USA > California > San Luis Obispo County > A memorial and biographical history of the counties of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura, California Containing a history of this important section of the Pacific coast from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospective future; with full-page steel portraits of its most eminent men, and biographical mention of many of its pioneers and also of prominent citizens of to-day > Part 44
USA > California > Santa Barbara County > A memorial and biographical history of the counties of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura, California Containing a history of this important section of the Pacific coast from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospective future; with full-page steel portraits of its most eminent men, and biographical mention of many of its pioneers and also of prominent citizens of to-day > Part 44
USA > California > Ventura County > A memorial and biographical history of the counties of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura, California Containing a history of this important section of the Pacific coast from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospective future; with full-page steel portraits of its most eminent men, and biographical mention of many of its pioneers and also of prominent citizens of to-day > Part 44
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UTHER SKELLENGER, of Santa Paula, is a native of New Jersey, born in the town of Decker, Sussex County, March 20, 1825. He followed the contractor and builders' trade until in April, 1861, when President Lincoln made his first call for volunteers to put down the Rebellion, he enlisted as a private in Company C, First New Jersey Volunteer Infantry. At the expira- tion of six months he re-enlisted in Company
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C, Seventh New Jersey Volunteer Infantry, and was detailed on recruiting service. He raised a company, of which he was elected First Lientenant.
When he returned for the service he bought a small flour-mill and was engaged in the milling business several years. Mr. Skellenger came to California in 1887, on account of his wife's health, and in San Buenaventura started a large furniture store. Mrs. Skellenger did not recover her health, and died soon after coming here. He sold his furniture store in 1889, and bought a ranch in Wheeler Cañon consisting of 800 acres, on which his son, Fred, is in charge. They removed to Santa Panla, where he bought property and built a home and furni- ture store. The business is under the firm name of Skellenger Brothers. They are do- ing the principal business in their line of goods in the city. Mr. Skellenger has re- tired from active life, and his sons are con- ducting the ranch and store; the store is in charge of Walter H. Skellenger. They are enterprising men of high character.
The ancestors of the family came from Amsterdam, Holland, and settled on Lorg Island. At one time most of the island was owned by the family, and some of it is still in the family, which was obtained in 1842. W. H. Skellenger's son, Frank Herbert, is the last of an unbroken line of eight generations, as follows: Jacob Skel- lenger was born in Amsterdam, Holland, in 1625, and came to America in 1653. His son was Jacob (second); his son was Daniel, born on Long Island; his son was Daniel (second), and was also born on Long Island; his son, Elisha P., was born in Morris County, New Jersey, and was a shoemaker; he died in 1839, at seventy-two years of age; his son, Elisha, was born in Sussex County, New Jersey, November 24, 1800. He was
the father of Luther, the subject of this sketch, who was the father of Walter H., the father of Herbert Frank.
Mr. Skellenger, our subject. is a member of the G. A. R., and of the I. O. O. F. In the East the family were Congregationalists; but in Santa Paula, as there is no church of that denomination, they have united with the Presbyterian Church. Walter H. is a member of the choir, and also superintend- ent of the Sunday-school. He is a member of the K. of P., the K. of H., the S. of V. and the I. O. F. Since the death of his wife Mr. Skellenger makes his home with his son in Santa Panla.
Mr. Skellenger was married in 1847, to Miss Maria Vaness. They have had three children, all of whom are deceased. After six years of wedded life Mrs. Skellenger died, of consumption. In 1855 he was again married, to Miss Ada C. Kelsey, a native of New Jersey, born June 30, 1837, and daugh- ter of J. B. Kelsey, also a native of New Jersey. They have four children, two boys and two girls, viz .: Walter H., born in Newark, New Jersey, May 31, 1856, and was married in 1879 to Miss Maggie A. Nichols, a native of New Jersey, born in 1860. They have three children: Frank H., born in Paterson, New Jersey, in 1882, Luther J., born in Newark, in 1886, and Marion Ethel, born June 6, 1890, at Santa Paula, California. Fred, born October 17, 1859; Mary Ida, April 15, 1862; and Clara K., March 6, 1864.
F. ROTSLER is one of the prominent ranchers of Santa Paula, Ventura County, California. He came from Missouri to his present locality in 1874. Mr. Rotsler was born in Baden, Germany, January
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4,1831. His parents were natives of Germany and his father was a machinist. Young Rotsler obtained his education in Germany and in 1849, at the age of nineteen years, came to the United States. He located in New York and worked in a machine shop in Green County, putting up machinery in woolen factories. He next engaged in the manu- facture of straw paper, in Cohimbia County, and after running the paper-mill two years, he built a flouring-mill in Green Conuty, which he ran two years. He sold out, con- ducted a mercantile business four years, sold it in 1866 and in 1867 went to Missouri. He purchased 130 acres of improved land in Audrain County, and a new house and eight acres of land in Martinsburg. Here for four years he was engaged in agricultural pursuits, after which he again sold out, went into a merchant mill at Mexico, Missouri, ran it three years, then disposed of it, and, in 1874, came to California. He purchased seventy-five acres of land near Saticoy, built a honse and improved the property; sold ont ten years later; lived in Ventura one year; went to Los Angeles, bonght and sold property there; and then came to his present locality. Here he purchased twenty acres of choice land, built a very attractive house and fine barn and has made this property a val- uable one. He is engaged in raising Lima beans. Ten acres of this land are devoted to walnuts, and Mr. Rotsler also has a large va- riety of fruit trees for family use.
He was married in Green County, New York, in 1854, to Miss Sarah E. Golden, a native of that State. They had three chil- dren: Georgiana G., born in Green County, New York, married Scott Gibson, and is a resident of Saticoy; Charles D., also born in Green County, died at the age of twenty- three years; and Willie S., born in the same place, married Sarah Middleton, and lives in
Los Angeles. After seventeen years of wedded life, Mrs. Rotsler died. In 1872 Mr. Rotsler married Miss Hannah E. Lewis, a native of New York, daughter of Abel Lewis of that State. Their union has been blessed with two sons, both born in Saticoy, L. F. and S. L. Politically Mr. Rotsler is a Democrat.
C. RILEY was born in Tennessee, February 9, 1818. He is a son of Stephen Riley, who was a native of South Carolina, and was of Irish ancestry. His mother, Nancy (Walker) Riley, was the daughter of Rev. West Walker, a Baptist minister of Tennessee. C. C. Riley was the fourth of a family of ten children, five of whom are living. He was reared and edu- cated in Tennessee and Missouri, and when he became a man he purchased a farm of 161 acres in the latter State, and was engaged in agricultural pnrsnits there for seven or eight years. In 1853 he sold out and went to Oregon. He there improved 160 acres of land, on which he lived until 1869, when he again sold out and located in San Luis Obispo County, California. In 1872 he came to Ventura County, bought a Govern- ment claim, built a good home and planted trees. The location of this ranch is a fine one. Looking at it from the highway, it presents an inviting and home-like appear- ance, and plainly indicates the industry and thrift of the owner. Mr. Riley's son, West, is condneting the farming operations, and is a most industrious and worthy man.
Mr. Riley was married in 1843, to Miss Sarah Loveall, a native of Kentucky, and danghter of Abraham Loveall, a Baptist minister. Mr. and Mrs. Riley have had a family of nine children, six of whom are living, viz .: West, Stephen A. Douglas,
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George B. Mcclellan, Lucinda, Rachal and Nancy Jane.
At the age of thirty years Mr. Riley was ordained as a Baptist minister, and has been an efficient laborer in the vineyard of the Lord. Recently, on account of advanced age and ill health, he only preaches occasion- ally. He was the organizer of the first Bap- tist Church in San Luis Obispo, and has been a leader in many revival meetings. Through his instrumentality many souls have been lead to accept the offers of salva- tion and obey the Lord's command. Mr. Riley's political views are Democratic.
RANCIS J. BECKWITH is one of the reliable ranchers of the section of the county where he resides. He was born in Ontario County, New York, August 14, 1834, of Scotch ancestry. His father, Nathan Beckwith, Jr., was born about the year 1798, resided in the State of New York for many years, and removed to Iowa, and from there back to Ontario County, New York, where he died at the age of sixty-five years. His grandfather, Nathan Beckwith, Sr., was a resident of Oswego County, New York, for many years, and an early settler there. Three of the Beckwiths were in the war of 1812. Mr. Beckwith's mother, Phebe (Granger) Beckwith, was born in On- tario County, New York, in 1808. She was the daughter of Elihu Granger, who came from New Jersey and settled in New York, where he resided for many years. Their an- cestors had for a long time been residents of America. Mr. Beckwith was the youngest of a family of seven children, three of whom are now living. The family moved to Indi- ana when he was quite young, and he was reared on a farm and educated in the public 20
schools of that State. Early in life he lost his father, and he remained on the farm with his mother until he was twenty-seven years old, and has made farmiug his life occupa- tion. When Mr. Beckwith left home he re- moved to Michigan and purchased a farnı near Vermontville, Eaton County, where he resided for two years in a log house of his own building-the only kind in which the early settlers lived. He sold out and worked in a mill for three years. In 1874 he came to California, and September 21 he came to his present ranch. He remained with his brother, Appleton Beckwith, who owned the ranch, for two years. Then he returned to Indiana, and two years later came back to California and worked for his brother nearly a year. February 3, 1881, Appleton Beck- with died, bequeathing his ranch to the sub- ject of this sketch and another brother. This brother Mr. Beckwith has since bought out, and now owns the whole ranch, about 700 acres. Three hundred acres are farming lands, and the rest is pasture and waste land. The location of this property is in a beauti- ful farming country. Hogs and cattle were formerly the chief products of this district, but now the principal erop is corn and beans, twenty-five centals of corn to the acre and 2,000 pounds of Lima beans per acre being an average crop. Mr. Beckwith has made most of the improvements on the place. The grounds, with trees and flowers, every- thing about the house, the large barns and well-filled corn-cribs, all denote plenty and comfort. Twelve acres are in bearing Eng- lish walnut trees, sixteen years old, and there is also a fine orchard containing a variety of fruit. The walnut grove yields at present $100 per acre.
In 1859 Mr. Beckwith married Miss Sarah Greenmayer, who was born in Ohio, July 5€ 1841. Her father, Jesse Greenmayer, was a
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native of Pennsylvania, born in 1818, of Pennsylvania-Dutch ancestors. They have had a family of four children, all living. The two oldest were born in Indiana: Caro- line M., September 20, 1860, now the wife of George A. Jones, and resides near Ven- tura; Charles F., January 12, 1862. Del- bert T. was born in Michigan, January 31, 1869, and Emma G. was born in California, October 22, 1878. Charles and Delbert are settled near their father, and Emma is at home with her parents. Mr. Beckwith's political views are Republican.
OHN IRWIN is one of the business men of Santa Paula. A brief sketch of his life is as follows: Mr. Irwin was born in Cherry Tree, Venango County, Pennsylvania, May 4, 1841. His father, William Irwin, was a native of the same place, and his grand- father was one of the early settlers of that county, and lived to be eighty-seven years old. His great-grandfather, Richard Irwin, was born in County Armagh Ireland, in 1740, and immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1761, at the age of twenty-one years. In 1809 John Irwin built the first grist-mill in Cherry Tree, and the first saw-mill in the township was built by Ninian Irwin in 1823. Both John and Ninian Irwin were appointed jus- tice of the peace and held the office for years. Most of this early history was obtained from Judge John Irwin, a judge and prominent citizen of Cherry Tree for many years in the early history of the county of Venango. Mr. Irwin's mother's maiden name was Eliza Stewart. She was a native of the same State, and was a daughter of Elijah Stewart, who was also born in Pennsylvania. When the subject of this sketch was nineteen years old his father died, and upon him devolved the
care of the farin and his mother and six children. His early educational advantages were limited, and he is evidently a self-made man. He remained with the family until twenty-eight years of age. When John was quite a small boy his father kept a dairy, and the boys early learned to take charge of the stock. Mr. Irwin says that when he was only eleven years old he both bought and sold cows. He was thus inured to hard work in early life and also learned something of the man- agement of the farin and stock; although he was a slight lad, at twenty-one weighing only 100 pounds. His birth-place was only four miles from the first producing oil well in the oil regions of that State, the Drake, which was opened in 1859. When his farm work was done, Mr. Irwin often worked at the oil wells for wages, and after a time purchased an outfit and took contracts to sink wells. The owner of the well furnished the boiler and engine and wood rig; the other material was furnished by the driller. After working in this way for twelve years, he took an in- terest in wells and became an oil-well owner. In speaking of productive wells, Mr. Irwin says the most productive well he had any- thing to do with was the "Old Sherman." It flowed 1,200 barrels per day, aud it was estimated that it flowed 1,900,000 barrels, and it was then pumped for twenty years. This well was 600 feet deep.
Mr. Irwin had always taken an interest in stock-raising, and in 1883 came to California, prospecting. Mr. Lyman Stewart came at the same time and together they looked the oil region over. After looking the country over they decided that there was a good open- ing for development. Mr. Stewart telegraphed Mr. W. L. Hardison, and at once they began to make roads to the localities of this work, of which Mr. Irwin was superintendent. Mr. Hardison came out and arrangements were
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made, and in May, 1883, he went back for machinery and men. Mr. Irwin made the preliminary preparations for the wells at New- hall and then came to Santa Paula Cañon and engaged in preparations to drill and develop. When a man goes into new fields in this way, such work is called by oil men wild-cating. Mr. Irwin has done much of this work. He continued at Santa Paula until 1887, when he went to Sespe Cañon, eighteen miles east of Santa Paula, where they now have wells, with a pipe line to the refinery. Mr. Irwin is superintendent of field work, having a com- plete supervision of the whole business of sinking the wells, of their prodnetion and of making the roads to them. This is the Sespe Oil Company. Thomas R. Bard is president and W. L. Hardison is general manager.
Mr. Irwin was married in 1868, to Miss Caroline B. Canfield, of Niagara County, New York. They have one son, Ralph, who was born in Cherry Tree, Venango County, Pennsylvania, September 9, 1874.
Mr. Irwin east his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln, and has been a Re- publican ever since. He is the owner of property in Santa Paula and a nice cottage near the center of the town. Mr. Irwin is a well informed man, and has had a long ex- perience in the oil business. His efforts in that direction in Ventura County have been erowned with success, and are resulting in the growth and upbuilding of Santa Paula.
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A. GUIBERSON, one of the early settlers and prominent ranchers of o Ventura County, was born in Holmes County, Ohio, January 1, 1838. He was the son of Rev. J. W. Guiberson, a native of Pennsylvania, and a minister of the Methodist church for many years. He removed to Ohio
and from there to California, where death his occurred at the age of seventy years, eaused by the bite of a rattlesnake in the hand; he only lived seven hours after receiving the wound. Mr. Guiberson's grandfather, Samuel Guiberson, was born in New Jersey, and re- moved to Ohio when it was a wilderness. When he reached majority there was some member of the Whig party who objeeted to his voting, although he had been raised a Whig; he was so enraged at them that he voted the Demveratie ticket, and for several generations, to the present time, the Guiber- sons have voted that ticket. Mr. Guiberson's mother was Catherine (Knight) Guiberson, a native of Ohio, born in 1805. She was the daughter of Mr. George Knight, a native of England. They have six children, three boys and three girls, four of whom survive.
Mr. Guiberson, our subject, was educated in Ohio, and raised on his father's farm. In 1860, when twenty-two years of age, he came to California, and settled at Placerville, en- gaging in contracting. He then went to Napa Valley, and leased land, and in 1869, came to what was then Santa Barbara County, now Ventura County, and settled upon what he supposed to be Government land, where he remained three years, and on discovering his mistake heleftit and went to his present place, twelve miles east of Santa Paula and three miles from Fillmore Station. Here he has a fine ranch of 1,300 acres, and in 1888 built a fine residence upon it. He is engaged in raising grain and stoek, but his specialty is stock; he is raising Berkshire hogs, Durham cattle and draft horses.
Mr. Guiberson was married in 1860, to Miss Ellen Green, a great-granddaughter of General Nathaniel Green, of Revolutionary fame. She was born in Missouri, in 1840, and is a daughter of Mr. Joseph N. Green, a native of Virginia. They have eight children,
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five boys and three girls. The first two were born in Napa County, and the others on the ranch in Ventura County, viz .: Lorane, J, W., N. G., S. A., W. R., Zuleki, Carrie, Blanch. J. W. is a merchant in Santa Paula; Nathanial S. is clerking for his brother in the store; he is nineteen years of age, being six feet seven inches high, and weighing 225 pounds. Lorane is in business in Arkansas. Mr. Guiberson and his two eldest sons are members of the Masonic fraternity. Mrs. Guiberson is a member of the Methodist church at Fillmore. He has been too much occupied on his ranch to give much attention to politics, but has been appointed deputy sheriff, and also deputy assessor of the county of Ventura. Notwithstanding the hardships of pioneer life for thirty years, he still is a young-looking man, and has a long life before him in which to enjoy the fruits of high cul- tivation that has now come to the beautiful valley, and which he has helped to bring about.
A. CONAWAY, residing near Fillmore, is one of California's pioneers. He
O was born in West Virginia, April 4, 1830. His father, Eli Conaway, was a native of Virginia, and his great-grandfather was born in Ireland, and came to America before the Revolution. His mother, Mary (Baker) Conaway. was a native of Virginia, of Welsh ancestry. They had a family of nine children, of whom Mr. Conaway was the sixth. He was educated in Virginia, and finished his
education in Iowa. He left home in 1849, and remained in Wisconsin two years; he then went to Missouri, and he worked in Ashley, Pike County, that State, part of the time as an overseer on a plantation; the rest of the time he was in a shop running an engine and sawing lumber. In 1853 he
crossed the plains to California, with an ox team, having a prosperous and safe journey. He settled on a ranch in Amador County, and engaged in raising stock. He then re- moved to San Joaquin County, and settled npon a Government ranch, where he per- fected the title and made it his home for twelve years; he improved the place by build- ing upon it and planting a vineyard and orchard. For his present place he bought a Governinent claim, and also paid the railroad for it. The railroad soon after wanted the right of way, and he received his money back. Mr. Conaway took the place when it was wild and uncultivated, and has since built a fine house, and planted fruit of all descriptions, and the whole place shows the work of a first-class farmer; every tree and shrub has been planted by his own hands. He is en- gaged in general farming, and his orchard contains fruit of nearly every variety.
Mr. Conaway has held public office in the county for years; he was one of the first Supervisors of the county, and Assessor seven years. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Church at San Buenaventura. Mr. Conaway is a Democrat and a temper- ance man.
He was married in 1859, to Miss Lizzie Jane Blamey, a native of England. They have had thirteen children; only ten are now living, five boys and five girls, all born in California, viz .: May, Kate, Austin E., Alice P., Jennie B., Charles W., Lulu V. and Lelia V., twins, Ethan W. and Albion N. (twins), and T. Benton.
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AMES CASS, one of the pioneers of California, who came to the State July 8, 1849, by sea, on the ship Orpheus, was a sailor before the mast. Mr. Cass was born
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in Somerset, England, November 24, 1824, the only child of James and Harriet Cass, of English descent. He went to sea at the age of ten years, and came to the United States in 1836. He made New York his headquar- ters, but sailed on the coast of the United States until 1841. He then returned to England and attended school for one year, and then resumed his occupation as a sailor. He was promoted mate of the brig Trio of New York. In 1849 when the gold fever was raging, he came to California, and was employed on the schooner, Olevia, to run on the Sacramento River, at $150 per month. He sailed for three months, carrying supplies up the river for the miners. In September, 1849, he went to the mines at Coloma, and from there he went to Dry Town, where he mined in the winter and sailed on the river in the summer. When at the mines he did well until he was attacked with the chills and fever. He became a pilot on the river, and was paid $250 a month. In the fall he again tried mining, and took out about $2,500 in two weeks. He then formed a company with Joseph Cracborn, Charles Salmon and Levi Shepherd, and started the Boston Store on Dry Creek, two and a half miles north of the Q Ranch. It was opened November 1, 1850, and the following June he sold his interest and purchased 160 acres of land and engaged in farming. He was inexperienced in the business and met with unlooked for diffi- culties, the floods being the most serious difficulty. His farming venture proved a failure, and he again engaged in store-keep- ing at Mule Town, on his own account, but afterward Mr. Walden Lords became a part- ner in the business. They continned for six months, when they sold out and took up Government land, each taking a quarter sec- tion and engaged in the raising of hogs. They paid high prices for their stock, and
when they were ready to sell them the prices had gone down and they met with heavy losses. From 1858 to 1859 he remained on his ranch with various experiences. In November, 1867, he sold out and came to Cayucos (an Indian name for canoe) and took up 320 acres of Government land, one and a half miles out of the town. He engaged in raising stock and farming until 1869, when he sold the property and engaged with Cap- tain Ingals in building the wharf. There have been some changes in proprietorship, and Mr. Cass is now the sole manager of the business, owning a half interest.
Mr. Cass is a member of King David's Lodge, F. & A. M. of San Luis Obispo. He has passed through all the chairs of the Odd Fellows Lodge; he is also a Knight Templar. In his political views he is a Republican. As Mr. Cass has been connected with the construction of his own wharf, and has had much experience in the expense connected with the destruction of piles by the teredo, he has set his mind to work to provide a remedy, and has the credit of having invested and patented a pile preserver, which, at a small expense, preserves them for many years, and his system has been adopted by wharf owners all along the coast. Thus by his genius he has not only saved his own com- pany large expense, but has given a valuable invention to the world. He is a pioneer of the State, but is still a strong and hearty Inan. Within a few rods of his store and wharf he has built a beautiful residence, where he and his wife and daughter reside, surrounded by trees, flowers and shrubs, a fitting place for a pioneer of California to spend the evening of life.
In 1854 Mr. Cass was united in marriage to Miss Mary Stone, a daughter of William Stone, a native of Holdham, England. They have four children, all of whom are living,
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viz .: Sarah, Charles A., Emily and Henry K. Mrs. Cass died in 1858, and in 1860 he was again married to Miss Mary McMurry, a native of New York. They have one daughter, Rosa M.
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