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 96

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

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Leaving his brother in charge of the ranch David H. Collins went to Santa Ana and en- gaged with Robert McFadden in the dairy business and in raising corn, a partnership which was mutually agreeable and existed for many years. When the business was sold Mr.

Collins settled upon the Chino ranch, then owned by Dick Gird, and for two years was there interested in the dairy business, from there going to the San Jose ranch owned by L. Phillips. It was while in charge of the lat- ter property that he purchased his present ranch of two hundred acres near Spadra, in connection with which he continued to run the Phillips ranch for eighteen years. Besides his ranch, which is entirely in grain, he also has a small family orchard, wherein may be found all of the fruits common to Southern Califor- nia.

In 1867 Mr. Collins formed domestic ties by his marriage with Miss Zilla A. Martin, a na- tive of California, by whom he had five chil- dren, as follows: Frederick, who is married and with his family lives in Los Angeles : Bes- sie, the wife of Charles Weigle, who with their one child live in Pomona; Gertrude, the wife of William Hewitt, residents of Los An- geles; Grace Z .. , Mrs. William Howell, who with her husband and two children lives in Lemon ; and John, who is married, and with his wife and child lives in Los Angeles, where he owns a drug store. The mother of these children died at the early age of thirty-five years, in 1882, and the following year Mr. Col- lins was married to Miss Ida Arnold. a native of Nevada county, Cal. By this marriage one child has been born, Henry L., who is still at home and practically has charge of the ranch, thus relieving his father of the arduous duties connected therewith and making it possible for him to live in comparative ease. Frater- nally he is identified with but one order, hold- ing membership in Pomona Lodge No. 246. I. O. O. F., and politically he supports Repub- lican principles.

Before his marriage, in 1863, Mr. Collins went to Arizona and helped to lay out the town of Prescott, and while there became in- terested in the mines for which that state is famous. It was during the time in which he was engaged in mining there that he fell in with Pauline Weaver, an Indian scout, who took Mr. Collins and his partner. William Brad- shaw, into his mining interests. The first nug- get which he found, in the shape of a heart, was valued at $8. The partners worked together in Arizona for a number of years, in the mean- time losing considerable through the depreda- tions of the Mexicans, who came upon them in large numbers and so overpowered them that they were helpless. However, there was a bright side to their undertakings. In one pan of dry washing Mr. Collins took out thirty- three ounces of gold. and during seven months he secured $20,000 in gold dust.

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HENRY CLAY YERBY. Up to the time of his death, which occurred May 13, 1900, Henry Clay Yerby was an interested witness and active participant in the growth of the state of California and the development of its internal resources, having become a pioneer of the west in 1849. Of southern lineage, he was born in Fauquier county, Va., August 13, 1828, a son of John and Mary (Edwards) Yer- by, the former of English and the latter of Welsh descent. Both were members of a Revolutionary family, long established on Vir- ginian soil. John Yerby engaged as a planter in Virginia until mature manhood, when he became a pioneer of the middle west, locating in Lexington, La Fayette county, Mo., where he passed the remainder of his days. His wife passed away in Virginia, leaving a fam- ily of ten children, of whom Henry Clay was the youngest.

Reared in his native state until attaining the age of twelve years, Henry Clay Yerby was then taken to Missouri and there grew to manhood's estate. He received his educa- tion in the common schools and the Lexing- ton Academy. He was but twenty-one years old when he was attracted to the Pacific coast by the glowing reports sent out by California pioneers, who were engaged in the mines of that territory. He crossed the plains with ox- teams, and upon his safe arrival went at once to the mines and followed this occupation for several years. He met with success and ac- cumulated means which enabled him to en- gage in the mercantile business in what was then a small town, now the capital of the state, and later he went to Yolo county and in Woodland followed a similar occupation. July 7, 1857, he was married in Lodi, San Joaquin county, Cal., to Miss Mary Eliza Thompson, a native of Tazewell county, Va., who was reared in California and educated in the subscription schools of Woodbridge. Af- ter marriage Mr. Yerby continued in the mer- cantile business in Woodland, but later he re- moved to Oakland and became a charter mem- ber of the San Francisco Produce Exchange, in which association he remained for fifteen years. Coming to Santa Barbara at the ex- piration of that time. he lived retired in that location until 1895. when he came to Los An- geles county and two and a half miles south of El Monte purchased the ranch now owned by his widow, and here he spent the last days of his life, passing away in the spring of 1900. He was at that time staying in the city of Los Angeles, where he had been under medical treatment. He was a man of strong personality, a forceful character. and one who took a prominent part in all matters of public

import. Politically he was a stanch adherent of the principles advocated in the platform of the Democratic party, which he had espoused from young manhood.

Mr. Yerby left a widow and eight children: Mary, Mrs. Bush of Woodland; Genevieve, Mrs. Durkee of Los Angeles; Reese Camillus, engaged in an oil refinery in Martinez, Cal .; Frank Buckner, engaged in the furniture busi- ness in San Francisco; Lucy Nelson, Mrs. Monckton, of San Francisco; Georgie, Mrs. Coleman, of Montecito; John E., handling real estate in Los Angeles; and Clay Thomp- son, in Mexico. Mrs. Yerby is the daughter of California pioneers, her father, John Thomp- son, grandfather, John, and great-grandfather, all being natives of Virginia, of Scotch-Irish ancestry, the last named a patriot in the Rev- olutionary war, the second in the war of 1812, and all planters in their native state. Her father combined the raising of cattle with his occupation of planter, remaining in Virginia until 1846, when he removed to Athens, Gen- try county, Mo., where he farmed for six years, crossing the plains in 1852 with ox- teams and mules, and bringing with him a herd of three hundred cattle. They had many experiences on their long journey, and some trouble with the Indians, who stole some of their mules, while some cattle were lost on the desert. Without serious mishap, however, they arrived in California, where in San Joa- quin county, near the present site of Lodi, Mr. Thompson entered land and improved a farm, making several subsequent trips across the plains and by water to the eastern states to secure cattle, which he brought to North- crn California and sold at a large profit. On one of these trips he was a passenger on the Winfield Scott, which was wrecked, all but one passenger, however, escaping. The last days of Mr. Thompson were spent with Mr. Yerby in Oakland, where his death occurred. He was a man of prominence and ability, held in highest esteem by all who knew him, and as a citizen of unusual power was selected at different times to represent the people in po- sitions of honor and responsibility. A Demo- crat politically, he was twice elected to the state legislature on the Republican ticket, where he served his constituency with ability and honor. By marriage he had allied his for- tunes with those of another old and promi- nent family of Virginia, his wife being Mary Adams Williams, a native of that state and the descendant of a Revolutionary family whose location on American soil long ante- dated that struggle in the history of our coun- try. Mrs. Thompson died en route to Cali-

John Roberts,

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fornia at the sink of the Humboldt river. She was the mother of four children, namely : Reese Bowen, of Oakland; John Chattan, of Stockton ; Mary Eliza, Mrs. Yerby ; and Vica, wife of Thomas Wheeler, of Milton, Cal.

Since her husband's death Mrs. Yerby has divided her time between Los Angeles and the home ranch, the latter consisting of twen- ty acres of peet land, which is rented for gardening purposes. In religion she is a mem- ber of the Seventh Day Adventists Church, of Los Angeles, and liberally supports its charities and progressive movements. She is a woman of rare worth and character, enjoy- ing a wide circle of friends, and giving the best of her life to those about her.

JOHN ROBERTS. Indissolubly associated with the early history of Long Beach is the name of John Roberts, who as the first mayor gave an impetus to the pioneer development of the town and surmounted many obstacles opposing its steady growth. While due credit should be given to the progressive spirits of the present generation whose highest talents are devoted to the progress of the city, yet it must not be forgotten that there were men who faced discouragements in the not remote past ; had these men given up the battle at the criti- cal point, the present charming and popular resort might not have been founded or its ex- istence might have been of a merely temporary nature. There was a time when citizens con- sulted with reference to giving up the city's charter and a majority favored such action as the only recourse, but Mr. Roberts about that time became interested in the building of the first pier at this point and so gave a necessary revival to the interests of the little town, there- by saving the charter. Through his efforts also the Salt Lake Railroad was built through Long Beach, thus bringing the place into inti- mate relationship with the outside world. Many other enterprises of the highest im- portance in the early growth of the town owed their inception to his foresight and wise dis- cernment, much of his most important work for the town being done during the ten years of his service as a member (and five years of the time president) of the town board of trus- tees, all of whom were loyal men.

The Roberts family is of colonial strain and in an early day crossed from the United States into Canada, where Charles Roberts was born and reared, but he early removed to Ohio and took up farm pursuits in that state. There he married Sarah Harris, a native of Ohio, and in Belmont county, that state, their son, John, was born, June 16, 1831. Eventually the fam-

ily settled in Harrison county, Mo., and from there went to Iowa, where Mrs. Roberts died at Chariton in 1870, at sixty-one years, and Mr. Roberts passed away five years later at the age of sixty-seven. The common schools of Ohio afforded John Roberts fair advantages for that day, but observation and self-culture formed the basis of his most important educa- tion. March 31, 1856, he landed in Iowa, but in a brief time removed to Missouri and from there went to Nebraska as a pioneer of Otoe county, where he turned the first furrows in the soil of his large farm. Later other enter- prises engaged his attention to the exclusion of agricultural pursuits. Removing to Omaha in 1873, he took up the duties of deputy clerk of internal revenue, and continued in that ca- pacity until 1878, when he removed to Lin- coln. same state.

Among the dates memorable in the life of Mr. Roberts, that of May 4. 1884. which marked his arrival in Long Beach, is not the least im- portant. When he landed in the town he found it comprised a small population, housed in seventeen small cottages of primitive con- struction. In a short time he had erected a cottage somewhat similar to those about him and the following year he opened the San Pedro Lumber Company's vard, which he conducted for four years. Afterward other en- terprises occupied his time until he retired from business activities. The house in which he first made his home long since has been re- placed by a modern structure, this being one of two houses which he built on grounds, 100 X150 feet. occupying a convenient and attrac- tive location.

The first wife of Mr. Roberts was Mary Barrett, who was born in Ohio, grew to wom- anhood in that state, was united with him in 1852, and died in Ohio two years later. The only child of their union, Mary, is now the wife of Charles O. Mortley, of Centerburg, Knox county, Ohio. The second marriage of Mr. Roberts occurred in 1855 and united him with Sarah Ann McKee, who died in 1883. Born of their union were the following chil- dren: Charles Henry, who resides at Park- ersburg. W. Va., and is employed as a com- mercial traveler for the house of Parke, Davis & Co., of Detroit, Mich .: Sarah Elizabeth, who married Dr. J. F. Steers, of Long Beach ; Ida Frances, wife of Harry Christie, of Los Angeles : Edith Belle and Eva Dell (twins), the former married to C. W. Fleming, of Los Angeles, and the latter the wife of W. O. Welch, tax collector of Los Angeles county : John. who died in infancy ; and Dwight J., a physician in Los Angeles. The present wife of Mr. Roberts, whom he married October

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

13, 1892, in the house where they still reside, bore the maiden name of Clara F. Meyer and was born in Canada. Politically Mr. Roberts has always been a stalwart Republican and at one time took an active part in political mat- ters, aiding to secure the nomination of Gen- eral Grant for his second term as president, and being a delegate to the national conven- tion in Philadelphia. Many years ago he was made a Mason in Ohio and still retains his affiliation with the order, being now identified with Long Beach Lodge No. 327, F. & A. M., and a contributor to the various charities con- ducted by the fraternity.

WILLIAM HARRIMAN JONES, M. D. The family represented by this influential physi- cian of Long Beach was established in America during the colonial period and numbered among its members many men of ability and the highest standing. Among the ancestors perhaps the most distinguished was Governor Harriman of New Hampshire. The doctor's father, Charles Jones, was born in Manchester, N. H., and re- mained in the east until 1874, when he removed to Michigan to take charge of the printing busi- ness of the Review & Herald Publishing Com- pany. From there he came to California in 1878 and has since made his home in Oakland, being now president and general manager of the Pacif- ic Press Publishing Company, of San Francisco, with printing plant at Mountain View, Santa Clara county. Before leaving New England he married Miss Josephine Emerson Lunt, a native of Portland, Me., and a distant relative of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Of their three children the two sons are now living, William H. being the second of these. When he was only two years of age (his birth having occurred at Battle Creek, Mich., February 22, 1876) the family removed to the Pacific coast; hence his earliest recollec- tions are of the west, and his education was be- gun in Oakland public schools. After having graduated from the high school in 1893 he went to Michigan and became a student in the Battle Creek College, from which he was graduated in 1894 with the degree of A. B. On his return to California he took a commercial course in the Aydelotte Business College of Oakland, from which he was graduated in the spring of 1894. Shortly afterward he took up the study of medi- cine in Cooper Medical College of San Fran- cisco, from which in 1899 he received the degree of M. D.

In order to further perfect himself in the profession he had chosen, Dr. Jones went to New York City in the fall of 1899 and at St. John's Hospital had special advantages for study while filling a position as interne. During the

next year he spent three months in the Battle Creek Sanitarium and then returned to Califor- nia, where for two years he was resident physi- cian and surgeon in St. Helena's Sanitarium at the village of Sanitarium in Napa county. Dur- ing his service in that capacity he also acted as managing editor of the Pacific Health Journal. On resigning he returned to New York City and during the winter of 1902-03 studied in the New York Post-Graduate Medical College, where he availed himself of every opportunity to enlarge his professional information and thus broaden his sphere of usefulness. For a time after com- ing back to the west he carried on a private sanitarium in Santa Barbara, from which city he came to Long Beach in 1903, and now conducts a large private practice, also holds the position of city health officer and is associate professor of gynecology and abdominal surgery in the College of Physicians & Surgeons, Los Angeles. In addition he is actively interested in promoting the Long Beach Hospital, of whose building committee he has been chosen the president.

Intensely interested in professional work, Dr. Jones maintains an active association with the Los Angeles County Medical Society, the Acad- emy of Medicine, the California State Medical Society and the American Medical Association. Whatever advance is made in the science of materia medica and whatever development each year brings to surgery, he keeps in touch with such advancement, adopting the best in his pri- vate practice. So keen has been his devotion to professional matters that he has had little leisure for organizations not directly allied therewith, yet he belongs to a number of lodges and acts as their physician, among others being the Knights of Pythias, the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks (in which latter he is a past ex- alted ruler) and the Masonic orders. As a Republican and a stanch advocate of party prin- ciples, he has been interested in politics from youth, and participates in county and municipal affairs. Mr. Jones was married March 29, 1906, to Ida Belle Musselman, daughter of Edward Musselman, a retired capitalist.

AURELIO W. SEPULVEDA. Among the families that became prominent during the early history of California none boasts of a prouder lineage than that of Sepulveda, whose founder in the new world, Dolores, came from his native Castillian province as an employe of the govern- ment of Spain and in return for services was ten- dered a grant of land extending from San Pedro to Redondo Beach along the ocean and for miles back into the foothills, the whole forming thirty- nine thousand acres, the Palos Verdes grant. In order to perfect his patent it was necessary for

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him to go to Monterey, then the capital of Cali- fornia. On the way thither he was attacked and killed by the Indians, who secretly awaited his coming and attacked him from ambush. After- ward the title was perfected by his sons, but a dispute arose and only after protracted litigation was the claim of the Sepulveda family estab- lished beyond further dispute.

On the great estate of the family near San Pedro José Diego Sepulveda was born in 1813, being one of the five heirs to the Palos Verdes grant of thirty-nine thousand acres, and also one of the heirs to the Yucaipe ranch, occupying the present site of San Bernardino, which he and the other owners sold to the Mormons. Choos- ing the stock industry as his occupation, he made the Palos Verdes rancho his headquarters and bought and sold large numbers of cattle and sheep. Over the hills for miles in every direc- tion roamed his herds and flocks. His vast pos- sessions were handled with keen judgment and great energy, and he proved himself the inheritor of much of his father's talents. At the time of his death in 1872 he was fifty-nine years of age. In marriage he was united with Marie E. Desoldé, a native of San Diego, and a member of an old family of that place. At her death she left three children. Aurelio W., Roman D. and Rudecinda F., Mrs. James H. Dodson, of San Pedro. The second son, who is a large land owner and has erected a number of brick blocks in San Pedro, is president of the First National Bank of his home city.

On the family estate Aurelio W. Sepulveda was born September 28, 1852. At an early age he accompanied his parents to San Pedro and here he still makes his home, having received his education in its public schools and enjoying the friendship of its old families. Though still quite young when his father died, he had already learned habits of self-reliance and perseverance and these aided him in the later years of his activity. From his father he inherited consid- erable property, to the care of which he gives thoughtful attention and wise oversight. Of re- cent years he had laid out the Palos Verdes addition to San Pedro of eight acres, in the center of which runs Sepulveda street. In addition he owns business property, a number of substantial cottages and eight hundred acres adjoining San Pedro to the northeast. His beautiful resi- dence on Signal street is presided over by his wife, formerly Maria Ramus, who was born in San Juan Capistrano and possesses the charm and courtesy of manner characteristic of the ancient family which she represents. One child, Esperanza. blessed their union. He is a stock- holder in the First National Bank and the Harbor Savings Bank of San Pedro. In fraternal rela- tions Mr. Sepulveda affiliates with the Order of

Eagles and the Elks, both of San Pedro. Of a modest, unassuming disposition, averse to public life and little interested in politics, he finds his greatest enjoyment in the society of family and friends and in the management of his property interests. Popular, honored and honor- able, he is a worthy representative of an ancient name.

C. J. E. TAYLOR has spent more than half of his life in California, with whose interests he has been identified since 1873. He is now serv- ing as superintendent of streets in Long Beach, Los Angeles county, where he has been located since 1901, taking an active part in the growth and development of the city. A native of the northern part of England, he was born October 31, 1847. When thirteen years of age he was brought to the United States by his parents, with whom he remained in New York state for some years, attending the public schools and at the same time working as the opportunity offered. Although but a brief time was spent in the schoolroom a good memory and an aptitude for books enabled him to acquire a foundation for the education which the experience of later years gave him. When about fifteen years old he went to the woods of Michigan, where for three years he worked at logging in all its various depart- ments. Following this he located in Leaven- worth, Kans., as a teamster, freighting with oxen to Pike's Peak, Montana and Mexico.

Through this association Mr. Taylor became acquainted with the attractiveness of western life and in 1873 decided to come to California. In Humboldt county he worked in the redwoods until June Ist, when he located in Kern county · and engaged in the store at Weldon, remaining there for six years. In the meantime he pur- chased a ranch in Kern county and began sheep- raising, and also mined, for a short time, but both these ventures proved less remunerative than he anticipated and he gave them up. While a resident of Kern county, in 1879, he married Sarah E. Gilliam, and born of this union were the following children. all natives of that local- ity : Roy, located in Arizona, in the employ of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company ; Clyde. electrical engineer in the employ of the Tacoma & Seattle Power Company, his home being in Seattle, Wash .: Mabel, a graduate of the Long Beach High School, class of 1904: Nora, a grad- uate of the same in the class of 1905: and Myma and Gordon, both students in the public schools of Long Beach. In order to give his children better educational facilities Mr. Taylor moved his family to Long Beach in 1899 and two years later took up his permanent residence in this city, purchasing a lot and erecting a home at the

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corner of Eighth and Chestnut streets. He has also purchased several pieces of real estate, buy- ing and selling, and adding to the growth of the city.

A Republican in politics Mr. Taylor has al- ways taken an interest in the advancement of the principles he endorses and has been chosen at times to represent the party in public office, while a resident of Kern county, serving as supervisor two terms, during which was voted $250,000 for the building of the jail, court house, hospital and new county high school, and many other improvements seen to-day in that county. He was a delegate to the state convention when M. Estey ran for governor the first time, and in 1904 he was delegate to the county convention. In that year, also, he received the appointment to the position of city superintendent of streets, his duties including entire charge of all street work, sewers, etc., and although but a brief time has elapsed he bids fair to rank among the ablest city officials, winning public commendation by his devotion to duty and the best interests of the city. He supports all church and charitable work and is in entire sympathy with the present school management. Fraternally he is identified with the Masons and Foresters of Long Beach. He is a stockholder in the new hotel and a firm believer in the future of Long Beach, and in- deed, of all Southern California.

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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 96

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