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 61
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owners in Madera, Fresno, Merced and Stanislaus Counties for the formation of a much larger irrigation district, to be known as the San Joaquin Water Storage District. On account of the many dairies operated by Marshall-Newsom Co., our subject was not able to give the necessary time to the duties of chairman of this body, and he re- signed in favor of W. E. Bunker, county supervisor.
Mr. Marshall has served as trustee of Romero school district since 1914. He has always worked for community progress and better- ment, and has given freely of his time to further all such projects.
JAMES ROBERT JENSEN
One of the first purchasers of real estate in the town of Gustine at the time the town was laid out is James Robert Jensen, who stands out prominently among the enterprising and progressive men who have been influential in promoting the agricultural, industrial and social prosperity of this part of the state. He was born near New- man, on January 23, 1883, a son of Chres and Marie (Hansen) Jen- sen, both natives of Denmark. The father, Chres Jensen, came to California in very early days and settled at Hills Ferry, now Newman, Stanislaus County; he was married to Miss Marie Hansen at Modesto, who had come to California a short time before their mar- riage. The father leased land near Newman for a time, then he pur- chased 500 acres which he devoted to grain raising. There are seven children in the family, all living: James R. the subject of this sketch ; Sallie M., Mrs. Nicolaisen, residing in Newman; Elmer C .; Grover N .; Irene; Harvey C .; and Leslie F. The father passed away at the family homestead at the age of sixty-five years; the mother is still living at Newman.
James Robert Jensen attended school at the Newman district school and during vacation time helped on the home ranch. At the age of seventeen he began to learn the machinist's trade at Newman, and after completing the trade worked as a journeyman for seven years at various places in California. He located in Gustine in 1907, when the town was laid out, purchased the property where his present modern garage stands, built a blacksmith shop and followed this trade for three years. He took his brother, Elmer C., in as a partner in 1910 and together they went into the automobile business and became distributors for the Oakland automobile. Mr. Jensen is now the agent for the Chevrolet, and in conjunction runs a general repair shop, carrying also a full line of automobile accessories. Mr. Jen- sen is also interested in agriculture, owning a twenty-acre ranch near Gustine devoted to grapes and walnuts.
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At Gustine on June 13, 1910, Mr. Jensen was married to Miss Anna Bladt, born at Newman, daughter of Peter and Anna Bladt, both natives of Denmark, who came to California with the father of our subject. Peter Bladt settled on a farm near Newman and raised grain during his active life. There were two children by Mr. Bladt's first marriage, Peter, and Anna, the wife of our subject. By the second wife there are three daughters, Rose, now Mrs. Devec- chio; Estella, and Fannie, the wife of E. C. Jensen. The mother of Mrs. Jensen passed away at the age of twenty-eight years, and her father died at the age of sixty-three years. Mr. Jensen is a Demo- crat in politics and fraternally is a member of the Odd Fellows Lodge of Gustine, while his wife is a member of the Rebekahs of Gustine, of which she is a Past Grand. Mr. Jensen was a member of the first board of trustees of the town of Gustine, and served for seven years, and a year and a half he was chairman of the board, when he resigned.
JAMES JOHN BOYLE
Among the popular and successful business men of Livingston is James John Boyle, the genial and accommodating head of the dry goods department of the White-Crowell Company, Inc. ; he also serves as vice-president and director of this institution of which he is a stock- holder. His birth occurred in the Province of Quebec, Canada, on February 2, 1863. His father, James Boyle, was also born in Canada and was part owner of a whaling vessel and followed whaling for several years. He married Annie Ascah. The paternal grandfather, also named James Boyle, served with General Wolfe at the siege of the Plains of Abraham during the Revolutionary War.
James John Boyle attended public school in his native province until he was sixteen years old. He then became a clerk in a general merchandise store at Gaspe, Canada, where he worked for three years. At the age of nineteen he removed to Philadelphia and clerked in the store of John Wanamaker. In 1890 he came West and settled in Washington where he remained until 1898, when he joined the gold rush to Alaska, and placer-mined near Atlin, B. C., with only fair success during his two-years stay. In 1900 he returned to Washington and resumed his former position as clerk in a large drygoods house in Tacoma, but his desire to locate in California caused him to leave after one year. He first located in Oroville, then came to San Fran- cisco where he clerked for Hale Brothers. In 1902 he removed to Los Banos and was employed in the drygoods department of the store of Miller and Lux. In July, 1911 he located in Livingston and
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became an employe of White-Crowell Company, Inc .; soon thereafter he was made head of the drygoods department, which position he has since occupied. Mr. Boyle is an active member of the Merchants Association and the Boosters' Club of Livingston; fraternally, he is a Past Grand of Mountain Brow Lodge No. 82, I. O. O.F., of Los Banos.
GORDON HARVEY WINTON
In the ranks of the business men of Livingston, Gordon Harvey Winton occupies a prominent position and he is widely known as a leader in business and financial circles in Livingston. He stands for every measure intended to enhance the general welfare and was the leading spirit in organizing the First Bank of Livingston, and also in the incorporation of the city. A native son of California, he was born at Lakeport, January 22, 1885, a son of Rev. J. B. and Jessie (Williams) Winton, both natives of Missouri. Rev. J. B. Winton was born on his father's farm near Springfield, Mo., and the old home- stead is still in the possession of members of the Winton family. The mother was born at Booneville, Mo., but her folks were from Pennsyl- vania, of German ancestors. Rev. J. B. Winton was a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, who came to California in 1883, and held pastorates at Healdsburg, Lakeport, Knights Land- ing, Plainsburg, and Rockville. His last charge was at Rockville, Madera County, and he was on his way to the mountains for his health when he passed away at Raymond on May 8, 1892, aged forty-two years. There are five children in the family: G. E., a civil engineer residing in Merced; Florence; Gordon Harvey, our subject ; Anna, now Mrs. Bolton; and Margarita. After her husband's death, Mrs. Winton bought ten acres west of Merced, where the family lived for the next ten years ; she still lives in Merced.
Gordon Harvey Winton attended the district school adjacent to the farm home; then he entered the high school at Merced and was graduated therefrom in 1904. During his school days he worked in a drug store in Merced and also in the First National Bank, and in August, 1905, he became a stenographer in the First National Bank and by promotions became assistant cashier, remaining there until 1914 when he became the cashier of the First National Bank of Livingston, which was organized in 1913. In 1920 he was chosen vice- president, and in 1922 became president of the institution, continu- ing until his resignation to give his undivided attention to his per- sonal interests. Mr. Winton is interested in farming lands, his hold- ings aggregating 200 acres, and he conducts a real estate and fire
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insurance business, which also embraces automobile insurance and accident insurance.
In 1912 Mr. Winton was married to Miss Mildred Stoddard, a daughter of D. K. and Mary (Comins) Stoddard. Her father, who is mentioned elsewhere, has been a resident of Merced County since 1872. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Winton: Gordon Harvey, Jr., Stoddard, and Dower Keith. Mr. Winton is now serving as a member of the board of trustees of the City of Livingston and was president of the board of trade which was suc- ceeded by the Merchants' Association of Livingston. He has served as trustee af the Merced Union High School, and also as trustee of the Livingston Grammar School. Fraternally, he belongs to Yosem- ite Lodge No. 99, F. & A. M .; also to Merced Lodge No. 208, I. O. O. F., at Merced; and from 1913 to 1917 he served as auditor of the Fraternal Brotherhood. Mr. and Mrs. Winton are members of the Methodist Church at Livingston, of which Mrs. Winton is organist. Mr. Winton is a member of the board of stewards and also serves as treasurer of the church. In politics he is a Democrat and is at present a member of the Merced County Central Committee. He is a director in the Merced County Chamber of Commerce, and takes an active interest in furthering the best interests of Livingston and Merced County.
LOUIS E. SARBO
One of the first men to settle on Badger Flat in 1872 was Michael Sarbo. He had walked all the way from New York City, working at different places along the way to defray his expenses. His wife Bertha Pircolo, whom he had left back in Italy, his native coun- try, came on to him four years later at Gilroy, where he was engaged in market gardening for two years. He then came on to Badger Flat, worked a while for wages on the grain ranch of W. J. Stockton, then came down into Merced County, and engaged in vegetable gardening, leasing land of Miller & Lux. The remuneration was sufficient to enable him to invest in thirty acres, which he added to by other pur- chases until he had 180 acres in the Badger Flat country under the irrigating ditch. He and his good wife became the parents of ten children, as follows: Mary, Mrs. J. V. Toscano; Martha, Mrs. L. Manduca; Joseph, Antone, and Joseph II are deceased; Louis E .; Grace, Mrs. J. G. Marchese ; Rose, Mrs. Chetro; Angeline, Mrs. N. Dibiaso; and Flora, Mrs. John Rosseli.
Louis Sarbo was born in Badger Flat, on June 22, 1882, and his education which was begun in the Monroe school district of Merced County was finished in Heald's Business College in San Francisco.
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For a short time he was bookkeeper in the Portuguese-American Bank at Los Banos. He then returned to the home ranch and carried on the ranch operations and now owns fifty acres of the old home place, and he has purchased 160 acres, eighty acres and fifty acres in other places, part of which he leases out, and carried on a dairy until 1923, when he sold out the business.
On November 20, 1911, Louis E. Sarbo was united in marriage to Miss Madaline Bove, a native of the Province of Potenza, Italy, daughter of Andrew and Agnes (Peluysa) Bove, farmers in Italy. The daughter came to California and lived with her brothers until she was married. There are three children of this union, Bertha, Michael A. R., and Henry A. L. Mr. Sarbo is a Republican in his political affiliations. Fraternally, is a member and Past Noble of the Druids of Los Banos, and belongs to Merced Parlor No. 24, N. S. G. W. of Merced. He is clerk of the board of trustees of the Monroe district school of Merced County.
JOHN MAGNUSON
Most of the thirty-eight years which John Magnuson has spent in California he has been engaged at his trade of carpenter. His birth occurred in Gottenburg, Sweden, on August 17, 1858, a son of Carl Peter and Anna Magnus, both natives of the same place. The father, Carl Peter Magnus, was a cooper and woodworker by trade. The paternal grandfather of our subject was a military man and one of Sweden's ranking generals; he served with Field Marshal Jean Bernadotte, who became King Oscar the First of Norway and Sweden. The paternal grandfather reached the remarkable age of 117 years, six months and three days. Carl Peter Magnus came to America, bringing his wife and family, in the latter part of his life and he located at Worcester, Mass., where he spent the remainder of his life, passing away at the age of ninety-seven years, and his wife reached the age of ninety-three years. To them were born eleven children of whom our subject is the ninth in order of birth.
When John Magnuson was fourteen years old he came to Amer- ica and joined his sister, Mrs. Hannah Allen, who was living in Boston, Mass., and there he attended night school and learned his trade of carpenter and cabinet maker ; for six years he was employed in the Chickering Piano Factory; then he moved to Moline, Ill., and for seven years worked with a manufacturing company. In 1886 he came to California and settled at San Jose, where for twenty-six years he was engaged in house building.
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At Worcester, Mass., in 1877, when he was nineteen years old, Mr. Magnuson was married to Miss Albertina Coolson. They had eight children: Oscar, foreman of the San Jose Foundry, married Ida Steinnesson ; James, deceased; Rocilda, married Ted Eckhart of Seattle, Wash .; Gladys, a widow living in Portland, Ore .; Mrs. Ethel Dunn, residing in Richmond, Cal .; Emery is a machinist; Vernon is . an automobile mechanic and lives in Livingston; and Eva lives in Seattle. Mrs. Magnuson passed away in April, 1906. Mr. Magnu- son continued his work as builder in Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond and other cities and invested his earnings in property in various places. Becoming dissatisfied after his wife's death, he traded his property for ten acres near Livingston, where he has since resided, selling his ranch in 1922. He lives in Livingston and follows his trade.
T. W. PEDIGO
The family to which T. W. Pedigo belongs is a very ancient and honorable one. They came from the town of Pedigo in the North of Ireland and settled in Virginia, where they were farmers. The great- grandfather of T. W. Pedigo fought in the War of the Revolution. The father, John D. Pedigo, was living near Bedford, Ind., when T. W. was born on July 30, 1864. The boy was brought up in the Christian Church. Owing to the death of his father, when he was only nine years of age, he had but three years' schooling in the district school for he had to begin doing for himself at the age of thirteen. His mother lived until he was eighteen. He worked at various tasks, and finally got a job as brakeman on the Louisville, New Albany and Chicago Railroad, known as the "Monon." When he was nine- teen he settled up the affairs of his mother and came to California in November, 1884. Young as he was, he was a zealous partisan of James G. Blaine and he was grieved when he read of his death. At Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, he got a job in a vineyard and worked two years; then went to Tulare County and worked in the sawmills in the mountains above Portersville on the headquarters of the Tule River. He was appointed postmaster of Daunt, Tulare County, and from that built a mercantile business in connection with the postoffice. He stayed at Daunt until 1906, then went to Berkeley, where he lived two years ; two years more were spent in Finley, Lake County, where he had a grocery store in connection with the postoffice. From there he came to Merced County in 1910, settling in the Hil- mar Colony and kept a store at Irwin. When the Tidewater and Southern Railroad established the Hilmar line, Mr. Pedigo sold out
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his store and moved onto a ten-acre ranch near the town of Hilmar, established in 1916.
At the general election in November, 1922, T. W. Pedigo was elected justice of peace for Township No. 5 of Merced County, by a large majority over the incumbent, J. W. Hall. He took office on January 8, 1923. Besides the justice court at Livingston, he holds court in Hilmar on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday of each week, and in Livingston, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Town- ship No. 5 comprises the following voting precints : Livingston No. 1, Livingston No. 2, Madison, Delhi, Irwin, Fairview, Turner and San Joaquin. The Judge resides at Hilmar in the Irwin precinct and has to drive twelve miles in his auto three days of each week to and from his office at Livingston. He is a man of commanding presence, six feet two inches tall, with coal black hair in which scarcely a gray hair is to be seen. Strong in body, he is equally strong in mind and his judgments are clear, fair and satisfactory to all who have any sense of justice.
T. W. Pedigo was married at Daunt, Cal., on October 2, 1898, to Miss Grace Wells, of that town, the daughter of the late Joseph Wells. They have had two children : Maude, who married L. L. Flesh- man and has one child and resides at Hilmar, and Minta, the wife of Morris L. Cramer, a millwright at Klamath Falls, Ore., and the mother of one daughter. Judge Pedigo is the president of the Hilmar Board of Trade.
JAMES RICHARD WHERITY
The sterling personal characteristics which have placed Mr. Wherity in the position of irrigation representative have been proof of his high standing in his home community. He was born in Plumas County on July 24, 1874, the son of Peter Patrick and Mary (Kelley) Wherity, natives of County Meade and Kilkenny, Ireland, respec- tively. The father came to this State when a young man and upon arriving at Yerba Buena in 1846, went on foot to Ellis' Point, now Point Richmond. After the news of the discovery of gold he went to San Andreas and engaged in mining and freighting. After his mar- riage he settled in Beckwith Pass in November, 1874, and was en- gaged, principally in ranching. He and his wife became parents of the following children : Eugene P., of Woodland; Mary, widow of M. C. Judge, lives in Berkeley; Elizabeth, married Alex White and also resides in Berkeley; Harry P., of Loyalton, Cal .; Ida, wife of Isaac Bobo of Woodland; Nicholas, also living in Woodland; James Rich- ard, our subject; and Annie, who married Sam. Holtz and resides in
19
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Sacramento. The father died in Berkeley on April 30, 1913, aged eighty-six years.
James Richard Wherity's childhood was passed in Beckwith Pass attending the local school after he was fourteen. Up to that time he helped his father on the ranch, driving a combined harvester with thirty-two horses as a part of his practical education. He had to walk three miles to the Island district school in Plumas County, which to this day is one of the landmarks; later he attended Downieville College, pursuing an English course. He then entered the law office of Will Goodwin and U. S. Webb, now the attorney general of the State, in Quincy, studied law and was admitted to practice in the courts of the State, on February 22, 1897, and for the following five years he carried on a general practice. He was later engaged in work at Roberts Brothers sawmill above Loyalton. In 1901 he located in Lodi, Cal., and until 1912 he was the leading contractor and builder, helping to erect many of the homes in that town. He erected the arch across Pine Street, Lodi, that attracts much attention. He then was in various places until 1915, when he located near Livingston and took up ranch work and has developed a valuable property.
James Richard Wherity was united in marriage with Bertha Ella Hatton, on February 1, 1905, at Stockton. She was born in Mendon, Adams County, Ill., the daughter of Parker Nicholas and Rebecca (Tuxford) Hatton, the former born in the South in 1836, and mar- ried at Mendon, Ill. There were five children in his family, in- cluding an adopted son : William Henry, of Portland, Ore .; Thomas, fruit raiser of Lodi; Sarah Frances, wife of James Tout, of Tulare County; Mary Etta, married Benjamin Tout and lives at Sultana ; and Bertha Ella, wife of our subject. She attended school at Mendon, Ill., and the Maplewood High School at Camp Point, that State. At the age of seventeen, lacking one year of graduating, she came to California with her mother as two sisters had located in this State some time before. The father was a veteran of the Civil War and died in 1882, at Mendon, Ill., at the age of forty-six, from the effect of his wounds received during the war. The mother, who had been born in Cincinnati, Ohio, located at Lodi, Cal., and there spent her last days, dying on July 8, 1914. Her ancestors were of English extraction. On the paternal side, grandfather Nicholas Hatton and his wife, a Miss Knotson, were born in Kentucky and Tennessee, respectively, but were stanch supporters of the Union. Mr. and Mrs. Wherity have three children: Hillard Richard, garage mechanic in Livingston; Effie Beatrice, high school student; and Frances Aileen.
Mr. Wherity appeared before the State legislature in 1901 in the interest of the Anti-Japanese legislation, which has now become a law, being upheld by the supreme court in November, 1923. He
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takes an active interest in the Farm Bureau movement and is a mem- ber of the Livingston branch of the Merced County Farm Bureau, serving as its secretary for several years. He is the legal representa- tive of the original Crocker-Huffman Land and Water Company, contract holders, now the Livingston Irrigation District. He is a 100 per cent American and interested in all movements for the advancement of his locality.
MANUEL LUIZ
The Azores Islands lie in almost a direct line from Portugal to the capital of the United States, and from them come many of our best citizens, some to make money and remain loyal to the Stars and Stripes, others to make money and return to their native shores to spend the balance of their days in comfort among those they know best. One of the latter was Domingo Antone Noya, a native of Ponta Del Gada, who left his home at the age of fifteen and, after having sailed around the world, landed in California and made his fortune, then returned to his native land, married and settled down to farm and political life at Ponta Del Gada, and there he died at the age of sixty-two years. His good wife was Anna Margarida da Con- ceicao, and they had four children, three daughters, who are still in the Azores, and Manuel, our subject.
Manuel was reared on his father's farm and attended the local school until he was old enough to make his own way. It was but natural that he should want to come to California where his father had made his stake, for he had told his son of the wonderful oppor- tunities that awaited the ambitious young men. When seventeen he left home and boarded the three-masted ship Sarah and twenty-four days later was landed in Boston. He did not tarry there for within two days he was en route for California, arriving there ten days later via New Orleans. Being a stranger in a strange land did not stop him from securing work in the cherry harvest at $1.25 per day; from that work he was employed on a ranch at twenty dollars per month, working from sun to sun, continuing so employed until 1898, when he visited the land of his birth and was absent for five months. Re- turning to California he located in Merced County and worked for Al. Owens near Atwater. In the meantime, in 1898, he had invested his savings in thirty acres of land in the Mitchell Colony near Atwater. and while he was developing this he worked on the Bloss ranch as foreman of the gang setting out trees of peaches and apricots, for nine years. Then he located on his own property and has since given his time to its intensive cultivation. Mr. Luiz was given his natural- ization papers in San Francisco in 1896, and at the time he signed
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them he dropped the name Noya and wrote it Manuel Luiz, the latter being his middle name, and as such he has ever since been known. His father had received his citizenship papers before returning to Flores.
On November 18, 1909, at St. Mary's in Stockton, Manuel Luiz was united in marriage with Miss Mary Josephine Vieira, born in Swansea, Mass. She was the second of five children born to her par- ents, Manuel V. and Mary (Soares ) Vieira, the father born in Flores and the mother in Pico Island. The latter is now deceased but the father is living and resides on the ranch with his daughter and Mr. Luiz.
Manuel Vieira was born in 1859, was educated in the Portu- guese schools and is a fluent linguist in Portuguese and English. He came to Boston a young man of seventeen on a sailing vessel, being thirty days on the water. The ship ran out of food and there was almost mutiny on the high seas, when the Bermuda Islands were sighted and there they landed and restocked for the rest of the voy- age. He worked as a weaver in Massachusetts for five years, then returned to Flores, but remained only a short time, when he again came to America and straight on to California. He spent some time in Modesto as a barber in 1883. He was married in Oakland to Mary Soares, returned to Swansea, Mass., where two children were born, Alfred J., and Mary. With his family he made another trip back to the Azores to make a visit, but upon coming back to Amer- ica he made for California and settled in Sebastopol, where two children were born, Palmyra Tahoe, Mrs. H. L. Wrheman, and Ernest. His wife died there and he came to Oakland and ran a grocery store, then for seventeen years he was with the State Harbor Commission in San Francisco, when he retired to make his home with his daughter. In 1925 he started on another trip back to his native country and a tour of Europe. He is an interesting story- teller and it is expected that upon his return he will have many new stories to tell his grandchildren.
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