USA > California > A history of California and an extended history of its southern coast counties, Volume II > Part 38
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ELIZABETH A. FOLLANSBEE, M. D. To be descended from ancestors who assisted in the establishment of American independence and in framing the laws that became the foun- dation of the new national life, is a distinc- tion of which any true patriot may be justly proud. To the prestige of such ancestry Dr. Follansbee has added the honors of a broad and liberal professional education and as- sured success, so that both by reason of dis- tinguished lineage and personal prominence she is entitled to the influential position she occupies in the citizenship of Los Angeles. The line of her maternal genealogy is traced back to that gallant soldier of the army of patriots, Col. William Mackintosh, whose his- tory with the record of his brave services is preserved in the archives of the State House at Boston. Born at Dedham, Norfolk county, Mass., June 17, 1722, Colonel Mackintosh was
a son of William and Johanna (Lyon) Mac- kintosh, and a grandson of William and Ex- perience Mackintosh. His public service be- gan during the French war, and he was pres- ent at Crown Point, Lake Champlain and Lake George, receiving a commission as en- sign September 9, 1755, at Lake George. Dur- ing the war, and in recognition of his faithful services, he was promoted to be first lieuten- ant, the commission to the office bearing date of March 13, 1758. At the expiration of the war he returned to his home.
Some years afterward, when the struggle with England commenced, Lieutenant Mac- kintosh was qualified by experience in mili- tary tactics to be of distinct service to his adopted country, whose cause he espoused with all the ardor of his enthusiastic nature. The memorable engagements at Lexington, Concord and Bunker Hill gave him his first baptism of blood in the cause of independence. With his sons he was present at Dorchester Heights. On the same night there were pres- ent, with their horses and oxen, Dr. Follans- bee's great-great-grandfather, Henry Dewing, Esq., with his sons, and another great-great- grandfather, James Tucker, Esq., also accom- panied by his sons. On the 14th of February, 1776, by the council of the state of Massa- chusetts, Lieutenant Mackintosh was appoint- ed colonel of the first regiment of militia in the county of Suffolk. Under this appointment he went into the army and was engaged in many of the important battles of the Revolu- tion. By General Washington he was desig- nated as "an efficient officer and a brave man." Hanging in the library of Charles Gideon Mackintosh of Peabody, Mass., an uncle of Dr. Follansbee, is a personal letter from the General to Colonel Mackintosh.
But it was not only in the field that Col- onel Mackintosh rendered valuable service to the country. In 1779 he was a member of the convention which framed the constitution of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, and in 1788 he was a member of the convention that framed the constitution of the United States. After an unusually active and influential ca- reer he passed into eternity January 3, 1813, at his home in Needham, Mass. It had been:
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his privilege to participate in two of the early wars of our country and to contribute to the glory of American arms. When the second struggle with England arose he was an aged man, no longer able to endure the vicissitudes of the camp and the battlefield, and death came to him ere his country had gained its second victory in the conflict with the mother coun- try.
The line of descent is traced through Col- onel Mackintosh and his wife, Abigail Whit- ing, to their son, Gideon, who married Me- hitable Dewing. Their son, Gideon, Jr., mar- ried Nancy Sherman, and among their chil- dren was a daughter, Nancy Sherman Mac- kintosh, who became the wife of Capt. Alonzo Follansbee. The Sherman ancestry is dis- tinguished in the annals of New England, and is traced to England, where Dedham, Essex, was the seat of the family even before the opening years of the sixteenth century. There Edmond Sherman founded a school, Sher- man Hall, which is still in existence. In the same town there stands a church that was "restored" by a friend of Edmond about the same time that the latter built, endowed and presented to the town the hall above-men- tioned. One of the conspicuous adornments of the church is a stained-glass memorial win- dow dedicated to Edmond. By his second wife, Anne Cleve, Edmond Sherman had sev- eral sons, from one of whom the present Earl of Rosebery is descended.
Another member of the family, John, had a son of the same name, who about 1634 emi- grated from England to the new world with his cousins, Rev. John and Samuel Sherman. The last-named was the ancestor of Gen. Will- iam Tecumseh Sherman and United States Senator John Sherman. John, the ancestor of Roger Sherman, served as a captain of the militia. In 1635 he settled at Watertown, Mass., with his wife, Martha, daughter of Roger Palmer, of Long Sutton, Southampton, England. The lands granted him were ad- jacent to those owned by the ancestors of President Garfield. He was a surveyor as well as a farmer and aided Governor Win- throp in fixing the northern boundary of Mas- sachusetts. For a time he served as clerk of
Watertown, which he also represented in the general court, and in addition he held the office of steward of Harvard College. His son, Jo- seph, married Elizabeth, daughter of Lieut. Edward Winship, of Cambridge. Born of their union were eleven children, the ninth being William, father of Roger Sherman. Soon after his marriage to Mehitabel Well- ington he removed to Newton, Mass., and from there to what is now Canton, Norfolk county (then a part of Stoughton). The record shows that their marriage was solemnized at Water- town, Mass., September 3, 1715; the bride, who was his second wife, was a daughter of Benjamin Wellington, Esq., of that place, and was baptized March 4. 1688. While they were residing at Newton, Middlesex county, their son, Roger, was born April 19, 1721, he being the third child of their union.
In Roger Sherman the earlier generations of the family liad their most distinguished rep- resentative. Mention of his service as jurist and statesman appears in numerous historical works, among them being Lamb's Biographi- cal Dictionary, the National Cyclopedia of American Biography, Universal Cyclopedia, Genealogical Dictionary of New England, Town Records of Stoughton (Canton), Mass., also those of Watertown and Milton. Dur- ing 1743 Roger Sherman moved to New Mil- ford, Conn., and in June, 1761, became a resi- dent of New Haven, that state, where he died July 23, 1793. His public service began in 1755, when he represented New Milford, Conn., in the general assembly, to which po- sition he was later again elected, serving from 1758 to 1761. In 1764 he was elected to rep- resent New Haven in the legislature, and two years later he was honored by being chosen as a member of the senate, serving as such until 1785. Meanwhile he was a judge of the su- perior court from 1766 until 1789. His activity as a patriot began with the effort of the crown to enforce the stamp act, which lie op- posed with all the energy of his forceful mind. On the repeal of the act in 1766 he was a member of the committee of three appointed by the legislature to prepare an address of thanks to the king. In 1774 he was chosen a mem-
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ber of the committee to consider the claims of the settlers near the Susquehanna river. From 1774 to 1781 he was a delegate from Connec- ticut to the Continental Congress, also in 1783-84. serving on the most important com- mittees. With Jefferson, Adams, Franklin and Livingston, he was chosen, June II, 1776, to draft the Declaration of Independence, of which he was one of the signers. He assisted in preparing the Articles of Confederation and those of the Connecticut Council of Safe- ty in 1777-79. The convention of 1787, of which he was a member, became famous for its Connecticut Compromise, and all histor- ians agree that Mr. Sherman was solely re- sponsible for that plan of action, by which was made possible a union of the states, also a national government. Roger Sherman was the only delegate in the Continental Congress who signed all of the four great state papers which were signed by all of the delegates of all of the colonies, namely : the Declaration of 1774, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation and the Federal Constitution. Together with Judge Richard Long he revised the statute laws of Connecti- cut in 1783. To prevent a Tory from becom- ing mayor of New Haven, he was chosen the first incumbent of that office in the.city and continued in the office until his death, also was serving as senator when he passed from life's activities. From 1765 until 1776 he held office as treasurer of Yale College, from which institution in 1768 he received the degree of Master of Arts.
In the town of Stoughton (now Canton), Mass., Roger Sherman was united in marriage by Rev. Samuel Dunbar with Elizabeth Hart- well, eldest daughter of Deacon Joseph Hart- well of Stoughton. Her death occurred in New Haven, Conn., October 19, 1760. The eldest son of the union, Capt. John Sherman, was born in New Milford, Conn., September 5, 1750; married at Milton, Mass., October 7, 1793. Annie Tucker, daughter of James Tucker, Esq., and a native of Milton, born September 27, 1763. The captain died at Can- ton, Mass., August 8, 1802. Among his chil- dren was a daughter, Nancy, who was born at Canton, Mass., November 28, 1794, and
died in the same town September 19, 1836. In her home town, November 5, 1812, she was united in marriage with Gideon Mackintosh, Jr., who was born May 13, 1789, and died September 19, 1859. Their daughter, who bore her mother's name, was born at Canton, July 10, 1813, and is still living, making her home at Dedham, Mass. Nancy Sherman Mackin- tosh became the wife of Capt. Alonzo Follans- bee at Canton, Mass., October 23, 1836. The captain was born at Pittston, Me., August 19, 1809, and died January 6, 1857. Born in Pitts- ton, Me., Elizabeth Ann Follansbee was taken to Brooklyn, N. Y., by her parents, where they resided until the death of her father. For four years she spent her time abroad in school, and after her return continued her studies in Boston. For a time she taught in the Green Mountain Institute and later in Hillside Sem- inary at Montclair, N. J., but resigned her work in the east on account of delicate health. Coming to California in 1873 she taught in Napa City, studied for one term in the Uni- versity of California, and then matriculated in the medical department of the University of Michigan. Just prior to the date of her graduation she accepted a position as interne in the New England Hospital for Women and Children in Boston. In 1877 she was gradu- ated from the Woman's Medical College of Philadelphia and won the prize of $50 for the best essay of the graduating class, her sub- ject being "Review of Medical Progress."
After her graduation Dr. Follansbee began to practice in San Francisco, but was obliged by reason of health to seek a different climate, and in February, 1883, came to Los Angeles, where under the influence of a beneficent cli- mate she was soon restored to strength and entered actively upon professional work. Upon the organization of the medical department of the University of California she was called to the chair of diseases of children, in which specialty she has won a widely extended repu- tation. Organizations connected with the pro- fession enlist her warm interest, and she has been actively associated with the Los Angeles County, Southern California, California State and American Medical Associations. While her chosen profession has commanded her time
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and strength, it has not done so to the exclu- sion of other avenues of mental activity ; on the other hand, she is familiar, to an unusual extent, with literature and art. She has given deserved honor to her ancestors through her association with the Daughters of the Ameri- can Revolution and the Colonial Dames of the State of Connecticut.
DAVID H. REYNOLDS. Since taking up his residence in Pasadena Mr. Reynolds has sub- stantially impressed his merit upon the com- munity and as one of the settlers of the early 'Sos has naturally witnessed many changes, and has contributed in no slight degree to the well- being of his surroundings.
A native of Pennsylvania, he was born near Hollidaysburg, Blair county, January 18, 1852, and is a son of Holliday and Nancy (Sneath) Reynolds, they too being natives of Pennsylvania. The father died when he was two years of age, and his mother subsequently became the wife of Henry H. Visscher, but his death in 1900 left her a widow a second time, and she now resides in Pasadena with her son David H., she hav- ing settled here in 1882. Mr. Reynolds' oppor- tunities for acquiring an education were of the meager sort, and at first consisted of common- school privileges only, such as were provided in Nebraska as early as 1858, his parents having removed to that frontier state when he was a child of seven years. The instruction of the early subscription school left much to be desired and those who were ambitious sought other ways of increasing their information. Among this number was Mr. Reynolds, who was later privi- leged to attend Russell's military school at New Haven, Conn., pursuing his studies there for some time.
Upon leaving school and returning to the west Mr. Reynolds once more took up life in Ne- braska, engaging in the cattle business on the North Platte river, an undertaking in which lie met with success from the first, and which con- tinued as long as he remained in the business in that location. In 1875 he disposed of the greater part of his cattle in that state and transferred his interests to the adjoining state on the west, Wyoming, where for some time he was con-
nected with an English company engaged in the cattle business. His business associations with the latter company were mutually pleasant and profitable and existed for about nine years, or until 1884, in which year he severed his connec- tions with the company and has since made his home in Pasadena. He has never married, and now resides with his mother. They have a very pleasant and commodious residence at No. 289 South Madison street, which they own, besides which they have other valuable property in the city. Mr. Reynolds' efforts as a cattle raiser in Nebraska and his later efforts in Wyoming were fortunate financially, so much so in fact that since coming to California he has not engaged in any active business, his time being occupied in look- ing after his real-estate holdings.
REV. WILLIAM S. YOUNG, A. B., A. M., D. D. The superintendent and a trustee of the Hollenbeck Home for the Aged, Rev. William S. Young, was born on a farm near Parkersburg, Chester county, Pa., July 11, 1859. He received his early education in the public schools of his home town, later attending Parkersburg Classi- cal Institute, West Philadelphia Academy, West Chester State Normal School, and in June, 1876, entered Lafayette College at Easton, Pa., grad- uating from the classical course of that institu- tion in 1880. Subsequently he entered upon a course in Union Theological Seminary, New York City, graduating from the same in 1883.
During the year last mentioned (May II, 1883) Mr. Young formed domestic ties by his marriage with Miss H. Jannette Lewis. From July of that year until November, 1884, he en- gaged in home missionary work in Turner and other small towns near Salem, Ore. The ill- health of his wife, however, made a change of climate necessary, and November 15, 1884, he arrived in Los Angeles, where Mrs. Young passed away October 26, 1887. In 1884 Mr. Young took charge of the Presbyterian church at Glendale, and at the same time organized the work of the Boyle Heights Presbyterian Church of Los Angeles. After one year of divided ef- forts he discontinued the Glendale charge and gave all of his time to the Boyle Heights Church, continuing there until 1896, during which time
Ballen F. Hans
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two church buildings and the manse were erected. From 1896 until January, 1907, was spent in or- ganized work, developing and building up Knox Presbyterian Church of Los Angeles.
In the meantime, in November, 1906, Mr. Young accepted the superintendency of the Hol- lenbeck Home for the Aged, of which he has been trustee since 1902. For many years he has been identified with the broader church exten- sion work of his denomination. September 11, 1890, he was elected permanent clerk of the presbytery of Los Angeles for a term of three years, and again, on April 14, 1897, he was elected to the same position, which he held until September 27, 1899. At that time he was elected stated clerk, a position which he has con- tinned to hold up to the present time. Since 1892 he has also been stated clerk of the synod of California. Mr. Young has also been greatly interested in higher education, and he it was who called the first meeting which resulted in the or- ganization of Occidental College of Los Angeles, from the organization of which he has been a member of the board of trustees and the secre- tary of the board. In the year between Dr. G. W. Wadsworth and Dr. John Willis Baer he filled by appointment of the board of trustees the office of president pro tem of the institution. During this time he was permitted to see the suc- cessful consummation of the effort to provide the first block of $200,000 endowment on the scheme of the reverse bond, of which he was the author, and the chairman of the endowment committee.
Mr. Young received the honorary degree of doctor of divinity from Wabash College, Indiana, in 1902. On June 25, 1889, he was married to Miss C. Adele Nichols, who was graduated in 1882 from Mount Holyoke College, and at the time was teaching in the Los Angeles city schools. Dr. and Mrs. Young have traveled ex- tensively in this country and abroad. Five chil- dren have been born of their marriage.
WALTER F. HAAS, one of the most prom- inent attorneys in the city of Los Angeles at the present time, has for the past ten years been so closely identified with the official life
of the city, and so instrumental in the settling of its important legal cases, that it would be impossible to write a civil history of the city without frequent mention of his name. Early trained in matters political by a father, who was prominent in Missouri politics, he is well versed in the tenets of the Republican party, with which he has always affiliated, and his comprehensive education and experience in the expounding of law gives to his opinions on legal and economic subjects particular weight. While he has efficiently filled the office of city attorney for one term, his preferences are for the regular practice of his profession, so he declined a renomination and since his retire- ment from the office has become more promi- nent than before.
As his name indicates, Mr. Haas is of Ger- man descent. His grandfather, who was born in Landau, Palatinate, Germany, was a suc- cessful business man and at one time mayor of his native town; he came to America in 1845, settled in St. Louis, Mo., and died there. His father, Jolin B. Haas, was also born in Ger- many, and was brought with the rest of the family to St. Louis in 1845. He engaged in mercantile pursuits there for a time, and in 1853 crossed the plains by ox-team to Eldo- rado county, Cal., where he engaged in mining and merchandising. He contracted mountain fever, however, and returned to Missouri in 1868, married Miss Lena Bruere of St. Charles, then settled at California, Mo., where the son, Walter F., was born in 1869. The mother was a daughter of Jean Bruere, a native of Co- logne, and a member of an old French Hugue- not family, who owned large shipyards at Cologne. Mr. Haas, the father of our subject, was greatly interested in political affairs in his state and was a member of the Missouri legislature for one term, being sent from Moni- teau county. Again coming to California in 1884 he made his home in Los Angeles, where now, at the age of seventy-four, he lives with his wife, who is sixty-seven years old, retired from active business life. During the Civil war he was president of the Union League, El- dorado county, Cal.
Walter F. Haas was fifteen years old when
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he came to this state, and after the completion of his course at the Los Angeles high school in 1889 he entered the office of Houghton, Si- lent & Campbell, with whom he read law until his admission to the bar of the state in 1891. During the following years lie was engaged in building up a lucrative general law practice, gaining an enviable reputation for legal knowl- edge, and on the strength of this and his per- sonal popularity was nominated by the Repub- lican party to the office of city attorney. His opponent was a man whom the Democrats picked as the strongest lawyer in the city in their ranks, and while the fight was a hard one during the campaign, Mr. Haas received the flattering majority of fourteen hundred and fifty-six votes. Declining a renomination in 1900 he and Mr. Garrett formed a partnership for the practice of law in Los Angeles; in April, 1906, Mr. Dunnigan was added to the firm which is now Haas, Garrett & Dunnigan.
November 12, 1900, Mr. Haas was employed to bring action and suit in the case of the city of Los Angeles vs. the West Los Angeles Water Company, being instructed by the city to complete and try the case, which lasted until May 30, 1901-just seventy-six days. Eleven days were occupied in the argument alone, but he won the city's cause, which re- sulted in saving to the municipality all the water of the San Fernando valley for the badly needed water supply. This was the greatest case ever tried here, having cost the city $42,- 000, the testimony covering ten thousand pages. The service alone was sufficient to insure him the grateful appreciation of the citizens had he done them no further service. He has, however, ever since been active in looking after their welfare in various capaci- ties and is still rendering important work in other causes of public weal. In 1902 he served on the charter revision committee, which pre- pared amendments to the charter, including those on initiative, referendum and recall. In 1904 he was appointed on the first city and county consolidation committee for the con- solidation of certain city and county offices, such as assessors, tax collectors, auditors, treasurers, etc. A complete report was made by the committee, including the drafting of
the necessary statutes, but they were killed in the legislature of 1905. In 1906 he was ap- pointed on the present city and county consoli- dation committee and is chairman of the com- mittee on public utilities, is a member of law and other committees, and in addition to all these duties he finds time for the practice of civil law, filling at the same time the office of city attorney for Monrovia.
Public and professional duties do not re- ceive all the time and talent of Mr. Haas, as will be understood when it is known that he is a director in the German-American Savings Bank, vice-president of the C. J. Kubach Com- pany, president of the Tampico Land, Lumber & Development Company, which is interested in improving and developing lands at Tampico, Mexico, and he also finds opportunity for at- tention to other important enterprises. In 1903 he was made a Mason, becoming a mem- ber of Palestine Lodge No. 351, F. & A. M. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce and the Union League Club, and last, but not least in importance, lectures on public corpor- ations and municipal law in the law depart- ment of the University of California. Walter F. Haas is still a young man, hardly in his prime, and judging from the character of serv- ice he has rendered in public and private life his friends are certainly warranted in looking for still greater things from him.
JOHN C. BENTZ. One of the unique and interesting enterprises which adds activity to the business life of Pasadena is the establishment presided over by Mr. Bentz, his stock of Japan- ese and Chinese art goods attracting many ap- preciative patrons. It was in 1895 that the nucleus of the present successful business was inaugurated by himself and his brother in part- nership, an association which continued two years, at the end of which time John C. Bentz purchased the interest of his brother and has since conducted the business alone. The build- ing now occupied by Mr. Bentz was erected ac- cording to his own plans and ideas and is well arranged and conveniently located for the pur- poses to which it is devoted. It is a brick struc- ture. 50x85 feet, two stories in height with base-
a& Richardson
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