USA > California > A history of California and an extended history of its southern coast counties, Volume II > Part 17
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zations, including the Kern River Company, Mentone Power Company, San Gabriel Elec- tric Company, Sierra Power Company and San Bernardino Gas and Electric Company.
In Los Angeles occurred the marriage of General Forman to Miss Mary Gray, member of an old family of Southern California, and by this union there are two children, Charles and Eloise. In politics General Forman was a Democrat until the silver craze, and since then supports Republican measures and can- didates, while socially he holds membership with the Jonathan Club. Besides his city real estate he is the owner of a ranch of three hundred and twenty acres on the Los Ange- les river four miles from the city, where he has one hundred and fifty acres under cultivation to walnuts.
JUDGE WILLIAM FREDERICKSON. A prominent attorney and police judge of Los Angeles, William Frederickson is associated with the public interests of the city in such a way as to bring out the highest qualities of his character and advance the welfare of those about him. He was born in Hackensack, N. J., a son of Erasmus and Johanna H. (Thorn) Frederick- son, both natives of Denmark. The father was a sailor and in 1849 came around Cape Horn to San Francisco and like hundreds of others rushed to the gold fields, where he was very successful. He returned to Denmark the follow- ing year and was there married. Immediately afterward he returned to the United States with his bride and, locating in Hackensack, N. J., en- gaged in steamboating. He became the owner of a line of boats plying the Hudson river be- tween New York City and Albany. In 1866 he removed to Champaign county, Ill., and there followed farming until his death, which occurred in 188.1. He is survived by his wife, who now makes her home in Oklahoma City.
Born March 5. 1865, William Frederickson was taken by his parents to Illinois when a year old, and in Champaign county was reared to young manhood. He received a preliminary education through the medium of the public schools, graduating from the Champaign high school and then entering the University of
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Illinois, which he attended until the close of his junior year. He then took up the study of law, with H. M. Beardsley, of Kansas City, Mo., and was admitted to the bar in 1800. He practiced law there in partnership with his preceptor. afterwards mayor of Kansas City, until 1892. when he located his law office in Chicago. In 1808 he volunteered in Company C, of the First Illinois Regiment, for the Spanish-American war, and was sent to Santiago, Cuba, where he remained until the close of hostilities, when he was mustered out of service with his regiment in Chicago. In 1900 he came to Los Angeles and for two years was on the editorial staff of the Los Angeles Herald, and was then appointed prosecuting attorney by City Attorney Mathews, in which position he served for four years. In 1906 he was elected police judge of Los Angeles on the Republican and Nonpartisan ticket and in January, 1907, took the oath of office and is now presiding over Department No. 2.
Mr. Frederickson was united in marriage in Los Angeles, in July, 1904, to Miss Jane Sheaff, and born of this union is one daughter, Han- sena. Mr. Frederickson is a member of the Los Angeles Bar Association, the Union League and Country Clubs.
JOSEPH MESMER. The name of Mesmer is well known among the business men of Los Angeles, where both father and son have taken a promiment part in the material advancement of the city's best interest. The pioneer, Louis Mesmer, brought his family to Southern Cali- fornia in August, 1859, and since that date he has not only accumulated personal inde- pendence along financial lines, but has as well, given his best efforts toward the general up- building of the city. A native of Germany, born in Surburg, Canton Sulz, in what was then the province of Alsace, France, on the 20th of February, 1829, he was still a youth in years when he left the paternal home in the village of Surburg and went to the city of Hagenau, nearby, where he served a four years' apprenticeship to learn the trade of bread baker. Following this he met with suc- cess in various parts of his native country, but with an ambition beyond his opportunities he
steadfastly turned his face toward the west- ern world. Ultimately he embarked at Havre for New York City, thence he went to Syra- cuse and from there to Buffalo, in the last- named city accepting employment at his trade as a journeyman. After acquiring proficiency in the English language, he removed to Ohio and in Tippecanoe City established a bakery which he conducted successfully for a period of three years.
Attracted to the remote west he left his fam- ily in Tippecanoe City (having in the mean- time married Miss Katherine Forst), and in the spring of 1858 sailed from New York City via the Isthmus of Panama for San Francisco. The gold fields throughout the entire Pacific coast held his attention for some time, but not meeting with the success anticipated, he aban- doned mining and went to Victoria, British Columbia, and opened a bakery. Here his op- portunities for making money were most abundant, but desiring at this time to send for his family he disposed of his interests and returned to San Francisco. Upon the arrival of his wife and his son, Joseph, he severed his business connections in that city and came to Southern California and located at Los An- geles, which at that time was a small frontier town containing about thirty-two hundred in- habitants, consisting principally of Mexicans, Digger Indians and about seven hundred Americans and foreigners. The main portion of the city then extended from First street north to College street, and from the edge of the hills on the west to Alameda street on the east, comprising an area of about twenty-five of the present city blocks. There were 110 through cross streets running east and west from Aliso street on the north to Ninth street on the south, the latter named street at that time being a lane twenty-five feet wide. First street extended from Fort street (now Broad- way) on the west to Los Angeles street on the east, and Los Angeles street was but three blocks long, extending from Arcadia and Ali- so streets to First street. San Pedro street was just as it is now except that it has been widened. There were a number of residences on Main street south of First to what was then called Ogier's lane and is now Winston
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street ; also on San Pedro to Third streets, on Aliso street east to Lyon, and on Macy street east to Los Angeles river. This also was the only avenue to the eastern portions of the county. There was a small group of houses located on the southwest corner of Spring and Sixth streets, a few on the Mis- sion road just north of Macy, and others scat- tered among the orchards, vineyards and gar- dens.
The principal business district was bounded by Commercial street, which was only one block long and was located between Main and Los Angeles streets; Los Angeles street, one block north from Commercial to Arcadia and Aliso street ; and Negro Alley, which ex- tended north from Aliso to Plaza streets. Nearly all of the houses were built of adobe blocks, which are made of earth and straw molded and dried in the sun, of a size twenty inches long, fourteen inches wide and five inches thick. There were about a dozen brick houses and a few frame dwellings. Upon his arrival in the city Mir. Mesmer went with his family to the Lafayette hotel (now St. Elmo), Louis Eberhardt proprietor, and after looking about for a short time in search of a promis- ing business opening, decided to purchase the Ulyard bakery which was located on the south- west corner of Main and First streets where the Natick house now stands. On the opposite corner lived Dr. Frechmann, whose daughter, Bertha (now the widow of Fred Morsch), attended the public school on the northwest corner of Spring and Second streets, where the Bryson block now stands, often taking young Joseph Mesmer to school with her. Mr. Mesmer conducted the Ulyard bakery for two years, meeting with great success. In 1861 he undertook (the first and only time it has been attempted in this city) to make matzas (Passover bread eaten by the Jewish people during Passover), which he sold to Jews all over Southern California. The same year he disposed of this business to the father of ex- Mayor Thomas E. Rowan, and purchased the New York bakery, near the southwest cor- ner of Third and Main streets, the former pro- prietors having been Peter Baltz and Henry Kuhn. From this bakery bread was supplied
not only to a large number of city patrons, but also to the government troops at Camp Leighton, which was located about where the Playa del Rey car tracks now cross First street, near the town of The Palms. Los An- geles county. Later the business at and sur- rounding Camp Leighton became so extensive that he found it advisable to build a bake oven and temporary building on the camp premises. This oven stood for many years after Camp Leighton had been abandoned, a solitary mark of the place which had once been the scene of important military activities.
After conducting the New York bakery for about a year Mr. Mesmer sold that business and established another near the southwest corner of Los Angeles and Commercial streets, just north of John Goller's wagon shop, con- tinuing also the business at Camp Leighton. The location at Los Angeles and Commercial streets was occupied for six months, then the bakery was removed to where the old First National Bank building now stands on Main street south of Commercial street. From there he continued to supply his city custom- ers and the federal troops who had meanwhile changed their quarters from Camp Leighton to Highland Park, about where the Occidental College grounds are now located. After con- ducting the bakery at the Main street location for fifteen months Mr. Mesmer decided that he could make more money by establishing a trading expedition into Arizona than he could in the bakery business and so he, in partner- ship with a very good friend by the name of Yander, purchased two big prairie schooners and loaded them with provisions to sell to the miners and campers of Arizona. They suc- ceeded in disposing of their stock at satisfac- tory prices and were much elated over their success. However, when homeward bound, sand storms arose, covering up the springs along the road and as a result their horses died of thirst on the Mojave desert and the men were forced to abandon their wagons. Crest- fallen and discouraged and financially much worse off than before they started, they re- turned to Los Angeles on the over-land terri- torial stage. During Mr. Mesmer's absence Mrs. Mesmer conducted the bakery business,
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also a boarding house. Shortly after his re- turn Mr. Mesmer purchased the United States hotel from Otto Stressforth and during the following five years built up a large and lucra- tive business. At the same time he purchased all of the present Main street frontage and built thereon the United States hotel building. After this period of good business prosperity Mr. and Mrs. Mesmer sold their business and rented the property to Hammel & Bremer- mann and decided that their well earned lab- ors entitled them to a visit to their native land. Taking their three children, Joseph, Louis An- thony and Mary Agnes Christina (the latter two having been born in Los Angeles), they went to New York via the Panama ronte. From March, 1869, to May, 1870, was spent visiting friends and relatives in the east and in the old country and the return trip was made from New York by rail to San Francisco, the Union & Central Pacific Railroad having been just completed at that time. Shortly after his return to Los Angeles Mr. Mesmer pur- chased the Dr. R. T. Hayes home on Fort street, the site which is now occupied by the Mason Opera House building, and the family resided there for over twenty years.
Joseph Mesmer, who was the oldest son of his parents, was born in Tippecanoe, Miami county, Ohio, November 3, 1855, and was brought by his father to Los Angeles in 1859. During the years that his parents conducted the United States hotel he was known by, and knew more people than any other person in the city, and as a boy attended the weddings of the parents of many of the men and women now prominent in Los Angeles business, social and professional circles. Among them were: Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Newell in 1860; Mr. and Mrs. J. Henry Dockweiler in 1862: Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Meyer in 1862 or 1863: Mr. and Mrs. Carl Burkhardt and Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Lehman in 1863; Mr. and Mrs. John Rumph, Mr. and Mrs. Louis Roeder and Mr. and Mrs. Louis Breer all about the years 1864 and 1865. At the weddings of the last two couples named, relatives and friends drove out to the Boni- face Hoffman place at San Gabriel, opposite the old Mission Church, where under the large sycamores the marriages were celebrated in
the usual festive picnic way, dancing, singing and playing games in regular old German fash- ion. He also attended the weddings of Mr. and Mrs. Herman Heinsch, Mr. and Mrs. Lo- renz Leck, Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Kuhrts, Mr. and Mrs. Jolin Benner, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas E. Rowan, Mr. and Mrs. Isaac R. Dunkelber- ger, Mr. and Mrs. Ben C. Trueman, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Howard, Mr. and Mrs. Jean Cazaux, Mr. and Mrs. James Craig, and Mr. and Mrs. Joe Smith, all of which took place between 1864 and 1868. In his boyhood days, while roaming around the country or deliver- ing bread to customers, Mr. Mesmer traveled over almost every yard of territory now with- in the confines of this city. He could at that time speak the Spanish language as fluently as a native born.
The education of Mr. Mesmer was received in the public schools of Los Angeles and while in Europe he attended college at Strassburg, Germany. After his return from Europe he entered the employ of Ralph Leon and re- mained with him until his father required his services in the wine business, in which he was then engaged, and after working at that em- ployment for about five years he then estab- lished a business of his own, opening The Queen Shoe Store. On March 22, 1879, he was married to Miss Rose Elizabeth Bushard, the wedding taking place in St. Vibiana Cathedral ; the large edifice was crowded with friends of the contracting parties anxious to witness the ceremony. They are now the proud parents of five children: Louis Francis, Mary Jose- phine, Junietta Elizabeth, Beatrice Evalynne and Aloysius James Joseph.
In 1887 Mr. Mesmer was elected a member of the Board of Freeholders to frame a charter for the city of Los Angeles; in 1893 he was appointed a park commissioner. He has al- ways been most active in all public matters and has been conspicuously active in the open- ing, widening and improving of the streets, more than a dozen of our public thorough- fares owing their opening and widening to his efforts. To him also is due the credit of secur- ing the $280,000 in subscriptions toward the purchase of the free site for the postoffice and federal building. He also assisted in secur-
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ing subscriptions to the amount of $32,000 to- wards assisting the Chamber of Congress in the purchase of a building site. It was mainly through his efforts that the Alcatraz Paving Trust was broken up. This act alone has saved to the property owners in the paving of the streets fully twenty-five per cent, besides allowing the purchase of a local product in- stead of sending money away for Alcatraz bitumen. He was also largely instrumental in securing the locating of the Public Market at Third and Central avenue.
On January 30, 1906, Mr. Mesmer sold out The Queen Shoe Store after a successful busi- ness career of twenty-seven years. He is now president of the St. Louis Fire Brick and Clay Company ; also as vice-president of the West- ern Lock and Hardware Company, both of which manufacturing establishments give promise of future greatness. Although solicited in the past by several of the large banking institutions of this city to become a bank direc- tor Mr. Mesmer has repeatedly declined until quite recently, when he allowed the use of his name as a director in the Home Savings Bank. He is a member of the California and Jona- than Clubs and belongs to the fraternal order of Elks, Knights of Columbus, the Young Men's Institute and several other charitable and beneficial societies. He has also been many times honored with the presidency of numerous political, social and improvement clubs. Accompanied by his family Mr. Mes- mer recently returned from an extended trip of over thirteen months, visiting many of the important cities of the United States, Canada and Europe, and over twelve countries. The entire trip was replete with pleasure.
LEON LOEB. The firm of H. Newmark & Co., in which Mr. Loeb has been a partner since the year 1892, is one of the largest exporters of hides and alhed commodities in Southern Califor- nia, with office and salesroom at No. 414 to 428 Commercial street, Los Angeles.
A native of France, Leon Loeb was born in Strasburg June 13, 1845. the eldest of ten chil- dren born to his parents, Jacob and Rosalie (Levi) Loeb, both of whom were also born in
Strasburg. Up to the time of the Franco-Prus- sian war they had known no other home than their birthplace, but when Strasburg fell into the hands of the Germans after one month's bom- bardment they removed to Paris, there spending the remainder of their lives. In Strasburg, where his father was known as one of the foremost busi- ness men, Leon Loeb gave the first sixteen years of his life towards acquiring an education, attend- ing a gymnasium there. At this early age and alone so far as relatives were concerned, he left home and friends in 1861, going direct to St. Imier, Switzerland, where he secured a position as bookkeeper in a watch factory. Five years in this position gave him the necessary courage and experience to venture further, and in 1866 he was among the passengers who debarked at Grey Town, Nicaragua, from the ship Santiago de Cuba. Reaching the Pacific coast, he there took passage on the Moses Taylor, which in due time reached the harbor of San Francisco. After looking about in that metropolis for three weeks he came on the ship Oriziba to Wilmington, from there coming to Los Angeles, which has ever since been his home. As he was thoroughly proficient in his line it was not long before he had secured a position, this being as bookkeeper and clerk for S. Lazard & Co. Some years later this firm was succeeded by the firm of Eugene Meyer & Co., wholesale and retail dealers in dry goods, then located on Spring street. Mr. Meyer retired from the firm in 1884, after which business was carried on under the name of Stern, Cahn & Loeb until 1888, Mr. Cahn at that time withdrawing from the firm. Business was con- tinued under the name of Stern, Loeb & Co., until 1892, at which time Mr. Loeb retired from the dry-goods business, shortly after which he be- came associated with his father-in-law, Harris Newmark, in the exporting of hides. Under the firm name of H. Newmark & Co. (which is composed of Harris Newmark, Leon Loeb and A. Brownstein ) hides and leather are shipped to all parts of the country, no other house in a similar line on the Pacific coast enjoying a patron- age of equal proportions.
Harris Newmark, the senior member of the firm of H. Newmark & Co., was a native of Germany, born in the village of Lobau July 5, 1834. a son of Philip and Esther ( Meyers) New-
CAMorchoux
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mark. At the age of fourteen he became self- supporting, and when less than twenty years old set sail for the United States, sailing from Liver- pool on the Star King July 10, 1853. He saw Los Angeles for the first time October 22, 1853. and without loss of any time secured a position as clerk with his brother Joseph, who was already established in business here. Although on com- ing here he was without means in a financial sense, he possessed a fund of determination and ambition that was of more real value to him than a bank account, and in the course of ten months he had accumulated sufficient to enable him to open a small store on Commercial street. Giving this up in 1862, for three years he was interested in the commission business, and from 1865 until 1886 was connected with the whole- sale grocery house which has borne his name and which under his able management grew within a few years from a small, unpretentious enterprise to its present proportions. Though he has been retired from the firm since 1886, business being carried on under the name of M. A. Newmark & Co., he still stands at the head of the firm of H. Newmark & Co., besides which he has numerous outside investments which yield him handsome returns. By his marriage with Sarah Newmark in 1858 eleven children were born, one of whom, M. H., is prominently connected with the wholesale grocery house of M. A. Newmark & Co., founded by his father. For many years Mr. Newmark served as president and trustee of the Hebrew Congregation, and since 1856 has been identified with Lodge No. 42, F. & A. M., of Los Angeles. In manner he is courteous and affable, readily making friends, and what is better. he has the happy faculty of retaining them.
By the marriage of Leon Loeb and Estelle Newmark, who was born in Los Angeles the daughter of Harris Newmark, three children were born, Rose. Joseph Philip and Edwin J. From his earliest association with the city Mr. Loeb has been interested in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is one of the oldest members of Los Angeles Lodge No. 35, with which he is still identified As would be natural to expect from a man of Mr. Loeb's interest in commercial affairs he is a member of the Chamber of Com- merce, to whom the city is indebted in a great measure for the rapid advancement which the
city has enjoyed in the past few years. For fifteen years he served as the consular agent for France, and upon his retirement he received from the French government for his services, the decor- ation of Knight of Agricultural Merit and Officer of Academy. Politically his sympathies are in accord with Republican principles, towards the endorsement of which he may always be de- pended upon. Although Mr. Loeb is a very busy man, he still finds time for social intercourse and recreation, all of which he finds in the Concordia Club, of which he is an active member. To an exceptional degree Mr. Loeb possesses the genuine esteem and admiration of a host of friends and acquaintances, who are drawn to him not alone for his upright business methods, but for the charm of personality which is peculiar to his make-up and which all who meet him feel instinctively. The family have a commodious residence at No. 837 Westlake avenue, Los An- geles.
CLINTON P. MOREHOUS. At an early period in the history of our country the pa- ternal great-grandfather of Mr. Morehous im- migrated to the United States and settled as a pioneer of New York state. At the time of the Revolutionary war he took sides against the Mother country from whence he came and was one of the most active defenders of the young colonists' cause. Among his children who also came to the new world at the same time was Philo Morehous, he also becoming an early settler in the Empire state. In his family was another Philo Morehous, who was born in Monroe county, N. Y., and in later years became a prominent figure in financial and railroad affairs throughout the east and middle west. A man of keen judgment and foresight, and possessing the necessary com- plement of large executive ability, he finally concentrated his efforts in a line for which he had special adaptation, namely, the construc- tion of railroads, and at one time was promi- nently connected with the Vanderbilts in the building of the Lake Shore road, and after- wards in the Lake Shore and Michigan South- ern Railroad. In fact, his best years were spent in railroading and banking in the east
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and also in Illinois, and at the time of his death, in 1881, he had been a resident of Chi- cago for a number of years. His marriage united him with Miss Katherine Winegar, who, like himself, was a native of the Em- pire state.
While his parents were residents of Indiana, Clinton P. Morehous was born in Elkhart January 4, 1845, and he received his first school training in the temples of learning in his birthplace. There also he prepared for entry into college, and thereafter took up and completed a four-year course in Hillsdale College, in Michigan. His college days over, he returned to his home in Indiana, and with- out loss of time, he enlisted his services in the cause of the north, the whole country then being in a state of turmoil incident to the Civil war. As a member of Company I he enlisted in the Fifteenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, Colonel Acker commanding the regi- ment. At the close of the term for which he enlisted he was honorably discharged and again returned to his Indiana home. His first experience of a business nature was received in his father's bank in Elkhart, and later he became connected with the Lake Shore Rail- road, being one of the stockholders of the company for a number of years. His identi- fication with California, and with Pasadena in particular, dates from the year 1875, when, in the prime of life, he came to the growing west to share in its prosperity. He has lived to realize his expectations, but the years which have intervened have chronicled their share of the fluctuations which come to every newly settled country, all of which he has safely weathered. His business interests since locat- ing here have been principally in stocks and in real estate, and aside from the duties con- nected therewith he is now living practically retired.
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