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 84
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Patrick J. Thornton attended the McSwain district school and grew up to farm work. He became a student at St. Mary's College, Oakland, graduating from its business department. He entered the court house in the capacity of deputy county clerk, under W. B. Croop. In 1906 he became a candidate for the office on the Demo- cratic ticket and was elected, being returned to the office of county clerk in 1910, 1914, 1918, and 1922.
On May 19, 1920, Patrick J. Thornton was united in marriage with Miss Agnes Ryan, a native of Ireland but a resident of Cali- fornia since 1917. The family home is located at 1030 L Street, the house having been erected in 1921. The Thornton ranch of 740 acres has been divided among the living children, who still own it. Mr. and Mrs. Thornton are members of the Catholic Church in Merced. He is a member of Merced Lodge No. 1240, B. P. O. E .;
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a Past Grand Knight of the Merced Council, Knights of Columbus ; and a member of Yosemite Parlor No. 24, N. S. G. W., and of the local Chamber of Commerce. By virtue of his office, during the World War Mr. Thornton was a member of the County Council of Defence. He gives his whole time to his official duties.
LOUIS PETER TAGLIO
A prosperous dairyman of the Gustine section of Merced County is found in Louis Peter Taglio, who resides on his twenty-acre home place south of the city limits of Gustine; he operates a milk route in Newman and Gustine and is fast developing his property to wal- nuts. His birth occurred in Salinas, Cal., on January 16, 1894, a son of P. L. and Nellie A. Taglio, whose sketch may be found on another page in this history.
Louis Peter Taglio attended public school in Salinas and Gon- zales, with a partial high school course in Gonzales. From young manhood he was associated with his father in ranching on the home place near Gustine. When his father retired and moved into town, Mr. Taglio and his brothers ran the place until 1921, when our sub- ject purchased his present place.
At Gustine on June 28, 1919, Mr. Taglio was married to Miss Rosalie M. Bizzini, born at San Lucas, Cal., daughter of Charles and Delphina Bizzini, farmer folk in the Gustine section, where Mrs. Taglio was reared and educated in the grammar and high schools. Mr. and Mrs. Taglio have two daughters: Rosalie, and Lorinne. Mr. Taglio is a trustee of the joint telephone companies, namely the Bunker Farmers line and the Sturgeon line. In politics he is a Demo- crat, and fraternally, is a member of the Woodmen of the World, and is a charter member of the Knights of Columbus of Newman.
JOSEPH S. PANCOAST
In Merced are located some of the most energetic and enterpris- ing young business men of Merced County, men who have been successful in their undertakings, and whose efforts through life thus far, by their own perserverance and activity, have brought ample returns. Among this number is Joseph S. Pancoast, proprietor of the Pancoast Battery Works. A native of California, he was born on February 19, 1897, in San Francisco. His father, Mulford Pancoast,
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was born in Virginia and came to California about thirty years ago and was married to Miss Rose Ingham, a native of San Francisco, Cal. The father is now deceased, but the mother is still living, resid- ing in San Francisco.
Joseph S. Pancoast completed the grammar school course and was in his second year in high school when his father passed away. He was then obliged to leave school and go to work and chose the automobile game. His first job was with the Howard Auto Com- pany; then he worked as an instructor for the Studebaker Company for one year. He then took up the battery business. This was before there were battery stations, and he advanced until he was put in charge of the battery department of several large shops. Then he spent two years selling life insurance, which further equipped him for operating his own business. In December, 1921, he came to Merced to deliver a policy, and he was so favorably impressed with the possibilities of the town that he rented a small space and opened a battery works. In September, 1923, having bought a site, he built his present modern shop, where he manufactures his own batteries, and in addition, carries a full line of accessories for all makes of automobiles.
The marriage of Mr. Pancoast united him with Miss Peggy Kim- ball, a native of Maine. Mr. Pancoast is a Republican in politics. For recreation, he enjoys motoring through the mountains.
HENRY P. GREEN
Public-spirited, enterprising and progressive, Henry P. Green has, for the past nineteen years, given substantial aid to the growth and development of the city of Gustine, where he has helped to build most of the homes and continues to be active in the upbuilding of this section, and also finds time to cultivate his home place of two acres within the city limits, where he makes his home. His birth occurred in Schuyler County, Mo., May 22, 1883, a son of John Henry and Margaret (Kirkland) Green, both natives of the same state. His father has spent his entire life in Missouri, where he is engaged in farming. He was county treasurer of Schuyler County for a couple of terms. There were ten children in this family, nine of whom are now living: Ona; Irvie, resides in western Kansas; Myrtle; Henry P., the subject of this review ; Cordie; Gracie ; Buella, deceased; Anna; Nellie; and Velma.
The education of Henry P. Green was obtained in the grammar schools of his native county. He spent twenty-two years of his life
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at home; then he came to California and located at Gustine, where he learned the carpenter's trade and for several years has been a build- ing contractor.
At Gustine, February 27, 1913, Mr. Green was married to Miss Leslie Hollingsworth, daughter of J. E. and Lucy J. (Drummond) Hollingsworth, both natives of Illinois and both pioneers of the San Joaquin Valley. The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Green, J. Q. Drummond, came to California in 1852 and was a prominent and respected citizen of Merced County, where he engaged in farming near Ingomar. Her father, J. E. Hollingsworth, engaged in farming and dairying in Merced County and lived to be sixty-five years old. Her mother, whose sketch will also be found in this history, still makes her home at Gustine. Of this union there were four children : Ruby; John; an infant deceased; and Leslie, the wife of our subject. Two sons have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Green: Leland Henry and James Lester. Mr. Green is a stanch Democrat in politics, fra- ternally, he belongs to the Odd Fellows Lodge of Gustine and is a past grand of this order; with his wife he is a member of the Re- bekahs; he also serves as a member of the city council of Gustine.
GEORGE ROBERT HULEN
When the lure of gold was drawing thousands to California in the early fifties, among the hardy and adventurous argonauts who crossed the plains in 1854 was Andrew Jackson Hulen. With the cheerful optimism of youth he began the quest for the precious metal at Chinese Camp and Downieville. Of how much gold he found, there is no record, but it is recorded that he found something a great deal more precious, a faithful wife, Mary Ida Lewis, to whom he was united in marriage on September 2, 1873, in Contra Costa County, where he turned his attention to freighting among the farmers and merchants. He had filed on a quarter section in Merced County, but he gave that up and settled at Volta in 1894, and rented 100 acres of Uriah Wood; he also leased 800 acres and went in for grain farm- ing. He finally bought ninety acres near Volta, where he spent the balance of his life, dying in 1917, at the age of eighty-six; his good wife is still living and is sixty-seven years old. Of this union there were born ten children: Lee A., deceased; John S., born April 13, 1876, who was married September 14, 1913, at San Rafael to Nettie Jeffers, born at Volta, Merced County, a daughter of Ben- jamin and Eliza (Knight) Jeffers, both born in 1843, the former in Jones County, Iowa, and the latter in Columbiana County, Ohio;
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George R .; Margaret A., Mrs. A. C. Shafer of Manteca ; William F., deceased; Lewis; Alice, Mrs. Smith Acker of Merced; Edna, Mrs. Weisman of Modesto; Frank; and Woodson, familiarly known as "Jack."
George Robert Hulen was born on February 16, 1879, near Lakeport, Lake County, Cal., was educated in the Santa Nella district school and remained with his father until 1904, when he went out and worked for wages as a ranch hand. He was frugal and saved his money and in eight years was able to acquire some stock, and in 1912 he came to his present location four miles west of Volta and bought eighty acres devoted to alfalfa on which he runs a dairy of sixty cows. He also owns thirty acres five miles south of his home. This is also under the canal and devoted to alfalfa. He is an inde- pendent in politics, voting for the best men and measures regardless of party. He is a member of the Mountain Brow Lodge No. 82, I. O. O.F.
ANDREW F. SILVA
Within the city limits of Gustine on the southwest lies the small ranch of six and a half acres, which for the past ten years has been the home of Andrew F. Silva. His birth occurred at San Lorenzo, Cal., August 4, 1885, a son of Andrew Silva and Mary (Cardoza) D'Souza, both natives of the town of Fayal of the Azores Islands, who came to the United States when young and were married in Boston, Mass. In 1871 they came to California and settled at San Lorenzo, where the father worked for wages on farms until 1903. They then removed to Gustine, which at that time was a flag station on the railroad, and here a farm of sixty-six acres was purchased and the father engaged in the dairy business for the balance of his life. He was fifty-three years old when he died. The mother makes her home at Newman, aged sixty-eight years. There were eight children in this family, namely: John, Rose, Mary, Alice, and Anna, all de- ceased; the surviving members are Manuel, Joseph and Andrew F.
Andrew F. Silva attended the public schools in Alameda County and was associated with his father in the dairy business at Gustine until his father passed away; he then bought the home place, which lies east of town about three-quarters of a mile, continued to run a dairy for several years, and then sold the cows and rented the land and moved onto his present home place, where he has built a substan- tial residence and necessary farm buildings.
At Oakland, Cal., December 12, 1909, Mr. Silva was married to Miss Mary Rodrigues Silva, born at Fayal, Azores Islands, daughter 26
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of Antone Silva, a pioneer gold miner of California, who later re- turned to his native country, where he still lives. Mrs. Silva received her education in her native city. Three children constitute this fam- ily : Manuel, Antone, and Mary, the wife of our subject. Besides farming the home place, Mr. Silva writes life insurance for the Western States Life Insurance Company of San Francisco. In poli- tics he is a Republican.
JOSEPH MACHADO SOARES
While Joseph M. Soares was growing up in his native land such glowing reports were continually coming from many of his country- men, who had migrated to California and were making money, that it was quite natural for our subject to have a desire to see this country himself. He was born on December 21, 1888, a son of J. M. and Rosa (Azevedo) Soares, and grew up and went to school in his native land. His father was a farmer and also a mechanic and lived at Pico, in the Azores. There were nine children in the family : Manuel, Joseph M., John, Frank, Mary, Julia, Angelina, Seraphim and Rose." At the age of eighteen Joseph landed in Boston, Mass., coming di- rectly to California and on arriving in Napa Valley, he found employ- ment on a dairy farm, where he worked five years at twenty-five dollars a month to start with. From there he came to Newman, Stanislaus County; in the summer he worked at baling hay around Pleasanton, and in the winter time in the dairies in Stanislaus County. In due time he had accumulated funds enough to get into business on his own account, so we find him in partnership with his brother, John, and M. S. Machado, in a herd of 160 cows on the Crittenden ranch ; this partnership continued for nine years when he sold out and bought sixty-eight acres in the Romero school district, a part of the old Menzel ranch, and here he built his house and farm buildings and raises alfalfa hay.
On October 8, 1917, J. M. Soares was married, at Gustine, to Theresa A. Luiz, born in San Rafael, Marin County, the daughter of Frank and Mary (Bernard) Luiz, both natives of the Azores, the former of St. George and the latter of Fayal. Frank Luiz was brought to California about sixty years ago, when a young lad, by his uncle who was a captain of a whaling vessel. He became a dairy rancher in Marin and Colusa Counties, and died at the age of sixty- nine. Mrs. Soares was the twelfth in a family of fifteen, as follows : Antone, Mary, Frank, Emily, John, Joseph, Belle, Madaline, Mil- dred, George, Henry, Theresa, Rose, Olivia, and Catherine. Mr. and Mrs. Soares have five children: Joseph, John, Edwin, Alice and
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Erwin. Fraternally, Mr. Soares is a member of the U. P. E. C. and the I. D. E. S. Lodge of Gustine, also of the E. S. E. S. of Gustine. Mrs. Soares is a member of the S. P. R. S. I. of Gustine. Mr. Soares took out his naturalization papers about three years ago, and is a Republican.
JOHN PAUL GIBBONS
The son of a pioneer couple, and a well-known man in Merced, John Paul Gibbons, more familiarly known as Paul Gibbons, is the foreman and chief trouble-shooter for the Ford Garage operated by R. Shaffer at Merced. A son of John Wesley and Helen (Leslie) Gibbons, he was born at Merced Falls on April 29, 1890, and grew to manhood on his father's ranch and attended the common schools of his locality. In 1906 he came to Merced. Always being interested in machinery of various kinds, he entered the machine shop of the Yosemite Valley Railway and served an apprenticeship. He then became a locomotive engineer in 1907, serving seven years on the Yosemite Valley Railroad, running from Merced to El Portal.
The marriage of Paul Gibbons at Richmond, Cal., on June 6, 1911, united him with Miss Margaret Thornton, daughter of the late Michael Thornton, a prominent rancher of this county. Mrs. Gib- bons is the twelfth of a family of thirteen children. She grew up in the county and attended the public schools. Mr. and Mrs. Gibbons have one child, Paul. In 1913 Mr. Gibbons erected their home at 1010 Seventeenth Street, Merced.
After leaving the employ of the Yosemite Valley Railway Mr. Gibbons entered the employ of Lounsbury and Shaffer as an auto- mobile mechanic. When Mr. Shaffer took over the Ford agency on Sixteenth Street, in 1922, Mr. Gibbons went with him. He is a competent mechanic and ably fills his responsible position. He is a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen. Politically he is a Democrat.
JULIUS BONTA
The life which this sketch outlines began in Canton Ticino, Switzerland, on November 26, 1871, when Julius Bonta was born to Carlo and Maria (Cesalina) Bonta. The father is still living in his native country at the age of ninety; the mother died at the age of forty-four. Julius has two brothers, Placido and August, in California.
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His father was a farmer and stockman. As Julius grew up he went to the common school and helped his father at home. When he came to that period in life when a boy begins to think what he is going to do in the world his thoughts were turned to that country across the sea whither so many of his countrymen had gone, and as soon as he reached his majority, in 1892, he bade good-bye to his native land and embarked for the New World. He had no capital or trade, but had learned about caring for stock from his father, and he naturally sought for work on a dairy ranch when he reached Salinas, Monterey County, Cal. After working there six years he came to the West Side of the San Joaquin and worked on ranches fourteen months near Newman. By this time he had saved enough of his wages to go into business on his own account. Entering into partnership with George Stewart, he carried on a dairy of 120 cows for five years, when the partnership was dissolved and Mr. Bonta carried on the business by himself, with two strings of cows, for five years. His next venture was the purchase of 100 acres of land eight miles south of Gustine in 1908, part of it in alfalfa and part undeveloped; but he has brought it all into a high state of cultivation and carries on a dairy of sixty head at the present time.
On March 4, 1909, Julius Bonta was married in Switzerland to Elvira Guzzi, a native of that country, and daughter of Clement and Celeste Guzzi, farmer folk, and they have two children, Emile and Daniel. Mr. Bonta received his naturalization papers in Monterey County and votes for the best man and measures regardless of party. In 1924, Mrs. Bonta made a visit to her home in Canton Ticino.
SILVERIO P. SILVA
The success which numbers Silverio P. Silva among the prosper- ous business men of Gustine has been entirely the result of his own efforts, for he came empty-handed from Portugal, where he was born August 4, 1876, and with the energy and perseverance char- acteristic of the natives of Portugal has gained a competence in the face of many difficulties. He is the son of Jacintho and Joaquina Maria (Alves) Silva. Jacintho Silva was a blacksmith and followed his trade all his life in Portugal. There were nine children in this family, namely : Maria; Jose; Lucina ; Antonio; Felizarda ; Benigno, deceased; Silverio P., our subject; Quiteria; and Neves, who died in infancy. The father passed away at the age of sixty-five years, while the mother is still living, having reached the advanced age of ninety- one years.
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Silverio P. Silva received a common school education, and when only thirteen years old he took a position as clerk and from that time on has made his own way in the world. He worked as a clerk in various stores for fifteen years, when he came to the United States and directly to California, locating in San Francisco, where he worked for wages. In 1903 he located in Merced and for the fol- lowing three years worked on farms. In 1906 he removed to Gustine and worked for two years for John V. Azevedo, and on September 1, 1913, established his own general merchandise business and within six years had accumulated sufficient means to build his own store building, which is 50 x 125 feet.
At Merced, in February, 1914, Mr. Silva was married to Miss Mary Rose, a native of Marin County, Cal., daughter of Manuel and Isabelle Rose, early settlers in Marin County. Mr. and Mrs. Silva have one daughter, Zelma. Fraternally, Mr. Silva belongs to the U. P. E. C., and for the past twelve years has served as secretary of the I. D. E. S. Lodge of Gustine ; politically he is a Republican.
DALTON E. HALES
Possessing executive ability of a high order, Dalton E. Hales has won well-merited success by his honest and upright dealings with all with whom he has business relations and has gained the respect of the community. He is the local representative, with his office in Gustine, of the Western States Life Insurance Company of San Francisco. Since becoming identified with this company, Mr. Hales has become an honorary member of the sales force and is one of the first fifteen salesmen of this company in a force of 600.
One of California's native sons, Dalton E. Hales was born at Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz County, September 8, 1893, à son of Elisha and Edith (Maddocks) Hales, both natives of California. Dalton E. Hales attended school in Gustine and later took a course at Heald's Business College in San Francisco. In 1910 he started in business for himself as a retailer of milk and continued in this busi- ness for a few years; he then engaged in the dairy business. When he located in Gustine he worked for Chappell and Reuter, remaining with them until he went to San Francisco, where he took his business course ; then he went to work for the Pacific Hardware & Steel Com- pany in that city. He next removed to Los Banos where he worked in Miller & Lux's store. From Los Banos, Mr. Hales went to San Jose and conducted a business in East San Jose for one year, when he again returned to Gustine and for eight months was engaged in the
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dairy business, when he sold out. In 1920 he engaged in the general insurance business, which has since occupied his time and attention. He is the special agent at Gustine of the Western States Life In- surance Company of San Francisco,
On September 26, 1914, at Gustine, Mr. Hales was married to Miss Florence Pearce, born at Ingomar, Merced County, a daughter of J. L. and Flora Pearce, pioneer farmers of Merced County. Mrs. Hales was educated in the grammar and high school at Gustine and the Modesto High School. Mr. and Mrs. Hales are the parents of two children: Athol Merrill and Dalton Eugene. Mr. Hales served as deputy constable for four years ; in 1923 he was elected justice of the peace of township No. 6 of Merced County. He is a Republican in politics and fraternally is Past Grand of the Romero Lodge No. 413, I. O. O. F., at Gustine.
PETER E. PETERSEN
As a natural result of his thrift and industry Peter E. Petersen has become a prosperous citizen of Gustine, Cal., which has been his home since 1909. His birth occurred in Aro, Denmark, on Jan- uary 7, 1888, a son of Hans Peter and Maria Catherine (Smith) Petersen, both natives of Denmark, where they still make their home, the father being seventy-two years old and the mother sixty-seven years. There are six children in the family: Alfreda P., Mrs. C. L. Smith residing at Turlock; Peter E., the subject of this review; Jor- gen; Hans P., deceased; Johannas ; and Nora.
Peter E. Petersen attended grammar school in his native country and learned the blacksmith trade in Aro with his father. In 1907 he came to the United States and almost directly to California, where he worked for his brother-in-law, C. L. Smith, for a year and a half. He then followed his trade with James R. Jensen in Gustine for three years, when, on March 29, 1912, he bought a half interest in a black- smith business with A. Andersen, and the firm became Andersen and Petersen, and in 1914 they built a garage building; in 1919 he sold his interest in the garage to Gilbert Kerr and in 1923 took over the entire blacksmith end of the business. Mr. Petersen is also inter- ested in agriculture, owning a fifth interest in a 131-acre farm, known as the Gustine Orchard Company, which is devoted to almonds, grapes, walnuts and figs.
At Gustine, July 15, 1916, Mr. Petersen was married to Miss Lillie Hansen, born at Ingomar, Cal., a daughter of Hans and Chris- tina (Smith) Hansen, whose sketch will be found in this history.
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Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Petersen : Hans Peter and Eleanor Marie. Mr. Petersen is Past Grand of Romero Lodge No. 413, I. O. O. F., and has served as trustee of this order for many years; he is also a member of the Dania Lodge of Gustine. In politics he is a Democrat.
JAMES C. AUSTIN
A deservedly popular and prominent citizen, James C. Austin is numbered among the representative men of Gustine. Since arriving at this place in 1920, he has labored zealously for its upbuilding and the development of its resources. A native of Scotland, he was born in Edinburgh, October 2, 1882, a son of James C. and Mary I. (Jenkins) Austin, both natives of Scotland. The father, James C. Austin, was a wholesale tea and wine merchant during most of his active career; he passed away in 1920, never having left his native shores.
James C. Austin received his education at the George Watson's College in his native city. In 1900 he joined a volunteer contingent and served during the Boer War in South Africa for two years. After a visit to his boyhood home in Edinburgh he went to Canada and for the next ten years was identified with two of the leading banks of that country. Later he removed to Montana and opened a bank at Coburg, and when he came to California he established a bank at Lemon Cove. Then he took a trip to Honolulu and was connected with the Bank of Bishop & Company, Ltd., as accountant. In Feb- ruary, 1920 he located in Gustine, where he has since remained as the capable and efficient cashier of the Bank of Gustine.
At San Francisco, on August 14, 1922, Mr. Austin was united in marriage with Miss Mabel Hansen, born at Gustine, a daughter of Hans Hansen, an early settler of Merced County and an extensive land owner. Mr. Austin supports all public matters and measures that will advance the interest of the people and county.
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