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 60

Author: Guinn, James Miller, 1834-1918
Publication date: 1901
Publisher: Chicago : Chapman Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 996

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 60

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The marriage of Mr. Hammel and Mary Lil-

1892. She is the daughter of Oliver B. and Anna C. Phillips, the former of whom was a well- known lawyer of this city. A daughter, Phyllis Cline, blesses the home of our subject and his es- timable wife. Their residence is in one of the lovely homes of this semi-tropical city, where palms and roses and all kinds of beautiful flowers reach the perfection of bloom and luxuriance.

OHN P. ENGELHARDT. The occupation which Mr. Engelhardt has followed for years is that of horticulture, in which so many residents of Southern California have gained prosperity and success. During 1882 he came to the upper San Gabriel valley and settled on the ranch which is still his home. Under his energetic supervision thirty acres have been placed under cultivation and planted to various fruits, and, in addition to this tract, he has one hundred and twenty acres of mountain land. His original purchase was only fourteen acres, but he subsequently homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land in a primitive condition, from which he has, by constant and judicious labors, evolved a fine horticultural ranch. His place is known as "Engelwile."

During the '40s Henry D. and Emma (Diel) Engelhardt emigrated from Germany, their na- tive land, to America and settled in Ohio county, Ind., where their son, John P., was born Sep- tember 29, 1849. The latter was reared in his native county and attended private and public schools, acquiring at an early age a good knowl- edge of both German and English. When nine- teen years old he left home to make his own way in the world. At first he was interested in fruit- growing in Trimble county, Ky. From there hie went to Platte county, Mo., and embarked in agricultural pursuits. The year 1879 found him in California, where he made a sojourn of three years in Compton, and then came to the ranch he now owns. Besides the oversight of this place he was for several years interested in the drug and grocery business in Glendora, as a partner of his brother, Dr. A. E. Engelhardt, under the firm name of Engelhardt Brothers; and it was this firm that built the first business house in Glendora.

August Brossmer

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

By his marriage to Rose Hess, of Columbus, Ohio, Mr. Engelhardt has one son, Ortou H. The family holds membership in the Metliodist Episcopal Church of Glendora, in which he has officiated as deacon for a number of years. Long experience with life in its various phases and a knowledge of the temptations that appeal to the young, Mr. Engelhardt has been brought to re- gard the sale of intoxicating liquors as an evil "that is a menace to our nation, bringing sorrow and disgrace upon thousands of homes and hearts. Hence he is a prohibitionist not only in principle, but also in politics, and gives that party his faithful and unwavering support.

UGUST BROSSMER, deceased, was one of the active and highly esteemed members of the quite numerous German colony in Los Angeles. A son of Michael Brossmer, he was born in Ettenheim, province of Baden, Germany, June 4, 1841. He grew to manhood in his na- tive town and attended its parish schools, later learning the cabinet-maker's trade. He and his brother, Sigmund, also of Los Angeles, and Mrs. Stephen Frey, of Germany, were the only chil- dren of their father's first marriage; both sons were trained from an early age to useful and lion- orable occupations.

While working at his trade in ånd about Etten- heim, August Brossier married Euphrosine, daughter of Joseph Hennenger, a mill owner in Ettenheim. In 1867 Mr. and Mrs. Brossmer and Sigmund Brossmer came to America on the steamship Hansa, of the North German Lloyd line. Upon their arrival at Hoboken, N. J., they proceeded west to Montana via St. Louis, up the Mississippi and Missouri rivers to Fort Bend, by team to Helena, and thence to the Pipe- stone mine in Montana, where they remained for two months. From there Mr. and Mrs. Bross- mer and Alexander Hennenger, her brother, started via Salt Lake and the southern route to California, arriving in San Bernardino in Decem- ber, 1867. In May, 1868, they came to Los An- geles. Here Mr. Brossmer worked at his trade for a time, later taking up the occupation of a contractor and builder, in which he successfully continued until his death, December 28, 1889. He was an energetic and thrifty man and pro-

vided his family with every comfort. Fraternally he was connected with the Independent Order of Red Men and the Turner Society.

Mrs. Brossmer survives her husband and re- sides in her comfortable home at No. 1712 Brooklyn avenue. She is a woman of great strength of character and executive ability, and is admired for these qualities and for her kindness of disposition. Mr. and Mrs. Brossmer adopted into their home and reared to womanhood one child, who is now the wife of J. E. Sills and re- sides at No. 1033 South Hope street. Mr. Sills is secretary and treasurer of the Baker iron works, having filled this responsible position for many years.

GILLIAM DRYDEN, who has long been known as "Uncle Billy" to scores of pioneers and their children in Los Angeles and vicinity, has a history full of interest, and it is not strange that his grandchildren and friends and occasional visitors at his home delight in listening to his reminiscences of frontier days. His influence in the early development of this section and in the management of its affairs is still felt, and in public and political matters his judgment continues to have weight.

The eldest of four children born to William and Margaret (McPherson) Dryden, our subject was born in Lewis county, N. Y., September 16, 1835. His father was born in Kelsey, Scotland, and passed his whole life there, dying when in his eighty-fourth year; the mother was a native of Invernesshire, Scotland, a daughter of John Donald McPherson, a well-known and wealthy Scotchman, a typical Highlander and of the old McPherson clan who spoke the Gaelic lan- guage in the home circle. He moved to Canada, where he died. Mrs. Dryden died at the old homestead in New York when about sixty-three years of age.

Until he was twenty years of age William Dry- den remained at home, where he laid the foun- dations of physical and mental strength in the wholesome life of the country. He found employ-, ment in the construction of railroad bridges for about a year, and then, returning home, en- gaged in agriculture for a similar period. He

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

next took a position as a brakeman on a southern railroad, and soon became a train con- ductor. While serving in that capacity he saw the first Confederate flag raised in Mobile, Ala., and, in pursnance of his duties, on one occasion, took his train through a district which was a perfect hot-bed of danger -- a place where the bravest man might have been excused from going. On his return trip a southern planter tried his best to obtain the young man as overseer upon his plantation, and when he modestly pleaded that he could not take such a position, as he had had no experience whatever in managing slaves, the old gentleman replied, "No matter, any man who is brave enough to conduct a train where you have, and not get shot, is competent for my purpose."

Having no desire to remain in the south in that stormy period, Mr. Dryden returned to his old home, and in September, 1861, put into effect a long cherished plan, that of going to the Pacific coast. His father had made the trip in 1852, on the ill-fated ship Emily, and ere she had reached her destination twenty-two of her pas- sengers died and were buried at sea, Mr. Dryden, who had been an officer in the Presbyterian churce at home, holding funeral services over each one of the unfortunates. Later he had prospected and mined considerably, and the stories that he had told his eldest son of this beautiful land fired his youthful imagination. Upon arriving in San Francisco our subject pro- ceeded to Santa Crux county, where he found a position with the father of Hon. Stephen M. White, with whom he remained about one year. In May, 1868, he came to Los Angeles county and located upon a quarter section of land, situated near the southwestern corner of the city limits. Later he bought one hundred and twenty-seven acres of one of the old Spanish land-holders, but subsequently gave up eighty acres on account of litigation concerning it. He nevertheless con- tinued to invest in more property until he owned several hundred acres, which, under his admira- ble system of cultivation and improvement, yielded abundant harvests and made him com- paratively a rich man. Retiring from active business a few years ago he purchased a beauti- ful home in the southwestern part of the city, and is enjoying a quiet, restful life. He still retains

some valuable local real estate and is financially interested in the development of some oil lands and mines.

The marriage of Mr. Dryden and Mary Ander- son, a native of Iowa, took place September 18, 1861. Their six children have received excellent educational advantages and stand high in the several walks of life to which they have been called. Two of the number are known far and near throughout this portion of the county as . model agriculturists. They take special interest in the breeding of fine cattle, and one of them is the owner of a kennel where may be found sev- eral varieties of thoroughbred dogs.

In his political convictions William Dryden al- ways has stood firmly for the principles of the old Democratic party. He cast his first presidential ballot for Stephen A. Douglas, and never since that time has failed to use his vote and influence for his party. While he has occupied no offices of note himself, he has been an important factor in local politics. He is careful and conservative in the formative period of his views, but once having made up his mind in regard to the merits of any question is not slow to express his ideas, and has the courage of his convictions.

ILLIAM FREEMAN BURBANK. The object of the following sketch is, in large part, to preserve some biographical history of Revolutionary days. It therefore begins with an extract from the History of Lexington, Mass., by Charles Hudson, member of the Massachu- setts Historical Society, referring to Rev. Jonas Clarke, from whom Mr. Burbank is descended in a direct line:

"Among those who animated and encouraged the people and thus kindled the fires of patriot- ism upon the altars of religion, none was more active or successful than the distinguished and pious priest who ministered to the people of Lex- ington. His intimacy with Adams and Hancock made him minutely acquainted with the affairs of the colony; his clear and far-reaching perception enabled him to judge with great accuracy, and his noble and manly independence gave him a controlling influence over the minds of men."

The following, from Edward Everett's address

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

at Lexington in 1835, adds to the historian's tribute these words: "Mr. Clarke was a man of high rank in his profession, a man of practical piety, a learned theologian, a person of general reading, a writer perspicuous, correct and pointed beyond the standard of the day, and a most intelligent, resolute and ardent champion of the popular cause. He was connected by marriage with the family of John Hancock. To this cir- cumstance, no doubt, may properly be ascribed some portion of his interest in the political move- ments of the day, while on the mind of Hancock an intimacy with Mr. Clarke was calculated to have a strong and salutary influence."

It may now be of interest to give a brief sketch of the family. Hugh Clarke, ancestor of Rev. Jonas Clarke, came early to this country; was admitted a freeman May 30, 1660; member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company; died July 20, 1693. Jonas Clarke, born Decemn- ber 25, 1730, was the fifth generation from Hugh Clarke. He graduated from Harvard in 1752; was ordained and installed at Lexington, Mass., November 5, 1755. He married, September 25, 1757, Lucy Hancock Bowes, a granddaughter of Rev. John Hancock, who was the grandfather of the first signer of the Declaration of Inde- pendence. Mr. Clarke was the immediate suc- cessor, as pastor, of Rev. John Hancock. He died November 15, 1805, at the age of seventy- five, and in the fifty-first year of his ministry. He had twelve children.

His son, Thomas Clarke, who was born Sep- tember 27, 1759, and engaged in trade in Boston, married Sallie Conant, daughter of Col. William Conant, a descendant of Roger Conant, the first governor of Massachusetts, appointed by the king in colonial times. It was this Colonel Co- nant who arranged with others that the signal light should be placed on the old North Church, and that Paul Revere should be sent on his famous mission. Mr. Clarke was town clerk of Boston for twelve years. When, in 1822, Boston was made a city, he became clerk of the common council, which office he held until his death in 1832.

Mention may here be made of the other chil- dren of Rev. Jonas Clarke. His son, Jonas, was collector of the port and judge of probate at Ken- nebunk, Me .; Mary was married to Rev. Henry

Ware, Hollis professor of divinity in Harvard College; Elizabeth died, unmarried, aged eighty; William was consul to Embden, Hanover; Lucy became Mrs. Thaddeus Fiske; Lydia was the wife of Rev. William Harris; Henry, a bank cashier at Kennebunk, was almost ninety at the time of lıis deatlı.

Fanny Clarke, daughter of Thomas Clarke, was married to William Freeman, lawyer, and son of Judge Freeman, of Cherryfield, Me. Char- lotte Freeman, their daughter, became the wife of Judge Caleb Burbank, and their son, William Freeman Burbank, forms the subject of this article.

The house where the Rev. Jonas Clarke lived is historic because of its association with John Hancock, Samuel Adams and Paul Revere. John Hancock and Jonas Clarke were classmates and the latter married the former's cousin. It was in this house that Hancock, Adams and Clarke consulted together. It was here that Hancock and Adams took up their abode when General Gage meditated their seizure, and they were visiting at Mr. Clarke's when Paul Revere ended his famous ride with a message of warn- ing. The authorities for these historical facts are: History of Lexington, by Charles Hudson, published by Wiggin & Hunt, Boston, 1868; Record of the Descendants of Hugh Clarke, by John Clarke, A. B., Boston, 1866; Harper's Magazine, May, 1875, article "The Concord Fight;" and the Magazine of American History, January, 1886, article "Paul Revere."

Of the Burbank family the records are not so readily obtainable. The earliest ancestors in this country were John Burbank, of Rawley, Mass., and Silas Burbank, of Scarboro, near Portland, Me. Capt. Silas Burbank served for seven years in the Revolutionary war and was one of the subaltern officers who led Major André out to execution. He died at Parsonsfield, Me., in September, 1814, aged seventy-six. His son, Eleazer, was born in Scarboro, October 14, 1764. When only eleven years old he went with his father and served in the Revolutionary army. He married Mary Brackett, of Scarboro, who be- longed to the family with which Hon. Thomas Brackett Reed is connected. The father of Mary Brackett, Capt. John Brackett, was an educated man and by profession a land surveyor. He laid

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HISTORICAL, AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

out the greater part of the city of Portland as it was in his day, and he died while with the Revo- lutionary army at Cambridge.

Of the children of Silas Burbank one came to California. He had represented Hancock and Washington counties in the state senate of Maine, and had not been long in the state of his adoption when he was elected to the legislature, serving first in the assembly and afterward in the senate. He took part in the Fremont campaign, was the law partner of Henry Edgerton, the orator, and of Judge M. C. Blake, once mayor of San Fran- cisco. He was elected to the bench in San Francisco and afterward in Virginia City, Nev. Judge Burbank died in 1888.

William Freeman Burbank, youngest son of Judge Burbank, was born in San Francisco and educated in the public schools of that city and Oakland. He was selected as one of the class speakers on his graduation from the Oakland high school in 1879 and was likewise one of the commencement speakers when graduating from the University of California with the degree of LL. B. He became associated with Hon. Frank A. Leach (now superintendent of the United States mint at San Francisco), in the establish- ment of the Oakland Evening Enquirer, and was secretary of the Enquirer Publishing Company. Selling out his interest in 1891, he traveled in the east, made an excursion into the south, and for two years lived in North Carolina, becoming president of the North Carolina Press Association and a delegate to the National Editorial Associa- tion in July, 1894, on which occasion he was one of the appointed speakers. In 1893, at Boston, he married Mrs. Walkerley, of Oakland, Cal., formerly Miss Blanche M. Buswell, of Troy, N. Y. The following year he returned to Cali- fornia, and, removing to Los Angeles some months later, founded the Los Angeles Record March 4, 1895. Two years later he was ap- pointed a director of the public library. He is also a director of the Southern California Academy of Sciences, the University Club, the Provident- Mutual Building and Loan Association, etc. He was a delegate to the Fifth National Irrigation Congress at its session at Phoenix, Ariz., in De- cember, 1897, and was selected to respond to the addresses of welcome. At one time he was presi- dent of Oakland Parlor, Native Sons of the Golden

West, is a member of the Sons of the Revolution, and of University Lodge, I. O. O. F. His home is at No. 744 Beacon street, and his family includes two sons and two daughters.

UDGE HENRY C. AUSTIN. One of the most honored pioneers of Los Angeles is Judge H. C. Austin, a worthy representative of stanch old New England families, several of the old lines, descended from English ancestors, having been united in him. His father, Isaac Austin, was a native of Philadelphia, but settled in Boston, which city had been the center of his forefathers' world, and there he established large and flourishing iron works. In 1836 his son, our subject, was born, and the same year the father was summoned to the silent land, He left a widow, whose maiden surname had been John- son, and of their seven children, five sons and two daughters, only the judge survives.

The early years of Henry C. Austin were passed at his birthplace near Boston, and his ed- ucation was gained in the common schools. When he was about nineteen years of age he com- menced learning the printer's trade, which he followed for several years, a portion of this time being connected with some of the Boston daily newspapers. In1 1859 he went to Chicago, where he was at first a compositor in the office of the Tribune, and later served in higher positions until 1863. He then went to Washington, D. C., and for the ensuing six years was employed in the United States land office department.

At the close of the '6os Mr. Austin was sent to Los Angeles to act as register in the local land office of the government, Matthew Keller being receiver. After spending about four years in this work, thus completing the decade of his con- nection therewith in one capacity or another, he turned his attention to the law, and from that time until the present he has devoted his energy to practice in liis chiosen field of labor, save when lie has been acting in an official position. In 1884 he was honored by being elected to the office of city judge and judge of the police court, and it was not until eleven years had elapsed, without interruption or rest from his arduous

Henry & Mace

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

duties, that he found it expedient to resign for the sake of his health. The next three years he took life easier, giving a portion of his time to his practice. In the autumn of 1898 he was again elected to the public offices he had for- merly filled so efficiently, and is still serving to the complete satisfaction of all concerned.

Judge Austin has been a life-long Republican, and was one of the organizers of the party in 1856. He is highly esteemed in the Pioneer Society of Los Angeles, with which he has been identified for many years, and is a charter mem- ber of Lodge No. 2,925, Knights of Honor. With earnest hope and confidence he has followed the changes which have taken place in this city dur- ing his residence here, and has eagerly watched its transformation from a straggling village of adobe houses to its present proud pre-eminence among the cities of the great southwest.

The home of the judge, No. 3118 Figueroa street, is a fine old place, which has been the scene of many a pleasant gathering of friends. In 1859 occurred the marriage of our subject and Miss Sarah E. Myers, an early friend and school- mate, and a native of the same locality as him- self. They have had two sons and two daughters, namely: Mrs. Elizabeth A. Hamilton, who died July 21, 1897; Mrs. Anna D. Sinsabaugh, of Los Angeles; Charles R., who is in the employ of the Sunset Telephone and Telegraph Company; and Harry R., who is studying law in a local office.

ENRY C. MACE, a pioneer of the upper San Gabriel valley, resides at Charter Oak, where he owns a one-halfinterest in a ranch of twenty acres, planted to citrus and deciduous fruits. In 1888 he crossed the continent from New Hampshire to California and established his home in the beautiful valley and on the ranch were he has since resided. At the time of coming to this place it was in nature's primeval condi- tion, destitute of any improvement and presenting to the observer merely a dismal stretch of cacti and sage brush. Undiscouraged by this un- attractive outlook he began the task of clearing a homestead for himself, and with W. E. Kent

as a partner he has developed and improved a ranch that to-day stands as one of the finest in the valley.

Hartland, Vt., is Mr. Mace's native village, and May 3, 1843, the date of his birth, his parents being Samuel and Susan L. (Vinton) Mace, na- tives respectively of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. His father died July 12, 1900, and his mother is also deceased. An uncle of his mother, Aaron Smith, was a soldier in the war of 1812. His mother's grandfather, John Vinton, fought in the Revolutionary war when a mere youth; and in 1824, when General Lafayette visited America, he forded a river, carrying the general on his back. At the time of his deatlı he weighed three hundred and sixty-five pounds.

When Henry C. Mace was one year old his parents moved to Cornish, N. H., and there he was reared until thirteen years of age. The family then settled in Plainfield, N. H. When the Civil war began he was fired with a desire to serve his country at the front. August 23, 1862, he enlisted in Company I, Fourteenth New Hampshire Infantry, and served under Generals Butler and Sheridan; took part in the battle of Winchester, September 19, 1864; Fisher's Hill, September 22, 1864; Cedar Creek, October 19, 1864; and in about eight engagements of minor importance. After a service of almost three years he was honorably discharged July 26, 1865.

The hardships of life at the front, with its forced marches, important battles and exposure to weather of all kinds, materially effected Mr. Mace's robust constitution, and for some two years after his return to Plainfield he was un- able to engage in any heavy work. However, at the end of that time he had so far regained his strength that he was able to enter upon the battle of life actively and take his own place in the busy work-a-day world. For a number of years he made his home in Claremont, N. H., and from that place, in 1888, he came to California, settling on his present homestead. He is a member of the Glendora Citrus Association and has done his share toward developing the fruit interests of the valley. His first vote was cast in 1864 at Cedar Creek, Va., and was in support of Abraham Lin- coln for the presidency. Since then he has never failed to cast a straight Republican ticket at every election. At this writing he is surgeon of Vicks-

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

burg Post No. 61, G. A. R., of Pomona, Cal., in which he has previously served as junior and senior vice-commander. By his marriage to Miss Sarah O. Ellis, a native of Theadford, Vt., which was solemnized in December, 1866, he is the father of two sons, Fred E. and Henry O.

c AMES M. FRYER, a pioneer of California and present postmaster of Spadra, came to this state in 1852 and has ever since made his home in Los Angeles county. He was born in Conway county, Ark., June 25, 1847, a son of Rev. Richard C. and Caroline (Veazey) Fryer, natives of Alabama. In 1852 the family came from Arkansas to California and settled at El Monte, continuing to make it their home until 1868, when they came to Spadra. Both at El Moute and Spadra the father was frequently called upon to conduct religious services, but he made agriculture his principal occupation, and devoted his attention to it principally. Attaining a position of influence among his fellow-citizens by reason of his superior ability and intellectual qualities, he was honored by frequent selection to occupy positions of honor. He was elected to the office of county supervisor, which he filled with efficiency. Early in the '70s he served one term as a member of the lower house of the Cali- fornia legislature, to which office he was elected on the Democratic ticket, he being stanch in his adherence to that party. Of his children the following survive: John W., living at Alhambra, Cal .; James M., of this sketch; Jeremiah, who is in Arizona; Henry F., a resident of Pomona; Mrs. Charles Weile, of Santa Barbara; Mrs. J. C. Shepherd, of Fullerton; and Mrs. A. H. Tufts, of Pomona.

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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 60

Author: Guinn, James Miller, 1834-1918 Publication date: 1901 Publisher: Chicago : Chapman Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 996

Author: Guinn, James Miller, 1834-1918
Publication date: 1901
Publisher: Chicago : Chapman Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 996