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 193

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 193

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).

CHARLES BRADFORD HUGHES. The gold fields of Southern California are well known to the mining world, and have been the means of drawing many expert miners and prospectors to the state. It may not be as universally known, however, that the dis- trict in and around Lytle creek is especially rich in the ore that has given the state its name. Comparatively speaking this is one of the newer mines opened up, and as yet its true value is not known, although facts and figures at hand suffice to warrant the state- ment that in a few years, when proper machin- ery for handling has been installed, the output will be doubled and trebled.

Charles B. Hughes, a native of New York City, made his advent into the state in 1887, locating first in the San Joaquin valley, where he carried on general ranching and wheat raising for four years. From there he went to Fresno county, where for the same length of time he was engaged in the nursery business, meeting with a fair degree of success in the undertaking. It was during the year 1895 that he came to San Bernardino county, and after looking around for a time for a suitable loca- tion he finally came to Lytle creek, with which locality he has been identified ever since, as miner and prospector. While he has several valuable prospects in other parts of the coun- ty, his interest is chiefly centered in his mines along Lytle creek. While he has a number of low-grade prospects here, the most important one, and the one which has claimed his atten- tion most continuously, is a solid body of ore six hundred feet wide, three thousand feet long. Mr. Hughes holds this mine worth $100,000, which would be a cheap investment for capi- talists, for with a proper cyanide plant hun- dreds and even thousands of tons could be handled daily. As it is, Mr. Hughes has put a shaft of one hundred and twenty-five feet

into the ledge, besides which he has made cross-cuts therein.

In this connection it would perhaps not be otit of place to mention briefly some of Mr. Hughes' co-laborers in the gold-fields around Lytle creek. I'. Perdue, Dr. Shepherd and Dr. Dickey have struck a very rich vein of ore which they are developing, and which is run- ning from $10 to $100 per ton. William W. Carlile has a large body of copper ore which runs across the face of Berneita Falls. James Washington is operating a placer mine from which he has taken more or less gold since 1889, besides which he has a large quartz ledge of low-grade ore passing through his placer. William Jones, who located here in 1887, has both placer and quartz prospects from which he is taking both silver and gold. At Middle- fork James and Thomas Baird, of Colton, have gold, silver and copper properties, the gold assaying as high as $60 per ton.

EDGAR MILLARD KNICKERBOCKER. San Bernardino county has many valuable mines within its borders which are making large fortunes for their owners, and one of those now in successful operation and being rapidly developed to a still greater extent is that owned by the Three Friends Mining and Mill- ing Company, which firm is composed of E. M. Knickerbocker. Long and Miller. The mill- ing plant is located in Van Dusen canon, a tributary to Bear Valley, and about thirty miles from the city of San Bernardino, and is fitted wth a twenty-five horsepower engine with forty horsepower boiler. These have in operation five stamps of their ten-stamp mill and within a few months the proprietors ex- pect to have the other five stamps in working order.

On October 26, 1876, Edgar Millard Knick- erbocker, son of Charles Henry and Susan (Robbins) Knickerbocker, was born on a farm in Potter county, Pa., and at an early age went to work in the oil fields of that state. After nine years spent in this employment, and during which time he had charge of thirty pumps, he went to New Mexico with a sur- veying party sent out by the Lackawanna Lumber Company and remained in the employ of this firm for five years. He subsequently took a trip through Montana, Washington and Oregon, then came to Los Angeles, where he remained some time, and finally settled per- manently in his present location. In 1901 he spent six months operating the Alberta mills in Kern county, and also worked in the Yel- low Aster mines for a time, in 1902 taking up his claims here. After three years spent in the

2261

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

mills at Gold Mountain he resolved to work these claims and for thirty days leased a two- stamp mill of C. L. Metzer to test the ore. Finding that it had a value of eight dollars per ton in 1905 he installed a two-stamp mill of his own, but heavy snowfalls prevented its op- eration. In 1906 he then installed the machin- ery he is now operating, the five stamps being run to their full capacity.

In 1900 Mr. Knickerbocker was united in marriage with Miss Hilma Johnson, a native of Sweden and a daughter of Peter Johnson.

WILLIAM JUSTICE. The native place of Mr. Justice is Ozark county, Mo., and the date of his birth, October 22, 1843. His parents, Amos and Susan (Barker) Justice, were na- tives of Missouri, where the father died in 1844. Later the mother moved to Arkansas and from there to the frontier regions of Texas, after a time settling in Milam county in the more settled portion of the same state. Com- ing to the Pacific coast, she arrived in Los Angeles county March 27, 1867, and settled near Norwalk, where she died in 1881 at sixty years of age. There were three sons in the family, John, Thomas and William, the last- named being only a year old when his father died. From the first Misfortune seemed to mark the lads for her own. The death of their father and the poverty of the family prevented the sons from attending school, and they re- ceived little education save such as was gath- ered from observation and reading. While still living in Missouri John was killed by a log accidentally falling upon him. Thomas passed through a youth of struggle, married, and at the opening of the Civil war joined the Confederate army. While in active service he was wounded at Milliken's Bend, thirty miles above Vicksburg, and died at Monroe, La., June 20, 1863, from the effects of the injury. The youngest of the brothers, William, was hit by a ball when at school at the age of twelve years. The ball penetrated the hip bone and caused erysipelas to develop, ren- dering him a cripple for life. For this rea- son he was unable to enlist in the war. Re- maining at home, he supported himself by working for neighbors and farming for him- self in a small way. Shortly after the close of the war he and his family decided to remove to the Pacific coast, and with a wagon and four mules drove along the southern route via San Antonio. El Paso. Tucson and Yuma to San Bernardino, settling one mile south of Downey in Los Angeles county, where he en- gaged in farming.

With a team Mr. Justice returned to Texas

in 1873 and remained for sixteen months, but his health failed and he returned to Downey, arriving there October 9, 1874, and again tak- ing up life at the old home, From there he again went to Texas March 1, 1882, but soon sold his Texas farm, and in September of the same year came once more to California, where he bought land near Artesia and took up ranch- ing. December 22, 1885, he arrived in what is now the Richland school district near the site of Escondido, where he has since made his home. The name Richland was given to the little hamlet and a postoffice was maintained until the establishment of the rural free de- livery, since which time Escondido has been his postoffice town. . Very soon after his ar- rival he bought one hundred and twenty-four acres of government land and set out a por- tion of the tract in walnuts, while the balance was devoted to pasturage of stock and raising of grain. Eventually considerations of health led him to relinquish ranch work, and October 15, 1904, he moved into the town of Escon- dido, where he gives attention to his duties as supervisor. While at Richland he organized. the school district, selected the site of the schoolhouse and serve as clerk of the school board until 1894, meanwhile taking an active part in the erection of the school building.

The marriage of Mr. Justice took place in Hill county, Tex., November 8, 1863, and unit- ed him with Margaret A., daughter of J. B. Merchant, who was a native of Mississippi. Eight children were born of their union, name- ly: Hulda J., Mrs. J. W. Isbell, of Escon- dido; John B., who is engaged in the manu- facture of carriages at No. 208 East Seventh street, Los Angeles; Charles W., of Escon- dido ; Sue, Mrs. S. E. Edwards, of San Diego; Mande, who resides in Los Angeles and is a stenographic reporter; Viola, who is an in- structor in Highland Park school in Los An- geles county ; Ruth, who remains with her parents ; and J. Amos, a graduate of 1906 from the Southern California Dental College in Los Angeles. The family are connected with the Escondido Christian Church and are contrib- utors to the religious and educational prog- ress of their community.

J. THOMAS KERR is one of the younger farmers of Riverside county, and one of the most enterprising and resourceful. At this writing he acts as vice-president and manager of the Kerr Farming Company. farmers and contractors, at Armada in the Perris valley ; the ranch comprising seventeen thousand acres, of which eleven thousand acres are in grain and six thousand acres are sheep pasture.

2262

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

There are two steam-threshing and harvest- ing outfits ; and when not needed for the grain, the threshing engines are utilized for other purposes, as street work at Corona, and haul- ing from the mines. A warehouse is now be- ing erected at Alessandro. In addition to farming and threshing contracts, he is a stock- holder in the San Jacinto Water Company and the C. C. C. Cattle Company of the San Ja- cinto valley, besides aiding other local enter- prises by his influence and co-operation.

Louisville, Ky., is the native city of Mr. Kerr, and September 15, 1871, the date of his birth, his parents being John Thomas and Betty A. (Porter) Kerr, natives respectively of Missouri and Kentucky. They removed to Kansas, settling on a stock ranch near Ar- kansas City, where the father had fourteen thousand acres of range. Later they moved to Winfield, Kans., and in 1884 came to Cali- . fornia, settling in Riverside county. In com- pany with G. D. Compton and James Kerr, under firm title of Kerr, Compton & Kerr, he laid out and started the town of San Jacinto, and founded the Vallevista postoffice. In 1896 he came to the Perris valley and here died in January, 1905, aged sixty-eight years. His widow now fifty-nine years of age, resides at Riverside.

While still. a young lad J. Thomas Kerr ac- companied his parents to California and set- tled in Riverside county. In 1887 he secured employment in a factory at Colton, and one year later engaged as fireman on the Southern Pacific road, in eight months' time winning promotion to engineer, which he filled for eighteen months on that road and the Santa Fe.

In 1891 he took up farming in the San Jacinto valley, remaining there for three years. Taking up contract threshing, he removed to Yucaipe, and in 1893 took contract to thresh ten thousand acres in Bear valley. In 1894 he spent nine months in moving the stamp mills to the desert for the Gold Canon Company. He then returned to the ranch. In 1896 he took a contract to haul motors and pumps for a mining company, and the following year he had a contract to haul to Randsburg for the Atlantic and Pacific Company. The steam- threshing and hauling business provides a gratifying income. In 1901 he put in six thousand acres of wheat on the Chino. He gives much attention to the management of the ranch of the Kerr Farming Company near Armada. In ownership of which property his partners are: R. J. Waters, president, and A. W. Wright, secretary. The equipments of the ranch are complete. A bookkeeper is em- ployed on the ranch to take charge of accounts.

Mr. Kerr is a Democrat and always votes- the straight party ticket in general elections. He holds fraternal relations with the Wood- men of the World at San Jacinto. Socially he is a welcomed guest in the select circles and. the aristocratic families of Riverside county. Enterprise, justice, industry and intelligence place Mr. Kerr in his present high standing in. business circles.

HENRY L. MAHAN. Among the native. · Californians now resident in Ventura county mention should be made of Henry L. Mahan,. the son of John Mahan, an old and honored pioneer of the west, and himself a large agri- culturist of the Simi valley, where he owns. and occupies a fine ranch of two hundred and. ninety-five acres and in addition leases and superintends eleven hundred acres of valley land.

Elsewhere in this volume will be found a sketch of John Mahan, in which appears the- history of the family. During the residence of his parents in Sonoma county, Cal., Henry L. Mahan was born and at an early age he came- to Ventura county, where he received a fair ed- ucation in the common schools. Later he had the privilege of attending the University of Southern California. Upon starting out for himself he took up ranch pursuits, for which work he was well qualified through previous. experience under his father's training and over- sight. During the greater part of his active- career as a ranchman he has lived in Simi val- ley, where he settled in 1886, and four years later he purchased the property which he still owns and occupies. Under his oversight a number of important improvements have been made and the value of the ranch thereby has been increased, as well as its productive ca- pacity. Few men are better fitted than he for ranching, as his experience and his inclinations qualify him for successful work. In order to properly cultivate his own land and his leased holdings he finds it necessary to keep a large number of horses and also to utilize many acres in raising feed for the animals. Besides the horses he has other stock on the ranch and a considerable acreage is under pasturage. The ranch buildings are neat and adapted to their varied uses, and are kept in excellent repair under his personal supervision.

The marriage of Mr. Mahan took place at Camarillo October 31, 1886, and united him with Nettie, daughter of John Been, a Califor- nia pioneer represented on another page of this work. The only daughter of their union, Ha- zel, has been the recipient of excellent educa- tional advantages, for Mr. and Mrs. Mahan are

2263

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

thorough believers in the value of a good edu- cation. The interest which he feels in schools led him to accept a position as a member of the Simi school board, of which he has been a member for thirteen years and now holds of- fice as president of the board. In addition he has filled the office of road overseer. During the existence of the Hueneme Parlor, Native Sons of the Golden West, he was among its members, and now affiliates with the Fraternal Aid.

GEORGE MIDDLETON. Many of the traits noticeable in the character of Mr. Middle- ton and contributory to his high standing among the people of San Diego come to him from a long line of Scotch ancestors of recognized worth and integrity. His father, James, was born in the shire of Banff, Scotland, and was a son of George Middleton, a sailor upon the seas ad- jacent to his native Scotland. From Banff James Middleton removed to the shire of Forfar and engaged in business at Montrose, where he had a photographic gallery as well as a shop for the manufacture of watches. When somewhat advanced in years he died at Dundee. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Margaret Ingles, was like himself a member of an ancient Scotch family, was born in the vicinity of Montrose, and spent her entire life in that part of Scotland. Thirteen children were born of their union, but only two sons are now living, and both of these are in the United States.

· The eldest of the family was George, a native of Montrose, Scotland, born December 4, 1835, and reared in Montrose, where he was a pupil in a private school for a short time during child- hood. When only eleven years of age he was put to work in a linen factory and two years later he was apprenticed to the trade of house painter, decorator and grainer, at which he served for five years. On the expiration of his time he began to work as a journeyman, first at Glasgow and then at Grennoch on the Clyde. During the Crimean war in 1853 he spent six months on board a British gunboat in the capac- ity of a painter, thence returning to Grennoch and from there to Montrose. Next he settled in Arbroath on the shores of the North sea in the shire of Forfar, where he followed his trade in the railroad shops. While living in that city he was married, June 10, 1860, to Miss Ann Bar- nett, a native of Arbroath and daughter of James Barnett, a merchant of the city.

Crossing the ocean to the United States the vear after his marriage Mr. Middleton settled in Detroit, Mich., where he worked as a salaried painter for three years and then began to take contracts for painting. For many years he fol-

lowed his occupation with diligence and skill in Detroit and was rewarded by the accumulation of a competency. During 1887 he came to Cali- fornia and settled in San Diego, where for nine years he owned and operated a paint store on the corner of 4th and A streets, and meanwhile filled many contracts for important jobs of paint- ing. When his store was burned down in the fall of 1905 he closed out the business and since then has limited his attention to contract work, having since 1894 been the senior member of the firm of Middleton & Son, painters. After com- ing to this city he built the residence he yet owns at No. 1953 India street, and here his wife died January 10, 1905, after a happy wedded life cov- ering almost forty-five years. Their only child, James, was born in Arbroath, Scotland, and re- ceived a high school education in Detroit, after which he learned the painter's trade under his father's oversight, and since 1894 he has been the active member of their firm. In addition he holds office as president of the Master Painters' Association, in the organization of which both he and his father bore an active part. Both are stanch believers in Republican principles and al- ways vote the ticket at national elections. While living in Detroit the father was made a Mason and later transferred his membership .to San Diego Lodge No. 35, F. & A. M., besides which he has been prominent in San Diego Court No. 28, Foresters of America, having formerly acted as chief ranger of the court and holding the office at present of deputy chief ranger. Father and son occupy a high place in their circle of ac- quaintances and business associates, and both are respected for integrity of life, energy of dispo- sition, geniality of temperament and faithfulness in the filling of contracts.

JOHN GEORGE LONG. Many years of busy activity have come to Mr. Long since he first arrived in California on Thanksgiving day of 1874, and in the interval he has traveled through the greater part of the state and ac- quired a thorough knowledge of its leading in- dustries. Throughout much of the time since he landed in the west he has made a specialty of mining and still retains an active connec- tion with this occupation, of which he has gained an expert knowledge by practical ex- perience and close observation. On coming to San Bernardino county Mr. Long took up mining in the Holcomb valley at Doble.

While claiming Missouri as his native com- monwealth, Mr. Long has spent little of his life in that state, where he was born in Cass county, August 20, 1854. At an early age he was ta- ken to Kansas by his parents, William Alfred and Margaret Matilda (Armstrong) Long,

2264

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

where he remained until eighteen years of age, meanwhile receiving such advantages as coun- try schools afforded for the training of the mind. On leaving home to earn his own way in the world he drifted to the mines of Wy- oming, where he worked as a laborer for a year. Next he took up railroad work and se- cured employment as a brakeman on the Union Pacific system. When he came to Cali- fornia during the latter part of November, 1874, he spent a week at Truckee, Nevada county, and thence proceeded to Rocklin, Placer county, where he worked in the mines for a short time. On leaving that locality he proceeded to Chico and secured employment at the Jackson claim. Later he engaged in mining at Butte creek. The year 1877 found hin a resident of Los Angeles, where he re- mained for a considerable period. After one year at various occupations he was engaged as foreman of Engine Company No. 3, in which capacity he remained for nineteen months. On resigning from that position he became an em- ploye on the street-car line, where he contin- ued for seven years, eventually resigning in order to resume mining, and since then he has been a partner in the company whose develop- ment owes much to his energy, acumen and progressive spirit.

JOSEPH MORETTI, one of the largest and most successful dairymen in Santa Barbara coun- ty, was reared in a family of ten children, all dependent upon the resources of a small Swiss farm. He was born September 1, 1858, a son of John E. and Constancia (Phillipine) Moretti, the former of whom attained to sixty-nine and the latter to sixty-eight years of age. Mr. Mor- etti's independent life began at the age of four- teen, when he came to America in a sailing ves- sel, and to California by railroad during the summer of 1873. Along the Sacramento river he worked for a dairyman for nine months, and for the next seven months was employed at the same occupation in Sonoma county. At Half Moon Bay he conducted a dairy for two years, and another dairy in Petaluma, Sonoma county, er his attention for the next six months.

I1. 'another part of Sonoma county he con- ducted a dairy for five years, and in 1881 came to Santa Barbara county, where he ever since has lived. At the present time he owns eleven hundred and sixty acres of land near Santa Maria, a large part of which provides pasture for eight hundred head of cattle. His chief dairy product is butter, and for the making of this he has the most modern appliances. On the land not devoted to pasturage he raises grain, beans and beets.

In Santa Cruz, February 15, 1891, Mr. Moretti was married to Flora Regetta, a native also of Switzerland, and they have three children, Renaldo, Allen and Irene. Mr. Moretti is iden- tified with the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows of Guadaloupe, and with his wife is a member of the Roman Catholic Church.

ELMER ELLSWORTH MOORE has been identified as a promoter of the principal industries contributing to the material development of his chosen place of residence, for his interests have been manifold and important. At this writing he is engaged in promoting a new town, to be known as Lengo, lying three miles north of Compton on the Santa Ana electric railway line, and opened to the public November 1, 1905, for the sale of town lots. As vice-president and gen- eral manager of the Sterling Milk Company of Los Angeles, the plant has been brought to a high degree of perfection, and the capital stock of $200,000 has been utilized in such a manner that assured profits are brought to the holders of stock. He has introduced into Southern Cali- fornia a high grade of Jersey cattle, among these being a registered animal that won the world's record test (showing eleven and four-tenths per cent of butter fat) at the thirty-second agri- cultural fair of Santa Ana district in 1902, under the tests instituted by Professor Anderson, a government official, connected with the Califor- nia State University. Within three years this cow netted the present owner seven hundred and thirty-five dollars over and above the purchase price and expense of feeding.

The Moore family is of eastern origin and Mr. Moore is a native of Ohio, born in August of 1866, his parents having been Silas and Susanna (McCoy) Moore. His maternal grandfather, John McCoy, who was a member of the old militia prior to the Revolutionary war, lived to be eighty-six years of age. After the death of his wife Silas Moore came to California and in 1893 purchased a tract of forty acres on Signal Hill near Long Beach, where he died two years later at seventy-nine years ; his wife was seventy- eight at the time of her death.

Earlv educated in country schools in Ohio, Elmer E. Moore had the supplementary advantage of attending the Ohio Normal University at Ada. from which in 1888 he received the degree of Bachelor of Science. Immediately after his graduation he took up school-teaching, in which he continued for five years. In April, 1893, he came to California taking charge of the ranch purchased by his father. Two years later he was elected chairman of the Long Beach school board, and in that capacity aided in securing the establishment of the high school on American

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 193

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