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 65
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After giving due notice of his resignation, Mr. Polich spent five months traveling over the State looking for a suitable location in which to establish himself, and finally selected Merced as having the best future for his business. In 1919 he established the Polich Con- struction Company, and his first work was the installation of a com- plete irrigation system for the California Packing Corporation at their orchard at Tuttle. This contract consisted in laying sixty miles of concrete pipe throughout their 4000-acre orchard of peaches and apricots, the largest orchard in the world in one body. From that beginning, the concrete business of the company has steadily grown until it has reached its present proportions, and is still on the increase, for the company plan considerable extensions. Some of the contracts the company have filled in Merced County are the construction of the John Muir school building; a number of concrete bridges throughout the county; the large outfall and sanitary sewer for Merced, using 30,000 feet of concrete pipe of their own manufacture; eight miles of concrete highway; considerable work for the Merced Irrigation District, which required especially large pipe; work on the Titus ranch near Livingston; and many irrigation systems for ranchers throughout the county in general. In all this work, Mr. Polich has been a busy participant.
Fraternally, Mr. Polich is a Mason, holding membership in Yosemite Lodge No. 99, F. & A. M., at Merced, and in the Oakland Consistory of the thirty-second degree, Scottish Rite Masons, and Aahmes Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., in Oakland. He is a member of the Long Beach Pyramid of Sciots, the Knights of Pythias of Mer- ced, and the D. O. K. K., in Fresno. Mr. Polich believes in progress along all lines, and is an enthusiastic Californian by adoption.
CHARLES EDWARD LOUNSBURY
In the history of Merced County the name of Charles Edward Lounsbury stood for energy, industry and progressiveness, and when he suddenly passed away the city of Merced lost one of it most popu- lar and capable business men. He was born in Ft. Collins, Colo., on April 19, 1884, a son of Rufus and Emma (Rowley) Lounsbury. In 1892 the family located in Nevada, where they remained for six years, when they removed to San Jose, Cal. There the father passed away. The mother died in Merced on December 13, 1924.
Charles Edward Lounsbury received his schooling in Nevada and in San Jose, Cal. He helped his father on the home ranch near San Jose until he went to San Francisco, where he became apprenticed
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as a machinist with the Union Iron Works. He remained in San Fran- cisco for ten years, most of the time being spent in the automobile business, having charge of several large shops. In 1910 he removed to Merced to take charge of the Barcroft Garage, and after nine months he purchased the business with C. Jones as a partner; after one year R. Shaffer bought the interest of Mr. Jones and the business was conducted under the firm name of Lounsbury & Shaffer until March 1, 1923, when the partnership was dissolved, Mr. Shaffer taking over the Ford automobile agency. Mr. Lounsbury continued at the old place of business, having the agency for the Buick and Cadillac automobiles. The Lounsbury Garage & Machine Works is the largest of its kind between San Francisco and Los Angeles; the business has grown until additional room 50x150 feet is contemplated on a lot purchased for that purpose. Thirty people are employed in the dif- ferent departments of the business. The mechanical department is equipped with lathes, cylinder grinders, drill presses, with a 250-ton hydraulic press ; the electrical department is equipped with all testing and charging devices; battery department is equipped with charging machine. The company maintains a large accessory department with a $15,000 stock, and a $5000 stock of tires. The company has a large stock of parts for all makes of cars as well as a large stock of electrical parts ; a paint shop is also conducted, as well as a repairing department, vulcanizing department, greasing and oiling department, garage and storage for 150 cars.
By his first marriage, Mr. Lounsbury had two children, Earl and Gladys. His second marriage united him with Miss Blanche Mccrary, a native of Nebraska ; and they had two children, William Miller and Harold Edward. Mr. Lounsbury was democratic in his politics and fraternally was identified with the Masonic and Sciots lodges, and locally was a member of the Chamber of Commerce. His death on December 7, 1923 removed one of Merced's most progressive and esteemed citizens.
GUY E. HANSARD
Constituting one of the most remarkable examples of business ex- pansion in the San Joaquin Valley, stands Hansard's Grill, consisting of restaurant, cigar stand, billiard hall and soda fountain, the whole plant being estimated in value at $70,000. Guy E. Hansard, the pro- prietor, purchased the poolroom in 1917. At that time there was a billiard-room of modest proportions, a cigar stand and small soda fountain, the entire equipment not representing a very large outlay. Mr. Hansard, with the help of one employe, conducted the resort. In 1918, the cigar stand was enlarged, and a year later the agency
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for United Cigars was obtained, and has been a feature of the cigar stand ever since. In the same year, the lunch counter was trebled in size, and regular meals were offered the public. The most marked change, however, was completed when the large restaurant was added, and the billiard-hall was moved upstairs. This restaurant has a large horseshoe lunch counter and a number of tables. They are examples of Merced handiwork, having been manufactured by the Cross Lum- ber Company from Philippine mahogany. The entire space occupied downstairs is 50x150 feet, running through from Seventeenth Street to the alley. There is a seating capacity of 120. In the place of one employe in 1917, Mr. Hansard now uses thirty-three employes during the summer season, and twenty-eight in winter. The monthly payroll is in the neighborhood of $3000. The kitchen is all-electric, cooking, dishwashing, and baking being done by electricity. The Hansard Grill bakes all its own breads and pastry.
Mr. Hansard was born in Hepner, Ore., on October 21, 1879, a son of G. B. and Benicia (Bowers) Hansard. The father is still liv- ing, but the mother of our subject passed away when he was a small child of four years. Guy E. Hansard received his education in the public schools of Oregon and Washington and was still a young boy when he began to earn his own living by working on farms in eastern Washington for about six years. He came to California in 1900 and resided in Los Angeles for twelve years, three years of this period being spent with an abstract company.
The marriage of Mr. Hansard occurred in Los Angeles, where he was united with Miss Emma Frank, a native daughter of Cali- fornia. Mr. and Mrs. Hansard removed to Merced in 1912 and four years were spent on a farm in the vicinity of this place. In 1916 his present business was purchased, and under his capable management it has grown to its present proportions. That he is confident of Mer- ced's future must be evident when it is realized that no other such business as the Hansard Grill can be found in a city of Merced's size. It is a resort of which a much larger city might well be proud. Mr. Hansard is a public-spirited citizen and is affiliated with the Elks, the Knights of Pythias, the Red Men, the Woodmen of the World and the Chamber of Commerce.
CYRUS STANTON CLARK
Among the educators of high literary attainment is Cyrus Stan- ton Clark, who since 1910 has occupied the important position of dis- trict superintendent of the Merced Union Grammar School. He is not only an able instructor, but is deeply interested in the educational advancement of the locality where he has made his home for the past
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fifteen years. Born in Nova Scotia, Canada, February 27, 1884, he was a small lad when he accompanied his parents, John A. and Lucy E. (Stanton) Clark, to California, where the father pursued the oc- cupation of a farmer until the time of his death; the mother of our subject is still living.
Cyrus Stanton Clark completed the grammar school course, then entered the Merced High School, from which he was graduated in 1901. He then went to San Francisco and for one year worked in a wholesale house ; from there he went to Stockton, where he was in the wholesale business for seven years. His one desire had always been to become an instructor, so with this in view he took first a private course in teaching, then went to San Jose and entered the San Jose Teachers' College, receiving his teacher's diploma in 1906. His first teaching ex- perience was in Colusa County, where he taught for two years. Then for one year he taught at Oakdale and two years in Stockton, receiv- ing the highest commendation for his thorough work. He took up his duties as district superintendent of the Merced Union Grammar School in 1910, and his capabilities have been recognized as ex- ceptional.
The marriage of Mr. Clark united him with Miss Ismay Wilson, a native daughter of Monterey, Cal. They have been blessed with two children, Beverly and Jane. Mr. Clark is a Republican in his political views; fraternally he is affiliated with the Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, and he is an active member of the local Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Clark is an enthus- iast for all wholesome outdoor sports.
WALTER C. CARDWELL
As a pioneer business man of Le Grand, Merced County, Mr. Cardwell has been identified with its growth since the town first came into being, and he has taken an active part in the movements toward the making of a small hamlet a prosperous and still growing business center, surrounded by such fertile valley lands. Born Octo- ber 23, 1859, Walter C. Cardwell is a native of Fayetteville, Ark., and after his schooling was finished, he clerked in a store at Paris, near Forth Smith, that State. On April 12, 1885, he came to Merced Coun- ty and at first lived with his aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Allen, on their ranch east of Le Grand. He later took a course at the Stockton Normal School, and then went to Plainsburg, where he clerked in the store of Abe Jacobs, and acted as assistant postmaster of Plainsburg, also being proprietor of the Plainsburg Hotel.
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Coming to Le Grand in 1897, Mr. Cardwell first clerked in the store of E. C. Dickinson, and was assistant postmaster of Le Grand under postmaster S. W. Dickinson. He next clerked in the Rochdale Store for two years, and in 1906 bought the grocery store which he still owns, conducting it as a general grocery store, with a full and up-to-date stock of goods.
In all his years of residence in the San Joaquin, Mr. Cardwell has been sure of the ultimate prosperity in store for this section of the State, and he has supported the men and measures best calculated to further its real advancement. Fraternally he is active as a member of the Fraternal Aid Union, being past president of that order, and now serving as secretary.
CHARLES M. HYATT
That adverse conditions build up strong characters and break down the weak is a truism emphasized in the life of Charles Hyatt. Fortune smiled but little on his boyhood years; but in the difficult and somewhat bitter school of experience, his character was formed, his mind developed and habits of self reliance inculcated.
He was born in Indiana, on September 14, 1863. His father, Witt Hyatt, was a soldier in the Civil War, and died at Nashville, Tenn., leaving five children ranging from the age of four to seven- teen. The mother, Margaret (Hughes) Hyatt was born in Indiana and bravely tried to keep the family together after her husband's death, but finally succumbed and left the son, Charles M., an orphan at the age of twelve. When only thirteen years of age he had to start out and make his own living working on farms round about for four dollars a month at first, then six dollars and eight dollars by the time he was sixteen; when he was seventeen he went to western Missouri, where he received sixteen dollars a month. In 1886 he went to Ne- vada and worked in and around Reno until 1889, when he secured a position with Senator Newlands and worked for him twenty-five years.
On September 17, 1885, Charles M. Hyatt married Miss Addie Ramsey, the daughter of William and Louisa (McPeak) Ramsey. Her mother was a native of Ohio, and died in Missouri about 1904 at the age of seventy-seven. Her father was born in Illinois and died in Kansas at the age of eighty-five. There were five children of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Hyatt: Edna, married Fred Saxer and resides in San Diego; Frank, lives in the Hilmar Colony, he married Violet Calvin and they have one child; Ethel, married Ed. Ryder and resides in Oakland, and has one child; Charles, married Miss Bertha Arm- strong of the Hilmar Colony and is a rancher; and Lou, at home.
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In 1908 Mr. Hyatt made an extensive tour looking for a place to invest the money he had saved in thirty-five years of steady and ar- duous service. He finally found the Hilmar Colony and finding con- ditions to suit him, bought twenty acres for which he paid $92.50 an acre. It is a fine ranch and very valuable, being situated immediately east of the Union high school building at Irwin, and he improved it with a comfortable living-house, barn and other buildings and planted alfalfa and fruit, etc. Mr. Hyatt died on January 3, 1925, and was buried in the Turlock Cemetery. He was a man of excellent judgment and business acumen and was well posted on current events and voted for the candidates and principles which were for the best interests of the majority. He was generous, fair and public spirited and his death marks a real loss to the community.
JOSEPH JAMES YOUD
The descendant of pioneers of California, Joseph James Youd has lived since his birth in the central part of the State, and is now one of the successful business men of Merced. Born on Mariposa Creek, six miles south of Merced, on December 4, 1873, he is the son of Charles and Ellen (Howell) Youd. Charles Youd, who was born in 1845, came from England to St. Louis, Mo., when three years old, and in 1858 crossed the plains with oxen to California, arriving in Amador County in 1859, where he mined for a time and attended school three months. He later took up ranching and stock- raising. Ellen Howell Youd, who was born in St. Louis, Mo., in January, 1853, crossed the plains with her parents at about the same time as did Charles Youd. They were married in Amador County, and became the parents of six children, one of whom died in infancy, but four girls and one boy grew to maturity and are now living, viz. : Joseph J., Mrs. Eunice Reid, Geraldine, Mrs. Emma Harvey, and Mrs. Alice Mudd. In 1869 the family came to Merced, from Stock- ton, and the father farmed here until he retired, and with his wife he now lives in Concord, Contra Costa County. Mr. and Mrs. Youd celebrated their golden wedding anniversary on December 17, 1922.
Joseph James Youd received his education in the rural schools of Merced County. He helped his father on the home ranch until 1892, at which time he went to work for the Mariposa Commercial Mining Company, remaining with them for seventeen years as an electrician. In 1913 he bought into the garage business in Merced, with his uncle William Youd, and since that date they have operated the Hiway Garage, maintaining an up-to-date establishment for motor car serv-
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ice, and have met with steady success. They employ ten people, and turn out expert workmanship.
The marriage of Mr. Youd, occurring on August 31, 1905, at Bagby, Cal., united him with Miss Matie Grider, a native of Bagby, Mariposa County, and two children have been born to them : James T. and Ruth Ellen. Naturally interested in his native county, Mr. Youd stands ready at all times to do his part in furthering the pro- gress and advancement of Merced. In civic matters he votes an inde- pendent ticket, placing the man above party affiliations, for he real- izes. that the greatest factor in all progress is to pull together for the greatest good.
J. C. MCCOLLUM 1
On the list of Merced County's viticulturists appears the name of J. C. McCollum who, since January, 1911, has been a resident and property-owner near Snelling. His property embraces twenty-five acres of highly developed vineyard one mile north of Snelling, and here he has pioneerd and prospered. He began operations on his ranch by raising alfalfa and hogs, and has gradually set it to fruit, including Thompson seedless grapes and a small orchard of almonds. He is the pioneer in the use of modern methods in this vicinity, and many another rancher has followed successfully in his footsteps.
J. C. McCollum was born near Lynnville, Jasper County, Iowa, on April 27, 1874, the fifth in order of birth of six children, of whom five reside in California, and one in Seattle. His parents were Isaac and Louisa (Ballinger) McCollum, both born in North Caro- lina. The father came West to Iowa in 1850 and took up government land, which is the present townsite of Stewart. The family moved to California in 1883, locating in Los Angeles, then a city of 8000 inhabitants; soon after they removed to Pasadena, where Mr. Mc- Collum purchased an acreage in the vicinity of Hill and Allen Aven- ues, the present site of the Pasadena High School buildings. J. C. McCollum attended Throop Polytechnic for two terms and the Pasa- dena High School. Then he located at the corner of Fair Oaks Ave- nue and Colorado Street, now the heart of the business section of that city. He learned the machinist trade, working at the bench at the Pacific Brass Works in Los Angeles for four years, and went out as a journeyman, following his trade for fifteen years. In the meantime he had invested his savings in town lots in Los Angeles, some of which he still owns, and they are now very valuable.
At Pasadena Mr. McCollum was married to Miss Mettie King, who was born in Kansas, the daughter of Jerome and Olive King, of Glendora, Cal. The King family came to California from Kansas in
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1888. Mr. and Mrs. McCollum have two children. Walter is a ma- chinist, and the night foreman at the Yosemite Mills in Merced Falls. He served during the World War with the Port Guard in San Fran- cisco harbor; he is married and has two children. Irene McCollum married Leslie Halstad, of Snelling, in 1923. Mr. McCollum is a member and Past Grand of Snelling Lodge No. 325, I. O. O. F. at Snelling. He is a liberal Republican and supports any movement for progressive civic development. He came to the Merced River district with the belief that here is offered much more for the working dollar than in most new districts of diversified farming in California, and has never altered his opinion of this garden spot. He is a real booster and works in cooperation and harmony with the Merced County Farm Bureau, as well as the California State Agricultural Extension Bureau. While he has put in two seasons at the bench in the Yosemite Mills, he is an ardent lover of the outdoors, and accordingly spends much time at home on his well cared for ranch, which is a portion of the old Grimes Estate.
W. H. SEARING
A man of ability and energy, W. H. Searing is intimately associ- ated with the industrial prosperity of Merced as one of its leading business men. As manager and part owner of the Union Steam Laundry and especially active in movements intended for the ad- vancement of his locality, he is advancing the prosperity of this sec- tion. He was born in Merced, May 31, 1880, a son of Charles and Agnes (Young) Searing. The father came to Mokelumne Hill, Cala- veras County, in 1852 via the Isthmus of Panama. The mother was born at Hornitos, Mariposa County. Her father, William Thomas Young, crossed the plains in 1849. His wife, Lucretia Phillips, crossed the plains in the same train. Mr. and Mrs. Searing were mar- ried in Merced, where the father conducted a livery stable business for many years ; he was a pioneer of Merced, locating here in 1873 and was an active spirit in the early development of the county. The mother passed away in 1882, the father surviving until March, 1915, when he passed away, aged eighty-three years.
W. H. Searing attended grammar school until he was fourteen years old when he went to work at the printing trade, which occupied him for six years; then he engaged in the grocery business until he became interested in the laundry business, first as an employe, then as owner of the laundry. In February, 1919, the company was formed which is now known as the Union Steam Laundry, the other mem- bers of the firm being R. D. Ebert and O. M. Hickok; their establish-
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ment is equipped with modern machinery of all kinds and they employ an average of fifteen people in conducting the business.
Mr. Searing has been married twice. By the former marriage there is a son, Roy Dwaine, a student in St. Mary's College, Oakland. The second marriage of Mr. Searing united him with Miss Caroline Alma Ormsby, a native daughter of California; she is a member of the Eastern Star, while Mr. Searing belongs to the Woodmen of the World, the Native Sons of the Golden West, the Elks and the local Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Searing enjoys all healthy outdoor sports and finds his recreation in the open.
HIPPOLYTE P. ESCALLIER
Sheep-growing has been a very lucrative business in California; many have made fortunes, but like everything else there are ups and downs in it, as Mr. Escallier has learned by experience. Brought up in the business from childhood, he herded sheep when he was only eight years old, in the Hautes Alps country in the south of France, where he was born April 27, 1862. Upon coming to California in 1882, he first visited with his brother, Louis, in Delano, Kern County, for a month and then was employed herding sheep until the year 1885. After sheep-shearing time in the spring of 1885, Mr. Escallier and his brother, Louis, started from Delano with a band of 4000 sheep, herding them as they went along they found pastur- age in Kern, Inyo, Mono, and Tuolumne Counties, and in September they sheared the second crop of wool. Coming back through Merced County they went through Los Banos when there was no town or railroad on the West Side, crossed White's Bridge in Fresno County and saved all their sheep. The sheep were the property of his brother and partner, and in the spring of 1886 our subject bought an interest in the band, continuing for three years, when he sold out, and his brother returned to France. In 1891 our subject bought another band, kept them for a time and then sold at a good profit.
In 1892, in company with Etienne Chabot, he engaged in the sheep business and they were doing very well, when on May 14, 1894, their flock was caught by a heavy snow storm on Pine Ridge and 1600 perished. That year wool sold for five cents a pound and yearling lambs brought $1.05. The next year he sold what was left to his partner and came out with only three horses and a few dollars.
After he had gone out of the sheep business for himself, Mr. Escallier went to work for wages, but it was not long until he bought a band of 200 sheep. He sold them in 1898 and again quit the busi- ness. Coming to Los Banos in August, 1899, he worked on the
asa William Finley
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Woods ranch; and later he worked three winters on a sheep ranch twenty miles southwest of Los Banos during the lambing period. In 1908 he got the job of janitor at the old Los Banos Grammar School and in 1911 was made janitor of the high school, which position he still holds. He owns Los Banos real estate. Mr Escallier reared seven children. His wife, Leone L. (Atger) Escallier, died in 1916. Their children are as follows: Elsie, Henry, Aime, Felix, Louise, Blanch and Joseph. Mr. Escallier is a member of the Woodmen of the World.
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ASA WILLIAM FINLEY
A very highly learned California pioneer, now eighty-one years of age, is Asa William Finley, who is at present making his home at Hotel Stevinson with his daughter, Mrs. G. H. Blount of Stevinson, Cal. He is one of the oldest, if not indeed the oldest living settler in California, in point of time of residence, having been a boy baby of two years of age in his mother's arms when his father, mother and grandfather, Capt. William Campbell, crossed the plains to California in 1846. They landed at Santa Clara, Cal., in October, 1846, settling there when every able-bodied male person, over fifteen years of age, enlisted and served under John C. Fremont. He was born in Saline County, Mo., July 23, 1844, a son of Asa Wallace and Sarah (Camp- bell) Finley, both born in Kentucky, where grandfather Campbell was a tanner, though they later moved to Missouri. The train started from Marshall, Saline County, Mo., in April, 1846. They were all ordered to rendezvous at St. Joseph, Mo. After traveling some days, there being a train of 100 wagons, it was found that the train was too large; so they decided to divide up the train. This was done and William Campbell was duly elected captain of his division or train. Campbell's company elected Kit Carson as their guide to take them over the Sierras. The other company, which was a part of the origi- nal train and known as the Donner party, ill-fated in history, selected Hastings as their guide. Kit Carson hurried his train through, while Hastings' dilatoriness led to being caught in the snows and the sad fate of the Donner party. A son of Capt. William Campbell, namely Benjamin Campbell, took up 160 acres of government land located between two Spanish grants in Santa Clara County; and when the railroad from San Jose to Santa Cruz went through, Benjamin Camp- bell donated the depot site, and the town of Campbell, Santa Clara County, was named after him. The Finley family originally came from Ireland. The Campbells were of Scotch origin. The father and William. Campbell and his two sons, Benjamin and David, all
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