USA > California > Los Angeles County > Los Angeles > Historical and biographical record of Los Angeles and vicinity : containing a history of the city from its earliest settlement as a Spanish pueblo to the closing year of the nineteenth century ; also containing biographies of well known citizens of the past and present > Part 109
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the far west, and undertook the long and perilous journey across the plains. A few out of many, their emigrant train wound its way through the wild and unsettled country, the faithful oxen un- mindful of the inclement or sunshiny weather, and the danger from Indian attacks, and the ford- ing of rushing streams and rivers increasing with the progress of the way into the west. The caravan reached El Monte in November, 1852, having started out over the plains the previous March. For a time the Tweedy family continued to reside in El Monte, and in 1862 they moved to Green Meadows, locating about eight miles south- west of Los Angeles. In 1893 they went to the San Antonio district, where they lived for a num- ber of years.
George W. Tweedy started out to make an in- dependent livelihood for himself in 1863, leaving his family comfortably located, and engaged in agriculture. He went first to Gilroy, but soon returned to Los Angeles county, where he rented eighty acres of land near Downey, and himself engaged in agricultural pursuits. For a number of subsequent months his labors were of a diverse order, and took him to various sections of the country. In March, 1869, he settled on the ranch near Rivera which has since been his home, and where his efforts as a horticulturist have been attended with a gratifying degree of success.
His land is composed of ninety-six acres on the home ranch, forty-five of which are devoted to the cultivation of walnuts and oranges, and to the carrying on of a model dairy, which is a source of pride and revenue to its owner. He also owns two hundred and thirty-four acres of land eight miles west of Rivera.
September 21, 1865, Mr. Tweedy married Mar- tha Nicholson, a native of Texas, and of this union there have been nine children, eight of whom are living: James R., William T., Jack- son, Lena, Lillian, Edward, George W., Jr., and Edith. Mrs. Tweedy died May 18, 1895, and February 14, 1898, Mr. Tweedy married Mary M. John, a native of Mississippi. Their daugh- ter Ruth is living at home. In political faith Mr. Tweedy is affiliated with the Democratic party, and has held a number of important posi- tions within the gift of the people, including that of trustee of the Rivera district school for twelve
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years. He is an active member of the First Baptist Church, and contributes generously towards its support. As a typical pioneer of the substantial and reliable kind, Mr. Tweedy has won the con- fidence and esteem of all appreciators of enterprise and good fellowship.
D OL. ALBERT JENKS. To few is it given to achieve the distinction to which Col. Al- bert Jenks, of Los Angeles, has attained- that of being acknowledged as one of the fore- most artists of his time. He has had the honor of representing upon the canvas some of the most brilliant and popular men who have figured in American history for the past two-score years, and to his genius and unfaltering devotion to his art posterity will be deeply indebted. His skilled brush stoops to no flattery, but zealously seeks to portray every subject in his true light, with the impress of his own individuality.
Though Colonel Jenks has reached the three- score and ten years allotted to the average man, his eye, brain and hand are as prompt as ever to do his bidding, and eternal youth seems to be the dower of his great heart. Born May 26, 1830, he is a son of Levi Jenks, a native of North Adams, Mass., who removed to the Western Reserve with his parents early in the '20s. Later the family went to Illinois, and in 1836 located near Joliet when there were but three houses in that city. The father was connected with numerous local offices, serving for many years as county clerk, county commissioner and in other positions equally important. Prior to his removal to the Prairie state he had been chief clerk in the post- office at Erie, Pa., when that was the most west- ern distributing station for the great western ter- ritory. In 1866 he came to California and here spent the rest of his life. He died in Alameda, Cal., January 18, 1887. His widow, whose maiden name was Nancy E. Edmunds, is yet living at her home in Alameda, Cal., and enjoys good health, notwithstanding her ninety years. Of her several children, only one, the colonel, grew to maturity.
Col. Albert Jenks was born in Jordan, N. Y., and when he was about of school age he became a resident of Joliet. At twelve years he entered the seminary at Mount Morris, Ill., where he
pursued his studies for two years, his room-mate at that time being he who in after years was known as Governor Beveridge. When fourteen years of age our subject went to the then un- promising town of Chicago, where he studied medicine with several physicians and also at- tended lectures in medical colleges there. At length his distaste for the profession became too strong to be overcome, and he returned to his father's home, then in Aurora, Il1., and there he soon obtained a clerkslip in a general store, where he continued until reaching his majority, a portion of this period being proprietor of the business. He was only nineteen when he went to New York City to buy goods for his store, and few, if any, of the men whom he met, bent upon the same errand, were as young. Having made a success of his mercantile undertaking, Mr. Jenks opened a bank in Aurora, and this enter- prise he conducted successfully for ten years.
The colonel always was "for country first," and when the troubles between the north and south seemed culminating he anxiously watched the outcome. Upon the very night when Fort Sumter was fired upon he held a meeting and raised a company of men, who promptly elected him as their captain. This position he could not then accept, owing to the fact that his business obligations would not permit of his leaving home at once. As rapidly as possible, however, he ar- ranged everything and prepared to bid farewell to his young wife and little ones. When it be- came apparent that a second call for men must be made by the president, he advertised for one hun- dred men for a cavalry company, each man to come provided with everything necessary in his equipment. Within ten days after this notice appeared Mr. Jenks had four hundred men on hand to select from, and, needless to say, he was their choice for captain. Going to St. Louis, where it reported for duty, the company spent several months in drilling and guard duty, and when the campaign leading up to the battle of Pea Ridge came on it was ordered into action. At that battle our subject was placed in command of two companies of cavalry, under direction of General Siegel, and twelve of his men fell into the hands of the Confederates. After the battle of Shiloh, Colonel Jenks was transferred to Mis- sissippi, and at Corinth he was made commander
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of General Pope's escort, and later had command of General Rosecrans' escort. About this time his gallantry and fidelity received a fitting ac- knowledgment, as he was commissioned lieu- tenant-colonel of the Thirty-sixth Illinois Infan- try, and joined his regiment at Murfreesboro, Tenn. In the fall of 1863 he resigned his com- mission, on account of the serious illness of his wife, and returned home.
From his boyhood Colonel Jenks had cherished one great hope-that some day he might be per- mitted to devote himself to art. The enthusiasm of genius burned within him, but circumstances had thus far forbidden his doing much of note in his beloved work. Nevertheless, the little, com- paratively, that he had accomplished in leisure hours had borne the marks of talent, and it was no surprise to many of his friends when, in 1860, he was sent for by the secretary of the state of Illi- nois and urged to undertake the painting of a portrait of Abraham Lincoln. Having agreed to this, the colonel arranged for six sittings, of an hour each, and during this time he became an ar- dent admirer of the man whose fame was soon to be world-wide. Lincoln already was marked as a man of destiny, and, with his accustomed good nature, he would not refuse to see those who wished to meet him, even when he was sitting for his portrait. Many interesting incidents in this connection live in the memory of our subject. One day a venerable, white-haired man made a call upon Lincoln, and, after remarking that he was from Virginia and was acquainted with Breckenridge and other southern statesmen, he said> "And now, Mr. Lincoln, I have come all the way from Virginia to see the great American gorilla"-whereupon the un-handsome future president burst into one of those uproarious laughs for which he was noted.
For two years after leaving the army Colonel Jenks was engaged in the book business in Chi- cago, and then he turned his attention to the painting of portraits, having a studio in the Gar- den City until the great fire in 1871. He then went to Detroit, Mich., where he followed his profession for two or more years. Having a de- sire to visit San Francisco, he came to the Pacific coast in 1875, and for ten years made his home at the Palace hotel. During this period he painted many of his masterpieces, and with few
exceptions the leading statesmen, professional men and business men of this state have, at one time or another, sat to him for a portrait. Be- sides this, many celebrated men of different sec- tions of the country have sought him out for the same purpose. In 1886 he came to Los Angeles and opened a studio in the old Baker block, where, within eighteen months, he painted two hundred and ten portraits, at an average price of $150. At the expiration of this period of great strain upon his physical and mental powers it is no wonder that his health was much impaired, and, indeed, it was four years ere he again at- tempted any serious or regular work. His next studio was in the Y. M. C. A. building, and later he was located in the Stimpson block until his removal to his present studio in Copp's block, where he has been established since the spring of 1898.
The first wife of the colonel was Miss Frances Wetmore, whom he married in Aurora, Il1., in 1854. She was born in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, in 1836, and passed to her reward September 5, 1874. Of their two children, Kittie, an accom- plished young lady, died in 1897. Colonel Jenks chose as his second wife Mrs. Cornelia A. (Lyon) Trowbridge, and their marriage took place in October, 1875. They both stand among the high- est, socially, in Los Angeles, and their friends, here and elsewhere, are legion. In his early manhood the colonel was affiliated with the Ma- sonic order in Illinois, and he now belongs to the Loyal Legion of Los Angeles.
ROF. JAMES D. GRAHAM, A. B., A. M. As supervising principal of the Pasadena schools Professor Graham is one of the well- known educators of Southern California. Dur- ing the long period of his connection with the educational work in Pasadena he has so systema- tized every department and so elevated the standard of education that the schools here com- pare very favorably with any on the Pacific coast. In fact, there are many competent judges who believe they are unsurpassed by any in the entire state. The high degree of efficiency they have attained is due to the intelligent oversight of the supervising principal, aided by a com- petent corps of instructors, and also by the sym-
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pathy of the residents of the city, who, as a class, may come in contact. In politics he is a Repub- are interested in educational work to an unusual lican. He is a member of the Pasadena board of degree. trade. Fraternally he is connected with Pasa- dena Lodge No. 272, F. & A. M., and the Twi- light Club of Pasadena. In religion he is of the Congregational faith and holds membership with the First Church of that denomination in Pasa- dena. By his marriage to Elizabeth E., daughter of Horatio N. Rust, of South Pasadena, he has four children, Donald R., Katharine M., James D., Jr., and Robert H.
Though himself of Canadian birth, Professor Graham is of Scotch extraction. His parents, Robert and Jessie (Menzies) Graham, were na- tives of Perthshire, Scotland, but came to Amer- ica in early life and settled in Ontario. At this writing his father is a general merchant at Lakefield, Ontario. The subject of this narrative was born in Peterboro, Ontario, No- vember 22, 1858, and when six years of age accompanied his parents to Lakefield, where he received his elementary education in the public school. Afterward he prepared for college at the Peterboro Collegiate Institute, earning the money for this course by teaching for three and one-half years. Later he entered the literary department of Toronto University. He studied there for three years, after which he accepted a position as principal of the Lakefield public school, later re- turning to the university and completing his course. In 1888 he graduated with the degree of A. B. Three years later the degree of A. M. was conferred upon him by his alma mater.
During 1888 Professor Graham came to Cali- fornia. The next year he became an instructor in the department of science and mathematics at the University of Southern California, where he remained during one school year. In 1890 he came to Pasadena as principal of the high school, to which work he gave his entire attention for two years, and since then he has been engaged as supervising principal. In addition to the du- ties of this office, for two years he has been a member of the Los Angeles county board of edil- cation, during one year of which time he held the office of president of the board. He is interested in all measures for the advancement of his city and county. He was a member of the board of freeholders who prepared the charter recently adopted by the city of Pasadena, being specially interested in the educational department. His interest is especially deep and strong in all plans bearing directly upon educational interests. By the reading of educational journals and attend- ance upon educational conferences he keeps in touch with every phase of education, and his own broad views and keen intelligence give an in- petus to all of his own profession with whom he
EN. PHINEAS BANNING, one of the most noted of California's pioneers, was born in Newcastle county, Del., September 19, 1831, and descended from one Phineas Banning, of England, who in colonial days settled in what is now Kent county, Del. His son, John, a merchant of Dover, was a member of the council of safety during the Revolutionary war, and, as a member of the first electoral college, was one of three from Delaware to cast the electoral vote which made George Washington the first presi- dent of the United States. John A., son of this Revolutionary patriot, graduated from Princeton College and was a man of scholarly attainments. By his marriage to Elizabeth Lowber he had eleven children, Phineas being the ninth. When he was a boy of twelve years he left liome, and with fifty cents as his entire capital started for Philadelphia. Arriving at that city, he secured work in his brother William's law office, but after- ward was employed in a wholesale store. In 1851 he left Philadelphia for California, via the Isthmus of Panama. Landing in San Diego, he proceeded to Los Angeles. In November, 1852, he began freighting between this city and San Pedro. From that time forward he was promi- nently identified with the history of California. He founded the town of Wilmington, which he named in honor of a city in his native state. For some years he had the sole management of the Los Angeles & Wilmington Railroad.
Realizing the incalculable advantages to be derived from a good harbor on the coast here, lie twice went to Washington to secure appropria- tions from Congress for the improvement of San Pedro harbor. Besides attending to liis business interests lie bought and improved six hundred .
Mary J. Green, M. D.
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acres in Wilmington. On this property he had the largest well in the county, attaching thereto steam pumps, by which water was raised into several reservoirs, thus furnishing the water supply for Wilmington and San Pedro, also for irrigating purposes and for vessels in the harbor. He made large sums of money through his vari- ous enterprises, and, had it not been for his great generosity, he might have become a millionaire. In politics he was a Republican. His military title was earned in the command of the first brigade of the California state militia, of which he was appointed brigadier-general. He died in San Francisco, March 8, 1885, leaving to his family a fine estate, which was the accumulation of the later years of his life.
M ARY J. GREEN, M. D. The time has long passed when the right and ability of women in the field of medicine was called into question, and to-day it is cheerfully conced- ed, even by those of their own profession, where rivalry might be expected to exist, that women are peculiarly adapted to the healing art, and that in numerous instances their presence in the sick-room is to be greatly preferred. Women, and children especially, often are assisted toward recovery from illness by a woman physician when other physicians have labored in vain to benefit them, and in nervous diseases of her own sex she is unequaled.
Dr. Mary J. Green, of Los Angeles, is deserv- ing of great credit for the success which she has achieved, and a perusal of her history will no doubt prove of deep interest to her numerous sincere friends here and elsewhere. She is a lady of wide intelligence and liberal educa- tion, thoroughly identified with all progressive and righteous movements, and conscientious in discharging all of the duties devolving upon her.
Being the eldest of twelve children, seven of whom are daughters, and all now living, she early felt the responsibilities of life weighing upon her. She was born August 9, 1857, upon a farm near Chillicothe, Mo., her parents being Preston Hemingway and Lydia (Pace) Minor. The Minors trace their ancestry in an unbroken line to that Sir Henry Minor who was knighted by Edward II. of England for valorous service
in the war resulting in the conquest of Wales. The paternal grandfather of Dr. Green, Daniel Minor, was a native of Richmond, Va., whence he emigrated to Kentucky in pioneer days. Pres- ton H. Minor, now in his seventy-third year, was born in Scott county, Ky. He has resided at his present home on a fine farm adjoining the town of Chillicothe, Mo., ever since 1862, when he purchased the place from Judge George Pace. He is widely known throughout this section of the west as a breeder and raiser of Durham cattle. Three of his five sons are practicing physicians.
The wife of Preston H. Minor is a daughter of Judge George Pace, who was born in Marion, Ky., December 3, 1816, a son of Jonathan Pace. In 1826 the judge removed with his family to Boone county, Mo., and there married Miss Virinda Finks when he was in his twenty-third year. Subsequently he was engaged in merchan- dising in Livingston county, where, in 1850, he was elected county judge. During the twelve years of his public service on the bench he won the respect and praise of the entire community, his judgments being characterized by absolute fairness and profound wisdom. In 1862 he re- signed his position and removed to California, finally taking up his permanent abode in Watson- ville, where he soon rose to a place of influence among the citizens. He continued to dwell there until he was claimed by death, May 8, 1881, when, as a token of sincere respect, the flag on the plaza was ordered to be placed at half-mast. In 1877-78 he had represented his county in the California state legislature, and his record, both as a public and private citizen, was thoroughly meritorious, deserving the encomiums of all. Ten days after the death of his son the aged father of the honored judge and statesman, Jon- athan Pace, departed this life, aged eighty-six years. The widow of Judge Pace died June 8, 1889.
Dr. Mary J. Green was reared upon her father's farm in Missouri, and received her elementary education in the public schools. Later she en- tered Professor Long's seminary, aud completed her literary studies under his supervision. De- cember 30, 1875, she became the wife of William A. Green, of Scott county, Ky. Two children were born to them: Rita Lydia and Buel Hern- don. In 1890 Mrs. Green was graduated with
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honors from the Kansas City ( Mo.) Homeopathic Medical College, and was chosen to be the vale- dictorian of the class. The following year she served as house physician in the hospital con- nected with the college, and there obtained the experience so essential to a young physician.
In 1892 Dr. Green established an office in Salt Lake City, and succeeded in building up a large and lucrative practice there, considering the shortness of her stay in the famous Mormon me- tropolis. On account of the poor health of her son, however, she decided to locate permanently in a sunnier and more equable clime, and in De- cember, 1893, she came to California, and spent several months in the state prior to her arrival in Los Angeles. Since April, 1894, she has resided on South Flower street, having her office and home at the same place. She is a specialist in diseases of the nervous system and surgical dis- eases of women and children, and is rapidly ex- tending the lists of her patrons. Though the major portion of her time is devoted to her pro- fessional duties and to studies along the line of her chosen work, she is very patriotic and pro- gressive, taking great interest in the welfare of her country and community, and doing every- thing within her power to promote the good of the majority. Religiously she is a member of the Broadway Church of Christ, and socially she is identified with the Friday Morning Club. For- merly she was a member of the Kansas, the Mis- souri and the Utah State Homeopathic Medical Societies, and at present she is connected with the Southern California Homeopathic Medical Society.
ERMANN JACOBY. San Pedro, erstwhile merely a tiny fishing village of no impor- tance, situated on the shore of the broad Pacific, but now risen to infinite possibilities, al- ways has been fortunate in having a few stanch friends and earnest propliets of future greatness in store for her, and doubtless to them should be- long the credit of having accomplished at least the beginning of this reign of prosperity. One of the number, as every citizen here is aware, is the gentleman whose name heads this sketch, a native of Germany, and possessed of the inherent force of character for which the people of the Fatherland are proverbial.
Born in 1842, Mr. Jacoby spent ten years in that country and gathered the rudiments of edu- cation in the excellent gymnasiums, which are under the supervision of the government. Com- ing to the United States in 1852 he completed his studies here, and thus gained a fair knowledge of both languages. However, he has been largely self-supporting since he was twelve years of age, and was not enabled to attend the English schools as long as he desired. From the time of his ar- rival here until the outbreak of the war of the Rebellion he dwelt in Philadelphia.
One of the first young patriots to respond to the president's call for defenders of the Union, Mr. Jacoby enlisted in 1861 as a private of the Twenty-seventh Pennsylvania Infantry, and it was in the first battle of Bull Run that he received his first terrible experience in actual warfare. Later he participated in the second battle of Bull Run, went all through the momentous Shenan- doah valley campaign, and, among others too numerous to mention, he fought gallantly in the decisive battles of Antietam, Gettysburg, Fred- ericksburg and Missionary Ridge, serving, al- together, over three years in the ranks and mak- ing a splendid record for bravery and strict attention to duty.
Having learned much in regard to the attrac- tions and promising outlook of Southern Califor- nia, Mr. Jacoby determined to prospect here as soon as he was released from the army, and accord- ingly, in 1864, he came to Los Angeles county. To him San Pedro (or Wilmington, as it was then called) appeared to be especially suited, by its favorable location, for a great aud thriving city at some not very distant day, and here he concluded to settle permanently. Opening a small store he engaged in general merchandising, and for thirty years continued to deal with the comparatively few inhabitants of the town and vicinity. He never lost his faith in its ultimate future, and from time to time made investments in real estate. For the past six years, or since the great new harbor improvements have been under considera- tion, he has devoted his time to the management of his property interests, and has laid out and sold lots and tracts of land here.
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