USA > California > Merced County > A history of Merced County, California : with a biographical review of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 48
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John Q. Drummond acquired his education in the little log cabin. with its customary puncheon floor, shake-covered roof, and slab benches. Settling in Ashton, Lee County, Ill., when a young man, he was engaged for a time as a merchant and grain dealer. In 1850 he came to California with the gold seekers, crossing the plains with ox-teams, and being six months en route. Locating in Eldorado County, he worked in the Georgetown mines for nine years, meet- ing with average success. Then, after making a visit in Illinois, he located in Sacramento, and for three years was engaged in freight-
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ing to the Washoe mines, in Nevada, and while thus employed hauled the first battery for crushing ore used in Virginia City, an under- taking that took six months, being snowed in on the way. Losing his horses by drowning in 1862, Mr. Drummond entered the employ of the Central Pacific Railroad Company, and assisted in grading the road bed from San Jose to Gilroy, from San Quentin Point to San Rafael, and other parts of the road, and also helped in the building of the road through the Livermore Mountains. Coming to San Joa- quin Valley in 1871, Mr. Drummond took a prominent part in the construction of the Kings River canal, beginning work as foreman of a gang of men, becoming superintendent of construction, and later was general manager of the work, his services in all covering a period of eighteen years. Turning his attention then to agricultural pur- suits, Mr. Drummond bought three-fourths of a section of land near Ingomar and later added to this holding until he owned 600 acres irrigated by water from the ditch, 160 acres in the mountains, and 320 acres in the Panoche district. As a stockraiser and dairyman he carried on a large and lucrative business, and was also financially in- terested in the Ingomar warehouse. In 1852, Mr. Drummond was married in Illinois to Miss Eliza Jane Rosecrans, a native of Ohio and cousin of Gen. William S. Rosecrans, who acquired fame in the Civil War. She died, in Sacramento, Cal., in 1866, aged thirty years. There were four children in this family; Lucy, the subject of this review; Walter, deceased; Arthur, residing at Gustine; and May, deceased. Mr. Drummond lived within six weeks of having reached the age of ninety-four years. He was a Republican in politics, and for one term served as county supervisor. Fraternally he belonged to Los Banos Lodge, F. & A. M.
Lucy Drummond received a common school education in Lee County, Ill., and at Sacramento on December 4, 1878, she was mar- ried to James Edwin Hollingsworth, born at Granville, Mo., May 30, 1850, who came to California a few years before his marriage to Miss Drummond. The young couple located on twenty acres which they purchased just across the canal from the old Drummond homestead. When the town of Gustine was started, Mr. Hollings- worth purchased two acres within the city limits and here the home was built. Three children were born of this union. Ruby is now the wife of A. D. Davenport, a native of Massachusetts, who owns a magnesite mine in the hills of Merced County; they have four children, Dorothy, Austin, Arthur and John Drummond. John re- sides in Oakland. Leslie is the wife of Henry P. Green. Mr. Hol- lingsworth passed away December 4, 1915, at the family home in Gustine. He was a Democrat in politics, and for a number of years served as a deputy county assessor of Merced County.
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NELSON LOWELL ADAMS CODY
The Cody family is an ancient and honorable one, harking back to France, where the ancestral name was spelled "Codex." As sol- diers under William the Conqueror, they helped to conquer England, and were duly rewarded for their fealty and became prominently iden- tified with leading events in English history. During the centuries, this family has maintained its position and intermarried with the best strains in England, Wales, and Scotland, with the English-Scotch blood predominating. A recently published geneaology of the Cody family gives much interesting information along this line.
Nelson Lowell Adams Cody was born in Waukegan, Ill., March 22, 1848, the son of Nelson T. and Susan C. (Adams) Cody. His life history is one of unusual interest, for in a career which is now drawing close to four score years, he has been a witness to many won- derful changes in this land and throughout the world; and as a second cousin of the famous "Buffalo Bill," he has come in close contact with many notable characters. His father, a druggist and dentist, was born on a farm in Cicero, N. Y. His mother was a daughter of Dr. L. Adams, of Providence, R. I., and died when he was only two years old. His father married again, and then crossed the plains to Cali- fornia in 1851, his family coming to the State via the Horn by steamer one year later, which makes our subject a resident of the Golden State since 1852.
The senior Cody went first to Hangtown, and engaged in mining. After his family joined him in California, they lived in Gilroy, Santa Clara County, for a short time, and later went to Horseshoe Bend and opened a general store. Wherever he settled in those early days, the miners had such confidence in him that they deposited their gold dust in his safe, for his was a character which inspired confidence and trust; and he never betrayed the confidence reposed in him. His second wife died in 1855, and he removed to Stent, then called Pover- ty Hill, and thence to Chinese Camp, where he practiced dentistry and also bought a stock of drugs. In April, 1856, he went to Big Oak Flat, where he was burned out on November 12, 1862. He then went to Coulterville, Mariposa County, and was in the drug business there until 1880, when he sold out and went to Seattle Wash., and was in the drug business there for a year. He had married again, and engaged in the drug business in Ventura, Cal., and also had the Wells Fargo Express agency, which he served in different places for thirty years. The death of this honest and active pioneer oc- curred at Ventura on December 1, 1906, at the age of seventy-six.
On the maternal side Mr. Cody is descended from Duke Leslie of Scotland, at one time Provost of Edinburgh. A silver cup en-
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graved with the Leslie coat of arms (a dragon encircled by a wreath ) is still in Mr. Cody's possession. On the Cody side there is a con- sanguinity with Lady Godiva, extending through William the Con- queror as common ancestor. His mother's full maiden name was Susan Chamberlain Adams. Mr. Cody's paternal grandmother, whose maiden name was Leslie, received the first pianoforte ever brought into Onondaga County, N. Y .; it was imported from Eng- land, and was manufactured by one Aster.
Young Nelson Cody went to school in Chinese Camp in 1854- 1855, and also pursued his studies at Big Oak Flat and Coulterville. His youth, spent in these early mining camps, gave him a good idea of Californian life during the fifties. In 1867, he came to San Fran- cisco and was in the wholesale stationery store of George B. Hitch- cock for a short time, and later did some stenographic work for George O. Dougherty, and also for Andrew J. Marsh. He then got a position as clerk in a drug store in San Francisco, and later went to Virginia City, Nev. Coming back to San Francisco, he went from there to Suisun, where he was with M. D. Stockman for a year. Returning to San Francisco, he was with Bancroft, the historian, in a subscription agency, and canvassed Mariposa, Tuolomne and Mer- ced Counties. He there met Mark Twain's partner, William Gillis, and helped sell the books of the famous writer and humorist.
The marriage of Mr. Cody, occurring in 1870, united him with Miss Collins, daughter of John Collins, a pioneer of Mariposa County. In 1871 he engaged in the drug business in Snelling, Mer- ced County, his father having divided stock with him, and he was appointed postmaster there in November of that year. His wife passed away in that town, and he married Miss Olive St. John, daugh- ter of Charles St. John, an attorney formerly of Big Oak Flat, but who had gone back to Connecticut. Mr. Cody then went to Oakland, and there also engaged in the drug business, and from there to Val- lejo, in the same pursuit. Returning to San Francisco, he again en- gaged in the drug business until the fall of 1888. It was in that city, in 1879, that he met General Grant. In 1884 he went East on an extended visit, and four years later he made a trip to Europe, sailing from New York on July 17, 1889, and spending a year in the principal cities, particularly enjoying his travels in Germany and France.
On his return he visited his father in Ventura, Cal., then went to San Francisco for a short time, and then came to Merced and visited his friend, W. H. Turner, who urged him to locate here. This he decided to do, and in March, 1891, purchased the one of George Knox's two drug stores which was located at the corner of Seven- teenth and Canal Streets, and there he carried on the drug business for twenty-eight years. He also built the Cody block in Le Grand
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in 1914, and also conducted a drug store there until he sold out in February, 1920, trading this store for a ranch of 394 acres, six miles from Crow's Landing. There, in partnership with his brothers-in- law, Charles Newton, Christian and Matthew Nelson, he maintains a herd of Holstein cattle and also raises hogs, having built adequate farm buildings at a cost of $4500. Fire destroyed the dwelling house in 1924, which has since been rebuilt.
On May 18, 1899, in San Francisco, Mr. Cody was united in marriage with Miss Anna Marie Nelson, daughter of pioneer parents of Virginia City, Mont., the ceremony being performed by Reverend Bours, formerly of Merced. Mrs. Cody's father, Christian Nelson, born in England of Norwegian parents, was educated in England. Her mother, Mary (Sätre) Nelson, as an infant was miraculously rescued from a wreck off the coast of Norway. From the coat of arms on all of her richly embroidered apparel it appeared that the child came from some distinguished family. As a child, Mrs. Cody showed a great fondness for music ; she became a pianist and studied the violin, no doubt having inherited her musical gifts from her mother, who was likewise a musician. While in her teens she became organist in the Episcopal Church in Virginia City, in which church she was reared. Devoted to her art, Mrs. Cody is one of the founders of the Merced Musical Club, and has never relinquished her interest in it, often rendering selections on the piano and violin. Her ad- dress, "Women Composers," recently delivered before the club, showed careful research and thorough preparation, and was much appreciated.
Mr. and Mrs. Cody reside at Coda Villa, modern apartments built by them at 857 Eighteenth Street, Merced, where their many friends are always welcome. They are active in both the social and business life of the city, and were among the first to start the public library. Three Merced ladies, Mrs. Lillian Brouse, Mrs. O. A. Baker, and Mrs. Cody, collected $1.50 from each member who wished to enjoy the privileges of a circulating library, and with the money bought books, which were given shelving room donated by Mr. Cody in the balcony of "Cody's Corner Drug Store," for three years, until the available room in the store could not accommodate the growing needs of the library, with its 600 books. The ladies thereupon gave the books as a nucleus to the Merced County Free Library, which is now in a flourishing condition. Through years of business and social contact, Mr. and Mrs. Cody have endeared them- selves to the growing population of their home city, and their friends are innumerable. She is a Democrat in politics, while he is a stanch Republican.
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Among the many interesting reminiscences related by Mr. Cody, one is of the driving of the famous golden spike in connecting the two ends of the great transcontinental railway, on May 10, 1869. His mind is stored with recollections, and he tells interesting stories of the pioneer days of gambling, shooting, wild horses, etc., rem- iniscent of California in early days; for from perusing his life his- tory it will be seen that his travels and experiences were many from very earliest childhood. These all have gone into the making of a broad-minded and public-spirited man, who has always stood willing to do his full share in building up the commonwealth.
WILLIAM A. DUNNING
The same spirit of adventure and a desire to get on in the world, which characterized most of the California pioneers, no doubt promp- ted William A. Dunning to come from his far off home in Maine and cast in his lot with the Pacific Coast country. He was born in Wash- ington County, Me., on August 10, 1856, the son of Albion and Mary (Foster) Dunning, who had six children, viz: Fred H., in Maine; Mrs. Nellie M. Getchell, a widow residing in Oakland; William A., our subject; Waldo F., in Oakland; Mrs. Linnie Mc- Ravey, in Maine; and Carrie S., deceased. The father died in Maine after a life of usefulness to his family and community.
William A. came from Maine and landed in a lumber camp in Snohomish County, Wash., where he remained for a year; then he worked for an uncle in Nevada for two years, after which he came to San Francisco and spent a year. Coming to the West Side of the San Joaquin Valley he stopped at Hill's Ferry a short time and in 1880 settled in the Cottonwood district and worked on the Ewing ranch for M. E. Bunker.
Mr. Dunning was married on the Ewing Ranch, on August 22, 1883, to Miss Laura A. Ewing, born in the Tassajara Valley, Contra Costa County, August 25, 1865, daughter of Andrew and Mary (Dailey) Ewing. Andrew Ewing came to California from Iowa cross- ing the plains with an ox-team in 1852 and locating in Stockton, where he remained a year; then he went to Chinese Camp, Tuolumne County, and mined. His next move was to Contra Costa County and it was there his daughter, Laura A., was born. There were the following children in the Ewing family: Samuel, deceased; Charles and Edgar are deceased; Rebecca, died in Iowa; and Laura A., Mrs. Dunning, the only survivor. Andrew Ewing came to Merced County in 1868 and settled in the Cottonwood district and here took up a
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homestead and farmed to grain. He developed his ranch home and lived there until his death at the age of seventy-seven years. In the seventies he served in the State legislature. His wife died in 1907 at the age of eighty-five years. In 1880 Mr. Ewing had purchased eighty acres of land under the San Joaquin-Kings River canal about four and one-half miles from what is now Gustine, where Mr. Dun- ning now lives. The son, Samuel Ewing, married Letitia Tinnin, a native of California and daughter of an old pioneer family from Missouri. He died in 1886.
Mrs. Dunning was educated in the Clay district school and after their marriage Mr. Dunning leased the old Ewing ranch, also other lands from time to time, and carried on grain farming on a large scale. He bought forty acres of the eighty on the canal and erected their home and made other improvements and he and his wife live on this place. He also owns 160 acres under irrigation in the Cottonwood district. Mrs. Dunning owns the old Ewing ranch of 160 acres and the forty which joins their home place. Mr. and Mrs. Dunning have two children : Mary Ray, Mrs. F. M. Lamb, of Stockton, the mother of two children, Francis Dunning, born in 1915, and Jean Eliza- beth, born in 1918; and Gladys, a student in the University of South- ern California, Class of 1925. In politics Mr. Dunning is a Re- publican, while Mrs. Dunning is a Democrat. He belongs to Hills Ferry Lodge No. 236, F. & A. M. of Newman; Modesto Chapter No. 49, R. A. M .; Stockton Commandery No. 8, K. T .; and Aahmes Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Oakland. Both Mr. and Mrs. Dun- ning are charter members of Orestimba Chapter of the O. E. S.
CHARLES W. SMITH
Now living retired after a life of usefulness, during which time he has seen the wonderful development of the Badger Flat section of Merced County, Charles W. Smith first saw the light in Marion County, Ill., on August 7, 1846. He is a son of Martin M. and Martha E. (James) Smith, both of whom were born in Tennessee. The elder Smith was a farmer and spent most of his active years in Illinois, but came to California and died here at the age of seventy- nine years. This worthy couple had eleven children, several of whom died in infancy.
Charles W. Smith attended the public schools of Illinois and in 1866 came to California via Panama and settled in Napa County, where he worked for wages until 1870. He then came to Stanislaus County and farmed at Hills Ferry for eight years. In 1878 he bought a ranch near Los Banos on Badger Flat, consisting of seventy-eight
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acres and here he carried on general farming and dairying with suc- cess. He still retains forty-one acres of his original purchase and this is under the Kings River ditch.
Mr. Smith was united in marriage on September 30, 1874, at Napa, Cal., with Miss Dorinda G. Robison, born in Napa, a daughter of M. F. and Margaret (Kirk) Robison, who came to California from Iowa, although they were both born in Ohio. They were of that great number that crossed the plains in 1853. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have three daughters : Flora May is Mrs. McBride of Gustine; Mrs. Martha Mabel Baker lives in Los Angeles ; and Lela G. is Mrs. James Negra. Mr. Smith served as justice of the peace of Third Township for six years and was honored by being elected a member of the board of supervisors representing the Fifth District in Merced County and served one term. Politically he is a Democrat and fra- ternally is a member of the Knights of Pythias at Merced.
WILLIAM E. MOORE
The changing vicissitudes of life brought Mr. Moore into many localities and various occupations before he finally located in Dos Palos and became the manager of the Lucerne Cream & Butter Co. Walla Walla, Wash., was the place where he first saw the light, on May 15, 1864. His father, Joseph Moore, was a native of Indiana, but reared in Ohio; his mother, Elizabeth (Morris) Moore, was born in Tennessee. In 1852, Joseph Moore came to California, via the Isthmus, was shipwrecked off the coast of Acapulco, but finally arrived on the Feather River in California, where he engaged in mining for a time. At one time in the early days, he owned 160 acres of land where the city of Alameda now stands. He remained four or five years in California and then went to Washington, and to Oregon, where he conducted a tavern at Meacham, in the Blue Mountains. In 1871 he returned to Yolo County, Cal., and then went to Lakeport, where he was in the blacksmithing business about sixteen years, returning to the Capay Valley, Yolo County. He con- tinued his blacksmith business for six years. His next move was to Klamath County, Oregon, where he farmed for a number of years. On returning to California he lived in various places and finally died at Richmond, Cal., and was buried in the Sunset View Cemetery.
William Moore was the fifth in order of birth of six children born to his parents, namely: J. M., Lydia Anna, Martha F., James B. (who was killed at Corning, Tehama County, Cal.), William E., and Alice (Mrs. W. W. Norton of Richmond). William started out for himself when he became of age, and for a few years followed
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farming in Klamath County, Oregon. He then obtained a position as salesman for the Mitchell-Lewis-Staver Company of Portland, Ore., and for two years sold farming implements in Klamath County. For the next six years he was engaged in the livery stable business in Klamath Falls, and during that time he was appointed and served as the first town marshal of that town. Leaving Klamath Falls, Mr. Moore came to California and for a year was a resident of Madera. In 1904 he came to Dos Palos and since April 20, 1905, has been buying cream, first for the Golden State Creamery, then for thirteen years for the Western Creameries Company, and since then for the Lucerne Cream and Butter Company, of Hanford.
Mr. Moore was married in Klamath Falls, Ore., on October 14, 1892, to Alice Dixon, born in New Zealand, the daughter of Samuel and Susan (Perrin) Dixon, and they have four children; Perrin E., express agent at South Dos Palos; Etta, Mrs. A. B. Bowden of Fresno; William E. Jr., employed with the Owl Drug Company in Fresno; and Alice Frances, Mrs. A. W. Bennett of Dos Palos, who is the mother of a son, William Howard Bennett. Mr. Moore owns a comfortable home in Dos Palos, is a Democrat in politics, and was a charter member of the Odd Fellows lodge at Klamath Falls, but demitted to Santa Rita Lodge No. 124 in Dos Palos, in which he is a Past Grand. He has always shown his public spirit by helping to promote all interests for the building-up of city, county and State.
THOMAS JORDAN
An outstanding character in the progressive element of his dis- trict, a worker for the cause of education, and the forward movement for improving the general welfare, Thomas Jordan has done as much as any individual in Merced County to forward the progress of this part of the State. A native of England, his birth took place August 6, 1863, at Southampton, the youngest of twelve children born to his parents, and the only one to leave England. His people were of moderate circumstances, and he obtained his education in the public schools near Southampton.
In 1884, Mr. Jordan left home to come to the United States ; his first two years in the new country were spent in the timber region of Sturgeon, Mich., on the Great Lakes, and of this period two seasons were put in as an edger in one of the large sawmills, at $1.25 a day. In 1886, he came to California and located in Merced County, work- ing in the grain fields for the Ostrander Ranch Company; then after six years at Atwater and Plainsburg, and a two-year period spent on the Leeker ranch in Merced and Mariposa Counties, he in-
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vested his savings in land, and a home near Plainsburg. He later pur- chased 440 acres in the Appling District, which remained the family home for fifteen years, and in the meantime he added another ranch to his holdings, the Hamlett place, a 280-acre grain ranch, which he still owns, and eighty-one acres in Dixieland Colony, forty acres near Le Grand, and recently ten acres and his residence on the edge of that town. He sold his 440 acres in the Appling District about 1913. Coming to California with practically no assets, he has by his own un- aided efforts made what he owns and holds, made possible through the cooperation of his helpmate, his wife, faithful and devoted.
The marriage of Mr. Jordan, at New Forest, England, on De- cember 24, 1887, united him with Miss Alice Vince, a native of Al- den, England, and eight children have blessed their union; Gertrude, Mrs. Otto Hake, in Madera County; Viola A., died an infant; Ed- ward, a farmer at Athlone; Margaret, wife of Neal Watts; Fred, in Alameda ; LeRoy; Vince; and Ruth. There are six grandchildren in the family.
Mr. Jordan received his United States citizenship papers at Mer- ced, on July 26, 1896, and he takes a keen interest in civic, State, and national affairs, voting on all issues and picking his men with the same foresight which has made his success in life. He is director of the Merced County Farm Bureau, five years in office, and is prominent in irrigation movements, with great faith in the future of Merced County, and to his faith he adds works. He is a stockholder in the Le Grand Bank and one of its organizers. Fraternally, he belongs to the Odd Fellow and Rebekah lodges, and is a charter member of the Redmen, a past officer and delegate for six years. Mr. Jordan has been absent from Merced County on but two occasions since his first arrival here; six weeks in 1912, on a business trip to his old home in England; and six months in 1921, when, with his wife, he made an extended visit there.
SANSOM B. DISMUKES
One of the most prominent and substantial citizens of Los Banos, who is actively interested in the welfare of his adopted community and willingly gives of his time and means to advance every worthy project brought before its people, is Sansom B. Dismukes, dealer in furniture and carpets and insurance agent. A native of Georgia, he was born at Weston, Webster County, in February, 1862, and edu- cated in the schools of his district, where he grew to young manhood. Ten years prior to his coming to California he made his home in Athens, Ga., and came to San Jose, Cal., in May, 1896, remaining
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there until 1902. That fall he returned to Georgia on account of the death of his father, but came back to California in December, and in March, 1903, located in Los Banos, then a growing town, and entered upon the career of furniture dealer and insurance agent, representing the Home Insurance Company since March, 1903, and also handling insurance in other solid companies. Since he has written insurance for the Home Company, there have been but very few losses that company has had to pay, because of the extreme care Mr. Dismukes takes in examining the risks before writing the policies.
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