An illustrated history of Southern California : embracing the counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the peninsula of Lower California, from the earliest period of occupancy to the present time; together with glimpses of their prospects; also, full-page portraits of some of their eminent men, and biographical mention of many of their pioneers and of prominent citizens of to-day, Part 26

Author: Lewis Publishing Company
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1038

USA > California > Los Angeles County > An illustrated history of Southern California : embracing the counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the peninsula of Lower California, from the earliest period of occupancy to the present time; together with glimpses of their prospects; also, full-page portraits of some of their eminent men, and biographical mention of many of their pioneers and of prominent citizens of to-day > Part 26
USA > California > San Diego County > An illustrated history of Southern California : embracing the counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the peninsula of Lower California, from the earliest period of occupancy to the present time; together with glimpses of their prospects; also, full-page portraits of some of their eminent men, and biographical mention of many of their pioneers and of prominent citizens of to-day > Part 26
USA > California > Orange County > An illustrated history of Southern California : embracing the counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the peninsula of Lower California, from the earliest period of occupancy to the present time; together with glimpses of their prospects; also, full-page portraits of some of their eminent men, and biographical mention of many of their pioneers and of prominent citizens of to-day > Part 26
USA > California > San Bernardino County > An illustrated history of Southern California : embracing the counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the peninsula of Lower California, from the earliest period of occupancy to the present time; together with glimpses of their prospects; also, full-page portraits of some of their eminent men, and biographical mention of many of their pioneers and of prominent citizens of to-day > Part 26

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).

two boys and two girls; the two first born in Missouri: William A., February 24, 1867; Georgia A., May 10, 1868; and the others born in Osage County, Kansas: Charles, May 24, 1871, and Alice Lucinda, April 15, 1872. In 1864, when fifteen years of age, Mr. Kerr at- tached himself to the Sixteenth Illinois Regi- ment as Captain's boy, and afterward did secret service for the army; and when President Lin- coln made his last call for volunteers he enlisted, but the day before they were to be mustered in General Lee surrendered and he was thus de- barred from being a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, which he very much re- grets, as he considers it a high honor. He has been a farmer most of the time in Kansas. In 1876 he came to California and settled at Comp- ton, Los Angeles County, and was appointed deputy-sheriff in 1877, and served in that capacity for two years, and during the same time carried on a stock ranch. In 1878 he bought land and engaged in the real-estate business. In 1882 he sold out and moved into Los Angeles. While there he aided in form- ing the San Jacinto Land Association, of which he became a member and stockholder. They purchased 17,500 acres of the San Jacinto Viego ranch of the Estudillos and others. Mr. Compton and Mr. Kerr became the agents for the sale of this land, and in 1885 he moved with his family to San Jacinto and bought 160 acres for a home ranch and built a brick resi- dence, and his sons are raising stock and grain on the ranch. Through Mr. Kerr's agency the whole of the Land Association's property was sold at reinnnerative prices and the whole trans- action proved a success. He assisted in organ -. izing the Los Angeles National Bank and was one of its stockholders. He helped to organize the San Jacinto Land & Water Company, which was also a success. The system is artesian sup- ply. The next enterprise which he helped organize was the Fairview Land & Water Com- pany, in connection with Mr. Compton, Mr. Howes and others. It comprises 2,900 acres of land, is furnished with twenty-one miles of iron

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HISTORY OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY.

pipe, through which water is conveyed from the San Jacinto river. On.the tract is also the town of Florida, where the water is under 238 feet pressure. Mr. Kerr continues his interest in this enterprise. He has also been interested in the organization of the city of San Jacinto and was elected one of its first board of trustees, receiv- ing 155 votes out of 157 cast, and was elected president of the city board of trustees. He is also one of the commissioners to locate the site for the Insane Asylum. He has helped to or- ganize the State Bank of San Jacinto, of which he is vice-president and stockholder. He has helped organize the San Jacinto Lime and Lumber Company, and is its vice-president. They are manufacturing lime from one twin draw kiln. It was put in operation one year ago last September and has run day and night ever since, averaging 100 barrels of lime each day, for which they find a ready sale. He also took a lively interest in getting the railroad to San Jacinto and assisted in raising the subsidy of $55,000 and the right of way for the road. He rightly enjoys the good-will and confidence of his fellow townsmen, and there is to all ap- pearances a vast amount of practical business left in him yet.

LEXANDER EDWARDS, one of San Jacinto's most honorable citizens, was born in Jefferson County, Indiana, February 19, 1828. His father, Elijah Edwards, was a native of Kentucky, but removed to Indiana and raised his family there. His ancestors were originally from North Carolina. His mother, Charlotte (Davidson) Edwards, was a native of Pennsyl- vania. Her father, James Davidson, was from Scotland, educated in Edinburg. Mr. Edwards' parents had six children, but three of whom survive, Mr. Edwards being the oldest. He was educated at Greensburg, Indiana. When eighteen years of age the Mexican war broke out and he enlisted, in 1846, in Company G, Monnted Rifles, and later enlisted in Fifth Indi-

ana, Company K. His company was in all the battles from the siege of Vera Cruz to the taking of the city of Mexico. After the war with Mexico he became a fence contractor and carpenter on the railroad for fourteen years. When the old flag was tired on at Fort Sumter his patriotie blood was up, and he enlisted at President Lincoln's first call for 75,000 three- months men, in Company B, Seventh Indiana Infantry. At the end of three months' service he re-enlisted, in the Fifty-second Indiana Rail- road Regiment, and served three years and six months. Five days after leaving Camp Morton, Indianapolis, they invested Fort Donelson, and this regiment had the honor of taking the first three lines of works. He was at the taking of Corinth; from there under General McPherson, they were sent to repair the Memphis & Charles- ton Railroad. They worked on it two months and put it in running order. Then they took and held Fort Pillow for a year. They then went with General Sherman back to Vicksburg to destroy the railroad. They knocked the flanges from the wheels of the locomotives with słedges, put powder in their fire boxes and ex- ploded them. Then the ties were heated in the middle and bent around the telegraph poles. From there they went to Memphis. Then they fought the battle of Tupelo with Forrest. They were then sent to Missouri to run Price out of that State. They marched 700 miles until they returned to St. Louis. They went on transports to Nashville and fought there. They then went to Mobile, where they got the news of Lee's surrender. In front of Corinth Mr. Edwards was promoted as First Lientenant and com- manded his company for two years. He was detailed to cominand Company F at the battle of Tupelo. When mustered out of the service he went back to railroading again. In 1871 he went to Kansas and was on the Santa Fe system for three years. He bought and built in Kan- sas, but the grasshoppers came up like a cloud, settled down on the country and ate up every- thing. He left the State in 1874 and came to Pasadena. He bought twelve acres of land at

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HISTORY OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY.

Pasadena for $60 per acre, lived on it for eleven years and sold it for $1,000 per acre. It after- terward advanced to $3,000 per acre. He came to San Jacinto in 1885, where he purchased thirty acres at $45 per acre and sold it for $200 per acre. He also invested in Florida lands. He has a very attractive home in San Jacinto. The house is of brick and is a little model of beauty. The grounds consist of seven acres, on which there is a good artesian well of excellent water, a good barn and other improvements. One of the great attractions of the place are the large trees of natural growth that have been saved in their primeval state on the property. In 1839 Mr. Edwards was married to Miss Eliza- beth Weingarth, who was born in Bavaria in 1841, and came to the United States in 1852. He was made a Mason in 1868, and is a mem- ber of the G. A. R., J. A. Addison Post, No. 121, San Jacinto. In politics he lias always been a Republican.

HE HIGH BROTHERS .- Messrs. Will- iam E. High and John E. Iligh were sons of John High, a native of Chester County, near Phenixville, Pennsylvania, wlio was born in 1795 and was a land-owner and farmer. Their grandfather, Jacob High, was a resident of Chester County, and removed to Cumberland County, where he remained until his death. Their forefathers came from Ger- many to America before the Revolution; their name was Hoch, German for high. Their mother, Christina Ehst, was born in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 1800, a daughter of Samuel Ehst, who was a fariner and lived until his death in that county. Their parents were married in 1820, and had a family of eleven children. William E. was the fifth, and John E. the seventh. They came to California to- gether, and so have remained since, being iden- tical in all their business relations, so that when one is mentioned it is almost equivalent to speaking of both. Their parents, in their re-

ligious views, were Mennonites, a sort of Qnaker- like branch of the church; and although they do not belong to any church here, they are be- licvers in Christ and in the Scriptures. The ranch on which they live consists of ten acres in Chollas valley, not far from the end of the H street railway of San Diego. This ranch is de- voted to almost every kind of fruit, while their inarket is at their very door. They have many bearing orange trees of several varieties, in- cluding Washington and Australian Navels, also lemons, limes, olives, guavas, loquats, peaches, pears, apples, apricots, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc. From 100 feet square of blackberry bushes they raised in one year 2,500 baskets, which sold for $410. The next year they sold from the same ground $385 worth.

William E. High was born in Berks County, Pennsylvania, on the 1st day of January, 1830. He remained on his father's farm until he was twenty years old, attending the district schools as opportunity afforded. Then he went to Chester County and lived with an uncle for two years. At the end of that time he returned to the old farm. In June following, which was 1852, his father died, the place was sold, and he hired out to work on a farm in the same county. IIe remained there for three years, and during that time taught the district school for one season. Afterward he went to Bucks County, and during 1856-'57 ran a saw-mill. The latter part of 1857, however, saw him back again in Berks County, where he stayed until the following spring. These subsequent changes in business had tended to unsettle him some- what, and he decided to seek a new country. He had heard much of California and the for- tunes that had been acquired in that distant land. Thither he determined to journey. After two weeks spent in New York city, he set sail on the Star of the West for Cuba, and from there took passage on the New Granada for Aspinwall. Crossing the Isthmus, he took the John L. Stephens at Panama, and after an un- eventfui voyage he arrived at San Francisco the

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15th of May, 1858. The same day he left for Sacramento, and from there went through Placer and El Dorado counties. At Diamond Spring, in the latter county, he worked in a saw-mill for six months. Then he went to Nevada County, where he engaged in mining, following that business with varying degrees of success for nearly ten years. During this time he was located at Moore's Flat, Washington, and at North San Juan.

Early in 1868 he visited San Francisco, and while there made up his mind to come to the southern part of the State. He accordingly went back to Nevada County, settled up his business, and in the following spring started for San Diego, arriving here on the 2d of March. Being well pleased with the outlook, he decided to remain. He located 160 acres of land eighteen miles southeast of the city, but sold it in six months' time, and settled on another piece of 175 acres adjoining the National Ranch grant, ten miles from San Diego. He cultivated a small portion of this in fruit, and remained on it four years, during which time he acquired a title, after some difficulty experienced, some parties claiming it as a Mexican grant. Abont the 1st of January, 1874, he moved to Chollas valley, two and one-half miles from San Diego, where he purchased five acres of land, and there he and his brother engaged in raising fruit of different varieties. They experimented with various kinds until they found what was most suitable to the soil and climate, and these varie- ties they adhered to. The result was that they soon acquired the reputation of raising the finest fruit to be found in this section, and the prod- uct of their orchard commanded the highest price.

Mr. High still remains on this famons place, and, with his brother, still cultivates it. In April, 1876, he went East to attend the Cen- tennial, and while absent was married to Susan Bechtel. He returned in October with his bride. Two and one-half years later she died. For the last eight years Mr. High has been a inember of the Cemetery Commission of San

Diego; he was the first president of the San Diego County Horticultural Society, and is now its vice-president. He was one of the directors and vice-president for two years of the Consoli- dated National Bank, and was a stockholder in the old San Diego Bank before the consolida- tion. He is interested in the San Diego & Cuyamaca Railroad, now in the course of con- struction. Four years ago he bought 2,000 acres of land in the Cnyamaca grant, and he and his brother now own 3,000 acres there, which is used for grazing purposes, and they have over 200 head of cattle on it. Mr. High and his brother are equally interested in all their enterprises, and together they own con- siderable city and outside property. The site of Otay was sold by his brother to the present owners. Together they contributed 160 acres of fine land as a bonus to the California South- ern to induce them to build their road here. Mr. High has contributed liberally to all public movements, and although of a retiring disposi- tion he is in reality one of San Diego's most progressive and substantial citizens. It is to the earnest and well-timed efforts of men like William E. High that the present prosperous condition of this thriving city is largely due.

JOHN H. CRESMER, proprietor of wagon and carriage shop, San Jacinto, was born in Hartford County, Maryland, November 15, 1860. His father, Jolın G. Cresmer, with his mother, came to the United States from Ger- many in 1853. They had a family of eleven children, two of whom are dead. The subject of this sketch was the eighth child, and was educated in Baltimore, Maryland, in both Ger- man and English. He made a business of canning fruit for some time, both in Maryland and afterward in De Witt County, Illinois. He also canned large quantities of sweet corn. In 1886 he came to San Jacinto, where he worked in the planing-mill, making doors and windows, and during the rapid building of the place made

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HISTORY OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY.

nearly all the doors and windows in town and vicinity. He now has a carriage and wagon shop, where he manufactures and repairs. He was married in 1882 to Miss Lena Gerhardt, also a native of Maryland, born in Baltimore, at which place her father was a mannfacturer of and dealer in shoes. They have for chil- dren, viz .: Walter H., L. Ernestine, Nellie V. and Elizabeth Ruth. His father died Septem- ber, 1876, aged sixty, and his mother resides with a son in Maryland. Mr. Cresmer is a good, industrions citizen, one of the kind who helps to make the country grow.

RANCIS F. MCCRACKEN'S grandfather, John McCracken, was a Scotchman, who came to America in 1802. His son, Felix McCracken, was born in Bourbon County, Ken- tucky, in 1809. He was a land-owner, farmer and stock-raiser. F. F. McCracken's mater- nal grandfather, Mr. John Smalley, was a native of Belgium, and came to America and settled in Kentucky, where he was an extensive planter. His daughter, Cyrene Smalley, was born in Kentucky in 1818, and was married to Mr. Felix McCracken in 1835. They had a family of seven, but two of whom survive -- Mr. F. F. McCracken and his brother, William Felix McCracken, who resides in Oblong, Illinois, where he has a farm and is County Commis- sioner. Mr. F. F. McCracken attended the district schools and graduated in the Hartsville University, Bartholomew County, Indiana. In September, 1861, he enlisted in Company H, Thirty-seventh Indiana Volunteer Infantry. At the battle of Stone River he was wounded, and afterward discharged for the consequent disabil- ity. After leaving the army he engaged in school-teaching for two hundred and four months. Since then he has been a contractor and bnilder.

Ile was married in 1865 to Miss Ellen E. Chrisman, daughter of Elias B. Chrisman, born at Westport, Indiana, in 1848. Their union

has been blessed with four children, all born in Avena, Illinois: Elias H., born July 13, 1866; Alma D., born November 27, 1867; Mary A., born July 18, 1871, and Willie E., born March 3, 1874. The latter son is now a member of the San Diego Rifles. The oldest son learned fonr trades: printing, cabinet-making, carpenter and barber, and is now working in one of the most popular shops in San Diego. He has been an Odd Fellow for the past twenty-three years, and is a scarlet-degree member. He has purchased property and made a good home in San Diego, and also owns property on Coron- ado Beach. He has the contract and is just completing the large new Armory Hall for the San Diego Rifles. Mr. McCracken was born in Indiana, July 29, 1843, and has still, apparent- ly, a long life before him, and the county in which he lives may depend on finding him on the side of right, in favor of our public schools. and a stout fighter against bond institutions and monopoly, for which he has suffered so much.

WEN M. MCDERMOTT, the pioneer blacksmith of San Jacinto, was born in County Monaghan, Ireland, November 9, 1844. His father, Michael McDermott, and his mother, Ann (Halpin) McDermott, were both natives of Ireland. When eighteen years of age young McDermott left his green island home and came to the United States. He settled in New York city, at which place and in New Jersey he learned his trade, which he has fol- lowed nearly all his life, with the exception of a few years spent in Nevada and Arizona, pros- pecting and digging for gold and dealing in mining stock. He opened his first shop on his own account in Eureka, Nevada, and it was there he became acquainted with and married Miss Mary McAvoy, a native of Chicago. They have five children, viz. : Engene, Mary and William, born in Eureka, August 10, 1879, February 14, 1881, and October 8, 1882; Par- nell, born in Arizona, March 17, 1884, and John

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HISTORY OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY.

E., born May 25, 1886. The family are mem- bers of the Catholic Church.

Mr. McDermott opened his blacksmith shop in San Jacinto May 14, 1885. It is located on Hewitt street, just opposite the old adobe build- ing. Mr. McDermott's knowledge of the busi- ness brings him more work than he can do, and his business extends out for fifteen miles around. He owns twenty lots in the city, has two arte- sian wells and has built a house. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States abont twelve years ago, and has forever left his native land.

OHN H. QUINTON is a native of Buffalo, New York, and was born June 26, 1847. His father, John Quinton, was born in Scotland in 1810, and came to New York in 1829. He was a pattern-maker by trade, but sailed on the lakes as a sea captain for eighteen years. He resided in Canada for some time, and owned one of the farms on which the city of Kingston now stands. Mr. J. H. Quinton's inother, Bridget (Calahan) Quinton, was born in 1810, and was married to Mr. John Quinton in 1839 and had a family of five children, three daughters and two sons. His brother George enlisted in the Twenty-first New York Volun- teers, was wounded in the second battle of Bull Run by a Lall which passed through the left arın, and after a few months in the hospital was again reported for dnty. When the second engagement at Fredricksburg was fonght, an artillery engagement, the company was guard- ing the battery, when a stray shell passed, a small piece striking him in the neck, killing him instantly, the only one killed in the com- pany at that time, and the only engagement they were in, as they were soon afterward mus- tered out. His loss so grieved his father that it hastened his death. The remainder of the family are still living. . Mr. Quinton was the fourth child and received his education in Buf- 11

falo, New York. In 1863 he went to Canada and drove a private mail for Hon. T. C. Street, a member of the Canada Parliament. He re- inained there two years, when he went to the oil regions at Petroleumn Center, where he stayed some time and was very successful. He then returned to Buffalo, where he engaged in black- smithing, which business he continued until 1869. He also learned the engineering busi- ness and went South; from there he went to Maysville, Kentucky, where he became a black- smith for the Maysville & Lexington Railroad Company. He then went to Vicksburg, Miss- issippi, and was an engineer on a wrecking-boat engaged in raising machinery and boilers ont of boats sunk during the war. From there he went to Memphis to escape the yellow fever, and ran on a tri-weekly packet between Mem- phis and Osceola. He opened a blacksmith shop in Osceola, Arkansas, where he worked for two years, when he came to the mouth of the Red River, where he was detained two weeks on ac- count of low water. The fare was $30 deck passage from the mouth of the river to Shreve- port, Louisiana; the boat was delayed at Alex- andria, 210 miles away, on account of low water, and there was no way to get through but to go on foot, and thirty-two passengers went through in this way, Mr. Quinton being one, who made the trip in eight days. The Texas Pacific Railroad was then running to Longview. Mr. Quinton came to Mineola, Texas, and built the first hotel in the place, where he re- Inained until the road was finished to Dallas, in 1872. He rode into Dallas on the first train and engaged in building, all the inside work of the court-house being done by him. When building got dull he then engaged in black- smithing at that place until 1887, when, on account of ill health, he came to San Diego and opened a grocery store on National avenue, be- tween Twenty-ninth and Thirtieth streets. Mr. Quinton was a lieutenant in the Lamar Rifles in Texas under Governor Hubbard. He was married, August 15, 1875, to Miss Eugenia Johnson, daughter of James Johnson, a planter

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of Mississippi. She was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi, in 1858.

P. CHRISTENSON, contractor and build- 'er, at San Diego, was born at Aalborg, Denmark, June 5, 1827, being the young- est of nine children, only four of whom survive. He was privileged with a common-school educa- tion and also studied architecture at the Archi- tectural Institute. He then learned the trade of brick-inason, which he followed in contracting and building for a number of years. In 1866 he left Denmark, going to Hamburg, and then taking a steamer for New York. He then went to Chicago, and there found employment in the office of Mr. Waskjer, an architect of that city. After six months he went to Omaha, and then to New Orleans, arriving in November, 1866, and remaining until July, 1867, when he went to St. Louis and worked at his trade as mason until the fall of 1869. He then came to Cali- fornia by the Central Pacific route and arrived at San Francisco in September. Remaining there till December, he took a steamer for San Diego, where he arrived December 18, 1869, and has from that time till lately done consid- erable contracting in the building line, and has built for himself two fine buildings, one of which he occupies as a residence.

He was married in San Diego, May 6, 1874, to Mrs. Hannah Marshall, a native of Burling- ton, Iowa, and of their five children only one danghter survives.

RANCISCO ESTUDILLO, Mayor of San Jacinto and a native of California, was born in Old Town, San Diego County, Califor- nia, July 23, 1844. His father, Jose Antonio Estudillo, was born in Monterey, California. His grandfather came from Spain. His mother, Victoria (Dominguez) Estudillo, was born in Los Angeles in 1801, and was married to Mr.

Estndillo in 1825. Their union was blessed with twelve children, five boys and seven girls. The subject of this sketch was the youngest of the family. He spent a good deal of his young life on their ranch 100 miles from any schools, and is eminently a self-made man. Their ranch consisted of 38,000 acres, covering an area of about 8 x 10 miles of the upper part of the San Jacinto Plains, at the foot of the San Jacinto range of mountains. The property was granted to his father by the Mexican government for his services as manager and administrator of the San Luis Rey, which estate he had the con- trol of for about ten years. Mr. Estudillo's ranch was devoted to stock-raising and had on it from 6,000 to 7,000 head of cattle and 1,500 head of horses, partly mixed with Arabian blood. The family kept the ranch until 1883, when it was subdivided and the San Jacinto Land Com- pany bought about half of it. Mr. Hewitt and Mr. Estudillo were the first to use the San Jacinto river for irrigation.

Mr. Estudillo has done his full share in aiding the growth of the town. He donated twenty-seven acres to the railroad for depot grounds. He built the city livery stable, the first in the city, and the large brick ware- honse, 50 x 120 feet, with an asphaltum floor and a corrugated roof, his tasteful brick resi- dence with its neat colored verandahs, which is an ornament to the town and a credit to the refined taste of its owner. He has sold 3,000 acres of his share of the ranch; the balance, 1,100 acres, he still owns. He is now engaged in shipping grain to Los Angeles. April 14, 1890, he was elected Mayor of San Jacinto.

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Author: Lewis Publishing Company Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : The Lewis Publishing Company Number of Pages: 1038

Author: Lewis Publishing Company
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1038