USA > California > Los Angeles County > Los Angeles > A history of California and an extended history of Los Angeles and environs, Biographical, Volume III > Part 20
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During the ten years that he has been building up his present enterprise Mr. Johnson has had little time for the lighter side of life and for its social features. Nevertheless he has many friends and is well and favorably known as a man of more than ordinary business ability, honorable, upright and just. He takes a keen interest in all that concerns his community and has his fingers on the pulse of the commercial life of the city, state and nation. He is a member of the Woodmen of
the World, and is well known among the various members. The marriage of Mr. Johnson oc- curred in 1912, uniting him with Miss Mary Johnson, of Sweden. Of their union has been born one daughter, Mary, a native of San Gabriel.
Although his success seems phenomenal to the interested spectator Mr. Johnson declares that it is not so, but that it is merely the natural re- sult of careful and intelligent application, industry and persistence. He points to the fact that many others are making a success of the poultry in- dustry, and while the growth of his particular enterprise has been marked, he attributes it rather to additional care and attention than to any ele- ment of luck, and merely advises others to follow the same lines of procedure if they wish to suc- ceed. He avers that all too many persons engage in the poultry business with the idea that it is an occupation in which there is little need of intelli- gent thought, and that all they have to do is to feed the chickens and gather the eggs, while in reality it requires as much care as any other in- dustry, and perhaps more, for the physical wel- fare of the fowls is a prime requisite to success.
CHARLES E. STRATTON. The assistant general manager of the Union Tool Company, Los Angeles and Torrance, Cal., is Charles E. Stratton, who was born in Evansburg, Pa., May 10, 1865, the son of Henry C. and Jennie Stratton. The father, also a native of Evansburg, where he was born in 1842, received a college education and was first engaged as manager of the Star Oil Company, now the Standard Oil Company, at Erie, Pa., a position which he held until 1882, when he resigned to remove to Franklin, Pa., there to conduct a lumber business until he sold out the same in 1893 and returned to Erie, where he took charge of his son's business, the Strat- ton Manufacturing Company, of which he still re- mains in charge.
The son, Charles E. Stratton, was educated in the grammar and high schools of the city of Erie, Pa., graduating from the latter in 1880, at which time he engaged as clerk with the Jarecki Manu- facturing Company, in which concern he worked up to the position of sales manager and price clerk. This he continued until the year 1909, when he removed to Los Angeles, becoming as- sistant general manager of the Union Tool Com-
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pany in this city, as well as vice-president of the Pacific Metal Products Company, of Torrance, Cal., manufacturers of steel barrels and motor trucks. Aside from these important interests Mr. Stratton also continues as owner of the Stratton Manufacturing Company, of Erie, Pa., a firm of which his father is in active charge.
By his marriage in Erie, with Miss Rebecca Judson Dickinson, Mr. Stratton is the father of one daughter, Dorothy Ellen, who attends the Marlborough School for Girls, in Los Angeles, in which city the family makes their home, at No. 442 South Mariposa street. Mr. Stratton is a member of the Royal Arcanum, in his political in- terests upholding the principles of the Repub- lican party, and in his religious affiliations being associated with the Protestant form of belief.
CHARLES E. SLOSSON. One of the most prominent citizens of Monrovia and one who for almost thirty years has been a vital factor in the life of the beautiful little city, is Charles E. Slosson, veteran real estate dealer and president of the Monrovia Steam Laundry Company. Dur- ing his long residence in Monrovia he has been closely allied with the affairs of the city and has been active in all movements for the upbuilding and development of the best interests of the mu- nicipality. He is broad-minded and progressive in the truest sense of the word, and his business judgment and foresight have enabled him to so invest his earnings that he has reaped therefrom a handsome profit, principally on the increased valuation of real estate.
Mr. Slosson is a native of Iowa, born at North- wood September 25, 1861, and there he received his education in the common and high schools. After he had completed his schooling he gave his attention to farming, work with which he was already familiar through having assisted with the work on the home farm during vacations and before and after school. Later he became inter- ested in a creamery near Northwood and gave this enterprise his attention for a number of years.
It was in 1887 that Mr. Slosson came to Cali- fornia, locating at once in Monrovia and engaging in the real estate business. Since 1910, how- ever, the greater part of his time has been given to the management of the Monrovia Steam Laundry, of which he was one of the promoters
and original organizers. For a number of years he was president of the Messenger Publishing Company of Monrovia and one of the heaviest stockholders, was one of the organizers and a charter member of the Monrovia Board of Trade, of which for many years he served as secretary, and for a number of years was president of the San Gabriel River Rock Company.
Real estate, however, has been the principal interest of Mr. Slosson since he came to Mon- rovia. His faith in the locality has been firm and abiding and he has so managed his affairs that temporary depressions in real estate have not seriously affected him. He has bought much local property and several of the best known subdivisions have been put on the market by him and successfully handled. Among these may be mentioned the Oak Park tract, the Valley Vista tract, Orange Avenue tract, and many others of equal merit. Besides his large holdings in and near Monrovia, to which he is adding from time to time, he also owns a ranch of one hundred and sixty acres in Riverside county, and another of the same acreage in Utah. The laundry of which he is now president is housed in a strictly modern structure, which is a credit to the city, and its equipment is of the latest improved design. It is proving a profitable investment for the stockhold- ers, and is doing a splendid business in Monrovia and the surrounding community.
Aside from his business interests Mr. Slosson has a wide circle of friends in his community, and is influential in the governmental affairs of his city and also of the county. He was the first notary public in Monrovia. A Republican in his political affiliations, for three terms he served as a member of the Republican Central Committee of Los Angeles county, for two terms being a member of the executive committee thereof, for three terms was city clerk of Monrovia, and for two terms served as a member of the board of town trustees. Before coming to Monrovia he was interested in public affairs in Northwood, Iowa, where he served first as deputy county treasurer and later as deputy county auditor. For a number of years before leaving Northwood Mr. Slosson was in the abstract business, and was acknowledged to be an authority on the question of land titles.
The marriage of Mr. Slosson took place in Monrovia, October 2, 1889, uniting him with Miss Anna MacColloch, a native of Kingston, Pa., the
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daughter of William and Christine (Hutchinson) MacColloch. Mr. and Mrs. Slosson have a daugh- ter, Arline, born in Monrovia, where she is re- ceiving her education.
THE RUSSELL & MURRAY POULTRY RANCH. This is one of the best known and most successful of the many poultry ranches that make Gardena famous the world over, and is the property of J. L. Russell and T. W. Murray. The business was started in March, 1905, by Mr. Russell, who gives a large amount of the credit for the success of the business to his wife, who has been closely associated with him in this un- dertaking from the first, and has given freely of her time and ability to make the venture a suc- cess. The beginning was a small one, and the growth and development of the enterprise to its present splendid proportions is a fair evidence of what hard work, perseverance and intelligent ap- plication will accomplish. Starting with a capital of $1000 (one-half of which was paid for their original four acres of land, and the remaining $500 for the stock and necessary equipment ) they bought eggs for hatching, and at the end of the first year had two hundred laying hens of the White Leghorn variety. Two "Petaluma" incu- bators of one hundred and twenty-six eggs ca- pacity were used. The following spring the chicken houses were built, and the eggs laid by the two hundred hens were used for hatching, producing two thousand chicks. During the second, third and fourth years all varieties of chickens were tried, but in the end the White Leghorn was selected as the best utility fowl of them all, and has been the stock raised on this ranch since that time. In the fall of the second year there were five hundred laying birds, although up to that time there had been no profit from the place.
During the third year the stock was increased to eight hundred hens, and a profit of ninety cents per hen was made for the year. The fourth year there were a thousand hens, all raised on the ranch, and at this time Mr. Murray, who owned three and a half acres adjoining, was taken into the partnership, and the acreage thus increased to seven and a half acres. The flock was then in- creased to twelve hundred birds, and the profit was $1.25 per hen per year the next year. From
that time until the present the profit has been from $1.50 to $1.80 per year. There are now forty-five hundred laying hens on the place, which is one of the best equipped in the vicinity, and it is proposed to increase this number to six thou- sand the coming year. Eight "Jubilee" incubators are used, having a capacity of four thousand eggs. The output of the ranch is sold exclusively to H. Jevne Co., of Los Angeles, and shipped regu- larly throughout the season.
Both Mr. Russell and Mr. Murray are ener- getic and capable and give their best efforts to making their business a great success, and in this they have succeeded far beyond the average. Mr. Russell is a native of Pottawatomie county, Kas., where he was reared and educated, graduating from the common and high schools. Following this he learned telegraphy, and was for a number of years an operator at Salt Lake City, Utah, from which place he came to California, locating at Gardena, where he has since made his home. He is prominent in local affairs at Gardena, being progressive and wide-awake, and standing for progress and upbuilding in civic and municipal affairs. He is a member of the Masons at Gar- dena, and also of the Eastern Star, together with his wife. Mrs. Russell is a native of Utah, and was married there to Mr. Russell. She is a woman of great ability and force of character and has been a close companion of her husband in his business enterprises. She is a member of the Women's Progressive Club of Gardena, as well as of the Eastern Star, and has been honored with many high offices in the latter order.
Mr. Murray is a native of Wisconsin, born in Jackson county, where he lived until he was seventeen years of age. Before coming to Cali- fornia in 1901 he had been variously occupied at farming, mining and in other lines, and after coming to this state he purchased a small ranch at Claremont, where he engaged in duck raising. It was in 1909 that he came to Gardena, and since entering into partnership with Mr. Russell in the chicken business he has made a great success.
MILNER AND LINDEMAN. The produc- tive soil and the ideal climate of Southern Cali- fornia have made its small towns profitable homes for the farmer, the raiser of fruit and of chickens, and the little cities of Lankershim and Van Nuys
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have brought success of this kind to more than one energetic and faithful worker in the out-of- doors. The poultry ranch of Roy V. Milner and H. J. Lindeman at Van Nuys shows what can be accomplished in that line upon twenty acres of land. This property was bought and its develop- ment commenced in 1912, the ground at that time being covered with tule grass, etc., but planted by Mr. Milner and Mr. Lindeman with fruit trees, such as the Alberta peach, the royal apricot, and the Nellis pear. They selected the highest-priced land in the tract, where they set out their fruit trees, over twenty-one thousand in number, also planting watermelons and casabas between the rows of trees, netting, by December, $100 per acre on the casabas alone. A barn was put up at a cost of $300, also a brooder house which was then stocked with three thousand baby chicks of the Richardson stock of White Leghorns. These later were culled to nine hundred laying hens, which began to lay when only four months and four days old, a truly wonderful record, and from these nine hundred hens a percentage of about seventy-eight was reached, in October five cases of eggs being produced, in November from eight to nine cases, in December ten cases, in January from ten to eleven, in February eleven, in March twelve, on March 3rd, six hundred and twenty- four eggs having been collected and since the above date the highest number, six hundred and fifty-six, have been collected, which is certainly a record worthy of mention. There are five hen houses, 10x48 feet each, with a capacity of two hundred and forty hens each, while the brooder house, 24x58 feet, has a capacity of three thou- sand chicks. Each house has a covered scratching pen and patent drinking fountain, the roosts being removable and cleaned from the outside, and the feed pens placed at the back of the houses, as are also the nests, both being accessible from the outside. The yards, which are large and open, can be plowed by a horse, and a separate alfalfa patch connects with each yard where the hens are turned in once a day. Petaluma brooding stoves are used for heating the brooder. Mr. Lindeman has made a special study of the care and feeding of his fowls, and the feed he pro- vides them is Egyptian corn and barley and a private mash mixture invented by himself. The eggs are marketed in Los Angeles by the Ameri- can Poultry Company, the hens paying a net profit of $2 each yearly, and it is the intention of the
owners that the fall of 1915 will show an increase of two thousand laying pullets, and that their establishment shall become a four thousand chicken ranch.
Mr. Lindeman, the man actively in charge of the ranch, is a native of the state of Minnesota, having come to California in 1904, where he found employment on farms in Los Angeles county, and started on his independent chicken in- dustry in a small way in Antelope Valley. Be- sides his poultry ranch, Mr. Lindeman is also at the present time farming sixty acres of rented land in the Van Nuys district, which he devotes to the raising of watermelons, casabas, melons, potatoes, Egyptian corn and hay, and in 1915 had five acres of corn which produced thirteen thou- sand pounds when threshed.
Mr. Milner, the partner of Mr. Lindeman, is a native son of California, and a prominent busi- ness man of Los Angeles, having been connected with the Los Angeles Suburban Homes Company since its organization. He is the owner of a home in Van Nuys, where he has planted an orchard covering twenty-five acres, and the poultry ranch of himself and his partner is one of the most flourishing in that section of the state.
THE JEWEL CITY UNDERTAKING COMPANY, at No. 246 Brand boulevard, Glen- dale, Cal., is a modern institution with superior service in every respect, the building occupied by the company being built in the handsome mission style and having been formerly the headquarters of the Country Club. Endeavor has been made to remove all objectionable features usual in con- nection with undertaking establishments, and as far as possible the surroundings have been made homelike in appearance, the motto of the company being "The Home Beautiful," to which, in every respect, they strive to live up, with noteworthy success. The service parlors of the Jewel City Undertaking Company are artistically furnished with grass and reed furniture, and by the use of palms and flowers in decoration all harsh or crude effects are eliminated. For the services of such associations as the Masons, the Elks, the Odd Fellows, the Grand Army of the Republic, the Knights of Pythias, etc., beautiful and appropriate emblems are used, which add much to the im-
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pressiveness of the ceremonies. Adjoining these service parlors, which will seat two hundred and fifty people, is the family room, where the family of the deceased can be alone during the funeral services. The music room, adjacent to both, is equipped with organ, music and furniture suitable for a room of this nature, while in the display room is a large and varied assortment of caskets. The preparation rooms are finished in white, with tiled walls and cement floors, and are equipped with all modern and sanitary appliances, a lady assistant being in attendance, who is in every way competent and skilful. Connected with the ambu- lance service is a modern invalid coach, used ex- clusively for the sick or injured, and superior to the ordinary funeral ambulance.
The president and general manager of the Jewel City Undertaking Company is James Ed- ward Phillips, the other officers being J. C. Emery, vice-president, and Mrs. Jessie C. Miller, secretary and treasurer. Mr. Phillips, the presi- dent, is a native of Van Buren county, Mich., where he was born in 1862. There he grew up, receiving his education and learning the trade of carriage builder, which he followed for some time at Paw Paw, Mich. Later he conducted a fur- niture and undertaking business for fifteen years in Paw Paw, where he was also a member of the City Council. Removing to Carbon county, Wyo., for five years he followed both mining and the undertaking business there, in the spring of the year 1906 coming to California, where he estab- lished the firm of Phillips & Allen, Undertakers, at Alhambra. Selling out his interests there, Mr. Phillips came to Glendale in 1910, establishing here the Jewel City Undertaking Company, which continues to hold a high place among institutions of the kind. Both Mr. and Mrs. Phillips are emi- nently fitted for the carrying on of such a busi- ness, Mr. Phillips being a graduate of the Clark School of Embalming, at Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Massachusetts School of Embalming, at Bos- ton, Mass. His wife, whom he married in Los Angeles March 11, 1915, was formerly Mrs. Jen- nie A. Lewis, of Michigan, a professional nurse, and also having had a number of years' expe- rience in the undertaking business.
Besides being a member of the Merchants' As- sociation of Glendale, Mr. Phillips is also con- nected with numerous fraternal organizations, be- ing a Mason of the thirty-second degree, a mem- ber of the Los Angeles Consistory, of the Scot-
tish Rite, the Elks Lodge No. 1289 of Glendale and the Knights of Pythias of Glendale, as well as past noble grand of the Odd Fellows at Paw Paw, Mich., and past chief patriarch of the en- campment there, also past master of the Masonic Lodge of Carbon, Wyom.
CHARLES CASSAT DAVIS. The legal pro- fession has ever attracted to itself the leading men of every age and generation, and will doubtless continue to do so. The splendid opportunities of- fered for men of unusual capabilities, and the ever increasing need for men of superior abil- ity, strength of purpose and unfaltering loyalty to truth and right, make this field one of the most desirable, as high types of men to fill its exalted positions are in themselves desirable. Prominent among the men who for more than thirty years have been giving of their best to make the Los Angeles county and city bar noted throughout the state and nation may be named Charles Cassat Davis, whose service to his city has not been confined to the pursuit and honorable discharge of his legal duties and responsibilities by any means, but who has never failed to grasp every opportunity that has presented itself for the accomplishment of some good for the general public.
Mr. Davis is a native of Ohio, born at Cincin- nati, October 5, 1851, the son of Timothy J. and Caroline M. Davis. His father likewise was born in Cincinnati, where he was educated and later followed the insurance business, until in 1895, when he came to Los Angeles, where he engaged in the same line of business until the time of his death here in 1899. The son attended the public schools of Cincinnati and later the Ohio Wesleyan university, graduating with the degree of A. B., in 1873, and in 1876 receiving the de- gree of A. M. Later he studied in the Cincinnati Law School, thence going to the Columbia Col- lege Law School in New York City, graduating there in 1875. After his admission to the bar by the Supreme Court of New York state he re- turned to Cincinnati, was admitted to the bar of Ohio by the Supreme Court, and thereafter opened an office at Cincinnati. He met with suc- cess, gaining both legal and political distinction, and served his district in the Ohio legislature for one term.
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It was in 1885 that Mr. Davis came to Los An- geles, and since that time he has made this city his home, engaging continuously in the practice of the law, and again meeting with a marked de- gree of success and winning unusual distinction for himself in his chosen field. He has made a specialty of land and corporation law and is recog- nized as one of the ablest corporation lawyers in the state. Aside from his strictly professional work, Mr. Davis has a multitude of other activ- ities and interests, all more or less identified with the public welfare, and to these he gives the same careful and conscientious attention that he devotes to law. Among these interests educa- tional matters have always held a prominent posi- tion. For some years he was a member of the city board of education, and during this time oc- curred the smashing of the notorious "Webb ring," in which the schools were exploited for money and power, and the teachers and even janitors and laborers were compelled to contribute to the pockets of a dangerous and arrogant gang or lose their places. This corruption produced an exciting episode in the history of Los Angeles, and was ended under the leadership of Mr. Davis and his colleague on the board, afterwards Judge N. P. Conrey. Mr. Davis was president of the board during the years from 1896 to 1900. In 1904 he was elected one of the non-partisan board, serving until 1906, when he resigned. Still an- other interest to which he gives his time is that represented by the Southwestern Archaeological Society, being a member of its advisory board, and he also has been the legal advisor for the Southwest Museum from its organization. Both of these institutions are of vast importance to the community.
Socially Mr. Davis is a favorite with many friends and acquaintances. He is connected with a number of prominent social and scientific clubs, among which may be named the Jonathan, Eco- nomic, Gamut, Sunset, City and University Clubs, while for five years he was one of the directors of the Municipal League. He is also a Mason, and well and favorably known in Masonic circles. In his political associations Mr. Davis has always been a Republican, giving his support and efforts for the success of what, in his judgment, tends to the general welfare of the city, state and nation. In the affairs of his profession Mr. Davis stands high, both in the esteem of his colleagues and as a professional advisor. He is a member of both
the county and state bar associations, and has on various occasions taken important parts in their deliberations.
HENDERSON HAYWARD, M. D. Al- though a physician of reputation and skill, Dr. Henderson Hayward has not been actively en- gaged in the practice of his profession since coming to Los Angeles twenty years ago, but has given his time to the management of exten- sive business interests and investments. He has been largely associated with the develop- ment of the oil industry and is also heavily interested in real estate. In 1906 he retired from active participation in business affairs and has since that time lived quietly at his pleasant home on Wilshire boulevard in Los Angeles.
Dr. Hayward is a native of Pennsylvania, having been born in York county, November 18, 1844, the son of Dr. Joseph and Sally (Brearly) Hayward, the father being of Eng- lish descent and the mother coming from an old Scotch-Irish family. The father was a phy- sician and surgeon, a graduate of the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania in 1800, and practiced his profession until 1852. The son followed in the footsteps of his father, and was graduated from the medical depart- ment of the Cumberland Valley Institute, at Mechanicsburg, Pa., in 1858, having entered in 1855. Later he continued his studies at the Georgetown University at Washington, D. C., graduating in 1869. From 1864 to 1865 Dr. Hayward served as hospital steward in the United States army under Col. L. A. Edwards, and later was appointed chief clerk of the medi- cal department of the Freedman's Bureau. He settled in Delaware county, Pa., in 1871, and commenced the practice of medicine independ- ently, meeting with much success and building up a large and lucrative practice.
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