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 57

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 57
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 57
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 57

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in the real-estate business, making a great many sales and being very successful in this enterprise. He purchased twenty-two acres of land, four miles north of Ventura, where he built a good house and barn and planted variety of fruit trees.

Mr. Riley was married June 6, 1889, to Miss Janette Wakefield, who was born in Sonoma County, California, August 2, 1869. Her father, Wilson Wakefield, was born in Peoria, Illinois. March 17, 1836. Her mother, Mary (Hickman) Wakefield, was born in Indiana, October 23, 1834. They were both of Scotch-English descent.

ENRY SUMMERS, a farmer and one of the first settlers of Lompoc, was born in Holstein, Germany, in 1830. He was raised on the farm of his father and remained until 1847, when he shipped on a whaling expedition. to Greenland and re- turned in the fall, thus spending his winters at home. This he continued for five years, and in 1852, when Holstein rebelled against Denmark, Mr. Summers enlisted and joined the navy as third mate and served about eighteen months, passing through many en- gagements He then shipped on a merchant vessel, and for two and a half years was en- gaged along the coast of South America. March 1, 1856, he took passage "at Hamburg, on a sailing vessel for California, rounding Cape Ilorn, and arrived in San Francisco in Sep- tember, 1856. He then went to the minesat Mountain Well, Nevada County, and there clerked in the store of his brother-in-law, re- maining until 1860, when he bought out the business. He continued until 1869, when, on account of sickness, he sold out and came to Watsonville, and there farmed and teamed until 1874, when he came to Lompoc, having

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stock in the Development Company. He bought 160 acres, all wild and unimproved land, and turned the first furrow in the val- ley. He now has cleared and under cultiva- tion 120 acres of rich and very productive soil. Mr. Summers carried on general farm- ing, making mustard and beans his principal erop. He has also about fifteen brood mares, from which he raises some fast horses.

Mr. Suminers was married in Nevada County, in 1861, to Miss Maggie Burner, a native of Holstein. They have eight elil- dren, six daughters and two sons.

HARLES W. LARZELERE, a promi- nent citizen and rancher of Lompoc, was born at Seneca Falls, Seneca County, New York, in 1834. His father owned a canal-boat whichi ran from Buffalo to Albany, and also traded, having a grocery at Seneca Falls. His uncle, Abraham Larzelere, built the first four-story building in Buffalo. His father emigrated to Lenawee County, Mich- igan, in 1836, when the country was very wild and unsettled; he took up land and also traded with the settlers. The sn ject of this sketch remained at home until 1853, when he came to Salt Lake with Colonel Steptoe, who had command of 600 soldiers and 100 work-hands. They passed the winter in camp at Salt Lake, and in the spring of 1854 the Government took up a reservation, eight miles square, at Rush Valley, and built bar- racks for the accommodation of officers and men. In 1854 Mr. Larzelere came to Cali- fornia and engaged in mining in Nevada County for two years, then to Humboldt Bay and to Jacksonville, Oregon, where the Gov- ernment command was stationed during the Indian war of 1856. He remained at Jack- sonville for five years, engaged in mining,

farming and dairying. In 1859 he went to Coos Bay, Oregon, bought 160 acres of land and farmed and lumbered until 1866, when he was married to Miss Clarinda Rowley, a na- tive of Illinois. They then came south and traveled through California and settled at Los Olivos, and with a friend took np 320 acres of land. After three years he traded his claim for a lumber-wagon, which is still in use. In 1870 he went to Santa Barbara and leased 175 acres, near the present town of Goleta. He there carried on farming un- til 1877, when he moved to his present ranch, which he had purchased in 1876 to the amount of 384 acres, 106 of which he has since sold. He started an apiary at Goleta in 1876, which he has since continued on his ranch at Lompoc and has about 350 stands, which average 100 pounds to the stand; but he has taken as high as 200 pounds from one stand. He has four chil- dren living, all at home.

W. COX, an extensive and successful rancher of the Santa Maria Valley, was born in Hocking County, Ohio, in

1843. His father was a farmer, who in 1846 moved to Iowa, and in 1857 to Clark County, Missouri, where he continued his stock and farming interests. The subject of this sketch was educated at Iowa, and took a seminary course at Canton, Missonri. Ile then lived at home and followed farming nntil 1861, when his country called him, and he was prompt to answer, enlisting at Athens, Mis- souri, July 5, 1861. in Colonel Moore's Home Guards. After three months a general order came disbanding all independent companies, and he then enlisted at Warsaw, Illinois, in the Black Hawk Cavalry, under Colonel Bishop, which was later consolidated at

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Macon City with the Seventh Missouri Cav- alry, and Colonel Huston of the regular army was placed in command. They were then placed in the Department of Missouri, with headquarters at Macon City, their services being chiefly about Springfield and south- western Missouri. They were at the battle of Prairie Grove in 1863, under Generals Herron and Blunt, a heavy engagement; then at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and Little Rock, Arkansas, where there were 30,000 men under command of Colonel Fred Steele. The duty was chiefly skirmishing, as after four months the Confederates evacuated. They were then stationed at Little Rock un- til the close of the war, on detached duty, in raiding and guarding the frontier. Mr. Cox was then connected for nearly three years with the medical department on hospital duty, and was at the Post Hospital at Little Rock after the evacuation; he was mustered not with his regiment at St. Louis in Novem- ber, 1865.

He then returned home and took np 160 acres of land in Jasper County, Missouri, which he improved. He was married in 1869 to Miss Mary Powers, and they con- tinued to reside on the ranch until 1874, when he sold out and came to California, set- tling in the Santa Maria Valley, where lie pre-empted thirty acres and rented 300 ad- joining, which he farmed in grain. In 1879 he bought 320 acres southeast of town, and in 1882, 160 acres more, and here in 1888 he built his present comfortable residence where he now resides. He farms 500 acres in wheat and barley and keeps about twenty head of horses for ranch and breeding pur- puses, breeding only for general utility. Mr. Cox was elected Supervisor for the Fifth Dis- trict in the fall of 1886, but is more particu- larly interested in the mangement of his extensive farming interests. Mr. and Mrs.

Cox have three children, Ashbury Arthur and Chester. He is a member of Foote Post, No. 89, G. A. R.

F. BECKETT, a real-estate dealer of Arroyo Grande, was born in Polk Coun- ty, Iowa, in 1847. In 1852 the entire family removed to Oregon and in 1859 to California. Del Norte, Humboldt and So- noma counties were their home in rapid suc- cession, the Senior Beckett being engaged in agricultural pursuits at these various places. In 1869 the subject of this sketch came to San Luis Obispo city, striking out in the world for himself, and for fifteen years was engaged in teaching school, spending his winter vacations in planting and cultivating nursery stock. Thus he was in fact the pioneer nursery man of the county. Al- though he had taught school in Arroyo Grande as early as 1878, he did not make the place his home until 1880. He was School Superintendent of the county from 1880 to 1883; was also President of the Agricultural Association for one year, being the immedi- ate successor of E. W. Steele, who was the first president of the Association. Since 1883 Mr. Beckett has been engaged in real-estate business in Arroyo Grande; and no man in that section has a better knowledge of the wealth and resources of that great valley. It is through his courtesy that the publishers of this work are enabled to give an accurate and full discription of the valley and its environs. He is the owner of one of the most important bituminons rock mines in the county near Steele's Station ; also of another fine bitnmi- nous rock mine adjoining the town of Arroyo Grande. In company with others, Mr. Beckett bought 200 acres of this land some time ago, of E. W. Steele and others. Most

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of this property now belongs to Mr. Beckett. Among the important real-estate transactions which Mr Beckett has successfully negotiated are to be mentioned the Steele subdivision of the Corral de Piedra tract, and the Tallyho ranch of Mr. Vachell. He has a large and increasing business, owns steam water works in the town and is now preparing to pave the streets with bituminous rock.

E. BLOCHMAN, an enthusiast on fruit and tree culture, was born in San Fran- cisco in 1856. He was educated in the public and high schools of San Francisco, and studied for teaching, which he followed for three years. In 1879 he began his bnsi- ness career as book-keeper, to which he has devoted himself and become a scientific book- keeper and accountant. In 1881 he came to Santa Maria, and has since followed his pro- fession, having been several years with the extensive general merchandise house of Weil- heimer & Coblentz, as manager of their financial and accounting department. In 1885 Mr. Blochman became interested in l.md, and bought 160 acres southeast of town, where he experimented in various fruits, nuts and vines, and where he planted, and what has since been a very successful orchard of twenty acres. In 1887 he sold this ranch, that he might go farther up the valley. Thus, from the protection afforded by the ontlying hills, he gets a warm summer temperature, and a large rainfall, free from the stormy coast winds, elements which he thought would conduce to a better fruit area. He bought 320 acres, some of which he is now improving. He has forty acres in peaches, apricots, Bartlett pears, apples and prunes, and ten acres in grapes, and contem- plates setting out 500 almonds the coming 26

Season. In 1888 he organized a company of gum-tree growers, to raise trees to sell at cost, and thus induce an increased tree-plant- ing, and which has been a success except from a financial standpoint.

Mr. Blochman was married in January, 1888, to Miss lda M. Twitchell, a lady of high attainments, who graduated at the State Agricultural College of Iowa, and was vale- dictorian of her class, composed of men and women. For five years she taught, and was Principal of the Santa Maria School. She is now a member of the Board of Education, and a leading authority on school education. She is also connected with the scientific temperance work, and has note- prepared for a book on the subject. .

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YRUS DOUGLAS, a successful rancher of the Lompoc Valley, was born in Ver- million County, Illinois, in 1831. He lived at home assisting his father on the farm until the spring of 1852, when he started his ox team and prairie schooner for the Pacific slope. It was a large train, and through re- peated delays they were seven months on the road. They came in through Oregon, and our subject located in Pierce County, Wash- ington Territory, where for three years he worked at logging and in saw mills. In 1855 he came to Mendocino County, and worked ten years in logging in the red woods. In 1867 he went to Solano County, and bought 160 acres of land and raised wheat and barley, remaining until 1876, when he came to Hollister and put in one crop. In the spring of 1877 he came to Lompoc, and bought forty acres of land, and moved his family in the fall. Ilis land was partly cleared, and he soon after built his house and out buildings. He also rents 200 acres across the river, where

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he raises wheat and barley. He has a small orchard for home use, and makes beans aud mustard the principal crops. He keeps horses and cattle, but only for rauch purposes.

Mr. Douglas was married in Solano Coun- ty, in 1867, to Miss Armilda F. Carter, a native of Missouri. They have seven chil- dren, all at home.

M ICHAEL FLYNN, one of the promni- nent and progressive ranchers of Springville, Ventura County, was born in the west of Ireland, October 13, 1853, his parents, David and Ellen Flynn, also be- ing natives of that country. In 1875 Mr. Flynn came to America and worked for one year in Boston, Massachusetts, and in 1876 came to San Francisco and engaged in team- ing in the city two years. He then came to Ventura County and angaged in farming and sheep-raising, following that business five years, a part of the time in partnership with his brother-in-law. He bought out his part- ner's interest and continued the business alone for awhile. In 1885, the country becoming developed and much of the land being used for farming purposes, Mr. Flynn closed out this business and turned his attention to speculating in grain at San Francisco. A year later he removed to Los Angeles, and in October, 1886, came to his present location in Ventura County. He purchased 142 acres of land, on which he has since resided, and which he has improved by erecting a good dwelling-house and suitable out-buildings, surrounded by well-kept grounds. He has planted a quantity of walnut trees, and is going into that business quite largely. His present principal crop is beans and corn. Mr. Flynn is also engaged in raising horses, cat-

tle, sheep and hogs, in partnership with Mr. Paulin, having some very fine specimens of horses. They are devoting about 800 acres of land to wheat and barley, and employ eight men and six teams.

Mr. Flynn was married in 1878 to Miss Lavelle, who was born near his own native place, her parents being Irish people. They have a family of six children, all born in Ven- tura County, viz .: David E., Robert E., Mary Grace, Albert E., Clarence E., and Sarah Clara. Mr. Flynn is a Democrat. He and his family are worthy members of the Catholic Church.

ILLIAM NEWTON SHORT, of Ar- royo Grande Valley, was born in the town of Oquawka, Henderson County, Illinois, in March, 1838, one of eight chil- dren, all of whom are still living. When he was fourteen years of age the family came to California with ox teams, settling on a ranch near Watsonville. William, of course, was placed at farm work, but from time to time he went around prospecting in the mining regions, and visited Los Angeles and the northern part of the State. In the spring of 1876, in company with his brother, he bonght twenty-two acres of land in the Arroyo Grande Valley, joining the present town of Arroyo Grande. They purchased of the Steele Brothers, and eleven acres of their first purchase is still the property of the sub- ject of this sketch, on which he lives. When he first came here there was no town, and the only business establishments were Ryan's Hotel, one store and a blacksmith's shop. The valley was dense thicket, with here and there remotely a small cultivated spot. Stages were running from Soledad to Arroyo Grande, and, strange as it may seem, the mails came

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more promptly and earlier than they do to-day by rail.

Mr. Short was married April 4, 1869, to Miss English, a native of Missouri, whose parents moved to Texas when she was only a child, and in 1861 to California. Mr. Short · has two danghters and one son.

W. HENDRICKS, a farmer of Lom- poc, was among the first settlers there. He was born in Dayton, Ohio. in 1823. His father. Aaron M. Hendricks, was by trade 'a carpenter, and a native of Tennes- see. In 1812 he was at the battle of New Orleans as Sergeant. under General Jackson. In 1837 he emigrated to Indiana, where he followed his trade. The subject of this sketch lived at home until twenty-two years of age, and worked at farming. In 1846 he was married, at West Point, Tippecanoe County, to Miss Esther A. Wagner, a native of Ohio. Mr. Hendricks then rented a farm of about 150 acres and followed farming up to 1865, when he crossed the plains for California; P. W. Fondy was in command of the train, which was very large, and there was much sickness in the company. They were five months on the way, and came to California by Truckee. Mr. Hendricks then went to Marysville, where he bought 120 acres and farmed for four years, then going to Hollis- ter, where he rented 600 acres, and carried on general farming up to the fall of 1874, when he came to Lompoc and bought sixty- eight acres where he now resides. Land was then covered with brush, and they could shoot wild-cats, deer and coyotes from the house. The land is now nicely cleared and under a high state of cultivation; mustard, beans and barley are now his chief crops, and he also raises a fine grade of horses. He lias

three children, all married. After many years of hardship Mr. Hendricks fully enjoys his present comfortable home.

B. GOSNELL, a prominent rancher of Ventura County, was born in Newark, Ohio, November 2, 1848. His father, Nelson Gosnell, was also born at the same place, and his grandfather, Joshua Gosnell, was a native of New York, his ancestors hav- ing emigrated from England to that State. His mother, Samantha (Barrick) Gosnell, daughter of John Barrick, a native of Penn- sylvania, traces her ancestry back to the Pennsylvania Dutch. Mr. and Mrs. Gosnell had thirteen children, seven of whom are now living. The family removed from Ohio to Illinois when the subject of this sketch was nine years old, residing there eight years In 1865 they removed to Missouri and re- mained there ten years. Mr. Gosnell was reared a farmer, and also learned the carpen- ter's trade. He returned to Ohio, and, in 1885, came to his present locality. Here he purchased 102 acres of land on the Ventura avenne, and built on it two houses and a barn. He is now engaged in erecting a very fine family residence on one of the most sightly spots of the whole avenne, it being on a high point of land that overlooks the entire valley in every direction, with all the beauti- ful homes on Ventura avenue in full view. Mr. Gosnell has a family orchard with a variety of fruit of nearly all kinds, and also 300 walnut trees.

In 1879 the subject of this sketch was united in marriage with Miss Caroline Mc- Guire, sister of William McGuire, a history of whom will be found on another page of this book. It was on account of Mrs. Gos- nell's health that they came to California.

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They are the parents of two children, Ira and Lena, both natives of Ohio. Mr. Gosnell is a Royal Arch Mason. Politically he is a Republican.

S. BARKLA came to California in 1853 and located in Ventura County in 1871. He was born in Cornwall, England, March: 9, 1832. His father, John Barkla, was a mining contractor in England, and both his parents were natives of that country. Mr. Barkla was reared and educated there, and in 1849, at the age of seventeen years, came to the United States. His business, that of a copper miner and prospector in the employ of a copper mining company, took him into the States of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. The gold excitement of California brought him to this coast in 1853, where he engaged in mining for the precious metal. His operations began at Hangtown, now Placerville, where he spent six years, most of the time in tunnel mining, being very suc- cessful. In the summer of 1856 four men worked four days and cleared up fifty ounces of gold as the result of the labor, worth $925. After this he put $8,000 in one claim and worked hard for three years to get his money back again. After leaving the mines he came to Ventura Connty and bought forty acres of land on Main street, Santa Paula, and of this he retains five acres, on which his residence is situated, and on which is a variety of fruit trees, including oranges in bearing. Mr. Barkla also owns land in this and Los Angeles counties. During his resi- dence in Santa Paula he has done his share toward the development of the town.

Mr. Barkla was united in marriage in Pennsylvania, April 17, 1860, to Miss Han- nah Hinton, a native of England, born in

1840. When a child she came to America with her parents, and was reared in Massa- chusetts. They have three children living: Laura H., born in El Dorado County, March 23, 1861; Luna Jane, in the same place, Au- gust 31, 1863; Carl Benjamin, horn on the Cosumnes River, El Dorado Connty, April 23, 1866. Mr. and Mrs. Barkla are Univer- salists in belief. In politics his views are in harmony with Democratic principles. From 1883 until 1887 he served as Supervisor of Ventura County. He united with the I. O. O. F. in 1855.

EORGE STOWELL, a successful rancher of the Santa Maria Valley, was born in Ashtabula, Ohio, in 1830. His own home being broken up by the death of his parents, he lived with relatives until he was seventeen years of age. He then went to Lake County, where he learned the trade of carpentering, which he followed until 1853, when with his brother, Henry, they crossed the plains for California, landing in Hang- town, now Placerville, in August, 1853. The subject of this sketch then followed mining for two years, and in 1855, in company with two others, they began teaming across the Sierra Mountains; they were the first to freight across those mountains. They brought back the first load of quartz from the famons Comstock mines in Nevada, which they car- ried to Folsom, California, where it was shipped to England. Mr. Stowell followed freighting very successfully until 1867, when he came to San Luis Obispo County, and took up 363 acres of land in the Cayucos district, where he followed dairy farming, keeping seventy cows. In 1878 he sold his interest, and removed to Paso Robles Springs, where he put 500 acres in wheat. In 1882

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he moved to Santa Maria Valley, where he bonght 160 acres, his present elegant ranch, which he has since fenced and divided, and built substantial house and farm buildings. He farmed in barley and beans, giving par- tienlar attention to hogs, keeping about 150 head, and other stock only for ranch pur- poses.

Mr. Stowell was married in Hangtown, in 1855, to Miss Lydia Smith, a native of Mich- igan and they have three children: Susan A., Fanny E. and Guy J. Mr. Stowell is a member of Santa Maria Lodge, No. 302, I. O. O. F., and has been an Odd Fellow for thirty-two years; first joining at Hang- town.

M AJOR WILLIAM JACKSON is one who has served both State and County, and was numbered among the ear- liest settlers of Lompoc; he was born at New- port, Cocke County, Tennessee, in 1822. His father, William Jackson, moved to Monitean County, Missouri, in 1833, where he farmed and was also Public Administrator and Jus- tice of the Peace. Our subject received a limited education in the log school-house of that day, and in 1854 was elected to the Leg- islature from Putnam County, Missouri, representing the county two sessions. Dur- ing the exciting days of 1861, though a Southern man by birth, Mr. Jackson sympa- thized with the North, and early in 1861 he was elected from five counties as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention held at Jefferson City, Missouri, and at St. Louis, in four sessions. In June, 1861, he was one of fifty-six who deposed the Governor and all the staff officers, and elected a provisional Governor and full body of State officers, who carried on the State Government for two

years, until loyal officers could be elected. In 1862 he enlisted from Chilicothe, Livings- ton County, Missouri, and helped raise the Third Missouri Regiment, and was appointed Major of the First Battalion. They went to Springfield, Missouri, which was chief head- quarters, and was placed in the army of the frontier under General Halleck. The regi- ment was engaged in the battle of Springfield, January 8, 1863, against General Marmaduke, who it was said had 16,000 men, while the Union forces numbered 4,500, still fighting from within the fort; they were victorious and Marmaduke was repulsed. Major Jack- son was in many skirmishes, and was dis- charged in the spring of 1863.

He then went home in the spring of 1864, with his wife and five little ones, and crossed the plains for California. After four months of travel they landed in Green Valley, So- noma County, in September, 1864, where he rented land, and farmed and teamed until 1867, when he came to San Luis Obispo, and bought a claim of 320 acres, near the town, where he farmed and dairied, furnishing the town with butter and milk, and keeping about forty cows. In 1874 he came to Lom- poc, where he attended the first sale and bought twenty-five acres of land, and built the first house of the colony, bringing with him a load of lumber for that purpose from San Luis Obispo. He also bought 320 acres west of the town, where he started a dairy, bringing his forty cows from San Luis Obispo; he rented 300 acres, which he farmed in wheat. In 1878 he sold his ranch and moved his house to the city lots. He then bought 1,100 acres at Arroyo Hondo, wliere he has since farmned and dairied, keeping about sixty cows. All his land is now rented, and he is improving his home property.

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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