USA > California > A history of California and an extended history of its southern coast counties, Volume II > Part 4
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JUAN B. BANDINI, second son of Don Juan, was born at San Diego in 1833. While yet a lad he was for several years in the service of the American Merchant Marine. At the age of sixteen he came to Los Angeles, entering the office of his brother-in-law, Don Abel Stearns, as clerk. Later he became manager of his fath- er's property in Lower California. During the Civil war Mr. Bandini was a soldier of the Union. He was lieutenant of Company B, First California Cavalry, serving in his own state and in Arizona for eighteen months, when he was honorably discharged. After his sister Arcadia, Mrs. Baker, became for a second time a widow he took charge of her large interests at Santa Monica, where he lived until his death, which occurred in August, 1905.
Mr. Bandini was twice married. His first wife was Esperanza, daughter of Jose Diego Sepulveda, a prominent and wealthy member of a family renowned for its great possessions. The children from this marriage were two daughters,
With Perry
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who became noted belles of Los Angeles. Ar- cadia, the elder, married John T. Gaffey of Los Angeles. Dolores, the younger sister, by her marriage with Russel Ward, entered a prominent English family, the Wards of London, which have produced many persons of note in artistic and literary circles. Mrs. Ward is now a widow with two children. Her only son, Cecil Mon- tague, entered the English navy while quite a lad, and at the writing of this sketch is sub-lieutenant on the flag ship Triumph of the Channel fleet. Mrs. Ward and Mrs. Gaffey each possess a com- fortable inheritance from the wide acres of their mother's family. They are gracious, accon- plished women, loved and honored by all who know them. Some time after the death of his first wife Mr. Bandini married Miss Caroline Moreno of San Diego. She died in 1874.
Juan B. Bandini was a valued member of the society of Elks; he was a man of charming man- ners, deeply beloved by a wide circle of friends.
WILLIAM HAYES PERRY. The busy years of an eventful career found their fulfillment in the life of one of Los Angeles' old pioneers-William Hayes Perry, whose in- herited traits of character led him not only to seek his fortunes among the less tried oppor- tunities of a new country, but to establish a home and surround it with all the refining and uplifting influences which accompany prog- ress and development. His parents were pio- neer settlers of Ohio, where they endured the privations and hardships incident to life in a new country, establishing a home and giving of the best of their efforts in the development of the commonwealth. Their son, William Hayes Perry, born in Newark, Ohio, October 17, 1832, was reared among the primitive sur- roundings of a pioneer home, in the midst of whose duties he attended the rude school in pursuit of whatever education it was possible for him to procure. Following the custom of the early days he became an apprentice in youth and learned the trade of cabinet-maker, which occupation was interrupted by the ac- complishment of his desire to try his fortunes in the land but shortly before made famous by the discovery of gold. In 1853. immediately 34
following his majority, he joined a party of about fifty men and women made up at Coun- cil Bluffs, Iowa, and with them began the us- ual perilous journey whose destination was "the land of sunshine and flowers." The party had with them a large band of cattle, sheep and horses (Colonel Hollister, of Santa Bar- bara, bringing back with him to the coast a large number of stock), and this presented quite a temptation to the Indians, who con- stantly attacked them. Not until February, 1854, did the party finally reach Los Angeles.
The first employment of Mr. Perry in the then small city of Los Angeles was at his trade of cabinet-maker and in this work he managed to accumulate some means. After one year occupied thus he opened the first fur- niture store and factory of the town, in part- nership with an acquaintance, the firm name being Perry & Brady. Enterprise and ability were the only requisites of the business, as there was no competition demanding a display of capital. The firm grew in importance, and after the death of Mr. Brady in 1858 the late Wallace Woodworth purchased an interest in the business, which was then known under the name of Perry & Woodworth; in 1864 S. H. Mott purchased an interest in the business and they were henceforth known as Perry, Woodworth & Co. The original business of the firm was the manufacture and sale of furniture, but other interests later became a part of the organization. In 1865 Mr. Perry, through Captain Clark, applied for a franchise to furnish gas for the city, and combining with others built the works and began the manufacture. In 1873 the firm of Perry, Woodworth & Co. changed from the manu- facture of furniture and the cabinet business to dealing in lumber, mouldings, doors, sash, blinds, builders' hardware and finishing sup- plies of all kinds. With the growth of the city and the demands upon their business, the plant was enlarged and constantly improved with all modern devices in machinery and gen- cral equipment. Their plant was located on Commercial street, extending through to Re- quena street, where they built a branch of the Southern Pacific Railroad for the ac- commodation of their interests. This plant
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was put up in 1899, the original building hav- ing been destroyed by fire. The death of Mr. Woodworth occurred in 1883, after which the business was incorporated as the WV. H. Perry Lumber & Mill Company, and this today is one of the strongest firms of its kind on the Pacific coast. They own timber lands in va- rious places along the coast, logging camps, sawmills, vessels, wharves, spur tracks to the railroads, and handle the lumber from the tree to the structure into which the finished product goes. This has brought to the company prof- its undivided by successful competition, and has also proved a wonderful power in the work of development of the Pacific coast country. Along this same line of business Mr. Perry or- ganized the Los Angeles and Humboldt Lum- ber Company, of San Pedro, with the object of sending lumber to all points in Arizona; and also the Pioneer Lumber and Mill Company, of Colton, near this city, to supply the coun- try adjacent to that point. The Los Angeles Storage Cement and Lumber Company, which supplies to builders of Los Angeles lime, plas- ter, fire-brick, cement, hair and other materials used on buildings, is another corporation in whose organization he was the most prominent factor and the controlling element.
Mr. Perry's identification with the business enterprises of Los Angeles was such in the past years that scarcely an improvement or mark of development missed the mas- terful touch of his hand. In 1868 the waters of the Los Angeles river had been leased to a company with the privilege of laying pipes in the streets of the city and supplying water to the citizens. The company did not meet with the success it had anticipated and after eleven years had not succeeded in establishing a sound financial basis. At that time (1879), Mr. Perry was elected president and general manager of the company, and continued to act in that capacity until the sale was made to the city. Seeing that the supply would not equal the demand he purchased three other small companies, becoming presi- dent and manager of them as well. Under his able supervision the stockholders retired from the water company very rich men.
Mr. Perry was, perhaps, associated as presi-
dent and director of more companies than any other one man of Los Angeles, his many busi- ness interests constantly calling upon him for the benefit of his experience. In banking cir- cles he was eminently prominent in South- ern California, serving as a director in the Farmers' & Merchants' Bank of Los Angeles, with which institution he became connected at an early date in its history, contributing materially to its substantial growth and pros- perity. He was a stockholder in the Ameri- can National Bank of this city, and likewise identified with the Nevada Bank and the Union Trust Company, of San Francisco. Besides being president of the W. H. Perry Lumber & Mill Company, he was president of the Pio- neer Lumber & Mill Company ; president and director of the Southern California Pipe & Clay Company ; while he formerly served as president of the Cosmopolis Mill & Trading Company, of Grays Harbor, Wash. He was a stockholder in the Charles Nelson Shipping Company, of San Francisco, which has large timber, mill and railroad interests in. Hum- boldt county ; in the Vallejo & Napa Elec- tric Railroad; the Gas Consumers' Associa- tion and the National Electric Company, both of San Francisco; the Bard Oil & Asphalt Company ; the Olinda Crude Oil Company ; the Western Union Oil Company, of Santa Barbara; and was formerly in the Reed Oil Company, of Kern county. He was one of the original stockholders in the Home Tele- phone Company, of Los Angeles. Although so constantly occupied every enterprise with which he was connected has profited largely by his unusual business ability and wide ex- perience. He was largely interested in real es- tate in Los Angeles, his faith in the permanent prosperity and growth of this city being un- bounded and surely justified in the light of his career.
The home life of Mr. Perry was not the least of a successful career, for it is one thing to found a fortune and another to establish a home and rear a family that shall add honor to the name. In 1858 he was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth M. Dalton, the daugh- ter of a pioneer of Los Angeles, and herself one of the courageous, self-sacrificing women
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who faced the hardships of the frontier life. Side by side they walked together when the road was rough, youth, courage and confi- dence promising them something that the future held for them. After a happy married life of nearly a half century the bond was brok- en by the death of Mr. Perry October 30, 1906. Six children blessed their union, of whom one son and two daughters are living: Charles Frederick is located in Washington and is en- gaged in the lumber business ; Mary Barker be- came the wife of C. M. Wood; and Florence, the wife of E. P. Johnson, Jr., both being resi- dents of Los Angeles, and with their mother are prominent in the select social circles of the city. The eldest daughter, Mrs. Wood, is one of the most accomplished musicians of Los Angeles, having received her educa- tion in Milan, under the tuition of Anton Sangiovanni, one of the most noted instruc- tors of that city. She made her debut in Milan and during her engagement there made a favorable impression on the musical world. Mr. and Mrs. Perry had nine grandchildren in whose lives their own youth was renewed. Mrs. Wood's children are named in order of birth as follows: Elizabeth Marie, Florence Perry, William Perry and Mona Chapman ; those of Mrs. Johnson, Katherine, Robert, Margaret, Eleanor and Edward P.
The characteristic traits of Mr. Perry which helped bring about his financial success also made their impress upon his personality. By inheritance he was endowed with many of the qualities which make a successful fron- tiersman-personal fearlessness, a cheerful optimism in the face of reverses, a spirit of conscious ability and perseverance-and these have proven potent factors in his career. In the early days of the state he was foremost among the citizens in preserving good gov- ernment and peace, it being necessary to guard the families from the lawless Mexican element. Many times he had occasion to wish himself out of the country, but with the per- sistence characteristic of his entire career he remained a helpful element in the troublous times and with the passing years mounted to a position of prosperity in a manner well worthy of emulation by the younger genera-
tion. He had taken time to ally himself with the Masonic organization, being a member of the blue lodge, chapter and commandery, and was a Thirty-second degree, Scottish Rite Ma- son. When he arrived in Los Angeles, now a little more than a half century since, he was penniless, friendless and alone. The journey had been a hardship, having worn out his shoes by constant walking and his only clothes were in rags, and he was thus left without sufficient clothing in which to make applica- tion for work: he therefore sought the only way open to him by going to a clothier and asking him for a suit of clothes on credit. He was trusted, and he let that lesson sink deep into his life, giving to others the faith that was given to him, and extending a helping hand to many who would have sunk to utter failure and insignificance but for the help which he gave at the time most needed. The position given Mr. Perry was not his alone as a man of business ability, but as a liberal and loyal citizen, an honorable man and a stanch friend. His death October 30, 1906, removed one of California's great and honored pioneers.
JOHN M. CARSON. So closely associated in the history of Southern California are the names of Carson and Dominguez, that to mention one is to call the other vividly to mind. The latter carries one back to the period when Los Angeles county was divided into a few great ranches, the proprietors of which were much like the patri- archs of old,-at the head of almost an army of servants-a necessity in caring for the vast flocks and herds, which were driven long distances at certain seasons of the year for water and pastur- age. Those days of long ago furnished Cali- fornia with a romance especially her own, fitting reminders of which are seen in the fine, though now crumbling missions. As early as 1795 there were five ranchos in private possession, held un- der provisional grants, and among these the third in size and importance was the famous San Pedro or Dominguez rancho, occupied by Juan José Dominguez with about one thousand head of cat- tle, under permission given by Governor Fages. After the death of the original occupant the rancho, which comprised ten and one-half leagues
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of land, was granted by Governor Pablo de Sola, December 31, 1822, to Sergeant Cristobal Dom- inguez, as nephew and heir of Juan Jose. The death of Don Cristobal three years later brought another change in ownership, the estate then fall- ing to his son Manuel, then a young man of about twenty-two years of age. Of excellent repute and a man of large influence, it was only natural that he should figure prominently in the public life of the period, one of the most stirring and tragic epochs in the history of the state, during which time Spanish rule gave place to Mexican dominance.
In 1828 Manuel Dominguez was elected and served as a member of the "Illustrious Ayunta- miento of the city of Los Angeles," and the fol- lowing year was elected a delegate to nominate the representative to the Mexican congress. In 1832 he was made first alcalde and judge of the first instance for the city of Los Angeles; in 1833-34 was elected territorial representative for Los Angeles county, in the latter year being called to a conference at Monterey. During 1839 he was elected second alcalde of the city of Los Angeles, and in May of 1843 he was elected prefect of the second district of California. It was during the same year that two military com- panies were formed for the defense of the county and of one of these he was made captain, but upon the suppression of the office the year follow- ing he returned to private life. He was not long permitted to enjoy this privilege, however, for in 1849 he was elected a delegate to the first con- stitutional convention which assembled at Mon- terey and which formulated the first constitution of California. In 1852 he was elected super- visor of the county, in this as in all previous posi- tions acquitting himself nobly and retiring there- after to private life, followed by the love and respect of the many who had been brought in daily contact with him during his public career. Many positions of importance were offered and even pressed upon him, but he steadily refused their acceptance. as his private affairs by this time had assumed such proportions as to require his whole attention. In 1855 the San Pedro rancho was portioned between himself, his broth- er Don Pedro, and his nephews, Jose Antonio Aguirre and Jacinto Rocha, his own portion com- prising twenty-five thousand acres, which included
Rattlesnake Island in San Pedro bay. On this property he made his home the remainder of his life, which came to a close October 11, 1882, at the age of seventy-nine years. For a number of years prior to his death he was almost blind, but instead of casting a gloom over his life the mis- fortune seemed rather to bring out more distinct- iy the fine and noble qualities of his nature. Well educated, intelligent and widely read, he was a man of unimpeachable character, and was a fine type of the old Spanish gentleman, and at the same time a true-hearted American citizen. In 1827 he married Maria Alta Gracia Cota, a daughter of Don Guillermo Cota, who served as a commissioner under the Mexican government. His death in 1882 broke a relationship which had existed for fifty-five years, and as they had been united in their aims and ambitions in life, they were not long separated in death, her demise oc- curring the following year, March 16. Of the ten children who blessed their marriage, six daughters were living at the time of the mother's death, and among them the large parental estate was divided, Victoria Dominguez, among the others, receiving four thousand acres of the old San Pedro rancho.
The union of the Dominguez and Carson fam- ilies dates back to July 30, 1857, when Miss Victoria Dominguez became the wife of George Carson, the representative of an old eastern fam- ily, but a resident of California for over half a century. Born in Jordan, N. Y., March 3, 1832, he was a son of John and Sophia (Cady) Carson, both also natives of the Empire state. When George Carson was a lad of twelve years, in 1844. the family removed to the middle west, settling in St. Charles, Ill. During the war between Mexico and the United States he enlisted in Colonel .New- berry's regiment, serving until the close of the conflict and receiving his discharge at Santa Fe, N. Mex. Thereafter he remained in both New and Old Mexico for a number of years, coming to Los Angeles in the year 1853. In partnership with a Mr. Sanford he established a hardware business on Commercial street in this city which was a credit alike to the proprietors and Los An- geles, but at the end of nine years the partnership was dissolved, Mr. Carson thereafter giving his attention to the management of the large estate to which his wife had fallen heir. Continuing the
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policy which had prevailed for so many decades, he, too, became an extensive stock raiser, giving the ranch his entire personal attention through- out the remainder of his life, which came to a close there November 20, 1901. Fraternally he was a Mason. His widow is still living and makes her home on the estate which has been handed down from her forefathers from one generation to another. A plan has been proposed to restore the old adobe house formerly the home of Manuel Dominguez to its old-time splendor. In order to preserve the lineaments the whole structure is lined with brick and concrete, making it even more substantial than when originally built, and it is the intention of the heirs to leave this as a home for coming generations.
Born of the marriage of George Carson and Victoria Dominguez are ten living children, of whom John M., the subject of this sketch, is the oldest son, his birth occurring in the family home in Los Angeles at the corner of Second and Main streets, April 12, 1862. After attending the pub- lic schools of this city he took a course in Santa Clara College, acquitting himself with honors. When his school and college days were over he returned home and assisted his father in the care and management of the ranch, later running a part of the ranch on his own account. The death of his father, however, placed the entire ranch under his care, a responsibility which his previous years of training had well qualified him to as- sume. Of later years the Pacific Electric Rail- way has been constructed from Los Angeles to Long Beach, passing the San Pedro rancho. A station on the line of the road at this place has received the name of Carson in honor of the present occupant and his father.
John M. Carson was married in San Francisco November 24. 1891, with Miss Kate Smythe, a . trip of the father, who had just returned east native of that city, where the family had been represented for many generations. Four children have been born to Mr. Carson and his wife, John Victor, George Earl, Valerie S. and Gladys G. Mr. Carson is affiliated with a number of frater- nal societies, among them the Knights of the Maccabees and the Royal Arcanum, besides which he is a prominent member and worker in the Chamber of Commerce of this city. Pride of family has ever been a marked characteristic of the Dominguez blood wherever found, and is
being nobly sustained in the present generation by John M. Carson, who now has charge of the ancestral ranch.
WILLIAM H. WORKMAN. The family represented by William H. Workman boasts an ancestry which has given to its descendants sturdy qualities of manhood and insured the success of their careers. The paternal grand- father, Thomas Workman, was a native of England and a prominent yeoman of West- moreland county ; the maternal grandfather, John Hook, inheriting from German ancestry a strong character, was born in Fincastle, Va., and served under General Washington in the Revolutionary war. His wife was Elizabeth Cook, a relative of the distinguished traveler of that name. As early as 1819 the Hook family located in Missouri, which was then the frontier, where the Indians preyed upon the settlers and constantly threatened their lives and property. It required courage to face these dangers and ability to establish a home in the midst of the wilderness. David Workman, the father of William H., married Nancy Hook, and born of this union were three sons, of whom the eldest, Thomas H., was killed by the explosion of the steamer Ada Hancock, in Wilmington Harbor, April 27, 1863. The second son, Elijah H., settled at Boyle Heights; while the third, William H., is the subject of this review.
He was born in New Franklin, Howard county, Mo., in 1839, and accompanied his parents to California, the family crossing the plains with ox-teams in 1854, taking six months to make the trip. This was the third to bring his wife and children to the Pacific coast. He came first in 1849 to seek his for- tunes in the mines; returned home, then in 1852 came back to the state and again in 1854. His brother William came as a trapper from Santa Fe with John Rowland, and while on a visit to this brother he conceived the idea from him to bring his sons to this state and enable them to start in life and make a home in California, and make "men of his boys," this suggestion coming from his brother
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Their first location upon their arrival in the state was in Los Angeles, making the trip through the mining section of Northern Cali- fornia, whence they came by boat to this city. Previous to his location in the west William H. Workman had attended the public schools in Boonville, Mo., where he obtained an ele- mentary education, after which he pursued a course at F. T. Kemper's Collegiate Institute, and later learned the printer's trade with the Boonville Observer. Following his settlement in Los Angeles he followed this trade in the office of the Southern Californian, which was published by Butts & Wheeler, on the corner of Court and Spring streets, in a corrugated iron building brought from England by Hen- ry Dalton, the owner of the Azusa ranch. Later he worked in the office of the Los An- geles Star, located on Spring street opposite the Temple block. After a brief time spent in this position he clerked for a time, then accepted the offer of employment to carry messages on horseback between Los Angeles and San Bernardino for the Banning Trans- portation Company. These were the early days of the state and the very beginning of a civilization which should one day place Cali- fornia on a par with all other states of the Union; but at that time the country was sparsely settled. hardships were the lot of the many and only the far-sighted pioneer could look to a future beyond his primitive surround- ings. In the early years of his manhood Mr. Workman engaged with his brother, Elijah II., in the establishment and management of a harness and saddlery business, and from a modest beginning this grew into a lucrative and important enterprise which continued suc- cessfully for twenty-one years.
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