Ruth  Marian.  The  family  residence  is 
located  on  Ocean  and  Alamitos  avenues,  and 
was  erected  by  Mr.  Cruickshank.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Long  Beach  Retail  Lumber  Dealers' 
Association,  and  served  one  term  as  city  build- 
ing inspector,  having  been  the  first  appointee 
to  that  office  after  the  reorgaization.  Fraternally 
he  is  a  member  of  Long  Beach  Lodge  No.  390, 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  a  director  and  secretary  of  the 
I.  O.  O.  F.  Building  Association ;  of  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World,  and  the  Foresters.  He  is  an 
active  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
Church,  of  which  he  is  treasurer  and  trustee. 
Politically  he  is  an  advocate  of  the  principles  of 
the  Republican  party,  and  in  all  matters  of  social 
or  civic  interest  lends  his  support  to  those  en-, 
terprises  which  tend  to  elevate  and  upbuild  the 
communitv. 


FRANCIS  F.  CULA'ER.  Conspicuous 
among  the  early  pioneer  settlers  of  California 
was  Francis  F.  Culver,  late  of  Compton,  who 
was  a  resident  of  the  state  for  upwards  of  half 
a  century,  and  in  the  development  and  advance- 
ment of  its  mining,  agricultural,  industrial  and 
financial  activities  took  a  prominent  part.  He 
witnessed  many  wonderful  transformations  in 
the  face  of  the  country,  the  pathless  forests  and 
dreary  waste  lands  being  made  habitable  by  the 
hard  labor  of  the  first  settlers,  and  the  small 
hamlets  and  mining  camps  of  the  early  days  de- 
veloping into  thriving  villages  and  populous 
towns  and  cities.  Of  old  colonial  stock,  and 
the  descendant  of  a  representative  New  England 
family,  he  was  born,  January  28,  1821,  in  Poult- 
ney,  Rutland  county,  A^t.,  and  died  at  his  home 
in  Compton,  Cal.,  September  25,  1905,  beloved 
and  respected  by  the  community  in  which  he 
had  so  long  resided.  His  parents,  Isaac  and 
Alaria  (Reed)  Culver,  were  born  and  reared  in 
New  England,  and  were  there  married.  After 
living  in  Vermont  for  several  years,  they  re- 
moved to  New  York,  and  there  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  their  lives. 

Brought  up  beneath  the  parental  roof-tree, 
Francis  F.  Culver  received  better  educational 
advantages  than  manv  of  bovs  of  his  times,  be- 


ing graduated  from  high  school,  seminary  and 
university.  While  still  a  young  man,  early  in 
1849,  he  with  several  companions  bought  the 
Edward  Everett,  a  sailing  vessel,  which  was  the 
first  boat  to  leave  Boston  harbor  for  California. 
They  came  by  way  of  Cape  Horn  to  the  Golden 
Gate,  arriving  in  San  Francisco  on  July  6.  Their 
cargo  included  a  small  steamboat,  the  first 
steamer  ever  seen  on  the  Sacramento  river, 
where  it  remained  in  service  for  many  years, 
being  used  for  passenger  and  freight  service. 
Going  subsequently  to  the  mines,  Mr.  Culver 
met  with  good  success  in  his  operations,  and 
afterwards  invested  his  money  in  land,  finally 
turning  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits. 
For  a  number  of  years  he  was  thus  employed 
in  Compton,  but  in  the  latter  part  of  his  long 
life  lived  retired  from  active  business,  enjoy- 
ing in  comfort  and  leisure  the  golden  fruits  of 
his  former  years  of  labor. 

May  17,  '1852,  in  Lewiston,  N.  Y.,  Mr.  Cul- 
ver married  Henrietta  M.  Raymond,  a  daughter 
of  Caleb  and  Sophronia  (Smith)  Raj'mond,  both 
of  whom  spent  the  closing  years  of  their  lives 
in  New  York  state.  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Culver 
reared  five  children,  namely:  Ella  R.,  wife  of 
T.  F.  Ross,  of  Compton;  Mae,  wife  of  Benton 
Flood,  living  at  No.  947  Georgia  street,  Los 
Angeles;  Frank  F.,  a  wood  and  coal  dealer,  and 
with  his  wife,  formerly  Lizzie  McMullan,  is  liv- 
ing at  No.  1331  Hobson  street,  Los  Angeles; 
William  B.,  engaged  in  ranching  in  Newhall, 
this  county,  and  who  by  his  marriage  with  Eva 
Stevens,  has  nine  children :  and  Frederick  M., 
of  Orange  county,  a  ranchman,  who  married 
Agnes  Fairchilds.  Politically  ]\Ir.  Culver  was 
identified  with  the  Republican  party,  and  re- 
ligiously he  was  an  official  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Qiurch,  of  which  his  widow  is 
also  a  member.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Culver 
united  with  the  Pioneers'  Association  several 
}ears  ago,  and  contributed  towards  its  support 
and  its  prosperity. 


WILLIAM  CAMERON  DAVIS.  In  the 
vicinity  of  El  Monte  is  located  the  walnut  ranch 
of  thirty-seven  acres  which  belongs  to  William 
C.  Davis,  who  came  to  this  section  in  1893  and 
has  since  accumulated  a  substantial  property, 
and  at  the  same  time  has  built  up  for  himself  a 
place  among  the  respected  and  esteemed  citizens 
of  the  community.  He  is  a  native  of  Milton, 
Rock  county.  Wis.,  born  December  24,  1843. 
The  family  was  originally  located  in  New  York, 
where  the  grandfather,  Jeremiah,  lived  and 
died.  Jeremiah  R.  Davis  was  born  in  Allegany 
county,  N.  Y.,  and  there  married.  With  his  wife 
he  settled  as  a  pioneer  in  Milton,  Wis.,  and  there 
both  passed  away  at  advanced  ages.     They  be- 


193-4 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


came  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  eight 
attained  maturity,  two  sons  serving  in  the  Thir- 
teenth Regiment  Wisconsin  Infantry  during  the 
Civil  war.  Both  survived  the  perils  and  hard- 
ships of  active  warfare  and  returned  to  civic 
life,  Joseph  locating  in  Iowa,  where  his  death 
occurred. 

The  youngest  child  in  the  large  family  born 
to  his  parents,  William  Cameron  Davis  was 
reared  to  young  manhood  on  the  paternal  farm 
and  was  early  instilled  with  the  principles  char- 
acteristic of  his  forefathers.  Following  his  pub- 
lic-school training  he  entered  Milton  College, 
which  he  left  in  1861  to  become  a  soldier  in  Com- 
pany K.  Thirteenth  Regiment  Wisconsin  \'olun- 
teer  Infantry.  He  was  mustered  in  at  Janes- 
ville  and  with  his  regiment  was  at  once  sent  to 
Kansas,  engaging  in  various  skirmishes  during 
the  first  year;  1862  was  passed  in  Kentucky. 
Tennessee,  Alabama  and  Mississippi  and  the  bal- 
ance of  the  time  in  the  southern  states.  He  was 
mustered  out  of  service  in  Nashville,  Tenn.,  in 
January,   1865,  when  he  returned  to  Wisconsin. 

Casting  about  for  a  future,  'Sir.  Davis  was 
attracted  to  Pennsylvania  by  the  oil  excitement, 
and  in  Pitt  Hole  City  was  employed  in  every  de- 
partment of  the  oil  industry.  He  purchased  a 
boat  and  transported  oil  down  Oil  creek  to  Oil 
City,  Reno  and  Pittsburg  for  some  years,  fol- 
lowing which,  from  1865  to  1893,  he  operated 
in  various  fields  throughout  Pennsylvania,  West 
A'irginia  and  Ohio.  Withdrawing  his  interests 
in  that  connection,  J\Ir.  Davis  came  to  California 
and  in  the  vicinity  of  El  Monte  purchased  a  tract 
of  seventeen  acres,  which  he  has  since  set  out  in 
walnuts,  improving  and  cultivating  the  property, 
and  adding  to  it  by  the  purchase  of  two  ten-acre 
tracts,  all  in  the  same  district  and  all  being  set 
to  walnuts.  All  improvements  have  been  made 
entirely  by  his  own  efiforts  and  are  a  credit  to 
this  section  of  the  country,  evidencing  both  the 
industry  and  the  ability  of  the  owner.  Besides 
giving  his  attention  to  horticulture  he  has  also 
spent  one  year  in  the  oil  business  in  the  Whittier 
field  and  two  years  in  the  Fullerton  field,  with 
the  Puente  Oil  Company. 

In  Cedar  Falls,  Iowa,  I\Ir.  Davis  was  married 
to  Miss  Nancy  B.  Henry,  who  was  born  in 
Jamestown,  Pa.,  and  died  in  California  in  Octo- 
ber. 1901.  They  became  the  parents  of  three 
children,  of  whom  Lee  W.  died  in  youth :  Frank 
H.  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven  years :  and 
Claude  W.  died  at  the  age  of  twenty  years.  De- 
cember 19.  1906.  Mr.  Davis  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  ]\Iary  A.  Newman,  a  native  of 
Wisconsin.  In  his  fraternal  relations  he  is  quite 
prominent,  having  been  made  a  :\Tason  in  Oil 
Creek  Lodge  No.  303,  in  Titusville,  Pa.,  raised 
to  the  degree  of  Royal  Arch  in  the  same  citv, 
and   later  to  the   degree  of  Knight  Templar  in 


Rose  Croix  Commandery  No.  38,  also  in  Titus- 
ville. He  is  now  identified  with  Lexington 
Lodge  No.  104,  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  El  Monte.  He 
is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  a  stanch  adherent 
of  part}-  principles. 


BARTON  WALTER  DANCER.  The 
greater  part  of  the  life  of  Barton  W.  Dancer 
lias  been  passed  in  El  Monte  and  its  vicinity, 
where  he  has  improved  three  different  ranches 
and  has  been  largely  instrumental  in  the  up- 
building of  this  section.  He  was  born  in  Cor- 
inth, Miss.,  January  17,  1870,  a  son  of  Elisha 
Dancer,  who  was  born  in  England  and  brought 
to  America  by  his  parents  in  childhood.  He  was 
reared  in  Georgia,  but  in  manhood  located  in 
Mississippi,  where  he  engaged  as  a  machinist 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1873.  His 
wife,  formerly  Jemima  \\ardlow,  was  born  in 
North  Carolina,  the  representative  of  Scotch- 
Irish  ancestry,  and  died  iii  ^Mississippi  in  1875. 
Of  the  four  children  born  to  his  parents.  Bar- 
ton Walter  Dancer  was  next  to  the  youngest 
and  was  but  three  years  old  at  the  time  of  his 
father's  death  and  five  when  he  lost  bis  mother. 
In  1881  he  came  to  California  with  his  maternal 
grandmother,  Mrs.  Emily  (Wardlow)  Bird,  who 
located  in  Artesia,  and  in  that  place  he  received 
his  education  in  the  public  schools.  His  first 
employment  was  as  a  farm  hand  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  years,  and  shortly  afterward  he  pur- 
chased ten  acres  of  land  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
northeast  of  El  Monte.  This  property  he  imme- 
diately set  out  to  walnuts,  put  in  a  pumping 
plant,  and  at  the  same  time  raised  alfalfa.  Later 
he  sold  the  property,  realizing  handsome  returns 
from  his  efiforts.  His  next  purchase  consisted  of 
thirty  acres  in  the  vicinity  of  his  first  home,  and 
here  he  also  set  out  walnuts,  installing  a  pump- 
ing plant,  and  proceeded  to  a  cultivation  of  the 
place.  After  disposing  of  the  property  he  pur- 
chased fifty  acres  at  Bassett.  and  again  installed 
a  pumping  plant,  set  out  walnuts  and  began  the 
raising  of  alfalfa.  This  property  he  sold  seven 
months  later  at  a  profit  of  $7,000.  in  the  three 
years  thus  occupied  having  cleared  $15,000  above 
all  expenses.  These  properties  have  since  sold 
for  additional  profit. 

In  1903  Mr.  Dancer  located  in  FP  Monte  and 
is  now  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business.  He 
built  a  residence  on  Tyler  street,  where  he  now 
makes  his  home,  and  which  is  presided  over  by 
his  wife,  formerly  ]\Iiss  Bessie  L.  Beck,  a  native 
of  El  Monte.  She  is  a  daughter  of  John  Beck, 
Jr..  a  native  of  Texas,  and  a  granddaughter  of 
John  Beck,  Sr.,  who  removed  from  Indiana  to 
Texas  and  thence  crossed  the  plains  with  ox- 
teams  in  1854  and  located  in  El  Monte.  He  en- 
gaged in  freigliting  to  \'irginia  City,  being  the 


HISTORIC:\L  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1935 


pioneer  freighter  over  the  Tehachapi  mountains. 
He  had  ten  j'oke  of  oxen  to  pull  one  thousand 
pounds,  he  having  to  break  the  trail.  Later 
he  removed  to  San  Jose  and  engaged  as  a  cattle- 
man and  farmer.  After  twelve  years  he  re- 
turned to  El  Monte  and  followed  farming  for 
some  years,  finally  locating  permanently  in  San 
Jose,  where  he  is  now  living  retired  from  the 
active  cares  of  life.  He  married  Annie  Burke, 
who  was  born  in  Texas  and  died  in  El  JMonte. 
She  had  eight  children,  all  of  whom  are  now  de- 
ceased. John  Beck,  Jr.,  was  a  farmer  and  died 
in  San  Jose  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight  years. 
His  wife,  formerly  Katie  Powell,  passed  away 
in  Orange,  Cal.  She  was  a  daughter  of  John 
Powell,  a  pioneer  of  Los  Angeles,  where  he 
died.  They  were  the  parents  of  three  children, 
of  whom  ]\Irs.  Dancer  is  the  youngest.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Dancer  have  three  children,  Winnie, 
Charles  and  Zola.  Mr.  Dancer  belongs  to  the 
Christian  Church,  while  his  wife  is  a  Baptist. 
Politicallv  he  is  a  Democrat. 


CHARLES  CHAPMAN  COX.  \ery  early 
in  the  colonial  history  of  our  county-  the  Cox 
family  became  identified  with  the  settlement  of 
the  Carolinas  and  aided  in  the  development  of 
raw  tracts  of  land  into  valuable  plantations. 
The  genealogical  records  trace  the  lineage  from 
John  Cox,  a  native  of  South  Carolina  and  a 
planter  by  occupation,  to  his  son,  William  H.. 
who  was  a  civil  engineer  and  planter  and  for 
thirty  years  held  office  as  county  surveyor.  Next 
in  line  of  descent  was  S.  S.,  who  was  born  in 
Chesterfield  county,  S.  C,  and  followed  his 
father's  occupations  of  planter,  civil  engin- 
eer and  surveyor.  During  1857  ^''^  moved 
across  the  line  into  North  Carolina  and 
settled  at  Lilesville,  Anson  county.  As  a  civil 
engineer  in  the  engineering  department  he 
served  under  General  Beauregard  in  the 
Civil  war.  Removing  to  Arkansas  in  1868 
he  settled  in  Pike  count}-,  where  he  was 
engaged  as  a  civil  engineer  and  filled  the  office 
of  county  surveyor.  Eventually  he  removed  to 
Texas  and  settled  on  a  grain  and  stock  ranch 
near  Jewett,  Leon  county,  where  he  remained 
until  his  death  in  1903,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
seven  years.  Fraternally  he  was  a  Mason  and 
in  religious  connections,  with  his  wife,  held 
membership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
His  wife,  like  himself,  was  a  native  of  South 
Carolina  and  a  descendant  of  an  old  southern 
family.  She  was  a  daughter  of  John  Chapman, 
who  was  of  English  descent  and  who  followed 
the  builder's  trade  in  the  south.  Two- years  be- 
fore the  death  of  her  husband  she  passed  away 
in  Texas  at  seventy-eight  years  of  age. 

Four  sons  comprised  the  family  of  .^.   S.  and 


Sarah  (Chapman  1  Cox,  and  three  are  still  liv- 
ing, Charles  C.  being  the  eldest  of  the  family 
and  the  only  one  to  settle  in  California.  Born 
at  Chesterfield.  S.  C,  January  27,  1856,  he  was 
one  year  old  when  the  family  removed  to  Liles- 
ville, N.  C,  and  there  he  laid  the  foundation  of 
his  education  in  the  common  schools.  Indelibly 
impressed  upon  his  mind  are  the  days  of  the 
Civil  war,  with  their  anxieties,  ]M-iva'tions  and 
]3erils,  and  though  he  was  but  a  small  child  at 
the  time  he  has  a  keen  recollection  of  what  the 
war  meant  to  his  own  people  and  to  the  country. 
At  the  age  of  twelve  years,  in  1868,  he  accom- 
])anied  the  family  to  Arkansas,  where  for  a  time 
he  attended  school.  After  moving  to  Texas  in 
1872  he  was  a  student  in  the  academy  at  Rogers 
Prairie,  Leon  county.  At  the  age  of  nineteen 
\ears  he  began  to  teach  school  and  for  two  years 
followed  the  occupation  in  Texas,  after  which 
he  taught  for  one  year  in  Clark  county-.  Ark., 
and  then  turned  his  attention  to  the  carpenter's 
trade.  Considerable  success  met  his  efforts  as 
a  carpenter  and  thus  he  was  led  to  take  up  con- 
tracting. In  May  of  1887  he  came  to  San  Di- 
ego, where  he  has  since  engaged  in  contract- 
ing and  building.  Among  his  contracts  were 
those  for  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Gymnasium  and  the 
residences  of  L.  Brinton,  H.  E.  Mills  and  James 
Connell.  Meanwhile  he  has  erected  two  houses 
on  his  own  property,  one  of  these  being  at  No. 
3680  Fourth  street,  where  he  and  his  wife  now 
reside.  j\lrs.  Cox  was  formerly  Miss  Elizabeth 
Brinton.  of  Arkansas,  and  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. In  religious  connections  they  are  identi- 
fied with  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  San 
Diego,  while  fraternally  they  affiliate  with  the 
Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security.  Along  the 
line  of  his  chosen  occupation  Mr.  Cox  holds 
membership  with  the  Master  Builders'  Associ- 
ation and  maintains  a  deep  and  constant  inter- 
est in  all  measures  for  the  benefit  of  builders 
and  the  permanent  progress  of  their  work. 


J.  E.  ^ylORRELL.  The  commercial  interests 
of  Redondo  have  a  capable  representative  in  the 
person  of  J.  E.  Morrell,  who  since  July,  of  1902, 
lias  made  his  home  in  this  place  and  has  acted 
as  agent  for  the  wholesale  grain  firm  of  New- 
mark  &  Edwards,  having  charge  of  their  busi- 
ness at  this  point.  Since  1904  he  has  been  in 
partnership  with  P.  S.  \'enable,  under  the  firm 
name  of  P.  S.  ^^enable  &  Co.,  street  contractors. 
Another  enterprise  receiving  his  attention  and 
financial  co-operation  is  the  Redondo  ^Milling 
Company,  in  which  he  maintaii-is  an  active  in- 
terest. 

In  that  portion  of  East  Tennessee  lying  be- 
tween \"irgini,i  on  the  north  and  North  Carolina 
on   the  siiuth   ^fr.   ^lorrell  first  opened  his  eyes 


1936 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


to  the  light.  His  parents,  J.  W.  and  Anna 
(Edwards)  Morrell,  were  natives  of  Tennessee, 
the  former  descended  from  a  colonial  family  of 
Virginia.  By  occupation  a  miner,  after  he  came 
to  California  in  1887,  he  settled  at  Gonzales, 
Monterey  county,  and  later  became  interested 
in  the  mines  of  Sierra  county,  where  he  still 
conducts  a  general  mining  business,  but  makes 
his  home  in  Florida.  While  living  in  Monterey 
county  he  was  bereaved  by  the  death  of  his  vnie. 
Five  children  were  bom  of  their  union,  all  still 
living,  the  eldest  of  these  being  J.  E.,  who  was 
born  in  Washington  county,  Tennessee.,  near 
Bluff  City,  February  18,  1875,  and  was  four- 
teen years  of  age  when  the  family  established 
their  home  in  the  west.  After  completing  the 
studies  of  the  grammar  schools  he  became  clerk 
in  a  grocery  and  subsequently  learned  the  grain 
business  while  employed  by  a  grain  company. 
In  1896  he  entered  the  Los  Angeles  Business 
College  and  the  following  year  was  graduated, 
after  which  he  became  bookkeeper  with  the 
Southern  Pacific  Milling  Company  of  Gonzales. 
In  the  employ  of  the  same  company  he  was 
stationed  consecutively  at  Gonzales,  Guada- 
loupe,  Lompac  and  Oxnard.  On  his  return  to 
Los  Angeles  he  became  a  bookkeeper  with  the 
grain  firm  of  Newmark  &  Edwards,  in  whose 
interests  he  cam.e  to  Redondo  to  assume  the 
management  of  their  business  at  this  place. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Morrell  took  place  at 
Guadaloupe,  this  state,  and  united  him  with 
Miss  Alice  McPhaul,  daughter  of  William  and 
Alice  (Battles)  McPiiaul,  natives  respectively 
of  North  Carolina  and  Erie  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. When  a  young  man  Mr.  McP'haul  sought 
the  opportunities  of  the  then  undeveloped  coast 
regions  and  for  years  carried  on  an  extensive 
business  as  a  sheep-raiser.  Since  his  death, 
which  occurred  at  Guadaloupe,  his  widow  has 
remained  at  the  old  homestead  in  that  town. 
Mrs.  ]\Iorrell  was  born  and  educated  in  Guada- 
loupe, and  was  the  third  in  a  family  comprising 
four  daughters  and  one  son.  Of  her  marriage 
there  is  one  son,  Lyman  Hadley,  who  is  receiv- 
ing his  education  in  the  schools  of  Los  Angeles 
county.  While  he  has  never  been  an  ardent 
politician  Mr.  Morrell  keeps  thoroughly  posted 
concerning  the  issues  confronting  our  govern- 
ment and  in  his  views  coincides  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party. 


CYRUS  MASON  PARSONS.  A  thorough- 
ly successful  man  and  one  who  occupies  a  con- 
spicuous place  in  affairs  is  C.  M.  Parsons,  who 
by  his  business  ability  and  genuine  worth  as  a 
man  has  become  a  prominent  and  influential  fac- 
tor in  the  well-being  of  Qaremont.  With  a 
wealth  of  experience  to  his  credit  gained  in  the 


southern  and  middle-west  states  he  came  to 
Claremont  in  1903  and  as  in  his  previous  places 
of  residence  he  threw  his  whole  soul  into  the 
opportunities  which  awaited  him,  thus  enrich- 
ing and  strengthening  his  own  native  capabili- 
ties and  at  the  same  time  adding  another  pillar 
of  strength  to  each  and  every  organization  to 
which  he  lent  his  name  and  influence.  He  is 
president  of  the  Citizens'  State  Bank  of  Clare- 
mont, is  interested  in  the  Savings  Bank  and 
Trust  Company  of  Pomona,  is  a  director  in 
the  Citizens'  Light  and  Water  Company  of 
Claremont,  and  is  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
Claremont  Inn.  In  addition  to  these  numerous 
and  important  business  connections  he  is  also  in- 
terested in  the  Crossett  Lumber  Company  of 
Arkansas  and  the  Jackson  Lumber  Company  in 
Florida  and  Alabama. 

Mr.  Parsons  is  a  native  of  the  middle  west, 
born  near  Davenport,  Iowa,  January  14,  1856, 
the  son  of  C.  M.  and  Eliza  (Hazen)  Parsons, 
both  of  whom  were  born  in  Massachusetts.  On 
the  maternal  side  he  is  descended  from  good  old 
Revolutionary  stock.  Great-grandfather  Hazen 
being  a  participant  in  that  conflict.  During  the 
'40s  C.  M.  Parsons,  Sr.,  immigrated  to  what  at 
that  time  was  considered  the  frontier,  and  as  a 
pioneer  farmer  in  Scott  county,  Iowa,  he  cul- 
tivated the  virgin  soil  in  that  vicinity  until  his 
removal  to  Tabor,  that  state,  in  the  latter  place 
becoming  interested  in  the  lumber  business.  He 
is  now  a  resident  of  Claremont,  Cal.,  as  is  also 
his  wife,  and  at  the  respective  ages  of  eighty- 
one  and  seventy-six  years  both  are  in  excellent 
health,  with  faculties  still  acute.  Seven  children 
were  born  to  this  worthy  couple,  but  two  of  the 
number  are  deceased.  The  eldest,  C.  .H.,  is  a 
resident  of  Pasadena ;  C.  M.  is  the  next  in  or- 
der of  birth ;  A.  H.  is  in  the  real-estate  business 
in  Salt  Lake  City;  H.  E.  is  a  grain  merchant  in 
Philo,  Champaign  county.  111. ;  and  Walter  M., 
a  graduate  of  Grinnell  College,  has  for  many 
years  been  connected  with  the  noble  work  of 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  organization;  for  years  he  was 
assistant  state  secretary  of  Iowa,  and  is  now  one 
of  the  international  secretaries,  his  territory  cov- 
ering southwestern  Canada  and  the  northwest- 
ern part  of  the  United  States,  his  headquarters 
being  in   Minneapolis. 

The  early  years  of  C.  M.  Parsons  were  as- 
sociated with  the  locality  around  Davenport, 
Iowa,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  began 
his  self-supporting  career  by  teaching  school  in 
Scott  county,  that  state,  following  this  for  three 
years.  From  1880  until  1893  he  engaged  in 
farming  in  Iowa,  in  the  latter  year  removing  to 
Fordyce,  Ark.,  where  he  became  interested  in 
the  lumber  business.  The  Fordyce  Lumber 
Company,  with  which  he  then  associated  himself 
and  with  which  he  was  locallv  connected  for  four 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1937 


years,  make  a  specialty  of  the  manufacture  of 
yellow  pine,  having  a  capacity  for  turning  out 
one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  feet  per  day. 
Though  still  retaining  his  interest  in  the  com- 
pany he  removed  to  Tabor,  Iowa,  in  1887  and 
established  himself  in  the  retail  lumber  business, 
but  sold  out  six  years  later  to  take  up  his  resi- 
dence in  the  west.  However,  he  still  retains  his 
interest  in  the  Fordyce  Lumber  Company,  as  he 
does  also  with  the  Crossett  Lumber  Company  of 
Arkansas,  and  the  Jackson  Lumber  Company, 
which  latter  has  offices  in  Florida  and  Alabama. 
In  coming  to  Claremont  Mr.  Parsons  had  defin- 
ite plans  laid  for  making  his  permanent  resi- 
dence here,  in  evidence  of  which  he  purchased  a 
fine  residence  on  Alexander  and  Harrison  streets, 
where  with  his  family  he  now  makes  his  home. 
The  existence  of  the  Citizens'  State  Bank  of 
Claremont  is  a  result  of  the  personal  efforts  of 
W.  N.  Beach,  who  after  working  up  the  proj- 
ect enlisted  the  co-operation  of  Mr.  Graham  and 
Mr.  Parsons.  The  officers  of  the  institution  are 
C.  i\I.  Parsons,  president ;  George  Jencks,  vice- 
president;  Mr.  Graham,  L.  N.  Smith,  W.  N. 
Beach,  George  Jencks  and  C.  M.  Parsons,  di- 
rectors. Mr.  Parsons  is  also  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  the  Claremont  Inn,  which  was  erected 
during  the  same  year,  is  a  director  in  the  Citi- 
zens' Light  and  Water  Company,  and  is  con- 
nected with  numerous  other  enterprises,  both  here 
and  in  Pomona.  ^ 

In  Scott  county,  lowaj  Mr.  Parsons  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Mary  A.  Gates,  a  native  of  that 
county,  and  six  children  have  been  born  to  them : 
Jessie;  Walter  H.,  who  graduated  from  Pomona 
College  in  1904  and  is  now  connected  with  the 
Crossett  Lumber  Company,  of  Crossett,  Ark. ; 
Nellie,  a  student  of  Pomona  College,  class  of 
1907;  Hazen,  who  is  a  student  in  that  institution 
and  will  graduate  with  the  class  of  1909;  Cor- 
nelia, a  member  of  the  senior  class  preparatory ; 
and  Howard,  the  youngest  of  the  family.  Both 
Mr.  Parsons  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Congregational  Church,  he  being  chairman  of 
the  board  of  trustees,  and  also  a  member  of  the 
building  committee  of  the  new  chx-rch.  The 
work  of  the  latter  body  bore  fruit  in  the  erection 
of  the  beautiful  house  of  worship  which  was 
dedicated  and  occupied  for  tlie  iirst  time  in  June 
of  1906.  Politically  Mr.  Parsons  gives  his  sup- 
port to  the  Prohibitionist  cause,  and  fraternally 
he  affiliates  with  the  INIodern  Woodmen  of 
America,  belonging  to  tlie  camp  at  Oaremont. 


NIELS  PETER  JOHNSON.  Perhaps  no 
example  could  be  found  on  Los  Angeles  county 
more  significant  of  the  opportunities  offered  by 
this  portion  of  the  state  than  that  furnished  by 
the  life  of  Niels  P.  Johnson,  who  settled  on  his 


ranch  near  Pomona  at  a  time  when  tliere  was 
nothing  to  intercept  the  view  from  his  ranch  to 
the  heart  of  the  city.  His  ranch  is  a  part  of 
what  is  known  as  the  Kingsley  tract,  and  was 
formerly  used  as  a  sheep  range.  At  the  time 
he  took  possession  of  it  in  1883  it  held  forth 
little  inducement  as  a  future  garden  spot,  but  Mr. 
Johnson  had  wisely  chosen  this  particular  por- 
tion on  account  of  the  water  facilities,  which 
he  observed  were  excellent,  and  the  wisdom  of 
his  judgment  and  foresight  has  been  borne  out 
in  the  results  of  later  years.  The  Kingsley 
Tract  Water  Company,  Limited,  supplies  the  ad- 
jacent country  with  an  abundance  of  water,  and 
this  too  at  a  much  lower  rate  than  prevails  in 
any  other  part  of  Southern  California. 

As  is  the  case  with  many  of  California's 
thrifty  ranchers,  Mr.  Johnson  is  of  foreign 
birth,  born  in  Aalborg,  Jutland,  Denmark,  Feb- 
ruary 3,  1843,  the  descendant  of  an  old  Copen- 
hagen family.  In  that  city  his  step-father,  Fer- 
dinand Nielson,  was  born  and  followed  the  trade 
of  butcher.  His  wife,  Petrea  Nielson,  was  a 
native  of  Aalborg,  she  too  coming  of  an  old-es- 
tablished family  in  Denmark.  Of  the  three 
children  born  to  his  parents  Niels  P.  was  the 
eldest,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Aalborg.  From  the  age  of  fourteen  until  seven- 
teen he  applied  himself  to  learning  the  butcher's 
trade,  but  instead  of  following  it  he  went  to 
sea  and  for  about  three  years  was  engaged  in 
the  coasting  trade,  visiting  many  of  the  prin- 
cipal European  ports.  Subsequently  he  returned 
to  Denmark  and  worked  at  his  trade  until  May, 
1866,  when  he  set  sail  from  Copenhagen,  by  way 
of  Hamburg  and  Liverpool,  for  New  York.  He 
arrived  at  his  destination  without  mishaps  to 
mar  the  journey  and  from  New  York  proceeded 
direct  to  Chicago,  111.  Soon  afterward,  however, 
he  made  his  way  to  Oconto,  Oconto  county. 
Wis.,  where  he  was  employed  by  a  lumber  com- 
pany for  six  years.  Later  he  became  interested 
in  farming  in  that  vicinity,  clearing  a  thirty- 
acre  farm  from  the  wilderness  and  making  of 
it  a  valuable  tract.  Disposing  of  his  Wisconsin 
interests  in  1878  he  went  to  Franklin  county, 
Iowa,  that  year,  purchasing  eighty  acres  of  new 
land  ten  miles  west  of  Hampton.  Three  years 
later,  however,  he  removed  still  further  west, 
coming  to  the  Pacific  coast  in  1881,  and  after 
spending  one  year  in  San  Francisco  and  the 
same  length  of  time  in  Bridgeport,  Mono  coun- 
ty, he  began  his  career  in  Pomona  in  1883.  His 
first  purchase  in  the  Kingsley  tract  consisted  of 
five  acres  and  was  located  east  of  San  Antonio 
and  south  of  San  Bernardino  avenue.  Two 
shacks  constituted  the  only  improvement  on  the 
place,  but  he  immediately  erected  a  two-room 
house  for  the  accommodation  of  his  family. 
From  time  to  time  additions  were  made  to  this 


1938 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


structure  and  a  very  commodious  and  comforta- 
ble residence  lias  been  developed  therefrom. 
San  Antonio  canon  furnishes  an  ample  supply 
of  water  for  irrigating  purposes,  while  two  ar- 
tesian wells  supply  an  abundance  of  pure  and 
deliciously  cool  water  for  domestic  purposes. 
During  the  fall  of  1883  Mr.  Johnson  set  out  a 
small  portion  of  his  ranch  to  oranges,  continu- 
ing to  improve  his  ranch  in  this  way  from  year 
to  year,  until  in  four  seasons  he  had  the  entire 
tract  of  five  acres  in  A\'ashington  navels,  and 
now  he  justly  claims  one  of  the  finest  and  most 
productive  orange  groves  in  this  part  of  the 
state.  Mr.  Johnson  was  one  of  the  most  earnest 
workers  in  behalf  of  the  organization  of  the 
Pomona  branch  of  the  Southern  California  Fruit 
Growers'  Association,  of  which  he  has  been  an 
influential  member  ever  since  it  became  a  reaUty. 
In  Oconto,  Wis.,  September  6,  1868,  Mr. 
Johnson  was  married  to  ]\Iiss  Anna  Marie  Las- 
son,  like  himself  a  native  of  Aalborg,  Denmark, 
and  a  daughter  of  Peter  Lasson,  a  native  of 
Jutland  and  a'  brickmason  by  trade.  Both  ^Mr. 
Lasson  and  his  wife,  formerly  Giristine  J^Iathia- 
son,  also  a  native  of  Aalborg,  are  deceased,  and 
of  their  eight  children,  Mrs.  Johnson  was  the 
only  daughter.  She  was  reared  in  her  native 
place,  Aalborg.  Denmark,  receiving  a  good  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  there,  and  has  been 
a  resident  of  the  L^nited  States  since  1868,  hav- 
ing settled  in  Wisconsin  during  that  year.  One 
child,  John  Giristian.  has  been  born  of  the  mar- 
riage of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson.  He  formed  do- 
mestic ties  by  his  marriage  with  ]Miss  Alta  L. 
Snyder,  and  they  and  their  two  children,  Otho 
S.  and  and  Ardath  U.,  make  their  home  in 
Pomona.  The  family  are  Lutherans  in  their  re- 
ligious belief,  and  politically  ^Ir.  Johnson  is  a 
Republican.  He  was  made  an  Odd  Fellow  in 
Pomona  Lodge  No.  246,  in  1890,  and  for  two 
terms  served  as  noble  grand  of  his  lodge :  he  is 
also  a  member  of  San  Antonio  Encampment  No. 
88.  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  which  he  is  past  chief  patri- 
arch, and  also  belongs  to  Heliotrope  Rebekah 
Lodge  No.  183.  of  which  Mrs.  Johnson  is  also 
a  member. 


TO\"EY  BROWN  HHIROD.  Standing 
high  among  the  capable  and  systematic  horticult- 
urists and  ranches  in  Los  Angeles  county  who 
have  met  with  undisputed  success  is  Tovey  B. 
Himrod,  of  Pomona,  who  is  the  owner  of  an 
orange  grove  and  has  a  thirty^acre  alfalfa  ranch 
within  the  city  limits  of  Pomona,  from  which  he 
reaps  a  splendid  income,  his  average  yield  being 
between  six  and  seven  crops  per  season.  Since 
taking  possession  of  th.e  property  in  1897  he  has 
worked  courageously  in  its  improvement,  and  by 
the  exercise  of  his  native  industrv  and  his  able 


business  capacity-  he  has  rendered  it  one  of  the 
most  productive  estates  in  the  neighborhood. 

Of  German  descent  on  the  paternal  side,  Tovey 
B.  Himrod  is  a  grandson  of  Moses  Lattimore 
Himrod,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  He 
was  a  farmer  in  Erie  county,  that  state,  and  on 
the  homestead  near  Waterford  his  son  John  L. 
was  born.  He.  too,  followed  agricultural  pur- 
suits for  his  life  calling,  first  in  Pennsylvania  and 
later  in  Kingsville,  Ohio,  but  subsequently  re- 
turned to  his  native  state.  It  was  in  1868  that  he 
severed  his  connection  with  the  east  by  his  re- 
moval to  Kansas,  settling  upon  a  farm  in  Wood- 
son county,  which  he  improved  until  its  value 
was  enhanced  many  fold  over  its  original  cost. 
From  Kansas  he  removed  to  Humboldt  county, 
Iowa,  in  1882.  remaining  there  for  six  years, 
when  he  removed  to  the  Pacific  coast,  locating  in 
Pomona.  His  active  labors  ceased  with  the  dis- 
posal of  his  Iowa  farm,  and  from  the  time  of 
coming  to  Pomona  in  1888  until  his  death.  Janu- 
ary 7,  1906.  he  lived  retired,  in  the  enjoyment  of 
the  accumulations  of  former  years.  The  wife 
and  mother,  formerlv  Mary  E.  Brown,  was  also 
a  native  of  the  Keystone  state,  born  in  Warren 
county,  the  daughter  of  Robert  Brown,  who  fol- 
lowed farming  in  Pennsylvania  during  earlier 
life  and  finally  removed  west  to  Iowa,  in  which 
state  his  death  occurred.  Mrs.  Himrod  died  in 
Ohio  in  1867,  having  become  the  mother  of  eight 
children,  of  whom  seven  are  now  living. 

Next  to  the  oldest  in  his  parents'  family,  To- 
vey B.  Himrod  was  born  in  Waterford,  Pa..  Au- 
gust 19,  1853,  and  was  reared  principally  in 
Pennsylvania  and  Ohio,  attending  public  school 
in  the  latter  state  until  he  was  fifteen  years  of 
age.  His  mother  having  died  in  1867,  the  fol- 
lowing }ear  the  father  took  the  family  to  Kan- 
sas, and  from  that  year  until  1875^  ^^^  worked  on 
his  father's  farm  in  Woodson  county.  A  desire 
to  strike  out  in  his  own  behalf  became  evident  in 
the  latter  year,  when  he  went  to  Red  ^^'ing, 
Goodhue  count}-,  ]\Iinn.,  and  carried  on  a  farm 
there  for  two  years.  In  1878  he  removed  to 
Humboldt  county,  Iowa,  and  Ijought  a  new  farm 
of  eighty  acres,  improving  it  from  raw  prairie 
land  into  one  of  the  fine  farming  estates  in  that 
])art  of  the  country,  having  in  the  meantime 
added  an  adjoining  tract  of  eighty  acres.  He 
sold  his  one  hundred  and  sixty  acre  farm  in  1897 
and  came  to  California,  whither  his  father  had 
preceded  him  about  nine  years.  Soon  after  com- 
ing to  Pomona  he  purchased  an  orange  grove  in 
this  vicinity,  and  later  purchased  two  others, 
which  he  sold.  He  now  makes  his  home  on  the 
four-acre  ranch  on  Kingsley  avenue.  He  also 
owns  a  thirtv-acre  alfalfa  ranch  two  miles  south 
of  the  postofiice  and  within  the  city  limits,  which 
produces  a  remarkable  yield  of  from  six  to  seven 
crops  per  season.     An  excellent  pumping  plant 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  Ri<:CORD. 


1939 


furnishes  an  abiuulanLC  of  water,  which  is  dis- 
tributed to  all  parts  of  the  ranch  by  means  of  a 
twenty-five  horsepower  gas  eiigine. 

In  Red  Wing,  Alinn.,  November  13,  1877,  -'^^i'- 
Himrod  married  Aliss  Dorcas  A.  WiUiams,  who 
was  born  in  Mankato,  Aiinn.,  the  daughter  of 
W'iUiam  Riley  Williams,  born  in  Indiana  of 
Welsh  descent.  From  Indiana  he  removed  to 
^Minnesota  during  the  earl)  history  of  its  settle- 
ment by  the  whites  and  participated  in  the  New 
Ulm  massacre.  During  the  Civil  war  he  en- 
listed as  a  member  of  a  Alinnesota  regiment,  but 
did  not  survive  the  hardships  of  warfare  to  re- 
turn to  his  family,  dying  on  the  battlefield  at 
Little  Rock,  Ark.  His  wife,  formerly  Jeston  Al- 
corn, was  also  born  in  Indiana,  and  she  died  in 
North  Dakota.  Seven  children  were  born  to  Air. 
and  Mrs.  Williams,  three  of  whom  are  living. 
The  youngest  of  the  family,  Airs.  Himrod  was 
educated  in  Red  Wing,  Alinn.,  and  for  two  years 
she  taught  school  in  that  city.  Six  children  w"ere 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Himrod,  of  whom  one 
died  in  childhood,  and  Nellie  died  in  11)04,  at  the 
age  of  sixteen  years  and  six  months.  The  others 
are:  James  Lattimore,  in  New  Jersey:  William 
Brown,  attending  Pomona  College ;  Alinnie  Al- 
myra  and  Edwin  Ray,  both  at  home.  The  family 
are  members  of  the  Alethodist  Episcopal  Church 
and  politically  Air.  Plimrod  is  a  Republican.  As 
one  of  the  most  prominent  and  successful 
orange  growers  in  this  part  of  the  state.  Air. 
Hinn-od's  membership  in  the  Southern  California 
Fruit  Exchange  is  a  decided  acquisition,  as  it  is 
also  in  the  Kingsley  Tract  Water  Company,  Lim- 
ited, of  v/hich  he  was  at  one  time  president. 


JOHN  O.  ADAAIS.  As  Pomona  lies  in  the 
heart  of  one  of  California's  richest  fruit  belts  it 
is  a  natural  conseciuence  that  the  greater  number 
of  its  residents  are  horticulturists,  among  whom 
mention  belongs  to  Air.  Adams.  His  residence 
in  the  valley  dates  from  the  year  1894,  at  which 
time  he  purchased  his  present  ranch  of  seventeen 
acres,  all  of  which  is  devoted  to  oranges  with 
the  exception  of  three  acres  in  vineyard.  At  the 
time  he  bought  the  property  it  was  devoid  of  any 
improvement,  and  all  that  is  visible  today  is  the 
work  of  his  own  hands,  for,  aside  from  planting 
his  orchard  and  .setting  out  his  vineyard,  he 
erected  the  family  residence  and  ranch  buildings. 

As  is  true  of  so  many  of  Pomona's  residents. 
Air.  Adams  is  not  a  native  of  California,  but 
comes  from  the  Alississippi  valley,  .\lthough 
his  parents  were  natives  of  the  east,  almost  their 
entire  lives  were  associated  with  the  middle  west, 
where  as  a  minister  in  the  Congregational  de- 
nomination the  greater  part  .of  the  father's  active 
life  was  spent.  Horn  in  Saratoga  Springs.  N. 
Y.,   September    14,    181 3.   Amos   B.  Adams  was 


reared  and  educated  principally  in  Uhio,  and 
was  one  of  the  first  graduates  of  Uberlin  Col- 
lege, receiving  his  diploma  from  the  classical 
course  in  1840  and  from  the  theological  depart- 
ment in  1843.  His  ordination  as  a  minister  of 
the  Gospel  followed  soon  after  his  graduation, 
and  about  this  time  also,  October  18,  1843,  oc- 
curred his  marriage  with  Aliss  Charlotte  Alerrell, 
a  native  of  Connecticut,  although  they  met  as 
students  in  Oberlin  College.  Air.  Adams  was 
first  sent  as  a  missionary  among  the  Indians  in 
what  is  now  the  state  of  Iowa,  and  was  later 
transferred  to  the  Chippewa  Indians  of  the  north. 
Traveling  in  those  early  days  was  attended  with 
considerable  difificulty  and  danger.  Before  the 
present  locks  were  constructed  he  sailed  up  the 
Great  Lakes  in  a  small  schooner,  landing  on  the 
west  end  of  Lake  Superior,  where  is  now  located 
the  present  flourishing  city  of  Duluth,  Minn. 
From  that  point  he  went  by  canoe  on  the  Alissis- 
sippi river  to  his  charge  as  minister  and  teacher 
among  the  Indians.  His  work  among  the  Chip- 
]3ewas  was  ruthlcssl\-  broken  in  upon  by  the  hos- 
tile Sioux  during  the  Civil  war,  and  he  with  the 
other  white  settlers  in  the  vicinity  w-ere  obliged 
to  seek  safety  in  Fort  Ripiey.  Subsequently,  in 
the  summer  of  1863,  he  took  up  life  anew  amid 
the  forbidding  conditions  of  northern  Alichigan. 
From  Alilwaukee,  \A'is..  he  crossed  Lake  Alichi- 
gan on  the  schooner  Stronach  and  finally  took  up 
his  residence  at  Benzonia.  There  he  became 
identified  with  Grand  Traverse  College,  a  Con- 
gregational institution,  and  in  addition  to  his 
duties  therein  he  followed  farming  and  fruit  rais- 
ing. It  was  while  there  that  he  was  deprived  of 
the  companionship  of  his  wife,  wdio  passed  away 
in  1892,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years.  Subse- 
quently he  went  to  Alanistee,  Alicli.,  and  from 
then  until  his  death,  September  5,  1906.  made  his 
home  with  his  daughter.  Airs.  J.  J.  Hubbell.  His 
life  had  been  an  active  and  useful  one,  and  al- 
though he  lacked  but  nine  days  of  reaching  his 
ninety-first  birthday,  was  in  full  possession  of 
his  mental  faculties.  As  the  last  surviving  mem- 
ber of  the  Oberlin  class  of  1840  he  was  laid  to 
rest  in  the  family  lot  in  Benzonia  Cemetery. 
Five  of  his  six  children  still  survive  him :  W.  H. 
and  John  O..  of  Pomona,  Cal. ;  Qiarles  F.,  of 
r.enzonia,  Alich. :  Airs.  J.  O.  Beach,  of  New 
Britain,  Conn. :  and  Mrs.  J-  J-  Hubbell,  of  Alanis- 
tee. Alich.  Another  .son,  Albert  P>.  .\dams,  was 
a  resident  of  Manistee  from  1887  until  1892,  dur- 
ing which  time  he  assisted  in  the  survey  and  loca- 
tion of  the  Alanistee  and  Northeastern  Railway; 
his  death  occurred  in  Long  Beach,  Cal. 

While  his  parents  were  living  in  Benton  coun- 
ty, Alinn.,  John  O.  Adams  was  born,  July  20, 
1856.  Wis  recollections  of  his  birthplace  are 
rather  vague,  for  he  was  only  seven  years  old 
when  his  parents  left  there  and  located  in  Benzie 


1940 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


county,  Mich.  After  a  course  in  the  common 
schools  of  Benzonia  he  became  a  student  in  Grand 
Traverse  College,  of  which  institution  his  father 
was  one  of  the  trustees.  Subsequentlj'  he  be- 
came interested  in  the  fruit  enterprise  which  his 
father  also  carried  on,  remaining  at  home  until 
attaining  his  majority.  Subsequently  he  engag;ed 
in  the  raising  of  peaches  independently,  and  it 
was  with  all  of  these  years  of  experience  as  assets 
that  he  came  to  Pomona  in  1894  and  established 
the  nucleus  of  his  present  successful  enterprise. 

In  1885  Mr.  Adams  was  married  to  Jennie  E. 
Miner,  a  native  of  Canada,  and  five  children  have 
been  born  to  them,  Bessie,  John,  Paul,  Wilbur 
and  Donald.  Mr.  Adams  still  owns  about  forty 
acres  of  land  in  Michigan,  although  he  has  sold 
all  of  his  fruit  land.  While  a  resident  of  that 
state  he  advanced  the  interests  of  his  community 
by  a  whole-hearted  interest  in  its  governmental 
affairs,  and  was  a  valuable  acquisition  to  the 
school  board  of  Benzonia.  This  same  interest  in 
the  welfare  of  his  adopted  home  in  the  west  has 
always  been  apparent,  and  he  is  counted  among 
her  most  active  and  respected  citizens.  Political- 
ly he  is  a  Republican,  and  with  his  wife  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Congregational  Church.  During  the 
summer  of  1906  Mr.  Adams  and  family  returned 
to  Michigan  for  a  visit,  spending  about  two  and 
a  half  months  among  the  scenes  of  his  earlier 
vears. 


EDWARD  ABPLANALP.  The  Swiss  fam- 
ily of  Abplanalp  became  transplanted  in  America 
during  the  early  half  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
when  Jacob  Abplanalp  emigrated  from  Switzer- 
land to  the  new  world  and  settled  among  the 
pioneer  farmers  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Indi- 
ana. Accompanying  him  to  the  United  States 
.was  his  son,  Peter,  a  native  of  Switzerland,  but 
from  boyhood  a  resident  of  Indiana,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  until  his  death.  During  the 
Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  the  Union  army  and 
served  as  a  private  in  the  Sixty-fourth  Indiana 
Infantry.  From  the  organization  of  the  Republi- 
can party  until  his  death  he  never  swerved  in  his 
allegiance  to  its  platform  and  principles.  In  the 
old  country  the  family  had  become  identified  with 
the  religious  movement  inaugurated  by  Martin 
Luther  and  he  was  reared  in  the  Lutheran  faith, 
which  he  always  supported.  In  young  manhood 
he  married  Martha  Garrison,  who  was  born  in 
Franklin  county,  Ind.,  and  died  there  in  1905. 
The  Garrison  family  was  among  the  pioneer  fam- 
ilies of  Franklin  county  and  her  father,  James, 
was  for  years  and  until  his  death  a  leading  agri- 
culturist of  that  locality. 

In  a  family  consisting  of  seven  sons  and  three 
daughters,  Edward  Abplanalp  was  the  oldest  and 
he  was  born  November  2-/,  1865,  on  the  farm  oc- 


cupied by  his  parents,  Peter  and  Martha  Ab- 
planalp. The  family  being  large  and  their  means 
very  limited,  it  became  necessary  for  him  to  begin 
at  an  early  age  to  assist  in  the  support  of  the 
younger  children.  When  only  fourteen  he  began 
to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade  in  the  vicinity  of 
Sunman,  Ripley  county,  Ind.,  not  far  from  the 
old  home  farm,  and  from  that  time  onward  he 
was  self-supporting.  During  October  of  1886  he 
arrived  in  California  and  secured  employment  at 
Santa  Ana  in  horticultural  work.  From  there 
three  years  later  he  removed  to  Chino,  San  Ber- 
nardino county,  and  took  up  carpentering  in  addi- 
tion to  farm  pursuits.  While  living  in  that  town 
he  married  Miss  Mary  Bostleman,  a  native  of 
Ohio,  and  a  woman  possessing  many  pleasing 
traits  of  character.  Two  sons,  Arthur  and  Henry, 
bless  their  union. 

While  following  his  trade  in  1891  Mr.  Abpla- 
nalp was  engaged  to  assist  in  the  construction  of 
a  beet  factory  for  the  American  Beet  Sugar  Com- 
pany, and  from  that  beginning  he  continued  for 
seven  seasons  as  foreman  in  charge  of  the  com- 
pany's boilers.  When  it  was  decided  to  establish 
a  plant  at  Oxnard  he  was  one  of  the  first  men  to 
come  to  the  place  and  built  the  first  house  in  the 
town,  a  cottage  on  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  A 
streets.  From  the  arrival  of  the  first  carload  of 
material  for  the  Oxnard  factory  he  was  employed 
as  a  foreman  in  the  work  of  construction  and  for 
a  time  he  held  a  position  as  engineer  in  charge  of 
the  hoisting  engine.  On  the  completion  of  the 
plant  he  took  up  general  contracting  and  building 
and  continues  in  the  same  occupation  to  the  pres- 
ent time,  having  since  October  of  1902  been  a 
partner  of  J.  H.  Myers  under  the  firm  title  of 
Myers  &  Abplanalp. 

The  partners  not  only  carry  on  a  large  contract- 
ing business,  but  also  own  and  operate  a  planing 
mill,  Mr.  Myers  having  charge  of  the  mill,  while 
Mr.  Abplanalp  superintends  all  building  opera- 
tions. Among  the  buildings  which  he  has  super- 
intended may  be  mentioned  the  Union  Oxnard 
high  school,  Stephens  residence,  the  Cohn  and  H. 
K.  Snow  residences,  and  his  own  residence  on 
Fifth  street ;  also  the  steam  laundry,  Wineman 
block,  Schmitz  building,  Cohn  building,  water 
tanks  for  the  water  company,  and  the  Lutheran, 
Christian  and  Episcopal  churches,  all  of  which 
work  has  been  done  in  a  reliable,  efficient  and 
workmanlike  manner.  In  addition,  he  has  erected 
many  houses  in  the  country  and  he  also  superin- 
tended the  building  of  the  grammar  school  before 
he  began  to  take  contracts.  His  attention  has 
been  given  very  closely  to  business  affairs  and  he 
has  had  little  leisure  for  participation  in  local 
politics,  but  he  is  a  pronounced  Republican  and 
always  votes  tlie  straight  party  ticket.  Fratern- 
ally he  affiliates  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and 
holds  office  as  past  chancellor  in  the  local  lodge. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


1941 


Reared  in  a  home  where  the  doctrines  of  the 
Lutheran  denomination  were  taught  to  the  chil- 
dren, he  was  early  confirmed  in  that  church  and 
ever  since  has  been  an  active  member  thereof, 
contributing  generously  of  time  and  means  to  its 
maintenance. 


WILLIAM  T.  NEELY.  Early  in  the  nine- 
teenth century  the  Scotch  family  of  Neely  be- 
came established  in  the  United  States,  and 
John  Neely,  representative  of  the  first  generation 
born  in  America,  was  a  native  of  Philadelphia, 
where  he  grew  to  manhood  and  learned  the  hat- 
ter's trade.  During  the  memorable  year  of  1849 
he  started  across  the  plains  with  a  comrade  from 
St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  the  two  traveling  on  horseback, 
and  having  only  one  horse  with  which  to  cross 
the  desert.  On  his  arrival  in  California  he  at 
once  engaged  in  prospecting  and  mining  and 
met  with  good  success  in  his  efforts  to  discover 
gold  in  pa.ving  quantities.  During  1853  he  re- 
turned east  via  Panama,  but  the  next  year  found 
him  returning  by  the  same  route  to  the  mines, 
where  he  remained  until  1856,  and  then  went 
back  east  to  remain.  After  a  brief  sojourn  in 
Philadelphia  in  1857  he  became  a  pioneer  farm- 
er of  Iowa,  where  he  bought  a  tract  of  land  near 
Burlington  and  engaged  in  farming.  Though 
never  active  in  politics,  he  always  kept  posted 
concerning  national  issues  and  always  voted  the 
Republican  ticket.  Fraternally  he  was  a  Mas- 
ter Mason.  After  a  long  and  industrious  life 
he  passed  away  in  1899,  having  for  twenty- 
three  years  survived  his  wife,  who  was  Maria 
Barton,  a  native  of  Philadelphia,  descended  from 
Welsh  ancestry. 

Among  the  seven  children  of  John  Neely  (all 
of  whom  are  still  living)  William  T.  Neely  of 
San  Diego  was  fourth  in  order  of  birth,  and  was 
born  on  the  home  farm  near  Burlington,  Iowa, 
June  3,  i860.  As  a  boy  he  received  fair  ad- 
vantages, being  a  student  first  in  the  common 
schools,  then  in  Denmark  Academy  and  later  in 
Elliott's  Business  College  at  Burlington.  After 
leaving  school  he  taught  for  three  years  and 
then,  in  1885,  began  to  learn  the  carpenter's 
trade.  The  following  year  he  visited  California 
for  the  first  time  and  while  in  the  state  followed 
his  trade  for  brief  periods  at  Santa  Barbara, 
Pasadena  and  Los  Angeles,  returning  to  Iowa 
in  the  spring  of  1888.  Removing  to  Salt  Lake 
City  in  1889  he  followed  his  trade,  also  took 
contracts  for  building  Iiouses  and  stores,  further- 
more had  mining  interests  in  the  locality,  and  for 
two  years  acted  as  deputy  county  sheriff. 

On  coming  to  California  the  second  time  Mr. 
Neely  settled  in  San  Diego  in  1897  ^"d  since  then 
has  engaged  in  contracting  and  building,  being 
now  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Willard  &  Neelv. 


The  present  partnership  was  begun  in  1886  and 
has  continued  at  intervals  since.  Interested  in 
everything  pertaining  to  his  chosen  occupation, 
Mr.  Neely  holds  membership  in  the  Master 
Builders'  Association  and  keeps  posted  concern- 
ing every  advance  made  in  the  building  business. 
While  making  his  home  in  Salt  Lake  City  he 
married  Miss  Laura  Koontz,  who  was  born  in 
Ohio,  and  is  a  faithful  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church.  They  are  the  parents  of  five  children, 
John,  Glenn,  Harry,  Charles  and  Ruth.  Since 
coming  to  San  Diego  Mr.  Neely  has  been  made 
a  Mason  in  Silver  Gate  Lodge  No.  296,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  and  has  also  become  identified  with  all 
the  bodies  of  the  Consistory  in  this  city,  besides 
being  connected  with  the  Woodmen  of  the 
^Vorld.  Though  like  his  father  in  respect  to 
taking  no  part  in  politics,  he  nevertheless  gives 
his  allegiance  stanchly  to  Republican  principles 
and  his  ballot  is  always  to  be  depended  upon  as 
an  aid  to  the  candidates  of  the  party  in  local  and 
general  elections. 


CASPER  BORCHARD.  The  success  which 
has  accompanied  the  efforts  of  Casper  Borchard, 
one  of  Ventura  county's  representative  citizens, 
has  been  such  as  to  denote  his  possession  of  abil- 
ity of  more  than  ordinary  calibre,  for  he  began 
life  against  heavy  odds — without  means  or 
friends,  in  a  new  country  and  with  a  new  lan- 
guage to  learn,  beginning  at  the  foot  of  the  lad- 
der and  working  his  way  step  by  step  to  the  top- 
most rung — to-day  holding  rank  with  men  of 
wealth  and  influence,  both  of  which  he  can  al- 
v\'ays  be  counted  upon  to  give  of  freely  toward  the 
advancement  of  his  adopted  land. 

Mr.  Borchard  is  a  native  of  Germany,  his 
birth  having  occurred  in  1842,  in  Werxhausen, 
province  of  Hanover.  The  family  is  one  of  the 
oldest  of  that  locality  and  many  of  the  name  still 
reside  there.  Ambition  as  well  as  ability  have 
always  been  distinguishing  characteristics  in 
members  of  the  family,  and  Casper  Borchard  was 
no  exception  to  the  general  rule.  Realizing  the 
fact  that  the  western  world  afforded  many  more 
opportunities  to  the  young  man  of  to-day,  he 
early  decided  to  emigrate  and  accordingly  came 
to  America  in  1867,  locating  in  California 
and  in  Ventura  county  establishing  his  home.  As 
his  means  accumulated  he  purchased  property, 
continually  adding  to  his  land,  until  at  the  pres- 
ent writing  he  owns  over  four  thousand  acres  in 
the  Conejo  valley.  Here  he  has  a  herd  of  two 
thousand  goats,  while  he  also  raises  other  stock 
on  an  extensive  scale.  It  is  needless  to  say  that 
he  has  been  successful ;  energy  and  patience  have 
gone  to  make  up  his  years  of  effort  and  the  large 
financial  returns  are  but  just  equivalents  for  that 
which  he  has  given.     Better  still  to  say  of  his 


i;)4:; 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


character,  lie  has  won  the  esteem  of  those  among 
whom  his  lot  has  been  cast  for  nearly  forty  years, 
a  true  appreciation  of  his  ability,  his  liberality, 
his  practical  citizenship  being  given  him  by  those 
who  know  him  best. 

Mr.  Borchard  was  married  in  the  Fatherland 
to  Aliss  Theresa  Maring,  a  native  of  Germany, 
and  born  of  this  union  are  the  following  chil- 
dren :  Rosa,  wife  of  Silas  Kelly,  of  Conejo  val- 
liey;  Mary,  at  home;  Leo,  who  is  married  and 
lives  near  Santa  Ana,  Orange  county,  Cal. ;  Cas- 
per, Jr.,  residing  near  Santa  Ana;  Antone,  an  en- 
terprising j'Oung  ranchman  who  has  charge  of 
the  home  ranch  m  the  Conejo  valley ;  Frank,  a 
partner  in  the  management  of  the  home  ranch; 
and  Charle.s  and  Theresa,  with  their  father.  The 
mother  passed  avv'ay  in  i8g8,  at  the  age  of  forty- 
nine  years.  The  home  of  the  family  is  now  lo- 
cated near  Huntington  Beach,  where  Mr.  Bor- 
chard owns  about  eight  hundred  acres  of  land, 
although  they  have  a  comfortable  country  home 
in  the  Conejo  valley.  As  one  of  the  oldest  set- 
tlers of  the  Conejo  valley  xMr.  Borchard  has  wit- 
nessed its  development  and  has  indeed  been  one 
of  the  most  potent  factors  in  its  advancement  to 
its  present  high  position  among  agricultural  lo- 
calities of  this  part  of  the  state.  He  takes  a  keen 
interest  to-day  in  its  improvement  and  seeks  in 
every  possible  way  to  enhance  property  values, 
spending  large  iunis  annually  on  his  own  vast 
acres  which  adds  in  turn  to  the  adjoining  lands. 
He  is  loyal  to  the  interests  of  \"entura  county 
and  can  always  be  counted  upon  to  further  an}' 
plan  for  its  advancement. 


EDWARD  D.  ROBERTS.  Among  the  lea<l- 
ing  financiers  and  business  men  of  Southern  Cal- 
ifornia the  name  of  Edward  D.  Roberts  of  San 
Bernardino  stands  pre-eminent.  Of  a  strong 
personality,  great  force  of  character  and  rare 
mental  attainments,  he  is  justly  entitled  to  the 
honorable  position  which  he  holds  in  financial 
circles,  and  this,  too,  apart  from  any  reflected 
honor  from  his  illustrious  father,  J.  W.  Roberts, 
whose  connection  with  banking  interests  in  San 
Bernardino  forms  a  part  of  the  city's  history, 
and  whose  biography  will  be  found  elsewhere  in 
this  volume. 

It  is  the  privilege  of  Init  few  men  to  stand  at 
the  helm  of  three  large  banking  institutions  and 
guide  them  with  safety  over  the  financial  sea, 
weathering  storm  and  threatened  shipwreck,  in- 
cidents which  every  mariner  at  some  time  in  his 
career  has  to  contend  with.  As  president  of  the 
San  Bernardino  National  Bank,  the  San  Ber- 
nardino County  Savings  Bank  and  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Colton,  Mr.  Roberts  has  not 
only  proven  himself  a  capable  captain,  but  has 
established   bevond    doubt   the   seaworthiness   of 


his  noble  ships.  The  history  of  the  San  Ber- 
nardino National  Bank  dates  back  to  the  }ear 
1887,  at  which  time  it  was  formed,  and  Febru- 
ary 28,  1888,  it  opened  its  doors  for  business, 
with  officers  as  follows:  J.  G.  Burt,  president; 
A.  H.  Hart,  vice-president;  E.  H.  Morse,  cash- 
ier, and  W.  S.  Hooper,  teller.  In  1892,  at  the 
time  of  the  fire  in  the  Stewart  building,  in  which 
the  bank  is  located,  some  of  its  records  were  de- 
stro}ed,  but  the  disaster  caused  lio  serious  in- 
convenience to  the  bank.  Among  its  early  stock- 
holders were  such  men  as  Ambrose  Hunt,  I.  R. 
Brunn,  Richard  Gird,  J.  G.  Burt,  S.  E.  A. 
Palmer,  J.  W.  Davis,  Jr.,  Seth  Marshall,  H.  L. 
Drew,  E.  H.  Morse,  .A..  H.  Hart,  Henry  Good- 
cell,  Sr.,  \\\  S.  Hooper,  Richard  Stewart,  W.  E. 
W.  Lightfoot,  L.  A.  Grant,  Tohn  Patterson,  W. 
W.  Stow,  J.  W.  Roberts  and"  H.  E.  Harris.  The 
first  change  in  the  presidency  of  the  bank  oc- 
curred in  1891,  in  which  year  J.  W.  Davis  be- 
came head  of  the  institution,  but  his  career  was 
short,  owing  to  his  death,  which  occurred  Au- 
gust 8,  1893.  J.  W.  Roberts  was  then  elected 
to  the  presidency,  a  position  which  he  filled  with 
efficiency  until  his  death  about  ten  years  later, 
January  9,  1903.  The  latter's  son,  E.  D.  Rob- 
erts, had  been  associated  with  the  bank  for  a 
number  of  years,  first  as  bookkeeper,  later  as 
assistant  cashier  and  still  later  as  vice-presi- 
dent, and  his  election  to  the  presidency  at  the 
close  of  his  father's  career  was  a  most  natural 
secpience.  The  other  officers  at  this  writing  are : 
H.  E.  Harris,  vice-president,  and  W.  S.  Hooper, 
cashier.  The  San  Bernardino  National  Bank 
claims  the  distinction  of  being  the  largest  and 
strongest  financial  institution  in  the  county,  and 
the  following  figures  will  substantiate  the  claim : 
Capital  stock,  $100,000;  surplus  and  profits, 
$150,000;  deposits,  over  $1,000,000;  and  total  re- 
sources, $1,500,000. 

Although  a  younger  institution  the  San  Ber- 
nardino County  Savings  Bank  is  on  an  equal 
footing  with  the  San  Bernardino  National  Bank 
in  the  matter  of  reliability,  for  the  officers  of 
the  latter  are  also  in  charge  of  the  newer  organi- 
zation. It  was  opened  for  business  July  6,  1903, 
with  officers  as  follows :  E.  D.  Roberts,  presi- 
dent ;  Seth  ^larshall,  first  vice-president ;  A.  C. 
Denman,  Jr.,  second  vice-president ;  A.  G.  Ken- 
dall, cashier,  and  directors,  E.  D.  Roberts,  Seth 
Marshall,  A.  C.  Denman,  Ir.,  ^^'.  S.  Hooper,  G. 
W.  Parsons,  H.  E.  Harris,  A.  M.  Ham,  T.  A. 
Blakely,  J.  B.  Gill,  H.  R.  Smith  and  W.  J.  Cur- 
tis. The  capital  stock  of  this  institution  is  $55.- 
000;  surplus,  $15,000,  while  the  deposits  liave 
exceeded  the  half  million  mark.  A  fact  wordi\- 
of  note  in  connection  with  this  bank  is  that  from 
the  start  it  has  paid  dividends  to  the  stockhold- 
ers, the  first  year  si.x  per  cent,  and  ever  since 
then  eight  per  cent      To  the  depositor  it  pay.> 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


194.S 


four  ])cr  cent  on  term  deposits,  while  on  ordinary 
deposits  three  per  cent  is  paid. 

The  foregoing  facts  in  regard  to  two  of  San 
Bernardino  county's  monetar\-  institutions  have 
been  read  with  interest  and  protit,  and  the  read- 
er may  peruse  the  life  history  of  their  president, 
Edward  David  Roberts,  to  even  greater  advan- 
tage. He  was  born  in  Cambria,  Cohmibia  coun- 
ty, Wis.,  July  i8,  1864.  a  son  of  J.  W.  and 
Eliza  (Williams)  Roberts,  both  natives  of  North 
Wales.  Up  to  the  age  of  fifteen  years  he  was 
reared  and  educated  in  Cambria,  and  in  1879 
went  to  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  to  further  pursue  his 
studies  in  the  preparatory  department  of  the 
Western  L'niversity  of  Pennsylvania,  an  institu- 
tion which  was  founded  in  that  city  in  18  uj,  but 
which  in  1888  was  removed  to  Allegheny  City. 
He  concluded  his  sophomore  year  in  the  latter 
institution,  and  in  the  meantime  had  also  com- 
pleted a  course  in  Duiifs  Commercial  College  iii 
Pittsburg.  It  was  with  this  preparation  for  busi- 
ness life  that  he  went  to  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  in 
1882  and  accepted  a  position  in  the  claim  depart- 
ment of  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul 
Railroad  under  J.  P.  Elliott.  The  following  year 
found  him  in  Bridgewater,  ]\IcCook  county,  S. 
Dak.,  drawn  thither,  no  doubt,  from  the  fact 
that  his  brother-in-law,  J.  W.  Davis,  was  inter- 
ested in  business  there.  Besides  interesting  him- 
self in  the  stock  and  land  business  there,  Mr. 
Roberts  bought  an  interest  in  the  McCook  Coun- 
ty Bank,  in  which  his  brother-in-law  was  also 
interested.  The  removal  of  Mr.  Davis  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1884  made  a  change  in  the  personnel 
of  the  bank,  and  at  this  time  Mr.  Roberts  was 
made  cashier.  Mr.  Davis'  object  in  removing  to 
California  was  to  establish  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Colton,  which  he  did  in  conjunction 
with  his  father,  J.  W.  Davis,  Sr.,  and  in  1885 
Mr.  Roberts  closed  up  his  affairs  in  South  Da- 
kota and  also  removed  to  Colton,  to  accept  the 
position  of  assistant  cashier  in  the  bank  just 
mentioned.  Subsequently  he  was  made  cashier, 
and  while  a  resident  of  that  town  also  served  on 
the  board  of  town  trustees. 

It  was  in  1892  that  Mr.  Roberts  and  his  fath- 
er, J.  W.  Roberts,  became  interested  in  the  San 
Bernardino  National  Bank,  the  former  rising 
gradually  from  the  position  of  bookkeeper,  until 
in  January.  1903,  upon  the  death  of  his  father, 
he  was  made  president  of  the  institution.  Since 
then,  July  6,  1903,  he  organized  the  San  Ber- 
nardino Savings  Bank,  of  wdiich  he  is  president, 
and  he  also  holds  the  same  position  in  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Colton.  Notwithstanding  the 
demands  upon  his  time  and  thought  which  these 
]xisitions  involve,  he  is  nevertheless  active  in 
business  along  other  lines,  and  with  Seth  ^Nlar- 
shall  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  Arrow- 
head  Hot    Springs   Company,  in   which   he   is   a 


director.  The  company  is  incorporated  for  $1,- 
000,000  and  is  building  up  one  of  the  most  sub- 
stantial institutions  of  its  kinds  in  the  state.  Mr. 
Roberts  is  also  a  director  in  the  San  Bernardino 
X'alley  Traction  Company,  director  of  the  Colton 
Fruit  Exchange,  president  of  the  San  Bernar- 
dino Hotel  Building  Association  (the  latter  be- 
ing owners  of  the  .Stewart  Hotel  block),  besides 
which  he  acts  as  manager  of  his  father's  large 
estate  and  assists  in  the  management  of  the  J. 
W.  Davis  estate. 

In  Colton,  Cal.,  in  1891,  Edward  D.  Roberts 
was  married  to  Miss  Maud  -Adams,  who  was 
born  in  Bloomington,  111.,  the  daughter  of  Dr. 
Henry  F.  Adams,  the  latter  a  ])racticing  physi- 
cian of  Colton  at  the  time  of  his  death.  Mrs. 
Roberts  received  the  latter  part  of  her  education 
in  Willamette  University,  at  .Salem,  Ore.  Two 
children,  Louise  Eliza  and  ;\Iaud  Marie,  have 
added  brightness  and  cheer  to  the  home  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Roberts.  In  Colton  Mr.  Roberts  was 
made  a  Mason  in  Ashlar  Lodge  No.  306,  but 
he  is  now  a  member  of  Phoenix  Lodge  No.  178, 
Keystone  Giapter  No.  56,  and  St.  Bernard  Com- 
mandery  No.  25,  all  of  San  Bernardino,  and  he 
also  belongs  to  Al  JNlalaikah  Temple,  A.  A.  O. 
N.  M.  S.,  of  Los  Angeles,  and  to  the  Benevo- 
lent Protective  Order  of  Elks  of  San  Bernardino. 
The  Republican  pj^rty  finds  in  Mr.  Roberts  a 
most  dependable  and  loyal  supporter,  and  twice 
he  has  served  as  chairman  of  the  county  central 
committee.  In  1904  he  was  a  delegate  to  the 
Republican  national  convention  that  met  in  Chi- 
cago for  the  purpose  of  nominating  our  pres- 
ent chief  executive,  Theodore  Roosevelt.  Mr. 
Roberts  is  also  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trade, 
is  a  valued  member  of  the  State  Bankers'  As- 
sociation, as  he  is  also  of  the  University  Club 
of  Redlands.  Alan's  best  friend,  the  horse,  has 
indeed  a  true  friend  in  Mr.  Roberts,  and  in  his 
stalls  may  be  seen  some  of  the  finest  breeds  of 
trotting  and  standard-bred  horses  to  be  found 
in  the  country.  Flis  residence  in  San  Bernar- 
dino is  without  exception  one  of  the  most  pala- 
tial in  the  city,  and  the  grounds  are  an  added 
feature  of  beauty,  the  whole  combining  to  form 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  restful  spots  in 
the  county.  Mrs.  Roberts  shares  in  the  esteem 
in  which  her  husband  is  held,  and  is  an  active 
member  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  to  which  both 
contribute  with  a  generous  hand.  She  is  also  a 
prominent  member  of  the  W'oman's  Club,  and 
was  chairman  of  the  building  committee  which 
had  in  charge  the  building  of  the  new  home  for 
the  latter  club. 

Though  comparative!)-  young  in  years,  Mr. 
Roberts'  strong  personal  attributes  have  long 
since  been  generally  recognized,  and  these  char- 
acteristics, taken  in  conjunction  with  his  mani- 
fest public  siiiril,  his  brradth  of  mind  in  viewing 


1944 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


all  public  affairs,  and  his  generosity  of  heart, 
have  given  him  a  place  in  the  esteem  of  thought- 
ful and  discriminating  men  which  few  men  at- 
tain at  his  time  of  life.  The  work  which  he  is 
accomplishing  in  the  various  avenues  of  finance 
and  commerce  in  which  he  is  engaged  is  mak- 
ing a  marked  impress  upon  the  trend  of  events 
in  California,  and  the  record  of  his  life  is  en- 
titled to  a  place  of  distinction  in  the  annals  of 
the  state. 


THEODORE  E.  HASS.  The  first  location 
of  ^Ir.  Hass  on  coming  to  California  in  1886 
was  in  Pasadena,  which  at  that  time  did  not 
boast  its  present  population,  but  the  incoming  of 
settlers  gave  an  impetus  to  the  building  trade, 
and,  as  a  carpenter,  Mr.  Hass  found  employment 
readily.  He  later  went  to  Downey,  and  having 
in  the  meantime  become  interested  in  agricul- 
tural affairs,  he  there  sought  to  find  a  ranch 
which  would  suit  his  needs  and  requirements. 
This  he  found  a  few  miles  from  the  above-men- 
tioned village,  and  so  satisfactor}-  were  his  ef- 
forts that  he  remained  there  for  sixteen  years, 
or  until  coming  to  Palms  in  1904.  At  that  time 
he  purchased  thirty-three  acres  and  at  once  be- 
gan its  improvement  and  cultivation.  His  am- 
bition soon  outgrew  his  possessions,  however,  and 
he  was  obliged  to  secure  adjoining  land  in  order 
to  carry  out  his  plans.  He  now  has  three  hun- 
dred and  tliirty-three  acres  under  his  control, 
all  of  which  is  in  oats  and  lima  beans. 

Mr.  Hass  was  bom  in  Vinton  county,  Ohio, 
November  2,  1855,  the  only  child  of  his  father's 
first  marriage.  Samuel'  Hass  was  also  a  native 
of  Ohio,  born  February  16,  1834,  and  was  reared 
and  educated  !n  the  latter  state.  He  was 
obliged  early  in  his  career  to  hoe  his  ovro  row, 
making  his  start  in  life  on  a  fann  of  forty  acres 
in  his  native  state.  Going  to  Kansas  in  1871, 
he  purchased  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  on  which  he  resided  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  his  death  occurring  in  1902.  His  first  wife, 
and  the  mother  of  our  subject,  was  in  maiden- 
hood Elizabeth  Millirons,  a  native  of  Ohio.  She 
died  soon  after  the  birth  of  her  son.  In  i860 
Mr.  Hass  married  Miss  Martha  Spelman,  and 
all  of  the  eight  children  born  of  this  marriage 
are  living. 

Theodore  Hass  attended  the  common  schools 
of  Ohio  and  Kansas  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
parental  homestead  in  those  states,  and  when  he 
was  twenty  years  old  began  to  make  his  own 
way  in  the  world.  The  initial  step  in  this  direc- 
tion was  homesteading  a  quarter  section  of  land 
in  Kansas,  to  which  he  later  added  eighty  acres 
of  land  by  purchase.  Favorable  reports  of  un- 
limited opportunities  in  the  west  resulted  in  the 
sale  of  his  Kansas  property  and  his  removal  to 


California.  His  location  on  his  present  ranch 
was  not  by  chance,  but  followed  a  long  and  care- 
ful observation  as  to  the  merits  of  various  lo- 
calities. His  selection  was  a  wise  and  satisfac- 
tory one  and  his  ranch  is  one  of  the  most  im- 
posing in  this  part  of  the  county. 

A  marriage  ceremony  celebrated  in  Concor- 
dia, Kans.,  in  1880,  united  the  destinies  of 
Theodore  E.  Hass  and  IMaryetta  E.  Wright. 
Four  of  the  five  children  born  to  them  are  living 
and  are  named  in  order  of  birth,  as  follows : 
Ralph,  (who  married  Mabel  Barnett)  ;  Everest 
S.,  (who  married  Girlie  Jenison),  Arthur  C.  and 
Gertrude.  All  of  the  family  are  active  workers 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  which 
they  are  members,  and  politically  Mr.  Hass  is  a 
Republican. 


THOMAS  WILLIAM  COATES.  Prominent 
among  the  representative  business  men  of  San 
Diego  is  Thomas  William  Coates,  who  has,  may- 
hap, had  charge  of  the  erection  of  more  of  the 
notable  business  blocks  and  private  residences  of 
this  city  than  any  other  one  contractor.  During 
his  twenty  years'  residence  in  this  place  he  has 
been  actively  identified  with  its  best  interests, 
and  in  the  development  and  advancement  of  its 
growth  and  prosperity  has  been  an  important 
factor.  A  son  of  John  Coates,  he  was  born  No- 
vember 28,  1859,  in  Chicago,  111.,  coming  from 
English  ancestry. 

Born,  reared  and  educated  in  England,  John 
Coates  made  wise  use  of  his  talents,  studying 
architecture,  and  having  also  learned  the  carpen- 
ter's trade,  came  to  America.  Settling  in  Chi- 
cago, 111.,  he  was  there  profitably  employed  as 
an  architect  and  supervising  builder  for  a  num- 
ber of  3'ears.  He  became  quite  noted  in  his  pro- 
fession, being  frequently  called  to  other  places, 
among  others  going  to  Ottawa,  Canada,  to  su- 
perintend the  erection  of  the  parliament  building 
hi  that  city.  On  its  completion  he  returned  to 
Chicago,  where  he  continued  as  a  contractor  and 
builder  until  1886.  Locating  in  San  Diego  in 
that  year,  he  resided  here  until  his  death,  in 
1892,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years.  He  married 
Annie  Marsh,  who  was  born  in  Worcester,  Eng- 
land, a  daughter  of  Thomas  Marsh,  England's 
pioneer  railway  builder.  She  died  in  Oakland, 
Cal.,  leaving  three  sons  and  one  daughter,  all 
of  whom  are  living. ' 

The  second  child  of  the  household,  Thomas 
\^'illiam  Coates  was  educated  in  the  Chicago 
public  schools,  after  which  he  began  working 
with  his  father  at  the  carpenter's  trade.  Be- 
coming familiar  with  the  details  of  the  trade 
he  started  in  business  on  his  own  account  in 
1877,  and  during  the  next  ten  years  built  many 
residences  and  business  houses  in  Chicago.   Com- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1945 


ing  to  California  in  1887  he  established  himself 
as  a  contractor  and  builder  in  San  Diego,  and 
in  this  line  of  industr}'  has  since  been  busily  and 
profitably  employed.  Many  of  the  prominent 
buildings  and  residences  of  the  city  bear  evi- 
dence of  his  skill  and  ability,  not  only  as  a  me- 
chanic, but  as  an  artist,  he  having  originated  and 
drawn  many  of  the  plans  used  in  their  construc- 
tion. 

In  Rockford,  111.,  Mr.  Coates  married  Amelia 
Coates,  and  they  have  two  children.  Silver  Cloud 
and  Senora  Frances  A.  Mr.  Coates  belongs  to 
two  of  the  leading  business  organizations  of  San 
Diego,  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the  Mas- 
ter Builders'  Association,  in  the  latter  being  a 
director.  Politically-  he  is  active  in  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  being  an  ex-member  of  the  Central 
Committee,  and  fraternally  he  belongs  to  the 
Foresters  of  America. 


RAYMOND  LUDDEN,  D.  O.  Osteopathy 
is  that  science  or  system  of  healing  which 
emphasizes,  (a)  the  diagnosis  of  diseases  by 
physical  methods  with  a  view  to  discovering, 
not  the  symptoms  but  the  causes  of  disease, 
in  connection  Avith  misplacements  of  tissue, 
obstruction  of  the  fluids  and  interference  with 
the  forces  of  the  organism;  (b)  the  treatment 
of  diseases  by  scientific  manipulations  in  con- 
nection with  which  the  operating  physician 
mechanically  uses  and  applies  the  inherent  re- 
sources of  the  organism  to  overcome  disease 
and  establish  health,  either  by  removing  or 
correcting  mechanical  disorders  and  thus  per- 
mitting nature  to  recuperate  the  diseased  part, 
or  by  producing  and  establishing  anti-toxic 
and  anti-septic  conditions  to  counteract  toxic 
and  septic  conditions  of  the  organism  or  its 
parts ;  (c)  the  application  of  mechanical  and 
operative  surgery  in  setting  fractured  or  dis- 
located bones,  repairing  lacerations  and  re- 
moving abnormal  tissue  growths  or  tissue  ele- 
ments when  these  become  dangerous  to  the 
organic  life. 

Dr.  Raymond  Ludden,  of  Colton,  has  been 
practicing  osteopathy  for  a  number  of  years 
in  dififerent  parts  of  the  country,  and  his  flat- 
tering success  wherever  he  has  been  located 
is  conclusive  proof  of  the  value  of  extensive 
preparatory  work  in  a  profession.  He  was 
born  December  9,  1878,  in  Kirksville,  Mo.,  a 
son  of  David  H.  and  Sarah  (Litchfield)  Lud- 
den, the  former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
the  latter  born  in  Indiana.  Prior  to  the  Civil 
war  the  father  was  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  He  served  three  years  in  the  .'^ixty- 
fourth  Regiment  of  Illinois  \^olunteers,  which 
was  the  regiment  known  as  Yates'  Sharp- 
slmnters,   and   after  his   return   to   civil   life   in 


Illinois  he  established  himself  as  a  nurseryman, 
continuing  in  that  occupation  up  to  the  pres- 
ent time,  having  in  the  meantime,  however, 
removed  to  Kirksville,  Mo.,  where  he  and  his 
wife  are  both  still  living.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  in  poli- 
tics  holds   stanchly   to   Republican   principles. 

There  were  five  daughters  and  six  sons  in 
the  family  of  which  Dr.  Ludden  was  a  mem- 
ber and  he  is  the  only  one  residing  in  Cali- 
fornia. His  earl}'  education  was  received  in 
the  Kirksville  public  and  high  schools,  and 
after  completing  his  studies  there  he  attended 
the  state  normal  located  in  the  same  city. 
Later  he  fitted  himself  for  professional  work 
in  a  line  of  studies  at  the  Columbian  Osteo^- 
ath}'  College,  after  which  he  engaged  in 
practice  for  two  years  at  Newton,  Kans.  Fol- 
lowing this  he  attended  the  St.  Louis  Univer- 
sity of  Medicine  for  the  same  length  of  time, 
specializing  on  the  subjects  of  anatomy,  phys- 
iologA'  and  chemistry,  at  the  same  time  he 
was  pursuing  his  studies,  also  holding  the 
position  of  assistant  demonstrator  of  anatomy 
in  the  college.  In  1904  he  came  to  California 
and  located  in  Redlands,  but  one  year  later 
removed  to  Colton,  where  he  is  now  in  com- 
mand of  an  extensive  practice. 

In  1902  occurred  the  marriage  of  Dr.  Lud- 
den and  Miss  Gertrude,  the  only  daughter  of 
Judge  Adrian  L.  and  Anna  (Baker)  Greene, 
both  natives  of  Missouri,  the  former  being 
supreme  judge  of  the  state  of  Kansas.  Mrs. 
Greene  died  when  her  daughter  was  but 
twelve  years  of  age.  Mrs.  Ludden  was  born 
in  Newton,  Ivans.,  and  is  an  active  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  While  Dr.  Ludden's 
time  and  attention  are  largely  given  to  his 
profession,  he  is  yet  interested  in  the  progress 
of  his  city  and  lends  his  influence  to  the  for- 
warding of  all  matters  tending  toward  its  up- 
building. He  is  an  advocate  of  Republican 
principles  and  is  highly  esteemed  both  as  a 
citizen  and  a  professional  man. 


HARRY  J.  OHLSEN.  A  seafaring  man 
during  his  entire  active  career,  there  is  probably 
no  person  in  Southern  California  more  familiar 
with  the  coasting  trade  of  this  section  than  Har- 
ry J.  Ohlsen,  of  San  Pedro,  who  is  secretary  of 
the  San  Pedro  branch  of  the  Sailors'  Union  of 
the  Pacific.  Wide-awake,  active  and  enterpris- 
ing, taking  a  genuine  interest  in  everything  per- 
taining to  nautical  matters,  he  is  ever  ready  to 
assist  any  movement  tending  to  promote  the  wel- 
fare of  the  sailors,  and  in  his  present  position 
is  performing  his  duties  in  a  manner  satisfactory 
to  all  concerned.  A  native  of  Germany,  he  was 
born.  December  24.   1863,  in  Cuxhaven,  the  de- 


1946 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOCiRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


scendant  of  an  old  and  well  known  family.  His 
father,  Master  John  Uhlsen.  was  the  owner  of 
two  coasting  vessels  that  sailed  from  Cu.xhaven, 
where  he  spent  his  entire  life.  His  paternal 
s^randfather.  a  native  of  Helgoland,  Germany, 
settled   at   Cuxhaven   when   a  _\oimg   man,   and 

I  during  his  active  life  was  employed  in  piloting 
vessels  from  that  port  to  Hamburg. 

The  second  child  in  a  family  consisting  of  sev- 
en sons  and  one  daughter,  Harr\-  J.  Ohlsen  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Cuxhaven,  and 
like  every  one  of  his  six  brothers  chose  the  life 
of  a  sailor  as  the  one  most  desirable,  from  earli- 
est boyhood  going  out  in  fishing  boats,  or  on 
His  father's  coasting  vessels.  At  the  age  of  fif- 
teen years  he  made  his  first  long  sea  voyage,  go- 
ing by  way  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to  the 
South  Sea  Islands.  Fascinated  with  the  sea, 
he  subsequently  twice  crossed  the  Atlantic  to 
Xew  York,  after  which,  on  the  stanch  vessel 
Clara,  he  sailed  around  Good  Hope  to  China 
and  Japan.  Returning  from  Japan  to  Hong 
Kong  he  there  left  the  Clara,  emlDarking  on  an 
American  vessel,  which  brought  him  to  Cali- 
fornia. Arriving  in  San  Francisco  in  1883,  he 
was  there  paid  oflf.  and  has  ever  since  been  a 
resident  of  the  Pacific  coast,  since  1886  having 
made  his  home  in  San  Pedro,  his  residence  be- 
ing  now    at    the    corner   of    Third    and    Center 

.  streets.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was  agent 
of  the  San  Diego  branch  of  the  Sailors'  Union 
of  the  Pacific,  but  since  that  was  given  up,  in 
1898,  he  has  been  secretary  and  agent  of  the 
San  Pedro  branch,  the  only  branch  of  the  union 
in  Southern  California,  being  re-elected  to  the 
position  at  the  expiration  of  every  term.  As 
secretar}-,  he  attends  to  all  the  correspondence 
of  the  society,  and  as  agent  is  shipping  master, 
boarding  every  vessel  that  comes  into  the  har- 
bor. 

In  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  ^Ir.  Ohlsen  married 
Edith  Allison,  who  was  born  in  England,  of 
Scotch  ancestors,  and  they  have  two  children. 
Alma  E.  and  Harry  J.,  Jr.  Fraternally  Mr. 
Ohlsen  is  a  member  and  past  lecturer  of  the 
Foresters  of  America,  a  trustee  of  the  Eyrie  of 
Eagles,  and  the  treasurer  of  the  Fraternal  Broth- 
erhood. Religiously,  true  to  the  faith  in  wliich 
he  was  reared,  he  is  a  Lutheran. 


\\TLLL\M  S.  ELLIS.  Among  the  influen- 
tial and  prominent  citizens  of  San  Diego  county 
who  are  indebted  for  their  present  prosperous 
condition  to  their  own  industry  and  energy,  is 
William  S.  Ellis,  a  leading  farmer  of  Fallbrook, 
and  one  of  its  foremost  business  men.  He  has 
seen  life  in  all  its  phases,  has  lived  in  various 
parts  of  the  L'nion.  and  wherever  he  has  resided 
has  proven  liim-;elf  a  useful  member  of  the  com- 


munity. He  is  now  extensively  engaged  in  gen- 
eral ranching  and  fruit  raising,  and  as  president 
of  the  Fallbrook  Hardware  Company  is  identified 
with  its  mercantile  interests.  He  was  born 
March  6,  1852,  in  Warren,  Mo.,  the  son  of  Jo- 
seph and  Xancy  (Xetherton)  Ellis,  w-ho  were 
born,  reared  and  married  in  Kentucky.  About 
1830  they  emigrated  to  the  western  frontier,  set- 
tling in  Missouri,  where  they  cleared  and  im- 
proved a  homestead,  on  which  both  spent  their 
remaining  years,  the  mother  dying  at  the  age  of 
fifty-four  years,  in  1865,  and  the  father  in  i8yi, 
at  the  venerable  age  of  eighty-three  years. 

Obtaining  his  early  education  in  a  private 
school  in  Missouri.  William  S.  Ellis  remained 
at  home  until  after  attaining  his  majority.  In 
1874,  resolving  to  try  his  fortune  in  a  newer 
country,  he  came  to  California,  locating  near 
\'isalia,  where  he  remained  a  year.  Xot  quite 
satisfied,  however,  with  his  prospects,  he  went 
back  to  his  old  home,  and  was  there  employed 
in  tilling  the  soil  for  three  years.  In  1878  he 
went  to  Te.xas,  but  after  a  brief  stay  removed 
to  the  Black  Hills,  where  he  first  followed  min- 
ing and  afterwards  worked  as  a  wage-earner. 
Returning  to  Missouri  in  1881,  he  continued  his 
residence  there  a  year,  and  in  1882  came  again 
to  the  Pacific  coast.  For  about  three  years  there- 
after he  resided  in  the  Carpinteria  valley,  Santa 
Barbara  county.  Locating  not  far  from  his 
present  home  in  the  fall  of  1885,  he  purchased 
land  that  was  in  its  primitive  condition,  improved 
it,  and  lived  there  until  1893,  wdien  he  went  to 
Lower  California,  where  he  remained  two  years. 
Coming  back  to  Fallbrook  in  1895,  he  assumed 
possession  of  his  present  home  ranch,  and  has 
since  been  actively  engaged  in  his  chosen  voca- 
tion. He  has  a  productive  vineyard  of  five 
acres  and  an  orchard  of  the  same  size,  besides 
which  he  owns  one  hundred  and  sixt\-  acres  of 
farming  land,  mostly  devoted  to  the  raising  of 
grain.  In  addition  to  caring  for  this  ranch.  Mr. 
Ellis  leases  eighteen  hundred  acres  of  the  Santa 
Margarita  grant,  and  has  this  vast  tract  in  grain 
also.  He  is  a  man  of  excellent  business  ability, 
and  three  years  ago  took  an  active  part  in  or- 
ganizing the  Fallbrook  Hardware  Company,  of 
which  he  is  the  president  and  one  of  the  direc- 
tors, and  is  also  one  of  the  directorate  of  the 
Fallbrook  Mercantile  Company.  He  is  a  stanch 
Democrat  in  iralitics,  and  has  served  on  the 
school  board. 

Mr.  Ellis  was  first  married  October  22,  1876, 
in  Warren  county,  ^lo.,  to  Laura  Burton,  who 
was  born  in  Wisconsin,  and  died  February  17. 
i88g,  in  California.  Seven  children  were  born 
of  their  union,  three  of  whom  are  living,  name- 
ly :  Burton  W..  of  Fallbrook :  Thomas"  Graves. 
at  home :  and  Lee  C.  at  home.  Februarv  0. 
1890,  .Mr.  Ellis  married  .\delle  Burdine.  a  native 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1947 


of  Illinois,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren, name!}- :  William  Henry,  who  was  born 
December  8,  1890,  and  who  attends  the  Fall- 
brook  high  school ;  Raymond  N..  born  December 
23,  1894;  Edna  Roberta,  born  January  3,  1897; 
Nellie  M.,  born  October  10,  1898;  and  Stephen, 
born  January  6,  1905.  Mrs.  Ellis  is  a  most  esti- 
mable woman,  highly  esteemed  in  social  circles, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church.  Mr. 
Ellis  has  recently  erected  a  fine  modern  resi- 
dence, in  which  he  and  his  family  enjoy  life,  and 
extend  a  gracious  hospitality  to  their  many 
friends  and  acquaintances. 


THE  COLTON  DAILY  NEWS.  The  his- 
tory of  the  Colton  Daily  Nczi's  dates  back  to  the 
year  1889,  when  Albert  Thompson  founded  and 
published  the  first  newspaper  issued  in  Colton, 
which  was  called  the  Colton  Weekly  Ncivs.  Six 
years  later  he  disposed  of  the  plant,  J.  H.  Mar- 
tin continuing  to  issue  the  sheet  under  the  same 
name  for  the  following  eight  years.  The  next 
change  in  its  management  dates  from  January 
I,  1903,  when  the  present  owner  and  publisher, 
Willard  Beebe,  assumed  control.  Under  his 
management  the  paper  still  continued  as  a  week- 
ly until  September  i,  1905,  from  which  time  it 
has  been  issued  daily  as  the  Colton  Daily  A'cxvs, 
with  a  circulation  of  five  hundred  copies.  It  is 
a  clean,  straightforward  sheet,  viewing  broadly 
the  world-wide,  national  and  local  happenings, 
and  is  accepted  by  all,  regardless  of  political 
leanings. 


DR.  J.  ALLEN  OSMUN.  The  New  Jersey 
annals  of  dentistry  contain  no  name  more  worthy 
of  perpetuation  than  that  of  Dr.  Osmun,  who 
during  a  long  professional  career  maintained 
the  confidence  of  a  large  clientele  and  at  the 
same  time  rose  to  the  highest  honors  within  the 
gift  of  the  members  of  the  dental  fraternity. 
When,  at  the  close  of  his  successful  professional 
career,  he  retired  from  practice  and  removed  to 
the  Pacific  coast  in  order  to  enjoy  the  pure  and 
balmy  air  of  the  west,  he  was  followed  by  the 
admiration  and  esteem  of  the  many  whom  he 
had  known  in  the  east  and  who  possessed  an 
appreciative  knowledge  of  his  ability  and  broad 
information.  Although  professional  labors  have 
been  relinquished,  he  has  not  retired  from  life's 
activities,  but  finds  an  abundant  sphere  for 
commercial  enterprise  and  profitable  investment 
in  Whittier. 

The  success  which  has  rewarded  the  eft'orts 
of  Dr.  Osmun  proves  what  it  is  wdthin  the 
power  of  young  men  to  accomplish  when  blessed 
with  health,  perseverance  and  determination  of 
character.      A   native    of    Fall    River.    Mass.,    he 


was  a  small  child  when  his  parents  removed  to 
Illinois  and  when  only  twelve  years  of  age  he 
left  home,  going  to  New  Jersey,  where  he  re- 
ceived a  fair  education.  When  eighteen  years 
of  age  he  came  to  California  the  first  time  and 
remained  a  few  years  at  San  Francisco,  where 
he  began  to  studv  dentistrv  under  the  preceptor- 
ship  of  V.  McAllister,  D.  D.  S.  It  was  the 
opinion  of  many  that  he  would  have  better  ad- 
vantages for  acquiring  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  the  profession  if  he  went  back  east  than  if 
he  remained  on  the  Pacific  coast.  Following  this 
advice  he  returned  to  New  Jersev  and  prosecuted 
his  studies  with  an  uncle.  Dr.  S.  R,  Osmun,  of 
Morristown,  that  state. 

After  having  been  admitted  to  practice  b\'  the 
state  boards  of  New  York  and  New  Jersey  in 
1875,  Dr.  Osmun  opened  an  office  at  Newark, 
where  he  remained  in  continuous  practice  luitil 
1903,  meanwhile  building  up  such  an  extensive 
practice  that,  in  addition  to  his  own  work,  he 
had  his  son  and  two  assistants  in  the  office  to 
aid  in  the  care  of  patients  and  the  routine  of 
dental  work. 

The  high  success  which  came  to  Dr.  Osmun 
in  professional  labors  in  Newark  brought  him 
to  the  attention  of  other  members  of  the  pro- 
fession throughout  the  state,  among  whom  his 
reputation  was  enhanced  by  frequent  and  schol- 
arly contributions  to  the  leading  journals  of  the 
profession.  Papers  and  articles  to  the  number 
of  about  one  hundred  appeared  in  professional 
papers  over  his  signature  during  the  years  of 
liis  active  work  as  a  dentist,  and  all  of  these  con- 
tributions showed  not  only  literary  ability,  but 
remarkable  professional  knowledge.  Prominent 
in  the  profession,  he  was  chosen  to  act  as  secre- 
tary of  the  board  of  dental  examiners  of  New 
Jersey  and  was  also  honored  with  the  office  of 
secretarv  of  the  National  Board  of  Dental  Ex- 
aminers. In  addition  he  was  elected  president 
of  the  New  Jersey  State  Dental  Society,  over 
whose  deliberations  he  presided  with  dignity  and 
impartial  spirit,  as  he  did  also  while  acting  in 
the  capacity  of  president  of  the  Central  Dental 
Societv  of  Northern  New  Jersey.  The  various 
positions  which  he  was  holding  in  1903  and  the 
large  practice  which  he  had  established  he  re- 
linquished in  order  to  become  a  citizen  of  South- 
ern California,  where,  as  in  his  former  place  of 
residence,  he  has  become  a  jiroperty  owner  and 
a  leading  factor  in  many  important  commercial 
undertakings.  ■ 

While  living  at  Newark.  N.  J.,  Dr.  Osmun 
married  Aliss  Mary  Eva  Graves,  daughter  of 
Rev.  David  Graves,  an  honored  preacher  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  denomination  in  northern 
New  Jersev  many  years  ago.  In  religious  views 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Osmun  sympathize  with  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  denomination. 


194S 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


but  since  coming  west  attend  the  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Whittier.  They  are  the  parents 
of  seven  children,  namely:  David  Allen, 
deceased ;  Leighton  G. ;  Mary  Anna,  deceased ; 
George  Kent,  J.  Allen,  Jr.,  Robert  A.  and 
Richard  Graves.  In  political  attachments 
the  doctor  is  of  the  Republican  faith. 
Shortly  after  his  arrival  on  the  coast  he 
purchased  Venturilla  rancho,  a  tract  of 
eighty  acres  at  Rivera,  where  he  makes  his 
home;  the  greater  part  of  the  ranch  is  under 
cultivation  to  walnuts.  At  the  opening  of  the 
year  1905  he  acquired  by  purchase  the  con- 
trolling interest  in  the  Whittier  National  Bank, 
of  which  he  is  president,  holding  the  same  posi- 
tion in  the  Home  Savings  Bank,  is  vice-president 
of  the  Whittier  Light  and  Fuel  Company,  presi- 
dent of  the  Rivera  Land  and  Water  Company, 
and  a  large  holder  of  real  estate  in  this  vicinity. 


Odd  Fellows  at  San  Bernardino.  Politically  he 
is  an  advocate  of  Democratic  principles.  All 
progressive  enterprises  have  his  cordial  sup- 
port and  he  is  recognized  as  a  citizen  of  ster- 
ling worth  to  the  community  in  which  he  re- 
sides. 


AARON  A.  COX.  A  well-known  orange 
grower  of  San  Bernardino  county  is  Aaron  A. 
Cox,  who  resides  on  a  two-acre  plot  in  San 
Bernardino  and  has  a  fine  home  with  all  mod- 
ern improvements.  His  birth  occurred  Sep- 
tember II,  i860,  in  Vandalia,  Fayette  county, 
III,  where  he  received  his  education  and  lived 
under  the  parental  roof  until  twenty-one  years 
of  age.  He  is  the  son  of  John  and  Nancy 
(Farmer)  Cox,  the  former  a  native  of  Ohio  and 
the  latter  of  Illinois,  in  which  state  their  mar- 
riage occurred,  and  where  they  lived  the  rest 
of  their  lives,  the  mother  being  forty  years  of 
age,  and  the  father  living  to  the  advanced  age 
of  eighty.  They  were  the  parents  of  twelve 
children^  two  of  whom,  John  H.  and  Aaron  A., 
live  in  San  Bernardino  county.  The  father 
was  a  member  of  an  Illinois  regiment  during 
the  last  two  and  one-half  years  of  the  Civil  war 
and  took  part  in  many  important  engagements. 
He  was  a  politician  of  some  prominence  locally 
in  the  Democratic  party  and  sensed  two  terms 
as  sheriff  of  Fayette  county.  During  his  resi- 
dence in  Illinois  A.  A.  Cox  was  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits,  and  after  his  removal  to 
Colorado  took  up  a  government  claim.  On  his 
present  property  m  San  Bernardino  he  makes 
a  specialty  of  fruit-raising,  and  is  especially 
well  posted  on  orange  culture.  From  time  to 
time  he  has  added  to  his  holdings,  until  he  now 
has  over  one  hundred  acres. 

Mr.  Cox  was  married  in  Illinois  to  ]\Iiss  Rose 
Dunham,  a  native  of  that  state,  and  they  have 
become  the  parents  of  seven  children,  namelv : 
Alabel  L.,  Harold  D.,  W^illiam  L..  Rov.  Clif- 
ford C.  Donald  A.  and  Geraldine  D.  :Mr.  Cox 
is  a  member  of  the  Fraternal  Brotherhood  and 
Royal  Mystic  Legion  at  Rialto :  and  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World  and  Independent  Order  of 


GEORGE  B.  CASTER.  A  leading  contractor 
and  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  Colton, 
George  B.  Caster  is  one  of  the  most  prominent 
citizens  of  this  community,  in  which  he  has  re- 
sided about  five  years.  His  native  state  is  Iowa, 
his  birth  having  occurred  in  Davis  county,  No- 
vember 25,  1S63.  He  was  the  son  of  Andrew 
J.  and  Lucinda  (Hutchinson)  Caster,  the  former 
born  in  Ohio,  and  the  latter  in  Missouri.  His 
father  was  a  member  of  the  state  militia  in  Mis- 
souri, and  when  the  Civil  war  broke  out  enlist- 
ed in  Company  E,  Forty- fourth  Regiment  of 
^Missouri  Volunteers,  and  was  killed  soon  after 
entering  the  service,  in  the  battle  at  Franklin, 
Tenn.  George  B.  was  the  only  child  of  his 
parents  and  his  mother  now  resides  with  him 
in  Colton.  She  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Qiurch. 

Although  born  in  Iowa  the  earliest  recollec- 
tions of  Mr.  Caster  are  of  his  home  in  Missouri, 
for  he  was  but  a  year  and  a  half  old  when  his 
parents  removed  to  Sullivan  county,  in  that  state, 
where  the  son  was  reared  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools.  When  his  school 
days  were  over  he  remained  at  home  until  he 
had  attained  his  majority,  when  he  went  to 
South  Dakota  and  there  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade.  He  continued  to  reside  in  Mitchell,  Dav- 
idson county,  for  a  number  of  years,  during 
which  time  he  plied  his  trade,  then  returned  to 
Missouri  and  in  Lexington  county  engaged  in 
ranching  and  stock  raising  for  twelve  years.  In 
February,  1901,  he  came  to  Colton  and  having 
sold  his  ranch  in  Missouri  purchased  a  fine  resi- 
dence in  this  city,  and  has  been  identified  with 
the  upbuilding  of  this  section  of  the  state  since 
that  time. 

By  his  marriage  in  1883.  ]\Ir.  Caster  was  unit- 
ed with  Miss  Sarah  Baile\-,  a  native  of  Illinois, 
and  of  this  union  two  children  have  been  born : 
Ira  B..  who  married  Catherine  Corbett,  and  is 
living  in  Colton,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business ;  and  John  A.,  who  resides  at 
iiome.  Airs.  Caster  was  the  daughter  of  John 
and  Mary  (Hall)  Bailey,  both  of  whom  were 
born  in  Illinois  and  died  in  ^Missouri,  in  which 
two  states  her  father  was  continuously  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits  during  his  lifetime. 
There  were  eleven  children  in  the  family,  two 
of  whom  died  in  infancy,  and  one  son  now  re- 
sides in  Colton.  Mr.  Caster  is  prominent  in 
fraternal    orders,    being    a    member     of     Ashlar 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1949 


Lodge  No.  306,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  San  Bernardino 
Chapter  R.  A.  M. ;  of  Colton  Lodge  No.  326, 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  the  Encampment  at  San  Ber- 
nardino; of  the  Modern  \\'oodmen  of  America, 
Order  of  the  Eastern  Star  and  Rebekah  lodges 
all  of  Colton,  and  of  which  Mrs.  Caster  is  also 
a  member.  Politically  he  is  affiliated  with  the 
Republican  party  and  has  always  taken  an  ac- 
tive interest  in  public  affairs.  At  one  time  he 
served  as  constable  and  for  eight  years  was  tax 
collector  for  Medicine  township,  Livingston 
county,  Mo.,  and  the  people  of  Colton  have  sig- 
nified their  confidence  in  his  abilities  by  electing 
him  to  the  board  of  city  trustees.  He  is  a  man 
of  strong  principles  and  liberal  views,  has  a 
pleasing  personality  _  and  is  held  in  the  highest 
respect  and  esteem  by  all  who  know  him. 


CHARLES  ROWE.  Every  nationality  of  the 
civilized  world  is  represented  in  the  citizenship 
of  California  and  the  cosmopolitan  population  thus 
given  to  the  state  has  been  productive  of  the  most 
gratifying  success,  for  the  thrift  of  the  Scotch- 
man, the  determination  of  the  Englishman,  the 
cheerfulness  of  the  Irish  race,  the  suavity  of  the 
French,  supplemented  by  the  qualities  of  other 
races,  combine  to  produce  beside  the  sunset  sea 
a  concourse  of  people  offering  the  highest  quali- 
fications as  citizens.  Being  of  the  English  race, 
Mr.  Rowe  has  the  characteristics  predominating 
in  his  countrymen,  added  to  which  is  the  enter- 
prise peculiarly  American  and  resultant  from  a 
residence  of  more  than  twenty  years  in  the 
United  States. 

It  was  during  1882  that  the  Rowe  family  be- 
came established  in  the  new  world,  Herbert 
Rowe,  a  farmer  of  England,  at  that  time  remov- 
ing to  Ontario,  Canada,  with  his  family,  and 
settling  near  London.  Eighteen  months  later  he 
came  to  California  and  settled  near  Santa  Bat-- 
bara  in  1884,  after  which  he  engaged  in  farm 
pursuits  until  his  death.  His  wife,  who  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Eliza  Popplestone  and  claimed 
England  as  her  birthplace,  has  also  passed  from 
earth.  All  of  their  six  sons  are  still  living, 
Charles  being  third  among  these.  While  the 
family  were  living  at  Plymouth,  England,  he  was 
born  ']\Iarch  18,  1871,  and  in  the  local  schools  he 
received  his  primary  education.  At  the  time  of 
coming  to  America  he  was  eleven  years  of  age, 
and  for  a  short  time  he  attended  the  schools  in 
Ontario,  but  after  arriving  in  California  in  1884 
he  was  a  student  in  the  public  schools  of  Goleta, 
Santa  Barbara  county. 

He  and  his  brother  became  interested  in  rais- 
ing grain  and  beans  in  the  Santa  Clara  valley, 
and  for  a  time  he  continued  to  raise  beans  and 
beets  near  Oxnard.  In  1901  he  bought  otit 
Glenn  Brothers  and  embarked  in  the  livery  busi- 


ness, having  charge  of  the  oldest  and  most  cen- 
trally located  livery  barn  in  Oxnard.  The  stable 
stands  on  a  lot  which  he  owns  and  which  has  a 
frontage  of  seventy-five  feet,  thus  giving  ample 
accommodations  for  the  needs  of  the  business. 
In  addition  to  the  conduct  of  a  livery,  boarding 
and  sales  stable,  he  is  manager  of  the  Oxnard 
Importing  Company,  owners  of  the  French  Per- 
cheron  stallion  Clovis  and  the  French  coach  Ar- 
brite,  and  importers  of  animals  with  high  pedi- 
grees. Besides  all  of  his  other  activities  he  is 
interested  in  the  cattle  business,  and  with  his 
brother  owns  a  ranch  at  Santa  Ynez,  Santa  Bar- 
bara county.  An  experience  in  the  buying  and 
selling  of  cattle  which  covers  many  years  of  prac- 
tical work  well  adapts  him  for  the  successful 
management  of  a  cattle  ranch,  and  in  the  best 
breeds  of  cattle,  as  in  horses,  his  judgment  is  re- 
garded as  excellent.  As  yet  he  has  not  given 
much  attention  to  politics,  but  he  votes  the  Dem- 
ocratic ticket  in  national  elections  and  keeps  post- 
ed concerning  matters  aff'ecting  the  prosperity  of 
the.  country.  Fraternally  he  holds  membership 
with  the  knights  of  Columbus,  also  with  the 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  at 
Santa  Barbara.  While  making  his  headquarters 
near  Hueneme  he  married  Miss  Mary  Donlon, 
who  was  born  and  reared  near  that  village,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  Margaret 
and  Joseph  Donlon. 


LEWIS  G.  BUTLER.  The  owner  of  a  highly 
improved  ranch  in  the  San  Jacinto  valley,  Lewis 
G.  Butler  is  a  man  of  large  acquaintance  in  this 
section  of  Riverside  county,  and  as  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Hemet  Deciduous  Fruit  Asso- 
ciation and  its  efficient  manager  for  seven  years 
(dating  from  the  time  of  its  inception  and  con- 
tinuing until  April,  1906,  when  he  resigned  the 
position)  he  has  conclusively  proved  his  more 
than  usual  business  ability,  for  that  enterprise 
has  been  one  of  the  most  successful  of  the  kind 
yet  instituted  in  this  part  of  the  state.  He  is 
still  a  stockholder  in  the  association,  but  is  now 
devoting  his  time  to  the  prosecution  of  his  pri- 
vate business  interests.  He  is  a  native  of  Wis- 
consin, born  in  1851,  the  son  of  G.  W.  and  E.  E. 
Butler,  neither  of  whom  are  now  living. 

The  boyhood  days  of  Mr.  Butler  were  spent 
in  De  Kalb  county.  111.,  where  he  was  given  the 
benefit  of  a  good  common  school  education,  that 
state  having  been  his  home  until  1870,  when  he 
removed  to  Nebraska  and  fanned  for  a  period  of 
four  years.  In  1874  he  yielded  to  a  desire  to 
locate  in  California,  and  coming  to  Orange 
county  secured  employment  for  a  couple  of  years, 
after  which  he  purchased  twenty  acres  of  land, 
a  part  of  which  he  planted  to  oranges,  the  re- 
mainder   being    devoted    to    nursery    purposes. 


11)50 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


.After  some  time,  desiring  to  conduct  operations 
on  a  larger  scale,  he  purchased  four  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  of  land  near  Westminster,  in 
the  same  county,  and  engaged  in  stock-raising 
for  a  short  period.  Locating  .subsequently  in 
Santa  -Ana  he  lived  there  a  season  and  finally 
purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  raw 
land  in  the  San  Jacinto  valley  and  began  its  im- 
provement. This  was  in  1884,  at  the  time  when 
fruit  raising  was  in  its  infancy.  He  erected  a 
comfortable  house  and  the  other  necessary  build- 
ings, planted  fruit  trees,  being  one  of  the  first 
to  engage  in  horticultural  pursuits.  With  the 
passing  of  years  he  has  continued  to  add  im- 
provements to  his  ranch,  un.til  it  is  now  regarded 
as  one  of  the  most  valualsle  and  attractive  in  this 
beautiful  valley. 

In  Nebraska  in  1872  Mr.  Butler  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Aliss  M.  E.  Selby,  a  native  of 
Ohio,  and  thev  have  one  child,  Chester  G..  at 
home.  Fraternall}-  Mr.  Ihitler  is  a  member  of 
Riverside  Lodge  Xo.  043,  H.  1'.  ( ).  1--.,  and  po- 
litically he  is  an  advocate  oi  the  principles'  of 
the  Republican  party.  In  e\-ery  enterprise  in- 
stituted for  the  improvement  of  his  section  he 
takes  a  leading  interest,  and  is  a  public-spirited 
citizen  who  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  through- 
out the  communitv. 


THOMAS  JOB  1!  ITT.  When  the  Jobbitt 
family  became  established  in  America  from  Eng- 
land its  members  selected  Canada  as  the  sphere 
of  their  activities  and  it  was  not  until  the  present 
generation  that  they  became  transplanted  in  the 
United  States.  Descended  from  the  original 
English  settler  in  Canada  was  James  Jobbitt, 
who  was  born  and  reared  in  Toronto,  followed 
the  trade  of  a  merchant  tailor  in  that  city,  con- 
ducted a  large  business  for  a  ver_\-  long  period, 
and  eventually  passed  from  earth  when  lacking 
only  four  years  of  having  rounded  out  a  full 
century.  At  the  same  age  occurred  the  death  of 
his  wife.  Elizabeth  (Bright)  Jobbitt,  a  native  of 
Toronto  and  a  descendant  of  an  English  an- 
cestry. Of  their  nine  children  six  are  still  liv- 
ing, Thomas  being  third  in  order  of  birth.  From 
their  parents  the  sons  and  daughters  have  in- 
herited rugged  constitutions  and  sturdy  health 
and  as  an  instance  of  this  it  may  be  stated  that 
Thomas,  though  now  lacking  but  a  few  >ears  of 
seventy,  has  never  suffered  with  toothache  or 
headache,  but  in  his  advancing  years,  as  in  his 
youth,  has  enjoyed  exceptional  health. 

In  the  city  of  Toronto  Thomas  Jobbitt  was 
born  January  11,  183Q,  and  there  he  attended 
the  city  schools,  receiving  fair  advantages  for 
the  acquisition  of  a  broad  fund  of  general  in- 
formation. From  childhood  he  proved  himself 
to  be  a  natural  mechanic  and  his  abilitv  in  that 


direction  led  him  to  take  up  carpentering,  which 
he  followed  in  Toronto  and  vicinity.  During 
1864  he  left  home  and  removed  to  Chicago, 
where  he  followed  his  trade,  and  after  the  great 
Chicago  fire  he  took  contracts  for  replacing 
buildings  lost  m  the  memorable  catastrophe. 
For  years  he  followed  contracting  in  Chicago 
with  fair  success,  but  eventually  he  chanced  to 
come  to  San  Diego  on  a  visit,  and  the  desirability 
of  the  place  as  a  location  for  a  home  led  him 
to  remove  hither  in  December  of  1888.  since 
which  time  he  has  engaged  in  contracting  and 
building  in  the  city  and  vicinity.  He  has  super- 
intended the  erection  of  the  Granger  and  Keat- 
uig  buildings,  numerous  other  public  structures, 
as  w  ell  as  many  of  the  finest  residences  here,  and 
is  nni\ers:ill\  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  ex- 
i;iisi\e  lnii!>krs  of  the  cit\'. 

W  hile  ne\er  active  in  politics  nor  solicitous  to 
hold  office.  Mr.  Jobbitt  has  kept  himself  posted 
concerning  natiosial  jM-nlilems  ever  since  he  be- 
came a  citizen  of  the  United  States  and  he  has 
Jieen  unswerving  in  his  allegiance  to  the  Repub- 
lican party.  With  his  wife,  who  was  Miss  Cath- 
erine Heap,  a  native  of  Iowa,  he  enjoys  the  es- 
teem of  associates  and  the  friendship  of  many 
of  the  most  cultured  people  of  the  city.  Mrs. 
Jobbitt  has  been  active  in  the  work  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church  and  he  has  contributed  regularly  to 
its  missionar}'  and  benevolent  enterprises.  Along 
the  line  of  his  chosen  occupation  he  has  main- 
tained a  warm  interest  in  the  work  of  the  Master 
Builders'  Association,  with  which  he  has  been 
connected  ever  since  its  organization.  After 
coming  to  the  coast  he  became  connected  witli 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  was 
initiated  in  Sunset  Lodge  No.  328,  to  which  he 
now  belongs,  in  addition  to  being  associated, 
with  his  wife,  in  the  work  of  the  Order  of  Re- 
bekahs. 


JOHN  C.  BLAKE.  For  more  than  thirty 
years  John  C.  Blake  has  been  a  resident  of 
San  Bernardino  county  and  been  identified 
with  the  development  of  this  part  of  the  state. 
He  is  a  native  of  Canada,  and  was  born  May 
12,  1850,  the  son  of  Irish  parents,  Patrick  and 
P)ridget  (Burns')  Blake,  who  in  1846  immi- 
grated to  Canada,  and  there  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. There  were  three  children  born  to  them, 
the  daughter  dying  in  infancy,  one  son  living 
in  Canada,  and  John  C,  of  Colton.  The  father 
was  sixty  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
while  the  mother  outlived  her  husband  many 
>ears  and  was  eighty-six  when  she  died,  both 
Iseing  members  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

Both  public  and  private  schools  were  at- 
tended by  Mr.  Blake  in  pursuit  of  an  education 
in   Canada,  and  when  not  quite  twenty  years 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1951 


of  age  he  left  his  native  land  for  the  western 
coast  of  the  United  States,  arriving  in  Hum- 
boldt county,  California,  in  1870.  For  several 
years  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  in 
that  location  and  in  1874  removed  to  Los 
Angeles,  where  for  one  year  he  worked  at  the 
carpenter's  trade,  and  then  came  to  Colton 
in  1875,  having  charge  of  a  section  gang  for 
the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad,  and  becoming 
the  first  resident  of  this  now  thriving  city. 
Eleven  years  later  he  gave  up  railroad  work. 
and  in  1887  purchased  tlie  ranch  upon  which 
he  now  resides.  It  comprises  fifty  acres  of 
fertile  land,  six  acres  being  devoted  to  fruit 
and  fort3'-four  acres  to  grain  and  pasture.  He 
has  been  very  successful  in  his  ranching  oper- 
ations and  is  a  highly  respected  citizen  of  the 
community  in  which  he  has  so  long  made  his 
home. 

Mr.  Blake's  marriage  to  Charity  Coburn,  a 
native  daughter  of  California,  occurred  in 
1877,  and  they  have  been  blessed  with  four 
children,  as  follows:  Henry,  who  married 
Jennie  Brown,  has  one  child  and  lives  in  Los 
Angeles:  Herbert  and  Norman,  both  at  home: 
and  Grace,  who  is  the  wife  of  S.  J.  Stanfield. 
Mrs.  Blake  passed  away  in  1894,  when  only 
thirty-four  years  of  age.  Mr.  Blake  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat politically  and  is  an  active  participant  in 
matters  of  public  interest. 


CHESTER  W.  CL'RTIS.  A  wide-awake 
liusiness  man,  thoroughly  posted  on  financial  mat- 
ters, and  fully  accjuainted  with  the  most  up-to- 
date  banking  methods,  Qiester  W.  Curtis,  cash- 
ier of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Colton,  is 
highly  esteemed  for  his  worth  and  integrity. 
The  Curtis  family  is  one  which  has  been  identi- 
fied with  New  England  history  and  development 
for  many  generations,  and  it  was  in  August, 
1857,  that  Chester  W.  was  born  in  Stratford, 
Conn.,  that  state  being  also  the  native  home  of 
his  father,  William  T.  Curtis.  When  news  of 
the  discovery  of  gold  in  California  reached  tlie 
Atlantic  seaboard  the  elder  Curtis  became  desir- 
ous of  entering  the  race  for  wealth,  and  accord- 
ingly in  1849  came  via  Cape  Horn  to  the  Pacific 
coast  and  engaged  in  mining  operations  for  a 
few  years.  He  was  only  fairly  successful,  how- 
ever, and  upon  returning  to  Connecticut  he  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business  until  1891.  In 
tliat  year  he  returned  to  the  west  and  perma- 
nently located  in  Riverside,  where  he  has  lived 
retired    from  active   business   ever   since. 

After  acquiring  his  education  in  the  East- 
hampton  (Mass.)  schools  Cliester  W.  Curtis  was 
occupied  as  a  merchant  until  1889,  when  he 
came  to  California  and  entered  the  employ  of 
the    Southern   Pacific   Railway   Company,   filling 


positions  in  various  departments  until  1902, 
when  he  resigned  to  become  bookkeeper  in  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Colton,  and  remained  at 
that  post  until  1905,  when  he  was  elected  cash- 
ier, the  position  which  he  now  fills  with  credit 
to  himself  and  the  officials  of  the  bank.  He  is  a 
member  of  several  prominent  fraternal  orders, 
among  them  being  the  Benevolent  and  Protec- 
tive Order  of  Elks;  Ashlar  Lodge  No.  306,  F. 
and  A.  M.;  and  Colton  Lodge  No.  137,  K.  of  P. 


JOSEPH  STEPHEN  STRAWSER.  Own- 
ing and  conducting  one  of  the  largest  steam 
laundries  in  Southern  California,  Joseph  Stephen 
Strawser,  of  the  Santa  Fe  Laundry  in  San  Ber- 
nardino, is  known  as  one  of  the  most  successful 
and  enterprising  business  men  and  progressive 
citizens  of  this  municipality.  He  was  born  Sep- 
tember 13,  1873,  i"  Danville,  III,  the  son  of 
Abraham  and  Martha  (Bainbridge)  Strawser, 
both  natives  of  Illinois,  in  which  state  the  death 
of  the  mother  occurred.  The  father  was  a  mem- 
ber of  an  old  Pennsylvania  family,  and  in  for- 
mer years  he  was  a  farmer.  In  1886  he  removed 
to  California,  later  went  to  Colorado,  but  finally 
returned  to  this  state,  and  is  now  a  grocery  mer- 
chant in  Los  Angeles.  Three  of  his  five  children 
are  now  living,  as  follows :  Lewis,  associated 
with  him  in  the  Los  Angeles  business;  Burt, 
president  of  the  Troy  Laundry  in  Los  Angeles; 
and  Joseph  Stephen,  engaged  in  the  laundry 
business  in  San  Bernardino.  The  latter,  the 
youngest  member  of  the  family,  attended  the 
public  schools  until  twelve  years  of  age,  when 
it  became  necessary  for  him  to  provide  for  his 
own  support. 

It  was  in  1886  that  i\Ir.  Strawser  first  came 
to  California,  locating  in  Corona,  which  was 
then  just  being  laid  out  and  the  building  started. 
Later  he  returned  to  Illinois  and  was  occupied 
for  a  time  as  a  sign  painter  and  decorator,  sub- 
secjuently  engaging  in  railroad  work  as  fireman 
on  the  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois.  From  there 
he  went  to  Greeley,  Colo.,  remaining  one  year, 
and  in  1895  was  once  more  in  California.  After 
spending  a  short  time  in  mine  prospecting  he  _ 
entered  the  employ  of  the  San  Bernardino  Steam  " 
Laundry  for  the  purpose  of  learning  the  busi- 
ness in  all  its  details.  He  soon  worked  himself 
up  to  the  foremanship  of  the  plant,  and  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1903,  he  and  Mr.  Miller  leased  the  Santa 
Fe  Laundry,  the  company  which  owned  it  hav- 
ing been  organized  in  1901.  A  year  later  Miller 
&  Strawser  purchased  the  plant,  which  thev  en- 
larged to  more  than  double  its  old  capacity,  mak- 
ing the  building  Coxioo  feet,  erected  barns  for 
oil  tanks,  installed  modern  machinery,  new  boil- 
ers and  engines,  electric  irons,  etc.  The  large 
business  haniUed  bv  the  Santa  Fe  Laundrv  ex- 


1952 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


tends  over  Riverside  and  San  Bernardino  coun- 
ties and  even  into  Arizona.  Mr.  Strawser  is 
president  and  general  manager  of  the  firm  and 
Mr.  Miller  is  treasurer. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Strawser,  which  oc- 
curred in  San  Bernardino,  united  him  with  Miss 
A^'innie  L.  Clems,  a  native  of  that  city  and  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  Clems,  who  was  of  English 
birth  and  a  prominent  pioneer  in  this  county. 
One  child,  Helen,  was  born  of  this  union.  In 
fraternal  circles  Mr.  Strawser  holds  a  prominent 
place,  being  a  member  and  past  grand  of  Token 
Lodge  No.  290.  I.  O.  O.  F..  also  belonging  to 
Morse  Encampment,  of  which  he  is  past  chief 
patriarch ;  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  and  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks,  and  of  the  ^^'oodmen  of 
the  World.  His  wife  belongs  to  the  Rebekahs. 
Mr.  Strawser  is  a  member  of  the  Southern  Cali- 
fornia Laundrymen's  Association,  and  of  the 
San  Bernardino  Board  of  Trade,  and  poHtically 
he  is  a  Republican. 


THOMAS  H.  CARROLL,  ^'arious  of  the 
public  residences  that  give  a  substantial  appear- 
ance to  the  architecture  of  Oxnard  are  the  result 
of  the  skill  and  efficiency  of  Thomas  H.  Carroll, 
who  for  a  number  of  years  has  devoted  his  atten- 
tion to  the  building  business  and  has  taken  con- 
tracts for  the  erection  of  structures  of  every 
kind.  Though  not  one  of  the  earliest  residents  of 
Oxnard,  he  has  been  identified  with  the  develop- 
ment of  the  town  since  his  arrival  in  June  of 
1901  and  has  been  engaged  in  contracting  since 
August  of  1903,  meanwhile  establishing  a  reputa- 
tion for  reliable  workmanship.  Among  the  con- 
tracts which  he  has  filled  may  be  mentioned  those 
for  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  and  parsonage, 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  building,  the  Living- 
ston hospital  and  various  residences  that  are 
models  of  taste  fulness  and  comfort. 

The  Carroll  family  is  of  English  ancestry. 
Capt.  Richard  Carroll,  who  was  born  in  Liver- 
]iOol.  England,  followed  the  sea  throughout  all  of 
his  active  life,  first  sailing  out  from  England,  but 
later  making  liis  home  in  Nova  Scotia,  where  he 
died.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Alice  Dolhentry,  was  born  in  Nova  Scotia  and 
died  there.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  chil- 
dren, but  only  four  are  now  living.  The  only 
one  to  settle  in  California  was  Thomas  H.,  who 
was  fifth  among  the  nine  children,  and  was  born 
in  Antigonish  countv.  Nova  Scotia,  November 
28,  1852.  After  having  received  a  fair  education 
in  the  common  schools  he  apprenticed  himself 
to  the  carpenter's  trade  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
years,  and  by  diligent  application  he  gained  a 
practical  knowledge  of  the  occupation  in  all  of 
its  details.  Going  to  Newfoundland,  he  secured 
employment  in  the  Betscove  mines  and  remained 


there  as  mechanical  superintendent  for  ten  years. 
Coming  to  the  United  States  in  1883,  Mr.  Car- 
roll remained  for  one  year  in  Boston,  Mass.,  and 
during  1884  he  crossed  the  continent  to  the  Pa- 
cific coast,  settling  in  Los  Angeles  and  working 
at  his  trade  by  the  day.  In  time  he  began  to  take 
contracts  for  building,  and  later  for  nine  years  he 
worked  as  a  stair  builder  in  a  mill  owned  by  J. 
M.  Griffiths.  Froni  Los  Angeles  he  came  to  Ox- 
nard and  has  since  won  a  place  among  the  enter- 
prising business  men  of  this  growing  city.  It  is 
his  practice  to  study  harmony  in  eftect  in  plan- 
ning a  building,  while  in  filling  the  contracts  he 
shows  skill,  efficiency,  promptness  and  reliability, 
so  that  a  contract  once  filled  serves  as  an  adver- 
tisement for  the  high  character  of  his  work. 
While  living  in  Los  Angeles  he  there  married 
Miss  Leonora  Horan,  who  was  born  in  Canada 
and  grew  to  womanhood  in  Wisconsin,  coming 
from  that  state  to  the  Pacific  coast  and  residing 
with  other  members  of  her  family  in  Los  An- 
geles. Born  of  their  marriage  are  three  children, 
namely :  Ethel,  now  a  student  in  a  business  col- 
lege in  Los  Angeles ;  Russell  and  Evangeline. 
The  family  hold  membership  with  the  Santa 
Gara  Catholic  Church  and  contribute  to  its  main- 
tenance, as  well  as  to  other  measures  and  organi- 
zations for  the  upbuilding  of  the  race.  In  fra- 
ternal relations  Mr.  Carroll  affiliates  with  the 
Knights  of  Columbus,  in  whose  activities  he  is 
warmly  interested  and  to  whose  permanent  wel- 
fare he  is  a  contributor  of  time  and  influence. 


JACOB  HCFF.  Nowhere  are  the  attrac- 
tions of  California  more  apparent  than  in  the 
thickly-populated  region  lying  from  Los  Ange- 
les to  the  east  as  far  as  the  sandy  plains.  On 
this  valley  nature  has  bestowed  her  choicest 
charms,  and  the  sun  smiles  from  unclouded  skies 
upon  thousands  of  acres  of  orchards  and  citrus- 
fruit  groves,  giving  to  the  orange  its  own  golden 
glow  and  imparting  to  ever  variety  of  fruit  a 
richness  and  flavor  surpassed  by  no  region. 
Along  the  well-kept  roads  may  be  seen  beauti- 
ful homesteads,  with  their  cottages  built  in  the 
southern  style  of  architecture,  combining  com- 
fort and  .symmetry  of  proportions.  A  few  acres 
sufSce  to  provide  for  the  maintenance  of  the 
owner,  for  the  returns  from  each  acre  are  large 
imder  proper  cultivation. 

To  many  of  the  state's  best  citizens  such 
homesteads  furnish  an  ideal  means  of  livelihood, 
and  Jacob  Hufif  is  one  of  the  large  number  en- 
gaged in  the  cultivation  of  a  small  orange  grove 
in  the  midst  of  surroundings  so  nearly  approach- 
ing the  ideal  as  are  to  be  found  in  his  locality. 
The  eight-acre  tract  which  he  owns  is  situated 
in  close  proximity  to  Highland  and  under  his 
care   has   been   transformed    from    the    original 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1953 


wild  state  to  its  present  improved  condition.  The 
land  was  purchased  in  1884  and  seven  years 
later  he  erected  the  cottage  he  now  occupies. 
The  substantial  barn  also  was  built  under  his 
supervision.  Six  acres  are  planted  to  deciduous 
fruits,  one  and  one-half  acres  to  navel  oranges, 
and  the  balance  in  lemons,  which,  however,  he 
now  is  cutting  out  and  budding  to  navel  oranges. 
The  trees  have  been  raised  from  the  seed  and 
are  of  the  finest  varieties,  so  that  the  fruit  com- 
mands good  prices  in  the  markets.  Water  for 
irrigation  is  brought  from  Little  Sand  cafion  and 
carried  through  every  part  of  the  orchard  as 
needed,  thus  furnishing  satisfactory  condition 
for  promoting  the  growth  of  the  trees  and  the 
ripening  of  the  fruit. 

Wliile  he  has  spent  the  greater  part  of  his 
life  in  California,  Mr.  Huff  is  a  native  of  Iowa 
and  was  born  January  12,  1862.  When  one 
year  old  he  was  taken  to  Montana  by  his  par- 
ents, Jacob  and  Elizabeth  Hufif.  His  father  died 
there  in  1865  and  two  years  later  the  mother 
brought  the  family  to  San  Bernardino  county, 
Cal.,  where  she  died  in  1879,  at  the  age  of  forty- 
nine  years.  Reared  in  this  locality  and  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools,  Jacob  Huff  select- 
ed horticulture  for  his  life  work  and  from  an 
early  age  he  has  devoted  himself  to  this  calling, 
meeting  with  an  encouraging  degree  of  success 
as  a  result  of  industry  and  painstaking  applica- 
tion. In  1888  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Viola  Zimmerman,  who  was  born  in  Mis- 
souri and  came  to  the  Pacific  coast  with  her 
parents,  Daniel  B.  and  Elizabeth  (Lewis)  Zim- 
merman. At  this  writing  Mrs.  Zimmerman 
owns  a  small  homestead  near  Highland,  where 
she  has  four  acres  in  oranges.  The  family  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Huft'  consists  of  three  children, 
namely :  Mazie  Elizabeth,  Jacob  C.  Loyal  and 
Nona  Viola,  all  of  whom  are  at  home. 


BENJAMIN  M.  ATKINSON.  Two  miles 
south  of  Palms  lies  the  ranch  of  five  acres 
which  is  the  home  of  Air.  Atkinson  and  which 
forms  one  of  the  many  small  estates  of  Los  An- 
geles county,  the  high  development  of  which 
has  added  greatly  to  the  county's  prosperity.  In 
addition  to  the  homestead,  which  a  conservative 
valuation  places  at  $600  per  acre,  Mr.  Atkin- 
.son  is  the  owner  of  mining  stock  that  brings 
him  a  fair  income  each  year,  and  in  addition  he 
owns  considerable  undeveloped  mining  property. 
Loyal  to  the  county  and  state  of  his  residence, 
he  maintains  the  keenest  interest  in  any  move- 
ment calculated  to  promote  local  progress  and 
views  every  advance  made,  whether  from  an 
educational,  religious  or  moral  standpoint,  as  a 
step  in  the  right  direction :  yet  his  views  are 
somewhat    different    from    those    of    manv    citi- 


zens, for  he  is  a  believer  in  socialistic  doctrines 
and  years  ago  left  the  Democratic  party  to  give 
his  support  to  the  movement  so  intellige'ntly  pro- 
moted by  Henry  George  and  others. 

In  Van  Wert  county,  Ohio,  Benjamin  M.  At- 
kinson was  born  September  18,  1840,  being  a 
son  of  Jesse  and  Mary  (Done)  Atkinson,  na- 
tives of  Pennsylvania.  The  paternal  grand- 
father, William  Atkinson,  was  a  native  of  Eng- 
land; the  maternal  grandfather,  who  it  is  sup- 
posed was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  followed 
the  trade  of  a  wagon-maker  in  that  state 
for  many  3'ears.  As  early  as  1830  Jesse 
Atkinson  becam.e  a  pioneer  farmer  of  Ohio  and 
aided  in  the  development  of  large  tracts  of  land 
in  that  state;  for,  although  he  was  a  tailor  by 
trade,  much  of  his  life  was  devoted  to  agri- 
culture and  he  was  a  practical  and  enterprising 
farmer.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  eighty- 
five  years  of  age;  his  wife,  who  died  in  1859, 
was  an  earnest  member  of  the  Baptist  Qiurch. 

At  eighteen  years  of  age  Benjamin  M.  At- 
kinson started  out  in  the  world  to  earn  his  live- 
lihood. Chance  directed  his  steps  to  Kansas, 
which  then  was  attracting  a  large  number  of 
settlers  and  home-seekers.  Although  he  took  up 
a  claim  and  devoted  one  year  to  its  improvement, 
he  was  not  satisfied  with  the  environment  and 
traded  his  claim  for  a  horse,  on  which  he  rode 
to  Iowa.  For  two  years  he  worked  on  a  farm 
in  Fremont  county.  Next  he  went  to  Montana 
and  took  up  land  near  Virginia  City,  where,  in 
addition  to  farming,  he  became  interested  in 
mines.  After  seven  fairly  successful  years  he 
returned  to  Fremont  county,  Iowa,  where  for 
four  years  he  engaged  in  farming.  Next  he  re- 
moved to  Kansas  and  took  up  land  in  Norton 
county,  but  again  his  experience  of  Kansas  was 
not  gratifying.  Repeated  droughts  destroyed 
his  crops,  and  in  seasons  where  the  amount  of 
rainfall  was  sufficient  to  produce  and  mature  a 
crop,  the  grassI;oppers  came  like  an  invading 
army  and  left  naught  behind  but  destruction  and 
distress.  After  fifteen  unprofitable  years  he 
left  his  Kansas  ranch  and  removed  to  the  San 
Luis  valley  in  Colorado,  where  he  worked  on  a 
ranch  about  ei,ghteen  months.  From  there  he 
came  to  California  and  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Ventura  county.  During  the  spring  of  1896 
his  attention  became  somewhat  diverted  from 
farming  by  his  connection  with  the  development 
of  the  Sunshine  mine,  which  proved  to  be  an 
excellent  producer  and  which  he  operated,  in 
connection  with  other  owners  of  shares,  until 
1900.  Since  then  his  sons  have  had  charge  of 
the  mine  under  lease.  In  the  meantime  he  has 
had  other  nn'ning  interests  and  among  his  unde- 
veloped claims  he  now  has  the  Excelsior,  Klon- 
dike and  Topsy  Rustler,  all  of  which  are  prom- 
ising propositions.     In  July  of  1903  he  came  to 


1954 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Los  Angeles  couiUy  ami  purcliasetl  the  property 
where  now  he  makes  his  home. 

While  living  in  PVemont  county.  Iowa,  Mr. 
Atkinson  married  JNIiss  JMalinda  Lerrell,  who 
was  born  in  Floyd  county,  Ind.,  her  father  be- 
ing a  native  of  Kentucky.  She  died  in  Ventura 
county  m  1890.  Nine  children  were  born  of 
their  union,  namely :  Thomas  Watson,  a  part- 
ner of  his  father  in  the  Sunshine  mine :  ^^'ill- 
iam  NorrJs,  manager  of  the  Sunshine  mine :  Ed- 
ward Cleveland,  who  operates  the  three-stamp 
mill  connected  with  the  same  mine :  Clemmons 
Jesse,  who  died  :d  the  age  of  fourteen  years  and 
six  months;  Elniira  C,  who  is  the  wife  of  O. 
A.  Kreighbaum,  of  Fullerton,  Cal. ;  Mary  E., 
wife  of  J.  F.  Pitt,  of  Indian  Territory;  Malinda 
J.,  Mrs.  C.  G.  Ferrell,  of  Palms;  Ina  M.,  who 
married  Ernest  Case  and  resides  in  Ventura 
county ;  and  Sylvia  Lenore.  who  has  charge  of 
the  house  and  ministers  to  her  father's  comfort. 


JOHN  HYLAXD  AJYERS.  The  business 
interests  represented  liy  the  firm  of  Myers  & 
Abplanalp  are  among  the  most  important  in  the 
town  of  Oxnard,  \'entura  county.  On  the  or- 
ganization of  the  present  firm  in  1902  a  planing 
mill  was  erected,  and,  by  the  purchase  and  con- 
solidation of  two  other  mills,  a  large  trade  was 
established  at  the  outset.  In  all  of  its  equip- 
ments the  mill  is  modern,  power  being  furnished 
b.y  an  electric  motor.  The  capacity  of  the  plant 
is  sufficiently  large  to  permit  of  the  manufacture 
of  all  kinds  of  material  in  large  cjuantities.  While 
the  mill  comes  under  the  personal  supervision  of 
I\Ir.  Myers,  his  partner  has  charge  of  their  con- 
tracting and  build.ing  business  and  makes  a  spe- 
cialty of  contracts  for  brick  and  concrete  work. 

Mr.  ^Lers  comes  of  a  family  of  lumber  manu- 
facturers. His  father,  Henry,  and  grandfather 
were  both  interested  in  the  manufacture  of  lum- 
ber, and  the  former,  working  his  way  up  in  the 
business  from  early  boyhood,  built  and  conducted 
lumber  mills  near  Alanitowoc,  Wis.,  and  owned 
the  vessels  used  in  carrying  his  lumber  to  the  city 
markets.  Though  only  twenty-seven  years  of  age 
when  he  died  at  Racine,  his  energy  and  wise 
judgment  had  rendered  possible,  at  that  early 
age,  the  accumulation  of  a  competency  which  in 
those  days  was  considered  a  small  fortune.  At 
his  death  he  left  two  sons,  John  Hyland,  of  Ox- 
nard, and  Foster  D..  who  died  in  Nevada  City, 
Cal.  The  wife  and  mother,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Clarinda  Raymond,  was  born  in  New 
York  and  removed  to  Wisconsin  with  her 
parents.  After  her  marriage  she  remained  in 
Racine  and  reared  her  sons  there  until  1876,  when 
she  came  to  Santa  Barbara.  Cal.,  her  present 
home.  Now,  as  IMrs.  Stafford,  she  is  widowed  a 
second  time,  her  second  husband  having  died  in 
California. 


Horn  in  Racine.  \Ms.,  July  u.  1862.  John 
Hyland  Myers  was  fourteen  years  of  age  when 
he  arrived  in  Santa  Barbara,  Cal.,  October  21, 
1876,  and  there  he  attended  a  private  academy  as 
well  as  the  city  high  school.  At  the  age  of  sev- 
enteen he  was  apprenticed  to  the  carpenter's 
trade  under  Thomas  Nixon,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained in  Santa  Barbara  for  five  years.  At  the 
expiration  of  his  time  he  began  to  work  at  his 
trade  in  Los  Angeles,  but  a  year  later,  in  1887, 
he  went  to  Arizona,  where  he  helped  to  rebuild 
Flagstaff  after  it  had  been  burned  down.  Re- 
turning to  California,  he  became  one  of  the  first 
contractors  and  builders  in  Saticoy,  which  had 
been  laid  out  very  recently.  For  about  three 
\ears  he  remained  in  that  town,  meanwhile  erect- 
ing the  large  hotel  there.  In  the  fall  of  1889  he 
began  to  work  in  San  Francisco.  One  year  later, 
when  the  Charles  hotel  at  Saticoy  burned  down, 
he  was  solicited  to  return  and  rebuild  the  struct- 
ure and  consented  to  take  the  contract,  which 
brought  him  back  to  Satico}-.  Many  of  the  most 
important  contracts  were  given  to  him  for  the 
putting  up  of  private  houses  and  business  struct- 
ures, and  he  remained  in  the  place,  busily  en- 
gaged at  his  trade,  until  the  spring  of  1899,  when 
he  came  to  Oxnard  as  a  contractor  and  builder. 
Erecting-  a  residence  in  the  town,  he  moved  his 
family  here  in  1900,  and  has  since  become  known 
as  one  of  the  reliable  and  capable  business  men, 
of  the  place.  While  living  at  Saticoy  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Artemisia  L.  Either,  a  native  of  Maine 
and,  like  himself,  an  Episcopalian  in  religious 
views. 

The  Republican  party  always  has  had  the 
earnest  support  of  Mr.  Myers,  who  ranks  among 
its  local  leaders.  In  1904  he  accepted  an  appoint- 
ment to  serve  as  member  of  the  town  council  of 
Oxnard,  to  fill  a  vacancy  caused  by  the  resigna- 
tion of  Mr.  Parrish.  Since  becoming  a  council- 
man he  has  supported  all  movements  for  the  de- 
velopment of  the  town  and  the  expansion  of  its 
commercial  affairs,  yet  at  the  same  time  he  has 
safeguarded  the  welfare  of  taxpayers  and  has 
lieen  as  solicitous  to  avoid  reckless  expenditures 
as  he  has  been  anxious  to  promote  necessary  im- 
provements. His  fraternal  relations  are  varied 
;md  important,  and  include  membership  in  the 
Independent  Order  of  Foresters ;  Oxnard  Lodge 
No.  341,  F.  and  A.  M. ;  Oxnard  Lodge.  I.  O.  O. 
F. ;  also  the  Encampment  and  the  Order  of  Re- 
bekahs. 


GLEX  HOLLY  DAIRY,  ^^^^at  push  and 
enterprise  when  rightly  directed  can  accomplish 
has  nowhere  been  better  illustrated  than  in  the 
history  of  the  Glen  Holly  Dairy  of  Long  Beach. 
In  the  spring  of  1905  the  plant  was  established 
as  an  oft'-shoot  of  the  parent  establishment 
known  bv  the  same  name  in  Los  Angeles.     It 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1955 


was  carried  on  for  a  number  of  months  with  in- 
different success,  when,  in  September,  1905,  the 
plant  was  purchased  by  H.  N.  WiUiams  and  F. 
E.  Norman,  since  which  time  it  has  been  in- 
creased in  size  until  it  is  now  one  of  the  largest 
dairy  industries  in  the  county  outside  of  Los 
Angeles.  The  plant  is  located  at  the  corner  of 
Third  and  Alamitos  streets.  They  handle  the 
product  of  five  hundred  cows,  which  supplies 
both  the  wholesale  and  retail  trade,  and  in  the 
transportation  of  which  they  keep  five  wagons 
constantly  employed.  A  number  of  the  smaller 
dairies  in  Long  Beach  have  been  added  to  the 
plant  from  time  to  time,  until  the  Glen  Holly 
Dairy  handles  practically  all  of  the  business  in 
that  line  throughout  Long  Beach  and  surround- 
ing country.  The  office  and  storeroom  arc  lo- 
cated at  No.  223  Pine  avenue. 

One  of  the  prime  movers  in  the  success  of  the 
Glen  Holly  Dairy  is  H.  N.  Williams,  who  spent 
the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  Lyons,  Kans., 
where  he  attended  the  common  and  high  schools, 
later  taking  a  course  in  Washington  and  Jeft'er- 
son  College,  a  Presbyterian  institution  in  Wash- 
ington, Pa. 

F.  E.  Norman  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  where 
for  many  years  he  had  been  engaged  in  the  life 
insurance  business.  For  some  time  after  com- 
iing  to  the  west  he  followed  this  business  in  San 
F'rancisco,  coming  to  Los  Angeles  in  1904  as  a 
general  agent  for  the  Germania  Life  Insurance 
Company.  He  resigned  this  position  in  Septem- 
ber of  the  following  year  to  become  associated 
with  yir.  Williams  in  the  purchase  of  the  Glen 
Holly  Dairy,  with  which  his  name  has  since  been 
associated. 


DOCTOR  M.  BREEDLO\E.  In  giving  a 
resume  of  those  who  have  taken  a  prominent 
part  in  the  upbuilding  of  San  Diego  county,  and 
especially  that  part  in  the  vicinity  of  Escondido, 
prominent  mention  belongs  to  Mr.  Breedlove, 
whose  ranch  and  chicken  farm  are  among  the 
model  enterprises  in  this  part  of  the  county.  He 
is  one  of  six  children  born  to  his  parents,  Will- 
iam and  Susan  (Haggard)  Breedlove,  both  of 
whom  were  born  and  reared  in  Kentucky.  In 
later  years  they  removed  to  Missouri,  and  on 
the  large  ranch  which  the  father  owned  in  that 
state  his  earth  life  came  to  a  close  in  1892,  when 
in  his  seventy-fourth  year.  His  wife  also  died 
on  the  home  place  when  seventy-three  years  of 
age. 

Of  the  five  children,  two  still  reside  in  the 
east  and  three  are  in  California.  D.  M.  Breed- 
love was  born  in  Webster  county.  Mo.,  Febru- 
ary 26,  1859,  and  until  after  attaining  his  ma- 
jority he  had  never  left  his  native  state.  His 
a])i)lication  to  the  duties  which  fell  .to  his  lot  as 


a  farmer's  son,  however,  gave  him  a  knowledge 
of  agricultural  affairs  which  stood  him  in  good 
stead  when,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  he 
launched  out  on  an  independent  career.  Leav- 
ing Missouri  in  1879  he  came  direct  to  Para- 
dise Alountain,  San  Diego  county,  and  took  up 
a  government  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  which  became  the  nucleus  of  the  ranch  he 
now  owns.  As  his  means  permitted  he  pur- 
chased eighty  acres  adjoining  and  now  has  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres  devoted  to  diversified 
farming.  A  part  of  the  land  is  in  grain  and 
orchard  (the  latter  comprising  seven  hundred 
almond'  trees ) ,  cattle  and  horses  are  raised  and 
pastured  on  another  portion,  but  the  part  of  the 
ranch  that  is  given  over  to  the  raising  of  chick- 
ens is  perhaps  the  most  profitable,  for  this  branch 
of  agriculture  claims  Mr.  Breedlove's  particular 
attention. 

A  marriage  ceremony  performed  in  Escondido 
in  1883  united  the  destinies  of  D.  M.  Breedlove 
and  Laura  Harrison,  the  latter  a  native  of  Illi- 
nois, and  five  children  have  been  born  to  them : 
Edward,  Waldo,  Inez.  Harry  and  Myrtle.  In 
his  political  belief  Mr.  Breedlove  is  a  Democrat, 
on  the  ticket  of  which  party  he  was  elected  to 
the  office  of  constable,  a  position  for  which  he  is 
well  fitted. 


DANIEL  McND'EiX.  Some  men  are  born 
great,  and  some  have  to  achieve  greatness.  ,  Evi- 
dentl}'  Daniel  McNiven,  an  esteemed  resident  of 
North  Glendale,  Los  Angeles  county,  was  des- 
tined to  be  the  architect  of  his  own  fortune. 
Beginning  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder  of  attain- 
ments as  a  boy  of  fourteen  years,  he  has  made 
diligent  use  of  his  natural  talents  and  given 
opportunities,  and  by  untiring  energy,  'sturdy 
application,  wisdom  and  sagacity,  has  won  a  po- 
sition of  prominence  and  influence  in  social,  fra- 
ternal and  financial  circles.  A  son  of  Donald 
and  Mary  (McLeod)  McNiven,  he  was  born 
in  New  York  state,  where  his  parents  settled 
on  coming  to  the  United  States  from  their  native 
land,  Scotland,  and  where  they  lived  a  short  time 
before  taking  up  their  permanent  residence  in 
Prince  Edw^ard  Island. 

Brought  up  in  the  Canadian  province  of  Prince 
Edward  Island,  Daniel  McNiven  received  mea- 
gre educational  advantages  as  a  boy,  attending 
school  until  fourteen  years  old.  Starting  in  life 
then  on  his  own  account,  he  worked  in  Halifax, 
Nova  Scotia,  for  two  years,  and  from  there  mi- 
grated to  Boston,  Mass.,  where  he  served  an 
apprenticeship  at  the  carpenter's  trade  with  a 
skilful  contractor  and  builder,  in  whose  employ 
he  continued  a  number  of  years.  Leaving  Bos- 
ton in  1876,  he  went  first  to  Rhode  Island,  thence 
westward,   finally   locating   in    Manitoba,    North- 


1956 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


western  Territory,  where  he  secured  a  position 
as  foreman  of  a  gang  of  laborers,  and  had  charge 
of  building  the  station  houses  on  the  Canadian 
Pacific  Railroad.  In  1879  he  went  to  Leadville, 
Colo.,  where  for  twenty-five  years  he  was  actively 
and  successfully  engaged  in  mining.  An  expert 
in  mining  matters,  he  was  made  manager  of  the 
Chrysolite  Silver  Alining  Company,  a  New  York 
concern,  with  mines  at  Leadville  and  Fryer  Hill, 
and  this  responsible  position  he  still  retains,  al- 
though he  now  resides  in  California.  In  1905 
Ife  met  the  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  com- 
pany, they  representing  the  board  of  directors, 
and  sent  by  them  his  resignation  as  manager. 
This  the  company  refused  to  accept,  and  as  Mr. 
McNiven  is  not  a  stockholder  the  refusal  was  a 
great  compliment  to  his  ability  and  trustworthi- 
ness. Coming  to  Los  Angeles  county  in  1901, 
he  bought  thirteen  and  thirty-seven  hundredths 
acres  of  land  in  North  Glendale,  and  having 
made  considerable  improvement  has  now  a  valu- 
able ranch,  on  which  he  has  resided  for  two 
years. 

In  Leadville,  Colo.,  Mr.  JMcNiven  married 
Alice  Cunningham,  who  was  born  and  educated 
in  St.  Louis,  Mo.  She  died  in  Leadville,  leaving 
three  children,  namely:  Alice,  wife  of  William 
Howie,  who  was  born  in  Leadville,  but  now  re- 
sides in  Los  Angeles;  Margaret;  and  Lester. 
Mr.  McNiven  is  prominent  in  Masonic  circles, 
being  a  Knight  Templar  and  a  Shriner.  In  the 
lodges  of  which  he  is  a  member  he  has  passed 
all  the  chairs,  and  while  in  Leadville  served  as 
eminent  commander  of  Mount  Holy  Cross  Com- 
mandery  No.  5.  On  leaving  the  chair  of  master 
of  Leadville  Lodge  No.  51,  he  was  presented 
with  a  beautiful  jewel,  which  he  prizes  highly. 


JOHN  JAY  NESTELL.  Without  excep- 
tion John  Jay  Nestell  is  the  most  enterprising 
and  energetic  business  man  in  Avalon,  where 
he  is  a  large  property  holder  and  has  done  and 
is  doing  much  to  make  Catalina  Island  one  of 
the  finest  and  most  up-to-date  resorts  in  the 
country.  His  own  home  is  the  largest  and 
finest  in  the  city,  fitted  with  every  modern 
improvement,  and  artistic  in  its  furnishings 
and  appointments.  He  has  named  his  resi- 
dence "Tio  Juan,"  the  Spanish  for  Uncle  John, 
by  which  title  .Mr.  Nestell  is  popularly  known 
in  Avalon.  His  birth  occurred  August  14, 
1840,  in  New  York  City,  where  _  the  early 
years  of  his  life  were  spent.  The  Nestell 
family  is  of  Holland-Dutch  extraction,  al- 
though the  last  six  or  seven  generations  have 
been  natives  and  residents  of  New  York  City. 
The  great-grandfather  was  a  patriot  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  the  grandfather  fought 
in  the  war  of  1812.     The  latter  was  a  tobac- 


conist, ha\ing  been  connected  with  the  Loril- 
lards  in  that  business.  The  father,  John 
Joachim,  was  engaged  in  business  as  an  archi- 
tect and  builder,  and  resided  in  his  younger 
years  on  Attorney  street,  in  New  York  City, 
later  removing  to  St.  Mark's  place  and  subse- 
quently built  his  home  on  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty-fourth  street,  where  his  death  occurred. 
His  wife  was  Ann  Jane  Schultze,  in  maiden- 
hood, a  native  also  of  New  York  City.  She 
was  a  member  of  an  old  Dutch  family,  and  lived 
in  her  native  city  until  the  time  of  her  death, 
she  and  her  husband  both  living  to  advanced 
ages.  Of  the  nine  children  born  to  them 
seven  grew  to  maturity,  but  John  Jay  Nestell 
is  the  only  son  of  the  family  now  living. 

The  fourth  child  in  order  of  birth,  after  fin- 
ishing his  studies  in  the  grammar  schools  of 
the  city  John  Jay  Nestell  was  sent  to  a  private 
acaderny"  for  a  time.  As  a  very  young  boy  he 
evinced  decided  ambitions  for  a  business  career 
and  when  only  thirteen  years  old  used  to  read 
the  "boy  wanted"  advertisements  appearing  in 
the  daily  papers.  He  finally  secured  a  position 
as  messenger  boy  at  a  salary  of  $15  a  year,  and 
performed  his  duties  so  well  that  the  sum  was 
doubled  the  second  year.  The  firm  soon  failed 
in  business,  however,  and  the  lad  turned  his 
attention  to  other  work.  Having  a  taste  for 
building  he  decided  to  learn  the  carpenter's 
trade  and  became  a  pupil  of  his  father  in  that 
work.  After  seven  years  he  became  manager  of 
the  business.  One  day  in  1862  he  was  asked  to 
call  at  the  old  Lorillard  real  estate  office,  being 
sent  from  there  to  the  office  of  the  Eagle  Fire 
Insurance  Company,  where  he  was  offered  a 
position  as  surveyor  at  a  salary  of  $700  a  year. 
He  accepted  the  offer  and  continued'  at  the 
work  for  two  years  at  an  increased  salary.  He 
was  then  made  assistant  secretary  of  the  com- 
pany, which  position  he  resigned  three  years 
later  to  organize  the  Manufacturers  and  Build- 
ers' Fire  Insurance  Company.  Upon  the  re- 
ceipt of  his  resignation  the  president  of  the 
Eagle  Company  sent  for  Mr.  Nestell  and  asked 
him  to  continue  with  them  at  his  own  salary. 
but  he  had  made  promises  to  ]\Ir.  Loew  that  he 
did  n'ot  care  to  recall.  Accordingly  the  new 
company  was  organized  and  incorporated  with 
Mr.  Nestell  as  its  secretary  and  Mr.  Loew  as 
president.  They  built  up  a  good  business,  es- 
tablished agencies  in  all  the  important  cities  of 
the  United  States,  and  for  twenty-seven  years 
Mr.  Nestell  continued  as  secretary,  traveling 
over  the  country  from  east  to  west  and  north 
to  south,  working  up  business.  In  1892  he  sold 
out  to  the  Palatine  Insurance  Company  of  Eng- 
land, continuing  to  hold  his  position  as  secre- 
tary for  three  years,  when  he  resigned  in  order 
to  devote  liimself  to  other  business  interests. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1957 


While  traveling  in  the  south  Mr.  Nestell  be- 
came interested  in  iron  manufacturing  with 
the  Sloss  Steel  and  Iron  Company  of  Birming- 
ham. Ala.,  acquiring  a  large  amount  of  stock, 
but  declining  the  presidency  of  the  .company. 
The  business  was  a  great  success  from  the  start 
and  J.  Campbell  Maben,  who  filled  the  office 
of  president,  was  also  an  officer  with  General 
Early  in  the  Civil  war  on  the  Confederate  side. 
Mr.  Nestell  served  in  the  Twenty-second  New 
York  militia  and  met  him  in  an  encounter  in 
Pennsylvania  when  that  officer  was  detailed 
with  a  field  force  to  keep  the  enemy  in  check 
until  Early  had  made  his  escape.  Mr.  Nestell 
had  been  a  member  of  Company  B,  of  the  old 
Twenty-second  Regiment  of  New  York  militia, 
which  was  ordered  to  the  front  in  1863,  and 
took  part  in  early  engagements,  passed  through 
the  Gettysburg  campaign  and  was  later  ordered 
to  New  York  to  quell  the  riots  there. 

It  was  in  1888  that  ]\Ir.  Nestell  made  his  first 
trip  to  California,  coming  here  on  business  for 
the  insurance  company,  and  from  that  time  on 
made  the  state  yearly  visits.  He  was  in  the 
Lake  Lobish  accident  on  the  Southern  Pacific 
when  the  trestles  five  miles  north  of  Salem, 
Ore.,  gave  way  and  the  train  fell  through,  kill- 
ing or  maiming  for  life  every  other  passenger 
in  the  car,  although  Mr.  Nestell  was  fortunate 
enough  to  escape  without  injury.  For  nearly 
twenty  years  he  has  been  interested  in  raisin 
growing  near  Fresno,  where  in  1888  he  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  raw 
land  located  seven  miles  west  of  the  city,  near 
the  Kearney  vineyard,  and  had  it  planted  to 
Muscat,  Sultanas  and  Thompson's  seedless 
varieties  of  the  raisin  grape,  which  are  now 
producing  large  crops  yearly,  Mr.  Nestell  still 
retaining  his  ownership  of  the  land.  He  has 
also  large  property  interests  in  Los  Angeles. 
Five  years  ago  he  began  operations  on  Catalina 
Island  and  owns  and  has  improved  many  prop- 
erties there  since  that  time.  He  owns  the  Pa- 
cific hotel,  has  built  numerous  first-class  resi- 
dences of  the  apartment  class  on  Sumner  ave- 
nue, and  is  the  proprietor  of  Campus  Virginia, 
an  attractive  tent  village,  modern  in  all  of  its 
appointments  and  strictly  up-to-date.  All  of 
his  improvements  are  of  the  highest  class,  for 
he  believes  in  making  Avalon  a  place  that  can 
compete  with  any  of  the  eastern  resorts,  no 
matter  how  extensiveh^  they  may  be  improved. 
He  holds  an  interest  in  the  Meteor  Glass  Bot- 
tom Boat  Company  also. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Nestell  was  made  a  IMason 
in  Bunting  Lodge  No.  655,  A.  F.  and  .\.  M., 
in  New  York  City :  is  a  member  of  Sylvan 
Chapter  No.  48.  R.  A.  M.,  in  New  York':  and 
of  the  Constantine  Commandery.  K.  T..  of  New 
"^'ork  :  is  an  honnrarv  memlicr  of  Nestell  Lodge 


No.  37,  F.  and  A.  M.,  at  Providence,  R.  I., 
which  was  named  for  his  uncle.  Christian  M. 
Nestell.  Politically  he  votes  the  Republican 
ticket  in  national  affairs,  but  exercises  con- 
siderable independence  in  local  public  matters. 
Religiously  he  affiliates  with  the  Congrega- 
tional denomination,  being  a  member  of  Pil- 
grim Church  in  New  York  City.  When  living 
m  New  York  he  was  for  twelve  years  manager 
of  the  Fire  Patrol  Committee  of  that  city,  and 
also  a  prominent  member  of  committees  of  the 
Board  of  Fire  Underwriters. 

Mr.  Nestell's  marriage,  which  united  him 
with  Emma  E.  Ball,  a  member  of  an  old  New 
York  family,  occurred  in  New  York  City,  and 
they  have  become  the  parents  of  three  children, 
all  of  whom  live  in  the  country's  metropolis: 
Isabelle  is  the  wife  of  Warren  A.  Leonard ;  Ed- 
ward Victor  is  a  broker;  and  Raymond  Jay  is 
a  chemist  in  New  York  City.  Although  the 
greater  part  of  his  time  is  necessarily  devoted 
to  the  management  of  his  widely  extended  busi- 
ness interests  Mr.  Nestell  does  not  neglect  his 
duties  as  a  leading  citizen  and  is  actively  in- 
terested in  all  matters  of  public  import,  lend- 
ing his  time  and  influence  to  the  furthering  of 
every  upbuilding  and  progressive  enterprise. 
He  is  a  man  of  high  principles,  broad  and  lib- 
eral views  and  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  and 
respect  by  hosts  of  friends  and  acquaintances 
throughout  the  United  States. 


W  HORACE  AUSTIN.  Since  September, 
1894,  W.  Horace  Austin  has  been  a  resident  of 
Long  Beach,  where  he  has  acquired  a  success  in 
his  line  of  builder  and  contractor.  He  is  a 
native  of  Kansas,  his  birth  having  occurred 
March  11,  1871,  in  Abilene,  Dickinson  county, 
from  which  place  his  father.  Dr.  W.  H.  Austin, 
removed  to  Long  Beach,  where  he  is  now  living 
retired  from  the  active  cares  of  life.  He  re- 
ceived a  preliminary  education  in  the  public 
schools  and  academy  of  Abilene,  and  for  two 
years  attended  St.  John's  Military  School  at 
Salina,  Kans.  After  his  location  in  Long  Beach, 
where  his  parents  removed  on  account  of  their 
health,  he  attended  the  public  schools  of  this 
place.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  years  he  was 
apprenticed  to  learn  the  trade  of  carpenter  and 
for  the  ensuing  seven  years  remained  in  the  em- 
ploy of  one  man.  He  became  thoroughly  profi- 
cient in  every  department  of  the  work  and  upon 
the  departure  for  England  of  Mr.  Green,  he  be- 
gan the  business  on  his  own  responsibilitv  in 
partnership  with  W.  T.  Barton.  From  Decem- 
ber, 1902,  they  continued  together  for  one  vear, 
when  Mr.  Austin  succeeded  to  the  business  in 
Long  Beach,  where  he  has  since  carried  on  the 
work.     With  his  work  as  a  journeyman  he  also 


1958 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


took  up  architectural  drawing  and  later  a  com- 
plete course  through  the  medium  of  the  Inter- 
national Correspondence  School.  He  began  on 
a  small  scale  and  as  his  means  permitted  en- 
larged his  operations  until  he  is  now  employing 
on  an  average  twenty  men  a  year.  A  small  part 
of  his  work  has  been  the  erection  of  the  resi- 
dences of  Charles  Heartwell,  Mrs.  Carpenter, 
F.  E.  Shaw,  W.  B.  Julian,  L.  Jakes,  T.  A.  Stev- 
ens, Miss  I.  A.  Kimball,  the  Bank  of  Commerce 
building,  the  flat  of  R.  W.  Martin,  and  R.  H. 
Martin,  and  many  others  of  equal  note.  He  is 
self  made  in  the  best  sense  implied  by  the  term, 
and  while  he  is  winning  his  way  to  the  front 
among  the  business  men  of  the  place  he  is  also 
gaining  an  enviable  position  as  a  man  of  integ- 
rity, energy  and  business  ability. 

Mr.  Austin's  home  is  in  Long  Beach,  where 
he  has  invested  his  means  in  considerable  unim- 
proved property,  a  manifestation  of  his  faith  in 
the  future  of  this  section.  He  maintains  an  ofifice 
at  the  corner  of  Fourth  and  Chestnut  streets  and 
looks  after  his  business  with  ability  and  energy. 
He  is  prominent  in  fraternal  circles,  being  a 
member  of  Long  Beach  Lodge   No.  327,   F.  & 

A.  M. :  Long  Beach  Chapter  No.  88,  R.  A.  M. ; 
aitd  Commandery  No.  40.  K.  T. ;  while  he  is 
also  identified  with  Long  Beach  Lodge  No.  888, 

B.  P.  O.  E.,  and  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 
In  politics  he  is  broad  and  gives  his  support 
to  the  men  whom  he  considers  best  qualified  for 
])ublic   duty. 


JOHN  AERICK.  The  genealogy  of  the  Ae- 
rick  family  is  traced  to  Sweden  and  the  first  of 
the  name  in  America  was  John,  Sr.,  a  native  of 
the  capital  city  of  Stockholm,  but  from  the  age 
cf  nine  years  a  resident  of  the  United  States. 
After  making  the  long  journey  from  his  home 
land  in  company  with  his  sisters  he  settled  in 
Illinois  and  hired  out  to  a  farmer,  working  for 
board  and  clothes.  Among  strangers  in  a  strange 
land,  far  from  his  kindred  and  uncheered  by 
the  sight  of  any  of  his  relatives,  he  yet  was 
buoyed  up  by  the  optimism  of  youth  and  the 
possession  of  a  hopeful  spirit.  When  news  came 
of  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California  he,  having 
no  ties  to  bind  him  to  the  locality  of  his  resi- 
dence, at  once  made  plans  to  cross  the  plains, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1849  started  with  a  party 
of  emigrants  traveling  with  oxen  and  wagons. 
On  arriving  at  his  destination  he  took  up  min- 
ing, hut  the  work  did  not  prove  profitable  and 
he  soon  turned  his  attention  to  frei^ghting,  in 
which  he  was  interested  for  a  number  of  years. 

During  the  '60s  John  Aerick.  Sr..  became  a 
pioneer  of  Los  Angeles  county  and  secured  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  lying  at  the 
west   end   ijf   \'ernon   avenue,    Los   Angeles,   but 


later  it  developed  that  the  land  was  a  portion  of 
the  Sanchez  grant,  and  he  therefore  lost  it. 
Next  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  adjoining  the  other  property,  six  miles 
from  the  Los  Angeles  court-house  and  just  out- 
side of  the  present  city  limits,  and  this  tract  is 
now  owned  by  his  widow,  Elizabeth  (Hunter) 
Aerick,  who  resides  on  West  Thirty-seventh 
street  between  Normandie  and  Western  avenues. 
Ere  yet  old  age  had  brought  its  attendant  in- 
firmities, Mr.  Aerick  passed  away  April  5,  1895, 
leaving  considerable  property  and  a  reputation 
for  honor,  integrity  and  irreproachable  charac- 
ter. JNIrs.  Aerick  was  born  in  Los  Angeles  and 
was  the  daughter  of  Jesse  Hunter,  a  ]Moneer  of 
California  and  a  stockman  in  this  locality  for  a 
long  period. 

In  a  family  of  eight  children,  all  but  one  of 
whom  still  survive,  John  Aerick,  Jr.,  was  the 
eldest  son  and  the  second  child,  and  was  born 
-Vpril  6,  1872,  at  the  homestead  beyond  the  lim- 
its of  Vernon  avenue,  m  the  city  of  Los  An- 
geles. Primarily  educated  in  the  public  school. 
he  was  later  a  student  in  the  Baptist  College  of 
Los  Angeles  and  the  Woodbury  Business  Col- 
lege. After  leaving  school  he  secured  employ- 
ment on  the  Baldwin  ranch,  where  for  six  years 
he  had  charge  of  the  cattle.  On  the  death  of 
his  father  he  returned  home  and  for  two  years 
managed  the  farm  in  the  interests  of  the  heirs. 
Coming  to  Inglevv-ood  in  1897,  he  has  since  made 
his  home  in  this  locality  and  now  owns  two  and 
one-half  acres  in  the  town,  which  property  he 
has  improved  with  a  neat  residence.  Ever  since 
living  here  he  has  rented  land  from  Dan  Free- 
man and  now  operates  four  hundred  acres,  de- 
voted to  the  raising  of  barley  and  corn,  and  to 
the  pasturage  of  stock,  his  specialty  being  mules. 
Movements  for  the  benefit  of  his  town  receive 
his  stanch  support,  as  shown  by  his  connection 
with  various  important  enterprises.  He  is  a 
stockholder  in  the  First  State  Bank  and  the 
Citizens"  Home  Water  Company  of  Inglewood 
and  in  addition  acts  as  secretary  of  the  latter 
concern. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Aerick  took  place  in  Los 
Angeles  December  23,  1897.  ^^'^  united  him 
with  Miss  Lulu  Dosta,  a  native  of  that  city. 
Her  parents,'  Mitchell  and  Barbara  (Jones) 
Dosta,  were  natives  respectively  of  Germany  and 
Norway,  and  came  to  America  in  childhood,  the 
latter  in  company  with  her  mother.  After  cross- 
ing the  plains  to  California  Mr.  Dosta  engaged 
in  mining,  but  soon  removed  to  Los  Angeles 
county  and  bought  a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  es- 
tablishing his  home  on  what  is  now  South  Ver- 
mont near  \'"ernon  avenue.  On  that  place  his 
death  occurred  when  he  was.  sixty-seven  years 
of  age,  nnd  his  wife  j^assed  away  in  January. 
1905,  aged   sixty  years.     (  )f  tlieir  five  children 


HISTORICAL  .\XD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1959 


four  are  living,  namely:  Mrs.  Josephine  Rus- 
.sell,  of  Manhattan  Beach ;  Lillie,  of  Inglewood ; 
Charles,  who  is  engaged  in  engineering  in  Mex- 
ico; and  Mrs.  Lulu  Aerick,  the  youngest  of  the 
family.  Tlie  latter  is  prominently  connected 
with  the  Women  of  Woodcraft  and  officiates  as 
banker  of  the  local  lodge,  while  Mr.  Aerick  is 
an  officer  in  the  lodges  of  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters. 
Politically  he  votes  with  the  Republican  party 
and  gives  his  influence  to  its  candidates.  The 
Inglewood  Commercial  Club  numbers  him 
among  its  members,  and  his  energetic  encour- 
agement is  given  to  this  organization,  as  well 
as  to  all  movements  for  the  u])building  of  the 
town  and  the  development  of  its  business  inter- 
ests. 


was  elected  a  trustee  of  Elsinore  high  school  in 
1904  and  is  president  of  the  board  at  the  pres- 
ent time.  He  is  a  man  of  many  fine  personal 
qualities  and  a  public-spirited  citizen  and  is  held 
in  the  highest  esteem  b>   all  who  know  him. 


HENRY  H.  HARRIS.  Possessing  large 
business  ability,  the  recipient  of  a  good  educa- 
tion and  superior  training,  Henrv  H.  Harris  is 
well  fitted  to  take  a  leading  position  in  the  life 
of  the  community  in  wliich  he  resides.  An  ex- 
tensive and  successful  ranchman,  he  farms  five 
hundred  acres  of  fertile  land  near  Elsinore, 
which  he  devotes  to  the  raising  of  grain,  hay, 
cattle  and  hogs,  shipping  about  two  carloads  of 
stock  each  year.  On  July  29,  1855,  he  was  born 
in  La  Grange,  Wis.,  the  son  of  Henry  H.  and 
Jane  M.  (Ward)  Harris,  both  natives  of  Xew 
York  and  who  died  in  Wisconsin,  the  father  in 
Madison  in  1858,  and  the  mother  in  Milton  in 
1874.  The  senior  Harris  was  one  of  the  first 
merchants  of  Milwaukee,  and  later  removed  to 
Madison,  Wis.,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the 
buying  of  grain.  After  completing  a  high- 
school  course  in  Whitehall,  Wis.,  the  son  en- 
gaged in  farming  until  1885,  after  which  he 
went  to  Janesville  and  conducted  an  implement 
business,  handling  farm  machinery,  buggies, 
etc.  In  1897  he  disposed  of  this  business  and 
came  to  California,  locating  in  Orange  county, 
near  bullerton,  where  he  bought  a  twenty-acre 
orange  ranch  and  lived  until  June  14,  1902.  On 
this  date  he  came  to  Elsinore  and  bought  two 
hundred  and  fifteen  acres  of  land  which  is  em- 
braced in  the  ranch  upon  which  he  now  resides 
with  his  familv. 

In  1884,  in  Milton,  Wis.,  dccurred  the  marriage 
of  Henry  H.  Harris,  uniting  him  with  Miss 
Sophia  Walker,  a  daughter  of  William  Walker,  a 
Presbyterian  minister  of  that  city.  Two  chil- 
dren have  blessed  this  union,  Harry  H.  lieing 
married  and  making  his  liome  with  his  ])arents : 
and  Walker  W.,  also  residing  under  the  parental 
roof.  Politically  Mr.  Harris  is  an  advocate  of 
the  principles  embraced  in  the  platform  of  the 
Republican  partv,  and  fraternalh'  is  a  member 
of   Janesville    Lodge   \o.    14,    I.    O.    O.    V.      He 


ARTHUR  ISRIDGE  STEEL.  Back  through 
several  generations  the  Steel  family  has  fur- 
nished surgeons  both  to  the  army  and  navy  of 
England,  and  among  these  few  were  more 
prominent  than  R.  Steel,  M.  D.,  for  years  an 
army  surgeon,  also  a  member  of  the  Royal  Col- 
lege of  Surgeons.  Among  the  children  of  this 
army  surgeon  was  a  son.  Dr.  R.  J.  Steel,  a  grad- 
uate of  Oxford  I'niversity,  who  was  connected 
with  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons  as  an  in- 
fluential member  and  practiced  his  profession 
in  London  until  he  died.  For  a  wife  he  chose 
Emma  Bridge,  daughter  of  a  horticulturist  in 
Kent,  where  she  was  born  and  educated ;  her 
death  occurred  in  1898  in  London.  Of  their 
marriage  two  sons  were  born,  the  elder  of  whom, 
F.  W.,  continues  to  reside  in  London.  The 
younger,  Arthur  Bridge,  was  born  in  Cam- 
bridge, England,  in  1869,  and  received  his  edu- 
cation at  Malmesbury  College,  East  Dulwich, 
London,  graduating  in  1883  in  belles  lettres,  and 
at  the  same  time  taking  a  course  in  engineering. 
For  three  years  he  was  employed  as  clerk  in  a 
wholesale  fancy  goods  importing  house,  after 
which,  in  1886,  he  came  to  the  United  States 
and  settled  in  California.  Horticulture  occupied 
his  attention  for  the  first  two  years  of  his  so- 
journ on  the  Pacific  coast.  Later  he  was  em- 
ployed in  the  track  department  of  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad  at  Riverside,  Horseshoe  Bend, 
San  Onofre  in  San  Diego  county,  Redondo  and 
other  places,  filling  the  position  of  foreman  until 
he  resigned  in  1890.  During  the  latter  year  he 
purchased  from  G.  J.  Lindsay  a  planing  mill  on 
Beryl  and  Dominguez  streets.  Redondo,  and 
continued  business  at  that  point  until  October 
I,  1905,  when  he  bought  a  block  of  ground  on 
Pacific  avenue  and  erected  a  new  planing  mill. 

With  his  brother-in-law,  A.  A.  McGuffie,  as 
a  partner  under  the  name  of  the  Redondo  Plan- 
ing Mill  Company,  Mr.  Steel  carries  on  an  in- 
creasing business  in  his  line.  The  equipment  of 
his  mill  is  the  best  and  most  modern.  Power  is 
furnished  by  a  one  hundred  horse-power  steam 
engine,  .^.t  one  time  he  operated  a  barley  roll- 
ing mill  in  connection  with  the  planing  mill,  but 
these  two  industries  are  now  separated,  the  Re- 
dondo Milling  Company  being  organized  in 
1905.  They  have  erected  warehouses  with  a 
sixty  thousand  sack  capacity  and  the  barley  mill 
is  run  in  connection  with  the  same.  Besides  his 
business  holdings  he  owns  residence  property, 
inchuline'    his    Immcstead    on    Catalina    avenue. 


1960 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


While  living  at  Santa  Ana  he  married  Florence 
B.  McGuffie,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Los 
Angeles.  Four  daughters  have  been  born  of 
their  union,  Ethel  E.,  Hazel  A.,  Mabel  B.  and 
Viola  B.  Politically  Mr.  Steel  is  a  firm  Repub- 
lican and  in  every  respect  loyal  to  the  highest 
interests  of  his  adopted  country.  In  the  spring 
of  1904  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  town 
board  of  trustees,  where  now  he  renders  capable 
service  on  the  auditing  and  street  and  lighting 
committees.  Fraternally  he  has  varied  connec- 
tions, including  membership  in  the  Independent 
Order  of  Foresters,  in  which  he  served  as  chief 
ranger  for  three  terms.  Some  years  ago  he  was 
made  a  Mason  in  Evergreen  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M., 
at  Riverside,  and  is  now  affiliated  with  Redondo 
Lodge  No.  328,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which  he  is  past 
master.  In  addition  lie  holds  membership  with 
the  Royal  Arch  Chapter  at  San  Pedro  and  with 
the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  in  which  latter 
body  he  is  past  patron,  while  his  wife  has  held 
the  office  of  m.atron. 


EDWARD  S.  ABBOTT.  As  head  of  the 
firm  of  Abbott  &  Anderson,  wholesale  and  retail 
meat  dealers,  Edward  S.  Abbott  is  intimately 
identified  with  the  mercantile  interests  of  San 
Pedro,  doing  his  full  share  in  promoting  its 
business  prosperity.  Enterprising,  liberal-mind- 
ed and  of  undoubted  integrity,  he  merits  and  re- 
ceives the  warmest  confidence  and  esteem  of  his 
fellow-citizens,  being  well  liked  and  popular 
throughout  the  communit}".  A  native  of  Iowa, 
he  was  born  November  12.  1875,  in  Hopkinton, 
Delaware  county.  On  another  page  of  this 
work,  in  the  sketch  of  his  father,  O.  C.  Abbott, 
a  brief  history  of  his  parents  and  ancestors  may 
be  found. 

His  parents  removing  to  Colorado  when  he 
was  a  boy,  Edward  S.  Abbott  was  there  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools,  living  in  that  state 
until  1890,  when  the  family  settled  at  San  Pedro, 
Cal.  At  once  entering  the  employ  of  Mr.  Piltz, 
he  learned  the  trade  of  a  butcher  under  his  in- 
struction, after  which  he  worked  five  years  for 
J.  L.  Griffin.  In  1901  he  bought  out  his  em- 
ployer, becoming  senior  member  of  the  firm  of 
Abbott  &  Erickson,  and  for  four  years  ran  the 
San  Pedro  market,  carrying  on  a  successful 
business.  Selling  his  interests  in  the  company 
to  his  partner  in  the  spring  of  1905,  Mr.  Abbott 
spent  a  few  months  in  traveling,  visiting  many 
of  the  more  important  points  of  interest  in  the 
northwest.  Returning  to  San  Pedro,  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  j\ir.  Anderson,  and  on  Octo- 
ber T,  1005,  opened  the  Bay  City  meat  market, 
which  is  finely  equipped,  having  a  new  refriger- 
ator of  large  capacity,  electric  lights,  and  all  of 
the  appointments  and  improvements  necessary  in 


an  up-to-date  market.  He  is  located  at  No.  114 
Sixth  street,  where  he  and  his  partner  are  rap- 
idly building  up  an  extensive  business,  their 
patronage  being  large  and  lucrative. 

Mr.  Abbott  is  an  able  and  skilful  business  man 
and  a  member  of  the  San  Pedro  Qiamber  of 
Commerce.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican,  and 
fraternally  he  belongs  to  San  Pedro  Lodge  No. 
332,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  and  to  the  Benevolent,  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks.  He  is  also  an  exempt 
member  of  the  San  Pedro  Firemen's  Company, 
which  he  formerly  served  as  foreman  and  secre- 
tary. 


JA^IES  P.  HANSEN.  Holding  an  honored 
position  among  the  industrious  and  prosperous 
citizens  of  Inglewood,  Los  Angeles  county,  is 
James  P.  Hansen,  widely  and  favorably  known 
as  one  of  the  leading  blacksmiths  of  this  vicinity. 
He  is  in  all  respects  a  self  made  man,  having 
begun  life  a  poor  boy  entirely  without  capital, 
and  having  by  sturdy  toil  and  able  management 
accumulated  an  easy  competency.  A  native  of 
Germany,  he  was  Ixirn  January  9,  1873,  in 
Sleswick-Holstein,  near  Scarbeck,  which  was 
also  the  birthplace  of  his  parents.  Andreas  and 
Maren  (Schmidt)  Hansen.  His  father,  who  was 
a  sailor,  and  one  of  the  officers  of  the  ship,  was 
drowned  at  sea  in  1877,  and  his  modier  died 
during  the  very  same  month,  unaware  of  the 
death  of  her  husband.  Of  their  five  children, 
three  survive,  James  P.,  the  special  subject  of 
this  sketch,  being  the  second  in  order  of  birth  of 
those  now  living. 

Left  an  orphan  at  the  age  of  four  years,  James 
P.  Hansen  spent  his  early  life  in  his  native  town, 
attending  the  public  schools  until  fourteen  years 
old.  Coming  to  California  in  1887,  he  arrived 
in  San  Francisco  early  in  the  season,  and  for  two 
years  thereafter  worked  on  a  fruit  ranch  in 
Haywards.  The  next  two  years  he  was  simi- 
larly employed  at  Mayfield,  in  Santa  Clara 
county.  Being  a  natural  mechanic,  and  desirous 
of  making  use  of  his  talent  in  that  line,  he  served 
an  apprenticeship  of  a  year  at  the  blacksmith's 
trade  in  IMayfield.  In  1892  he  located  in  River- 
side county,  and  six  months  later  came  to  Ingle- 
wood, establishing  himself  on  the  ranch  of  D. 
Freeman,  for  whom  he  worked  at  his  trade  five 
years.  .Starting  in  business  on  his  own  account 
in  1897,  he  bought  a  lot  in  Inglewood  and 
erected  his  present  blacksmith's  shop.  His 
liusiness  increasing  with  surprising  rapidity,  he 
has  since  made  noteworthy  improvements,  hav- 
ing now  one  of  the  most  modern,  up-to-date 
establishments  of  the  kind  in  this  locality,  and  as 
a  genera!  blacksmith  and  horseshoer  has  no  rival, 
his  work  being  noted  for  its  excellence  and  dura- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1961 


bility.  He  has  a  finely  equipped  machine  shop^ 
including  a  lever,  an  emery  stand  and  a  band 
saw.  In  his  smithy  he  keeps  two  fires  going, 
and  has  a  large  trip  hammer.  His  plant  is  like- 
wise furnished  with  a  gasoline  engine,  with 
which  he  runs  his  machinery.  Thrifty  and  a 
wise  manager,  he  has  accumulated  considerable 
property,  and  in  addition  to  owning  five  city  lots 
he  has  erected  a  fine  residence  in  Inglewood. 

In  Inglewood,  January  26,  1898,  Mr.  Hansen 
married  Octavia  Gallateau,  who  was  born  in 
Michigan,  of  French  ancestry,  and  they  have 
one  child,  Myrtle  Hansen.  Politically  Mr.  Han- 
sen is  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  party,  and  fraternally  he  is  a  mem- 
ber and  the  treasurer  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Foresters,  and  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Religiously  he  belongs 
to  the  Lutheran  Church. 


THOMAS  M.  HILL.  "The  days  of  old,  the 
days  of  gold,  the  days  of  forty-nine,"  is  to  the 
ordinary  mind  the  beginning  of  the  history  of 
California,  so  far  as  native-born  Americans  are 
concerned :  but  when  one  harks  back  to  the 
twenties  of  the  nineteenth  century,  a  generation 
before  the  forty-niner's  time,  it  takes  us  into 
the  romantic  days  when  those  who  lived  on  the 
large  grants  of  land,  surrounded  by  servants 
without  number  almost,  lived  like  feudal  lords. 
The  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  review, 
Daniel  Hill,  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  crossed 
the  continent  in  the  early  twenties,  when  emi- 
grants were  obliged  to  travel  through  hundreds 
of  miles  of  Indian-infested  wilderness,  across 
seemingly  endless  plains,  over  trailless  mount- 
ains, and  through  burning  deserts  before  reach- 
ing the  civilized  spots  marked  by  the  Spanish 
missions.  Daniel  Hill  located  in  Santa  Bar- 
bara county  near  Goleta,  and  became  owner  of 
the  La  Patera  grant  and  engaged  in  farming 
and  stock-raising,  as  did  most  of  those  people 
who  owned  the  large  ranches.  He  married  Ra- 
fella  Ortega,  a  member  of  one  of  the  old  fami- 
lies whose  name  is  familiar  in  the  history  of 
Spanish  davs. 

The  father  of  Thomas  Hill  was  one  of  the 
youngest  of  their  thirteen  children,  all  of  whom 
were  raised  on  the  ranch  at  Goleta.  John  Hill, 
the  father  of  Thomas,  was  born  here  in  1834, 
and  was  among  the  first  white  native  sons  of 
California.  He  died  when  Thomas  was  but  two 
years  of  age,  from  injuries  received  in  an  acci- 
dent. The  mother,  too,  was  a  native  Cali- 
fornian,  her  father,  James  Burke,  having  emi- 
grated from  Ireland  to  Santa  Barbara,  where 
Maria  Burke,  the  mother,  was  born.  She  is  one 
of  those  interesting  old  settlers  who  still  reside 
in    Santa    Barbara.'     There   were   but   two   chil- 


dren, and  Thomas  is  the  only  one  now  living. 
He  was  born  in  1864,  on  the  7th  of  March,  at 
the  old  Hill  ranch  near  Goleta,  but  was  raised  in 
Santa  Barbara,  where  he  received  a  public- 
school  education  only.  When  still  a  boy  he 
went  to  work  on  a  farm  and  when  grown  to 
manhood  engaged  in  ranching  at  Goleta,  which 
occupation  he  followed  until  the  ranch  was  sold, 
when  for  several  years  he  was  in  the  employ 
of  Mrs.  W.  R.  Broome  of  Santa  Barbara,  super- 
intending her  ranch  of  twenty-five  thousand 
acres,  known  as  the  Guadalasca  ranch,  and  lo- 
cated in  Ventura  county  east  of  Hueneme. 
When  Oxnard  was  laid  out  he  removed  to  this 
location,  being  one  of  the  first  dozen  families  to 
settle  here.  He  bought  a  livers'  barn  and  es- 
tablished the  first  livery  of  the  town  of  Oxnard 
and  after  conducting  it  for  three  years,  sold 
out  and  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  insur- 
ance business.  In  this  occupation,  too,  he  was 
a  pioneer,  for  his  firm  was  the  oldest  in  the 
city.  He  was  associated  with  Mr.  Peile,  the 
company  being  styled  Peile  &  Hill,  with  offices 
in  Los  Angeles  and  Oxnard.  This  partnership 
continued  until  December  20,  1905,  when  it  was 
dissolved,  retaining  the  Oxnard  office,  having 
formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Laubacher.  Un- 
der the  title  of  Hill  &  Laubacher,  the  firm  have 
conducted  an  insurance  business  with  flattering 
success  and  now  represent  forty  old-line  com- 
panies. 

Mr.  Hill  was  married  in  Santa  Barbara  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Maginnis,  who  was  born  in  Ire- 
land, but  was  reared  in  Santa  Barbara.  They 
have  a  residence  in  Oxnard,  and  own  as  well 
other  valuable  property  in  this  city.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Santa  Clara  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  and  a  charter  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Columbus.  Politically  he  has  always  been  a  loyal 
Republican  and  has  done  his  share  of  active 
work  in  the  party.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
first  board  of  trustees  of  Oxnard,  and  was  the 
father  of  the  first  ordinance  passed  in  Oxnard, 
but  the  press  of  other  business  obliged  him  to 
resign  before  his  term  expired.  Mr.  Hill  has  al- 
ways been  a  prominent  and  progressive  citi- 
zen of  whatever  community  he  has  called  home 
and  a  commendable  interest  in  the  business,  so- 
cial and  political  life  of  his  locality  has  been  an 
invariable  characteristic  of  the  man. 


HENRY  F.  KAISER.  The  pioneer  builder 
and  contractor  of  Colton  is  Henry  F.  Kaiser, 
who  has  been  engaged  in  this  business  here  for 
nineteen  years.  His  work  has  always  been  of  a 
first-class  order,  giving  perfect  satisfaction  to 
his  patrons,  and  this  fact  is  what  has  made  his 
long  continued  success  possible.  Mr.  Kaiser  is 
a  native  of  Belgium  and  was  Ixirn   laiuiarv  27. 


1962 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1857,  the  son  of  John  and  Anna  G.  (Jacques) 
Kaiser,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Belgium  and 
spent  their  entire  lives  there,  the  father  dying  at 
the  age  of  fifty-eight  years,  and  the  mother  at 
seventy-nine.  All  of  the  eight  brothers  and  sis- 
ters of  Henry  F.  Kaiser  are  now  living  in  their 
native  country,  he  being  the  only  member  of  the 
family  in  America. 

Mr.  Kaiser  was  fortunate  in  receiving  the  ad- 
vantages of  a  fine  education  in  Belgium,  where 
he  completed  a  general  course  in  college  before 
learning  a  trade,  without  which  the  education  of 
no  man  of  that  country  is  considered  complete. 
Selecting  the  carpenter's  trade  as  most  congenial 
to  liis  tastes  he  mastered  all  of  its  details,  and 
with  this  equipment  came  to  America  in  his 
twenty-seventh  year.  Locating  in  Topeka,  Kans., 
he  secured  his  first  employment  with  the  Santa 
Fe  Railway  Company,  being  occupied  at  cabinet 
work  in  their  sliops  for  about  two  years.  He 
then  came  to  California  and  spent  a  short  time 
in  San  Bernardino,  in  1887  permanently  settling 
in  Colton,  which  place  has  since  been  his  home. 
He  began  to  ply  his  trade  immediately  upon 
his  arrival  and  was  not-  long  in  making  himself 
known  as  a  master  workman,  and  secured  all 
the  work  he  could  do. 

■Mr.  Kaiser  was  happily  married  to  ]\Iiss 
Arnold  Lambotte  and  three  children  have 
blessed  this  union,  namely :  Anna,  Harry  and 
Lilian.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kaiser  are  members  of 
the  Catholic  Church  and  their  children  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  Politically  Mr.  Kaiser  is 
an  adherent  of  Republican  principles,  and  fra- 
ternally is  a  member  of  Colton  Lodge  No.  326, 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  the  Fraternal  Brotherhood  Lodge 
at  the  same  place. 


JAMES  C.  CLEWETT.  As  one  of  the  large 
number  of  men  who  have  found  business  oppor- 
tunities in  Los  Angeles  county,  and  in  turn  have 
endeavored  to  promote  the  commercial  develop- 
ment of  this  portion  of  California,  mention  be- 
longs to  James  C.  Clewett.  who  as  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Clewett  Brothers,  proprietors  of 
the  Long  Beach  Steam  Laundry,  is  known  as 
one  of  the  most  successful  business  men  in  this 
section  and  as  a  prime  factor  in  many  of  the 
most  important  movements  leading  up  to  the 
general  welfare  of  the  community.  Like  many 
of  the  men  who  have  found  success  in  western 
fields  he  is  not  a  native  of  the  state  in  which 
he  now  resides,  but  was  born  in  Adams  county. 
Neb.,  November  8,  1877.  Prior  to  the  birth 
of  James  C.  the  family  had  resided  in  Wiscon- 
sin, but  upon  locating  in  Nebraska  the  father, 
C.  C.  Qewett,  settled  upon  a  farm  which  he 
operated  until  coming  to  California  in  1893,  com- 
ing to  Long  Beach  that  year  on  account  of  the 


climate.  With  his  wife,  who  before  her  mar- 
Tiage  was  Hattie  Sanford,  he  is  living  retired 
from  the  cares  and  worries  of  business,  being 
pleasantly  located  in  Long  Beach.  During  the 
Civil  war  Mr.  Clewett  was  a  participant  in  the 
ranks  of  the  Union  army,  rendering  valiant  serv- 
ice in  his  country's  cause. 

The  early  life  of  James  C.  Clewett  was  asso- 
ciated with  his  father's  farm  in  Adams  county, 
Neb.,  and  when  he  was  sixteen  years  old  he  re- 
moved with  the  family  to  the  west.  While  in 
Nebraska  he  had  attended  school  to  some  ex- 
tent, and  this  training  was  followed  by  a  course 
in  the  Long  Beach  grammar  school,  from  which 
he  received  his  diploma  of  graduation.  Thus 
far  his  education  had  been  of  a  general  char- 
acter, and  in  order  to  obtain  a  specific  business 
training  he  entered  a  business  college  in  Los 
Angeles,  a  course  which  qualified  him  in  every 
way  for  the  life  which  he  was  about  to  enter. 
His  first  venture  in  business  was  in  the  Long 
Beach  Laundry,  wherein  he  was  associated  with 
L.  B.  Morgan.  In  January,  1900,  he  became  in- 
terested in  the  business  financially,  his  associa- 
tion with  Mr.  Morgan  in  this  way  lasting  about 
a  year,  or  until  March,  1901,  when  J.  F.  Clew- 
ett became  a  partner,  the  firm  name  becoming 
Clewett  Brothers.  The  equipment  of  the  Long 
Beach  Steam  Laundry  leaves  nothing  to  be  de- 
sired for  the  proper  handling  of  all  fabrics,  no 
matter  how  fine  in  texture  they  may  be.  JNIodern 
machinery  of  the  most  approved  design  has  been 
installed  throughout  the  plant,  not  the  least  im- 
portant of  which  are  the  electric  irons,  which 
are  vast  improvements  over  the  irons  heated  by 
either  coal  or  gas.  In  all,  fifty  hands  are  em- 
ployed in  the  laundry,  the  majority  of  whom  are 
experts  in  their  particular  line  of  work.  No 
better  idea  of  the  popularity  of  the  Long  Beach 
Steam  Laundry  could  be  given  than  to  mention 
the  territory  from  which  it  draws  its  custom. 
Besides  handling  the  local  trade  in  Long  Beach 
it  has  the  patronage  of  Terminal  and  Wilming- 
ton, in  addition  to  other  surrounding  towns, 
which  keeps  four  wagons  in  constant  service. 
The  details  of  the  inside  management  devolve 
upon  J.  F.  Clewett,  while  the  outside  matters 
aie  under  the  supervision  of  J.  C.  Qewett,  the 
two  working  together  harmoniously  and  with 
results  in  a  business  way  that  might  do  credit 
to  men  many  years  their  senior. 

James  C.  Clewett  and  his  wife,  formerly  Lulu 
B.  Coughran,  have  become  the  parents  of  two 
children,  Wilev  D.  and  Bvrl,  and  have  a  pleas- 
ant family  residence  at  No.  1127  East  Seventh 
street.  Politically  Mr.  Clewett  is  a  Republican, 
and  in  his  fraternal  relations  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  In  view' 
of  the  fact  that  his  father  served  in  the  Civil 
war  he  is  eligible  to  the  Sons  of  Veterans,  and 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1963 


is  a  member  of  Henry  W.  Lawton  Camp  No.  lo. 
The  famih-  attend  the  services  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  of  which  j\Ir.  Clewett  is  a 
member. 

The  elder  of  the  firm  of  Clewett  Brothers, 
J.  F.  Qevvett,  was  born  in  Dane  county,  Wis., 
in  1872,  and  was  therefore  a  small  boy  when 
his  parents  settled  in  Adams  county,  Neb.,  in 
1875.  The  education  which  he  acquired  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  county  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  course  in  the  high  school  in  Pipe- 
stone, Minn.,  and  after  his  graduation  he  lost 
no  time  in  putting  his  knowledge  to  use  in  the 
business  world.  Coming  to  the  west  with  his 
parents  he  soon  found  employment  at  Oceanside, 
where  for  eight  years  he  held  the  position  of 
superintendent  in  the  water  works.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  J.  F.  Clewett,  the  latter  formerly  Ruth 
Martin,  have  a  commodious  home  at  No.  426 
Lime  street,  and  their  marriage  has  been  blessed 
with  one  son,  Qiester  M.  Like  his  brother  he 
is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  is  identified 
with  the  Fraternal  Brotherhood.  In  both  public 
and  private  capacities  Messrs.  Clewett  have  won 
the  respect  and  good  will  of  their  associates,  and 
though  they  have  been  established  in  business  in 
Long  Beach  but  a  short  time  comparatively, 
their  names  have  become  Well  known  among  the 
high-minded  and  successful  men  of  Los  Angeles 
county. 


.SAMUEL  P.  ROWLAND.  The  Rowland 
family  is  pre-eminently  a  part  of  the  pioneer  ele- 
ment of  Southern  California,  the  first  of  the 
name  to  locate  here  being  John  Rowland,  who 
was  born  in  Maryland,  the  descendant  of  an  old 
eastern  family.  He  became  a  pioneer  in  an 
early  day,  locating  in  New  Mexico  and  follow- 
ing mining  occupations  for  some  time,  thence  in 
1 84 1,  in  company  with  William  Workman,  his 
partner,  locating  in  California,  where  he  re- 
mained for  but  a  short  time.  Returning  to  Taos, 
N.  Mex.,  they  remained  there  only  long  enough 
to  settle  their  afifairs,  and  then  with  their  fami- 
lies they  came  again  to  the  Pacific  state,  this 
time  being  accompanied  by  B.  D.  Wilson,  D.  W. 
Alexander,  John  Reed,  William  Perdue  and 
Samuel  Carpenter,  all  of  whom  became  residents 
of  Los  Angeles  county.  In  partnership  with 
Mr.  Worknian,  ]\Ir.  Rowland  secured  a  grant 
of  the  Puente  ranch,  comprising  forty-eight 
thousand  acres,  and  there  settled  and  spent  the 
remainder  of  their  lives.  Mr.  Rowland  was 
twice  married,  his  first  wife  being  Dona  Incar- 
nacion  Martinez,  by  whom  he  had  the  following 
children:  John,  Jr.,:  Thomas;  Robert;  Nieves, 
wife  of  John  Reed;  Lucinda.  wife  of  James  R. 
Barton,  and  William  R.     In  1869  Mr.  Rowland 


divided  his  property  among  his  children,  giving 
to  each  about  three  thousand  acres  and  one  thou- 
sand head  of  cattle. 

Thomas  Rowland  married  Zenobia  Yorba,  the 
daughter  of  an  old  Spanish  family,  and  born  to 
them  was  a  son,  Samuel  P.  Rowland,  a  native 
of  Puente,  where  he  was  born  April  28,  1865. 
He  received  his  education  in  his  home  and  the 
common  schools  of  the  section,  after  which  he 
entered  St.  Vincent's  College,  which  he  attended 
for  two  years.  He  was  later  employed  in  a  drug 
store  and  subsequently  established  a  store  for 
himself,  this  being  the  first  of  its  kind  on  Boyle 
Heights,  in  Los  Angeles.  He  conducted  it  suc- 
cessfully for  six  years,  when  he  sold  out  to  Dr. 
Campbell  and  returned  home  to  the  manage- 
ment and  improvement  of  the  property  given 
him  by  his  father,  while  he  also  owns  an  interest 
in  a  fine  pumping  plant  with  a  capacity  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  inches.  He  also  owns  a  cot- 
tage at  Ivanhoe,  which  property  is  well  im- 
proved. He  is  now  engaged  in  raising  stock  and 
meeting  with  success  in  his  efforts.  In  1889  Mr. 
Rowland  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
iMaggie  A.  Temple,  a  daughter  of  F.  P.  F.  Tem- 
ple, and  they  have  five  children,  namely,  Rowena 
C,  Theresa,  Samuel,  Jr.,  Margarette  and  Evan- 
geline. Mr.  Rowland  is  a  Republican  in  poli- 
tics and  has  served  as  deputy  sheriff  of  the 
county  and  justice  of  the  peace  of  Rowland  town- 
ship, and  school  trustee  for  seventeen  years.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church  at  San 
Gabriel,  and  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Native 
Sons  of  the  Golden  West,  and  charter  member 
of  the  Foresters  lodge  here.  Mr.  Rowland  is  a 
man  of  broad  liberality  and  progressive  spirit, 
and  takes  a  most  active  and  helpful  interest  in 
the  general  upbuilding  of  the  community.  He 
is  specially  active  in  educational  aiTairs,  having 
been  largely  instrumental  in  securing  first  class 
buildings  for  school  purposes  in  Puente.  He  in- 
herits the  courtesy  inherent  in  his  Spanish  fore- 
fathers, the  manly  dignity  which  distinguished 
the  career  of  his  paternal  grandfather,  and  with 
have  won  him  a  large  circle  of  friends. 


HORACE  B.  GARRISON.  One  of  the  best- 
patronized  business  places  in  Palms  is  the 
blacksmith  establishment  owned  and  managed 
by  Horace  B.  Garrison,  who  is  well-known  for 
his  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  trade,  which 
he  applies  in  the  best  and  most  skillful  manner, 
and  it  is  through  his  reliable  work  alone  that  he 
has  come  to  enjoy  the  confidence  of  the  people 
and  receive  their  patronage. 

Born  in  Minnesota  in  1874  Horace  B.  Garri- 
son is  a  son  of  Herman  S.  Garrison,  who  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  in   1852,  remaining  in  his 


1964 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


native  state  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age. 
Up  to  this  time  he  alternated  attendance  at 
school  with  farm  work,  and  when  he  was 
obliged  to  strike  out  in  the  world  he  felt  no 
hesitancy  as  to  his  future  occupation.  The  newer 
states  of  the  west  held  more  attraction  for  him 
than  his  native  state,  however,  and  following 
Ills  inclinations  he  located  in  Minnesota  about 
1870.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was  very  suc- 
cessful with  the  farming  enterprise  which  he 
had  established  there,  but  once  more  he  was 
seized  with  the  desire  to  go  further  west,  and  in 
1889  he  carried  out  his  plans,  reaching  San 
Diego  county  in  October  of  that  year.  There 
he  became  interested  in  raising  olives,  and  is  to- 
day one  of  the  successful  orchardists  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  state,  having  two  ranches 
aggregating  seven  hundred  and  fifty  acres, 
eighty  acres  being  in  olives  and  the  balance 
devoted  to  grain  and  as  range  for  stock.  His 
marriage  united  him  with  Miss  Susan  Annetta 
Marcy,  who,  like  himself,  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  their  three  children  are  as  follows : 
Horace  B.,  whose  name  heads  this  article ; 
Katherine,  who  became  the  wife  of  George  B. 
Qiarnock,  Jr.,  and  John,  who  makes  his  home 
in  Palms. 

Horace  B.  Garrison  was  about  eighteen 
years  of  age,  when,  with  his  parents,  he  came 
to  California,  all  of  his  school  days  having  been 
spent  in  Minnesota,  for  as  soon  as  he  came  west 
he  began  to  fit  himself  to  become  a  professional 
blacksmith.  His  perseverance  and  determina- 
tion were  large  factors  in  enabling  him  in  a 
short  time  to  open  his  present  shop  in  Palms, 
which  is  now  known  as  one  of  the  busy  and 
thriving  centers  of  activity  in  town.  He  is  a 
member  of  Palm.s  Camp,  No.  567,  W.  O.  W. 
.\s  is  his  father  also  Mr.  Garrison  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  his  political  preferences.  He  was  mar- 
ried September  14,  1906,  to  Lulu  B.  Goldsmith, 
who  is  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  but  since  1890 
a  resident  of  Los  Angeles. 


JAMES  VOLNEY  BARTOW.  Recognized 
as  a  man  of  business  ability  and  one  whose  wide 
experience  in  the  commercial  life  of  the  country 
has  given  him  keenness  of  judgment  and  de- 
cision of  character,  James  Y.  Bartow  is  an  im- 
portant factor  in  the  progress  and  development 
of  Long  Beach,  where  he  was  among  the  first 
men  to  take  advantage  of  the  unusual  opportuni- 
ties presented.  Since  1896  he  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  California,  being  located  principally  in 
Long  Beach,  where  he  began  an  investment 
which  has  brought  him  large  financial  returns, 
while  he  has  also  given  to  the  city  his  best  efforts 
in  the  promotion  of  all  movements  calculated  to 
advance  the  general  welfare. 


Mr.  Bartow  was  born  in  Cattaraugus  county, 
N.  Y.,  November  15,  1842,  and  until  he  was  ten 
\ears  old  received  his  education  in  the  common 
school  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home.  In  1852  his 
parents  located  in  Wisconsin,  where  he  com- 
pleted his  education  and  also  assisted  his  father 
on  the  home  farm.  He  grew  to  manhood  and 
in  1864  enlisted  in  Company  G,  Thirty-second 
Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry,  Second  Army 
Corps,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
participating  in  several  battles,  and  without  in- 
jury. Returning  home  to  Wisconsin  he  engaged 
in  farming  until  the  spring  of  1871,  when  he  dis- 
posed of  his  interests  in  that  section  and  went 
to  Nobles  county,  Minn.,  there  taking  up  gov- 
ernment land  and  improving  a  farm  from  the 
undeveloped  country.  In  the  course  of  time  he 
became  a  speculator  in  the  lands  of  th^  north- 
west, improving  the  lands  and  disposing  of  them 
at  a  fair  profit.  Deciding  to  engage  in  the  com- 
mercial life  of  the  country  he  went  to  Ells- 
worth, Minn.,  and  purchased  a  warehouse,  em- 
barking in  the  implement  and  general  merchan- 
dise business.  He  met  with  success  in  his  new 
enterprise  and  continued  so  occupied  until  1886, 
when,  on  account  of  impaired  health  through 
overwork,  he  was  compelled  to  dispose  of  his 
interests  and  seek  a  rest.  For  ten  years  he  re- 
mained retired  from  active  business  and  about 
the  end  of  that  time  he  made  a  trip  to  California. 
Attracted  by  the  multifold  opportunities  pre- 
sented to  the  energetic  business  man,  he  immedi- 
ately located  in  the  west,  and  later  disposed  of 
his  entire  property  in  the  ^Mississippi  valley  and 
invested  his  means  in  property  on  the  coast. 
He  has  become  largely  interested  in  property  on 
.\merican  avenue,  on  the  corner  of  Ocean  Park 
and  American  avenues  erecting  a  forty-five  room 
house  known  as  the  Del  ]\Iar  hotel,  strictly  mod- 
ern and  up-to-date  in  all  its  appointments.  On 
the  corner  of  American  avenue  and  First  street 
he  built  a  three-storv  brick  building,  the  lower 
floor  to  be  used  for  stores,  second  floor  for  of- 
fices, and  the  third  for  the  Long  Beach  Business 
College.  He  also  owns  considerable  other  prop- 
erty in  Long  Beach  and  is  interested  in  keeping 
it  in  fine  condition,  thus  enhancing  its  value  and 
adding  prestige  to  the  cit}'.  He  is  intensely  in- 
terested in  the  promotion  of  all  movements  tend- 
ing toward  the  betterment  of  the  city,  and  is  al- 
ways among  the  citizens  who  give  practical  as- 
sistance in  such  measures. 

Mr.  Bartow  has  been  twice  married,  his  first 
wife  being  Adelaide  Freeburn,  a  native  of  Wis- 
consin, by  whom  he  has  two  children,  Wallace, 
the  manager  of  the  Del  Mar  hotel,  and  Mrs. 
Mary  Reeves,  of  Fareo.  N.  Dak.  Subsequently 
he  married  Jennie  Williams,  also  of  Wisconsin, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren :     Elvia,  wife  of  C.  C.  Stanesifer.  of  Long 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1965 


Beach ;  Gertrude,  wife  of  H.  A.  Hosier,  of  Los 
Angeles;  Blanche,  wife  of  H.  G.  Ravenscroft, 
of  Long  Beach ;  and  Roy  O.,  clerk  in  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Long  Beach.  Mr.  Bartow 
has  been  an  adherent  of  Republican  prin- 
ciples all  his  life,  and  although  interested  in 
the  movements  of  his  party  would  never  allow 
his  name  to  be  used  in  connection  witii  public 
office.  He  is  a  member  of  Long  Beach  Post, 
G.  A.  R.,  and  is  well  known  socially  throughout 
this  section.  He  is  a  man  held  in  high  esteem 
by  all  who  know  him,  either  socially  or  in  a 
business  connection,  and  is  justly  named  among 
the  representative  citizens  of  Long  Beach. 


JOSEPH  E.  COURTNEY  came  to  Califor- 
nia in  1873  and  during  the  intervening  years 
has  proven  himself  a  citizen  of  worth  and  ability, 
lending  his  aid  in  the  advancement  of  the  best 
interests  of  his  community  and  giving  freely  of 
both  time  and  means  in  the  promotion  of  up- 
building enterprises.  His  sterling  traits  of  char- 
acter are  an  inheritance  from  southern  lineage, 
his  birth  having  occurred  near  Fredericksburg. 
Va.,  July  19,  1844;  his  parents  were  John  and 
Mary  (Butler)  Courtney,  both  natives  of  Vir- 
ginia, where  they  passed  their  entire  lives,  the 
father  dying  at  the  age  of  seventy  years,  and  the 
mother  at  eighty-two.  They  were  the  parents 
of  seven  sons  and  three  daughters:  six  of  the 
sons  participating  in  the  Civil  war,  John  serving 
in  the  Union  army  and  the  others  in  the  Confed- 
erate. One  son,  Calvin,  died  in  Johnston  Island ; 
Maywood  was  in  the  Black  Horse  cavalry ;  Lem- 
uel L.  belonged  to  Stafford's  cavalry ;  David  was 
in  Company  G,  of  the  Rough  and  Ready  Rifle- 
men ;  and  Joseph  E.  Courtney  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany I,  Eleventh  Virginia  Infantry,  of  the  First 
Virginia  Brigade,  in  Picket's  division  of  Long- 
street's  corps.  He  participated  in  the  battle  of 
Fredericksburg,  Gettysburg.  Petersburg  and  oth- 
er important  battles,  serving  three  years  and 
thirteen  days,  and  was  wounded  in  the  battles  of 
Fredericksburg  and  Gettysburg. 

Following  the  close  of  the  struggle  Joseph  E. 
Courtney  went  to  Missouri  in  1866,  and  there 
rented  seven  hundred  acres  of  land  and  engaged 
in  grain  and  stock-raising.  He  made  that  section 
his  home  for  six  years,  then  returned  to  Virginia 
for  one  year,  and  thence  in  1873  came  to  Califor- 
nia, for  a  time  engaging  in  wheat-raising  in 
Napa  county.  In  1874  he  brought  the  first  stock 
for  Van  Nuys  to  start  his  San  Fernando  ranch. 
In  1875  he  located  on  his  present  ranch  near  Ar- 
tesia.  This  comprises  ninety-one  acres,  of  which 
twelve  acres  are  devoted  to  a  vineyard,  the  bal- 
ance being  in  corn,  alfalfa,  barley  and  general 
farm  products.  He  has  been  very  successful  in 
his  work  and  has  accunudatcd  a  competence.  Au- 


gust 29,  1877,  he  married  Miss  Mary  F.  Den- 
man,  a  native  of  California  and  a  daughter  of 
Zenas  Denman  and  born  to  them  were  the  fol- 
lowing children:  Edward  E.,  in  1880;  Minnie, 
in  1882;  Jean,  September  23,  1884;  and  David 
Leland,  in  1886,  the  last-named  dying  at  the  age 
of  seven  years.  Mr.  Courtney  is  prominent  fra- 
ternally, his  membership  in  Artesia  Lodge  No. 
},-/j,  F.  &  A.  \l.,  dating  from  1872:  has  been  a 
member  of  Downey  Lodge  No.  197,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
since  1 87 1  and  he  joined  the  Foresters  in  1891, 
now  being  associated  with  Norwalk  Court;  and 
is  also  identified  with  the  Fraternal  Aid,  the  Re- 
bekahs  and  Order  of  Eastern  Star.  Politically 
he  is  a  stanch  Democrat  and  has  served  in  the 
interests  of  this  party  as  road  overseer,  having 
received  the  appointment  twice  and  held  the  posi- 
tion for  twelve  years.  In  1903  he  made  a  visit 
to  the  old  home  in  Virginia,  where  his  boyhood 
and  young  manhood  were  spent. 


JOHN  .METCALF.  Though  a  native  of 
Yorkshire,  England.  John  Metcalf  has  lived  in 
the  United  States  since  his  early  childhood,  hav- 
ing come  with  his  parents  to  this  country  in  1849, 
when  he  was  six  years  of  age.  Upon  locating  in 
America,  his  parents,  Thomas  and  Mary 
(Harker)  Metcalf,  settled  in  southwestern  Wis- 
consin, purchasing  a  farm  not  far  from  the  town 
of  Galena,  111.,  where  the  father  met  with  an 
accident  in  the  lead  mines  which  resulted  in  his 
death.  John  IMetcalf  was  then  but  twelve  years 
old  and  being  the  oldest  of  six  children  the 
burden  of  the  support  of  the  family  fell  largely 
upon  his  young  shoulders :  but  with  a  brave 
heart  he  set  to  work  to  help  his  mother  rear  and 
educate  the  other  children,  continuing  faithfully 
at  his  post  until  they  were  all  grown  and  mar- 
ried. Remaining  on  the  farm  with  his  mother 
until  after  he  reached  his  majority,  he  then  en- 
listed in  the  Union  army  and  served  his  adopted 
county  efficiently  and  well  in  Company  A,  Ninety- 
sixth  Illinois  Infantry,  during  the  last  year  of 
the  Civil  war.  After  the  war  closed  he  returned 
home,  and  soon  afterwards  went  to  northwest- 
ern Iowa,  where  he  took  up  some  government 
land  and  purchasing  other  land  near  it,  became 
a  factor  in  the  development  of  that  portion  of 
the  country.  .\s  his  means  accumulated  he 
bandoned  the  farm  life  and  going  to  Paullina, 
Iowa,  engaged  in  the  grain  and  real  estate  busi- 
ness, shortly  after  his  location  there  assuming  an 
active  place  in  business  offices,  and  assisting 
materially  in  the  development  of  that  section. 
In  1883  he  organized  the  Bank  of  Paullina,  of 
which  he  became  president  and  is  still  acting  in 
that  capacity,  while  he  is  also  president  of  the 
Bank  of  Merrill,  Iowa,  and  is  the  principal  stock- 
holder in  both  these  institutions. 


1966 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Twelve  years  ago  Mr.  Metcalf  came  to  South- 
ern California  and  demonstrated  his  faith  in  the 
future  of  this  portion  of  the  state  by  investing 
extensively  in  real  estate  near  where  Venice  of 
America  now  stands,  the  land  being  known  as 
the  Gateway  tract.  A  portion  of  his  interest  in 
this  property  was  sold  to  M.  J.  Nolan  of  Los  An- 
geles, when  they  established  the  business  firm 
known  as  Nolan,  Metcalf  &  Simpson.  This  tract 
is  platted  and  improved  and  is  very  valuable 
property,  the  portion  which  has  been  sold  by  the 
firm  having  brought  satisfactory  returns.  Aside 
from  his  property  interests  near  Venice,  Mr. 
Metcalf  is  promoting  and  developing  other  im- 
portant business  enterprises  in  real  estate  and 
other  property  in  various  towns  of  Southern 
California,  notably  Long  Beach  and  Pasadena, 
all  of  his  efforts  in  this  direction  proving  very 
successful. 

In  Dubuque,  Iowa,  Mr.  Metcalf  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Mary  A.  Simpson,  who  at  her  death 
in  1892  left  three  children.  Some  time  afterward 
he  married  j\Irs.  Belle  Raw  Carpenter,  also  of 
Iowa,  and  she  is  the  mother  of  two  children.  In 
his  fraternal  relations  Mr.  Metcalf  is  a  member 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and 
the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  and 
politically  he  is  a  Republican.  He  has  always 
taken  an  active  interest  in  educational  matters, 
and  while  in  Iowa  served  on  the  school  board  of 
his  district  and  as  chairman  of  the  finance  com- 
mittee of  Morningside  College  of  Sioux  City. 
Mr.  Metcalf  is  a  broad-minded  and  progressive 
citizen,  his  work  demonstrating  his  belief  that 
whatever  is  worth  doing  at  all  is  worth  doing 
well,  and  he  has  thus  won  for  himself  not  only 
a  competence,  but  also  the  lasting  regard  of  his 
fellow-citizens. 


ALBERT  ROUCHLEAU.  Far  removed 
from  his  old  Canadian  home  and  from  the  birth- 
place of  his  ancestors  in  France,  Mr.  Rouchleau 
finds  in  Southern  California  a  climate  surpassing 
that  familiar  to  his  childhood  years  and  he  finds 
as  well  an  opportunity  to  earn  a  comfortable 
livelihood  for  his  family  in  the  midst  of  an  at- 
tractive environment.  The  property  which  he 
owns  and  occupies  is  situated  three  miles  north- 
east of  Redondo  and  comprises  eleven  acres  un- 
der cultivation  to  vegetables,  strawberries, 
blackberries  and  a  small  orchard.  The  value  of 
the  place  is  enhanced  by  the  fact  that  the  Re- 
dondo &  Los  Angeles  electric  car  line  runs  in 
close  proximity,  thus  bringing  the  residents  of 
the  farm  into  close  touch  with  the  city  as  well  as 
with  their  postoffice  town  of  Redondo.  At  the 
time  of  the  building  of  the  road  Mr.  Rouchleau 
sold  the  company  the  right  of  way  across  one 
corner  of  his  place  and  in  addition  he  sold  seven 


and  one-half  acres,  so  that  his  original  purchase 
of  twenty  acres  has  been  reduced  to  the  present 
dimensions.  A  neat  house  has  been  built  on  the 
homestead  and  forms  a  comfortable  abode  for 
the  family. 

As  his  name  indicates,  Mr.  Rouchleau  belongs 
to  a  French  family.  Indeed,  French  has  been 
the  favorite  language  of  the  home  and,  although 
using  English  in  business  intercourse,  he  still 
retains  for  domestic  use  the  language  familiar 
to  his  childhood.  Born  in  Canada,  January  15, 
1854,  he  was  three  years  of  age  when  the  family 
removed  to  Michigan  and  settled  at  Hancock, 
where  he  passed  the  years  of  boyhood.  When 
about  sixteen  years  old  he  began  to  work  as  a 
farm  hand.  For  several  years  he  worked  on 
farms  in  the  summer  near  Duluth  and  spent  the 
winters  in  the  lumber  woods.  On  leaving  the 
north  he  spent  eight  months  in  Arizona  and 
from  there  came  to  California,  securing  employ- 
ment at  Riverside,  but  left  there  in  1902  to  set- 
tle upon  the  fruit  ranch  he  now  owns.  With 
his  wife  (a  native  of  France  and  formerly  Miss 
Dedie  Mull)  and  their  two  children,  Amelia  and 
Louis,  he  has  a  pleasant  home,  which  represents 
the  efforts  of  a  busy  life.  There  was  no  one  to 
aid  him  in  getting  a  start  in  the  world,  and  his 
present  standing  may  be  attributed  to  his  own 
energy,   perseverance  and   wise   judgment. 


L.  C.  EATON.  Located  in  San  Jacinto,  L. 
C.  Eaton  owns  a  fine  twenty-acre  ranch,  culti- 
vates one  hundred  acres  of  land,  and  has  three 
hundred  acres  in  pasture.  He  has  seventy  head 
of  cattle  and  milks  about  twenty  cows,  delivering 
cream  to  the  .San  Jacinto  creamery,  and  receiv- 
ing a  good  income  from  the  produce.  A  first- 
class  pumping  plant  has  recently  been  installed 
on  his  ranch,  he  has  planted  twelve  acres  to  al- 
falfa and  is  making  many  other  improvements 
on  his  holding,  which  is  now  one  of  the  desir- 
able properties  in  this  section.  Mr.  Eaton  was 
horn  Mav  20,  1S56,  in  Iowa  City,  Iowa,  the  son 
of  Henry  and  Melissa  (Lohr)  Eaton,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  latter  of 
Ohio.  The  parents  came  to  California  in  1876 
and  located  at  Fulton  Wells.  One  of  Mr. 
Eaton's  brothers,  Isaac  Eaton,  had  a  long  mili- 
tary career,  having  fought  in  the  Civil  war,  and 
earlier  in  the  Mexican  war,  in  the  last  named 
conflict  being  with  General  Scott  at  the  capture 
of  the  city  of  Mexico.  Isaac  Eaton  was  a  resi- 
dent of  Iowa,  and  there  he  died  in  1901.  Henry 
Eaton's  death  occurred  April  17,  1895,  in  Pasa- 
dena, at  the  age  of  seventy-two  }ears.  His  wife 
is  still  living  in  that  city. 

In  his  boyhood  L.  C.  Eaton  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Iowa  City,  finishing  his  studies 
with  one  year  in  the  academy  at  that  place.     He 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1967 


removed  to  California  witli  his  parents  and  for 
the  first  nine  years  of  his  residence  here  was  a 
farmer  near  Los  Nietos.  Subsequently  he  en- 
gaged in  the  livery  busmess  in  Lamanda  Park, 
later  in  Pasadena,  and  in  1895  removed  to 
Hemet.  For  three  years  he  was  foreman  on  the 
Maple  Leaf  ranch  and  finally  purchased  the 
ranch  on  which  he  has  since  resided  near  San 
Jacinto. 

The  marriage  of  JNIr.  Eaton  occurred  on  June 
30,  1890,  in  Fullerton,  Mary  L.  Hudson,  a  na- 
tive cf  tliis  state,  becoming  his  wife.  Her  father, 
Thomas  W.  Hudson,  is  a  ranchman  near  San 
Jacinto,  where  he  owns  twenty  acres  of  land  de- 
voted to  the  raising  of  alfalfa,  grain,  potatoes 
and  some  fruits,  the  crops  being  irrigated  with 
water  purchased  from  the  San  Jacinto  Water 
Company.  Mr.  Hudson  was  born  September 
23,  1828.  the  son  of  John  H.  and  JMary  Page 
(Wilsonl  Hudson,  both  01  whom  were  natives 
of  Virginia.  The  mother's  father  came  from 
England  on  a  sailing  vessel  in  1800  and  was 
for  nine  months  out  of  sight  of  land,  the  boat 
having  been  driven  out  of  her  course  in  a  storm. 
The  Hudsons  w-ere  for  many  generations  natives 
of  A'irginia  and  the  grandfather  fought  in  the 
war  of  1812.  John  H.  Hudson  was  originally 
a  farmer  in  Mrginia,  and  later  in  1833,  removed 
to  Jackson  county,  Mc,  where  he  took  up  a 
section  of  land  upon  which  he  engaged  in  ag- 
ricultural pursuits;  he  died  in  1848,  at  the  age 
of  forty-six  years.  His  wife  survived  him 
many  years,  she  being  seventy-eight  at  the  time 
of  her  death.  It  was  the  fortune  of  Thomas 
W.  Hudson  to  receive  a  very  good  education,  his 
first  schooling  being  secured  at  a  subscription 
school  in  Jackson  county.  Mo.,  later  taking  a 
course  at  Chape!  Hill  College.  In  1849  he  took 
a  trip  to  Dallas,  Tex.,  and  upon  his  return  to 
Missouri  formed  a  partnership  with  Jacob  G. 
Heald  in  the  purchase  of  a  horsepower  mill,  and 
together  they  engaged  m  the  manufacture  of 
lumber.  Mr.  Hudson  finally  bought  out  has 
partner  and  conducted  the  business  alone  for  a 
time. 

In  1852  Mr.  Hudson  fitted  up  an  outfit  and  in 
the  spring  of  that  year  started  on  a  trip  across 
the  plains  to  California,  coming  via  Salt  Lake 
and  Beckwith  Pass.  Traveling  with  ox-teams 
his  progress  was  necessarily  slow  and  five 
months'  were  consumed  in  the  journey.  He  lo- 
cated first  at  Healdsburg  (which  town  was 
named  for  a  brother  of  his  former  partner  in 
the  sawmill),  purchased  one  hundred  acres  of 
land,  and  engaged  in  the  raising  of  grain  until 
j88i.  In  the  meantime,  in  1871,  Mr.  Hudson 
had  returned  to  Missouri  to  visit  his  mother, 
and  on  the  journey  passed  many  of  the  scenes  of 
his  old  camping  grounds.  During  his  life  in 
Healdsburg  he  was  active  m  pul)lic  affairs  ami 


attained  considerable  prominence.  For  many 
years  he  was  a  member  of  the  school  board,  and 
in  1869  was  honored  with  an  election  to  the  leg- 
islature on  the  Democratic  ticket.  He  served 
one  term,  and  it  was  during  his  tenure  of  office 
that  the  fifteenth  amendment  to  the  constitution 
was  adopted,  he  being  one  of  the  members  who 
voted  against  it. 

In  the  fall  of  1881  Mr.  Hudson  came  to 
Southern  California  and  located  on  a  grain 
ranch  of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres,  twenty 
miles  from  the  city  to  Los  Angeles.  He  con- 
tinued to  operate  this  place  for  five  years,  then 
spent  two  years  in  Anaheim,  in  1890  coming  to 
the  San  Jacinto  valley  and  purchasing  the  ranch 
upon  which  he  now  resides.  It  was  at  that  time 
an  unimproved  place,  covered  with  sage  brush, 
and  when  one  remembers  this  it  is  hardly  possi- 
ble to  believe  that  in  so  short  a  time  it  could 
be  converted  into  the  finely  improved  home  it 
now  is.  By  his  marriage,  June  5,  185 1,  he  was 
united  with  Martha  E.  Shaw,  a  native  of  Har- 
per's Ferry,  Va.,  and  they  became  the  parents 
of  seven  children.  They  are :  David  W.,  now  of 
New  Mexico ;  Henry  H.,  engaged  in  the  livery 
business  on  San  Pedro  street,  Los  Angeles; 
George  R.,  traveling  agent  for  the  Diamond 
Coal  Company  of  Los  Angeles ;  Emma,  the  wife 
of  J.  P.  Kirby,  of  San  Jacinto ;  William  T.,  op- 
crating  a  threshing  machine  in  Salano  county : 
Edmund  R.,  traveling  agent  for  Brownstern  & 
Co..  of  Los  Angeles;  and  Mary  L.,  the  wife  of 
L.  C.  Eaton.  Mrs.  Hudson  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South.  Fraternally 
Mr.  Hudson  was  made  a  Mason  in  Healdsburg 
in  1871,  and  is  now  a  member  of  the  San  Jacinto 
Lodge.  He  is  now-  a  triistee  of  the  Hemet  union 
high  school,  and  was  at  one  time  president  of 
the  board.  He  has  also  been  a  director  of  the 
San  Jacinto  and  Pleasant  Valley  irrigation  dis- 
trict' 

Two  children  have  blessed  the  union  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Eaton,  Madge  and  Thomas.  Mr. 
Eaton  is  a  member  of  San  Jacinto  Camp,  No. 
TOO,  W.  O.  W.,  and  his  wife  belongs  to  Lodge  No. 
486,  Women  of  Wocdcraft.  Politically  Mr. 
Eaton  is  an  advocate  of  the  principles  embraced 
in  the  platform  of  the  Republican  party.  He  is 
a  progressive  citizen,  possesses  many  admirable 
personal  qualities,  and  is  held  in  the  highest  es- 
teem in  the  San  Jacinto  valley. 


HENRY  W.  OLD.  Generations  of  association 
with  the  mining  districts  of  Cornwall,  England, 
caused  to  be  inbred  into  the  Old  family  the  traits 
of  industry,  perseverance  and  uncomplaining  for- 
titude characteristic  of  the  people  whose  lives 
were  devoted  to  work  in  those  mines.  Eventu- 
allv  Tames  Old.  alter  years  of  struggle  to  main- 


1968 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHIGAL  RECORD. 


uain  his  family  through  his  labors  in  the  mines, 
decided  to  seek  a  home  in  the  new  world,  where 
better  opportunities  were  offered  to  poor  men. 
When  the  necessary  means  had  been  saved  for 
the  payment  of  traveling  expenses  he  and  his 
family  left  the  associations  of  former  years, 
crossed  the  ocean  to  the  United  States  and  set- 
tled on  a  farm  near  Elizabeth,  Jo  Daviess  county, 
111.,  where  in  the  midst  of  surroundings  widely 
different  from  those  of  their  old  home  they 
earned  a  livelihood  from  the  tilling  of  the  soil. 
Prior  to  their  removal  from  Cornwall  the  wife 
and  mother,  Elizabeth  (Williams)  Old,  had  died 
at  the  old  homestead,  and  of  the  family  of  four 
sons  and  three  daughters,  only  one  son  and  one 
daughter  now  survive. 

The  eldest  of  the  family  was  Henry  ^^■.  Old, 
who  was  born  in  Cornwall,  October  5,  1834,  and 
died  in  Ventura  county,  Cal.,  June  2,  1889,  when 
little  more  than  fifty-four  years  of  age.  While  a 
boy  he  learned  the  occupation  of  mining  in 
Cornwall  and  after  he  came  to  the  United  States 
he  worked  in  Illinois  mines  for  a  time,  after 
which  he  found  employment  in  the  copper  mines 
of  Michigan.  During  1863  he  came  via  Panama 
to  California  and  engaged  in  mining  at  Coppero- 
polis,  Calaveras  county,  but  the  next  year  he  re- 
moved to  the  inines  of  Grass  valley,  where  he 
readily  found  employment  at  fair  wages.  In 
company  with  a  brother-in-law,  Richard  Cox,  he 
came  to  Southern  California  in  July  of  1869,  and 
selected  the  Santa  Clara  valley,  in  \'entura  coun- 
ty, as  a  desirable  location  for  a  home,  after  which 
he  returned  for  his  family  and  settled  here  per- 
manently in  September  of  the  same  year.  The 
first  purchase  which  he  made  comprised  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  in  the  Oceanview  district 
and  later  he  acquired  another  quarter-section, 
thus  giving  him  a  ranch  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres,  situated  four  miles  southeast  of  Ox- 
nard  in  the  heart  of  a  rich  farming  territory. 

While  living  in  Wisconsin  Mr.  Old  was  mar- 
ried at  Dodgeville,  that  state,  in  1856,  his  wife 
being  Miss  Keturah,  daughter  of  George  and 
Al^ary  (Thomas)  Cox,  and  a  native  of  Devon- 
shire, England.  For  some  years  Mr.  Cox  oper- 
ated a  smelter  in  Devonshire,  but  during  middle 
life  he  brought  his  family  to  the  United  States 
and  settled  in  Wisconsin,  where  he  had  charge 
of  a  smelter  at  Dodgeville,  and  remained  in  that 
city  until  his  death.  His  wife  was  born,  reared 
and  married  in  London,  and  died  in  Wisconsin. 
Four  children  were  born  of  their  union,  namely : 
Richard,  who  died  in  Ventura  county  in  1900; 
Mrs.  Arthur,  who  died  at  Auburn,  Cal. ;  J\lary, 
who  died  in  Wisconsin ;  and  Keturah,  Mrs.  Old, 
who  was  the  youngest  of  the  four  children  and 
was  born  in  1838.  In  early  years  she  accompa- 
nied her  parents  across  the  ocean  and  settled  in 
Wisconsin,  where  she  grew  to  womanhood    be- 


neath the  parental  roof.  For  many  years  she  has 
been  a  resident  of  Ventura  county.  On  leaving 
the  farm  in  1892  she  established  her  home  in 
Hueneme,  but  in  July  of  1902  came  to  Oxnard 
and  erected  the  attractive  residence  she  now 
owns  and  occupies.  Besides  the  home  place,  she 
and  her  children  own  the  old  home  farm  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  which  is  devoted  prin- 
cipally to  beans  and  beets,  and  has  been  brought 
under  irrigation  by  means  of  an  artesian  well. 
The  property  is  very  valuable,  not  only  by  reason 
of  its  improvements,  but  also  on  account  of  its 
remarkable  fertility  of  soil. 

Throughout  all  of  his  active  life  Mr.  Old  gave 
earnest  support  to  the  Presbyterian  Qiurch  and 
was  a  member  of  that  denomination,  to  which 
Mrs.  Old  also  belongs.  In  fraternal  relations  he 
was  connected  with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen,  while  politically  he  voted  the  Republi- 
can ticket,  never,  however,  taking  a  prominent  or 
active  part  in  public  affairs  or  local  politics. 
Surviving  him  are  his  wife  and  their  five  chil- 
dren, named  as  follows :  James,  who  has  charge 
of  the  home  farm ;  George,  now  living  in  Berke- 
ley; Elizabeth,  who  resides  with  her  mother  in 
Oxnard ;  Eliza,  who  married  Burt  Wilson,  of 
Oxnard ;  and  Edith,  wife  of  Ira  J,  Oswell,  secre- 
tary of  the  Patterson  Ranch  Company,  owners  of 
a  lare;e  ranch  in  this  vicinitv. 


HEINRICH  MAULHARDT.  The  thrift 
for  which  the  German  nationality  is  noted  is  no- 
where better  illustrated  than  in  the  life  and 
achievements  of  Heinrich  Maulhardt.  When  he 
took  possession  of  the  ranch  on  which  he  now 
lives  in  1888  there  was  nothing  in  its  appearance 
to  commend  the  serious  attention  of  anyone 
looking  for  a  future  home,  but  with  keen  fore- 
sight Mr.  Maulhardt  realized  its  possibilities 
under  proper  conditions  and  forthwith  began  its 
improvement.  The  ranch  comprises  three  hun- 
dred and  thirty  acres,  all  of  which  is  in  lima 
beans  with  the  exception  of  thirty  acres  in  beets. 
The  close  proximity  of  the  ranch  to  Oxnard  is 
also  an  important  feature  and  greatly  facilitates 
the  disposition  of  his  produce. 

A  native  of  Hanover,  Germany,  Heinrich 
Maulhardt  was  born  October  24,  1856,  a  son  of 
John  and  Magdalena  (Smalstich)  Maulhardt,  al- 
so natives  of  the  Fatherland,  and  there  also  they 
passed  their  entire  lives,  the  father  dying  in 
1881,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years,  and  the  mother 
in  1876,  when  in  her  sixty-fourth  year.  When 
his  school  days  were  over  Heinrich  ]\[aulhardt 
prepared  to  fulfill  the  requirements  of  his  native 
land  in  regard  to  learning  a  trade,  and  when  he 
was  fourteen  apprenticed  himself  to  a  man  to 
learn  slate  roofing.  As  he  lived  in  a  country 
where  this  method  of  roofing  was  used  almost 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1969 


entirely  there  was  considerable  demand  for  com- 
petent roofers,  and  he  had  no  difficulty  in  secur- 
ing employment,  and  followed  his  trade  there 
continuously  up  to  the  year  1883,  which  was 
the  date  of  his  immigration  to  the  United  States. 
Landing  at  the  Golden  Gate,  he  took  passage  on 
a  boat  at  San  Francisco  bound  for  Ventura,  for 
five  years  thereafter  working  by  the  month  on 
ranches  throughout  the  county.  This  experience 
gave  him  an  excellent  opportunity  to  learn  and 
appreciate  the  value  of  land  and  its  location,  all 
of  which  knowledge  was  brought  to  bear  in  the 
selection  of  his  present  ranch  in  Ventura  county. 
January  10,  1888,  was  the  date  of  the  mar- 
riage of  Heinrich  jMaulhardt  and  Augusta 
Wucherpfennig,  the  latter  being  a  half-sister 
of  John  Sholle,  a  sketch  of  whose  life  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  volume.  All  of  the  six  chil- 
dren born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  ^^laulhardt  are  living 
and  are  named  in  order  of  birth  as  follows : 
Gustave,  Anna,  Ida,  Hugo,  Bertha,  and  Alfred, 
ranging  in  age  from  nineteen  to  nine  years 
(1906).  On  May  10,  1906,  Mr.  Maulliardt,  his 
wife  and  two  youngest  children  took  a  trip  to 
Europe,  visiting  different  parts  of  Germany,  and 
returning  home  August  20  of  the  sam.e  year. 
The  family  are  communicants  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  at  Oxnard, 


JAMES  A.  COLE.  Among  those  who  braved 
the  dangers  and  hardships  of  a  trip  across  the 
plains  in  the  latter  '50s  was  James  A.  Cole, 
September  23,  1859,  witnessing  his  settlement 
in  San  Bernardino  county,  when  this  section 
of  the  state  was  little  more  than  a  barren  wild- 
erness. From  that  time  until  his  death  in  1888, 
at  the  age  of  fifty-seven  years,  he  followed 
ranching  continuously.  His  high  principles  of 
honor  and  probity  were  exemplified  in  his  daily 
living,  with  the  result  that  he  was  respected  by 
all  who  knew  him.  Public-spirited  and  pro- 
gressive, he  was  alwa}'S  in  favor  of  measures 
which  tended  toward  the  advancement  of  his 
community. 

Mr.  Cole  was  born  March  8,  1831,  in  Butler 
county,  Ohio,  his  education  being  received  in 
Butler  county,  Iowa,  whither  he  removed  with 
his  parents  when  a  boy.  In  that  state  also  he 
was  married  in  1852  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Kelly, 
who  was  born  in  Ouincy,  111.,  her  father  later 
removing  to  Chicago,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  carpentering  and  contract  work.  Six  chil- 
dren were  born  of  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cole.  John  Albert,  deceased,  married  Hen- 
rietta Waters,  who  lives  in  San  Bernardino ; 
James  C.  married  Abby  Davies,  and  also  re- 
sides in  that  city;  Henry  married  Marj'  Curtis ; 
Arthur  Edgar  married  Mina  Dell;  Joseph  M. 
married  May  Cram,  and  lives  near  his  mother; 


and  Walter  D.  is  an  attorney  in  San  Francisco. 
Mr.  Cole  was  an  advocate  of  the  principles 
of  the  Republican  party  and  was  reared  in  the 
Episcopal  Church.  During  his  residence  in  the 
state  he  accumulated  extensive  property  hold- 
ings and  at  one  time  owned  160  acres  adjacent 
to  what  is  now  Loma  Linda,  also  an  eighteen- 
acre  orange  grove  at  the  home  place  near  Red- 
lands.  Mrs.  Cole  has  resided  in  San  Ber- 
nardino county  on  the  same  place  since  i860. 
She  is  a  woman  of  superior  talents  and  intel- 
ligence and  is  noted  for  her  liberality  and 
benevolence. 


JULES  CALLENS.  A  place  among  the  rep- 
resentative ranchers  of  Ventura  county  has  been 
won  by  Jules  Callens,  whose  association  with  the 
agricultural  interests  of  this  section  has  resulted 
in  a  personal  success  and  necessarily  has  added 
to  the  prestige  of  this  community  as  a  bean  and 
beet  growing  locality,  in  which  business  he  is 
engaged.  Mr.  Callens  is  not  a  native  of  this 
country,  but  being  a  lad  of  only  ten  years  at 
the  time  of  the  immigration  of  his  parents  he  is 
practically  a  Californian  and  gives  to  his  adopted 
state  a  stanch  loyalty.  His  father,  August  Cal- 
lens, a  native  of  Mynde,  Belgium,  was  a  farmer 
throughout  his  entire  life,  after  locating  in  Cali- 
fornia in  1888  engaging  in  agricultural  pursuits 
in  the  vicinity  of  Hueneme,  \  entura  county,  for 
two  years  or  until  his  death.  He  is  survived  by 
his  wife,  formerly  Leona  Martens,  a  native  of 
Besseham,  Belgium.  Some  time  after  her  hus- 
band's death  she  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  in  the  Ocean  \'iew  district, 
where  she  is  now  located,  the  large  property  be- 
ing devoted  to  general  farming  and  the  raising 
of  stock.  She  is  the  mother  of  five  sons  and  one 
daughter :  Jules,  the  eldest ;  Udoxie,  wife  of 
Remie  de  Yunge,  of  this  vicinity ;  Remie  and 
Rena,  conducting  the  home  ranch  ;  and  Joseph 
and  Albert,  in  France. 

Born  July  8,  1878,  in  Mynde,  Belgium,  Jules 
Callens  received  the  greater  part  of  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Ocean  View,  this 
being  supplemented  by  a  commercial  course  in 
the  Ventura  Business  College,  where  he  grad- 
uated in  1896.  Until  attaining  his  majority  he 
remained  on  the  paternal  farm,  four  days  later, 
on  the  I2th  of  July,  1899,  marrying  Miss  Ennna 
Trick,  a  native  of  St.  Paul,  Minn.  Her  father, 
Theo  Trick,  a  native  of  Germany,  emigrated  to 
the  United  States  and  located  in  St.  Paul,  where 
for  the  ensuing  twenty  years  he  engaged  in 
contracting  and  building.  With  his  wife,  for- 
merly Minnie  Neubawer,  he  is  still  a  resident  of 
that  city.  Mr.  Callens'  first  home  after  his  mar- 
riage was  on  a  farm  which  he  rented  from  his 
mother;    industry    and    application    enabled    him 


1970 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


to  acquire  means  to  purchase  property,  and  af- 
ter one  year  spent  on  the  Eddings  ranch  he  lo- 
cated upon  his  present  place,  a  ranch  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  six  miles  southeast  of 
Oxnard,  and  has  since  made  this  his  home.  His 
entire  property  is  given  over  to  the  cultivation 
of  beans  and  beets,  which  bring  him  large  finan- 
cial returns  each  season.  He  has  improved  his 
ranch  and  takes  pride  in  keeping  it  up  to  a  high 
standard.  He  merits  the  position  he  holds  as 
a  rancher  of  this  section,  because  won  by  his 
own  efforts  and  held  by  the  strong  purpose  of  his 
life  to  do  well  whatever  he  undertakes. 

Mr.  and  J\lrs.  Callens  are  the  parents  of  three 
children,  namely :  Leonia  Mary ;  Minnie  Mar- 
garet (called  Florence  by  her  father)  ;  and  Ar- 
thur W.  A.  Politically  he  adheres  to  the  prin- 
ciples advocated  in  the  platform  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  and  although  he  is  occupied  to  a 
large  extent  with  his  private  affairs,  still  finds 
time  to  take  an  interest  in  the  movements  of 
this  organization.  Personally  he  is  a  popular 
man,  carrying  within  a  well-built,  sturdy  frame 
a  whole-souled,  genuine  manhood  which  wins 
for  him  the  friendship  of  those  about  him,  whose 
constant  association  with  him  has  taught  them 
to  look  for  the  reliable  citizenship  which  he  has 
always   manifested. 


ELIJAH  HARRISON  PIERCE.  For  more 
than  half  a  century  Elijah  Harrison  Pierce,  of 
Ethanac,  has  been  identified  with  the  history  of 
California,  having  served  in  official  capacities  at 
various  points,  and  in  those  days  of  lawlessness 
when  personal  and  property  rights  were  placed 
in  jeopardy  by  a  reckless  and  criminal  element 
he  became  a  member  of  the  San  Francisco 
United  Defenders  of  Public  Safety,  or  the  Vigil- 
ance Committee,  as  it  was  popularly  called,  and 
helped  to  save  the  reputation  of  that  section  of 
the  state  and  make  it  a  safe  place  in  which  to 
live.  He  is  a  native  of  New  York,  having  been 
born  in  Jefiferson  county,  in  July,  1831.  His 
father,  Jonathan  Pierce,  removed  with  his  family 
to  Wisconsin  in  1838,  in  which  state  both  parents 
died. 

In  1850,  after  securing  a  common  school  edu- 
cation, Mr.  Pierce  left  Wisconsin  and  crossed 
the  plains  to  California,  starting  April  8.  and 
arriving  at  his  destination  in  Eldorado  county 
the  first  day  of  September.  For  about  six  years 
lie  engaged  in  mining  on  the  American  and 
Feather  rivers,  then  located  in  Plumas  county, 
where  he  filled  the  office  of  deputy  sheriff  for 
three  years,  and  later  was  elected  to  the  office 
of  sheriff,  discharging  the  duties  of  the  latter 
position  four  years,  between  i860  and  1864. 
Two  years  later  he  removed  to  Santa  Barbara 
and  the  following  twenty  years  was  occupied  as 


a  farmer  and  fruit-grower  in  that  localit}'.  Dur- 
ing this  time  he  was  supervisor  of  Santa  Bar- 
Ijara  county  for  three  years,  giving  him  oppor- 
tunity to  again  demonstrate  his  efficiency  and 
good  judgment  in  official  capacity.  In  1886  he 
came  to  Perris  valley,  filed  on  a  homestead,  and 
has  since  made  the  place  his  home.  He  later 
added  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  to 
his  holding,  his  ranch  now  comprising  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres.  He  began  as  farmer  and 
stock-raiser,  gradually  working  himself  into  the 
dairy  business,  and  now  has  about  twenty-five 
full-blood  Holstein  cows.  He  has  a  separator  on 
the  place  and  ships  the  cream  from  his  dairy  to 
San  Jacinto,  receiving  a  good  price  for  the 
product. 

Mr.  Pierce  was  first  married  in  Plumas  county 
in  1858,  Elizabeth  Sharp  becoming  his  wife. 
Two  children  were  born  of  this  union :  William, 
now  residing  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  Mary 
Ann,  deceased.  The  mother's  death  occurred  in 
Santa  Barbara  county.  His  second  marriage 
took  place  in  1885  in  Santa  Barbara  county,  unit- 
ing him  with  Mary  Colby,  and  she  also  became 
the  mother  of  two  children :  Florence,  the  wife 
of  Herbert  Crooks,  of  San  Fernando ;  and  ]\Iat- 
tie.  the  wife  of  Frank  T.  Hollenbeck.  of  San 
Diego.  Mr.  Pierce  has  served  on  the  school 
board  of  Perris  valley  for  many  years,  and  in 
other  ways  has  proven  his  interest  in  the  elevat- 
ing and  upbuilding  enterprises  of  the  commu- 
nity, which  is  fortunate  in  naming  him  among 
its  citizens. 


J.  E.  COUNTS.  The  association  of  J.  E. 
Counts  with  the  real-estate  interests  of-  Long- 
Beach  dates  from  March,  1902.  the  time  of  his 
location  in  this  city,  he  now  being  actively  iden- 
tified with  tlie  Counts  Realty  Company  and  Sec- 
retary of  the  Stearns-Counts  Investment  Com- 
pany, and  many  other  corporations  that  have 
done  much  toward  the  upbuilding  of  this  city. 
Of  southern  lineage,  he  was  born  in  Granbury, 
Tex.,  October  13,  1871,  and  in  childhood  was 
talcen  by  his  parents  to  Erath  and  Eastland 
counties,  receiving  his  education  in  tlie  public 
schools.  Until  lie  was  sixteen  years  old  he  re- 
mained on  the  paternal  ranch,  and  then  engaged 
as  clerk  in  a  mercantile  business  in  Ranger, 
Tex.,  later  entering  the  employ  of  the  Texas  Paci- 
fic Railway,  at  Ranger  and  Thurber  junction, 
where  he  remained  for  five  years,  and  during 
this  time  became  actively  identified  with  the  in- 
terests of  the  Democratic  party,  whose  principles 
he  espoused.  He  filled  acceptably  the  position  of 
deputy  county  clerk  for  one  term  of  two  years, 
in  Eastland  county,  and  was  also  prominent  in 
other  affairs.  Following  this  he  located  in  Ari- 
zona and  in  Globe  enga,ged  in  mining  and  pros- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1971 


pectiiig.  but  on  account  of  his  health  finally  came 
to  California.  I'his  climate  proved  so  benefi- 
cial to  him  that  he  soon  fully  recovered,  after 
which  he  decided  to  locate  permanently  in  Long 
Beach.  For  a  time  he  worked  in  a  real-estate 
ofiice,  after  which  he  became  interested  with 
Frank  W.  Stearns,  with  whom  he  incorporated 
the  Stearns-Counts  Investment  Company.  Thev 
succeeded  in  establishing  an  extensive  business, 
which  proved  an  important  factor  in  the  upbuild- 
ing of  Long  Beach  and  surrounding  country. 
August  I,  1905,  this  company  dissolved  partner- 
ship, ]\Ir.  Counts,  however,  retaining  the  sec- 
retaryship until  the  affairs  of  tlie  firm  shall  have 
been  closed.  In  the  organization  of  the  Long 
Beach  Home  Land  and  Water  Company  he  was 
also  a  prominent  factor. 

The  home  of  Mr.  Counts  at  No.  627  Elm  street, 
is  presided  over  by  his  wife,  formerly  Willie  Shel- 
ton,  with  whom  he  was  united  in  marriage  in 
Texas,  of  which  state  she  was  a  native.  They 
are  the  parents  of  two  children,  Carroll  and 
Gerald.  Mr.  Counts  has  become  prominent  in 
public  affairs  in  Long  Beach  and  takes  a  keen 
interest  in  the  promotion  of  all  movements  cal- 
culated to  advance  the  general  welfare  of  the 
community,  giving  time  and  means  freely  in  his 
efforts.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Cosmopolitan 
Club  and  Board  of  Trade,  and  supports  all 
churclies  and  charities.  Fraternally  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Long  Beach  Lodge  No.  327,  F.  &  A.  M., 
Long  Beach  Oiapter  No"^.  84,  R.  A.  M.,  and  Long 
Beacli  Commandery  No.  40,  K.  T.,  and  with  his 
wife  is  identified  with  the  Eastern  Star.  He  also 
belongs  to  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of 
Elks.  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at 
Ranger,  Texas,  and  Fraternal  Brotherhood  of 
Eong  Beach.  Politically  he  gives  his  support  to 
the  men  whom  he  considers  best  qualified  for 
public  ofifice. 


JOSEPH  SAILER.  Upon  the  establish- 
ment of  the  plant  of  the  American  Beet  Sugar 
Company  at  Oxnard  a  number  of  their  most 
valued  workers  at  Chino  were  transferred  to  the 
new  factory,  among  these  trusted  employes  be- 
ing Joseph  Sailer,  who  from  the  first  has  occu- 
pied the  responsible  position  of  chief  engineer 
of  the  Oxnard  factory.  Mr.  Sailer  is  of  Aus- 
trian birth  and  ancestry  and  was  born  in  the 
village  of  Prutz,  Tyrol,  January  10,  1867,  being 
a  son  of  Carl  and  Catherine  (Traxsailer)  Sail- 
er, natives  of  the  same  locality.  For  many  gen- 
erations the  family  had  lived  within  the  shadow 
of  the  Tyrolese  Alps  in  a  region  famous  the 
world  over  for  the  magnificence  of  its  scenery 
and  the  rugged  sublimity  of  its  mountains.  From 
the  male  representatives  of  one  generation  to 
those  of  the  next  was  handed  down  the  secret  of 


manufacturing  smoking  pipes  out  of  German 
silver,  and  some  of  the  name  still  follow  that  oc- 
cupation in  the  vicinity  of  the  ancestral  home- 
stead, among  them  being  Carl  Sailer,  who  is 
yet  an  active  business  man. 

The  eldest  in  a  family  of  eight  children  and 
the  only  one  to  settle  in  California,  Joseph  Sail- 
er was  born  January  10,  1867,  and  passed  the 
years  of  boyhood  uneventfully  in  the  quiet  com- 
munity where  Destiny  had  cast  his  lot.  When 
only  fourteen  years  of  age  he  bade  farewell  to 
relatives  and  friends  and  started  out  on  the  long 
journey  which  would  place  the  great  ocean  be- 
tween himself  and  the  home  of  his  early  days. 
Upon  arriving  in  the  United  States  he  proceed- 
ed to  Chicago  and  at  once  became  an  appren- 
tice to  the  machinist's  trade  with  Russbach  & 
Co.,  under  whom  he  served  for  three  years, 
and  later  worked  as  a  journeyman  in  the  same 
city.  From  there  in  1886  he  came  to  California 
and  sought  employment  vainly  in  Los  Angeles. 
Discouraged  by  lack  of  success  he  went  to  San 
Francisco,  where  he  at  once  procured  work  with 
the  Fulton  Iron  works  as  a  machinist.  After- 
ward he  became  a  machinist  in  the  plant  of  the 
American  Sugar  Refining  Company  in  San 
Francisco,  where  he  belonged  to  the  night  corps 
of  workers  in  the  plant.  During  1891  he  went 
to  Chino  and  assisted  in  installing  the  machin- 
erv,  afterward  holding  a  position  as  machinist 
in'  the  factory  for  two  years.  In  recognition  of 
his  efficiency  he  was  promoted  to  be  chief  en- 
gineer in  1894  and  continued  as  such  until  he 
was  transferred  to  Oxnard  three  years  later. 
After  having  superintended  the  installation  of 
the  machinery  in  the  Oxnard  plant  he  was  ap- 
pointed chief  engineer  and  since  then  has  filled 
the  responsible  position  with  marked  ability  and 
faithfulness. 

After  manv  years  of  constant  labor  at  his 
trade  Mr.  Sailer  finally  allowed  himself  a  vaca- 
tion in  1903,  during  which  year  he  enjoyed  a 
visit  to  the  old  Tyrolese  home  and  also  toured 
the  continent.  With  that  exception  he  has  lab- 
ored unremittingly  and  constantly  at  his  trade, 
vet  the  continuous  labor  has  not  been  a  hard- 
ship, for  to  him  work  is  a  pleasure  and  he  is 
happiest  when  most  deeply  engrossed  with  the 
details  of  his  chosen  occupation.  As  a  citizen 
he  has  been  progressive,  interested  in  beneficial 
movements,  a  contributor  to  the  improvement  of 
Oxnard  by  the  erection  of  a  flat  building  and 
two  houses,  and  in  every  respect  a  man  whose 
presence  is  a  distinct  acquisition  to  a  commun- 
itv.  Formerly  he  served  as  a  member  of  the 
county  central  Republican  committee  and  always 
he  has  been  stanch  in  his  allegiance  to  the  Re- 
publican partv.  While  living  in  San  Francisco 
he  married  Miss  Katherine  E.  Schoffel,  who 
was  born  in   Bavaria,  and  by  this  marriage  he 


]!»7l' 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOCJRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


has  three  children,  Katie  E.,  Joseph,  Jr.,  and 
Carl  R.  Besides  being  a  member  of  the  Citi- 
zens Qub  of  Oxnard  he  affiliates  with  the 
Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  of  Santa 
Barbara,  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  Uniform 
Rank,  in  which  latter  fraternity  he  holds  office 
as  past  chancellor  of  the  local  lodge. 


CAPT.  JOHN  W.  ASPE.  Especially  worthy 
of  honorable  mention  in  this  volume  is  Capt. 
John  W.  Aspe,  a  highly  respected  resident  of 
San  Pedro,  who  is  in  truth  a  self-made  man, 
having  started  in  life  with  no  other  endow- 
ments than  good  health,  a  vigorous  muscle  and 
a  clear,  cool  brain.  Thus  equipped,  a  man  need 
have  no  fears ;  filled  with  a  determination  to 
succeed,  success  is  assured  him  from  the  start, 
although  it  may  be  that  years  of  patient  wait- 
ing and  hard  toil  are  necessary  before  the  goal 
of  his  ambitions  is  reached.  A  native  of  Ger- 
many, Captain  Aspe  was  born  December  3,  1851, 
in  Rendsburg,  Holstein,  which  was  likewise  the 
birthplace  of  his  father,  John  Aspe.  In  1848 
John  Aspe  took  an  active  part  in  the  Holstein- 
Schleswig  war,  after  which  he  followed  the 
trade  of  a  blacksmith  in  Kiel,  Germany,  until 
his  death.  He  married  Dora  MuUer,  a  native 
of  Schleswig,  and  they  became  the  parents  of 
twelve  children,  of  whom  John  W.,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  was  the  first-born.  One  son, 
Christ  Aspe.  employed  as  an  architect  by  the 
German  government,  died  at  Breslau,  Germany, 
in  1903. 

At  the  age  of  ten  years  John  W.  Aspe  began 
the  battle  of  life  for  himself  as  a  sailor,  going 
as  deck  boy  on  a  coaster.  He  subsequently 
crossed  the  Atlantic,  sailing  to  Boston.  Mass., 
from  there  going  on  the  sailing  vessel  Brewster, 
via  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  to  the  East  Indies 
and  back.  In  1863,  on  the  same  vessel,  he  came 
around  the  Horn  to  California,  and  for  awhile 
was  employed  in  the  coasting  trade  along  the 
Pacific  coast.  Turning  his  attention  then  to 
land  pursuits  he  was  for  eight  years  engaged  in 
both  quartz  and  placer  mining,  operating  in 
northern  California,  Idaho.  Utah  and  Nevada. 
He  was  quite  successful  at  times,  at  Silver  City, 
Idaho,  with  three  companions,  taking  out  $40,- 
000  from  a  quartz  mine.  Returning  from  the 
mining  regions  to  San  Francisco,  he  again  en- 
gaged in  coasting,  sailing  as  second  mate  for 
awhile,  and  then  as  first  mate  of  his  vessel.  In 
1883,  as  master  of  the  Sarah,  he  embarked  in 
the  lumber  trade,  sailing  from  San  Francisco 
to  diiiferent  ports  along  the  coast.  He  was  sub- 
sequently master  of  several  other  vessels,  in- 
cluding the  John  Russ,  the  Bangor,  the  Charles 
A.  Moody  and  the  Wempe  Brothers.  The  lat- 
ter  was   wrecked   off   the   coast    of    \'ancouver, 


British  Columbia,  but  no  lives  were  lost.  On 
giving  up  seafaring  pursuits,  Captain  Aspe  re- 
sided in  Oakland  for  a  time,  but  in  1895  took 
up  his  residence  in  San  Pedro,  which  he  first 
visited  as  early  as  1876,  sailing  into  the  harboi 
when  mate  of  the  Elenora.  Since  1903  he  has 
been  prosperously  employed  in  sail  making,  his 
home  being  on  Twelfth  street,  where  he  has 
erected  a  good  residence. 

March  14.  1892,  in  Redondo,  Cal.,  Captain 
Aspe  married  Gencina  Petersen,  a  native  of  Den- 
mark, and  into  their  household  five  children  have 
been  born,  namely:  Carl,  Frederick,  Dora,  El- 
sie and  John.  Politically  the  captain  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  fraternally  he  is  a  member  of 
Golden  Gate  Lodge  No.  30,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  San 
Francisco. 


CLARENCE  C.  ADAMS.  A  resident  of 
California  since  1889,  Qarence  C.  Adams  has 
profited  by  the  rapid  growth  and  development 
of  this  Pacific  state  and  a  part  of  the  prosperity 
he  has  made  his  own.  He  is  a  native  of  Minne- 
sota, his  birth  having  occurred  near  Albert  Lea, 
Freeborn  county,  April  12,  1875,  his  parents, 
Charles  B.  and  Mary  S.  (Shauney)  Adams, 
having  settled  as  farmers  in  that  section.  On 
account  of  his  father's  health  the  family  located 
in  Long  Beach,  Cal.,  where  his  death  occurred 
in  1899,  his  wife  surviving  him  and  making  her 
home  in  this  city  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years. 

Clarence  C.  Adams  received  a  substantial  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  IMinnesota  and  the 
high  school  of  Austin,  to  which  city  his  parents 
removed  when  he  was  but  three  years  old.  L'pon 
their  removal  to  California  they  settled  in  Ana- 
heim, where  Mr.  Adams  followed  teaming  after 
completing  a  business  course  in  a  cornmercial 
college  of  Los  Angeles.  Following  the  removal 
of  his  parents  to  Long  Beach  he  came  to  this  city 
and  here  took  up  the  work  of  a  plumber,  be- 
coming an  apprentice  under  W.  B.  Joy.  Janu- 
ary I,  1903,  he  purchased  the  interest  of  Edward 
Kay,  of  the  firm  of  Kay  &  Smith,  after  which 
for  three  and  a  half  years  business  was  con- 
ducted under  the  name  of  Smith  &  Adams. 
Since  Mr.  Adams'  withdrawal  the  business  has 
been  continued  as  the  Edwin  W.  Smith  Com- 
pan}'.  In  the  meantime  Mr.  Adams  has  taken 
a  keen  interest  in  the  growth  and  development 
of  the  city  and  has  invested  his  means  in  real 
estate  from  time  to  time,  building  three  resi- 
dences since  his  location  here.  When  he  first 
came  here  (in  1899)  there  was  a  population  of 
six  hundred  in  the  winters  and  from  three  to 
four  thousand  during  the  summers.  Since  that 
time  Long  Beach  has  been  found  to  be  as  de- 
sirable a  winter  residence  as  one  could  wish  and 
the  population  has  grown  to  numbers   that  are 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1973 


remarkable  in  that  the}'  do  not  mark  the  itinerant 
inhabitants.  Mr.  Adams  has  unbounded  faith  in 
the  continued  prosperity  of  his  adopted  city  and 
has  manifested  it  in  the  most  substantial  man- 
ner. 

The  home  of  Mr.  Adams  is  located  at  721 
Chestnut  avenue,  and  is  presided  over  by  his 
wife,  formerly  Theora  Pearl  Ailman,  whom  he 
married  November  i,  1902.  ,  She  is  a  native  of 
New  Mexico,  and  a  daughter  of  H.  D.  Ailman. 
They  have  one  son,  Henry  David.  Mr.  Adams 
was  reared  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
to  which  he  gives  his  financial  support.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  a  stanch  Republican  and  although  ac- 
tive in  his  efforts  to  advance  the  principles  he 
endorses  has  never  cared  for  official  recognition. 
Fraternally  he  is  identified  with  the  Woodmen 
of  the  \\'orld,  Fraternal"  Brotherhood,  and  F 
O.  E. 


OLIVER  CLARENCE  SWAN.  An  ex- 
pert in  the  erection  and  operation  of  sugar  man- 
ufacturing machinery  Oliver  Clarence  Swan  is 
the  efficient  general  foreman  of  the  factory  of 
the  American  Beet  Sugar  Company  at  Oxnard, 
and  is  esteemed  as  a  leading  citizen  of  this  place. 
The  birth  of  Mr.  Swan  occurred  June  29,  1872, 
at  Troy,  Mo.,  where  his  father,  William  H.,  a 
native  of  Kentucky,  carried  on  a  blacksmith 
shop.  The  father  served  in  the  Union  army  with 
a  Missouri  regiment  durmg  the  Civil  war,  be- 
longed to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Church,  and  his  death  in  1903  removed  a  highly 
respected  citizen  of  Tro}-.  The  mother,  who  was 
Eliza  C.  Shew  before  her  marriage,  was  born 
in  Illinois  on  the  farm  of  her  parents,  who  after- 
wards removed  to  Lincoln  county.  Mo.,  where 
she  was  married  and  still  resides.  There  were 
seven  children  in  the  family,  all  of  whom  are 
still  living,  Oliver  Clarence  being  the  third  in 
point  of  age.  The  greater  part  of  his  boyhood 
was  spent  in  Troy,  Mo.,  where  he  received  his 
education  in  tlie  public  schools,  and  when  a 
young  man  he  commenced  his  business  career 
Idv  clerking  in  a  St.  Louis  grocery  store.  He 
moved  successively  to  Louisiana,  Mo.,  and  Bowl- 
ing Green,  that  state,  and  then  went  with  a  sur- 
veying party  to  Arizona,  where  for  one  year  he 
assisted  in  making  surveys  for  the  .South  Gila 
Canal  Company. 

In  i<So2  he  came  to  Giino.  Cal,  and  secured 
a  position  with  the  .\merican  Beet  Sugar  Com- 
pany, beginning  at  the  very  bottom  of  the  ladder 
and  continuing  with  the  firm  for  five  years,  at  the 
end  of  that  time  having  become  a  competent 
machinist.  He  then  severed  his  connection  with 
the  firm   and   went  to  Crockett.  Cal..   where  he 


was  employed  by  the  California  and  Hawaiian 
Refining  Company,  and  after  one  season  in  their 
factory  he  was  engaged  by  the  Union  Iron  Works 
of  .San  Francisco  to  go  to  Butte,  Mont.,  and 
assist  in  the  erection  of  machinery  at  that  place. 
That  took  him  but  a  few  months  and  from  there 
he  went  to  Kealalcekua,  Hawaii,  and  for  nearly 
two  years  was  engaged  in  the  construction  of 
machinery  for  the  Kilby  Manufacturing  com- 
pany of  Cleveland,  Ohio.  Following  this  he  re- 
turned to  California  in  1897,  locating  at  Oxnard, 
assisting  in  the  construction  of  the  sugar  factory 
at  this  place.  He  has  been  with  the  American 
Beet  Sugar  Compan\'  ever  since,  and  is  now  the 
general  foreman  or  assistant  superintendent  of 
the  factory. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Swan  affiliates  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  lodge  at  Oxford,  and  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  the  same 
place.  He  is  an  earnest  advocate  of  the  principles 
represented  by  the  platform  of  the  Republican 
party  and  is  an  influential  participator  in  all 
matters  of  public  interest  to  the  community.  He 
was  married  to  Miss  Ollic  H.  Hedges,  a  native 
of  Missouri,  who  died  at  Oxnard  December 
24,  1003. 


ARTHUR  J.  DRAPER.  An  unexpected  and 
unfortunate  incident  connected  with  Mr.  Draper's 
arrival  in  California  might  have  discouraged 
some  from  making  a  permanent  settlement  in  the 
state,  but  he  possesses  an  impartial,  calm  temper- 
ament that  remains  unbiased  by  circumstances 
beyond  his  control.  Twenty  years  have  come 
and  gone  since  he  landed  in  the  west  and  during 
all  of  that  period  he  has  made  his  home  in  Ven- 
tura county,  where  since  1895  he  has  owned 
a  ranch  of  seventeen  acres  near  Sinii  and  has 
improved  the  property  by  putting  in  a  pumping 
plant  for  the  irrigation  of  his  alfalfa  fields  and 
gardens.  The  position  of  justice  of  the  peace 
came  to  him  by  appointment  in  1895  and  three 
years  later  he  was  elected  to  the  office,  which  he 
still  fills,  having  been  re-elected  at  the  expiration 
of  his  first  elective  term  of  four  years.  Since 
1899  he  has  also  served  as  a  notary  public. 

The  Draper  family  is  of  old  English  stock,  and 
the  subject  of  this  narrative  was  born  in  that 
country  in  September,  1861,  being  a  son  of  Joseph. 
S.  and  Christina  Draper.  When  his  father  was 
only  thirtv-two  years  of  age  he  died  in  1865  and 
fifteen  years  later  the  mother  passed  away  at  the 
age  of  forty-two.  The  three  sons  of  the  family, 
.\rthur  J.,  John  A.  and  Walter  S.,  left  their 
friends  in  England  during  the  early  spring  of 
1886  and  came  to  America  upon  a  tour  of  in- 
spection with  a  view  to  possible  location.  The 
first  named  had  been  a  teacher  in  English  schools 
for  five  years  and  was  a  young  man  of  excellent 


1974 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


education,  intelligence  and  tine  qualities  of  citi- 
zenship. Landing-  in  Los  Angeles  they  purchased 
a  team  and  wagon,  as  well  as  the  supplies 
necessary  for  a  trip  up  the  coast,  and  soon  started 
for  Ventura  county.  Unfortunately  while  they 
were  yet  in  Los  Angeles  they  had  attracted  the 
attention  of  two  desperadoes,  one  of  whom  was 
a  ruffian  named  Louis  Clark.  These  two  men 
concluded  that  the  young  Englishmen  probably 
carried  with  them  considerable  money  and  would 
therefore  be  excellent  subjects  for  robbery,  with 
which  purpose  in  view  they  followed  them  along 
the  coast  through  A'entura,  Santa  Barbara,  San 
Luis  Obispo  and  Monterey  counties. 

About  ten  o'clock  on  the  night  of  the  i8th  of 
May,  1886,  when  the  brothers  were  encamped 
near  Soledad,  Monterey  county,  while  sleeping, 
they  were  attacked  by  the  desperadoes.  Walter 
was  shot  in  the  left  foot  and  thigh ;  John  es- 
caped without  injury ;  and  Arthur  received  four 
bullets,  one  in  the  back  of  the  neck  (which  he 
still  carries),  one  in  the  right  arm,  and  two  in 
the  left  shoulder  (one  of  which  latter  he  also 
carries).  With  considerable  difficulty  they  man- 
aged to  get  to  Soledad,  where  the  wounds  were 
dressed  and  they  were  given  medical  care,  but 
it  was  not  until  Julv  that  they  were  able  to  travel. 
Aftenvard  Clark  was  caught  and  sent  to  prison 
for  twenty-one  years.  Two  of  the  brothers  re- 
turned to  England,  where  Walter  now  occupies 
a  responsible  position  as  manager  of  Lloyd's 
Bank  of  London :  the  eldest  brother,  Arthur,  re- 
mained in  California  and  settled  near  Simi,  where 
he  has  since  lived,  unmarried,  on  his  neat  little 
ranch,  honored  by  the  many  acquaintances  he  has 
made  during  the  long  period  of  his  residence 
in  the  same  locality  and  respected  as  a  man  of 
high  principles,  impartial  spirit  and  progressive 
citizenship. 


HUGH  HENRY.  Occupying  a  place  _  of 
prominence  among  the  prosperous  agriculturists 
and  the  leading  citizens  of  Ventura  county  is 
Hugh  Henry,  of  Oxnard.  Commencing  life  at 
the  foot  of  the  ladder,  he  has  steadily  climbed 
upward,  rung  by  rung,  the  history  of  his  achieve- 
ments being  a  splendid  example  of  the  grand  suc- 
cess to  be  attained  by  sturdy  toil,  pefseverance 
and  close  application  to  business.  Since  assum- 
ing possession  of  his  home  ranch,  in  1896,  he 
has  made  all  of  the  important  improvements  on 
the  place,  in  1904  erecting  his  handsome,  mod- 
ernly  equipped  ten-room  house,  this,  with  the 
other  improvements,  rendering  his  property  one 
of  the  best  in  the  Santa  Clara  valley.  In  business, 
social,  political  and  fraternal  circles,  Mr.  Henry 
stands  high,  and  as  one  of  the  best  known  and 
most  influential  Odd  Fellows  of  Southern  Cali- 
fornia has  done  ranch  to  promote  the  good  of  the 


order.  A  son  of  Hugh  Henry,  Sr.,  he  was  born 
July  12,  1858,  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  and  from  a 
long  line  of  honored  ancestry  on  the  maternal 
side  has  inherited  those  sterling  characteristics 
that  have  won  for  him  the  respect  and  esteem  of 
his  fellow  men  and  a  noteworthy  position  in  life. 

Born  and  reared  in  Ireland,  Hugh  Henry,  Sr., 
later  went  to  .Scotland,  where  he  was  married, 
md  in  i860,  with  his  family,  came  to  the  United 
States,  the  reputed  country  of  plenty,  and  located 
in  St.  Lawrence  county,  N.  Y,  Turning  his  at- 
tention to  farming,  he  was  subsequently  engaged 
in  tilling  the  soil  until  his  death,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-eight  years,  in  1902.  His  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Jane  Watson,  was  born  in 
Scotland  and  died  in  St.  Lawrence  countv,  N, 
Y.,  in  1871. 

Completing  his  earlv  education  in  the  district 
schools,  Hugh  Henry  earned  his  first  money  as  a 
farm  laborer.  Deciding  to  settle  permanently  as 
an  agriculturist,  he  bought  land  in  St.  Lawrence 
coimty  and  was  there  a  resident  until  1883.  Com- 
ing in  that  year  to  the  Pacific  coast,  he  worked  by 
the  month  until  familiar  with  the  ways  of  farm- 
ing as  carried  on  in  California,  where  soil,  climate 
and  conditions  are  so  entirely  different  from 
those  in  any  other  part  of  the  Union.  In  1896  he 
purchased  his  present  ranch,  which  is  advan- 
tageously located  about  two  miles  northwest  of 
Oxnard,  and  contains  seventy-four  acres  of  valu- 
ble  land.  He  has  placed  this  in  a  good  state  of  cul- 
tivation, and  in  addition  to  carrying  it  on  success- 
fully also  rents  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
near-by  land,  which  he  also  manages  with  satis- 
factory results.  He  devotes  about  two  hundred 
acres  of  land  to  the  raising  of  lima  beans,  and  has 
twenty  acres  planted  to  beets  and  each  season  he 
has  large  and  profitable  crops  of  these  vegetables, 
the  income  derived  from  them  being  large.  He 
has  recently  installed  a  fine  electric  pumping 
plant,  which  will  make  irrigation  of  the  farm 
easy. 

On  January  18,  1878,  Mr.  Henry  married 
Mary  Jane  Beatty,  who  was  born  in  St.  Lawrence 
county,  N.  Y.,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  three 
children,  namely :  George,  living  just  across  the 
road  fromi  his  parents,  and  who  married  ^laria 
Sutter,  a  native  of  California ;  and  Anna  Jane 
and  Elizabeth  Maria,  pupils  in  the  grammar 
school,  Mr.  Henry  was  initiated  into  Ventura 
Lodge  No.  201  some  years  after  its  establishment, 
and  was  serving  as  noble  grand  in  that  lodge 
when  Oxnard  Lodge  No.  89  \\-as  established,  he 
initiating  its  first  members.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  A'entura  Encampment  No.  79,  which  he  has 
served  as  master  three  terms ;  of  \'entura  Canton 
No.  29 :  and  of  Ventura  Lodge,  Daughters  of  Re- 
bekah.  No.  3T4.  He  has  passed  all  of  the  chairs 
of  the  subordinate  lodges  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  is 
past  district  deputy,  and  is  also  a  member  of  Ox- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1975 


nard  Lodge  Xo.  44,  M.  W.  A.  He  takes  great 
interest  in  public  affairs,  and  for  the  past  three 
years  has  been  school  trustee. 


HENRY  C.  FEDER.  One  of  the  leading 
industries  of  Redondo  is  the  Redondo  Carnation 
Company,  whose  manager,  Henry  C.  Feder,  has 
given  years  of  time  and  painstaking  effort  to 
the  propagation  of  choice  and  new  varieties  of 
carnations,  among  his  original  specialties  being 
the  Los  Angeles  (white),  Jim  Corbett  (salmon 
pink)  and  the  Dr.  Choate  (scarlet).  Since  em- 
barking in  business  for  himself  in  1898  he  has 
made  a  specialty  of  raising  carnations,  propa- 
gating sixty  thousand  each  year,  and  setting  out 
from  forty  to  fifty  thousand  plants,  besides 
which  he  has  raised  acres  of  violets.  The  ilow- 
ers  find  a  ready  sale  in  local  markets  and  ship- 
ments are  also  made  to  Arizona. 

A  native  of  AVestphalia,  Germany,  Henry  C. 
Feder  was  born  in  Rothenufeln,  August  23, 
1862,  and  is  a  son  of  Frederick  and  Louisa 
(Veith)  Feder,  natives  of  the  same  kingdom, 
and  farmers  by  occupation.  The  mother  died 
some  years  ago,  but  the  father  is  still  living  at 
the  old  home.  Both  were  reared  in  the  Lu- 
theran faith  and  always  adhered  to  that  religion. 
Among  their  five  children,  all  of  whom  still  sur- 
vive, Henry  was  next  to  the  eldest.  As  is  the 
custom  in  his  native  land,  he  was  given  good 
advantages  for  obtaining  an  education.  At  the 
age  of  twelve  years  he  left  school  and  began  to 
learn  the  miller's  trade,  at  which  he  served  a 
full  apprenticeship.  Durmg  1879  he  crossed  the 
ocean  to  the  United  States  and  proceeded  west 
from  New  York  as  far  as  Indiana,  where  he 
secured  employment  on  a  farm.  Always  keenly 
interested  in  gardening,  he  devoted  considerable 
attention  to  plants  and  flowers  while  yet  in  the 
east. 

For  the  first  few  months  after  coming  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1887  J\Ir.  Feder  engaged  in  teaming, 
but  as  soon  as  another  opening  presented  itself 
he  turned  to  dift'erent  work.  The  Redondo 
Beach  Company,  owners  of  the  town  site  of  In- 
glewood,  gave  him  employment  in  their  gardens 
and  orchards,  and  he  continued  in  their  employ 
until  he  came  to  Redondo  in  1891.  Two  years 
later  he  was  appointed  manager  of  the  flower 
gardens  and  greenhouse  in  this  place  and  con- 
tinued until  1898,  when  he  resigned  in  order  to 
embark  in  business  for  himself.  A  year  later  he 
organized  the  Redondo  Carnation  Company 
with  J.  B.  Mullen,  and  in  1905  took  into  part- 
nership George  Hessen  and  A.  M.  Jones.  This 
partnership  continued  until  July  i,  1906,  when 
the  original  owners  took  charge  of  the  business. 
The  original  gardens  embraced  ten  acres,  but 
this   tract   was   sold   in    1905,   and  the   company 


lias  now  leased  other  lands  with  which  to  con- 
tinue the  business.  Alwa,vs  assiduous  in  his  de- 
votion to  business  matters,  Mr.  Feder  has  al- 
lowed himself  only  one  vacation  from  his  post 
of  duty,  this  bemg  in  1901,  when  he  returned 
to  the  old  homestead  in  Westphalia  and  also 
visited  many  points  of  interest  on  the  continent 
and  in  England.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Rickie  Strohm,  is  like  himself  a  native 
of  Germany,  her  childhood  home  having  been  in 
leaden,  but  as  a  girl  she  came  to  the  United 
States  and  later  was  married  at  Inglewood,  this 
^tate.  Two  daughters  bless  the  union,  Ida  and 
Lulu.  The  family  are  earnest  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church  and  give  of  their  means  to  the 
work  of  that  denomination.  Since  coming  to 
Redondo  Mr.  Feder  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Trade  and  an  active  worker  in  all  en- 
terprises for  the  upbuilding  of  the  town.  Po- 
litically he  gives  stanch  support  to  the  Repub- 
lican party  and  in  fraternal  relations  holds  mem- 
bership in  Redondo  Lodge  No.  328,  F.  &  A.  M. ; 
Tent  No.  7,  K.  O.  T.  M.,  of  Redondo,  and  the 
Independent  Order  of  Foresters. 


FRANK  A.  MATSON.  Although  a  resi- 
dent of  his  present  location  for  but  a  brief  period, 
Mr.  Matson  has  made  his  home  in  Southern  Cali- 
fornia for  a  considerable  number  of  years  and 
with  the  persevering  industry  characteristic  of 
his  Swedish  forefathers  he  has  worked  his  way 
from  the  position  of  laborer  for  others  to  that 
of  land-owner.  The  property  which  he  ac- 
quired by  recent  purchase  consists  of  fifteen 
acres  situated  three  miles  northeast  of  Redondo 
at  the  postoffice  of  Perry,  Los  Angelas  county, 
his  residence  standing  on  the  corner  of  Redondo 
and  Dominguez  avenues,  while  near  by  are  the 
buildings  utilized  for  the  prosecution  of  the 
poultry  business,  which  he  makes  his  specialty. 

About  the  year  1849  George  and  Ellen  (Pet- 
erson) Matson  crossed  the  ocean  from  their  na- 
tive land  of  Sweden  and  settled  in  Minnesota, 
where  their  son,  Frank  A.,  was  born  near  Clear- 
water lake,  not  far  from  Minneapolis,  Decem- 
ber 3,  1862.  When  the  latter  was  still  a  very 
small  child  the  family  removed  to  Illinois  and 
settled  in  Knox  county,  near  the  village  of  AI- 
tona.  The  next  removal  occurred  when  he  was 
about  ten  years  of  age  and  took  the  family  to 
Nebraska,  where  they  built  up  a  home  in  the 
then  undeveloped  regions  of  Polk  county.  The 
parents  continued  upon  a  farm  during  the  bal- 
ance of  their  active  years ;  the  father  fived  to  be 
seventy-five  and  the  mother  was  eighty  when  she 
passed  away. 

-  After  having  assisted  his  father  in  the  improv- 
ing of  a  farm  from  a  tract  of  raw  land,  Frank  A. 
Matson  was  well  qualified  to  take  up  agricultural 


1976 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


pursuits  for  himself,  and  he  continued  near  the 
old  Nebraska  home  for  some  years.  While  liv- 
ing in  that  state  he  met  and  December  21, 
1886,  married  Hildora  Freeberg,  a  native  of 
Sweden,  who  crossed  the  ocean  to  the  United 
States  at  twelve  years  of  age  and  settled  with 
other  members  of  her  family  twenty  miles  east 
of  St.  Paul.  While  still  a  young  girl  she  re- 
moved to  Stromsburg,  Polk  county.  Neb.,  and 
there  married  Mr.  Matson,  their  union  being 
blessed  with  two  children,  Florence  E.  and  Ray- 
mond F.  The  family  came  to  California  in  1888 
and  settled  at  Qearwater  on  a  ranch,  but  after 
three  years  removed  to  Riverside,  where  Mr. 
Matson  was  variously  employed  for  three  years, 
and  later  he  worked  for  others  in  the  city  of 
Los  Angeles,  remaining  in  the  latter  city  until 
July  of  1905,'  when  he  purchased  and  removed 
to  his  small  farm  near  the  coast.  In  the  pur- 
chase of  this  property  he  invested  the  savings 
of  previous  years,  so  that  the  home  he  now  owns 
possesses  for  him  an  especial  interest  as  repre- 
senting his  own  unwearied  labors  and  tireless 
energfv. 


PERCY  N.  ARNOLD.  No  more  public- 
spirited  Canadian  has  transferred  his  allegiance 
to  the  Pacific  coast  or  more  enthusiastically  en- 
tered into  the  diversified  interests  here  repre- 
sented than  Percy  N.  Arnold,  a  rancher  in  the 
vicinity  of  La  Ballona.  although  his  postoffice 
and  market  town  is  Palms.  Born  in  New  Bruns- 
wick, Canada,  January  27,  1852.  he  was  the  only 
child  of  his  father's  marriage  with  a  Miss  Vail, 
who  was  born  in  Canada,  dying  there  at  the 
birth  of  her  only  child.  Nelson  A.  Arnold  sub- 
sequently married  Anna  Smith,  a  native  of  En- 
gland, and  the  seven  children  born  of  this  mar- 
riage all  lived  to  attain  vears  of  maturity.  The 
father  was  also  born  and  reared  in  Canada,  and 
when  he  had  com.ijletcd  his  schooling  he  settled 
down  on  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
in  that  country,  and,  with  the  exception  of  a 
few  years  prior  to  his  death,  carried  on  farming 
throughout  his  entire  life.  His  earth  life  came 
to  a  close  in  1902,  when  eighty-four  years  of  age. 
During  his  voung  manhood  Percy  N.  Arnold 
possessed  an  abundance  of  the  venturesome  spirit 
which  directed  the  footsteps  of  so  many  sturdy 
men  to  this  western  country,  and  the  first  step 
toward  self-maintenance  was  his  coming  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1874.  For  six  years  thereafter  he  was 
occupied  in  various  lines  of  business,  but  in  1880 
he  homesteaded  a  tract  of  land  from  the  govern- 
ment, upon  which  he  located  and  settled  down 
to  follow  agriculture  for  his  life  business.  Bv 
purchasinsr  adjoining  land  he  increased  his  hold- 
ings considerably,  now  owning  two  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  in  that  ranch,  although  he  makes 


his  home  on  a  one-hundred-and-fifteen-acre 
tract  which  he  owns  near  La  Ballona.  By  rent- 
ing adjoining  property  he  has  now  four  hun- 
dred acres  under  his  control,  all  of  which  is 
planted  to  beans,  hav,  etc.,  which  yields  a  good 
income  annually. 

June  16,  1881,  occurred  the  marriage  of 
Percy  N.  Arnold  and  Miss  Phebe  Tibbet,  who 
was  born  in  California,  the  daughter  of  Jona- 
than Tibbet.  At  the  time  of  the  gold  fever  Mr. 
Tibbet  was  one  of  the  throng  who  came  to  the 
state  from  Ohio,  but  he  did  not  remain  long,  for 
the  year  1850  found  him  back  in  his  native 
state.  When  he  returned  to  California  in  1852 
it  was  not  the  attraction  of  the  mines  that 
brought  him  hither,  for  he  at  once  turned  his 
attention  to  the  cultivation  of  the  ranch  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  which  he  purchased 
that  year  near  El  Monte.  Besides  this  half  sec- 
tion of  land  he  bought  eighty  acres  near  La 
Ballona,  but  it  was  in  Santa  Monica  that  he 
passed  away  in  IQ03.  Since  the  death  of  ?klr. 
Tibbet  I^.Tr.  Arnold  has  purchased  the  eighty- 
acre  ranch  and  now  makes  his  home  on  the 
property.  Four  of  the  five  children  born  to  Mr. 
and  IMrs.  Arnold  are  living  and  are  still  at  home 
with  their  parents,  as  follows :  Nelson  L.,  Bessie 
T.,  Percv  W.  and  Laurence  F.  The  third  child, 
Edgar  R.,  was  accidentally  killed  July  4,  IQOI, 
bv  being  thrown  from  a  wagon.  In  his  political 
preferences  '\h.  Arnold  is  a  Republican  and  is 
a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order  United  Work- 
men, Woodmen  of  the  World  and  Independent 
Order  of  Foresters. 


EDWTN  W.  SMITH.  Unbounded  faith  in 
the  possibilities  of  Long  Beach  and  surrounding 
country  induced  Edwin  W.  Smith,  of  the  Edwin 
W.  Smith  Company,  plumbers  and  tinsmiths,  to 
invest  his  means  here  and  also  to  give  his  best 
efforts  toward  the  development  of  its  resources. 
His  arrival  in  the  state  of  California  is  dated 
from  October  16.  1887.  although  not  until  1902 
did  he  locate  permanently  in  Long  Beach :  since 
that  time,  however,  the  most  rapid  growth  of 
this  citv  has  taken  place  and  with  it  his  own 
financial  success  and  increased  business  stand- 
ing. 

^Ir.  Smith  is  of  southern  birth  and  linease. 
his  parents,  \\"illiain  B.  and  Lucy  (Kade)  Smith, 
being  residents  of  Corinth.  Miss.,  where  he  was 
born  January  22,  1869.  The  mother  is  now  de- 
ceased, while  the  father  is  residing  in  Downev, 
Cal.  While  still  voung  in  years  he  was  taken 
to  Texas  and  in  that  state  attended  the  public 
schools  of  Wise  countv.  .\fter  ten  years  in  that 
state  the  father  brought  his  familv  to  California, 
wliere  he  followed  his  trade  of  painter  and  dec- 
orator urrtil  his  final  retirement  from  active  du- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1977 


ties.  Edwin  W.  Smith  learned  the  tinner's  trade 
upon  leaving  school  and  later  the  plumber's 
trade,  and  after  coming  to  California  engaged  in 
various  parts  of  Los  Angeles  county.  In  Glen- 
dale,  where  he  made  his  home  for  six  years,  he 
engaged  for  one  year  as  tinner  and  plumber, 
after  which  he  came  to  Long  Beach,  which  was 
just  then  evidencing  the  signs  of  rapid  develop- 
ment. Upon  his  location  in  this  city  he  purchased 
an  interest  in  the  plumbing  business  of  Edward 
Kay,  and  later  became  sole  proprietor  of  same, 
finally  taking  into  partnership,  C.  C.  Adams, 
who  was  associated  with  him  in  business  for 
about  three  and  a  half  years.  Since  Mr.  Adams' 
withdrawal  the  business  has  been  continued  as 
the  Edwin  W.  Smith  Company. 

In  Glendale  Mr.  Smith  married  Miss  Har- 
riet Iman,  and  their  home  is  now  located  at  the 
corner  of  Appleton  and  Gaviota.  In  his  political 
affiliations  Mr.  Smith  is  a  Republican  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Frater- 
nally he  is  associated  with  the  Benevolent  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks,  and  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  of  Long  Beach,  in  the  latter  or- 
ganization having  passed  all  the  chairs,  and  also 
having  been  sent  as  a  delegate  to  the  Grand 
Lodge.  In  the  line  of  his  trade  he  is  a  member 
of  the  National  Association  of  Master  Plumbers, 
and  is  ex-secretary  of  the  local  association.  In 
1904  he  was  sent  as  a  delegate  to  the  National 
Association  at  St.  Louis.  The  position  accorded 
him  among  the  business  men  of  Long  Beach 
has  been  won  entirely  by  his  own  efiforts,  his 
judgment  and  ability  winning  him  recognition, 
while  his  interest  in  the  progress  of  Long  Beach 
and  the  promotion  of  its  welfare  have  given  him 
a  place  among  the  influential  citizens. 


T.  E.  RICKARD.  Retired  from  active  busi- 
ness life,  T.  E.  Rickard  lives  in  a  fine  new  resi- 
dence in  the  San  Jacinto  valley,  on  his  thirty- 
two  and  a  half  acre  ranch  three  miles  southeast 
of  Hemet,  which  is  planted  to  oranges.  He  has 
amassed  a  comfortable  fortune  during  his  life 
and  is  now  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  labors  con- 
tent with  what  he  has  gained.  The  Rickard 
family  is  one  of  the  old  established  ones  of  cen- 
tral Illinois,  T.  E.  having  been  born  in  that  state 
in  Sangamon  county,  July  2,  1850,  the  son  of 
Simon  P.  and  Sophia  (Earnest)  Rickard,  natives 
respectively  of  Virginia  and  Kentucky.  The 
elder  Rickard  became  a  pioneer  of  Sangamon 
county  in  1832,  when  he  bought  wild  land  and 
engaged  in  farming,  continuing  in  that  occupa- 
tion and  in  the  same  location  until  the  time  of 
his  death,  in  Mav,  i8gT,  having  attained  the 
age  of  seventy-eight  years.  His  wife  is  still  liv- 
ing at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-five  years  and 
resides  on  the  original  Illinois  homestead. 


It  was  the  privilege  of  T.  E.  Rickard  to  re- 
ceive a  very  fine  education,  and  after  his  gradu- 
ation from  the  high  school  of  Spring-field,  111., 
he  entered  the  University  of  Illinois,  becoming  a 
member  of  the  first  class  graduated  from  that 
institution.  When  his  education  was  completed 
he  returned  to  his  home  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing until  1901,  in  the  summer  of  which  year  he 
removed  to  California  and  purchased  an  apricot 
orchard  in  Hemet  valley.  After  holding  this 
property  one  year  he  resided  in  Pasadena  for  a 
like  period,  then  returned  to  Illinois  for  a  time. 
This  land  of  sunshine  proved  too  alluringly  at- 
tractive to  be  resisted,  however,  and  he  soon  de- 
cided to  make  his  permanent  residence  here,  and 
upon  his  return  settled  in  his  present  home'  near 
Hemet. 

In  1879,  in  Illinois,  Mr.  Rickard  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Kate  E.  Boardman,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Lucius  M.  Boardman,  of  Ohio,  whose 
family  came  originally  from  Connecticut.  Seven 
children  have  blessed  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Rickard :  Lucius  S.,  at  home ;  Lawrence  E.,  on 
the  old  home  farm  in  Illinois ;  those  still  under 
the  parental  roof  being  Frances  Beatrice ;  Ernest 
W.,  who  is  ready  to  enter  Stanford  University ; 
Howard  B. ;  Raymond  W.  and  Katharine  Helen. 
The  family  attend  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
Dtu-ing  their  residence  here  they  have  demon- 
strated their  progressiveness,  being  willing  at 
all  times  to  lend  a  hand  to  further  the  advance- 
ment and  upbuilding  of  the  community. 


ALFRED  H.  OWENS.  A'  liberal  and  en- 
terprising citizen  and  one  whose  faith  is  un- 
bounded in  the  future  of  Long  Beach,  Alfred  H. 
Owens  is  engaged  with  the  Inter-State  Dock  & 
Lumber  Company,  of  this  place,  becoming  asso- 
ciated with  the  lumber  business  in  1894.  He 
was  born  January  14,  1861,  in  Missouri,  from 
which  state  he  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Jef- 
ferson county,  Kans.,  when  only  three  months 
old.  He  grew  to  young  manhood  on  the  pater- 
nal farm  in  that  locality  and  received  his  edu- 
cation through  the  medium  of  the  district  school 
in  the  vicinity  of  his  home.  His  father,  J.  H. 
Owens,  is  now  residing  in  Pomona,  Cal.,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-eight  years,  while  his  wife,  formerly 
Margaret  J.  Varney,  died  in  that  place  in  1900. 

Following  the  family  to  California,  to  which 
state  they  were  attracted  by  the  glowing  reports 
which  are  constantly  finding  their  way  back  to 
the  states  of  the  middle  west,  whose  rigorous 
winters  detract  much  from  the  pleasure  of  living 
there,  Alfred  H.  Owens  began  as  a  farmer  upon 
his  arrival.  He  located  on  the  Bixby  ranch  near 
the  present  site  of  Long  Beach,  and  was  an  eye- 
witness to  the  beginning  of  the  city  and  its  sub- 
sequent growth.     In   1804  It-'  hecanie  associated 


1978 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


with  the  hmiber  business  as  teamster,  and  after 
working  in  the  }ards  of  the  Long  Beach  Lvnn- 
ber  Compan\-  for  five  years,  became  foreman, 
which  position  he  occupied  for  two  years  longer. 
Leaving  that  company  he  engaged  with  the  In- 
ter-State Dock  &  Lumber  Company  as  checker, 
after  which  he  assisted  in  the  laying  out  of  the 
present  yards,  then  spent  six  months  in  the  of- 
fice, subsequently  becoming  foreman  of  the 
yards,  which  position  he  still  occupies.  He  is  a 
man  of  honor  and  integrity  and  enjoys  the  con- 
fidence of  those  with  whom  he  is  associated. 

In  Long  Beach,  in  1883,  Mr.  Owens  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Laura  L.  ]\Iartin,  a  na- 
tive of  Indiana,  but  a  resident  of  California 
from  girlhood.  They  became  the  parents  of 
the  following  children :  Clyde  Sherman,  a 
teamster  in  the  yards :  \'\llliam  H..  a  machine 
hand  in  the  employ  of  the  Star  Lumber  Com- 
pany ;  Agnes  May  and  Ethel.  \Mth  his  family 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  polit- 
ically is  a  strong  adherent  of  the  principles  ad- 
vocated in  the  platform  of  the  Republican  party. 
Fraternally  he  is  associated  with  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Foresters  and  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World.  Mr.  Owens  has  been  interested  person- 
ally in  the  growth  and  upbuilding  of  Long 
Beach,  he  having  put  up  three  residences,  one 
on  Sixth  and  American  avenue :  one  on  Locust 
between  Fourth  and  Fifth  :  and  in  1904  one  at 
No.  935  American  avenue. 


ANDRE^^^  K.  RUTTER.  There  is  perhaps 
no  resident  of  Southern  California  whose  ex- 
perience as  a  lapidary  has  been  more  varied  or 
whose  knowledge  of  stones  is  more  diversified 
than  that  of  Mr.  Rutter,  who  for  some  years 
has  been  the  owner  and  proprietor  of  the  Re- 
dondo  shell  store.  To  promote  work  at  his  spe- 
cialty, which  is  that  of  cutting  and  polishing 
beach  stones,  he  has  introduced  a  modern  polish- 
ing plant  operated  by  electric  power  furnished 
by  his  own  dynamos.  \\'ith  the  keen  eye  of  a 
student  of  stones,  he  was  the  first  to  notice  the 
beautiful  stones  on  the  Redondo  beach  and  at 
once  began  to  develop  the  business,  polishing 
the  first  sardonyx,  or  agate  jaspers,  and  moon- 
stones here,  and  selling  the  same  to  tourists.  At 
the  same  time  he  has  gathered  together  a  col- 
lection of  sea  shells.  At  his  store  may  be  seen 
a  rare  and  valuable  collection  of  Indian  relics, 
including  implements  taken  from  old  Indian 
graves  at  Redondo  which  have  found  no  dupli- 
cates at  the  Smithsonian  Institution  or  elsewhere 
in  the  world. 

In  Medina  county.  Oh.io.  Andrew  K.  Rutter 
was  horn  Septen-iber  76,  18.SO,  being  the  eldest 
of  the  six  children  of  Isaac  N.  and  Alary  (Kol- 
lar)    Rutter.  natives  respectively   of   Pennsylva- 


nia and  Tuscarawas  count}-,  Ohio.  His  father, 
who  followed  the  tailor's  trade  in  Ohio,  took  up 
farm  pursuits  after  removing  to  Cowley  county, 
Kans.,  and  at  this  writing  he  and  his  wife  are 
living  in  quiet  retirement  at  Pawnee,  Okla. 
After  completing  the  studies  of  the  public 
schools,  Andrew  K.  Rutter  took  a  course  in  the 
Mycrantz  Academy  at  Br}an,  Ohio.  From  the 
age  of  twenty-two  until  twenty-seven  he  en- 
gaged in  teaching  school,  and  with  the  savings 
of  that  period  he  embarked  in  the  grocery  busi- 
nes.s  at  JMontpelier,  \Mlliams  county,  Ohio. 
Next  he  went  to  Kansas  and  from  there  in  1879 
proceeded  toward  the  southwest.  For  some 
years  he  engaged  in  exploring  in  the  states  of 
Sonora  and  Chihuahua,  Mexico,  and  in  the  ter- 
ritories of  Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  during 
which  time  he  located  more  than  forty  claims, 
but  only  one  of  these,  the  Youngman,  proved  to 
be  a  paying  proposition.  The  year  1886  found 
him  in  Portland,  Ore.,  where  he  remained  for 
two  years.  Next  he  explored  in  the  Rocky 
mountains  for  crystals  and  gems,  which  he 
shipped  to  the  markets.  About  this  time  he  dis- 
covered a  topaz  crystal  forty-six  inches  long  and 
six  inches  thick,  which  was  the  largest  stone  of 
the  kind  ever  found  in  Colorado.  The  news  of 
his  discovery  was  noised  throughout  the  coun- 
tn,"  and  the  Santa  Fc  Railroad  Company  bor- 
rowed the  stone  for  tlie  purpose  of  exhibiting  it 
in  their  collection,  but  while  in  their  hands  the 
stone  was  lost. 

After  coming  to  Los  Angeles  in  1897  ?^Ir. 
Rutter  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  and  then 
resumed  lapidary  work,  but  in  1901  left  that 
city  for  Redondo,  where  he  has  since  engaged 
in  business  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  Re- 
dondo Board  of  Trade.  Though  not  active  in 
politics,  he  is  pronounced  in  his  adherence  to 
the  Republican  party  and  always  votes  the  regu- 
lar ticket.  During  the  period  of  his  sojourn  in 
Colorado  he  met  and  married  Miss  Harriet  Fical, 
who  was  born  in  New  York  state  and  who 
shares  with  him  the  esteem  of  the  people  of 
their  home  town. 


ED\\TN  P.  DEWEY.  In  a  direct  line  Ed- 
win P.  Dewey  can  trace  his  ancestry  back  to 
Giarlemagne,  the  present  generation  being  the 
forty-first  removed  from  that  illustrious  king. 
In  1833  Thomas  Dewey  of  Kent  County,  Eng- 
land, came  to  Boston  and  later  removed  to  Con- 
necticut. One  of  his  descendants  moved  to  New 
Hampshire  and  then  reared  fourteen  sons,  one 
of  whom.  David,  was  the  great-grandfather  of 
Edwin  P.,  and  another  son  was  the  same  rela- 
tion to  Admiral  Dewey  of  present  military  fame. 
William  Dewey  was  at  one  time  colonel  of  a 
\"ermont  company  of  militia.     Edwin  P.  Dewey 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1979 


was  born  June  9,  1859,  "^  Hanover,  N.  H.,  the 
son  of  Ira  and  Isabelle  (Knapp)  Dewey,  the 
former  a  native  of  Williamstown,  A't.,  and  the 
latter  born  in  New  York,  the  daughter  of  Sylves- 
ter Knapp,  who  lived  his  entire  life  in  that  state. 
The  death  of  Mrs.  Dewey  occurred  in  New 
Hampshire.  The  father  was  by  occupation  a 
farmer  and  also  served  as  town  clerk  for  many 
years.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  he  en- 
listed in  Company  B,  Fifth  Regiment  of  New 
Hampshire  \"oluntecr  Infantry,  and  served  un- 
til the  close  of  the  war.  At  the  battle  of  Cold 
Harbor  he  was  wounded  and  captured  by  the 
enemy  and  confined  in  Libby  prison,  from  which 
he  was  released  by  excliange.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Congregational  Church,  a  man  of  up- 
right character  and  high  principles,  and  his 
death  which  occurred  in  New  Hampshire,  was 
universally  mourned  by  all  who  knew  him. 
There  were  two  sons  in  the  family  and  Charles 
S.  is  now  a  resident  of  Vermont., 

Edwin  P.  Dewey  spent  his  boyhood  da3S  on 
a  farm  within  sound  of  the  old  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege bell.  He  received  a  preliminary  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Hanover  and  Lebanon, 
afterward  entering  Dartmouth  College,  from 
which  institution  of  learning  he  graduated  in 
1882  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science. 
Subsequently  he  took  a  course  in  The  Thayer 
School  of  Civil  Engineering  in  Dartmouth,  after 
which  for  five  years  he  was  principal  of  the 
IMarcellus  street  school  in  Boston.  He  next 
taught  a  public  evening  school  in  that  city,  at 
the  same  time  occupying  a  position  as  civil  en- 
gineer in  the  city  surveying  department.  A  part 
of  the  time  he  was  connected  with  the  engineer- 
nig  department  of  the  Boston  &  Maine  Railroad 
and  was  at  one  time  assistant  city  engineer  of 
iMalden.  In  1894  he  came  to  California  and 
located  in  Pasadena,  where  he  was  occupied  as 
a  civil  engineer  for  several  years,  then  removed 
to  Long  Beach,  where,  until  February,  1906, 
he  filled  the  office  of  deputy  city  engineer.  At 
that  date  he  resigned  to  become  one  of  the  in- 
corporators of  the  Harbor  Iron  Works,  of  which 
he  is  secretary  and  treasurer.  The  works  are 
now  located  at  No.  237  Olive  avenue,  but  will 
soon  remove  to  the  corner  of  Riverside  Drive 
and  Third  street,  which  site  has  a  harbor  front- 
age. As  a  specialty  they  will  manufacture  gaso- 
line marine  engines.  Besides  sharing  in  the 
ownership  of  this  manufacturing  business  he 
also  has  real  estate  interests  in  the  thriving  city 
of  Long  Beach. 

The  first  marriage  of  l\Ir.  Dewey  united  him 
with  Miss  Emma  Philbrick,  a  native  of  Boston, 
and  her  death  occurred  in  1899  in  Pasadena. 
Later  he  was  married  in  Boston  to  Miss  Louise 
Milne,  also  a  native  of  that  city.  In  1883  he 
was  made  a   Mason  in   Franklin   Lodge   No.  6, 


A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Lebanon,  N.  H.,  and  is  now 
master  of  Long  Beach  Lodge  No.  327,  F.  & 
A.  M. ;  he  also  belongs  to  the  Order  of  Eastern 
Star  and  the  Cosmopolitan  Club.  Politically  he 
is  an  advocate  of  the  principles  of  the  Repub- 
lican party.  Interested  in  all  enterprises  tend- 
ing toward  the  higher  development  and  upbuild- 
ing of  his  city,  and  possessed  of  many  admir- 
able personal  qualities,  j\Ir.  Dewey  is  held  in 
the  highest  esteem  bv  his  fellow-citizens. 


ABRAHAjM  L.  king.  Prominent  among 
the  representative  citizens  and  prosperous  agri- 
culturists of  Los  Angeles  county  is  Abraham  L. 
King,  of  Palms,  who  owns  and  occupies  a  highly 
improved  and  well  managed  farm.  He  has 
achieved  success  in  his  vocation  by  his  own  un- 
aided exertions,  and  is,  in  fact,  a  self-made  man, 
starting  out  in  life  with  nothing  but  youth  in 
his  favor,  and  his  endowments  of  fine  health,  a 
vigorous  muscle,  and  a  clear,  cool  brain.  After 
all,  a  man  possessing  these  is  rich,  indeed,  from 
the  beginning,  and  need  fear  nothing.  A  son  of 
Abraham  N.  King,  he  was  born  December  24, 
1866,  at  ^lason  City,  Iowa. 

A  native  of  Wisconsin,  Abraham  N.  King 
became  a  farmer  from  choice,  and  the  owner 
of  three  Inmdred  and  twenty  acres  of  land. 
Moving  to  Inwa.  he  there  followed  his  inde- 
pendent occupation  in  dilferent  places,  being 
engaged  in  grain  and  stock  raising.  Coming  to 
Los  Angeles  countv  in  1882,  he  bought  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  acres  of  bottom  land,  lying  one 
and  one-half  miles  west  of  Palms,  and  there 
b}-  sturdy  industry  improved  a  good  ranch,  on 
which  he  lived  a  number  of  years.  He  is  now 
retired  from  active  business  cares,  making  his 
liome  at  Sawtelle.  He  is  highly  respected  as 
a  man  and  a  citizen,  and  is  a  w'arm  supporter 
of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  In 
Wisconsin  he  married  Alice  Thompson,  and  they 
are  the  parents  of  seven  children,  namely : 
Abraham  L..  the  subject  of  this  sketch  :  Frank, 
wdio  resides  near  Venice :  Fred,  foreman  of  the 
Jotham  Bixby  ranch  at  Long  Beach ;  Walter ; 
Edith,  wife  of  S.  G.  Hall,  of  Inglewood;  Mamie, 
wife  of  Edward  Wade,  of  Gardena;  and  Oscar, 
of  Fowler,  Cal. 

Completing  his  early  education  in  the  schools 
at  Cherokee,  Iowa,  .Vbraham  L.  King  came  with 
the  family  to  California  in  1882.  On  coming 
of  age,  in  1887,  he  started  out  for  himself,  work- 
ing by  the  day  or  month,  and  saving  money. 
Accumulating  a  small  sum,  he  invested  it  in 
land,  buying  fifteen  acres,  and  in  addition  to 
carrying  this  on,  he  rented  nine  hundred  acres 
and  embarked  on  his  chosen  career.  Succeed- 
ing well  in  his  operations  he  subsequently  pur- 
chased his  present  home  ranch  of  one  hundred 


1980 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  thirty  acres  at  Palms.  Energetic  and  en- 
terprising, he  has  been  exceedingly  prosperous 
in  all  of  his  undertakings,  gaining  experience 
and  ability  as  the  years  have  passed  on,  and  now 
in  the  prime  of  life,  has  won  an  honored  posi- 
tion among  the  successful  and  influential  agri- 
culturists of  the  community.  Mr.  King  married 
Frankie  LeForge  and  they  have  four  children, 
namel>- :  Shirley.  Harry,  Alta  and  Ruth.  Polit- 
ically -Mr.  King  is  a  straightforward  Republican. 


JOHN  J.  PECKHAM,  M.  D.  The  oldest 
and  leading  physician  of  Avalon  is  John  J. 
Peckham,  M.  D.,  who  has  been  a  resident  of 
California  since  1883.  He  is  a  man  of  broad  ed- 
ucation, has  traveled  much,  encountering  many 
interesting  experiences,  and  has  many  friends 
all  over  the  country.  His  family  is  of  English 
descent,  the  early  immigrants  to  this  country  be- 
longing to  the  Society  of  Friends,  and  settling 
in  Rhode  Island,  \vhere  the  grandfather  of  Dr. 
Peckham  was  born.  Later  he  removed  to  a 
farm  in  Washington  county,  N.  Y.,  and  there 
the  son,  Joseph  W.,  was  born,  engaged  in  farm- 
ing during  his  lifetime,  and  there  his  death  oc- 
curred. His  wife,  who  was  Elizabeth  Gifford 
before  her  marriage,  was  born  in  Easton,  Wash- 
ington county,  N.  Y.,  and  died  there  at  the  age 
of  seventy-eight  years.  Her  father,  Allan  Gif- 
ford,  lived  to  the  remarkable  age  of  ninety-six 
years. 

There  were  seven  children  in  the  family  of 
which  Dr.  Peckham  was  a  member,  three  of 
whom  are  now  living.  He  was  the  youngest 
and  was  born  July  8,  1851,  in  Easton,  Wash- 
ington county,  N.  Y.,  his  boyhood  days  being- 
spent  on  his  father's  farm.  For  his  preliminary 
education  he  was  sent  to  the  public  schools,  later 
entered  Marshall  Academy,  then  studied  medi- 
cine for  a  time  under  his  older  brother,  Dr.  Al- 
lan G.  Peckham.  He  afterwards  took  a  course 
at  Hahnemann  Medical  College  in  Philadelphia, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1874  with  the  de- 
gree of  M.  D.  The  succeeding  two  years  he 
practiced  his  profession  in  Saratoga  county,  N. 
Y.,  and  from  there  removed  to  Albany,  where 
he  was  connected  with  the  Homes  City  Hospital 
and  practiced  for  seven  years.  At  this  time  his 
health  failed  and  he  sought  the  climate  of 
the  Pacific  coast  in  the  hope  of  bettering  it, 
spending  two  year=  each  in  Los  Angeles,  Sac- 
ramento and  San  Diego.  In  1889  he  went  to 
Antelope  Valley,  Los  Angeles  county,  and  tried 
the  plan,  which  was  original  with  him.  of  tak- 
ing the  outdoor  treatment  in  a  tent  house.  While 
rusticating  there  it  gradually  became  a  habit 
with  the  people  who  were  scattered  over  the  sur- 
rounding country  to  call  upon  him  for  medical 
services  and  his  practice  soon  covered  a  coun- 


try embracing  territory  fifty  miles  in  extent.  He 
was  appointed  by  President  Harrison  postmaster 
of  Alpine,  the  name  of  which  station  was  changed 
to  Harold  at  the  suggestion  of  the  doctor,  and 
held  the  position  for  two  years.  Having  recov- 
ered his  health,  in  1891  he  went  to  San  Fran- 
cisco and  engaged  in  practice  for  a  couple  of 
years,  and  for  one  year  subsequent  to  1893  act- 
ed as  surgeon  for  the  English  Alountain  Gold 
Mining  Company  in  Nevada  county.  The  con- 
dition of  his  wife's  health  demanding  a  change 
at  this  time  they  again  came  to  Southern  Cali- 
fornia and  located  on  Big  Rock  creek,  in  the 
Antelope  valley,  remaining  there  for  two  years. 
The  continued  ill  health  of  his  wife  decided  him 
to  locate  directly  on  the  coast  and  he  located  at 
San  Pedro,  where  he  was  employed  as  physi- 
cian by  Helmyer  &  Neu,  the  contractors  for  the 
old  and  new  breakwaters  at  that  point.  Later 
the  government  changed  contractors  and  in  igoo 
Dr.  Peckham  located  in  Avalon,  where  he  has 
ever  since  continued  his  medical  practice.  He 
is  also  engaged  in  the  drug  business,  being  one 
of  the  proprietors  of  the  Island  Pharmacy  Com- 
pany, which  carries  a  full  line  of  drugs  and 
sundries,  having  the  largest  stock  of  drugs  in  the 
county  outside  of  Los  Angeles.  He  fills  the  office 
of  deputy  health  officer  of  Catalina  township, 
and  is  at  the  same  time  deputy  county  recorder. 
He  is  also  medical  examiner  for  several  of  the 
old  line  life  insurance  companies,  including  the 
Phoenix  Life  of  Hartford,  the  Mutual  Life  of 
New  York,  and  the  New  York  Life.  Fraternal- 
ly he  is  affiliated  with  the  Avalon  Eyrie  of 
Eagles  No.  1385,  of  which  he  is  examining 
physician;  he  was  made  a  Mason  in  Temple 
Lodge  No.  14,  A.  F.  &  A.  M..  at  Albany,  N. 
Y.,  and  also  was  raised  to  the  Royal  Arch  de- 
gree in  that  city.  Politically  he  is  an  advocate  of 
the  principles  embraced  in  the  platform  of  the 
Republican  party. 

The  first  marriage  of  Dr.  Peckham  occurred 
in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  uniting  him  with  Emma  Clay, 
who  was  born  in  Syracuse',  and  his  present  wife 
was,  before  her  marriage,  Frances  Mackey,  a 
native  daughter  of  Los  Angeles.  Dr.  Peckham 
is  a  successful  physician  and  business  man,  hon- 
est and  upright  in  all  his  dealings  and  is  held 
in  the  highest  esteem  bv  all  who  know  him. 


ELMER  HERMAN  THOMPSON.  M.  D. 
A  resident  of  Burbank  since  May,  1905,  Elmer 
Herman  Thompson,  i\I.  D.,  has  acquired  a  po- 
sition of  considerable  prominence  in  professional, 
business,  and  social  circles.  A  young  man  of 
talent  and  culture,  he  has  an  extensive  knowl- 
edge of  the  science  of  his  chosen  profession  and 
is  fast  establishing  an  enviable  reputation  for 
his  skill  and  ability  in  the  diagnosis  and  treat- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


3981 


meiit  of  diseases.  He  was  born  March  7,  1878, 
in  Wisconsin,  and  in  the  public  schools  of  that 
state  laid  a  substantial  foundation  for  his  future 
education.  Deciding  to  fit  himself  for  a  medi- 
cal career,  Mr.  Thompson  studied  for  two  years 
at  the  American  Medical  College  in  Battle 
Creek,  Mich.,  prior  to  which  he  had  spent  a 
year  at  the  Battle  Creek  Sanitarium.  In  Decem- 
ber, 1900,  he  entered  Rush  Medical  College,  at 
Chicago,  III,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with 
the  degree  of  M.  D.  in  the  class  of  1903.  Open- 
ing then  an  office  at  Superior,  Wis.,  he  remained 
there  two  years,  when,  on  account  of  ill  health, 
he  was  obliged  to  give  up  the  large  practice 
which  he  had  established  and  seek  a  more  con- 
genial climate.  Coming  to  Los  Angeles  county, 
he  located  in  Burbank  in  May,  1905,  opening 
an  office,  and  has  now  a  substantial  and  rapidly 
increasing  practice.  He  is  very  successful  as  a 
physician,  being  painstaking  in  every  particular, 
carrying  his  own  drugs  and  filling  the  prescrip- 
tions himself.  While  in  Wisconsin,  he  was  sur- 
geon for  a  railway  company,  and  November  15, 
1905,  he  was  appointed  emergency  surgeon  for 
the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Company. 

June  19,  1904,  in  Chicago,  III,  Dr.  Thompson 
married  Louise  Kindig,  and  they  have  one  child, 
a  daughter  named  Dorothy.  Politically  Dr. 
Thompson  is  a  strong  Republican.  He  belongs 
to  the  Wisconsin  State  Medical  Society,  and  to 
the  Douglas  county  (Wis.)  Medical  Society, 
and  fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  both  the  Mod- 
ern Samaritans  and  the  Mystic  Workers. 


ABRAHAM  RAPHAEL.  Situated  one  and 
one-half  miles  from  Moneta  lies  the  Raphael 
ranch  of  forty  acres,  which  for  some  years  has 
been  under  the  active  management  of  Abraham 
Raphael.  The  property  has  been  improved  with 
a  neat  set  of  buildings  and  a  pumping  plant  that 
furnishes  an  abundance  of  water  for  the  alfalfa 
and  other  products  of  tlie  land.  By  reason  of 
these  improvements  and  the  excellent  quality  of 
the  soil,  the  land  is  easily  worth  $500  per  acre, 
ranking  among  the  most  valuable  tracts  of  its 
size  in  the  vicinity  of  Moneta  and  Gardena,  and 
owing  much  to  the  energetic  supervision  of  its 
present  manager,  who  came  to  this  place  from 
Los  Angeles  after  an  experience  of  ten  years  in 
that  city  at  the  trade  of  stationary  engineer. 

The  life  history  of  Mr.  Raphael's  father, 
Charles,  shows  what  it  is  within  the  power  of 
a  talented  and  energetic  man  to  accomplish, 
though  poor  and  friendless  and  alone  in  a  strange 
country.  Born  in  Germany  April  13,  1844.  he 
received  a  fair  German  education  and  then 
learned  the  glazier's  trade,  receiving  registered 
papers  from  the  government  of  his  native  land 
certifying  to  his  ability  as  a  machinist  and  gla- 


zier. At  fifteen  years  of  age  he  went  to  Eng- 
land, where  a  year  later  he  had  charge  of  a 
large  glass  factory  employing  fifty  men.  In 
1865,  at  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  crossed  the 
ocean  to  New  York,  but  sought  in  vain  in  that 
city  and  Boston  for  profitable  work  at  his  trade. 
After  two  years  marked  by  steady  lack  of  suc- 
cess he  came  to  California  via  the  Panama  route 
and  brought  with  him  the  first  art  glass  show- 
case ever  in  this  state.  At  San  Francisco  he 
started  in  the  plate-glass  business,  but  soon  re- 
moved to  Los  Angeles,  where  for  many  years 
he  conducted  a  growing  business  in  his  spe- 
cialty. 

When  Charles  Raphael  landed  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, his  worldly  possessions  consisted  of  only 
Si,  and  seventy-five  cents  of  this  he  paid  for  his 
first  meal  in  the  city,  giving  the  remaining  quar- 
ter to  the  waiter.  Though  penniless,  he  was  not 
discouraged,  for  he  had  youth,  health  and  the 
knowledge  of  an  important  trade.  That  he  util- 
ized the  following  years  to  advantage  is  shown 
by  the  fact  that  in  1887  he  sold  his  interest  in 
the  glass  business  to  his  nephews  for  $100,000. 
Since  then  the  business  has  continued  under  the 
old  name  of  Raphael  &  Co.,  and  still  ranks 
among  the  leading  enterprises  of  the  city.  After 
he  had  disposed  of  all  his  stock  in  the  company 
he  frequently  assisted  his  nephews  and  enjoyed 
following  the  routine  of  work  familiar  to  him 
through  so  many  successful  years.  While  thus 
engaged.  May  26,  1905,  he  was  killed  by  a  crate 
that  weighed  one  thousand  pounds  falling  on 
him.  The  estate  is  now  in  the  hands  of  trustees 
and  has  not  been  divided  among  the  heirs. 
Shortly  after  coming  to  Los  Angeles  he  built  on 
Second  street  and  Broadway  one  of  the  very 
first  frame  houses  erected  in  the  town  and  later 
he  took  stock  in  the  first  street-car  line  estab- 
lished at  this  point.  Other  infant  industries 
owed  much  to  his  encouragement  and  financial 
assistance,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  still 
owned  considerable  property  in  Los  Angeles,  as 
well  as  stock  in  various  concerns.  In  religion 
he  was  a  member  of  the  B'nai  Brith  congrega- 
tion and  did  much  to  assist  in  the  establishment 
and  maintenance  of  the  church  of  his  faith  in 
his  home  town. 

After  coming  to  California  Charles  Raphael 
met  and  married  Bertha  Coleman,  who  was  born 
in  Germany  and  came  to  the  United  States  in 
childhood,  settling  at  Providence,  R.  I.,  whence 
she  came  to  California  by  way  of  Cape  Horn. 
A  devoted  wife  and  mother,  liberal  to  the  poor, 
generous  toward  the  needy,  her  death  June  7, 
1893,  ,was  mourned  as  a  loss  to  family  and 
friends.  In  addition  to  rearing  seven  children 
of  her  own,  she  gave  a  home  to  two  nephews 
and  also  took  care  of  a  number  of  poor  boys  at 
other  times,   her  husband   assisting  her   in   this 


1982 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


charitable  work.  They  were  the  parents  of  the 
following-named  children:  Rosa,  who  married 
H.  W.  Altman,  of  Los  Angeles ;  Aaron  C,  who 
is  employed  in  the  business  founded  by  his 
father;  Nellie,  Mrs.  I.  Oppheimer,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco ;  Rachel,  who  married  J.  E.  Fulton,  of  Los 
Angeles,  employed  as  a  conductor  on  the  South- 
ern Pacific  Railroad ;  Abraham,  who  was  born 
in  Los  Angeles,  October  17,  1875,  and  after  com- 
pleting a  high  school  education  took  up  the  trade 
of  stationary  engineer,  but  is  now  manager  of  a 
ranch  belonging  to  himself  and  his  two  brothers; 
jMeyer,  who  is  employed  in  the  house  established 
by  his  father;  and  Flora,  who  resides  in  San 
Francisco.  All  of  the  family  were  given  excellent 
advantages  and  hold  positions  of  importance  in 
their  several  communities,  the  son  whose  name 
introduces  this  article  bearing  a  reputation  for 
energy  and  capability,  and  holding  membership 
in  various  organizations,  including  the  Fraternal 
Brotherhood. 


LEWIS  E.  RANKER.  Of  an  active  and  en- 
terprising disposition,  endowed  by  nature  with 
a  resolute  will  and  an  unlimited  stock  of  energy, 
Lewis  F.  Ranker  began  life  for  himself  when  a 
mere  lad  and  has  met  with  deserved  success  in 
his  undertakings.  Well  known  in  the  business 
circles  of  Pomona  and  the  surrounding  country 
for  miles,  he  has  the  distinction  of  being  the 
most  up-to-date  and  practical  horse-shoer  in 
this  part  of  the  country  and  is  one  of  Pomona's 
most  thriving  and  esteemed  citizens.  Of  Ger- 
man birth  and  parentage,  he  was  born  in  Mit- 
telbach,  Saxony,  August  17,  1874,  a  son  of  Jo- 
seph and  ?^Iargaret  (Schmidt)  Ranger,  they  too 
being  natives  of  that  part  of  the  Fatherland. 
With  their  family  the  parents  immigrated  to  the 
United  States  in  1888,  first  settling  in  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  and  later  in  Tiffin,  that  state,  in  both  of 
which  cities  Mr.  Ranker  followed  his  trade  of 
blacksmith.  He  had  gained  a  fairly  good  start 
at  his  trade  when  death  called  him  from  his 
labors  in  1906,  and  his  wife  also  died  in  Tiffin 
in  1892. 

Of  the  nine  children  born  to  his  parents  Lewis 
F.  Ranker  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth,  but 
of  the  number  only  seven  are  now  living.  Up 
to  the  age  of  fourteen  his  life  was  associated 
with  his  native  land,  being  well  trained  in  the 
schools  and  gymnasium  of  Mittelbach,  and  in 
the  meantime  also  he  had  been  an  apt  pupil  in 
his  father's  blacksmith  shop.  By  diligent  appli- 
cation mornings  and  evenings  he  learned  the 
trade,  which  included  the  manufacture  of  nails 
and  horse  shoes  by  hand.  His  knowledge  of  the 
trade  proved  a  wise  provision,  both  for  himself 
and  for  the  family,  for  they  had  not  been  in 
Cleveland   long  before  the  entire   family   fell  ill 


with  typhoid  fever  with  the  exception  of  Lewis 
F.,  and  upon  him  depended  the  family  support 
for  the  time  being.  AA'ithout  difficulty  he  se- 
cured a  position  at  his  trade,  and  from  the  first 
received  what  for  a  boy  of  fourteen  years  was 
considered  a  munificent  wage,  his  employer  pay- 
ing him  $1.50  per  day.  He  contmued  to  work  at 
his  trade  in  that  city  until  1901,  when  he  opened 
a  shop  in  Clyde,  Ohio.  He  remained  there  only 
two  years,  however,  for  in  1903  he  came  to 
Pomona.  Purchasing  the  shop  then  owned  by 
Jacob  Ranker,  his  brother,  he  continued  the 
business  of  his  predecessor  at  the  same  stand  for 
three  months,  and  then  removed  to  larger  quar- 
ters at  No.  280  West  Third  street,  the  same 
which  he  occupies  today.  Not  only  is  Mr. 
Ranker  a  practical  horse-shoer,  but  he  under- 
stands treating  weak  and  diseased  feet,  and  all 
cases  of  interfering  and  knee-knocking  in  horses 
brought  to  him  receive  the  most  careful  and  ex- 
perienced attention. 

Mr.  Ranker's  marriage  occurred  in  Pomona 
and  united  him  with  Miss  JNIartha  J.  Thornton, 
who  was  born  in  Illinois.  JNIr.  Ranker  is  affili- 
ated with  a  number  of  fraternal  organizations, 
among  them  the  Independent  Order  of  For- 
esters, and  the  Fraternal  Brotherhood. 


LOUIS  S.  DART.  When  Air.  Dart  came  to 
San  Bernardino  county  in  1887  and  established 
his  dairy  ranch  near  Redlands  it  was  with  the 
determination  to  succeed  and  make  a  place  and 
name  for  himself  as  one  of  the  best  in  his  line  in 
the  county,  ^^'ith  this  as  his  goal  he  has  spared 
no  efforts  to  attain  the  highest  point  of  excel- 
lence in  the  production  of  his  dairy  commodities. 
Cleanliness  is  a  marked  feature  of  the  plant,  and 
that,  with  the  care  displayed  in  handling  the 
products,  makes  an  impression  upon  the  cus- 
tomer which  is  lasting,  and  stimulating  to  trade. 
Fifty  milch  cows  supply  the  dairy,  besides  which 
he  has  about  seventy-five  head  of  cattle. 

Of  eastern  birth  and  parentage,  Louis  S. 
Dart  is  a  son  of  Sidney  T.  and  Theodosia  (Ray) 
Dart,  born  in  Chenango  county,  N.  Y.,  Septem- 
ber I.  1854.  The  parents  were  also  natives  of 
the  Empire  state,  and  there  the  death  of  the 
mother  occurred.  The  father  is  still  living  in  his 
native  state  and  is  now  in  his  eighty-fifth  year, 
lii  his  earlier  years  he  joined  the  Masonic  order 
and  is  still  a  member  of  that  body.  In  his  relig- 
ious views  he  is  a  L^niversalist. 

Supplementing  the  education  gleaned  in  the 
common  schools  of  Chenango  county  by  a  five- 
year  course  in  Sherburne  Academy,  Mr.  Dart 
later  followed  teaching  for  five  years.  This, 
however,  was  not  the  line  of  work  most  agree- 
able to  him  and  in  the  meantime  he  had  decided 
to  master  the  carpenter's   trade.     With   this   at 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1983 


his  command  he  readily  found  all  that  he  could 
do,  and  for  three  years  worked  at  his  trade  in 
his  native  state.  Removing  as  far  west  as  Illi- 
nois at  the  end  of  this  time,  he  taught  school  in 
Lake  county  during  the  winter,  and  with  the 
opening  of  spring  crossed  over  into  Iowa,  where 
for  fourteen  years  he  worked  at  his  trade  in 
Marshalltown  continuously,  in  addition  to  con- 
tracting and  building.  His  next  removal  found 
him  in  Nebraska,  working  at  his  trade  in  Lin- 
coln, that  state,  as  well  as  in  Colorado,  whither 
he  went  seven  months  later.  From  there  in  1887 
he  came  to  California  and  in  1895  purchased  the 
ranch  of  thirty  acres  which  has  been  his  home 
ever  since.  Besides  himself  there  were  three 
other  children  in  the  parental  family,  but  he  is 
the  only  one  of  the  number  in  the  west. 

In  Marshalltown,  Iowa,  in  1877,  Mr.  Dart 
was  married  to  Delia  N.  Sanford,  a  native  of 
that  state,  and  six  children  were  born  to  them, 
as  follows:  Fred  (deceased),  Bessie,  Earl, 
George,  Guy  and  Frank.  Mr.  Dart's  political 
views  are  in  accord  with  Republican  principles. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason,  having  been  made  a 
member  in  Marshalltown  Lodge  No.  108,  and 
now  belongs  to  the  chapter  and  commandery  of 
that  place. 


MARSHALL  G.  STONE.  Riverside  is  one 
of  the  best  counties  in  the  state  of  California 
and  Valle  Vista  is  one  of  the  most  attractive 
parts  of  the  county.  Located  at  the  foot  of  the 
San  Jacinto  range,  at  an  elevation  of  about 
eighteen  hundred  feet,  it  has  a  most  perfect 
climate,  cool  and  free  from  wind  and  rain  storms. 
Valle  Vista  is  located  on  the  road  from  Hemet 
to  Idyllwild,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  spots  in  this  section,  and  an  ideal 
situation  for  a  town.  Marshall  G.  Stone,  who  is 
engaged  in  the  real-estate  business  in  Florida, 
or  Valle  Vista,  as  the  place  is  now  known,  is 
the  father  of  this  town  and  takes  great  pride  in 
the  natural  advantages  surrounding  the  [jlace  of 
his  choice  and  lends  the  greater  part  of  his  time 
and  energy  to  the  development  of  this  section. 
He  is  a  native  of  .Canada,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred in  Toronto  in  1848.  His  parents,  Mathew 
and  Sarah  (Greenhill)  Stone,  removed  to  Mil- 
waukee, Wis.,  when  Marshall  G.  was  but  four 
years  of  age,  and  later  resided  in  Dodge  county 
of  the  same  state.  Both  parents  are  now  de- 
ceased. The  son  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Columbus  and  Milwaukee,  and 
in  1867  located  in  Iowa,  where  for  twenty  years 
he  followed  stock  raising  and  farming  with  good 
success. 

His  residence  in  California  dates  from  1887, 
when  he  came  to  his  present  location,  four  and 
one-half  miles  east  of  Hemet,  and  has  consid- 


ered it  a  good  enough  place  to  remain  ever  since. 
He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Fairview 
Land  and  Water  Company,  serving  first  as  vice- 
president  and  later  as  president  of  the  company. 
He  superintended  the  development  of  a  part 
of  the  San  Jacinto  grant,  three  thousand  acres 
of  which  was  pui  chased  by  the  compan)-,  im- 
proved it  by  the  laying  out  of  streets,  planting 
of  trees  and  the  laying  of  nineteen  miles  of  iron 
pipe  for  water  mains.  The  acreage  was  divided 
into  twenty-acre  plots  and  sold  to  fruii  growers. 
Store  buildings  were  erected  and  also  a  fine 
hotel  was  built,  the  latter  being  now  occupied 
as  a  residence  by  ]\Ir.  Stone.  By  his  marriage 
in  Iowa  in  1873  he  was  united  with  Miss  Eliza 
Champion,  who  now  presides  over  his  home  in 
Valle  Vista. 


LAWRENCE  L.  GARNER.  The  ranch 
which  for  a  considerable  period  has  been  the 
headquarters  of  Mr.  Garner  and  which  is  oper- 
ated by  him  under  a  lease  comprises  four  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  situated  four  and  one-half 
miles  southwest  of  Ingle  wood  and  commonly 
known  as  the  \'ossburg  ranch.  The  raising  of 
barley  is  m.ade  a  special  feature  of  Mr.  Garner's 
farming  operations  and  in  addition  he  has  en- 
gaged successfully  in  the  raising  of  corn,  his 
ranch  being  excellently  adapted  for  almost  any 
variety  of  general  farm  product.  In  striking 
contrast  with  the  majority  of  the  farmers  of  this 
region,  he  has  not  engaged  in  extensive  agricul- 
ture, but  has  followed  the  methods  used  in  the 
eastern  states  and  has  given  his  attention  to 
general  crops  rather  than  to  horticulture  or  mar- 
ket gardening. 

Indiana  is  the  native  home  of  Mr.  Garner,  and 
Putnam  cormty  the  place  of  his  birth,  which 
occurred  March  12,  1864.  Nothing  of  especial 
importance  occurred  to  mark  the  years  of  his 
boyhood  and  youth,  vvhich  were  passed  in  the 
schoolroom  during  the  winter  months  and  in 
farm  work  during  the  summer  seasons.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years  he  started  out  to  make 
his  o\A'n  way  in  the  world  and  proceeded  to  Mis- 
souri, where  he  secured  employment  on  a  farm 
in  Bates  county,  .\bout  the  same  time  he  also 
worked  in  the  mines  at  Rich  Hill.  When  he 
took  up  farm  pursuits  as  a  renter  he  secured  a 
tract  of  land  and  began  the  raising  of  general 
farm  products,  remaining  in  the  same  vicinity 
for  nine  years.  At  the  expiration  of  that  period 
lie  came  to  California  and  for  a  year  worked  on 
the  wharf  at  Redondo.  after  which  he  acted  as 
manager  of  a  ranch  for  two  years,  and  then 
leased  the  ranch  where  now  he  is  busily  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits. 

Wliile  living  in  Bates  county.  Mo..  iMr.  Gar- 
ner met  and  married  Miss  Marv  F.  Rilev.  who 


1984 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


was  born  in  Kansas,  but  accompanied  her  family 
to  Missouri  at  an  early  age  and  passed  the  years 
of  girlhood  in  Bales  county.  Three  sons  were 
born  of  their  union,  Buford  G.,  Levi  Lester  and 
Lawrence.  Ever  since  attaining  his  majority 
Mr.  Garner  has  voted  the  Democratic  ticket  and 
has  given  his  support  to  its  men  and  measures, 
but  he  has  never  solicited  office  at  the  hands  of 
his  fellow-citizens,  having  little  inclination  to- 
ward public  responsibilities.  In  fraternal  rela- 
tions he  holds  membership  with  the  Woodm.en 
of  the  World  and  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees, 
in  both  of  which  organizations  he  maintains  a 
warm  interest. 


^IICHAEL  MAYER.  As  the  name  indicates 
the  I\  layer  family  is  of  German  extraction.  Mi- 
chael Mayer  is  a  native  of  Heidelberg  and  a 
member  of  a  family  long  identified  with  manu- 
facturing industries  in  that  part  of  Germany. 
In  the  city  where  he  was  born,  January  28,  1855, 
he  received  an  excellent  common  school  educa- 
tion, supplemented  by  a  complete  course  of  study 
in  Heidelberg  College,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated at  the  completion  of  his  course. 

Subsequent  to  graduation  Mr.  ]\Iayer  engaged 
in  the  wine  business  with  his  father,  and  after 
the  latter's  death  he  took  charge  of  the  estate, 
continuing  the  store  for  a  time.  Coming  to  the 
United  States  in  1902  he  bought  the  old  Casino 
in  Redondo  and  rebuilt  it  on  a  larger  scale  with 
modern  improvem.ents,  making  of  it  the  largest 
casino  on  the  coast.  Modem  bowling  alleys  have 
been  built  and  the  resort  has  been  made  one  at- 
tractive for  tourists  and  the  general  public.  Be- 
sides owning  the  building  and  business  he  is 
the  owner  of  residence  property  in  Redondo  and 
is  a  director  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Re- 
dondo. Politically,  since  becoming  a  citizen  of 
the  United  States,  he  has  voted  the  Republican 
ticket  at  all  elections,  and  in  fraternal  relations 
he  affiliates  with  the  Eagles. 


WILMOT  GEORGE  BROWN.  The  cashier 
of  the  First  State  Bank  of  Inglewood  is  a  mem- 
ber of  an  old  eastern  family  whose  identification 
with  American  history  dates  back  to  the  colonial 
period.  V'ery  early  in  the  settlement  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi valley  Stephen  H.  and  Margaret  ( Co- 
lany)  Brown,  natives  of  New  York  state,  be- 
came pioneers  of  Toulon,  Stark  county,  111.,  and 
from  there  in  1859  they  removed  to  Winona, 
Minn.,  where  again  thev  bore  a  part  in  the  de- 
velopment of  a  frontier  region.  Both  have 
pas.sed  from  earth's  activities,  but  all  of  their 
four  children  survive,  the  only  one  on  the  coast 
being  Charles  H.,  the  father  of  our  subject. 

While    the    familv    were    residents    of    Blue 


Earth,  Minn.,  Wilmot  George  Brown  was  born 
June  30,  1873.  When  he  was  ten  years  of  age 
he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Owatonna,  where 
he  was  graduated  from  the  high  school,  and 
later  became  a  clerk  in  the  Farmers'  National 
Bank  of  Owatonna.  At  the  age  of  eighteen 
years  he  was  made  paying  teller,  being  the 
youngest  to  hold  that  position  in  the  entire  state. 
Resigning  in  1898  he  removed  to  Dodge  Center, 
Minn.,  where  he  assisted  in  organizing  the 
Farmers'  National  Bank  and  held  the  office  of 
cashier  in  the  concern.  Upon  resigning  that 
position  in  1903  he  came  to  California,  and  spent 
a  year  at  Ocean  Park  and  Santa  Monica,  after 
which,  in  1904,  he  settled  at  Inglewood.  Since 
then  he  has  been  interested  as  treasurer  in  the 
Inglewood  Realty  Company,  promoters  of  Palm 
place  of  ten  acres  and  East  Acres,  a  tract  of 
eighty  acres.  In  May,  1905,  he  assisted  in  the 
organization  of  the  First  State  Bank  of  Ingle- 
wood, which  was  opened  for  business  on  the 
14th  of  October  of  that  year,  with  a  capital  stock 
of  $25,000.  The  bank  occupies  a  two-story 
structure,  50x60  feet,  constructed  of  solid  brick, 
and  equipped  with  Debolt  safe  and  steel  vault 
and  other  modern  appliances. 

The  marriage  of  Wilmot  G.  Brown  took  place 
in  Owatonna,  Minn.,  and  united  him  with  Miss 
Nora  I.  Montgomery,  who  was  born  in  that  city 
and  is  a  graduate  of  the  college  at  Carlton, 
Minn.  The  only  child  of  their  union  is  a  son, 
Stanley  Henry.  ^Vhile  living  at  Dodge  Center 
INIr.  Brown  was  mitiated  into  Masonry  and  ever 
since  has  been  a  warm  believer  in  the  high  prin- 
ciples for  which  the  order  stands.  The  Repub- 
lican party  receives  his  ballot  and  its  candidates 
have  his  stalwart  support.  In  religious  views  he 
is  of  the  Universalist  faith. 


JULES  J.  DELPY.  A  substantial  residence 
with  modern  improvements  and  attractive  ap- 
pointments forms  the  home  of  j\Ir.  Delpy  and 
ranks  among  the  most  elegant  country  houses  in 
its  district.  Surrounding  the  grounds  and  con- 
venient to  the  commodious  winery  may  be  seen 
the  vineyard  of  seventy-five-  acres  planted  to 
grapes  of  the  most  select  varieties,  while  in  ad- 
dition the  ranch  also  contains  a  considerable 
amount  of  grain  land,  its  entire  extent  compris- 
ing four  hundred  and  forty  acres.  Improve- 
ments are  made  each  year,  so  tliat  the  estate  has 
an  increasing  value,  while  its  cultivated  appear- 
ance bespeaks  the  thrift  of  the  owner.  The  suc- 
cess with  which  he  is  meeting  in  the  wine  busi- 
ness proves  that  the  industry  may  be  profitably 
prosecuted  in  the  locality. 

Born  in  the  south  of  France,  September  5. 
1867,  Jules  J.  Delpy  is  a  son  of  Bernard  and 
Anna  IDelpy,  natives  of  France  and  both  now  de- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1985 


ceased.  An  uncle,  B.  T.  Delpy,  came  to  San 
Diego  county  in  1875  and  took  up  a  homestead 
from  the  government.  Later  he  started  a  vine- 
yard and  operated  a  winery,  which  he  carried  on 
until  his  death,  in  1891,  at  the  age  of  fifty-nine 
years.  Meanwhile  he  had  become  widely  known 
through  all  this  part  of  the  country  and  the  fer- 
tile valley  where  he  lived  became  known  by  his 
name.  A  genial,  companionable  man,  he  pos- 
sessed the  affable  traits  for  which  the  French 
are  noted,  and  he  won  many  warm  friends 
among  his  American  associates. 

On  the  completion  of  his  education  Jules  J. 
Delpy  left  his  native  land  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
years  and  came  to  the  United  States,  landing  at 
New  Orleans.  The  same  year,  1884,  found  him 
in  California,  where  he  learned  the  winery  busi- 
ness under  his  uncle,  and  at  the  latter's  death  in- 
herited eighty  acres  of  valuable  land.  In  1893 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Maria 
Hauret,  of  Los  Angeles,  and  they  have  three 
sons,  Louis,  Frank  and  Jacques.  The  family  are 
identified  with  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  and 
contribute  to  its  charitable  organizations  and 
general  maintenance.  Not  only  in  Delpy  valley, 
but  also  wherever  known,  they  have  friends 
among  the  most  refined  and  intelligent  people 
and  are  respected  for  genuine  worth  of  charac- 
ter. 


DAVID  G.  WEBSTER.  One  of  the  large 
ranchmen  of  the  San  Jacinto  valley  is  David  G. 
Webster,  who  has  ninety  acres  of  land  on  the 
Idyllwild  road  devoted  to  the  raising  of  crops. 
He  was  born  August  3,  1861,  in  Paris,  III,  the 
son  of  William  B.  and  Mary  (Nevell)  Webster. 
the  former  a  native  of  Indiana  and  the  latter  of 
Athens,  Ohio,  her  father  having  been  an  officer 
in  the  war  of  1812.  The  Websters  became  early 
settlers  of  Illinois,  took  up  government  land 
there  and  engaged  in  farming  in  that  state  until 
1875,  when  Mr.  Webster  removed  with  his  fam- 
ily to  California,  landing  first  at  San  Francisco, 
from  which  point  he  came  by  water  to  San 
Pedro,  remaining  through  the  summer  in  Los 
Angeles  and  Compton.  In  September  of  that 
year  he  settled  in  the  San  Jacinto  valley,  in  which 
section  he  filed  on  government  land  and  pur- 
chased a  part  of  the  San  Jacinto  grant,  until  he 
at  one  time  owned  twenty-eight  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land,  upon  which  he  raised  a  great 
many  sheep,  cattle  and  horses.  He  erected  build- 
ings and  otherwise  improved  his  holding  and 
lived  on  the  place  until  his  death,  in  April,  1885. 
at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years.  He  was  one 
of  the  best  known  men  in  Southern  California 
during  his  life  and  made  friends  with  everv'one 
with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  Helen  Hunt 
Jackson  chose  him  as  the  original  of  her  char- 


acter Merrill  in  her  noted  novel  Ramona.  Mrs. 
Webster  lived  to  be  seventy  years  of  age,  her 
death  occurring  in  November,   1898. 

Until  the  age  of  fourteen  David  G.  Webster 
spent  his  life  in  Illinois,  attending  the  public 
schools  there.  Coming  to  California  with  his 
parents  in  1875  he  worked  with  his  father  until 
1897,  then  engaged  in  independent  farming  op- 
erations and  has  continued  as  an  agriculturist 
ever  since.  His  marriage  to  Miss  Nannie  B. 
Robinson,  a  native  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  took  plai:e 
March  10,  1897,  and  they  have  become  die  pa- 
rents of  one  child,  Mary,  aged  eight  years.  Mr. 
\Vebster  is  now  a  member  of  the  Florida  (or 
Valle  Vista)  board  of  school  trustees,  and  he 
takes  an  active  interest  in  all  matters  of  public 
interest  to  the  community  in  which  he  resides. 
Politically  he  is  an  advocate  of  the  principles 
embraced  in  the  platform  of  the  Republican 
party. 


ARTHUR  G.  WOODMAN.  Among  the 
prominent  contractors  and  builders  located  in 
Avalon,  on  Catalina  Island,  is  Arthur  G. 
Woodman,  who  has  been  a  resident  of  this 
place  since  1902.  He  is  a  native  of  Nova 
Scotia,  having  been  born  in  Digby,  February 
22,  1867,  the  son  of  John  C.  and  grandson  of 
Robert  Woodman,  both  of  whom  were  born 
in  the  same  location.  The  immigrating  an- 
cestor of  the  family,  came  from  England  in  an 
early  day  and  settled  in  New  England,  the 
family  belonging  to  what  was  known  as  the 
United  Empire  Loyalists.  The  grandfather 
was  a  large  landowner  in  Nova  Scotia,  and  the 
father  was  by  occupation  a  builder,  his  death 
occurring  in  Nova  Scotia.  The  mother  of  Mr. 
Woodman  was  before  her  marriage  Mary  Ann 
Rice,  born  in  Digby,  Nova  Scotia,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  Rice,  a  native  of  the  same  place. 
Her  family  was  also  an  old  established  one,  of 
French  extraction,  and  her  death  occurred  in 
the  same  province  in  which  she  was  born. 

Three  of  the  four  children  born  in  the  fam- 
ily of  which  Arthur  G.  Woodman  was  a  mem- 
ber are  now  living.  He  was  the  youngest 
child  and  was  reared  in  Nova  Scotia  until 
twelve  years  of  age,  when  his  parents  removed 
to  Massachusetts,  where  the  son  received  his 
education  in  the  public  schools.  In  his  six- 
teenth year  he  returned  to  Nova  Scotia  and 
clerked  in  a  grocery  store  for  a  year,  after 
which  he  began  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade. 
After  completing  his  apprenticeship  he  went 
to  East  Douglass,  JMass.,  plying  his  trade 
there  for  a  time,  later  becoming  an  independ- 
ent contractor  and  builder.  Changing  his  lo- 
cation he  was  occupied  for  two  years  in  the 
woodwork  department  of  the   Draper  Manu- 


1986 


HTSTORIC.M.  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


facturing  Company  in  Hopedale,  JNIass.  In 
1901  he  came  to  California,  locating  first  in 
Los  Angeles  and  in  the  spring  of  1902  re- 
moved to  Catalina.  After  following  his  trade 
for  a  time,  he  branched  out  as  a  contractor  and 
builder,  and  is  now  the  most  extensive  con- 
tractor in  Avalon.  He  has  an  attractive  resi- 
dence on  Whitley  avenue,  presided  over  by 
his  wife,  who  was  before  her  marriage  Viola 
Bridges,  a  native  of  East  Douglass,  Mass. 
They  have  one  daughter,  Lydia  Lolita.  Mrs. 
Woodman  is  a  finely  educated  woman  and  a 
graduate  nurse  from  the  Worcester  (Mass.) 
City  Hospital.  As  an  enterprising  business 
man  and  a  public-spirited  citizen  Mr.  Wood- 
man is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  all  who 
have  the  pleasure   of  his  acquaintance. 


HOWARD  MILTON  TODD.  There  have 
been  but  few  places  even  in  this  enterprising 
section  of  California  where  greater  interest  has 
been  taken  in  real  estate  dealings  than  in  Ocean 
Park  during  the  past  few  years,  where  the  sales 
and  transfers  of  realty  have  been  numerous  and 
notably  large.  One  of  the  most  active  men  en- 
gaged in  this  remunerative  business  is  Howard 
!\Iilton  Todd,  a  citizen  of  prominence.  A  son  of 
Joshua  Todd,  he  was  born  and  reared  in  How- 
ard county.  Mo.  His  father  was  born  in  Mary- 
land, of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry,  and  after  his  mar- 
riage with  Margaret  Jeffrey,  who  was  of  Ger- 
man descent,  he  immigrated  to  Missouri,  settling 
in  Howard  county,  where  both  he  and  his  wife 
spent  their  remaining  years. 

Next  to  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  six  chil- 
dren. Howard  i\Iilton  Todd  acquired  a  practical 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  New  Franklin, 
Mo.  While  yet  a  young  lad  he  became  inter- 
ested in  the  stock  business,  joining  his  oldest 
brother,  Theodore  H.  Todd.  S.  B.  Tinsley  and 
B.  E.  Nance  when  he  was  but  fifteen  years  old. 
Possessing  an  almost  intuitive  knowledge  of  the 
business,  and  showing  such  keen,  shrewd  judg- 
ment, he  was  ve^y  soon  entrusted  with  the  buy- 
ing of  cattle  and  hogs,  and  before  attaining  his 
majority  was  a  well-known  figure  in  several 
counties.  Beginning  for  liimself  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two  years,  he  was  ver>-  fortunate  as  a 
stock  buvcr  and  dealer,  handling  cattle  and  bogs 
by  the  train  loads  and  building  up  an  extensive 
business.  Selling  out  in  1900,  he  came  with  his 
family  to  California,  locating  on  a  ranch  near 
Sherman,  where  he  resided  for  a  while.  Subse- 
quently disposing  of  his  farming  interests  at  an 
advantage,  he  opened  a  real  estate  office  at  Ocean 
Park,  where  he  has  since  been  numbered  among 
the  influential  residents  of  the  place.  He  suc- 
ceeded well  in  his  new  line  of  occupation,  and 
since  his  association   with   his  present  partners. 


B.  T.  Allyn  and  R.  B.  Yaple.  has  carried  on  a 
substantial  business,  with  office  at  No.  180  Pier 
avenue.  He  takes  great  interest  in  local  affairs, 
is  a  member  of  the  Fraternal  Brotherhood,  and 
in  his  political  affiliations  is  a  loyal  Democrat. 

In  1875  Mr.  Todd  married,  in  Franklin.  Mo., 
Mary  Hanson,  and  into  the  household  thus  es- 
tablished nine  children  have  been  born,  namely : 
Cecil  (deceased),  Rol>erta,  Hov.ard  M.,  Grover 
Qeveland,  Benjamin  W.,  Margaret  T.,  Louise 
M.,  Percy  E.  and  Clifton  H. 


SAAIUEL  R.  McCREERY.  At  the  time  of 
purchase  in  1886  the  McCreery  ranch  of  eighty 
acres,  one  and  a  quarter  miles  south  of  the  city 
limits  of  Los  Angeles,  at  the  corner  of  \'er- 
mont  and  Florence  avenues,  was  a  barley  field, 
for  which  was  paid  $50  per  acre.  This  same 
property  was  sold  in  1906  for  $135,000.  Mr. 
McCreery  has  purchased  property  in  Los  An- 
geles, where  he  intends  to  make  his  home. 

Born  in  Pecatonica,  Winnebago  county.  III. 
March  30.  1858,  Samuel  R.  McCreery  is  a  son 
of  Rufus  K.  and  Mary  (Bull)  ^McCreery.  the 
former  a  native  of  Alaryland.  In  his  native 
state  as  well  as  in  Illinois,  to  which  state  he 
subsequently  removed,  the  father  carried  on  ag- 
ricultural pursuits,  but  finally  the  desire  to  come 
west  and  try  his  luck  in  the  mines  became  too 
strong  to  be  withstood  any  longer,  and  hither 
he  came,  working  in  the  mines  in  and  around 
La  Porte,  Plumas  county,  for  about  ten  years. 
When  he  had  become  fairly  established  he  sent 
for  his  wife,  who  followed  him  to  the  west  in 
1862,  when  her  son  Samuel  was  a  child  of 
four  years.  (A  more  complete  account  of  the 
parental  family  will  be  found  in  the  sketch  of 
Rufus  K.  McCreery,  which  appears  elsewhere 
in  this  volume.) 

Until  he  was  old  enough  to  be  of  use  to  his 
father  on  the  home  ranch  Samuel  R.  McCreery 
attended  the  public  schools  of  Los  Angeles,  later 
becoming  his  father's  assistant  in  improving 
the  ranch.  The  combined  efforts  of  father  and 
son  as  general  ranchers  and  dairymen  netted  a 
substantial  income,  and  in  fact  made  them  finan- 
cially independent.  When  he  was  thirty-seven 
years  old  the  son  formed  domestic  ties  and  there- 
after, until  selling  the  property  in  1906,  made 
his  home  on  a  part  of  the  tract  he  and  his  father 
had  cultivated  together  for  so  many  years. 
While  to  some  extent  he  carried  on  general 
ranching,  his  specialty  was  the  raising  of  alfalfa, 
of  which  he  cut  from  six  to  seven  crops  per 
season. 

^Fr.  AlcCreery's  marriage,  September  4,  1895, 
imited  him  with  Miss  Anna  Taggart.  who 
though  a  native  of  Belfast,  Ireland,  has  been  a 
resident  of  the  Lnited   States  almost  her  entire 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1987 


life,  having-  come  to  this  countr)-  with  her  par- 
ents when  a  very  small  child.  Mrs.  McCreery's 
brother,  Fred  Taggart,  was  librarian  in  the  Me- 
chanics' Pavilion  in  San  Francisco.  Two  chil- 
dren have  been  born  of  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  McCreery,  Maurice  Elliott  and  Walter 
King,  who  are  the  pride  of  their  parents,  and 
are  being  carefully  trained  for  future  citizen- 
ship. Mrs.  McCreery  is  a  member  of  the  Epis- 
copal Church,  which  her  husband  also  attends, 
and  toward  the  support  of  which  he  contributes. 
Politically  he  is  a  Republican,  and  while  he 
takes  a  helpful  interest  in  the  party's  well-being, 
this  is  not  to  be  understood  as  seeking  office,  for 
at  no  time  has  he  had  any  desire  for  public  life. 
The  only  fraternal  order  with  which  he  is  con- 
nected is  the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters, 
afifiliating  with  the  lodge  at  Los  Angeles. 


ROBERT  L.  BEARDSLEY.  The  possibil- 
ities of  achievement  on  the  part  of  industrious 
application  and  intelligent  energy  find  exempli- 
fication in  the  life  of  Robert  L.  Beardsley  and 
his  twin  brother,  Richard,  young  men  who  by 
their  own  efforts  have  gained  a  foothold  in  ag- 
ricultural affairs  in  Ventura  county  and  are  rec- 
ognized as  enterprising  farmers.  While  they 
are  yet  on  the  sunny  side  of  life's  prime,  al- 
ready they  have  gained  gratifying  success,  and 
their  farm  of  six  hundred  acres  is  one  of  the 
most  carefully  tilled  in  the  vicinity  of  Oxnard. 
One-half  of  the  entire  tract  is  under  cultivation 
to  lima  beans,  and  the  other  half  is  in  barley, 
the  income  from  the  two  crops  forming  a  val- 
uable addition  to  the  financial  standing  of  the 
young  men  each  year.  Those  who  are  most 
familiar  with  their  work  testify  as  to  their  en- 
ergy, uprightness  and  intelligent  cultivation  of 
their  land,  while  at  the  same  time  they  occupy 
a  distinct  position  in  the  best  society  of  the 
county. 

The  Beardsle)'  family  is  of  eastern  stock.  At 
an  early  age  George  Beardsley,  father  of  the 
brothers,  removed  from  his  native  Ohio  to  Wis- 
consin and  settled  upon  a  farm.  Prior  to  his 
removal  he  had  served  as  a  soldier  in 
the  Cfnion  army  during  the  Civil  war, 
enlisting  in  1862  as  a  private  in  Company 
E,  Seventh  Ohio  Infantry.  With  his  regiment 
he  marched  to  the  front  and  took  part  in  vari- 
ous battles  of  historic  importance.  While  he 
was  wounded  in  battle,  the  injuries  were  of  an 
unimportant  nature,  and  at  the  close  of  his  time 
of  service  he  returned  to  resume  agricultural 
pursuits  at  the  old  homestead.  After  thirteen 
years  in  Wisconsin  he  came  to  California  in  1887 
and  settled  at  Santa  Paula,  but  for  some  years 
past  he  has  been  an  inmate  of  the  Soldiers'  Home 
at  Sawtelle,  this  state,  while  his  wife  is  living 


in  Salt  Lake  City.  Their  sons,  Robert  and 
Richard,  were  born  in  I'epin  county,  Wis.,  Octo- 
ber 28,  1875,  ^nd  were  about  twelve  years  of 
age  when  the  family  removed  to  California, 
where  they  attended  the  Hueneme  schools.  Lat- 
er Richard  also  had  the  advantage  of  one  term 
of  study  in  Woodbury  College  at  Los  Angeles. 
After  leaving  school  they  began  to  work  by  the 
month  on  ranches  and  meanwhile  acquired  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  soil  and  its  needs  and 
possibilities. 

The  first  independent  undertaking  entered 
upon  by  the  brothers  occurred  in  1898,  when 
they  began  to  farm  in  Pleasant  valley,  and  in 
1900  they  removed  to  their  present  ranch  near 
Oxnard.  The  ranch-house  is  under  the  capable 
supervision  of  Mrs.  Robert  Beardsley,  who  prior 
to  her  marriage  in  June,  1902,  bore  the  name  of 
Vesta  Richardson,  being  a  member  of  a  well 
known  family  of  the  coast  country.  Surround- 
ing the  dwelling  are  the  other  buildings  neces- 
sary for  the  proper  management  of  farm  af- 
fairs, while  all  of  the  improvements  made  by 
the  brothers  are  of  a  substantial  character.  The 
family  attend  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Qiurch 
and  contribute  to  religious,  educational  and  mis- 
sionary measures  to  the  extent  of  their  ability. 
In  fraternal  relations  Robert  holds  membership 
with  the  blue  lodge  and  chapter  of  Masonry  at 
Oxnard  and  is  a  stanch  believer  in  the  principles 
of  the  brotherhood  and  philanthropy  for  which 
the  order  stands.  In  1906  Richard  Beardsley 
married   Miss  Clara  Durr,  of  Oxnard. 


NILS  ANDERSON.  The  sons  of  Sweden 
are  vigorous,  energetic  and  enterprising,  and 
those  whose  ambitions  lead  them  to  seek  the 
larger  opportunities  to  be  found  in  the  United 
States  rarely  fail  to  make  a  success  of  their 
undertakings.  Nils  Anderson,  who  has  been  a 
resident  of  California  for  twenty  years,  is  now 
ranching  twelve  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Perris, 
all  but  eighty  acres  of  which  is  devoted  to  the 
raising  of  barley  for  hay,  which  commodity  he 
ships  to  Los  Angeles  and  sells  at  a  good  price, 
the  remaining  eighty  acres  being  planted  to  oats. 
He  has  all  modern  machinery  necessary  to  the 
conduct  of  this  large  ranch,  among  which  is  a 
header.  There  are  also  two  warehouses  on  the 
place,  one  being  60x100  feet,  the  other  50x76, 
and  in  these  are  stored  the  hay  which  he  buys 
and  afterwards   markets. 

The  birth  of  Mr.  Anderson  occurred  June  14. 
1867,  in  Lund,  located  in  the  southern  part  of 
Sweden,  of  which  country  both  his  parents  wore 
natives.  I^ng  life  is  the  rule  among  the  people 
who  live  in  this  northern  country,  where  the 
climate  demands  vigor  and  hardihood  of  its  in- 
habitants, and  the  father  was  eighty-five  years 


1988 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


old  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in  January,  1905, 
his  wife  also  dying  in  Sweden  at  the  age  of 
eighty-seven  years.  Mr.  Anderson  received  a 
good  common-school  education  in  his  native 
country,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years  was 
apprenticed  to  a  carpenter  and  mastered  that 
trade.  In  1884  he  came  to  the  United  States, 
locating  first  in  Wright  county,  Iowa,  where  he 
followed  carpentering  for  two  years,  in  1886  re- 
moving to  California  and  locating  in  Riverside, 
where  he  became  a  contractor  and  builder  and 
erected  a  great  many  residences.  He  purchased 
his  ranch  in  Ferris  valley  in  1890,  and  now  owns 
one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land.  He  built 
all  of  the  improvements  now  on  this  place,  in- 
cluding the  house,  barns,  store  houses,  etc.,  and 
for  the  succeeding  ten  years  carried  on  a  com- 
bined business  of  ranching  and  contracting.  In 
1900  he  gave  up  the  latter  and  has  since  then 
given  all  of  his  time  and  energy  to  the  manage- 
ment of  the  large  ranch  which  he  now  operates. 
In  August,  1889,  Mr.  Anderson  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Tillie  Dolhberg,  who  was 
born  in  Sweden,  and  of  this  union  three  children 
have  been  born,  Nellie,  JNIalinda  and  Edith.  Fra- 
ternally Mr.  Anderson  .is  affiliated  with  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World  at  Riverside  and  the 
F.  O.  E.  at  the  same  place.  He  is  an  advocate 
of  the  principles  embraced  in  the  Democratic 
party,  and  is  especially  interested  in  school  mat- 
ters, having  sen-ed  for  three  years  as  trustee  of 
the  Snyder  district.  He  is  a  supporter  of  the 
Congregational  Church  and  lends  his  influence 
to  the  furthering  of  all  elevating  and  upbuilding 
enterprises,  and  is  held  in  the  greatest  esteem  by 
all  who  have  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance. 


EARL  F.  VAN  LUVEN.  For  a  decade  and 
a  half  the  name  of  Earl  F.  Van  Luven  has  been 
associated  with  the  fruit  industry  in  and  around 
Colton,  whither  he  came  about  1888.  At  that 
time  he  invested  in  property  which  has  since  in- 
creased in  value,  and  he  is  now  the  owner  of 
one  of  the  oldest  groves  in  the  celebrated  Col- 
ton Terrace.  During  the  sixteen  years  in  which 
he  has  engaged  in  the  packing  and  shipping  of 
citrus  fruits  he  has  handled  "thousands  of  car- 
loads of  oranges  and  lemons,  chiefly  through 
his  association  with  the  Southern  California 
Fruit  Exchange  and  the  California  Fruit  Grow- 
ers Exchange,  of  which  he  is  a  director,  and  the 
San  Bernardino  County  Fruit  Exchange,  of  the 
latter  being  secretary  and  manager.  He  has  been 
connected  with  the  above  enterprises  ever  since 
their  organization,  and  in  1893,  upon  the  organi- 
zation of  the  Colton  Fruit  Exchange,  became  one 
of  its  charter  members.  From  the  year  of  or- 
ganization until  1902  lie  held  the  position  of 
secretary,  hut  was  then  compelled  to  resign  ow- 


ing to  the  pressure  of  other  obligations.  How- 
ever, he  is  still  vice-president  and  a  member  of 
the  board  of  directors,  among  whom  he  is  con- 
sidered an  authority  on  all  subjects  connected 
with  the  fruit  industry. 

Mr.  \"an  Luven  is  a  Canadian  by  birth,  and 
was  born  in  the  province  of  Ontario  January  13, 
1 86 1.  After  receiving  an  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  commercial  colleges  of  Canada, 
he  came  to  the  United  States  in  1888,  having  in 
the  meantime  gained  an  excellent  insight  into 
business  methods  from  his  father,  Zara  Van 
Luven,  a  successful  merchant.  In  Colton,  in 
1891,  Mr.  Van  Luven  was  married  to  Miss 
Helen  Edith  Shepardson,  a  daughter  of  J.  B. 
Shepardson,  who  is  a  well-known  banker  of 
Iowa,  but  who  spends  his  winters  in  Colton. 
The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van  Luven  has  been 
Ijrightened  by  the  birth  of  two  children,  both 
sons,  Jed  S.  and  Donald  Earl. 


REV.  FR.  JOHN  PUJOL,  rector  of  Santa 
Clara  Catholic  Qiurch  at  Oxnard,  is  one  of 
the  best  loved  and  most  venerated  men  in  the 
whole  community,  where  he  has  been  ministering 
to  the  spiritual  necessities  of  his  parishioners  for 
more  than  twenty  years.  He  was  born  Novem- 
ber 2,  1844,  at  Moya,  Catalonia,  Spain,  being  a 
member  of  an  old  and  prominent  family  there, 
and  the  youngest  of  nine  children.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  primary  schools  of  his  home  town, 
and  in  Latin  at  the  College  of  Pious  School  at 
Moya.  His  medical  and  theological  training  was 
secured  in  the  seminary  at  Vick,  and  in  Febru- 
ary, 1871,  he  left  Spain  for  Ireland,  where  for 
five  months  he  attended  All  Hallows  College  in 
Dublin,  and  then  crossed  the  seas  and  landed  in 
Los  Angeles,  September  8,  1871. 

In  1872  he  was  ordained  to  the  various  of- 
fices of  the  church,  receiving  the  minor  orders 
March  17,  1872;  was  made  subdeacon  June  23; 
deacon,  June  24;  and  priest,  June  29,  all  in  the 
same  year,  and  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Fadeus  Amat.  He 
said  his  first  mass  July  2.  1872,  and  was  made  as- 
sistant at  the  .Santa  Barbara  parish,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1877.  From  there  he  was  sent  to 
San  Diego,  where  he  performed  duties  as  assist- 
ant pastor  until  1881,  and  June  i  of  that  year  as- 
sumed duties  as  assistant  to  the  rector  of  Our 
Lady  of  Angels  Church  in  Los  Angeles.  Febru- 
ary I,  1885,  he  was  given  full  charge  of  the  par- 
ish at  New  Jerusalem,  as  the  village  of  El  Rio 
was  then  called,  and  thus  became  rector  of  Santa 
Qara  Church,  which  position  he  still  occupies. 
This  church  was  at  first  conducted  as  a  mission 
and  its  communicants  v/ere  served  by  a  supply 
from  San  Buena  Ventura  from  the  time  when  the 
first  mass  was  celebrated  in  October,  1877,  until 
1885,  when  Rev.  Fr.  John  took  charge  of  it  as 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1989 


its  first  resident  pastor.  During  this  time  he 
served  the  Missions  of  Santa  Paula,  Lancaster 
and  Camulos  and  built  the  church  at  the  former 
place.  With  commendable  zeal  and  energy  he 
went  to  work  to  add  to  his  flock  and  strengthen 
every  department  of  the  church  interests,  and  in 
1895  it  became  apparent  that  the  little  church 
building  which  had  been  in  use  so  long  was  quite 
inadequate  to  accommodate  the  ever-increasing 
number  of  worshippers  and  more  commodious 
quarters  became  a  necessity.  The  original  church 
was  then  enlarged  and  remodeled  and  was  used 
until  1903.  In  1898  Father  John  expressed  a 
need  of  assistance  in  his  now  exceedingly  heavy 
duties,  and  Fr.  J.  S.  Laubacher  was  appointed  as 
his  assistant. 

When  the  town  of  Oxnard  was  established  so 
near  to  El  Rio  it  was  at  once  apparent  that  this 
would  become  the  center  of  population,  and  it 
soon  became  necessary  to  build  a  school  there. 
Before  the  erection  of  this  school  mass  had  been 
celebrated  for  over  a  year,  twice  a  month,  in 
Pioneer  hall,  but  after  the  completion  of  the 
school  building  the  large  hall  on  the  first  floor 
served  as  a  church.  The  congregation  soon  out- 
grew these  quarters,  however,  and  it  was  decided 
that  a  new  church  must  be  built.  The  parishion- 
ers generously  responded  to  the  urgent  appeal 
for  funds,  and  in  a  few  weeks'  time  over  $30,000 
were  subscribed.  This  was  in  1903,  and  in  Au- 
gust the  ground  was  broken  and  on  September  27 
the  cornerstone  was  laid.  On  the  14th  of  Au- 
gust, 1904,  the  new  edifice  was  solemnly  dedi- 
cated to  the  service  of  God  under  the  patronage 
of  St.  Clare.  The  growth  of  the  small  parish  at 
El  Rio  (which  is  still  served  by  Rev.  Father  Pu- 
jol) into  the  magnificent  parish  at  Oxnard  is  in 
large  measure  the  result  of  the  faithful  and  ener- 
getic work  of  the  rector,  and  upon  the  occasion 
of  the  celebration  of  the  twenty-fifth  anniver- 
sary of  his  pastorate  at  El  Rio  a  large  congrega- 
tion attended  the  high  mass  to  honor  their  be- 
loved priest  with  their  presence. 


PETER  GANO.  The  visitor  in  Avalon  will 
immediately  find  his  attention  attracted  to  the 
beautiful  residence  of  Peter  Gano,  which  is  called 
Lookout  Cot  and  is  situated  on  one  of  the  most 
prominent  points  on  Santa  Catalina  island,  over- 
looking the  ocean,  bay  and  mainland.  It  is  an 
ideal  site  for  a  home,  and  standing  out  on  an 
eminence  as  it  does,  looks  like  an  old  castle. 
A  large  circular  lookout  built  above  the  third 
story  of  the  house  is  twenty-two  feet  in  diam- 
eter and  one  hundred  feet  above  sea  level,  and 
from  this  tower  the  view  is  unlimited  and  very 
beautiful. 

The  Gano  family  is  of  French  Huguenot  ex- 
traction, the  original   name  having  been   spelled 


Gerneaux.  Soon  after  the  revocation  of  the 
edict  of  Nantes,  which  deprived  the  Huguenots 
of  their  liberties,  the  first  member  of  the  family 
to  come  to  America  settled  in  Rhode  Island  and 
the  names  of  several  of  the  Ganos  may  be  found 
in  the  roster  of  the  patriot  army  at  the  time  of 
the  Revolutionary  war.  The  great-grandparents 
of  Peter  Gano  lived  to  be  very  old,  passing  by 
several  years  the  century  mark,  the  great-grand- 
father dying  at  the  age  of  one  hundred  and  nine 
years,  and  his  wife  was  but  three  years  younger. 
Peter  Gano  was  born  December  11,  1839,  in  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  the  son  of  W.  G.  W.  and  Nancy 
(Willis)  Gano,  the  first-named  a  native  of  New 
Jersey  and  the  latter  of  Virginia.  The  father  was 
a  business  man  and  banker  in  Cincinnati  and 
died  in  that  city  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years, 
the  death  of  the  mother  also  occurring  at  that 
place.  There  were  fourteen  children  in  the  fam- 
ily, six  of  whom  are  now  living.  One  son,  J.  W., 
served  as  an  adjutant  in  the  Seventy-sixth  Regi- 
ment of  Ohio  Volunteers  during  the  Civil  war 
and  new  resides  in  Cincinnati. 

The  education  of  Peter  Gano  was  acquired  in 
the  public  schools  of  Cincinnati  and  when  nine- 
teen years  old  he  learned  the  machinist's  trade 
in  the  Cincinnati  locomotive  works  of  Moore  & 
Richardson  and  pursued  that  occupation  for  a 
time.  At  twenty-five  he  entered  the  office  of 
the  civil  engineer  of  the  city  of  Cincinnati,  hav- 
ing previously  taken  a  course  of  instruction  in 
that  profession.  Later  he  followed  railroad  work, 
engaging  in  bridge  building  and  sewer  work, 
in  1869  removing  to  St.  Paul,  where  for  five 
years  he  continued  the  prosecution  of  civil  en- 
gineering. 

The  residence  of  Mr.  Gano  in  California  dates 
from  1880,  when  he  came  to  Pasadena,  and  pur- 
chasing two  hundred  acres  of  land  at  Altadena, 
started  a  ranch.  Seeing  at  once  the  necessity 
of  securing  water  for  irrigation  purposes  he  as- 
sisted in  the  organization  of  the  Los  Flores 
Water  Company,  and  superintended  to  its  suc- 
cessful completion  the  tunneling,  fluming  and 
piping  necessary  to  bring  the  water  from  Los 
Flores  canyon.  Twenty-six  acres  of  the  land 
were  devoted  to  a  vineyard  and  a  small  orchard 
was  also  planted.  In  1886  he  disposed  of  the 
ranch  and  took  up  his  residence  in  Pasadena. 
It  was  the  year  previous,  in  1885,  that  he  first 
became  interested  in  Avalon,  there  being  at  that 
time  no  settlement  or  wharf  on  the  island.  The 
first  work  on  the  foundation  of  his  present  resi- 
dence there  was  begun  in  1888  and  two  years 
later  found  the  house  completed  and  ready  for 
occupancy.  At  first  it  was  used  only  a  part  of 
the  year,  but  for  some  time  past  he  has  made  it 
a  permanent  abiding  place.  Mr.  Gano  is  a  man 
of  scholarly  attainments  and  high  principles  and 
is   greatly   respected  by  all   wli"  know  him.      In 


1990 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


jxilitics  he  exercises  considerable  independence, 
preferring  to  cast  his  ballot  for  the  man  whom 
he  believes  will  best  fulfill  the  duties  of  an  office 
rather  than  vote  for  him  because  of  party  affilia- 
tions. 


AL  LARSON.  In  San  Pedro,  a  thriving 
seaport,  we  find  many  energetic,  thorough-going 
business  men  who  have  attained  success  through 
their  own  tact,  good  judgment  and  persistency. 
Prominent  among  this  number  is  Al  Larson,  a 
man  of  artistic  and  mechanical  ability,  who  is 
carrying  on  a  substantial  business  as  a  builder  of 
lx)ats  of  all  kinds.  A  native  of  Sweden,  he  was 
born  December  9,  1874,  in  ^lariestad,  where  his 
father,  Olof  Larson,  was  engaged  in  farming 
during  his  active  life. 

The  youngest  of  a  family  of  nine  children.  A! 
Larson  received  a  practical  common  school  edu- 
cation, rem.aining  in  his  native  country  until 
about  sixteen  years  old.  Coming  to  California 
in  1890,  he  attended  school  for  a  short  time  in 
San  Francisco,  where  he  subsequently  served  an 
apprenticeship  at  the  trade  of  a  boat  builder,  for 
twelve  years  working  the  yards  of  George 
Kneass.  In  January,  1903,  he  located  in  San 
Pedro,  and  for  two  years  thereafter  was  in  the 
employ  of  H.  E.  Carse.  being  foreman  of  his 
yards.  Resigning  his  position  in  January,  1905, 
he  embarked  in  business  for  himself  as  a  boat 
builder,  and  in  his  operations  has  been  very  suc- 
cessful. 

Mr.  I^rson  is  artistic  in  his  tastes,  has  a  very 
true  eye,  and  draws  all  of  the  designs  for  the 
different  kinds  of  boats  which  he  makes.  Since 
starting  for  himself  he  has  built  the  noted  launch 
Eagle,  two  launches  for  Captain  Duffy,  and  a 
number  of  fishing  boa'ts.  his  work  in  this  line 
keeping  him  busily  employed.  Politically  Mr. 
Larson  is  a  Republican,  and  religiously  he  is  a 
Lutheran. 


RICHARD  WEIR.  Since  1887  Richard  Weir 
has  been  a  prominent  architect  and  builder  in 
San  Bernardino  to  which  place  he  came  from  his 
native  home  in  London,  Ontario,  where  thus  far 
his  life  had  been  spent.  He  was  born  at  that 
place  July  17,  1854,  the  son  of  John  and  Jane 
Ann  (Taibott)  Weir.  The  father,  who  was  born 
in  Connaught,  Ireland,  was  brought  to  Canada 
by  his  father,  Samuel  \\'eir,  a  native  of  Armagh. 
Ireland,  who  settled  there  in  1810.  Later  his 
wife  and  five  children  were  sent  for  and  the  sail- 
ing vessel  on  which  they  took  passage  had  a 
most  unfortunate  voyage,  being  lost  in  a  storm 
and  so  disabled  that  it  drifted  for  three  weeks, 
during  which  time  the  oldest  son  died  and  was 
buried    at   sea.      Settling    in     London     township 


-Samuel  Weir  remained  there  the  balance  of  his 
lifetime.  One  of  his  sons,  Robert,  removed  to 
\\'hitehall,  Muskegon  county,  Mich.,  became  a 
large  and  successful  lumber  manufacturer,  and 
continued  to  reside  there  until  his  death  :  Alex 
and  John  died  in  Ontario.  The  mother  of  Rich- 
ard "Weir  was  a  daughter  of  Col.  William  Tai- 
bott, who  was  an  officer  in  the  British  army  and 
served  on  the  Canadian  frontier  and  in  the  Lake 
country  until  his  retirement  from  the  army,  af- 
ter which  he  became  a  large  land  owner  near 
London,  in  which  city  there  is  a  Taibott  street, 
which  was  named  for  him.  Mr.  Weir's  father 
was  seventy-nine  years  old  at  the  time  of  his 
death  in  February,  1883,  while  his  mother  lived 
to  be  eighty-five  years  old,  and  died  in  London 
in  1898.  Of  their  ten  children  eight  are  living, 
Richard  being  the  only  one  who  resides  in  Cali- 
fornia. 

Reared  on  his  father's  farm  in  London,  Rich- 
ard Weir  attended  the  common  schools  until 
twelve  years  of  age,  when  he  was  apprenticed 
to  a  carpenter  to  learn  the  trade.  The  first  year 
he  received  $40,  the  second  $60,  and  the  third 
year  $100  for  his  services.  After  the  expiration 
of  the  term  of  his  apprenticeship  he  engaged  in 
farming  on  his  father's  place  and  at  the  same 
time  took  contracts  to  erect  buildings  in  the 
neighborhood,  meeting  with  very  good  success. 
On  December  28,  1882,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Sarah  Jane  Heck,  a  native  of  Kingston,  Ontario, 
and  the  daughter  of  John  Wesley  Heck,  who 
was  born  at  the  same  place  and  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  The  Heck  family  is  of  Ger- 
man origin,  this  branch  being  descendants  of 
Rev.  Paul  and  Barbara  Heck,  the  noted  Metho- 
dist family.  Rev.  Mr.  Heck  was  one  of  the  first 
ministers  in  this  country  and  estabhshed  the 
first  church,  and  traveled  through  Pennsylvania 
to  Canada.  Mr.  Heck  now  resides  in  San  Ber- 
nardino, his  wife  having  died  in  Ontario.  J\Ir. 
and  Mrs.  Weir  have  a  very  attractive  residence 
at  No.  1560  Birch  street,  where  they  reside  with 
their  family  of  four  children.  The  oldest  son, 
Herbert  H.,  is  a  graduate  of  the  high  school  and 
now  holds  the  position  of  bookkeeper  in  the  San 
Bernardino  National  Bank ;  Emma  Edna  is  a 
graduate  of  the  high  school ;  Helen  J.  belongs  to 
the  class  of  1907;  and  John  Wesley  completes 
the  family.  Mrs.  Weir  is  a  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church. 

It  was  in  1887  that  Mr.  Weir  located  with  his 
family  in  San  Bernardino  and  entered  the  employ 
•of  the  old  Southern  California  Railroad,  now 
the  Santa  Fe,  being  connected  with  the  building 
and  bridge  department.  He  continued  with  this 
company  for  eight  years,  and  during  that  time 
suffered  several  strokes  of  misfortune.  The  sec- 
ond year  of  his  residence  in  San  Bernardino  his 
house   with   its   contents   was   burned   and  later 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1991 


he  was  the  victim  of  an  accident  which  disabled 
him  for  four  months.  While  engaged  as  fore- 
man of  a  gang  of  men  occupied  in  unloading 
old  railroad  ties  to  be  used  for  fence  posts  along 
the  track  he  fell  from  a  moving  car  and  was 
crushed  between  the  bumper  and  drawhead. 
mashing  his  bones  and  breaking  them  at  four 
places.  After  his  recovery  from  his  injuries  he 
engaged  exclusively  in  contracting  and  build- 
ing and  has  ever  since  been  thus  employed. 
Among  other  houses  which  he  has  erected  are 
the  Smith  and  Dr.  Rowell  residences  in  San 
Bernardino.  C.  B.  Morris  and  C.  B.  Fuller  resi- 
dences in  Colton,  and  the  C.  F.  Kelly  residence 
in  Loma  Linda.  Fraternally  ]\Ir.  Weir  affiliates 
with  the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters,  having 
passed  the  chairs  of  the  lodge  in  San  Bernar- 
dino. He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Mt.  Ver- 
non Improvement  Association  and  served  as  its 
first  secretary  upon  its  organization  several  years 
ago.  He  is  also  one  of  the  stockholders  in  the 
Canadian  Building  and  Improvement  Associa- 
tion, which  built  the  Canadian  club  house  on  Mt. 
Vernon  avenue  at  a  cost  of  $2,000.  He  drew  the 
plans  for  the  house,  and  was  the  second  presi- 
dent of  the  association,  his  son  Herbert  now  fill- 
ing that  office.  Although  his  life  is  largely  tak- 
en up  with  business  duties  he  still  finds  time  to 
aid  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  community  in  which 
he  resides  and  is  accounted  one  of  its  most  im- 
portant citizens. 


THE  COLTON  FRCIT  EXCHANGE. 
With  a  membership  of  about  fifty  the  Colton 
Fruit  Exchange  was  organized  in  1892  for  the 
purpose  of  packing  and  shipping  their  own  fruit 
at  actual  cost.  It  now  has  a  membership  of  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  and  controls  sev- 
enty-five per  cent  of  the  oranges  around  Colton. 
The  corporation  is  controlled  by  a  board  of  nine 
directors,  elected  annually,  the  directors  electing 
their  own  officers.  At  this  writing,  1906,  the 
board  consists  of  the  following-named  gentle- 
men :  James  Barnhill,  Earl  A'an  Luven,  A\'.  W. 
Wilcox,  E.  D.  Roberts.  Wade  Purdum,  L.  C. 
Newcomer,  T.  E.  Moon,  AA'.  S.  Bullis  and  J. 
B.  Hanna.  The  president  of  the  organization  is 
James  Barnhill,  Earl  Van  Luven  vice-president, 
First  National  Bank  of  Colton  treasurer,  E. 
B.  Wilkerson  secretary  and  W.  F.  Sharp  man- 
ager. 

The  headquarters  of  the  Exchange  are  in  the 
old  pavilion,  which  was  originally  erected  for 
the  State  Fair,  but  is  now  owned  by  the  Ex- 
change, and  affords  a  floor  space  covering  two 
hundred  square  feet,  in  fact  is  the  largest  build- 
ing used  for  a  similar  purpose  anywhere  in 
Southern  California.  The  most  modern  and 
complete  equipment  for  this  special  line  of  busi- 


ness has  been  installed  in  the  plant,  which  in- 
sures the  careful  handling  of  fruit,  indeed,  with 
the  many  modern  appliances  now  in  use  the 
fruit  is  handled  very  little.  From  the  orchard 
boxes  it  is  dumped  into  a  canvas  receiver  and 
rolled  or  lifted  carefully  from  one  process  to  an- 
other, until  it  is  finally  laid  in  the  shipping 
boxes.  The  packing  house  has  a  capacity  for 
shipping  from  eight  to  ten  cars  per  day.  Three 
brands  of  oranges  are  packed  and  shipped  by  the 
Exchange,  named  in  order  of  their  superiority 
as  follows :     Tiger,  Floral,  and  Rancho. 

The  growers  associated  with  the  Colton  Fruit 
Exchange  receive  all  money  over  and  above  the 
actual  cost  of  packing  and  selling  their  product, 
there  being  no  profits  paid  to  anyone.  This  Ex- 
change is  affiliated  with  the  San  Bernardino 
Count\   Fruit  Exchange. 


PIERRE  POURROY.  It  was  in  1898  that 
Pierre  Pourroy  came  to  Riverside  county  and 
purchased  the  nucleus  of  his  present  ranch  of 
six  hundred  and  forty  acres  near  Auld,  which  is 
mostly  in  grain  crops,  and  yields  him  a  fine  in- 
come. His  birth  occurred  January  3,  1862,  in 
Hautes-Alpes,  France,  he  being  the  son  of  John 
and  Rosa  (Pourroy)  Pourroy,  both  of  French 
birth.  The  father  came  to  California  in  1886, 
remaining  until  1888,  when  he  returned  to  his 
native  land,  where  his  death  occurred  in  April, 
1899,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years.  The 
mother  died  at  the  age  of  forty-two  years,  when 
the  son  Pierre  was  but  two  years  of  age.  While 
he  ultimately  acquired  a  considerable  amount  of 
learning,  the  opportunities  for  securing  an  edu- 
cation in  youth  were  limited,  and  at  nineteen,  in 
1880,  Pierre  Pourroy  came  to  Los  Angeles 
county,  Cal..  and  spent  the  first  eighteen  months 
of  his  residence  in  this  country  in  Azusa,  herd- 
ing sheep  upon  the  land  now  embraced  in  the 
city  of  Long  Beach.  From  Azusa  he  went  to 
Temecula,  Riverside  county,  remaining  for  a 
time,  and  subsequentl\-  located  near  the  state 
line  between  California  and  Nevada,  where  for 
sixteen  years  he  was  employed  as  a  shepherd. 
Returning  to  Riverside  county  in  1898  he 
bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in 
the  Los  Alamos  valley,  improving  it  and  adding 
to  his  holdings  from  time  to  time,  until  now  he 
owns  a  ranch  comprising  six  hundred  and  forty 
acres. 

April  14,  1899,  in  Reno,  Nev.,  Mr.  Pourroy 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Mary  (Jaussaud) 
Nicolas,  a  native  of  the  same  part  of  France  as 
is  her  husband.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Fred- 
erick and  Mary  (Martin)  Jaussaud,  both  of 
whom  were  born  in  France,  the  father  dying 
there  in  1898,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years ; 
the  motlicr  still  makes  her  home  in  her  native 


1992 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


land,  being  in  her  seventy-first  year.  •  Mrs.  Pour- 
loy  became  the  mother  of  three  children  by  her 
hrst  marriage,  their  names  being  Edmee,  John 
and  Marius  Nicolas.  JNIr.  and  Mrs.  Pourroy 
are  also  the  parents  of  three  children,  Bertha, 
Frederick  and  Pierre.  They  are  devout  mem- 
Ijers  of  the  Catholic  Church  and  their  influence 
upon  the  community  in  which  they  live  is  an 
elevatmg  one.  Fraternally  Mr.  Pourroy  became 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  order  in  Vallee  de 
France  Lodge  No.  329,  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  Los  An- 
geles. He  is  a  man  who  possesses  many  ad- 
mirable qualities  and  fulfils  creditably  his  duties 
as  a  citizen  and  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by 
all  who  have  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance. 


HARMAN  JEFFERSON  MAYO.  Con- 
spicuous among  the  younger  generation  of  active 
and  progressive  agriculturists  of  Southern  Cali- 
fornia is  Harman  Jefferson  Mayo,  who  is  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  general  farming  and  dairy- 
ing near  Compton.  Industrious  and  thrifty,  he 
has  made  improvements  of  value  on  his  estate, 
and  in  his  chosen  occupation  is  meeting  with 
satisfactory  results,  year  by  year  adding  to  his 
wealth,  at  the  same  time  growing  rapidly  into 
the  esteem  and  respect  of  his  neighbors,  and  win- 
ning an  assured  position  among  the  valuable 
members  of  the  community.  He  is  a  native  and 
to  the  manner  born,  his  birth  having  occurred, 
June  17,  1880,  in  Compton,  a  son  of  Henry  J. 
Mayo,  a  well-known  pioneer  of  this  jjart  of  Los 
Angeles  county. 

A  native  of  Missouri,  Henry  J.  Alayo  was  born, 
in  1848,  in  Ridgely,  Platte  county,  where  he  grew 
to  manhood,  receiving  exceptionally  good  ed- 
ucational advantages.  Coming  to  California  in 
1872,  he  settled  in  Compton,  where  he  became  a 
citizen  of  prominence  and  influence,  serving  many 
years  as  deputy  assessor,  and  being  deputy  road 
commissioner  a  number  of  terms.  He  was  active 
in  fraternal  organizations,  being  a  member  of 
Anchor  Lodge  No.  273,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of 
Campton  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.  He  married  Augus- 
ta Higgins,  who  was  born  in  Oregon,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Harman  Higgins,  a  native  of  Missouri, 
and  into  their  household  four  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter were  born.  Politically  he  belonged  to  the 
Democratic  party,  and  both  he  and  his  wife 
were  members  of  the  Christian  Church. 

Educated  in  Compton,  Harman  J.  Mayo  com- 
pleted the  course  of  the  grammar  and  attended 
the  high  schools  for  a  short  time.  Choosing 
the  free  and  independent  occupation  to  which  he 
was  trained  in  his  youthful  days  he  worked  for 
four  years  on  the  home  ranch,  obtaining  prac- 
tical experience  in  the  many  branches  of  agri- 
culture. Purchasing  then  his  present  ranch  he 
has  since  been  actively  employed  in  fanning  and 


dairying,  keeping  about  thirty  cows,  and  rais- 
ing alfalfa  in  large  quantities.  Prosperity  has 
smiled  upon  his  every  effort,  and  now,  although 
yet  a  young  man,  he  occupies  a  fine  position 
among  the  most  thrifty  and  successful  ranchmen 
of  his   community. 

January  i,  1903,  Mr.  Alajo  married  Mary  W. 
Taylor,  daughter  of  John  L.  Taylor,  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  and  they  have  one  son  Lewis  Har- 
man. Politically  Mr.  'Slayo  is  an  adherent  of  the 
Democratic  party,  supporting  its  principles  at  the 
polls.  Fraternally  he  was  made  a  Mason  in  the 
winter  of  1901,  joining  Anchor  Lodge  No.  273,  F. 
&  A.  M.,  which  he  has  served  two  terms  as  mas- 
ter ;  is  a  charter  member  of  Long  Beach  Chapter, 
R.  A.  M.,  has  represented  his  lodge  at  the  Grand 
Lodge ;  and  Los  Angeles  Consistory  Scottish 
Rite ;  and  belongs  also  to  the  Independent  Order 
of  Foresters.  Mrs.  Mayo  is  a  most  estimable 
woman,  and  a  valued  member  of  the  Christian 
Church. 


GEORGE  HINMAN.  A  skilful  and  capable 
agriculturist,  and  a  man  of  enterprise  and  intel- 
ligence, George  Hinman  is  closely  associated 
with  the  industrial  interests  of  Los  Angeles 
county,  his  well-cultivated  and  well-appointed 
ranch,  located  near  Clearwater,  evincing  in  a 
marked  degree  the  thrift,  ability  and  wise  man- 
agement of  the  owner.  A  native  of  New  York 
state,  he  was  born  February  16,  1845,  a  son  of 
Enoch  F.  and  Pamelia  (Ingersoll)  Hinman,  the 
former  of  whom  was  born  in  ^lassachusetts,  and 
the  latter  in  New  York  state. 

Spending  the  first  few  years  of  his  life  in  his 
native  town,  George  Hinman  there  obtained  his 
rudimentary  education.  Subsequently  remov- 
ing with  his  parents  to  Illinois,  he  received  ex- 
ceptionally good  advantages,  being  graduated 
from  the  State  Normal  school  at  Normal,  111. 
Well  fitted  for  the  position  of  a  teacher,  he  sub- 
sequently followed  that  profession  successfully 
for  a  number  of  years,  being  employed  in  Illinois 
five  years,  in  Colorado  one  year,  and  in  Ohio 
one  year.  Turning  his  attention  then  to  the  pur- 
suit of  agriculture,  he  farmed  for  a  time  in  Ohio, 
then  moved  to  Illinois,  where  he  tilled  the  soil 
six  years.  Going  thence  to  Nebraska,  he  bought 
a  farm,  which  he  managed  for  two  years.  Up- 
on selling  his  landed  possessions  he  came  direct 
to  Los  Angeles  county,  locating  on  Pico  Heights, 
where  he  remained  for  awhile,  doing  odd  jobs 
of  any  kind  while  looking  about  for  a  per- 
manent place  of  settlement.  Subsequently 
buying  twenty  acres  of  land  near  Clearwater,  he 
has  since  been  actively  and  profitably  employed 
in  general  ranching  and  chicken-raising.  Dur- 
ing his  residence  here  he  has  diligently  improved 
his  property,  continually  adding  to  its  value,  his 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1993 


ranch,  with  its  substantial  buildings  and  good 
appointments,  giving  ample  evidence  of  his  skill 
and  good  taste  as  a  practical  farmer  and  rural 
householder. 

Mr.  Hinman's  first  marriage,  which  occurred 
in  Ohio  in  1871,  united  him  with  Electa  Wright, 
who  was  born  in  Ohio,  the  daughter  of  Frank 
Wright,  he  being  a  native  of  New  York.  Mrs. 
Electa  Hinman  died  in  1874,  leaving  one  son, 
Clayton  Hinman,  M.  D.,  a  practicing  physician 
in  Qiicago,  111.  Mr.  Hinman  married  for  his 
second  wife,  in  1878,  Helen  Barlow,  who  was 
born  and  educated  in  Indiana.  Politically  Mr. 
Hinman  is  a  Prohibitionist,  and  religiously  he  is 
in  sympathy  with  the  teachings  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Qiurch.  He  takes  great  interest  in 
local  affairs,  being  specially  interested  in  educa- 
tional matters,  and  has  served  as  school  director. 


WILLIAM  USREY.  Early  in  the  nineteenth 
century  Philip  Usrey,  Jr.,  the  son  of  a  hero  of 
the  two  wars  with  England,  removed  from  Ten- 
nessee to  Indiana  and  became  a  pioneer  of  Sul- 
livan county,  where  his  son,  James  Kelly  Usrey, 
was  born  and  reared.  After  having  followed 
the  carpenter's  trade  in  Indiana  for  some  years, 
the  latter  removed  to  Kansas  and  cultivated  a 
farm  in  Cherokee  county,  eventually  removing 
to  California  and  in  the  spring  of  1887  settling 
at  Redondo,  where  he  now  lives  in  retirement. 
His  wife,  Mary  Ann  Griffin,  was  born  in  In- 
diana, and  died  at  Redondo.  Descended  from 
old  Virginian  stock,  she  was  a  daughter  of  Col. 
Richard  Griffin,  a  farmer  in  Tennessee  and  a 
pioneer  of  Indiana,  who  won  his  title  through 
service  as  an  officer  in  the  war  of  181 2. 

The  family  of  James  K.  and  Mary  Ann  Usrey 
consisted  of  ten  children,  nine  of  whom  attained 
mature  years  and  still  survive,  namely :  Sarah 
Catherine,  Mrs.  B.  F.  Arnold,  of  Columbus, 
Cherokee  county,  Kans. ;  William,  of  Redondo ; 
Philip,  of  Redondo;  Hattie,  who  married  Elihu 
O.  Hathawa}',  and  lives  in  Redondo;  Nancy, 
wife  of  Owen  Gorham,  of  Moneta ;  Lillie,  Mrs. 
Alfred  B.  Herring,  of  Redondo ;  Henry,  man- 
ager of  the  wharf  at  Redondo ;  Sylvester,  living 
in  Los  Angeles ;  and  OIlie,  who  married  George 
Greer  and  makes  Los  Angeles  her  home.  The 
second  among  these  children,  William,  was  born 
In  Sullivan  county,  Ind.,  September  3,  1857,  and 
received  a  fair  education  in  public  schools.  Ac- 
companying the  family  to  Kansas  in  1872,  he 
remained  with  his  parents  until  twenty-two  years 
of  age  and  then  took  up  independent  farming, 
which  he  followed  for  a  considerable  period. 
On  coming  to  Redondo  in  1887  he  was  employed 
by  the  companv  in  a  survey  of  the  town,  and 
later  had  other  business  connections  in  the  town 
until  1904.     At  this  writing  he  owns  mining  in- 

96 


terests  at  Searchlight,  Nev.,  where  he  owns 
three-eights  of  the  stock  of  the  San  Pedro  Min- 
ing Company,  also  owns  several  claims,  as  well 
as  three-eights  of  the  town  site  of  Leastock, 
Cal.,  situated  on  the  Nevada  line,  at  the  junction 
of  the  Salt  Lake  and  Santa  Fe  roads.  At  this 
point  he  has  platted  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
and  is  engaged  in  selling  lots  and  making  im- 
provements. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Usrey  took  place 
in  Kansas  and  united  him  with  Miss  Betsey 
Moore,  who  was  born  at  Pleasant  Gap,  Mo.,  and 
died  in  Redondo,  Cal.  Five  children  were  born 
of  their  union,  namiely :  Effie,  who  married 
Richard  Campbell,  of  Los  Angeles ;  Jessie,  Mrs. 
C.  B.  Horton,  of  Los  Angeles ;  Lillie,  wife  of 
Milton  Saxton,  of  San  Pedro ;  Grace,  deceased ; 
and  Frederick,  who  resides  with  his  father.  May 
22,  1895,  at  Redondo,  occurred  the  marriage  of 
William  Usrey  to  Miss  Josephine  Wilkinson, 
who  was  born  in  Los  Angeles,  the  only  child  of 
Joseph  and  Jennie  (McLarty)  Wilkinson,  na- 
tives respectively  of  Galena,  Floyd  county,  Ind., 
and  Iowa.  The  paternal  grandfather,  John  Wil- 
kinson, was  an  Indiana  farmer,  and  Joseph  Wil- 
kinson was  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits,  but 
chose  the  law  for  his  profession,  and  in  1872 
came  to  Los  Angeles.  Eventually  he  returned 
to  the  east  and  there  died.  The  only  child  of 
Mr.  Usrey's  second  marriage  is  a  daughter, 
Gladys.  In  politics  Mr.  Usrey  votes  with  the 
Democratic  party  and  fraternally  holds  member- 
ship with  the  Order  of  Eagles. 


GEORGE  EASTON.  Located  two  miles 
north  of  Perris,  George  Easton  operates  one  of 
the  best  dairies  in  Riverside  county.  He  has 
forty-five  head  of  high-grade  dairy  cows,  which 
produce  an  average  of  one  pound  of  butter  each 
per  day,  the  dairy  being  fitted  with  separator 
and  the  necessary  butter-making  machinery  to 
enable  Mr.  Easton  to  turn  out  a  fancy  product. 
His  ranch  consists  of  one  hundred  and  thirteen 
acres,  seventy  acres  being  devoted  to  the  rais- 
ing of  alfalfa.  A  large  pumping  plant,  fitted 
with  a  forty  horse  power  Fairbanks  &  Morse 
gas  engine,  is  used  to  pump  the  water  from  two 
wells,  which  have  a  capacity  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  inches,  and  the  machinery  has  sufficient 
power  to  lift  it  seventy  feet,  thus  securing  ample 
force  and  an  adequate  supply. 

Utah  is  the  native  state  of  Mr.  Easton,  his 
birth  having  occurred  there  October  22,  1852. 
His  parents,  Alexander  and  Mary  (McDougal) 
Easton,  were  of  Scotch  nativity,  he  being  from 
Glasgow  and  she  from  the  Highlands.  They  im- 
migrated to  the  United  States  in  1846,  landing 
at  New  Orleans,  where  they  remained  for  five 
years.    Their  next  move  was  to  Utah,  the  father 


1994 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


being  a  believer  in  the  ?iIormon  religious  faith, 
with  the  exception  of  the  polygamy  doctrine, 
which  was  then  advocated,  in  1854  the  Easton 
family  became  pioneer  settlers  in  San  Bernardino 
county,  where  Air.  Easton  engaged  in  farming 
and  also  invested  in  some  city  property.  His 
wife  died  in  1863,  at  the  age  of  forty-five  years, 
and  he  at  the  age  of  fifty-five,  in  1872. 

A  subscription  school  in  San  Bernardino  was 
tlie  medium  through  which  George  Easton  re- 
ceived his  education,  and  his  first  employment 
after  school  days  were  over  was  as  teamster 
between  San  Bernardino  and  the  mining  camps 
on  the  Mojave  desert.  He  followed  this  busi- 
ness for  about  ten  years,  later  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, and  in  1894  located  in  San  Jacinto  and  es- 
tablished himself  in  the  dairy  business.  He  con- 
tinued there  for  ten  years  and  in  1904  removed 
to  his  present  location,  where  he  conducts  the 
largest  dairy  in  the  valley,  the  enterprise  and 
energy  with  which  he  pursues  his  business  giv- 
ing him  very  great  success. 

In  December,  1873,  Mr.  Easton  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Princetiea  Brooks,  a  native  of 
Utah,  and  the  union  has  been  blessed  by  the  birth 
of  nine  children :  Mary,  now  the  wife  of  G. 
Thomas,  of  Perris  valley ;  Sarah,  the  wife  of 
Henry  Robertson,  of  Rialto;  Emma,  the  wife 
of  John  Tedford,  of  Perris  valley ;  Margaret ; 
Mabel;  Pearl;  Alexander;  Samuel,  and  Ray- 
mond. Mr.  Easton  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and 
lends  his  enthusiastic  support  to  the  furthering 
of  all  progressive  and  elevating  enterprises  of 
social  and  civic  importance.  He  has  always  been 
an  advocate  of  good  schools  and  served  as  a 
director  in  the  district  when  he  lived  near  San 
Jacinto. 


SAMUEL  R.  HANCOCK.  Although  a  non- 
resident of  California  at  the  present  time,  Sam- 
uel R.  Hancock  holds  large  property  interests 
in  Los  Angeles  county,  where  he  has  owned 
investments  since  1892.  He  was  born  June  26, 
1832,  in  New  Hampshire,  where  he  received  his 
early  education  through  the  medium  of  the  com- 
mon schools.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  began 
to  work  on  a  farm  for  an  aunt,  and  in  1855 
came  to  California  and  engaged  in  mining  for 
two  years,  having  located  on  the  north  fork  of 
the  American  river.  He  then  returned  to  New- 
Hampshire  and  took  charge  of  the  four  hun- 
dred acre  farm  which  has  been  owned  by  his 
family  for  one  hundred  years.  He  continued 
to  work  this  farm  until  1898,  when  he  retired 
and  has  since  been  enjoying  the  fruits  of  a  suc- 
cessful career. 

The  property  which  he  now  owns  in  California 
embraces  a  large  number  of  developed  oil  wells 
that  pay  a  handsome  income.     His  wife,   who 


was  Gratia  Eames  in  maidenhood,  is  a  native 
of  New  Hampshire,  and  to  them  have  been  born 
six  children. 

The  son,  John  Hancock,  was  born  in  New 
Hampshire  in  1876,  receiving  his  education  in 
his  native  state  through  the  medium  of  the  com- 
mon and  high  schools.  He  now  resides  in  Cole- 
grove,  Los  Angeles  county,  Cal.,  and  is  en- 
gaged in  managing  his  father's  oil  interests.  He 
is  one  of  the  prominent  men  of  Colegrove  and 
has  gained  the  highest  respect  and  esteem  of 
both  business  associates  and  social  friends. 


WILLIAM  FOOTE  SPRINKLE.  The  an- 
cestral record  of  this  well-known  business  man 
of  Redondo  Beach  pomts  to  an  honored  family 
identified  with  the  colonial  settlement  of  Vir- 
ginia. His  father,  W.  H.,  who  was  a  native  of 
the  Old  Dominion,  settled  in  Indiana  at  an  early 
day  and  became  a  traveling  salesman,  with 
Greencastle  as  his  home.  When  the  Civil  war 
was  casting  its  blighting  influence  over  the  in- 
dustries of  both  north  and  south,  he  was  a  stanch 
supporter  of  the  Union  and  would  have  enlisted 
had  his  obligation  to  wife  and  children  permit- 
ted. At  the  time  of  Ouantrell's  raid  on  Law- 
rence, Kans.,  he  was  living  in  the  latter  city, 
engaged  in  the  pump  business,  and  at  the  same 
time  serving  as  a  member  of  the  state  militia. 
When  the  war  came  to  an  end  he  removed  to> 
Topeka  and  built  a  lime  kiln,  but  later  purchased 
and  removed  to  a  valuable  farm  near  Silver  lake. 
Removing  to  California  in  1875,  he  settled  on  a 
ranch  near  A^acaville.  Four  years  later  he  trans- 
ferred his  attention  to  the  mines  near  Yuma, 
Ariz.,  along  tlie  Colorado  river,  and  in  1885 
became  interested  in  farming  at  Colton,  Cal.  At 
this  writing  he  occupies  a  small  ranch  near  Bur- 
bank,  Los  Angeles  county.  In  politics  he  votes 
with  the  Republican  party,  in  religious  views 
holds  membership  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Qiurch  and  fraternally  affiliates  with  the  Ma- 
sonic Order.  During  early  manhood  he  married 
Isabelle  Jump,  who  was  born  in  Connecticut 
and  died  in  Indiana,  leaving  two  children.  She 
is  descended  from  a  patriot  of  the  Revolutionary 
war,  thereby  entitling  her  descendants  to  mem- 
bership in  the  Daughters  of  the  Revolution.  Of 
her  children  the  only  survivor  is  William  F., 
who  was  born  at  Greencastle,  Ind.,  February  22, 
1863,  and  was  an  infant  when  death  deprived 
him  of  a  mother's  loving  care.  When  he  came 
to  California  he  was  about  twelve  }ears  of  age, 
and  afterward  attended  the  grammar  and  high 
schools  of  Oakland. 

Upon  entering  the  world  for  himself,  Mr. 
Sprinkle  secured  a  livelihood  by  doing  office 
work  with  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Com- 
pany at  Bowie,  Ariz.,  and  after  a  year  he  was 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1995 


transferred  to  train  service  as  a  brakeman. 
From  that  position  in  1883  he  was  promoted  to 
be  conductor  between  Tucson  and  Yuma  and 
continued  until  1887,  when  he  resigned  from 
that  road.  Commg  to  Los  Angeles,  he  became  a 
conductor  on  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  out  from 
this  city  and  continued  until  1897,  when  he  re- 
signed and  took  a  position  on  the  Redondo 
branch,  holding  this  until  August  of  1905.  Dur- 
ing his  entire  service  with  "both  roads  he  had 
no  wreck  of  any  consequence  and  never  received 
a  serious  injury.  He  dates  his  residence  in  Re- 
dondo from  December  12,  1897,  and  shortly  after 
his  arrival  he  began  the  building  of  the  house 
on  Catalina  avenue  which  he  now  occupies.  He 
organized  and  became  manager  of  the  Redondo 
Aliiling  Company,  manufacturers  of  rolled  bar- 
ley feed,  which  is  one  of  the  most  important 
enterprises  in  the  town.  By  his  marriage  to 
Lola  N.  Long,  who  was  born  in  \'alparaiso, 
Ind.,  and  reared  in  Los  Angeles,  he  has  one 
child,  Emma  Bessie,  who  is  a  student  in  the 
grammar  school  of  Redondo.  Mrs.  Sprinkle 
passed  away  at  her  home  June  10,  1906,  aged 
thirty-six  years.  She  was  an  active  member  of 
the  Congregational  Church  and  he  contributes 
to  the  maintenance  of  the  same,  also  to  other 
worthy  movements  for  the  advancement  of  the 
town  and  the  welfare  of  its  residents.  After 
coming  to  Redondo  he  was  made  a  Mason  in 
Redondo  Lodge  No.  328.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  also 
has  been  prominent  in  the  Order  of  the  Eastern 
Star,  of  which  he  is  past  worthy  patron,  while 
his  wife  officiated  as  secretary,  also  as  lady  com- 
mander of  the  L.  O.  T.  M.,  and  was  also  presi- 
dent of  the  P.  E.  O.  Society  at  the  time  of  her 
death.  While  connected  with  the  road  he  be- 
came affiliated  with  the  Order  of  Railway  Con- 
ductors, having  his  membership  in  San  Ber- 
nardino. Though  not  a  partisan  in  his  views 
nor  an  office-seeker,  he  stanchly  favors  Repub- 
lican principles  and  may  always  be  depended 
upon  to  support  the  doctrines  of  the  party. 


JOSHUA  ANDREWS.  One  of  the  leading 
contractors  and  builders  of  Cdendale,  Joshua  An- 
drews has  been  an  important  factor  in  promoting 
the  building  interests  of  Los  Angeles  county  for 
many  years,  successfully  following  the  trade 
that  he  learned  in  the  east.  Possessing  much 
mechanical  ingenuity,  and  skilled  in  the  use  of 
tools,  he  has  proved  himself  a  master  workman, 
and  since  coming  to  the  Pacific  coast  has  been 
constantly  employed.  A  native  of  Canada,  he 
was  born  December  15,  1867,  at  Windsor  Mills, 
Quebec.  His  father,  Joseph  Andrews,  was  born 
:n  Glasgow.  Scotland,  and  his  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  .Silence  i\Iaiion,  was  of  Cana- 
dian birth.     Thcv  reared  a  family  consisting  of 


seven  sons  and  two  daughters,  and  two  of  their 
sons,  Llewellyn  and  Joshua,  reside  in  Glendale. 
On  his  mother's  side  Joshua  Andrews  comes  of 
New  England  stock,  for  her  father  was  born 
and  reared  in  Vermont,  although  he  afterwards 
removed  to  Canada,  where  he  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  for  many  years. 

Having  obtained  a  practical  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Windsor  Mills,  Joshua  An- 
drews served  an  apprenticeship  at  the  carpen- 
ter's trade,  working  first  in  his  native  town,  and 
then  in  Clinton,  Mass.,  where  he  remained  two 
and  one-half  years.  Remaining  in  the  east  he 
followed  his  trade  successfully  for  three  venrs, 
and  then  came  to  California.  Locating  in  Los 
Angeles,  he  worked  there  as  a  contractor  and 
builder,  erecting  many  buildings  in  that  city  and 
its  suburbs,  winning  for  himself  a  fine  reputa- 
tion for  his  artistic  and  durable  work.  Coming 
to  Glendale  in  August,  1904,  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  E.  K.  Grant,  and  thev  have  since 
had  their  full  share  of  the  large  amount  of  build- 
ing done  annually  in  this  thriving  city. 

In  Canada  Mr.  Andrews  married  Ethel  Var- 
ney.  daughter  of  Albert  and  Phoebe  (Scott) 
Varney,  now  residents  of  Glendale,  their  pleas- 
ant home  being  located  at  the  corner  of  Third 
street  and  A'erdugo  road.  In  politics  Mr.  An- 
drews is  a  loyal  supporter  of  the  principles  of 
the  Democratic  party,  and  he  belongs  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Fraternally  he  is 
a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Forest- 
ers and  the  Independent  Order  of  ( )dd  Fellows. 


JOHN  GARNER.  A  man  of  persistent  en- 
ergy and  good  business  ability,  John  Garner  is 
numbered  among  the  sturdy, 'energetic  farmers 
of  Los  Angeles  county  who  thoroughly  under- 
stand the  vocation  which  they  follow,  and  he  is 
carrying  on  his  ranch  with  both  profit  and  pleas- 
ure. It  is  finely  located  about  three  miles  south 
of  Inglewood,  and  is  well  improved  and  well 
equipped  with  the  necessary  machinery  for  its 
cultivation.  A  native  of  New  York  state,  he 
was  born  January  6,  1864,  of  German  ancestry, 
his  father,  Henry  Garner,  having  been  born  in 
Hanover,  Germany,  October  18,  1836.  After 
obtaining  a  good  common  school  education  in 
the  Fatiierland,  in  1855  he  immigrated  to  the 
new  world,  settling  in  New  York  state,  where 
he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  about  fifteen 
years.  Going  westward  with  his  family  in  1870 
he  bought  land  in  Iowa  upon  which  he  carried 
on  farming  for  about  four  years.  When  his  son 
John  was  about  eight  year's  old  the  family  re- 
moved to  Minnesota  by  wagon,  the  son  making 
the  trip  on  horseback,  swimming  across  the  river 
on  his  horse.  The  marriage  of  Henry  Carner 
united    him    with    Catherine    Roedcr.    who    was 


1996 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


born  April  i8,  1833,  in  Nasan,  Germany,  and 
who  immigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1854. 
About  three  years  later,  December  10,  1857,  in 
Albany,  N.  Y.,  occurred  her  marriage  with  Mr. 
Garner.  Six  children  were  born  of  their  mar- 
riage, named  in  order  of  birth  as  follows ; 
Garrie  T.,  born  in  Rensselaer  county,  N.  Y., 
October  14.  1858;  Mary  E.,  born  in  the  same 
county  January  20,  1862,  and  dying  in  the  same 
year ;  John,  born  January  6,  1864,  in  Rensselaer 
county;  Harvey,  born  October  10,  1865,  in  Iowa, 
and  who  died  the  following  year;  William,  born 
June  17,  1873,  m  Minnesota;  and  Henry,  born 
May  12,  1876,  in  Minnesota.  After  living  on 
his  homestead  claim  in  Mmnesota  for  several 
years  the  father  retired  from  active  pursuits  and 
came  to  California  to  spend  his  later  years,  mak- 
ing his  home  on  Figueroa  street  in  Los  Angeles 
for  eighteen  years,  and  now  lives  on  Confidence 
and  Hill  streets.  The  mother  is  an  excellent 
woman  and  a  faithful  member  of  the  Nazarine 
Church. 

Brought  up  on  an  Iowa  farm,  thirty  miles 
from  the  nearest  railway,  John  Carner  acquired 
his  earlv  education  in  the  district  schools,  re- 
maining at  home  until  attaining  his  majority. 
Starting  then  on  his  own  account,  he  rented 
land,  and  was  successfully  employed  as  a  tiller 
of  the  soil  in  Minnesota  about  four  years.  Com- 
ing to  Los  Angeles  county  in  1888  he  continued 
his  chosen  occupation,  for  thirteen  years  renting 
land.  Succeeding  well  in  his  labors,  he  pur- 
chased his  present  ranch,  lying  three  miles  south 
of  Inglewood,  in  igoi,  and  in  its  management 
has  met  with  excellent  results,  reaping  a  good 
annual  income  from  his  abundant  harvests. 

In  Los  Angeles  county.  Gal.,  Mr.  Carner  mar- 
ried, October  i,  1890,  Carrie  M.  Anderson,  a 
daughter  of  Frank  E.  Anderson,  who  was  born 
October  29.  1852,  of  English  descent.  He 
served  in  the  Civil  war  as  sergeant  in  the  bar- 
racks. In  Dodge  City,  Kans.,  in  i86g,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  ?^Iary  A.  Holland,  who 
was  born  July  21,  1851,  the  daughter  of  Ben- 
jamin and  Mary  Elizabeth  (Davis)  Holland. 
Seven  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  An- 
derson, as  follows :  Carrie  M.,  born  August  7, 
1871,  in  Lawrence,  Kans.;  Lydia  A.,  March  14, 
1874,  in  ^Mississippi ;  Elma,  September  24,  1878. 
in  Kansas ;  Alfred  Gordon,  October  8,  1879,  and 
who  died  during  the  same  year ;  Oria  Bell,  born 
December  21,  1881,  in  Kansas:  Charlie,  Sep- 
tember 10,  1884,  in  Kansas:  and  Frank,  Jr., 
born  in  the  same  state  September  27,  1887.  ^Ir. 
and  Mrs.  Anderson  traveled  quite  extensively 
prior  to  coming  to  California  in  1889,  and  are 
now  making  their  home  in  Santa  Ana,  Orange 
county. 

Benjamin  Holland  was  married  in  Maryland 
April  20,  1840,  to  Sarah  Grace  Pitts,  who  died 


in  1848,  having  become  the  mother  of  four  chil- 
dren, Martha  E.,  Julia  ^^L,  John  B.  and  Hilry  P. 
His  marriage  in  1850  united  him  with  Mary 
Elizabeth  Davis,  of  Maryland,  and  to  them  were 
born  the  following  children :  Mary  A.,  born  in 
]\Iaryland  July  21,  1851  ;  Moses,  born  in  the 
same  state  January  20,  1854;  Maggie,  also  born 
in  Maryland,  December  15,  1856,  and  who  died 
at  the  age  of  thirty-seven ;  Sophia,  born  in  Iowa 
July  18,  1859;  Amanda,  who  was  also  born  in 
Iowa,  and  died  when  two  years  of  age ;  and  Eliz- 
abeth, born  in  Iowa  February  28,  1864.  When 
their  first  child  was  five  years  old  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Holland  removed  to  Iowa,  making  their  home 
in  that  state  for  fourteen  years,  when  they  again 
took  up  the  westward  march,  going  from  there 
by  wagon  to  Kansas.  Seven  years  later,  in 
1877,  the  family  removed  to  Los  Angeles,  Gal. 
In  the  following  year  Garrie  M.  Anderson  came 
to  California  in  company  with  an  aunt  and  made 
her  home  with  her  grandparents,  Benjamin  and 
Mary  E.  Holland,  remaining  with  them  until  her 
marriage  with  John  Carner  October  i,  1890. 
February  26,  1902,  the  grandmother  died,  leav- 
ing the  grandfather  alone,  save  for  his  children, 
grandchildren  and  great-grandchildren,  by  all  of 
whom  he  is  beloved  and  revered.  For  one  of 
his  age,  having  been  born  July  9,  1817,  he  is 
remarkably  well  preserved,  is  hale  and  hearty 
and  writes  a  very  legible  hand.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Holland  were  members  of  the  Congregational 
Church,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson  belong  to 
the  Methodist  Church.  Of  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
and  ]\Irs.  Carner  three  children  have  been  born: 
Irvin  W.  was  born  August  6,  1892,  and  was 
baptized  in  Los  Angeles  November  13,  1892,  by 
W.  B.  Stradley,  the  minister  of  the  ]\Iethodist 
Episcopal  Church.  Qarence  H.  was  born  Janu- 
ary II.  1896,  and  was  baptized  April  19,  1896, 
in  the  Harmony  school  house  in  Los  Angeles  by 
A.  Hardie.  Walter  E.  was  born  February  9, 
1900,  and  was  baptized  September  16  of  the 
same  year  in  Harmony  j\Iethodist  Episcopal 
Church  by  A.  Hardie.  Politically  Mr.  Carner 
is  a  steadfast  supporter  of  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  party,  but  has  never  been  an  aspirant 
for  official  honors. 


JOSIAH  D.  BRUBAKER.  The  largest  and 
most  successful  poultry  raiser  in  Hemet  is  J.  D. 
Brubaker,  who  has  been  engaged  in  the  business 
since  1903  and  finds  it  very  profitable.  In  April. 
1858,  he  was  born  in  Salem,  Va.,  the  son  of 
John  and  jNIary  (Neff)  Brubaker,  both  natives 
of  \'irginia.  The  father,  who  was  a  farmer, 
located  in  Girard,  111.,  in  1864,  his  death  occur- 
ring at  that  place  in  October,  1905,  he  having 
attained  the  age  of  seventy-two  years.  His  wife 
is    still    living   in    Girard.      T.    D.    Brubaker   re- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1997 


ceived  his  early  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  Illinois,  and  when  his  studies  were  completed 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  there  until  1888, 
when  he  went  to  Nebraska  and  followed  the  pro- 
fession of  school  teaching  near  Sidney  the  ensu- 
ing ten  years.  He  then  decided  to  come  to  Cali- 
fornia and  take  advantage  of  the  opportunities 
which  this  country  holds  for  the  energetic  man 
in  all  lines,  and  in  1898  he  located  at  Hemet, 
where  he  soon  purchased  a  residence  on  Florida 
avenue  and  has  been  living  there  ever  since. 
He  improved  the  ranch  and  engaged  in  raising 
crops  until  1903,  when  he  entered  the  poultry 
business  on  a  large  scale  and  now  owns  eight 
hundred  birds,  finding  two  of  his  largest  cus- 
tomers for  eggs  in  the  Idyllwild  and  Hemet 
hotels.  In  addition  to  the  management  of  his 
ranch  Mr.  Brubaker  also  works  at  the  carpen- 
ter's trade  and  thus  adds  materially  to  his  yearly 
income. 

In  1879,  in  Illinois,  J.  D.  Brubaker  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Susan,  daughter  of  Isaac 
M.  Gibbel,  who  was  an  early  pioneer  in  Cali- 
fornia. This  union  has  been  blessed  by  the 
birth  of  six  children,  namely:  Fannie  May;  Law- 
rence G. ;  Owen  G.,  in  the  hardware  business 
in  Hemet ;  Viola  ;  Darus  ;  and  Glenn.  Mr.  Bru- 
baker is  an  active  member  and  liberal  supporter 
of  the  German  Baptist  Church  and  is  interested 
in  every  enterprise  tending  to  upbuild  and  ele- 
vate the  community  in  which  he  resides.  Polit- 
ically he  affiliates  with  the  Republican  party  and 
is  well  informed  on  all  social  and  civic  matters 
of  interest   to  the   public. 


CAPT.  FRANK  B.  CLARK.  Though  not 
classed  among  the  early  settlers  of  the  United 
States  the  Clark  family  has  been  identified  with 
our  country  for  the  greater  portion  of  a  cen- 
tury and  its  members  have  contributed  their 
quota  toward  the  development  of  the  resources 
of  the  new  world.  The  first  to  settle  in  America 
was  Francis  Clark,  who  was  born  in  England 
July  22,  181 5,  and  in  early  youth  learned  the 
trade  of  leather  manufacturer  in  his  native  land. 
On  starting  out  in  the  world  to  earn  his  liveli- 
hood he  came  to  the  L^nited  States  about  1835 
and  followed  his  trade  in  Connecticut  for  a 
brief  period,  but  as  early  as  1844  he  embarked 
in  business  for  himself,  purchasing  a  tannery  at 
Brooklyn,  Windham  county.  Conn.,  which  he  op- 
erated successfully  throughout  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  After  becoming  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States  he  voted  the  Whig  ticket  and  upon  the 
disintegration  of  that  party  he  affiliated  with 
the  Republicans.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  No- 
vember 22,  1875,  he  was  sixty  years  of  age.  On 
coming  to  this  country  he  was  single,  but  shortly 
afterward  be  met  and  married  Sarah  M.  Heath, 


who  was  born  in  New  London  county,  Conn., 
July  30,  1822,  and  died  February  3,  1905. 
Through  her  mother  she  was  descended  from 
the  Chapman  family,  colo;iial  settlers  of  New 
England ;  her  father  was  a  native  of  that  region 
and  served  in  the  war  of  1812,  afterward  re- 
maining in  the  east  until  his  death. 

Among  the  children  of  Francis  and  Sarah  M. 
Clark  there  was  a  son,  Frank  B.,  born  in  New 
London  county,  Conn.,  February  4,  1843,  but 
reared  in  Brooklyn,  Windham  county,  from  the 
age  of  one  year.  In  addition  to  grammar-school 
advantages  he  attended  an  academy  in  his  home 
town.  At  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war  his  sym- 
pathies were  at  once  strongly  enlisted  on  the 
side  of  the  Union,  and  August  6,  1862,  he  en- 
listed as  a  private  in  Company  K,  Twenty-first 
Connecticut  Infantry,  and  afterward  served  for 
three  years  mainly  in  Virginia  and  North  Caro- 
lina. Under  General  Burnside  he  took  part  in 
the  first  engagement  of  Fredericksburg.  Later 
he  was  at  Suffolk  and  Portsmouth  in  1863,  then 
on  the  peninsula,  and  from  Washington,  D.  C, 
in  1864  to  Bermuda  Hundred,  later  at  Drury's 
Bluff,  and  June  2  to  14,  1864,  under  Grant  at 
Cold  Harbor.  After  a  long  siege  at  Petersburg 
he  was  present  at  the  taking  of  the  Heights  and 
about  that  time  was  promoted  to  be  first  lieuten- 
ant of  his  company.  Later  he  was  sent  with  his 
regiment  to  reinforce  Sherman  in  North  Caro- 
lina, going  with  the  command  that  took  Fort 
Fisher,  and  was  with  Sherman  at  the  battle  of 
Bentonville,  N.  C,  after  which  he  continued 
with  Sherman  until  the  downfall  of  the  Confed- 
eracy. Shortly  after  his  enlistment  he  was  made 
acting  hospital  steward  of  the  brigade  and  about 
a  year  before  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  pro- 
moted to  be  captain  of  his  company,  with  a  rec- 
ommendation for  promotion  to  brevet-major. 
After  a  service  of  four  years  and  four  months 
he  was  honorably  discharged  at  Washington, 
D.  C,  December  5,  1866.  During  the  long  pe- 
riod of  his  service  he  was  never  wounded  nor 
imprisoned,  yet  the  hardships  and  exposures  had 
undermined  his  health  and  he  returned  to  his 
home  an  invalid.  After  a  vain  attempt  to  carry 
on  a  college  course  in  a  Baptist  school  in  Con- 
necticut, he  was  obliged  to  relinquish  his  studies 
and  at  once  went  to  the  mountains  of  Wyoming 
in  the  hope  of  being  benefited  by  the  change  of 
climate. 

Driving  through  from  Laramie,  Wyo.,  Captain 
Clark  landed  at  Los  Angeles  February  23,  1869. 
Not  far  from  the  city  he  purchased  a  tract  of 
eighty  acres  which  he  yet  owns.  The  land  was 
secured  from  settlers  and  from  two  holders  of 
grants  from  the  government.  After  a  year  in 
the  mines  in  1870  he  returned  to  Los  Angeles 
county  and  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  unfenced  anrl  unimprovetl  land.     The  only  at- 


1998 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


tempt  made  at  improving  the  place  had  been  the 
erection  of  an  adobe  house  and  when  he  came 
here  only  the  walls  of  this  primitive  structure 
remained.  As  the  years  passed  by  he  not  only 
improved  this  property,  but  also  bought  and 
rented  land  to  the  extent  of  fifteen  hundred 
acres,  all  of  which  was  devoted  to  farm  products. 
However,  the  building  of  the  railroads  and  the 
incoming  of  settlers  rendered  the  land  too  valu- 
able for  general  farming  and  he  then  turned  his 
attention  to  the  development  of  his  real  estate 
interests.  He  now  owns  a  store  building  in 
Hyde  Park,  as  well  as  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
five  lots.  Altogether  he  owns  about  three  hun- 
dred acres  in  this  vicinity,  as  well  as  an  attract- 
ive modern  residence ;  also  one  hundred  acres  in 
Riverside  county,  Cal. :  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  Oregon  timber  lands ;  and  the 
old  homestead  in  Brooklyn,  Conn.,  which  he  pur- 
chased from  the  other  heirs  at  the  settlement  of 
the  estate. 

The  marriage  of  Captain  Clark  took  place 
July  1 6,  1878,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Lizzie 
S.  Leach,  who  was  born  at  Pittsford,  Rutland 
county,  Vt.,  September  25,  1852,  and  came  from 
the  east  to  California  about  1872.  The  only  son 
of  their  marriage,  Clarence,  is  a  resident  of 
northern  California.  Their  only  daughter,  Cora 
H.,  a  young  girl  of  unusual  promise,  died  Feb- 
ruary 9,  1897.  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  and 
in  memory  of  her  beautiful  life  the  parents  erect- 
ed the  Memorial  Congregational  Church  of 
Hyde  Park.  In  the  work  of  this  church  both 
are  active.  Captain  Clark  officiating  as  a  deacon 
and  also  as  the  -leader  of  the  Bible  class.  As 
might  be  expected  of  a  war  veteran  with  a  long 
and  honorable  record,  he  takes  a  deep  interest 
in  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  is  now 
identified  with  Stanton  Post  No.  55.  in  Los  An- 
geles. Among  other  organizations  in  which  he 
holds  membership  are  the  Society  of  California 
Pioneers  and  the  Loyal  Legion.  Ever  since  at- 
taining his  majority  he  has  given  his  vote  and 
influence  toward  the  Republican  party  in  na- 
tional affairs,  but  in  local  matters  believes  that 
the  character  and  intelligence  of  the  candidate 
are  of  greater  importance  than  his  opinions  as 
to  the  tariff,  etc.  While  always  willing  to  help 
such  of  his  friends  as  may  be  candidates,  he 
never  seeks  office  for  himself  and  at  no  time  in 
his  life  would  he  consent  to  lake  upon  himself 
the  burden  of  official  responsibilities ;  yet  he  is 
public-spirited  and  progressive,  interested  in 
everything  making,  toward  the  upbuilding  of 
his  community,  a  generous  contributor  to  worthy 
movements,  a  man  of  temperance  principles,  and 
in  every  respect  a  worth}-  citizen  whose  presence 
has  been  most  helpful  to  the  permanent  progress 
of  his  community. 


LOUIS  FERDINAND  ROUSSEY.  The  de- 
velopment of  the  resources  of  Ventura  county 
thereby  bringing  enhanced  values  to  the  lands 
and  increased  profits  from  the  cultivation  of  the 
same,  may  be  attributed  to  the  energetic  efforts 
and  wise  judgment  of  men  intimately  associated 
with  the  history  of  this  part  of  the  state.  All  cit- 
izens have  benefited  by  the  sagacity  of  the  up- 
builders  of  the  county  and  all  are  a  unit  in  appre- 
ciation of  the  prosperity  of  the  present  era.  In 
the  number  of  those  who  have  been  benefited 
financially  by  the  development  of  the  rich  lands 
of  this  section,  mention  belongs  to  Louis  Ferdi- 
nand Roussey,  who  came  here  in  the  fall  of  1882 
and  has  since  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
with  excellent  success. 

The  Roussey  family  descends  from  French  an- 
cestry and  was  founded  in  America  by  John  B. 
Roussey,  who  in  young  manhood  came  from 
France  to  Pennsylvania*  and  there  engaged  in 
farming  and  lumbering,  later  following  kindred 
pursuits  in  Kansas,  where  he  improved  large 
tracts  of  raw  land.  During  1885  he  spent  six 
months  in  California  and  in  1897  he  again  came 
to  the  coast,  settling  in  Santa  Paula,  where  he 
remained  until  death.  His  widow,  now  residing 
in  Oxnard,  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Henrietta 
Petit  and  was  born  in  France.  Their  ten  chil- 
dren are  still  living,  the  third  of  these  being 
Louis  Ferdinand,  who  was  born  in  Clearfield 
county.  Pa.,  in  1862,  and  about  1866  was  taken  to 
Kansas  by  his  parents.  For  a  short  time  he  lived 
in  Douglas  county,  but  soon  removed  with  the 
family  to  Franklin  county,  Kans.,  settling  on  raw 
land  near  Wellsville.  There  he  aided  in  the 
arduous  task  of  improving  a  farm  and  during  the 
leisure  hours  on  the  farm  he  was  sent  to  the 
neighboring  schools. 

On  coming  to  California  in  1882  Mr.  Roussey 
found  that  the  leading  crops  in  Ventura  county 
were  wheat  and  barley.  Securing  employment 
on  ranches,  he  worked  for  different  parties  for 
some  years.  During  1885  he  visited  in  Kansas 
for  a  few  months.  On  his  return  to  the  west  he 
resumed  agricultural  pursuits  and  later  bought 
sixty-four  acres  one-half  mile  south  of  the  pres- 
ent site  of  Oxnard,  for  which  in  1894  he  paid 
$125  per  acre.  A  part  of  this  tract  is  now  in- 
cluded in  the  town  site.  Immediately  he  began 
to  make  improvements,  sinking  an  artesian  well, 
erecting  a  house  and  barn,  and  making  such  other 
changes  as  would  facilitate  the  carrying  forward 
of  the  beet  and  bean  industry.  During  1900  he 
sold  the  property  to  Mr.  Milligan  for  $26=;  per 
acre.  During  1895  he  had  made  a  second  trip 
back  to  Kansas,  and  in  1900  he  went  there  for  the 
third  time,  later  going  east  as  far  as  Chicago, 
but  he  saw  no  locality  that  impressed  him  so  fa- 
vorably as  California.  Since  his  last  trip  east  he 
has  acquired  other    property  and  now    owns  one 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1999 


hundred  acres  three  miles  southeast  of  CXxnard, 
which  he  bought  for  $90  per  acre,  and  on  which 
he  engages  in  raising  beans  and  beets.  In  addi- 
tion, he  owns  a  Iract  of  four  hundred  and  thirty 
acres  of  grain  land  on  the  Simi,  which  he  rents 
to  a  tenant,  and  he  also  owns  two  and  one-half 
acres  on  the  Savier  road  within  the  city  limits  of 
Oxnard,  as  well  as  a  residence  lot  on  the  corner 
of  Second  and  C  streets,  all  of  these  various  and 
valuable  possessions  representing  the  results  of 
his  energy  and  sagacity.  In  national  politics  he 
votes  the  Republican  ticket,  while  locally  he  sup- 
ports those  men  whom  he  deems  best  qualified  to 
preserve  the  integrity  of  the  body  politic  \nd  pro- 
mote the  welfare  of  the  citizens.  The  Citizens' 
Club  numbers  him  among  its  active  members 
and  stanch  supporters,  while  fraternally  he  holds 
membership  with  the  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks  at  Santa  Barbara. 


LEWIS  A.  PERCE,  M.  D.  A  place  of  im- 
portance is  accorded  Dr.  Lewis  A.  Perce  among 
the  physicians  of  Long  Beach,  Los  Angeles 
county,  where  he  has  been  an  esteemed  resident 
for  nine  years,  having  located  in  this  city  upon 
his  arrival  in  California  in  1898.  He  is  a  native 
son  of  Illinois,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
Springfield  March  8,  1854.  His  parents,  Will- 
iam and  Roxanna  (Vittum)  Perce,  were  natives 
respectively  of  Pickaway  and  Huron  counties, 
Ohio,  the  father  a  descendant  of  French  Hugue- 
not stock  and  the  mother  of  Scotch  ancestry. 
William  Perce  became  a  pioneer  of  Sangamon 
county,  111.,  in  1840,  crossing  the  country  from 
Ohio  to  the  Prairie  state  by  means  of  ox-teams. 
He  engaged  in  the  hardware  and  grocery  busi- 
ness in  Sangamon  county  and  in  the  passing 
years  built  up  a  large  custom  which  brought  him 
satisfactory  financial  returns.  In  addition  to  his 
success  in  business  he  became  prominent  in  Re- 
publican politics  in  the  county  and  served  ac- 
ceptably as  sheriff,  and  was  also  active  in  the 
convention  that  nominated  Lincoln  for  the  pres- 
idency. There  is  now  in  the  possession  of  his 
son,  Lewis  A.  Perce,  a  cane  which  was  pre- 
sented to  him  by  Mr.  Lincoln,  who  was  his  life- 
long friend.  LTpon  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil 
war  jNIr.  Perce  organized  Company  B,  of  the 
Seventieth  Regiment  Illinois  Infantry,  and 
served  as  its  captain  for  twenty  months,  when 
he  was  discharged  on  account  of  disability.  Re- 
turning to  his  home  in  Illinois  he  remained  a 
resident  of  that  state  until  1875,  in  which  year 
he  removed  to  Russell,  Kans..  and  there  fol- 
lowed the  grocery  business  until  his  death.  His 
wife  was  born  in  Huron  county,  Ohio,  and  early 
in  life  removed  to  Columbus,  where  her  father 
owned  an  old  water  mill  on  the  Scioto  river. 

Lewis  A.  Perce  \vas  reared  to  young  manhood 


in  his  native  state  and  in  the  public  schools  of 
Springfield  received  his  preliminary  education, 
also  attending  commercial  college  in  that  place. 
Deciding  to  take  up  the  profession  of  medicine 
for  his  lifework,  he  became  a  student  in  the 
Eclectic  Medical  Institute  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
in  1873,  and  after  a  thorough  course  of  lectures 
returned  home,  which  in  the  meantime  was 
changed  from  Springfield  to  Russell,  Kans., 
where  he  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion. Continuing  his  studies  he  was  graduated 
in  1882,  after  which  he  located  in  Forest,  Ohio, 
for  a  time  and  later  in  Bucyrus,  same  state,  and 
began  the  practice  of  his  profession,  which  con- 
tinued until  1898.  In  the  meantime  he  had  mar- 
ried in  Russelh  Kans.,  Sarah  A.  B.  Miles,  whose 
father  (a  second  cousin  of  General  Miles),  with 
his  five  sons,  served  in  the  Union  army  during 
the  Civil  war. 

Although  having  attained  a  marked  degree  of 
success  in  Ohio,  wdiere  he  had  been  located  for 
sixteen  vears,  Dr.  Perce  became  interested  in  the 
future  of  Southern  California,  and  accordingly, 
in  1898,  he  came  to  the  Pacific  coast,  and  after 
one  month  spent  in  Pasadena,  located  permanent- 
ly in  Long  Beach.  He  began  his  practice  of 
medicine  with  Dr.  O.  C.  \\''elbourn,  but  after 
eight  months  in  the  partnership  he  purchased  the 
entire  interest  and  has  since  continued  alone.  He 
engages  in  a  general  practice,  which  has  grown 
to  "lucrative  proportions,  but  makes  a  specialty  of 
eye.  ear,  nose  and  throat  diseases,  using  the  X- 
Rav  to  a  large  extent  in  his  work.  Besides  at- 
ten'dnig  to  his  personal  practice  he  has  taken  a 
livelv  interest  in  all  lines  pertaining  to  his  profes- 
sion, contributing  frequently  to  medical  journals 
and  becoming  prominently  known  throughout 
the  state. 

In  1901  Dr.  Perce  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Medical  Examiners  of  the  State  of 
California  and  three  years  later  was  elected 
president,  filling  the  position  with  efficiency.  In 
1905  he  was  made  president  of  the  Long  Beach 
Qiamber  of  Commerce,  which  office  he  fills  at 
the  present  time.  He  is  examining  physician 
for  a  number  of  old-line  insurance  companies, 
as  well  as  fraternal  societies,  and  is  assistant 
surgeon  of  the  Uniformed  Rank  of  the  Knights 
of  Pythias,  of  which  he  is  a  member.  He  is  also 
associated  with  the  Masonic  Lodge  of  Long 
Beach  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, and  in  social  circles  is  prominent,  being 
a  member  of  the  local  Auto  Club  and  others, 
in  which  he  takes  a  lively  interest.  In  business 
he  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Long  Beach  National 
Bank  and  the  Citizens  Savings  Bank  of  the  same 
place,  and  has  unbounded  confidence  in  the 
future  of  the  city  he  has  made  his  home,  invest- 
ing his  means  liberally  in  real  estate.  In  politics 
he  has  always  been  a  party  wheel  horse,  taking 


2000 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


a  lively  interest  in  the  advancement  of  Repub- 
lican principles,  which  he  heartily  endorses. 
While  a  resident  of  Ohio  he  stumped  the  state 
with  the  late  Senator  Hanna  and  President 
McKinley,  giving  time  and  means  liberally  in 
the  support  of  his  friends  for  public  office,  al- 
though personally  the  manifold  duties  and  in- 
terests of  his  profession  have  so  engrossed  his 
attention  that  he  has  not  cared  for  recognition 
along  these  lines. 


MRS.  MARTHA  J.  HOBBS.  One  of  the 
oldest  residents  of  San  Bernardino  county  is 
Mrs.  Martha  J.  Hobbs,  who  came  here  in  1869 
on  one  of  the  first  overland  trains.  The  Cline 
family,  of  which  she  is  a  member,  was  among 
the  first  that  settled  in  New  York  even  before 
the  United  States  was  an  independent  nation, 
her  grandfather,  John  Qine,  having  been  born 
in  New  York,  served  in  the  war  of  1812,  and 
at  the  time  of  his  death  had  attained  the  remark- 
able age  of  one  hundred  and  four  years.  Her 
father  was  born  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
followed  the  carpenter's  trade,  later  removing  to 
Lenox,  Ohio,  from  there  to  Henderson  county, 
111.,  and  finally  in  1850  crossing  the  plains  with 
a  four-horse  outfit,  the  trip  consuming  six 
months.  For  two  years  he  was  interested  in 
mining  in  Placer  county,  then  came  to  Temecula 
and  engaged  in  the  cattle  business  with  a  Mr. 
Moody,  continuing  the  partnership  for  sixteen 
years.  They  had  succeeded  in  accumulating  a 
very  large  number  of  cattle  scattered  over  a 
wide  range  of  country,  and  when  they  decided 
to  divide  the  herds  and  continue  business  inde- 
pendently, with  a  generous  disregard  of  a  pos- 
sible discrepancy  in  numbers  which  might  oc- 
cur, they  rounded  up  the  cattle  in  one  large 
bunch  and  directed  two  Mexicans  to  ride  through 
the  herd  as  near  the  center  as  possible  and  each 
man  took  a  half  as  thus  divided.  That  the  meth- 
od was  an  entirely  satisfactory  one  to  both  par- 
ties was  proven  by  the  fact  that  Mr.  Cline  and 
Mr.  Moody  remained  friends  ever  afterwards. 

Taking  his  share  of  the  cattle  Mr.  Cline  re- 
moved them  to  Ft.  Mojave  and  placed  them  on 
the  range,  but  the  Indians  molested  them  so  fre- 
quently and  stole  so  many  that  he  decided  to  re- 
move to  Cucamonga,  where  he  kept  them  until 
1872.  Taking  them  again  to  Mojave  he  kept 
them  there  for  several  years,  after  which  he 
sold  the  entire  herd  and  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life  on  his  ranch  at  Rincon.  His  death  oc- 
curred June  8,  1892.  at  the  advanced  age  of 
ninety-two  years.  He  was  a  justice  of  the  peace 
in  Illinois  and  later  at  Temecula,  and  his  polit- 
ical affiliations  were  with  the  Republican  party. 
His  wife  was  Elizabeth  Pratt,  a  native  of  New 
York,  and  the  daughter  of  Jacob  Pratt.     Mrs. 


Cline's  death  occurred  December  30,  1841,  in 
Illinois,  two  of  her  three  children  being  still  alive. 

The  birth  of  Martha  J.  Cline  occurred  in  New 
York,  and  when  she  was  one  year  old  she  was 
taken  by  her  parents  to  Ohio,  and  she  was  five 
years  old  at  the  time  of  the  removal  to  Hender- 
son county.  111.,  where  she  attended  a  subscrip- 
tion school.  In  1853,  in  Oquawka,  that  county, 
she  was  united  in  marriage  with  Thomas  Giles, 
a  German  by  birth,  who  had  made  his  home  in 
Illinois  from  an  early  age.  By  trade  he  was  an 
upholsterer,  a  business  which  he  followed  for 
many  years.  During  the  Civil  war  he  joined  an 
Illinois  regiment,  acting  as  bodyguard  to  General 
McQellan ;  after  tlie  close  of  the  war  he  re- 
sumed civil  life  in  Illinois  and  there  died.  Two 
children  were  born  of  that  union,  namely :  Sophia 
R.,  who  married  A.  A.  Dexter,  became  the  moth- 
er of  eleven  children,  and  now  has  seven  grand- 
children ;  and  William,  a  resident  of  Qiicago. 

In  1869  Mrs.  Giles  came  to  California  with 
her  father  and  becafne  a  resident  of  Rincon.  In 
San  Bernardino  December  30,  1870,  she  was 
married  to  William  A.  Hobbs,  who  was  born  in 
North  Carolina  April  2,  1838,  and  came  to  Cali- 
fornia via  Panama  in  1853.  Fo""  many  years  he 
engaged  in  mining  and  later  teamed  between 
Prescott,  Ariz.,  and  Los  Angeles,  and  it  was 
while  thus  employed  that  he  became  acquainted 
with  the  Cline  family.  For  eleven  years  Mr. 
Hobbs  was  engaged  in  farming  at  Rincon,  and 
in  January,  1881,  removed  to  San  Bernardino, 
bought  the  hotel  site,  a  year  later  built  the  Hobbs 
house  and  continued  to  conduct  it  until  1901, 
when  it  was  turned  over  to  Mrs.  Hobbs'  grand 
daughter.  Mrs.  W.  C.  Foster,  who  in  1906  put  it 
into  the  hands  of  her  niece,  ]\Irs.  Emma  Hewes, 
who  is  now  the  proprietor.  Mr.  Hobbs'  death 
occurred  November  2,  1904.  he  being  at  that 
time  seventy-six  years  and  seven  months  of  age. 
Fraternally  he  was  a  Mason,  and  politically  af- 
filiated with  the  Democratic  party.  Mrs.  Hobbs 
is  an  extensive  property-  owner,  and  besides  the 
three  residences  which  she  owns  (two  adjoining 
the  Hobbs  house  and  one  on  F  street  in  San 
Bernardino),  she  has  a  house  and  lot  in  Santa 
^Monica.  She  is  an  active  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Church,  a  woman  of  many  fine  personal 
qualities  and  possesses  unusual  business  ability. 


EDWARD  WASHINGTON  PECK.  Al- 
though filling  the  position  of  foreman  of  Taylor 
Brothers'  brick  yards  in  San  Bernardino,  Ed- 
ward W^ashington  Peck  is  a  resident  of  Pasadena, 
which  city  has  been  his  home  for  the  past  fifteen 
years.  His  grandfather,  Hon.  Washington  Peck, 
a  native  of  New  York,  was  a  pioneer  settler  in 
the  then  territory  of  Washington  and  was  a  man 
well  known  all  over  the  northwestern  part  of  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2001 


United  States.  He  made  four  trips  across  the 
plains  with  ox  teams  and  was  thoroughly  fa- 
miliar with  the  mountainous  country  over  which 
he  did  so  much  traveling  and  frequently  acted  as 
guide  to  others  less  well  acquainted  with  the 
roads.  For  eight  years  he  served  as  a  guide  to 
the  United  States  troops  in  Arizona  and  was 
twice  sent  as  a  delegate  to  congress  from  the  ter- 
ritory of  Washington.  He  was  at  one  time  in- 
terested in  mining  operations  near  Prescott,  Ariz., 
and  helped  to  develop  the  old  Peck  mine  near 
that  point.  In  Washington  he  was  engaged  in 
extensive  agricultural  pursuits  near  Sedalia,  and 
was  living  in  that  state  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

David  Peck,  the  father  of  Edward  Washing- 
ton, was  born  in  New  York  state  and  crossed  the 
plains  to  San  Francisco  in  1849.  A.s  a  cattle 
dealer  he  made  several  trips  east  in  the  course 
of  his  business  operations,  spending  a  little  over 
one  year  in  Canada.  In  1861  he  became  a  pioneer 
farmer  in  Page  county,  Iowa,  and  lived  in  that 
state  forty-six  years.  He  was  a  man  of  consid- 
erable influence  and  prominence  in  that  county 
and  was  recognized  as  the  arbiter  of  all  neigh- 
borhood disputes,  the  justice  of  his  decisions 
giving  general  and  mutual  satisfaction  to  all  in- 
terested parties.  He  was  popularly  known  all 
over  the  country  as  Uncle  David  Peck  and  his 
death,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years,  removed 
a  man  who  was  universally  loved  and  respected. 
Religiously  he  was  a  devout  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  and  politically  he  advo- 
cated the  principles  embraced  in  the  platform  of 
the  Republican  partv.  His  wife  was  Eliza, 
daughter  of  Francis  Carey,  her  father  having  es- 
tablished himself  as  a  merchant  in  London.  Can- 
ada, where  his  death  occurred.  Mrs.  Peck  died 
in  Iowa. 

There  were  six  children  in  the  family  of  which 
Edward  Washington  Peck  was  a  member,  four 
of  whom  are  still  living.  He  was  born  February 
23,  1858,  in  London,  Canada,  but  was  reared  on 
the  farm  in  Iowa.  He  received  a  superior  edu- 
cation, first  in  the  district  schools  of  Page  county, 
then  at  the  Keokuk  high  school,  and  finally  took 
a  course  at  Shenandoah  .College.  He  remained 
under  the  parental  roof  until  twenty-two  years 
of  age,  then  went  to  Ness  county,  Kans.,  and 
located  on  a  homestead,  pre-emption  and  tree 
claim  eleven  miles  north  of  Ness  City,  upon 
which  he  proved  up  in  due  time,  being  mean- 
while engaged  in  the  stock  business.  In  1892, 
having  endorsed  paper  to  a  large  amount  for  a 
friend,  he  was  obliged  to  make  the  endorsement 
good  and  in  doing  so  found  it  necessary  to  dis- 
pose of  all  of  his  stock  and  farm  property  with 
the  exception  of  the  land  which  at  that  time  was 
worth  almost  nothing.  He  recently  sold  this 
land,  which  is  now  valued  at  $10  per  acre.  Af- 
ter settling  his  financial  obligations  Mr.  Peck 
came  to  Pasadena  and  for  a  time  drove  teams  for 


Simon  Brothers,  until  he  secured  the  position  of 
foreman  of  the  Pasadena  brick  yards.  He 
worked  in  this  capacity  for  some  time,  later  was 
made  collector  for  the  firm  in  Los  Angeles  and 
in  1905  resigned  this  position  to  accept  his  pres- 
ent place  as  foreman  in  Taylor  Brothers'  brick 
yard  at  San  Bernardino.  He  is  the  owner  of 
several  pieces  of  valuable  real  estate  in  Pasadena, 
and  has  a  fine  residence  on  South  Euclid  avenue 
in  that  city.  He  also  lias  an  interest  in  the  Col- 
orado River  Gold  and  Copper  Mining  Com- 
pany, having  been  president  of  the  company  un- 
til coming  to  San  Bernardino,  and  operates 
quartz  mines  near  Parker,  which  are  making  a 
fine  showing. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Peck  occurred  at  Ham- 
burg, Iowa,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Fannie 
Simons,  who  was  born  there.  They  are  the  par- 
ents of  four  children :  Walter,  an  electrician  for 
the  Pacific  Electric  Railway ;  Lawrence,  a  plumb- 
er ;  Carey,  who  lives  at  Pasadena ;  and  Marie. 
Mrs.  Peck  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church, 
which  is  liberally  supported  by  the  family.  Fra- 
ternally Mr.  Peck  affiliates  with  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World,  and  politically  believes  in  the 
principles  advocated  in  the  platform  of  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  is  a  man  of  pleasing  address, 
of  no  mean  business  ability  and  a  public-spirited 
citizen  who  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  all 
who  know  him. 


ROBERT  NELSON.  The  life  which  this 
narrative  sketches  began  in  Kent  county,  Eng- 
land, near  the  city  of  London  and  closed  in 
Sunderland,  England.  Though  born  and  de- 
ceased in  Great  Britain,  Mr.  Nelson  spent  the 
active  years  of  his  life  in  the  United  States  and 
regarded  himself  as  a  true  American,  being 
ever  loyal  and  patriotic  to  his  adopted  coun- 
try. The  son  of  a  sea  captain,  he  did  not  have 
any  inclination  toward  his  father's  occupation, 
but  served  an  apprenticeship  of  seven  years  to 
the  trade  of  an  upholsterer  and  at  the  expiration 
of  his  time  began  in  the  furniture  and  upholster- 
ing business  "for  himself  at  Darlington,  Eng- 
land. While  there  he  married  Miss  Margaret 
Weatherall,  a  native  of  that  city.  In  1865,  ac- 
companied by  his  wife  and  one  son,  he  crossed 
the  ocean  to"  the  United  States  and  settled  at 
Elmira.  N.  Y.  For  a  period  of  about  twenty 
years  he  carried  on  an  upholstering  establish- 
ment in  that  city  and  also  filled  orders  for  cabi- 
net-work, meanwhile  gaining  a  reputation  for 
reliable  workmanship  and  sagacious  business 
methods.  Constant  attention  to  details  connect- 
ed with  the  business  eventually  undermined  his 
health  and,  hoping  th.at  a  change  of  climate 
might  prove  beneficial,  he  returned  to  England 
to  visit  among  the  scenes  familiar  to  his  boyhood 
and  early  manhood.     However,  the  change  did 


2002 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


not  bring-  the  favorable  results  hoped  for,  and  he 
(lied  while  still  in  that  country. 

After  having  sold  out  the  business  which  her 
husband  had  conducted  for  many  years,  Mrs. 
Margaret  Nelson  removed  to  Missouri  and 
bought  a  tract  of  eighty  acres  in  Douglas  county, 
in  addition  to  which  she  took  up  a  homestead  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  In  the  develop- 
ment of  the  land  she  had  the  capable  assistance 
of  her  sons,  Joseph  and  Arthur,  the  only  surviv- 
ors of  her  eight  children.  At  the  death  of  her 
husband  these  two  boys  were  fifteen  and  seven 
vears  of  age  respectively.  Though  mere  lads, 
ihev  proved  themselves  efficient  assistants  to 
their  mother,  and  the  three  worked  together  in 
liarmony  and  with  success.  In  1894  Mrs.  Nel- 
son came  to  California  in  the  interest  of  her 
health.  The  climate  and  surroundings  proved  so 
attractive  that  she  decided  to  remove  permanent- 
ly to  the  coast,  and  thereupon  in  1896  disposed  of 
her  property  in  Missouri,  came  to  California,  and 
settled  at  Hyde  Park,  where  now  she  makes  her 
home,  having  still  with  her  the  younger  son, 
while  the  elder,  who  is  married,  lives  near  by  in 
the  same  town.  The  sons  own  a  number  of  lots 
in  Hvde  Park  and  operate  the  Baldwin  ranch  of 
several  hundred  acres,  a  portion  of  which  is  un- 
der cultivation  to  grain,  while  the  remainder  of 
the  land  is  under  alfalfa.  In  political  faith  they 
follow  the  example  of  their  father,  who  became  a 
Republican  upon  taking  up  the  duties  of  Ameri- 
can citizenship.  Like  "him,  too,  they  are  ener- 
getic, capable  and  persevering,  and  fully  merit 
abundant  success.  The  Presbyterian  denomina- 
tion represents  the  religious  faith  of  the  family, 
and  Mr.  Nelson  until  death  remained  a  faithful 
member  of  that  church,  with  which  his  widow 
continues  to  be  identified. 


JESSE  H.  CASE.  The  lineage  of  the  Case 
family  is  traced  to  Germany,  whence  many  }-ears 
ago  one  of  the  name  came  to  the  new  world  and 
settled  in  Pennsylvania.  A  son  of  the  first  im- 
migrant removed  to  Ohio  while  that  region  was 
yet  in  a  condition  of  primeval  wildness.  Gash- 
am  C,  grandson  of  the  original  immigrant,  was 
born  in  Hamilton  county,  Ohio,  and  learned  the 
cooper's  trade  in  boyhood.  After  his  removal 
to  Illinois  in  1835  he  followed  his  trade  at  Quin- 
cy,  Adams  county,  and  later  was  similarly  em- 
ployed in  Brown  county,  that  state,  but  in  1847 
he  removed  to  Iowa  and  the  following  year  set- 
tled in  Council  Bluflfs.  When  emigration  began 
to  turn  toward  the  unknown  west  he  disposed  of 
his  holdings  in  Iowa  and  in  the  spring  of  1849 
started  across  the  plains  with  ox-teams.  Ar- 
riving without  accident  at  Salt  Lake  City  he  se- 
cured cmi^loyment  there  and  established  a  tem- 
porary home,  but  some  years  later  he  proceeded 


to  California  and  June  i,  1854,  he  arrived  ;a 
San  Bernardino  with  his  wife  and  seven  chil- 
dren. In  addition  to  following  the  occupation  of 
a  freighter  he  carried  on  a  large  business  as  a 
horse  doctor.  Though  he  was  not  a  graduate 
veterinary  he  possessed  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
diseases  affecting  the  horse  and  was  remark- 
ably successful  in  restoring  sick  animals  to  health. 
As  the  years  passed  by  he  accumulated  a  com- 
petency and  became  one  of  the  well-to-do  men 
of  his  region,  where  he  was  known  for  his  re- 
markable generosity  of  disposition  and  kindness 
of  heart.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  had 
reached  the  age  of  eighty  years,  six  months  and 
four  days. 

The  marriage  of  G.  C.  Case  united  him  with 
Susan  C.  Fitchett,  who  was  born  in  AIar\dand 
and  died  in  Shasta  county,  Cal.  Nine  children 
were  born  of  their  union,  seven  of  whom  yet 
survive,  the  second  in  order  of  birth  being  James 
Hillman  Case,  who  was  born  in  Brown  county, 
III,  January  31,  1840,  and  came  to  California 
with  the  family  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years. 
For  two  months  he  was  a  pupil  in  a  school  held 
in  a  log  building  containing  only  a  crude  equip- 
ment for  educational  work.  At  an  early  age  he 
began  to  drive  teams  for  his  father  and  in  the 
course  of  his  work  frequently  camped  out  at 
night  with  the  snow  for  a  blanket.  In  1856  he 
enlisted  under  Capt.  Robert  Clifts  in  the  First 
Light  Dragoons  of  First  Brigade,  First  Division 
of  California  Militia,  and  made  a  trip  to  Utah 
with  the  regiment.  During  December  of  1861 
he  enlisted  in  Company  E,  First  California  Cav- 
alry, and  served  with  his  regiment  in  Indian 
wars  in  California,  Arizona  and  New  jNIexico  and 
as  far  away  as  Texas,  being  honorably  discharged 
at  Santa  Fe  December  20,  1864.  During  the  bat- 
tle of  Cook's  Canon  he  was  one  of  nine  cavalry- 
men who  successfully  resisted  sixty-two  Indians, 
of  whom  they  killed  eighteen,  with  a  loss  in  their 
own  little  company  of  only  one  killed  and  two 
wounded.  On  being  discharged  he  traveled 
from  Fort  Craig  down  the  Rio  Grande  river  to 
Las  Cruces,  thence  across  the  country  to  Tucson, 
and  down  the  Gila  river  to  Fort  Yuma,  thence 
across  the  desert  to  Warner's  ranch,  arriving  at 
San  Bernardino  February  7,  1865,  more  than 
three  vears  after  he  had  left  home  for  service  in 
the  Civil  war. 

Not  long  after  his  return  from  the  army 
James  H.  Case  established  domestic  ties.  His 
marriage,  June  9,  1865,  united  him  with  Alary 
Elizabeth  Folks,  who  was  born  in  Madrid  coun- 
ty, ]\Io.,  January  i6,  1845,  l^"*  from  the  age  of 
six  years  made  her  home  in  San  Bernardino. 
Out  of  a  family  of  ten  children  she  and  one  other 
alone  survive.  Her  father,  Jesse  Folks,  was  bom 
in  Worcester  county,  Md.,  in  1808.  and  fol- 
lowed  farming  and  carpentering.     Though   de- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


^003 


prived  of  educational  advantages  he  became  a 
scholarly  man,  the  possessor  of  a  broad  fimd  of 
general  information  which  made  him  an  inter- 
esting conversationalist  and  cultured  companion. 
During  1848,  with  his  wife  and  six  children,  he 
traveled  in  a  wagon  drawn  bj'  oxen  across  the 
plains  as  far  as  Salt  Lake  City,  and  in  185 1  came 
on  to  San  Bernardino.  Soon  after  his  arrival  he 
built  a  small  house  on  what  is  now  First  and  D 
streets.  Securing  work  as  a  carpenter,  he  erect- 
ed some  of  the  first  houses  in  the  town,  and  also 
engaged  in  farming,  teaming  and  mining.  After 
a  useful  and  honorable  life  he  passed  away  at 
his  home  aged  eighty-three  years.  His  wife. 
Mary  Ann,  was  born  in  Maryland  in  181 5  and 
died  at  San  Bernardino  when  eighty-two  years 
of  age ;  she  was  a  daughter  of  William  Liv- 
ingston, a  Revolutionary  soldier  and  a  life-long 
resident  of  Maryland. 

After  having  completed  her  education  in  local 
schools  Miss  Folks  engaged  in  teaching  and  for 
a  time  had  a  small  school  at  her  father's  home, 
but  later  taught  on  E  street,  each  pupil  paying  a 
small  sum  as  tuition.  As  far  as  can  be  ascer- 
tained, it  is  believed  that  she  is  the  oldest  teach- 
er now  living  in  San  Bernardino  county.  A 
woman  of  refinement  and  culture,  she  has  always 
numbered  among  her  friends  the  most  intel- 
lectual people  of  the  town,  and  in  such  circles 
her  rare  charms  of  mind  have  won  lasting  ad- 
miration. In  her  home,  wdiere  her  labors  have 
chiefly  centered,  she  has  been  a  devoted  wife  and 
self-sacrificing  mother,  and  now  in  life's  afternoon 
she  has  the  happiness  of  seeing  her  children  well- 
established  in  San  Bernardino,  occupying  high 
positions  in  social  circles.  The  eldest  child,  Jesse 
H.,  whose  name  introduces  this  article,  is  cus- 
todian of  the  San  Bernardino  jail.  The  second 
child,  Lelia,  died  at  nine  months  of  age.  The 
others  reside  in  San  Bernardino,  namely:  Susan 
Stella,  Mrs.  George  Heap ;  Florence,  Mrs.  John 
B.  Smithson,  Jr. ;  Mary  Serena,  Mrs.  Thomas  A. 
Smithson,  and  Stephen  jNI. 

By  trading  a  small  riding  mule  with  saddle 
and  bridle  for  four  acres  of  land  in  1866  James 
H.  Case  became  a  property-owner  in  San  Ber- 
nardino. On  the  land  he  erected  a  small  house 
which  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1893.  Later  he 
built  his  present  residence  on  the  same  site.  Un- 
til 1896  he  engaged  in  freighting  and  the  trans- 
fer business  and  ran  the  'bus  line  between  this 
town  and  Colton.  Meanwhile  he  accpiired  twelve 
acres  on  I  and  Ninth  streets,  but  some  of  this  he 
sold  and  some  he  gave  to  his  children,  so  that 
now  now  he  retains  only  one  acre.  The  San 
Bernardino  County  Pioneer  Society  of  California 
numbers  him  among  its  leading  members  and  in 
addition  he  holds  membership  with  Cornman 
Post  Xo.   S7.  G.  A.  R..  in   his  home  citv,  while 


politically  he  always  has  been  stanch  in  his  al- 
legiance to  the  Republican  party. 

The  oldest  member  of  the  family  is  the  gen- 
tleman whose  name  introduces  this  sketch  and 
who  claims  San  Bernardino  as  his  native  city, 
his  birth  having  occurred  here  December  29, 
1866.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  years  he  began  to 
haul  freight  from  Colton  to  San  Bernardino  and 
soon  became  the  trusted  assistant  of  his  father, 
who  was  then  in  ill  health.  After  having  con- 
tinued in  the  freighting  business  for  fourteen 
\cars,  in  January  of  1895  he  received  from  Sher- 
iff Holcomb  the  appointment  of  deputy  county 
sheriff"  and  jailer.  On  a  change  in  the  adminis- 
tration and  the  election  of  a  Democratic  sheriff, 
he  gave  up  his  position  and  went  to  Los  Angeles, 
where  for  two  years  he  was  in  charge  of  the  re- 
tail trade  of  the  Globe  flouring  mills.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1903,  Sheriff'  Ralphs  tendered  him  the  ap- 
pointment of  deputy  sheriff'  and  jailer,  and  on 
the  completion -of  the  new  jail  (as  fine  a  build- 
ing of  the  kind  as  the  state  can  boast)  he  became 
its  custodian  in  1904,  since  which  time  he  has  de- 
voted all  of  his  time  to  his  duties  as  jailer.  Po- 
litically he  gives  stanch  support  to  Republican 
principles  and  is  a  local  worker  in  the  interests 
of  the  party.  Socially  he  is  a  prominent  mem- 
ber of  San  Bernardino  Parlor,  Native  Sons  of 
the  Golden  West,  and  maintains  a  deep  interest 
in  the  welfare  of  the  organization.  His  mar- 
riage was  solemnized  in  San  Bernardino  June  14, 
1906,  and  united  him  with  Mrs.  Dora  (Cram) 
Barnes,  who  was  born  in  Kansas  and  came  to 
California  with  her  father,  Henry  V.  Cram,  of 
Los  Angeles.  By  virtue  of  her  qualifications  as 
a  graduate  trained  nurse  and  her  fine  mental  en- 
dowments, she  is  admirably  adapted  to  fill  the 
position  of  matron  of  the  institution,  in  which 
capacity  she  now  gives  efficient  service. 


WILLIAM  E.  TROSTLE.  Although  a  re- 
cent acquisition  to  the  citizenship  of  Southern 
California,  William  E.  Trostle  has  already 
demonstrated  qualities  of  mind  and  heart  which 
have  won  him  a  place  of  distinction  among  his 
fellowmen.  He  has  lived  in  the  state  about  three 
years,  having  removed  from  Illinois  to  take  up 
]iis  life  among  the  pleasant  surroundings  of  the 
Pacific  coast  country,  and  came  at  once  to  the 
vicinity  of  San  Gabriel,  where  he  purchased  a 
ranch  of  nineteen  acres,  all  of  which  is  devoted 
to  the  cultivation  of  oranges.  Born  in  State 
Center.  Iowa,  Tune  7,  1868,  Mr.  Trostle  is  a  son 
of  J.  W.  and  Sarah  (Van  Orsdel)  Trostle,  both 
natives  of  Adams  county.  Pa.  The  father  was 
a  minister  tliroughout  his  active  life,  combin- 
ing with  this  agricultural  pursuits.  He  came 
to  California  in  1804  and  purchased  an  orange 
orchard,  and  has  since  accepted  the  position  of 


2004 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


assistant  pastor  in  Pasadena,  where  he  is  now 
living  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years. 

William  E.  Trostle  received  his  preliminary 
education  in  the  public  schools  in  Iowa,  and 
graduated  from  the  high  school  at  Kingsley.  He 
then  became  a  student  in  Mt.  Morris  College,  in 
Illinois,  and  after  a  three  years'  course  in  the 
theological  department  graduated  therefrom,  and 
began  his  duties  as  a  minister  in  the  German 
Baptist  Brethren,  or  better  known  as  the  Dunk- 
ard  Church.  He  filled  the  pulpit  at  Pine  Creek, 
in  Polo,  111.,  and  also  in  Kingsley,  Iowa,  having 
been  located  in  Illinois  just  prior  to  his  emigra- 
tion to  the  Pacific  coast.  Upon  his  arrival  in 
the  state  he  at  once  located  near  San  Gabriel 
and  purchased  his  present  ranch,  sixteen  acres 
being  in  full  bearing  and  three  acres  in  young 
trees.  He  has  built  a  fine  ten-room  house,  and 
put  other  valuable  improvements  on  the  place, 
and  it  is  his  intention  to  erect  a  fine  automobile 
barn.  Mr.  Trostle  has  a  charge  at  Pasadena, 
holds  the  bishopric  of  South  Los  Angeles  in  his 
church,  and  is  presiding  elder  over  the  First 
Brethren  Church  of  Long  Beach. 

In  1895  Mr.  Trostle  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Katie  Rowland,  a  native  of  Illinois 
and  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Rowland,  who  died 
in  that  state,  while  her  mother  is  still  living  and 
making  her  home  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Trostle. 
In  his  political  views  Mr.  Trostle  prefers  to  re- 
serve the  right  to  cast  his  ballot  for  the  man  he 
considers  best  qualified  for  official  position.  He 
takes  an  interest  in  all  progressive  movements 
and  lends  his  aid  heartily  to  the  advancement  of 
the  general  welfare. 


PIERRE  DELPY.  Ranking  among  the  most 
intelligent,  energetic  and  progressive  agricultur- 
ists of  San  Diego  county  is  Pierre  Delpy,  of 
Vista,  who  is  actively  employed  in  general  agri- 
culture in  Delpy  valley,  which  was  named  in  re- 
membrance of  his  uncle,  Bernard  Delpy,  a  pio- 
neer settler.  For  upwards  of  thirty  years  he  has 
lived  in  this  vicinity,  and  during  the  time  has 
been  associated  with  the  growth  and  upbuilding 
of  this  part  of  the  county,  and  by  the  exercise 
of  his  native  industry  and  frugality  has  accu- 
mulated a  fair  share  of  this  world's  goods.  A 
son  of  Bernard  and  Anna  Delpy,  lifelong  resi- 
dents of  France,  he  was  born.  May  19,  1856,  in 
that  country,  and  there  spent  his  boyhood  days, 
receiving  limited  educational  advantages. 

In  1874,  thinking  to  improve  his  chances  for 
acquiring  a  fortune,  Pierre  Delpy  came  with  the 
uncle  previously  mentioned,  Bernard  Delpy.  to 
the  United  States,  landing  in  New  York  City, 
and  from  there  coming  directly  to  California. 
The  uncle  took  up  a  government  claim  in  San 
Diego  county,  near  Vista,  and  in  the  valley  now 


bearing  his  name  improved  a  ranch,  on  which 
he  lived  and  labored  until  his  death,  at  the  age 
of  fifty-five  years,  at  one  time  being  the  owner 
of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  finely  im- 
proved land.  Having  a  natural  aptitude  for 
agricultural  pursuits,  Pierre  Delpy  subsequently 
purchased  a  part  of  the  estate  which  his  uncle 
had  improved,  and  began  farming  on  his  own 
account.  Toiling  vigorously,  he  met  with  good 
results,  and  as  he  accumulated  money  wisely  in- 
vested it  in  adjoining  land,  having  now  in  his 
home  ranch  four  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  rich 
and  valuable  land,  on  which  he  successfully  pur- 
sues his  favorite  occupation.  He  is  extensively 
and  profitably  engaged  in  grain  and  stock  rais- 
ing, and  also  has  vineyards  and  orchards,  and  as 
a  fruit  grower  is  meeting  with  splendid  success, 
his  vines  and  trees  yielding  bountiful  crops  each 
season.     He  also  manufactures  wine. 

In  1888  Mr.  Delpy  married  Marie  Ravauter, 
a  native  of  sunny  France,  and  they  have  five 
children,  namely,  Nellie,  Emma,  Emil,  Ernest 
and  Clara.  Politicallv  ]Mr.  Delpy  is  a  stanch 
adherent  of  the  Republican  party,  but  has  never 
been  an  aspirant  for  official  favors.  In  religion 
he  and  his  family  are  Catholics,  and  attendants 
of  the  San  Luis  Rey  Mission. 


MRS.  PAULINE  MARY  SCHOLLER.  A 
woman  of  strong  personality,  active,  energetic 
and  possessing  keen  perceptive  faculties,  Mrs. 
Scholler  is  well  known  in  the  mercantile  life  of 
Los  Angeles  county,  and  now,  with  her  husband, 
is  conducting  a  general  store  in  East  San  Pe- 
dro. A  daughter  of  the  late  Daniel  Sorensen, 
she  was  born  in  Los  Nietos.  Los  Angeles  coun- 
ty, near  Whittier,  of  Danish  ancestry  on  the 
paternal  side,  and  coming  of  thrifty  German 
stock  on  the  maternal  side  of  the  house. 

A  native  of  Copenhagen,  Denmark,  Daniel 
Sorensen  began  life  as  a  sailor,  following  the 
sea  from  boyhood.  While  yet  a  young  man  he 
came  around  Cape  Horn  to  America,  and  for 
awhile  after  his  arrival  in  California  was  em- 
ployed in  mining.  Subsequently,  with  his 
brothers,  Charles  and  Anton,  he  came  to  South- 
ern California,  locating  near  Whittier,  where  he 
bought  land  and  for  a  few  years  was  engaged 
in  raising  grapes,  the  ranches  belonging  to  him- 
self and  brothers  being  just  opposite  the  reform 
school  grounds.  He  also  set  out  walnut  groves, 
and  for  a  time  devoted  himself  to  raising  nuts, 
a  profitable  industry.  He  was  a  man  of  great 
enterprise,  practical  and  capable,  and  was  one 
of  the  first  to  use  the  water  from  the  river  and 
mountain  streams  as  a  motor  power.  He  de- 
veloped the  water  power  for  the  South  River- 
side Light  and  Water  Company  and  for  R.  B. 
Taylor,  of  Corona.    Before  completing  his  work 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2005 


for  the  latter,  Mr.  Sorensen,  while  prospecting 
in  Death  Valley,  where  he  owned  land,  lost  his 
way  and  perished  in  the  desert,  his  death  oc- 
curring in  August,  1893,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three 
years.  Mr.  Sorensen  married  Sebina  Roache, 
who  was  born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  of  German  par- 
ents, and  is  now  a  resident  of  Los  Angeles,  Cal., 
her  home  being  on  South  Figueroa  street.  Of 
the  five  sons  and  two  daughters  that  she  bore 
her  husband  all  are  living  with  the  exception  of 
one  son,  Mrs.  Pauline  Mary  SchoUer  being  the 
oldest  child. 

Brought  up  in  Anaheim,  Orange  county, 
Pauline  Mary  Sorensen  received  a  practical  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools.  In  1887  she  mar- 
ried Frank  Armbruster,  who  was  born  in  St. 
Paul,  Minn.  Learning  the  trade  of  a  carpen- 
ter and  builder  in  his  native  city,  Mr.  Armbrus- 
ter came  to  California  when  young.  He  subse- 
quently turned  his  attention  to  mining  pursuits, 
before  many  years  becoming  an  expert  amal- 
gamator. Removing  with  his  family  to  Crip- 
ple Creek,  Colo.,  in  1896,  Mr.  Armbruster  was 
there  employed  in  mining  until  his  death,  in 
1897.  Mrs.  Armbruster  soon  after  started  in 
business  for  herself,  remaining  in  Cripple  Creek 
as  a  horticulturist  for  about  five  years  after  her 
husband's  death.  Returning  to  California  in 
1902,  she  located  in  East  San  Pedro  and  very 
soon  afterward  embarked  in  the  mercantile  bus- 
iness. Meeting  with  such  encouraging  success 
in  her  venture  she  opened  a  general  store  at  the 
Salt  Lake  depot,  which  she  conducted  until  be- 
ing burned  out.  She  was  married  April  g,  1906, 
to  E.  T.  Scholler,  who  has  been  a  resident  of 
San  Pedro  since  1903.  Mrs.  Scholler  has  two 
children  by  her  first  marriage,  namely :  Eva 
Marie  and  Robert. 


GAIL  E.  MOON.  As  a  resident  representative 
of  the  Bayside  Land  Company,  which  has  its 
headquarters  in  Los  Angeles,  Gail  E.  Moon,  of 
Long  Beach,  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  real 
estate  men  in  this  city.  He  was  born  March  18, 
1877,  in  Otisco,  Ionia  county,  Mich.,  where  his 
grandfather,  James  Moon,  settled  in  an  early 
day,  cleared  land  for  civilization  and  lived  upon 
it  during  the  remainder  of  his  lifetime.  His 
parents,  A.  L.  and  Anna  May  (Gardner)  Moon, 
were  both  natives  of  Michigan,  the  former  born 
in  Otisco,  and  the  latter  of  Lowell,  where  her 
father,  James  Gardner  (who  was  born  in  Lon- 
don, England,  and  later  settled  in  Canada)  finally 
located  permanently.  A.  L.  Moon  was  principal 
of  schools  for  several  years,  subsequently  en- 
gaging in  mercantile  and  manufacturing  pur- 
suits until  he  came  to  California  in  1886,  when  he 
located  in  Santa  Ana  and  was  for  a  time  a  real- 
estate  dealer.      Afterwards  he  became  a   farmer 


south  of  that  city,  then  removed  to  Los  Angeles 
and  took  up  successively  a  windmill  business, 
newspaper  work  and  insurance,  and  is  now  en- 
gaged in  mining  in  Colorado,  his  residence  be- 
ing in  Denver  at  the  present  time.  Of  his  three 
sons,  two  grew  to  maturity,  and  Charles  L.  is  a 
broker  in  Los  Angeles. 

When  brought  by  his  father  to  California  Gail 
E.  !\Ioon  was  a  lad  of  nine  years  and  accordingly 
his  education  was  obtained  in  the  public  and  high 
schiools  of  Los  Angeles.  At  the  commencement 
of  his  independent  business  career  he  secured 
employment  in  the  advertising  department  of 
the  Times  and  traveled  for  them  four  years.  He 
then  began  in  the  real-estate  business  and  later 
combined  with  this  loan  and  brokerage  lines. 
It  was  in  1905  that  he  became  connected  with  the 
Bayside  Land  Company  as  clerk  and  since  that 
time  he  has  had  charge  of  that  firm's  Long  Beach 
ofiice.  Politically  he  is  an  advocate  of  the  prin- 
ciples embraced  in  the  platform  of  the  Republican 
party.  As  a  progressive  and  enterprising  young 
business  man  and  a  public  spirited  citizen  he  has 
earned  the  good  will  and  respect  of  a  large  circle 
of  friends  and  acquaintances. 


WILLIAM  T.  ROWE.  In  Elsinore,  where 
he  is  living  as  a  retired  prospector  and  mine  own- 
er, William  T.  Rowe  is  accounted  one  of  the 
prominent  citizens  of  his  community.  The  father, 
Asa,  and  the  mother,  who  was  Judith  Thomas  be- 
fore her  marriage,  were  both  born  in  Phillips, 
Franklin  county.  Me.,  and  lived  there  during 
their  entire  lives,  the  father  being  a  builder  by 
trade.  They  became  the  parents  of  six  children, 
three  sons  and  one  daughter  surviving  them. 
William  T.,  who  was  born  at  Phillips,  Me.,  Oc- 
tober 3,  1848,  made  for  himself  a  fine  record 
during  the  Civil  war,  tliree  of  his  brothers  also 
doing  valiant  service.  Winthrop,  who  resides 
in  Elsinore,  was  in  the  Sixteenth  Regiment  of 
Maine  Volunteers ;  Eben,  now  residing  in  Maine, 
was  a  member  of  the  Twentieth  Regiment  of 
the  same  state ;  while  Allen,  who  was  killed  in 
service  in  Florida,  belonged  to  the  Second  Regi- 
ment of  Maine  Cavalry. 

The  boyhood  days  of  William  T.  Rowe  were 
spent  at  his  birthplace  and  he  was  attending  the 
public  school  at  Phillips  when  the  war  broke  out. 
He  ran  away  to  enlist  in  the  army,  but  was  ob- 
liged to  make  two  attempts  before  he  was  ac- 
cepted by  Company  C,  Sixteenth  Regiment  of 
Maine  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  was  mustered 
in  at  Augusta  m  1863,  and  as  a  member  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  took  part  in  engagements 
from  Rappahannock  to  Appomattox,  marched 
through  the  wilderness  and  was  in  the  siege  of 
Petersburg.  He  took  part  in  the  grand  review 
at  Washington,  and  was  nuistered  out  at  Alex- 


2006 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


andria,  \  a.,  on  June  5,  1865.  He  then  returned 
to  liis  home  and  re-entered  sehool,  later  attend- 
ing the  Wesleyan  Seminary  at  Kents  Hill  foe 
two  years.  In  the  spring  of  1868  he  went  to 
(Hiicago,  remaining  there  during  the  summer, 
and  then  went  to  Minneapolis  and  Anoka,  Minn., 
where  he  engaged  in  the  lumbering  business  for 
six  years. 

Following  this  Mr.  Rowe  returned  to  Phillips, 
l\Ie.,  remaming  there  for  a  time,  then  spent 
one  year  on  the  Atlantic  coast.  Subsequently  he 
crossed  the  continent  and  during  the  winter  of 
1875  was  in  San  Francisco.  The  following  spring 
he  went  to  Prescott,  Ariz.,  traveling  by  stage,  and 
engaged  in  mining  with  his  brother  in  Yavapai 
county.  They  located  a  number  of  valuable 
claims  and  opened  the  New  Era  mine,  twelve 
miles  from  Prescott,  which  sold  not  long  ago  for 
$175,000.  He  also  located  a  group  of  eight 
claims  on  Lynch  creek,  which  he  sold  for  $15,000. 
Successful  operations  in  this  line  were  con- 
tinued until  1901,  when  he  came  to  California 
and  lived  at  Sawtelle  for  one  year.  In  1902 
he  finally  located  in  Elsinore,  purchased  prop- 
erty and  has  been  a  resident  of  this  place 
ever  since.  He  still  owns  valuable  mining  in- 
terests, but  is  now  retired  from  active  business 
operations.  He  is  a  strong  adherent  of  the  prin- 
ciples advocated  in  the  platform  of  the  Democra- 
tic party,  takes  an  active  interest  in  matters  of 
public  import  and  was  in  1904  elected  to  a  posi- 
tion on  the  Elsinore  board  of  trustees,  which  he 
resigned  in   igo6. 


JOHN  C.  BRYAN.  The  family  represented 
by  this  enterprising  agriculturist  of  San  Diego 
county  became  established  in  America  during  an 
early  era  of  its  colonization  and  has  been  identi- 
fied honorably  v/ith  its  development.  Both  in 
peace  and  in  war  its  members  have  proved  loyal 
to  their  country.  Col.  George  W.  Bryan  of 
Ohio  won  high  distinction  as  an  officer  in  the  war 
of  1812  and  his  son,  Henry  Clay,  served  in  the 
ranks  of  an  Ohio  regiment  of  infantry  during 
the  Civil  war.  The  most  distinguished  member 
of  the  family  is  Hon.  William  Jennings  Bryan 
of  Nebraska,  who  is  a  second  cousin  of  John  C. 
Bryan  of  San  Diego  county ;  but  others  of  the 
name,  though  lacking  the  eloquence  of  the  "silver- 
tongued  orator,"  have  not  lacked  his  wide  knowl- 
edge of  public  affairs  and  his  earnest  convictions 
upon  national  problems. 

After  having  taught  school  in  his  native  Ohio 
and  having  gained  also  by  experience  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  farming,  in  1865  Henry  Qay  Bryan 
removed  to  Missouri,  accompanied  by  his  wife, 
]\Iary  (Seeks)  Bryan,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  with 
their  children,  among  whom  was  John  C,  who 
was  born  in  Adams  county.  Ohio,  December  19, 


1858,  and  was  a  boy  of  less  than  seven  years  at 
the  time  of  the  removal  to  Missouri.  The  family 
settled  in  Atchison  county,  where  the  father 
taught  school  during  the  winter  months  and  in 
the  summer  seasons  engaged  in  farming.  When 
forty-six  years  of  age  he  passed  away,  August  30,, 
1871 ;  he  was  long  survived  by  his  wife,  who  died 
in  Missouri  April  22,  1895,  aged  seventy-one 
years.  Their  son,  John  C,  was  not  yet  thirteen 
years  of  age  at  the  father's  death,  but  he  at  once 
assumed  his  share  of  the  work,  and  with  his 
brother,  George  Washington,  took  charge  of  the 
homestead.  In  1885  he  disposed  of  his  interest 
in  the  estate  to  William  H.  Bryan,  a  younger 
brother,  and  shortly  afterward  removed  to  Ne- 
braska, where  he  took  up  a  homestead  claim  in 
Hitchcock  county.  For  a  few  years  he  engaged 
in  making  needed  improvements  on  the  land  and 
in  bringing  the  soil  under  cultivation,  but  in  1888 
he  disposed  of  the  property  and  returned  to  his 
old  home  neighborhood  in  Atchison  county.  Mo., 
where  he  bought  an  improved  farm  and  engaged 
in  farming  and  stock-raising. 

Selling  out  his  Missouri  possessions  in  1895, 
Mr.  Bryan  loaded  his  household  effects  in  wagons, 
and  journeyed  overland  to  Ogden,  Utah,  from 
which  point  he  traveled  by  railroad  to  Los 
Angeles,  and  from  there  drove  with  teams  to 
Escondido,  San  Diego  count}-.  For  a  year  he 
remained  at  Lacosta  and  then  spent  five  years  in 
Gopher  Caiion.  Later  he  bought  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  which  he  still  owns  and  which 
is  known  as  the  old  Bonsall  ranch.  However, 
instead  of  residing  on  that  place,  he  rents  it  tO' 
a  tenant  and  makes  his  home  on  a  rented  tract 
of  five  hundred  acres  near  Bonsall,  where  he  en- 
gages in  raising  grain  and  corn,  also  to  some  ex- 
tent is  interested  in  the  dairy  business  and  in 
the  raising  of  stock.  For  a  brief  period,  from 
May  of  1902  to  June  of  1903,  he  made  his  home 
in  Santa  Ana,  where  he  engaged  in  the  insurance- 
business,  but  with  that  exception  he  has  devoted 
himself  exclusively  to  agricultural  pursuits. 
Though  constantly  busy  in  matters  connected  with 
his  farm  pursuits  he  finds  leisure  to  keep  posted 
upon  subjects  of  governmental  importance  and 
gives  his  support  to  socialistic  principles,  believ- 
ing them  to  possess  the  qualities  making  for  the 
permanent  prosperity  of  the  people. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Bryan  took  place 
May  10,  1881,  and  united  him  with  ]Miss  Cath- 
erine S.  McNair,  who  was  born  in  Canada,  but 
from  early  girlhood  was  a  resident  of  Tarkio, 
Atchison  county,  AIo.,  and  there  died  March  24. 
1884.  His  second  marriage  was  solemnized  in 
Tarkio  August  26,  1889,  and  united  him  with 
Miss  Lena  jM  Shackelford,  a  native  of  Missouri, 
and  there  reared  and  educated.  Two  daughter? 
bless  their  union,  ]\Iarv  Ruth  and  Mabel  Fern. 


HISTORICAL  x\ND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2007 


JACOB  BROWN.  Among  the  prosperous 
farmers  of  Los  Angeles  county,  the  record  of 
whose  lives  fills  an  nnportant  place  in  this  vol- 
ume, it  gives  us  pleasure  to  place  the  name  of 
Jacob  Brown,  of  Palms,  who  is  now  living  re- 
tired from  active  business  on  the  ranch  which  he 
has  improved.  For  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century 
he  has  resided  in  this  locality,  and  during  that 
time  he  has  witnessed  many  wonderful  changes 
in  the  face  of  the  country,  and  in  the  develop- 
ment and  advancement  of  its  agricultural  in- 
terests has  actively  participated.  A  son  of 
Charles  Brown,  he  was  born,  June  25,  1836,  in 
Cambridgeshire,  England,  and  was  tliere  ed- 
ucated. Born  and  reared  in  Cambridgeshire, 
Charles  Brown  learned  the  trade  of  brick  mason 
and  a  plasterer  when  joung,  and  followed  it 
during  his  entire  life  of  seventy-three  years,  in 
England.  He  married  Mary  Stinton,  a  woman 
of  much  force  of  character,  and  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church.  She  bore  him  seven  children, 
six  of  whom  grew  to  years  of  maturity,  namely : 
Robert,  Ellen,  Sophia,  Amy,  Jacob  and  George. 

Having  very  limited  advantages  in  his  native 
land,  Jacob  Brown  remained  at  home  until 
seventeen  years  old,  when,  in  1854,  he  came 
across  the  sea  to  the  United  States,  spending 
the  eighteenth  anniversary  of  his  birth  on  the 
Atlantic  ocean.  From  New  York  City,  where 
he  landed,  he  went  to  Illinois,  locating  first  in 
Chicago,  tlien  a  small  hamlet  giving  slight 
promise  of  its  present  greatness,  and  next  at 
Rock  Island,  Not  liking  his  prospects  in  either 
place,  he  left  Illinois,  going  to  Sabula,  Jackson 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  resided  for  twenty-five 
years,  being  busily  employed  as  a  mason  and 
plasterer,  and  in  farming.  Removing  thence  to 
Plymouth  county,  Iowa,  he  homesteaded  eighty 
acres  of  government  land  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, remaining  there  until  1883.  While  in  Iowa 
he  had  been  ordained  as  a  minister  in  the  United 
Brethren  Church,  and  upon  coming  to  California 
in  that  year  he  entered  upon  the  work  of  an 
evangelist  and  did  much  to  advance  the  cause 
of  religion  and  morality.  Subsequently  invest- 
ing his  money  in  bottom  lands,  he  purchased 
one  himdred  acres  near  Palms,  and  by  means 
of  well-directed  toil  and  wise  management  he 
improved  a  valuable  ranch,  which  he  has  de- 
voted for  many  years  to  general  farming.  Hav- 
ing labored  hard  during  his  active  life,  Mr. 
Brown  is  now  living  retired,  spending  his  clos- 
ing years  in  ease  and  comfort. 

Mr.  Brown  married  Mary  Stinton,  whose 
maiden  name  was  identical  with  that  of  his 
mother  before  her  marriage,  and  into  their  home 
sixteen  children  have  been  bom,  and  of  these 
fifteen  grew  to  years  of  maturity,  Charles,  living 
in  Plymouth  county,  Iowa,  married  Edith 
Bristow ;  George,  also  a  resident  of  that  county. 


married  Addie  Richardson ;  Newton,  of  San  Luis 
Obispo  county,  Cal.,  married  Ellen  Rose;  Mercy 
is  the  wife  of  Louis  Stephens,  of  Los  Angeles 
county;  Sarah  is  the  wife  of  Joseph  Tabor,  of 
Humboldt  county,  Cal. ;  Caroline,  deceased, 
married  Gilbert  Kidson,  of  Palms ;  Mary  is  liv- 
ing at  home;  Thomas,  deceased,  married  Lillie 
Munger;  Martin  and  Luther  were  twins,  the 
former  being  deceased ;  Allen  is  living  in  Los 
.Angeles  county;  Jacob,  Jr.,  is  at  home;  Rebecca, 
deceased,  married  George  Atrel ;  Eric,  of  San 
Bernardino  county,  is  shipping  clerk  for  a  min- 
ing company;  and  Clara  Amelia  is  deceased. 
Politically  Mr.  Brown  is  a  strong  Prohibitionist, 
and  religiously  he  is  a  valued  and  conscientious 
member  of  the  United  Brethren  Church. 


GEORGE  W.  LYNN.  During  the  colonial 
period  of  our  national  history  "Teddie"  Lynn 
came  from  his  native  country  of  Ireland  to  the 
new  world  and  settled  in  Virginia.  Shortly  af- 
ter he  had  acquired  land  in  the  Old  Dominion 
the  Revolutionary  war  began  and  he  promptly 
offered  his  services  to  his  adopted  country.  For 
seven  years  and  six  months  he  fought  under 
General  Washington,  meanwhile  enduring  every 
hardship  and  constant  exposure  such  as  fell  to 
the  brave  men  fighting  in  that  long  and  sanguin- 
ary struggle.  With  the  close  of  the  war  he  was 
honorably  discharged  and  shortly  afterward  he 
migrated  to  the  then  frontier  of  Ohio,  where  he 
took  up  a  tract  of  farm  land  and  turned  the  first 
furrows  in  the  primeval  soil.  It  was  his  good 
fortune  to  long  survive  the  era  of  the  Revolution 
and  when  at  last  he  passed  from  earth  at  ninety 
years  he  had  seen  the  second  victory  of  our 
country  over  England,  the  sound  establishment 
of  our  national  government  and  the  extension  of 
our  possessions  beyond  the  great  Mississippi 
river. 

When  the  family  removed  to  the  unsettled 
regions  of  Ohio  Andrew  F.,  a  son  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary soldier,  and  a  native  of  Virginia,  was 
a  child  of  five  years ;  hence  as  a  boy  he  was  fa- 
miliar with  the  development  of  the  frontier,  the 
incoming  of  settlers,  the  cultivation  of  vast  tracts 
of  raw  land,  the  clearing  away  of  timber,  and 
all  the  environments  that  marked  the  period  of 
transition  from  savagery  to  civilization.  On  the 
homestead  which  his  father  had  taken  up  from 
the  government  he  engaged  in  general  farming 
and  in  raising  horses,  and  on  that  same  place  he 
died  at  eighty-five  years.  In  early  manhood  he 
had  married  Nancy  J.  Bunnell,  who  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania  of  German  extraction  and  died 
in  Ohio  at  sixty-seven  years.  Fourteen  children 
were  born  of  that  union,  George  W.  being  the 
youngest  son  and  the  twelfth  child.  He  was 
born  on  the  homestead  in  Guernsev  countv,  Ohio, 


2008 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


near  the  county-seat,  Cambridge,  February  24, 
1848,  and  during  boyhood  attended  country 
schools  held  in  primitive  log  buildings  illy 
equipped  with  facilities  for  the  instruction  and 
conitort  of  the  pupils.  At  the  age  of  sixteen 
years  he  began  an  apprenticeship  m  a  general 
store,  where  he  remained  for  three  years  at  a 
salary  of  $100  per  year. 

Removing  from  Ohio  to  Illinois  Mr.  Lynn  be- 
gan to  clerk  in  a  store  in  Piatt  county  and  there 
continued  until  1871,  when  he  came  to  the  Pa- 
cmc  coast  on  a  short  visit,  and  in  1889  came  again 
to  the  state,  locating  in  Los  Angeles.  During 
the  six  years  of  his  residence  in  Los  Angeles  he 
was  connected  with  A.  Hamburger  &  Son  as 
floor  walker,  but  resigned  his  position  in  1895 
and  removed  to  Palms,  Los  Angeles  county, 
where  he  engaged  in  ranching.  January  i,  1905, 
he  embarked  in  the  livery  buisness  at  Palms, 
where  he  conducted  a  boarding  and  sales  stable 
until  selling  out  the  business  April  i,  1906.  He 
is  now  superintendent  of  the  Palms  Water  Com- 
pany. In  politics  JMr.  Lynn  votes  with  the  Re- 
publican party.  His  home  at  Palms  is  presided 
over  by  Mrs.  Lynn,  formerly  Ella  J.  Richardson, 
of  Jacksonville,  III,  whom  he  married  in  1883, 
and"  by  whom  he  has  one  daughter,  Bonnie  \'., 
now  residing  with  her  parents. 


BERT  PAUL.  Among  the  enterprising  citi- 
zens of  Long  Beach,  Bert  Paul  holds  a  prominent 
place  in  the  real  estate  interests  advancing  the 
values  of  the  city  and  surrounding  country  and 
adding  materially  to  the  development  of  this 
secrion.  Mr.  Paul  is  a  native  of  Glasgow,  Scot- 
land, born  April  7,  1880,  a  son  of  John  Maxwell 
Paul,  a  commercial  traveler,  who  came  to  San 
Diego,  Cal.,  for  his  health.  He  died  in  England, 
survived  by  his  wife,  who  now  resides  in  San 
Diego.  In  Preston,  England,  Bert  Paul  received 
his  education  in  private  schools,  where  he  re- 
mained a  resident  until  1893.  In  that  year  he 
accompanied  his  parents  to  California  and  in  San 
Diego  attended  and  graduated  from  the  public 
schools.  Following  his  graduation  he  took  up 
clerical  work  and  in  1900  came  north  to  Los 
Angeles,  where  he  entered  the  employ  of  Strong 
&  Dickinson,  a  well-known  real-estate  firm  of 
that  city,  and  with  whom  he  remained  as  agent 
for  two  years.  Locating  in  Long  Beach  in  1902  he 
became  a  member  of  the  real-estate  firm  of  Gary, 
Paul  &  Kenyon,  with  whom  he  continued  for  a 
few  months,  when  he  sold  his  interest  to  the  firm 
and  began  independent  operations.  In  August, 
1904  he  formed  a  partnership  with  W.  H.  But- 
ters, and  in  this  connection  purchased  and  opened 
the  Riverside  uact  of  thirty  acres,  the  Inner 
Harbor  tract  of  eleven  hundred  lots,  and  the 
Nash  tract  of  eighty-seven  acres.  In  1906  they 
organized   and    incorporated   the   Strand    Invest- 


ment Company,  capitalized  at  $50,000,  and  also 
built  the  Long  Beach  skating  rink,  which  has 
proven  a  success.  They  carry  on  a  general  real- 
estate  business  and  are  more  or  less  interested 
in  the  majority  of  the  incorporations  in  Long 
Beach. 

Mr.  Paul  is  prominent  in  public  affairs  in  Long 
Beach,  now  serving  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Trade  and  of  the  Cosmopolitan  club.  In  politics 
he  supports  the  Republican  party,  and  fraternally 
is  associated  with  Long  Beach  Lodge  No.  888, 
B.  P.  O.  E.  The  success  which  has  come  to  him 
has  been  the  result  of  his  own  efforts  and  ex- 
perience, for  as  a  very  young  man  he  took  up 
business  life  without  special  training  or  instruc- 
tion, working  his  way  from  a  subordinate  posi- 
tion to  the  independent  one  which  he  occupies 
to-day.  He  has  seen  considerable  of  western 
life,  having  spent  two  years  as  a  cowboy  in 
Mexico  before  taking  up  business  pursuits,  and 
has  profited  by  all  associations,  whether  on  the 
range  or  his  present  occupation. 


CAPT.  CHARLES  A.  SEABERG.  Thor- 
oughly acquainted  with  the  sea  and  all  matters  of 
business  connected  with  it,  whether  relating  to 
navigation,  commerce  or  transportation,  Capt. 
Charles  A.  Seaberg,  of  San  Diego,  is  especially 
fitted  for  the  responsible  position  which  he  holds 
with  the  Spreckles  Company  as  captain  on  the 
Coronado  Ferry.  Quick-witted,  cool-headed  and 
trustworthy,  he  performs  the  duties  devolving 
upon  him  in  this  capacity  with  ability  and  fidel- 
ity. Large-hearted  and  generous,  by  his  genial 
nature  he  has  won  a  large  circle  of  friends,  and 
as  a  man  and  a  citizen  is  held  in  high  esteem. 
A  native  of  Sweden,  he  was  born  May  3,  1861, 
in  Stockholm,  where  he  received  his  early  edu- 
cation. He  was  the  only  child  of  his  parents, 
August  and  Brigitta  (Sondval)  Seaberg,  both 
of  whom  spent  their  entire  lives  in  Sweden,  his 
father  during  his  lifetime  being  engaged  in  the 
fishing  business  and  owning  a  line  of  boats. 

When  fourteen  years  of  age  Charles  A.  Sea- 
berg shipped  as  a  sailor  before  the  mast,  and  for 
a  while  was  engaged  in  coasting,  both  on  schoon- 
ers and  steamers.  Going  then  to  England,  he 
made  a  voyage  to  Spain  and  the  West  Indies, 
after  which,  sailing  from  London,  he  made  two 
trips  to  Australia,  one  trip  to  China,  and  one  to 
\^a!paraiso.  South  America.  Returning  to  his 
native  land,  he  spent  the  winter  at  Stockholm, 
and  then  went  to  Hamburg,  where  he  shipped  on 
a  German  vessel  for  a  three  years"  cruise.  Re- 
turning to  England,  he  made  another  trip  to 
Australia,  and  from  there,  in  October,  1888, 
came  to  San  Francisco  to  locate.  Shipping  as 
mate  on  the  schooner  commanded  by  his  uncle, 
Captain  .Sondval,  ]\Ir.  Seaberg  was  engaged  in 
sealing  for  a  year.     On  his  return  to  San  Fran- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2009 


Cisco  he  was  ill  for  three  months,  after  which  he 
made  two  trips  on  a  coaster.  The  following 
three  years  he  was  one  of  the  crew  of  the 
Spreckles  yacht,  Lurline,  on  which  he  came  to 
San  Diego  in  1893.  Entering  then  the  employ 
of  the  Spreckles  Com.pany  in  this  place,  he  was 
for  six  years  purser  on  the  ferry,  of  which  he 
has  now  the  sole  charge,  having  served  as  cap- 
tain since  1899. 

In  1895,  in  San  Diego,  Captain  Seaberg  mar- 
ried Louisa  Johnson,  who  was  born  and  reared  in 
Sweden.  Politically  the  captain  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican, and  religiously  he  is  a  Lutheran.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Scandinavian  Society,  and  is 
identified  with  several  of  the  leading  fraternal 
organizations,  belonging  to  Sunset  Lodge  No. 
328,  I.  O.  O.  F. ;  to  San  Diego  Encampment ;  to 
San  Diego  Canton;  to  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen;  and  to  the  Knights  of  Py- 
thias. 

FRANCIS  PORTER  SARGENT.  A  few 
miles  out  from  San  Bernardino,  on  rural  route 
No.  I,  Mr.  Sargent  is  successfully  engaged  in 
the  bee  industry.  It  is  his  experience  that 
this  industry  may  be  made  one  of  the  most 
pleasurable  lines  of  business  in  which  one 
can  engage,  and  for  nearly  twenty  years  he 
has  conducted  an  apiary  on  the  ranch  he  now 
occupies. 

Of  New  England  birth  and  parentage, 
Francis  P.  Sargent  was  born  in  Boston,  Mass., 
July  14,  1832,  a  son  of  Tappan  and  Sarah 
(Bagley)  Sargent.  Mr.  Sargent  was  a  lad  in 
school  when  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Cali- 
fornia was  heralded  throughout  the  country, 
and  as  soon  at  it  was  possible  for  him  to  ac- 
cumulate the  necessary  means  he  started  for 
the  gold  fields  from  New  England.  After  pac- 
ing his  passage  and  other  expenses  via  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama  he  arrived  in  San  Fran- 
cisco in  1855  with  just  $150  in  his  pocket. 
After  fourteen  years  of  earnest  endeavor  on 
his  part  he  returned  east  in  1869  with  $40,000 
to  his  credit,  all  of  which  he  had  made  in  the 
mines.  Misfortune  overtook  him,  however,  in 
the  form  of  unwise  investments  and  dishonest 
partners,  so  that  his  fortune  was  depleted  con- 
siderably during  the  years  which  he  spent 
in  the  east.  March  of  1887  again  found  him 
a  resident  of  California,  for  it  was  at  this 
time  that  he  came  to  San  Bernardino  county 
and  purchased  the  property  which  from  that 
day  to  this  has  been  his  home.  Tliis  consists 
of  twenty-five  acres,  and  bears  little  resem- 
blance to  the  place  which  he  purchased  nearly 
two  decades  ago,  for  instead  of  a  sand  ridge, 
which  it  then  was,  it  is  now  covered  with  trees 
and  shrubs,  all  fruit  bearing,  besides  which  he 
has  sown  considerable  alfalfa.     Fruit  farming. 


however,  is  not  Mr.  Sargent's  principal  busi- 
ness, the  greater  part  of  his  attention  being 
given  to  the  care  of  his  bees,  of  which  he  has 
one  hundred  and  fifty  colonies.  Pleasure  and 
profit  are  combined  in  the  work  in  which  he 
is  engaged,  and  no  one  in  this  part  of  the 
county  is  more  thoroughly  informed  on  the 
subject  of  bee  culture  than  Mr.  Sargent,  for 
he  has  made  a  scientific  study  of  the  subject 
and  has  put  his  theoretical  knowledge  into 
practical  use.  In  1888  Mr.  Sargent  purchased 
a  tract  of  one  hundred  acres  one  half  mile  east 
of  his  present  place,  but  this  he  subsequently 
traded  for  four  sections  of  land  in  Texas, 
which  he  still  owns. 

In  Greene  county,  N.  Y.,  Mr.  Sargent  was 
married  to  Roselyn  Hitchcox,  a  native  of  New 
York.  Of  the  four  children  born  to  them  we 
mention  the  following:  Porter  E.  is  a  grad- 
uate of  Harvard  College  and  is  engaged  in 
touring  with  classes  of  boys  preparing  for 
college ;  Rose,  a  musician  of  note,  lives  in  Red- 
lands;  Arthur  E.  is  a  journalist  and  publisher 
of  biographical  works,  the  latter  relating  more 
particularly  to  Utah  and  Salt  Lake,  although 
he  has  also  published  a  work  on  Los  Angeles ; 
Alice  W.  is  the  wife  of  William  W.  Fisher 
and  lives  at  the  Potter  hotel,  Santa  Barbara. 
During  young  manhood  Mr.  Sargent  joined  the 
Odd  Fellows  and  for  thirty-five  years  has  been 
a  member  of  that  body.  For  over  thirty  years 
he  has  served  as  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  with  which  he  also  united  in  earlier 
years. 


WILLIAM  THOMAS  BARTON.  A  man 
of  fine  mental  attainments,  well  educated  and  well 
informed,  possessing  great  artistic  talent  and  abil- 
ity, William  Thomas  Barton  is  carrying  on  an 
extensive  and  lucrative  business  at  Long  Beach 
as  a  contractor  and  builder,  and  is  justly  entitled 
to  the  honored  position  which  he  holds  among 
the  esteemed  and  influential  citizens  of  this  part 
of  the  county.  A  native  of  Indiana,  he  was  born 
May  22,  i860,  in  Waveland,  Montgomery  county. 
His'  father,  Robert  Barton,  a  native  of  Flemings- 
burg,  Ky..  settled  in  Indiana  when  a  young  man, 
and  has  since  been  actively  employed  there  in 
agricultural  pursuits.  His  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Mary  Groves,  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
a  daughter  of  Samuel  Groves,  and  died  in  Indi- 
ana. Five  children  were  born  of  their  union,  four 
of  whom  are  living.  William  Thomas,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  being  the  oldest  child,  and  the 
only  one  residing  on  the  Pacific  coast. 

Brought  up  on  the  parental  homestead,  Will- 
iam Thomas  Barton  received  his  elementary  edu- 
cation in  the  district  schools,  completing  it  at  the 
Central  Indiana  Normal  School,  in  Ladoga.    The 


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HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


following  eight  \ears  he  was  engaged  in  teaching 
in  Parke  count}-,  Ind.,  being  principal  of  the 
schools  at  Coloma  two  years,  and  at  Mecca  for 
the  same  length  of  time.  Abandoning  his  profes- 
sional career  in  1896,  he  came  to  Long  Beach, 
Cal.,  and  for  four  years  worked  at  the  carpenter's 
trade,  serving  as  foreman  of  construction  work 
for  Mr.  Green.  Embarking  in  business  on  his 
own  account  in  1900,  he  has  since  been  prosper- 
ously engaged  in  contracting  and  building,  and 
has  acquired  a  wide  and  favorable  reputation  as 
a  talented  and  skillful  workman.  He  is  a  fine 
architect,  drawing  his  own  designs  and  making 
his  own  plans,  giving  much  time  and  thought  to 
this  branch  of  his  business,  which  is  one  of  the 
utmost  importance  to  himself  and  to  his  patrons. 
In  addition  to  erecting  many  of  the  larger  and 
finer  buildings  of  Long  Beach,  he  has  recently 
completed  the  handsome  ^larsh  &  Strong  hotel 
and  pavilion  buildings  at  Alamitos  Bay. 

In  Waveland,  Ind.,  Mr.  Barton  married  Lena 
Hunter,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Greencas- 
tle,  Ind..  and  thev  are  the  parents  of  six  children, 
namely :  Raymond,  Mvrtle.  Guy,  Robert,  Leland 
and  Norma.  Politically  l\Ir.  Barton  is  actively 
identified  with  the  Republican  party.  Fraternally 
he  is  a  member  of  Long  Beach  Lodge  No.  327, 
F.  &  A.  :\I..  and  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  Both 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barton  belong  to  the  Christian 
Church,  being  faithful  and  consistent  followers 
of  its  teachings. 


JOHN  OLHASSO.  Amid  scenes  far  re- 
moved from  the  place  of  his  birth  and  from 
the  home  of  his  ancestors,  Mr.  Olhasso  is  ac- 
tively engaged  in  the  raising  of  sheep  in  the 
Bernardo  valley,  where  he  is  known  as 
one  of  the  progressive  young  ranchers  of  San 
Diego  county.  Although  not  a  native  of  the 
United  States,  he  has  been  a  resident  of  this 
country  almost  from  the  earliest  period  of  his 
childhood  recollections  and  is  intimately  iden- 
tified with  the  agricultural  interests  of  his 
home  county,  where  he  has  lived  since  early 
boyhood.  The  family  of  wdiich  ,he  is  an  hon- 
ored representative  came  from  France.  His 
parents,  Domingo  and  Fannie  (Etchegarry) 
Olhasso,  were  natives  of  the  Pyrenees  region 
of  France  and  in  early  life  were  students  in 
the  schools  of  the  south  of  France.  When 
the  father  was  a  j-outh  of  seventeen  j^ears  he 
crossed  the  ocean  to  South  America  and  set- 
tled in  Buenos  Ayres,  Argentine  Republic, 
where  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  butcher  and 
at  a  later  date  became  extensively  engaged  in 
the  sheep  business.  On  the  plains  of  Argentina 
he  had  a  large  ranch  with  two  thousand  head 
of  sheep,  and  for  six  or  more  years  he  carried 
on   important  sheep  interests,  but  finally  sold 


out  in  order  to  remove  to  California.  Both 
he  and  his  wife  are  still  living  and  make  their 
home  in  Los  Angeles,  where  two  of  their  four 
children  3' et  remain  with  them.  The  other  two 
members  of  the  family  are  engaged  in  the 
sheep  business  in  San  Diego  county. 

While  the  family  were  making  their  home 
in  Buenos  Ayres  the  gentleman  whose  name 
introduces  this  article  was  born  November  6, 
1877,  and  he  was  four  years  of  age  when  his 
parents  brought  the  children  to  the  United 
States,  settling  in  California.  After  a  year  in 
San  Francisco  the  family  moved  to  Santa 
Maria  and  a  year  later  moved  to  Bernardo. 
He  received  his  education  in  the  Escondido 
grammar  and  high  schools.  On  leaving  school 
he  turned  his  attention  to  the  sheep  industry, 
in  which  he  received  a  thorough  training  under 
the  experienced  supervision  of  his  father,  and 
for  four  A-ears  the  father  and  son  worked  in 
partnership.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time 
the  latter  bought  out  his  father's  interests  and 
since  then  has  had  a  brother  associated  with 
him  in  the  work.  Starting  out  for  himself  in 
1902,  he  has  since  leased  land  for  a  sheep  range 
and  carries  two  thousand  head  grazing  on  the 
range.  The  excellent  price  of  wool  has  made 
the  industry  profitable  for  him,  in  addition  to 
which  he  has  received  fair  prices  for  the  mut- 
ton when  shipped  to  the  large  markets.  Keen, 
capable  and  resourceful,  he  has  already  won 
recognition  as  i  rising  and  progressive  young 
agriculturist  and  holds  a  high  position  among 
the  other  sheepmen  of  the  country.  From 
bojdiood  he  has  been  identified  with  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  of  Escondido,  while  his  par- 
ents are  members  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church  in  Los  Angeles.  After  his  father  be- 
came a  citizen  of  the  United  States  he  allied 
himself  with  the  Republican  party,  and  the  son 
was  reared  in  this  faith.  A  careful  study  of 
political  problems  has  deepened  his  belief  in 
the  wisdom  of  Republican  principles  and  he 
uniformly  gives  his  ballot  for  the  men  and 
measures  pledged  to  the  support  of  the  party 
platform. 


JAMES  A.  COBURN.  Southern  Califor- 
nia was  little  more  than  a  wilderness  of  wild 
mustard  and  cactus  when  James  A.  Cobuni 
was  born  at  Elmonte,  March  18,  1852.  His 
father,  James  M.  Coburn,  a  native  of  Indiana, 
and  his  mother,  formerly  Mrs.  Lucinda 
(Swarthout)  Kinyon,  born  in  New  York, 
crossed  the  plains  to  California  with  the  same 
train  of  emigrants,  but  their  marriage  did  not 
take  place  until  after  their  arrival  in  1851. 
Immediately  after  their  marriage  they  settled 
in   Los  Angeles  county  on  a  piece  of  govern- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


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ment  land,  upon  which  they  made  their  home 
for  two  years.  Deciding  to  go  further  into 
the  interior  of  the  state,  they  chose  San  Ber- 
nardino county  for  their  home  and  purchased 
a  ranch  in  this  vicinity.  Mr.  Coburn  was  a 
stanch  Democrat,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  be- 
longed to  the  Pioneers'  Society  of  Southern 
California,  and  in  the  early  days  were  active 
members  of  the  Church  of  Latter  Day  Saints. 
The  father  died  in  San  Bernardino  at  the  age 
of  seventy-six  years,  having  been  preceded  by 
his  wife  two  years,  she  being  the  same  age  as 
he  at  the  time  of  her  demise.  They  were  the 
parents  of  four  children,  three  of  whom  are 
living  in   San   Bernardino  county. 

James  A.  Coburn  was  a  young  child  when 
his  parents  brought  him  to  San  Bernardino 
count}',  in  which  place  he  received  his  edu- 
cation and  has  spent  his  life  thus  far.  He 
worked  on  the  home  ranch  until  twent}'-l\\'o 
years  old  and  then,  in  1874,  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Euphama  Brown,  who  was 
born  in  Oregon,  the  daughter  of  \\'illiam 
Brown,  an  early  pioneer  of  that  state.  Mr. 
Coburn  ranched  for  a  time  after  his  marriage, 
then  took  a  position  as  foreman  of  the  rail- 
road section  for  the  Southern  Pacific,  holding 
this  for  eight  years.  He  then  decided  to  re- 
turn to  the  ranch  and  now  has  a  very  nice 
property,  being  the  owner  of  forty-two  acres, 
forty  acres  being  devoted  to  the  raising  of 
corn,  hay  and  to  pasturage  purposes,  while 
two  acres  comprise  the  home  lot  and  is  planted 
to  all  kinds  of  fruits.  Mr.  Coburn  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat in  politics  and  fraternally  affiliates  with 
the  lodge  of  Fraternal  Brotherhood  at  San 
Bernardino.  Mr.  and  ^Irs.  Coburn  have  a 
family  of  five  children,  as  follows :  Ada,  the 
wife  of  George  A.  Roach,  of  San  Bernardino, 
and  the  mother  of  one  child ;  James  W.,  re- 
siding at  Stockton ;  Lovina,  Jesse,  and  Clar- 
ence, all  of  whom  still  live  under  the  parental 
roof.  ]\Tr.  Coburn  has  identified  himself  with 
the  upbuilding  enterprises  for  this  section  of 
the  state  and  is  a  man  who  is  held  in  the  Iiigh- 
est  esteem  bv  all  who  know  him. 


SAMUEL  B.  McFARLAND.  As  assistant 
postmaster  in  Avalon  Samuel  B.  McFarland  is 
one  of  the  best  known  and  most  highly  respected 
citizens  of  that  city.  He  was  born  February  8, 
1857.  in  Warrensburg,  Mo.,  the  son  of  Robert 
and  Elizabeth  (Gillam)  McFarland,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Kentucky.  The  parents 
were  married  in  Lafayette  county.  Mo.,  where 
Mr.  McFarland  settled  in  1844.  becoming  a 
farmer  near  Lexington.  Making  his  home  there 
until  iSfio.  he  then  removed  to  Warrensburg,  in 
which   city  he  engaged   in  merchandising.     He 


died  in  1902,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years; 
the  mother's  death  occurred  in  Lafayette  county. 
The  McFarland  family  is  of  Scotch  descent,  the 
first  member  coming  from  Scotland  and  settling 
in  Virginia  before  the  Revolutionary  war,  in 
which  the  great-grandfather  fought.  Robert 
McFarland,  although  of  southern  birth,  had 
strong  Union  sympathies  at  the  time  of  the  Civil 
war.  He  and  Senator  Cockrell  were  warm 
friends  from  boyhood  and  were  married  upon 
the  same  date  in  the  same  log  house  in  Mis- 
souri. Religiously  Mr.  McFarland  was  of  Pres- 
byterian faith  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Quirch  in  War- 
rensburg. 

The  youngest  of  three  children,  Samuel  B. 
McFarland  was  reared  in  Warrensburg,  re- 
ceived a  preliminary  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  that  city,  finishing  with  a  course  in 
the  Warrensburg  normal-school.  After  the  com- 
pletion of  his  school  work  he  joined  his  father 
in  the  mercantile  business,  subsequently  becom- 
ing sole  proprietor  and  conducting  the  store 
alone  for  a  time.  Disposing  of  his  interests 
there  he  removed  respectively  to  Lyons,  Kans., 
and  Butler,  Mo.,  engaging  in  the  same  line  of 
business.  His  residence  in  California  dates  from 
1897,  locating  originally  in  Los  Angeles,  and  a 
year  later  accepting  a  JDoSition  as  clerk  in  an 
Avalon  business  house.  In  1900  he  received  the 
appointment  of  deputy  postmaster,  N.  B.  Stan- 
ton having  been  the  duly  appointed  postmaster, 
and  when  Edward  Stanton  was  made  'his  suc- 
cessor Mr.  McFarland  retained  the  position  of 
deputy,  having  proven  himself  an  efficient  and 
trustworthy  official,  a  courteous  and  obliging 
public   servant. 

By  his  marriage  in  Qinton,  Henry  county, 
Mo.,  in  1900,  Mr.  McFarland  was  united  with 
Emma  Buck,  a  native  of  that  place.  Her  father, 
Thomas  Buck,  was  born  in  London,  England, 
and  came  to  the  United  States  when  twenty-two 
years  of  age,  settling  in  Missouri,  where  he  se- 
cured a  piece  of  raw  land,  improved  it  and  en- 
gaged in  farming,  ultimately  acquiring  a  large 
acreage  in  Butler  county.  Mrs.  McFarland,  who 
was  one  of  eight  children,  received  a  very  fine 
education,  graduating  from  the  Warrensburg 
(Mo.)  State  Normal  in  1887  with  the  degree  of 
B.  S.  D.  She  began  her  educational  work  in 
Ballard,  Mo.,  serving  for  several  years  as  head 
of  the  schools  of  that  city,  and  in  1898  was 
elected  principal  of  the  Avalon  schools,  and  was 
the  real  organizer  of  the  grammar  schools  of 
Catalina.  She  began  teaching  in  a  small  rnom 
in  the  hack  of  the  Congregational  Gnirch,  there 
being  about  thirty  pupils.  In  T90I  the  new 
school  building  was  erected  and  she  verv  mate- 
riallv  assisted  in  the  plannine  of  the  structure. 
After  retaining  the  principalship    for   si.x  years. 


2012 


HISTORICAI.  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


during  which  time  the  attendance  had  grown  to 
an  enrollment  of  eighty-five,  she  resigned  her 
position  in  1904  to  become  clerk  in  the  Avalon 
postoffice.  She  is  universally  admired  for  her 
superior  qualities  of  heart  and  mind  and  is  ac- 
tive in  social  and  club  circles,  being  at  the  pres- 
ent time  president  of  the  Avalon  Women's 
Club.  She  is  the  mother  of  one  child,  Robert 
Victor.  Fraternally  Mr.  McFarland  was  made 
a  Mason  in  Lyons,  Kans.,  still  retaining  his 
membership  in  the  lodge  there,  also  belongs  to 
the  Royal  Arch  Masons  in  Sterling,  Kans.,  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Honor.  Polit- 
ically he  is  an  advocate  of  the  principles  em- 
braced in  the  platform  of  the  Democratic  party. 
He  is  greatly  interested  in  the  development  of 
the  city  in  which  he  resides  and  lends  his  lib- 
eral support  to  the  furthering  of  all  upbuilding 
enterprises. 


DAVID  BUESSER.  Until  selling  his 
property  in  February,  1906,  Mr.  Buesser  was 
prosperously  engaged  as  a  horticulturist  at 
North  Glendale,  where  he  improved  a  valuable 
ranch.  As  an  orchardist  he  met  with  satis- 
factory results,  year  by  year  adding  to  his 
wealth.  Since  selling  his  ranch  he  has  made 
his  home  in  Glendale,  where  he  has  purchased 
property.  A  native  of  Germany,  he  was  born 
in  Wetzlar,  Prussia,  where  his  parents,  David 
and  Elizabeth  (Rau)  Buesser,  spent  their  en- 
tire lives. 

Having  completed  the  prescribed  course  of 
study  in  the  public  schools,  David  Buesser 
learned  the  trade  of  a  harness-maker,  after 
which  he  served  four  years  in  the  Ninth  Hus- 
sar Cavalry.  When  the  Franco-Prussian  war 
was  declared;  in  1870,  he  was  in  Belgium,  but 
prompted  by  love  of  the  Kaiser  and  the  Father- 
land, like  all  true  sons  of  Germany,  he  re- 
turned home,  and  for  five  months  served  as  a 
cavalryman  in  the  corps  of  Reservists,  being 
stationed  in  Cassel.  When  a  young  man  he 
traveled  extensively  in  Europe,  being  in  Paris 
from  1863  until  1866,  going  from  there  to 
Belgium,  where  he  conducted  a  large  busi- 
ness, being  foreman  for  a  widow,  whose  hus- 
band he  had  previously  worked  for.  Both  as  a 
patriotic  soldier  and  as  an  honest,  conscien- 
tious business  man.  he  made  a  splendid  record 
while  living  in  his  native  country.  In  the 
army,  he  was  promoted  to  the  first  grade  for 
his  good  conduct  and  bravery,  and  has  now 
his  certificates  from  two  nations. 

Leaving  Belgium  May  12,  1872,  Mr.  Buesser 
crossed  the  Atlantic  with  his  wife,  landing  in 
Boston,  Mass.,  and  from  there  going  to  New 
York  City,  where  he  worked  for  six  months. 
Subsequently  visiting    his    brother,    Rev.   F. 


Buesser,  in  St.  Peter,  Minn.,  he  spent  a  year  in 
that  place,  and  then  accompanied  his  brother 
to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  he  established 
himself,  following  his  trade  there  for  eleven 
years.  In  June,  1884,  he  came  to  California 
in  search  of  a  favorable  opening  for  business. 
Selecting  Los  Angeles  as  a  place  of  residence, 
he  purchased  a  house  on  Bunker  Hill  avenue 
and  lived  there  two  years,  being  in  the  mean- 
time employed  as  foreman  for  George  Peachy, 
a  harness  manufacturer,  who  is  now  living  in 
Redondo.  Deciding  then  to  try  a  change  of 
occupation,  he  bought  a  ranch  of  twenty-one 
acres  at  Hollywood,  and  after  managing  it 
four  months  sold  out  to  Mr.  Wilcox,  taking  in 
exchange  an  orange  grove  and  peach  orchard 
at  North  Glendale,  where  he  resided  until  sell- 
ing oitt  in  February,  1906.  He  improved  the 
property  with  a  fine  residence,  which,  with 
other  improvements,  cost  him  $4,000.  In  1895 
he  sold  ten  acres  of  his  ranch  and  was  en- 
gaged in  raising  oranges  and  apricots  on  the 
remainder,  meeting  with  signal  success  in  his 
undertakings.  As  has  been  previously  stated 
he  sold  his  property  in  February,  1906,  and 
has  since  resided  in  Glendale,  where  he  has 
erected  a  modern  cottage  on  Central  avenue, 
in  which  he  has  since  lived. 

Previous  to  coming  to  this  country,  in  Ver- 
viers,  Belgium,  Mr.  Buesser  married  Louisa 
Hoch,  a  native  of  Alsace,  France,  and  she  has 
proved  herself  a  true  helpmeet  to  him  at  all 
times.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Buesser  have  never  had 
children  of  their  own,  but  they  adopted  two, 
a  little  girl,  who  lived  only  a  few  years,  and  a 
boy,  Frank  Gustav  Buesser,  an  especially 
bright  and  attractive  child,  who  was  acci- 
dentally killed  when  nine  years  and  six  rhonths 
old.  Mr.  Buesser  is  a  man  of  high  moral  prin- 
ciples, and  with  his  wnie  is  a  consistent  mem- 
ber of  the  Evangelical  Church. 


WILLIAM  JESSE  CURTIS,  is  the  eldest 
son  of  Hon.  I.  C.  and  Lucy  M.  Curtis ;  his 
father  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  bar  of 
Marion  county,  Iowa,  for  many  years,  and 
represented  that  county  in  the  state  legislature 
for  several  terms.  His  mother  is  the  daughter 
of  Jesse  L.  Holman,  one  of  the  early  justices 
of  the  supreme  court  of  the  state  of  Indiana, 
and  a  sister  of  Hon.  William  S.  Holman,  who 
for  more  than  thirty  years  was  a  member  of 
congress  from  that  state. 

Mr.  Curtis  was  born  in  Aurora,  Ind.,  on 
the  2nd  day  of  .August,  1838.  In  1844  he  moved 
with  his  parents  to  the  then  territory  of  Iowa 
and  settled  in  Marion  county,  near  the  present 
city  of  Pella.  He  was  educated  at  the  Central 
Universitv  of  Iowa,  studied  law  in  his  father's 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2313 


■office,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1863,  and 
became  a  partner  of  his  father.  In  1861  he 
married  Miss  Frances  S.  Cowles,  of  Delaware, 
Ohio.  In  1864  he  crossed  the  plains  with  ox 
and  mule  teams,  came  to  California  and  set- 
tled in  the  city  of  San  Bernardino,  where  he 
has  resided  ever  since.  The  first  five  years 
after  his  arrival  in  California  he  devoted  to 
teaching  school.  In  January,  1872,  he  opened 
a  law  office  in  the  city  of  San  Bernardino. 
In  1873  he  was  elected  district  attorney  of 
San  Bernardino  countv  and  was  re-elected  in 

1875- 

^Ir.  Curtis  has  been  associated  at  different 
times  during  the  practice  of  his  profession 
with  Judge  H.  C.  Rolfe.  Hon.  J.  W.  Satter- 
white,  Judge  George  E.  Otis  and  Judge  F.  F. 
Oster,  and  is  now  associated  with  his  son, 
Jesse  W.  Curtis.  The  various  firms  with  which 
he  has  been  connected  all  occupied  prominent 
positions  at  the  bar  of  Southern  California, 
and  were  retained  in  many  important  civil 
cases  tried  in  San  Bernardino  county,  and  fre- 
cjuently  in  cases  tried  in  adjoining  counties, 
and  the  United  States  circuit  and  district 
courts.  He  is  now  and  has  been  one  of  the 
directors  of  the  San  Bernardino  County  Sav- 
ings Bank  ever  since  its  organization.  He 
is  also  engaged  in  growing  and  shipping 
oranges,  and  he  and  his  son  Holman  have  one 
of  the  finest  and  largest  orange  groves  on  the 
Colton  Terrace,  about  midway  between  the 
city  of  San  Bernardino  and  the  town  of  Rialto. 

^Ir.  Curtis  has  always  taken  an  interest  in 
matters  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  the  city, 
county  and  state,  and  especially  in  the  subject 
of  education,  and  served  for  a  number  of  years 
as  president  of  the  city  board  of  education. 
He  is  president  of  the  bar  association  of  the 
county,  and  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  law 
librarv. 


FREDRICH  JOEHNCK.  The  Joehnck 
family  formerly  flourished  in  Schleswig-Hol- 
stein,  the  ancestral  home  being  at  Eckernforde, 
not  far  distant  from  the  Kiel  canal  that  brings 
the  waters  of  the  North  sea  into  navigable  con- 
nection with  those  of  the  Baltic.  Claus  was 
the  first  of  the  family  to  emigrate  from  the 
old  world  and  he  became  a  farmer  in  Clinton 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  and  his  wife  both  died 
at  the  age  of  ninety-three  years.  In  religion 
both  were  faithful  adherents  of  the  Lutheran 
denomination.  Their  son,  Henry,  was  born  at 
Eckernforde,  Schleswig-Holstein,  Germany, 
and  was  a  youth  of  eighteen  years  when  the 
family  sought  the  lareer  opportunities  offered 
bv  America.  Shortly  afterward  lie  became  a 
pioneer  in   what  is   now   Grand    Island.    Neb., 


where  he  participated  in  numerous  struggles 
with  hostile  Indians  and  proved  himself  as 
brave  as  he  was  enterprising.  By  wise  manage- 
ment he  has  acquired  the  possession  of  several 
farms  near  Grand  Island  and  now  gives  his 
attention  to  their  supervision.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican. 

After -coming  to  the  United  States  and  se- 
curing the  means  necessary  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  home,  Henry  Joehnck  married  Mar- 
gareta  Goos,  who  was  born  in  Kappaln,  Schles- 
wig,  Germany,  and  at  the  age  of  eleven  years 
came  to  America  with  her  parents  and  settled 
in  Scott  county,  Iowa.  She  still  survives  and 
is  hale  and  hearty  in  spite  of  her  sixty-six 
years  of  active  life.  All  of  her  ten  children  are 
living,  there  being  six  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters, all  married,  of  whom  Fredrich  was  sec- 
ond in  order  of  birth.  On  the  home  farm  near 
Grand  Island,  Neb.,  he  was  born  April  15, 
1862,  and  there  he  passed  the  uneventful  years 
of  boyhood.  After  having  completed  common- 
school  studies  he  began  to  learn  the  trade  of 
a  brick-layer  in  Grand  Island,  and  on  the  com- 
pletion of  his  apprenticeship  he  went  to  Den- 
ver, Colo.,  to  work  at  the  trade.  From  there 
he  came  to  Southern  California,  arriving  at 
Los  Angeles  March  i,  1891,  and  immediately 
securing  employment  at  his  trade.  For  some 
years  he  worked  by  the  day  or  by  contract  in 
that  city,  but  in  1898  he  came  to  Oxnard  to 
work  under  Carl  Leonardt  in  the  construction 
of  the  American  Beet  Sugar  Company's  plant. 
The  following  year  he  embarked  in  the  manu- 
facture of  brick,  having  his  first  yard  on  the 
Savier  road,  but  later  removing  to  Montalvo, 
where  he  has  a  yard  of  four  acres  furnishing 
a  fine  quality  of  clay  for  the  manufacture  of 
brick.  The  plant  has  a  capacity  of  about  one 
million  brick  per  year.  In  addition  to  manu- 
facturing brick  he  takes  contracts  for  brick 
work  and  has  furnished  the  material  used  in 
practicall}-  all  of  the  brick  buildings  in  Ox- 
nard. 

The  residence  which  Mr.  Joehnck  erected  on 
First  street,  Oxnard,  and  which  he  still  owns, 
is  presided  over  by  his  wife,  formerly  Miss 
Annie  C.  Mumm,  of  Denver,  Colo.  Mrs. 
Joehnck's  father,  Detlef,  is  a  prominent  citizen 
of  Hohn,  Schleswig-Holstein,  and  for  years 
has  been  intimately  identified  with  the  Luth- 
eran Church  there  as  its  secretary  and  treas- 
urer. His  daughter  was  born  July  4,  1864,  in 
Schleswig-Holstein  and  was  reared  in  the 
Lutheran  faith,  to  which  she  adheres  with  the 
utmost  loyalty,  and  in  which  she  is  training 
her  only  child,  Henry  Detlef  Joehnck,  who 
was  born  July  4,  1896.  During  the  period  of 
his  residence  in  Colorado  Mr.  Joehnck  was 
initiated   into   the   Independent   Order  of   Odd 


2014 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Fellows  in  Denver  Lodge  No.  14,  but  since 
then  has  transferred  his  membership  to  Ox- 
nard  Lodge  No.  89,  1.  U.  O.  F.,  and  in  addi- 
tion, with  his  wife,  he  affiliates  with  the  Order 
of  Rebekahs.  For  some  time  he  has  been  ac- 
tive in  the  work  of  the  Sons  of  Herman  and 
formerly  held  the  office  of  president,  in  which 
position  he  accomplished  much  for  the  upbuild- 
ing of  the  order. 


GEORGE  P.  LYMAN.  The  Lyman  family, 
represented  in  Long  Beach  by  George  P.  Lyman, 
a  successful  real  estate  dealer  of  this  city,  was 
established  in  Massachusetts  by  Richard  Lyman, 
an  Englishman  wiio  located  at  Northampton  dur- 
ing the  colonial  period  of  our  history.  Succeed- 
ing generations  flourished  in  that  location, 
whence  Samuel  Lyman,  a  farm.er  by  occupation, 
removed  to  Illinois  in  1856  and  in  the  vicinity 
of  Onarga,  Iroqtiois  county,  passed  the  remain- 
der of  his  life.  By  marriage  he  allied  his  for- 
tunes with  those  of  another  old  and  honored 
family  of  New  England,  his  wife  being  in  maid- 
enhood Lucetta  Burt,  who  was  born  in  Massa- 
chusetts and  died  in  Illinois.  They  were  the 
parents  of  the  following  children  :  Samuel  Burt, 
who  served  as  sergeant  in  the  First  Pennsylvania 
Rifles  (known  os  the  old  Bucktail  regiment) 
during  the  Civil  war,  was  taken  prisoner,  but 
survived  the  horrors  of  incarceration  and  re- 
turned to  civic  )ife  at  the  close  of  hostilities,  his 
death  occurring  eventually  in  Minnesota :  John 
D.,  who  served  in  the  Twenty-fifth  Regiment, 
Illinois  Infantry,  and  died  in  1862  at  Benton- 
ville.  Ark. ;  George  P.,  of  this  review ;  and  Ed- 
ward M.,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  who  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Illinois  until  1894,  when  he 
came  to  California  and  in  Covina  engaged  in  the 
cultivation  of  oranges.  In  1901  he  located  in 
Long  Beach  and  has  since  engaged  in  the  real- 
estate  business  with  his  brother. 

George  P.  Lyman  was  also  a  loyal  soldier  dur- 
ing theCivil  war.  His  birth  occurred  in  South- 
ampton, Mass..  January  29,  1843,  but  he  was  a 
resident  of  Illinois  at  the  time  of  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Civil  war,  having  been  taken  to  that 
state  by  his  parents  in  1856.  His  education  was 
received  in  the  common  schools  of  Illinois  and 
the  Grand  Prairie  Seminary  at  Onarga,  after 
which  he  farmed  until  1864,  when  he  enlisted 
in  Company  G,  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fourth 
Regiment,  Illinois  Infantry.  Mustered  in  at  Chi- 
cago, he  served  in  Missouri  and  Kentucky  for  a 
period  of  six  months,  when  he  was  honorably 
discharged  and  returned  again  to  civic  pursuits. 
He  again  engaged  in  farming,  establishing  a 
home  in  1866,  when  he  married  in  Massachusetts 
Helen  M.  Searle,  of  that  state.  In  1869  he  sold 
his  farm  and  enaged  in  the  hardware  and  lum- 


ber business  in  Roberts,  Ford  county,  III,  for  a 
period  of  fifteen  years.  Disposing  of  these  in- 
terests in  1884  he  came  to  California,  and  in 
Pasadena  engaged  in  the  same  enterprise,  the 
firm  being  known  as  Lyman  &  Stevens,  one  of 
the  most  extensive  hardware  stores  on  Colorado 
street.  This  engaged  his  attention  for  the  ensu- 
ing two  years,  when  he  sold  out  and  became 
connected  with  the  Pasadena  Milling  Company. 
In  the  meantime,  in  1887,  he  became  interested 
in  the  real  estate  business  in  Pasadena,  and  this 
interest  led  liim,  in  1901,  to  locate  in  Long  Beach, 
where  with  his  brother  he  established  the  firm 
of  Lyman  Brothers  &  Rowe.  Their  enterprise 
has  resulted  in  much  material  development  for 
Long  Beach,  one  of  their  most  extensive  move- 
ments being  the  platting  of  the  Wilson  &  Ly- 
man's subdivision  of  six  acres  on  East  Fourth 
street.  Mr.  L)^man  has  erected  a  fine  residence 
on  American  avenue,  while  his  brother  has  built 
five  houses  in  Long  Beach  in  the  last  five  years. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Lyman's  first  wife  occurred 
in  Pasadena,  Cal.,  June  2,  1896.  In  Long  Beach, 
^larch  16,  1904,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Aliss  Isabelle  E.  Rowe,  a  native  of  Illinois.  Mr. 
Lyman  is  a  member  of  the  John  F.  Godfrey  Post 
No.  93,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Pasadena.  He  is  a  stanch 
Republican  in  national  politics,  although  locally 
he  is  far  too  loyal  a  citizen  to  give  his  support 
to  any  man  or  measure  that  in  his  judgment  is 
not  best  calculated  to  advance  the  general  wel- 
fare. He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  in  his  religious  affiliations.  Mr. 
Lyman  takes  a  lively  interest  in  public  affairs, 
exerting  his  influence  as  a  member  of  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  is  liberal  and  enterprising  to 
an  unusual  degree  and  is  looked  upon  as  repre- 
sentative of  the  best  type  of  citizenship  by  those 
who  have  known  him  throughout  his  residence  in 
Southern  California. 


JOHN  GOELZ.  The  care  exercised  in  the 
discharge  of  all  duties  connected  with  his  oc- 
cupation proves  Mr.  Goelz  to  be  the  possessor 
of  qualities  admirably  adapting  him  to  work 
where  skill,  accuracy  and  efficiency  are  the 
principal  essentials.  Doubtless  his  natural  en- 
dowments made  the  development  of  these 
qualities  possible,  and  probably  also  their  pres- 
ence in  his  character  is  due  to  the  excellent 
training  he  received  during  the  period  of  his 
apprenticeship  in  the  formative  period  of  his 
career.  German  masters  have  a  reputation  for 
the  careful  training  of  their  apprentices,  and 
those  who  have  been  under  their  oversight 
usually  possess  the  requisite  preparation  for 
practical  success. 

Hesse-Darmstadt,  Germany,  is  the  native 
place  of  Air.  Goelz,  and  Octoljer  6,  1869,  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2015 


date  of  his  birth,  he  being  the  fifth  son  among 
nine  children,  all  of  whom  still  survive.  His 
parents.  Walter  and  Eliza  Goelz,  were  born, 
reared  and  married  in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  and 
the  mother  died  there  in  middle  age.  The  father 
who  still  remains  in  that  part  of  Germany,  fol- 
lowed farm  pursuits  and  the  grain  business  dur- 
ing the  active  period  of  his  life,  but  now  is 
retired  from  business  responsibilities.  At  the 
age  of  fourteen  years  John  Goelz  was  taken 
from  school  and  apprenticed  to  the  trade  of  a 
cabinet-maker,  at  which  he  served  the  full  pe- 
riod. When  he  was  seventeen  years  old  he 
came  to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  Los 
Angeles,  where  he  followed  his  trade  for  two 
years.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  be- 
gan to  be  interested  in  the  cement  business, 
working  in  the  employ  of  various  contractors. 

On  coming  to  Oxnard  in  1898  Mr.  Goelz  en- 
tered the  employ  of  Carl  Leonardt  and  assisted 
in  the  construction  of  the  American  Beet  Sugar 
factory.  Four  3'ears  later  in  1902  he  became 
superintendent  of  the  cement  works  at  Ox- 
nard owned  by  Mr.  Leonardt,  which  position 
he  has  since  filled  with  the  utmost  skill  and  en- 
ergy'.  Since  coming  to  Oxnard  he  has  erected 
a  residence  on  the  corner  of  Fifth  and  D  streets, 
and  here  he  and  his  wife,  with  their  three  chil- 
dren, Emil,  Lena  and  Gusta,  have  a  comforta- 
ble and  attractive  home.  Mrs.  Goelz  was  for- 
merly Mary  Otto  and  at  an  early  age  left  Ger- 
many, her  native  land,  for  the  United  States, 
settling  in  Los  Angeles,  where  she  married  and 
for  some  years  made  her  home.  Reared  in  the 
Lutheran  faith,  she  adheres  to  that  belief  and 
contributes  to  the  missionary  enterprises  and 
general  support  of  that  denomination.  Though 
not  active  in  politics,  Mr.  Goelz  has  pronounced 
opinions  upon  all  questions  of  national  import- 
ance and  gives  his  support  to  the  Democratic 
party  in  local  and  general  elections.  Fraternal- 
ly he  holds  membership  with  the  Sons  of  Her- 
mann, in  which  order  he  holds  official  position. 
To  those  with  whom  business  dealings  have 
brought  him  in  contact  he  has  a  reputation 
for  energy,  careful  judgment  and  prompt  dis- 
patch of  work,  and  his  presence  in  Oxnard  adds 
another  to  the  list  of  the  city's  skilled  work- 
men. 


ANDREW  YOUNG  may  be  classed  as  one 
of  the  old  settlers  of  Wilmington,  Cal,  and  has 
for  many  years  been  in  the  employ  of  the  Wil- 
mington Transportation  Company  as  superin- 
tendent of  engineers,  a  most  valued  and  trusted 
employe.  His  father,  also  named  Andrew 
Young,  was  a  native  of  Ayrshire  and  with  his 
family  came  to. Canada,  settling  near  Quebec. 
He  was  a  flax-dresser  b\-  trade  and  followed  that 


occupation  at  La  Prairie,  Quebec,  and  later  at 
Champlain,  N.  Y.,  where  they  resided  for  a  time. 
He  enlisted  and  served  as  a  member  of  a  Cana- 
dian company  during  the  Rebellion  in  Canada, 
and  died  at  Sherbrooke,  Quebec.  His  mother, 
Jane  Fenton,  was  a  native  of  Montrose,  Scot- 
land. The  family  came  of  Presbyterian  stock  on 
both  sides  of  the  house  and  their  children  were 
brought  up  in  that  denominational  faith.  There 
were  four  children  in  the  family,  three  daughters 
and  one  son,  all  still  living. 

Andrew  Young  is  the  only  son  and  second 
child  in  his  father's  family.  He  was  born  at 
La  Prairie,  Quebec,  Canada,  October  24,  1849. 
Soon  after  bis  birth  the  family  removed  to  Cham- 
plain,  N.  Y.,  where  he  attended  the  public 
schools,  and  when  the  family  returned  to  Canada 
he  continued  school  at  Sherbrooke.  When  he 
was  sixteen  years  of  age  he  was  apprenticed  to 
learn  the  machinist  trade  in  a  large  machine  shop 
at  Sherbrooke.  In  1870,  when  he  was  twenty 
years  of  age.  having  served  his  term  of  appren- 
ticeship and  mastered  the  trade,  he  went  to  Bay 
Citv.  Mich.,  and  procured  employment  at  the 
McDowell  Iron  works.  In  1874  he  returned  to 
Sherbrooke  and  the  following  year,  1875,  inar- 
ried  Carrie  Kent,  a  native  of  that  place. 

The  western  country  seemed  to  hold  out  in- 
ducements for  the  voung  couple  to  leave  their 
old  home,  and  in  the  year  of  their  marriage  they 
came  to  California.  Mr.  Young  obtained  em- 
ployment with  the  Fulton  Iron  works  at  San 
Francisco,  but  only  remained  in  their  employ  six 
months.  With  the  idea  that  he  would  be  better 
suited  he  went  to  Seattle,  Wash.,  and  engaged 
with  the  Seattle  Transportation  Company  as  ma- 
chinist and  engineer,  continuing  with  them  until 
1878,  when  he  returned  to  San  Francisco  and 
for  two  years  was  chief  engineer  of  tow-boats 
on  the  bay.  In  t88o  he  came  to  Wilmington  and 
went  to  work  for  the  transportation  company  as 
chief  engineer  on  their  steamers  in  San  Pedro 
bay.  One  year  later,  1881,  the  company  pro- 
moted him  by  giving  him  charge  of  the  ma- 
chinery and  making  him  superintendent  of  en- 
gineers. For  many  years  the  company's  shops 
were  at  Wilmington,  but  in  1903  they  moved 
tliem  to  San  Pedro.  I\Ir.  Young  retains  his  po- 
sition with  the  company,  though  his  home  is  at 
Wilmington. 

Mr.  Young  is  thorough  master  of  his  line  of 
work  and  the  years  he  has  remained  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  company  with  whom  he  is  now  en- 
gaged attest  their  appreciation  of  his  services. 
He  is  a  man  of  sterling  worth  and  integrity  of 
character  and  has  gained  the  respect  of  the 
people  in  whatever  community  he  made  his  home. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican;  in  religion,  the 
family  are  Presbyterians,  following  thecreed  of 
their  fathers  and  maintaining:  the  faith  thev  were 


2016 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


brought  up  in.  Their  family  consists  of  six  chil- 
dren. Mabel,  George  Andrew  (apprenticed  ma- 
chinist in  Los  Angeles),  Phineas  Banning,  Fen- 
ton  Kent,  Carrie  Amelia  and  Hudson  Lawrence. 
Mr.  Young  has  been  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order  for  many  years,  having  taken  his  degrees 
in  Victoria  Lodge,  Sherbrooke,  Canada.  Both 
Mr.  and  J\Irs.  Young  are  members  of  the  East- 
ern Star  at  San  Pedro.  He  is  a  member  of  Wil- 
mington Lodge  No.  198,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  has 
served  as  master  four  terms.  He  is  a  member 
and  past  grand  of  Bowen  Lodge  138,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
of  San  Pedro,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Be- 
nevolent, Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Marine  Association  of  San 
Francisco  since  1882. 


CHARLES  WILLIAM  LONGMIRE.  In 
1896,  when  Charles  William  Longmire  estab- 
lished his  present  livery  business  in  Highland, 
it  was  on  a  very  small  scale,  with  three  horses 
and  a  little  frame  building.  Gradually  but  stead- 
ily the  business  grew,  however,  and  now,  with 
a  line  brick  barn  37x105  feet  in  dimensions,  -twen- 
ty first-class  driving  horses  and  numerous  new 
and  up-to-date  rigs,  some  of  them  with  rubber 
tires,  he  conducts  one  of  the  most  extensive  liv- 
ery enterprises  in  this  section  of  the  state.  For 
several  generations  Tennessee  has  been  the  an- 
cestral home  of  the  Longmire  family  and  it  was 
in  Anderson  county,  that  state,  that  both 
Charles  William  and  his  father,  Rufus  Albert 
Longmire,  were  born.  The  last  named  was  a 
son  of  Reuben  Moss  and  Elizabeth  (Wallace) 
Longmire,  and  was  reared  on  a  farm  near  Clin- 
ton, on  the  Tennessee  river,  in  the  vicinity  of 
which  place  he  obtained  an  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools.  In  that  place  and  the  adjoining 
county  he  lived  until  1883,  when  he  came  to 
California,  arriving  in  Highland  on  January  4. 
He  began  ranching  immediately  upon  his  arri- 
val in  the  state  and  in  1887  made  his  first  pur- 
chase of  land,  securing  ten  acres  on  the  Base 
line  road  at  $60  per  acre.  Upon  this  land  he 
raised  potatoes  until  he  purchased  his  present 
ranch  of  ten  acres,  when  he  sold  the  former 
place.  This  latter  property  was  unimproved, 
and  its  present  fine  condition  is  entirely  the  re- 
sult of  the  personal  efforts  of  Mr.  Longmire. 
The  grove  of  over  a  thousand  naval  orange  trees 
and  a  few  lemons  was  grown  from  seeds  plant- 
ed by  him.  He  also  erected  the  present  nine- 
room  residence  and  substantial  barn,  the  build- 
ings being  located  on  the  corner  of  Bolder  and 
Highland  avenues.  In  1905  the  ranch  yielded  a 
net  income  of  $100  per  acre. 

Reuben  M.  Longmire's  marriage,  January  i, 
1868,  united  him  with  Mary  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  Charles  and  Selitha  (Moore)  Shinliver.     Her 


father  died  in  1857,  and  her  mother  in  1896,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-six  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Longmire  are  both  of  German-Scotch  descent. 
They  became  the  parents  of  seven  children: 
Ida  Ann,  now  the  wife  of  Charles  Hadden,  of 
Highland;  Lassie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen years  and  is  buried  in  San  Bernardino; 
Mattie  Elizabeth,  who  married  John  Coy,  of 
Highland;  Charles  William,  a  resident  of  High- 
land and  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Kittie,  the 
wife  of  Frank  Cram,  of  East  Highland ;  Maggie, 
who  died  when  nineteen  3'ears  old  and  is  buried 
in  San  Bernardino;  and  James  E.,  who  lives 
under  the  parental  roof. 

Born  May  30,  1873,  Qiarles  William  Long- 
mire was  ten  years  of  age  when  he  was  brought 
by  his  parents  to  Highland,  and  his  education 
was  obtained  in  the  common  schools  here.  Aft- 
er completing  his  studies  he  stayed  with  his 
father  on  the  ranch  for  a  time  and  later  en- 
gaged in  the  butchering  business  in  Messina  for 
two  years.  Subsequently  he  returned  home,  re- 
maining with  his  father  for  a  couple  of  seasons, 
and  in  May,  1896,  he  located  in  Highland  and 
established  his  present  business,  in  1904  build- 
ing the  new  brick  barn.  Fraternally  ^Ir.  Long- 
mire is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
lodge  of  Highland,  and  politically,  like  his  fa- 
ther, is  a  stanch  Democrat.  On  February  11, 
1902,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Catherine 
(T^Ialoney)  Bell,  the  widow  of  Albert  Bell  and 
daughter  of  Michael  and  Jennie  (Shirtey)  Ma- 
loney,  and  of  this  union  one  child,  Vivian  Lu- 
cile,  was  born  April  i,  1904. 


JOSEPH  H.  KELLY.  An  early  pioneer  in 
San  Bernardino  county  and  one  of  the  largest 
and  most  substantial  ranchmen  in  the  county 
is  Joseph  H.  Kelly,  who  owns  and  operates  a 
ranch  of  four  hundred  acres,  which  is  devoted 
to  grain  and  stock-raising,  he  being  especially 
interested  in  the  breeding  of  fine  horses.  He  has 
been  in  the  horse  business  for  about  forty  years, 
and  holds  the  distinction  of  having  trained  the 
first  race  horse  ever  tracked  in  San  Bernardino 
county.  Besides  twenty  high  grade  brood  mares 
he  now  owns  three  valuable  stallions — Bolock, 
of  the  famous  stock  of  Zolock ;  a  large  draft 
horse  named  Mascot ;  and  a  French  coach  named 
Qiarlatan.  In  1876  he  built  a  race  track  on  his 
ranch,  which  was  the  first  one  in  the  county, 
and  from  that  was  organized  the  present  rac- 
ing course.  The  first  horse,  ^'alentine,  he  ever 
trained  for  track  purposes  was  entered  in  twen- 
ty-seven races  and  took  money  twenty-six  times. 
This  horse  was  finally  sold  and  taken  to  Austra- 
lia and  there  defeated  Fritz,  who  had  challenged 
any  trotter  or  pacer  in  the  world. 

The  birth  of  Mr.  Kelly  occurred  in  Hancock 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2017 


county,  111.,  July  28,  1842,  he  being  the  son  of 
Joseph  and  Matilda  (Hull)  Kelly,  the  former's 
birth  having  occurred  in  Ohio,  and  his  death  in 
Utah ;  the  latter  was  a  native  of  Illinois,  in  which 
state  her  death  also  occurred.  There  were  five 
children  in  the  family,  and  Joseph  H.  has  now 
but  one  brother  living,  his  home  being  in  Ne- 
vada. Mr.  Kelly  was  taken  by  his  father  to 
Utah  in  an  early  day  and  when  a  young  man  of 
twenty  he  pushed  his  own  way  still  further 
west,  coming  to  San  Bernardino  county,  Cal. 
He  bought  land  from  the  larger  ranchers  and 
has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits and  stock-raising.  Mr.  Kelly's  first  mar- 
riage took  place  in  1866,  uniting  him  with  Sarah 
Keller,  a  native  of  California,  who  died  ten  years 
later,  leaving  five  children,  namely :  Arthur, 
Nathan  and  Hazen,  all  of  whom  are  married : 
Hiram,  who  is  single,  and  the  daughter,  Druzel- 
la,  is  the  widow  of  Benjamin  Arthur.  In  1880 
Mr.  Kelly  married  Alfretta  Dewitt,  born  in  Cal- 
ifornia, and  she  too  has  become  the  mother  of 
five  children,  Harold,  Ernest,  Nettie,  Harry  and 
Pearl.  While  he  is  a  believer  in  Republican 
principles  he  exercises  considerable  independ- 
ence in  the  casting  of  his  ballot,  believing  that 
men  are  as  important  as  measures  in  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  country.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Elks  of  Redlands. 


JACOB  POLHEMUS.  A  pioneer  of  Col- 
ton,  Jacob  Polhemus,  now  deceased,  came  to  this 
city  in  1875,  when  the  only  buildings  in  the  place 
were  a  saloon  and  eating  house,  and  the  Pioneer 
lumber  yard  office.  A  carpenter  and  builder  by 
trade,  he  was  employed  in  the  erection  of  the 
pioneer  buildings  of  Colton,  among  them  be- 
ing the  Hathaway  and  Davenport  store,  which 
was  the  first  one  established  here.  In  1877  he 
purchased  lots  on  the  corner  of  Eighth  and  I 
streets,  on  which  he  built  his  residence  and  shop. 
As  the  city  grew  this  location  became  valuable 
and  in  1886  he  erected  the  well-known  Polhe- 
mus block,  a  fine  two-story  structure  devoted 
to  business  and  office  purposes,  the  building  be- 
ing the  first  one  of  brick  erected  in  Colton.  He 
was  a  strong  and  liberal  supporter  of  the  vari- 
ous development  enterprises  instituted  from  time 
to  time  and  became  a  stockholder  and  one  of 
the  original  incorporators  of  the  Colton  Build- 
ing and  Loan  Association,  which  has  done  so 
much  to  encourage  improvement  in  the  city.  In 
his  business  enterprises  he  was  successful  and 
secured  a  modest,  though  well-deserved,  com- 
petency, and  his  methods  in  his  dealings  were 
of  a  manly  and  straightforward  character  that 
secured  him  hosts  of  friends  and  gained  for  him 
the  highest  respect  of  the  community. 

The  birth  of  Mr.  Polhemus  occurred  in  New 


Jersey  in  1822,  both  his  parents,  Theodorus  and 
Leah  (Cooper)  Polhemus,  being  natives  of  the 
same  state  and  descended  from  old  colonial  fam- 
ilies from  Holland.  The  son  was  reared  and 
educated  in  New  Jersey,  where  he  early  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade,  engaging  in  it  as' an  occu- 
pation for  twenty  years  in  Jersey  City.  It  was  in 
1871  that  the  attractions  of  California  irresist- 
ibly appealed  to  Mr.  Polhemus  and  he  decided 
to  settle  in  that  state.  His  first  location  was  in 
San  Francisco,  where  he  remained  but  a  few 
months,  however,  soon  coming  to  Southern  Cal- 
ifornia. He  settled  successively  at  San  Diego, 
Los  Angeles  and  San  Bernardino,  and  in  1875 
established  himself  in  Colton,  where  his  death 
occurred  December  12,  1889.  Politically  he  was 
a  stanch  Republican,  having  been  a  supporter  of 
that  party  from  the  time  of  its  organization  in 
1856.  He  was  strong  and  liberal  in  his  support 
of  churches  and  schools,  being  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  and  serving  as  treasurer  of  the 
society  in  Colton. 

By  his  first  marriage  Mr.  Polhemus  was  unit- 
ed with  Miss  Jane  Tier  in  1843.  She  died  in 
1870,  leaving  three  children:  Lizzie,  now  the 
wife  of  Frank  D.  Sweetser,  of  San  Francisco; 
George,  a  resident  of  Plainfield,  N.  J. ;  and  Will- 
iam, living  in  Colton.  In  1879  he  married  Mrs. 
Lucretia  (Ford)  Bent,  who  was  born  in  Florida, 
N.  Y.,  in  1826.  Her  early  ancestors  were  from 
Holland  and  settled  in  New  Amsterdam  on  Man- 
hattan Island.  When  seven  years  of  age  her 
parents  removed  to  Rochester,  in  which  city  she 
was  educated,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years 
was  married  to  Heman  J.  Spring.  They  lived 
on  a  farm  in  New  York  for  a  little  over  three 
years,  and  in  1846  moved  to  Fox  Lake,  Wis., 
later  returning  to  New  York.  Mr.  Spring  held 
the  position  of  depot  agent  at  Millers  Corner  for 
a  number  of  years.  Resigning  that  position  he 
again  went  to  Wisconsin,  from  which  state  he 
enlisted  in  Company  E  of  the  Twenty-ninth 
Regiment  of  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  killed 
on  the  battlefield.  There  were  three  sons  born 
of  this  union:  DeLos  A.,  born  December  31, 
1845,  was  married  to  Eunice  Mallory,  a  native 
of  Savannah,  Ga.  He  made  his  home  in  Georgia 
until  his  health  began  to  fail,  when  he  came  to 
California  and  died  in  Colton  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
eight  years.  He  left  a  widow  and  three  children, 
who  returned  to  their  native  state  after  his  death. 
DeLos  Spring  served  three  years  in  the  Civil 
war,  having  enlisted  in  the  same  regiment  with 
his  father  when  seventeen  years  of  age.  Adol- 
phus  D.  Spring,  born  January  8,  1848,  married 
Miss  Sarah  Wright,  has  three  children  and  re- 
sides in  Colton,  where  he  is  a  city  electrican.  By- 
ron L.  Spring  married  Clara  M.  Washburn,  has 
one  child,  and  lives  in  Madison,  Wis.  About 
four   years   after   the   death  of   Mr.    Spring  his 


2018 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


widow  was  married  to  Joseph  Bent,  who  was 
accidentally  drowned  in  Fox  Lake,  Wis.  In 
1876  Mrs.  Bent  came  to  Colton,  and  three  years 
later  was  united  in  marriage  with  ilr.  Polhe- 
mus.  After  ten  years  of  happy  married  life, 
death  removed  a  devoted  husband  and  a  man 
loved  and  respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  ]\Irs. 
Polhemus  died  December  7,  1906,  at  the  home 
of  her  son  in  Colton.  She  was  noted  for  her 
kindness  and  generosity  and  had  a  host  of 
friends. 


GEORGE  B.  MacGILLIVRAY.  The  prin- 
cipal of  the  grammar  schools  of  Ramona  is  a 
member  of  a  Canadian  family  and  a  descendant 
of  Scotch  ancestry.  Both  of  his  parents,  John 
and  Catherine  (Groat)  AlacGillivray,  were  born 
in  the  village  of  Kirkwall,  in  the  north  of  Scot- 
land, and  the  paternal  forefathers  had  been 
identified  with  that  country  as  far  back  as  the 
genealogy  can  be  traced.  The  maternal  an- 
cestors, however,  originally  came  from  the  con- 
tinent of  Europe,  for  the  maternal  grandfather, 
Robert  Groat,  was  a  descendant  of  one  of  three 
brothers  bearing  the  name  of  de  Grotia,  who 
left  Denmark  in  the  sixteenth  century  and 
established  the  family  on  the  shores  of  Scot- 
land. During  their  early  life  the  parents 
crossed  the  ocean  to  Canada  and  settled  at 
Smith  Falls,  Ontario,  where  their  marriage 
was  solemnized  and  where  they  settled  upon  a 
farm.  The  mother  never  left  that  province  and 
died  there  in  1883,  at  the  age  of  fifty-seven  years. 
Seven  years  after  her  demise  the  father  departed 
from  the  scenes  familiar  to  him  since  early  youth 
and  sought  the  milder  climate  of  California,  set- 
tling in  San  Diego  county  near  the  village  of 
Alpine,  where  he  now  lives  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
seven,  in  fairly  good  health. 

While  the  family  were  living  at  Smith  Falls, 
Ontario,  a  son  was  born  May  12,  i860,  and  he 
it  is  who  forms  the  subject  of  this  narrative  and 
who  is  known  as  the  efficient  principal  of  the 
Ramona  grammar  school.  Primarily  educated  in 
country  schools  near  the  home  farm,  he  was  not 
satisfied  with  the  extent  of  the  opportunities 
there  afforded  and  sought  something  more 
broadening  and  thorough.  With  that  object  in 
view  he  matriculated  in  the  Collegiate  Institute 
of  Smith.  Falls  and  there  carried  on  the  regular 
course  of  study,  graduating  with  the  class  of 
1882.  Afterward  he  taught  in  Canadian  schools 
for  three  years,  and  with  the  money  earned  by 
this  period  of  work  he  paid  his  expenses  in  the 
Ottawa  normal  school,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated in  the  fall  of  1888  with  an  excellent  stand- 
ing for  scholarship  nnd  knowledge  of  pedagog>'. 

Immediatelv  after  completing  the  normal 
school    course    of    study    Mr.    MacGillivray    left 


Canada  for  the  United  States  and  settled  in  San 
Diego  county,  where  at  once  he  secured  a  posi- 
tion as  teacher  in  the  Japilna  district.  The  ex- 
cellence of  his  work  and  the  satisfaction  afforded 
patrons  of  the  school  by  his  services  may  be 
proved  by  the  statement  that  he  remained  for 
ten  years  the  teacher  of  the  same  school,  eventu- 
ally resigning  in  order  to  accept  his  present  posi- 
tion, at  which  time  he  removed  from  Descanso 
to  Ramona.  Coincident  with  his  removal  he  sold 
his  ranch  in  the  former  neighborhood.  His  cozy 
home  in  Ramona  is  presided  over  by  his  wife, 
with  whom  he  was  united  at  Los  Angeles  Jan- 
uary 13,  1896,  and  who  was  formerly  Miss  M. 
W.  True,  descended  from  New  England  an- 
cestry and  a  native  of  Sherbrooke,  province  of 
Quebec.  Of  their  union  two  children  were  born 
namely:  Laura  Belle,  whose  birth  occurred  in 
1899,  and  F.  True,  born  in  1904. 

Ever  since  becoming  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States  Professor  MacGillivray  has  voted  with 
the  Democratic  party,  but  at  no  time  has  he  dis- 
played partisanship  of  spirit,  and  his  interest  in 
politics  is  that  of  the  public-spirited  citizen,  not 
the  office-seeker.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were 
reared  imder  wholesome  and  sincere  religious  in- 
fluences and  both  are  believers  in  the  doctrines 
of  Christianity,  his  sympathies  being  with  the 
doctrines  of  the  Presbyterian  Qiurch,  while  she 
is  an  attendant  at  the  Congregational  Qiurch. 
For  some  years  both  have  been  interested  in  the 
work  of  the  Eastern  Star  and  have  been  active 
in  the  local  chapter,  while  he  also  maintains  rela- 
tionship with  San  Diego  Lodge  No.  35,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  and  is  further  identified  with  the  Ancient 
Order  of  Foresters  No.  8520,  at  Ramona,  and 
Sunset  Lodge  No.  328,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  in  San  Diego. 


F.  MORETTI.  In  no  countr\^  in  the  world 
has  the  art  of  dairying  been  brought  to  the  point 
of  perfection  more  truly  than  in  Switzerland, 
and  of  those  trained  in  the  art  under  native  skies 
none  is  more  thorough  or  painstaking  than  F. 
Moretti,  who  owns  and  manages  one  of  the 
finest  dairies  in  San  Diego  county.  On  his 
ranch  of  two  thousand  acres  in  close  proximity 
to  Santa  Ysabel  he  has  two  hundred  and 
sixty  cows,  in  the  care  of  which  he  employs  ten 
men  throughout  the  year.  A  market  for  the 
cream  is  found  in  San  Diego  and  the  butter 
sells  readily  in  the  home  market.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  the  land  necessary  to  grow  hay  and 
grain  for  the  cattle,  the  entire  acreage  is  given 
over  to  grazing. 

As  has  already  been  intimated,  Mr.  Moretti 
is  a  native  of  Switzerland,  born  January  18,  1872, 
a  son  of  Antona  and  Martinoia  (Domenica) 
Moretti.  natives  also  of  the  same  country.  The 
father  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-two  years,  but  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGFL\PHICAL  RECORD. 


2019 


mother  is  still  in  the  enjoyment  of  good  health 
and  is  now  in  her  fifty-fifth  year.  Of  the  seven 
children  comprising  the  parental  family  two  are 
in  California,  our  subject  and  Philip,  who  is  now 
attending  the  business  college  in  San  Diego. 

Mr.  jMoretti  set  sail  from  Switzerland  in  1888, 
when  little  more  than  a  lad,  and  landed  in  New 
York  city  a  stranger,  unfamiliar  with  the  lan- 
guage and  customs  of  his  new  home.  His  idea 
was  to  settle  in  the  west,  and  he  soon  made  his 
way  to  the  Pacific  coast.  The  first  employment 
which  he  was  able  to  secure  was  in  the  marine 
service  in  San  Francisco,  three  years  later  be- 
coming interested  in  the  dairy  business  in  Santa 
Cruz  county.  Eleven  years  in  that  locality  was 
the  means  of  giving  him  a  well-rounded  know- 
ledge of  the  soil  and  climate,  as  well  as  proving  to 
him  his  ability  to  manage  successfully  a  business 
of  larger  magnitude.  Coming  to  San  Diego  coun- 
ty, he  selected  and  purchased  his  present  ranch 
of  two  thousand  acres,  and  the  substantial  bus- 
iness of  which  he  is  now  the  head  is  his  as  the 
result  of  principles  rightly  applied  and  a  care- 
ful guard  over  details. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Moretti  belongs  to  the  Odd 
Fellows  lodge  at  Santa  Cruz  and  to  the  lodge 
of  Foresters  at  Julian.  He  has  made  a  study  of 
the  principles  laid  down  in  the  platforms  of  the 
two  great  political  parties  and  his  decision  is  in 
favor  of  the  Republican  party.  His  religious 
training  in  boyhood  was  in  the  Catholic  Church. 
to  whose  teachings  be  has  always  adhered,  and 
he  worships  in  the  church  of  that  denomination 
in  Santa  Ysabel. 


CAPT.  ALBERT  A.  POLHAMUS.  Active- 
ly identified  with  the  valuable  government  im- 
provements that  have  been  made  along  the  South- 
ern California  coast  line  is  Capt.  A.  A.  Polha- 
mus.  A  man  of  great  intelligence  and  with  ex- 
ceptional mechanical  ability,  as  a  government 
contractor  he  has  built  many  large  breakwaters 
on  the  Pacific  coast.  A  thorough  master  of  his 
business,  faithful  to  the  trusts  reposed  in  him, 
and  strictly  honest  in  all  hi^  dealings,  the  cap- 
tain has  won  well-deserved  success  in  his  ca- 
reer, and  the  respect  in  which  he  is  held  gives 
evidence  of  his  upright  and  manly  life. 

Albert  Polhamus  was  born  October  i,  1837, 
in  Albany,  N.  Y.  He  is  of  thrifty  Holland  an- 
cestry, being  a  direct  descendant  of  the  immi- 
grant ancestor,  Johannes  Polhaemus,  who  came 
from  Holland  in  1660  with  his  friend,  Peter 
Stuyvesant,  the  last  of  the  Dutch  governors,  and 
settled  in  what  is  now  Brooklyn,  Ijeing  the  first 
minister  of  that  city. 

Another  Johannes  Polhamus,  a  descendant 
many  generations  removed  from  the  first  an- 
cestor, was  the  grandfather  of  Albert  Polhamus. 


This  Johannes  Polhamus  was  born  in  New  York 
and  for  many  years  had  charge  of  vessels  sail- 
ing on  the  Hudson  river.  His  son,  Isaac  Pol- 
hamus, father  of  Albert  Polhamus,  succeeded  to 
the  occupation  in  which  he  was  reared.  For 
many  years  he  was  captain  of  sailing  boats  on 
the  Hudson  river  and  after  the  steamboat  was 
invented  he  sailed  on  the  Paragon,  the  third 
steamer  that  was  ever  built.  Isaac  Polhamus 
married  Agnes  McQueen,  a  native  of  Scotland, 
a  woman  of  excellent  education.  To  this  mar- 
riage there  were  born  eight  children,  the  young- 
est son  being  Albert,  with  whom  this  sketch  is 
concerned. 

Brought  up  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  Albert  A.  Pol- 
hamus was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  and 
at  the  Albany  Academy.  From  boyhood  he  was 
familiar  with  boating  in  all  of  its  phases.  In- 
terested particularly  in  mechanical  pursuits,  he 
studied  engineering  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
years  was  made  assistant  engineer  of  an  ocean 
steamer.  He  followed  the  sea  in  that  capacity 
for  a  number  of  years  and  in  i860  came  through 
the  Straits  of  Magellan  to  California  as  engineer 
on  the  steamer  Granada. 

The  Granada  was  to  have  run  between  San 
Francisco  and  Panama  in  opposition  to  the 
Pacific  mail  steamers,  and  Albert  Polhamus  was 
to  have  been  chief  engineer.  After  performing 
her  long  journey  in  safety  the  Granada  was 
run  on  the  rocks  by  the  pilot  in  charge  while 
entering  the  Golden  Gate,  and  completely 
wrecked. 

In  November,  i860,  at  the  urgent  request  of 
General  Banning,  Mr.  Polhamus  came  from  San 
Francisco  to  Wilmington  to  assist  in  starting  a 
traction  engine,  which  the  general  had  purchased 
for  the  purpose  of  hauling  trains  of  provision 
wagons  across  the  desert  to  Arizona  in  fulfill- 
ing army  contracts.  Mr.  Polhamus  did  not  suc- 
ceed with  the  steam  wagon  and  the  project  was 
abandoned  by  Banning.  The  friendship  then 
formed  between  the  two  men  was  destined  to 
be  of  long  standing,  as  Mr.  Polhamus  stayed 
with  General  Banning  for  the  next  twenty-four 
years,  first  as  engineer,  then  as  master  of  his 
steamers,  and  afterwards  for  many  years  as  one 
of  the  superintendents  of  Banning's  Transporta- 
tion Company  of  Wilmington  and  San  Pedro. 
In  1884  Captain  Polhamus  entered  into  a 
manufacturing  business,  but  this  not  proving 
successful  he  removed,  four  years  later,  to  San 
Diego,  where  he  accepted  the  positions  of  su- 
perintendent of  the  Coronado  Beach  Ferry  Com- 
pany and  of  Spreckles  Brothers  Ballast  Com- 
pany. 

Of  later  years  Captain  Polhamus  has  devot- 
ed most  of  his  time  to  government  contracting. 
Among  the  first  contracts  executed  by  him  was 
the  first  breakwater  built  at  San  Pedro,  connect- 


2020 


HISTORICAL  .\XD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ing  Terminal  with  Dead  Man's  Island.  He  was 
the  first  to  bring  rock  from  Catalina  Island  for 
breakwater  purposes.  Some  of  the  oldest  and 
strongest  built  bridges  in  Los  Angeles  county 
were  constructed  by  his  engineering  skill  and 
nearly  all  of  the  government  breakwater  at  Port 
Harford  was  built  by  him.  The  deepening  of 
the  harbor  bar  at  San  Diego  and  at  San  Pedro 
and  the  dredging  of  the  Middle  Ground,  besides 
many  pieces  of  like  work,  stand  as  monuments 
to  tills  man's  engineering  ability. 

In  Wilmington,  in  November,  1869,  Captain 
Polhamus  married  Georgiana  V.  iNlonteith,  who 
was  born  in  Jeiiferson  City,  Mo.,  a  daughter  of 
Hiram  and  Lena  (Smale)  Monteith.  The  Cap- 
tain and  Mrs.  Polhamus  have  had  four  children, 
namely :  Isaac,  in  business  in  Los  Angeles ; 
Lena,  wife  of  W.  M.  Crouse,  of  San  Diego;  Ag- 
nes, a  graduate  of  the  New  York  College  of 
Dental  Surgerv,  who  is  now  practicing  her  pro- 
fession in  New  York  City ;  and  Caroline,  a  bril- 
liant musician,  with  a  strong,  sweet,  soprano 
voice,  who  is  engaged  in  concert  singing  in  New 
York  City.  Politically  Captain  Polhamus  is  a 
Republican,  and  fraternally  he  is  a  member  and 
past  master  of  Wilmington  Lodge  No.  198,  F. 
&  A.  M. 


FRANCISCO  M.  MORENO.  When  in  the 
development  of  Mexico  there  began  to  be  inter- 
ested Spanish  families  of  proud  old  Castilian 
pedigree  and  the  scions  of  nobility  crossed  the 
ocean  to  identify  themselves  with  the  unknown 
possibilities  of  their  American  dependency,  the 
Moreno  family  became  an  integral  part  of  the 
Mexican  colony,  and  succeeding  generations 
lived  and  labored  far  from  the  original  home  of 
the  race.  After  long  and  eventful  connection 
with  Mexican  history  one  of  the  name,  Fran- 
cisco ^Moreno,  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1872,  joining  his  father-in-law,  Sylvester  Go- 
mez, who  ten  years  before  had  crossed  the  bor- 
der into  the  States,  settling  in  the  San  Luis 
Rey  valley  in  California.  On  his  arrival  in 
San  Diego  county  Mr.  Moreno  found  that  his 
father-in-law  had  settled  in  a  fertile  valley,  but 
had  made  no  attempt  to  improve  or  secure  by 
title  the  land  on  which  he  lived.  Acting  with- 
out delay,  in  1872  Mr.  Moreno  took  up  the 
tract  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  As 
the  3'ears  passed  by  he  made  necessary  im- 
provements on  the  land  and  a  part  was  brought 
under  cultivation  to  grain,  while  the  balance 
was  utilized  as  a  vineyard  and  in  walnut  and 
orange  groves.  Before  leaving  his  native  land 
he  had  gained  a  knowledge  of  the  manufacture 
of  wine,  and  as  soon  as  he  found  that  the 
grapes  raised  in  his  valley  vineyard  were  well 
adapted  for  wine  he  at  once  turned  his  atten- 


tion to  the  business.  Gradually  he  relinquished 
other  activities  in  order  to  concentrate  his  at- 
tention upon  his  winery  and  this  he  conducted 
until  1902,  the  year  of  his  death.  The  widow 
was  left  in  her  old  age  without  children  to 
continue  the  business,  but  there  was  not  lack- 
ing a  relative  with  the  abilit)'  and  energy  neces- 
sary for  the  work,  and  this  was  Francisco  M. 
Moreno,  a  nephew  of  the  founder  of  the  winery, 
being  a  son  of  his  brother,  Edward. 

Through  his  mother  as  well  as  on  the  pa- 
ternal side  Francisco  M.  Moreno  is  of  Spanish 
extraction  and  descended  from  early  Mexican 
settlers.  When  only  eleven  years  of  age  he 
left  Sonora,  Mexico,  where  he  was  born  in 
July,  1875,  and  crossed  the  border  into  the 
United  States,  joining  his  uncle  in  the  San 
Luis  Rey  valley,  where  he  was  sent  to  a  public 
school  in  Pala.  After  leaving  school  he  gave 
his  entire  attention  to  assisting  his  uncle  on 
the  ranch  and  in  the  winer}'.  In  1898  he  re- 
turned to  his  old  home  in  Mexico,  but  three 
years  later  he  came  back  to  the  San  Luis  Rej' 
valley  and  now  has  full  charge  of  the  ranch 
and  winery,  relieving  his  aunt  of  its  many 
anxieties  and  responsibilities  unsuited  for  one 
of  her  years.  The  ranch  is  said  to  be  one  of 
the  best  in  this  part  of  San  Diego  county  and 
bears  improvements  of  value,  made  by  the  for- 
mer owner  during  his  long  residence  at  the 
place.  Following  in  the  footsteps  of  the  origi- 
nal owner,  the  present  proprietor  exercises  a 
close  and  rigid  supervision  of  the  entire  prop- 
erty, maintains  first-class  improvements,  cares 
for  the  vineyard  and  the  fruit  trees  with  un- 
ceasing vigilance,  and  oversees  the  manufact- 
ure of  wine  of  the  purest  quality.  In  religion 
he  was  reared  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church 
and,  like  all  other  members  of  his  family,  sup- 
ports its  charities  and  contributes  to  its  main- 
tenance. Since  coming  to  San  Diego  county 
he  has  been  identified  with  the  congregation  at 
Pala  and  attends  worship  at  that  church. 


H.  K.  DAY.  Numbered  among  the  active 
agriculturists  of  San  Diego  county  who  have 
met  with  good  success  in  their  independent  call- 
ing and  are  now  enjoying  a  comfortable  com- 
petency, acquired  chiefly  through  their  own  ef- 
forts, is  H.  K.  Day,  of  De  Luz.  He  is  the  owner 
of  a  productive  farm,  which  he  has  carried  on 
for  nearly  a  score  of  years  with  excellent  pecuni- 
ary results.  A  son  of  the  late  E.  M.  Day.  he 
was  bom  October  4,  1852,  in  Erie  county,  Pa., 
coming  from  patriotic  stock,  his  paternal  grand- 
father having  fought  in  the  war  of  1812. 

A  native  of  New  York  state,  E.  M.  Dav  came 
to  California  with  his  family  in  1858.  He  first 
engaged    in    mining   in    Placer    county,    then    in 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2021 


iarming  in  Lake  county  for  ten  years,  and  was 
afterwards  engaged  in  general  farming  else- 
wnere  until  his  death,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight 
years.  He  married  Caroline  Beardsley,  who  was 
born  in  the  Empire  state,  and  who  is  now  a  ven- 
•erable  woman  of  fourscore  years. 

Coming  with  his  parents  to  this  state  when 
but  six  years  old,  H.  K.  Day  received  but  lim- 
ited educational  advantages,  attending  first  the 
pioneer  schools  of  Placer  county,  and  later  of 
Lake  county.  He  was  subsequently  located  in 
San  Jose,  where  he  learned  the  machinists  trade 
and  for  ten  years  worked  in  a  foundry  and 
machine  shop.  Coming  to  De  Luz  in  1888,  he 
took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  govern- 
ment land,  from  which  he  has  improved  his 
present   valuable   ranch. 

In  1875  Mr.  Day  married  Ida  May  Belle  Finch, 
who  died  September  22nd  1903,  leaving  three 
children,  namely:  Frank,  who  married  Lulu 
Adams;  Jessie,  the  wife  of  D.  M.  Tittle;  and 
Edith,  the  wife  of  Louis  Garnsey.  In  his  po- 
litical affiliations  Mr.  Day  is  independent,  voting 
with  the  courage  of  his  convictions.  Mrs.  Day 
was  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  was 
a  rapidly  ripening  christian.  Full  of  good  works 
she  made  for  herself  a  place  in  the  community 
which  will  be  verv  hard  to  fill. 


ELMORE  C.  SHIPLEY.  Among  the  pio- 
neer settlers  of  Fallbrook  no  one  is  more 
worthy  of  notice  in  a  work  of  this  kind  than 
Elmore  C.  Shipley,  a  well-to-do  farmer,  now 
living  retired  from  active  pursuits.  Coming 
here  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  he  has 
opened  up  a  good  ranch  from  the  uncultivated 
soil,  and  is  today  enjoying  a  competence.  His 
ambition  to  build  up  a  creditable  homestead 
has  resulted  in  the  improvement  of  a  pro- 
ductive ranch,  the  erection  of  a  substantial  resi- 
dence, and  the  gathering  together  of  the  many 
conveniences  and  comforts  upon  which  the 
health  and  happiness  of  a  household  so  largely 
depends.  He  was  born  October  20,  1841,  in 
McMinnville,  Tenn.,  a  son  of  Thomas  Shipley. 

Removing  with  his  family  from  Tennessee, 
his  native  state,  to  Missouri  in  1850,  Thomas 
Shipley  lived  for  eight  years  in  Cass  county, 
employed  during  the  time  in  tilling  the  soil. 
In  "1858  he  went  to  Miami  county,  Kans..  where 
he  was  employed  in  agricultural  pursuits  until 
his  death,  in  1886,  at  the  venerable  age  of  four 
score  years.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Sarah  Elizabeth  Thomas,  was  born  in 
Kentucky,  in  1806,  and  died  in  1880  in  Kan- 
sas, at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years. 

Going  with  his  parents  to  Alissouri  when 
about  nine  years  old,  Elmore  C.  Shipley  had 
few  of  the  educational  advantages  enjoyed  by 


the  boys  of  these  days,  his  knowledge  of  books 
being  obtained  at  a  subscription  school.  Go- 
ing with  his  family  to  Kansas  in  1858,  he  as- 
sisted his  father  in  the  pioneer  labor  of  im- 
proving a  farm,  remaining  at  home  until 
twenty-three  years  of  age,  during  which  time 
he  had  not  seen  a  railroad.  In  1862  he  made 
a  trip  from  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kans.,  to  Fort 
Union,  N.  Mex.,  hauling  freight  for  the  gov- 
ernment with  an  ox-team,  and  being  five 
months  going  and  coming.  In  1883,  on  ac- 
coimt  of  continued  ill  health,  Mr.  Shipley  came 
to  San  Diego  county,  locating  near  Fallbrook, 
where  he  purchased  land,  on  which  he  lived  for 
a  while.  Subsequently  selling  that,  he  bought 
his  present  ranch  of  sixty  acres,  and  in  1887 
erected  his  present  pleasant  residence. 

In  Paola,  Kans.,  February  9,  1865,  Mr.  Ship- 
ley married  Clarissa  Maria  Cook,  who  was  born 
August  I,  1848,  in  Richfield,  Adams  county, 
111.,  a  daughter  of  Oliver  H.  Cook,  and  a  grand- 
daughter of  Ralph  Cook.  Born  and  brought 
up  in  New  York  state,  Ralph  Cook  migrated  to 
Illinois  in  1830.  settling  on  the  present  site  of 
the  city  of  Ouincy,  which  then  contained  but 
three  dwelling  houses,  those  being  rude  log 
cabins  built  by  the  original  pioneers  of  the 
place.  Taking  up  land,  he  improved  a  farm, 
on  which  he  lived  until  his  death,  at  the  age 
of  eighty-eight  years.  He  married  Dolly  Van 
Buren,  who  was  born  in  New  York,  a  daughter 
of  Martin  Van  Buren,  a  cousin  of  President 
Martin  Van  Buren.  She  survived  him,  dying 
in  Quincy,  111.,  at  the  venerable  age  of  ninety- 
three  }-ears. 

Oliver  H.  Cook  was  born  November  15.  1818, 
in  Oswego  county,  N.  Y.,  and  when  a  boy  of 
twelve  years  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Quincy,  111.,  where  he  had  but  limited  educa- 
tional advantages.  He  was  hired  out  by  his 
father  until  twenty-two  years  old.  and  when  his 
time  was  up  went  to  Jersey  county.  111.,  where 
he  worked  three  years.  Returning  to  Adams 
county,  he  remained  there  until  1859,  when  he 
migrated  to  Miami  county.  Kans.,  where  he 
traded  his  five  pairs  of  oxen,  his  sole  capital, 
for  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land.  Be- 
ginning the  improvement  of  a  farm,  he  met 
with  good  success,  in  1883  being  the  owner 
of  three-fourths  of  a  section  of  good  land. 
Selling  out  his  possessions  in  that  year,  he 
came  to  California,  bought  land  near  Fall- 
brook, and  was  actively  engaged  in  general 
ranching  until  1900.  He  has  since  lived  re- 
tired from  active  business,  and  is  now  making 
his  home  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shipley.  In  1843, 
in  Adams  county.  111.,  Mr.  Cook  married  Cla- 
rissa Quincy,  by  whom  he  had  two  children: 
Mary,  deceased,  who  married  Joseph  Chilson  ; 
rnd  Clarissa  Maria,  wife  of  Mr.  Shiple}-.     ?i!rs. 


2022 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Cook  died  December  13.  1903,  aged  seventy- 
six  years.  Of  the  union  of  Air.  and  Mrs.  Ship- 
ley, two  children  have  been  born.  Thomas 
Jefferson  Shipley  married  Katie  Gird,  daugh- 
ter of  H.  H.  Gird,  of  whom  a  brief  sketch  may 
be  found  elsewhere,  and  they  have  four  chil- 
dren, Ronald  G.,  Mark  G.,  Verne  G.  and  Delia. 
Andrew  Bailey  Shipley,  living  in  San  Diego, 
married  Alinnie  Andrews  Bryant.  Mrs.  Ship- 
ley has  considerable  propert}^  in  her  own  name, 
owning  a  valuable  ranch  of  two  hundred  and 
ten  acres,  and  one  of  the  finest  residences  in 
Fallbrook.  Politically  Mr.  Shipley  is  identified 
with  the  Democratic  party,  and  religiously 
both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church. 


HORACE  E\'ERETT  HARRIS.  Ever  since 
identifying  himself  with  the  city  of  San  Ber- 
nardino as  a  permanent  resident  ^Ir.  Harris  has 
held  a  high  position  in  commercial,  financial  and 
horticultural  circles,  and  it  is  the  universal  testi- 
mony of  the  people  that  few  men  have  accom- 
plished as  much  as  he  in  behalf  of  the  town's 
material  development.  Included  among  the  re- 
sponsibilities which  he  has  assumed  and  the  posi- 
tions he  has  filled  may  be  mentioned  those  of 
vice-president  of  the  San  Bernardino  National 
Bank,  and  a  director  and  chairman  of  the  loan 
committee  of  the  San  Bernardino  Savings  Bank, 
which  positions  he  now  holds.  During  1905  he 
organized  the  Home  Gas  Company,  of  which  he 
now  acts  as  president  and  which  owns  a  well- 
equipped  gas  plant  with  mains  extending  through 
all  parts  of  San  Bernardino.  Recognizing  the 
importance  of  the  horticultural  interests  of  the 
locality,  he  has  been  a  factor  in  the  development 
of  its  possibilities,  and  at  this  writing  officiates  as 
president  of  the  Globe  Farming  Company,  oper- 
ating several  thousand  acres,  also  as  president 
of  the  Fontana  Land  and  Water  Company,  own- 
ing more  than  twenty  thousand  acres  of  im- 
proved land. 

The  Harris  family  became  established  in  New 
England  during  the  colonial  period  of  our  coun- 
try's history.  Stephen  Harris,  who  was  a  native 
of  Northampton,  ?ilass.,  became  a  farmer  in  Ver- 
mont. In  his  neighborhood  he  won  a  reputation 
for  indefatigable  industry  and  great  energy,  and 
it  was  said  of  him  that  he  could  cradle  fifteen 
acres  of  rye  in  one  day,  while  with  other  work 
he  was  proportionately  rapid.  A  son  and  name- 
sake of  this  pioneer  farmer  was  born  in  Brattle- 
boro,  Vt.,  and  also  followed  agricultural  pur- 
suits. On  retiring  from  farm  work  he  went  to 
Connecticut,  where  he  spent  his  last  days.  His 
wife,  Maria  F.,  was  born  in  Massachusetts  and 
died  in  New  Hampshire.  Descended  from  Puri- 
tan ancestry,  she  was  a  daughter  of  Tnsiah  Ab- 


bott, who  was  born  in  Andover,  Mass.,  and  be- 
came a  farmer  in  \'ermont.  Throughout  the 
Revolutionary  war  he  served  as  a  commissioneci 
officer. 

In  the  family  of  Stephen  Harris,  Jr.,  there 
were  eight  children,  all  of  whom  attained  years 
of  maturity,  and  two  are  now  living.  One  of  the 
sons,  Warren,  was  a  member  of  a  New  York 
regiment  during  the  Civil  war.  Another  son, 
Horace  Everett,  whose  name  introduces  this  nar- 
rative, was  born  near  Lemington,  Essex  county, 
Vt.,  August  6,  1842,  and  was  fourth  in  the  family 
circle.  Life  to  him  passed  uneventfully  through 
the  years  of  boyhood  and  youth,  but  the  opening 
of  the  Civil  war  broke  into  the  even  tenor  of  his 
quiet  existence.  During  November  of  1861  he 
enlisted  in  the  Fifth  Maine  Battery  of  IMounted 
Artillery  and  spent  the  first  winter  at  Augusta 
and  Portland,  Me.  Early  in  1862  he  accom- 
panied his  regiment  to  Washington  and  from 
there  to  Virginia  for  service  with  General  Pope, 
under  whom  he  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Cedar  Mountain  and  Rappahannock  Station,  also 
Thoroughfare  Gap.  He  was  present  at  the  sec- 
ond engagement  at  Bull  Run,  and  during  the 
battle  the  battery  lost  four  out  of  six  pieces  and 
he  was  wounded  in  the  side  of  the  neck  by  a 
bullet  that  he  still  carries.  Soon  he  recovered 
from  the  effects  of  the  wound  and  rejoined  his 
regiment,  with  which  he  participated  in  the 
battle  of  Giancellorsville,  the  three  days'  engage- 
ment at  Gettysburg,  and  the  battles  of  the 
Wilderness,  Spottsylvania  Courthouse,  North 
Anna,  South  Anna,  Cold  Harbor  and  Peters- 
burg. In  the  fall  of  1864  his  corps  was  sent 
after  General  Early,  and  followed  him  from 
Washington  back  through  ^Maryland  and  down 
the  Shenandoah  to  ^^'^inchester.  After\vard  he 
served  under  General  Sheridan  until  the  close  of 
the  war.  September  19,  1864,  he  took  part  in 
the  battle  of  Opequan ;  .September  22,  1864,  was 
at  Fisher's  Hill ;  and  October  19,  at  Cedar  Creek, 
was  wounded  in  the  left  leg  above  the  ankle  by 
a  minie  ball,  wh.ich  confined  him  to  his  bed  for 
one  hundred  and  eighty  days,  first  at  Baltimore, 
then  in  Philadelphia,  and  eventually  at  home. 
When  honorably  discharged  in  the  fall  of  1865 
he  was  still  obliged  to  use  crutches  in  walking. 

On  regaining  his  strength,  Mr.  Harris  at- 
tended a  business  college  at  Augusta,  Me.,  and 
later  traveled  for  his  health  in  Cuba,  thence  go- 
ing to  New  Orleans  and  on  to  Galveston.  In 
the  latter  city  he  was  employed  for  six  months 
as  a  clerk  in  the  marine  quartermaster's  depart- 
ment and  continued  in  the  government  employ 
until  the  department  was  disbanded.  Later,  with 
Captain  Palmer,  he  bought  horses  in  Texas  and 
drove  them  overland  to  Missouri,  where  he  sold 
them  from  .Springfield  to  St.  Louis.  Shortly 
;;fter  disposing  of  the  stock  he  returned  to  tlie 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2023 


east,  and  settled  at  Coaticook,  Quebec,  after  a 
brief  sojourn  in  New  Hampshire.  During  his 
residence  at  Coaticook  he  met  and  married  Miss 
Priscilla  Parker,  who  was  born  and  educated  in 
that  town.  Though  of  Canadian  birth,  Mrs. 
Harris  is  of  colonial  New  England  ancestry. 
Her  parents,  Alfred  and  Zerniah  (Whitcomb) 
Parker,  were  of  honored  Revolutionary  lineage, 
the  latter  being  a  daughter  of  a  major  in  the 
patriot  army,  while  the  former  was  a  son  of 
Aaron  Parker,  a  soldier  from  Massachusetts  in 
the  defense  of  the  colonies. 

During  the  year  of  his  marriage,  1871,  Mr. 
Harris  brought  his  wife  back  to  the  States  and 
settled  at  Newell,  Buena  Vista  county,  Iowa, 
where  he  engaged  in  buying  grain  and  shipping 
to  Chicago.  From  that  occupation  he  drifted 
into  the  hanking  business,  and  with  N.  W.  Con- 
dron,  established  the  private  bank  of  Condron 
&  Harris.  After  two  years  his  brother-in-law, 
S.  A.  Parker,  removed  from  Vermont  to  Iowa 
and  purchased  Mr.  Condron's  interest  in  the 
bank,  which  was  conducted  in  such  a  conserva- 
tive and  judicious  manner  that  every  financial 
panic  was  safely  weathered  and  every  check  pre- 
sented was  paid  immediately  upon  presentation. 
The  bank  gained  the  confidence  of  farmers  and 
business  men,  and  its  deposits  increased  with  the 
prosperity  of  the  country. 

The  ill-health  of  his  wife  caused  Mr.  Harris  in 
1885  to  sell  his  interest  in  the  bank  to  ]\Ir. 
Parker  and  remove  to  Arizona,  establishing  his 
home  in  Prescott,  where  the  climate  proved  ben- 
eficial for  the  purpose  desired.  Meanwhile,  not 
enjoying  release  from  business  activities,  he  took 
up  mining,  the  principal  occupation  of  the  region. 
For  some  time  fortune  went  against  him,  but  he 
continued  until  he  had  sunk  $53,000  in  mines  and 
quartz  mills  in  Yavapai  and  Yuma  counties. 
When  the  investments  had  reached  their  lowest 
ebb  of  depression  fortune  changed  for  the  better 
through  his  interest  in  the  Harquahala  mines  in 
Yuma  county.  On  the  incorporation  of  the  com- 
pany owning  these  mines  he  was  elected  secre- 
tary, and  in  the  next  twenty-six  months  $936,000 
was  taken  out  of  the  mines  and  he  paid  out  over 
$500,000  in  dividends.  For  the  prosecution  of 
the  work  a  twenty-stamp  mill  was  erected.  The 
first  bar  of  bullion  taken  out,  $10,200,  was  the 
smallest  in  twenty-six  months,  and  the  largest 
was  $96,000  in  value.  After  a  fortune  had  been 
made  from  the  mines  the  company  sold  out  to  a 
syndicate. 

Coming  to  San  Bernardino  in  1893,  Mr.  Har- 
ris now  owns  and  occupies  one  of  the  finest 
homes  in  the  city,  a  residence  with  modern  ap- 
pointments set  in  the  midst  of  five  acres  of 
grounds,  on  G  and  Tenth  streets.  Here  he  and 
his  wife  entertain  their  hosts  of  friends  and  enjoy 
everv  comfort   which  ample  means  can  provide. 


Their  only  child.  Pearl,  is  a  graduate  of  Pomona 
College  and  is  now  the  wife  of  Ralph  E.  Swing. 
In  the  midst  of  his  many  activities  of  the  past 
and  present  Mr. '  Harris  has  never  found  the 
leisure  necessary  for  participation  in  political 
affairs,  in  which  he  takes  no  part  aside  from 
voting  the  Republican  ticket  at  all  elections.  Old 
war  days  are  kept  in  mind  through  his  associa- 
tion with  Cornman  Post  No.  57,  G.  A.  R.,  of 
San  Bernardino,  and  Mrs.  Harris  also  partici- 
pates in  the  activities  of  the  Woman's  Relief 
Corps.  While  making  his  home  in  Quebec  he 
was  initiated  into  Masonry  in  the  blue  lodge  at 
Coaticook,  but  of  late  years  has  not  been  active 
in  the  order,  findhig  his  time  fully  occupied  with 
the  m.aify  financial  and  business  enterprises  in 
which  he  has  engaged  with  significant  success. 


ULYSSES  GRANT  PRICE.  Not  far  from 
San  Bernardino  lies  the  ranch  of  fifty-four 
acres  which  for  four  years,  from  1902  to  1906, 
was  the  property  of  Mr.  Price.  Assuming  the 
responsibilities  of  ranch  life  with  little  or  no  ex- 
perience, the  results  which  have  followed  his 
efforts  have  been  remarkable  and  compare 
favorably  with  what  men  twice  his  years  and 
with  twice  his  experience  need  not  be  ashamed 
to  lay  claim  to.  Mr.  Price  made  a  specialty  of 
raising  blackberries,  having  eight  acres  in  this 
fruit  alone,  while  the  rest  of  the  land  was  given 
to  the  raising  of  corn,  tomatoes  and  pieplant. 

Born  in  Sangamon  county.  111.,  September 
14,  i86g,  Mr.  Price  is  a  son  of  Josiah  and 
Jeanette  (Hutchinson)  Price,  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  New  Jersey  and  are  now  making 
their  home  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  well  advanced 
in  years.  At  the  time  the  war  cloud  spread  a 
heavy  gloom  over  the  land  Josiah  Price  was 
living  in  Illinois  and  it  was  from  the  latter 
state  that  he  enlisted  his  services  in  behalf  of 
the  northern  cause.  As  a  volunteer  in  the  One 
Hundred  and  Fourteenth  Illinois  Infantry  he 
served  for  three  years,  participating  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Gettysburg,  under  General  Meade,  while 
during  the  latter  part  of  his  service  he  was 
under  the  command  of  Gen.  U.  S.  Grant.  In 
memory  of  the  days  spent  in  camp  and  field 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  Post  at 
Kansas  City,  ]\Io.,  where  events  and  experi- 
ences are  recounted  which  the  passing  years 
have  not  dimmed.  Politically  Mr.  Price  is  a 
Republican,  on  the  ticket  of  which  party  he 
was  elected  to  the  office  of  road  overseer,  a  po- 
sition which  he  now  holds.  Both  ^Nlr.  and  Mrs. 
Price  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  at  Kansas  Citv,  Mo. 

Ten  children  originally  comprised  the  pa- 
rental faniih-.  but  four  of  the  number  are  now 
deceased,    and    of    those    living    Grant    is    tlie 


2024 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


only  resident  of  California.  Born  in  Sanga- 
mon county,  111.,  he  was  only  one  month  old 
when  his  parents  removed  to  Champaign 
county,  same  state,  where  they  remained  for 
ten  years,  in  1879  settling  in  Kansas.  His 
school  life^was  passed  principally  in  the  latter 
state,  and  upon  leaving  the  common  schools 
he  turned  his  attention  to  learning  the  trade 
of  engineer.  Following  this  he  ran  a  stationary 
engine  in  Glenelder,  Kans.,  for  ten  years,  there- 
after removing  to  Missouri,  where  for  two 
years  he  carried  on  farming  and  for  the  same 
length  of  time  filled  a  position  as  engineer. 
After  four  years  spent  in  Missouri  he  went 
to  Arizona,  where  for  two  and  a  half  years 
he  conducted  a  creamery  very  successfully. 
For  a  number  of  years  he  had  been  gradually 
working  his  way  to  the  far  west  and  in  1902 
he  arrived  in  California.  Coming  direct  to 
San  Bernardino,  he  selected  the  property  upon 
which  he  made  his  his  home  until  recently, 
purchasing  it  and  removing  upon  it  the  same 
year. 

In  1895  Mr.  Price  established  a  home  of 
his  own  by  his  marriage  with  Miss  Adeline 
Carson,  who  was  also  a  native  of  Sangamon 
county.  111.  The  five  children  who  have  been 
born  to  them  are  named  in  order  of  birth  as 
follows:  Edgar,  Lester,  Linwood,  Gertrude 
and  Elwood.  Following  in  the  footsteps  of 
his  father  in  the  matter  of  politics  Mr.  Price  is 
a  Republican.  Personal  qualities  of  a  high 
order  have  been  bequeathed  to  Mr.  Price  in 
rich  measure,  the  possession  of  which  makes 
him  a  man  among  men  and  all  who  know  him 
respect  and  honor  him. 


HERMAN  D.  VAIL.  Associated  as  one  of 
the  Droprietors  of  the  Model  Laundrv  of  Long 
Beach,  located  at  No.  644  West  Fifth  street, 
Herman  D.  Vail  has  been  a  resident  of  Southern 
California  since  1892.  He  was  born  in  Keokuk 
county,  in  the  town  of  Coak  Creek,  June  26, 
1880,  a  son  of  John  N.  and  Lydia  M.  (Garwood) 
Vail,  the  former  of  whom  is  deceased,  while  the 
latter  is  living  in  Pasadena,  the  wife  of  J.  F.  Har- 
rison. The  family  came  to  California  in  1892  in 
search  of  health  for  the  father,  who  was  a  veter- 
inary dentist  and  who  followed  his  profession  in 
Pasadena  until  his  death,  wdiich  occurred  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1904.  Herman  D.  \'ail  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  Iowa  and  Califor- 
nia, and  after  the  close  of  his  schooldays  he 
sought  employment  in  a  bakery  in  Pasadena.  He 
finally  came  to  Long  Beach  and  found  employ- 
ment with  L.  B.  Morgan,  who  was  conducting 
the  Long  Beach  Steam  Laundry,  then  returned 
to  Pasadena,  and  from  there  went  to  Redlands, 
where  he  embarked  in  the  laundr\-  business.  In 
the  meantime   Mr.   Morgan,  having  disposed    of 


his  interest  in  the  Long  Beach  Steam  Laundry, 
organized  the  Model  Laundry.  September  27 
1902,  he  came  to  Long  Beach  and  purchased  an 
interest  in  the  Model  Laundry  with  Mr.  Morgan 
and  carried  on  the  work  for  a  time,  when  a  com- 
pany was  organized  and  incorporated  and  has 
since  been  conducted  successfully  here. 

Mr.  Vail  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Anna  H.  Roos,  in  Pasadena,  and  they  have  one 
daughter.  Rose  E.  Their  home  is  located  at 
No.  1 126  East  Fifth  street,  where  he  has  erected 
a  comfortable  residence.  Mrs.  Vail  is  a  native 
of  Buffalo.  N.  Y.  Both  are  members  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church  and  Mr.  Vail  is  associated  with  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association.  Politically 
he  is  a  stanch  advocate  of  Prohibition  principles. 


OSCAR  BENNETT.  A  man  of  ability,  en- 
terprise and  intelligence,  Oscar  Bennett  is  a 
most  able  and  valued  worker  in  the  interests  of 
the  San  Pedro  Lumber  Company,  with  which  he 
has  been  connected  for  many  years,  being  now 
employed  as  surveyor  of  lumber.  His  faithful- 
ness in  all  of  his  duties,  his  integrity,  and  his 
excellent  good  sense  in  all  matters  pertaining  to 
industrial,  financial  or  social  matters  have  caused 
him  to  be  highly  respected  and  esteemed  by  all 
with  whom  he  has  dealings.  He  is  distinguished 
as  a  native-born  son  of  California,  his  birth  hav- 
ing occurred  November  11,  1870,  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, where  his  father,  Michael  Bennett,  was  a 
pioneer  settler. 

Emigrating  from  Germany,  his  native  coun- 
try, when  a  young  man,  Michael  Bennett  located 
in  San  Francisco  in  1849,  coming  to  the  Pacific 
coast  with  the  gold  seekers.  A  shoemaker  by 
trade,  he  subsequently  established  a  large  busi- 
ness in  that  city  as  a  shoe  manufacturer,  making 
a  specialty  of  doing  fine  work  for  customers. 
Removing  to  Wilmington  in  1879,  he  continued 
there  as  a  .shoe  manufacturer  until  his  retire- 
ment from  active  pursuits.  He  subsequently 
settled  in  San  Pedro,  where  he  resided  until  his 
death,  in  1893.  During  the  Civil  war  he  served 
in  a  California  regiment,  being  sergeant  of  his 
company,  and  was  wounded  by  the  Apache  In- 
dians in  Arizona.  In  politics  he  was  a  stanch 
Republican,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic.  His  wife.  Bertha,  died 
in  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  in  July,  1904.  •  She  bore 
him  fifteen  children,  nine  of  whom  are  living, 
Oscar,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  being  the  sixth 
child  in  order  of  birth. 

Having  completed  his  early  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Los  Angeles  and  Wilmington, 
Oscar  Bennett,  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  San  Pedro  and  Wil- 
mington Transportation  Company,  for  whom  he 
worked   until    1890.     Since   that   time,   a   period 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2025 


of  fifteen  years,  he  has  been  associated  witli  the 
San  Pedro  Lumber  Company,  for  the  past  six 
years  being  employed  as  a  surveyor  of  lumber, 
a  work  at  which  he  is  an  expert,  being  quick, 
skilful  and  very  accurate.  A  man  of  good  finan- 
cial ability,  he  has  invested  his  means  in  prop- 
erty to  some  extent. 

In  Los  Angeles,  Mr.  Bennett  married  Mary 
Gomes,  who  was  born  on  Madeira  Island,  Por- 
tugal, and  they  have  two  sons,  Oscar  Arthur 
and  Gerald  Winchester.  Politically  Mr.  Bennett 
is  a  Republican,  and  fraternally  he  is  a  promi- 
nent member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  being 
past  chancellor  of  his  lodge  and  district  deputy 
of  District  .No.  69.  He  was  a  member  of  San 
Pedro  Parlor,  N.  S.  G.  W.,  as  long  as  it  was  in 
existence,  and  likewise  belonged  to  the  Benja- 
min Harrison  Camp,  S.  of  V.,  serving  as  first 
lieutenant  until  the  oraranization  was  disbanded. 


L.  J.  QUINT.  The  religious  persecution 
which  drove  the  Huguenots  from  France  caused 
the  Quinte  family  to  seek  refuge  in  Ireland  and 
during  the  same  generation  the  name  became 
transplated  into  Maine.  At  the  outbreak  of  the 
Revolutionary  war  one  of  the  family,  Benjamin 
Ouinte,  who  was  engaged  in  the  coasting  trade 
in  Maine,  enlisted  for  service  in  the  aid  of  the 
colonies  and  sailed  the  seas  on  the  Bon  Homme 
Richard  under  that  gallant  admiral,  John  Paul 
Jones,  and  served  in  the  famous  battle  between 
the  Seraphis  and  the  Bon  Homme  Richard.  A 
son,  Thomas,  enlisted  under  George  Washing- 
ton in  the  Revolutionary  army  at  the  beginning 
of  the  war  and  followed  him  until  its  close. 
Afterward  he  received  a  pension  until  his  death. 
When  the  war  closed  the  family  moved  from 
Portsmouth  to  Oxford,  being  among  the  first 
pioneers  of  the  town  and  received  a  tract  of  land 
from  the  original  proprietors  of  the  township, 
which  has  ever  since  been  called  by  their  name 
as  Quinttown. 

Josiah  Quint,  another  son  of  the  Revolution- 
ary soldier,  was  born  and  reared  in  Maine,  and 
became  an  early  settler  of  South  Ryegate,  Cale- 
donia county,  Vt.,  where  he  followed  the  mill- 
wright's trade  until  his  death.  The  next  gen- 
eration was  represented  by  Josiah,  Jr.,  who  was 
born  at  South  Ryegate  on  the  Connecticut  riv- 
er, and  there  engaged  in  farm  pursuits  through 
all  of  his  life,  with  the  exception  of  the  years 
from  1852  to  1859,  when  he  engaged  in  mining 
in  California.  Stanchly  devoted  to  the  Republi- 
can party,  he  was  elected  on  that  ticket  to 
various  local  offices.  In  religion  he  was  of  the 
Presbyterian  faith.  Either  during  his  lifetime 
or  that  of  his  father  the  family  name  was  short- 
ened to  its  present  form  by  the  dropping  out  of 
the  final  "e."     In  his  early  manhood  he  married 


Adeline  Hancock,  who  was  born  at  Woodsville, 
N.  H.,  and  died  in  Vermont.  Her  father,  Thom- 
as, a  farmer  by  occupation,  was  a  member  of 
the  family  whose  most  illustrious  representative 
was  John  Hancock,  signer  of  the  Declaration 
of  Independence.  One  of  die  brothers,  the  late 
Major  Henry  Hancock,  served  as  an  officer  un- 
der General  Taylor  in  the  Mexican  war  and  al- 
so is  entitled  to  the  distinction  of  having  laid 
out  the  city  of  Los  Angeles. 

In  the  family  of  Josiah  Quint,  Jr.,  there  were 
four  children,  all  still  living.  L.  J.,  who  was 
third  in  order  of  birth,  was  born  at  the  old 
homestead  at  South  Ryegate,  Vt.,  February  11, 
1865,  and  received  public-school  advantages, 
supplemented  by  attendance  at  a  seminary  at 
Newbury,  Vt.  On  starting  out  to  earn  his  live- 
lihood he  secured  employment  in  granite  works 
and  remained  as  salesman  or  office  clerk  for 
seven  years.  During  1893  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia and  began  ranching  at  Sherman,  where 
he  owned  twenty  acres  and  rented  adjacent 
tracts  until  he  had  the  control  of  eight  hundred 
acres  of  grain  and  stock  land.  At  the  time  of 
the  building  of  the  electric  railway  he  sold  his 
land.  In  1898  he  bought  the  stock  of  goods 
owned  by  the  first  merchant  in  Sherman  and 
engaged  in  general  merchandising  until  igo2, 
when  he  sold  out,  removed  to  Redondo  and  em- 
barked in  the  grocery  business  in  the  bank 
building.  After  sixteen  months  he  sold  his 
grocery  and  bought  the  Redondo  Bazaar,  which 
he  now  conducts,  carrying  in  stock  a  large  col- 
lection of  shells,  curios,  etc.,  and  occupying  a 
central  location  at  the  entrance  of  the  wharf. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Quint  took  place  at  Los 
Angeles  in  1898  and  united  him  with  Laura, 
daughter  of  J.  Bilderain,  a  pioneer  of  Los  An- 
geles, where  she  was  born.  They  are  the  par- 
ents of  one  child,  Consuela.  Politically  Mr. 
Quint  gives  pronounced  allegiance  to  the  Re- 
publican party.  In  1904  he  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  trustees,  of  Redondo  and 
at  the  same  time  was  chosen  president  of  the 
board,  which  position  he  now  fills.  In  frater- 
nal relations  he  hold  membership  with  Redondo 
Lodge  No.  328,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  is  also  as- 
sociated with  the  Order  of  Eagles. 


E.  VIEWEGER.  San  Bernardino  was  only 
a  small  town  when  Mr.  Vieweger  located  there 
in  1881  and  began  to  work  at  his  trade,  later  be- 
coming a  building  contractor,  a  calling  which 
he  has  since  followed  with  marked  success.  A 
native  of  Germany,  he  was  born  in  Mittweida, 
Saxony,  October  23,  1838,  a  son  of  Ernst  Viewe- 
ger, a  contractor  and  builder  in  Germany,  where 
both  parents  spent  their  entire  lives.  But  three 
of  their  ten  children  are  now  living  and  E.  Vie- 


2026 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


weger  is  the  only  member  of  the  family  in 
America.  After  the  completion  of  his  education, 
which  was  received  in  Kamnitz,  Germany,  he 
was  apprenticed  to  a  stone-mason  to  learn  that 
trade,  which  he  plied  in  that  place  and  Mitt- 
weida  until  1871,  when  he  immigrated  to  Ameri- 
ca, locating  first  at  Norwich,  Conn.,  and  then  in 
Boston,  after  the  historic  fire  at  that  place.  Dur- 
ing all  this  time  he  was  employed  at  his  trade. 

In  i88i  ilr.  Viewcger  came  to  San  Bernar- 
dino and  secured  his  first  work  on  the  Bear  val- 
ley dam,  which  was  then  in  process  of  construc- 
tion. Later  he  began  to  take  building  contracts 
and  assisted  in  the  buildings  of  the  county  hos- 
pital, the  Katz  block,  Stewart  hotel  block,  South- 
ern hotel  block.  Farmers'  bank  building,  Ruffin 
block  and  other  structures  in  that  city,  having  a 
hand  as  well  in  the  making  of  the  city  reservoir. 
Fraternally  he  affiliates  with  the  Ancient  Order 
of  United  Workmen,  and  politically  believes  in 
the  doctrines  embraced  in  the  platform  of  the 
Democratic  party. 

By  his  marriage  in  Germany  in  1866  Mr.  Vie- 
weger  was  united  with  Miss  Flora  Koehler,  a 
native  of  that  country,  who  was  born'  in  1846. 
and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren: Meleta,  who  lives  at  home;  Margaret,  re- 
siding in  Pasadena ;  and  Ernst,  engaged  in  the 
laundry  business  at  Ocean  Park.  Mr.  Vieweger 
is  a  man  of  strong  principles  and  stable  charac- 
ter and  is  held  in  the  highest  respect  and  esteem 
by  all  who  have  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance. 


JOSEPH  W.  MYZELLE.  Although  a  com- 
paratively recent  resident  of  San  Bernardino, 
Joseph  W.  Myzelle  has  proven  himself  a  worthy 
citizen  and  has  gained  many  friends  in  both  so- 
cial and  business  circles.  His  natives  state  is 
Arkansas,  his  birth  occurring  in  White  county, 
January  8,  1862.  His  father,  who  was  of 
French  extraction,  was  a  farmer  until  the  open- 
ing of  the  Civil  war,  when  he  enlisted  for  service 
and  was  killed  in  the  performance  of  his  mili- 
tary duties.  His  mother,  who  was  a  native  of 
Illinois,  died  in  that  state  when  her  only  son, 
Joseph  W.,  was  but  six  years  of  age.  His  boy- 
hood days  were  spent  in  Perry  and  Jackson 
counties,  and  his  education  was  acquired  in  the 
common  schools.  Deprived  of  his  parents  when 
a  mere  child  and  left  with  no  inheritance  save 
pluck,  energy  and  ambition,  he  began  when  fif- 
teen years  of  age  to  work  for  his  own  support. 
Going  to  Murphysboro,  111.,  he  worked  at  the 
carpenter's  trade  for  one  year,  then  continued 
this  employment  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  for  a  time, 
later  engaging  as  an  independent  contractor  and 
builder  there,  and  continuing  in  this  business  un- 
til 1892.  Returning  to  Murphysboro,  111.,  he 
bought  a  two  hundred  and  twenty  acre  farm  five 


miles  north  of  that  city  and  engaged  in  agricult- 
ural pursuits,  eventually  bringing  the  property 
to  a  high  state  of  improvement. 

In  1902  Mr.  Myzelle  rented  his  farm  and  lo- 
cated in  San  Bernardino,  Cal.,  where  for  one 
year  he  worked  at  the  building- trade,  then  began 
to  take  contracts  for  the  erection  of  residences. 
He  has  built  many  fine  houses  in  San  Bernar- 
dino and  his  own  home  is  an  attractive  example 
of  his  work,  located  at  No.  11 80  Bellevue  avenue. 
His  rtiarriage  in  1888  to  j\laude  E.  Eakin,  a 
native  of  Illinois,  occurred  at  Murphysboro,  that 
state,  and  they  have  four  children  living,  Na- 
than, Ray,  William  and  Minnie.  Mr.  Myzelle 
is  a  member  of  the  Foresters  and  Eagles,  and 
belongs  to  the  Baptist  Qiurch.  Politically  he 
affiliates  with  the  Democratic  party  and  is  inter- 
ested in  all  matters  of  public  import  to  the  com- 
munitv  in  which  he  lives. 


GEORGE  E.  HEAP.  The  entire  lifetime  of 
George  E.  Heap  has  been  spent  in  Southern  Cali- 
fornia, his  birth  having  occurred  October  27, 
1867,  "■'  San  Bernardino,  where  his  father.  Par- 
ley W.  Heap,  Sr.,  a  native  of  Sheffield,  England, 
settled  in  1851.  During  the  first  years  of  the 
father's  residence  in  this  locality  he  was  occupied 
as  a  general  farmer,  teamster  and  freighter,  but 
later  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  business  of 
well-boring  and  is  still  so  employed  in  San  Ber- 
nardino county.  His  wife,  who  was  Miss  Eliza 
Bottoms  before  her  marriage,  was  born  in  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  the  daughter  of  John  Bottoms,  a  na- 
tive of  England,  who  came  to  this  section  in  1851 
and  until  the  time  of  his  death  was  engaged  as 
a  farmer  here.  Mrs.  Heap  died  in  San  Bernar- 
dino in  1885. 

After  completing  his  studies  in  the  public 
schools  of  San  Bernardino,  his  boyhood  days  hav- 
ing been  spent  on  the  farm,  George  E.  Heap 
served  for  two  years  on  the  police  force  of  this 
city  under  Huse  Thomas,  chief  of  police,  retain- 
ing his  position  for  a  like  period  under  John 
Ralphs  when  the  latter  was  appointed  to  the  po- 
sition of  chief  of  the  force.  Mr.  Heap  resigned 
this  position  to  become  deputy  county  sheriff 
under  Frank  Holcomb,  filling  this  office  four 
years,  when  he  was  elected  township  constable 
for  a  term  of  four  years.  After  the  expiration 
of  this  time  he  declined  to  again  become  a  candi- 
date for  the  office,  desiring  to  take  up  other  lines 
of  work.  He  secured  the  contract  for  installing 
the  machinery  for  the  Edison  Electric  Company 
in  their  plant  No.  2,  at  Santa  Ana  caiion  and  he 
also  handled  all  of  the  material  and  cement  for 
the  five-mile  tunnel,  which  is  8x10  feet  in  di- 
mensions, the  work  requiring  sixteen  months. 
Following  this  he  spent  a  short  time  in  Red- 
lands,  but  returning  to  San  Bernardino  he  bought 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2027 


an  interest  in  his  present  transfer  business,  form- 
ing a  partnership  with  R.  F.  Berryman,  and 
conducting  the  business  under  the  firm  name 
of  Berrjman  &  Heap.  They  have  the  largest  and 
most  important  business  of  the  kind  in  San 
Bernardino  and  keep  four  wagons  continuously 
busy  in  the  prosecution  of  their  work.  Besides 
this  business  Mr.  Heap  owns  property  in  the 
city,  including  two  residences  on  F  street. 

By  his  marriage  in  San  Bernardino  Mr.  Heap 
was  united  with  Miss  Estella  Case,  a  native  of 
this  city.  A  sketch  of  the  life  of  her  brother, 
Jesse  H.  Case,  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
The  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heap  has  been 
blessed  in  the  birth  of  three  children,  namely: 
Roy,  Hazel  and  Bessie.  Mr.  Heap  is  a  member 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  here, 
and  of  San  Bernardino  Parlor  No.  290,  N.  S. 
G.  W.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch  advocate  of  the 
principles  embraced  in  the  platform  of  the  Re- 
publican party  and  is  actively  interested  in  all 
matters  of  social  and  civic  interest  to  the  com- 
munity at  large. 


DANIEL  M.  HATHORN.  Numbered  among 
the  skilful  and  progressive  agriculturists  of  Los 
Angeles  county  is  D.  M.  Hathorn,  living  near 
Compton,  who  has  met  with  well-merited  suc- 
cess in  his  chosen  occupation,  and  is  at  present 
retired  from  active  pursuits,  enjoying  a  com- 
fortable competency,  acquired  chiefly  through 
his  own  exertions.  Coming  from  excellent  New 
England  ancestry,  he  was  bom,  July  18,  1861,  in 
Maine,  which  was  likewise  the  birthplace  of  his 
parents,  J.  G.  and  Martha  (Durell)  Hathorn. 
They  came  to  California  in  1869,  settling  in 
Los  Angeles  countv.  and  are  now  residing  in 
Redondo,  the  father  being  eighty-two  years  of 
age,  and  the  mother  seventy-seven  years  old. 
They  have  but  two  children,  a  daughter  living 
with  them,  and  D.  M.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Coming  with  his  parents  to  California  in  1869, 
D.  M.  Hathorn  crossed  the  Isthmus  of  Panama 
on  New  Year's  day,  subsequently  landing  in 
San  Francisco.  For  a  time  the  family  lived  in 
Marysville,  coming  from  there  to  Compton,  where 
Daniel  M.  attended  the  public  schools,  and  after- 
wards he  assisted  his  father  in  caring  for  the 
home  farm.  When  ready  to  begin  the  battle 
of  life  on  his  own  account  he  selected  farming 
as  his  occupation,  and  having  bought  forty  acres 
of  land  began  its  improvement.  By  industry 
and  persevering  application  he  raised  large  crops 
of  hay,  alfalfa  and  fruit,  and  as  he  accumulated 
money  he  invested  in  other  land,  buying  a  ranch 
of  forty  acres.  In  the  management  of  his  ranch, 
he  met  with  undisputed  success,  and  was  actively 
and  profitably  engaged  in  general  farming  and 
dair\'ing  until  1905,  when  he  leased  the  land  for 


a  term  of  three  years.  Although  practically  re- 
tired at  present  from  agricultural  labors,  he  has 
plenty  to  take  up  his  time  and  attention,  being 
financially  interested  in  various  Compton  enter- 
prises. He  is  public-spirited,  progressive  and 
liberal,  and  has  won  for  himself  a  good  record 
as  an  honest  man  and  a  valued  citizen. 

In  1885,  in  Compton,  Mr.  Hathorn  married 
Margaret  Johnson,  who  was  born  in  Canada,  a 
daughter  of  Levi  Johnson,  and  they  have  one  son, 
Roy,  born  in  1886.  Mrs.  Hathorn  is  a  woman  of 
refinement,  and  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
Church.  Politically  Mr.  Hathorn  is  independent, 
voting  with  the  courage  of  his  convictions,  re- 
gardless of  party  affiliations.  Socially  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters 
and  of  the  Fraternal  Aid  Association. 


JAMES  FRANKLIN  FERGUSON.  As 
superintendent  of  the  water  system  of  the  Hemet 
Land  and  Water  Company  and  an  extensive 
property  owner  James  Franklin  Ferguson  is  one 
of  the  best  known  and  most  highly  respected 
citizens  of  Hemet.  He  was  born  August  24, 
1869,  in  Qiariton  county.  Mo.,  the  son  of  John 
W.  and  Mary  Ellen  (White)  Ferguson,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  Indiana  and  of  Scotch  descent, 
and  the  latter  of  Bartholomew  county  of  the 
same  state.  The  elder  Ferguson  served  in  the 
Civil  war  as  a  member  of  Company  C,  Twen- 
tieth Regiment  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry.  He 
was  a  contractor  and  builder  who  removed  from 
his  native  state  to  Chariton  county,  Mo.,  and 
later  to  Meeker  county,  Minn.,  where  he  died  in 
1875,  when  the  son,  James  Franklin,  was  six 
years  of  age.  The  mother  survived  her  husband 
many  years,  her  death  occurring  in  Los  Angeles 
county,  Cal.  Of  the  five  children  in  their  "fam- 
ily three  grew  to  maturity  and  two  are  now  liv- 
ing. 

The  oldest  child  of  the  family  and  the  only 
son  living,  James  F.  Ferguson  was  reared  in- 
Minnesota  from  the  age  of  five  years,  in  which 
state  he  received  a  preliminary  education 
through  the  medium  of  the  public  schools,  and 
attended  the  high  school  at  Litchfield  after  the 
completion  of  his  studies  in  the  lower  branches. 
He  was  born  with  pronounced  natural  talents 
in  mechanical  lines  and  when  only  sixteen  years 
old  became  a  stationary  engineer  in  a  Minnesota 
woolen  mill.  In  1888  he  came  to  Whittier,  Cal., 
attended  the  Friends  Academy  for  a  short  time 
and  later  engaged  in  clerking  in  general  stores 
at  Norwalk  and  Artesia,  at  the  same  time  filling 
the  position  of  assistant  postmaster  in  each  of 
these  towns.  In  1896  he  came  to  Hemet  for  a 
change  and  rest,  but  one  of  his  energy  could 
not  long  remain  quiet.  Soon  recuperating  his 
strength   he   went   to  work  in   a   grocery   store. 


2028 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


later  engaging  in  merchandising  and  the  jewelry 
business.  His  strong  liking  for  mechanics  led 
him  to  seek  an  opening  in  that  line,  however, 
and  he  accepted  a  position  with  the  Lake  Hemet 
Water  Company  which  he  has  filled  since  1898. 
For  the  past  four  years  he  has  had  charge  of  the 
pipe  department,  with  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  of  pipes  and  flumes  in  the  Hemet 
tract,  carrying  water  from  Lake  Hemet  and 
branches  of  the  San  Jacinto  river.  Among  his 
property  interests  are  the  Ferguson  block,  which 
he  built  and  owns,  and  a  ten  acre  orchard. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Ferguson  occurred  in  Los 
Angeles,  in  1895,  when  Miss  Hattie  M.  Cassady, 
a  native  of  Minnesota,  became  his  wife.  They  are 
the  parents  of  two  children,  Elmer  Franklin  and 
Lowell  Cassady.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member 
and  junior  warden  of  San  Jacinto  Lodge  No. 
338,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  is  also  a  member  of  the  San 
Jacinto  Chapter  No.  87,  R.  A.  M.;  of  Hemet 
Lodge  No.  90,  I.  O.  O.  F. ;  Independent  order 
of  Foresters ;  and  Knights  of  the  Maccabees.  In 
national  politics  he  votes  with  the  Republican 
party,  but  exercises  considerable  independence 
in  the  casting  of  his  ballot  on  local  affairs  and, 
for  city  and  county  officers,  believing  that  the 
man  who  has  the  best  qualifications  for  the  office 
should  be  elected  to  it.  He  is  a  charter  member 
and  deacon  of  the  Christian  Church,  has  strong 
temperance  principles  and  exerts  an  elevating  in- 
fluence upon  the  community  in  which  he  lives. 


FREDERICK  ALONZO  KNIGHT.  Many 
years  have  passed  since  the  Knight  family  left 
Holland  and  established  themselves  on  the  bleak 
Canadian  shores  and  later  generations  assisted 
in  the  agricultural  development  of  the  province 
of  Ontario,  where  Louis  Wartman  Knight  labored 
in  the  tilling  of  the  soil  through  much  of  his 
earlier  life.  Eventually,  however,  he  sought  a 
more  favorable  climate  and  came  to  the  Pacific 
coast.  For  a  time  he  made  his  home  at  River- 
side, then  lived  in  other  sections  of  the  state, 
but  finally  returned  to  Riverside,  near  which 
city  he  now  operates  and  owns  an  orange  grove. 
Dtiring  his  young  manhood  he  married  Maria 
Sproule,  who  was  born  in  Ontario,  Canada,  de- 
scended from  a  North  of  Ireland  family.  They 
became  the  parents  of  four  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter: Margaret,  wife  of  Stan  Guess;  Harry;  O. 
Bruce  and  F.  A.,  twins,  and  L.  Lome.  F.  A. 
Knight  was  born  in  Westbrook,  Ontario,  Febru- 
ary 16,  1878.  He  received  fair  educational  ad- 
vantages, and  after  graduating  from  the  Syden- 
ham high  school  taught  school  near  Odessa  for 
two  years.  In  his  leisure  hours  while  following 
the  calling  of  a  teacher  he  took  up  the  study  of 
law.  toward  which  his  tastes  inclined  and  which 
lie  had  selected  for  his  profession. 


On  coming  to  California  in  1899  Mr.  Knight 
joined  his  uncle,  A.  A.  Adair,  a  well-known  at- 
torney of  Riverside,  and  engaged  in  studying 
law  with  the  firm  of  Purington  &  Adair.  In 
May  of  1901  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  in 
October  of  the  same  year  he  came  to  Long 
Beach,  where  he  has  since  conducted  a  general 
professional  practice.  In  addition  to  his  private 
practice,  for  two  years  he  held  the  office  of  city 
attorney.  A  number  of  enterprises  calculated  to 
promote  the  material  development  of  the  city  have 
received  the  impetus  of  his  counsel  and  encour- 
agement, among  these  being  the  Ocean  Heights 
Investment  Company,  Incorporated,  of  which  he 
is  the  president,  and  the  Long  Beach  Hotel  and 
Sanitarium  Company,  upon  whose  directorate 
he  now  serves. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Knight  was  solemnized 
June  27,  1905,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Jessie 
A.  Pasmore,  who  was  born  in  Wisconsin,  but 
has  resided  in  the  west  since  early  childhood, 
having  been  educated  in  the  Pomona  schools. 
Both  are  identified  with  the  First  Congregational 
Church  and  contribute  to  its  maintenance,  as 
well  as  to  uplifting  movements  of  an  undenomina- 
tional nature.  On  the  organization  of  the  Bene- 
volent Protective  Order  of  Elks  Mr.  Knight  be- 
came a  charter  member  and  officiated  as  the  first 
Loyal  Knight  of  the  lodge.  In  Masonry  he 
holds  membership  with  the  blue  lodge,  chapter 
and  commandery  at  Long  Beach,  and  maintains 
a  warm  interest  in  all  movements  for  the  up- 
building of  the  order.  Other  organizations  with 
which  he  holds  membership  are  the  Cosmopoli- 
tan Club,  the  Long  Beach  Bar  Association  and 
the  Knights  of  Pythias.  Political  affairs  receive 
his  close  attention  and  as  a  member  of  the  Re- 
publican party  he  has  been  actively  associated 
with  local  politics  and  has  ser\'ed  as  a  delegate 
to  conventions,  as  well  as  in  other  capacities 
connected  with  the  political  history  of  his  home 
city. 


HERMON  D.  WILLIAMS.  Through  his 
labors  as  a  business  man,  and  later  as  editor  of 
an  important  newspaper,  Hermon  D.  Williams 
has  accomplished  much  for  the  upbuilding  of 
Whittier,  his  home  town,  where  he  is  known  and 
honored  as  a  citizen  solicitous  for  the  highest 
development  of  the  city,  and  the  greatest  pros- 
perity of  its  people.  The  paper  of  which  he  was 
editor  for  many  years,  and  in  the  management  of 
which  he  is  still  active  at  this  writing,  is  the 
Whittier  Register.  It  is  conducted  with  con- 
spicuous ability  and  vigor,  and  is  widely  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  leading  weekly  papers  of 
Southern  California.  The  Register  is  indepen- 
dent of  politics,  has  decided  convictions  on  all 
moral  questions,  and  has  been  a  potent  agency  in 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2029 


moulding  public  opinion  in  Whittier,  especially 
on  the  line  of  temperance  and  kindred  reforms. 

Mr.  Williams  was  born  at  Richland,  Keokuk 
county,  Iowa,  October  17,  1842,  being  a  son  of 
James  and  Angelina  (Hunt)  Williams,  who 
were  married  at  Annapolis,  Ind.,  and  for  sev- 
eral years  lived  upon  a  farm  near  Terre  Haute, 
in  that  state.  After  moving  to  Iowa  the  father 
occupied  the  position  of  postmaster  at  Rich- 
land and  later  was  engaged  in  contracting  and 
building. 

Educated  in  Iowa  schools,  Hermon  D.  Will- 
iams added  to  the  knowledge  acquired  from  text 
books  the  broader  education  gained  in  the  school 
of  experience,  and  he  may  rightly  be  called  a 
self  educated  man,  the  possessor  of  ripened  cult- 
ure and  fine  mental  attainments.  While  his 
home  was  in  Jasper  county,  Iowa,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Jennie  Hiatt,  a  native  of  Indiana, 
who  has  always  been  in  close  touch  with  his 
various  lines  of  work,  and  who  by  her  timely 
help  and  wise  counsel  has  contributed  much  to 
his  success. 

During  the  early  years  of  manhood  Mr.  Will- 
iams taught  school,  but  later  became  interested 
in  carriage  and  wagon  manufacturing,  conduct- 
ing the  business  for  a  number  of  year.  Upon 
relinquishing  these  interests  he  removed  to  Des 
Moines,  Iowa,  and  with  his  brother-in-law,  B. 
F.  Arnold,  bought  the  Weekly  loiva  Capital, 
which  they  conducted  as  a  daily,  and  which  con- 
tinues to  be  one  of  the  leading  papers  in  the, 
state,  under  the  editorship  of  Hon.  Lafe  Young. 
Upon  disposing  of  his  interest  in  the  Capital 
Mr.  Williams  became  traveling  representative  of 
the  Friends  Publishing  Association,  of  Qiicago, 
and  represented  their  interests  in  Iowa  and  Ne- 
braska. Next  he  was  induced  to  accept  the  po- 
sition of  field  secretary  of  the  Iowa  Prisoners' 
Aid  Association,  an  organization  designed  to  as- 
sist discharged  convicts  to  employment  and  pro- 
mote prison  reform.  For  several  years  he  trav- 
eled throughout  the  state  in  this  interest,  giv- 
ing lectures  and  organizing  local  associations. 
Largely  through  his'efforts  widespread  interest 
was"  enlisted  in  the  cause  and  the  work  was 
placed  on  a  permanent  basis. 

On  his  removal  to  California  during  1887 
Mr.  Williams  resided  for  a  time  at  Riverside, 
but  in  the  following  year  came  to  Whittier, 
where  he  established  a  broom  manufacturing 
business  in  partnership  with  Addison  W.  Nay- 
lor,  now  president  of  the  First  National  Bank 
of  Berkeley,  and  which  he  conducted  success- 
fully for  two  years.  At  the  expiration  of  that 
time  he  took  a  leading  part  in  establishing  the 
Whittier  Register,  under  the  auspices  of  an  in- 
corporated company,  and  soon  after  he  became 
the  sole  owner  of  the  paper  and  its  publishing 
and  job   printing  business.     He   has   now   been 


engaged  in  the  business  for  fifteen  years,  dur- 
ing which  time  his  son,  Harry  A.  Williams, 
who  has  now  succeeded  to  the  editorship,  has 
been  associated  with  him.  Mr.  Williams  has 
constantly  pursued  high  ideals  in  this  varied 
public  work,  and  through  the  medium  of  his 
paper,  as  well  as  by  an  energetic  personality,  he 
has  been  a  helpful  factor  in  the  upbuilding  of 
Whittier,  and  has  efficiently  aided  in  bringing 
it  to  a  position  of  prestige  and  influence  among 
surrounding  towns. 


JOHN  L.  SCARLETT.  Wide  and  favorably 
known  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of 
the  Santa  Clara  valley  of  Southern  California  as 
a  successful  farmer  and  stock-raiser,  John  L. 
Scarlett  is  engaged  extensively  in  agricuhural 
pursuits  and  is  one  of  the  largest  land  holders 
in  the  vicinity  of  Oxnard.  He  is  the  son  of 
John  and  Anna  (Lyster)  Scarlett,  whose  mar- 
riage occurred  at  Dougherty,  Alameda  county, 
Cal,  September  22,  1864.  John  Scarlett  was  a 
native  of  Inneskillen,  Ireland,  and  when  only  an 
infant  lost  his  father  by  death.  The  family  be- 
ing left  with  limited  means  their  home  was  desti- 
tute of  many  of  the  comforts  of  life,  a  livelihood 
being  earned  only  by  the  severest  toil.  When 
he  had  succeeded  in  saving  sufficient  money 
with  which  to  defray  his  expenses  to  America, 
Mr.  Scarlett  crossed  the  ocean  to  the  United 
States,  settling  in  Philadelphia,  where  he  became 
a  dyer  in  a  woolen  manufacturing  plant.  As 
soon  as  he  had  accumulated  sufficient  means  to 
secure  the  passage  of  his  mother  from  Ireland, 
he  sent  for  her  and  she  joined  him  in  his  Phila- 
delphia home,  where  she  remained  until  her 
death,  in  January,  1865.  In  the  meantime,  in 
1857,  he  had  become  a  pioneer  of  California, 
settling  in  San  Francisco,  where  he  was  em- 
ploved  in  a  sugar  refinery  for  some  time,  after- 
wards making  his  home  in  Alameda  county  for 
six  years,  thereafter  returning  to  San  Fran- 
cisco! He  eventually  established  a  permanent 
home  in  Ventura  county  near  Oxnard,  where,  in 
1875,  he  brought  his  family  to  the  ranch  on  the 
Colonia  which  he  purchased  from  W.  I.  Rice. 
Here  he  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising,  later  making  a  specialty  of  Lima  beans 
and  sugar  beets,  and  this  extensive  ranch  is 
considered  one  of  the  most  valuable  in  the  valley. 
Mr.  Scarlett  passed  away  February  14,  1902, 
and  his  wife,  who  survives  him.  soon  afterward 
removed  to  Oxnard,  where  she  erected  a  com- 
fortable and  commodious  home  in  which  she  still 
resides  with  her  younger  daughter,  Anna,  the 
elder  daughter,  now  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Williams, 
also  residing  in  Oxnard. 

Born  on  the  ranch  near  Oxnard.  December  5, 
1877,  John  L.  Scarlett  is  the  only  son  in  a  family 


2030 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  three  children.  He  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools,  taking  a  final  course  in  college 
at  \'entura,  and  after  leaving  college  returned 
home  to  take  charge  of  the  large  ranch,  well 
equipped  by  education  and  training  to  make  the 
most  of  the  management  of  seven  hundred  acres 
of  line  land  which  composes  the  estate.  A  great 
portion  of  the  farm  is  devoted  to  raising  lima 
beans  and  sugar  beets  and  the  yield  of  the  former 
averages  twenty  sacks  to  the  acre.  Mr.  Scar- 
lett also  devotes  much  time  and  attention  to  rais- 
ing horses  and  cattle  and  is  justly  proud  of  his 
success  in  that  line.  A  loyal  son  of  California, 
he  naturally  looked  among  the  native  daughters 
of  the  state  for  a  .life  companion,  and  choosing 
Miss  Evelyn  Kennedy,  who  was  born  in  San 
Francisco,  his  marriage  with  her  was  solemnized 
in  June  of  1902.  Two  children  have  been  born 
of  this  union,  Evelyn  and  John  Richard.  Mr. 
Scarlett  adds  his  support  to  the  charities  of  the 
Catholic  Church  at  Oxnard,  of  which  he  is  a 
member,  and  in  politics  casts  his  votes  for  the 
Republican  platform.  The  only  fraternal  or- 
ganization with  which  he  is  identified  at  this 
writing  is  Cabrillo  Parlor,  N.  S.  G.  W.,  of 
Ventura.  Personally  Mr.  Scarlett  is  of  a  genial, 
sunny  disposition,  with  a  cheerj^  word  for  all, 
and  considered  by  his  friends  a  prince  of  good 
fellows.  Still  a  young  man,  he  has  met  with 
unusual  success  in  his  undertakings  and  holds 
an  enviable  position  in  the  social  life  of  his  com- 
munitv. 


ELLIS  T.  BYRAM.  Since  coming  to  Glen- 
dale,  Los  Angeles  county,  more  than  twenty 
years  ago,  Ellis  T.  Byram  has  been  an  import- 
ant factor  in  promoting  its  growth  and  improve- 
ment, and  is  well  entitled  to  the  prominent  posi- 
tion he  now  holds  among  its  more  enterprising 
and  able  citizens.  In  the  places  in  which  he  has 
resided,  and  in  the  different  industries  in  which 
he  has  been  interested,  he  has  ever  been  re- 
garded as  a  man  of  strict  integrity  and  honesty, 
always  ready  to  give  generous  aid  toward  the 
establishment  of  any  beneficial  project.  A  son 
of  William  Byram,  he  was  born,  January  8, 
1839,  in  Union  county,  Ind.,  coming  of  Revolu- 
tionary stock,  and  being  a  descendant  of  John 
and  Pri^cilla  (IMuUen)  Alden,  who  came  over 
on  the  Mayflower  in  1620. 

William  Byram  followed  the  trade  of  a  brick- 
mason  when  young,  but  later  in  life  was  success- 
fully engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  in  Union 
countv,  Ind.  He  was  prominent  in  political  cir- 
cles, being  an  old-line  Whig,  and  for  nine  years 
served  as  treasurer  of  Union  county.  He  was 
one  of  the  leading  men  of  his  times,  and  for  a 
long  while  was  associated  with  Judge  Burnside, 
father  of  Gen.  Ambrose  E.  Burnside,  who  during 


a  portion  of  the  Civil  war  was  commander  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac.  He  married  Abby  D. 
Miller,  who  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years. 
She  bore  him  five  children,  one  of  whom,  Capt. 
John  C.   Byram,   died  in  Los  Angeles. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  Ellis  T.  Byram  re- 
ceived a  practical  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  town,  and  during  his  minor- 
ity assisted  in  the  care  of  the  parental  home- 
stead. After  his  marriage  he  settled  as  a  farmer 
in  Union  county,  Ind.,  remaining  thus  employed 
until  1881.  Going  then  to  Dallas  county,  Iowa, 
he  established  himself  in  business  as  a  hardware 
merchant  in  Perry,  where  he  remained  two  years. 
In  the  fall  of  1882,  his  wife,  two  sons  and  one 
daughter,  came  to  California,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1883  he  joined  them,  settling  in  Glendale  in 
November  of  that  year.  Purchasing  land,  which 
is  included  in  the  present  site  of  the  city  of 
Glendale,  he  improved  it,  and  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural and  horticultural  pursuits,  meeting  with 
success.  To  this  he  added  other  land,  which  he 
improved  by  setting  out  an  orchard,  and  also 
continued  his  former  occupation.  He  has  dealt 
to  some  extent  in  real  estate,  but  has  devoted  the 
most  of  his  attention  to  horticulture,  and  is  con- 
sidered an  authority  on  matters  connected  with 
the   tilling  of  the   soil. 

In  local  affairs  Mr.  Byram  has  exerted  great 
influence,  to  him  the  city  and  county  being  in- 
debted for  many  of  its  beneficial  organizations. 
With  Capt.  C.  E.  Thom,  Judge  E.  M.  Ross,  H. 
J.  Crow,  and  B.  F.  Patterson,  he  formed  the 
Verdugo  Springs  Water  Company,  of  which  he 
is  the  secretary  and  treasurer;  he  helped  to  or- 
ganize the  Bank  of  Glendale;  and  he  was  one 
of  the  incorporators  of  the  Glendale  Narrow 
Gauge  Railroad,  now  owned  by  the  Salt  Lake 
Railway  Company.  Since  its  organization  he 
has  served  as  president  of  the  Indep'endent  Water 
Company,  which  absorbed  the  Childs  Tract  and 
Reservoir  Company,  the  latter  organized  in  1885. 

In  Preble  county,  Ohio,  in  1864,  Mr.  Byram 
married  Huldah  Miller,  daughter  of  John  D. 
]\Iiller,  who  spent  the  last  years  of  his  life  in 
Southern  California,  dying  at  the  home  of  his 
daughter.  Mrs.  Byram,  in  1884.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bvram  are  the  parents  of  five  children,  namelv : 
I\irs.  Eva  B.  Banker,  William  D.,  George  E.. 
Ruth  A.  and  Rolph  M.,  all  of  Los  Angeles 
county.  On  account  of  failing  eyesight  Mr.  By- 
ram has  practically  retired  from  all  active  busi- 
ness. Of  those  who  comprised  the  first  settle- 
ment in  this  locality  in  1883  there  are  only  three 
now  living  in  the  vicinity:  J.  C.  Sherer,  B.  F. 
Patterson  and  Mr.  Byram. 

Politically  Mr.  Byram  is  a  stanch  Republican, 
and  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for  Abraham 
Lincoln.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  in  September,  1884,  assisted  in  or- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2031 


ganizing  the  first  church  of  that  denomination  in 
Glendale,  which  he  subsequently  served  as  elder 
many  years,  being  the  first  elected  to  the  position. 
Rev.  W.  S.  Young  was  the  first  minister  to  fill 
its  pulpit,  and  Rev.  S.  Lawrence  Ward  is  its 
present  pastor. 


ANTON  K.  MARUSCH.  Along  the  coast  of 
California  where  the  fishing  industry  is  of  great 
importance  the  Union  Fish  Company  of  San 
Pedro  is  known  as  one  of  the  largest  wholesale 
dealers  in  fish  in  Southern  California.  The  firm 
consists  of  Anton  K.  Marusch,  manager  of  the 
company,  and  his  brother,  Baldo  Marusch.  From 
a  very  small  beginning  they  have  built  up  a  large 
and  prosperous  business.  They  buy,  sell  and 
ship  all  kinds  of  fish  and  lobster,  their  trade  ex- 
tending inland  as  far  cast  as  the  Mississippi 
river. 

The  Marusch  brothers  are  sons  of  Matthew 
and  Frances  (jNIarcvich)  Marusch,  the  former  a 
native  of  Austria.  The  father  was  for  many 
years  a  sea-faring  man,  holding  a  position  as 
mate  of  a  vessel  in  the  East  India  trade,  which 
in  the  early  days  was  of  great  importance  in  the 
commercial  world.  In  that  capacity  he  visited 
nearly  every  country  within  reach  of  navigable 
waters,  touching  at  Mediterranean  ports  and 
crossing  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  oceans  many 
times  on  his  numerous  voyages.  He  was  in  San 
Francisco  as  early  as  1S45,  fo"r  years  before 
the  discovery  of  gold  made  the  name  of  Califor- 
nia famous  throughout  the  civilized  world,  and 
started  the  tide  of  emigration  toward  the  Pacific 
coast.  Returning  to  his  native  land  he  settled 
at  the  old  home  place  and  there  married  and 
reared  a  family  of  five  children.  Four  of  the 
children  are  living,  Anton  K.  and  Baldo  being 
the  only  ones  in  America.  Baldo  Marusch  was 
born  September  zy,  1868,  in  Orebich,  Dalmatia, 
Austria,  and  remained  there  until  1891,  going  in 
that  year  to  Australia.  In  1900  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia and  since  then  has  lived  in  San  Pedro. 

Anton  K.  Marusch  was  born  in  the  city  of 
Orebich,  Austria,  September  27,  1872,  and  lived 
in  his  native  town  until  he  was  nine  years  of  age. 
The  desire  to  follow  in  his  father's  footsteps  and 
seek  his  fortune  on  the  ocean  must  have  been 
strong  in  the  boy,  for  at  that  youthful  age  he 
left  home  and  went  on  board  ship  as  a  cabin  boy 
and  for  years  followed  the  eventful  life  of  a 
sailor,  working  his  way  up  from  a  cabin  boy  to 
able  seaman,  engaging  almost  entirely  with  Eng- 
lish sailing  vessels  and  steamers  and  doing  busi- 
ness along  the  Mediterranean  coast  and  in  Eng- 
lish waters.  In  1886  he  shipped  on  the  Sampol 
of  Bath,  Me.,  and  came  around  Cape  Horn  to 
San  Francisco,  v.'here  he  remained  for  a  time 
and    attended    night    school.      Again    he    sought 


employment  on  the  ocean  and  made  fourteen 
trips  to  Honolulu  as  able  seaman  on  board  the 
barkentine  Planter,  under  command  of  Captain 
Jorgensen;  and  later  engaged  as  seaman  on 
steamers  plying  along  the  coast  out  of  San  Fran- 
cisco. Becoming  weary  of  the  sea  he  engaged 
in  the  restaurant  business  in  San  Francisco ;  then 
as  salesman  for  a  fish  company  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, remaining  in  that  business  for  seven  years 
and  thoroughly  familiarizing  himself  with  the 
fish  trade. 

Mr.  Marusch  has  lived  an  eventful  life  and  a 
narrative  of  his  numerous  ventures  and  adven- 
tures would  make  interesting  reading.  He  has 
seen  the  world  as  the  tourist  and  mere  sight- 
seer can  never  see  it.  He  has  followed  the  lead 
to  new  lands  and  endured  the  hardships  incident 
to  life  in  new  countries  where  the  necessities  of 
life  become  the  luxuries  and  men  stand  or  fall 
according  to  their  strength  to  endure  privation. 
He  was  in  Seattle  in  1896,  when  the  exciting 
news  of  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Alaska  started 
crowds  of  men  to  the  Klondyke.  He  was  among 
the  first  to  go,  taking  passage  on  board  the  City 
of  Seattle  to  Skagway,  packed  across  the  famous 
Chilkoot  Pass  to  White .  Horse  rapids,  shooting 
the  rapids  and  arrived  safely  at  Dawson.  He 
followed  the  occupation  of  mining  until  1896, 
then  went  to  Circle  City  and  remained  until  1899, 
when  he  returned  to  California.  In  1901  he 
came  to  San  Pedro  and  purchased  the  Union 
Fish  Company  business  of  G.  O.  Taylor  and  has 
continued  in  that  business  ever  since,  enlarging, 
improving  and  branching  out  until  he  has  made 
of  it  a  success  and  is  reaping  the  reward  of  his 
energy,  foresiglU  and  perseverance. 

Mr.  Marusch  is  identified  with  several  organ- 
izations. He  is  a  member  of  the  Eagles,  of  the 
Red  Men,  and  is  an  ex-president  of  the  Slavon- 
ian American  Benevolent  Association.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  San  Pedro  Chamber  of 
Commerce.    -In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 


GERJMAIN  GRIMAUD.  Known  and  hon- 
ored as  one  of  the  pioneers  of  that  portion  of  Los 
Angeles  county  now  occupied  by  the  village  of 
Hyde  Park,  the  late  Germain  Grimaud  was  of 
French  birth  and  lineage  and  was  born  October 
25,  1849.  After  having  completed  the  studies 
of  the  country  schools  and  gained  an  excellent 
knowledge  of  the  French  language,  he  left  home 
at  seventeen  years  of  age  and  came  to  the  Unit- 
ed States.  During  the  year  1866  he  began  to 
herd  sheep  near  Bakersfield,  Cal,  and  as  time 
passed  he  acquired  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
industry,  so  that  he  was  qualified  to  engage  in 
it  for  himself  with  reasonable  hopes  of  success. 
At  first  he  raised  grade  animals,  but  soon  he  be- 
came interested  in  fine  blooded  stock,  and  grad- 


2032 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ually  gained  a  reputation  as  an  authority  on  the 
subject  of  sheep.  However,  being  of  a  kindly, 
generous  nature,  he  was  more  than  once  imposed 
upon,  and  lost  considerable  money  through  kind- 
nesses to  others  who  failed  to  appreciate  his  gen- 
erosity or  return  his  loans.  About  1878  he  came 
to  the  present  site  of  Hyde  Park  and  bought 
three  hundred  acres,  where  he  engaged  in  rais- 
ing sheep  and  general  farm  products.  On  this 
place  he  died,  February  22,  1896,  ere  yet  age 
had  laid  its  heavy  hand  upon  him. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Grimaud  took  place  Au- 
gust 6,  1878,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Antoin- 
ette Aubert,  who  was  born  in  France  August  6, 
1855,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1878 
very  shortly  before  her  marriage.  Five  children 
were  bom  of  their  union,  all  natives  of  Los  An- 
geles county,  viz. :  Alice  H.,  who  married  Gus- 
tave  Escallier  and  resides  at  No.  2235  West 
Fourteenth  street,  Los  Angeles :  Emma,  who 
holds  a  responsible  position  as  chief  operator  of 
the  Sunset  Telephone  Company  in  Los  Angeles; 
Marie  T.  and  Camilla,  who  reside  with  their 
mother  one  mile  from  Hyde  Park ;  and  Louise, 
who  died  at  five  years  of  age.  After  many 
years  of  unwearied  devotion  to  farm  and  home 
cares,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grimaud  allowed  themselves 
the  pleasure  of  a  visit  to  France,  where  they  re- 
mained about  three  months  and  renewed  the  as- 
sociations of  earlier  years.  At  his  death  Mr. 
Grimaud  left  three  hundred  acres  where  his 
widow  yet  resides,  the  land  being  cultivated  by 
tenants.  In  addition  she  owns  three  lots  in  Hyde 
Park  and  since  the  death  of  her  husband  she  has 
purchased  a  residence  at  Pico  Heights,  Los  An- 
geles. Ever  since  childhood  she  has  been  a  faith- 
ful member  of  the  Catholic  Giurch  and  a  con- 
tributor to  its  many  charities,  Mr.  Grimaud  hav- 
ing been  also  identified  with  the  work  of  that 
church  and  a  believer  in  its  doctrines. 


children  in  the  family  of  his  parents,  and  after 
securing  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Pasadena  he  went  to  Riverside  county  and  pur- 
chased ten  acres  of  raw  land  in  Corona,  set  it  to 
lemon  trees  and  otherwise  improved  it,  still  own- 
ing the  property,  which  is  in  fine  condition  and 
bearing  good  crops.  After  the  death  of  his  father 
he  had  charge  of  the  home  ranch  for  one  year, 
and  then  in  1896  removed  to  Los  Angeles  and 
entered  the  employ  of  Anderson  &  Chanslor, 
taking-  charge  of  the  shipping  department.  In 
J900  he  was  among  the  number  of  employes  of 
the  firm  who  bought  out  their  employers  and  in- 
corporated the  business  under  the  name  of  the 
Anderson  &  Chanslor  Company.  In  1902  the 
new  firm  bought  out  J.  S.  Pitman,  who  was  con- 
ducting one  of  the  oldest  established  mercantile 
enterprises  on  Catalina  Island.  Mr.  Ott  secured 
a  quarter  interest  in  the  branch  and  became  its 
manager,  ever  since  filling  that  position  to  the 
entire  satisfaction  of  all  concerned. 

In  Santa  Barbara  Mr.  Ott  married  Ethel  Ennis, 
a  native  of  Michigan.  He  is  an  active  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  is  identified  with 
the  progressive  and  elevating  influences  of  the 
community  in  which  he  resides.  Politically  he 
is  an  advocate  of  the  principles  embraced  in  the 
platform  of  the  Democratic  party. 


FRANK  HAROLD  OTT.  Since  1902  Mr.  Ott 
has  been  manager  of  the  Anderson  &  Chanslor 
store  in  Avalon,  a  branch  of  the  Los  Angeles 
establishment  and  in  which  he  is  a  stockholder. 
He  was  born  January  18,  1873,  in  the  Shenan- 
doah valley,  Va.,  the  son  of  D.  A.  and  Susan 
(Moore)  Ott,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
the  same  locality.  At  eighteen  years  of  age  the 
father  was  a  member  of  a  Virginia  regiment 
in  the  Confederate  army  during  the  Civil  war, 
losing  an  arm  in  the  conflict.  He  was  teacher 
by  profession  in  Virginia  and  later  near  Austin, 
Tex.  In  1887  he  removed  with  his  family  to 
Los  Angeles  and  soon  engaged  in  horticultural 
pursuits  in  Orange  county,  where  he  died  at  the 
age  of  fifty  years.  The  death  of  Mrs.  Ott  oc- 
curred in  Santa  Ana. 

Frank  Harold  Ott  was  the  second  of  the  four 


JOHN  DOUGLAS  McLEAN.  A  successful 
contractor  and  builder  and  representative  citizen 
of  Avalon,  John  Douglas  McLean  has  been  a 
resident  on  Catalina  Island  since  1888.  The  fam- 
ily is  of  Scotch  descent  and  the  clan  is  of  the 
McLeans  of  Duarte.  The  grandfather,  Neil  Mc- 
Lean, was  born  on  the  isle  of  Skye,  Inverness, 
Scotland,  and  as  a  member  of  the  British  army  for 
twelve  years  fought  throughout  the  Peninsular 
war.  Upon  the  receipt  of  an  honorable  discharge 
he  left  his  native  land  and  settled  in  Cape  Breton 
Isle,  Nova  Scotia,  where  he  engaged  in  farming 
and  died  after  having  attained  the  remarkable 
age  of  ninety-six  years.  He  was  a  man  of  strong 
principles  and  belonged  to  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  the  faith  of  so  many  of  Scotch  birth  in 
the  present  day.  The  father,  Roderick  McLean, 
was  born  in  Cape  Breton  Isle,  where  he  was 
engaged  as  a  ship  carpenter  and  later  became  a 
farmer,  his  death  occurring  in  his  sixty-eighth 
year.  His  wife,  who  survives  him,  was  before  her 
marriage  Margaret  McLennan,  a  native  of  Nova 
.Scotia.  Her  father,  Jolm  McLennan,  was  born 
in  Loch  Aise.  Scotland,  and  settled  on  Cape 
Breton  Isle,  where  he  was  first  a  schoolmaster 
and  later  followed  agricultural  pursuits. 

Next  to  the  oldest  of  a  familv  of  ten  children, 
eight  of  whom  are  now  living,  John  Douglas  Mc- 
Lean was  born  April  i,  i860,  on  Cape  Breton  Isle, 
Nova  .Scotia,  and  attended  the  district  schools  in 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2035 


his  youth.  He  also  learned  the  carpenter's  trade 
as  a  boy,,  in  1882  going  to  Manitoba,  where  he 
followed  the  occupation  for  a  time,  at  the  same 
time  doing  stone  cutting.  After  spending  a 
season  in  Winnipeg  he  entered  the  employ  of 
the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway  and  assisted  in  the 
construction  of  the  rockway  along  Lake  Superior. 
His  residence  in  California  dates  from  1887, 
when  he  came  to  Los  Angeles  and  plied  his  trade 
for  a  year,  in  1888  removing  to  Avalon  to  assist 
in  the  erection  of  the  first  part  of  the  Metropole 
hotel  for  Shatto.  He  bought  property  and  built 
a  residence  here  and  has  since  made  this  city 
his  home.  x\s  a  prominent  contractor  and  builder 
he  has  erected  a  large  number  of  residences  here, 
the  workmanship  on  them  showing  him  to  be  a 
master  of  his  trade.  His  property  holdings  in 
Avalon  include  six  houses  and  five  tents,  from 
the  rent  of  which  he  secures  a  good  income.  Mr. 
McLean's  marriage,  which  occurred  in  Los 
Angeles,  united  him  with  Miss  Winnie  Morris, 
born  m  Tahiti,  the  daughter  of  Rev.  George 
Morris,  one  of  the  first  missionaries  on  that 
South  Sea  island.  He  was  also  the  first  settled 
minister  of  the  Congregational  denomination  in 
Avalon  and  nov/  resides  in  Alameda.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  McLean  are  the  parents  of  three  children, 
Margaret,  Catherine  and  Roderick.  They' hold 
membership  in  the  Congregational  Church,  in 
which  Mr.  McLean  is  a  deacon  and  a  member  of 
the  board  of  trustees.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch 
advocate  of  the  principles  of  the  Prohibftion 
party.  As  a  successful  business  man  and  pro- 
gressive citizen  whose  influence  is  exerted  at  all 
times  in  the  elevating  and  upbuilding  of  the 
community  he  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  all. 


CAPT.  JOHN  EVERETT  MATHEW- 
SON.  The  business  men  of  Avalon  are  of  a 
progressive  and  energetic  class  and  a  leader 
among  them  is  found  in  Capt.  John  Everett 
Mathewson,  proprietor  of  the  Mathewson  boat 
yards.  He  is  a  member  of  an  old  and  promi- 
nent New  England  family,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred July  3,  1867,  in  Brookfield,  Mass.,  the 
son  of  Henry  and  the  grandson  of  Daniel,  both 
natives  of  Rhode  Island  and  of  Scotch  descent. 
The  father,  who  is  still  living,  early  removed 
to  Brookfield,  Mass.,  and  engaged  in  farming, 
that  state  being  now  his  home.  His  wife  was 
in  maidenhood  Susanna  Allen,  a  native  of 
Brookfield,  and  a  daughter  of  Zebediah  Allen, 
who  was  born  in  Sturbridge,  Alass.  Her  fam- 
ily was  one  of  great  prominence  in  Revolu- 
tionary days,  Ethan  Allen  being  a  great  uncle. 
Mrs.   Mathewson  died   in   Massachusetts. 

Of  the  five  children  born  in  the  family  of 
which  John  Everett  Mathewson  was  a  mem- 
ber,  four   are   still   living,   and   he   was   next   to 


the  youngest.  He  was  reared  in  his  native  town, 
where  he  received  his  preliminary  education  in 
the  public  schools,  then  entered'  the  Worces- 
ter Academy,  after  which  he  studied  civil  en- 
gineering at  the  Polytechnic  Institute.  After 
graduation  he  engaged  in  boat  building  in 
Brookfield  for  a  time,  and  in  1889  went  to- 
Seattle,  where  he  continued  to  ply  his  trade  for 
two  years,  when  he  was  burned  out  and  lost  all 
of  his  possessions,  having  but  $10  in  money 
after  the  catastrophe.  Thereafter  he  worked 
until  he  had  earned  sufficient  money  to  buy  a 
ticket  to  his  Massachusetts  home,  but  the  spirit 
of  the  west  had  become  too  firmly  implanted 
within  him  to  be  long  resisted,  and  1891  found 
Mr.  Mathewson  in  Los  Angeles,  it  being  his- 
intention  to  spend  the  winter  here  and  return 
to  Seattle  in  the  spring.  He  grew  to  like  the 
place  so  well,  however,  that  he  decided  to  re- 
main, and  while  on  a  short  trip  to  Catalina  he 
accepted  a  contract  to  build  a  small  row  boat,- 
and  thus  started  the  business  which  has  grown 
to  such  large  proportions.  The  plant  is  thor- 
oughly modern  and  up-to-date,  fitted  with 
steam  boiler  and  gasoline  engines,  and  there 
have  been  turned  out  from  the  yards  many 
row  boats  and  sixty  power  launches.  Mr. 
Mathewson  built  the  yawl,  Avalon,  which  has 
a  large  capacity  and  is  used  to  carry  excur- 
sionists, cruising  among  the  surrounding  islands 
and  along  the  coast.  He  also  owns  a  string  of 
row  and  glass  boats  and  owns  considerable 
property  on  the  island  and  in  Los  Angeles.  He 
is  a  member  and  ex-treasurer  of  the  Sophia 
Yacht  Club  at  Avalon. 

Mr.  Mathewson  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Ada  Hayes  Pratt,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
the  ceremony  taking  place  in  Los  Angeles,  and 
they  have  an  attractive  residence  on  Wliitley 
street,  which  he  built.  Politically  he  is  an  ad- 
vocate of  the  principles  embraced  in  the  plat- 
form of  the  Republican  party  and  takes  an  en- 
thusiastic part  in  the  furthering  of  every  enter- 
prise tending  to  upbuild  the  community  on  which 
he  resides. 


THOMAS  LE  FEVRE.  Among  the  well- 
to-do  and  thriving  ranchers  of  San  Diego 
county,  who  have  accumulated  a  competency 
through  their  own  exertions  and  economy,  and 
who  are  carrying  on  general  farming  in  a 
praiseworthy  manner,  is  Thomas  Le  Fevre,  of 
Fallbrook.  A  pioneer  settler  of  this  locality, 
he  has  seen  the  wild  and  uncultivated  land  of 
this  region  transformed  into  rich  and  produc- 
tive farms,  the  straggling  villages  developed 
into  towns  of  respectable  proportions,  and  has 
watched  these  wonderful  changes  with  the  in- 
terest wdiich  every  man  of  intelligence  feels  in 


2034 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  growth  and  advancement  of  a  new  section 
of  our  great  land.  He  was  born,  January  29, 
1838,  in  England,  where  he  lived  for  nine  years, 
being  reared  by  his  grandparents  after  the 
death  of  his  parents. 

Born,  reared  and  educated  in  England,  John 
Le  Fevre,  the  grandfather,  spent  the  earlier 
years  of  his  life  in  his  native  shire.  In  1847, 
thinking  in  the  United  States,  which  is  the 
poor  nian's  paradise,  to  better  his  condition, 
he  started  with  his  family  on  a  voyage  across 
the  ocean.  Making  his  way  to  Liverpool,  he 
was  taken  ill,  and  died  in  that  city,  while  wait- 
ing for  the  ship  on  which  he  was  to  take  pas- 
sage. His  widow,  who  was  a  woman  of  much 
force  of  character,  came  to  this  country  bring- 
ing her  son  and  grandson,  Thomas.  After  liv- 
ing for  five  years  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  she  moved 
to  Parowan,  Utah,  in  1852,  and  there  spent  the 
remainder  of  her  life. 

But  nine  years  old  when  he  came  with  his 
grandmother  to  the  United  States,  Thomas 
Le  Fevre  completed  his  studies  in  the  public 
schools  of  St.  Louis,  after  which  he  migrated 
with  his  grandmother  to  Utah.  Leaving  Salt 
Lake  City  in  1859,  he  came  overland  to  Cali- 
fornia, arriving  in  San  Bernardino  in  the  fall 
of  that  year.  Engaging  in  teaming,  he  made 
frequent  trips  across  the  desert,  going  to  both 
Salt  Lake  and  the  Missouri  river,  and  during 
the  White  Pine  excitement  going  to  the  mines 
in  search  of  gold.  Locating  at  Fallbrook,  San 
Diego  county,  in  1879,  he  entered  a  govern- 
ment claim,  but  this  he  subsequently  sold,  and 
took  up  the  land  which  he  now  owns  and 
occupies,  later  buying  an  adjoining  tract  of 
twenty  acres.  At  once  beginning  its  improve- 
ment, he  has  brought  it  to  a  good  state  of  cul- 
tivation, and  has  erected  a  neat  and  substantial 
set  of  farm  buildings,  which  greatly  add  to  the 
value  and  attractiveness  of  the  ranch. 

Mr.  Le  Fevre  has  been  twice  married.  He 
married  first,  in  Parowan,  Utah,  about  i860, 
Susanna  Davenport,  who  died  in  January,  1871, 
leaving  five  children,  of  whom  we  mention  the 
following:  Thomas  A.,  born  August  22,  1863, 
is  assisting  in  the  management  of  the  home 
ranch,  he  married  Mrs.  Elmer  Richardson,  and 
they  have  two  children,  Clarence  and  Helen 
M.;  Ann  Elizabeth,  born  February  17,  1865, 
lives  at  home ;  Robert  D.,  born  January  19, 
1867,  is  also  at  home ;  Susanna  R.,  born  Feb- 
ruary II,  1869,  is  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools 
of  Mendocino  county;  and  Sarah  Jane,  born 
Januarv  10,  1871,  is  the  wife  of  Hiram  Hilton, 
of  Utah. 

June  8,  1873,  Air.  Le  Fevre  married  Amelia 
R.  Gavin,  who  was  born  in  London,  England, 
a  daughter  of  Michael  and  Amelia  (Robinson) 
Gavin.     Her   parents    immigrated   with   their 


family  to  this  country  in  1853,  and  for  eleven 
years  resided  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.  Going  back 
to  visit  their  old  home  and  friends  in  1864,  they 
remained  in  England  a  year,  and  in  1865  re- 
turned to  St.  Louis.  In  August,  1869,  they 
removed  to  Utah,  where  both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Gavin  spent  their  remaining  days,  both  pass- 
ing away  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-three 
years,  his  death  occurring  June  2,  1902,  and 
hers  October  20,  1902.  Five  children  were 
born  of  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Le  Fevre, 
namely :  Herbert  Andrew,  who  was  born  June 
13,  1874,  and  died  in  September  of  the  same 
year ;  Maud  Amelia,  who  was  born  in  Novem- 
ber, 1875,  and  died  the  next  month;  Francis 
Edgar,  who  was  born  in  October,  1877,  and 
died  in  July,  1878;  Jessie,  born  in  June,  1879, 
and  died  in  July,  1890;  and  Oscar,  living  on 
the  home  place.  Politically  Mr.  Le  Fevre  is 
a  steadfast  Democrat,  and  has  served  as  a 
member  of  the  local  school  board. 


EUGENE  MATHEWSON,  M.  D.  A  man 
of  culture,  talent  and  scholarly  attainments,  Eu- 
gene Mathewson,  M.  D.,  stands  deservedly  high 
in  professional  circles  and  is  one  of  the  leading 
physicians  and  surgeons  of  the  El  Cajon  valley, 
his  home  and  his  office  being  at  Bostonia.  Fa- 
miliar with  the  most  modern  views  upon  medical 
surgical  science,  and  careful  in  his  study  and 
diagnosis  of  the  various  diseases  that  have  come 
under  his  observation,  he  has  met  with  marked 
success  in  his  chosen  career,  gaining  a  fine  repu- 
tation for  skill  and  ability.  A  son  of  Smith 
Mathewson,  he  was  born  at  Pascoag,  R.  I.,  Oc- 
tober 18,  i860,  coming  from  a  long  line,  of  New 
England  ancestors,  one  of  whom  was  a  May- 
flower passenger,  while  another  was  Roger 
Williams,  the  founder  of  Rhode  Island.  His 
father,  who  died  in  1896,  at  the  venerable  age 
of  ninety  years,  married  Zerviah  Potter  Miller, 
who  is  still  living,  making  her  home  in  the  state 
founded  by  her  ancestor,  Roger  Williams,  and 
in  which  she  was  born  seventy-two  years  ago. 

Laying  a  substantial  foundation  for  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  city, 
Eugene  Mathewson  afterwards  took  a  course 
of  study  at  the  University  of  Colorado.  En- 
tering then  the  Gross  Medical  College,  now 
known  as  the  Gross  &  Denver  Medical  College, 
he  was  there  graduated  with  the  degree  of  M. 
D.,  April  12,  1894.  After  practicing  his  pro- 
fession in  Denver  for  a  few  months,  his  health 
began  to  fail,  and  he  was  forced  to  leave  the 
city.  Going,  therefore,  to  Ordway,  Otero  coun- 
ty, Colo.,  he  remained  there  a  year  and  a  half, 
in  the  meantime  practicing  medicine,  and  serv- 
ing as  health  officer  for  the  county.  His  health  be- 
coming more  and  more  impaired,  when  almost 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2035 


a  physical  wreck,  he  came  in  1896  to  California 
to  recuperate  if  possible.  Being  very  favorably 
impressed  with  the  location  of  Bostonia  and 
with  its  bright,  exhilarating  climate,  he  deter- 
mined to  make  this  place  his  home.  Buying  lots 
in  one  of  the  most  attractive  portions  of  the  vil- 
lage he  erected  a  conveniently  arranged,  mod- 
ern house,  in  which  he  has,  in  addition  to  his 
home  and  his  office,  an  operating  room  and  a 
drug  room,  all  of  which  are  finely  equipped  and 
well  furnished  with  all  of  the  conveniences  and 
appliances  demanded  by  those  most  familiar  with 
medical  and  surgical  science.  Regaining  his  health 
in  this  invigorating  climate,  he  has  here  been 
successfully  engaged  in  his  chosen  profession  for 
a  number  of  years,  his  patronage  throughout  the 
valley  being  extensive  and  remunerative. 

In  Denver,  Colo.,  Dr.  Mathewson  married 
Alice  Colburn,  daughter  of  Rev.  Alfred  Colburn,' 
a  native  of  New  England.  Her  father  died  in 
Worcester,  Mass.,  in  1891,  and  her  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Isabella  Waterman, 
still  makes  that  city  her  home.  Mrs.  Colburn 
is  an  accomplished  woman,  and  as  an  artist  has 
acquired  more  than  local  fame.  Mrs.  Mathew- 
son is  a  musician  of  rare  ability  and  skill,  and 
after  her  graduation  from  the  Boston  Conserva- 
tory of  Music  was  for  a  number  of  years  affili- 
ated with  the  Worcester  Musical  Festival,  a 
noted  New  England  organization.  For  several 
years  she  was  successfully  employed  as  a  music 
teacher,  giving  lessons  on  both  the  piano  and  the 
pipe  organ,  and  while  living  in  the  east  played 
the  accompaniments  for  many  of  the  leading 
musical  celebrities  of  our  own  country  and  of 
Europe.  The  doctor  and  his  wife  are  both  mem- 
bers of  the  Baptist  Qiurch.  He  is  a  medical  ex- 
aminer of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men; a  member  and  medical  examiner  of  the 
Order  of  Pendo;  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America ;  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World ;  and 
is  likewise  m.edical  examiner  for  several  of  the 
old-line  insurance  companies. 


MRS.  P.  E.  KITCHING.  Since  1886  Mrs. 
P.  E.  Kitching  has  been  a  resident  of  San  Diego 
county  and  has  during  the  past  twenty  years 
reared  a  family  of  fine  children  and  demon- 
strated as  well  her  superior  business  ability  in 
the  management  of  her  ranch.  This  consists 
of  one  hundred  and  seventeen  acres  and  is 
devoted  entirely  to  stock  and  grain  raising. 
Mrs.  Kitching  was  born  in  southern  Arkansas, 
the  daughter  of  James  M.  and  Sarah  (Black) 
Griffin,  who  removed  to  Texas  when  she  was  a 
small  child  and  remained  there  for  seventeen 
years,  during  which  time  she  was  educated  and 
married  to  A.  C.  Kitching,  a  native  of  Texas. 
In   1886  she  came   to   California  with   her  pa- 


rents, who  first  settled  at  Campo,  San  Diego 
county,  a  year  later  the  father  removing  to 
San  Luis  Rey,  where  he  conducted  a  farm 
until  his  death,  in  October,  1901,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-seven  years.  In  the  early  years  he 
had  much  trouble  in  securing  title  to  his  land, 
which  was  claimed  by  the  Pico  family  as  a 
part  of  the  large  land  grant  given  them,  and  it 
took  five  years  of  litigation  in  the  courts  to 
secure  his  rights.  During  this  time  they  were 
much  annoyed,  their  houses  being  pulled  down 
and  removed  from  the  land,  and  the  Indians 
frequently  raiding  the  premises  and  carrying 
off  provisions.  Mrs.  Griffin  is  now  living  at  the 
age  of  seventy-six  years. 

Mrs.  Kitching's  family  consists  of  four  chil- 
dren, two  sons,  Jeremiah  and  Charles,  resid- 
ing at  home ;  one  son,  Roy,  who  is  married  to 
Ethel  James,  and  living  in  Los  Angeles ;  and 
a  daughter,  Sadie,  who  is  now  the  wife  of 
B.  B.  Higgins  and  lives  at  Mt.  Serat.  Mrs. 
Kitching  is  a  devoted  member  of  the  Christian 
Church  at  San  Luis  Rey,  and  is  deeply  inter- 
ested in  the  promotion  of  all  influences  which 
tend  to  develop  and  elevate  the  community  in 
which  she  makes  her  home. 


RALPH  EMERSON  SWING.  Only  a  few 
of  the  men  now  prominent  in  the  commercial 
and  professional  life  of  San  Bernardino  can 
claim  this  city  as  their  birthplace.  The  majority 
have  come  from  the  east  and  have  selected  this 
region  because  of  its  manifest  attractions.  An 
exception  is  found  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Swing, 
who  was  born  in  San  Bernardino  November  4, 
1875,  and  has  known  no  other  home  than  this. 
Upon  entering  the  practice  of  law  he  decided 
that  his  home  town  offered  advantages  sur- 
passed by  none,  and  therefore  resolved  to  re- 
main here,  a  decision  which  he  has  no  reason  to 
regret.  Since  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1897  he 
has  built  up  a  large  practice  in  the  courts  and 
has  risen  to  a  high  position  in  the  profession. 
Besides  taking  charge  of  his  private  practice  he 
acts  as  attorney  for  the  Home  Gas  and  Lighting 
Company,  the  Del  Rosa  Water  Company,  and 
other  corporations. 

The  family  represented  by  this  popular  attor- 
ney has  been  identified  with  San  Bernardino 
since  1866,  when  his  father.  Rev.  James  W. 
Swing,  a  native  of  Ohio  and  a  life-long  min- 
ister in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  denomination, 
came  to  this  place,  where  he  had  charge  of  the 
building  of  the  first  Holiness  Church.  From 
that  time  he  officiated  as  pastor  of  the  church 
until  he  died  in  1896.  His  was  a  life  of  self- 
sacrifice  and  patient  devotion  to  the  cause  of 
Giristianity,  and  he  counted  no  day  lost  whose 
labors   bore   fruit   in   the   uplifting  of  a   liuman 


2036 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


soul.  His  wife,  who  bore  tlie  maiden  name  of 
Mary  F.  Garner,  was  born  in  Illinois  and  now 
makes  her  home  in  Riverside  county.  Their  son, 
Ralph  E.,  received  his  education  in  the  grammar 
and  high  schools  of  San  Bernardino,  and  after 
leaving  school  took  up  the  study  of  law  under 
the  preceptorship  of  George  B.  Cole,  then  a  lead- 
ing resident  of  San  Bernardino,  but  now  of  Seat- 
tle, Wash.  After  having  gained  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  principles  of  the  law  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1897,  being  then  twenty- 
two  years  of  age.  and  immediatelv  embarked  in 
professional  work,  having  John  P.  Hight,  Sr., 
as  his  partner  for  a  time,  under  the  firm  title 
of  Hight  &  Swing.  A  few  years  later,  however, 
the  partnership  was  dissolved,  and  since  then  he 
has  practiced  alone.  To  aid  in  his  labors  he  has 
a  large  and  carefully-selected  library  of  law 
books,  including  the  highest  authorities  in  their 
various  specialties. 

State  and  county  political  affairs  have  received 
careful  consideration  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Swing, 
who  possesses  pronounced  Democratic  opinions 
and  has  given  the  party  the  benefit  of  his  serv- 
ices in  its  local  upbuilding.  For  four  years  he 
was  attorney  for  the  public  administrator  of 
San  Bernardino  county,  and  since  1903  he  has 
been  attorney  for  the  city  of  San  Bernardino,  to 
which  office  he  was  elected  for  a  term  of  four 
years,  and  is  conceded  to  be  one  of  the  most  ef- 
ficient attorneys  who  have  ever  served  the  city. 
His  success  is  due  to  his  hard  work  and  to 
his  absolute  honesty  and  integrity.  In  fraternal  re- 
lations he  holds  membership  with  Arrowhead 
Parlor  No.  no,  N.  S.  G.  W.,  of  which  he  is 
past  president,  and  in  addition  he  is  identified 
with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks, 
Lodge  No.  836,  at  San  Bernardino. 


LEONIDAS  W.  COLEMAN.  In  San  Ber- 
nardino county  are  found  some  of  the  best 
lemon  groves  in  California,  and  one  of  the 
finest  of  these  is  owned  by  Leonidas  W.  Cole- 
man of  Rialto,  who  himself,  in  May,  1894, 
planted  the  ten  hundred  and  ninety  trees  now 
growing  on  his  eleven-acre  ranch.  When  he 
first  purchased  the  place  it  contained  twenty- 
one  acres  of  land,  one-third  of  which  was 
planted  to  grapes,  but  he  soon  sold  one-half 
of  the  acreage  and  on  the  remaining  half  re- 
placed the  vineyard  with  lemon  trees.  From 
this  grove  he  takes  very  large  crops,  seven 
thousand*  boxes  having  been  gathered  in  1904 
and  1905  and  six  thousand  in  1905  and  1906. 
Mr.  Coleman  was  born  July  26.  1842,  in  Ala- 
bama, the  son  of  James  A.  and  Sarah  A.  (Ken- 
nedy) Coleman,  his  mother  being  a  native  of 
South  Carolina.  The  Coleman  family  is  one 
of  the  oldest  and  most  prominent  of  Virginia, 


where  the  father  and  grandfather,  Thomas, 
were  born,  the  grandmother  having  been  Miss 
Randolph,  of  the  noted  pioneer  Randolph  fam- 
ily of  that  state.  After  his  removal  to  Ala- 
bama, James  A.  Coleman  became  the  owner 
of  a  large  cotton  plantation,  and  in  that  state 
he  married  Sarah  A.  Kennedy.  He  served  as 
a  private  in  the  Seminole  Indian  war  in  Flor- 
ida, was  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  and 
died  in  Kansas  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years. 
His  widow  came  to  California  with  her  son, 
with  whom  she  lived  until  her  death  in  1899. 
There  were  seven  children  in  the  parental  fam- 
ily, four  of  whom  lived  to  maturity.  One  son 
is  a  prominent  attorney  in  Chicago,  and  has 
become  noted  as  the  author  of  the  treatise, 
"Mechanics'  Liens  on  Real  Estate." 

The  early  education  of  Leonidas  W.  Cole- 
man was  received  in  Alabama  and  he  finished 
his  studies  wnth  a  general  college  course  at 
Centenary  College  in  Dallas  county,  that  state. 
At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  he  was  in 
business  in  Marion,  ]\Iiss.,  and  from  there  he 
enlisted  in  Company  A.  Fourteenth  Mississippi 
Volunteers,  becoming  captain  of  his  company, 
but  unfortunately  he  met  with  an  accident 
which  incapacitated  him  for  active  service.  He 
came  north  to  Kentucky  wdth  Sherman's  army 
and  after  his  discharge  engaged  in  merchan- 
dising, respectively,  at  Paxton,  Ind.,  and  Hen- 
derson, Ky.,  becoming  at  the  latter  place  editor 
and  publisher  of  the  Henderson  Reporter,  and 
during  that  time  was  also  president  of  the 
Western  Kentucky  Press  Association.  From 
Henderson  he  removed  to  Kansas  and  engaged 
in  ranching  in  Chase  county,  near  Emporia,  re- 
maining in  that  state  for  tw^enty  years;  during 
which  time  he  owned  three  different  farms. 
After  disposing  of  his  first  farm,  which  com- 
prised one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  he  pur- 
chased another  twice  as  large;  upon  selling  the 
latter  acreage  he  purchased  another  contain- 
ing six  hundred  and  forty  acres. 

Mr.  Coleman's  first  marriage,  which  took 
place  in  1868,  united  him  wnth  Miss  Isophoena 
Martin,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  whose  death 
occurred  in  Henderson,  that  state.  She  be- 
came the  mother  of  five  children,  one  of  whom 
died  in  infancy,  ^^^illiam  J.,  who  graduated 
as  a  civil  engineer  at  Lawrence,  Kans.,  is  gen- 
eral secretary  of  the  Lawrence  (Kans.)  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association;  he  married  May 
Rush,  of  that  city,' and  they  have  one  child: 
Fannie,  who  took  a  medical  course  at  St.  Louis 
and  Denver,  became  the  wife  of  Dr.  F.  M. 
Cooper,  who  conducts  the  Ruxton  house  at 
Manitou,  Colo. ;  John  A.  is  engaged  in  railroad 
w-ork  for  the  Santa  Fe  at  Needles,  Ariz. ;  and 
Leonidas  M.,  who  for  two  years  taught  school 
in  San  Bernardino,  died  at  Berkelej'  at  the  age 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2037 


of  twenty-three  years.  In  1888,  at  Cotton- 
wood Fails,  Kans.,  Mr.  Coleman  was  married 
to  Alice  Rockwood,  who  was  born  in  Wiscon- 
sin and  was  brought  by  her  father,  William 
W.  Rockwood,  to  Kansas  when  she  was  but 
three  years  old.  She  is  the  mother  of  one  son, 
Herbert  R.,  who  resides  with  his  parents  at 
Rialto.  The  Rockwood  family  is  prominent  in 
Masonic  circles  and  by  virtue  of  their  member- 
ship, ]\Irs.  Coleman  belongs  to  the  Order  of 
Eastern  Star. 

Politically,  I\lr.  Coleman  is  an  independent 
voter,  casting  his  ballot  for  those  whom  he  con- 
siders the  best  men.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  at  San  Bernardino  for 
nine  years,  but  after  his  removal  to  Rialto 
both  he  and  his  wife  joined  the  Congregational 
Church.  For  five  years  Mr.  Coleman  was  a 
member  of  the  Rialto  Fruit  Association,  hav- 
ing been  one  of  its  charter  members,  but  he 
finally  withdrew  from  that  organization  and 
joined  the  Rialto  Citrus  Fruit  Union  at  Rialto, 
and  is  now  an  independent  shipper.  He  is  a 
stockholder  in  the  Lytle  Creek  Water  and  Im- 
provement Company,  has  the  best  interests  of 
the  business  and  social  life  of  his  community 
at  heart,  and  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  all  who 
know  him. 


HENRY  H.  EVANS.  One  of  the  most 
enterprising  and  progressive  ranchmen  in  the 
Menifee  valley  is  Henry  H.  Evans,  a  native 
son  of  California,  who  was  born  November  27, 
1863,  in  San  Jose,  the  son  of  Thomas  Jefferson 
and  Cynthia  (Fowler)  Evans,  the  former  a 
native  of  Indiana  and  the  latter  of  Maine.  In 
1849  the  father  crossed  the  plains  with  the 
government  train  and  located  in  Santa  Fe, 
N.  Mex.,  where  he  bought  land  and  was  en- 
gaged as  a  government  police  for  two  years. 
Returning  to  Indiana  in  1851  he  remained  but 
a  short  time  before  starting  on  his  second  over- 
land trip  west,  this  time  reaching  California. 
He  located  first  in  San  Francisco  and  mined 
on  the  Feather  river  for  a  number  of  years, 
later  removing  to  San  Jose,  where  his  marriage 
occurred.  He  conducted  a  wood,  coal  and 
grain  business  at  this  point  until  1868,  when 
he  changed  his  residence  to  Castroville,  living 
in  that  city  for  six  years.  Coming  to  San  Ber- 
nardino in  1874  he  engaged  in  the  raising  of 
hay  and  grain  and  finally  retired  from  active 
business.  He  died  October  21,  1903,  when 
seventy-five  years  old,  his  wife  having  preceded 
him  on  June  12,  1894,  at  the  age  of  fiftv-four 
years.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren :  G.  W.,  of  San  Bernardino,  who  is  ex- 
street  supervisor  and  lives  on  a  ranch  near 
town ;   Cora   E.,  the  wife  of   R.    T-   \'^arley,  of 


San  Bernardino ;  Henry  H.,  of  this  sketch ; 
Thomas  A.,  residing  in  Menifee  valley ;  New- 
ton, an  engineer  in  the  Fulton  Iron  Works 
of  Los  Angeles ;  Florence  G.,  residing  in  Los 
Angeles;  Edna  E.,  wife  of  J.  E.  Ferrell,  of  the 
Menifee  valley;  and  Minnie  A.,  wife  of  W.  R. 
Ferrell,  of  the  same  place. 

The  first  schooling  of  Henry  H.  Evans  was 
received  in  the  Castroville  public  schools  and 
after  the  removal  of  the  family  to  San  Ber- 
nardino he  finished  his  education  there,  attend- 
ing business  college  for  one  year.  His  studies 
completed,  he  engaged  in  the  livery  business 
in  San  Bernardino  until  1890,  when  he  began 
farming  in  the  Menifee  valley,  in  1891  purchas- 
ing one  hundred  acres  of  land.  After  clearing 
away  the  brush  he  began  to  improve  the  land, 
and  gradually  added  to  his  holdings  until  he 
now  owns  four  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  He 
rents  a  large  tract,  also,  having  fifteen  hundred 
acres  of  grain  and  four  thousand  acres  of  pas- 
ture land.  He  has  his  own  combined  harvester 
and  sells  all  of  the  wheat  he  raises  to  the  Globe 
^ lining  Company  of  Colton.  He  also  raises 
quite  a  number  of  cattle,  horses  and  mules. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Evans  occurred  Feb- 
ruary 5,  1884.  in  San  Bernardino,  uniting  him 
with  Miss  Ella  May  Ferrell,  daughter  of  J.  B. 
Ferrell,  of  Iowa,  who  came  to  San  Bernardino 
in  1874.  Seven  children  have  been  born  to 
.  them :  Emma  May  (who  died  when  sixteen 
months  old),  Fredrick  H.,  Grover  C,  Richard 
v.,  Frances  E.,  George  Dewey,  Pattie  M.  Fra- 
ternally Mr.  Evans  is  a  member  of  Perris 
Lodge  No.  190,  K.  of  P.  He  has  been  for  the 
past  six  years  a  member  of  the  Menifee  board 
of  school  trustees,  and  in  all  matters  of  import 
to  the  social  and  civic  welfare  of  the  com-, 
munitv  takes  an  active  interest. 


ARTHUR  G.  KELLY.  As  the  owner  and 
manager  of  a  ninety-five  acre  ranch  devoted  to 
the  raising  of  alfalfa  and  grain  Arthur  G.  Kelly 
is  known  as  one  of  the  successful  young  men  in 
San  Bernardino  county.  He  is  the  son  of  one 
of  the  earliest  pioneers  of  this  section  of  the 
state,  his  father,  Joseph  H.  Kelly,  who  is  a 
native  of  Illinois,  having  come  to  San  Ber- 
nardino in  1861.  He  is  still  living  in  the  county 
on  a  ranch  of  four  hundred  acres,  devoted  to 
the  raising  of  grain  and  to  stock-raising.  By 
his  marriage  in  1866  Joseph  H.  Kelly  was 
united  with  Sarah  Keller,  whose  death  oc- 
curred in  1876,  when  only  thirty-three  vears 
of  age.  Of  the  five  children  born  to  these 
parents  Arthur  G.  was  the  eldest. 

July  20.  1867,  Arthur  G.  Kelly  was  born  in 
San  Bernardino  county,  where  he  received  his 
education   through   the  medium   of  the  public 


2038 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


schools,  and  after  his  studies  were  completed 
he  worked  on  the  home  ranch  until  1900,  in 
which  year  occurred  his  marriage  to  Miss  Re- 
becca Lawrence,  a  native  of  Nebraska.  He 
then  went  to  Redlands  and  engaged  in  the 
livery  business  for  a  time,  subsequently  locat- 
ing on  the  ranch  which  has  since  been  his 
home.  He  is  a  member  of  Arrowhead  Parlor 
Xo.  no,  N.  S.  G.  W.,  and  politically  advocates 
the  principles  embraced  in  the  platform  of  the 
Democratic  party.  He  has  many  friends  in  this 
section  of  the  country,  where  he  has  spent  his 
entire  life,  and  is  a  public-spirited  citizen,  in- 
terested in  the  upbuilding  of  his  section  of  the 
state. 


JOSEPH  JONES.  If  in  a  degree  worthy 
of  praise  success  has  crowned  the  efforts  of 
Mr.  Jones,  this  gratifying  result  may  be  at- 
tributed to  his  own  unaided  and  ceaseless  appli- 
cation from  early  childhood  through  all  the 
years  of  manhood's  prime.  In  his  boyhood 
"he  had  little  to  encourage  and  none  to  aid  him. 
His  parents,  Edward  and  Jane  (Williams) 
Jones,  were  poor  and  there  were  thirteen  chil- 
dren in  the  family.  Hardships  were  their  com- 
mon lot  and  grim  want  often  hovered  near  their 
humble  door.  In  the  mining  district  of  Wales 
where  they  lived  the  wages  were  meager  and 
each  child  was  obliged  to  work  as  soon  as  old  • 
enough  to  earn  a  few  pennies.  Of  the  thirteen 
children  three  died  in  infancy ;  five  of  the  sons 
came  to  the  United  States  and  met  in  this  coun- 
try a  success  impossible  in  their  native  land. 
Joseph,  who  was  born  in  Wales  October  27, 
1838,  was  only  eight  years  old  when  he  was 
sent  to  work  in  a  woolen  mill  near  home,  and 
there  he  toiled  day  after  day,  receiving  only  the 
most  meager  wages,  and  deprived  of  what  now 
would  be  considered  the  necessities  of  exist- 
ence, yet  cheered  by  family  affection  to  bear 
trials  difficult  for  one  of  tender  years  to  en- 
dure. 

While  still  quite  young  Joseph  Jones  deter- 
mined to  come  to  the  United  States  in  the 
hope  of  securing  an  environment  more  favor- 
able for  success.  In  1856  he  landed  in  New 
York  City  and  from  there  proceeded  to  Illinois, 
where  he  worked  on  a  farm  in  Marshall  county 
about  two  years.  Afterward  he  worked  for 
a  similar  period  in  mines  near  St.  Louis,  and 
then  returned  to  Illinois,  where  he  worked  in 
the  mines  of  Randolph  county,  continuing  in 
the  same  position  from  1859  until  1878  with 
the  exception  of  three  years  spent  in  California. 
From  Illinois  he  moved  to  iMinnesota  and  took 
up  farm  pursuits,  in  time  becoming  the  owner 
of  an  improved  farm  of  three  hundred  and 
fifty-five  acres.     After  ten  busy  and  somewhat 


profitable  years  on  the  Minnesota  farm,  he  sold 
the  land  and  in  1888  came  to  California,  set- 
tling at  Oceanside  in  order  to  give  his  chil- 
dren the  advantages  of  the  excellent  schools 
of  that  town.  Meanwhile  he  purchased  one 
hundred  and  sixty-two  acres  in  San  Luis  Rev 
valley,  where  in  1893  he  erected  a  residence 
and  established  his  home.  Instead  of  devoting 
his  attention  to  a  specialty  he  has  engaged  in 
mixed  farming,  and  has  raised  cattle  and  hogs, 
has  conducted  a  small  dairy  business,  has  raised 
grain,  and  to  some  extent  has  been  interested 
in  market  gardening  and  in  the  raising  of 
fruit. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Jones  took  place  in  Illi- 
nois in  1869  and  united  him  with  Ann  Talitha 
McKenzie,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Ran- 
dolph county,  that  state.  They  are  the  parents 
of  three  children,  Nancy,  J.  E.  and  D.  E.  The 
daughter  married  Walter  Myers,  a  stock-raiser 
near  Santa  Ana,  and  the  sons  are  living  in 
San  Diego  county.  In  his  political  views  Mr. 
Jones  is  a  believer  in  socialism  and  holds  that 
the  many  evils  threatening  our  body  politic 
today  might  be  alleviated  by  a  practical  ex- 
periment with  the  doctrines  he  espouses.  While 
living  in  Illinois  he  was  made  a  ]\Iason  in  1870 
and  now  affiliates  with  Silver  Gate  Lodge,  F. 
&  A.  M.,  at  San  Diego.  Though  not  identified 
with  any  denomination  he  is  in  sympathy  with 
religious  work  and  was  reared  by  his  parents 
in  the  Presbyterian  faith. 


JOHN  SULLIVAN.  In  his  work  as  rancher 
and  dairyman  John  Sullivan  has  acquired  both 
a  financial  success  and  a  high  position  among 
the  esteemed  and  respected  residents'  of  San 
Bernardino  county,  his  well-known  integrity 
and  demonstrated  benevolence  winning  him  a 
wide  friendship.  He  owns  a  ranch  of  fifty  acres 
devoted  to  general  farming  and  dairy  purposes, 
twenty  Jersey  cows  forming  his  dairy  herd. 
the  butter  produced  being  disposed  of  in  local 
markets. 

A  native  of  Ireland,  John  Sullivan  was  born 
June  12,  1847,  aid  in  public  and  private  institu- 
tions in  his  native  country  he  received  his  edu- 
cation. While  still  a  vouth  he  decided  to  im- 
migrate to  the  new  world  and  landed  in  New 
York  City  in  due  time.  Going  at  once  to  the 
farming  districts  of  that  state,  he  followed  the 
occupation  to  which  he  had  been  trained  from 
early  childhood.  After  four  years  spent  in 
New  York  state  he  went  to  IMontreal,  Canada, 
from  which  point  he  came  to  California  via  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama  in  1868.  Disembarking  at 
San  Francisco,  he  soon  afterward  came  to 
Southern  California,  becoming  one  of  the  pio- 
neers in    Little   Bear  valley,   San   Bernardino 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2039 


county,  and  in  the  mountains  he  engaged  in 
the  lumber  business.  After  three  years  in  that 
locality  he  settled  in  the  city  of  San  Bernar- 
dino, but  continued  to  conduct  his  sawmill  for 
a  time,  finally,  however,  purchasing  the  land 
upon  which  he  has  since  carried  on  his  farming 
and  dairymg  interests.  In  addition  to  geneial 
agricultural  pursuits  he  also  raises  horses  to 
some  extent. 

JMr.  Sullivan  and  his  sister,  the  latter  a  resi- 
dent of  Alameda  county,  are  the  only  survivors 
of  a  family  of  six  children  born  to  their  parents, 
James  and  Mary  (Castello)  Sullivan,  both  of 
whom  are  now  deceased.  In  New  York  City, 
in  1868,  John  Sullivan  was  united  in  marriage 
with  j\liss  Elizabeth  Enright,  a  native  of  Ire- 
land, and  born  of  this  union  are  the  following 
children:  ]\lary,  who  married  A.  L.  Casey,  of 
Colton,  and  has  five  children ;  Lizzie,  who  mar- 
ried John  jNIcInarny,  of  Los  Angeles,  and  has 
one  child :  Nora,  who  married  R.  T.  Burr,  of 
Los  Angeles,  and  has  one  child;  Kate,  who 
married  A.  F.  Giroux,  of  Santa  Monica,  and 
has  one  son  ;  John  James ;  and  Ellen  and  Eve- 
lyn. :\lrs.  Elizabeth  Sullivan  died  in  1888,  and 
for  his  second  wife  Mr.  Sullivan  married  Rose 
E.  Flannigan,  a  native  of  Ohio,  but  a  resident 
of  California  since  1890,  the  year  of  her  mar- 
riage to  Mr.  Sullivan.  They  have  two  children, 
Genevieve  and  Charles  Edward.  The  family 
are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church,  of  San 
Bernardino.  Politically  Mr.  Sullivan  is  an  ad- 
herent of  the  principles  advocated  in  the  plat- 
form of  the  Democratic  party,  although  he  is 
very  broad-minded  in  the  matter  of  local  af- 
fairs and  reserves  the  right  to  cast  his  ballot 
for  the  man  whom  he  considers  best  qualified 
for  the  discharge  of  public  duties.  For  the 
past  twenty-five  years  he  has  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board,  for  ten  years  acting  as 
clerk  of  that  body.  He  is  distinctly  public 
spirited  and  alive  to  the  advancement  of  the 
communit3''s  best  interests,  and  is  named 
among  the  best  citizens  of  this  section. 


ALFRED  H.  TILTON,  of  San  Bernardino, 
has  a  fine  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres 
on  South  Waterman  avenue,  of  which  one  hun- 
dred acres  are  devoted  to  the  cultivation  of 
barley  and  oats,  and  fifty  acres  at  present  are 
used  as  pasture,  but  it  is  his  intention  to  de- 
vote it  all  to  alfalfa  raising  in  the  near  future. 
In  addition  to  the  interests  just  mentioned  he 
also  raises  horses.  Mr.  Tilton  is  a  native  of 
New  Hampshire,  and  was  born  in  Bridgewater 
May  22,  1870,  one  of  five  children  born  to  his 
parents,  Hiram  S.  and  Lydia  P.  (Worthen) 
Tilton.  both  also  natives  of  Bridgewater,  N. 
H.     The  eldest  child  in  the  parental  family,  a 


son,  died  at  the  age  of  thirteen  months.  The 
next  child,  Delia,  born  May  2,  1864,  became 
the  wife  of  Daniel  Whittemore  in  January, 
1896,  and  still  resides  in  Bridgewater.  Alfred 
H.  and  Alice  M.  were  born  May  22,  1870,  the 
former  being  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  the 
latter  was  married  in  July,  1893,  and  has  one 
son,  Harold  Tilton  Breck,  who  was  born  April 

2,  1895.  Frank  H.  was  born  April  4,  1877,  ^"d 
in  September,  1898,  was  married  to  Cora  G. 
Marston.  Until  October  of  1904  the  father 
continued  to  live  on  the  farm  which  he  pur- 
chased in  his  early  married  life,  at  that  time 
selling  the  property  to  his  son  Frank.  Follow- 
ing this,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tilton,  accompanied  by 
their  daughter,  Mrs.  Breck,  and  her  son,  Har- 
old, came  to  California,  residing  at  Perris  until 
August,  1906,  when  they  came  to  San  Ber- 
nardino and  are  now  making  their  home  on 
Waterman  avenue. 

Alfred  H.  Tilton  received  a  preliminary  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  Bridgewater, 
supplementing  this  by  a  course  in  the  New 
Hampton  literary  institution  and  graduating 
from  the  business  college.  His  first  independ- 
ent employment  was  in  Boston,  as  clerk  in  the 
veneer  store  of  Johnson  Brothers,  but  as  he 
did  not  care  particularly  for  the  work  he  re- 
turned home  after  a  couple  of  years,  and  the 
following  three  years  were  spent  on  the  paren- 
tal farm.  February  10,  1897,  he  formed  do- 
mestic ties  by  his  marriage  with  Miss  Eva  S. 
Cummings,  who  was  born  in  Ashland,  N.  H., 
May  26,  1876,  the  daughter  of  S.  B.  and  Lucina 
E.  (Draper)  Cummings,  who  were  born  re- 
spectively in  New  Hampton,  N.  H.,  February 

3,  1851,  and  Plymouth,  N.  H.,  May  14,  1852. 
The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cummings  oc- 
curred November  11,  1874,  and  thereafter  they 
lived  on  a  farm  in  Ashland,  Mr.  Cummings 
also  dealing  in  agricultural  implements  and 
dairy  goods.  In  1905  he  disposed  of  his  hold- 
ings in  the  east  and  came  to  California,  locating 
first  at  Perris,  and  later  in  San  Bernardino, 
and  with  his  wife  now  makes  his  home  on  D 
street.  During  her  girlhood  Mrs.  Tilton  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Ashland, 
graduating  from  the  high  school  in  1891.  She 
also  received  instruction  in  painting  in  oil  from 
local  artists,  as  well  as  in  Worcester,  Alass., 
besides  which  she  learned  the  milliner's  trade. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tilton  have  one  daughter,  Grace 
Cummings.  who  was  born  at  Ashland,  N.  H., 
October  2,  1899.  After  their  marriage  Mr. 
Tilton  purchased  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Ash- 
land, but  five  years  later,  in  1901,  he  sold  out 
and  came  to  California,  locating  at  once  in 
the  vicinity  of  Perris,  Riverside  county.  There 
he  made  a  specialty  of  raising  grain  and  hav, 
farming  between  three  hundred  and  seven  hun- 


2040 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


drcd  and  fifty  acres  in  the  different  years.  In 
1903  he  purchased  a  twenty-acre  ranch  near 
Ferris,  but  lie  now  rents  this  property.  In  1905 
he  purchased  his  present  ranch,  near  San  Ber- 
nardino. Fraternally  ;\Ir.  Tilton  belongs  to  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  being  a 
member  of  Cardigan  Lodge  in  Bristol,  N.  H., 
in  which  he  has  served  as  warden  and  con- 
ductor. He  also  belongs  to  the  Grange  in  New 
Hampshire,  and  in  his  political  sympathies  is 
a  stanch  Republican. 


MARVIN  BEMISS  FIIATT.  Among  the  in- 
dustrious, persevering  and  thrifty  men  who  have 
taken  an  active  part  in  the  industrial  develop- 
ment of  San  Diego  is  Marvin  B.  Hiatt,  a  well 
known  builder  and  contractor.  Beginning  life 
at  the  foot  of  the  ladder,  without  means  or  in- 
fluence, he  has  step  by  step  ascended  the  rungs 
of  prosperity,  until  now  he  is  an  honored  and 
esteemed  member  of  society,  and  one  of  the  most 
respected  citizens  of  his  community.  A  son  of 
Caleb  Hiatt,  he  was  born,  March  17,  1837,  in 
Rainsboro,  Highland  county,  Ohio.  His  pater- 
nal grandfather,  who  was  of  German  descent, 
and  belonged  to  the  Society  of  Friends,  spent 
the  larger  part  of  his  life  in  North  Carolina, 
settling  there  when  a  young  man. 

Born  and  brought  up  in  North  Carolina,  Caleb 
Hiatt,  who  was  public-spirited  and  patriotic, 
served  as  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  enlisting 
before  he  attained  his  majority.  Subsequently 
settling  in  Highland  county,  Ohio,  he  followed 
his  trade  of  a  cabinet-maker,  and  for  many  years 
was  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  furniture. 
Investing  then  his  money  in  land,  he  carried  on 
general  farming  in  Highland  county  until  his 
death,  February  28.  1849,  ^^  the  age  of  fifty-six 
years.  He  married  Elizabeth  Knight,  who  was 
born  near  Lynchburg,  Va.,  and  died  in  Ohio. 
Her  lather,  Joshua  Knight,  was  a  pioneer  build- 
er of  Virginia,  being  in  partnership  with  his 
brother,  who  was  a  stone  mason.  Removing  to 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  he  built  the  Broadway  hotel, 
the  first  hotel  erected  in  that  city. 

Until  after  the  death  of  his  father,  in  1849, 
Marvin  B.  Hiatt  lived  on  the  home  farm,  attend- 
ing the  common  school  during  its  brief  terms. 
He  subsequently  entered  the  employ  of  his  un- 
cle, Tames  Knight,  a  newspaper  agent,  and  for 
two  years  sold  and  delivered  the  daily  papers. 
As  soon  as  old  enough  he  began  learning  the 
carpenter's  trade,  serving  a  full  apprenticeship, 
and  the  ensuing  five  years  was  engaged  as  a 
contractor  in  Troy,  Ohio.  Coming  from  there 
to  San  Diego  in  January,  1888,  he  continued  that 
occupation,  the  first  year  that  he  was  here  doing 
$40,000  worth  of  carpenter  work.  In  his  work 
he  has  met  with  success,  having  his  full  share  of 


the  building  and  contracting  of  this  vicinity. 
The  family  home  is  at  No.  335  Webster  avenue. 
In  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  Mr.  Hiatt  married  Mar- 
garet Clough,  who  was  born  in  Troy,  Ohio,  a 
daughter  of  William  Clough,  and  granddaugh- 
ter of  Jeremiah  Clough,  a  Revolutionary  soldier. 
William  Clough  was  born  in  Virginia,  learned 
the  trade  of  a  stone  and  brick  mason,  after  which 
he  removed  to  Troy,  Ohio,  where  he  lived  a 
few  years.  He  subsequently  settled  in  Ken- 
tucky, and  there  spent  his  last  days,  dying  in 
Covington.  He  was  a  soldier  of  the  war  of 
1812.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Sarah 
McCarthy,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  coming  from 
a  Maryland  family  of  prominence,  and  died  in 
Troy,  Ohio.  She  bore  her  husband  ten  children, 
of  whom  two  are  living,  Mrs.  Hiatt  being  the 
youngest  child.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hiatt  are  the 
parents  of  four  children,  namely :  Willis,  a  mill- 
er in  Indiana ;  Ellsworth,  of  San  Diego,  a  car- 
penter; Grant,  working  with  his  father;  and 
Harry,  a  blacksmith,  living  in  Lowell,  Ariz. 
Mr.  Hiatt  belongs  to  the  Master  Carpenters'  As- 
sociation, of  which  he  is  a  charter  member.  Po- 
litically he  is  a  Socialist.  Like  his  ancestors  he 
has  served  his  country  in  time  of  need.  On 
September  22,  1S64,  while  living  in  Ohio,  he  en- 
listed in  Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Eighty- 
first  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served,  under 
General  Schofield,  in  the  Twenty-third  Army 
Corps,  with  which  he  remained  until  mustered 
out,  and  was  honorablv  discharged,  July  14, 
1865,  at  Salemburg,  N.'  C. 


JAMES  :MILLER.  As  superintendent  of 
the  Santa  Fe  steam  laundry  in  San  Bernardino 
James  Miller  holds  a  prominent  position  in 
business  circles  in  this  city.  The  plant  is  one 
of  the  largest  in  this  part  of  the  state  outside 
of  the  city  of  Los  Angeles  and  draws  a  liberal 
support  from  San  Bernardino  and  the  sur- 
rounding country,  as  well  as  securing  work 
from  various  points  in  Arizona.  Mr.  Miller 
is  a  native  Canadian,  his  birth  having  occurred 
in  Gait,  Ontario,  and  he  being  the  third  from 
the  youngest  in  a  family  of  ten  children.  His 
father,  who  was  born  in  Scotland,  removed  in 
an  earl)'  day  to  Ontario,  where  he  followed  the 
occupation  of  farmer,  and  in  which  province 
he  still  resides.  The  mother,  who  was  before 
her  marriage  Esther  Aitken,  and  is  now  de- 
ceased, was  of  Scotch  parentage,  her  father, 
Robert  Aitken,  having  also  become  a  pioneer 
farmer  in  Canada.  The  elder  ^lillers  were  ad- 
herents of  the  faith  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
exerting  a  beneficial  and  elevating  influence 
upon  all  with  whom  they  came  in  contact.  Two 
sons  beside  James  and  one  daughter  have 
homes  in  California ;  George  is  vice-president 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2041 


of  the  Tro}'  Laundry  Company  in  Los  Angeles ; 
Robert  is  a  farmer  near  San  Bernardino;  and 
Mary  resides  in  the  latter  named  place. 

Reared  on  a  farm  and  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  when  sixteen  years  of  age,  James  Mil- 
ler began  to  occup}'  himself  as  an  independent 
farmer  in  Ontario  and  continued  to  pursue  that 
work  until  i8g6,  when  he  came  to  California 
and  engaged  in  agriculture.  The  following 
year  he  entered  the  employ  of  his  brother  in 
the  San  Bernardino  laundry,  devoting  the  suc- 
ceeding five  years  to  that  work  and  acquiring 
a  detailed  and  comprehensive  knowledge  of 
the  business.  In  1903,  in  company  with  Mr. 
Strawser,  he  leased  the  Santa  Fe  steam  laun- 
dry, a  year  later  purchasing  the  plant  and  in 
various  ways  adding  to  its  equipment  to  meet 
the  needs  of  an  ever-increasing  business. 
Among  other  improvements  was  the  sinking 
of  a  three  hundred  and  twenty-five  foot  artesian 
well,  the  making  of  a  large  storage  reservoir, 
and  the  installation  of  modern  pumping  ma- 
chinery.    Mr.  Miller  is  treasurer  of  the  firm. 

Air.  Miller  belongs  to  the  Southern 
California  Laundrymen's  Association  and  the 
San  Bernardino  Board  of  Trade,  and  is 
actively  interested  in  the  development  of 
this  section  of  the  state.  Religiously  he 
holds  membership  in  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  politically  advocates 
Republican  principles  when  applied  to  national 
affairs.  He  was  made  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  in  Token  Lodge 
No.  290,  in  San  Bernardino,  and  also  belongs 
to  the  Encampment  here ;  is  a  member  of  the 
Rebekah  lodge,  and  belongs  to  the  Independent 
Order  of  Foresters  in  Glenmorris,  Ontario.  As 
a  man  of  high  principles,  honesty  and  integrity, 
he  is  greatly  esteemed  throughout  the  com- 
munity. 


AMOS  H.  BEMIS.  The  advantages  of  San 
Bernardino  county  early  attracted  many  settlers 
within  her  borders,  and  among  those  whose  fore- 
sight and  sagacity  led  them  to  locate  in  this  sec- 
tion of  Southern  California  was  the  family  of 
which  Amos  H.  Beniis  is  a  member.  He  is  one 
of  the  substantial  and  well-to-do  ranchers  in  this 
section  and  creditably  sustains  the  reputation  for 
honor  and  integrity  and  square  dealing  in  all 
matters  which  his  father  handed  down  to  him. 
Amos  W.  Bemis,  the  father  of  Amos  H.,  was 
born  June  3,  1828.  in  Jefiferson  county,  N.  Y., 
and  when  eight  years  old  began  the  westward 
march  with  his  parents,  who  remained  in  Coun- 
cil Bluffs,  Iowa,  about  two  years,  the  death  of 
the  grandfather  occurring  during  this  time.  His 
widow  accompanied  tlie  family  to  San  Bernar- 
dino, where  she  died  many  years  later.  From 
99 


Council  Bluffs  the  family  moved  on  to  Salt  Lake 
City,  where  thev  remamed  for  several  years. 
Here  the  son  was  married  to  Miss  Julia  Mc- 
Cullough,  who  was  born  near  Buft'afo,  N.  Y., 
b.er  father  having  been  a  member  of  the  Mormon 
battalion  which  came  to  California  and  New 
Mexico,  helped  drive  out  the  Mexican  governor 
of  the  former  state  and  build  the  old  fort  at  Los 
Angeles  in  1847.  ^Ir.  McCullough  left  Los  An- 
geles in  company  with  another  man,  starting  out 
with  three  horses,  but  they  encountered  the  In- 
dians at  an  early  stage  of  the  trip,  lost  two  of 
their  horses  in  the  skirmish  and  were  obliged  to 
make  the  rest  of  the  trip  to  his  home  in  Council 
Bluffs,  Iowa,  on  foot.  He  later  removed  to 
Utah  and  freighted  from  Los  Angeles  to  South- 
ern Utah.  J\lr.  and  Mrs.  Bemis  came  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1854,  later  returned  to  Utah  for  a  visit, 
and  in  1856  .joined  the  train  of  emigrants  which 
followed  the  one  massacred  at  iMountain  Mead-, 
ows  and  reached  San  Bernardino  in  the  fall, 
after  undergoing  many  hardships.  During  the 
first  trip  the  family  consisted  of  the  grandmother 
of  A.  H.,  her  seven  sons  and  three  daughters. 
In  the  course  of  the  journey  they  ran  out  of 
water  and  almost  perished  from  thirst,  at  one 
time  being  obliged  to  drink  from  the  pools  at 
the  roadside  filled  by  a  sudden  shower. 

Arriving  at  their  destination  the  father  pur- 
chased a  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  acre  ranch 
from  the  Mormon  elders  and  made  his  home  on 
the  place  until  his  death  May  i,  1905.  when  he 
was  nearly  seventy-seven  years  old.  The  mother 
died  in  1893,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years,  her 
burial  occurring  on  the  forty-eighth  anniversary 
of  the  settlement  of  the  family  in  this  county. 
They  were  th.e  parents  of  ten  children,  six  of 
whom  are  living  and  have  homes  in  this  county. 
Frances  1 .,  the  wife  of  Milo  Brooks ;  Amos  H. ; 
Levi;  Ervin  A.,  who  married  Adelaide  Osborne; 
Clarissa  and  Clarina,  twins  who  died  young; 
Wilson  J. ;  George,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twen- 
ty-one years ;  Loren  M.,  and  Esther,  who  died  in 
infancy. 

The  birth  of  Amos  H.  Bemis  occurred  Sep- 
tember 27,  1858,  in  San  Bernardino  county, 
where  he  received  the  advantages  of  a  common 
school  education,  and  after  his  studies  were 
completed  assisted  his  father  on  the  ranch  un- 
til twenty-one  years  old.  At  that  age  he  started 
on  an  independent  business  career,  buying  a 
claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  from  the 
man  who  had  originally  homesteaded  it.  Mr. 
Bemis  brought  it  to  a  high  state  of  improvement 
and  now  has  twenty  acres  in  sweet  and  navel 
oranges,  ten  acres  in  lemons,  ten  acres  in  apri- 
cots, and  a  five-acre  vineyard,  the  rest  of  the 
land  being  cultivated  and  planted  to  grain  crops. 
It  is  his  intention,  however,  to  ultimately  have 
the  entire  ranch  planted  to  fruit.     He  owns  ten 


2042 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


shares  in  the  Rialto  W'atcr  Company,  from  which 
he  has  sufficient  water  to  irrigate  sixty-five  acres. 
By  his  marriage.  May  28,  1884,  Mr.  Bemis 
was  united  with  Miss  Jennie  Leedom,  a  native 
of  Iowa,  and  the  daughter  of  Andrew  Leedom, 
an  early  pioneer  in  California.  Of  this  union 
six  children  were  born :  Frank,  Katie,  Fred  (who 
died  when  five  years  old),  Isabelle,  Nellie  and 
Clarence.  Mr.  Bemis  is  a  member  of  Arrow- 
head Parlor  No.  no,  N.  S.  G.  W.,  and  belongs 
to  Token  Lodge  No.  290,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  at  San  Ber- 
nardino, of  which  he  is  past  grand.  He  is  a 
strong  advocate  of  the  principles  of  the  Repub- 
lican party.  Being  considered  an  expert  on  roads 
he  was  appointed  road  overseer  by  the  super- 
visors. He  is  actively  interested  in  the  promo- 
tion of  enterprises  tending  to  upbuild  his  section 
of  the  .state,  and  as  one  of  the  public-spirited 
citizens  of  San  Bernardino  county  is  held  in  the 
highest  esteem  by  all  who  know  him. 


MARCUS  L.  FRINK.  One  of  the  extensive 
ranchmen  of  San  Blernardino  county,  located 
near  Bryn  Mawr,  is  Marcus  L.  Frink,  who  is 
a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  pioneer  families  in 
California  and  in  his  own  right  holds  the  highest 
respect  and  esteem  of  his  fellow-citizens.  He  is 
a  native  son  of  California,  having  been  born 
March  14,  i860,  in  San  Bernardino  countv,  the 
son  of  Horace  M.  and  Polly  A.  (DeWitt)  Frink. 
His  mother  was  a  native  of  Indiana  and  came 
with  her  grandfather,  Martin  Potter,  to  San  Ber- 
nardino, where,  in  1857,  she  was  married  to  Mr. 
Frink.  The  father,  who  was  born  May  31,  1831, 
in  New  York,  was  the  son  of  Jefiferson  Frink, 
an  accomplished  drummer,  and  after  securing  his 
education  and  learning  the  mason  trade,  started 
west,  stopping  fiist  in  Illinois,  later  going  to  the 
mining  sections  of  Missouri.  In  his  travels  he 
met  Brigham  Young,  with  whom  he  later  had 
business  relations,  and  as  driver  of  one  of  the 
wagons  in  the  train  was  one  of  the  first  persons 
to  reach  Salt  Lake  City  in  1847.  He  did  not  re- 
main in  Utah,  however,  but  returned  to  Mis- 
souri for  a  time,  and  then  pushed  his  way  to 
the  western  coast,  reaching  Hangtown  (now 
Placerville)  in  1852.  He  remained  in  that  sec- 
tion of  the  state  for  two  years,  and  in  1854  came 
to  San  Bernardino,  where  he  and  his  brother 
secured  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land 
in  the  San  Timoteo  valley,  at  what  is  now  El- 
casco.  There  they  raised  stock  until  1866,  when 
Horace  M.  sold  out,  having  by  that  time  accumu- 
lated about  sixteen  hundred  head  of  cattle.  In 
1862  he  acted  as  guide  to  the  United  States 
troops  under  Captain  Prentice,  on  the  march 
from  San  Bernardino  to  Fort  Yuma,  he  being 
thoroughly  familiar  with  the  lay  of  the  country 
in  that  direction.    He  also  discovered  the  springs 


now  known  as  Frir.k  Springs,  which  became  a 
favorite  watering  place  for  travelers.  In  1867 
he  purchased  the  Wallace  place,  comprising  one 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  old  San  Bernardino, 
where  he  lived  until  his  death,  July  28,  1874. 
Three  of  the  seven  children  in  the  parental  fam- 
ily are  now  living,  Alonzo  M.,  Marcus  L.  and 
Polly  A.,  the  latter  the  wife  of  H.  F.  Gansner. 
The  mother  is  still  living  on  the  home  place  at 
the  age  of  seventy  years. 

After  completing  his  studies  in  the  common 
schools  of  San  Bernardino  county,  Marcus  L. 
Frink  worked  on  the  home  ranch  until  his  fath- 
er's death,  and  since  that  time  he  and  his  brother, 
Alonzo  M.,  have  been  jointly  interested  in  the 
ownership  of  their  real  estate.  They  have  a 
ranch  of  one  hundred  and  thirteen  acres  in  San 
Bernardino  county,  forty  acres  of  which  is  de- 
voted to  seedling,  navel  and  Valencia  oranges, 
and  the  remainder  to  grain  and  alfalfa  crops.  A 
second  ranch,  located  in  Riverside  county,  com- 
prises one  hundred  and  ninety-three  acres,  which 
with  the  exception  of  a  five  acre  peach  orchard 
is  given  over  entirely  to  grain  and  hay  raising. 
Mr.  Frink  came  to  the  place  on  which  he  now 
resides  in  1867,  and  he  was  born  on  that  part 
of  the  land  which  was  formerly  used  as  a  race 
track.  He  is  a  member  of  Token  Lodge  No. 
290,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  at  San  Bernardino,  and  be- 
longs to  Redlands  Parlor,  N.  S.  G.  W.  Politic- 
ally he  is  a  believer  in  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  party,  and  has  served  as  a  member 
of  the  board  of  school  trustees  of  his  district. 

By  his  marriage  in  t88o  at  San  Bernardino 
Mr.  Frink  was  united  with  Samantha  C.  Wilson, 
a  native  of  that  city,  and  the  daughter  of  Joseph 
Wilson,  who  was  originally  from  Ohio,  and  set- 
tled in  California  in  1854.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frink 
have  becom.e  the  parents  of  seven  children,  three 
of  whom  died  in  infancy,  those  now  living  being, 
Lena  A.,  Amy  (the  wife  of  G.  A.  Murphy,  of 
San  Bernardino).  ]\Iillon  J.  and  Howard  L. 


HIRAM  SMITH  DAVIDSON.  On  the  cor- 
ner of  Highland  avenue  and  G  streets,  in  San 
Bernardino,  Mr.  Davidson  has  made  his  home 
for  more  than  two  decades,  having  seventy 
acres  of  land  orginally  in  this  location.  Of  re- 
cent years  he  has  sold  off  portions  of  the  tract, 
however,  until  he  now  has  only  twenty-nine 
acres.  The  residence  is  a  fine  modern  structure, 
which  he  himself  erected,  in  fact  all  of  the  im- 
provements are  his  handiwork. 

Hiram  S.  Davidson  is  a  native  of  Illinois  and 
was  born  in  Hancock  county  May  22,  1840,  the 
son  of  George  and  Nancy  (Lytle)  Davidson, 
the  parents  being  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  When 
Hiram  was  a  lad  of  ten  years  his  parents  re- 
moved to  Utah,  and  as  he  was  then  of  school 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2043 


age  he  at  once  became  a  student  in  the  schools 
in  that  then  territory.  From  the  time  after 
leaving  school  until  he  was  eighteen  years  old 
he  followed  teaming,  a  business  which  brought 
him  in  contact  with  many  who  were  making 
their  way  across  the  country  to  the  far  west. 
This  was  a  suggestion  to  the  lad  and  the  year 
1858  found  him  carrying  out  his  cherished  plan. 
From  that  time  until  coming  to  San  Bernardino 
county  in  1875  he  had  visited  various  parts  of 
the  state,  his  choice  for  a  permanent  location 
falling  on  this  favored  spot  after  a  thorough 
canvass  to  find  a  combination  of  advantages, 
such  as  climate  and  soil.  He  at  once  erected  a 
commodious  home  for  the  family,  and  the  barn 
and  other  building,  which  he  also  erected,  are 
in  keeping,  all  combining  to  make  one  of  the 
substantial  and  well-ordered  ranches  in  this  vi- 
cinity. 

Mr.  Davidson's  marriage  in  1877  united  him 
with  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Bain)  Swarthout,  the 
widow  of  George  Swarthout,  and  three  children 
have  been  born  to  them,  as  follows :  Walter  Mel- 
vin,  who  is  in  Arizona,  an  employe  of  the  Santa 
Fe  Railroad  Company  ;  John  An'drew,  who  op- 
erates a  cigar  store  in  San  Bernardino ;  and  Net- 
tie, at  home.  By  her  former  marriage  Mrs. 
Davidson  became  the  mother  of  five  children, 
named  in  order  of  birth  as  follows :  Qiarity,  Mrs. 
Stephen  Kelley,  of  San  Bernardino;  Susan,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years ;  Qiarles,  who 
lives  in  the  state  of  Washington ;  George,  who 
is  a  conductor  on  the  Santa  Fe  road  and  resides 
at  Needles;  and  Albert  Riley. 


J.  J.  HAN  FORD.  The  largest  manufactur- 
ing establishment  in  San  Bernardino,  with  the 
sole  exception  of  the  Santa  Fe  shops,  is  the 
Hanford  iron  works,  occupying  three  acres, 
with  a  brick  building  erected  in  1904,  on  the 
corner  of  C  and  First  streets.  The  structure 
is  100x283  feet  in  dimensions  and  is  thorough- 
ly modern  in  equipment,  furnishing  a  plant 
complete  in  every  detail.  The  products  of  the 
foundry  find  a  ready  sale  not  only  where  iron 
work  is  needed  in  San  Bernardino,  but  also  in 
Redlands,  Highland,  Ontario,  Pomona,  and  to 
some  extent  also  in  Los  Angeles.  The  foundry 
has  a  capacity  of  seven  tons  per  day  and  fur- 
nishes employment  to  about  twenty-four  work- 
men, each  of  whom  is  skilled  in  his  special  de- 
partment. 

Born  in  New  York  City  June  12,  1845,  J.  J. 
Hanford  is  a  son  of  Peter  Hanford,  a  moulder 
in  the  Novelty  iron  works  in  that  metropolis. 
It  is  natural  that  he  should  be  an  expert  foun- 
dryman,  for  he  has  been  familiar  with  iron 
works  from  boyhood.  After  having  completed 
the  grammar  school  stutHes  in  New  York  City 


and  Brooklyn,  in  Alay  of  1859  '^^  became  an 
apprentice  to  the  moulder's  trade  in  the  Novel- 
ty iron  works  in  New  York  City.  From  Aug- 
ust until  December  of  1863  he  was  employed 
in  the  Algers  works  of  South  Boston,  extensive 
manufacturers  of  government  engines,  shot, 
shell,  etc.  On  his  return  to  Brooklyn  from 
Boston  he  took  up  work  at  his  trade  and  con- 
tinued at  the  same  until  1873,  when  lie  was 
chosen  a  clerk  in  the  comptroller's  office,  and 
later  engaged  in  business  in  Brooklyn. 

Coming  to  California  in  1882  Mr.  Hanford 
found  Los  Angeles  a  sleepy  Mexican  town  of 
ten  thousand  inhabitants.  However,  he  was 
charmed  by  its  climate  and  location  and  be- 
lieved it  oft'ered  a  favorable  point  for  real-estate 
speculation.  Accordingly  he  bought  and  sold, 
handling  large  tracts  of  city  property.  When 
the  boom  collapsed  in  1889  he  was  interested 
with  four  others  in  the  subdividing  of  the  Gen- 
eral Sanford  ranch,  which  they  had  purchased. 
The  decadence  of  the  boom  stopped  their  enter- 
prise and  Mr.  Hanford  returned  home  with 
only  a  dollar.  In  1889  he  went  to  San  Diego 
and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Coronado  Foun- 
dry and  Machine  Compan}',  of  whose  foundry 
he  soon  was  made  foreman.  While  filling  this 
position  he  was  ever  on  the  alert  for  a  desir- 
able point  in  which  to  embark  in  business  for 
himself,  and  in  1892  he  selected  San  Bernar- 
dino as  the  center  of  his  future  activities. 
With  Mr.  Wade,  then  the  general  manager  of 
the  Santa  Fe  Railroad,  he  made  a  contract  to 
manufacture  and  furnish  the  castings  for  this 
division  of  the  road.  The  foundry  was  built 
and  the  plant  started  on  C  near  Second  street, 
but  at  the  expiration  of  three  years  he  pur- 
chased his  present  property  of  three  acres, 
erected  necessary  buildings,  and  has  since  de- 
veloped a  large  business  in  structural  iron 
work,  taking  orders  from  all  parts  of  the 
county. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Hanford  was  solem- 
nized in  New  York  City  and  united  him  with 
Miss  Joan  Gregg,  who  was  born  and  educated 
there.  One  son  blesses  the  union.  William  J., 
who  assists  his  father  in  the  supervision  of  the 
works.  Mrs.  Hanford  is  a  woman  possessing 
broad  culture  and  refined  tastes.  One  of  her 
specialties  has  been  the  collection  of  Japanese 
curios  and  art  treasures,  of  which  it  is  said  by 
excellent  judges  that  she  has  the  finest  ex- 
hibit in  this  country. 

Although  formerly  a  Democrat,  since  1904 
Mr.  Hanford  has  voted  the  Republican  ticket. 
During  his  residence  in  the  east  he  was  a  lead- 
er in  local  politics  and  wielded  a  large  influ- 
ence throughout  his  district.  Since  coming 
west  he  has  been  interested  in  movements  per- 
taining to  the  political  life  of  his  county  and 


2044 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


state.  For  six  years  he  was  a  member  of  the 
cit}-  council  and  during  four  years  of  that  time 
he  officiated  as  president  of  the  board.  The 
San  Bernardino  Board  of  Trade  has  numbered 
him  among  its  leading  members  ever  since  its 
organization  and  at  this  writing  he  acts  as 
chairman  of  the  manufacturers'  committee. 
During  1904-05  he  officiated  as  president  of  the 
board  and  at  the  expiration  of  his  term  de- 
clined renomination,  thus  establishing  a  prece- 
dent for  a  one-year  term  in  the  president's 
chair.  While  living  in  New  York  City  he  Avas 
made  a  Mason  in  ]\Iunn  Lodge  No.  190,  A.  F. 
&  A.  M.,  and  later  became  connected  with  the 
Sanctorum  in  Brooklyn.  Other  organizations 
in  which  he  has  wielded  an  important  influence 
are  the  Eagles,  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men, 
Fraternal  Brotherhood  and  Benevolent  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks. 


MOSES  B.  GARNER.  During  the  early 
portion  of  the  nineteenth  century  there  came  to 
the  United  States  a  young  German  bearing  the 
name  of  Moses  Baumgarner  and  possessing  the 
qualities  of  thrift  and  perseverance  for  which  his 
countrymen  are  noted.  After  a  brief  sojourn 
in  Kentucky  he  removed  to  Illinois  and  took  up 
a  farm  in  Hamilton  county  near  McLeansboro, 
where  he  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  Ere 
he  had  reached  the  success  toward  which  his 
ambition  pointed  sudden  death  overtook  him  and 
removed  from  the  communit}-  a  capable  farmer 
and  progressive  citizen.  It  was  at  the  time  of 
the  cholera  plague  in  185 1  that  he  and  his  wife 
on  the  same  day  fell  victims  to  the  dread  dis- 
ease. The  family  name  bad  been  shortened  to  its 
present  form  by  the  original  immigrant,  shortly 
after  his  arrival  in  the  new  world. 

Reared  on  an  Illinois  farm  and  educated  in 
country  schools,  M.  B.  Garner  had  no  special 
advantages  in  youth,  but  was  obliged  to  earn 
his  own  way  from  an  early  age.  For  a  long  pe- 
riod he  resided  in  his  native  county  of  Hamilton, 
where  he  followed  farm  pursuits  and  for  a  time 
served  as  deputy  sheriff".  Later  he  cultivated 
land  in  White  county  and  from  there  removed 
to  Fairfield,  ^^'^avne  county,  where  he  engaged 
in  conducting  a  hotel  and  carrying  on  a  livery 
business.  On  removing  to  Xenia,  Clay  county, 
111.,  he  carried  on  a  hotel  as  well  as  a  general 
store.  Meanwhile  in  early  manhood  he  had 
established  domestic  ties.  His  marriage  was  sol- 
emnized August  23,  1852.  and  united  him  with 
Miss  Hannah  Heard,  a  native  of  McLeansboro, 
111.,  and  a  daughter  of  John  H.  and  Mahilda 
(Crouch)  Heard,  also  natives  of  Illinois.  The 
family  was  founded  in  America  by  her  grand- 
father, Charles  Heard,  who  was  born  in  England 
and  died  in  Illinois.   The  maternal  grandparents, 


Adam  and  Hannah  (Buck)  Crouch,  made  their 
home  upon  a  large  farm  near  Shawneetown,  111., 
remaining  there  until  they  passed  from  the 
scenes  of  earth.  When  twenty  years  of  age  John 
H.  Heard  enlisted  as  a  volunteer  in  the  strug- 
gles with  the  Indians  and  rendered  faithful  serv- 
ice in  the  Black  Hawk  war.  Throughout  active 
life  he  followed  agricultural  pursuits  and  made 
a  specialty  of  raising  and  selling  thoroughbred 
horses.  His  death  occurred  in  Illinois  when  he 
had  reached  an  advanced  age. 

The  family  of  John  H.  Heard  consisted  of 
two  children,  but  Hannah  was  the  only  one  of 
these  to  attain  maturity,  and  she  was  orphaned 
at  three  years  of  age  by  her  mother's  death. 
In  childhood  she  was  sent  to  neighlxjring  schools 
which  were  conducted  in  log  buildings  destitute 
of  conveniences  and  scantily  equipped  for  the 
purposes  desired.  Public  schools  had  not  yet 
become  popular  and  teachers  were  engaged  by 
patrons  to  be  paid  on  the  subscription  plan.  In 
spite  of  disadvantages  incident  to  the  day  and 
locality  she  acquired  a  fair  education,  besides 
which  she  was  carefully  trained  in  housewifely 
arts.  About  eleven  years  after  her  marriage  she 
accompanied  her  husband  and  their  five  children 
to  the  west,  traveling  w-ith  horses  and  oxen  dur- 
ing the  summer  of  1863  and  settling  near  Vir- 
ginia City,  Mont.,  at  Alder  Gulch.  For  a  brief 
period  Mr.  Garner  carried  on  a  mine  which  he 
had  purchased  at  Pine  Grove. 

During  the  spring  of  1864  the  family  started 
for  Los  Angeles,  but  on  their  arrival  at  San 
Bernardino  the  illness  of  a  child  caused  them  to 
stop.  A  house  was  bought,  the  family  estab- 
lished themselves  comfortably,  and  for  years  Mr. 
Garner  engaged  in  the  butcher  business.-  With 
the  profits  of  his  work  he  invested  in  a  company 
that  built  the  motor  railroad  to  Redlands  and 
also  to  Harlem  Springs,  and  he  further  became 
a  stockholder  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  San 
Bernardino,  of  which  he  was  elected  vice-presi- 
dent. The  decadence  of  the  boom  caused  the 
failure  of  the  bank  and,  to  meet  its  obligations  *to 
depositors,  Mr.  Garner  willingly  donated  all  of 
his  property,  leaving  nothing  whatever  for  all 
of  his  work.  Though  disheartened  by  the  finan- 
cial catastrophe,  he  bravely  began  once  more, 
and  in  time  retrieved  his  losses  and  by  buying 
and  selling  lands  again  accumulated  a  compe- 
tency. His  death  occurred  in  September,  1900, 
when  he  w-as  seventy-two  years  of  age,  and  since 
that  time  his  widow  has  remained  at  the  old 
liom.e  in  .San  Bernardino.  Both  were  from  early 
life  identified  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Cliurch  South  and  contributed  generously  to  re- 
ligious movements. 

The  ten  children  comprising  the  family  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Garner  were  named  as  follows :  Mary, 
Mrs.    James    Swing,    of   Riverside ;   Lucv,    Mrs. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2045 


Harry  Bryant,  of  San  Bernardino;  Maggie,  Mrs. 
John  Barton,  who  died  in  San  Bernardino,  leav- 
ing three  children ;  Will  C,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  real  estate  business  in  this  city;  Robert  F., 
who  is  one  of  the  leading  cattle-buyers  in  this 
part  of  the  country;  Mrs.  Jennie  Lemaster,  of 
El  Paso,  Tex. ;  Emma,  who  died  at  eighteen 
years  of  age;  John  T.,  who  is  engaged  in  the 
wholesale  meat  business  at  Riverside ;  Florence, 
Mrs.  Fred  W.  Park,  of  San  Bernardino;  and 
Joseph,  who  died  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years. 
Identified  with  the  early  American  occupancy 
of  San  Bernardino,  Mr.  Garner  held  a  promi- 
nent place  among  its  early  business  men  and 
progressive  citizens,  and  contributed  largely  to 
the  development  of  its  material  resources.  Its 
prosperity  and  reverses  he  shared,  rejoicing  in 
the  one,  deploring  the  other;  yet  retaining,  even 
when  the  reaction  from  the  Ixjom  brought  un- 
wonted financial  depression,  a  stanch  faith  in  the 
ultimate  prosperity  of  his  home  city  and  county. 
While  he  never  sought  political  prominence,  he 
kept  posted  concerning  party  issues  and  gave  his 
support  to  the  Democratic  party.  The  high  prin- 
ciples of  Masonry  received  his  stanch  support  and 
for  years  he  was  an  active  local  worker  in  the 
order.  Another  organization  in  which  he  main- 
tained an  interest  was  the  Illinois  Society  of 
California.  It  was  not  his  privilege  to  live  to 
witness  the  prosperity  of  the  twentieth  century, 
yet  it  may  well  afford  pleasure  to  his  family  to 
realize  that  his  energy,  enterprise,  wise  judg- 
ment and  keen  foresight  contributed  materially 
to  the  consummation  enjoyed  by  the  present  gen- 
eration. 


WILLIAM  SPEED.  A  successful  ranch- 
man of  San  Bernardino  is  William  Speed,  who 
has  been  a  resident  of  this  section  since  1876. 
He  is  a  native  of  England,  and  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1841,  a  son  of  William  and  Mary 
(Turner)  Speed.  At  ihe  age  of  thirty  years 
he  immigrated  to  this  country,  settling  first  in 
Pottawattamie  county,  Iowa,  and  remaining 
there  five  years.  Attracted  by  the  opportunities 
offered  on  the  Pacific  coast  he  decided  to  move 
further  west  and  in  1876  arrived  in  San  Ber- 
nardino, Cal.,  which  place  has  since  been  his 
home.  In  1881  he  purchased  the  ranch  upon 
which  he  now  lives,  the  land  at  that  time  being 
uncultivated  and  unimproved.  He  built  an  at- 
tractive five-room  cottage  on  the  place  and  erect- 
ed the  necessary  outbuildings,  and  has  about  five 
acres  now  planted  to  alfalfa.  Before  the  water 
became  scarce  he  raised  six  crops  of  hay  in  a 
season,  cutting  about  nine  tons  to  the  acre,  but 
since  the  water  has  been  less  plentiful  the  yield 
has  fallen  to  about  one  ton  to  the  acre. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.   Speed,  which  occurred 


in  England,  united  him  with  Ann,  a  daughter 
of  Richard  and  Elizabeth  ( Pledges )  Mollard, 
her  birth  occurring  there  December  6,  1842. 
Seven  children  were  born  of  this  union :  Henry 
Richard,  who  died  in  1881,  at  the  age  of  sixteen; 
Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  O.  J.  Sessions,  residing 
in  Los  Angeles ;  Mary,  whose  death  occurred  in 
1871,  in  her  second  year;  Mary,  now  Mrs.  D. 
Wilson,  her  home  being  at  Long  Beach;  Anna, 
the  wife  of  W.  C.  Garner,  of  San  Bernardino; 
Margaret,  who  lives  at  home;  and  Mabel,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  seven  years,  in  1886.  Mr. 
Speed  is  a  man  possessing  many  fine  qualities 
of  heart  and  mind  and  is  highly  respected  by  his 
friends  and  neighbors  in  San   Bernardino. 


JOHN  HEBER  LYTLE.  Tlie  war  between 
the  United  States  and  Mexico  which  grew  out 
of  the  annexation  of  Texas  to  the  Union  in  1845 
was  indirectly  the  cause  of  bringing  the  Lytle 
family  to  the  west,  for  in  1846  Andrew  Lytle, 
the  father  of  our  subject,  left  his  Iowa  home 
and  came  to  the  scene  of  hostilities,  in  which  he 
participated  until  the  signing  of  the  treaty  of 
peace  in  1848.  Instead  of  returning  to  Iowa, 
in  1 85 1  he  came  to  California  and  settled  in  San 
Bernardino  county  near  a  little  creek  which 
later  became  known  as  Lytle  creek,  so  named 
in  honor  of  the  family.  By  trade  he  was  a 
blacksmith,  and  after  coming  to  San  Bernardino 
he  erected  a  shop  in  which  he  carried  on  a  good 
business  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  died  in 
1874,  when  only  forty-eight  years  of  age,  while 
his  wife,  who  before  her  marriage  was  Hannah 
Hull.  lived  to  reached  her  seventy-seventh  year, 
passing  away  in  1893. 

John  Heber  Lytle  was  an  infant  when  his 
parents  left  Iowa,  where  he  was  born  April  16, 
1846,  so  that  his  only  knowledge  of  his  birth- 
place is  what  has  been  handed  down  to  him  by 
ins  parents.  His  primary  education  was  re- 
ceived in  the  schools  of  San  Bernardino  and  of 
Salt  Lake  City.  As  manhood  years  approached 
and  it  became  necessary  for  him  to  select  a  busi- 
ness which  would  enable  him  to  provide  for  his 
own  support,  he  tried  various  lines  of  work,  in- 
cluding farming,  and  it  was  the  latter  that  he 
finally  decided  he  was  best  adapted  for.  After 
working  for  others  for  some  time  in  1884  he 
purchased  twenty  acres  one  quarter  of  a  mile 
from  the  city  limits  of  San  Bernardino,  at  the 
corner  of  I  street  and  Highland  avenue,  the 
same  property  upon  which  he  has  made  his  home 
for  over  twenty-two  years.  Besides  erecting  a 
house  and  barn  he  set  out  about  one  and  a  half 
acres  to  various  kinds  of  fruits,  all  of  which  have 
grown  to  the  luxuriant  proportions  known  only 
to  this  land  of  never-ending  sunshine. 

In    San    Bernardino,    January   20.    1884,  John 


2046 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


H.  Lytle  and  Sarah  Louisa  McCrary  were 
united  in  marriage.  Mrs.  Lytle  was  born  in 
.San  Bernardino  April  24,  1865,  and  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Emma  (Mapstead)  Mc- 
Crary. Of  the  five  children  born  to  the  marriage 
of  i\[r.  and  Mrs.  Lytle  all  are  living  and  at  home 
with  their  parents  with  the  exception  of  John 
Milton,  who  died  in  1886,  when  five  months  old. 
In  order  of  birth  the  others  are  named  as  fol- 
lows :  Emma,  Ena,  Stewart  and  Serena.  Mr. 
Lytle"s  early  religious  training  was  in  the  Mor- 
mon Church. 


WALTER  FRExMONT  GROW.  No  citi- 
zen of  Highland  is  more  closely  identified  with 
the  development  and  upbuilding  of  this  com- 
munity than  is  Walter  Fremont  Grow,  who  has 
been  a  resident  here  since  1882,  has  acquired 
large  property  interests  and  has  assisted  in  the 
promoting  of  an  irrigation  system  that  has  been 
of  untold  benefit  to  this  section.  He  was  born 
July  19,  1856,  in  Maine,  the  son  of  Samuel 
Lorenzo  and  Harriet  Fulker  (Currier)  Grow, 
and  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Monona  coun- 
ty, Iowa,  when  nine  years  of  age.  After  ob- 
taining a  high-school  education  he  adopted  the 
occupation  in  which  he  had  been  trained  from 
boyhood  and  engaged  in  farming  in  that  state 
until  1881,  when  he  came  to  California.  The 
first  year  here  was  spent  on  a  large  grain  ranch 
near  Fresno,  and  later  he  came  to  Highland  and 
worked  as  a  horticulturist  for  a  year,  thereafter 
purchasing  his  present  ranch  of  eighty-six  acres. 
He  has  put  all  of  the  improvements  on  the  place, 
including  thirty  acres  of  navel  oranges  and  grape 
fruit,  commodious  barns,  and  a  fine  residence  of 
eleven  rooms. 

It  was  in  1898  that  Mr.  Grow  with  others  es- 
tablished a  domestic  irrigating  water  system, 
sinking  wells  and  installing  large  pumps,  and  al- 
together making  it  one  of  the  most  perfect  water 
systems  in  use.  All  of  the  developing  was  done 
under  the  supervision  of  Mr.  Grow,  who  was 
the  first  superintendent.  The  company  is  in- 
corporated for  $50,000,  and  its  officers  are  L. 
C.  Waite,  of  Riverside,  president;  Herbert  W. 
Johnstone,  of  Highland,  vice-president;  John 
Browning,  of  Highland,  secretary,  the  latter  be- 
ing also  at  the  present  time  the  managing  super- 
intendent. Mr.  Grow,  who  owns  eleven-twenty- 
fourths  of  the  stock,  is  one  of  the  directors  and 
the  head  of  the  collection  committee.  He  is  a 
stockholder  in  the  Northfork  Water  Company, 
and  has  a  number  of  houses  in  Highland  which 
he  is  renting.  As  director  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  and  chairman  of  the  transportation 
and  street  and  highways  committees  he  is  one 
of  the  leading  members  of  that  body.  In  1894 
he  was  nominated  and  elected  to  the  office  of 


.supervisor   of   San   Bernardino  county,   running 
against  George  M.  Cooley. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Grow'  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  at  Highland,  has  taken  all 
of  the  degrees,  and  in  1904  represented  his 
lodge  in  the  Grand  Lodge  at  Bakersfield.  A 
member  of  the  Congregational  Church,  he  is  a 
liberal  supporter  of  the  various  charities  and 
benevolences  of  that  denomination,  and  his  in- 
fluence is  found  on  the  side  of  all  enterprises 
tending  to  elevate  the  community  in  which  he 
lives.  On  July  11,  1880,  he  was  married  to 
Carrie  Ella  Burroughs,  a  native  of  Iowa,  whose 
birth  occurred  May  21,  1861,  and  her  death  Au- 
gust 7,  1890.  Three  children  were  born  of  this 
union :  Edna  May,  now  Mrs.  William  E.  Brome- 
low,  who  resides  in  Highland ;  Ernest  Prentiss, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  three  months;  and  Laura 
Myrtle,  at  home.  i\[r.  Grow  was  again  mar- 
ried, December  15,  1900,  Caroline  Lowrie  Wil- 
son becoming  his  wife.  She  was  born  in  Pitts- 
burg, Pa.,  August  27,  1852,  the  daughter  of 
William  Work  and  Caroline  (Lowrie)  Wilson. 
Of  this  union  two  children  have  been  born,  one 
who  died  in  infancy  and  Walter  Lowrie,  bom 
June  4,  1904. 


CLARENCE  C.  McCOLLUM.  Conspicuous 
among  the  younger  members  of  the  farming 
community  of  Compton  is  Clarence  C.  j\Ic- 
Collum,  who  settled  here  about  two  years  ago, 
and  in  the  pursuit  of  his  chosen  vocation  is 
meeting  with  good  success.  A  son  of  I.  ]\IcCol- 
lum,  he  was  born  December  23,  1880,  in  Iowa, 
where  the  first  three  years  of  his  life  were 
passed. 

Born  in  1832,  in  North  Carolina,  I.  JMcCol- 
lum  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  when  young, 
and  for  a  few  years  followed  it  in  the  south. 
From  there  he  removed  to  Iowa,  but  soon 
thereafter  he  went  to  Indiana,  remaining  there 
one  year,  when  he  once  more  located  in  low^a. 
In  tiie  latter  state  he  followed  farming  until 
1883,  when  he  located  with  his  family  in  Pasa- 
dena, Cal.,  and  is  now  living  in  Long  Beach, 
Los  Angeles  county.  He  is  a  man  of  sterling 
integrit)'  and  worth,  much  esteemed  in  the 
community.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican, 
and  both  himself  and  wife  are  members  of  the 
Friends  Church.  His  first  wife,  Eunice  (Had- 
ley)  McCollum.  died  in  early  life,  having  be- 
come the  mother  of  two  children,  one  of  whom 
died  in  infancy,  and  the  other,  Elmina,  now 
lives  in  Pasadena.  Cal.,  and  is  single.  'Mr. 
McCollum's  second  wife  w^as  Luzena  Ballinger, 
a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and  they  became 
the  parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom  two 
died  in  infancy.  Those  living  are :  Emma, 
the  wife  of  John  Byers,  of  Pasadena;  Tillie, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2047 


the  wife  of  Charles  Mathews,  of  Olympia, 
Wash. ;  Luella,  Mrs.  Conrad  McDaniel,  of  Pas- 
adena; Rhoda,  wife  of  W.  Z.  Taber,  of  Pasa- 
dena; John,  who  married  Mettie  King  and  is 
hving  in  Los  Angeles ;  and  Clarence  C,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch. 

Scarce  three  years  old  when  he  came  with 
his  parents  to  California,  Clarence  C.  McCoI- 
lum  was  reared  and  educated  in  Pasadena, 
where  he  began  life  for  himself  as  a  teamster. 
Industrious,  prudent  and  thrifty,  he  accumulat- 
ed some  property,  and  now  owns  a  house  and 
lot  in  Pasadena.  In  December,  1904,  wish- 
ing a  change  of  occupation,  he  came  to  Comp- 
ton,  and  having  rented  fifteen  acres  of  land 
has  since  been  prosperously  employed  in  gen- 
eral ranching  and  dairying,  selling  his  milk  at 
the  Compton  cheese  factory.  Since  locating 
here  he  has  purchased  a  ranch  of  twenty-five 
acres.  Wide-awake,  active  and  ambitious,  he 
is  carrying  on  a  substantial  business,  and  has 
already  obtained  an  assured  position  among  the 
enterprising  young  business  men  of  his  com- 
munity. 

January  9,  1902,  Mr.  McCollum  married  Lot- 
tie Edna  Lee,  who  was  born  in  Illinois  Novem- 
ber 22,  1880,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  ancf  Mrs.  A.  C. 
Lee,  who  came  from  the  Prairie  state  to  Cal- 
ifornia in  1886,  locating  in  Pasadena,  where 
they  still  reside.  j\Ir.  and  Mrs.  McCollum  have 
two  children,  Clarence  Milton  and  Margery 
Lucille.  Politically  Mr.  McCollum  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  both  he  and  his  wife  are  attendants 
of  the  Christian  Church,  Mrs.  McCollum  hav- 
ing been  a  member  of  the  Eirst  Christian 
Church  of  Pasadena  since  her  fourteenth  year. 


JAMES  L.  GRIFFIN.  Experience  gained 
through  a  long  sojourn  in  Southern  California 
has  given  to  Mr.  Griffin  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  real  estate  values  and  makes  his  judgment 
in  transactions  of  buying,  selling  or  exchang- 
ing especially  sound  and  important.  In  the 
upbuilding  of  San  Pedro  and  Gardena  he  has 
been  particularly  active,  and  his  name  is  as- 
sociated with  the  transfer  of  many  lots  in  his 
subdivisions,  the  platting  of  additions  and  the 
sale  of  lots  having  been  among  his  specialties 
for  a  long  duration  of  years.  Although  he  has 
recently  established  his  home  in  Los  Angeles, 
he  has  not  relinquished  his  interests  in  the 
towns  named,  but  continues  active  in  negotiat- 
ing sales  or  exchange  of  properties,  and  is  re- 
garded as  an  authority  concerning  values. 

Descended  from  an  old  southern  family,  Mr. 
Griffin  was  born  in  Greene  county,  Ind..  July 
30,  i860,  and  is  the  eldest  among  four  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  still  survive.  His  parents, 
Richard  F.  and  Sarah  E.  (Inman)  Griffin,  were 


natives  respectively  of  Tennessee  and  Indiana, 
and  both  died  in  Missouri,  where  for  years  the 
father  followed  the  trade  of  a  carpenter  and 
cabinet-maker.  At  the  time  the  family  re- 
moved to  Missouri  James  L.  Griffin  was  a  lad 
of  fourteen  years,  and,  with  the  exception  of 
a  brief  period  spent  at  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  he 
remained  in  Missouri  until  1889,  the  year  of 
his  removal  to  California.  Immediately  after 
his  arrival  he  secured  employment  in  Los  An- 
geles, and  in  1891  learned  the  butcher's  bus- 
iness with  the  Redondo  Beach  Company.  Aft- 
er six  months  with  that  company  he  started  a. 
shop  of  his  own  at  Redondo,  where  he  carried 
on  a  growing  business. 

Immediately  after  removing  to  San  Pedro, 
December  5,  1895,  Mr.  Griffin  opened  a  butcher 
shop  on  Sixth  near  Beacon  street,  and  later 
bought  the  shop  owned  by  George  Hinds  on 
Fifth  and  Front  streets.  The  latter  market  he 
conducted  until  May  of  1902,  meanwhile  build- 
ing up  the  largest  business  of  its  kind  in  the 
town  and  establishing  a  reputation  for  reliabil- 
ity and  keen  business  methods.  In  the  mean-  • 
time  he  had  become  interested  in  the  handling 
of  towm  property  both  in  San  Pedro  and  Gar- 
dena. Among  his  enterprises  was  the  purchase 
of  the  James  L.  Griffin  subdivision  to  Gardena, 
a  tract  of  forty  acres,  which  he  sold  off  in  lots 
from  one  to  ten  acres  in  size.  In  addition  he 
became  owner  of  the  Griffin  and  Kitzman  tract 
of  twenty-six  acres,  which  has  been  sold  off  in 
town  lots.  At  this  writing,  with  Messrs.  Mc- 
Dermott  and  Ouinn.  he  is  interested  in  the 
San  Pedro  Villa  tract  of  twenty-five  acres  on 
the  Weston  road,  which  he  has  divided  into 
lots  of  two  and  one-half  acres.  Besides  buy- 
ing and  selling  he  has  improved  considerable 
property.  Some  years  ago  he  erected  the  Grif- 
fin block,  25x100  feet  in  dimensions,  on  the 
corner  of  Fifth  and  Front  streets,  San  Pedro, 
and  in  it  he  conducted  his  meat  market  for  a 
time,  but  the  block  eventually  was  sold.  The 
home  building  was  another  of  the  structures 
erected  under  his  supervision.  Since  moving 
to  Los  Angeles  he  has  made  his  home  at  No. 
2927  Halldale  avenue,  and  continues  to  be  in- 
terested in  real-estate  transactions  in  this  city 
and  elsewhere. 

When  he  was  a  lad  making  his  home  at 
Bonneterre,  Mo..  Mr.  Griffin  formed  the  ac- 
quaintance of  Miss  Abby  Smith,  who  was  born 
and  reared  in  that  old  French  town.  In  estab- 
lishing domestic  ties  he  chose  her  as  his  wife, 
and  they  have  worked  their  way  together  in 
Southern  California,  until  now  they  enjoy  a 
deserved  prosperity  and  a  large  circle  of  warm 
friends.  To  their  onlv  child,  Ural,  they  have 
given  excellent  educational  advantages  in  the 
schools    of    Southern    California.      The   family 


2048 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


attend  the  Aletliodist  Episcopal  Church  and 
are  contributors  to  religious  and  philanthropic 
movements.  The  only  fraternal  organization 
to  which  Mr.  Griffin  has  given  allegiance  is  the 
Independent  Order  of  Foresters,  in  which  he 
has  been  an  active  member  for  some  \-ears. 


URBAN  AMASA  TYLER.  From  the  com- 
mencement of  his  independent  business  career 
Urban  Amasa  Tyler  has  preferred  the  occupa- 
tion of  farmer  and  has  been  engaged  in  the  cul- 
tivation of  various  crops  since  completing  his 
education.  He  is  a  native  son  of  California,  hav- 
ing been  born  March  6.  1872,  in  San  Bernardino, 
the  son  of  Uriah  Urban  and  Rachael  (liloore) 
Tyler.  The  father  was  one  of  Southern  Cali- 
fornia's earliest  pioneers,  and  as  such  became 
an  important  factor  in  the  progress  and  upbuild- 
ing of  his  locality.  In  his  .sketch,  given  else- 
where in  this  locality,  more  details  concerning 
his  useful  life  will  be  found.  After  complet- 
ing his  studies  in  the  public  schools  LTrban  A. 
Tyler  took  a  course  at  San  Bernardino  Academy, 
conducted  by  D.  B.  Sturgess,  and  when  his 
studies  were  finished  immediately  began  his  oc- 
cupation as  a  ranchman.  In  1902  he  purchased 
ten  acres  upon  which  he  built  a  house  and  placed 
other  improvements,  setting  out  five  acres  to  va- 
rious kinds  of  small  fruits  and  devoting  the  re- 
mainder to  the  growing  of  barley  for  his  own 
.use. 

The  marriage  of  ^Ir.  Tyler,  February  i,  1899, 
united  him  with  Miss  Rose  A.  Alvarado,  a 
daughter  of  Ignatius  and  Sarah  A.  (White) 
Alvarado,  and  thev  have  become  the  parents  of 
three  children :  Qarice,  Elmira  and  Eunice.  Mr. 
Tyler  is  a  member  of  Arrowhead  Parlor,  No. 
no,  N,  S.  G.  W.,  in  which  society  he  has  held 
several  offices.  WHiile  he  had  no  taste  for  poli- 
tics he  intelligently  and  faithfully  fulfills  his 
duties  as  a  citizen  and  takes  an  active  interest  in 
all  elevating  and  upbuilding  enterprises  insti- 
tuted for  the  benefit  of  his  communitv. 


WILLIAM  P.  WILLIAMSON.  The  fact  that 
Mr.  Williamson  came  to  California  eight  seasons 
before  finally  taking  up  his  residence  here  marks 
him  as  a  careful,  thoughtful  man,  and  the  fact 
that  after  all  of  these  investigations  he  finally 
selected  Pomona  as  the  one  place  of  all  others 
where  conditions  and  climate  are  most  harmoni- 
ously combined  is  at  once  a  compliment  to  the 
town.  After  a  life  of  many  busy  and  useful 
years  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil  in  Iowa  he  came  to 
Pomona  in  1900,  and  has  since  lived  retired,  en- 
joying a  well-earned  respite  after  many  years 
of  labor  and  responsibility. 

A   native   of  the   Emerald     Isle,    William    P. 


Williamson  was  born  in  County  Derry,  Septem- 
ber 8,  1837,  one  of  si.x  sons  born  to  his  parents, 
James  and  ^Margaret  (Peyton)  Williamson,  they, 
too,  being  natives  of  Ireland.  The  father  was 
a  stanch  Presbyterian  and  in  defending  his  faith 
was  often  involved  in  the  religious  disturbances 
which  were  frequent  occurrences  in  Ireland  dur- 
ing his  day.  During  one  of  the  Catholic  massa- 
cres he  was  taken  prisoner  and  placed  in  Lon- 
donderry jail,  and  during  his  incarceration  there 
suffered  untold  hardships,  being  compelled  to 
live  on  rats  in  preference  to  death  by  starvation. . 
He  died  at  the  age  of  sixty  years,  and  his  wife 
when  seventy.  Three  of  their  sons  are  still 
living,  and  of  those  who  came  to  the  United 
States  one  is  in  Pomona,  Cal.,  one  in  Iowa,  and 
the  other  returned  to  Ireland  on  a  visit  and  died 
there.  William  P.  received  a  common-school 
education  in  his  native  country,  and  at  the  age 
of  fourteen  came  to  the  United  States  and  settled 
in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  without  difficulty  he 
secured  employment  in  the  rolling  mills,  receiv- 
ing a  man's  wages  from  the  beginning.  At  the 
end  of  two  vears  he  left  Ohio  and  located  in 
Illinois  not  far  from  Chicago,  where  for  about 
four  years  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand.  There- 
after he  spent  about  five  months  in  Minnesota, 
then  in  the  throes  of  an  Indian  uprising,  and 
among  others  he  assisted  in  driving  the  foe  from 
the  white  settlements. 

Subsequently  returning  to  Illinois,  Mr.  Wil- 
liamson about  this  time  (in  1857.  when  he  was 
twenty  years  old)  formed  domestic  ties  by  his 
marriage  with  Miss  Margaret  Williamson,  who 
was  born  in  County  Antrim,  Ireland,  April  20, 
1838,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Martha  (McQen- 
nen)  Williamson.  John  W^illiamson  was  a  prac- 
ticing physician  in  the  old  country,  a  profession 
which  he  relinquished  in  1847  to  come  to  the 
United  States.  In  Will  county,  Illinois,  where 
the  family  settled,  the  mother  died  at  the  age 
of  fifty-eight  years,  and  thereafter  the  father  re- 
moved to  Tama  county,  Iowa,  tliere  living  to  at- 
tain the  remarkable  age  of  ninety-four  years. 
His  family  comprised  one  son  and  six  daughters, 
and  of  these  three  daughters  are  now  living,  one 
in  California  (?*Irs.  W.  P.  Williamson),  one  in 
Illinois,  and  one  in  Indiana.  As  Mrs.  William- 
son was  only  nine  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her 
removal  to  the  United  States,  she  has  little 
knowledge  of  her  native  country,  and  in  fact  the 
greater  part  of  her  life  has  been  spent  in  the 
middle  west.  Reared  and  educated  in  Will 
county,  Illinois,  after  their  marriage  she  remained 
in  the  same  county  for  about  six  years,  Mr.  Wil- 
liamson then  removing  to  Tama  county,  Iowa. 
Purchasing  a  farm  of  four  hundred  and  forty- 
two  acres,  he  settled  down  to  life  in  that  locality, 
and  for  thirty-five  years  raised  successful  crops, 
not  one  failure  marring  the  record.     In  addition 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2049 


to  raising  grain  he  was  equally  successful  as  a 
hog  and  cattle  raiser,  and  was  rightfully  classed 
among  the  most  successful  and  thrifty  farmers  of 
that  state.  He  erected  two  residences  on  the 
farm  and  a  complement  of  outbuildings  adequate 
for  the  needs  of  his  business.  He  still  owns  his 
Iowa  property,  although  for  the  past  six  years, 
or  since  locating  in  California,  it  has  been  under 
the  care  of  a  tenant. 

Three  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Williamson,  but  only  one  is  now  living.  James 
Hugh,  the  first  born,  died  at  the  age  of  two  years 
and  seven  months ;  Lillie  B.  is  the  wife  of  Dr. 
G.  W.  Forester,  a  physician  of  Pomona,  and 
they  have  three  children  living;  Maggie  May 
became  the  wife  of  Augustus  Schroder,  and  at 
her  death,  which  occurred  in  Pomona,  Septem- 
ber 25,  1905,  at  the  age  of  thirty-nine  years,  she 
left  one  child.  The  family  are  communicants  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Pomona,  of 
which  Mr.  Williamson  and  his  wife  are  members, 
and  in  their  daily  living  exemplify  the  teachings 
of  their  religious  belief.  In  his  political  leanings 
Mr.  Williamson  is  a  Republican,  casting  his  first 
vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  it  was  on  the 
ticket  of  his  chosen  party  that  he  was  elected 
town  councilman  of  Elberon,  Iowa.  The  key- 
note of  Mr.  Williamson's  success  is  without 
doubt  due  to  the  high  principles  of  honor  which 
have  entered  into  every  transaction,  to  the  end 
that  his  life  has  been  upright  and  honorable,  and 
in  the  evening  of  his  days  he  can  look  over  the 
past  without  remorse  and  forward  to  the  future 
without  fear. 


EMMO  C.  BICHOWSKY.  Since  coming  to 
Pomona  in  1899  Mr.  Bichowsky  has  demon- 
strated the  possession  of  qualities  which  make 
for  good  citizenship,  and  as  an  enterprising, 
wide-awake  business  man  he  has  won  a  name  and 
place  for  himself  in  the  commercial  world  which 
is  worthy  of  his  efforts.  Among  the  various  en- 
terprises with  which  his  name  is  associated  are 
the  Pomona  Implement  Company,  of  which  he 
is  president,  and  the  Pomona  Valley  Hospital. 

ilr.  Bichowsky  was  born  February  29,  1856, 
in  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  where  his  father,  Francis, 
a  native  of  Berlin,  Germany,  had  settled  upon  his 
emigration  to  the  new  world  in  1849.  Fo'" 
thirty-five  years  he  was  associated  with  the  busi- 
ness life  of  that  city  as  a  merchant,  and  his 
death  in  1906  was  deplored  as  a  public  loss. 
His  wife,  Mathilde  Gust,  was  also  a  native  of 
Germany,  born  in  Frankfort-on-the-Oder,  Prus- 
sia. Emmo  C.  Bichowsky  was  their  only  son 
who  grew  to  manhood,  and  he  was  given  a  good 
education  in  the  common  and  high  schools  of  his 
native  city,  graduating  from  the  latter  with 
honors  wlien  seventeen  years  of  age.     His  ambi- 


tious spirit  would  not  permit  him  to  be  content 
in  idleness,  and  although  the  circumstances  of 
his  parents  were  such  as  to  admit  of .  a  short 
respite  after  his  arduous  school  life,  he  neverthe- 
less sought  occupation  at  once.  His  first  posi- 
tion was  as  cashier  for  the  firm  of  Hulman  & 
Co.,  of  Terre  Haute,  later  accepting  the  position 
of  teller  in  the  bank  of  McKeen  &  Co.,  of  the 
same  city.  During  the  nine  3  ears  he  remained 
with  the  latter  employers  he  was  advanced  stead- 
ily until  at  the  time  of  his  resignation,  in  1885, 
he  had  been  filling  the  office  of  assistant  cashier 
for  some  time. 

The  year  which  witnessed  the  close  of  his 
business  connections  in  Indiana  was  the  begin- 
ning of  a  new  career  in  the  Golden  State,  and  one 
with  which  he  has  every  reason  to  feel  proud. 
He  first  located  in  San  Gabriel,  Los  Angeles 
county,  and  for  a  time  he  was  employed  as  deputy 
in  the  county  tax  collector's  office  at  Los  An- 
geles. In  the  fall  of  1886  he  became  associated 
with  L.  J.  Rose  &:  Co.,  owners  of  the  largest 
winery  on  the  coast,  the  products  of  Sunny  Slope, 
at  the  vineyard  was  called  being  sent  to  all 
parts  of  the  country.  For  about  eleven  years 
Air.  Bichowsky'  was  manager  of  this  large  for- 
eign corporation,  and  upon  resigning  his  position 
in  August  of  1897  he  went  to  Santa  iNIonica,  re- 
maining there  two  years,  in  the  meantime  asso- 
ciating himself  with  the  California  Green  and 
Dried  Fruit  Company  at  Lds  Angeles  as  man- 
ager. Believing  that  a  larger  opening  awaited 
him  in  Pomona,  he  gave  up  the  latter  position  in 
1899  and  the  same  )'ear  came  here,  in  August 
buying  out  the  implement  business  of  Philip 
Stein  &  Co.  With  this  as  a  nucleus  he  organized 
a  new  company  which  was  incorporated  as  the 
Pomona  Implement  Company,  with  himself  as 
president.  From  the  first  the  business  has  had 
a  steady  growth  which  has  been  gratifying  in  the 
extreme,  and  he  now  occupies  the  whole  of  the 
Brady  building  as  well  as  the  annex,  which  in- 
cludes two  stores  and  a  floor  space  105x97^ 
feet.  In  addition  to  implements  of  all  kinds  and 
makes  he  also  carries  a  complete  stock  of  the 
goods  manufactured  by  the  Studebaker  Brothers 
Manufacturing  Company.  Another  enterprise 
with  which  Mr.  Bichowsky  is  associated  is  the 
Pomona  Valley  Hospital,  of  which  he  is  presi- 
dent. It  has  been  in  active  operation  since  De- 
cember of  1904,  and  is  conceded  to  be  one  of  the 
finest  small  hospitals  in  this  part  of  the  state. 
He  is  also  vice-president  and  a  director  of  the 
San  Gabriel  Cemetery  Association.  During  the 
time  he  had  charge  of  the  Sunny  Slope  ranch  in 
the  San  Gabriel  valley  he  purchased  an  orange 
ranch  of  twenty-four  acres  and  he  still  owns  this 
property. 

In  Boston,  Mass.,  Mr.  Bichowsky  was  married 
to  Miss  Ella  Mason,  a  native  of  that  state,  and 


2050 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


four  children  have  been  born  of  their  marriage: 
Carl  (deceased),  Foord,  Francis  and  James.  In 
their  religious  affiliations  the  family  are  Uni- 
tarians and  in  the  church  of  that  denomination 
at  Pomona  Mr.  Bichowsky  is  a  trustee  and  is 
chairman  of  tlie  finance  committee.  Politically 
he  is  a  Republican,  and  fraternally  he  is  a  char- 
ter member  of  Pomona  Lodge  No.  789,  B.  P. 
O.  E.  Enterprising  and  successful,  he  has  not 
been  content  with  gaining  prosperity  for  him- 
self, but  has  taken  an  active  part  in  plans  for  the 
upbuilding  of  his  community,  and  in  igoo  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  of 
which  for  three  successive  years  he  has  been 
president. 


WILLIAM  HALE  MUNROE.  As  one  of 
the  leading  contracting  painters  and  decorators 
of  .San  Pedro,  William  Hale  Munroe  is  conduct- 
ing a  successful  and  well-established  business, 
which  occupies  an  important  place  among  the 
various  industries  of  this  thriving  city.  A  man 
of  strictly  honest  principles,  with  a  fine  record 
as  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  he  stands  high  in 
the  estimation  of  the  community  in  which  he  re- 
sides, and  is  looked  upon  as  a  useful  and  hon- 
orable citizen.  A  native  of  New  England,  he 
was  born  April  19,  1840,  in  Bristol,  R.  I.,  where 
his  parents,  Caleb  and  Lemira  (Luther)  Mun- 
roe, spent  their  entire  lives.  The  father,  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  was  of  Scotch-Irish  an- 
cestry, while  his  mother  was  of  English  descent. 
Grandfather  Munroe  served  as  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary  war. 

The  youngest  of  a  family  of  eleven  children, 
William  H.  Munroe  was  brought  up  on  the 
home  farm  and  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  Bristol.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  years  he 
began  learning  the  trade  of  painter  in  Fall  River, 
Mass..  where  he  was  employed  until  after  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war.  Enlisting,  in 
June,  1862,  in  Company  D,  Third  Massachusetts 
Volunteer  Infantry,  he  was  in  camp  at  Read- 
ville,  Mass.,  for  a  year,  and  then,  with  Burn- 
side's  expedition,  was  sent  to  North  Carolina, 
where  he  took  part  in  the  battles  at  Roanoke 
Island  and  Newbern.  Returning  home  at  the 
expiration  of  his  term  of  enlistment,  he  at  once 
re-enlisted,  becoming  a  member  of  Company  D, 
Sixtieth  Massachusetts  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
was  for  a  short  time  stationed  in  Maryland.  He 
was  subsequently  promoted  to  the  rank  of  sec- 
ond lieutenant,  and  with  his  regiment  was  sent 
to  Indianapolis  to  guard  prisoners.  At  the  close 
of  the  war,  after  serving  five  months  with  his 
company,  he  was  honorably  discharged,  and  then 
returned  home. 

Settling  in  New  England,  Mr.  Munroe  fol- 
lowed   his    trade    either    in    Massachusetts    or 


Rhode  Island  for  a  number  of  years.  Desiring 
a  change,  he  went  to  Yankton,  S.  Dak.,  in  1876, 
and  was  there  engaged  in  painting  and  contract- 
ing for  a  while.  Removing  from  there  to  Hutch- 
inson county,  S.  Dak.,  he  bought  a  large  tract 
of  land,  and  for  a  number  of  years  was  pros- 
perously employed  in  agricultural  pursuits.  Sell- 
ing out  in  1894,  he  went  to  Salt  Lake  City, 
where  he  followed  his  trade  of  painter  and  con- 
tractor for  seven  years.  Coming  to  California 
in  1901,  he  located  in  San  Pedro,  purchasing  a 
residence  at  No.  1325  Center  street,  and  has 
since  built  up  a  substantial  business  as  a  con- 
tractor in  painting  and  decorating,  his  artistic 
and  durable  work  being  appreciated  by  his  pa- 
trons. 

Mr.  Munroe  has  been  twice  married,  his  first 
marriage,  in  Somerset.  Mass.,  uniting  him  with 
Augusta  Brooks,  a  native  of  Vermont.  She  died 
in  Yankton,  S.  Dak.,  leaving  one  child.  William 
F.,  now  engaged  in  business  at  Trinidad,  Colo. 
In  Yanklon,  S.  Dak.,  Mr.  Munroe  married  Mrs. 
Calista  (Kelly)  Bartlett,  who  was  born  of 
Scotch-Irish  and  English  ancestry  and  reared  in 
Ohio.  By  her  first  marriage  she  has  five  chil- 
dren, one  son.  Van  Velsor  Bartlett,  being  a  resi- 
dent of  Santa  Rosa.  Politically  Mr.  Munroe  is 
a  loyal  adherent  of  the  Republican  party,  and 
while  a  resident  of  Yankton  served  as  auditor 
of  Yankton  county.  While  there  he  organized 
Phil  Kearney  Post  No.  7,  G.  A.  R.,  which  he 
served  as  commander,  and  he  is  now  a  member 
of  Harbor  City  Post  No.  108,  G.  A.  R.  He  is 
likewise  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the 
Benevolent,  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 

Since  writing  the  above  ]\Ir.  Munroe  has  dis- 
posed of  his  holdings  in  San  Pedro  and  intends 
to  locate  in  Santa  Rosa,  Sonoma  county. 


MARSHALL  POSEY  SULLENGER.  A 
pioneer  ranchman  of  San  Bernardino  county  is 
Marshall  Posey  Sullenger,  a  native  of  McLeans- 
boro,  Hamilton  county.  111.,  born  October  7, 
1845.  His  father,  Alexander  T.  Sullenger,  a 
native  of  Kentucky,  in  addition  to  following 
farming,  also  dealt  in  marble  for  many  years. 
He  lived  to  reach  the  ripe  old  age  of  ninety-one 
years  and  passed  away  in  1893.  The  wife  and 
mother,  who  was  born  in  Fairfax  county,  Va., 
died  at  the  early  age  of  thirty  years.  The  edu- 
cation of  M.  P.  Sullenger  was  gleaned  in  the 
district  schools  of  Illinois,  and  even  that  priv- 
ilege was  not  secured  without  great  efifort,  for 
schools  were  few  and  far  between  at  that  time, 
the  lad  being  obliged  to  walk  four  miles  to  the 
schoolhouse.  Until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil 
war  in  1861  his  life  was  spent  on  the  farm,  but 
on  August  12  of  that  year  he  enlisted  in  Com- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2051 


pan)-  A,  Fortieth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
under  command  of  Col.  S.  G.  Hicks.  He  served 
faithfully  until  the  end  of  his  term  of  enlist- 
ment in  1864,  when  his  company  and  regiment 
re-enlisted  as  a  body,  retaining  their  old  organ- 
ization, and  JMr.  Sullenger  continued  in  the  serv- 
ice until  the  close  of  the  war,  receiving  an  hon- 
orable discharge  in  June,  1865.  He  participated 
in  a  number  of  important  battles,  including  Shi- 
loh,  Corinth,  Holly  Springs,  Vicksburg,  Jack- 
sonville, as  well  as  in  many  minor  engagements. 
He  was  with  Sherman  on  his  famous  march  to 
the  sea,  at  that  time  being  under  marching  or- 
ders and  in  the  firing  line  for  one  hundred  and 
twelve  days  in  succession. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Sullenger  returned 
to  his  home  in  Hamilton  county.  111.,  and  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits  for  a  number  of 
years.  Removing  to  California  in  1883,  he  pur- 
chased a  ranch  of  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres, 
which  he  has  brought  to  a  high  state  of  devel- 
opment, and  is  now  growing  thereon  hay  and 
grain  crops.  He  is  also  the  owner  of  a  fine  res- 
idence in  the  city  of  San  Bernardino.  In  1892 
occurred  his  marriage  to  Miss  Eliza  M.  Snider 
of  San  Bernardino,  who  was  born  in  Ohio  and 
for  twenty  years  was  an  educator  in  the  schools 
of  Illinois,  Pennsylvania  and  in  San  Bernardino. 
Mr.  Sullenger  is  a  member  of  Cornman  Post  No. 
57,  G.  A.  R.,  and  politically  is  a  stanch  believ- 
er in  the  principles  advocated  in  the  platform 
of  the  Republican  party.  He  is  a  man  who  is 
deeply  concerned  in  all  matters  of  social  and 
civic  interest  and  is  highly  respected  by  all  who 
know  him. 


JOHN  BLODGETT.  The  proprietor  of  the 
City  Stables,  John  Blodgett  is  one  of  the  old  set- 
tlers of  Redlands  and  one  of  the  important  fac- 
tors in  the  upbuilding  of  the  business  interests 
of  the  place.  He  is  a  native  of  Fulton  county, 
Ind.,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  that  location 
September  16,  1856;  his  paternal  grandfather, 
Morris,  was  a  native  of  New  England  who  be- 
came a  farmer  in  Ohio,  later  in  Indiana,  and  fin- 
ally came  to  California  and  after  some  years 
spent  in  San  Jacinto  located  in  Tehama  county 
where  his  death  eventually  occurred,  at  the  age 
of  eighty-eight  years,  his  wife  having  died  at  the 
age  of  eighty-four.  His  father,  George  W. 
Blodgett,  was  born  in  Ohio  and  in  young  man- 
hood became  a  farmer  in  Indiana.  The  pioneer 
spirit  was  strong  upon  him  and  the  further  at- 
tractions of  the  discovery  of  gold  in  the  west  im- 
pelled him  to  come  as  far  west  as  Pike's  Peak 
in  1859.  Later  he  went  to  Montana  and  from 
that  point  he  was  drawn  to  Virginia  City  at  the 
time  of  the  gold  discovery  at  that  place.  He  sent 
his   familv   east   during  the   time   spent   in   Vir- 


ginia City,  and  the  following  year  he  returned  to 
Indiana  by  mule-teams,  but  immediately  after- 
ward brought  his  family  to  Montana  traveling  in 
a  train  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  wagons.  This 
was  at  the  time  of  the  Sioux,  Cheyenne  and  Ar- 
apahoe outbreak,  but  the  journey  was  made  in 
safety  because  of  the  large  train,  in  which  were 
three  hundred  armed  men.  The)-  made  the  trip 
by  way  of  the  Bozeman  cut-off,  the  Big  Horn  and 
Yellowstone  Park,  at  Bozeman,  crossing  the  Yel- 
lowstone river,  where  a  son,  Bruce,  was  drowned. 
They  located  in  the  vicinity  of  Virginia  City 
where  the  father  had  taken  up  a  large  hay  ranch, 
and  there  he  built  a  hotel  and  conducted  a  stage 
through  Madison  valley  to  Virginia  City,  a  dis- 
tance of  about  twelve  miles.  After  one  year  he 
discontinued  these  efforts  and  moved  to  Raders- 
burg,  Mont.,  thence  came  overland  to  Utah,  where 
he  engaged  as  a  large  contractor  for  the  Union 
Pacific  Railroad  Company.  He  was  living  at 
Corinne  at  the  time  of  the  completion  of  the 
railroad,  shortly  after  which  he  removed  to  Col- 
orado and  on  the  Divide  engaged  in  the  cattle 
business.  While  thus  occupied  he  located  at 
Colorado  Springs  and  built  one  of  the  first  dwell- 
ings in  that  city,  which  property  he  sold  in  1871, 
and  in  July  of  that  year  came  to  California  and 
in  the  San  Jacinto  valley  engaged  in  general 
farming,  the  raising  of  alfalfa  and  the  manage- 
ment of  a  large  dairy.  Their  trading  point  was 
first  at  San  Bernardino  and  later  at  Glendale. 
It  was  here  that  his  wife,  formerly  Letitia  Mc- 
clure,  a  native  of  Indiana,  passed  away.  Mr. 
Blodgett  passed  his  last  days  with  his  son  in  Red- 
lands,  where  his  death  occurred  in  1903  at  the  age 
of  eighty-four  years.  They  were  the  parents  of 
four  sons  and  two  daughters,  of  whom  one  son 
is  deceased. 

Frontier  life  has  always  been  the  part  of  John 
Blodgett,  for  from  Indiana  the  family  removed 
to  various  places  in  the  west,  and  it  was  because 
of  this  that  he  early  learned  the  management  of 
horses  and  also  his  judgment  regarding  their 
possibilities.  His  actual  knowledge  of  booklore 
is  scant,  because  of  an  injur)'  received  in  child- 
hood which  compelled  him  to  seek  an  outdoor  life. 
But  in  this  he  acquired  what  has  been  of  more 
service  to  him  than  the  best  school  training,  for 
with  added  years  has  come  the  knowledge  he 
could  not  then  learn  and  in  the  meantime  experi- 
ence had  fitted  him  for  a  proper  understanding 
and  use  of  it.  When  a  mere  lad  he  received  $150 
a  month  for  herding  stage  horses,  and  also  rode 
race  horses  for  Hank  Brown.  He  was  present 
at  the  ceremony  of  the  driving  of  the  golden  spike 
in  1869,  and  witnessed  much  of  the  growth  and 
development  of  the  west  before  and  after  that 
important  event.  He  engaged  with  his  father  in 
the  cattle  business  in  Colorado,  Utah  and  Mon- 
tana, and   followed  his  parents   to  California   in 


2052 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1 8/ I.  From  the  San  Jacinto  valley  he  was  accus- 
tomed to  drive  stock  to  Utah  and  the  Panhandle 
in  Texas.  He  took  up  a  homestead  near  San 
Jacinto  at  the  head  of  the  vallej'  and  there  im- 
proved a  ranch,  and  in  the  meantime  took  a  trip 
back  to  Colorado  and  bought  cattle  at  Durango, 
and  while  there  was  married  to  jNIinnie  Jacobs,  a 
native  of  Ohio.  He  engaged  in  the  cattle  busi- 
ness in  that  section  of  Colorado,  where  he  still 
owns  cattle.  Later  he  started  a  horse  ranch  in 
Arizona  on  the  \'erde  and  still  has  animals  there. 
Returning  to  San  Jacinto  he  again  engaged  in 
the  stock  business  until  1900,  when  he  located 
in  Redlands  and  here  engaged  in  dealing  in 
horses,  his  reputation  as  a  correct  judge  of  equine 
flesh  extending  throughout  the  country.  In  June, 
1906,  he  purchased  the  business  of  the  City  Liv- 
ery and  has  since  continued  the  business  at  No. 
123  State  street,  where  he  has  fine  vehicles  of 
every  description.  Mr.  Blodgett  had  the  honor 
of  driving  Helen  Hunt  Jackson  through  the 
Hemet  valley  to  the  ranch  owned  by  Charles 
Thomas,  at  the  time  she  was  gathering  material 
for  her  famous  novel  "Ramona." 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blodgett  are  the  parents  of  four 
living  children,  three,  Stella,  Vivian  and  May, 
having  died  in  Fresno ;  those  living  are  Arthur, 
Frank,  Gladys  and  Grace,  the  two  sons  being  en- 
gaged with  their  father  in  business.  Mrs.  Blod- 
gett is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  whose 
charities  are  liberally  supported  by  the  family. 
Mr.  Blodgett  is  a  Democrat  politically  and  was 
elected  through  these  interests  to  the  position  of 
road  overseer  of  the  San  Jacinto  district,  which 
duties  he  discharged  with  efficiencv  for  six  vears. 


MATHEAS  BLUMEARE.  One  of  the  most 
extensive  ranchmen  in  the  Moreno  valley  is 
Matheas  Blumeare  who  is  farming  three  thou- 
sand acres  of  land  to  barley  and  wheat  and  in 
harvesting  his  crops  uses  a  thirty-two  horsepower 
combined  harvester.  He  was  bom  in  Alsace  Lor- 
raine, France,  June  16,  1847,  being  the  son  of 
John  and  Susan  Blumeare,  both  natives  of  the 
same  country.  The  father  was  occupied  as  a 
farmer  during  his  lifetime,  his  death  occurring 
in  Algeria,  Africa,  in  1863,  at  the  age  of  forty- 
seven  years,  his  wife  also  dying  there  at  the  same 
age  and  in  the  same  year.  Madieas  Blumeare  re- 
ceived a  good  education  in  the  French  and  Ger- 
man languages  and  after  the  completion  of  his 
studies  took  up  the  occupation  of  farming  in  his 
native  country.  In  1889  he  emigrated  to  Amer- 
ica and  locating  in  Los  Angeles  county  engaged 
in  farming  and  dairying.  Continuing  in  business 
at  that  point  for  one  year  he  next  when  to  Fuller- 
ton  for  two  years  and  in  1893  came  to  the  Moreno 
valley  which  has  since  been  his  home. 

In  1897  Mr.  Blumeare  was  married  to  Angela 


(Becker)  Blumeare,  a  native  of  France,  and  who 
was  in  that  country  in  1878  wedded  to  Peter 
Blumeare.  a  brother  of  her  present  husband,  the 
three  coming  to  this  country  at  the  same  time 
and  the  death  of  the  brother  occurring  in  this 
place  in  1897  at  the  age  of  forty-two  years.  Mr 
and  Mrs.  Blumeare  are  devout  members  of  the 
Catholic  Church  in  San  Jacinto.  They  are  enter- 
prising and  progressive  people,  anxious  to  keep 
pace  with  present  day  methods  and  are  held  in 
the  hiehest  esteem  bv  all  who  know  them. 


ALPHECS  B.  WISE,  V.  S.  One  of  the  old- 
est residents  and  most  favorably  known  profes- 
sional men  of  San  Bernardino  is  Dr.  A.  B.  Wise, 
who  is  actively  engaged  in  a  large  and  lucrative 
veterinary  practice.  He  is  located  on  D  street, 
near  the  old  postoffice  building,  his  office  being 
fitted  up  with  all  modern  appliances  for  surgical 
work,  having  an  automatic  operating  table  and 
all  instruments  necessary  to  his  profession.  He 
gives  special  attention  to  horses,  cattle,  hogs, 
sheep  and  other  domestic  animals,  and  his  repu- 
tation as  a  practitioner  has  spread  over  the  en- 
tir^^  southwestern  part  of  this  state  and  into 
Arizona.  He  has  served  for  many  years  as 
county  veterinarian. 

Born  in  Wetzel  count}',  W.  \"a.,  December  7, 
1839,  Dr.  Wise  is  the  son  of  Jackson  and  Nancy 
(Ingram)  Wise,  the  mother  being  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania  and  the  father  born  in  Virginia, 
following  the  occupation  of  farmer  and  black- 
smith throughout  his  entire  life.  The  son  re- 
ceived only  a  limited  education  in  the  common 
schools  in  his  early  youth,  having  been  obliged  to 
make  his  own  way  in  the  world  from  the  age  of 
fourteen.  He  was  of  an  ambitious  aftd  enter- 
prising nature,  however,  and  resolved  to  over- 
come the  lack  of  early  advantages,  and  while 
filling  a  position  as  clerk  in  a  general  store,  at 
the  same  time  attended  a  private  school.  In  1859 
he  joined  a  party  of  emigrants  on  a  trip  across 
the  plains,  engagmg  to  drive  one  of  the  ox  teams. 
Starting  from  .St.  Joseph,  ]\Io.,  after  a  seven 
months'  trip  they  landed  at  Placerville,  then 
known  as  Hangtown,  and  Dr.  Wise  engaged  in 
placer  mining  for  two  years.  He  was  fairly  suc- 
cessful in  the  undertaking  and  later  continued 
mining  in  Virginia  City.  In  1863  he  located  in 
San  Bernardino  and  with  the  exception  of  two 
years  spent  in  Arizona,  this  has  been  his  home 
ever  since.  When  he  first  settled  here  he  estab- 
lished himself  as  a  blacksmith  and  also  conduct- 
ed a  repair  shop,  continuing  it  successfully  for 
seventeen  years.  Having  taken  up  the  study  of 
veterinary  surgery  during  his  spare  time,  he  soon 
became  proficient  and  entered  upon  its  practice, 
having  in  the  meantime  given  up  his  blacksmith 
shop. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2053 


In  1865  Dr.  Wise  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Harriet  L.  Roberts,  who  was  born  in  Miss- 
issippi, and  their  one  daughter  is  now  the  wife  of 
Ernest  E.  Hott,  of  San  Bernardino.  Dr.  Wise 
owns  much  valuable  business  and  residence 
property  here  and  is  considered  one  of  the  most 
firmly  established  men  in  the  city.  In  social, 
business  and  professional  circles  he  is  held  in 
'the  highest  esteem  and  as  a  public-spirited  cit- 
izen is  a  supporter  of  every  enterprise  tending 
to  upbuild  his  section  of  the  state. 


JOHN  HELANDER.  Properly  ranked 
among  the  self-made  men  of  Los  Angeles 
county  is  John  Helander,  who  began  his  career 
at  the  foot  of  the  ladder  of  attainments,  with- 
out other  resources  than  his  own  indomit- 
able will  and  resolute  spirit.  From  the  humble 
position  of  his  youthful  days  he  has  risen  to  that 
of  one  of  the  representative  men  of  a  thriving 
and  prosperous  community,  at  the  present  time 
being  prominently  associated  with  the  mercan- 
tile interests  of  San  Pedro  as  a  successful  gro- 
cer. For  a  number  of  years  he  was  engaged 
in  seafaring  pursuits,  as  a  sailor  visiting  many 
of  the  important  seaports  of  the  world,  and  hav- 
ing many  thrilling  experiences  and  escapes  from 
danger  and  death.  In  October,  1882,  while  on 
board  the  barque  James  B.  Bell,  from  San  Fran- 
cisco, he  was  wrecked  during  a  hurricane  in  the 
harbor  of  Acapulco,  INIexico,  but  all  of  the  crew, 
with  the  exception  of  the  second  mate,  was 
saved.  Eight  days  afterwards,  when  about  one 
hundred  miles  from  the  Mexican  shore,  the 
barque  Antioch,  on  which  he  was  a  seaman, 
sprung  aleak,  having  been  damaged  by  the  hur- 
ricane just  mentioned,  but  fortunately  was  taken 
into  a  small  harbor  and  all  on  board  were  res- 
cued from  their  perilous  position.  Five  months 
later,  in  the  early  part  of  1883,  the  schooner  on 
which  he  was  employed  was  wrecked  between 
the  Mild  Rocks,  in  the  Golden  Gate  harbor,  but 
the  vessel,  and  pll  of  the  crew  excepting  three 
men,  were  saved.  With  this  record  of  dangers 
braved,  it  is  needless  to  speak  of  Mr.  Helander's 
courage  and  fearlessness,  to  which  are  also 
added  industry,  honesty  and  integrity. 

A  native  of  Finland,  Mr.  Helander  was  Tjorn 
October  12,  1856,  in  the  city  of  Abo,  which  was 
also  the  birthplace  of  his  father,  Henry  He- 
lander. Wlien  a  boy  he  began  working  in  a 
printing  office  in  Abo,  and  was  afterwards  for 
three  years  employed  in  a  match  factory.  At 
the  age  of  sixteen  years  he  began  his  seafaring 
life,  going  first  as  cook  on  a  vessel  engaged  in 
foreign  trade.  .Subsequently,  on  the  Elliott,  an 
English  vessel,  he  went  before  the  mast  to  Cal- 
cutta, India,  going  and  returning  by  way  of 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  after  which  he  sailed 


from  France  for  New  York  and  Baltimore. 
Subsequent!)-,  as  one  of  the  crew  of  the  Amer- 
ican ship  Oriental,  he  sailed  from  Baltimore, 
i\Id.,  around  the  Horn  to  Callao,  Peru,  and  re- 
turn, and  later,  on  the  same  vessel,  came  around 
the  Horn  with  a  cargo  of  coal,  one-half  of  which 
h.e  delivered  in  Mexico,  bringing  the  remainder 
to  San  Francisco,  arriving  in  port  in  1879.  Lo- 
cating in  that  city,  he  continued  as  a  sailor  for  a 
lew  years,  becoming  first  mate.  He  visited  va- 
rious ports,  including  those  of  Mexico  and  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  and,  as  above  mentioned,  met 
with  numerous  disasters.  As  early  as  1887  he 
landed  in  San  Pedro,  at  that  time  experiencing 
two  or  three  earthquake  shocks.  From  1883 
until  1885  he  lived  in  Portland,  Ore.,  where  he 
settled  after  his  marriage,  being  there  employed 
in  fishing.  Locating  in  San  Pedro  in  January, 
1887,  he  built  a  residence  on  Second  street,  and 
for  three  years  was  in  the  employ  of  Banning 
&  Co.,  the  ensuing  two  years  being  engaged  in 
the  lumber  business,  during  which  time,  in  1892, 
he  began  the  erection  of  his  present  store  build- 
ing, on  Fourth  street,  near  Beacon  street.  Since 
its  completion,  in  July,  1893,  he  has  been  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  mercantile  business,  having 
a  large  and  well  stocked  grocery,  which  is  well 
patronized. 

In  1883,  in  San  Francisco,  Mr.  Helander  mar- 
ried Mary  Fabler,  a.  native  of  Finland,  and  their 
only  child,  Victor  Helander,  a  graduate  of 
Woodbury's  Business  College,  is  a  plumber  in 
San  Pedro.  Politically  Mr.  Helander  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Foresters  of  America. 


GUY  MONROE  FLORY.  One  of  the  most 
popular  and  successful  contractors  and  builders 
in  San  Bernardino  is  Guy  Monroe  Flory,  who 
has  lived  the  greater  part  of  his  life  since  four 
years  of  age  in  this  community.  His  parents, 
M.  M.  and  Mary  (Armstrong)  Flory,  were  both 
members  of  old'  Virginia  families,  and  became 
early  settlers  in  Independence,  Mo.,  where  the 
son,  Guy  Monroe,  was  born  May  12,  1872.  The 
father  served  in  the  Federal  army  during  the 
Civil  war  and  made  a  fine  military  record.  A 
sketch  of  his  life  appears  in  another  part  of  this 
volume. 

It  was  in  1876  that  Guy  Monroe  Flory  was 
brought  by  his  parents  to  San  Bernardino.  The 
public  schools  of  this  city  he  attended  until  four- 
teen years  of  age,  from  which  time  until  eight- 
een he  was  employed  in  various  capacities.  He 
then  apprenticed  himself  to  a  blacksmith  and 
worked  at  that  trade  for  three  years  there  and 
in  Stockton,  and  after  attaining  his  majority 
commenced  to  work  at  the  carpenter's  trade, 
which  he   had   learned   from  his   father  when   a 


2054 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


young  boy.  The  years  of  his  young  manhood 
were  restless  ones,  however,  and  a  short  time 
later  he  went  to  the  State  of  Chihuahua,  JNIexico, 
and  was  superintendent  of  the  Santa  Margareta 
mines  there  for  two  years.  Returning  to  San 
Bernardino  he  continued  to  work  at  tlie  carpen- 
ter's trade  until  1903,  when  he  began  business  as 
a  contractor  and  builder  and  has  since  that  time 
been  erecting  residences  in  this  city.  His  own 
home,  at  No.  152  Seventh  street,  is  an  example 
of  his  work. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Flory  in  San  Bernardino 
in  1894  united  him  with  Miss  Ellen  Warden, 
who  was  born  in  Phoenix,  Ariz.,  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  C.  Warden,  who  was  an  early  settler  in 
that  territory  and  was  sheriff  of  Maricopa  county 
at  one  time.  He  came  to  San  Bernardino  at  the 
time  of  the  Indian  troubles  and  served  as  deputy 
sherilif  and  police  officer,  and  was  killed  in  an 
accident  while  serving  as  a  special  officer  on 
the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  at  Seligman,  Ariz.,  in 
March,  1906.  He  discovered  and  named  the 
Calico  mine,  and  also  found  the  King  mine,  in 
which  he  sold  his  interest.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Flory 
are  the  parents  of  three  children.  Alberta,  Gladys 
and  Frank.  Fraternally  Mr.  Flory  is  a  member 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at 
San  Bernardino  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 
He  has  been  a  member  of  the  San  Bernardino 
fire  department  at  different  times  during  the 
greater  part  of  the.  past  fifteen  years,  has  served 
as  treasurer  of  the  company  and  was  also  at  one 
time  the  foreman.  Politically  he  is  an  active 
Republican  and  is  a  leading  influence  in  the 
councils  of  his  part>-  in  that  section  of  the  state. 


CHARLES  HUDSON  TYLER.  During  the 
half  century  and  more  that  Mr.  Tyler  has  been 
a  resident  of  California  he  has  been  an  inter- 
ested witness  to  the  marvelous  changes  that 
have  transformed  a  country  in  its  infancy  from 
every  standpoint,  through  the  adolescent  to  the 
mature  age,  until  to-day  it  stands  full-fledged 
and  upon  equal  footing  with  the  older  common- 
wealths of  the  Union.  Far  from  being  an  idle 
witness,  he  has  done  his  share  in  bringing  about 
present  conditions,  and  as  a  reward  for  industry 
and  frugality  in  years  gone  by  he  is  now  enabled 
to  live  practically  retired,  making  his  home  on 
a  small  ranch  near  San  Bernardino. 

A  son  of  John  S.  and  Eliza  (Hudson)  Tyler, 
Qiarles  H.  Tyler  was  born  on  Long  Island,  N. 
Y.,  October  21,  1831,  and  was  educated  both  in 
the  schools  of  his  native  town  and  in  the  more 
advanced  schools  of  New  York  City.  After  his 
graduation,  when  he  was  about  seventeen  years 
of  age,  he  went  to  sea,  being  under  the  imme- 
diate instruction  and  guidance  of  his  father,  who 
was  a  sea  captain  and  the  master  of  the  ship  on 


which  he  sailed.  Three  years  on  the  water, 
however,  satisfied  him  that  seafaring  was  not 
the  life  for  which  he  was  adapted,  and  at  the 
age  of  twenty  he  struck  out  in  the  world  for 
himself,  going  direct  to  New  York  City,  where 
for  a  number  of  years  he  clerked  in  a  store. 
Although  the  records  do  not  so  state,  it  is  safe 
to  presume  that  his  removal  to  California  came 
about  as  a  result  of  the  wonderful  stories  of  the 
finding  of  gold  in  the  state,  stories  which  reached 
the  most  remote  corners  of  our  own  and  other 
countries.  This  prediction  is  strengthened  by 
the  fact  that  after  landing  at  San  Francisco  from 
the  old  sliip  Golden  Gate  he  made  his  way  im- 
mediately to  Georgetown,  where  he  tried  his 
luck  at  placer  mining.  Fortune  smiled  rather 
than  frowned  upon  his  efforts,  for  he  continued 
mining  for  fifteen  years,  from  1854  until  1869. 
It  was  in  the  latter  year  that  he  came  to  San 
Bernardino  and  purchased  a  ranch,  intending  to 
follow  an  agricultural  life,  but  his  knowledge 
along  that  line  was  so  meagre  that  he  decided  to 
give  it  up.  Selling  his  property  he  bought  an 
interest  in  a  lunjber  mill  m  Little  Grass  Valley, 
and  subsequently  with  his  brother,  under  the 
name  of  Tyler  Brothers,  bought  out  the  entire 
interest  in  the  mill.  Under  this  name  business 
was  conducted  until  1891,  when  the  plant  was 
sold  to  the  Arrowhead  Company. 

It  was  in  the  year  just  mentioned,  1891,  that 
Mr.  Tyler  purchased  the  four-acre  plot  of  Mr. 
Stoddard  upon  which  he  now  makes  his  home. 
There  had  been  very  little  expenditure  made  for 
improvements  when  the  property  fell  into  Mr. 
Tyler's  hands,  so  that  in  reality  he  has  made  it 
what  it  is,  erecting  his  house  and  barn  and  plant- 
ing all  of  the  trees  upon  the  place.  He  also 
owns  property  in  the  vicinity  of  Highland,  which 
he  purchased  of  ]\Ir,  Seely,  the  original  pur- 
chase comprising  four  hundred  acres,  although 
he  now  owns  only  twenty  acres,  having  disposed 
of  portions  of  it  from  time  to  time.  ]\Iuch  of 
this  land  he  had  purchased  as  low  as  $4  per  acre. 
The  orange  trees  on  the  Highland  ranch  he 
planted  in  1892  and  he  now  has  one  of  the  finest 
orchards  in  the  county,  both  in  point  of  product- 
iveness and  quality  of  fruit.  For  almost  fifteen 
years  he  has  devoted  his  attention  exclusively  to 
the  cultivation  of  oranges  on  the  Highland 
ranch,  although  his  home  has  always  been  in 
San  Bernardino,  where  he  is  now  living  retired 
from  the  active  duties  connected  with  the  man- 
agement of  his  ranch.  At  the  time  of  the  Civil 
war  he  offered  his  services,  but  was  never  called 
into  action. 

In  .San  Bernardino,  July  4,  1880,  Mr.  Tyler 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Jerusha  Hancock, 
the  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Ts'ancy  (Guernsey) 
Hancock,  and  two  children  have  been  born  to 
them,  Mary  Hudson,  at  home  with  her  parents, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2055 


and  Don  Charles,  a  student  in  the  high  school 
at  San  Bernardino.  Fraternally  Mr.  Tyler  was 
at  one  time  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen.  In  his  religious  views  he  is  a  Qiris- 
tian  Scientist. 


WILLIAM  CHARLES  GREELY.  Among 
the  well  known  men  of  San  Pedro  is  William 
Charles  Greely,  formerly  president  of  the  Lum- 
ber Surveyors'  Association  of  Southern  Cal- 
ifornia, and  an  important  factor  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  industrial  prosperity  of  this  sec- 
tion of  the  state.  Distinguished  as  a  native 
son  of  California,  he  was  born,  April  23,  1859, 
on  Rattlesnake  bar,  north  fork  of  the  American 
river,  in  Placer  county,  a  son  of  William 
Greely.  His  Grandfather  Greely  was  born  in 
Ireland,  but  when  a  young  man  immigrated  to 
the  United  States,  locating  in  Boston,  Mass. 

William  Greely  was  born  in  Boston,  Mass., 
and  there  followed  mechanical  pursuits  for 
many  years.  In  1851,  lured  to  the  Pacific  coast 
by  the  wonderful  stories  told  concerning  the 
discovery  of  gold,  he  came  by  way  of  the  Isth- 
mus of  Panama  to  this  state,  and  for  about 
nine  years  was  engaged  in  mining.  Settling 
permanently  in  Placer  county  in  1860,  he 
bought  a  ranch  about  four  miles  from  Auburn 
and  engaged  in  horticultural  pursuits,  becom- 
ing one  of  the  earliest  fruit  growers  of  that  re- 
gion. In  this  occupation  he  met  with  some  suc- 
cess, continuing  it  until  his  death,  at  the  age  of 
sixt3'-six  years.  He  married  Mary  Haley,  who 
was  born  in  Boston,  and  died  in  California.  Of 
the  four  children  born  of  their  union,  three  are 
living,  William  Charles,  the  special  subject  of 
this  sketch,  being  the  third  child  in  order  of 
birth. 

Completing  his  studies  in  the  district  schools, 
William  Charles  Greely  remained  on  the  home 
farm  for  some  years,  being  principally  em- 
ployed in  buying  and  shipping  fruits.  He  was 
subsequently  engaged  as  a  wholesale  dealer 
in  fruits  in  Montana  for  a  time,  but  in  June, 
1885.  changed  his  residence  and  occupation, 
going  to  The  Dalles,  Ore.,  where  he  was  for 
three  months  employed  in  a  sawmill,  after- 
wards working  for  two  months  with  the  Ore- 
gon Railroad  and  Navigation  Company.  On 
December  24.  1885,  with  but  $5  to  his  name, 
he  came  to  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  expecting  to 
take  a  position  as  clerk  in  a  railway  office.  He 
was  disappointed,  however,  in  getting  the 
position,  and  so  took  the  next  best  thing  ofif- 
ered,  for  five  months  driving  a  team  for  Charles 
Elian.  Securing  a  situation  then  with  the 
Kirchkofif  Lumber  Company,  he  began  at  the 
foot  of  the   ladder,  and  gradually  worked  his 


way  upward,  remaining  with  that  firm  two 
years.  Going  then  to  San  Francisco,  he  was  as- 
sociated with  the  California  Bridge  Company 
for  a  short  time,  after  which  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Pacific  Pine  Company,  for 
which  he  was  lumber  inspector  nine  years, 
from    1888   until   1897. 

Becoming  an  expert  in  his  line  of  industry, 
Mr.  Greeh'  went  to  Mendocino  county,  where 
he  first  had  charge  of  the  shipping  department 
of  the  Kasper  Lumber  Company,  and  later  of 
that  of  the  Empire  Redwood  Lumber  Com- 
pany, at  Bowens  Landing.  November  13, 
1902,  Mr.  Greely  came  to  San  Pedro  on  the  ship 
Samoa,  and  has  since  been  busily  and  prof- 
itably engaged  as  tallyman  and  inspector  of 
lumber.  He  subsequently  became  identified 
with  the  Lumber  Surveyors'  Association  of 
Southern  California,  which  is  composed  of 
twenty-three  members,  and  on  the  resignation 
of  its  president,  Mr.  Coleman,  in  July,  1904, 
Mr.  Greely  was  appointed  his  successor,  and 
to  this  position  he  was  elected  in  January,  1905. 

Politically  Mr.  Greely  is  a  stanch  Republican. 
Fraternall)'  he  is  a  member  of  Alder  Glenn  Par- 
lor, No.  2'oo,  N.  S.  G.  W.  of  Fort  Bragg;  a 
member  and  past  chancellor  of  Newcastle 
Lodge,  K.  P.  a  member  and  past  sachem  of 
Newcastle  Tribe,  I.  O.  R.  M.,  and  is  also  iden- 
tified with  San  Pedro  Lodge  No.  332  F.  & 
A.    M. 


ROYAL  MILTON  ARMSTRONG.  One  of 
the  most  popular  men  in  San  Bernardino  county 
is  Royal  M.  Armstrong,  deputy  county  clerk, 
who  has  been  filling  that  position  since  1902.  He 
was  born  December  7,  1877,  at  Topeka,  Kans., 
the  son  of  James  and  Mary  Frances  (Ragland) 
Armstrong.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Napier- 
ville,  Canada,  and  when  a  yoimg  man  learned 
the  blacksmith's  trade,  which  he  followed  after 
his  removal  from  his  native  country  to  Topeka, 
where  his  death  occurred.  His  wife  survives 
him  and  now  lives  at  Ocean  Park,  Cal.  Until 
he  had  attained  the  age  of  fifteen  years  ]\Ir. 
Armstrong  attended  the  public  schools  of  To- 
peka, and  as  it  then  became  necessary  for  him  to 
assume  the  responsibility  of  his  own  support,  he 
secured  a  position  with  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad 
Company,  working  in  different  positions  and  at 
various  points  in  the  state  for  several  years. 

In  1899  he  was  transferred  by  the  company  to 
San  Bernardino,  Cal.,  where  he  filled  a  position 
in  the  mechanical  and  transportation  department 
until  December,  1902,  when  he  severed  his  con- 
nection with  the  .Santa  Fe  to  accept  the  appoint- 
ment of  deputy  county  clerk  at  the  hands  of 
Louis  A.  Pfeiffer,  the  county  clerk.  He  is  an 
earnest  advocate  of  the   principles  embraced   in 


2056 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  platform  of  the  Republican  party,  takes  a 
prominent  part  in  all  matters  of  a  political  na- 
ture and  is  active  in  the  Republican  councils  of 
the  county  and  state. 

Mr.  Armstrong's  marriage  to  Miss  Nellie  V. 
Shipp,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Shipp,  of  Ottawa, 
Kans.,  took  place  in  December,  1898,  and  they 
with  their  two  sons,  Harry  Alaxwell  and  Jack 
Milton,  reside  in  their  beautiful  residence  at  No. 
698  Sixth  street,  San  Bernardino.  Fraternally, 
Mr.  Armstrong  affiliates  with  a  number  of  or- 
ders, holding  membership  in  the  Ancient  Order 
of  United  Workmen,  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America ;  San  Bernardino  Lodge  No.  348,  F.  and 
A.  M.,  and  is  very  prominent  in  the  Benevolent 
Protective  Order  of  Elks,  serving  at  the 
present  time  as  secretary  of  that  organization. 
He  is  a  man  of  genial  disposition  and  liberal 
views  and  has  a  host  of  friends  who  hold  him  in 
the  highest  esteem. 


JOHN  ALLISON  PRIVETT.  An  industri- 
ous, energetic  young  man,  possessing  excellent 
ability  and  good  judgment,  John  Allison  Privett 
is  identified  with  the  leading  interests  of  San 
Pedro  as  agent  for  the  Lumber  Surveyors'  As- 
sociation. Being  an  earnest  worker,  upright  and 
of  good  principles,  he  is  almost  sure  to  make 
for  himself  an  enviable  reputation  before  many 
more  years  have  passed  over  his  head,  both  in 
the  business  and  social  afTairs  of  his  adopted 
city.  A  native  of  Arkansas,  he  was  born  April 
4,  1880,  in  Fayetteville,  the  city  in  which  his 
father,  the  late  James  H.  Privett,  first  saw  the 
light  of  this  world.  His  grandfather,  Willis 
Privett,  was  born  in  Nashville,  Tenn.,  but  when 
a  young  man  settled  as  a  farmer  in  Arkansas. 

Born  and  reared  in  Arkansas,  James  H.  Pri- 
vett followed  the  independent  occupation  to 
which  he  was  reared,  becoming  a  prosperous 
farmer.  He  was  a  strong  anti-slavery  man,  and 
during  the  Civil  war  fought  under  the  stars  and 
stripes,  serving  in  the  Union  army.  He  mar- 
ried Sarah  A.  Peerson,  who  was  born  in  Ar- 
kansas, the  daughter  of  Jones  Peerson,  a  farmer, 
and  she  is  still  living.  Of  their  union  thirteen 
children  were  born,  eleven  of  whom  survive, 
John  Allison,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  being 
the  ninth  child  in  order  of  birth. 

Brought  up  on  a  farm,  and  educated  in  the 
public  schools,  John  Allison  Privett  remained 
at  home  until  nearly  seventeen  years  old.  Be- 
ginning the  struggle  of  life  then  for  himself,  in 
March,  1897,  he  went  to  Cripple  Creek,  Colo., 
where  he  remained  several  months.  Not  satis- 
fied with  the  outlook  in  that  region,  he  came  to 
California,  arriving  in  Los  Angeles  on  Novem- 
ber 7,  1897.     The  following  January  he  came  to 


San  Pedro,  and  for  two  years  and  a  half  was 
in  the  emplo}'  of  the  San  Pedro  Lumber  Com- 
]3any.  Later  becoming  associated  with  the  E. 
K.  Wood  Lumber  Company,  he  worked  for 
them  for  seven  months,  and  then  for  about  nine 
months  had  charge  of  the  company's  yards  at 
Los  Angeles.  Returning  then  to  San  Pedro, 
he  was  tallyman  for  the  same  firm  until  Decem- 
ber ID,  1903,  when  he  resigned  the  position. 
Entering  then  the  employ  of  the  Lumber  Sur- 
veyors' Association,  he  has  since  been  the  busi- 
ness agent  of  this  organization,  and  has  served 
with  great  credit  to  himself  and  to  the  accepta- 
tion of  all  concerned. 

January  25,  1905,  in  Montecito,  Santa  Bar- 
bara county,  Cal.,  Mr.  Privett  married  Ellis 
Shook,  who  was  born  in  Springfield,  Mo.,  a 
daughter  of  Rev.  Philip  T.  Shook,  a  well-known 
Methodist  minister,  and  a  granddaughter  of 
Rev.  Rufus  Shook,  who  went  to  Missouri  as  a 
pioneer  minister  of  the  Methodist  denomination, 
and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  en- 
gaged in  ministerial  labors.  Rev.  Philip  T. 
Shook  married  Lizzie  Baker,  who  was  born  in 
Alissouri,  where  her  father.  Rev.  R.  M.  Baker, 
located  as  a  pioneer  minister  of  the  Methodist 
Qiurch.  She  survived  her  husband,  and  now 
resides  in  Houston,  Tex.  Mrs.  Privett  is  the 
youngest  of  a  family  of  five  children,  four  of 
whom  are  living,  and  she  has  one  daughter, 
Kathryn  Lenora.  Fraternally  IMr.  Privett  be- 
longs to  the  Order  of  Eagles. 


WILLIAM  J.  ULRICK.  A  well  known, 
enterprising  agriculturist  of  San  Diego  county, 
William  J.  Ulrick  is  successfully  engaged  as 
a  general  farmer  on  a  part  of  the  old  El  Cajon 
ranch,  which  originalh'  consisted  of  forty-three 
thousand  acres  of  land  situated  in  the  El  Cajon 
valley.  On  Mr.  Ulrick's  estate,  which  is  known 
as  Canado  de  Loscochis,  stands  the  original 
dwelling  house,  which  was  built  more  than  a 
hundred  years  ago,  and  is  now  one  of  the  an- 
cient landmarks  of  this  vicinity.  It  is  built  of 
adobe,  contains  five  rooms,  and  in  the  time  of 
its  Spanish  occupants  was  the  scene  of  many 
revels  and  festivities.  This  house  Mr.  Ulrick 
will  rebuild,  and  preserve  as  far  as  possible  the 
style  in  which  it  was  first  built.  A  son  of 
John  Ulrick,  he  was  born  in  Clark  county-, 
Ohio,  where  he  spent  his  earlier  life. 

A  native  of  Pennsylvania,  John  L'lrick  set- 
tled in  Ohio  when  young,  and  having  learned 
the  trade  of  a  machinist  followed  it  during  his 
active  years,  being  also  engaged  in  improving 
and  managing  a  farm.  He  lived  to  a  good  old 
age,  passing  away  in  liis  Ohio  home,  in  1899. 
His  wife.  Catherine  Ulrick.  survived  him,  dv- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2057 


ing  in  1903,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years, 
being  then  one  year  older  than  her  husband 
was  when  he  died.  One  of  their  sons,  John 
Uh-ick,  Jr.,  enlisted  in  an  Ohio  regiment  during 
the  Civil  war,  and  gave  to  his  country  valiant 
service,  taking  part  in  many  of  the  noted  en- 
gagements of  that  conflict. 

Educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Ohio, 
William  J.  Ulrick  began  life  for  himself  as  a 
farmer,  and  for  many  years  carried  on  a  good 
business  as  a  stock  buyer  and  dealer,  ship- 
ping cattle  to  various  markets.  Coming  to  San 
Diego  county  in  1890,  he  lived  for  four  years 
in  San  Diego,  and  then  located  near  Lakeside, 
purchasing  that  part  of  the  El  Cajon  rancho  on 
which  he  now  resides.  On  his  ninety  acres  of 
land  he  raises  grain  and  alfalfa,  besides  which 
he  has  considerable  fruit  growing  on  his  ranch, 
his  orchard  being  quite  large  and  valuable. 
Mr.  Ulrick  has  made  many  excellent  improve- 
ments since  taking  possession  of  his  property, 
his  fine  residence,  with  its  environments,  being- 
very  attractive,  while  the  buildings  are  sub- 
stantial. His  land  is  rich  and  fertile,  and  is 
well  supplied  with  running  water,  so  that  he 
has  no  need  of  artificial  irrigation. 


JEREMIAH  LEWIS  HATTERY.  The  Hat- 
tery  family  dates  its  ancestral  history  in  this 
country  from  the  early  colonial  settlement  of 
\'irginia,  and  is  of  English  extraction.  Ephraim 
Hattery,  the  grandfather  of  Jeremiah  Lewis,  was 
born  in  Virginia,  and  it  was  his  father  who  was 
the  early  colonist.  On  September  11,  1845.  oc- 
curred the  birth  of  Jeremiah  Lewis  Hattery.  he 
being  a  native  of  the  section  near  Massillon, 
Stark  county,  Ohio,  where  his  parents,  John  and 
Mary  (Baumgarden)  Hatterv,  were  then  resid- 
ing. The  father,  who  was  born  in  Tuscarawas 
county,  Ohio,  was  a  carpenter,  builder  and  mill- 
wright, and  after  his  removal  to  Stark  county  he 
made  a  specialty  of  contracting,  erecting  many 
residences,  stores  and  public  buildings.  The 
large  flour  mills  in  Orrville.  Wayne  county,  Ohio, 
stand  as  an  excellent  example  of  his  ability  as  a 
millwright. 

The  boyhood  davs  of  J.  L.  Hattery  were  spent 
in  Wa\ne  county,  Ohio,  where  he  attended  the 
district  schools  and  when  it  became  time  for  him 
to  learn  a  trade  he  chose  his  father's  calling,  be- 
coming a  carpenter  and  machinist,  in  Canton, 
Ohio.  In  the  sprmg  of  1864.  although  less  than 
twenty  years  of  age.  he  demonstrated  his  patri- 
otism by  enlisting  in  Company  E,  One  Hundred 
and  Sixty-ninth  Regiment  of  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantr}-,  commanded  by  Col.  William  Haines, 
and  served  his  country  faithfully  in  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac  under  General  Grant  until  the  ex- 
piration of  his  term  of  enlistment,  when  he  was 


honorably  discharged.  Returning  to  Stark  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  he  entered  the  employ  of  C.  Altman  & 
Co.,  manufacturers  of  agricultural  implements, 
working  as  a  machinist  in  their  factorv  in  Can- 
ton for  five  years. 

It  was  in  1887  that  Mr.  Hattery  came  to  San 
Bernardino,  Cal.,  and  engaged  in  carpentering 
and  building,  meeting  with  flattering  success  in 
this  work  until  discontinuing  it  in  1894.  In  tliat 
year  he  located  on  his  ranch  of  forty  acres  in 
East  Highlands,  which  is  improved  with  good 
buildings  and  ten  acres  of  orange  trees  in  full 
bearing,  the  balance  of  the  ranch  being  devoted 
to  hay  and  grain  crops.  In  his  horticultural 
methods  he  is  decidedly  progressive  and  his 
manner  of  fertilizing  the  soil  gives  the  trees  a 
wonderful  growth  and  insures  large  crops  of 
fruit.  His  fruit  is  of  the  finest  quality  and  com- 
mands the  highest  prices  in  eastern  markets. 

In  1 866  Mr.  Hattery  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Aliss  Mary  E.  Barnhardt,  a  native  of  Ohio, 
who  engaged  in  school  teaching  before  her  mar- 
riage. She  is  a  wom.an  of  superior  intelligence 
and  social  qualities  and  is  much  interested  in  the 
work  of  the  Veteran  Association,  having  at  one 
time  been  president  of  the  ladies'  auxUiary  of 
that  body.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hattery  are  the  parents 
of  five  children :  Lewis  O.,  living  on  his  father's 
ranch:  Henrietta,  now  a  widow;  Lillian  M.,  de- 
ceased :  Bessie  E..  principal  of  one  of  the  San 
Bernardino  schools,  and  living  at  home ;  and 
Rollin  E.,  an  apiarist  of  East  Highlands.  Mr. 
Hattery  is  a  member  of  Vallev  Lodge  No.  27,  K. 
of  P.,  and  W.  R.  Cornman  Po'st  No^  57,  G.  A.  R. 
of  which  he  is  past  commander ;  and  is  also  con- 
nected with  the  Southern  California  Veteran  or- 
ganization of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 
He  is  a  man  well  informed  on  all  matters  of  gen- 
eral interest,  is  a  public-spirited  citizen  active  in 
all  upbuilding  enterprises,  and  is  held  in  the 
highest  esteem  by  his  hosts  of  friends. 


JOSEPH  BENTON  TYLER.  The  year 
1859  is  a  memorable  one  to  Mr.  Tyler,  for  it 
was  then,  when  a  young  man  of  twenty-two, 
that  he  left  the  parental  home  in  the  east  and 
sailed  by  way  of  Cape  Horn  with  California  as 
his  objective  point.  The  years  which  have  in- 
tervened have  found  him  engaged  in  various 
lines  of  endeavor,  first  as  a  miner,  later  em- 
ployed in  a  sawmill,  and  finally  as  the  owner 
of  one  of  the  finest  orange  orchards  in  San 
Bernardino  county. 

Joseph  B.  Tyler  is  a  native  of  the  Empire 
state,  born  in  Sufi'olk  county,  September  14, 
1837,  into  the  home  of  John  S.  and  Eliza  (Hud- 
son) Tyler.  His  boyhood  and  youth  were 
spent  in  New  York,  where  he  was  also  educat- 
ed, and  during  young  manhood  he  engaged  in 


2058 


HISTORICVL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


business  with  his  elder  brother,  Charles  H., 
the  two  carrying  on  a  successful  wholesale 
wooden  and  willow  ware  business  on  Maiden 
Lane,  New  York  City.  Subsequently  he 
learned  the  trade  of  ship  carpenter,  but  instead 
of  putting  it  to  practice  he  came  to  California 
with  his  father,  landing  at  San  Francisco  July 
2,  1859.  after  a  perilous  voyage  around  the 
Horn' of  one  hundred  and  eighty-eight  days. 
July  3  he  set  out  for  Sacramento,  where  he 
celebrated  his  first  Fourth  in  the  west.  There 
he  met  his  brother,  Charles  H.,  who  had  come 
to  the  state  in  1854.  and  for  some  time  had  been 
engaged  in  mining  near  Dutch  Flats,  whither 
they  at  once  proceeded.  For  about  twelve 
years  Joseph  B.  Tyler  carried  on  placer  mining 
there  with  a  fair  degree  of  success,  in  the  mean- 
time also  erecting  a  quartz  mill  for  a  neighbor- 
ing miner.  Giving  up  mining  altogether  in 
1871  he  came  to  San  Bernardino  county  and 
bought  a  sawmill  in  Grass  valley,  which  he  ran 
in  connection  with  a  lumber  yard  for  twenty 
years,  the  latter  being  located  in  San  Bernar- 
dino. The  mill  was"  sold  to  the  Arrowhead 
Company  in  1891,  the  latter  intending  to  use 
it  for  water  and  power  purposes. 

Since  the  year  1875  Air.  Tyler  has  made  his 
home  on  his'  present  property  in  San  Bernar- 
dino, purchasing  at  that  time  four  acres,  for 
which  he  paid  S300  per  acre.  He  has  since 
sold  one  acre,  but  the  three  remaining  leave 
ample  space  to  properly  set  off  his  fine  resi- 
dence and  other  buildings,  all  of  which  he 
erected  himself,  and,  in  fact,  all  of  the  improve- 
ments which  embellish  the  property  are  the 
result  of  his  own  ideas.  Besides  the  home  place 
he  has  an  orange  orchard  of  ten  acres  at  High- 
land. 

At  Gold  Run,  Placer  county,  Cal,  Air.  Tyler 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Louise  A.  Thorne. 
the  ceremony  being  celebrated  October  21, 
1868.  Mrs.  Tyler  is  a  native  of  Canada  and 
the  daughter  of  Edwin  and  Amelia  (Richmond) 
Thome.  All  of  the  five  children  born  to  Air. 
and  Airs.  Tyler  lived  to  attain  mature  years, 
and  all  are  still  living  with  one  exception.  Liz- 
zie Josephine  is  the  wife  of  William  T.  Russell, 
the  "latter  a  grocer  of  San  Bernardino:  Lydia 
Evalvn.  Mrs.  Casper  Rensch,  lives  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Ninth  and  C  streets,  San  Bernardino; 
Charles  Reach,  the  only  son,  resides  in  High- 
land ;  Bertha  Amelia,  who  became  the  wife  of 
.\rthur  P..  Jones,  passed  away  February  i.  1905. 
at  the  age  of  twenty-five  years,  leaving  one 
daughter,  Dorathalewe ;  the  youngest  child 
in  the  parental  home  is  Carrie  Louise,  now  the 
wife  of  John  C.  Hansen,  the  latter  a  tailor  in 
this  city.  Since  1887  Mr.  Tyler  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Odd  Fellows,  of  which  body  he 
is    an    active    and    interested   member,    having 


passed  all  of  the  chairs,  and  at  one  time  repre- 
sented his  lodge  in  the  Grand  Lodge  at  San 
Francisco.  In  retrospect  Air.  Tyler  can  look 
back  upon  a  life  well  spent  and  with  no  re- 
grets over  accumulating  at  the  expense  of  his 
fellowman.  With  the  wife  of  his  youth  he  is 
spending  his  declining  years  in  the  old  family 
home  at  the  corner  of  Tenth  and  C  streets, 
their  second  daughter.  Airs.  Rensch,  living  in 
the  immediate  vicinitv. 


G.  H.  BUBLITZ.  As  indicated  by  the  name, 
the  Bublitz  family  is  of  Teutonic  origin.  The 
founder  of  the  race  in  the  United  States  was 
Qiarles  Bublitz,  who  came  from  Germany  to 
the  new  world  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  set- 
tled in  Wisconsin  and  became  a  farmer.  Some 
.vears  after  his  arrival  in  the  United  States  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Louisa  Foltz,  also 
of  German  lineage.  Settling  on  a  farm  near 
Alilwaukee,  they  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits and  reared  their  children,  of  whom  there 
were  eight  (six  now  living).  The  mother  died 
in  1904.  at  the  age  of  eighty  years,  and  the 
father,  who  is  now  eighty-two  years  of  age 
{1906),  makes  his  home  in  the  city  of  Milwau- 
kee. Their  son,  G.  H.,  was  born  near  Alilwau- 
kee September  9,  1858,  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  grammar  schools,  the  Alilwaukee  high 
school,  and  Concordia  College  at  Fort  Wayne, 
Ind.,  which  latter  institution  he  attended  until 
the  junior  year. 

After  having  graduated  from  the  Spencerian 
Business  College  in  Alilwaukee,  Air.  Bublitz 
went  to  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed by  Noyes  Bros.  &  Cutler,  wholesale  drug- 
gists. Later  he  returned  to  Alilwaukee,  where 
he  engaged  as  a  bookkeeper  with  the  wholesale 
drug  firm  of  Dohmen  &  Schmidt.  June  30, 
1881,  he  married  Aliss  Caroline  Alaurer,  of  Fort 
Wayne,  Ind.  Soon  afterward  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Chicago,  Alilwaukee  &  St.  Paul 
Railroad  under  Sir  Thomas  G.  Shaughnessy, 
now  president  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railroad. 
His  special  task  was  the  organization  of  the 
store  department  of  the  entire  system,  in  which 
department  he  had  the  aid  of  six  clerks.  Owing 
to  the  ill-health  of  Airs.  Bublitz  he  was  com- 
pelled to  resign  his  position  and  seek  another 
climate.  Removing  to  California  in  1886.  he 
entered  the  employ  of  J.  F.  Holbrook.  of  Los 
Angeles,  with  whom  he  remained  as  bookkeeper 
and  for  eighteen  months  as  foreman  of  the  Hol- 
brook pipe  shops.  After  three  and  one-half 
years  with  the  same  employer  he  became  book- 
keeper for  the  Fulton  engine  works,  in  Los  An- 
geles, where  he  remained  for  six  years,  until 
the  incorporation  of  the  business,  when  his  po- 
sition was  taken  bv  a  member  of  the  new  firm. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGR.VPHICAL  RECORD. 


2059 


Next  he  was  employed  as  traveling  salesman  in 
the  interests  of  Schlitz  beer  for  the  firm  of 
Adloff  &  Hanerwaas,  bottlers. 

In  1897  Mr.  Bublitz  was  sent  to  take  charge 
of  Adloff  &  Hauerwaas'  sub-agency,  which  he 
continued  in  the  interests  of  others  until  1901, 
and  then  purchased  the  business.  In  1906  he 
erected  a  new  plant,  the  building  being  of  ce- 
ment blocks  or  artificial  stones,  thoroughly 
equipped  with  tlie  most  modern  machinery :  also 
a  refrigerator  with  a  capacity  of  four  cars,  and 
an  ice  machine  with  a  capacity  of  three  tons. 
The  structure  stands  on  the  corner  of  E  and 
First  streets,  is  86x110  feet  in  dimensions,  and 
was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $10,000,  forming  alto- 
gether one  of  the  most  modern  plants  of  its  kind 
in  the  west.  .Shipments  are  made  to  different 
points  in  San  Bernardino  and  Riverside  coun- 
ties. In  addition  to  maintaining  a  keen  and  in- 
telligent supervision  of  every  detail  connected 
with  the  business,  Mr.  Bublitz  is  interested  in 
the  work  of  the  San  Bernardino  Board  of  Trade 
and  takes  a  warm  interest  in  local  Republican 
affairs.  In  religion  he  is  of  the  Lutheran  faith. 
Since  coming  to  this  city  he  has  erected  the 
residence  which  he  now  occupies  at  No.  670  D 
street,  and  in  addition  he  has  acquired  other 
property  interests  in  his  home  town. 


LOUIS  KAHN.  As  janitor  of  the  San  Ber- 
nardino county  court  house  and  as  constable, 
Louis  Kahn  is  a  well  known  and  highly  respected 
citizen  of  the  citv  of  San  Bernardino.  He  is  a 
native  son  of  Californiji,  having  been  born  in 
Calaveras  county.  July  3.  1870,  the  son  of  Her- 
man and  Jennette  (VVeild)  Kahn,  both  natives 
of  Germany,  the  birth'  of  the  father  occurring 
in  Baden.  He  came  to  America  in  1863  and  two 
years  later  located  in  Calaveras  county,  Cal, 
finally,  however,  removing  to  San  Francisco. 
For  some  time  he  was  successfully  engaged  in 
business  in  that  city,  but  finally  retired  from 
active  life. 

After  completing  his  education  with  a  course 
in  high  school,  Louis  Kahn  secured  employment 
in  a  wholesale  dry  goods  and  furnishing  house 
and  filled  the  position  of  traveling  salesman  for 
sixteen  vears.  Upon  resigning  this  position  he 
went  to  Sacramento  and  engaged  in  an  inde- 
pendent mercantile  enterprise  and  when  he  sold 
his  interests  there  came  to  Los  Angeles  and  was 
employed  as  watchman  on  Terminal  Island  for 
the  Salt  Lake  Railroad  for  some  time.  He  re- 
linquished this  position  to  locate  in  San  Ber- 
nardino, and  this  city  has  been  his  home  ever 
since.  He  has  filled  his  present  office  as  consta- 
ble and  janitor  of  the  court  house  since  1904 
with  entire  satisfaction  to  all  concerned.  He  pos- 
sesses  a   courteous   and   cheery    disposition   that 


easily  makes  friends,  and  wins  him  the  esteem 
of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact.  Mr. 
Kahn  has  six  brothers,  one  of  whom  is  Hon. 
Julius  Kahn,  member  of  Congress  from  the 
I'ourth  Congressional  district  of  this  state.  He 
is  a  member  of  Arrowhead  Parlor,  N.  S.  G.  W., 
and  in  both  social  and  business  circles  enjoys 
much  popularity. 


SILAS  L.  GOWELL.  Although  but  a  brief 
time  has  elapsed  since  Silas  L.  Gowell  entered 
upon  the  work  of  contracting  and  building  in 
San  Bernardino  he  has  ably  demonstrated  his 
aliilit}-  in  this  line  and  has  built  up  an  extensive 
and  lucrative  business.  He  has  been  a  resident 
of  this  section  only  since  November,  1903,  hav- 
ing sought  a  change  of  climate  at  that  time  in 
order  to  benefit  his  health.  He  is  a  native  of 
Maine,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Bowdoin- 
ham,  Sagadahoc  county,  October  29,  1857,  his 
paternal  great-grandfather  having  emigrated 
from  England  in  the  colonial  days  of  our  coun- 
try and  established  the  family  "fortunes  in  the 
Pine  Tree  state.  A  son,  Samuel,  born  there, 
became  a  farmer  in  young  manhood  and  reared 
a  famil\-  to  useful  pursuits,  his  son,  Daniel,  be- 
coming in  turn  a  carpenter  and  builder.  The 
marriage  of  Daniel  Gowell  united  him  with 
Miss  Alartha  Cooper,  a  native  of  Chelsea,  and 
a  daughter  of  George  Cooper,  and  born  of  this 
union  were  three  daughters  and  one  son.  Both 
Mr.  Gowell  and  his  wife  passed  away  in  Maine. 

Silas  L.  Gowell  was  reared  in  his  native 
town  and  educated  in  its  public  schools,  after 
which,  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  he  began 
to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade  under  the  instruc- 
tion of  his  father.  Until  he  was  twenty-  years 
old  he  remained  at  home  and  then  engaged  in 
building  for  himself,  being  located  one  year  in 
Bowdoinham  and  later  in  Richmond  for  a  like 
period.  The  five  years  following  were  spent 
in  Gardiner,  Kennebec  county,  and  in  Orlando, 
Fla.,  three  of  the  five  winters  Ijeing  passed  in 
the  tropical  climate  of  the  "sunny  south." 
About  this  time  he  located  in  Norfolk,  Va.,  and 
engaged  in  the  hotel  business,  and  also  for 
eighteen  months  was  proprietor  of  the  bottling 
works  of  that  place.  Later  he  became  inter- 
ested in  the  breeding  of  standard  horses  and 
was  thus  occupied  for  over  three  years,  during 
which  time  he  owned  many  valuable  animals, 
among  them  Baron  Wood,  by  Baron  Posey, 
whose  record  was  2.\6\-^  at  four  years,  and 
valued  at  $2,500.  Disjjosing  of  this  interest 
he  engaged  in  a  mercantile  enterprise  in  Hamp- 
ton, "S'a..  but  met  with  an  entire  loss  by  fire, 
after  which,  in  .Vcwport  News,  same  state,  he 
followed  the  li\-cry  Inisiness  for  six  months. 
Fjilcring  tlic  omplny  of  the   Huntington  sliip- 


2060 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGR.VPHICAL  RECORD. 


yard  as  ship-fitter,  he  remained  in  this  con- 
nection for  a  time,  when  he  returned  to  his  old 
occupation  of  contracting  and  building,  en- 
gaging as  foreman  for  a  contractor.  Until 
November,  1903,  he  was  variously  located  in 
Porto  Rico  ;  Pensacola,.FIa, ;  Selma,  Ala, ;  New- 
port News,  Va. ;  and  Lawton,  Okla.,  engaged  in 
the  prosecution  of  his  trade.  Coming  to  South- 
ern California  at  that  time  he  located  in  San 
PJernardino  and  by  the  use  of  the  waters  of  the 
Consoles  JNIineral  Springs  entirely  recovered 
his  health.  In  April,  1905,  he  again  entered 
upon  the  work  of  contracting  and  building  and 
in  the  twelve  months  following  conducted  bus- 
iness on  a  more  extensive  scale  than  any  other 
contractor  in  the  city.  Besides  contracting  and 
building,  he  does  brick  and  cement  work,  in 
all  of  his  efforts  bringing  to  bear  an  energy^ 
and  ability  which  could  not  fail  to  insure  his 
financial  success. 

The  home  of  Mr.  Gowell,  located  at  No.  626 
G  street,  San  Bernardino,  is  presided  over  by 
his  wife,  with  whom  he  was  united  in  marriage 
in  Maine.  She  was  formerly  Miss  Flora  A. 
Wyman,  a  native  of  Litchfield,  that  state.  Born 
of  this  union  is  one  son.  Joseph,  a  resident  of 
Lcs  Angeles.  Mrs.  Gowell  is  a  member  of 
the  Congregational  Church,  whose  charities 
are  liberally  supported  bv  Mr.  Gowell.  In  his 
fraternal  afifiliations  he  is  identified  with  the 
Benevolent   Protective  Order  of  Elks. 


WILLIAM  W.  WHITE.  As  far  back  as  the 
record  of  the  White  family  can  be  traced,  its 
members  have  been  associated  with  agricultural 
and  horticultural  affairs,  and  have  been  identified 
with  the  material  development  of  the  various 
localities  of  their  residence.  In  this  respect 
William  W.  White  has  proved  himself  an  hon- 
ored member  of  an  old  family.  Possessing  the 
tastes  that  led  him  into  agricultural  enterprises 
in  early  life,  he  further  possessed  the  energy  and 
intelligence  calculated  to  bring  him  a  gratifying 
degree  of  success.  For  years  he  gave  his  atten- 
tion to  the  raising  of  stock  and  grain,  but  after 
his  removal  to  California,  he  specialized  in  horti- 
culture, and  now  ranks  among  the  progressive 
fruit-raisers  of  San  Bernardino,  where  he  owns 
a  tract  of  twenty  acres,  partly  situated  within  the 
city  limits.  Since  establishing  his  home  on  this 
place,  in  1893,  he  has  made  many  improvements 
and  has  greatly  increased  the  value  of  the  prop- 
erty. The  commodious  two-story  frame  resi- 
dence has  been  improved,  substantial  outbuild- 
ings have  been  added  as  the  need  for  them  arose, 
and  trees  of  fine  varieties  of  fruit  have  been 
])lanted.  The  problem  of  irrigation  has  been 
solved  satisfactorily  by  means  of  two  flowing 
wells  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  deep.   The  water 


from  these  is  conveyed  by  pipes  to  a  large  con- 
crete reservoir,  where  it  is  stored  and  turned  on 
the  land  as  needed,  furnishing  an  abundance  of 
water  for  the  entire  tract.  While  a  part  of  the 
land  is  rented,  the  greater  portion  he  superin- 
tends himself. 

A  native  of  Kentucky,  Mr.  \\'hite  was  born  in 
Hart  county  in  1838,  being  a  son  of  Harmon  B. 
and  ]\Iargaret  ( V>'right)  W'hite.  His  father  was 
a  Virginian  by  birth  and  ancestry,  but  at  an 
early  age  lie  migrated  across  the  mountains  into 
the  forests  of  Kentuck}-,  becoming  an  early  settler 
of  Hart  count}'.  As  he  was  a  planter,  he  oper- 
ated his  land  with  the  aid  of  slaves.  His  wife 
was  born  in  Green,  Ky.,  of  ancestry  that  early 
settled  in  Maryland.  Both  parents  passed  away 
in  Missouri,  where  they  were  making  their  home. 
Among  their  six  children  there  was  a  son,  Wil- 
liam W.,  who  was  sent  to  public  schools  and 
later  studied  in  a  private  school,  thus  receiving 
what  was  for  his  day  an  excellent  education. 
After  starting  out  for  himself  he  remained  in 
Kentucky  for  som.e  time,  and  among  other  things 
he  made  a  specialty  of  raising  mules,  which  he 
sold  to  the  planters.  Leaving  his  native  state  in 
1870,  he  removed  to  Missouri  and  settled  in  the 
northern  part  of  that  state  in  what  was  known 
as  the  Platte  purchase.  Taking  up  a  claim  he 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock-raising, 
and  by  degrees  his  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  was  transformed  into  one  of  the  best- 
improved  in  a  region  boasting  some  of  the  finest 
farms  in  JMissouri.  The  soil  was  rich  and  the 
district  one  of  the  finest  for  agricultural  pur- 
poses to  be  found  in  all  of  that  state.  When  the 
cares  of  the  estate  became  too  weighty  for  his 
advancing  years  and  he  sought  an  occupation 
less  taxing  upon  his  physical  strength,  he  sold 
his  farm  in  1893,  removed  to  Southern  Cali- 
fornia, and  purchased  land  in  the  south  edge  of 
.San  Bernardino,  where  smce  he  has  improved  a 
valuable  ranch.  Neither  in  this  city  nor  in  his 
former  home  in  Zvlissouri  was  he  actively  identi- 
fied with  politics  or  solicitous  of  official  honors, 
yet  always  he  has  kept  posted  concerning  na- 
tional issues  and  always  has  his  ballot  been  cast 
in  the  interests  of  tlie  Democratic  party.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  in  Missouri. 


ROBERT  R.  SIMPSON.  For  many  years 
Robert  R.  Simpson  has  been  identified  with  the 
business  interests  of  San  Bernardino  county  and 
has  also  engaged  in  prospecting  and  mining, 
meeting  with  very  good  success  in  all  of  his 
undertakings,  and  by  his  integrity  of  character 
and  straightforward  mediods  making  friends  of 
all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact.  His  birth 
occurred  in  June.  184S,  in  I'nionville,  S.  C,  he 
lieing  the  son  of  \\'illiam  and   Caroline    (Crad- 


HISTORICAL- AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2061 


ockj  Simpson.  The  father,  who  was  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent,  and  by  occupation  a  farmer,  re- 
moved with  his  family  to  Penetanguishene,  Can- 
ada, the  death  of  both  parents  occurring  in 
the  province  of  Ontario. 

A  member  of  a  family  of  seven  children,  three 
of  whom  are  now  living,  Robert  R.  Simpson  re- 
ceived a  preliminary  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  Ontario,  then  took  a  course  in  Lexing- 
ton College,  and  after  his  graduation  from  that 
institution  went  to  Ontario,  and  later  to  ^lont- 
real,  where  he  engaged  in  the  dry  goods  busi- 
ness. From  there  he  removed  to  Chicago,  111., 
and  secured  a  clerkship  with  Marshall  Field  & 
Co.  Coming  to  California  about  1890  he  spent 
some  time  in  San  Bernardino  and  several  coast 
towns,  clerked  in  Los  Angeles  and  mined  and 
prospected  in  the  eastern  part  of  San  Bernardino 
county.  Finally  he  settled  in  San  Bernardino, 
where  he  successively  clerked,  engaged  in  the 
real  estate  business,  mined  and  worked  as  sales- 
man for  the  Southern  California  Music  Com- 
pany. In  1906  he  was  appointed  superintendent 
of  the  city  cemetery,  which  position  he  now  fills. 
In  San  Bernardino  he  married  Miss  Delia  Car- 
ter, and  they  own  a  nice  residence  at  No.  428 
Church  street.  Mrs.  Simpson's  father,  Barney 
Carter,  was  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  and  most 
widely  known  men  in  this  part  of  the  state.  He 
had  engaged  in  mining  in  various  sections  and 
was  considered  one  of  the  best  posted  men  on 
that  subject  in  tiie  country.  He  discovered  and 
developed  several  properties,  among  them  being 
the  Gold  Mountain  mine,  and  was  largely  in- 
strumental in  the  building  of  the  mountain  roads 
for  the  county.  His  death  occurred  here  in  his 
sixty-eighth  year,  being  survived  by  his  wife, 
formerly  Olive  Nichols,  who  is  now  residing  in 
San  Bernardino.  In  national  politics  Mr.  Simp- 
son supports  the  Republican  party.  He  is  a 
man  of  strone  and  independent  principles  and 
takes  an  active  interest  in  all  matters  of  social 
and  civic  interest  to  the  con.imunity  in  which  he 
resides. 


ALBERT  GLATZ.  Probably  no  man  in  San 
Bernardino  is  better  known  than  Albert  Glatz, 
the  oldest  fireman  in  the  city  and  a  man  who 
has  held  one  position  almost  continuously  for 
seventeen  years.  He  was  born  October  4,  1859, 
in  Wheelersburg,  Scioto  county,  Ohio,  of  Ger- 
man parentage.  His  grandfather,  Cornelius,  was 
born  in  Frankfort.  Germany,  and  was  a  viti- 
culturist  on  the  Rhine.  He  served  in  the  army 
under  Napoleon  and  was  with  him  on  the  famous 
march  to  Moscow  and  return.  Theodore  Glatz, 
ihe  father  of  Al'iert.  was  also  born  in  Frankfort, 
Germany,  where  he  was  engaged  as  a  jeweler 
and  watchmaker  until   1848,  when  he  emigrated 


to  America,  settled  in  Ohio,  and  secured  his  first 
employment  under  O.  B.  Gould  at  Franklin  Fur- 
nace. He  later  removed  to  Wheelersburg  and 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising  until  1896, 
when  his  death  occurred  at  the  age  of  seventy 
years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order, 
in  which  he  had  attained  the  master's  degree. 
His  wife,  Mary  E.  Huger,  was  also  of  German 
birth,  and  the  daughter  .of  Moses  Huger,  a 
farmer  at  Frankfort,  Germany,  which  was  his 
lifetime  home.  !Mrs.  Glatz  lived  to  be  sevent)- 
two  years  of  age,  her  death  occurring  in  Ports- 
mouth, Ohio,  in  1898.  Of  her  eight  children  six 
are  still  living,  one  son,  E.  B.,  being  a  sheet- 
metal  worker  at  Seattle :  another,  Frank,  a  grocer 
at  Portsmouth,  Ohio,  and  Albert,  who  is  the 
oldest  living  son,  is  located  in  San  Bernardino. 

Until  he  had  reached  his  twenty-third  }ear 
Mr.  Glatz  remained  on  the  home  farm,  having 
attended  the  public  schools  during  his  boyhood 
and  later  assisted  his  father  in  the  farming 
operations.  In  1882  he  went  to  Colorado  and 
engaged  in  ranching,  being  employed  by  Major 
Downing.  Later  he  accepted  a  position  with 
John  McKane,  a  brick  manufacturer  of  Denver, 
and  while  there  made  the  brick  used  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  exposition  building.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1884,  he  came  to  San  Bernardino  and 
worked  successively  for  James  H.  Petitt  in  his 
Urbita  nursery,  and  two  years  for  Valentine  & 
Frederick  in  the  milling  business,  following 
which  he  was  em.ployed  in  the  grocery  store  of 
Mr.  Valentine  for  one  year.  He  next  helped  in 
the  erection  of  the  new  county  hospital  building, 
after  which  he  was  engaged  as  foreman  of  the 
farm  for  one  year.  He  next  joined  a  party  of 
eight  surveyors  and  assisted  in  the  survey  of  the 
toll  road  from  Redlands  through  to  Little  Bear 
valley.  They  started  on  July  18,  and  when  the 
party  returned  on  October  6  Mr.  Glatz  was  the 
only  member  left  of  the  original  corps  who  had 
started,  the  other  members  having  dropped  out 
')ne  by  one.  He  continued  in  this  work  under 
^V.  C.  Clark,  who  was  foreman  of  the  compan)-, 
until  t888.  when  he  decided  to  spend  a  year  at 
his  old  home  in  Ohio. 

Upon  his  return  to  San  Bernardino  in  i88g 
]Mr.  Glatz  was,  on  IMay  i.  appointed  driver  of 
the  only  fire  engine  then  in  the  city,  and  has 
continued  with  the  department  ever  since.  He 
was  on  dutv  twenty-four  hours  a  day  the  year 
around.  When  the  reservoir  was  built  he  was 
appointed  driver  of  hose  cart  No.  i,  is  still  fill- 
ing that  position,  and  to  him  belongs  the  credit 
of  having  broken  in  all  new  horses  taken  into 
the  service  since  that  time.  He  is  also  secre- 
tary of  the  fire  department,  an  office  he  has  held 
fifteen  years  out  of  seventeen.  No  other  man 
at  present  in  tjie  fire  department  has  seen  more 
than  half  the  vears  of  service  that  Air.  Glatz  has. 


2062 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Politically  he  is  a  strong  believer  in  the  prin- 
ciples advocated  by  the  Democratic  party,  and 
fraternally  he  affiliates  with  San  Bernardino 
Lodge  Xo.  348,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Token  Lodge 
i\o.  290,  I.  O.  ().  F.  He  is  interested  in  horti- 
cultural pursuits,  and  among  his  property  in- 
terests is  a  fine  twenty-acre  orange  grove.  In 
numerous  ways  Mr.  Glatz  has  proven  that  he 
has  tlie  best  interest  of  his  city  at  heart  and  no 
citizen  is  held  m  greater  respect  and  esteem 
than  he. 


DAVID  C.  STRONG,  M.  D.  It  is  unusual 
that  a  professional  man  meets  with  so  much  suc- 
cess in  so  short  a  time  as  has  attended  the  career 
of  Dr.  David  C.  Strong,  who  although  young  in 
years,  is  creditaljly  filling  the  position  of  super- 
intendent of  the  San  Bernardino  county  hospital, 
and  at  the  same  time  attends  to  a  large  private 
practice  as  physician  and  surgeon  in  the  city  of 
San  Bernardino.  Dr.  Strong  was  born  August 
26,  1879,  in  Paxton.  111.,  the  son  of  Robert  and 
jMartha  (JNIiller)  Strong.  His  early  years  were 
passed  on  the  farm  of  his  father,  who  was  a 
prosperous  farmer  and  stock-raiser,  and  in  the 
winter  time  attended  the  district  school  in  his 
neighborhood,  acquiring  a  good  knowledge  of 
the  common  branches,  after  which  he  attended 
Rice  Collegiate  Institute  for  four  years.  The 
first  two  years  of  his  medical  course  were  spent 
in  Rush  I\Iedical  College.  Chicago,  and  the  last 
two  years  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons in  the  same  city. 

LTpon  acquiring  his  medical  degree  Dr.  Strong- 
located  at  Wichita,  Kans.,  and  for  eighteen 
months  conducted  a  successful  practice.  He  then 
came  to  California  and  built  up  a  large  and  lucra- 
tive business  at  Redlands.  In  1905  he  received 
the  appointment  to  his  present  office  of  super- 
intendent of  the  county  hospital  at  San  Ber- 
nardino, in  which  institution  the  number  of  pa- 
tients ranges  from  seventy-five  to  as  high  as  one 
hundred  and  thirty-five  on  some  occasions.  Dr. 
Strong  has  identified  himself  with  the  various 
medical  societies  of  the  state,  holding  member- 
ship in  the  San  Bernardino  County  Medical  So- 
ciety, the  State  Medical  Society  and  the  South- 
ern California  R-Icdical  Society.  His  marriage  to 
Miss  Mary  Glenn  of  Chicago  took  place  in  1901, 
and  thev  have  one  son,  Robert  Glenn. 


]\IAJOR  ORIN  PECK  SLO.\T.  One  of  the 
most  highly  respected  citizens  of  San  Bernardino 
is  Maj.  Grin  Peck  Sloat.  who  for  the  past  ten 
years  or  more  has  been  division  storekeeper  for 
the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company,  having  charge 
of  the  Santa  Fe  and  Los  Angeles  divisions.  A 
native  of  New   York,  he   was   born   in    1859.   '" 


Hobart,  Delaware  county,  the  son  of  William 
Henry  and  Permelia  (Peckj  Sloat,  the  father 
having  late  in  life  moved  to  San  Bernardino, 
where  he  died  in  1905.  Until  his  sixteenth  year 
Major  Sloat  attended  the  common  schools  of  his 
native  state,  and  for  several  succeeding  years  was 
employed  on  farms.  In  1881  he  came  to  Los 
Angeles,  Cal.,  where  he  became  an  employe  of 
the  W.  C.  Furrey  Hardware  Company  as  clerk, 
remaining  in  that  position  five  years.  The  fol- 
lowing four  years  he  spent  in  the  employ  of  the 
C.  W.  Mettler  Hardware  Company  in  the  same 
city,  and  subsequently  he  served  as  deputy 
county  clerk  under  C.  D.  Hamilton  for  two  years. 
In  1895  J^Iajor  Sloat  became  connected  with 
the  Santa  Fe  Railway  Company,  and  was  sent 
to  San  Bernardino  to  take  charge  of  the  stores 
here,  a  position  which  he  has  retained  from  that 
time  until  the  present.  He  is  a  stanch  believer 
in  the  principles  advocated  by  the  Republican 
party,  and  he  has  always  taken  an  especial  in- 
terest in  military  affairs.  In  July,  1889,  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  Company  K,  Seventh  Regi- 
ment of  California  National  Guard,  of  which 
company  he  was  soon  made  captain,  and  was 
afterwards  commissioned  major,  which  office  he 
still  holds.  At  one  time  he  served  as  secretary 
of  the  regiment  for  eight  months.  In  1898  he 
was  appointed  captain  of  a  company  of  United 
States  volunteers.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member 
of  San  Bernardino  Lodge  No.  348,  F.  &  A.  M., 
and  he  is  recognized  in  his  city  as  a  man  who 
is  always  willing  to  lend  his  efforts  toward  the 
furtherance  of  any  enterprise  tending  to  build  up 
the  communitv  in  which  he  lives. 


EARL  L.  x\MES.  A  well-to-do  mining  man 
of  San  Bernardino  and  one  who  has  made  the 
whole  of  his  $35,000  fortune  within  the  past 
five  years  in  this  city  is  Earl  L.  Ames,  whose 
life,  with  the  exception  of  about  two  years,  has 
been  spent  in  San,  Bernardino  county,  where  he 
was  born  February  9,  1857.  The  life  of  the 
Ames  family  is  linked  prominently  with  the  pi- 
oneer history  of  that  section  of  Southern  Cali- 
fornia. The  parents,  Ellis  and  Olive  J.  (Gibbs) 
Ames,  the  former  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  the  lat- 
ter of  Rutland,  Vt.,  were  married  in  Jackson 
county.  Mo.,  where  the  elder  Ames  was  engaged 
as  a  farmer  for  several  years.  He  later  removed 
to  Salt  Lake  City  and  finally  pushed  on  across 
the  desert  and  mountains  to  California.  The 
trip  across  the  plains  was  a  very  long  one  and 
full  of  hardship,  for  at  one  time  they  ran  out 
of  water  and  were  obliged  to  kill  a  heifer  and 
drink  the  blood  from  it  in  order  to  keep  from 
dying  of  thirst.  The\-  at  last  reached  Bitter 
Springs,  and  there  the  teams  gave  out.  neces- 
sitating a  stop  at  that  point.     The  family  land- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2063 


ed  in  San  Bernardino  in  1854.  Mr.  Ames  soon 
established  a  grocery  and  dr\-goods  business, 
becoming  the  first  merchant  in  San  Bernardino, 
and  continued  in  business  here  for  several  years. 
He  at  one  time  owned  Slover  mountain  near 
Colton,  which  today  produces  fine  marble  and 
cement  stone,  and  was  also  an  early  official  in 
the  county,  held  the  office  of  district  attorney 
and  was  the  first  public  administrator  for  the 
county.  Politically  he  affiliated  with  the  Repub- 
lican party.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-four  years,  he  was  living  retired  from 
active  business.  His  wife,  who  lived  to  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  eighty-five,  was  a  member  of  the 
Reorganized  Church  of  the  Latter  Day  Saints. 
They  were  the  parents  of  fifteen  children,  nine 
of  whom  are  still  living.  C.  E.  Ames  is  a  res- 
ident of  Santa  Ana;  Edson,  Ellis,  Don  A.  and 
Carlos  are  living  in  San  Bernardino;  Mrs.  Net- 
tie Garner  lives  in  Los  Angeles ;  and  Mrs.  Syd- 
ney Mee  has  her  home  in  San  Bernardino. 

After  attending  the  common  schools  of  San 
Bernardino  county  Earl  L.  Ames  learned  the 
trade  of  brick  mason  and  followed  it  for  three 
years  in  that  city,  after  which  he  went  to  Ar- 
izona on  a  prospecting  trip,  crossing  the  Colo- 
rado river  sixteen  times  on  this  occasion.  Lat- 
er he  was  engaged  in  running  a  fruit  wagon 
into  the  mining  camps  of  Arizona,  where  he  sold 
apples  at  the  high  price  of  ten  cents  apiece.  Aft- 
er two  years  at  this  employment  he  returned  to 
San  Bernardino  and  took  up  his  old  trade  of 
stone  mason,  and  prospected  on  the  nearby 
mountains  during  his  spare  time,  continuing  this 
for  about  twenty  years.  In  July,  1901,  he  dis- 
covered the  Native  Son  mine,  which  he  dis- 
posed of  in  1905,  and  now  owns  other  claims 
that  he  considers  just  as  good  as  the  Native 
Son.  He  also  holds  in  his  possession  several 
mining  claims  on  the  west  slope  of  Old  Baldy 
mountain,  at  an  elevation  of  about  seven  thou- 
sand feet,  which  hold  an  untold  wealth  of  quartz, 
and  is  still  conducting  prospecting  operations  in 
the  same  locality.  Some  of  his  other  claims  in 
the  desert  district  of  the  county  also  show  good 
quartz.  He  has  a  number  of  valuable  property 
interests  in  San  Bernardino  city,  where  he  owns 
a  house  and  lot  on  F  street,  and  is  a  stockholder 
in  the  Home  Gas  company.  He  bought  an 
eleven  acre  tract  of  land  containing  a  good  house 
and  other  improvements,  located  in  the  city  lim- 
its, and  recently  sold  three  acres  of  the  ground 
at  a  handsome  profit.  In  1901  Mr.  Ames  was  a 
poor  man  and  the  fortune  which  he  has  accumu- 
lated in  the  intervening  years  has  been  made  in 
mining  and  judicious  investments,  in  real  estate 
and  other  lines. 

Mr.  Ames'  marriage  united  him  with  Mi<^s 
Sadie,  a  daughter  of  J.  JM.  Sanders,  of  River- 
side, and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  six 


children :  Myrtle,  Mabel,  Lena,  Robert  E.,  Dale 
and  Thelma.  Politically  Mr.  Ames  is  an  ad- 
herent of  the  Republican  party.  He  is  an  ex- 
pert workman  at  his  trade,  a  good  business  man, 
possesses  sound  judgment  and  is  held  in  the 
highest  esteem  bv  all  who  know  him. 


BENJAMIN  F.  McLEOD.  The  proprietor 
of  the  leading  nursery  establishment  in  San  Ber- 
nardino is  Benjamin  F.  McLeod,  who  started 
this  business  in  1904  and  has  in  this  short  time 
built  it  up  to  its  present  large  proportions,  do- 
ing both  a  wholesale  and  retail  business.  Mr. 
A-IcLeod  was  born  of  Scotch-American  parentage 
in  August,  1869,  in  Laingsburg,  Shiawassee 
county,  Mich.,  the  son  of  Rev.  James  and  Eme- 
line  (Whitmore)  McLeod,  the  father  being  a 
native  of  Scotland  and  the  mother  of  New  York 
City.  Rev.  Mr.  IMcLeod  was  educated  for  the 
ministry  in  his  native  country,  graduating  from 
the  Glasgow  University,  in  which  he  received 
special  training  in  the  study  of  modern  and  an- 
cient classics.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  person- 
ality, a  ready  and  forceful  speaker  and  became 
prominent  in  his  profession  in  several  different 
states  of  the  Union.  After  a  most  successful 
career,  in  which  he  came  in  contact  with  a  host 
of  people  who  learned  to  love  and  respect  him, 
he  passed  away  in  1889.  His  wife  is  yet  living 
and  resides  in  Bakersfield,  Cal. 

Benjamin  F.  McLeod  was  reared  in  a  refined 
and  intellectual  atmosphere  and  was  surrounded 
by  elevating  home  influences.  His  education 
was  received  in  the  public  schools  of  Laingsburg 
and  when  his  school  days  were  over  was  vari- 
ously employed  in  his  native  state  until  1894, 
when  he  came  to  California  and  settled  at  Bak- 
ersfield, engaging  in  business  there  for  many 
years.  In  1903  he  disposed  of  his  interests 
there  and  removed  to  San  Bernardino  and  estab- 
lished a  nursery  and  florist's  business,  in  which 
he  is  now  engaged.  He  is  located  at  No.  655- 
659  G  street  on  a  lot  150x300  feet,  which  con- 
tains his  family  residence  as  well  as  the  green- 
houses, and  the  well  with  a  modern  pumping 
plant,  which  forces  the  water  into  the  large  re- 
servoir to  be  used  for  irrigating  purposes.  He 
carries  a  very  select  stock  of  the  finest  foreign 
and  American  flowers  and  plants,  many  of  them 
being  of  his  own  propagation.  He  has  a  very 
large  local  trade  and  also  ships  to  neighboring 
towns  in  the  state,  besides  which  he  receives 
orders  from  other  states,  even  as  far  away  as 
Missouri.  Mr.  McLeod  has  given  plants  and 
entomology  considerable  scientific  study  and  has 
discovered  a  valuable  destroyer  of  the  various 
enemies  to  flowers  and  plants. 

The  wife  of  Mr.  McLeod  was  Miss  Grace  E., 
daughter  of  Timothy  T.  and  Sarah  E.    (Stiles) 


2064 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Gates,  of  Bangor,  Ale.,  and  they  are  the  parents 
of  one  child,  NelHe  F.  Mr.  McLeod  is  frater- 
nally a  member  of  San  Bernardino  Camp  No. 
79,  W.  O.  W.,  of  which  he  is  now  (1906)  serv- 
ing as  council  commander.  He  has  a  fine  resi- 
dence and  takes  a  prominent  part  in  the  social, 
business  and  public  life  of  his  city,  in  which  he 
is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  all  who  have 
the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance. 


HENRY  F.  GANSNER.  The  popular  and 
successful  well  contractor  of  San  Bernardino, 
Henry  F.  Gansner,  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
July  13,  1863,  but  his  earliest  recollections  are 
of  life  in  California.  His  father,  Florian  Gans- 
ner, was  a  native  of  Switzerland,  and  his  moth- 
er, who  was  Christina  Pohle,  was  born  in  Ger- 
many. Both  parents  came  to  America  when 
quite  young  and  settled  in  St.  Louis,  from  which 
city  in  1850  the  father  removed  to  California  and 
settled  in  Plumas  county,  there  engaging  in 
gold  mining.  Later  on  he  located  on  the  east 
bank  of  Feather  river  and  there  continued  op- 
erations for  seven  years.  From  there  he  re- 
turned to  his  old  home  in  Rlissouri  and  engaged 
in  building  operations,  he  having  learned  the 
carpenter's  trade  when  a  young  man.  Life  in 
the  east  never  seems  the  same  to  one  who  has 
lived  for  a  long  period  in  California,  and  thus  it 
was  that  the  year  1865  found  the  Gansner  fam- 
ily back  in  San  Francisco.  After  a  short  time 
spent  in  that  metropolis,  they  settled  in  Plumas 
county,  where  Mr.  Gansner  operated  a  sawmill 
for  the  manufacture  of  lumber,  his  mills  being 
located  near  Ouincy,  which  is  now  the  county 
seat  of  Plumas  county.  In  these  mills  he  sawed 
principally  white  and  sugar  pine,  and  he  re- 
mained in  that  vicinity  until  his  retirement  from 
business.  He  is  now  living  there  at  the  age  of 
fourscore  3'ears. 

The  education  of  Henry  F.  Gansner  was  ac- 
quired through  the  medium  of  the  common 
school  in  Ouincy.  and  at  Lauden's  Business  Col- 
lege in  Oakland,  where  he  took  a  commercial 
course.  After  his  graduation  he  returned  to 
Ouincy  for  a  short  time  and  in  1887  came  to 
San  Bernardino,  where  for  four  years  he  was 
associated  with  William  Manson  in  artesian  well 
contracting.  After  the  expiration  of  this  period 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  George  Renwick 
and  under  the  firm  name  of  Renwick  &  Gansner 
continued  in  the  well  business  for  six  years, 
when  Mr.  Gansner  began  independent  opera- 
tions. The  latest  and  most  improved  machin- 
ery composes  his  equipment,  including  gas  en- 
gines for  power,  and  in  the  prosecution  of  his 
work  he  gives  employment  to  a  large  force  of 
men.  His  services  are  not  confined  to  this  part 
of  the  state  onh-,  but  imiude  contracts  in  Arizo- 


na and  southern  Nevada.  The  wells  range  in 
depth  all  the  way  from  fifty  to  twelve  hundred 
feet  and  are  from  six  to  ten,  and  some  even 
twenty-four  inches  in  diameter.  One  especial- 
ly fine  well,  located  two  and  one-half  miles  north- 
west of  the  city  of  San  Bernardino,  is  fifteen 
inches  in  diameter,  eleven  hundred  feet  deep, 
self-flowing,  and  furnishes  three  hundred  and 
twenty-four  thousand  gallons  of  water  in  twen- 
t_\-four  hours.  The  average  depth  of  the  wells 
at  Phoenix  is  two  hundred  feet. 

On  December  6,  1892,  Mr.  Gansner  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Polly  Ann  Frink,  a  native  of  San 
Bernardino,  and  the  daughter  of  Horace  M. 
Frink,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  this  county. 
The  two  children  born  of  this  union  are  Freda 
and  William  George.  The  home  residence  is  a 
neat  and  substantial  one,  located  at  No.  596  D 
street,  and  Mr.  Gansner  also  has  an  orange  grove 
to  which  he  gives  considerable  attention.  He  is 
a  member  of  San  Bernardino  Lodge  No.  348, 
F.  &  A.  M. ;  of  Token  Lodge  No.  290.  I.  O.  O. 
F. ;  and  of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of 
Elks  No.  836.  He  is  a  man  of  progressive  ideas 
and  in  keeping  pace  with  the  newest  methods 
of  the  day  has  provided  himself  with  a  fine  auto- 
mobile, so  that  he  may  readily  reach  the  dif- 
ferent places  where  his  men  are  at  work. 


PETER  J.  FILANC.  Among  the  younger 
generation  of  ranchers  in  San  Bernardino 
county  who  are  making  a  name  and  place  in 
the  world  Peter  J.  Filanc  deserves  special 
mention.  His  entire  life  has  been  spent  on 
the  homestead  ranch  which  he  now  occupies, 
and  which  he  has  had  entire  charge  of  since 
the  death  of  his  father  in  1896.  Independent  of 
any  reflected  honor  from  his  worthy  father  he 
is  respected  and  esteemed  by  all  who  are 
brought  into  business  relations  with  him.  for 
principles  of  a  high  order  have  dominated  his 
life,  the  result  being  that  he  has  established  a 
reputation  for  square  dealing  which  is  as  well 
known  as  his  name.  Besides  having  charge  of 
the  home  ranch  he  is  also  interested  in  the 
buying  and  selling  of  real-estate  in  Los  An- 
geles. 

Of  the  three  children  born  to  Peter  J.  Filanc. 
Sr..  and  his  wife,  who  before  her  marriage 
was  Elizabeth  Lughan.  Peter  J.  Filanc  was  the 
youngest  and  was  born  on  the  old  homestead 
in  San  Bernardino  county  January  5.  1866.  His 
course  in  the  common  schools  of  that  county 
was  supplemented  by  a  year's  study  in  the 
Universitv  of  Southern  California  at  Los  An- 
geles, still  later  taking  up  a  business  course  in 
the  Pacific  Business  College  in  San  Francisco. 
The  death  of  his  father  in  i8q6  made  it  neces- 
sarv  for  him  to  return  home  and  assume  con- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2065 


trol  of  the  homestead,  his  onl}-  brother  having 
died  also.  The  entire  tract  of  two  hundred 
and  thirty  acres  is  tillable  land,  devoted  to 
raising  hay  and  alfalfa,  besides  which  cattle 
are  raised  extensively.  The  facilities  for  mar- 
keting his  produce  are  especially  favorable,  as 
the  ranch  has  a  splendid  location,  lying  close  to 
Cclton,  and  good  roads  add  a  further  ad- 
vantage. 

In  1903  Mr.  Filanc  established  a  home  of  his 
own  by  his  marriage  with  Miss  Stella  J.  Heb- 
bard,  a  native  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  a 
daughter  of  W.  C.  Hebbard,  the  latter  a  well- 
known  wholesale  grocer  in  Colton.  The  home 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Filanc  is  brightened  by  the 
presence  of  one  son,  to  whom  they  have  given 
the  name  of  Pierre  Hebbard.  The  family  are 
communicants  of  the  Catholic  Church  in  San 
Bernardino.  In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Fi- 
lanc is  a  Democrat,  and  the  only  fraternal 
order  to  which  he  belongs  is  the  Independent 
Order  of  Foresters,  his  membership  being  in 
the  lodge  at  Colton. 


CHARLES  E.  HOLLAND.  Santa  Monica 
has  in  Charles  E.  Holland  one  of  its  success- 
ful real-estate  operators,  who  since  1902  has 
engaged  actively  in  the  promotion  of  enter- 
prises calculated  to  be  of  permanent  benefit  to 
the  community  and  its  citizens.  Establishing 
his  home  in  the  city  in  July  of  the  year  above 
mentioned,  he  immediately  became  identified 
with  others  in  important  movements  in  the 
matter  of  real-estate  development,  receiving 
both  substantial  and  sympathetic  aid  from 
moneyed  institutions  here  and  elsewhere,  and 
putting  on  the  market  lots  offered  for  $75  and 
$125  each,  which  afterward  sold  for  $3,000 — 
an  advancement  due  to  the  upbuilding  for- 
warded by  the  enterprising  and  progressive 
men  of  the  section. 

Mr.  Holland  did  not  come  to  California  to 
make  his  first  success  in  life,  for  he  had  been 
identified  with  business  enterprises  ever  since 
1887 — two  years  before  attaining  his  majority. 
He  was  born  in  Saginaw.  Mich.,  May  28,  1868. 
the  oldest  in  a  family  of  four  children  (Charles 
E.,  Andrew  J.,  Harry  F.  and  Edward  J-)-  who 
blessed  the  union  of  his  parents,  .\lbert  Leslie 
and  Mary  A.  (Merrill)  Holland:  they  were 
natives  respectively  of  Albion,  ?\^.  Y..  and 
Niagara  county,  N.  Y.,  her  father,  Andrew 
Jackson  ^ilerrill,  removing  with  his  family  to 
Tuscola  county,  ]\Iich..  where  he  and  his  wife 
are  still  living  on  property  which  they  have 
Dccupied  for  forty  years.  Albert  L.  Holland 
followed  -his  trade  of  carpenter  and  joiner  in 
Saginaw  for  many  years,  and  in  1894  located 
in   Southern    California,   where  in   the   citv  of 


Los  Angeles  he  is  now  passing  his  declining 
years  amid  the  prosperity  which  industry  and 
good  management  have  brought  him. 

In  early  life  Charles  E.  Holland  became  de- 
pendent upon  his  own  resources,  developing  the 
trait  of  self  reliance  so  noticeable  in  the  sons 
of  the  middle  west,  and  on  the  Fourth  of  July. 
1887,  he  landed  in  Leadville,  Colo.,  with  a 
small  amount  of  capital,  an  unlimited  supplv 
of  courage  and  energy,  and  the  determination 
to  succeed.  Although  it  was  the  middle  of 
summer  the  air  was  full  of  snow  and  the  ground 
white,  but  the  vigor  of  the  atmosphere  served 
to  strengthen  the  young  man's  purpose.  Be- 
cause of  his  capital  he  was  enabled  to  enter 
into  partnership  with  an  old  mining  engineer, 
R.  W.  Miller,  with  whom  he  began  the  devel- 
opment of  the  Forest  Queen  mine,  which 
turned  out  to  be  such  a  profitable  venture  that 
before  Mr.  Holland  attained  his  majority  thev 
were  offered  S6o,ooo  for  it.  'Sir.  Holland  made 
a  thorough  study  of  all  branches  of  the  mining 
business  and  rapidly  rose  to  a  position  of  note 
and  prominence  among  the  mining  engineers 
of  Colorado.  He  became  associated  with  a 
few  of  the  prominent  mining  men  of  the  state, 
associations  which  proved  profitable.  Because 
of  failing  health,  however,  he  was  forced  to 
withdraw  entirely  from  his  former  employ- 
ment, and  accordingly  in  1902  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, in  search  of  a  more  congenial  climate. 
This  he  found  in  Santa  Monica,  wdiere  he  has 
ever  since  resided.  Among  his  most  important 
enterprises  have  been  his  association  with  the 
building  of  the  Club  House  and  the  A^'enice 
View,  while  later  he  was  associated  with  T.  W. 
Aisbitt,  who  supported  the  Equitable  Trust  & 
Improvement  Co.  as  the  first  sole  agent  for 
the  m.agnificent  A-'enice  property,  and  many  of 
their  ideas  have  been  carried  out  by  a  later 
inanagement  of  the  enterprise.  Property  has 
risen  steadily  in  value  until  to-day  it  is  worth 
many  times  its  original  price,  an  increase  due  to 
the  judicious  investments  and  management  of 
the  men  at  the  head  of  real-estate  operations  in 
this  section  of  the  coast.  In  November.  1905. 
Mr.  Holland  established  an  office  at  No.  304 
Third  street,  in  Santa  Monica,  where  under 
satisfactory  conditions  capital  may  be  secured 
by  honest  workingmen  desirous  of  acquiring  a 
home  independent  of  debt  and  obligations. 

In  Colorado  i\Tr.  Holland  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Laura  L.  Knouse.  a  native 
of  Holland,  but  educated  in  Ohio,  w^here  she 
grew  to  womanhood.  They  have  a  pleasant 
and  comfortable  home  in  Santa  Monica,  where 
yhs.  Holland  is  prominent  in  local  society. 
Mr.  Holland  has  taken  time  to  identify  himself 
with  fraternal  organizations,  being  a  m'emher 
of  the  Knights  of  Pvthias  and  Fraternal  Bnith- 


2066 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


crhood,  while  politically  he  is  a  Republican. 
Success  has  acconiisanied  the  efforts  of  Mr. 
Holland,  and  deservedly,  for  he  has  combined 
irreproachable  traits  of  manhood  with  unusual 
business  ability,  making  every  public  effort 
for  success  consistent  with  his  inherent  ideas 
of  right  and  equality.  He  is  still  a  young  man 
and  gives  promise  of  much  future  success. 


SAMUEL  C.  SLANKER.  Pomona  is  in- 
deed fortunate  in  claiming  the  citizenship  of 
Ivlr.  Slanker,  who  since  the  spring  of  1901  has 
filled  most  acceptabl}'  the  position  of  superin- 
tendent of  streets.  During  his  incumbency  thus 
far  vast  changes  have  taken  place  in  the  condi- 
tion of  the  roads  and  drives,  and  as  long  as  he  is 
retained  in  the  position  his  fellow-citizens  may 
continue  to  look  for  innovations  tending  toward 
the  beautifying  and  improving  of  the  road 
service. 

A  native  of  Berks  county,  Pennsylvania,  born 
January  4,  1853,  Samuel  C.  Slanker  is  a  son  of 
Daniel  Slanker,  also  a  native  of  the  same  county 
and  state.  After  his  marriage  and  the  birth  of 
some  of  his  children  the  father  disposed  of  his 
farm  in  the  east  and  settled  down  to  agricultural 
pursuits  in  Edgar  county,  Illinois,  near  Paris. 
His  service  in  the  Civil  war  as  a  member  of  the 
Seventh  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  Company  A, 
broke  in  upon  the  routine  of  his  peaceful  life, 
but  when  his  term  of  service  was  over  he  re- 
turned once  more  to  his  former  pursuits,  at  this 
time,  however,  taking  up  farming  in  Henry 
county.  Missouri,  where  he  had  purchased  a 
large  farm.  That  was  his  home  throughout  his 
remaining  years,  and  his  death  occurred  there 
in  1882.  liis  wife  also  passed  away  on  the  Mis- 
souri homestead.  Prior  to  her  marriage  she  was 
Lydia  Lenhart,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the 
descendant  of  a  long  line  of  ancestors  on  both 
sides  of  the  family  who  had  flourished  in  that 
commonwealth.  Of  the  twelve  children  born  to 
these  parents  seven  are  living,  and  of  these  three 
sons  are  in  California. 

The  boyhood  years  of  Samuel  C.  Slanker  were 
passed  successively  in  Pennsylvania,  Illinois  and 
Missouri,  following  his  parents  in  their  migra- 
tions from  the  cast  to  the  middle  west.  When 
he  became  old  enough  he  attended  the  public 
schools  near  his  home  and  became  fairly  well 
educated,  considering  his  advantages.  As  he  was 
the  oldest  of  a  large  family,  his  help  on  the  home 
farm  was  greatly  appreciated  and  he  gave  his 
services  to  his  father  until  attaining  his  maturity. 
In  company  with  one  of  his  brothers,  he  started 
for  California  in  1875,  and  for  a  year  he  worked 
as  a  farm  hand  in  Los  Angeles  county.  The  next 
year  he' secured  a  position  witli  a  freighting  com- 
paii\-  in  charge  of  R.  X.  Xadcau,  in  whose  em- 


ploy he  remained  for  ten  years,  carrying  supplies 
between  Cerro  Gordo,  Inyo  county,  Cal.,  and 
Mojave,  Ariz.,  the  latter  cit)-  being  the  head- 
quarters of  the  company.  Many  and  thrilling 
were  his  experiences  with  the  Indians  in  that 
frontier  country,  and  more  than  once  he  was  re- 
ported dead.  He  met  the  enemy  frequently  in 
making  the  trip  from  Mojave  to  Tombstone, 
Ariz.,  and  subsequently,  at  Lordsburg,  they  met 
in  altercation,  the  Indians  having  stolen  three 
of  the  mules  belonging  to  the  company  and  in 
his  charge.  Tiring  of  the  hazardous  life  which 
he  had  followed  for  so  many  years,  he  came  to 
Pomona  and  settled  down  to  quiet  pursuits.  He 
first  opened  a  livery  stable  at  the  corner  of  First 
and  Main  streets,  and  later  removed  to  larger 
and  more  commodious  quarters  at  the  inter- 
section of  Second  and  Gordon  streets,  remaining 
in  the  latter  location  until  May  1901,  when  he 
sold  out  his  business  to  accept  his  present  posi- 
tion of  superintendent  of  streets  of  Pomona  to 
which  he  had  been  appointed  by  the  council,  and 
every  two  yeafs  thereafter  he  has  been  re- 
appointed his  own  successor.  This  fact  in  itself 
IS  sufficient  evidence  that  his  services  are  appre- 
ciated, and  much  praise  is  due  him  for  what  he 
has  accomplished.  To  bring  about  these  results 
he  was  instrumental  in  securing,  through  the 
trustees,  the  necessar}'  outfit  for  grading, 
sprinkling  and  oiling  the  streets.  The  latter 
method  of  settling  the  dust  in  the  roads  is  used 
almost  entirely  throughout  the  city. 

Mr.  Slanker  has  a  pleasant  and  modern  resi- 
dence at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Tenth  streets, 
embodying  in  its  construction  and  architecture 
his  own  ideas  as  to  beauty  and  utility.  He  and 
his  wife,  formerly  Miss  Sarah  Kelty,  have  be- 
come the  parents  of  six  children,  as  follows : 
Bessie.  Frank.  Margaret,  Catherine,  Jenerose 
and  Raymond.  }ilr.  Slanker  is  well  known  in 
fraternal  circles,  belonging  to  Pomona  Lodge 
No.  430.  T.  O.  F..  in  which  he  has  passed  all  the 
chairs,  and  also  to  the  Fraternal  Brotherhood,  in 
which  at  one  time  he  served  as  president  of  his 
lodge. 


EMILE  \'ACHE.  The  success  achieved  by 
Emile  \'ache,  one  of  the  old  and  honored  resi- 
dents of  Redlands,  has  been  entirely  the  result 
of  his  own  efforts,  for  with  nothing  hut  ability 
and  industry  to  presage  a  success  he  started  out 
in  the  world  for  himself  in  young  manhood, 
round  by  round  worked  his  way  up  the  ladder, 
and  to-day  holds  without  question  a  high  place 
among  the  business  men  of  this  city.  He  was 
born  in  France,  in  the  department  Oiavente 
Tnfereuire.  February  24,  1834,  a  son  of  Jean 
\'ache.  a  manufacturer  of  cognac  and  cream 
of  tartar,  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  tliat 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2067 


location.  His  mother  was  in  maidenhood  Jean- 
nette  ATaHeta,  France  being  also  her  lifelong 
home.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  children, 
of  whom  three  are  now  surviving.' 

The  eldest  in  the  family  of  his  parents,  Emile 
\'ache  was  reared  in  the  paternal  home  and 
after  leaving  the  common  schools  was  instructed 
in  his  father's  business.  He  had  not  much  more 
than  attained  his  majority  when  he  decided  to 
try  his  fortunes  in  the  western  world  where  re- 
latives of  the  family  had  already  located,  and 
accordingly  in  August,  1855,  he  took  passage  on 
a  sailing  vessel,  the  Washington,  bound  for  San 
Francisco  via  Cape  Horn.  In  January  of  the 
following  year  they  anchored  in  the  harbor  of 
the  Golden  Gate,  and  Mr.  Vache  at  once  went 
to  Monterey,  where  an  uncle  was  located  and 
engaged  in  a  mercantile  enterprise,  and  there 
he  found  employment  in  his  store  as  a  clerk  for 
the  ensuing  year.  He  then  returned  to  San  Fran- 
cisco and  thence  journeyed  to  the  mines  in  Sis- 
kiyou county,  and  because  of  illness  a  year  later 
returned  to  Monterey  county.  With  $10  in  his 
pocket  he  came  to  Los  Angeles  in  1859  and  for 
a  year  worked  at  his  trade,  in  i860  establishing 
a  business  for  himself  on  Alameda  street  as  a 
manufacturer  of  cream  of  tartar  and  in  the 
conduct  of  a  distillery.  Later  he  purchased  a 
place  on  Alameda  street  and  there  built  up  a 
distillery,  winery  and  w-arehouse.  In  1879  he 
came  to  San  Bernardino  countv  and  leased  the 
vineyard  owned  by  Dr.  Barton  and  there  con- 
ducted a  winery  for  the  period  of  six  years.  In 
the  meantime  he  purchased  his  present  ranch, 
consisting  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  in 
the  San  Timoteo  canon,  adjoining  Redlands,  then 
wild  land  with  cacti  growing  over  it,  and  no 
promise  of  its  present  luxuriant  cultivation. 
Water  for  irrigation  is  secured  from  the  Bear 
Valley  Company,  he  having  a  reservior  on  the 
hill,  with  a  capacity  of  seven  hundred  thousand 
gallons  and  a  pressure  of  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
two  feet  to  his  place,  and  he  is  also  connected  with 
the  San  Timoteo  Canon  Water  Company.  He 
has  developed  a  beautiful  ranch,  setting  out 
thirty-five  acres  in  grapes,  ten  acres  in  oranges, 
and  otherwise  improving  the  property,  and  has 
built  a  winery  with  a  capacity  of  two  hundred 
thousand  gallons,  and  is  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  brandy  and  sweet  wines.  In  1902  he 
incorporated  the  E.  Vache  Compau)',  which  own 
the  Brookside  Winery  only,  the  ranch  of  that 
name  being  an  individual  interest.  In  1891  he 
was  instrumental  in  the  building  of  the  Brook- 
side  Wholesale  Liquor  House  in  San  Bernar- 
dino, Init  later  disposed  of  his  interest  to  his 
partners,  Ingersol  &  Esler. 

In  San  Francisco  Mr.  ^'ache  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Corinne  Lukon,  a  native  of 
Montreal,    Canada,    and    their    home    is    now    on 


the  beautiful  ranch  in  Southern  California.  Mr. 
Vache  is  a  member  of  the  French  Benevolent 
Association  of  Los  Angeles.  He  is  independent 
in  politics,  reserving  the  right  to  cast  his  ballot 
for  the  man  he  considers  best  qualified  for  the 
discharge  of  official   duties. 


ROBERT  LINDSAY  TRITTON.  As  a  suc- 
cessful veterinarian  Robert  Lindsay  Tritton  has 
firmly  established  himself  in  his  line  of  work 
and  in  the  friendship  and  esteem  of  the  people 
in  Redlands  although  but  a  brief  time  has 
elapsed  since  his  residence  here.  He  is  a  native 
of  England,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Ox- 
ford Seven  Oaks,  in  Kent,  December  9,  1850 : 
his  father,  Robert  Tritton,  was  also  born  in 
England,  a  son  of  Robert  ,  a  banker  of  London. 
He  graduated  from  Oxford  in  young  manhood 
and  became  a  clergyman  in  the  Episcopal  Church 
and  was  so  occupied  until  his  death.  He  married 
Charlotte  Lindsay,  a  native  of  Surrey,  England, 
and  a  daughter  of  Sir  Alexander  Lindsay,  a 
member  of  Parliament.  ^Ir,  and  Mrs.  Tritton 
became  the  parents  of  three  daughters  and  two 
sons,  of  whom  one  daughter  is  deceased,  the 
other  son,  Arthur,  being  a  banker  in  London 
at   the   present   writing. 

Robert  Lindsay  Tritton  was  the  eldest  in  the 
family  of  his  parents  and  was  reared  in  his  native 
place.  He  received  his  education  at  Harrow 
School  and  King's  College,  London,  from  which 
institution  he  was  graduated  in  1871.  In  1873 
he  came  to  America  and  purchasing  a  farm  in 
Virginia  engaged  in  the  raising  of  tobacco  and 
stock,  making  a  specialty  of  thoroughbred  saddle 
horses.  Through  this  connection  he  became  in- 
terested in  veterinary  surgery  and  accordingly 
entered  the  New  York  College  and  graduated 
therefrom  in  March,  1891,  with  the  degree  of 
v.  S.  He  still  owned  his  farm  in  \^irginia  but 
disposed  of  it  at  this  time,  and  locating  in  Rich- 
mond, Va.,  began  the  practice  "of  his  profession. 
He  remained  in  that  city  for  about  ten  years, 
when  he  removed  to  Boonton,  Morris  county,  N, 
J.,  and  there  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession. He  was  attacked  by  rheumatism,  how- 
ever, and  in  search  of  a  milder  climate  came  to 
California  in  the  following  year,  spending  the 
first  three  months  in  Los  Angeles,  when  he  came 
to  Redlands  and  has  since  made  this  city  his 
home.  He  established  a  practice  here  in  his 
jjrofession  and  later  founded  a  veterinary  hospi- 
tal, the  only  one  in  the  county,  located  at  the 
corner  of  Fourth  and  Central  streets,  where  he 
is  now  conducting  an  extensive  business.  He  is 
active  in  the  Southern  California  \^eterinar}- 
Medical  Association,  of  which  he  is  a  valued 
member. 

In  \'irginia  Dr.  Tritton  was  united  in  marriage 


2068 


HISTORICAL  AND  EIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


with  Aliss  Lillian  Ogden,  a  native  of  that  state, 
and  a  woman  of  rare  culture  and  refinement  and 
an  addition  to  the  societ_v  of  Redlands.  Dr. 
Tritton  is  identified  fraternally  with  the  ]\Iasonic 
organization,  having  been  made  a  member  in 
Amelia  Lodge  in  Virginia ;  he  is  also  associated 
with  the  Eagles  of  Redlands.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Episcopal  Qiurch  in  religion,  and  politi- 
cally adheres  to  the  principles  embraced  in  the 
platform  of  the  Democratic  party.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Trade  of  Redlands  and 
active  in  his  efforts  to  further  all  movements 
tending  toward  the  advancement  of  the  general 
welfare  of  the  communitv. 


■GEORGE  CLLNTON  THAXTF.R.  The  up- 
building interests  of  Redlands  liaAc  m  Mv.  Thax- 
ter  one  of  its  most  important  factur.-^.  Uk'  greater 
part  of  his  time  and  attention  being  given  to  the 
advancement  of  the  city  through  his  connection 
with  the  Board  of  Trade  as  its  secretary.  He  is 
the  representative  of  an  old  New  England  family 
of  English  and  Irish  descent,  his  birth  having 
occurred  in  Bangor,  Me.,  October  14,  1842;  his 
father,  Joshua,  was  born  in  Limington,  Me.,  and 
in  manhood  became  a  marble  manufacturer  in 
Bangor,  where  his  death  eventually  occurred. 
His  mother  was  before  marriage  Joanna  Hayes, 
a  native  of  Maine,  and  daughter  of  Captain 
Hayes,  who  participated  in  the  Aroostook  war  in 
that  state ;  she  is  now  surviving  and  makes  her 
home  in  Redlands  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty- 
five  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren, of  whom  two  attained  maturit}-. 

George  Clinton  Thaxtcr,  Uk  r,ti]\  son  of  his 
parents  now  surviving,  was  reared  in  Bangor 
and  educated  in  its  public  and  high  schools,  at 
the  age  of  fourteen  years  beginning  to  work  in 
his  father's  marble  yard.  In  June,  1858,  he  en- 
tered a  drug  store  to  take  up  the  work  of  a 
pharmacist,  remaining  so  occupied  until  August, 
1862.  Resigning  from  this  position  he  enlisted 
in  Company  E,  Eleventh  Regiment  Maine  In- 
fantry, and  was  made  the  company's  hospital 
steward  on  arriving  at  the  front  and  joining  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac.  They  participated  in  the 
second  battle  of  Bull  Run  and  the  Peninsula 
campaign,  where  they  met  with  such  awful  dis- 
aster that  no  regiment  was  left  of  the  name. 
Later  Mr.  Thaxter  was  stationed  at  Yorktown, 
Va.,  where  the  regiment  was'  recruited.  It  was 
there  that  his  health  broke  down  and  because  of 
physical  disability  he  was  honorably  discharged 
in  November,  1862.  Upon  returning  to  New- 
port, iMe.,  he  engaged  in  the  drug  business  for 
himself,  and  succeeded  in  building  up  a  large 
custom,  to  which  he  catered  until  February,  t868. 
In  the  last  named  year  he  disposed  of  his  busi- 
ness interests  and  removed  to  Iowa,  locating  in 


Moingona  and  engaging  in  a  similar  occupation. 
When  the  Transcontinental  railroad  was  com- 
pleted in  June,  1869,  he  removed  to  Carson  City, 
Nev.,  and  engaged  as  a  lumber  manufacturer 
with  a  brother-in-law,  the  firm  being  known  as 
the  Glenbrook  Mill  &  Lumber  Company.  They 
built  a  steam  sawmill  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Ta- 
hoe,  with  a  large  capacity,  having  made  a  run  of 
150,776  feet  of  lumber  in  a  day  of  eleven  and  a 
half  hours.  Their  finished  product  was  sent  to 
Virginia  City,  at  first  by  means  of  teams  and 
later  by  flume  and  rail.  Their  enterprise  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire  in  1878,  when  Mr.  Thaxter  re- 
turned to  Carson  City  and  established  a  drug 
business,  continuing  in  that  location  until  the 
spring  of  1893,  when  he  came  to  California  and 
in  Palo  Alto  engaged  in  a  mercantile  enterprise. 
Disposing  of  these  interests  in  June,  1896,  he 
came  to  Southern  California  and  in  Redlands 
purchased  the  drug  store  owned  by  Dr.  D.  W. 
Stewart  on  Orange  street,  and  conducted  the 
same  for  two  years,  when  because  of  impaired 
health  he  sold  out  and  has  not  since  engaged  in 
active  business.  In  1901,  on  the  7th  of  January, 
the  organization  of  the  Redlands  I3oard  of  Trade 
was  perfected,  in  which  enterprise  Mr.  Thaxter 
was  one  of  the  most  prominent  citizens,  and  of 
which  he  became  secretary,  being  re-elected  each 
year  to  the  present  time.  He  has  had  entire 
charge  of  the  work  and  has  arranged  a  most  ex- 
cellent and  complete  display,  having  made  up  and 
sent  a  magnificent  exhibit  to  the  expositions  at 
Buffalo,  St.  Louis  and  Portland.  To  no  one  is 
more  credit  due  than  to  JNIr.  Thaxter  for  the  suc- 
cessful upbuilding  and  development  of  this  organ- 
ization. 

In  Newport,  Me.,  Air.  Thaxter  was  united  in 
marriage  witli  Miss  Mabelle  Davis,  a  native  of 
Dexter,  Ale.,  and  born  of  this  union  are  the  fol- 
lo^ving■  children :  Homer  D.,  an  electrical  engi- 
neer who  is  superintendent  of  the  Edison  electric 
power  house  at  the  corner  of  Fourth  and  Los 
Angeles  streets :  Harry  C,  a  graduate  of  Stan- 
ford L'niversity  and  an  electrical  engineer  now 
located  in  San  Francisco ;  Berta,  wife  of  Paul  T. 
Carroll,  of  Oakland:  and  Curtis  H.,  in  charge  of 
the  machinery  in  the  establishment  of  J.  R.  New- 
berry, of  Los  Angeles.  Mr.  Thaxter  was  made 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  organization  in  April, 
1869.  ''"I  Jordan  Lodge  No.  158,  at  Moingona, 
later  becan.ie  a  member  in  Carson  Lodge  No.  i, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  and  now  afilliates  with  Redlands 
Lodge  No.  300.  He  was  raised  to  the  degree  of 
Royal  Arch  in  Carson,  being  a  member  of  Lewis 
Chapter  No.  i,  R.  A.  M.,  and  also  belongs  to  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Uniformed  Rank  of 
the  K.  of  P.  Politics  have  had  more  than  the 
usual  interest  for  Mr.  Thaxter,  as  a  Republican 
taking  an  active  interest  in  the  advancement  of 
his   party's   interest.     While   a   resident   of   Nc- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAi.  RECORD. 


2069 


vada  he  was  appointed  b}-  President  Harrison 
receiver  for  the  United  States  Land  Office,  having 
previously  served  as  an  alternate  delegate  to  the 
National  Republican  Convention  in  Chicago,  in 
1888,  where  Harrison  was  nominated  for  the 
presidency.  He  is  likewise  prominent  in  the 
Grand  Army,  having  served  as  aide-de-camp  on 
the  staff  of  the  national  commander,  General 
Palmer;  he  has  been  a  member  of  Custer  Post 
No.  5,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Carson,  and  is  now  a  mem- 
ber of  Bear  \'alley  Post  No.  162,  of  Redlands. 


WILLIAM  J.  TENCH.  Prominent  among 
the  old  settlers  of  Mentone,  San  Bernardino 
county,  is  William  J.  Tench,  who  has  been  a  res- 
ident of  Southern  California  since  1888  and  one 
of  its  practical  upbuilders.  He  was  born  in  Buf- 
falo, N.  Y.,  the  eldest  in  a  family  of  nine  chil- 
dren, of  whom  six  are  now  living.  His  father, 
William  E.  Tench,  was  born  in  Dinard,  Erance, 
the  grandfather,  Capt.  Humphrey  John  Tench, 
being  an  Englishman  and  an  officer  in  the  Fifty- 
seventh  Regiment  of  the  Horse  Marines.  In 
1834  he  located  in  Ontario  and  in  Oueenstown 
passed  away  in  1852.  His  wife  was  formerly 
Maria  Caruthers,  a  daughter  of  Major  Caruth- 
ers,  of  the  Fifty-fifth  Regiment  of  the  Horse 
Marines.  William  E.  Tench  was  reared  in  Can- 
ada and  in  manhood  engaged  as  a  conductor  on 
the  Great  Western  Railway  between  the  suspen- 
sion bridge  and  Detroit.  He  continued  in  the 
railway  service  for  about  twenty-five  years,  when 
he  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  in  Niagara 
Falls,  where  he  died  in  1893.  Fraternally  he  was 
a  Mason  and  in  religion  belonged  to  the  Episco- 
pal Church.  His  wife  was  formerly  Ellen  Mur- 
ray, who  was  born  in  Clifton,  England,  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  Murray,  a  general  in  the  English 
army,  until  his  retirement,  when  he  came  to 
Ontario,  Canada.  The  maternal  grandfather  was 
a  captain  under  Wolfe  at  Quebec  and  at  one  time 
was  governor  of  Demerara. 

William  J.  Tench  was  born  December  16, 
1858,  and  reared  at  Niagara  Falls,  where  he  re- 
ceived his  education  through  the  medium  of  the 
public  schools.  He  first  followed  farming  and 
then  began  railroading,  in  1881  being  employed 
in  the  construction  of  the  Detroit,  Mackinac  & 
j\Iarquette  R.  R. ;  later  he  worked  on  the  North- 
ern Pacific,  and  then  returned  to  the  first  named 
company,  and  engaged  as  purchasing  agent  with 
headquarters  at  Marquette.  He  was  next  lo- 
cated in  St.  Joseph  as  general  purchasing  agent 
for  the  St.  Joe  &  Grand  Island  Railway.  Com- 
ing to  California  in  1888  he  located  in  San  Ber- 
nardino and  acted  as  assistant  purchasing  agent 
for  the  Santa  Fe  for  one  year,  and  in  the  mean- 
time bought  a  ranch  of  waste  land  and  moving 
upon  it  began   its  improvement  and  cultivation. 


Durhig  the  dry  years  he  prospected  for  water, 
sinking  a  shaft  one  hundred  and  ninety  feet  deep, 
striking  water  at  a  depth  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty-three  feet.  He  now  has  an  abundant  sup- 
ply of  water,  it  being  within  one  hundred  and 
thirty-nine  feet  of  the  surface.  He  has  a  twelve 
horsepower  gasoline  engine  with  an  Osborn 
pump  with  a  capacity  of  fourteen  inches.  This 
furnishes  water  for  his  ranch  and  also  for  the 
tanks  of  the  railroad  company,  and  for  five  years 
supplied  Mentone  with  water  for  domestic  pur- 
poses. He  has  eight  acres  in  navel  oranges  and 
the  balance  of  the  land  under  cultivation  to  vari- 
ous products.  He  is  also  serving  as  agent  for 
the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  at  Mentone. 

In  Chippawa,  Ontario,  Mr.  Tench  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Florence  Ellen  Allen,  born 
in  Pembrokeshire,  Wales,  and  daughter  of  a 
Welsh  squire  who  came  to  Niagara  Falls  in 
childhood,  where  she  attained  maturity.  Thev 
are  the  parents  of  two  sons  and  two  daughters. 
Air.  Tench  is  identified  fraternally  with  the  iMod- 
ern  Woodmen  of  America,  the  Ancient  Order  of 
L'nited  Workmen,  of  Ontario,  and  belongs  to 
Redlands  Lodge  No.  34:,  I.  O.  O.  F.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Episcopal  Church  of  Redlands 
and  in  his  political  convictions  votes  the  Repub- 
lican ticket. 


NEWTON  WELLS  BEST.  The  success 
achieved  by  Newton  Wells  Best  has  been  the  re- 
sult entirely  of  his  own  efforts,  for  he  brought 
nothing  to  bear  in  his  work  but  energy  and  abil- 
ity, and  a  determination  to  win  for  himself  a 
position  of  financial  independence  as  well  as 
prominence  in  the  citizenship  of  whatever  section 
he  made  his  home.  That  he  has  succeeded  none 
can  deny  and  he  now  owns  valuable  residence  and 
business  property  in  Redlands,  in  which  city  he 
makes  his  home  and  is  rounding  out  a  well  spent 
and  prosperous  career.  He  was  born  in  Corn- 
wallis,  Kings  county.  Nova  Scotia,  October  12, 
1838,  the  second  in  a  family  of  six  children,  of 
whom  all  attained  maturity  and  three  are  now 
living.  His  father,  Elisha  Best,  was  born  in 
Horton,  Kings  county ;  the  paternal  grandfather 
was  a  purser  in  the  English  army  and  came  from 
the  Isle  of  \\'ight  during  the  Revolutionary  war 
and  after  the  close  of  that  historic  struggle  lo- 
cated in  Nova  Scotia  to  spend  the  balance  of  his 
days  in  retirement.  He  died  there  as  an  ad- 
vanced age.  Elisha  Best  became  a  farmer  in 
Nova  Scotia,  where  he  made  his  home  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  at  the  age  of  seventy-two 
years.  His  wife,  formerly  Mercy  Ann  Bishop, 
was  a  native  of  that  province  and  a  daughter  of 
Silas  Bishop,  of  English  descent,  and  who  en- 
gaged as  a  farmer  until  his  death  at  the  ad- 
vanced  age   of   ninety-two   years.      The    Bishop 


2070 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


family  came  from  the  North  of  England  orig- 
inally and  were  United  Empire  Loyalists.  Mrs. 
Best  survived  her  husband  and  in  her  old  age 
came  to  California  and  died  in  Santa  Ana  in 
September,  1905,  at  the  age  of  ninety-five  years. 
Reared  on  the  paternal  farm  and  educated  in 
the  district  schools,  Newton  ^^■ells  Best  remained 
at  home  until  attaining  his  majority,  when  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  on  his  own  resources.  In  1868 
he  decided  to  come  to  California  and  accordingly 
took  passage  on  a  vessel  bound  for  Panama, 
thence  to  San  Francisco,  where  he  arrived  on  the 
19th  of  April.  His  first  summer  was  spent  at 
San  Jose,  after  which  he  came  to  Southern  Cal- 
ifornia with  the  intention  of  establishing  a  home, 
and  in  San  Benito  county  he  entered  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  government  land  and  improved 
and  cultivated  it  until  1873,  when  he  sold  out 
and  removed  to  Guadaloupe,  Santa  Barbara  coun- 
tv,  and  purchased  a  farm.  A  year  later  he  dis- 
posed of  this  purchase  and  bought  a  squatter's 
title  to  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  proved  upon 
it,  and  farmed  for  five  years  in  that  section.  After 
disposing  of  this  farm  he  located  in  the  vicinity 
of  Santa  Ana,  Orange  county,  here  purchased  a 
farm  three  miles  from  the  town,  and  farmed  this 
for  a  period  of  seven  years.  In  the  fall  of  1883 
he  returned  to  Nova  Scotia  on  a  visit  and  on 
his  return  west  brought  his  mother  with  him.  In 
the  fall  of  1884  he  traded  his  farm  for  a  ranch 
near  Beaumont,  and  there  later  purchased  another 
farm,  and  continued  to  purchase  adjoining  land 
until  he  owned  three  hundred  acres  in  one  body 
and  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  the  vicinity. 
He  improved  the  property,  set  out  orchards,  etc., 
and  engaged  in  grain  and  stock-raising.  He  con- 
tinued there  for  fourteen  years,  and  in  1898 
rented  the  ranch  to  a  son  and  located  in  Red- 
lands,  purchasing  property  at  No.  217  East  Citrus 
avenue,  where  he  now  makes  his  home.  Later  he 
purchased  a  half  interest  in  the  feed  and  fuel  de- 
partment of  the  Redlands  Commercial  Company 
on  Orange  street,  and  helped  to  improve  and 
build  up  a  large  business.  He  took  an  active  in- 
terest in  the  work  and  served  as  manager  of  that 
department  of  the  enterprise.  In  1901  he  sold  his 
interest,  when  he  became  identified  with  the  real 
estate  operations  of  the  place,  and  then  purchased 
a  grocery  store  of  the  Dunn  Brothers  and  con- 
ducted the  same  for  one  year,  and  then  sold  out 
to  F.  A.  Morgan.  He  owns  with  his  son  an 
eight  hundred  acre  ranch  eight  miles  north  of 
Beaumont,  of  which  seventy  acres  are  devoted 
to  the  raising  of  apples,  and  there  is  a  small 
cherry  orchard  on  the  place ;  of  this  fruit  acreage 
his  son,  W.  H.,  owns  one-half  interest  in 
forty  acres.  He  is  also  interested  in  the 
dry  goods  business  in  Corona,  the  firm  being 
Austin  &  Best,  and  likewise  owns  property  in 
two    residences    in    Newport    Beach,    besides    a 


twelve-room  flat  building  and  the  building  known 
as  the  Armory  block  in  Redlands. 

Mr.  Best  has  been  twice  married,  his  first  wife 
being  Emma  Smith,  a  native  of  Nova  Scotia, 
where  she  died.  In  the  same  place  he  married 
Aliss  Annie  Holmes,  a  native  of  Hansport,  Nova 
Scotia,  and  a  daughter  of  Capt.  Kendall  Holmes, 
whose  ancestn,'  can  be  traced  back  to  the  May- 
flower. Born  of  this  union  are  the  following 
children :  William  H.,  a  farmer  in  Imperial  val- 
ley ;  Frank  S.,  a  dairyman  near  Holtville ;  Fred 
N.,  in  Newport  Beach;  Charles  E.,  conducting 
a  feed  corrall  in  Redlands ;  Arthur  L.,  died  at 
the  age  of  fourteen  years ;  Maude,  Mrs.  Austin, 
whose  husband  is  a  merchant  of  Corona ;  Pearla 
M.,  Mrs.  Hively,  of  Los  Angeles ;  Lluella,  wife 
of  H.  H.  Moore,  of  Redlands ;  and  Joseph,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  two  and  a  half  years.  Mr. 
Best  is  a  member  of  the  Reorganized  Church  of 
Jesus  Qirist  of  Latter  Day  Saints,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  priesthood.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch 
advocate  of  Prohibition  principles. 


R.  C.  ANDREWS.  The  Bixby  dairy  ranch 
at  Clearwater  consists  of  eleven  hundred  acres, 
devoted  to  the  raising  of  alfalfa,  beets  and  corn, 
and  the  pasturage  of  hogs  and  cattle,  and  is  un- 
der the  personal  supervision  of  R.  C.  Andrews 
as  manager,  assisted  by  a  force  of  fifteen  em- 
ployes. A  specialty  is  made  of  the  dairy  in- 
dustry and  for  this  purpose  a  herd  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  milch  cows  are  kept,  the  revenue  from 
the  same  forming  the  principal  source  of  income 
from  the  estate.  He  also  owns  a  ranch  improved 
with  substantial  buildings  and  said  to  be  one  of 
the  best  farms  in  this  section,  this  property  being 
under  the  management  of  a  brother. 

The  Andrews  family  is  of  eastern  ancestry. 
W.  H.  and  Martha  (Curtis)  Andrews,  natives 
of  Ohio,  came  to  California  via  the  ocean  route 
as  early  as  1865  and  settled  in  Northern  Cal- 
ifornia, where  he  followed  the  trade  of  machinist 
and  also  became  interested  in  ranching.  During 
the  year  1884  he  came  to  the  southern  part  of  the 
state,  where  he  died  in  March  of  1904.  During 
all  of  his  active  life  he  was  a  firm  believer  in 
the  principles  for  which  the  Republican  party 
stands,  .^ince  his  death  his  widow  has  contin- 
ued at  the  old  home,  affectionately  cared  for  by 
her  children  and  esteemed  by  acquaintances.  In 
religious  belief  she  is  a  sincere  member  of  the 
United  Brethren  denomination  and  in  her  life 
has  exemplified  the  doctrines  which  she  sup- 
ports. Of  her  eight  children  all  are  living  ex- 
cept one  daughter  and  the  entire  seven  are  resi- 
dents of  California. 

While  the  family  were  living  at  Sacramento, 
Cal.,  R.  C.  Andrews  was  born  September  27, 
1870,  and  as  a  bo\-  he  spent  a  number  of  years 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2071 


■  in  Colusa  county,  but  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
accompanied  his  father,  W.  H.,  to  Southern  Cal- 
ifornia, vyhere  he  has  since  made  his  home.  About 
1894  he  first  became  connected  with  the  Bixby 
lands,  being  then  made  an  employe  on  a  ranch 
where  grain,  hogs  and  cattle  were  raised.  The 
property  comprised  eight  thousand  acres  and 
about  1896  was  sold  to  the  sugar  beet  corporation. 
At  the  same  time  JNIr.  Andrews  was  transferred 
to  the  ranch  of  eleven  hundred  acres  near  Clear- 
water. A  large  portion  of  the  land  was  covered 
with  willows  and  it  was  an  enormous  undertaking 
to  clear  the  ground  and  remove  the  timber,  but, 
with  a  large  corps  of  workmen,  Mr.  Andrews  at 
once  set  about  the  task,  and  at  this  writing  has 
eight  hundred  acres  cleared  and  in  fine  condition 
for  pasture  or  for  cultivation.  The  successful 
prosecution  of  so  large  an  undertaking  proves 
the  manager  to  possess  exceptional  business  qual- 
ifications and  untiring  energy.  The  transforma- 
tion of  the  tract  into  a  profitable  ranch  may  be 
attributed  largely  to  his  perseverance  and  ju- 
dicious oversight. 

The  marriage  of  i^Ir.  Andrews  in  1895  united 
him  with  Miss  Viola  \l.  Aken,  who  was  born  in 
Ohio,  the  birthplace  also  of  her  father,  John 
Aken.  The  family  was  large  and  now  has  num- 
erous representatives  along  the  Pacific  coast.  JMr. 
and  Mrs.  Andrews  have  four  daughters,  Elta, 
Dora,  Josie  and  Nellie.  The  family  attend  the 
Presbyterian  Church  and  Mrs.  Andrews  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  same.  In  national  politics  Mr.  Andrews 
has  always  been  a  stanch  advocate  of  Republican 
principles,  but  in  local  matters  he  considers  ques- 
tions affecting  the  national  prosperity  are  not 
vitally  aflfected,  hence  he  supports  the  candidates 
whom  he  considers  best  qualified  to  represent  the 
people.  Always  interested  in  educational  mat- 
ters, he  has  proved  helpful  to  the  local  work 
through  a  long  service  as  school  trustee.  In 
fraternal  relations  he  is  connected  with  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Foresters. 


RICHARD  J.  FAROUHAR.  Located  at  the 
corner  of  Fifth  avenue  and  F  street,  in  Red- 
lands  is  the  home  of  Richard  J.  Farquhar,  one 
of  the  enterprising  and  substantial  horticultur- 
ists of  this  section  of  Southern  California.  He 
is  a  native  of  Ohio,  his  birth  liaving  occurred 
in  Coshocton  county  June  12,  1865,  next  to  the 
youngest  in  a  family  of  three  sons  and  two 
daughters  born  to  his  parents,  William  R.  and 
Marion  (Renfrew)  Farquhar,  whose  personal 
history  appears  at  length  on  another  page  of 
this  volume.  He  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Ohio  and  after  the  close  of  his 
schooldays  engaged  in  general  farming  in  his 
native  state.  He  came  to  California  in  i8()r  and 
in   Redlands   began   the    improvement   and   culti- 


vation of  a  ranch,  with  his  brother  engaging  in 
horticultural  pursuits.  They  first  improved  for- 
ty acres  of  raw  land,  setting  out  an  orchard  of 
oranges,  and  after  four  years  thus  occupied,  Mr. 
Farquhar  returned  to  Cihio,  and  there  managed 
the  home  farm  for  his  father.  Three  years  later 
he  disposed  of  tlie  property  in  Ohio  and  in  1899 
located  permanently  in  Redlands,  where  he  now 
owns  twenty-six  acres  devoted  to  navel  and 
Valencia  oranges,  and  has  improved  the  place 
with  a  good  residence,  barns  and  necessary  out- 
buildings. He  is  interested  in  the  Crafton 
Orange  Growers'  As.sociation,  and  the  packing- 
house at  Mentone,  of  which  he  is  acting  as  di- 
rector and  vice-president. 

In  Toledo,  Ohio,  Mr.  Farquhar  was  united 
in  marriage  with  ]\Iiss  Catherine  Glann.  a  na- 
tive of  Toledo  county,  Ohio,  and  born  of  this 
union  are  three  children,  namely :  David  Glann, 
IMildred  Ethel  and  Eleanor  Lewis.  Fraternally 
]\Ir.  Farquhar  is  a  member  of  Redlands  Lodge 
No.  341,  I.  O.  O.  E.,  and  is  also  identified  with 
the  ^lodern  Woodmen  of  America.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Qiurch,  of 
Redlands,  and  politically  is  a  stanch  advocate  of 
Republican  principles.  He  takes  a  keen  interest 
in  the  progress  and  development  of  his  adopted 
city  and  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trade  is 
foremost  in  all  measures  looking  toward  the  gen- 
eral welfare  of  the  communitv. 


WILBUR  W.  AYERS.  The  leading  mer- 
chant of  Highgrove,  Wilbur  W.  Ayers  belongs  to 
the  younger  generation  of  business  men,  and  be- 
ing energetic  and  progressive  in  his  methods  is 
meeting  with  splendid  success.  His  store  carries 
a  full  stock  of  groceries,  kitchen  goods,  hardware, 
ladies'  and  gents'  furnishings,  gloves,  feed  and 
grain,  and  in  addition  to  the  management  of  this 
business  I\Ir.  Ayers  also  fills  the  office  of  post- 
master of  Highgrove.  Previous  to  assuming  con- 
trol of  his  present  business  he  was  a  resident  of 
Riverside,  where  he  was  engaged  as  manager  of 
the  Great  American  Tea  Company  for  a  period 
of  five  years.  The  birth  of  Mr.  Ayers  occurred 
September  25.  1874.  in  Linn  county,  Kan.  His 
parents,  William  Henry  and  Minnie  (Newell) 
Ayers,  the  former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
the  latter  of  Iowa,  are  both  now  living  at  High- 
grove, Cal.  The  father  was  engaged  in  farming 
and  later  in  general  merchandising  in  Kansas 
and  sold  out  his  business  in  Moran,  Kan.,  in 
1905,  when  he  came  to  Highgrove.  He  served 
two  years  in  Company  M,  Fifteenth  Regiment  of 
Kansas  \'olunteer  Cavalry  during  the  Civil  war 
and  has  always  taken  a  great  interest  in  political 
matters,  lieing  a  stanch  advocate  of  the  prin- 
ciples embraced  in  the  platform  of  the  Repub- 
lican partw     The  faniil\-  are  active  members  of 


1072 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPITICAL  RECORD. 


the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  one  son  being 
a  minister  of  that  denomination  at  the  present 
time  in  Colorado  Springs,  Colo.  There  were  five 
children  in  the  family.  The  early  studies  of 
Wilbur  W..  Ayers  were  prosecuted  in  the  public 
schools  of  Linn  county,  Kan.,  and  his  profes- 
sional education  received  in  the  Normal  School. 
He  followed  teaching  for  two  years  in  Kansas, 
then  went  to  Albany,  Ore.,  where  he  secured  em- 
ployment in  the  woolen  mill  located  at  that  point. 
From  there  he  removed  to  San  Francisco,  where 
he  was  engaged  with  the  Great  American  Tea 
Company,  and  after  spending  nine  months  at  that 
point,  he  came  to  Riverside,  in  1897.  In  1899  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Stella  Stephen- 
son, of  Riverside,  CaL,  who  was  born  in  Kansas, 
her  father,  Homer  Stephenson,  and  mother  now 
residing  in  Riverside.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ayers  are 
the  parents  of  three  children,  namely:  Roland 
Warren,  Arthur  Merrill,  and  Wilbur  Walter,  Jr. 
I'olitically  Mr.  Ayers  is  a  Republican  and  fra- 
ternally he  affiliates  with  Camp  No.  8713,  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  in  Riverside,  Cal.  He  is 
a  supporter  of  all  enterprises  of  a  social  or  civic 
nature  that  tend  to  elevate  and  upbuild  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lives  and  is  held  in  the  high- 
est esteem  by  his  fellow  citizens. 


SYDNEY  Y.  WYNNE,  M.  D.,  a  prominent 
physician  of  Redlands,  was  born  in  Rockland 
county,  N.  Y. ;  his  father,  Henry  Wynne,  was 
a  descendant  of  Welsh  ancestry,  born  in  Massa- 
chusetts, where  also  he  was  educated  and  became 
an  attorne3'-at-law.  He  practiced  in  Boston  be- 
fore the  iDreaking  out  of  the  Civil  war,  when  he 
enlisted  for  service  and  became  major  of  a  Massa- 
chusetts regiment.  On  his  return  to  civic  duties 
he  was  elected  to  the  state  legislature.  He  now 
resides  in  Maiden,  Mass.,  where  he  has  served 
the  city  as  mayor.  His  father  was  also  a  lawyer 
in  Massachusetts  and  one  of  the  prominent  men 
in  public  affairs.  Father  and  grandfather  were 
the  first  to  depart  from  the  original  manner  of 
spelling  the  family  name,  the  present  generation 
returning  to  the  quaint  Welsh  style.  Dr.  W3-nne's 
mother  was  before  marriage  Madeline  Yale,  a 
native  of  Massachusetts,  a  writer  of  note  and 
now  a  leader  of  Arts  and  Crafts,  of  Boston  and 
Chicago,  many  of  her  articles  appearing  in  The 
Outlook.  Her  father,  Linus  Yale,  a  descendant 
of  a  brother  of  Elihu-Yale,  the  founder  of  the 
Yale  University,  was  the  inventor  of  the  Yale 
lock.  Dr.  Wynne's  brother,  Philip,  is  now  as- 
sistant professor  of  Physics  in  the  University  of 
Texas. 

Sydney  Y.  Wynne  was  reared  in  Deerfield, 
Mass.,  receiving  his  preliminary  education  in  the 
Deerfield  Academy  and  at  St.  Mark's  School, 
Southboro,  and  after  Qraduation  from  this  latter 


institution  he  entered  Harvard  and  was  graduated 
from  the  Medical  Department  in  the  class  of 
1894.  He  had  served  for  three  years  in  various 
hospitals  in  Boston,  and  after  his  graduation  he 
began  tlie  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery  in 
Redlands,  where  he  has  ever  since  resided.  He 
is  connected  with  the  Redlands  Hospital  in  ad- 
dition to  his  large  general  practice,  which  has 
constantly  increased,  many  of  his  patients  being 
numbered  among  the  winter  visitors  in  this  beau- 
tiful city  of  the  south.  He  is  identified  with  the 
American  jNIedical,  the  State  Medical  and  County 
Medical  Societies,  and  takes  a  keep  interest  in 
advancement  along  the  lines  of  his  profession. 

In  Philadelphia  Dr.  Wynne  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Mary  Burchard,  a  native  of  that 
city,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  four  children : 
Sydney,  Madelene,  Dudley  and  Philip.  Dr. 
Wynne  is  a  Republican  politically ;  he  occupies 
a  high  place  among  the  citizens  of  Redlands,  is 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  and  is  active  in 
movements  tending  toward  the  development  and 
upbuilding  of  the  city. 


EUGENE  WILKERSON.  Located  near 
Colton  in  the  center  of  one  of  the  finest  orange 
growing  districts  in  Southern  California  is  the 
ten-acre  ranch  of  Eugene  Wilkerson,  who  is  one 
of  the  most  successful  men  engaged  in  that  in- 
dustry. He  does  not  confine  himself  to  the  rais- 
ing of  one  variety  of  the  fruit,  but  on  his  ranch 
will  be  found  navels,  valencias  and  sweets,  each 
kind  having  its  admirers.  Mr.  Wilkerson  is  a 
native  of  Scott  county,  la.,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred December  31,  1848,  near  Buffalo.  His 
father,  James,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  and  his 
mother,  who  was  before  her  marriage  .Margaret 
Baker,  was  a  native  of  Indiana,  where  her  mar- 
riage occurred.  The  parents  later  removed  to 
Iowa  and  when  the  son  Eugene  was  six  months 
old  they  settled  in  Illinois,  where  Mr.  Wilkerson 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  and  where  both 
remained  until  they  died.  Of  their  family  of 
fourteen  children  Eugene  Wilkerson  is  the  only 
one  living  in  California,  two  sons  reside  in  Idaho, 
one  in  JNIissouri,  and  a  daughter  lives  in  Iowa. 
The  early  days  of  A-Ir.  Wilkerson  were  spent 
in  Jo  Daviess  county.  111.,  the  same  county  in 
which  General  Grant  spent  his  boyhood,  and 
there  he  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools.  For  his  higher  education  he  was  sent 
to  the  W'esleyan  University  at  Bloomington,  111., 
and  studied  law.  After  his  admission  to  the 
bar  in  Iowa,  where  he  went  after  the  completion 
of  his  studies,  he  located  in  Missouri  and  began 
the  practice  of  his  profession  continuing  for  two 
>ears.  He  then  became  clerk  in  the  office  of 
Secretary  McGrath  in  Jefferson  City,  Mo.,  re- 
taining that  position   for  fourteen    vears.      The 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2073 


following  eight  years  he  lived  at  Cheyenne, 
Wyo.,  where  he  went  in  1894,  being  interested 
during  that  time  in  the  raising  of  cattle  and 
horses  on  a  fine  ranch  of  which  he  was  part 
owner.  His  wife's  brother,  Hon.  A.  B.  Con- 
way, who  lived  in  Cheyenne  was  chief  justice  of 
the  state  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1907.  In 
1902  Mr.  Wilkerson  came  to  Colton  and  pur- 
chased the  ranch  property  which  he  now  owns. 
and  a  fine  home  on  an  acre  tract  in  the  citv,  and 
has  since  identified  himself  with  the  interests  of 
this  section.  He  has  always  been  an  active  par- 
ticipant in  political  affairs  and  is  a  stanch  adher- 
ent of  the  principles  advocated  in  the  platform 
of  the  Republican  party.  He  served  as  justice 
of  the  peace  in  Iowa  and  Wyoming  and  is  at 
present  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the 
city  of  Colton.  His  marriage  to  Elizabeth  Con- 
way occurred  in  Iowa  in  1874.  She  was  born 
near  Bloomington,  111.,  in  which  state  occurred 
the  marriage  of  her  parents,  William  and  Emily 
D.  Porter  Conway,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  Kentucky.  They  became  the  parents  of  five 
children,  one  daughter  living  in  Los  Angeles  at 
the  present  writing.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilkerson 
have  one  son,  Eugene  B.,  who  was  born  De- 
cember 31,  1879,  and  graduated  from  Wyom- 
ing State  University  in  1901.  He  is  now  secre- 
tary of  the  Colton  Fruit  Exchange.  Mr.  Wilker- 
son is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  all  who  know 
him,  being  universally  recognized  as  a  broad- 
minded  and  cultured  gentleman,  who  has  the  best 
interests  of  his  citv  at  heart. 


H.  S.  WALKER.  It  is  quite  safe  to  state 
that  no  one  in  Pomona  is  better  informed  in  re- 
gard to  the  Cascade  and  Sierra  regions  than  H. 
S.  Walker,  who  prior  to  coming  to  California  to 
make  his  home  had  been  interested  in  that 
country  both  as  freighter  and  miner.  For  the 
past  fifteen  years  he  has  been  a  continuous  resi- 
dent of  Pomona,  and  as  a  dealer  in  oils  of  all 
kinds  he  has  built  up  a  large  business,  besides 
which  he  handles  real-estate  to  .some  extent. 

Ten  generations  of  the  Walker  family  claim 
Liverpool,  England,  as  their  birthplace.  There 
were  nine  children  in  the  parental  family,  and 
of  the  number  H.  S.  Walker  was  next  to  the 
oldest,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Liverpool 
July  20,  1852.  Inheriting  from  his  father  a 
fascination  for  nautical  life,  at  the  age  of  ten  years 
he  started  out  on  his  first  sea  voyage,  shipping 
on  the  Garonne  as  cabin  boy  and  going  to  ports 
in  the  RTediterranean  sea.  Subsequently  he  was 
made  steward,  and  on  the  Wliite  Star  line, 
Atlantic  ocean  steamers,  he  sailed  between  Liver- 
pool and  New  York,  making  liis  first  trip  across 
the  -Atlantic  in  1864.  "LTpon  landing  in  the  latter 
metropolis    four    years    later    he    determined    to 

101 


give  up  the  sea  and  enter  upon  the  life  of  a 
landsman,  having  also  determined  to  begin  his 
new  career  in  the  west.  In  order  to  reach  that 
part  of  the  country  in  which  he  wished  to  settle 
he  left  New  York  in  t868  on  the  Pacific  mail 
boat  Henry  Chancey,  as  a  messenger,  and  in  due 
time  was  landed  at  Aspinwall.  Crossing  the 
isthmus,  he  embarked  as  messenger  on  the  Mont- 
ana, which  finally  dropped  anchor  in  the  port 
of  San  Francisco.  Thereafter  he  was  prevailed 
upon  to  make  a  number  of  voyages  between  San 
Francisco  and  Panama,  but  in  1869  he  discon- 
tinued seafaring  entirely.  During  that  year  he 
went  to  the  mines  of  Virginia  City,  Nev.,  and 
still  later  was  similarly  interested  at  Pioche, 
Wallapai  Mountain,  Mineral  Park.  McCrackin 
and  Tombstone,  all  in  Arizona,  and  during  the 
vears  there  spent  he  also  engaged  in  freighting. 
He  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  Tomb- 
stone, which  has  become  known  as  one  of  the 
greatest  mining  centers  of  the  country.  The 
attractions  of  the  mines  were  bringing  thousands 
of  newcomers  into  the  country  and  he  wisely 
foresaw  the  need  of  accommodations,  especially 
in  Charleston,  where  he  erected  a  hotel,  the  first 
in  the  settlement,  and  later  built  the  second  hotel 
in  Mule  Mountain,  now  known  as  Bisbee.  Ariz. 
During  all  of  the  time  he  was  in  Arizona  he  was 
interested  more  or  less  in  mining,  but  probably 
the  most  valuable  claim  which  he  owned  was 
in  the  Bonanza  King  mine,  near  Fenner,  San 
Bernardino   county.   Cal. 

Locating  in  Los  Angeles  in  1884,  Mr.  Walker 
had  charge  of  the  Gird  butchering  plant  there 
for  a  time  and  was  later  transferred  to  Pomona. 
Since  1891,  however,  he  has  been  interested  in 
business  on  his  own  account,  and  as  has  been 
previously  stated  is  dealing  in  oils  of  all  kinds, 
making  a  specialty  of  mineral  products.  By  his 
marriage  with  Jessie  Hetherington  Mr.  Walker 
has  one  daughter,  Jessie.  Politically  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  fraternally  he  belongs  to  the 
Foresters  and  the  IMasons,  having  joined  the 
latter  order  in  his  native  city  of  Liverpool, 
England. 


WILLIAAI  ELLIOTT.  About  a  mile  and 
a  half  southeast  of  El  ]\Ionte  may  be  seen  one 
of  the  finest  walnut  groves  of  Southern  Cali- 
fornia, the  pride  of  its  owner,  William  Elliott. 
When  he  purchased  this  property,  consisting  of 
seventy  acres  of  wild,  barren  land,  it  gave  little 
indication  of  its  present  beauty  and  productive- 
ness. However,  by  a  close  application  of  the 
knowledge  of  California  ranching  which  several 
previous  years  had  given  him,  he  has  made  his 
farm  one  of  the  finest  in  this  section.  He  now 
owms  two  hundred  and  twenty-two  acres  all  set 
to  walnuts,  which  he  has  won  foot  bv  foot  from 


2074 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  desolation  that  claimed  it  a  score  of  years 
ago.  Aluch  credit  is  due  him  for  the  persever- 
ance and  energy  with  which  lie  has  accumulated 
his  fortune,  the  development  and  beautifying  of 
his  place,  and  the  high  grade  work  for  which 
his  ranch  is  noted. 

Mr.  Elliott  inherits  his  dominant  characteris- 
tics from  Scotch  ancestry,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred in  Scotland,  May  8,  1855,  and  in  which 
country  he  spent  the  first  sixteen  years  of  his 
life.  His  father,  Alexander  Elliott,  who  was 
born  in  the  North  of  Ireland,  was  foreman  in 
a  brick  manufacturing  plant  in  Paisley  until  his 
removal  to  America,  where  in  Ontario  he  fol- 
lowed farming  until  his  retirement  from  the  ac- 
tive cares  of  life.  He  still  makes  his  home  in 
that  place,  hale  and  hearty  at  the  age  of  eighty 
years.  His  wife,  formerly  Jane  Thompson,  a  na- 
tive of  Scotland  and  a  representative  of  the 
Thompson  and  Stirling  clans,  died  in  Ontario. 
The  Elliotts  had  for  their  chief  the  Earl  of  Minto. 
Mr.  and  Airs.  Elliott  were  the  parents  of  six 
children,  four  sons  and  two  daughters,  of  whom 
\\'illiam  Elliott  was  next  to  the  eldest.  He  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
land,  and  after  accompanying  his  parents  to  On- 
tario he  engaged  in  farming  with  his  father.  He 
remained  at  home  until  April,  1883,  in  which 
year  he  decided  to  come  to  the  Pacific  coast  and 
accordingly  located  in  Westminster,  British  Co- 
lumbia, where  he  remained  until  September  of 
the  same  year.  Coming  to  Southern  California 
he  spent  one  year  in  Los  Angeles,  and  in  1884 
came  to  the  vicinity  of  El  Monte,  which  was  then 
an  open  plain  witli  nothing  to  obstruct  the  view 
for  many  miles.  He  entered  the  employ  of  E. 
J.  (Lucky)  Baldwin  and  superintended  his  four 
ranches  in  El  Alonte  and  Puente.  which  were 
utilized  in  the  raising  of  stock  and  grain.  He 
continued  in  this  employment  for  the  period  of 
nine  years,  when  he  resigned  to  look  after  the 
interests  of  his  own  property  which  he  had  pur- 
chased in  1887.  He  had  in  the  mean  time  set 
it  to  walnuts,  seventy  acres  in  all,  and  to  the  cul- 
tivation of  this  place  he  gave  his  entire  time  and 
attention  following  his  resignation  from  the 
superintendency  of  the  Baldwin  ranches.  His 
trees  thrived  although  every  prediction  had  been 
made  for  his  failure  by  those  who  had  lived  in 
the  section  for  years  and  supposed  the  land  he 
\yas  attempting  to  cultivate  was  thoroughly  un- 
tillable.  In  addition  to  this  orchard  which  is 
one  of  the  finest  in  Southern  California  he  has 
one  of  seventy  acres  at  Bassett,  in  walnuts,  and 
eighty-two  acres  just  across  the  San  Gabriel 
river  from  his  first  ranch,  also  in  walnuts,  sev- 
enty acres  in  full  bearing,  making  a  total  grove  of 
two  hundred  and  twenty-two  acres,  manv  of  the 
trees  measuring  five  feet  and  ten  inclies  in  cir- 
cumference. 


Mr.  Elliott  makes  his  home  on  the  place  at  El- 
Alonte,  where  he  has  erected  a  comfortable  resi- 
dence, substantial  barns  and  outbuildings,  in- 
stalled a  pumping  plant  with  a  thirty-five  horse 
power  gasoline  engine,  and  all  other  equipment 
for  carrying  on  a  modern  ranch. 

In  Ontario  Mr.  Elliott  was  first  married  to 
Miss  Margaret  E.  Mitchell,  a  native  of  that 
place,  who  died  in  California  leaving  two  chil- 
dren, namely :  William  and  Robert.  After  the 
death  of  his  wife  he  married  Miss  Mary,  a  sis- 
ter of  his  first  wife,  and  they  had  one  daughter, 
Elizabeth.  Mrs.  Elliott  died  in  1902.  He  was 
later  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Carrie 
Thienes,  who  was  born  in  Illinois,  a  daughter  of 
William  and  Anna  (Helfridge)  Thienes.  They 
were  both  natives  of  Westphalia,  Germany,  who 
emigrated  to  America  and  located  in  Evansville, 
Ind.,  thence  removing  to  Alt.  Vernon,  111.,  in 
1876,  spending  twenty  years  in  that  locality  as 
farmers,  when  they  came  to  California  and  now 
reside  in  the  El  Alonte  district.  They  had  six 
children,  of  whom  Airs.  Elliott  is  the  fourth  in 
order  of  birth.  Air.  and  Airs.  Elliott  are  the 
parents  of  two  children.  Royal  Edward  and 
Thompson  Alexander.  Air.  Elliott  in  conjunc- 
tion with  the  late  Air.  Alaxson  organized  the 
Alt.  View  Walnut  Growers"  Association,  and  for 
several  years  served  as  its  vice-president.  He  is 
still  a  member  of  the  organization  and  active  in 
its  affairs.  Fraternally  he  is  associated  with 
the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters  and  polit- 
ically casts  his  ballot  in  the  interests  of  the  Re- 
publican party. 


FREDERICK  VELLON,  of  Los  Angeles, 
was  born  in  La  Motte,  Hautes-Alpes,  France, 
July  24,  1848,  and  is  the  third  youngest  of  a  fam- 
ily of  seven  children  born  to  Pierre  and  Josephine 
Astier,  -who  were  honorable  and  well-to-do  farm- 
ers in  the  south  of  France. 

Mr.  \'ellon"s  early  life  was  passed  on  the  farm 
in  his  native  land  and  he  received  his  education 
in  the  common  schools.  In  1869  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia via  Panama,  landing  in  San  Francisco 
from  the  steamer  Nebraska,  spending  the  first 
year  on  the  bay  and  in  1870  coming  to  Southern 
California,  where  he  followed  farm  work  until 
1875,  when  he  began  the  stock  business  and  from 
that  time  until  1881  ranged  his  sheep  in  ditTerent 
parts  of  California  as  the  seasons  permitted.  He 
then  engaged  in  farming  and  horticulture  in  Los 
Angeles,  purchasing  twenty  acres  on  West  Pico 
between  Albany  and  Valencia  streets.  This  he 
farmed  until  1885  when  he  sold  all  but  200x250 
feet  where  he  makes  his  home,  the  rest  being  laid 
out  and  sold  out  as  the  "City  Center  Tract." 
Since  then  he  has  been  engaged' in  dealing  in  real 
estate,  of  which  he  is  an  extensive  holder.     In 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2075 


Los  Angeles  on  May  15,  1879,  Mr.  Vellon  was 
married  to  Mrs.  Martha  (Beckstead)  Grant,  a 
native  of  Illinois  and  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Mary  (Winn)  Beckstead.  The  father  was  born 
in  Canada  and  the  mother  in  Illinois  and  they  were 
married  in  the  latter  state  in  1849,  when  they  re- 
moved to  Council  BlufTs,  Iowa,  and  in  1852 
crossed  the  plains  to  Salt  Lake  City,  making  the 
long  journey  overland  with  ox-teams.  In  1861 
he  brought  the  family  by  teams  to  San  Bernardino 
and  was  engaged  in  farming  in  what  is  now 
Riverside  county,  until  he  retired.  He  now  re- 
sides in  Colton  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty 
years.  The  mother  died  several  years  ago  in 
Riverside  county.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vellon  have 
been  born  three  sons,  namely:  Alfred,  aged  twen- 
ty-seven ;  Arthur,  aged  twenty-four,  and  Lafay- 
ette, aged  twenty-one,  all  under  the  parental  roof. 
After  an  absence  of  thirty-two  years,  Mr.  Vellon 
in  1901  made  a  trip  to  France,  accompanied  by 
his  wife  and  son  Lafayette,  visiting  his  child- 
hood's haunts,  relatives  and  friends  for  a  period 
of  six  months  and  while  there  traveled  on  the  con- 
tinent and  visited  the  Paris  Exposition. 

Mr.  Vellon  has  been  remarkably  successful.  He 
worked  his  own  way  beginning  at  the  bottom 
without  a  dollar,  having  only  his  two  hands,  but 
nothing  daunted,  he  went  to  work  and  step  by 
step  rose  until  in  a  few  years  he  became  a  man  of 
affluence.  His  ambition  having  been  attained  he 
now  resides  at  his  home,  No.  1403  West  Pico 
street,  where  he  spends  his  time  looking  after  his 
interests.  He  is  well  and  favorably  known  and  is 
ever  ready  to  help  and  gives  liberally  of  his 
means  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  city  in  which  he 
resides  and  has  so  much  faith. 


J A:\IES  E.  WARD  came  to  Redlands  in  1887 
and  he  has  since  made  this  city  his  home,  giv- 
ing to  the  horticultural  development  of  this  sec- 
tion of  Southern  California  his  best  efforts  and 
also  assisting  in  the  public  welfare  by  officiat- 
ing at  the  present  writing  as  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  City  Trustees.  He  was  born  in  Leslie, 
Ingham  county,  Mich.,  July  14,  1854,  the  young- 
est in  a  family  of  ten  children,  of  whom  three 
are  now  living.  His  father,  Peter  Ward,  was 
born  in  Scranton,  Pa.,  of  German  parentage; 
in  young  manhood  he  became  an  early  settler 
of  Michigan,  where  he  engaged  in  farming 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1868.  His 
wife,  formerly  Catherine  Ash,  was  born  in 
Bethlehem,  Pa.,  of  old  Moravian  ancestry,  her 
death  occurring  in  Michigan  the  year  after  her 
husband  died.  Two  of  "their  sons,  C.  E.  and 
S.  L..  served  in  the  First  :Michigan  Light  Artil- 
lerv  in  the  Civil  war. 

Tames  E.  Ward  is  the  only  one  of  the  family 
in  "California.    He  was  reared  on  the  home  farm 


in  Michigan  and  educated  in  the  district  school 
in  the  vicinity  of  his  home.  Orphaned  at  the 
age  of  fifteen  years  he  was  thus  thrown  upon 
his  own  responsibilities,  and  from  that  time  on 
received  no  assistance  from  anyone.  He  worked 
out  on  fanns  until  he  was  seventeen  years  old, 
when  he  went  into  the  lumber  woods  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Greenville.  In  1875  he  went  to  Texas 
and  in  Dewitt  county  engaged  in  the  cattle  and 
sheep  buiness  on  what  was  known  as  the  Weldon 
ranch,  meeting  with  a  success  which  justified 
his  long  continuance  in  the  work.  He  was  prom- 
inent in  his  business  during  the  twelve  years  of 
his  residence  there,  as  a  member  of  the  South- 
western Texas  Cattle  Growers'  Association  ad- 
vancing the  interests  of  the  business.  Dispos- 
ing of  "his  interests  in  1887  he  came  to  Califor- 
nia and  locating  at  once  in  Redlands  has  ever 
since  made  this  city  his  home.  He  followed  the 
trade  of  carpenter  and  builder  for  four  years, 
and  in  the  meantime,  in  1889,  purchased  his 
present  property,  consisting  of  thirty-one  acres 
of  land,  which  in  1890  he  set  in  navel  oranges. 
He  has  met  with  success  in  his  efforts  and  has 
risen  to  a  position  of  prominence  among  the 
orange  growers  of  Southern  California,  now 
serving  as  president  of  the  Orange  Producers 
Association,  which  compan}-  has  built  a  line 
packing  house  on  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad 
and  carries  on  a  large  and  constantly  increasing 
business. 

In  Texas  October  8,  1882,  Mr.  Ward  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Marietta  Williams, 
a  native  of  Delaware.  Mr.  Ward  is  identified 
fraternallv  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias;  politi- 
cally he  casts  his  ballot  for  the  interests  of  the 
Republican  party.  In  1902  he  received  the 
nomination  on  both  the  citizens  and  good  govern- 
ment ticket  and  was  elected  without  opposition 
to  the  office  of  city  trustee  for  a  four-year  term, 
and  was  re-elected  in  1906  on  the  citizens  ticket. 
He  is  now  serving  as  chairman  of  several  im- 
portant committees,  among  them  the  auditing, 
finance  and  park  committees,  and  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  ordinance  and  judiciary.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Trade  of  Redlands  and 
no  citizen  is  more  prompt  to  respond  to  the  needs 
of  the  city  in  its  efforts  along  the  line  of  de- 
velopment and  progress  than  Mr.  Ward.  He 
enjovs  the  esteem  of  a  wide  circle  of  friends, 
appreciated  for  the  high  qualities  of  character 
as  displayed  during  his  residence  here. 


CHARLES  CLARK.  One  of  the  busiest  and 
most  thriving  industries  in  Pomona  is  Clark's 
American  bakery,  which  was  established  while 
the  town  was  still  in  its  infancy  and  which  has 
grown  and  prospered  in  tlie  same  ratio  as  the 
town  has  grown  in  stability  and  importance. 


2076 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


A  native  of  England,  Charles  Clark  was  born 
in  Chelmsford,  Essex  county,  February  6,  1848, 
and  is  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Emma  (Auger) 
Clark.  When  he  was  a  lad  of  only  ten  years  he 
displayed  a  predilection  for  the  trade  which  he 
has  followed  as  his  life  work,  and  at  the  same 
time  he  began  to  master  the  tasks  which  fall  to 
the  apprentice  of  the  baker's  and  confectioner's 
trade.  Beginning  the  serious  affairs  of  business 
at  this  early  age  would  seem  to  preclude  all  pos- 
sible chance  of  getting  an  education,  but  never- 
theless he  found  opportunity  for  improving  his 
mind  and  is  toda}-  a  well-informed,  intelligent 
man  whom  it  is  a  delight  to  meet.  At  the  age  of 
eighteen  years  he  came  to  the  United  States  and 
located  at  once  in  Chicago,  111.,  where  until  the 
great  fire  of  1871  he  followed  his  trade  in  the 
employ  of  others.  After  this  disaster  he  started 
in  business  on  his  own  account  on  Blue  Island 
avenue,  running  a  restaurant  and  bakery  in  that 
locality  for  the  following  five  years.  For  the 
next  ten  years,  from  1876  until  1886,  he  carried 
on  a  similar  business  in  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  dis- 
posing of  his  interests  in  the  latter  year  to  re- 
move to  the  Pacific  coast.  Locating  in  Los 
Angeles,  without  loss  of  time  he  opened  a  restau- 
rant and  bakery  in  a  central  location  and  for  three 
years  carried  on  a  very  successful  business.  His 
identification  with  Pomona  dates  from  the  year 
1889,  at  which  time  he  started  the  nucleus  of  his 
present  business  at  264-266  West  Second 
street,  where  for  seventeen  years  he  has  furnished 
substantial  refreshment  and  toothsome  delicacies 
to  the  community.  From  a  small,  unpretentious 
beginning  the  business  has  grown. to  large  pro- 
portions, until  today  the  goods  supplied  by 
Clark's  American  bakery  are  as  well  known  and 
highly  appreciated  in  the  surrounding  towns  as 
they  are  in  Pomona.  Two  wagons  are  constantl>- 
employed  in  supplying  the  trade  in  Lordsburg, 
Ontario.  Uplands,  Claremont  and  Chino.  At  the 
time  Mr.  Clark  came  to  Pomona  in  1889  he  pur- 
chased a  ranch  of  five  acres  and  set  it  out  to 
oranges,  but  later  he  sold  it  in  order  to  concentrate 
his  efforts  in  the  interests  of  his  bakery. 

In  Beloit.  Wis.,  Mr.  Clark  was  married  to  ]\tiss 
Alice  P.  Wells,  a  native  of  that  state,  and  three 
children  have  been  born  to  them :  Arthur,  in  San 
Francisco;  Frank,  in  Uplands;  and  Ralph,  a  resi- 
dent of  Pomona.  The  family  are  communicants 
of  the  Episcopal  Church  and  politically  Mr.  Qark 
is  a  Republican.  As  one  of  the  substantial  busi- 
ness men  of  his  home  city  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Trade  of  Pomona,  in  which  body  his 
opinion  is  highly  regarded  and  carries  consider- 
able weight.  His  fraternal  affiliations  are  num- 
erous and  include  membership  in  the  Fraternal 
Aid,  Independent  Order  of  Foresters,  Benevolent 
Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  the  Masons.  He 
joined  the  latter  order  in   Pomona,  becoming  a 


member  of  I'omona  Lodge  No.  246,  F.  &  A.  M. ; 
is  also  a  member  of  Pomona  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ; 
Southern  California  Commandery,  K.  T. ;  and  to 
Al  Malaikah  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  N.  M.  S.,  of  Los 
Angeles. 


LOUIS  NAPOLEON  DUNLAP.  Inherit- 
ing the  characteristics  which  have  made  of 
Louis  N.  Dunlap  an  upbuilder  among  the  primi- 
tive conditions  of  Southern  California  in  the  early 
days  of  the  state,  this  gentleman  is  now  occupy- 
ing an  honorable  place  among  the  pioneers  of 
Redlands,  where  he  has  been  located  since  1901. 
He  is  a  native  Californian,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred in  Visalia,  March  4,  1858.  His  father, 
John  Dimlap,  was  born  in  Illinois ;  he  located  in 
^Missouri  in  young  manhood  and  shortly  after- 
ward became  a  resident  of  Texas,  where  he  was 
one  of  the  famous  rangers  for  the  independence 
of  that  state,  then  a  part  of  Mexican  territory. 
He  came  to  California  by  means  of  ox-teams  in 
1854,  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  El  Monte, 
from  which  point  he  went  on  to  Visalia,  where 
for  many  years  he  engaged  as  a  stockman.  Lo- 
cating in  San  Bernardino  county  in  1869  he 
purchased  the  Yucaipe  ranch  with  William 
Standeford  as  partner,  and  this  large  ranch  of 
thirty-eight  hundred  and  forty  acres  they  cul- 
tivated for  several  years.  He  engaged  in  the 
cattle  business  to  a  large  extent,  buying  and  sell- 
ing horses,  cattle  and  sheep.  He  was  accidental- 
ly killed  at  the  San  Bernardino  race  track.  Fra- 
ternally he  was  a  prominent  Mason  and  politically 
voted  the  Democrat  ticket.  His  wife  survived 
him,  dying  in  Los  Angeles  in  1900.  They  were 
the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Calvin, 
of  Bakersfield,  Cal. ;  A.  H.,  a  walnut  grower  of 
Whittier,  Cal. ;  F.  P.,  a  merchant  oi  Rialto ; 
Louis  Napoleon,  of  this  review ;  A.  J.,  a  farmer 
of  Warm  Creek;  Mrs.  Jennie  Bowler,  of  Los 
Angeles;  Mrs.  Eagan.  of  Pasadena;  Ida,  of  Los 
Angeles ;  and  Mrs.  Ella  Collins,  who  died  in 
Los  ."Vngeles. 

Louis  N.  Dunlap  was  reared  in  X'isalia  to  the 
age  of  fifteen  years,  when  he  was  taken  by  his 
parents  to  San  Bernardino  county,  his  education 
being  received  in  the  district  schools  of  the  two 
localities,  and  an  academy  at  Downey.  From 
boyhood  he  was  trained  in  the  stock  business  and 
on  the  paternal  ranch  he  engaged  in  that  busi- 
ness for  some  years,  renting  the  land  in  con- 
junction with  his  brothers.  E.  P.  and  .\.  J.  .\fter 
the  death  of  their  mother  they  incorporated  the 
Yucaipe  Land  &  Water  Company,  embracing  the 
entire  property,  their  sister  jMrs.  Eagan  acting 
as  president ;  Mrs.  Bowler  as  vice-president ;  A. 
H.,  as  secretary  and  general  manager,  the  rais- 
ing of  stock  and  the  conduct  of  a  dairy  occupy- 
ing their  attention.     Alfalfa  is  also  an  extensive 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


product.  They  are  developing  many  large  wells 
on  the  place,  having  it  brought  in  pipes  to  the 
Chicago  colony,  Crafton  and  Redlands,  for  both 
domestic  and  irrigation  purposes. 

In  1901  Mr.  Dunlap  located  in  Redlands,  his 
work  on  the  ranch  being  the  buying  of  the  stock. 
Many  years  ago  he  became  connected  with  the 
business  interests  of  this  city  by  the  purchase  of 
a  livery  business  which  he  conducted  until  1903 
in  addition  to  his  other  interests,  disposing  of  the 
business  in  that  year  and  leasing  the  stables.  He 
has  built  business  and  residence  property  in  this 
city  and  takes  a  keen  interest  in  its  development. 
Mr.  Dunlap  is  a  member  of  Redlands  Parlor, 
Native  Sons  of  the  Golden  West;  politically  he 
is  a  stanch  adherent  of  the  principles  embraced 
in  the  platform  of  the  Democratic  part}-. 


JESUS  LORETO  CRUZ.  Yet  another  of  the 
old-time  residents  of  the  Golden  State  who  have 
been  spared  to  share  in  its  latter-day  prosperity 
is  Jesus  Loreto  Cruz,  who  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
six  years  resides  on  his  ranch  at  the  head  of  Weid 
caiion,  nestled  at  the  foot  of  Cruz  mountain,  and 
not  far  from  the  beautiful  city  of  Hollywood. 
He  was  born  in  Mexico  September  8,  1830,  a 
son  of  Santiago  and  Juana  (Galindo)  Cruz,  both 
parents  living  to  attain  remarkable  ages,  the 
father  dying  in  his  ninety-seventh  year,  and  the 
mother  passing  away  in  1905  when  one  hundred 
and  seven  years  old.  They  removed  to  the 
United  States  during  the  boyhood  of  their  son, 
so  that  to  all  intents  and  purposes  he  is  an  Amer- 
ican, and  more  particularly  a  Californian,  for 
since  settling  here  in  1849  he  has  known  no  other 
home.  It  was  during  this  year  that  the  father 
came  to  Los  Angeles  county  to  take  charge  of 
the  Chino  rancho  as  overseer,  a  position  to  which 
his  son  succeeded  in  later  years.  He  held  this 
position  for  eighteen  months  and  then  relinquish- 
ed it,  having  in  the  meantime  purchased  a  lot  in 
Los  Angeles.  Still  later  he  bought  one  Iiundred 
and  sixty  acres  which  is  now  the  site  of  the  de- 
pot in  Los  Angeles,  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of 
this  property  being  invested  in  eighteen  acres  be- 
tween Grand  and  Figueroa  street  and  between 
Pico  and  Twelfth  streets,  which  he  sold  before 
it  was  subdivided.  Mr.  Cruz  became  deputy  su- 
perintendent of  city  water  works  in  Los  Angeles 
under  Mr.  Morsilber  for  two  years  and  then  be- 
came superintendent  and  held  it  from  1865  until 
1870,  when  he  resigned  of  his  own  accord,  having 
served  with  credit  to  himself  and  his  employers. 

In  1893  Mr.  Cruz  bought  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  near  Hollywood,  half  of  which 
he  gave  to  his  sister,  Mrs.  C.  Coronel.  At  her 
death  this  was  divided  between  him  and  two 
nieces,  and  he  now  owns  about  one  hundred  and 
seven  acres  in  all,  about  fifteen  acres  in  vineyard 


and  carrying  most  valuable  water  rights.  All  of 
the  improvements  on  the  property  are  the  work 
of  his  hands,  for  he  has  planted  all  of  the  fruit 
trees  which  adorn  the  place  and  the  residence  and 
other  buildings  have  been  erected  since  the  prop- 
erty came  into  his  possession.  During  his  early 
years  he  was  married  to  Belle  E.  Warner,  but 
their  married  life  was  destined  to  be  brief,  for 
she  died  when  only  twenty-eight  years  of  age, 
leaving  her  husband  and  one  daughter  to  mourn 
her  loss.  The  daughter,  Jennie  Artemiso,  grew 
to  beautiful  womanhood,  but  she  too  was  taken 
from  him  by  death  in  1898,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  years.  At  the  time  of  her  marriage  ]\Irs. 
Cruz  brought  with  her  from  her  old  liome  a 
servant  who  had  been  in  the  family  for  many 
years.  Born,  in  San  Diego,  she  was  of  Indian 
birth,  and  when  a  very  small  child  was  given  to 
Mr.  Warner  and  was  known  as  Fannie  Warner. 
After  the  death  of  Mrs.  Cruz  she  continued  to 
fill  the  position  of  caretaker  in  the  family  and 
still  has  charge  of  the  household  affairs.  With 
the  exception  of  the  two  nieces  previously  men- 
tioned Mr.  Cruz  has  no  living  relatives,  but  both 
of  these  live  within  a  short  distance  of  his  ranch. 
Alesa  has  three  children  and  is  the  wife  of  Robert 
Woodward  and  they  make  their  home  in  Los 
Angeles.  The  other  niece,  Mary,  was  first  mar- 
ried to  Julian  Martinez,  by  whom  she  had  two 
children ;  after  his  death  she  became  the  wife  of 
George  Hinsdell,  and  they  reside  at  Redondo. 
Mr.  Cruz  is  one  of  the  oldest  residents  of  the 
state,  and  as  such  is  honored  and  respected  by  a 
large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances,  the  as- 
sociates of  many  years  under  conditions  which 
were  often  trying  in  the  extreme. 


RENE  BLONDEAU.  For  many  years  iden- 
tified with  the  growth  and  upbuilding  of  Holly- 
wood, Rene  Blondeau  was  a  man  of  much  worth 
and  integrity,  who  was  much  appreciated  and  be- 
loved by  his  many  friends  for  his  many  good 
qualities.  He  was  born  in  Normandy,  May  3, 
1838,  and  was  the  son  of  Rene  Blondeau,  who, 
being  an  ardent  Republican,  was  obliged  to  retire 
from  Paris  to  Normandy  when  Napoleon  III  is- 
sued his  decree  in  opposition  to  the  party  and 
there  remained  until  his  death. 

Mr.  Blondeau's  great-grandmother  was  a 
daughter  of  the  Marquis  de  Favrol.  who  with  his 
family  was  assassinated  during  the  Reign  of 
Terror  at  the  time  of  Louis  XVI.  The  sixteen- 
year-old  daughter  was  the  only  one  who  escaped 
and  she  was  saved  by  their  gardener,  M.  Mouton, 
who  dressed  her  in  one  of  his  suits  of  clothes.  She 
afterward  married  her  rescuer  and  lived  in  Nor- 
mandv.  Mr.  Blondeau  being  a  grand-nephew  of 
the  Rev.  Evremont  de  Favrol,  was  educated  un- 
der his  care  at  the  Jesuit  College.     After  com- 


2078 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


pleting  his  education  he  learned  the  perfumer  and 
hairdresser  trade  in  Paris.  He  traveled  through 
Europe,  Asia  and  North  America.  Returning  to 
Paris,  he  engaged  in  business  there  until  he  came 
to  New  Orleans,  La.,  in  1868,  and  established 
himself  in  business  in  that  city,  remaining  there 
six  years  and  becoming  an  American  citizen.  In 
1874  he  came  to  San  Francisco,  remaining  two 
}ears  in  that  city,  when  he  went  to  South  Amer- 
ica, where  he  engaged  in  business  and  traveled 
through  all  Central  and  South  America.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Blondeau  were  very  successful  and  in  1889 
returned  to  California  whereto  they  had  always 
looked  with  fond  eyes  as  a  place  where  they  could 
enjoy  the  fruits  of  their  labors.  They  purchased 
seven  acres  in  Hollywood  on  what  is  now  Cower 
avenue  and  Sunset  Boulevard,  engaging  in  horti- 
culture and  farming.  They  also  built  the  Ca- 
huenga  House,  which  was  well  patronized  until 
thev  "retired.  Mr.  Blondeau  died  at  his  home 
January  20,  1903.  He  had  the  confidence  of  the 
ipeople  in  his  vicinity  and  often  his  friends  came 
to  him  to  take  care  of  their  money,  to  which  he 
always  made  an  accurate  accounting  and  never 
proved  false  to  his  trust.  Mr.  Blondeau  was  mar- 
ried in  New  Orleans  May  i,  1870,  to  Mdll.  Marie 
Lousteau,  who  came  to  New  Orleans,  La.,  from 
France  in  1870.  Since  her  husband  died  she  con- 
tinues to  reside  in  Hollywood,  looking  after  her 
interests,  she  still  retaining  her  home  here  with  its 
beautiful  floral  and  vegetable  gardens.  Her  only 
daughter,  Louise  E.,  was  a  graduate  of  the  Holly- 
wood high  school,  and  is  now  attending  Occi- 
dental College.  Mrs.  Blondeau  is  a  member  of 
the  Ladies'  French  Charitable  Association  of  Los 
Angeles  and  takes  a  great  interest  helping  those 
who  have  been  less  fortunate  than  herself,  and 
many  are  the  little  kindnesses  that  she  is  always 
rendering  to  others  who  little  dream  of  the  source 
of  the  cliarity.  She  is  a  woman  of  much  business 
ability  and  has  shown  much  sagacity  in  her  busi- 
ness ventures. 


WILLIAM  JORRES.  Through  the  long 
period  of  his  identification  with  the  development 
of  California,  extending  back  to  the  memorable 
davs  of  the  gold  excitement  and  coming  down  to 
the  era  of  twentieth  century  progress.  Mr.  Jorres 
has  been  an  upbuilder  and  an  honored  citizen. 
Although  now  practically  retired  from  business 
cares,  he  has  not  lost  his  interest  in  measures 
pertaining  to  the  commercial  development  of  the 
state,  buf  keeps  in  touch  with  progressive  move- 
ments and  gives  his  support  to  worthy  enter- 
prises. Especially  to  those  of  the  present  genera- 
tion, who  are  strangers  to  the  early  history  of 
the  state,  it  is  interesting  to  hear  him  narrate 
stories  connected  with  his  early  residence  in  San 
Francisco,  which  had  attracted  to  it  a  turbulent 


and  lawless  population  from  all  sections  of  the 
world,  as  well  as  thousands  of  honorable  and 
law-abiding  men  solicitous  to  give  to  the  new 
town  a  standing  equal  to  the  old-established 
towns  of  the  east. 

Of  German  birth  and  parentage,  Mr.  Jorres 
was  born  in  Hanover,  August  12,  1824,  and  at 
the  age  of  seventeen  years  was  apprenticed  in 
Hamburg  to  the  carpenter's  trade,  of  which  he 
acquired  a  thorough  knowledge  under  a  skilled 
master.  In  1846  he  went  to  South  America  and 
for  six  months  followed  his  trade  at  Monte- 
video, Uruguay.  While  there  the  port  was 
blockaded  for  several  months  by  the  combined 
French  and  English  fleets.  Leaving  that  city 
he  went  to  Buenos  Ayres.  Argentine,  and  fol- 
lowed his  trade  until  the  fall  of  1849,  when  he 
took  passage  on  a  ship  bound  via  the  Horn  for 
San  Francisco.  The  ship  cast  anchor  ]\Iay  4, 
1850,  and  immediately  he  hastened  to  the  Span- 
ish Dry  Diggings  on  the  Middle  Fork  of  the 
American  river,  from  there  going  to  Bear  creek 
on  a  prospecting  tour.  After  the  second  fire  of 
185 1  he  returned  to  San  Francisco  and  readily 
secured  employment  as  a  carpenter  at  high 
wages.  From  taking  jobs  by  the  day  he  drifted 
into  the  taking  of  contracts,  which  work  he  con- 
tinued with  success  until  1868.  Meanwhile  he 
superintended  the  erection  of  many  large  build- 
ings. In  1852-53  he  erected  four  brick  houses 
on  Washington  street  near  Montgomery.  In 
1855  he  put  up  a  brick  building  on  the  southwest 
corner  of  California  and  Front  streets,  and 
among  other  buildings  which  he  erected  in  an 
early  "day  is  the  orthodox  Jewish  Synagogue  on 
Mason  street,  between  Post  and  Geary. 

On  coming  to  San  Diego  in  1868  Mr.  Jorres 
bought  property  and  the  following  year  built  a 
residence  and  established  his  family  in  this  city. 
Immediately  after  locating  here  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  S.  S.  Culverwell  and  built  a 
wharf  at  the  foot  of  F  street,  which  was  the:  first 
wharf  started  in  the  town.  However,  it  was  not 
completed  as  soon  as  the  Horton  wharf,  being 
twenty  feet  wider  and  therefore  requiring  more 
time  to  build.  It  was  made  wide  enough  for  car- 
riages to  be  driven  out  to  meet  passengers  from 
the"  steamers  who  were  landed  at  the  wharf.  The 
cost  of  the  wharf  was  $28.7c».  and  for  the  first 
year  the  owners  operated  it  personally,  but  after- 
ward leased  it,  and  then  Mr.  Jorres  turned  his 
attention  to  contracting.  In  1872  he  bought  his 
partner's  interest  in  the  wharf  and  engaged  in 
ballasting  vessels  and  in  similar  work.  In  1890 
he  rebuilt  the  wharf,  which  is  now  one  of  the 
largest  in  this  harbor.  In  1873  he  had  the  con- 
tract for  the  erection  of  the  courthouse  on.D 
street,  later  erected  the  Commercial  National 
Bank  building  on  Fifth  and  G  streets,  also 
contracted    for    the    Central    market    on    Fifth 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2079 


between  F  and  G  streets,  a  structure  200x60 
feet  fitted  up  with  stalls  for  a  market.  During 
1877  he  had  the  contract  for  building  the  First 
National  Bank  on  Main  street,  Los  Angeles,  a 
task  of  great  responsibility,  as  indeed  were  all 
of  the  contracts  which  he  assumed. 

From  his  new  home  in  San  Francisco  in  1854 
Mr.  Jorres  returned  to  Hanover  to  visit  old 
friends,  and  there  he  married  Miss  Sophie  Klien- 
gibel.  The  wedding  trip  was  a  voyage  across 
the  Atlantic  to  Panama  and  up  the  Pacific  to 
San  Francisco,  where  they  remained  until  1869. 
At  this  writing  they  have  their  home  on  the 
corner  of  Union  and  B  streets,  San  Diego,  where 
in  August,  1904,  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  their 
marriage  was  celebrated  with  the  hearty  con- 
gratulations of  their  large  circle  of  friends,  not 
only  among  the  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  (to  which  they  belong),  but  among  peo- 
ple of  all  denominations  and  nationalities.  Ever 
since  becoming  a  citizen  of  the  United  States 
Mr.  Jorres  has  voted  the  Democratic  ticket,  and 
his  only  son,  Gustav  W.,  is  also  a  stanch  be- 
liever in  the  principles  of  that  party,  his  faithful 
services  in  its  behalf  winning  for  him  the  ap- 
pointment as  postmaster  of  San  Diego  for  one 
term,  and  later  he  has  filled  the  office  of  county 
assessor  with  credit  to  himself. 


EDMUND  L.  BROWX.  A  man  of  strong 
and  intelligent  convictions,  capable,  energetic  and 
progressive,  Ednnmd  L.  Brown  is  a  typical  rep- 
resentative of  the  successful  business  men  of  San 
Fernando  who,  through  their  own  strenuous  ef- 
forts, have  gained  wealth  and  distinction.  A  son 
of  Cyrus  and  Elizabeth  E.  (Barnes)  Brown,  he 
was  born.  May  29,  1867,  in  Whitefield,  Marshall 
county.  111. 

Leaving  Illinois,  Cyrus  Brown  came  with  his 
family  to  California,  locating  at  Downey,  where 
he  bought  a  fruit  ranch,  which  he  managed  suc- 
cessfully until  January,  1905.  Disposing  then  of 
his  estate,  he  purchased  his  present  place  of  resi- 
dence in  Hollywood,  intending  to  make  it  his 
permanent  home.  He  is  a  man  of  great  public 
spirit,  and  during  the  Civil  war  rendered  faithful 
service  to  his  country  as  a  soldier  in  an  Illinois 
regiment  of  volunteer  infantry.  He  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics,  and  an  active  supporter  of  its 
principles. 

Coming  to  Los  Angeles  in  1886,  Edmund  L. 
Brown  completed  his  education  at  Woodbury's 
Business  College,  after  which  he  was  bookkeeper 
for  Porter  Bros.  &  Co.  for  a  while;  in  1887  he 
established  himself  in  the  mercantile  business.  He 
returned  to  Illinois  in  September  of  that  year  and 
was  married  there  in  October,  coming  back  and 
locating  at  Downey  on  a  ranch,  but  removing  to 
San  Fernando  in  December.  1888,  there  becoming 


junior  member  of  the  firm  of  Smith  &  Brown  in 
August  of  1889.  Locating  on  the  east  side  of 
the  railroad  this  firm  built  up  a  good  trade  in 
hardware  and  groceries,  of  which  they  kept  a 
good  supply.  Selling  his  interest  to  his  partner 
in  the  fall  of  1890,  Mr.  Brown  was  employed  as 
a  clerk  in  the  general  store  of  W.  H.  Obear  until 
the  following  April,  when  for  the  sum  of  $3,500 
he  purchased  the  entire  stock  of  Mr.  Obear,  and 
conducted  the  business  alone  for  over  a  year,  and 
later,  forming  a  co-partnership  with  C.  W.  Judy 
in  1902,  under  the  name  of  E.  L.  Brown  &  Co., 
he  enlarged  the  stock,  and  for  two  years  carried 
on  a  thriving  trade.  In  1903  Mr.  Brown  sold  his 
interest  in  the  grocery  and  hardware  departments 
to  his  partner  and  a  Mr.  Jenifer,  and  for  two 
years  carried  on  the  other  departments  himself 
successfully.  In  January.  1905,  he  disposed  of 
his  entire  stock  to  the  firm  of  Rose  &  F'rankhouse, 
and  started  an  entirely  new  line  of  business  in 
Los  Angeles,  under  the  firm  name  of  Fred  L. 
Boneff  Co.,  Inc.,  real  estate  and  mines,  which  is 
proving  a  profitable  venture. 

In  1887.  Mr.  Brown  married  Jennie  Carson, 
who  was  born  in  Illinois,  and  of  their  union  two 
children  have  been  born,  namely :  A  child  that 
died  in  infancy,  in  1888 ;  and  Julia  Grant  Brown, 
September,  1904.  While  a  resident  of  San 
Fernando,  Mr.  Brown  was  very  active  and  in- 
fluential in  political  aft'airs.  and  for  twelve  years 
served  as  president  of  the  Republican  club.  In 
April,  1897,  he  was  appointed,  by  President  JNIc- 
Kinley,  postmaster  at  San  Fernando,  was  re-ap- 
pointed in  1901,  and  again,  by  President  Roose- 
velt, in  1905,  serving  in  that  capacity  until  his 
removal  to  Los  Angeles.  In  November,  1906,  he 
was  elected  secretary  of  the  Southern  California 
Retail  Hardware  and  Implement  Dealers'  Asso- 
ciation. Fraternally  ]\Ir.  Brown  is  a  member  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  was 
formerly  treasurer  of  his  lodge,  grand  master 
four  terms  and  delegate  to  the  grand  lodge  four 
years.  Both  he  and  Mrs.  Brown  are  valued  mem- 
bers of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  San 
Fernando. 


FRANK  EMERY  KING.  The  agricultural 
interests  of  Los  Angeles  county  are  well  repre- 
sented by  Frank  E.  King,  one  of  the  successful 
ranchers  in  the  outskirts  of  Venice.  A  young 
man  of  considerable  public  spirit  and  energy,  no 
movement  calculated  to  advance  the  welfare  of 
the  community  in  which  he  lives  is  allowed  to 
lag  for  want  of  support  on  his  part.  A  native 
of  Iowa,  he  was  born  in  Clear  Lake  May  23. 
1871,  and  is  a  son  of  A.  N.  King,  whose  sketch 
will  be  found  on  another  page  in  this  volume. 

The  common  schools  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
parental  home  in  Iowa  furnished  all  of  the  book 


2080 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


learning  which  Mr.  King  received,  and  the  fact 
that  he  is  now  a  well-informed  man  is  due  to 
continued  stud\'  and  careful  observation.  As  a 
preparation  for  the  life  which  he  is  now  follow- 
ing he  assisted  his  father  in  carrying  on  the 
home  ranch  in  Iowa,  and  after  the  family  settled 
in  California  he  was  well  prepared  to  assume  the 
responsibilities  of  a  ranch  of  his  own.  The  col- 
ony with  which  the  family  came  to  California 
was  in  charge  of  the  father  and  Jacob  Brown, 
the  newcomers  making  settlement  in  Los  An- 
geles county,  near  the  PalmS; 

Upon  coming  to  the  west  Frank  E.  King  lived 
on  rented  land  m  Los  Angeles  county  until  he 
had  had  an  opportunity  to  look  about  and  select 
a  suitable  location  for  a  permanent  residence. 
Before  long  he  was  enabled  to  secure  his  present 
valuable  ranch  of  ten  and  one-half  acres  in  close 
proximity  to  Venice,  a  choice  of  which  he  has 
every  reason  to  feel  proud,  for  although  the 
ranch  is  small  as  compared  with  many  others,  it 
ranks  in  point  of  productiveness  with  many  twice 
its  size. 

Mr.  King's  first  marriage  occurred  in  1891 
and  united  him  with  Laura  Griffin,  who  was 
born  and  reared  in  California.  At  her  death  in 
1897  she  left  four  children,  as  follows:  Pearl, 
Ramona,  Leslie  and  Jack  G.  Six  years  later,_  in 
1903,  in  Sawtelle,  Cal.,  Mr.  King  was  married 
to  Miss  Mamie  Lundy,  who  was  born  in  Mis- 
souri. One  child,  Harold,  has  been  born  of  this 
marriage.  In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  King 
is  a  strong  ally  of  the  Republican  party. 


ALBERT  LEE  KERNS,  a  resident  farmer 
located  in  the  vicinity  of  El  Monte,  is  one  of 
the  prominent  men  of  this  section,  having  proven 
his  right  to  success  by  his  own  efforts,  which 
have  brought  him  a  competence.  He  is  a  native 
of  Paris,  Ky.,  born  September  6,  1869:  his 
father,  Levi  Kerns,  was  a  native  of  Bourbon 
county,  Ky.,  while  the  grandfather,  also  Levi, 
was  born  in  Massachusetts,  the  descendant  of 
an  old  New  England  family  located  in  Plymouth 
by  Scotch-Irish  forefathers.  Levi  Kerns,  Sr., 
settled  in  Kentucky  at  an  early  date  in  its  his- 
tory and  there  engaged  as  a  farmer  among  the 
primitive  conditions  of  the  then  "dark  and 
bloody  ground."  Levi,  Jr.,  became  a  miller  in 
manhood  and  plied  his  trade  uninterruptedly 
until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war,  when  he 
enlisted  in  the  Fourth  Regiment  Kentucky  In- 
fantry, known  as  the  Orphaned  Brigade,  and 
served  to  the  close  of  the  struggle,  receiving  two 
wounds,  while  two  of  his  brothers  participating 
in  the  warfare  were  killed.  His  own  death  was 
caused  by  drowning  in  March,  1870,  while  at- 
tempting to  cross  a  creek  in  a  canoe.  His  wife 
was    Amanda    Wardsworlh.    who    was    born    in 


North  Carolina  of  English  ancestry,  and  also 
(lied  in  Kentuck}-.  The}-  were  the  parents  •  of 
four  children,  all  of  whom  are  now  living. 

The  third  child  in  his  father's  family  and  the 
only  one  in  California,  Albert  Lee  Kerns  was 
reared  on  the  paternal  farm  and  educated  in  the 
public  schools.  He  remained  at  home  until  he 
was  nineteen  years  old,  when,  in  1889,  he  went 
to  Texas  and  in  Honey  Grove  followed  farming 
for  four  years.  Attracted  to  California  he  lo- 
cated in  Sacramento  in  1893  and  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  dredgers  working  in  the  Sacramento 
valley,  remaining  in  this  occupation  for  eighteen 
months,  when,  in  1895,  he  came  to  Los  Angeles 
county  and  located  in  Savannah.  He  worked  on 
the  ranch  owned  by  L.  J.  Rose  for  four  years, 
when,  in  1899,  he  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Farmers  &  Merchants  Bank  that  had  taken  over 
the  property,  and  retained  his  position  with  them 
until  1902.  In  the  last-named  year,  with  his 
accumulated  means,  he  purchased  a  fourteen- 
acre  tract  of  land  located  on  Baldwin  avenue. 
This  he  improved  with  a  residence,  barn,  etc., 
and  began  its  cultivation,  combining  with  his 
farming  interests  teaming  in  the  hay  business, 
and  since  that  time  he  has  made  a  success  and 
accumulated  considerable  means. 

In  El  Monte  !\Ir.  Kerns  married  Miss  Clo- 
tildis  Quinn,  a  native  of  this  place  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Richard  Quinn,  a  pioneer,  and  they  are 
the  parents  of  two  children,  Mildred  Lee  and 
Grace  Zelma.  Mr.  Kerns  is  prominent  in  edu- 
cational affairs,  serving  at  the  present  time  as 
clerk  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Savannah 
school  district.  Fraternally  he  belongs  to  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  while  politically  he  is  a 
Democrat  on  national  issues,  but  locally  reserves 
the  right  to  cast  his  ballot  for  the  man  -whom  he 
considers  best  qualified  to  discharge  official 
duties. 


LINCOLN  A.  LAUER.  D.  D.  S.  Prominent 
among  the  leading  dentists  of  Los  Angeles 
county  is  Lincoln  A.  Lauer,  D.  D.  S.,  of  Ocean 
Park,  who  is  rapidly  building  up  a  fine  practice. 
In  the  swift  advance  of  science  in  this  twentieth 
century  no  professional  calling,  mayhap,  has 
made  such  rapid  strides  as  that  of  dental  surgery, 
intelligent  study,  patient  investigation  and  careful 
experiment  having  done  much  towards  amelio- 
rating the  inevitable  sufferings  of  childhood, 
youth  and  old  age,  every  member  of  the  human 
family  at  some  time  demanding  the  services  of 
a  good  dentist.  Prominent  among  those  wel! 
equipped  for  his  profession  is  Dr.  Lauer,  who 
has  had  much  experience  in  his  work,  and  has 
met  with  excellent  success.  He  was  born  in  Bur- 
lington, Iowa,  a  son  of  Anton  Lauer. 

A  native  of  Odessa,  Russia.  Anton  Lauer  wa^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2081 


born  in  that  city,  in  1811,  of  German  ancestry. 
Reared  and  educated  in  Odessa,  he  married  a 
fair  maiden  of  that  place,  and  while  yet  young 
in  years  she  died,  leaving  him  with  four  chil- 
dren. Soon  afterward,  about  1840,  he  immi- 
grated to  the  United  States,  locating  in  Burling- 
ton, Iowa,  as  a  merchant.  A  few  years  later  he 
sold  his  store  and  stock  and  invested  his  money 
in  a  farm,  on  which  he  resided  until  his  death, 
at  the  venerable  age  of  eighty-seven  years.  In 
Burlington,  Iowa,  he  married  his  second  wife, 
who  bore  him  eight  children,  of  whom  Lincoln 
A.,  with  whom  this  sketch  is  chiefly  concerned, 
was  the  sixth  child. 

Brought  up  in  Burlington,  Lincoln  A.  Lauer 
received  superior  educational  advantages,  com- 
pleting the  full  course  "of  study  established  in 
the  public  schools  of  that  city,  and  being  grad- 
uated from  a  commercial  college.  Subsequently 
going  to  Chicago,  he  was  for  two  years  secre- 
tary to  the  superintendent  of  the  Pullman  Palace 
Car  Company,  at  Pullman.  111.  Resigning  his 
position,  he  entered  the  dental  department  of  the 
Northwestern  University,  in  Chicago,  where  he 
was  graduated  in  1888.  with  the  degree  of  D.  D. 
S.  Locating  in  that  city,  at  the  corner  of  State 
and  Randolph  streets,  he  at  once  began  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession,  and  met  with  most  satis- 
factory success  during  the  many  years  that  he 
remained  there.  August  27,  1904,  he  came 
to  Ocean  Park,  Los  Angeles  county,  and  in  the 
comparatively  brief  time  that  he  has  been  here 
has  won  an  extensive  and  lucrative  practice,  his 
acknowledged  skill,  close  attention  to  his  pro- 
fessional duties,  and  his  unblemished  personal 
character  winning  for  him  a  large  patronage 
among  the  best  people  of  the  community. 

In  Chicago,  III,  March  26,  1890,  Dr.  Lauer 
married  Mary  F.  Lamb,  a  niece  of  Mrs.  H.  P. 
Schofield,  of  Ocean  Park,  and  they  are  the 
parents  of  four  children,  namely:  Edith,  Harold, 
and  Ruth  and  Russell,  twins.  Fraternally  the 
doctor  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Protective 
Order  of  Elks. 


HON.  GEORGE  FILLJ^fORE  KAPP.  Leav- 
ing behind  him  an  unusually  fine  record  as  a 
professional  man  and  an  efficient  public  official 
Hon.  George  Fillmore  Kapp  became  a  resident  of 
Long  Beach  in  February.  TQ04,  for  the  benefit 
of  his  wife's  health,  and  has  within  but  little 
more  than  two  years  established  himself  in  a 
successful  real-estate  business  and  gained  the  re- 
spect and  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  has  come 
in  contact.  The  Kapp  family  has  been  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  history  and  develop- 
ment of  this  country  for  many  years,  the  first 
members  having  settled  in  York  county.  Pa., 
where   the   grandfather   and    father    were    horn. 


The  father,  Henry  Kapp,  was  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation, and  during  the  Civil  war  served' in  the 
One  Hundred  and  Ninetieth  Regiment  of  Penn- 
sylvania Volunteer  Infantry.  He  was  a  lead- 
ing citizen  of  York  county  and  at  one  time  served 
as  a  member  of  the  county  board  of  directors  for 
the  poor.  Religiously  he  was  an  adherent  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  and  his  death  in  1901  removed 
a  man  of  sterling  principles  and  strong  char- 
acter, who  was  universally  mourned  by  all  who 
knew  him.  His  wife,  in  maidenhood'  Lucinda 
Urich,  was  a  native  also  of  York  county  and 
now  resides  near  the  old  home. 

A  member  of  a  family  of  six  children,  George 
Fillmore  Kapp  was  born  November  11,  1865,  in 
"York  county.  Pa.,  and  spent  his  boyhood  days 
on  his  father's  farm.  After  receiving  a  prelim- 
inary education  in  the  common  schools  he  en- 
tered the  first  state  normal  school  at  Millers- 
ville,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1884  with  the 
degree  of  B.  E.  He  then  taught  in  York  and 
Lancaster  counties  for  some  time,  and  about  the 
year  1887  continued  the  occupation  in  Laporte 
county,  Ind.  Subsequently  he  entered  the  law 
department  of  the  Northern  Indiana  State  Nor- 
mal, graduating  therefrom  in  1891,  with  the  de- 
gree of  LL.  B.  The  following  year  he  located 
in  Butte,  Neb.,  and  began  the  practice  of  law, 
meeting  with  flattering  success  in  the  profession. 
In  1894  he  was  given  the  nomination  as  candi- 
date for  prosecuting  attorney  on  the  Democratic 
ticket  and  came  within  forty  votes  of  being 
elected  in  a  county  strongly  Republican.  Two 
years  later  the  Democrats  nominated  him  on 
their  ticket  for  member  of  the  legislature,  and 
receiving  the  indorsement  of  the  Independent 
party,  he  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  six  hun- 
dred and  sixty-five  votes.  He  served  during  the 
session  of  1897,  receiving  the  chairmanship  of 
the  committee  on  county  organization  and  county 
seats,  and  was  also  made  a  member  of  several 
other  committees.  Becoming  a  resident  of  Ex- 
ira,  Iowa,  in  1898,  where  he  continued  his  legal 
practice,  he  served  that  city  in  the  capacity  of 
mayor  for  one  term,  refusing  a  re-nomination 
to  the  office.  Upon  his  arrival  in  Long  Beach 
in  1904  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Fred 
Aufdenkamp  and  under  the  name  of  The  Hub 
Realty  Company  has  since  been  transacting  a 
general  real-estate  business,  the  office  being  lo- 
cated at  No.  20014  East  First  street. 

Air.  Kapp's  marriage  occurred  in  Butte.  Neb., 
uniting  him  with  Mary  E.  Jonas,  a  native  of 
Holt  county.  Neb.,  and  the  union  has  been 
blessed  in  the  birth  of  two  children,  Harold  and 
Marjorie.  "Mr.  Kapp  was  made  a  Mason  in 
Butte  and  still  retains  his  membership  in  the 
lodge  there,  and  also  belongs  to  the  Modern 
\\'oodmen  of  America.  He  attends  the  Congre- 
gational  Church   and   take;  an   active   interest  in 


2082 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


bettering  the  social  and  civic  conditions  of  the 
community  in  which  he  resides.  As  a  man  of 
hberal  education,  broad  culture  and  extensive 
experience  in  business,  professional  and  public 
life  he  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  valued  citizens 
of  Long  Beach. 


A.  LEHMANN  came  to  Lompoc  in  early  boy- 
hood twenty-two  years  ago  and  has  grown  up 
with  the  city  which  was  then  only  a  mere  vil- 
lage and  is  now  one  of  the  leading  towns  in  this 
section  of  the  state.  He  has  always  been  close- 
ly identified  with  those  enterprises  which  were 
projected  for  the  improvement  of  Lompoc  and  is 
today  one  of  its  most  prominent  and  highly  re- 
spected citizens,  noted  for  his  honesty  and  in- 
tegrity and  genial  manner  toward  all  with  whom 
he  comes  in  contact.  He  is  now  manager  of 
Lompoc  Produce  &  Real  Estate  Company,  one 
of  the  largest  and  most  influential  firms  of  the 
kind  in  the  city,  besides  being  heavily  interested 
in  a  number  of  important  business  enterprises,  in- 
cluding the  Lompoc  Planing  Mill  Company,  and 
the  Bank  of  Lompoc,  of  which  he  is  vice-presi- 
dent. 

Mr.  Lehmann  was  born  JNIay  ii,  1867,  in 
Alsace,  Germany,  which  was  also  the  native 
home  of  his  father,  Moise  Lehmann,  and  his 
mother,  Estella  (Weill)  Lehmann,  both  of  whom 
were  members  of  old  and  prominent  families  in 
that  province.  The  father  was  a  merchant  and 
real-estate  dealer  in  his  native  town  until  a  short 
time  before  his  death,  which  occurred  in  Ger- 
many, when  he  was  seventy-six  years  old.  There 
was  a  family  of  seven  children,  all  of  whom  are 
now  living  at  Oxnard  with  the  exception  of  A. 
Lehmann  and  one  sister,  the  latter  residing  in 
Los  Angeles.  The  mother  came  to  California 
in  1893,  and  makes  her  home  with  a  son  living 
at  Oxnard.  Mr.  Lehmann  received  a  fine  edu- 
cation in  the  high  schools  of  Germany  before 
his  immigration  to  this  country  and  immediately 
upon  his  arrival  in  Lompoc,  Santa  Barbara 
county,  which  was  his  objective  point  upon 
reaching  the  United  States,  he  engaged  as  clerk 
in  a  mercantile  house,  and  continued  at  that  work 
for  seven  years.  He  then  established  a  business 
of  his  own  on  the  same  lines  and  conducted  it 
for  twelve  years,  after  which  he  sold  out  and 
took  active  charge  of  the  Lompoc  Produce  & 
Real  Estate  Company,  performing  the  duties  of 
manager  since  1898,  and  giving  his  attention  as 
well  to  the  running  of  the  lumber  yard  which  the 
company  conducts  in  connection  with  its  other 
lines  of  business. 

Mr.  Lehmann  is  a  stanch  believer  in  the  prin- 
ciples advocated  by  the  Republican  party  and 
takes  an  active  part  in  all  matters  of  interest  to 
tlie  public  civic  life  of  the  city.  Fraternallv  he  is 


identified  with  all  of  the  important  organizations 
in  Lompoc,  being  a  leading  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic lodge  in  this  city  and  of  which  he  is  a 
past  master;  also  is  a  member  of  the  Lompoc 
Knights  of  Pythias  Lodge  and  of  the  Lompoc 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Mr.  Leh- 
mann is  a  self  made  man  and  is  justly  entitled 
to  all  of  the  confidence,  respect  and  honors  which 
his  friends  and  fellow-citizens  are  glad  to  give 
him. 


MISS  LOTTIE  ISABELLE  LEFFING- 
WEIX.  An  accomplished  and  enterprising  busi- 
ness woman  of  Venice,  Miss  L.  I.  Lefifingwell 
is  energetic,  progressive  and  keen-sighted,  and 
as  an  equal  partner  in  the  real-estate  firm  of  A. 
F.  Webster  &  Co.  has  been  actively  connected 
with  some  of  the  most  important  and  extensive 
sales  and  transfers  of  realty  in  Los  Angeles 
county.  In  her  many  transactions  of  this  kind, 
she  has  clearly  demonstrated  woman's  ability  to 
compete  with  man  in  the  world  of  finance,  by  her 
industry,  thrift  and  superior  management  accum- 
ulating a  fine  property.  She  was  born,  reared 
and  educated  in  Ravenna,  Ohio,  a  daughter  of 
James  and  Charlotte  (Dewey)  Lefifingwell.  On 
the  paternal  side  she  comes  of  thrifty  Scotch 
stock,  her  Grandfather  Lefifingwell  having  been 
a  native  of  Scotland,  and  on  the  maternal  side 
is  of  substantial  New  England  ancestry,  her 
mother  having  been  born  and  reared  in  IBecket, 
Mass. 

The  youngest  of  a  family  of  five  children,  Lot- 
tie I.  Lefifingwell  was  left  fatherless  at  the  age 
of  ten  years,  and  four  years  later  she  began  earn- 
ing her  own  living.  She  first  worked  as  assist- 
ant in  a  dental  ofifice  at  Ravenna,  during  which 
time  she  completed  the  course  at  the  high  school, 
from  which  she  was  graduated.  Subsequently 
she  obtained  a  position  in  a  jewelry  store,  where 
she  became  an  expert  as  a  repairer  of  jewelry, 
and  afterwards  was  engaged  in  the  millinery 
business,  for  twelve  years  having  a  store  in  Ra- 
venna. 

Her  health  failing,  Miss  LefifingAvell  was 
obliged  to  seek  a  change  of  climate  in  1902,  and 
came  to  California,  a  step  that  she  has  never 
regretted.  Locating  first  in  Los  Angeles,  she 
had  charge  of  the  millinery  department  of  a  store 
in  that  city  for  awhile,  but  preferring  out-door 
occupation  she  embarked  in  the  real-estate  busi- 
ness, and  from  the  very  beginning  met  with  most 
encouraging  success.  In  April,  1903,  she  located 
in  Ocean  Park,  and  soon  after  became  associated 
with  her  present  partner  under  the  firm  name 
of  A.  F.  Webster  &  Co.  Beginning  business 
with  a  limited  capital,  in  a  small  ofifice  at  Ocean 
Park,  this  firm  has  built  up  a  good  business, 
growing  with  great  rapidity,  and  now  maintains 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2083 


three  offices,  one  at  Ocean  Park,  one  in  A'enice, 
and  one  in  Los  Angeles. 

Miss  Leffingwell  has  become  owner  of  con- 
siderable real  estate  in  this  vicinity,  and  has  ac- 
quired title  to  a  large  share  of  beach  property. 
She  is  very  public-spirited,  being  a  promoter  of 
every  worthy  cause  which  will  aid  in  the  up- 
building of  \'enice  and  Crescent  Bay.  She  comes 
of  Revolutionary  stock,  a  fact  of  which  she  may 
well  be  proud,  and  is  a  memlDcr  of  the  Ravenna 
Chapter,  D.  A.  R. 


HON.  HENDRIK  DIRK  CANNE.  Not 
many  California  residents  can  claim  the  birth- 
place of  Erasmus  the  scholar  and  Van  Tromp 
the  naval  hero  as  his  own,  but  this  honor  and 
all  the  inherent  qualities  that  distinguish  their 
race  belong  to  Mr.  H.  D.  Canne,  of  Hollywood. 
1j\-  the  royal  right  of  birth,  in  the  direct  line- 
age of  the  distinguished  Cannes  family  of  Bris- 
tol, England,  barons  and  baronets  under  James 
II,  who  emigrated  to  Holland  during  the  Puri- 
tan wars,  where  the  descendants  have  since  re- 
sided, Hendrik  Dirk  Canne  was  born  in  Rotter- 
dam, Holland,  January  9,  1879,  son  of  C.  D.  and 
Johanna  Elizabeth  Teengs  Telting,  both  natives 
of  Holland,  the  former  a  son  of  a  college  pro- 
fessor, and  the  latter  a  daughter  of  a  prominent 
merchant  in  that  countrv.  After  their  marriage, 
which  occurred  in  April,  1873,  and  the  birth  of 
their  three  children,  Henriette  Louise,  J.  C.  D. 
and  Hendrik  D.,  the  parents  set  out  from  Rot- 
terdam, hoping  to  find  a  broader  outlook'  for 
their  children  in  America.  The  father  relin- 
quished an  excellent  government  position  with 
the  Royal  Postal  Telegraph,  and  with  a  party  of 
colonizers  landed  in  New  York  City  in  the  win- 
ter of  1889-90,  having  shipped  from  Rotterdam. 
It  was  the  intention  of  the  colonization  partv 
with  which  they  came  to  locate  as  pioneers  in 
the  grape  industry  in  Merced  county,  Cal.,  and 
after  traveling  across  the  country  they  finally 
reached  their  destination.  The  colonization 
scheme  proved,  however,  a  gigantic  swindle, 
which  resulted  in  large  financial  loss  to  Mr. 
Canne.  Determined  to  make  the  best  of  the  sit- 
uation, he  remained  in  JNIerced  county  for  a  few 
years,  then  located  in  Santa  Clara  county,  where 
iiis  attempts  at  prune-raising  being  unsuccessful, 
he  later  removed  his  family  to  Chino,  where  the 
sons  became  connected  with  a  sugar  factory,  re- 
maining there  until  his  removal  to  Los  Angeles 
to  spend  his  declining  years.  J.  C.  D.  Canne  is 
still  interested  in  the  beet-sugar  business,  and 
is  now  chief  chemist  for  the  Spreckles  Sugar 
Company. 

After  the  location  of  the  family  in  Los  An- 
geles, Hendrik  D.  Canne  became  secretary  to 
the  German  consulate  here,  a  position  which  he 


filled  with  credit  until  the  office  was  abandoned. 
Before  coming  to  the  United  States  he  had  re- 
ceived an  excellent  preliminary  education  in  the 
schools  of  Holland,  supplementing  this  by  at- 
tendance of  grammar  schools  in  this  state'  and 
taking  a  course  in  a  private  academy,  and  com- 
pleting the  whole  by  taking  a  course  in  a  busi- 
ness college.  Becoming  interested  in  the  buy- 
ing and  selling  of  real-estate,  he  carried  on  a 
flourishing  business  for  a  number  of  years.  The 
country  in  and  around  Hollywood  became  of  spe- 
cial interest  to  Air.  Canne,  and  during  his  last 
few  years  in  Los  Angeles  he  gave  considerable 
attention  to  developing  that  section,  with  the  re- 
sult that  he  finally  removed  here,  and  he  now 
makes  his  home  here  with  his  parents.  In  addi- 
tion to  carrying  on  his  real-estate  business  while 
in  Los  Angeles,  Mr.  Canne  took  up  the  .study 
of  law  in  the  University  of  Southern  California, 
from  which  he  graduated  with  the  degree  of 
LL.B.  in  June,  1905,  and  during  the  same  year 
he  was  admitted  to  practice  at  the  bar  in  the  state 
and  United  States  courts.  He  was  made  a  citi- 
zen of  the  United  States  under  Judge  Allen. 

Politically  Mr.  Cannes  upholds  the  principles 
of  the  Republican  party.  He  is  a  member  of 
various  improvement  associations  and  civil  and 
political  leagues.  Recently  he  has  been  nomi- 
nated a  justice  of  the  section  in  which  he  resides, 
and  he  is  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  re- 
spected citizens  in  the  valley.  Popular  among 
the  young  as  well  as  the  old,  a  good  sportsman, 
a  jolly  companion  well  met,  and  a  stanch  friend, 
these  are  the  qualities  that  have  made  him  such 
a  universal  favorite. 


JAMES  LABORDE.  One  of  th(^  most  suc- 
cessful and  popular  men  in  the  San  Jacinto  val- 
ley is  James  Laborde,  who  was  born  in  Basses- 
Pyrenees.  France,  July  10,  1854,  the  son  of  John 
and  Jane  Laborde,  both  natives  of  France,  where 
their  deaths  occurred.  The  son,  James,  spent  his 
boyhood  days  in  his  native  country,  receiving  a 
good  education  in  the  public  and  private  schools, 
and  then  engaged  in  sheep  herding  for  a  time 
before  coming  to  the  United  States  in  1874.  Ar- 
riving at  the  port  of  San  Francisco,  he  made  his 
way  almost  immediately  to  Southern  California, 
locating  near  Los  Angeles,  and  for  six  years 
worked  in  a  fruit  orchard.  During  that  period 
he  had  succeeded  in  saving  enough  to  establish 
himself  in  an  independent  business  and  bought 
a  herd  of  sheep  and  engaged  in  sheep  raising 
for  a  similar  length  of  time.  He  then  sold  the 
herd  and  came  to  the  San  Jacinto  valley,  where 
he  has  been  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
from  then  until  the  present,  renting  the  property 
from  Joe  W'olfskill.  It  is  fitted  with  the  neces- 
sary machinery   for  use   in  cultivating  grains   in 


2084 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  most  up-to-date  manner,  the  outfit  including 
a  thirty-two  horse  power  combined  harvester. 
The  ranch  comprises  seven  hundred  acres,  five 
hundred  acres  being  devoted  to  grain  raising  and 
the  remaining  two  hundred  acres  to  pasture.  He 
has  about  twelve  head  of  horses  and  other  farm 
stock.  He  owns  real-estate  in  San  Jacinto,  where 
he  resides  with  his  family. 

In  1883  Mr.  Laborde  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Rosa  Necochea,  a  native  of  California,  the 
ceremony  being  performed  at  San  Jacinto,  De- 
cember IS  of  that  year.  There  were  ten  chil- 
dren born  to  this  union,  namely :  Jennie,  now 
the  wife  of  John  Rubidoux;  Frances,  who  be- 
came the  wife  of  John  Rosa;  Leonidas ;  Guada- 
lupe; Peter;  James;  Mary,  who  died  in  infancy; 
Rosa ;  Anna ;  Elmer.  Mr.  I^borde  is  an  earn- 
est communicant  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and 
takes  an  active  interest  in  all  enterprises  which 
tend  toward  the  upbuilding  of  the  community 
in  which  he  resides. 


ZEPHANLA.H  JONES.  To  the  residents  of 
San  Diego  county  familiar  with  that  section  of 
the  county  lying  east  of  Escondido  no  name  is 
more  familiar  than  that  of  Zephaniah  Jones,  tlie 
present  postmaster  of  the  village  of  Vineyard 
and  for  years  the  efficient  foreman  of  one 
of  the  largest  ranches  of  the  locality.  Mr.  Jones 
is  of  eastern  birth  and  Welsh  ancestry.  His 
father,  Henry  P..  was  born  in  New  York  in  1812 
and  after  arriving  at  man's  estate  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  in  his  native  locality,  but 
in  1871  removed  to  Iowa,  purchased  a  tract  of 
raw  land  and  gave  his  attention  to  its  develop- 
ment. Many  years  before  leaving  the  east  he 
married  Elizabeth  Jones,  who  was  of  Welsh  de- 
scent and  a  native  of  New  York,  born  in  1814. 
On  the  Iowa  farm  which  he  had  improved  and 
made  valuable  he  died  in  1875  ^^  the  age  of  sixty- 
three  and  his  wife  passed  awav  three  years  later 
at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years.  While  they  were 
living  in  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  their  son,  Zep- 
haniah, was  born  on  the  home  farm  October  8, 
1858,  and  his  education  was  begun  in  the  schools 
of  that  county,  but  later  prosecuted  in  the  public 
schools  of  Iowa  and  the  state  university  at  Iowa 
City.  For  some  years  after  discontinuing  his  uni- 
versity studies  he  farmed  in  the  summer  months 
and  taught  school  in  the  winter,  but  in  188^  he 
removed  to  Wisconsin  and  taught  school  at  West 
Bend  for  two  terms,  then  embarked  in  the  bee 
business,  building  up  an  apiary  of  three  hundred 
colonies.  During  1885  he  sold  his  bee  business 
and  returned  to  the  old  home  place  in  Iowa, 
where  he  spent  the  following  year. 

Late  in  the  year  1886  Mr.  Jones  arrived  in 
California  and  marie  his  home  in  San  Diego  coun- 
ty until  iQoT).    I'or  a  short  time  he  was  employed 


in  the  city  of  San  Diego,  but  soon  he  removed  to 
the  mountains  fourteen  miles  east  of  Escondido 
and  worked  for  Jacob  Gruendike  from  July, 
1887,  until  February  of  the  following  year. 
March  24,  1888,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Helen,  daughter  of  Col.  A.  E.  Maxcy  one 
of  the  leading  stockmen  and  distinguished  pio- 
neers of  San  Diego  county.  When  mention  is 
made  of  the  development  of  the  ranching  indus- 
try in  this  county  the  name  of  Colonel  Maxcy 
merits  prominent  consideration.  A  native  of 
Massachusetts  and  the  son  of  a  farmer,  he  re- 
ceived every  advantage  within  the  financial  abil- 
ity of  the  family,  and  on  completing  his  classical 
studies  became  engaged  in  the  study  of  medicine. 
At  the  age  of  nineteen  years  he  traveled  through 
Ohio,  Illinois  and  Indiana,  introducing  physiol- 
ogy into  the  public  schools,  and  while  in  that 
portion  of  the  country  he  heard  of  the  discovery 
of  gold  in  California,  which  immediately  changed 
all  of  his  plans  for  the  future.  Returning  to  his 
old  home  in  Massachusetts,  he  quickly  made 
preparations  for  a  voyage  to  the  Pacific  coast, 
and  soon  afterward  took  passage  on  the  ship 
Pharsalia,  which  sailed  around  the  horn  and 
then  northward,  arriving  in  the  harbor  of  San 
Francisco  in  July,  1849,  after  a  vo3-age  of  six 
months.  For  a  year  he  worked  in  the  mines,  but 
luck  did  not  favor  his  efforts  and  he  decided  to 
seek  other  avenues  of  employment. 

In  J850  he  became  a  pioneer  of  San  Diego 
county,  which  at  the  time  had  few  residents  ex- 
cept those  of  IMexican  lineage.  For  a  time  he 
eng%ed  in  business  at  Oldtown,  which  was  then 
the  business  center  of  the  county.  In  the  spring 
of  1852  he  moved  to  a  ranch  sixteen  miles  east 
of  the  present  site  of  Escondido  and  here  he  be- 
gan to  raise  cattle  and  horses.  From  the  first 
he  met  with  success.  His  herds  increased  until 
he  had  from  forty  thousand  to  fifty  thousand 
head  of  cattle,  and  his  brand  was  familiar  through 
all  this  part  of  the  country.  \Mien  settlers  be- 
gan to  come  in  and  lands  were  taken  up,  dis- 
posing of  all  of  his  cattle  but  one  thousand  head, 
lie  bought  a  ranch  of  five  thousand  acres.  In 
addition,  in  later  years,  he  planted  grapes  and 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  wine.  At  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Consolidated  National  Bank  of 
San  Diego  he  bought  stock  and  the  subsequent 
failure  of  the  institution  entailed  upon  him  a 
heavy  loss,  but  he  still  retained  large  landed  hold- 
ings. After  a  long  illness  Mr.  Maxcy  died 
March  g,  1901,  at  the  Southern  California  hos- 
pital in  Los  Angeles.  For  some  years  before  his 
death  his  son-in-law,  i\[r.  Jones,  had  acted  as 
foreman  of  the  ranch,  and  since  then  the  latter 
and  a  son,  Alonzo,  has  been  in  charge  of  the 
estate.  Disposing  of  the  ranch.  April,  1906,  in 
June,  the  same  year,  Mr.  Jones  removed  to 
Hollywood,  Cal,  where  he  engaged  in  the  real- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2085 


estate  business  under  the  firm  name  of  The  Cah- 
fornia  Developing  Association,  with  office  in  the 
Bradbury   Building,   Los  Angeles. 

In  fraternal  relations  Mr.  Jones  holds  mem- 
bership with  Escondido  Lodge  No.  345,  I.  O. 
O.  E.,  while  politically  he  is  a  pronounced  Re- 
publican and  in  recognition  of  party  services  in 
1904  he  received  tlje  appointment  as  postmaster 
of  the  village  of  Vine\ard,  which  office  he  filled, 
in  addition  to  superintending  large  ranch  inter- 
ests. 


JOHN  DAVIS  CLARK.  Practically  the  en- 
tire life  of  Mr.  Ciark  has  been  passed  within 
the  limits  of  San  Bernardino  county,  for  he  was 
only  four  years  of  age  when  the  family  left 
Utah  and  crossed  the  plams  to  the  then  un- 
known regions  of  Southern  California.  Hence 
his  early  recollections  are  associated  with  this 
vicinity,  whose  progress  he  has  witnessed  from 
the  condition  of  primeval  wildness  to  one  of  re- 
markable prosperity.  In  the  bringing  about  of 
this  satisfactory  transformation  he  has  been  a 
factor,  for  his  work  as  boy  and  man  has  tended 
toward  the  improvement  of  the  land  and  the 
permanent  development  of  its  material  re- 
sources. The  farm  which  he  now  owns  is  situ- 
ated near  Highland  and  ranks  among  the  finest 
in  the  locality.  All  of  the  improvements  have 
been  made  under  his  personal  supervision  and 
prove  him  to  be  a  man  of  thrift  and  energy. 

A  native  of  Springville  City,  Utah,  born  in 
September  of  1854,  Mr.  Clark  was  the  only 
child  of  Davis  and  Priscilla  (Singleton)  Clark, 
natives  respectively  of  Connecticut  and  England. 
After  coming  to  San  Bernardino  he  attended  the 
local  schools  and  availed  himself  of  such  advan- 
tages as  they  offered  for  the  acquiring  of  an 
education.  From  an  early  age  he  has  been 
familiar  with  agriculture  and  horticulture,  and 
during  1883  he  also  began  to  be  interested  in  the 
raising,  feeding  and  shipping  of  cattle,  a  branch 
of  agriculture  in  which  he  met  with  gratifying 
success.  .  However,  eventuall\-  the  rise  in  land 
valuations  rendered  large  stock-raising  enter- 
prises unprofitable,  and  in  igoo  he  began  to  con- 
fine his  attention  to  raising  fruit  and  farm 
products. 

The  larger  part  of  his  present  farm  !\lr.  Clark 
acquired  in  July,  1880,  wlien  he  purchased  an 
unim]-)roved  tract  of  forty  acres.  Later  he  lx)ught 
ten  acres  adjoining  and  also  acquired  an  eight- 
acre  tract,  all  of  which  property  he  yet  owns  and 
devotes  to  farming  and  fruit-raising.  Five  acres 
are  in  a  bearing  grove  of  navel  oranges  and  five 
acres  are  planted  to  apricot  trees.  A  substantial 
residence  has  been  erected  by  the  present  owner 
and  occupant  and  a  barn  also  was  built  for  the 
storage  of  grain  and  the  shelter  of  stock.     For- 


merly he  used  a  wind  pump,  but  on  account  of 
pumps  having  been  placed  on  the  creek  below 
the  water  has  been  taken  from  the  higher  land. 
The  marriage  of  Mr.  Clark  took  place  Jan- 
uary II,  1880,  and  united  him  with  Mary  I. 
Haws,  daughter  of  E.  M.  and  Malettna  Haws. 
Mrs.  Clark  was  born  at  Provo  City,  Utah,  July, 
25,  1855,  and  died  in  San  Bernardino  county, 
August  13,  1905.  Both  of  their  children  had 
preceded  her  in  death,  the  son,  Francis,  having 
died  in  infancy,  while  the  daughter,  Eva,  was 
taken  from  the  home  in  1891  at  the  age  of  six- 
teen years.  These  bereavements  leave  Mr.  Clark 
alone  in  the  world.  His  life  is  a  very  busy  one, 
for  the  management  of  his  land  and  the  care  of 
the  fruit  trees  demand  constant  attention.  Like 
all  public-spirited  citizens,  he  keeps  posted  con- 
cerning problems  affecting  local  and  national 
prosperity.  In  politics  he  gives  his  support  to  the 
Republican  party,  and  on  that  ticket  in  1900  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  board  of  super- 
visors of  the  county,  a  position  that  he  filled  with 
characteristic  energy  and  faithfulness.  In  fra- 
ternal relations  he  holds  membership  with  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Masons  at  San  Bernardino. 


JUAN  ORTEGA.  Throughout  the  length 
and  breadth  of  this  glorious  state  no  more  worthy 
people  can  be  found  than  those  born  on  California 
soil,  of  Spanish  ancestors,  men  and  women 
noted  for  their  industry,  geniality  and  warm- 
hearted hospitality.  Their  doors  are  ever  open 
to  the  stranger,  who  is  given  a  cordial  welcome 
and  freely  invited  to  partake  of  the  best  aft'orded 
by  the  house.  Prominent  among  this  number 
is  Juan  Ortega,  a  prosperous  rancher  living  near 
Msta,  a  typical  representative  of  the  true  Spanish 
gentleman.  A  native  of  California,  and  the  son 
of  a  native  son,  he  was  born  June  24,  1844.  in 
Santa  Barbara  county,  being  one  of  nine  chil- 
dren born  to  his  parents,  Amidio  and  Concepcion 
(Dominguez)  Orte.ga,  the  former  of  whom  was 
horn  in  Los  Angeles  county  and  the  latter  in 
Santa  Barbara  county.  The  father  was  a  farm- 
er, and  for  many  years  was  engaged  in  ranching 
in  Ventura  county,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty-two  years.  The  widowed  mother  is  still 
living,  and  on  December  8,  1906,  celebrated  the 
ninety-eighth  anniversary  of  her  birth. 

Brought  up  on  the  home  ranch,  Juan  Ortega 
received  a  practical  education  in  the  Spanish 
schools  of  his  native  county,  and  has  since  ac- 
quired an  excellent  knowledge  of  the  English 
language.  After  the  removal  of  the  family  to 
\'entura  county  he  helped  his  father  to  clear 
and  improve  a  ranch,  remaining  at  home  several 
years  after  attaining  his  majority.  Taking  up 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  government  land 


2086 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  1869  he  improved  a  homestead  on  which  he 
resided  for  twenty-two  years.  SelHng  that 
estate,  he  located  on  his  present  ranch,  near 
Msta,  and  is  extensively  engaged  in  grain 
raising,  renting  about  six  hundred  acres  of 
land.  Industrious  and  enterprising,  he  is  meet- 
ing with  satisfactory  results  in  his  undertakings, 
and  as  a  man  of  unquestioned  integrity  is  held 
in  high  esteem  throughout  the  community. 

On  March  26,  1866,  Mr.  Ortega  married 
Edubige  Tico,  a  native  of  California,  and  they 
have  become  the  parents  of  six  children,  namely: 
Charles;  Otellia,  the  wife  of  Frank  Carpenter; 
Mary,  the  wife  of  Philip  Roedfor;  Petra  C.  Car- 
rillo;  John  B.  and  Frank.  Politically  Mr. 
Ortega  is  identified  with  the  Democratic  party 
and  takes  a  genuine  interest  in  public  affairs, 
at  the  present  time  serving  as  school  trustee.  Re- 
ligiously he  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church, 
belonging  to  the  San  Luis  Rey  ^lission. 


J.  FRANK  0\'ER.  Numbered  among  tlie 
business  men  of  San  Diego,-  where  he  has  made 
his  home  since  1891,  is  Mr.  Over,  an  enterprising 
and  practical  contractor,  and  a  progressive  citi- 
zen. Attracted  to  California  by  reports  concern- 
ing the  opportunities  oft'ered  by  the  coast  regions, 
Mr.  Over  arrived  in  Pasadena  in  1889,  and  in 
the  spring  of  the  following  year  he  went  to  San 
Francisco,  where  he  worked  in  the  employ  of 
the  Pacific  Paving  Company.  In  their  interests 
he  came  to  San  Diego  to  take  charge  of  asphalt 
paving  in  this  city,  and  for  half  a  year  he  re- 
mained here  as  their  foreman,  since  which  time 
he  has  engaged  in  business  for  himself.  Cement 
walks  and  foundations  and,  indeed,  cement  work 
of  every  kind  and  description,  he  has  made  his 
specialty,  and  by  reliable  workmanship  and 
prompt  filling  of  contracts  he  has  proved  that  he 
made  no  mistake  in  the  selection  of  an  occupa- 
tion. Nor  has  his  work  been  limited  to  San 
Diego,  for  he  has  filled  contracts  in  Escondido, 
Oceanside,  Imperial  and  Other  towns  of  the 
county.  In  his  factory,  on  the  corner  of  Ninth 
and  M  streets,  he  maiuifactures  hollow  cement 
blocks,  v.-hich  of  recent  years  have  come  into 
popular  use  and  are  proving  especially  prac- 
ticable for  certain  kinds  of  work.  From  his  ofiice 
in  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  he  directs  business 
affairs,  fills  contracts,  and  during  the  busy  season 
oversees  his  corps  of  fifty  to  sixty  workmen  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  secure  the  most  prompt  and 
satisfactory  results. 

!Many  years  gone  by  the  Over  family  lived  in 
Pennsylvania,  in  the  vicinity  of  Qiambersburg, 
and  from  there  John,  with  his  family,  including 
his  son  Henry,  removed  to  Illinois,  where  the 
former  died.  The  latter,  after  having  engaged 
in  the  teaming  business  at  Sterling  for  a  lengthy 


period,  eventually  removed  to  San  Diego,  and 
here  passed  away  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years. 
In  early  manhood  he  married  Catherine  Feigh- 
ner,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  of  German 
descent,  and  who  now  makes  her  home  with  her 
son,  J.  F.,  in  San  Diego.  Of  her  four  children 
this  son  was  next  to  the  youngest  and  is  the  onlv 
one  residing  on  the  Pacific  c;oast.  Born  at  Ster- 
ling, 111.,  December  18,  1861,  he  received  a  com- 
mon school  education  in  his  home  town  and  at 
an  early  age  began  to  work  as  a  machine  hand 
in  the  Northwestern  barb  wire  factory  at  Ster- 
ling. During  1882  he  removed  to  Omaha,  and 
for  a  year  worked  in  a  barb  wire  factory  in  that 
city,  after  which  he  began  to  learn  the  cement 
manufacturing  trade.  In  spite  of  various  re- 
verses, he  has  been  prospered  financially,  and 
now  owns  his  residence  at  No.  630  Fir  street,  as 
well  as  a  grain  and  stock  ranch  five  miles  north 
of  Escondido.  Tlie  success  which  he  has  gained 
in  the  piast  is  an  indication  of  what  the  future 
years  will  bring  him,  for  he  is  now  in  the  prime 
of  life,  the  master  of  a  profitable  trade,  keen, 
capable  and  reliable ;  hence  increasing  prosperity 
may  be  predicted  for  his  future  efforts.  Since 
coming  to  San  Diego  he  has  established  domestic 
ties  through  his  marriage  to  Miss  Gertrude  Ells, 
a  native  of  Iowa,  and  by  whom  he  has  one  son. 
Franklin  Alfred.  In  national  politics  he  votes 
with  the  Republican  party,  but  locally  he  main- 
tains an  independence  of  thought  and  attitude, 
voting  for  those  whom  he  considers  best  quali- 
fied to  represent  the  people.  In  local  commercial 
and  fraternal  aftiliations  he  belongs  to  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  the  Improved  Order  of  Red 
Men,  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  the  Foresters 
of  America,  the  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles,  and 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  being 
past  grand  of  Sunset  Lodge  No.  328,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
also  a  member  of  the  Encampment,  Canton  and 
Rebekahs. 


FRANK  RENFRE\\'  FARQUHAR.  In  the 
vicinity  of  Highland,  San  Bernardino  county,  the 
passing  traveler  ma}-  take  note  of  many  thriv- 
ing ranches,  but  among  them  all  it  would  be  hard 
to  find  one  whose  water  facilities  equal  those  en- 
joyed by  Mr.  Farquhar.  He  is  bound  to  no  rules 
and  regulations  of  water  companies,  and  is  truly 
the  monarch  of  all  he  surveys,  for  his  water  sup- 
ply is  furnished  from  a  flowing  artesian  well 
which  he  himself  bored  at  an  expense  of  $1,800. 
It  has  a  flow  of  about  one  hundred  inches  of 
water,  which  by  a  complete  system  of  piping  is 
made  to  enrich  the  most  remote  portions  of  the 
ranch.  The  system  includes  a  windmill,  which 
with  the  piping  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $800. 
From  the  foregoing  it  will  be  seen  that  Mr.  Far- 
quhar possesses  the  prime  essential  of  a  success- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2087 


ful  ranch,  ample  water  facilities,  and  while  at 
present  his  land  is  devoted  entirely  to  the  raising 
of  alfalfa,  it  is  his  intention  in  the  near  future 
to  plant  a  walnut  orchard,  for  which  his  land  is 
especially  well  adapted. 

A  son  of  William  R.  and  [Marian  Elizabeth 
(Renfrew)  Farquhar,  Frank  R.  Farquhar  is  a 
native  of  Indiana,  born  in  Sullivan  county,  March 
II,  1861.  When  he  was  two  years  old  the  family 
removed  to  Ohio,  and  in  the  schools  of  Coshocton 
county  he  received  his  first  knowledge  of  books. 
When  not  in  school  he  assisted  in  performing  his 
share  of  farm  duties,  and  when  the  time  came 
for  him  to  select  his  calling  in  life  he  very 
naturally  chose  the  one  with  which  he  was  most 
familiar  and  for  which  he  had  inherited  tastes 
also.  Push  and  enterprise  are  distinguishing 
characteristics  in  his  make-up,  qualities  which 
he  early  in  life  made  use  of,  but  perhaps  with 
no  more  telling  effect  than  in  the  fall  of  1885, 
when  as  a  young  man  of  twenty-four  years  he 
came  to  the  west,  determined  to  carve  out  his  for- 
tune and  grow  up  amid  the  opportunities  of  the 
Golden  State.  For  eighteen  months  he  was  lo- 
cated in  the  vicinity  of  Riverside,  from  there 
going  to  Redlands,  and  finally,  in  February,  1905, 
locating  two  and  one-half  miles  east  of  San  Ber- 
nardino. His  first  purchase  of  land  consisted  of 
forty  acres,  to  which  he  later  added  twenty  acres 
of  the  Waterman  tract,  owning  in  all  sixty  acres 
of  as  fine  land  as  the  county  boasts. 

After  locating  in  the  west.  Frank  R.  Farquhar 
formed  domestic  ties  by  his  marriage  with  Cora 
Sylvia  JNIerrill,  their  marriage  occurring  Feb- 
ruary 9,  1899.  Mrs.  Farquhar  is  a  daughter  of 
John  H.  and  Mercy  (Brewer)  Merrill.  She  is 
the  proud  mother  of  two  interesting  children, 
Merrill  Renfrew,  born  March  14.  1901,  and  Le- 
land  Brewer,  Ixarn  January  7,  1903.  Mr.  Far- 
quhar is  an  excellent  representative  of  the  class 
who  form  the  best  of  our  western  citizenship,  the 
high  quality  of  which  has  given  California  high 
rank  in  the  galaxy  of  commonwealths. 


CAPT.  HENRY  AL^^ION  CROCKER.  The 
fact  that  San  Pedro  is  one  of  the  most  prosperous 
cities  in  California  in  proportion  to  its  popula- 
tion cannot  be  attributed  entirely  to  its  favorable 
location,  nor  entirely  to  the  fertility  of  the  sur- 
rounding soil,  although  both  of  these  circum- 
stances have  proved  telling  factors  in  the  pro- 
gress of  the  place:  but  a  third  factor  must  not 
be  lost  sight  of,  viz. ;  the  progressive  spirit  of  the 
men  who  have  composed  the  citizenship  and 
guided  its  affairs.  Closely  associated  with  the 
town's  hitory  is  the  name  of  Capt.  H.  A. 
Crocker,  who  located  here  before  the  organization 
of  the  town,  the  locality  then  being  known  as 
Fiall.     To  him  is  due  the  credit  of  erecting  the 


first  house  in  the  town,  which  at  that  time  had 
no  special  location,  but  when  the  town  was  laid 
out  it  was  found  to  lie  partly  on  Beacon  street. 
By  purchasing  seventy-five  feet  on  Beacon  street 
near  Sixth  he  was  enabled  to  move  his  house 
there,  and  for  many  years  made  his  home  at  that 
location.  This  structure  was  finally  destroyed 
by  fire  and  he  replaced  it  by  a  two-story  build- 
ing, a  part  of  which  was  used  as  a  restaurant. 
In  educational  affairs  Captain  Crocker  also  took 
the  initiative,  and  with  the  co-operation  of  Mr. 
Linskow  built  the  first  schoolhouse  in  the  locality. 
For  many  years  he  was  at  the  head  of  the  school 
board,  and  during  this  time  had  the  satisfaction 
of  seeing  the  straggling  efforts  of  early  days 
superseded  by  methods  of  instruction  which 
prevail  in  schools  in  the  metropolis. 

At  the  time  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  his 
grandfather,  then  a  young  man,  went  from 
West  Machias,  -Me.,  to  Nova  Scotia,  where  he 
was  married.  It  was  there  that  the  father,  James 
W.  Crocker  followed  his  life  calling  as  a  farmer 
for  many  years.  His  wife,  formerly  Jane  Spin- 
ney, was  a  native  of  Nova  Scotia,  of  Scotch  an- 
cestrv.  Both  parents  are  now  deceased.  Of 
the  five  sons  and  three  daughters  born  to  them 
only  four  sons  are  living,  and  of  these  Henry  A. 
is  next  to  the  youngest.  He  was  born  in  Napolis 
A^allev,  Nova 'Scotia,  August  13.  1845,  a"d  was 
reared  on  his  father's  farm  there.  By  the  time  he 
had  attained  his  seventeenth  year  he  had  received 
a  good  education  in  the  common  schools  around 
his  Canadian  home,  had  gained  considerable  ex- 
perience as  a  farmer,  and  had  also  started  to 
learn  the  carpenter's  trade.  This  latter  ac- 
complishment was  interrupted  by  his  response 
to  the  call  for  men  in  the  United  States  navy 
during  the  Civil  war.  Going  to  Boston  in  1862 
he  entered  the  service  and  for  one  year  was  on 
the  Wabash,  later  serving  on  the  Powhattan,  and 
after  his  honorable  discharge  in  1863  he  went  to 
^^^ashington.  There  he  was  employed  in  the 
service  of  the  government  until  January,  1864, 
at  which  time  lie  enlisted  in  Company  B,  Third 
United  States  Cavalry,  under  command  of  Gen- 
eral Steele!  Joining  his  regiment  at  St.  Louis, 
he  went  to  Little  kock,  Ark.,  and  while  near 
Princeton  was  taken  prisoner  and  sent  to  Cam- 
den, that  state.  It  was  while  there  that  diffi- 
culties arose  from  the  fact  that  he  was  a  Brit- 
ish subject  and  had  never  taken  out  naturaliza- 
tion papers.  Through  the  instrumentality  of  the 
English  counsel  he  was  able  to  take  out  English 
papers  and  obtain  a  passport  from  General 
Magruder  to  General  Kirby  Smith,  the  latter 
giving  him  a  passport  via  'Mexico.  He  made  the 
trip  to  Mexico  entirely  on  foot,  a  distance  of 
seventeen  hundred  miles,  and  after  reaching 
Matamoras  he  began  work  at  the  carpenter's 
trade,  which  he  had  partiall\-  learned  before  en- 


2088 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


tering-  the  navy  in  1862.  He  was  in  Matamoras 
at  the  time  news  was  received  of  the  assassina- 
tion of  Abraham  Lincohi.  By  way  of  Cuba  he 
returned  to  New  York  City,  from  there  drift- 
ing- to  New  Haven,  Conn.,  from  which  port  he 
followed  the  sea  for  a  number  of  years.  Go- 
ing; to  Lynn,  A'lass.,  in  1869  he  followed 
the  carpenter's  trade  there  until  1875,  since 
which  time  his  life  has  been  associated  with 
California  and  with  San  Pedro  in  particular. 
His  pioneer  efforts  have  not  been  in  vain,  for  the 
erection  of  his  own  dwelling  gave  encourage- 
ment to  other  settlers  to  locate  permanently 
and  in  the  passing  of  years  the  repetition  of  this 
example  has  resulted  in  the  present  thriving 
town  of  San  Pedro.  So  enthusiastic  was  he 
about  its  future  that  in  the  early  da>s  he  pre- 
dicted there  would  be  a  population  of  forty  thou- 
sand inhabitants  in  the  town  before  long,  and  at 
its  present  rapid  rate  of  growth  his  prediction 
will  soon  be  a  reality.  As  his  means  would  allow 
he  added  to  his  first  purchase  of  real  estate  until 
he  owned  ten  buildings  in  all,  but  about  1896 
five  of  them  were  destroyed  by  fire,  and  as  there 
was  little  or  no  insurance  carried  on  the  prop- 
ertv  it  was  a  complete  loss.  In  later  years  he 
gave  his  attention  to  running  a  line  of  pleasure 
boats,  at  one  time  owning  quite  a  number,  but 
he  has  sold  several  and  lost  as  many  more,  later 
having  only  the  Pt.  Fermin,  a  gasoline  launch 
forty-two  feet  in  length,  which  he  ran  himself. 
He  has  perpetuated  his  name  in  the  history  of 
the  town  liy  tlie  erection  of  the  Crocker  building, 
which  adjoins  the  San  Pedro  Bank  of  Sixth 
street,  and  which  is  occupied  as  stores,  above 
which  is  the  Waldo  lodging  house. 

In  i8fig,  while  a  resident  of  Lvnn.  Alass.. 
Captain  Crocker  was  married  to  Miss  Ellen  L. 
Davis,  who  was  born  on  Cape  Breton,  Nova 
Scotia,  and  two  children  were  born  to  them : 
William  H.,  a  musician  of  San  Pedro,  now  coun- 
ty assessor,  and  JNIercv  J.,  the  wife  of  Gnarles 
Powers,  also  of  San  Pedro.  Mrs.  Crocker  died 
in  1903,  and  on  December  31,  1905,  Captain 
Crocker  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mrs.  H. 
F.  Hansen,  of  Los  Angeles.  In  igo6  he  re- 
turned to  his  old  honie  in  Nnva  Scotia  on  a  visit. 
At  one  time  Captain  Crocker  was  identified  with 
a  number  of  fraternal  orders,  among  them  the 
Knights  of  Pvthias,  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows 
and  Chosen  Friends,  but  he  is  not  now  activelv 
interested  in  any  of  them.  In  the  church  of  the 
.Seventh  Day  Adventists,  of  which  he  is  a  mem- 
ber, lie  takes  an  active  part,  serving  as  superin- 
tendent of  the  Sabbath-school.  The  erection  of 
the  church  was  due  in  a  large  measure  to  his 
personal  efforts,  for  he  gave  not  only  of  his  time, 
but  of  his  means  as  well  to  provide  a  suitable 
edifice  for  the  home  of  wor.shippers  of  that  de- 


nomination. In  summing  up  the  life  of  Captain 
Crocker  who  is  still  hale  and  hearty,  it  may  be 
safely  said  that  no  one  in  this  section  is  held  in 
higher  esteem  than  this  enterprising  citizen,  nor 
has  any  been  more  thoroughly  interested  in  or 
contributed  in  greater  degree  to  its  solid  and 
reliable  upbuilding. 


ALEXANDER  KEIR.  In  a  substantial  home 
at  No.  744  Fifth  street,  San  Bernardino,  Alex- 
ander Keir  is  living  retired  from  ranching,  his 
varied  and  extensive  property  interests  requiring 
as  much  of  his  time  as  he  cares  to  give  to  busi- 
ness pursuits.  jMr.  Keir  is  a  native  of  Scotland, 
a  country  noted  for  its  sons  of  sturdy  character 
and  enterprising  industry,  having  been  born  in 
Glasgow,  August  30,  1844,  the  son  of  Alexan- 
der and  Marion  (King)  Keir,  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  the  same  countr}-.  When  their 
son  was  only  four  years  of  age  ]\Ir.  Keir  brought 
the  family  to  the  United  States,  landing  at  New 
Orleans,  and  from  there  making  his  way  up  the 
Mississippi  and  Ohio  rivers  to  Pittsburg,  Pa. 
He  was  a  manufacturer  of  lumber  in  his  native 
land,  but  in  casting  about  for  a  business  opening 
m  this  country  he  decided  to  establish  himself 
in  the  cattle  industry,  and  accordingly  in  1849 
went  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and  started  in  that  busi- 
ness. In  1851  he  removed  to  Salt  Lake,  and 
continued  farming  and  cattle-raising  until  1853, 
when  he  resolved  to  remove  to  California.  Tak- 
ing his  family  with  him,  he  crossed  the  plains 
with  ox  teams  and  came  to  San  Bernardino.  This 
section  was  populated  mostly  with  Mexicans  and 
Indians  at  that  time  and  was  almost  entirely  un- 
improved so  far  as  the  land  was  concerned,  and 
Mr.  Keir  remained  only  a  short  time.  However, 
after  making  his  home  in  Los  Angeles  for  a 
}'ear  he  returned  to  San  Bernardino  county,  pur- 
chased real  estate  and  followed  his  chosen  occu- 
pation until  1882,  in  which  year  he  removed  to 
Santa  Monica.  His  death  occurred  in  San  Ber- 
nardino in  1897.  His  widow  survived  him  a 
number  of  years,  passing  away  at  the  home  of 
lier  son,  Alexander,  in  1904.  The  parental  fam- 
ily originally  com.prised  eight  children,  of  whom 
three  died  in  early  childhood,  and  four  daughters 
and  one  son  now  reside  on  the  Pacific  coast. 

After  completing  his  work  in  the  public  schools 
of  San  Bernardino,  .\lexander  Keir  assisted  his 
father  on  the  farm  for  a  time  and  later  accepted 
a  clerkship  widi  the  firm  of  Wolff  &  Folks,  hold- 
ing the  po^iitinn  four  years,  after  which  he  em- 
barked in  business  under  the  firm  name  of  Wolff, 
Folks  &  Co.  in  Arizona,  continuing  business  un- 
der this  name  for  one  year.  In  1872  he  retired 
from  this  connection  and  again  helped  his  father 
in  the  cattle  business,  later  establishing^  himself 
in  an  independenc  cattle-raising  enterprise  in  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2089 


eastern  part  of  what  is  now  the  city  Hmits,  and 
remaining  there  until  1902.  He  met  with  very 
great  success  in  this  business,  and,  although  he 
still  owns  the  one  hundred  acre  ranch,  it  is  now 
being  operated  by  tenants. 

In  August,  1869,  Mr.  Keir  was  married  to 
Maryette,  daughter  of  Ezra  and  Susan  Parrish, 
old  and  prominent  residents  of  San  Bernardino 
county,  and  of  this  union  ten  children  were  born, 
two  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  Those  now  liv- 
ing are:  William  E.,  of  San  Bernardino;  Mary 
E.,  the  wife  of  E.  E.  Clark,  of  Oceanside ;  Sher- 
man, residing  in  San  Francisco;  John  King,  of 
San  Bernardino ;  Frank,  also  a  resident  of  this 
place ;  Robert  Burns  and  James  Watt,  twins,  the 
latter  of  whom  is  deceased;  and  Ida  Gertrude. 
Fraternally  Mr.  Keir  is  a  charter  member  of 
Valley  Lodge  No.  27,  K.  of  P..  and  was  formerly 
affiliated  with  the  Masons  and  Odd  Fellows,  but 
is  now  demitted  from  both  organizations.  Polit- 
ically, he  is  an  advocate  of  Democratic  principles. 
He  is  a  man  of  great  intelligence,  keen  observa- 
tion and  thoroughly  alive  to  the  trend  of  present 
day  matters  of  social  and  civic  interest,  and  as  a 
progressive  and  public-spirited  citizen  is  accord- 
ed the  respect  and  esteem  of  a  large  circle  of 
friends  and  acquaintances. 


JOHN  R.  HARGRAVE.  Although  Mr. 
Hargrave  is,  comparatively  speaking,  a  re- 
cent addition  to  the  citizenship  of  Sawtelle 
the  interest  which  he  has  shown  in  the  welfare 
of  the  town  indicates  that  he  is  a  man  of  such 
mettle  as  to  make  him  a  credit  to  any  commun- 
ity, no  matter  where  Fate  might  choose  to 
place  him.  Of  Scotch  descent  on  the  pater- 
nal side,  John  R.  Hargrave  was  born  in  Illi- 
nois December  18,  1864,  a  son  of  Andrew  Har- 
grave, who  was  born  in  Roxburghshire,  Scot- 
land, in  1809.  Immigrating  to  America  in 
1818,  he  was  a  resident  of  Canada  until  1855, 
when  he  came  to  the  United  States,  locating 
with  his  famil}^  on  a  farm  in  Illinois.  A  lat- 
er removal  found  the  family  in  the  adjoining 
state  of  Indiana,  where  they  remained  for^ 
twelve  years,  in  1882  crossing  the  plains  to 
Oregon.  The  father  lived  to  enjoy  his  new 
home  in  the  west  for  about  two  years,  his 
death  occurring  in  Yamhill  county,  in  March, 
1884.  His  wife  was  before  her  marriage  Miss 
Margaret  McEwen,  born  in  Canada  in  1829, 
and  of  the  eight  children  born  of  their  mar- 
riage all  reached  maturity  with  one  exception 
and  all  are  still  living. 

At  the  time  the  family  removed  from  Illi- 
nois into  the  Hoosier  state  John  R.  Hargrave 
was  a  lad  of  six  vears,  and  although  too  young 
to  be  of  any  assistance,  he  was  old  enough  to 
enjoy  the  novelty  and  excitement  of  the  jour- 
nev.      His    entire    scliool    life    was    associated 


with  the  common  schools  of  Indiana,  and  by 
the  time  die  father  took  the  family  to  Oregon 
m  :882  he  had  completed  his  education  and 
was  ready  to  start  upon  a  business  career.  Al- 
though he  had  been  of  considerable  assist- 
ance to  his  father  in  his  grain  and  stock-rais- 
mg  enterprises,  he  did  not  feel  himself  suf- 
ficiently adapted  for  that  life  when  the  time 
came  for  him  to  make  selection  of  a  life  call- 
ing. At  this  juncture  he  became  acquainted 
with  A.  G.  Churchly,  of  Portland,  Ore.,  and 
underhis  instruction  he  learned  the  photo- 
graphic trade.  Seeing  a  good  opening  for 
branching  out  in  Kelso,  Wash.,  he  located 
there  in  1888,  remaining  there  for  sixteen 
years,  during  which  time  he  became  well 
known  in  the  business  and  political  circles  of 
the  town.  In  recognition  of  his  fitness  as  a 
leader  and  as  a  man  of  superior  judgment  his 
Republican  constituents  nominated  him  as 
mavor  of  Kelso  in  1900,  his  election  duly  fol- 
lowing. During  his  term  of  two  year's  the 
city  was  visited  by  a  severe  fire,  in  which  he 
lost  all  of  the  property  accumulated  during 
his  residence  there.  Smce  locating  in  Saw- 
telle he  has  been  engaged  in  the  photographic 
business. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hargrave,  the  latter  formerly 
Miss  Berdan,  have  become  the  proud  parents 
of  two  children,  Andrew  C,  born  in  Kelso, 
Wash.,  September  17,  i8g8,  and  Frances  R. 
born  in  the  same  place  June  14,  1901.  Frater- 
nally Mr.  Hargrave  belongs  to  the  Red  Men, 
and  while  in  Kelso  served  as  sachem  of  Tus- 
carora  Tribe  No.  32.  Mrs.  Hargrave  is  a 
member  of  the  Relief  Corps,  and  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbvterian  Church  of  Kelso,  Wash. 


ALBERT  E.  HALL.  When  the  third  colonv 
from  England  landed  at  Plymouth  in  1630  among 
the  passengers  was  Daniel  Foote,  concerning 
whose  previous  and  subsequent  history  little  is 
known  except  that  he  was  a  man  of 'dauntless 
courage  and  pioneer  spirit,  since  he  braved  the 
dangers  of  an  unknown  sea  in  order  to  establish 
a  home  in  the  wilds  of  a  new  world.  When  the 
Revolutionary  war  began  members  of  the  family 
were  among  the  patriots  who  fought  for  in- 
dependence with  a  valor  that  hunger  and  hard- 
.ships  could  not  quench.  In  the  fifth  generation 
from  the  founder  of  the  race  in  the  new  M-orld 
was  Samuel  Foote,  a  native  of  New  England  and 
an  early  settler  of  Qiautauqua  countV,  N.  Y. 
Among  the  children  in  his  family  a  daughter. 
Mary  Dorothea,  who  was  born  in  ^Tas^achusetts, 
became  the  wife  of  Elisha,  son  of  William  Hall, 
a  Revolutionary  soldier  descended  from  English 
progenitors.  Battleboro.  Vt.,  was  the  native 
town  of  Elisha  Hall,  who  earlv  in  life  embarked 


2090 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  the  manufacture  of  lumber  and  erected  the 
first  steam  sawmill  in  Chautauqua  county,  N. 
Y.,  his  operations  in  timber  extending  through 
western  New  York  and  into  Pennsylvania.  Dur- 
ing the  year  1840  he  removed  to  St.  Louis  and 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  lumber. 
The  first  cargo  of  lumber  ever  sold  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi river  was  purchased  by  him  in  1843  ^""^ 
came  from  Marine  Mills,  Minn.;  prior  to  that 
time  lumber  was  freighted  down  the  Ohio  river 
exclusively  and  taken  up  the  Mississippi  by 
keel  boats.  Successful  in  business,  Mr.  Hall 
also  wielded  large  influence  as  a  citizen  and  gave 
stanch  support  to  all  movements  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  his  community.  An  experience 
as  a  teacher  in  young  manhood  gave  him  a 
broad  outlook  concerning  educational  work,  and 
for  some  years  prior  to  1852  in  St.  Louis  he 
served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  education 
and  board  of  teachers'  examiners.  His  death  oc- 
curred during  a  visit  in  Pennsylvania,  and  his 
wife  passed  away  in  1861  at  their  St.  Louis 
home. 

Five  children  comprised  the  family  of  Elisha 
Hall,  four  of  whom  are  living,  Albert  E.  being 
the  second  in  order  of  birth.  Born  at  James- 
town, N.  Y.,  June  8,  1833,  he  was  seven 
years  of  age  when  the  family  settled  in  St. 
Louis  and  there  he  became  a  pupil  in  a 
private  school.  Early  in  life  he  acquired  an 
excellent  knowledge  of  the  lumber  business 
under  his  father's  practical  training.  When  the 
Civil  war  began  he  at  once  ofifered  his  services 
to  the  Union  and  enlisted  for  three  months  in 
a  detached  rifle  company  known  as  the  Lyon 
Guards,  in  which  he  was  commissioned  first 
lieutenant.  At  the  expiration  of  his  time  he  en- 
listed for  three  years  in  the  Tenth  jMissouri 
Cavalry  and  was  commissioned  by  the  president 
as  quartermaster  with  the  rank  of  first  lieuten- 
ant. His  service  continued  until  the  close  of 
the  war  and  was  principally  in  Tennessee,  Ala- 
bama and  Mississippi.  After  having  been 
mustered  out  at  Nashville  in  1865  he  remained 
in  the  south  and  became  a  cotton-grower  near 
Huntsville,  Ala.,  being  the  first  grower  in  that 
state  (and.  as  far  as  known,  in  the  entire  south) 
to  employ  the  free  labor  system.  The  three  years 
of  his  life  as  a  planter  in  the  south  were  filled 
with  anxieties  and  even  perils.  The  country 
was  in  a  condition  of  unrest.  The  noted  Klu 
Klux  horrors  were  stirring  up  strife  and  sedi- 
tion. However,  he  armed  his  four  hundred 
colored  employes  and  so  escaped  without  trouble, 
besides  which,  after  he  had  armed  his  men,  the 
county  of  Limestone  where  he  lived  was  at 
peace,  being  the  only  county  in  the  state  where 
a  turbulent  disposition  was  not  shown. 

On  account  of  these  troubles  Mr.  Hall  gladly 
embraced  an  opportunity  to  sell  his  cotton  lands. 


Returning  to  St.  Louis,  he  engaged  in  the  whole- 
sale confectionery  business  for  four  years,  after 
which  he  spent  three  years  as  a  miner  in  Utah 
and  then  became  a  wheat-grower  in  the  Red 
River  valley  near  Glendon,  Minn.,  where  for  ten 
years  he  cultivated  over  one  thousand  acres  of 
wheat  land.  On  selling  out  there  he  removed 
to  Washington  in  1888  and  embarked  in  the 
manufacture  of  lumber  at  Tacoma,  remaining 
there  until  three  years  later,  when  rheumatism 
afi^ected  him  to  such  an  extent  as  to  render  a 
change  of  climate  necessary.  Hoping  to  be 
benefited  by  life  in  a  southern  latitude  he  came 
to  California  and  traveled  by  team  through  the 
Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  valleys,  thence 
across  to  San  Luis  Obispo  and  on  to  Los  An- 
geles. After  brief  sojourns  in  different  parts 
of  Southern  California,  June  20,  1898,  he  ar- 
rived in  Long  Beach,  where  he  bought  seven  and 
one-half  acres  on  the  Anaheim  road  in  the  sub- 
urbs of  the  town.  Later  he  platted  the  land  and 
in  1904  sold  it  in  town  lots.  In  1904  he  bought 
the  corner  of  Seventh  and  Pine  street,  which 
now  is  improved  with  a  two-story  building,  and 
in  addition  he  owns  five  cottages  and  other  city 
property. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Hall  was  solemnized  at 
Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  and  united  him.  with  j\Iiss 
Ella  W.  Whiting,  who  was  born  in  Connecti- 
cut, and  is  a  descendant  of  the  noted  clockmaker 
of  the  same  name.  Two  children  were  born  of 
their  union.  The  son,  Albert  E.,  Jr.,  died  at 
the  age  of  eight  years.  The  daughter,  Mrs. 
Mary  E.  Burr,  resides  in  Long  Beach.  In 
national  politics  Mr.  Hall  gives  his  support  to 
the  Republican  party ;  locally  he  favors  the  men 
whom  he  deems  best  qualified  to  protect  the  in- 
terests of  the  people,  irrespective  of  political 
allegiance.  Remembrance  of  the  old  war  days 
is  borne  in  mind  through  active  participation  in 
the  work  of  Long  Beach  Post  No.  181,  G.  A.  R., 
with  which  he  has  been  identified  since  coming 
to  this  city.  Movements  for  the  benefit  of  the 
city  receive  his  co-operation  and  influence,  and 
its  rapid  growth  is  a  realization  of  his  anticipa- 
tions. From  the  time  of  his  arrival  he  has  been 
a  believer  in  the  city's  future  prosperity  and 
present  events  are  proving  the  wisdom  of  his 
judgment  and  the  keenness  of  his  foresight. 


FRANK  LIBBY.  After  fourteen  years  of 
identification  with  the  grain  and  stock  interests 
of  California  and  after  having  established  inter- 
ests of  large  financial  value,  Frank  Libby  passed 
from  earth's  activities,  followed  to  the  place  of 
interment  in  Santa  Ana  by  tributes  of  the  highest 
esteem  from  all  of  his  former  associates.  Prior 
to  his  removal  to  the  Pacific  coast  he  had  en- 
gaged in  the  development  of  an  unimproved  ag- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHRWL  RI-XORD. 


2091 


ricultural  country  in  Nebraska,  whither  he  had 
gone  from  the  Mississippi  valley.  Mention  of 
his  ancestral  history  appears  in  the  sketch  of  his 
brother,  C.  S.  Libby,  of  the  San  Luis  Rey  valley. 
Suffice  it  here  to  say  that  he  was  a  son  of  Jacob 
and  Julia  (Guphill)  Libby,  and  that  his  mater- 
nal ancestors  also  belonged  to  the  Libby  family, 
his  mother's  mother  having  been  a  daughter  of 
Daniel  Libby,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary 
war.  The  lineage  is  traced  back  to  John  Libby, 
who  came  to  America  shortly  after  the  Pilgrim 
Fathers  had  established  their  homes  on  the  bleak 
shores  of  the  Atlantic  coast  at  Plymouth. 

Born  in  Goodhue  county,  Minn.,  and  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  Emerson,  Mills  county, 
Iowa,  Frank  Libby  became  a  pioneer  of  Ne- 
braska in  his  young  manhood  and  on  land  in 
Madison  county  he  turned  the  first  furrows  in 
the  prairie  sod.  June  24,  1886,  in  Humphrey's 
township,  Platte  county,  Neb.,  he  married  Miss 
Eunice  M.  Curtis,  who  was  born  at  ]\Ietherill, 
Devonshire,  England,  being  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Mary  T.  (Salmon)  Curtis,  natives 
respectively  of  Devonshire  and  Cornwall,  Eng- 
land. Both  were  descendants  of  ven^  old  fami- 
lies in  their  native  shires.  The  maternal  grand- 
parents, William  and  Mary  Ann  Hicks 
(Thomas)  Salmon,  were  born  in  Cornwall,  the 
former  a  descendant  of  a  family  whose  record  in 
that  shire  is  traced  back  to  1650  and  the  latter  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  Thomas,  also  of  an  ancient 
family  of  the  same  shire.  ]\Irs.  Mary  T.  Curtis 
is  still  living,  as  is  also  her  husband,  and  both 
are  earnest  members  of  the  Methodist  Church. 
On  coming  to  America  in  1870  Thomas  Curtis 
settled  near  ^Mineral  Point,  Wis.,  and  later  spent 
five  years  at  Chebanse,  Iroquois  county,  111.,  af- 
terward made  his  home  at  Emerson,  Iowa,  for 
five  years,  but  eventually  moved  to  Nebraska, 
where  he  now  lives  at  Omaha  retired  from  busi- 
ness responsibilities.  All  of  his  four  children 
are  now  living,  and  Mrs.  Libby  is  the  only  one 
of  the  number  in  California.  Among  the  four 
she  was  next  to  the  oldest,  and  her  education  was 
received  in  the  grammar  schools  of  Illinois  and 
the  high  school  of  Creston,  Iowa.  For  a  few 
years  after  her  marriage  she  and  her  husband  re- 
mained in  Nebraska,  but  in  May,  1890,  they  re- 
moved to  California,  settling  on  a  farm  near 
Carlsbad,  where  they  remained   for  three  years. 

From  Carlsbad  the  family  removed  to  Santa 
Ana  and  devoted  two  and  one-half  years  to  hor- 
ticultural pursuits  in  that  vicinity,  after  which 
they  purchased  and  removed  to  a  farm  in  the  San 
Luis  Rey  valley.  On  selling  that  place  Mr. 
Libby  devoted  his  attention  to  his  farm  of  about 
five  hundred  acres  situated  two  miles  above  the 
Mission,  where  he  had  one  mile  of  valley  land 
on  the  ditch  and  engaged  in  raising  grain  and 
full-blooded  Hereford  cattle.     For  some  time  he 


served  as  secretary  of  the  San  Luis  Rey  Irrigat- 
mg  Company  and  for  nine  years  he  officiated  as 
clerk  of  the  San  Luis  Rey  school  board.  After 
a  brief  illness  caused  by'  pneumonia  he  passed 
away  February  22,  1904,  on  the  anniversary  of 
his  father's  death.  Through  all  of  his  life  he 
had  been  stanch  in  his  allegiance  to  the  Repub- 
hcan  party.  In  religion  he  maintained  a  deep 
interest  in  the  work  of  the  various  denominations 
and  was  especially  in  sympathy  with  the  Epis- 
copal  Church   and   its  teachings. 

In  September  following  her  husband's  death 
]\Irs.  Libby  left  the  farm  and  removed  into  San- 
ta Ana,  where  she  makes  her  home  at  No.  515 
Cypress  avenue.  In  1905  she  sold  the  farm, 
since  which  time  she  has  made  other  investments. 
Only  one  child  remains  to  her,  a  daughter,  Reta 
G.,  the  other  daughter,  JNIary  Louise  having 
been  taken  by  death  June  19,  1905,  when  in  the 
morning  of  life  with  all  of  its  rich  promises 
awaiting  fulfillment.  The  mother  and  surviv- 
ing daughter  are  communicants  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  and  contributors  to  its  societies  and 
philanthropies.  Socially  ;\Irs.  Libby  is  promi- 
nent and  popular  and  occupies  a  leading  position 
in  Santa  Ana,  where  she  is  a  welcomed  guest 
in  the  most  select  circles,  an  earnest  church 
worker  and  an  influential  member  of  the  Re- 
bekahs  and  the  Maccabees. 


NELSON  H.  TWOGOOD.  One  of  the  most 
successful  orange  growers  in  Riverside  county 
is  Nelson  H.  Twogood,  whose  home  is  on  a 
ranch  of  twenty-five  acres,  eighteen  acres  de- 
voted to  the  growing  of  oranges  and  one  acre 
is  in  grapes.  About  one  acre  of  his  orange 
grove  is  of  the  tangerine  variety,  the  rest  being 
navels,  bloods,  valencias  and  homosassas.  He 
also  owns  two  other  ranches,  one  of  four  and 
one-half  acres  in  oranges,  and  another  compris- 
ing thirty  acres  located  near  Perris,  which  is 
given  over  to  grain  raising.  Mr.  Twogood  was 
born  September  25,  1851,  in  Winnebago  county, 
111.,  and  received  his  education  in  the  Pecatonica 
high  school.  He  was  the  son  of  James  D.  and 
Amanda  M.  (Cable)  Twogood,  "the  father  a 
native  of  New  York,  and  the  mother  of  Ohio. 
They  were  early  pioneers  of  Illinois  and  the 
homestead  which  Mr.  Cable  entered  in  1837  is 
still  in  possession  of  the  family,  and  is  occupied 
by  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Twogood.  In  1886  the 
parents  came  with  the  family  to  Riverside  county, 
Cal.,  where  a  ranch  was  purchased.  Mr.  Two- 
good  was  a  stanch  Republican  and  active  in  local 
politics  during  his  life.  Both  father  and  mother 
were  members  of  the  Baptist  Qnirch  in  River- 
side, and  they  lived  to  advanced  ages,  he  being 
seventy-five  years  old  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
and  she  living  to  attain  seventy-seven  years.     Of 


2092 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  ten  children  born  to  them,  five  are  now  liv- 
ing, all  having  homes  in  California  except  one 
daughter,  who  is  a  resident  of  Colorado. 

After  leaving  high  school  Nelson  H.  Twogood 
became  a  school  teacher  and  was  for  six  years 
engaged  in  that  profession  in  Winnebago  and 
McLean  counties,  111.  He  subsequently  conducted 
a  farm  in  AIcLean  county,  and  in  1883  removed 
to  Dakota,  where  he  took  up  government  land, 
engaged  in  the  grain  and  stock  business  and  re- 
mained for  eighteen  years.  Before  selling  out 
there  he  had  acquired  eight  hundred  acres  of 
land,  having  met  with  very  good  success  in  all 
of  his  business  undertakings.  Coming  to  Cali- 
fornia Mr.  Twogood  bought  the  ranch  upon 
which  he  now  resides  and  has  one  of  the  most 
attractive  homes  in  this  part  of  the  county.  His 
marriage,  which  occurred  in  1880,  united  him 
with  r^liss  Mary  H.  Wight,  a  native  of  Ohio  and 
a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Wight,  born  in  the 
same  state.  The  V\'ight  ancestors  were  from  the 
Isle  of  Wight  and  landed  in  Massachusetts  soon 
after  the  original  Plymouth  colony  came  to 
America  in  1620,  and  played  important  roles  in 
the  early  history  of  the  country.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Twogood  became  the  parents  of  five  children: 
Blanche  W.,  the  wife  of  Elmer  Haas,  and  who 
resides  with  her  parents;  Ernest  N. ;  Ralph  S.; 
Archie  J. ;  and  Ruth,  who  was  killed  in  an  acci- 
dent when  nine  years  of  age.  The  parents  are 
active  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  at  Highgrove,  and  fraternally  Mr.  Two- 
good  was  made  a  member  of  the  Fulton  Lodge 
No.  123,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  in  South  Dakota,  and  also 
belongs  to  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men of  Fulton.  He  is  Republican  in  politics  and 
takes  a  special  interest  in  educational  matters, 
having  served  as  school  trustee  both  in  South 
Dakota  and  in  California.  In  the  former  state 
he  also  filled  the  offices  of  town  clerk  and  justice 
of  the  peace,  and  in  a  business  way  assisted  in 
the  organization  of  a  farmer's  warehouse  com- 
panv,  for  three  years  having  had  charge  of  the 
warehouse  which  they  owned.  He  is  now  one  of 
the  trustees  of  the  East  Riverside  Water  Com- 
pany. 


ANDREW  J.  LOCKWOOD.  Upon  coming 
to  California  iii  1897  Mr,  Lock  wood  settled  in 
the  vicinity  of  Chino,  San  Bernardino  county. 
and  so  well  pleased  and  satisfied  has  he  been 
with  the  location  that  he  has  had  no  desire  to 
change  to  any  other  part  of  the  state.  When  he 
purchased  his  present  ranch  of  twenty  acres  it 
bore  no  improvements  whatever,  but  the  raw, 
forbidding  land  is  now  transformed  into  one  of 
the  most  prosperous  ranches  in  the  county,  all 
of  which  J\Tr.  Lockwood  has  accomplished  alone. 
Conditions  are  here  very  favorable  for  the  suc- 


cessful raising  of  alfalfa,  and  he  has  his  entire 
acreage  in  this  commodity,  harvesting  annually 
on  an  average  of  eight  tons  to  the  acre. 

Mr.  Lockwood  is  a  native  of  Iowa,  born  in 
W'apello  county,  July  28,  1865,  one  of  five  chil- 
dren born  to  his  parents,  Jared  and  Ann  (Davis) 
Lockwood,  they  being  natives  of  Indiana.  The 
parents  removed  from  Indiana  to  southwestern 
Iowa,  settling  first  in  Mills  and  later  in  Fremont 
county,  and  there  they  are  now  both  making 
their  home,  having  reached  tlie  venerable  age  of 
eighty  years.  During  his  younger  years  Mr. 
Lockwood  was  very  active  in  the  public  life  of 
his  community,  and  besides  filling  other  public 
offices  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  some 
time.  He  still  takes  a  keen  interest  in  political 
events,  and  especially  in  issues  concerning  the 
Democratic  party,  for  ever  since  his  voting  days 
began  he  has  supported  its  candidates.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Odd  Fellows,  and  with  his  wife 
is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church. 

Andrew  J.  Lockwood  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home.  No 
event  of  special  importance  occurred  in  his  early 
life  to  distinguish  his  own  from  the  majority  of 
farm-reared  lads,  and  after  completing  his  com- 
mon-school education  he  returned  to  the  home 
farm,  working  side  by  side  with  his  father,  un- 
til in  his  twenty-third  year.  It  was  about  this 
time,  in  1887,  that  he  established  home  ties  of 
his  own,  and  at  the  same  time  settled  upon  a 
farm  in  that  vicinity.  His  marriage  united  him 
with  Miss  Fannie  Stateler,  who  was  born  in 
Iowa,  and  of  their  marriage  four  children  have 
been  born,  as  follows:  Lee,  Jared,  Horace  and 
Mae.  He  lived  on  a  farm  which  he  cultivated 
for  a  number  of  years,  or  until  coming  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1897.  San  Bernardino  county  was  his 
destination,  and  here  he  has  since  remained.  In 
1899  he  purchased  the  ranch  on  which  he  now 
resides  and  it  has  undergone  such  marvelous 
changes  in  the  meantime  as  to  be  scarcely  recog- 
nizable, for  at  the  time  it  came  into  his  posses- 
sion not  a  furrow  had  been  turned.  In  connec- 
tion with  his  own  ranch  of  twenty  acres,  which 
is  devoted  exclusively  to  raising  alfalfa,  he  also 
rents  land,  this  latter  being  given  over  entirely 
to  grain.  Altogether  he  has  between  two  and 
three  hundred  acres  under  control  and  is  demon- 
strating in  a  substantial  way  that  he  thoroughly 
understands  the  principles  of  agriculture,  wheth- 
er worked  out  in  the  Mississippi  vallev  or  on  the 
irrigated  lands  of  the  west.  During  the  thirtv- 
two  vears  of  his  residence  in  Iowa,  Mr.  Lock- 
wood  was  an  important  factor  in  the  public  life 
of  his  community,  and  for  some  time  served  as 
supervisor  of  Scott  township  No.  2,  Fremont 
county.  In  1892  he  was  initiated  into  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  being  made  a  member  of  the 
lodge  at  Bartlett,  Iowa,  and  since  cnniinfr  to  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2093 


west  be  has  joined  the  Fraternal  Aid  and  the 
Fraternal  Brotherhood.  Politically  he  is  a 
Democrat,  in  this  respect  coinciding  with  the 
views  held  by  his  father.  Mr.  Lockwood  is  held 
in  the  highest  esteem  by  his  neighbors,  who  ap- 
preciate his  advent  among  them,  for  he  has  set 
a  high  standard  along  agricultural  lines  that  di- 
rectly and  otherwise  has  had  its  influence  in  im- 
proving general  conditions  in  the  community. 


MYRO'N  R.  McKINNEY.  Progressive  and 
enterprising  as  a  road  superintendent,  M.  R.  Mc- 
Kinney  occupies  a  prominent  place  in  the  devel- 
oping life  of  the  community.  He  is  a  native  of 
Plattsburg,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  born  jNIarch  14, 
1857,  a  son  of  John  R.  and  Marietta  (Martin) 
McKinney,  natives  respectively  of  Plattsburg,  N. 
Y.,  and  Vermont  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Cham- 
plain.  The  father  followed  farming  in  Minne- 
sota and  was  also  a  contractor  of  excavations. 
They  finally  removed  to  California  and  settled 
in  the  vicinity  of  Norwalk,  where  the  father  died 
at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years  and  the  mother 
at  seventy-seven.  They  were  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Qiurch;  in  politics  the 
father  was  a  stanch  Republican.  They  were  the 
parents  of  six  children,  of  whom  but  three  are 
living;  the  eldest  son,  John,  served  in  the  Civil 
war  from   1861   to  1864. 

M.  R.  McKinney  was  the  youngest  child  in 
the  family  of  his  parents.  In  infancy  he  was 
taken  to  the  middle  west,  his  home  being  for  a 
time  in  Wisconsin  and  later  in  Minnesota.  In 
the  spring  of  i86g  the  family  located  in  Minne- 
apolis and  there  Mr.  McKinney  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools ;  he  also  attended  a 
commercial  college  and  thoroughly  fitted  himself 
for  a  successful  career  in  life.  In  that  city  he 
learned  locomotive  engineering  and  the  trade  of 
carpenter,  following  railroading  and  the  latter 
occupation  until  1889,  as  a  carpenter  working 
for  one  firm  in  Minneapolis  for  four  years.  Com- 
ing to  California  in  1889  he  followed  his  trade 
in  Los  Angeles  for  a  y^ar  and  a  half,  when  he 
came  to  Artesia  and  purchased  a  ranch  of  forty 
acres  and  established  a  dairy  business.  He  con- 
tinued this  occupation  for  about  fifteen  years,  and 
also  raised  stock,  improving  his  property  from 
wild,  uncultivated  land;  four  years  ago  he  lo- 
cated on  the  place  he  now  makes  his  home,  and 
leases  his  ranch  as  he  is  now  performing  the 
duties  of  road  overseer,  to  which  position  he  was 
elected  through  the  influence  of  the  Republican 
party,  of  which  he  is  a  stanch  supporter.  He  has 
built  up  a  splendid  reputation  because  of  the 
m.anner  in  which  he  has  performed  liis  duties, 
has  fine  roads  in  his  district,  and  is  held  in  high 
esteem  for  the  qualities  of  citizenship  he  has 
dcnionstrated   during  his   long   residence   in   thi'; 


section.  He  has  improved  his  property  by  the 
erection  of  a  good  residence,  two  barns,'  four  ar- 
tesian wells,  and  other  necessary  equipment. 

In  1876  Mr.  McKinney  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Emma  Maltby,  a  native  of  New  York, 
the  two  having  been  schoolmates  in  the  Minne- 
sota schools.  They  became  the  parents  of  the 
following  children  ;  Alfred  E.,  who  married  Miss 
C.  Freeman;  Dora  M.,  who  married  H.  H. 
Hooper,  a  jeweler  of  Whittier,  and  has  one  child ; 
Roy  H.,  who  married  Blanche  Freeman,  and  has 
one  son;  and  Ellen  M.,  a  clerk  in  a  large  dry 
goods  establishment  of  Los  Angeles.  ^Nlr.  Mc- 
Kinney is  identified  with  the  Masonic  organiza- 
tion, being  a  member  of  Artesia  Lodge  No.  377, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  and  also  belongs  to  the  Fraternal 
Aid,  having  served  as  president  of  the  Artesia 
Lodge  for  two  terms,  and  is  now  holding  a  sim- 
ilar position  in  the  Artesia  Lodge  No.  545.  In 
Artesia  he  served  for  several  years  as  school 
trustee.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  which  he  liberally  supports. 


FRANCIS  J.  GANAHL  is  a  native  of  Aus- 
tria, where  he  was  born  in  1840,  and  a  member 
of  a  family  of  seventeen  children,  in  which  he 
is  the  fifth  son.  His  parents,  John  J.  and  Ben- 
edicta  (Wuerbell)  Ganahl,  were  both  natives  of 
the  province  of  Tyrol  and  Vorarlberg,  in  Aus- 
tria, and  the  father  when  a  young  man  was  a 
butcher,  later  engaging  in  the  milling  business 
and  in  farming.  In  1868  he  came  on  a  visit  to 
some  of  his  children  in  America,  and  after  a 
consideration  of  the  advantages  and  attractions 
of  many  of  our  larger  cities,  he  decided  to  locate 
in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and  returning  to  Austria, 
brought  his  family  to  that  place  and  there  re- 
sided until  his  death.  Mrs.  Ganahl  also  died  in 
St.  Louis. 

Mr.  Ganahl  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  country,  and  was 
eighteen  years  of  age  when  he  arrived  with  one 
of  his  sisters  at  St.  Louis.  He  there  engaged 
himself  as  an  apprentice  to  a  printer  to  "learn 
that  trade,  and  after  his  four  years  of  appren- 
ticeship at  the  wage  of  one,  two.  three,  and  the 
last  year  four  dollars  a  week,  he  gave  up  the 
trade  and  started  a  grocery  business.  He  con- 
tinued that  business  for  four  years,  and  the  bal- 
ance of  his  twenty-nine  years  of  residence  in  St. 
Louis  carried  on  several  different  wholesale  and 
retail  businesses.  Deciding  to  make  a  change  of 
location,  in  1887  ]\Ir.  Ganahl  came  to  Los  .An- 
geles, and  immediately  upon  his  arrival  engaged 
in  the  retail  and  wholesale  lumber  business.  He 
conducted  the  business  in  partnership  with  his 
brother,  C.  Ganahl,  for  a  number  of  years,  and 
then  commenced  for  himself  under  the  firm  name 
of  F.  J.  Gnnalil  Lumber  Company.     In   1^)05,  on 


2094 


HISTORICAT.,  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


account  of  sickness,  F.  J.  Ganahl  retired  from 
the  business,  his  brother  having  bought  his  in- 
terests. Since  that  time  Mr.  Ganahl  has  lived 
retired  at  his  beautiful  residence,  No.  316  North 
Avenue  57,  Highland  Park,  Lx3s  Angeles. 

In  other  ways  than  business  Mr.  Ganahl  has 
taken  a  great  interest  and  prominent  part  in  the 
upbuilding  of  the  city  of  Los  Angeles  and  vicin- 
ity, and  is  at  present  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
business,  and  is  now  erecting  the  largest  and 
finest  brick  block  in  East  Los  Angeles.  He  was 
one  of  those  who  fought  continuously  for  the  five- 
cent  fare  on  the  Pasadena  electric  line  from 
Avenue  57  to  any  part  of  the  city  of  Los  An- 
geles until  the  rate  was  conceded,  and  in  the 
agitation  for  the  extension  of  the  Garavanza  line 
to  that  point  he  campaigned  the  fight  to  a  suc- 
cessful end.  He  was  one  of  the  principal  work- 
ers who  originated  the  proposition  to  build  the 
Pasadena  boulevard  from  North  Pasadena 
through  to  Los  Angeles,  making  it  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  wide  and  nine  miles  long,  and  had 
the  project  been  consummated  it  would  have 
added  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  value  to  the 
property  in  the  vicinity. 

Politically  Mr.  Ganahl  affiliates  with  the  Dem- 
ocratic party,  in  the  principles  of  which  he  is  a 
firm  believer.  His  membership  in  fraternal  or- 
ders embraces  the  Western  Commercial  Trav- 
elers' Association  and  the  C.  K.  of  A.  He  was 
married  to  Miss  Louise  Le  Brun,  a  native  of 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  July  12,  1871,  and  they  are  the 
parents  of  eleven  children,  all  living,  tlie  young- 
est being  eleven  years  old.  Mr.  Ganahl  is  a  man 
who  has  lived  a  well-rounded  life  and  has  met 
with  unusual  success  in  all  of  his  undertakings. 
His  influence  has  been  very  largelv  felt  in  this 
section  of  the  state,  and  he  holds  the  highest 
esteem  and  respect  of  the  citizens  of  the  com- 
munity. 


WALTER  C.  HARGRAVES.  As  an  official 
in  the  beautiful  city  of  Redlands  Mr.  Hargraves 
takes  a  keen  interest  in  its  development  and  up- 
building, and  can  always  be  counted  upon  to 
further  anv  movement  toward  this  end,  his 
personal  efforts  for  success  lying  parallel  with 
those  in  the  interest  of  the  general  community. 
He  came  to  Redlands  in  1889;  his  father,  Will- 
iam C.  Hargraves,  now  deceased  was  a  native 
of  Lancashire,  England,  and  married  Angeline 
S.  Oough,  a  native  of  the  Town  of  Bow,  N.  H., 
and  a  daughter  of  Enoch  Clough.  She  died  in 
California  in  which  state  are  located  her  three 
children. 

Born  in  Manchester,  N.  H.,  Walter  C.  Har- 
graves there  spent  the  years  of  his  youth,  re- 
ceiving such  education  as  the  schools  of  the  citv 
aflforded.      He    held    responsible    positions    with 


business  houses  in  the  eastern  states  until  the 
spring  of  1881,  when  he  came  west,  locating  for 
two  years  in  Colorado,  and  later  going  to  Van- 
couver, British  Columbia.  There  he  entered  the 
contracting,  building  and  real  estate  business. 
He  was  eminently  successful  in  this  line  and 
was  identified  with  the  pioneer  growth  of  Van- 
couver, where  he  is  well  known  and  favorably 
remembered.  Coming  to  Redlands  fourteen 
years  ago  and  being  at  once  impressed  with  the 
beauty  of  the  situation  and  the  possibilities  for 
orange  growing,  Mr.  Hargraves  purchased  twen- 
ty acres  in  the  Lugonia  side  of,  the  city,  which 
he  planted  to  oranges  and  where  he  lived  until 
the  recent  sale  of  his  orchard.  He  then  moved 
into  the  city.  He  is  the  owner  of  considerable 
business  and  subdivision  property,  most  of  the 
latter  being  situated  in  the  Lugonia  district,  and 
takes  an  active  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the 
community.  He  has  been  a  director  of  the 
Board  of  Trade  and  enters  heartily  into  move- 
ments tending  toward  the  advancement  of  the 
prosperity  of  Redlands.  On  April  11.  1904,  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
for  the  term  of  two  years  and  was  re-elected  in 
April,  1906.  Fraternally  he  is  identified  with 
the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  is  also  a  member  of 
the  University  Club.  Enterprise  and  ability  are 
the  secret  of  the  success  achieved  bv  Mr.  Har- 
graves, and  in  this  distinction  he  is  measured 
among  his  fellow  citizens. 


FREDERICK  ELISHA  HOTCHKISS. 
No  citizen  has  proven  himself  more  useful  or 
given  more  of  his  time  and  attention  towards 
advancing  Redlands  and  the  interests  of  the 
orange  growers  of  this  section  than  Mr.  Hotch- 
kiss,  whose  efforts  along  this  line  have  won  for 
him  a  permanent  place  among  the  representa- 
tive citizens  of  Southern  California.  He  came 
of  a  New  England  family  which  was  estab- 
lished on  American  soil  manv  years  prior  to  the 
Revolution,  in  which  historic  struggle  the  pa- 
ternal great-great-grandfather,  Caleb,  participat- 
ed until  his  death  July  5,  1779,  at  New  Haven, 
at  the  time  of  the  British  invasion.  His  father 
was  also  called  Caleb,  while  his  grandfather. 
John,  was  born  in  England,  a  son  of  Samuel,  and 
became  the  colonial  emigrant  from  whence  the 
American  branch  of  the  family  sprung.  The 
great-grandfather  of  our  subject,  Jonah  Hotch- 
kiss  by  name,  was  a  West  Indian  merchant,  and 
reared  his  son,  Ezra,  to  that  occupation.  The 
family  were  residents  of  Connecticut  and  there 
Leonard  S.  Hotchkiss  was  bom,  reared  and  edu- 
cated, in  manhood  becoming  cashier  for  the 
New  Haven  County  Bank  until  his  removal  to 
Redlands,  where  his  death   eventuallv  occurred. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2095 


He  had  made  a  trip  to  the  state  in  1849  via  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama,  spent  eighteen  months,  and 
then  returned  home  and  followed  the  banking 
business  until  his  retirement.  His  wife,  former- 
ly Julia  i\Ii.x,  was  born  in  New  Haven,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Eli  Mix,  a  merchant  of  that  city  and  also 
the  descendant  of  an  old  New  England  family. 
She  died  in  Redlands,  also. 

Frederick  Elisha  Hotchkiss  was  the  only  son, 
and  was  born  in  New  Haven,  Conn.,  November 
26,  1843.  and  there  reared  to  young  manhood  and 
educated  in  the  public  and  high  schools.  He  was 
but  little  more  than  seventeen  years  old  when 
he  answered  the  call  of  his  country  by  enlisting 
July,  1861,  in  the  First  New  York  Lincoln  Cav- 
alry, which  was  supposed  at  that  time  to  be  the 
only  cavalry  regiment  for  the  Civil  war.  The 
Secretary  of  War  wrote  the  governors  of  the  sev- 
eral states,  that  the  government  would  furnish 
the  arms  but  could  not  furnish  the  horses  and 
equipments  and  asked  the  governors  of  the  state 
to  do  this,  and  in  another  letter  spoke  of  the 
war  being  but  a  ninety-day  affair  and  that  the 
one  regiment  of  cavalry  would  probably  be  suf- 
ficient. It  is  interesting  to  note  at  this  point 
that  before  the  close  of  that  mighty  struggle 
there  were  three  hundred  cavalry  regiments  in 
service.  He  was  mustered  in  as  a  private  and 
June  25,  1865,  was  commissioned  first  lieutenant. 
He  participated  during  his  long  service  in  many 
of  the  most  important  engagements,  was  through 
the  Peninsular  campaign  in  the  Shenandoah  valley 
for  two  years  and  was  on  staff  duty  under  Gen- 
eral Caphart  and  associated  with  General  Cus- 
ter and  was  at  General  Lee's  surrender.  After 
the  close  of  the  struggle  he  returned  to  New 
Haven  and  accepted  a  position  as  bookkeeper  in 
the  New  Haven  County  Bank,  hie  finally  re- 
moved to  Gloversville,  N.  Y.,  and  there  engaged 
in  glove  manufacture  for  the  period  of  eight 
years,  when  he  returned  to  his  native  city  and  be- 
came head  accountant  for  the  L.  Candee  Rub- 
ber Company.  He  occupied  this  position  for 
ten  years  wlien  he  came  to  California  as  secre- 
tary of  the  Bear  Valley  &  Allesandro  Develop- 
ment Company,  an  enterprise  formed  by  princi- 
pals in  the  east  for  the  purpose  of  taking  up  arid 
land  in  this  section  of  Southern  California,  ir- 
rigate and  dispose  of  it  at  a,  profit.  He  contin- 
ued with  this  company  after  its  consolidation  with 
the  Bear  Valley  Land  &  Water  Company,  the 
concern  becoming  known  as  the  Bear  Valley  Ir- 
rigation Company.  Later  when  this  company 
passed  into  the  hands  of  a  receiver  in  1893,  Mr, 
Hotchkiss  became  private  secretary  of  E.  H, 
Spoor,  the  receiver  in  the  interests  of  the  Sav- 
ings &  Trust  Company  of  Cleveland,  and  has 
occupied  this  position  ever  since.  In  1903  he 
was  active  in  the  incorporation  of  the  Bear  \'a\- 
lev   Mutual   Water  Company,   whose   stockhold- 


ers were  all  consumers  under  the  system  and  sur- 
rendered to  the  company  their  rights  and  claims 
on  the  water  they  had  been  using  and  holding 
stock  in  the  new  concern  according  to  their  usage 
of  water,  and  in  the  management  of  this  enter- 
prise Mr.  Hotchkiss  is  secretary  and  to  him  is 
largely  due  the  credit  for  the  manipulation  of 
details  which  promises  a  successful  consumma- 
tion of  the  previous  legal  troubles  at  an  early 
date. 

In  iddition  to  his  interests  already  mentioned 
Mr.  Hotchkiss  owns  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  at  Loma  Linda,  of  which  forty  acres 
are  devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  a  fine  orange 
grove,  while  his  home  is  on  Walnut  avenue,  in 
Redlands,  where  he  is  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Trade,  an  ardent  Republican  and  a  helpful 
and  practical  citizen.  He  was  married  in  1867 
to  Miss  Heacock,  a  native  of  Gloversville,  N, 
Y,,  and  born  of  this  union  are  two  children, 
Leonard  F.,  secretary  of  the  C.  W.  Scranton 
Company,  of  New  Haven,  Conn. ;  and  Minerva, 
wife  of  L.  W.  Hall,  of  New  Haven,  Conn.  Mr. 
Hotchkiss  was  made  a  Mason  in  Gloversville 
Lodge  No.  429,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  raised  to  the 
degree  of  Knight  Templar  in  the  Holy  Cross 
commandery  No.  51,  K,  T.,  of  the  same  place. 
He  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Bear  A'alley  Post, 
of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  in  Redlands, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  California  commandery 
of  the  Loyal  Legion,  and  of  the  Southern  Cali- 
fornia Association  of '  Companions  of  the  Loyal 
Legion.  He  supports  the  charities  of  the  First 
Congregational  Cliurch,  of  which  he  is  a  mem- 
ber." He  is  justly  named  among  the  representa- 
tive citizens  of  Southern  California  and  held  in 
highest  esteem  for  his  splendid  qualities  of  char- 
acter, his  integrity  and  manhood. 


WALLACE  HUNGERFORD,  one  of  the 
substantial  and  successful  ranchers  of  Los  An- 
geles countv,  is  a  native  California,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  Sutter  county  September  19, 
1870."  His  parents,  M.  C.  and  Mary  E.  (Ramey) 
Hungerford,  were  natives  respectively  of  Scioto 
countv,  Ohio,  and  Shenandoah  county,  Va„  and 
both  were  pioneers  of  California,  their  marriage 
taking  place  in  Sutter  county,  Cal.  They  had 
both  crossed  the  plains  in  1854.  They  located  in 
Los  Angeles  countv  in  1880  and  purchased  a 
ranch  of  fortv  acres,  and  there  the  mother  is 
still  living  at 'the  age  of  sixty-seven  years,  the 
fr.ther  having  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years, 
five  months  and  fourteen  days.  He  was  identi- 
fied with  the  Masonic  organization,  being  a  mem- 
ber of  Meridian  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Sutter 
county.  In  politics  he  was  a  stanch  Democrat 
and  was  often  called  upon  bv  his  party  to  serve 
in   a    public   capacity,   having  acted   as  assessor 


2096 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  Svitter  county  for  several  terms.  Mr.  and 
]Mrs.  Hungerford  became  the  parents  of  seven 
children,  of  whom  five  are  living  and  all  are  lo- 
cated in  California. 

The  first  educational  training  of  Wallace 
Hungerford  was  received  in  the  common  schools 
of  Colusa  county,  Cal.,  the  course  being  com- 
pleted in  the  grammar  schools  of  Norwalk. 
This  training  was  supplemented  by  a  course  in 
the  Whittier  College  and  a  private  school,  where 
he  perfected  himself  in  a  general  course  of  study. 
Returning  to  the  ranch  he  remained  with  his 
parents  until  he  was  twenty-three  years  old,  when 
he  set  out  for  himself,  locating  on  the  ranch 
where  he  has  made  his  home  for  the  period  of 
■  fourteen  years,  engaging  in  general  ranching 
and  the  dairy  business,  the  latter  being  supplied 
by  a  herd  of  fifteen  cows  and  the  milk  shipped 
to  Los  Angeles.  All  of  the  thirty-eight  acres 
comprising  the  ranch  are  in  excellent  condition, 
well  cultivated  and  he  has  added  improvements 
■"/Inch  make  of  the  property  one  of  the  valuable 
properties  of  this  section.  ]\lr.  Hungerford  is 
a  Good  Templar,'  is  interested  in  the  advance- 
ment of  educational  affairs  (now  serving  as  trus- 
tee of  the  Camienita  district),  and  is  a  member 
of  the  jNiethodist  Episcopal  Gnurch  South.  Po- 
litically he  is  an  advocate  of  Democratic  princi- 
ples. He  is  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  this 
section,  held  in  highest  esteem  for  the  splendid 
qualities  of  citizenship  he  has  already  displayed, 
for  che  business  ability  which  is  bringing  him 
success,  and  the  character  of  his  manhood. 


HENRY  TELESPHARE  GIROUX.  In  the 
pioneer  days  of  the  state  H.  T.  Giroux,  for  many 
years  a  well-known  merchant  of  Santa  Monica, 
left  Canada,  his  native  land  (having  been  born 
in  the  vincinity  of  Montreal,  February  28,  1828) 
and  sought  to  try  his  fortunes  among  the  un- 
developed conditions  of  the  Pacific  coast.  His 
father,  Pierre  Giroux,  was  a  farmer  of  Canada, 
where  he  was  born,  a  son  of  Jean  Giroux,  an 
emigrant  from  France,  his  native  country,  and 
a  blacksmith  by  occupation.  H.  T.  Giroux 
learned  the  trade  of  blacksmith  under  the  in- 
struction of  his  older  brother,  Eucher  Giroux, 
the  head  blacksmith  of  the  Grand  Trunk  Rail- 
road Company  in  Montreal.  In  1852,  fired  by 
the  glowing  reports  of  the  wealth  of  California, 
he  left  Canada,  and  from  an  eastern  port  took 
passage  on  a  vessel  for  the  Isthmus  of  Panama, 
which  he  crossed  on  foot ;  from  there  he  went  by 
boat  to  San  Francisco,  landing  absolutely  penni- 
less, but  fortunately  not  lacking  in  courage  and 
energA".  Pie  immediately  found  work  as  a  dish 
washer,  perfectly  willing  to  accept  anything  that 
afiforded  him  an  honest  livelihood.  After  four 
weeks  he   journeyed   to   the  mines   in   Eldorado 


county,  where  as  a  miner,  grocer  and  liquor  mer- 
chant he  made  a  small  fortune.  Later  he  car- 
ried on  mining  almost  exclusively,  and  like  many 
others  during  those  historic  times  made  and  lost 
several  fortunes.  He  made  two  trips  back  to 
his  home  in  Canada,  the  first  time  in  1865  and 
again  in  1871,  going  and  returning  each  time 
by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  He  became 
a  well-known  figure  in  Eldorado  county,  where 
he  was  identified  for  many  years  with  mining 
interests. 

In  1875  Mr.  Giroux  located  permanently  in 
Southern  California,  taking  up  his  residence  in 
Santa  Monica,  where  he  established  the  first 
store,  selling  groceries  and  liquors ;  with  the 
growth  of  the  town  his  interests  increased,  suc- 
cess accompanied  his  efforts,  and  he  is  today  in 
possession  of  a  comfortable  competence.  He  still 
maintains  his  interest  in  the  mercantile  affairs 
of  the  place,  still  conducting  his  store,  while  he 
has  also  invested  in  property  here,  owning  a  busi- 
ness lot  50x150  feet,  located  on  Second  street. 
;Mr.  Giroux  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Columbus,  and  in  politics  is  a  stanch  Republican, 
having  cast  his  first  vote  for  Lincoln  and  ever 
since  has  maintained  his  loyalty  for  his  party. 


ASA  HUNTER.  Coming  to  Los  Angeles 
more  th^n  half  a  century  ago,  Asa  Hunter,  liv- 
ing on  a  ranch  located  in  the  northerh  suburbs 
of  the  city,  holds  a  leading  position  among  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  this  section  of  Southern  Cali- 
fornia. From  his  early  manhood  he  has  taken  an 
intelligent  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  adopted 
city  and  county,  materially  aiding  the  progress 
and  development  which  has  been  caried  on  so 
rapidly,  and  to  such  a  remarkable  degree.  As  a 
representative  agriculturist,  he  has  achieved  suc- 
cess by  unremitting  toil,  directed  by  sound  busi- 
ness principles,  and  as  an  honorable  and  upright 
citizen  he  possesses  the  confidence  and  good  will 
of  the  entire  community,  being  respected  and  es- 
teemed by  the  young  and  the  old.  A  native  of 
Kentucky,  he  was  born  in  1832,  a  son  of  the  late 
Jesse  D.  Hunter,  of  whom  a  brief  biographical 
sketch  may  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

His  parents  moving  to  Illinois  when  he  was  a 
child,  Mr.  Hunter  was  brought  up  in  Hancock 
county,  living  there  until  about  fifteen  years  of 
age.  In  1847  his  father  started  with  the  ]\Ior- 
mon  battalion  for  the  Pacific  coast,  leaving  his 
wife  and  five  of  the  children,  of  whom  Asa  was 
the  oldest  child,  to  follow  at  a  later  period.  In 
1 848  therefore  the  family  started  across  the  plains 
with  an  ox-team  train,  going  first  to  Council 
P)luffs,  Iowa,  where  they  spent  the  winter.  The 
following  spring  they  continued  the  journey, 
Asa  driving  the  oxen,  his  team  being  the  second 
one  to   drive   into   Salt  Lake  Citw     Continuing 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2097 


the  journey  westward,  he  piloted  the  family 
safely  to  Sacramento,  arriving  on  July  4,  1849, 
after  a  trip  full  of  hardship  and  anxiety  for  the 
brave  youth  on  whom  rested  the  entire  respon- 
sibility of  caring  for  his  mother,  brothers  and 
sisters.  His  father  and  his  brother  William  sub- 
sequently joined  them  in  Sacramento,  and  after 
a  brief  stay  in  that  place  brought  them  to  the 
southern  part  of  the  state.  On  locating  in  Los 
Angeles  in  1851  Mr.  Hunter  became  associated 
with  his  father,  first  as  a  manufacturer  of  brick, 
and  afterward  as  a  farmer,  remaining  with  him 
until  1867.  Going  then  to  Antelope*vaIley,  j\Ir. 
Hunter  purchased  a  ranch,  and  for  seventeen 
years  was  there  prosperously  employed  in  stock 
raising  and  dealing.  Returning  then,  at  the  urg- 
ent request  of  his  father,  to  the  old  homestead,  he 
tenderly  cared  for  his  parents  as  long  as  they 
lived,  and  has  since  resided  here.  By  industry, 
good  management  and  persistency  of  purpose. 
Mr.  Hunter  has  accumulated  a  handsome  com- 
petency, and  is  now  living  practically  retired  from 
active  pursuits.  He  has  recently  been  dispos- 
ing of  much  of  his  landed  holdings,  at  the  pres- 
ent time  owning  eighty  acres  of  city  property, 
and  but  seventv-five  acres  of  land  outside  of  the 
city  limits.  For  many  years  he  raised  small 
fruits  and  berries  in  large  quantities,  but  at 'the 
present  time  leases  a  large  share  of  his  land.  He 
is  a  most  loyal  and  faithful  citizen,  and  since 
coming  to  this  part  of  California  more  than  fifty 
years  ago,  has  been  outside  of  Los  Angeles  coun- 
ty but  three  times. 

Mr.  Hunter  married  Petro  Hortcse,  who  is 
of  Spanish  descent,  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
six  children,  namely :  Emily,  wife  of  Jacob 
Snyder,  of  Los  Angeles ;  William,  a  dry  goods 
merchant  in  Los  Angeles,  having  a  well-stocked 
store  on  Broadway,  between  Fifth  and  Sixth 
streets :  Richard,  living  on  a  ranch  adjoining  his 
father's,  married  Mattie  Polick  and  has  two 
children,  Asa  and  Harben ;  Aleck  engaged  in 
farming  near  the  home  ranch :  Josie,  livin^  at 
borne:  "and  Keziah,  wife  of  Daniel  Gage,  a 
guard  in  the  state  prison  at  San  Ouentin.  Polit- 
ically Mr.  Hunter  is  a  decided  Republican,  but 
he  has  never  been  an  aspirant  for  official  honors, 
his  private  business  requiring  his  entire  time  and 
attention. 


GUSTAV  ADOLPH  GEHRING.  The  an- 
cestral home  of  the  Gehring  family  is  in  Baden- 
Baden,  Germany,  where  both  the  father  and 
mother  of  Gustav  Adolph  were  born.  The  elder 
Gehring  was  a  baker  by  trade,  and  left  Ger- 
many in  1848,  coming  on  the  ship  Clipper  around 
Cape  Horn  to  San  Francisco,  where  he  arrived 
eight  months  later.  As  the  gold  excitement  was 
then  at  its  height,  he  went  to  Trinity  county  to 


work  in  the  mines,  and  during  the  ten  years  he 
remained  there  met  with  very  good  success  in 
his  undertakings.  By  way  of  Panama  and  New 
York  City  he  returned  to- his  native  land  during 
the  early  '50s,  and  upon  his  return  brought  his 
wife.  They  came  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  and 
went  direct  to  Trinity  county.  Subsequently  he 
sold  out  the  mines  which  he  had  there  and  went 
to  San  Francisco  for  a  year,  after  which  he 
settled  at  Santa  Cruz,  engaged  in  the  bakery 
business  for  a  time,  then  retired  from  active  work 
and  both  he  and  his  wife  died  at  Soquel  several 
years  later. 

The  birth  of  Gustav  Adolph  Gehring  occurred 
December  14,  1858,  in  Trinity  county,  Cal.,  he 
being  next  to  the  oldest  child  in  a  family  of  six 
children.  He  received  his  education  first  at  a 
prvate  school  in  Trinity  county  and  then  in  the 
public  schools  of  Santa  Cruz  county,  and  after 
his  school  work  was  completed  learned  suc- 
cessively the  baker's  trade,  milling  and  stone 
dressing.  Later  he  was  employed  in  the  Alma- 
den  mines  for  a  year,  and  subsequently  prospected 
and  mined  in  Trinity  and  El  Dorado  counties. 
Following  this  he  was  foreman  in  a  lumber  camp 
in  ]\Iendocino  county  for  a  time,  and  in  1896 
went  to  Yuma  county,  Ariz.,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed in  the  King  of  Arizona  mine,  operated  by 
the  Blaisdell  Compan)-.  He  then  went  to  the 
desert  country  and  engaged  in  sinking  wells  for 
H.  W.  Blaisdell,  sinking  a  three-hundred-foot 
well,  which  he  timbered,  and  also  ran  the  pump- 
ing plant.  Later  he  was  employed  at  the  Venus 
and  Mars  mine,  also  running  the  steam  pumping 
plant  there,  and  following  this  went  to  the  Sen- 
olar  and  Fortuna  mines. 

In  1890  Mr.  Gehring  located  in  Temescal, 
Cal,  on  a  bee  ranch,  remaining  there  until  1892, 
when  he  removed  to  Elsinore  and  has  been  con- 
ducting an  apiary  at  this  place  ever  since.  His 
ranch  comprises  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres, 
which  is  improved  for  honey  production,  and  he 
owns  three  hundred  colonies  of  bees,  placed  in 
patented  hives.  He  divides  bis  time  between 
raising  comb  honey  for  the  market  and  his  min- 
ing interests,  among  his  holdings  being  an  in- 
terest in  the  Gold  Standard  mine,  which  has  a 
shaft  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  deep. 

^Tr.  Gehring  was  married  at  Santa  Cruz  to 
]Miss  Charlotte  F.  Jenkins,  who  was  a  native  of 
that  place,  and  she  was  residing  there  at  the 
time  of  her  death.  She  became  the  mother  of 
three  children:  Gustav  J.,  of  Elsinore:  Henry 
E..  of  Shasta  county;  and  Irene,  of  Soquel.  By 
his  second  marriage  Mr.  Gehring  was  united 
with  ^Irs.  Carrie  F.  (Robinson")  Laws,  widow  of 
Benjamin  Laws,  who  died  in  Fullerton.  She  is 
the  daughter  of  J.  W.  Robinson,  a  native  of  New 
York,  a  pioneer  farmer  of  Ithaca,  that  state,  and 
now  residing  at  the  head  of  Elsinore  lake  on  a 


2098 


TIISTORTCAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ranch.  Her  mother  was  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
Crumlin  LaDue.  who  was  a  pioneer  settler  in 
Cowlitz  county,  Wash.,  where  Mrs.  Gehring  was 
born.  She  was  a  member  of  a  family  of  six 
children,  all  of  whom  are  now  living.  By  her 
first  marriage  she  became  the  mother  of  three 
children,  Jesse,  Benjamin  S.  and  Qiarles  C.  all 
living  at  home.  Mr.  Gehring  is  a  member  of 
Elsinore  L.odge.  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  politically 
affiliates  with  the  Democratic  party.  Although 
his  life  is  a  busy  one,  largely  taken  up  with  busi- 
ness duties,  yet  he  finds  time  and  opportunity  to 
aid  in  the  upbuilding  of  his  section  of  the  coun- 
try and  occupies  a  prominent  position  among  his 
fellow-citizens. 


JESSE  D.  HUNTER.  There  was  no  more 
prominent  figure  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of 
Los  Angeles  than  the  late  Jesse  D.  Hunter, 
whose  name  stands  out  in  bold  relief  in  its  an- 
nals. He  was  a  fine  representative  of  the  men 
whose  shrewd  foresight  and  determined  energy 
opened  the  way  for  the  settlement  of  this  part  of 
the  state,  and  were  ever  active  in  developing  its 
varied  resources.  Coming  to  Los  Angeles  county 
in  1847,  it  was  his  privilege  and  pleasure  to 
watch  its  growth  from  the  very  beginning,  and 
to  play  an  important  part  in  promoting  its  in- 
dustrial prosperity.  Moving  from  Kentucky  with 
his  family,  he  lived  for  a  number  of  years  in 
Hancock  county.  111.,  being  there  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits. 

Enlisting  as  a  private  in  the  Mormon  battalion, 
under  command  of  Gen.  Cook,  in  1847,  ^^  was 
a  member  of  the  same  company  to  which  Mr. 
Charles  E.  Colton,  now  an  honored  resident  of 
Burbank.  belonged,  and  with  his  comrades  came 
to  California.  While  in  the  army  he  met  with 
various  thrilling  experiences,  passing  through 
all  the  excitement,  danger,  sport,  and  occasional 
hardships  incident  to  camp  life,  these  being  oc- 
casionally varied  by  a  brief  visit  from  the  noble 
red  man  and  his  squaw.  In  1849  Mr.  Hunter 
went  north  to  meet  his  family,  as  related  in  the 
sketch  of  his  son  Asa,  on  another  page  of  this 
work-,  and  after  his  return  to  this  part  of  the 
state  was  for  awhile  employed  by  the  Govern- 
ment as  Indian  Agent  at  Temecula.  Going  from 
there  to  San  Bernardino,  he  was  engaged  in  cat- 
tle raising  for  a  few  months,  after  which  he 
located  in  Los  Angeles.  Establishing  himself 
as  the  pioneer  brick  manufacturer  of  the  place, 
Mr.  Hunter  burned  tlie  bricks  for  many  of  the 
prominent  buildings  of  earlier  days,  including 
among  others  the  brick  jail  which  occupied  the 
present  site  of  the  People's  Store,  on  Spring 
street;  a  building  at  the  corner  of  Main  and 
Third  streets ;  a  house  on  the  corner  of  Com- 
mercial and  Los  .Xnc-eles   streets ;  several  brick 


buildings  near  the  race  track;  and  a  small  build- 
ing on  the  spot  now  occupied  by  the  shop  be- 
longing to  John  Myers.  As  a  manufacturer  he 
was  successfully  assisted  by  his  son  Asa.  and  the 
two  carried  on  a  substantial  business,  brick  be- 
ing then  worth  $25.00  a  thousand. 

Retiring  from  manufacturing  pursuits,  Mr. 
Hunter  bought  about  twenty-two  hundred  acres 
of  land  lying  just  north  of  the  city,  on  the  east 
side  of  the  river,  and  subsequently  purchased 
three  hundred  acres  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
stream.  Engaging  in  the  care  of  his  land,  he 
improved  a  large  and  valuable  ranch,  on  which 
he  lived,  honored  and  respected,  until  his  death, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-five  years.  He 
was  a  comparatively  robust  man  until  the  last 
year  of  liis  life,  when  he  met  with  a  painful  ac- 
cident while  driving,  his  horse  and  cart  falling 
upon  him,  and  breaking  his  hip.  From  1849 
until  his  death,  Mr.  Hunter  was  a  continuous 
resident  of  this  part  of  California,  never  going 
out  of  Los  Angeles  county  excepting  on  the  one 
or  two  occasions  that  he  went  to  San  Francisco 
to  have  his  hip  treated.  He  was  widely  and  fav- 
orably known  as  a  man  of  unblemished  character, 
and  his  death  was  regretted  as  a  loss  to  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  had  passed  so  many  years. 
He  belonged  to  the  Masons  when  young,  and  for 
a  number  of  years  drew  a  pension  from  the  gov- 
ernment for  services  rendered  to  his  country. 

Mr.  Hunter  married  Keziah  Brown,  who  bore 
him  ten  children,  two  of  whom  died  in  Illinois, 
and  one  in  Sacramento,  while  seven  are  living, 
namely :  William,  engaged  in  ranching  near  the 
parental  homestead ;  Asa,  of  whom  a  brief  sketch 
appears  on  another  page  of  this  work:  ^lary, 
wife  of  Joseph  Burke,  of  Los  Angeles  county ; 
Jesse,  of  this  county ;  Samuel,  residing  on  San 
Fernando  road,  north  of  the  city;  JNIartha.  wife 
of  Eli  Ta\lor,  of  Los  .'Angeles  county ;  and  Eliza- 
beth D.,  wife  of  John  Erick,  living  near  the  old 
race  track.  Mrs.  Hunter  survived  her  husband 
a  number  of  years,  passing  .away  on  the  ranch 
where  she  had  lived  for  so  manv  vears. 


GEORGE  A.  GOODRICH.  Arroyo  Grande 
is  fortunate  to  be  able  to  count  among  its  citi- 
zens George  A.  Goodrich,  a  fine  old  gentleman, 
well  educated,  fully  posted  on  all  matters  of 
general  interest  and  e.xtensively  traveled,  and 
one  who  is  scrupulously  honest  in  every  word 
and  deed,  all  of  these  qualities  having  earned 
for  him  the  high  esteem  of  all  members  of  the 
community.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order,  and  politically  a  firm  believer  in  the  prin- 
ciples advocated  by  the  Republican  party.  At 
various  times  he  has  served  his  country  in  offi- 
cial capacities,  having  been  a  postmaster  during 
his  residence  in  Illinois,  and  also  in  the  =ame  state 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2099 


he  assisted  in  the  census  enumeration  by  the 
United  States  government  in  1880.  Religiously 
both  he  and  his  wife  affiliate  with  the  Baptist  de- 
nomination and  take  an  active  interest  in  all  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  church  work. 

Mr.  Goodrich  is  of  good  old  New  England 
parentage,  both  his  parents,  Lemuel  J\L  and  Fan- 
nie Hutchinson  Goodrich,  having  been  born  in 
the  state  of  Vermont,  which  is  also  the  place  of 
his  own  nativity.  The  parents  died  in  Wiscon- 
sin at  advanced  ages,  and  of  the  family  of  four 
children,  the  two  sons  live  in  California,  W.  F. 
Goodrich  making  his  home  in  Los  Angeles. 
George  A.  Goodrich  was  born  December  15, 
1835.  and  received  a  part  of  his  education  in 
Vermont,  and  when  he  removed  with  the  family 
to  Wisconsin  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  entered 
the  academy  at  Milton,  Wis.  He  began  his 
business  career  in  Wisconsin,  where  he  bought 
a  ranch  and  continued  to  conduct  it  until  1869. 
In  that  year  he  went  to  New  Hampshire  and 
engaged  in  the  wholesale  corn  and  flour  busi- 
ness at  Lancaster,  following  this  until  he  was 
burned  out  in  1875,  when  he  sold  the  business 
and  went  to  Fulton  county,  III,  buying  a  farm 
there.  Six  years  later  he  again  removed  to 
Wisconsin  and  farmed  until  1893,  when  he  came 
to  Ventura  county,  Cal,  and  after  a  short  time 
settled  permanently  in  San  ,Luis  Obispo  county 
on  his  present  ranch,  which  consists  of  twenty 
acres,  planted  to  vegetables,  potatoes,  straw- 
berries. Logan  berries  and  dew  berries,  the  land 
being  especially  adapted  to  these  crops. 

In  1866  Mr.  Goodrich  was  married  to  Miss 
Sarah  Smith,  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  and 
to  them  have  been  born  four  children:  J.  W., 
who  is  marrted,  has  three  children  and  lives  in 
Illinois:  Belle.  Mrs.  Eastic,  is  the  mother 
of  three  children:  Ella,  who  is  the  wife  of 
W.  H.  Bauman.  of  San  Luis  Obispo,  has  two 
children:  Carrie,  who  married  C.  E.  Congdon, 
also  has  two  children,  their  home  being  in  San 
Mateo. 


EDMUND  B.  GREENE.  The  wharfinger  at 
Serena,  in  the  employ  of  Hayward  &  Hunt,  has 
a  variety  of  duties  to  perform,  for  there  are  fif- 
teen acres  of  ground  planted  to  many  varieties 
of  flowers  and  shrubbery,  for  which  the  place 
is  noted.  Edmund  B.  Greene,  the  present  in- 
cumbent of  the  position,  is  making  a  record  in 
the  manner  in  which  he  performs  his  duties  and 
meets  the  various  visitors  who  delight  to  visit 
the  grounds.  In  the  care  of  the  gardens  he  has 
efficient  help  in  his  estimable  wife  and  both  of 
these  pleasant  old  people  are  highly  respected 
bv  all  with  whom  they  come  in  contact.  The 
father  of  Edmund  Greene  was  born  in  White- 
hall. N.  Y..  and  the  mother.  Giristina  Ward,  was 


a  native  of  Vermont.  Six  children  were  born  to 
them,  Edmund  being  the  only  one  living.  Both 
parents  died  in  Michigan,  where  they  went  five 
years  after  the  birth  of  this  son  in  New  York, 
February  15,  1829.  Edmund  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  state  of  Michigan,  which  was  his 
home  until  the  year  1870.  At  that  time  he  re- 
moved to  Kansas  and  worked  at  the  painter's 
trade,  which  he  had  learned  in  the  former  place, 
there  doing  ornamental  and  landscape  painting. 
In  1874  he  came  to  Santa  Barbara,  Cal,  and  con- 
tinued to  work  at  his  trade  for  a  time.  At  one 
time  he  owned  an  apiary,  from  which  he  de- 
rived a  good  income,  and  he  now  owns  two  acres 
in  his  home  place.  His  wife  also  has  a  seventy- 
nine  acre  ranch  composed  mostly  of  hay  land. 
By  his  marriage,  November,  1863,  to  Sarah 
Hutchins,  a  native  of  Michigan,  one  child  was 
born,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four  years,  and  the 
mother  died  in  1874. 

In  1900  Mr.  Greene  married  Elizabeth  Halli- 
day,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Janet  (Miller) 
Halliday,  natives  of  Scotland.  Both  of  her 
parents  are  deceased,  the  mother  dying  in  Scot- 
land and  the  father  in  Canada. 

The  war  record  of  Mr.  Greene  is  an  interest- 
ing one,  the  first  thirteen  months  of  his  enlist- 
ment having  been  served  with  Company  E,  Fifth 
Volunteer  Cavalry  of  Kansas.  After  the  expira- 
tion of  this  term  he  again  enlisted,  this  time  in 
1863  in  Company  H  of  the  Sixth  Regiment  of 
Michigan  Heavy  Artillery,  in  which  he  served 
until  he  was  wounded  m  the  battle  at  Blakely, 
Ala.,  when  he  was  assigned  to  detail  service  and 
accomplished  valuable  work  in  drawing  maps 
for  the  use  of  the  First  Division  of  Thirteenth 
Army  Corps. 


W.  F.  HALL.  The  founders  of  the  Hall  fam- 
ily in  America  became  pioneers  of  New  Eng- 
land, whence  their  descendants  scattered  through- 
out the  entire  country.  From  Connecticut,  where 
he  was  born  and  reared,  Nathan  Hall  migrated 
to  New  York  and  there  married  Miss  Rachel 
Goodwin,  a  native  of  that  state.  From  that  time 
onward  they  continued  to  live  in  the  Empire 
state  and  at  advanced  years  passed  away  at  their 
Havana  homestead.  During  the  existence  of  the 
Whig  party  Mr.  Hall  had  been  one  of  its  sup- 
porters and  subsequent  to  its  disintegration  he 
identified  himself  with  the  newly  organized  Re- 
publican party.  Of  his  three  children  one  son 
died  while  employed  in  the  St.  Louis  internal 
revenue  office,  and  the  only  daughter.  Mrs.  C.  H. 
Reno,  who  had  been  making  her  home  with  the 
second  son,  W.  P.,  in  Los  Angeles  county,  died 
October  19.  1906. 

Seneca  Falls.  N.  Y..  is  the  native  town  of 
W.  F.  Hall,  and  November  13.  1836.  the  date  of 


!100 


HISTORTOM,  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


his  birth.  L'pon  completing  the  studies  of  the 
pubHc  schools  he  entered  Wesleyan  College  at 
Lima,  Livingston  county,  N.  Y.,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1859.  Afterward  he  en- 
gaged in  teaching  school  in  Missouri  and  Mich- 
igan. At  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war  his  sympa- 
thies were  such  that  he  promptly  offered  his 
services  to  the  L'nion,  and  August  16,  1861,  was 
accepted  as  a  member  of  Company  F,  First  Colo- 
rado Cavalry.  From  Denver  the  First  Colorado 
made  a  forced  march  to  Fort  Union,  N.  Mex., 
as  General  Sibley  of  the  Confederate  army  vi^as 
on  the  march  from  the  plains  of  Valverde, 
where  he  had  defeated  his  brother-in-law,  Gen- 
eral Canby.  General  Sibley  was  on  his  way  to 
Santa  Fe,  where  he  raised  the  Confederate  flag 
and  declared  New  Mexico  in  the  Confederacy. 
The  First  Colorado  reached  Fort  Union  and 
from  there  proceeded  to  Santa  Fe,  meeting  Gen- 
eral Sibley's  advance  guard  in  Apache  Caiion, 
about  twenty-five  miles  from  Santa  Fe.  It  was 
while  with  his  command  in  Apache  Canon,  in 
making  a  charge  on  a  Texan  battery,  that  Mr. 
Hall  was  wounded,  March  26,  1862,  and  re- 
moved from  the  field  to  a  hastily  improvised  hos- 
pital at  a  ranch  house.  The  next  day  he  was 
captured  by  Texans,  but  was  released  four  days 
later,  and  afterward  was  unable  to  leave  the 
hospital  for  about  three  months.  On  his  re- 
covery he  rejoined  his  regiment  and  was  with 
them  in  the  sanguinary  battle  of  Sand  creek 
against  the  Indians.  When  peace  was  declared 
he  was  ordered  back  to  Denver  and  there  dis- 
charged, October  30,  1865,  after  a  service  of 
four  years,  three  months  and  fifteen  days.  Prior 
to  the  war  Generals  Sibley  and  Canby  were  col- 
onels in  the  regular  army,  their  wives  being  sis- 
ters. During  the  war  Mrs.  Canby  came  through 
the  lines  and  visited  the  sick  and  afflicted  in  the 
hospitals,  giving  them  refreshing  delicacies 
which  were  greatly  appreciated,  as  for  some  time 
their  fare  had  consisted  almost  solely  of  parched 
corn,  owing  to  the  destruction  of  a  supply  train. 
As  a  memento  of  his  hospital  experience  Mr. 
Hall  still  cherishes  a  Bible  which  Mrs.  Canby 
bestowed  upon  him  at  that  time. 

Returning  to  Michigan,  J\Ir.  Hall  resumed  the 
work  of  teaching  school  in  St.  Joseph,  and  dur- 
ing the  summer  vacations  was  employed  on  the 
lake  as  a  shipping  clerk.  During  1868  he  went 
again  to  Denver  and  secured  the  principalship  of 
a  school  nine  miles  from  the  city.  While  acting 
in  that  canacitv.  in  the  fall  of  1869,  he  married 
Rebecca  A.  Chapman,  whose  mother  is  still  liv- 
ing in  Downey.  During  1870  he  removed  to 
Washington  and  for  four  years  was  in  the  em- 
plov  of  the  government  as  teacher  in  the  Quini- 
ault  Indian  Reservation,  one  hundred  and  fiftv 
miles  from  Olyn'ipia.  In  this  work  he  had  the 
capable  assistance  of  his  wife.     At  the  end  of 


this  time,  in  1874,  he  came  to  California  and 
purchased  his  present  ranch  of  forty-live  acres 
near  Downey.  Since  then  he  has  made  a  spe- 
cialty of  stock-raising  and  now  has  sixteen  head 
of  cattle  on  his  farm.  Mr.  and  Airs.  Hall  are 
the  parents  of  three  children,  namely :  Alice, 
who  married  William  D.  Mansfield;  Catherine, 
wife  of  Edward  Mather,  who  is  a  jeweler  by 
occupation ;  and  Edwin  R.,  who  is  connected 
with  a  boat  at  San  Pedro.  In  politics  Mr.  Hall 
has  always  been  an  ardent  Republican.  For  ten 
years  he  has  officiated  as  trustee  and  clerk  of  the 
schools,  and  besides  he  has  filled  the  positions  of 
"deputy  assessor  and  secretary  of  the  water  com- 
pany. Fraternally  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Foresters  for  a  long 
period.  The  possessor  of  a  tenor  voice  of  rare 
strength  and  sustaining  power,  he  has  aided  in 
the  choir  work  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and 
in  concerts  the  value  of  his  services  as  a  singer 
has  often  been  of  especial  importance  in  secur- 
ing success  for  the  venture. 


CHARLES  F.  GREENMAN.  Noteworthy 
among  the  active  business  men  of  Burbank  is 
Charles  F.  Greenman,  one  of  the  leading  real- 
estate  dealers,  and  a  citizen  of  influence  and 
worth.  A  native  of  New  York  state,  he  was 
born,  June  11,  1845,  in  Fulton  county,  where  he 
lived  until  sixteen  years  old.  Removing  to  Wis- 
consin in  1861,  he  was  there  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  for  a  number  of  seasons.  In 
1864,  before  attaining  his  majority,  he  enlisted 
in  Company  A,  Twenty-third  Wisconsin  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  as  a  private,  and  subsequently  par- 
ticipated in  several  important  engagements  of 
the  war,  being  with  Grant  at  the  siege  of  Vicks- 
burg,  taking  part  in  the  Red  River  and  Mobile 
expeditions,  and  in  other  notable  events  of  the 
conflict.  Augvist  18,  1865,  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged from  the  service,  after  which  he  re- 
turned to  his  Wisconsin  home.  Going  to  Minne- 
sota in  1867.  he  was  there  engaged  in  farming 
for  five  years,  when,  in  1872,  he  migrated  to 
Iowa,  where  he  resided  for  twenty-four  years. 
A  part  of  this  time  he  there  followed  general 
farming,  after  which  he  worked  at  the  carpen- 
ter's trade  for  fifteen  years,  and  then  ran  a  res- 
taurant for  eight  years,  being  quite  successful  in 
all  of  his  operations. 

Coming  to  Southern  California  in  1895,  Mr. 
Greenman  purchased  a  vineyard  in  Antelope  val- 
ley. Taking  up  a  part  of  the  vines,  he  set  out 
small  fruits,  and  was  there  engaged  in  horticul- 
tural pursuits  for  two  years.  Removing  then  to 
Burbank,  he  purchased  an  unimproved  ranch 
lying  three-fourths  of  a  mile  west  of  the  village, 
and  immediately  began  its  cultivation,  during 
the  two  years  that  he  occupied  it  raising  alfalfa. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2101 


Later  purchasing  a  restaurant  in  Burbank,  he 
operated  it  for  three  years,  when  he  sold  out  at 
an  advantage.  He  then  bought  his  present  com- 
modious and  attractive  residence  in  Burbank,  and 
has  since  devoted  his  entire  time  and  attention 
to  the  buying  and  selhng  of  real  estate.  A  man 
of  excellent  business  tact  and  judgment,  he  has 
acquired  much  valuable  property  in  this  vicin- 
ity, owning  two  ranches  adjoining  the  village, 
and  several  desirable  lots  in  both  the  business  and 
residence  parts  of  Burbank. 

Mr.  Greenman  has  been  twice  married,  his 
first  marriage  occurring  in  Wisconsin  and  unit- 
ing him  with  Araminta  Dolliver,  by  whom  he 
had  three  children,  all  of  whom  reside  in  the 
east.  His  second  marriage  was  with  Susan 
Crowell,  and  they  have  one  child,  Fern  Green- 
man.  Politically  Mr.  Greenman  is  a  Republican, 
and  while  a  resident  of  Iowa  belonged  to  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He  is  identified 
with  but  one  benevolent  organization,  that  being 
the  Burbank  Lodge  of  the  Fraternal  Brother- 
hood. 


SQUIRE  ED  HICKS.  To  possess  the  love 
and  respect  of  fellow-citizens  and  neighbors 
bodes  well  to  the  recipient  of  whatever  age  he 
may  be,  but  if  he  be  a  young  man  with  life  still 
before  him  the  honor  is  all  the  greater.  Prob- 
ably no  one  in  the  San  Jose  valley  is  better  known 
or  stands  higher  in  the  esteem  of  his  neighbors 
than  Mr.  Hicks,  a  progressive,  up-to-date  ranch- 
er in  the  vicinity  of  Spadra.  On  both  sides  of 
the  family  he  comes  of  antecedents  who  were 
reared  in  the  south  for  many  generations,  and 
he  himself  is  of  southern  birth,  having  been  born 
in  Fulton  county,  Ky.,  July  i,  1861,  a  son  of 
William  and  Mary  J.  (Irven)  Hicks,  they  too 
being  natives  of  that  southern  state.  '  This  was  a 
momentous  period  in  the  history  of  our  country 
and  with  thousands  of  other  loyal  citizens  Will- 
iam Hicks  offered  his  services  in  support  of  the 
Confederacy,  having  been  born  and  reared  in  an 
atmosphere  which  fostered  sentiments  of  seces- 
sion. His  zeal,  however,  was  destined  to  cost  him 
his  life,  for  he  was  killed  on  the  field  of  battle 
in  1864.  In  Kentucky  Mrs.  Hicks  had  formerly 
married  Mr.  McClannahan,  by  whom  she  be- 
came the  mother  of  one  child,  Nancy,  now  the 
widow  of  F.  M.  Glidewell.  The  mother  and 
daughter  now  make  their  home  together  in  Okla- 
homa. 

Bereft  of  a  father's  care  and  training  when  he 
was  a  child  of  three  years,  Ed  Hicks  received 
from  his  mother  the  love  and  guidance  of  both 
parents,  and  in  return  she  has  had  the  satisfac- 
tion of  seeing  him  grow  to  a  noble  manhood  and 
take  his  place  on  the  battlefield  of  life.  As  he 
was  little  more  than  a  babe  when  he  left  Ken- 


tucky his  education  was  received  entirely  in 
Texas,  where  he  made  his  home  until  grown  to 
manhood.  Then  as  now,  cattle-raising  was  the 
chief  industry  in  that  state,  and  in  starting  out 
to  find  employment  Mr.  Hicks  had  no  difficulty 
in  securing  work  as  a  ranch  hand,  and  for  many 
years  rounded  cattle  on  the  Texas  plains.  He 
also  drove  cattle  from  that  state  to  the  pasture 
lands  of  the  neighboring  states  of  New  Mexico 
and  Colorado.  Subsequently  he  relinquished 
work  along  this  line  to  some  extent,  following 
it  only  during  the  summer  seasons,  while  dur- 
ing the  winters  he  was  employed  by  the  street 
car  company  of  Fort  Worth,  that  state.  He 
claims  the  honor  of  running  the  first  car  over 
the  tracks  of  the  Fort  Worth  electric  car  line,  and 
he  remained  in  the  employ  of  the  company  as 
motorman  for  six  years.  It  was  about  this  time 
that  he  came  to  the  west,  with  San  Francisco  as 
his  destination.  He  did  not  remain  long  in  the 
metropolis,  however,  coming  soon  afterward  to 
Pomona,  where  he  secured  a  position  with  J. 
E.  Packard,  and  later  entered  the  employ  of  A. 
T.  Currier,  with  whom  he  remained  about  five 
years.  Scon  after  his  marriage,  which  occurred 
in  1892,  he  bought  the  ranch  of  thirty-seven  and 
a  half  acres  upon  which  he  still  resides,  and 
which  in  the  intervening  years  has  been  trans- 
formed into  one  of  the  most  productive  ranches 
in  the  county.  The  land  is  in  two  pieces,  the 
one  which  is  called  the  home  ranch  being  em- 
bellished with  a  comfortable  residence  and  all 
that  goes  to  make  a  well-equipped  ranch. 

Mr.  Hicks  settled  down  to  domestic  life  in 
1892,  at  which  time  he  married  Miss  Susie  Ar- 
nett,  who  was  born  in  Alendocino  county,  this 
state,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Robert  S.  Arnett,  a 
descendant  of  southern  ancestors.  Henry  coun- 
ty, Tenn.,  was  his  birthplace,  and  there  also  his 
parents,  Samuel  and  RIalinda  E.  (Norman) 
Hicks,  were  born.  The  grandfather  was  a  vet- 
eran of  the  war  of  1812,  and  served  with  brav- 
ery under  the  command  of  General  Jackson.  The 
early  boyhood  years  of  Robert  S.  Arnett  were 
passed  upon  his  father's  farm  in  Tennessee,  and 
as  the  educational  advantages  in  the  south  at 
that  time  were  poor  at  the  best,  his  training 
along  that  line  was  sadly  deficient.  However, 
he  was  determined  to  secure  an  education  and 
forged  ahead  with  that  object  in  mind.  From 
Tennessee  he  went  to  Mississippi,  there  as  in 
the  former  state  working  on  farms  and  saving 
his  earnings,  in  so  doing  adding  to  the  fund 
which  he  was  setting  aside  to  pay  his  tuition 
through  college.  By  private  study  in  addition 
to  his  college  training  he  fitted  himself  to  teach, 
and  thereafter  followed  farming  and  teaching  as 
long  as  he  remained  in  the  south,  or  until  1853, 
when  he  crossed  the  plains  with  his  family,  mak- 
ing the  trip  behind  the  slow  but  sure  oxen.  From 


no- 


HISTORICAL  AND  EIOGPAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Colusa  county,  where  he  first  located,  and  where 
he  engaged  in  ranching  for  four  years,  he  re- 
moved to  Mendocino  county,  there  as  in  his 
prior  location  taking  a  vital  interest  in  all  mat- 
ters that  affected  the  welfare  of  the  community. 
While  in  Princeton,  Colusa  county,  he  was  made 
postmaster  of  that  town,  filling  the  position  ef- 
ficiently in  addition  to  managing  his  ranching  in- 
terests. In  Mendocino  county  he  resumed  agri- 
culture, clearing  and  improving  raw  land,  upon 
which  lije  carried  on  stock-raising  principally. 
He  also  added  school  teaching  to  his  other  duties, 
and  was  given  charge  of  the  first  school  held  in 
Little  Lake  valley.  After  a  residence  of  ten 
years  in  Mendocino  county,  in  1867  he  disposed 
of  his  holdings  there  and  came  to  the  San  Jose 
valley,  locating  on  the  Palomares  tract  in  Los 
Angeles  county,  just  north  of  what  is  now  the 
city  of  Pomona.  The  Palomares  homestead  was 
one  of  the  landmarks  of  the  county,  located  on 
the  San  Bernardino  road,  and  there  for  two 
years  Mr.  Arnett  furnished  substantial  refresh- 
ment and  lodging  to  travelers,  his  hostelry  being 
regarded  by  wayfarers  of  that  time  as  one  of 
the  bright  spots  on  an  otherwise  -long  and  tire- 
some journey  between  the  scattering  towns.  It 
was  in  1874  that  he  came  to  Spadra.  and  it  \vas 
in  this  vicinity  that  lie  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  long  and  interesting  life.  For  two  years  he 
lived  on  land  which  he  rented  from  A.  T.  Cur- 
rier, but  later  he  purchased  fifty  acres  in  the 
vicinit)'  and  erected  a  very  fine  residence.  He 
was  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  of  the  San  Jose 
valley,  where  his  name  was  a  household  word, 
for  he  was  loved  and  respected  by  old  and  young 
alike,  and  is  still  rememberd  for  his  many  kindr 
ly  deeds.  For  many  years  prior  to  his  death  he 
was  a  deacon  in  the  i3aptist  Church,  and  in  his 
political  belief  he  was  a  Democrat.  During  his 
later  years  Mr.  Arnett  made  his  home  with  his 
daughter,  Mrs.  Hicks,  his  wife  having  passed 
away  in  1866.  He  survived  her  nearly  forty 
years,  his  death  occurring  in  August,  1905,  when 
the  community  mourned  the  loss  of  one  of  its 
most  substantial  and  best-beloved  citizens.  ]\Irs. 
Hicks  was  one  of  seven  children  born  to  her 
parents. 

In  his  political  sympathies  Mr.  Hicks  is  a 
Democrat,  and  takes  a  keen  interest  in  party  af- 
fairs, but  is  not  interested  in  the  sense  of  office- 
seeking,  for  he  has  no  ambition  in  that  direction. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  lodge  at  Pomona. 


JOHN  S.  HARBISON.  The  genealogical 
records  of  the  Harbison  family  trace  their  line- 
age back  to  the  year  1435  in  Ireland.  Early  in 
the  settlement  of  America  three  of  the  name 
immigrated   to  the   new  world,  and  years   later 


John,  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  immigrants, 
became  a  pioneer  of  Freeport,  Pa.,  where  he  mar- 
ried Massy,  daughter  of  Edward  White,  a  soldier 
of  the  Revolutionary  war.  Himself  a  stanch 
patriot  and  brave  soldier,  John  Harbison  en- 
dured many  perils  in  his  service  against  the  hos- 
tile Indians  and  fought  under  Wayne  and  St. 
Qair  in  various  desperate  engagements.  On 
one  occasion,  when  seriously  wounded,  a  retreat 
was  ordered,  and  with  his  wound  hastily  dressed 
he  made  his  way  to  the  spot  occupied  by  the 
remnant  of  St.  Clair's  army,  where  he  was  as- 
sisted into  the  fort  and  cared  for  until  his  re- 
covery. The  opportune  arrival  of  other  soldiers 
saved  them  from  the  Indians.  During  his  ab- 
sence from  his  home  the  savages  murdered  two 
of  his  children,  May  22,  1792,  and  took  his  wife 
and  infant  prisoners  to  a  camp  near  the  present 
site  of  Butler,  Pa.  At  night  she  watched  for 
and  seized  a  chance  to  escape  and  stole  away  in 
the  darkness,  fleeing  through  the  woods  and 
over  streams  of  water,  and  at  one  time  was 
saved  from  capture  by  a  new-fallen  tree,  under 
which  she  crawled  with  her  babe  until  the  In- 
dians had  passed  out  of  sight.  Traveling  by 
night  and  hiding  by  day,  she  finally  reached  the 
Allegheny  river  near  Pittsburgh  in  safety,  after 
having  endured  hardships  and  exposure  which 
would  have  killed  a  woman  of  less  robust  con- 
stitution. She  lived  to  rear  a  large  family,  and 
died  in  1846,  at  the  age  of  seventy-s'x  years. 

Among  the  children  of  this  brave  pioneer 
couple  was  a  son,  William,  who  settled  in  Beaver 
county.  Pa.,  and  later  moved  to  a  farm  near  New- 
castle, where  he  died.  His  wife,  Margaret,  who 
was  born  in  Washington  county.  Pa.,  December 
28,  1799,  was  of  English  descent,  a  daughter  of 
William  and  Margaret  (Gray)  Curry.  Under 
General  Washington  as  chief  armorer  in  the 
field,  William  Curry  (or,  as  the  government  re- 
ports give  his  name,  William  Currie)  participated 
in  eight  battles  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  being 
present  at  the  memorable  crossing  of  the  Dela- 
ware, and  was  also  a  "minute  man."  When 
Major  Andre  was  captured,  William  Curry  was 
one  of  the  men  in  charge  of  the  armory  at  Car- 
lisle, Pa.,  which  was  used  as  a  prison  for  the 
noted  traitor  and  many  other  noted  British  pris- 
oners. 

In  the  family  of  William  and  Margaret  Harbi- 
son there  were  three  sons  and  one  daughter,  but 
John  S.  is  the  sole  survivor.  Born  in  Beaver 
county,  Pa.,  near  Freedom,  September  29,  1826, 
he  was  reared  on  a  farm  five  miles  from  New- 
castle in  what  is  now  Lawrence  county.  Pa.,  and 
there  received  such  advantages  as  the  public 
schools  aflforded.  \\nine  engaged  with  his 
brothers  in  the  nursery  business  he  gained  a  prac- 
tical knowledge  of  the  occupation  that  proved 
helpful  to  him  in  later  years.     In  1854  he  took 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2103 


passage  on  the  Northern  Light  to  Greytown, 
thence  crossed  via  the  Nicaragua  route  and  from 
there  proceeded  on  the  Sierra  Nevada  to  San 
Francisco,  where  he  landed  on  the  20th  of  No- 
vember, 1854.  For  some  weeks  he  prospected 
in  Amador  count}',  but  he  found  that  the  life 
was  one  of  great  hardship  and  constant  exposure, 
with  little  gold  to  be  obtained  by  the  inexperi- 
enced miner,  so  he  went  to  Sacramento  and  in- 
vestigated the  possibilities  of  fruit  culture,  the 
result  being  that  he  wrote  east  for  seeds  and 
small  trees.  These  arrived  in  February,  1855, 
and  were  immediately  planted.  In  the  fall  of 
1855  he  imported  a  general  assortment  of  decid- 
uous trees,  from  which  he  sold  nursery  stock 
to  all  of  the  pioneer  horticulturists  in  the  Sacra- 
mento valley,  and  also  sold  some  of  the  first  fruit 
trees  planted  at  Vacaville.  It  had  been  his  orig- 
inal plan  to  build  up  a  large  nursery  and  then 
sell  at  a  profit  and  return  east,  but  during  the 
years  of  1855  ^^^  1856  he  studied  the  flora  of 
the  country  and  decided  to  engage  in  the  bee 
business. 

Returning  east  in  the  spring  of  1857,  Mr.  Har- 
bison made  arrangements  for  the  shipment  of 
sixty-seven  colonies  of  bees.  November  5,  1857, 
he  took  passage  on  the  Northern  Light  for  Aspin- 
wall,  thence  took  the  Golden  Age,  Capt.  R.  C. 
Whiting,  for  San  Francisco,  where  he  landed 
with  sixty-two  of  the  hives  in  excellent  condition. 
The  freight  on  the  bees  had  cost  him  $1  per 
pound,  but  even  at  that  high  price  the  invest- 
ment proved  profitable.  Establishing  an  apiary 
near  Sacramento,  he  increased  his  original  colo- 
nies during  the  same  year  to  one  hundred  and 
seventy  hives.  Some  time  before  nine  hives  of 
bees  had  been  brought  to  California,  but  they 
were  in  inexperienced  hands,  so  that  it  may  be 
said  that  Mr.  Harbison  practically  started  the 
industry  in  the  state.  In  the  fall  of  1858  he  re- 
turned to  the  east  and  made  another  importation 
of  over  one  hundred  hives,  and  during  these 
years  he  sold  bees  readily  for  $100  per  hive  and 
honey  at  $1.00  per  pound.  About  the  same  year 
he  established  a  large  nursery  for  shade  trees 
and  introduced  the  yellow  locust  and  Lombardy 
poplar,  which,  together  with  other  ornamental 
trees,  he  sold  in  San  Jose,  Marysville,  etc. 

Through  his  representations  of  a  favorable 
outlook  for  the  industry  INIr.  Harbison  induced 
R.  G.  Clark  to  come  west  and  embark  in  the 
business.  November  28,  1869,  they  brought  to 
San  Diego  one  hundred  and  ten  hives  and  estab- 
lished an  apian-  near  Lakeside.  During  the  four 
years  of  their 'partnership  they  established  four 
apiaries  and  when  dividing  their  interests  each 
retained  two.  In  April,  1874,  Mr.  Harbison 
moved  to  San  Diego  county,  and  the  following 
year  he  erected  the  residence  which  he  still  occu- 
pies.    At  different  times  he  transferred  many  of 


his  hives  to  this  county,  and  at  one  time  owned 
twelve  apiaries  with  thirty-seven  hundred  and 
fifty  hives  of  bees.  Among  his  purchases  of 
land  was  the  tract  of  seven  hundred  and  twenty- 
six  acres  known  as  the  Sweetwater  apiary,  in 
the  Dehesa  district  of  San  Diego  county,  which 
he  has  developed  into  one  of  the  finest  country 
places  in  Southern  California.  The  idea  of  bee 
culture  was  ridiculed  by  many  when  "he  came 
here,  but  he  proved  the  wisdom  of  his  judgment 
by  the  financial  success  of  his  plans.  In  those 
days  the  country  was  dominated  b_\-  the  stock- 
men, whose  policy  it  was  to  discourage  people 
from  settling  up  the  ranges.  However,  as  bees 
did  not  eat  grass,  they  saw  nothing  to  fear  from 
apiarists,  for  it  did  not  occur  to  them  that  a  class 
of  men  would  be  brought  in  whose  vote  would 
overbalance  their  own.  So  it  proved,  and  a 
new  district  attorney,  judge  and  sheriff  were 
finally  elected,  and  a  no-fence  law  was  passed  by 
the  legislature.  Thus  the  introduction  of  bees 
caused  San  Diego  county  to  be  settled  up  many 
years  sooner  than  would  otherwise  have  hap- 
pened. 

The  first  car  of  honey  shipped  by  Mr.  Harbi- 
son to  the  east  was  in  1869.  Its  successful  pass- 
age caused  him  to  repeat  shipments  to  the  Chi- 
cago and  New  York  markets.  In  1873  he 
shipped  his  first  carload  from  San  Diego  county 
to  Cliicago,  accompanying  the  shipment  person- 
ally. Years  afterward  agencies  were  established 
in  different  cities  and  a  systematic  business  was 
maintained.  In  one  year  he  shipped  twenty-three 
cars  of  comb-honey  east,  besides  two  cars  to  San 
Francisco  and  Sacramento,  but  this  was  not  all 
of  his  own  raising.  At  expositions  he  was  a  fre- 
quent exhibitor.  In  1876  he  was  awarded  a 
medal  at  the  Philadelphia  Centennial,  and  at 
New  Orleans  and  St.  Louis  he  also  received  the 
highest  awards  for  the  quality  of  honey  ex- 
hibited. While  he  expended  thousands  of  dol- 
lars in  that  way,  he  was  personally  benefited  by 
the  exhibitions  and  at  the  same  time  San  Diego 
county  was  widely  advertised.  Through  his  en- 
ergetic management  of  the  business  he  became 
the  largest  apiarist  in  the  world,  and  his  name 
was  well  known  to  all  interested  in  the  industry. 
In  1861  he  published  the  Beekeepers'  Directory 
of  the  Theory  and  Practice  of  Bee  Culture,  of 
which  he  is  the  author.  In  1857  he  made  an  im- 
provement to  the  hive  and  invented  and  patented 
the  first  section  box  for  honey,  which  was  first 
exhibited  in  1878  at  the  California  State  Fair  at 
Marysville. 

In  addition  to  his  extensive  bee  interests  Mr. 
Harbison  set  out  large  fruit  orchards  in  Upper 
Mission  valley  and  engaged  in  raising  oranges 
and  olives,  but  these  lands  he  later  sold.  For 
manv  years  he  was  a  stockholder  in  the  Harbi- 
son Wholesale  Grocery  Company,  Incorporated, 


2104 


HTSTORTCAL  AND  IJIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  in  uarly  days  he  officiated  as  a  director  in 
the  Bank  of  Commerce,  of  which  he  is  yet  a 
stockholder.  Strictly  temperate  in  his  habits, 
upright  in  all  business  transactions,  energetic  in 
dispositon  and  sincere  in  his  friendships,  he  is  a 
man  who  would  be  a  valuable  acquisition  to  the 
citizenship  of  any  town.  Since  the  organization 
of  the  party  he  has  voted  the  Republican  ticket, 
but  he  Jias  never  been  a  politician.  Fraternally 
he  is  connected  with  the  blue  lodge,  chapter,  com- 
mandery  and  consistory  of  the  Masonic  order  in 
San  Diego,  while  in  religious  connections  he  i.s 
an  attendant  upon  the  services  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  and  a  contributor  to  its  mainte- 
nance. At  Newcastle,  Pa.,  June  15.  1865,  he 
married  Miss  Mary  J.  White,  who  was  born  and 
reared  there  and  was  educated  in  the  high  school. 
Her  oaternal  grandfather.  Judge  David  White, 
was  the  son  of  an  English  lord,  and  her  maternal 
grandfather,  Robert  Reynolds,  was  an  early  set- 
tler in  Pennsvlvania,  whither  he  removed  from 
Maryland.  Her  parents,  Samuel  H.  and  IN'Iary 
(Reynolds)  White,  were  born  in  Newcastle, 
where  they  lived  after  marriage.  Three  children 
were  born  to  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harbi- 
son and  two  of  these  attained  maturity,  but 
Florence,  after  having  graduated  from  the  high 
school,  died  at  twentv  years,  mourned  by  a  large 
circle  of  friends.  The  onh-  surviving  child  of 
the  family  is  Edith,  who  married  Edward  Henkle 
and  resides  in  San  Diego. 


GEORGE  B.  ROWELL,  M.  D.  Not  long 
after  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  had  crossed  the  un- 
known ocean  to  the  bleak  shores  of  New  Eng- 
land and  had  planted  the  ensign  of  freedom  on 
the  Atlantic  coast,  the  Rowell  family  became 
identified  with  the  little  colony  of  self-sacrificing 
emigrants  who  endured  tlie  hardships  of  a  dreary 
and  stern  environment.  It  was  during  the  year 
16.^2  that  the  first  representatives  of  the  name 
in  the  new  world  left  their  old  home  in  England, 
where  thev  long  had  been  prominent  in  the  city 
of  Exeter,  and  established  their  race  amid  the 
rugged  surroundings  of  Massachusetts.  With 
the  material  development  of  the  locality  they 
were  intimatelv  associated,  and  many  genera- 
tions lived  and  labored  in  New  England.  In 
the  family  of  Joshua  and  Svbil  (Spaulding) 
Rowel],  natives  of  New  Hampshire,  there  was  a 
son.  Spaulding,  born  in  that  state  in  November, 
t8?i,  and  reared  in  the  locality  familiar  to  his 
earliest  recollections.  While  still  quite  young 
he  gained  a  wide  experience  in  the  lumber  in- 
dustrv.  and  in  order  to  enlarge  his  interests  in 
that  business  he  removed  to  Canada,  where  he 
became  the  owner  of  a  number  of  sawmills  and' 
engaged  extcnsivclv  in  the  manufacture  of  lum- 
ber.    While    ^till    largely   interested    in   business 


pursuits  his  death  occurred  in  1877,  his  wife 
having  passed  from  earth  two  weeks  prior  to 
his  death. 

Among  the  children  of  Spaulding  and  ]\Iartha 
(Ball)  Rowell  there  was  a  son,  George  B.,  who 
was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Montreal,  Canada, 
July  19,  1859,  and  received  his  early  education 
in  local  schools.  From  an  early  age  he  deter- 
mined to  become  a  physician  and  his  studies 
were  directed  with  that  ambition  in  view.  On 
completing  classical  studies  he  took  up  the  study 
of  medicine,  matriculating  in  McGill  University, 
one  of  the  leading  medical  schools  in  Canada, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1884.  Imme- 
diately after  graduating  he  crossed  the  ocean  to 
England  and  engaged  in  post-graduate  work  in 
London  for  one  year,  meanwhile  gaining  much 
important  practical  knowdedge  of  the  science  to 
which  he  had  dedicated  his  life.  The  degree  of 
Member  of  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons  of 
England  was  conferred  upon  him  on  the  com- 
pletion of  his  special  studies. 

Returning  to  Canada  at  the  expiration  of  his 
European  studies  and  travel,  Dr.  Rowell  entered 
upon  active  professional  practice,  and  soon  after- 
ward received  an  appointment  as  professor  of 
anatomy  in  Bishop's  Medical  College,  which 
position  he  filled  for  two  years,  or  until  his  de- 
parture from  Canada.  In  search  of  a  climate 
less  rigorous  than  that  of  his  native  land  he 
came  to  California  in  December,  1887,  and 
opened  an  office  in  San  Bernardino,  where  he 
has  since  built  up  an  important  general  prac- 
tice and  has  gained  a  reputation  for  skill  in 
diagnosis  and  in  the  treatment  of  difficult  cases. 
The  establishment  and  management  of  efficient 
institutions  for  the  instruction  of  medical  stu- 
dents have  always  been  matters  of  interest  to 
him,  and  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  founding 
and  incorporation  of  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  at  Los  Angeles,  of  which  institu- 
tion he  has  since  been  a  member  of  the  board 
of  trustees  and  professor  of  the  practice  of 
medicine.  The  duties  connected  with  his  work 
as  a  member  of  the  faculty  oblige  him  to  make 
frequent  trips  to  Los  Angeles  and  a  goodly  por- 
tion of  his  time  is  spent  in  that  city,  yet  he  still 
retains  a  large  practice  in  San  Bernardino,  and 
in  both  cities  has  a  circle  of  warm  friends  to 
whom  he  is  known  and  by  whom  he  is  admired 
as  a  skilled  physician  and  a  polished  gentle- 
man. 


ERNEST  EASTWOOD.  There  are  few 
citizens  within  the  limits  of  ^'entura  county  who 
have  been  more  deeply  interested  in  its  agricult- 
ural development  or  more  closely  informed  as 
to  its  material  resources  than  is  Ernest  Eastwood, 
who,  though  not  a  native  of  the  United  States,  is 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2105 


a  loyal  American  citizen  and  has  spent  the  great- 
er part  of  his  life  in  the  state  of  California.  His 
first  experience  with  agriculture  was  not  en- 
couraging, for  during  his  initial  season  (the 
year  1893,  there  occurred  a  drought)  with  de- 
vastating effects,  but  he  did  not  allow  himself 
to  become  discouraged  by  the  losses  resulting 
therefrom ;  instead,  he  put  added  determination 
into  the  work  and  had  the  gratification  of  win- 
ning success  from  his  venture  on  a  ranch.  Now 
he  ranks  among  the  most  prosperous  farmers  in 
his  vicinity  and  owns  and  manages  large  tracts 
of  valuable  land. 

The  ancestry  of  the  Eastwood  family  is  traced 
back  to  a  member  of  the  famous  West  India 
Company.  The  third  generation  in  descent  from 
that  illustrious  ancestor  was  represented  by 
George  John  Eastwood,  a  native  of  London,  Eng- 
land, and  a  manufacturer  in  that  city.  There  he 
married  Felicita  Whitling,  who  was  born  and 
reared  in  London.  They  became  the  parents  of 
twelve  children,  of  whom  five  sons  came  to  the 
United  States.  Their  third  child,  Ernest,  was 
born  in  London,  July  2,  1865,  and  was  four  years 
of  age  when  the  parents  came  to  America,  set- 
tling in  Colorado.  Coming  to  California  in 
1875,  he  and  his  wife  now  reside  at  Elrio,  Ven- 
tura county. 

While  still  a  mere  boy  Ernest  Eastwood  be- 
gan to  aid  his  father  in  ranching  pursuits  and 
he  also  worked  at  the  builder's  trade.  On  leav- 
ing home  he  began  to  work  at  the  carpenter's 
trade  and  continued  at  the  occupation  for  sev- 
eral years,  but  in  1893  he  abandoned  the  build- 
ing business  to  enter  upon  agricultural  pursuits. 
For  a  time  he  engaged  in  raising  beans  and 
barley  on  the  Colonia.  Later  he  bought  a  ranch 
of  nearly  nine  hundred  acres  in  the  Conejo  dis- 
trict, where  he  has  since  engaged  in  raising  grain, 
cattle  and  hogs. 

The  marriage  of  Ernest  Eastwood  and  Miss 
Mary  McGlinchey  was  solemnized  August  25, 
i8gi.  Mrs.  Eastwood  was  born  in  county  Done- 
gal, Ireland,  and  in  1884  came  to  America  with 
her  parents.  In  religion  both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Eastwood  are  earnest  members  of  the  Santa 
Clara  Catholic  Church.  Measures  for  the  bene- 
fit of  his  neighborhood  receive  his  stanch  sup- 
port and  he  has  been  especially  interested  in  edu- 
cational work,  which  he  has  promoted  in  his  dis- 
trict by  serving  as  school  trustee.  Throughout 
the  entire  community  he  is  known  and  honored 
as  an  influential  man,  progressive  citizen  and  a 
capable  and  energetic  agriculturist. 


J.  HENRY  MILLIGAN.  As  a  self-made 
man  who  has  achieved  considerable  prominence 
in  San  Bernardino  county,  J.  H.  Milligan.  the 
general    superintendent   of   the    San   Bernardino 


County  Hospital,  is  recognized  as  one  of  the 
ablest  citizens  of  this  section  of  the  state.  His 
grandfather,  James  Milligan,  was  born  in  Ire- 
land and  immigrated  to  America  with  his  father, 
they  becoming  pioneers  respectively  of  Illinois 
and  Des  Moines,  Iowa.  Harvey  Newton,  the 
son  of  James  and  the  father  of  J.  H.  Milligan, 
was  said  to  be  the  first  white  male  child  born 
in  the  present  limits  of  the  city  of  Des  Moines. 
Harvey  Newton  Milligan  was  in  Texas  when 
the  Civil  war  broke  out  and  was  forced  to  join 
the  Confederate  army,  but  his  health  failing  just 
before  activities  commenced  in  that  section  he 
was  released  and  picked  up  as  a  straggler  by  an 
Iowa  regiment  stationed  there  at  the  time  and 
returned"  to  his  native  state.  His  brother,  Will- 
iam Henry,  belonged  to  the  Seventh  Regiment 
of  Iowa  infantry  and  after  the  war  the  two 
brothers  went  to  Memphis  and  established  a 
newspaper.  Removing  from  there  to  Nashville 
they  engaged  in  a  similar  enterprise  and  after 
disposing  of  their  interests  at  that  point  went 
to  Jackson,  Tenn.,  and  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business  for  a  time. 

While  located  here  Mr.  Milligan  married  Miss 
Addie  C.  Hutchinson,  who  was  born  in  Jackson, 
her  father  being  a  large  planter  at  that  place. 
After  his  marriage  Mr.  Milligan  traveled  con- 
siderably, made  trips  to  northern  California  and 
Montana,  engaged  in  mining  for  a  period,  and 
then  located  in  Dallas,  Tex.,  where  he  conduct- 
ed the  largest  job  printing  office  in  that  city  at 
the  time.  In  1890  he  came  to  San  Bernardino 
county,  purchased  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and 
five  acres,  improved  it  and  engaged  in  horti- 
cultural pursuits  for  five  years,  then  made  his 
home  in  the  city  of  San  Bernardino  for  one  year, 
after  which  he  engaged  in  farming  at  Highland 
and  remained  there  until  his  death  in  1901.  He 
was  prominent  in  Masonic  circles,  having  at- 
tained the  Royal  Arch  degree.  Mrs.  Milligan  is 
living  and  resides  in  San  Bernardino. 

The  birth  of  J.  H.  Milligan  occurred  March 
22,  1876,  at  Jackson,  Tenn.,  he  being  the  young- 
est of  three  children.  His  childhood  was  spent 
in  different  places  until  his  fourteenth  year, 
when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  San  Ber- 
nardino. While  his  father  owned  the  printing 
office  in  Dallas.  Tex.,  he  worked  there  and 
learned  typesetting,  and  after  coming  to  San 
Bernardino  assisted  him  to  improve  the  ranch 
which  was  purchased.  In  1897,  knowing  that 
he  had  his  own  way  to  make  in  the  world,  and 
recognizing  the  need  of  an  education,  he  re- 
solved to  "attend  high  school.  At  that  time  his 
parents  resided  at  Highland  and  as  there  was  no 
electric  car  connection  with  San  Bernardino,  he 
began  casting  about  for  a  way  to  get  back  and 
forth  from  home.  Accordingly  he  decided  to 
purchase  a  bus  and   contracted   to    convey    the 


2106 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


high-school  students  from  Highland  to  San  Ber- 
nardino and  attend  school  at  the  same  time.  In 
this  way  he  made  his  way  through,  attaining 
great  popularity  among  his  classmates  and 
achieving  an  enviable  record  in  his  studies.  He 
displayed  especial  talent  as  a  speaker  and  was 
called  the  boy  orator  of  the  school.  He  was 
selected  as  first  president  of  his  class  and  was 
active  in  all  of  the  high  school  organizations. 
After  three  years  of  this  work  his  health  became 
impaired  and  he  was  obliged  to  give  up  further 
study. 

Deciding  to  tr\-  a  change  of  location  Mr.  Mil- 
iigan  went  to  San  Francisco,  secured  passage 
on  the  steamer  San  Pedro  for  Nome,  Alaska, 
and  engaged  in  prospecting  for  a  time,  later  be- 
ing employed  by  the  Nome  Nugget  Dredging 
Company.  In  the  fall  of  igoo,  his  health  having 
been  fully  restored,  he  returned  to  his  home  at 
Highland,  and  as  the  death  of  his  father  oc- 
curred shortly  afterward  he  remained  on  the 
farm  for  a  time  to  care  for  his  mother.  Later 
he  went  to  Arizona  and  secured  employment  in 
the  mines  as  hoisting  engineer  at  the  headquar- 
ters of  the  Rio  Del  Monte  mine.  May  28,  1903, 
he  came  to  San  Bernardino  on  a  vacation  and 
June  15,  1903,  was  appointed  by  the  board  of 
supervisors  to  the  position  of  general  superin- 
tendent of  the  County  Hospital  and  Farm,  which 
position  he  still  occupies.  The  farm  comprises 
twenty  acres  of  ground  located  in  the  city  limits 
and  has  been  improved  from  its  original  condi- 
tion as  an  area  of  sand  dunes  to  a  veritable 
garden  with  the  help  of  the  electric  pumping 
plant  which  has  been  installed.  The  ground  is 
devoted  to  the  raising  of  hay  for  fifteen  head  of 
dairy  stock,  and  vegetables  and  fruits.  The 
place  is  improved  with  all  necessary  outbuildings 
and  one  large  main  building,  which  now  has  a 
capacity  of  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  inmates, 
the  usual  number,  however,  ranging  from  sev- 
enty-five to  one  hundred  and  twenty. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Milligan  to  Miss  Mary 
E.  Rennahan,  who  is  a  native  of  Las  Vegas,  N. 
Mex.,  occurred  February  8,  1906.  They  own 
a  residence  in  San  Bernardino.  Fraternally  Mr. 
Milligan  affiliates  with  several  lodges,  being  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias;  Court  No. 
447,  I.  O.  F.,  and  is  past  grand  deputy  of  the 
High  Chief  Rangers  of  California;  also  a  mem- 
ber of  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security.  His  in- 
fluence is  always  exerted  on  the  side  of  good 
government  in  public  matters  and  at  one  time 
he  was  sent  by  the  Highland  district  to  repre- 
sent them  as  an  independent  delegate  to  the 
county  convention.  The  agitation  in  this  conven- 
tion resulted  in  the  nomination  of  a  group  of  in- 
dependent candidates  chosen  from  the  different 
parties,  who  were  eventually  elected  by  the  peo- 
ple, the  politics  of  the  county  being  changed  and 


at  the  same  time  a  revolution  being  accomplished 
whereby  the  liquor  element  was  eliminated.  ]\Ir. 
Milligan's  interests  are  in  the  upbuilding  of  the 
community  in  which  he  lives,  he  lends  his  influ- 
ence toward  the  furthering  of  all  elevating  and 
progressive  enterprises,  and  he  is  accounted  one 
of  the  most  valuable  citizens  of  San  Bernardino 
countv. 


STEPHEN  A.  ]\IARLETTE.  Long  identi- 
fication with  the  interests  of  a  certain"  locality 
brings  to  a  man  a  feeling  of  oneness  with  that 
section  of  country,  and  thus  we  find  that  Mr. 
Marlette,  after  a  continuous  residence  of  more 
than  thirty  years  in  San  Diego  county;  feels  him- 
self to  be  intimately  associated  with  his  home 
district,  which  has  been  the  scene  of  his  activities 
during  almost  the  entire  period  of  his  residence 
in  California.  Descended  from  eastern  ancestry, 
he  is  a  son  of  Joseph  H.  and  Catherine  (Brady) 
Alarlette,  natives  respectively  of  New  York  and 
Vermont.  His  father  engaged  in  railroading 
throughout  much  of  his  active  life,  and  while 
filling  the  position  of  brakeman  he  ran  on  the 
first  train  over  the  newly-built  road  that  forms 
a  part  of  the  present  Rock  Island  system.  On 
resigning  as  roadmaster  in  the  east  he  came  to 
California  in  1875,  and  since  then  has  made  his 
home  in  San  Diego  county.  Though  quite  ad- 
vanced in  years,  he  still  retains  his  physical  activ- 
ity and  is  engaged  in  carrying  the  mails  from  all 
the  trains  running  into  the  city  of  San  Diego. 
His  wife  died  in  1896,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six 
years. 

Among  the  six  children  comprising  the  family 
of  Joseph  H.  Marlette  was  Stephen  A.,  who  was 
born  in  Peoria,  III,  November  9,  i860,  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  schools  of  Laporte, 
Ind.,  the  family  having  removed  thither  in  his 
boyhood.  After  his  arrival  in  California  he  for 
a  time  worked  for  wages  on  ranches,  and  mean- 
while saved  his  earnings  until  finally  he  was  in 
a  position  to  buy  property.  At  this  writing  he 
owns  a  ranch  near  Julian  consisting  of  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty-five  acres,  on  which  he  raises  hay, 
corn  and  grain,  also  fruit  of  the  principal  varie- 
ties. In  his  work  he  has  shown  himself  to  be 
energetic,  determined  and  industrious,  and  his 
standing  among  neighbors  is  excellent.  By  dint 
of  wise  management  he  has  made  substantial  im- 
provements on  his  land  and  has  converted  it  into 
one  of  the  valuable  homesteads  of  the  district. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  IMarlette  united  him  with 
Miss  Nellie  ]\IcKurnan,  who  was  born  in  Rhode 
Island.  Her  parents  for  a  time  were  neighbors 
of  the  ^iJarlette  family  in  Illinois,  but  they  moved 
east  to  Rhode  Island  and  the  others  to  Indiana, 
so  that  they  became  separated  for  a  time.  Later 
the  children  became  acquainted,  and  in  1883  Mr. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


■2107 


Marlette  married  the  young;  lad}-,  who  hke  him- 
self was  reared  in  the  Roman  Catholic  faith  and 
always  lias  been  a  sincere  member  of  that  church. 
Their  children  are  named  as  follows :  Patrick 
H.,  Rose,  Robert,  Leo,  Mabel  (who  died  in  in- 
fancy), Nellie.  Francis  and  Blanche.  Fraternally 
Mr.  Marlette  holds  membership  with  the  Order 
of  Foresters,  while  in  politics  he  votes  the  Demo- 
cratic ticket  in  national  elections  and  locally 
supports  the  men  he  deem.s  best  fitted  to  repre- 
sent the  people,  irrespective  of  their  party  plat- 
forms and  personal  opinions  concerning  the  tariff 
and  other  national  problems. 


WILLIAM  J.  PHILLIPS.  The  records  of 
the  Phillips  disclose  the  fact  that  they  descend 
from  English  ancestry  and  have  been  represent- 
ed in  America  ever  since  the  year  1703,  their 
original  location  being  in  New  England,  where 
successive  generations  held  positions  of  honor 
and  trust  and  wielded  extensive  influence  among 
their  fellowmen.  From  the  Atlantic  coast  they 
drifted  across  the  Hudson  river  into  the  then 
frontier  of  New  York,  and  from  there,  Jo  H., 
a  native  of  the  Empire  state,  removed  to  the 
wilderness  of  Michigan  in  1836.  Taking  up 
a  tract  of  land  he  devoted  himself  to  transform- 
ing the  raw  prairie  soil  into  fertile  fields. 
Eventually  he  acquired  two  hundred  acres  com- 
prising as  fine  a  farm  as  could  be  found  with- 
in the  limits  of  Macomb  county.  The  sub- 
stantial residence  and  large  farm  buildings  were 
erected  under  his  supervision,  and  all  of  the 
other  improvements  represented  his  energy  and 
laborious  application.  The  farm  was  stocked 
with  cattle  and  horses  of  the  best  breeds  and 
stock-raising  was  one  of  his  specialties.  Be- 
sides beingactive  in  all  questions  pertaining  to 
agriculture,  he  took  a  leading  part  in  local  poli- 
tics, was  stanchlv  devoted  to  the  Republican 
party,  and  contributed  not  a  little  to  its  local 
success.  For  his  integrity  and  sterling  quali- 
ties he  was  esteemed  by  a  large  circle  of  ac- 
quaintances throughout  his  section  of  the  state. 
His  death  in  1878  occurred  twelve  years  after 
the  demise  of  his  wife,  who  was  Qarinda  Briggs, 
a  native  of  New  York  and  a  descendant  of  an 
English  family  identified  with  the  colonial  his- 
tory of  our  Atlantic  coast  country. 

At  the  home  place  near  Armada,  Mich.,  Will- 
iam J.  Phillips  was  born  March  29,  1859,  being 
a  son  of  Jo  H.  and  Clarinda  Phillips.  His  early 
life  differed  little  from  the  lives  of  other  farmer 
boys  of  his  day  and  locality.  During  winters  he 
attended  the  district  school  and  in  the  summer 
he  tilled  the  soil  of  the  home  farm.  After  com- 
pleting the  studies  of  the  country  schools  he  was 
sent  to  Romeo  Academy,  where  he  took  a  thor- 
ough course  of  study.     Upon  leaving  school  he 


secured  employment  with  an  agricultural  imple- 
ment firm.  As  their  special  agent  for  thresh- 
ing machines  and  traction  engines  he  exhibited 
engines  at  county  and  state  fairs  in  Michigan, 
Indiana,  Ohio,  Illinois,  Iowa  and  Missouri,  con- 
tinuing in  this  business  for  a  period  of  twenty 
years.  The  year  1895  found  him  a  resident  of 
San  Bernardino,  where  now  he  makes  his  home. 
Though  not  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  the 
county,  he  is  well  known  throughout  this  sec- 
tion and  has  many  warm  friends  among  people 
of  a'l  classes.  Soon  after  his  arrival  here  he 
entered  the  Santa  Fe  railway  shops,  where  he  had 
charge  of  the  tool  department.  During  the 
seven  years  of  his  identification  with  that  work 
he  rendered  efficient  service  and  proved  himself 
to  be  eminently  trustworthy. 

While  not  displaying  any  offensive  partisan- 
ship in  his  preferences,  Mr.  Phillips  has  always 
been  known  as  a  decided  Republican  in  his  po- 
litical opinions,  and  he  has  been  active  in  local 
councils  of  the  party.  Though  firm  in  his  own 
convictions,  he  is  nevertheless  liberal  and  es- 
teems men  none  the  less  though  their  ideas  may 
be  the  opposite  of  his  own.  From  his  party  in 
1903  he  received  the  nomination  for  city  treas- 
urer and  later  was  duly  elected  to  the  ofiice  for 
a  term  of  four  years.  At  this  writing  he  de- 
votes his  attention  to  the  work  of  the  office,  in 
which  he  is  making  a  record  for  efficiency  and 
trustworthiness.  His  home  at  No.  969  Fifth 
street  is  presided  over  by  his  wife,  who  was 
Estella  Day,  of  Oxford,  Mich.,  daughter  of  R. 
A.  Day,  an  honored  citizen  of  that  place.  They 
are  the  parents  of  one  child,  Fileda  May.  In 
fraternal  connections  Mr.  Phillips  still  retains 
membership  with  Anchor  Lodge  No.  278,  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  at  Oxford,  Mich.,  and  with  Oxford 
Lodge  No.  108,  K.  of  P.,  also  of  that  town. 


WILLIAM  KINKEAD.  Occupying  a  firm 
position  among  the  honored  citizens  and  the 
substantial  and  well-to-do  farmers  of  San  Diego 
county  is  William  Kinkead,  of  Moosa.  Settling 
here  nearly  four  decades  ago,  he  has  from  the 
uncultivated  soil  built  up  a  valuable  homestead 
w^hich  will  remain  as  a  monument  to  his  indus- 
try and  enterprise  for  generations  to  come.  He; 
has  been  wise  in  his  investments,  making  the 
best  of  his  opportunities,  and  while  laboring  for 
his  own  welfare  has  in  nowise  been  unmindful 
of  the  interests  of  his  community.  Coming  here 
at  an  early  period  of  the  settlement  of  the  place, 
he  knows  all  about  the  hardships  and  privations 
of  life  in  a  new  territory,  his  varied  experiences 
forming  a  rich  storehouse,  wherein  he  has  gath- 
ered much  from  his  observations  of  human  life 
and  of  the  ways  of  the  world.  A  son  of  David 
Kinkead,   he   was   born,   October    27,     1834,    in 


2108 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Guernsey  county,  r)hio.  where  he  was  brought 
up  and  educated. 

David  Kinkead  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  un- 
til 1855  he  made  that  state  his  home.  Text- 
books and  school  training  were  practically' un- 
known to  him,  for  he  attended  school  only  two 
days  in  his  whole  life.  During  his  boyhood  he 
learned  the  shoemaker's  trade,  and  at  the  same 
time  studied  law.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he 
formed  domestic  ties  by  his  marriage  with  Miss 
Lydia  Haines,  of  Hendrysburg,  Ohio.  Five 
miles  east  of  Cambridge,  on  the  Steubenville 
road,  he  bought  land,  and  also  laid  out  the  town 
of  Centerville,  where  he  opened  a  hotel  and  a 
store.  Besides  managing  these  enterprises  he 
continued  his  farming  and  stock-raising  inter- 
ests, and  for  a  number  of  years  practiced  his 
profession  and  also  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace.  Leaving  Ohio  in  1855  he  moved  with 
his  family  to  Knoxville,  jMarion  county,  Iowa, 
where  he  purchased  a  residence,  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  in  close  proximity  to  that  city, 
and  also  fourteen  hundred  acres  in  Galloway 
county.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Iowa. 
He  died  in  1866,  and  according  to  the  terms  of 
his  will  his  fourteen  hundred  acre  farm  was 
equally  divided  among  his  children.  He  was  a 
man  of  marked  ability,  an  active  member  of 
the  Democratic  party,  and  was  quite  prominent 
in  Masonic  circles.  His  wife  survived  him 
many  ^ears,  passing  away  in  Knoxville.  The 
parental  family  comprised  seven  children,  as 
follows :  Eliza  Jane.  Calvin,  Sarah  Anne,  Maria, 
William,  Alexander  and  Lemuel. 

Leaving  home  in  1854,  William  Kinkead  came 
to  California,  and  the  following  fourteen  years 
was  engaged  in  mining  pursuits,  locating  first 
at  Spanish  bar,  on  the  middle  fork  of  the  Ameri- 
can river.  Subsequently,  in  company  with  his 
brother,  he  located  claims  at  Eolsom,  posting  no- 
tices on  the  best  lots  in  the  place  on  Christmas 
day,  1856,  and  immediately  afterwards  erected 
the  first  dwelling  in  the  town,  a  house  which  he 
had  no  difficulty  in  renting  for  $75  a  month.  In 
1858  he  went  to  the  great  Eraser  river  mines 
in  l^.ritish  Columbia ;  not  meeting  with  sufficient 
success  in  the  mines  of  the  north,  in  i860  he 
went  to  Nevada  and  carried  on  mining  at  Vir- 
ginia City  and  Gold  Hill  until  1863.  He  also 
participated  in  the  Reese  River  excitement.  Near 
Newpass,  Nev.,  he  located  hay  lands,  having 
found  water  in  the  vicinity,  and  also  established 
a  station  known  as  Gopher  Hole.  In  May,  1865, 
he  joined  a  party  of  thirty-two  who  went  through 
the  Death  Valley  country  to  Arizona.  Return- 
ing to  California  in  May  of  1866  Mr.  Kinkead 
stopped  in  San  Bernardino  until  May  of  the  fol- 
lowing year,  and  in  the  same  month  of  1868 
came  to  San  Diego  and  took  up  government 
land  a   short  distance  from  where  he  now  re- 


sides. After  making  a  few  improvements  he 
sold  the  land  and  homesteaded  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  now  included  in  the  home  ranch, 
taking  it  up  from  the  government,  besides  which 
he  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  state 
land.  Improving  his  property,  Mr.  Kinkead  be- 
came extensively  engaged  in  stock  raising,  for 
many  years  making  this  his  principal  business, 
but  more  recently  he  has  devoted  his  time  and 
energies  to  bee  keeping,  meeting  with  satisfac- 
tory results. 

In  1882  Mr.  Kinkead  married  Nancy  Welty, 
who  was  born  in  Iowa,  a  daughter  of  Jonathan 
Welty,  who  came  to  California  in  185 1.  Of  the 
union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kinkead  six  children 
have  been  born,  namely :  Alice,  Katie.  Myrtle, 
Ellen,  Josie  and  Ruskin.  In  politics  Mr.  Kin- 
kead has  not  been  very  active,  but  he  is  a  firm 
believer  in  the  principles  of  the  Socialist  party, 
which  he  uniformly  supports  by  voice  and  vote. 


PHILIP  H.  REED.  One  of  the  most  tho- 
roughly competent  architects  and  mechanical  en- 
gineers in  this  section  of  the  state  is  Philip  H. 
Reed,  who  has  been  located  in  Colton  for  the 
past  five  years.  He  received  a  comprehensive 
education  in  technical  schools  and  has  also  edu- 
cated himself  by  practical  work  in  the  different 
lines  in  which  he  is  interested  professionally. 
Besides  architectural  and  mechanical  drafting 
he  carries  on  a  planing  mill  and  pattern  works, 
and  designs  both  interior  and  exterior  house  fur- 
nishings. He  is  a  native  Englishman  and  was 
born  in  London,  June  13,  1864,  the  son  of  Henry 
S.  and  Eliza  (Brown)  Reed,  who  came  to  live 
in  London,  Canada,  in  1869  and  stayed  there  until 
they  died,  the  father  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight 
years,  and  the  mother  at  fifty-four.  By  trade 
the  father  was  a  manufacturing  confectioner,  and 
fraternally  he  belonged  to  the  I.  W.  O.  F.  of  Lon- 
don, Canada.  Both  parents  were  members  of  the 
Baptist  Church.  There  were  eight  children  in 
their  family,  of  whom  one  daughter  and  Philip 
H.  live  in  California ;  Arthur  is  engaged  in  the 
leather  business  at  Richmond  Hill,  N.  Y. ;  Henry 
is  a  farmer  in  New  York ;  and  Fred  is  an  of- 
ficial of  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway  of  Canada. 

When  brought  by  his  parents  to  Canada  Philip 
H.  Reed  was  about  five  years  old.  and  it  was 
there  that  he  spent  his  boyhood  days  and  re- 
ceived his  education.  He  attended  the  public 
and  high  schools,  and  the  school  of  technology, 
in  the  latter  taking  a  complete  mechanical  course. 
Going  to  Chicago  he  took  up  architectural  stu- 
dies at  the  Athenaeum  and  then  returned  to  Can- 
ada and  followed  the  trade  at  the  bench  in 
order  to  gain  practical  knowledge  of  the  work. 
When  twenty-four  j'ears  of  age  he  again  went 
to   Qiicago,   this  time  becoming  superintendent 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


>109 


of  the  Chicago  Gas  Stove  Company,  and  during 
the  three  years  thus  occupied  still  continued 
his  architectural  studies.  From  there  he  went  to 
Denver  and  engaged  in  architectural  practice 
with  offices  in  the  McPhee  Building,  where  he 
made  plans  and  superintended  buildings  until 
1894.  He  then  turned  his  attention  to  the  me- 
chanical departments  of  work  and  began  pattern 
making,  continuing  at  this  in  Denver  and  Pueblo, 
Colo.,  until  1901.  He  then  went  to  San  Fran- 
cisco and  was  employed  in  the  Risdon  Iron  works 
as  patternmaker  for  three  months,  after  which 
he  located  in  Colton,  which  has  been  his  home 
ever  since.  He  has  been  very  successful  in  all 
of  his  work  here  and  has  had  a  hand  in  the 
planning-,  erection  and  furnishing  of  many  of 
the  business  blocks,  apartment  houses  and  pri- 
vate residences  in  this  city.  He  received  and 
carried  out  the  contract  for  the  building  of  the 
Home  Telephone  building  and  the  Gilbert  flats, 
and  has  been  engaged  as  architect  by  the  Colton 
school  board  to  draw  plans  for  any  buildings 
thev  may  erect  for  educational  purposes. 

In  1887  occurred  the  marriage  which  united 
Mr.  Reed  to  Miss  Gertrude  AI.  Mabie,  who  was 
born  near  Rockford,  111.,  and  this  union  has 
been  blessed  by  the  birth  of  three  children,  one 
daughter.  Mabel,  and  two  sons,  Howard  and 
Philip.  The  parents  are  active  members  of  the 
Baptist  Church  and  Mr.  Reed  is  politically  an 
adherent  of  the  Republican  party.  As  a  leading 
citizen  of  Colton  he  takes  a  prominent  part  in 
the  furthering  of  all  plans  for  the  upbuilding  and 
developmen*'  of  his  home  town,  and  exerts  an 
elevating  influence  upon  the  social  life  of  the 
communitv. 


OLIVER  ATWELL  ALLEN.  The  thriving 
blacksmith  shop  and  carriage  manufactory  con- 
ducted by  Mr.  Allen  in  San  Bernardino  is  with- 
out question  the  largest  enterprise  of  the  kind 
in  Southern  California  outside  of  Los  Angeles. 
It  is  plainly  evident  from  this  statement  that  Mr. 
Allen  must  be  a  thorough  workman  in  all  de- 
partm.ents  of  the  business  in  order  to  success- 
fully manage  so  large  an  undertaking.  This  is 
true  and  justly  so,  for  throughout  his  life  he 
has  been  employed  along  this  line,  besides  which 
he  inherits  a  predilection  for  the  business  from 
his  father,  who  followed  the  blacksmith's  trade 
during  his  entire  life.  The  structure  occupied 
by  Mr.  Allen  is  one  which  he  purchased  some 
years  ago  and  remodeled  to  suit  his  special  busi- 
ness. The  building  is  44x80  feet,  located  on  a 
lot  which  extends  back  three  Inmdred  feet,  thus 
furnishing  ample  room  for  storage  of  material. 
In  the  blacksmith  department  three  fires  are 
necessary.  In  the  woodworking  department  the 
material  is  prepared  for  manufacturing  the  fine 


line  of  carriages  and  wagons  which  bear  the 
name  of  Allen  &  Son,  for  he  has  the  assistance 
and  co-operation  of  his  eldest  son,  Byron  W. 

Oliver  A.  Allen  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in 
Geauga  county  October  5,  1850,  the  youngest 
but  one  in  a  family  of  ten  children  born  to  his 
parents.  Six  of  the  number  were  daughters, 
but  only  one  of  them  is  now  living.  Both  par- 
ents, Ira  and  Rebecca  (Calkins)  Allen,  were  na- 
tives of  Vermont,  where  their  marriage  oc- 
curred, and  some  time  later  they  removed  to 
Ohio.  In  185 1  Mr.  Allen  removed  to  Michigan 
with  his  family,  settling  in  Homer,  where  as  in 
Vermont  and  Ohio  he  continued  to  work  at  the 
blacksmith's  trade.  After  his  death  his  shop 
was  continued  by  his  elder  sons,  and  it  was 
under  the  training  of  his  brothers  that  Oliver 
A.  became  proficient  at  his  trade.  He  continued 
with  them  until  securing  a  position  in  Albion 
with  the  Woolcott  Windmill  Company,  remain- 
ing with  them  for  three  years,  or  until  coming 
to  San  Bernardino  in  1884.  After  working  at 
his  trade  here  for  three  years  a  desire  to  see 
the  old  home  and  his  relatives  induced  him  to 
return  to  Michigan,  where  he  fully  intended  to 
remain,  having  in  the  meantime  secured  the 
position  of  foreman  with  his  old  employers,  the 
Woolcott  Windmill  Company.  Six  months  later, 
however,  he  was  seized  with  an  equally  strong 
desire  to  return  to  the  west  a  longing  which  he 
satisfied  immediately  by  returning  to  San  Ber- 
nardino. As  he  was  a  first-class  workman  he 
had  no  difficult}'  in  securing  employment,  and 
for  about  four  years  w^s  in  the  employ  of  C.  E. 
Lehman,  at  the  end  of  that  time,  in  1891,  buy- 
ing out  his  employer  and  continuing  the  busi- 
ness at  that  location  until  the  growth  of  his 
trade  made  largei  quarters  a  necessity.  It  was 
at  this  juncture  that  he  bought  and  remodeled 
his  present  structure  on  Third  street,  where  he 
has  built  up  one  of  the  largest  enterprises  of  the 
kind  in  this  part  of  the  state  outside  of  Los 
Angeles. 

In  Homer,  Mich.,  Mr.  Allen  was  first  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Rose  Knapp,  who  was  born  in  New 
York  state  and  died  in  San  Bernardino,  leaving 
two  children,  Byron  W..  who  is  his  father's 
partner  in  business,  and  Edna,  the  wife  of  Sid- 
ney H.  Rockwood  and  a  resident  of  Fresno. 
Byron  W.  Allen  is  also  married,  his  wife  prior 
to  her  marriage  having  been  Faith  Garner,  and 
they  are  the  proud  parents  of  one  son.  Jack. 
Some  time  after  the  death  of  his  first  wife 
Oliver  A.  Allen  was  married  in  Michigan  to 
Miss  Sarah  Hiller,  she  also  being  a  native  of 
that  state.  The  famil}'  occupy  a  pleasant  resi- 
dence at  No.  538  Eighth  street,  besides  which 
Mr.  Allen  owns  other  valuable  property  in  San 
Bernardino.  While  residing  in  Homer,  Mich., 
lie  was  made  a  Mason  in  the  local  lodge,  and 


2110 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


since  coming  to  California  has  joined  San  Ber- 
nardino Lodge  No.  348,  F.  &  A.  M.  Politically 
he  is  a  Republican,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Trade  of  San  Bernardino.  Mrs.  Allen 
is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Qiurch,  toward 
the  support  of  which  Mr.  Allen  contributes,  as 
he  does  to  all  measures  which  have  for  their  ob- 
ject the  uplifting  of  humanity. 

At  the  time  of  the  Rebellion  Mr.  Allen  was  a 
boy  of  about  eleven  years,  and  although  he  was 
too  young  to  participate  he  well  remembers  the 
enlistment  of  his  older  brother,  King  P.  Allen, 
in  whose  daring  and  bravery  he  took  a  com- 
mendable pride.  He  enlisted  as  a  member  of  the 
Second  Michigan  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  after 
serving  the  term  of  his  enlistment  was  honorably 
discharged.  He  is  now  a  resident  of  Pullman, 
Wash.  The  patriotic  spirit  of  the  Allen  family 
became  evident  in  the  next  generation  when,  at 
the  age  of  sixteen,  Byron  W.  Allen  enlisted  in 
the  National  Guard  of  California.  The  opening 
of  the  Spanish-American  war  gave  him  an  op- 
portunity for  active  service  and  he  went  to  the 
front  as  corporal  of  Company  K,  Seventh  Cali- 
fornia Regiment,  later  was  promoted  to  ser- 
geant, and  as  such  was  honorably  discharged 
from  the  service.  Thereafter  he  continued  his 
membership  in  the  National  Guard  for  a  number 
of  years,  or  until  the  expiration  of  his  term, 
when  he  was  discharged  with  honors,  in  Novem- 
ber, 1905,  having  served  as  first  lieutenant  of 
his  company  for  four  years  prior  to  this  date. 


CHARLES  B.  ADAR1S.  The  life  which  this 
narrative  chronicles  began  in  Burlington,  Vt., 
December  29,  1830,  and  closed  at  Long  Beach, 
Cal.,  March  8,  1899.  The  Adams  family  be- 
came established  in  America  during  a  very  early 
period  of  colonial  settlement  and  one  of  its 
branches  settled  in  Vermont,  where  succeeding 
generations  lived  and  labored  as  tillers  of  the 
soil  and  pioneer  business  men.  Among  those 
who  bore  the  family  name  was  John  Adams,  who 
married  Amanda  Barbour,  also  a  member  of  a 
colonial  family  of  Vermont.  Some  years  after 
their  marriage  they  migrated  to  New  York 
state  and  there  labored  for  a  long  period,  but 
eventually  removed  to  Illinois,  where  at  Aurora 
Mr.  Adams  died.  Later  the  widow  joined  mem- 
bers of  the  family  in  Minnesota,  and  in  that 
state  in  the  city  of  Minneapolis  she  passed  away. 
Among  their  children  was  a  son,  Giarles  B., 
who  was  a  small  child  at  the  time  of  the  removal 
to  New  York  state  and  received  his  primary  ed- 
ucation in  the  country  schools  common  to  that 
day.  Following  the  westward  tide  of  emigra- 
tion he  became  an  early  settler  of  Aurora,  III, 
and  from  there  removed  to  Newburg,  Mitchell 
county,  Iowa,  later  going  to  Minnesota  and  set- 


tling at  Austin,  where  he  became  interested  in 
business  enterprises. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war  Mr. 
Adams  was  stanch  sympathizer  with  the  cause 
of  the  Union,  and  in  August  of  1862  he  offered 
his  services  as  a  volunteer  in  the  army,  his  as- 
signment being  with  Company  C,  Ninth  Minne- 
sota Infantry,  with  which  he  went  to  the  front 
to  aid  in  quelling  the  rebellion.  During  a  very 
long  march  he  received  injuries  which  disabled 
him  and  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  remain  in 
a  hospital  for  a  time.  On  his  recovery  he  was 
honorably  discharged  in  March  of  1863,  and  at 
once  returned  to  Austin,  where  he  resumed  his 
association  with  civic  aflfairs.  For  many  years 
he  made  his  home  in  Minnesota,  but  finally  de- 
siring to  settle  in  a  more  genial  climate,  he  came 
to  California  in  1889.  For  eight  years  he  lived 
on  a  ranch  near  Anaheim,  and  upon  disposing 
of  that  property  came  to  Long  Beach,  where  he 
purchased  and  improved  real  estate. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Adams  was  solemnized 
August  22,  1857,  and  united  him  with  Miss 
?ilar}-,  daughter  of  Michael  Shaney,  a  native  of 
Lowell,  Mass.  When  she  was  quite  small  she 
was  orphaned  by  the  death  of  her  mother  and 
afterward  remained  with  her  father  until  she 
became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Adams.  Born  of  their 
union  were  five  children,  namely :  Hattie  A. ; 
Loraine,  who  married  Edward  Wolverton  and 
resides  in  Kansas ;  Edna  I.,  Mrs.  William 
Cooper,  of  Long  Beach;  Sherman  R.,  a  resident 
of  Long  Beach ;  and  Clarence  C,  whose  sketch 
appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Mrs.  Mary 
S.  Adams  died  at  Long  Beach,  November  11, 
1906,  and  is  buried  beside  her  husband  in  Signal 
Hill  Cemeterv  near  Lone  Beach. 


MARTIN  STUCKER  FREER.  No  name  is 
better  known  or  held  in  higher  esteem  than  that 
of  Freer,  established  in  Los  Angeles  county  by 
a  pioneer  whose  name  will  ever  be  honored  in 
the  citizenship  which  has  given  to  California  hef 
supremacy  among  sister  states.  Martin  Stucker 
Freer  is  a  native  Californian,  and  was  born  in 
Berryessa,  Santa  Clara  county,  October  i,  1854, 
his  father  being  William  H.  Freer,  tlie  pioneer, 
whose  history  is  given  at  length  elsewhere  in 
this  volume.  Reared  on  the  home  farm  for  the 
first  twenty-one  years  of  his  life,  Martin  S.  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  coun- 
ty. He  came  to  El  Monte,  Los  Angeles  county, 
in  October,  1875,  driving  stock  to  the  farm 
which  his  father  had  bought  in  1869  and  left  in 
charge  of  his  brother  Thomas  till  that  time.  He 
remained  at  home  with  his  father  until  he  was 
twenty-eight  years  old,  when  he  became  depend- 
ent upon  his  own  resources,  in  partnership  with 
a   Mr.   Dobbins   renting  a   part   of  the   Baldwin 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2111 


ranch  for  one  year,  then  the  Rowland  ranch  of 
Puente  for  three  years,  when  Mr.  Freer  went  to 
Tehachapi,  Kern  county.  He  engaged  in  the 
raising  of  grain,  horses  and  mules  on  a  ranch 
of  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land  which 
he  purchased  in  Tehachapi,  was  very  successful 
in  his  work,  and  added  improvements  which 
made  it  one  of  the  fine  and  valuable  ranches  of 
this  section.  He  finally  purchased  a  ranch  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  fourteen  miles 
from  the  home  place  which  he  rented,  and  con- 
tinued these  interests  for  sLx  years,  when  he  sold 
his  farming  implements,  all  machinery,  stock, 
etc.,  and  went  to  Oakland,  Cal,  and  made  that 
place  his  home  for  about  eight  years.  At  the 
expiration  of  that  time  he  returned  to  his  ranch 
and  began  raising  alfalfa  and  hogs  and  contin- 
ued thus  occupied  until  1905,  when  he  rented 
his  property  (the  following  year  selling  the  home 
place  and  continuing  to  rent  the  other  for  the 
raising  of  grain)  and  returning  to  Los  Angeles 
county  located  on  his  farm  of  thirty-five  acres 
a  mile  and  a  half  from  El  Monte,  where  he  is 
now  installing  a  pumping  plant  and  expects  to 
set  the  entire  ranch  in  walnuts. 

In  Oakland,  December  19,  1892,  Mr.  Freer 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Elvira  Louisa 
(Moody)  Wilkinson,  a  native  of  Moore  countv, 
N.  C,  and  a  daughter  of  W.  H.  Moody.  He 
was  also  a  native  of  North  Carolina  and  served 
in  a  regiment  of  that  state  in  the  Civil  war  as 
major.  He  removed  to  Tennessee  and  thence  to 
Arkansas,  and  about  1869  brought  his  family 
overland  to  California.  He  settled  at  El  Monte 
and  engaged  as  a  builder,  finally  removing  to 
Anaheim  and  following  the  dairy  business  until 
his  death  at  the  age  of  forty-five  years.  He  was 
a  prominent  JNlason  and  a  Democrat  politically. 
His  wife  was  formerly  Mary  Mills  of  New  York 
City,  who  married  there  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
years.  After  the  death  of  Mr.  Moody  she  mar- 
ried Rev.  John  Freeman,  a  Baptist  minister  who 
resides  at  Norwalk.  By  her  first  marriage  she 
became  the  mother  of  four  children,  namely : 
Lucy  J.,  wife  of  John  H.  Freer,  of  Arcadia;  An- 
derson H.,  of  Redondo ;  and  Elvira  Louisa.  Mrs. 
Freer  had  three  children  by  her  first  marriage, 
Lester,  Geneva  and  Lewis.  In  his  political  af- 
filiations Mr.  Freer  is  a  stanch  advocate  of  Dem- 
ocratic principles  and  seeks  to  advance  these  in- 
terests. 


HENRY  JACOB  PRATT.  The  experiences 
of  Henry  Jacob  Pratt  throughout  a  varied  ca- 
reer in  the  western  states  have  served  to  make  of 
him  one  of  the  most  entertaining  of  companions, 
whose  recollections  take  him  back  to  the  begin- 
ning of  civilization  on  the  Pacific  coast.  De- 
scended  from   an   old   New   England   family,   he 


was  born  in  Taunton,  Mass.,  July  23,  1847,  next 
to  the  youngest  in  a  family  of  eight  children,  of 
whom  but  three  are  now  surviving.  Two  broth- 
ers, Charles  Allen  and  Dean  Jones,  were  killed 
in  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge  in  the  Civil  war,  the 
former  a  member  and  corporal  in  the  Third  Regi- 
ment Illinois  Cavalry,  and  the  latter  of  the  One 
Hundred  and  Twenty-ninth  Regiment  Illinois  In- 
fantry ;  two  brothers  survived  the  perils  of  war- 
fare, William  L.,  first  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty-ninth  Infantry  and  later  of  the  Third 
Cavalr\-,  now  a  resident  of  Idaho,  and  Morton  A., 
of  the  Third  Regiment  Illinois  Cavalry,  raised  to 
the  rank  of  captain  and  later  brevet-major,  a  resi- 
dent of  Wichita,  Kans.  The  last  named  is  known 
as  the  "father  of  Populism"  and  was  a  popular 
candidate  for  the  vice-presidency  on  the  Populist 
ticket  when  Weaver  ran  for  president  in  1896. 
Their  father,  Capt.  D.  L.  Pratt,  was  engaged  in 
the  merchant  marine  service  for  many  years,  after 
which  he  located  in  Livingston  county.  111.,  and 
was  there  employed  as  a  farmer  until' his  death. 
Their  mother  was  Elizabeth  Douglas  in  maiden- 
hood, a  native  of  Massachusetts:  her  death  oc- 
curred in  Livingston  county,  111. 

Henry  Jacob  Pratt  was  reared  in  Illinois, 
vyhere  his  father  located  in  1852,  receiving  a  prac- 
tical training  on  the  paternal  farm  while  he  at- 
tended the  public  school  in  pursuit  of  an  educa- 
tion, later  completing  the  course  in  the  Joliet  high 
school.  Upon  attaining  his  majority  he  set  out 
for  the  west,  going  first  to  the  Black  Hills  by 
mule  teams,  and  after  one  year  spent  in  that  lo- 
cation, continuing  the  journey  to  Virginia  City, 
Nev.  He  was  first  employed  on  a  ranch,  where 
he  remained  for  some  time,  in  1871  coming  to 
Humboldt  county,  Cal.,  and  with  one  hundred 
head  oi  cattle  engagiiig  in  stock-raising.  At  the 
same  time  he  superintended  a  large  ranch  in  the 
vicinity,  known  as  the  Clover  Vallev  ranch,  in 
which  he  later  purchased  an  interest. '  Tliev  con- 
tinued to  add  to  the  acreage  of  their  ranch  until 
they  owned  one  of  the  large  ranches  of  that  sec- 
tion. In  1884  they  sold  out  and  Mr.  Pratt  or- 
ganized a  company  known  as  the  Jordan  \'allev 
Livestock  &  Land  Association,  of  "which  he  be- 
came secretary  and  manager,  the  company  pur- 
chasing thirty  thousand  acres  in  Humboldt  coun- 
ty on  the  Little  Humboldt  river,  and  there  en- 
gaged in  an  extensive  raising  of  stock,  their 
brand  being  the  bullshead.  In  1898  INIr.  Pratt 
sold  out  his  interest  in  this  association  and  made 
the  trip  to  Alaska,  making  his  wav  by  boat  to 
Skagwav,  over  the  White  Pass,  down  the  Yukon 
to  Dawson  City,  where  he  engaged  in  mining  and 
prospecting.  He  remained  in  that  citv  for  three 
years,  engaging  in  mining  and  prospecting,  and 
in  a  general  merchandise  business.  In  1901  he 
^\■ent  to  Nome  and  mined  for  two  vears,  and  in 
1903  he  returned  to  Nevada,  where  lie  was  one  of 


2112 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  organizers  of  the  Washo  Power  &  Develop- 
ment Compan}',  after  which  he  engaged  as  super- 
intendent in  the  construction  of  the  electric  pow- 
er plant  in  Reno.  He  has  continued  his  associa- 
tion with  this  company,  although  he  came  to  Red- 
lands  in  1905,  and  here  purchased  the  Frink 
ranch  and  organized  the  firm  known  as  Cheney  & 
Pratt,  this  property  consisting  of  five  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  in  the  San  Timoteo  canon, 
about  eight  miles  from  Redlands.  In  December 
of  that  year  he  located  on  the  ranch  and  became 
the  general  manager  of  the  concern,  instituting 
a  dairy  of  seventy  cows,  and  operating  a  cream- 
ery, using  a  gasoline  engine,  patent  churn  and 
separator,  and  now  supply  the  Star  Grocery  of 
Redlands,  the  products  being  considered  the  best 
the  country  affords.  Mr.  Pratt  has  been  very 
successful  in  his  work  and  is  considered  one  of 
the  most  enterprising  and  progressive  men  of 
this  section,  esteemed  both  for  his  business  abil- 
ity and  personal  qualities  of  character. 

In  Sacramento,  Cal.,  Mr.  Pratt  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Mrs.  Minnie  (Long)  Jones,  a  na- 
tive of  Wisconsin,  who  crossed  the  plains  by  ox- 
teams  in  an  early  day.  They  are  the  parents  of 
three  children:  Morton  E.,  a  miner  in  Mexico; 
Mabel  A.,  wife  of  John  Lindsay,  of  Tonopah; 
and  Frank  H.,  a  miner  of  Goldfield,  Nev.  Mr. 
Pratt  was  made  a  Mason  in  Winnemucca,  Nev., 
and  now  belongs  to  the  lodge  of  Reno,  Nev. ;  and 
was  raised  to  the  degree  of  Royal  Arch  in  Win- 
nemucca.    Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 


CHRISTIAN  MICHELSEN,  a  prominent 
citizen  of  Hollywood,  was  born  in  Denmark, 
Mark  30,  1844,  a  sturdy  Danish  ancestry  giving 
to  him  qualities  of  character  which  have  formed 
the  foundation  for  his  success  in  mature  years. 
His  parents,  John  and  Stine  (Hjordrup)  Michel- 
sen,  were  both  natives  of  the  Jutland  Peninsula, 
where  the  name  has  been  prominent  for  genera- 
tions in  public  affairs.  Mr.  Michelson  received 
an  excellent  education  in  his  native  land,  after 
which  he  learned  the  cabinet  maker's  trade  and 
also  took  up  the  work  of  printer,  engaging  in  this 
dual  occupation  until  attaining  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  years.  Attracted  by  the  multifold  oppor- 
unities  held  out  by  the  western  world,  he  decided 
to  emigrate,  and  accordingly  in  the  year  1866  he 
came  to  America.  His  principal  employment 
during  the  four  years  which  he  spent  here  was  as 
a  printer,  his  training  on  Danish  papers  having 
given  him  a  valuable  experience.  Returning  to 
Denmark  at  the  close  of  the  four  years  he  was 
drafted  into  the  Danish  army  and  after  serving 
six  months  was  let  out  on  parole.  In  the  mean- 
time he  had  written  a  book  on  "Life  in  Western 
America"  and  published  it  in  Denmark,  and  this 
proved  to  be  the  initial  step  of  many  years  of 


successful  writing  in  both  his  own  and  the  Eng- 
lish language. 

Again  locating  in  America  after  an  eighteen 
months'  stay  in  his  native  land,  Mr.  Michelsen 
settled  in  the  niiddle  west,  following  his  trade 
in  Missouri  and  Nebraska  for  the  period  of  five 
years  and  establishing  a  varied  acquaintance  with 
the  conditions  of  the  country  in  which  he  was 
making  his  home.  He  then  returned  to  Den- 
mark, and  being  on  parole,  served  the  full  time 
of  his  required  enlistment  in  the  Danish  army. 
Upon  his  honorable  discharge  from  the  service  he 
returned  to  America,  and  in  1878  located  in  Fre- 
mont, Neb.,  and  following  this  was  engaged  for 
many  years  in  writing  for  various  Danish  news- 
papers throughout  the  United  States.  At  the 
present  time  (1906)  he  has  seven  quarto  vol- 
umes filled  with  clippings  of  his  own  writings  and 
published  in  different  papers  throughout  the 
country.  Since  1886  he  has  given  lectures 
throughout  the  country,  having  made  his  first 
tour  of  the  United  States  in  that  year,  and  every 
two  years  since  he  has  toured  this  country  and 
the  Orient.  He  is  now  contemplating  a  tour  to 
Russia  which  is  to  occupy  a  period  of  ten  months, 
taking  in  Holland,  Belgium,  France  and  Austria, 
thence  to  Denmark,  where  he  intends  to  deliver 
a  course  of  lectures  on  his  observations  in  the 
latter  countries.  He  has  traveled  on  every  con- 
tinent, having  made  an  extended  tour  of  Egj'pt 
and  the  Holy  Land,  his  strong  powers  of  obser- 
vation and  assimilation  enabling  him  to  quickly 
become  familiar  with  conditions,  manners  and 
customs  of  the  different  places  he  has  visited, 
and  giving  him  a  fund  of  varied  information, 
which  makes  of  him  an  entertaining  and  instruc- 
tive speaker. 

Mr.  Michelsen  located  in  California  in  October, 
1881,  becoming  a  resident  of  the  city  of  Los 
Angeles,  where  he  followed  his  two  avocations 
in  conjunction  with  his  writings.  He  purchased 
propert)'  in  the  beautiful  little  city  of  Hollywood, 
where  in  1906  he  erected  a  handsome  home  on 
Plummer  street,  which  is  presided  over  by  his 
wife,  formerly  Miss  Eveline  Rasmussen,  whom 
he  married  before  his  first  trip  to  America.  They 
are  the  parents  of  the  following  children :  Olga, 
who  lives  near  San  Francisco :  Manu  H.,  en- 
gaged as  a  blacksmith  in  Los  Angeles ;  Thor,  a 
musician  and  vaudeville  star  touring  the  United 
States  at  the  present  writing;  Philaletha,  who 
was  born  in  Denmark  and  reared  in  California, 
receiving  her  education  in  the  schools  of  Los 
Angeles,  after  which  she  entered  the  law  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Southern  California 
and  was  graduated  June  16,  1905.  and  admitted 
to  the  bar  July  15,  1906.  Her  federal  examina- 
tion was  taken  September  3,  1906,  and  in  the 
near  future  she  expects  to  locate  in  Los  Angeles 
and  engage  in  the  practice  of  her  profession  r 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2113 


liamilton,  foreman  for  the  Lacy  Manufacturing 
Compan_y  in  the  erection  of  oil  tanks ;  Rufus. 
also  a  tank  builder ;  Twain,  at  home ;  and  Eve- 
line, a  student  in  the  grammar  schools  of  Holly- 
wood. 

The  broad  training  which  has  been  the  largest 
educational  feature  in  the  life  of  Mr.  ]\lichelsen 
has  given  him  a  mental  scope  of  unusual  breadth 
and  understanding.  All  of  the  issues  of  life — 
business,  social,  political  or  religious — are  viewed 
by  him  in  a  broad-minded,  liberal  spirit,  are 
weiglied  accLirding  to  his  wide,  mental  grasp 
made  possibly  by  his  ready  assimilation  and 
thorough  understanding  of  human  nature,  and  it 
is  in  this  spirit  that  he  brushes  shoulder  to 
shoulder  with  men  and  measures  that  make  up 
the  warp  and  woof  of  every-day  living.  Inde- 
pendent by  nature  and  made  more  so  by  his 
training,  Mr.  ^Nlichelsen  is  eminently  capable  of 
deciding  important  questions  under  his  own  rigid 
questioning  and  never  decides  hastily  or  without 
due  consideration.  His  judgment  can  be  de- 
pended upon  and  his  decision  be  regarded  be- 
cause of  its  fairness  to  all  concerned.  Mr.  Michel- 
sen  is  a  Theosophist  in  his  religious  views  and 
lives  up  to  the  principles  of  that  doctrine  in  the 
thorough  way  in  which  he  endorses  all  principles 
which  are  a  part  of  his  views.  Thoroughly 
whole-souled  and  genuinely  interested  in  the  ad- 
vancement of  those  about  him,  interesting  and 
entertaining  in  his  mental  development,  Mr. 
Michelsen  has  won  a  host  of  friends  in  his  jour- 
neys about  the  world,  being  appreciated  both  for 
his  moral  and  mental  stature.  He  is  a  citizen  of 
prominence  and  one  upon  whom  public  honor 
may  safely  rest. 


ELIAS  THOWSON.  One  of  the  leading 
citizens  of  Norwalk  and  noted  for  his  zeal  in 
any  movement  pertaining  to  the  upbuilding  and 
development  of  the  place  is  Elias  Thowson,  who 
has  conducted  a  meat  market  here  for  the  past 
ten  years.  He  is  a  native  of  Norway,  his  birth 
having  occurred  there  February  27,  1868;  his 
father,  Thor,  and  mother,  Elizabeth  (Hansen) 
Thowson,  were  both  natives  of  the  same  coun- 
try, and  emigrated  to  America  in  1887  and  in 
California  established  their  home.  They  are 
now  living  near  Anaheim,  Orange  county,  where 
the  father  is  engaged  in  the  management  of  a 
ranch  which  he  owns.  They  are  the  parents  of 
nine  children  all  of  whom  are  now  living  in 
this  state. 

Elias  Thowson  was  sixteen  years  old  when  he 
decided  to  come  to  the  LTnited  States  and  try 
his  fortunes  among  the  broader  opportunities  of 
the  western  world.  He  located  in  Oregon  first 
and  there  engaged  in  ranching  for  the  period  of 
a   year,   when   he   went   to   North    Dakota    and 


worked  on  a  farm  belonging  to  his  uncle.  Two 
years  later,  in  the  year  1887,  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, and  from  Los  Angeles  went  to  Anaheim, 
where  he  eventually  purchased  a  ranch  of  forty 
acres  and  proceeded  to  its  cultivation  and  im- 
provement. He  was  located  about  four  years 
in  that  section  when  he  sold  out  and  went  to 
Washington  and  took  up  land,  but  not  caring  for 
the  climatic  condition  or  prospects  there,  he  re- 
turned to  California  and  in  Buena  Park  fol- 
lowed ranching  for  two  years.  He  then  estab- 
lished a  butcher  business  in  that  place  and  con- 
ducted it  successfully  for  one  year,  when  he 
came  to  Norwalk  and  became  the  proprietor 
of  his  present  fine  business.  This  he  has  built 
up  from  a  small  beginning,  enlarging  his  ca- 
pacity until  he  now  runs  two  wagons  through 
the  country.  He  is  a  successful  business  man 
and  has  made  a  host  of  friends  through  his 
square  and  upright  methods  and  manner  of 
dealing  with  the  public. 

In  1889  Mr.  Thowson  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Edith  Mason,  a  native  of  Wisconsin, 
and  they  have  one  son,  Irving.  Fraternally  he 
is  identified  with  the  Odd  Fellows  organization 
of  Artesia,  and  is  conductor  of  the  lodge ;  the 
Independent  Order  of  Foresters;  Woodmen  of 
the  World ;  Modern  Woodmen  of  America ;  and 
Daughters  of  Rebekah.  In  his  political  convic- 
tions Mr.  Thowson  reserves  the  right  to  cast 
his  ballot  for  the  candidate  he  considers  best 
qualified  to  discharge  official  duty. 


GEORGE  S.  PHILLIPS.  As  one  of  the  ris- 
ing young  men  of  Pomona  mention  belongs  to 
George  S.  Phillips,  who  aside  from  any  reflected 
honor  from  his  well-known  father  is  respected  for 
his  own  personal  worth  and  ability.  Since  the 
death  of  Louis  Phillips,  which  occurred  in  March, 
1900,  his  son  has  been  secretary  of  his  estate, 
which  has  been  incorporated  and  is  known  as  the 
Louis  Phillips  Estate  Company. 

A  native  son  of  the  state,  George  S.  Phillips 
was  born  in  Spadra,  Los  Angeles  county,  Oct- 
ober 21,  1874,  being  the  youngest  child  in  the 
family  of  his  parents.  He  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools.  Since  1901  he  has 
been  a  director  in  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Pomona  and  of  the  Mutual  Building  &  Loan 
Association  also  of  this  place,  and  many  other 
institutions  in  the  town  name  him  among  their 
stockholders.  The  incorporation  of  his  father's 
vast  holdings  made  his  services  necessary  in  its 
management,  and  since  then  he  has  been  secretary 
of  the  Louis  Phillips  Estate  Company.  Included 
among  the  holdings  are  a  number  of  valuable 
business  structures  of  Pomona,  also  similar  prop- 
erty in  Los  Angeles,  and  among  the  latter  may 
be  mentioned  the  Hamburger  and  also  the  New- 


2114 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


mark  stores.  For  nine  years  Mr.  Phillips  was 
a  member  of  Company  D  of  the  old  Ninth  Na- 
tional Guard,  and  later  was  second  lieutenant  of 
Company  D  of  the  Seventh  Regiment,  holding 
this  office  at  the  time  of  his  resignation  in  1898. 
Since  locating  in  Pomona  he  has  become  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Chapter  and  Commandery,  and  Al 
Malaikah  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  N.  M.  S.,  of  Los 
Angeles.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Benevolent 
Protective  Order  of  Elks.  Politically  he  gives 
his  support  to  the  candidates  of  the  Republican 
party. 

In  1897  Mr.  Phillips  was  married  to  Miss 
Irene  Richmond  Dudley,  who  is  a  native  of  Wis- 
consin, and  was  born  in  La  Crosse.  She  came 
west  during  her  girlhood  years,  and  here  re- 
.  ceived  the  greater  part  of  her  education,  her 
school  da3's  closing  with  her  graduation  from 
the  state  normal  school  at  Los  Angeles.  The 
home  life  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Phillips  has  been 
brightened  by  the  birth  of  three  interesting  chil- 
dren, Adelaide  Louise,  Louis  Dudley  and  George 
S.,  Jr.  Mrs.  Phillips  shares  in  the  esteem  in 
which  her  husband  is  held,  and  in  both  religious 
and  social  life  of  Pomona  she  is  an  active  worker. 
She  holds  membership  in  the  Episcopal  Church 
of  this  place,  is  a  member  of  the  Eastern  Star, 
and  also  belongs  to  the  Ebell  and  Shakespeare 
Clubs.  The  family  home  at  No.  305  East  Holt 
street  is  the  center  of  hospitality,  where  their 
manv  friends  delight  to  gather. 


RICHARD  WAINWRIGHT  REEVES.  The 
pioneer  element  was  the  strongest  characteristic 
in  the  life  of  Richard  Wainwright  Reeves,  one 
of  the  early  settlers  of  Redlands  and  a  citizen 
who  gave  no  little  toward  the  upbuilding  and  de- 
velopment of  this  section  of  Southern  California. 
He  was  of  southern  lineage,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred in  North  Carolina  in  February,  1810:  his 
father,  James  Reeves  was  also  bom  in  that  state, 
whence  in  1812  he  removed  to  Tennessee  and  in 
Rutherford  engaged  as  a  farmer  for  eighteen 
years.  Locating  in  Pekin,  Tazewell  county.  111., 
in  1830,  he  followed  the  life  of  a  pioneer  farmer 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  when  over  ninety 
years  old. 

Richard  W.  Reeves  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade  in  Springfield,  III,  and  later  engaged  in 
raising  thoroughbred  horses,  having  a  circuit 
throughout  Illinois  and  Indiana  for  ten  years. 
Removing  to  Missouri  he  located  in  Livingston 
county  and  there  with  his  father-in-law.  Mr. 
Ramsey,  built  the  first  house  on  the  prairie,  the 
wood  brought  direct  from  the  Missouri  forest 
and  their  own  hands  completing  the  work.  He 
followed  farming  after  his  marriage  about  this 
time  and  also  prosecuted  his  trade.  In  1850  he 
followed  the  westward  trend  of  civilization  and 


crossed  the  plains  to  the  gold  fields  of  California, 
returning  after  two  years  to  his  wife,  who  had 
remained  behind  in  Pekin,  111.  In  the  year  of 
his  return  (1852),  they  located  at  Spring  Hill, 
Mo.,  and  made  that  place  their  home  until  1864, 
when,  with  his  wife  and  three  children,  Mr. 
Reeves  outfitted  with  ox-teams  and  crossed  the 
plains  to  Montana.  They  were  four  months  en 
route,  during  which  time  they  suffered  much 
from  the  depredations  of  the  Indians,  but  suc- 
ceeded in  arriving  in  safety  in  August.  There 
]Mr.  Reeves  took  up  a  homestead  ranch  in  Wil- 
low creek  valley,  their  resources  having  been  de- 
pleted by  the  inroads  made  upon  them  by  the 
journey,  etc.,  and  they  were  thus  compelled  to 
begin  at  the  bottom  again.  They  built  a  little 
cabin  and  necessary  outbuildings,  and  there  Mr. 
Reeves  sold  hay  at  $60  per  ton,  and  his  wife  but- 
ter at  $1.50  per  pound.  They  gradually  brought 
their  farm  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  there 
remained  for  twelve  years.  Because  of  the  health 
of  Mrs.  Reeves  (who  had  been  an  invalid  for 
eight  years)  they  came  to  California  in  1876, 
making  the  journey  in  wagons.  The  second  day 
of  the  trip  she  began  to  improve  and  by  the  time 
they  had  reached  Southern  California  she  was  in 
very  much  better  health  and  gave  promise  of  re- 
covering her  health  entirely. 

In  San  Bernardino  county  Mr.  Reeyes  pur- 
chased twenty  acres  of  land  from  J.  B.  Glover  at 
$20  per  acre,  eight  miles  from  the  city  of  San 
Bernardino.  Here  they  built  a  home  and  began 
farming;  for  many  years  it  required  their  united 
efforts  to  again  build  up  their  fortunes,  but  per- 
severance and  energy  conquered,  and  in  1906 
they  sold  a  valuable  twenty-acre  grove  of 
oranges  which  brought  them  large  returns.  Mr. 
Reeves  helped  get  out  the  first  ditches  in  the 
count)'  and  in  many  ways  was  a  factor  in  the  de- 
velopment of  the  section.  His  death  occurred  in 
1882,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Giurch,  as 
is  his  wife,  both  having  united  with  it  in  1841 
and  proved  faithful  to  their  vows  in  the  long 
years  that  followed.  Politically  Mr.  Reeves  was 
a  stanch  adherent  of  the  principles  advocated  in 
the  platform  of  the  Democratic  party. 

Mrs.  Reeves  was  in  maidenhood  Ruth  Ann 
Ramsey,  a  native  of  Qiautauqua  county,  N.  Y., 
and  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Ramsey,  who  was 
bom  in  Ohio,  where  the  paternal  grandfather 
was  a  large  farmer  and  orchardist  in  the  vicinity 
of  Columbus.  Samuel  Ramsey  was  married  in 
Ohio  to  Mary  Porter,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  they  then  located  in  New  York,  where  the 
wife  died  in  early  life.  He  then  married  Rachel 
Porter  and  returning  to  Ohio  located  in  Ashta- 
bula county,  and  three  years  later  to  a  new  post 
of  Ohio,  where  his  daughter  saw  her  first  In- 
dian.    Locating  in  Fremont,  111.,  three  years  !at- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2115 


er,  they  lived  there  for  three  years  and  then  went 
to  Livingston  county,  Mo.,  where  he  improved 
a  farm.  He  eventually  made  a  trip  to  Texas,  but 
did  not  remain  there,  returning  to  Missouri  and 
locating  in  Spring  Hill,  where  he  spent  his  last 
days.  By  his  first  marriage  he  had  three  chil- 
dren, Mrs.  Reeves  being  the  only  one  now  sur- 
viving. She  was  born  April  ii,  1826,  and  up  to 
the  age  of  thirteen  years  attended  the  public 
schools  in  pursuit  of  an  education.  She  was 
married  October  5,  1840,  and  with  her  husband 
began  the  pioneer  life  which  she  has  led  all  these 
years.  After  the  death  of  her  husband  she  sold 
the  orange  grove  and  located  in  Redlands,  where 
she  is  now  residing  at  No.  102  Washington 
street.  She  became  the  mother  of  eight  children, 
of  whom  four  are  now  living:  Joseph  J.,  the  hor- 
ticultural inspector  of  Redlands ;  William  B.,  lo- 
cated in  San  Bernardino ;  J.  Chapman,  engaged 
in  the  hay  and  grain  business  in  Redlands ;  and 
Edward,  of  Redlands. 


JAMES  B.  MURPHY.  The  Murphy  family 
is  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  and  was  represented 
on  the  American  continent  long  before  the 
French  and  Indian  war  added  another  epoch  of 
disquiet  to  the  lives  of  the  colonists.  Tlirough 
marriage  a  strain  of  French  blood  was  added 
to  the  family  in  a  remote  generation.  The  great- 
grandfather Murphy  participated  in  the  French 
and  Indian  war.  He  was  the  son  of  Edwin  and 
Jane  (Tibbetts)  Murphy  and  to  them  twin  sons 
were  born  April  5,  1857,  in  Oskaloosa,  Iowa., 
While  they  were  still  young  the  family  removed 
to  Fairfield,  Jeflferson' county,  that  state,  where 
the  children  were  reared  and  trained,  attending 
the  public  schools  and  Parsons  College.  When 
they  were  twenty  years  old  the  father  died,  and 
shortly  afterward  John  B.  Murphy,  our  subject's 
twin  brother,  was  taken  ill  and  removed  to  Col- 
orado Springs  for  his  health.  In  order  to  be 
near  his  brother  and  tend  him  in  his  illness 
James  B.  accompanied  him  in  1878  and  from  that 
time  until  1884  was  employed  as  a  contractor  in 
plaster  and  mason  work.  For  the  next  six  years 
he  was  engaged  with  Edwin  Florence  in  the  shoe 
business  on  Tejon  street,  Colorado  Springs,  their 
place  of  business  being  known  as  the  City  Boot 
and  Shoe  Store.  In  1891  he  removed  to  Los 
Angeles  and  started  in  the  grocery  business,  in 
Pico  Heights.  In  the  meantime,  in  1892,  he  was 
appointed"  postmaster  at  Pico  Heights,  serving 
under  both  Harrison  and  Qeveland.  Subse- 
quentlv  he  was  appointed  to  fill  the  same  office 
in  Prospect  Park  under  McKinley,  but  a  number 
of  years  later  he  resigned  on  account  of  ill-health 
and  at  the  same  time  sold  his  mercantile  business 
in  Prospect  Park.  Since  regaining  his  health 
Mr.  Murphv  has  resumed  work  at  his  old  trade. 


contracting  for  cement,  brick-work  and  plaster- 
ing of  all  kinds  in  Prospect  Park,  Hollywood 
and  Los  Angeles. 

While  in  Colorado  Springs  Mr.  Murphy  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Alice  Louise 
Parker,  the  ceremony  being  performed  July  16, 
1879.  Mrs.  Murphy  was  born  in  Saratoga  coun- 
ty, N.  Y.,  and  is  a  daughter  of  George  anB 
Louise  Malinda  (Laughlin)  Parker.  Five  chil- 
dren were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Murphy,  of 
whom  four  are  living,  the  eldest,  Alice  Marie, 
dying  when  three  weeks  old ;  Grace  Jane  is  the 
wife  of  B.  F.  Sanford,  and  lives  in  Berkeley, 
Cal. ;  Florence  Louise,  the  wife  of  Warren  J. 
Lander,  makes  her  home  in  Prospect  Park ;  while 
the  two  youngest  children,  Ruth  and  Earl  James, 
are  still  at  home  with  the  parents.  The  subject 
of  education  is  one  which  has  always  been  of  keen 
•interest  to  ]\Ir.  Murphy,  and  as  a  result  he  has 
been  called  upon  to  fill  many  positions  in  this 
line.  Since  1898  he  has  been  trustee  of  the  Los 
Feliz  school  district  and  is  also  trustee  of  the 
Hollywood  L^nion  high  school  and  is  clerk  of 
both  boards. 

In  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Qnirch,  of  which 
Air.  Murphy  is  a  member,  he  has  held  the  office 
of  steward  for  a  number  of  vears.  has  been  a 
teacher  in  its  Sunday-school  for  twenty-five 
vears,  and  for  the  past  three  years  has  been  the 
instructor  of  the  young  ladies'  normal  class.  He 
is  identified  with  but  one  fraternal  organization, 
the  Knights  of  Honor. 


LOUIS  WILHELM.  Many  successive  gen- 
erations of  the  Wilhelm  familv  were  prominent 
in  the  business  development  of  their  native  Ger- 
man village.  Schleid.  The  history  of  the  family 
shows  that  John  Adam  Wilhelm.  who  was  bom 
and  reared  in  Sachse-Weimar,  and  served  for 
several  years  as  tax  collector  and  treasurer  of 
his  district,  owned  a  flour  mill  in  town  and  a 
farm  near  by,  the  management  of  the  two  bring- 
ing to  him  an  excellent  degree  of  profit  each 
year.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Schleswig-Hol- 
stein  war  he  went  to  the  front  and  while  in  ac- 
tive service  was  wounded  so  seriously  that  event- 
ually his  death  resulted  therefrom.  The  estate 
theii  fell  to  his  only  child,  Louis,  who  was  born 
at  Schleid,  Sachse-Weimar,  June  22,  1863,  and 
was  but  two  and  one-half  years  of  age  at  the 
time  of  his  father's  death.  The  money  was 
utilized  largely  in  the  acquiring  of  a  superior 
education  in  the  best  German  institutions  of 
learning.  When  six  years  of  age  he  was  sent 
to  school,  and  until  he  was  eighteen  his  studies 
were  carried  on  without  any  interval  except  the 
regular  vacation  seasons.  Before  he  was  eigh- 
teen he  received  a  teacher's  certificate  from  a 
normal    university.      In    November    of    18S1    he 


2116 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


landed  in  New  York  City  with  several  hundred 
dollars  still  left  of  the  estate.  For  a  time  he 
worked  at  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  at  various  occupations, 
his  main  object  being  the  acquisition  of  a  fair 
knowledge  of  the  English  language.  Later  for 
eighteen  months  he  took  a  business  course,  and 
then  studied  music  and  ancient  and  modern  lan- 
guages at  St.  Vincent's  College,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pa.,  where  he  proved  to  be  an  intelligent 
student  of  exceptional  mental  endowments. 

The  introduction  of  Mr.  Wilhelm  into  Ameri- 
can commercial  methods  took  place  at  Little 
Rock,  Ark.,  where  for  seven  months  he  con- 
ducted a  mercantile  establishment.  At  the  ex- 
piration of  that  time  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  Rudolph  Schwartz  and  built  a  flatboat, 
which  he  stocked  with  general  merchandise  and 
took  down  the  Arkansas  and  Mississippi  rivers 
to  New  Orleans.  For  four  years  he  engaged  in 
trading,  meanwhile  becoming  the  owner  of  nine 
different  boats.  On  selling  out  at  Vicksburg, 
Miss.,  in  1886  he  came  to  California  and  settled 
at  Los  Angeles,  where  he  bought  a  half  inter- 
est in  a  grocery  on  the  corner  of  Ninth  and 
Main  streets.  After  six  months  he  purchased 
his  partner's  interest  in  the  store,  which  he  con- 
ducted for  three  and  one-half  years  and  then 
sold.  The  next  enterprise  in  which  he  became 
interested  was  the  purchase  of  a  half  interest  in 
the  I.  X.  L.  livery  at  No.  824  South  JNIain  street, 
Los  Angeles.  Six  months  later  he  purchased 
the  other  half  interest  from  his  partner,  Albert 
Cross,  and  for  six  years  conducted  a  large  busi- 
ness. During  the  second  year  he  was  given  the 
contract  to  carry  the  Los  Angeles  mails  from 
the  depot  to  the  postoffice,  and  this  contract  he 
filled  for  four  years,  during  the  administration 
of  General  Mathews  as  postmaster.  In  addition 
owned  a  blacksmith's  shop  and  operated  seven 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  the  Mesmer  tract. 
Eventually  he  traded  the  livery  business  for 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Kern  county 
and  $4,000  in  cash,  but  six  months  later  he 
bought  back  the  livery,  and  conducted  the  same 
some  time  longer. 

The  property  holdings  in  which  Mr.  Wilhelm 
has  been  interested  represent  a  considerable 
value.  One  of  his  first  purchases  comprised  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  at  Hemet,  ninety  miles 
from  Los  Angeles.  On  coming  to  Inglewood, 
he  rented  the  Mesmer  tract  of  seven  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  the  Cook  tract  of  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres,  and  the  Freeman  tract  of  four 
hundred  and  eighty  acres,  making  more  than 
fifteen  hundred  acres  devoted  to  the  raising  of 
grain  and  the  pasturage  of  stock.  Another  real- 
estate  acquisition  consists  of  one-fourth  of  a 
block  between  Fifteen  and  Sixteenth  and  Main 
and  Los  Angeles  streets,  with  a  residence  that 
he   rents  to  tenants,  and  about  the  same  time 


he  bought  a  tract  of  twelve  acres  at  Hyde  Park, 
where  he  now  resides,  the  same  forming  a  val- 
uable and  well-improved  ranch.  On  the  north- 
east corner  of  Figueroa  street  and  Vernon  av- 
enue he  bought  for  $4,500  three  lots  151x150 
feet  in  dimensions,  and  recently  he  purchased  an 
improved  ranch  of  six  hundred  and  thirty-eight 
acres  four  miles  west  of  Hemet,  which  is  valued 
at  $30,000.  Twenty  miles  east  of  Palm  Springs, 
Riverside  county,  he  owns  an  eighty-acre  tract 
where  the  thousand  palms  grow.  In  all,  he 
owns  over  1,000  acres  of  farming  land.  He  is 
a  stockholder  of  the  Lomita  Land  &  Water 
Company.  Also  a  stockholder  and  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Hyde  Park  ^^'ater  Company.  All  of 
his  holdings  represent  a  value  of  $100,000  and 
represent  his  wise  investments  since  coming  to 
the  coast  country.  In  additon  to  these  holdings 
he  loans  money  on  ranch  mortgages  and  makes 
investments  as  time  and  opportunity  afford. 

The  marriage  of  IMr.  Wilhelm  occurred  May 
10,  1892,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Katie  M. 
Maxey,  a  native  of  Denver,  Colo.,  and  daughter 
of  John  J.  Maxey,  one  of  the  prosperous  busi- 
ness men  of  Los  Angeles  and  Denver,  Colo. 
Their  family  comprises  the  following-named  chil- 
dren ;  Theresa,  Louis  L.,  Anna  Laura,  Karl  Jo- 
seph, Angelina  M.,  Leo  F.,  Alma  K.,  Walter  J., 
Gladys  M.  and  Grace  R.  The  children  have 
been  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  of  which  the  parents  are  earnest  sup- 
porters. Since  coming  to  America  Mr.  Wilhelm 
has  been  stanch  and  active  in  his  allegiance  to 
the  Republican  party,  but  he  has  held  no  offices 
except  such  as  were  of  an  educational  nature, 
included  in  the  latter  being  the  positions  of  presi- 
dent of  the  Inglewood  Union  high  school  board 
and  clerk  of  the  Hvde  Park  school  board. 


PIRL  T.  WARD.  The  trade  of  carpenter 
and  ranching  pursuits  have  occupied  the  atten- 
tion of  P.  T.  Ward  since  his  location  in  Cali- 
fornia about  twenty  years  ago.  He  is  now  lo- 
cated in  the  vicinity  of  Artesia  and  engaged  in 
the  management  of  a  thirty-acre  ranch,  given 
over  to  grain,  table-grapes,  potatoes  and  general 
products,  and  in  the  conduct  of  his  work  has 
proven  his  ability,  his  perseverance  and  energy. 
Mr.  Ward  is  a  native  of  jNIadison  county,  Ohio, 
where  he  was  bom  November  6,  1854,  a  son  of 
John  E.  and  Eleanor  (Harris)  Ward,  natives 
respectively  of  ]\Iaryland  and  Ohio.  The  family 
eventually  located  in  Colorado  Springs,  Colo., 
where  the  father  passed  away  at  the  age  of  eighty 
vears,  his  wife  having  died  in  Kansas  when  about 
fifty.  They  became  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren, of  whom  but  three  are  now  living.  A 
daughter.  Mrs.  Mathews,  lives  in  the  vicinity  of 
her  brother.  P.  T. ;  Tohn.  the  eldest  son.  served 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2117 


valiantly  in  the  Civil  war.  Up  to  the  age  of 
seventeen  years  P.  T.  Ward  was  reared  in  Ohio 
and  received  his  education  through  the  medium 
of  the  public  schools.  At  that  time  the  family 
located  in  Kansas,  where  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  in  Pea- 
body,  ]\Iarion  county,  that  state,  being  located  in 
Peabody  from  1871  till  1887,  where  he  carried 
on  his  trade.  In  the  mean  time  he  bought  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  railroad  land  and 
devoted  this  farm  to  the  raising  of  grain  and 
stock.  In  1887  he  came  to  California  and  in 
Los  Angeles  found  employment  at  his  trade,  re- 
maining in  that  city  until  1903,  when  he  pur- 
chased his  present  property,  the  cultivation  of 
which  is  turned  over  to  his  sons  while  he  con- 
tinues to  ply  his  trade  in  the  city  of  Los  An- 
geles. He  was  married  in  1876  to  Miss  Emma 
L.  Thomas,  a  native  of  Wisconsin,  who  with 
her  parents,  William  H.  and  Sarah  Thomas, 
came  to  Kansas  in  1875.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ward 
became  the  parents  of  the  following  children : 
P.  A.,  who  married  Lilian  Williams  of  Wins- 
low,  Ariz. ;  John  E.,  assistant  clerk  of  the 
Phoenix  (Ariz.)  legislature;  S.  G. ;  Paul  R. ; 
L.  S. ;  and  Edith.  Mr.  Ward  is  a  stanch  advo- 
cate of  Republican  principles  and  while  in  Kan- 
sas served  for  some  vears  as  constable. 


HON.  CHARLES  J.  WALKER.  The  posi- 
tion accorded  the  Hon.  Charles  J.  Walker  in  the 
municipal,  financial  and  social  life  of  Long 
Beach,  Cal.,  is  one  to  which  he  is  justly  en- 
titled, the  success  of  his  career  since  locating 
in  this  city  being  the  result  of  applied  ability  and 
an  unswerving  integrity  of  citizenship.  Born, 
reared  and  educated  in  New  York  state,  he  prof- 
ited both  by  inheritance  from  early  ancestors  who 
settled  on  the  Atlantic  coast  and  also  by  the  hab- 
its of  perseverance  and  energy  which  were  in- 
culcated by  constant  training,  and  to  eastern  con- 
servatism he  has  added  western  progress  and 
brought  about  a  personal  success,  financially  and 
socially,  while  at  the  same  time  he  has  proven 
himself  an  important  factor  in  the  development 
of  his  adopted  city. 

Mr.  Walker,  born  in  Allegany  county,  N.  Y., 
November  8,  1869,  is  the  youngest  in  a  family 
of  five  children,  of  whom  three  are  living.  His 
father,  William  D.  Walker,  was  also  a  native  of 
New  York  state,  where  he  engaged  in  the  man- 
ufacture of  furniture  until  1879.  In  that  year  he 
came  to  California  and  located  in  Tulare  county, 
shortly  after  which  his  death  occurred,  his  wife, 
a  Miss  Esterbrook,  having  died  in  New  York 
state,  the  place  of  her  birth,  a  number  of  years 
previous.  Charles  J.  Walker  remained  in  the 
state  of  his  birth  uiitil  1889,  attending  the  put- 
lie    schools    in   pursuit   of   a   primary   education, 


and  later  becoming  a  student  in  Alfred  Uni- 
versity, and  finally  completing  a  commercial 
course  in  the  Almond  high  school.  LTpon  his 
location  in  Tulare  countyj  Cal.,  he  accepted  a 
position  with  a  large  real  estate  firm,  and  was 
later  employed  in  the  abstract  office  and  as  dep- 
uty auditor  under  Mr.  Jeffords.  Foreseeing  the 
possibilities  of  Southern  California,  he  resigned 
from  his  position  in  Tulare  county  and  came  to 
the  coast,  in  i8qs  locating  in  Long  Beach.  Here 
he  engaged  independently  in  the  real-estate  busi- 
ness, buying  and  selling  lots,  building  residences 
and  disposing  of  them  profitably  as  the  town 
grew  from  a  population  of  twelve  hundred  peo- 
ple to  its  present  number.  In  all  its  progress 
Mr.  Walker  has  kept  thoroughly  abreast,  actively 
participating  in  all  movements  calculated  to  ad- 
vance the  general  welfare,  and  at  the  same  time 
constantly  adding  to  his  own  prosperity.  With 
his  real-estate  business  he  has  combined  that  of 
insurance,  representing  several  of  the  leading 
companies  throughout  the  country,  and  besides 
maintains  with  credit  responsibilities  in  many  of 
the  most  substantial  enterprises  of  the  city.  He 
is  president  of  the  People's  Bank  of  Long  Beach ; 
a  director  in  the  First  National  and  Citizens' 
Savings  Banks,  of  Long  Beach ;  a  director  in  the 
company  now  making  preparation  to  erect  the 
new  hotel ;  and  president  of  the  Mercantile  Com- 
pany (of  which  he  was  one  of  the  organizers.) 
He  is  also  identified  as  secretary  with  the  Land 
&  Navigation  Company,  being  associated  with 
StephenTownsend  in  its  organization,  this  com- 
pany turning  over  eight  hundred  acres  to  the 
Los  Angeles  Dock  &  Terminal  Company,  one 
of  the  largest  real-estate  deals  in  the  vicinity  of 
Long  Beach. 

Besides  his  multifold  duties  and  responsibili- 
ties in  the  business  activity  of  Long  Beach,  Mr. 
Walker  has  taken  a  strong  interest  in  municipal 
life,  giving  his  best  eflforts  in  the  promotion  of 
proper  government.  As  a  Republican  he  has 
sought  to  advance  the  principles  he  endorses,  and 
through  the  influence  of  this  party  was  sentas 
an  elector  in  1904  to  the  national  convention 
from  the  ninth  district  of  Southern  California. 
In  April  of  1 900  he  was  elected  to  the  city 
board  of  trustees  for  four  years,  and  upon  the 
organization  of  the  citizens'  ticket  was  made 
president  of  the  board  and  served  as  mayor  un- 
til 1903,  when  on  account  of  ill  health  he  re- 
signed. 

He  was  elected  chairman  of  the  board  as  a 
no-license  man  and  following  his  election  was 
largelv  instrumental  in  putting  out  the  saloons 
and  cleaning  up  the  city.  In  all  things  he  has 
proven  himself  a  man  of  public  spirit  and  a  citi- 
zen upon  whom  the  honor  of  the  city  and  com- 
munity niav  safelv  rest. 

In    Long   Beach,    in    1893.    Mr.    Walker    was 


2118 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Carrie  D.  Ziegler, 
a  native  of  Kansas  and  of  German  parentage. 
The}'  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  all  born 
in  Long  Beach :  Alice,  Charles,  Gussie  and 
Marion.  Fraternally  Mr.  Walker  is  associated 
with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  Knights  of 
the  Maccabees,  and  in  his  religious  views  ad- 
heres to  the  doctrines  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  in  which  he  ofificiates  as  chairman  of 
the  board  of  trustees. 


HENRY  HOWARD  WILSHIRE.  Repre- 
senting one  of  the  old  and  prominent  families  of 
Southern  California,  Henry  Howard  Wilshire 
spent  the  days  of  his  young  manhood  and  ma- 
turer  years  as  a  resident  of  San  Bernardino  coun- 
ty, wdiere  he  assisted  in  its  development  as  a 
progressive  and  enterprising  agriculturist.  He 
was  born  in  Utah  November  lo,  1856,  a  son  of 
George  T.  Wilshire,  an  honored  pioneer  of  Cali- 
fornia and  one  whose  personal  biography  will 
be  found  in  the  sketch  of  another  son,  Joseph 
E.,  which  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
Henry  H.  Wilshire  came  to  California  with  his 
parents  and  in  San  Bernardino  was  reared  on  the 
home  farm  and  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  the  county.  Upon  becoming  dependent  upon' 
his  own  resources  he  located  on  a  government 
claim  in  Oak  Glenn,  clearing  a  farm  from  brush 
and  undergrowth  and  beginning  the  raising  of 
stock,  in  which  he  was  engaged  for  many  years 
following.  He  set  out  an  apple  orchard  and  took 
out  ditches  for  irrigation  from  the  Little  San 
Gorgonia,  and  also  gave  considerable  time  and 
attention  to  the  raising  of  potatoes,  which  is  a 
profitable  product  of  this  section.  At  his  death, 
which  occurred  August  18,  1895,  he  owned  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  located  sixteen  miles 
from  Redlands,  twenty-five  acres  being  in  apple 
orchard  and  the  remainder  devoted  to  grain  and 
hay.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  his  political  affilia- 
tions and  one  of  the  upbuilders  of  the  section. 

He  was  married  in  Colton  January  i,  1880,  to 
Miss  Harriet  Ann  Vaughan,  a  native  of  San 
Bernardino,  and  a  daughter  of  James  Henry 
Vaughan.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  Wales, 
and  being  left  an  orphan  by  the  death  of  his 
father  he  came  to  the  United  States  with  his 
mother  and  in  Utah  located  at  Salt  Lake  City. 
He  teamed  in  the  mountains  until  1858  when  he 
came  to  San  Bernardino  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, finally  locating  in  Colton,  where  he  fol- 
lowed general  farming  pursuits.  He  is  now  living 
on  his  ranch  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years. 
His  wife  formerly  Harriet  Sauze,  was  a  native  of 
England ;  she  came  to  Utah  across  the  plains  and 
was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Salt  Lake  City. 
She  is  also  living,  being  seventy-one  years  old. 
They  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  all 


of  whom  are  living,  Mrs.  Wilshire  being  the 
fourth  in  order  of  birth.  Since  her  husband's 
death  Mrs.  Wilshire  has  continued  to  reside  on 
the  home  farm.  She  is  a  woman  of  rare 
worth  of  character  and  held  in  the  high- 
est appreciation  by  all  who  have  ever 
known  her.  In  religion  she  is  a  member  of  the 
]\Iethodist  Episcopal  Church  ;  politically  she  leans 
toward  the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party, 
and  believing  in  her  right  and  duty  to  exercise 
the  powers  of  citizenship  has  served  for  about 
five  years  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees 
of  the  Yucaipe  district.  She  is  the  mother  of 
five  children,  namely :  William  Henry,  of  Los 
Angeles ;  Elmer  Clarence,  in  charge  of  the  home 
farm  ;  Bert  Loarn  ;  George  Frederick  ;  and  Hen- 
rietta Elsie. 


CLARENCE  A.  WATSON.  Although  Mr. 
Watson  has  been  a  resident  of  Redlands  but 
a  brief  time,  he  has  still  firmly  established  his 
position  among  the  enterprising  and  helpful 
citizens  of  the  place,  and  is  intent  on  the  up- 
building and  development  of  its  resources.  He 
has  recently  built  a  magnificent  home  in  Red- 
lands  on  the  heights  overlooking  the  San  Bernar- 
dino valley,  the  grounds  being  superbly  laid  out 
and  terraced,  and  complete  with  every  beauty  pos- 
sible to  the  sunny  clime  of  Southern  California. 
Mr.  Watson  was  born  in  Newark,  N.  J.,  in  1866, 
the  elder  of  two  children  born  to  his  parents, 
George  and  Sarah  F.  (Kilpatrick)  Watson,  na- 
tives respectively  of  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  and  New  Jer- 
sej',  and  both  representatives  of  old  and  honored 
families.  The  paternal  grandfather,  Thomas, 
was  born  in  England  and  came  to  America  and 
in  New  York  established  his  home,  where 
George  Watson  attained  manhood.  He  then 
came  to  New  Jersey  and  in  Newark  began  a 
business  career  as  a  manufacturer  of  clothing, 
establishing  in  1850  the  George  Watson  Com- 
pany and  managing  its  interests  up  to  the  time 
of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  i8g8.  His  wife 
is  still  surviving  and  makes  her  home  in  New 
York  City,  where  their  son,  George  Jr.,  resides. 

Clarence  A.  Watson  was  reared  in  his  native 
city  and  educated  in  its  public  and  private  schools, 
graduating  from  the  Newark  Academy  in  1844. 
He  then  entered  his  father's  manufactory,  begin- 
ning at  the  first  rung  of  the  ladder,  learning  the 
details  of  the  enterprise  in  the  humblest  capacity 
and  thoroughly  mastering  the  management,  so 
that  he  was  able  upon  the  death  of  his  father  to 
assume  entire  charge  of  the  concern.  Not  only 
was  he  able  to  carry  on  his  father's  methods, 
but  with  an  originality  and  daring  business 
sagacity  enlarged  the  enterprise  and  added  to 
its  possibilities,  in  time  building  the  magnificent 
brick  block  in   Newark  at  the  corner  of  Broad 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2119 


and  Market  streets,  where  the}-  occupy  four  im- 
mense stores  in  the  conduct  of  the  business.  He 
remained  a  resident  of  Newark  until  ujoi,  when, 
having  made  several  trips  to  Southern  Califor- 
nia, he  concluded  to  locate  permanently  in  Red- 
lands,  and  accordingly  began  work  on  the  mag- 
nificent home  which  is  now  a  pride  of  the  city. 
He  is  interested  in  horticulture  and  looks  after 
an  orange  grove  which  he  owns.  In  New  York 
City  Mr.  Watson  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  M.  J.  Hill,  of  New  York,  and  they  have 
two  children,  George  and  Harold.  Fraternally 
Mr.  Watson  was  made  a  Mason  in  East  Orange, 
in  Hope  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  where  he  still  holds 
membership.  Personally  Mr.  Watson  is  a  man 
of  pleasing  characteristics,  affable,  genial  and 
liberal  with  his  means  in  the  advancement  of 
public  interests.  In  his  residence  in  Redlands 
he  has  won  a  wide  circle  of  friends  who  ap- 
preciate him  for  his  fine  qualities  of  character 
and  manhood. 


HENRY  BROWN  WILSON.  The  official 
life  of  San  Bernardino  county  has  in  Mr.  Wil- 
son, its  present  county  assessor,  an  able  and  ef- 
ficient representative  whose  duties  have  been 
faithfully  discharged  since  taking  up  this  work. 
He  came  to  Southern  California  in  1887.  He 
was  born  in  Gardner,  Me.,  June  15,  1856,  a  son 
of  John  S.  Wilson,  whose  personal  history  is 
given  at  length  in  the  biography  of  John  W. 
Wilson  which  appears  on  another  page  of  this 
volume.  The  family  came  to  California  in  1870 
but  returned  to  Maine  and  located  in  Portland, 
where  Mr.  Wilson  completed  his  preparatory 
work  in  the  Portland  high  school  and  then  en- 
tered Bowdoin  College,  graduating  therefrom  in 
1880,  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.,  and  three  years 
later  was  honored  with  the  degree  of  A,  M,, 
bv  his  alma  mater.  In  1881  he  came  to  Denver, 
Colo.,  and  remained  there  for  eight  months  in  the 
employ  of  a  business  firm  as  bookkeeper.  He 
then  returned  to  Portland  and  accepted  the  posi- 
tion of  head  accountant  for  the  firm  of  C.  M. 
Rice  &  Co.,  a  wholesale  paper  concern  of  that 
city,  and  remained  in  this  connection  for  tha 
period  of  four  years.  He  then  went  to  Boston 
and  was  in  business  for  a  year. 

Coming  to  Southern  California  in  1887  he 
located  in  Redlands  and  became  receiver  for  the 
mill  and  lumber  firm  of  Pratt  &  North,  and  after 
completing  their  affairs  in  good  shape  he  went 
to  Puget  "Sound  in  January,  i88g,  and  engaged 
with  Pope  &  Talbot  "of  the  Puget  Mill  Company 
as  cashier  for  the  period  of  three  years,  and 
then  returning  to  Redlands  he  soon  entered  the 
First  National  Bank  as  bookkeeper,  working  up 
to  the  position  of  teller  and  assistant  cashier. 
This  position  he  resigned  in  May,  1906,  to  accept 


the  position  of  manager  for  the  Home  Gas  & 
Electric  Company,  which  had  just  been  or- 
ganized, he  assuming  charge  of  the  time  of  the 
business,  construction  of  the  plant,  the  laying  of 
pipes,  installation  of  the  plant,  which  has  a  ca- 
pacity of  two  thousand  horse  power.  This  busi- 
ness 'he  ably  conducted  until  the  fall  of  1906, 
when,  having  come  prominently  before  the  public 
in  various  official  capacities,  he  was  nominated 
on  the  Republican  ticket  for  the  office  of  county 
assessor.  His  election  followed  November  6, 
with  a  majority  of  thirteen  hundred  votes,  and 
on  Tanuarv  7, '1907,  he  took  the  oath  of  office 
and"  entered  upon  his  duties  for  a  term  of  four 
years.  He  has  proven  his  ability  in  official  posi- 
tion, having  held  the  position  of  city  treasurer 
for  a  vear,  preceded  by  several  years'  experience 
as  deputy  in  that  office. 

In  Los  Angeles  Mr.  Wilson  was  united  ^  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Mary  K.  Kenney,  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  they  have  one  son,  Kenneth 
Field.  ^Ir.  Wilson  is  prominent  in  fraternal 
circles,  being  identified  with  Redlands  Lodge 
No.  186,  K.  of  P.,  of  which  he  is  past  chancellor 
commander,  and  also  belongs  to  the  Uniformed 
Rank  of  the  K.  of  P. :  is  a  member  of  Redlands 
Lodge  No.  583.  B.  P.  O.  E.,  of  which  he  is  past 
exalted  ruler;  Woodmen  of  the  World;  and  the 
Roval  Court,  of  which  he  is  past  chancellor  and 
present  grand  auditor.  He  supports  the  Catholic 
Church,  of  which  his  wife  is  a  member.  For 
many  vears  he  has  served  as  a  member  of  the 
Republican  county  central  committee  as  a  mem- 
ber of  its  executive  committee,  and  in  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  citv's  interests  is  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Trade.  December  24.  1902,  he  re- 
ceived the  appointment  from  Governor  Gage  to 
membership  on  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the 
Southern  California  state  hospital  at  Patton,  and 
was  re-appointed  January  7,  1907,  by  Governor 
Pardee  to  the  same  posi'tion.  In  every  way  he 
has  proven  himself  a  capable  and  public  spirited 
citizen  and  has  given  his  best  efforts  toward  the 
material  upbuilding  of  his  adopted  city. 


ERASTUS  C.  WHITE.  A  well  known  and 
esteemed  citizen  of  Los  Angeles  county  is  Eras- 
tus  C.  White,  who  is  engaged  in  the  manage- 
ment of  a  ranch  in  the  vicinity  of  Norwdk, 
where  he  has  been  a  resident  since  1898.  He 
was  born  in  Mercer  county.  Pa.,  February  4, 
1847,  a  son  of  William  and  Rachel  (Temple) 
White,  both  natives  of  the  same  state.  He  re- 
ceived a  common  school  education  in  his  native 
county  and  after  completing  the  course  he  learned 
the  trade  of  wagon  maker.  He  then  enlisted 
for  service  in  the  Civil  war,  becoming  a  soldier 
in  Companv  E,  Seventh  United  States  Infantry 
at  Erie    Pa".,  and  being  ordered  to  the  front  saw 


2120 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


service  in  many  of  the  important  engagements 
of  the  struggle.  He  was  at  City  Point  in 
Virginia,  at  Grant's  headquarters,  also  served 
along  the  Weldon  railroad,  was  then  stationed 
at  Fort  Schuyler,  and  was  next  sent  to  Florida, 
where  he  remained  for  about  a  year  and  a  half. 
He  received  his  honorable  discharge  in  Tampa, 
Fla.,  in  March,  1867,  having  re-enlisted  Febru- 
ary 29,    1864. 

Returning  to  Pennsylvania  he  remained  a  few 
years  and  then  went  to  Iowa  and  bought  a  farm 
of  eighty  acres  and  there  carried  on  general 
ranching'  for  three  years,  from  there  going  to 
Rice  county,  Kans.,'  he  took  up  a  government 
claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  His 
home  remained  in  that  section  for  the  period  of 
ten  years,  when  he  removed  to  Kansas  City  and 
there  worked  for  the  Kansas  City,  Fort  Scott 
&  Memphis  Railroad  in  the  car  department.  He 
was  thus  emploved  for  ten  years  when  he  located 
in  Salt  Lake  Citv  and  entered  the  car  department 
of  the  Rio  Grande  &  Western  Railroad  at  Salt 
Lake,  spending  about  a  half  of  his  time  in  Provo, 
Utah.  Resigning  from  this  work  in  1890 
he  came  to  Southern  California  and  in  Los  An- 
geles engaged  in  the  car  department  of  the 
Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  remaining 
with  them  for  eight  years.  In  1898  he  came  to 
his  present  location  and  purchased  thirty  acres, 
ten  acres  of  which  are  devoted  to  the  raising  of 
wine  grapes,  and  the  balance  to  grain  and  pasture 
land.  He  is  also  engaged  in  the  raising  of  poul- 
trv,  having  several  hundred  pure  bred  Leghorns. 

'In  1874  Mr.  White  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Hattie  Shaw,  who  died  in  1904,  leav- 
ing two  daughters,  Lucy,  wife  of  H.  E.  Memory, 
of  Los  Angeles;  and  Minnie,  at  home  with  her 
father.  Fraternally  Mr.  White  is  a  member  of 
the  Odd  Fellows  organization  in  the  east,  and 
politicallv  he  is  a  stanch  Republican.  In  memory 
of  his  days  of  soldiering  he  belongs  to  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic. 


CHARLES  YOUNG.  For  nearly  thirty 
years  Charles  Young  has  been  a  resident  of  this 
community  and  has  taken  his  place  as  one  of  the 
substantial,  reliable  citizens  of  the  section.  In- 
heriting the  sturdy  traits  characteristic  of  his 
forefathers,  he  was  born  in  Sweden  August  15, 
1849,  a  son  of  Peter  and  Anna  M.  (Anderson) 
Young,  both  natives  of  that  country,  the  father 
engaging  as  a  captain  in  the  Swedish  navy  and 
losing  his  life  at  sea.  The  mother  passed  away  in 
her  native  country,  leaving  a  family  of  five  chil- 
dren, of  whom  all  but  Charles  Young  are  still 
residents  of  Sweden. 

A  good  high  school  education  was  received  by 
Charles  Young  in  his  native  country,  and  after 
completing  the  course  he  went  to  sea  and  fol- 


lowed this  life  for  the  period  of  six  years.  De- 
ciding to  locate  in  the  United  States  as  the  land 
of  opportunities  of  which  he  had  heard  so  much 
during  his  work  as  steward  on  a  Swedish  mer- 
chant vessel,  he  came  to  the  United  States  and 
in  Chicago  engaged  in  the  house  moving  busi- 
ness for  the  period  of  two  years.  Coming  to 
California  in  1872  he  located  in  San  Francisco 
and  engaged  in  the  conduct  of  a  restaurant  and 
after  two  and  a  half  years  went  to  the  mines  in 
Nevada  where  he  spent  some  time.  He  was 
quite  successful  in  his  efforts  and  saved  money 
with  which  to  invest  in  real  estate,  which  he 
did  immediately  after  coming  to  Los  Angeles 
county,  purchasing  twenty  acres  of'  land  and 
erecting  a  fine  home  and  commodious  outbuild- 
ings for  the  necessary  equipment  of  the  ranch. 
He  has  added  to  his  acreage  until  he  now  owns 
sixty-five  acres  of  valuable  land.  He  has  sixteen 
acres  devoted  to  wine  grapes  and  is  a  director  in 
the  Artesia  Wine  Association.  The  balance  of  the 
property  is  given  over  to  barley  and  alfalfa.  The 
ranch  shows  the  care  and  attention  which  Mr. 
Young  has  given  it,  everything  being  in  ex- 
cellent repair  and  the  land  brought  to  a  high 
state  of  cultivation. 

In  1876  Mr.  Young  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Elizabeth  Finley,  Nevada  City,  Cal, 
a  daughter  of  John  Finley,  a  pioneer  of  Cali- 
fornia, and  they  have  two  children,  Mamie  and 
Gertrude.  Fraternally  Mr.  Young  is  associated 
with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  lodge  here  and  the 
Independent  Order  of  Foresters,  and  politically 
he  is  a  stanch  Republican.  He  supports  the 
Catholic  Church,  of  which  his  wife  is  a  mem- 
ber. For  a  time  after  coming  to  this  section 
Mr.  Young  followed  the  butcher  business,  and  in 
this  enterprise  was  very  successful. 


JOHN  W.  WILSON,  the  national  bank  ex- 
aminer, is  a  man  of  wide  experience  in  this  line 
and  is  well  known  throughout  Southern  Cali- 
fornia where  he  has  made  his  home  for  over 
twenty  years.  He  is  a  native  of  Maine,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  Gardner  August  25,  1858. 
His  father,  John  S.  Wilson,  was  born  in  Rich- 
mond, Me.,  of  Scotch  ancestry,  and  in  young 
manhood  engaged  as  a  merchant  in  Gardner;  in 
1870  he  came  to  Alameda,  Cal.,  thence  two  years 
later  went  back  to  Portland,  Me.  In  1886  he  came 
to  California  and  retired  from  the  active  cares 
of  life,  making  his  home  in  Redlands  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1904  ,at  the  age  of 
seventy-seven  years.  He  had  made  a  trip  via 
the  Isthmus  of  Panama  to  California  in  1850 
and  with  his  brother  William,  engaged  as  a 
merchant  in  San  Francisco.  He  returned  to 
Maine  three  years  later,  his  brother  continuing 
the  mercantile  enterprise  in  San  Francisco  for 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2121 


many  years.  He  married  Anna  Field,  a  native 
of  Gardner,  Me.,  and  she  is  still  surviving  and 
making  her  home  in  Redlands.  They  were  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom  five  are  surviv- 
ing and  making  their  homes  in  Redlands,  a  son, 
H.  B.,  being  county  assessor. 

The  third  in  order  of  birth,  John  W.  Wilson 
was  reared  in  his  native  city  and  educated  in  its 
public  schools,  accompanying  his  parents  to  Ala- 
meda, Gal.,  and  two  years  later  returning  to 
Portland,  Me.,  where  he  graduated  from  the  high 
school  in  1877.  He  then  entered  Bowdoin  College 
and  graduated  therefrom  four  years  later  with 
the  degree  of  A.  B.  He  then  engaged  in  business 
in  Portland  in  a  wholesale  hardware  enterprise 
under  the  firm  name  of  N.  M.  Perkins  &  Co. 
In  1886  he  disposed  of  these  interests  and  com- 
ing to  Southern  California  located  in  Redlands, 
here  with  his  father  purchasing  ten  acres  on 
West  Cypress  avenue,  which  they  immediately 
set  out  in  oranges,  and  at  the  same  time  began 
improving  a  fifteen-acre  tract  on  San  Bernar- 
dino avenue.  In  1887  when  the  Bank  of  East 
San  Bernardino  Valley  was  opened  he  became 
its  cashier.  This  bank  later  became  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Redlands  and  he  remained  its 
cashier  until  July,  1900,  when  he  resigned  to 
accept  the  position  of  national  bank  examiner 
for  California  and  Nevada,  which  office  he  has 
since  filled  with  entire  credit  to  himself  and 
satisfaction  to  all  concerned.  Previous  to  this 
he  was  instrumental  in  the  organization  of  the 
Savings  Bank  of  Redlands.  In  March,  1907, 
he  resigned  as  national  bank  examiner,  having 
been  elected  vice-president  of  the  American 
National   Bank,   of    San   Francisco. 

In  1904  Mr.  Wilson  erected  a  fine  residence 
on  West  Palm  avenue,  which  is  presided  over 
by  his  wife,  formerly  Miss  Jennie  C.  Haskell, 
a  native  of  Topsham.  Me.,  where  their  marriage 
occurred  in  1886.  They  have  one  daughter. 
Marguerite,  and  a  son,  Sanford.  Mr.  Wilson 
is  associated  fraternallv  with  the  Benevolent  and 
Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  politically  is  a 
true  blue  Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Redlands  Board  of  Trade  and  active  in  all 
measures  tending  toward  the  advancement  of 
the  citv's  welfare. 


ROBERT  H.  \1ARTIN.  In  1884  when  the 
Carter  excursion  from  Los  Angeles  and  surround- 
ing country  was  given,  Mr.  Martin  was  one  of 
the  men  hired  to  drive  the  prospective  buyers 
from  Watson  Junction,  using  ordinary  farm 
wagons  for  the  purpose,  hence  the  latter  may 
claim  with  justice  to  have  witnessed  the  growth 
of  Long  Beach  from  a  very  early  date.  In- 
deed, before  it  was  supposed  that  a  town  would 
be  located  on  this  site,  he  often  cut  grain  in  the 


fields  here  and  engaged  in  general  farm  work 
on  land  where  beautiful  homes  now  stand.  Af- 
ter some  years  of  successful  work  as  a  rancher 
and  fruit-grower,  in  January  of  1905  he  sold  his 
country  property  and  moved  into  Long  Beach, 
where  he  erected  his  first  residence  on  the  lot 
on  the  corner  of  Fourth  and  Daisy  streets ;  in 
addition  to  this  property  he  owns  business  prop- 
erty on  Pine  street  also  occasional  dealing  in 
real  estate.  In  1906  he  erected  a  modern  resi- 
dence at  No.  1021  Locust  avenue,  where  he  is 
now  living. 

The  Martin  family  is  of  English  extraction. 
William  and  Mary  (Harper)  Martin  were  na- 
tives of  England,  but  emigrated  from  there  to 
Canada  in  youth  and  met  and  married  in  a  Cana- 
dian community.  From  there  they  removed  to 
the  States  and  settled  in  Indianapolis,  Ind., 
where  their  son,  Robert  H.,  was  born  November 
3,  i860,  and  where  the  wife  and  mother  died  in 
young  womanhood.  From  Indiana  the  family 
went  to  Iowa  and  remained  in  Marshalltown 
for  eight  years.  Early  in  the  year  1875  the 
father  with  two  sons,  Robert  H.  and  Walter  H., 
and  a  daughter,  Laura  (who  is  now  the  wife  of 
Alfred  Owens)  left  Iowa  for  the  far  west,  mak- 
ing the  journey  overland.  For  four  months  they 
stopped  in  Round  valley,  Utah,  and  celebrated 
the  4th  of  July  with  appropriate  ceremonies  in 
Salt  Lake  City.  Eventually,  in  March  of  1876, 
they  landed  at  Los  Angeles,  where  the  father,  who 
was  a  carpenter,  found  ready  employment  at  his 
trade.  After  a  year  he  settled  upon  a  ranch  and 
for  some  time  devoted  his  attention  principally 
to  the  duties  incident  to  agricultural  and  horti- 
cultural pursuits.  On  retiring  from  active  cares 
he  came  to  Long  Beach,  where  at  the  age  of  over 
eighty  years  he  still  maintains  a  deep  interest 
in  the  well-being  of  the  community  and  retains 
his  physical  and  mental  activity  to  a  large 
degree. 

When  less  than  fifteen  years  of  age  Robert 
H.  Martin  started  on  the  long  journey  across 
the  plains  and  mountains,  in  company  with  other 
members  of  the  family.  Previous  to  this  he  had 
attended  the  common  schools  of  Marshalltown 
and  later  he  studied  in  the  Los  Angeles  county 
schools  at  Alhambra  for  a  short  time,  but  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  years  he  left  school  and  be- 
came self-supporting.  For  some  time  he  worked 
as  a  farm  hand  at  Alhambra.  On  attaining  his 
majority  he  bought  ten  acres  at  the  Willows, 
two  miles  north  of  Long  Beach,  and  afterward 
bought  adjoining  property,  so  that  he  cultivated, 
of  his  own  and  rented  land,  a  considerable  acre- 
age, the  larger  part  of  which  was  in  fruit.  As 
previously  stated,  he  disposed  of  the  ranch  at 
the  beginning  of  the  year  1905  and  came  to 
Long  Beach,  where  already  he  had  a  large  cir- 
cle of  friends  and  acquaintances.     \\''liile  living 


2122 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


at  the  Willows,  in  1893,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Olive,  daughter  of  Russell  Kingcade, 
a  well-known  citizen  who  is  represented  else- 
where in  this  volume.  Two  children  blessed 
their  union,  namel)' :  \'iolet  A'elma,  who  died  in 
infancy ;  and  George  K.,  who  was  born  in  March, 
1900.  Airs.  Martin  is  a  member  of  the  Eastern 
Star  Chapter  and  the  Ebell  Club  of  Long  Beach. 
Though  not  active  in  politics  and  never  car- 
ing for  the  excitement  of  official  life.  ]\Ir. 
Martin  yet  has  stanch  convictions  upon  national 
issues  and  loyally  advocates  Republican  princi- 
ples. 


ALONZO  W.  LEE.  Besides  looking  after 
the  interests  of  the  government  as  postmaster  at 
Lemon,  Los  Angeles  county,  for  eight  years,  Mr. 
Lee  is  the  owner  of  a  fine  ranch  of  thirty-five 
acres  in  this  vicinity,  which  he  purchased  upon 
coming  to  the  state  in  1887.  At  that  time  he 
set  out  seven  acres  to  Valencia  oranges  and  the 
remainder  of  the  land  to  walnuts,  and  now  has 
one  of  the  finest  bearing  orchards  in  the  county. 
The  residence  and  other  buildings  upon  the 
ranch  are  in  keeping,  and  all  in  all  he  has  one 
of  the  valuable  estates  for  which  this  part  of 
the  state  is  noted. 

Alonzo  W.  Lee  is  a  native  of  Indiana  and  was 
born  in  Washington  county  October  31,  1857, 
one  of  the  seven  children  born  to  his  parents, 
William  and  Elizabeth  (Thomas)  Lee,  born  in 
Kentucky  and  Indiana  respectively.  After  their 
marriage,  which  occurred  in  Indiana,  they  set- 
tled down  in- Washington  county,  where  the 
father  followed  his  trade  of  blacksmith  through 
the  remainder  of  his  active  years.  The  call  to 
arms  in  defense  of  his  country's  honor  came  to 
him  while  on  his  farm  there,  and  he  left  all  be- 
hind him  to  enlist  in  an  Indiana  regiment.  Up- 
on the  expiration  of  his  first  term  of  enlistment 
he  again  entered  the  ranks,  serving  in  all  three 
years,  after  which  he  returned  to  the  home  farm, 
and  from  then  until  his  death,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-eight,  continued  blacksmithing  in  connection 
with  his  farm  management.  Politically  he  was 
a  Republican,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Grand 
Army.  The  mother  died  at  the  comparatively 
early  age  of  forty-two  years,  having  become  the 
mother  of  seven  children,  of  whom  Alonzo  W. 
is  the  only  one  in  California,  the  others  still  resi- 
dents of  Indiana. 

The  common  schools  of  Washington  county, 
Ind.,  furnished  all  of  the  educational  training 
which  was  to  come  into  the  life  of  Alonzo  W. 
Lee,  and  until  reaching  his  majority  he  remained 
with  his  parents  on  the  home  farm  in  that  county. 
The  western  fever,  however,  had  in  the  mean 
time  fastened  itself  upon  him,  and  in  ^SjS.  when 
he  reached  his  twentv-first   vear,   he   left  home 


with  Nebraska  as  his  destination.  As  he  had 
had  no  experience  aside  from  his  training  on 
the  home  farm  it  was  natural  that  he  should  take 
up  farming  wherever  he  located,  and  he  was 
thus  occupied  in  Nebraska  for  two  years,  after 
which  he  went  to  southwestern  Missouri  and 
made  a  specialty  of  grain-raising  for  four  years. 
Thence  he  went  to  the  neighboring  state  of  Kan- 
sas and  carried  on  general  farming  for  about 
three  years,  at  the  end  of  this  time,  in  1887,  com- 
pleting his  western  journey  by  coming  to  Cali- 
fornia. He  came  direct  to  the  San  Jose  valley, 
and  was  so  well  pleased  with  his  choice  of  lo- 
cation in  the  vicinity  of  what  is  now  Lemon  that 
he  has  had  no  desire  to  remove  elsewhere.  The 
fine  ranch  of  thirty-five  acres  which  he  pur- 
chased at  that  time  he  set  out  to  oranges  and 
walnuts,  erected  a  residence  for  his  family  and 
suitable  outbuildings  necessary  for  the  proper 
care  and  handling  of  his  products,  and  it  is  a 
very  conservative  statement  to  say  that  without 
exception  he  has  one  of  the  finest  ranches  in 
Southern  California.  He  is  also  interested  in 
a  pumping  plant  in  the  vicinity  of  his  ranch, 
which  furnishes  him  with  all  water  necessary 
for  irrigation. 

In  1885  INIr.  Lee  was  married  in  Neosho  Falls, 
Kans.,  to  Miss  Eva  Engle,  a  native  of  Illinois. 
but  as  her  parents  removed  to  Missouri  when 
she  was  a  child  of  two  years  the  greater  part  of 
her  early  life  was  passed  in  the  latter  state. 
Seven  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lee,  as  follows :  Dewitt,  Edna,  IMaud,  Ernest, 
Kathleen,  Arthur  and  Florence.  Politically  Mr. 
Lee  is  a  Republican,  and  it  was  the  influence  of 
Republican  friends  that  led  to  his  appointment 
as  postmaster  of  Lemon  in  1898.  a  position  which 
he  filled  with  entire  satisfaction  for  eight  years. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  county  central  com- 
mittee of  his  party.  The  only  fraternal  asso- 
ciation which  he  finds  time  for  is  the  Modern 
Woodmen,  of  America,  holding  membership  in 
the  camp  at  Lemon.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Southern  California  Fruit  Exchange  and  is  vice- 
president  of  Walnut  Fruit  Growers'  Associa- 
tion at  Walnut. 


BENJAMIN  F.  LIBBY.  Even  under  the 
most  favored  circumstances  the  life  of  a  pioneer 
is  fraught  with  hardship,  toil  and  discourage- 
ment, and  only  a  brave  spirit  and  a  happy  optim- 
ism can  surmount  the  manifold  obstacles.  To 
the  pioneers  of  the  San  Luis  Rey  valley  in  San 
Diego  county  there  came  troubles  more  than 
ordinarily  discouraging,  arising  from  the  con- 
flicts between  the  stockmen  and  the  settlers : 
and,  although  these  trials  are  now  long  since 
past  and  harmony  came  to  the  two  warring  fac- 
tions, ^■et  at  the  time  the  troubles  were  none  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2123 


less  real  and  vexatious.  As  one  who  endured 
these  hardships  the  name  of  Benjamin  F.  Libby 
is  well  known  not  only  to  the  pioneer  element 
of  the  county,  but  to  the  younger  generation  as 
well.  In  recompense  for  the  hardships  of  early 
days,  he  now  enjoys  every  comfort  and  is  finan- 
cially well-to-do,  with  dairy,  stock  and  alfalfa 
ranch  of  three  hundred  acres  lying  in  the  sunny 
valley  of  San  Luis  Rev. 

The  Libby  family  comes  from  New  England. 
William  E.  and  Catherine  (Higgins)  Libby  were 
natives  of  Maine,  whence  they  removed  to  Wis- 
consin and  from  there  to  Iowa.  Eventually 
they  came  to  California  and  entered  land  in  San 
Diego  county,  where  the  mother  died  in  1878, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years,  and  the  father 
in  1880,  at  seventy  years  of  age.  Four  children 
comprised  their  family,  of  whom  two  sons  and 
one  daughter  still  survive,  one  of  the  sons  be- 
ing Benjamin  F.,  who  was  born  near  Bangor, 
in  Penobscot  county,  Ale.,  April  7,  1846.  At  the 
age  of  twelve  years  he  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Wisconsin  and  settled  at  Madison,  where,  on 
the  completion  of  his  grammar-school  studies, 
he  enjoyed  the  superior  advantages  offered  by 
the  State  University.  After  leaving  the  uni- 
versity he  aided  his  father  in  the  hotel  business. 
In  1865  he  accompanied  the  family  to  Iowa  City, 
Iowa,  where  he  assisted  his  father  in  the  man- 
agement of  an  agricultural  implement  establish- 
ment. From  there  he  came  via  the  Isthmus  to 
California  in  1867,  and  after  a  short  business  ex- 
perience in  San  Francisco  he  proceeded  to  San 
Luis  Rey,  San  Diego  county,  where  ever  since 
he  has  made  his  home.  In  those  days  settlers 
were  few  and  were  kept  together  mainly  through 
the  arduous  efforts  of  Major  Utt,  whose  en- 
couragement often  took  the  form  of  financial 
assistance  at  a  time  most  needed.  For  several 
years  Mr.  Libby  acted  as  deputy  assessor  and 
for  seven  years  he  engaged  in  teaching  school, 
after  which  he  gave  his  attention  wholly  to  the 
management  of  his  ranch. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Libby  took  place  in  1874 
and  united  him  with  Margaret,  daughter  of 
Charles  Stone  and  a  native  of  Texas,  the  family- 
having  traveled  via  the  southern  route  to  Cali- 
fornia Jn  an  early  day  and  settling  in  this  val- 
ley. Mrs.  Libby  is  a  woman  of  gentle  and 
amiable  disposition,  a  devoted  Episcopalian,  and 
loyal  to  every  duty  as  wife  and  mother  and 
friend.  Five  daughters  were  born  of  their 
union.  Grace,  who  resides  in  Oceanside,  is  the 
widow  of  Charles  J.  Porteous  and  has  one  son 
now  attending  college.  Emma.  Mrs.  A.  E. 
Stokes,  has  three  sons  and  lives  at  Santa  Maria, 
Cal.  Catherine  is  the  wife  of  R.  L.  Johnson  and 
lives  at  Corona,  this  state.  Anne  married  Henry 
Mills  and  lives  at  Barbourtown,  South  Africa, 
where   Mr.   Mills  fills  the  office  of  inspector  of 


schools  for  the  English  government.  The  young- 
est daughter,  Cora,  is  teaching  school  at  New- 
port, this  state. 

Reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Republican  party, 
Mr.  Libby  has  been  stanch  to  its  principles  all 
through  his  life  and  has  given  his  ballot  to  its 
candidates  at  local  and  national  elections.  The 
high  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  comes  not  alone 
from  his  position  as  one  of  the  oldest  surviving 
settlers  of  the  valley ;  over  and  above  that,  he  is 
respected  for  his  honorable  life,  for  his  manly 
deeds,  for  his  generosity  to  those  in  need,  for  his 
kindly  spirit  of  friendship  toward  all,  and  for 
those  qualities  which  bind  man  to  man  and  which 
weave  hearts  together  in  the  closest  bonds  of 
friendship. 


JOHN  WALDO  LINCOLN.  Prominent 
among  the  most  valued  and  highly  esteemed  resi- 
dents of  Ocean  Park  is  John  Waldo  Lincoln,  a 
well-known  real-estate  dealer  and  a  successful 
business  man.  The  descendant  of  a  prominent 
New  England  family,  he  was  born,  October  30, 
1852,  in  Worcester,  Mass.,  a  son  of  the  late  Ed- 
ward Winslow  Lincoln.  In  his  veins  flows 
some  of  the  best  blood  of  the  old  Bay  state,  he 
being  a  descendant  in  the  eighth  generation,  ac- 
cording to  a  work  published  a  number  of  years 
ago  in  ]\Iassachusetts.  of  Samuel  Lincoln,  who 
emigrated  from  England  in  1637,  and  settled  in 
Hingham,  Mass.,  his  lineage  being  thus  traced : 
Samuel  (i),  Samuel  (2),  Jedediah  (3),  Enoch 
(4).  Levi  (s),  Levi  (6),  Edward  Winslow  (7), 
and  John  Waldo  (8). 

Levi  Lincoln  (5),  who  was  graduated  from 
Harvard  College  in  1772,  was  attorney-general 
in  President  Jefferson's  cabinet,  later  serving  as 
lieutenant  governor,  and  afterwards  as  acting 
governor  of  Massachusetts.  His  son,  Levi  Lin- 
coln (6),  was  graduated  from  Harvard  in  1802; 
was  subsequently  speaker  of  the  house  of  repre- 
sentatives, lieutenant  governor,  and  a  judge  of 
the  supreme  court.  From  1825  until  1834  he  was 
governor  of  the  state,  and  in  1848  was  made  first 
mavor  of  the  city  of  Worcester.  He  married 
Penelope  Winslow  Sever,  who  was  descended 
from  two  of  the  Mayflower  passengers,  Edward 
Winslow  and  Richard  Warren.  One  of  his 
sons,  D.  Waldo  Lincoln,  was  for  many  years 
president  of  the  Boston  &  Albany  Railroad, 
while  his  son  George  was  killed  in  the  Mexican 
war. 

Edward  Winslow  Lincoln  (7)  was  born  in 
Worcester,  Mass.,  December  2,  1820,  and  died 
in  that  city  December  15,  1896.  After  his  grad- 
uation from  Harvard  College,  in  1839.  ^^  went 
to  Alton,  111.,  where  he  studied  law.  and  being 
admitted  to  the  bar  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
his  profession,  having  among  his  legal  associates 


2124 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Stephen  A.  Douglas  and  Abraham  Lincohi.  Re- 
turning from  there  to  Worcester,  he  resided 
there,  honored  and  respected  for  his  sterling  in- 
tegrity and  worth,  until  his  death.  He  married 
Sarah  Rhodes  Arnold,  who  was  born  in  Rhode 
Island,  and  died  in  Massachusetts  in  early  wom- 
anhood, her  death  occurring  July  i,  1856.  She 
came  of  distinguished  ancestry,  being  connected 
with  the  families  of  both  Governor  Rhodes  and 
Governor  Padelford.  Of  the  four  children  born 
of  their  union,  John  Waldo,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  is  the  only  one  living. 

Educated  in  Worcester,  jMass.,  John  \\'aldo 
Lincoln  was  a  member  of  the  first  class  that  was 
graduated  from  the  Polytechnic  Institute  of  that 
city.  After  receiving  his  diploma  he  worked  as 
a  civil  engineer  until  his  health  failed,  following 
his  profession  in  the  east,  in  Kansas,  Oregon  and 
California.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was  pay- 
master on  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  on  its 
western  division,  and  also  had  charge  of  the  con- 
struction, for  the  contractors,  of  the  Siskiyou 
tunnel,  on  the  Oregon  &  Transcontinental  Rail- 
road, and  superintended  the  construction  of  the 
Croton  aqueduct  in  1885  for  contractors  Brown, 
Howard  &  Co.  Coming  to  Southern  California 
in  1894,  Mr.  Lincoln  located  in  San  Diego  coun- 
ty, and  for  a  number  of  years  thereafter  was 
president  of  the  Fruit  Exchange  at  Escondido, 
and  was  also  employed  in  orange  growing  to  some 
extent.  Coming  from  there  to  Los  Angeles 
county,  he  was  engaged  in  the  oil  business  at 
Los  Angeles  for  awhile.  Since  1901  he  has  been 
a  resident  of  Ocean  Park,  and  has  carried  on  a 
good  business  in  real  estate,  dealing  principally 
in  hill  property,  although  he  owns  valuable  land 
on  the  beach. 

In  San  Francisco.  Cal.,  Mr.  Lincoln  married 
Sarah  Eberline.  who  was  educated  in  the  west. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lincoln  are  prominent  in  social 
circles,  and  are  devout  members  of  the  Episcopal 
Church.  Politically  Mr.  Lincoln  is  a  stanch 
Democrat. 


FRANK  HOANSLER.  The  founder  of  the 
Hoansler  family  in  America  bore  the  name  of 
John  and  was  a  native  of  Holland,  whence  he 
crossed  the  ocean  to  the  L^nited  States  and  set- 
tled on  a  farm  in  Pennsylvania.  There  he  and 
his  wife.  Catherine,  remained  until  death,  rear- 
ing meanwhile  a  family  of  five  children,  the  sec- 
ond of  whom.  Frank,  was  born  near  Harrisburg, 
Pa.,  on  Christmas  day  of  1832.  As  a  boy  he  at- 
tended school  held  in  a  log  cabin  containing  fur- 
nishings of  the  most  primitive  order  and  offering 
educational  facilities  far  inferior  to  those  of  the 
present  day.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  left  school 
and  started  out  to  earn  his  own  livelihood,  en- 
tering the  employ  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad 


Company  as  water  boy.  In  due  course  of  time 
he  was  promoted  through  various  positions  un- 
til he  became  section  foreman. 

The  discovery  of  gold  in  California  caused 
Mr.  Hoansler  to  resign  his  position  and  in  1849 
he  and  a  friend,  Alathew  Diederer,  came  west 
by  way  of  Panama.  Misfortune  followed  him 
from  the  first.  His  comrade  was  killed  in  the 
mines  shortly  after  their  arrival  and  he  was  tak- 
en sick  so  that  he  could  not  work;  after  a  3ear 
he  returned  east  via  Panama  and  secured  em- 
plo}TTient  as  section  boss  at  Crestline,  Ohio.  Aft- 
er perhaps  five  years  in  that  capacity  he  resigned 
and  went  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  became  section 
foreman  on  the  Ohio  &  Mississippi  Railroad.  As 
an  employe  of  that  road  he  worked  back  as  far 
as  Cincinnati,  then  west  again  to  St.  Louis,  and 
from  there  to  Jasper  county.  Mo.,  where  for 
four  years  he  worked  in  the  lead  mines.  Dur- 
ing the  Civil  war  he  was  employed  m  Indiana- 
as  section  foreman  on  the  Ohio  &  ^lississippi 
Railroad.  Later  he  was  section  foreman  at  Carmi, 
White  county.  111.,  with  the  road  now  popularly 
known  as  the  "Big  Four." 

Wlien  Mr.  Hoansler  came  to  California  in 
May,  1891,  he  found  conditions  far  different  from 
those  that  prevailed  during  the  memorable  year 
of  1849,  and  he  was  so  gratified  with  prospects 
that  he  decided  to  become  a  permanent  resident. 
After  one  year  in  Los  Angeles  he  became  a  farm- 
er on  the  Bolsa  ranch  at  Santa  Ana  and  from 
there  in  1894  came  to  Redondo,  where  for  three 
years  he  raised  grain  and  stock  on  the  Weston 
ranch.  Since  then  he  has  operated  almost  six 
hundred  acres  of  grain  land  and  also  has  one 
hundred  and  forty  acres  in  beans,  renting  his 
ranch  land  from  the  Redondo  Beach  Company, 
and  raising  beans,  barley  and  corn.  A  small 
ranch  which  he  owns  at  Gardena  is  rented  to 
other  parties,  and  besides  that  place  he  owns  a 
residence  and  several  lots  in  Redondo.  While 
living  in  the  east  he  married  Miss  Mary  Ever- 
ett, who  was  born  in  Illinois  and  died  in  Indiana. 
Xine  children  were  born  of  that  union,  but  only 
one  survives,  Mrs.  Mollie  Brooks,  of  Gallatin 
county.  111.  The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Hoans- 
ler was  solemnized  at  Carmi,  111.,  in  1874,  and 
united  him  with  Miss  Mary  Pryor,  a  native  of 
that  city,  and  a  daughter  of  Philip  and  .\gnes 
(Boulder)  Pryor.  Her  paternal  grandfather, 
William  Pryor,  was  born  in  Michigan  and  at  an 
early  age  removed  to  Illinois,  settling  on  a  farm 
near  Carmi,  where  he  remained  until  death. 
When  sixty-five  years  of  age  his  devotion  to  the 
L^nion  cause  led  him  to  enlist  in  the  army  for 
service  in  putting  down  the  rebellion.  Philip 
Pryor  was  born  at  Carmi  and  died  on  a  farm 
there  when  his  daughter.  r^Iary.  was  only  two 
years  of  age.  There  were  two  other  children  in 
the  family  and  all  are  still  living.     Their  mother 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2125 


was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  now,  at  sevent)-- 
six  years  of  age,  still  owns  and  occupies  the  old 
homestead  comprising  three  hundred  and  sixty 
acres.  Her  father,  John  Boulder,  was  born  in 
Ireland  and  came  to  the  United  States  at  eigh- 
teen years  of  age,  settling  at  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  and 
later  removing  to  Carmi.  Ill,  where  lie  bought 
government  land  at  $12.50  an  acre,  a  portion"  of 
the  original  tract  being  now  owned  bv  his  daugh- 
ter. 

The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoansler  con- 
sists of  five  children,  namely:  Mrs.  Maggie 
Klump,  of  Toluca,  Los  Angeles  county,  Cal. ; 
Lafayette,  who  is  engaged  in  the  tobacco  busi- 
ness at  Redondo ;  Lawrence  F.,  who  died  in  1900, 
at  eighteen  years  of  age;  Qeveland,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  the  real-estate  business  at  Redondo; 
and  Marietta,  who  married  Frank  Nichelson,  a 
farmer  near  Redondo.  In  religion  Mrs.  Hoans- 
ler  is  of  the  Congregational  faith,  while  Mr. 
Hoansler  is  a  member  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church. 


JAMES  CLARENCE  ALCORN.  Fully  alive 
to  San  Pedro's  superior  advantages  of  climate, 
soil,  improvements  and  citizenship,  James  Clar- 
ence Alcorn  has  unlimited  faith  in  its  future, 
and  ably  champions  its  claims  for  recognition  as 
one  of  the  most  beautiful,  home-like,  health- 
giving  and  desirable  residence  cities  of  Southern 
California.  The  subdivision  of  the  large  tracts 
of  land  in  this  vicinit}"  into  small  ranches  or  city 
lots  makes  it  possible  for  the  agriculturist,  horti- 
culturist or  other  business  man  to  here  find  a 
favorable  location,  and  in  the  many  transfers  of 
real  estate  Mr.  Alcorn  is  especially  interested, 
and  as  a  dealer  in  realty  is  carrying  on  an  ex- 
tensive and  lucrative  business.  A  son  of  James 
Alcorn,  Jr.,  he  was  born  November  2,  1854,  in 
Venango  county.  Pa.  On  the  paternal  side  he 
comes  of  Irish  ancestry,  his  grandfather,  James 
Alcorn,  Sr.,  having,  with  two  of  his  brothers, 
emigrated  from  the  north  of  Ireland  to  the 
United  States,  settling  as  a  farmer  in  Venango 
county.  Pa.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  character, 
and  an  active  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1818.  James  Alcorn, 
Jr.,  succeeded  to  the  occupation  in  which  he  was 
reared,  and  for  a  number  of  years  carried  on 
general  farming  in  his  native  state.  He  was 
very  active  and  influential  in  public  alifairs,  for 
twenty  years  serving  as  tax  collector  and  sheriff 
of  Venango  county.  He  was  a  cool,  clear-headed 
man,  brave  in  the  performance  of  his  dut\-,  on 
one  occasion  arresting  in  their  cabin  two  Molly 
Maguires,  who  had  their  six-.shootcrs  drawn, 
and  handcuffing  both  of  them  himself.  He  was 
;i    Republican    from    the    organization    of    that 


party,  and  one  of  its  most  loyal  supporters  in 
Ijoth  peace  and  war.  '  In  1866  he  purchased  a 
farm  in  Indiana,  near  Elkhart,  and  there  resided 
until  his  death,  in  1896.  He  married  Mehitable 
Jones,  who  was  born  in  Venango  county.  Pa.,  a 
daughter  of  Isaac  Jones,  wlio  emigrated  from 
Wales  to  Pennsylvania,  settling  on  an  island  in 
the  Allegheny  river,  buying  it  from  the  govern- 
ment, and  it  is  still  known  as  Jones  Island.  She 
died  in  Indiana,  on  the  home  farm.  Of  the  thir- 
teen children,  six  sons  and  seven  daughters,  born 
of  their  union,  three  sons  and  six  daughters  sur- 
vive. One  son,  George  W.,  served  in  a  Penn- 
sylvania regiment  during  the  Civil  war,  was  cap- 
tured in  battle,  and  died  in  Libby  prison. 

The  seventh  child  in  order  of  birth  of  the 
parental  household,  James  C.  Alcorn  completed 
his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of  In- 
diana, and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  began 
work  for  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan  Southern 
Railroad  Company,  being  located  at  Elkhart. 
Subsequently,  with  headquarters  at  Garrett, 
Ind.,  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Baltimore  & 
Ohio  Railroad  Company,  first  as  fireman  and 
later  as  engineer.  Going  to  Colorado  in  1885, 
he  traveled  extensively  in  that  state,  and  in  1889 
went  to  Boise  Citv,  Idaho,  becoming  interested 
in  mining  in  the  Deadwood  country.  In  1900  he 
established  himself  as  a  real  estate  agent  in  Salt 
Lake  City,  and  soon  became  identified  with  the 
best  interests  of  that  locality.  When  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  road  between  that  city  and  San 
Pedro  was  conceded  he  was  made  one  of  the 
engineering  corps  and  assisted  in  the  location  of 
the  entire  highway.  Being  greatly  impressed 
with  the  wonderful  scenery  and  climate  of 
Southern  California,  and  more  especially  with 
the  many  advantages  of  San  Pedro,  he  resolved 
to  locate  here.  Returning  to  Salt  Lake  City  he 
disposed  of  his  properties  in  that  section,  includ- 
ing his  mining  interests,  and  in  the  summer  of 
1905  came  here  to  live.  Buying  his  present 
residence,  at  No.  437  Fifth  street,  he  has  greatly 
improved  the  property,  and  since  that  time  has 
established  himself  as  one  of  the  leading  real 
estate  dealers  of  the  citv. 

In  Carson  City,  Nev..  Mr.  Alcorn  married 
Anna  D.  Nash,  who  was  born  in  Lynn,  Mass., 
and  was  educated  in  Boston  and  in  Michigan. 
She  is  an  accomplished,  cultured  woman,  and 
prior  to  her  marriage  was  a  noted  school  teacher, 
beginning  her  professional  career  in  the  east, 
and  subsequently  teaching  for  nine  years  at  Salt 
Lake  City.  Mr.  Alcorn  is  a  man  of  literary 
ability,  his  History  of  the  Spanish  War,  which 
he  illustrated  in  eleven  different  colors,  being  an 
interesting  volume,  and  a  valued  acquisition  to 
the  historical  works  of  our  country.  Mr.  Al- 
corn, having  been  healed  by  a  Christian  Scient- 
ist, has  since  made  a  thorough  investigation  of 


1126 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  subject,  anrl  is  now  one  of  its  stanchest  sup- 
porters and  a  leading  spirit  in  establishing  a 
Christian  Science  Church  in  this  locality.  Polit- 
ically he  is  a  strong  Republican,  having  ever 
been  true  to  the  principles  in  which  he  was 
reared. 


-AIISS  C.  ROGERS.  The  last  quarter  of  a 
century  has  furnished  the  industrial,  profes- 
sional, financial  and  social  world  with  not  a  few 
women  of  brilliant  attainments  who  have  en- 
tered upon  an  active  career  and  have  thoroughly 
vindicated  the  right  of  each  individual  to  do  or 
be  that  for  which  he  or  she  is  best  fitted  by 
nature.  Prominent  among  this  number  is  Miss 
C.  Rogers,  who  has  established  herself  as  a  real 
estate  dealer,  with  offices  in  San  Pedro  and  Los 
Angeles,  and  is  carrying  on  an  extensive  and 
remunerative  business  in  her  line,  handling  San 
Pedro  and  Harbor  properties  only.  Of  honored 
ancestry,  she  was  born  in  Cork.  Ireland,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Reuben  C.  Rogers,  who  is  actively  identi- 
fied with  the  commercial  interests  of  that  city, 
being  one  of  the  best  informed  railway  and  ship- 
ping men  of  Cork.  Ireland. 

Aliss  Rogers,  on  the  paternal  side,  is  a  de- 
scendant of  John  Rogers,  the  martyr,  who,  dur- 
ing the  reign  of  Queen  Mary,  was  burned  at  the 
stake,  in  Smithficld,  in  1554.  Subsequently, 
James  I  gave  a  grant  of  land  in  the  southern 
part  of  Ireland  to  one  of  John  Rogers's  descend- 
ants, and  it  was  occupied  by  some  branch  of  the 
family  until  sold  under  the  Confiscated  Estate 
Act.  The  family  afterwards  became  scattered 
through  different  parts  of  the  world,  one  of  the 
immediate  ancestors  of  IMiss  Rogers  settling  in 
the  West  Indies.  Her  great-grandfather  Rog- 
ers lived  there  many  years,  but  died  on  the  re- 
turn voyage,  leaving  a  wife  and  son.  who  after- 
wards settled  in  Cork.  Ireland.  The  grandfather 
remained  there  permanently,  and  there  both  Miss 
Rogers  and  her  father  were  born.  Her  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Lizzie  Martin,  was 
born  in  Kinsale,  Ireland,  a  descendant  of  the 
Daunt  family,  and  died  at  the  family  residence 
in  Cork. 

Having  laid  a  substantial  foundation  for  her 
future  education  in  private  schools,  Miss  Rogers 
was  graduated  from  Trinity  College,  Dublin, 
after  which  she  continued  her  studies  in  France 
and  Germany.  She  subsequently  traveled  ex- 
tensively on  the  continent,  and  in  April.  1898, 
crossed  the  Atlantic,  and  for  a  while  resided  in 
Canada.  Wishing  to  become  acquainted  with 
the  L'nited  States,  she  visited  various  points  of 
interest,  and  in  IQ02  arrived  in  San  Francisco. 
It  was  her  intention  to  return  east  to  New  York 
City,  going  by  way  of  Los  Angeles,  where  she 
had  planned  to  stay  twenty-four  hours  in  order 


to  call  upon  some  friends  of  her  uncle,  Sir 
James  Qifton  Robinson,  of  London,  who  rebuilt 
the  Los  Angeles  street  railways,  changing  them 
from  horse  power  to  cable  system.  This  rela- 
tive was  associated  with  the  late  Charles  T. 
Yerkes  in  the  building  of  the  Underground  rail- 
way in  London.  These  friends  of  Sir  James 
said  to  Miss  Rogers,  "You  must  see  Pasadena 
and  the  coast  towns,  and  mieet  some  people 
whom  you  used  to  know  in  your  native  land." 

Concluding,  therefore,  to  remain  for  a  while, 
I\Iiss  Rogers  subsequently  accepted  a  position  as 
stenographer  with  George  H.  Peck,  of  San 
Pedro,  and  while  thus  employed  became  inter- 
ested in  real  estate  dealings.  Resigning  her  po- 
sition at  the  end  of  a  few  months,  she  returned 
to  Los  Angeles,  rented  desk  room  in  an  office 
in  the  Copp  building,  and  in  her  undertakings 
was  so  successful  that  she  afterwards  opened  an 
oilice  in  San  Pedro  also.  She  deals  exclusively 
in  San  Pedro  and  Harbor  realty,  in  her  trans- 
actions bringing  buyer  and  seller  together  prior 
to  making  a  sale,  and  m  carrying  out  this  plan 
is  building  up  a  very  prosperous  business.  She 
makes  a  specialty  of  water  front  property,  of  the 
value  of  which  she  has  an  accurate  knowledge, 
and  is  verv  enthusiastic  over  the  future  possi- 
bilities of  San  Pedro  as  a  residence  and  business 
city.  Miss  Rogers  is  well  known  and  highly 
esteemed  in  social  circles,  and  is  a  member  of 
Esperanza  Chapter  No.  167,  O.  E.  S.,  of  Los 
Angeles. 


W.  P.  LOGAN.  The  family  represented  by 
this  well-known  oil-driller  came  to  California 
during  the  earl}-  period  of  American  occupancy. 
About  the  year  1852  A.  S.  Logan  removed  from 
Missouri  across  the  plains  to  the  far  west,  set- 
tling in  San  Jose  and  taking  up  agricultural  pur- 
suits near  that  town.  Removing  to  the  vicinity 
of  Lexington  in  1856  he  took  up  a  quarter-sec- 
tion of  government  land  near  the  Santa  Cruz 
mountains  and  afterward  gave  his  attention  to 
the  improvement  of  the  land  and  the  building 
up  of  a  finely  developed  ranch.  On  that  place  his 
death  occurred  in  1898.  when  he  was  eighty- 
two  years  of  age.  His  wife,  Sarah,  died  in  1887, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years.  .Among  their 
children  was  W.  P.,  born  in  Lafayette  county. 
Mo.,  November  9,  1850.  and  an  infant  at  the 
time  of  the  removal  to  the  Pacific  coast,  so  that 
his  earliest  recollections  cluster  around  the  San- 
ta Clara  valley.  As  a  boy  he  attended  the  com- 
mon schools  of  San  Jose,  and  after  leaving 
school  he  engaged  in  driving  a  stage  for  six 
years.  Since  tlien  he  has  been  interested  in  the 
oil  business,  1879  being  the  year  of  his  first  as- 
sociation w-ith  that  industry. 

In  the  pursuit  of  his  calling  of  oil-driller  and 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2127 


contractor  JMr.  Logan  has  traveled  over  much  of 
the  west  and  has  gained  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  localities  where  oil  has  heen  found.  Upon 
first  associating  himself  with  the  industry  he 
was  employed  by  the  Pacific  Coast  Oil  Company 
in  Santa  Clara  county.  Later  he  was  identified 
with  the  Hardison  &  Stewart  Company  in  Ven- 
tura and  Los  Angeles  counties,  and  for  six 
years  worked  with  the  Union  Oil  Company.  ]\Iay 
6,  1900,  he  arrived  at  San  Luis  Obispo  and  here 
he  worked  for  four  years  in  the  capacity  of  oil 
superintendent.  North  of  Santa  Barbara  he 
drilled  the  first  well  for  the  Western  Union  Oil 
Company.  After  a  brief  period  with  the  Los 
Alamos  Developing  Company  he  took  an  active 
part  in  the  starting  of  the  Logan  Oil  Company,  a 
stock  corporation,  organized  in  September  of 
1905,  and  with  this  he  has  since  been  associated. 
The  marriage  of  W.  P.  Logan  took  place  in 
1893  and  united  him  with  Miss  A.  E.  Waring, 
who  was  born  and  educated  in  this  state,  and  is 
a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Of  this 
union  there  is  a  daughter,  Edith.  In  fraternal 
relations  Mr.  Logan  belongs  to  the  Santa  Maria 
Lodge  of  Odd  F'ellows,  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
at  Santa  Maria.  Hesperian  Lodge.  F.  &  A.  M., 
at  Santa  Maria,  and  the  Order  of  Foresters  in 
Los  Angeles.  In  national  politics  he  votes  with 
the  Democratic  party. 


ically  Mr.  Logan  votes  with  the  Democratic  party, 
while  in  fraternal  relations  he  is  connected  with 
Hesperian  Lodge  of  Masons  at  Santa  Maria  and 
Garden  City  Lodge  No.  142,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  at 
San  Jose,  this  state. 


J.  S.  LOGAN.  Throughout  all  of  his  life  a 
resident  of  California  and  loyally  devoted  to  his 
native  commonwealth,  J.  S.  Logan  is  a  member 
of  a  pioneer  family  of  the  west  and  is  a  brother 
of  W.  P.  Logan,  with  whom  he  has  been  engaged 
extensively  in  the  drilling  of  oil  wells  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Logan  Oil  Company.  During  the  resi- 
dence of  his  parents  in  San  Jose  he  was  born  in 
that  city  June  6,  1856,  and  as  a  boy  he  attended 
the  public  schools  there,  later  having  the  ad- 
vantage of  a  course  of  study  in  the  T^Iethodist 
College  at  Gilroy.  On  leaving  college  he  took 
up  the  oil  business  and  since  has  acquired  a  thor- 
ough knowledge  of  the  industry,  in  which  he 
and  his  brother  have  reputations  second  to  none 
in  the  same  line.  By  traveling  throughout  the 
entire  state  they  have  become  thoroughly  ac- 
quainted with  the  oil  wells  and  prospects,  and 
their  judgment  is  depended  upon  in  many  in- 
stances where  the  advice  of  oil  experts  is  sought. 
The  Logan  Oil  Company  has  the  confidence  of 
the  people  and  has  established  a  reputation  {hat 
is  not  limited  to  Santa  Maria  or  to  Santa  Bar- 
bara county,  the  Company's  headquarters. 

During  April  of  1904  J.  S.  Logan  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Leona  C.  Holt,  who  was 
born  and  reared  in  Santa  Maria  and  has  spent 
her  life  thus  far  in  Santa  Barbara  county.  One 
child.   \'irgo   Helen,  blesses   their  union.      Polit- 


CAPT.  EDWARD  EVERETT  YOUNG. 
Noteworthy  among  the  well  known  and  highly 
esteemed  residents  of  San  Pedro  is  Capt.  Ed- 
ward Everett  Young,  who  is  prominent  in  social 
and  fraternal  circles,  and  as  master  of  a  vessel 
is  actively  identified  with  the  shipping  interests 
of  Southern  California.  A  son  of  the  late  James 
W.  Young,  he  was  born  January  30.  1874,  in 
Kansas  City,  Mo.,  coming  from  excellent  Irish- 
English  stock. 

A  native  of  Owen  county,  Ind.,  James  W. 
Young  grew  to  manhood  in  that  state,  and  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war  served  his  country,  enlisting 
in  an  Indiana  regiment.  Subsequently  remov- 
ing to  Missouri,  he  settled  as  a  merchant  at 
Kansas  City,  where  for  a  number  of  years  he 
carried  on  a  prosperous  business.  Coming  to 
California  in  1881.  he  became  one  of  the  leading 
grocers  of  Los  Angeles,  being  thus  employed  the 
greater  part  of  the  time  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  Los  Angeles  county.  His  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Lydia  Hollingsworth, 
was  born  in  Page  county,  Iowa,  a  daughter  of 
Xoah  Hollingsworth.  and  a  granddaughter  of 
Joel  Hollingsworth,  an  English  Quaker,  who 
settled  in  Indiana  in  pioneer  times.  Noah  Hol- 
lingsworth was  born  near  Terre  Haute,  Ind., 
and  was  there  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits. 
He  afterwards  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter, 
which  he  followed  for  a  number  of  years  in 
Muscatine,  Iowa.  In  1855  l''^  settled  in  Page 
county,  Iowa,  and  at  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  the  Eighth  Iowa  Cav- 
alry, in  which  he  served  until  his  death.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Byrum,  w^ho  was  born  in 
Ohio  eighty  years  ago,  and  is  now  residing  in 
Kansas.  Of  the  seven  children  born  of  their 
union,  six  survive,  Lydia,  widow  of  James  W. 
Young,  being  the  fifth  child  in  order  of  birth. 

Coming  with  his  parents  to  California  when 
but  seven  years  old,  E.  E.  Young  received  a 
common  school  education  here,  and  at  the  age 
of  eighteen  years  embarked  in  seafaring  pur- 
suits. Locating  in  San  Pedro  in  1894,  he  se- 
cured a  position  with  the  California  Fish  Com- 
pany, and  in  June,  1901.  entered  the  employ  of 
the  Pacific  Packing  and  Navigation  Company  as 
master  of  a  vessel,  for  three  years  engaging  in 
transporting  merchandise  between  Puget  Sound 
ports  and  the  Alaskan  ports  of  the  Behring  Sea. 
fn  1904  he  returned  to  San  Pedro  and  has  since 
had  command  of  the  Alpha,  owned  by  the  Cali- 
tornia  Fish  Company. 


2128 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


On  Januarj'  6,  1906,  Mr.  Young  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Nellie  Hollingsworth,  a  native 
of  Iowa,  and  they  reside  at  No.  218  Thirteenth 
street,  San  Pedro.  In  fraternal  organizations 
the  captain  is  very  active  and  influential.  He 
was  made  a  ^lason  in  Wilmington,  and  is  one 
of  the  charter  members  of  San  Pedro  Lodge  No. 
332,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which  he  was  the  first  senior 
warden,  and  the  second  to  serve  as  master;  he 
is  also  a  charter  member  of  San  Pedro  Chapter, 
O.  E.  S.,  and  its  first  worthy  patron;  he  is  a 
Scottish  Rite,  32-degree  Mason  of  Los  Angeles 
Consistory  No.  3,  and  belongs  to  Al  Malaikah 
Temple,  A.  A.  O.  N.  M.  S.  He  likewise  belongs 
to  Embarcadero  Lodge  No.  348,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of 
which  he  is  past  grand ;  and  to  the  Rebekahs,  of 
which  he  is  a  prominent  member.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber also  of  the  American  Association  of  Masters 
and  Pilots  of  California  Harbor  No.  15,  of  San 
Francisco.  In  national  politics  he  is  a  stanch 
Republican,  but  in  local  affairs  votes  for  the  best 
men  and  measures,  independent  of  party  preju- 
dices. 


M.  M.  FLORY.  The  Flory  family  dates  its 
ancestry  back  to  the  early  settlement  of  Virginia, 
the  great-grandfather  of  M.  M.  Flory  having 
been  the  first  member  of  the  family  to  make 
Rockingham  county  in  that  state  his  home,  com- 
ing from  Pennsylvania.  The  early  progenitors 
were  of  German  origin  and  brought  up  in  that 
stern  German  Baptist  religious  faith  which  al- 
lowed no  swerving  from  duty,  however  dis- 
agreeable it  might  be,  and  the  later  members 
of  the  family  have  retained  the  sturdy  princi- 
ples of  their  fathers  and  are  men  of  strong  char- 
acter and  scrupulous  honesty.  The  grandfa- 
ther, John  Flory,  was  a  farmer  in  Rockingham 
county  and  lived  to  be  eighty  years  of  age,  his 
death  occurring  in  1844.  His  son,  Abraham, 
born  also  in  Rockingham  county,  was  a  man- 
ufacturer of  shoes  and  later  a  farmer  near 
Staunton  for  many  years.  It  was  in  1849  that 
he  came  to  California  via  Panama,  and  after 
working  in  the  mines  for  a  season,  returned  to 
his  home.  Later  he  made  a  second  trip  to  the 
coast  and  mined  again  in  northern  California, 
and  on  his  way  to  Iowa  in  1855  followed  that 
pursuit  in  Idaho  and  Montana  for  short  periods. 
His  death  occurred  in  Keokuk  county.  Iowa. 
His  wife  was  Susanna  Stoner.  a  daughter  of  a 
Mrginia  farmer,  and  she  died  in  the  state  of 
Washington. 

There  were  six  children  in  the  family  of  which 
y[.  M.  Flory  was  a  member,  five  of  them  still 
surviving  at  this  time.  Mr.  Flory  was  next  to 
the  oldest,  his  birth  having  occurred  April  9, 
1834.  in  Rockinjjham  count}",  \'a.,  in  which  state 
he  lived  until  seventeen  years  of  age.     His  edu- 


cation was  received  in  a  pay  school  in  that  state 
and  after  his  school  days  were  over  he  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade  in  Shenandoah  valley.  In 
1855  he  went  to  Keokuk,  Iowa,  and  worked  at 
his  trade  until  the  Civil  war  broke  out,  when  he 
volunteered  for  military  service  and  was  mus- 
tered in  as  a  member  Of  Company  F,  Fifth  Reg- 
iment of  Iowa  Volunteer  Infanlrv.  With  his 
regiment  he  took  part  in  the  battles  of  luka  and 
Corinth,  and  near  the  latter  place  he  was  taken 
sick  and  removed  to  the  general  hospital  at 
Holly  Springs.  In  the  raid  at  that  place  he  was 
taken  captive  and  sent  to  Lagrange  and  from 
there  to  Meinphis.'  At  the  latter  place  the  Con- 
federates were  forced  to  abandon  their  prison- 
ers on  account  of  the  proximity  of  the  Union 
army,  and  he  was  accordingly  left  in  Memphis, 
and  having  contracted  rheumatism  was  assigned 
to  duty  as  chief  clerk  of  the  general  hospitals 
there,  where  he  remained  until  Alay,  1864,  when, 
his  rheutuatism  having  become  acute,  he  was 
sent  to  Iowa  and  mustered  out  at  the  end  of 
his  term  of  enlistment. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  ]\Ir.  Flory  was  oc- 
cupied as  a  contractor  and  builder  in  Washing- 
ton, la.,  and  Kansas  City  and  Independence,  Mo., 
until  1875,  when,  having  had  a  hard  attack  of 
pneumonia,  from  which  he  did  not  readily  re- 
cover, he  resolved  to  try  California's  climate. 
After  one  year  in  Southern  California  he  went 
to  the  desert  regions,  during  which  time  his 
health  was  restored,  and  he  decided  to  locate 
permanently  in  San  Bernardino.  This  place 
was  then  a  small  town  and  many  of  the  cities 
which  are  now  places  of  importance  in  the  coun- 
ty were  not  even  laid  out.  Mr.  Flory  continued 
his  business  as  a  contractor,  upon  his  arrival 
taking  contracts  at  Oceanside,  Ontario,  Colton, 
Highland,  and  Redlands,  in  which  latter  place 
he  erected  the  first  house  after  the  platting  of 
the  city.  He  conducted  business  in  a  compar- 
atively successful  manner  until  April,  1906, 
when  a  stroke  of  paralysis  forced  him  to  give 
up  active  work  and  he  is  now  living  a  retired 
life  in  San  Bernardino. 

The  marriage  of  ]\Ir.  Flory  occurred  in  In- 
dependence, Mo.,  and  united  him  with  Mrs. 
Alary  (Armstrong)  Whitney,  who  was  born  in 
Wooster,  Wayne  county,  Ohio.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Flory  have  been  born  five  children,  name- 
ly :  Frank,  a  carpenter  and  sawver  at  San  Ber- 
nardino :  Maud,  now  the  wife  of  Clavton  ]\Ius- 
cott.  of  Lopez,  \A'ash. :  Guy,  a  contractor  in  San 
Bernardino :  Edgar,  with  the  Riverside  Trust 
Company,  residing  in  San  Bernardino:  and 
Kate,  at  home.  Mr.  Flory  was  made  a  member 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  in 
Independence,  Mo.,  and  is  now  connected  with 
Token  Lodge  No.  290,  I.  O.  O.  F..  of  which  he 
is   a   charter  member  and   past   grand,   and   has 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


■21 -29 


been  a  representative  to  the  Grand  Lodge  three 
different  times;  he  is  also  a  member  of  "the  En- 
campment, in  which  he  was  at  one  time  chief 
patriarch,  and  belongs  to  the  Canton.  His  Civil 
war  service  entitles  him  to  membership  in  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  he  belongs 
to  the  William  H.  Cornman  Post  at  San  Ber- 
nardino. Politically  his  affiliations  are  with  the 
Republican  party.  His  influence  has  always 
been  a  beneficial  one  to  the  community  in  which 
he  makes  his  home  and  Mr.  Flory  is  one  of  the 
most  highly  respected  citizens  of  San  Bernar- 
dino. 


TYLER  PRATT  TOWNE.  Whh  the  death 
of  Tyler  Pratt  Towne  of  Pomona  in  1891  was 
broken  a  link  in  the  ancestral  chain  which  binds 
the  past  with  the  present.  The  lineage  of  the 
family  can  be  traced  back  to  one  William  Towne, 
who  left  England  in  the  seventeenth  century 
and  founded  the  family  in  jNlassachusetts,  his  de- 
scendants flourishing  in  that  commonwealth  for 
many  generations.  Among  these  descendants 
was  Isaac  Towne,  born  in  ;\Iillbury.  Mass.,  who 
in  young  manhood  settled  in  Bethel,  Me.,  where 
at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  he  taught  the 
first  school  ever  held  in  that  town.  Later  he 
settled  down  as  an  agriculturist  in  that  local- 
ity and  throughout  the  remainder  of  his  long 
life  followed  this  peaceful  pursuit.  As  a  man 
of  ability  and  clear  understanding  he  was  rec- 
ognized as  a  leader  among  the  citizens  of  that 
town  and  for  many  years  served  his  constitu- 
ents as  selectman. 

It  was  in  the  little  town  of  Bethel,  Me.,  that 
Tyler  Pratt  Towne  was  born  August  i.  1810, 
the  son  of  Isaac  and  Dolly  (Gould)  Towne. 
He  was  educated  in  the  common  school  of  his 
state,  learned  the  cabinet-maker's  trade,  but  aft- 
er his  marriage  took  up  farming  in  Bethel  and 
continued  that  pursuit  until  he  came  to  Califor- 
nia. W'hh  about  eight  decades  of  honored  life 
in  the  cast  he  came  to  this  state  to  spend  his 
declining  years  in  a  climate  less  rigorous  than 
prevails  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  and  thus  it  was 
that  he  located  in  the  sheltered  Pomona  valley 
in  1888.  During  the  same  year  he  settled  in  a 
home  at  the  corner  of  Caswell  street  and  San 
Francisco  avenue,  the  only  improvement  which 
it  boasted  being  ten  orange  trees.  Besides  set- 
ting out  additional  trees  on  this  tract  he  also 
purchased  one  and  one-half  acres  at  the  head  of 
Caswell  street,  and  still  later  purchased  seven 
acres  of  the  Kingsley  tract,  on  the  corner  of 
San  Bernardino  and  Washington  streets,  which 
has  since  been  transformed  into  a  fine  orange 
grove.  Mr.  Towne  was  a  man  who  was  not 
afraid  to  venture  upon  large  undertakings,  and 
although   he    lived    only    three    years    after    set- 


tling in  Pomona  he  had  accomplished  largely 
and  left  a  valuable  estate  to  his  heirs.  During 
his  young  manhood,  in  Bethel,  Me.,  he  had  mar- 
ried Miss  Miranda  Hanscom  Watson,  who  was 
born  in  Norway,  Me.,  the  daughter  of  Daniel 
Watson,  a  farmer  in  that  vicinity.  The  mar- 
ried life  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Towne  had  been  a  long 
and  unusually  happy  one  and  the  death  of  Mr. 
Towne  in  1891  was  a  sad  blow  to  his  family. 
As  they  had  been  closely  united  in  all  their  hopes 
and  aims  in  life,  they  were  not  long  separated 
in  death,  and  in  June  of  the  following  year,  at 
at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years,  Mrs.  Towne 
passed  to  the  Great  Beyond.  Throughout  her 
life  she  had  been  a  devout  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church.  Politically  Mr.  Towne  was 
a  Democrat  and  an  Abolitionist. 

Four  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Towne,  the  eldest  of  whom,  Sarah  M.,  resides 
upon  the  old  homestead  in  Pomona :  Emma  is 
the  widow  of  Livingston  Gain  Robinson,  who 
was  born  in  Maine  and  for  many  years  was  a 
merchant  in  Waterford :  he  died  in  Bethel,  Me., 
in  1873 ;  the  next  child  in  the  parental  family, 
Ellen,  passed  away  in  Bethel,  as  did  also  the  only 
son.  Daniel  Webster,  who  died  in  1888.  He  was 
well  educated  in  Bethel  Academy,  and  after 
his  school  days  were  over  he  settled  down  to 
farm  pursuits  in  his  home  town.  His  marriage 
united  him  with  Mary  A.  Kelley,  of  North  Yar- 
mouth, Me.,  and  of  the  three  children  born  to 
them  onlv  one  is  now  living.  Allan  Webster, 
who  is  engaged  in  orange  growing  on  San  Ber- 
nadino  avenue,  Pomona.  He  also  owns  and  has 
developed  an  eighty-acre  tract  near  Claremont, 
all  in  oranges. 


OLIVER  S.  HOWARD.  When  the  domain 
of  civilization  began  to  be  extended  beyond  the 
narrow  confines  of  the  east  and  the  fertile  soil 
of  the  Mississippi  valley  began  to  attract  pioneer 
farmers,  S.  B.  Howard,  a  native  of  New  York, 
became  a  frontiersman  in  the  then  wilds  of  Wis- 
consin, passing  through  Milwaukee  in  1844, 
when  a  few  log  cabins  marked  the  site  of  the 
future  metropolis  of  that  state.  While  he  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade  and  followed  the  occupa- 
tion more  or  less  through  all  of  his  active  years, 
yet  he  had  the  desire  for  land  that  characterized 
every  pioneer,  and  one  of  his  first  steps  toward 
independence  was  to  secure  from  the  govern- 
ment a  claim  to  a  quarter-section  in  Winnebago 
county.  Wis.  Later  he  removed  to  Jackson  coun- 
ty, that  state,  but  eventually  returned  to  Win- 
nebago county  and  resumed  farming  in  that  lo- 
cality. During  1862  he  offered  his  services  to 
the  Union  and  was  accepted  as  a  private  in  the 
ranks  of  a  regiment  of  Wisconsin  Infantry, 
where  he  remained  until  the  close  of  the  war  and 


2130 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  honorable  discharge  of  the  army.  His  last 
days  were  passed  in  Winnebago  count}-,  where 
he  died  in  the  fall  of  1880,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
three  years.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Salome  Skinner,  was  born  in  Vermont 
and  died  in  Wisconsin  at  the  age  of  fifty-seven 
\ears. 

Four  sons  were  born  of  the  marriage  of  S.  B. 
and  Salome  Howard,  namely :  Oliver  S.  and 
Henry  L.,  both  born  in  Jackson  county.  Wis., 
August  24,  1859,  and  August  11,  1862,  respect- 
ively ;  and  Ira  A.  and  Grant,  who  were  born  in 
Winnebago  county,  tliat  state,  November  14, 
1866,  and  August  24,  1869,  in  the  order  named. 
Henry  L.  died  May  26,  1880;  Ira  A.  makes  his 
home  at  Wausau,  \\'is. ;  and  Grant  is  a  resident 
of  Temecula,  Cal.  Oliver  S.  Howard  obtained 
a  fair  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  na- 
tive state,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  secured 
employment  with  a  lumber  company,  going  in- 
to the  logging  camp  of  the  pineries  of  Wiscon- 
sin. He  followed  this  for  three  successive  win- 
ters, remaining  at  home  during  the  summers. 

March  23,  1886,  Mr.  Howard  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Ecie  Cook,  a  daughter  of 
Edward  and  Adalaide  Cook,  who  were  then  res- 
idents of  Winnebago  county.  Wis.  The  spring 
following  their  marriage  Mr.  Howard  and  his 
wife  removed  to  South  Dakota,  debarking  from 
the  train  at  Desmet,  Kingsbury  county,  whence 
they  made  their  way  overland  to  Hamlin  county. 
There  Mr.  Howard  succeeded  in  buying  relin- 
cjuishments  to  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  choice  land,  a  homestead  and  a  tree  claim. 
Amid  these  pioneer  conditions  they  battled  with 
storms  and  privations  and  in  spite  of  discour- 
agements soon  built  up  a  home  that  was  a  cred- 
it to  that  section.  Two  years  after  locating  there 
the  ]\Iilwaukee  Railroad  Company  ran  a  spur 
line  across  the  state  and  located  the  new  town 
of  Bryant  in  Garfield  township.  With  fifty-nine 
other  citizens  Mr.  Howard  formed  the  Bryant 
Elevator  Company  and  also  a  creamery  plant, 
co-operative  concerns  established  in  the  inter- 
ests of  the  farmers  of  that  region.  In  addition 
to  his  other  interests  Mr.  Howard  loaned  money 
on  real  estate  and  chattels.  Eor  six  years  he 
served  in  the  capacity  of  justice  of  the  peace,  as 
well  as  township  clerk  and  township  treasurer, 
and  also  belonged  to  Company  M  of  the  state 
militia. 

Although  Mr.  Howard's  enterprises  in  South 
Dakota  were  thoroughly  successful,  the  dread  of 
the  long  and  tedious  winters  in  that  part  of  the 
country  induced  him  to  seek  a  milder  climate 
and  it  was  with  this  idea  in  mind  that  he  came 
to  California  in  1898  upon  a  tour  of  inspection. 
The  result  of  his  investigations  was  so  satisfac- 
tory that  he  returned  to  South  Dakota,  disposed 
of   liis    interests    there   and    in   the   fall    of    1899 


came  to  California  as  a  permanent  settler,  buy- 
ing one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Riverside 
county  and  embarking  in  the  bee  business.  After 
two  years  he  sold  the  place  and  removed  to  San 
Diego  county,  where  he  bought  two  hundred 
and  forty  acres,  forming  his  present  homestead 
in  Gopher  cafion.  At  this  writing  his  landed 
possessions  aggregate  seventeen  hundred  acres, 
on  which  his  herds  of  stock  range.  The  crops 
are  utilized  mostly  for  feed,  instead  of  being 
sold  in  the  markets.  Of  recent  years  he  has 
made  a  specialty  of  Durham  cattle  and  on  his 
ranch  may  be  seen  some  choice  and  fancy  spec- 
imens of  that  breed.  A  neat  house  adds  to  the 
attractions  of  the  ranch  and  there  are  also  sub- 
stantial buildings  for  the  shelter  of  stock  and 
storage  of  grain.  The  owner's  attention  is  giv- 
en to  his  ranch  and  stock  with  such  earnestness 
that  he  has  no  leisure  nor  desire  to  participate 
in  public  affairs  and  takes  no  part  in  politics 
aside  from  voting  a  straight  Republican  ticket 
at  all  elections. 

Upon  their  removal  to  California  in  1899  Mr, 
and  ]\Irs.  Howard  were  accompanied  by  ]Mrs. 
Howard's  father,  Edward  Cook.  He  died  at  his 
home  in  Twin  Oaks  June  23,  1905.  at  the  age 
of  eighty-seven  years,  and  is  survived  by  his 
wife,  Mrs.  Howard    and  one  son,  George. 


HARRY  :MELANCT0N  LAXDIS.  During 
an  early  period  in  the  colonization  of  Pennsyl- 
vania the  Landis  family  came  from  Germany 
and  identified  themselves  with  the  pioneer  de- 
velopment of  the  Keystone  state.  Peter  Landis, 
a  native  of  Lancaster  county  and  for  some  time 
a  member  of  its  county  board  of  supervisors, 
platted  the  town  of  Landisville,  which  was  named 
in  his  honor.  Though  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion, for  some  years  he  devoted  his  attention  to 
business  pursuits  and  manufactured  the  Landis 
plow  first  at  Landisville  and  later  in  the  Le- 
banon valley  near  Harrisburg.  Eventually  he 
purchased  a  large  tract  of  land  in  Snyder  county. 
Pa.,  devoted  his  attention  to  raising  grain  and 
stock,  and  remained  on  the  farm  until  his  death. 
Meanwhile  he  had  disposed  of  a  portion  of  the 
property,  all  of  which  was  underlaid  with  coal 
mines.  Back  to  the  time  of  the  Reformation  his 
ancestors  had  been  followers  of  Martin  Luther 
and  he  himself  was  stanch  in  his  devotion  to 
Lutheran  doctrines.  In  politics  he  voted  with 
the   Republican   party. 

In  the  family  of  Peter  Landis  was  a  son, 
Samuel  S.,  who  was  born  at  Landisville,  Pa., 
and  became  a  dairyman  on  a  farm  now  adjacent 
to  the  citv  limits  of  Harrisburg.  At  the  open- 
ing of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  the  Union 
army  as  a  member  of  a  Pennsylvania  regiment 
and    for   four   rears   he   remained    at   the    front. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


IVM 


meanwhile  being  twice  wounded  in  battle.  At 
the  expiration  of  the  war  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged from  the  service  and  retvirned  to  his 
farm.  Later  he  became  active  in  the  local  work 
of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  Like  his 
father,  he  was  a  devoted  believer  in  the  Lutheran 
faith  and  contributed  regularly  to  the  work  of 
that  denomination.  Fraternally  he  was  a  Mason 
and  also  connected  with  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Susan  St.  Clair,  was  bom  in  Liverpool, 
England,  and  crossed  the  ocean  at  an  early  age, 
settling  with  two  sisters  in  Lancaster  county.  Pa., 
and  dying  in  i860  in  Pennsylvania.  There  were 
only  three  children  in  the  family  and  two  are 
now  living. 

The  youngest  of  the  children  was  Harry  M., 
born  near  Harrisburg  Pa.,  September  4,  1856, 
and  reared  on  the  home  farm  until  fifteen  years 
of  age,  meanwhile  attending  public  school  during 
three  winter  months  each  year.  Hearing  much 
concerning  the  west  and  ambitious  to  see  some- 
thing of  this  part  of  the  world,  in  1872  he  came 
to  San  Francisco  and  from  there  worked  his 
passage  to  San  Diego  on  the  steamer  William 
Tabor.  When  he  landed  here  he  found  a  town 
radically  dififerent  from  the  present  city.  In- 
stead of  comfortable  homes  and  substanial  bus- 
iness blocks,  little  except  sage  brush  was  to  be 
seen.  The  few  business  houses  were  straggling 
structures  of  primitive  construction,  and  the 
residences  were  little  more  than  shanties.  Yet 
about  all  was  the  subtle  charm  of  climate.  There 
was  much  to  interest  the  close  observer,  and 
he  had  no  desire  to  seek  a  larger  field  of  activ- 
ity. With  a  willing  disposition  and  capable 
hands  he  undertook  such  work  as  he  could  find 
to  do.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  years  he  became 
an  apprentice  to  the  carpenter's  trade  under  H. 
A.  Perry,  with  whom  he  remained  for  three 
years.  Later  he  worked  as  a  journeyman  for 
two  vcars.  Since  1880  he  has  engaged  in  con- 
tracting and,  in  point  of  years  of  business  activ- 
ity, ranks  as  the  oldest  contractor  in  San  Diego. 
Ehiring  his  long  career  he  has  built  many  resi- 
dences and  business  houses,  has  drawn  the 
plans  for  his  buildings  when  desired,  and  at 
one  time  went  to  Salinas  under  a  contract  for 
some  brick  business   blocks. 

The  residence  which  Mr.  Landis  erected  at 
No.  841  Ninth  street  forms  a  pleasant  home  for 
his  family.  In  San  Diego,  February  1 1,  1894.  he 
married  Miss  Peru  A.  Perkins,  who  was  born  at 
Ukiah,  Cal..  graduated  from  the  San  Francisco 
Business  College  in  1889,  and  later  taught  sten- 
ography and  typewriting  in  the  San  Diego  Bus- 
iness College.  Her  father,  A.  T.,  and  grand- 
father, Jesse  Perkins,  were  natives  of  Virginia, 
and  the"  latter  died  upon  a  plantation  in  that 
state.      The   former   in    1850   crossed    the   plains 


with  oxen  and  engaged  in  mining  in  the  moun- 
tains. After  a  brief  sojourn  at  Marysville  he 
became  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Ukiah, 
Alendocino  county,  where  he  established  the 
Ckiah  News,  the  first  paper  published  in  the 
town.  In  addition  he  was  interested  in  a  mer- 
cantile store,  a  lumber  business  and  in  stock- 
raising,  and  various  of  these  interests  he  was 
still  holding  in  1879,  the  year  of  his  death.  His 
wife,  who  was  Elizabeth  Harper,  was  born, 
reared  and  married  in  Georgia,  and  died  in 
Ukiah.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven  chil- 
dren. In  the  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Landis 
there  are  a  daughter,  C.  Floyd,  and  a  son,  Har- 
old  P. 

Prominent  in  the  local  activities  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  Mr.  Landis  at  one  time  was  a 
member  of  the  county  convention.  From  1895 
to  1897  he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  dele- 
gates, serving  one  year  as  president.  In  1897 
he  became  a  member  of  the  board  of  aldermen, 
representing  the  second  precinct  of  the  second 
ward,  and  by  re-election  every  other  year  he 
served  until  the  spring  of  1905,  when  he  retired 
with  an  excellent  record  for  faithful  service  to 
the  city.  As  chairman  of  the  water  committee, 
the  building  committee,  and  the  electric  light  and 
telephone  committee,  he  rendered  service  that 
was  especially  valuable  and  of  permanent  assist- 
ance to  the  well-being  of  the  city  and  the  tax- 
payers. In  addition  he  aided  measures  for  the 
instituting  of  improvements  which  have  trans- 
formed San  Diego  from  an  old-fashioned  town 
to  a  modern  city  of  the  twentieth  century  type. 
On  the  organization  of  the  Union  League  Club 
he  became  one  of  its  charter  members.  When 
the  Master  Builders'  Association  was  organized 
he  became  active  in  the  new  societv  and  was  hon- 
ored with  the  office  of  president,  besides  officiat- 
ing as  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors.  In 
1894  he  was  made  a  Mason  in  San  Diego  Lodge 
No.  35,  F.  &  A.  M.,  later  took  the  Royal  Arch 
degree  and  became  connected  with  San  Diego 
Commandery  No.  25,  K.  T.,  with  all  of  which 
he  yet  affiliates.  During  1878  he  was  initiated 
into  San  Diego  Lodge  No.  153,  I.  O.  O.  P..  in 
which  he  is  past  noble  grand.  Among  the  other 
bodies  with  which  lie  has  affiliated  mav  be  men- 
tioned the  Woodmen  of  the  ^^^orld,  the  Forest- 
ers of  America  and  the  Order  of  the  Eastern 
Star,  with  which  last-named  organization  his 
wife  also  has  been  associated. 


T.  LEE  CATHCART.  As  vice-president  and 
general  manager  of  the  San  Bernardino  and 
Riverside  Laundrv  Companies  J.  Lee  Cathcart 
has  proven  his  title  as  one  of  the  most  successful 
and  enterprising  business  men  of  this  section. 
The    Cathcart    fann'h-    has    been    identified    with 


2132 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  development  of  California  since  1852,  when 
the  grandfather  of  J.  Lee,  Capt.  John  Cathcart, 
who  had  been  a  steamboat  owner  and  captain 
on  the  Mississippi  river  between  New  Orleans 
and  St.  Louis,  came  here  with  his  family  and 
located  at  Santa  Cruz,  where  he  became  a  large 
land  owner  and  lived  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
His  son  Robert  was  a  small  boy  when  brought  to 
the  state  and  spent  his  youthful  days  at  Santa 
Cruz.  As  a  yoimg  man  he  engaged  in  mining 
operations  for  a  time,  later  became  a  merchant  at 
Santa  Cruz,  and  in  1876  located  at  Pomona  and 
engaged  in  horticultural  pursuits,  setting  out  one 
of  the  first  orange  groves  in  that  section,  his  one 
hundred  acre  traci  being  devoted  almost  ex- 
clusively to  that  fruit.  There  were  but  four 
American  families  in  that  neighborhood  when 
he  first  went  there  and  tlie  well-settled  garden 
spot  that  now  is  Pomona  was  bare  and  waste 
land.  The  death  of  the  elder  Cathcart  occurred 
in  Pomona  in  1904.  His  wife  was  Augusta  Durr, 
a  native  of  Ohio,  whose  grandfather  came  from 
Germany  to  Ohio,  and  in  1854  to  California  via 
the  Panama  route,  settling  with  his  family  in 
Monterey,  and  there  died.  Mrs.  Cathcart  is  now 
residing  on  the  home  ranch  at  Pomona,  and 
three  of  the  four  children  in  the  family  are  yet 
living. 

Next  to  the  oldest  in  the  family,  J.  Lee  Cath- 
cart was  born  June  17.  1871.  at  Santa  Cruz,  Cal., 
and  when  live  years  of  age  was  taken  by  his 
parents  to  Pomona,  where  he  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools,  and  after  the  completion  of 
his  studies  worked  with  his  father  until  he  had 
reached  the  age  of  his  majority.  He  then  began 
to  master  the  laundry  business,  starting  in  the 
workroom  and  gradually  rising  until  he  has 
reached  his  present  position.-  He  was  first  em- 
ployed in  the  Lorbeer  Brothers'  Pomona  laun- 
dry, and  when  be  resigned  his  position  with  them 
in  1901  he  had  attained  the  foremanship  of  that 
establishment.  Leaving  Pomona  he  came  to  San 
Bernardino  and  purchased,  with  others,  the  San 
Bernardino  Steam  Laundry,  of  which  he  became 
the  manager.  This  laundry  had  been  established 
in  1 89 1  and  was  incorporated  as  the  San  Ber- 
nardino Steam  Laundry  Company,  which  rented 
quarters  at  Fourth  and  D  streets,  this  building 
continuing  as  its  home  until  1903,  when  a  new 
site  was  purchased  at  Nos.  559-561  Court  street 
and  a  building  80x127  feet  was  erected.  The 
plant  has  been  given  the  most  thoroughly  mod- 
ern equipment,  which  includes  two  forty-horse- 
power boilers  and  one  thirty-five-horsepower  en- 
gine, a  pumping  plant,  and  artesian  well  and 
machinery  for  generating  their  own  electricity  to 
be  used  in  heating  the  irons  and  running  the  ma- 
chinery. The  laundry  is  pronounced  the  largest 
and  best  equipped  in  Southern  California  out- 
side of  Los  Angeles,  and  their  business  extends 


from  Riverside  through  California  and  into 
Nevada.  In  1905  Mr.  Cathcart  and  his  brother 
purchased  a  controlling  interest  in  the  Riverside 
Laundry  Company,  of  which  j.  Lee  is  president, 
and  they  have  remodeled  and  improved  the 
plant,  installing  pumping  and  electricity-gen- 
erating machinery,  the  steadily  increasing  busi- 
ness at  that  point  making  it  necessary  to  enlarge 
the  building  also.  Mr.  Cathcart  is  a  member  of 
the  Southern  California  Laundrymen's  Associa- 
tion, and  in  December,  1906,  was  elected  first 
vice-president.  He  is  assistant  chief  of  the  San 
Bernadino  fire  department,  belongs  to  the  San 
Bernardino  Board  of  Trade,  and  fraternally 
affiliates  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  lodge. 
In  1892  Mr.  Cathcart  was  married  in  Berkeley 
to  Miss  Amy  Green,  a  native  of  Michigan,  and 
this  union  has  been  blessed  in  the  birth  of  two 
children,  Howard  .and  Kate. 


SAMUEL  M.  BISE.  Prominent  among  the 
leading  business  men  of  Compton,  Los  Angeles 
county  is  Samuel  M.  Bise,  the  well-known  fur- 
nishing undertaker,  funeral  director  and  livery- 
man. Possessing  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
duties  of  an  undertaker,  his  services  are  sought 
throughout  the  community  in  which  he  resides. 
He  is  enterprising  and  public  spirited,  taking  an 
intelligent  interest  in  local  affairs,  ever  ready  to 
lend  a  helping  hand  towards  promoting  the  best 
interests  of  town  and  county.  A  son  of  John 
Bise,  he  was  born  June  26,  1846,  in  Sullivan 
county,  Tennessee. 

A  native  of  Germany,  John  Bise  was  but  a 
child  when  his  parents  emigrated  to  this  country, 
settling  as  farmers  in  North  Carolina.  Brought 
up  in  that  state,  he  was  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  during  his  entire  life,  first  in  Virginia, 
then  in  Tennessee,  and  subsequently  in  Missouri, 
where  he  spent  the  closing  years  of  his  life,  dying 
there  in  1866.  He  married  Mathilda,  daughter 
of  John  Bohman,  of  Tennessee,  and  they  became 
the  parents  of  eleven  children,  namely :  William, 
John,  Lucinda,  George,  Thomas,  Lewis,  Cath- 
erine, Sarah,  Mary,  Robert  and  Samuel  M.  The 
family  were  patriotic,  five  of  the  sons  serving 
as  soldiers  in  the  Civil  war,  four  of  them  belong- 
ing to  Company  C,  Second  Missouri  Volunteer 
Infantry.  The  parents  were  both  members  of 
the  Baptist  Qiurch. 

The  youngest  child  of  the  parental  household, 
Samuel  M.  Bise  received  a  good  education  in  the 
common  schools,  and  at  an  early  age  began  to  be 
self-supporting.  During  the  Civil  war,  follow- 
ing the  example  of  his  four  brave  brothers,  he 
enlisted  for  three  years  in  Company  C,  Third 
Iowa  Cavalry,  and  at  the  expiration  of  his  term 
of  enlistment  re-enlisted,  becoming  a  member  of 
Company  H,  Thirty-ninth    Missouri    Volunteer 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RI'XORD. 


2133 


Infantry,  in  whicli  he  served  ten  months,  at  the 
close  of  the  war  being  mustered  out  of  service. 
He  participated  in  numerous  engagements,  and 
being  seriously  wounded  at  the  battle  in  Cen- 
tralia,  Mo.,  was  in  the  hospital  for  three  months. 
Coming  to  California  in  i860,  he  located  first  in 
Woodland,  Yolo  county,  as  a  rancher,  going 
from  there  to  Salinas,  Monterey  county,  where 
he  was  similarly  employed  a  number  of  seasons. 
In  1874  he  came  to  Compton,  and  witli  the  ex- 
ception of  nine  }ears  when  he  was  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  in  San  Luis  Obispo  county, 
he  has  since  been  a  resident  of  this  place.  He  is 
now  carrying  on  a  substantial  livery  business, 
and  as  an  undertaker  and  funeral  director  is 
painstaking,  efficient  and  popular. 

In  Compton,  October  21.  1874,  Mr.  Bise  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Sarah  A.  Rogers,  born 
in  California,  a  daughter  of  Sylvester  Rogers, 
who  was  born  in  Ohio,  while  his  wife  was  a 
native  of  Missouri.  Mr.  Rogers  came  to  Comp- 
ton with  the  colony  in  the  year  1867.  Five  chil- 
dren have  been  born  of  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bise,  namely :  Ida,  Mattie,  Marion,  Adenie 
and  Sylvester.  They  have  also  an  adopted  son, 
Frank,  whose  father  was  killed  in  the  battle  of 
Manila.  Politically  Mr.  Bise  is  active  in  Repub- 
lican ranks,  and  for  eight  years  ser^'ed  as  deputy 
constable.  He  belongs  to  Shiloh  Post  No.  60, 
G.  A.  R.,  of  Compton ;  to  the  Fraternal  Brother- 
hood, and  to  the  Fraternal  Aid,  of  which  Mrs. 
Bise  is  also  a  member.  Both  he  and  Mrs.  Bise 
are  valued  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  are  everywhere  respected  and  es- 
teemed. 


JACOB  FRANK  LOBINGIER.  As  a  hor- 
ticulturist and  manufacturer  Jacob  F.  Lobin- 
gier  holds  a  high  place  among  the  represen- 
tative citizens  of  Los  Angeles  county,  where 
he  has  been  located  since  1888  and  engaged 
since  that  time  in  the  upbuilding  of  his  per- 
sonal fortune,  while  at  the  same  time  he  has 
given  his  best  efiforts  towards  the  material  up- 
building and  development  of  the  section.  The 
family  of  which  he  is  the  California  repre- 
sentative is  of  French  Huguenot  and  Swiss 
origin,  although  the  name  was  established  in 
America  by  his  great-great-grandfather,  Chris- 
topher Lobingier,  who  settled  in  Dauphin 
county,  Pa.,  and  served  his  adopted  country  in 
the  Revolutionary  war.  The  son  of  his  ances- 
tor, John,  a  scholarly  gentleman  who  became 
a  county  judge  and  otherwise  participated  in 
the  public  affairs  of  his  community,  estab- 
lished the  Lobingier  Mills  on  Jacob's  creek, 
on  a  turnpike  road  between  Pittsburg  and 
Baltimore.  The  interest  in  the  mills  passed 
from   father   to   son.   each    combining  farming 


with  their  milling  operations.  The  father  of 
our  subject,  also  named  Jacob,  was  a  member 
of  the  first  class  in  Bethany  College  and  later 
became  a  farmer  and  merchant  tanner  at  his 
birthplace  in  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.  He 
took  a  prominent  part  in  public  affairs  and 
served  as  Justice  of  the  peace,  and  as  post- 
master for  many  years  in  the  town  of  Laurel- 
ville.  His  death  occurred  in  June,  1887,  re- 
moving from  the  communiiy  a  citizen  of  worth 
and  works  and  one  whose  place  could  never 
be  filled.  He  v/as  an  educated  and  scholarly 
gentleman,  had  taken  a  strong  interest  on  all 
educational  topics,  and  numbered  among  his 
friends  many  of  the  most  notable  men  of  his 
commonwealth.  He  left  a  wife,  a  daughter, 
and  three  sons,  his  wife's  maiden  name  being 
Lillias  Stewart.  She  was  a  native  of  Somer- 
set county,  Pa.,  and  a  daughter  of  Andrew 
Stewart,  of  Scotch  descent,  who  became  a 
resident  of  Somerset,  where  he  served  for 
many  years  as  justice  of  the  peace.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lobingier  had  six  children,  of  whom 
three  are  now  living,  one  son,  Henry  Schell, 
who  graduated  from  Bethany  College  in  1873, 
became  a  clergyman  of  distinction  in  the  Chris- 
tian Church.  His  death  occurred  in  1887  at 
Pomona.  The  oldest  son,  Ouincy  A.,  lives  at 
San  Gabriel,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  at  Po- 
mona, and  Dr.  Andrew  Stewart  is  a  practic- 
ing surgeon  of  Los  Angeles. 

Jacob  Frank  Lobingier  was  born  in  West- 
moreland county.  Pa.,  J'uly  13,  1859,  and  reared 
in  the  town  of  his  birthplace,  Laurelville,  and 
educated  in  its  schools.  He  assisted  his  fa- 
ther when  old  enough  in  the  tannery  and  mill, 
learning  the  trade  of  the  former.  After  the 
death  of  his  father  he  was  appointed  admin- 
istrator and  after  settling  up  the  estate  he  sold 
out  and  with  his  mother  and  sister  and  two 
brothers  came  to  California.  They  located  in 
Pomona,  where  Mr.  Lobingier  engaged  in  hor- 
ticulture, locating  on  a  twenty-acre  ranch  near 
Claremont,  which  he  improved  and  cultivated 
to  oranges  and  lemons.  He  continued  in  that 
location  for  sixteen  years.  In  1903  he  disposed 
of  these  interests  and  is  now  engaged  in  the 
canning  business  at  Ontario  with  the  Golden 
State  Fruit  Company  of  which  he  is  president. 
The  cannery  at  Ontario  has  been  gradually 
enlarged  and  increased  in  capacity.  In  1906 
they  put  up  nearly  two  million  cans,  consum- 
ing four  hundred  tons  of  peaches.  One  hun- 
dred and  ten  cars  of  the  season's  output 
were  shipped  east.  The  favorite  brands  are 
the  Regal,  Euclid.  Ruby  Fiesta,  Ontario  and 
Riverside. 

Mr.  Lobingier  is  one  of  the  prominent  cit- 
izens of  Pomona,  taking  an  active  and  help- 
ful  interest  in  all  public  affairs.     He  is  a  di- 


2134 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


rector  of  the  American  National  Bank,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  Library  Trustees,  a  di- 
rector in  the  Board  of  Trade  and  director  in 
the  Pomona  Valle}'  Hospital  Association.  He 
is  a  Republican  in  his  political  convictions 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church,  in 
which  he  officiates  as  deacon.  From  1904  to 
1906  he  served  as  a  city  trustee.  He  is  a  pro- 
gressive and  fair-minded  citizen,  and  no  man 
is  more  counted  upon  to  uphold  public  enter- 
prises. 


NILS  xAIALMBERG.  Although  apprenticed 
in  youth  to  the  machinist's  trade,  a  preference 
for  the  occupation  of  painter  led  Mr.  Malmberg 
to  transfer  his  energies  to  the  work  more  con- 
genial to  his  tastes,  and  he  has  since  proved  to 
be  an  efficient  and  successful  workman  in  the  line 
of  his  chosen  pursuit.  While  he  devotes  him- 
self assiduously  to  the  filling  of  contracts  for 
painting,  yet  he  finds  leisure  for  other  lines  of 
activity.  In  his  home  are  to  be  seen  tables, 
clock,  stands,  etc.,  which  are  his  handiwork  and 
prove  him  to  be  a  natural  mechanic. 

In  the  southern  part  of  Sweden,  across  the 
sound  from  Denmark,  lies  the  city  of  Helsing- 
borg,  one  of  the  oldest  in  Sweden,  where  Nils 
]\Ialmberg  was  born  August  14,  1868.  His 
father,  Johnnes,  a  native  of  the  same  locality,  is 
a  machinist  by  trade,  and  still  carries  on  a  shop 
in  that  city.  The  mother,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Maria  Pearson  and  who  was  born  at 
Helsingborg.  is  now  deceased.  Tlie  family  are 
of  the  Lutheran  faith,  as  were  their  ancestors 
almost  back  to  the  time  of  the  Reformation.  Four 
daughters  and  one  son  comprised  the  original 
family,  and  all  are  now  living  except  one  daugh- 
ter, but  Nils,  next  to  the  oldest  of  the  number, 
is  the  only  one  in  America.  Such  advantages  as 
common  schools  afforded  were  given  him,  but  he 
has  acquired  his  education  by  self-culture  rather 
than  by  school  training. 

When  sixteen  years  of  age  Mr.  Malmberg 
began  to  learn  the  trade  of  machinist,  but  after  a 
year  he  took  up  painting  as  an  apprentice  and 
thoroughly  learned  the  trade  in  all  of  its 
branches.  Coming  to  the  United  States  in  1889, 
he  made  a  sojourn  of  several  months  at  Marcus, 
Cherokee  county,  lovi'a,  and  in  December  of  the 
same  year  arrived  at  San  Diego,  where  without 
delay  he  was  successful  in  securing  employment 
as  a  painter.  In  1894  he  began  to  take  contracts 
for  painting  and  has  continued  in  the  same  line 
to  the  present  time,  meanwhile  having  charge  of 
such  work  as  the  Sefton  block,  Isis  theatre,  Fut- 
ton  and  Humphrey  block,  the  Marston,  and  Dr. 
Burnham's,  Major  !\Ioylan"s.  Sehon's  and  Mrs. 
Garrettson's  residences,  and  since  1900  has  had 
under  his  supervision  all  of  the  painting  for  the 


Theosophists  at  Point  Loma  Homestead.  Dur- 
ing the  busy  season  he  furnishes  employment  to 
from  eight  to  twelve  men,  with  whose  aid  he 
promptly  and  efficiently  fills  all  of  the  contracts 
undertaken  by  him. 

The  Malmberg  residence  at  No.  3435  C  street, 
San  Diego,  is  presided  over  by  Mrs.  Malmberg, 
formerly  Miss  Edith  Holmquist,  who  was  born 
in  Salina,  Kans.,  came  to  San  Diego,  in  girlhood, 
was  here  married,  and  now  has  one  son,  John 
Waldo.  Ever  since  becoming  a  citizen  of  the 
United  States  ]\Ir.  Malmberg  "has  voted  the  Re- 
publican ticket,  but  at  no  time  has  he  sought 
official  honors  or  public  emoluments,  preferring 
to  devote  himself  to  his  business  affairs.  Identi- 
fied with  the  Master  Painters'  Association  and 
the  San  Diego  Builders'  Exchange,  he  holds  a 
position  as  trustee  in  the  former.  In  fraternal  re- 
lations he  is  a  Mason  (as  was  his  father  before 
him),  an  Odd  Fellow  and  a  member  of  the 
Rebekahs,  belonging  to  Silver  Gate  Lodge  No. 
296,  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  which  he  was  made  a  Mason, 
and  also  holding  membership  with  San  Diego 
Lodge  No.  153,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  in  the  work  of 
which  he  has  been  an  interested  participant. 


FREDERICK  W.  OTTE.  Not  far  from 
the  village  of  Oxnard,  Ventura  county,  is  lo- 
cated the  ranch  of  F.  W.  Otte,  a  steady,  en- 
terprising farmer,  and  one  who  in  many  ways 
has  added  to  the  agricultural  prestige  of  the 
community.  He  is  a  native  of  Germany,  born 
June  ij,  1869,  the  son  of  a  farmer,  the  father 
following  an  agricultural  life  in  the  Father- 
land until  transferring  his  residence  to  the  Unit- 
ed States  in  1886.  Father  and  son  .were  very 
closely  associated  in  their  interests,  for  as 
.soon  as  the  latter  had  completed  his  common 
school  studies  he  entered  vigorously  into  the 
duties  connected  with  the  management  of  the 
homestead,  an  interest  which  has  never  less- 
ened in  connection  with  the  homestead  es- 
tablished in  the  New  World.  For  nine  years 
they  were  associated  in  maintaining  the  ranch 
which  the  father  purchased  in  Ventura  county, 
but  in  1895  the  son  began  farming  independ- 
ently, in  1905  purchasing  a  tract  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixt}-  acres  six  miles  from  Oxnard, 
upon  which  he  has  since  resided.  At  the  time 
he  purchased  it  there  were  few  of  the  im- 
provements seen  on  the  place  today.  Beets 
and  barley  are  made  a  specialty,  although  he 
also  carries  on  general  farming  to  some  ex- 
tent. Since  leaving  home  he  rented  land  for 
ten  years  in  the  county  until  he  bought  his 
present  ranch. 

While  still  working  on  the  home  farm  with 
iiis  father  Wr.  Otte  formed  domestic  ties  by 
his  marriage  with  Miss  Gusta  Volkert,  the  cer- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2135 


emony  being  performed  in  1892,  and  for  three 
years  tlie  young  people  made  their  home  near 
the  father's  ranch.  Mrs.  Otte  was  born  in 
Ohio  and  is  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Louisa 
Volkert.  One  son,  Henry,  has  been  born  in- 
to the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Otte. 

In  his  native  land  Mr.  Otte  was  trained  in 
the  faith  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  he  still 
adheres  to  its  teachings,  as  does  also  his  wife, 
and  they  hold  membership  in  the  church  of 
that  denomination  at  Oxnard.  Mr.  Otte  has 
not  allied  himself  with  either  of  the  great  pol- 
itical parties,  but  this  does  not  indicate  that 
he  is  not  interested  in  the  welfare  of  his  adopt- 
ed country;  on  the  other  hand  he  is  keenly 
alive  to  its  best  interests,  and  after  careful 
investigation  as  to  the  candidate's  qualifica- 
tioiis  votes  for  the  man  best  fitted  for  the  po- 
sition in  question.  He  belongs  to  but  one 
fraternal  order,  holding  membership  in  the 
Ancient   Order  of  United   Workmen. 


JOHN  HANSEN.  The  Skyland  summer 
resort  is  located  high  up  in  the  San  Bernar- 
dino range,  on  the  Arrowhead  road,  where  a 
delightful  view  is  aftorded  the  guest  at  all 
times,  which  in  itself  is  refreshing  were  no 
other  advantages  to  be  gained  from  the  high 
altitude  and  unpolluted  air.  Besides  the  hotel, 
there  are  ten  cottages  scattered  about  the 
grounds  for  the  accommodation  of  guests  who 
prefer  to  take  their  outing  in  this  way,  and  for 
those  who  wish  the  less  conventional  camp 
life,  tents  and  all  the  accompanying  necessi- 
ties can  readily  be  supplied.  The  Skyland  re- 
sort is  under  the  capable  management  of  Mr. 
Hansen,  who  is  proving  himself  to  be  the 
right  man  in  the  right  place. 

A  son  of  Johannas  Christian  and  Hannah 
Magdalena  (Skroder)  Elansen,  John  Hansen 
was  born  in  Hadersleben,  a  seaport  town  of 
Prussia,  September  11,  1863.  In  the  public  and 
high  schools  of  his  native  town  he  received  a 
good  education,  graduating  in  1879.  Follow- 
ing the  German  custom  of  learning  a  trade,  he 
was  apprenticed  to  a  machinist  for  four  years, 
at  the  end  of  the  appointed  time  coming  forth 
a  full-fledged  machinist.  During  his  school 
■years  he  had  exhibited  a  fondness  for  mechan- 
ics and  had  given  the  subject  considerable 
thought  and  study,  so  that  the  years  of  his  ap- 
prenticeship were  spent  in  an  agreeable  pur- 
suit. After  following  his  trade  for  about  a 
year  failing  eyesight  made  a  change  in  his 
plans  and  finally  resulted  in  his  immigration 
to  America.  Landing  in  New  York  City  Sep- 
tember 7,  1880,  he  went  to  Phoenixville,  Ches- 
ter countv,  Pa.,  where  for  about  nine  months 
he  was  employed  at  his  trade.    Going  to  Cleve- 


land, Ohio,  at  the  end  of  this  time  he  worked 
as  a  machinist  there  for  about  fifteen  months, 
when  he  went  still  further  west  and  in  Cedar 
Falls,  Iowa,  became  interested  in  farming.  Be- 
sides carrying  on  agricultural  pursuits  there 
for  four  years  he  also  did  teaming.  Leaving 
the  middle  west  in  the  latter  part'  of  1887,  he 
arrived  in  San  Bernardino  December  17,  and 
for  one  year  was  employed  in  the  material 
yards  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad.  From  there 
he  went  north  to  Sauvie  Island,  Multnomah 
county,  Ore.,  where  for  eleven  months  he  was 
employed  in  lumbering.  Returning  to  San 
Bernardino  at  the  end  of  this  time  he  again 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Santa  Fe,  acting  as 
foreman  of  the  yard  until  September  27,  1901, 
when  he  severed  his  connection  with  the  com- 
pany and  accepted  the  position  of  gate  keeper 
and  road  superintendent  of  a  power  company. 
F"our  years  later,  in  May,  1905,  he  accepted  a 
position  Avith  the  county  as  road  superintend- 
ent, giving  this  up.  however,  five  months  lat- 
er to  take  charge  of  the  Skyland  resort,  having 
been  in  charge  here  since  October  15,  1905. 

The  marriage  of  John  Hansen  occurred  Oc- 
tober 30,  1890,  and  united  him  with  Charlotte 
Christine  Rnsmussen,  the  daughter  of  Nels 
Severin  and  Charlotte  C.  (Vanding)  Rasmus- 
sen.  Mrs.  Hansen  was  born  in  Kolding,  Den- 
mark. October  26,  1863,  and  in  1890  came  to 
the  United  States,  locating  in  San  Bernardino. 
Cal.,  where  her  marriage  occurred  soon  aft- 
erward. Three  children  blessed  the  marriage 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hansen,  the  eldest  of  whom, 
Johannas  Christian,  died  at  the  age  of  three 
years  and  ten  months ;  Eda  Frederica  was  born 
February  15,  1892;  and  the  youngest  child, 
Olga  Helen,  was  born  May  29,  1900.  Political- 
ly Mr.  Hansen  is  a  believer  in  Democratic 
principles,  although  he  is  not  what  is  termed 
a  politician,  and  has  never  aspired  to  public 
office  holding.  Fraternally  he  belongs  to  Ar- 
rowhead Tent  No.  12,  K.  O.  T.  M.,  in  which 
he  has  held  a  number  of  offices. 


WILLIAM  LAMONT  OL.MSTEAD.  Iden- 
tified with  the  manufacturing  interests  of  Red- 
lands,  William  Lament  Olmstead  is  now  act- 
ing as  secretary  and  manager  for  the  San  Ber- 
nardino Lumber  &  Box  Company,  with  his 
business  office  located  in  San  IBernardino  and 
his  home  in  this  city,  at  the  corner  of  Clark 
and  Alvarado  streets.  Mr.  Olmstead  came  to 
California  in  1889.  He  is  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, where  his  birth  occurred  in  Wyom- 
ing county,  near  Tunkhannock,  November  10, 
1858.  His  father,  Edward,  was  a  teacher  in 
tlie  public  schools  and  later  in  life  a  manu- 
facturer,   his    death    being    caused    from    in- 


2136 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


juries  received  ^vl^ile  in  this  work.  His  moth- 
er was  Alartha  Lockwood,  in  maidenhood,  a 
native  of  Connecticut  and  a  daughter  of  Will- 
iam Lockwood,  the  latter  a  farmer  in  what  is 
now  Scranton,  Fa.  iNTrs.  Olmstead  was  also 
a  teacher  in  her  young  womanhood ;  she  be- 
came the  mother  of  two  children  and  died 
when  this  son  was  but  five  years  old.  He  was 
brought  up  on  a  farm  in  ^Vyoming  county  and 
attended  the  district  schools  in  pursuit  of  an 
education,  which  course  was  supplemented  by 
a  few  months  spent  at  the  Keystone  Academy. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  began  teach- 
ing in  his  native  county,  and  in  that  location 
remained  so  occupied  for  about  thirteen  years. 
During  this  time  he  studied  pharmacy.  In 
1889  he  came  to  the  Pacilic  coast  and  located 
in  Uniontown,  Eastern  Washington,  and  en- 
gaged in  the  drug  business  in  that  town  for 
about  three  years,  when  he  sold  out  and  pur- 
chasing a  drug  establishment  in  Farmington, 
same  state,  he  conducted  the  same  for  the  pe- 
riod of  six  months.  He  then  moved  his  inter- 
ests to  Northport,  Wash.,  and  after  one  year 
moved  it  again  to  Ritzville,  same  state,  and 
shortly  afterward  became  interested  in  the 
banking  business  there,  disposing  of  his  drug 
store  to  assume  the  position  of  discount  clerk 
in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Ritzville,  in 
which  he  was  a  director.  He  held  this  posi- 
tion two  years,  when  in  1902  he  resigned,  and 
having  previously,  in  1901,  made  a  trip  to 
California  and  purchased  an  orange  grove  at 
Redlands,  he  came  south  and  became  per- 
manently located  here.  He  now  owns  seven- 
teen acres  on  Redlands  street  and  Fifth  av- 
enue, all  devoted  to  navel  oranges.  In  the 
meantime  he  has  become  variously  interested 
in  commercial  affairs  in  this  section,  at  pres- 
ent serving  as  president  of  the  Security  In- 
vestment Company,  of  Redlands,  which  owns 
the  Commercial  Company ;  is  a  member  of 
East  Redlands  ^^'^ater  Company,  and  is  a  di- 
rector and  the  vice-president  of  same;  was 
one  of  the  organi.-:ers  of  the  Redlands  Golden 
Orange  Association  and  a  director  from  its 
inception;  and  in  the  reorganization  of  the 
San  Bernardino  Lumber  &  Box  Company  he 
was  a  potent  factor.  This  latter  business  now 
occupies  a  large  part  of  his  time  and  atten- 
tion. This  enterprise  is  located  in  San  Ber- 
nardino, where  tiiey  have  a  planing. mill  and 
box  factory,  with  a  capacity  of  fifty  thou- 
sand feet  per  day.  They  have  mills  in  the 
mountains  near  Skyland,  where  they  manu- 
facture lumber  for  their  own  use.  Since  Jan- 
uary I,  1907,  Mr.  Olmstead  has  assumed  active 
management  in  this  work,  and  is  now  serv- 
ing as  its  manager  and  secretary,  and  is 
destined  to  bring  the  enterprise  to  rank  with 


the  foremost  of  its  character  in  Southern  Cal- 
ifornia. 

In  Wyoming  county,  Pa.,  Mr.  Olmstead  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Alice  M.  Hodg- 
son, a  native  of  Daleville,  Pa.,  and  a  graduate 
of  the  Indiana  .State  Normal  at  Valparaiso. 
They  have  four  children,  namely:  Edward  L., 
engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  in  Ana- 
heim; Nellie  I..  Edith  :\I.  and  Paul  H.,  at 
home.  Fraternally  Mr.  Olmstead  was  made  a 
Mason  in  Ritzville  Lodge  No.  loi,  F.  &  A.  M., 
and  an  Odd  Fellow  in  Pennsylvania,  joining 
the  lodge  of  the  latter  organization  in  Ritz- 
ville, of  which  he  is  past  grand,  and  now  be- 
longs to  Redlands  Lodge  No.  341,  I.  O.  O.  F. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  First  Congregational 
Church,  of  Redlands,  and  politically  is  a  Re- 
publican. 


FRANK  \\  ALTER  JOHNSON.  There  is 
no  enterprise  of  its  kind  better  known  through- 
out the  Pomona  valley  than  the  Pomona  Val- 
ley Ice  Company,  of  which  Mr.  Johnson  is  the 
able  manager.  His  identification  with  the  ice 
business  dates  from  the  year  1902,  when  he 
became  an  employe  of  the  Pasadena  Ice  Com- 
pany and  as  their  representative  established 
a  branch  office  in  Pomona.  The  following  year 
he  was  transferred  to  Los  Angeles  and  placed 
in  charge  as  manager  of  that  branch,  a  posi- 
tion which  he  filled  with  credit  to  himself  and 
with  the  greatest  satisfaction  to  his  superiors 
until  February,  1906.  It  was  on  the  latter 
date  that  his  identification  with  the  Pomona 
Valley  Ice  Company  began,  he  being  a  stock- 
holder in  the  concern.  In  the  fall  of  1905  the 
companj'  erected  its  present  modern  ice  plant 
at  the  corner  of  East  Second  and  Reservoir 
streets,  which  has  a  capacity  for  turning  out 
thirty-five  tons  of  ice  per  day.  In  close  prox- 
imity to  the  manufacturing  building  proper  is 
a  large  brick  storage  Avarehouse,  60x120x30 
feet  high,  with  a  capacity  for  storing  three 
thousand  tons  of  ice.  To  such  an  extent  has 
the  business  increased  in  scope  that  more 
storage  space  has  become  a  necessity,  and  it 
is  the  intention  of  the  stockholders  to  erect 
a  suitable  building  for  this  purpose  in  the 
spring  of  T90V. 

The  Johnson  family  was  one  of  the  oldest 
in  Virginia,  and  during  the  Revolutionary  war 
some  of  its  members  were  represented  among 
the  defenders  of  the  colonists'  cause.  From 
such  information  as  can  be  gathered  from  the 
records  of  the  grandfather,  Martin  Johnson, 
v^ras  the  first  to  remove  from  the  Old  Domin- 
ion and  establish  the  family  in  Indiana,  where 
he  taught  school.  The  next  in  line  of  descent 
was  \y.   A.,  who  was  born  in   Madison  coun- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2137 


ty,  Ind.,  and  during  his  earlier  years  he  fol- 
lowed farming  in  that  county.  The  call  to 
arms  in  1861  found  him  among  the  number 
who  laid  aside  their  farm  implements  to  shoul- 
der the  musket  in  defense  of  their  country's 
honor,  and  after  his  term  of  service  had  ex- 
pired he  once  more  took  up  his  farming  du- 
ties in  Indiana.  About  1880  he  removed  to 
Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  engaged  in  the  real- 
estate  business,  following  this  for  about  four 
years,  when,  in  1884,  he  came  to  California, 
and  since  that  time  has  followed  the  same  bus- 
iness in  Los  Angeles,  his  office  being  at  No. 
109  South  Broadway.  His  service  in  the  Un- 
ion army  entitles  him  to  membership  in  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  His  wife,  for- 
merly Sarali  Cook,  was  also  born  in  Indiana, 
and  is  now  living  in  Los  Angeles.  All  of  the 
six  children  born  to  these  worthy  parents  are 
still  living,  and  of  the  number  Frank  W.  is 
next  to  the  oldest. 

At  Huntsville,  Madison  county,  Ind.,  not 
far  from  Anderson,  Frank  W.  Johnson  was 
born  IMarch  12,  1870,  and  the  first  ten  years 
of  his  life  were  associated  with  that  locality. 
The  removal  of  the  family  at  that  time  to 
Kansas  City  brought  a  complete  change  into 
his  life,  for' though  he  was  little  more  than  a 
child  in  years  he  began  to  prepare  himself  for 
future  business,  and  from  then  until  fourteen 
vears  of  age  was  an  apprentice  to  the  uphol- 
sterer's trade  with  the  Abernethy  Furniture 
Company.  Coming  to  California  in  1884,  he 
worked  as  upholsterer  in  the  employ  of  John 
Bloser  of  Los  Angeles  for  two  years,  and  for 
the  same  length  of  time  worked  in  the  same 
capacity  for  the  Los  Angeles  Furniture  Com- 
pany. With  an  ambition  which  has  ever  been 
one  of  his  marked  characteristics  he  set  about 
to  improve  his  neglected  education  (his  only 
training  of  this  character  being  received  pri- 
or to  his  tenth  year)  and  during  the  four  years 
of  his  residence  in  Los  Angeles  he  attended 
night  school  and  commercial  college.  Going 
to'  Bonner  Springs,  Kans.,  in  1888,  he  was  as- 
sociated with  his  father  in  the  butcher  bus- 
iness for  two  years,  and  thereafter  returned 
to  Los  Angeles,  where  for  several  years  he 
worked  as  a  butcher  in  the  employ  of  Charles 
Kesner.  From  Los  Angeles  he  went  to  San 
Bernardino  countv,  where  for  a  time  he  was 
in  the  emplov  of'  the  Bear  Valley  Irrigation 
Company,  sti'll  later  going  to  Chino  and  en- 
gaging in  beet-raising.  From  Chino  he  carne 
to  Pomona  in  1894.  becoming  interested  in 
the  butcher  business  once  more  as  an  employe 
in  the  market  of  Richard  Gird.  Some  years 
later  he  became  proprietor  of  an  establishment 
of  his  ov/n,  purchasing  the  trade  of  C.  W.  Fos- 
dick.  and   continuing  the  business  at  the  cor- 


ner of  Second  and  Alain  streets  for  four  years. 
Prior  to  this,  however,  he  had  worked  at  the 
upholsterer's  trade  for  three  years  with  Wright 
Brothers  and  Rice.  Upon  disposing  of  his 
meat  market  in  1902  he  entered  the  employ 
of  the  Pasadena  Ice  Company  in  May  of  that 
year,  and  his  rise  from  that  position  to  the 
present  managership  of  the  Pomona  Valley 
Ice  Company  has  already  been  enlarged  upon. 
Besides  being  a  stockholder  in  the  latter  com- 
oany  he  also  holds  stock  in  the  Pasadena  Ice 
Company. 

In  Pomona  Mr.  Johnson  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Emma  Nora  Mosher,  who  was 
born  in  Hartford,  Kans.,  and  two  children 
have  been  born  to  them,  Frank  Kenneth  and 
Lois  Merle.  The  family  have  a  pleasant  home 
in  Pomona,  besides  which  Mr.  Johnson  owns 
a  residence  in  Los  Angeles.  Mr.  Johnson  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Christian  Church 
and  are  in  deep  sympathy  with  the  Prohibi- 
tion movement,  Air.  Johnson  voting  for  the 
candidates  of  that  party  whenever  the  oppor- 
tunity is  offered.  His  m.embership  in  the 
Board  of  Trade  is  indicative  of  his  interest  in 
the  welfare  of  his  home  city,  where  he  is  known 
as  an  enterprising  and  capable  business  man. 
Fraternally  he  belongs  to  several  organiza- 
tions, having  been  made  a  Alason  in  Pomona 
Lodge  No.  246,  and  his  name  is  also  on  the 
membership  roll  of  the  Fraternal  Aid,  Frat- 
ernal Brotherhood  and  the  Knights  of  the 
Alaccabees. 


BEARRY  ROBERTS.  One  of  the  finest 
ranches  in  Southern  California  is  owned  by 
Bearry  Roberts,  who  is  among  the  oldest  set- 
tlers in  the  state,  having  arrived  here  in  1852. 
He  was  born  September  18,  1836,  in  Conway 
county.  Ark.,  the  son  of  Jesse  and  Mary  (Ap- 
plin)  Roberts.  The  father  was  a  farmer  in 
Arkansas  and  died  in  that  state  when  Bearry, 
who  was  the  youngest  son,  was  a  mere  baby. 
The  mother,  who  was  a  native  of  Tennessee, 
brought  the  family  to  California  in  1852,  but 
later  returned  to  Texas,  where  her  death  oc- 
curred. Of  the  six  children  in  the  family 
Bearry  Roberts  is  the  only  one  now  living. 
He  lived  on  the  farm  in  Arkansas  until  fifteen 
years  old,  when  he  crossed  the  plains,  driving 
a  team  of  four  yoke  oxen,  guiding  the  animals 
from  the  back' of  the  wheel  ox.  The  party 
started  April  10  and  after  a  comparatively 
uneventful  trip  arrived  in  Mariposa  on  the  first 
day  of  October.  Mr.  Roberts  worked  at  min- 
ing for  five  years,  then  removed  to  San  Ber- 
nardino county,  and  in  December,  1857,  locat- 
ed on  a  ranch  ind  began  stock  raising.  He 
has  been   living  in  his  present  home  for  thir- 


2138 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ly  years,  the  ranch  l)cing  situated  in  San 
Timoteo  caiion,  Riverside  county,  and  com- 
prising two  hundred  acres  of  highly  improved 
land,  the  greater  part  of  which  is  under  irri- 
gation, the  water  being  sectired  from  San  Tim- 
oteo creek.  He  owns  some  of  the  finest  cat- 
tle in  the  county  of  the  Shorthorn  and  Durham 
breeds  and  has  twent3--five  dairy  cows  of  high 
grade.  He  also  possesses  some  blooded  horses, 
among  them  being  one.  Clyde,  a  large  bay  Eng- 
lish shire  horse  bred  from  an  imported  sire, 
which  is  acknowledged  to  be  one  of  the  best 
breeding  horses  in  the  valley.  The  crop  to 
which  the  largest  acreage  is  devoted  is  alfal- 
fa, six  cuttings  of  hay  being  secured  in  one 
year.  The  ranch  is  located  six  miles  from 
Redlands  and  is  one  of  the  most  valuable 
properties  in  that  section. 

In  Mariposa  countv  'Sir.  Roberts  was  mar- 
ried to  I\Iiss  Frances  Thomas,  a  native  of  Mis- 
souri, her  death  occurring  on  the  ranch  many 
years  ago.  They  became  the  parents  of  twelve 
children,  nine  of  whom  are  lining:  \\'illiam,  a 
ranchman  of  iNIill  Creek  canon.  San  Bernar- 
dino county :  C^zrow,  a  farmer  of  San  Timo- 
teo cafion ;  Edward,  a  farmer  at  Crafton ;  Lee, 
residing  in  San  Bernardino :  Early,  at  home ; 
Archie,  of  San  Bernardino ;  Emma,  the  wife  of 
Alfred  Beach,  living  in  Alexico :  Xettie  and 
Ida,  both  of  whom  are  married  and  live  in  Or- 
egon. 'Mr.  Robert's  second  marriage  was  to 
]\Iiss  Maggie  Leonard  of  North  Carolina,  and 
her  death  took  place  some  years  ago.  Frater- 
nally he  holds  membership  in  Token  Lodge 
No.  290,  I.  O.  O.  F.  at  San  Bernardino,  of 
which  he  is  past  noble  grand,  and  also  belongs 
to  the  Encampment.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  San  Bernardino  Pioneers  societ}'.  He  has 
always  taken  an  active  interest  in  educational 
matters,  and  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
El  Casco  school  district  and  for  seven  years 
ser\'ed  as  a  director. 


JA:^1ES  B.  RAYNER.  As  an  upbuilder  of 
Redlands  Mr.  Rayner  has  been  an  interested 
witness  and  participant  in  the  development  of 
its  resources  and  has  assisted  materially  in  en- 
hancing its  commercial  importance.  He  came 
to  California  in  1886  and  a  month  later  locat- 
ed in  Redlands,  where  he  has  ever  since  resid- 
ed. He  was  born  in  Piqua.  Ohio,  December  5, 
1846,  a  son  of  ^^'illiam,  who  v>'as  a  native  of 
Sheffield,  England,  a  son  of  John,  a  builder  by 
occupation,  who  emigrated  to  America  and  set- 
tled in  Piqua,  Ohio.  William  Rayner  en- 
gaged as  a  carpenter  and  builder,  and  also  in 
farming  near  Piqua,  where  his  death  eventual- 
ly occurred.  His  wife,  formerly  Rachel  A'al- 
entine,  was  born  in  Piqua,  a  daughter  of  Will- 


iam \"alentine,  of  English  descent,  her  death 
also  occurring  in  Ohio.  Of  their  two  children 
James  B.  is  the  only  one  living. 

Reared  in  Piqua,  James  B.  Rayner  received 
his  education  in  the  public  schools,  and  aft- 
er graduating  from  the  high  school  of  his  na- 
tive town  he  went  to  Lebanon  and  became  a 
student  in  the  Normal  School  there.  Upon  re- 
turning home  he  entered  a  drug  store  and  re- 
mained so  occupied  for  the  period  of  three 
j^ears,  when  he  returned  to  his  early  training 
and  became  a  farmer.  In  October,  1871,  he 
came  west  and  in  Colorado  Springs  followed 
carpentering  and  building,  removing  in  1874 
to  South  Park,  on  the  South  Platte  river,  where 
he  purchased  and  improved  a  cattle  ranch,  his 
brand  being  a  double  circle.  He  remained  in 
this  business  for  about  twelve  years.  January 
I,  1886,  he  came  to  Southern  California,  re- 
i-nained  for  about  a  month  in  Los  Angeles  and 
then  cam.e  to  Redlands.  where  he  purchased  a 
tract  of  two  and  a  half  acres  on  the  corner  ot 
Center  and  Clifton  and  three  and  a  half  acres 
on  the  corner  of  Center  and  Walnut,  set  them 
to  oranges  and  improved  with  a  residence  and 
necessarv  barns  and  outbuildings.  In  time  he 
sold  them  both.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  Domestic  Water  Company  and  served 
as  its  secretary  for  one  year  during  the  time 
the  system  was  constructed.  Later  he  dis- 
posed'of  his  interest  in  this  concern,  and  gave 
his  attention  to  other  pursuits.  He  was  vari- 
ously interested  in  upbuilding  enterprises  of 
Redlands.  He  assisted  in  organizing  the  Un- 
ion Bank  of  Redlands  and  acted  as  director  for 
five  years;  also  was  interested  in  the  Wind- 
sor hotel  company,  and  ^vith  others,  was 
instrumental  in  bringing  the  Southern  Pa- 
cific Railroad  to  the  town  ;  in  building  the  first 
horse-car  line  here,  and  in  the  erection  of  the 
Young  ]\Ien's  Christian  Association.  He  is 
also  interested  in  property  in  Huntington 
Beach.  Because  of  impaired  health  he  re- 
tired from  active  business  cares  and  is  now  re- 
siding at  No.  152  Fourth  street.  Redlands. 

In  Colorado  Springs.  May  10.  1877,  Mr.  Ray- 
ner was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Jennie 
Shideler,  a  native  of  Plampton.  Iowa,  and  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  Shideler,  who  was  born  in 
Ohio  and  married  in  Indiana  Anna  Fullhart. 
a  native  of  Ohio,  and  together  they  located  in 
Iowa  and  established  their  home.  He  fol- 
lowed the  trade  of  blacksmith  and  later  was  a 
merchant  in  Plampton.  He  next  located  in 
I\Iichigan,  and  thence  in  1869  came  to  Colorado 
Springs,  Colo.,  where  he  now  resides,  his  wife 
having  passed  away  in  June,  1903.  Mr.  atid 
Mrs.  Rayner  had  one  child.  Laura  Mrytle.  who 
died  in  1887,  at  the  age  of  nine  years.  Both 
himself   and   wife    are   members   of   the    First 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RPXORD. 


2139 


Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  Redlands. 
When  they  first  came  to  tiiis  city  there  was 
no  church  of  this  denomination,  so  they  at- 
tended the  Congregational  Church  until  1887, 
when  sixteen  Methodists  organized  a  congre- 
gation and  in  T890  built  the  first  church,  Mr. 
Rayner  officiating  as  tieasurer  on  the  build- 
ing committee.  He  is  a  Republican  and  a 
practical  and  public-spirited  citizen,  eager  to 
assist  in  every  movement  which  has  for  its 
end  the  general  welfare  of  the  community  and 
the  public. 


WILLIAM  H.  SINGLETON,  manager  of 
the  W.  S.  dairy  and  the  Singleton  ranch,  in 
the  San  Timoteo  cafion,  is  an  up-to-date  and 
progressive  rancher,  has  proven  an  upbuilder 
in  various  lines  in  .Southern  California,  and 
has  achieved  a  success  which  places  him  among 
the  representative  citizens  of  this  section.  A 
native  Californian.  AA'illiam  Henry  Singleton 
was  born  in  San  Bernardino,  July  11.  1861,  a 
son  of  Ann  (Singleton)  Wilshire  and  Henry 
Wilshire,  a  pioneer  of  this  section,  who  was 
accidentally  killed.  His  widow  married  Hi- 
ram Haskell,  also  an  early  settler  of  Califor- 
nia, and  who  died  in  this  valley.  She  had  a 
son  and  daughter  by  her  first  marriage,  Will- 
iam H.,  previously  mentioned,  and  Martha, 
who  became  the  wife  of  E.  M.  Van  Deventer, 
who  died  at  her  home  in  1906;  by  her  second 
marriage  she  had  three  children  :  James,  as- 
sisting in  the  management  of  the  W.  S.  dairy ; 
Robert,  who  died  at  the  age  of  thirty  years ; 
and  Ella,  who  became  Mrs.  Steedman,  and  died 
in  Berkeley  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  years. 
l\Irs.  Haskell  still  survives  and  lives  in  the 
old  home.  The  children  by  her  first  marriage 
were  both  adopted  by  their  maternal  grand- 
mother, Mrs.  Ann  Singleton,  who  was  born  in 
Lancashire,  England,  as  was  her  husband, 
James  Singleton,  their  marriage  taking  place 
in  the  Mother  country,  after  which  in  1853  they 
came  to  America  and  located  in  Utah.  Four 
years  later  they  came  to  Southern  California 
and  in  San  Bernardino  established  their  home 
for  a  time,  in  1868  locating  on  the  Rubideaux 
grant  of  forty-four  hundred  and  forty  acres, 
where  the  death  of  James  Singleton  occurred 
in  1881.  His  wife  died  in  1894.  They  had 
two  children,  William,  who  resides  on  this 
ranch  and  is  represented  elsewhere  in  this  vol- 
ume ;  and  Ann,  previously  mentioned. 

Reared  on  the  old  Singleton  place  William 
Henry  Singleton  received  his  education  in  the 
public  school,  his  attendance,  however,  being 
limited,  the  fund  of  information  and  knowledge 
possessed  in  his  manhood  being  the  result 
of   observation    and    personal    research    rather 


than  scholastic  training.  From  boyhood  he 
learned  the  stock  business  and  general  farm- 
ing, and  upon  the  death  of  his  grandfather  he 
assumed  charge  of  the  ranch,  being  then 
twenty  years  old.  He  has  continued  the  work 
since,  enlarging  the  enterprise  until  he  is  now 
cultivating  fifteen  hundred  acres  more  than 
the  original  farm,  which  was  about  four  thou- 
sand acres,  of  which  twenty-five  hundred  acres 
are  tillable.  He  has  one  hundred  acres  given 
over  to  alfalfa  and  irrigated  by  natural  springs. 
He  has  established  a  magnificient  dairy  known 
as  the  W.  S.  Dairy,  supplied  by  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  cows  of  Holstein  and  Durham 
stock,  and  he  also  has  installed  a  creamery, 
operated  by  a  gasoline  engine,  a  modern  churn 
and  separator  of  large  capacity,  and  every 
possible  equipment  both  for  dispatch  and  ex- 
cellence. He  gives  some  time  to  the  breeding 
of  draft  horses,  having  about  sixty  head  at  the 
present  writing. 

Mr.  Singleton  is  prominent  in  fraternal  cir- 
cles, being  a  member  of  Token  Lodge  No.  146, 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  San  Bernardino;  the  Elks  of 
Redlands,  and  Redlands  Parlor,  Native  Sons 
of  the  Golden  West.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch 
Democrat,  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  Riv- 
erside county  central  committee  for  the  past 
eight  years.  He  takes  a  strong  interest  in  ed- 
ucational afifairs,  and  for  several  years  served 
as  school  trustee  and  clerk  of  the  board  in  the 
El  Casco  district. 


THOMAS  H.  BUNFORD.  Prominent 
among  the  men  of  our  times  who  have  accu- 
mulated wealth  through  their  own  unaided  ef- 
forts, and  are  well  worthy  of  the  honored  title 
of  self-made  men,  is  Thomas  H.  Bunford,  of 
Long  Beach,  Los  Angeles  county.  Inheriting 
in  no  small  measure  habits  of  thrift  and  indus- 
try, he  was  also  endowed  with  that  peculiar 
vein  of  grit  and  determination  that  is  essen- 
tially American,  and  by  means  of  these  he 
has  steadily  pursued  the  even  tenor  of  his  way, 
steadily  mounting  the  ladder  of  financial  suc- 
cess, and  is  now  liviiig  retired  from  the  ac- 
tivities of  life.  A  son  of  the  late  Richard 
Bunford,  he  was  born,  January  24,  1842,  in 
Pittsburg,  Pa. 

A  native  of  Pennsylvania,  Richard  Bunford 
spent  his  early  life  in  that  state  following  the 
trade  of  a  shoemaker.  In  1842  he  removed 
with  his  family  to  Ohio,  becoming  a  pioneer 
settler.  Taking  up  land,  he  improved  a  good 
farm  from  the  wild  tract,  and  was  subsequent- 
ly engaged  in  general  farming  until  his  death, 
in  1900,  at  the  venerable  age  of  eighty-seven 
vears.  He  married  Caroline  Herbert,  who 
died  on  the  Ohio  homestead  in  1S45. 


2140 


HISTORICAL  AND  B[OGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Being  taken  by  his  parents  to  Ohio  when 
an  infant,  Thomas  H.  Bunford  received  his 
early  knowledgfe  of  books  in  the  typical  log 
schoolhouse,  a  rude  structure,  with  a  punch- 
eon floor  and  slab  seats.  Leaving  home  when 
seventeen  years  old,  he  learned  the  black- 
smith's trade,  at  which  he  worked  about  four 
years.  In  the  spring  of  1863  he  enlisted  in 
Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Fortv-fifth 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  for  a 
year  and  a  half,  the  larger  part  of  the  time 
being  connected  with  the  Heavy  Artillery. 
Losing  his  health,  he  was  honorably  discharged 
at  Camp  Chase,  Ohio,  in  the  fall  of  1864.  Re- 
turning home,  he  worked  at  his  trade  two 
}-ears  or  more,  and  in  1867  went  to  Glenrock, 
Neb.,  where  he  bought  land,  and  was  em- 
ployed in  farming  and  blacksmithing  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  meeting  with  excellent 
success  in  his  operations.  Coming  to  Califor- 
nia in  1892,  he  located  first  in  Pomona,  Los 
Angeles  county,  where  he  purchased  ten  acres 
of  land,  and  for  nine  years  was  prosperously 
engaged  in  general  ranching.  He  made  many 
improvements  on  the  property,  among  others 
Inn'lding  a  pumping  plant,  with  a  well  four 
hundred  feet  in  depth.  Selling  his  ranch  in 
March,  1902,  he  came  to  Long  Beach,  and  hav- 
ing bought  a  building  lot  erected  a  modern 
five-room  cottage,  in  which  he  has  since  re- 
sided, enjoying  in  a  quiet  manner  the  fruits 
of  his  previous  years  of  toil. 

In  Nebraska,  November  26,  1879,  ^'^^-  Bun- 
ford  married  IMary  V.  Jones,  a  daughter  of 
John  M.  Jones,  who  was  born  in  Wales,  and 
"died  in  Ohio.  Politically  Mr.  Bunford  has 
always  been  a  stanch  adherent  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  and  socially  he  belongs  to  Vicks- 
burg  Post  No.  61,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Pomona. 


AIRS.  HELEN  C.  CARPENTER.  Though 
not  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Long  Beach,  where 
she  now  resides,  Mrs.  Carpenter  has  made  her 
home  in  California  for  more  than  a  quarter  of 
a  century  and  has  witnessed  its  material  de- 
velopment during  the  most  important  era  of 
its  history.  The  family  of  which  she  is  an 
honored  member  became  established  in  Amer- 
ica during  the  eighteenth  century,  when  her 
paternal  grandfather  crossed  the  ocean  from 
Germany  and  settled  in  the  commonwealth  of 
JMaryland.  Her  father,  Daniel  Hauptman, 
was  born  in  TMaryland  and  v/hile  still  quite 
}-oung  enlisted  for  service  in  the  war  of  1812, 
where  he  participated  in  the  battle  of  Bladens- 
burg  and  other  engagements  of  that  historic 
struggle.  The  war  ended,  he  was  honorably 
discharged  from  his  country's  service  and  re- 
turned home  to  resume  the  pursuits  of  civic 


life.  While  the  city  of  Washington  was  still 
in  its  infancy  he  became  one  of  its  pioneers 
and  established  a  small  tin  shop  which  grew 
with  the  development  of  the  city,  until  event- 
ually he  controlled  a  business  as  extensive  as 
it  was  important.  Among  the  business  men 
of  the  city  he  was  honored  for  his  strict  in- 
tegrity, high  principles  of  honor  and  accom- 
modating disposition.  For  more  than  fifty 
years  he  was  an  active  member  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church  in  Washington,  whose 
early  growth  he  fostered  and  whose  doctrines 
he  made  it  his  aim  to  exemplify  in  all  business 
transactions  and  social  intercourse.  As  sol- 
dier, business  man  and  Christian,  he  lived  a 
life  above  reproach,  and  in  his  family  relations 
he  was  especially  thoughtful  and  affectionate. 
The  memory  of  his  sterling  manhood  and  af- 
fectionate care  will  always  linger  in  the  heart 
of  his  daughter,  the  only  survivor  of  his  eleven 
children.  March  27.  1817,  he  married  Mar- 
garet Michael,  a  native  of  Germany,  and  their 
union  was  one  of  mutual  helpfulness  until 
death  came  to  separate  them.  The  wife  was 
the  first  to  pass  away,  her  death  occurring 
April  2,  1865,  and  he  departed  this  life  Octo- 
ber 9,  1873,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-two 
years. 

In  the  city  of  Washington,  where  she  was 
born  and  reared.  Miss  Hauptman  received  the 
advantages  of  fair  educational  facilities,  and 
there  she  was  united  in  marriage,  November 
T2,  1868,  with  George  W.  Carpenter,  a  native 
of  New  York,  born  in  1840,  but  from  early  life 
a  resident  of  Washington.  Eor  a  considerable 
period  Mr.  Carpenter  engaged  in  the  grocery 
business  in  his  home  citj',  but  about  1872  he 
and  his  wife  removed  to  Kansas  and  became 
property-owners  in  that  then  new  and  unde- 
veloped region.  Ill  health  led  them  to  dispose 
of  their  interests  in  Kansas  in  1879  and  there- 
upon they  sought  the  genial  climate  of  the 
Pacific  coast,  where,  after  a  brief  sojourn  in 
Los  Angeles,  they  settled  at  Artesia.  For 
twelve  3'ears  ]\Ir.  Carpenter  engaged  in  the 
meat  business  in  that  town  and  there  he  died 
in  1893,  leaving  his  wife  with  a  daughter, 
Maude,  and  a  son,  Morris  H.,  the  latter  now 
a  resident  of  Los  Angeles.  During  the  year 
1900  Mrs.  Carpenter  and  her  daughter  made  a 
tour  of  the  east  and  spent  some  time  at  her 
old  home  in  the  capital  city.  While  there 
Miss  IMaude  was  taken  ill  and  passed  away  on 
the  2ist  of  November.  Just  at  the  threshold 
of  young  womanhood,  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  and  of  gentle  and  companionable  disposi- 
tion, her  death  was  a  heavy  blow  to  her  moth- 
er and  shock  to  her  circle  of  friends  in  Cali- 
fornia, where  the  remains  were  brought  for 
burial.     The  vear  after  this  bereavement  Mrs. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2141 


Carpenter  removed  to  Long  Beach  and  here 
for  a  time  she  owned  considerable  real  estate, 
but  this  she  has  sold  with  the  exception  of  a 
house  on  Pine  avenue  and  her  beautiful  resi- 
dence at  No.  407  Last  Seventh  street,  where 
she  is  passing  the  afternoon  of  her  life  in  quiet 
contentment.  From  early  childhood  she  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  and  a  contributor  to  its  benevolences. 
One  of  her  most  treasured  possessions  is  the 
old  family  Bible,  a  book  of  extraordinary  size, 
bearing  the  year  1816  as  the  date  of  publica- 
tion. 


JOSHUA  ANDREWS.  One  and  one-half 
miles  north  of  Long  Beach,  at  the  postoffice  of 
Burnett,  lies  the  valuable  country  homestead  of 
Mr.  Andrews,  who  purchased  the  property  about 
1890  and  has  since  resided  at  this  place.  At  the 
time  of  coming  here.  Long  Beach  was  an  in- 
significant hamlet,  whose  future  popularity  only 
the  most  sanguine  predicted.  The  ten  acres  which 
he  then  purchased  are  now  valued  at  more  than 
$1,000  per  acre,  the  increase  in  value  being 
largely  due  to  the  rapid  growth  of  the  town. 
The  residence  which  he  erected  is  of  brick  and 
stands  on  the  corner  of  Hill  street  and  California 
avenue ;  in  location  it  offers  many  advantages 
to  its  occupants,  to  whom  it  gives  the  charm 
of  country  life  with  the  facilities  connected  with 
close  proximity  to  a  growing  city. 

Of  Canadian  birth,  Mr.  Andrews  was  born  in 
Toronto  August  29,  1838,  being  a  son  of  Robert 
and  Susan  (Long)  Andrews,  natives  of  Eng- 
land. After  coming  to  Canada  the  father  fol- 
lowed the  occupation  of  a  farmer  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  about  1843  ;  for  many  years  he 
was  survived  by  his  wife,  who  attained  an  ad- 
vanced age  and  died  in  1890.  Their  son,  Joshua, 
received  rather  meagre  advantages  as  a  boy,  for 
the  early  death  of  his  father  forced  him  to  earn 
his  own  livelihood  from  an  early  age.  When  he 
was  fifteen  vears  old  he  became  an  apprentice  to 
the  trade  of  blacksmith  and  carriage-maker,  and 
upon  attaining  his  majority  he  started  in  busi- 
ness for  himself,  opening  a  shop  at  Toronto 
which  he  carried  on  for  five  years.  Afterward 
he  was  employed  in  a  large  machine  shop  and 
later  engaged  in  business  for  himself,  operating 
a  shop  until  he  sold  out  in  order  to  remove  to 
the  Pacific  coast. 

At  the  close  of  a  voyage  made  via  Panama,  Mr. 
Andrews  landed  in  California  May  i,  1878,  and 
for  a  time  he  worked  at  his  trade  in  Oakland 
and  San  Francisco,  but  eventually  moved  to 
Southern  California,  arriving  in  Los  Angeles 
county  July  i,  1884.  For  a  time  he  engaged  in 
business"  at  Downey  and  later  made  his  home  at 
Norwalk,  but  on   selling  out  there  he  removed 


to  the  place  where  he  still  resides,  retired  froni 
the  active  cares  of  life  and  looking  after  the 
subdividing  of  his  property  in  town  lots.  On 
establishing  domestic  ties  in  Canada,  he  was 
married  December  i,  1861,  to  Miss  Dinah  E. 
Moat,  a  native  of  England.  Four  children  came 
to  bless  their  union,  but  one  of  these  died  in  in- 
fancy. Those  now  living  are  as  follows :  Robert 
J.,  who  makes  his  home  at  Santa  Ana;  Amelia 
Mary ;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  George  H.  Bixby,  who 
is  represented  elsewhere  in  this  volume;  and 
Richard  Long,  who  is  engaged  in  farming  and 
the  dairy  business  at  East  Clearwater,  Los  An- 
geles county.  During  his  residence  in  Canada 
Mr.  Andrews  formed  social  affiliations  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  but  when  he  came  to  Southern 
California,  he  found  no  organizations  of  either 
order  in  the  towns  where  he  settled,  so  he  allowed 
his  membership  to  lapse.  Since  taking  upon  him- 
self the  pledge  of  citizenship  to  our  govern- 
ment he  has  affiliated  with  the  Democratic  party, 
but  in  local  elections  he  considers  the  candidate's 
opinions  upon  the  tariff  question  of  less  im- 
portance than  his  character  as  a  man  and  his 
intelligence  as  a  citizen. 


SAMUEL  L.  LENT.  Although  he  has  been 
a  resident  of  Long  Beach  but  a  few  years, 
Samuel  L.  Lent  has  in  that  time  thoroughly 
demonstrated  his  ability  as  a  business  man 
and  worth  as  a  public-spirited  citizen  and  of- 
ficial, being  now  a  member  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  the  city.  The  family  is  of  Dutch 
extraction,  seven  brothers  having  come  from 
Holland  in  an  early  day  and  settled  in  New 
York  state.  The  grandfather  of  Samuel  L. 
Lent,  Abram,  was  one  of  the  early  pioneers 
of  Ohio.  The  father,  Lewis  Lent,  was  born 
in  Ohio,  September  16,  1836,  and  at  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  Civil  war  enlisted  in  the  Twen- 
ty-fourth Regiment  of  Ohio  Volunteer  Infan- 
ti-y,  from  which  he  was  honorably  discharged 
eighteen  months  later  on  account  of  physical 
disability.  In  1867  he  removed  to  Erie  county, 
Pa.,  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  and  still 
resides  there.  His  wife  was  before  her  mar- 
riage Mary  Murry.  a  native  of  Dublin,  Ire- 
land, who  with  her  parents  came  to  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.,  about  1842.  Her  father,  James  Murry, 
subsequently  removed  with  his  family  to  Ohio; 
he  died  while  serving  in  the  Mexican  war. 
The  death  of  Mrs.  Lent  occurred  in  Pennsyl- 
vania in  1869. 

The  birth  of  Samuel  L.  Lent  occurred  Jan- 
uarv  21,  1861,  on  a  farm  near  Coshocton.  Ohio, 
and  when  six  years  of  age  was  taken  by  his 
parent.=  to  Erie  county.  Pa.,  where  his  boy- 
hood  days    were    spent   on    his    father's   farm. 


2142 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


He  received  a  preliminary  education  in  the 
public  schools,  then  attended  the  state  Xor- 
nial  school  at  Edinboro,  and  later  was  a  stu- 
dent in  Hillsdale  College  at  Hillsdale,  Mich., 
for  one  year.  In  1883  he  removed  to  St.  Paul, 
Minn.,  and  was  occupied  as  an  accountant  in 
a  mercantile  estabUshment  until   1887. 

In  1885,  while  living  in  St.  Paul,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Fannie  E.  Armstrong, 
a  native  of  Utica,  Licking  county,  Ohio,  who 
was  educated  in  a  private  school  in  Pana, 
111.,  and  later  in  St.  Paul,  Minn.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  John  H.  Armstrong,  who  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  and  settled  in  Ohio  when 
it  was  still  out  on  the .  frontier.  Mr.  Arm- 
strong served  for  three  years  in  McKinley's 
regiment,  the  Twenty-third  Ohio,  and  after 
the  war  engaged  in  contracting  and  building 
in  St.  Paul,  in  1896  coming  to  Long  Beach, 
where  he  is  now  engaged  in  the  same  busi- 
ness. He  is  a  member  of  the  grand  Army  of 
the  Republic  and  fraternally  affiliates  with  the 
^lasonic  lodge.  His  wife,  who  is  still  living, 
was  before  her  marriage  ]\lary  M.  Selby,  a 
native  of  Ohio  and  daughter  of  Rev.  Enoch 
George  Selby,  a  minister  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  denomination.  His  father,  Caleb' 
Selbv,  of  Baltimore,  married  Nancy  Long- 
worth.  The  family  on  the  maternal  side  is 
traced  to  the  Cona'rd  family  of  Quaker  stock. 
Nathan  Conrad  was  one  of  the  first  Ohio  set- 
tlers, coming  from  \'irginia  in  1805,  and  later 
laid  out  the  city  of  Ctica,  Ohio.  The  family 
were  members  of  the  Friends  Society. 

In  1887  Mr.  Lent  went  to  Rat  Portage, 
Lake  of  the  AVoods.  Canada,  and  the  succeed- 
ing three  years  was  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business  there.  He  then  came  to  the  coast, 
and  settling  in  A^ictoria,  British  Columbia,  was 
occupied  with  construction  contracting  on  the 
Northern  Pacific  Railroad.  In  1893  he  came 
to  California  and  engaged  in  construction 
work  for  the  Southern  Pacific  between  Santa 
IMargarita  and  Santa  Barbara,  doing  some  of 
the  heaviest  work  there  for  eighteen  months, 
after  which  he  went  to  San  Francisco  and 
took  contracts  for  street  construction  in  that 
city.  Later  he  became  a  gold  miner  in  Siski- 
you countv  at  the  mouth  of  the  Salmon  river, 
employing'  the  hvdrauHc  method.  Returning 
to  San  Francisco  in  1902  he  remained  there 
until  1904,  when  he  came  to  Long  Beach  and 
engaged  in  the  real-estate  business. 

in' the  spring  of  1906  Mr.  Lent  was  norn- 
inated  on  the  Independent  ticket  as  a  candi- 
date for  city  councilman  and  was  subsequent- 
ly elected.  He  has  proven  himself  an  earnest 
and  efficient  official,  is  chairman  of  the  public 
works  committee  and  member  of  other  im- 
portant  committees.      In    national    politics    he 


is  an  advocate  of  Republican  principles.  Fra- 
ternally he  helds  membership  in  the  Masonic 
bodies  and  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order 
of  Elks.  He  was  made  a  Mason  in  Keewatin, 
Ontario,  and  is  still  a  member  of  Keewatin 
Lodge  No.  417,  A.  F.  &  F.  M. ;  belongs  to  Cal- 
ifornia Chapter  No.  5,  R.  A.  M.,  in  San  Fran- 
cisco ;  to  Golden  Gate  Commander}'  No.  16, 
K.  T.,  in  San  Francisco ;  and  is  a  Thirty-sec- 
ond Degree  Scottish  Rite  Mason,  holding  mem- 
bership in  San  Francisco  Consistory  No.  i,  and 
is  a  member  of  Islam  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  N.  M.  S.. 
in  San  Francisco.  He  was  secretary  of  the 
Twenty-ninth  Triennial  Conclave  of  the  Grand 
Encampment,  Knights  Templar,  which  held 
its  session  in  the  city  of  San  Francisco  in  Sep- 
tember, 1904.  Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Cosmopolitan  Club,  and  also  is  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Long 
Beach.  His  membership  in  the  First  Congre- 
gational Church  signifies  an  interest  in  re- 
ligious matters.  As  an  all-around  well  devel- 
oped citizen,  who  lets  no  part  of  the  life  of 
the  community  go  without  his  studious  atten- 
tion, he  is  universjilly  recognized  as  a  man 
of  unusually  broad  intelligence  and  good  judg- 
ment and  is  justly  entitled  to  the  high  respect 
and  esteem  he  is  accorded  by  the  community 
in  which  he  resides. 


DANIEL  W.  ANDERSON.  In  the  rapid 
advancement  and  growth  of  Long  Beach, 
Daniel  W.  Anderson  has  proved  himself  a 
prominent  factor.  As  a  real-estate  dealer  and 
speculator  he  has  made  many  important  deals, 
and  while  building  up  a  lucrative  business  for 
himself  has  also  been  an  encourager  and  pro- 
moter of  all  proposed  beneficial  projects.  A 
native  of  Kentucky,  he  was  born  in  Clark 
county,  in  February.  1847.  His  parents, 
Preston  and  Eliza  Anderson,  moved  from 
Virginia,  their  native  state,  to  Kentucky  as 
pioneers,  and  were  engaged  in  farming 
throughout  their  lives,  both  dying  young. 

I,eft  an  orphan  when  six  years  old.  D.  W. 
Anderson  had  but  limited  educational  ad- 
vantages, attending  for  a  few  terms,  only,  a 
subscription  school.  In  1865  he  went  to  Mon- 
roe county,  Iowa,  where  he  worked  by  the 
month  for  two  years.  On  attaining  his  ma- 
jority he  leased  land  and  for  two  years  man- 
aged it  successfully.  Purchasing  then  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  IMonroe  county 
he  operated  it  for  two  years,  and  then  sold 
out,  and  the  following  four  years  farmed  on 
rented  land.  Buying  then  a  ranch  of  two 
luindred  and  forty  acres,  in  the  same  county, 
he  improved  it,  and  carried  on  general  farm- 
ing for  seven  years.     Disposing  of  that  prop- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2U3 


erty,  he  subsecjiiently  purchased  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  in  the  southern  part  of  Mon- 
roe county,  and  eighty  acres  of  adjoining  land 
in  Appanoose  county.  The  first-named  tract 
he  afterwards  sold,  but  the  other  eighty  acres 
he  still  owns.  After  farming  there  for  ten 
years  he  came  to  Los  Angeles  county,  locating 
at  Long  Beach  in  igno,  and  has  since  acquired 
title  to  much  valuable  city  property.  He  first 
bought  five  acres  on  Junipero  street,  between 
Fourth  and  Seventh  streets;  his  next  pur- 
chase was  five  acres  south  of  this,  on  Sev- 
enth street ;  then,  south  of  the  home  lot,  he 
bought  two  and  one-half  acres ;  subsequent!}' 
he  became  owner  of  three  acres  at  the  corner 
of  Fourth  and  Junipero  streets,  and  of  two 
acres  across  from  this.  On  the  home  lot  where 
he  resided  for  five  years,  he  added  many  im- 
provements. At  the  corner  of  Second  and  Bo- 
nito  streets  he  owns  a  lot  100x150  feet,  on 
which  is  a  building  which  has  been  remodeled 
for  apartments.  He  has  sold  all  of  his  acre 
property,  having  held  it  for  a  time  for  the  pur- 
pose  of  making   improvements. 

March  4,  1869,  in  Iowa,  Mr.  Anderson  mar- 
ried Harriet  Phinnej',  who  was  born  in  that 
state.  Of  the  eleven  children  that  have  been 
born  to  them,  two  died  in  infancy,  and  nine 
survive,  namely:  Charles,  of  Duarte;  Dora, 
wife  of  Dr.  Albert  Winn,  of  San  Pedro ;  Mel- 
vin,  of  Pasadena;  Esley,  of  Los  Angeles;  Will- 
iam, of  Compton ;  Elmer,  of  Sonora,  Mexico ; 
Arthur,  an  engineer  on  the  Santa  Fe  Railway, 
residing  at  The  Needles ;  Vern,  at  home,  and 
Bertha,  attending  the  Long  Beach  high  school. 
Politically  IMr.  Anderson  is  identified  with  the 
Democratic  party,  and  fraternally  he  has  been 
a  Mason  since  1876,  being  a  member  of  the 
lodge  at  Unionville,  Iowa.  Mrs.  Anderson  is 
a  most  estimable  woman,  and  a  vakied  mem- 
ber of  the  Christian  Church. 


OZROW  ROBERTS.  One  of  the  oldest 
settlers  of  San  Timoteo  canon  is  Ozrow  Rob- 
erts who  has  been  located  here  since  his  first 
independent  venture  in  young  manhood,  for 
he  boasts  a  nativity  of  the  state  in  which  he 
is  now  making  his  home.  He  is  a  son  of  Bear- 
.ry  Roberts,  an  honored  pioneer  of  this  sec- 
tion whose  biography  is  given  at  length  on  an- 
other page  of  this  volume.  Ozrow  Roberts 
was  born  in  San  Bernardino  county,  January 
19,  i860,  and  here  reared  to  young  manhood, 
receiving  his  education  in  the  public  schools. 
He  remained  at  home  helping  his  father  until 
he  was  twenty-seven  years  old,  when  he  de- 
cided to  become  dependent  upon  his  own  re- 
sources, and  accordingly  leased  land  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  for  the  period  of  one  year. 


when  he  located  on  a  small  farm  given  him  by 
his  father,  and  v,ith  this  rents  three  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  adjoining,  all  devoted  to  grain 
and  pasture  land,  while  he  also  raises  cattle. 
In  Redlands,  May  12,  1887,  he  married  Miss 
Julia  Bowles,  who  was  born  in  Montgomery 
county,  Mo.,  and  born  of  this  union  are  five 
children,  namely:  Ruby,  a  student  of  the 
Redlands  high  school  in  the  class  of  1908;  Ha- 
zel, a  student  of  the  Redlands  high  school  in 
the  class  of  1909;  Arthur,  Jane  and  Margaret. 
Mrs.  Roberts  is  a  daughter  of  James  Ander- 
son Bowles,  the  descendant  of  Gideon  Bowles, 
who  came  to  Virginia  from  Ireland  in  1620, 
and  was  one  of  the  first  citizens  of  James- 
town. Her  grandfather,  David  Bowles,  was 
born  in  Georgeland  county,  Va.,  December  31, 
1804,  and  was  brought  to  St.  Louis  county,  Mo., 
in  181 1,  where  he  grew  to  manhood  and  mar- 
ried Julia  Mackay,  who  was  descended  from 
James  Mackay,  who  was  born  in  Scotland  in 
1762  and  came  to  America  in  1782,  and  en- 
gaged as  a  civil  engineer  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1822.  In  1836  congress  conferred 
to  the  Mackay  heirs  one  hundred  thousand 
acres  of  land  m  Lincoln,  St.  Charles,  Boone, 
Franklin,  Washington,  Iron  and  St.  Louis 
counties  in  Missouri.  James  Anderson  Bowles, 
father  of  Mrs.  Roberts,  was  born  in  St.  Louis 
county,  Mo.,  March  28,  1826,  and  there  en- 
gaged as  a  farmer,  serving  in  a  Missouri  reg- 
iment in  the  Confederate  army  during  the  Civ- 
il war,  in  which  two  of  his  brothers  were 
killed.  In  1886  he  located  in  Redlands,  Cal., 
and  engaged  in  horticulture,  setting  out  an 
orange  grove  on  West  Cypress  avenue,  where 
he  made  his  home  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1904.  His  wife  was  formerly  Eliza- 
beth Williams,  a  native  of  White  county.  Mo., 
a  daughter  of  Elijah  Williams,  a  native  of 
Virginia,  from  which  state  he  removed  to  Mis- 
souri and  engaged  as  an  extensive  farmer. 
Mrs.  Bowles  died  in  Redlands  in  1896,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-two  years.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  eleven  children,  of  ^  whom  seven  are 
no  wliving.  ^frs.  Roberts  being  the  sixth  in 
order  of  birth. 

Mr.  Roberts  is  now  engaged  in  the  devel- 
opment of  the  Bryn  Mawr  Water  Compan}',  of 
Redlands  Junction,  and  also  on  his  own  ranch, 
having  had  seven  wells  drilled  in  the  past 
eight  years.  He  has  worked  for  the  count}'  in 
superintending  the  installation  of  a  pumping 
plant,  and  has  developed  a  fifty  inch  flow.  For 
the  past  eight  vears  he  has  served  as  road 
overseer  of  his  district,  being  elected  to  the 
office  by  the  Democratic  party,  of  whose  prin- 
ciples he  is  a  stanch  adherent.  He  has  served 
as  a  member  of  the  Democratic  County  Cen- 
tral Connnittee.  and  is  now  serving  as  a  mem- 


2144 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ber  of  the  school  board  of  the  El  Casco  dis- 
trict and  officiates  as  clerk  of  the  board.  The 
faniih'  support  the  charities  of  the  AJethodist 
Episcopal  Church  South,  of  vvhich  Mrs.  Rob- 
erts is  a  devoted  member. 


HENRY  H.  RANDALL.  Born  in  New- 
bury, Vt.,  April  I,  1870,  Henry  H.  Randall 
passed  his  boyhood  with  his  parents  on  the 
farm  near  Jeffersonville,  in  that  state,  and  in 
California,  where  his  father  brought  him  when 
about  five  years  of  ag-e.  He  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  town  and  lat- 
er in  the  Peachcm  Academy,  completing  his 
education  at  the  Newbury  Seminary.  After 
leaving  school  l\ir.  Randall  took  a  position  as 
bookkeeper  with  A.  M.  McAllister  in  his  meat 
market  at  Wells  River,  Vt. 

In  December,  1890,  he  made  his  second  trip 
to  California,  arriving  in  Los  Angeles,  where 
he  remained  several  months.  In  1891  he  went 
to  Folsom,  Sacramento  county,  to  visit  an  un- 
cle, whose  death  occurred  during  his  stay  of 
one  year.  Returning  east  to  South  Ryegate, 
Vt.,  he  married  Agnes  G.  Hotchkiss  on  her 
birthday,  August  17,  1S92,  and  after  a  wedding 
trip  to  Boston,  Mr.  Randall  accompanied  by 
his  wife  returned  to  Los  Angeles.  After  a 
brief  stay  in  that  city  he  then  proceeded  to 
Folsom  to  look  after  valuable  property  inter- 
ests there,  consisting  of  five  hundred  and  twen- 
ty acres  of  land  under  cultivation  and  the  ex- 
tensive irrigation  ditch  known  as  the  John 
Hancock  Irrigating  &  Mining  Ditch.  He  did 
not  remain  in  California  at  that  time,  but 
made  several  removals  to  the  old  home  in  the 
Green  {Mountain  state  and  back  again,  until 
in  1899,  when  he  sold  out  his  interests  there 
and  removed  to  Sherman,  Cal.,  to  become  a 
permanent  resident.  After  coming  to  the  lit- 
tle tov/n  in  the  beautiful  Cahuenga  valley,  Mr. 
Randall  built  a  comfortable  home  and  pros- 
pered as  a  dealer  in  hay  and  grain  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  June  12,  1903. 

George  N.  Randall,  father  of  Henry,  was 
also  a  native  of  Vermont,  a  substantial  farm- 
er of  South  Ryegate,  where  he  died  January 
I,  1903,  aged  sixty-eight  years.  The  mother 
of  iMr.  Randall  was  Martha  W.  Hancock,  born 
in  the  old  Hancock  house,  Woodsville,  N.  H. 
She  was  the  mother  of  three  children,  Mary, 
Henry  H.  and  Lizzie.  Martha  Hancock  Ran- 
dall died  at  Jefifersonville,  Vt.,  February  26, 
1887,  aged  forty-nine  years  and  six  months. 

Mrs.  Randall's  father,  Henry  Ira  Hotchkiss, 
born  in  Stratford,  N.  H.,  in  1847,  was  a  sol- 
dier in  the  Civil  war.  At  the  age  of  sixteen 
years  he  enlisted  in  the  Thirtieth  ^Maine  In- 
fantrv,  but  toward  the   close  of  the  war,   his 


health  failing,  he  was  sent  to  a  hospital,  and 
the  \\ar  ending  before  he  was  able  to  return 
to  duty  in  his  regiment,  he  was  given  an  hon- 
orable discharge  and  pensioned  by  the  gov- 
ernment in  1869.  Mr.  Hotchkiss  was  pos- 
sessed of  considerable  inventive  genius  and 
sold  a  number  of  patents ;  two  of  the  best  and 
most  profitable  were  an  automatic  cradle  and 
a  mop  wringer.  He  was  also  engaged  in  the 
grocery  and  hotel  business  during  his  life.  His 
death  occurred  December  5,  1890,  at  South 
Ryegate,  Vt.  The  mother,  Martha  Buchanan 
Hotchkiss,  was  a  native  of  South  Ryegate, 
borr:  in  March,  1847.  She  was  the  mother  of 
two  children,  namely,  Mrs.  Randall,  and  a 
son,  William  E.  Hotchkiss,  who  is  a  sheet 
metal  worker  and  plumber  by  trade  living  in 
Hollywood.  In  politics  Mr.  Hotchkiss  was  a 
Republican  and  both  himself  and  wife  were 
members  of  the  Congregational   Church. 

]\lrs.  Agnes  Georgiana  (Hotchkiss)  Randall 
was  born  in  Berlin  Falls,  N.  H.,  August  17, 
1870.  Mr.  and  ?,Irs.  Randall  were  the  parents 
of  tfiree  children :  John  Hancock,  born  in 
Bradford,  Vt.,  December  2,  1893;  Reginald  H., 
born  in  Monroe,  N.  H.,  October  6,  1898;  Are- 
tha, born  in  Sherman,  Cal.,  January  7,  1902. 
In  politics  Mr.  Randall  was  a  Republican. 


CLARK  DURANT  HUBBARD.  A  horti- 
culturist of  broad  experience,  with  a  natural 
taste  for  his  chosen  occupation,  Clark  Durant 
Hubbard,  of  San  Fernando,  has  done  much  to 
promote  and  advance  the  interests  of  the  fruit 
growers  of  this  section  of  Los  Angeles  coun- 
ty, and  is  accredited  with  the  ownership  of 
one  of  its  best  and  most  productive  lemon 
groves  in  the  state.  A  native  of  Iowa,  he  was 
born  July  10,  1871,  in  Ottumwa,  Wapello  coun- 
ty, where  he  lived  until  nine  years  of  age. 

Coming  with  an  uncle  to  Los  Angeles,  Cal., 
in  1880,  Clark  D.  Hubbard  received  his  early 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  that  city. 
He  subsequently  clerked  for  a  time  in  a  hard- 
ware store,  and  then  studied  for  a  year  at  the 
Occidental  College,  in  Los  Angeles.  Turning 
his  attention  then  to  horticulture,  in  which  he 
had  always  been  especially  interested,  he  lo- 
cated in  San  i:'ernando.  where  he  has  since 
been  successfully  engaged  in  the  growing  of 
fruit  of  all  kinds,  including  oranges,  lemons, 
olives,  apricots,  etc.  As  superintendent  and 
manager  for  other  people,  he  has  had  full 
control  of  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  of  citrus  fruit  trees,  in  the  cultivation 
and  care  of  which  he  has  met  with  very  satis- 
factory results.  He  also  owns  twenty  acres  of 
land,  which  he  has  highly  improved,  setting 
out  four  acres  of  oranges  and  sixteen  acres  of 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2145 


lemons,  his  grove  being  one  of  the  best  in  the 
neighborhood,  if  not  in  the  state,  and  a  cred- 
it to  his  industry,  enterprise  and  intelligence. 
The  products  of  his  grove  are  well  known  in 
the  leading  markets  of  the  United  States,  all 
of  his  fruit  being  packed  on  his  ranch  and 
each  box  being  plainly  stamped  "San  Fernan- 
do Oranges  and  Lemons  grown  and  packed  by 
C.  D.  Hubbard,  San  Fernando,  Gal.,  Los  An- 
geles county." 

On  ;\Jay  12,  189S,  in  San  Fernando,  Mr.  Hub- 
bard married  Felicie  Sylvie  Carton  de  Grig- 
nart,  who  was  born  February  9,  1877,  '"  Ques- 
noy,  Canton  du  Ouesnoy,  Arrondissement 
d'  Avesnes,  Department  du  Nord  France, 
came  with  her  patents  to  the  United  States  in 
1880,  and  has  been  a  resident  of  California 
since  1894.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hubbard  have,  one 
child,  Lester  Francois  Hubbard.  In  Ma}',  1904, 
Mrs.  Hubbard  purchased  the  ranch  on  which 
the  family  now  reside.  It  contains  ten  acres 
of  rich  land,  one  half  of  which  is  set  out  to 
fruit  trees,  principally  oranges  while  the 
remainder  is  used  for  a  poultry  farm.  Mrs. 
Hubbard  has  made  a  study  of  poultry  rais- 
ing, and  is  considered  an  authority  on 
all  questions  connected  with  the  subject. 
She  makes  a  specialty  of  fancy  poultry',  be- 
ing one  of  the  largest  breeders  and  raisers 
of  thoroughbreds  in  the  state  of  California, 
and  her  farm,  known  as  the  Mission  View 
Poultry  Ranch,  is  justly  famed  for  its  pro- 
ductions in  that  line.  She  gives  her  personal 
attention  to  the  management  of  her  ranch, 
and   is   meeting  with   unquestioned  success. 

The  Mission  View  Poultry  Ranch  is  so 
named  on  account  of  the  excellent  view  of 
the  buildings  of  the  Old  Mission,  lying  about 
a  half  mile  toward  the  east.  All  of  the  build- 
ings on  the  ranch  are  of  adobe,  even  the  mam- 
moth incubator,  which  is  made  in  the  Egyptian 
style,  being  the  only  one  so  constructed  in 
this  country,  a  part  of  the  bricks  used  having 
been  taken  from  the  old  residence  of  Gov- 
ernor Pico.  The  incubator  is  a  double  build- 
ing, the  inner  one  being  circular,  eleven  feet 
indiameter  and  six  feet  high,  the  outer  build- 
ing being  square,  allowing  from  one  to  two 
feet  dead  air  space  between  the  two  walls 
and  six  inches  between  the  two  roofs;  both 
walls  arc  twelve  inches  in  thickness ;  over  the 
rafters  is  one-inch  rough  lumber  and  four 
inches  of  adobe  covered  with  tarred  roofing 
paper,  insuring  an  even  temperature  in  all 
kinds  of  weather.  This  incubator  is  heated 
with  hot  air  and  its  capacity  is  three  thousand 
eggs;  the  eggs  are  hatched  on  a  shelf  which  is 
covered  with  a  layer  of  adobe  one  inch  in 
thickness  and  the  same  thickness  of  bran ; 
under  this  shelf  are  two  shelves  for  nurseries. 


The  hot  and  cold  brooders  are  one  continu- 
ous building  of  three  hundred  and  sixty  feet 
m  length,  built  of  adobe,  with  the  floors 
throughout  cemented;  there  are  twenty-eight 
sections  in  the  hot  brooder  and  forty  in  the 
cold  brooder,  and  two  feed  and  store  rooms, 
the  boiler  and  furnace  being  in  the  hot  brood- 
er, feed  and  store  room ;  the  yards  for  the  hot 
brooder  are  3x20  feet  long  and  the  cold  brood- 
er yard  are  6x81   feet  long. 

There  are  forty-two  breeding  yards,  one 
yard  of  Cockerels,  all  of  which  are  White  \Vy- 
andottes ;  besides  the  yards  of  all  the  follow- 
ing dififerent  breeds:  Golden  Laced  Wyan- 
dottes,  BufT  Cochin  Bantams,  Lakenvelders 
and  English  Salmon  Faverolles  (the  two  lat- 
er breeds  which  Mrs.  Hubbard  introduced  in- 
to her  ranch  about  two  years  ago  were  the 
first  brought  into  this  state).  One-fourth  Wild 
Mammoth  Bronze  Turkey  and  Ring  Neck 
China  Pheasants. 

In  the  selling  of  eggs  Mrs.  Hubbard  has 
built  up  a  remunerative  business,  all  the  eggs 
produced  on  her  ranch  being  stamped  with 
the  name  in  full  of  the  ranch,  and  a  neat  lit- 
tle   cut    of    the    San    Fernando    Mission.      In 

1905  Mrs.  Hubbard  made  her  first  exhibit  of 
poultry  at  the  Los  Angeles  Poultry  Show  and 
won   premiums   on    each   of  her   exhibits.      In 

1906  she  won  thirty-two  prizes  on  her  birds, 
including  the  National  White  Wyandotte 
Club  Silver  Cup  and  three  ribbons  out  of  four 
given  by  the  same  club ;  also  four  first  out  of 
five  given  by  the  show,  she  having  the  largest 
exhibit  of  anv  one  exhibitor. 

Mrs.  Hubbard  is  prominent  in  business  cir- 
cles, and  is  a  member  of  the  Poultry  Breed- 
ers' Society  of  Southern  California,  and  of 
the  National  White  Wyandotte  Club.  Mr. 
Hubbard  is  a  member  of  the  Semi-Tropic  Fruit 
Exchange,  and  fraternall}'  belongs  to  the  San 
Fernando  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.  Politically  he 
is  a  Socialist. 


ELMER  ELLSWORTH  ELLIOTT.  Of 
the  highest  importance  in  the  permanent 
progress  of  a  community  is  the  organization 
and  sagacious  management  of  financial  insti- 
tutions established  upon  a  sound  basis  and 
conducted  upon  conservative  lines.  Such  an 
institution  is  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Compton,  which  since  opened  for  business 
July  15,  1903,  as  the  Bank  of  Compton.  has 
gained  a  liberal  patronage  from  the  business 
men  of  the  city  and  has  established  a  reputa- 
tion for  a  keen  discriminating  policy  of  man- 
agement. At  the  time  of  the  organization  ^\t. 
Elliott  became  a  stockholder  in  the  new  con- 
cern  and  since   has  officiated   in  the  office   of 


2146 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


snier,  also  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  di- 
rectors. Under  his  careful  supervision,  act- 
ing in  unison  with  the  president,  J.  J.  Harsh- 
man,  and  the  vice-president,  J.  M.  Shepard, 
and  allied  with  the  various  capable  citizens 
forming  the  directorate,  the  bank  has  built  up 
a  patronage  representing  over  $125,000  in  de- 
posits, which  with  the  capital  stock  of  $25,000 
has  been  invested  with  painstaking  discretion 
in  real  estate,  bonds  and  loans.  Since  1906  a 
savings  department  has  been  maintained. 

Like  many  of  the  men  who  are  contributing 
to  the  development  of  the  California  of  the 
twentieth  century,  JMr.  Elliott  is  a  native  of 
Illinois.  Warren  county  was  the  place  of  his 
birth,  and  September  13,  1871,  the  date,  his 
parents  being  John  J.  and  Jennie  (Findley) 
Elliott,  natives  respectively  of  Ohio  and  Illi- 
nois, and  now  residents  of  Lenox,  Iowa.  As 
a  boy  Elmer  E.  Elliott  lived  upon  an  Iowa 
farm  and  attended  a  country  school  until  he 
had  acquired  a  fair  education.  After  starting 
out  to  earn  hi?  own  livelihood  he  secured 
work  as  a  clerk  in  a  general  store  at  Corning, 
Iowa,  but  the  inducements  ofifered  by  Cali- 
fornia soon  brought  him  to  the  Pacific  coast, 
where  for  two  years  he  was  employed  as  a 
clerk  in  a  general  store  at  Hueneme.  Later 
he  became  a  student  in  the  University  of 
Southern  California,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1807  at  the  completion  of  the  regular 
classical  course. 

Immediately  after  leaving  the  university 
'SW.  Elliott  came  to  Compton  and  secured  a 
clerkship  in  the  store  of  Ambrose  Shepard  & 
Co.,  with  whom  he  remained  until  forming  his 
connection  with  the  bank,  and  in  whose  busi- 
ness he  now  owns  an  interest.  In  addition  to 
managing  the  affairs  of  the  bank  he  acts  as 
secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Compton  Wa- 
ter and  Lighting  Company  and  has  contrib- 
uted in  other  ways  to  the  growth  of  the  town 
along  material  and  financial  lines  of  activity. 
His  pleasant  home  is  presided  over  by  Mrs. 
Elliott,  formerly  Margaret  Cook,  whom  he 
married  in  Los  Angeles  May  18,  1898,  and 
who  is  a  daughter  of  H.  C.  Cook,  of  that  city. 
They  are  the  parents  of  two  sons,  Elmer  Ells- 
worth, Jr.,  and  Kenneth.  Not  possessing  the 
tastes  that  incline  him  toward  public  life  or 
political  affairs,  Mr.  Elliott  has  not  taken  any 
part  in  the  same  aside  from  voting  the  Repub- 
lican ticket,  yet  he  has  proved  himself  to  be 
public-spirited  to  an  unusual  extent,  and  no 
movement  for  the  permanent  welfare  of 
Compton  fails  to  secure  his  allegiance  and  co- 
operation. With  his  wife  he  holds  member- 
ship in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of 
Compton,  to  whose  charities  he  is  a  generous 
contributor,  as  lie  also   is  to  progressive  and 


philanthropic  enterprises  of  an-  undenomina- 
Uonal  character.  In  fraternal  relations  he  has 
allied  himself  with  IMasonry,  being  active  in 
the  work  of  Anchor  Lodge  No.  273,  F.  &  A. 
Af.,  also  a  member  of  Long  Beach  Chapter 
No.  83,  R.  A.  M.,  Los  Angeles  Council  No.  11, 
S.  ?il.,  and  the  Scottish  Rite,  Lodge  of  Perfec- 
tion, of  Los  Angeles. 


BYRON  J.  LYSTER.  On  coming  to  his  pres- 
ent location  at  the  station  of  Burnett  Mr.  Lyster 
purchased  an  unimproved  tract  of  twenty  acres, 
for  which  he  paid  $30  per  acre,  and  since  that 
year  (1884)  he  has  resided  on  the  same  home- 
stead, the  value  of  which  has  increased  to  $1500 
per  acre  or  more.  The  first  house  which  he 
erected  on  the  property  was  the  third  to  be  built 
in  the  locality  and  of  recent  years  has  been  re- 
placed by  an  elegant  structure  of  thirteen  rooms, 
with  bath,  gas  and  other  modern  improvements. 
The  town  of  Long  Beach  had  not  been  founded 
when  he  came  to  this  neighborhood  and  for  a 
time  he  operated  twelve  hundred  acres,  a  portion 
of  which  is  covered  by  the  present  site  of  the 
city.  Spaniards  formed  the  bulk  of  the  popula- 
tion in  those  days.  Having  to  transact  business 
with  them  constantly  he  learned  to  speak,  read 
and  write  the  Spanish  language  and  gained  a 
fluency  in  its  use  as  valuable  as  it  was  uncom- 
mon. 

Both  through  his  paternal  and  maternal  an- 
cestors Mr.  Lyster  is  of  genuine  pioneer  stock. 
His  father,  Henry  Lyster,  was  born  in  Shelby 
county,  Ky.,  March  21,  1806,  and  remained  south 
of  the  Ohio  river  until  in  the  prime  of  manhood. 
Meanwhile  he  had  devoted  himself  to  the  build- 
ing of  fiatboats  and  loading  the  same  with  sup- 
plies, then  he  would  ship  down  the  river  and  sell 
both  the  supplies  and  the  boat  in  one  of  the  larger 
cities,  after  which  he  would  walk  the  entire  dis- 
tance back  to  his  home.  On  leaving  Kentucky 
he  settled  in  Indiana,  but  as  early  as  1847  be- 
came a  pioneer  of  Iowa,  where  he  built  the  sec- 
ond linseed  oil  mill  in  the  state  and  also  erected 
a  sawmill.  During  the  Civil  war  he  served  as  a 
member  of  the  Iowa  Home  Guard.  Coming  to 
California  in  1869,  '^^  sojourned  first  in  Sonoma 
count}-,  then  in  Santa  Cruz,  later  in  San  Fran- 
cisco,'and  during  1873  settled  in  Los  Angeles 
county,  where  January  30,  1889,  his  useful  life 
came  to  an  end. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Lyster  was  solemnized 
at  Oskaloosa,  Iowa,  and  united  him  with  Airs. 
A^ianna  M.  (Cameron)  Prosise,  who  was  born 
December  30,  181 5,  and  in  girlhood  became  the 
wife  of  William  Prosise.  At  the  death  of  Mr. 
Prosise  she  was  left  with  six  children,  two  of 
whom  are  still  living,  namely:  John  and  Mrs. 
Sarah  T-  Mundell.    Two  sons,  of  her  second  mar- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


nv, 


riage,  William  and  Ejron  J.,  are  also  living.  She 
lived  to  be  over  ninety  years  of  age,  passing 
away  April  i,  1906.  She  retained  her  physical 
and  mental  faculties  to  an  unusual  degree  and 
displayed  a  deep  interest  in  present-day  affairs. 
Her  father,  Rev.  John  M.  Cameron,  who  was  a 
devout,  sincere  and  courageous  minister  of  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church,  was  born  in 
Kentucky  in  1791,  descended  from  colonial  an- 
cestry, and  himself  the  possessor  of  the  fine  phy- 
sique of  the  typical  frontiersman.  With  his  wife, 
who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mary  Orendorff 
and  who  was  born  in  1793,  he  removed  to  Illi- 
nois as  early  as  1815,  prior  to  the  admission  of 
the  territory  into  the  Union.  For  a  considerable 
period  he  made  his  home  in  Sangamon  county, 
where  in  1818  he  and  his  wife  took  up  their 
abode  in  a  log  cabin  standing  on  a  hill  that  over- 
looked the  Sangamon  river.  With  James  Rut- 
ledge  he  founded  the  town  of  New  Salem,  and 
tradition  has  it  that  in  1835  he  officiated  at  the 
funeral  services  of  Ann  Rutledge.  It  is  a  fact 
fully  authenticated  that  for  six  years  Abraham 
Lincoln  dwelt  beneath  the  humble  roof  of  this 
earnest  preacher. 

Early  in  the  "30s  the  Cameron  family  removed 
to  Fulton  county.  111.,  and  in  1841  settled  in 
Iowa.  However,  the  pioneer  instinct  impelled 
them  to  move  still  farther  westward,  and  when 
news  came  of  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California 
they  started  across  the  plains  in  the  spring  of 
1849  and  made  the  perilous  journey  with  ox- 
teams  and  wagons.  With  the  early  history  of  the 
Pacific  coast  they  were  afterward  associated,  and 
their  influence  was  felt  in  the  upbuilding  of  re- 
ligion and  education.  Kindly  and  affectionate  in 
life,  they  were  not  long  divided  by  death,  and 
both  passed  away  in  the  fullness  of  years,  his 
death  occurring  in  1875,  at  eighty-three  years, 
and  her  demise  occurring  in  1878,  at  eighty- 
seven  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  twelve 
children,  eleven  of  whom  were  daughters,  and  of 
these  five  are  now  living.  In  1886  there  were 
living  nine  children,  seventy-five  grandchildren 
and  about  two  hundred  great-grandchildren. 

During  the  residence  of  the  family  in  Mahaska 
county,  iowa,  Byron  J.  Lyster  was  born  Septem- 
ber 27,  1852.  When  the  war  broke  out  he  was 
too  young  for  service,  but  at  ten  years  of  age 
was  accepted  as  a  drummer  boy  and  so  saw 
something  of  the  horrors  of  a  national  strife. 
Three  of  his  brothers  were  also  at  the  front, 
while  his  father,  as  previously  stated,  served  in 
the  Home  Guard.  After  three  years  as  a  drum- 
mer, during  the  most  of  which  time  he  was  along 
the  Mississippi  river,  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged at  the  expiration  of  the  war,  and  there- 
upon returned  to  his  school  work  in  Iowa.  In 
1868  he  came  to  California  and  settled  in  So- 
noma countv,  but  two  years  later  went  to  Wat- 


sonville,  Santa  Cruz  count\-,  where  he  conducted 
a  meat  market.  After  a  year  in  San  Francisco, 
in  December  of  1873,  '^^  removed  to  Los  An- 
geles county  and  settled  on  a  farm  near  San  Fer- 
nando. During  the  four  years  he  lived  there  he 
served  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  deputy  sheriff. 
In  those  days  the  country  was  unsettled  and  un- 
improved, and  the  rough  element  predominating, 
his  work  as  an  officer  proved  laborious  and  even 
perilous.  On  leaving  that  locality  he  moved 
south  of  Los  Angeles  and  after  eight  years  there, 
in  1884  he  came  to  his  present  homestead.  He 
has  an  only  son,  Henry  B.,  who  is  a  young  man 
of  twenty-four  years  (1905).  In  his  beautiful 
home  his  aged  mother  passed  her  last  days,  sur- 
rounded by  every  comfort  which  he  and  other 
members  of  the  family  could  bestow.  In  religion 
he  is  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  faith,  in  politics 
affiliates  with  the  Republican  party,  and  frater- 
nally is  connected  as  a  charter  member  with 
Long  Beach  Lodge  No.  35,  I.  O.  F.  Of  a 
genial,  hospitable  and  companionable  disposition, 
generous  to  those  in  need,  progressive  in  spirit 
and  public  spirited  in  act,  he  is  of  the  type  of 
citizen  so  necessary  to  the  permanent  progress  of 
any  community. 


FRANK  G.  BUTLER.  While  the  charm  of 
the  climate  has  been  the  principal  inducement 
leading  to  the  rapid  growth  of  Long  Beach,  ob- 
servation and  experience  show  that  other  in- 
ducements might  be  offered  of  no  less  impor- 
tance than  the  one  mentioned.  To  the  man  whose 
active  temperament  forbids  leisure  and  protract- 
ed periods  of  recreation  there  are  occupations  of- 
fering an  interesting  field  for  his  talents,  and 
among  these  the  manufacturing  business,  though 
the  least  utilized,  is  not  the  least  attractive.  In  the 
list  of  manufacturing  enterprises  of  Southern 
California  one  of  the  most  recent  and  one  of  the 
most  flourishing  is  the  F.  G.  Butler  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  manufacturers  of  the  Symonds 
Perfection  Automatic  Carbide  Feeder  Acetylene 
Generator,  and  owners  of  eight  patents  covering 
the  machine.  The  original  owner  of  the  busi- 
ness, H.  Symonds,  is  still  associated  with  its 
management,  but  since  the  organization  of  the 
new  company  in  1905  the  stock  has  been  held 
principally  by  Mr.  Butler  and  the  headquarters 
are  in  his  building  at  No.  109  Ocean  avenue. 
When  affairs  have  been  adjusted  so  that  the 
plant  is  running  at  its  full  capacity  four  or  five 
machines  can  be  turned  out  each  day,  and  these 
will  be  shipped  to  any  portion  of  this  country  or 
abroad.  According  to  size  the  machines  range 
in  price  from  $65  to  $400  for  suburban  resi- 
dences, and  from  $1,500  to  $10,000  for  lighting 
a  town  or  city. 

The  manager  of  the  company  is  a  pioneer  of 


2148 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Long-  Beach  and  assisted  in  surveying  the  town 
site,  as  well  as  almost  the  entire  acreage  of  the 
American  Colony's  tract.  A  native  of  Ohio,  he 
was  born  at  Doylestown,  Alarch  19,  1854,  and  is 
a  son  of  Almond  and  Elizabeth  (Frank)  Butler, 
natives  respectively  of  Burlington,  Vt.,  and 
Pennsylvania,  but  after  1843  residents  of  Ohio. 
After  having  followed  the  mercantile  business 
for  many  years  the  father  died  in  Ohio  in  1861 
and  the  mother  passed  away  in  that  state  in  1878. 
After  having  completed  the  studies  of  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  town,  Frank  G.  Butler 
went  to  Easton,  Ohio,  and  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  for  seven  years,  also  serving  as 
postmaster  during  his  stay  there,  after  which  he 
disposed  of  his  interests  in  the  east.  For  a  short 
time  he  then  conducted  a  store  in  Charleston, 
Ariz.,  and  from  there  came  to  California  in  De- 
cember, 1 88 1,  at  once  buying  forty  acres  in  the 
American  Colony  tract.  Since  then  he  has 
bought  and  sold  various  tracts  and  now  owns  fif- 
teen acres  on  Willow  street,  all  the  improve- 
ments on  the  land  having  been  made  under  his 
personal  supervision.  For  fifteen  years  after  his 
location  in  California  he  conducted  the  Signal 
Hill  nursery,  but  eventually  sold  out  in  order  to 
engage  in  other  enterprises.  In  1886  he  bought 
real  estate  on  Ocean  avenue  and  erected  a  three- 
story  building  known  as  the  Butler  block,  to 
which  recently  he  made  an  addition  comprising  a 
four-story  brick  structure  with  modern  con- 
veniences. The  block  is  leased  to  business  and 
professional  men  and  in  the  rear  he  has  estab- 
lished his  manufacturing  plant. 

Always  interested  in  educational  affairs,  Mr. 
Butler  accepted  the  position  of  school  trustee  in 
the  early  days  of  the  history  of  Long  Beach. 
While  acting  in  that  capacity  he  was  one  of  the 
three  who  voted  $8,000  school  bonds  and  erected 
the  Pine  avenue  school  (recently  moved  from 
its  original  site).  More  than  one  citizen  predict- 
ed that  bonding  would  prove  the  financial  ruin 
of  the  district,  but  instead  it  gave  an  impetus  to 
educational  work  and  was  instrumental  in  secur- 
ing for  the  town  one  of  the  best  schools  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  state,  outside  of  Los  An- 
geles. During  his  residence  in  Ohio  Mr.  Butler 
married  Miss  Rosa  J.,  daughter  of  David  Mc- 
Clure,  of  Ohio. 

The  Symonds  generator  applies  well-known 
scientific  principles  in  the  securing  of  an  illum- 
inant  at  once  brilliant  and  inexpensive.  When 
burned  at  the  rate  of  five  cubic  feet  per  hour 
acetylene  produces  light  equal  to  two  hundred 
and  fifty  candles.  One  thousand  cubic  feet  of 
acetylene  gas  will  give  the  equivalent  in  lighting 
power  of  twelve  thousand  five  hundred  cubic  feet 
of  city  gas.  As  is  well  known,  acetylene  can  be 
utilized  in  business  houses,  churches,  hotels, 
factories  and  residences,  without  any  increase  in 


the  insurance  rates.  At  one  time  the  erroneous 
impression  prevailed  that  acetylene  was  explos- 
ive, but  the  experience  of  years  has  disproved 
that  idea,  and  exhaustive  examinations  on  the 
part  of  skilled  chemists  show  that  the  gas  is  not 
only  economical,  simple  and  convenient,  but  also 
unsurpassed  for  safety.  In  the  construction  of 
the  Symonds  generator  safety  has  been  the  first 
consideration,  quality  the  second  and  cost  the 
third.  The  principle  is  that  of  feeding  the  carbide 
automatically  into  the  water  as  fast  as  the  gas  is 
consumed.  There  is  no  overproduction,  conse- 
quently no  surplus  gas  to  be  stored.  The  opera- 
tion is  simple,  consisting  of  the  drawing  otf  of 
the  residue,  refilling  the  water  tank  with  water, 
and  filling  the  carbide  holder  with  carbide 
through  the  funnel  furnished  with  the  apparat- 
us. The  apparatus  has  been  perfected  and  ev- 
ery generator  is  tested  before  shipment,  so  that 
satisfactory  results  can  be  guaranteed.  Those 
using  the  machine  are  unanimous  in  testifying 
as  to  its  safety  and  economy  as  well  as  the 
strength  and  durability  of  its  parts. 


MICHAEL  CLARENBOLD  WHITE.  The 
life  of  Michael  Clarenbold  White  was  an  inter- 
esting and  adventurous  one  from  the  time  he  ran 
away  from  his  home  in  England  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  with  a  companion  by  the  name  of  Steph- 
ens, both  of  whom  went  to  sea.  After  two  years 
in  cruising,  the  vessel  in  which  the  boys  were 
sailing  headed  for  California,  and  his  companion 
having  been  killed  by  falling  from  the  masthead 
two  days  before  reaching  port,  Mr.  White  re- 
solved to  remain  in  this  state.  He  was  the  second 
white  man  to  come  to  this  state,  the  first  having 
been  an  English  gentleman  named  Richardson, 
who  married  a  sister  of  ]\Ir.  White's  wife,  and 
after  her  death  suddenly  disappeared  and  was 
never  heard  from  again.  The  first  three  years 
after  coming  to  the  Pacific  coast  Mr.  White  spent 
in  coasting  for  the  Mexican  governor,  the  state 
then  being  under  Spanish  rule.  He  then  settled 
in  San  Pedro  and  was  engaged  for  a  time  in  the 
construction  of  a  schooner  for  the  mission  of  San 
Gabriel,  but  the  craft  broke  from  its  moorings  in 
a  storm  before  even  a  trial  trip  had  been  made  in 
it. 

The  next  move  of  Mr.  AMiite  was  to  northern 
California  and  there  he  entered  into  a  -contract 
with  the  governor  to  carry  mail  into  the  interior 
for  a  year,  in  payment  for  which  services  he  was 
to  receive  a  land  site  where  the  city  of  San  Fran- 
cisco is  now  built.  After  eleven  months  of  serv- 
ice he  became  party  to  a  quarrel  with  an  official 
and  resigned  the  contract,  thereby  failing  to  re- 
ceive the  promised  land.  Removing  to  lower 
California  he  took  up  stock  raising,  and  after  ac- 
quiring a  herd  of  three  hundred  head  of  cattle  was 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2149 


unfortunate  enough  to  lose  the  whole  number 
through  theft  by  the  Indians.  The  following  two 
years  he  conducted  a  store  in  New  Mexico  in 
partnership  with  Mr.  Workman,  which  business 
interest  he  disposed  of  to  come  to  San  Gabriel, 
where  his  wife  had  bought  one  hundred  acres  of 
land  a  short  distance  from  the  Mission.  Here 
they  established  a  home,  but  on  account  of  the  In- 
dian raids  it  was  a  discouraging  effort  at  the  be- 
beginning,  but  finally  succeeded.  A  few  years 
later  Mr.  White  established  a  camp  in  San  Ber- 
nardino county  at  the  mouth  of  Lytle  creek  and 
again  started  in  the  cattle  business.  Here  he  was 
joined  by  two  other  white  men,  who  after  agree- 
ing to  a  plan  to  take  up  all  of  the  valley  land  de- 
serted him  before  the  consummation  of  the 
scheme.  The  Indians  learning  that  he  was  alone 
decided  that  it  would  be  a  good  time  to  make  a 
raid  and  drive  away  the  herds,  and  under  the  lead- 
ership of  Chief  Coyote,  who  was  one  of  the  craft- 
iest and  most  vicious  in  that  section,  they  accom- 
plished their  purpose.  The  next  morning  in  com- 
pany with  an.  Indian  boy  of  seventeen  years,  who 
was  friendly  to  him,  Mr.  White  started  out  to  find 
the  stock  and  overtook  the  thieves  at  the  head  of 
Cajon  Pass.  Here  the  Indians  had  camped  and 
killed  a  horse,  upon  which  they  were  feasting 
when  Mr.  White  discovered  them.  Cleverly  cir- 
cling the  camp  he  managed  to  get  ahead  of  them 
and  was  endeavoring  to  stampede  the  stock  when 
Chief  Coyote  saw  him  and  started  toward  him. 
Waiting  until  the  Indian  was  within  forty  or  fifty 
yards  of  him  Mr.  White  took  steady  aim  and  shot 
him  dead,  the  report  of  the  gun  stampeding  the 
cattle.  They  returned  home,  Mr.  White  and  the 
Indian  boy  following  and  reaching  the  valley  in 
safety  after  having  killed  a  number  of  other  red- 
skins. The  boy  had  been  of  great  assistance  to 
him  by  loading  his  extra  gun. 

When  the  governor  heard  of  this  affair  he  sent 
for  Mr.  White  and  ascertaining  that  he  had  no 
land  but  desired  to  receive  a  grant,  application 
was  made  and  surveys  taken,  and  in  a  few  years 
he  received  papers  conveying  to  him  thirty-two 
thousand  acres  of  land.  When  the  war  between 
the  United  States  and  Mexico  was  declared  he 
in  company  with  about  a  hundred  trappers  banded 
themselves  together  under  the  leadership  of  Capt. 
B.  D.  Wilson  against  the  Spaniards,  and  that 
company  was  the  first  to  be  attacked  before  the 
troops  arrived.  Mr.  White  was  wounded  and 
finally  the  company  was  forced  to  surrender,  but 
the  Spanish  officer',  J.  M.  Silvas,  being  a  relative 
of  his  wife  their  lives  were  spared.  She  was  the 
first  woman  in  California  to  lend  assistance  to 
the  American  soldiers.  Years  later  when  the 
United  States  government  officials  came  to  look 
up  the  validity  of  the  grants  Mr.  White  went 
before  them  personally  with  his  papers  and  hired 
Attornevs  Crittenden 'and  Granger  to  look  after 


his  interests.  In  payment  for  their  services  he 
deeded  one-half  of  the  grant  to  Mrs.  Granger, 
but  Mrs.  White's  signature  being  lacking  this 
did  not  prove  to  be  a  legal  transfer.  Later  the 
U.  S.  government  sent  Mr.  Hancock  to  survey 
the  land,  but  Hancock  before  making  the  survey 
closed  a  deal  to  purchase  the  holding  for  one 
thousand  dollars,  a  proper  deed  to  be  given  as 
soon  as  the  money  was  paid.  Only  eight  hun- 
dred feet  of  lumber  was  ever  paid  in  the  trans- 
action, however,  and  after  surveying  thirty-two 
thousand  acres  in  the  valley  from  Arrowhead 
south,  he  left  and  afterwards  appeared  with  a 
forged  deed  to  half  of  the  grant.  After  the 
death  of  Mr.  White  in  1885  his  son,  James  B., 
brought  suit  to  recover  but  was  defeated  and  the 
whole  property  was  lost  to  the  family.  The 
marriage  of  Mr.  White  united  him  with  Marie 
del  Rosario  Guyllen,  and  they  became  the  par- 
ents of  the  following  named  children:  Jennie, 
now  ]\Irs.  Andrew  J.  Courtney ;  Michael ;  Sarah, 
now  Mrs.  Ygnacio  Alvarado ;  Frances,  now  Mrs. 
Joseph  Heslop,  of  Pasadena;  Alvira,  now  Mrs. 
Louis  IMarshall;  Jane,  now  Mrs.  Luis  Capde- 
vielle ;  Esther,  now  Mrs.  Castillon ;  and  James  B. 
:\Irs.  White  died  in  1892. 

On  June  24,  1855,  James  B.  White  was  born 
at  San  Gabriel  Mission  and  has  always  lived  in 
Southern  California.  His  marriage  which  oc- 
curred June  27,  1882,  united  him  with  Dolores 
Zasueta,  a  daughter  of  Francisco  and  Gregoria 
(Romero"),  and  four  children  have  been  born  to 
them:  Michael  Louis;  Rosa;  Esther;  and 
Olympia. 


EDWARD  J.  HATCH.  Classed  among 
the  most  enterprising,  progressive  and  wide- 
awake business  men  of  Escondido  is  Judge  Ed 
J.  Hatch,  who  is  widely  and  favorably  known 
"as  the  local  agent  of  the  Wells-Fargo  Express 
Company,  manager  of  the  Sunset  Telephone 
and  Telegraph  Company,  and  as  justice  of  the 
peace.  Public-spirited  and  liberal,  he  takes 
pride  in  advancing  the  welfare  of  his  adopted 
town  and  county,  and  is  ever  ready  to  assist 
any  movement  which  tends  to  promote  the  in- 
terests of  the  community  in  which  he  resides, 
and  by  his  fellow-citizens  is  held  in  high  re- 
spect and  esteem.  Coming  from  a  long  line  of 
substantial  ancestry  on  both  sides  of  the  house, 
he  was  born,  October  6.  1851,  in  Dixon,  111., 
a  son  of  James  Hatch. 

The  descendant  of  a  colonial  family  of  New 
England,  James  Hatch  was  born  and  reared 
in  Nashua",  N.  H.,  on  the  farm  of  his  father, 
James  Hatch.  Sr..  a  life-long  resident  of  the 
Granite  state.  When  a  young  man  he  re- 
moved to  Dixon,  TIL.  where  he  followed  his 
trade   of  baker  for  a  number  of  years,   being 


2150 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


a  pioneer  in  tiic  business  in  tliat  localit}-.  Giv- 
ing that  up  after  a  lew  years,  he  was  subse- 
quently employed  as  a  real-estate  dealer  and 
insurance  agent  in  Dixon  until  his  death.  His 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Maria  Louisa 
Jackson,  was  born  near  Boston,  Mass.,  a 
daughter  of  William  Jackson,  who  settled  as 
a  pioneer  in  Ogle  county,  111.,  near  the  town 
of  Oregon.     She  died  in  Illinois  in   1853. 

The  youngest  of  a  famih"  of  ten  children  by 
his  father's  first  marriage,  three  of  whom  are 
living,  Ed  J.  Hatch  is  the  only  one  of  the  fam- 
ily residing  on  the  Pacific  coast.  After  grad- 
uating from  the  Dixon  high  school  he  served 
an  apprenticeship  at  the  painter's  trade,  and 
going  to  Chicago,  for  two  years  worked  in  the 
shops  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Rail- 
road Company.  Going  then  to  Rock  Falls, 
111.,  he  was  a  contracting  painter  for  two 
years,  being  subsequently  similarly  employed 
in  Chicago  for  seven  years.  From  that  city 
he  went  to  Pennsylvania,  where  he  worked  at 
his  trade  for  some  time,  first  in  Pittsburg  and 
then  in  Westmoreland  county.  Again  chang- 
ing his  place  of  residence  he  went  to  Manson, 
Iowa,  where  he  was  engaged  in  painting  for 
four  years.  Subsequently,  with  headquarters 
at  Sioux  City,  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the 
Illinois  Central  and  Sioux  City  &  Pacific  Rail- 
road Companies  for  awhile. 

Coming  to  California  in  February,  1887,  Mr. 
Hatch  purchased  property  in  Escondido,  aft- 
er which  he  returned  to  Sioux  City  to  settle 
up  his  affairs,  and  in  September,  1887,  he 
brought  his  famih'  to  this  place  and  resumed 
his  business  as  a  painter,  filling  heavy  con- 
tracts in  Escondido  and  throughout  the  north- 
ern part  of  San  Diego  cf)unty,  being  very  suc- 
cessful in  tliat  industry.  For  two  years  he 
served  as  collector  for  the  Escondido  Irrigat- 
ing Ditch  Company,  and  for  the  same  length 
of  time  was  collector  and  assessor  for  the 
same  company.  In  1898  he  was  elected  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  for  Escondido  township,  and 
served  with  ability  and  fidelity  in  this  posi- 
tion for  eight  years.  In  iqoo  he  was  made 
agent  of  the  Wells-Fargo  Express  Company 
at  this  place,  and  also  assumed  his  present  re- 
sponsible position  as  manager  of  the  Sunset 
Telephone  and  Tele.gi^aph  Company,  his  office 
being  located  in  the  First  National  Bank  build- 
ing. By  the  exercise  of  good  business  tact 
and  judgment  he  has  accumulated  a  fair  share 
of  this  world's  goods.  He  owns  a  valuable 
ranch  of  fifteen  and  one-half  acres,  lying  one 
and  tliree-fourths  miles  from  the  city,  on  which 
he  has  erected  a  fine  residence  and  a  substan- 
tial set  of  farm  buildings.  This  ranch  he  de- 
votes to  the  raising  of  oranges  and  lemons,  in 
which   he  is   quite   successful.     He   is  also  a 


stockholder  in  the   Escondido  Rochdale  Com- 
pany. 

December  25,  1877,  in  Westmoreland  coun- 
ty. Pa.,  the  native  place  of  the  bride.  Judge 
Hatch  married  Matilda  Null,  a  sister  of  the 
wife  of  Dr.  David  Crise,  of  Escondido,  and  of 
the  children  born  of  their  union  six  are  living: 
Elfreda  N.,  a  graduate  of  the  State  Normal 
School  at  San  Diego  and  a  teacher  for  some 
years,  is  the  wife  of  F.  A.  Brov/n  of  Highland, 
San  Bernardino  county;  J.  Paul,  of  Escondido, 
is  a  graduate  of  the  Los  Angeles  Bible  Insti- 
tute and  engaged  in  Spanish  mission  work 
in  Los  Angeles;  he  married  Gladys  .McClin- 
tock,  a  native  of  Kansas,  and  has  two  daugh- 
ters; the  other  children.  Flora  Faith,  Neal, 
Vivian  and  Dorothy,  are  at  home.  Fraternal- 
ly the  Judge  was  made  a  Mason  at  Sioux  City, 
Iowa,  and  was  a  charter  member  of  Consuelo 
Lodge  No.  325,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Escondido,  of 
which  he  was  at  one  time  master,  and  from 
which  he  has  since  taken  a  demit ;  in  Pennsyl- 
vania he  joined  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  the  Knights  of  P3'thias.  Polit- 
ically he  votes  with  the  courage  of  his  convic- 
tions, regardless  of  party  restrictions.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Escondido  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
and  for  many  years  has  been  an  active  and 
faithful  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  of  which  he  was  a  trustee,  and  for- 
merly superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school, 


THOMAS  BECK,  Occupying  a  good  posi- 
tion among  the  esteemed  and  respected  citizens 
of  Long  Beach  is  Thomas  Beck,  a  man  of  up- 
right character  and  sterling  worth,  now  living  re- 
tired from  active  labor,  enjoying  a  well-earned 
leisure,  A  native  of  Ireland,  he  was  born,  in 
1 85 1,  in  County  Antrim,  where  his  parents,  Hen- 
derson and  Jane  (McClelland)  Beck,  spent  their 
entire  lives,  both  dying  in  1853, 

Left  an  orphan  when  about  three  years  of  age, 
Thomas  Beck  was  brought  up  by  relatives,  and 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools.  \Mien  twelve 
years  old  he  began  working  for  his  uncle  in  a 
bakery,  and  three  years  later  entered  upon  an 
apprenticeship  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he 
subsequently  followed  successfully  for  a  number 
of  years,  being  located  in  Belfast,  Ireland,  Im- 
migrating to  the  United  States  in  1874,  he  was 
engaged  in  carpentering  at  Paterson,  N,  J,,  for  a 
year,  and  was  subsequently  similarly  employed  in 
Philadelphia  for  five  years.  A  superior  work- 
man, skilled  in  the  use  of  tools,  he  made  money 
while  following  his  chosen  occupation,  and  in 
1880  returned  to  the  old  country.  He  worked  at 
his  trade  in  Ireland  for  one  year,  assisting  in  the 
erection  of  many  fine  residences  and  public  build- 
ings, and  then  went  to  Glasgow,  Scotland,  where 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2151 


lie  spent  two  years  as  a  ship  joiner.  Coming  back 
to  this  country,  he  located  in  Hancock.  Iowa, 
where  he  worked  at  his  trade  two  years,  then  lo- 
cated in  Box  Butte  county,  Keb.,  and  took  up  a 
claim,  but  shortly  afterward  went  to  Alliance, 
that  county,  where  he  engaged  in  the  hardware 
business  for. several  years,  having  an  extensive 
and  lucrative  trade,  and  being  numbered  among 
the  leading  merchants  of  the  place.  In  1900  he 
and  his  wife  took  an  extended  trip  through  Great 
Britain  and  attended  also  the  Paris  Exposition, 
being  absent  from  home  about  six  months.  Sell- 
ing out  his  stock  in  1902,  ^Ir.  Beck  came  to  Los 
Angeles  county,  locating  at  Long  Beach,  where 
he  purchased  the  estate  which  he  now  owns.  This 
included  a  vacant  lot,  on  which  he  erected  a  fine, 
modern  cottage,  in  which  he  is  living  retired 
from  active  pursuits,  having  by  well-directed  toil 
and  exceedingly  good  management  acquired  com- 
petency. 

In  Alliance,  Neb.,  in  1897,  Mr.  Beck  married 
Mrs.  Elsie  P.  (Mead)  Darling,  a  native  of  In- 
diana. Politically  Mr.  Beck  is  a  Republican,  and 
fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  .\lliance  Lodge  No. 
183,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Alliance.  Neb.,  and  with 
Mrs.  Beck  is  a  member  of  Long  Beach  Chapter, 
O.  E.  S.  Religiously  he  belongs  to  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  Mrs.  Beck  attends  the  Epis- 
copal Church. 


HERBERT  CROUCH.  Many  generations 
of  the  Crouch  family  lived  and  labored  as  hus- 
bandmen in  England,  but  the  family  has  be- 
come extinct  in  the  country  where  once  they 
flourished,  and  in  America  the  sole  representa- 
tives are  Herbert  Crouch  and  his  son  and  two 
daughters.  Joseph  and  Jane  (Lloyd)  Crouch, 
natives  of  England,  passed  their  entire  active 
lives  upon  a  farm  in  Berkshire  and  were  useful 
citizens  and  devoted  Episcopalians.  Their 
family  consisted  of  three  children,  but  Herbert, 
the  A^oungest  of  the  three,  is  the  sole  survivor, 
and  the  others  left  no  descendants,  so  that  he 
and  his  children  alone  remain  to  perpetuate  the 
name.  He  was  born  in  Berkshire  Januar\'  15. 
1840,  and  received  a  common-school  education 
in  his  native  shire.  Upon  setting  out  to  make 
his  own  way  in  the  world  he  sailed  on  the  Black 
Wall  from  London  to  ^NFelbourne,  .\ustralia. 
where  the  ship  cast  anchor  after  an  uneventful 
voyage  of  one  hundred  and  twelve  days.  Alin- 
ing engaged  his  attention  and  he  met  with  fair 
success.  In  1862  he  returned  to  England  on 
the  Orwell,  which  cast  anchor  after  a  vo^•a,ge 
of  one  hundred  and  twelve  days.  A  year  later 
he  returiipd  to  .^ustralia  on  the  Star  of  Eng- 
land, which  landed  at  Bri.sbane  after  a  vovage 
of  one  hundred  and  twelve  days.  In  addition 
to  tlic   coincidence  in   tlic  length   of  the  three 


voyages  he  also  felt  interested  in  the  fact  that 
each  time  he  sailed  on  Monday  and  landed  on 
Monday. 

The  next  voyage  which  Air.  Crouch  entered 
upon  brought  him  to  San  Francisco,  March 
24,  1868,  on  the  barque  Camden,  after  sixty- 
nine  days  on  the  ocean.  For  about  one  year 
he  remained  on  a  ranch  near  Stockton.  Feb- 
ruary 25,  1869,  he  arrived  at  San  Diego,  and 
on  the  25th  of  March  he  came  to  San  Luis  Re}'. 
San  Diego  county,  where  now,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  B.  F.  Libby,  he  is  the  oldest  surviving 
settler  of  an  age  permitting  the  entering  of 
land  at  that  time.  With  a  partner  he  cm- 
barked  in  the  sheep  business  and  herded  his 
flocks  upon  the  ranges  in  this  part  of  the  coun- 
ty. In  1873  he  entered  and  proved  up  on  i-ine 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  the  San  Luis  Rey 
river,  where,  in  additon  to  enduring  all  the 
Hardships  of  frontier  existence,  he  had  the 
further  trouble  of  a  contest  in  the  courts  cover- 
ing a  period  of  more  than  four  years,  in  which 
the  settlers  were  involved  with  the  claimants 
of  the  Peoiche  grant  of  twenty-six  leagues. 
The  settlers  eventually  won  and  he  was  then 
free  to  take  up  the  work  of  improvement.  In 
1874  he  removed  from  the  river  to  his  present 
location  three  miles  from  Oceanside  in  tlie  San 
Luis  Rey  valley,  where  at  one  time  he  had  fif- 
teen thousand  head  of  sheep,  divided  into  dif- 
ferent flocks.  To  improve  the  qualitv  of  his 
stock  he  imported  a  number  of  bucks  and  bred 
to  secure  the  highest  type  of  Merinos.  Not 
only  were  he  and  his  partner  the  largest  sheep- 
men of  their  day,  but  also,  when  they  sold  out 
in  1887,  their  flock  was  said  to  embrace  the 
finest  Alerinos  in  the  whole  country.  After 
discontinuing  the  raising  of  sheep  he  began  to 
raise  grain  and  at  one  time  had  charge  of  more 
than  eighteen  hundred  acres,  of  which  four- 
teen hundred  and  eighty  acres  were  in  the 
home  place,  extending  to  the  corporate  limits 
of  Oceanside.  .\t  one  time  he  owned  river 
land  and  devoted  it  to  the  raising  of  a4falfa,  but 
this  he  sold,  and  also  in  1905  he  sold  seven 
hundred  and  sixt}^  acres  of  his  ranch,  so  that 
now  he  has  five  hundred  and  ten  acres  in  liis 
homestead.  In  additon  he  owns  two  ranches 
at  Julian,  a  ranch  of  four  hundred  acres  at 
Ballona  and  still  another  ranch,  comprising 
one  thousand  acres,  ill  the  Lagona  mountains. 
The  homestead  is  well  improved  with  neat 
buildings  and  modern  conveniences,  and  there 
is  a  fine  orchard  of  citrus  and  deciduous  fruits, 
with  olive  trees  more  than  twenty-five  years 
old  and  the  largest  in  the  entire  count}-. 

The  marriage  of  Air.  Crouch  took  place  at 
San  Diego  in  1876  and  united  him  with  Aliss 
Martha  Avenell,  who  was  born  in  Wiltshire. 
England,  and  bv  whom  he  has  three  children. 


2152 


HISTORJCAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Lucy  Jane,  Emily  Elizabeth  and  Joseph  Llovfl. 
Reared  in  the  Episcopalian  faith,  he  and  his 
wife  have  always  adhered  to  that  relig-ion  and 
have  trained  their  children  in  its  doctrines. 
.Since  becoming  a  citizen  of  the  United  States 
he  has  been  a  pronounced  believer  in  Repub- 
lican principles  and  ahvavs  gives  his  ballot  to 
the  party  and  its  candidates,  but  for  himself 
steadfastly  has  refused  to  become  a  candidate 
for  official  honors.  There  are  few  men  now 
living  in  San  Diego  county  whose  arrival  ante- 
dated his  own.  The  majority  of  those  now  in- 
fluential in  horticultural,  agricultural  and  com- 
mercial affairs  have  been  drawn  hither  by  the 
development  made  by  the  earlier  settlers,  of 
whom  he  was  among  the  most  prominent. 
Comparatively  few  now  living  have  had  a  per- 
sonal experience  of  the  hardships  of  life  in  the 
early  da^'S  of  San  Diego's  American  occupancy 
and  comparatively  few  were  called  upon  to 
fight  for  their  rights  in  the  courts  for  a  pro- 
tracted period ;  but  notwithstanding  all  the 
hardships  he  has  endured  and  the  obstacles 
he  has  been  obliged  to  overcome,  he  is  loyal 
to  his  count_v,  for  it  is  here  that  he  has  reaped 
his  greatest  success  and  here  that  he  has  risen 
to  a  position  as  a  large  land-owner  and  pros- 
perous orchardist.  Through  his  successful 
work  in  fruit-raising  he  has  stimulated  others 
to  enter  this  occupation  and  thereby  has  been 
helpful  to  others.  Gone  are  the  days  when 
large  flocks  could  roam  over  the  broad  ranges 
and  gone  the  days  when  the  sheep  -industry 
was  perhaps  the  most  profitable  occupation 
open  to  San  Diego  county  settlers ;  but  in  the 
place  of  those  balmy  years  there  has  come  an 
era  of  smaller  farms  with  better  improvements 
and  more  diversified  methods  of  farming.  In 
this  transformation  he  has  been  a  prominent 
factor,  and  his  efforts  have  been  rewarded  with 
success  under  the  new  system  as  under  the  for- 
mer regime. 


FATHER  ANTONY  LeBELLEJAY.  As 
pastor  of  the  Mission  Church  at  San  Fernan- 
do, Father  Antony  LeBellejay  leads  a  busy 
and  useful  life,  conscientiously  and  faithfully 
performing  whatever  duties  may  fall  upon  him. 
A  native  of  France,  he  was  born,  in  October, 
1S55,  in  the  province  of  "Burgundy,  or  Bour- 
gogne.  where  he  was  reared  and  educated,  be- 
ing graduated  from  the  public  schools  and 
from  the  Bourgogne  College. 

Studying  for  the  priesthood  when  young. 
Father  LeBellejay  emigrated  to  this  country, 
and  for  a  number  of  years  prior  to  this  was 
engaged  in  religious  work  in  the  Dominican 
congregation  in  France.  Coming  to  California 
in  1901,  he  spent  six  months  in  San  Francisco. 


and  then  came  to  San  Fernando  to  assume 
his  present  position  as  pastor  of  the  Mission 
Church,  which  is  composed  of  about  twenty- 
three  families,  mostly  Mexicans,  his  charge 
covering  a  large  territory.  Father  LeBelle- 
jay is  a  man  of  upright  principles,  entirely  de- 
voted to  the  interests  of  his  people,  and  has 
a  large  circle  of  friends  outside  of  his  par- 
ishioners, his  sterling  integrity  and  nobility 
of  character  being  recognized  throughout  the 
communitv. 


FERNANDO  CORTEZ  HERBERT.  A 
successful  horticulturist  is  named  in  the  per- 
son of  Fernando  Cortez  Herbert,  who  owns 
a  ranch  of  fifty-two  acres  in  the  vicinity  of  El 
Monte,  where  he  located  in  1890.  Mr.  Herbert 
is  a  native  of  Hempstead  county.  Ark.,  born 
October  9,  1862.  His  father,  Fernando  Cor- 
tez Herbert,  Sr.,  was  born  in  Hardin  county, 
Tenn.,  where  he  married  Annie  Deavenport, 
also  a  native  of  that  state,  and  in  1861  they 
removed  to  Arkansas,  where  Mr.  Herbert  car- 
ried on  farming  until  his  death  in  1869.  His 
wife  survived  him  and  in  1872  removed  with 
her  family  to  Texas,  locating  in  Denton  coun- 
ty, where  she  passed  away  two  years  later. 

Of  the  seven  children  born  to  his  parents 
Fernando  C.  Herbert  was  the  fifth  in  order  of 
birth.  Because  of  the  father's  early  death  each 
was  thrown  upon  his  own  resources  and  com- 
pelled to  begin  the  battle  of  life  at  a  tender 
age.  This  son  passed  his  youth  with  an  un- 
cle, who  was  a  miller  in  Denton  county,  and 
during  this  time  he  attended  the  public  schools. 
Three  years  were  passed  thus  when,,  in  the 
fall  of  1877,  he  returned  to  Hempstead  coun- 
ty. Ark.,  and  there  with  his  older  brother, 
Thomas,  engaged  in  farming  for  nine  years. 
In  November,  /886,  he  sold  out  his  interests 
and  came  to  California.  In  Monrovia  he  fol- 
lowed the  carpenter's  trade  and  later  worked 
with  a  surveying  corps  and  helped  to  survey 
Glendora  and  the  trail  to  the  top  of  the  mount- 
ain as  far  as  Whitcomb.  For  a  short  time  he 
was  located  in  Redondo,  where  he  teamed  for 
the  Redondo  Company.  In  1890  he  purchased 
eleven  and  a  half  acres  of  land  in  the  Mount- 
ain View  district,  which  had  just  been  set  to 
walnuts,  and  from  that  time  to  the  present 
writing  he  has  given  his  time  and  attention 
to  horticultural  interests.  He  has  improved 
nis  property  by  the  erection  of  a  comfortable 
residence  and  outbuildings,  and  in  1901  add- 
ed to  his  interests  by  the  purchase  of  forty 
acres  of  walnuts  near  his  first  property.  He 
has  been  very  successful  in  his  work  and 
holds  a  place  of  importance  among  the  horti- 
culturists of  this  section,  being  a  charter  mem- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2153 


ber  of  the  Mountain  View  Walnut  Growers' 
Association  and  a  promoter  of  the  best  in- 
terests of  the  community. 

Mr.  Herbert  has  been  twice  married,  his  first 
wife  being  Miss  ■NTabel  Pullee,  who  was  born 
in  Orange  county,  a  daughter  of  a  pioneer 
family  of  Southern  California.  She  was  mar- 
ried in  Mountain  View  and  died  here.  In  San 
Bernardino  he  married  Miss  Fannie  Blanche 
Ludwig,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  born 
of  this  union  are  two  sons,  Ross  Deavenport 
and  John  Edgar.  jMr.  Herbert  is  a  Democrat 
politically  and  a  stanch  upholder  of  the  inter- 
ests of  his  party.  Fraternally  he  is  identified 
with  the  Odd  Fellows  and  Independent  Order 
of  Foresters  (having  been  a  member  of  the  lat- 
ter organization  for  the  past  fourteen  years), 
and  is  now  affiliated  with   iMonrovia  lodges. 


JAMES  WILEY  VEACH.  Among  the  up- 
builders  of  the  interests  of  Redlands  prominent 
mention  belongs  to  James  Wiley  Veach,  a  resi- 
dent of  the  city  since  1900.  He  was  born  in  Illi- 
nois, near  Charlestown,  Coles  county,  October  21, 
1850;  his  father,  James,  was  also  a  native  of  that 
state.  The  family  trace  their  ancestry  back  to 
three  brothers  of  Wales,  who  emigrated  to 
America  in  an  early  period  of  its  history  and  lo- 
cated the  name  in  the  southern  states,  whence 
later  members  settled  in  Kentucky.  There  the 
paternal  grandfather  of  Mr.  Veach  was  reared 
and  from  that  section  he  came  to  Illinois  and  lo- 
cated in  Coles  county  and  later  in  Adams  county, 
where  his  death  eventually  occurred.  James 
Veach  engaged  as  a  farmer  in  Adams  county, 
where  his  death  occurred  in  July,  1851.  His  wife, 
formerly  Jellico  Mayes,  was  born  in  Wayne 
county.  III,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Mayes,  a  na- 
tive of  the  Carolinas,  when  he  came  to  Illinois 
and  engaged  as  a  farmer  until  his  death.  He 
served  in  "the  Black  Hawk  war,  as  did  two  of  his 
sons,  James  and  Andrew.  In  the  Civil  war  James 
Mayes  and  five  of  his  sons  participated.  Their 
patriotic  spirit  was  inherited  from  their  great- 
grandfather, who  served  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Veach  were  the  parents  of 
the  following  children :  John,  a  sergeant  in  the 
Twenty-eighth  Regiment  Illinois  Infantry  in  the 
Civil  war,  in  which  he  served  four  years  and 
eight  months  and  died  in  Illinois  in  1906;  An- 
drew, a  corporal  in  the  sams  regiment,  died  from 
the  effects  of  wounds  received  at  Shiloh;  Mary, 
Mrs.  Dell  of  Kansas;  Ellen,  Mrs.  Stevens,  who 
died  in  Nebraska;  and  James  Wiley,  of  this  re- 
view. 

Reared  in  Adams  county  and  educated  in  the 
district  schools  James  Wiley  Veach  was  early 
trained   in  the   home   duties  of  a  farmer's    son. 


When  fifteen  years  old  he  became  dependent  upon 
his  own  resources,  his  first  venture  being  the  es- 
tablishment in  1870  of  a  small  store  four  miles 
from  the  town  of  Kingston.  Fie  succeeded  in 
building  up  a  business  and  continued  profitably 
in  that  location  for  eight  years.  In  1878  he  sold 
out  and  located  in  Pike  county,  in  Fishhook, 
building  a  store  and  warehouse  and  carrying  on 
a  general  merchandise  business,  and  at  the  same 
time  conducting  an  extensive  farm,  where  he 
raised  cattle.  He  rented  over  four  hundred  acres 
of  land  for  this  latter  enterprise;  his  store  be- 
ing burned  out  in  1896  he  withdrew  from  mer- 
cantile enterprises  and  gave  his  entire  time  and 
attention  to  farming.  In  1900  he  located  in  Cal- 
ifornia, in  March  of  that  year  purchasing  the 
Redlands  Steam  Laundry,  which  he  immediate- 
ly rebuilt  and  equipped  with  all  modern  methods 
for  carrying  on  the  business.  With  his  son  An- 
drew he  carried  on  the  enterprise  until  1902, 
when  he  sold  out  his  interest.  Later  he  pur- 
chased another  laundry,  the  White  Star,  in  part- 
nership with  a  Mr.  Herdman,  and  this  was  after- 
ward consolidated  with  the  first  purchase  in  this 
line.  This  was  increased  to  a  large  capacity  and 
proved  a  profitable  investment.  Finally  dispos- 
ing of  this  business  Mr.  Veach  purchased  an 
orange  grove  and  since  that  time  has  given  con- 
siderable time  to  horticulture.  He  buys  and  sells 
property  throughout  this  section,  and  is  now  a 
half  owner  in  the  Bill  and  Veach  block  and  Ham- 
ilton block  of  Redlands.  With  his  son  he  is  en- 
gaged in  the  grocery  business  in  Corona,  the  firm 
name  being  J.  W.  Veach  &  Son. 

Mr.  Veach  built  a  residence  at  No.  14  Eureka 
street,  which  is  now  presided  over  by  his  wife, 
whom  he  married  in  Adams  county.  111.  She 
was  formerlv  Miss  Julia  A.  Bimson,  a  native  of 
Quincy,  111.,  and  a  daughter  of  William  and  Car- 
oline '(Clark)  Bimson,  natives  of  England  and 
earlv  settlers  of  that  section  of  Illinois.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Veach  have  two  children,  Nina  M.,  of  Red- 
lands,  and  Andrew,  of  Corona.  Mr.  Veach  gives 
his  support  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
of  which  his  wife  is  a  member.  Mr.  Veach  was 
nominated  in  the  spring  of  1906  on  the  good  gov- 
ernment ticket  to  the  office  of  city  trustee  and 
was  elected  for  a  two-year  term.  He  is  now  a 
member  of  the  committees  on  sewer  and  water, 
the  fire  department,  and  ordinance  and  judiciary, 
officiating  as  chairman  of  the  last  named.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trade  and  active  in 
his  eflforts  to  advance  the  business  interests  of 
Redlands.    Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 


FRED  HASKELL  CLOCK.  The  eldest  son 
of  his  father.  Charles  L.  Clock,  represented  at 
length  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  Fred  Haskell 
Clock  was  born  in  Franklin  county,  Iowa,  October 


2154 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1 6,  1867,  and  reared  in  Hampton,  in  tlie  same 
state.  He  received  a  preliminary  education  in 
the  public  and  high  schools  of  that  place,  after 
which  he  entered  Northwestern  University,  at 
Evanston,  111.,  and  continued  at  his  studies  for 
the  period  of  two  years.  He  then  returned  to 
Iowa  and  with  his  father  engaged  in  a  general 
merchandise  business  under  the  firm  name  of 
Clock  &  Clock  in  Latimer,  success  accompanying 
their  efforts  and  bringing  them  large  returns  for 
their  efforts.  In  May,  1895,  father  and  son  dis- 
posed of  their  mercantile  interests  in  Iowa  and 
came  to  California,  having  become  interested  in 
the  possibilities  of  the  western  state,  and  in  Red- 
lands  purchased  orange  groves  and  began  horti- 
cultural pursuits.  They  improved  their  prop- 
erties from  the  raw  land,  Fred  H.  Clock  now 
owning  fifteen  acres  on  Colton  avenue,  where  he 
has  improved  and  built  up  the  ranch,  bringing 
the  water  for  irrigation  in  cement  flumes,  he  be- 
ing interested  in  the  Bear  Valley  Company.  In 
addition  to  this  ranch  he  also  owns  ten  acres  on 
Church  and  Lugonia  avenues,  all  in  navel  and 
Valencia  oranges,  and  in  the  management  of  his 
interests  has  already  demonstrated  ability  which 
promises  well  for  the  future  efforts  along  this 
line.  He  is  a  director  in  the  Redlands  Golden 
Orange  Growers'  Association  and  takes  a  keen 
interest  in  the  advancement  of  this  work. 

In  Wichita,  Kans.,  Mr.  Clock  married  Miss 
Jessie  Satchell,  a  native  of  Montezuma,  Poweshiek 
county,  Iowa,  and  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Satchell, 
who  served  in  the  Thirty-second  Regiment  Iowa 
Infantry,  and  is  now  residing  with  his  daugh- 
ter. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clock  have  four  children,  who 
are  named  in  order  of  birth  as  follows :  Fred  L., 
Dorothy  H.,  Charles  J.  and  Ruth  I.  Mr.  Clock 
was  made  a  Mason  in  Redlands  Lodge  No.  300, 
F.  &  A.  M.  He  is  a  devoted  member  of  the  First 
Alethodist  Episcopal  Oiurch  here,  in  which  he 
ofSciates  as  trustee,  and  politically  is  a  stanch 
advocate  of  Republican  principles.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Board  of 
Trade,  and  is  now  serving  as  chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  Manufacturing.  Like  his  father 
he  is  liberal  and  enterprising  and  sees  no  avenue 
by  which  the  city's  interests  can  be  advanced  that 
he  does  not  assist  materially  in  entering. 


MARIUS  BIANE.  As  vice-president  and  di- 
rector of  the  E.  Vache  Company,  of  Redlands, 
Marius  Biane  is  in  charge  of  the  manufacturing 
department  and  has  already  insured  his  success 
in  the  business  affairs  with  which  he  is  engaged. 
He  is  a  native  of  France,  bom  near  Toulouse  in 
department  Gers.  November  5,  1876,  the  elder 
of  two  children  born  to  his  parents  and  the  only 
one  in  California.  His  father,  Pierre  Biane,  was 
also  born  in  that  part  of  France  and  there  en- 


gaged as  a  stone  mason  and  builder.  In  1888  he 
came  to  California  and  in  Redlands  engaged  at 
his  trade  for  eight  years,  when  he  returned  to 
France  and  is  now  making  that  country  his  home. 
His  wife,  formerly  Rosalie  Cazabant,  was  born 
in  France,  a  daughter  of  Jean  Baptist  Cazabant, 
a  contractor  and  builder;  she  also  died  in  her 
native  country.  Marius  Biane  was  reared  in 
France  and  educated  in  its  public  schools,  after 
which  in  August,  1892,  he  came  to  America  and 
joined  his  father  in  Redlands,  where  he  attended 
the  public  schools  for  the  ensuing  year.  He  then 
entered  the  employ  of  E.  Vache,  "of  the  Brook- 
side  Winery,  engaging  as  a  ranch  hand  for  three 
years,  when  he  entered  the  winery  and  learned 
the  manufacture  of  wine  and  the  process  of  dis- 
tilling. Upon  the  incorporation  of  the  concern 
in  1902  he  was  one  of  the  original  stockholders 
and  became  its  vice-president,  since  which  time 
he  has  had  charge  of  the  manufacturing  depart- 
ment and  has  made  it  a  financial  success.  The 
capacity  of  the  Brookside  Winery,  which  is  lo- 
cated two  and  a  half  miles  from  the  heart  of 
Redlands,  is  large,  each  year  fifteen  hundred  tons 
of  grapes  being  converted  into  wine,  besides 
which  they  manufacture  brandy. 

Mr.  Biane  was  married  in  Brookside  to  Miss 
Marcelina  Vache,  a  niece  of  Emile  Vache,  the 
president  of  this  company,  and  a  daughter  of 
Adolphe  \"ache,  of  Santa  IMonica.  She  was  born 
in  San  Bernardino  and  educated  in  Santa  Monica. 
They  have  two  children,  Francis  and  Eleanore. 
In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Biane  is  a  Repub- 
ican. 


MULOCK  BROTHERS.  Will  C.  and 
Daniel  C.  Mulock  have  won  a  wide-  reputation 
for  their  business  qualities,  the  sagacious  judg- 
ment exercised  in  the  buying  and  selling  of 
products,  and  the  unerring  decision  which  has 
resulted  in  their  personal  competence.  They  are 
located  in  San  Gabriel  and  engaged  in  the  culti- 
vation of  an  orange  orchard,  which,  by  reason  of 
its  fine  fruit  holds  rank  among  the  most  valuable 
in  this  section.  Messrs.  Mulock  are  native  Cali- 
fornians.  Will  C.  having  been  born  in  Los  An- 
geles and  Dan  C.  Mulock's  birth  having  occurred 
on  the  property  where  he  now  makes  his  home, 
June  27,  1869,  in  the  then  pioneer  days  of  South- 
ern California.  His  father,  William  Mulock, 
was  born  in  Ireland  and  emigrated  to  Canada 
while  very  young;  he  came  to  California  in  an 
early  day,  and  upon  his  arrival,  after  looking 
about  for  a  congenial  occupation,  engaged  in  the 
raising  of  sheep  and  cattle.  This  was  a  success- 
ful occupation  until  the  terrible  years  of  drought, 
when  he  lost  so  heavily  that  he  decided  to  seek 
other  avenues  of  earning  a  livelihood.  He  then 
became   identified    with    the    culture    of   oranges 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2155 


and  grapes  in  San  Gabriel,  wliere  his  death  oc- 
curred in  1878.  In  Los  Angeles  he  had  mar- 
ried Eliza  (Connelly)  McDonald;  she  was  born 
in  Ireland  and  in  childhood  went  to  Australia, 
thence  coming  to  California.  She  survives  her 
husband  and  makes  her  home  in  a  neat  little 
adobe  house  built  over  a  half  century  ago  on  the 
old  place,  hale  and  hearty  and  in  possession  of 
all  her  faculties  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years. 
She  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church.  A 
daughter,  Mary  E.  Mulock,  is  a  sister  of  the 
Holy  Name  Convent,  in  Oakland. 

The  Mulock  brothers  received  a  preliminary 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  Los  Angeles 
county,  completing  in  the  high  school  of  Los  An- 
geles. Their  school  days  over,  they  returned  to 
the  home  place  and  received  a  beneficial  training 
in  the  culture  of  oranges,  and  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible began  the  industry  for  themselves.  They 
leased  land  throughout  this  section,  sublet  it  and 
made  considerable  profit  in  their  management  of 
this  enterprise.  They  became  the  owners  of  sixty 
acres,  a  part  of  their  father's  and  mother's  prop- 
erty, which  are  devoted  to  oranges,  and  have  im- 
proved the  place  by  the  erection  of  comfortable 
residences.  They  are  stockholders  in  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Los  Angeles  and  take  an  ac- 
tive interest  in  all  upbuilding  movements  of  the 
section.  They  are  Republicans  in  politics,  and 
although  never  desirous  of  official  recognition, 
still  interest  themselves  in  the  advancement  of 
the  principles  they  endorse.  Will  C.  was  mar- 
ried September  3,  1885,  to  Miss  Mary  Agnes 
Stone  and  has  two  children,  Kate  and  Fred.  Fra- 
ternally Dan  C.  is  a  member  of  Alhambra 
Lodge  No.  322,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  has  filled  some 
offices  in  the  organization.  His  wife,  whom  he 
married  in  June,  1902,  was  formerly  Anna  G. 
Stuart,  a  native  of  Indiana,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Episcopal  Church.  Thev  have  one  son, 
Robert  S. 


DANIEL  A.  FINNEY.  The  citizenship  of 
Daniel  A.  Finney  has  been  of  such  character  as 
to  add  materially  to  the  elevating  influence  of 
whatever  community  he  has  made  his  home,  his 
splendid  record  as  a  soldier  of  his  country  in  its 
time  of  need  placing  him  apart  among  his  fel- 
low citizens  who  appreciate  his  worth.  He  was 
born  on  Oil  creek,  near  Titusville,  Crawford 
county,  Pa.,  November  30,  1834.  His  father, 
James,  was  born  in  the  same  place,  where  the 
paternal  grandfather,  also  James,  of  Scotch  de- 
scent, settled  upon  his  emigration  from  the 
North  of  Ireland,  there  owning  and  operating  a 
farm,  where  his  death  occurred.  He  was  a  sol- 
dier in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  participated 
in  its  first  serious  engagement — the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill.     James  Finney,  Jr.,  sold  the  farm 


left  him  by  his  father  (it  not  being  known  or  sup- 
posed to  be  of  commercial  value),  and  located 
in  Strasburg,  Tuscarawas  county,  Ohio,  and 
there  improved  a  farm,  and  later  located  at 
Shanesville,  same  county,  where  his  death  event- 
ually occurred.  He  served  in  the  war  of  1812 
and  was  a  prominent  citizen  in  the  upbuilding 
of  the  general  welfare.  His  wife,  formerly  Mary 
Myers,  was  born  in  Crawford  county.  Pa.,  and 
died  in  Ohio.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  sons 
and  four  daughters,  of  whom  three  sons  and  one 
daughter  are  now  living.  Besides  Daniel  A., 
of  this  review,  three  sons  participated  in  the 
Civil  war :  Isaiah,  served  as  sergeant  in  the  One 
Hundredth  Regiment  Indiana  Infantry  and  died 
soon  after  the  close  of  the  strife;  Alexander 
served  in  an  Indiana  regiment,  survived  its  perils 
and  died  in  Indiana  in  1906;  and  James  served 
in  a  New  York,  regiment  and  was  wounded, 
surviving,  however,  and  locating  later  in  Ne- 
braska, where  his  death  occurred  in   1906. 

Daniel  A.  Finney  was  reared  in  Ohio  on  the 
paternal  farm  and  educated  in  the  common 
schools,  remaining  at  home  until  attaining  his 
majority  when  he  went  to  South  Bend,  Ind., 
and  there  found  employment  in  clearing  timber 
lands.  Later  he  purchased  a  farm  near  La 
Grange,  Ind.,  and  cleared  and  improved  it.  Au- 
gust 22,  1862,  he  volunteered  in  Company  C, 
One  Hundredth  Regiment  Indiana  Infantry, 
was  mustered  in  at  Indianapolis,  and  immediately 
marched  to  the  front.  In  January,  1864,  he  was 
honorably  discharged  because  of  physical  dis- 
ability. In  the  mean  time  he  had  participated 
in  many  of  the  most  important  battles  of  the 
army  of  the  Cumberland,  among  them  the  Talla- 
hoochie,  Grenada,  A'icksburg,  Jackson,  Black 
River  Bridge,  after  which  they  marched  to  the 
relief  of  Chattanooga,  and  after  the  battle  of 
Tunnel  Hill  marched  to  Knoxville  to  relieve 
Burnside,  where  ^Ir.  Finney's  comrade,  H.  J. 
Hearne,  carried  the  despatch  from  Sherman  to 
Burnside  which  read  "Hold  the  fort  for  I  am 
coming."  The  lad  was  dressed  in  Confederate 
uniform  and  actually  rode  with  the  Confederate 
soldiers  until  in  sight  of  the  fort  when  he  waved 
the  white  handkerchief  and  rushed  to  its  pro- 
tection, followed  by  the  bullets  of  his  former 
companions.  He  received  $600  for  his  courage 
and  success.  They  arrived  in  Knoxville  in  time 
to  save  Burnside,  the  Rebels  having  retreated. 
Mr.  Finney  was  taken  sick  about  this  time  and 
was  in  the  hospital  from  June,  1863,  to  Jan- 
uary. 1864,  when  he  was  mustered  out  because 
of  physical  disability. 

For  four  years  after  his  return  to  civic  life 
Mr.  Finney  was  an  invalid  but  gradually  re- 
covered his  health.  He  continued  on  his  farm 
until  1883,  when  he  removed  to  McLeansboro, 
Hamilton    county.    111.,    and    there    purchased    a 


2156 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  be- 
gan its  improvement.  He  was  interested  in  the 
raising  of  grain  and  stock.  In  1895  he  came  to 
Southern  CaHfornia  and  in  Redlands,  under  Ter- 
racina  bluff,  bought  a  tract  of  ten  acres  and  set 
it  out  in  Muir,  Susquehanna  and  Crawford 
peaches,  and  apricots,  receiving  his  irrigation 
from  the  Bear  Valley  Company,  while  he  is  also 
interested  in  the  Lower  Yucaipe  Ditch  Company. 
He  has  all  necessary  equipment  for  the  drying 
of  the  fruit  and  has  from  eight  to  ten  tons  per 
year  of  this  product  for  the  market. 

In  Bryan,  Ind.,  Mr.  Finney  married  Eliza 
Jane  Griffith  by  whom  he  had  seven  children, 
two  sons  and  one  daughter  deceased,  and  three 
sons,  Daniel  E.,  Harlow  H.,  Eli  W.,  and  one 
daughter.  Mary  Arvilla,  living.  His  wife  died 
and  in  1873,  in  New  Carlisle,  Mr.  Finney  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Clarissa  Froatte, 
who  was  born  in  Ohio  and  died  October  31, 
1902 ;  they  had  one  son,  George  Bertice,  of  Red- 
lands.  Air.  Finney  was  made  a  Mason  in  New 
Carlisle,  Ind. ;  in  religion  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Qiurch,  in  which  he  of- 
ficiated as  trustee,  steward,  class  leader  and  Sun- 
day-school superintendent.  Politically  he  is  a 
Democrat;  iri  memory  of  his  "days  and  nights 
on  the  battlefield"  he  is  a  member  of  the  Bear 
Valley  Post,  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic, of  Redlands,  and  active  in  the  work. 


W.  E.  KELLEY.  A  man  of  excellent  abil- 
ity, tact  and  judgment,  W.  E.  Kelley  is  widely 
and  favorably  known  in  Ventura  county  as  the 
leading  liveryman  and  horse  dentist  of  Oxnard, 
being  proprietor  of  the  I  X  L  stables.  He  is 
active  and  entt?rprising.  and  by  his  upright  and 
honorable  transactions,  courteous  and  agree- 
able manners,  and  a  ready  willingness  to  oblige 
all  patrons,  has  built  up  an  extensive  and  prof- 
itable business  in  this  locality,  his  many  cus- 
tomers placing  implicit  confidence  in  his  word 
and  his  judgment.  A  son  of  Michael  Kelley, 
he  was  born,  August  31,  1861,  at  Seneca  Falls, 
N.  Y.,  of  thrifty  Irish  ancestry. 

A  native  of'  Ireland,  Michael  married  in 
County  Galway,  Ireland,  Catherine  Gilmore, 
and  very  soon  after  that  important  event  immi- 
grated with  his  bride  to  the  United  States.  A 
stone  and  brick  mason,  and  also  a  carpenter 
and  contractor,  he  looked  about  for  a  favorable 
location  in  which  to  follow  his  trades,  selecting 
Seneca  Falls.  N.  Y.  He  had  no  trouble  in  se- 
curing work,  and  in  the  ensuing  years  was 
identified  with  some  of  the  most  important 
building  achievements  of  western  New  York. 
Among  other  things  he  helped  to  build  the 
piers  for  the  old  Suspension  Bridge  across 
Niagara  Falls;  the  dam  at   Little   Falls;  the 


famous  locks  at  Lockport ;  the  foundations  for 
the  Catholic  Cathedral  at  Rochester ;  and  many 
of  the  large  public  buildings  at  Seneca  Falls 
and  vicinity.  He  afterwards  moved  to  Burling- 
ton, Iowa,  where  he  continued  as  a  mason,  con- 
tractor and  builder  for  many  years,  residing 
in  that  city  until  his  death,  at  the  venerable 
age  of  eighty-five  years.  His  wife  also  died 
there  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years.  One  of 
his  sons,  Patrick  Kelley,  is  a  prominent  resi- 
dent of  Galena,  111.,  where  he  is  lockmaster  on 
the  Fevre  river,  and  also  operates  a  woolen 
mill,  a  picket  factory,  and  a  tannery.  He  is 
much  interested  in  the  history  of  Galena  and 
surrounding  towns,  and  has  in  his  possession 
the  old  bench  used  by  General  Grant  in  his 
factory.  He  is  very  influential  in  civic  affairs, 
having  served  as  alderman  in  the  city  council, 
and  having  filled  the  mayor's  chair  for  one  or 
more  terms. 

Attending  first  the  common  schools  of  Seneca 
Falls,  W.  E  Kelley  completed  his  education 
in  the  evening  schools  of  Burlington,  Iowa.  At 
the  age  of  fourteen  years  he  began  life  for  him- 
self, as  a  boy  feeding  a  press  for  the  Burling- 
ton Hawkeye,  of  which  Robert  Burdette,  of 
world-wide  fame,  was  then  the  editor.  Subse- 
quently entering  the  employ  of  the  American 
Express  Company,  he  was  driver  of  a  team  in 
Burlington  for  four  years.  Continuing  with  the 
company,  he  was  stationed  at  Minneapolis, 
Minn.,  for  five  years,  and  at  Sioux  City,  Iowa, 
for  one  year.  Going  then  to  Nebraska,  he  was 
for  some  time  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
at  Watkins  Island,  and  while  there  was  very 
active  in  public  affairs,  serving  as  deputy 
sheriff  of  Dakota  county  for  two  years,  and  as 
sheriff  for  four  years.  Removing  to  Sioux, 
Dakota  county,  he  opened  a  livery  stable,  which 
he  managed  with  success  for  a  number  of 
seasons.  Coming  to  Oxnard  in  January,  1901, 
he  practiced  horse  dentistry  successfully  for  a 
year  and  a  half,  and  then  opened  his  present 
feed  and  livery  stable,  known  as  the  I X  L 
stable,  which  is  well  patronized,  his  business 
having  grown  with  rapidity.  April  9,  1906, 
he  was  elected  city  marsha'l  of  Oxnard,  a 
position  which  he  is  filling  with  excellent 
abilit}^ 

October  i,  1894,  Mr.  Kelley  married  Jose- 
phine Reynolds,  who  was  born  in  Ventura 
county,  Cal.,  a  daughter  of  Andrew  Rej'nolds. 
ATr.  Rejmolds  was  born  in  Tennessee,  and  died, 
October  16,  1894,  in  Ventura  county.  His  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Josephine  Taliaferro, 
was  bom  in  California,  where  her  mother.  Mrs. 
Wilkes,  settled  in  1852,  coming  to  this  state 
from  Missouri,  crossing  the  plains  with  an  ox- 
team  train.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kelley  are  the 
parents  of  four  children,  namely;  William  F., 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2157 


Josephine  Marie,  Leo  Patrick  and  Andrew  Ray- 
mond. Fraternally  Mr.  Kelley  is  a  member 
of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  and  of  the  Fra- 
ternal Order  of  Eagles.  Religiously  he  has 
never  swerved  from  the  faith  in  which  he  was 
reared,  and,  with  his  wife,  is  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  Church. 


CHARLES  LIVINGSTON  CLOCK.  The 
upbuilding  enterprises  of  Redlands  have  had  in 
Charles  Livingston  Clock  one  of  its  most  earnest 
and  devoted  advocates,  his  energy  and  ability  be- 
ing given  freely  and  liberally  toward  the  develop- 
ment of  resources  and  the  advancement  of  the 
general  welfare.  Considerably  less  than  a  score 
of  years  has  he  spent  in  Southern  California,  but 
nevertheless  he  has  acquired  a  position  of  prom- 
inence, has  taken  an  active  part  of  public  affairs 
— political,  social  and  religious — and  has  estab- 
lished himself  as  a  representative  citizen.  The 
family  is  of  Holland-Dutch  descent  but  was  es- 
tablished in  America  prior  to  the  war  of  1812, 
in  which  Mr.  Clock's  grandfather,  Oakley,  who 
was  born  on  Long  Island,  valiantly  participated. 
His  father,  Ebenezer  Clock,  was  also  born  on 
Long  Island,  in  Islip,  May  9,  1806,  and  in  young 
manhood  become  a  sailor  on  Long  Island  sound. 
With  his  family  he  eventually  removed  to  Paines- 
viile.  Lake  county,  Ohio,  where  his  death  occurred 
August  22,  1847.  He  was  survived  until  Feb- 
ruary I,  1870,  by  his  wife,  formerly  Lucinda 
Jarvis,  who  was  born  on  Long  Island  July  28, 
1806.  From  Ohio  she  removed  with  her  family  to 
Warren,  III,  where  she  died  in  later  years.  She 
became  the  mother  of  nine  children,  of  whom 
the  following  attained  maturity :  Alonzo,  of 
Warren,  111.;  Edward,  a  stockman,  of  Geneva, 
Iowa;  Jarvis,  who  died  in  Geneva,  Iowa;  H.  C, 
a  captain  in  the  Sixth  Regiment  Iowa  Infantry 
in  the  Civil  war ;  and  now  a  merchant  in  Geneva, 
Iowa ;  Qiarles  Livingston,  of  this  review ;  and 
Henry  A.,  who  served  in  the  Civil  war  as  cor- 
poral in  Company  H,  Thirty-second  Regiment 
Iowa  Infantry,  and  is  now  a  merchant  in  Hamp- 
ton, Iowa. 

Charles  Livingston  Clock  was  born  in  Paines- 
ville.  Lake  county,  Ohio.  May  10,  1841,  and  at 
the  age  of  ten  years  accompanied  his  mother  and 
older  brothers  to  Warren,  111.,  where  he  grew  to 
young  manhood.  His  education  was  received 
through  the  medium  of  the  public  school,  whose 
sessions  were  held  in  the  primitive  log  cabins  of 
the  dav,  which  course  was  completed  bv  one  term 
in  the  Warren  Seminary.  He  learned  the  mason's 
trade,  but  had  not  had  'time  to  put  it  to  use  when 
the  Civ.il  war  broke  out.  In  May,  1861,  he  ans- 
wered the  first  call,  but  tlie  quota  being  secured 
for  the  three  months'  service  he  enlisted  for  three 
years  in  Company  E,  Fifteenth  Regiment  Illinois 


Infantry,  and  was  made  a  corporal.  He  was  mus- 
tered out  in  June,  1865,  and  during  this  time 
participated  in  many  of  the  most  important  en- 
gagements of  the  war,  among  them  Fort  Donel- 
son,  Shiloh  (after  which  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged because  of  physical  disability,  but  re- 
mained in  the  service  as  forage  master  in  the 
Fourth  Division  of  the  Sixteenth  Army  Corps, 
and  was  later  under  General  Blair  in  the  Seven- 
teenth Army  Corps),  Holly  Springs,  the  Siege  of 
Vicksburg,  then  from  Jackson,  Miss.,  marched 
to  Meridian,  then  to  the  relief  of  Chattanooga. 
In  1864  he  was  stationed  in  Louisville,  then  at 
Macon  City,  Mo.,  in  the  forage  department, 
where  he  remained  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

After  the  close  of  his  seiwice  he  located  in 
Geneva,  Franklin  county,  Iowa,  and  there  im- 
proved a  farm  on  the  prairie  lands.  He  located 
in  the  town  of  Geneva  in  1872,  and  engaged  in 
the  handling  of  grain  and  a  general  merchandise 
enterprise  in  partnership  with  his  brother,  H.  C. 
Qock.  His  personal  interest  in  the  advancement 
of  the  general  welfare  of  the  community  won 
him  the  election  in  1877  to  the  oiifice  of  auditor 
of  Franklin  county,  and  his  faithful  discharge  of 
duty  his  re-election  two  years  later.  He  was 
then  elected  county  treasurer  in  1881,  and  served 
one  term  of  two  years.  Because  of  ill  health  from 
the  close  confinement  he  refused  to  become  a 
candidate  for  any  other  position,  and  after  the 
close  of  his  term  as  treasurer  in  1883,  he  re- 
moved with  his  sons  and  brother.  H.  A.,  to  Lat- 
imer, same  county,  and  there  followed  a  general 
merchandise  business,  and  the  handling  of  grain, 
coal  and  lumber,  and  was  also  postmaster  during 
this  time.  He  invested  largely  in  land  in  that 
location  and  still  owns  some.  In  1887  his  brother 
withdrew  from  the  firm,  which  was  afterward 
made  up  of  Mr.  Clock  and  his  sons,  the  firm  name 
being  Clock  &  Clock.  He  served  for  three  years 
as  county  commissioner  during  his  residence 
there. 

In  1895  Mr.  Clock  came  to  California  and  in 
Redlands  purchased  a  twenty-five  acre  ranch  on 
East  Palm  avenue,  built  a  new  residence,  and 
became  interested  in  the  pursuit  of  horticulture. 
In  the  meantime  he  purchased  other  orchards  and 
now  owns  thirty  acres  which  he  set  out  in  navels 
and  valencias  on  Colton  avenue  near  Judson  in 
addition  to  the  property  already  mentioned.  He 
organized  the  Redlands  Golden  Orange  Associa- 
tion, served  as  its  first  president  and  is  still  a  di- 
rector in  the  concern,  and  as  a  member  of  the 
Redlands  Board  of  Trade  and  a  former  director 
takes  a  keen  interest  in  the  advancement  of  the 
city's  affairs.  For  several  years  he  served  as  a 
director  in  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion. In  religion  he  is  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  having  united  with  that 
denomination  in  1868  and  at  once  became  active 


2158 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  the  advancement  of  the  work.  He  assisted 
materially  in  the  building  of  the  church  in  Hamp- 
ton, Iowa,  also  in  Latimer,  same  state.  Since 
locating  in  Redland-  he  has  taken  a  very  prom- 
inent part  in  the  affairs  of  his  church  and  in  the 
building  of  the  new  church  which  was  dedicated 
in  1903  was  a  potent  factor,  sen'ing  on  the  build- 
ing committee,  of  which  he  was  chairman,  and 
is  now  officiating  as  president  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees.  To  no  one  member  is  greater  credit 
due  for  the  advancement  and  upbuilding  of  this 
work,  and  the  high  position  he  holds  in  the  citi- 
zenship of  Redlands  and  the  surrounding  coun- 
try is  due  entirely  to  his  personal  characteristics 
which  have  won  him  a  wide  circle  of  friends. 

In  Nora,  111.,  December  31,  1866,  Mr.  Qock 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Rebecca  Has- 
kell, who  was- bom  April  12,  1850,  in  that  place, 
and  was  educated  at  Mount  Carroll  Seminary,  in 
Illinois.  They  have  three  children,  Fred  H., 
Harry  L.  and  Charles  H.,  who  are  all  engaged 
in  horticulture  in  Redlands.  Mr.  Clock  was  made 
a  Mason  in  Warren,  111.,  transferred  to  Kedron 
Lodge  of  Maysville,  now  Geneva,  la.,  and  served 
as  master  for  seven  years,  was  made  a  Royal 
Arch  Mason  in  Hampton,  where  he  served  as 
high  priest  two  terms,  and  is  now  a  member  of 
Redlands  Lodge  No.  300,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Red- 
lands  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.  Both  himself  and  wife 
are  members  of  the  Order  of  Eastern  Star.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  and  served 
as  noble  grand  in  Geneva,  and  is  a  member  of 
Bear  Valley  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Redlands,  in  mem- 
ory of  "his  days  and  nights  on  the  battlefield." 
Politically  he  is  a  stanch  advocate  of  Republican 
principles. 


JEROME  CARSON  De  ARMOND.  When 
Jerome  Carson  DeArmond  located  in  San  Ber- 
nardino four  years  ago  he  commenced  at  the 
bottom  in  his  business,  having  small  quarters 
and  a  limited  stock,  and  it  speaks  well  for  his 
ability  to  be  able  to  say  that  toda}-  he  has  one 
of  the  largest  stocks  of  furniture  in  the  city 
and  is  conducting  an  extensive  trade  in  that 
line.  His  birth  occurred  June  11,  1858,  in  Ting- 
ley,  Ringgold  county,  Iowa,  the  DeArmond 
family  being  of  French  Huguenot  extraction. 
His  great-grandfather  was  born  in  Ireland  and 
came  to  America  in  Revolutionary  days  in  time 
to  take  an  active  part  in  the  war.  and  both  the 
grandfather.  John,  and  the  father,  William 
DeArmond,  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  the 
latter  becoming  a  pioneer  of  Ringgold  county, 
Iowa,  when  a  young  man.  During  the  gold  ex- 
citement in  California  he  spent  three  years  in 
this  .state,  arriving  in  1849,  then  returned  to 
Iowa  for  a  period,  in  1867  locating  in  Missouri. 
In'  1890  he  again  came  to  the  western  coast. 


this  time  settling  in  Sultan,  Wash.,  where  he 
is  still  residing.  His  wife,  who  was  before  her 
marriage  Adeline  Carson,  was  born  in  Sanga- 
mon county.  111.,  her  father,  William  Carson, 
having  been  an  early  settler  in  Illinois,  his 
death  finally  occurring  in  Nebraska,  while  on  a 
visit  to  his  son.  Mrs.  DeArmond  died  in 
AVashington.  Of  their  eleven  children  nine 
grew  to  maturity  and  eight  are  now  living. 

The  fourth  child  and  second  son  of  the  fam- 
ily, Jerome  Carson  DeArmond  lived  until  nine 
years  old  in  Ringgold  county,  Iowa,  then  re- 
moved with  his  parents  to  Atchison  county. 
Mo.,  locating  on  a  farm.  He  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  district  schools  and  when  eighteen 
years  old  joined  a  party  intending  to  take  a 
drove  of  cattle  to  the  Black  Hills.  An  Indian 
scare  early  decided  them  not  to  continue  the 
journey  and  accordingly  young  DeArmond 
pluckily  determined  to  finish  the  trip  alone, 
and  on  foot,  carrying  a  supply  of  food  and  a 
blanket  in  which  to  wrap  himself  when  he 
slept.  On  the  way  he  was  captured  by  the 
Sioux  Indians,  who  kept  him  in  camp  over  one 
night,  then  released  him  and  allowed  him  to 
pursue  his  way.  Arriving  in  the  Black  Hills 
he  engaged  in  mining  for  a  time,  then  went 
to  Nebraska  and  farmed  until  1879.  In  that 
year  he  located  in  Leadville,  Colo.,  and  again 
took  up  mining  for  a  couple  of  years,  after 
which  he  journeyed  to  New  Mexico  and  there 
joined  an  engineering  corps  occupied  in  sur- 
veying for  the  Rio  Grande  &  Southern,  or  Santa 
Fe  Railway.  Two  years  were  employed  in 
this  manner,  the  following  twelve  months  were 
spent  in  Missouri,  another  year  in  the  mines 
of  Gunnison  county,  Colo.,  when,  in  1884,  he 
entered  the  San  Luis  valley  in  the  same  state, 
and  the  following  year  he  filed  .on  government 
land  and  established  himself  in  a  farming  and 
stock  business.  It  was  while  here  that  Mr. 
DeArmond  was  married  to  Miss  Luthera  Star- 
buck,  a  native  of  Schuyler  county,  Mo.,  and 
they  continued  to  make  their  home  on  the  ranch 
for  a  number  of  years.  In  1889  he  engaged  in 
merchandising  in  Coryell,  Colo.,  and  when  the 
railroad  was  built  to  Mosca,  that  state,  he 
went  there  to  engage  in  mercantile  pursuits, 
and  also  filled  the  position  of  postmaster,  hav- 
ing the  office  in  his  store.  He  was  at  the  same 
time  interested  to  some  extent  in  mining 
operations. 

In  1895  Mr.  DeArmond  removed  with  his 
family  to  western  Texas,  there  sold  his  teams 
and  outfit  and  pushed  on  to  New  Orleans  and 
Alobile,  Ala.,  and  the  following  spring  returned 
to  Gunnison,  Colo.,  and  resumed  his  occupation 
as  merchant  and  mining  man.  Two  years  later 
he  went  to  Washington  and  in  1898  became  a 
founder  of  the  Burley  Colony  of  Co-operative 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2159 


Brotherhood.  Securing  three  hundred  acres  of 
land,  he  laid  out  the  town  of  Burley,  started 
numerous  industrial  mills  and  factories,  and 
saw  the  enterprise  grow  into  a  success.  After 
four  years  he  went  to  Tacoma,  where  for  a 
few  months  he  was  again  interested  in  mercan- 
tile business,  and  then,  in  igo2,  came  to  San 
Bernardino  and  began  his  business  career  here 
by  opening  a  furniture  repairing  and  tool- 
sharpening  shop.  Two  months  later  the  growth 
of  the  business  induced  him  to  lease  the  build- 
ing on  Third  street,  now  the  site  of  the  nata- 
torium.  He  met  with  such  good  success  in  the 
enterprise  that  in  1904  he  was  able  to  buy  out 
Shafer  Brothers  furniture  establishment  and 
has  since  continued  the  business,  now  having 
three  stores  with  a  ground  space  75x150  feet, 
which  is  necessary  to  accommodate  his  large 
stock  of  new  and  second  hand  goods.  His  loca- 
tion is  at  Nos.  339-341-343  Third  street. 

Mr.  DeArmond  owns  considerable  property, 
and  besides  his  interests  here  owns  his  old 
home  in  Mosca,  Colo.  His  four  children  are  all 
at  home,  Madge  and  Gordon  S.  assisting  him  in 
the  store,  while  Clare  and  Wayland  are  still 
in  school.  Mr.  DeArmond  has  led  an  interest- 
ing life,  has  seen  much  of  the  world  and  is  well 
versed  on  all  matters  of  general  interest.  Po- 
litically his  ideas  are  pronounced  and  advanced, 
he  being  a  member  of  the  Socialist  party.  Al- 
though his  residence  in  San  Bernardino  has  not 
been  of  long  standing  he  holds  the  highest  re- 
spect of  the  community  in  which  he  lives  and 
is  looked  upon  as  one  of  the  most  public-spir- 
ited and  substantial  of  its  citizens. 


SAMUEL  LEFLER,  a  successful  contractor 
and  builder  of  San  Bernardino,  is  the  repre- 
sentative of  an  old  family  long  established  on 
American  soil,  the  emigrating  ancestor,  a  Hu- 
guenot, leaving  Alsace-Lorraine  in  1761  be- 
cause of  religious  persecution.  The  name  flour- 
ished for  several  generations  in  New  Jersey, 
in  which  state  was  born  Jacob  Lefler ;  the  un- 
eventful years  of  his  boyhood  and  young  man- 
hood were  passed  in  that  location,  after  which 
he  became  a  pioneer  of  Ohio  and  engaged  as  a 
farmer  throughout  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
In  his  family  was  a  son,  John  C,  who  was  born 
in  New  Jersey  and  reared  in  Ohio,  in  which  lat- 
ter state  he  learned  the  shoemaker's  trade. 
This  occupation  he  followed  in  young  manhood 
in  Lebanon,  Ohio,  when,  in  1852,  he  removed 
to  Fulton  county.  111.,  and  in  the  vicinity  of 
Farmington  followed  agricultural  pursuits  for 
a  time.  Later,  in  the  town  of  Farmington,  he 
engaged  in  the  prosecution  of  his  trade,  also 
being  thus  occupied  in  Lexington,  111.,  eventu- 
ally removing  to  Pontiac,  same  state,  where  he 


passed  his  declining  years  in  peace  and  qui- 
etude, retired  from  the  active  cares  of  life.  He 
attained  the  venerable  age  of  eighty-four  years, 
his  death  occurring  in  Pontiac  in  1902.  His 
wife,  formerh^  Margaret  Murdey,  born  in  Can- 
ada of  English  parentage,  also  passed  away  in 
Illinois.  Their  family  of  five  children  attained 
maturity,  four  surviving  at  the  present  writing, 
a  son,  George,  who  served  in  the  Eleventh  Il- 
linois Cavalry  during  the  Civil  war,  residing  in 
Pontiac. 

The  second  child  in  order  of  birth,  Samuel 
Lefler,  was  born  at  Foster  Crossing,  Warren 
county,  O..  April  26,  1847;  before  his  school 
days  Jaegan  he  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Il- 
linois and  in  Farmington  received  his  educa- 
tion. A  mere  youth  in  years  at  the  time  of  the 
Civil  war,  he  attempted  twice  to  enlist  for 
service,  the  second  time,  in  1864,  being  accept- 
ed in  Company  B,  Eleventh  Illinois  Cavalry, 
joining  his  regiment  in  Memphis  and  partici- 
pating in  affairs  in  Arkansas  and  Mississippi. 
In  the  summer  of  1865  he  served  at  Grenada, 
Miss.,  on  provost  duty,  being  mustered  out  in 
October  of  the  same  year,  after  which  he  re- 
turned to  his  home  in  Illinois.  During  the  fol- 
lowing winter  he  attended  school  in  Farming- 
ton,  where  he  subsequenth*  learned  the  trade 
of  carpenter.  In  1869  he  was  located  in  Pon- 
tiac as  foreman  in  his  work  and  was  also  so 
occupied  in  Lexington.  It  was  in  1886  that 
he  first  came  to  California  and  located  in  the 
city  of  San  Bernardino  and  for  five  or  six  years 
was  foreman  for  builders  here,  thereafter  en- 
gaging in  the  building  business  independently. 
He  has  met  with  success  and  in  the  passing 
years  has  enlarged  his  business  very  material- 
ly, in  the  busiest  season  employing  twenty 
men.  Among  his  most  important  contracts 
were  the  erection  of  the  car-barns,  rebuilding 
of  the  postoffice  building,  the  Andreson  and 
Cartwright  buildings,  the  original  Sun  office, 
while  many  of  the  finest  residences  of  this  city 
and  county  are  of  his  construction. 

The  home  of  Mr.  Lefler,  located  at  Urbita, 
adjoining  San  Bernardino,  is  presided  over  by 
liis  wife,  formerly  Miss  Emma  Capps,  a  native 
of  Farmington,  111.,  and  a  daughter  of  Dempsey 
Capps,  a  miller  of  that  place.  They  have  a 
family  of  four  sons  and  one  daughter,  namely: 
John  D.,  an  apiarist  of  San  Bernardino  county; 
Frank  W.,  a  carpenter  engaged  with  his  father; 
Charles  H.,  who  served  in  the  Spanish-Amer- 
ican war  in  Company  K,  Seventh  Regiment 
California  Infantry,  and  is  also  a  carpenter  en- 
gaged with  his  father;  Mabel,  the  wife  of  Alex- 
ander Dobbs.  of  San  Bernardino;  and  Harri- 
son, at  home.  Mr.  Lefler  has  manifested  his 
faith  in  the  permanency  of  the  splendid  condi- 
tions  of   Southern    California   by   investing   in 


2160 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


real  estate,  owning  at  the  present  writing  a 
fruit  rancli  near  Bloomington,  this  county,  in 
addition  to  his  home  property.  He  has  taken 
an  active  interest  in  all  public  matters  since 
locating  in  the  state,  being  a  member  of  the 
San  Bernardino  board  of  trade  and  a  principal 
in  the  promotion  of  all  movements  calculated 
to  advance  the  general  welfare.  During  the 
erection  of  the  county  jail  he  served  as  inspect- 
or for  the  county,  and  has  also  done  consider- 
able building  in  the  line  of  public  utilities,  such 
as  bridges,  county  hospital  building,  etc.  The 
family  are  identified  with  the  religious  and  so- 
cial life  of  the  city.  Mrs.  Lefler  being  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Baptist  Church,  which  they  liberal- 
ly support.  Mr.  Lefler  is  associated  with  the 
Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  is 
past  post  commander  of  Cornman  Post  No.  57, 
G.  A.  R.  Although  on  national  issues  a  stanch 
Republican  he  holds  locally  to  the  principle  of 
supporting  the  candidate  whom  he  considers 
best  qualified  for  the  discharge  of  official  duties. 


CYRENE  KILBOURNE  MATTESON.  In 
spite  of  severe  disablements  received  while 
fighting  for  the  freedom  of  the  slaves  during 
the  Civil  war  Cyrene  Kilbourne  Matteson  has 
improved  forty  acres  of  raw  land  in  San  Ber- 
nardino county  and  is  now  conducting  success- 
ful ranching  operations  in  Highland.  He  was 
born  November  30,  1837,  in  Erie,  N.  Y.,  his 
boyhood  days  being  spent  upon  a  farm.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  had  be- 
gun to  read  medicine  when  the  Civil  war  broke 
out.  Ofifering  his  services  to  his  country,  his 
enlistment  for  three  months  dated  from  April 
19,  1861.  he  being  a  member  of  the  First  Reg- 
iment of  Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
five  months  later  he  returned  home  with  an 
honorable  discharge.  He  then  re-enlisted  in 
the  same  company  and  regiment  for  three  years 
or  during  the  war,  his  third  enlistment  being 
in  the  Second  Regiment  of  Wisconsin  Volun- 
teer Cavalry,  and  his  final  discharge  received 
at  Vicksburg,  June  26,  1865.  His  first  assign- 
ment was  in  the  Fifteenth  Army  Corps  of  the 
Army  of  Tennessee,  and  the  second  in  the  Six- 
teenth Army  Corps.  While  in  the  service  he 
was  shot  four  times,  one  time  by  a  rebel  wo- 
man, of  whom  he  asked  to  purchase  something 
to  eat.  It  was  also  his  misfortune  to  contract 
small-pox  while  in  the  army,  and  he  was  con- 
fined to  the  pest  house  in  Vicksburg  for  five 
months,  his  regiment  being  obliged  to  leave 
ahead  of  him  at  the  time  of  their  mustering 
out.  A  part  of  the  time  he  acted  as  assistant 
to  one  of  the  medical  staflf,  and  wherever  duty 
placed  him  he  amply  proved  his  patriotism, 
bravery  and  soldierly  qualities. 


After  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Alatteson  en- 
tered the  Eclectic  Medical  College  of  Cincin- 
nati, O.,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1868 
with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  j\Iedicine.  Going 
at  once  to  Fond  du  Lac,  Wis.,  he  practiced  his 
profession  there  for  one  year,  in  1869  remov- 
ing to  Iowa  and  continuing  his  practice  there 
until  1874.  The  latter  year  witnessed  his  re- 
moval to  Tennessee,  where  for  ten  years  he 
followed  his  profession,  and  at  the  end  of  this 
time,  in  1884,  he  came  to  California  and  pur- 
chased his  present  ranch.  The  land  was  then 
unimproved  and  he  built  the  barns  and  house 
and  in  1894  set  out  two  thousand  peach  trees, 
a  part  of  which  subsequently  died  because  of 
lack  of  water.  He  now  has  a  good  well  and 
ample  irrigating  facilities,  however,  and  the 
orchard  is  in  a  thriving  condition. 

By  his  first  marriage,  which  occurred  in  Wis- 
consin, Mr.  Matteson  was  united  with  Carrie 
A.,  daughter  of  Hiram  and  Lucy  (Reeves) 
Robinson,  and  she  became  the  mother  of  one 
child,  Hiram  C,  who  is  now  living  in  San 
Bernardino.  Mrs.  Carrie  A.  Matteson  died 
March  16,  1869,  and  on  August  3,  1876,  Flora 
Beatrice  Spencer  became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Mat- 
teson. She  was  born  March  19,  1854,  in  War- 
ren, Pa.,  the  daughter  of  Abner  and  Sarah  B. 
(Oliver)  Spencer.  Of  this  union  six  children 
were  born :  Bertha  Estella,  now  Mrs.  Arthur 
Fogler,  resides  in  Santa  Monica ;  May  Elsie, 
who  became  the  wife  of  Albert  Dickens,  lives 
in  Ocean  Park;  Clara  Rose,  the  wife  of  Mar- 
ven  Fleek,  lives  in  Highland ;  Lena  Edna,  now 
Mrs.  Henry  Lindeman,  resides  in  Santa  Mon- 
ica; Viola  l\lary  is  training  to  become  a  nurse 
in  the  San  Bernardino  Hospital;  and. Benjamin 
Harrison  resides  under  the  parental  roof.  ]Mr. 
Matteson  is  a  member  of  Cornman  Post  No. 
57,  G.  A.  R..  in  San  Bernardino,  and  was  once 
a  Good  Templar  and  later  a  Patron  of  Husban- 
dry. He  is  a  man  of  enterprising  and  progress- 
ive ideas  and  high  principles  and  by  his  up- 
right living  has  won  the  entire  respect  of  the 
communitv  in  which  he  resides. 


EDWARD  I.  STILES.  In  everything  but 
birth  Mr.  Stiles  may  with  truth  be  called  a 
thorough  Californian.  for  he  has  known  no 
other  home  than  San  Bernardino  county,  whith- 
er his  parents  removed  from  Utah  when  he  was 
a  child  seven  months  old.  The  parents 
Amos  and  Rebecca  Wood  (O'Brien)  Stiles, 
were  both  born  in  New  Brunswick,  and  some 
time  after  their  marriage  came  west  and  set- 
tled in  Utah.  It  was  in  the  latter  state  (then 
a  territory)  that  their  four  eldest  children  were 
born,  and  of  these  Edward  I.  is  the  only  one 
living,  the  first  two  having  died  in  infancy,  and 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2161 


Rebecca,  the  third  child,  January  i,  1892,  when 
thirty-six  years  of  age.  The  following  children 
were'  added  to  the  parental  family  after  the 
removal  to  California:  William  Elmer,  who 
lives  on  the  family  homestead,  which  he  has 
managed  since  the  death  of  the  mother;  and 
Rozetta,  now  Mrs.  Eli  Sparks,  who  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Anaheim,  Orange  county,  Cal.  From 
the  time  Amos  Stiles  came  to  California  in 
1858  until  his  death  in  1896,  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-two years,  he  carried  on  ranching,  first 
on  property  which  he  purchased  and  now  in- 
cluded in  the  city  limits,  and  later  on  thirty- 
six  acres  on  base  line,  this  latter  ranch  now  be- 
ing the  home  of  his  son,  William  Elmer.  Pol- 
itically Mr.  Stiles  was  a  Republican,  and  in  his 
religious  connections  was  a  member  of  the 
Mormon  Church.  This  latter  fact  was  the 
means  of  bringing  discord  into  the  home,  and 
finally,  after  the  birth  of  all  of  their  children,  a 
separation  followed.  Mr.  Stiles  was  subse- 
quently married  to  Mrs.  Noma  Holmes,  a  wid- 
ow, who  is  still  living,  making  her  home  on 
East  Ninth  street,  San  Bernardino.  Mrs.  Re- 
becca Stiles  passed  away  January  11,  1904,  at 
the  age  of  sixt3^-nine  years,  having  lived  to  see 
four  of  her  children  attain  maturity  and  fill 
honorable  places  in  the  world. 

Edward  I.  Stiles  was  born  in  Spanish  Fork, 
Utah,  April  2,  1858.  Coming  to  San  Bernar- 
dino at  the  age  of  seven  months,  he  was  placed 
in  school  as  soon  as  his  age  would  permit,  and 
considering  the  meager  facilities  of  that  day 
he  is  a  well-informed  man.  From  the  fact  that 
his  father  was  a  tiller  of  the  soil  it  was  natural 
that  his  first  work  should  be  along  this  line, 
as  he  had  been  familiar  with  it  from  his  earli- 
est years.  Subsequently  he  drifted  into  team- 
ing and  later  added  mining,  in  both  of  which 
occupations  he  was  fairly  successful,  follow- 
ing the  latter  both  in  California  and  Nevada. 
It  was  in  1881  that  he  decided  to  resume  the 
occupation  of  former  years  and  for  the  purpose 
purchased  the  forty-acre  ranch  in  the  outskirts 
of  San  Bernardino  upon  which  he  now  resides. 
To  one  untrained  the  work  which  lay  before 
him  in  this  wild  tract  would  have  seemed  in- 
surmountable, but  it  was  here  that  his  former 
experience  and  training  proved  a  valuable  as- 
set. His  first  step  was  the  erection  of  a  suit- 
able residence  for  his  family,  after  which  he 
built  a  barn  and  made  such  other  improvements 
as  were  necessarv  to  a  well-conducted  ranch. 
The  place  is  well  stocked  with  fruit  trees  of 
various  kinds,  all  of  which  he  himself  set  out, 
and  in  addition  to  raising  fruit  he  carries  on 
general  farming. 

A  marriage  ceremony  celebrated  January  i. 
1891,  united  the  lives  of  Edward  I.  Stiles  and 
Anna  Pasmore,  the  latter  born  in  San  Bernar- 


dino Tune  16,  1872,  the  daughter  of  Elisha  H. 
and  Elisabeth  (Byrd)  Pasmore.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Stiles  have  one  child,  who  bears  her  mother's 
name,  and  was  born  October  26,  1891.  In  Mr. 
Stiles  the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters  have 
an  active  and  interested  member ;  twice  he  has 
passed  all  the  chairs  in  his  lodge,  and  four 
times  has  been  its  representative  in  the  Grand 
Lodge,  first  at  Pomona,  second  at  Stockton, 
the  third  time  at  San  Diego,  and  the  last  time 
at  Santa  Barbara. 


REUBEN  JAMES  ANDERSON  is  the 
owner  of  eighteen  acres  located  a  half  mile 
from  San  Bernardino,  on  the  base  line,  and  de- 
votes the  same  to  general  farming.  He  con- 
tracted for  this  property  in  1870,  then  rough, 
swampv  land,  and  through  successive  changes 
and  eflforts  has  brought  it  to  a  high  state  of 
cultivation.  He  fenced  the  property  and  erect- 
ed a  residence,  barns  and  outbuildings,  and  up- 
on the  destruction  of  his  home  by  fire  in  1895 
he  put  up  his  present  residence,  a  neat,  con- 
venient cottage  of  five  rooms,  pantry  and  bath. 
At  the  present  writing  he  is  putting  in  a  pump- 
ing plant  with  his  son,  C.  J.,  having  a  good 
well  on  the  property  for  irrigation  purposes. 

A  native  of  the  Mohawk  valley.  New  York, 
Mr.  Anderson  was  born  March  29,  1831,  a  son 
of  William  and  Lavina  (Simmons)  Anderson, 
the  former  also  a  native  of  that  state,  while  the 
latter  was  born  in  Rhode  Island.  The  paternal 
grandfather,  who  died  when  his  son  was  but 
eleven  years  old,  served  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  Reuben  J.  Anderson  was  reared  to  the 
life  of  a  farmer  and  has  devoted  the  greater 
part  of  his  mature  years  to  that  occupation. 
The  discovery  of  gold  brought  him  to  the  Pa- 
cific coast,  and  following  his  arrival  in  San 
Francisco,  May  5,  1853,  he  came  at  once  to 
San  Bernardino  county,  and  although  he  has 
traveled  all  over  the  western  states  this  local- 
ity has  remained  his  home.  For  the  period  of 
fifteen  years  he  did  teaming  to  and  from  the 
mines,  and  also  did  some  prospecting,  in  all  of 
which  he  met  with  success.  Eor  about  twelve 
years  he  served  as  school  trustee  and  has  al- 
wa3's  taken  a  lively  interest  in  the  furtherance 
of  movements  for  the  mental  or  moral  better- 
ment of  the  community.  When  he  first  locat- 
ed here  the  medium  of  exchange  was  pumpkins, 
potatoes,  slabs,  or  anything  of  marketable 
value,  and  innumerable  other  primitive  schemes 
were  employed  in  the  interchange  of  business. 

Mr.  Anderson  has  been  thrice  married,  the 
first  ceremony  being  performed  in  1861,  and 
uniting  him  with  Louise  Button,  who  became 
the  mother  of  two  children.  Maryctte,  Airs. 
Survis,  of  San  Bernardino :  and  Lavina  Jane, 


2162 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


who  died  at  the  age  of  ten  months.  The  moth- 
er of  these  children  died  August  lo,  1867.  In 
San  Bernardino  county  Mr.  Anderson  married 
Elizabeth  Mathis,  whose  death  occurred  short- 
ly after  their  marriage.  On  the  2nd  of  ^lay, 
187 1,  he  married  Elmira  :\Iathis,  daughter  of 
John  and  Sarah  (Dowdle)  :\Iathis,  and  a  na- 
tive of  Utah,  who  came  to  California  with  her 
parents  January  4,  1868.  I\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Ander- 
son became  the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren :  Francis  Marion ;  Anna  L.,  who  became 
the  wife  of  Harry  C.  Heath  and  died  October 
26,  1893,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years ;  William 
W.,  of  Los  Angeles  county,  who  married 
Maude  Jones  and  has  one  child,  Louis  Dale ; 
Clarence  James,  of  San  Bernardino,  who  mar- 
ried Maggie  Henderson;  Ernest  Ingersoll,  who 
married  Myrtle  Sinclair  and  had  one  child.  Ern- 
est McCIellan ;  and  Elizabeth  Belle,  wife  of 
Frank  Bragumier,  of  Los  Angeles. 


JAMES  HENRY  WALKER.  An  active, 
industrious  and  energetic  business  man,  James 
Henry  Walker,  of  San  Diego,  is  widely  known 
in  building  circles,  his  work  as  a  contracting 
plasterer  being  found  in  by  far  the  larger 
number  of  the  more  important  public  buildings 
and  the  more  modern  business  blocks  and 
private  residences.  Skilful  in  the  use  of  tools, 
and  keeping  abreast  of  the  times  in  his  meth- 
ods, he  has  gained  an  enviable  reputation 
throughout  this  section  of  the  county  for  the 
durability  and  artistic  beauty  of  his  work,  and 
as  junior  member  of  the  firm  of  Brelin  & 
Walker  is  kept  busily  employed.  A  son  of 
Joseph  Green  Walker,  he  was  born,  Novem- 
ber 2,  1865,  in  Hutchinson,  McLeod  county, 
Minn.,  where  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and 
youth  were  spent. 

Born  in  Virginia,  Joseph  G.  Walker  was 
brought  up  and  educated  in  Kentucky.  A  true 
patriot  in  even.-  sense  implied  by  the  term,  he 
was  loyal  to  the  Union  in  the  time  that  tried 
men's  souls,  and  during  the  Civil  war  served 
in  the  Federal  army.  Being  sent  across  the 
lines  of  the  enemy  as  a  sp)',  he  was  captured 
and  confined  in  a  rebel  prison.  Making  his 
escape,  he  went  to  ^linnesota  in  the  spring 
of  1864,  locating  in  Hutchinson,  where  he  was 
for  a  number  of  years  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  Going  to  Arkansas  in  1883.  he  re- 
sided first  in  Eureka,  and  then  in  Rogers,  from 
there  removing  to  Blackburn,  Okla.,  where  he 
is  now  living  retired,  having  as  a  merchant 
accumulated  a  competency.  He  married  Amer- 
ica Sowards,  who  was  born  in  old  Virginia, 
and  they  have  two  daughters  and  four  sons 
now  living.  She  comes  of  English  ancestry, 
being  a  daughter  of  Louis  Sowards,  who  was 


born,  reared  and  married  in  \'irginia,  but  sub- 
sequently settled  in  Kentucky,  where  he  op- 
erated a  mill,  and  also  ran  boats  on  the  Ohio 
river.  Her  five  brothers  ser\'ed  in  the  Civil 
war,  two  being  captains  of  their  respective  com- 
panies, and  two  lieutenants. 

The  second  child  of  the  parental  household, 
James  Henry  \Valker,  obtained  his  early  knowl- 
edge of  books  in  the  public  schools  of  Minne- 
sota, residing  there  until  1883,  when  he  went 
with  the  family  to  Arkansas.  Having  previ- 
ously commenced  learning  the  plasterer's  trade, 
he  continued  it  there  for  two  years,  and  then, 
in  1885,  went  to  Kingman,  Kans.,  where  he 
completed  it.  His  health  failing,  he  was  forced 
to  seek  a  milder  and  more  equable  climate,  and 
for  that  reason,  in  1887,  located  in  San  Diego. 
Although  his  physical  strength  was  weak,  his 
courage  was  strong,  and  he  immediately  began 
working  at  his  trade,  taking  small  jobs  and 
contracts,  which  he  executed  himself.  Gradu- 
ally he  grew  stronger  and  more  rugged,  and 
at  the  end  of  five  or  six  years  he  was  entirely 
restored  to  his  former  vigor,  being  well  and 
hearty.  As  a  contracting  plasterer,  he  met  with 
good  success,  and  in  1893  entered  into  partner- 
ship with  Mr.  Brelin.  and  under  the  firm  name 
of  Brelin  &  AValker  has  since  carried  on  an  ex- 
tensive and  lucrative  business.  This  enterpris- 
ing firm,  whose  work  is  first  class  in  every  re- 
spect, has  the  reputation  of  doing  nine-tenths 
of  the  best  plastering  done  in  the  city  and  its 
suburbs,  even,-  builder  of  importance  seeking 
their  contracts.  Mr.  Walker  has  accumulated 
considerable  w-ealth,  owning  valuable  residence 
property  in  addition  to  that  which  he  occupies, 
at    No.    142  Twentieth   street. 

In  1888,  at  Kingman,  Kans.,  Mr.  Walker 
married  Sarah  J.  Troutwine,  who  was  born 
in  Ohio,  and  they  have  one  child.  Clyde.  For 
seven  successive  years  ^Nlr.  Walker  was  con- 
nected with  the  state  militia.  In  1888  he  en- 
listed as  a  private  in  Company  A,  Ninth  Regi- 
ment, National  Guard,  was  made  sergeant,  and 
at  the  end  of  four  years,  in  1892,  was  promoted 
to  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant,  and  served  as 
such  until  the  regiment  was  mustered  out.  He 
then  enlisted  in  Company  B,  Seventh  Regi- 
ment, and  as  a  private  served  until  he  had 
completed  seven  years  in  the  militia.  Mr. 
Walker  is  a  member  of  the  San  Diego  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  and  belongs  to  the  Fraternal 
Brotherhood. 


JOHN  H.  HATHERLEY.  An  extensive 
and  successful  ranchman  of  San  Bernardino 
county  is  John  H.  Hatherlej-,  a  pioneer  of  this 
county,  who  is  highly  spoken  of  by  all  w-ho 
have  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance.     He  is 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2163 


the  owner  of  three  valuable  ranches,  the  home 
place  comprising  sixty  acres  devoted  to  the 
raising  of  grain,  alfalfa  and  potatoes ;  a  sixty- 
seven  acre  piece  given  over  entirely  to  hay 
raising;  and  a  forty-five  acre  tract  of  pasture 
land.  Mr.  Hatherley  was  born  February  20, 
1847,  in  England,  the  son  of  Thomas  H.  and 
Alary  A.  (Pattey)  Hatherley,  both  natives  of 
the  British  Isles.  He  was  one  of  a  family  of 
seven  children  and  received  his  education  in  an 
English  private  school.  It  was  the  intention 
of  his  parents  that  he  enter  the  navy,  but  he 
left  school  before  the  completion  of  his  pre- 
paratory studies  and  when  a  little  over  eleven 
years  of  age  left  home  and  went  to  sea,  follow- 
ing the  life  of  a  sailor  for  nine  years,  one  of 
his  trips  taking  him  to  the  Arctic  Ocean,  where 
he  spent  some  time  among  the  Esquimaux. 

In  1867  he  landed  in  San  Francisco  and  took 
up  life  as  a  landsman.  He  began  his  career 
in  the  west  as  a  ranchman,  but  gave  this  up 
soon  afterward  to  engage  in  the  saw  mill  busi- 
ness in  San  Mateo  county.  Subsequently  he 
came  to  Santa  Barbara  county  as  foreman  of 
a  large  stock  ranch,  a  position  which  he  held 
for  eight  years.  Later  he  spent  two  years  in 
Goleta,  and  in  1879  came  to  his  present  loca- 
tion, purchasing  the  ranch  upon  which  he  now 
lives,  and  putting  all  of  the  improvements 
thereon,  besides  sinking  a  well  nine  hundred 
feet  deep,  giving  him  enough  water  to  irrigate 
sixty  acres.  His  marriage  to  Miss  Kate  M. 
Fellen,  a  native  of  Ireland,  occurred  October 
14,  1873.  At  her  death,  February  18,  1887,  she 
left  three  children :  John  H.,  now  of  Arizona  ; 
Alfred  and  Berkley  H.  By  his  second  mar- 
riage, in  July,  1887,  Mr.  Hatherley  was  united 
with  Sophia  Olver,  born  in  England,  and  she 
became  the  mother  of  three  children:  Eliza- 
beth J.,  William  L.  and  Joseph  T.  Mrs._  Hath- 
erley is  an  active  member  of  the  Episcopal 
Church.  Politically  Mr.  Hatherley  is  an  advo- 
cate of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Fraternal  Union  Lodge 
of  America  and  in  all  matters  of  social  and 
civic  import  takes  an  active  interest. 


ROBERT  ADDISON.  The  name  of  Robert 
Addison  is  well  known  in  mechanical  circles 
throughout  Southern  California,  whither  he 
came  in  1885  and  settled  in  Pasadena.  From 
a  town  of  less  than  three  hundred  population 
he  has  seen  the  city  grow  to  its  present  place 
among  the  cities  of  commercial  importance 
of  the  Pacific  coast,  and  he  himself  has 
shared  in  the  commercial  and  financial 
activity  which  has  revolutionized  the 
west  in  the  last  two  decades.  Although 
he  still  retains  his  residence  in  Pasadena,  the 


Addison  Pump  Company,  of  which  he  is  the 
vice-president  has  been  located  in  Pomona 
since  iQOi,  and  two  years  later  was  incorpo- 
rated under  the  laws  of  the  state.  The  plant 
is  located  at  the  corner  of  First  and  Cypress 
streets,  and  includes  a  foundry,  blacksmith 
shop,  and  a  pattern  department,  all  covering  a 
ground  space  72x125  feet.  The  various  com- 
modities manufactured  by  the  company  are 
well  known  throughout  the  west,  and  include 
among  others  a  double-acting  surface  pump, 
double-acting  deep  well  pump  (of  which  Mr. 
Addison  is  the  sole  inventor)  and  the  single- 
acting  deep  well  pump,  besides  centrifugal 
pumps  and  other  mechanical  devices. 

Mr.  Addison  is  of  English  descent,  although 
American  born,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
Cortland  Center,  Kent  county,  Mich.,  January 
7,  1845.  From  North  Dufifield,  Yorkshire,  Eng- 
land, where  he  was  born,  Thomas  Addison,  his 
father,  set  out  for  America,  settling  in  Utica, 
N.  Y.,  and  there  he  established  domestic  ties 
by  his  marriage  to  Emeline  Johnson,  a  native 
of  that  city,  of  Scotch  ancestry.  After  their 
marriage  the  parents  removed  to  the  frontier 
of  Michigan,  and  there  amid  the  wilds  of  Kent 
county  tile  father  cleared  a  farm  and  reared  his 
family.  Indians  were  their  nearest  neighbors 
and  wolves  were  so  frequently  seen  as  to  cause 
no  alarm  or  comment.  Thomas  Addison  be- 
came a  well  known  figure  in  his  community, 
and  as  supervisor  and  justice  of  the  peace  took 
an  active  part  in  its  civic  life.  Fraternally  he 
was  a  Mason.  Seven  children,  four  sons  and 
three  daughters,  were  born  to  this  worthy  cou- 
ple. George  is  a  resident  of  Los  Angeles; 
Thomas  is"  general  manager  for  the  General 
Electric  Company  for  the  state  of  California; 
and  Albert  has  had  charge  of  the  homestead 
in  Michigan  since  the  death  of  his  parents. 

In  order  of  birth  Robert  Addison  was  the 
fifth  child,  and  he  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Kent  county,  INIich.  Of  a  mechanical  turn  of 
mind  naturally,  when  the  time  came  for  him 
to  choose  a  calling  he  naturally  leaned  towards 
a  line  that  would  permit  him  to  give  vent  to 
his  genius  and  for  a  time  followed  the  build- 
ing business.  From  this  he  later  branched  out 
into  a  manufacturing  line,  purchasing  a  sash, 
door  and  general  planing  mill  in  Rockford, 
Mich.,  which  he  ran  successfully  for  eleven  or 
twelve  years.  After  disposing  of  his  mill  he 
spent  one  season  in  Dakota,  going  from  there 
to  St.  Louis,  and  six  months  later  returned  to 
Michigan.  As  has  been  previously  stated, 
he  first  set  foot  on  California  soil  in  the  fall 
of  1885,  a  move  which  has  proven  advantage- 
ous to  himself  as  well  as  to  the  locality  in 
which  he  settled.  He  identified  himself  with 
the  little  town  of  Pasadena  in  that  year  and 


2164 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


established  a  planing  mill  which  he  continued 
to  operate  tintil  the  boom  was  over.  There- 
after he  was  variously  interested  for  a  time, 
going  first  to  Puget  Sound,  later  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, where  he  had  charge  of  building  work, 
and  from  there  to  Napa  City,  where  he  was 
in  the  employ  of  the  electric  ligliting  com- 
pany. A  short  experience  as  a  rancher  in. 
Eagle  Rock  valley  proved  to  him  that  his 
forte  did  not  lie  in  that  direction  and  upon  dis- 
posing of  his  ranch  in  1890  he  went  to  Los 
Angeles  and  entered  the  employ  of  Mr. 
Luitweller,  as  gas  engine  and  pump  expert. 
This  move  proved  a  wise  one,  and  in  the  work 
which  his  position  demanded  dormant  talents 
were  brought  into  play  which  have  been  the 
direct  means  of  his  success  today.  After  eight 
months  as  a  manufacturer  on  his  own  account 
in  Los  Angeles  he  removed  to  Pomona  and  es- 
tablished his  present  factor}',  which  under  the 
name  of  the  Addison  Pump  Company  has  been 
enlarged  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  busi- 
ness, and  is  classed  among  the  thriving  indus- 
tries of  the  Pomona  valley.  In  the  interests 
of  the  business  Mr.  Addison  is  on  the  road  a 
large  part  of  the  time,  and  besides  visiting  pa- 
trons throughout  his  own  state,  canvasses  the 
neighboring  states  of  Arizona,  LTtali  and  Ne- 
vada. 

In  Michigan  Mr.  Addison  was  married  to 
Miss  Ella  Ouigley,  who  was  born  in  Kent 
county,  that  state,  and  their  only  child,  Ivan, 
was  born  in  Rockford,  Mich.  As  he  was  only 
a  child  when  the  removal  of  the  family  to 
California  occurred  he  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated principally  in  Pasadena.  For  five  years 
he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Edison  Electric 
Light  Company  of  Pasadena,  and  subsequent- 
ly was  interested  in  business  with  his  father. 
He  .was  married  in  Los  Angeles  to  Leone 
Lindley,  who  was  born  in  Indiana,  and  he  now 
makes  his  home  in  Pomona,  and  is  emplo^'ed 
as  draughtsman  with  the  Addison  Pump  Com- 
pany. He  is  classed  among  the  town's  rising 
young  business  men  and  is  a  valued  member 
of  the  Board  of  Trade.  Robert  Addison  is  a 
Democrat  in  his  political  beliefs,  and  frater- 
nally he  is  a  Mason  of  the  Royal  Arch  degree. 


HAZEN  H.  KELLY.  A  young  man  who 
has  made  a  pronounced  success  in  his  ranching 
operations  is  Hazen  H.  Kelly  of  Redlands. 
He  is  a  native  of  San  Bernardino  county,  and 
has  spent  his  entire  life  within  its  boundaries. 
His  father,  Joseph  H.  Kelly,  was  born  in  Illi- 
nois in  1842;  he  later  settled  in  Utah  and  in 
1861  came  to  San  Bernardino  county,  Cal., 
where  he  now  resides.  In  1866  the  father  was 
married  to  Miss  Sarah  Keller,  a  native  of  Cali- 


fornia, who  became  the  mother  of  five  children 
and  died  in  San  Bernardino  in  1876.  Mr.  Kell)'- 
is  a  well-known  ranchman,  who  is  especially 
interested  in  the  raising  of  fine  horses. 

Born  January  13,  1874,  Hazen  H.  Kell}'  re- 
ceived a  common  school  education  in  San  Ber- 
nardino county  and  after  school  days  were 
over  he  engaged  in  ranching  with  his  father  on 
the  home  ranch  for  a  number  of  years,  and  at 
the  age  of  twenty-four  married  and  commenced 
ranching  independently.  For  the  past  four 
years  he  has  owned  and  operated  the  ranch 
upon  which  he  now  resides,  and  which  com- 
prises fifty-four  acres  of  land.  Thirty-five 
acres  are  planted  in  oranges,  twelve  acres  hav- 
ing been  set  out  in  1906,  and  fifteen  acres  are 
in   alfalfa. 

Mr.  Kelly  is  a  man  of  energ}'  and  enterprise 
and  has  been  very  successful  in  his  undertak- 
ings. His  marriage  in  1898  united  him  with 
Miss  Laura  Adkinson,  a  native  of  Orange 
county,  whose  father,  J.  A.  Adkinson,  is  living 
there  at  the  present  time.  Two  children  have 
been  born  of  this  union,  Joseph  and  Percy. 
Mr.  Kelly  is  a  stanch  advocate  of  the  prin- 
ciples embraced  in  the  platform  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  all 
matters  pertaining  to  the  public  welfare. 


CHARLES  W.  BAILEY.  One  of  the  oldest 
settlers  and  most  successful  ranchmen  and 
fruit  growers  in  the  Spencer  valley,  San  Diego 
county,  is  Charles  W.  Bailey,  who  has  been 
living  on  the  ranch  which  he  now  occupies 
since  1883.  He  was  born  August  9,  1842.  in 
Kentucky,  the  son  of  L.  INI.  and  Nanc5'  (Rich- 
ardson) Bailey,  both  natives  of  the  same  state. 
The  parents  were  both  active  members  of  the 
Baptist  Church  and  the  father  was  a  firm  be- 
liever in  the  principles  advocated  by  the  Re- 
publican part_y.  The  mother  died  at  the  age 
of  fifty-three  3'ears,  while  the  father  was  sev- 
enty-two at  the  time  of  his  demise.  They  were 
the  parents  of  eleven  children,  four  of  whom 
are  living  in  California  at  the  present  time: 
H.  C.  in  Long  Beach ;  T.  O.  on  Smith  Moun- 
tain :  L.  N.  at  Banner;  and  Charles  W.  at 
AVvnola.  One  son,  J.  'SI.,  died  in  Colusa  countv 
in  1853. 

'The  early  education  of  C.  ^^^  Bailey  was 
received  in  the  common  schools  of  Illinois,  his 
parents  having  removed  to  Macoupin  county, 
that  state,  from  Kentucky  when  he  was  but  six 
yo?rs  of  age,  and  he  finished  his  school  work 
at  Blackburn  University,  in  Carlinville,  before 
eii'isting  for  service  in  the  Civil  war.  As  a 
member  of  Company  G,  One  Hundred  and 
Thirty-third  Regiment  of  Illinois  Volunteers, 
he    was    stationed    for    five   months    at    Rock 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGIL\PHICAL  RECORD. 


2165 


Island,  then  returned  to  his  home  county  and 
engaged  in  farming  until  1878.  In  that  year  he 
removed  to  Kansas,  locating  near  Arkansas 
City,  where  he  purchased  an  eighty-acre  farm, 
which  he  held  for  two  years.  He  then  sold 
out  and  in  1S83  came  to  California,  buying  the 
four  hundred  and  forty  acre  ranch  on  which 
he  now  makes  his  home  and  has  since  devoted 
himself  to  grain  and  stock-raising  and  fruit 
growing. 

Mr.  Bailey's  marriage  to  Miss  Jennie  R. 
Hamilton,  a  native  of  Virginia,  occurred  in 
California,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  four 
children :  Oscar,  Virginia,  Newton  L.  and 
Mary.  Mrs.  Bailey  is  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Bailey  affiliates 
fraternally  with  the  JMasonic  lodge  of  Escon- 
dido,  having  been  made  a  Mason  in  Illinois  in 
1863.  Politically  he  advocates  the  principles 
of  the  Republican  party  and  is  actively  inter- 
ested in  all  matters  of  public  import. 


FRANCIS  MARION  LEE.  A  young  man 
of  recognized  ability,  integrity  and  worth, 
Francis  Marion  Lee  is  contributing  largely 
towards  the  advancement  of  the  agricultural 
and  mercantile  interests  of  Compton,  being 
prosperously  engaged  in  general  ranching,  and 
likewise  having  a  finely  established  jewelry 
business  in  the  village.  A  son  of  Benjamin  D. 
Lee,  he  was  born,  November  6,  1871,  in  Powe- 
shiek county,  Iowa,  the  descendant  of  a  Penn- 
sylvania family  of  prominence.  His  grand- 
father, the  late  William  C.  Lee,  was  born  in 
Pennsville,  Pa.,  in  181 1,  married  Sarah  Den- 
nis in  1837,  and  died  at  his  home  in  Pasadena, 
Cal.,  in  1905,  at  the  venerable  age  of  ninety- 
four  years.  His  wife  preceded  him  to  the  life 
beyond,  passing  away  in  1903.  They  reared  a 
large  family  of  children,  six  of  whom  survive, 
namely:  Benjamin  D.,  INIrs.  I.  E.  Ouinby,  C. 
F.,  Mrs.  L.  A.  Shirks,  Mrs.  M.  L.''McIntosh 
and  A.  C.  Lee. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania,  Benjamin  D.  Lee 
spent  several  years  of  his  early  manhood  in 
Iowa,  from  there  removing  to  Illinois,  and  be- 
ing a  resident  of  Princeton  for  some  time.  He 
subsequently  carried  on  general  farming  in 
Allen  county,  Kans.,  living  there  until  the 
spring  of  1893,  when  he  came  to  California, 
settling  in  Los  Angeles  county,  where  he  is 
now  retired  from  active  pursuits,  his  home  be- 
ing in  Pasadena.  He  married  Tirza  Ann  Kel- 
ler, a  native  of  Ohio,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  two  children.  Walter  Varian,  of 
Pasadena,  and   Francis  Marion. 

Being  but  three  years  old  when  his  parents 
removed  from  Iowa  to  Princeton,  111.,  Fran- 
cis Marion  Lee  there  acquired  the  rudiments 


of  his  education,  completing  his  school  life 
in  Allen  county,  Kans.  Leaving  home  when 
•twenty-two  years  old,  he  was  engaged  in  ag- 
ricultural work  for  a  }^ear,  after  which  he  ran 
the  grain  elevator  in  Moran,  Kans.,  for  a 
while.  Tlien  establishing  himself  as  a  jew- 
eler in  Farlington,  Kans.,  he  remained  there 
a  year.  In  1896  he  came  to  California,  locat- 
ing three  miles  northeast  of  Compton,  where 
he  was  prosperously  employed  in  farming  for 
four  years.  Removing  then  to  his  father's 
ranch,  lying  one  mile  northwest  of  Compton, 
he  has  since  had  the  supervision  of  its  twenty- 
five  acres  of  land,  and  in  its  management  has 
met  with  noteworth)'  success.  In  addition  to 
ranching  he  has  also  been  profitably  engaged 
in  the  jewelry  business  in  Compton  since  De- 
cember, 1901,  having  built  up  a  thriving  trade 
in  this  line,  and  won  an  assured  position 
among  the  leading  business  men  of  this  com- 
munity. 

October  8,  1890,  in  Moran,  Kans.,  ]\Ir.  Lee 
married  May  Coffman,  who  was  born  in  In- 
diana, but  was  brought  up  and  educated  in 
Kansas.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lee  are  the  parents 
of  six  children,  namely:  Eva  R.  Haydn  Coflf- 
man,  Agnes  Tirza,  Francis  C,  Olive  May  and 
Jessie.  Politically  ]\Ir.  Lee  is  a  steadfast  Re- 
publican, and  is  a  member  of  two  beneficial  or- 
ganizations, the  Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 
ica and  the  Amsterdam  Casualty  Company. 
Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lee  are  members  of  the 
Christian  Church,  but  there  being  no  organiza- 
tion of  that  denomination  in  Compton  they 
attend  the  Congregational  Church,  and  for 
two  and  one-half  years  Mr.  Lee  has  been  su- 
perintendent of  its  Sunday-school. 


J.  H.  JENSEN.  Agriculture,  as  conducted 
under  the  favorable  conditions  found  in  San 
Luis  Obispo  county,  has  a  wise  and  sagacious 
follower  in  J.  H.  Jensen,  a  prominent  Danish- 
American,  and  the  owner  of  his  present  ranch 
of  five  hundred  acres  near  Nipomo  since  1902. 
Mr.  Jensen  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  princi- 
pality of  Sleswick-Holstein,  August  8,  1872, 
and  is  a  son  of  J.  H.  and  Annie  (White)  Jen- 
sen, natives  of  the  same  part  of  Germany.  The 
elder  Jensen  was  a  baker  by  trade,  but  owned 
his  own  tract  of  land  and  derived  his  chief 
sustenance  from  the  pursuit  of  agriculture.  In 
1890  he  immigrated  to  California,  where  live 
the  five  survivors  of  his  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren, and  here  his  death  occurred  in  Watson- 
ville  at  the  age  of  seventy-two.  His  wife, 
who  is  sixt3'-eight  years  old,  makes  her  home 
in  Nipomo. 

The  education  of  Mr.  Jensen  has  been  self 
acquired,    and    is    the    accomplishment    of   his 


2166 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


mature  rather  than  youthful  days.  Early  con- 
fronted with  the  wage-earning  problem,  he 
came  to  America  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  and' 
from  New  York  sailed  to  the  Isthmus  of  Pan- 
ama, and  thence  to  San  Prancisco.  In  San 
Luis  Obispo  coimty  he  found  employment  on 
several  ranches,  and  after  a  number  of  unsuc- 
cessful attempts  at  independent  ranching,  in- 
vested in  a  tract  of  land  in  Merced  county  in 
1896.  This  farm  proved  disappointing  from 
the  standpoint  of  productiveness,  and  in  1902 
he  purchased  his  present  valuable  and  well- 
equipped  ranch.  He  is  engaged  principall}'  in 
grain  and  bean  culture,  and  averages  about 
five  sacks  per  acre.  He  has  fine  buildings 
and  much  valuable  farm  machinerj',  and  is 
constantly  on  the  lookout  for  better  ways  of 
conducting  his  affairs. 

The  marriage  of  JNIr.  Jensen  and  Airs.  Paul- 
son occurred  in  1902,  Mrs.  Jensen  being  a 
native  of  Germany,  and  by  her  first  marriage 
the  mother  of  eight  children.  Two  children 
have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jensen,  Fran- 
ces and  Ernest.  Mr.  Jensen  is  liberal  in  pol- 
itics, but  casts  his  vote  preferably  for  a  Dem- 
ocratic candidate.  He  is  social  in  his  tenden- 
cies, and  a  member  of  the  Nipomo  Lodge  No. 
164,  K.  of  P.,  and  the  Danish  Lodge  No.  16. 
He  is  a  rnan  of  pleasing  address,  well  bal- 
anced mind,  and  the  thrift  and  far-sightedness 
characteristic  of  his   countrvmen. 


HENRY  O.  A  [ORRIS  For  generations  the 
Morris  family  have  been  pioneers  in  the  settle- 
ment of  the  United  States,  pushing  out  as  time 
passed  to  the  edges  of  civilization,  hewing 
their  way  further  into  the  wilderness  and  mak- 
ing easier  the  path  of  those  that  followed  later. 
Three  generations  back  Henry  Morris  settled  in 
Ohio  in  a  verj'  early  day,  when  that  country 
was  infested  by  Indians,  and  he  fought  his 
way  through  troubles  with  them.  Lorenzo  D. 
and  Rachael  CDresbach)  Morris,  the  parents 
of  the  present  Henry  O.,  were  both  natives  of 
Ohio,  and  in  his  turn  the  father  pushed  out 
into  the  frontier,  locating  in  Edgar  county, 
111.,  in  1852,  and  engaging  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits remained  there  the  rest  of  his  lifetime. 
His  wife,  who  was  born  in  181 5,  died  in  1896, 
and  he  passed  away  at  the  age  of  eightj^-eight 
years,  having  been  born  in  1813. 

Born  September  19,  1841.  in  Pickaway 
county,  Ohio,  Henry  O.  Morris  was  taken  b>- 
his  parents  to  Illinois,  where  he  was  educated 
in  the  old  subscription  and  public  schools  of 
that  state,  and  from  the  time  that  he  had  at- 
tained his  majority  until  1887  he  was  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits  in  Edgar  county.  In 
the  meantime,  during  the  summer  of  1882,  he 


had  been  in  the  San  Jacinto  valley,  California, 
at  which  time  there  were  not  more  than  three 
or  four  white  families  there.  Hither  he  came 
as  a  settler  in  1887  and  a  year  later  he  bought 
the  place  upon  which  he  now  resides,  built  a 
house  and  other  necessary  buildings,  planted 
trees  and  now  has  a  highly  improved  ranch  of 
fifteen  acres,  devoted  principally  to  oranges, 
olives,  alfalfa  and  a  few  peaches.  In  1871  he 
was  married  in  Illinois  to  Aliss  Mary  Web- 
ster, a  daughter  of  William  Webster,  who 
came  to  California  in  1875.  ^^^-  ^"d  Mrs. 
Morris  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  Bruce, 
who  lives  in  Riverside,  and  Fred,  a  mining 
engineer  now  located  in  Alaska.  Politically 
Mr.  Morris  is  a  Democrat,  and  during  his  resi- 
dence in  Illinois  served  on  the  school  board 
for  several  vears. 


ALBERT  G.  HULL.  A  man  who  owns 
considerable  property  and  is  making  a  suc- 
cess of  his  ranching  operations  is  Albert  G. 
Hull,  of  Winchester,  who  stands  high  as  a 
citizen  of  the  community  in  which  he  resides. 
He  was  born  December  16,  1858,  in  Dunn  coun- 
ty. Wis.,  the  son  of  Marvin  and  Julia  (Stowe) 
Hull,  both  natives  of  New  York,  who  in  1857 
became  pioneers  of  Wisconsin.  There  the 
father  was  occupied  as  a  farmer  and  stock- 
;nan,  and  at  one  time  engaged  in  the  milling 
business.  In  1871  he  went  still  further  west 
and  settled  in  Big  Bend,  Minn.,  where  he  was 
(occupied  as  a  farmer  until  1878,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Benson,  built  a  store  building,  which 
he  rented,  and  lived  retired  from  business  ac- 
tivities until  1887.  In  that  year  he  came  to 
California  and  purchased  a  ten-acre  ranch  near 
Winchester,  making  this  place  his  home  un- 
til 1902.  From  here  he  removed  to  Olym- 
pia,  Wash.,  where  he  now  lives  and  is  en- 
gaged in  gardening.  He  is  now  eighty-four 
years  old,  his  wife  being  one  year  j'ounger. 

The  preliminary  education  of  Albert  G.  Hull 
was  received  in  the  public  schools  of  Wiscon- 
sin, and  later  he  attended  the  high  school  at 
Benson,  .  Minn.  His  father  having  sold  the 
farm,  when  the  son  was  ready  to  begin  his 
business  career  he  worked  as  a  machinist  for 
three  years,  then  went  to  Montevideo,  Minn., 
and  clerked  in  a  hotel  five  years.  Afterwards 
he  located  in  South  Dakota  and  engaged  in 
the  insurance  business  there  for  a  couple  of 
■\'ears,  later  for  three  ^ears  having  charge  of 
a  hotel  in  AVebster,  that  state.  In  1887  he 
came  to  California  and  located  near  Win- 
chester, where  he  now  resides  upon  a  ten-acre 
ranch.  He  also  o\vns  four  hundred  and  forty 
acres  in  the  sam.e  location,  which  is  improved 
with  a  house  and  other  buildings,  and  on  this 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2167 


latter  place  he  has  one  hundred  and  twenty 
head  of  cattle  and  twenty-eight  horses  and 
mules.  He  is  especially  interested  in  the  breed- 
ing of  English  Shire  horses  and  owns  a  full- 
blood  Shire  stallion  named  Wonder,  which  is 
considered  one  of  the  most  valuable  horses 
in  this  section  of  the  siate.  A  large  number 
of  horses  are  required  for  his  f^rm  work,  as 
he  has  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land 
planted  to  grain  and  hay. 

In  1892  Mr.  Hull  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Airs.  J\Iary  (Daurty)  Hull,  who  was  born 
in  Wisconsin  and  is  the  mother  of  two  chil- 
dren by  her  former  marriage,  Arthur  J.  and 
Chester.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  Win- 
chester Lodge  No.  3623,  I.  O.  F.,  and  political- 
ly is  a  stanch  advocate  of  the  principles  em- 
braced in  the  platform  of  the  Republican  par- 
ty^  He  has  always  taken  an  active  interest 
in  public  matters  and  ofiiciall)^  has  been  a 
member  of  the  board  of  school  trustees,  a  con- 
stable here  for  ten  years,  and  is  now  deputy 
sheriff,  an  office  he  has  held  for  the  past 
eight  years. 


ROBERT  B.  HARPER.  Among  the  ag- 
riculturists of  Los  Angeles  county  who  have 
attained  success  from  a  financial  point  of  view 
is  Robert  B.  Harper,  who  is  one  of  the  most 
progressive  and  energetic  farmers  and  stock- 
raisers  of  Downey,  and  a  complete  master  of 
the  vocation  which  he  is  so  earnestly  follow- 
ing. He  is  a  native  of  the  state,  his  birth 
having  occurred  September  8,  1879,  on  the 
ranch  where  he  now  lives,  a  son  of  William 
Harper.  His  gi-andparents,  John  and  Betsey 
I'Lake)  Harper,  were  born  and  brought  up  in 
New  York  state.  After  their  marriage  they 
settled  in  Ohio,  becoming  pioneers  of  Ashta- 
bula county,  where  he,  in  addition  to  farm- 
ing, was  engaged  for  many  years  in  boating 
on  the  lakes,  carrying  wood  and  stone  used  in 
building  piers.  Both  spent  their  last  years  in 
Kane  county.  111. 

William  Harper  was  born,  March  17,  1834, 
in  Ashtabula  county,  Ohio.  Completing  his 
early  education  in  the  district  schools  of  Kane 
county.  111.,  he  remained  at  home  until  1852, 
v^hen  he  came  across  the  plains,  with  horse- 
teams,  to  California,  arriving  at  Hangtown  on 
July  28.  The  following  three  years  he  was 
engaged  in  mining,  first  in  Hangtown,  then 
at  Scotts  bar,  in  Siskivou  county.  The  next 
vear  he  lived  in  the  Sacramento  valley,  and 
in  1858  came  down  to  the  Nietos  valley,  lo- 
cating near  Downey,  and  for  nine  years  worked 
for  General  Banning.  In  1867  he  started  in 
business  on  his  own  account,  becoming  the 
pioneer  truckman  of  Los  Angeles.  In  1868, 
purchasing    land    about    three    miles    west    of 


Downey,  he  embarked  in  agricultural  pursuits, 
placing  liis  eighty-four  acres  of  land  in  a  till- 
able condition.  Prosperous  in  his  undertak- 
ings, he  carried  on  an  excellent  business  as  a 
general  farmer  and  stockman  for  many  years, 
by  industry  and  good  management  accumu- 
lating a  competency.  He  bought  five  house 
lots  at  Long  Beach,  and  in  1903,  leaving  his 
son  Robert  on  the  home  ranch,  removed  to 
his  present  residence,  at  No.  517  West  Second 
street.  May  8,  1876,  he  married  Alpha  J. 
Lower,  a  native  of  California,  and  they  have 
three  children,  namely :  Clara,  wife  of  Nor- 
man Fay,  of  Downey;  Robert  B.,  the  special 
subject  of  this  brief  sketch  ;  and  William,  of 
Portersville,  Cal. 

Brought  up  on  the  home  farm,  Robert  B. 
Harper  attended  the  public  schools  of  his  dis- 
trict Avhile  young,  subsequently  pursuing  his 
studies  for  six  months  at  Woodberry  College. 
Completing  his  early  education,  he  began 
working  for  himself  on  the  home  ranch,  which 
now  contains  eighty-nine  acres  of  valuable 
land.  Pie  devotes  his  attention  to  the  raising 
of  alfalfa  and  stock,  and  is  also  profitably  en- 
gaged in  dairA'ing,  keeping  twenty-five  cows. 
A  thorough-going  farmer,  practical  and  enter- 
prising, he  is  meeting  with  unquestioned  suc- 
cess in  his  agricultural  operations,  and  holds 
an  honored  position  among  the  most  hightly 
respected  and  public-spirited  citizens  of  the 
communit}'. 

In  1902  Air.  Harper  married  Amy  Mussel- 
inan,  who  ^vas  born  in  Kansas,  a  daughter  of 
Hiram  Musselman.  Politically  Mr.  Harper  is 
a  firm  supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  and  is  now  serving  as  road 
overseer.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and  of  the  Knights 
of  the  Maccabees,  while  both  he  and  his  wife 
belong  to  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star. 


LEWIS  LEWISON.  The  young  men  of 
to-day  who  are  inclined  to  underestimate  the 
chances  for  success  in  the  country  might  de- 
rive encouragement  and  a  change  of  opinion 
from  the  career  of  Lewis  Lewison,  one  of  the 
self-made  men  of  Los  Angeles  county,  who  in 
addition  to  cultivating  his  own  ranch  of  four 
acres  on  Kingsley  and  Washington  streets, 
Pomona,  superintends  the  management  of 
forty  acres  adjoining  his  own,  all  of  which  is 
set  out  to  oranges  of  a  good  quality.  Ever 
since  locating  in  Pomona  in  1891  he  has  given 
his  undivided  attention  to  the  study  of  horti- 
culture, and  for  a  number  of  years  prior  to 
establishing  himself  in  the  business  on  his  own 
account  he  had  charge  of  the  large  ranch 
owned  bv  Fred  J.  Smith,  of  Pomona. 


2168 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Mr.  Lewison  is  a  native  of  Denmark,  born 
near  Wiborg,  Jutland,  September  9,  1863, 
being  next  to  the  oldest  in  a  family  of  six 
children  born  to  his  parents,  Peter  and  ]Maren 
(Anderson)  Lewison.  A  blacksmith  by  trade, 
the  father  gave  up  work  in  that  line  during 
the  progress  of  the  Sleswick-Holstein  war  in 
1864,  serving  with  valor  during  the  struggle. 
The  parents  never  left  their  native  land  for  a 
home  in  the  new  world,  and  the  mother  is 
still  living  in  the  land  which  is  dear  through 
the  associations  of  a  lifetime.  The  father 
passed  away  in  1877.  Three  of  their  six  chil- 
dren are  now  residents  of  California. 

The  public  schools  in  the  neighborhood  of 
his  Danish  home  furnished  the  only  school 
training  which  Mr.  Lewison  received,  and 
while  he  was  still  a  young  boy  he  had  become 
thoroughly  familiar  with  the  blacksmith's 
trade,  and  indeed,  from  the  age  of  sixteen  until 
twenty,  he  worked  at  his  trade  for  wages.  In 
compliance  with  a  rigid  custom  in  his  native 
land  he  entered  the  service  of  his  country,  be- 
coming a  member  of  the  Sixth  Regiment, 
Fourth  Company,  and  after  a  six-months  serv- 
ice he  was  honorably  discharged.  In  1887  he 
came  to  the  United  States  and  located  on  a 
farm  near  Dannebrog,  Howard  county,  Neb. 
Two  years  later  he  moved  still  further  west, 
going  to  Wyoming,  here  for  two  years  he  had 
charge  of  a  cattle  ranch.  Disposing  of  his 
interests  there  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  com- 
pleted the  journey  to  the  Pacific  coast  and  in 
the  spring  of  1891  located  in  Pomona.  Al- 
though his  previous  training  had  not  been 
along  the  line  of  horticulture  his  knowledge 
of  agriculture  was  invaluable  to  him  and  he 
easily  secured  positions  with  orchardists.  He 
remained  with  one  employer,  Fred  J.  Smith, 
for  nearly  nine  years,  and  for  three  years  had 
entire  charge  of  the  ranch,  which  contained 
one  hundred  and  ten  acres.  A  desire  to  once 
more  become  a  land  owner  led  to  the  purchase 
of  a  small  ranch  in  1897,  but  after  two  years 
he  disposed  of  it  and  purchased  his  present 
four-acre  ranch  at  the  corner  of  Kingsley  and 
Washington  streets.  At  the  time  he  took  pos- 
session of  the  ranch  only  one  acre  was  in  or- 
anges, but  he  now  has  three  acres  in  splendid 
bearing  condition. 

In  Pomona  Mr.  Lewison  was  married  to 
Miss  Christine  Jorgensen,  who  was  born  on 
the  Island  of  Laaland,  Denmark.  Two  sons, 
Alfred  and  Julius,  have  been  born  of  this  mar- 
riage. The  family  attend  the  Christian 
Church,  of  which  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lewison 
are  members.  Mr.  Lewison  is  a  member  of 
the  Fruit  Growers'  Exchange,  and  is  a  director 
of  the  Kingsley  Tract  Water  Company.  Po- 
litically he  is  a  Republican  in  national  affairs, 


though  in  local  elections  he  gives  his  vote  for 
the  best  man  for  the  position  in  question,  irre- 
spective of  party  name.  Fraternally  an  Odd 
Fellow,  he  was  initiated  into  the  order  in  Po- 
mona Lodge  No.  246,  and  with  his  wife  is  a 
member  of  the  Fraternal  Aid. 


PHILEMON  R.  LACY.  The  growing  of 
carnations  has  become  one  of  the  industries  of 
Redondo,  and  to  no  one  is  the  development  of 
the  industry  more  indebted  than  to  Mr.  Lacy, 
who  for  many  years  has  made  of  it  a  specialty 
and  has  studied  every  branch  of  the  work  until 
he  now  is  regarded  as  an  authority  on  the  sub- 
ject. When  he  first  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Redondo  Floral  Company  he  knew  little  of  flori- 
culture, but  by  careful  observation  and  constant 
study  he  acquired  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
occupation  and  eventually  was  made  manager  of 
the  largest  carnation  garden  in  the  entire  world. 
The  company  owns  eighteen  acres  in  carnations 
and  ships  to  the  wholesale  markets  as  far  east 
as  Chicago,  making  a  specialty  of  new  varieties, 
including  the  Governor  Roosevelt,  Norway,  En- 
chantress, Queen,  Louise,  H.  Manley  and 
Madame  Lawson.  Their  original  greenhouse, 
20x300  feet  in  dimensions,  was  the  first  building 
of  the  kind  erected  in  Southern  California.  In 
time  it  proved  inadequate  to  the  growing  needs 
of  the  business  and  was  supplemented  by  a 
greenhouse  208x56  feet.  Besides  the  sale  of 
carnations,  a  large  trade  is  carried  on  in  nursery 
stock,  ornamental  shrubs  and  potted  plants. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Lacy  was  David  A.,  born 
in  Carter  county,  Tenn.,  at  the  foothills  of  the 
Great  Smoky  mountains,  and  reared  in  the  midst 
of  a  frontier  environment.  Early  in -life  he  went 
to  Texas  and  took  part  in  the  revolution  tor 
Texan  independence.  When  the  now  flourishing 
city  of  Dallas  had  only  two  houses  and  they 
were  cabins  built  of  logs,  he  landed  in  that  place, 
where  one  of  his  first  transactions  was  to  trade 
a  pair  of  boots  for  a  section  of  land  six  miles 
from  town.  The  bargain  proved  an  excellent 
one  for  him,  as  the  ranch,  which  he  still  owns,  is 
now  among  the  most  valuable  stock  farms  in 
that  locality.  In  religion  he  is  identified  with 
the  Christian  Qiurch.  His  wife,  who  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Paulina  Cockrell,  was  born  in 
Kentucky  and  died  in  Texas  in  1883.  Nine 
children,  five  sons  and  four  daughters,  were  born 
of  their  union,  and  all  are  still  living,  P.  R.  be- 
ing fifth  in  order  of  birth.  He  was  born  at 
Dallas,  Tex.,  June  7,  1866,  and  at  a  very  early 
age  became  interested  in  working  with  fruits  and 
flowers.  Soon  he  was  given  charge  of  his 
father's  nursery  and  orchard,  and  under  his 
supervision  the  trees  produced  abundant  crops 
of  fine  quality.     In  1887  he  came  to  California 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2169 


and  for  a  year  worked  as  a  horticulturist,  after 
which  he  came  to  Redondo  and  embarked  in  the 
livery  business  with  George  Gate,  the  two  erect- 
ing the  first  barn  in  Redondo  and  conducting  the 
first  business  of  its  kind.  In  two  years  he  sold 
out  and  became  an  employe  of  the  Redondo 
Floral  Company,  with  which  he  has  continued  to 
the  present.  Since  coming  to  Redondo  he  has 
established  a  home  of  his  own,  being  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Grace  Hamer,  who  was  born 
in  Illinois,  and  reared  at  Compton,  Cal.  Two 
children,  Reta  Paulina  and  Carl  Raymond,  com- 
prise their  family.  In  religious  connections  Mrs. 
Lacy  is  identified  with  the  Baptist  Church  and 
Mr.  Lacy  contributes  to  the  same,  also  to  other 
movements  for  the  public  good.  Along  the  line 
of  his  chosen  work  he  finds  pleasure  in  his  asso- 
ciation with  the  Los  Angeles  Horticultural  So- 
ciety, while  fraternally  he  holds  membership  with 
the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters  and  has 
served  the  local  lodge  as  chief  ranger. 

Since  writing  the  above  Mr.  Lacy  has  re- 
moved to  a  ranch  near  Gardena,  which  is  now 
his  postofiice. 


THOMAS  H.  LAMBERT.  Numbered  among 
the  progressive  citizens  of  El  Monte  is  Thomas 
H.  Lambert,  who  as  a  farmer  and  horticulturist 
holds  place  among  the  successful  men  of  this 
section.  He  is  a  native  of  Franklin  county.  Ark., 
born  April  27,  1869,  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort 
Smith;  his  father,  Frank,  was  born  in  Alabama, 
as  was  also  his  grandfather,  Morgan,  who  im- 
migated  to  Arkansas  and  became  a  farmer  in 
that  section.  Frank  Lambert  engaged  as  a  farm- 
er until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war,  when 
he  left  his  farm,  shouldered  a  musket  and  fought 
gallantly  for  the  land  of  his  birth.  He  returned 
to  civic  pursuits  after  the  close  of  the  struggle 
and  followed  fsrming  until  his  death  in  1873. 
His  wife,  formerly  Rebecca  Jones,  died  in  1876, 
leaving  five  children,  of  whom  three  now  sur- 
vive. 

The  youngest  of  his  father's  family,  Thomas 
H.  Lambert  was  orphaned  at  the  age  of  seven 
years,  when  he  went  to  live  with  an  uncle,  George 
Lambert.  After  two  years  he  made  his  home 
with  his  married  sister,  Mrs.  Bradley,  and  while 
with  her  received  what  education  it  was  pos- 
sible for  him  to  obtain  with  the  limited  advan- 
tages of  the  country  of  Arkansas.  Thrown  up- 
on his  own  resources  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years 
he  secured  employment  on  neighboring  farms 
until  he  was  eighteen,  when  with  his  accumulat- 
ed savings  he  went  into  the  general  merchan- 
dise business  with  an  uncle,  Joseph  Lambert, 
being  located  at  National  Springs.  Ark.,  until 
1889.  In  this  year  he  sold  out  and  came  to  Cali- 
fornia.     After    remaining    two    months    in    Los 

107 


Angeles,  he  was  in  Pasadena  for  the  ensuing 
three  months,  and  from  there  came  to  El  Monte, 
entering  the  employ  of  J.  S.  Killian,  a  horticult- 
urist of  this  section.  In  1891  he  returned  to 
Arkansas  and  the  following  year  married  Miss 
Fannie  Bryant,  a  native  of  that  state,  where 
her  father  was  a  farmer.  In  1894  they  lo- 
cated in  Briartown,  I.  T.,  and  farmed  for  two 
years,  when  Mr.  Lambert  once  more  turned 
"his  face  to  the  Pacific  coast.  In  El  Monte  he 
engaged  as  foreman  for  Mr.  Killian  until  1898, 
when  he  decided  to  enter  the  work  for  himself. 
He  began  by  raising  potatoes  in  different  places 
in  this  district,  but  not  until  1906  did  he  pur- 
chase property,  in  that  year  buying  thirty  acres 
in  the  El  Monte  school  district  three-quarters  of 
a  mile  north  of  the  town.  Here  he  began  rais- 
ing walnuts  and  alfalfa,  and  has  since  added  many 
improvements,  among  them  a  pumping  plant 
with  a  forty-horse  power  engine,  a  No.  7  Byron 
Jackson  vertical  pump,  with  a  capacity  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  inches.  At  the  same  time  he 
operates  the  Proctor  farm  of  seventy  acres,  rais- 
ing walnuts  and  alfalfa,  the  land  being  irrigrat- 
ed  by  a  pump  with  a  capacity  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  inches,  and  farms  sixty-five  acres  of 
potatoes  in  the  Bassett  district. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lambert  have  two  children, 
Stella  and  Ottie.  Fraternally  Mr.  Lambert^  be- 
longs to  California  Lodge  No.  330,  I.  O.  O. 
F.,  of  Monrovia.  His  wife  is  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  to  which  he  gives  a  liberal  sup- 
port. He  belongs  to  the  Mountain  View  Walnut 
Growers'  Association  and  does  all-in  his  power 
to  promote  the  best  interests  of  the  country  at 
large.  Especially  is  he  interested  in  the  educa- 
tional aflfairs  of  the  community,  having  served 
as  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  El 
Monte  district  for  three  years,  and  is  now  act- 
ing as  clerk  of  the  board  to  the  entire  satisfac- 
tion of  all  concerned. 


HENRY  CLAY  LEWIS.  A  man  of  excep- 
tional business  ability  and  judgment,  far-sighted 
and  enterprising.  Henry  Clay  Lewis,  a  resident 
of  Long  Beach,  has  been  actively  connected  with 
many  of  the  important  transfers  of  realty  in  Los 
Angeles  county  within  the  past  fifteen  or  twen- 
ty years,  and  as  one  of  the  leading  dealers  in 
real  estate  has  carried  on  an  extensive  and  re- 
munerative business.  A  son  of  Thomas  Lewis, 
he  was  born  at  Ruckrun,  Adams  county,  Ohio. 
April   12,   1830.  of  substantial  colonial  stock. 

Born  and  reared  in  South  Carolina,  Thomas 
Lewis  became  a  farmer  from  choice,  and  while 
}ct  a  young  man  became  one  of  the  earlier  set- 
tlers of  Ohio.  In  1832  he  followed  the  march 
of  civilization  westward,  going  with  his  family 
to  Warren  county,  Ind.,-  where  he  took  up  land. 


2170 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


cleared  a  farm  from  the  wilderness,  and  carried 
on  general  ranching  for  thirteen  years.  Going 
to  Vermilion  county.  111.,  in  1845,  he  remained 
there  until  his  death,  at  the  age  of  fifty-three 
years.  He  married  Ann  Gage,  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  and  after  his  death  she  removed  to 
Polk  county,  Iowa,  where  she  spent  her  remain- 
ing years,  dying  at  an  advanced  age. 

Completing  his  early  education  in  the  high 
school  at  Bloomingdale,  Ind.,  Henry  Clay  Lewis 
worked  for  awhile  with  his  brother  on  a  stock 
farm.  Subsequently  going  into  business  for  him- 
self, he  located  in  Annapolis,  Ind.,  as  a  stock 
raiser  and  dealer,  remaining  there  several  years, 
when,  in  1861,  he  removed  to  Polk  county,  Iowa, 
However,  as  his  brothers  enlisted  for  service  in 
the  Civil  war,  he  returned  to  Vermilion  county, 
111.,  to  live  with  his  mother,  but  later  took  her 
to  his  house  in  Polk  county,  Iowa,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising.  His 
brother  Charles  was  taken  prisoner  at  the  battle 
of  Qnattanooga,  and  died  in  Andersonville  prison. 
His  brother  Levi  served  through  the  entire 
war,  at  its  close  receiving  his  honorable  dis- 
charge. In  1883,  Mr,  Lewis  removed  to  Glen- 
elder,  Kans.,  and  then  came  to  Los  Angeles 
county,  Cal.,  arriving  in  Pasadena  on  December 
22,  1884.  At  once  engaging  in  the  real-estate 
business  he  made  money  in  his  transactions. 
Keen-sighted  and  sagacious,  with  a  wise  pre- 
monition of  the  future  upbuilding  of  the  city, 
he  invested  a  part  of  his  capital  in  a  fruit  ranch, 
which,  as  a  sub-division,  he  laid  out  in  town  lots, 
and  sold  at  an  advantageous  price,  the  lots  bor- 
dering on  Euclid  street.  He  became  a  large 
property  owner  in  Pasadena,  at  one  time  having 
title  to  eighty  acres  of  land.  Locating  at  Long 
Beach  in  1889,  he  owned  and  operated  a  stock 
ranch  about  four  miles  north  of  the  city  for  six 
years,  after  which  he  resided  for  awhile  within 
the  city  limits.  He  subsequentlv  spent  five  years 
on  a  ranch  near  Santa  Ana,  but  in  1900  re- 
turned to  Long  Beach,  where  he  has  since  lived, 
honored  and  respected  by  all. 

Mr.  Lewis  has  been  three  times  married.  In 
Bloomingdale,  Ind.,  in  1854,  he  married  Jane 
Hill,  a  native  of  that  state.  She  died  in  Wabash, 
Ind.,  leaving  three  children,  namely:  Almyra  A., 
widow  of  tile  late  Robert  Huston,  of  Wyoming; 
Thomas  S.,  for  twelve  years  a  conductor  on  the 
Southern  Pacific  Railroad,  and  now  living  in 
Los  Angeles,  where  he  is  interested  in  mining 
as  manager  of  the  Cieneguita  Copper  Company ; 
and  \\'illiam  Edwin,  of  Denver,  in  the  railway 
service.  In  1875,  in  Iowa,  Mr.  Lewis  married 
Anna  Thornton,  who  was  born  in  Illinois,  and 
of  this  marriage  four  children  were  bom,  name- 
ly:  Alwilda  May,  wife  of  Roland  J.  Newsom,  a 
gardener  in  Pasadena:  Frank  N.,  of  Long 
Beach ;   Harry,   living  near   Huntington   Beach ; 


and  Carl,  of  Long  Beach.  ^Irs.  Lewis  died ' 
February  22,  1900,  near  Santa  Ana.  September 
15,  1903,  Mr.  Lewis  married  Elizabeth  Burger, 
who  was  born  in  Cook  county,  111.  Her  father, 
born  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  in  1806,  married 
Mary  Zenly  in  Detroit,  Mich. :  she  was  a  native 
of  Alsace-Lorraine,  her  birth  occurring  in  181 1. 
Upon  his  immigration  to  the  United  States,  Mr. 
Burger  located  first  in  Detroit,  Alich.,  later  in 
Cook  county.  111.,  afterwards  residing  in  Naper- 
yille,  111.  In  1865  he  moved  with  his  family 
to  Dwight,  111.,  and  there  both  he  and  his  wife 
spent  their  remaining  years,  his  death  occurring 
in  April,  1893,  and  hers  one  month  later,  in  May, 
1893.  Mrs.  Lewis  has  demonstrated  her  abilities 
as  a  good  business  woman,  and  for  a  number  of 
years  conducted  a  millinery  store  in  Dwight, 
ill.  Since  locating  in  this  state  and  since  her 
marriage  she  has  ably  assisted  her  husband  in 
various  business  ventures.  Both  Mr.  and  Airs. 
Lewis  enjoy  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  a  wide 
circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances. 


JACOB  RHEINGANS.  Throughout  South- 
ern California  are  many  well-to-do  agricult- 
urists, who  through  their  own  strenuous  ef- 
forts have  obtained  a  competency  and  are  now 
living  retired  from  active  labor,  enjoying  a 
well-earned  leisure.  Prominent  among  these 
prosperous  farmers  is  Jacob  Rheingans,  whose 
highly  improved  and  well-kept  ranch  is  advan- 
tageously located  near  the  city  of  Los  An- 
geles. A  son  of  the  late  William  Rheingans, 
he  was  born  December  20,  1843,  in  Germany, 
and  from  his  honored  ancestors  he  inherited 
in  a  large  measure  those  habits  of  industry, 
thrift  and  economy  that  invariably  command 
success  in  the  business  world. 

A  native  of  Germany,  William  Rheingans 
lived  in  the  Fatherland  for  a  number  of  years 
after  his  marriage,  being  employed  as  a  tiller 
of  the  soil.  Immigrating  with  his  family  to 
the  United  States  in  1848,  he  proceeded  di- 
rectly to  Wisconsin,  where  he  purchased  five 
hundred  acres  of  land,  from  which  he  im- 
proved a  valuable  homestead.  Active  and  in- 
dustrious, he  carried  on  general  farming  in 
that  state  until  his  death,  in  1896.  He  mar- 
ried Margaret  Know,  who  bore  him  twelve 
children,  three  of  whom  were  born  in  Ger- 
many, and  the  others  in  Wisconsin.  Eight 
of  the  children  survive,  namely:  Jacob,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  Henry:  Peter;  Will- 
iam ;  Charles ;  Eve ;  Mary ;  and  Katie.  The 
mother  was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church, 
which  the  family  also  attend. 

During  the  Civil  war  Jacob  Rheingans  en- 
listed as  a  private  in  a  Wisconsin  regiment, 
and  served  under  Colonel  Soloman  until  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2171 


expiration  of  his  term-  of  enlistment.  Be- 
coming a  farmer  from  choice,  he  began  till- 
ing the  soil  when  about  twenty-two  years  old, 
and  was  thus  successfully  employed  in  Wis- 
consin for  about  twenty  years.  In  1886  he 
came  to  California  in  search  of  a  favorable 
opportunity  for  investing  his  money.  Locat- 
ing near  the  city  of  Los  Angeles,  he  purchased 
his  present  ranch  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres,  and  in  its  improvement  was  very  suc- 
cessful, it  being  now  one  of  the  most  attract- 
ive and  productive  estates  in  the  neighborhood. 
Having  labored  with  well-directed  toil  for 
many  years,  he  is  now  taking  life  easy,  hav- 
ing relegated  the  care  of  his  ranch  to  his  son 
William.  Politically  Mr.  Rheingans  is  an  ar- 
dent  supporter   of   Republican   principles. 

Mr.  Rheingans  married  Katherine  Hetsel,  a 
native  of  Germany,  and  of  the  twelve  children 
that  have  blessed  their  union  ten  are  living, 
namely:  Lizzie,  Louise,  Katie,  Bertha,  Mag- 
gie, Sarah,  Huldah,  Ida,  Robert  and  William. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rheingans  are  true  to  the  re- 
ligious faith  in  which  Ihey  were  reared,  and 
are  loyal  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 


MRS.  NARCISSA  DUNCAN.  In  speak- 
ing of  the  pioneers  of  a  country  the  average 
person  calls  to  mind  members  of  the  sterner 
sex  who  have  braved  the  dangers  of  settling 
a  new  country,  unconsciously  ignoring  the 
thousands  of  noble  women  who  have  shared 
the  same  dangers  and  vicissitudes  and  are  no 
less  worthy  to  be  called  npbuilders  of  common- 
wealths. Among  the  latter  perhaps  no  wor- 
thier example  could  be  mentioned  than  ]\Irs. 
Narcissa  Duncan,  who  upon  the  death  of  her 
husband  pre-empted  the  quarter  section  which 
he  had  previously  entered  in  Green  Meadow 
district,  two  and  one-half  miles  south  of  the 
city  limits  of  Los  Angeles.  Adhering  ten- 
aciously to  the  policy  of  improvement  and  cul- 
tivation which  her  husband  had  inaugurated, 
it  is  her  pride  and  satisfaction  to  own  one  of 
the  most  valuable  ranches  in  the  county,  the 
land  ranging  in  value  from  $1,500  to  $5,000 
per  acre. 

]Mr.'5.  Duncan's  ability  to  cope  with  pioneer 
conditions  is  in  a  measure  an  inherited  ten- 
dency, for  it  is  known  that  her  paternal  grand- 
father was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Livings- 
ton county.  Mo.  There  her  father,  William 
Parker,  was  born,  reared  and  established  a 
honie  of  his  own.  When  his  daughter  Nar- 
cissa was  a  child  of  two  years  (her  birth  oc- 
curring in  Livingston  county  December  8, 
1842).  Mr.  Parker  took  his  wife  and  nine  chil- 
dren to  Texas,  the  entire  journey  being  made 
by  wagon.     Two  years  after  their  location  in 


the  latter  state  the  family  were  bereaved  by 
the  death  of  the  wife  and  mother.  After  fol- 
lowing farming  and  stock-raising  there  for 
about  five  years  Mr.  Parker  left  his  family  on 
the  ranch  and  began  teaming  for  the  govern- 
ment. Returning  to  Texas  about  1854  he  made 
preparations  for  the  removal  of  his  family  to 
California,  making  the  journey  overland  the 
same  }-ear  by  mule  team.  In  the  vicinity  of 
San  D'iego  the  father  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock  raising  for  four  years,  thereafter  carry- 
ing on  the  same  business  near  Del  Monte  until 
1871.  During  the  latter  year,  on  account  of 
advancing  age,  he  gave  up  active  business 
life  altogether  and  thereafter  made  his  home 
with  his  daughter.  Mrs.  Duncan,  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  when  he  had  attained  the 
ripe  age  of  eighty-two  years.  Throughout 
life  he  had  been  a  stanch  supporter  of  T)em- 
ocratic  principles.  His  wife,  who  in  maiden- 
hood was  Elizabeth  Hicks,  was  also  a  native 
of  i^Iissouri,  and  died  while  the  family  were 
living  in  Texas. 

As  will  be  seen  from  the  foregoing  [Mrs. 
Duncan  was  little  more  than  a  child  in  arms 
when  the  family  removed  from  Missouri,  and 
was  a  girl  of  twelve  when  her  father  located 
in  California.  In  1855  she  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  William  S.  Duncan,  who  although 
born  in  Tennessee  was  reared  in  Texas,  whith- 
er his  mother  had  removed  while  he  was  still 
a  youth.  At  the  time  the  Parker  family  re- 
moved to  this  state  he  also  came  hither  as  a 
member  of  the  same  train,  and  the  following 
year  occurred  the  marriage -of  the  young  peo- 
ple. From  1857  until  1859  Mr.  Duncan  was 
interested  in  the  White  River  mines  in  Kern 
coimty,  and  subsequently  located  in  Los  An- 
geles county,  in  1868  purchasing  a  squatter's 
claim  to  the  land  which  his  widow  now  owns 
and  occupies.  As  a  means  of  livelihood  he 
carried  on  teaming  to  the  mines  (having  eight 
horses  to  each  wagon),  following  this  up  to 
the  time  of  his  death,  January  11,  1871.  Eight 
children  blessed  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Duncan,  all  of  whom  reached  maturity  except 
the  youngest,  who  died  in  infancy.  Frances 
became  the  wife  of  M.  L.  Bennett,  a  rancher 
in  Green  Meadow  district ;  she  died  in  young 
womanhood,  when  only  twenty-seven  years  of 
age.  Robert  is  the  second  child  in  order  of 
birth.  Cora  is  the  wife  of  Charles  McClain, 
and  the  family  reside  in  Los  Angeles.  John 
Smith  is  a  rancher  and  has  charge  of  the 
homestead.  Henry  resides  in  Los  Angeles, 
where  he  carries  on  a  truck  business.  Mahala 
is  the  wife  of  Louis  Fogle.  who  in  addition 
lo  conducting  a  ranch  in  Green  Meadow  dis- 
trict, also  carries  on  teaming.  The  youngest 
child  living  is  Maude  ^lyrtle.  the  wife  of  Hugh 


2172 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


C.  Laughlin,  and  she  still  makes  her  home 
with  her  mother  on  the  old  homestead,  which 
now  contains  only  sixty-two  acres,  the  re- 
mainder of  the  quarter  section  having  been 
deeded  to  the  other  children.  All  of  the  sons 
are  Democrats  in  their  political  affiliations. 


ERNEST  M.  FREEIvIAN,  M.  D.  Since  in- 
augurating his  professional  practice  in  Long 
Beach  in  1903  Eir.  E.  j\I.  Freeman  has  become 
substantially  identified  with  the  advance  in 
medical  and  surgical  science  in  Los  Angeles 
county,  his  wide  experience  and  appreciation 
of  the  highest  tenets  of  his  calling  making 
him  an  acquisition  whose  influence  and  opin- 
ion must  needs  carry  great  weight.  Upon  lo- 
cating here  in  June.  1903,  he  opened  a  private 
hospital,  which  with  the  aid  of  his  wife,  who 
is  a  trained  nurse,  he  carried  on  for  one  year, 
giving  it  up  at  the  end  of  that  time  to  devote 
himself  to  his  private  practice. 

The  birth  of  Dr.  Freeman  occurred  Decem- 
ber 13,  1864,  in  Nova  Scotia,  in  which  north- 
ern country  his  boyhood  and  young  manhood 
were  passed.  Endowed  by  nature  with  a  taste 
for  knowledge  and  being  surrounded  by  supe- 
rior advantages  for  gratifying  this  taste,  it 
is  a  matter  of  no 'surprise  that  he  made  rapid 
strides  in  his  studies.  His  public  school  train- 
ing was  followed  by  a  course  in  Acadia  Col- 
lege, at  Wolfville,  Nova  Scotia,  an  institution 
conducted  under  the  auspices  of  the  Baptist 
denomination,  and  from  this  seat  of  learning 
he  graduated  with  the  degree  of  B.  A.  About 
this  time  he  had  become  very  enthusiastic  over 
the  possibilities  offered  to  energetic  young  men 
in  California,  and  wisely  determined  to  see 
for  himself  concerning  the  truth  of  them. 
Coming  to  the  state  in  1887,  we  went  direct- 
ly to  Santa  Barbara  county,  where  he  taught 
school  until  matriculating  in  the  medical  de- 
partment of  the  Universit_v  of  California,  from 
which  he  graduated  with  the  degree  of  M.  D. 
in  1893.  His  first  work  as  a  practitioner  was 
in  Riverside  county,  building  up  an  extensive 
practice  in  both  Hemet  and  San  Jacinto,  in 
both  of  which  places  he  established  offices. 
Going  to  Santa  Ana  in  1901,  he  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  his  profession  there  until  re- 
moving to  Long  Beach,  as  previously  stated. 

In  Santa  Ana,  Cal,  Dr.  Freeman  married 
Mrs.  Jessie  Zavitz,  who  was  born  in  England, 
but  was  reared  In  Canada.  Being  gifted  by  nat- 
ure with  the  qualities  so  essential  in  caring  for 
the  sick  and  atflicted,  she  determined  to  pre- 
pare herself  for  scientific  nursing,  and  with 
this  end  in  view  entered  St.  Catharine  fOn- 
tario)  Marine  Hospital,  graduating  as  a  trained 
nurse.     In  the  line  of  his  profession  Dr.  Free- 


man is  a  member  of  the  county  and  state  med- 
ical societies,  and  at  one  time  was  one  of  the 
examining  surgeons  of  the  bureau  of  pensions 
of  the  United  States.  While  a  resident  of  San- 
ta Ana  he  served  as  health  officer.  Although 
his  professional  duties  leave  little  time  for 
outside  matters,  lie  attends  with  considerable 
regularity  the  several  fraternal  orders  of  which 
he  is  a  member,  among  them  being  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Foresters,  Fraternal  Aid  As- 
sociation, and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  of  which  latter  order  he  is  medical 
examiner.  His  political  preferences  are  listed 
on  the  side  of  the  Republican  party,  of  which 
he  is  a  stanch  adherent.  A  man  of  deep 
religious  convictions,  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  to  whose  various  avenues 
of  benevolence  he  contributes  generously. 
Throughout  his  entire  life  Dr.  Freeman  has 
been  governed  by  high  principles  of  action, 
thus  drawing  to  himself  many  friends  and  as- 
sociates, who  have  the  utmost  confidence  in 
him. 


H.  M.  E.  SCHROETER.  Travels  extended 
into  almost  every  portion  of  the  civilized 
world  and  extensive  commercial  enterprises 
conducted  in  a  number  of  the  largest  cities 
of  the  globe  have  given  to  Mr.  Schroeter  a 
cosmopolitan  knowledge  that  gives  him  a  dis- 
tinctive position  among  the  most  cultured  cit- 
izens of  Long  Beach.  Born  and  reared  in  Ger- 
man}^, he  had  all  the  advantages  aflforded  by 
the  gymnasiums  of  his  native  city  of  Hamburg, 
and  in  early  manhood  carried  on  extensive 
mercantile  interests  in  his  home  town.  The 
success  which  rewarded  his  judicious  applica- 
tion led  him  to  establish  a  commercial  empo- 
rium in  the  city  of  London  and  later  he  owned 
a  prosperous  mercantile  establishment  in  the 
city  of  Paris,  France.  Meanwhile,  in  the 
course  of  his  travels,  he  found  an  excellent 
opening  in  India  for  the  establishment  of  a 
mercantile  store,  and  in  1889  he  opened  a  large 
and  important  place  of  business  in  Singapore. 
Still  later  he  became  one  of  the  leading  mer- 
chants of  Shanghai.   China. 

In  the  midst  of  the  engrossing  demands  of 
vast  business  interests,  Mr.  Schroeter  found 
leisure  to  gratify  his  love  of  travel,  and  it  was 
while  making  a  tour  of  the  world  in  1902  that 
he  first  saw  Long  Beach.  The  location  of  the 
town  appealed  to  him  at  once.  He  saw  its 
possibilities  and  the  advantages  to  be  derived 
from  its  beach,  which  he  still  considers  to  be 
unsurpassed  by  any  beach  in  the  whole  world. 
Foreseeing  the  future  growth  of  the  town,  he 
decided  to  establish  his  home  at  this  attract- 
ive spot,  and  was  thus  led  to  become  a  citizen 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2173 


of  Long  Beach,  whose  development  he  has 
promoted  by  the  lavish  use  of  capital  and  by 
v^rise  investments  On  Ocean  Park  avenue  he 
has  a  residence  said  to  be  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  in  all  Southern  California,  and  on  the 
same  street  he  erected  the  Cynthia  apartment 
house,  to  which  he  later  built  an  annex.  This 
is  one  of  the  most  modern  and  substantial 
buildings  of  its  kind  on  the  beach  and  from 
the  first  has  proved  a  financial  success,  as  well 
as  an  architectural  honor  to  the  city.  Other 
business  enterprises  which  claim  his  attention 
are  the  Blrst  National  Bank  of  Long  Beach 
and  the  Beach  hotel,  incorporated  with  a  cap- 
ital of  $500,000 ;  of  both  of  these  he  acts  as  a 
director.  While  a  lad  in  Germany  he  became 
an  adherent  of  the  Lutheran  Church  and  has 
since  given  that  denomination  his  support,  con- 
tributing with  characteristic  generosity  to  its 
maintenance,  as  well  as  to  charities  of  a  gen- 
eral nature.  Since  studying  the  political  sit- 
uation in  the  United  States  he  has  given  his 
support  to  the  Republican  party,  but  has  not 
maintained  a  deep  interest  in  politics,  his  tem- 
perament leading  him  rather  to  the  promotion 
of  movements  for  the  permanent  benefit  of  the 
people  of  Long  Beach.  Ever  since  coming  to 
this  city  its  welfare  has  been  a  matter  of  in- 
terest to  him  and  its  many  opportunities  have 
elicited  his  warmest  praise. 


MATHEW  ATMORE,  a  veteran  of  the 
Civil  war  and  an  early  settler  in  Ventura  coun- 
ty, came  to  this  country  with  his  parents 
from  England  when  but  nine  years  of  age. 
His  father,  IMathew  Atmore,  Sr.,  was  born  in 
England,  as  was  also  his  mother,  who  was 
Susan  Pond  before  her  marriage.  The  fam- 
ily immigrated  to  America  in  1848  and  settled 
in  Michigan.  Both  parents  lived  to  a  hale  old 
age,  the  father  being  seventy-eight  and  the 
mother  seventy-two  years  of  age  at  the  time 
of  their  demise  in  Michigan.  The  father  was 
a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  filling  many  pulpits 
in  Michigan,  while  he  served  as  chaplain  of  a 
colored  regiment  during  the  Civil  war.  There 
were  eleven  children  in  the  family,  eight  of 
whom  are  still  living  and  of  these  two  make 
their  homes  in  California. 

Mathew  Atmore  was  born  in  England,  Octo- 
ber 18,  1838,  and  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Calhoun  county,  Mich.,  where  his 
father  first  settled  with  his  family,  buying  a 
farm  there.  When  seventeen  years  of  age  he 
came  to  California,  arriving  in  Sacramento, 
and  from  there  went  to  Eldorado  county  to 
work  in  the  mines,  the  venture  proving  prof- 
itable. Subsequently,  until  1861,  he  freighted 
to  Virginia  City.     He  then  enlisted   in   Com- 


pany K,  Second  Regiment  California  Volun- 
teer Cavalry,  and  served  three  years.  After 
rhe  close  of  his  war  service  he  returned  to 
Michigan,  following  farming  there  for  twelve 
years.  After  spending  one  year  in  Nebraska, 
in  1876  he  came  to  Santa  Paula,  Cal.,  and  en- 
gaged in  ranching.  He  now  owns  sixty  acres 
of  the  best  farming  land  in  the  valley,  which 
is  planted   to   beans   and  walnut   trees. 

In  1866  Mr.  Atmore  was  married  to  Mary 
Gorham,  a  native  of  England,  and  they  have 
three  children.  Mr.  Atmore  is  a  member  of 
the  Ventura  Post  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  and  politically  he  is  a  Republican. 


H.  A.  UNRUH  has  entire  charge  of  the 
vast  interests  of  the  Baldwin  estate  in  Los 
Angeles  county,  in  the  management  of  which 
he  has  displayed  business  ability  and  execu- 
tive skill  of  a  high  order.  Mr.  Unruh  was  born 
in  Valparaiso,  Ind.,  November  9,  1845,  his 
parents,  Joseph  and  Abigail  (Bowman)  Un- 
ruh, locating  there  upon  their  removal  from 
Germantown,  Pa.,  their  birthplace.  The  fa- 
ther engaged  in  a  mercantile  enterprise 
throughout  his  entire  active  life,  dying  in 
Texas  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight,  while  his  wife 
died  at  the  age  of  forty-five.  They  had  five 
children,  one  son  residing  in  Texas,  two  daugh- 
ters in  California,  and  one  in  Kentucky,  and 
H.  A.,  the  subject  of  this  review. 

May  15,  1861,  H.  A.  Unruh  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany C,  Twentieth  Indiana  Infantry;  near 
Roanoke,  N.  C,  he  was  taken  prisoner  and 
was  sent  to  Libby  Prison.  After  nine  months 
he  was  liberated  on  parole,  and  in  July,  1862, 
was  mustered  out  of  service.  He  immediate- 
ly re-enlisted  in  Company  K,  First  Marine 
Artillery,  and  after  serving  for  eighteen 
months,  was  again  mustered  out. 

After  being  mustered  out  of  service  the  sec- 
ond time  Mr.  Unruh  returned  to  his  home  in 
Indiana,  but  soon  afterward  removed  to  Illi- 
nois. In  Piano  he  filled  a  position  as  tele- 
graph operator  until  1866,  when  he  came  to 
San  Francisco,  Cal.  It  was  his  intention  to 
join  the  Russian-American  telegraph  expedi- 
tion, but  he  changed  his  plans,  going  instead 
to  Nicolaus,  Sutter  county,  Cal.,  installing  tel- 
egraph lines  and  offices,  after  which  he  en- 
gaged with  the  Western  Union  and  was  sent 
to  establish  lines  in  the  Pajaro  valley,  and  also 
to  act  as  relief  agent  for  the  Wells-Fargo  & 
Co.  Entering  the  employ  of  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad  in  1867  as  agent  at  Roseville 
Junction,  he  rebuilt  the  telegraph  lines  for  a 
distance,  and  also  built  and  operated  the  first 
telegraph  line  for  the  Southern  Pacific  Com- 
pany over  the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains.     He 


2174 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


acted  as  agent  in  Pino,  Auburn,  Colfax,  Gold- 
run  and  Truckec  in  turn  until  these  offices  were 
well  established  and  in  perfect  working  order. 
In  Reno,  Nev.,  he  opened  a  station,  located 
Wadsworth  station  and  built  the  first  house 
in  that  town.  In  1869  he  became  assistant 
freight  agent  of  the  Central  Pacific  at  San 
Francisco,  where  he  opened  the  first  overland 
business,  his  equipment  consisting  of  but  one 
clerk,  while  in  1874,  when  he  left  the  com- 
pany, eighty-four  clerks  were  required  to  con- 
duct rhe  business.  Resigning  his  position  in 
1874,  for  two  years  he  was  cashier  and  book- 
keeper for  a  tobacco  house  in  San  Francisco, 
and  thereafter  spent  nearly  two  years  in  Lake 
county.  In  1877  he  located  in  Eureka  as  agent 
for  the  Eureka  &  Palisades  Railroad  Company, 
and  while  there  gave  test  of  the  long  distance 
lines  which  wee  just  then  being  built,  the 
greatest  distance  at  w'hich  a  voice  could  be 
heard  and  understood  then  being  twenty-eight 
miles.  It  was  in  1879  ^^at  Air.  Unruh  came  to 
Southern  California  and  here  became  identi- 
fied with  the  interests  of  the  vast  Baldwin 
property,  soon  receiving  the  appointment  of 
special  agent  for  the  entire  estate.  In  the  be- 
ginning he  had  charge  of  the  fruiting  and  plant- 
ing, and  during  this  time  set  out  many  miles 
of  beautiful  shade  trees. 

In  1868  Mr.  Unruh  was  married  to  Miss 
Jennie  A.  Dunn,  a  native  of  Herkimer  county, 
N.  Y. ;  the}'  have  two  sons,  Joseph  A.,  born 
in  i86q,  in  Wadsworth,  Nev.,  and  David  S., 
born  in  1871,  in  San  Francisco.  For  many 
3'ears  Mr.  Unruh  has  been  identified  with  the 
Masonic  organization,  and  is  prominent  in  the 
order.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch  adherent  of 
Republican  principles  and  in  religion  is  a 
member  of  the  Episcopal  Church. 


CLAUDE  MORTON  ALLEN.  Mr.  Allen's 
Oak  Grove  ranch,  in  Garapatos  canon,  Los 
Angeles  county,  is  located  high  up  in  the 
mountains  and  is  an  ideal  spot  in  which  to 
spend  a  vacation,  with  plenty  of  opportunity 
for  hunting  and  fishing,  and  when  the  exer- 
tions of  the  day  are  over,  refreshment  of  the 
more  substantial  kind  may  be  partaken  of, 
the  table  being  supplied  from  the  ranch  and 
dairy  which  are  carried  on  in  connection  with 
the  health  resort. 

The  Allen  family  is  of  English  ancestry, 
and  the  earliest  representative  in  this  country 
of  whom  we  have  any  definite  knowledge  is 
the  great-grandfather,  who  was  a  participant 
in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  reared  his  fam- 
:lv  in  Kentucky,  and  it  was  in  that  state  that 
his  son  William  was  born,  and  there  in  turn 
also  reared  his  family.    During  his  later  years 


he  removed  to  Missouri,  his  death  occurring 
there  some  years  later.  At  the  time  the  grand- 
father removed  to  Missouri  his  son  Earl  Vir- 
gil was  a  young  man,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred in  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  where  he  re- 
ceived his  high  school  and  academic  training; 
upon  removing  to  Missouri  he  entered  a  medi- 
cal college.  Graduating  from  the  medical  col- 
lege in  St.  Louis,  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil 
>var  about  this  time  furnished  an  opportunity 
for  immediate  practice,  and  none  of  those  who 
volunteered  their  services  were  more  forget- 
ful of  self  in  carmg  for  the  sick  and  wounded 
than  Dr.  Allen  Irrespective  of  the  color  of 
uniform,  he  treated  all  sufiferers  with  the  same 
conscientious  care  that  he  would  have  wished 
for  his  own  kinsmen  under  like  conditions, 
his  record  throughout  the  entire  war  showing 
him  to  be  a  true  lover  of  humanity  and  of  his 
profession.  It  was  while  treating  smallpox 
patients  that  he  contracted  a  cold  which  ulti- 
mately resulted  in  his  death.  In  the  hope  of 
recovering  his  former  vigor  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia in  the  spring  of  1876,  locating  first  in 
Norwalk,  but  a  year  later  going  to  Del  Monte, 
where  his  death  occurred  May  6,  1879.  Polit- 
ically he  was  a  Democrat,  but  the  duties  of 
his  profession  left  him  little  time  for  active 
participation  in  its  aiifairs.  His  wife  was 
formerly  Aliss  Sarah  Eliza  Rosebell,  and  was 
an  ideal  helpmate,  who  being  his  equal  edu- 
cationally could  and  did  render  him  invalua- 
ble assistance.  A  native  of  Richmond,  Va., 
Mrs.  Allen  was  a  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
(Sutherland)  Rosebell,  the  father  also  a  na- 
tive of  Virginia,  and  of  Scotch  extraction. 
When  she  was  a  girl  of  twelve  years  her  par- 
ents removed  to  Maine,  but  from  the  year 
1876  until  her  death,  September  6,  1895,  she 
was  a  resident  of  the  Golden  state.  Both  her- 
self and  husband  were  devoted  members  of 
ihe  Christian  Church,  toward  the  support  of 
which  the}'  contributed  generously. 

The  eldest  child  of  the  parental  family  is 
Eugenia  Estella,  who  makes  her  home  with 
!ier  brother  Claude  !\I.  on  his  ranch  near  Santa 
Alonica.  The  second  child.  Earl  Montrose, 
lives  in  Downe}',  this  state.  Born  at  High- 
point,  Moniteau  county.  Mo.,  May  6,  1869, 
Claude  M.  Allen  was  a  small  child  of  seven 
years  when  his  parents  removed  to  California 
on  account  of  his  father's  health.  From  the 
time  of  the  latter's  death  until  he  reached  his 
majority  he  continued  at  home  with  his 
mother,  in  1893  purchasing  the  nucleus  of  his 
present  ranch,  twelve  miles  northwest  of 
Santa  Monica.  Five  years  later  he  filed  a 
homestead  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixt)'- 
acres  adjoining,  thirty  acres  of  which  he  now 
has  under  cultivation,  while  the  remainder  is 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2175 


in  pasture.  In  addition  to  the  land  which  he 
owns  he  also  rents  two  hundred  acres  to  en- 
able the  carrying  out  of  the  extensive  stock- 
raising  project  which  he  has  undertaken. 
While  the  latter  industry  probably  represents 
the  largest  investment  which  he  has  made  on 
the  ranch  it  does  not  by  any  means  indicate 
that  he  has  no  other  interests,  for  he  is  equally 
successful  in  the  raising  of  turkeys  and  chick- 
ens, besides  which  he  carries  on  a  small  dairy. 
While  in  national  affairs  he  is  firm  in  his  al- 
legiance to  the  Democratic  party,  in  local 
elections  he  supports  the  candidate  best  fatted 
for  the  office,  without  reference  to  party  name. 
The  genial  proprietor  of  Oak  Grove  ranch  has 
many  friends  among  those  who  visit  him  year 
after  year,  his  tact  and  good  judgment  and 
his  innate  desire  to  please  endow  his  estab- 
lishment with  a  popularity  which  is  compli- 
mentary in  the  extreme. 


JOHN  S.  BELL.  One  of  the  largest  ranch 
owners  and  best  known  men  in  this  section  of 
the  state  is  John  S.  Bell  of  Santa  Barbara 
county,  who  "has  lived  on  his  ten  thousand 
acre  ranch  for  more  than  thirty-five  years  and 
has  improved  it  until  it  has  become  one  of  the 
best  developed  properties  in  the  state.  His 
residence  is  a  beautiful  one  surrounded  by  a 
spacious  and  well  kept  lawn  and  in  the  flower 
gardens  attached  to  the  place  are  over  three 
hundred  varieties  of  roses.  These  gardens  are 
acknowledged  to  be  among  the  finest  in  the 
state.  The  greater  part  of  the  four  thousand 
acres  devoted  to  grain  raising  is  farmed  by 
renters ;  six  thousand  acres  is  given  over  to 
pasturing  purposes  and  Mr.  Bell  raises  cattle 
and  well  bred  horses,  the  latter  being  princi- 
pally road  stock. 

The  birthplace  of  ^Ir.  Bell  was  Tahiti,  one 
of  the  South  Sea  islands,  where  his  parents, 
Charles  Z.  and  Caroline  (Berry)  Bell,  owned 
a  sugar  plantation.  The  father  was  a  native 
of  Dundee,  Scotland,  and  the  mother  of  Irish 
birth.  In  1848  they  left  Tahiti  and  removed 
to  San  Francisco  at  the  time  of  the  excite- 
ment over  the  discovery  of  gold  at  Sutter's 
mill.  The  mother's  .death  occurred  while  on 
a  sea  voyage,  and  the  father  later  emigrated 
to  Australia,  where  he  was  killed.  There 
were  two  children  in  t'ne  family,  the  sister  of 
Mr.  Bell  is  now  living  in  Australia.  The  son, 
who  was  born  June  27,  1842,  received  his  early 
education  in  California,  and  in  i860  went  to 
England  to  take  a  general  course  at  Walton 
college  located  near  Liverpool,  attending  the 
school  for  three  years.  He  remained  seven 
years  following  the  time  spent  in  study  and 
then  returned  to  California  coming  directly  to 


Los  Alamos  and  purchasing  the  ranch  which 
he  now  owns.  It  has  been  no  small  task  to 
accomplish  the  conversion  of  ten  thousand 
acres  of  raw  land  running  to  wild  mustard 
and  other  noxious  crops,  into  the  highly  pro- 
ductive and  well  improved  present  day  ranch, 
and  it  may  well  be  a  matter  of  pride  to  Mr. 
Bell  that  he  has  succeeded  so  completely. 
He  was  married  to  Catherine  Den,  a  daughter 
of  Nicholo  A.  Den,  who  came  to  California  in 
1824.  They  have  a  family  of  five  children, 
three  of  whom  are  married.  They  are  Cathe- 
rine, married  to  J.  L.  Cheney  and  lives  in 
Connecticut;  Charles,  married  to  Miss  Kelley 
of  St.  Paul,  JMinn.,  lives  at  Alma,  Mich.,  where 
he  is  superintendent  of  a  sugar  factory;  Car- 
rie; Rosa;  Mary,  married  to  Charles  Cheney, 
and  lives  in  Connecticut.  Mrs.  Bell  is  a  finely 
educated  woman  and  well  informed  on  the 
subject  of  history,  especially  the  history  of 
California  and  England.  Religiously  Mr.  Bell 
IS  a  communicant  of  the  Rom.an  Catholic 
Church ;  politically  he  is  a  Republican ;  and 
fraternally  belongs  to  the-  Knights  of  Pythias 
lodge  at  Los  Alamos,  where  he  has  served  the 
lodge  as  chancellor  commander.  A  man  of 
fine  education  and  unusually  well  traveled, 
and  posses.sed  of  a  high  order  of  business 
sagacity  he  has  not  devoted  himself  entirely 
to  private  interests  but  has  bent  the  weight 
of  his  activities  and  influence  to  the  further- 
ing of  public  enterprises  tending  to  the  im- 
provement and  unbuilding  of  his  section  of  the 
state,  where  he  is  highly  esteemed  as  one  of 
the  leading  men. 


ALBERT  AYLMORE.  Albert  Aylmore, 
one  of  the  ijrogressive  and  successful  ranchers 
of  small  fruit  in  Los  Angeles  county,  although 
a  newcomer  in  this  section,  holds  a  high  place 
among  the  representative  farmers.  He  is  a 
native  of  England,  having  been  born  in 
Sussex,  January  21,  1844.  His  parents  were 
also  natives  of  England,  his  mother  dying 
when  he  was  only  a  small  child.  Albert  Ayl- 
more enlisted  in  the  English  navy,  being 
thrown  upon  his  own  resources  at  an  early 
age.  His  education  was  received  in  a  private 
and  common  school  up  to  the  time  of  his  en- 
listment. He  served  in  the  navy  for  six  and 
one-half  years,  proving  an  able  seaman  and 
being  in  line  of  promotion  when  he  resigned 
from  the  service.  At  that  time  he  came  to  the 
United  States  and  in  the  territory  of  Wash- 
ington engaged  in  farming  for  the  period  of 
three  years,  when  he  moved  to  Oregon  and 
followed  ranching  and  dairying.  He"  became 
the  owner  of  a  fine  ranch  in  Oregon  and  also 
several  lots  in  Astoria,  and  was  'interested  in 


^76 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


salmon  fishing  on  the  Cokimbia  river.  De- 
ciding to  take  up  his  residence  in  California, 
Mr.  Aylmore  disposed  of  his  ranch  property 
in  Oregon  and  came  south  and  in  Workman 
leased  a  farm  of  two  hundred  acres.  He  car- 
ried on  general  farming,  stock-raising  and  a 
dairy  business  for  about  four  years.  He  then 
came  to  Los  Angeles  county  and  purchased 
a  ranch  of  seven  acres  putting  on  all  improve- 
ments, a  fine  residence,  substantial  and  com- 
modious barns  and  outbuildings  and  has  put 
his  place  under  berries,  logan,  black,  dew  and 
raspberry.  His  fine  irrigation  system  gives 
him  sufficient  water  for  the  raising  of  his 
crops. 

Mr.  Aylmore  married  Annie  Heckard,  a 
native  of  Ohio,  and  they  became  the  parents 
of  four  children,  namely:  Charles;  George, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years ;  Daisy, 
who  married  A.  C.  Turon,  and  has  one  child; 
and  Mark.  i\Irs.  Aylmore  died  in  Oregon, 
and  in  1887  Mr.  Aylmore  married  Mrs.  Caro- 
line Paulson,  widow  of  Olaf  Paulson,  a  native 
of  Sweden.  By  her  first  marriage  she  had 
three  children:  Elizabeth  S.,  William,  and 
Olaf.  They  make  their  home  with  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Aylmore.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aylmore  have 
three  children :  Annie,  Pearl  and  Albert. 
Mr.  Aylmore  is  a  stanch  Democrat  in  his 
political  affiliations  and  has  always  taken  an 
active  interest  in  the  advancement  of  the  prin- 
ciples he  endorses.  During  his  residence  in 
Oregon  he  served  as  school  trustee  for  many 
years.  He  is  well  informed  on  topics  of  the 
day,  is  liberal  and  enterprising,  and  a  worthy 
addition  to  the  citizens  of  Los  Angeles  coun- 


NATHAN  L.  BRECKENRIDGE.  The 
family  represented  by  this  enterprising  ranch- 
er of  Compton  originated  in  Kentucky  and 
counted  among  other  notable  members  John 
Cabell  Breckenridge,  vice-president  of  the 
United  States  under  James  Buchanan,  this  an- 
cestor being  a  second  cousin  of  Merrill  Breck- 
enridge, the  latter  the  father  of  our  subject. 
A  native  of  the  state  which  had  been  the  home 
of  so  many  of  his  ancestors,  Merrill  Brecken- 
ridge, when  a  young  single  man  set  out  for 
the  frontier,  as  Illinois  was  then  considered, 
and  in  that  state  took  up  raw  land  from  the 
government  About  this  time,  too,  the  Town- 
send  famih'  settled  there  from  Ohio,  and  as  a 
result  of  the  friendship  that  sprang  up  be- 
tween the  two  families  was  the  marriage  of 
Merrill  Breckenridge  and  Pri.scilla  Townsend. 
On  Rooks  creek,  in  Livingston  county,  the 
young  people  established  their  home  on  the 
farm  which  Mr.  Breckenridge  had  in  the 
meantime  improved  to  a  fine  state  of  cultiva- 


tion and  there  they  reared  their  seven  children. 
Of  these  five  are  now  in  California.  In  addi- 
tion to  being  a  farmer  of  considerable  ability 
Merrill  Breckenridge  was  known  throughout 
Illinois  in  the  early  days  as  a  man  of  large 
legal  attainments,  and  to  him  belongs  the  dis- 
tinction of  being  the  first  judge  of  Livingston 
county,  an  office  which  he  held  for  niany 
years.'  For  two  terms  also  he  was  sherifi'  and 
county  assessor  of  the  same  county,  positions 
which  came  to  him  through  Democratic  in- 
fluence, for  he  was  a  strong  party  man  and 
well  liked  among  his  constituents.  In  the  com- 
munity where  he  had  spent  the  greater  part 
of  his'life  he  ceased  from  his  labors  at  the  age 
of  seventy-six  years,  and  his  wife  also,  died 
in  the  same  state  at  the  age  of  fifty-six  years, 
they  being  members  of  the  Baptist  and  Meth- 
odist  Episcopal  Churches,  respectively. 

Nathan  L.  Breckenridge  was  born  on  the 
Livingston  county  homestead  Augu.st  19, 
1867,  and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  that  locality.  Early  in  life  he  was  obliged 
-:o  face  the  stern  realities  which  must  come 
to  all  sooner  or  later,  the  death  of  his  parents 
when  he  was  .sixteen,  making  it  necessary  to 
provide  for  his  own  support.  Prior  to  this, 
however,  he  had  worked  on  the  home  farm 
and  become  proficient  in  general  farm  duties, 
so  that  he  had  a  fovmdation  upon  which  to 
build  when  starting  out  for  himself.  Until 
twenty  years  old,  or  until  1887.  he  worked  for 
neighboring  farmers  ni  Illinois  and  then 
turned  his  face  westward,  coming  to  Los  An- 
geles county.  His  knowledge  of  agriculture 
made  the  securing  of  employment  an  easy 
matter,  and  for  a  time  he  was  employed  on 
the  Walton  ranch  near  Compton.  He  gave  up 
this  position  to  go  into  partnership  with  his 
brother,  W.  J.,  the  two  being  associated  in  a 
ranching  enterprise  for  about  four  years.  Up- 
on the  dissolution  of  the  partnership  Nathan 
L.  went  to  Riverside  county  and  carried  on  a 
ranch  for  about  two  years,  and  the  following 
three  years  were  spent  in  Ventura  county, 
two  years  on  a  stock  ranch  and  one  year  on  a 
bean  ranch.  Coming  once  more  to  Los  An- 
geles county  he  secured  a  position  on  the  Can- 
field  ranch  and  was  finally  made  foreman  of 
the  property,  a  position  which  he  held  for 
seven  years,  during  which  time  he  planted  a 
large  portion  of  the  land  to  alfalfa.  So  great 
was  his  success  in  the  raising  of  this  com- 
modity that  he  determined  to  establish  a 
ranch  of  his  own,  a  determination  which  he 
carried  out  in  1902  by  the  purchase  of  the 
Sexton  ranch,  a  tract  of  sixtN'-three  acres 
which  is  so  located  that  irrigation  is  unneces- 
sary. The  land  is  exceptionally  well  adapted 
to  the  raising  of  alfalfa. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2177 


A  marriage  ceremony  performed  in  1892 
united  the  destinies  of  Nathan  L.  Brecken- 
ridge  and  Sadie  Brinkerhoff,  the  latter  a 
daughter  of  Peter  -S.  Brinkerhoff,  who  is 
known  to  be  one  of  tlie  earhest  pioneers  in 
the  state  of  California.  Two  children  were 
born  to  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Breck- 
enridge,  Opal  B.  and  Lloyd,  but  the  latter 
died  at  the  age  of  two  years.  Of  the  same 
political  belief  as  his  father,  Mr.  Breckenridge 
is  a  stanch  Democrat,  and  fraternally  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Modern  Woodman  Lodge  at 
Compton.  .  

MISS  FRANCES  E.  CALLISTER  and 
MRS.  LILLIAN  D.  SMITH.  The  enterprising 
firm  of  Callister  &  Smith,  composed  of  two 
bright  and  capable  business  women.  Miss 
Frances  E.  Callister  and  Mrs.  LiUian  D. 
Smith,  is  widely  known  throughout  a  large 
part  of  Los  Angeles  county,  and  is  carrying 
on  a  notable  business  in  Venice  as  dealers  in 
real  estate.  Miss  Callister  and  Mrs.  Smith 
have  been  close  friends  and  business  asso- 
ciates for  many  years.  Living  in  the  same 
eastern  city,  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  for  a  long  time, 
both  were  ambitiotis  to  enter  upon  a  business 
career,  and  chose  that  of  a  florist.  Beginning 
on  a  small  scale,  they  were  successful  from 
the  start,  building  up  a  substantial  business, 
which  necessitated  the  erection  of  two  large 
greenhouses.  They  made  a  specialty  of  rais- 
ing carnations,  developing  a  great  variety  of 
very  large  ones,  almost  rivalling  some  of  Bur- 
bank's  recent  productions.  They  raised  plants 
and  flowers  of  all  kinds  for  sale,  and,  although 
they  had  nearly  an  acre  of  land  under  glass 
near  Seneca  Park,  they  were  oftentimes  un- 
able to  supply  the  demand  for  cut  flowers. 
They  became  numbered  among  the  leading 
florists  of  western  New  York,  and  were  just- 
ly proud  of  the  financial  and  social  standing 
they  acquired  in  Rochester.  , 

A  native  of  Rochester.  N.  Y.,  Frances  E. 
Callister  came  of  honored  ancestry,  her  fore- 
fathers being  among  the  pioneers  of  that  city. 
Her  father,  John  Callister,  who  married  Eliza- 
beth Gawne,  was  for  many  years  a  prominent 
business  man  of  Rochester,  active  in  manu- 
facturing and  financial  circles. 

After  leaving  the  public  schools  of  Roches- 
ter, Miss  Callister  attended  the  Rochester 
Female  Academy.  Desirous  of  becoming  a 
physician,  she  then  entered  the  St.  Louis 
Homeopathic  Aledical  College,  where  she  re- 
mamed  two  years.  Going  then  to  the  Carl 
Dunham  Flomeopathic  College,  she  pursued 
her  studies  there  for  a  year,  but  on  account  of 
ill  health  was  forced  to  abandon  her  studies. 
Returning   to    Rochester,    she    turned    her    at- 


tention to  music,  studying  and  teaching  it 
for  five  years,  at  the  same  time  being  director 
of  the  choir  of  the  St.  James  Episcopal  Church. 
In  her  musical  profession.  Miss  Callister  was 
very  successful,  many  of  her  pupils  becoming 
prominent  in  musical  circles  and  on  the  stage. 
Also  in  business  for  some  time  with  her 
friend,  Airs.  Smith,  she  became  widely  known 
as  a  florist,  and  remained  in  the  city  of  her 
birth  until  her  health  again  failed. 

Coming  to  California  on  account  of  an  acute 
throat  trouble.  Miss  Callister  located  in  San 
Francisco,  intending  to  resume  her  studies  in 
the  medical  college  while  there,  but  the  cli- 
mate proving  too  harsh  for  her,  she  came  to 
Southern  California,  for  a  time  residing  in 
Pasadena.  Subsequently,  in  company  with 
Mrs.  Smith,  she  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
business  at  Venice,  and  from  the  very  begin- 
ning has  met  with  decided  success.  The  firm 
of  which  she  is  the  head  is  now  connected 
with  Whitcomb,  Gibson  &  Co.,  of  Los  An- 
geles, and  is  most  pleasantly  located  on  Ocean 
Front,  Venice. 

A  native  of  Pennsylvania,  Lillian  D.  Smith, 
nee  Draper,  was  born  in  Franklin  county,  a 
daughter  of  Simeon  and  Emma  (Castleman) 
Draper.  The  family  moved  when  she  was 
young  to  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  where  Mr.  Draper 
was  successfully  employed  as  a  leather  dealer 
until  his  death.  He  was  influential  in  busi- 
ness, and  quite  prominent  as  an  Odd  Fellow. 
Completing  her  education  at  Professor  Tay- 
lor's boarding  school,  in  Syracuse,  N.  Y., 
which  she  attended  four  years.  Miss  Draper 
then  went  to  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  where  she 
resided  with  a  married  sister  for  five  years. 
She  was  afterwards  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  with 
her  parents  until  her  marriage  with  the  late 
John  S.  Smith.  A  native  of  Lexington,  Ky., 
"\Ir.  Smith  was  educated  for  a  physician  in 
Philadelphia.  Pa.,  and  after  his  marriage  was 
engaged  in  business  in  Lexington,  Ky.,  as  a 
registered  pharmacist  and  druggist,  carrying 
on  a  thriving  business  until  his  death.  Re- 
turning to  Nevf  York  after  the  death  of  her 
husband,  Mrs.  Smith  took  up  her  residence 
once  more  in  Rochester,  and  subsequently,  in 
company  with  Miss  Callister.  was  there  em- 
ployed successfully  as  a  florist,  as  previously 
mentioned,  for  four  years.  In  September,  1904, 
she  came  with  her  friend  to  Los  Angeles 
county,  and  as  junior  member  of  the  firm  of 
Callister  &  Smith  is  prominently  engaged  in 
the  sale  and  transfer  of  real  estate. 


OTTO  TRAUZETTEL  is  a  striking  ex- 
ample of  what  a  young  man  can  accomplish 
with    perseverance   and    energy,  by   improving 


2178 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  developing  the  rich  lands  of  California. 
He  is  a  "hustler"  and  far-seeing  and  has  al- 
ready laid  the  foundations  for  a  fortune,  own- 
ing a  ranch  of  twenty-three  hundred  acres,  of 
which  all  of  the  tillable  land  is  under  cultiva- 
tion and  highly  improved.  Otto  Trauzettel 
was  born  in  Leipsic.  Germany,  October  lo, 
1871,  his  father,  Wilhelm,  being  a  carpenter 
and  builder  of  that  location,  where  he  now  re- 
sides at  the  age  of  ninety  years.  The  mother, 
Wilhelmina  ('.Meach)  Trauzettel,  was  born  in 
Germany  and  died  there  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
four  years.  Of  their  seven  children  all  are 
living'.  Otto  Trauzettel  was  reared  in  Ger- 
many and  educated  in  the  common  schools, 
remaining  at  his  studies  until  his  was  seven- 
teen years  old,  when  he  left  home  and  coming 
to  America  made  the  trip  to  California  via 
New  York  City,  New  Orleans,  and  El  Paso, 
to  Riverside  county. 

In  1896  he  began  farming  for  himself  in 
Moreno  vallej'.  Four  years  later  he  found 
himself  $900  in  debt  because  of  three  dry 
years.  Undaunted  by  this  misfortune  he  went 
to  work  for  Mr.  Kerr  as  his  foreman,  contin- 
uing with  him  until  the  spring  of  1903  when 
he  purchased  the  nucleus  of  his  present  ranch, 
consisting  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  He 
built  his  home  on  the  knoll  where  he  landed 
April  24,  1888,  and  began  farming,  raising 
grain  and  selling  wood.  He  continued  to  pur- 
chase land  until  he  owned  twenty-three  hun- 
dren  acres  in  one  body. 

In  Riverside  Air.  Trauzettel  was  married  to 
Miss  Georgia  Woolfolk,  a  native  of  Texas,  and 
a  daughter  of  James  and  Florence  (Parmen- 
ter)  Woolfolk,  and  they  have  two  children, 
namely:  Lorr.ie  and  Elspeth.  Fraternally 
Mr.  Trauzettel  is  identified  with  Redlands 
Lodge  No.  341,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  the  Woodmen 
of  the  \A''orld.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church  :  politically  he  is  an  ad- 
vocate of  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party. 


^WILLIAM  J.  GRAY.  A  son  of  John  J. 
Gray,  who  served  in  the  Civil  war  as  a  brave 
soldier,  William  J.  •  Gray  was  born,  June  17, 
1877,  in  Carrolton,  Mo.,  his  mother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Mary  Dozier,  being  a  native 
of  Kentucky,  and  a  resident  of  Los  Angeles, 
Cal..  at  the  present  writing.  She  has  two 
children  living,  William  J.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  being  the  oldest  child. 

Brought  up  in  Buenavista,  Colorado,  Will- 
iam J.  Gray  received  a  practical  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  that  town.  Going  from 
there  to  Kansas  City,  he  was  employed  for 
some  time  at  mechanical  and  electrical  work, 


acquiring  valuable  knowledge  and  experience. 
Returning  to  Buenavista,  Colo.,  he  took  a  con- 
tract for  building  twenty-eight  miles  of  tele- 
phone lines  for  an  independent  company. 
Completing  his  work.  Air.  Gray  went  to  Den- 
ver, Colo.,  and  became  associated  with,  the 
Colorado  Telephone  Company,  working  in 
various  departments  until  1902,  when  he  re- 
signed his  position  and  came  to  Los  Angeles, 
Cal.,  where  he  was  employed  in  the  city's  elec- 
trical department  for  about  six  months.  Then, 
when  the  Home  Telephone  Company  was  es- 
tablished at  San  Pedro,  Mr.  Gray  was  ap- 
pointed local  manager,  and  as  such  superin- 
tended the  building  of  the  line  and  the  plant. 
He  has  accepted  the  position  of  city  electri- 
cian, and  in  this  capacity  is  serving  with  great 
satisfaction  to  .\\\  concerned. 

In  Buenavista,  Colo.,  Mr.  Gray  married 
Frances  Nichols,  who  was  born  in  Wales,  and 
they  have  one  child^  Herbert.  Fraternally  Mr. 
Grav  belongs  to  the  Order  of  Elks. 


SEYMOUR  LOCKE  WATTS,  a  native 
son  of  California,  was  born  in  Pasadena,  No- 
vember 4,  1873,  a  son  of  C.  H.  Watts,  the  lat- 
ter a  native  of  Ohio  who  came  to  California 
in  1868  and  settled  at  San  Pasqual,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming  on  the  present  site  of 
Pasadena.  In  1884  he  purchased  the  Califor- 
nia Stables  located  on  North  Main  street  op- 
posite the  Baker  block  and  there  conducted  a 
business  for  several  years.  He  finally  moved 
to  Compton  twelve  miles  south  of  Los  An- 
geles where  he  owned  a  ranch  of  two  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  devoted  to  the  raising  of 
alfalfa  and  stock.  His  death  occurred  in  1902 
at  the  age  of  sixty  years.  His  wife,  formerly 
Mittie  Locke,  was  born  in  Indiana,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Erie  Locke,  who  brought  his  family  to 
California  in  1868  and  engaged  as  a  farmer 
until  his  death  in  Pasadena.  Mrs.  Watts  still 
survives  and  lives  on  the  old  homestead.  She 
was  the  mother  of  four  children,  namely:  H. 
D.  and  .Seymour  L.,  partners  in  business ; 
Daniel  P.,  of  Los  Angeles :  and  Carl,  at  home. 

The  first  eleven  years  of  Seymour  L.  Watts 
were  passed  in  the  paternal  home  in  Pasadena, 
when  he  removed  to  Los  Angeles  and  passed 
two  years,  thence  going  in  1886  to  the  farm  in 
the  vicinity  of  Complon.  He  attended  the 
public  schools  in  the  diflferent  places  in  pur- 
suit of  an  education  and  at  the  same  time  was 
trained  to  the  practical  duties  of  a  farmer's 
son.  At  the  age  of  twenty  }'ears  he  engaged 
in  independent  efiforts,  going  to  Eastern  Wash- 
ington, where  in  the  Palouse  valley  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  for  the  period  of  two  years. 
Returning  to   Southern   California   he  became 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2179 


interested  in  the  oil  proposition  and  was  em- 
ployed for  about  eight  years  in  various  fields, 
among  them  the  Fullerton,  Santa  Barbara, 
Summerland,  and  Santa  Monica,  being  en- 
gaged in  drilling  wells  for  the  Union  Oil 
Company,  Victor  Hall,  and  Fullerton  Oil 
Company.  In  1903  he  quit  the  oil  business, 
and  with  his  brother,  H.  D.,  engaged  in  farm- 
ing the  home  place,  of  which  one  hundred  and 
seventy-nine  acres  were  in  alfalfa.  He  in- 
stalled a  pumping  plant  with  a  sixteen  horse- 
power, with  a  capacity  sufficient  to  irrigate 
one  hundred  and  thirty  acres.  In  1906  he  pur- 
chased his  present  property,  consisting  of 
fifty-two  acres,  all  in  walnuts,  and  has  since 
given  his  entire  time  and  attention  to  its 
management. 

In  Compton  Mr.  Watts  married  Miss  Edith 
Wilber,  a  native  of  Northern  California,  and 
born  of  this  union  is  one  daughter,  Mittie  L. 
]\Ir.  Watts  was  made  a  Mason  in  Anchor 
Lodge  No.  273,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Compton.  In 
politics  he  retains  the  right  to  cast  his  vote 
for  the  candidate  whom  he  considers  best 
qualified  for  public  office. 


E.  A.  FARRINGTON.  California  is  justly 
proud  of  her  educational  advantages  and  facil- 
ities, which  compare  favorably  with  those  of 
any  other  state  of  the  Union,  boys  and  girls 
alike  receiving  excellent  opportunities  for  ad- 
vancing their  knowledge.  Prominent  among 
the  well-known  instructors  and  educators  of 
Los  Angeles  county  is  Prof.  E.  A.  Earring- 
ton,  now  serving  as  principal  of  the  Downey 
High  School,  a  position  for  which  his  talents 
and  scholarly  attainments  eminently  qualify 
him.  A  son  of  Christopher  C.  Earrington,  he 
was  born,  lanuarv  5,  i860,  at  Franklinville, 
N.  Y.  "  ' 

Born  and  bred  in  New  York  state,  Christo- 
pher C.  Earrington  has  there  spent  his  en- 
tire life.  He  is  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and 
is  now  a  resident  of  Chautauqua.  He  married 
Susanna  Schutz,  a  native  of  Germany,  and 
into  their  household  five  children  have  been 
born,  E.  A.  being  the  special  subject  of  this 
sketch.  Politically  he  is  a  sound  Democrat; 
fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows :  and  religiously  both 
he  and  his  wife  belong  to  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church. 

Receiving  the  rudiments  of  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  Franklinville,  E.  A. 
Earrington  continued  his  studies  in  the  Elling- 
ton Academy,  completing  his  education  at 
Oberlin  College,  in  Oberlin,  Ohio.  After 
leaving  the  academy,  he  taught  school  for  a 
while,    and   while    in   college    taught    several 


terms,  helping  to  defray  his  expenses  while  in 
that  institution.  .'\.fter  his  graduation,  Mr. 
Earrington  continued  his  professional  career, 
teaching  one,  year  in  the  Normal  College,  at 
Hopedale,  Ohio,  then  going  to  Fort  Scott, 
Kans.,  where  he  taught  two  years.  The  fol- 
lowing year  he  was  superintendent  of  schools 
•  n  Burlington,  Kans.,  and  for  ten  years  there- 
after occupied  a  similar  position  at  Paola, 
Kans.  From  there  Mr.  Earrington  went  to 
Salt  Lake  City,  where  for  two  years  he  was 
an  instructor  in  .Salt  Lake  College.  Coming 
to  California  in  1902,  he  has  since  followed 
his  profession  at  Downey,  being  principal  of 
the  high  school,  which  has  just  been  organ- 
ized. This  school  is  in  a  most  flourishing  con- 
dition, having  sixty-three  pupils  enrolled,  with 
three  teachers  besides  Prof.  Earrington.  A 
new  building  for  the  school  is  in  process  of 
construction,  for  the  erection  of  which  the 
city  is  bonded  for  $20,000,  the  contract  price 
being  .$16,150.  The  building  contains  four 
recitation  rooms,  an  assembly  room,  two 
laboratories,  a  science  lecture  room,  an  art 
room,  and  commercial  rooms.  This  building 
is  one  of  the  finest  and  best  equipped  school 
buildings  in  the  county,  and  was  erected 
mainly  through  the  efforts  of  Prof.  Harring- 
ton, who  has  labored  hard  in  the  interests  of 
the  school,  which  he  hopes  ere  long  will  be 
placed  on  the  accredited  list. 

In  1888,  Prof.  Earrington  married  Jennie  L. 
Pond,  who  was  born  in  Missouri,  but  was 
reared  and  educated  in  Kansas,-  where  her 
parents  now  reside,  and  they  are  the  parents 
of  two  children,  namely:  Mabel  and  E. 
Dwight.  Politically  the  Professor  votes  in- 
dependent of  party  restrictions ;  fraternally  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows ;  and  religiously  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  Church. 


J.  B.  BERRY  is  truly  counted  one  of  the 
leading  citizens  of  Nordhofif,  where  he  is  an 
extensive  property  holder,  and  is  as  well 
known  all  over  the  state,  having  resided  in 
various  localities  and  always  followed  pur- 
suits which  brought  him  more  or  less  in  con- 
tact with  the  public.  Besides  owning  a  block 
in  the  town  of  NordhoiT,  he  is  proprietor  of  the 
Nordhofi'  City  Water  Company,  and  of  the 
hotel  known  as  Berry  Villa  which  is  located 
among  the  beautiful  live  oaks  which  make 
Nordhofif  famous.  He  comes  from  good  old 
New  England  stock  his  father,  Daniel  H. 
Be'-ry,  and  his  mother,  Sarah  Partington  be- 
fore her  marriage,  being  natives  of  Maine. 
The  father  was  a  locomotive  engineer  and  was 
killed   in    an    accident,   while   his   mother   still 


2180 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


lives  at  her  houie  in  Santa  Paula.  Of  the 
three  children  in  the  family  but  one,  J.  B.,  is 
now  living. 

Mr.  Perry  was  born  in  Path,  Me.,  August  19, 
1857,  and  received  his  education  in  Brunswick 
and  in  Thompson,  Va.,  where  he  attended  the 
Franklin  Home  School.  He  first  chose  sea- 
faring as  an  employment,  as  so  many  of 
Maine's  sons  have  done,  but  four  years  at  this 
work  decided  him  that  he  would  try  some- 
thing else,  and  hearing  of  the  great  advant- 
ages to  be  found  in  California  he  started  on 
an  overland  trip  and  arrived  in  San  Francisco 
September  10,  1876.  He  crossed  the  bay  to  Oak- 
land and  there  engaged  in  the  dairy  business 
for  one  year,  then,  not  quite  satisfied  with  this 
venture,'  he  decided  to  go  to  Mono  county 
where  he  worked  in  the  mines  for  a  time,  then 
secured  a  position  as  driver  of  a  six-horse 
stage,  and  for  three  years  gave  to  his  passen- 
gers as  safe  and  comfortable — if  somewhat 
thrilling — a  trip  as  was  possible  over  the 
mountainous  roads.  His  next  move  took  him 
to  Ventura  county  near  Santa  Paula,  where 
he  engaged  in  ranching  and  other  occupa- 
tions. 

In  1882  he  was  married  to  Miss  Inez  Blum- 
burg  of  Boone  county,  Iowa.  He  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics,  and  an  interested  participant 
in  all  subjects  of  civic,  social  and  religious  in- 
terest in  his  home  community.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  contrib- 
utes generously  to  its  various  benevolences 
and  charitable  interests.  Altogether  he  is  a 
valuable  citizen  and  deserving  of  the  respect 
and  esteem  which  he  is  universallv  accorded. 


JOHN  MATHEWS  is  a  native  of  Russia, 
born,  April  25,  1867,  in  z\aronsburg,  which 
was  also  the  birthplace  of  his  parents,  John 
and  Catherine  Mathews.  His  father,  a  pilot 
by  occupation,  was  accidentally  drowned  while 
in  the  performance  of  his  duty,  but  his  mother 
is  still  living  at  the  old  home  in  Russia. 

The  only  son  of  the  parental  family  of  two 
children,  John  ?>Iathcws  changed  his  name 
from  "Mathias"  to  its  present  form  when  he 
took  out  citizenship  papers.  Brought  up  in 
his  native  town,  he  attended  the  common 
schools  until  fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he 
shipped  before  the  mast  on  a  coasting  vessel, 
which  was  engaged  in  trade  along  the  Gulf 
of  Riga.  He  subsequently  visited  different 
European  ports,  sailing  from  England,  and  in 
1885  boarded  the  sailing  vessel  "Lady  Law- 
rence" at  Newcastle,  .\ustralia,  and  came  with 
a  cargo  of  coal  to  San  Pedro,  Cal.  Deciding 
to  stay  in  tliis  country,  Mr.  Mathews  went  to 


San  Francisco,  where  he  followed  the  paint- 
er's trade  for  four  years.  He  returned  to  San 
Pedro  in  1889.  Mr.  ]\Iathews  has  acquired 
considerable  wealth,  holding  title  to  city  prop- 
erty, and  he  also  owns  a  gasoline  launch, 
"Ruth,"  which  has  a  capacity  of  ten  tons. 

In  San  Pedro,  Mr.  ]ylathews  married  Do- 
lores Machado,  who  was  born  in  Wilmington, 
Los  Angeles  covmty,  of  pioneer  ancestry.  Her 
father,  the  late  ^Manuel  Machado,  came  from 
Portugal  to  this  country,  and  died  in  San 
Pedro.  He  married  Theresa  Morales,  who  was 
born  in  San  Pedro,  and  is  now  a  resident  of 
Pomona.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mathews  have  three 
children,  namely:  Fritz,  Catherine,  and 
Charles.  Politically  Mr.  Mathews  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  fraternally  he  belongs  to  the 
Eagles. 


WILLIAM  H.  H.  DINWIDDIE.  Promi- 
nent among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  San  Diego 
county  is  William  H.  H.  Dinwiddie,  whose 
large  and  well  appointed  ranch  is  advantage- 
ously located  near  Escondido.  An  able  and 
skilful  agriculturist,  he  has  won  success  in  his 
chosen  occupation,  by  his  industry,  judicious 
management  and  wise  investments,"  becoming 
one  of  the  largest  landholders  in  this  section 
of  the  county.  A  son  of  the  late  John  Din- 
widdie, he  was  born,  November  8,  1840,  in 
Washington  count}',  i\fo.,  one  of  a- family  con- 
sisting of  six  sons  and  two  daughters. 

Born  and  reared  in  Kentucky,  John  Din- 
widdie followed  the  march  of  civilization 
westward,  and  as  a  young  man  settled  in  Mis- 
souri, where  he  was  a  tiller  of  the  soil  for  a 
number  of  years.  In  1850  he  came  overland  to 
California,  having  a  perilous  trip  across  the 
plains,  having  occasional  encounters  with  the 
Indians,  who  stole  most  of  the  stock  which 
was  being  driven  loose.  Settling  in  the  Sacra- 
mento valle}-,  he  entered  land,  and  having 
cleared  and  improved  a  ranch,  resided  there 
until  his  death,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty- 
seven  years.  His  wife  was  born  in  Tennes- 
see, and  died  at  the  remarkable  age  of  ninety- 
seven  years,  in  California.  She  was  a  most 
estimable  woman,  and  a  faithful  member  of  the 
Presb^-terian  Church,  with  which  she  united 
when  young.  Two  of  her  six  sons  are  dead; 
one  lives  in  Sonoma  county;  one  in  the  Sacra- 
mento valley ;  and  one,  William  H.  H.,  in  San 
Diego  county.  In  his  earlier  life  the  father 
was  a  Whig  in  politics,  but  in  his  later  years 
was  'a  strong  supporter  of  the  principles  of 
the  Democratic  party. 

Coming  to  California  in  the  tenth  year  of 
his  age,  William  H.  H.  Dinwiddie  here  com- 
pleted his   early   education.      Living  at   home 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2181 


until  ready  to  establish  himself  as  a  house- 
holder, he  assisted  his  father  on  the  farm  until 
1866.  Then,  after  ranching  in  Yolo  county 
for  two  years,  l\Ir.  Dinwiddle  located  on  his 
present  ranch  in  San  Diego  county,  taking  up 
a  large  tract  of  gOA-ernment  land,  and  at  once 
beginning  its  improvement.  Laboring  indus- 
triously and  wisel}',  he  has  been  very  fortu- 
nate in  all  of  his  ventures,  and  now  has  a 
clear  title  to  three  thousand,  three  hundred 
acres  of  land,  about  six  hundred  acres  of 
which  is  in  Valley  Center.  In  the  care  and 
management  of  this  vast  tract,  Mr.  Dinwid- 
dle has  the  assistance  of  his  sons,  who  are  in- 
terested with  him  in  the  property,  and  is 
carrying  on  an  immense  business  as  dairyman 
and  general  farmer. 

In  1866  Mr.  Dinwiddle  married  Harriet 
Breedlovem  who  was  born  in  Missouri  in 
1850,  and  was  brought  by  her  parents  to  Cal- 
ifornia in  1851.  Six  children  have  blessed  the 
union  of  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Dinwiddle.  Politically 
Mr.  Dinwiddle  is  a  Republican,  and  for  many 
years  rendered  excellent  service  as  justice  of 
the  peace. 


B.  W.  FINCH.  A  skilful  and  practical 
farmer,  B.  W.  Finch,  living  near  Compton, 
Los  Angeles  county,  has  been  actively  inter- 
ested in  agricultural  pursuits  all  of  his  life, 
and  by  long  years  of  experience  has  acquired 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  its  various  branches. 
In  the  management  of  his  ranch,  lying  in  the 
newly  platted  town  of  Hugo,  he  has  shown 
excellent  judgment,  and  has  met  with  undis- 
puted success,  it  being  one  of  the  best  ap- 
pointed and  most  attractive  of  any  in  the  im- 
mediate neighborhood.  A  native  of  Mont- 
gomery county,  Va.,  he  was  born,  November 
20,  1851,  on  the  home  farm,  about  sixteen 
miles  east  of  Christianburg,  a  son  of  John 
William  Finch.  His  grandparents  were  life- 
long residents  of  old  Virginia,  and  were  born 
in  Lynchburg. 

A  Virginian  by  birth  and  breeding,  John 
William  Finch  was  brought  up  on  a  planta- 
tion, and  during  his  life  was  employed  in  till- 
ing the  soil,  serving  prior  to  the  war  as  an 
overseer.  During  the  Civil  war  he  served  as 
a  soldier  under  Gen.  Johnston,  belonging  to 
the  Fifty-fourth  Virginia  Regiment,  for  three 
years  being  in  active  service,  and  one  year  be- 
ing forced  to  remain  out  of  the  field  on  ac- 
count of  illness.  After  the  close  of  the  con- 
flict he  resumed  his  former  occupation,  and 
was  engaged  in  farming  until  his  death,  in 
1880.  He  married  America  Bradford,  who 
was  born  in  Botetourt,  Va.,  seventy-nine 
years  ago,  and  is  no\\'  a  resident  of  California, 


making  her  home  with  her  children.  Of  their 
union  eleven  children  were  born,  namely:  B. 
W.,  Thomas  E.,  George  E.,  Joseph  E.,  Harry 
D.,  Mark  L.,  Robert  L.,  Mary  E.,  ^lartha  C, 
Lucy  J.,  and  Jennie.  The  mother  is  a  member 
of  the  Dunkard  Church,  to  which  her  husband 
also  belonged. 

Beginning  life  as  a  farmer,  B.  W.  Finch 
has  continued  in  his  independent  occupation 
ever  since,  for  six  years  of  the  time  working 
for  wages.  Leaving  home  when  about  twen- 
ty-five years  old,  he  farmed  on  his  own  ac- 
count for  awhile  in  his  native  state,  but  with- 
out the  most  satisfactory  results.  Deciding 
upon  a  complete  change,  he  crossed  the  con- 
tinent in  1882,  coming  to  the  fertile  fields  of 
the  San  Joaquin  valley,  and  settling  in  the 
little  town  of  Ripon.  where  he  lived  and 
labored  for  six  years.  Removing  with  his  fam- 
ily to  Los  Angeles  county  in  1888,  Mr.  Finch 
rented  four  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Puente, 
and  with  but  $375.00  at  his  command  started 
in  business  for  himself,  and  continued  there 
for  eleven  years,  succeeding  so  well  in  his 
undertakings  that  he  enlarged  his  operations, 
before  he  left  having  seventeen  hundred  acres 
under  his  supervision.  Coming  to  Compton 
in  1899,  he  bought  his  present  rginch  of  fifty- 
five  acres,  and  has  since  devoted  himself  to 
general  farming  and  fruit  raising.  The  first 
year  that  he  settled  here  he  had  bad  luck, 
losing  his  entire  crop,  but  since  then  he  has 
met  with  verj-  encouraging  success,  .  raising 
alfalfa  as  his  principal  crop,  but  paying  some 
attention  to  the  culture  of  apples,  pears, 
peaches  and  other  fruits  common  to  this  re- 
gion. 

In  1876,  prior  to  coming  to  California,  Mr, 
Finch  married  Dorthula  Pittilo,  who  was  born 
in  Tennessee,  on  the  French  Broad  river,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  namelv: 
Mamie  D„  wife  of  E,  E,  Eaton,  of  Los  An- 
geles, has  one  daughter;  and  William  W,, 
who  married  Grace  Adams.  Politically  Mr. 
Finch  is  a  straightforward  Democrat,  and  re- 
ligiously he  is  a  member,  with  his  wife,  of 
the  South  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


H.  FOUSSAT.  Born  and  reared  in  a  for- 
eign land,  H.  Foussat  came  to  California 
when  a,  young  man,  and  as  a  pioneer  settler 
of  San  Diego  county  has  contributed  largely 
towards  its  development  and  progress.  As 
an  agriculturist  he  is  meeting  with  marked 
success,  having  a  finely  improved  and  pro- 
ductive homestead,  on  which  he  is  enjoying 
all  the  comforts  of  life,  and  as  a  loyal  and 
faithful  citizen  of  his  adopted  country  is  es- 
teemed and  respected  by  all.  A  son  of  Romone 


2182 


HISTORICAL  AN'D  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Foussat,  he  was  born,   February    ii,   1845,   in 
France,  where  he  was  bred  and  educated. 

Born  in  France,  Romone  Foussat  was  there 
employed  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil  during  his  en- 
tire life,  he  and  his  wife,  Revera  Francisco 
Foussat,  spending  their  days  in  their  native 
country.  They  were  honest,  God-fearing  peo- 
ple, and  faithful  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church.  Of  the  three  sons  born  of  their  union, 
two  have  passed  to  the  life  beyond,  one  of 
them  dying  in  France,  and  one  in  California. 

H.  Foussat  left  home  and  country  when 
about  twenty-three  years  old,  emigrating  to 
the  United  States,  the  reputed  land  of  peace 
and  plenty.  He  came  by  way  of  Cape  Horn 
to  California,  arriving  in  San  Francisco,  after 
a  voyage  of  two  months  and  two  days,  on 
April  4,  1868.  For  three  years  he  remained 
in  that  vicinity,  working  on  a  ranch  for  a  3'ear, 
and  in  a  laundry  two  years.  Locating  in  San 
Diego  county  in  1871,  Mr.  Foussat  was  em- 
ployed as  a  sheep  herder  for  five  3-ears  for 
one  man,  and  was  subsequently  engaged  in 
sheep  raising  on  his  own  account  for  ten  years, 
pasturing  his  sheep  wherever  he  found  good 
grazing.  Desirous  then  of  locating  perma- 
nently, he  took  up  a  government  tract  of  land 
consisting  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
near  San  Luis  Rey.  Working  energetically, 
he  developed  the  land  from  its  primitive  con- 
dition, and  having  by  means  of  thrift  and 
economy  accumulated  a  little  capital  invested 
it  wisely,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  a  well  im- 
proved grain  ranch  of  seven  hundred  and  eigh- 
ty acres.  In  addition  to  general  farming,  Mr. 
Foussat  is  engaged  in  dairying  to  some  ex- 
tent, keeping  about  twenty  cows,  from  his 
dairy  deriving  a  good  annual  income. 

In  1887,  Mr.  Foussat  married  Dolores  O. 
Compo,  a  native  of  ^Michigan,  and  into  their 
houshold  three  children  have  been  born, 
namely:  Frank,  is  at  school;  Fostenia,  and 
Romone.  Politically  Mr.  Foussat  is  an  ad- 
herent of  the  Democratic  party,  and  religious- 
ly both  he  and  his  estimable  wife  are  members 
of  the  Catholic  Church  at  the  !^Iission. 


W.  M.  GRAY.  In  the  suburbs  of  the  pleas- 
ant village  of  Gardena,  ten  miles  southwest 
of  Los  Angeles,  lies  the  ten-acre  tract  owned 
by  W.  M.  Gray,  and  devoted  to  the. raising 
of  alfalfa,  vegetables,  strawberries  and  dew- 
berries. While  successful  to  an  encouraging 
degree  in  all  of  his  enterprises,  he  is  best 
known  for  the  high  quality  of  the  dewberries 
shipped  from  his  ranch.  This  berry,  which  is 
known  as  tlie  Gardena,  excels  in  productive- 
ness and  ripens  early,  resists  frost  better  than 
the  blackberry,   and   produces   a   sure   crop   of 


large  jet  black  fruit.  In  the  season  of  1902-03 
the  crop  produced  on  one-half  acre  of  this 
ranch  aggregated  five  hundred  and  seventeen 
crates  of  thirty  boxes  each,  and  the  average 
price  per  crate  was  $1.55,  making  a  total  of 
$801.35.  This  remarkable  result  is  due  not 
only  to  the  superior  quality  of  the  berry,  but 
also  to  the  great  care  taken  by  the  owner  in 
the  handling  of  the  plants.  Experience  has 
taught  him  just  when  to  plant  and  when  to 
irrigate,  how  far  apart  to  have  the  rows  and 
the  kind  of  soil  best  adapted  to  the  plant. 
The  success  of  his  venture  has  attracted  at- 
tention, and  he  has  received  many  orders  for 
plants,  filling  orders  for  the  Gardena  dewberry, 
also  for  the  logan  berry,  the  Cuthburt  rasp- 
berry, and  several  varieties  of  strawberries 
that  have  proved  to  be  suited  to  California 
soil. 

In  Randolph  county,  Ind.,  W.  M.  Gray  was 
born  June  14,  1852,  being  a  son  of  George  and 
Lydia  J.  (Mac}')  Gray,  natives  respectively 
of  Ohio  and  Indiana,  the  latter  a  daughter  of 
a  pioneer  physician  of  the  Hoosier  state.  Some 
years  after  his  marriage  George  Gray  took  his 
family  to  Illinois,  thence  went  to  Iowa  and 
settled  on  a  farm,  where  he  died  about  1885; 
his  widow  still  makes  her  home  in  the  same 
locality.  In  religion  she  is  a  sincere  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  to  which 
he  also  belonged.  Among  their  four  children 
who  attained  mature  years  was  the  son,  W. 
M.,  who  accompanied  his  parents  from  In- 
diana to  Illinois  and  thence  to  Iowa.  At  the 
time  of  settling  in  Illinois  he  was  thirteen 
years  of  age  and  during  the  next  twelve  years 
he  remained  in  that  state,  working  as  a  farm 
hand. 

After  going  to  Iowa  Mr.  Gray  purchased  a 
tract  of  forty-five  acres  near  Adel,  Dallas 
county,  and  there  farmed  on  a  small  scale  un- 
til his  increased  capital  justified  a  larger  out- 
lay. Nine  uneventful  but  busy  years  were 
passed  in  Iowa,  from  which  state  he  came  to 
California,  arriving  at  Elsinore,  Riverside 
county,  February  5,  1887,  and  since  then  he 
has  remained  loyal  to  the  interests  of  this 
part  of  the  state,  an  enthusiastic  believer  in 
its  future  development  and  prosperity,  and  a 
stanch  defender  of  its  interests.  Since  about 
1893  he  has  been  a  property  owner  and  now 
has  the  ranch  of  ten  acres  previously  men- 
tioned, as  well  as  town  property  in  Gardena. 
In  addition  to  raising  various  products  on  his 
land,  he  devotes  considerable  time  to  the  busi- 
ness of  a  real  estate  agent,  and  acts  as  agent 
for  the  newly  subdivided  Home  tracts  near 
Gardena. 

Before  leaving  Illinois  'Sir.  Gray  was  united 
in   marriage  (in   INIarch  8,    1876,  with  Miss   F. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2183 


E.  Evans,  a  native  of  tliat  state.  Mrs.  Gray 
is  a  member  of  a  pioneer  family  of  Illinois, 
whither  her  father,  John  Evans,  removed 
from  his  native  Pennsylvania,  settling  on  a 
tract  of  raw  land  and  developing  a  valuable 
farm.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Evans  are  still  liv- 
ing in  Illinois,  where  they  have  important 
property  interests.  Four  children  were  born 
to  the  union  of  Air.  and  Mrs.  Gray,  namely : 
B.  W.,  who  married  Nettie  F.  Smith,  and  re- 
sides on  a  ranch  near  Gardena;  Eva  M.,  who 
died  at  eighteen  years  of  age ;  Irma  G.,  Mrs. 
K.  T.  Hubbell,  who  lives  in  San  Francisco ; 
and  Ernest  J.,  who  is  with  his  parents  on  the 
Gardena  ranch.  The  family  are  broad  in  re- 
ligious views,  with  an  especial  sympathy  for 
the  doctrines  of  the  Alethodist  Episcopal 
Church.  In  politics  i\Ir.  Gray  supports  Re- 
publican principles  and  maintains  a  warm  in- 
terest in  local  afifairs.  Fraternal  movements 
also  receive  a  share  of  his  time  and  thought, 
his  interest  centering  in  the  Masonic  Order 
and  the  Fraternal  Brotherhood,  in  both  of 
which  he  has  held  responsible  offices,  serving 
as  secretary  of  the  former,  and  as  president 
of  the  latter  lodge. 


T.  J.  BROOKSHIRE.  Among  the  promi- 
nent agriculturists  and  pioneer  citizens  of 
Santa  Maria,  who  have  so  materially  assisted 
in  developing  the  resources  of  this  section  of 
Santa  Barbara  county,  is  T.  J.  Brookshire,  a 
man  of  energy,  enterprise  and  ability.  A  son 
of  Jesse  Brookshire,  he  was  born,  July  27, 
1842,  in  Putnam  county,  Ind.,  but  was  brought 
up  and  educated  in  Ottumwa,  Iowa. 

A  native  of  North  Carolina,  Jesse  Brook- 
shire was  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits,  and 
when  a  young  man  settled  as  a  farmer  in  In- 
diana. In  1844  he  removed  with  his  family  to 
Iowa,  and  after  living  in  that  state  a  few 
3'ears  went  to  Missouri.  Not  content  there, 
he  moved  to  Texas,  where  he  became  a  citizen 
of  influence,  at  the  time  of  the  breaking  out 
of  the  Civil  war  being  treasurer  of  the  county 
in  which  he  resided.  Returning  then  to  Mis- 
souri, he  served  as  a  soldier  in  a  Missouri  reg- 
iment, and  after  the  war  was  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming  in  that  state  until  his  death,  at 
the  age  of  sixtv-four  years.  He  married,  in 
Indiana,  Susan  Havrow,  who  was  born  in 
Kentucky,  and  they  became  the  parents  of 
seven  children.  The  mother  died  in  early 
womanhood,  her  death  occurring  when  she 
was  but  thirty-eight  years  old. 

But  two  years  of  age  when  his  parents  re- 
moved to  Iowa,  T.  J.  Brookshire  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools  of  Ottumwa. 
While  yet   in  his   "teens,"   he   went   to   Pike's 


Peak  in  search  of  fortune,  but  like  many  other 
enthusiasts  was  doomed  to  disappointment. 
In  1859  he  came  to  California,  and  after  spend- 
ing a  while  in  Sacramento  located  in  Sonoma 
county,  where  he  had  a  good  position  as  fore- 
man on  a  large  grain  ranch  for  a  period  of 
ten  years.  In  1869  Mr.  Brookshire  made  his 
lirst  appearance  in  Santa  Maria,  and  soon 
after  laid  claim  to  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  government  land,  and  having  proved 
up  obtained  a  legal  title  to  it,  and  subsequent- 
ly transformed  it  into  a  well  cultivated  and 
\aluable  ranch.  He  not  only  carried  on  farm- 
ing with  good  results,  but  was  engaged  to 
some  extent  in  the  grocery  business,  and  for 
three  years  was  one  of  the  leading  merchants 
of  Guadaloupe.  Returning  then  to  the  ranch 
which  he  had  improved,  Mr.  Brookshire  was 
there  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  for 
twenty-three  years,  and  as  a  raiser  of  grain, 
stock,  fruit  and  vegetables  was  quite  success- 
ful. In  the  meantime  he  located  another 
claim,  taking  up  forty  acres  of  government 
land,  which  has  proved  rich  in  oil,  and  which 
the  Brookshire  Oil  Company,  in  which  he  is 
a  director,  is  fast  developing,  and  will  ere  long 
be  on  a  paying  basis,  giving  large  dividends 
to  its  stockholders.  In  1903  Mr.  Brookshire 
moved  from  his  ranch  to  Santa  Maria,  where 
he  now  resides,  an  esteemed  and  respected 
citizen. 

In  1865  Mr.  Brookshire  married  Margaret 
Harris,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  they 
have  six  children.  Politically  Mr.  Brookshire 
is  a  Democrat,  and  religiously  Mrs.  Brook- 
shire is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church. 


GEORGE  HEDDEN,  of  Valley  Center,  has 
lived  in  California  for  almost  half  a  century, 
the  larger  part  of  the  time  being  a  resident  of 
this  valley,  and  thoroughly  represents  the  pion- 
eer element,  as  he  has  aided  its  development 
and  contributed  toward  the  advancement  of  its 
prosperity.  A  sen  of  J.  Hedden,  he  was  born, 
October  21,  1835,  in  Madison  count)'.  111.,  near 
the  city  of  Alton. 

J.  Hedden  was  born  on  Kentucky  soil,  but 
when  a  small  child  was  taken  by  his  parents  to 
Illinois,  where  he  was  reared  and  educated. 
On  reaching  man's  estate  he  adopted  the  occu- 
pation of  a  farmer,  and  for  many  years  was 
employed  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil  in  Illinois.  In 
JS59  he  decided  that  he  could  carry  on  farm- 
ing better  in  a  more  congenial  climate,  and 
with  his  family  started  overland  for  California. 
He  was  taken  ill  while  journeying  across  the 
plains,  and  died  on  the  top  of  the  Sierra  Mount- 
ains. His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Nancy 
Moore,  was  born  in  Illinois,  and  died,  in  1897, 


2184 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  San  Diego  count}',  at  the  home  of  her  son 
George,  of  whom  v/e  write.  She  was  held  in 
high  respect  by  all  who  knew  her,  and  was 
a  faithful  member  of  the  Advent  Church.  She 
bore  her  husband  four  children. 

Brought  up  and  educated  in  I\Iadison  county, 
111.,  George  Hedden  lived  there,  a  member  of 
the  parental  household,  until  1859,  when  he 
came  to  California.  Resuming  the  occupation 
to  which  he  was  trained,  he  followed  ranch- 
ing in  the  Sacramento  valley  for  ten  years,  and 
then  came  to  San  Diego  to  locate  permanent- 
ly, settling  at  Valley  Center.  Taking  up  a 
Government  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  near  the  lower  end  of  the  valley,  he  im- 
proved a  good  ranch,  on  which  he  resided  until 
igo2,  when  he  sold  out  to  Mr.  W.  H.  H.  Din- 
widdle. Purchasing  then  his  present  home 
estate,  ^Ir.  Hedden  is  now  proprietor  of  two 
hundred  acres  of  good  land,  which  he  devotes 
to  the  raising  of  grain  and  stock.  Although 
he  does  but  little  of  the  manual  labor  required 
on  a  farm,  he  personal^'  supervises  its  manage- 
ment, attending  to  all  of  the  details  connected 
with  ranching,  and  as  an  agriculturist  is  meet- 
ing with  excellent  pecuniary  results.  Polit- 
Icallv  Mr.  Hedden  is  a  Democrat. 


THOMAS  J.  GRIDER,  Jr.  The  family  rep- 
resented by  this  progressive  nurseryman  of 
Los  Angeles  county  is  of  southern  extraction 
and  has  been  identified  with  that  part  of  the 
country  for  many  years.  Thomas  J.  Grider. 
Sr.,  who  was  born  in  Tennessee,  June  20, 
1839,  had  no  educational  advantages  as  a  boy 
and  earned  his  own  livelihood  at  a  time  when 
to  most  children  life  is  but  play  and  study. 
At  the  age  of  twelve  years  he  crossed  the 
plains  to  California  with  a  party  who  made 
the  long  journey  overland  and  with  the  ma- 
jority of  the  members  of  the  expedition  he 
tried  his  luck  at  mining,  but  with  little  suc- 
cess. In  1853  he  was  employed  in  Sacramento 
and  remained  in  the  northern  part  of  the  state 
until  about  1864,  when  he  came  to  Los  Ange- 
les county,  and  took  up  general  ranch  pur- 
suits with  fair  success.  February  4.  1874,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Lizzie 
Hutchison,  who  was  born  in  Texas  February 
29,  1856,  and  who,  by  reason  of  the  peculiar 
date  of  her  birth,  was  obliged  to  limit  the 
celebration  of  her  birthday  anniversaries  to 
once  in  four  years.  Two  sons  were  born  of 
their  union  who  are  now  living,  both  of  them 
engaged  in  ranch  pursuits  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  state.  The  parents  are  identified 
with  the  Christian  Church  and  enjoy  the  es- 
teen  of  the  many  acquaintances  they  have 
formed  in  this  vicinity.  After  having  lived 
near  Downey  for  a  long  period  they  erected  a 


residence  near  Hollywood  and  removed  there 
to  spend  their  remaining  years  in  quiet  re- 
tirement amid   attractive   surroundings. 

In  the  town  of  Downey,  where  he  was  born 
Alarch  23,  1878,  Thomas  J.  Grider,  Jr.,  re- 
ceived a  public  school  education.  On  the  com- 
pletion of  his  studies  he  became  interested  in 
ranching,  also  conducted  a  real  estate  busi- 
ness for  three  years.  About  1900  he  embarked 
in  the  nurserj'  business  at  Downey,  making 
a  specialty  of  deciduous  fruit  trees,  orders  for 
which  he  received  from  other  localities  than 
his  own,  as  well  as  filling  many  orders  in  the 
home  neighborhood.  .A.fter  five  years  he  pur- 
chased twenty-five  acres  near  Hollywood, 
and  in  the  near  future  will  remove  to  his  new 
place,  where  he  plans  to  continue  the  decid- 
uous fruit  nursery  business  and  in  addition 
expects  to  raise  berries  and  conduct  a  small 
dairy. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Grider  in  1902  united 
him  with  .\Iary,  daughter  of  J.  W.  Venable, 
who  was  born  in  Kentucky  and  in  an  early 
day  came  to  California,  where  she  was  born, 
reared  and  educated.  Her  father  still  makes 
his  home  at  Downey,  where  he  has  held  a 
numbed  of  local  offices  and  has  been  a  stanch 
supporter  of  the  Democratic  party'.  Mr. 
Grider  is  also  Democratic  in  his  political 
faith  and  gives  his  support  to  the  party  at  all 
elections.  Though  not  identified  with  any 
denomination  he  inclines  toward  the  doctrines 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  con- 
tributes to  religious  movements,  being  in 
thorough  sympathy  with  the  same.  Frater- 
nally he  hold  membership  with  thfe  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 


EDMUND  J.  VALENTINE,  a  son  of  Ed- 
mund \"alentine,  was  born  August  5.  1841,  in 
Warren  county.  Pa.,  and  died  at  his  home, 
Burbank,  Cal.,  Alay  23.  1903,  his  death  being 
a.  cause  of  general  regret.  When  a  boy  of 
fourteen  years  he  moved  with  the  family  to 
Geneseo,  111.,  where  he  grew  to  manhood.  In 
T863  he  went  to  Polk  county,  Iowa,  locating 
in  Mitchellvillc.  Establishing  himself  as  a 
merchant,  he  remained  there  for  almost  twenty 
years,  building  up  a  large  and  renumerative 
trade.  Removing  to  ^Mitchell  county.  Kans.. 
in  1882,  he  invested  his  money  in  a  large 
ranch,  and  engaged  in  the  stock  business  on 
an  extensive  scale.  He  was  quite  successful 
in  his  operations,  and  was  fortunate  enough 
to  sell  ont  land  and  cattle  just  before  the  hard 
times  swept  across  the  country,  nearly  ruining 
the  stock  industrv.  Coming  to  California  in 
1886,  he  settled  first  in  Los  Angeles,  where 
he  bought  considerable  land,  which  he  after- 
wards exchanged  for  other  property.     Finally 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2185 


locating  in  North  Glondale,  he  bought  real 
estate,  and  in  1902  erected  the  beautiful  home 
in  which  his  widow  and  children  now  live. 
In  the  home  ranch  there  are  twenty  acres  of 
valuable  land,  and  near  by  is  a  well  improved 
tract  of  ten  acres. 

;\Ir.  A'alentine  married  Mary  DeLong,  a 
daughter  of  the  late  William  DeLong,  a  man 
of  prominence,  who  spent  his  early  life  in 
Pennsylvania,  but  subsequently  removed  to 
Iowa,  where  he  died,  May  26,  1905,  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  eighty-five  years.  Of  the  union 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Valentine  five  children  were 
born,  name!}- :  ^Villiam,  of  Corona,  Cal. ; 
Minnie,  wife  of  Prof.  E.  T.  Merrill ;  Edmund, 
deceased ;  John  Sherwood,  of  Ravena,  Cal. ; 
and  Edna,  attending  the  Glendale  high  school. 
Politically  Mr.  Valentine  was  always  identi- 
fied with  the  Republican  party.  Fraternally 
he  was  a  Master  Mason,  and  a  member  of 
the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen.  Re- 
ligiously he  and  his  family  united  with  the 
Episcopal  Church. 


GEORGE  A.  MOHRENSTECHER.  An 
enthusiastic  promoter  and  active  in  the  de- 
velopment of  this  section  of  Southern  Califor- 
nia, George  A.  Mohrenstecher  is  one  of  the 
best  known  citizens  of  Long  Beach  and  his 
position  as  secretary  and  director  of  the  Bixby 
Land  Company  and  also  of  the  Los  Ceretos 
Improvement  Company  (two  of  the  largest 
and  most  prominent  real  estate  companies  of 
that  city),  gives  him  a  leading  place  in  the 
ranks  of  the  business  men  of  this  community. 
He  was  born  April  3,  1859,  in  Boonville,  Mo. 
His  father,  for  whom  he  was  named,  was  a 
native  of  Prussia  and  when  he  first  came  to 
America  settled  in  Mississippi,  then  removed 
to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and  at  the  breaking  out  of 
the  Civil  war  became  captain  of  a  company  in 
the  Thirty-third  Missouri  Volunteer  Infantry. 
He  saw  much  active  service  and  was  once 
wounded  in  battle  during  the  conflict.  When 
the  war  was  over  he  settled  in  Nebraska  City, 
Neb.,  and  engaged  in  the  general  merchandise 
business  until  his  retirement  from  active  work 
several  years  before  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1891.  Fraternally  he  was  a  Master  Mason, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  while  politically  he  was  a 
stanch  advocate  of  Republican  principles.  His 
wife,  who  was  Mary  Shutte  in  maidenhood, 
was  born  in  Brunswick,  Germany,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Zachariah  Shutte,  a  man  prominent  in 
the  Revolution  of  1848  and  who  for  political 
reasons  was  obliged  to  come  to  this  country. 
From  New  York  he  went  to  Missouri  and 
later  to  Osawatomie,  Kans.,  living  across  the 
road  from  John   Brown   of  anti-slavery  fame. 


■Mr.  Shutte  was  also  opposed  to  slave  holding. 
He  afterwards  located  in  Kansas  City,  Mo., 
became  a  merchant  and  large  land  owner  and 
lived  there  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Mrs. 
IMohrenstecher  is  now  living  at  the  old  home 
in  Nebraska  City.  Of  her  three  children,  George 
A.  is  the  oldest;  Otto  A.  is  a  wholesale  and 
retail  dry  goods  merchant  in  Quincy,  Cal. ; 
and  Mrs.  Lederman  resides  in  Grand  Island, 
Neb. 

Reared  in  Lincoln,  Neb.,  Mr.  Mohrenstecher 
received  his  education  in  the  public  and  high 
schools  there  and  after  the  completion  of  his 
studies,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  he  secured 
a  position  in  the  Merchants'  Bank  in  Lincoln, 
remaining  with  that  institution  for  one  year. 
He  then  secured  the  appointment  of  assistant 
postmaster  under  Gen.  Otto  Funke  and  cred- 
itably filled  that  position  for  six  years.  Later 
he  went  to  Grand  Island  and  entered  the 
State  Central  Bank  as  assistant  cashier,  re- 
maining there  until  1892,  when  he  came  to 
California  and  spent  the  first  two  and  one- 
half  years  traveling  over  the  state ;  thus  be- 
coming thoroughly  familiar  with  its  resources 
and  possibilities.  In  1895  he  located  in  Los 
Alamitos  and  became  secretary  of  the  Bixby 
Land  Company  and  has  occupied  that  posi- 
tion ever  since,  being  also  at  the  present  time 
a  director  in  the  company.  Removing  to  Long 
Beach  in  1904  he  has  since  made  this  city 
his  home,  having  a  residence  in  Alamitos  Park. 
His  marriage  in  Grand  Island,  Neb.,  united 
him  with  Miss  Hattie  L.  Van  Keuren,  who 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  they  have  be- 
come the  parents  of  two  children,  Corrine  and 
George  A.,  Jr.  Fraternally  Mr.  Mohrenstecher 
is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Or- 
der of  Elks,  and  in  national  politics  advocates 
the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  In 
1906  he  was  elected  to  the  city  council  of 
LongBeach  from  the  first  precinct  and  in  this 
capacity  has  opportunity  to  look  after  the  best 
interests  and  assist  in  the  furthering  of  the 
good  government  of  the  city  whose  welfare  he 
has  so  much  at  heart. 


J.  A.  FIREBAUGH,  of  Lompoc,  is  very 
energetic  and  an  active  participant  in  every 
enterprise  that  stands  for  the  upbuilding  of 
his  home  town.  The  firm  of  J.  A.  Firebaugh 
&  Co.  does  a  general  livery  business  and  en- 
gages in  teaming  of  all  kinds,  and  besides  this 
enterprise  Mr.  Firebaugh  also  owns  a  livery 
barn  in  Orcutt  and  is  interested  in  the  oil 
business.  He  is  of  Virginia  birth  and  parent- 
age, his  father,  David  Firebaugh,  and  mother 
Eliza  (McCownl  Firebaugh,  both  having  been 
born  in  that  state.  The  father  still  lives  there, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-nine  years;  the 


2186 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


mother  died  when  sixty-one  years  of  age. 
There  were  eight  children,  three  of  whom  are 
now   residents   of   California. 

J.  A.  Firebaugh  was  born  June  2,  1865,  in 
Virginia  and  was  there  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools.  He  engaged  in  farming  there 
until  twenty-three  years  of  age,  and  in  the 
fall  of  1888  came  to  Santa  Paula,  Ventura 
count}',  working  first  at  the  oil  business  and 
then  conducted  a  livery  and  transfer  business 
until  1903,  when  he  came  to  Lompoc  and 
bought  out  a  livery  which  he  has  operated 
since.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Totty, 
a  native  of  Kern  county,  Cal.  Two  daughters 
have  been  born  to  them,  Mildred  and  Kath- 
leen. Mrs.  Firebaugh  is  a  member  of  the 
Universalist  Church  in  Santa  Paula,  while  Mr. 
Firebaugh  is  identified  with  the  Presbyterian 
denomination.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican 
and  fraternally  he  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows 
lodge  at  Ventura  and  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World  at   Lompoc. 


ISAAC  N.  LARGE.  Preceded  by  many 
years  as  a  coal  and  lumber  merchant  in  the 
east,  Mr.  Large  came  to  the  west  during  mid- 
dle age  and  has  since  followed  mining,  first 
in  Colorado  and  later  in  California,  having 
claims  in  various  parts  of  the  state.  A  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  he  was  born  in  Allegheny 
countv  in  1837,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  Large. 
The  p'rimary  schools  of  Allegheny  county  fur- 
nished him  his  first  knowledge  of  books,  and 
later  he  attended  the  academy  at  Turtle  Creek 
and  Jefferson  College.  The  plans  for  his  bus- 
iness life  seem  to  have  been  well  laid,  for  as 
soon  as  his  college  days  were  over  he  entered 
into  a  business  which  he  followed  consecutive- 
ly for  twenty-four  years.  Going  to  Elizabeth, 
Pa.,  which  lies  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Monon- 
gahela  river,  and  is  a  coal  mining  center,  he 
there  engaged  in  the  coal  and  lumber  business, 
an  enterprise  which  netted  him  a  good  in- 
come for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century.  Dis- 
posing of  his  business  in  the  east  at  the  end  of 
this  time,  in  1884  he  came  as  far  west  as  Den- 
ver, Colo.,  where  for  about  twelve  years  he 
engaged  in  silver  rnining.  Selling  out  the 
greater  part  of  his  mining  claims  in  1892  he 
came  to  California  the  following  year,  going 
first  to  Fresno  county,  later  to  San  Diego 
county,  and  finally  coming  to  Los  Angeles. 
In  this  state  as  in  Colorado  his  mining  vent- 
ures  have  been   successful. 

While  in  Elizabeth,  Pa.,  I.  N.  Large  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Mary  V.  McDonough, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  John  R.  and  Julia  B. 
IMcDonough,  and  was  born  at  Peters  Creek, 
.Allegheny   county,    Pa.      Three   children    have 


been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Large,  and  all  are 
living.  Julia  is  now  the  wife  of  R.  C.  Casad 
and  with  her  husband  makes  her  home  in 
Gardena ;  Mary  and  N.  S.,  the  3'oungest  child 
and  only  son,  is  a  miner  in  this  state.  The 
family  home  has  been  in  Hollywood  since 
1899,  in  which  year  Mr.  Large  purchased  his 
present  residence  at  No.  14  Large  avenue,  fac- 
ing Prospect  avenue,  one  of  the  finest  loca- 
tions in  the  residence  portion  of  Hollywood. 
During  his  early  years  \lr.  Large  was  trained 
in  the  faith  of  the  United  Presbyterian,  but 
since  coming  to  Hollywood  he  has  attended 
the   Presbyterian  Church. 


CALVIN  BAKER,  one  of  the  best  known 
mining  men  of  Southern  California  by  reason 
of  his  invention  for  extracting  gold  from  the 
baser  metals,  was  born  in  Rensselaer  county, 
N.  Y.,  May  28,  1852,  a  son  of  Jonas  and  grand- 
son of  Lucas  Baker,  both  natives  of  IMassa- 
chusetts,  where  the  name  was  located  prior  to 
the  Revolution.  Both  became  residents  of 
New  York,  where  they  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  lumber,  the  father  being  later  lo- 
cated in  Saratoga  countj^  where  his  death 
eventually  occurred.  He  is  survived  by  his 
wife,  formerly  Lucy  Dodge,  a  native  of  Ren- 
sselaer county,  N.  Y.,  and  now  a  resident  of 
Saratoga  county.  .She  is  the  mother  of  three 
living  children,  one  having  died  in  childhood. 

The  eldest  in  the  family  of  his  parents,  Cal- 
vin Baker  was  one  year  old  when  taken  to 
Albany  county,  N.  Y.,  thence  to  Saratoga  coun- 
ty, where  he  grew  to  years  of  manhood,  re- 
ceiving his  education  in  the  common  schools. 
He  learned  the  lumber  business  with  his  father 
and  worked  as  a  sawyer  in  his  father's  mill, 
and  also  engaged  as  a  millwright  and  machin- 
ist, his  ability  in  the  latter  line  being  inher- 
ited. He  remained  with  his  father  until  at- 
taining his  majority,  when  he  became  depend- 
ent upon  his  own  resources,  building  a  saw- 
mill near  Grooms  Corners,  where  he  manu- 
factured lumber  by  water  power.  Later  he 
built  three  dififerent  portable  steam  sawmills 
and  continued  the  manufacture  of  lumber.  He 
made  many  important  improvements  in  the 
method  of  conducting  his  mills,  but  never  pat- 
ented any  device,  which  failure  to  do  so  gave 
his  inventions  to  others  without  the  cost  of 
exclusive  thought. 

In  1895  ^^r.  Baker  moved  his  machinery  to 
California,  having  previously  made  several 
trips  here.  He  brought  two  carloads  of  ma- 
chinery and  immediately  built  a  steam  saw- 
mill in  the  San  Bernardino  range  and  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  lumber,  and  later  en- 
larged the  capacity  of  the   mill  to  thirty-five 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


J187 


thousand  feet  per  day.  For  the  past  eight 
years  he  has  been  interested  in  mining  on  the 
desert,  and  in  1902  he  sold  his  mill  in  order 
to  give  all  of  his  tmie  and  attention  to  this 
occupation.  He  engaged  in  placer  mining 
twenty  miles  north  of  Barstovv  and  it  was 
there  that  he  first  saw  the  need  for  improved 
machinery  for  conducting  placer  mining.  The 
result  of  "his  efforts  was  his  latest  invention, 
known  as  the  Baker  dry  mill  and  concentrat- 
or, for  the  purpose  of  separating  the  gold  from 
the  ore ;  in  a  test  with  another  machine  for 
a  similar  purpose  which  had  obtained  from 
nine  to  fifteen  cents  a  ton,  Mr.  Baker's  ma- 
chine took  out  on  an  average  from  the  tail- 
ings $1.09  per  ton  out  of  sixty  tons.  This  ma- 
chine is  built  for  a  capacity  of  from  twenty- 
five  to  four  hundred  tons  per  day ;  the  dirt  is 
scooped  on  the  deck  with  teams  and  then  tak- 
en b}^  elevators  and  screened,  after  which  it 
is  run  through  pulverizers,  then  again 
screened,  after  which  it  is  put  through  the 
concentrator  by  means  of  air  pressure  induced 
by  a  gasoline  engine  from  five  to  thirty-five 
horse  power,  when  the  gold  and  the  black 
sand  remain  as  concentrates.  A  separator  is 
provided  for  obtaining  the  gold  from  the  con- 
centrates. In  1906  J\Ir.  Baker  sold  his  two 
hundred  acres  of  placer  claims  to  give  his 
time  and  attention  to  the  manufacture  of  his 
machine,  which  is  protected  by  a  patent,  and 
which  will  undoubtedly  bring  him  a  fortune. 
In  Saratoga,  N.  Y..  Mr.  Baker  was  married 
to  Miss  Hattie  A.  Link,  a  native  of  New  York, 
and  born  of  this  union  were  four  children,  of 
whom  three  are  living:  Angle,  wife  of  R.  T. 
(nirnsey,  of  San  Bernardino ;  Cora,  wife  of  G. 
M.  Taylor,  of  Los  Angeles;  and  Harold.  Mr. 
Baker  gives  his  support  to  the  Baptist  Church, 
of  which  his  wife  is  a  member.  He  is  a  strong 
temperance  advocate  and  is  liberal  in  his  ef- 
forts to  suppress  the  evils  of  liquor  traffic. 
He  is  in  all  tilings  a  progressive  citizen  and 
wherever  known  i?  held  in  high  esteem  for 
his   qualities   ni  mind   and   heart. 


DAVID  ROSE  GLASS.  As  proprietor  of 
the  San  Bernardino  Business  College  David  R. 
Glass  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  factors  in 
the  educational  upbuilding  of  this  section  of 
Southern  California,  and  is  held  in  high  ap- 
preciation for  the  splendid  qualities  of  char- 
acter as  displayed  throughout  his  connection 
with  this  enterprise.  He  is  a  native  of  Hills- 
boro,  Tex.,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  that 
location  February  18,  1880.  His  father,  James, 
was  a  native  of  Springfield,  111.,  while  his 
grandfather,  John,  was  also  a  native  of  that 
place   and    a    farmer   there    until    his    removal 


to  Texas,  where  he  followed  a  similar  occu- 
pation until  his  death.  The  family  was  orig- 
inally English,  the  great-grandfather,  James, 
having  emigrated  from  England  and  settled  in 
Sangamon  county.  111.  A  farming  life  was 
that  to  which  James  Glass  was  reared  in 
Texas  and  in  young  manhood  he  began  that 
occupation  and  later  removed  to  Tyler, 
same  state,  and  was  similarly  occupied 
until  his  retirement  from  the  active  cares 
of  life.  He  married  Miss  Katie  V.  Winter,  a 
native  of  Texas,  and  a  daughter  of  William 
\Vinter,  who  was  born  in  Mississippi  and  be- 
came a  farmer  in  the  Lone  Star  state,  and 
during  the  Civil  war  served  as  lieutenant  in 
the  Confederate  army.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Glass 
became  the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom 
four  are  now  living,  David  R.  being  the  third 
in  order  of  birth  and  the  only  one  in  Califor- 
nia. 

Reared  in  Hillsboro,  Tex.,  and  educated 
primarily  in  the  public  schools,  David  R.  Glass 
later  became  a  student  in  the  Polytechnic  Col- 
lege at  Fort  Worth,  where  he  was  graduated 
in  1899  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  Hav- 
mg  run  out  of  funds  he  worked  his  own 
way  during  the  last  year  and  demonstrated 
the  pluck  and  perseverance  which  are  so  large 
a  part  of  his  nature.  He  began  teaching  im- 
mediately after  leaving  the  college  halls,  hav- 
ing charge  of  the  Hunt  school,  in  Hill  county, 
Tex. ;  after  one  year  he  entered  the  Tyler 
Commercial  College  and  graduated  therefrom 
in  1 901,  having  attended  the  institution  but 
four  and  a  half  months  when  he  was  given 
the  degrees  of  master  of  accounts  and  stenog- 
raphy. He  was  immediately  called  to  a  pro- 
fessorship in  the  Bowie  Commercial  College 
of  Bowie,  Tex.,  retaining  the  position  for  six 
months,  when  he  became  the  head  master  in 
the  Tyler  Commercial  College.  He  retained 
this  position  until  March,  1906,  and  during 
this  time  engaged  in  real  estate  operations  in 
addition  to  his  scholastic  work. 

Resigning  in  1906  Professor  Glass  came  to 
Southern  California  and  in  San  Bernardino, 
in  conjunction  with  a  Mr.  Adair,  purchased 
the  San  Bernardino  Business  College,  and  at 
once  began  its  upbuilding  and  development, 
and  although  but  a  brief  time  has  elapsed 
since  his  assumption  of  afi'airs,  yet  there  has 
been  a  marked  change  and  advancement  which 
bid  fair  to  place  this  institution  in  the  front 
rank  of  those  of  similar  character  in  Southern 
California.  While  in  the  Tyler  Commercial 
College  Professor  Glass  prepared  what  he  has 
since  called  the  Lightning  Legible  Shorthand, 
copyrighting  the  same  in  August,  1906 ;  he  has 
successfully  introduced  it  in  the  San  Bernardi- 
no   Business    College.      It    is    learned    in    one- 


2188 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


half  the  time  required  for  the  other  systems, 
every  possible  means  being  taken  to  make  it 
easily  written  and,  better  still,  easily  read. 
He  is  also  the  originator  of  the  Glass  touch 
typewriting  system,  which  is  making  of  his 
pupils  the  most  accurate  of  those  who  are  fill- 
ing commercial  positions  in  this  section,  and 
he  has  also  originated  the  Glass  system  of 
bookkeeping.  Professor  Glass  is  highly  es- 
teemed and  appreciated  for  the  thorough  and 
conscientious  manner  in  which  he  performs 
his  various  duties,  no  pupil  ever  losing  in 
an}'  way  under  his  instruction,  business  meth- 
ods, thought  and  habit  being  strongly  im- 
pressed upon  the  youth  seeking  a  foundation 
for  a  foothold  in  the  world's  marts. 

In  Tyler,  Tex.,  Professor  Glass  was  united 
jn  narriage  with  Mrs.  Mary  Barnette,  a  native 
of  Mississippi,  and  a  highly  cultured  woman. 
In  his  fraternal  relations  the  professor  is  iden- 
tified with  the  \\'oodmen  of  the  World ;  in 
religion  he  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  South,  and  is  a  teacher  in 
the  Sunday-school.  Politically  he  casts  his 
ballot  in  the  interests  of  the  Democratic  party. 


WILLIAM  A.  SACKETT  was  born  in 
Sherman  count}-,  Tex.,  November  22,  1854,  a 
son  of  Thompson  D.  Sackett,  the  latter  a  native 
of  Illinois.  In  Arkansas  he  met  and  married 
Rebecca  M.  Evans,  a  native  of  Alabama,  and 
after  a  few  years  they  removed  to  Texas. 
Eour  years  later  they  came  to  California,  spent 
two  years  in  San  Bernardino,  then  moved  to 
Visalia,  Tulare  county,  where  they  farmed  for 
a  time.  Locating  in  San  Luis  Obispo  county 
the  father  engaged  in  ranching  for  some  time, 
and  finally  came  to  Los  Angeles  county, 
where  his  death  occurred  in  1892. 

William  A.  Sackett  was  but  three  years  old 
when  his  parents  brought  him  to  California, 
two  years  being  spent  in  San  Bernardino.  His 
education  was  principally  received  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  San  Luis  Obispo  county,  the 
course  being  completed  in  Los  Angeles.  He 
worked  with  his  parents  until  after  his  mar- 
riage, when  he  began  farming  for  himself. 
Hepurchased  his  present  property  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Artesia,  where  he  has  fifty-one  acres 
of  land,  a  part  of  which  is  in  grain  and  corn, 
whde  much  of  his  attention  is  given  to  the 
management  of  a  dairv.  He  has  lived  in  this 
immediate  vicinity  since  1868,  and  on  this 
property  since  1881. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Sackett  occurred  in 
1877,  uniting  him  with  ATiss  M.  M.  Petty, 
who  was  born  in  Texas,  a  daughter  of  Will- 
iam J.  Petty,  and  born  of  this  union  are  the 
following  children:     Marinda,   wife   of  J.   T. 


Orr ;  \\'illiam  A. ;  Joseph  D. ;  Ervin  M.,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years;  R.  J.;  Lucy 
P.;  Jeannette  M. :  Rebecca  J.;  and  Thompson 
D.  Mr.  Sackett  is  associated  fraternally  with 
the  Masonic  lodge  at  Artesia,  the  Order  of 
Eastern  Star  at  Norwalk,  the  Odd  Fellows  and 
Rebekahs  of  Artesia,  the  Independent  Order 
of  Foresters  of  Norwalk,  and  the  Knights  of 
the  JMaccabees  of  Artesia.  Politically  he  is 
a   stanch  advocate  of  Democratic  principles. 


JOSEPH  WEBSTER.  The  work  of  Jo- 
seph Webster  has  been  accomplished  in  the 
upbuilding  of  a  personal  fortune  and  the  estab- 
lishment in  life  of  his  children,  whom  he  has 
had  educated  and  settled  comfortably  in  life, 
to  make  of  themselves  such  citizens  as  he 
has  set  them  the  example.  He  is  an  old  set- 
tler of  this  section  of  Southern  California 
and  during  many  years  of  residence  has  won 
a  high  position  among  his  fellow  men,  appre- 
ciated alike  for  his  business  ability  and  the 
personal  qualities  of  character  which  distin- 
guish him.  He  is  an  Englishman  by  birth, 
born  in  St.  Helen's  April  24,  1842;  his  father, 
Henry,  a  native  of  the  same  place,  brought 
his  family  to  x\merica  in  1849,  locating  on  the 
then  frontier  (Pottavi^attamie  county,  Iowa), 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  two  years  later.  His  wife, 
formerly  Ann  Rigby,  was  of  English  birth, 
and  died  in  San  Bernardino  county  in  1879. 
She  was  the  mother  of  fifteen  children,  of 
whom  twelve  attained  maturity  and  six  are 
now  living. 

Joseph  Webster  was  a  lad  of  'seven  years 
when  he  was  brnught  across  the  water  to  the 
western  world,  the  first  three  years  of  his  life 
being  spent  in  Iowa.  In  1852  the  family  re- 
moved to  Salt  Lake,  crossing  the  plains  with 
ox-teams,  and  in  that  place  he  received  a  lim- 
ited education  in  the  common  schools.  He 
was  early  employed  on  farms  and  also  assisted 
his  mother  in  the  management  of  the  home 
farm.  In  1859  he  came  to  San  Bernardino 
county  by  mule-teams,  and  here  went  to  work 
by  the  month,  and  when  financialh-  able  rented 
land  and  began  farming  on  his  own  resources. 
Two  years  later  he  was  able  to  purchase  prop- 
erty, consisting  of  a  farm  now  on  Third  street 
in  the  town  of  San  Bernardino,  and  here  he 
conducted  general  farming  operations  and  a 
dairy  business.  In  1862  he  began  freighting 
and  the  following  year  with  his  brothers  he 
drove  a  band  of  wild  horses  from  California 
to  Salt  Lake  and  sold  them.  He  continued 
freighting  from  Los  Angeles  to  Salt  Lake  City 
and  into  Arizona  until  1864,  when  he  began 
freighting  to  Montana.    Returning  to  San  Ber- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2189 


nardino  he  engiged  in  teaming,  hauling  lum- 
ber from  the  San  Bernardino  mountains.  In 
1868  he  purchased  a  band  of  cattle  and  be- 
gan stock-raising  in  the  Yucaipe  valley,  locat- 
ing a  ranch  the  same  year.  He  purchased  his 
present  property  from  a  Mr.  Tripp,  of  San 
Jacinto,  and  has  here  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock-raising  ever  since.  He  owns  one-hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  in  Yucaipe  devoted  to 
grain  and  stock,  having  previously  disposed  of 
lands  Avhich  he  owned  in  Bear  valley  and  San 
Jacinto. 

Mr.  Webster  was  married  in  San  Bernardino 
ro  :\liss  Mary  M.  Rabel,  a  native  of  Wyom- 
ing, and  a  daughter  of  Henry  Rabel,  who  was 
born  in  Germany,  emigrated  to  Fort  Larimie, 
Wyo.,  and  thence  came  to  California  and 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Webster  became  the  parents  of  the 
following  children:  Rosalie  I.,  Mrs.  Wil- 
shire,  who  is  now  deceased ;  Elizabeth  E.,  a 
graduate  of  Berkeley  and  a  teacher  in  Pomo- 
na ;  Henry  E.,  a  farmer  in  the  Yucaipe  val- 
ley ;  Reese,  a  farmer  in  Santa  Ana ;  Calvin,  a 
carpenter  in  San  Bernardino ;  Albert,  team- 
ing in  Los  Angeles  county ;  Raymond,  a  farm- 
er in  Yucaipe  valley ;  Clayton,  a  farmer  on  the 
Base  Line  in  San  Bernardino  county;  Lillian, 
a  teacher  in  San  Bernardino;  Grache,  Mrs. 
Brooks,  of  .San  Bernardino ;  and  Mabel,  attend- 
ing a  business  college  of  San  Bernardino. 
Fraternally  Mr.  Webster  is  a  member  of  the 
Odd  Fellows  organization,  being  active  from 
1872  to  1905.  when  he  was  demitted.  He  was 
also  a  member  of  the  encampment  and  Rebek- 
ahs  from  which  he  is  now  demitted.  He 
takes  a  deep  interest  on  all  educational  ques- 
tions, having  served  for  several  terms  as  school 
trustee  in  both  the  Yucaipe  district  and  the 
San  Bernardino  He  has  been  a  Democrat 
politically  since  the  days  of  Douglas,  but  un- 
der the  administration  of  McKinley  he  en- 
dorsed the  principles  of  Republicanism,  of 
which  he  is  now  a  stanch  advocate. 


FREDERICK  A.  POOLE,  located  in 
Covina,  Los  Angeles  county,  was  born  in  San 
Bernardino  county,  near  Colton,  October  11, 
1868;  his  father,  Edward  Poole,  came  to 
America  from  England  in  young  manhood,  and 
in  Missouri  married  Susan  Ann  Wilshire,  also 
a  native  of  England.  He  still  survives  and 
makes  his  home  near  Colton,  at  the  advanced 
age  of  eighty  years.  His  wife  died  in  Septem- 
ber, 1906.  when  seventy-seven  years  old.  They 
were  the  parents  of  twelve  children,  of  whom 
seven  still  survive  and  make  their  home  in 
California. 

Frederick  A.  Poole  spent  his  boyhood  days 


in  his  native  county  and  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools,  after  which  he  en- 
gaged with  his  father  in  ranching  until  he 
was  twenty  years  old.  In  1888  he  moved  to 
Orange  county,  antl  four  years  later  purchased 
a  ranch  of  eiglity  acres  near  Capistrano.  In 
190,5  he  gave  up  ranching  pursuits  and  engaged 
in  the  feed  and  fuel  business  in  San  Bernar- 
dino for  one  year,  then  returned  to  Capistrano 
and  purchased  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres, 
given  over  entirely  to  the  cultivation  of  grain. 
Later  disposing  of  his  Orange  county  prop- 
erty he  came  to  the  vicinity  of  Covina  and 
bought  the  forty  acres  which  form  his  pres- 
ent ranch. 

In  June,  1892,  Mr.  Poole  was  married  to 
Miss  Ada  Hayden,  a  native  of  Missouri,  and 
the  daughter  of  William  Hayden,  and  who 
came  to  California  with  her  parents  when  a 
small  child.  They  are  now  located  in  San- 
Diego.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Poole  have  one  son, 
Fred  L. 


JOSEPH  SILVA,  of  Oxnard,  is  engaged 
in  ranching  on  the  Chiappa  Pietra  ranch. 
A  native  of  Portugal,  he  was  born  De- 
cember 25,  1862,  on  Fayal  Island,  one' 
of  the  Azores,  and  until  after  his  marriage 
resided  in  the  country  of  his  birth.  His  fa- 
ther, Joseph  Silva,  Sr.,  a  farmer,  is  now  liv-' 
ing  in  Portugal  at  an  advanced  age.  His' 
mother,  also  a  life-long  resident  of  Portugal, 
died  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years.  Two  of 
their  sons  besides  Joseph  R.  are  living  in  Ven- 
tura county,  and  a  grandson  makes  his  home 
with  Mr.  Silva,  he  having  come  here  from 
Portugal  in  1904. 

In  1883  Mr.  Silva  immigrated  to  the  United 
States,  coming  to  Alameda  county,  Cal.,  where 
he  was  employed  as  a  ranchman  for  three 
years.  Coming  from  there  to  Ventura  county, 
he  purchased  nine  acres  of  land  in  Saticoy, 
and  since  that  time  has  been  employed  in  till- 
ing the  soil  on  his  own  account.  His  present 
ranch  comprises  fifty  acres,  upon  which  he  has 
made  many  improvements,  placing  the  land  in 
a  fine  state  of  culture,  and  erecting  a  con- 
veniently arranged  residence,  substantial  farm ' 
buildings,  and  furnishmg-  these  with  all  the 
modern  comforts  and  conveniences.  On  the 
home  ranch  he  raises  beans,  and  in  addition  he 
carries  on  two  hundred  acres  devoted  to  the" 
growing  of  barley.  He  has  title  to  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  of  farming  land  in  Los 
Posas,  and  at  Saticoy,  in  addition  to  his  nine- 
acre  ranch,  he  owns  two  house  lots,  and  has 
four  valuable  lots  at  Long  Beach,  his  real  es- 
tate holdings  being  very  valuable. 

In    Portugal,   before   coming   to   the   LTnited 


2190 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


States,  .Mr.  Silva  married  Alexandrina  Da 
Gloria,  who  immigrated  to  California  in  1887, 
joining  her  husband  in  \'entura  county.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Silva  have  six  children:  Mary,  Jo- 
seph, Phoebe,  Annie,  Louise  and  Maggie. 
Mary,  the  oldest  child,  was  born  in  Portugal, 
but  the  others  are  natives  of  Ventura  county. 
Politically  Mr.  Silva  is  a  Republican. 


MORTON  HAIG,  a  native  of  Scotland,  was 
born  in  Edinburgh  September  27,  1848,  his 
parents  being  Robert  and  Catherine  (Shields) 
Haig,  both  natives  of  that  place.  The  father 
was  a  man  of  influence  and  prominent  as  a 
lawyer.  :\forton  Haig  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  Edinburgh,  and  further  pursued  his 
course  in  Germany,  France  and  Italy.  His 
maternal  grandfatlier  having  located  in  Amer- 
ica and  engaged  as  a  successful  rice  planter 
in  South  Carolina,  he  was  induced  to  emigrate 
to  this  country.  He  decided,  however,  to  lo- 
cate on  the  Pacific  coast  and  accordingly  came 
to  California,  where  he  associated  himself  with 
two  brothers,  James  and  Edmund  Parkers,  his 
personal  friends,  in  the  purchase  of  three 
hundred  acres  of  land.  They  are  now  subdi- 
viding this  property  into  small  ranches,  as  Mr. 
Haig  considers  this  an  ideal  location  to  estab- 
lish and  maintain  homes  with  but  moderate 
means.  They  have  previously  devoted  the 
land  to  the  cultivation  of  various  fruits  and 
grains,  and  at  one  time  had  a  magnificent 
dairy  of  full  blooded  Jersey  cattle. 

In  England  Mr.  Haig  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Mis?  Bertha  Brown,  a  daughter  of 
Hugh  Stowell  Brown,  a  noted  Baptist  divine 
of  England  of  more  than  ordinary  renown, 
whose  death  recently  occurred  in  his  native 
country.  ^Ir.  and  Airs.  Haig  are  the  parents 
of  five  children,  namely:  Alice,  Cecil,  Win- 
nifred.  Bertha  and  John. 


CHARLES  GREVE.  of  Palms,  was  born 
in  Germany  in  1840,  a  son  of  Henry  and  Mary 
(Knopp)  Greve,  both  of  whom  were  also  na- 
tives of  the  Fatherland,  where  the  father  still 
resides.  During  his  active  life  he  was  a  farm- 
er, but  of  late  years  he  has  been  living  re- 
tired, deprived  of  the  companionship  of  his 
wife,  who  died  some  years  ago.  Eight  chil- 
dren were  born  to  these  parents.  Charles 
Greve  was  trained  to  agricultural  pursuits  on 
the  home  farm.  In  1862  he  came  to  the  LTnited 
States,  landing  at  Castle  Garden,  New  York 
City,  and  for  several  months  he  worked  there 
as  a  common  laborer  to  provide  the  means  to 
pay  his  passage  across  the  continent.  His 
journey's  end  brought  him  to  -San  Francisco, 


but  he  -soon  left  there  for  the  Owen's  valley. 
Coming  to  the  southern  part  of  the  state  for 
the  first  time  in  1875,  he  was  variously  em- 
ployed in  Los  Angeles  for  about  one  year, 
when  he  purchased  the  ranch  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  on  which  he  now  makes  his 
home.  Of  late  the  active  management  of  the 
ranch  has  fallen  upon  younger  shoulders,  his 
sons  relieving  him  of  the  duties  borne  in 
years  past. 

Mr.  Greve  and  his  wife  have  four  children, 
Rudolph,  George,  Frank  and  Louise,  all  still 
at  home,  and  by  their  self-sacrificing  devo- 
tion to  their  faithful  parents  are  lightening  the 
burdens  of  their  later  years.  The  family  at- 
tend the  German  Lutheran  Church,  and  the 
father  and  sons  uphold  Republican  principles. 


GOTTFRIED  ALEXANDER.  Prominent 
among  the  residents  of  San  Pedro  that  have 
met  with  success  is  Gottfried  Alexander,  a 
well-known  and  prosperous  brick  manufactur- 
er, who  has  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative  bus- 
iness in  this  vicinity.  A  native  of  Germany,' 
he  was  born,  December  23,  1859,  in  Sandau. 
His  father,  John  Alexander,  a  brick  manu- 
facturer, spent  his  entire  life  of  four  score 
years  in  the  Faiherland.  He  married  Louise 
Harra,  who  died  in  German}'.  She  bore  her 
husband  fourteen  children,  nine  of  whom  sur- 
vive. 

Brought  up  in  Sandau,  Gottfried  Alexander 
left  school  when  ten  years  old,  and  then  be- 
gan to  learn  the  brickmaker's  trade,  which  he 
followed  in  his  native  country  until  becoming 
of  age.  Emigrating  to  America  in  1881,  he 
located  in  San  Antonio,  Tex.,  where  for  eight- 
een months  he  was  employed  on  the  South- 
ern Pacific  Railroad.  Locating  in  Los  An- 
geles, Cal.,  in  1883,  he  vvforked  in  a  brick-yard 
and  became  foreman  for  the  firm  of  Simmons 
&  Hubbard,  brick  manufacturers.  Going  to 
Klondike  in  1897,  Mr.  Alexander  crossed  the 
Chilkoot  Pass  at  the  time  of  the  great  slide, 
and  stopped  there  to  help  extricate  the  people. 
Continuing  then  his  journey  to  Dawson,  he 
remained  there  a  year  and  a  half,  when  he  was 
ready  to  return  to  civilization.  Coming  back 
to  his  old  home,  he  engaged  with  the  Los 
.Angeles  Brick  Company.  Starting  then  in 
business  on  his  own  account,  Mr.  Alexander 
located  in  San  Pedro  in  1900,  establishing  a 
brick  yard  on  Barton  Hill,  where  he  has  a 
well-equipped  plant,  and  is  carrying  on  a  sub- 
stantial business  as  a  manufacturer,  keeping 
busily  employed  in  filling  his  contracts.  By 
industry,  perseverance  and  wise  judgment,  he 
has  accumulated  a  fair  share  of  this  world's 
goods,  and  owns  property  of  value,  having  re- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2191 


-cently  erected  an  apartment  house,  and  ha\-- 
ing  a  fine  residence  at  No.  1306  Arnold  street. 
In  Los  Angeles,  Gal.,  Mr.  Alexander  mar- 
ried Martha  Burner,  a  native  of  Germany,  and 
they  have  two  children  living,  namely :  Ella 
and  Walter.  Politically  Mr.  Alexander  is  a 
stanch  Republican,  and  religiously  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 


CAPT.  WILLIAM  H.  ELLSWORTH  was 
born  in  Sheldon,  Vt.,  February  12,  1844,  the 
eldest .  in  a  family  of  four  children,  of  whom 
three  are  now  surviving.  His  parents,  Edgar 
and  Catherine  (Primmerman)  Ellsworth,  were 
natives  respectively  of  Bristol,  N.  Y.,  and 
Pennsylvania,  the  maternal  grandfather,  Peter, 
being  a  native  of  Amsterdam,  Holland,  an 
early  settler  of  Pennsylvania,  and  later  of  New- 
York,  and  a  patriot  in  the  war  of  1812.  The 
father  was  a  mason  and  builder  by  trade,  and 
from  Bristol  he  located  in  Sheldon,  \'t.,  and 
later  removed  co  New  Hampshire  and  in  West 
Lebanon  passed  his  last  days,  and  there  his 
wife  also  died  at  an  advanced  age.  A  son, 
James,  served  in  the  First  New  Hampshire 
Regiment  Cavalry  in  the  Civil  war  and  was 
wounded  at  Gettysburg,  but  survived  the  per- 
ils of  warfare  and  made  his  home  in  Worces- 
ter, Mass.,  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1906. 

William  Henry  Ellsworth  was  reared  in  New 
Hampshire,  where  his  parents  removed,  and 
Tie  was  there  educated  in  the  public  schools 
■of  West  Lebanon.  In  1862  he  volunteered  in 
Company  B,  First  Regiment  New  Hampshire 
Cavalry,  and  following  participated  in  many 
■of  the  most  important  engagements  of  the 
Civil  war — the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  passed 
with  Sheridan  up  and  down  the  Shenandoah 
valley,  fighting  in  Custer's  brigade ;  at  Cedar 
Creek  three  horses  were  shot  from  under  him, 
each  time  his  horse  fell  grasping  the  rein  of 
some  riderless  horse  and  leaping  to  his  back 
and  again  charging  at  the  enemy.  At  Fisher's 
Hill  he  was  wounded  in  the  thigh.  He  was 
transferred  to  Sherman's  army  and  joined  him 
at  Atlanta  and  in  Kilpatrick's  division  of  cav- 
altry  participated  in  the  battles  of  Jonesboro, 
Lovejoy  station  and  Atlanta ;  thence  marched 
with  Sherman  to  the  sea,  in  the  capture  of 
Savannah,  then  north  through  the  Carolinas, 
engaging  in  the  battle  of  Goldsboro,  and  other 
minor  engagements  and  on  to  the  surrender 
of  General  Lee.  He  started  into  the  struggle 
as  sergeant,  was  promoted  to  office  of  second 
lieutenant  after  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  be- 
cause of  services  on  the  field  and  after  Fisher's 
Hdll  was  promoted  to  first  lieutenant,  and 
after  the  battle  of  Winchester  became  captain 


of  Company  B.  He  was  mustered  out  of  serv- 
ice at  Fortress  Monroe  in  August,  1865,  and 
then  returned  to  New  Hampshire,  and  in  1866 
enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  regular  army, 
serving  five  years  in  Company  B,  Eighth 
United  States  Cavalry,  for  the  greater  part 
of  the  time  being  located  in  New  Mexico  and 
Arizona  and  engaged  in  fighting  the  Apache 
Indians.  His  headquarters  for  this  time  were 
in  Camp  Grant,  Arizona,  and  forts  Stanton 
and  Union  in  New  Mexico. 

Honorably  discharged  in  1871,  Captain  Ells- 
worth returned  to  New  Hampshire  and  learned 
the  trade  of  machinist  in  Claremont,  and 
worked  at  his  trade  until  an  accident,  which 
broke  two  ribs,  laid  him  up  six  months ;  then 
was  attacked  with  a  severe  case  of  pneumonia 
and  for  two  years  was  incapacitated.  Ordered 
to  California  by  his  physician,  he  came  to  this 
state  and  purchased  a  small  ranch  at  San 
Dimas,  Los  .•\nt;eles  county,  and  lived  there 
until  1800,  when  he  sold  out  and  coming  to 
Redlands  bought  five  acres  on  Park  avenue 
near  Colton  avenue,  and  set  an  orange  grove 
of  navels.  He  has  been  twice  married,  first 
united  with  Miss  Susan  Holbrook,  a  native 
of  Cornish,  Nev.'  Hampshire;  she  died  in  Cali- 
fornia, leaving  four  children.  Captain  Ells- 
worth was  united  in  marriage  in  Redlands 
with  Miss  Ida  Stowell,  a  native  of  Claremont, 
N.  H.,  and  they  have  one  son,  Leslie.  Fra- 
ternally Captain  Ellsworth  is  identified  with 
the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters,  of  which 
he  is  past  officer,  and  is  a  member  of  Major 
Jarvis  Post,  No.  12,  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public, of  Claremont,  N.  H.  Politically  he  is 
a  Republican,  and  in  religion  is  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


WILLIAM  WHITMAN  BEACH.  A  man 
of  unlimited  enterprise  and  energy,  able  and 
progressive,  William  Whitman  Beach,  of  Ter- 
minal, is  widely  known  as  the  promoter  and 
manager  of  one  of  the  important  industries 
of  Southern  California.  In  the  putting  up  of 
clams  he  carries  on  a  good  business,  and  by 
a  special  process  of  his  own  invention  he  has 
succeeded  in  so  canning  abalones  and  the  Pa- 
cific coast  lobsters  that  they  will  keep  for  an 
indefinite  time,  ?nd  may  be  transported  safely 
to  all  markets  of  the  Union,  if  not  of  the  world. 
Of  New  England  stock,  he  was  born,  Febru- 
ary 28,  1856,  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  which  was 
likewise  the  birthplace  of  his  father,  the  late 
Capt.  Walter  P.  IBeach.  He  comes  of  truly 
patriotic  ancestry,  his  great  grandfather  on 
the  paternal  side  having  been  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionarv  war,  and  his  Grandfather  Beach, 
who  organized  the  old  Phoenix  Bank  of  Hart- 


2192 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ford,  Conn.,  and  served  as  its  president  until 
his  death,  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812. 

Following  the  sea  during  the  earlier  years 
of  his  life,  Capt.  Walter  P.  Beach  was  engaged 
largely  in  whaling,  serving  as  master  of  a 
vessel.  On  retiring  from  seafaring  pursuits, 
he  located  in  Michigan,  at  first  being  engaged 
in  the  insurance  business  at  Detroit.  Subse- 
quently removing  to  Lapeer  county,  he  es- 
tablished an  extensive  business  as  a  lumber 
manufacturer,  and  took  a  prominent  part  in 
the  management  of  public  affairs,  serving  as 
sheriff  of  the  county  for  several  terms.  Dur- 
ing the  Civil  war,  he  organized  a  company  con- 
sisting of  men  from  his  own  lumber  camps. 
This  company,  which  formed  a  part  of  the 
Tenth  .Michigan  Volunteer  Infantry,  he  wais 
made  captain  of,  and  at  the  Battle  of  Pitts- 
burg Landing  he  was  seriously  wounded, 
Capt.  Beach  was  an  old  line  Democrat,  a 
faithful  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  and 
one  of  the  leading  Masons  of  his  time,  belong- 
ing to  lodge,  council  and  chapter,  and  being 
one  of  the  charter  members  of  the  Detroit 
Commandery,  K.  T.  He  lived  to  the  ripe  old 
age  of  seventy-five  years,  passing  away  at 
his  home  in  Ypsilanti,  JMich.  He  married 
iVIartha  A.  Spencer,  who  was  born  in  Boston, 
J.Iass.,  and  died  in  Ypsilanti,  jNIich.  Of  the 
nine  children  born  of  their  union,  three  sons 
and  four  daughters  are  living,  William  W., 
the  subject  of  chis  sketch,  being  the  second  son 
in  order  of  birth. 

After  his  graduation  from  the  State  Normal 
School  in  Ypsilanti,  Mich.,  William  Whitman 
Beach,  in  1872.  entered  the  employ  of  W.  H. 
Shaw  &  Co.,  wholesale  notion  dealers  at  De- 
troit, and  as  commercial  salesman  traveled  for 
three  years  through  Michigan  and  Ohio.  The 
following  three  years  he  was  engaged  with 
his  father  in  the  insurance  business,  and  for 
six  years  thereafter  was  steward  on  steamers 
running  from  Ogdensburg  to  Duluth  and  to 
Chicago.  Subsequently  Mr.  Beach  was  for 
seven  years  in  the  lumber  regions  of  Michi- 
gan, getting  out  timber  for  his  father  the  first 
three  years,  and  afterwards  for  other  lumber 
manufacturers.  Locating  then  in  Wisconsin; 
he  was  employed  in  the  hotel  business  for 
awhile,  first  at  Waukesha,  then  at  Kenosha  and 
other  .summer  resorts.  Coming  to  California 
in  tS88,  Mr.  Beach  continued  in  the  same  bus- 
iness for  awhile,  running  Hotel  Metropole,  at 
Catalina.  for  Mr.  Shatto  for  tvv'O  years:  for 
two  years  managing  a  hotel  at  Arrowhead, 
Hot  .Springs.  San  Bernardmo  countv :  and  hav- 
ing charge  of  a  hotel  at  Kern  City,  Kern  coun- 
ty, for  a  year.  Changing  his  occupation,  Mr. 
Beach  built  a  factory  at"  Longbeach,  Los  An- 
geles  county,   and    for   four   years   was    there 


engaged  in  canning  claius  and  lobsters.  In 
1902  he  opened  a  lobster  cannery  in  San  Pedro, 
and  the  following  year  he  incorporated  the 
San  Pedro  Canning  Company,  of  which  he  has 
since  been  vice-president  and  manager.  In  1902 
he  removed  the  business  to  Terminal,  and  has 
here  built  a  new  factory,  which  is  large  and  well 
equipped  with  the  most  modern  machinery, 
and  with  every  appliance  for  successfully  car- 
rying on  his  work.  Under  his  new  process, 
Mr.  Beach  cans  clams,  lobsters  and  abalones 
in  a  most  satisfactory  manner,  and  is  now 
managing  a  very  extensive  and  lucrative  bus- 
iness shipping  the  products  of  his  canning  fac- 
tory to  all  parts  of  the  L'nited  States  and  to 
the  more  important  markets  of  foreign  coun- 
tries. In  the  prosecution  of  its  business,  this 
company  leases  San  Nicholas  Island,  seventy 
miles  from  the  coast,  and  in  its  fishing,  and 
its  lobster  trapping,  employs  eleven  crews  of 
men.  in  addition  keeping  diving  crews  busy  in 
gathering  clams  and  abalones.  The  company 
has  much  money  invested  in  its  outfit,  owning 
all  of  its  vessels,  as  well  as  its  large  plant. 

In  Ishpeming.  Alich.  in  1876.  Mr.  Beach 
married  Christina  Skoog.  who  was  born  in 
Sweden.  She  is  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Politically  Mr. 
Beach  is  identified  with  the  Democratic  party. 


JOHN  S.  BAKER  is  a  native  Cahfornian, 
his  birth  having  occurred  in  Riverside  county, 
December  3.  1855;  his  father,  S.  G.  Baker, 
was  born  in  Birmingham,  England,  and  his 
mother,  Elizabeth  (Ward)  Baker,  in  ^^'orces- 
tershire,  same  country ;  they  emigrated  to 
America  and  now  live  m  Los  Angeles. 

When  quite  young  John  S.  Baker  was 
brought  to  Los  Angeles  by  his  parents  and 
here  he  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools.  After  completing  his  studies  he  took 
a  trip  through  Arizona,  Utah  and  other  west- 
ern states,  but  finally  returned  to  Los  Angeles 
county  and  began  farming  for  himself.  He 
purchased  a  ranch  of  forty  acres  near  Nor- 
walk  and  set  out  twenty  acres  to  grapes,  mak- 
ing this  place  his  home  for  about  six  years, 
when  he  disposed  of  these  interests  and  im- 
mediately purchased  a  ranch  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres.  This  was  wild  and  barren 
land  and  he  ac  once  began  its  improvement, 
making  it  one  of  the  fine  ranches  of  this  sec- 
lion  and  there  establishing  his  permanent 
home.  [le  added  to  his  original  purchase  and 
to-day  owns  one  hundred  and  seventy 
acres  in  the  home  ranch  while  he  also 
owns  one  hundred  and  ten  acres  a  few 
miles  distant.  He  early  started  in  the  man- 
ufacture of  wines,  beginning  on  a  small  scale. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2193 


and  has  steadily  increased  the  business  until 
to-day  he  owns  one  of  the  best  private  win- 
eries in  the  state.  The  winery  proper  con- 
sists of  a  large  brick  building  which  was  built 
in  1886,  with  all  necessary  outbuildings  and 
engine  rooms,  with  a  storage  capacity  of  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  gallons.  He 
manufactures  about  forty-five  thousand  gal- 
lons of  wine  per  year,  buying  many  tons  of 
grapes  and  offering  the  very  highest  market 
;^rice  which  has  encouraged  this  industry 
throughout  the  country.  He  manufactures 
both  sweet  and  sour  wines  and  also  a  supe- 
rior grade  of  brandies.  He  employs  a  large 
force  of  men  in  both  this  business,  for  which 
he  has  an  expert  wine  maker,  as  well  as  the 
general  farming  enterprise  and  stock  business, 
this  latter  having  occupied  a  considerable 
amount  of  his  attention,  especially  the  rais- 
ing of  cattle  and  hogs,  having  fattened  as 
many  as  seven  hundred  head  of  the  latter  at 
a  time. 

Mr.  Baker  Avas  married  in  1892  to  Miss 
Julia  Mekeel,  a  native  of  Iowa,  and  born  of 
this  union  are  the  following  children :  Hazel, 
Everett,  Leona  and  Gertrude.  Fraternally  Mr. 
Baker  is  a  member  of  Norwalk  Lodge  No.  315, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Nietos  Lodge  No.  197,  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  of  Downey,  and  the  Fraternal  Brother- 
hood of  Norwalk.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch 
advocate  of  the  principles  embraced  in  the 
platform  of  the  Republican  party. 


R.  B.  COOK.  The  family  represented  by 
the  above  named  gentleman  came  originally 
of  English  stock  although  the  name  was  estab- 
lished on  American  soil  prior  to  the  Revolu- 
tion. Pennsylvania  was  the  home  of  succeed- 
ing generations  and  from  that  state  Noah  Cook 
eventually  removed  to  Ohio  in  its  pioneer 
days  and  there  passed  his  remaining  years. 
His  son.  Jacob,  born  in  Pennsylvania,  became 
a  pioneer  settler  of  Richland  county,  Ohio, 
where  he  hewed  a  farm  out  of  the  wilder- 
ness lands  and  made  his  home  until  his  death 
at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  His  wife  was 
formerly  Mary  Lee,  who  was  born  near  Rich- 
mond, Va.,  daughter  of  Solomon  Lee,  repre- 
sentative of  the  famous  southern  family.  Mr. 
Lee  was  likewise  an  early  settler  of  Richland 
county,  Ohio,  where  he  made  his  home  for 
many  years,  passing  away  at  the  advanced 
age  of  eighty-two  years.  Jacob  Cook  reared 
a  family  of  children,  among  whom  was  a  son, 
J.  R.,  who  was  born  in  Richland  county,  Ohio, 
November  12,  1829,  and  there  on  the  paternal 
farm  he  was  reared  to  young  manhood,  receiv- 
ing a  beneficial  training  in  his  home  while 
he  was   educated  in  the  public   school   in  the 


vicinity,  and  also  attended  and  graduated  from 
the  higli  school  at  Lexington.  He  was  but 
seventeen  years  old  when  he  became  depend- 
ent upon  his  own  resources,  engaging  in  teach- 
ing for  three  terms,  and  finally  locating  on  a 
farm  near  Shelby,  Ohio.  In  1852  he  became 
a  pioneer  of  Indiana,  making  the  trip  from 
his  home  in  Ohio  to  Whitley  county,  Ind.,  by 
ox-teams,  where  like  his  ancestors  before  him 
he  proceeded  to  hew  out  a  farm  from  the  wil- 
derness lands  about  him.  Still  following  the 
westward  trend  of  civilization,  in  1857  he  made 
the  journey  to  Brown  county,  Kans.,  there 
establishing  his  home  near  Padonia,  and  five 
miles  from  Hiawatha.  Three  years  later  found 
him  en  route  with  mule  teams  to  Pike's  Peak, 
and  thence  to  Fairplay,  in  whish  locality  he 
engaged  in  mining  for  a  time.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Kansas  via  the  Santa  Ee  Route  and 
established  a  trading  post  at  what  is  now  Fort 
Leonard,  then  Pawnee  Rock,  and  here  encoun- 
tered the  various  interesting  phases  of  pion- 
eer life,  at  the  same  time  working  up  a  big 
business  in  general  merchandise  and  general 
trading.  Upon  locating  in  Eastern  Kansas  he 
farmed  for  some  time,  but  eventually  removed 
to  Nebraska,  where  in  Grand  Island  he  im- 
proved a  farm  and  established  a  postoffice  at 
White  Cloud,  where  he  served  for  some  time 
as  postmaster.  He  started  the  first  school  dis- 
trict of  the  place. 

Again  desiring  to  become  a  pioneer  of  the 
more  remote  west,  in  1867  he  outfitted  with 
ox-teams  and  necessary  equipment,  and  set  out 
across  the  plains  with  his  wife  and  worldly 
possessions,  bound  for  California — then  the 
picturesque  destination  of  the  greater  part  of 
the  pioneers  who  set  out  in  search  of  a  home 
on  the  Pacific  coast.  Three  months  later  they 
arrived  in  Santa  Cruz,  Cal,  where  Mr.  Cook 
at  once  became  interested  in  farming,  team- 
ing, and  freighting.  After  one  year  he  located 
in  Montery  county  and  engaged  on  a  farm 
near  Salinas  and  also  acted  as  foreman  for  a 
large  warehouse.  In  1878  he  came  to  South- 
ern California,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Capis- 
trano.  Orange  county,  farmed  for  about  three 
.years.  He  came  to  Long  Beach  in  1882  and 
here  he  has  remained  since,  building  up  his 
own  personal  fortunes  and  at  the  same  time 
giving  his  best  support  to  the  advancement  of 
the  city  in  every  possible  avenue.  It  was  the 
fortune  of  the  pioneer  that  he  paid  $50  for  a 
lot  which  he  afterward  sold  for  $20,000.  His 
land  purchased  at  first  for  farming  purposes 
steadily  increased  in  value  and  gave  him 
promise  of  large  future  returns.  His  first  em- 
ployment in  this  city  was  as  a  teamster  in 
hauling  lumber  for  the  greater  part  of  the  early 
dwellings  of  the  place,  which  he  brought  from 


2194 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Wilmington  and  San  Pedro.  He  also  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  horticulture,  having  set 
out  a  part  of  his  ranch  in  orchard  immediately 
after  his  arrival  here,  and  had  also  later  pur- 
chased a  walnut  gro\e  near  San  Juan,  which 
he  still  owns.  He  also  owns  considerable 
property  in  Long  Beach  which  he  has  held  for 
many  years,  his  faith  steadfast  and  strong  in 
the  future  of  the  city,  a  greater  future  than 
the  greatness  which  has  come  to  Long  Beach 
in  the  past  ten  years.  Mr.  Cook's  home  is 
presided  over  b^'  his  wife,  formerly  Harriett 
A.  Kinne)',  a  native  oi  Cayuga  count}',  N.  Y., 
and  a  descendant  of  Revolutionary  ancestry. 
Her  father,  George  Rix  Kinney,  was  born  in 
Bennington,  Vt.,  and  settled  in  Cayuga  coun- 
ty, N.  Y.,  anfl  later  in  Lexington  county,  Ohio, 
and  finally  to  Huron  county,  same  state,  where 
his  death  eventually  occurred.  His  wife  was 
S3-lvia  Graves,  also  a  native  of  Vermont  and 
granddaughter  of  Rev.  Increase  Graves,  a  min- 
ister of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Cook  became  the  parents  of  the  follow- 
ing children :  James  Adelbert,  a  builder  lo- 
cated in  Clearwater,  Cal. ;  R.  B..  of  this  re- 
view ;  Amy  Jane,  whose  marriage  to  Joseph 
Rowse,  of  Capistrano,  occurred  February  12, 
1884.  being  the  first  wedding  that  occurred 
in  Long  Beach  (then  known  as  Willmore 
City;)  Elmer  Ellsworth,  a  horticulturist  of 
Tustin ;  Ozias  B.,  a  horticulturist  of  Capis- 
trano ;  and  Frank  Emerson,  who  represents 
the  Shepherd  Fruit  Company,  of  Los  Angeles. 
]\Ir.  Cook  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  affili- 
ations, whose  principles  he  supports.  He  is 
a  stanch  advocate  of  prohibition  and  has  given 
every  effort  to  bring  about  a  consummation  of 
such  management  in  Long  Beach,  and  has  as 
well  contributed  materially  in  other  ways  to 
the  upbuilding  and  development  of  the  city. 

March  19,  1854,  in  the  vicinity  of  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  occurred"  the  birth  of  R.'  B.  Cook,  the 
second  oldest  in  his  father's  family.  He  was 
reared  on  the  frontier,  from  Indiana  to  Kan- 
sas, and  thence  overland  to  California,  his 
education  having  been  received  in  the  public 
schools  throughout  the  country.  He  was  but 
thirteen  years  old  when  he  came  to  California, 
his  home  being  in  Santa  Cruz  for  eleven  years, 
when  he  accompanied  his  father  to  Southern 
California,  his  father-in-law,  J.  R.  Congdon, 
also  locating  here  and  establishing  the  first 
walnut  grove  in  what  is  now  Orange  county. 
In  1886  \[r.  Cook  set  out  a  walnut  grove  in 
San  Juan  Capistrano,  consisting  of  twenty 
acres,  while  he  devoted  the  remaining  sixteen 
acres  of  his  place  to  general  farming.  He 
still  owns  this  place  although  in  1904  he  came 
to  the  vicinity  of  El  Monte  and  here  purchased 
thirty  acres,  which  he  has  since  improved  to 


v.-alnuts  and  alfalfa,  building  a  handsome  resi- 
dence, substantial  barns,  and  outbuildings  ade- 
quate for  the  protection  of  stock  and  imple- 
ments. He  was  married  in  San  Juan  Capis- 
trano to  Miss  Harriet  L.  Congdon.  who  was 
born  on  Lytle  creek,  San  Bernardino  county, 
Cal,  a  daughter  of  J.  R.  Congdon,  and  born 
of  this  union  are  two  sons,  Leroy  R.  and  Rus- 
sell. iNlr.  Cook  has  taken  an  active  interest  in 
all  matters  of  public  import,  having  served  as 
school  trustee  at  San  Juan  for  some  years. 
He  is  now  a  member  of  the  Republican  County 
Central  Committee,  with  whose  interests  he 
has  been  identified  for  many  years.  Frater- 
nally he  is  affiliated  with  the  Odd  Fellows,  of 
Santa  Ana ;  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  of 
,San  Juan,  of  which  he  is  past  consul  com- 
mander ;  and  the  Fraternal  Aid.  ]\Ir.  Cook 
is  a  man  and  citizen  held  in  highest  esteem 
wherever  known,  successful  in  business,  enter- 
prising in  all  public  affairs,  and  a  friend  and 
citizen  well  worthy  the  name. 


WILL1A:\I  ROBERTS  FARQUHAR  is  a 
native  of  Ohio  and  was  born  in  East  Union, 
Coshocton  count}',  September  6,  1828:  his 
father,  Caleb,  v/as  born  in  Maryland  on  Pipe 
creek,  and  his  grandfather,  Samuel,  of  Scotch 
origin,  came  from  the  north  of  Ireland  and 
became  a  farmer  in  Maryland,  where  several 
of  his  sons  enlisted  for  service  in  the  war  of 
1812.  Later  he  removed  to  Beechwood.  Pa., 
then  to  Coshocton  county,  Ohio,  where  his 
death  occurred  when  nearly  ninety  years  old. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends 
and  was  a  worthy  and  helpful  citizen.  In 
Coshocton  county,  Ohio,  Caleb  Farquhar  en- 
gaged as  a  farmer  and  was  still  occupied  thus 
at  the  time  of  his  death  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
four  years.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  So- 
ciety of  Friends.  His  wife,  formerly  Cather- 
ine Trimble,  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and 
when  five  years  old  she  came  to  the  United 
States,  her  fatljer,  John  Trimble,  locating  the 
family  in  Coshocton  county,  Ohio,  where  he 
engaged  as  a  blacksmith  and  later  as  a  farmer. 
He  was  a  devoted  member  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  and  built  the  church  of  this  denomi- 
nation on  his  farm.  His  death  occurred  at  the 
age  of  ninety-six  years.  Mrs.  Farquhar  died 
in  Ohio,  leaving  a  famih^  of  four  children,  of 
whom   three   are   now   living. 

The  second  in  the  family  of  his  parents, 
William  Roberts  Farquhar  was  reared  on  the 
paternal  farm  in  Ohio  and  educated  in  the 
common  schools  He  followed  farming  in  his 
young  manhood,  making  a  trip  to  Iowa  in  1855 
in  search  of  a  better  location,  but  soon  return- 
ing to  his  preferred  state.     While  in  Iowa,  in 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


;i95 


July,  1856,  he  -vas  married  to  Miss  Marian 
Renfrew,  a  native  of  Coshocton  countyj  Ohio. 
Mr.  Farquhar  located  in  Indiana  in  1857  and 
improved  a  farm  near  Sullivan,  and  made  that 
place  his  home  until  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Civil  war,  when  he  sold  out  and  returned  to 
Ohio  because  of  the  strong  secession  feeling  in 
that  neighborhood.  He  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  stock-raising  in  Coshocton  coun- 
ty. In  1887  he  made  his  first  trip  to  California 
and  while  in  Riverside  purchased  his  present 
ranch  in  Redlandf,  consisting  then  of  sage 
brush  land  and  with  no  prospect  of  its  future 
luxuriance.  He  returned  east  in  1888  and  left 
his  son  instructions  to  set  out  his  ten  acres 
in  oranges,  which-  he  did,  and  continued  to 
tend  until  his  father's  return  in  1896.  The 
family  together  have  fifty-six  acres  of  full 
bearing  oranges.  The  death  of  his  wife  oc- 
curred May  5,  1904.  They  were  the  parents 
of  five  children,  namely:  Ellen  Catherine,  of 
Redlands ;  Franklin,  a  horticulturist ;  Ida 
Maria,  of  Redlands;  Richard  J.  and  William 
C,  also  horticulturists  of  this  community.  Mr. 
Farquhar  is  a  member  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church,  of  Redlands,  and  politically  is 
a  Republican. 


EDMUND  FICKEWIRTH,  of  Puente, 
came  to  California  in  1872,  two  years  previous 
having  located  in  America  from  his  birthplace, 
Nordhausen,  Germany,  where  he  was  born 
April  16,  1840.  His  father,  Traugott,  was  a 
tanner  by  trade.  Edmund  Fickewirth  received 
his  education  in  the  common  school  and  gym- 
nasium, which  he  attended  until  he  was  six- 
teen years  old,  when  he  learned  the  trade  of 
tanner  as  an  apprentice.  Later  he  engaged 
as  a  journeyman  and  spent  three  years  in 
France  as  such.  When  twenty-one  years  old 
he  enlisted  in  the  Seventy-first  Regiment  Ger- 
man Infantry,  in  Company  I,  and  served  three 
years,  during  which  he  participated  in  the 
Sleswick-Holstein  war  of  1864  and  two  years 
later  in  the  Prussian-Austrian  war.  Return- 
ing to  civic  duties  he  again  engaged  at  his 
trade,  traveling  throughout  Switzerland,  Italy 
and  Denmark  until  1870,  when  he  decided  to 
emigrate  to  the  western  world.  After  landing 
in  New  York  City,  went  to  Detroit,  Mich., 
where  with  a  brother  he  engaged  in  the  con- 
duct of  a  wood  and  coal  yard.  Two  years 
later  he  came  to  California  and  in  Los  An- 
geles was  employed  in  a  furniture  factory  for 
a  time ;  then  going  to  the  country  he  worked 
on  a  farm  until  able  to  purchase  land,  when 
near  Compton,  Los  Angeles  countv.  he  bought 
eightv  acres.  Later  he  dispo=;ed  of  forty  acres, 
still  retaining  fortv  acres,  which   he  owns  at 


the  present  writing.  In  1897,  Mr.  Fickewirth 
purchased  his  present  large  ranch,  which  is 
located  one  mile  from  Puente,  and  three  years 
later  erected  his  handsome  home,  put  down 
three  wells,  installed  a  thirty-five  horse  power 
engine  with  a  large  capacity ;  set  out  small 
fruits;  twenty  acres  of  vineyard;  forty  acres 
In  walnuts.  In  addition  to  this  ranch  he  also 
owns  twenty  acres  of  apples  and  walnuts  in 
the   Mountain    \'iew   district. 

In  Detroit,  Mich.,  Mr.  Fickewirth  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Caroline  Koch, 
a  native  of  that  city,  and  they  are  now  the 
jiarents  of  twelve  children,  two  of  whom  are 
in  Michigan  an<l  the  others  in  California.  Mr. 
Fickewirth  is  a  stanch  Republican. 


AUGUST  H.  GRAND.  One  of  the  success- 
ful sheep  ranchers  in  this  section  of  the  coun- 
try is  August  H.  Grand,  who  owns  about  six 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  the  Warm  Springs 
valley,  which  he  farms  to  grain  and  hay  and 
devotes  to  the  raising  of  cattle  and  a  herd  of 
five  hundred  sheep.  Mr.  Grand  came  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1872  from  France,  where  he  was 
born  November  26,  1855,  at  Dauphine,  the  son 
of  Jean  Pierre  and  Josephine  Grand,  the 
mother  still  residing  at  the  old  home.  The 
elder  Grand  was  a  farmer  in  France  and  there 
the  son,  August  H.,  lived  until  he  was  sixteen 
years  of  age,  when  he  came  to  America  and 
joined  his  two  brothers,  Fred  and  Emil,  who 
were  then  located  in  Los  Angeles.  They  are 
now  engaged  in  the  stock  business  at  Julian 
in  San  Diego  county.  Mr.  Grand  had  thirteen 
brothers  and  sisters,  six  of  whom  are  now 
living. 

Upon  his  arrival  in  this  country  he  first  se- 
cured employment  on  a  ranch  for  Mr.  Burnett, 
later  went  to  Riverside,  and  from  there  to 
Ventura,  where  for  a  time  he  engaged  in  gar- 
dening. Later  lie  returned  to  San  Pedro,  from 
there  going  to  San  Juan  Capistrano  and  en- 
tering the  emplo}-  of  his  brothers,  who  after- 
wards took  him  with  them  to  San  Felipe.  In 
^8/7  he  went  to  San  Juan  and  was  engaged  in 
sheep  herding  there  for  the  next  two  years, 
when  he  removed  to  the  San  Seville  ranch 
near  San  Julian,  bought  a  flock  of  sheep  and 
conducted  an  independent  sheep  business  un- 
til 1880.  The  following  ten  years  he  spent  in 
the  same  occupation  on  a  four  hundred  acre 
ranch  in  the  San  Luis  Rey  valley,  and  in  1890 
went  to  Eallbrook  and  raised  cattle  and  sheep 
until  1900.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  lo- 
cated on  the  ranch  which  is  now  his  home. 
His  marriage  to  Miss  Bernardina  Osyone  oc- 
curred at  .San  Pasqual.  where  she  was  born. 
They  are  the  parents  of  ten   children.     Tlie 


2196 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


family  are  adherents  of  the  CathoHc  rehgion. 
Mr.  Grand  is  well  posted  in  his  business  and 
an  honest  and  industrious  citizen  who  is 
highly  esteemed  by  all  who  know  him. 


HEXRY  CLAY  GUITEAU.  Since  1891 
Henry  Clay  Guiteau,  superintendent  of  Urbita 
Springs,  San  fJernardino.  has  been  a  resident 
of  Southern  California.  He  was  born  Febru- 
ary 14.  1843,  in  Murfreesboro,  Tenn.,  of 
French  Huguenot  descent  on  both  sides  of  the 
house.  After  the  revocation  of  the  edict  of 
Nantes  the  Guiteau  family  came  to  America 
and  settled  in  Vermont  in  which  state  Calvin 
Guiteau,  the  father  of  Henry  Clay,  was  born. 
He  became  a  jeweler  in  Tennessee,  in  the 
cities  of  Memphis  and  Nashville,  later  remov- 
ing to  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  where  his  death  oc- 
curred in  1846.  The  mother,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Amelia  Romaine,  was  born  in  New 
York  and  died  in  Tennessee. 

There  were  five  children  in  the  family  of 
which  ]\Ir.  Guiteau  was  a  member,  but  two 
of  whom  are  now  living.  He  was  the  young- 
est and  but  three  years  of  age  when  his  father 
died,  the  family  having  some  time  before  that 
removed  to  Watertown.  N.  Y.  In  this  city 
the  son  was  reared  and  received  his  education 
through  the  medium  of  the  public  schools.  In 
1864  he  went  to  Tennessee  and  accepted  a 
position  as  conductor  on  the  Nashville,  Chat- 
tanooga &  St.  Louis,  remaining  with 
that  company  until  1870,  when  he  went  to  St. 
Louis  and  secured  a  s-.milar  position  on  the  St. 
Louis,  Iron  Mountain  and  Southern,  being 
given  a  passenger  run.  After  twelve  years, 
in  1882,  he  resigned  this  work  and  connected 
himself  with  the  Louisville  &  Nashville  rail- 
road, working  as  freight  and  passenger  con- 
ductor between  St.  Louis  and  Nashville,  and 
also  took  the  pay  car  all  over  the  system  until 
1886.  Following  this  he  changed  to  the  Ala- 
bama &  Great  Southern,  running  between 
Chattanooga  and  New  Orleans,  he  having  had 
charge  of  the  first  train  ever  run  over  Lake 
Pontchartrain.  His  next  position  was  that  of 
train  master  on  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas, 
running  between  Greenville  and  Dallas,  Ken- 
ney  and  Jeflferson  in  Texas.  Upon  his  arrival 
in  California  in  1891  he  entered  the  employ 
of  the  Southern  Pacific  as  brakeman.  In  1893 
he  assumed  the  superintendency  of  the  old 
San  Bernardino  Motor  railroad  between  San 
P.ernardino  and  Riverside,  holding  the  posi- 
tion under  I.  H.  Pope,  receiver,  until  the  road 
went  back  to  the  control  of  the  Southern  Pa- 
cific. Mr.  Guiteau  at  this  time  retired  from 
railroad  work,  for  a  time  turning  his  attention 
to  the  oil  business,  becoming  a  director  in  the 


oil  exchange  and  sinking  and  operating  wells 
in  the  Los  Angeles  field.  He  continued  at  this 
occupation  until  1897,  in  which  year  he  spent 
eight  months'  time  on  a  trip  to  Dawson, 
Alaska.  Returning  to  Los  Angeles  he  fol- 
lowed various  lines  of  work  for  a  season  be- 
fore becoming  traffic  manager  of  the  \'allejo, 
Benicia  &  Napa  Valley  railroad,  filling  the  po- 
sition from  its  inception  until  July,  1906,  when 
he  resigned  to  become  superintendent  of  Ur- 
bita Springs  and  take  charge  of  the  park. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Guiteau  in  St.  Louis 
united  him  with  Miss  Sarah  C.  Mabee,  a  na- 
tive of  Alton,  111.,  and  they  became  the  par- 
ents of  one  daughter,  Minnie  B.,  now  the 
wife  of  B.  F.  Johnson  of  Los  Angeles.  Fra- 
ternally Mr.  Guiteau  affiliates  with  the  ]Ma- 
sonic  lodge,  in  which  he  has  attained  the  de- 
gree of  Royal  Arch  Mason.  Politically  he  is 
a  Republican.  He  and  his  wife  are  attend- 
ants of  the  Presbvterian  Church. 


VINCENTI  :\10RICICH.  The  birth  of 
Vincenti  Moricich  occurred  in  1854  in  Lasian, 
Austria,  the  son  of  Lucas  and  Maria  Moricich, 
both  members  of  old  and  prominent  families 
in  that  country,  where  thej-  lived  their  entire 
lives.  As  a  young  boy  he  learned  fishing  with 
his  father,  a  part  of  his  early  days  having 
been  spent  in  Venice,  Italy,  and  a  part  in  the 
land  of  his  birth.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  he 
began  his  career  as  a  sailor,  sailing  under 
many  dififerent  flags  on  various  ■  ships,  his 
cruises  taking  him  into  the  waters  of  the 
Mediterranean,  Black,  Red  and  Baltic  seas, 
to  the  East  and  West  Indies,  through  all  of 
the  oceans,  twice  each  around  Capes  Horn 
and  Good  Hope,  and  into  innumerable  ports. 

Arriving  in  San  Francisco  in  1872  he  stayed 
at  that  place  but  a  short  time,  then  came  to 
San  Pedro,  where  he  engaged  in  fishing,  sub- 
sequently going  to  the  Columbia  river  salmon 
beds  and  fishing  as  far  north  as  Victoria.  In 
1890  he  located  in  Avalon  and  has  since  made 
this  place  his  home.  He  has  three  launches, 
the  Mascot,  Wavepress  and  Sea  Bass,  and  a 
number  of  small  boats  and  does  the  largest 
fishing  business  of  anyone  on  the  island.  His 
n.iarriage  in  Wilmington  united  him  with  Jo- 
sephine Gimelier,  a  native  of  Santa  Barbara, 
and  a  daughter  of  Fortunato  Gimelier,  who 
came  from  Marseilles,  France,  to  Santa  Bar- 
bara, then  removed  to  Wilmington,  where  the 
daughter  was  reared.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moricich 
became  the  parents  of  the  following  children: 
Lucy,  wife  of  John  Roberts,  of  Avalon ;  Vin- 
centi, who  was  drowned  in  Avalon  bay  at  the 
age  of  nineteen  years ;  Tony  and  Lucas,  who 
assist   their   father   in  business;   Alice:   Ruth; 


-HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2197 


Islagclalene  :  Irei;e;  EstcUa  ;  \"iolet ;  and  Alary, 
who  died  in  July,  lyoO.  Air.  Aloricich  is  an 
advocate  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party  and  has  for  the  past  twelve  years  dis- 
charged his  duties  as  an  official,  being  con- 
stable of  Catalina  township. 


GEORGE  H.  NICHOLSON  was  born, 
September  17,  1877,  in  San  Jose,  Cal,  coming 
from  English  ancestry  on  the  paternal  side. 

Although  born  in  New  York  state,  Frank  H. 
Nicholson  was  reared  and  educated  in  Joliet, 
J 11.  ^Vhen  a  3-oung  man,  as  early  as  1848,  he 
crossed  the  plains  with  ox-teams,  and  for  a 
number  of  years  Avas  engaged  in  mining,  first 
in  the  vicinity  of  Nevada  City,  and  then  at 
the  New  Almaden  mines.  For  a  few  years 
after  his  marriage,  he  carried  on  a  substantial 
business  as  a  wholesale  and  retail  grocer  in 
San  Jose.  He  subsequently  removed  to  Ala- 
dera,  where,  as  representative  of  the  Madera 
Flume  and  Trading  Company,  he  had  his 
headquarters.  There  he  also  improved  a  good 
farm,  on  which  he  resided  until  his  death,  in 
1884.  He  m.arried  Elizabeth  Charles,  who  was 
born  near  Killrock,  Ireland,  where  her  father 
was  proprietor  of  a  line  of  jaunting  cars.  She 
came  to  New  York  City  when  a  girl  of  four- 
teen years,  from  there  coming  by  way  of  the 
Isthmus  to  California,  locating  in  Santa  Clara 
county,  where  she  was  married.  She  is  now  a 
resident  of  San  Jose.  She  bore  her  husband 
eight  children,  namely:  Angle  M.,  a  gradu- 
ate of  the  San  Jose  State  Normal  School,  and 
Leland  Stanford,  Jr.,  L^niversity.  and  now  a 
teacher  in  the  San  Jose  Normal  School ;  Fran- 
ces R.,  living  in  Goldfield,  Nev. ;  Charles  H., 
of  Watsonville,  Cal. ;  Louis  F.,  of  San  Jose ; 
E.  A.,  of  Los  Angeles,  manager  of  the  West- 
ern Sash  and  Door  Company ;  Joseph  W., 
having  charge  of  the  San  Pedro  Lumber  Com- 
pany's yards  at  Compton  and  Gardena ; 
George  H.,  the  special  subject  of  this  sketch ; 
and  Genevieve,  a  graduate  of  the  State  Nor- 
mal School  at  San  Jose,  and  a  teacher  in  San 
Francisco. 

Leaving  San  Jose,  where  he  received  his 
preliminary  education,  when  the  family  re- 
moved to  Madera,  George  H.  Nicholson  con- 
tinued his  studies  in  the  public  schools  of  that 
place,  and  as  a  member  of  the  first  class  that 
was  graduated  from  the  Aladera  High  School 
received  his  diploma  in  1897.  He  subsequent- 
ly taught  school  for  three  years  in  Fresno 
county,  after  which  he  was  in  the  employ  of 
the  Sanger  Lumber  Company,  at  Sanger,  for 
a  few  months.  Coming  to  San  Pedro  in  1901, 
Mr.  Nicholson  became  a  clerk  in  the  office  of 
the  San  Pedro  Lumber  Company,  and  in  the 


discharge  of  the  duties  devolving  upon  him  in 
that  capacity  proved  himself  so  capable  and 
faithful  that  he  was  promoted  from  time  to 
cime  until  attaining  his  present  responsible 
position  as  manager  of  the  office.  He  is  a 
man  of  great  enterprise  and  financial  ability, 
and,  with  his  brothers,  E.  A.  Nicholson  and 
J.  W.  Nicholson,  incorporated  the  Western 
Sash  and  Door  Company,  of  Los  Angeles,  of 
which  he  is  a  director.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the   San   Pedro  Chamber  of  Commerce. 

In  1904,  in  San  Pedro,  ]\Ir.  Nicholson  mar- 
ried Clara  Savage,  a  graduate  of  the  Long 
r.each  high  school,  and  a  daughter  of  Hon. 
William  H.  Savage.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nicholson 
have  one  child,  a  daughter  named  Mary  Eliza- 
beth. Politically  Mr.  Nicholson  supports  the 
principles  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  fra- 
ternally he  belongs  to  the  Benevolent  and 
Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  to  the  Knights 
of  Columbus. 


HENRY  W.  NEWTON.  A  representative 
citizen  of  San  Pedro  is  found  in  Henry  W. 
Newton,  accountant  for  the  Lumber  Survey- 
ors' Associatitm  of  Southern  California,  and 
while  he  has  been  a  resident  of  this  city  a 
comparatively  short  time  he  has  won  the  high- 
est esteem  of  the  community  by  his  upright 
business  methods  and  general  integrity  of 
character.  He  was  born  July  31,  1862,  in 
Williamsburg,  Ind.,  the  son  of  Rev.  George 
and  Laura  (Smith)  Newton,  both  natives  of 
Kew  York.  The  father  was  born  in  Syracuse 
and  educated  for  the  ministry  and  settled  in 
Indiana,  where  he  became  pastor  of  churches 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  denomination.  In 
1869  he  came  to  California,  locating  in  Sacra- 
mento, later  repaoved  to  San  Francisco  and 
Oakland,  and  then  took  up  evangelistic  work. 
He  is  now  retired  from  active  service  and  with 
Mrs.  Newton  resides  in  Alameda.  There  were 
two  children  in  their  family,  Henry  G.  being 
the  only  son. 

From  the  age  of  seven  years  Mr.  Newton 
was  reared  in  California,  receiving  his  educa- 
tion first  in  the  public  schools,  later  at  the  high 
school  in  Alameda,  and  finally  entered  the 
University  of  the  Pacific,  from  which  insti- 
tution he  graduated  in  1881,  receiving  the  de- 
gree of  Bachelor  of  Science.  After  the  com- 
pletion of  his  studies  he  immediately  entered 
commercial  life,  beginning  at  the  bottom  of 
the  ladder  and  rapidly  working  his  way  up. 
His  first  position  was  in  Mendocino  county 
and  from  there  he  went  to  San  Francisco, 
where  he  became  foreman  and  superintendent. 
In  1894  he  accepted  a  position  with  the  Lum- 
ber Survevor's  Association  as  accountant,  re- 


2198 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


tainiiig  it  until  1903,  when  he  came  to  San 
Pedro  and  instituted  his  present  office,  and 
taking  charge  of  tlie  accounts  of  the  Lumber 
Surveyors'  Association  of  Southern  CaHfornia. 
His  marriage  in  Mendocino  county  united  him 
with  Miss  Emily  Lyman,  born  in  Washing- 
ton and  reared  in  San  Francisco,  and  this 
union  has  been  blessed  by  the  birth  of  two 
children,  nameh',  Arthur  H.  and  Merle.  Fra- 
ternally Mr.  Newton  is  a  member  of  the  Hoo 
Hoo  lodge  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World, 
while  politically  his  beliefs  are  centered  in 
Republican  principles  when  applied  to  national 
aiifairs,  maintaining  considerable  independence 
in  the  casting  of  his  ballot  on  local  issues.  In 
addition  to  his  other  property  interests  Mr. 
Newton  owns  a  nice  residence  in  Alameda. 


Mr.  Roberts  has  served  as  trustee  of  the 
Greenleaf  school  district  for  many  years,  offi- 
ciating as  clerk  for  a  large  part  of  the  time, 
he  himself  having  been  one  of  the  organizers 
of  this  district.  Politically  he  reserves  the 
right  to  cast  his  ballot  for  the  man  he  con- 
siders best  qualified  for  official  position. 


WILLIAM  M.  ROBERTS.  A  native  Cali- 
fornian,  born  in  San  Bernardino  April  25,  1858, 
a  son  of  one  of  the  most  prominent  pioneers 
of  this  section,  Bearry  Roberts,  whose  biog- 
raphy is  given  at  length  elsewhere  in  this 
volume.  He  was  reared  on  Mill  creek  and  edu- 
cated in  the  San  Timoteo  canon  district  school, 
after  which,  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  he 
became  dependent  upon  his  own  resources. 
He  entered  the  employ  of  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad  Company  as  trackwalker  at  Beau- 
mont, and  after  two  years  became  connected 
with  Brown  &  Judson  in  the  construction  of 
the  first  ditch  for  Redlands,  now  known  as  the 
Redlands  Water  Ditch,  and  also  superintended 
the  construction  of  the  reservoir  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Yucaipe.  Having  made  $1,200  he  pur- 
chased an  outfit  consisting  of  an  eight  horse 
team  and  two  wagons,  and  began  freighting 
on  the  desert  and  continued  this  work  for  the 
period  of  two  years,  vv'hen  he  built  the  old 
rock  ditch  from  Crafton  reservoir  through  M. 
H.  Craft's  ranch.  In  1885  he  homesteaded  a 
ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  at  the 
mouth  of  ]\Till  creek,  and  at  once  began  its 
improvement.  When  he  sold  the  property  in 
1907  he  had  th;rty-fi\c  acres  in  orchard,  the 
balance  being  devoted  to  alfalfa  and  general 
ranching  pursuits.  He  owns  business  and 
residence  property  in  Redlands,  where  he  ex- 
pects to  make  his  home  in  future. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  ^fr.  Roberts 
married  Miss  Kate  F.  Hamner.  who  was  born 
in  ^lexico  in  1876.  and  her  death  occurred  in 
Redlands.  He  later  married  Mrs.  Pearl  Agnes 
(Davis)  Davidson,  a  native  of  Howell,  Mich., 
and  a  daughter  of  Albert  Davis,  a  blacksmith 
who  located  in  Alichigan  from  Ontario,  his 
birthplace.  Her  mother  was  in  maidenhood 
Jennie  Baile)',  who  died  in  Michigan.  Air. 
and   Mrs.  Roberts  have  one  daughter,   .\gnes. 


CHARLES  G.  SUXDERMAXX.  Through- 
out the  period  of  his  residence  in  California, 
covering  many  years  of  activity  and  enter- 
prise, Mr.  Sundermann  has  engaged  in  the 
building  business,  with  which  he  became 
familiar  during  his  boyhood  days  at  the  old 
Indiana  homestead  and  in  which  he  had  the 
advantage  cf  careful  training  under  the  super- 
vision of  his  father,  himself  a  practical  builder. 
The  family  is  of  German  ancestry.  The  Amer- 
ican founder.  Benjamin  Sundermann,  was  a 
native  of  Hanover,  received  a  fair  education 
in  German  schools,  and  afterward  learned  the 
trade  of  a  cabinet  maker  under  an  apprentice- 
ship in  his  native  land.  On  coming  to  the 
United  States  he  settled  in  Indiana  and  en- 
gaged at  his  trade,  from  which  he  gradually 
drifted  into  taking  contracts  for  the  erection 
of  houses  and  public  buildings.  During  the 
Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  an  Indiana  regiment, 
with  which  he  marched  to  the  front,  partici- 
pated in  various  engagements  of  an  important 
nature,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
being  then  honorably  discharged.  On  his  re- 
turn to  pursuits  of  peace  he  engaged  at  build- 
ing, but  later  removed  to  a  farm  near  Lynn- 
ville.  W^arrick  county,  Ind.,  where  he  still 
makes  his  home. 

The  marriage  of  Benjamin  Sundermann 
united  him  with  Miss  Mary  ^^'eideman.  who 
was  born  in  Baden,  German}^  and  who  also 
still  survives.  Thej^  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  all  but  two  of  whom  are  now  living, 
Charles  G.  being  next  to  the  oldest  and  the 
(inly  one  in  California.  Born  at  Evansville, 
Ind..  on  the  22d  of  February.  1859,  he  at- 
tended district  and  private  schools,  and  se- 
cured an  excellent  education,  which  has  been 
supplemented  by  subsequent  reading  and 
habits  of  close  observation.  While  at  home 
he  gained  a  practical  knowledge  of  farming 
p.nd  the  carpenter's  trade,  and  when  in  1883 
he  came  to  Southern  California  he  decided  to 
engage  in  carpentering  at  Santa  Ana.  For 
some  years  he  remained  in  that  town  and 
meanwhile  was  busily  employed  at  his  trade 
by  the  day.  During  the  year  1889  he  removed 
to  Wilmington  and  began  to  take  contracts 
for  the  erection  of  buildings,  having  previous- 
ly shown  his  skill  and  ability  as  a  carpenter 
and  his  reliability  as  a  business  man. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2199 


The  year  1900  found  Mr.  Sundermann  a 
resident  of  Oxnard,  where  he  has  since  estab- 
lished a  reputation  for  workmanship  along  the 
line  of  his  specialty.  Since  coming  to  Oxnard 
he  has  erected  five  houses  for  himself  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  town,  and  has  proved  him- 
self solicitous  to  promote  the  material  develop- 
ment of  the  place  by  the  erection  of  neat  cot- 
tages and  attractive  residences.  In  fraternal 
relations  he  is  identified  with  the  Oxnard 
Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows,  Olive  Camp  at  Ven- 
tura, Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  Her- 
mann Sons,  in  v/hich  last-named  order  he  has 
officiated  as  vice-president. 


FREDERICK  J  EPSON,  of  Santa  Monica, 
v/as  born  in  Koyer,  Germany,  where  he  re- 
ceived a  practical  common  school  education. 
Going  then  to  Hamburg,  he  was  for  ten  years 
an  employe  of  the  wholesale  firm  of  Emil 
Scholtz,  serving  first  as  a  clerk  and  then  as 
bookkeeper. 

Immigrating  to  the  United  States  in  1881, 
Mr.  Jepson  remained  in  New  York  City  for 
about  six  months,  afterward  going  to  Chicago, 
III,  where  he  established  himself  as  a  grocer, 
remaining  there  two  years.  Returning  to  New 
York,  he  continued  in  mercantile  pursuits  for 
a  few  months,  and  then,  in  1886,  located  at 
Yonkers,  N.  Y.,  where  he  achieved  marked 
success  as  a  dealer  in  real  estate.  He  accjuired 
much  property  of  value  in  that  place,  and  at 
the  corner  of  Park  Hill  avenue  and  Linden 
street  built  a  handsome  row  of  buildings.  The 
Llimate  being  too  severe  for  him  in  that  lat- 
itude he  sold  all  of  his  holdings  in  that  vicin- 
ity in  January,  1903,  and  came  to  the  Pacific 
coast  in  search  of  a  more  healthful  place  of 
residence.  In  March,  1903,  he  located  in  Santa 
Monica,  and  invested  largely  in  real  estate, 
much  of  which  he  has  since  sold  at  an  advan- 
tageous price.  Pie  has  also  dealt  in  realty  in 
other  places  in  this  county,  meeting  with  suc- 
cess almost  invariably  in  his  transactions.  In 
New  York  Citv,  in  1882,  Mr.  Jepson  married 
Eliza  Hanson.  Politically  he  is  a  steadfast  Re- 
publican. 


A.  A.  STEW.\RT.  A  man  of  enterprise, 
industry  and  ability,  persevering  and  pro- 
gressive, A.  A.  Stewart  has  paddled  his  own 
canoe  since  a  lad  in  his  teens,  and  in  his  active 
career  has  met  with  well-deserved  success,  as 
an  accurate  and  able  tallyman  being  promi- 
nentlv  connected  with  the  lumber  industry  of 
San  Pedro.  A.  .A.  Stewart,  a  native  of  San  Ber- 
nardino comity,  Cal.,  he  was  born  November 
2^.  1864.  being  the  tenth  child  in  a  family  of 


eleven  children  born  to  A.  J.  and  Mary  (Judd) 
Stewart.  His  father  is  deceased,  but  his 
mother  is  living  in  San  Pedro. 

Brought  up  in  Orange  county,  A.  A.  Stewart 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Ana- 
heim. At  the  age  of  thirteen  years  he  began 
to  be  self-supporting;  he  was  subsequently 
graduated  from  the  Brigham  Young  Academy, 
in  Provo,  Utah.  Having  previously  learned 
telegraphy  with  his  brother,  B.  F.  Stewart, 
of  San  Luis  Obispo,  Mr.  Stewart  obtained  a 
position  with  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company 
in  1878,  and  was  afterwards  station  agent  at 
different  places  along  the  line  between  San 
Diego  and  Barstow.  Retiring  from  that  oc- 
cupation, he  was  for  awhile  engaged  in  celery 
growing  at  Santa  Ana,  subsequently  becom- 
ing tallyman  for  the  Newport  Lumber  Com- 
pany of  that  city.  Since  taking  up  his  resi- 
dence in  San  Pedro,  in  1900,  Mr.  Stewart  has 
carried  on  an  excellent  business  as  tallyman, 
and  has  been  an  active  member  of  the  Lumber 
Surveyor's  Association  of  Southern  California. 

Politically  Mr.  Stewart  is  a  Socialist,  and 
fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Improved 
Order  of  Red  Men,  and  of  the  Eagles. 


W.  A.  HUGHES.  One  of  the  old-time 
ranchers  now  living  in  the  vicinity  of  Cam- 
arillo,  Ventura  county,  is  W.  A.  Hughes,  whose 
well-cultivated  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-one acres  is  one  of  the  land-marks  of  the 
locality,  born  in  Washington  county.  Pa.,  Oc- 
tober 1,  1837,  his  parents  being  George  and 
Nancy  (McCullough)  Hughes,  both  also  na- 
tives of  Pennsylvania.  About  1846  they  set- 
tled with  their  family  on  a  farm  in  Adams 
county.  III,  but  a  later  removal  took  them  to 
Ilancock  county,',  in  the  same  state,  and  it  was 
on  their  farm  in  the  latter  county  that  the 
parents  both  died,  the  father  in  1855,  when  fif- 
ty-six years  old,  and  the  mother  eight  years 
later,  when  in  her  sixty-sixth  year. 

As  he  was  only  nine  years  of  age  at  the  time 
the  family  settled  in  Illinois  W.  A.  Hughes 
was  educated  principally  in  the  common 
schools  of  Adams  and  Hancock  counties,  that 
state.  Not  altogether  satisfied  with  his  pros- 
pects for  rapid  advancement  in  the  middle 
west,  however,  lifter  careful  consideration  he 
decided  to  sell  his  farm  in  Illinois  and  locate 
in  the  far  west.  Suiting  the  action  to  the  word, 
in  1864  we  find  him  a  member  of  a  party  cross- 
ing the  plains  by  teams,  the  journey  consum- 
ing seven  months.  The  lady  who  later  became 
the  wife  of  Mr.  Hughes  was  also  a  member  of 
the  same  party.  Their  marriage  occurred  in 
1865  in  Sutter  county,  where  ]\Ir.  Hughes  first 
located   after   coming:  to   the   west.     He   later 


2200 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


went  to  Marysville,  Yuba  county,  still  later  to 
Red  Bluff,  Tehama  county,  but  when  he  had 
been  in  the  state  about  a  year  he  selected  \'en- 
tura  county  as  his  future  place  of  residence, 
and  the  choice  of  location  which  he  then  made 
he  has  had  no  cause  to  regret  judging  from 
the  thrifty  appearance  of  his  property  and  also 
from  the  fact  that  since  his  first  purchase  he 
has  added  adjoining  land.  Taking  up  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-one  acres  from  the  govern- 
ment in  1868  he'  at  once  set  about  its  cultiva- 
tion. The  raising  of  beans  seems  to  be  espe- 
cially adapted  to  the  soil  and  climate  of  this 
locality,  and  to  such  an  extent  was  Mr.  Hughes 
prospered  in  his  efforts  that  he  purchased  fifty 
acres  adjoining  his  first  purchase  and  planted 
the  entire  acreage  to  the  latter  commodity. 
His  harvests  arc  very  satisfactory,  averaging 
fifteen  sacks  to  the  acre. 

]\Ir.  Hughes  was  married  in  1865,  to  Mary  B. 
Barnett,  a  native  of  Illinois.  ]\Irs.  Hughes  is 
a  daughter  of  Adrian  Barnett,  who  was  born 
in  Kentucky  and  came  to  California  in  1873, 
dying  here  in  1881,  when  sixty-two  years  of 
age.  Four  of  the  five  children  born  to  Mr.  and 
^Irs.  Barnett  are  living  in  California,  the  death 
of  the  mother  cccurring  in  1854,  when  Mrs. 
Hughes  was  a  child  of  six  years.  Nine  children 
were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hughes.  Mrs. 
Hughes  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.   Politically  Mr.  Hughes  is  a  Democrat. 


ROBERT  NEWTON  JEFFERY,  of  Ocean 
Park,  was  born,  August  7,  1846,  in  Lisbon, 
Wis.,  a  son  of  William  Jcfferj^.  The  latter,  a 
native  of  England,  remained  in  his  native  land 
until  after  his  marriage  with  Mary  Wimset. 
Emigrating  to  the  United  States  with  his  fam- 
ily, he  took  up  land  in  Wisconsin,  becoming  a 
pioneer  settler  of  Waukesha  county.  He  car- 
ried on  farming  there  until  his  death,  at  the 
advanced  age  of  eighty-five  years.  He  was  a 
man  of  deep  religious  convictions,  being  a  de- 
voted Wesleyan  Methodist.  His  wife  preceded 
him  to  the  better  world,  passing  away  at  the 
age  of  seventy-six  years.  Of  their  large  fam- 
ily of  seventeen  children,  eleven  grew  to  years 
of  maturity,  Robert  Newton  being  the  3'oung- 
est  child. 

Acquiring  a  practical  common  school  edu- 
cation in  his  native  town,  Robert  N.  Jeffery 
remained  at  home  assisting  his  father  in  the 
care  of  the  farm  until  twenty  years  old.  Lo- 
cating then  at  Menomonee  Falls.  Waukesha 
county,  'W'is.,  he  was  there  engaged  in  business 
as  a  merchant  for  about  ten  years,  and  in  addi- 
tion taught  music  and  worked  as  an  evangel- 
ist. Going  then  to  Onaga,  Pottawatomie  coun- 
ty, Kans..  he  was  there  engaged  in  the  hard- 


ware business  with  a  brother-in-law  for  four 
years,  at  the  same  time  continuing  as  a  music 
teacher.  Coming  to  California  in  1884,  Mr. 
Jeft'ery  located  in  San  Diego  and  during  the 
memorable  boom  that  followed  made  a  fortune, 
which  he  lost  in  the  subsequent  collapse.  He 
remained  there,  however,  for  ten  years,  being 
employed  the  greater  part  of  the  time  as  a  real 
estate  agent.  Locating  in  Los  Angeles  in  1893, 
lie  did  noted  work  in  that  city  as  a  singer  and 
evangelist,  during  the  winter  of  1905  assist- 
ing Rev.  J.  Wilbur  Chapman,  of  New  York, 
the  celebrated  revivalist,  and  afterwards,  under 
Mr.  Chapman's  supervision,  going  to  Oregon 
as  an  evangelist.  Returning  the  ensuing  sum- 
mer to  Los  Angeles,  Air.  jeft'erj-  came  from 
there  to  Ocean  Park  in  August,  1905,  and  has 
since  been  actively  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
business  with  Mr.  Buley,  having  an  office  at 
No.  103  Ocean  Front. 

In  ^^''isconsin  Mr.  Jeft'ery  married  Sarah  AI. 
Thomas,  and  of  the  four  children  born  of 
their  union  but  one  is  living,  Elmore  R.  Jef- 
fery, an  architect  of  Los  Angeles.  Air.  Jef- 
fery is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
is  a  stanch  Prohibitionist,  and  fraternally  is 
a  member  of  the  ?\Iasonic  order. 


JERRY  T.  LEFTWICH.  Very  early  in 
the  colonial  history  of  our  country  the  Left- 
wich  family  became  established  in  the  south, 
having  crossed  the  ocean  from  Germany. 
Breckinridge  county,  Ky.,  became  the  home  of 
one  branch  of  the  family,  and  there  Camillus 
Leftwich  was  born  in  1820.  At  the  age  of 
seventeen  proceeded  to  the  then  frontier  re- 
gions of  Iowa,  securing  employment  as  a 
farm  laborer  in  Lee  county.  In  1845  he  went 
to  the  present  site  of  the  city  of  Des  Aloines 
and  three  miles  away,  at  Rising  Sun,  secured 
a  tract  of  government  land  which  he  entered 
and  settled.  Stock-raising  was  his  specialty 
and  of  it  he  made  a  success.  He  was  an  hon- 
ored pioneer.  Interested  in  politics,  he  was 
elected  to  various  local  offices  on  the  Repub- 
lican ticket  and  maintained  an  active  part  in 
affairs  for  the  upbuilding  of  his  community. 
From  early  life  he  was  identified  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  in  that  faith 
died  in  1897,  at  scventy-eisfht  years  of  age. 

The  marriage  of  Camillus  Leftwich  united 
h.im  with  Elizabeth  Ogelvie.  who  was  born  in 
Indiana,  but  from  childhood  made  her  home 
in  Lee  county,  Iowa.  Like  her  husband,  she 
was  a  sincere  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  At  the  age  of  sixty-five  years 
slic  passed  away  October  23,  1891.  Among  her 
seven  children  theie  Avas  a  son.  Jerry  T..  born 
near   Dcs   Moines,   Iowa,   April   29,    1866,   and 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2201 


reared  on  the  home  farm.  He  completed  the 
studies  of  the  public  schools  and  took  a  course 
of  study  in  the  Iowa  Business  College  at  Des 
Moines.  At  twenty  years  of  age  he  came  to 
California  and  settled  in  Pasadena,  where  he 
carried  on  a  real  estate  business  for  one  3'ear. 
During  March  of  1888  he  came  to  Inglewood, 
where  his  son  was  the  first  child  born  in  the 
town  and  where  now  he  is  the  oldest  surviv- 
ing settler,  excepting  two  others.  For  two 
years  he  carried  on  a  meat  market  and  for  five 
years  engaged  in  ranching  two  miles  from 
town;  later  selling  his  farm  he  returned  to 
the  town.  Included  in  his  property  holdings 
are  three  acres  in  Inglewood,  with  a  very  at- 
tractive residence,  and  also  another  house  and 
lot  and  a  number  of  vacant  lots,  besides  a  lot 
in  Pasadena. 

After  settling  in  Inglewood  Mr.  Leftwich  re- 
turned to  Towa  and  ?t  Altoona,  October  5, 
1888,  was  united  in  marriage  with  IMiss  Mary 
S.  West,  who  was  born  there  October  12,  1869, 
and  graduated  at  Drake  University  at  Des 
Moines.  Three  children  were  born  of  their 
Tinion,  Harry  W.,  .'Knita  L.  and  Lola  K.  The 
wife  and  mother  died  May  11,  1904.  In  fra- 
ternal relations  Mr.  Leftwich  holds  member- 
ship with  the  blue  lodge  of  Masonry  at  Re- 
dondo,  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  Royal 
Arcanum  and  Independent  Order  of  Foresters. 
Stanch  in  his  allegiance  to  the  Republican  par- 
ty, he  has  been  a  leading  local  worker  in  its 
ranks  and  since  1893  a  delegate  to  all  coun- 
ty conventions  of  the  party.  For  five  years  he 
served  as  deputy  assessor  of  a  district  eight- 
een miles  square  comprising  eleven  school  dis- 
tricts, and  since  1901  he  has  held  office  as  road 
commissioner  of  a  district  about  eight  miles 
square,  a  position  of  manifold  responsibilities. 


ANTON  LUTHERER  was  born  in  Ger- 
many, June  8,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of  natives  of 
the  Fatherland.  He  attended  the  school  and 
gymnasium,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  he  was 
apprenticed  to  learn  a  trade,  thus  complying 
with  the  requirements  of  the  law  which  makes 
it  obligatory  upon  all  boys  of  that  age  to  pre- 
pare themselves  for  a  life  occupation.  Not 
wishing  to  go  into  military  service,  he  came 
to  America,  landing  in   February,   1884. 

Mr.  Lutherer  came  to  the  LTnited  States 
with  plans  well  laid  as  to  the  location  in  which 
he  wished  to  settle,  and  without  loss  of  any 
time  in  the  east  he  made  his  way  across  the 
country  to  the  extreme  west,  locating  in  San 
Francisco.  Being  unfamiliar  with  the  language 
and  customs,  he  found  himself  in  a  city  vastly 
different  from  his  home  town ;  but  he  was 
young  and   hopeful,    and    no    matter   how    de- 

109 


pressing  the  situation  in  which  he  found  him- 
self, he  still  saw  the  bright  side  of  it  and  made 
the  most  of  his  opportunities.  His  first  em- 
ployment was  driving  a  delivery  wagon,  fol- 
lowing this  occupation  until  removing  to  San 
Diego.  From  the  latter  city  he  came  to  Los 
Angeles  county  in  1898,  and  the  same  year  pur- 
chased the  ranch  which  he  now  owns  and  occu- 
])ies,  sixteen  miles  northwest  of  Santa  Monica. 
Besides  the  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
comprising  his  ranch  he  rents  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  adjoining,  and  also  cultivates  a 
ranch  of  the  same  size  situated  in  the  mount- 
ains and  one  mile  from  the  home  ranch,  the 
latter  being  the  property  of  his  wife.  As  much 
of  the  land  is  on  the  mountain  sides,  it  is  not 
as  well  adapted  to  the  raising  of  general  farm 
produce  as  it  is  to  dairy  purposes,  and  it  is 
the  latter  industry  combined  with  the  raising 
of  bees,  that  forms  Mr.  Lutherer's  chief  source 
of  income.  His  marriage  united  him  with  Mrs. 
Rosie  Harding.  In  his  political  belief  Mr. 
Lutherer  is  free  from  party  ties  and  invariably 
casts  his  ballot  for  the  candidate  he  believes 
best  qualified  for  the  office  in  question,  re- 
gardless of  party  ties. 


PROF.  WILLIAM  MALCOLM,  of  Trop- 
ico,  holds  a  noteworthy  position  among  the 
leading  educators  of  this  section  of  Los  An- 
geles county.  He  was  born  May  5,  1858,  in 
Chicago,  111.,  where  he  lived  until  about  four 
years  of  age.  Coming  with  his  parents  to  Cal- 
ifornia in  1862,  he  received  his  rudimentary 
education  in  San  Jose,  and  after  his  gradua- 
tion from  the  high  school  entered  Florence 
College,  now  called  the  Sacred  Heart  College, 
m  Hollister,  where  he  received  the  degree  of 
B.  S.  He  subsequently  remained  in  Hollister 
for  a  few  years,  keeping  books  for  his  father, 
who  was  there  engaged  in  business  as  a  gen- 
eral merchant.  Beginning  his  professional 
career  in  1880,  he  taught  school  for  a  year  in 
Bear  Valley,  the  ensuing  three  years  teaching 
in  Fresno  county,  in  Lake  district,  the  largest 
outlying  district  in  the  county.  Returning  then 
to  Hollister,  he  remained  there  as  a  teacher  for 
two  years,  the  following  year  having  charge 
of  the  King.sburg  school,  near  Fresno.  Accept- 
ing then  a  position  in  Los  Angeles  county,  he 
served  as  principal  of  the  school  in  Compton 
for  three  years,  giving  good  satisfaction,  and 
in  Clearwater  for  two  years,  where  he  was 
equally  successful.  Going  then  to  Monterey 
county,  he  was  principal  of  the  public  school 
at  Pajaro  for  four  years,  after  which  he  had 
charge  for  a  time  of  the  Watsonville  grammar 
school,  with   seventeen  teachers  under  him. 

Giving  up  teaching  then,  he  formed  a  part- 


220:2 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


nership  with  his  brother-in-law,  W.  B.  Cooper, 
and  for  eight  years  was  associated  with  him  in 
the  stationery  business.  At  the  end  of  two 
years,  however,  leaving  the  management  of  the 
business  to  his  partner,  Professor  2\lalcolm 
accepted  the  ormcipalship  of  the  Soledad 
school,  and  was  elected  a  member  of  the  local 
board  of  education.  At  the  end  of  four  years, 
on  account  of  the  ill  health  of  his  daughter, 
he  was  compelled  to  seek  a  warmer  climate, 
and  came  to  Los  Angeles  county,  locating  here 
in  1901.  Being  offered  the  principalship  of 
the  Tropico  school,  he  accepted  it,  and  served 
with  such  ability  and  satisfaction  that  at  the 
close  of  the  year  he  was  made  supervising  prin- 
cipal. In  this  capacity  he  superintended  the 
construction  and  equipment  of  the  new  school 
building,  erected  in  1905. 

In  Watsonville,  Professor  l^lalcolm  mar- 
ried Florence  Cooper,  daughter  of  j\Irs.  Eliza 
Cooper,  formerly  a  well-known  resident  of  that 
city,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  two  children, 
iMadeline  and  William  Fahrion.  Professor  and 
Mrs.  IMalcolm  are  active  and  valued  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  politically  he 
is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  member  and  secre- 
tary of  Unity  Lodge,  E.  &  A.  M.,  of  Glendale ; 
past  grand  of  Apollo  Lodge  No.  90,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
of  Watsonville ;  past  chief  of  Watsonville  En- 
campment, I.  O.  O.  E. ;  and  is  a  rnember  and 
oast  council  commander  of  Camp  No.  82,  W. 
O.  W. 


JMRS.  ALICE  :\IAYS.  Prominent  among 
those  identified  with  the  progress  and  develop- 
ment of  Southern  California  is  J\lrs.  Alice 
Mays,  who,  since  February,  1900,  has  been  a 
resident  of  Los  Angeles  county,  and  for  over 
three  years  has  been  actively  identified  with 
real  estate  operations  in  Ocean  Park,  where 
she  has  met  with  unusual  success  in  the  man- 
agement of  her  business  and  acquired  a  place 
of  importance  in  public  affairs. 

Mrs.  Mays  is  a  native  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
her  father  being  John  Nugent,  a  prosperous 
merchant  of  that  city,  where  she  received  a  pre- 
liminary education,  which  v.'as  completed  in 
the  Sacred  Heart  Convent,  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.  In 
young  womanhood  she  met  and  married  A.  C. 
Mays,  of  Ironton,  Ohio,  who  had  located  in 
Portsmouth,  same  state,  and  was  there  en- 
gaged as  an  attorney-at-law ;  they  continued  to 
make  that  city  their  home  until  the  death  of 
^Tr.  Mays,  which  occurred  in  1876  at  the  early 
age  of  twenty-four  years.  He  was  a  man  of 
brilliant  promise  and  unusual  ability  in  his 
chosen  profession,  with  a  winning  personality 
and  forceful  and  upright  manhood.  His  un- 
timelv  death  was  the  cause  of  regret.    Mr.  and 


.Mr.^.  Mays  were  the  parents  of  one  son,  James 
\\'.,  who  graduated  from  the  Ohio  State  Uni- 
versity in  the  class  of  1897,  and  immediately 
entered  upon  the  practice  of  law,  which  he  had 
chosen  for  his  lifework.  He  married  Miss 
Bessie  Ball,  daughter  of  Dr.  Ball,  of  Ironton, 
and  the  representative  of  a  prominent  Ohio 
family,  and  with  his  wife  and  mother  came  to 
Los  Angeles  in  1900,  where  he  is  now  engaged 
m  the  practice  of  his  profession  with  offices  in 
the  H.  W.  Hellman  building. 

In  December.  1903,  ^vlrs.  Mays  became  iden- 
tified with  real  estate  operations  in  Ocean 
Park.  She  opened  an  office  at  No.  49  Ocean 
Front,  later  removing  to  No.  83  Ocean  Front, 
and  finally  locating  at  No.  91  ^4  Ocean  Front, 
where  she  is  at  present  carrying  on  an  ex- 
tensive business  in  a  quiet,  conservative  way; 
investing  but  little  for  speculation,  either  for 
herself  or  friends,  believing  rather  in  the  more 
stable  manner  of  advancing  the  country's  in- 
terests.. Mrs.  Mays  enjoys  a  widespread  re- 
spect among  business  men  for  her  thorough 
knowledge  of  business  affairs,  her  clean,  con- 
cise methods  as  a  dealer,  her  straightforward 
honor  and  integrity.  Socially  she  holds  a  place 
among  the  best  people  of  Ocean  Park  and  its 
vicinitv. 


C.  B.  MESKIMONS.  Closely  associated 
with  many  of  the  leading  interests  of  this  sec- 
tion of  San  Diego  county  is  C.  B.  Meskimons, 
a  well-educated,  talented  and  progressive 
young  man,  whose  influence  for  good  is  felt 
in  the  upbuilding  and  advancement  of  Rain- 
bow and  vicinity.  A  son  of  James  M.  Mes- 
kimons, he  w-as  born.  March  15,  1880,  in  Lyon 
county,  Kans..  very  near  the  city  of  Emporia. 

Born,  reared  and  educated  in  Ohio,  James 
M.  Meskimons  migrated  to  Iowa  when  young, 
and  on  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  Avar  en- 
listed in  defense  of  his  country's  honor  in  Com- 
pany I,  Fifth  Iowa  Volunteer  Infantry,  in 
which  he  served  for  three  years  and  three 
months,  taking  part  in  the  Battle  of  Lookout 
Mountain  and  the  Siege  of  Vicksburg,  and  be- 
ing wounded  in  the  Battle  of  luka.  Subse- 
quently settling  in  Kansas,  he  resided  in  Lyon 
county  until  1890,  when  he  came  with  his  fam- 
ily to  California,  where  he  has  since  resided 
the  greater  part  of  the  time,  his  home  now  be- 
ing in  Fallbrook.  He  is  a  man  of  prominence 
in  social  circles,  belonging  to  Fallbrook  Post. 
G.  A.  R. :  to  the  Free  and  Accepted  Order  of 
^Tasons ;  and  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  Religiously  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodi.st  Episcopal  Church.  He  married 
Sarah  Blue,  who  was  born  in  Indiana,  and  they 
are  the  parents  of  five  children. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2203 


Coining  with  his  parents  to  Southern  Cali- 
fornia when  a  lad,  C.  B.  ^leskimons  received 
his  elementary  education  in  the  Redlands 
schools,  after  which  he  was  graduated  from 
the  high  school  in  Phoenix,  Ariz.  Since  reach- 
ing manhood,  he  has  been  actively  engaged  in 
general  ranching,  devoting  his  one  hundred 
and  seventy  acres  of  land,  located  near  Rain- 
bow, to  the  raising  of  fruit,  grain,  alfalfa  and 
live  stock  in  his  operations  meeting  with  a  fair 
share  of  success.  For  the  past  two  years  Mr. 
Meskimons  has  been  studying  the  science  of 
dentistry. 

In  iqoi  Mr.  Meskimons  married  a  Miss  Mar- 
tin, a  native  of  Kansas,  and  into  their  home 
two  children  have  been  born.  In  his  political 
afifitiations  Mr.  J^Jeskimons  is  a  Republican,  and 
is  now  a  member  of  the  Fallbrook  High 
School  Board.  Religiously  he  is  a  member  of 
the   Methodist   Episcopal  Church. 


REAII  NADEAU  of  Los  Angeles  county 
was  born  in  Grove  Lake,  Minn.,  May  3,  1867, 
a  son  of  Joseph  F.  and  Mary  A.  (Williams) 
Nadeau,  the  father  a  native  of  Canada  and 
the  mother  of  Wisconsin.  Joseph  A.  Nadeau 
located  in  Minnesota  in  young  manhood,  and 
during  the  Civil  war  participated  in  the  cause 
of  the  Union  in  a  regiment  of  that  state.  He 
married  in  Minnesota  and  in  1867  brought  his 
family  to  California,  locating  in  Los  Angeles. 
Later  they  went  to  Washington  and  Oregon 
for  a  period  of  five  years,  after  which  they  came 
back  to  Los  Angeles  and  in  the  vicinity  of 
Florence,  Los  Angeles  county,  Mr.  Nadeau  en- 
gaged extensively  in  ranching.  He  raised  large 
crops  of  grain  which  he  harvested  and  threshed 
himself,  being  interested  in  a  threshing  ma- 
chine which  was  one  of  the  first  to  be  oper- 
ated in  the  county.  He  also  carried  on  at  one 
time  a  large  vineyard  with  gratifying  success. 
Desiring  to  spend  some  time  in  various  parts 
of  tlie  state  he  lived  in  San  Diego,  later  in  Seat- 
tle, Wash.,  for  ibout  six  years,  and  also  made 
two  trips  to  Alaska  on  a  prospecting  tour.  He 
finally  returned  to  Los  Angeles  county  and 
located  permanently  in  Long  Beach,  where  he 
is  now  residing  and  although  he  has  attained 
an  age  that  entitles  him  to  relaxation  from  bus- 
iness cares  he  is  actively  interested  in  real 
estate  operations  in  that  city  and  equally  suc- 
cessful as  he  has  been  in  all  business  affairs. 
His  wife  died  at  Florence  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
seven  years. 

Remi  Nadeau,  the  second  son  in  the  family 
of  his  parents,  received  his  education  through 
the  medium  of  the  public  schoola^rincipally  of 
Florence,  supplementing  this  foundation  and 
kis  excellent  home-training  along  business  lines 


by  a  thorough  commercial  course  in  the  Los 
Angeles  Business  College.  After  his  school- 
days were  over  he  established  himself  in  ranch- 
ing pursuits,  remaining  so  occupied  for  a  short 
time,  when  he  came  to  Los  Angeles  and  en- 
gaged in  a  mercantile  career.  He  opened  a 
retail  furniture  store  at  No.  310  South  Main 
street  and  successfully  conducted  the  enter- 
prise for  five  years,  when  he  sold  out  and  fol- 
lowed contracting  and  building  for  a  lengthy 
period,  putting  up  a  large  number  of  store 
buildings,  rooming  houses  and  private  dwell- 
ings. He  also  engaged  in  the  building  busi- 
ness for  himself,  purchasing  lots  in  various 
parts  of  the  city  and  erecting  fine  houses,  which 
he  sold  later.  Characteristic  of  the  ability  of 
this  family,  he  accumulated  the  means  to 
launch  him  independently  in  any  business  ven- 
ture and  although  his  time  is  now  given  to 
other  matters  he  still  retains  an  interest  in 
building  operations  in  Florence.  He  is  now 
engaged  in  real  estate  operations,  having  re- 
cently sub-divided  a  tract  of  fifteen  acres 
known  as  the  Remi  Nadeau  tract,  and  in  which 
enterprise  he  was  unusually  successful.  He  is 
now  the  owner  of  a  tract  of  twelve  and  a 
lialf  acres  which  is  being  subdivided  and 
known  as  the  Walter  A.  Nadeau  tract.  On 
both  tracts  it  is  the  plan  of  the  owner  to  erect 
homes  to  suit  purchasers  of  lots,  which  plan 
is  working  well  in  the  development  of  the 
property. 


HUGH  M.  NICHOLS.  In  the  development 
of  the  extensive  lumber  trade  of  Southern  Cal- 
ifornia, Hugh  M.  Nichols,  associated  with  the 
Consolidated  Lumber  Company  of  Ocean  Park, 
has  taken  an  active  and  prominent  part.  A 
native  of  Osage  county,  Iowa,  he  was  born 
June  9,  1876,  a  son  of  Dr.  Elmer  Nichols.  His 
grandfather,  John  Nichols,  a  life-long  resident 
of  New  Hampshire,  was  of  substantial  New 
England  descent,  tracing  his  ancestry  in  a  di- 
rect line  back  to  the  time  of  the  Pilgrim  fa- 
thers, when  three  brothers  named  Nichols  emi- 
grated from  Wales  to  America,  one  settling  iti 
Rhode  Island,  one  in  Massachusetts,  and  one, 
tlie  founder  of  his  branch  of  the  family,  locat- 
ing in  the  Green  Mountain  state. 

Elmer  Nichols  was  born  and  reared  in  New 
Hampshire.  Studying  medicine  when  a  young 
man,  he  subsequently  located  in  Osage,  Iowa, 
where  he  was  engaged  as  a  physician  until  his 
death,  while  yet  in  manhoods  prime.  He  mar- 
ried Nannie  Ca;-nelia  Wright,  vvho  was  born  in 
Kentuck}',  coti'.ing  from  distinguished  South- 
ern stock.  She  survived  him,  and  subsequent- 
ly married  his  brother.  Dr.  Horace  Nichols, 
also  a  physician  of  prominence  in  Inwn.     Both 


2204 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Dr.  Elmer  Nichols  and  Dr.  Horace  Nichols 
were  men  of  influence  and  public  spirit,  inher- 
iting many  of  the  patriotic  virtues  of  their 
paternal  grandfather,  who  served  as  a  soldier 
in  the  Revolutionary  war. 

Educated  in  his  native  town,  Hugh  M.  Nich- 
ols was  graduated  from  the  Osage  high  school, 
and  from  the  commercial  department  of  the 
Osage  Academy,  receiving  his  diploma  from 
the  latter  institution  in  1897.  Continuing  his 
residence  in  Osage  for  a  few  years,  he  was 
first  in  the  employ  of  the  United  States  postal 
service,  and  afterwards  was  with  James  A. 
Smith,  a  dealer  in  lumber  and  coal.  Coming 
to  California  in  July.  1901,  he  was  associated 
with  the  Southern  California  Lumber  Com- 
pany for  a  few  weeks,  when,  on  September  2, 
igot,  he  began  .vorking  for  Nofziger  Brothers 
Lumber  Company,  continuing  with  that  firm 
as  manager  of  the  Glendora  Lumber  Company 
until  October,  1904.  Going  then  to  Long 
Beach,  Mr.  Nichols  was  there  manager  of  the 
yards  of  the  Southern  California  Lumber  Com- 
pany until  June  i.  1905,  when  he  became  trav- 
eling auditor  and  superintendent  of  the  yards 
of  the  Consolidated  Lumber  Company.  Octo- 
ber I,  1905,  this  compan}'  purchased  the  D.  I. 
Nofziger  Lumber  yards  at  Ocean  Park,  where 
Mr.  Nichols  has  since  been  located. 

In  Iowa  Mr.  Nichols  married  Daisy  Tup- 
per,  a  daughter  of  A.  C  Tupper,  a  prominent 
citizen  of  Osage,  Iowa,  and  a  leading  pol- 
itician, and  they  have  one  child,  Richard  Tup- 
per Nichols.  Politically  Mr.  Nichols  is  a  stead- 
fast Republican,  and  fraternally  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Pomona  Lodge,  B.  P.  O.  E. 


JULES  SAULQUE,  a  successful  farmer,  is 
actively  identified  with  the  advancement  of 
the  agricultural  prosperity  of  Los  Angeles 
county,  bis  ranch,  located  in  Hyde  Park,  be- 
ing highly  improved,  and  with  its  appoint- 
ments and  equipments  giving  visible  evidence 
of  his  energy,  enterprise  and  good  business 
management.  He  is  a  man  of  strict  integrity, 
high  moral  character,  and  is  highly  respect- 
ed throughout  the  community.  A  son  of  Jo- 
seph Sanlque,  he  was  born  in  France  in  1850, 
and  there  reared  and  educated. 

A  life-long  resident  of  France,  Joseph 
Saulque  was  prominent  and  influential,  for 
twenty  years  serving  as  mayor  of  his  home 
town,  holding  the  office  from  the  time  of  his 
first  election  until  his  death,  in  1876.  His  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Julia  Barnard,  died 
in  1866,  a  comparatively  young  woman.  Of 
their  family  of  nine  children,  five  boj's  and  four 
girls,  eight  are  living  and  all  of  the  sons  came 
to    America,    but    three    returned    to    France, 


Jules,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  his  broth- 
er, August,  are  the  only  ones  now  in  America. 

After  becoming  of  age,  Jules  Saulque  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  in  1872,  coming 
directly  to  California.  Staying  a  few  days  in 
,San  Francisco,  he  went  to  Los  Angeles,  but 
finding  no  congenial  employment  in  that  city 
removed  to  Bakersfield,  where  with  his  broth- 
er August,  he  took  up  sheep  raising.  Return- 
ing to  Los  Angeles  in  1875,  Mr.  Saulque  was 
employed  in  the  livery  business  for  a  year. 
In  1876,  he  again  embarked  in  sheep  raising, 
and  for  eight  years  earned  on  a  good  business. 
Mr.  Saulque  owns  a  ranch,  in  Hyde  Park,  and 
)ias  since  carried  on  general  farming  most  suc- 
cessfully. Having  passed  the  prime  of  life,  he 
feels  that  he  is  entitled  to  some  years  of  leisure, 
and  has  recently  given  up  the  care  of  his 
estate  to  his  son  Edmond,  who  is  managing  it 
successfully,  being  well  versed  in  the  art  and 
Gcience  of  agriculture. 

In  Los  Angeles,  in  1882,  Mr.  Saulque  mar- 
ried Honoria  Hobert,  a  native  of  France,  and 
they  have  the  following  children :  Edmond, 
Rosa.  Lucien,  Helen,  Theresa,  and  May.  Po- 
liticallv  Mr.  Sanlque  is  a  stanch  Republican, 
and  religiously  be  belongs  to  the  Congregation- 
al Church. 


J.  M.  HL^GHES.  The  younger  generation 
of  the  Santa  Maria  valley  have  an  excellent 
I'epresentative  in  J.  M.  Hughes,  who  in  addi- 
tion to  cultivating  two  hundred  acres  of  land, 
does  a  thriving  business  with  his  threshing  out- 
fit, which  is  in  great  demand  throughout  the 
valley.  Mr.  Hughes  is  the  owner  of  forty 
acres ;  he  also  rents  a  quarter  section  of  ad- 
joining land,  and  thus  has  two  hundred  acres 
under  his  control.  He  pays  some  attention  to 
the  raising  of  fruit,  having  about  twenty-five 
acres  in  apricots  alone,  and  averages  about  six 
tons  of  dried  fruit  each  season.  The  remainder 
of  the  land  is  gi-'en  over  entirely  to  the  raising 
of  beans,  this  crop  averaging  about  nine  sacks 
to  the  acre. 

A  native  of  Kansas,  J.  M.  Hughes  was  born 
in  Pottawatomie  county  May  16,  1876,  one  of 
eight  children  born  to  his  parents,  George  and 
Rachael  (Guthrie)  Hughes,  born  in  North  Car- 
olina and  Missouri  respectively.  Their  mar- 
riage occurred  in  Missouri,  where  the  father 
carried  on  farming  for  some  years  prior  to  his 
removal  to  Kansas.  Each  removal  brought 
him  a  step  nearer  the  Pacific  coast,  and  the 
year  1896  witnessed  his  arrival  in  California. 
The  fact  thatJie  has  remained  in  his  first  loca- 
tion is  the  b^t  possible  evidence  of  his  sat- 
isfaction with  the  Santa  Maria  valley  as  a 
place    of    residence.      Of   their    eight    children 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2205 


three  are  deceased,  and  all  of  the  five  living  are 
sons.  A  Republican  in  his  political  opinions, 
Mr.  Hughes  is  identified  with  the  Foresters 
and  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  affiliating 
with  the  lodges  in  his  home  city,  Santa  Maria. 
Until  twenty  years  of  age  J.  M.  Hughes 
made  his  home  with  his  parents  on  the  Pot- 
tawatomie county  homestead,  and  in  1896  ac- 
companied the  family  to  the  Pacific  coast.  Re- 
maining with  his  parents  for  three  years  on 
the  home  place  in  Santa  Barbara  county,  he 
then,  in  1899,  formed  domestic  ties  by  his  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Althea  A.  McHenry,  like  him- 
self a  native  of  Kansas,  and  a  daughter  of  Dan- 
iel McHenry.  Two  children  have  been  born 
of  this  marriage,  Gladys  and  Inez.  Following 
closely  in  his  father's  inclinations  both  in  pol- 
itical and  fraternal  matters,  Mr.  Hughes  is  a 
Republican  and  belongs  to  the  Foresters  and 
Alodern  Woodmen  of  America.  Too  much 
praise  cannot  be  bestowed  upon  Mr.  Hughes 
for  the  progress  which  he  has  made  in  his  cho- 
sen work,  the  fact  that  he  is  in  constant  de- 
mand demonstrating  better  than  can  mere 
words  his  thoroughgomg  and  dependable  nat- 
ure. Throughout  the  county  he  bears  a  com- 
mendable reputation  for  probity  and  honesty, 
and  all  speak  of  him  in  the  highest  terms. 


L.  E.  HOFFMAN,  a  well-known  business 
man  of  Oceanpark,  is  intimately  associated 
with  its  real  estate  interests,  as  a  member  of 
the  Crescent  Bay  Realty  Company  being  act- 
ivelv  engaged  in  the  sale  and  transfer  of  city 
and  town  property.  .\  son  of  Fred  Hoffman, 
he  was  born  at  Maco'iib,  111.,  and  was  there 
reared  and  educated. 

Being  distinguished  as  the  longest-estab- 
lished "saddler  and  harness  maker  in  Illinois, 
Fred  Hoffman  is  still  carrying  on  the  business 
which  he  started  at  iMacomb  so  many  years 
ago,  and  in  which  he  has  been  successfully 
emploved  for  nearly  half  a  century.  His  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Alalvina  Cannon,  was 
the  first  white  child  born  at  Macomb.  She  is 
still  livintr.  and  of  the  ten  children  that  she 
bore  her  husband  nine  survive,  L.  E.  being'  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  Her  oldest  son,  Henry 
Hoffman,  a  resident  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  has  the 
distinction  of  being  the  only  man  in  the  United 
States  who  received  the  nomination  for  the 
presidencv  on  the  Henry  George  ticket. 

Under  the  instruction  of  his  father,  L.  E. 
Hoffman  learned  the  trade  of  a  harness  mak- 
er, as  did  seven  of  his  eight  brothers,  but  as  a 
voung  man  did  not  follow  it  very  long.  Going 
then '  to  Ouincy,  III.  a  prominent  shipping 
point,  he  ciitere'd  the  wholesale  house  of  J-  B. 
Schott,   with   whom  he  served   as  clerk  for  a 


time.  Afterwards,  as  commercial  salesman  for 
(ieorge  Blackman  &  Co.,  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  he 
traveled  extensively  for  three  years  through 
the  states  of  Missouri,  Kansas,  Nebraska,  and 
Iowa,  meeting  with  good  success.  Subse- 
i|uently  he  visited  New  Mexico  and  the  west, 
finally  settling  at  Flagstaff,  Ariz.,  where  he 
embarked  in  business  as  a  harness  maker  and 
saddler,  taking  up  the  trade  which  he  had 
learned  as  a  y-outh  in  his  father's  shop. 

Coming  to  California  in  the  fall  of  1893,  on 
account  of  his  wife's  health,  Mr.  Hoffman  be- 
gan life  as  a  ranchman  among  the  mountain 
springs  of  Kern  county.  During  the  mining 
excitement  that  followed  he  went  into  the  des- 
erts at  Randsburg.  and  for  a  time  carried  on 
an  exceedingly  prosperous  business  as  a  har- 
ness maker,  a  dealer  in  real  estate,  and  as  dis- 
trict recorder.  When  the  boom  broke,  how- 
ever, he  was  poorer  by  $6,000,  and  with  but 
$6.75  in  his  pockets  went  to  Ventura  county, 
where,  in  Oxnard,  he  again  started  in  business 
as  a  manufacturer  of  leather  goods.  From 
there,  in  January,  1905,  he  came  to  Ocean  Park, 
and  in  company  with  Jesse  B.  Green  began  op- 
erating in  realty  in  this  section  of  the  county. 
Succeeding  well  in  his  financial  transactions, 
a  third  partner  was  added  to  the  firm,  C.  W. 
Averill,  and  these  gentlemen,  under  the  name 
of  the  Cresent  Bay  Realty  Company,  are 
carrying  on  a  substantial  real  estate  business, 
with  offices  at  No.  159  Pier  avenue. 

In  1889,  at  Flagstaff,  Ariz.,  Mr.  Hoffman 
married  Ida  Fay,  and  four  years  later,  on  ac- 
count of  the  ill  health  of  his  wife,  came  with 
her  to  the  milder  and  more  invigorating  climate 
of  Southern  California.  Politically  Mr.  Hoff- 
man is  a  Socialist,  and  fraternally  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Modern  ^Voodmen  of  America  and 
of  the  Fraternal  Aid. 


EDWARD  NATHAN  HARRISON,  of 
Fallbrook,  is  a  representative  of  the  success- 
ful agriculturists.  Since  coming  to  Southern 
California,  he  has  witnessed  many  important 
changes  throughout  this  locality,  and  has  con- 
tributed his  full  share  toward  advancing  its 
growth  and  prosperity.  A  son  of  Nathan  Har- 
rison, he  was  born,  July  12,  1856,  in  Iroquois 
county.  111.,  and  there  was  brought  up  and  edu- 
cated. 

Born  in  England,  Nathan  Harrison  came 
with  his  parents  to  America  when  nine  years  of 
age,  settling  in  Canada,  where  he  grew  to 
man's  estate.  Removing  to  Illinois  when  a 
young  man,  he  bought  land  in  Iroquois  coun- 
ty, and  was  there  actively  employed  in  farm- 
ing and  business  pursuits  until  his  death,  at 
the  age  of  fifty-six  years.     He  married  Ellen 


2206 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Burt,  who  was  born  in  Ohio,  txnd  died,  at  the 
age  of  four  score  and  lour  jears.  She  was  a 
consistent  christian,  qnd  a  valued  member  of 
the  Baptist  Church.  She  bore  her  husband  six 
children,  five  of  whom  are  living. 

In  1874,  befo;e  reaching  his  majority,  Ed- 
ward N.  Harrison  came  to  California,  seeking 
m  this  sunny  climate  a  favorable  location. 
Establishing  a  bee  ranch  in  San  Diego  county, 
he  lived  there  tibout  a  year,  and  then  trans- 
ferred his  residence  and  his  occupation  to  Bear 
Valley,  where  he  was  employed  in  bee  rais- 
ing and  general  farming  for  about  six  years. 
In  1883  Mr.  Harrison  bought  a  claim  to  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  Government  land, 
and  with  the  exception  of  two  years  that  he 
spent  in  Los  Angeles  as  proprietor  of  a  lodg- 
ing house,  he  has  since  resided  here.  In  his 
agricultural  labors  he  has  met  with  genuine 
success,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  a  finely  cul- 
tivated ranch  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres,  on  which  he  has  made  substantial  and 
valuable  improvements. 

In  1888  Mr.  Harrison  married  Elizabeth  Vin- 
cent, who  was  born  in  Nantucket,  Mass.,  com- 
ing from  thrifty  colonial  ancestry,  and  into 
their  home  three  children  have  been  born, 
namely:  Blanche,  Howard,  and  Ruth.  Polit- 
ically Mr.  Harrison  is  an  independent  voter  in 
local  aflfairs,  but  in  national  movements  sup- 
ports the  principles  endorsed  by  the  Republi- 
can party.  Socialh^  he  is  a  member  of  Los  An- 
geles Lodge,  No.  9,  Fraternal  Brotherhood. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church,  and 
Mrs.  Harrison  belongs  to  the  Unitarian  Church. 


J.  W.  HANSARD.  The  exact  duration  of 
the  sojourn  of  the  Hansard  family  in  America 
is  not  known,  but  the  records  show  that  they 
were  residents  of  the  south  at  an  early  period 
of  our  national  existence.  Among  their  num- 
ber was  a  farmer,  C.  B.  Hansard,  who  was  born 
and  reared  in  Tennessee  and  there  married 
Hannah  Ailor,  also  a  native  of  that  state. 
]^)Oth  were  sincere  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  South  and  reared  their  chil- 
dren in  that  faith.  In  politics  he  was  a  stanch 
Democrat  and  received  from  his  party  the  office 
of  sherifl'  of  his  home  county  in  Tennessee. 
During  early  life  he  followed  teaching  and  for 
.seven  years  had  charge  of  the  same  school. 
Accompanied  by  his  family  he  removed  to  Mis- 
souri, where  he  lost  his  wife  by  death.  Event- 
ually he  came  to  the  coast  and  died  in  Cal- 
ifornia. Of  his  nine  children  there  now  sur- 
vive J.  W.,  of  Long  Beach,  Cal.,  a  daughter 
in  Northern  California  and  another  in  Ten- 
nessee. 

During  the  residence  of  the  family  in   East 


Tennessee  J.  W.  Hansard  was  born  November 
14,  1840,  and  from  there  he  removed  to  Mis- 
souri at  fourteen  years  of  age.  Deprived  of 
educational  advantages,  he  was  obliged  to  sup- 
port himself  from  an  early  age  and  became  a 
laborer  on  farms.  By  frugal  saving  of  his 
wages  he  was  eventually  able  to  purchase  a 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  but  four 
years  after  settliiig  on  that  place  he  sold  out 
and  in  1863  came  to  California,  where  he  has 
been  variously  occupied  in  different  localities. 
For  three  years  he  conducted  a  livery,  sales 
and  feed  stable  at  Grass  Valley,  Nevada  coun- 
t}^  In  1868  he  became  interested  in  ranching 
near  Marysville,  Yuba  count)^  and  from  there 
in  1874  removed  to  Downey  and  for  six  years 
operated  a  rented  ranch.  For  twelve  years  he 
made  his  home  in  Orange  county  and  during 
that  period  rendered  efficient  service  for  a  long 
period  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees. 
For  a  year  he  carried  on  a  hotel  in  Downey 
and  for  four  years  operated  a  ranch  which  he 
had  purchased  in  the  suburbs  of  the  same  town. 
Jn  IQ03  he  opened  the  Downey  livery  and  feed 
stable.  Among  his  recollections  of  earlier  3-ears 
is  that  of  assisting  in  the  capture  of  the  noted 
^*a.';quez  and  his  gang,  whose  depredations  had 
terrorized  certain  sections  of  the  state.  Always 
interested  in  questions  affecting  the  national 
prosperity,  he  is  well  posted  concerning  party 
issues  and  gives  his  support  to  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  In  1874  he  married  ^liss  Hester 
Tavlor,  who  was  born  in  Missouri,  and  at  the 
age  of  two  years  was  brought  to  ■  California 
by  her  father.  James  Taylor,  a  native  of  Ten- 
nessee and  a  descendant  of  old  southern  an- 
cestry. The  only  child  of  Air.  and  Mrs.  Han- 
sard is  a  son.  Vv^'illiam.  who  married  Gertrude 
Davis  and  has  tiyn  children. 


WILLIAM  SHUTT.  A  native  of  Indiana. 
William  Shutt  was  born  March  16,  1849,  i" 
Huntington  county,  a  son  of  Henry  and  So- 
phia (Geething^.  Shutt.  His  parents  were  both 
born  in  ^Maryland,  of  German  stock,  and  set- 
tled in  Huntington  county,  Ind.,  in  1848,  as 
tillers  of  the  soil. 

Educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his  na- 
tive county,  William  Shutt  subsequentlv  chose 
tlie  independent  occupation  to  which  he  was 
reared,  and  during  his  early  manhood  was  con- 
sidered one  of  the  model  farmers  of  his  vicin- 
iry.  Going  westward  in  1876,  he  lived  in  Kan- 
sas for  ten  years,  following  farming  first  in 
Allen  county,  and  then  in  Neosha  county. 
Through  drought  and  other  causes  he  lost 
much  of  the  money  that  he  invested,  and  in 
1886,  when  the  rush  of  tourists  and  prospect- 
ors was  at  its  height,  he  came  to  the  Pacific 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2207 


coast  in  senrch  of  a  fa\-orab!e  location.  Ap- 
plying for  a  position  at  the  University  of  Cal- 
ifornia, at  Berkeley,  he  became  identified  with 
the  Southern  California  Experimental  Station 
at  Pomona,  where  he  remained  as  an  employe 
for  eight  years.  Becoming  an  expert  horti- 
culturist while  there,  he  then  assumed  the 
position  of  foreman  at  the  Rustic,  or  Santa 
Ivlonica,  Experimental  Station,  of  which  he  had 
sole  charge  five  years.  He  became  widely 
known  for  his  work.  When  Abbot  Kinney  was 
in  search  of  a  capable  man  to  take  charge  of 
the  planting  of  trees,  flowers  and  shrubs  in  fa- 
mous Venice,  he  selected  Mr.  Shutt  as  the  most 
competent  person  known,  and  under  his  su- 
pervision the  artistic  work  has  been  most  suc- 
cessfully and  satisfactorily  planned  and  exe- 
cuted, having  been  accomplished  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1905.  Mr.  Shutt  is  a  real  estate  owner, 
having  in  San  Diego  county  a  valuable  ranch 
of  one  hundred  and  thirty-six  acres,  on  which 
he  has  fine  improvements,  including  an  excel- 
lent system  of  irrigation. 

In  Huntington  county,  Ind.,  Mr.  Shutt  mar- 
ried I-ucinda  B.  Shanks,  and  they  are  the  par- 
ents of  five  children,  namely:  Jennie  M. ;  Ida, 
wife  of  William  Hamlin,  of  British  Columbia; 
Lome  P.,  an  employe  of  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad  Company ;  Nathan  E.,  attending  the 
Leland  Stanford  University,  being  a  member 
of  the  class  of  1906;  and  Vincent,  attending  the 
high  school.  Fraternally  Mr.  Shutt  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows 
and  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen. 


JAMES  STEWART.  A  man  who  is  well 
posted  on  the  care  and  culture  of  oranges  and 
is  one  of  the  most  progressive  growers  of  that 
fruit  in  Southern  California  is  James  Stewart 
who  owns  ?'.  ten  acre  ranch  and  also  has  under 
his  charge  one  hundred  and  forty  acres  of 
oranges  which  are  divided  into  ten-acre  tracts. 
He  was  born  June  30,  1866,  in  Canada,  the  son 
of  Alexander  Stewart  who  was  born  in  Scot- 
land, lived  for  a  time  in  California  during  the 
later  years  of  his  life,  but  returned  to  Canada, 
where  his  death  finalh^  occurred.  His  mother 
is  still  living-  in  Canada  at  the  advanced  age  of 
seventy  }^ears.  There  were  five  children  in  the 
family  of  which  James  Stewart  was  a  member, 
and  two  of  his  brothers  are  now  residing  in 
Riverside  county. 

His  education  was  received  in  the  common 
schools  of  Canada  and  after  the  completion  of 
his  school  work  he  engaged  in  farming  for  a 
short  time  in  tliat  country.  In  his  twenty- 
second  year  he  came  to  the  United  States,  lived 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  state  of  California 
for  two  years,  and  in   18S7  came  to  San  Ber- 


nardino county  find  located  on  his  present  place 
near  Highgrove,  and  has  lived  here  ever  since. 
^Vhen  he  bought  the  ranch  the  orange  trees 
were  seven  years  old,  so  the  trees  are  now  m 
lull  bearing  and  yield  him  a  very  fine  income. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Foresters,  and  politically  affiliates 
with  the  Socialist  party,  having  advanced  views 
on  all  social  and  civic  subjects.  He  is  an  en- 
ergetic and  enterprising  young  man  and  has 
gained  many  friends  in  this  section  during  his 
residence  here. 


SCHOLLE  BROTHERS.  Not  far  from  the 
village  of  El  Rio,  Ventura  county,  lies  the  ex- 
tensive ranch  owned  and  managed  by  the 
Scholle  brothers,  thrifty  German  citizens, 
whose  participation  in  agricultural  affairs  has 
been  beneficial  to  the  country  in  general  by 
way  of  proving  the  possibilities  of  both  soil 
and  climate,  but  more  particularly  to  the  coun- 
try round  about  El  Rio,  where  their  success 
has  stimulated  others  to  undertake  similar  ef- 
forts, and  the  raising  of  beans  is  now  one  of 
the  most  dependable  sources  of  income  in  this 
]5art  of  the  county. 

Anton  and  Frances  (Borchard)  Scholle,  both 
of  whom  were  born  in  Germany,  came  to  the 
Ignited  States  in  1884,  some  time  after  the 
birth  of  their  four  children,  and  located  on  a 
small  ranch  in  Ventura  county,  Cal.  Here 
they  rounded  out  their  lives,  the  father  pass- 
ing away  at  the  age  of  fifty-five,  and  the  mother 
surviving  until  sixty  years  of  age,  both  dying 
in  the  faith  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 

The  eldest  of  the  brothers,  John  Scholle, 
was  born  in  Germanv  September  23,  i860,  and 
by  the  time  he  had  reached  his  fifteenth  year 
his  school  days  were  over  and  he  had  begun 
to  learn  a  trade,  in  accordance  with  the  laws 
of  his  native  country.  He  became  proficient 
as  a  brick  mason,  but  dia  not  reap  much  prac- 
tical benefit  from  his  years  of  training,  for  at 
the  age  of  twenty-two  years  he  came  to  the 
United  States,  v.'here  his  efforts  have  always 
been  along  agricultural  lines.  Coming  direct 
to  Ventura  county,  he  rented  land  for  two 
years,  but  finally  was  enabled  to  become  a  land 
owner,  purchasing  two  hundred  and  four  acres 
of  the  land  which  he  now  owns  in  partnership 
with  his  brother. 

Ignatz  Scholle  is  also  a  native  of  the  Father- 
land, and  was  born  September  30,  1869.  When 
fourteen  years  cf  age,  instead  of  remaining  in 
his  native  land  and  learning  a  trade,  he  came 
to  the  United  States  and  in  Ventura  county 
engaged  in  ranching,  finally  purchasing  one 
hundred  and  two  acres  not  far  from  the  tract 
which  his  brother  John  had  purchased  a  short 


2208 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


time  before.  Later  he  purchased  a  tract  of 
eighty-four  acres.  All  of  the  land  owned  by 
the  brothers,  comprising  about  four  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  in  the  aggregate,  is  cultivated 
in  partnership,  and  is  devoted  to  the  raising  of 
beans  exclusively,  their  crops  averaging  twen- 
ty sacks  to  the  acre. 

'  In  1898  Ignat2  Scholle  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Theresa  Leidle,  who  was  also  a 
native  of  Germany,  but  has  been  a  resident  of 
California  since  a  child  of  two  years.  Her 
father,  Michael  Leidle.  is  still  living  and  makes 
his  home  on  his  ranch  in  Los  Angeles  county. 


C.  E.  SMITH.  In  tracing  the  geneology  of 
this  retired  business  man  of  Downey  it  is 
learned  that  the  branch  of  the  family  which 
he  represents  early  settled  in  the  south  and 
for  several  generations  remained  along  the  At- 
lantic coast  beiow  Alason's  and  Dixon's  line. 
Some  time  during  early  life  his  father,  John 
W.,  left  his  native  North  Carolina  and  crossed 
the  state  line  into  Virginia,  where  he  married 
Miss  S.  E.  Leftwich,  a  native  of  the  Old  Do- 
minion and  a  woman  of  mild  and  gentle  char- 
acter. Five  sons  and  five  daughters  were  born 
of  their  union,  one  of  these  being  C.  E.,  whose 
birth  occurred  in  Bedford  county,  Va.,  Novem- 
ber 20,  1836.  When  he  was  a  child  of  seven 
years  the  father  died,  leaving  the  large  family 
"dependent  upon  the  mother's  eflforts.  About 
1847  they  loaded  their  efi^ects  in  a  wagon  and 
traveled  across  the  country  to  Missouri,  where 
thev  took  up  land  in  Pettis  county.  The  moth- 
er continued  to  reside  in  that  state  during  the 
balance  of  her  life  and  died  in  Boonville.  where 
her  body  was  laid  to  rest.  In  religion  she  was 
a  sincere  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  and  reared  her  children  in  that  faith. 
One  of  her  sons  came  to  California  as  early  as 
1850  and  seven  of  the  family  are  still  living. 

The  children  being  orphaned  at  an  early 
age.  they  were  forced  to  earn  their  own  liveli- 
hood and  were  deprived  of  the  advantages  they 
desired.  From  his  earliest  recollections  the  life 
of  C.  E.  Smith  was  one  of  sturdy  toil.  Assum- 
ing responsibilities  at  an  early  age.  he  devel- 
oped traits  of  self-reliance  helpful  to  him  in 
later  days.  The  first  v/ork  in  which  he  en- 
gaged was  that  of  freighting  across  the  plains, 
which  occupation  was  then  of  importance  ow- 
ing to  the  great  flow  of  emigration  westward. 
During  1857  he  freighted  to  Salt  Lake  and  from 
that  time  until  i860  he  served  as  wagonmas- 
ter  for  a  government  train  across  the  plains. 
At  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war  he  gave  his 
sympathy  and  help  toward  the  people  among 
whom  his  life  had  been  passed  and  enlisted  in 
Company  I.  Wood's  Battalion,  Shelby's  Brig- 


ade, Price's  Division,  C.  S.  A.,  with  which  he 
l)articipated  in  t;ie  first  battle  at  Wilson  creek 
south  of  Springfield,  Mo.,  and  in  the  three  days' 
.=iege  at  Lexington,  Mo. 

The  war  having  ended,  Mr.  Smith  took  up 
farming  pursuits  in  Missouri  and  continued  in 
that  state  until  1875,  when  he  disposed  of  his 
possessions  there  and  removed  to  California. 
For  the  first  four  years  he  carried  on  a  sheep 
business  at  Anaheim,  but  at  the  expiration  of 
that  time  he  sold  his  sheep  and  came  to  Dow- 
ney, where  for  two  years  he  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming,  buying  his  present  property  of 
seven  acres  and  establishing  his  family  there- 
on. For  two  years  he  carried  on  a  livery  bus- 
iness at  Ontario,  but  then  returned  to  Downey, 
where  he  conducted  a  mercantile  store  until 
his  retirement  from  business  in  1903.  Though 
not  prominent  in  politics  nor  solicitous  of  of- 
ficial positions,  he  has  firm  convictions  upon 
political  questions  and  supports  Democratic 
principles.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with 
the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  while 
in  religious  views  he  and  his  family  for  years 
liave  given  their  support  to  the  Christian 
Church.  While  still  living  in  Missouri  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Bettie  De  Laney, 
a  native  of  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
De  Laney,  who  came  to  California  in  1850  and 
remained  for  a  few  years.  After  a  long  and 
happy  married  life  Mr.  Smith  was  bereaved  by 
Mie  death  of  his  wife,  who  passed  away  in  1894 
and  was  buried  in  the  Downey  cemetery.  Four 
children  survive  her,  namely :  Carrie,  who 
married  Henrj-  A.  Scott,  of  Downey;  Elma, 
who  is  a  teacher  of  physical  culture  and  elocu- 
tion in  Los  Angeles :  Leslie  L.  C,  assistant 
secretar}^  of  state  in  Ohio ;  and  Bettie  E.,  wife 
of  J.  B.  Cushon,  a  jeweler  engaged  in  business 
in  Martin,  Tenn.,  ISh.  and  Mrs.  Cushon  being 
the  parents  of  one  child. 


HON.  EUGENE  S.  TOMBLIN.  A  man  of 
untiring  energy  and  great  business  ability, 
Hon.  Eugene  S.  Tomblin  is  numbered  among 
the  citizens  of  prominence  and  influence  in 
Ocean  Park,  which  has  been  developed  in  a 
large  measure  through  his  forethought  and 
sagacity.  He  is  an  extensive  landholder  in 
this  section  of  Los  Angeles  county,  and  as 
head  of  the  firm  of  Tomblin  &  Robinson,  real 
estate  dealers,  is  carrying  on  a  substantial 
business.  A  son  of  Ira  Tomblin,  he  was  born 
in  Albion.  N.  Y.,  of  honored  New  England 
stock.  Grandfather  Toniblin  having  been  born 
and  reared  in  Vermont. 

Having  completed  his  studies  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Albion,  Eugene  S.  Tomblin  en- 
tered   the    classical    department    of    the    State 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


220^ 


Normal  School  at  Brockport,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1863.  He 
was  subsequenth'.  engaged  in  farming  in  his 
home  town  for  about  ten  years,  when,  in  1873, 
he  removed  to  Emerson,  Mills  county,  Iowa, 
where  he  was  successfully  employed  as  a 
druggist  for  fourteen  years.  Selling  out  his 
property  there  early  in  1887,  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, locating-  in  March,  of  that  year,  in 
Tustin,  Orange  county,  where  he  embarked 
in  business  as  a  fruit  grower,  having  an 
orange  grove  of  seventeen  acres.  Disposing 
of  that  ranch  in  1890,  he  settled  in  Siskiyou 
county,  where  he  assisted  in  organizing  the 
Shasta  County  Alineral  Spring  Company,  of 
which  he  was  a  director,  and  the  manager  for 
eight  years.  L'nder  his  able  supervision,  about 
$200,000  was  v/isely  spent  in  building  trails, 
cottages  and  hotels,  and  an  enormous  trade 
throughout  Northern  California  was  estab- 
lished. 

Resigning  his  position  as  manager  of  the 
company,  Mr.  Tomblin  established  a  branch 
office  in  Los  Angeles  in  November.  1898,  and 
m  this  part  of  the  state  developed  a  good  busi- 
ness, which  he  sold  out  in  1903,  at  the  same 
time  disposing  of  his  stock  in  the  Shasta  Min- 
eral Springs  Company.  For  the  past  four 
years  he  has  been  a  resident  of  Ocean  Park, 
and  since  March,  1903,  has  been  actively 
identified  with  its  real  estate  interests.  He 
was  instrumental  in  forming  the  East  Ocean 
Park  Land  Company,  of  which  he  is  now 
president,  and  which  developed  one  hundred 
and  thirty-six  acres  of  land  adjoining  the  city. 
Tn  1904  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr. 
Robinson  under  the  firm  name  of  Tomblin  & 
Robinson,  having  a  real  estate  and  rental  of- 
fice at  No.  133  Pier  avenue,  and  is  carrying 
on  an  extensive  and  lucrative  business.  He 
has  acquired  large  property  interest?  in  Ocean 
Park  and  vicinity,  and  also  owns  city  prop- 
erty in  Los  Angeles,  and  farm  lands  in  Tu- 
lare county. 

In  Chicago,  111.,  ?*Ir.  Tomblin  married  Anna. 
L.  Shipman,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
the  descendant  of  an  old  and  honored  fam- 
ilv,  and  thev  are  the  parents  of  two  children, 
Allan  E.  and  Hazel  A.  Politically  Mr.  Tom- 
blin is  a  Republican,  and  while  a  resident  of 
Siskiyou  county  represented  his  district  in 
the  legislature.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Alason 
and  an  Elk. 


O.  S.  W.\LTER.  From  the  time  of  his  ar- 
rival in  California  in '1896  until  his  death  in 
1905,  Mr.  Walter  was  identified  with  the  ranch- 
ing interests  of  the  vicinity  of  Ventura.  He 
was  born   in   Hastings,   Oswego  county,   N.   Y., 


November   24,    1843,    'I's    parents    being    Silas 
and    Lucy    ( Laine)    Walter,    they,    too,    being 
natives  of  the  Empire  state. 

After  completing  his  studies  in  the  common 
schools  of  (3swego  county  Mr.  \\'alter  be- 
came interested  in  agricultural  affairs,  first 
working  on  his  father's  farm,  but  later  assum- 
ing the  ownership  and  management  of  a 
farm  of  his  own.  For  a  time  this  satisfied  his 
ambition,  but  like  many  others  he  fell  a  vic- 
tim to  the  western  fever,  relief  for  which 
could  not  be  found  short  of  Wisconsin.  From 
there  he  scon  afterward  removed  to  Minne- 
sota, where  he  found  opportunity  of  employ- 
ment in  several  lines.  Work  at  the  cooper's 
trade  gave  him  employment  while  he  was  in 
search  of  a  suitable  location  to  purchase  a 
farm.  This  he  found  in  Cass  county,  and  in 
connection  with  it  he  ran  a  general  merchan- 
dise store  in  Green  Valle}',  in  the  same  coun- 
ty. Coming  to  California  in  1896  he  came 
direct  to  Ventura  county,  his  first  work  here 
being  as  a  farm  hand  on  the  Sexton  ranch. 
He  subsequently  purchased  the  ranch  of  six- 
teen and  one-half  acres  not  far  from  Ventura 
on  which  the  remainder  of  his  life  was  spent. 
This  he  planted  to  beans  exclusiveh^, 
though  his  acreage  was  not  large  its  careful 
cultivation  brought  its  yield  to  a  point  that 
would  admit  of  its  comparison  with  many 
ranches  of  twice  the  size. 

During  his  young  manhood  Mr.  Walter  en- 
tered the  service  of  his  country,  witnessing 
and  participating  in  many  of  the  hard-fought 
battles  of  the  war.  among  them  the  first  bat- 
tle of  Bull  Run.  He  went  to  the  front  as  a 
member  of  Company  E,  One  Hundred  and 
Tenth  New  York  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
received  his  honorable  discharge  after  three 
years  of  faithful  service.  About  this  time, 
in  )865.  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Mary  F.  Benton,  born  in  New  York,  the 
daughter  of  Rev.  R.  Benton,  a  minister  in 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  denomination.  Mrs. 
Walter's  father  and  mother  lived  to  reach  the 
ages  of  seventy  and  seventy-two  years,  re- 
spectively, and  of  their  ten  children  she  is  the 
only  one  now  living.  Five  children  were  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walter.  During  young  man- 
hood Mr.  Walter  joined  the  Odd  Fellows,  and 
during  his  residence  in  Minnesota  was  af- 
filiated with  the  lodge  of  that  order  in  Mar- 
shall. In  memory  of  the  days  spent  in  his 
country's  service  he  joined  the  Grand  Arm^" 
post  in  Ventura,  around  whose  campfires  he 
enjoyed  meeting  with  comrades  of  long  ago. 
He  answered  his  last  earthly  roll-call  Novem- 
ber 22,  1905,  leaving  to  mourn  his  death  a 
devoted  wife  and  five  children,  besides  numer- 
ous friends,  who  had  learned  to  love  him  for 


2210 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


his  kindly  spirit  and  many  charitable  deeds. 
]\Irs.  Walter  is  a  woman  of  many  excellent 
qualities  and  shares  the  esteem  in  which  her 
husband's  memory  is  held.  She  is  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


FREDERICK  FLEISHMAN.  Prominent 
among  the  early  settlers  of  Valley  Center 
was  the  late  Frederick  Fleishman,  who  was 
distinguished  as  a  man  of  thrift  and  enter- 
prise, and  as  an  industrious  and  skilful  agri- 
culturist. Coming  to  this  section  of  the  coun- 
ty when  it  was  in  its  infancy,  he  was  an  in- 
terested witness  of  the  changes  that  took 
place  in  the  subsequent  quarter  of  a  century, 
during  which  time  he  contributed  his  full 
share  towards  ihe  upbuilding  and  growth  of 
the  community  in  which  he  lived.  He  was 
born  in  a  foreign  country,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred, February  ii,  1829,  in  Germany. 

Emigrating  with  his  parents  to  the  United 
States  when  eleven  years  of  age,  Frederick 
Fleishman  completed  his  early  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  lived  four  years.  In  1843  he  moved  with 
the  family  to  Burlington,  Iowa.  In  1854, 
joining  a  party  about  to  start  across  the 
plains  with  ox-teams,  he  started  westward, 
but  after  traveling  with  the  little  band  for  a 
few  weeks  left  the  majority  of  his  companions, 
and,  with  blankets  on  his  back,  walked  to 
Colfax,  Placer  county.  He  subsequently 
farmed  for  a  short  time  in  the  Sacramento 
valley,  after  which  he  turned  his  attention  to 
mining,  first  locating  on  the  Feather  river, 
and  then  in  Trinity  county,  where  he  became 
owner  of  several  mining  claims.  In  Novem- 
ber, 1875,  desirous  of  settling  permanently, 
Mr.  Fleishman  took  up  a  government  claim 
in  San  Diego  county,  began  its  improvement, 
and  in  1876  was  here  joined  by  his  wife  and 
children.  On  April  6,  1892,  he  purchased  the 
ranch  now  owned  and  occupied  by  his  widow, 
and  having  added  valuable  improvements  to 
its  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  was 
here  profitably  employed  in  general  farming 
until  his  death.  Inheriting  to  a  marked  de- 
gree those  traits  of  economy,  frugality  and 
thrift  characteristic  of  his  ancestors.  Mr. 
Fleishman  achieved  success  in  his  independ- 
ent calling,  and  as  a  man  of  unimpeachable 
honesty  and  integrity  won  the  esteem  and  re- 
spect of  the  community,  and  held  high  rank 
among  its  representative   German  citizens. 

In  1850  Mr.  Fleishman  married  Rebecca 
Helmrick,  who  was  born,  November  15,  1835, 
in  Ohio.  She  came  to  California  by  way  of 
the  Isthmus  in  t86o,  joining  her  husband  in 
Trinitv  countv,   where   she   resided  for  fifteen 


years.  (Jf  their  union  seven  children  were 
iDorn,  namely :  John,  born  in  Iowa,  is  mar- 
ried, and  still  lives  in  his  native  state ;  Joseph, 
also  born  in  Iowa,  now  engaged  in  farming, 
married  Maggie  Tweed,  by  whom  he  has 
seven  children ;  Alinnie,  wife  of  E.  F.  Brady, 
of  Escondido,  has  four  children ;  Frederick, 
an  electrician  in  Los  Angeles,  married  Josie 
Breedlove ;  William  married  Martha  Watkins, 
and  they  have  two  children  ;  Dora,  died  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  years ;  and  Edna,  residing 
at  Glenellen,  Sonoma  county.  Mrs.  Fleish- 
man still  occupies  the  home  ranch,  and  is  liv- 
ing, surrounded  by  all  the  comforts  of  life, 
and  blessed  by  the  esteem  and  regard  of  her 
large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances. 


JAMES  H.  WHITWORTH,  of  Sherman, 
is  a  son  of  the  late  James  Whitworth,  and 
was  born,  September  16,  1856,  in  Nephi,  Utah, 
of  English  ancestry. 

A  native  of  England,  James  Whitworth 
was  there  brought  up,  educated  and  married. 
Learning  the  baker's  trade,  he  remained  in 
his  native  country  until  1853,  when  he  came 
with  his  wife  and  three  children  to  the  United 
States,  in  company  with  a  band  of  Mormons, 
with  which  he  had  previously  united.  Join- 
ing: another  band  of  Mormons  in  Iowa,  the 
train  proceeded  to  Utah,  locating  in  Nephi, 
where  he  lived  for  a  year  or  two.  With  eleven 
other  families  he  left  there  three  weeks  after 
the  Mountain  Meadow  massacre,  coming  with 
ox-teams  to  San  Bernardino,  Cal.,  and  arriv- 
ing in  1857.  Purchasing  a  small  tract  of  land, 
about  three  and  one-half  miles  from  San  Ber- 
nardino, he  carried  on  farming  and  stock- 
raising  until  drowned  out  by  the  heav}'  floods 
of  1862,  losing  everything.  Coming  then  to 
Los  Angeles  county,  he  purchased  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  acres  of  land  near  Sherman, 
and  by  persevering  industry  cleared  a  good 
farm.  He  subsequently  purchased  adjoining 
land,  becoming  owner  of  two  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  which  he  managed  ably  until 
1880,  when  he  retired  from  active  business, 
having  accumulated  considerable  property. 
He  subsequently  lived  in  Los  Angeles  or 
Santa  Monica,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  many 
years  of  toil.  He  was  a  bright,  intelligent 
man.  active  until  his  last  illness,  and  died,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-five  vears.  May  19,  1876. 
He  married,  in  England,  Mary  Ann  Hilton, 
who  died  in  Los  Angeles,  at  the  age  of  fifty 
vears.  leaving  four  children,  namely :  Joseph 
H. :  Elizabeth,  wife  of  P.  McKernan,  of  Los 
Aneelcs:  Tames  H.,  of  this  sketch:  and  Har- 
riet F...  wife  of  M.  O.  Reed,  of  Los  Angeles. 

An   infant   when  he   came   with   his  parents 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2211 


to  California,  James  H.  Whitworth  was 
reared  and  educated  m  Los  Angeles  county. 
Receiving-  with  his  brother  Joseph  an  interest 
in  the  parental  homestead  when  seventeen 
years  old,  he  and  his  father  and  brother  car- 
ried on  the  home  ranch  together  for  a  number 
of  years,  meeting  with  good  success  in  their 
agricultural  operations.  He  now  owns  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  the  old  home- 
stead, which  is  now  a  valuable  estate,  being 
well  cultivated  and  highly  improved.  In  No- 
vember, 1890,  Mr.  Whitworth  married  Kate 
A.  Lynch,  a  native  of  Canada.  In  politics  Mr. 
Whitworth  is  independent,  his  father,  how- 
ever, was  a  stanch  Democrat,  active  in  party 
ranks,  for  two  terms  serving  as  justice  of  the 
peace. 


ROBERT  S.  KELLY  of  San  Diego  county  is 
a  native-born  resident,  his  birth  having  occurred 
on  the  ranch  where  he  now  resides,  February  20, 
1880.  His  father,  Mathew  E.  Kelly,  was  also 
born  in  California,  the  son  of  one  of  Placer  coun- 
ty's pioneers,  Mathew  Kelly. 

Born  on  the  Isle  of  I\Ian  in  1822,  Mathew  Kel- 
ly emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1844,  locat- 
ing first  in  Illinois,  where  he  lived  until  after  his 
marriage.  Enthused  by  the  discovery  of  gold  in 
California,  he  came  here  in  1852,  and  for  about 
sixteen  years  was  employed  in  mining  and  pros- 
pecting in  Placer  county.  Coming  then  to  San 
Diego  county,  he  bought  four  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  of  land  near  Oceanside,  and  having  im- 
proved the  ranch  now  owned  and  occupied  by  his 
son  Mathew  E.  Kelly,  he  was  here  a  resident  un- 
til his  death,  April  14,  1885.  He  married  Emily 
Porter,  who  was  born  in  Worcestershire,  Eng- 
land, emigrated  with  her  parents  to  the  United 
States,  settling  first  in  Wisconsin.  She  joined  her 
husband  in  Placer  county  in  1858,  and  is  now 
living  in  San  Diego  county,  a  bright  and  active 
woman  of  seventy-five  years.  She  is  a  member 
of  the  Christian  Church,  to  which  her  husband 
also  belonged.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  Eleven  children  were  born  of  their 
union,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  and  nine  are 
living. 

A  native  of  Placer  county,  Cal.,  Mathew  E. 
Kellv  was  born  in  1856,  and  until  twelve  years 
of  age  resided  there.  Coming  then  to  San  Diego 
county,  he  completed  his  early  education  in  the 
common  schools,  after  which  he  turned  his  at- 
tention to  agricultural  pursuits,  in  which  he  has 
been  successfully  employed,  being  one  of  the 
foremost  farmers  of  his  community.  Living  near 
Oceanside,  he  has  acquired  title  to  fifteen  hun- 
dred acres  of  land,  and  as  a  raiser  of  grain  and 
stock  is  carrying  on  a  thriving  business.    He  is  a 


man  of  influence,  an  active  member  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  and  for  a  number  of  years  has 
held  the  office  of  school  trustee.  He  married 
Louise  Ortega,  who  was  born  and  brought  up  in 
the  San  Luis  Rey  valley,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  namely :  Edward, 
who  married  Nettie  G.  Donola ;  Robert,  the  spe- 
cial subject  of  this  brief  biography ;  Ellen,  wife 
of  J.  D.  Hall,  of  San  Marcos;  James;  Lillie ; 
AHce;  and  Lizzie. 

Reared  upon  the  home  ranch,  Robert  S.  Kelly 
acquired  a  practical  common  school  education  in 
his  native  district,  and  while  yet  a  young  man 
became  acquainted  with  the  various  branches  in- 
cluded in  agriculture.  Since  attaining  his  ma- 
jority, he  has  continued  an  inmate  of  the  parental 
household,  and  is  assisting  in  the  management  of 
the  home  place.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
one  of  the  trustees  of  his  school  district,  and  is  a 
member  of  Golden  State  Camp,  M.  W.  A.',  No. 
71  JO,  of  Los  Angeles. 


PARLEY  WHITTAKER  HEAP,  Jr.  The 
business  interests  of  San  Bernardino  county 
have  in  Mr.  Heap  a  man  of  enterprise  and 
ability,  whose  personal  affairs  have  not  so 
entirely  engrossed  his  attention  that  he  has 
not  had  time  to  concern  himself  with  the  pub- 
lic affairs  of  the  community  in  which  he  has 
made  his  home.  He  is  a  native  of  San  Ber- 
nardino, where  his  birth  occurred  November 
28,  1865;  his  father.  Parley  Whittaker  Heap, 
Sr ,  was  a  native  of  Sheffield,  England, 
v/hence  the  paternal  grandfather,  William, 
brought  his  family  to  America  and  became  a 
pioneer  of  3.Ioberly,  Mo.,  then  a  frontier  state. 
Later  both  father  and  grandfather  crossed  the 
continent  and  ?fter  a  brief  sojourn  in  Salt 
Lake  City  came  to  San  Bernardino,  locating 
here  in  1851,  the  elder  man  engaging  as  a 
farmer  until  his  death.  General  farming, 
teaming  and  freighting  occupied  the  attention 
of  the  father  for  some  years,  but  he  has  since 
become  interested  in  v/ell-boring  which  is  now 
his  principal  employment.  He  resides  in  San 
Bernardino,  and  is  an  interested  and  intelli- 
gent citizen  of  the  community  in  which  he 
makes  his  home.  His  wife,  formerly  Miss 
Eliza  Bottoms,  a  native  of  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
died  in  this  city  in  1885.  She  was  a  daughter 
of  John  Bottoms,  a  native  of  England,  who 
emigrated  to  Ohio  in  young  manhood,  later 
to  Utah,  and  in  1851  came  to  San  Bernardino, 
where  he  engaged  as  a  farmer  until  his  death. 

The  eldest  in  a  family  of  eight  children,  of 
whom  seven  are  now  living,  Parley  Whittaker 
Heap,  Jr.,  was  reared  from  boyhood  on  the 
paternal  farm,  receiving  his  educational  train- 
ing in  the  public  schools  of  San  Bernardino. 


2212 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


In  young  manhood  he  followed  the  work  to 
which  he  had  early  been  trained,  engaging  in 
teaming  and  freighting  to  the  desert  and  min- 
ing camps,  managing  two  outfits  profitably. 
He  also  devoted  some  time  to  the  raising  of 
hay,  at  the  present  writing  renting  a  con- 
siderable amount  of  land  for  this  purpose. 
About  1898  he  began  the  raising  of  hogs  on 
his 'farm  two  miles  north  of  San  Bernardino, 
and  this  branch  of  stock-raising  induced  him, 
in  1905,  to  open  a  meat  market  on  D  street, 
which  has  grown  into  an  extensive  and  profit- 
able enterprise.  He  conducts  his  business  af- 
fairs in  a  businesslike  manner,  adhering  strict- 
ly to  principles  of  integrity  and  honor,  and 
has  come  to  be  regarded  as  a  citizen  in  whom 
implicit  confidence  may  be  placed. 

Air.  Heap  established  home  ties  through  his 
marriage  April  30,  1S88,  with  Aliss  i\Iary 
Dempsey,  also  a  native  of  California,  and  born 
of  this  union  arc  three  children,  Elmer,  Leslie 
and  Arthur.  He  has  built  a  comfortable  resi- 
dence on  A  street  and  has  surrounded  his 
family  with  all  possible  comforts.  Politically 
he  is  independent. 


J.  B.  XORTOX.  The  ranch  upon  which  J.  B. 
Norton  is  now  located  was  owned  until  1903  by 
his  father,  John  F.  Norton,  one  of  the  early  pio- 
neers of  the  state,  who  is  now  retired  from  active 
duties  and  makes  his  home  at  No.  2501  Belleview 
avenue,  Los  Angeles.  He  is  a  native  of  Maine, 
where  he  was  born  sixty-seven  years  ago,  there 
marrying  Eliza  Smith,  an  English  woman.  She 
also  survives,  being  now  sixty  years  old.  J.  B. 
Norton  represents  the  third  generation  in  Cali- 
fornia, his  grandparents  having  crossed  the  con- 
tinent and  located  in  Stockton,  San  Joaquin 
county,  where  he  was  born,  June  11,  1870.  He 
received  a  preliminary  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  the  city,  after  which  he  attended  the 
University  of  Southern  California  for  four  years 
and  graduated  therefrom.  He  began  ranching 
upon  the  property  he  now  owns,  being  associated 
with  his  father  for  some  years.  In  1890  he  en- 
gaged independently  in  the  work  and  in  1903 
purchased  his  father's  property,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  In  1892  he  married  Elizibeth 
Jones,  a  native  of  Indiana,  and  a  daughter  of 
Alexander  Jones,  also  of  that  state.  In  his  fra- 
ternal relations  Mr.  Norton  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  organization,  belonging  to  Compton 
Lodge  No.  273,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  the  Fraternal 
Aid,  He  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  convic- 
tions Init  reserves  the  right  to  cast  his  ballot  for 
the  man  whom  he  considers  best  qualified  for 
public  office.  He  supports  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  His  ranch  of  seventy  acres  is 
given  over  to  the  cultivation  of  alfalfa,    garden 


vegetables  and  melons,  of  the  last  named  produc- 
ing one  hundred  crates  of  cantaloupes  to  the  acre, 
each  crate  weighing  two  hundred  to  two  hundred 
and  twenty  pounds,  and  containing  from  four  to 
seven  dozen  melons.  A  few  years  ago  Mr.  Nor- 
ton made  a  trip  to  Alaska,  traveling  by  sled  and 
dog  team  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Yukon  river. 
He  endured  many  hardships  and  privations — 
sleeping  out  of  doors  with  the  thermometer  at 
fift\-four  degrees  below  zero — and  experiencing 
such  weather  as  sixty-five  degrees  below  zero- 
but  met  with  success  in  his  venture  and  counts 
the  experiences  well  worth  the  trip. 


AUGUST  J.  LEMBKE.  The  earliest  recol- 
lections of  Air.  Lembke  are  associated  with 
Southern  California,  where  now  he  is  a  rising 
young  agriculturist,  interested  in  the  develop- 
ment and  cultivation  of  lands  near  Redondo.  His 
father,  J.  J.,  a  prominent  agriculturist  of  this  vi- 
cinity, was  born  in  Germany  December  21,  1849. 
and  received  an  excellent  education  in  German 
schools.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  years  he  crossed 
the  ocean  to  the  United  States  and  later  attended 
school  for  a  year  m  order  to  increase  his  knowl- 
edge of  the  English  language.  A  few  years  after 
coming  to  this  country  he  married  Christina 
Turow,  a  native  of  Germany.  For  a  time  they 
resided  in  Iowa,  but  in  1881  settled  in  California, 
where  for  thirteen  years  they  made  their  home  on 
one  ranch  of  twenty-one  hundred  acres.  In  1901 
they  purchased  their  present  homestead  near  Re- 
dondo, which  is  devoted  to  the  raising  of  wheat, 
corn  and  beans.  Of  their  children  all  but  one  re- 
main m  California.  The  eldest,  Dorothea,  Mrs. 
F.  A.  Schulte,  is  a  resident  of  the  state  of  Wash- 
ington. Henry  married  Elsie  Hodge  and  lives  at 
Wilmington.  William  married  Blanche  Stock- 
well  and  makes  his  home  at  Moneta.  August,  the 
fourth  in  order  of  birth,  is  associated  with  his 
father  in  ranching  affairs.  Esther,  Mary  and 
Benjamin  yet  remain  with  their  parents.  In 
religious  views  the  family  are  identified  with 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  while  in  polit- 
ical  opinions  they   favor  Republican  principles. 

\Miile  the  family  were  living  in  Clayton  coun- 
ty, Iowa,  August  J.  Lempke  was  born  February 
25.  1880,  and  in  his  infancy  he  was  brought  to 
California,  where  his  education  was  begun  in 
Redondo  public  schools  and  completed  in  the 
Woodbury  Business  College  at  Los  Angeles. 
With  the  exception  of  six  months  as  an  em- 
ploye in  the  Holt  combined  harvester  factory 
at  Stockton,  Cal.,  he  has  been  a  continuous  resi- 
dent of  Los  Angeles  county  and  has  engaged  in 
the  ranching  business  with  his  father,  whom  he 
has  relieved  of  many  responsibilities  by  his  en- 
ergy and  capability.  In  addition  to  aiding  in 
the  care  of  his  father's  ranch  of  three  hundred 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2213 


and  eighty  acres  he  helps  in  the  management  of 
the  large  tract  of  rented  land,  and  is  proving 
himself  a  resourcefnl  and  progressive  rancher. 

The  marriage  of  August  J.  Lembke  was  sol- 
emnized February  i8,  1905,  and  united  him  with 
Lorinda,  daughter  of  Joseph  Lucas,  now  living 
at  Gardena.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lembke  are 
identified  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
and  are  interested  in  its  philanthropies  and  mis- 
sionary enterprises.  In  social  circles  they  en- 
joy the  respect  of  acquaintances  and  are  wel- 
come guests  in  the  homes  of  their  neighborhood. 


NATHAN  L.  SLOSSON.  Ranching  opera- 
tions are  carried  on  on  an  extensive  scale  by 
Nathan  L.  Slosson  of  the  Menifee  valley,  who 
has  seven  hundred  acres  in  grain  crops  and  one 
hundred  acres  devoted  to  the  raising  of  alfalfa 
and  to  pasturage  purposes,  for  he  is  also  en- 
gaged in  the  raising  of  horses  and  cattle.  He 
■was  born  August  17,  1877,  in  Eaton  count}, 
Mich.,  the  son  of  Cyrus  and  Lydia  (Darling) 
Slosson,  the  former  a  native  of  New  York.  The 
father  was  an  early  settler  in  ^lichigan  and  is 
still  living  on  the  farm  for  which  he  received  the 
original  patent  from  the  government  sixty  years 
ago.  The  death  of  the  mother  occurred  there  in 
1905.  Mr.  Slosson  received  his  education 
through  the  mediuiii  of  the  public  schools  of 
Michigan  and  in  1892  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years 
came  to  Chino,  Cal.,  where  he  secured  employ- 
ment in  the  sugar  factory.  He  afterwards 
farmed  there  for  a  year,  then  continued  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  on  the  peat  lands  of  Orange 
countv  until  1896.  The  following  four  years 
were  spent  in  farming  in  Elsinore.  In  1900  he 
removed  to  a  location  east  of  Los  Angeles  city, 
occupying  a  farm  until  1903,  when  he  located  in 
the  Menifee  valley  on  the  ranch  which  is  now 
his  home. 

His  marriage  in  Elsinore  in  1898  united  him 
with  Miss  Mamie  E.  Robinson  daughter  of  John 
Robinson  of  Elsinore,  and  their  union  has  been 
blessed  in  the  birth  of  four  children :  Ethel,  Cy- 
rus, Clara  and  Bessie.  Fraternally  Mr.  Slosson 
is  a  member  of  Elsinore  Lodge  No.  336,  I.  O.  O. 
F.  He  is  especially  interested  in  educational  mat- 
ters and  was  at  one  time  a  member  of  the  board 
of  school  trustees,  of  ^lenifee  district.  As  a 
business  man  he  is  energetic  and  successful  and 
as  a  citizen  interests  himself  in  all  matters  of  an 
upbuilding  nature. 


prising  dealers  in  realty.  While  promoting  her 
own  interests,  financially,  she  has  been  an  impor- 
tant factor  in  the  upbuilding  of  this  section  of 
Los  Angeles  county,  and  in  the  advancement  of 
its  welfare,  winning  for  herself  a  position  of 
prominence  in  business  circles.  A  daughter  of 
Joseph  Slauson,  she  was  born  in  New  York  state, 
but  when  a  small  child  was  taken  by  her  parents 
to  Carthage,  Mo.,  where  her  father  was  for  many 
years  in  business. 

Having  completed  the  prescribed  course  in  the 
public  schools  of  Carthage,  Ella  J.  Slauson  re- 
turned to  New  York  state  to  complete  her  edu- 
cation. In  June,  1898,  she  came  to  California,  and 
for  two  years  resided  in  Los  Angeles.  Active 
and  energetic,  she  was  anxious  to  have  some 
permanent  occupation,  and  in  May,  1900,  she  be- 
came interested  in  the  building  business.  Lo- 
cating in  Ocean  Park,  she  began  her  career 
with  a  limited  capital,  at  first  erecting  a  few 
cottages  for  rent  on  the  water  front.  Suc- 
ceeding in  this  venture.  Miss  Slauson  grad- 
ually enlarged  her  operations  and  to-day  is 
recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  real  estate  deal- 
ers of  the  olace,  having  obtained  an  enviable  rep- 
utation and  position  among  her  professional  con- 
temporaries. She  has  the  distinction  of  being  the 
pioneer  woman  real  estate  agent  of  this  locality, 
and  for  the  financial  success  that  she  has  achieved 
is  deserving  of  great  credit.  She  has  acquired 
considerable  property  through  her  own  exertions, 
owning  valuable  real  estate  in  and  about  both 
Ocean  Park  and  Venice. 

After  the  death  of  her  father,  her  mother  mar- 
ried again,  being  now  Mrs.  Sarah  A.  Thomas. 
Miss  Slauson's  mother  and  her  sister,  Mrs. 
George  Nettleton,  are  also  residents  of  Southern 
California. 


ELLA  J.  SLAUSON.  A  talented,  accom- 
plished woman,  possessing  rare  business  ability 
and  judgment,  Miss  Ella  J.  Slauson  is  actively 
identified  with  the  material  growth  and  prosperity 
of  Venice  as  one  of  its  most  energetic  and  enter- 


ERNEST  \V.  SLYGH.  As  a  large  and  suc- 
cessful ranchman  Ernest  W.  Slygh  has  achieved 
prominence  in  Riverside  county,  where  he  has 
six  hundred  acres  of  land  devoted  principally  to 
the  raising  of  barley  hay.  The  ranch  is  equipped 
with  hay  presses  and  all  necessary  farm  machin- 
ery to  facilitate  the  planting,  cultivation  and 
harvesting  of  his  crops.  Mr.  Slygh  was 
born  January  i,  1867,  in  Peoria  countv,"  III,  be- 
ing the  son  of  G.  D.  and  Mary  (Wycoflf)  Shgh, 
the  former  a  native  of  Virginia  and  the  latter  of 
Illinois.  Their  present  home  is  on  a  farm  at 
Toulon.  Stark  county.  111. 

The  early  education  of  Mr.  Slygh  was  received 
in  the  public  schools  of  Illinois  and  when  as  a 
young  man  he  started  out  on  an  independent 
business  career  he  chose  farming  as  the  profes- 
sion he  would  follow.  He  engaged  in  this  work 
in  his  native  state  until  1888  when  upon  his  re- 
turn  from   a   visit  to  California   he  decided  that 


2214 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


life  would  be  easier  and  more  enjoyable,  and  op- 
portunities for  financial  success  more  favorable 
in  that  state,  and  the  following  year  he  came  to 
Riverside  county  to  remain.  He  first  found  em- 
ployment on  a  fruit  ranch  for  a  short  time  and  at 
the  same  time  cast  about  for  a  favorable  opportun- 
ity to  buy  a  place  of  his  own.  He  soon  decided 
upon  a  small  tract  where  he  lived  for  a  time  and 
then  moved  to  his  present  home,  which  was  one 
vast  wheat  field  when  he  purchased  it.  Mr.  Slygh 
set  to  work  to  improve  it,  determined  to  make  his 
ranch  one  of  the  finest  in  the  valley  and  he  has 
succeeded.  There  are  plenty  of  fine  shade  trees, 
and  both  apricot  and  olive  orchards,  all  of  which 
he  planted  himself.  He  has  made  a  scientific 
study  of  the  subject  of  horticulture  and  is  at 
present  occupying  the  position  of  county  horti- 
cultural inspector.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
school  board  of  his  district  and  taken  an  active 
interest  in  all  enterprises  tending  toward  the  ad- 
vancement and  upbuilding  of  the  community  in 
which  he  resides.  In  1898  he  was  married  to 
Rose  E.  Lamb,  who  was  born  in  Utah,  and  they 
have  one  child,  a  daughter,  Dorothy. 


JOHN  SCHLEGEL.  In  every  era  of  the 
world's  history  and  in  every  land  where  civiliza- 
tion reigns,  pedagogy  has  attracted  men  of  keen 
intellect  and  high  ideals.  Perhaps  no  nation  ever 
has  entertained  higher  aspirations  for  education- 
al advancement  than  our  own  land  can  boast,  and 
it  is  an  accepted  fact  that  our  institutions  of 
learning  compare  most  favorably  with  those  es- 
tablished for  centuries  in  older  countries.  Here 
it  is  that  the  public  school  system  attains  its  great- 
est degree  of  perfection  and  here  the  brightest 
minds  are  engaged  in  training  the  young  for  the 
duties  of  citizenship.  It  is  said  that,  with  the 
exception  of  the  schools  of  Los  Angeles,  no  in- 
stitutions in  the  entire  country  surpass  those  of 
Long  Beach,  and  in  the  latter  district  creditable 
mention  belongs  to  the  Alamitos  school,  which  is 
under  the  supervision  of  John  Schlegel  as  prin- 
cipal, aided  by  seven  instructors  of  exceptional 
attainments. 

Though  of  American  birth,  Professor  Schlegel 
descends  from  Swiss  forefathers,  his  parents, 
Leonard  and  Anna  (Tischhauser)  Schlegel,  hav- 
ing been  born  in  the  old-world  republic  of  an- 
cient families  of  that  land.  The  father  came  to 
the  United  States  in  i8.c;i  and  took  up  a  govern- 
ment claim  in  Wisconsin,  where  he  labored  as- 
siduously in  bringing  the  raw  land  into  cultiva- 
tion. After  some  years  he  went  to  Iowa  and  set- 
tled upon  a  farm,  but  eventually  he  removed  to 
Kansas  and  became  jiroprietor  of  a  flour  mill  at 
Abilene,  Dickinson  county.  During  the  residence 
of  the  family  there  the  son,  John,  who  was  next  to 
the  youngest  among  nine  children,  was  born  Tune 


26,  1 88c,  and  of  the  family  all  but  one  are  still 
living. 

Upon  the  removal  of  the  family  to  California 
in  1885  Leonard  Schlegel  purchased  land  near 
University,  Los  Angeles  county,  and  engaged  in 
ranching,  but  after  some  years  he  subdivided  a 
portion  of  the  property  and  sold  at  fair  profit. 
The  balance  of  the  estate  is  now  rented,  and  wa- 
ter is  supplied  to  the  tenants  from  a  pumping 
plant  which  he  owns  and  operates.  He  is  now  a 
widower,  his  wife  having  passed  from  earth  on 
Christmas  day  of  1897  ^t  the  age  of  fifty-eight 
years.  When  the  family  came  to  the  Pacific  coast 
John  Schlegel  was  only  five  years  of  age.  His 
education  therefore  has  been  secured  wholly  in 
the  west,  being  primarily  obtained  in  public 
schools,  after  which  he  had  excellent  advantages 
in  the  California  State  University  at  Berkeley. 
In  June  of  1902  he  was  graduated  from  the  uni- 
versity and  in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year  he 
secured  a  position  as  principal  of  the  Inglewood 
schools,  where  he  rendered  efficient  service  for 
two  years,  and  then  resigned  to  accept  his  present 
position  in  Long  Beach. 

The  marriage  of  Professor  Schlegel  was  sol- 
emnized at  Fairview,  Orange  county,  this  state, 
June  26,  1905,  and  united  him  with  Miss  EtheL 
daughter  of  P.  M.  and  Matilda  Freeman,  natives 
respectively  of  Minnesota  and  Indiana,  but  since 
1885  residents  of  Orange  county.  Interested  in 
various  fraternities.  Professor  Schlegel  holds 
membership  with  Inglewood  Camp  No.  229,. 
Woodmen  of  the  World,  also  the  Independent 
Order  of  Foresters  at  Inglewood,  arid  the  blue 
lodge  at  Redondo.  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  which  he  was 
made  a  Master  Mason.  With  his  wife  he  is  an 
attendant  at  the  services  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Qiurch  and  a  prominent  figure  in  the  so- 
cial and  educational  activities  of  his  home  citv. 


THOMAS  TURBETT.  It  is  not  strange 
that  Thomas  Turbett  gives  an  unswerving  loyal- 
ty and  support  to  California  and  more  especially 
to  that  section  in  which  his  home  is  located,  as 
he  is  a  native  son  of  the  state  and  throughout  his 
entire  life  a  resident  of  Ventura  county.  He  is  a 
young  man  of  energy  and  ambition,  inheriting 
from  pioneer  parents  those  qualities  of  courage 
and  industry  which  bespeak  the  best  in  the  citi- 
zenship of  a  new  statehood,  and  in  the  compara- 
tively brief  time  in  which  he  has  been  dependent 
upon  his  own  resources  he  has  ably  manifested 
such  characteristics  as  to  win  financial  returns  in 
large  measure  as  well  as  a  place  of  importance  in 
the  citizenship  of  Ventura  county. 

Born  on  the  19th  of  December,  1878,  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Oxnard,  the  boyhood  years  of  Mr.  Tur- 
bett were  spent  in  his  present  location,  his  father. 
William  Turbett   (whose  biography  appears    on 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2215 


another  page  of  tliis  work),  having  settled  here 
in  an  early  day.  He  received  his  education  prin- 
cipally through  the  medium  of  the  public  schools, 
which  he  attended,  alternating  his  studies  with 
duties  on  the  paternal  farm.  In  1899  upon  at- 
taining his  majority,  he  felt  impelled  to  seek  a 
means  of  independent  livelihood,  and  in  Decem- 
ber of  the  same  year  he  established  home  ties 
through  his  marriage  with  Miss  Mabel  Harris,  a 
native  also  of  Ventura  county.  The  few  inter- 
vening years  to  the  present  date  have  witnessed 
his  efiforts  along  agricultural  lines  and  also  the 
success  which  has  followed  well-directed  thought. 
He  is  now  farming  two  hundred  and  eighty-five 
acres,  sixty-five  acres  of  which  is  devoted  to  the 
cultivation  of  beets,  while  the  balance  is  given 
over  to  the  raising  of  barley.  He  gives  time  and 
thought  to  the  cultivation  of  his  property  and 
brings  to  bear  in  his  work  an  intelligent  apprecia- 
tion of  the  requirements  which  have  enabled  him 
to  reap  large  financial  returns.  Of  good  prin- 
ciples and  unquestioned  integrity,  he  has  won  the 
esteem  of  all  who  have  had  business  dealings 
with  him  and  numbers  his  friends  liberally 
throughout  the  county. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Turbett  are  the  parents  of  two 
children,  Hazel  and  Alfred. 


ment  of  Riverside  county  and  is  at  all  times  will- 
ing to  lend  a  hand  in  the  furthering  of  enter- 
prises which  tend  toward  the  upbuilding  of  that 
section  of  the  state. 


WILLIAM  WILSON  was  born  August  25, 
1872,  in  Lambertville,  N.  J.,  a  son  of  John  M. 
and  E.  (Lawshe)  Wilson,  both  of  whom  were 
born  in  New  Jersey  and  are  still  living  in  that 
state,  where  the  father  is  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  The  son,  William,  was  educated  in  the 
New  Jersey  public  schools  and  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  years  came  to  Riverside,  Cal.,  where  he 
resided  for  two  years,  in  1894  removing  to  the 
San  Jacinto  valley.  He  later  purchased  ten  acres 
of  land,  upon  which  his  present  home  is  located, 
and  improved  it  by  the  erection  of  necessary 
buildings,  beginning  at  once  to  set  out  his  nurs- 
ery. He  met  with  good  success  as  the  years 
passed  and  gradually  added  to  his  acreage  until 
now  there  are  forty  acres  in  the  ranch,  all  of  it 
being  devoted  to  the  culture  of  general  nursery 
stock,  including  peaches,  pears,  apricots,  oranges, 
apples  and  plums  among  the  fruits,  and  a  line  of 
shade  and  ornamental  trees.  Mr.  Wilson  was  one 
of  the  pioneers  in  this  business  in  the  San  Ja- 
cinto valley,  and  the  wisdom  of  his  choice  of  oc- 
cupation has  been  amply  proven. 

His  marriage  occurred  in  1897  in  Solebury, 
Pa.,  uniting  him  with  Miss  Emma  Worstall,  and 
three  children  have  been  born  of  this  union : 
Lawshe,  Lloyd  and  Meryn.  Mr.  Wilson  is  a 
meinber  of  the  Masonic  blue  lodge  at  San  Ja- 
cinto and  also  of  the  Commandery  at  the  same 
place.     He  is  actively  interested  in  the  develop- 


GEORGE  W.  YOUNG.  The  rapid  growth 
and  material  development  characteristic  of  the 
recent  history  of  Long  Beach  have  attracted  to 
the  city  a  large  number  of  contractors  who  are 
unusually  skilled  in  their  special  lines  of  labor, 
and  among  these  mention  may  be  made  of  George 
W.  Young,  a  contracting  plasterer.  Although 
comparatively  a  newcomer  to  the  city,  he  has  al- 
ready established  a  reputation  for  reliable  work 
in  his  specialty  and  has  been  awarded  contracts 
for  much  of  the  plastering  work  in  the  large 
structures  of  recent  construction.  Careful  and 
methodical  in  workmanship,  honorable  in  busi- 
ness transactions,  energetic  and  prompt  in  the 
filling  of  contracts  undertaken,  he  deserves  to 
the  fullest  measure  whatever  of  prosperity  awaits 
the  progressive  industrial  laborer. 

Now  in  the  prime  of  life,  Mr.  Young  was  born 
February  22,  1874,  in  the  city  of  Atchison,  Kans., 
where  his  parents.  Frank  P.  and  ^largaret 
Young,  conducted  a  hotel  for  a  number  of  years. 
Both  were  natives  of  Germany  and  immigrated  to 
the  United  States  about  1855,  settling  in  Phila- 
delphia, Pa.,  where  they  were  united  in  marriage. 
After  a  brief  sojourn  in  that  city  they  moved 
west  as  far  as  Illinois  and  settled  in  Peoria. 
From  there  they  went  to  Kansas  three  years  later 
and  settled  in  Atchison,  in  which  city  they  en- 
gaged in  the  hotel  business  with  fair  success. 
The  year  1887  found  them  in  California,  where 
they  remained  in  Los  Angeles  for  a  short  time 
and  then  established  a  home  in  Santa  Ana.  Dur- 
ing 1903  they  came  to  Long  Beach  and  have 
since  lived  in  retirement  in  this  city. 

Primarily  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  At- 
chison, Kans.,  after  coming  to  the  Pacific  coast 
George  W.  Young  had  the  advantages  offered 
by  the  Los  Angeles  schools.  At  the  age  of  six- 
teen years  he  began  to  learn  the  plasterer's  trade 
and  continued  in  that  occupation  at  day  wages 
for  a  period  of  ten  vears,  at  the  expiration  of 
which  he  began  to  take  contracts.  During  his  res- 
idence in  Santa  Ana  he  was  associated  with  W.  L. 
Harding  and  it  was  due  to  their  indefatigable  ef- 
forts that  the  Alpine  plaster,  now  so  popular, 
first  attracted  general  attention.  On  coming  to 
Long  Beach  in  1903  he  became  interested  in  a 
furniture  business  with  Mr.  Callahan,  but  in  a 
short  time  disposed  of  his  interest  in  the  store 
and  turned  again  to  contract  plastering,  which 
still  remains  his  specialty.  While  making  his 
home  in  Santa  Ana,  May  28,  1902,  he  married 
Miss  Bertha  \\'aite,  who  was  born  in  California. 


2216 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  by  whom  he  has  two  children.  Airs.  Young- 
is  a  daughter  of  the  late  Alonzo  Waite,  a  pioneer 
of  the  Pacific  coast  and  during  the  Civil  war  the 
publisher  of  a  newspaper  in  Los  Angeles.  Since 
the  death  of  ^Mr.  Waite,  which  occurred  about 
189 1,  his  widow  has  continued  to  reside  in  Santa 
Ana.  Mrs.  Young  adheres  to  the  faith  of  the  Ro- 
man Catholic  Oiurch.  Politically  Mr.  Young  votes 
with  the  Republican  party  and  in  matters  of  fra- 
ternal interest  he  holds  association  with  Santa 
Ana  Lodge  Xo.  236,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  the  :Modern 
Brotherhood  of  America  in  Los  Angeles. 


CHARLES  E.  MURRAY.  Personal  knowl- 
edge of  many  parts  of  the  United  States, 
gained  by  widely  extended  travels,  has  convinced 
Mr.  Murray  that  his  present  locration  at  Gardena 
offers  distinct  advantages  both  in  climate  and 
in  opportunities  to  earn  a  livelihood  amid  at- 
tractive surroundings.  Descended  from  an  old 
eastern  famil}-,  he  was  born  in  New  York  state 
April  15,  1861,  and  at  the  age  of  two  years  was 
taken  to  Iowa  by  his  parents.  Warren  and  Electa 
(B'ellows)  Murray,  natives  respectively  of  New 
York  state  and  Erie  county,  Pa.  After  the  death 
of  the  father,  which  occurred  in  1863,  the  wid- 
owed mother  conducted  a  restaurant  at  Boone, 
Iowa,  and  meanwhile  sent  her  son  to  the  public 
schools  of  that  town.  Upon  the  completion  of 
the  studies  of  the  high  school,  he  entered  the 
Alarshall  Agricultural  College  at  Marshalltown 
and  continued  there  for  a  brief  period,  later 
spending  a  year  in  a  law  office  in  Iowa. 

The  west  at  that  time  was  less  known  than 
now,  but  its  opportunities  were  already  begin- 
ning to  attract  permanent  settlers,  and  among 
these  were  Mr.  Murray  and  his  mother,  who 
came  from  Iowa  to  Ogden,  L'tah,  and  thence  to 
San  Francisco.  For  three  years  he  took  a  course 
in  pharmacy  and  medicine  in  San  Francisco,  re- 
maining there  until  his  graduation.  Afterward 
he  was  engaged  in  similar  work  at  San  Fran- 
cisco, Sacramento  and  Lower  Lake,  and  met 
with  encouraging  success,  but  was  forced  to 
seek  another  occupation  by  reason  of  trouble 
with  his  eyes.  By  accident  rather  than  choice  he 
drifted  into  railroading  and  was  employed  in 
Arizona,  his  mother  going  with  him  to  Fort 
Whipple,  where  he  made  his  headquarters  for  a 
considerable  period.  On  establishing  domestic 
ties  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Elizabeth 
Basse,  who  was  born  in  New  York  state,  an(} 
was  a  young  lady  of  refinement  and  cultured 
manner.  The  heaviest  bereavement  of  his  life 
was  the  death  of  his  wife  and  their  child  in  a 
runaway  accident. 

On  coming  to  Gardena  Mr.  Alurray  purchased 
a  tract  of  fourteen  acres  and  here  is  engaged  in 


raising  alfalfa,  also  makes  a  specialty  of  the 
poultry  business.  C^n  his  place  one  of  the  most 
conspicuous  improvements  is  a  flowing  artesian 
well,  from  which  the  land  is  irrigated  by  means 
of  a  large  pumping  plant.  In  addition  to  his 
home  place  he  owns,  in  partnership  with  his 
mother,  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  near  Doug- 
lass City,  Trinity  county,  for  which  $20,000  has 
been  offered,  and  in  additioti  he  also  owns  a 
quarter  section  of  land  situated  in  Santa  Cruz 
county.  Interested  in  political  affairs  and  a 
stanch  supporter  of  the  Republican  party,  he  has 
alwa_\  s  been  a  leader  in  local  activities  of  the  par- 
ty in  the  various  places  of  his  residence,  and  has 
officiated  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  a  member 
of  the  board  of  school  trustees.  In  fraternal  re- 
lations he  belongs  to  the  Modern  \\'oodmen  of 
America.  Though  not  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
Gardena,  no  citizen  is  more  interested  in  its  de- 
velopment than  he,  and  no  one  champions  its 
welfare  with  greater  enthusiasm  or  more  con- 
sistent fidelit\-. 


CHARLES  R.  ARNOLD.  Classed  among 
the  more  enterprising  and  skilful  farmers  of 
Ventura  county  is  Oiarles  R.  Arnold,  whose 
well-tilled  ranch  lies  near  Oxnard.  The  son  of 
one  of  the  early  pioneers  of  California,  he  was 
born,  April  13,  1867,  in  Lassen  county,  where  his 
father,  Henry  Arnold,  lived  for  a  number  of 
years.  His  grandfather.  Cutler  Arnold,  was  one 
of  the  forty-niners,  coming  across  the  plains  in 
that  year,  and  settling  first  in  ]\IarysVille,  where 
he  kept  a  general  store,  and  was  also  engaged  in 
mining.  He  remained  in  that  locality  until  1872, 
when  he  removed  to  Ventura  county,  and  here 
spent  his  remaining  days. 

A  native  of  New  York,  Henry  Arnold  came  by 
way  of  the  Isthmus  to  California  in  1852,  land- 
ing in  San  Francisco,  and  was  subsequently  a 
scout  for  General  Cook,  and  a  member  of  the 
state  troops.  He  afterwards  located  near  Susan- 
ville,  Lassen  county,  remaining  there  until  1874. 
Coming  then  to  this  locality,  he  lived  for  seven 
years  near  \'entura,  and  in  1881  bought  the  land 
now  owned  and  occupied  by  his  son,  Charles  R. 
Arnold.  In  1892  he  moved  to  Hueneme.  where 
he  served  as  postmaster  until  his  death,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-five  years,  in  January,  1902.  He 
married  Pamelia  Ellen  Robertson,  who  is  still 
a  resident  of  Hueneme. 

Having  obtained  a  good  common  school  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  ^'entura  county, 
Charles  R.  Arnold  assisted  his  father  in  farm- 
ing until  1889,  when  he  began  life  for  himself, 
engaging  in  agricultural  pursuits  on  the  old 
home  ranch.  He  now  owns  eighty  acres  of  land 
in  his  home  ranch,  and  also  leases  land  on  which 
he  raises  beets  and  beans,  having  two  hundred 


TTISTOR[CAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2217 


acres  of  the  former  vegetables  and  fifty  acres  of 
the  latter. 

_  On  April  5,  1889,  in  Oxnard,  Mr.  Arnold  mar- 
ried Helen  Hodge,  who  was  born  in  Marysville, 
but  was  brought  up  and  educated  in  Santa  Cruz, 
being  a  daughter  of  L.  C.  Hodge,  who  came 
across  the  plains  to  California  with  the  pioneer 
emigrants  of  1849.  Four  children  have  blessed 
the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arnold,  namely: 
Hazel,  Alta,  Charles  and  Nellie.  Politically  Mr. 
Arnold  is  a  strong  Republican,  quite  influential 
in  public  affairs,  has  served  as  school  trustee,  and 
in  1902  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Hueneme, 
serving  in  that  capacity  until  sending  in  his 
resignation  in  the  fall  of  1905.  Fraternally  he 
is  a  member  of  Hueneme  Lodge,  A.  O.  U.  W., 
and  of  Oxnard  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  Relig- 
iously he  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 


OLIVER  OAK,S.  Travelers  passing  through 
the  valley  of  San  Bernardo,  in  San  Diego  county, 
are  enthusiastic  in  their  descriptions  of  the  large 
estate  and  well-kept  ranch  occupied  by  Oliver 
Oaks.  The  substantial  house  is  surrounded  by 
orange  trees  and  shaded  drives,  giving  an  air  of 
comfort  and  beauty  to  the  entire  estate,  and  bear- 
ing mute  testimony  to  the  refinement  of  the  fam- 
ily. The  vast  estate  comprises  twenty-five  hun- 
dred acres  and  two  thousand  acres  are  available 
for  cultivation,  grain  and  hay  being  the  principal 
products.  The  improvements  that  make  the  ranch 
one  of  the  finest  places  in  the  valley  were  made 
by  Omer  Oaks,  father  of  Oliver,  and  one  of  the 
honored  pioneers  of  the  locality. 

When  the  discovery  of  gold  attracted  thou- 
sands to  the  gold  fields  of  the  far  west,  Omer 
Oaks  was  among  the  number  who  left  the  com- 
forts of  the  east  for  the  vicissitudes  of  life  on  the 
Pacific  coast.  By  birth  a  New  Yorker,  he  de- 
scended from  an  old  eastern  family  and  received 
his  education  in  eastern  schools.  The  journey 
was  made  via  the  isthmus  and  during  1850  he 
landed  in  San  Francisco,  from  which  point  he 
proceeded  to  the  mines.  As  early  as  1855  he  be- 
came a  pioneer  of  the  Santa  Clara  valley  and 
there  undertook  the  task  of  transforming  a  raw 
tract  into  a  fertile  farm.  Meanwhile  he  had  mar- 
ried Mary  Threadgold.  a  native  of  England,  and 
a  lady  of  estimable  character,  whose  death  in 
1888  was  a  bereavement  to  family  and  friends. 
On  account  of  ill  health  in  1868  he  came  to  San 
Diego  county,  where  he  purchased  and  settled 
upon  the  ranch  now  occupied  by  his  son.  A  man 
of  great  energy  and  progressive  spirit,  he  made 
many  improvements  in  the  ranch  and  converted 
it  into  a  valuable  property.  Of  recent  years  he 
has  resided  in  the  Santa  Qara  valley,  where  he 
is  widely  known  and  universally  honored. 


During  the  residence  of  the  family  in  the  Santa 
Clara  valley  Oliver  Oaks  was  born  December  26, 
1880,  and  from  that  valley  he  accompanied  his 
parents  to  San  Diego  county,  where  he  received 
a  high-school  education  in  Escondido.  Later  he 
returned  to  the  Santa  Clara  valley  and  attended  a 
business  college  in  San  Jose.  On  starting  out  to 
make  his  own  way  in  the  world  he  took  up  ranch- 
ing pursuits  and  settled  on  the  farm  owned  by 
his  father  m  San  Bernardo  valley,  where  he  has 
since  engaged  in  raising  farm  products.  As  yet 
he  has  not  made  a  specialty  of  the  stock  business, 
but  keeps  only  a  limited  number  of  head.  Scarce- 
ly yet  in  the  prime  of  life,  he  already  has  a  fair 
start  in  the  agricultural  world  and  ranks  among 
the  prosperous  men  of  the  valley.  While  he  has 
not  identified  himself  actively  with  local  politics, 
he  is  known  as  a  stanch  Republican  and  a  firm 
supporter  of  party  measures.  The  neat  and  com- 
fortable house  on  the  ranch  is  presided  over  by 
the  lady  whom  he  married  August  10,  1905,  and 
who  was  Miss  Alice  E.  Doty,  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, but  from  early  life  a  resident  of  Escon- 
dido. Among  the  people  of  the  valley  the  young 
couple  number  many  warm  friends  and  hold  a 
position  of  assured  social  standing  by  reason  of 
their  genial  manner,  tact,  courtesy  to  all,  and  the 
energy  with  which  they  are  devoting  themselves 
to  their  chosen  work. 


A.  E.  ROBINSON.  W^en  the  Scotch  family 
of  Robinsons  became  transplanted  from  their  na- 
tive land  to  America  during  the,  colonial  period 
they  settled  in  Virginia  and  afterward  gave  of 
their  offspring  to  defend  their  adopted  country 
in  its  struggle  for  independence.  An  honored 
representative  of  the  race  was  Rev.  James  W. 
Robinson,  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  a  man  of 
broad  education  and  sincere  character.  The 
opening  up  of  the  regions  further  west  took  him 
away  from  his  native  commonwealth  to  aid  in  the 
religious  upbuilding  of  newer  sections  and  he 
acquired  prominence  in  ministerial  circles  of 
Michigan.  While  the  family  were  residents  of 
Grand  Rapids,  that  state,  A.  E.,  son  of  the  min- 
ister, was  born  and  in  the  city  of  his  birth  he  re- 
ceived his  primary  education,  later  graduating 
from  the  high  school  of  Niles,  Mich."^  with  the 
class  of  1877,  and  afterward  taking  a  course  of 
study  in  Albion  College. 

It  happened  that  his  father  had  become  inter- 
ested in  a  printing  plant  and  newspaper  at  Niles 
and  Mr.  Robinson  in  that  way  became  interested 
in  learning  the  printer's  trade,  which  he  acquired 
in  its  smallest  details. 

Entering  the  employ  of  the  Widdicomb  Furni- 
ture Company  of  Lansing,  Mich.,  Mr.  Robinson 
acted  as  salesman  and  buyer  and  finally  pur- 
chased stock  in  the  company,  of  which  he  served 


2218 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


as  assistant  secretary  and  auditor.  After  a  con- 
nection of  nineteen 'years  with  the  company  he 
disposed  of  his  stock  and  removed  to  Cahfornia. 
The  year  1900  found  him  a  resident  of  Ocean 
Park  and  two  years  later  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  another  prominent  citizen  in  the  real-estate 
business,  which  he  now  conducts.  During  the 
period  of  his  residence  here  he  has  seen  property 
on  Pier  avenue  increase  in  value  from  $60  to 
$400  per  front  foot.  Upon  the  incorporation  of 
the  place  he  was  chosen  one  of  the  first  members 
of  the  board  of  trustees  and  still,  fills  that  office, 
besides  being  associated  with  other  organizations 
for  the  city's  benefit.  One  of  the  well-known  lo- 
cal improvements,  the  Ocean  Park_  Bathhouse, 
numbers  him  among  its  board  of  directors.  In 
social  circles  he  is  known  and  honored  and  has 
membership  with  the  Country  Club,  besides  other 
organizations  somewhat  similar  in  nature.  While 
still  living  in  Michigan  he  married  Miss  Pauline 
Werner,  a  native  of  Grand  Rapids,  and  a  lady  of 
excellent  education  and  culture.  During  the 
period  of  his  residence  in  Michigan  he  was  very 
active  in  Masonry,  affiliating  w-ith  the  blue  lodge, 
chapter.  Knights  Templar  and  Mystic  Shrine, 
besides  holding  membership  with  other  fraternal 
organizations. 


A.  PEROZZI  is  a  representative  and  highly 
respected  dairyman  of  the  Lompoc  valley  who 
originally  emigrated  to  this  country  from  Switz- 
erland where  his  father,  Peter  A.  Perozzi,  and  his 
mother,  ^lary  Genarni  before  her  marriage,  were 
born  and  lived  during  their  entire  lifetime.  They 
became  the  parents  of  three  children,  two  sons 
and  one  daughter,  the  former  both  now^  living  in 
California,  and  the  latter  never  having  left  the 
land  of  her  birth.  A.  Perozzi  was  born  in 
Switzerland,  November  7,  1862,  and  was  educated 
in  that  country  through  the  medium  of  the  com- 
mon schools  before  coming  to  America,  where  he 
arrived  when  seventeen  years  of  age.  He  made 
California  his  first  objective  point  in  this  country, 
going  directly  to  jNIarine,  where  he  engaged  him- 
self to  a  dairyman  for  two  years.  From  there  he 
went  to  assume  a  similar  position  at  San  Luis 
Obispo  for  a  year,  before  finally  settling  at  Lom- 
poc in  November,  1883.  The  first  few  years  of 
his  residence  in  that  valley  were  spent  in  work- 
ing for  other  men  and  in  1887  he  had  by  industry 
and  frugality  succeeded  in  saving  enough  to  set 
up  in  business  for  himself  near  Sutton  station. 
The  ranch  which  he  now  owns  comprises  three 
hundred  and  thirty-three  acres,  which  he  devotes 
entirely  to  the  raising  of  feed  for  his  herd  of 
forty  milch  cows,  the  cream  which  they  produce 
for  market  furnishing  their  owner  a  handsome 
income. 

In  1892  Mr.  Perozzi  was  united  in  marriage  to 


Miss  Caroline  JMorisoli,  a  native  of  Switzerland, 
and  to  these  parents  have  been  born  six  children : 
Amelia,  Brono,  Adeline,  Lily,  George  and  Peter. 
Mr.  Perozzi  holds  membership  in  two  of  the 
large  fraternal  organizations,  the  Foresters  of 
America  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  He  is 
a  Republican  in  politics,  believing  heartily  in  the 
principles  which  that  party  advocates,  and  re- 
ligiously belongs  to  the  Roman  Catholic  Church, 
which  he  supports  liberally. 


LEONARD  B.  SLOSSON.  A  man  of  fine 
mental  attainments  and  wide  information,  Leon- 
ard B.  Slosson  is  well  versed  in  legal  lore,  and  al- 
though a  comparatively  newcomer  in  Los  An- 
geles county  has  already  acquired  a  noteworthy 
reputation  as  an  able  and  skillful  lawyer.  A  son 
of  Willis  J\I.  Slosson,  he  was  born,  in  April,  1875, 
in  Sabetha,  Nemaha  county,  Kans.,  a  descendant 
of  one  of  the  early  families  of  Connecticut,  and 
comes  of  distinguished  stock,  members  of  the  fam- 
ily from  wdiich  he  is  sprung  having  fought  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
Ozias  Slosson,  was  a  life-long  farmer  in  New 
York  state. 

A  native  of  New  York  state,  \Yillis  M.  Slosson 
there  followed  the  trade  of  a  miller  when  young. 
Subsequently  removing  to  Nemaha  county, 
Kans.,  he  was  successfully  employed  in  mercantile 
pursuits  at  Sabetha  for  a  few  years,  and  while 
there  was  very  influential  in  political  circles. 
Having  possession  of  considerable  land  in  Os- 
ceola county,  Mich.,  he  subsequently  rhoved  there 
with  his  family,  and  for  twenty  years  was  em- 
ployed in  looking  after  his  landed  interests  in 
that  vicinity.  In  1899  he  came  to  California,  lo- 
cating in  Ventura  county,  where  he  is  well  known 
as  a  forester,  having  w^on  distinction  in  connec- 
tion with  the  forest  fires  of  ]\Iontecito.  He  is 
now  living  in  Santa  Barbara,  having  been  made 
supervisor  of  the  Santa  Barbara  Forest  Reserves, 
a  position  of  importance  which  he  is  ably  and  sat- 
isfactorily filling. 

But  four  years  of  age  when  his  parents  re- 
moved to  Michigan.  Leonard  B.  Slosson  received 
his  elementary  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Osceola  county,  and  was  subsequently  graduated 
from  the  Michigan  Military  Academy.  He  was 
afterwards  employed  at  the  State  Capital,  in  Lan- 
sing, for  a  time,  and  then  served  as  librarian  for 
the  Library  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Michigan 
for  three  years.  Having  in  the  meantime  studied 
law.  Mr.  Slosson  was  admitted  to  the  Michigan 
bar  in  1899.  and  the  following  July  came  to  Cali- 
fornia to  reside.  Being  admitted  to  the  bar  of 
this  state,  he  practiced  law  for  a  while  in  Ventura 
county,  being  in  partnership  with  Senator  Ores- 
tes OVr.  He  served  as  deputy  county  clerk  of 
\'entura  county  until  March,   1904,  when  he  In- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2219 


cated  in  Los  Angeles.  In  December,  1904,  Mr. 
Slosson  formed  a  copartnership  with  Benjamin 
S.  Hunter,  and  has  since  been  actively  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  his  chosen  profession,  having 
offices  in  Los  Angeles  and  Santa  Monica.  Po- 
litically Mr.  Slosson  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and 
fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons,  and  of  the  Woodmen  of 
America. 


GEORGE  M.  SPICER.  Since  May,  1904, 
George  M.  Spicer  has  been  a  resident  of  Long 
Beach,  Los  Angeles  county,  where  he  has  already 
succeeded  in  building  up  for  himself  a' lucrative 
clientele.  A  native  of  Utah,  ]Mr.  Spicer  was 
born  in  i\Ianti,  September  16,  1879,  and  was  still 
young  when  his  parents  located  in  Salt  Lake  City. 
There  he  attended  the  public  schools  and  later 
became  a  student  in  the  University  of  Utah,  from 
which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1899.  Fol- 
lowing his  graduation  he  took  up  the  study  of 
law  in  the  office  of  Joseph  L.  Rawlins,  with 
whom  he  remained  until  the  following  year, 
when  he  was  admitted  to  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession. He  established  a  practice  in  Salt  Lake 
and  in  Manti,  where  he  remained  until  1904,  in 
which  year  he  came  to  California  and  on  account 
of  the  multifold  business  opportunities  held  out 
by  growing  Long-  Beach  he  located  in  this  city. 
He  opened  an  office,  although  he  is  independent 
in  his  operations,  having  built  up  a  constantly  in- 
creasing general  practice.  He  has  also  invested 
his  means  in  property  in  this  city  and  Wilming- 
ton, believing  firmly  in  the  future  prosperity  and 
growth  of  this  section.  Mr.  Spicer  is  identified 
fraternally  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  belonging  to  the  lodge  in  ^^lanti,  Utah, 
and  the  Eagles,  of  Long  Beach.  In  politics  he  is 
a  stanch  Republican,  and  although  never  desir- 
ous of  personal  recognition  along  these  lines  has 
been  active  in  his  efforts  to  advance  the  prin- 
ciples he  endorses. 


JOHN  F.  PETIT.  Among  the  industrious 
and  thriving  young  farmers  of  the  Santa  Clara 
valley,  the  name  of  John  F.  Petit  is  pre-eminent. 
Though  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  he  has  spent 
the  greater  portion  of  his  life  in  California,  having 
come  to  this  state  with  his  parents  in  1884,  and 
since  that  time  has  resided  continuou^y  near  Ox- 
ford, \^entura  county.  Born  in  Custer,  Pa.,  Sep- 
tember 8,  1873,  Air.  Petit  is  the  son  of  Frank  and 
Caroline  (Dougherty)  Petit,  whose  biographical 
sketch  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Re- 
ceiving his  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
his  native  state  and  of  the  Santa  Clara  valley, 
Cal.,  he  divided  his  time  during  his  boyhood  days 
between  liis  school  work  and  the  duties  which  fall 


to  the  average  farmer's  boy  until  reaching  man- 
hood's estate.  In  1898  he  left  the  paternal  roof 
and  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  for  himself 
on  land  near  Oxnard,  which  he  still  owns.  Suc- 
cess following  his  persevering  efforts  in  that  line, 
he  has  brought  his  farm  of  one  hundred  and  six- 
ty acres  up  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  his 
principal  crops  being  sugar  beets  and  barley  hay, 
the  ranch  giving  ample  evidence  of  the  thrift  and 
good  management  of  its  proprietor. 

November  4,' 1896,  Mr.  Petit  formed  domestic 
ties  by  his  marriage  with  Miss  [Mary  Adela 
Coultas,  who  is  a  native  of  Illinois.  Having  lost 
her  father  by  death,  she  came  with  her  mother  to 
Southern  California  and  her  mother  now  resides 
ni  Los  Angeles.  Two  children,  Nellie  and  Vida, 
have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Petit.  The  fam- 
ily attend  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of 
Oxnard,  of  which  they  are  consistent  members. 
Air.  Petit  is  independent  in  his  political  beliefs, 
voting  for  the  candidate  whom  he  considers  the 
best  man  for  the  office.  Fraternallv  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Colonia  Lodge  No.  89,  I.  O.'  O.  F.,  of  Ox- 
nard. He  is  popular  among  his  acquaintances 
and  stands  high  in  the  community  as  a  man  of 
true  worth  and  integrity. 


AUGUST  SAULOUE.  Through  the  long 
period  of  his  residence  in  Southern  California 
Mr.  Saulque  has  seen  the  gradual  growth  of  this 
section  of  country  from  a  bare,  unimproved 
stretch  of  land  to  a  region  of  rare  scenic  beauty, 
with  fine  homes,  valuable  farms  and  profitable 
fruit  orchards.  The  climate  he  has  found  some- 
what similar  to  that  of  his  own  sunny  France, 
but  the  opportunities  he  believes  to  be  greater 
here  than  there,  while  a  greater  variety  of  prod- 
ucts may  be  raised  under  the  fine  system  of  irri- 
gation now  prevailing  on  the  Pacific  coast.  Born 
October  i,  1852,  he  passed  the  years  of  youth 
upon  a  farm  in  France,  where  little  occurred  to 
break  the  monotony  of  daily  toil.  As  he  grew  to- 
ward manhood  he  heard  much  concerning  the 
■new  world  and  his  aspirations  turned  to  its  pos- 
sibilities. 

Mr.  Saulque  landed  at  San  Pedro,  Los 
.\ngeles  county,  two  weeks  after  he  had  arrived 
in  San  Francisco  from  his  native  land.  The  date 
of  his  arrival,  February  27,  1871,  is  associated  in 
his  mind  with  the  beginning  of  his  success,  yet  at 
first  he  held  but  a  humble  position  as  a  sheep- 
herder.  Meanwhile  he  studied  the  sheep  indus- 
try and  at  the  expiration  of  three  years  he  re- 
signed his  position  in  order  to  embark  in  business 
for  himself.  With  his  brother  Jules  as  a  partner 
he  bought  about  one  thousand  "head  of  sheep  at 
Bakersfield  and  for  eleven  years  engaged  in  the 
breeding,  buying  and  selling  of  sheep.  At  one 
lime  his  flock  aggregated  eight  thousand  head, 


2220 


HISTORICAL  Ai\D  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  he  sold  seven  thousand  in  one  bunch  for 
$25,000.  On  disposing  of  his  sheep  in  1885  he 
came  to  Los  Angeles,  but  three  years  later  he 
again  became  interested  in  the  raising  of  sheep 
and  had  charge  of  a  band  of  sheep  in  Ventura 
and  Santa  Barbara  counties  for  six  years,  contin- 
uing, however,  to  make  Los  Angeles'  his  home 
and  headquarters.  During  1884  he  purchased 
twenty-five  acres  at  Hyde  Park  and  this  he  rent- 
ed until  1903,  when  he  established  his  headquar- 
ters on  the  ranch.  For  some  years  after  coming 
to  Califorina  he  remained  without  domestic  ties, 
but  in  1886  he  established  a  home  of  his  own, 
marrying  a  native  of  Los  Angeles  and  a  lifelong 
resident  of  this  city.  The  three  children  of  their 
union  are  Leo  P.,  Anna  and  Harriet.  Since  be- 
coming a  citizen  of  the  United  States  Mr.  Saul- 
que  has  voted  the  Republican  ticket  and  has  given 
his  support  at  all  times  to  the  principles  for  which 
that  Dartv  stands. 


H.  B.  AINSWORTH.  The  present  manager 
of  the  H.  E.  Huntington  business  interests  at 
Redondo,  H.  B.  Ainsworth  is  one  of  the  best 
.known  and  most  highly  respected  citizens  of  this 
section  of  the  state.  He  is  the  son  of  Capt.  J. 
C.  Ainsworth,  whose  name  has  been  inseparably 
connected  with  the  history  of  the  development 
of  the  western  coast  states,  arrived  in  San  Fran- 
cisco in  1850.  Captain  Ainsworth  was  born 
June  6,  1822,  in  Warren  county,  Iowa,  and  took 
his  first  lessons  in  steamboating  on  the  Missis- 
sippi river,  while  yet  a  young  man  becoming 
master  of  a  passenger  steamer  plying  between 
St.  Louis  and  points  north  of  that  city.  He  re- 
mained in  California  but  a  short  time,  however, 
and  after  clerking  a  few  weeks  in  a  store  at 
Sacramento  he  removed  to  Oregon  City,  Ore. 
At  Oregon  City  he  engaged  in  steamboating  and 
while  there  built  the  boat  which  became  the 
nucleus  of  the  Oregon  Steamship  &  Navigation 
Company  which  he  later  organized,  becoming 
president  of  the  company,  which  later  was  merged 
into  the  Oregon  Railroad  and  Navigation  Com-' 
pany,  of  which  Captain  Ainsworth  continued  to 
be  president  until  its  sale  in  1879  to  the  Villard 
syndicate  for  $3,000,000.  He  built  the  Missouri 
Pacific  railroad  from  California  to  Puget  Sound 
and  was  also  largely  interested  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Northern  Pacific  railroad  between  the 
Columbia  river  and   Puget  Sound. 

.^ftcr  his  retirement  from  the  navigation  com- 
panies he  removed  to  Oakland,  Cal.,  and  identi- 
fied himself  with  various  financial  enterprises, 
among  them  being  the  founding  of  the  Central 
Bank  of  Oakland,  retaining  the  office  of  presi- 
dent of  that  institution  until  his  death.  In  Port- 
land he  organized  the  Ainsworth  National  Bank 
which  in  1903  was  consolidated  with  the  Ignited 


States  National  Bank  and  subsequently  did  busi- 
ness under  that  name,  in  1905  absorbing  the 
Wells  Fargo  National  Bank.  The  son,  J.  C,  Jr., 
is  now  president  of  that  institution  which  is  con- 
sidered one  of  the  most  solid  on  the  Pacific 
Coast.  In  1887  Captain  Ainsworth  in  company 
with  R.  R.  Thompson  began  the  exploitation  of 
the  Redondo  beach  and  spent  three  million  dol- 
lars in  transforming  it  into  one  of  the  finest  sea- 
side resorts  on  the  coast.  In  1890  the  Redondo 
Railroad  company  was  organized  and  eighteen 
miles  of  track  was  laid  connecting  Redondo  with 
Los  Angeles ;  this  company  afterwards  became 
the  Los  Angeles  &  Redondo  Railway  company 
which  n6w  owns  the  three  wharves  there.  In 
the  same  year  Mr.  Ainsworth  organized  the  Re- 
dondo Hotel  company  which  built  what  was  then 
the  largest  hotel  in  Southern  California  and 
surrounded  it  with  fine  and  imposing  grounds. 
As  the  head  of  the  Redondo  Improvement  com- 
pany, which  was  afterwards  absorbed  by  the 
Redondo  Beach  company  he  built  the  Chautau- 
qua auditorium  which  was  constructed  of  con- 
crete and  has  a  floor  space  of  ten  thousand  square 
feet.  He  was  for  many  years  a  prominent 
Mason,  having  attained  the  thirty-third  degree 
and  \yas  first  Grand  Master  of  Oregon.  His 
death  in  December,  1893,  at  his  home  in  Oak- 
land, removed  one  of  the  most  important  char- 
acters in  the  development  of  the  whole  north- 
west. His  wife  who  was  Fannie  Bobbitt,  a 
dauehter  of  Gen.  Edwin  Burr  Bobbitt,  a  grad- 
uate of  West  Point  and  chief  of  the  Quarter- 
master Department  of  the  United  States  Army, 
became  the  mother  of  six  children,  five  of  whom 
are  now  living.  Her  death  occurred  in  Port- 
land, July,  1905. 

The  third  oldest  child  in  the  family   was  H. 

B.  Ainsworth  who  was  born  in  Portland,  May 
23,  1871,  and  received  his  education  in  a  pri- 
vate school  in  Oakland,  in  1891  graduating  from 
the  University  of  California  with  the  degree  of 

C.  E.  He  began  his  business  career  by  enter- 
ing his  father's  bank  in  Oakland  and  afterward 
in  Portland  attended  to  aflfairs  connected  with 
the  estate.  In  1895  he  came  to  Redondo  as  man- 
ager of  the  diflferent  companies  and  business  en- 
terprises owned  by  the  estate  and  has  ever  since 
remained  in  this  city.  In  June.  1905.  all  of  his 
businesses  which  his  father  had  founded  were  dis- 
posed of  to  H.  E.  Huntington,  who  retains  Mr. 
Ainsworth  as  manager  of  the  interests  which  he 
had  been  so  successfully  conducting  in  years  past. 
His  influence  in  financial  circles  is  a  strong  one 
and  in  every  matter  of  public  import  he  takes 
a  prominent  interest.  He  is  a  director  in  the 
Farmers'  &  Alerchants'  Bank  of  Redondo,  and 
is  now  serving  his  second  term  as  a  member  of 
the  city  board  of  trustees.  The  Republican  partv 
has  always  received  his  active  support.     He  was 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2221 


married  in  Los  Angeles  to  ]Miss  Anna  Mullins, 
a  native  of  New  York  state,  and  they  are  the 
parents  of  one  child,  a  daughter,  Anna. 


TOLBERT  B.  MOORHEAD,  D.  D.  S.  In 
the  valuable  improvements  and  discoveries  made 
during  recent  years  in  the  scientific  world,  no 
profession,  perhaps,  has  reaped  more  benefit 
than  that  of  dentistry,  which  has  been  elevated 
to  the  dignity  of  a  distinct  and  separate  science, 
the  understanding  of  which  requires  much  study 
and  close  application.  Prominent  among  the 
younger  dentists  of  Los  Angeles  county  who 
have  acquired  proficiency  in  this  line  of  study 
is  Tolbert  B.  Moorhead,  D.  D.  S.,  of  Whittier,  a 
dentist  of  acknowledged  skill  and  ability.  He  is 
an  energetic  young  man.  upright  and  of  good 
principles,  and  is  fast  making  for  himself  an  en- 
viable reputation  in  professional  and  social  cir- 
cles. The  doctor  was  born,  January  lo,  1876,  in 
McDonald,  Pa.,  where  his  father,  the  late  Will- 
iam B.  Moorhead.  spent  his  entire  life.  His 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  ]\Iargaret 
Johnson,  survived  her  husband,  and  still  lives 
in  Pennsylvania,  her  native  state. 

After  completing  the  course  of  study  in  the 
public  schools,  Tolbert  B.  Moorhead  entered 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  in  Philadelphia, 
and  was  graduated  from  the  Dental  Department 
in  the  class  of  i8g8.  Opening  an  office  imme- 
diately in  McDonald.  Pa.,  Dr.  Moorhead  re- 
mained there  two  years,  being  busily  employed, 
his  success  as  a  dentist  becoming  known  and 
acknowledged  in  the  community.  Coming  to 
California  in  1900,  the  Doctor  located  in  Whit- 
tier. where  he  has  built  up  an  extensive  and 
remunerative  practice,  his  skill  and  wisdom  win- 
ning for  him  a  fine  patronage. 

In  Whittier.  Cal..  Dr.  Moorhead  married 
Pearl  Wilson,  who  was  born  in  Iowa,  a  daughter 
of  James  K.  Wilson,  now  a  resident  of  Whit- 
tier. Politically  the  Doctor  is  identified  with  the 
Republican  party.  Fraternallv  he  is  prominent 
in  Masonic  circles,  belonging  to  the  lodge  and 
chapter:  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd.  Fellows :  and  is  a  Knight  of  Pvthias. 
and  past  chancellor  cf  the  lodge  to  which  he  be- 
longs. 


H.  A.  FRIEDRICKS.  The  management  of 
the  Rosecrans'  ranch  at  Gardena  is  under  the 
capable  supervision  of  H.  A.  Friedricks.  who 
since  igoi  has  occupied  the  position  he  still  fills 
with  efficiency  and  energy.  For  the  work  he 
now  controls  he  was  admirably  qualified  through 
a  considerable  previous  experience  on  the  same 
ranch :  it  was  about  1893  when  he  became  an 
employe    of    the    estate   and    here    he    has    since 


continued,  his  original  service  as  a  farm  hand 
having  been  of  a  practical  nature  calculated  to 
adapt  him  for  the  more  responsible  position  he 
now  occupies.  The  tract  comprises  about  seven 
hundred  acres  and  is  devoted  to  the  raising  of 
grain  and  pasturage  of  cattle,  also  the  growing 
of  vegetables  for  the  city  markets.  A  specialty 
is  likewise  made  of  the  dairy  business,  thirty- 
five  cows  being  milked  and  the  milk  sold  in 
the  city.  One  of  the  manager's  favorite  theories 
is  concerning  the  value  of  cut  feed  for  his  stock, 
this  work  being  done  with  the  aid  of  a  steam 
plant  which  also  operates  the  pump  and  irri- 
gates the  land. 

Born  in  Milwaukee.  Wis.,  April  9,  1878,  Mr. 
Friedricks  is  of  German  ancestry,  and  is  a  son 
of  H.  G.  Friedricks,  a  native  of  the  Fatherland. 
While  he  was  still  quite  small  he  was  orphaned 
by  the  death  of  his  mother,  leaving  him  the  eld- 
est of  the  five  sons,  of  whom  the  others  are 
Arthur,  Oscar,  Julius  and  Sigmund.  His  father 
is  still  living  and  makes  his  home  in  Santa  Bar- 
bara, this  state.  When  H.  A.  was  a  boy  nine 
years  of  age  he  accompanied  other  members  of 
the  family  to  California  and  settled  in  Los  An- 
geles, where  he  attended  the  grammar  and  high 
schools,  and  later,  while  working  during  the  day, 
attended  a  business  school  evenings,  thus  ac- 
quiring a  fair  education.  Practically  all  of  his 
business  life  has  been  spent  on  the  Rosecrans' 
ranch,  where  he  now  makes  his  home,  devoting 
himself  with  energy  and  faithfulness  to  the 
duties  of  his  position.  As  yet  he  has  not  estab- 
lished domestic  ties,  nor  has  he  taken  a  promi- 
nent part  in  local  politics,  his  only  connection 
with  the  same  being  in  the  casting  of  a  straight 
Republican  ticket  at  all  elections.  Fraternallv 
he  is  associated  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and 
the   Fraternal   Brotherhood. 


H.  C.  MAYER.  Conspicuous  among  the  wide- 
awake and  progressive  business  men  who  are 
so  actively  promoting  the  foremost  interests  of 
Venice  and  the  surrounding  country  is  H.  C. 
Maver,  secretary  of  the  Hardware  Association 
of  Southern  California.  Far-sighted,  brainy  and 
quick  of  perception,  he  has  been  exceedingly 
nrosperous  in  his  career,  and  since  coming  to 
Los  Angeles  county  has  won  a  place  of  influence, 
cstablishinp-  himself  firmly  in  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  the  community  in  which  he  resides.  A 
son  of  Jacob  F.  Maver.  he  was  born  in  Hender- 
son. Ky..  of  nioneer  ancestry.  His  grandfather, 
George  A.  Mayer,  settled  in  Kentucky  in  18.'? i, 
and  there  followed  the  trade  of  a  locksmith  and 
gun  maker,  which  lie  learned  from  his  father, 
who  manufactured  guns  for  use  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war. 

A  native  of  Kentucky,  Jacob  F.  Mayer  spent 


2222 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


his  life  of  sixty  years  in  his  -native  state,  dur- 
ing his  active  career  being  successfully  employed 
as  a  farmer.  He  married  Lucy  Bond,  who  came 
of  excellent  Revolutionary  stock,  her  paternal 
ancestors  having  been  associated  with  the  fam- 
ily of  George  Washington.  She  died  in  Ken- 
tucky, at  the  early  age  of  forty  years.  She  bore 
her  husband  thirteen  children,  of  whom  but  four 
survive. 

Receiving  his  early  education  in  private 
schools,  H.  C.  jNIayer  was  afterwards  graduated 
from  the  Henderson  high  school,  subsequently 
taking  a  special  course  of  study  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Oiicagc.  Entering  then  the  employ  of 
the  well-known  hardware  firm  of  Hibbard, 
Spencer  &  Co.,  he  worked  in  all  departments, 
finally  becoming  commercial  salesman,  and  one 
of  the  firm's  most  valued  assistants,  for  three 
years  traveling  extensively  in  Oregon  and 
Washington.  Resigning  his  position,  Mr.  ]\Iayer 
came  to  California,  locating  in  Los  Angeles, 
where  he  carried  on  a  substantial  hardware 
business  for  some  time,  his  store  being  at  No. 
537  Broadway.  Disposing  of  his  interests  in 
that  city  in  February,  1905,  Air.  Mayer  lived  for 
a  short  time  at  Ocean  Park,  after  which,  in  Au- 
gust, 1905,  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Venice, 
■and  has  since  been  identified  with  its  prosperity, 
whether  of  an  industrial,  financial  or  social  na- 
ture, and  has  become  owner  of  valuable  real  es- 
tate in  this  locality. 

In  Henderson,  Ky.,  Mr.  Mayer  married 
Sarah  Bradshaw,  the  representative  of  an  old 
and  well-known  Kentucky  family,  and  they 
have  one  child,  a  daughter  named  Sarah  Louise. 


JASON  CHARLES  TICKNOR.  An  enter- 
prising native  son  of  California  who  has  spent 
the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  Riverside  county, 
the  mountains  in  that  section  of  the  state  being 
as  an  open  Ixiok  to  him  for  he  has  traveled  over 
every  trail  worn  upon  their  sides  and  through 
the  canyons  between  them,  is  Mr.  Jason  Charles 
Ticknor.  He  was  born  in  1869,  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, the  son  of  J.  C.  and  N.  J.  (Clark)  Tick- 
nor, the  former  a  native  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and 
the  latter  of  Greenville,  Pa.  The  elder  Ticknor 
came  to  California  in  1849  by  the  Panama  route, 
and  was  for  a  time  after  his  arrival  engaged  as 
a  miner,  later  becoming  a  merchant  of  San  Fran- 
cisco. In  1875  he  removed  to  Southern  Cali- 
fornia and  conducted  a  merchandising  business 
in  what  is  now  Riverside  county.  Both  parents 
are  now  deceased. 

Of  the  two  children  in  the  family  Jason 
Oiarles  Ticknor  was  the  oldest  and  from  his 
sixth  year  was  brought  up  in  the  mountain 
regions  of  Riverside  county.  His  education  was 
received  in   the   public  schools,  and   from   early 


bo_\hood  he  found  his  greatest  pleasure  in  the 
saddle  where  he  was  usuall}-  found  when  not  in 
school.  His  first  business  ventures  were  in  stock 
raising  and  he  continued  to  follow  that  occupa- 
tion for  about  twenty  years,  his  ranch  being  lo- 
cated in  the  Cahuilla  country.  In  1902  Mr. 
Ticknor  sold  his  ranch  and  stock  business  and 
located  in  San  Jacinto  where  he  built  a  billiard 
hall  and  conducted  it  until  January  of  1905 
when  he  went  to  Hemet  and  established  a  similar 
business  which  he  now  manages  in  connection 
with  a  cigar  store.  Among  other  property  inter- 
ests he  owns  a  residence  in  San  Jacinto.  His' 
marriage  to  Miss  Rose  Creider,  a  native  of  West 
Virginia,  occurred  in  San  Jacinto.  Politically 
Mr.  Ticknor  is  a  stanch  advocate  of  the  principles 
embraced  in  the  platform  of  the  Republican  party, 
and  fraternallv  affiliates  with  San  Jacinto  Lodge 
No.  338,  F.  &  A.  M.;  San  Jacinto  Chapter,  R. 
A.  AI. ;  and  is  also  associated  with  the  Benevo- 
lent Protective  Order  of  Elks  of  Riverside,  and 
Knights  of  the  Maccabees  at  Hemet.  Although 
his  business  takes  the  greater  part  of  his  time 
he  yet  finds  opportunity  to  aid  in  the  upbuild- 
ing of  his  section  of  the  country  and  is  actively 
interested  in  all  matters  of  social  and  civic  im- 
port. 


P.  J.  BENDASHER.  Switzerland  is  noted 
for  its  fine  dairy  farms  and  its  expert  dairymen, 
and  when  it  is  said  that  P.  J.  Bendasher  is  a 
native  of  that  picturesque  country  it  is  almost 
needless  to  remark  that  on  his  fine  ranch  in  the 
Lompoc  valley  he  conducts  one  of  the  best  dairies 
in  the  country.  He  also  does  general  ranching 
and  has  met  with  unusual  success  in  the  raising 
of  a  variety  of  crops.  Both  his  father,  Domingo 
Bendasher,  and  mother,  Lucy  Bendasher,  were 
born  in  Switzerland,  where  the  father  died  at 
the  age  of  fiftA'-five  years,  and  there  the  mother 
still  lives,  and  is  almost  a  centenarian,  being  now 
ninety-seven  years  old.  Three  of  the  family  of 
eight  children  live  in  California  and  the  re- 
mainder are  in  their  native  country. 

P.  J.  Bendasher  was  born  in  Switzerland,  June 
7,  1854,  and  came  to  the  United  States  at  the 
early  age  of  twelve  years,  arriving  at  San  Fran- 
cisco, from  there  going  to  Petaluma,  where  he 
worked  in  a  dairy.  He  remained  there  about 
two  years,  and  then  engaged  in  the  diary  business 
for  a  year  at  Santa  Cruz,  and  from  tJiat  point 
moved  to  San  Luis  Obispo,  continuing  in  the 
same  business  there  for  fourteen  years,  having 
purchased  a  dairy  of  his  own  at  that  place.  In 
the  fall  of  1883  he  removed  to  Lompoc  and 
bought  a  dairy  and  stock  ranch,  which  he  held 
for  some  years,  and  after  selling  that  came  into 
possession  of  the  home  place  of  156  acres  which 
he    now    occupies.      In    1884   he    married    Mary 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2223 


Carroll,  a  woman  of  Irish  parentage,  and  to  them 
have  been  born  eight  children :  Lucy,  Katie, 
Carl,  Virginia,  Cecil,  Irene,  Alvota  and'  Walter. 
Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bendasher  are  members  of 
the  Catholic  Church  and  are  training  their  chil- 
dren in  that  faith.  Politically  he  believes  in  the 
principles  advocated  by  the  Republican  party  and 
takes  a  hearty  interest  in  all  matters  of  public 
interest,  and  has  served  as  trustee  on  the  school 
board  of  his  district  for  some  time.  The  fine 
home  which  the  family  occupies  was  built  by 
himself  since  purchasing  the  ranch. 


JOSE  P.  CALAC.  In  the  class  of  progressive, 
enterprising  representatives  of  the  early  inhabi- 
tants of  the  new  world  mention  belongs  to  Jose 
P.  Calac,  who  with  his  brother,  Jose  D.,  and  a 
partner,  J.  J.  Paubal,  carries  on  farm  pursuits  in 
San  Diego  county  and  has  the  reputation  of  being 
one  of  the  most  sagacious  and  perservering 
farmers  in  the  San  Luis  Key  valley. 

The  early  home  of  Jose  P.  Calac  was  at  the 
foot  of  Smith  mountain,  where  he  was  born  and 
where  the  earliest  recollections  of  his  life  cluster 
around  the  picturesque  and  romantic  environ- 
ment. During  boyhood  it  was  his  privilege  to 
attend  public  school  at  Perris,  Riverside  county, 
and  he  availed  himself  of  every  advantage  to 
such  an  extent  that  in  the  common-school 
branches  he  surpasses  many  of  the  American 
farmers  of  the  state.  Since  igoo  he  has  been 
interested  with  his  brother  and  another  partner 
in  the  management  of  a  farm  near  Bonsall,  hav- 
ing one  of  the  largest  grain  farms  in  the  etitire 
valley  and  using  thirty  head  of  horses,  as  well 
as  a  large  equipment  of  modern  machinery  suited 
to  their  needs.  From  the  crop  of  1905  they  sold 
four  thousand  sacks  (eight  thousand  bushels) 
of  grain.  The  brothers  are  honest,  industriou.s 
farmers,  and  sincere  members  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  belonging  to  the  congregation 
at  San  Luis  Rey.  Jose  P.  is  unmarried,  but 
Jose  D.  has  a  wife  and  one  son.  Since  coming 
to  their  present  location  they  have  gained  the 
good-will  of  acquaintances  and  have  established 
a  reputation  for  uprightness  and  honesty,  so  that 
when  crops  failed  they  had  no  difficulty  in  secur- 
ing the  necessary  credit  to  carry  them  through 
to  a  more  prosperous  season.  Their  obligations 
have  been  met  when  due  and  they  are  justly 
proud  of  the  reputation  they  have  established  in 
this  respect. 


thirty-two  horsepower  combined  harvester  and 
it  requires  about  fifty  head  of  horses  to  operate 
the  ranch.  His  birth  occurred  in  Switzerland, 
September  16,  1855,  he  being  the  son  of  E.  and 
Lucia  Cantarini,  both  natives  of  Switzerland,  the 
death  of  the  father  occurring  there  in  1882  at  the 
age  of  eighty-six  years,  and  that  of  the  mother 
in  1904,  she  having  attained  eighty-seven  years. 
The  education  of  the  son,  Angelo,  was  received 
in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  land,  where 
he  worked  as  a  young  man  at  the  butcher  trade 
for  six  years.  In  1874  he  emigrated  to  the 
Lnited  States,  landing  in  San  Francisco,,  where 
he  remained  a  short  time  before  coming  to  the 
southern  part  of  the  state.  Arriving  here,  he 
took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  govern- 
ment land  near  Temecula,  improved  the  prop- 
erty, and  has  made  his  home  in  this  vicinity  ever 
since.  For  fifteen  3'ears  he  was  engaged  in  the 
sheep  business,  meeting  with  good  success. 

In  1886  Mr.  Cantarini  was  in  California  united 
in  marriage  with  Rosario  Barrdogo,  a  native  of 
this  state,  and  the  birth  of  eight  children  has 
blessed  the  union  :  Charles,  Maggie,  Mary,  Peter, 
John,  Rosa,  ^ladeline  and  Lulsilia.  He  is  an 
active  member  of  the  Catholic  Qiurch,  and  polit- 
ically is  a  believer  in  the  principles  embraced  in 
the  platform  of  the  Republican  party.  He  is 
popularly  regarded  as  an  excellent  business  man, 
a  wide-awake  and  progressive  citizen,  and  his 
worth  to  the  community  in  which  he  lives  ha.s 
been  ablv  demonstrated. 


ANGELO  CANTARINI.  One  of  the  most 
extensive  ranchers  in  Perris  valley  is  Angelo 
Cantarini.  who  is  farming  sixteen  hundred  acres 
to  hay  and  grain  in  this  location  and  has  seven 
hundred  acres  in  Temecula.     He  owns  his  own 


DANIEL  CAMPBELL.  Conspicuous  among 
the  energetic,  brainy  men  of  this  age,  who  have 
acquired  wealth  through  their  own  efforts,  and 
now  occupy  an  assured  position  among  the  lead- 
ing men  of  the  community  in  which  they  reside, 
is  Daniel  Campbell,  a  well-known  resident  of 
Burbank.  A  native  of  Ireland,  he  was  born  in 
County  Antrim,  December  3,  1872,  and  was 
there  brought  up  and  educated,  attending  the 
national  schools  during  the  days  of  his  boyhood 
and  youth. 

Emigrating  to  America  when  nineteen  years 
of  age,  Daniel  Campbell  came  directly  to  the  Pa- 
cific coast,  and  worked  at  railroading  for  a  time 
in  Washington,  afterwards  being  engaged  in 
mining  in  Placer  county.  Meeting  with  fair  suc- 
cess in  his  occupation,  he  was  encouraged  to  try 
his  luck  in  the  gold  fields  of  the  far  North,  and 
on  March  15,  1895,  found  himself  in  Alaska. 
Working  as  a  miner  for  himself,  he  met  with 
good  success,  locating  many  claims,  and  finally 
striking  the  "Tliirty-six  above  Discovery  on 
Bonanza  creek."  Mr.  Campbell  immediately  be- 
gan developing  the  mines,  employing  forty  men 
at  $1.50  an  hour  in  placer  mining,  there  being 
twelve  feet  of  dirt  above  the  gravel.     For  five 


2224 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


years  he  continued  as  a  miner,  in  the  meantime 
spending  one  winter  in  the  States  and  in  his 
old  home  in  Ireland.  He  subsequently  sold  the 
mines  at  an  advantageous  price  to  the  Northwest 
Transportation  and  Trading  Company,  which 
represented  Armour  &  Co.,  who  worked  the 
claim  out. 

After  disposing  of  his  Alaskan  interests,  Mr. 
Campbell  came  to  Southern  California  in  quest 
of  a  desirable  place  in  which  to  make  his  future 
home,  visiting  here  in  February,  1899,  and  in 
February,  1900,  having  traveled  extensively  in 
this  part  of  the  state,  selected  Burbank  as  the 
place  in  which  he  wished  to  live.  He  first  en- 
gaged in  general  storage  business,  having  a  large 
warehouse,  but  soon  sold  out,  and  bought  his 
present  ranch  of  twenty-five  acres.  Mr.  Camp- 
bell is  much  interested  in  fruit  culture,  having 
now  thirteen  acres  of  Valencia  oranges,  seven 
acres  of  the  Thompson  Improved  Navels,  while 
the  other  five  acres  is  devoted  to  the  raising  of 
winter  tomatoes.  The  improvements  on  his  ranch 
are  of  a  high  order,  and  invariably  elicit  the  at- 
tention and  admiration  of  the  passer-by.  The 
house,  which  he  employed  an  architect  to  build, 
is  in  the  Mission  style,  with  all  the  living  rooms 
facing  the  south.  It  stands  on  an  elevation  one 
thousand  feet  in  height,  and  from  its  broad  and 
airy  porch  there  is  a  most  charming  view,  no- 
where excelled  in  the  valley.  In  the  care  of  his 
ranch,  Mr.  Campbell  takes  genuine  pride  and 
pleasure,  working  more  for  occupation  and  recre- 
ation than  for  pecuniary  reward.  He  is  identified 
with  other  enterprises,  also,  being  a  stockholder 
in  several  capitalized  organizations. 

In  Ireland,  in  1900,  Mr.  Campbell  married 
Margaret  McPeak,  a  native  of  the  Emerald  Isle, 
and  they  have  two  children,  Daniel  P.  and  Ar- 
thur Milford. 


L.  H.  CASE,  M.  D.  A  rising  young  physi- 
cian and  surgeon  of  Santa  Monica,  L.  H.  Case, 
M.  D.,  is  devoting  his  energy  to  making  a  suc- 
cess of  his  profession,  and  has  already  built  up 
an  extensive  and  lucrative  practice.  He  is  the 
descendant  of  an  old  and  honored  New  York 
family  and  was  born  in  that  state,  a  son  of 
Samuel  Case,  who  now  resides  in  Santa  Monica. 

■Coming  with  his  parents  to  California  when 
ten  years  of  age,  L.  H.  Case  completed  his  early 
education  in  the  schools  of  Los  Angeles  county. 
Deciding  to  enter  upon  a  medical  career,  he 
studied  with  the  late  Dr.  J.  J.  Place,  who  settled 
in  Santa  Monica  in  1890,  remaining  here  until 
his  death,  in  1900.  On  leaving  Dr.  Place's  office, 
Mr.  Case  entered  the  Hahnemann  Pacific  Med- 
ical College,  in  San  Francisco,  where  he  was 
graduated  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  in  1900. 
Returning  to  Santa  Monica,  Dr.  Case  began  the 


practice  of  his  profession  in  this  place,  and  has 
since  continued  here  as  a  general  practitioner. 
Politically  the  doctor  is  an  independent  Repub- 
lican, voting  with  the  courage  of  his  convictions 
for  the  best  men  and  measures.  Fraternally  he 
belongs  to  Santa  Monica  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
to  Santa  Monica  Lodge,  B.  P.  O.  E.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  both  the  State  Medical  and  the 
Southern  California  IMedical  societies. 


FRANK  P.  DAVIDSON,  A.  B.,  A.  M.  The 
superintendent  of  the  city  schools  of  San  Diego 
is  a  descendant  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry  on  the 
paternal  side;  on  the  maternal  side  his  ancestors 
were  identified  with  the  reformation  inaugurated 
by  Martin  Luther.  He  was  born  near  Blairsville, 
Indiana  county,  Pa.,  March  2,  1853 ;  completed 
studies  of  the  common  schools  and  attended  the 
academy  at  Elders  Ridge,  Indiana  county,  that 
state,  and  in' 1870  matriculated  in  Wittenberg 
College  at  Springfield,  Clark  county,  Ohio,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1875  with  the  degree 
of  A.  B.,  and  three  years  later  received  the  degree 
of  A.  M. 

Professor  Davidson  was  principal  of  a  ward 
school  in  Spring-field,  Ohio,  from  1875  until  1883, 
and  then  acted  as  assistant  instructor  of  mathe- 
matics and  history  in  the  preparatory  school  of 
\\'ittenberg  College;  next  he  was  engaged  as  an 
educator  in  Dixon  county.  Neb.,  and  during  the 
two  years  of  his  residence  there,  also  for  one 
more  year,  he  carried  on  graduate  work  in  Wit- 
tenberg College,  making  a  specialty  of  chemistry, 
botany  and  mineralogy.  For  an  instructor  lie 
was  fortunate  in  securing  Edgar  F.  Smith, 
Ph.  D.,  LL.  D.,  now  officially  connected  with  the 
L^niversity  of  Pennsylvania,  and  then  (1885-88) 
instructor  of  natural  sciences  in  the  high  school 
of  Springfield,  Ohio.  On  coming  to  California 
in  1888  Professor  Davidson  was  associated  with 
others  in  an  effort  to  establish  a  preparatory 
school  at  Pacific  Beach.  The  institution  was 
founded  under  the  name  of  San  Diego  College, 
but  w-as  abandoned  two  years  later,  owing  to  the 
depression  of  land  values  (the  college  depending 
for  its  existence  and  expenses  upon  the  sale  of 
lands). 

The  identification  of  Professor  Davidson  with 
the  public-school  system  of  San  Diego  dates 
from  1890,  when  he  was  appointed  principal  of 
the  high  school.  Under  his  capable  management 
the  institution  became  fully  accredited  as  a  high 
school  and  grew  in  size  from  five  to  fourteen 
teachers.  In  1897  he  received  the  appointment 
as  superintendent  of  the  San  Diego  city  schools, 
which  under  his  oversight  are  in  every  respect 
modern  and  second  to  none  in  the  state.  While 
his  work  in  his  present  office  has  been  intelligent, 
progressive  and  in  every  respect  resourceful,  and 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


zno 


while  it  has  been  highly  gratifying  to  the  major 
portion  of  the  population,  there  have  nevertheless 
been  some  discouraging  features,  prominent 
among  these  being  the  attitude  taken  in  1904  by 
eighteen  members  of  the  board  of  education,  who 
decided  to  make  a  change  in  the  superintendent's 
office  during  the  middle  of  the  term.  When  the 
reasons  for  this  procedure  were  demanded,  they 
were  given,  but  proved  insufficient  to  the  general 
ptiblic,  so  that  at  the  next  election  the  people 
retired  the  members  who  had  opposed  him,  elect- 
ing member  favorable  to  his  retention  in  office. 
In  the  meantime  the  case  was  taken  to  the  su- 
perior court,  and  afterward  to  the  appellate  court, 
under  the  title  of  Davidson  versus  Baldwin.  Both 
courts  decided  in  his  favor,  and  thus  established 
a  precedent  in  California  that  a  superintendent 
of  schools  cannot  be  dismissed  during  his  term 
without  just  cause. 

While  making  his  home  in  Springfield,  Ohio, 
Professor  Davidson  in  1878  married  ]\Iiss  Elea- 
nor Sprecher,  who  was  born  in  that  city  and  is 
a  graduate  of  the  Springfield  Female  Seminary 
under  Rev.  Dr.  Rogers.  Her  father,  Samuel 
Sprecher,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  one  of  the  most  gifted 
theologians  of  his  day  as  well  as  one  of  the  most 
prominent  educators  in  the  Lutheran  denomina- 
tion, was  born  in  Washington  county,  Md.,  grad- 
uated from  Gettysburg  College  and  Seminary 
and  was  ordained  to  the  Lutheran  ministry.  After 
having  filled  successful  pastorates  at  Harrlsburg 
and  Chambersburg,  Pa.,  in  1850  he  was  selected 
president  of  Wittenberg  College.  The  institu- 
tion at  that  time  was  very  small  and  its  future 
uncertain,  but  under  the  strong  hand  and  splen- 
did mental  endowment  of  the  president  it  be- 
came the  leading  college  and  seminary  of  the 
General  Synod  of  the  United  States.  When  he 
resigned  as  president,  after  a  successful  service 
of  one-quarter  of  a  century,  it  was  realized  that 
his  talents  should  be  retained  in  the  service  of 
the  college  he  had  helped  to  build  up,  hence  he 
was  prevailed  upon  to  become  dean  of  the  the- 
ological seminary,  and  in  that  position  he  re- 
mained for  ten  years.  When  finally  in  1885  he 
resigned  from  active  educational  work,  it  was 
with  the  honorary  title  of  professor  emeritus. 
When  a  very  aged  man  he  came  to  San  Diego 
to  the  home  of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Davidson,  and 
there  passed  away  January  10,  1906,  at  the  age 
of  ninety-six  years.  In  his  marriage  he  became 
allied  with  a  prominent  German  Lutheran  fam- 
ily, his  wife,  Catherine,  being  a  daughter  of  Rev. 
John  George  Smucher,  of  York,  Pa.,  and  a  sister 
of  Rev.  Samuel  Smucher,  D.  D.,  of  Gettysburg 
College,  who  for  years  was  one  of  the  leading 
members  of  the  Lutheran  denomination  in  the 
Ignited  States  and  the  most  prominent  upbuilder 
of  the  institution  \\ith  whose  faculty  he  long 
was    inseparably    identified.      In    the    family    of 


Professor  and  Mrs.  Davidson  there  are  two  chil- 
dren. The  son,  Charles  Sprecher  Davidson, 
B.  S.,  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  California, 
now  holds  a  position  as  manager  of  the  land 
department  of  the  California  Gas  and  Electric 
i'ower  Company  of  San  Francisco.  The  daugh- 
ter, Evelyn  Gertrude,  graduated  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  California  vyith  the  degree  of  A.  B., 
and  is  now  secretary  of  the  Young  Women's 
Christian  Association  connected  with  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor.' 

On  the  organization  of  the  First  English  Lu- 
theran Church  of  San  Diego  Professor  Davidson 
was  chosen  an  elder  of  the  congregation,  which 
position  he  still  fills,  and  in  addition  he  has  been 
superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school  since  its  or- 
ganization. For  years  he  has  been  a  member  of 
the  San  Diego  Chamber  of  Commerce.  Polit- 
ically he  gives  his  support  to  the  Republican 
I)arty.  While  living  in  Ohio  he  was  made  a 
Mason  in  Clark  Lodge  at  Springfield,  and  now 
affiliates  with  San  Diego  Lodge  No.  35,  F.  & 
A.  M.  The  Phi  Kappa  Psi  has  his  name  enrolled 
on  its  membership  list.  Along  the  line  of  his 
chosen  profession  he  holds  membership  in  the 
California  State  Teachers'  Association,  is  identi- 
field  with  the  Southern  California  School  Mas- 
ters' Club,  for  years  has  been  connected  with 
the  National  Educational  Association,  and  at  one 
time  held  office  as  vice-president  of  the  Southern 
California  Teachers'  Association,  in  addition  to 
which  he  has  been  warmly  interested  in  local 
teachers'  institutes  and  in  all  movements  for  the 
development  of  educational  work,  not  only  lo- 
cally, but  also  throughout  the  entire  country. 


ALBERT  CHAMBERLAIN  is  actively  identi- 
fied with  the  industrial  interests  of  Los  Angeles 
county  as  superintendent  of  the  Independent 
Brick  Company  of  Inglewood.  An  Englishman 
by  birth,  he  was  born,  January  26,  1863,  in 
Cheshire,  England,  a  son  of  John  Chamberlain, 
a  native  of  Liverpool,  England,  and  who  died  in 
Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  in  1896.  He  was  a  man  of 
strict  integrity,  and  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Episcopal  Qiu-rch.  He  married  Elizabeth  Clark, 
who  was  born  in  IJverpool.  England,  and  died, 
in  1898,  in  Los  Angeles.  Of  the  twelve  chil- 
dren born  of  their  union  five  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters survive,  the  names  of  the  sons  being  as  fol- 
lows :  Thomas,  residing  in  England ;  William 
C,  of  Winnipeg;  Albert,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  and  Alfred  and  John,  briclc  manufac- 
turers at  Los  Angeles. 

Coming  with  the  family  from  England  to 
Iowa  in  t88o.  Albert  Cliamberlain  assisted  his 
father  in  clearing  and  improving  land,  remaining 
at  home  until  after  attaining  his  majority.  .Start- 
ing then  in  business  for  himself,  he  was  employed 


1226 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  general  farming  and  stock  raising  for  several 
years,  as  an  agriculturist  meeting  with  satisfac- 
tory results.  In  1896  he  came  to  California,  lo- 
cating in  Los  Angeles,  where  for  three  years  he 
was  in  the  employ  of  Edward  Simons,  brick 
manufacturer.  He  subsequently  became  identi- 
fied with  the  Los  Angeles  Brick  Company,  with 
which  he  was  associated  for  nearly  six  years,  the 
greater  part  of  the  time  being  general  foreman 
of  their  Chovez  Ravine  yards,  which  are  the 
largest  in  Southern  California.  In  July,  1905. 
Mr.  Chamberlain  accepted  his  present  responsible 
position  as  superintendent  of  the  Independent 
Brick  Company  of  Inglewood.  This  company 
carries  on  an  extensive  business  in  manufactur- 
ing building  brick,  their  two  yards  having  a  ca- 
pacity of  one  hundred  thousand  bricks. 

While  residing  in  Iowa,  Mr.  Chamberlain  mar- 
ried Lillian  Miller,  who  was  born  in  Des  Moines 
county,  Iowa,  a  daughter  of  Hezekiah  Miller. 
Her  Grandfather  ]\Iiller,  a  pioneer  settler  of  Des 
Moines.  Iowa,  served  in  the  Black  Hawk  Indian 
war.  The  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Qiamberlain 
has  been  blessed  by  the  birth  of  four  children, 
namely :  Elizabeth  Elzora,  John  H..  Albert  W. 
and  Samuel  P.  Fraternally  Mr.  Chamberlain  is 
a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 


AGUSTIN  COTA.  Among  the  prosperous 
agriculturists  of  Los  Angeles  county  who  have 
inherited  their  estates  and  their  occupations  from 
their  Spanish  ancestors  is  Agustin  Cota,  who  is 
actively  engaged  in  tilling  the  soil  on  his  val- 
uable ranch,  which  is  advantageously  located  two 
and  one-half  miles  north  of  Santa  Monica,  and 
within  a  short  distance  of  Ocean  Park.  The 
descendant  of  one  of  the  early  Spanish  settlers 
of  Southern  California :  he  was  born  in  Los  An- 
geles, February  28,  1858,  a  son  of  Francesco 
Cota.  His  grandfather.  Guillermo  Cota,  the 
emigrant  ancestor,  was  born  and  brought  up  in 
Spain,  and  when  a  young  man  came  to  California 
in  search  of  wealth. 

A  native  of  Los  Angeles  county,  Francesco 
Cota  has  spent  the  larger  part  of  his  life  in  this 
vicinity,  but  now,  an  aged  man  of  eighty-five 
years,  is  spending  the  closing  days  of  his  long 
life  in  Santa  Ana,  with  a  daughter.  He  mar- 
ried Martina  IMachado,  a  daughter  of  Augustine 
!Machado,  who,  with  his  brother,  purchased  from 
the  Spanish  Government  a  large  grant,  "La 
Ballona."  containing  fifteen  thousand  acres  of 
land.  Further  parental  liistory  may  be  found  on 
another  page  of  this  work,  in  connection  with 
the  sketch  of  her  brother,  Jose  Antonio  Machado. 
She  died  when  about  forty-two  years  old.  She 
inherited  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres  of 
the  La  Ballona  ranch,  a  part  of  which  was  sold 
several  years  ago. 


When  a  boy  of  thirteen  years,  Agustin  Cota 
began  earning  his  own  living,  working  on  ranches 
until  he  acquired  a  good  knowledge  of  the  vari- 
ous branches  of  agriculture,  when  he  began  farm- 
ing on  rented  land.  On  becoming  of  age,  he  in- 
herited from  his  mother's  estate  his  present 
home  ranch,  consisting  of  seven  and  three- 
fourths  acres  of  land,  which  he  is  carrying  on 
successfully. 

On  August  6,  1888,  ^Ir.  Cota  married  Ynes 
Figurea,  who  was  born  in  this  county,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Ramon  Figurea,  who  migrated  from  Mexi- 
co to  California.  ]Mr.  and  J\Irs.  Cota  are  the 
parents  of  three  children,  namely :  \'ivan,  Mar- 
tina and  Augustine.  In  his  political  affiliations 
Mr.  Cota  is  an  earnest  adherent  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party. 


JOHN  DIEDRICH.  Holding  a  noteworthy 
position  among  the  enterprising  and  progressive 
farmers  of  the  Santa  Clara  valley  is  John  Died- 
rich,  who  is  prosperously  engaged  in  his  free  and 
independent  vocation  on  one  of  the  most  valuable 
and  highly  improved  ranches  in  the  vicinity  of 
Oxnard.  A  resident  of  A'entura  county  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  he  has  ever  been  a  useful 
man  in  the  community,  taking  a  prominent  place 
in  the  enterprises  tending  toward  the  enlight- 
ment  of  the  people,  being  the  friend  of  educa- 
tion, and  active  in  all  good  works.  He  has  been 
a  tiller  of  the  soil  the  greater  part  of  his  life,  and 
still  finds  therein  his  greatest  pleasure.  He  is 
a  German  by  birth  and  breeding,  his  birth  having 
occurred,  February  27,  1852,  in  Hanover,  where 
he  grew  to  man's  estate.  His  parents,  Ludwig 
and  Alargaret  (Boheme)  Diedrich.  were  life- 
long residents  of  the  Fatherland,  and  were  num- 
bered among  its  most  loyal  and  faithful  citizens. 

Completing  his  early  education  in  a  private 
school.  John  Diedridi  subsequently  served  three 
years  in  the  German  Army,  after  which  he  was 
for  several  years  employed  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits. In  1882,  resolving  to  try  life  in  a  newer 
country,  Mr.  Diedrich  sailed  for  New  York,  and 
from  that  city  came  by  rail  to  California.  Locat- 
ing in  the  Santa  Clara  valley,  he  bought  a  tract 
of  land,  and  having  placed  it  in  a  good  state  of 
cultivation  has  now  a  well  improved  and  valuable 
ranch  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  on  which 
he  is  successfully  carrying  on  his  chosen  work. 
Of  recent  years.  Mr.  I)iedrich  has  paid  much  at- 
tention to  the  raising  of  beets  and  lima  beans, 
at  the  present  time  having  twenty-five  acres  of 
the  former,  while  the  remainder  of  his  land  is 
devoted  to  the  culture  of  beans.  The  improve- 
ments upon  his  place  are  excellent  and  note- 
worthy, the  barns  and  outbuildings  being  sub- 
stantial and  convenient,  while  the  large,  twelve- 
room  house  which  he  has  recently  erected,  with 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2227 


its  modern  furnishing  and  equipments,  is  one 
of  the  finest  and  most  attractive  in  this  part  of  the 
county. 

In  1882,  Mr.  Diedrich  married  Matilda  Asch- 
ofif,  who  was  born  in  Germany,  a  daughter  of 
Charles  and  Sophia  (Richer)  Aschoff,  who  spent 
their  entire  lives  in  their  native  land,  Mrs. 
Aschofif  dying  when  Iier  daughter  iNIatilda  was 
about  a  year"  old,  and  Mr.  Aschofif  in  1895,  at 
the  venerable  age  of  eighty-three  years.  Into 
the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Diedrich  four  chil- 
dren have  been  born,  namely :  Louis,  born  in 
July,  1883;  John,  born  in  September,  1884;  Will- 
iam', born  June  12,  1887;  and  Joseph,  born  July 
13,  1889.  Fraternally  Mr.  Diedrich  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  and  religiously 
he  and  his  family  belong  to  the  Catholic  Cliurch. 


BRUCE  W.  S.  DYE.  The  Dye  family  is  one 
of  the  best  known  and  most  highly  respected  in 
San  Diego  county  where  Bruce  W.  S.  Dye  was 
born.  He  is  the  son  of  J.  S.  and  Mary  (War- 
nock)  Dye,  the  father  being  a  native  of  Warren 
county,  Ky.,  and  the  mother  of  Pennsylvania. 
Both  parents  are  now  living  in  Ballena,  San 
Diego  county,  where  they  own  a  ranch  of  four 
hundred  acres.  The  father  is  an  adherent  of 
the  Democratic  party  and  takes  a  prominent  in- 
terest in  afifairs  tending  toward  the  development 
of  his  section  of  the  state.  Mrs.  Dye  is  an  ac- 
tive member  of  the  Catholic  Church.  Her  par- 
ents, William  and  Ellen  (Derrig)  Warnock, 
w-ere  born  in  Ireland  and  came  to  California  in 
1857,  locating  in  San  Diego  county,  which  was 
then  an  unsettled  wilderness  and  clearing  and 
improving  a  ranch  on  which  Mr.  Warnock  es- 
tablished himself  in  the  dairy  business  and  buih 
up  a  most  profitable  trade.  He  was  a  man  of 
much  prominence  locally,  his  death  occurring  in 
1898  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years;  his  wife 
died  a  year  previous,  she  being  sixty-seven  years 
old.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
six  of  whom  are  yet  living. 

Bruce  W.  S.  Dye  was  one  of  a  family  of 
thirteen  children,  nine  of  whom  lived  to 
maturity  and  have  homes  in  San  Diego  county. 
Mr.  Dye's  preliminary  education  was  received  in 
the  common  schools  of  his  home  district,  supple- 
mented by  a  course  in  the  commercial  depart- 
ment of  the  Russ  high  school  of  San  Diego. 
After  his  graduation  he  worked  for  his  father  on 
the  home  ranch  at  Ballena  for  a  short  time,  but 
his  ambition  being  to  establish  himself  independ- 
ently he  soon  found  opportunity  to  engage  in 
ranching  on  a  tract  comprising  fourteen  hundrei 
acres  of  land.  He  owned  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  near  Ballena,  which  he  subsequently  sold 
and  in  1905  came  to  Ramona  and  bought  the 
ranch  of  seventy  acres  which  he  now  occupies, 


devoting  himself  to  the  occupations  of  dair_\ing 
and  fruit  raising.  His  marriage  to  Lucy  Fred- 
erick, a  native  of  Iowa,  occurred  in  1901  and  they 
have  become  the  parents  of  one  daughter,  Doro- 
thy. ~\Irs.  Dye  is  a  member  of  the  Congre- 
gational Church.  Mr.  Dye  belongs  to  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  lodge,  and  polit- 
icallv  affiliates  with  the  Democratic  party.  He 
is  greatly  interested  in  all  social  and  civic  mat- 
ters and  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  all  mem- 
bers of  the  community  in  which  he  lives. 


THOMAS  C.  DYE.  Among  the  many  pros- 
perous and  successful  farmers  of  San  Diego 
county  none  has  proved  more  wise  and  fortunate 
in  his  operations  than  the  native-born  sons. 
Prominent  among  this  special  number  is  Thomas 
C.  Dye,  of  Ramona,  whose  remarkable  success 
as  a  general  farmer  and  dairyman  has  been 
brought  about  by  persistent  energy,  well  directed 
toil,  and  exceptional  business  ability  on  his  part; 
and  he  is  well  deserving  of  the  respect  and  con- 
fidence in  which  he  is  everywhere  held.  He  was 
born  May  30,  1875,  in  San  Diego  county,  being 
one  of  a  family  of  thirteen  children,  nine  of 
whom  are  living.  His  father,  J.  S.  Dye,  of  this 
county,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  and  during  the 
Civil  'war  served  in  the  Southern  army.  His 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Mary  Warnock, 
was  born  and  bred  in  Pennsylvania. 

After  leaving  the  district  school,  Thomas  C. 
D\e  entered  the  Russ  Commercial  department  of 
the  San  Diego  High  School,  where  he  completed 
the  course  of  study.  Becoming  familiar  with 
the  science  of  agriculture  when  young,  he  chose 
the  free  and  independent  occupation  to  which  he 
was  bred,  beginning  his  career  as  a  ranchman 
near  his  present  home  farm.  He  was  subse- 
quently employed  in  dairying  near  the  coast. 
Returning  to  Ramona,  Mr.  Dye,  in  1903,  located 
on  his  present  ranch  of  twelve  hundred  acres, 
and  in  its  management  has  met  with  encouraging 
results.  He  is  an  extensive  raiser  of  grain  and 
cattle,  and  is  one  of  the  largest  dairymen  of  this 
vicinity,  milking  about  sixty-five  cows  daily. 
Practical  and  painstaking,  he  has  his  land  under 
a  good  state  of  cultivation,  and  well  furnislsed 
with  substantial  improvements,  his  ranch  being 
one  of  the  most  attractive  and  valuable  in  the 
neighborhood,  bearing  evidence  of  his  industry 
and  wise  management. 

On  October  4,  1905,  Mr.  Dye  married  Benita 
Frederick,  a  daughter  of  the  late  Benjamin  Todd 
Frederick.  i\Ir.  Frederick  was  born,  in  18^4,  in 
Ohio,  but  was  brought  up  and  educated  in  Penn- 
sylvania. He  settled  in  Iowa  when  a  young  man, 
and  for  several  vears  owned  and  operated  a 
foundry  in  Marshalltown,  becoming  one  of  the 
leading  men  of  that  city.    He  was  a  stanch  Dem- 


2228 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ocrat  in  politics  ami  active  in  party  ranks.  In 
1887  lie  came  with  his  family  to  San  Diego,  Cal, 
where  for  six  years  he  was  Internal  Revenue  col- 
lector. He  died  Xovember  3.  1903,  at  his  home 
in  San  Diego.  In  Iowa,  in  i860.  Air.  Frederick 
married  Weltha  Putnam,  who  was  born  in  Ohio, 
in  1836,  spent  her  early  life  in  Michigan,  and  is 
now  living,  with  her  daughter  Margaret,  in  San 
Diego.  Politically  Mr.  Dye  is  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican, uniformly  casting  his  vote  in  favor  of  that 
party,  and  religiously  he  was  reared  in  the  Cath- 
olic faith.  Mrs.  Dye  is  a  Congregationalist  in 
religion. 


LOUIS  GAMASH.  Noteworthy  among  the 
active  and  prosperous  business  men  of  Rodondo 
is  Louis  Gamash,  well  known  as  a  contracting 
plumber  and  steam  fitter.  Skillful  and  painstak- 
ing in  his  work,  and  a  thorough  master  of  h:.' 
trade,  he  has  built  up  an  extensive  and  lucrative 
patronage  in  this  section  of  the  county,  having 
had  charge  of  the  plumbing  in  the  larger  and 
more  important  buildings  here  erected  in  the  last 
decade.  He  is  highly  respected  as  a  citizen,  and 
his  influence  as  a  man  of  honor  and  integrity  is 
felt  throughout  the  community.  A  son  of  the 
late  Anthonv  Gamash,  he  was  born,  March  26, 
1869,  at  Wa'ukegan,  111. 

A  native  of  Canada,  Anthony  Gamash  removed 
to  Illinois  when  young,  settling  as  a  fisherman  in 
Waukegan.  After  residing  there  a  number  of 
years,  he  removed  to  New  Buffalo,  Mich.,  where 
he  continued  in  his  favorite  pursuit  until  his 
death.  He  married  Mary  Junco,  who  was  born 
m  Quebec,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  all  boys,  and  of  these  three  are  living. 

The  youngest  child  of  the  parental  family, 
Louis  Gamash  became  interested  in  fishing  when 
a  boy,  and  afterwards,  with  his  brothers,  estab- 
lished himself  in  the  fishing  business  at  Green 
Bay,  Mich.,  having  his  own  schooners  and  pack- 
mg  plant.  Subsequently  going  to  Aurora,  111.,  he 
was  connected  with  the  "Acorn" Stove  Works  for  a 
year,  after  which  he  was  associated  with  the 
American  Well  Works,  in  the  same  city,  for 
awhile.  Coming  to  Los  Angeles  county  in  1897, 
Mr.  Gamash  was  for  two  vears  in  the  employ  of 
a  Lumber  Company  of  Redondo.  In  1899  he  be- 
gan learning  the  plumber's  trade  with  Eli  Davies, 
of  Redondo,  by  whom  he  was  employed  for  two 
years.  Obtaining  a  good  knowledge  of  his  trade, 
Mr.  Gamash  then  started  in  business  on  his  ov/n 
accoi:nt,  opening  his  present  establishment,  and 
has  since  built  up  a  large  business  as  a  contracting 
plumber  and  steam  fitter.  He  has  filled  many  con- 
tracts of  importance,  including  among  others  the 
plumbing  in  the  Chrisman  House,  the  Bucklev 
Hoiise,  the  Redondo  School  building,  the  Ma- 
sonic Hall,  and  manv  others  of  note. 


In  Geneva,  111.,  ISlr.  Gamash  married  Ida 
Page,  who  was  born  and  bred  in  \\'aukegan,  111. 
In  national  politics,  Mr.  Gamash  is  a  stanch  sui;- 
porter  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party, 
but  in  local  matters  he  votes  for  the  best  n^en 
and  measures,  regardless  of  party  prejudice. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order 
of  United  Workmen,  and  of  the  Alodern  Wood- 
men of  America.  Religiously  he  is  a  meniber  of 
Saint  James  Catholic  Church. 


RUFUS  A.  ENO.  Both  in  the  business  and 
municipal  affairs  of  Long  Beach  Rufus  A.  Eno, 
president  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  this  place, 
has  proven  an  important  factor  since  his  location 
on  the  Pacific  coast.  He  is  a  native  of  Elm- 
wood,  111.,  where  he  was  born  May  10.  1859.  ^"-^ 
father,  Imle  L.  Eno.  shortly  afterward  becom- 
ing a  pioneer  of  Iowa.  He  is  now  seventy-eight 
years  old,  while  his  wife,  Julia  (Atherton)  Eno 
is  seventy-one.  both  being  residents  of  Long 
Beach,  where  they  came  in  1895  for  the  benefit  of 
Mr.  Eno's  health. 

Rufus  A.  Eno  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  Warren  county,  Iowa,  which 
he  attended  during  the  winter  months,  in  th'^ 
summers  assisting  his  father  in  the  development 
of  their  home  farm.  When  eighteen  years  of  age 
he  attended  a  commercial  college  in  Indianola, 
Warren  county,  Iowa,  in  which  place  he  grew  to 
years  of  maturity.  He  began  an  apprecentice- 
ship  to  learn  canning,  working  through  the  three 
departments,  after  which  he  was  employed  in 
Boone,  and  Muscatine  for  a  time.  Finally  return- 
ing to  Indianola  he  remained  in  that  city  until 
he  was  twenty-six  years  old,  when  he  secured 
employment  as  brakesman  on  the  Rock  Island 
system.  Later  he  secured  the  position  of  con- 
ductor and  held  the  same  for  five  years.  In  1894 
he  embarked  in  the  mercantile  business  and  also 
engaged  in  lumber  and  real  estate,  and  after  his 
location  in  Long  Beach,  where  he  settled  on  ac- 
count of  impaired  health,  he  opened  a  real  estate 
office  with  William  Verney  as  partner.  This  is' 
now  the  oldest  real  estate  firm  of  the  place,  and 
in  the  passing  years  they  have  made  progress  in 
business  standing  won  by  a  financial  success  in 
handling  city  and  county  real  estate.  Mr.  Eno 
has  also  been  successful  in  accumulating  propert\- 
independent  of  his  business  connections  with  Mr. 
Verney. 

In  Indianola,  Iowa,  Air.  Eno  was  united  in 
marriage  w'ith  Mary  Reese,  a  native  of  Germany, 
and  a  woman  of  culture  and  refinement.  In  hi? 
political  affiliations  Mr.  Eno  is  identified  with 
the  Republican  party,  during  his  residence  in 
Iowa  having  become  prominent  in  county  aflfairs. 
He  was  liberally  supported  as  a  trustee  of  Long 
Beach,    receiving   the   largest    number   of  votes. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2229 


which  gave  him  the  presidency  of  the  Board. 
Mr.  Eno  is  prominent  fraternally,  being  a  mem- 
ber of  Long  Beach  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Long 
Beach  Chapter;  and  Long  Beach  Commandery. 
He  also  belongs  to  Benevolent  Protective  Order 
of  Elks,  of  Long  Beach,  Sons  of  Veterans,  and 
Knights  of  Pythias,  of  Indianola,  Iowa,  while 
both  himself  and  wife  are  associated  with  the 
Rathbone  Sisters  and  Eastern  Star.  Mrs.  Eno  is 
also  a  member  of  the  P.  E.  O. 


DREW  EARL  DYE.  A  native  son  of  the 
state.  Drew  Earl  Dye  was  born  in  San  Diego 
county,  Cal.,  May  13,  1881,  the  descendant  of  a 
race  of  pioneers,  father  and  grandfather  having 
cast  in  their  lot  with  the  beginners  of  a  new  state- 
hajd.  His  father,  J.  S.  Dye,  was  born  in  War- 
ren county,  Ky.,  whence  he  crossed  the  plains  to 
California,  locating  in  Southern  California  and 
in  San  Diego  county  establishing  a  home  and  ac- 
quiring a  competence.  He  married  Mary  A. 
Warnock,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  also  the 
daughter  of  a  pioneer,  her  father  coming  to  Cali- 
fornia in  an  early  day.  (See  sketch  of  William 
Warnock  in  another  part  of  this  work.)  They 
reared  a  large  family  of  children  of  whom  nine 
are  now  living,  and  all  residents  of  San  Diego 
county.  They  are  a  family  of  the  strongest  qual- 
ities of  citizenship  and  occupy  a  place  of  promi- 
nence in  this  section. 

Inheriting  from  his  parents  self  reliant  and  en- 
ergetic traits  of  character.  Drew  Ear!  Dye  passed 
from  the  years  of  boyhood  to  maturity  well 
equipped  for  his  future  work.  He  acquired  a 
good  common  school  education,  after  which  he 
attended  the  high  school  of  San  Diego.  Follow- 
ing the  training  of  his  youth  he  engaged  in  ranch- 
ing upon  seeking  his  own  livelihood,  later  com- 
bining with  this  pursuit  that  of  the  dairy  busi- 
ness. He  has  gradually  enlarged  his  operations 
until  at  the  present  writing  he  is  operating  one 
hundred  acres  of  land  and  milking  about  thirty 
cows.  His  attention  is  pretty  well  occupied  by 
these  duties  but  he  has  met  with  success  since  as- 
suming them,  and  is  now  accorded  a  place  among 
the  enterprising  young  men  of  San  Diego  coun- 
ty. In  his  political  affiliations  he  adheres  to  the 
principles  advocated  in  the  platform  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic party,  supporting  its  men  and  measures 
bv  voice  and  vote. 


E.  L.  FESLER.  A  representative  citizen  of 
Santa  Barbara  county  E.  L.  Fesler  was  born  in 
Linn  county.  Mo.,  September  i,  1863,  a  son  of 
Isaac  and  Nancy  (Barnes)  Fesler.  His  parents 
came  to  California  when  he  was  but  two  years 
old,  bringing  their  five  children  and  locating 
firpt  in  Salinas  county,  and  three  vears  later  near 


Santa  Maria,  Santa  Barbara  county.  Isaac  Fes- 
ler was  born  and  reared  in  Kentucky  and  his 
wife  was  a  native  of  Tennessee.  They  were  pio- 
neers of  Missouri  and  in  that  state  gained  the 
start  which  made  possible  their  subsequent  ex- 
tensive ranchmg  operations  in  Santa  Barbara 
county.  Their  last  years  were  spent  in  retire- 
ment in  Santa  Maria,  where  the  fatl\er  died  at 
the  age  of  eighty-one  and  the  mother  at  eighty- 
eight.  With  the  exception  of  a  daughter  living 
in  Missouri,  all  of  their  children  are  residents  of 
California.  Mr.  Fesler  was  a  Democrat  in  poli- 
tics, but  never  cared  for  official  position. 

E.  L.  Fesler  was  reared  on  the  paternal  farm 
in  Santa  Barbara  county,  receiving  a  practical  ed- 
ucation in  the  common  schools  of  Santa  jMaria, 
while  he  at  the  same  time  was  trained  in  die 
duties  of  the  home  farm.  In  young  manhood  he 
followed  his  early  training  and  engaged  in  ranch- 
ing on  rented  land.  For  years  he  was  so  occu- 
pied on  dififerent  ranches  in  the  valley,  finally 
purchasing  his  present  property  in  1896,  this 
ranch  of  forty  acres  utilized  in  the  raising  of 
beans  and  grain.  He  also  gives  his  attention  to 
the  cultivation  of  other  property  in  the  vicinity 
of  his  home.  In  1888  Mr.  Fesler  mar- 
ried Charlotte  Gressby,  a  native  of  Napa 
county,  Cal.,  and  born  of  this  union  are 
two  sons :  Cecil  R. ;  and  Eugene  J.,  to  represent 
a  third  generation  in  the  state.  In  fraternal  cir- 
cles Mr.  Fesler  is  associated  with  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  Redmen  of  Santa  Maria.  He  is  a 
Republican  in  his  political  connections  and  seeks 
to  advance  the  principles  he  endorses.  The  abil- 
ity Mr.  Fesler  as  shown  in  the  management  of 
his  personal  affairs,  as  well  as  pleasing  person- 
ality has  won  for  him  the  respect  and  esteem 
of  the  community  towards  the  upbuilding  of 
which  he  has  shown  energy,  integrity  and  public 
spirit. 


JAMES  J.  GORDON.  A  man  of  undoubted 
energy  and  ability,  active  and  progressive,  James 
J.  Gordon  holds  an  assured  position  among  the 
prosperous  agriculturists  of  Los  Angeles  county, 
and  is  meeting  with  excellent  success  as  super- 
intendent of  the  Post  ranch,  which  is  located 
near  the  city  of  Los  Angeles.  A  son  of  Samuel 
Gordon,  he  was  born  in  Belfast,  Ireland,  but  was 
brought  up  and  educated  in  Quebec,  Canada. 

Samuel  Gordon  was  born,  bred  and  educated 
in.  Ireland,  and  as  a  young  man  was  a  commer- 
cial traveler  in  the  old  country.  Emigrating  with 
his  family  to  America,  he  settled  in  Quebec, 
where  he  was  employed  as  a  school  teacher  un- 
til his  death,  in  1861.  He  married  Glen  jMc- 
Dale,  who  survived  him,  and  died  a  few  months 
later  in  Iowa.  She  was  a  woman  of  much  force 
of  character,  and  \Yas  a  devoted  member  of  the 


2230 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Presbyterian  Church.  She  bore  her  liusband 
tour  children,  namely:  John,  Katherine,  James 
J.,  and  Robert. 

Beginning  the  struggle  of  life  for  himself  when 
young,  James  J.  Gordon  worked  on  a  farm  in 
Troy  Grove,  III,  for  four  years,  after  which  he 
speiit  five  years  in  Indiana.  Returning  from 
there  to  Illinois,  he  located  in  Chicago,  where  for 
two  years  he  was  a  clerk  in  the  store  of  Carson, 
Pirie,  Scott  &  Co.,  one  of  the  leading  dry  goods 
firms,  and  was  subsequently  a  contractor  and 
builder.  Going  from  that  city  to  Nebraska,  Mr. 
Gordon  was  foreman  on  a  large  ranch  for  five 
years,  and  was  afterwards  a  resident  of  Iowa  for 
six  years.  The  following  two  years  he  lived  in 
Denver,  Colo.  In  1901  he  came  to  California, 
and  is  now  devoting  his  entire  attention  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  being  superintendent  of  the 
Post  ranch,  lying  near  University  station,  Los 
Angeles.  Mr.  Gordon  is  a  man  of  intelligence, 
keeping  well  informed  on  current  events,  and  as 
a  sound  Democrat  evinces  a  deep  interest  in  local 
and  national  aflfairs. 


JAMES  W.  GRAHAM,  M.  D.  Dr.  James 
W.  Graham,  Lompoc's  leading  physician  and  sur- 
geon, is  a  man  highly  educated,  of  broad  mind 
knd  very  intellectual,  and  for  his  fine  business, 
professional  and  social  qualities  is  greatly  es- 
teemed by  his  large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances. His  practice  is  very  extensive  and  he  is 
often  called  upon  to  make  long  trips  to  outlying 
portions  of  the  country  where  his  reputation  has 
spread.  In  addition  to  his  professional  work  he 
conducts  an  up-to-date  drug  store  in  Lompoc, 
where  he  has  been  located  for  the  past  eight 
years.  Dr.  Graham's  father  was  one  of  the 
earliest  California  pioneers  who  came  to  the  state 
when  the  long  and  tedious  overland  trip  had  to 
be  made  by  the  stage  route.  He  was  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania  and  his  wife,  Sophronia  A.  Graham, 
was  born  in  Indiana.  The  father,  Benj.  F. 
Graham,  was  a  farmer  in  Colusa  county  for  many 
years,  and  there  the  mother  died.  Later  he  re- 
moved to  Lompoc  and  lived  there  until  his  demise 
at  the  age  of  eighty-eight  years. 

James  W.  Graham  was  born  in  Hancock  coun- 
ty, 111.,  October  i,  1850,  and  therefore  was  but 
two  years  old  when  his  parents  brought  him  to 
California  in  1852.  His  early  education  was  re- 
ceived through  the  medium  of  the  common 
schools  of  Colusa  county ;  later  he  took  a  course 
of  study  in  San  Francisco  at  the  Pacific  Medical 
College,  entering  the  medical  department.  He 
also  took  a  general  course  in  medicine  and  sur- 
gery at  the  Willamette  University,  Portland, 
Oregon.  After  making  this  extended  preparation 
for  his  professional  career  he  located  in  East 
Portland,  where  he  practiced  Ajntil  1894.    He  then 


removed  to  Santa  Barbara,  from  there  to  Los 
Alamos,  and  lastly  to  Lompoc,  his  present  lo- 
cation. In  1899  Dr.  Graham  was  married  to 
Miss  Lena  Rucker,  a  native  of  Lompoc,  and  a 
member  of  the  Alethodist  Episcopal  Church.  He 
is  also  a  prominent  fraternal  man  and  belongs  to 
the  more  important  lodges  of  Lompoc,  including 
the  Masonic,  Eastern  Star,  Knights  of  Pythias, 
Foresters  and  Fraternal  Brotherhood.  Political- 
ly he  is  a  strong  believer  in  the  principles  advo- 
cated by  the  Democratic  party  and  while  at 
Alamos  served  as  trustee  of  schools  for  that  dis- 
trict. 


FRANK  A.  HALBURG.  Prominent  among 
successful  business  men  of  our  county  is  Frank 
A.  Halburg,  a  pioneer  merchant  of  Burbank,  who 
has  accimnilated  a  competency,  and  is  now  en- 
joying a  well-deserved  leisure,  living  retired 
from  active  pursuits.  He  was  born  August  10, 
1845,  J"  Sweden,  where  he  grew  to  man's  estate. 
He  emigrated  to  this  country  in  1868,  settling 
first  in  Illinois,  where  he  turned  his  attention  to 
agricultural  pursuits.  Subsequently  he  was 
there  employed  in  mercantile  business  until  1884, 
when  he  went  to  New  York  City,  where  he  was 
similarly  employed  four  years. 

Disposing  of  his  New  York  interests  in  1888, 
Mr.  Halburg  came  to  Burbank,  and  opening  a 
store  in  this  village  carried  on  a  substantial  busi- 
ness for  six  years.  Selling  out  his  entire  stock 
in  1894,  he  has  since  devoted  his  time  to  his  per- 
sonal affairs,  looking  after  his  property,  which 
is  quite  valuable.  Mr.  Halburg  owns  and  occu- 
pies a  very  pleasant  house,  and  in  addition  to 
owning  four  other  dwelling  houses  and  several 
lots  in  the  residential  part  of  the  village,  has 
thirty  acres  of  alfalfa  land  lying  near  the  village. 

In  Illinois  Mr.  Halburg  married  Ida  Johnson, 
and  they  have  one  child,  Qarence  Theodore,  of 
Burbank.  Politically  Mr.  Halburg  is  a  straight- 
forward Republican,  and  for  six  years  has  served 
as  postmaster  at  Burbank,  being  under  the  ad- 
ministration of  President  Harrison  for  four  years, 
and  serving  under  President  Cleveland  for  two 
years.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Foresters.  He  takes  an  intelli- 
gent interest  in  and  supports  all  movements 
tending  to  promote  the  welfare  of  the  com- 
munitv. 


ROY  HOFFMAN.  One  of  the  prominent 
}oung  business  men  of  Oxnard  is  Rov  Hoff- 
man, proprietor  of  the  Oxnard  Steam  Laundry, 
which  is  the  largest  in  Ventura  county  and  is 
fitted  with  the  most  up-to-date  and  modern  ma- 
chinery obtainable.  The  building,  which  was 
especially  erected  for  the  purpose,  has  a  main 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2231 


building  25x30  feet,  with  two  additions  of  20x20 
feet  each.  In  the  boiler  room  is  placed  a  twenty- 
four  horse  power  boiler  and  a  twelve  horse  power 
engine.  The  washing  machines,  mangles, 
wringer  and  other  machinery  with  which  the 
plant  is  fitted  are  of  the  very  best  patterns  and 
no  work  is  too  fine  for  them  to  handle.  The 
water  used  is  supplied  from  an  artesian  well  on 
the  premises,  and  i\Ir.  Hoffman  has  a  distilled 
water  plant  in  connection  from  which  he  dis- 
tributes water  to  all  parts  of  the  county. 

When  his  parents,  E.  S.  and  Mary  (Qark) 
Hoffman,  came  to  California  in  187 1  they  located 
at  Modesto  on  a  farm,  and  remained  there  until 
1876,  when  they  removed  to  Santa  Barbara 
county,  where  the  father  died  in  1896.  The 
mother  is  still  living  and  makes  her  home  in 
Lompoc.  Of  the  seven  children  in  the  family 
six  are  now  living,  and  Roy  is  the  oldest.  He 
was  born  November  16,  1874,  in  Modesto,  and 
received  his  education  through  the  medium  of 
the  public  schools  of  Lompoc.  When  school 
days  were  over  he  went  to  Randsburg  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  for  a  few  months,  but  gave  up 
his  work  to  enlist  in  the  Spanish-American  war, 
as  a  member  of  Company  A,  Eighth  California 
Volunteer  Infantry.  While  in  the  army  he 
learned  the  barber  trade,  and  after  his  discharge 
engaged  in  that  business  in  San  Francisco  until 
1899,  when  he  established  a  shop  in  Oxnard.  He 
spent  a  part  of  1905  at  Tonopah  and  GoldfieM 
Nev.,  and  in  July,  1906,  disposed  of  his  barber 
shop  and  bought  the  Oxnard  Laundry,  which  he 
is  now  operating.  His  marriage  to  Miss  May 
Johnson,  a  native  daughter  of  Santa  Ana,  oc- 
curred in  Santa  Barbara,  and  they  have  become 
the  parents  of  two  children,  Gladys  and  Mildred. 
Mrs.  Hoflfman  is  a  member  of  and  active  worker 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Hoff- 
man is  a  Master  Mason  of  the  Oxnard  lodge,  a 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, of  which  he  is  past  grand  master  in  the 
Oxnard  lodge,  and  is  secretary  of  the  district  de- 
partment encampment;  also  belongs  to  the  Ox- 
nard Lodge  M.  W.  A.,  of  which  he  is  clerk. 
Politically  he  advocates  the  principles  of  the  Re- 
publican party  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  all 
matters  of  civic  and  social  interest  in  the  com- 
munity of  which  he  is  a  leading  citizen. 


F.  J.  HUMPHREY  was  one  in  a  family 
of  three  children  born  to  DeWitt  C.  and  Flore 
("La  Salle)  Humphrey,  both  natives  of  New  York. 
The  parents  moved  successively  from  New  York 
state  to  Iowa,  Kansas,  Texas,  Nebraska,  and 
lastly  to  California,  where  they  are  still  living, 
their  home  being  in  Santa  Barbara  county  on  a 
fine  ranch,  and  where  they  carry  on  a  ranching 
and     stock-raising     business.      Mr.     Humphrey 


joined  the  Masonic  Lodge  in  the  East.  Mrs. 
Humphrey  is  interested  in  church  work  of  vari- 
ous kinds  and  belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  de- 
nomination. In  politics  both  father  and  son  are 
Republican.  The  subject  of  this  biography  was 
born  near  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  May  26,  1876,  and 
was  but  twelve  years  of  age  when  his  parents 
brought  him  to  Santa  Barbara  county.  Here  he 
received  his  education  in  high  school,  and  when 
school  days  were  over  began  his  business  career 
as  a  dairyman  near  Santa  Barbara,  but  nine  years 
ago  removed  to  the  Carpenteria  valley,  and  for 
two  years  past  has  been  on  the  splendid  ranch 
which  is  now  his  home,  all  of  the  160  acres  being 
planted  to  beans. 

In  1902  Mr.  Humphrey  was  married  to  Miss 
Bessie  Lewis,  a  native  daughter  of  California 
and  a  daughter  of  the  late  Mr.  Lewis,  whose 
Lewis  Lima  beans  are  noted  as  a  superior  seed 
bean,  and  in  the  culture  of  which  Mr.  Humphrey 
is  now  giving  his  careful  attention.  There  is 
one  child,  a  daughter,  Lucile,  in  the  family. 
Young  and  successful,  Mr.  Humphrey  is  ad- 
mired for  his  fine  personal  qualities  and  affable 
manners  as  well  as  for  his  keen  business  ability, 
and  is  highly  esteemed  by  every  member  of  the 
community  in  which  he  lives. 


JOHN  PRATHER  HAYS.  Long  identified 
with  the  south,  the  Hays  family  became  estab- 
lished in  Kentucky  during  the  pioneer  days  of 
the  settlement  of  that  state.  Charles  Hays  and 
his  wife,  Catherine  Prather,  were  both  natives 
of  the  Blue  Grass  state,  and  he  followed  the  trade 
of  a  tanner  in  addition  to  farming  pursuits.  Dur- 
ing the  period  of  their  residence  in  Pulaski  county 
their  son,  John  Prather,  was  born  January  26, 
1833.  One  year  later  the  young  wife  passed 
away.  In  1839  ^^^  family  removed  to  Missouri 
and  settled  upon  a  tract  of  land  in  Saline  county, 
where  in  1849  *^he  father  died  at  the  age  of  forty- 
five  years.  The  year  after  his  death  John  P.,  his 
son,  who  meanwhile  had  received  his  education 
in  the  high  school  at  Sweetsprings,  Saline  county, 
started  across  the  plains  with  a  mule  team  on  a 
tour  of  inspection  through  the  west.  Returning 
via  Panama  in  1851,  he  gave  favorable  reports 
of  the  coast  regions,  and  his  arguments  were  so 
persuasive  that  others  were  induced  to  take  the 
trip  across  the  plains.  In  1852  a  very  large 
train  traveled  westward  with  ox-teams  and 
wagons,  and  he  was  one  of  the  emigrants.  For 
a  time  he  remained  at  ]\Iilwaukee,  Clackamas 
county.  Ore.,  and  worked  at  the  lumber  business. 

Removing  to  the  Puget  Sound  region  in  1854, 
Mr.  Havs  took  up  a  claim  and  improved  the 
same.  Eventually  he  disposed  of  that  property 
and  bought  land  three  miles  from  Olvmpia, 
where  he  not  only  improved  a  farm,  but  also  de- 


!232 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


voted  considerable  attention  to  the  timber  indus- 
try. Finally,  desiring  to  retire  from  active  cares, 
he  traded  his  land  for  property  at  Long  Beach 
and  June  15,  1896,  arrived  in  the  city  which  is 
now  his  home.  During  the  period  of  his  resi- 
dence in.  the  Puget  Sound  region  he  married, 
March  i,  1855,  Miss  Caroline  Scott,  who  was 
born  in  Tennessee,  crossed  the  plains  in  1852  as 
a  member  of  the  expedition  to  which  Mr.  Hays 
belonged,  and  died  at  Long  Beach,  October  20, 
1904,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years.  Six  chil- 
dren were  born  of  their  union,  two  of  whom  died 
at  an  early  age.  Four  are  now  living,  as  follows : 
Charles  P..  of  Long  Beach ;  William  T.,  who  is 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  Cobb  &  Hays  at  No.  115 
^^'est  Ocean  avenue.  Long  Beach ;  Nellie,  wife 
of  Frank  Folsom,  a  lumberman  living  at  Seattle, 
\^^ash. ;  and  Sadie,  who  married  Ira  Kneelan, 
of  Tacoma,  Wash.  In  politics  Mr.  Hays  affili- 
ates with  the  Republican  party,  and  fraternally 
in  former  years  he  was  an  active  worker  in  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fehows.  Until  his 
retirement  he  was  always  more  or  less  interested 
in  the  handling  of  property  and  Ixnight  and  sold 
large  tracts.  In  addition  he  owned  mining  prop- 
erties, and  still  retains  large  interests  in  mines 
in  San  Bernardino  countv. 


While  in  San  Diego  Mr.  Justice  married  Miss 
Ethel  V.  Holloway,  a  native  of  Illinois.  Of  this 
union  there  are  three  children,  Ross,  Gertrude 
and  Justine.  Fraternally  Mr.  Justice  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  order,  Woodmen  of  the  World. 


JOHN  B.  JUSTICE.  An  enterprising  young 
business  man  of  Los  Angeles,  John  B.  Justice, 
can  also  claim  the  distinction  of  being  a  native 
son  of  California.  He  was  born  in  Downey, 
Los  Angeles  county,  July  17,  1870,  the  son  of 
William  Justice,  for  many  years  supervisor  of 
the  fourth  district.  San  Diego  county.  His  boy- 
hood was  passed  in  his  native  town,  in  Texas, 
Artesia,  Cal.,  and  Richland,  San  Diego  county, 
places  where  his  parents  lived  at  intervals.  His 
education  was  obtained  in  the  public  schools  of 
the  several  towns  and  at  the  old  college  of  Es- 
condido. 

After  leaving  school  he  began  farming,  and 
after  some  years  built  a  blacksmith  shop  on  his 
own  ranch  and  did  his  own  work  and  that  of  the 
neighbors.  This  led  him  to  accept  emplo}ment 
in  the  blacksmithing  establishment  of  Alexander 
Stewart  in  Escondido,  and  later  to  the  manage- 
ment of  a  shop  at  A'alley  Center,  for  his  emplo\er. 

In  1898  ]\Ir.  Justice  went  to  San  Diego  to  be- 
come chief  engineer  of  the  court  house,  which 
position  he  resigned  in  1901  to  locate  in  Los  An- 
geles and  start  in  business  for  himself.  Mr.  Jus- 
tice is  now  proprietor  of  an  extensive  carriage 
and  wagon  manufacturing  and  automobile  repair- 
ing shop,  the  Exchange  Carriage  Works,  208 
East  Seventh  street.  He  is  the  sole  agent  in  Los 
Angeles  for  the  Baxter  Radial  Brake  attachment 
for  vehicles,  a  device  of  its  kind  unequalled  in 
the  market. 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON  HURTT.  De- 
scended from  an  old  eastern  family,  George 
Washington  Hurtt  was  born  at  Washington 
Court-House,  Ohio,  March  15,  1854,  being  a  son 
of  George  and  Maria  (Kern)  Hurtt.  In  boy- 
hood he  was  a  pupil  in  the  schools  of  Connecti- 
cut and  Michigan,  and  after  leaving  school  on 
the  completion  of  the  study  of  the  common 
branches  he  took  up  the  trade  of  a  shoemaker. 
On  completing  his  apprenticeship  he  took  up 
work  as  a  journeyman  and  continued  at  the  oc- 
cupation for  a  number  of  years.  Later,  how- 
ever, he  took  up  photography,  which  he  combined 
with  view  work,  and  followed  the  same  for  eleven 
years. 

On  his  arrival  in  California,  during  the  month 
of  July,  1887,  Mr.  Hurtt  settled  in  San  Ber- 
nardino, where  for  several  years  he  worked  as 
a  clerk  for  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company, 
Meanwhile,  during  the  fall  of  1890,  he  had 
purchased  ten  acres  of  land  near  town.  The  land 
being  in  its  wild  state,  required  great  care  and 
constant  labor,  and  when  he  resigned  from  the 
employ  of  the  railroad  he  began  to  give  his  en- 
tire time  to  developing  the  land.  A  suitable  sys- 
tem of  irrigation  was  installed;  a  neat  country 
house  was  built,  a  barn  was  erected,  and  fruit 
and  shade  trees  were  planted.  During  1898  he 
embarked  in  the  business  of  florist,  his  first  step 
being  the  erection  of  a  number  of  greenhouses 
with  a  few  hundred  feet  of  glass.  In  these  build- 
ings he  made  a  specialty  of  raising  early  vege- 
tables for  the  city  markets  as  well  as  flowers  and 
plants  for  private  sale.  Since  the  inauguration 
of  the  business  it  has  been  necessary  to  enlarge 
the  plant  and  he  now  has  about  sixteen  thousand 
feet  of  glass  in  use.  During  1904  he  gave  up 
the  vegetable  business,  since  which  time  he  has 
concentrated  his  attention  upon  flowers  and  plants 
of  all  varieties. 

To  facilitate  the  sale  of  the  flowers  and  accom- 
modate the  large  number  of  patrons  of  the  busi- 
ness, he  has  established  a  store  in  San  Ber- 
nardino, adjoining  the  Southern  Pacific  depot, 
where  he  conducts  a  large  trade  not  only  with 
people  of  the  city  and  surrounding  country,  but 
also  with  visitors  from  other  sections  and  tour- 
ists from  the  east.  The  large  business  which  he 
has  established  furnishes  a  speaking  evidence  of 
his  ability  and  keen  judgment,  and  it  is  generally 
recognized  that  he  not  only  possesses  artistic  skill 
of  a  high  order,  but  also  the  financial  acumen 
necessarv  to  satisfactory  results  in  anv  business. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2233 


In  his  work  he  has  had  the  co-operation  of  his 
wife  and  their  only  child,  Helen  A.,  both  of  whom 
possess  a  love  for  the  beautiful  and  artistic.  Mrs. 
Hurtt,  prior  to  her  marriage  in  August,  1882, 
bore  the  name  of  Anna  B.  Lane,  her  parents  be- 
ing William  and  Maria  Lane. 


ANDREW  JOHNSON.  Since  1901  Andrew 
Johnson,  assistant  foreman  of  the  repair  track 
at  the  Santa  Ee  shops,  has  been  holding  that  posi- 
tion in  San  Bernardino,  proving  himself  a  fine 
mechanic,  a  valued  employe  and  an  enterprising 
citizen.  He  is  a  native  of  Norway,  having  been 
born  January  3,  1868,  near  Christiansand,  in 
that  country,  the  son  of  Jens  and  Maria  (Goo- 
tormson)  Johnson,  both  of  whom  were  born  and 
died  in  Norway.  The  son,  Andrew,  is  the  only 
member  of  the  family  now  living  in  the  United 
States. 

The  youngest  of  four  children,  he  was  reared 
on  his  father's  farm  and  attended  the  common 
schools  until  fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he  be- 
came apprenticed  as  a  carpenter  and  builder  and 
followed  that  occupation  until  1887.  Desiring 
to  come  to  America,  and  settle  in  the  country  that 
had  furnished  so  many  of  his  countrymen  with 
enlarged  opportunities  for  business  success,  Mr. 
Johnson  left  his  native  land  and  arrived  in  Chi- 
cago in  1887,  where  he  secured  employment  in 
the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  railway  shops  as 
a  car  repairer.  He  remained  there  until  1896, 
then  came  to  the  western  coast  and  located  in 
San  Bernardino  and  became  connected  with  the 
Santa  Ee  company,  being  occupied  with  the  same 
class  of  work  that  he  had  done  in  Chicago.  He 
was  finally  made  assistant  foreman  of  the  repair 
track  and  is  now  occupying  that  position.  He  re- 
sides with  his  family  in  a  home  which  he  owns, 
located  at  1165  Fifth  street.  By  his  marriage  in 
1893  he  was  united  with  Miss  Olivia  Salverscn, 
a  native  of  Norway,  and  of  this  union  four  chil- 
dren have  been  born,  namely,  Edna,  Norman, 
Mildred  and  Otto.  Eraternally  Mr.  Johnson  is  a 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Eoresters, 
and  religiously  belongs  to  the  Lutheran  Church. 
He  is  an  advocate  of  the  principles  embraced  in 
the  platform  of  the  Republican  party,  takes  an 
active  interest  in  all  matters  of  social  and  civic 
interest  and  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  his  fellow 
citizens. 


J.\MES  D.  KNEEN.  Among  the  active  and 
enterprising  citizens  of  Los  Angeles  county,  con- 
spicuous for  their  ability  and  worth,  is  James  D. 
Kneen,  who  is  an  important  factor  in  promoting 
the  industrial  interests  of  Venice,  Los  Angeles, 
and  the  surrounding  towns  and  cities.  In  part- 
nrr-liip  with  Air.  F.  Neuman.  he  is  carrying  on 


a  large  and  substantial  business  as  a  contractor 
for  cement  construction,  employing  a  large  force 
of  men,  many  of  whom  are  skilled  mechanics. 
A  ^Manxman  by  birth,  he  was  born  on  the  Isle 
of  ■Man,  where  his  father,  James  Kneen,  spent 
his  entire  life,  engaged  in  tilling  the  soil,  the  oc- 
cupation in  which  his  ancestors  had  for  many 
generations  been  employed. 

The  oldest  child  of  the  parental  household, 
James  D.  Kneen  began  life  for  himself  when  about 
twenty  years  of  age,  having  previously  learned 
the  business  of  a  telegraph  operator.  Ambitious 
to  see  the  world,  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  ocean, 
landing  in  New  York  City.  Proceeding  directly 
to  Chicago,  he  secured  a  position  with  the  Chi- 
cago and  Eastern  Illinois  Railway.  He  then 
came  to  the  Pacific  coast,  settling  first  in  San 
Francisco,  and  gradually  working  his  way  down 
the  coast  to  Los  Angeles  county.  For  eight  years 
after  coming  to  this  locality,  Mr.  Kneen  was  in 
the  employ  of  Mr.  F.  Neuman,  being  superin- 
tendent for  him  until  he  was  admitted  to  an  equal 
partnership  in  the  business.  This  firm  is  well 
known  all  along  the  coast  as  the  leading  con- 
tractors in  cement  construction,  and  are  kept 
busily  employed  in  filling  their  immense  con- 
tracts, Mr.  Neuman  having  his  headquarters  in 
Los  Angeles,  and  Mr.  Kneen  in.  Venice.  This  firm 
employs  about  a  hundred  men.  Politically  Mr. 
Kneen  is  a  Republican,  and  fraternally  he  is  a 
Alason  and  an  Elk. 


GUY  HIBBITS.  Guy  Hibbits,  a  well  known 
and  highly  respected  successful  ranchman  of  the 
Lompoc  valley,  who  stands  high  in  the  esteem 
of  his  fellow  men,  is  the  son  of  one  of  the  early 
pioneers  of  the  Lompoc  section  of  the  state,  John 
B.  Hibbits,  who  was  born  in  Logan  county,  Ohio, 
August  21,  1845,  and  in  which  state  he  received 
his  education.  The  elder  Hibbits  was  married  to 
Caroline  Rehm,  also  a  native  Ohio  woman,  and 
to  them  were  born  two  children,  the  son  who  is 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  a  daughter,  Grace, 
who  married  John  Arkley,  lives  in  Santa  Barbara, 
and  has  two  children.  The  mother  died  in  1905 
■it  tlie  age  of  fifty-three  years  and  the  father  now 
lives  with  his  son.  He  was  a  worker  at  the  car- 
penter trade  in  his  younger  years,  and  when  the 
war  between  the  North  and  South  broke  out  he 
enlisted  in  Company  A,  Eighty-second  Regiment 
of  Ohio  Volunteers  and  served  therein  four  years. 
He  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Bull  Run,  Gettys- 
burg and  Chancellorsville  and  was  also  at  At- 
lanta with  Sherman.  After  the  close  of  the 
war  he  again  took  up  his  work  at  carpentermg 
in  Ohio,  and  in  1871  went  to  Nebraska,  where 
he  filed  on  a  piece  of  government  land.  Spending 
a  period  of  nine  years  in  that  state,  he  then  de- 
cided to  come  to  California,  and  bought  a  ^nial' 


2234 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGR.VPHICAL  RECORD. 


piece  of  land  at  Lompoc.  He  also  took  up  a  piece 
of  government  land  here,  but  sold  this  latter 
piece.  He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  lodge 
at  Lompoc  and  is  an  ardent  Republican  in  poli- 
tics, while  religiously  his  belief  is  in  the  article."? 
of  the  Presbyterian  faith. 

Fillmore  county.  Neb.,  was  the  place  of  the 
birth  of  Gyy  Hibbits,  and  the  date  August  i8, 
1874,  he  being  but  six  years  of  age  when  he  re- 
moved with  his  parents  to  Lompoc,  where  he  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  common  schools. 
When  his  school  days  were  over  he  first  did  gen- 
eral farming  on  his  father's  ranch  and  also 
worked  for  others  at  times.  As  soon  as  he  had 
reached  the  age  of  his  majority  he  started  out 
for  himself,  renting  the  ranch  of  eighty  acres 
upon  which  he  now  lives  and  which  is  now  his 
own  property.  He  also  possesses  the  title  to  sixty 
acres  of  pasture  land  in  the  valley.  On  the  home 
ranch  twenty  acres  are  devoted  to  an  apple  or- 
chard of  the  winter  varieties  of  the  fruit,  and 
the  remainder  is  bean,  alfalfa  and  hay  land.  In 
1904  he  was  married  to  Miss  Jennie  Silsby,  a 
native  of  the  state  of  Alaine,  and  to  them  one 
child  has  been  born,  Forest  Hibbits.  Mr.  Hib- 
bits fraternates  with  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  Lodge  at 
Lompoc.  in  which  he  has  taken  all  of  the  degrees ; 
in  politics  he  gives  his  support  to  the  Repub- 
lican party,  and  belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  de- 
nomination of  churches. 


J.  D.  MacNEIL.  Actively  identified  with  the 
industrial  prosperity  of  Compton,  Los  Angeles 
county,  is  J.  D.  MacNeil,  who  is  carrying  on  a 
thriving  business  as  a  blacksmith.  Of  sturdy 
Scotch  ancestry,  he  inherited  in  a  large  measure 
those  habits  of  application,  thrift  and  true  econ- 
omy that  formed  the  foundation  for  his  suc- 
cessful career,  and  won  for  him  the  honored  title 
of  a  self-made  man.  A  son  of  the  late  Donald 
MacXeil,  he  was  born,  August  15.  i860,  in  Xova 
.Scotia,  and  was  there  bred  and  educated. 

P.orn  in  Scotland,  Donald  MacNcil  remained 
in  his  native  land  until  after  his  marriage,  when 
with  his  wife  he  emigrated  to  America,  set- 
tling in  Nova  Scotia.  Purchasing  land,  he  was 
there  employed  in  agricultural  pursuits  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life,  both  he  and  his  good  wife  dy- 
ing on  the  farm  which  they  improved  from  its 
primitive  wildness.  They  were  people  of  influ- 
ence in  the  community  in  which  they  dwelt,  and 
were  faithful  members  of  the  Catholic  Qiurch. 
Of  the  eight  children  born  of  their  union,  six 
survive,  two  of  the  boys  being  residents  of  Cali- 
fornia. 

Brought  up  on  the  home  farm,  J.  D.  JNlacNeil 
received  a  limited  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  Nova  Scotia,  and  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enteen  years    began    learning    the    blacksmith's 


trade,  serving  an  apprenticeship  of  four  years. 
Emigrating  to  the  United  States  in  1885,  he  re- 
mained in  Boston  for  a  little  more  than  two 
years,  workmg  at  his  trade  as  a  journeyman. 
Coming  then  to  California,  Mr.  MacNeil  was 
employed  in  Los  Angeles  for  a  time,  after  which, 
in  February,  1888,  he  located  in  Compton,  where 
for  one  season  he  worked  in  the  harvest  fields. 
The  following  year,  with  a  partner,  he  operated 
a  blacksmith's  shop  in  this  place.  Going  to 
Washington  in  1890,  he  spent  a  short  time  in  Ta- 
coma,  afterwards  being  located  for  awhile  on  the 
east  side  of  the  Cascades.  Returning  to  Comp- 
ton, j\Ir.  MacNeil  opened  his  present  shop,  and 
has  since  carried  on  an  extensive  and  lucrative 
business  as  a  blacksmith  and  general  repairer  of 
machinery  of  all  kinds,  his  mechanical  skill  and 
ingenuity  being  unquestioned,  and  his  patronage 
being  large. 

In  June,  1896,  Mr.  MacNeil  married  Margaret 
McDonald,  who  was  born  in  Nova  Scotia,  which 
was  also  the  birthplace  of  her  father,  Donald  Mc- 
Etonald.  Of  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  ]\IacNeil 
six  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Donald  E. 
S.,  born  April  15,  1897;  ^lary  F.,  born  Septem- 
ber 28,  1898;  Catherine  F..  born  December  27, 
1899;  Edward  N.,  born  February  7,  1901  ;  Mar- 
garet J.,  born  January,  1903;  and  Annie  E., 
born  July  31,  1904.  Politically  Mr.  MacNeil  is 
Independent,  voting  with  the  courage  of  his  con- 
victions for  the  best  men  and  measures.  Frater- 
nally he  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Protective 
Order  of  Elks ;  of  the  JMaccabees  of  the  World ; 
and  of  the  Fraternal  Aid.  True  to  the  religious 
faith  of  his  ancestors,  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  Qiurch. 


JEREMIAH  :McELVAIN.  Born  in  Kala- 
mazoo, Mich.,  November  21,  1829.  Jeremiah  Mc- 
Elvain  is  a  son  of  Jeremiah.  Sr.,  who  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  but  removed  to  Ohio  at  an  early 
age,  and  there  married  Sarah  Bell.  Shortly  after 
his  marriage  he  removed  to  the  wilderness  of 
Michigan,  where  he  took  up  a  tract  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  as  a  pre-emption  claim  and 
began  the  arduous  task  of  transforming  the  raw 
land  into  a  productive  farm.  While  he  was  still 
a  young  man  death  terminated  his  labors  in  1840. 
His  wife  survived  him  for  a  great  many  years, 
living  to  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-four. 

When  only  eleven  years  of  age  Jeremiah  Mc- 
Elvain  was  orphaned  by  the  death  of  his  father, 
It  immediately  became  necessary  for  him  to  earn 
his  own  livelihood,  and  for  a  long  period  he 
worked  on  farms  in  the  home  neighborhood, 
meanwhile  attending  school  on  such  few  oc- 
casions as  the  work  made  possible.  When  twenty 
}ears  of  age,  in  the  spring  of  18^0.  lie  joined  a 
company    of   one    hundred    and     fiftv     emigrants 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD., 


2235 


bound  for  California.  The  journey  was  made 
with  oxen  and  wagons  as  far  as  Salt  Lake,  where 
winter  quarters  were  established.  In  the  spring 
of  1851  the  remainder  of  the  journey  was  made 
to  Sacramento,  where  the  large  expedition  ar- 
rived in  safety.  For  a  time  Mr.  McElvain  was 
employed  on  a  cattle  ranch  in  that  locality.  Next 
he  came  to  San  Bernardino  county  and  engaged 
in  ranching.  On  leaving  this  locality  he  went  to 
Stockton,  from  which  point  he  engaged  in  freight- 
ing for  four  years.  Later,  while  still  freighting, 
he  made  his  headquarters  at  Sonora  and  Mari- 
posa. Eventually  he  sold  his  teams  and  returned 
to  San  Bernardino  county,  where  in  1859  he 
married  Minerva  Morse,  a  native  of  Illinois  and 
a  daughter  of  Moses  Morse,  a  pioneer  of  1853 
in  San  Bernardino  county. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  McElvain  established 
his  home  in  San  Bernardino,  from  which  point 
he  engaged  in  freighting  to  Salt  Lake  and  Mon- 
tana. With  a  six-mule  team  he  engaged  in 
hauling  provisions  and  merchandise  to  remote 
points. 

It  was  not  until  1891  that  he  sold  his  equip- 
ment and  retired  from  freighting,  since  which 
time  he  has  lived  quietly  in  San  Bernardino, 
superintending  his  interests  in  this  city,  where 
he  has  built  and  still  owns  several  houses,  in- 
cluding his  attractive  residence  at  No.  709  D 
street.  Genial  and  affable,  bluff  and  hearty,  vig- 
orous in  spite  of  advanced  years  and  a  strenu- 
ous existence,  he  impresses  a  stranger  as  one 
who  has  seen  all  sides  of  life  and  has  gathered  a 
vast  fund  of  information  beneath  a  modest  and 
unobtrusive  manner.  In  his  habits  he  is  tem- 
perate, in  character  upright,  in  citizenship  pro- 
gressive, yet  averse  to  office-holding,  in  politics 
stanchly  Republican,  and  in  friendship  warm  and 
helpful.  In  his  family  there  were  eight  children, 
seven  of  whom  attained  maturity,  namely :  Will- 
iam H.,  who  is  superintendent  of  the  streets  of 
San  Bernardino ;  Jefferson  C,  assessor  of  San 
Bernardino  county ;  Erank  B.,  who  is  engaged 
in  teaming:  George,  deceased;  John  C,  a  loco- 
motive engineer;  Charles,  who  is  engaged  in 
mining ;  and  Jane,  who  married  C.  R.  Knapp  and 
re.'^ides  in  San  Bernardino. 


COLONEL  HARRY  S.  JOHNSTONE,  one 
of  the  most  prominent  citizens  of  San  Diego,  has 
been  a  resident  of  Southern  California  since  1887. 
He  was  born  in  Qiicago,  111.,  April  3,  1872,  the 
oldest  of  three  children,  and  received  his  pre- 
liminary education  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  state.  The  family  removed  to  Southern 
California  in  1887  and  located  in  San  Diego, 
where  the  father,  James  S.,  engaged  in  business 
for  many  years.  Harry  S.  Johnstone  completed 
his  education  in   the  public  schools  of  this  city 


and  also  attended  the  college  at  Pacific  Beach. 
In  young  manhood  he  learned  the  plumber's, 
trade  under  the  instruction  of  his  father,  and  be- 
came a  member  of  the  firm  of  J.  S.  Johnstone  & 
Co.  In  October,  1904,  he  became  manager  of 
the  San  Diego  Plumbing  Co.,  and  in  April  of 
the  following  year  purchased  the  business. 

In  San  Diego  Colonel  Johnstone  married  Miss 
Agnes  Fritz,  who  was  born  in  Oshkosh,  Wis. 
He  is  prominent  in  fraternal  circles,  having  been 
a  member  of  Sunset  Lodge  No.  328,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
some  years  ago,  and  is  now  chief  patriarch  of 
the  encampment  and  past  captain  of  the  canton, 
and  is  also  associated  with  the  Daughters  of  Re- 
bekahs.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World,  B'oresters  of  America,  Benevolent 
Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  the  Masons.  He 
was  initiated  in  Silver  Gate  Lodge  No.  296  and 
has  since  been  raised  to  the  degrees  of  Royal 
Arch,  Knight  Templar  and  Mystic  Shrine,  be- 
ing a  member  of  Al  I\Ialaikah  Temple,  and  also 
belongs  to  the  Order  of  Eastern  Star.  Polit- 
ically he  is  a  Republican,  and  in  the  line  of  his 
business  he  belongs  to  the  Master  Plumbers' 
Association. 

In  1890  Mr.  Johnstone  enlisted  in  Company 
B,  Ninth  Regiment  of  California  Infantry,  and 
upon  its  reorganization  was  placed  in  the  Sev- 
enth Regiment.  He  served  as  sergeant  for  some 
time.  May  5,  1898,  he  volunteered  for  service 
in  the  Spanish-American  war  and  served  as  ser- 
geant in  Company  B,  Seventh  Regiment  Cali- 
fornia Infantry  until  mustered  out  of  service 
December  2,  i8g8.  The  colonel  acquired  his  title 
through  his  association  with  the  Third  Regiment 
of  Califomia  militia,  having  served  from  1903 
to  1905  as  major,  and  in  January  of  the  last 
named  year  was  elected  to  the  position  of  colonel. 


ROBERT  CATHCART.  In  reading  over  the 
events  and  happenings  associated  with  the  life 
of  Mr.  Cathcart  one  immediately  recognizes  the 
attributes  that  individualized  his  character,  name- 
ly faithfulness  to  every  duty  and  his  purpose  of 
will.  It  was  in  1853,  when  a  youth  of  seventeen 
years,  that  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Cali- 
fornia, and  from  the  year  1876  until  his  death, 
November  17,  1904,  he  was  a  continuous  resi- 
dent of  the  Pomona  valley.  As  a  pioneer  of  this 
community  he  took  a  prominent  part  in  measures 
of  an  upbuilding  and  progressive  nature,  in  fact 
no  one  labored  more  zealously  to  bring  this  sec- 
tion of  Los  Angeles  county  into  public  notice  than 
did  ]Mr.  Cathcart.  His  efforts  along  this  line 
were  of  a  practical  nature,  and  a  prospective  set- 
tler in  viewing  his  thrifty  ranch  was  almost  in- 
variably counted  as  a  newcomer.  As  a  result  of 
his  untiring  efforts  an  interest  in  horticulture 
was   established   which   transformed   the  barren 


2236 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


valley  into  a  garden  spot,  and  during  his  more 
active  years  his  ranch  and  nursery  were  counted 
among  the  show  places  in  this  part  of  the  county. 
A  native  of  Missouri,  Robert  Cathcart  was 
born  in  St.  Louis  June  3,  1837,  a  son  of  Robert 
and  Hannah  (Lee)  Cathcart,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Scotland.  Coming  to  the  United 
States  during  his  youth,  the  father  located  in  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  where  as  an  engineer  his  services 
were  in  great  demand.  To  him  was  given  the 
credit  of  building  the  first  steam  flouring  mill 
ever  erected  in  that  now  flourishing  city,  and  in 
other  enterprises  he  was  identified  in  a  substan- 
tial way  with  its  early  upbuilding  efforts.  He 
keenly  appreciated  the  city's  advantageous  posi- 
tion on  the  river,  and  was  largely  interested  in 
steamboating  between  St.  Louis  and  New  Or- 
leans, owning  the  packet  line  which  he  ran  be- 
tween these  two  points. 

Until  he  was  about  seventeen  years  of  age 
Robert  Cathcart  remained  in  his  native  city,  and 
in  the  mean  time  received  an  excellent  education 
m  the  schools  of  St.  Louis.  Upon  the  removal  of 
the  family  to  California  in  1853  he  also  came 
and  settled  with  them  on  the  ranch  which  the 
father  purchased  in  Santa  Cruz  county.  Eight 
years  later  he  opened  a  general  merchandise  es- 
tablishment in  Santa  Cruz,  which  he  conducted 
two  years,  and  then,  from  1863  to  1866,  was 
proprietor  of  a  livery  stable  in  that  town.  There- 
after he  again  associated  himself  with  mercan- 
tile interests,  and  for  ten  years,  or  until  1876, 
conducted  a  general  store.  Selling  out  his  stock 
and  good-win  that  year  he  came  to  Los  Angeles 
county  and  settled  in  the  San  Jose  valley  about 
two  miles  north  of  Pomona.  From  A.  R. 
Meserve  he  purchased  a  hundred  acre  tract  of  land 
which  was  about  as  uninviting  and  unpromising 
as  it  is  possible  to  imagine,  but  with  a  purpose 
he  set  to  work  to  make  it  habitable  and  produc- 
tive, and  that  his  energy  was  well  expended  all 
will  concede  who  have  followed  his  career. 
During  his  later  years  he  disposed  of  a  large  part 
of  his  ranch,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  owned 
only  thirty  acres  of  the  original  tract,  and  of  this 
twenty-seven  acres  were  in  oranges  and  the  re- 
mainder in  walnuts.  He  was  very  successful  in 
the  sinking  of  artesian  wells,  and  at  one  time  had 
ten  wells  on  his  propert\-.  In  1889  he  with  others 
was  instrumental  in  securing  a  contract  for  pip- 
ing water  into  Pomona,  an  innovation  which  was 
a  distinct  advantage  to  the  citizens. 

In  1S67,  in  Santa  Cruz.  Mr.  Cathcart  was 
married  to  Miss  .^ugusta  Durr.  who  was  born 
in  Ohio  July  13,  1844,  one  of  six  children  born 
to  her  parents,  and  besides  herself  only  two  of 
the  number  are  now  living,  a  brother  and  sister. 
the  latter  a  resident  of  San  Francisco.  When  a 
child  of  eleven  vears  Mrs.  Cathcart  accompanied 
licr  parents,  John  and  Margaret  Durr,  to  Cali- 


fornia, coming  by  way  of  the  isthmus  and  thence 
by  boat  to  Monterey  county.  The  mother  did  not 
long  survive  the  tedious  journey  to  the  west, 
but  the  father,  who  was  a  native  of  Germany, 
lived  until  1871.  Four  children  blessed  the  mar- 
riage of  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Cathcart,  all  of  whom  are 
living  with  one  exception  and  in  homes  of  their 
own.  Mrs.  Frank  Baynham  lives  in  Los  Ange- 
les and  is  the  mother  of  one  child  ;  John  Lee  mar- 
ried Miss  Amy  Green,  and  with  his  wife  and 
two  children  lives  in  San  Bernardino ;  Charles 
H.  is  deceased ;  Robert  married  Miss  Bessie 
Loebier  and  is  also  a  resident  of  San  Bernardino. 
Politically  Mr.  Cathcart  was  a  stanch  supporter 
of  Democratic  principles.  Throughout  Los  An- 
geles county  Mr.  Cathcart  was  well  known  for 
his  whole-souled  generosity  and  kindly  disposi- 
tion, ever  in  touch  with  the  needs  of  his  friends 
and  associates,  and  he  enjoyed  the  confidence  of 
a  large  circle  of  business  and  social  associates. 


PORTER  BROTHERS.  Conspicuous  among 
the  more  active  and  able  agriculturists  of  Ven- 
tura countv  are  the  Porter  Brothers,  of  Oxnard, 
A.  T.,  Charles  W.  and  A.  A.  Porter.  Brought 
up  on  a  farm,  these  brothers  were  trained  in  the 
various  branches  of  agriculture  from  their  boy- 
hood days,  and  since  assuming  possession  of  their 
present  ranch  in  the  Santa  Clara  valley  have  car- 
ried on  general  farming  in  a  systematic  and  thor- 
ough manner,  placing  the  land  under  a  state  of 
most  excellent  culture,  and  from  it  reaping  large 
and  profitable  harvests.  They  rank  among  the 
public-spirited  and  liberal  men  of  the  township, 
and  are  never  backward  in  supporting  enter- 
prises which  will  prove  of  benefit  to  the  com- 
munity. Sons  of  Henrv  Starr  Porter,  they  were 
all  born  on  Catawba  Island,  Ottawa  county,  Ohio, 
coming  from  honored  New  England  ancestry. 

A  native  of  Connecticut,  Henry  Starr  Porter 
was  born  February  16,  1839,  and  when  but  an 
infant  was  taken  to  Ohio  lay  his  parents,  who, 
settling  in  a  wild,  uncultivated  country,  cour- 
ageously endured  all  the  trials  and  privations 
of  pioneer  life.  Educated  in  the  pioneer  schools 
of  Ohio,  he  began  life  as  a  farmer  and  trapper, 
being  thus  engaged  until  after  the  breaking  out 
of  the  Civil  war.  Enlisting  in  1862  in  Company 
E,  Eighth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  he  took  an 
active  part  in  manv  of  the  most  severe  engage- 
ments of  the  conflict,  including  the  battles  of 
Fredericksburg.  Fairfax  Court  House,  the 
^^'^ilderness  and  Gettvsburg.  Severelv  wounded 
at  the  latter  battle,  he  was  for  six  months  con- 
fined in  the  hospital  at  Newark,  N.  J.  Being 
then  left  with  but  little  use  of  his  right  arm,  he 
was  honorably  discharged  from  the  army,  and 
returned  to  his  Ohio  home.  A  short  time  later 
he  removed  with  his  family  to  SedgAvick  county, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD, 


2237 


Kans.,  where  for  fourteen  years  he  and  his  sons 
were  successfully  employed  in  farming  and  cattle 
dealing.  Since  coming  to  California,  in  1891, 
he  has  lived  with  his  sons,  and,  although  prac- 
tically retired  from  active  pursuits,  assists  in  the 
management  of  the  ranch,  he  and  his  good  wife 
both  performing  their  full  share  of  labor.  He  is 
a  stanch  Republican  in  politics,  and  while  in 
Kansas  took  a  prominent  part  in  local  affairs, 
serving  as  school  trustee  and  road  superin- 
tendent, and  filling  offices  of  minor  importance. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public. 

Henry  S.  Porter  married  Eliza  Dove,  who 
was  born  in  England,  March  16,  1841,  and  of 
their  union  seven  children  were  bom,  namely: 
Caroline  A.,  who  died  in  infancy;  A.  T.,  born 
May  24,  1861  ;  Lydia  A.,  who  died  in  1896; 
Charles  W.,  born  January  7,  1869 ;  A.  A.,  born 
August  II,  1870,  and  Effie  and  Alice,  twins,  born 
April  24,  1875.  Mrs.  Porter  is  a  woman  of  great 
personal  worth,  a  helpmate  in  every  sense  im- 
plied by  the  term,  and  is  a  faithful  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

Spending  the  larger  part  of  their  earlier  lives 
in  Sedgwick  county,  Kans.,  A.  T.,  C.  W.  and 
A.  A.  Porter  there  gained  their  early  education, 
attending  the  district  schools.  As  soon  as  old 
enough  they  began  assisting  their  father  in  his 
care  of  the  farm,  and  on  attaining  their  major- 
ity the  older  boys  were  engaged  with  him  in 
cattle  raising  and  dealing.  In  1891  the  parents 
sold  the  two  ranches  which  they  there  owned 
and  came  to  Ventura  county,  settling  with  their 
children.  Very  soon  afterward  the  sons  bought 
their  present  ranch  of  thirty  acres,  which  is  one 
of  the  most  attractive  and  desirable  in  the  Santa 
Qara  valley,  and  at  once  began  its  improvement. 
Recently  they  have  installed  an  irrigating  plant, 
which  has  proved  of  inestimable  value  to  them 
in  the  raising  of  beans,  which  they  make  a  spe- 
cialty, as  during  1905  their  average,  under  irri- 
gation, was  raised  from  twenty-six  sacks,  of 
eighty-four  pounds  each,  to  forty  sacks  per  acre, 
a  noteworthy  increase.  Inheriting  to  an  eminent 
degree  the  industry,  thrift  and  energetic  ability 
of  their  New  England  ancestors,  thev  are  meet- 
ing with  well  deserved  success  in  their  opera- 
tions, and  are  valued  members  of  the  community. 
Like  their  honored  father,  they  are  stanch  sup- 
porters of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party. 


S.  A.  REED,  of  Escondido,  is  cashier  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Escondido,  has  for  the 
past  twelve  years  been  city  treasurer,  and  holds 
the  office  of  secretary  in  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, of  which  he  was  one  of  the  original  or- 
ganizers. He  was  born  May  18,  1868,  in  Ken- 
dall countv.  111.,  the  son  of  Ansel  and  Eliza  M. 


(Wright)  Reed,  both  natives  of  New  York 
state.  Mrs.  Reed  was  a  daughter  of  S.  Wright, 
a  pioneer  farmer  of  Illinois,  who  served  in  the 
Civil  war,  and  she  now  resides  with  her  son  in 
Escondido,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years  old. 
Reuben  Reed,  the  grandfather  of  S.  A.,  was  born 
in  New  York,  and  removed  with  his  family  to 
Illinois,  locating  on  the  site  of  the  present  city 
of  Chicago  when  there  were  but  two  houses 
there,  and  his  son,  Levi,  now  a  resident  of  Port- 
land, Ore.,  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  the 
city.  After  the  death  of  the  grandparents  the 
children  were  left  without  a  home  and  were 
bound  out,  as  was  the  custom  in  those  days,  and 
z\nsel  Reed  was  taken  by  a  family  at  Big  Grove, 
when  about  eight  years  old.  While  there  the 
Black  Hawk  war  broke  out  and  he  with  oMier 
settlers  were  saved  by  the  Indian  chief,  Shob- 
bana,  and  they  escaped  to  the  fort  at  Ottawa, 
After  the  war  the  family  returned  to  the  farm 
and  he  remained  there  until  he  had  attained  his 
majority.  His  first  position  paid  him  $8  a  month, 
and  with  the  money  which  he  saved  he  was  en- 
abled to  buy  a  piece  of  government  land  at  $1.25 
an  acre.  He  broke  the  fields  and  planted  crops, 
and  was  obliged  to  haul  the  wheat  which  he  har- 
vested forty-six  miles  to  the  market  in  Chicago, 
using  ox-teams  and  being  obliged  to  ford 
streams,  the  trip  requiring  a  week's  time.  At 
the  time  of  his  death,  when  sixty-eight  years  old, 
he  owned  several  hundred  acres  of  land.  Polit- 
ically he  was  a  Republican,  and  belonged  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

The  family  of  which  S.  A.  Reed  was  a  mem- 
ber consisted  of  five  sons,  and  of  his  four  broth- 
ers, Frank  A.  is  engaged  in  mining  in  San  Ber- 
nardino :  Emory  D.  is  a  contractor  in  Los  An- 
geles ;  Charles  E.  is  in  the  livery  business  in 
San  Diego;  and  Orville  E.  lives  on  the  home 
farm  in  Illinois.  Reared  on  the  farm  near  Platt- 
ville,  111.,  where  he  was  born,  Mr.  Reed  first  at- 
tended the  public  schools,  then  the  Morris  Nor- 
mal and  Scientific  School,  and  later  graduated 
from  the  Northern  Indiana  State  Normal  School 
in  Valparaiso.  A  year  later,  in  1888,  he  came 
to  California,  locating  in  Escondido,  and  was 
first  employed  as  clerk  and  bookkeeper  for  Gra- 
ham &  Steiner,  afterwards  Steiner  &  Co.,  and 
soon  rose  to  the  position  of  bookkeeper  and 
cashier.  In  1905  he  resigned  to  become  cashier 
of  the  First  National  Bank,  he  having  been  one 
of  the  organizers  of  the  institution.  The  banking 
company  was  incorporated  in  May,  1905,  with 
a  capital  stock  of  $25,000,  and  opened  for  busi- 
ness November  4  of  the  same  year.  A  general 
banking  business  is  transacted  and  the  institution 
is  considered  one  of  the  most  stable  in  Southern 
California. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Reed  occurred  in  Es- 
condido, uniting  him  with  Miss  Sarah  E.  Sher- 


2238 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


win,  a  native  of  Lincoln,  Neb.,  and  they  have 
two  children,  Harold  B.  and  Edwin  L.  Mrs. 
Reed  is  an  active  member  of  the  Christian  Church 
in  Los  Angeles.  Fraternally  Mr.  Reed  is  an 
Odd  Fellow  and  belongs  to  Themis  Lodge  No. 
146,  K.  of  P.,  of  which  he  is  past  chancellor. 
Politically  he  is  a  RepubHcan. 


PHILIP  A.  BETTENS,  of  Escondido,  is 
one  of  the  most  highly  esteemed  residents  of  the 
comnumity  in  which  he  lives.  A  native  of  In- 
diana, he  was  born  July  31,  1837,  in  Vevay,  be- 
ing the  third  in  line  of  direct  descent  to  bear 
the  name.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Philip  A. 
Bettens,  first,  was  born,  reared  and  married  in 
Switzerland,  being  descended  from  an  old  French 
family  of  prominence.  With  his  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Rose  Massard,  he  immigrated 
to  the  United  States,  and  with  sixteen  other  fami- 
lies settled  in  Indiana,  becoming  an  original 
householder  of  the  town  which  they  named  Ve- 
vay, in  remembrance  of  the  Swiss  town  from 
which  this  little  band  of  colonists  emigrated. 
There  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  lives,  both  attaining  the  ripe  old  age  of  four 
score  years. 

Born  in  \'evay,  Ind.,  Philip  A.  Bettens,  sec- 
ond, grew  to  manhood  on  the  fami  which  his 
father  cleared  from  the  forest.  He  followed 
farming  until  his  death,  when  he  was  but  thirty- 
four  years  old.  He  married  Charlotte  Secretan, 
a  native  of  Switzerland;  she  survived  her  hus- 
band, passing  away  at  the  age  of  seventy  years. 
Of  the  two  sons  and  one  daughter  born  of  this 
marriage,  two  children  are  living,  Charles,  of 
Vevay,  Ind. ;  and  Philip  A. 

Brought  up  on  the  ancestral  homestead  which 
his  grandfatiier  cleared  from  the  wilderness, 
Philip  A.  Bettens,  third,  began  life  for  himself 
as  a  boy  of  thirteen  years.  In  1850  he  began 
running  on  flat  boats  on  the  Ohio  and  Missis- 
sippi rivers,  subsequently  making  two  trips  to 
New  Orleans  as  cook.  He  became  an  expert  boat- 
man, and  for  two  j'ears  was  employed  as  skiff 
man.  going  ashore  to  take  the  line,  and  check 
the  boat.  He  was  afterwards  engaged  as  second 
pilot  until  1858,  when  he  settled  in  New  Or- 
leans for  the  winter,  remaining  there  until  June, 
1859.  Returning  then  to  Indiana,  Mr.  Bettens 
married  and  settled  as  a  farmer  in  Florence, 
where  he  took  a  leading  part  in  local  affairs, 
serving  two  terms  as  justice  of  the  peace  and 
being  county  commissioner  for  some  time. 

Coming  to  California  in  1887,  Mr.  Bettens  was 
employed  for  a  few  months  in  the  laying  out  of 
the  Coronado  gardens  at  San  Diego.  Going 
thence  to  San  Pasqual,  he  was  there  employed  in 
general  ranching  from  June  1887,  until  August, 
1888.     He  then  located  in  Escondido  and  pur- 


chased his  present  ranch,  in  the  improvement  of 
which  he  has  spared  neither  time  nor  expense. 
He  has  set  out  three  acres  of  deciduous  fruits 
and  grapes,  and  three  acres  of  oranges  and 
lemons,  m  the  cultivation  of  which  he  is  very  suc- 
cessful. Besides  this  he  owns  two  valuable  farms 
in  this  vicinity,  both  well  improved.  For  two 
years  after  coming  here,  Mr.  Bettens  was  agent 
for  the  Sweetwater  nursery,  and  was  subse- 
quently successfully  engaged  in  the  nursery  busi- 
ness on  his  own  account  for  five  years. 

In  Indiana,  in  1859,  Air.  Bettens  married 
Clara  A.  Dufour,  who  was  born  in  Vevay,  a 
daughter  of  \'incent  Dufour,  a  native  of  ^'evaJ•, 
Switzerland,  and  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He 
married  Ann  Brisbee,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and 
they  had  seven  children.  Mrs.  Bettens  died  on 
the  home  farm  in  Florence,  Ind.,  November  10, 
1880,  leaving  six  children,  Philip  A.,  Jr.,  .who 
was  graduated  from  West  Point  with  the  class 
of  1885,  was  made  second  lieutenant  of  the  Ninth 
Cavalry  at  Fort  Robinson,  Neb. ;  he  was  wound- 
ed in  the  knee  at  the  Indian  fight  at  the  Rose- 
burg  agency,  contracted  la  grippe  while  lying 
without  shelter  with  the  mercury  at  thirty  below 
zero,  which  left  him  with  a  cough,  from  which 
he  never  recovered,  his  death  occurring  at  Fort 
Huachuca,  Ariz.,  in  1892,  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
one  years  and  five  months ;  Bertha  is  the  wife 
of  E.  DeBell,  of  Hollywood ;  Aimie  died  June 
II,  1896.  aged  thirty  years  and  eleven  months; 
Estella  became  the  wife  of  Frank  Storm,  of 
Escondido;  Albert  is  manager  of  the  California 
hotel,  San  Francisco;  and  Rodolph  is  manager 
of  St.  James  hotel,  at  San  Jose. 


GUISEPPE  MUSCIO.  The  dairy  industry 
in  which  Mr.  Muscio  is  engaged  has  grown  from 
insignificant  proportions  to  important  dimensions 
and  occupies  his  entire  time  and  close  attention. 
Since  about  1901  he  has  made  his  home  on  a 
ranch  in  Santa  Barbara  county,  near  Los 
Alamos,  where  he  leases  five  thousand  acres  of 
land.  He  owns  a  tract  of  ten  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  near  Garey  available  for  cultivation,  and 
he  carries  in  his  pasture  about  one  thousand  head 
of  stock.  In  his  home  place,  known  as  the  Tine- 
quac  ranch,  which  contains  twenty-four  hun- 
dred acres,  he  farms  about  two  hundred  acres 
and  makes  a  specialty  of  cheese-making.  The 
two  dairies  contain  three  hundred  milch  cows 
and  the  output  of  cheese  and  cream  is  of  the  rich- 
est quality  and  also  most  abundant  in  quantity. 
Of  his  three  brothers  now  in  California  two  are 
successfully  engaged  in  the  dairy  business.  His 
father.  Theodore  Muscio,  who  is  now  eighty- 
two  years  of  age,  has  never  left  his  native  land, 
and  now  makes  his  home  in  Somao,  Switzerland. 
The  mother  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Eugenia 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2239 


Reghetti  and  lived  to  be  seventy.  One  of  nine 
children  comprising  the  parental  family,  Guis- 
seppe  Muscio  was  born  in  Switzerland  March 
lo,  1847. 

Coming  to  America  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
years,  in  1864,  Mr.  Muscio  proceeded  at  once, 
via  the  Isthmus,  to  California,  and  settled  in 
Petaluma,  Cal.,  near  which  town  he  secured  work 
on  a  dairy  farm.  From  the  first  he  was  frugal, 
industrious  and  persevering,  and  in  1868  he  made 
a  start  for  himself.  For  a  time  he  remained  in 
Marin  county,  but  in  1872  he  went  to  San  Luis 
Obispo  county  and  worked  at  the  dairy  business 
until  1884,  the  year  of  his  arrival  in  Santa  Bar- 
bara county.  For  a  time  he  superintended  large 
landed  holdings  in  company  with  two  partners, 
who  bought  eight  thousand  acres,  and  as  the 
years  passed  he  gained  a  wide  reputation  for  the 
growing  importance  of  his  dairy  interests. 

Politically  Mr.  Muscio  is  a  Republican,  and 
for  six  years  he  filled  the  office  of  justice  of  the 
peace  at  Sisquoc.  Since  identifying  himself  with 
the  Masons  in  1883  he  has  been  warmly  inter- 
ested in  the  order,  belonging  to  Santa  Maria 
lodge  and  the  chapter,  of  which  latter  he  is  a 
charter  member,  and  was  formerly  a  member  of 
the  chapter  at  San  Luis  Obispo.  He  also  belongs 
to  the  Knights  Templar  Commandery  at  the  last- 
mentioned  place.  In  his  religious  belief  he  was 
reared  in  the  Catholic  faith,  and  has  always  re- 
mained true  to  its  teachings.  His  marriage  in 
1875  united  him  with  Miss  Adeline  Stone,  a  na- 
tive of  California,  and  to  them  were  born  the 
following  children:  Lillian,  George  Milton  (dc- 
■ceased),  Delmo,  Joseph  and  Edward. 


ARCHIE  J.  ATWATER.  One  of  the  most 
successful  business  men  of  Los  Angeles  county  is 
Archie  J.  Atwater,  senior  member  of  the  firm  of 
Atwater  &  Carl,  known  in  Long  Beach  and 
Alamitos  Beach  as  purveyors  of  staple  and  fancy 
groceries.  By  birth  Mr.  Atwater  is  a  native  of 
Illinois,  born  in  Moline  July  5,  1864,  a  son  of 
Satnuel  and  Mary  Jane  Atwater.  Samuel  At- 
water was  a  man  of  considerable  mechanical  abil- 
ity, which  he  exercised  with  telling  effect  during 
the  twelve  years  in  which  he  was  foreman  of 
the  JNToline  Plow  Company  in  Moline,  111.  After 
the  death  of  his  wife,  which  occurred  in  Joplin, 
Mo.,  he  came  to  California,  and  passed  his  re- 
maining days,  his  life  coming  to  a  close  in 
Pomona.  The  early  boyhood  days  of  Archie  J. 
Atwater  are  associated  with  the  manufacturing 
town  of  Moline,  where,  after  his  school  days 
were  over,  he  began  work  in  the  plow  works  of 
which  his  father  was  foreman.  As  master  of  the 
molder's  trade,  which  he  learned  while  associated 
with  his  father,  he  had  no  fear  of  lacking  for  em- 
ployment, and  followed  this  trade  throughout  the 


remainder  of  his  residence  in  Illinois.  From  the 
latter  state  he  went  to  Independence,  Kans.  While 
in  Independence  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Elizabeth  Swearingen,  but  as  the  climate  in  Kan- 
sas did  not  agree  with  his  wife's  health  he  re- 
moved to  California  soon  afterward.  The  At- 
water home  comprises  three  children,  Edna, 
Dwight  and  Marian. 

Mr.  Atwater's  first  location  in  this  state  was 
at  Escondido,  San  Diego  county,  where  he  fol- 
lowed the  blacksmith's  trade  until  his  removal 
to  Pomona,  Los  Angeles  county.  In  the  latter- 
place  he  worked  at  his  trade  for  about  a  year  and 
a  half,  and  about  the  same  length  of  time  had 
charge  of  a  department  in  the  Pomona  Manu- 
facturing Company,  a  co-operative  enterprise,  of 
which  he  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  a  stock- 
holder. After  a  residence  of  about  three  years 
in  Pomona  he  came  to  Long  Beach  and  pur- 
chased the  grocery  business  then  owned  by  Carl 
&  Wilson.  After  carrying  on  the  business  single- 
handed  for  nine  months  Mr.  Atwater  sold  a  half- 
interest  to  the  senior  member  of  the  old  firm, 
since  which  time  business  has  been  carried  on 
under  the  name  of  Atwater  &  Carl.  .  To  such  an 
extent  were  they  prospered  in  their  affairs  in 
Long  Beach  that  they  decided  to  open  a  similar 
store  in  Alamitos  Beach,  a  decision  which  they 
put  into  effect  in  May,  1905,  at  which  time  they 
located  in  the  new  building  at  the  corner  of 
Fourth  and  Almond  streets,  which  they  had 
erected  for  the  purpose.  The  store  in  the  latter 
place  is  under  the  management  of  Mr.  Atwater. 
while  the  business  in  Long  Beach  is  in  charge  of 
Mr.  Carl. 

Politically  Mr.  Atwater  is  a  Democrat,  but  is 
in  no  sense  of  the  word  a  partisan,  supporting 
the  candidates  of  his  chosen  party  in  national 
elections,  and  in  local  matters  giving  his  vote 
and  influence  to  the  man  best  fitted  for  the  office 
in  question,  irrespective  of  party  name.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  associated  with  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America,  belonging  to  the  camp  at  Long 
Beach,  and  in  religion  is  identified  with  the  Qiris- 
tian  Church. 


SETH  GLIDDEN.  It  is  as  the  owner  of 
Glidden  flats  that  Seth  Glidden  is  best  known  in 
Avalon,  where  he  has  resided  for  several  years 
and  identified  himself  with  the  upbuilding  of 
that  place.  On  his  father's  side  he  is  of  English 
extraction,  his  great-grandfather  having  emi- 
grated from  that  countrv  to  Maine  in  an  early 
day.  The  succeeding  members  of  the  family  in 
direct  line  have  been  natives  of  Maine,  the  father, 
Enoch,  being  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
and  lumbering  operations  during  his  lifetime,  his 
death  occurring  when  the  son  Seth  was  but  four- 
teen years  of  age.     The  mother,  of  Scotch  ante- 


2240 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


cedents,  was  before  her  marriage  Olive  Clark. 
She  became  I  he  mother  of  nine  children,  five  of 
whom  are  living,  and  her  death  occurred  in  Mas- 
sachusetts. 

The  only  member  of  the  family  living  in  Cali- 
fornia, Seth  Glidden  was  born  January  22,  1841, 
in  Lincoln  county.  Me.,  and  was  reared  on  a 
New  England  farm  near  Olney,  where  he  at- 
tended the  public  schools  until  eighteen  years  of 
age.  Then  going  to  Lowell,  Mass.,  he  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade  and  engaged  in  contracting 
and  building,  steadily  increasing  his  business  un- 
til he  employed  as  high  as  forty  men  at  one 
time.  In  1885  he  came  to  Pasadena,  which  ai 
that  time  did  not  boast  a  brick  building.  Here 
he  took  building  contracts  and  engaged  in  real 
estate  transactions,  platting  and  putting  on  the 
market  one  addition,  from  the  sale  of  which  he 
realized  handsome  returns.  In  1897  Mr.  Glid- 
den became  interested  in  Catalina  Island  and 
two  years  later  purchased  the  site  upon  which 
he  erected  the  ilats.  He  also  built  a  storehouse 
on  Maiden  Lane  which  extends  through  to  Olive 
street,  and  is  engaged  in  contracting  for  the 
erection  of  residences  at  Avalon.  He  still  owns 
his  residence  in  Pasadena. 

The  marriage  of  JNIr.  Glidden,  which  occurred 
in  Lowell,  Mass.,  united  him  with  Martha  E. 
Groves,  who  was  born  in  Salisbury,  Addison 
county,  A^t.,  and  reared  in  Lowell,  Mass.,  where 
her  father,  S.  H.  Groves,  was  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising, having  formerly  been  a  farmer  in 
A^ermont.  ]\Irs.  Glidden's  mother  was  Harriet 
Andrews,  a  member  of  an  old  Vermont  family ; 
her  father,  James  Andrews,  was  also  born  in 
that  state  and  was  a  graduate  of  Middleburg 
College.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Groves  are  both  deceased, 
his  death  having  occurred  in  Pasadena,  his  wife's 
in  Massachusetts.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Glidden  are  the 
parents  of  four  children,  Ada,  the  wnfe  of  Dr. 
Paul  Bresee  of  Los  Angeles ;  Adelbert.  a  con- 
tractor and  builder  in  Pasadena ;  Edward  A.  and 
Ralph,  both  at  home.  The  family  is  connected 
with  the  Congregational  Church  of  Avalon,  Mr. 
Glidden  being  a  membor  of  the  board  of  trus- 
tees.    Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 


STEPHEN  BROWN.  Few  of  the  millions 
of  emigrants  from  the  old  world  who  have  sought 
homes  in  the  western  hemisphere  have  drifted  to 
the  rugged  and  storm-swept  shores  of  Prince 
Edward  Island,  but  when  James  Brown  left  his 
native  Scotland  he  found  employment  at  his 
trade  of  shipbuilding  on  that  remote  island  and 
there  he  remained  until  death.  His  son  John, 
who  was  horn  and  reared  there,  took  up  farm 
pursuits,  and  from  the  stern  and  unfriendly  soil 
he  wrested  a  livelihood  for  his  family.  Early  in 
manhood  he  married  Lydia,  daughter  of  Richard 


Ackland,  the  former  a  native  of  the  island,  and 
the  latter  an  emigrant  from  England.  Three 
children  comprised  the  family  of  John  and  Lydia 
Brown,  but  only  two  are  now  living,  namely: 
Stephen  and  Neil  E.,  both  residents  of  San 
Diego.  The  mother  is  living  in  this  city  also 
and  makes  her  home  with  the  tirst-named  son. 

On  the  home  farm,  nine  miles  west  of  Char- 
lottetown.  Prince  Edward  Island,  Stephen  Brown 
was  born  September  24,  1871,  and  there  he 
passed  the  uneventful  years  of  youth,  receiving 
such  advantages  as  the  neighborhood  offered  for 
the  acquisition  of  an  education.  When  he  ar- 
rived in  San  Diego  in  November,  1890,  he  was 
energetic,  willing  and  ambitious,  but  was  un- 
familiar with  any  trade  and  anxious  therefore  to 
accept  the  first  means  of  earning  a  livelihood 
that  was  offered.  In  this  way  he  took  up  team- 
ing as  an  employe  of  a  gentleman  established  in 
business.  For  three  years  he  was  with  the  same 
employer,  and  then  for  a  year  teamed  for  an- 
other man,  after  which  he  began  to  take  contracts 
to  do  teaming,  and  has  since  increased  his  outfit 
from  one  to  eight  teams.  In  addition  he  has 
taken  contracts  for  cement  foundations,  walls, 
walks,  etc.,  using  in  his  work  gravel  obtained 
from  his  own  pit,  located  between  B  street,  City 
Park  and  Nineteenth  street,  while  his  sand  he 
obtains  from  his  own  pit. 

After  coming  to  San  Diego  Mr.  Brown  here 
married  Miss  Elizabeth  McKinley,  a  native  of 
Prince  Edward  Island.  Two  children  were  born 
of  that  union,  but  Russell  is  the  only  one  now  liv- 
ing. The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Brown  was 
solemnized  in  Los  Angeles  and  united  him  with 
Miss  Anna  Lynn,  a  native  of  Missouri.  The 
only  fraternal  organization  with  which  Mr. 
Brown  has  identified  himself  is  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  he  has  ranked  among 
the  most  prominent  of  its  local  workers.  Initi- 
ated into  the  order  in  Sunset  Lodge  No.  328, 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  he  is  now  past  grand  of  that  lodge. 
The  encampment  and  canton  also  number  him 
among  their  members  and  he  has  officiated  as 
past  chief  patriarch  of  Centennial  Encampment 
No.  58.  besides,  with  his  wife,  being  actively  as- 
sociated with  the  Order  of  Rebekahs.  On  the 
occasion  of  the  grand  encampment  at  San  Diego 
in  1905  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  executive 
committee,  having  in  charge  the  plans  and  prep- 
;i ration  for  the  event,  and  the  remarkable  suc- 
cess of  the  gathering  may  be  attributed  in  large 
degree  to  the  tactfid.  efficient  and  sagacious 
labors  of  that  committee. 


GOTTFRED  ANDERSON.  Separted  from 
the  mainland  of  Sweden  by  Kalmar  sound  and 
extending  out  into  the  Baltic  sea  lies  the  narrow 
island  known  as  Oeland,  where  the  ancestors  of 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


224]. 


j\lr.  Anderson  for  many  generations  cultivated 
the  rugged  soil.  There  were  born  and  reared  his 
parents,  Andres  P.  and  Lena  (Erickson)  Lar- 
son, and  there  they  still  remain  on  the  old  home 
place,  respected  by  acquaintances  and  faithful  in 
their  devotion  to  the  Lutheran  Church.  Of  their 
seven  children  six  attained  mature  years,  namely : 
Emil,  who  remains  on  the  island  homestead; 
Airs.  Josephine  Anderson,  now  living  at  Port- 
land, Ore. ;  Mrs.  Amy  Niblin,  who  died  at  Port- 
land; Gottfred  and  Julius,  who  are  owners  of 
the  San  Diego  steam  laundry  and  conduct  busi- 
ness under  the  title  of  Anderson  Brothers ;  and 
Albert  (twin  of  Julius),  who  is  engaged  in  busi- 
ness in  San  Diego. 

The  island  home  of  the  family  was  the  birth- 
place of  Gottfred  Anderson  and  April  i,  1863, 
the  date  of  his  birth.  From  early  childhood  he 
was  trained  to  habits  of  usefulness  and  self-re- 
liance, and  soon  became  a  capable  assistant  on 
the  farm,  where  he  worked  during  his  school 
vacations.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  years  he  left 
school.  While  he  is  now  a  well-informed  man, 
his  knowledge  has  been  gained  by  observation 
and  travel  rather  than  from  text-books.  In  1878 
he  came  to  San  Francisco,  where  for  some  time 
he  was  employed  in  a  restaurant,  and  later  be- 
came proprietor  of  the  San  Rafael  coffee  house 
on  East  street.  On  coming  to  San  Diego  in 
1887  he  became  proprietor  of  the  St.  Elmo  hotel 
and  for  a  few  years  acted  as  its  landlord.  Dur- 
ing 1891  he  entered  upon  the  active  management 
of  his  present  business. 

The  San  Diego  steam  laundry,  which  Air.  An- 
derson purchased  from  Daniel  Olson  in  1891. 
now  ranks  among  the  substantial  business  indus- 
tries of  the  city.  When  fire  destroyed  the  laun- 
dry in  1899,  Mr.  Anderson  erected  a  two-story 
modern  structure,  looxioo  feet  in  dimensions,  on 
the  corner  of  B  street  at  No.  1170  State  street. 
The  equipment  of  the  plant  includes  a  thirty-five 
horse  power  engine  and  a  fifty-horse  boiler,  as 
well  as  facilities  for  the  manufacture  of  all  the 
soap  used  in  the  laundry.  Employment  is  fur- 
nished to  forty  hands  or  more,  each  of  whom  is 
trained  to  be  a  skilled  worker  in  his  or  her  depart- 
ment. After  having  conducted  the  laundry  alone 
fo"r  a  considerable  period  in  1900  Air.  Anderson 
admitted  his  hrdther  Julius  into  partnership,  and 
the  two  are  now  joint  owners  of  the  plant  and 
business,  as  well  as  property  on  the  corner  of 
Second  and  H  streets. 

Jhe  home  of  ATr.  Anderson  is  a  neat  residence 
on  t'-'e  corner  of  State  and  B  streets,  where  him- 
self and  wife,  with  their  three  children.  Hazel, 
Alyrtle  and  Pearl,  have  all  the  comforts  of  a  well- 
appointed  dwelling.  Airs.  Anderson,  a  native  of 
Sweden,  was  formerly  Annie  Petersen,  and  came 
to  the  United  States  at  an  early  age,  settling  in 
Chicago.     From  that  city  she  removed  to  Cali- 


fornia and  settled  in  San  Diego,  where  she  was 
married.  The  family  are  prominent  among  the 
Scandinavian  residents  of  San  Diego  and  Mr. 
Anderson  is  a  charter  member  and  a  trustee  of 
the  Scandinavian  Society.  Fraternally  he  is 
identified  with  the  Foresters,  the  Alaccabees,  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  was 
made  a  A-Iason  in  Silver  Gate  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M., 
to  which  he  has  since  given  his  support. 


JOHN  E.  BORDEN,  an  honored  veteran  of 
the  Civil  war,  is  now  living  retired  at  Long 
I  leach,  where  he  has  a  comfortable  home  at  No. 
1 1 17  American  avenue.  Though  impeded  by 
injuries  received  in  the  war,  he  withal  accumu- 
lated a  competency  through  energy,  intelligence 
and  persistent  effort,  which  he  is  now  enjoying 
in  the  genial  climate  of  the  Pacific  coast.  He 
was  born  in  New  York,  September  i,  1828,  in 
the  city  of  Pulteney,  Steuben  county,  where  his 
parents,  Horace  and  Alinerva  (Chaffee)  Borden, 
made  their  home  for  many  years.  In  1846  the 
family  moved  to  Pennsylvania,  where  the  father 
followed  the  cooper's  trade  until  his  death  in 
November,  1864;  the  mother  also  passed  away  in 
the  same  locality,  at  about  the  same  time.  John 
E.  Borden  studied  the  three  R's  in  a  primitive 
log  schoolhouse.  Leaving  school  he  secured  em- 
ployment in  a  sawmill,  and  after  five  years 
learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  joiner.  In 
the  fall  of  1856  he  removed  to  Wisconsin,  where 
he  became  a  pioneer  of  Plainfield,  there  following 
the  carpenter's  trade.  January  4,  1864  he  en- 
listed in  Company  I,  Seventh  Wisconsin  In- 
fantry, under  Division  Commander  Wordsworth. 
Going  with  his  regiment  to  the  front,  Air.  Bor- 
den had  a  brief  and  unfortunate  experience  as  a 
soldier.  In  his  first  battle,  that  of  the  Wilder- 
ness, May  S,  the  first  day  of  the  seven  days" 
struggle,  he  was  struck  by  a  minie  ball  when 
within  four  rods  of  the  enemy's  lines,  the  ball 
penetrating  the  right  arm  and  inflicting  a  wound 
so  serious  that  on  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day 
his  arm  was  amputated.  On  the  second  day  he 
was  among  a  large  number  of  wounded  soldiers 
who  were  taken  to  the  general  hospital  at  Fred- 
ericksburL'-.  After  two  days'  and  two  nights' 
travel  to  Fredericksburg,  for  three  weeks  he  had 
no  place  to  sleep.  In  recalling  those  da^•s  he  is 
wont  to  say  that  he  had  the  soft  side  of  a  board 
for  a  mattress  and  a  brick  as  his  only  pillow. 
Going  from  there  to  the  Lincoln  hospital  at 
Washington,  D.  C,  and  later  to  Park  hospital, 
Baltimore,  he  returned  to  his  home  in  Wisconsin 
subsequent  to  his  discharge,  December  24,  1864. 

Unable  to  resume  work  at  the  carpenter's 
trade,  Mr.  Borden  secured  a  small  tract  of  land 
and  took  up  farm  pursuits.  After  seven  years 
as  an  agriculturist,  he  removed  to  Colby,  Wis.. 


2242 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  engaged  in  the  general  mercantile  business 
for  fourteen  years.  He  was  chosen  the  first  town 
treasurer  of  Colby  and  officiated  in  that  capacity 
for  four  years,  and  he  also  acted  as  district  clerk 
and  district  treasurer  during  his  residence  in  that 
town.  Retiring  to  private  life  after  fourteen 
vears  as  a  merchant,  in  search  of  a  milder  cli- 
mate he  went  to  DeFuniak,  Fla.,  for  eight  years 
spending  nine  months  of  each  year  there,  return- 
ing to  Wisconsin  for  the  summer  months  only. 
In  December,  1901,  he  removed  to  California 
and  bought  the  first  lot  sold  in  the  block  where 
he  now  "lives;  on  this  lot  he  built  an  attractive 
home  early  in  1903,  and  has  since  lived  retired  at 
this  place.'  After  "coming  to  Long  Beach  he  was 
married.  May  19,  1901,  to  ]\Iargaret  M.  Gilbert, 
a  native  of  Michigan,  and  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  of  Long  Beach.  After 
coming  to  the  west  Mr.  Borden  affiliated  himself 
with  Long  Beach  Camp  No.  181,  G.  A.  R.,  De- 
partment of  California  and  Nevada,  and  here, 
as  during  his  residence  in  the  east,  he  maintains 
a  warm  "interest  in  all  the  activities  of  the  old 
soldiers. 


ROBERT  H.  BROWN  was  born  in  Alameda 
countv,  December  23,  1867,  a  resident  of  the 
Santa  Maria  valley  since  his  sixth  year,  and  for 
the  past  twelve  years  the  manager  of  the  Brown 
homestead  in  the  vicinity  of  Santa  JNIaria. 

Thomas  S.  Brown,  father  of  Robert  H.,  was 
born  near  Belfast,  north  Ireland,  November  12, 
1823,  and  was  reared  on  a  small  tenant  farm 
offering  little  scope  to  a  strong,  ambitious  boy. 
Arriving  in  the  United  States  during  the  sum- 
mer of  1845,  he  spent  about  five  years  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Boston,  Mass.,  and  in  1851 
came  to  California.  Journeying  west  by  way  of 
Panama  and  San  Francisco,  he  settled  in  Ala- 
meda county  as  a  rancher.  In  1864  he  estab- 
lished a  home  of  his  own  in  Alameda  county, 
marrying  Rachel  Brown,  a  fellow  country- 
woman, and  native  of  the  north  of  Ireland.  In 
1874  the  couple  brought  their  children  to  a  farm 
near  Guadaloupe,  Santa  Barbara  county,  where 
Mr.  Brown  accumulated  an  estate  of  four  hun- 
dred acres,  and  sometimes  farmed  as  many  as  a 
thousand  acres.  He  was  a  man  of  ability  and 
rcsnurcc.  with  a  predilection  for  public  affairs. 
Mr.  Brown  moved  to  the  latter  place  about  twelve 
years  ago.  and  here,  surrounded  by  the  comforts 
and  refinements  made  possible  by  his  years  of 
well  directed  labor,  his  life  closed  April  30,  1905, 
at  the  age  of  =eventv-nine  years.  He  was  a  stanch 
Republican,  and  a  regular  attendant  at  the  Pres- 
bvterian  Church. 

'R.  H.  Brown  was  educated  in  the  grammar 
school  at  Guadaloupe,  completing  his  training  at 
the  Pacific  Business  College  in  San  Francisco. 


Returning  to  his  father's  farm,  he  assisted  with 
its  management,  and  accompanied  his  parents  to 
the  present  homestead  about  twelve  years  ago. 
He  is  unmarried  and  lives  with  his  mother,  who, 
in  spite  of  her  sixty-three  years,  retains  her 
health,  faculties  and  sympathies.  Mr.  Brown  de- 
votes the  ranch  to  grain,  beans  and  potatoes, 
also  stock  and  general  produce.  He  is  promi- 
nent socially,  and  identified  with  the  Santa  Maria 
Lodge,  K.  of  P.,  also  the  Uniform  Rank. 


ELI  BUNT.  Nestled  in  a  sheltered  nook  at 
the  base  of  the  San  Gabriel  range  and  at  the 
mouth  of  Lytle  creek,  in  San  Bernardino  county, 
lies  the  ranch  owned  and  occupied  by  Mr.  Bunt. 
While  it  includes  only  eleven  acres,  its  admirable 
location  makes  it  especially  desirable  and  its 
equal  in  point  of  productiveness  would  be  hard 
to  find.  Upon  purchasing  the  property  in  1890 
he  made  the  necessary  improvements,  erecting  a 
suitable  house  and  barn,  and  also  built  a  house 
for  the  shelter  of  bees,  the  raising  of  which  he 
at  once  entered  into  upon  a  large  scale.  From 
a  small  beginning  he  has  steadily  increased  the 
business  until  he  now  has  fifty  colonies.  In  his 
orchard  may  be  found  almost  all  of  the  fruits 
grown  in  the  state,  including  peaches  and  apri- 
cots, three  persimmon  trees,  three  grape-fruit 
trees,  one  Temon  tree,  and  oranges  of  seventeen 
varieties,  besides  a  number  of  berry  bushes. 
While  the  orchard  is  not  large,  it  supplies  the 
home  needs  with  an  abundance  and  a  variety  not 
often   combined. 

Mr.  Bunt  is  a  native  of  the  Empire  state,  born 
in  Broome  county,  November  16,  1839.  It  was 
not  until  he  was  approaching  middle  life  that  he 
severed  his  connection  with  the  east  and  took  up 
life  on  the  Pacific  coast,  coming  to  California  in 
1884,  and  locating  at  once  in  San  Bernardino. 
Accepting  the  first  employment  which  he  was 
able  to  secure,  he  engaged  in  cutting  stone  for  a 
time,  later  trained  horses,  and  finally  became  in- 
terested in  the  raising  of  bees,  and  so  well  did 
he  succeed  in  the  latter  that  he  determined  to 
concentrate  his  efforts  along  that  line  exclu- 
siveh'.  Putting  this  determination  into  execu- 
tion, he  began  to  seek  a  desirable  location,  with 
the  result  that  in  1890  he  purchased  the  ranch 
he  now  occupies.  During  young  manhood  Mr. 
Bunt  gave  his  services  to  the  cause  of  his  coun- 
try by  enlisting  in  Company  H,  Ninth  Iowa  In- 
fantry, his  muster-in  being  dated  September  5, 
1861.  With  the  rest  of  his  regiment  he  was 
assigned  to  service  in  the  western  Mississippi 
armv,  in  which  he  gave  faithful  service  until  dis- 
abled at  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge,  March  7,  1862, 
being  shot  in  the  calf  of  the  left  leg,  besides  re- 
ceiving injuries  in  the  right  leg. 

In   Preston,   Minn.,    in    1866,   Mr.    Bunt    was 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2248 


united  in  marriage  with  Mary  E.  Shear,  the 
daughter  of  Rowland  and  Mary  (Hull)  Shear. 
Five  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bunt, 
all  of  whom  with  one  exception  are  married  and 
in  homes  of  their  own.  The  second  child,  Flor- 
ence, died  when  two  years  old.  The  eldest  child, 
Dora,  is  now  the  wife  of  David  Coleman  and 
lives  in  San  Bernardino ;  Anna  is  the  wife  of 
Thomas  Reece ;  Edith,  Mrs.  John  Ouinn,  lives 
in  Palo  Alto,  Cal. ;  and  Jennie,  Mrs.  Kellogg, 
makes  her  home  in  Berkeley,  this  state. 


DWIGHT  E.  CLOUGH.  California  has 
proven  the  realization  of  the  ambitious  efforts  of 
many  men,  among  whom  Dwight  E.  Clough,  of 
Long  Beach,  Los  Angeles  county,  is  no  excep- 
tion, and  to  this  state  he  gives  a  happy  allegiance. 
He  is  city  electrician  of  Long  Beach,  where  he 
has  made  his  home  since  1900.  Mr.  Clough  is 
the  descendant  of  an  old  eastern  family  whose 
settlement  in  America  is  of  colonial  origin,  the 
name  being  prominent  in  Massachusetts,  where 
his  father,  Samuel  C.  Clough,  was  located  until 
his  removal  to  Los  Angeles,  where  he  now  re- 
sides. Since  1890  the  elder  man  invested  money 
in  property  in  Southern  California  principally  in 
the  vicinity  of  Los  Angeles,  and  finally  located 
there  permanently,  although  he  still  retains  his 
old  home  in  the  IBay  state.  He  was  the  pioneer 
engineer  on  the  New  York  Central  Railroad  and 
while  a  resident  in  the  east  served  as  a  soldier  in 
the  Civil  war.  He  married  Janet  Thompson, 
and  she  still  survives.  Dwight  E.  Clough  was 
born  in  Springfield,  Mass.,  May  16,  1870,  and  in 
the  public  schools  of  the  state  received  his  pri- 
mary education.  Later  he  entered  Amherst  Col- 
lege, from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in 
1888,  after  which  he  took  up  the  study  of  elec- 
tricity in  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  where  he  continued 
for  eleven  years.  For  several  years  he  had  charge 
of  work  in  the  Niagara  Falls  and  Lockport  dis- 
tricts, after  which  he  was  sent  to  San  Francisco, 
and  thence  to  Southern  California,  in  both  places 
installing  electric  light  and  power  plants,  and 
also  working  for  the  Pacific  Electric  Company 
and  Los  Angeles  Pacific.  After  coming  to  the 
southern  part  of  the  state  he  became  interested  in 
the  prospects  held  out  to  the  ambitious  man  in 
Long  Beach,  and  accordingly  he  left  the  electric 
company  and  came  to  this  city,  where  he  has 
since  remained.  Although  it  had  but  eighteen 
hundred  people  when  he  first  located  here  he  be- 
gan investing  his  means  in  property,  giving 
much  of  his  time  to  real  estate.  His  home  is  lo- 
cated at  No.  803  Cedar  street,  and  is  presided 
over  by  his  wife,  formerly  Dora  M.  Welch,  a 
native  of  New  York,  and  a  granddaughter  of 
ex-Senator  Arnold,  of  that  state.  In  politics  Mr. 
Clough  is  a  stanch  Republican  and  is  holding  his 


present  office  through  the  influence  of  this  party, 
he  being  the  first  incumbent  under  the  new  char- 
ter. He  has  charge  of  all  city  lighting  and  is 
supervisor  of  all  electric  wiring,  having  wired 
the  new  convention  hall.  He  has  been  a  frequent 
contributor  to  electrical  journals  on  high  poten- 
tial work  and  long  distance  transmission,  as 
well  as  street  railway  work,  and  is  an  honored 
member  of  the  American  Institute  of  Electrical 
Engineers.  Fraternally  Mr.  Clough  is  a  Mason, 
belonging  to  Genesee  Commandery,  K.  T.,  of 
Lockport,  N.  Y. ;  and  Ismalia  Temple,  A.  A.  O. 
N.  M.  S.,  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  He  is  also  identified 
with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
of  Lockport,  N.  Y. 


HOWARD  M.  CHERRY.  The  family  repre- 
sented by  the  supervisor  of  the  first  district  of 
San  Diego  county  descends  from  Scotch  pro- 
genitors and  long  has  been  identified  with 
American  history.  At  one  time  the  greater  part 
of  the  original  site  of  Altoona,  Pa.,  was  owned 
by  Anthony  Cherry,  who  carried  on  farm  pur- 
suits in  that  then  sparsely  settled  region  and  re- 
mained on  the  same  homestead  until  death. 
Among  the  children  of  this  pioneer  farmer  was 
a  son,  A.  D.,  who  was  born  and  reared  at  Al- 
toona and  for  a  time  during  early  life  held  a 
position  as  paymaster  with  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad  Company,  but  later  assisted  in  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Keystone  Bridge  Company  of 
Pittsburg  and  for  about  twenty-five  years  held 
the  office  of  secretary  in  that  important  corpora- 
tion. Since  his  retirement  from  business  activi- 
ties he  has  continued  to  make  his  home  in  Pitts- 
burg, where  he  holds  an  honored  position  as  a 
citizen  and  Master  Mason  and  also  as  a  Repub- 
lican takes  a  warm  interest  in  political  move- 
ments. In  his  native  county  of  Blair  he  met  and 
married  Miss  Lucinda  P.  Boyles,  daughter  of 
a  pioneer  of  that  locality  and  herself  a  native  of 
Blair  county,  but  deceased  in  Pittsburg. 

There  were  nine  children  in  the  family  of  A. 
D.  and  Lucinda  Cherry,  and  of  these  Howard 
M.  was  next  to  the  youngest  and  the  only  one  to 
settle  on  the  Pacific  coast.  At  the  family  home- 
stead in  Altoona,  Pa.,  he  was  born  June  6,  1859, 
but  from  the  age  of  eight  years  he  lived  in  Pitts- 
biu'g,  where  he  attended  the  grammar  and  high 
schools.  After  having  completed  his  education 
in  Shortridge  Academy,  Philadelphia,  he  returned 
to  Pittsburg,  and  began  his  business  career  as  a 
member  of  the  civil  engineering  corps  of  the  Key- 
stone Bridge  Company,  but  later  he  turned  his 
attention  to  taking  contracts  for  the  building  of 
street  railways.  With  J.  T.  Gordon  as  a  partner 
he  bought  a  controlling  interest  in  what  is  now 
the  Pittsburg  Traction  Company,  of  which  he 
acted  as  superintendent   for  five  years,  holding 


2244 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  position  for  almost  a  year  after  he  had  sold 
out  his  interest  in  the  corporation. 

Upon  resigning  his  position  as  superintendent 
Mr.  Cherry  came  to  San  Diego  county  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1887,  and  became  interested  in  the  nurs- 
ery business,  growing  citrus  stock  that  was 
shipped  from  Florida.  After  five  years  as  secre- 
tary and  manager  of  the  Sweetwater  Nursery 
Company  he  sold  out  and  turned  his  attention  to 
the  insurance  and  real-estate  business,  in  which 
he  still  continues  to  be  actively  engaged.  Dur- 
ing practically  the  entire  period  of  his  residence 
in  San  Diego  he  has  been  an  active  worker  in  the 
Republican  party,  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Union  League  Club  and  a  believer  in  the  pro- 
gressive policies  adopted  by  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  to  which  also  he  belongs.  His  first 
election  as  supervisor  occurred  in  1896,  when  he 
was  chosen  to  represent  the  first  district  upon 
the  county  board.  At  the  expiration  of  the 
term  in  1900  he  was  re-elected  and  four  years 
later  he  was  again  victorious  as  the  Republican 
nominee,  the  present  year  of  1906  being  his  ten 
consecutive  years  in  the  office  of  supervisor,  and 
during  one  term  he  was  honored  with  the  chair- 
manship of  the  board. 

While  making  his  home  in  Pittsburg  Mr. 
Cherry  there  married  Miss  Josephine  C.  Gordon, 
who  was  ix)rn  in  that  city,  being  a  daughter  of 
J.  T.  Gordon.  During  his  latter  days  Mr.  Gor- 
don was  a  resident  of  San  Diego  and  here  his 
death  occurred.  In  the  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cherry  there  are  four  daughters,  Alma,  Edna, 
Leila  and  Roma.  Fraternally  Mr.  Cherry  is 
identified  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  the 
Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  the 
Masonic  Order.  During  the  period  of  his  resi- 
dence in  Pennsylvania  he  was  made  a  Mason  in 
the  Davidge  lodge  at  Allegheny,  also  took  the 
Royal  Arch  degree  in  Allegheny  Chapter,  be- 
came a  Knight  Templar  in  Tancred  Comman- 
dery  at  Pittsburg,  and  after  coming  to  the  Pa- 
cific coast  became  affiliated  with  the  Nobles  of 
the  Mystic  Shrine  in  Al  Malaikah  Temple  at 
Los  Angeles. 


WILLIAM  STRONG  CALEY.  The  total 
area  of  forest  reservations  in  the  United  States 
includes  nearly  fifty  million  acres,  and  from  year 
to  year  the  government  is  adding  still  more  to 
this  vast  tract.  The  average  person  may  not 
know  or  appreciate  what  this  forethought  on  the 
part  of  the  government  in  the  matter  of  preserv- 
ing the  forests  means  to  us  as  individuals  and  as 
a  nation.  Not  only  do  the  forests  furnish  our 
timber  and  fuel  supply,  but  their  influence  on 
the  climate  and  the  waterflow  of  the  country  is  of 
inestimable  value,  nowhere  perhaps  more  keenly 
appreciated  than  in  our  western  states. 


Among  the  vast  number  of  men  required  to 
patrol  and  guard  the  forests  thus  set  aside  men- 
tion belongs  to  William  S.  Caley,  who  as  forest 
ranger  in  the  San  Bernardino  reserve  has  given 
the  government  faithful  and  conscientious  serv- 
ice for  over  five  }ears,  and  a  native  son  of  the 
state. 

Throughout  his  entire  life  Mr.  Caley  has  made 
his  home  in  the  vicinity  of  his  birthplace,  and 
attended  the  schools  of  San  Bernardino  during 
boyhood.  After  leaving  school  he  worked  at  any 
honorable  employment  that  could  be  found,  in- 
cluding farming  and  teaming.  It  was  while  en- 
gaged in  the  latter  pursuits  that  he  was  offered 
the  position  of  forest  ranger  and  August  6, 
1900,  he  entered  upon  his  new  duties.  He 
makes  his  home  in  Cajon  Pass,  about  eighteen 
miles  from  San  Bernardino,  on  Waterman  av- 
enue, occupying  one  of  the  rangers'  cabins.  As 
may  be  inferred  Mr.  Caley  is  unmarried.  Being 
of  a  quiet  disposition  he  is  reserved  in  his  man- 
ner and  has  never  taken  any  active  part  in  politics. 


BENNETT  J.  CARL.  As  an  example  of  one 
whose  interest  has  been  concentrated  in  mercan- 
tile enterprises  for  a  number  of  years  mention  is 
due  Bennett  J.  Carl,  who  as  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Atwater  &  Carl  is  interested  in  a  thriving 
grocery  at  the  corner  of  Third  and  Locust  streets. 
Long  Beach,  and  also  one  at  Alamitos  Beach,  at 
the  corner  of  Fourth  and  Almond  streets.  Busi- 
ness was  inaugurated  in  Long  Beach  January  15, 
1903,  under  the  firm  name  of  Wilson  •&  Carl, 
and  continued  under  this  title  for  nine  months, 
when  Mr.  Carl  disposed  of  his  interest  to  Mr. 
Atwater,  his  present  partner.  It  was  not  long 
before  Mr.  Carl  was  again  interested  in  the  firm, 
at  which  time  it  took  the  name  of  Atwater  & 
Carl,  its  present  title.  Small  quarters  sufficed 
for  their  modest  beginnings,  but  were  soon  out- 
grown by  the  steady  increase  of  business  until 
they  were  compelled  to  locate  in  their  present 
com.modious  buildings.  They  carry  a  complete 
line  of  groceries  and  provisions,  nothing  which 
the  market  affords  being  omitted  from  their 
stock. 

On  both  sides  of  the  family  Mr.  Carl  is  de- 
scended from  progenitors  noted  for  longevity, 
this  characteristic  being  especially  noticeable  on 
the  maternal  side,  the  grandparents  living  to  the 
advanced  age  of  one  hundred  and  three  years. 
Mr.  Carl's  mother  was  of  English  descent  and 
before  her  marriage  was  known  as  Sarah  Wing- 
ett.  She  too  lived  to  a  good  old  age.  dying  in 
1901,  when  in  her  eightieth  year.  James  Carl, 
the  father,  came  of  Irish  antecedents.  As  a  life 
calling  he  carried  on  farming  and  also  owned  and 
managed  a  grocery  in  Sylvania,  Ohio.  He  too 
lived  to  a  ripe  old  age,  at  the  time  of  his  death 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2245 


m  1897  having  reached  his  eighty-second  year. 
While  the  family  was  living  in  Fulton  county, 
Ohio,  Bennett  J.  Carl  was  born  in  Chesterfield 
township  July  24,  1862.  As  he  was  a  lad  of  only 
five  years  when  his  parents  removed  to  Lucas 
county  his  earliest  recollections  are  associated 
with  that  locality.  At  the  time  he  had  reached 
his  twentieth  year  he  had  graduated  from  the 
Sylvania  high  school,  had  a  good  knowledge  of 
farming  and  was  so  thoroughly  versed  in  the 
grocery  business  that  he  felt  competent  to  start 
in  it  independently,  having  received  his  training 
in  this  line  in  his  father's  store  in  Sylvania. 
Leaving  home  when  he  was  nineteen  years  old 
he  first  went  to  Omaha,  Neb.,  but  believing  that 
he  saw  better  prospects  for  advancement  in 
Washington,  established  himself  in  the  grocery 
business  in  Tekoa.  Some  time  later,  however,  in 
Lawrence,  Kans.,  he  opened  a  similar  business,  in 
addition  to  this  dealing  in  wholesale  produce. 
Five  years  of  hard  work  in  that  locality  had  re- 
sulted in  a  thriving  business,  but  he  gave  it  up 
in  1902  to  take  up  life  in  California,  whither  he 
was  drawn  on  account  of  the  evenness  of  the 
climate. 

While  a  resident  of  Kansas  Mr.  Carl  was  mar- 
ried to  Sadie  Eskridge,  a  native  of  that  state. 
While  in  that  state  he  also  joined  the  Indepen- 
dent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  is  still  a  mem- 
ber of  the  lodge  at  Lawrence,  besides  holding 
membership  in  the  camp  of  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America  at  Long  Beach.  Politically  he 
adheres  to  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party 
and  appropriates  every  opportunity  to  advance 
its  cause.  While  a  resident  of  Washington  he 
was  a  member  and  clerk  of  the  school  board  of 
Tekoa  for  seven  vears. 


JOHN  CAMPBELL.  Among  the  finest 
specimens  of  the  hardy  people  who  have  emi- 
grated from  Scotland  to  America  and  are  faith- 
fully meeting  all  of  the  requirements  demanded 
of  a  faithful  and  loyal  citizen  of  our  Republic,  is 
John  Campbell,  of  San  Diego,  who  is  a  son  of 
John  Campbell,  and  was  Ijorn  August  5.  1857, 
in  Markinch,  Fifeshire,  Scotland,  the  descendant 
of  a  family  of  prominence.  The  branch  of  the 
C.lencoe  clan  to  which  his  ancestors  belonged 
originated  in  the  highlands  of  Scotland,  which 
they  left  at  the  time  of  the  Reformation,  going 
to  the  lowlands  to  escape  from  the  religious  per- 
secution of  the  Catholics.  David  Campbell,  Mr. 
Campbell's  grandfather,  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
became  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian,  or  Free 
Church  of  Scotland.  He  was  a  man  of  great 
mental  and  physical  vigor,  and  attained  the  age 
of  ninety-six  years. 

P.'irn  in  Mark-inch,  countv  Fife,  Jnlm  Camp- 
bell. Sr.,  spent  his  entire  life  in  his  native  town. 


being  engaged  in  general  farming  and  slock 
raising.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  personality, 
much  respected  by  his  fellow-men,  and  was  an 
active  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He 
died  while  yet  in  manhood's  prime,  at  the  age  of 
forty-seven  years,  his  death  being  caused  by 
blood  poisoning.  He  married  Elizabeth  Boggie, 
who  spent  her  brief  life  of  thirty-five  years  in 
P'ifcshire.  She  belonged  to  one  ot  the  old  fami- 
lies of  that  county,  being  the  daughter  of  David 
Boggie,  a  prominent  farmer  and  miller.  She 
bore  her  husband  three  children,  two  sons  and 
one  daughter,  and  of  these  John,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  is  the  only  survivor. 

Brought  up  in  Fifeshire,  John  Campbell  at- 
tended the  common  schools  until  twelve  years 
old,  and  then  entered  Saint  Andrew's  Academy, 
where  he  completed  the  course  of  study.  After 
his  graduation  he  was  apprenticed  to  a  pattern- 
maker and  millwright  in  Markinch,  and  served 
for  three  years,  from  the  age  of  nineteen  until 
twenty-two.  The  following  eighteen  months  he 
worked  as  a  journeyman  in  Falkirk,  and  then 
returned  to  his  native  town.  The  following 
eighteen  months  he  was  foreman  of  a  gang  of 
men  in  Edinburgh,  Scotland.  Going  from  there 
to  England,  to  Newcastle-on-Tyne,  he  remained 
there  for  awhile,  and  as  foreman  assisted  in  the 
erection  of  the  Liberal  Club  Building,  and  was 
afterwards  a  resident  of  Manchester,  Eng.,  for 
six  years.  Emigrating  to  America  in  1881,  Mr. 
Campbell  located  in  San  Antonio,  Tex.,  as  a 
contractor  and  builder,  from  there  going  to 
Gainesville,  Tex.,  where  he  remained  four  years, 
being  successfully  employed  as  a  contractor  and 
as  the  operator  of  a  planing  mill. 

Coming  to  San  Diego  in  1886,  Mr.  Campbell 
worked  at  his  trade,  first  as  foreman  and  subse- 
quently as  contractor.  Turning  his  attention 
then  to  agriculture,  he  located. on  a  ranch,  pur- 
chasing one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  and 
began  the  culture  of  fruit,  setting  out  vines  and 
figs.  At  the  expiration  of  five  years  he  rented 
his  ranch  and  moved  back  to  San  Diego,  where, 
even  while  farming,  he  had  continued  to  some 
extent  his  work  as  a  contractor.  He  subsequently 
spent  a  year  as  a  contractor  in  Los  Angeles,  but 
since  that  time  has  been  a  resident  of  San  Diego, 
his  home  being  at  No.  389  Front  street.  In  addi- 
tion to  owning  his  home  estate  he  has  title  to 
other  residential  property  of  value,  and  still  owns 
his  ranch,  from  its  rental  deriving  a  good  annual 
income.  During  his  residence  here  Mr.  Camp- 
bell has  built  manv  of  the  handsome  residences 
of  the  city,  and  some  of  its  largest  and  most 
prominent  buildings,  including  among  others  the 
American  National  Bank,  the  Pickwick  Theatre, 
the  Shiw  Buildin!7.  the  Arnold  Block,  the  Kneale 
Flats. 

Mr.  Campbell  marriei!,  in   Scotland.  Elizabeth 


2246 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Chalmers,  the  daughter  of  David  Chahners,  the 
representative  of  an  old  and  honored  family. 
Her  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Jessie  Rob- 
inson, was  born  in  Perthshire,  Scotland,  the 
daughter  of  William  Robinson,  who  was  de- 
scended from  Cowper  Angus.  Of  the  union  of 
]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Campbell  si.x  children  have  been 
born,  namely:  John  C,  a  contractor;  Jessie, 
Mrs.  Reed,  of  San  Diego;  David,  foreman  for 
the  Los  Angeles  Automobile  Company ;  George, 
a  bookkeeper ;  Roy  ;  and  Elizabeth.  Mr.  Camp- 
bell belongs  to  the  San  Diego  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, and  to  the  Master  Carpenters'  Associa- 
tion. Politically  he  is  identified  with  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  has  served  for  three  years 
as  school  trustee,  is  now  a  member  of  the  San 
Diego  Board  of  Education,  and  in  both  capaci- 
ties is  chairman  of  the  building  committee.  One 
term  he  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Delegates. 
Fraternally  he  was  made  a  ]\Iason  in  Gainesville, 
Tex.,  and  is  now  a  member  of  Silver  Gate  Lodge 
No.  296.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  is  also  identified  with 
the  Foresters  of  America,  of  which  he  is  past 
chief  ranger  and  past  deputy  chief. 


THEOPHILE  CORBEIL.  The  enterprising 
characteristics  of  the  French  people  usually  bring 
them  a  fair  degree  of  success  in  whatever  locality 
their  efforts  centralize.  Especially  is  this  the 
case  when  they  settle  in  a  climate  where  Nature 
proves  a  kindly  friend.  Given  the  opportunities 
afforded  by  California  and  the  energy  and  enter- 
prise of  the  French  race,  and  a  prosperous  com- 
munity is  always  established.  In  the  list  of 
French  residents  of  Los  Angeles  county  Mr. 
Corbeil  ranks  among  those  who  have  met  with 
commendable  success  as  a  horticulturist,  and  al- 
though his  ranch  lies  five  miles  from  Pomona, 
he  has  always  made  his  home  in  town,  owning  a 
fine  residence  at  No.  140  Newman  street. 

In  the  department  of  France  known  as  Hautes- 
Alpes  Theophile  Corbeil  was  born  May  10,  1859, 
the  son  of  Jacques  and  Delphina  (Albert)  Cor- 
beil, they,  too,  being  natives  of  France.  All  of 
the  four  children  born  to  the  parents  are  still 
living,  Ferdinand  and  Honine,  both  in  France, 
although  the  former  was  at  one  time  a  stock  man 
in  Nevada,  wlierc  Jacques,  the  voungest  son,  is 
following  the  same  business.  The  eldest  of  the 
family,  Theophile,  was  brought  up  on  the  home- 
stead farm  in  France,  thus  receiving  a  practical 
training  in  agriculture,  which  in  the  main  he  has 
followed  throughout  the  greater  part  of  his  life. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  a  respite  from 
farm  duties  for  service  in  the  army  of  his  country 
brought  a  complete  change  of  thought  and  scene 
into  his  life.  As  a  member  of  the  Thirtieth  Regi- 
ment. Fourth  Company.  Fourth  T.attalion.  he 
served  for  four  years  and  one  month,  and  after 


his  discharge  from  the  service  he  returned  to  the 
old  homestead  and  resumed  his  former  life  on 
the  farm.  After  continuing  this  for  about  three 
years  he  became  imbued  with  a  desire  to  come 
to  the  new  world,  and  in  1887  he  carried  out  his 
plans.  Coming  direct  to  Pomona,  Cal.,  he  at 
once  found  a  position  with  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad  Company,  with  whom  he  remained  for 
over  eight  years,  when  a  desire  to  become  a  land 
owner  and  share  in  the  agricultural  prosperity 
everywhere  about  him  led  to  the  purchase  of  a 
ranch  near  Chino,  San  Bernardino  county.  This 
he  set  out  to  a  deciduous  orchard  and  vineyard, 
and  also  purchased  and  improved  a  ten-acre 
ranch  five  miles  from  Pomona,  and  during  the 
entire  twenty  years  of  his  residence  in  California 
he  has  made  his  home  in  town,  having  a  fine  resi- 
dence on  Newman  street,  which  he  erected  to 
conform  with  his  own  ideas  of  convenience  and 
comfort. 

Mr.  Corbeil's  marriage,  December  3,  1885, 
united  him  with  Miss  Rosalie  Sarrgen,  she,  too, 
being  a  native  of  Hautes-Alpes,  and  the  daugh- 
ter of  August  and  Marie  (Echain)  Sarrgen,  also 
natives  of  France.  Eight  of  the  nine  children 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sarrgen  are  still  living. 
Four  children  have  been  born  into  the  home  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Corbeil,  Dennie,  Sylvan.  Theo- 
phile and  Fred,  all  of  whom  are  at  home.  The 
family  are  communicants  of  St.  Joseph's  Catholic 
Church  of  Pomona,  and  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cor- 
beil are  well  thought  of  in  the  community  where 
they  have  resided  for  the  past  two  decades. 


HARRY  M.  A.  ELMS.  Since  his  ninth  year 
Harry  M.  A.  Elms  has  lived  in  Southern  Cali- 
fornia, and  for  more  than  twenty  years  has  been 
interested  in  the  development  of  Catalina,  where 
he  has  permanently  resided  since  1887,  and  was 
the  first  postmaster  at  Avalon.  He  now  has  large 
possessions  in  the  mines  at  Goldfield,  Nev.  The 
birth  of  Mr.  Elms  occurred  in  1866,  in  the  city 
of  London,  England,  the  son  of  Henry  and  Jane 
(Minto)  Elms.  The  father  was  born  in  Devon- 
shire and  followed  merchandising  in  London  until 
1875,  when  he  emigrated,  with  his  wife  and  three 
children,  to  California,  and  engaged  in  horticult- 
ure and  farming  on  the  Los  Angeles  river  in 
the  city,  where  he  still  lives  retired  from  active 
business  life.  The  mother  was  a  native  of  Lon- 
don and  her  death  occurred  in  Los  Angeles.  Two 
of  their  children  are  still  living,  James  being  a 
resident  of  Los  Angeles,  and  Harry  M.  A.,  the 
oldest  of  the  family,  of  Avalon. 

As  a  boy  Mr.  Elms  attended  the  public  schools 
in  Los  Angeles,  and  when  he  became  of  an  age 
to  start  on  an  independent  business  career  he 
went  to  Pasadena  and  learned  the  carpenter  trade 
and  plied  it  until  1884,  when  he  began  to  spend 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2247 


his  summers  at  Avalon.  In  1887  I'ls  located  at 
that  place  permanentl}-,  built  a  store  and  estab- 
lished a  merchandising  business,  and  having  been 
appointed  as  tlie  first  postmaster  of  the  place,  he 
fitted  a  part  of  the  store  as  a  postoffice  and  at- 
tended to  his  duties  in  connection  with  his  busi- 
ness. He  continued  thus  for  four  years,  then 
disposed  of  the  store  and  resigned  the  post- 
mastership  to  engage  in  boating.  He  built  the 
gasoline  launch  Mildred,  and  operated  it  until 
1904,  still  retaining  the  ownership  of  the  craft, 
however.  In  1904  he  went  to  Goldfield  and  en- 
gaged in  mine  prospecting,  locating  claims  and 
selling  them  and  acquiring  interests  in  many  of 
the  large  properties  there,  among  his  holdings  be- 
ing stock  in  the  Dromedary  Hump  at  Fairview, 
the  Great  Bend  and  Great  Bend  Extension  at 
Goldfield,  the  Manhattan  Consolidated  Extension 
of  ]\Ianhattan.  and  the  Bullfrog  Annex  at  Bull- 
frog. Mr.  Elms  now  divides  his  time  between 
Avalon  and  Goldfield.  spending  his  summers  at 
the  former  place  and  the  winters  at  the  latter. 
He  holds  membership  in  the  Goldfield  Mining 
Stock  Exchange  and  is  recognized  as  a  man  well 
posted  on  mines  and  their  values.  By  his  mar- 
riage in  Pasadena  he  was  united  with  Miss  Annie 
M.  Gifford,  a  native  of  New  York  state,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  one  child,  Shirley.  Fra- 
ternally Mr.  Elms  is  a  member  of  the  Royal  Ar- 
canum. 


bara  county,  July  26,  1863,  and  educated  in  the 
grammar  school  of  Santa  Barbara.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Flores  are  the  parents  of  five  children:  Annie, 
wife  of  Chester  Calvert ;  Rosa ;  Ernest ;  Orestus ; 
and  Clorinea.  Mr.  Mores  is  a  Democrat  in  poli- 
tics, and  a  member  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church. 


ABRAHAM  FLORES,  who  was  born  in 
Santa  Barbara  county,  March  16,  i860,  has  for 
the  past  nine  years  been  the  owner  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land  near  Santa  Maria. 
He  was  reared  among  humble  surroundings,  and 
is  one  of  a  family  of  thirteen  children,  five  of 
whom  are  living.  His  father,  Juan  Flores,  was 
born  in  Chili,  South  America,  and  when  quite 
young  skirted  the  western  coast  in  a  sailing  ves- 
sel up  to  California,  where  he  engaged  in  busi- 
ness in  Los  Alamos,  Santa  Barbara  county,  for 
many  years.  He  attained  to  sixty-one  years  of 
age,  while  his  wife,  formerly  Dora  Valenzuela,  a 
native  of  California,  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-two. 

It  became  the  imperative  duty  of  Abraham 
Flores  to  assist  with  the  family  maintenance  at 
a  very  early  age,  and  his  youth  was  crowded 
with  hardship  and  responsibility,  while  the  other 
boys  of  his  neighborhood  were  attending  school 
and  cnjo\ing  the  diversions  of  the  community. 
In  time  he  sought  a  livelihood  with  other 
ranchers  of  the  county,  and  for  fifteen  years  re- 
mained a  plodding  and  altogether  dependable  em- 
ploye. His  reward  was  the  ranch  which  he  now 
occupies,  where  ho  is  engaged  in  the  raising  of 
stock,  grain  and  beans. 

Before  her  marriage  in  1884,  Mrs.  Flores  was 
Susan   Sturgeon,  who  was  born  in   Santa  Bar- 


JOSEPH  FOSTER.  Not  only  in  the  vicinity 
of  Foster,  which  forms  the  present  terminus  of 
ihe  Cuyamaca  Railroad  and  which  received  its 
name  from  him,  but  also  in  his  home  city  of  San 
Diego  and  throughout  all  that  portion  of  San 
Diego  county  where  are  centered  his  stage-line 
and  ranching  interests,  Mr.  Foster  occupies  a 
leading  position  as  a  capable  agriculturist,  pro- 
gressive business  man  and  trustworthy  citizen.  A 
native  of  the  state  which  has  been  his  Hfelong 
home,  he  was  born  in  Sacramento,  August  15, 
1856,  and  came  to  San  Diego  November  24,  1868, 
since  which  time  he  has  been  identified  with  the 
development  of  this  region.  The  first  step  which 
he  took  toward  independence  was  in  the  purchase 
of  a  tract  of  ranch  land  in  1880,  and  afterward 
he  gave  close  attention  to  the  improving  of  the 
property,  which  he  still  owns.  The  land  lies  near 
the  station  of  Foster  and  offers  excellent  advan- 
tages for  the  raising  of  stock,  in  which  industry 
he  has  as  a  partner  Hon.  Frank  P.  Frary,  former 
mayor  of  San  Diego.  In  1888  the  two  became 
associated  in  the  establishing  of  a  stage  line  from 
San  Diego  to  Julian  and  from  El  Cajon  to  Stone- 
wall ;  in  the  operation  of  the  line  they  continued 
together  for  ten  years,  and  then  Mr.  Foster  pur- 
chased his  partner's  interest,  afterward  conduct- 
ing the  business  alone.  At  this  writing  he  runs  a 
stage,  daily  except  Sunday,  from  Foster  to  Julian 
and  Banner,  using  a  four-horse  team  and  taking 
twenty  horses  for  the  entire  trip. 

Upon  the  resignation  of  James  A.  Jasper  as 
supervisor  of  the  third  district  Governor  Pardee 
appointed  Mr.  Foster  to  the  position  February  5, 
1906,  and  he  has  since  served  in  that  capacity 
with  characteristic  fidelity  and  intelligence. 
While  in  politics  he  favors  Republican  principles, 
in  local  matters  he  sinks  partisanship  beneath 
citizenship,  and  strives  to  promote  only  such 
measures  as  will  benefit  permanently  the  county 
to  whose  welfare  he  is  so  deeply  devoted.  By 
membership  in  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  he  also 
has  been  influential  in  promoting  local  business 
prosperity.  By  his  marriage  he  became  allied 
with  an  old  and  honored  family  of  his  county,  his 
father-in-law,  Joseph  Swycaflfer,  having  been  one 
of  the  oldest  citizens  and  most  interesting  per- 
sonalities of  the  county.  In  Bellona,  San  Diego 
county,  Mr.  Foster  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Martha  Swycaffer,  a  native  of  old  San 
Diego.      Two   children   lilc^s    their   luiion.      Tine 


2248 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


son,  Arthur  M.,  superintends  the  ranch  at  Foster, 
and  the  daughter,  Mrs.  Lula  McKenzie,  resides 
at  La  Jolla. 

Ever  since  his  initiation  into  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  in  1883  Mr.  Foster  has 
been  a  leading  worker  in  that  organization,  in 
lodge,  encampment  and  canton.  Besides  being 
past  grand  of  San  Diego  Lodge  No.  153,  and  a 
past  officer  of  Centennial  Encampment  No.  58, 
he  served  in  1900  as  grand  patriarch  of  the 
Grand  Encampment  of  California  and  in  1901 
and  1902  was  chosen  representative  to  the  Sov- 
ereign Grand  Lodge  at  Indianapolis  and  Des 
Moines  respectively. 


GEORGE  HANNA.  It  is  doubtful  if  any 
resident  of  Hollywood  is  identified  with  more 
business  interests  than  Mr.  Hanna,  his  capacity 
and  versatility  well  fitting  him  to  be  a  leader  in 
large  undertakings.  As  early  as  1895  he  with 
others  organized  the  West  Los  Angeles  Water 
Company.  One  of  the  most  wide-reaching  de- 
velopments undertaken  by  this  company  was  the 
securing  of  water  in  the  Fernando  valley,  not 
only  furnishing  Hollywood  with  a  free  supply, 
but  also  securing  water  for  all  parts  of  the  valley. 
During  the  latter  part  of  1895  it  was  reorganized 
as  a  private  company,  of  which  Mr.  Hanna  was  a 
stockholder  and  the  manager  up  to  August  i, 
1905,  when  he  sold  his  stock  and  interest  in  the 
company.  This  has  since  been  reorganized  and 
is  now  known  as  the  Union  Hollywood  Water 
Company.  Another  interest  which  has  profited 
by  Mr.  Hanna's  superior  knowledge  and  experi- 
ence is  the  Security  Land  and  Loan  Company  of 
the  San  Joaquin  Valley.  The  company  own  about 
three  thousand  acres  in  the  valley  which  has 
been  subdivided  and  sold  to  settlers  for  farming 
purposes.  The  company  is  capitalized  at  $1,250.- 
000.  A  number  of  towns  have  sprung  into  be- 
ing throughout  the  tract,  the  largest  and  most  im- 
portant of  which  is  Corcoran,  in  Kings  county. 

George  Hanna  is  a  native  of  the  east  and  can 
trace  his  ancestry  back  many  generations ;  he 
was  born  in  Salem,  Washington  county,  N.  Y.. 
and  is  a  son  of  Robert  and  Mary  Ann 
(Rea)  Hanna,  the  date  of  his  birth  being  De- 
cember 18,  1845.  When  he  was  a  lad  of  about 
nine  years  his  parents  migrated  to  the  Mississippi 
valley,  settling  in  Aurora.  111.,  where  he  attended 
the  public  schools.  Upon  reaching  mature  years 
he  became  associated  in  business  with  his  brother, 
the  two  carrying  on  a  general  store  under  the 
name  of  Hanna  Brothers  for  a  number  of  years, 
and  after  the  partnership  was  dissolved  GeOrge 
Hanna  carried  it  on  alone  for  five  years.  The 
termination  of  this  enterprise  was  followed  by 
his  removal  to  the  west,  where  he  has  found  ti 
rich  field  for  the  exercise  of  his  mam  cnoaliilitics. 


It  was  in  September  of  1887  that  he  first  viewed 
Los  Angeles,  seeing  at  a  glance  its  future  possi- 
bilities and  at  the  same  time  deciding  to  remain 
and  benefit  by  its  prosperity.  His  first  undertak- 
ing was  the  purchase  of  twenty  acres  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Vernon  and  South  Park  avenues,  five 
acres  being  set  out  to  oranges,  five  to  peaches 
and  the  remaining  ten  acres  in  walnuts.  After 
holding  this  tract  for  five  years  he  sold  ten  acres 
to  the  owners  of  the  Ashton  avenue  home  tract, 
and  disposed  of  the  remaining  ten  acres  to  the 
Huntington  Land  Company.  The  same  insight 
mto  values  and  possibilities  which  prompted  and 
carried  to  a  successful  completion  his  first  un- 
dertaking proved  an  index  to  his  later  efforts,  for 
whatever  lie  attempts  he  brings  to  a  successful 
issue. 

While  still  a  resident  of  lUinois  Mr.  Hanna 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Julia  Mandigo, 
the  ceremony  being  performed  at  the  home  of  the 
bride  on  Christmas  day  of  1872.  Two  children 
have  been  born  to  IMr.  and  Mrs.  Hanna,  the  eld- 
est, Rea,  being  vice-consul  to  Amoy,  China, 
while  the  daughter,  Pauline,  is  still  at  home  with 
her  parents,  whose  residence  on  Prospect  avenue 
is  one  of  the  most  handsome  structures  in  Holly- 
wood. Mr.  Hanna  purchased  it  before  it  was 
tompleted  and  finished  it  according  to  his  own 
tastes  and  ideas.  The  family  attend  the  Congre- 
gational Church  of  Hollywood,  and  fraternally 
Mr.  Hanna  belongs  to  Hollywood  Lodge  No. 
355,  F.  &  A.  M. 

As  yet  no  mention  has  been  made  of  Mr. 
Hanna's  mining  interests,  which  though  not  as 
varied  and  numerous  as  his  other  interests  are 
still  important.  The  Bull  Frog  Mining  and  Mill- 
ing Company,  in  which  he  is  a  stockholder,  is 
capitalized  at  $2,000,000.  The  company  are  the 
owners  of  the  Bonnie  Clare  mine,  an  excellent 
producer,  but  as  yet  the  railroad  facilities  are  de- 
ficient. Mr.  Hanna  also  owns  mining  interests  in 
other  parts  of  the  country,  and  in  fact  his  name  is 
associated  with  almost  every  enterprise  which 
has  been  promulgated  in  this  section  of  the  state 
for  the  past  decade. 


JOSEPH  DAVID  GILBERT.  Yet  another 
of  the  pioneer  settlers  who  came  to  San  Bernar- 
dino in  the  days  of  its  infancy  and  shared  its  vi- 
cissitudes for  over  half  a  century  was  the  late 
Joseph  D.  Gilbert.  His  death,  which  occurred 
August  19,  1905,  was  counted  a  public  loss,  for  in 
the  fifty-one  years  that  he  lived  in  this  city  he 
had  formed  rnany  deep  and  lasting  friendships. 
His  widow  still  makes  her  home  on  the  property 
which  he  bought  upon  coming  to  the  state,  which 
has  since  been  platted  and  is  now  known  as  Gil- 
bert street,  so  named  in  honor  of  this  pioneer  set- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2249 


A  native  of  the  east,  Mr.  Gilbert  was  born  in 
Cayuga  county,  N.  Y.,  Mav  20,  1828.  Until  he 
was  twelve  years  of  age  he  was  a  student  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  town,  after  which 
he  became  an  apprentice  under  his  father,  who 
was  a  shoemaker  by  trade.  The  newly  acquired 
business  was  not  altogether  to  his  liking,  how- 
ever, but  nevertheless  he  continued  to  follow  it 
until  he  became  of  age,  at  that  time  taking  up 
farming  as  a  business  more  to  his  taste.  It  was 
about  this  time  also  that  the  family  removed  to 
the  Mississippi  valley,  settling  in  Iowa,  but  a  few 
years  later,  in  1852,  they  removed  still  further 
west,  going  to  Salt  Lake  City.  Upon  coming  to 
San  Bernardino  two  years  later  Joseph  D.  Gilbert 
bought  one  hundred  and  forty-nine  acres  of  wild 
land,  little  thinking  that  the  town  would  grow  up 
about  him.  After  building  a  comfortable  resi- 
dence for  his  family  he  added  a  barn  and  other 
buildings  and  otherwise  improved  the  property 
until  it  ranked  with  the  best  in  the  vicinity.  From 
time  to  time  he  sold  off  portions  of  it  until  of 
late  years  he  had  only  twelve  and  a  half  acres. 
Here  the  widow  lives  alone,  for  all  of  her  chil- 
dren are  married  and  in  homes  of  their  own. 

While  a  resident  of  Utah,  January  8,  1854,  Mr. 
Gilbert  was  united  in  marriage  with  Margaret 
M.  Barney,  who  was  born  in  Logan  county,  111., 
and  is  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Deborah  (Rip- 
ple) Barney.  From  the  age  of  ten  years  her  life 
was  associated  with  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  her 
parents  making  their  home  there  from  1844  until 
1852,  during  the  latter  year  settling  in  Utah. 
Five  children  blessed  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Gilbert,  all  of  whom  are  married  and  resi- 
dents of  the  state.  Joseph  D.,  Jr.,  is  a  gardener 
and  nurseryman  in  Los  Angeles ;  Ellen  is  the 
wife  of  Frank  Mecham.  a  well-driller  and  farm- 
er, and  they  make  their  home  in  San  Bernardino 
just  east  of  the  Gilbert  homestead  ;  Emeline,  Mrs. 
Oscar  Weist,  lives  in  San  Bernardino,  on  C 
street ;  Anna,  who  is  the  wife  of  Edwin  Pine, 
lives  in  Rincon,  Riverside  county ;  and  Hattie, 
Mrs.  L.  E.  Veroney,  resides  in  Los  Angeles. 


DANIEL  S.  HAY^'VARD.  Glen  Doon  orange 
grove,  situated  twelve  miles  southeast  of  River- 
side, bears  a  reputation  as  one  of  the  finest  groves 
of  its  kind  in  the  entire  state  of  California.  It  is 
said  that  oranges  grown  in  this  locality  are  pre- 
ferred to  those  grown  on  lower  levels,  and  the 
owner  of  the  grove,  Daniel  S.  Hayward.  is  firm 
in  the  belief  that  no  finer  oranges  are  shipped 
from  any  point  in  the  United  States  than  those 
which  go  from  his  packing  house  to  the  eastern 
markets.  On  the  land  he  has  three  thousand 
three  hundred  and  fifty-three  trees  of  the  Wash- 
ington navel  variety.  Irrigation  for  the  grove  is 
secured  by  means  of  water  pumped  into  a  tank 

112 


of  five  thousand  gallons  capacity,  from  which  it 
IS  turned  between  the  trees  as  needed. 

Mr.  Hayward  spends  his  summers  in  Minne- 
sota, where  he  is  owner  and  proprietor  of  the 
Grand  Central  hotel  at  St.  Cloud.  He  is  a  native 
of  Alaine  and  was  born  at  Bangor  April  28,  1854, 
being  a  son  of  Josiah  E.  and  Mary  (Gray)  Hay- 
ward, natives  respectively  of  Nova  Scotia  and 
Maine.  During  the  year  1857  ''''^  family  re- 
moved to  Minnesota,  where  the  father  followed 
farm  pursuits  and  engaged  in  the  lumber  indus- 
try. Eventually  he  turned  his  attention  in  1863 
to  the  hotel  business,  buying  a  hotel  property  at 
St.  Cloud,  Minn.,  and  for  years  sustaining  a  rep- 
utation for  successful  work  in  the  occupation. 
He  died  at  St.  Cloud  March  13,  1895,  aged  six- 
ty-nine years.  His  widow  survives  and  makes 
her  home  at  the  Minnesota  residence  of  her  son, 
Daniel  S. 

Daniel  S.  Hayward  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  in  the  State  University  of  Minne- 
sota. At  the  age  of  twenty-six  years  he  turned 
his  attention  to  the  logging  industry ;  a  year  later 
embarking  in  the  wheat  business.  In  1892  he 
took  charge  of  his  father's  hotel,  the  Grand  Cen- 
tral at  St.  Cloud,  which  he  still  superintends, 
giving  it  personal  attention  during  the  summer 
months.  In  Minnesota  he  established  domestic 
ties  through  his  marriage,  October  15,  1889.  to 
Martha  Patock,  a  native  of  Illinois.  Their  four 
children  are,  Josiah  E.,  Laura  Ellen,  Daniel,  Jr., 
and  Martha  Mary.  In  fraternal  relations  Mr. 
Havward  holds  membership  with  the  Benevolent 
Protective  Order  of  Elks  at  St.  Cloud,  No.  516, 
also  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows 
and  Hiawatha  Tribe  of  Red  Men  in  the  same 
cit\". 


ISAAC  L.  HALL  made  his  first  trip  overland 
to  California  in  1852.  Spending  nearly  two  years 
in  the  mines  in  the  northern  part  of  the  state,  he 
then  returned  to  the  east  by  water  route.  Land- 
ing in  New  York,  he  immediately  went  to  Illinois, 
where  he  married.  In  1857,  0"^  year  after  the 
birth  of  their  first  child,  with  his  family  he  again 
crossed  the  plains  with  ox  team.  Mr.  Hall  was 
born  January  31,  1831,  in  Fulton  county,  N.  Y., 
the  son  of  Ira  B.  and  Elsie  (Shepard)  Hall,  who 
removed  with  their  family  to  Illinois  in  1844,  and 
in  the  public  schools  of  this  state  the  son  received 
his  education.  The  father  engaged  in  farming  in 
Illinois  for  several  years,  then  settled  in  Iowa, 
where  the  death  of  both  parents  occurred. 

Upon  his  arrival  in  California  the  second  time 
]\Ir.  Hall  located  in  Plumas  county  and  engaged 
in  farming.  He  secured  his  first  land  from  the 
government  and  gradually  added  to  his  holdings 
ijy  purchase  until  he  had  in  all  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres.    He  improved  the  land  in  every  way. 


2250 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


building"  houses  and  barns,  engaging  in  the  rais- 
ing of  grain,  hay  and  cattle.  Oroville,  ninety 
miles  distant,  was  in  those  early  days  the  nearest 
trading  town,  the  supplies  being  carried  to  and 
from  the  ranch  by  mule  train.  The  first  wheat 
brought  into  Plumas  county  was  delivered  there 
by  Mr.  Hall,  who  raised  it  in  the  Sacramento  val- 
ley. After  residing  on  this  ranch  in  Plumas 
county  for  thirty-nine  years  he  removed  to  Avon, 
Wash.,  where  he  engaged  in  a  general  merchan- 
dising business  until  1899.  Next  he  resolved  to 
make  Southern  California  his  home,  and  coming 
to  the  Perris  valley  purchased  the  ten-acre  ranch 
upon  which  he  now  resides,  securing  his  princi- 
pal income  therefrom  by  raising  Leghorn  chick- 
ens. 

His  marriage  in  1855  united  him  with  Cor- 
delia, daughter  of  Edwin  and  Sarah  (Hill)  Lee, 
of  Canada.  During  the  Patriot  war  her  father 
enlisted  on  the  Canadian  side,  his  death  occur- 
ring some  time  later  at  Chatham  Barracks.  He 
was  a  brother  of  General  Robert  E.  Lee.  After 
his  death  Mrs.  Lee  and  family  removed  to  Buf- 
falo, N.  Y.,  thence  to  Illinois.  There  were  in 
their  family  seven  children:  Howard  lives  with 
his  parents ;  Elsie  died  at  the  age  of  eight  years ; 
Amelia  became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Martin  and  now 
resides  on  a  ranch  joining  that  of  her  father; 
John  is  a  merchant  in  Avon,  Wash. ;  Warren,  of 
Perris  valley,  Joseph  is  a  farmer  in  Washing- 
ton ;  Mary  died  in  Washington  when  twenty-four 
years  old.  Mrs.  Hall's  death  occurred  in  Perris 
November,  1903,  she  having  attained  the  age  of 
sixty  years. 

Mr.  Hall  may  be  pardoned  for  taking  consid- 
erable pride  in  his  family.  Politically  he  is  a 
stanch  advocate  of  the  principles  embraced  in  the 
platform  of  the  Republican  party,  and  he  has  al- 
ways taken  an  active  interest  in  all  matters  con- 
cerning the  public  welfare.  While  residing  in 
Plumas  county  he  served  as  a  member  of  the 
board  of  school  trustees  and  was  also  at  one  time 
road  overseer.  As  a  man  who  has  lived  a  long 
life  with  honor  and  success  he  is  but  receiving  his 
just  dues  when  he  is  accorded  the  highest  esteem 
and  respect  of  his  fellow  citizens. 


JACOB  HANNA.  The  original  inception  of 
the  Rivera  Land  and  Water  Company  was  due 
principally  to  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Hanna,  who  be- 
came one  of  the  leading  spirits  in  securing  its  in- 
corporation and  since  has  acted  in  the  capacities 
of  manager  and  secretary  of  the  growing  enter- 
prise. Although  not  a  native  Californian  (his 
birthplace  having  been  in  Warren  county,  in  the 
state  of  Illinois),  he  has  been  a  resident  of  the 
west  since  childhood  and  by  his  progressiveness 
become  a  typical  representative  of  the  forces 
contributing  to   the   remarkable   development   of 


the  country.  After  having  remained  for  a  con- 
siderable period  in  the  Santa  Clara  valley,  he  was 
led  to  identify  himself  with  the  increasing  op- 
portunities of  Los  Angeles  county  and  for  more 
than  ten  years  he  has  made  Rivera  his  home, 
meanwhile  conducting  the  only  lumber  yard  in 
the  town,  also  carrying  on  a  hardware  business 
and  officiating  as  manager  of  the  company  pre- 
viously mentioned. 

The  establishment  of  the  Hanna  family  in 
California  dates  back  to  the  early  period  of  the 
settlement  of  this  state,  when  Hon.  William 
Hanna  came  to  the  west  by  way  of  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama.  A  native  of  Indiana  and  descended 
from  an  old  eastern  family,  he  had  spent  his  life 
in  the  Mississippi  valley  and  had  engaged  in 
various  commercial  activities.  After  settling  in 
Santa  Clara  county  he  became  extensively  inter- 
ested in  the  lumber  business  at  Gilroy  and  aided 
materially  in  the  development  of  that  town.  Pub- 
lic-spirited to  an  unusual  degree,  he  rendered  ef- 
ficient service  as  mayor  of  Gilroy  and  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  California  state  legislature,  to  which 
he.  was  elected  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  After  a 
busy  existence  covering  more  than  four  score 
years  he  passed  away  at  his  Santa  Clara  home. 
Early  in  his  manhood  he  had  married  Rebecca 
Creswell,  who  was  born  in  Ohio  and  died  in  Cal- 
ifornia in  1872,  leaving  a  family  of  six  children, 
who  attained  mature  years. 

During  the  spring  of  1863  Jacob  Hanna  ac- 
companied his  parents  from  Santa  Clara  county 
to  Los  Angeles,  where  during  the  following  sum- 
mer he  attended  a  public  school  held  in  a  small 
brick  building  on  the  corner  of  Spring  and  Sec- 
ond streets,  where  the  Bryson  block  now  stands. 
In  the  midst  of  surroundings  bearing  httle  prom- 
ise of  present  prosperity,  he  conned  the  lessons 
taught  in  the  text-books  of  that  day.  Mainly, 
however,  his  education  was  obtained  in  the  Gil- 
roy schools,  supplemented  by  a  course  in  a  com- 
mercial college  in  San  Francisco.  After  leaving 
school  he  became  an  assistant  to  his  father  in  the 
lumber  business  at  Gilroy.  Not  wholly  satisfied 
with  conditions  in  that  part  of  the  state,  he  de- 
cided to  avail  himself  of  the  opportunities  offered 
by  Southern  California,  and  therefore  during 
1894  came  to  Whittier.  For  eighteen  months  he 
was  employed  by  the  San  Pedro  Lumber  Com- 
pany, after  which  he  came  to  Rivera  as  manager 
of  tiie  lumber  business  still  imder  his  supervision. 
While  still  making  his  home  in  Santa  Clara 
county  he  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1879,  with 
Aliss  Clara  Ray,  daughter  of  Hon.  Thomas  Ray, 
of  Gilroy.  The  three  sons  born  of  their  union, 
Thomas  R.,  Walter  J.,  and  Samuel  C,  have  re- 
ceived exceptional  advantages,  including  attend- 
ance at  the  California  State  University.  Thom- 
as R.  Hanna  is  now  employed  by  the  United 
States  government  as  a  construction  engineer  in 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2251 


the  geodetic  survey,  and  Walter  J.  Hanna  makes 
his  headquarters  at  Toledo,  Ohio,  where  he  is 
connected  with  a  railroad  company. 


ALOXZCJ  E.  HORTON.  No  man  in  San 
Diego  occupies  a  more  prominent  place  than 
Alonzo  E.  Horton,  who  is  often  spoken  of  as  the 
father  of  the  city  where  he  has  lived  from  the 
pioneer  days  of  primitive  surroundings  to  the 
present,  replete  with  every  development  that  a 
progressive  civilization  affords  and  a  common- 
wealth as  great  as  California  can  boast.  Mr.  Hor- 
ton is  a  native  of  Connecticut,  where  he  was 
born  October  24,  1813,  a  son  of  Erastus  and  Try- 
phena  (Burleigh)  Horton;  both  were  natives  of 
Connecticut,  the  father  of  English  and  the  mother 
of  Scotch  ancestry  and  both  died  in  San  Diego, 
the  former  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years  and 
the  latter  at  eighty-five.  The  Horton  family 
came  originally  from  Leicestershire,  England, 
Barnabas,  son  of  Joseph,  emigrating  to  Hamp- 
ton, Mass.,  in  1635,  thence  going  in  1640  to 
New  Haven  and  in  October  of  the  same  year  to 
Southold,  Long  Island. 

When  two  years  of  age  Alonzo  E.  Horton  was 
taken  by  his  parents  to  the  state  of  New  York, 
locating  in  Stockbridge,  Madison  county,  and 
thence  four  years  later  removing  to  New  Haven, 
Oswego  county,  same  state.  His  first  teacher 
was  ]\Iiss  Patty  Woodward,  who  taught  in  the 
public  schoorof  that  place.  At  the  age  of  eleven 
years  the  family  removed  to  the  shore  of  Lake 
Ontario,  and  it  was  there  that  his  father  had  an 
illness  which  left  him  blind.  Thenceforward  he 
assisted  in  the  support  of  the  family  and  after  re- 
turning from  school,  which  was  two  miles  dis- 
tant, he  worked  at  basket  making.  He  was  next 
occupied  in  the  lumber  camps  of  that  vicinity, 
chopping  timber  for  the  demands  of  Oswego.  .\t 
the  age  of  twenty  years  he  began  to  clerk  in  a 
store,  later  was  a  lake  sailor  and  afterward  cap- 
tain of  the  \\'il(l  Goose,  between  Oswego  and 
Canada.  During  the  winter  of  1834-1835  he 
learned  the  cooper's  trade,  his  specialty  being 
flour  barrels.  He  had  early  assumed  a  place  in 
the  municipal  life  of  Oswego  and  about  this  time 
he  was  elected  constable  by  the  largest  majority 
ever  given  any  candidate  on  the  Whig  ticket. 
Upon  the  advice  of  a  physician,  who,  however, 
thought  him  incurably  ill  with  consumption,  he 
came  west,  and  in  1836  landed  in  Milwaukee, 
where  for  a  time  he  was  busily  engaged  in  mak- 
ing investments,  all  of  which  showed  his  keen 
judgment  and  business  ability.  He  finally  re- 
turned east  and  remained  until  1840,  when  he 
again  returned  to  the  middle  west  and  in  Oak- 
land, Wis.,  purchased  a  home,  to  which  town  his 
parents  removed  a  little  later.  Through  invest- 
ments in  cattle  in  Illinois  which  he  sold  in  Wis- 


consin, in  one  year  he  increased  his  capital  from 
$150  to  $4,000,  which  he  invested  in  land  war- 
rants in  St.  Louis  to  the  extent  of  fifteen  hun- 
dred acres,  where  was  afterward  located  the  vil- 
lage of  Hortonville,  Wis.  His  first  town  was 
buried  in  the  woods,  and  with  eight  men  he  cut 
a  four-mile  road  to  his  proposed  mill  site.  By 
the  time  he  had  lots  to  sell  he  was  sawing 
lumber  with  which  to  improve  them,  and  no 
proprietor  was  ever  more  liberal  than  Mr.  Hor- 
ton, who  cared  first  that  homes  should  be  built 
regardless  of  what  his  remuneration  was  to  be. 
In  a  vear  from  the  completion  of  the  mill  there 
were  one  hundred  and  fifty  people  living  in 
Hortonville  and  at  the  end  of  two  years  he  sold 
the  remaining  property  there  at  a  profit  of 
$7,188. 

The  first  trip  made  by  Mr.  Horton  to  Califor- 
nia was  in  1 85 1.  Unlike  his  experiences  in  other 
lines  of  activity  he  was  not  successful  in  mining, 
so  he  opened  a  store  at  Pilot  Hill  and  constructed 
a  ditch  six  and  one-half  miles  in  length  to  sup-  . 
ply  the  miners  with  water.  After  a  year  he  sold 
his  waterworks  and  other  interests  for  $6,500 
and  was  next  employed  with  the  Adams  Express 
Company  in  trading  in  gold  dust,  often  realiz- 
ing as  much  as  $30  a  day  in  commissions. 
Later  he  managed  this  business  for  himself  and 
continued  successful,  and  during,  this  time  also 
was  engaged  in  putting  up  ice  twenty-five  miles 
above  Georgetown,  this  venture  netting  him  for 
three  hundred  and  twelve  tons  $8,000.  In  March, 
1856,  he  took  passage  on  the  steamship  Cortez, 
bound  for  New  York  via  Panama.  After  the 
arrival  of  the  steamer  in  Panama  the  memorable 
uprising  of  the  natives  occurred,  and  had  it  not 
been  for  his  promptness  the  mob  would  have 
carried  out  their  plan.  Nearly  two  hundred  per- 
sons from  the  steamer  were  dining  at  the  hotel 
when  the  attack  took  place,  but  only  three  had 
firearms.  The  announcement  that  the  rioters 
were  coming  caused  a  stampede  from  the  table 
to  the  upper  rooms.  On  bursting  into  the  house 
the  ruffians  were  halted  at  the  stairway  by  Mr. 
Horton  and  his  aides,  and  a  few  effective  shots 
drove  the  assailants  into  the  streets.  Immediately 
a  reign  of  terror  began,  and  there  were  many 
who  owed  their  lives  to  Mr.  Horton's  steady 
aim  in  shooting  down  their  assailants.  His  cool- 
ness and  bold  action  succeeded  in  bringing  the 
passengers  together  in  safety  to  the  ship.  He 
had  lost  $10,000  but  had  the  gratification  of  hav- 
ing saved  many  lives.  On  their  arrival  in  New 
York  the  passengers  chose  Mr.  Horton  to  pro- 
ceed to  Washington  and  make  a  statement  of  the 
occurrentes  at  Panama  in  response  to  a  demand 
from  the  authorities  to  that  effect.  Accepting 
the  appointment  he  gave  his  time  to  a  settlement 
of  the  claims.  A  demand  for  reparation  was 
made  bv  the  United  States.     However,  his  own 


2252 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


claim  for  $10,000  was  strenuously  opposed  by 
the  government  of  New  Granada,  who  knew  the 
part  he  had  taken  in  resisting  the  attack  and  who 
wished  vengeance  for  the  lives  lost  among  his 
countrymen.  As  a  compromise  Mr.  Horton 
gave  up  his  claim  in  order  that  the  others  might 
be  paid  the  amount  of  their  losses. 

Starting  again  to  the  west  after  the  Civil  war, 
]Mr.  Horton  included  a  trip  to  British  Columbia 
and  engaged  in  mining  in  the  Caribou  district, 
but  not  meeting  with  success  gave  it  up  and 
went  on  to  San  Francisco  and  there  tried  various 
ways  of  retrieving  his  fortunes.  One  evening 
at  a  private  gathering  the  topic  for  discussion 
was  San  Diego,  the  value  of  its  harbor  and 
climate,  and  Mr.  Horton  at  once  became  inter- 
ested and  after  studying  over  the  matter  for  a 
brief  time  he  decided  to  locate  here.  Within 
three  days  his  store  was  closed  and  the  stock 
sold,  and  with  the  proceeds,  less  than  $500,  he 
set  out  for  the  south,  arriving  in  San  Diego 
April  6,  1867,  and  pleased  beyond  his  expecta- 
tions at  once  decided  to  invest  and  cast  in  his  lot 
permanently  with  those  who  were  seeking  the 
advancement  of  this  section. 

The  historv  of  Mr.  Horton's  early  experiences 
in  San  Diego  reads  like  a  romance  rather  than 
■as  a  chapter  from  real  life.  His  own  enthusiasm 
created  that  quality  in  others.  When  he  landed 
in  San  Diego  bay  on  the  steamer  Pacific,  which 
had  six  passengers  and  twenty-six  tons  of  freight, 
he  came  ashore  in  a  yawl  boat.  While  waiting 
for  a  conveyance  to  old  San  Diego  lie  walked 
to  the  place  where  the  courthouse  now  stands 
and  at  once  remarked  that  the  site  would  be 
unsurpassed  for  a  city.  Going  to  the  old  town 
he  found  that  the  six  hundred  or  more  acres  of 
level  land  could  be  bought  by  having  the  land 
put  up  and  sold  to  the  highest  bidder.  To  do 
this  it  was  necessarv  to  elect  a  board  of  trustees 
for  old  San  Diego  and  this  Mr.  Horton  accornp- 
lished  after  considerable  trouble  in  convincing 
the  people  that  regular  elections  were  necessary 
to  the  growth  and  stability  of  the  city.  This 
board  was  empowered  to  sell  city  lands  and  ac- 
cordinglv  the  property  was  legally  advertised 
and  sold.  A  deed  to  seven  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  was  made  at  twenty-six  cents  an  acre,  and 
the  only  bidder  was  I\Ir.' Horton.  this  being  aft- 
er he  had  secured  a  few  hundred  acres  at  rather 
large  bids.  He  then  had  possession  of  about  one 
thousand  acres  of  land,  and  the  work  of  advertis- 
ing the  new  citv  was  begun.  There  were  many 
wiio  predicted  failure  for  him  because  they  did 
not  understand  the  spirit  which  animated  his 
work — the  untiring  energy,  pluck  and  persever- 
ance, the  executive  ability  and  management  which 
characterized  his  every  effort,  and  through  these 
he  won  for  San  Diego  what  it  would  have  been 
manv  vears  in  securing  without  him.    His  labors 


were  untiring  from  the  time  he  measured  off 
lots  and  blocks  with  a  tape  line  and  laid  out  the 
streets  for  his  workmen  to  clear  from  cactus  and 
sage  brush  until  the  winter  of  1869-1870,  when 
his  sales  averaged  $15,000  a  month.  From  $3,000 
in  1867  his  receipts  increased  to  nearly  $85,000 
in  1869.  He  oft'ered  every  inducement  to  pros- 
pective home  builders,  giving  a  lot  to  any  man 
who  would  erect  a  building  12x16  feet  in  di- 
mensions, himself  investing  all  the  money  he  re- 
ceived in  improvements  to  the  town,  it  being  safe 
to  say  that  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  million 
dollars  of  his  own  means  went  into  the  making 
of  San  Diego.  He  built  the  Horton  House 
(which  was  completed  nine  months  after  begin- 
ning the  work  at  a  cost  of  $150,000)  and  also 
Horton's  Bank  Building,  he  becoming  president 
of  the  first  bank  established  in  the  town.  Indeed, 
there  was  no  matter  too  great  or  too  small  for 
him  to  aid  by  co-operation,  a  postoffice  being 
established  through  his  influence,  a  telegraph  line 
after  his  promise  to  back  it  financially,  and  a 
competing  steamship  line  to  reduce  the  price  of 
passenger  and  freight  traffic,  and  which  meant 
no  little  toward  bringing  settlers  to  the  new 
city.  In  securing  a  railroad  for  San  Diego  Mr. 
Horton  was  active,  going  to  Washington,  D.  C, 
when  he  wished  to  secure  the  passage  of  a  rail- 
road bill  in  Congress  for  the  Te.xas  Pacific,  and 
there  interviewed  Sunset  Cox.  member  of  Con- 
gress from  Ohio,  who  had  been  a  stanch  opponent 
to  the  bill.  j\Ir,  Cox  had  been  attorney  for  the 
Panama  men  who  had  sustained  a  loss  during 
the  riot,  and  Mr.  Horton  had  been  the  main  wit- 
ness in  secm"ing  damages  for  these  men,  costing 
the  Granada  government  over  $2,000,000.  and 
for  this  reason  he  felt  very  friendly  to  Mr.  Horton 
and  was  ready  to  listen  to  his  arguments.  Finally 
he  withdrew  his  opposition  to  the  bill,  which  was 
passed  with  the  amendment  that  fifty  miles  a 
year  were  to  be  built  east  from  San  Diego  and 
west  from  Fort  Yuma. 

Mr.  Horton  had  married  in  Wisconsin  Miss 
Sallv  Millington  Wright,  who  was  born  in  New 
York  and  died  in  Jefferson  county,  Wis.  His 
second  marriage  united  him  with  Miss  Sarah 
Wilson  Babe,  who  died  while  on  a  visit  to  the 
east.  His  present  wife  was  Lydia  M.  Knapp, 
a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  together  they  are 
rounding  out  the  years  of  a  well-spent  life  amid 
the  accomplished  efforts  of  one  of  California's 
most  honored  pioneers. 


EMMONS  E.  MARSHALL.  At  the  time 
Mr.  ^Marshall  located  in  Califomia  in  1873  the 
most  interesting  epoch  in  his  life  was  brought 
to  a  close,  for  all  who  have  followed  the  sea 
for  any  length  of  time  will  admit  that  the  con- 
stant shifting  of  scenery  and  varied  experiences 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2253 


of  sea  life  have  a  fascination  which  the  landsman 
can  never  know.  With  an  experience  of  several 
years  of  seafaring  to  his  credit  he  came  to  South- 
ern California  nearly  thirty-five  years  ago,  and 
in  the  mean  time  has  experienced  the  vicissitudes 
of  pioneer  life,  intermingled  with  hair-breadth 
escapes  from  the  wily  Indian's  tomahawk,  which 
at  the  time  were  exciting  in  the  extreme  and 
have  since  formed'  the  basis  for  many  an  even- 
ing's story. 

The  iMarshall  family  was  one  of  the  oldest  to 
settle  on  New  England  soil,  for  it  is  known  that 
the  immigrating  ancestor  established  the  family 
in  Dracut,  jNIass.,  in  1635,  and  succeeding 
generations  have  continued  to  add  luster  to  a 
name  already  well  known  in  the  jNIother  country. 
When  the  war  between  England  and  the  colonies 
disturbed  the  peace  of  both  countries  members 
of  the  Marshall  family  took  sides  with  the  colo- 
nists and  assisted  in  winning  their  independence. 
It  was  from  such  sturdy  stock  that  Horatio  N. 
Marshall  was  descended,  his  birth  occurring  in 
Newburyport,  Mass.,  where  throughout  his  life 
he  followed  his  trades  of  mason  and  builder. 
Of  his  marriage  with  Mary  A^arnham  a  number 
of  children  were  born,  but  only  three  grew  to 
maturity  and  only  two  are  now  living. 

Emmons  E.  Marshall  was  also  born  in  the 
locality  which  has  been  the  home  of  his  ancestors 
for  so  many  generations,  his  birth  occurring  in 
Lowell,  Mass.,  December  28,  1850,  and  he  was 
educated  in  the  public  and  high  schools  of  New- 
buryport. When  he  was  a  lad  of  fifteen  years 
old  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  become  self- 
supporting,  his  first  step  in  this  direction  being 
as  clerk  in  a  provision  store  in  Newburyport. 
From  there  he  went  to  Boston,  where  he  was 
employed  in  a  wholesale  and  retail  produce 
house.  It  was  while  in  the  employ  of  .the  latter 
company  that  he  was  enabled  from  time  to  time 
to  take  sea  voyages  to  the  various  ports  where  the 
company's  ships  sailed  for  goods  to  supply  their 
trade.  On  one  of  these  expeditions  the  vessel 
entered  port  at  St.  Johns,  Newfoundland,  and 
from  there  went  to  Liverpool,  after  which  the 
plan  was  to  go  to  East  Indies.  To  the  great 
disappointment  of  the  young  sailor  however  the 
route  was  changed,  and  instead  they  recrossed 
the  Atlantic  and  went  to  New  Orleans.  It  was 
in  1873  that  he  came  to  California  by  way  of 
Panama,  the  1x)at  on  which  he  sailed  casting 
anchor  in  the  harbor  of  San  Francisco.  As  he 
wished  to  come  to  the  southern  part  of  the  state 
he  boarded  another  boat  for  Santa  Barbara,  and 
from  there  came  by  stage  to  Los  Angeles.  The 
attraction  in  coming  hither  was  the  fact  that  he 
had  two  old  friend's  in  Lordsburg.  Buying  out 
an  apiary  which  had  been  established  by  a  set- 
tler he  engaged  in  bee  culture  in  Live  Oak  canon 
for  a  number  of  years,  an  enterprise  which  was 


broken  into  in  1878,  in  which  year  he  returned 
to  his  home  in  Rlassachusetts  for  a  visit  The 
following  year  he  resumed  the  work  which  had 
been  temporarily  discontinued  and  until  1880 
was  interested  in  bee  culture.  In  that  year  he 
went  to  Benson,  Ariz.,  carrying  on  a  meat  market 
there  for  one  year.  From  Arizona  he  went  to 
the  San  Samon  valley,  where  until  the  breaking 
up  of  camp  he  carried  on  a  freighting  business 
between  Galeyville  and  the  Cherokow  mountain 
mine.  Subsequently  he  was  similarly  engaged, 
freighting  supplies  to  Clifton,  Morenci  and  Globe, 
all  m  Arizona,  and  it  was  while  on  one  of  his  ex- 
peditions to  Morenci  that  five  men  who  were 
hauling  quartz  ore  for  the  same  company  were 
killed  by  the  Indians. 

It  was  in  1883  that  J\Ir.  Marshall  returned  to 
California  and  in  Los  Angeles  county  purchased 
forty  acres  of  land  near  what  is  now  Claremont. 
The  land  bore  little  or  no  improvement,  but  he  cul- 
tivated it  and  made  it  his  home  for  many  years, 
finally  selling  it  in  1903  as  an  addition  to  the 
town  of  Claremont.  In  the  meantime,  in  1886, 
he  entered  the  employ  of  Richard  Gird,  having 
charge  of  one  of  his  meat  markets  in  Pomona 
until  the  time  of  the  boom,  when,  as  did  many 
others,  he  went  into  the  real-estate  business. 
The  close  of  the  boom  again  found  him  in  Mr. 
Gird's  employ,  and  in  1892  he  purchased  one 
of  his  employer's  shops  and  has  since  retained 
the  business,  his  present  location  being  at  No. 
176  West  Second  street.  The  growth  of  the 
business  has  made  the  assistance  of  a  partner 
necessary,  and  under  the  firm  name  of  Marshall 
&  Beeks  a  flourishing  business  is  conducted.  His 
investments  in  real  estate  have  been  widely  made, 
and  included  among  other  properties  are  his  own 
residence   and  the  post-office   building. 

In  Pomona  Mr.  ^Marshall  was  married  to  Miss 
Eva  Borden,  a  native  of  Minnesota,  and  three 
children  have  brightened  their  home  life,  Edith, 
Horatio,  and  Jane.  ^Irs.  Marshall  is  a  devoted 
member  of  the  Congregational  Oiurch.  Politi- 
cally Mr.  Marshall  is  a  Republican. 


J.  J.  LASWELL.  As  an  industrious,  en- 
terprising and  progressive  man,  J.  J.  Laswell 
has  for  a  number  of  years  been  activelv  identi- 
fied with  the  leading  interests  of  San  Luis  Rey, 
and  is  a  worthy  representative  of  its  skilful  and 
prosperous  agriculturists.  A  son  of  the  late 
Uriah  Laswell,  he  was  born,  June  25,  1862,  in 
Rockcastle  county,  Ky.,  where  he  was  reared  and 
educated. 

.\  native  of  Kentucky,  Uriah  Laswell  was  born 
March  24,  1833.  A  farmer  from  choice,  he 
was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  in  his  na- 
tive state  for  many  years,  accumulating  some 
money.      Migrating   then    to    Missouri,   he   pur- 


2254 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


chased  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land 
on  the  Platte  river,  and  by  means  of  energetic 
toil  and  wise  management  improved  a  valuable 
ranch,  on  which  he  resided  until  his  death,  in 
1900.  A  man  of  strong  personality,  he  obtained 
a  position  of  influence  in  his  Missouri  home,  be- 
coming one  of  the  leading  Democrats  of  the  place, 
and  serving  for  some  time  as  county  clerk.  Fra- 
ternally he  was  a  Mason  and  both  he  and  his 
wife  were  members  of  the  Baptist  Church,  with 
which  they  united  when  young.  His  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Caroline  French,  spent  her 
entire  life  in  Kentuckv,  dying  at  a  comparatively 
early  age.  Of  the  eight  children  born  of  their 
umon,  seven  are  living,  one  son,  besides  J.  J., 
being  a  resident  of  California. 

Having  completed  his  early  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  Kentucky',  J.  J.  Laswell  as- 
sisted his  father  in  the  care 'of  the  home  ranch, 
obtaining  a  practical  knowledge  of  general  farm- 
ing and  horse  breeding  and  raising.  Leaving 
the  parental  roof  when  twenty  years  of  age,  he 
came  to  California  in  search  of  riches,  and  for 
about  eight  years  worked  in  the  silver  mines  of 
San  Bernardino  county.  Locating  in  the  San 
Luis  Key  valley  about  1890,  he  first  purchased 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  at  Vista. 
and  having  improved  it  subsequently  disposed 
of  it  at  an  advantage.  Purchasing  then  a  ranch 
at  San  Luis  Rev,  he  devoted  his  time  and  eur 
ergies  to  its  improvement,  and  in  course  of  time 
had  a  large  part  of  its  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
eight  acres  in  a  tillable  condition,  and  in  addition 
to  raising  corn  and  alfalfa  became  one  of  the 
leading  dairymen  of  this  section  of  the  valley, 
keeping  about  thirty  cows.  In  1906  Mr.  Las- 
well  sold  this  property,  and  moved  to  Chino,  San 
Bernardino  county,  where  he  purchased  an  alfal- 
fa ranch. 

October  13,  1888.  Mr.  Laswell  married  Cather- 
ine Hughes,  who  was  born  in  Wales,  and  came 
to  California  with  her  parents  in  1887.  Her 
father,  Dana  Hughes,  died  in  California,  but 
her  mother  is  still  living.  Of  the  marriage  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Laswell  six  children  were  born. 
Politically  Mr.  Laswell  is  an  adherent  of  the 
Democratic  party,  and  fraternally  he  belongs  to 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  "  Re- 
ligiously both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Laswell  are  con- 
sistent and  \'alued  members  of  the  Baptist 
Church. 


HENRY  HERBERT  MAREAN.  It  is  not 
the  good  fortune  of  everyone  who  enters  a  new 
and  untried  field  of  endeavor  to  meet  with  the 
success  which  has  followed  the  efforts  of  Mr. 
Marean  since  he  came  to  the  west  in  1897.  Pre- 
ceded by  years  devoted  exclusively  to  mercan- 
tile life  in  the  middle  west  he  came  to  California 


in  the  year  just  mentioned  with  the  determina- 
tion to  make  the  most  of  the  chances  which  were 
here  offered,  in  spite  of  the  handicap  of  having 
had  no  experience  whatever  in  the  line  of  his 
new  undertaking.  Through  an  investment  com- 
pany with  headquarters  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  he 
had  previously  purchased  twenty  acres  of  land 
near  Highland,  San  Bernardino  county,  on  rural 
route  No.  2,  and  hither  he  came  to  take  possess- 
ion of  the  property  in  1897.  The  ranch  is  de- 
voted entirely  to  the  cultivation  of  oranges,  be- 
ing divided  about  equally  as  to  sweets  and 
navels.  Mr.  Marean  has  greatly  enhanced  the 
value  and  appearance  of  his  property  by  the  erec- 
tion of  a  fine  residence  and  suitable  barns,  and 
with  the  aid  of  horses  and  the  requisite  imple- 
ments he  has  been  able  to  accomplish  results  far 
beyond  what  he  had  dared  to  hope  for  when  he 
undertook  the  work  less  than  a  decade  ago. 

Henry  H.  Marean  is  a  native  of  Missouri, 
born  in  Sedalia.  The  years  of  his  boyhood  and 
young  manhood  were  passed  within  the  confines 
of  his  native  city,  where  for  thirty  years  he  had 
devoted  himself  assiduously  to  the  dry  goods 
business.  The  confinement  and  routine  which  it 
demanded  made  a  change  desirable,  and  through 
the  agency  of  the  investment  company  afore- 
mentioned he  was  enabled  to  secure  not  only  a 
desirable  piece  of  property  from  a  financial  stand- 
point, but  a  delightful  home  place,  surrounded 
by  all  material  things  that  make  for  happiness. 
In  addition  to  superintending  his  ranch  Mr. 
Marean  is  interested  in  the  California  Gem  Min- 
ing Company,  owners  of  a  quarry  of  ornamental 
stone  located  near  Hinkley,  San  Bernardino 
county.    Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marean  have  one  son. 


GEORGE  H.  MILLER.  As  showing  what 
may  be  accomplished  by  a  normal,  healthy  and 
ambitious  mind  which  marks  out  a  career  for  it- 
self and  resolutely  goes  to  work  to  accomplish 
results,  the  case  of  George  H.  Miller,  of  Pomona, 
aft'ords  a  lesson  strong  in  interest  and  vital  in 
its  ring  of  encouragement.  The  machine  shop 
and  garage  on  Garey  near  Second  street  of  which 
Mr.  Miller  is  the  proprietor,  is  the  principal  es- 
tablishment of  the  kind  in  Pomona,  and  in  order 
to  accommodate  his  large  and  increasing  trade  it 
is  his  intention  in  the  near  future  to  open  one 
of  the  largest  and  most  up-to-date  garages  in 
this  part  of  the  country.  Since  the  growth  of 
the  popularity  in  automobiles  Mr.  Miller  has 
added  the  handling  of  various  makes  to  his 
other  business,  and  in  his  warerooms  may  be  seen 
the  Tourist,  Pope.  Waverly  and  other  electric 
machines  equally  well  known.  While  this  latter 
business  is  remunerative  and  represents  a  large 
investment  of  capital,  it  forms  but  one  line  of 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2253 


interest,  for  Mr.  Miller  is  perhaps  even  better 
known  as  an  expert  in  the  installation  of  pump- 
ing plants,  a  business  in  which  he  has  been  en- 
gaged since  1898.  As  representative  for  the 
Fairbanks-Morse  Company  he  began  selling 
their  goods  in  that  year,  later  adding  the  instal- 
lation of  pumping  plants,  and  in  the  interim  has 
built  up  a  large  business,  which  extends  through- 
out Los  Angeles,  San  Bernardino  and  Riverside 
counties. 

Of  Danish  descent,  George  H.  Miller  was 
born  in  Chicago,  111.,  May  16,  1870,  the  son  of 
John  and  Anna  (Larsen)  Miller,  both  born  in 
Denmark.  Although  in  his  younger  years  John 
Miller  was  reared  as  a  farmer  his  love  for  the 
sea  led  to  an  entire  change  in  the  plans  as  orig- 
inally marked  out  for  him,  and  thus  it  was  that 
the  greater  part  of  his  active  life  was  spent  upon 
the  sea,  sailing  into  almost  all  of  the  navigable 
waters  on  the  globe.  He  finally  drifted  to  Chi- 
cago, 111.,  and  carrying  out  a  plan  to  give  up 
the  sea  and  begin  life  anew  as  a  landsman,  he 
followed  the  trade  of  painter  in  that  city  until 
removing  to  Oshkosh,  Wis.,  there  working  as  a 
fisherman.  This,  however,  proved  but  a  tempo- 
rary location,  for  in  1884  he  came  to  California 
and  with  his  family  located  in  Pomona. 

George  H.  Miller  was  a  child  of  only  four 
years  when  his  parent  removed  from  Illinois  to 
Wisconsin,  and  he  was  reared  and  educated  in 
the  common  schools  in  Oshkosh.  After  remov- 
ing to  Pomona  in  1884  he  attended  the  high 
school  here  for  a  number  of  years,  graduating  in 
1889,  he  spent  a  short  time  in  Pomona  College. 
With  the  idea  of  preparing  himself  more  readily 
for  business  life,  however,  he  gave  up  the  latter 
to  take  a  course  in  Woodbury's  Business  Col- 
lege, graduating  therefrom  in  1891.  It  was  not 
long  afterward  before  he  was  enabled  to  put  his 
knowledge  to  good  account,  having  obtained  a 
position  with  the  Pomona  Steam  Laundry  Com- 
pany, with  whom  he  remained  four  years,  and 
for  a  part  of  that  time  was  manager  of  the  plant. 
Subsequently  he  secured  the  position  of  book- 
keeper with  Fairbanks-Morse  Company  of  Los 
Angeles,  and  later  became  salesman  for  the  same 
company.  As  he  was  always  of  a  mechanical 
turn  of  mind  the  work  was  congenial  and  he 
remained  with  the  company  until  starting  in 
business  on  his  own  account  in  1898.  Coming 
back  to  Pomona  that  year  he  opened  his  present 
machine  shop  on  Garey  street,  having  a  floor 
space  50x105,  where  may  be  found  everything 
in  the  line  of  pumping  supplies.  He  also  owns 
a  ranch  of  fifteen  acres  on  Cucomongo  avenue, 
five  acres  of  which  are  in  oranges,  besides  a 
ranch  near  Qaremont. 

In  Pomona  Mr.  Miller  was  married  to  Mary 
B.  Green,  who  was  born  in  Minnesota,  and  thev 


and  their  two  children,  Ray  and  Grace,  form  a 
happy  home  circle,  the  family  residence  being 
located  at  No.  907  Gibbs  street.  Both  Mr.  Miller 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Christian 
Church  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Trade  of  Pomona.  Fraternally  he  is  identified 
with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 


JOEL  DAVID  MARTIN.  An  expert  me- 
chanic, a  business  man  of  ability,  and  a  licensed 
sailing  master  and  pilot,  Joel  David  Martin  is  a 
well  known  citizen  of  Avalon,  and  at  present 
fills  the  position  of  superintendent  of  the  Meteor 
Boat  Company  of  that  city.  He  has  contributed 
largely  to  the  success  of  the  big  glass  bottomed 
boats  and  assisted  in  the  building  of  many  of 
the  larger  craft  used  in  the  waters  at  that  point. 
Mr.  Martin  is  a  native  of  Indiana,  his  birth  hav- 
ing occurred  October  2,  1865,  in  Crawfords- 
ville.  His  father,  William  Martin,  was  born  in 
Beardstown,  111.,  and  was  by  occupation  a  farmer. 
He  was  in  the  Mexican  war  under  General  Scott, 
serving  in  an  Indiana  regiment,  and  later  be- 
came a  pioneer  in  Minnesota,  locating  in  Lake 
City,  where  he  improved  a  farm  and  still  lives  at 
the  advanced  age  of  eighty-four  years.  The  moth- 
er, who  was  before  her  marriage  Lucinda  Pryor, 
belonged  to  an  old  eastern  family,  her  birth  oc- 
curring in  Indiana  and  her  death  in  Minnesota, 
in  1877. 

There  were  fourteen  children  in  the  family 
of  which  Mr.  Martin  was  a  member,  he  being  the 
second  youngest.  In  1866  he  was  taken  by  his 
parents  to  Minnesota,  and  was  reared  on  a  farm 
near  Lake  City,  receiving  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  there.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he 
went  to  Minneapolis  and  learned  and  followed 
the  carpenter  trade  for  a  number  of  years.  As 
an  employe  of  Sackett  &  Wiggins  he  assisted  in 
building  the  Hennepin  theatre  in  that  city,  then 
was  employed  by  Litt  as  assistant  to  the  master 
mechanic  for  two  years.  When  Litt  built  the 
Grand  Opera  House  in  St.  Paul  Mr.  Martin 
fitted  up  the  stage ;  then  was  engaged  as  master 
mechanic  and  was  on  the,  road  for  nine  vears  fol- 
lowing, during  that  time  making  one  trip  cast. 
In  February,  1900,  he  came  to  the  coast  with 
James  Neil,  later  spending  a  year  in  Honolulu 
with  him,  building  all  of  the  scenery  necessary 
to  the  needs  of  the  company.  Returning  to  Los 
Angeles  in  1901  he  became  master  mechanic  for 
Morosco,  filling  the  position  for  four  years.  Hav- 
ing become  interested  in  .\valon  with  Mr.  Hub- 
bard, in  1901.  he  bought  the  Meteor,  then  as- 
sisted in  the  organization  and  incorporation  of 
the  Meteor  Boat  Company,  built  the  Cleopatra, 
became  connected  with  the  Avalon  Glass  Bot- 
tom Boat  Company,  then  bought  the  Monami  and 


2256 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


consolidated  the  two  companies.  The  Monami 
is  now  dismantled  and  lying  on  the  beach.  The 
Empress,  which  Mr.  Martin  now  runs,  was  also 
built  b)'  him  and  is  the  only  boat  with  two  rows 
of  glass  boxes  having  sixteen  glasses,  one  and 
one-sixteenth  inches  thick,  twenty-four  and  one- 
half  inches  wide  and  sixty  inches  long.  The 
equipment  on  this  craft  is  the  finest  and  best  of 
any  at  Avalon  and  includes  one  seventy-two 
horse  power,  three  cylinder  engine,  and  another 
eight  horse  power  two  cylinders. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Martin  occurred  in  St. 
Paul,  uniting  him  with  Miss  Loretta  Hanley,  a 
native  of  Faribault,  Minn.,  and  they  are  the  par- 
ents of  one  son,  William.  Tlie  family  residence 
is  located  on  Eleventh  street  and  Maple  avenue 
in  Los  Angeles. 


FRANK  MILLER.  An  experience  of  con- 
siderable duration  as  a  soldier  in  the  volunteer 
service  during  the  Civil  war,  followed  by  the  oc- 
cupation of  a  sailor  upon  the  high  seas  and  a 
miner  in  the  mountainous  regions  of  the  west, 
gave  to  Air.  Miller  a  broad  knowledge  of  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  United  States,  the  customs  of 
dift'erent  localities,  the  opportunities  affordt^d  by 
diverse  pursuits  and  the  habits  of  people  in  va- 
rious regions.  In  this  way  he  has  acquired  a 
broad  knowledge  of  men  and  localities  and  is  the 
possessor  of  a  self-acquired  education  that  gives 
him  prestige  in  his  community  and  prominence 
among  acquaintances.  The  details  connected 
with  mining  and  milling  are  thoroughly  under- 
stood by  him,  so  that  his  services  are  of  great 
practical  value  in  the  development  of  the  plant 
with  which  he  is  connected  and  in  which  he 
owns  an  interest. 

Illinois  is  the  native  commonwealth  of  j\[r. 
Miller,  who  was  born  in  Coles  county,  March  29, 
1840,  and  is  a  son  of  Elisha  and  Harriet  (Cush- 
man)  Miller.  During  boyhood  he  received  such 
educational  advantages  as  were  offered  by  the 
city  school  of  Charleston,  the  county  seat  of 
Coles  county.  As  he  grew  toward  manhood  he 
saw  the  shadow  of  war  hover  over  the  country 
and  envelop  the  people  in  its  dark  mantle  of 
sorrow.  His  northern  education  and  lineage 
naturally  gave  him  a  strong  faith  in  the  Union, 
and  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Rebellion  he  gave  his 
enthusiastic  support  to  the  Federal  cause.  Like 
thousands  of  the  sturdy  young  men  of  the  north, 
he  hastened  to  offer  his  services  to  the  Union, 
enlisting  with  patriotic  ardor  and  loyal  devotion 
to  country.  At  Ottawa  he  was  accepted  as  a 
private  in  Company  B,  Fifty-third  Illinois  In- 
fantry, and  shortly  afterward  was  assigned  to 
the  army  of  the  Tennessee,  in  which  he  served 
for  three  years  and  eight  months.  Among  the 
most  historic  struggles  in  which  he  bore  a  part 


were  the  battle  of  Shiloh  and  the  siege  of  Vicks- 
burg,  and  later  he  marched  with  General  Sher- 
man to  the  sea,  participating  in  the  memorable 
engagements  of  that  campaign.  At  the  close 
of  the  war  he  took  part  in  the  grand  review  at 
Washington  and  received  an  honorable  discharge 
from  the  army. 

Travels  through  the  southland,  the  experiences 
of  camp  life  and  the  roving  nature  of  a  soldier's 
career,  left  Air.  Aliller  discontented  with  the  un- 
eventful monotony  of  village  work,  and  shortly 
after  he  had  left  the  army  he  became  a  sailor, 
following  the  sea  for  two  or  more  years.  At  the 
expiration  of  that  time  he  entered  into  an  occu- 
pation radically  different  from  any  he  had  pre- 
viously attempted,  and  as  a  miner  he  soon  ac- 
quired a  wide  knowledge  of  the  regions  of  the 
west.  In  the  interest  of  his  work  he  visited  the 
Rocky  mountain  regions,  spending  some  time 
in  the  mines  of  Utah,  Nevada  and  Idaho.  For 
about  five  years  he  made  his  headquarters  in 
Oregon  and  engaged  in  mining  extensively  in 
that  state.  After  having  made  various  trips  to 
California  in  the  interests  of  his  business  affairs, 
in  1897  he  became  a  permanent  resident  of  the 
state,  and  now  is  one  of  the  managing  partners 
in  a  mining  enterprise  which  owns  and  operates 
a  valuable  property  in  the  Holcomb  valley  in 
San  Bernardino  county,  near  the  village  of 
Doble.  Here  Mr.  Miller  makes  his  home  and 
occupies  a  leading  position  among  the  pro- 
gressive citizens.  While  living  in  Illinois  he  met 
Aliss  Emma  Elsie  Cushman,  daughter' of  John 
and  Addie  (Wilder)  Cushman.  and  they  were 
united  in  marriage  in  1870.  The  only  child  of 
their  union  was  a  son,  Frank,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  nine  months. 


ROBERT  CLELAND  HARBISON,  editor 
of  the  San  Bernardino  Sun,  is  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent  and  dates  his  ancestry  in  this  country 
back  to  the  Revolutionarj^  period,  his  two 
great-great-grandfathers.  Harbison  and  Chest- 
nut, having  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war 
and  died  in  military  prison  during  that  con- 
flict. His  great-grandfather  was  Mathew  Har- 
bison of  South  Carolina,  and  his  grandfather, 
Robert  Harbison,  was  born  in  that  state  and 
in  the  early  forties  of  the  nineteenth  century 
became  a  pioneer  farmer  of  Bloomington, 
Ind.,  and  in  1857  removed  to  Indianola,  Iowa, 
where  he  improved  a  farm  and  lived  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  His  father,  William  Por- 
ter, was  born  in  Bloomington,  Ind.,  in  1841, 
and  when  a  boy  was  taken  by  his  father  to 
Indianola,  where  Robert  Cleland  Harbison 
was  born  September  10.  1866.  The  father  was 
engaged  in  farming  for  a  time  and  later  be- 
came a  dry  goods  merchant  at  Indianola,  con- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2257 


ducting  that  business  for  many  years,  but 
now  living  a  retired  life  in  that  city.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
having  served  in  the  Thirty-fourth  Regiment 
of  Iowa  Volunteer  Infantry,  from  which  he 
received  an  honorable  discharge  before  the 
war  was  ended  on  account  of  physical  dis- 
ability. As  an  active  member  and  elder  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  he  is  a  liberal  supporter 
of  its  charities  and  benevolences,  and  is  one 
of  the  most  highly  respected  citizens  of  his 
home  city.  His  wife  was  in  maidenhood 
Amanda  Cleland,  a  native  of  Beaver  county. 
Pa.,  who  came  to  Iowa  with  her  parents  in 
1856,  and  died  at  Indianola  in  1903.  The  son, 
Robert  Cleland.  is  the  onl}'  child  living. 

He  attended  the  public  schools  of  Indianola, 
graduating  from  the  high  school  in  1881,  and 
later  entered  Simpson  College  from  which  in- 
stitution he  graduated  in  1888  with  the  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  and  having  won  every 
prize  offered  in  the  college  course.  His  early 
liking  for  the  newspaper  work  was  evidenced 
by  the  attention  which  he  gave  to  local  and 
college  papers  during  his  course.  In  1891  Mr. 
Harbison  was  granted  the  degree  of  Master 
of  Arts  by  his  alma  mater.  After  his  gradua- 
tion from  college  he  began  teaching  school 
and  continued  m  that  profession  until  1890 
when  he  went  to  Ogden,  Utah,  and  engaged 
in  business  life  for  a  short  time,  later  taking 
up  the  newspaper  work.  In  1892  he  secured 
a  position  as  reporter  on  a  San'  Francisco 
paper,  and  in  1894  came  to  San  Bernardino, 
where  in  company  with  W.  A.  Selkirk  and  N. 
J.  Levinson,  he  started  the  San  Bernardino 
Sun.  having  taken  over  the  Courier  of  that 
cit}-  which  was  in  a  very  badly  run  down  con- 
dition at  that  time.  In  1905  The  Sun  Com- 
pany of  San  Bernardino  was  incorporated 
with  Mr.  Harbison  as  president.  The  com- 
pany conducts  a  general  publishing  business, 
and  the  Sun.  which  has  been  a  daily  ever 
since  the  commencement  of  its  publication  has 
grown  from  a  four-page,  six-column  paper  to 
eight,  ten  and  twelve  pages  of  seven  columns 
each.  The  plant  is  thoroughly  modern  and 
one  of  the  most  perfectly  equipped  in  this 
part  of  the  state,  having  linotype  machines, 
a  perfecting  press,  and  an  electric  power 
plant.  The  Sun  building  was  erected  in  1901, 
but  the  proportions  were  soon  found  to  be 
inadequate,  and  in  1904  it  was  enlarged  to  di- 
mensions 50x90  feet  and  is  located  on  Court 
street.  The  publication  is  conducted  on  Re- 
publican lines  politically,  and  Mr.  Harbison  is 
an  influential  councillor  among  party  leaders. 
He  is  an  ex-member  of  the  Republican  county 
central  committee,  and  now  serves  as  chair- 
man   of   the    Republican     conunittee     for    the 


eighth  Congressional  district,  in  which  he  re- 
sides. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Harbison  occurred  in 
San  Francisco  when  Miss  Nina  Lezotte,  a 
native  of  Mitchell  county,  la.,  and  a  talented 
musician,  became  his  wife.  They  are  the  par- 
ents of  one  child,  a  daughter  Rose.  Frater- 
nally he  is  a  member  of  San  Bernardino  Lodge 
No.'  346,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Keystone  Chapter  No. 
57,  R.  A,  .\I.,  ..uid  St,  Bernard  Commandery 
No.  23,  K.  T. 


BURT  BEVERLY.  Prominent  among  the 
leading  real  estate  dealers  of  Los  Angeles 
county  is  Burt  Beverly,  who  with  his  part- 
ners, M.  E.  and  S.  L.  Stroud,  is  doing  much 
to  advance  the  realty  interests  of  Southern 
California.  A  son  of  Pardon  Mawney  and 
Catherine  Jane  (Booker)  Beverly,  he  was 
born  and  brought  up  in  Logan  county.  111. 
He  comes  from  distinguished  ancestry,  his 
great-grandfather.  Pardon  Mawney  Whipple, 
served  in  the  war  of  1812,  being  an  officer  on 
board  "Old  Ironsides,"  the  popular  name  of 
the  frigate  Constitution,  which  has  been  pre- 
served to  this  day,  while  an  uncle  of  his 
Grandmother  Beverly  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolution.  His  father,  a  native  of  Provi- 
dence, R.  I.,  migrated  to  Arkansas  when  a 
young  man,  and  after  his  marriage  went  north, 
he  and  his  bride  traveling  in  a  wagon  to  Illi- 
nois, passing  through  Chicago  when  it  was 
but  a  frontier  pest.  Locating  in  Logan  coun- 
ty, he  became  owner  of  four  hundred  acres 
of  rich  land,  and  for  many  years  was  one  of 
the  foremost  farmers   of  the  community. 

Laying  a  substantial  foundation  for  his 
future  education  in  the  district  schools  of 
Logan  county,  111.,  Burt  Beverly  was  subse- 
quently graduated  from  the  Atlanta  high 
•  school^  and  from  the  Gem  City  Business  Col- 
lege in  Quincy,  111.  Going  south  for  a  year, 
he  had  charge  of  the  books  of  the  Bluff  City, 
Lumber  Company  at  Pine  Bluff,  Ark.  The 
climate  proving  unsuitable,  he  went  from 
there  to  Chicago,  where  he  remained  a  num- 
ber of  years,  working  for  some  of  the  largest 
firms  of  that  metropolis,  including  those  of 
Swift  &  Co.,  and  of  Reid,  Murdoch  &  Co., 
which  he  served  as  bookkeeper,  subsequently 
working  for  three  years  in  the  wholesale  house 
of  Marshall  Field  &  Co.  Then  on  leaving  Chi- 
cago July  8,  1901,  he  and  his  wife  traveled 
extensively,  finally  visiting  Airs.  Beverly's 
uncle,  Flint  M.  Whitmore,  a  wealthy  lumber- 
man of  Northern  California,  who  located  in 
Amador  county  in  1849.  Five  months  later, 
in  Sacramento,  Mr.  Beverly  formed  the  ac- 
quaintance  of    M.    E.    Stroud,   with   whom   he 


2258 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


went  to  Seattle,  Tacoma,  Everett  and  other 
places  of  interest,  returning  from  Puget  Sound 
to  San  Francisco  by  steamer.  Coming  to  Los 
Angeles  county  in  ;\Iarch,  1902,  Mr.  Beverly 
resided  for  a  year  in  Pasadena,  and  then  came 
to  Ocean  Park,  accepting  the  position  of  book- 
keeper with  the  Ocean  Park  Improvement 
Company.  Subsequently,  in  partnership  with 
M.  E.  and  S.  L.  Stroud,  he  embarked  in  the 
real-estate  business,  opening  an  ofifice  at  No. 
162  Pier  avenue.  Succeeding  well  in  their 
operations,  these  enterprising  gentlemen  re- 
moved to  Venice  December  15,  1905,  opening 
their  present  office.  No.  38  Windway  avenue. 
This  firm  has  acquired  considerable  property 
of  value  in  this  locality,  owning  and  controll- 
ing five  lots  on  Ocean  Front,  and  also  having 
title  to  other  property  near  here,  and  in  Hunt- 
ington, on  the  beach. 

In  Chicago,  111.,  Mr.  Beverly  married  Mabel 
Estelle  Whitmore,  a  daughter  of  Orange  Scott 
Whitmore,  now  residing  at  Pasadena,  and  they 
have  three  children,  Marion,  Muriel  and  Burt, 
Jr.  Politically  Mr.  Beverly  is  independent, 
and  religiously  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beverly 
are  members  of  the  Christian  Church. 


FRANK  L.  BATES.  Not  only  does  the 
Bates  family  belong  to  the  pioneer  citizenship 
of  California,  but  preceding  generations  were 
also  identified  with  the  early  colonization  of 
the  east,  so  that  both  on  the  Atlantic  shores 
and  on  the  Pacific  coast  they  have  borne  a 
share  in  transforming  primeval  conditions  into 
an  environment  of  progress  and  prosperity.  It 
is  a  tradition  in  the  family  that  Orin  Bates 
was  born  in  the  house  that  was  also  the  birth- 
place of  the  celebrated  "Jim"  Fisk.  Asa,  a 
brother  of  Orin,  was  the  father  of  Asa,  Jr., 
who  was  born  at  Pownal,  Vt.,  in  1813,  and  be- 
came a  California  pioneer  of  1849,  crossing  the» 
plains  with  oxen  and  wagons.  After  a  trial 
experience  as  a  miner  at  Yankee  Jim's,  he  went 
to  San  Francisco,  purchased  a  small  steam- 
boat and  began  to  freight  up  the  Sacramento 
river.  Later  he  held  the  offices  of  postmaster 
and  justice  of  the  peace  at  San  Pablo,  Contra 
Costa  county,  from  which  point  he  removed  to 
a  farm  near  Watsonville,  and  after  a  time 
moved  to  Antioch,  Contra  Costa  county,  where 
he  engaged  in  teaming.  In  1868  he  was  ap- 
pointed lighthouse  keeper  at  Point  Conception, 
ofif  the  coast  of  Santa  Barbara  county,  but  re- 
signed the  position  after  three  years  and  turned 
his  attention  to  business  pursuits  in  the  city 
of  Santa  Barbara.  On  disposing  of  his  inter- 
ests there  he  v.'ent  to  Lower  California  and 
became  interested  in  prospecting  and  mining, 
but  soon  transferred  his   headquarters  to  the 


Gold  Basin  of  Arizona.  At  the  time  of  his 
death  in  Pomona,  September  25,  1889,  he  had 
attained  the  age  of  seventy-six  years. 

When  Asa  Bates  came  to  the  Pacific  coast 
he  was  a  single  man,  but  a  few  years  later,  in 
1854,  he  established  domestic  ties,  his  marriage 
in  San  Francisco  uniting  him  with  Rachel  Pat- 
terson Taylor,  who  was  born  in  Vermont,  a 
daughter  of  John  L.  and  Susanna  (McGarr) 
Taylor,  and  a  sister  of  Hon.  James  M.  Taylor. 

The  family  of  Asa  and  Rachel  Patterson 
(Taylor)  Bates  comprised  five  children,  name- 
ly :  Clarence  A.,  who  died  at  Pomona,  Cal. ; 
Ida  E.,  who  married  Cornelius  E.  DeForrest 
of  New  York  City  (a  great-nephew  of  Commo- 
dore Vanderbilt)  and  died  in  San  Francisco ; 
Frank  L.,  whose  name  introduces  this  sketch ; 
Algernon  Valentine,  who  was  drowned  in  the 
Colorado  river  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years ; 
and  Mabel  V.,  Mrs.  J.  B.  Osborne,  who  was 
president  of  the  Los  Angeles  Equal  Rights 
League,  treasurer  of  the  Women's  Press  Club, 
and  secretary  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the 
Association  of  Pioneer  Women  of  California, 
and  who  died  in  Los  Angeles  September  8, 
1905,  at  the  age  of  thirty-nine  years,  and  was 
buried  at  Pomona.  The  mother,  who  is  now 
seventy-five  years  of  age,  is  still  active  and 
mentally  well  preserved,  a  well-informed  wo- 
man, interested  in  the  work  of  the  Pioneer 
Women  of  California,  to  whose  association 
she  belongs,  and  an  entertaining  conversation- 
alist, whose  narratives  of  early  days  in  the 
west  are  not  only  pleasant  but  instructive  as 
well. 

While  the  family  of  Asa  Bates  were  living 
at  Watsonville,  Santa  Cruz  county,  Cal.,  his 
son,  Frank  L.,  was  born  October  22,  1861,  and 
he  received  a  fair  education  in  the  Santa  Bar- 
bara schools.  From  an  early  age  he  has  been 
a  student  of  mines  and  mining,  and  few  sur- 
pass him  in  knowledge  of  the  industry.  For 
four  years  he  engaged  in  mining,  milling  and 
operating  a  cyanide  plant  in  Death  valley,  aft- 
er which  he  spent  three  years  in  Eldorado 
canon  on  the  Colorado  river,  and  then  went  to 
the  mining  district  of  San  Bernardino  county, 
removing  to  Julian  in  1898  and  operating  a 
mill  at  that  place.  For  eight  years  he  oper- 
ated a  mill  at  Perris,  Riverside  county,  and 
later  engaged  in  gem  inining  in  the  foothills 
of  Smith  mountain,  where  he  now  owns  sev- 
eral claims.  Recently  he  came  to  San  Diego 
county  to  operate  a  cyanide  plant  two  and  one- 
half  miles  northeast  of  Escondido,  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Bates  &  Timmerman.  In 
politics  he  votes  the  Republican  ticket,  while 
in  religious  affiliations  he  holds  membership 
with  the  Congregational  Church.  His  mar- 
riage took  place  in  Los  Angeles  Alay  22,  1892, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2259 


and  united  him  with  Alice  Simmons,  who  was 
born  at  Barnes,  near  Julian,  San  Diego  county, 
and  has  passed  her  life  within  the  limits  of 
Southern  California.  The  only  son  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bates  is  Grin,  a  bright  boy  now  eleven 
vears  of  asre. 


CHARLES  O.  HUMPHREY.  When  Mr. 
Humphrey  came  to  California  in  1901  the 
thought  uppermost  in  his  mind  was  to  find  a 
climate  less  harsh  than  that  which  prevails  in 
the  state  of  Washington,  where  he  formerly 
resided,  and  where  his  wife's  health  was  be- 
coming impaired.  His  first  location  in  the  state 
was  in  the  vicinity  of  Los  Angeles,  where  he 
purchased  a  ranch  of  twenty  acres  devoted  en- 
tirely to  the  raising  of  small  fruits,  but  two 
years  later  he  disposed  of  his  property  there 
and  came  to  Long  Beach.  After  residing  here 
long  enough  to  satisfy  himself  that  the  climatic 
conditions  were  such  as  he  was  in  search  of  he 
determined  to  establish  himself  in  business  and 
to  this  end  purchased  the  livery  stable  then 
owned  by  F.  M.  Jones.  During  the  two  years 
which  Mr.  Humphrey  has  had  the  business  in 
charge  he  has  outgrown  the  quarters  which  it 
formerly  occupied  and  ie  now  in  a  leased  build- 
ing on  American  avenue,  which  accommodates 
forty  horses,  besides  a  large  variety  of  ve- 
hicles, 

Knox  county.  111.,  was  the  scene  of  the  early 
life  of  Charles  O.  Humphrey,  and  he  was  born 
near  Galesburg,  June  6,  1867.  The  parents, 
Samuel  and  Harriet  (Herrold)  Humphrey, 
were  pioneers  of  Knox  county,  settling  on  a 
farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Galesburg  when  that 
now  thriving  town  was  little  more  than  a  ham- 
let. Tlie  father  passed  his  remaining  days  in 
Illinois,  dying  on  his  farm  in  1873.  Some 
time  after  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs. 
Humphrey  went  to  Washington,  and  her 
death  occurred  there  in  1891.  Only  six  years 
old  when  orphaned  by  the  death  of  his  father, 
the  school  advantages  which  he  otherwise 
might  have  enjoyed  were  a  thing  of  the  past, 
and  aside  from  the  training  which  he  obtained 
in  the  district  school  near  the  farm  his  knowl- 
edge has  been  gained  in  the  broad  school  of 
experience.  As  soon  as  he  was  old  enough  he 
worked  on  the  homestead  farm  and  thus  re- 
lieved his  mother  of  much  of  the  responsibility 
which  had  fallen  to  her  upon  the  death  of  her 
husband. 

Leaving  the  middle  west  in  1887,  Mr.  Hum- 
phrey located  on  a  farm  of  four  hundred  acres 
near  Spokane,  Wash.,  which  he  had  purchased 
for  $5  per  acre,  remaining  there  until  1901, 
when,  as  previously  stated,  lie  came  to  Califor- 
nia  on  account   of  his   wife's   ill-health.     The 


family  home  at  No.  936  Cedar  avenue  is  presid- 
ed over  by  Mrs.  Humphrey,  who  prior  to  her 
marriage  was  Molisa  Donnelley,  a  native  of 
Iowa,  and  who  is  now  the  mother  of  one  daugh- 
ter, who  bears  the  name  of  Alice.  Both  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Humphrey  are  members  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church,  toward  the  support  of  which  they 
contribute  generously,  also  aiding  in  the  fur- 
therance of  the  various  benevolent  societies 
connected  with  that  body.  Politically  Mr. 
Humphrey  is  a  Republican,  although  he  takes 
no  active  interest  in  the  party  aside  from  cast- 
ing his  vote,  and  fraternally  he  is  identified 
with  the  Eagles  and  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World. 


JAMES  CLOYD  JOHNSTON  is  a  native  of 
the  east,  he  was  born  on  a  farm  on  the  Ohio 
river  where  for  some  years  resided  his  par- 
ents, Cloyd  and  Diana  (Bruce)  Johnston,  the 
father  from  that  point  carrying  on  his  work  as 
a  stock-buyer  and  drover  and  shipping  and 
driving  cattle  in  large  numbers  to  the  Cincin- 
nati markets.  The  farm  was  situated  near  the 
river  town  of  Powhatan  Point  in  Belmont 
county,  Ohio,  and  there  he  was  born  August 
27,  1842,  and  there  he  passed  the  uneventful 
years  of  early  youth.  On  leaving  home  he 
took  up  the  task  of  earning  his  own  livelihood, 
in  which  pursuit  he  traveled  through  various 
parts  of  our  country.  Ultimately  he  extended 
his  travels  to  other  lands.  At  the  close  of  four 
years  of  travel  he  came  to  California  and  set- 
tled at  what  became  known  as  Johnston's 
Landing  on  Catalina  Island.  Later  he  was  the 
first  to  take  flocks  of  sheep  to  San  Clemente, 
where  his  success  proved  the  possibilities  of  the 
occupation  on  the  island. 

Coming  to  the  mountains  of  San  Bernardino 
county  in  1890.  i\Ir.  Johnston  established  his 
home  at  Doble  and  has  since  bought  mining 
interests  in  this  section.  At  this  time  he  ranks 
among  the  most  prosperous  miners  in  the  Hol- 
comb  valley  and  owns  a  large  number  of  claims 
immediately  north  of  his  home  place ;  these 
claims  he  values  at  $200,000.  Since  coming 
to  this  locality  he  has  taken  up  one  hundred 
nnd  sixty  acres  of  land  from  the  government 
and  has  transformed  an  unimproved  tract  into 
an  attractive  homestead.  The  residence  forms 
a  comfortable  home  for  the  family  and  pos- 
sesses architectural  attractions,  in  addition  to 
liarmonious  interior  furnishings.  The  walls 
are  adorned  with  oil  paintings  from  the  brush 
of  Mrs.  Johnston,  who  is  a  keen  lover  of  na- 
ture and  possesses  the  rare  faculty  of  being 
able  to  reproduce  on  the  canvas  many  of  the 
beauties  of  sky  and  water,  mountains  and 
woods.    Mrs.  lolinston  was  born  in  Grass  Val- 


2260 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ley,  this  state,  and  was  Jessie  E.  Done}^  a 
daughter  of  Loren  and  Amelia  (Piatt)  Doney, 
Two  children  bless  their  union.  The  son, 
Bruce,  receives  $250  per  month  for  his  serv- 
ices as  chemist,  assayer  and  mining  engineer 
at  Searchlight  camp.  The  daughter.  Pearl,  is 
the  wife  of  Oscar  Witt. 

Politically  J\lr.  Johnston  is  a  Republican, 
and  since  1905  he  has  filled  the  office  of  post- 
master at  Doble.  Formerly  he  owned  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  where  Hollywood 
stands,  and  also  owned  various  unimproved 
lots  in  and  near  Los  Angeles,  but  the  majority 
of  these  he  has  disposed  of  and  has  invested 
the  proceeds  in  his  present  valuable  mining 
claims. 


CHARLES  BRADFORD  HUGHES.  The 
gold  fields  of  Southern  California  are  well 
known  to  the  mining  world,  and  have  been 
the  means  of  drawing  many  expert  miners 
and  prospectors  to  the  state.  It  may  not  be 
as  universally  known,  however,  that' the  dis- 
trict in  and  around  Lytle  creek  is  especiallv 
rich  in  the  ore  that  has  given  the  state  it's 
name.  Comparatively  speaking  this  is  one 
of  the  newer  mines  opened  up,  and  as  yet  its 
true  value  is  not  known,  although  facts  and 
figures  at  hand  suffice  to  warrant  the  state- 
ment that  in  a  few  years,  when  proper  machin- 
ery for  handling  has  been  installed,  the  output 
wiH  be  doubled  and  trebled. 

Charles  B.  Hughes,  a  native  of  New  York 
City,  made  his  advent  into  the  state  in  1887, 
locating  first  in  the  San  Joaquin  valley,  where 
he  carried  on  general  ranching  and  wheat 
raising  for  four  years.  From  there  he  went  to 
Fresno  county,  where  for  the  same  length  of 
time  he  was  engaged  in  the  nursery  business, 
meeting  with  a  fair  degree  of  success  in  the 
undertaking.  It  was  during  the  year  1895  that 
he  came  to  San  Bernardino  county,  and  after 
looking  around  for  a  time  for  a  suitable  loca- 
tion he  finally  came  to  Lytle  creek,  with  which 
locality  he  has  been  identified  ever  since,  as 
miner  and  prospector.  While  he  has  several 
valuable  prospects  in  other  parts  of  the  coun- 
tv,  his  interest  is  chiefly  centered  in  his  mines 
along  Lytle  creek.  While  he  has  a  number  of 
low-grade  prospects  here,  the  most  important 
one,  and  the  one  which  has  claimed  his  atten- 
tion most  continuousl)^  is  a  solid  bodv  of  ore 
SIX  hundred  feet  wide,  three  thousand  feet  long. 
Mr.  Hughes  holds  this  mine  worth  $100,000, 
which  would  be  a  cheap  investment  for  capi- 
talists, for  with  a  proper  cvanide  plant  hun- 
dreds and  even  thousands  of  tons  could  be 
handled  daily.  As  it  is,  Mr.  Hughes  has  put 
a  shaft   of  one   hundred   and  twentv-five   feet 


into   the   ledge,    besides    wdiich    he    has    made 
cross-cuts  therein. 

In  this  connection  it  would  perhaps  not  be 
out  of  place  to, mention  briefl}'  some  of  Mr. 
Hughes'  co-laborers  in  the  gold-fields  around 
Lytle  creek.  P.  Perdue,  Dr.  Shepherd  and  Dr. 
Dickey  have  struck  a  very  rich  vein  of  ore 
which  they  are  developing,  and  which  is  run- 
ning from  $10  to  $100  per  ton.  William  W. 
Carlile  has  a  large  body  of  copper  ore  which 
runs  across  the  face  of  Berneita  Falls.  James 
^Vashington  is  operating  a  placer  mine  from 
which  he  has  taken  more  or  less  gold  since 
1889,  besides  which  he  has  a  large  quartz  ledge 
of  low-grade  ore  passing  through  his  placer. 
^^"ilHam  Jones,  who  located  here  in  1887,  has 
both  placer  and  quartz  prospects  from  which 
he  is  taking  both  silver  and  gold.  At  Middle- 
fork  James  and  Thomas  Baird,  of  Colton,  have 
gold,  silver  and  copper  properties,  the  gold 
assaying  as  high  as  $60  per  ton. 


EDGAR  MILLARD  KNICKERBOCKER. 
San  Bernardino  county  has  many  valuable 
mines  within  its  borders  which  are  making 
large  fortunes  for  their  owners,  and  one  of 
those  now  in  successful  operation  and  being 
rapidly  developed  to  a  still  greater  extent  is  that 
owned  by  the  Three  Friends  Mining  and  Mill- 
ing Company,  which  firm  is  composed  of  E.  M. 
Knickerbocker,  Long  and  Miller.  The  mill- 
ing plant  is  located  in  Van  Dusen  canon,  a 
tributary  to  Bear  Valley,  and  about  thirty 
miles  from  the  city  of  San  Bernardino,  and  is 
fitted  wth  a  tv-.'enty-five  horsepower  engine 
with  fort}-  horsepower  boiler.  These  have  in 
operation  five  stamps  of  their  ten-stamp  mill 
and  within  a  few  months  the  proprietors  ex- 
pect to  have  the  other  five  stamps  in  working 
order. 

On  October  26,  1876,  Edgar  Millard  Knick- 
erbocker, son  of  Charles  Henry  and  Susan 
(Robbins)  Knickerbocker,  was  born  on  a  farm 
in  Potter  county.  Pa.,  and  at  an  early  age 
went  to  work  in  the  oil  fields  of  that  state. 
After  nine  years  spent  in  this  employment, 
and  during  which  time  he  had  charge  of  thirty 
pumps,  he  went  to  New  Mexico  with  a  sur- 
veying party  sent  out  by  the  Lackawanna 
Lumber  Company'  and  remained  in  the  employ 
of  this  firm  for  five  years.  He  subsequently 
took  a  trip  through  Afontana,  Washington  and 
Oregon,  then  came  to  Los  Angeles,  where  he 
remained  some  time,  and  finally  settled  per- 
manently in  his  present  location.  In  1901  he 
spent  six  months  operating  the  Alberta  mills 
in  Kern  county,  and  also  worked  in  the  Yel- 
low Aster  mines  for  a  time,  in  1902  taking  up 
his  claims  here.    After  three  years  spent  in  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2261 


mills  at  Gold  Mountain  he  resolved  to  work 
these  claims  and  for  thirty  days  leased  a  two- 
stamp  mill  of  C.  L.  IMetzer  to  test  the  ore. 
Finding  that  it  had  a  value  of  eight  dollars  per 
ton  in  1905  he  installed  a  two-stamp  mill  of 
his  own,  but  heavy  snowfalls  prevented  its  op- 
eration. In  1906  iie  then  installed  the  machin- 
ery he  is  now  operating,  the  five  stamps  being 
run  to  their  full  capacity. 

In  1900  Mr.  Knickerbocker  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Hilma  Johnson,  a  native 
of  Sweden  and  a  daughter  of  Peter  Johnson. 


WILLIAM  JUSTICE.  The  native  place  of 
Mr.  Justice  is  Ozark  county,  Mo.,  and  the  date 
of  his  birth,  October  22,  1843.  His  parents, 
Amos  and  Susan  (Barker)  Justice,  were  na- 
tives of  Missouri,  where  the  father  died  in 
1844.  Later  the  mother  moved  to  Arkansas 
and  from  there  to  the  frontier  regions  of  Texas, 
after  a  time  settling  m  ]\Iilam  county  in  the 
more  settled  portion  of  the  same  state.  Com- 
ing to  the  Pacific  coast,  she  arrived  in  Los 
Angeles  county  March  27,  1867,  and  settled 
near  Norwalk,  where  she  died  in  1881  at  sixty 
years  of  age.  There  were  three  sons  in  the 
family,  John,  Thomas  and  William,  the  last- 
named  being  only  a  year  old  when  his  father 
died.  From  the  first  Misfortune  seemed  to 
mark  the  lads  for  her  own.  The  death  of  their 
father  and  the  poverty  of  the  family  prevented 
the  sons  from  attending  school,  and  they  re- 
ceived little  education  save  such  as  was  gath- 
ered from  observation  and  reading.  While 
still  living  in  Missouri  John  was  killed  by  a 
log  accidentally  falling  upon  him.  Thomas 
passed  through  a  youth  of  struggle,  married, 
and  at  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war  joined  the 
Confederate  army.  While  in  active  service  he 
was  wounded  at  Milliken's  Bend,  thirty  miles 
above  Vicksburg,  and  died  at  Monroe,  La., 
June  20,  1863,  from  the  effects  of  the  injury. 
TTie  youngest  of  the  brothers,  William,  was 
hit  by  a  ball  when  at  school  at  the  age  of 
twelve  years.  The  ball  penetrated  the  hip 
bone  and  caused  erysipelas  to  develop,  ren- 
dering him  a  cripple  for  life.  For  this  rea- 
son he  was  unable  to  enlist  in  the  war.  Re- 
maining at  home,  he  supported  himself  by 
working  for  neighbors  and  farming  for  him- 
self in  a  small  v/ay.  Shortly  after  the  close  of 
the  war  he  and  his  family  decided  to  remove 
to  the  Pacific  coast,  and  with  a  wagon  and 
four  mules  drove  along  the  southern  route  via 
San  Antonio.  El  Paso,  Tucson  and  Yuma  to 
San  Bernardino,  settling  one  mile  south  of 
Downev  in  Los  Angeles  county,  where  he  en- 
gaged  in   farming. 

\\'ith  a  team   Air.  lustice  returned  to  Texas 


in  1873  and  remained  for  sixteen  months,  but 
his  health  failed  and  he  returned  to  Downey, 
arriving  there  October  9,  1874,  and  again  tak- 
ing up  life  at  the  old  home.  From  there  he 
again  went  to  Texas  March  i,  1882,  but  soon 
sold  his  Texas  farm,  and  in  September  of  the 
same  year  came  once  more  to  California,  where 
he  bought  land  near  Artesia  and  took  up  ranch- 
ing. December  22,  1885,  he  arrived  in  what 
is  now  the  Richland  scliool  district  near  the 
site  of  Escondido,  where  he  has  since  made  his 
home.  The  name  Richland  was  given  to  the 
little  hamlet  and  a  postoffice  was  maintained 
until  the  establishment  of  the  rural  free  de- 
livery, since  which  time  Escondido  has  been 
his  postoffice  town.  -  Very  soon  after  his  ar- 
rival he  bought  one  hundred  and  twenty-four 
acres  of  government  land  and  set  out  a  por- 
tion of  the  tract  in  walnuts,  while  the  balance 
was  devoted  to  pasturage  of  stock  and  raising 
of  grain.  Eventually  considerations  of  health 
led  him  to  relinquish  ranch  work,  and  October 
15,  1904,  he  moved  into  the  town  of  Escon- 
dido, where  he  gives  attention  to  his  duties  as 
supervisor.  While  at  Richland  he  organized, 
the  school  district,  selected  the  site  of  the 
schoolhouse  and  serve  as  clerk  of  the  school 
board  until  1894,  meanwhile  taking  an  active 
part  in  the  erection  of  the  school  building. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Justice  took  place  in 
Hill  county,  Tex.,  November  8,  1863,  and  unit- 
ed him  with  Margaret  A.,  daughter  of  J.  B. 
Merchant,  who  was  a  native  of  Mississippi. 
Eight  children  were  born  of  their  union,  name- 
ly: Hulda  J.,  Mrs.  J.  W.  Isbell,  of  Escon- 
dido; John  B.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  carriages  at  No.  208  East  Seventh 
street,  Los  Angeles;  Charles  W.,  of  Escon- 
dido: Sue,  Mrs.  S.  E.  Edwards,  of  San  Diego; 
Maude,  who  resides  in  Los  Angeles  'and  is 
a  stenographic  reporter;  Viola,  who  is  an  in- 
structor in  Highland  Park  school  in  Los  An- 
geles county:  Ruth,  who  remains  with  her 
parents ;  and  J.  Amos,  a  graduate  of  1906  from 
the  Southern  California  Dental  College  in  Los 
Angeles.  The  family  are  connected  with  the 
Escondido  Christian  Church  and  are  contrib- 
utors to  the  religious  and  educational  prog- 
ress of  their  communitv. 


J.  THOMAS  KERR  is  one  of  the  younger 
farmers  of  Riverside  county,  and  one  of  the 
most  enterprising  and  resourceful.  At  this 
writing  he  acts  as  vice-president  and  manager 
of  the  Kerr  Farming  Company,  farmers  and 
contractors,  at  Armada  in  the  Perris  valley; 
the  ranch  comprising  seventeen  thousand  acres, 
of  which  eleven  thousand  acres  are  in  grain 
and   six    thousand    acres    are    sheep     pasture. 


2262 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  ElECORD. 


There  are  two  steam-threshing  and  harvest- 
ing outfits ;  and  when  not  needed  for  the  grain, 
the  threshing  engines  are  utilized  for  other 
purposes,  as  street  work  at  Corona,  and  haul- 
ing from  the  mines.  A  warehouse  is  now  be- 
ing erected  at  Alessandro.  In  addition  to 
farming  and  threshing  contracts,  he  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  San  Jacinto  Water  Company  and 
the  C.  C.  C.  Cattle  Company  of  the  San  Ja- 
cinto valley,  besides  aiding  other  local  enter- 
prises by  his  influence  and  co-operation. 

Louisville,  Ky.,  is  the  native  city  of  Mr. 
Kerr,  and  September  15,  1871,  the  date  of  his 
birth,  his  parents  being  John  Thomas  and 
Betty  A.  (Porter)  Kerr,  natives  respectively 
of  Missouri  and  Kentucky.  They  removed  to 
Kansas,  settling  on  a  stock  ranch  near  Ar- 
kansas City,  where  the  father  had  fourteen 
thousand  acres  of  range.  Later  they  moved 
to  Winfield,  Kans.,  and  in  1884  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, settling  in  Riverside  county.  In  com- 
pany with  G.  D.  Compton  and  James  Kerr, 
under  firm  title  of  Kerr,  Compton  &  Kerr,  he 
laid  out  and  started  the  town  of  San  Jacinto, 
and  founded  the  Vallevista  postoffice.  In 
1896  he  came  to  the  Perris  valley  and  here  died 
in  January,  1905,  aged  sixty-eight  years.  His 
widow  now  fifty-nine  years  of  age,  resides  at 
Riverside. 

While  still  a  3'oung  lad  J.  Thomas  Kerr  ac- 
companied his  parents  to  California  and  set- 
tled in  Riverside  count3\  In  1887  he  secured 
employment  in  a  factor}^  at  Colton,  and  one 
year  later  engaged  as  fireman  on  the  Southern 
Pacific  road,  in  eight  months'  time  winning 
promotion  to  engineer,  which  he  filled  for 
eighteen  months  on  that  road  and  the  Santa 
Fe. 

In  1891  he  took  up  farming  in  the  San 
Jacinto- valley,  remaining  there  for  three  years. 
Taking  up  contract  threshing,  he  removed  to 
Yucaipe,  and  in  1893  took  contract  to  thresh 
ten  thousand  acres  in  Bear  valley.  In  1894  he 
spent  nine  months  in  moving  the  stamp  mills 
to  the  desert  for  the  Gold  Canon  Company. 
He  then  returned  to  the  ranch.  In  1896  he 
took  a  contract  to  haul  motors  and  pumps  for 
a  mining  company,  and  the  following  year  he 
had  a  contract  to  haul  to  Randsburg  for  the 
Atlantic  and  Pacific  Company.  The  steam- 
threshing  and  hauling  business  provides  a 
gratifying  income.  In  1901  he  put  in  six 
thousand  acres  of  wheat  on  the  Chino.  He 
gives  much  attention  to  the  management  of 
the  ranch  of  the  Kerr  Farming  Company  near 
Armada.  In  ownership  of  which  property  his 
partners  are:  R.  J.  ^Vaters,  president,  and  A. 
W.  Wright,  secretary.  The  equipments  of 
the  ranch  are  complete.  A  bookkeeper  is  em- 
ployed on  the  ranch  tc  take  charge  of  accounts. 


Mr.  Kerr  is  a  Democrat  and  always  votes- 
the  straight  party  ticket  in  general  elections. 
He  holds  fraternal  relations  with  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World  at  San  Jacinto.  Socially  he 
is  a  welcomed  guest  in  the  select  circles  and- 
the  aristocratic  families  of  Riverside  county. 
Enterprise,  justice,  industry  and  intelligence 
place  Mr.  Kerr  in  his  present  high  standing  in. 
business  circles. 


HENRY  L.  MAHAN.  Among  the  native 
Californians  now  resident  in  Ventura  county 
mention  should  be  made  of  Henry  L.  Mahan,. 
the  son  of  John  Mahan,  an  old  and  honored 
pioneer  of  the  west,  and  himself  a  large  agri- 
culturist of  the  Simi  valley,  where  he  owns- 
and  occupies  a  fine  ranch  of  two  hundred  and. 
ninety-five  acres  and  in  addition  leases  and 
superintends  eleven  hundred  acres  of  valley 
land. 

Elsewhere  in  this  volume  will  be  found  a 
sketch  of  John  Mahan,  in  which  appears  the 
history  of  the  family.  During  the  residence  of 
his  parents  in  Sonoma  county,  Cal.,  Henry  L. 
Mahan  was  born  and  at  an  early  age  he  came 
to  Ventura  county,  where  he  received  a  fair  ed- 
ucation in  the  common  schools.  Later  he  had 
the  privilege  of  attending  the  University  of 
Southern  California.  Upon  starting  out  for 
himself  he  took  up  ranch  pursuits,  for  vyhich 
work  he  was  well  qualified  through  previous- 
experience  under  his  father's  training  and  over- 
sight. During  the  greater  part  of  his  active 
career  as  a  ranchman  he  has  lived  in  Simi  val- 
ley, where  he  settled  in  1886,  and  four  years 
later  he  purchased  the  property  which  he  still 
owns  and  occupies.  Lender  his  oversight  a 
number  of  important  improvements  have  been 
made  and  the  value  of  the  ranch  thereby  has 
been  increased,  as  well  as  its  productive  ca- 
pacity. Few  men  are  better  fitted  than  he  for 
ranching,  as  his  experience  and  his  inclinations 
qualify  him  for  successful  work.  In  order  to 
properly  cultivate  his  own  land  and  his  leased 
holdings  he  finds  it  necessary  to  keep  a  large 
number  of  horses  and  also  to  utilize  many 
acres  in  raising  feed  for  the  animals.  Besides 
the  horses  he  has  other  stock  on  the  ranch  and 
a  considerable  acreage  is  under  pasturage.  The 
ranch  buildings  are  neat  and  adapted  to  their 
varied  uses,  and  are  kept  in  excellent  repair 
under  his  personal  supervision. 

The  marriage  of  ^Ir.  Mahan  took  place  at 
Camarillo  October  31,  t886,  and  united  him 
with  Nettie,  daughter  of  John  Been,  a  Califor- 
nia pioneer  represented  on  another  page  of  this 
work.  The  only  daughter  of  their  union.  Ha- 
zel, has  been  the  recipient  of  excellent  educa- 
tional advantages,  for  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mahan  are 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2263 


thorough  believers  in  the  value  of  a  good  edu- 
cation. The  interest  which  he  feels  in  schools 
led  him  to  accept  a  position  as  a  member  of 
the  Simi  school  board,  of  which  he  has  been  a 
member  for  thirteen  years  and  now  holds  of- 
fice as  president  of  the  board.  In  addition  he 
has  filled  the  office  of  road  overseer.  During 
the  existence  of  the  Hueneme  Parlor,  Native 
Sons  of  the  Golden  West,  he  was  among  its 
members,  and  now  affiliates  with  the  Fraternal 
Aid. 


GEORGE  MIDDLETON.  Many  of  the 
traits  noticeable  in  the  character  of  Mr.  Middle- 
ton  and  contributory  to  his  high  standing  among 
the  people  of  San  Diego  come  to  him  from  a  long 
line  of  Scotch  ancestors  of  recognized  worth  and 
integrity.  His  father,  James,  was  born  in  the 
shire  of  Banff,  Scotland,  and  was  a  son  of 
George  Middleton,  a  sailor  upon  the  seas  ad- 
jacent to  his  native  Scotland.  From  Banff 
James  Middleton  removed  to  the  shire  of  Forfar 
and  engaged  in  business  at  Montrose,  where  he 
had  a  photographic  gallery  as  well  as  a  shop  for 
the  manufacture  of  watches.  When  somewhat 
advanced  in  years  he  died  at  Dundee.  His  wife, 
who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Margaret  Ingles, 
was  like  himself  a  member  of  an  ancient  Scotch 
family,  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Montrose, 
and  spent  her  entire  life  in  that  part  of  Scotland. 
Thirteen  children  were  born  of  their  union,  but 
only  two  sons  are  now  living,  and  both  of  these 
are  in  the  United  States. 

•  The  eldest  of  the  family  was  George,  a  native 
of  Montrose,  Scotland,  born  December  4,  1835, 
and  reared  in  Montrose,  where  he  was  h  pupil 
in  a  private  school  for  a  short  time  during  child- 
hood. When  only  eleven  years  of  age  he  was 
put  to  work  in  a  linen  factory  and  two  years 
later  he  was  apprenticed  to  the  trade  of  house 
painter,  decorator  and  grainer,  at  which  he 
served  for  five  years.  On  the  expiration  of  his 
time  he  began  to  work  as  a  journeyman,  first  at 
Glasgow  and  then  at  Grennoch  on  the  Clyde. 
During  the  Crimean  war  in  1853  he  spent  six 
months  on  board  a  British  gunboat  in  the  capac- 
ity of  a  painter,  thence  returning  to  Grennoch 
and  from  there  to  Montrose.  Next  he  settled  in 
Arbroath  on  the  shores  of  the  North  sea  in  the 
shire  of  Forfar,  where  he  followed  his  trade  in 
the  railroad  shops.  While  living  in  that  city  he 
was  married,  June  10,  i860,  to  Miss  Ann  Bar- 
nett,  a  native  of  Arbroath  and  daughter  of  James 
Barnett,  a  merchant  of  the  city. 

Crossing  the  ocean  to  the  United  States  the 
rear  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Middleton  settled 
in  Detroit,  IMich.,  where  he  worked  as  a  salaried 
painter  for  three  years  and  then  began  to  take 
contracts  for  painting.     For  many  years  he  fol- 


lowed his  occupation  with  diligence  and  skill  in 
Detroit  and  was  rewarded  by  the  accumulation 
of  a  competency.  During  1887  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia and  settled  in  San  Diego,  where  for  nine 
years  he  owned  and  operated  a  paint  store  on 
the  corner  of  4th  and  A  streets,  and  meanwhile 
filled  many  contracts  for  important  jobs  of  paint- 
ing. When  his  store  was  burned  down  in  the 
fall  of  1905  he  closed  out  the  business  and  since 
then  has  limited  his  attention  to  contract  work, 
having  sincje  1894  been  the  senior  member  of  the 
firm  of  Middleton  &  Son,  painters.  After  com- 
ing to  this  city  he  built  the  residence  he  yet  owns 
at  No.  1953  India  street,  and  here  his  wife  died 
January  10,  1905,  after  a  happy  wedded  life  cov- 
ering almost  forty-five  years.  Their  only  child, 
James,  was  born  in  Arbroath,  Scotland,  and  re- 
ceived a  high  school  education  in  Detroit,  after 
which  he  learned  the  painter's  trade  under  his 
father's  oversight,  and  since  1894  he  has  been 
the  active  member  of  their  firm.  In  addition  he 
holds  office  as  president  of  the  Master  Painters' 
Association,  in  the  organization  of  which  both 
he  and  his  father  bore  an  active  part.  Both  are 
stanch  believers  in  Republican  principles  and  al- 
ways vote  the  ticket  at  national  elections.  While 
living  in  Detroit  the  father  was  made  a  Mason 
and  later  transferred  his  membership  to  San 
Diego  Lodge  No.  35,  F.  &  A.  M.,  besides  which 
he  has  been  prominent  in  San  Diego  Court  No. 
28,  Foresters  of  America,  having  formerly  acted 
as  chief  ranger  of  the  court  and  holding  the 
office  at  present  of  deputy  chief  ranger.  Father 
and  son  occupy  a  high  place  in  their  circle  of  ac- 
quaintances and  business  associates,  and  both  are 
respected  for  integrity  of  life,  energs'  of  dispo- 
sition, geniality  of  temperament  and  faithfulness 
in  the  filHng  of  contracts. 


JOHN  GEORGE  LONG.  Many  years  of 
busy  activity  have  come  to  Mr.  Long  since  he 
first  arrived  in  California  on  Thanksgiving 
day  of  1874,  and  in  the  interval  he  has  traveled 
through  the  greater  part  of  the  state  and  ac- 
quired a  thorough  knowledge  of  its  leading  in- 
dustries. Throughout  much  of  the  time  since 
he  landed  in  the  west  he  has  made  a  specialty 
of  mining  and  still  retains  an  active  connec- 
tion with  this  occupation,  of  which  he  has 
gained  an  expert  knowledge  by  practical  ex- 
perience and  close  observation.  On  coming  to 
San  Bernardino  county  ]\Ir.  Long  took  up 
mining  in  the  Holcomb  valley  at  Doble. 

While  claiming  ^Missouri  as  his  native  com- 
monwealth, ]\Ir.  Long  has  spent  little  of  his  life 
in  that  state,  where  he  was  born  in  Cass  county, 
.August  20,  1854.  At  an  early  age  he  was  ta- 
ken to  Kansas  by  his  parents,  William  Alfred 
and    Margaret    Matilda     (Armstrong)     Long, 


2264 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


where  he  remained  until  eighteen  years  of  age, 
meanwhile  receiving  such  advantages  as  coun- 
try schools  afforded  for  the  training  of  the 
mind.  On  leaving  home  to  earn  his  own  way 
in  the  world  he  drifted  to  the  mines  of  Wy- 
oming, where  he  worked  as  a  laborer  for  a 
year.  Next  he  took  up  railroad  work  and  se- 
cured employment  as  a  brakeman  on  the 
Union  Pacific  system.  When  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia during  the  latter  part  of  November, 
1874,  he  spent  a  week  at  Truckee,  Nevada 
county,  and  chence  proceeded  to  Rocklin, 
Placer  county,  where  he  worked  in  the  mines 
for  a  short  time.  On  leaving  that  locality  he 
proceeded  to  Chico  and  secured  employment 
at  the  Jackson  claim.  Later  he  engaged  in 
mining  at  Butte  creek.  The  year  1877  found 
him  a  resident  of  Los  Angeles,  where  he  re- 
mained for  a  considerable  period.  After  one 
year  at  various  occupations  he  was  engaged  as 
foreman  of  Engine  Company  No.  3,  in  which 
capacity  he  remained  for  nineteen  months.  On 
resigning  from  that  position  he  became  an  em- 
ploye on  the  street-car  line,  where  he  contin- 
ued for  seven  years,  eventually  resigning  in 
order  to  resume  mining,  and  since  then  he  has 
been  a  partner  in  the  company  whose  develop- 
ment owes  much  to  his  energy,  acumen  and 
progressive  spirit. 


In  Santa  Cruz,  February  15,  1891,  Mr.  Moretti 
was  married  to  Flora  Regetta,  a  native  also  of 
Switzerland,  and  they  have  three  children, 
Renaldo,  Allen  and  Irene.  Mr.  Moretti  is  iden- 
tified with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows of  Guadaloupe,  and  with  his  wife  is  a 
member  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 


JOSEPH  MORETTI,  one  of  the  largest  and 
most  successful  dairymen  in  Santa  Barbara  coun- 
ty, was  reared  in  a  family  of  ten  children,  all 
dependent  upon  the  resources  of  a  small  Swiss 
farm.  He  was  born  September  i,  1858,  a  son  of 
John  E.  and  Constancia  (Phillipine)  Moretti, 
the  former  of  whom  attained  to  sixty-nine  and 
the  latter  to  sixty-eight  years  of  age.  Mr.  Mor- 
etti's  independent  life  began  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen, when  he  came  to  America  in  a  sailing  ves- 
sel, and  to  California  by  railroad  during  the 
summer  of  1873.  Along  the  Sacramento  river 
he  worked  for  a  dairyman  for  nine  months,  and 
for  the  next  seven  months  was  employed  at  the 
same  occupation  in  Sonoma  county.  At  Half 
Moon  Bay  he  conducted  a  dairy  for  two  years, 
and  another  dairy  in  Petaluma,  Sonoma  county, 
er'  -^e.'  his  attention  for  the  next  six  months. 
In  'another  part  of  Sonoma  county  he  con- 

ducted a  dairy  for  five  years,  and  in  1881  came 
to  Santa  Barbara  county,  where  he  ever  since 
has  lived.  At  the  present  time  he  owns  eleven 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  near  Santa 
Maria,  a  large  part  of  which  provides  pasture 
for  eight  hundred  head  of  cattle.  His  chief 
dairy  product  is  butter,  and  for  the  making  of 
this  he  has  the  most  modern  appliances.  On  the 
land  not  devoted  to  pasturage  he  raises  grain, 
beans  and  beets. 


ELMER  ELLSWORTH  AIOORE  has  been 
identified  as  a  promoter  of  the  principal  industries 
contributing  to  the  material  development  of  his 
chosen  place  of  residence,  for  his  interests  have 
been  manifold  and  important.  At  this  writing 
he  is  engaged  in  promoting  a  new  town,  to  be 
known  as  Lengo,  lying  three  miles  north  of 
Compton  on  the  Santa  Ana  electric  railway  line, 
and  opened  to  the  public  November  i,  1905,  for 
the  sale  of  town  lots.  As  vice-president  and  gen- 
eral manager  of  the  Sterling  Milk  Company  of 
Los  Angeles,  the  plant  has  been  brought  to  a 
high  degree  of  perfection,  and  the  capital  stock 
of  $200,000  has  been  utilized  in  such  a  manner 
that  assured  profits  are  brought  to  the  holders 
of  stock.  He  has  introduced  into  Southern  Cali- 
fornia a  high  grade  of  Jersey  cattle,  among  these 
being  a  registered  animal  that  won  the  woild's 
record  test  (showing  eleven  and  four-tenths  per 
cent  of  butter  fat)  at  the  thirty-second  agri- 
cultural fair  of  Santa  Ana  district  in  1902,  under 
the  tests  instituted  by  Professor  Anderson,  a 
government  official,  connected  with  the  Califor- 
nia State  University.  Within  three  years  this 
cow  netted  the  present  owner  seven  hundred  and 
thirty-five  dollars  over  and  above  the  purchase 
price  and  expense  of  feeding. 

The  Moore  family  is  of  eastern  origin  and  Mr. 
Moore  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  August  of 
1866,  his  parents  having  been  Silas  and  Susanna 
(McCoy)  Moore.  His  maternal  grandfather, 
John  McCoy,  who  was  a  member  of  the  old 
militia  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war,  lived  to 
be  eighty-six  years  of  age.  After  the  death  of 
his  wife  Silas  Moore  came  to  California  and  in 
1893  purchased  a  tract  of  forty  acres  on  Signal 
Hill  near  Long  Beach,  where  he  died  two  years 
later  at  seventy-nine  years ;  his  wife  was  seventy- 
eight  at  the  time  of  her  death. 

Earlv  educated  in  country  schools  in  Ohio, 
Elmer  E.  Moore  had  the  supplementary  advantage 
of  attending  the  Ohio  Normal  LTniversity  at  Ada, 
from  which  in  1888  he  received  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Science.  Immediately  after  his 
graduation  he  took  up  school-teaching,  in  which 
he  continued  for  five  vears.  In  April,  1893,  he 
came  to  California  taking  charge  of  the  ranch 
purchased  by  his  father.  Two  years  later  he 
was  elected  chairman  of  the  Long  Beach  school 
board,  and  in  that  capacity  aided  in  securing  the 
establishment   of   the   high   school   on   American 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2265 


avenue,  being  president  of  the  board  at  the  time 
of  the  erection  of  that  building.  In  the  organ- 
ization of  the  bank  of  Long  Beach  he  took  a 
warm  interest  and  officiated  as  a  member  of  its 
first  board  of  directors.  He  was  actively  inter- 
ested in  the  Long  Beach  public  library,  and  he 
was  chosen  the  first  president  of  that  organiza- 
tion. 

Exchanging  his  ranch  at  Long  Beach  for  a 
tract  of  forty  acres  three  miles  north  of  Comp- 
ton,  he  removed  to  this  latter  property,  which 
he  yet  owns.  Since  coming  here  he  has  pro- 
moted various  important  enterprises,  including 
the  Bank  of  Compton ;  the  Compton  Home  Tele- 
phone Company,  in  which  he  was  a  member  of 
the  first  board  of  directors ;  the  Compton  Water 
and  Lighting  Company,  of  which  he  officiated 
as  vice-president ;  and  the  Glen  Holly  Dairy 
Company,  of  which  he  acted  as  general  manager 
for  ten  months  and  is  now  a  director.  He  is  a 
man  of  progressive  spirit,  great  enterprise, 
shrewd  foresight,  with  the  enthusiasm  and  judg- 
ment necessary  to  all  who  promote  important  in- 
dustries. 

In  Ohio,  Mr.  Moore  was  married,  December 
24,  1888,  to  Miss  Callie  Afartin,  and  they  have 
six  children,  namely:  Hazel,  a  student  in  the 
Los  Angeles  high  school ;  Wallace,  who  is  in- 
terested in  the  dairy  business  and  owns  five  reg- 
istered Jersey  cows :  Mabel,  Emmett,  Bruce  and 
Helen.  The  family  are  identified  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Durmg  the  cam- 
paign of  1840  Mr.  Moore's  father  supported 
William  Henry  Harrison  and  rallied  around  the 
slogan  of  "Tippecanoe  and  Tyler  too."  Mr. 
Moore  himself  has  always  been  a  firm  believer 
in  Republican  principles  and  votes  the  ticket  in 
both  local  and  general  elections.  Fraternally  he 
is  associated  with  the  Uniform  Rank  No.  29, 
K.  of  P. ;  Anchor  Lodge  No.  273,  F.  &  A.  M., 
at  Compton,  and  Long  Beach  Commandery  No. 
40.  K.  T.,  to  all  of  which  organizations  he  gives 
his  hearty  allegiance. 


accompanied  his  parents,  Antone  and  Barbara 
(Ullman)  Niverth,  to  the  United  States,  locat- 
ing in  Brown  county,  Ivans.,  where  his  mother 
died  at  the  age  of  forty-six,  and  where  his  father 
still  engages  in  general  farming  and  stock  rais- 
ing. S.  B.  Niverth  spent  three  years  with  the 
family  in  Kansas,  and  then  contracted  the  western 
fever  with  the  results  mentioned  above.  In  1889 
he  married  Rachel  Bradley,  daughter  of  one  of 
the  early  pioneers  of  the  county,  and  the  first  girl 
born  in  Santa  Maria  Valley.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Niverth  have  been  born  four  daughters:  Alice, 
Barbara,  Mary  and  Louise.  Mr.  Niverth  is  a 
popular  addition  to  the  social  life  of  the  town, 
and  a  member  of  the  Hesperian  Lodge  E.  &  A. 
M..  and  the  Fraternal  Brotherhood  of  Los  An- 
geles. 


S.  B.  NIVERTH,  who  conducts  a  blacksmith, 
general  repair  and  wagon  making  shop  in  the 
Santa  Maria  Valley,  has  been  identified  with 
this  locality  for  many  years.  Its  earlier  part  in- 
cluded an  apprenticeship  to  a  blacksmith,  and 
subsequent  employment  in  diflferent  shops  of  the 
town,  his  own  business  having  been  established 
about  fourteen  years  ago.  He  also  carries  a  line 
of  feed,  grain  and  hay.  At  certain  seasons  of  the 
year  he  employs  several  assistants,  and  his 
patrons  come  from  many  miles  of  the  surround- 
ing country. 

'^Mr.  Niverth  was  born  in  Austria  .Vugust  2, 
1866,  and  is  one  of  two  surviving  sons  in  a  fam- 
ily of  six  children.     When   fifteen  years  old  he 


LOUIS  A.  PFEIEFER,  a  native  of  Califor- 
nia and  clerk  of  San  Bernardino  county,  was 
liorn  in  Vacaville,  Solano  county,  September  i, 
1864,  a  son  of  Joseph  Pfeifter,  whose  birth  oc- 
curred in  Alsace  (then  France),  and  whence  he 
was  brought  by  his  parents  to  America  when  a 
child.  He  was  reared  to  young  manhood  in  the 
state  of  Illinois,  engaging  with  a  mercantile  firm 
for  his  first  independent  venture  in  life.  In  1849 
he  crossed  the  plains  to  California  and  for  a  few 
years  following  engaged  in  mining  in  both  this 
state  and  Idaho,  in  the  latter  state  being  one  of 
the  organizers  of  the  General  Custer  mines,  in 
which  he  was  associated  with  George  W.  Gray- 
son and  J.  B.  Hoggin.  This  embraced  extensive 
interests  and  after  its  sale  to  an  English  syndi- 
cate proved  a  valuable  property.  Because  of  im- 
paired health  Mr.  Pfeiflfer  then  came  to  San 
Francisco  and  in  1887  to  Redlands,  San  Ber- 
nardino county,  the  latter  place  in  the  interests 
of  property  he  owned  here,  and  during  his  resi- 
dence here  he  contracted  a  cold  which  resulted 
in  his  death  in  1898,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven 
years.  He  left  a  considerable  estate,  in  which 
was  a  ranch  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  in 
Redlands,  upon  which  he  had  himself  set  out  an 
extensive  orange  orchard.  He  was  a  man  of 
spirit  and  enterprise  and  always  found  foremost 
in  all  movements  which  had  for  their  e  ^^fhe 
general  welfare  of  the  community  in  wl  fA'^e 
resided.  During  the  Bannock  Indian  wa.  ?  ,  of 
1S77  he  was  active  in  his  participation  for  the 
white  man's  interests.  Mr.  Pfeiffer  is  survived 
by  his  wife,  Sophia,  who  now  makes  her  home  in 
Los  Angeles. 

The  youngest  child  in  a  family  of  three  daugh- 
ters and  one  son,  Louis  A.  Pfeiffer  was  reared 
to  young  manhood  in  the  Santa  Clara  valley,  re- 
ceiving his  education  in  the  public  schools  in  the 
vicinity  of  his  home.  In  1878  he  entered  the 
Santa    Clara    college    and    took    a    three    years* 


2266 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


course,  following  which  he  went  to  Idaho  where 
his  father's  mining  interests  were  located,  and 
shortly  afterward  entered  the  store  in  Bonanza 
and  also  worked  in  the  store  at  Custer,  eventual- 
ly becoming  manager  of  the  two.  He  occupied 
this  responsible  position  until  1890,  when  the 
firm  disposed  of  their  interests,  at  which  time  he 
came  south  to  Redlands,  where  his  father  was 
engaged  in  horticultural  pursuits.  From  the 
year  1893  to  January,  1895,  he  served  as  deputy 
county  recorder  under  J.  B.  Goodwin,  and  in 
January,  1895,  was  appointed  deputy  county 
clerk  under  Col.  J.  W.  F.  Diss;  the  latter  re- 
signed his  position  in  1898  to  participate  in  the 
Spanish-American  war,  being  sent  to  the  Phil- 
ippines as  first  lieutenant  of  Battery  D,  Heavv 
Artillery.  Mr.  Pfeiffer  continued  to  serve  un- 
der the  new  appointee,  J.  B.  Parzett,  until  the 
following  fall,  when  he  was  nominated  on  the 
Republican  ticket  for  the  office  of  county  clerk, 
and  in  the  election  that  followed  receiving  the 
preference  of  the  people  by  a  majority  of  one 
hundred  and  seventy-eight  votes  over  the  Fusion 
candidate,  J.  Stanley  Brown.  Taking  the  oath 
of  office  January,  1899,  he  entered  upon  the 
duties  incumbent  upon  him  and  has  since  dis- 
charged them  with  an  efficiency  that  won  for  him 
a  renomination  and  subsequent  election  in  1892, 
by  the  increased  majority  of  eleven  hundred  and 
fifty-nine  votes  over  the  Democratic  candidate, 
Robert  T.  Curtis. 

In  Bonanza,  Idaho,  Mr.  Pfeiffer  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Kathyrine  Spahn,  a  native 
of  that  state,  and  a  daughter  of  Michael  Spahn, 
formerly  a  cattle  and  mining  man  of  Idaho.  She 
is  a  woman  of  culture  and  education,  being  a 
graduate  of  an  institution  of  Salt  Lake.  Be- 
sides his  official  interests  Mr.  Pfeiffer  is  the 
owner  of  a  sixteen  acre  orange  grove.  Frater- 
nally he  is  affiliated  with  the  Elks,  being  a  charter 
member  of  the  Redlands  Lodge  No.  183,  B.  P. 
O.  E. ;  was  made  a  Mason  in  San  Bernardino 
Lodge  No.  348,  F.  &  A.  M.,  now  holding  mem- 
bership with  Keystone  Lodge  No.  56,  R.  A.  M., 
San  Bernardino  Commanderv  No.  23,  K.  T.,  and 
Al  Malaikah  Temple,  A.  A.  'O.  N.  M.  S.,  of  Los 
Angeles.  He  is  a  member  and  past  president  of 
Redlands  Parlor,  Native  Sons  of  the  Golden 
West. 


E.  RIGHETTI  is  one  of  the  many  Swiss- 
Americans  who  represent  their  mother  country's 
aptitude  along  dairying  lines  in  Santa  Barbara 
county.  He  was  born  in  Switzerland.  May  8. 
1865.  a  son  of  Peter  Righetti,  who  had  the  good 
fortune  to  achieve  political  and  general  influence, 
as  well  as  to  hold  all  of  the  local  offices  of  im- 
portance in  his  home  town.  He  married  Mary 
Tognazzi,  reared   a   family  of  nine  children,  all 


of  whom  are  living,  and  five  of  whom  are  in 
California.  He  attained  the  age  of  seventy-five 
years,  his  wife  living  to  the  age  of  seventy-eight 
years. 

E.  Righetti  was  sixteen  years  old  when  he 
immigrated  to  the  new  world,  coming  to  San 
Luis  Obispo  county  direct  from  New  York, 
which  he  reached  during  the  summer  of  1881. 
After  four  years  of  training  under  a  well  known 
San  Luis  Obispo  dairyman  he  moved  to  Santa 
Cruz  and  eng'aged  in  the  same  occupation  about 
three  years,  or  until  locating  on  the  ranch  he  has 
occupied  for  the  past  thirteen  years,  near  Or- 
cutt,  Santa  Barbara  county.  This  property  con- 
tains three  thousand  acres,  of  which  about  one 
hundred  acres  are  under  grain,  and  the  balance 
in  pasture.  Of  the  five  hundred  head  of  cattle, 
one  hundred  and  fifty  are  milch  cows,  and  the 
raising  of  hogs  also  adds  to  his  income.  In  ad- 
dition to  dairying  and  stock  raising,  he  manu- 
factures one  hundred  and  forty  pounds  of  butter 
daily. 

Fraternally  j\Ir.  Righetti  belongs  to  the  Odd 
Fellows'  lodge  at  Guadaloupe.  In  1890  he  joined 
the  Guadaloupe  lodge  of  Masons,  since  ab- 
sorbed by  the  Santa  Maria  lodge,  and  of  which 
he  has  served  as  junior  warden.  In  1893  he 
became  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Protective 
Order  of  Elks.  In  1893  Mr.  Righetti  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Lelia  Pezzoni,  a  native  of 
San  Luis  Obsipo  county,  and  of  the  union  there 
are  five  children :  Alfred,  Edith,  Tilden,  Ernest 
and  Leo. 


WILLIAM  RINEBARGER.  of  \>ntura 
county,  is  now  engaged  in  farm  pursuits  near 
Somis.  Wayne  county,  Ohio,  is  ^Ir.  Rinebar- 
ger's  native  place,  and  December  27,  1847,  the 
date  of  his  birth.  His  parents,  Michael  and 
Susanna  (Miller)  Rinebarger,  were  natives  of 
Ohio  and  spent  their  entire  lives  in  that  state, 
where  the  father  industriously  engaged  in  farm 
pursuits.  His  wife  died  in  1869  at  sixty-nine 
years  of  age,  but  he  was  spared  to  the  age  of 
eighty-three  years.  In  his  large  family  he  had 
sons  who  were  unusually  courageous,  self-re- 
liant and  patriotic,  and  he  was  proud  of  their 
faithful  service  in  the  Lfnion  army  during  the 
Civil  war.  Two  of  the  sons,  George  and  Lee. 
enlisted  in  the  Forty-sixth  Ohio  Regiment  and 
served  practically  through  the  entire  period  of 
the  struggle.  Thomas  was  a  member  of  the 
Fifty-fifth  Ohio  Regiment  and  Henry  also  served 
with  a  company  of  Ohio  soldiers.  Nor  was  the 
fifth  son.  William,  less  patriotic  than  his  broth- 
ers, for  he,  too,  ofifered  his  services  to  the  Lfnion, 
was  accepted  as  a  member  of  the  One  Hundred 
and  Forty-sixth  Illinois  Infantry  in  which  he 
rendered  faithful  service  for  one  vear  and  three 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2267 


months,  being  honorably   discharged  at   Spring- 
field, 111.,  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  service. 

Immediately  after  his  discharge  from  the  army 
William  Rinebarger  secured  employment  as  a 
brakeman  on  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chi- 
cago Railroad,  and  in  due  course  of  time  was 
promoted  to  be  conductor  on  a  through  freight 
from  Fort  Wayne  to  Crestline.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  five  years  he  resigned  from  the  railway 
employ  and  turned  his  attention  to  farm  pursuits 
in  Illinois,  later  removing  to  an  Iowa  farm  and 
still  later  becoming  a  resident  of  Kansas.  In 
many  respects  the  climate  of  these  states  proved 
unsatisfactory  and  for  that  reason  he  was  led  to 
remove  to  California  in  1889,  since  which  time 
he  has  engaged  in  ranching  in  Ventura  county. 
Before  leaving  his  early  Ohio  home  to  make  his 
way  in  the  world  he  had  formed  the  acquaintance 
of  Miss  Mary  E.  Spoon,  an  estimable  young 
lady  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Ohio.  When 
ready  to  establish  a  home  of  his  own  they  were 
married  at  Wyandotte,  July  3,  1867,  since  which 
time  they  have  shared  each  other's  joys  and  sor- 
sows  and  have  labored  for  their  mutual  wel- 
fare. They  have  two  children.  The  daughter, 
Daisy  E.,  married  J.  F.  Fulkerson  and  lives  in 
Fairview  valley ;  the  son,  Oscar  James,  at  this 
writing  is  in  the  Santa  Paula  high  school.  Dur- 
ing the  period  of  his  residence  in  Iowa  Mr.  Rine- 
barger was  initiated  into  Allerton  Lodge  No.  310, 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  at  Allerton,  Wayne  county,  and  for 
thirty-three  years  or  more  he  has  affiliated  with 
that   fraternitv. 


WILLIAM  NEWEL  SEAMAN.  ^  The 
business  interests  of  Long  Beach  have  in  ]\Ir. 
Seaman  an  able  representative,  his  connection  as 
president  with  the  Peoples  Ice  &  Storage  Co. 
resulting  in  the  material  development  of  this 
enterprise.  He  is  a  native  of  New  York  City, 
his  birth  having  occurred  in  that  place  Septem- 
ber 20,  1862.  His  father,  Luther  Seaman,  was 
born  in  Central,  N.  Y.,  and  died  in  New 
York  Citv,  as  did  also  his  mother,  formerly  Lide 
Thompson,  whose  death  occurred  in  1905.  They 
were  the  parents  of  two  children,  Myron  D.  be- 
ing a  horticulturist  of  Yates  county.  William 
N.  Seaman  was  reared  in  Yates  county,  N.  Y., 
receiving  his  preliminary  education  tlirough 
an  attendance  of  the  public  schools,  after 
which  he  attended  Watkins  academy  at  Wat- 
kins  Glenn,  then  known  as  Penn  Yan.  In  young 
manhood  he  engaged  in  the  bakery  and  confec- 
tionery business,  in  which  occupation  he  con- 
tinued until  1899;  disposing  of  his  interest  at 
that  date  he  located  in  Marshall,  Minn.,  where 
he  purchased  hotel  Atlantic  and  successfully  con- 
ducted the  same  for  a  period  of  four  years.  De- 
ciding to  locate  upon  the  Pacific  coast  he  came 


to  Los  Angeles  in  1893  ^"d  followed  the  con- 
fectionery business  at  No.  322  Broadway.  After 
five  and  one-half  years  he  became  interested  in 
the  real  estate  business,  and  in  June,  1903, 
located  in  Long  Beach,  where  he  has  since  re- 
mained, a  prominent  factor  in  the  upbuilding  en- 
terprises. He  not  only  organized  this  company 
known  as  the  Peoples  Ice  and  Cold  Storage 
Company,  but  through  him  it  has  been  built  up 
to  its  present  lucrative  proportions,  their  work 
at  the  beginning  being  carried  on  with  one  horse 
and  wagon,  while  they  now  operate  five  large 
wagons  and  three  single  rigs,  with  a  pay  roll 
from  $1,000  to  $1,500  per  month.  This  enter- 
prise was  incorporated  in  1904  with  W.  N.  Sea- 
man as  president,  P.  Gallagher  as  vice-president, 
and  W.  L.  Beach  as  secretary.  The  following 
year  they  erected  an  ice  plant  at  a  cost  of  $19,- 
000,  thoroughly  modern  and  up  to  date  in  every 
particular,  well  equipped,  and  capable  of  pro- 
ducing twenty  tons  of  ice  per  day.  They  also 
bought  out  the  Long  Beach  Ice  Company  in 
1895,  adding  its  patronage  to  their  own.  The 
entire  plant  of  this  firm  is  valued  at  $50,000, 
their  business,  which  is  constantly  increasing 
through  shipments  to  San  Pedro,  Wilmington, 
Terminal  and  other  adjacent  points,  requiring  an 
increase  in  capacity  each  year. 

Mr.  Seaman  resides  in  Los  Angeles,  his  home 
being  presided  over  by  his  wife,  formerly  Lizzie 
Emery,  a  native  of  Adrian,  Mich.,  with  whom 
he  was  united  in  marriage  in  Yates  county,  N. 
Y.  She  is  a  sister  of  Robert  B.  Emery  of  Los 
Angeles.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Seaman  are  the  par- 
ents of  one  daughter,  Bessie  M.  Mr.  Seaman  is 
a  member  of  the  lodge  No.  440,  W.  O.  W.,  of 
Long  Beach,  and  is  also  affiliated  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  lodge  of  Marshall,  Minn. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church  in  his 
religious  connections.  He  is  a  progressive  and 
enterprising  citizen,  taking  a  deep  interest  in  all 
matters  of  civic  importance.  He  votes  the  Re- 
publican ticket,  but  in  local  affairs  seeks  the 
development  of  the  men  and  measures  he  con- 
siders best  calculated  to  advance  the  general  wel- 
fare. 


J.  D.  RUIZ  was  born  where  he  now  lives, 
near  Santa  Maria,  March  19,  1870,  and  is  one 
of  the  nine  surviving  children  in  a  familv  of 
eleven.  His  parents,  Juan  B.  and  Rita  (Onti- 
vero's)  Ruiz,  were  born  in  California,  and  the 
latter  is  a  native  of  Los  Angeles  county.  The 
parents  own  and  live  on  the  old  homestead  where 
the  greater  part  of  their  married  life  has  been 
spent.  J.  D.  first  attended  the  public  schools  of 
Santa  Barbara  countv,  afterward  entering  St. 
Mary's  College,  at  Oakland,  from  which  institu- 
tion he  returned    to    the    ranch.      The    land    is 


2268 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


adapted  to  fruit,  grain  and  beans,  and  for  many 
years  these  products'  have  been  regarded  as  its 
stable  output. 

In  1891  J.  D.  Ruiz  married  Dolores  Yorba,  a 
native  of  Orange  county.  The  two  children  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ruiz  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Ruiz 
is  an  active  Republican,  and  has  held  the  office 
of  constable  for  four  years.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Catholic  Church. 


WILLIAM  G.  WATSON.  Numbered 
among  the  respected  and  esteemed  citizens  of 
Glendale  is  William  G.  Watson,  a  man  of  un- 
doubted ability  and  integrity,  distinguished  for 
his  honorable  record  as  a  brave  soldier  in  the 
Civil  war,  and  for  his  upright  and  honest  busi- 
ness transactions.  Industrious  and  thrifty,  he 
has  labored  with  diligence  in  the  various  occu- 
pations with  which  he  has  been  identified,  and 
has  met  with  signal  success.  A  native  of  Eng- 
land, he  was  born  December  4,  1842,  in  York- 
shire, where  his  father,  James  Watson,  and  his 
grandfather,  were  life-long  farmers. 

Growing  to  man's  estate  in  his  native  land, 
William  G.  Watson  received  but  limited  edu- 
cational advantages.  When  young  he  learned 
the  glass  blower's  trade,  which  he  followed  a 
few  years,  but  the  work  did  not  agree  with  him. 
Giving  it  up,  he  came,  in  1863,  to  America  on 
account  of  his  health,  and  for  a  few  months 
after  his  arrival  was  employed  in  the  coal 
mines  of  Mauch  Chunk,  Pa.  In  1864  he  enlist- 
ed in  Company  i\I,  One  Hundred  and  Second 
Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  With  his  company 
he  was  at  the  front  in  the  siege  of  Petersburg, 
and  with  it  was  the  first  over  the  line  when 
the  entrenchments  were  captured.  He  was  sub- 
sequently present,  with  his  regiment,  at  the 
surrender  of  General  Lee,  after  which  he  took 
part  in  the  Grand  Review,  at  Washington,  D. 
C.  Being  shortly  afterwards  mustered  out  of 
service,  he  resumed  work  at  the  coal  mines  in 
which  he  had  formerly  been  employed.  Subse- 
quently going  to  Texas,  he  was  for  a  time  en- 
gaged in  shipping  fruit  from  Houston  and 
Sherman.  In  1876  he  came  to  the  Pacific  coast, 
locating  in  Pasadena,  where  he  bought  land, 
and  for  eight  years  conducted  a  meat  market. 
Going  from  there  to  Elsinore,  Riverside  coun- 
ty, he  took  up  a  government  claim,  proved  up 
on  it,  and  afterwards  sold  at  an  advantageous 
price.  He  subsequently  lived  for  a  few  years 
in  Verdugo,  owning  a  farm  there,  and  for  elev- 
en years  being  engaged  in  ranching  and  in 
mercantile  pursuits,  owning  and  operating  a 
meat  market,  of  which  he  subsequently  dis- 
posed. With  his  sons  he  is  now  engaged  in 
raising  nursery  stock,  mostlv  citrus  trees  and 


palms.  Another  profitable  venture  was  the 
erection  of  a  business  block  at  the  corner  of 
Fourth  street  and  Glendale  avenue. 

In  Te.xas  Mr.  Watson  married  Alice  Nelson, 
and  of  their  union  seven  children  have  been 
born,  namely:  James  Jo}',  Thomas  W.,  Mrs. 
Emma  J.  Reed,  Mrs.  Ida  Ella  Jones,  Mary, 
Alice  and  Nettie.  For  forty-five  years  Mr. 
Watson  has  been  an  active  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  has  been  superin- 
tendent of  the  Sunday  school  for  many  j^ears 
and  is  now  teaching  a  large  Bible  class.  Polit- 
ically he  is  a  strong  Prohibitionist.  Coming  to 
the  state  on  account  of  lung  trouble  in  1876, 
Mr.  Watson  has  completely  overcome  the  diffi- 
culty and  is  now  well  and  heartv. 


GEORGE  A.  WILLIAMS.  The  commercial 
enterprise  of  which  Mr.  Williams  is  the  sole 
proprietor  ranks  among  the  most  important  in 
San  Pedro.  The  establishment  of  a  furniture 
and  general  house-furnishing  store  here  has 
proved  a  fortunate  undertaking,  and  he  now 
carries  the  largest  stock  in  this  vicinity,  it  be- 
ing valued  at  $5,000.  In  connection  with  the 
store  there  is  also  a  warehouse  for  the  storage 
of  surplus  goods. 

George  A.  V,'illian-.s  was  born  in  Kendall- 
ville.  Noble  county.  Ind.,  October  27,  1859.  His 
father,  William  Williams,  was  a  New  England- 
er  by  birth,  born  in  Massachusetts,  and  by 
trade  was  a  machinist  and  foundryman.  Re- 
moving from  the  east  to  Indiana  before  the 
birth  of  his  son,  he  carried  on  his  trade  there 
for  awhile,  but  during  the  earh'  boyhood  of  the 
latter  located  for  a  short  time  in  Missouri.  Still 
later  he  crossed  the  plains  to  Colorado,  which 
was  his  last  earthly  home.  His  wife,  who  bore 
the  maiden  name  of  Lydia  Drown,  was  a  na- 
tive of  ]\Iichigan,  and  died  when  their  son  was 
an  infant.  The  other  child  born  of  their  mar- 
riage was  a  daughter,  who  is  now  the  wife  of 
J.  K.  Christie,  of  San  Pedro. 

As  his  parents  removed  from  Indiana  before 
he  was  of  school  age,  Mr.  Williams  attended 
the  schools  of  Missouri  after  the  family  located 
in  that  state,  and  subsequently  took  a  course  in 
Adrian  College,  in  Michigan.  After  his  grad- 
uation he  mastered  telegra]ihy,  and  for  about 
nineteen  years  thereafter  followed  it  in  connec- 
tion with  railroading,  his  duties  taking  him  to 
])oints  all  over  Missouri,  Kansas  and  Colorado. 
It  was  not  until  November  of  1903  that  he  first 
touched  foot  on  California  soil,  going  at  that 
time  to  San  Jose  and  remaining  for  three 
months.  His  identification  with  San  Pedro 
dates  from  December,  1903,  when  he  purchased 
the  nucleus  of  his  present  large  and  flourishing 
store.     He   has   demonstrated   his   satisfaction 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2269 


with  the  town  as  a  place  of  residence  by  the 
purchase  of  a  home  for  his  family,  besides 
which  he  owns  a  number  of  vacant  lots. 

A  marriage  ceremony  celebrated  in  Missouri 
in  18S2  united  the  destinies  of  George  A.  Will- 
iams and  Lida  Burns,  the  latter  a  native  of  the 
Empire  state,  and  two  children  have  been  born 
to  them,  Clarence  A.,  who  assists  his  father  in 
the  store,  and  Agnes.  :Mrs.  Williams  is  a  com- 
municant in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  to- 
ward the  support  of  which  her  husband  con- 
tributes. As  a  Republican  he  is  true  to  the 
principles  which  he  believes  to  be  right  and 
votes  for  the  candidates  of  that  party  at  each 
and  every  election.  Various  fraternal  organ- 
izations claim  Mr.  Williams'  membership, 
among  them  being  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America 
and  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen. 


JOHX  A.  \^\N  WINKLE  of  Hemet  was 
born  October  14,  1844,  in  Carthage,  Hancock 
county.  111.,  the  son  of  John  A.  and  Annie  Mill- 
er Van  Winkle,  botli  parents  being  of  Holland 
Dutch  descent  and  members  of  old  New  York 
families.  The  father  located  in  Hancock  coun- 
ty, 111.,  where  he  died  when  his  son  was  six 
months  old,  and  at  nine  years  the  lad  was  also 
deprived,  by  death,  of  a  mother's  care.  Of  the 
seven  children  in  the  family  four  sons  are  now 
living,  the  oldest,  Abraham,  having  served  in 
an  Illinois  regiment  during  the  Civil  war. 

The  school  advantages  of  John  A.  Van  Win- 
kle were  exceedingly  limited,  for  upon  the 
death  of  his  mother  he  was  obliged  to  make  his 
own  way  in  the  world.  He  was  an  ambitious 
youth,  however,  and  spent  his  evenings  in 
study,  thus  acquiring  a  very  considerable 
amount  of  book  knowledge  at  the  same  time 
that  he  was  learning  the  broom  maker's  trade. 
When  nineteen  years  old  he  joined  an  overland 
party,  which  after  encountering  the  Indians 
and  driving  them  away  landed  Mr.  Van  Winkle 
safely  in  Montana,  where  for  over  three  years 
he  engaged  in  gold  mining,  pursuing  operations 
at  Helena,  Virginia  City  and  Boise  City,  Idaho. 
He  then  returned  to  Illinois  and  after  his  mar- 
riage located  in  Nebraska,  where  he  bought 
school  land  in  Johnson  county  and  endeavored 
to  farm.  This  was,  however,  during  the  grass- 
hopper years  in  that  state  and  his  crops  were 
destroyed  completely  by  these  insects.  Accord- 
ingly he  left  the  country  and  settled  in  Clin- 
ton, Mo.,  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
brooms  at  that  point  and  for  twelve  years  car- 
ried on  the  business  very  successfully.  For  the 
two  years  following  he  worked  in  the  lead 
mines  at  Joplin,  ]Mo.,  but  met  with  unsatisfac- 
tory' results  and  again  decided  to  take  up  the 


broom  manufacturing  business,  this  time  locat- 
ing a  factory  at  Beloit,  Kan.  After  five  years 
he  decided  to  build  a  steam  plant  and  as  his 
health  was  poor  he  took  a  partner  to  assist  him 
with  the  work.  In  this  respect  he  was  very  un- 
fortunate, for  while  Mr.  Van  Winkle  was  sick 
the  man  secured  the  money  that  was  in  the 
bank,  sold  the  factory  stock  and  left  a  five  hun- 
dred dollar  debt  for  Mr.  Van  Winkle  to  pay. 

For  a  time  he  engaged  in  clerking,  but  was 
advised  by  his  physician  to  employ  himself  at 
outside  work,  and'  he  secured  employment  on 
the  section  for  a  time  at  a  dollar  and  a  quarter 
a  day.  Finally  a  neighbor  sold  him  some 
broomcorn  at  one  cent  a  pound.  As  he  had  one 
machine  saved  from  the  wreck  of  his  former 
business  he  succeeded  in  making  two  dozen 
brooms  a  day,  his  wife  sewing  them,  and  thus 
they  managed  to  get  along  until  fall,  when  he 
was  made  foreman  of  the  section  gang.  Upon 
the  occasion  of  the  hlg  washout  at  Downs  he 
was  sent  to  that  point,  but  the  position  requir- 
ing Sunday  labor  he  resigned,  and  although 
importuned  by  his  employers  to  remain  refused 
to  sacrifice  his  principles  in  the  matter  for  the 
sake  of  the  work.  Again  engaging  in  the  broom 
manufacturing,  backed  in  "the  venture  by  the 
banker  of  his  home  town,  he  built  up  a  large 
trade,  shipping  brooms  to  many  different 
points,  and  managed  to  accumulate  consider- 
able money.  Finally  removing  his  factory  to 
St.  Joseph  he  operated  it  there  for  eleven  years 
and  then  sold  it  to  go  to  Auburn,  Neb.,  and  en- 
gage in  merchandising. 

His  arrival  in  California  dates  from  1895, 
when  he  bought  a  twenty-acre  fruit  ranch  on 
the  mesa  near  San  Jacinto,  which  he  lost  after 
two  years  of  unsuccessful  work  on  the  place. 
Still  possessing  a  small  property  in  the  cast  he 
traded  this  for  a  twentj'-acre  ranch  on  Florida 
avenue,  Hemet,  then  valued  at  twelve  hundred 
dollars,  and  he  has  been  residing  on  that  place 
ever  since.  He  gradually  improved  the  holding 
and  it  is  now  considered  one  of  the  finest  places 
in  that  section.  In  1900  he  started  a  general 
merchandising  business  in  Hemet,  located  on 
Harvard  street  under  the  name  of  The  Van 
^^'inkle  Mercantile  Company,  but  two  years 
later  he  disposed  of  this  business  and  has  since 
devoted  his  whole  time  to  the  conduct  of  his 
ranch,  having  added  thirty  acres  to  his  original 
purchase.  He  has  a  large  variety  of  fruits,  in- 
cluding oranges,  apricots,  peaches,  etc.,  and 
grows  some  general  farm  crops.  He  raised  the 
first  broomcorn  ever  grown  in  the  Hemet  val- 
ley and  also  manufactured  the  first  brooms 
ever  made  there. 

Mr..  Van  Winkle  was  married  in  Illinois  to 
IMiss  Emily  J.  Clark,  who  was  born  in  ^"irginia, 
and  they  are  the  parcr.ts  of  two  children:  Louis, 


2270 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Elliot,  living  in  Canada ;  and  Alva  C,  of  Hem- 
et.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  politically 
affiliates  with  the  Prohibitionist  party.  He  is 
an  active  member  of  the  Methodist  Church. 


COL.  WILLIA-M  JOEL  WITHERS.  Ear- 
ly in  the  period  of  the  development  of  the 
south  the  Withers  family  became  prominent  in 
its  history  and  influential  in  its  material  devel- 
opment. The  plantation  of  Wyatt  Withers  in 
Virginia  was  the  scene  of  many  delightful 
gatherings  of  family,  friends  and  men  and  wo- 
men of  note,  and  beneath  the  shadow  of  its 
broad  galleries  wit  and  humor,  beauty  and 
charm  gave  wings  to  the  swift-passing  hours. 
In  this  home  was  born  and  reared  Lewis,  a  son 
of  Wyatt ;  educated  amid  such  influences  and 
surroundings  it  was  natural  that  he  should  be- 
come a  musician,  a  litterateur  and  a  cultured 
southern  gentleman,  whose  society  was  sought 
by  men  famed  in  art  and  literature.  For  many 
years  he  made  his  home  at  Hopkinsville,  Chris- 
tian county,  Ky.,  but  his  death  occurred  at 
Egg's  Point,  on  the  Mississippi,  where  his 
brother-in-law,  Ned  Richardson,  had  a  cotton 
plantation  that  was  the  largest  in  the  world; 
with  the  sole  exception  of  one  owned  by  the 
Khedive  of  Egj-pt. 

The  marr'age  of  Lewis  Withers  united  him 
with  Janette  Smith,  daughter  of  Joel  Smith,  a 
planter  of  Pittsylvania  county,  Va.,  where  she 
was  born  and  reared.  Her  death  occurred  in 
Virginia.  The  only  child  of  that  union  was 
William  Joel,  born  at  Danville,  Va.,  October  i, 
1842,  and  reared  on  a  Kentucky  plantation. 
While  he  was  a  student  in  Woodward  Uni- 
versity in  Kentucky  the  Civil  war  began  and 
he  promptly  enlisted  in  the  First  Regiment  of 
Kentucky  Cavalry,  serving  in  Tennessee  and 
A^'irginia  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Shortly 
after  the  close  of  the  war  he  married  Miss  Sal- 
lie  Polk  Shipp,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  they 
established  their  home  in  Christian  county, 
Ky.,  where  he  engaged  in  agricultural  and  bus- 
iness pursuits.  His  service  in  the  war  and  his 
ability  as  a  man  led  to  his  becoming  a  promi- 
nent factor  in  local  Democratic  politics,  and 
three  terms  his  party  triumphantly  elected  him 
mayor  of  Hopkinsville.  which  office  he  filled 
satisfactorily  to  all,  irrespective  of  party  ties. 

After  having  spent  the  year  1887  in  Pueblo, 
Colo.,  Colonel  Withers  came  to  California  the 
following  year,  and  visited  for  a  few  weeks  in 
San  Diego.  From  there  he  removed  to  Red- 
lands,  where  he  bought  and  sold  real  estate. 
Shortly  after  the  annexation  of  the  Hawaiian 
Islands  he  and  his  son  went  to  Honolulu  and 
embarked    in    the     business    of    shipping    fine 


horses,  cattle  and  all  kinds  of  domestic  animals, 
as  well  as  machinery,  from  the  United  States 
to  Hawaii.  At  the  expiration  of  thirteen 
months  he  effected  the  organization  and  incor- 
poration of  the  Honolulu  Stockyards  Company, 
to  whom  he  sold  his  interest  in  the  business, 
and  then  became  their  Pacific  coast  agent,  with 
headquarters  in  San  Francisco.  A  year  later 
the  plant  was  destroyed  by  fire,  entailing  upon 
himself  and  son  a  loss  of  $47,000,  and  bringing 
a  sudden  termination  to  a  previously  profitable 
enterprise. 

Returning  to  Redlands  Colonel  Withers 
bought  several  orange  groves  and  he  still  owns 
a  grove  there  of  eighteen  acres,  where  he 
makes  his  home.  During  1905  he  embarked  in 
the  manufacture  of  cement  block,  and  artificial 
stone,  establishing  a  factory  at  San  Bernardino, 
where  he  operates  the  plant  with  a  Model 
block  and  concrete  machine  and  an  electric 
motor.  Since  starting  in  business  he  has  built 
several  residences  and  the  Cudahy  cold  storage 
plant  at  San  Bernardino.  The  factory  is  an  im- 
portant addition  to  the  commercial  and  man- 
ufacturing enterprises  of  the  region,  and  its 
steady  growth  is  predicted  by  those  who  are 
familiar  with  the  owner's  energy  and  superior 
mental  qualities. 

Through  all  of  his  life  stanchly  devoted  to 
the  Democratic  party.  Colonel  Withers  still 
takes  an  active  part  in  local  political  affairs 
and  at  this  writing  acts  as  vice-chairman  of  the 
county  central  committee.  Reared  in  the  Epis- 
copalian faith,  he  long  has  been  a  generous 
contributor  to  that  denomination  and  now  offi- 
ciates as  senior  warden  of  St.  John's  Episcopal 
Church  in  San  Bernardino.  His  wife  was  a 
daughter  of  Col.  William  Shipp,  a  personal 
friend  of  Andrew  Jackson  and  James  K.  Polk, 
and  she  was  named  in  honor  of  Sarah  Polk, 
with  whom  she  spent  considerable  time  in  her 
girlhood.  Two  children  blessed  the  union  of 
Colonel  and  Mrs.  Withers.  The  son,  William 
Shipp  Withers,  is  a  graduate  of  Cumberland 
University,  the  University  of  Virginia  and  the 
University  of  Michigan,  and  now  is  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Zombro,  Payne  &  Withers,  deal- 
ers in  stocks,  bonds  and  real  estate,  in  Los  An- 
geles. The  daughter,  Jennie  Elizabeth,  was 
graduated  from  the  Stanford  University  and  is 
the  wife  of  F.  S.  Stowell,  of  Hopkinsville,  Ky. 


JERRY  SHEEHY,  an  extensive  dairyman, 
stock  and  bean  raiser  has  occupied  and  managed 
his  present  ranch  near  Nipomo,  San  Luis  Obispo 
county,  since  the  fall  of  1878.  His  entrance 
upon  the  really  promising  part  of  his  career 
dates  from  the  summer  of  1870,  when  he  arrived 
in  New  York  harbor  in  the  steerage  of  an  At- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2271 


lantic  liner,  a  youth  of  twenty-two.  His  edu- 
cational chances  had  been  meager,  and  his  knowl- 
edge of  agriculture  confined  to  the  old  time 
methods  in  vogue  on  the  small  tenantry  farm  of 
his  parents,  James  and  Elizabeth  (Reggan) 
Sheehy,  where  he  was  born  December  12,  1848. 

From  New  York  Mr.  Sheehy  came  to  Monterey 
county,  Cal.,  having  crossed  the  continent  on  the 
overland  railroad  which  proved  one  of  the  signal 
achievements  of  1870.  Finding  work  on  a  ranch 
he  remained  in  that  county  five  years,  then  go- 
ing to  near  Guadaloupe,  Santa  Barbara  county, 
where  in  due  time  he  rented  land  and  ranched 
on  his  own  responsibility.  In  the  fall  of  1878 
he  rented  the  property,  which  he  now  occupies, 
and  to  the  ownership  of  which  he  eventually 
succeeded,  the  ranch  comprising  twelve  hundred 
and  fifty  acres.  His  average  yield  of  beans  is 
about  ten  sacks  a  year,  and  he  breeds  high  grade 
stock,  and  conducts  a  model  dairy. 

In  1883  Mr.  Sheehy  was  married  in  Ireland 
and  to  himself  and  wife  nine  children  were  born ; 
John,  Lizzie,  Gerald,  Daniel,  Annie,  Katie,  Ella, 
Edward  and  Clara.  A  Democrat  in  politics,  Mr. 
Sheehy  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of 
education,  and  has  otherwise  contributed  to  the 
local  success  of  his  party.  In  religion  he  is  identi- 
fied with  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  at  Nipoma. 


JAMES  SWINFORD  of  San  Pedro,  a  son 
of  John  and  Margaret  (Martin)  Swinford,  both 
natives  of  Scotland,  the  father  died  in  that 
country  when  James  was  a  lad  of  three  years ; 
the  mother  later  came  to  the  United  States,  her 
death  occurring  in  this  country  several  years 
ago.  James  Swinford  was  born  May  28,  1845, 
in  Glasgow,  in  which  city  the  first  ten  years  of 
his  life  were  spent.  At  that  age  he  went  to  sea, 
shipping  as  cabin  boy,  the  vessels  upon  which  he 
sailed  being  engaged  in  Mediterranean  and  Afri- 
can trade.  He  met  with  many  exciting  and  some 
distressing  experiences  having  at  one  time  been 
on  a  vessel  which  was  wrecked  in  the  Bay  of 
Biscay. 

In  1864  Mr.  Swinford  came  to  the  United 
States  and  located  in  Wayne  county.  Pa.,  later 
removing  to  Luzerne  county,  where  he  followed 
mining  for  several  years,  subsequently  engaging 
in  lumbering  at  Lehigh  Summit.  Attracted  by 
the  opportunities  said  to  be  found  in  California 
in  1868  he  decided  to  come  to  this  state  and 
traveling  via  Panama  reached  San  Francisco  in 
that  year.  For  several  years  he  was  occupied  as 
a  bridge  builder  on  the  Southern  Pacific  rail- 
road and  later  secured  a  position  as  engineer 
on  a  steamboat.  Following  this  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Pacific  Coast  Dredge  Company 
in  1882  coming  to  this  point  with  them  and  con- 
tinuing the  connection   for  fifteen  years  during 


which  time  he  was  superintendent  in  charge  of 
the  machinery.  Resigning  from  this  work  he 
next  engaged  in  business  for  himself  and  began 
dealing  in  lime  and  cement,  continuing  until  1898 
when  he  disposed  of  the  business.  He  is  now 
the  owner  of  considerable  property  and  possesses 
a  nice  home  on  Fifth  street.  His  marriage  in 
San  Francisco  united  him  with  Miss  Catherine 
Nihan,  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  they  have  become 
the  parents  of  one  child,  John,  who  now  resides 
in  San  Francisco.  Mrs.  Swinford  is  an  active 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and 
an  enthusiastic  worker  in  the  Woman's  Christian 
Temperance  Union,  of  which  she  is  a  member. 
Fraternally  Mr.  Swinford  affiliates  with  the  Red- 
men  lodge,  and  politically  is  independent  in  prin- 
ciples and  the  casting  of  his  ballot. 


THOMAS  STEWART.  About  thirty-three 
miles  from  Highland,  San  Bernardino  county, 
Holcomb  valley  lies  nestled  among  the  mount- 
ains. Judged  by  those  who  are  in  a  position  to 
know  this  is  conceded  to  be  one  of  the  richest 
mining  regions  in  the  state,  the  entire  valley  be- 
ing rich  in  placer  gold,  which  averages  eighty- 
five  cents  to  the  cubic  yard.  The  fact  that  Mr. 
Stewart,  who  is  an  expert  on  mines  and  min- 
ing, and  knows  the  value  of  ore  of  all  kinds,  has 
remained  here  for  twelve  years  speaks  more  elo- 
quently than  can  words  of  the  real  worth  of  min- 
mg  values  in  this  part  of  the  country.  With 
his  partner,  W.  E.  Pedly,  he  is  interested  in 
both  placer  and  quartz  mining,  the  former  being 
under  the  special  charge  of  Mr.  Pedly,  while  the 
quartz  mining  is  Mr.  Stewart's  special  interest. 
Adjoining  Holcomb  valley  on  the  north  Mr. 
Stewart  has  developed  four  mines  on  the  Big 
Bertha  mountain,  and  south  of  the  valley  he  also 
has  mining  property  on  Big  Bear  Creek  lake. 
While  the  rock  averages  from  $10  to  $14  per 
ton,  assays  made  from  the  different  holes  in  it 
have  run  as  high  as  $100  per  ton. 

Thomas  Stewart  is  a  Canadian  by  birth,  born 
in  Ontario  in  1868.  He  was  given  a  good  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  his  home  town, 
after  which  he  attended  a  business  college  for 
a  time.  His  school  days  over,  he  began  to  till  the 
soil,  a  vocation  to  which  he  had  been  trained 
from  his  earliest  years,  and  this  he  followed  until 
1894,  the  year  with  which  he  became  identified 
with  California  and  more  particularly  with  Hol- 
comb valley.  His  course  lay  along  the  southern 
route,  to  Mohave  and  from  there  to  Colton,  and 
finally  to  Victorville,  in  Holcomb  valley,  which 
has  ever  since  been  the  scene  of  his  active  labors. 
With  his  partner  he  first  bought  one  claim,  in  the 
mountains,  and  later  located  three  more,  all  of 
which  prospects  have  been  developed  sufficiently 
to  prove  them  of  considerable  value.  The  Cressida 


2272 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


has  been  bored  to  the  extent  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  in  the  hill,  while  the  shaft  of  the  Roose- 
velt measures  sixty-five  feet.  The  Troy  mine  is 
in  about  eighty  feet  and  the  Herlick  has  been 
bored  to  the  depth  of  one  hundred  feet.  All  of 
the  foregoing  are  under  the  direct  supervision 
of  jNIr.  Stewart,  besides  which  he  has  three  other 
prospects  under  way,  though  they  have  not  been 
developed  to  the  same  extent  as  those  mentioned. 
When  Mr.  Stewart  and  his  partner  came  here  in 
1894  they  employed  fifty  men  in  their  mines, 
and  judging  from  present  indications  the  season 
of  1906-07  will  find  a  force  twice  as  large 
necessary  to  carry  out  the  plans  which  they  now 
have  in  view. 

Mr.  Stewart  has  never  married,  and  is  living 
alone  on  his  property  in  Holcomb  valley.  He  is 
a  son  of  Andrew  and  Jessie  (McFarlane)  Stew- 
art, both  of  whom  were  born  in  Canada. 


Lodge  No.  328,  I.  O.  0.  F. ;  of  San  Diego  En- 
campment; of  San  Diego  Canton;  and  of  the 
local  lodge  of  the  Daughters  of  Rebekah,  of 
which  Airs.  Tallman  is  past  grand.  He  also 
belongs  to  San  Diego  Court,  I.  O.  F. 


ROBERT  TALLMAN  of  San  Diego,  a  son 
of  William  Tallman,  was  born  August  22,  i860, 
in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  the  fourth  child  in  order  of 
birth  of  a  family  of  six  children.  A  native  of 
the  Empire  State,  William  Tallman  learned  the 
trade  of  a  carpenter  when  young,  and  for  several 
years  was  employed  as  a  contractor  and  builder 
in  Albany.  He  subsequently  removed  to  Michi- 
gan, settling  in  Qieboygan,  where  he  lived  a 
short  time.  Not  satisfied  with  his  prospects  in 
that  place,  he  returned  to  New  York  state,  and 
from  that  time  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1866,  he  was  a  resident  of  Watertown.  He- 
married  Mathilda  Boyd,  who  was  born  in  Ire- 
land, and  died  in  New  York  state,  in  1901,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-four  years. 

Brought  up  by  his  widowed  mother  in  New 
York  state,  Robert  Tallman  began  as  a  boy  to 
earn  his  living,  working  chiefly  on  a  farm.  In 
1878,  before  attaining  his  majority,  he  went  to 
Minnesota  in  search  of  a  favorable  opening,  and 
having  learned  the  lathing  trade  followed  it  in 
the  cities  of  Brainerd,  Saint  Paul  and  Min- 
neapolis, living  in  that  state  seven  years.  Com- 
ing to  the  Pacific  coast  in  1885,  Mr.  Tallman  re- 
mained in  Srn  Francisco  a  year,  and  then,  in 
1886,  located  in  San  Diego.  Resuming  his  trade, 
he  has  since  carried  on  a  thriving  business  as  a 
contracting  lather,  in  the  busy  seasons  keeping 
from   eight  to  twelve  men  busily  employed. 

In  Brainerd,  Minn.,  Mr.  Tallman  married  Cora 
Mays,  who  was  born  in  New  Hampton,  Iowa, 
a  daughter  of  John  Mays,  now  a  resident  of 
San  Diego,  and  of  their  union  three  children  have 
been  born,  namely :  Florence,  Maude  and  Bur- 
ton. Politically  Mr.  Tallman  is  a  stanch  sup- 
porter of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party. 
Fraternally  he  united  with  the  Odd  Fellows  at 
Salt    Lake,    and    is    now    a    member    of    Sunset 


GEORGE  E.  THOMPSON.  Since  coming 
to  California  in  the  fall  of  1889  George  E. 
Thompson  has  not  only  recognized  the  oppor- 
tunities by  which  he  has  been  surrounded,  but 
he  has  taken  advantage  of  them,  to  the  end  that 
he  has  become  known  throughout  the  southern 
part  of  San  Bernardino  and  Los  Angeles  coun- 
ties as  a  contractor  and  builder  of  considerable 
note.  Upon  locating  in  Long  Beach  in  1902  he 
started  a  planing  mill  at  Nos.  6  and  7  East  Third 
street  having  purchased  the  latter  property.  From 
the  beginning  Mr.  Thompson's  business  increased 
so  rapidly  that  it  soon  became  evident  that  he 
could  not  handle  it  alone  with  justice  to  himself, 
and  in  Alay,  1905,  he  admitted  H.  George  Cooley 
as  a  partner,  the  latter  purchasing  a  half  in- 
terest in  the  business.  While  J\Ir.  Thompson 
was  alone  in  the  work  he  gave  his  attention 
more  especially  to  contracts  in  the  business  dis- 
trict of  the  town,  but  since  his  association  with 
Mr.  Cooley  the  residence  district  has  received  an 
impetus  along  building  lines  which  has  made  the 
name  of  Cooley  &  Thompson  well  known.  Some 
idea  of  the  scope  of  business  may  be  gathered 
from  the  fact  that  the  last  half  year's  work  in 
1905,  the  twenty-five  jobs  which  they,  handled 
involved  a  money  transaction  of  $37,000. 

Mr.  Thompson  was  born  in  Burn,  Wis.,  a 
village  of  the  Fox  river,  October  26,  1871,  but 
while  he  was  still  a  young  child  his  parents  re- 
moved to  Iowa,  and  he  was  therefore  reared  in 
Belle  Plaine,  Benton  county,  that  state.  After 
a  brief  education  in  the  public  schools,  at  the  age 
of  twelve  years  he  became  an  apprentice  to  the 
carpenter's  trade,  and  in  due  course  of  time  was 
pronounced  a  competent  journeyman.  However, 
he  did  not  take  up  work  at  his  trade  at  once,  but 
instead  was  interested  in  the  photographing  busi- 
ness for  a  year.  From  time  to  time  he  had  heard 
considerable  about  the  glowing  prospects  in  Cali- 
fornia and  he  determined  to  look  into  them  for 
himself  before  deciding  to  settle  in  business  per- 
manently in  the  middle  west,  where  his  chances 
for  success  did  not  seem  as  glowing.  Going  to 
Ontario,  San  Bernardino  county,  in  1889,  he 
worked  as  a  journeyman  carpenter  for  five  years, 
after  which,  with  a  partner,  a  flourishing  con- 
tracting business  was  carried  on  for  eight  years. 
During  this  time  he  assisted  in  the  erection  of 
one  hundred  and  tvventy  buildings  in  that  town. 
In  all  Mr.  Thompson  was  interested  in  Ontaria 
as  a  contractor  and  builder  for  thirteen  years, 
coming  to  Long  Beach  at  the  end  of  that  time. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2273 


He  has  erected  three  brick  blocks  in  the  mean 
time,  the  Wingard  block,  and  the  Gaines  block 
besides  two  churches  and  a  cannery,  in  all  of 
which  he  has  used  sixteen  car-loads  of  lumber. 
While  in  Ontario  he  had  owned  a  planing  mill, 
which  he  found  to  be  quite  an  essential  adjunct 
to  his  business  as  contractor,  and  he  established 
a  mill  in  Long  Beach  in  1902,  upon  property 
which  he  had  purchased  at  Nos.  6  and  7  East 
Third    street. 

While  a  resident  of  Ontario,  San  Bernardino 
county,  Mr.  Thompson  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Ida  Arnold,  a  native  of  Oregon,  and 
one  daughter.  Rub)',  has  been  born  to  them.  The 
family  have  a  pleasant  residence  at  No.  711  East 
Third  street,  this  being  the  second  house  which 
Mr.  Thompson  has  erected  for  his  own  use. 
Politically,  he  favors  Republican  principles,  and 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Fraternal  Aid. 


OZRO  C.  TRIPP,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in 
Riverside  county,  came  to  San  Jacinto  when  but 
two  families,  the  Picos  and  Estudilloa,  were 
living  there  and  when  there  was  but  one  small 
store  in  that  section.  He  has  been  one  of  the 
prime  movers  in  the  development  of  the  country 
and  owns  a  fine  home  and  si.x  or  seven  hundred 
cattle.  His  parents,  Samuel  Valtumer  and  Rosa 
(Ramsey)  Tripp,  the  former  a  native  of  New 
York,  and  the  latter  of  Ohio,  came  to  California 
in  1846,  having  crossed  the  plains  by  pack  train 
and  locating  in  Shasta  county.  Mr.  Tripp  run- 
ning a  pack  train  from  the  mining  camps  located 
there  to  San  Francisco.  He  was  a  bricklayer  by 
trade,  and  in  Los  Angeles  worked  at  that  employ- 
ment. In  i860  he  went  to  San  Bernardino  and 
built  the  first  jail  there,  constructed  of  stone,  and 
located  where  the  court  house  now  stands.  He 
also  worked  on  the  old  brick  winery  and  many 
other  first  brick  buildings  at  that  place.  Twelve 
years  later  moved  to  San  Jacinto,  which  was 
then  a  cattle,  horse  and  sheep  country,  and  set- 
tling in  the  upper  end  of  the  valley  with  Colonel 
Hamner  assisted  in  constructing  the  first  ditch 
from  the  San  Jacinto  river.  He  removed  to 
Temecula  and  engaged  in  farming,  his  death 
occurring  at  San  Jacinto  in  1892  at  the  age  of 
sixty-four  years.  Mrs.  Tripp  died  at  San  Ber- 
nardino. 

March  21,  1859,  Ozro  C.  Tripp  was  born 
in  Los  Angeles  and  was  educated  through  the 
medium  of  the  public  sch6ols  of  San  Bernardino 
and  San  Jacinto.  There  were  four  children  in 
the  family,  his  oldest  brother,  S.  A.,  being  a 
blacksmith  at  San  Jacinto,  a.  younger  brother, 
W.  B.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  butchering  busi- 
ness at  Hemet  and  San  Jacinto,  and  Edith,  a 
sister,  who  is  married  to  Putman  Reed  a  cattle- 
man   of    Sage.      Mr.    Tripp    is   engaged    in   the 


cattle  business,  and  owns  a  slaughter  house  at 
San  Jacinto,  where  he  conducts  a  butchering 
business.  The  country  in  which  he  spent  the 
greater  part  of  his  lifetime  has  been  made  famous 
through  Helen  Hunt  Jackson's  novel,  Ramona, 
many  of  her  scenes  being  laid  in  this  section,  and 
I\Ir.  Tripp  feels  a  special  interest  in  the  incidents 
of  the  story,  because  he  was  the  first  man  on  the 
grounds  after  the  killing  of  Alessandro,  and  he 
owns  the  valley  in  which  the  tragedy  occurred. 
His  father  was  justice  of  the  peace  at  that  time 
and  went  to  the  scene  of  the  crime  to  hold  an  in- 
quest over  the  body  of  the  dead  man,  but  it  had 
been  buried  before  his  arrival.  He  "\vas  desig- 
nated as  Judge  Wells  in  the  story,  and  the  man 
who  did  the  killing  was  Sam  Temple,  in  the 
book  called  Farrer.  The  marriage  of  Mr.  Tripp 
occurred  in  San  Jacinto,  in  1884,  when  JNIiss 
Martha  Logston,  a  daughter  of  J.  M.  Logston, 
an  early  settler  who  still  lives  in  San  Jacinto, 
became  his  wife.  They  are  the  parents  of  three 
children,  Walter,  Chester  and  Clyde.  Mr.  Tripp 
is  a  director  in  the  National  Bank  of  San  Jacinto, 
fraternally  affiliates  with  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  and  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  and  politically  is  an  active  worker  in 
the  ranks  of  the  Republican  party,  being  at  the 
present  time  a  nominee  of  his  party  for  super- 
visor of  the  Fifth  Supervisoral  District.  He  is 
a  man  who  is  popular  in  the  community  and  takes 
a  leading  interest  in  all  matters  relating  to  the 
public  welfare. 


JACQUES  TISNERAT,  was  born  in  Bellocq. 
Basses-Pyrenees,  France,  January  23,  1852,  the 
oldest  of  the  eleven  children  born  to  his  parents, 
Jean  and"  Anna  (Dartigueperyron)  Tisnerat, 
who  as  farmers  spent  their  entire  lives  in  France. 
Seven  of  their  children  are  living,  and  of  these 
five  are  in  the  United   States.  , 

The  eldest  of  his  parents'  large  family,  Jacques 
Tisnerat  was  well  trained  in  the  duties  of  farm 
work  and  proved  a  valuable  assistant  to  his  father 
in  the  management  of  the  homestead  farm.  Dur- 
ing his  boyhood  he  was  privileged  to  attend  the 
common  schools  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home,  in- 
terspersing his  studies  with  work  on  the  farm, 
until  in  later  years,  having  formed  domestic  ties 
he  established  a  farming  enterprise  of  his  own. 
Leaving  his  wife  and  children  in  France  he  came 
to  the"^United  States  in  1886,  his  object  being 
to  establish  a  home  in  the  new  world  and  then 
send  for  his  family.  He  first  went  to  St.  Peter, 
Minn.,  there  as  in  other  points  in  the  middle 
west  to  which  he  went,  being  employed  at  any 
honest  labor  that  presented  itself.  Thus  far  his 
prospects  had  not  been  very  bright,  and  upon 
his  arrival  in  Pomona  in  1887  he  could  lay  claim 
to  but  thirtv  cents.    However,  his  removal  to  the 


2274 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


west  was  the  beginning  of  a  brighter  dawn,  and 
though  as  heretofore  he  had  to  accept  the  first 
work  that  offered,  the  prospect  of  an  advance 
in  position  was  an  incentive  to  renewed  efforts. 
After  working  as  a  farm  hand  for  some  time 
on  the  ranch  of  Mr.  Coney,  who  was  then  consul 
to  Mexico,  he  was  finally  made  superintendent  of 
the  ranch,  a  position  which  he  held  for  seven  or 
eight  years.  A  desire  to  become  an  independent 
land-holder  was  the  means  of  his  relinquishing 
this  position  and  about  the  same  time  he  pur- 
chased the  nucleus  of  his  present  ranch  near 
Pomona.  On  this  one  acre  tract  he  set  out  a 
small  garden  and  also  established  a  winery,  later 
adding  to  his  acreage  by  the  purchase  of  twenty- 
nine  acres  on  East  Cemetary  avenue,  two  miles 
east  of  Pomona,  and  just  over  the  line  in  San 
Bernardino  county.  Here  he  set  out  a  fine  vine- 
yard, and  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  he  is  npt 
exempt  from  frost,  picks  one  hundred  tons  of 
grapes  per  season  from  his  vineyard. 

In  France  Mr.  Tisnerat  was  married  to  Miss 
Maria  Serres,  who  was  also  a  native  of  Basses- 
Pyrenees,  and  five  children  have  been  bom  to 
them,  Peter,  Eunice,  Jennie,  Eugene  and  Annie, 
all  of  whom  are  at  home  with  their  parents,  on 
South  Thomas  street.  The  family  are  members 
of  the  Reformed  Church  of  Pomona,  and  in  his 
political  affiliations  Mr.  Tisnerat  is  a  Republican. 
While  in  his  native  country  he  served  in  the 
French  army  for  five  years  as  a  member  of  the 
Eighth  Cavalry,  Fifth  Squadron. 


JOHN  B.  B.  LeLONG.  The  life  which  this 
narrative  sketches  began  in  the  city  of  Los 
Angeles  May  ii,  1852,  and  closed  in  the  county 
of  the  same  name  May  11,  1905.  Thfe  LeLong 
family  is  of  French  extraction,  Martin  LeLong 
having  been  born  and  reared  in  France,  whence 
ke  came  to  America  in  early  manhood  and  set- 
tled in  the  then  Spanish  town  of  Los  Angeles. 
After  coming  to  this  city  he  met  and  married 
Miss  Josephine  Alinez,  a  native  of  California, 
but  of  direct  Spanish  descent.  The  remaining 
days  of  his  life  were  passed  in  this  locality  and 
here  he  passed  away  at  the  age  of  forty-nine 
years.  Among  his  children  was  a  son,  John 
B.  B.,  whose  name  introduces  this  article,  and 


who  remained  a  lifelong  resident  of  the  county 
of  his  birth.  Educated  principally  in  St.  Vin- 
cent's school  in  Los  Angeles,  he  gained  a 
knowledge  of  both  French  and  Spanish,  and 
used  these  languages  in  preference  to  the  Eng- 
lish language,  with  which  he  was  less  familiar. 

When  a  young  man  and  ready  to  start  out 
for  himself,  Mr.  LeLong  received  from  his 
mother  thirty-two  acres  of  bare,  unimproved 
land,  then  of  little  value.  Through  his  efforts 
the  land  was  made  attractive,  the  soil  produced 
excellent  crops  of  their  various  kinds,  improve- 
ments were  made  that  greatly  added  to  the 
desirability  of  the  place  as  a  homestead,  and 
all  in  all  the  tract  was  transformed  from  its 
original  appearance  to  an  abode  of  comfort 
and  simple  content.  Immediately  before  set- 
tling on  the  ranch  he  was  married,  February  8, 
1875,  to  Miss  Julia  Ruiz,  who  was  born  in 
Los  Angeles  January  25,  1855,  and  received  a 
fair  education  in  the  Spanish  tongue.  Her 
father,  Martin  Ruiz,  was  a  native  of  Chihuahua, 
Mexico,  and  a  son  of  a  Spanish  gentleman 
who  came  to  the  new  world  as  a  representa- 
tive of  the  king  of  Spain ;  her  mother,  who 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Florence  Raildez, 
was  a  native  of  Los  Angeles  and  a  member  of 
a  .Spanish  family. 

Always  interested  m  educational  matters, 
I\Ir.  LeLong  officiated  as  a  school  trustee  for 
years  and  maintained  a  warm  interest  in  the 
building  of  schools.  Politically  he  stanchly 
supported  Democratic  principles,  while  in  re- 
ligion he  was  an  earnest  Roman  Catholic,  and 
ail  of  his  family  adhered  to  the  same  faith. 
Fraternally  he  was  a  member  of  the  Foresters 
of  America.  Surviving  him  are  his  widow  and 
the  following  children:  Conception,  Mrs.  Jo- 
seph Cyprien,  of  Fullerton,  this  state;  Con- 
stance, widow  of  Joseph  Toussau.  also  of  Ful- 
lerton ;  Alexander,  at  home ;  Jossie,  who  mar- 
ried Joseph  W.  Reve,  of  Los  Angeles,  her  wed- 
ding and  that  of  her  eldest  sister  being  solemn- 
ized on  the  same  day;  Charles,  who  makes  his 
home  at  Sherman,  this  state ;  Ortense,  at 
home ;  Henry  L.,  who  is  employed  in  Los  An- 
geles; Vernie,  Mary,  Josephine  and  Barnaby, 
who  remain  with  their  mother  on  the  home 
ranch.