USA > California > Los Angeles County > Los Angeles > A history of California and an extended history of Los Angeles and environs, Biographical, Volume III > Part 22
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Miss Sophia Haben has made a specialty of surgical nursing, and held the position of special surgical nurse at the Clara Barton Hospital for some time, and it was under her direct super- vision that the new building was designed and erected.
The sisters deserve much credit for the estab- lishment of such an institution, and their splendid success is a tribute to their ability and also to the confidence and esteem in which they are held by the people of the community. They are all natives of Los Angeles, and have grown to womanhood in this county. They have been especially happy in their selection of a site for their hospital and their work of healing is greatly aided by the bounty of nature. Their location is especially suited for hospital purposes-it is high and dry, being one thousand feet above sea level, and is surrounded by orange groves, flowers to rest the eye, and fresh air and quiet to soothe tired and fretted
nerves. They make a specialty of surgical cases, and of cases where a rest-cure is required, their broad veranda being especially designed for such cases as these.
The Haben Hospital is the pioneer hospital of Monrovia, there being no similar institution nearer than Pomona. The sisters take a pardonable pride in their establishment, and are especially careful to keep abreast of the progressive times in the matter of new and modern equipment and ap- pliances.
JACOB MAECHTLEN. A native of Ger- many, but a resident of the United States since he was a lad of fourteen years, Jacob Maechtlen, now of Covina, is one of the most highly re- spected and substantial orange growers of the citrus belt, and owns one of the most productive and highly improved properties in his locality. Having been a resident of Los Angeles county since 1894 he has had opportunity to make a careful study of citrus culture and is therefore successfully and extensively engaged in the grow- ing of oranges of several varieties, lemons and grape fruit. On his arrival here he purchased a ten-acre tract at Ontario and two years later bought his present place at Covina, which con- tains forty acres. At that time the property was badly run down, but is now one of the show places of the San Gabriel valley. The orange and lemon groves are in especially fine condition, and the yearly yield is surprisingly large. Mr. Maechtlen takes great interest in the culture and study of cacti and has a very beautiful cactus garden. The improvement of his home place has had a decided influence on the value of the sur- rounding property, raising the value thereof ap- preciably, and many new groves are being planted in his neighborhood. He has also been an im- portant factor in the development of the country, and with others was influential in having the Pa- cific Electric Railway Company extend their line into Pomona and the upper part of the San Ga- briel valley.
In addition to his handsome property at Co- vina Mr. Maechtlen, in partnership with his son, Julius J. Maechtlen, also owns a splendid forty- acre ranch at San Dimas, where they are suc- cessfully engaged in raising oranges, lemons and grape fruit. Since purchasing this property in 1910 they have installed two fine pumping plants
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and otherwise improved the ranch. They have two acres in tangerines, two in grape fruit, and of the remainder one-third each in navel oranges, Valen- cia oranges and lemons. In 1914 the tangerines produced five hundred and fifty packed boxes to the acre, and the grape fruit, four hundred packed boxes to the acre, while the navels yielded four hundred and twenty-five and the Valencias five hundred and fifty packed boxes to the acre. Some of the largest tangerine trees in California are on this property.
Mr. Maechtlen is a native of Wurtemberg, Germany, born March 3, 1843. Coming to the United States in 1857, he learned the printer's trade in Milwaukee, Wis. On the first call for volunteers for three months he enlisted, at the breaking out of the Civil war, in the First Wisconsin Infantry and at the expiration of the three months again enlisted, this time in the Ninth Wisconsin Infantry, serving three years in West Virginia, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas. After the close of the war he returned to his trade as a printer and followed this vocation through the larger cities of Ohio, Missouri and Tennessee. For twenty-five years he lived in Highland, Mad- ison county, Ill., and for twenty-one years of that time was manager of a German weekly printed in the German language and known as The High- land Union. He built up this paper along clean and businesslike lines, and it was widely known among the German speaking people of that part of the state. He also took an active part in the local affairs of Highland, being a member of the board of education, and for four years was also postmaster of Highland. In his political prefer- ences he was allied with the Republican party, then as now, and took an active part in the affairs of his party, being especially alive to all that was of local import. He was a charter member and one of the organizers of the Grand Army Post at Highland, and is now a member of Vicksburg Post, G. A. R., at Pomona. He is a member of the San Dimas Lemon Association and of the Covina Citrus Association.
Mr. Maechtlen's wife passed away in 1894, leaving two sons, William L. and Julius J., both of whom are well known in Los Angeles county. William L., of Los Angeles, is a member of the firm of Earl V. Lewis & Company. He married Malvina Hull, and has two sons, Lawrence and Walter. Julius J. was for a number of years engaged in the grading and contracting business
with J. W. Rice, also owned the Union Brick Company of San Diego, and farmed two thou- sand acres of grain in San Diego county, near Fallbrook. In connection with his partner, J. W. Rice, he did much valuable grading work in Los Angeles, including that done on Chapman Park tract and Normandie Square tract, and others. Since the purchase of the San Dimas citrus ranch he has given his time and attention to the care of that property and has disposed of his grading interests. His wife was formerly Miss Pearl Bradford, of San Jose, Cal., and they became the parents of three children, two daughters and a son, Dorothy, Alice and Jacob.
E. D. NORTHUP. A man of enterprise and ability, capable and practical beyond the average, E. D. Northup, who has been a resident of Duarte for about twenty-five years, has done much to- ward the upbuilding and development of his local- ity, and is regarded today as one of the leading men of that section. He is the owner of a fine orange grove, with a beautiful residence site thereon, and is intimately identified with many social and business interests in his home commu- nity. One of his many noteworthy contributions to the welfare and upbuilding of the city was his gift of a plot of land 80x250 feet to the Santa Fe Railroad, on which their present station stands.
Mr. Northup is a native of Herkimer county, N. Y., born March 22, 1850. His father was a merchant, but he himself was always deeply in- terested in farming and worked at that occupa- tion there until 1868, when he went to Dakota. During the time he remained there, until 1871, he worked on a farm, then returned to New York state for a short time. It was in the spring of 1874 that he came to California for the first time, coming by way of the Isthmus of Panama and making the journey from Illinois, where he had spent the previous year. In the Sacramento val- ley, near Courtland, he was employed on a farm for six years, after which he passed the same length of time in Kansas City, Mo. During his residence in the latter city he was employed as messenger on the Santa Fe, from 1882 to 1884, running from Kansas City to Albuquerque. From Kansas City Mr. Northup went to Minneapolis, Minn., where for a short time he was employed in a woolen mill, after which he came to California
fagparty
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to make his future home. For two years he was located at Santa Barbara, and in 1890 he came to Duarte, where he has since resided. Soon after coming here he purchased a tract of twenty acres known as the old Caldwell ranch, and upon which there were but two and a half acres of oranges. The new owner began at once to plant additional trees-seedlings, Navels and Valencias all find- ing their place in the grove-and today the entire tract is in full bearing trees and is one of the best cared-for places in the vicinity. The entire property is highly improved, having in addition to other improvements a splendid well, Mr. Northup being one of the first men to sink such a well in this district.
Mr. Northup is vitally interested in the citrus industry and is president of the Duarte and Mon- rovia Fruit Growers Exchange, and was for sev- eral years secretary and treasurer of the Duarte Mutual Irrigation & Canal Company. He is also greatly interested in educational matters and is clerk of the local school board at this time. He is also a director of the Granite Club of Mon- rovia.
Mr. Northup has been twice married. The first marriage was to Miss Adella McCollom, a native of Illinois, who passed away in 1904, leaving one daughter, Aileen, an accomplished performer on the piano and violin, as well as an artist of great ability ; she now has a studio in Monrovia. The only son of this marriage, Richard Eugene, died in infancy. Mr. Northup's second marriage united him with Mrs. Harriet Gibbs Winslow, of Chicago, a woman of culture and ability.
Mr. Northup has always taken much pleasure in the study of developmental conditions through- out the country, and in 1874 he made an exceed- ingly interesting trip to Grass Valley, Nev., on horse back, taking thirty days to make the trip. In 1913 he again took a trip which covered a part of the same territory, and was filled with wonder at the vast improvements that had taken place in that length of time.
In addition to his business prestige Mr. Northup enjoys the acquaintance and friendship of a wide circle among fraternal and social orders. He is a prominent Mason, having united with the order in South Dakota in 1871, and is now a member of the Monrovia Lodge. He and his wife are mem- bers of the First Congregational Church of Mon- rovia, of which he is also a trustee.
JOHN JOSEPH HAGGARTY. One of the leading merchants and prominent citizens of Los Angeles, John Joseph Haggarty was born in Lon- don, England, May 25, 1864, the son of John and Elizabeth Ann (Atkinson) Haggarty. He remained in his native England until he had passed his majority, receiving his education and business training there before he crossed the Atlantic to seek his fortune in the United States. He at- tended the public schools of London, later attend- ing a private boarding school situated in Rich- mond, Yorkshire. This finished his actual school- ing and at the age of nineteen he was well equipped for a business career.
With the idea of preparing himself for a special line, however, in 1883 he apprenticed himself to William Bryer & Company, a large dry goods establishment in King William street, London. During the four years of his apprenticeship he became exceptionally proficient in the business, which he had taken seriously from the start and which he had studied in every detail. Upon the completion of his apprenticeship he sailed for America, arriving in 1887. His first engagement in the New World was with Nugent Brothers, a large dry goods concern of St. Louis, Mo., with whom he remained for about four years, prin- cipally as buyer in the garment department. He left the Nugent Brothers to accept a better posi- tion with Scruggs, Vandervourt & Barney, an- other large house in that city, for whom he became assistant buyer. He held the position only two years, however, for at the end of that time, or in 1893, he went to Duluth, Minn., as a buyer for Silverstein & Bondy Company of that place. During the nine years he remained in Duluth he established himself firmly in the business life of the city. In 1902 the promise of Southern Cali- fornia appealed to him to such an extent that he severed his connection with the Duluth house and located in Los Angeles. He immediately be- came associated with Jacoby Brothers of this city, as buyer and manager of their garment depart- ment.
During his three years and a half connection with that firm Mr. Haggarty built up a large busi- ness in his particular line and, incidentally, saved enough money to go into business for himself on a small scale. He began by securing a building on Broadway, in the center of the Los Angeles business district, and there laid the foundation for one of the most successful businesses in the com-
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mercial history of this city. He called his store the New York Cloak and Suit House, an incor- porated institution, of which he was president and chief stockholder. The business was started on a comparatively small investment, but within a short time it had leaped to a leading position in the business life of the city and at the present time Mr. Haggarty estimates that the transactions of the house exceed a million dollars annually.
When his first venture had proved a success, due in large measure to his expert knowledge of the business, Mr. Haggarty determined to extend his activities and, accordingly, purchased a con- trolling interest in another large house known as the Paris Cloak and Suit House. This company is on a par with his first establishment and also does a tremendous business. Into it he brought, besides capital, the wide experience and natural business ability which had made him a success in life. He is regarded today as one of the shrewd- est business men in the Southwest and one of the most accomplished buyers in the foreign and do- mestic markets.
Mr. Haggarty devotes his personal attention to the management of his stores and notwithstand- ing the fact that he goes to the New York mar- kets four times a year, makes an annual trip to the fashion centers of Europe. This latter he considers absolutely necessary in order that he may keep in close touch with the famous designers and originators, especially those of Paris. He has made his business a life study and is regarded in the United States and Europe as an authority.
In addition to his own affairs Mr. Haggarty is a close student of world politics and of business conditions in general and an accurate reader of the effect of current events upon business. He is of an optimistic temperament and a thorough be- liever in the prosperity of the country which he has adopted for his home.
Mr. Haggarty, in addition to being a successful merchant, is a man of artistic inclinations and has surrounded himself with the best of literature, paintings and music. After settling permanently in Southern California he began to plan a mag- nificent home for himself. This ideal home is in the fashionable West Adams section of Los Angeles. He has christened the place Castle York, and it will long stand as one of the most magnificent private residences on the Pacific slope. The building is of Norman Gothic archi- tecture, after the style of the Fourteenth century,
and cost more than $100,000. It is surrounded by spacious grounds, with sunken gardens and a conservatory of rare plants as two of its most beauteous exterior features. The interior of the Castle is in keeping with the artistic feelings of the owner, arranged in exquisite taste and with excellent regard for those refinements that are to be found in the homes of gentlefolk. In order to enjoy the classic music to which he is a devotee, Mr. Haggarty has caused to be built in the home a magnificent pipe organ, one of the most perfect instruments of its kind privately owned in the United States.
Mr. Haggarty is a member of the Gamut Club and Los Angeles Athletic Club, but is really not a clubman, his inclinations being towards domes- ticity. On August 24, 1901, in St. Paul, Minn., he was married to Bertha M. Schnider.
JOHN C. PEGLER. The genealogy of the Pegler family dates back to the year 1300, the present esteemed citizen of Sierra Madre being a direct descendant of the ancient line, which down through the intervening years has been closely associated with the development and history of England, of which country John C. Pegler is a native. The family were tillers of the soil and landed proprietors for many gener- ations, and the grandfather of the subject of this sketch was the first man to invent and use a drill, and also the first to establish an irriga- tion system for farms in England. Mr. Pegler has been a prominent factor in the life of Sierra Madre for a number of years. He was elected a member of the city board of trustees in 1907, at the time of the incorporation of the beautiful foot-hill village where he makes his home, and has served continuously in that capacity since, he now being the only one of the original mem- bers on the board. At all times he has been found firmly on the side of progress and civic improvement, and during his term of office as chairman of the board of trustees many im- portant improvements were inaugurated, in- cluding the installation of a modern lighting system and the paving of twelve miles of streets at a cost of $250,000. Other improve- ments that have been accomplished during his period of service are the condemnation of the Baldwin water rights and the purchase of these
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rights by the city of Sierra Madre, as well as the acquisition of a site for the new city hall.
Mr. Pegler was born in Gloucestershire, England, November 30, 1846, on a farm, and received his education in private boarding, schools of that vicinity. In 1880 he came to the United States, first locating near Cedar Falls, Iowa, where he engaged in farming. In 1884 he removed to Pocahontas county, that state, where he purchased four hundred acres of land, which has increased in value from $4 per acre, as the original purchase price, to $175, its present value. There he en- gaged in raising cattle and hogs, meeting with much success. He was a pioneer in that part of Iowa, there being neither roads nor fences at the time of his location there.
It was in 1892 that Mr. Pegler first came to the Pacific coast, visiting California first and later going to Salem, Ore., where he remained until 1893. In 1894 he came to Southern Cali- fornia and purchased nineteen acres of raw land at Sierra Madre, which he planted to orange and lemon trees, and such has been his success that he is considered one of the best local authorities on questions of citrus culture. He is prominently associated with the citrus interests of the county, and was formerly a director of the Lamanda Fruit Association, and also was a member of the Duarte Fruit Asso- ciation. In 1908 he disposed of his acreage and retired from active participation in busi- ness affairs, since which time he has lived in the enjoyment of his many years of successful industry. He was the first man in that sec- tion to develop water on his ranch, he sinking a well for irrigation purposes, two hundred and thirty-six feet deep. During one of the past dry seasons he supplied part of the residents of Sierra Madre with drinking water from this well.
The marriage of Mr. Pegler occurred in his native shire in England, where he was united with Miss Mary Bullock, also a native of Gloucestershire. Of this union were born three sons, only one of whom, Carlton J. Peg- ler, is now living. He is married and the father of three sons, Harold, Ernest and Don- ald, of whom their grandfather is exceedingly fond and proud. Although now almost seventy years of age, Mr. Pegler is keenly alive to all that pertains to the welfare of the city, and is
particularly well informed on all matters of municipal progress and improvement, the well- being of his home city now being his principal interest.
JAMES SMITH TRIPP. For almost forty years a resident on the Pacific coast, which he has traveled from the Mexican line to Alaska and back, is the record of James Smith Tripp, now residing on his beautiful home place at Covina, in the midst of one of the finest and most profitable orange groves in the county. It was in 1891 that he purchased his present property, where he has since resided, and during the intervening years has made for him- self a place in the life of the community, both socially and as a factor in the commercial field, that might well be the envy of many resi- dents of much longer standing.
Mr. Tripp is a native of Ohio, born Novem- ber 16, 1841, in Noble county, where he was reared on a farm, receiving his education in the public schools of his district. When he was but nineteen he responded to President Lincoln's call for volunteers, and served for four years as a member of the Twenty-seventh Ohio Infantry, in the Army of the Cumberland, participating in all the great battles fought by that army, and ending with the famous March to the Sea. He has kept alive the associations through his membership in the Grand Army of the Republic, in whose local meetings he takes an active interest. In 1865, following the close of the war, Mr. Tripp went to southern Illinois, where he remained for three years, engaging in farming. At the end of that time he went to Osage county, Kan., where he again engaged in farming, remaining in this locality for seven years.
It was in 1876 that Mr. Tripp first came to the Pacific coast, taking up a government claim near Seattle, Wash., in Snohomish county, where for six years he followed his former occupation as a tiller of the soil. While there he served for a time as deputy sheriff. Later he spent two seasons in Alaska, being engaged in gold mining at Nome and other northern points, and enduring many hardships and pri- vations during his stay there. In 1891 he came to Southern California and located at Covina, where he purchased twenty acres of unim-
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proved land, which he has since planted to orange trees, and today has one of the finest and most productive groves in the citrus belt. In 1914 he took twenty-eight hundred boxes of fruit from his trees, all of a high class product. He has made a careful study of soil and condi- tions, and is thoroughly familiar with all details of horticulture.
The marriage of Mr. Tripp was solemnized in 1891 and united him with Miss Addie Pres- ton, of Wisconsin. The eldest of their four living children is Harvey, an engineer on the Santa Fe Railroad, who married Miss Nellie Parker of Highlands, and is the father of two children, Edna and Carle; Edith, who gradu- ated from the musical department of the Uni- versity of Southern California, is now the wife of George Howard of Los Angeles; Fred, an expert horticulturist, of Covina, does budding and takes care of orchards ; and Marie is a resi- dent of Los Angeles. All of the children are accomplished musicians, having been carefully trained under competent masters. One child, Carle Preston, passed away when two years old.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Tripp have many friends in Covina, where they are well known. Mr. Tripp is a member of the Methodist church, while his wife attends the Christian Science church.
C. L. HOLLINGSWORTH. One of the most substantial and energetic residents of Baldwin Park, and one who has done much for this thriving little town, is C. L. Hollings- worth, grocer, farmer, and owner and manager of a prosperous cannery, where the new break- fast food, "Shuster Wheat," is prepared for the market. Mr. Hollingsworth has lived in Los An- geles county several years. He came first in 1884, but soon returned to his former home in Kansas, where he was prominently identified with his home town for twelve years. In 1911 he returned to California and located at Bald- win Park, where he has since made his home. He is one of the enthusiastic boosters for this section of the county and is giving of his best effort, his time and his energy for the general promotion and development of his home com- munity.
Mr. Hollingsworth is a native of Iowa, born in Cedar county, April 4, 1865. When he was
fourteen years of age he removed to Kansas with his parents, locating in Montgomery county. When he was nineteen he came to California, joining an uncle, Stephen Towns- end, at Long Beach and working for him in the beach city, where Mr. Townsend was a grading contractor. At that time Long Beach contained only about a dozen houses, all of a very primitive character, and the first work on the grading of Ocean avenue was done by Mr. Hollingsworth. He also assisted in the laying out of the town. For two years he remained in the county, engaging in grading work, and then returned to Coffeyville, Kas., where he engaged in dairying and farming. He soon assumed a place of prominence in the com- munity, taking an active part in public affairs. For a period of twelve years he was a member of the school board, and did much for the welfare of the public schools. One of his most thrilling experiences was the raid on the First National Bank of Coffeyville by the Dalton gang, Mr. Hollingsworth hap- pening to be in the bank at the time.
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