History of the State of California and biographical record of San Joaquin County; containing biographis of well-known citizens of the past and present. Volume II, Part 1

Author: Guinn, J. M. (James Miller), 1834-1918; Tinkham, George H. (George Henry), b. 1849
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 398


USA > California > San Joaquin County > History of the State of California and biographical record of San Joaquin County; containing biographis of well-known citizens of the past and present. Volume II > Part 1


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org.


Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42



CALIFORNIANA


REFERENCE DEPARTMENT MAIN LIBRARY


SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY


3 1223 90156 5821 .... SAT SRY


979.455 G948 2


234355


NOT TO BE TAKEN FROM THE LIBRARY


FORM 3427 5000 9 - 51


Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2014


https://archive.org/details/historyofstateof00guin_1


HISTORY


OF THE


STATE OF CALIFORNIA


AND


BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD OF


SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY


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


STATE HISTORY BY 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.


HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY BY


GEORGE H. TINKHAM.


ILLUSTRATED


COMPLETE IN TWO VOLUMES.


VOLUME II.


HISTORIC RECORD CO. LOS ANGELES, CAL. 1909


:


*9 999.455 G9482


234356


BIOGRAPHICAL


INDEX.


A


Aaron, Henry


299


Allard, Abner R. 235


Allen, James C. .274


Arnsburger, F. H. 224


Attwood, Elijah W 244


Austin, Daniel S.


236


Austin, Gilbert T.


314


Curtis, Bradner


325


Curtis, Fornia S. 323


Cutler, William O. 240


B


Baggs, William M. 211


Barling, Charles A. 294


Bateman, Ebenezer B. 29


Bates, Richard S. 273


Beecher, Charles A. 315


Beecher, John 300


Belden, William S.


295


Bennett, William H. 333


Bishop, Henry B. 51


Bolliger, Samuel 262


Bonsall, Edward S. 202


Bowdoin, L. M. 42


Brack, Jacob, Sr. 221


Brandt, Charles H. W 205


Brandt, John A.


317


Breidenbach, Joseph 324


Brooks, A. W. 189


Brown, Albert G. 105


Brown, B. Howard. 318


Brown, Nathan L. 71


Buckley, William S. 330


Budd, Hon. James H. 39


Budd, John E. 10


Budd, Hon. Joseph H. 225


Buell, Albert N.


108


Butler, William


259


C


California Transportation Com- pany 327


Chandler, Walter L. 336


Clark, Asa, M. D. 27


Clary, William H. 226


Cobb, Frank D


53


Cody, Patrick H. 282


Condy, Richard I42


Confer, William


257


Grattan, Christopher, M. D. 82


Gravem Brothers 203


Graves, John C. 322


Gray, George 212


Groves, Oscar B. 272


Groves, Philip 261


Groves, William H. 156


Grunsky, Charles A. L.


114


H


Haas, Charles


301


Haines, George W.


159


Hall, John B. 77


Hamilton, Ichabod D. 113


Hancock, John


338


Hannan, Peter P 171


Harkness, George S. 36


Harry, Rees


283


Hart, John W. 253


Hedges, Edward R.


Heimann. George H 280


Hemingway. Abraham


300


Hewitt, Arthur W. 201


Hewlett. Joseph 258


Hickox, Flavel G .. 35


Hickox, William J. 307


Hislop, James W. 287


Hodgkins, Sidney N. 30.4


Holley. Franklin S. 1.37


Holman. James T. 390


Holman. William E. 200


Holt, Benjamin Holt, Charles H. 75


Holt Manufacturing Company. 143


Hornage. George 303


Felt, Theodore D. 326 Hoult, John C. 132


Fessier, Eugene N. 195


Fisher, Hiram


244


Fiske, Ezra


217


G


Galbraith, James 316


Gardiner, Fred C 241


Gardner, Myers J 118


Gerard, John H.


206


Glenn, Jugurtha W


248


F


Earl, Edward E. 327


Eccleston, Ransom 281


Eddy, Alfred L. 313


Eldridge, Edward D. 155


Eshbach, Henry 47


F


Fanning, Howard M 210


Fanning, H. T. 312


Housken. George 305


Howes, Robert N 328


Hubbard, Henry F. 320


Hubbard, William W Hubner. Charles G.


Hulse, William 30


Humphreys, John R. 123


I


Inge. Andrew B.


.. .. 332


1


Conrad, George A 52


Cory, John R. 93


Crafts, Harry C 315


Creaner, Charles M. 223


Cross, Lester E., M. D 147


Cunningham, Thomas 213


Dennis, T. Lewis. 183 Hammond, Richard P 18


Dennis, William


34


Dial, Charles H. I2


Dobner, Frank 318


Dockendorff, John W 59


Dodge, Jonathan H. 65


Dohrmann, Charles W. 296


Douglass, John B


95


Drais, Thomas J.


297


Ducker, John


126


Dunlap, Harry C.


336


D


Dameron, John D., M. D. 322


Darrah, Clement V. 229


Austin, Henry S. 262


Austin, Joshua P.


242


Grant, Jolın 258


ii


INDEX.


O


Odell, J. Millard. 173


Oliver, John E., M. D 249


Oser, Carl W.


106


Oullahan, Hon. Denis J. 76


Oullahan, Edward. .


252


Overhiser, William L


254


Stoetzer, Ferdinand.


278


Sutherland, James.


84


T


Tam, Joseph H.


130


Thomas, William B. 179


Thompson, Edward R. 185


Thompson, John


6g


Thompson, Rees ! 63


Thornton, Arthur. 286


Thrift, Eli E. 269


Tinkham, Henry 124


Towne, Burton A. 309


Trahern, George W.


165


Tretheway, William E.


117


U


Uriell, Sylvanus


308


V


Vasquez, José.


277


Viebrock, Claus L


6


Visher, Putman


190


Vizelich, Nicolas


230


W


Wagner, Charles


192


Wagner, Jacob.


70


Ward, Hugh 270


Webb, James.


289


Weber, Capt. Charles M 3


Welsh, James M. 72


West, George.


9


West, Fred M. III


Western School of Commerce .. White, John C. 65


White, William C. 96


Whitman, Luther P. 184


McPhee, Anthony J 60


Shippee, Amos G. 13I


Silveira, J. C. 288


Simon, Jacob.


321


Simpson, Andrew W


45


Withington, Sumner A. 138


Witt, Fred C. 337


Wolf, Andrew 21


Wood, John E. II


Woods, John N. 207


Moreing, Cyrus, Sr.


201


Stanley, Robert J.


335


Woodson, Benjamin A. 337


Wyllie, Alfred L.


198


N


Stephens, Christopher S 275 Stephens, Thomas 263


Stockton Broom Factory 300


Stockton Business College 64


Y


Naher, Adolphe F. I60


Smythe, J. H.


19I


Miller, William C.


285


Solomon, Gustave.


311


Minahen, Timothy.


301


Moreing, Cyrus, Jr.


78


Sperry, Austin.


15


Wilhoit, George E. 264


Wilhoit, Roley E. 33


Williams, William E. 329


Matteson, Don Carlos 90


Matteson, Edward J 268


Smith, Frank H


172


Milco, Nicola. 284


Sanguinetti, Michael J. 331


McCauly, John F. 339


McIntire, Ezra. 277


Sargent, Roswell 246


Scarles, Benjamin. 161


Schmitz, Walter. 318


McKee, William F. 197


Sellman, Lafayette. 319


McMullin, Capt. John 57


Shepard, William T 234


McSorley, Arthur I 180


Mann, Stephen H. 88


Rosenbaum, D. S.


227


Leadbetter, Wallace R. 231


Lewis, John T


199


Liesy, John.


265


Locke, Dean J. 87


' Locke, George H. 28


Louttit, Thomas S


250


R


M


McCann, Michael. 329


Ralph, Calvin R.


168


Roberts, Gilchrist P 288


Laogier, Basilio. 292


Rolland, Armand 271


Rothenbush, Daniel 334


Ruffner, William E. 265


Ruhl, Frederick A. 177


Russell, Richard W 232


Ryland, Samuel V.


166


R


L


Ladd, George S. 149


Lamb, Charles. 297


Keniston, Charles M 102


Kent, Walter E. 340


Kerrick, James W.


I86


Ketchum, Thomas E 219


Kettelman, David. 306


Kleinfelder, Lucas 310


Koch, Isaac


153


Koch, Jacob R. 154


Kroyer, John M. 14I


Kuhl, William


243


P


Percival, Arthur E. 283


Perry, John M.


54


Peters, Maj. J. D. 119


Peyton, Enoch. 237


Pile, William H. 135


Potter, Charles A


279


Powell, Robert.


165


Q


Quinn, John


309


J


Jackson, Charles M. 136


Jenks, Nelson B. 331


Jordan, Thomas A. 31I


Journeay, James 148


K


Keeney, Loring G 307


Keep, William H. 302


Neumiller, Christian.


120


Stockton Iron Works ..


238


Young, David E.


208


Wilson, John. 48


208


McIntosh, Edwin J. 178


Samson Iron Works. 267


Charles H. Weber 2


CAPT. CHARLES M. WEBER.


A record of the life of Captain Weber, through the most important and fruitful years of his activity, might well be called also a history of the city of Stockton, of which he was the "father." The high standing of this place as a business center, as a locality of beautiful homes and prosperous people, may be attributed in no small degree to his early labors, and finally, when he was taken from the scenes of his use- fulness, his body was laid to rest in a city of the dead whose site had been donated by him years before and whose artistic surroundings resulted from his cultivated taste and great liberality. As he recounted in his last days the history of his home town, he might well have exclaimed, "All of which I saw and part of which I was." No recital could be made of the early days of Stockton without considerable mention of his identification therewith, and his name is worthy of perpetuation not only in local annals, but al- so in the annals of the state.


The birth of Captain Weber occurred in Hom- burg, department of Montonnere, kingdom of Bavaria, Germany, February 16, 1814, during the reign of Emperor Napoleon I. It was the ambition of his father, who was a Protestant minister, that he should be educated for the min- istry, and his school life was planned according- ly. He was early sent to the common school int Homburg, and upon his graduation therefrom entered the academy and began the study of ancient languages and French, at the same time receiving several hours private instruction daily, so that he might be prepared for the German universities at the proper age. The failure of his health under this undue mental pressure made it necessary for him to leave the universi- ty, where he had every prospect for making a


fine record. This change in his plans was the means of turning his attention to the inercan- tile business, for which he had a natural adapta- tion, and which proved the entering wedge to his subsequent career in the New World. He had been in business but a short time when liis thoughts turned to "the honte of the free," and accompanied by a cousin he set out from the Fatherland in 1836. It had been his intention to proceed up the Mississippi from New Orleans and visit a relative, Judge Hildegarde, at Belle- ville, Ill., the father of Eugene Hildegarde, pro- fessor emeritus of the University of California. The river was blocked with ice and instead lie remained in New Orleans, where he secured em- ployment in mercantile pursuits. Yellow fever was at that time very prevalent in the south and Mr. Weber fell a victim to the scourge. After his recovery he went to Texas, and while engaged in military service against the Mexicans he was again taken ill, in 1840, and by the ad- vice of his physician he determined to locate in a cooler climate.


During the spring of 1841, while at St. Louis intending to proceed to Belleville, Ill .. Captain Weber read a glowing description of the Pacific coast written by Dr. John Marsh, a resident of California. The account was so fascinating and alluring that he determined to cross the desert to the coast and accordingly he joined the Bart- elson party for the long journey to the west. It was his intention to spend the winter on the coast and then return to the States, but like sit many other emigrants, when he fell under the witchery of the genial climate he wishel to lo- cate here permanently, and after spendling the winter at Sutter's Fort he made no plans for returning to the east. His object in going to


20


4


HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.


Sutter's Fort had been to make the acquaintance of Captain Sutter, to whom he had letters of introduction, and by whom he was employed as overseer during that winter. While there he found a quantity of seeds which had been pre- sented to Captain Sutter as tokens of friendship and good will from William G. Ray, the repre- sentative of the Hudson Bay Company, the Rus- sian agent at Bodega and captains of vessels on the coast. These seeds he planted as an ex- periment and from this was developed the fact that the valleys of the San Joaquin and the Sac- ramento were capable of becoming a paradise of fruits and flowers. Among the seeds were three varieties of tobacco, various flowers and vegetables, all of which grew and thrived wonder- fully in the fertile soil.


It was about this time that Jose Jesus, the celebrated chief, visited the fort and Captain Weber formed his acquaintance. The two be- came friends, and in after years the chief was able to prove helpful to his German-American comrade. With keen foresight the Captain de- cided that California eventually would be admit- ted, in part or whole, into the United States, and therefore he believed investments in land would prove profitable. Visiting San Jose in the spring, he formed a partnership with William Gulnac, and in 1842 they built a flour mill, em- barked in the manufacture of shoes, made soap and also sea biscuit. The shoes they turned out were the first to be made in the entire state. July 14, 1843, Gulnac, who was a Mexican citi- zen, petitioned Governor Micheltorena in behalf of Captain Weber for a grant of eleven square leagues of land, to be located in the vicinity of French Camp in the San Joaquin valley. He expressed a preference for the east side of the river, believing that this stream might form the line between Mexico and California in case of a division; another reason for this preference was that the east side was protected by the Hud- son Bay Company's trappers. The governor granted Gulnac the tract of land known as the Rancho el Campo de los Franceses, January 13, 1844, and afterward this tract was transferred


to Captain Weber. Cattle were herded upon the land and for a time the camp had its headquar- ters at the present site of Stockton, but later moved nearer to Sutter's Fort for the protection thus afforded. Having met with no success in an attempt to settle the grant, Captain Weber obtained a passport from the alcalde and visited Sutter's Fort for the purpose of making a treaty with Jose Jesus. In this he was success- ful and their alliance remained unbroken until the death of the chief. The Captain agreed to aid him in case of war between the Americans and native Californians or Mexicans. The chief advised the building of the village at the pres- ent site of Stockton and agreed to provide all the help necessary in the tilling of the soil, also agreed to provide a war party in case protection was necessary from the Indians or Mexicans. During the Micheltorena wars the Captain ren- dered stanch assistance, joining the native Cali- fornians against the Mexicans, and when war was declared between Mexico and the United States he aided the latter and with his character- istic energy organized a cavalry company at San Jose and became its captain. After having made his home in San Jose from 1842 to 1847 he returned to the peninsula and here remained un- til death.


With prophetic vision Captain Weber saw the possibilities which awaited those willing to take up their abode in the little settlement of Stock- ton, but men could not see the future as he did, and in spite of the liberal offers which he made they still held back, among other things fearing attacks from the Indians and an outbreak of the small-pox scourge. A writer in the Stock- ton Times in 1850 says: "Having been a resi- dent of California for many years, and having known Captain Weber for four or five of these, I venture to say there are but few Americans now in this country who have lived here for any length of time, who have not been recipients of favors from that gentleman. There had been a large number of grants given in what is called- the San Joaquin district, but none had the hardi- hood to settle their grants until 1846. It was


5


HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.


next to impossible for Weber to get men enough to offer any protection against the Indians, as everybody thought the risk too great for the benefits received. He succeeded in getting a few to settle with him, among whom were B. J. Thompson and Andy Baker, and finally, after losing cattle and horses and paying an extrava- gant price for labor, he succeeded in establishing a ranch where Stockton now stands."


Concerning the home of Captain Webe" the famous poet and traveler, Bayard Taylor, writes as follows: "We were greatly delighted with our visit to Captain Weber's, who transformed a tract of land between two sloughs into a garden. There is no more delightful villa in existence. A thick hedge, outside of which is a row of semi- tropical trees, surrounds the peninsula. The gate opened into a lofty avenue of trellis work, where the sunshine strikes through branches of ame- thyst and chrysolite, while on either hand beds of roses fill the air with odor. The house is iow but spacious, the woodwork of natural red- wood. Vine-covered verandas surround it and every window discloses a vision of plants that would be the glory of any greenhouse on the Atlantic coast. In Mrs. Weber I found the ac- quaintance of my former visit. Well I remem- ber the day when, hungry and footsore, I went to the door of her father's house in the valley of the San Jose and found her reading a poem of mine. Her father saddled his horse and rode with me to the top of the mountain, and her own hands prepared the grateful supper and breakfast that gave me strength for the tramp to Monterey. The garden delighted us beyond measure. The walks were waist deep in fuchias and geraniums, and the pepper trees, with their loose, misty boughs, hailed us as do friends from Athens. A row of Italian cypresses were shoot- ing rapidly above the other boughs in the gar- den. How they will transform the character of the landscape when their dark obelisks stand in full stature !"


As may be inferred from the above, Captain Weber was a lover of flowers, and indeed, from the time of his early experiences with seeds


which were given him by Captain Sutter he never ceased to experiment with every kind of seed or shrub that came under his notice. Many of these he obtained from Japan and Europe, and also from the missions. As an incentive to oth- ers to follow his lead in this enterprise he sup- plied those interested with seeds and shrubs from his own garden, and was especially interested in inculcating this love of nature in the hearts of children. With hint, time and money were no object in furthering this cause, and no county fair was complete without his exhibit of fruits, flowers and shrubs. For many years his garden was open at all times to the public.


Meanwhile Captain Weber was aiding the de- velopment of Stockton by every means within his power. Every church that applied to him received a donation of land. Land was also given to the city and county, and August 28, 1851, he deeded the public squares, streets and channels to the city. The land occupied by the San Joaquin Catholic cemetery was donated by him and he gave a large portion of the purchase money for the Rural cemetery. In later years he devoted much personal attention to the garden of St. Agnes academy, which was noted for its beauty. To protect the city from overflow, he superintended the building of a bulkhead on Stanislaus street and dug a canal on East and North streets. $30,000 of his money went into the improvement of California street, and he gave generously to the building up of other avenues. When the natural course of events made the property in the valley valuable, squat- ters began to give him trouble. The heirs of Gulnac attempted to wrest the land from him and in defending his title he spent vast sums of money, rendering necessary in order to pay for the litigation, the sacrifice of his valuable property in San Francisco. Finally he had the gratification of receiving the incontestable patent signed by President Lincoln. While it was nec- essary for him to eject squatters for the pro- tection of his title and the title of those to whom he had sold, many of these squatters found in him a stanch and generous friend, who aided them to


6


HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.


get a start elsewhere. Besides the property which he owned in San Joaquin county Captain Weber owned a large ranch in Santa Clara county, upon which he engaged extensively in breeding and raising high-grade horses and cattle.


During the Civil war Captain Weber was stanch in his allegiance to the Union cause and exerted a powerful influence in moulding the sentiment of this region. Early in the war he sent to Oregon and bought for a flag-staff a pole one hundred and twenty feet long. This he planted on an island west of his residence. After every Union victory the stars and stripes could be seen waving in the air and for miles in every direction the sight would tell that Union arms were again victorious. In politics the Cap- tain voted with the Republican party, but he was not a politician and preferred to devote himself to movements for the public good, without re- spect to political ties or views. When he passed away, May 14, 1881, the people of Stockton re- garded his demise as a public loss. A large con- course assembled to pay him the last tribute of respect when the funeral was held, under the auspices of Archbishop Alemany of San Francis- co. Up to the day of his death he was in full possession of his faculties and actively interested in all of his various enterprises.


The marriage of Captain Weber united him, November 29, 1850, with Miss Helen Murphy, a member of the celebrated Murphy party of 1844. Three children were born to them, of whom Charles M., Jr., at one time represented Santa Clara county in the state legislature, and the younger son, Thomas J., is now deceased. The only daughter, Miss Julia H., of Stockton, makes her home near the city so indissolubly associated with the life-work of her father and is everywhere honored as a member of an in- teresting and celebrated pioneer family. Mrs. Weber, who died April 11, 1895, was a daughter of Martin and Mary (Foley) Murphy, the latter an aunt of Bishop John Foley of Detroit and the late Bishop Thomas Foley of Chicago. In tem- perament Captain Weber was impulsive, though forgiving and large-hearted, was liked by all


with whom he came in contact in every walk of life, and he was also highly respected for the high moral principles which actuated him in all he undertook.


CLAUS LUDWIG VIEBROCK.


Although Mr. Viebrock was not one of the very earliest settlers in California, still he came in response to the longing to try his luck in the mines, and in his attempt was successful above the average, so much so that in three years time he had accumulated sufficient to establish himself in a well-paying business. A native of the Fa- therland, he was born in Hanover December 18, 1832, the son of parents who knew no other home than the Fatherland.


When he was twenty years of age, in 1852, Mr. Viebrock came to the United States, his original plan being to locate in the east. How- ever, he had not been here long before he was in- duced to come to California on account of the still greater opportunity which it was claimed lay hidden in the mines, and the year 1853 found him bound for the eldorado by way of Panama. On his arrival in the state he went direct to the mines at Marysville, where he worked diligently for three years, and with such success, that at the end of that time he had accumulated sufficient to establish himself in business. After trying various undertakings he came to Stockton in 1868 and established himself in the wholesale liquor business, following this successfully until he re- tired from active business in 1875. Ten years later, in December, 1885, he passed away at his home in Stockton, leaving a wife and two chil- dren to mourn his loss. Before her marriage Mrs. Viebrock was Amalia Fick, a native of Germany, their marriage occurring in Marysville, Cal., in 1862. The eldest son, Charles L., is a prominent rancher of Santa Cruz county, and F.


George Westo


9


HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.


J. Viebrock is cashier of the well-known firm of Austin Brothers, of Stockton. Twenty-three years ago he entered the employ of the firm as office boy, and in the meantime has gradually worked his way up to the responsible position which he holds today. The death of Mr. Vie- brock occurred nearly a quarter of a century ago, but nevertheless he is remembered as one of the city's most public-spirited citizens, one who was generous of both time and means toward the pro- motion of beneficial measures to either city or county.


GEORGE WEST.


It would be little short of impossible to at- tempt to write a history of San Joaquin county and make no mention of an industry which prob- ably more than any other has been instrumental in bringing the county into the prominent place which it holds in the commonwealth today. Without question San Joaquin county is among California's foremost producers of grapes, both for the table and the vat, and within her borders is situated one of the greatest wineries in the country, that of the El Pinal Vineyard of George West & Son. The history of the grape-growing industry in the county dates back to the time when Capt. C. M. Weber, the founder of Stock- ton, planted some cuttings which he had brought from the old Spanish missions of Southern Cali- fornia, little dreaming that he had instituted the nucleus of a vast industry. It was soon demonstrated that the soil was well adapted to the growing of the vine, and following Captain Weber, George and William B. West were the first to appreciate this and take advantage of the knowledge in a practical way. From the vine- yard which they started in 1852 from fifty cut- tings has grown the immense industry which since the death of George West, its founder, has been


in charge of his son, Frank A. West, business being conducted under the name of George West & Son, Incorporated.


The history of the West family dates back to the early settlement of New England, where the parents of the brothers above mentioned, William A. and Ann Bradford ( Leonard) West, were born and passed their entire lives. (See sketch of F. M. West.) George West was born in Taunton, Mass., Janu- ary 12, 1830. In 1848 he went to Boston and engaged in the lumber business. Soon after- ward, however, the reported wealthi to be had for the seeking in the mines of California turned his attention to the west, and in the spring of 1850 he began to try his luck in the mines of Tuolumne county. A trial of two years proved to him that the uncertain returns from mining were not in keeping with the efforts expended and he wisely determined to give it up and con- centrate his efforts in another direction. It was at this time that his attention was drawn to the grape-growing industry through the attempt of Captain Weber, previously alluded to. . keen foresight led him to the conclusion that the grape could be grown in this climate to advan- tage, and in demonstration of this belief lie pur- chased a tract of land not far from Stockton. to which he later gave the name of "El Pinal." This was in 1852 and was the pioneer effort in viticulture in the state. Associating himself with his brother William B., whose word was authority throughout the state on liorticultural matters, they made the first importation of foreign varieties of grape vines, including abont fifty varieties, among which was the seedless Sultana, and from this importation have come all of the seedless Sultanas in the state. The object of securing such a varied assortment was to ascertain by trial what particular varieties would thrive the best and produce the most satisfactory results. Upon this foundation has been built not alone the firm's wine-making in- dustry of today and its co-ordinate business of distilling brandies, but the vineyardists are still indebted to a degree for the data securerl by this




Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.