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 82

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 May, 1888, at Santa Paula, Mr. Vickers married Addie Holden, a daughter of Thomas Holden, who, in 1876, came from Michigan to California with his family, and is now a resident of Los Angeles. Of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Vickers four children have been born, namely : Josephine M., Gladys G., Mattie E. and Vesta E. In his political affiliations Mr. Vickers is a sound Democrat, and fraternally he is a member of Oxnard Lodge No. 341, F. & A. M., and of Oxnard Chapter No. 86, R. A. M. He is liberal in his religious beliefs, attending the Univer- salist Church of Santa Paula, and is contributing his full share toward advancing the intellectual and moral progress of the community.

GUY W. MAHAN. Numbered among the bright and enterprising young farmers of Ven- tura county is Guy W. Mahan, who is located in the vicinity of Somis and engaged in general ranching pursuits which have been productive of large financial returns. Inheriting the industry and perseverance which have thus early distin- guished his efforts, he was born of pioneer an- cestry December 31, 1876, his parents, William Samuel and Emma (Sisson) Mahan, both being natives of California. The paternal grandfather, John Mahan, who is written up at length in an- other part of this volume, was one of the early pioneers of the state and one of its upbuilders in the locality in which he settled. Ventura county has been the scene of all the efforts of Guy W. Mahan, his parents now residing near Somis, al- though in his boyhood they lived on the Los Posas ranch, where he attended the public school. This preliminary education was supplemented

by a course in Kanard College, of Ventura, where in the commercial department he received a prac- tical training which has been of material assist- ance since. The most important part of his training having been along agricultural lines it was but natural that he should seek this means of a livelihood, although for a year he was occu- pied with his brother, George Mahan, in a gro- cery store in Santa Paula. He is now the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of fine farm land, upon which he has placed all the improvements, and in addition to this property he rents three hundred and thirty acres, of which two hundred and fifty acres are devoted to the raising of beans and hay. Thus far he has met with un- qualified success in his work and bids fair to rank among the representative farmers of this section.

In Camarillo, Ventura county, Mr. Mahan was united in marriage with Miss Ethel Glenn, on the 23d of December, 1900. She is a daughter of George Glenn, of Camarillo, for further in- formation regarding whom refer to his biography which appears on another page of this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Mahan are the parents of two children, Oris and Vivian. The Baptist Church of Somis receives the support of Mr. Mahan in both attendance and financial matters. Fraternal- ly he is identified with the Modern Woodmen of America, of Santa Paula, and Knights of Pythias of the same place, and is also a member of the Fraternal Brotherhood.

LOUIS FRANK DIEDRICH. The rich agricultural resources of Ventura county have been developed and advanced by the many live, energetic and persevering farmers who have labored industriously and are now meeting with their due reward. Prominent among this num- ber is Louis F. Diedrich, who lives near Oxnard, where he owns a part of the old Schiappa Pietra ranch, and also leases a large tract of land. Beginning life with no other endowments than strong hands and a courageous heart, he has steadily worked liis way upward, gaining ex- perience and business ability as the years have passed, and now, in manhood's prime, is exceed- ingly prosperous. A native of Germany, he was born, September 30, 1859, in Hanover, where he obtained a practical common school education. His parents, Louis and Margaret (Bemeke) Diedrich, spent their entire lives in Germany, the mother dying in 1866, at the age of forty-seven years, and the father in 1870, aged fifty-eight years.

Living in the Fatherland until after attaining his majority, Louis F. Diedrich became familiar with the many branches of agriculture on his native soil. Immigrating to the United States

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in 1882, he spent a very brief time in New York City, and then started for the Pacific coast, com- ing by rail to Los Angeles, and from there to Ventura county by stage. For several years he was employed as a wage-earner. Enterprising and thrifty, he saved his money, and having ac- cumulated considerable capital purchased his present ranch in 1901, and at once .began its improvement. He owns one hundred and twenty-four acres of good land, and on this he has erected a modern house, an excellent set of farm buildings, and these, with their attractive surroundings, add materially to the appearance of the estate, and to its value from a financial point of view. He rents additional land, farm- ing about three hundred and twenty acres, two hundred and fifty acres being planted to beans, and the remainder devoted to the raising of barley.

February 20, 1887, Mr. Diedrich married Eliz- abeth Reiman, who was born in Germany, came to the United States in 1880 with her parents, the late Joseph and Elizabeth (Schnider) Rei- man. Her father died in 1903, and her mother now lives near Oxnard. Mr. and Mrs. Diedrich are the parents of six children, namely : Louis, Laura, Tillie, Robert, Mary and Morris. Politi- cally Mr. Diedrich is an independent Democrat, voting with the courage of his convictions for the best men and measures. Religiously he and his wife are members of the Catholic Church at Oxnard.

J. J. SUESS. The mercantile life of Redlands has in J. J. Suess a prominent and upbuilding factor and one who has made his efforts for a personal success parallel with those for the up- building of his adopted city. The sturdy qualities of character he has displayed are an inheritance from Swiss ancestry, his birth having occurred in Zurich, Switzerland, August 22, 1862; his father, John, was born there, as was also his grandfather. John, the records of the family tracing the ancestry back 'to 1532 and earlier. John Suess, Jr., was a blacksmith and viti- culturist, the farm he owned in Switzerland still being a part of the family estate. He brought his family to America in 1868 and located at Fort Madison, Iowa, where he conducted a blacksmith and carriage shop, later removing to Webster county, Neb., and there improving a farm until his death. He was a member of the Reformed Church and a helpful and practical citizen. His wife was formerly Susan Ulrich, who was born in Zurich, her death occurring in Iowa three months prior to that of her husband. They were the parents of ten children, of whom nine are living and six are in California.

The second in the family of his parents, J. J.

Suess was brought to Iowa when about six years old, and in 1874 was taken to Nebraska, his education being received through the medium of the public schools of both states and a private institution which he attended for a time. He lost his parents at the age of sixteen years; four years later he decided to seek the broader op- portunities of the Pacific coast and accordingly came to California (this being in 1882) and lo- cated in Los Angeles, then a city of twenty thousand inhabitants. The following year he went to Widmore City (now Long Beach), where he conducted a small store through the summer, thence locating in Ventura and later in Nordhoff, where he was employed in a general merchandise business until 1890. In the fall of that year he went to Lompoc and followed a similar occupation until the summer of 1891, when he located in Redlands, purchasing a one- half interest in the grocery business of J. W. Lewis, the firm name being Lewis & Suess. A year later he purchased the remaining interest in the business and has since continued the enter- prise alone, building up and enlarging the busi- ness, increasing his store room and stock, and adding every equipment for the expeditious managment of the constantly increasing custom. His building, which is located at the corner of State and Orange streets, is 40x120 in dimen- sions, and to this he added a bakery in 1903, now owning and conducting two bakeries, and also has a branch store at Crafton. He conducts the largest establishment of its kind in Redlands, and by his business methods, his honesty, and integrity in dealing with the public, has acquired a wide reputation which has resulted in an in- creased patronage. In addition to his mercan- tile interests he also owns an orange grove in the vicinity of Redlands.

Mr. Suess has been twice married, his first wife being Miss Mattie Dewey, a native of Penn- sylvania and a member of the New England family of Deweys. She died in Redlands leav- ing two children, Donald Ensign and Dorothea. Later he was married here to Miss Nellie West- land, a native of Michigan. In 1904 Mr. Suess was elected a member of the board of trustees of Redlands for a term of four years, and is now serving as chairman of that body. He is a director of the First National Bank of Red- lands and active in the advancement of its in- terests. Fraternally he is a prominent Mason, having been made a member of the organization in Redlands Lodge No. 300, of which he is now past master; and also belongs to Redlands Chapter No. 77, R. A. M .; St. Bernard Com- mandery No. 23. K. T., of San Bernardino; and Al Malaikah Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. He is also identified with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, of Redlands. Mr. Suess is a

James KTriflett

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member of the Unitarian Church, and politi- cally is a stanch advocate of the principles em- braced in the platform of the Republican party, taking an active interest in the advancement of his party's interest, and is now a member of the Republican County Central Committee. He is a charter member of the Board of Trade and has served as director of the organization. Justly he is accounted a citizen of worth, held in the highest esteem for his splendid qualities of char- acter, and in the midst of his busy efforts to- ward a personal competence has proven himself an important factor toward the upbuilding and development of Southern California.

JAMES K. TRIPLETT. Throughout the greater part of his life Mr. Triplett has been a resident of California and during much of that period he has made his home in Santa Barbara county, where he has the distinction of being one of the oldest surviving pioneers of the Santa Maria valley. Shortly after he first came to this fertile region he purchased a tract included with- in the Lagona ranchi and since then he has bought and sold a number of farms, while he still owns the stock ranch of three hundred and twenty acres in the valley and for a few years made his home on that place. More recently (1902) he purchased and since then has occupied and operated a farm of fifty acres under cultivation to grain and beans, and also utilized to some ex- tent as a poultry ranch. The people of the val- ley among whom he has lived for many years es- teem him as a man of sterling worth, progressive character and undoubted integrity.

The Triplett family is of southern ancestry. Very early in the agricultural development of Illinois there removed to it as pioneers A. J. and Frances K. (Mews) Triplett, natives respectively of Bourbon county, Ky., and Virginia. Shortly after their arrival in their frontier surroundings they secured a homestead from the government and engaged in transforming the soil front its primeval condition into a farm of productive ca- pacity and neat appearance. During the spring of 1864 they disposed of the Illinois property and proceeded south and west to the Isthmus of Panama, thence up the Pacific ocean to Califor- nia, where they settled in Sonoma county. The mother died at Salinas when forty-two years of age, and the father passed away in Santa Barbara county at the age of sixty-one years. Of their ten children five died in infancy ; Henry lives in Whittier, Cal., and S. D. is a resident of Kent, in the state of Washington. Actively interested in public affairs, the father remained an adherent of the Democratic party as long as he lived, while in religious connections he and his wife were identified with the Christian Church.

The schools of Pike county, Ill., (in which county he was born November 4, 1848), afforded James K. Triplett the rudiments of a fair edu- cation and subsequent habits of close observa- tion and thoughtful reading have broadened his fund of knowledge. When fifteen years of age he accompanied the family to California and settled with them in Sonoma county, where he assisted in the development of a ranch. For a time he enjoyed the privilege of taking a general course of study in Hesperian College at Woodland, and after leaving the college he embarked in inde- pendent ranching. For four years or more he engaged in ranching near Salinas, Monterey county, and in 1873 came to the Santa Maria valley, where he has since become prominently identified with the permanent development of the ranching interests of the locality.

The marriage of Mr. Triplett took place in 1871 and united him with Miss Susan K. Rice, one of the native daughters of California, and a lady of estimable character, with him a sincere member of the Christian Church. Four children blessed their union, but one son, John H., died at the age of six years, and another, Francis, died in infancy. William H., the only surviving son, married Lydia Holland and has two children. The only daughter, Bessie M., resides with her parents on the ranch. For thirty-four years or more Mr. Triplett has been actively connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Guadaloupe and Santa Maria and has been a con- tributor to its charities. Reared in the Demo- cratic faith, he has seen no reason to change his political affiliations and remains stanchly inter- ested in local and general Democratic affairs. While never a candidate for office, he consented at one time to fill the office of high school trus- tee and in that position rendered efficient service in the interest of educational affairs in his dis- trict.

BREEN BROTHERS. The name of the Breen brothers, both collectively and individually. is well known in Wilmington, where for the past ten years they have carried on a general merchandise store, besides owning a rolling mill and dealing in grain extensively. On both sides of the family they are of Irish descent, their par- ents, James and Sarah (Synnott) Breen, com- ing to the United States from the Emerald Isle and locating in Vermont. Both the father and mother are now deceased.

Fred F. Breen was born in Underhill, Chit- tenden county, Vt., August 15, 1868, and his brother, Edward H., was born in the same place. June 16, 1870. Nothing of unusual interest transpired during their early lives to distinguish them from those of other boys in their locality,

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and when not attending the public school at Un- derhill they assisted their father in the care and management of the home place. When twenty- two years of age Fred F. Breen began farming on his own account, but after five years of hard work he gave it up and came to California, which by that time had become known for its marvel- ous agricultural possibilities. Coming to Wil- mington, Los Angeles county, he carried on a ranch in this vicinity from 1895 until 1901, giv- ing it up in the latter year to engage in the gro- cery business. To his original stock he has add- ed a complete line of general commodities, from which he is able to supply any and all household demands. Interested with him in the enter- prise is his brother Edward H., and they also are associated in the buying and selling of grain, which forms no small source of income.

In Wilmington, Cal., October 15, 1901, Fred F. Breen was united in marriage with Myrtle McMahon, who was born in Kansas, but has been a resident of California since 1898, at which time she located in Long Beach as a teacher in the public school. Subsequently she taught in Wilmington, and she has also served in the same capacity in Washington and other states. Two children have blessed their union, Fred and Bert. Following in the training in which they were both reared Mr. and Mrs. Breen are communi- cants of the Catholic Church, and are rearing their children in that faith. Possessing shrewd business sense and a pronounced desire to please their many customers the Breen brothers are also discerning in the selection of their stock and as a result are winning the patronage which their ef- forts deserve.

EMIL SUESS. The business interests of Redlands have in Emil Suess one of its most enterprising men, his business interests being as proprietor of the Club Stables, one of the chief liveries of the city. Mr. Suess comes of a fine old Swiss family, his father, John J., bringing the family to America a year after his birth, which occurred October 10, 1869; their home was located in Iowa and Nebraska, the father engaging as a farmer in Webster county of the latter state. For more complete details concerning his life refer to the sketch of John J. Suess, which appears elsewhere in this volume. Emil Suess was educated in the public schools of Webster county, Neb., where he made his home until 1891, when he came to California, locating first in Ventura county, where later he homesteaded a ranch in the Ojai valley, near Nordhoff. He improved this property and at the same time drove the stage for the Oak Glen Cottages for the period of three years. Coming to Southern California in 1895 he located in

Redlands and engaged as a clerk in the Star Grocery, then his brother's business establish- ment, but not caring for the indoor work gave it up after two years and entered the transfer business. His association with this work in- duced his purchase of an interest after six years in the Redlands Livery, then owned by Mr. Wilmot, and conducted on Central avenue. The two continued in partnership for the period of eighteen months, when Mr. Suess sold his in- terest to Mr. Wilmot. He spent the ensuing year in traveling, during which he visited the St. Louis exposition and also his old home in Nebraska. On his return he purchased in September, 1904, the Club Stables then con- ducted by Singleton & Haskell. These were the oldest stables in Redlands and, located at the corner of Fourth and State streets, commanded a large portion of the custom. He is located in a substantial, three-story building, 80x300 feet in dimensions and facing both streets, with a second floor arranged for stalls, having a capacity for one hundred and fifty head, and a third floor for the storage of hay and grain, all vehicles being on the first floor. Mr. Suess is interested in the Redlands Driving Association, formed for the purpose of caring for the tourists who come to the city sightseeing, he being secre- tary and manager.

Mr. Suess was married in Redlands to Miss Martha Kindscher, a native of Iowa, and born of this union is one daughter, Gladys. In his fraternal relations Mr. Suess is identified with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, and also the Odd Fellows, having been made a mem- ber of this organization here and is now past grand, and is also a member of the Encamp- ment and Canton. Politically he is a stanch advocate of the principles embraced in the plat- form of the Republican party. He is a member of the Board of Trade and active in its affairs.

JONATHAN F. FULKERSON, general blacksmith and wagonmaker of Somis, Ventura county, is a native of Illinois, his birth having occurred in Pope county, February 17, 1867. His father, William B. Fulkerson, now residing in Graham county, Kans., is also a native of Illi- nois, to which state his parents removed in the early days of the northwest. He was a shoe- maker by trade, but always followed agricultural pursuits instead. In 1872 he removed to Rooks county, Kans., from that point located in Graham county, and he is now conducting a hotel in Bogue. His wife, formerly Mary Whiteside, was born in Illinois and died in Kansas in 1879, at the age of thirty-nine years.

Reared in Kansas, Jonathan F. Fulkerson re- ceived his education in the public schools of

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

that state, after which in Webster, Kans., he was apprenticed to learn the trade of blacksmith. He was early attracted to the Pacific coast by the more abundant opportunities held out to the am- bitious, enterprising young man, and on the 23rd of March, 1891, he located in Somis, Ventura county, where for the past fifteen years he has been engaged in the prosecution of his trade. Step by step he has steadily advanced to a high position in his work, winning the confidence of those whose patronage he sought until to-day, having owned his shop since January, 1900, he has a large and lucrative trade. He has every equipment for the conduct of a large business, carrying a stock of the best iron and steel afforded by shops of this character in the county, and mak- ing a specialty of horse-shoeing and plow work which gives universal satisfaction. He always has a force of three men and for a part of the time employes five.

Mr. Fulkerson was married in Somis, Decem- ber 25, 1902, to Miss Fannie G. Hughes, a daughter of W. A. Hughes, of whom extended mention is made in another part of this volume. They have two daughters : Birdie Adell and Inez Floyd. Mr. Fulkerson is associated fraternally with the Masons, being a member of Oxnard Lodge No. 341, F. &. A. M., and Oxnard Chap- ter No. 86, R. A. M .; and also affiliates with the Modern Woodmen of America, being consul of the Camp at Somis. He was the first postmaster of Somis, being appointed to the position May 12, 1893, and discharging the duties in an able man- ner for the period of two years. He is actively interested in affairs concerning Somis and is liberal and public spirited in his support of its best interests. As a trustee of the Somis school board he seeks the advancement of its educa- tional interests. The qualities of his citizenship have won for him the high position which he holds in the esteem of his fellow-townsmen, who count him among the men who uphold our civic honor.

JOHN LOYNACHAN. One of the most popular young men in the Lompoc valley is John Loynachan, a progressive and enterprising rancher, who has made a success in his business enterprises and gained a host of friends. His father, John Loynachan, Sr., was born in Scot- land and immigrated to Canada, which latter country was the birthplace of the mother. Seven children comprised the parental family, the sub- ject of this sketch being the only son. Of the six daughters four still live in Canada, which was the parental home, and one in Massa- chusetts. The father was a ranchman in Can- ada and lived there until his death, at the age of sixty-two years. The mother was forty-nine at the time of her death.

John Loynachan was born July 15, 1865, in Canada, where he received his early education, and when his school days were over imme- diately engaged in ranching there, having as- sumed charge of his father's farm when only fourteen years old. At the age of twenty-seven he decided to immigrate to California, and made San Francisco his first objective point. He soon went to the redwood lumber country, where he worked for a time, and in the fall of 1893 ar- rived in Lompoc, where he has been engaged in ranching ever since. The twenty acres of land which he owns is situated in the limits of the town of Lompoc and it is his intention to erect a fine home thereon in the fall of 1907. He is now farming a rented ranch of three hundred and fifty acres and raises hogs and cattle on the two hundred acres of pasture land, farming the remainder, which is planted to barley and beans, and five acres is devoted to a Bellflower apple orchard.

In 1893 Mr. Loynachan was married to Miss Jeanette McAdam, a native Canadian, and to them have been born three children: Gertrude M., Bernice A. and J. Dean. The wife is a member of the Baptist Church; while in Canada Mr. Loynachan gave his allegiance to the Pres- byterian Church. Politically he affiliates with the Republican party, and fraternally he holds membership in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge at Lompoc and belongs to the Woodmen of the World.

N. H. HAMILTON, M. D. One of the most prominent physicians of Southern California is N. H. Hamilton, widely known and highly es- teemed in Santa Monica, where he has engaged in active practice since September, 1894, firmly establishing himself among the medical fratern- ity of this section. He has brought to bear in his work a thorough knowledge broadened by practical experience covering a period of over thirty years, constantly increased by wide read- ing (for he is an indefatigable student and keeps thoroughly in touch with modern thought and methods), and is also possessed of personal qualities of character which enable him to come in closer contact with his patients than is the case with the average physician. He is a native of the middle west, his birth having occurred at Ann Arbor, Mich., February 17, 1852, but when only two years old he was taken by his parents to Winona, Minn., where he grew to manhood. His preliminary education was received through an attendance of the grammar and high schools of the town in which he lived, after which he returned to his birthplace and became a student in the medical department of the University of Michigan, having selected this profession for his

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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 82

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