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 175

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

USA > California > 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 175

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

H. M. E. SCHROETER. Travels extended into almost every portion of the civilized world and extensive commercial enterprises conducted in a number of the largest cities of the globe have given to Mr. Schroeter a cosmopolitan knowledge that gives him a dis- tinctive position among the most cultured cit- izens of Long Beach. Born and reared in Ger- many, he had all the advantages afforded by the gymnasiums of his native city of Hamburg, and in early manhood carried on extensive mercantile interests in his home town. The success which rewarded his judicious applica- tion led him to establish a commercial empo- rium in the city of London and later he owned a prosperous mercantile establishment in the city of Paris, France. Meanwhile, in the course of his travels, he found an excellent opening in India for the establishment of a mercantile store, and in 1889 he opened a large and important place of business in Singapore. Still later he became one of the leading mer- chants of Shanghai, China.

In the midst of the engrossing demands of vast business interests, Mr. Schroeter found leisure to gratify his love of travel, and it was while making a tour of the world in 1902 that he first saw Long Beach. The location of the town appealed to him at once. He saw its possibilities and the advantages to be derived from its beach, which he still considers to be unsurpassed by any beach in the whole world. Foreseeing the future growth of the town, he decided to establish his home at this attract- ive spot, and was thus led to become a citizen

2173

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

of Long Beach, whose development he has promoted by the lavish use of capital and by wise investments On Ocean Park avenue he has a residence said to be one of the most beautiful in all Southern California, and on the same street he erected the Cynthia apartment house, to which he later built an annex. This is one of the most modern and substantial buildings of its kind on the beach and from the first has proved a financial success, as well as an architectural honor to the city. Other business enterprises which claim his attention are the First National Bank of Long Beach and the Beach hotel, incorporated with a cap- ital of $500,000; of both of these he acts as a director. While a lad in Germany he became an adherent of the Lutheran Church and has since given that denomination his support, con- tributing with characteristic generosity to its maintenance, as well as to charities of a gen- eral nature. Since studying the political sit- uation in the United States he has given his support to the Republican party, but has not maintained a deep interest in politics, his tem- perament leading him rather to the promotion of movements for the permanent benefit of the people of Long Beach. Ever since coming to this city its welfare has been a matter of in- terest to him and its many opportunities have elicited his warmest praise.

MATHEW ATMORE, a veteran of the Civil war and an early settler in Ventura coun- ty, came to this country with his parents from England when but nine years of age. His father, Mathew Atmore, Sr., was born in England, as was also his mother, who was Susan Pond before her marriage. The fam- ily immigrated to America in 1848 and settled in Michigan. Both parents lived to a hale old age, the father being seventy-eight and the mother seventy-two years of age at the time of their demise in Michigan. The father was a minister of the Gospel, filling many pulpits in Michigan, while he served as chaplain of a colored regiment during the Civil war. There were eleven children in the family, eight of whom are still living and of these two make their homes in California.

Mathew Atmore was born in England, Octo- ber 18, 1838, and was educated in the common schools of Calhoun county, Mich., where his father first settled with his family, buying a farm there. When seventeen years of age he came to California, arriving in Sacramento, and from there went to Eldorado county to work in the mines, the venture proving prof- itable. Subsequently, until 1861, he freighted to Virginia City. He then enlisted in Com-

pany K, Second Regiment California Volun- teer Cavalry, and served three years. After the close of his war service he returned to Michigan, following farming there for twelve years. After spending one year in Nebraska, in 1876 he came to Santa Paula, Cal., and en- gaged in ranching. He now owns sixty acres of the best farming land in the valley, which is planted to beans and walnut trees.

In 1866 Mr. Atmore was married to Mary Gorham, a native of England, and they have three children. Mr. Atmore is a member of the Ventura Post of the Grand Army of the Republic, and politically he is a Republican.

H. A. UNRUH has entire charge of the vast interests of the Baldwin estate in Los Angeles county, in the management of which he has displayed business ability and execu- tive skill of a high order. Mr. Unruh was born in Valparaiso, Ind., November 9, 1845, his parents, Joseph and Abigail (Bowman) Un- ruh, locating there upon their removal from Germantown, Pa., their birthplace. The fa- ther engaged in a mercantile enterprise throughout his entire active life, dying in Texas at the age of sixty-eight, while his wife died at the age of forty-five. They had five children, one son residing in Texas, two daugh- ters in California, and one in Kentucky, and H. A., the subject of this review.

May 15, 1861, H. A. Unruh enlisted in Com- pany C, Twentieth Indiana Infantry; near Roanoke, N. C., he was taken prisoner and was sent to Libby Prison. After nine months he was liberated on parole, and in July, 1862, was mustered out of service. He immediate- ly re-enlisted in Company K, First Marine Artillery, and after serving for eighteen months, was again mustered out.

After being mustered out of service the sec- ond time Mr. Unruh returned to his home in Indiana, but soon afterward removed to Illi- nois. In Plano he filled a position as tele- graph operator until 1866, when he came to San Francisco, Cal. It was his intention to join the Russian-American telegraph expedi- tion, but he changed his plans, going instead to Nicolaus, Sutter county, Cal., installing tel- egraph lines and offices, after which he en- gaged with the Western Union and was sent to establish lines in the Pajaro valley, and also to act as relief agent for the Wells-Fargo & Co. Entering the employ of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1867 as agent at Roseville Junction, he rebuilt the telegraph lines for a distance, and also built and operated the first telegraph line for the Southern Pacific Com- pany over the Sierra Nevada mountains. He

2174

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

acted as agent in Pino, Auburn, Colfax, Gold- run and Truckee in turn until these offices were well established and in perfect working order. In Reno, Nev., he opened a station, located Wadsworth station and built the first house in that town. In 1869 he became assistant freight agent of the Central Pacific at San Francisco, where he opened the first overland business, his equipment consisting of but one clerk, while in 1874, when he left the com- pany, eighty-four clerks were required to con- duct the business. Resigning his position in 1874, for two years he was cashier and book- keeper for a tobacco house in San Francisco, and thereafter spent nearly two years in Lake county. In 1877 he located in Eureka as agent for the Eureka & Palisades Railroad Company, and while there gave test of the long distance lines which were just then being built, the greatest distance at which a voice could be heard and understood then being twenty-eight miles. It was in 1879 that Mr. Unruh came to Southern California and here became identi- fied with the interests of the vast Baldwin property, soon receiving the appointment of special agent for the entire estate. In the be- ginning he had charge of the fruiting and plant- ing, and during this time set out many miles of beautiful shade trees.

In 1868 Mr. Unruli was married to Miss Jennie A. Dunn, a native of Herkimer county, N. Y .; they have two sons, Joseph A., born in 1869, in Wadsworth, Nev., and David S., born in 1871, in San Francisco. For many years Mr. Unruh has been identified with the Masonic organization, and is prominent in the order. Politically he is a stanch adherent of Republican principles and in religion is a member of the Episcopal Church.

CLAUDE MORTON ALLEN. Mr. Allen's Oak Grove ranch, in Garapatos canon, Los Angeles county, is located high up in the mountains and is an ideal spot in which to spend a vacation, with plenty of opportunity for hunting and fishing, and when the exer- tions of the day are over, refreshment of the more substantial kind may be partaken of, the table being supplied from the ranch and dairy which are carried on in connection with the health resort.

The Allen family is of English ancestry, and the earliest representative in this country of whom we have any definite knowledge is the great-grandfather, who was a participant in the Revolutionary war and reared his fam- ilv in Kentucky, and it was in that state that his son William was born, and there in turn also reared his family. During his later years

he removed to Missouri, his death occurring there some years later. At the time the grand- father removed to Missouri his son Earl Vir- gil was a young man, his birth having oc- curred in Louisville, Ky., and where he re- ceived his high school and academic training; upon removing to Missouri he entered a medi- cal college. Graduating from the medical col- lege in St. Louis, the breaking out of the Civil war about this time furnished an opportunity for immediate practice, and none of those who volunteered their services were more forget- ful of self in caring for the sick and wounded than Dr. Allen Irrespective of the color of uniform, he treated all sufferers with the same conscientious care that he would have wished for his own kinsmen under like conditions, his record throughout the entire war showing him to be a true lover of humanity and of his profession. It was while treating smallpox patients that he contracted a cold which ulti- mately resulted in his death. In the hope of recovering his former vigor he came to Cali- fornia in the spring of 1876, locating first in Norwalk, but a year later going to Del Monte, where his death occurred May 6, 1879. Polit- ically he was a Democrat, but the duties of his profession left him little time for active participation in its affairs. His wife was formerly Miss Sarah Eliza Rosebell, and was an ideal helpmate, who being his equal edu- cationally could and did render him invalua- ble assistance. A native of Richmond, Va., Mrs. Allen was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. (Sutherland) Rosebell, the father also a na- tive of Virginia, and of Scotch extraction. When she was a girl of twelve years her par- ents removed to Maine, but from the year 1876 until her death, September 6, 1895, she was a resident of the Golden state. Both her- self and husband were devoted members of the Christian Church, toward the support of which they contributed generously.

The eldest child of the parental family is Eugenia Estella, who makes her home with her brother Claude M. on his ranch near Santa Monica. The second child, Earl Montrose, lives in Downey, this state. Born at High- point, Moniteau county, Mo., May 6, 1869, Claude M. Allen was a small child of seven years when his parents removed to California on account of his father's health. From the time of the latter's death until he reached his majority he continued at home with his mother, in 1893 purchasing the nucleus of his present ranch, twelve miles northwest of Santa Monica. Five years later he filed a homestead claim of one hundred and sixty acres adjoining, thirty acres of which he now has under cultivation, while the remainder is

2175

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

in pasture. In addition to the land which he owns he also rents two hundred acres to en- able the carrying out of the extensive stock- raising project which he has undertaken. While the latter industry probably represents the largest investment which he has made on the ranch it does not by any means indicate that he has no other interests, for he is equally successful in the raising of turkeys and chick- ens, besides which he carries on a small dairy. While in national affairs he is firm in his al- Jegiance to the Democratic party, in local elections he supports the candidate best fitted for the office, without reference to party name. The genial proprietor of Oak Grove ranch has many friends among those who visit him year after year, his tact and good judgment and his innate desire to please endow his estab- iishment with a popularity which is compli- mentary in the extreme.

JOHN S. BELL. One of the largest ranch owners and best known men in this section of the state is John S. Bell of Santa Barbara county, who has lived on his ten thousand acre ranch for more than thirty-five years and has improved it until it has become one of the best developed properties in the state. His residence is a beautiful one surrounded by a spacious and well kept lawn and in the flower gardens attached to the place are over three hundred varieties of roses. These gardens are acknowledged to be among the finest in the state. The greater part of the four thousand acres devoted to grain raising is farmed by renters ; six thousand acres is given over to pasturing purposes and Mr. Bell raises cattle and well bred horses, the latter being princi- pally road stock.

The birthplace of Mr. Bell was Tahiti, one of the South Sea islands, where his parents, Charles Z. and Caroline (Berry) Bell, owned a sugar plantation. The father was a native of Dundee, Scotland, and the mother of Irish birth. In 1848 they left Tahiti and removed to San Francisco at the time of the excite- ment over the discovery of gold at Sutter's mill. The mother's .death occurred while on a sea voyage, and the father later emigrated to Australia, where he was killed. There were two children in the family, the sister of Mr. Bell is now living in Australia. The son, who was born June 27, 1842, received his early education in California, and in 1860 went to England to take a general course at Walton college located near Liverpool, attending the school for three years. He remained seven years following the time spent in . study and then returned to California coming directly to

Los Alamos and purchasing the ranch which he now owns. It has been no small task to accomplish the conversion of ten thousand acres of raw land running to wild mustard and other noxious crops, into the highly pro- ductive and well improved present day ranch, and it may well be a matter of pride to Mr. Bell that he has succeeded so completely. He was married to Catherine Den, a daughter of Nicholo A. Den, who came to California in 1824. They have a family of five children, three of whom are married. They are Cathe- rine, married to J. L. Cheney and lives in Connecticut ; Charles, married to Miss Kelley of St. Paul, Minn., lives at Alma, Mich., where he is superintendent of a sugar factory ; Car- rie; Rosa; Mary, married to Charles Cheney, and lives in Connecticut. Mrs. Bell is a finely educated woman and well informed on the subject of history, especially the history of California and England. Religiously Mr. Bell is a communicant of the Roman Catholic Church : politically he is a Republican; and fraternally belongs to the Knights of Pythias lodge at Los Alamos, where he has served the lodge as chancellor commander. A man of fine education and unusually well traveled, and possessed of a high order of business sagacity he has not devoted himself entirely to private interests but has bent the weight of his activities and influence to the further- ing of public enterprises tending to the im- provement and unbuilding of his section of the state, where he is highly esteemed as one of the leading men.

ALBERT AYLMORE. Albert Aylmore, one of the progressive and successful ranchers of small fruit in Los Angeles county, although a newcomer in this section, holds a high place among the representative farmers. He is a native of England, having been born in Sussex, January 21, 1844. His parents were also natives of England, his mother dying when he was only a small child. Albert Ayl- more enlisted in the English navy, being thrown upon his own resources at an early age. His education was received in a private and common school up to the time of his en- listment. He served in the navy for six and one-half years, proving an able seaman and being in line of promotion when he resigned from the service. At that time he came to the United States and in the territory of Wash- ington engaged in farming for the period of three years, when he moved to Oregon and followed ranching and dairying. He became the owner of a fine ranch in Oregon and also several lots in Astoria, and was interested in

2176

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

salmon fishing on the Columbia river. De- ciding to take up his residence in California, Mr. Aylmore disposed of his ranch property in Oregon and came south and in Workman leased a farm of two hundred acres. He car- ried on general farming, stock-raising and a dairy business for about four years. He then came to Los Angeles county and purchased a ranch of seven acres putting on all improve- ments, a fine residence, substantial and com- modious barns and outbuildings and has put his place under berries, logan, black, dew and raspberry. His fine irrigation system gives him sufficient water for the raising of his crops.

Mr. Aylmore married Annie Heckard, a native of Ohio, and they became the parents of four children, namely: Charles; George, who died at the age of nineteen years ; Daisy, who married A. C. Turon, and has one child ; and Mark. Mrs. Aylmore died in Oregon, and in 1887 Mr. Aylmore married Mrs. Caro- line Paulson, widow of Olaf Paulson, a native of Sweden. By her first marriage she had three children: Elizabeth S., William, and Olaf. They make their home with Mr. and Mrs. Ay!more. Mr. and Mrs. Aylmore have three children : Annie, Pearl and Albert. Mr. Avlmore is a stanch Democrat in his political affiliations and has always taken an active interest in the advancement of the prin- cipies he endorses. During his residence in Oregon he served as school trustee for many years. He is well informed on topics of the clay, is liberal and enterprising, and a worthy addition to the citizens of Los Angeles coun- tv.

NATHAN L. BRECKENRIDGE. The family represented by this enterprising ranch- er of Compton originated in Kentucky and counted among other notable members John Cabell Breckenridge, vice-president of the United States under James Buchanan, this an- cestor being a second cousin of Merrill Breck- enridge, the latter the father of our subject. A native of the state which had been the home of so many of his ancestors, Merrill Brecken- ridge, when a young single man set out for the frontier, as Illinois was then considered, and in that state took up raw land from the government About this time, too, the Town- send family settled there from Ohio, and as a result of the friendship that sprang up be- tween the two families was the marriage of Merrill Breckenridge and Priscilla Townsend. On Rooks creek, in Livingston county, the young people established their home on the farm which Mr. Breckenridge had in the meantime improved to a fine state of cultiva-

tion and there they reared their seven children. Of these five are now in California. In addi- tion to being a farmer of considerable ability Merrill Breckenridge was known throughout Illinois in the early days as a man of large legal attainments, and to him belongs the dis- tinction of being the first judge of Livingston county, an office which he held for many years. For two terms also he was sheriff and county assessor of the same county, positions which came to him through Democratic in- fluence, for he was a strong party man and well liked among his constituents. In the com- munity where he had spent the greater part of his life he ceased from his labors at the age of seventy-six years, and his wife also, died in the same state at the age of fifty-six years, they being members of the Baptist and Meth- odist Episcopal Churches, respectively.

Nathan L. Breckenridge was born on the Livingston county homestead August 19, 1867, and was educated in the common schools of that locality. Early in life he was obliged to face the stern realities which must come to all sooner or later, the death of his parents when he was sixteen, making it necessary to provide for his own support. Prior to this, however, he had worked on the home farm and become proficient in general farm duties, so that he had a foundation upon which to build when starting out for himself. Until twenty years old, or until 1887, he worked for neighboring farmers in Illinois and then turned his face westward, coming to Los An- geles county. His knowledge of agriculture made the securing of employment an easy matter, and for a time he was employed on the Walton ranch near Compton. He gave up this position to go into partnership with his brother, W. J., the two being associated in a ranching enterprise for about four years. Up- on the dissolution of the partnership Nathan L. went to Riverside county and carried on a ranch for about two years, and the following three years were spent in Ventura county, two years on a stock ranch and one year on a bean ranch. Coming once more to Los An- geles county he secured a position on the Can- field ranch and was finally made foreman of the property, a position which he held for seven years, during which time he planted a large portion of the land to alfalfa. So great was his success in the raising of this com- modity that he determined to establish a ranch of his own, a determination which he carried out in 1902 by the purchase of the Sexton ranch, a tract of sixty-three acres which is so located that irrigation is unneces- sary. The land is exceptionally well adapted to the raising of alfalfa.

2177

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

A marriage ceremony performed in 1892 united the destinies of Nathan L. Brecken- ridge and Sadie Brinkerhoff, the latter a daughter of Peter S. Brinkerhoff, who is known to be one of the earliest pioneers in the state of California. Two children were born to the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Breck- enridge, Opal B. and Lloyd, but the latter died at the age of two years. Of the same political belief as his father, Mr. Breckenridge is a stanch Democrat, and fraternally he is a member of the Modern Woodman Lodge at Compton. .

MISS FRANCES E. CALLISTER AND MRS. LILLIAN D. SMITH. The enterprising firm of Callister & Smith, composed of two bright and capable business women, Miss Frances E. Callister and Mrs. Lillian D. Smith, is widely known throughout a large part of Los Angeles county, and is carrying on a notable business in Venice as dealers in real estate. Miss Callister and Mrs. Smith have been close friends and business asso- ciates for many years. Living in the same eastern city, Rochester, N. Y., for a long time, both were ambitious to enter upon a business career, and chose that of a florist. Beginning on a small scale, they were successful from the start, building up a substantial business, which necessitated the erection of two large greenhouses. They made a specialty of rais- ing carnations, developing a great variety of very large ones, almost rivalling some of Bur- bank's recent productions. They raised plants and flowers of all kinds for sale, and, although they had nearly an acre of land under glass near Seneca Park, they were oftentimes un- able to supply the demand for cut flowers. They became numbered among the leading florists of western New York, and were just- ly proud of the financial and social standing they acquired in Rochester.

A native of Rochester, N. Y., Frances E. Callister came of honored ancestry, her fore- fathers being among the pioneers of that city. Her father, John Callister, who married Eliza- beth Gawne, was for many years a prominent business man of Rochester, active in manu- facturing and financial circles.

After leaving the public schools of Roches- ter, Miss Callister attended the Rochester Female Academy. Desirous of becoming a physician, she then entered the St. Louis Homeopathic Medical College, where she re- mained two years. Going then to the Carl Dunham Homeopathic College, she pursued her studies there for a year, but on account of ill health was forced to abandon her studies. Returning to Rochester, she turned her at-

tention to music, studying and teaching it for five years, at the same time being director of the choir of the St. James Episcopal Church, In her musical profession, Miss Callister was very successful, many of her pupils becoming prominent in musical circles and on the stage. Also in business for some time with her friend, Mrs. Smith, she became widely known as a florist, and remained in the city of her birth until her health again failed.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

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 175

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