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 50

Author: Storke, Yda Addis
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 738

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 50
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 50
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 50

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

TTO SHACKELFORD is a native son of the Golden West, and is one of the prominent young business men of El Paso de Robles. He was born in San Fran- cisco October 7, 1869, and is a son of R. M. Shackelford, a native of Kentucky and a prominent California business man. Their

355

AND VENTURA COUNTIES.

ancestors for generations were residents of Kentucky. Mr. Shackelford's mother, nee Mary M. L. Questen, is a native of Wiscon- sin, he being the only child. He was reared and educated in San Mateo and in the city of Hollister; and for some time was book-keeper for his father. In 1886 he came to El Paso de Robles, and was engaged in the warehouse, grain and lumber business nntil September, 1889, when, with others, he organized the hardware and agricultural implement firm of Bennett, Shackelford & Le Blanc, the princi- pal store of the kind in the town.

Mr. Shackelford's religious opinions are in accordance with the Methodist doctrines. He is a young man of fine business ability, and is held in the highest esteem by his fellow citizens. His prospects for a successful busi- ness career are most promising.

R. J. H. GLASS, El Paso de Robles. In the early part of the seventeenth cen- tury Scotland furnished her full quota of hardy sons to settle and reclaim a portion of America, by laying the foundation of a free and independent people. They were self- reliant, persevering and possessed of a high degree of common sense. The progenitor of the Glass family came from Scotland and settled in one of the colonies of the mother country. His son, Hiram Glass, was born in Tennessee, and his son, Dr. Wilson H. Glass, was born in Wytheville, Virginia, where for years he followed the practice of medicine. There he married Miss Martha J. Minter, also a Virginian, the daughter of Charles Minter, and a descendant of one of the old Virginia families. They removed to Kentucky, where their children were brought up. Notwith- standing the Southern birth and education of his parents and ancestors, Dr. Wilson H.

Glass was an avowed Abolitionist; and when the great civil war was sprung upon the country, compelling all men to take sides, he tendered his services to the United States Government and served as Surgeon in the Union Army with distinction until the close of the war. Mrs. Glass' youngest brother, L. C. Minter, was a Captain of the Eighth Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, and while commanding his company at the battle of Stone River he received a wound which re- sulted fatally. He was buried by the road- side, and six years afterward his grave was identified, the remains were brought home and interred in the family burying ground.

Dr. Glass, our subject, was the second of his parents' four children. He was born in Kentucky, July 28, 1857, and was brought up in his native State, studied medicine under his father's instructions, attended a medical college course at Keokuk, Iowa, and practiced his profession six years in his native town, in connection with his father. He then attended the College of Physicians and Sur- geons at Baltimore, gradnated in 1884, prac- ticed two years longer at his Kentucky home, in 1886 went to Florida and thence came to Santa Clara County, this State, and in a short time, in 1887, to El Paso de Robles. He had been through the county of San Luis Obispo in 1886, and became favorably impressed with the character of the country. The building of the railroad satisfied him that Paso Robles was destined to be a good town, and he ac- cordingly located here; and from that start he has enjoyed a good patronage in his practice as a physician, which he deserves, on account of his moral integrity and reliability. He has bought city property and built upon it a pleasant residence, and is identified with all the interests of the town.

He was married March 29, 1885, to Miss Mettie Hogg, a native of his own town in

356

SANTA BARBARA, SAN LUIS OBISPO

Kentucky and daughter of Stephen P. Hogg, a lawyer. They have one child, Carl, born in Santa Clara County, April 23, 1886. Mrs. Glass is a member of the Christian Church, and is the present Worthy Matron of the Eastern Star Chapter. The Doctor is a Free- mason, an Odd Fellow and a Repnbilcan.

LDEN MARCH BOYD, a rancher in Santa Ynez Valley, is one of the pro- moters of the olive industry of the Ala- mo Pintado Valley, whose beautiful " Rancho de los Olivos " lies gently elevated, south of the town of Los Olivos. He was born in Albany, New York, in 1863. Much of Mr. Boyd's life previous to coming to California was passed abroad. He spent two winters at Nassau, in the Bahama Islands, and mnade two trips to Europe, where a large part of his education was received; on his return he at- tended the Phillips Academy, of Andover, preparatory to entering college. Owing to failing health, he gave up college and went to Europe, and on his return in 1883, he came direct to California, spending one winter at San Francisco, and in travel about the State. The summer of 1884 he passed with his family in the Montecito Valley, remaining until August, 1885, when he purchased his present ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley. On the place was a small house, and about four acres in a variety of fruits. Mr. Boyd immediately began improving his ranch with a view of establishing an olive grove. In 1876 he planted 2,500 trees, adding 2,500 more in 1877, all of the Mission varieties, coming from the nursery of Mr. Hayne, of the Mon- tecito Valley. The trees began bearing from two years of planting, and the present year promises a very satisfactory crop. He has abont seventy-five acres in olive trees.

In November, 1888, Mr. Boyd was elected Supervisor for the Third District, which covers the Santa Ynez Valley.

RATA BROTHERS .- The brothers, F. L. and R. J. Arata, composing the firm of Arata Brothers, were born in Santa Barbara. Their father, Juan Arata, was for- merly an extensive stock-raiser, keeping as many as 3,000 head of cattle. He was also a prominent merchant about 1857, continuing for several years. The brothers were edu- cated in the public schools, and F. L., the senior member of the firm, obtained his edu- cation at the Franciscan College, then located at the old mission building in Santa Barbara city. In 1877 he began his mercantile life as clerk with L. M. Kaiser & Co., of Guada- loupe, remaining with them until 1882, when he came to Los Alamos, with a member of the same firm; the firm name being A. Weill & Co. Mr. Arata also bought an interest in the drug store, in 1882, continuing under the name of Walker & Arata. Mr. Walker conducted the business until February, 1886, when Mr. Arata bought his interest and has since conducted the business, aided by a druggist's assistant. Mr. Arata clerked for Weill & Co. until January, 1887, and in September, 1887, the firm of Arata Bros. & Co. was established, F. L. being associated with his brother R. J. Arata and W. F. Wicken- den. In October, 1888, the brothers bought the interest of Mr. Wickenden, and have since continued alone.

R. J. Arata began his clerkship with O. I. Weil of Lompoc, in 1880, continning until 1884, when he came to Los Alamos. He carried on a grocery, cigar and fruit business until the establishing of the above firm. They carry a general merchandise stock,

357

AND VENTURA COUNTIES.

keeping all supplies necessary to the family or ranch, in hardware and other require- ments. They also own ranch property ag- gregating 500 acres, four miles from town, where they do general farmning, and breed horses, cattle and hogs; they also own town property.

EV. P. F. FARRELLY, the resident pastor at Santa Ynez Mission, was born near the town of Virginia, County Cavan, Ireland, March 10, 1859. He was educated in the College of All Hallows, Dublin, and was ordained at the college by Bishop Crane, of Australia, on June 24, 1883, and in September, of same year, left for the United States. He then came to California, being first stationed with Father Marron, at Watsonville, Santa Cruz County, where he remained until 1886. He was next assistant to Father Ubach, of San Diego, for six months, afterward at Santa Cruz with Father MacNamee. During Bishop Moran's visit to Europe, Father Farrelly was nine months pastor at Watsonville, and on Octo- ber 15, 1887, he was appointed as rector of Santa Ynez, Lompoc and surrounding towns.

His parish extends from Point Concepcion to Santa Barbara, and from Santa Maria to the sea; his residence is at the old Santa Ynez Mission, which was established by Father Estevan Tapiz on the 17th of September, 1804. Ile then translated the Spanish catechism into the Indian vernacular. Father Tapiz was a Catalonian by birth, and a man of great learning. The Mission was built at the expense of the Catholic Monarch, Charles IV, King of Spain and the Indies. The Mission was founded by the College Mis- sionaries of San Fernando, Mexico, and was endowed by King Charles IV, who gave full

administration of the possessions to the mis- sionaries. It stands on an elevation, over- looking the beautiful valley of the same name, and was called by the Indians " Ala- julapu, which means " higher," as the mis- sion points to a higher lite. In the day of founding at the feast of the Stigma (wound) of St. Francis, September 17, 1804, Father Tapiz, President of the Missions, associated with the missionaries from San Fernando College, first blessed the water according to the right of the Catholic Church. He then proceeded to the ceremony of blessing the Mission and the buildings, dedicating to God our Lord, and then erected the big cross on the land, singing the Litany of the Saints. After that he celebrated the mass in a brush tent that had been prepared with all possible decency, in which he preached to several white persons, among whom was President Ray- mundo Carrillo, Commandant of the Presidio at Santa Barbara, and a great multitude of natives from the missions of Purisima and Santa Barbara. Afterward, they sang the Te Denm, and other hymns and psalms to the greatest honor of God and His Holy Name, and the good of their souls. The first inis- sionaries were Father Antonio Calzada and Father José Romaldo Guttierez, and that day were baptized twenty-seven Indians and chil- dren. Father Carrillo was sponsor for the twelve boys who were first baptized, and Doña Francisca, wife of José Maria Ortega, for the fifteen little girls. The mission was established, because of the large number of Indians in the valley, and the great distance between the two missions, Purissima and Santa Barbara; the college grant was given to the bishops in 1844 to aid them in estab- lishing an ecclesiastical seminary for the education of students aspiring to the priest- hood, and children. The college was first established at the mission, in September,

358

SANTA BARBARA, SAN LUIS OBISPO

1845, by Father Sanchez, Father Romano and others. After college buildings were constructed it was moved to them in 1863, and continued until 1864, when the diocese was divided.

ILLIAM L. BEEBEE .- Of the pio- necrs who came to California before the advent of the gold-seekers, but few remain to tell the tale of that interesting period when the western coast of the Ameri- can continent was to most people an un- known land, yet one is occasionally met with here and there throughout the State, and, in- deed, rarely one may yet be found in busi- ness and mercantile pursuits. An example in point is the gentleman whose name heads this sketeli, who has been, since the pioneer days, one of the most prominent figures of commercial circles in this entire region. A brief resumé of some of the salient features in his life therefore becomes valuable and indeed essential in a volume of this nature.

He is a native of Oswego, New York, born November 21, 1829, his parents being Will- iam L. and Mary (Douglas) Beebee, both of whom were natives of New York, the mother born in Onondaga County and the father probably in New York city. The latter was a merchant by vocation, who, in 1834, removed with his family to Cleveland, Ohio, where he contracted inalaria, with re- sults which proved fatal about a year after his arrival there. His widow, with her fam- ily, consisting of our subject, a younger brother and a sister, then went back to New York to live with her father. They resided at Auburn and at Skaneateles, but most of the time at the former town, and in these places William L. Beebee was reared to his fourteenth year. The Beebees of New York

and Philadelphia, bullion and stock brokers --- one of whom, Samuel J., was the founder of the New York Merchants' Exchange- were half-brothers of his father, and the lad of fourteen went to the Quaker City to com- mence a business career in their office in that city.

He remained with them about two years in this office in the two cities, and then an event occurred that changed the whole trend of his life. Among the appointments made by James K. Polk after his accession to the Presidental chair, was that of William G. Morehouse as consul to Valparaiso; and, hav- ing an opportunity to accompany that gentle- man to the scene of his labors, our subject, who was by no means averse to a little adven - ture, readily availed himself of the chance, his uncle providing for his comfort and conven ience on the trip as far as possible. In November, 1846, he sailed on the bark Hor- tensia, from Baltimore, her expected route being to the South American city by way of Cape Horn, and his fellow passenger, besides Consul Morehouse and his wife and child, being Henry D. Cook, who afterwards be- came Governor of Washington under Presi- dent Grant, and two young Californians. The bark proceeded on her journey without an especially noteworthy incident until about the latitude of the Bermudas, when she en- countered a terrific storm, and was tossed about at its mercy for six days-days of ceaseless agony to those on board. When at last the war of the elements abated, the ves- sel was found to be off the northeast of the Bermudas. The storm had played sad havoc with the bark, which was left without masts, her deck swept away of everything and with a hole in her bow, a condition of things which called for prompt action to insure her reach- ing a port in safety. They rigged up a jury mast, and the nearest land they could reach

359

AND VENTURA COUNTIES.

in their condition with the prevailing winds was the Island of St. Thomas, in the West Indies. The vessel's head was turned in that direction, and the island reached in safety. There the passengers learned for the first time that the British had a regular line of steamers plying between Southampton and Chagres, while on the Pacific side a con- necting line furnished steam transportation between Panama and Valparaiso. Singularly enough, the fact did not seem to be known at that time either to the United States Govern - ment or the merchants of New York en- gaged in the foreign trade, a condition of ignorance as surprising as it seems to have beein complete.

At the island of St. Thomas a little Boston pilot boat was chartered, and the party pro- ceeded to Chagres, availing themselves of the information thus fortunately gained. The trip from Chagres to Panama occupied about a week, the distance from Chagres to Gor- gona being accomplished by poling up the Chagres River, where they hired mules and rode to Panama. After waiting about ten days at that place they took passage on the regular steamer for Valparaiso, which was reached without special incident. Young Beebee found the city full of life and business, but after looking around a good deal saw that there was nothing there in the way of em- ployment or business opportunities to snit him, though he could easily have obtained sitnations at office work had he so desired. However, he spent some five or six months in Caili, principally in Valparaiso, though vis- iting occasionally Santiago and other places.

While in South America the war of the United States with Mexico was probably the principal event engrossing the attention of the world, and our subject was not lacking in appreciation of the opportunities which in the future would be afforded by that portion

of the old possessions of Mexico known as Cal- ifornia. One day there appeared in the port Valparaiso the United States storeship South- ampton, whose officers included among their number Lieutenant Commander Thornton and Executive Officer Worden, afterward the world-renowned commander of the Monitor. Young Beebee, who made his headquarters about the American Consnlate, there met and formed the acquaintance of the officers of the Southampton, who, when they learned that he was not exactly satisfied with his stay in the Chilean City, asked him to accompany them on their cruise to California as a pas- senger. Of this opportunity he was not slow to avail himself, a visit to that com- paratively unknown land having just the tinge of adventure that suited his disposition. On the way he became sufficiently acquainted with Executive Officer Worden to learn that that gentleman was very much disgusted with seafaring life, indeed, so much so that it did not then seem he would be in the serv- ice when the time came for him to achieve never-dying fame by his prominent connec- tion with the naval duel between the Moni- tor and the Merrimac, which revolutionized the naval warfare and the service of naval archi- tecture.

On the Sonthampton there was besides Mr. Beebee but another passenger, G. D. Brewer- ton, a lientenant in Stevenson's New York Regiment, which, by the way, was en routejust ahead of them. August 25, 1847, the vessel put into the harbor of Monterey and joined there the squadron under command of Com modore Shubrick, operating in connection with the land forces under Colonel Mason.

Mr. Bcebee landed from the ship, and looking abont Monterey found the place to be the scene of considerable sickness, and the funeral of a lieutenant in progress. He went hunting in the vicinity of the site now ocen-

360

SANTA BARBARA, SAN LUIS OBISPO

pied by the Hotel del Monterey, and front the exposure of the hunt was taken down, after he returned to the ship, with what was known as the Monterey fever, and after that the physician on board could not allow him to go ashore again. Wishing to go to San José, where his friend Cook had preceded him, he obtained the sought-for opportunity aboard a little vessel called the Malacadel, which had been recently purchased at anction by an old shipper. Having a nephew about our subject's age, the vessel's owner invited him to go along as company, and the offer was gladly accepted. He packed his duds, bade good-bye to his friends on the South- ampton and boarded the Malacadel, which set sail for Sansalito. The vessel was almost constantly disabled, and it was well in Sep- tember before she reached her destination. Then all vessels entering the bay went first to Sausalito for water, Yerba Buena being practically without a fresh water supply. Arriving at Yerba Buena eventually, our subject went ashore. There he mnet one or two young men whom he had fallen in with in Panama, and who by their conversa- tion there had first turned his attention to California. Their names were respectively Ruckle and Farnham, the latter of whom was subsequently a well-known figure and the anthor of a widely circulated work on Cali- fornia. Meeting Joseph S. Ruckle in Yerba Bnena, Mr. Beebee learned that he and his former fellow-passenger, Henry D. Cook, were in partnership in business at San José, and be accepted an offer to accompany Mr. Ruckle to San José, where he entered their employ as clerk. The incumbency of their position did not prevent him from taking a trip anywhere throughout the State at any time his inclination led him to desire a change and recreation.

California, inhabited as it was by the gen-

erous ranch owners and their help, was a land of ideal hospitality, and one could travel for a year throughout its length and breadth with- out the opportunity to expend anything for entertainment. If it were to remain such forever there was no necessity for a care for the future. It was almost a pity to break up such a condition, even to make way for the march of modern improvement, with its ruthless disregard for sentiment.

On one of these trips of vacation from the store he accompanied a party of Mexicans on an elk hunt as far away as the San Joaquin River, they seeking the animals for their hide and tallow. He also often rode to Mon- terey and to Yerba Buena, and he saw in its primal state the future great commercial city of San Francisco, its few streets as yet nn- trodden by the feet of the gold-hunters, who were to make for California a new history. While with others he foresaw that a great commercial center was to spring up on the bay of San Francisco, yet it was at that time an almost unreasonable stretch of imagina- tion to locate it on the sand hills by the bleak mountain side, where fate had mapped ont its streets and blocks, while much more desirable appearing sites seemed ready made at other points along the bay, and while many of the shrewdest men of the day had selected Benicia as the site of the future metropolis of the Pacific. Mr. Beebee recalls, as inci- dental to the horseback rides he was accus- tomed to take at that day from San José to the bay, that the only disagreeable portion of the trip was the last three or four miles, where the tall, narrow mounds of sand im- peded the view and obstructed the way so that it was necessary to pursne an extremely tortuons course in the latter part of the jour- ney to Yerba Buena. Yet, where these very sand hills made life miserable for the trav- eler of that day, now lies the most valuable

361

AND VENTURA COUNTIES.

· portion of San Francisco; where property is valued at thousands of dollars to the foot, and the sand of early times is to-day but a memory, cannot the wise men of to-day now understand why the bright young man of '48 did not lay the foundation for fortunes of millions by buying up all the fifty-vara lots they could get at the regular price of $16.75. Mr. Beebee did become the owner of one of these lots, and when in 1849 he sold it for $1,600, he was looked upon as a very shrewd and fortunate man of business.

At last the discovery of gold by Marshall occurred, and the news reached San José through a messenger who passed through on his way to Monterey to exhibit results of the find to the Governor. Our subject was among the early ones to go to the mines, prompted in this course as much by love of adventure as a desire for personal aggran- dizement. At the mines he had what would be looked upon as excellent success, thoughi not caring particularly to accumulate the sudden richies that one might suppose there was a chance for. As an illustration of this lack of greed for gold then existing among some of the young men, an incident not de- void of an amusing side may be related. One day, on which the sun shone with unusual in- tensity, our subject was reclining, in com- pany with a young blacksmith, under the grateful shade of a tree. About three o'clock in the afternoon, the temperature having be- gun to moderate, thie blacksmith proposed to Mr. Beebee that they resume prospecting. The proposition being satisfactory, work with the pick began in a shaded place, and before sundown our subject had washed out nearly $400 worth of gold! As a sequel to a typi- cal tale of the time, it may be stated that a couple of days later the pair were seeking new and better diggings!

In the fall Mr. Beebee left the mines and 28

went back as far as Yerba Buena, where he was taken sick with the Sacramento fever. The winter passed without incident other than the excitement of the new life, caused by the fever, and in May, 1849, Mr. Beebee left the scene of his early experience in the northern counties for San Luis Obispo, in company with Samuel A. Pollard, the present city clerk of this place, who had been down in this country before. Messrs. Beebee and Pollard opened a store for the sale of general merchandise, putting np the first store build- ing, an adobe, which still stands on the corner of Monterey and Chorro streets, ad- joining Sinscheimer's store. The conditions of trade at that early day were vastly dif- ferent from those existing at present. Cus- tom came to this store from the ranches all round, some as remote as forty miles away. After two or three years in merchandising, which was somewhat unprofitable, Mr. Beebee withdrew from the firm and engaged in ranching at a place eight miles south of San Luis Obispo, where he continued in the cat- tle business until the dry year of 1864-'65. During that drouth his 1,500 head of cattle lay down and died, and he experienced a great financial set-back. It was not long afterward that he sold his ranch of 1,200 acres to Steele Bros., whose property it yet remains.

Meantime, however, Mr. Beebee had en- tered the realın of politics. He was one of the few Republicans who resided hereabouts at the outbreak of the Rebellion, and he was one of the principals in the movement to build up and crytallize Union sentiment, or- ganizing a strong Republican constituency with the aid of the Spanish recruits. HIe was appointed by Governor Stanford as Judge of San Luis Obispo County, and having served a year by virtue of the commission he was elected to succeed himself, and re-

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Author: Storke, Yda Addis Publication date: 1891 Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 738

Author: Storke, Yda Addis
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 738