An illustrated history of Los Angeles County, California. Containing a history of Los Angeles County from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospective future and biographical mention of many of its pioneers and also of prominent citizens of to-day, Part 59

Author: Lewis Publishing Company. cn
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Chicago, Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1092

USA > California > Los Angeles County > An illustrated history of Los Angeles County, California. Containing a history of Los Angeles County from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospective future and biographical mention of many of its pioneers and also of prominent citizens of to-day > Part 59

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).

375

HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.

subject of this sketch to undergo the great strain of an active business life since boyhood, with little deterioration of energy and activity, and he still gives a personal attention to his large busi- ness interests, and still remains a large factor in the material advancement of this city. The brother, Victor Beaudry, heretofore inentioned, was for a long time a resident of Los Angeles. Coming to California in 1849, and to Los Angeles in 1855, he, with others, turned the waters of the San Gabriel River for mining purposes. After · spending some time in Los Angeles, with vary- ing fortunes, he was, in 1861, made Sutler of the First Regiment of Infantry, United States regular army, and went East to the seat of war, and was with the army till the close of the war, suffering many hardships which greatly im- paired his health. Officers of the army who had become warm friends of his were afterward sta- tioned at Camp Independence, Inyo County, Cal- ifornia, and they invited him to open a store at that point. This he did, and later acquired in- terests in the Cerro Gordo Mines, which he worked, in company with Mr. M. W. Belshaw, with great success. The product in base bullion was for years hanled 200 miles to San Pedro for shipment to San Francisco, the ontput being for many years about 5,000,000 pounds per annum. It required a force of 400 innles to transport the bullion and supplies to and from the camp. The late Remie Nadeau, the builder of the Nadeau Hotel, was the manager of this portion of the business. The extensive business thus devel- oped stimulated the project of constructing the Los Angeles & Independence Railroad. After the completion of the Southern Pacific Railroad to Mojave, the bullion was hanled to that point for shipment. In 1872 Mr. Victor Beandry re- turned to Montreal, where he was married dur- ing the following year to a daughter of M. Le- blanc, Sheriff of Montreal. The result of this union was five children, now residing with their mother in Montreal, where Victor died in 1888, having resided in Los Angeles from 1881 to 1886, where he had, in company with his brother Prudent, become interested in real estate. The

other brothers meantime were passing lives full of interest and far removed from the common- place. The Honorable Jean Louis Beaudry was a self-made man in the broadest sense of the word. Ilaving left his village at the age of fourteen, he commenced his career as a clerk in a dry-goods store, a position which he held both in Montreal and Merricksville, Upper Canada, for eleven years. He was full of life and activ- ity; his fiery patriotism could not remain indiť- ferent to the dramatic events which characterized the politics of that period. As early as 1827 he signed the famons petition against the conten- plated union of Lower and Upper Canada, now Ontario and Quebec Provinces. Five years later he was thrown out of employment for the active part he had taken in the election of the celebrated French leader, Papineau, during which three of Mr. Beandry's countrymen lost their lives in bloody encounters with the enemy. This act of injustice and interference with his freedom as a citizen eventually led to his success in life. He went immediately into partnership with his brother, Jean Baptiste, who had followed him to Montreal. During fifteen years they carried . on an extensive dry-goods business. Together with three other rich firms of Montreal, they were the first French-Canadian merchants who ever imported their goods from Europe. During the interval Mr. Beaudry crossed the Atlantic twelve times, and formed a solid and lasting basis for the large fortune he leftto his children. All this, how- ever, did not divert the young patriot from the interest he took in the destiny of his country. The stormy events of 1837 were at hand, and Jean Louis Beaudry went body and soul into the revolutionary movement. He had been chosen vice-presidentof the " Sons of Liberty," and it was in his own house that the manifesto which made this association conspicuous in Canadian history was signed. On the 6th of November an open fight took place in the streets of Montreal, the Sons of Liberty being attacked by a Tory organ- ization, called the Doric Club. The latter were promptly dispersed, but Mr. Beandry was ar- rested. Ilis arrest, however, had no effect npon

3.6

HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.

him, for, having recovered his liberty on his own bail, he more than ever gave vent to his anti- British sentiments; so that, after the defeat of the Patriots at St. Charles and St. Eustache, he had to cross the borders with the principal lead- ers of the insurrection, and took refuge in the United States. The next year the attempt at independence broke out anew. During seven months Mr. Beandry had been actively engaged in preparing for the new struggle, and when the American Government thought proper to put a stop to a movement organized against a foreign country, within the limits of its jurisdiction, the future mayor of Montreal was actually march- ing against that city with a supply of 43,000 cartridges he had himself manufactured at Mont- pelier. After the general amnesty which fol- lowed the union of the two provinces of Canada, Mr. Beandry returned to his native land and re- sumed his business. Twice he was a candidate for parliamentary honors in the city of Montreal, in 1854 and 1858. He, however, was defeated in both instances, his opponents being the fa- mous Darcy McGee, and Sir A. A. Dorion, who became later on Chief Justice of the Court of Queen's Beneh, after having held the portfolio of Prime Minister. In 1862 Mr. Beandry was elected mayor of Montreal against the Honora. ble Mr. Rodier, who became afterward his col- league in the Legislative Council of the Provinee of Quebec. The next year he was returned by aeclamation for another term. In 1864 he was returned again in spite of a strong opposition on the part of Mr. Doherty, now a judge of the Superior Court of Canada. The following year he was once more elected by acclamation, and after having served a fourth term, he voluntarily retired and was appointed to a seat in the Leg- islative Council of the Province. In the mean- while Mr. Beaudry had been busily engaged in forwarding the commercial development and general progress of the Canadian metropolis. Ile took the lead in several financial enterprises of great importance, and in particular was a founder of the well-known Jacques Cartier Bank. In 1877 his reputation as an able business man

was sneh that the citizens of Montreal thought they could not adopt a better means of restoring the low condition of the eity budget than to eall him back to the civic chair. Such also was the success of his administration that the next year he was re-elected unanimously. His defeat by a small majority in 1879 was purely accidental, and in 1881 Montreal assumed again her alle- giance to her old favorite mayor, who onee more remained in office for three consecutive years. No one had ever before held for so long a period this high and responsible position. As a man, Mr. Beandry was remarkable, conscientious, en- ergetic and plucky. This last quality he exhib- ited partienlarly in the conflict which arose in Montreal on the 12th of July, 1877, between the Irish Catholies and the Orangemen, when the old gentleman faced the mob like a young hero and won the day through his wonderful coolness and intrepidity. Sinee 1864 he wore the eross of St. Olaf, a Swede and Norwegian order. The Honorable Joseph Ubald Beandry, a cousin of Prudent and Vietor, attained very high rank in the legal and political world of Canada, and has left the imprint of his genins on the laws of that country. He early applied himself to the study of the law, and in the year 1838 was admitted to the practice of the profession. Almost im- mediately afterward he was appointed clerk of a court which has been abolished sinee, and which was then called the Cour des Reqnetes. After quitting this office, held at St. Hyacinthe, he returned to Montreal and practiced his pro- fession with brilliant suceess until 1850. On the 12th of April of that year, Mr. Beaudry was ap- pointed clerk to the Court of Queen's Bench, in Appeal and Error. In 1855 he also aeted as a elerk of the Seignorial Court. In 1859, when the commission for the codifieation of the Lower Can- ada laws was appointed, Mr. Beandry was named to the office of joint secretary with Honorable Mr. Ramsay, who also died a judge of the Superior Court. How well he discharged the duties of that important position may be inferred from the fact that on the death of Honorable Justice Morin, in 1865, Mr. Beandry was at once appointed to

377

HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.

replace him on the commission. The Lower Canada code of civil procedure is generally un- derstood to have been largely, if not solely, his work. The performance of these high and re- sponsible duties naturally marked Mr. Beaudry out for judicial preferment, and in December, 1868, having resigned his office as clerk of ap- peals, he was appointed judge of the Superior Court, which position he continued to hold up to the time of his death, in a manner that could not be more highly creditable to his ability and integrity. He was reputed as an exceedingly conscientious man, who prepared every judg- ment and order with as innch deliberation and care as if he were writing a legal treatise. In spite of the numerous occupations of his profes- sional career, Judge Beaudry gave evidence on many occasions of his inclination for literary work. As early as 1845 he was a contributor to the Revue de Legislation et de Jurispru- dence. In 1851, when the Lower Canada Law Reports were commenced, he soon became the principal editor of this important publication, and continued to contribute to it until it came to a close. Mr. Beandry was at one time vice- president of the Montreal Historical Society, while the celebrated Institut Canadien counted him as one of its founders. As legal adviser of the Seminary of Montreal, he prepared an elaborate factnın in reference to the difficulties which arose between the ecclesiastical authori- ties in connection with the erection of new parishes, and he went to Rome as counsel for the seminary in the same matter. His princi- pal work, however, next to his codification labors, was his Code des Cures et Marguilliers, a volume of great merit, which has received much commendation in various quarters. Ont- side of the professional and judicial achieve- ments of Mr. Beandry, it is unnecessary to go in this notice. It may be mentioned, however, that he was a member of the city council of · Montreal during 1847, 1848 and 1849, and in the following year was one of the six aldermen of that city. Justice Beandry married a consin, the daughter of Mr. P. J. Beaudry, of Mon-

treal, by whom he had five children, three sons and two daughters. The eldest, the late Ubald Beaudry, held the office of Prothonotary of the Superior Court of Beauharnois, and was well known for his contributions to literary reviews and journals. The second son is a civil en- gineer. No citizen in Montreal has ever left among his countrymen a more respected name and a more nnblotted record than that left by the gentleman who is the object of this con- densed biography. The very imperfect ontline above given stamps these men as having sprung from an excellent stock, morally and mentally. When in the course of their eventful careers occasion has called for patriots and heroes, they have not been found wanting. In the face of disaster and loss they have uniformly displayed characteristic courage and resource, winning from defeat, many times, success that would have seemed phenomenal even under favorable conditions. Prudent Beaudry, in particular, has the record of having made in different lines five large fortunes, four of which, through the act of God, or by the duplicity of man, in whom he had trusted, have been lost; but even then he was not discouraged, but faced the world, even at an advanced age, like a lion at bay, and his reward he now enjoys in the shape of a large and assured fortune. Of such stuff are the men who fill great places, and who de- velop and make a country. To such men we of this later day owe much of the beauty and comfort that surround us, and to such we should look with admiration as models upon which to form rules of action in trying times.

ILTON BROWN .-- Among the repre- sentative men of Los Angeles County, few are more justly entitled to honor- able mention in a work of this character thian is the gentleman whose name stands at the head of this article. Althoughr a resident of this county only since 1883, he is one of the pio- neers of California, having come to the State as

378

HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.

early as 1854. Mr. Brown is pleasantly located on a farm near Long Beach. He was born in 1821, is a native of Kentucky, and the son of Larkin and Permnelia (Bales) Brown, natives of Virginia and Kentucky respectively, the father being of Scotch and the mother of English origin. Mr. Brown may be said to have come from a pioneer family, his paternal grandfather having been a pioneer of the State of Virginia, and his father having moved from that State to Kentucky, and from there to Morgan County, Illinois, where he died in 1830. His mother died in Kansas in 1857. Mr. Brown has been a farmer and stock-raiser since he was thirteen years of age. He first engaged in farming in Morgan County, Illinois. In 1849 he went to St. Joe, Missouri, where he remained two years. He went to Oregon in 1852, and two years later, in 1854, as already stated, he came to Califor- nia. In 1842 Mr. Brown was married to Cla- rissa Jane Wing, by whom he had five children: Leanen, John M., Milton L., Clarissa Jane, and Adaline. The mother of these children died December 23, 1873, and Mr. Brown subse- quently chose for a second companion Mrs. Elizabetlı Porter, the widow of Henry Porter, who was killed in the battle of Big Shantys, Georgia. This lady was married first to James Smith, by whom she had two children: Agnes and Fred. Mrs. Brown was born in Scotland, March 13, 1833, and is the daughter of Robert and Ellen Wood, who came to America when she was only six weeks old.

OLONEL MICIIAEL BROPHY, living near Newhall, Los Angeles County, Califor nia, is, in the truest sense, a pioneer. Ile was born in Queen's County, Ireland, in 1822, and is a son of Patrick and Mary Brophy. He eame to America in 1840, and in 1846 enlisted as a soldier in the Mexican war. As a non- commissioned officer he led the attack on Chernbusco, there received eleven wounds, was left on the field for dead, and was so reported

for weeks. After a long and painful confine- ment he recovered, and in 1848 went to St. Lonis. From there he went to Minnesota, and was one of the pioneers of that State. The fol- lowing qnotation from a work published there several years ago, shows in what esteem he was held by the historian. He says: "Michael Brophy lived in this beantifnl region of wood- land, prairie and charming lakes, and, like Blennerhasset, dwelt alone with his lovely wife, away from the noise and bustle of the rising towns, and through his obliging manners, and his readiness in conducting strangers through the country, has been a prime factor in its building up and development." In 1852 he turned his face toward the setting sun, and after a tedious journey across the plains he arrived in Tuolunine County, and for several years gave his attention to mining, and while there was made president of the Miners' Committee. He was also Lieutenant in the State militia. In 1857 he received a position in the United States Custom House in San Francisco, which lie filled till 1861, when he again " shouldered his musket " in defense of his country. He en- listed in Company B, Second California Volun. teers, as Sergeant, and served till the declara- tion of peace in 1865, when he settled in Santa Bárbara County. Here he remained until 1868, at which time he became one of the pioneers of this beautiful county. His first purchase was 160 acres of land, situated three miles south- west of Newliall, to which he has since added forty acres, as well as several mining claims. Here in his cozy home, near the summit of the Sierra Madres, amid the rippling of mountain streams, and the shade of the evergreen oaks, the stranger is met with a welcome and cordial- ity which none but the truest patriot and the noblest heart can give. Mr. Brophy has a vast store of information, and his recollection of in- teresting events would itself make a volume. IIe has been twice married, first in St. Louis, in ' 1848, to Miss Mary McCartney. This lady was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and by her he had two sons: W. A., whose sketch appears

379

HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.

elsewhere in this work; and F. M. Brophy, of Los Angeles. Mrs Brophy died in 1875. In 1879 Mr. Brophy married Mrs. Katie Schiller, a native of Ireland. By her first husband she had two daughters: Katie and Mamie.

OHN BANGLE .- There is not in Los An- geles County, perhaps, a man more re- spected by his neighbors than he whose name stands at the head of this biographical notice; and no one has done more, in a humble way, for the improvement of the industrial re- sources of the neighborhood than he. To him the people of this valley are indebted for the vast improvement made in the cultivation of the English walnnt. IIe has sought for and obtained the early kind of English walnut that bears in half the time of the old kind of wal- nuts. Where the old hard-shells are from ten to twelve years beginning to bear, the early soft- shells will bear in from five to six years. On his well-improved farm he now has at least six different varieties of this choice fruit, and on his farm may be seen all kinds of small fruits, such as blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc., and an orchard of the very best varieties of oranges. Mr. Bangle came to the county a poor man, and by his industry, honesty, and economy, he, with his excellent wife, has made a pleasant home, on which rests the smile and blessing of Providence, and where all are mnet with a hearty welcome. He is a native of Cabarrus County, North Carolina, was born November 14, 1816, and is a son of IIenry and Catharine (Freizland) Bangle, botlı natives of North Carolina, and of German origin. Mr. Bangle was married, in his native State, in February, 1838, to Christina Barringer, by whom he had one son, Alfred, who is now re- siding in Texas. After the death of his wife, which occurred in 1841, he married Mary A. Miller, by whom he had nine children, four of whom are still living. This lady died in 1859, and April 26, 1862, he again entered the ranks

of the Benedicts, choosing this time for his bride Miss Mary L. Buchanan. This lady is a native of La Fayette County, Mississippi, and the danghter of Obadiah and Eliza (Hunt) Buchanan, of Kentucky and Alabama respect- ively. Eliza Hunt was the daughter of John Hunt, and her mother's maiden name was Clement, a danghter of Zephanialı Clement, whose father was cast on an island on his way from Enrope to America, and his tongue was split by the natives because they could not understand him. He was a pioneer of Virginia, and a rich man. The Hunts were from Scotland, and were also wealthy planters in Virginia, and neighbors to the Clements. John Buchanan was a soldier in the Revolu- tionary war. His wife's maiden name was Jane Edwards, and her mother's name was Sarah Smith, from Ireland. Mr. Bangle was engaged in farming and also kept a store in Mississippi, near Oxford, until he came to Cal- ifornia. He is the father of twenty-six chil- dren, fifteen of whom are living. By his present wife he has the following: Eugenia A., wife of T. T. Hooper; D. V. Bangle; Mary E., wife of Richard Throop; Alonzo L., Beulah A., Adelbert T., Esther E., Rufus P., Eric T. and Galahorn E. Both Mr. and Mrs. Bangle are consistent members of the Holiness Church at Downey. Politically, he is a strong sup- porter of the Prohibition party, heartily en- dorsing by precept and example the principles which it teaches, and he favors every enterprise which has for its object the public good.

A. BROPHY is a native of the Golden State, and was born in Tuolumne County, in December, 1854. He is the elder son of Michacl and Mary (McCartney) Brophy. Mr. Brophy is yet a very young man, but has been prominently connected with the affairs of the county, having served for two years as deputy-sheriff under Major Mitchell, has been constable of Newhall Township, and

380

HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.

for a number of years has been correspondent of the Los Angeles and San Francisco papers. He is a man well informed on all general sub- jects and especially in subjects historical. The following quotation from a "Historical Lecture" prepared by himself and delivered in several different places shows that he has given close and creditable attention to the subject. He says: "The fact that the first gold delivered in California was discovered near the present town of Newhall is not generally known, but the old archives of Los Angeles prove this to be a fact. The record shows that gold was discovered on the San Francisco Ranch in 1841, seven years before Marshall made his discovery at Coloma, and considerable gold was received at the United States Mint at Philadelphia from here in 1842. Envy of the wealth of California missions tempted certain individuals to demand that they be turned into villages, and all authority taken from the missionaries and be vested in the civil power; and from that date the missions began to decline in prosperity and the Indians to dis- perse. To-day there is only a miserable rem- nant of them left in the land." Mr. Brophy is developing a coal mine on his 200-acre tract near the town of Newhall, which will, no doubt, prove to be a profitable industry. Socially, Mr. Brophy is a member of the I. O. O. F., and also of the N. S. G. W.

L. BALL .- This county has not, perhaps, a more successful yonng man than is he whose name stands at the head of this sketch. He came to California with no capital save an abundance of energy and a determina- tion to succeed, and soon obtained employment on Alamitus Ranch at $25 a month. Later he was employed by the Anaheim Lighter Company, delivering grain to steamers at Anaheim Land- ing, after which he was engaged by the South- ern Pacific Railroad Company for five years, first as fireman and afterward as engineer. IIc then engaged in business for himself, in part-

nership with his brother, W. F. Ball, now the owner of a cigar stand and billiard hall, corner of Spring and First streets, Los Angeles. Three years ago Mr. Ball and brother purchased seventy-one acres of land one-half mile north- east of Downey. On this farm they have planted out thirty-five acres of English wal- nuts, which yield fromn $250 to $300 per acre. Ile has also four acres of' oranges and lemons, four acres of Winter Nellis pears, and twenty acres of alfalfa. In partnership with his brother and T. Woods he owns 100 acres of land a mile and a half north of Downey, forty-five acres of which are in walnuts, and the rest is devoted to corn and alfalfa. All that Mr. Ball owns he has the satisfaction of knowing that he has made himself in the thirteen years that he has been in California, and he is justly proud of the success he has achieved in that time. He is a native of Pennsylvania, born in Williams- port, in 1853, and is a son of Joseph and Ma- tilda Ball, natives of Pennsylvania and Ger- many respectively. He was married in 1884 to Miss Birdella Leffler, of Illinois, but later of Los Angeles. They have been blessed with a son, Albert, and two daughters, Myda and Lucy.

OHN KEIR, fariner near Artesia, was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1837, of Scotch parents, Walter and Catharine (McIntire) Keir. His father, a seafaring man, died in January, 1842; his mother died in 1884. They had six children, of whom John was the fourth. Learning the carpenter's trade, he followed this vocation in Scotland, England and the United States. He came to America in 1867, worked a few months in Cincinnati, then for a short time in Leavenworth, Kansas, and then in Wichita, that State, near which place he pre- empted a quarter-section of land. He came to the coast in 1874, spent a year in San Fran- cisco and Santa Clara, next a short time in Ventura County, and finally came to this county. He sold his place in Kansas in 1881. He owns

381

HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.

eighty acres of very good land two miles south- west of Artesia, where he is recognized by his neighbors as an exceptionally honest man. He is an earnest and conscientious worker in the "Holiness" Church, and as a Christian his lite is exemplary. Mr. Keir has been twice mar- ried. December 31, 1863, he wedded Miss Mary Stevenson, a native also of Scotland and daughter of William and Mary (Wood) Steven- son. Their eldest son, Walter, died at Leaven- worth in 1869. She died at Wichita in 1873, leaving four children: William S., Mary W., John D. and Catharine Mel. In 1876 he mar- ried Miss Harriet, daughter of John and Frances (Annsley) Neill, and a native of County Armagh, Ireland, as were also her parents. Her father, however, was of Scotch ancestry and her mother of English. Her mother reared a family of six children, five by a former mar- riage. Both her parents are buried in the country of their nativity. Mrs. Keir came to America in 1875. The three children by this marriage are: Walter, Fannie A. and Maggie.

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: Lewis Publishing Company. cn Publication date: 1889 Publisher: Chicago, Lewis Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1092

Author: Lewis Publishing Company. cn
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Chicago, Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1092