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 II, Part 101

Author: Guinn, James Miller, 1834-1918
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Los Angeles, Cal., Historic record company
Number of Pages: 1234

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age.' His wife, who bore the maiden name of Lucy A. White, was born near Lexington, Ky., grew to womanhood in Illinois, and afterward lived in Missouri, where in 1891 she died at Deepwater.

Among six sons and two daughters compris- ing the family Thomas W. Williams was third in order of birth and was born in Coles county, Ill., November 1, 1869. Primarily educated in the common schools of Deepwater, Mo., he later had the advantages of a course in Clinton acad- emy, and in 1888 was graduated from that in- stitution. The first occupation on which he en- tered was landscape gardening, which he followed in Kansas City and St. Louis. April 26, 1893, he arrived in California and settled at Long Beach, with whose growing fortune his own interests have since been associated. For six years he was employed as gardener by J. Bixby and for three years served by appointment as superinten- dent of parks and special police, after which for two years he held the office of city marshal. His introduction into the real-estate business was

with the Long Beach Commission and Real Es- tate Company, whose business he soon purchased. After conducting it alone for four months he sold a one-half interest to M. B. Irvine. February I, 1905, the business was merged into the Walker Real Estate Company, in which he now owns one- fourth interest. Besides this he has improved and now owns several residence properties. In response to earnest solicitations Mr. Williams consented a second time to fill the office of city marshal until the city council could find a com- petent man to accept the place, and he accepted the appointment August 28, 1905, upon these conditions. Owing to the growing demands of his business he felt it unwise to assume official duties except in response to an appeal for tem- orary work. While acting in that capacity he wiped out of existence an organization of the "blind pig" order and in the raid confiscated eighteen hundred and fifty gallons of whiskey. During his administration Long Beach gained a record for enforcement of the laws which no town in the country can surpass. Law and order have been given to the city and the law-abiding class of citizens appreciate the efforts which have culminated in such a satisfactory condition of municipal affairs.

Upon the organization of the Young Men's Christian Association of Long Beach in 1900 Mr. Williams took a warm interest in the founding of the movement and has since officiated as a director. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce of Long Beach and a director and one of the organizers of the Peoples Bank of Long Beach. In the Humane Society he holds of- ficial position and its work has always received his cordial co-operation. Upon the starting of

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the lodge of Knights of Pythias Mr. Williams became a charter member and ever since lias aided in the upbuilding of the society. In addition he takes an enthusiastic interest in the work of the Sons of Veterans at Long Beach. His home in Long Beach, at No. 227 Linden avenue, is pre- sided over by his wife, who was Ruth M. Brown, a native of Illinois, and its pleasures are enhanced by the presence of their two children, Dwight B. and Ruth H. The family attend the Con- gregational Church, to the work of which he is a contributor, as well as an active worker in its philanthropies. In politics he gives his support to the Republican party, which in 1900 and 1906 he served as delegate to the county central committee, and since then in various instances has promoted the local welfare of the party.

CAPT. WILLIAM W. BURKE. Pre- ceded by years of experience as a civil engin- eer Captain Burke came to San Pedro in 1904. Purchasing a lot 40x120 on Fourth street he erected a two-story modern store building, one-half of which he occupies himself as a grocery and meat market, while the other part is rented and occupied as a furniture and crockery store. Thus far Captain Burke has realized his expectations to a gratifying degree and the town and his fellow-citizens are doubtless the gainers by his change of occupa- tion. Born under the rule of the British flag in 1846, he is a native of the West Indies and a son of Francis and Marion Burke, the form- er a native of Ireland. During his early life the father located in the West Indies, where as an extensive planter he spent the remainder of his life. His wife was a native of the is- lands, and there they reared their children.

When he was fifteen years of age, prior to which time he had been educated in Eng- land. Captain Burke left home and friends and for two years followed the sea. Landing on the shores of the United States at the end of the voyage he found the country in the midst of Civil warfare, in which he later bore a part in 1865 joining the Union army, Com- pany D, battalion of engineers. After peace was restored he entered the United States service as civil engineer. Contracts in this line which he accepted and completed consist- ed of work on the San Francisco harbor, con- structing the harbors from Michigan City, Ind., to Petoskey, Mich., in fact all of the har- bors on the Michigan coast. In 1883 he re- signed his position to engage in contracting and building harbors for the United States and Mexican governments. His first work in this line was building three miles of the Gal- veston jetty, following this by constructing the

jetties at Pas Cavalla, Rockport, Port Isabelle and at the mouth of the Rio Grande river. His latest work in this line was on the coast of Mexico, where for six years he was en- gaged on the harbor at Manzanillo. Upon the completion of the undertaking, in 1904, lie relinquished the arduous work which for so many years had engaged his attention, and coming to San Pedro purchased the property on Fourth street as previously stated and here he expects to make his permanent home. His building was completed in December, 1904, at which time he stocked it with a complete line of goods, and it goes without saying that the equipment is up-to-date in every particular. Adding to this condition the fact that the pro- prietor possesses many fine personal attributes including tact and geniality, his success is a matter of no speculation.

In Grand Rapids, Mich., Captain Burke was tinited in marriage with Cornelia Minder Hout a native of that state, and three children have been born to them. William W., Jr., is a clerk in the Angelus hotel in San Pedro; John Francis assists his father in the store; and Douglas is also at home. As can be gathered from the foregoing brief account of Captain Burke's life it will be seen that he has traveled extensively and the breadth of knowledge which this privilege invariably bestows has not been denied him, but on the other hand has furnished fund of information which makes him a ready and agreeable conversationalist. To some extent he is interested in mining properties in Mexico. Politically he casts his vote in favor of the Republican candidates.

JOHN GEORGE BAUM. Three miles south- east of Inglewood lies the ranch which is owned and operated by John George Baum and which comprises one hundred and forty acres of val- table land. In addition to the management of this tract he operates rented lands adjoining, so that the total aggregate of his holdings reach- es five hundred and sixty acres. When he first came to Los Angeles county in October, 1902, he rented the ranch which he still operates and at once became interested in the raising of beans and of grain, managing the tract as a renter until November, 1905, when he acquired that portion of the estate now under his title. Energetic and capable, he is already gaining a position among the prosperous ranchers of the locality, and, should misfortune not betide, the future vears will place his fortunes upon a sub- stantial basis and increase his landed holdings.

A native son of California, Mr. Baum was born in Ventura county, this state, April 1, 1875. and is the second among the six children of

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George and Linnie (Hartman) Baum, natives of Jackson county, Ohio. His father grew to manhood upon a farm and followed agricultural pursuits in Ohio until 1873, when he brought his wife to California, settling near Springville, Ventura county, where since he has engaged in raising beans and beets. At this writing (1906) he is about sixty-four years of age and his wife fifty-five, but both are yet quite active and vig- orons, and superintend their ranch of fifty acres with energy and success. It was on this old home- stead that their son, John George, gained his early knowledge of agricultural pursuits and the raising of beans and beets, and when not in school he proved a capable assistant on the ranch. On attaining his majority he rented two hun- dred and eighty-five acres in Ventura county and took up ranching for himself, but after three years he began to raise beans and beets for the American Beet Sugar Company at Oxnard, and during the five years he remained in the work he met with encouraging success. On severing his connection with interests in Ventura county he came to Los Angeles county and since has be- come a land owner and rancher of this portion of the state.

The marriage of Mr. Baum took place April 27, 1898, and united him with Miss Sarah Big- gart, who was born in New York but since 1886 has made her home on the Pacific coast. Three children comprise their family, namely: Alvin Walter, Jennie Alice and Arline Lotta. The only organization in which Mr. Baum holds membership is the Fraternal Brotherhood, and he has maintained a warm interest in the work of that order. Public-spirited as a citizen, pro- gressive as a man, stanch in his allegiance to the Democratic party, liberal in his views, willing to aid friends who are candidates for office but never desirous of securing office for himself, he furnishes an illustration of the native Califor- nians whose energy and intelligence promise success for themselves and prosperity for the commonwealth.

HARVEY W. HINCKS. One of the rising young business men of Long Beach is Harvey W. Hincks, surveyor and draughtsman, with offices in the Long Beach Bank building, from which emanates much of the most important business in that line transacted in Long Beach and vicin- ity. He is a descendant of Scotch-Irish an- tecedents, who founded the family in Ontario, Canada, and there the father, Jolin F. Hincks, was born August 7, 1857. During his boyhood years he had been trained to perform his share of the duties which fall to the lot of farmers' sons, but he was not sufficiently pleased with the life to follow it after he reached years of discre-

tion and could choose his own calling. His tastes lay rather along professional lines, and thus it was that he matriculated as a student in Detroit Medical College and prepared himself for the medical profession. After his graduation he settled in Manistee, Mich., where he enjoyed a lucrative practice the remainder of his life, pass- ing away there in 1901. In his young manhood he married Mary A. Porter, also a native of Ontario, who still resides on the old homestead in Manistee, Mich. The younger of the two sons born to Mr. and Mrs. Hincks, J. Frank, has followed in the footsteps of his father in the matter of a profession and is a graduate of the University of Michigan and is now a practicing surgeon in the Jackson City Hospital, in Jackson, Mich.

Harvey W. Hincks was born in Goderich, Ontario, June 24, 1880, his parents removing to Michigan when he was a child of only four years. As for him, his life really began in Man- istee, where he attended both the common and high schools and later, in 1899, entered as a stu- dent in the University of Michigan. His intention had been to take a thorough course in mechanical and civil engineering, but the death of his father in 1901 brought his student life to a close and put before him the necessity of ob- taining his own support. Accepting the first op- portunity that offered, for a short time he was a clerk in the office of the Manistee & North- eastern Railroad, but the fall of that year found him in Los Angeles, where he was employed as draughtsman in the office of E. T. Wright and S. O. Wood, until he obtained a position with a party on the United States Geological Survey. Later in the same year he came to Long Beach and entered the office of the city engineer as chief draughtsman, a position which he filled with credit to himself until he was appointed building inspector for the city of Long Beach. In December, 1905, he opened an office of his own, and has since been established in the Long Beach Bank Building. All of the large and authentic maps of Long Beach now in use are his work, and he has likewise surveyed and made plats of Long Beach, Alamitos, Compton, and much of the adjacent country. Each month these plats are brought up to date, noting all changes and subdivisions, which makes them absolutely correct and invaluable for reference. He has lately completed an official map of the city of Long Beach, which was the first of the kind to give in minute detail the new city limits. It is a work of art and considered one of the finest pieces of work ever given to the public in South- ern California. Besides the line of work just noted Mr. Hincks also does landscape garden- ing, such as laying out parks and gardens, a line which in itself forms quite a feature of his

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business. Twelve men are employed under his direction, either in the office or in the field, each being an expert in his line. Mr. Hincks has recently completed an authentic automobile road map known as the "Auto-Roads of Southern California."

In Los Angeles Mr. Hincks was united in marriage with Mabel E. Smith, a native of Paris, Tex., and one child, Marion Elizabeth, has been born to them. Politically Mr. Hincks is a Re- publican. As a member of the National Guard of California he served in the Signal Corps of the First Brigade for three years, at the end of which time he received his honorable discharge. He has always been an enthusiast along the line of athletics, and has given much of his time to numerous clubs, such as the Turn Verein, Germania and the local Y. M. C. A., at Long Beach.

HARVEY S. MOURNING. The San Ber- nardino flour mills, which form one of the leading industries of the city, were estab- lished by J. V. Suman, who erected at Colton in 1893 a plant consisting of a complete roller system. Four years later the building and equipment were moved to San Bernardino and since then the business has enjoyed a steady growth. The original owner was succeeded by Harvey S. Mourning, the present propri- etor, under whose intelligent oversight a high grade of flour is produced, surpassed by none in California, according to the testimony of competent judges. The plant has a capacity of seventy-five barrels per day and is operated by electricity, besides being provided witlı other modern appliances well adapted to pro- mote the saving of labor and the increasing of speed, as well as enhancing the quality of the flour. In addition to the principal product, some attention is devoted to the grinding of chicken feed, horse feed and dairy feed, for which there are constant orders sent in by farmers of the vicinity.

The proprietor of the mills came to Califor- nia from Illinois, where he was born on a farm near Macomb, McDonough county, January 27, 1867, being a son of William H. and Nan- cy A. (Breeden) Mourning. His father, a native of Kentucky, was taken to Illinois by his parents in infancy and there grew to man- hood, married, and settled on a farm. For years he was a prosperous stock-raiser and general farmer. Since his death, which oc- curred in 1898, his widow has continued to live on the old Illinois homestead. Reared on that farm, Harvey S. Mourning received such advantages as country schools afforded, and later took a course of study in the Ma-

comb Normal School. At the age of twenty- one years he left the old home and the asso- ciations of youth, in order to start out for him- self, and his first stopping place was in Cali- fornia, where he worked at the milling busi- ness for a time. With the means thus earned he returned to Illinois and took a two-years' course of study in the Macomb Normal School. At the expiration of his course of study he returned to Southern California and secured employment in the Colton roller mills.

During the progress of the Spanish-Ameri- can war in 1898 Mr. Mourning enlisted in Company K, Seventh California Infantry, commanded by Colonel J. R. Berry. The regi- ment was ordered to San Francisco and en- camped at the Presidio until honorably dis- charged at the expiration of six months. Thereupon Mr. Mourning returned to his work in the roller mill. During October of 1899 he went to New York, but in a short time re- turned to San Bernardino and became a part- ner in the milling business with his father-in- law. J. V. Suman, with whom he continued until the death of Mr. Suman July 3, 1904. Since then he has continued the business alone. Besides the management of the mill he is a stockholder in and president of the Gem Min- ing Company of San Bernardino county, and has interests in other enterprises of an impor- tant nature. His comfortable home is presided over by his wife, Josephine F., daughter of J. V. Suman, and a prominent member of the so- cial circles of San Bernardino, where she was residing at the time of her marriage. June 14, 1900. In fraternal relations Mr. Mourning has his membership with Ashlar Lodge No. 306, F. & A. M., at Colton, besides which he is iden- tified with the Modern Woodmen of America.

JACOB B. RENTCHLER. Ever since the death of her husband, in 1905, Mrs. Rentchler has made her home on the ranch of fifty acres, not far from the village of La Ballona, in Los Angeles county, upon which he settled in 1895. and began the work of improvement and culti- vating the soil for the raising of alfalfa, which is the chief crop harvested.

In common with many who have assisted in developing the possibilities which abound in the west. Mr. Rentchler was of eastern birth, and was born in Union county, Pennsylvania. Feb- ruary 5, 1828, into the home of Jacob and Eliza- beth Rentchler. The subscription school, which he attended. was located on his father's farm. In that early day advantages were poor at best, but, meager as they were. Mr. Rentchler man- aged to gain a fairly good education. Later years found him a resident of Illionis, where for

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ten years he was engaged in the manufacture of wheat drills and cultivators. In Belleville, that state, he carried on a banking business for a num- ber of years, but finally gave this up and became interested in mining in New Mexico. During the six years spent there he operated several mines, besides owning stock in the Eclipse and Comstock mines. The sale of the famous Kan- garoo mine, which he owned, but which was leased to and was worked by other parties, made him a wealthy man, and with the means which this gave him, he came to California, purchasing the ranch upon which his widow now lives, not far from La Ballona, although Palms is the post- office and market town. He passed away in 1905, having attained the ripe age of seventy-seven years.

The lady who became the wife of Mr. Rentch- ler was, in maidenhood, Mary J. Beecher, and spent her early years in New Orleans. Her father's relatives are connected with Henry Ward Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe. With an aunt, whom she had visited in St. Louis, she went to Illinois, and on the way became ac- quainted with Mr. Rentschler, their marriage following in 1855. Six children were born of their marriage, but only five reached years of maturity. Louis is in the employ of a railroad in St. Louis; Frank R. is connected with the auditor's office in Los Angeles; Anna resides in Belleville, Ill., where her husband, George Rog- ers, owns an iron foundry: Alice is the wife of Edward Powell, yardmaster in the employ of a railroad in New Mexico; George was formerly a builder in Los Angeles, but is now in New Mex- ico. Mr. Rentchler was a man of public spirit. a good business man and one who always lived a Christian life, following the Golden Rule.

ELBERT A. SPAULDING. The genealogy of the Spaulding family in America dates back to the year 1632, when one of that name crossed the ocean to the primeval wilderness of New England and from the time of his arrival until his death endured the hardships, privations and perils incident to existence on the bleak shores of an unknown sea. Some time after the Pil- grim Fathers had set up their cabins along the Massachusetts shores, a band of emigrants started from that colony to found homes in Con- necticut and with them went a member of the Spaulding family. Later generations of that race bore an active part in the upbuilding of Connecticut. In that state Sampson Spaulding was born and reared and from there he re- moved to Vermont, settling on the frontier with no neighbors except Indians. The cabin home on the then frontier at Orwell, was the birth- place of his son, Ira, and there he passed the

years of boyhood and youth, industriously assist- ing in the converting of a raw tract of land into a profitable farm. During the war of 1812 he assisted his country in winning a second triumph over England, and subsequently he followed the tanner's trade. While Michigan was still one vast unbroken wilderness he traveled thither by "prairie schooner," and in 1833 became one of the very first settlers of Washtenaw county, where he filed a claim to a tract of government land and engaged in tilling the soil during the remainder of his life. Eighty-three useful and active years were granted him and he died at his old Michigan home.

At the time of the removal of the family to Michigan Warren Spaulding, a native of Ver- mont, was a child of five years, and afterward he gained his education in the early schools of Washtenaw county, eventually taking up agri- cultural pursuits and reaping a financial suc- cess which his large talents abundantly merited. Among his children there was a son, Elbert A., whose name introduces this article and who is now a prominent citizen of Inglewood, Los An- geles county. He owns and makes his home in the house once owned and occupied by John C. Fremont. This son was born at Hillsdale, Mich .. February 29, 1856, and grew to manhood upon a farm. Although his educational advantages were meagre, by observation and self-culture he supplemented his text-book lore with knowledge of even greater value in the busy world of af- fairs. When twenty-one years of age he joined with his father and brother in starting a colony in Richland county, N. Dak., where in the brief interval of eighteen months they located two hundred and sixteen families on carefully se- lected lands. Later for eight years he traveled as emigrant agent in the employ of the railroad, and also for twelve years held office as notary public and two years as postmaster at Fairmount. N. Dak., also for twenty years he was engaged in the sale of threshing machines. With his brother in 1899 he came to California, looking for a suitable location for settlers, and being pleased with Inglewood he brought back a com- pany of people for this place. Further acquaint- ance with the climate and soil increased his ad- miration for this country, and he has no cause for regret in his choice of a permanent location. Three months after coming west he began to take contracts for the erection of houses and since August of 1905 he has also conducted a real-estate business, and as emigration agent has located many hundred people in Inglewood.

The marriage of Mr. Spaulding and Miss Net- tie M. Allen, a native of Michigan, was sol- emnized on Christmas day of 1879, and has been blessed with three sons and six daughters: Zora, deceased; Ava, wife of L. O. Calkins; Ot-

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tie ; Harry ; William, deceased ; Winnie, deceased ; Lecra, Edna and Mildred. Though stanchly Re- publican in his views, Mr. Spaulding has shown no partisanship in his preferences and has nev- er solicited official honors at the hands of his fel- low-citizens, although he has accepted various local offices, including that of postmaster of Fairmount, Richland county, N. Dak., and in ev- ery position has displayed energy, intelligence and sagacity. In Masonry he has affiliated with the blue lodge at Redondo and has maintained a warm interest in the philanthropies of the fra- ternity.

JOHN G. PALMER. Countless hosts of visi- tors to the World's Fair in Chicago in 1893 saw and admired the California exhibit and not a few of them were so pleased with the display of products that they determined to come to the Pacific coast whenever opportunity offered. Among such was John G. Palmer, who formerly had been a minister in the Methodist Episcopal denomination, but was obliged to discontinue preaching on account of impaired health and at the time of the Exposition was engaged in the publishing business at Blairstown, Iowa. A native of Iowa, born November 16, 1854, he had prepared for the ministry in Northwestern Uni- versity at Evanston, Ill., and commenced to preach at Andrew, Iowa. Two years later, in 1878, he was ordained to the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal denomination at Maquoketa, Iowa, and later hield charges at Andrew, Otter- ville and Blairstown. Iowa, and at Aberdeen and Highmore, S. Dak. During his pastorate at Aberdeen he was instrumental in securing the erection of a parsonage and a church building which cost $10,000 and which at dedication was paid for with the exception of only $700. After the town of Highmore had been almost wholly wiped out by a cyclone he went to that place and aided in saving the Methodist house of wor- ship from being sold at a sheriff's sale. Indeed, in every place where he labored, he proved his genius as a financier and executive, and every congregation was left, at his departure, in a sat- isfactory condition financially as well as spiritu- ally. During his residence in South Dakota in 1884-85 he published a Methodist Church histori- cal directory of the state and shortly after- ward became interested in the publication of the Blairstown Press, which he conducted for eight vears.

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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 II, Part 101

Author: Guinn, James Miller, 1834-1918 Publication date: 1907 Publisher: Los Angeles, Cal., Historic record company Number of Pages: 1234

Author: Guinn, James Miller, 1834-1918
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Los Angeles, Cal., Historic record company
Number of Pages: 1234