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 94

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 94
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 94
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 94
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 94

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).

Politically he is a stanch Republican. In 1884 he was elected a member of the Board of City Trustees, and has held the position since that date. He is a charter member of Sunny- side Lodge, No. 112, K. of P., and also a mem- ber of Evergreen Lodge, No. 259, F. & A. M., of Riverside. He is a member and warden of the Episcopal Church. Mr. Hayt has been very successful in his business enterprises in River- side, and ranks among the wealthiest residents of the city. It can be truthfully said that he never knowingly wronged a humnau being, and his kindly nature and genial temperament is shown in every act of his life. He is well wor- thy of the respect and esteem awarded him by the community in which he is so well known. Mr. Hayt has been twice married; his first marriage was in 1853, when he wedded Miss Mary E. Pugsley, a native of New York. She died in 1877, leaving one child, Charles P., a sketch of whom is included in this volume. Mr. Hayt's second marriage was in 1878, when he was

united to Miss Julia A. Cox. There are no children by the latter union.

EV. BERRY EDMISTON, of Riverside, located there in 1878. He first resided on the Government tract at the head of Magnolia avenue, on Palin avenne. In the spring of 1880 he purchased a ten-acre tract on the west side of Bandini avenne, about three iniles south of Riverside. Upon this tract he erected his cottage residence and devoted him- self to horticultural pursuits. He has now three acres in budded orange trees of the Washington Navel variety, two acres in apricots and about fonr acres in raisin grapes. In 1881 he pur- chased a ten-acre tract adjoining him, on the sonth and west of which is bottom land, being mostly devoted to raising alfalfa, but he has on that tract about two acres of deciduous fruits, such as peaches, pears, apples, etc. In 1888 he purchased ten acres located on the Government tract, about a half mile south of his home place, which is now in alfalfa. Mr. Edmiston came to California broken in health, after long and ar- dnous labors in the educational institutions, and the ministry of the Methodist and Swedenborg- ian Churches. Upon a partial recovery of his health he commenced his labors in Riverside, and in 1885 established the new church society of the Swedenborgian faith; and through his efforts, mainly, their chapel was built on Cen- tral avenne. Ile was the first officiating min- ister of that society in Riverside and has been the pastor of the Church since its organization. He is an educated gentleman, a good citizen, and a sincere Christian, and his consistent course in life has gained him the respect and esteem of a large circle of friends and acquaint- ances in the community.

Mr. Edmiston was born in Loncoln County, Tennessee, in 1831. His parents, James and Jane (Ediniston) Edmiston, were natives of South Carolina. He had the nsnal experience in the common schools of Indiana and Illinois,

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HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY.

and the hard labor of pioneer farming until he reached his majority. He then spent three or four years in school, and at twenty-five years of age he entered the ministry in the Methodist Church. In 1861 he married Miss Ednah Lee, a native of New Hampshire. Himself and wife soon after their marriage entered upon their studies at Adrian College, Michigan, and grad- nated at that institution in 1866, after which he continued his ministerial labors in Michigan and at Pittsburg. In 1868 he was appointed principal of the Morristown Academy of Mor- ristown, Indiana, and later, having changed his doctrinal views, accepted the pastorship of the Swedenborgian Church at Henry, Illinois. Mr. Edmiston was engaged in his labors until his failing health admonished him to seek rest and a more congenial climate, and in 1878 he came to California, locating in Riverside.

Mr. and Mrs. Edmiston have three children: Joseph L., Charles H. and Loyd H. Mrs. Ed- miston's parents, Joseph and Maria Lee, were among the early settlers of Michigan. Mrs. Edmiston is an educated and accomplished lady and has for many years of her life been con- nected with the educational circles, as a teacher, in the various places in the East where she has resided.

MA ATTHEW CLEGHORN, a farmer of San Bernardino County, was born in Knox County, Kentucky, in 1829, a son of Rev. Lorenzo D. Cleghorn, who was a native of Virginia and a minister of the Christian Church. His mother, Mary (McLain) Cleghorn, was of Scotch parentage. They had five chil- dren, of whom our subject was the second. He left home at the age of twelve years and subse- quently entered the Mexican war. He enlisted in the Sixteenth Kentucky Volunteers, but was afterward attached to the Eleventh. He carried the express for eight months from Vera Cruz to the city of Mexico and thence to Lulusa. On account of sickness he was sent to the Marine

Hospital in New York in 1848. After the close of the war he traveled over parts of Ohio, Indi- ana, Louisiana, Iowa and Oregon, and while in the " Hoosier " State he met and married a lady who has since been the companion of his life, Miss Serena Hendry, a native of that State and a daughter of Isaac Hendry. After his marriage he moved to Iowa and thence to Oregon, where he remained until 1860. He came then to Cali- fornia, first settling at Watsonville in Monterey County, where he remained three years. In 1863 he came to San Bernardino County and located on the farm where he now resides. He arrived here December 25, 1864, and homesteaded 160 acres of land, which cost $16. For several years he was engaged successfully in the livery busi- ness. He is now one of the leading stock-rais- ers in the valley, owning some thoroughbred stock, the Glencoe, of Kentucky, being the prin- cipal. He has a magnificent residence four miles east of San Bernardino on Base Line, which commands an imposing view of the fer- tile valley and the surrounding mountains. He owns valuable property in various parts of the county and is a man of considerable wealth and influence.

OHN C. HARDMAN, proprietor of the City Pharmacy of Riverside, which is the pioneer drug-store in the city, was first established in 1876 by James H. Roe. Mr. Hardman purchased the business in January, 1886, and immediately increased the stock and enlarged his business until the City Pharmacy ranks as the leading establishment of its char- acter in the city. In addition to a complete and varied stock of drugs and medicines, he is a large dealer in toilet articles, perfumery, fancy goods, wall paper, paints, oils, etc. He is a skillful druggist and chemist, with years of experience, and employs none but able assistants; conse- quently his store has a reputation for accuracy and dispatch in the preparation of prescriptions that is unexcelled. Mr. Hardman is a gentle-

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HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY.

man of genial and courteons manners, and is favored with a large patronage, which he justly merits.

The subject of this sketch dates his birth in Coshocton County, Ohio, in 1852; eight years later his parents moved to Vermillion County, Illinois, where he was reared and given the ad- vantages of a good schooling. At the age of twenty years he commenced life in his profes- sion as a clerk in a drug store in Fairmont. The next year he went to Robinson, Crawford County, and entered the employ of A. R. Short & Co., the leading drug store of the county. His abilities and sound business principles were appreciated and the establishinent was placed under his charge. He continued in that employ until 1878, and then went to Texas and located in Navarro County, where he engaged in the drug business until 1885. In December of that year he came to Riverside, and the next month established himself in his present business. Mr. Hardman has gained a large circle of friends and stands high in the business and social cir- cles of Riverside. He is a member of the Meth- odist Church and is also a member of the Sunnyside Lodge, No. 112, Knights of Pythias.

In Texas, in 1887, he married Miss Ardilla O. Vance, daughter of John T. Vance, of Paris, Illinois. Mr. Hardman's father, Samuel Hard- man, was a native of Ohio and a descendant of one of the oldest families in the State.

OHN C. RALPHS, of San Bernardino, was born in Utah in 1852, while his parents were on their way to California. His father, Richard Ralphs, and his mother, Mary (Newal) Ralphs, were both born in England. His father was a potter and also a bricklayer by trade, and made the brick for the Los Angeles jail, also that in the old Workinan property, after coming to California. He wintered once in Salt Lake City, and in 1852 he crossed the plains by ox team to California, and bought seven acres of land, on which he built a cabin; this was before

the land was surveyed. He then bonght fifty- seven acres in American District; then forty acres more in the same district, and engaged extensively in general farming and stock-rais- ing. He next bonght 135 acres adjoining the original fifty-seven acres, and several lots. He had 'a family of eight children, five boys and three girls, one of whom died on the way to California. He died September 15, 1874, and his wife April 22, 1887.

John C. Ralphs, the subject of this sketch, received but a limited education, and made a hand on the farm from the time he was ten years old. He first bought a claim on the Santa Ana river, remained there fifteen years and then lost the claim. Then he bonght twelve acres in American District, and has since added 100 acres to the original twelve acres. Seven years ago he bnilt a fine residence on Mill street and Mount Vernon avenue, southeast of San Bernardino city.

In 1882 he was inarried to Miss Ennice Rob- erts, daughter of John Roberts, a pioneer of this valley. They have seven children, viz .: Mary Angeline, Martha, Richard, George, Ida Belle, Charles B. and John. Mr. Ralphs has made his own way in the world and is highly respected by al! who know him.

EUBEN L. DEWITT, of San Bernardino, was born in Switzerland County, Indiana, October 19, 1815, the son of John and Jane (Potter) DeWitt, natives of Indiana and New York respectively. His grandmother, Elizabeth Sheridan, was an aunt of the late General Sheridan. He was left an orphan at the age of fourteen years. For several years he traveled around in different counties of Illinois and Iowa. In 1851 he crossed the plains to Salt Lake City, where he spent two years, and from there came to San Bernardino Connty, where he has lived ever since. His first pur- chase of real estate was sixty acres where he now lives, at $11 per acre. At one time he

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HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY.

owned some very valuable property in San Ber- nardino.

In 1846, while in Hancock County, Illinois, he married Charlotte Huntsman, of Mahoning County, Ohio, daughter of John and Deborah Huntsman, who were first cousins. Mr. and Mrs. De Witt have had fifteen children, eight of whom survive: John A., Sarah, who married Mark Thomas, had only one child, and died at the age of twenty-three; Melisse, now Mrs. Thomas Long, of Garden Grove; Almira, wife of Hiram Potts, had two children, twins, and died at the age of twenty-one; Reuben Las Vegas, born in New, Mexico, while they were en route to California, died at the age of thirty years; Martin, who accidentally shot himself at the age of sixteen; Andrew Jackson, Alfaretta, wife of Joseph Kelley; Caroline, now Mrs. George Lathrop; Polly Ann, wife of George Knights; James Monroe and Salina. The edu- cational advantages of Mr. DeWitt were such as were afforded by the common schools of In- diana when he was of school age, and those who know anything of those times know that they were exceedingly limited. His principal study has been the Bible.

D. S. ALKIRE is the well-known and popular City Clerk and Assessor of Riv- erside, a position he ably fills with credit to himself and hono to that enterprising city. Mr. Alkire is a native of Pickaway Coun- ty, Ohio, born at Mount Sterling in 1837. His father, William A. Alkire, was a native of Ken- tucky and a descendant of an old colonial family of Virginia. He was a carpenter by trade, but was engaged also in farming. Mr. Alkire's mother, Hannah (Osborne) Alkire, was a native of Ohio, and died when the subject of this sketch was but four years old.

He was reared in his uative place, and his lot from early childhood was one of labor. At the age of eleven he really commenced life on his own account and depended upon his own exer-

tions for support and schooling. It was a rough school for a boy, bnt lie developed those manly traits of his character which have in after years secured his success in business pursuits and en- abled him to wage the battle of life, gaining victories where his more favored competitors suffered defeat. Mr. Alkire's first essay in sup- porting himself was in learning the shoemaker's trade. A hard master forced him to abandon that, and he engaged in work for the farmers of his town until sixteen years old. He then learned the carpenter's trade, and with his brother worked in Putnam County until 1880. In that year he located in Jasper County, Indi- ana. The war of the Rebellion in 1861 aronsed his patriotic spirit, and he abandoned his occu- pations and consecrated himself to the service of his country. In that year he enlisted as a private in Company K, Eighteenth Indiana Veteran Volunteer Infantry. Mr. Alkire proved a gallant and faithful soldier. He rose through the successive non-commissioned grade to be the Orderly Sergeant of his company. His service in the field ended July 21, 1864, when he was so severely wounded at the battle of Deep Bottom, Virginia, as to cause the loss of his left leg, and render him a cripple for life. His army life was one of hard campaignt and severely hard-fonght battles, commencing in Missouri and ending in Virginia. He was en- gaged in the battles of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, March 6, 7, and 8, 1862; Cotton Plant, Arkan- sas, June, 1863, where the Confederates hoisted the black flag with the motto, "We take no prison - ers;" the siege of Vicksburg, Department of the Gulf, and in the service on the Rio Grande, and finally under General Butler's command in the Army of the James. In March, 1865, Mr. Alkire was honorably discharged from the mili- tary service, and returned to Indiana, crippled in limb and broken in health. The veteran of the war was undaunted by the prospect before him.

He located in Brookston, White County, and was for nearly twenty years connected with various interests and industries of that section,

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HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY.

as a druggist, merchant, farmer, painter and photographer. He resided in Chicago from 1866 to 1869. In 1882 he decided to seek a home on the Pacific coast, and coming to Cali- fornia he chose Riverside as his place of resi- dence. llis manly qualities and straightforward and consistent course of life gained for him the respect and esteem of the community, and in 1886 he was elected City Clerk and Assessor of Riverside. He proved to be the right man in the right place, and in 1888 he was re-elected by a majority that well attested his popularity. In political matters lie is a stanch Republican. and has proved himself an earnest worker in the ranks of his party as a delegate to county conventions, etc. He is a member of the Riv- erside Post, No. 118, G. A. R.

In 1863 Mr. Alkire was united in marriage with Miss Rebecca A. Little, a native of Indi- ana. There are two children from this marriage: Carrie C. and Charles O. Both are members of their father's household. At this writing Charles O. Alkire is the Deputy City Clerk of Riverside. Was again elected by a majority of 1,056 out of an entire vote of 1,073.

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BERDEEN KEITH .- Among the repre- sentative men of Riverside who have been prominently connected with its horticult- ural and other industries, is the subject of this sketch. His long residence in Riverside, and association with the financial interests of the city, as well as San Bernardino County, are well known, and render such facts as are given re- garding his life of interest in the annals of Riverside. Mr. Keith is a native of Massachu- setts, dating his birth in Middletown, March 19, 1821. His father, Isaac Keith, was of Scotch descent, and inherited, as well as trans- mitted to his children, many of the well-known and admired characteristics of that hardy race. He died when the subject of this sketch was three years of age. The family then established their residence in Brockton, Massachusetts,

where Mr. Keith was reared. He received the advantages of an attendance in the common schools until fourteen years of age, and was then placed at work in a nail factory, where he was employed for the next three years. He then spent a season in a seafaring life. Not suited with that he returned to Brockton and entered an apprenticeship at the trade of a boot and shoe maker. He worked as a journeyman in that calling until 1856. In that year he estab- lished himself in business as a boot and shoe manufacturer, under the firm name of Keith & Packard. His limited capital, under his sound business principles and energetic prosecution of his business, gradually increased and enabled him to enlarge his industry and establishment, and he became one of the leading manufacturers of the city. This business was successfully conducted for more than twenty years. In the spring of 1876 Mr. Keith came to Riverside and purchased sixty acres of wild and unculti- vated land in Brockton Square, and in October of that year established his residence on the west side of Brockton avenue, about two miles south of Riverside. The next year he com- menced horticultural pursuits, planting large areas of citrus fruits and deciduous trees, wal- nuts, grapes, etc. His capital and energy soon produced desirable results, and he established some of the finest groves in Brockton Square. His home place (the only lands he now owns in Brockton Square) is twenty acres in extent, and is nearly all devoted to oranges. His groves rank among the best in Riverside and attest the value of his sound and practical methods of horticulture. A large share of his trees are budded fruit, mostly Washington Navels, but he also has Mediterranean Sweets, Malta Bloods and seedlings. The improvements upon this model place are first-class in every respect. Ilis beautiful two-story residence, erected in 1887, is of modern design and finish, well ap- pointed and provided with the conveniences and luxuries of an agreeable and pleasant home. He has added much to the beauty and comfort of his home by the well kept grounds surrounding

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HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY.

his residence He lias spared no expense that would tend to add to its attractions, and here may be seen some of the rarest and choicest ornamental trees and floral productions to be found in the colony. Mr. Keith has ever been a strong supporter of any enterprise that tends to build up Riverside and advance the inter- ests of the community. He is a member of the board of trustees of the Riverside Water Company, and was for years a director of the same, and also a large stockholder in the River- side and Arlington Railway. He was one of the original incorporators of the Riverside Banking Company, and has been the president since their organization. Has been a stock- holder and a director in the First National Bank of San Bernardino. In April, 1890, he was chosen one of the trustees of the city of Riverside, and elected president of the board. He is a man well schooled in business, and of sound business principles, straightforward and prompt in his dealings, and well merits the confidence and esteem awarded him by the com- munity in which he resides. Since the organ- ization of the Republican party in 1856, Mr. Keith has been a supporter of their principles, and may always be found allied with the best elements.

Mr. Keith was married in 1842, to Miss Mary H. Packard, a native of Massachusetts, and has only one child living froin this ınar- riage, his son, Walter E., who married Miss Ianthe Merritt, a native of England, and has one child, Clara M. He is a resident of River- side.

R. CLARK W. SYLVESTER, one of Riverside's wealthy and most esteemed citizens, was born in Lawrence, Massa- chusetts, in 1850, son of Sewell and Mary J. (Foster) Sylvester, both natives of Maine. The father was an iron founder by trade, and although a hard-working man, with nothing but his daily labor to depend upon for the manintenance of

his family, he was possessed with the innate sense of honor and the principles of a gentleman. He toiled assiduously and took upon himself liabilities to give a good education to his son, who, during vacations, worked respectively in a grocery, paint shop, machine shop and iron foundry, and even during his terms of study often supported himself by such work as he could find to do during spare hours. His col- lege course he never quite finished, for at the age of twenty-one he became imbued with the conviction that the expenses attendant upon his course of studies and his graduation was more than his father, whose health had recently suf- fered, could bear, and that his father, in reality, was more in need of assistance than able to give it.

Dr. Sylvester being a youth of studious liab- its and of an ambitious disposition, mastered the leading branches of study in the high schools of North and South Andover, Massachu- setts, then entered the Maine State Academy, in Lewiston, Maine, after which he passed through, a course of study in the Nichols Latin School and Lewiston, Maine, and then graduated from the New Hampton Institute, New Hampton, New Hampshire, and prepared himself for Darts- mouth College, but being unable to carry out this design he entered the Bates College, at Lewiston. Later he obtained employment in the dental establishment of Dr. J. H. Kidder, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, and commenced the study of dentistry, which he continued throngli the most complete course, graduating from the medical and dental department of the Harvard University, in Boston. He remained in Lawrence, Massachusetts, for twelve years, the first five as student, and the remaining seven as practitioner. During all this time he supported his aged parents and wife and chil- dren. After his father's death a load of liabili- ties devolved upon him, not at all compulsory, but according to his sense of honor he felt bound to pay. Fortune had never smiled upon him, and in 1883 he became somewhat discour- aged with his prospects of attaining fame and

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fortune in a country which was old and built up, and offered such a narrow field for the at- tainment of wealth, where no capital existed but a supply of brains and energy. Accordingly he set out to California with his wife and fam- ily. October 3, 1883, he arrived at Riverside, landing without friends or money. Never daunted he commenced action and opened up a dental parlor, where he practiced his profession for about two years. He was possessed of a nat- ural insight and good judgment, and mnade ad- ditions to his small worldly store through judi- cions investments and operations in real estate. His straightforward and honorable dealings gained him the confidence and esteem of the community. His indefatigable energy and sonnd business principles and shrewdness, ren- dered him a valuable acquisition in promoting the various enterprises established by the capital- ists of Riverside. As early as 1884 he associated himself with W. A. Hayt in real estate operations under the firm name of Hayt & Sylvester, and for years they dealt extensively in real estate. They were the sole agents of the South River- side Land and Water Company; for the Diebold Safe and Lock Company, and conducted a large fire and life insurance business. Among the most important of their operations was their association with Mr. A. S. White in subdividing, grading avenues, and perfecting a complete water system upon 102 acres of land known as White's Addition, and placing the same upon the market. Mr. Sylvester was one of the orig- inal incorporators of the Riverside Heights Water Company, and is secretary, treasurer and superintendent of the same, and the Riverside Railway Company, of which he is still a director and vice-president. He was also the real pro- moter and among the first incorporators of the Riverside Land and Building Association, of which he is a director and secretary. In March, 1888, he became proprietor of the Riverside Harness Company, and June 1, 1889, entered into the grocery business in partnership with James H. Fountain, under the firm name of Fountain & Sylvester, which well-known bnsi-

ness house is one of the leading enterprises of the city. Politically he is a Republican, and takes an earnest interest in the affairs of the party, serving as a delegate to many of the con- ventions. He is a member of Sunnyside Lodge, No. 112, Knights of Pythias, and also of the Uniform Rank of that order, of which he has held the highest offices in the county, and is now District Deputy Grand Chancellor.

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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