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 69

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 69
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 69
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 69

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ILLIAM A. STREETER, one of the oldest and most honored citizens of Santa Barbara, was born in Great Sodus, New York, July 30, 1811. When he was three months old his father, Nathaniel Streeter, died, and some two months after- ward his mother and family moved to Anburn, in that State, where he lived until he reached the age of twenty-eight years. Being naturally a mechanic, he at one time contrived to build a steam engine. He be- came skilled in general mechanics in Auburn. On account of failing health he went to Peru, South America, in the spring of 1842, and a year afterward he came to California, land- ing in Monterey, May 10, 1843, spending about a year in the vicinity of San Francisco. Finding that the climate there did not agree with him he came down to Santa Barbara with the expectation of returning to Peru, but as the only opportunity of passage was

on a whaling ship, and as he liked the cli- mate here, he concluded to remain. He practiced medicine for four years here and never lost a patient, although he had an ex- tensive patronage among the ranchers in the surrounding country. During that time El Capitan de la Guerra was his best friend. The kindness of the old man was beyond ex- pression. If Mr. Streeter did not reach his house every morning by nine o'clock the Captain would send one of his sons to inquire whether he was sick or what the occasion was of his absence, and on his arrival the first question every morning was: " Who is sick; does he need anything?" On being informed of his necessities he would hand Mr. Streeter the key to the store-room, authorizing him to take to the needy person whatever he thought necessary, and many times he would hand him one, two or three dollars, and in some cases as much as twenty dollars for the needy and on being asked who Mr. Streeter should say had sent it, his reply always was, " A friend." He always refused to send his name along with the donation.

As other physicians came in Mr. Streeter returned to his favorite mechanical pursuits. In 1849 he was in Stockton engaged in mer- chandising, in partnership; next he was in Ventura, in various pursuits, for a year; for nine years he was agent for steamers before a wharf was built and when all the passengers were landed in surf boats. In 1873-'74 he began to make inside decorations his princi- pal business, including graining, painting, npholstering, etc. Since 1844 he has been a constant resident of Santa Barbara, although business called him away most of the time between 1849 and 1855. Since 1874 he has made general repairing a specialty.

Under Lincoln's administration he was In- spector of Customs three years; was also Justice of the Peace of the town (before it

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was a city) about three years; Under Sheriff in 1861-'62, and he has held other local offices. His office of Under-Sheriff he re- signed in favor of his wife's brother-in-law, George Stone, who had just arrived

Mr. Streeter was first married in 1832, in Anburn, New York, to Miss Hannah Day, who afterward died in Saratoga, leaving two children, two of her children having died. For his present wife Mr. Streeter married Josefa Petra Valdez, daughter of Ramon Valdez, and a native of Santa Barbara. Iler mother is of the Ortega family. In this family are now five sons and three daughters. One son, who is married, is now employed in Hunt & Hosmer's grocery in Santa Barbara; another son, unmarried, is engaged in Magnire's dry-goods house; the eldest daughter is married to Charles Freeman, the son of Dr. Freeman; the second daughter is now Mrs. William B. Hosmer, who is in the grocery business here; the youngest daugh- ter is attending business college in that city ; the youngest son is now on the Island of Santa Catalina with his brother-in-law. The eldest son, a bricklayer by trade and an ex- cellent workman, has for the last seven or eight years been in Mexico or Arizona. The second son is married, lives in Oakland, a printer by trade, and works in the office of the San Francisco Chronicle.

II. REILLY, a native son of the Golden West, and the youngest " Sheriff in the State, was born in Yuba County, California, June 15, 1861. His father, M. J. Reilly, a native of New York, came to California in 1849. His mother, whose maiden name was E. J. Linn, is a native of Illinois. M. J. Reilly, after a resi- dence here of only two years, died, in 1876,

in San Buenaventura. W. HI. Reilly, the sub- ject of this notice, was the eldest of the children, was educated in the public schools of San Francisco and Ventura. completing a course in a business college. April 10, 1889, he married Miss Mae Beck, a daughter of Hon. Thomas Beck, who was Secretary of State of California. In November, 1888, Mr. Reilly was elected Sheriff of Ventura County, on the Republican ticket, by a ma- jority of 352, which was far ahead of his ticket. Not long after he assumed the office to which he had been elected a circumstance occurred which demonstrated that the county did not make a mistake in his election. At noon, on April 23, 1889, the desperado James McCarthy entered the bank of William Collins & Sons, and, leveling his pistol at the clerk, ordered him to hand out the money. The clerk instantly dropped below the counter and ran out the back way. The robber seized what money he could get quickly, amounting to $4,000, and was making his eseape when he had a horse to mount. Mr. Reilly heard the alarm, thought it was a fight, rushed into the street and saw the robber, who turned when the sheriff was within ten feet of him and snapped a forty-four caliber Colt's revolver at him. Unfortunately, the sheriff was unarmed, but had the presence of inind to rush into a hardware store, seize a shot-gun and load it, and succeeded in overhauling McCarthy, made him surrender, took his money from him and safely landed him in jail, where he was safely kept until he was tried and sentenced to State's prison for eight years. That was in- deed an act of courage and promptness wor- thy of any officer, no matter how skillful. The sheriff of a California county is also tax collector. The total taxes collected by Mr. Reilly in 1889 were abont $159,000. He is a man of character and marked ability, and

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is destined to be successful in his under- takings.

Mr. Reilly belongs to the I. O. O. F., K. of P., A. L. of H., and N. S. G. W., of the last of which he was one of the organizers and a charter member.

ERDINANDO CHIESA was born in Parma, Italy, June 16, 1855. He re- ceived a good education, attending an excellent school for six years. At the age of twenty he enlisted in the military service and for four years stood ready for the call to arms. In 1879 he came to America and at once located in the city of San Luis Obispo, a resident of which he has been ever since. Mr. Chiesa at once identified himself with the business interests of San Luis Obispo. He first en- tered the store of G. R. Maggi, one of his countrymen, and clerked in that establish- ment for two years. He next worked on a ranch six months. Returning to the city, he went into the store of J. Dughi, as clerk; shortly afterward, in 1885, a co-partnership was formed with Mr. Dughi, and up to the present time Mr. Chiesa has controlled a half interest in the business.

Mr. Chiesa was married April 5, 1885, to Maggie Angellini. To them have been born four children, two of whom are now living. He is a member of the A. O. U. W. and also of the Italian Society, being second vice- president in the latter organization.

AVID SMITH MILLER was born in Indiana, September 19, 1832. When eighteen years of age he came to the Western States to make his home. His first venture was in Oregon in the fall of 1850.

In this locality he engaged in ranching and remained there until 1852, when he went to Santa Cruz, remaining there for six years. In 1858 he came to San Luis Obispo and has been variously occupied during his life in this county. He ran the coast line stage be- tween San Luis Obispo and Cambria from 1868 to 1874; was Deputy Sheriff of the county for six years and a Deputy Assessor for one term. Of late years Mr. Miller has been engaged in the wood business, cutting and supplying large quantities of it for the market. His ranch adjoins the famous Santa Margarita ranch, and is excellent woodland property. Mr. Miller has been twice married and has a family of three children.

APTAIN WILLIAM S. MARIS, one of the early pioneers to California in 1850 (the subject of this sketch), was born at New Hope, Pennsylvania, in 1822. His father was a large manufacturer of cot- ton and woolen yarns. In 1830 they moved to the island of Madeira, and for nine years carried on the wine business in buying and shipping to foreign ports. They then re- turned to the United States and settled in Philadelphia, and in 1844 William S. Maris began his sea life by going to Madeira as supercargo, on board the bark Pauns of Philadelphia, Captain John Graham, to at- tend to the sale of the cargo of corn, lum ber, and flour, then with the bark in ballast they sailed to Gibralter on the Mediterranean Sea, returning with a cargo of corn to Ma- deira. The vessel then went to Rio Janeiro, South America, with 130 emigrants, and onr subject then returned to Philadelphia. He went to New York and purchased for Captain Graham the United States Govern- ment brig Lawrence, which was carefully re-

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fitted for merchant service and name changed to Don Juan. He then sailed out with the brig to South America, and after two years of service and study he became master, and took charge of the vessel. He then took a cargo of general merchandise to the river Congo on the west coast of Africa, and re- turned in ballast to Rio Janeiro. He also made a trip to the east coast around the Cape of Good Hope. In 1850 the brig Olindo, from Bangor, Maine, was condemned at Rio Janeiro, and the cargo of general merchan- dise, honse frames and lumber was reshipped in the schooner Mary Pheby, W. S. Maris master, and he came to California. Selling his vessel at San Francisco he bought a one- third interest in the brig John Andrews, and started on a trading expedition down the coast, but stopping at Santa Barbara sold his interest and there remained. He has since resided in the county, mainly in this city. He was a clerk for Wells, Fargo & Co. many years, and has also been interested in the grocery business. He was first elected city tax collector, in April, 1882, and was re- elected in 1884-'86, 1888 and 1890.

Captain Maris was married in Santa Bar- bara, in June, 1855, to Miss Dolores Chap- man, a native of California. They have five children: Isabelle, Anita, Sarah, Willianı and Josephine, all living in Santa Barbara.

- F. JOHNSTON, a prominent rancher and stock-raiser of Santa Maria, was

o born near Jefferson City, Missouri, April 4, 1836. His father, George K. John- ston, was a native of Virginia, and emigrated in boyhood to Kentucky. At the age of twenty-one years he was married at Monti- cello to Miss Nancy Jane Upton, and soon after their marriage they removed to Mis-

souri. The subject of this sketch lived at home until manhood, acquiring meantime a common-school and academic education, and four years thereafter he spent in teaching district schools. In the winter of 1859, be- coming imbned with the spirit of gold- mining, the excitement then existing in the Pike's Peak region, abont the 30th of March he started for the mines, and arrived at the mouth of Cherry Creek, near where the city of Denver now stands. After prospecting unsuccessfully for three weeks, he decided to go on to California, and with a friend he struck out over the Cheyenne trail for Salt Lake City, thence on to the head of the Humboldt River, across the Humboldt desert to Carson River, and across the Sierras to Hangtown and Sacramento, arriving Septem- ber 13. After spending a few months in Yolo County, he taught school one term in Sonoma County, near Mark West Creek. He then went to the Washoe mines in Nevada, where, with many hardships and privations in its mountain mining towns, he lived for abont twelve years, but, never forgetting the beautiful Santa Rosa Valley, and one of its more beautiful inhabitants, in October, 1865, he returned there and was married to Miss Mary M. McCorkle, then a teacher in one of its schools. In the fall of 1872 he left Nevada and came to Guadaloupe, and since that time has been extensively engaged in grain-farming and stock-raising in the Santa Maria and Santa Ynez valleys, with varied success. Mr. Johnston has worked long and hard to make improvements in the valley, and his beautiful ranch of 900 acres near Lake View depot, with its thirty-acre orchard and other substantial improvements, is an ornament to the locality. He has also an eighty-acre tract near town, and some town property. He owns the Aliso Rancho of 9,000 acres on the Santa Maria River,

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where he has 300 head of cattle and 225 horses, and where he breeds both trotting and work horses. He owns the stallions Ben Wade and Sultan, the latter a Norman horse weighing 1,600 pounds. Mr. Johnston has for many years farmed from 1,000 to 2,000 acres. He has never been an aspirant to office. They have five children living, four sons and one daughter.

D. BARNARD, one of the best known pioneers of Ventura, was born in Calais, Maine, December 12, 1830. His father, W. K. Barnard, was a native of Massachn- setts, and their ancestors were from England. His mother, whose name before marriage was Nancy Denny, was born in Worcester, Massa- chusetts. Her ancestors came to that State during its early settlement. Her father, Daniel Denny, was one of the posterity of John Denny, of Suffolk, England, who lived there in 1439. A picture of the old English home of 450 years ago is still preserved in the family, and there is also in their posses- sion a complete genealogy of the family from 1439 to the present time. Branches of this family have established themselves in all the States of the Union. In Mr. Barnard's father's family were six children, all sons, he being the eldest. He was bronght up and educated in Maine, Vermont and Massachu- setts, completing his education in New Hampshire. He began business for himself as a merchant. In 1852 he came to Oregon and was engaged in general merchandising in Corvallis until 1859; he traveled {for two or three years, and in 1868 came to Ventura, when that town was just starting, the Ameri- can residents there being Messrs. Cliaffee, Leach, Ayers, Grimes, Simpson and the Hobsons. Mr. Barnard engaged in the lum-

ber business, and soon purchased a home place of thirty acres about a mile up the avenue; and he has also been engaged in real estate. His home place now comprises 125 acres, beantifully cultivated, and artist- tically arranged with ornamental trees, hedges, etc. He has 3,000 walnut trees just commencing to bear fruit; has twenty three kinds of fruit altogether. He has also two or three other farms in the valley. He has been a very busy man, accomplishing much in the improvement of his ranches and of the locality generally. Such industry and such faith in the country has had its ample return. Mr. Barnard has never joined any society, is not a politician, but is a Republi- can. His parents are Unitarians.

In 1861 he married Miss Sarah E. Leh- man, a native of Wayne County, Ohio, and of Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry. They have six sons and one daughter, all natives of the Golden West: Frank E., Edwin L., Anstin D., Charles V., John C. and Mary E., all at home with their parents.

M ARVIN STEWARD, a prominent citizen of Ventura, was born near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, December 29, 1828. His father, Marion Steward, was a native of the State of Connecticut, and was of Scotch ancestry. Mr. Steward's mother, Sarah A. (Dart)Steward, was of English parent- age. They had a family of twelve children, and most of them are now living. His father removed to New York, and from there to Ohio, where he received his education in the public schools. He engaged in the bnsi- ness of milling and distilling until 1850, when he removed to Quincy, Illinois, and engaged in business there for six years. In 1856 he removed to Hannibal, Missouri, and engaged

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in the flouring-mill business; he then went opposite Hannibal, and built a mill and dis- tillery, and during the year 1863 his revenue tax was $18,000, the tax being twenty cents per gallon. He came to Marysville, Cali- fornia, and engaged in farming and stock- raising, and also bought the Oregon House and ranch, and continued in business there until 1868, when he sold out and went back to the Atlantic States, and also to Texas. After remaining away five months he returned and bought the Oregon House and ranch back, and after two years sold it, and went to Ban- gor, Butte County and engaged in mercantile business and stock-raising. He also bought a ranch on the Honcut, Yuba County, and in 1875 came to Ventura. He first settled near Santa Paula, buying 150 acres of land and im- proving it, and also building a nice house. He bought the property for $36 per acre; and sold it for $100 per aere; it has since been sold for $200 an acre. After selling his land Mr. Steward came to Sonoma County and engaged in the mercantile business, and in a year and a half sold ont and re- turned to Ventura, engaging in farming and fruit-raising near Santa Paula. This property he traded for land in Ventura, and now resides in a two-story residence of his own building on Ventura avenue; he retains the town property in Ventura, which he rents. He spent one year in Grass Valley for his health, and while there built a nice house. He has been only two years in his home on Ventura avenue, but the place is a fine one, with a nice hedge, beautiful flowers and orna- mental trees and shrubs in profusion,-how- ing what can be done in a short time in this delightful country and climate.

When Mr. Steward was nineteen years of age the Mexican war began, and he enlisted in Company C, Fifteenth United States In- fantry, and served through the struggle. He

was sent to re-enforce General Scott at Vera Cruz, and was in all the fights until the city of Mexico was taken. In taking the city he received a musket shot in his right foot, for which he receives a pension. He has been Postmaster twice. In his political views he is a Democrat, but always voted for the best man. Mr. Steward is not an old, worn-out looking man, notwithstanding he is a veteran of the Mexican war, and has been active so long.

Mr. Steward was married in 1852 in Quincy, Illinois, to Miss Sarah A. Abner, a native of Illinois. They have six children living: Alice D., the wife of Mr. J. Brown, of Yuba County; Rosanna C., at home with her parents; Charles Richard, a book-keeper in a wholesale house in San Francisco; Minnie D., wife of Mr. Faulkenstein, and residing in Ventura; Lora May and Mattie M., both at home with their parents. In 1883 Mrs. Steward died, and Mr. Steward has since mar- ried Mrs. Eliza MeNett, of Quincy, Illinois. He was made a Master Mason in 1850 in Springfield.

- M. HOIT, present Postmaster of Santa Barbara, apppointed under President Harrison, was born in New York city, and after passing his boyhood days he re- moved with his parents to Virginia, where hia father followed general farming. Our sub- ject enlisted at Parkersburg, West Virginia, July, 1862, in the Fourteenth West Virginia Infantry, Colouel D. D. Johnson in com- mand; Captain, George W. Taggart. The subject of this sketch was commissioned as Orderly Sergeant, and served in the depart- mena of West Virginia, and in General Crook's command, attached to the Eighth Army Corps. Ile served from July, 1862,

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to May, 1864, when he was wounded at Floyd Mountain, Greenbrier County, Vir- ginia .. He was then ranked as Second Lien- tenant, having been promoted for merit and bravery on the field. His service was largely on the line of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, in skirmishing with guerrillas and keeping open communication over lines of the road. He was also in General Crook's raid toward Lynchburg, in destroying Confederate stores and supplies. They were met in force at Floyd Mountain by Breckinridge, and won the fight, but there Mr. Hoit was wounded and tahen from the field. He was fifteen days en route to Gallipolis, Ohio, the nearest hos- pital, and arrived more dead than alive with lung fever. He was there six months, and was honorably discharged in January, 1865, being about one year in recovering his health, and is still lame from the effects of the wound,

Mr. Hoit was elected Recorder of Wood Connty, West Virginia, in the fall of 1866 and re-elected in 1868.

He was married at Parkersburg, West Virginia, to Miss Ella W. Saunders; they have three children living. Mr. Hoit, with his family, came to Santa Barbara in the fall of 1872, and his first impressions were any- thing but agreeable, taken as they were from the deck of the steamer, which was anchored three-fourths of a mile ont, with a prospect of being well drenched from the surf in being landed from the ship's boats. The eye rested on the San Francisco Mission, and an oc- casional adobe, with here and there an unpre- tentions structure reared by a white settler. No trces except an occasional pepper, and no verdure anywhere. He now has great faith in the town. Its growth has been slow but steady, and its future is assured.

He is a member and Past Post Commander of Starr King Post, No. 52, Department of California. He was appointed Postmaster

for Santa Barbara in October, 1889, and con- firmed on December 20, 1889, for the term of four years.

RANK E. KELLOGG, of Goleta, is a native of Napa County, California, born at St. Helena, September 22, 1851. His father, F. E. Kellogg, was a farmer by ocenpation and a mechanic by trade, and located in Napa County, in 1846. Our sub- ject received his rudimentary education in the public schools of his native town, and subsequently graduated at the Illinois Col- lege, Jacksonville, in the class of 1872. After a year's sojourn at Hannibal, Missouri, he again came West, locating on his present place in 1877, where he engaged quite exten- sively in bean culture. In 1882 he engaged in the dairy business. His years of experi- ence has taught him that it pays best to keep graded Jersey stock, as they make the most profitable and satisfactory milch cows. The thoroughbred Jersey is best for quality but not for quantity of milk. The cross or com- promise between Jersey and other good milch cows of common stock produce the best grades for both quality and quantity. This is the principle, put into practice, upon which Mr. Kellogg has built up his excellent reputation as a successful dairyman. Of his fifty to sixty milch cows, nearly all are from one- half to seven-eightlis Jersey blood. The Goleta Dairy covers 150 acres of land, all under a high state of cultivation. Twenty-five acres of this tract is covered with soft-shell English walnut trees in bearing, and several acres are devoted to Pampas plumes for market.

Mr. Kellogg's business enterprise is mani- fest in the recent erection of a first-class steam-power creamery on his place, which lias become one of the most important insti-

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tutions of its kind in Southern California. It was the first creamery erected in Santa Barbara County, using the milk from farms in the vicinity. He has thus far confined himself to the manufacture of creamery but- ter, in which he now consumes the milk froin about 150 cows, or about 2,000 pounds of inilk, producing 150 pounds of butter daily, or one ponnd to each cow. It is put up in two-pound rolls (full weight). While, as Mr. Kellogg says, the business is in its infancy, he regards the result produced thus far as settling the question as to the prac- ticability of operating creameries in this county. All the milk from the surrounding farms is carefully tested as to its butter value, and every farmer is paid for his milk a price determined by this test and the selling price of butter. The creamery, producing a larger percentage of butter of a superior quality, which brings an advanced price, gives the farmer more for his inilk product than he could realize for it in any other way, and also saves him the trouble of manufacture and marketing. The Goleta Creamery is fully equipped with a De Laval centrifugal creain separator. This is propelled at a speed of 7,500 revolutions per minute, extracting the cream from the milk immediately after hav- ing been taken from the cow. The machine separates the cream from 100 gallons of milk per hour. The cream then goes into a tem- pering vat for a given period, thence into a churn, with a capacity of 300 pounds of butter at one churning. This fine new machinery is operated with an upright steam engine. The product of the creamery finds a ready market in Santa Barbara and other cities. Credit is dne Mr. Kellogg for devel- oping so important an enterprise in a county where it was regarded as experimental.

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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