A history of California and an extended history of its southern coast counties, also containing biographies of well-known citizens of the past and present, Volume I, Part 136

Author: Guinn, James Miller, 1834-1918
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Los Angeles, Cal., Historic record company
Number of Pages: 1184

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THOMAS F. CURTIS. As proprietor of the Oxnard foundry Thomas F. Curtis is demon- strating the fact that the man who is thoroughly experienced in the practical work of a business in which he is engaged makes the best manager. Mr. Curtis is a native of England, his birth having occurred March 16, 1867, in London. His father Thomas, was born at Cornwall, where he engaged in the blacksmith business for many vear, his death taking place in London when the son, Thomas F., was but six years of age. His mother is a native of London, where she is still living. Of the family of four children Mr. Curtis was the oldest and the only son. He

John Wohlbauch.

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

attended the common schools of Sutton, Surrey, at which time her son John was a lad of ten years.

England, for seven years after his father's death, and when thirteen became an apprentice at the moulder's trade under his uncle, Jolin Curtis, at St. Agnes, Cornwall. After working there for seven and a half years Mr. Curtis decided to come to America and upon his arrival at Trenton, N. J., accepted a position with the Trenton Lock and Hardware Company, holding it for two years. In the spring of 1900 he crossed the con- tinent and entered the employ of the Union Iron Works at San Francisco as a moulder. His splendid workmanship was soon recognized and his employers made him foreman of the core department, which position he occupied eight years out of the ten he spent with that company. He handled many important assignments and worked on all the big battleships built during that time. From San Francisco he went to Santa Barbara, where he had charge of the L. D. Gates foundry for a term of four years. In 1905 he came to Oxnard and became superin- tendent of the foundry for the Oxnard Foundry and Iron Works Company, and in June, 1906, leased the plant and has since been engaged in the manufacture of agricultural machinery, meeting with flattering success.

Mr. Curtis was married in San Francisco to Miss Maggie M. Hand, a native of Carrickma- cross, Monaghan county, Ireland, and they have become the parents of three children. Marie, , quently than can words of the indomitable energy Alice and Bessie. Fraternally Mr. Curtis is affiliated with the Woodmen of the World and in national politics he is an ardent supporter of the Republican party. He enjoys a reputation as a man of exceptional ability in his work and strict honesty and integrity and has a large num- ber of friends throughout the state, who hold him in the highest esteem.

JOHN HOHLBAUCH. The foundation of the civilization of the west has been laid for the greater part by men who have come here poor in worldly goods, but who were rich in such old-time possessions as perseverance, honesty and well-defined ambition. Such in brief is the his- tory of Mr. Hohlbauch, an early settler in the state, who has weathered many discouragements and has reached a high goal of success, becom- ing not only highly honored in his community, but is the owner of a productive ranch in close proximity to Wilmington. Mr. Hohlbauch is of German birth and parentage, born in Wittenberg April 23, 1847, a son of Frederick and Margaret (Griner) Hohlbauch. Both of the parents pass- ed their entire lives in their native land, the father dying there in February, 1901, when in his eighty-ninth year, and the mother in 1857.

Until fourteen years old John Hohlbauch was a pupil in the public schools of Wittenberg, and from then until sixteen years of age he worked as a farm hand. The two years following /twvere spent in learning and working at the weaver's trade, but he later resumed farming and fol- lowed this for four years, or until embarking for the United States in 1868. The ship on which he sailed cast anchor in the New York harbor August I of that year, and instead of lingering in the east he went at once to Illing where he was fortunate in securing work on a farm. Dur- ing the five years which he spent in that state he made rapid strides in mastering the English language and also laid by enough of his earnings to enable him to make the trip to California in the fall of 1873. Instead of locating permanently until he had had an opportunity to look about the country he worked as a laborer in Ventura county for three years, during which time he had become deeply interested in Los Angeles county as a place of residence. Suiting the ac- tion to the word he came here in 1876 and pur- chased forty acres of land in close proximity to Wilmington, a tract which at that time was de- voted to a sheep pasture. Comparing its former condition with the up-to-date ranch which now greets the eye of the passerby speaks more elo-

and perseverence of the owner. All of the im- provements are his handiwork, from the fine res- idence which the family now occupies to the orange grove and fruit orchard which are a source of considerable profit to the owner. About 1887 he set out a grape vine on his ranch which has since grown to such luxuriance that it is considered one of the wonders of this part of the country. Under the arbor of this spreading vine Mr. and Mrs. Hohlbauch celebrated their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary May 30, 1905, at which time friends and relatives united in wishing them many years of health and pros- perity, closing the festivities by sitting down to a sumptuous dinner under the spreading vine.

The lady who became the wife of Mr. Hohl- bauch May 30, 1880, was known in inaiden- hood as Mary Younghaus, a native of Michigan and a daughter of Carl and Minnie ( Polles) Younghaus. Upon coming from Germany to the United States Mr. and Mrs. Younghaus first located in St. Clair county, Mich., but finally, in 1877, came to Los Angeles county, Cal .. and lo- cated on a ranch directly adjoining Mr. Hohl- bauch. It was on this ranch that Mr. Young- haus died October 28. 1899. when seventy-seven years of age. His widow is still living, making her home in Los Angeles, at the age of seventy- three years. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Hohl-

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

bauch originally comprised eiglit children, but the two eldest, Samuel and Rose, are both de- ceased. The former died at the age of thir- teen years and ten months, meeting an accidental death while hunting; the latter, who was the wife of Leslie Scrivens, died February 5, 1900, when nineteen years of age. Those still living are named in order of birth as follows: George, Sadie, (the wife of Clarence Mowers, of San Pedro), Mabel, Freda, John H. and Wilfred C. E. The family are members of the German Methodist Episcopal Church, of which Mr. Hohl- bach has been a trustee for the past twenty years. He is also a trustee of the Lincoln high school. Ever since becoming a voter he has been a be- liever in and supporter of Republican principles, but has never been a seeker after office or the emoluments of party favors. Mr. Hohlbauch is jovial and companionable, approachable when his financial support is desired for charitable or other worthy causes, and throughout the town and county counts his friends by the score.

JOHN WILKINSON BUCKLEY. Fore- man of the yards of the San Pedro Lumber Com- pany and a man of exceptional business ability, John Wilkinson Buckley has made for himself a place in both the industrial and municipal life of this city, where he has been located since 1887. He is a native son of California, his birth having occurred in Martinez, Contra Costa county, November 1, 1864. His father, W. H. Buckley, was a native of Rochester, N. Y., and as early as 1847 he became interested in the prospects held out by the new Pacific country and accordingly he came to California by way of the Isthmus of Panama. In San Francisco he established a hotel, which was conducted in a shack, the only buildings the city then afforded. Later he went to Martinez and conducted the Union hotel until 1865, when he was burned out. He then became wharfinger, a position which he held until his death, which occurred in 1903. His wife, formerly Mary Wilkinson, was born in County Wexford, Ireland, and still survives, making her home in Martinez. Of the nine children born to them five are now living, the third in order of birth being John Wilkinson Buckley.

Reared in Martinez, John Wilkinson Buckley received his education in the public schools of that place, after which he began ranch work in Contra Costa county. After four or five years he went to San Francisco and engaged as con- ductor on the Sutter street cable line, where he remained for four years. In March, 1887, he entered the employ of the San Pedro Lumber Company, of San Pedro, under the management of Mr. Reynolds, beginning at the foot of the

ladder in that line, and by energy, ability and perseverance winning promotion. He held the various positions which lay between him and the foremanship, in 1895 attaining the latter. a position which he has since filled with ef- ficiency. Since his location here he married Anna Ott, a native daughter of Antioch, Contra Costa county, whose father was an early pioneer of that section, and their home at No. 125 Ori- zaba street is now brightened by the presence of two children, Lillian and Henry. Mr. Buck- ley has taken a keen interest in the growth and development of his adopted city and in his ef- forts has displayed an intelligence and devotion to the general welfare which have led to his election as a member of the board of trustees in 1896, during the term of nearly four years which followed serving as president. He is a stanch Republican politically and has served as a member of the county central committee. Fra- ternally he is a member of San Pedro Lodge No. 332, F .. & A. M., where he was initiated into the order; the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, the Knights of Pythias, and Royal Ar- canum, being a past officer in the three latter, and both himself and wife are associated with the Rebekahs.

ORAMEL WILCOX. In spite of the fact that his service in the cause of the Union ren- dered him more or less of an invalid, Oramel Wil- cox has still made the best of his life, retaining an active and practical interest in affairs, opti- mistic in his outlook upon the world, always hoping for the best and working for it to the best of his ability. That he has made a success is not a matter of wonder to those who know him, for the influence of his high character, his strong personality, invariably impresses itself up- on even a casual acquaintance.

Mr. Wilcox has inherited through a long line of New England ancestors those qualities which have distinguished him in his career. The im- migrating ancestor of the family located in Con- necticut, the succeeding generation remaining in that state, where was born Silas, the paternal grandfather of Mr. Wilcox. He engaged in farm- ing for the greater part of his life, being located, however in various states, removing from Con- necticnt to Vermont, Massachusetts, thence to New Hampshire, and finally to Wisconsin, where his death occurred. In addition to his farm- ing interests he was engaged as a shoe mer- chant. He married Elizabeth Stevens, whose paternal grandfather served in both the French and Indian and Revolutionary wars; Mr. Wil- cox was himself a participant in the war of 1812. The father of Mr. Wilcox, Manley M., was born in Vermont in 1812 and in young manhood en-

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

gaged in farming in New Hampshire. He mar- ried Mabel Norton, a native of Connecticut and a daughter of Daniel Norton, who was a miller by trade, as was also his father. In 1844 Mr. Wilcox and his wife started for Wisconsin, then the remote west in the eyes of New England folk, and after one year of journeying they lo- cated in Rock county, five miles from Janesville. There their united efforts resulted in the im- provement and development of a farm, upon which they spent the remainder of their lives, the death of both occurring in 1894, just one year short of the half century spent in the state of their adoption. Mr. Wilcox was a man of deep principle, progressive in mind and method, and to him is owed much of the development along educational lines in his community. He reared a family of two children, both of whom inherited the patriotic principles of their fore- fathers, Henry, who died in Wisconsin in ma- ture manhood, having enlisted twice for service in the Civil war, first in the Thirteenth Regiment Wisconsin Infantry, and later in the Forty-sec- ond Regiment Wisconsin Infantry.

Oramel Wilcox was born August 31, 1842, in Orford, Grafton county, N. H. At about two years of age he was brought by his parents to Wisconsin, where he grew to manhood's estate. Although a boy in years, the first tap of the drum was followed by his enlistment in Company D. Second Regiment Wisconsin Infantry, being mustered in at Madison. The close of the three months' service for which the first enlistments were made found a call for three hundred thou- sand volunteers, and with the exception of a com- pany of students from Beloit every member of the regiment responded again to the demand for. men. The disbanded company was filled by the Wisconsin Rifles from Milwaukee under Capt. Jack Langworthy, the regiment then being or- dered to Washington-the first three-year regi- ment to arrive in that city and march to the front. The exciting events of the war followed fast upon this order, and during the first battle of Bull Run Mr. Wilcox was wounded in the head by a musket ball, and was left on the battle- field for dead. He recovered, however, and was taken prisoner by the Confederate forces, being in prison for three hundred and seventeen days in the cities of Richmond. Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Salisbury, N. C., suffering all the horrors of a southern incarceration. June 2, 1862, he was re- leased on parole and immediately returned to Wisconsin via New York. A few days after his return home he suffered a paralytic stroke and was later honorably discharged from service be- cause of physical disability. Although an in- valid for the greater part of the time he located in Janesville and engaged as a tobacconist, soon afterward removing to Eau Claire. Returning to

Janesville in 1884 he passed the ensuing two years in that city and came to Southern Cali- fornia, where he engaged in buying and selling property, establishing his home in Pomona. In 1903 he came to Long Beach and has since specu- lated in real estate in this city, aiding materially in the development by the erection of a number of houses.

In Harmony, Wis., Mr. Wilcox married Miss Louisa Cary, a native of New York ; her father, Rev. Richard M. Cary, was a native of Massa- chusetts and a soldier in the war of 1812, be- coming a pioneer in Harmony. Wis., where he engaged in the Baptist ministry. His wife, for- merly Susan Rice, was also the representative of a New England family. Mrs. Wilcox is a Bap- tist in religion and a member of the Woman's Relief Corps. Mr. Wilcox joined the Grand Army of the Republic in Janesville. Wis., be- came a member of Vicksburg Post No. 61, of Pomona, and now belongs to Long Beach Post No. 181. Ever since casting his first vote for Abraham Lincoln, he has adhered strictly to the principles embraced in the platform of the Re- publican party. The sterling traits of character as evidenced throughout the life of Mr. Wilcox have won for him a high regard among the citi- zens of whatever community he has made his home. He is broadly informed on all topics of the day, can be counted upon to further any en- terprise calculated to advance the general inter- ests, and taken all in all is a citizen worthy the name.

EDWARD WINEMAN. Too much cannot be said in praise of the energy and resource which have accompanied the honored name and wise intent of Edward Wineman' from his early home on the Rhine through various stages of progress, to his present position as one of the most prosperous, sturdy, honored and public- spirited German-American ranchers of San Luis Obispo county. Though for several years. past Mr. Wineman has devoted his five thousand acre ranch to grain and cattle, he formerly promoted one of the chief specialties of the state, that of sheep raising, to which he devoted twenty- nine years, and which netted him the bulk of his present substantial fortune.

In Bavaria, the second largest and most southerly independent principality of Germany. Mr. Wineman was born on a farm August 20, 1842. His parents were Ernest and Catherine (Tiefle) Wineman, both of whom died in their native land in 1865, and one of whose three sons still lives in Germany. A break in the family circle occurred when Edward Wineman de- parted for American shores, the possessor of slight means beyond his transportation expenses,

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

but rich in strength of character, determination and common sense. In New York state he found employment which taxed his physical rather than mental powers, but though his wages were small, he saved sufficient money to satisfy the craving for a home of his own which visits the heart of every loyal son of the Fatherland. His wife, formerly was Catherine Bingold, a daughter of George and Margaret (Walfel) Bingold, who were the parents of seven children, and who lived respectively to the ages of seventy- six and fifty-one.

During the latter '6os Mr. Wineman came to California with his wife, and after various ex- periences covering three years, embarked in the sheep business, for which the vast stretches of unobstructed and unclaimed range offered un- paralleled opportunity. In 1879 he guided his band of sheep to San Luis Obispo county, where he rented the old Nipomo ranch, of which, two years later, he purchased a small part. To sheep raising he gave the best thought of his brain, as well as the best years of his life and succeeded in circumventing many of the hindrances to the uniform success of the business which have agi- tated breeders for years. A steady increase of his flocks necessitated frequent additions to his ter- ritory until his visible assets included five thous- and acres of land and many hundred sheep. In connection with sheep raising he necessarily in- vested some time and money in supplementary agriculture, raising those dry sod crops which himself and others had thoroughly tested for feeding purposes in times of drought. The ab- sorption of the ranges into private ranches for years has limited the possibilities of extensive sheep raising. Mr. Wineman's large landed pos- sessions and knowledge of how to care econom- ically for his herds, enabled him to remain in- definitely in the business. The year 1899, how- ever, witnessed the sale of the last of his sheep, and the adoption of more varied agricultural pur- suits. In the season, acres of yellow grain stretch into the distance and upon the mesas roam the finest breeds of cattle in the state, Residence, barns, onthouses and general improve- ments bespeak the manager of intelligence, fore- thought and practical ideas, the generous pro- vider, yet withal the economist.

Mr. Wineman subscribes to the principles of the Republican party, but limits his active interest to the casting of his vote. He is a member of the Catholic Church. Mr. and Mrs. Wineman are the parents of nine children : John, a rancher in this valley, who married Mary Schlegel, and has four children: Julia, the wife of Louis Bell, of Portland. Ore .: Hannah : George: Edward: Mary; Ernest; Erhart, and Benjamin. Mr. Wineman presents an encour- aging example of what may be accomplished by

making the best of practical abilities and oppor- tunities. He is one of the foremost ranchers in a community where competition is keen and wealth by no means unusual, to which he came empty-handed, yet in whose noblest citizenship and unexampled prosperity he has become a lib- eral participant.

HARVEY FARRINGTON ANDREWS. Probably no name was better known in the New England and other eastern states during the early history of this country than that of Andrews. for it is known beyond a doubt that at least eight generations lived and flourished in that locality. The first ancestor of whom we have authoritative knowledge was Richard Andrews, who immigrated to the new world and made settlement in Massachusetts. His son. William, established the first of the name in Connecticut, and from him the family is traced in direct line down to our subject through Thomas, Samuel, Zephaniah, Phile- mon and Wilson. The grandfather, Philemon, was born in East Haddam, Conn., June 30, 1761, and during young manhood was married to Phylinda Wilson. Among the children who comprised their family was Wilson, who was born in Lamston, Vt., December 30, 1788, and throughout his life he followed the peaceful calling of the agriculturist, first in Vermont, later in Canada, and finally in New York state, where his death occurred. Of his first mar- riage five children were born, and of his mar- riage with Malinda Hulburt two children were added to the family, of whom Harvey F. was the youngest. Mrs. Andrews was born in Pom- pey, N. Y., a daughter of Jabez Hulburt, a farmer, and passed away in Iowa, having sur- vived her husband a number of years.

On his father's farm in Chautauqua county, N. Y., Harvey F. Andrews was born March 9, 1840, and all of his boyhood and school life was associated with that part of the east. The opening of the Civil war found him a stalwart young man of twenty-one years, who entered heart and soul into the service of his country, being mustered in at Albany in 1861 as a mem- ber of Company I, Ninth New York Cavalry.

He was under orders from General McClellan for three years or the term of his enlistment, and at the end of that time was mustered out at Washington, in 1863. His military service over, he went to Westfield, Chautauqua county, and learned the woolen mill business, and some time later became part owner in a mill in War- ren, Pa., retaining his interest therein for six years. Severing his connections with the east which had been the home of his forefathers for so many generations, in 1871 he removed to In-

JOSE A. MACHADO

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

dependence, Buchanan county, Iowa, and for about eleven years was identified with the com- mercial life of that city, owning a general mer- chandise store there and also carrying on a farm. In 1882 he transferred his interests to the adjoining state on the north, purchasing a farm near Dodge Center, Dodge county, Minn., upon which he made a specialty of raising grain and stock-raising for twelve years. As will be noted, each change of residence brought him further west, and the year 1894 found him in Pomona, Cal., where he still continues his in- terest in agriculture, modifying his specialty in this line, however, to suit the climate and con- ditions. In addition to the fine walnut grove which he set out on South Ellen street he also has a thirty-five acre ranch devoted to the rais- ing of alfalfa.

The family home at the corner of Fifth and Gordon streets is presided over by Mrs. An- drews, who like himself was born in Chautau- qua county, N. Y. Before her marriage she was Calista Arnold, a daughter of Thomas Ar- nold, who throughout his life was a farmer, first in New York state, and later near Dodge Center, Minn., where he died. Mrs. Andrew's 'mother, formerly Roxey Barnes, was also born in Chautauqua county, the daughter of James Barnes, a farmer in that county, and a partici- pant in the war of 1812. Grandfather Arnold was also a soldier in that conflict with the mother country, and he it was who first repre- sented the family in the Empire state, remov- ing thither from Massachusetts, where the name had been established for many years. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. An- drews. Maude, who is now the wife of Herbert Howeth, of Los Angeles, and two children who died in early childhood. In memory of the days spent on the field of battle Mr. Andrews is a member of Vicksburg Post. G. A. R., at Po- mona. In national politics he is a Republican. He is an own cousin to Rufus Andrews, who was surveyor of the port of New York under President Lincoln. Mrs. Andrews is a woman of many excellent qualities of both mind and heart, and shares with her husband the esteem and good-will of innumerable friends.

JOSE ANTONIO MACHADO. The family of Machado was identified with the early history of Los Angeles county, where two brothers, Ygnacio and Augustin, selected ranch lands dur- ing the era of Mexican supremacy. The capi- tal of the state was then located at Monterey, and thither the brothers proceeded in order to secure the necessary papers entitling them to the ownership of the land. However, not having attained their majority as yet, it was impossible

for the grant to be made directly to them, and the governor advised them to enlist the aid of some trusted friend, by whom the grant might be held until they attained the legal age. Acting upon this suggestion they secured an ally in a warm friend, Felipe Falamantes, to whom the governor gave a grant to fifteen thousand acres known as La Ballona rancho, bounded on the north by Rincon de los Buey, on the east by La Centinela rancho (now Inglewood), on the south by the ocean, and the west by San Vicen- tes and Buenos Ayres ranchos. These tracts were and still are very fertile and the grant given to them commands $500 and upward per acre at the present day. When the brothers arrived at their majority the grant was divided into three parts, they and their friend each re- ceiving one-third of the rancho.

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A history of California and an extended history of its southern coast counties, also containing biographies of well-known citizens of the past and present, Volume I, Part 136

Author: Guinn, James Miller, 1834-1918 Publication date: 1907 Publisher: Los Angeles, Cal., Historic record company Number of Pages: 1184

Author: Guinn, James Miller, 1834-1918
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Los Angeles, Cal., Historic record company
Number of Pages: 1184