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 67

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

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In David City, Neb., Mr. Churchill married J. F. Lierle, who was born in Illinois, a daugh- ter of William Lierle, now a resident of Nor- walk, Iowa, and they are the parents of three children, namely : Arthur R., Ruth and Mil- dred. Mr. Churchill is a member of the Escon- dido Chamber of Commerce, and for two years rendered good service as city marshall and tax collector. Politically he is a Republican. Fraternally he was made a Mason in David City, and is now a member and past master of Consuelo Lodge, No. 325, F. & A. M., of Escondido, which he joined at the time of its organization ; is a member of the knights of Pythias; and both he and his wife belong to the Order of the Eastern Star. Mrs. Churchill is a member of the Congregational Church, towards the support of which he contributes generously.

WILLIAM H. SMITH. To attain to so honored a place in the community as has William H. Smith is to live worthily and improve the opportunities within reach of one's ability and in- dustry. Without doubt the surroundings of his youth had much to do with formulating those principles of truth and honesty which are the keynote of his character and which have helped him in surmounting difficulties. A native of Wis- consin, he was born in Lafayette county, No- vember 15, 1847. a son of William and Sarah (Davis) Smith, the former born in England, and the latter a native of Illinois. When their son William was a small child they left Wisconsin and settled on a farm in Clay county, Ill., re- maining there until 1874. when they came to California. The father died in Tulare county when seventy-six years old, and the mother was seventy-two at the time of her death. Both were devout members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and throughout their lives they exempli-

fied the teachings of the Master, who went about doing good. Of the seven children born to them, two are deceased.

Educated in the common schools of Clay coun- ty, Ill., William H. Smith interspersed with his studies the duties that fall to the lot of the aver- age farmer's son, and remained at home with his parents until his twenty-fifth year. Upon- coming to California in 1872 he went first to Alameda county, working on a stock ranch there for about two years, after which he went to Stan- islaus county to take charge of a wheat ranch as foreman. An experience of ten years there en- abled him to lay by means with which to pur- chase a ranch of his own, his choice of a location taking him within a short distance of Pomona. Five years later he disposed of the property and came to Ventura county, here also continuing to carry on a ranch, although it was not until about 1903 that he purchased and settled upon his pres- ent property. With the exception of about twenty acres of hay land the entire ranch, one hundred and twenty-two and a half acres, is planted in beans, his vines producing on an average fifteen sacks to the acre. Although Mr. Smith may be called a pioneer of Southern California, he is comparatively speaking a newcomer to this im- mediate vicinity. This fact, however, would not be known from the appearance of his ranch, for he has spared no means to supply himself with the latest labor-saving devices and install im- provements of a high order, with the result that his ranch takes high rank among the best in Ven- tura county.

Mr. Smith's marriage in 1884 united him with Miss Belle Williams, a native of Kansas, and the only child of their marriage is Raymond, who is now a clerk in a store in Camarillo. The fam- ily attend and support the Baptist Church, and politically Mr. Smith is a believer in Republican principles.

EDWARD T. HUGHES. The modern and well-kept ranch which belongs to Edward T. Hughes, hespeaks the ability and energy which have characterized the effort put into the culti- vation of the property. Camarillo, Ventura county, is his postoffice, and Oxnard his market town, where he finds a ready sale for the com- modities produced on his ranch, which com- prises beans and hay exclusively.

Richard V. and Elizabeth (Cullen) Hughes were both natives of Pennsylvania, but prior to the birth of their son Edward, they established their home in Nebraska. There the father prac- ticed his profession, becoming known as a law- yer of exceptional talents and marked ability. a fact which was emphasized by his election to

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the office of district judge. He died at the age of fifty-nine years and his funeral was conducted under the auspices of the Masonic and Odd Fel- low fraternities, in both of which bodies he had been an active member. The mother, who is also deceased, passed away at the age of sixty- eight years, leaving to mourn her loss many friends who had worked side by side with her in the various benevolent societies of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which she was an active member.

Edward T. Hughes was born in Brownsville, Neb., January 17, 1868, and received his educa- tion in the common schools of his native village. When he was a lad of only seven years his life was saddened by the death of his father, and early in life he began to assume duties which but for this circumstance might have been avert- ed until more mature years. After leaving school he began to work on the neighboring farms in Nebraska, and at the age of twenty years he had acquired sufficient confidence in himself to strike out in the world alone. Not content with the out- look which he saw before him in his native state, he came to California in 1888, locating first in Los Angeles, but finally came to Ventura county. To one with less grit and determination the pros- pects which confronted him would have seemed dark indeed, but he was not daunted by the fact that he was without money or friends, and phil- osophically set about to find some honest em- ployment. Farm work, the only thing with which he was familiar, could be obtained with ease, and for a number of years he worked in the employ of others. During this time, however, the one thought paramount in his mind was to lay by whatever could be spared after paying his honest debts, in the hope of becoming a land- owner himself at no far distant day. His earn- estness and frugality were rewarded when, in 1901, he became the owner of his present ranch of one hundred acres. He has planted eighty acres to beans, from which he reaps fifteen sacks to the acre, and the remainder of the land is in hay.

In 1891 Mr. Hughes formed domestic ties by his marriage with Miss Lulu Rice, who was born in Kansas, a daughter of Benjamin and Mary Rice. Mrs. Rice is still living, making her home in Pomona, the death of her husband having oc- curred in Pasadena. Mr. and Mrs. Hughes have a bright and interesting family of five children, named in the order of their birth as follows: Herbert, Richard, Estella, Edna and Lottie. Like his father before him Mr. Hughes is a Republi- can in his political inclination, and like him, too, he is a member of the Masonic fraternity, holding membership in Oxnard Lodge No. 341. Educa- tional affairs have always been a matter of deep

interest to Mr. Hughes and he is now serving as school trustee. His friends are not confined to any age or class, but are drawn from all the walks of life, for he is the same to all-high and low, rich and poor-and all honor him for his success and wish him many years of prosperity. He has recently improved the appearance of his property by the erection of new buildings throughout.

JOHN C. HARTMAN. Throughout the neighborhood of Camarillo, Ventura county, where he has made his home since 1874, Mr. Hartman is known as an enterprising and efficient rancher, few surpassing him in the output of beans to which his ranch is devoted almost exclusively. Immediately after coming to this place he pur- chased his present ranch, comprising eighty-one acres, and put it in vines, the venture proving so successful that he later rented adjoining land un- til he now has four hundred acres under his control. With the exception of a few acres which are in hay, all of the land is in beans, which harvest from fifteen to eighteen sacks to the acre.

An only child, John C. Hartman was born at Mount Pleasant, Henry county, Iowa, May 26, 1858, a son of John and Belinda (Gray) Hart- man, born in Ohio and Indiana respectively. The greater part of their later life was passed in Iowa, however, and it was there that the death of the father occurred when he was only thirty- six years of age. After this bereavement the mother came to California, her death occurring in Santa Barbara in 1896, when fifty-nine years old. Both had been stanch members of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church, and politically Mr. Hart- man was a Republican. By the time he was sixteen years old John C. Hartman had left school and had entered the world of business. Coming to California in 1874 he purchased the ranch in Ventura county on which he now re- sides, his energy and shrewd business methods bringing him an early financial success.

January 2, 1881, Mr. Hartman was married to Eliza A. Wilhite, a native of the Lone Star state and a daughter of Rev. W. L. Wilhite, a minis- ter in the Methodist Episcopal Church South, at Santa Ana, where Mr. and Mrs. Wilhite make their home. Four children have been born into the home of Mr. and Mrs. Hartman, Georgia, Elmer, Jessie and Bertha, all of whom are receiv- ing every educational advantage which their par- ents can bestow. They are now attending the schools of Los Angeles, in which city Mr. Hart- man owns property, and for the time being the family make their home there, although Mr. Hartman's duties confine him very closely to

george Palmer

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

1593

the ranch. Mrs. Hartman is an earnest member of the Presbyterian Church, toward the support of which Mr. Hartman gives liberally. Through- out his life he has kept in touch with the issues before our government, has voted the Republican ticket, and upheld its principles whenever the op- portunity has been offered. Accompanied by his wife and one daughter Mr. Hartman re+ turned to the scene of his boyhood home in Iowa, in 1904, after an absence of thirty years, from there taking an extended trip throughout the east and south. A fitting climax to this journey was a visit to the World's Fair held in St. Louis.

GEORGE PALMER. During the twenty years that George Palmer has been a resident of Compton he has been industriously and actively employed in advancing its agricult- ural prosperity, and has his ranch well im- proved and under a high state of cultivation. His residence and outbuildings are neat, and everything around him evinces the thrift and care of its owner. A native of Indiana, he was born November 23, 1839, of English ancestry. His parents, William and Sarah (Bellamy) Palmer, emigrated from England, their native country, to the United States in 1835, locating first in Indiana, from there going, in 1855, to Marshall county, Ill., where they spent the remainder of their lives. Of the four children that blessed their union, two are living, name- ly: George, the special subject of this sketch ; and Mrs. Emily Litchfield, who was born in England and is now living in Illinois. The parents were people of sound religious prin- ciples, and belonged to the Baptist Church.

Brought up in a rural district, two and one- half miles from the nearest school, George Palmer received limited educational advan- tages, pursuing his studies in the winter terms only. After removing with the family to Illinois he assisted his father in the pio- neer labor of improving a farm, and of this homestead he and his brother afterwards had charge for a few years. Subsequently start- ing in life for himself, Mr. Palmer purchased land in Marshall county, Ill., becoming own- er of one hundred and twenty acres now in- cluded within the limits of the city of Toluca. Selling out, he went to Livingston county, Ill., where he bought a half section of land, on which he was successfully engaged in general farming for several years. Disposing of that cstate in 1885, he came to Los Angeles coun- ty, Cal., and having purchased his present home ranch of sixty-two acres has since car- ried on general farming with satisfactory re- sults. The estate is now under the manage-

ment of his sons, who make a specialty of rais- ing alfalfa, for which the land is well adapted.

In 1864, in Illinois, Mr. Palmer married Isa- bel Ruston, a native of Indiana, and of the eleven children born of their union three died in infancy, and eight are living, namely : William R .; George H .: Eliza Belle, wife of Frank Walton; Emily L .; Anna Mary; John L .; Jane E .; and Robert L. Politically Mr. Palmer is an uncompromising Democrat, and when the town of Compton was incorporated was elected to the office of town trustee. Fra- ternally he is a member of Centennial Lodge No. 247, I. O. O. F., and has been through all of the chairs of the lodge with which he is connected. Religiously he belongs to the old school of Baptists, and is a faithful follower of its creeds.

E. WRIGHT DAILY. An extensive and prosperous agriculturist, now in the prime of life, E. W. Daily is successfully engaged in his inde- pendent vocation on one of the best and most valuable homesteads in Ventura county. Located near Oxnard, his ranch, with its comfortable and convenient set of buildings and their neat and tasteful surroundings, invariably attracts the at- tention of the passerby, its general appearance bearing evidence of the thrift and enterprise which first established it, and by which it has since been managed. A man of ability, industry and intelligence, he has met with marked suc- cess in his undertakings, and stands well in his community, both from a social and a financial point of view. A son of C. W. Daily, he was born, May 10, 1860, in Kansas, but was brought up and educated in New York state.

A native of New York state, C. W. Daily be- came a farmer from choice, and soon after his marriage removed to Kansas, where for a few seasons he was engaged in agricultural pursuits. Returning to the Empire state in 1862, he enlist- ed in the Fiftieth New York Engineer Corps, in which he served two or more years. At the close of the Civil war he resumed his chosen occupation in New York, living there until 1892, when he came to California. He is now retired from active labor, and makes his home with his son Charles. He is a Republican in politics, a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and belongs to the Masonic order. He married Ruth (Fordham) Green, who was born in New York state, and is now living there. Three children were born of their union.

But two years of age when his parents re- turned to New York state, E. W. Daily there ob- tained a common school education, and during the days of his boyhood and youth acquired an ex-

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

cellent knowledge of general farming. Coming to California in 1884, he located in Ventura county, and for three years worked for wages on the Patterson ranch. Pleased with the coun- try and his prospects herein, he then, after a brief visit at his old home in the east, purchased three hundred acres of land, and by dint of hard labor and good management has since improved the ranch which he now occupies. As a tiller of the soil, he has met with success, and is now de- voting his time and attention to the raising of beans and barley, making a specialty of beans, which yield a good crop, averaging fifteen sacks to the acre.

In 1889 Mr. Daily married Etta Crowley, who was born and reared in New York state, and they are the parents of four children, namely : Nellie, Ruth, Bernice and Gladys. Politically Mr. Daily is a warm advocate of the principles of the Republican party, and for the past twelve years has rendered good service as school trustee.

HENRY BJORKMAN. A thorough knowl- edge of the lumber industry in all its depart- ments enables Mr. Björkman to discharge with efficiency the duties connected with his chosen occupation. Since the year 1895 he has made San Pedro his home and has engaged in the lumber business continuously, by careful in- dustry gaining a thorough knowledge of its many details. While he is a loyal American and a patriotic Californian, his early years were spent in the midst of scenes far different from those that now surround him in the sunny west, for in the cold and cheerless province of Finland his eyes first opened upon a gray sombre world. The home farm, which his father, John, cul- tivated, was one with sterile soil scarce sufficing to earn a livelihood for the family though all combined in their efforts to eke out an exist- ence from the barren acres. There were five children in the family and of these Henry, the third in order of birth, was born February 25, 1873, his birthplace being the homestead at Nykarleby. Such advantages as were possible his parents gave him, sending him to the public schools of the town and training him to habits of self-reliance and patient industry.

When nineteen years of age Mr. Björkman came to the United States and sought employ- ment in New Mexico, where he engaged for eleven months in a sawmill at Chama. Next he worked at lumbering in the South Park of Colorado and from there went to Nebraska near Ogallala, where he worked in the employ of the Union Pacific Railroad Company for eighteen months. During 1895 he came to California, since which time he has made San Pedro his

home. Securing employment in a humble ca- pacity with the Southern California Lumber Company, he learned the entire business thor- oughly and proved himself an efficient workman. September 29, 1903, he resigned to enter upon business independently; since 1905 he has been a member of the Lumber Surveyors' Association, and is following as a business lumber surveyor. During 1901 he erected on Second near Mesa street a neat and comfortable residence, which is presided over by his wife, formerly Alma Sophia Newman, of Los Angeles. Mrs. Björk- man was born in the same part of Finland as her husband, and both are sincere members of the Lutheran Church, in which faith they were reared.

HENRY S. LANE. When the massacre of St. Bartholomew's day forced many Huguenots to flec from France and seek refuge in other lands, the Lane family found a haven of safety in England. The opening of the new world to colonization gave them an opportunity to trans- plant their race into a country where toleration in religion might be anticipated, and they became pioneers of Massachusetts, whence later genera- tions scattered throughout the entire country. Jonathan, son of Joseph Lane, was born at Or- rington, Penobscot county, Me., became an archi- tect and builder, and died at Bangor. The even tenor of his life was broken by the outbreak of the Civil war, in which he enlisted as a private in the First Maine Heavy Artillery. At the ex- piration of three years and six months he was honorably discharged and immediately after- ward raised a company which entered the Eight- eenth Maine Infantry. Although he bore a part in many engagements the only wounds he re- ceived were at Gettysburg : at all other times he remained on the battlefield until the end of the engagement, and bore a part in all the activities of his regiment.

Born in Bangor, Me .. July 8, 1861, Henry S. Lane was an infant during the period of his father's war service. As a boy he attended the common schools of Bangor, and when he started out to earn his own livelihood he went to Bos- ton, three months later proceeding to Provi- dence, R. I., where he served apprenticeship to the jewelry trade. During the year 1882 he en- listed in the United States army and was sent to David's Island in New York harbor, and in the same year was also sent to Salt Lake, Utah, as- signed. to Company E, Sixth United States In- fantry, under Col. Alexander McD. Cook. Later, for eighteen months he was stationed at Fort Washakie. Wyo., and then returned to Salt Lake City, where he was mustered out January 9, 1887. after five years of service.

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Coming to California and from San Francisco to Los Angeles, Mr. Lane engaged in contract- ing and building with a brother, W. E., for more than two years. Next he was employed on the Second street cable road until the failure of the company operating the same, after which he removed to Redondo, and for two and one-half years was foreman with the Willamette Lumber Company. Another year was spent with the same company as salesman in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, after which he bought an interest in the old St. Charles hotel at San Bernardino and operated the same for eighteen months. On disposing of his interest in the ho- tel he came to San Pedro in 1894 and entered the employ of the Southern California Lumber Company as yard foreman, since which time he has continued in the same position. In point of years of service he is the oldest employe of the company. Few surpass him in accurate knowl- edge of lumber and he has proved a reliable man in his responsible place. At no time or place has he been active in politics. Partisanship spirit is foreign to his disposition and temper- ament, and he takes no part in public affairs aside from the casting of a Republican ticket at general elections. Since coming to San Pedro he has become identified with Masonry, having been made a Mason in San Pedro Lodge No. 332, F. & A. M., of which he is past master.

JOHN BENN. One of the many thrifty ranches in the vicinity of Oxnard, Ventura coun- ty, which elicits special notice is that occupied by John Benn. In common with many in this part of the county he is interested exclusively in the raising of beans, a commodity which seems par- ticularly adapted to this soil and climate, and from his tract of eighty acres Mr. Benn gathers on an average fifteen sacks per acre.

Although Mr. Benn is of English birth he has has no personal knowledge of his native land, for when he was only one year old his parents immigrated to the United States to make their permanent home. Landing in New York City in 1847, the next year found them on the way to Iowa, where the father, although a carpenter by trade, carried on farming on a tract of land which he had previously purchased there. While he was fairly successful in the middle west, after four years he determined to locate in the far west and disposed of his Iowa farm. He reached Salt Lake City, Utah, in the winter of 1852, and on account of the difficulty of travel at that time of the year decided to remain there until the opening of spring. Again taking up the march he got as far as Fillmore, Utah, where the In- dians were on the warpath. Being in sympathy

with the cause of the white settlers he took up arms against the Indians and for three years aided in subdning the dusky foe. Once more re- suming his westward journey he reached Santa Barnardino in 1855. remaining in that city one winter, when he purchased a ranch and also took up a claim not far from Montecito, Santa Barbara county. His earth life was brought to a close on the home ranch when he was in his eighty-eighth vear. while his wife passed away when she was seventy-two years of age. Both were faithful members of the Episcopal Church, and politically Mr. Benn was a Democrat. The welfare of his party was always of deep concern to him and his constituents elected him a member of the city council.

One of five children which comprised the par- ental family, John Benn was born in Liverpool, England, August 27, 1846, and was little more than a child in arms when his parents landed on the shores of the new world. He was about seven years old at the time of the Indian war in Utah, and distinctly recalls the exciting times which the family experienced prior to their removal to Cal- ifornia. His school days began when the family became established in Santa Barbara county, at- tending first the city schools of Santa Barbara. later the schools of Montecito. Until attaining his majority he had taken an equal interest with his father in the care of the home ranch, but at the age of twenty-one he determined to strike out in the world on his own behalf, his first inde- pendent step being his marriage which occurred in 1867, and united him with Mary E. Scull, who was born and reared in Cincinnati, Ohio. After his marriage he carried on a ranch in Santa Bar- bara county until the year 1884, when he came to Ventura county and bought forty acres of the ranch on which he now resides. Subsequently he was enabled to secure forty acres adjoining his original purchase, and now has eighty acres de- voted to the raising of beans exclusively. Suc- cess has followed his persevering efforts and has enabled him to accumulate some means, but his personal gain has not been at the expense of prin- ciple or honor, as is attested by his hearty en- dorsement as a business man and neighbor from all who are brought in contact with him either in a business or social capacity.

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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 67

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