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 83

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 83

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December 24, 1869, Mr. Harshman married Miss Jennie Cross, of Portage county, Ohio. Five children have been born to them, namely: Lnln, Nina, Ray V., Callie M. and Clyde. The family take an interested part in the work of the Free Methodist Church, and Mrs. Harshman is a val- ued member of the local society of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. She is greatly loved by all who know her, and in her home is all that the hallowed names of wife and mother imply.

Mr. Harshman cast his first presidential ballot for James Buchanan, and continued to give his support to the Democratic party until eighteen years ago, when he became identified with the Prohibition party. In 1896, when the chief issue before the public appeared to be the money ques- tion, he voted for W. J. Bryan. Though person- ally undesirous of holding office, he has served as a member of the city council of Compton for several years, and has used his influence for good government and progress, as he ever has done in the past.

ENRY S. ORME, M. D. As a physician and surgeon Dr. Orme has been eminently successful, and his ability and painstaking efforts have justly brought him a high place in the medical profession. During the long period of his residence in Los Angeles he has witnessed the remarkable growth of this city from a strag- gling half-Spanish village, with little to commend it but its sunny skies and balmy air, to a pro- gressive modern city, possessing the spirit of en- terprise and of commerce. He has seen its old adobes give place to residences that are the crowning achievements of the finest architecture of the country. One-story stores have been re- placed by magnificent "sky-scrapers," and the plodding burro has disappeared with the advent of fine horses, swift bicycles and the most recent

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automobile. All these transformations, and others too numerous to mention, he has seen dur- ing the more than thirty years of his residence in Los Angeles.

The genealogy of the Orme family is as fol- lows: The progenitor of American branches was Archibald Orme, of Wiltshire, England. His son, John, was the father of Archibald Orme, Dr. Orme's great-grandfather, who was a colonel in the American army during the Revolutionary war. The colonel's son, John, married Sarah, daughter of Col. Richard McAllister, of the Revolutionary army. John Orme became a rice planter in McIntosh county, Ga. His son, Rich- ard McAllister Orme, was editor of the Southern Recorder, which for more than a half century was a leading paper of Georgia. He married Jean Mon- cure Paine, who was born in Virginia, a daughter of Roois Paine, whose father was Samuel Paine, of Boston, Mass. Richard and Jean Orme died in Milledgeville, Ga.

Dr. Orme was born in Milledgeville, Ga., March 25, 1837. His family possessing ample means, he was given excellent educational ad- vantages. In 1858 he graduated from Ogle- thorpe University with the degree of A. B. He then entered the medical department of the Uni- versity of Virginia, where he gained his initi- atory knowledge of medicine and surgery. In 1861 he graduated from the University of New York with the degree of M. D. He began the practice of his profession in the Confederate army, with the Fourth Georgia Regiment. Later he was in charge of one of the large hospitals at Atlanta, Ga., as assistant surgeon, later as sur- geon, and after the close of the war he remained in Atlanta to engage in private practice. From there he came to Los Angeles, Cal., in 1868, ar- riving here on the 4th of July. In 1873 he mar- ried Mary C. Van de Graaff and they have one son, Hal McAllister Orme, who was born March 4, 1879.

The high rank of Dr. Orme in his profession is shown by the fact that for eight years or more he has been president of the state board of health. For several years he was county physician and surgeon, and during his term of office he was an earnest advocate of the establishment of the county hospital and county poor farm, although his stand in these matters caused the loss of con-

siderable patronage. For this work lie deserves mich credit. He assisted in organizing the Los Angeles County Medical Society, of which he was elected president at one time, and he was also honored by election as president of the Cali- fornia State Medical Society. He is actively connected with the American Climatological As- sociation, the American Public Health Associa- tion and the American Medical Association. In hygiene he is considered an authority, and ever since the establishment of the medical college of the University of Southern California he has filled that chair.

The Masonic connection of Dr. Orme form an important chapter of his life. He has been offici- ally connected with various degrees of the order. He has been grand master of the grand lodge of California, grand high priest of the grand chapter, grand master of the grand council, grand com- mander of the grand commandery of Knights Templar of California, and has filled various of- fices in the Scottish Rite. He assisted in the or- ganization of the majority of the Masonic bodies in Los Angeles that have sprung into existence during the past thirty years, and has filled the principal offices in all.

REDERICK K. ADAMS, secretary and manager of the Pomona Fruit Growers' Ex- change, at one time president and secretary of the Pomona board of education, and all in all one of the leaders in this section of the county, is a native of Monroe county, N. Y., born Feb- ruary, 18, 1854. His parents, Caleb K. and Laura (Keeler) Adams, were natives of New Hamp- shire and Connecticut respectively. Although he was the youngest of six children, at the death of his father, in 1869, he virtually assumed charge of the household. For two years thereafter he not only bore its responsibilities, but continued his studies in the neighborhood schools. The family then removed to Rochester, N. Y., the farm hav- ing been sold, and there he pursued a course in the Williams' Business College. For several years he was employed as a bookkeeper in Rochester, and later he operated a steam laundry for about a decade.

Owing to ill health Mr. Adams was obliged to relinquish his business interests in the east and

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seek a more congenial climate and a different oc- cupation. In 1889 lie cante to Pomona and pur- chased an orange grove of twelve acres, of which he is still the proprietor and manager. At the same time he at once evinced an active interest in the public and educational affairs of this city. For two years he served as president of the board of education, and for four years was its secretary. Since settling in Pomona he has been identified with the Pilgrim Congregational Church, of whose board of trustees he is now president.

For some two years Mr. Adams was in the employ of the Pomona Fruit Exchange, and was its secretary most of the time, and turned his attention to increasing its success. In 1898 the name was changed to the Pomona Fruit Growers' Exchange, since which year he has not only been secretary, but manager as well. In politics he is a Republican. Personally he is an able, straightforward and popular man. In 1879 he married Lucy Beebee, who was born in Michi- gan, and by whom he has two sons, Charles K. and Howard E.

R ILDORF ALMIND. When a man of an- other nationality comes to the United States, and, surmounting the great obstacles of a foreign language and customs and competition with native-born citizens, achieves success, he is eminently deserving of credit and praise. Kil- dorf Almind, who is well and favorably known in Long Beach and vicinity, was born near one of the very oldest cities of northern Europe, Odensen, Denmark, January 25, 1853, and, as he was left fatherless when four years old, he was early thrown upon his own resources to a large extent. His father, Anders Almind, bore an exceptional record as an educator, as for forty-two years he taught in one school in his home town and at the end of that period was retired with a pension. He was a quiet, kindly man, devoted to his studies and chosen work, and everyone who knew him loved and respected him. He passed to his reward in the village which had been his life- long place of residence, his age at death being sixty-five years. His wife, the mother of our subject, was Miss Anna Marie Hjaresen in her girlhood. She was born in the same locality as her husband and passed her entire life there, dy- ing when abont fifty years old.

Kildorf Almind is one of eight children, three of whom survive. He wastwenty years old when hie determined to cast in his fortunes with the people of this fair land, and proceeding to Illinois, he obtained a place as farm hand in the vicinity of Gibson City. At the end of four months he went to Wisconsin, where he was employed at different kinds of labor, chiefly on farms and in lumbering. In the fall of 1875 he came to Cali- fornia, of whose advantages he had learned con- siderable, and locating near Pasadena, he worked for some four years on ranches. Economical and diligent in all of his undertakings, he soon ac- cumulated a little capital, which he invested in a small farm, and then he energetically set about the improvement of the property. Within a few years he transformed the place into a beautiful, productive homestead, and his next venture was the purchase of a ranch in Cucamonga. In 1882 Mr. Almind gained the confidence of E. E. Porter, P. M. Green, Benjamin Eaton and Adolph Petz, of Pasadena, and became a member of the Hermo- sa Land Company of Cucamonga, where he was the pioneer settler. He owned one-fifth of nearly five hundred acres, and by improving his prop- erty and keeping it for eight years he realized a handsome profit, which was the foundation of his success in California. After he sold his Cucamonga property he bought a ranch in Tulare county. This property he still owns. Later he bought his beautiful country place near Long Beach. It is situated about three miles from the town and is considered one of the prettiest home- steads in this section. In addition to his farm he owns a handsome substantial business block in Long Beach, and other valuable property. During the last two years he has been successfully engaged in the hardware business in Long Beach.

In the truest sense he is a self-made man. He cheerfully accords to his devoted wife a share of his prosperity, for she has been a real helpmate to him, and has nobly shared his anxieties and cares. It was in 1878 that he married Miss Frances Carroll, who was born in Ohio, April 28, 1845. Her father, Emmet Carroll, a native of Frederick, Md., was a merchant tailor and later a farmer in Iowa; he is now a citizen of Port Townsend. Mrs. Almind is a lady of fine in- tellectual and social attainments, and for fifteen years was successfully engaged in teaching

MLSparks

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school. She was thus employed in one of the pioneer schools of Pasadena, where, as well as in Long Beach and other places where she has dwelt, she stands high in the estimation of all who have known her. She is a graduate of the Iowa State University of Iowa City. Mr. and Mrs. Almind have two children, Andres E. and Auna L .; the former is a student in the Berkley University.

The first presidential vote cast by our subject was given to R. B. Hayes, and for several years thereafter he gave his allegiance to the Repub- lican party. Later he concluded that temperance legislation was the paramount issue before the people and therefore he transferred his influence to the Prohibition party. With his wife he holds membership with the Methodist Episcopal Church, and she also is identified with the Woman's Christian Temperance Union.

M ARCUS L. SPARKS settled in 1891 011 the ranch which is still his home, near Lordsburg, in the Pomona valley. He owns about eighty-six acres, of which some forty are cultivated to oranges and lemons. Among his acquaintances he is recognized as one of the successful and progressive horticulturists of this section of the state, with whose interests his own have been so intimately associated.

Descended from a long line of southern an- cestors, Mr. Sparks was born in Wilkes county, N. C., March 30, 1853, a son of Joseph and Mary Sparks, the former of whom is deceased, while the latter, at the age of seventy-five, is making her home with her son Marcus. It may here be appropriately stated that Mr. Sparks is of patriotic blood, both his paternal and maternal great- grandfathers having been soldiers of the Revolu- tion. At the age of fourteen he removed with his parents to Linn county, Kans., and remained there until 1875, when he came to California, settling in Butte county. For five years he re- sided in that locality. From 1880 until 1891 he lived in the vicinity of Pomona. In the latter year he settled on his present homestead, whichı he had purchased in 1890.

Mr. Sparks received a fair education in the North Carolina schools, private and public, but by far his most effective training has been acquired

in the school of every-day experience. In this school he has proved himself an apt expert, therein gaining a breadth of knowledge that no text book can furnish. His information is broad, and extends beyond his immediate busi- ness pursuits into the realm of national current issues and matters of general importance. In politics he may be said to be an independent Democrat. Fraternally he is in affiliation with the Ancient Order of United Workmen.

Miss Nancy M. Michael, a native of Pennsyl- vania, became the wife of Mr. Sparks. They had four children, three of whom are now living, viz .: Mrs. Levi Ehresman, of Lordsburg; Elsie and Eva, at home. The family are connected with the Baptist Church.

ESSE H. ARNOLD. Los Angeles is a city of surprising growth, and great real-estate transactions are being made here nearly every day in the business world. Property is continually changing hands and large amounts of eastern capital are being invested here more and more as the possibilities of the country and the increasing demands of the large population of this section of the state are becoming recognized. Quite naturally, therefore, a large class of busi- ness men, accustomed to handling real estate, have been engaged in this line of enterprise here for many years, and prominent among them is Jesse H. Arnold, who is ranked high as a citizen.

The father of our subject, John Arnold, was one of the pioneers of Missouri, where he was actively occupied in agricultural pursuits from an early period in the history of that state. He par- ticipated in the famous Black Hawk war and was a veritable frontiersman, rugged and industrious, kind-hearted and generous to, all who applied to him for aid or hospitality.

Jesse H. Arnold was the only child of John and Margaret Arnold, though 'each had other chil- dren by previous marriage; he was born in How- ard county, Mo., July 15, 1842, and his boy hood days were quietly passed in that section of the state and in Boone county. He received a com -. mon school education, later attended the Boone County Academy, and then pursued his higher studies in the University of Missouri, where he was duly graduated and received the A. B. de-

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gree in 1861. When he was abont twenty years of age he started out upon his independent career, and going to Sacramento, Cal., remained there a short time and then went to Virginia City, where he was occupied in mining and prospecting until 1867. He then returned to his native state, and in 1868 married Miss Elizabeth Cochran, a native of Boone county, Mo. After marriage he pur- chased a farm, which he carried on successfully until 1875. That year he went to Pueblo, Colo., where he engaged in a flourishing mercantile and forwarding business for two years, with Field & Hill.

Once more, in 1877, Mr. Arnold came to Cali- fornia and remained here about twelve months. The Denver & Rio Grande Railroad being under construction toward Alamosa, Colo., he returned to that state and re-engaged in business with Field & Hill, who had removed to La Veta, then tem- porarily the terminus of this railroad. He re- mained with them, moving their store from old terminus to new, with the advance of the railroad, till Alamosa was reached. He then left them and went in advance along the projected route of the railroad to Conejos, Colo., where he estab- lished and conducted a large and profitable mer- cantile business for two years or more, till the railroad had passed beyond. The superior at- tractions of California, however, finally overcame all inducements to remain away, and in 1880 he returned here and located in Orange, Orange county, where he conducted a general merchandise business for nearly fifteen years. He met with well-deserved success, and by sterling qualities of character won the respect of all with whom he had commercial or other dealings. He was pub- lic-spirited and liberal, and every enterprise cal- culated to promote the general welfare of that community received his active co-operation and generous financial aid. He was one of the organizers of the Bank of Orange, and was a director and its vice-president till he removed to Los Angeles in 1895.

Mr. and Mrs. Arnold have reared a family of five children to become worthy citizens, and may justly be proud of them, for, without exception, they are fine, promising young people. Paul and David I., the two sons, are both university graduates, and are capable, efficient teachers of mathematics. The former is now teaching in

Belmont school, at Belmont, Cal., and the latter in Pomona College, at Claremont, Cal. Martlia M., Mary E. and Alice E. are the daughters. Martha M. is a student at Los Angeles Normal school and will finish the kindergarten course in June, 1900. Alice E. graduated with class honors from the Los Angeles high school, and is now a student at Stanford University, where she ex- pects to complete the four years' course. Mary E. is at home with her parents. Her education was finished at Southern California University.

In his political views Mr. Arnold is a Jeffer- sonian Democrat and a firm believer in sound money. He has never been an aspirant for pub- lic office, politics having but little charm for him. Fraternally he is a Mason. He is a member of the Christian Church. His beautiful residence is situated on South Hope street.

ATRICK J. WATSON, who is one of the well-known young agriculturists of Los An- geles county, owns and occupies a valuable ranch situated about midway between Compton and Wilmington and not far from the old home place where he was born and reared. He is an energetic farmer, and manages his affairs with discretion and sound judgment. In his character may be seen combined the traits of his ancestors. He has the pluck and energy of the typical American, the courtly grace and dignity of the Spanish, and the cheerful, companionable disposi- tion of the Irish race. Hence. it may be pre- dicted of him that the success he has already gained is but typical of what future years hold for him.

Mr. Watson was born on the Manuel Domin- guez homestead March 17, 1866, and is a son of James Alexander Watson and Maria Dolores Dominguez de Watson. He was given good advantages in his youth, being sent first to St. Vincent's College and later taking a course in Ste. Clara College. In this way he was well prepared for the duties and responsibilities of an active life. On his return from college lie began to assist in the management of the home- stead, and is now carrying on a general farming business, making a specialty, however, of the raising of stock. He is also one of the owners of the great copper mine known as the "Lucky

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Boy" in Lower California, and is interested in mines in Colorado. His entire life has been passed in the immediate vicinity of his present home, and he has therefore a circle of acquaint- ances that is limited only by the population of this region. His friends are many. He was united in marriage, October 17, 1894, with Miss . Mamie O'Farrell, of San Francisco, an estimable lady, who shares with him in the esteem of associates.

A LEXANDER MONCRIEFF, proprietor of the Pine Orange Grove, Pomona, although comparatively a recent settler in the locality is accounted one of its most prosperous horticul- turists and public-spirited citizens. He is a native of Perthshire, Scotland, and was born February 10, 1855, being the son of Alexander and Euphemia (Cunningham) Moncrieff, also natives of Scotland. He was reared to man's estate in the shire named and received his educa- tion in the boarding school and university at St. Andrew's.

Mr. Moncrieff is descended from an old and prominent family which numbers a long line of famous lawyers, his father himself having been one of the foremost of the Scottish bar. However, his tastes were not in the direction of professional life. After completing his university education he entered the employ of L. & R. H. Robinson, stock brokers of Glasgow, with whom he re- mained for three years. Several years thereafter he passed in Assian, India, as superintendent of his father's large tea plantation three hundred and seventy miles from Calcutta. Ill health com- pelled him to return to Scotland. In 1883 he came to America. Settling in Owatonna, Minn., he decided to enter the study of law, and liad be- gun reading under Burlingame & Crandall, when his election as justice of the peace swerved him from a legal career. For ten years he continued as justice, with honor to himself and to the satis- faction of the people, who held him in high esteem.

The fall of 1894 found Mr. Moncrieff a resident of California. He purchased eight acres of rich, loamy land, adjoining the property of D. L. Davenport, and formerly owned by the latter. Twelve years previous Mr. Davenport, a higlı authority on orange culture, had selected the piece as the most desirable in the entire Kingsley

tract, and had planted five of the eight acres to navel oranges. Mr. Moncrieft's purchase has therefore proved most profitable and there are few orchards more admired than his. It is estimated that the 1900 crop will amount to eighteen hundred boxes. The balance of the orchard is devoted to lemons, deciduous fruit, and young orange trees. The residence is luxurious, artistic and home-like, both within and without, while the large packing house, barn and other modern accessories to the successful prosecution of fruit culture are striking evidences of the owner's Scotch thrift and taste. He also owns considerable property in Claremont and Riverside, and is fully alive to the best pub- lic interests of the county. He is a member of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce.

In politics he is a Democrat. He and his wife are identified with the Christian Church. He is also connected with the Fraternal Aid Society, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Mod- ern Woodmen of America. Before marriage Mrs. Moncrieff was Miss Mary L. Rosecrans, of Owa- tonna, Minn. The children of the family are Flossie C., Alexander R. and Albert R.

AMES L. LOOMIS, deceased, formerly a leading citizen of what is now North Pomona, was a native of Ashtabula county, Ohio, and was born on the 4th of July, 1830, being a son of James and Betsey (Hickok) Loomis, natives of Massachusetts and New York respectively. The years of boyhood and youth he spent on a farm in his native county, near the village of Jefferson. He received his education in the common schools of the locality and in Hiram College, where one of his fellow-students and most intimate friends was the late President Garfield.

When about twenty-one years of age Mr. Loomis removed to Wisconsin and at Black River Falls continued his work as a school teacher, which he had begun in Ohio. He subsequently removed to Merrilan, where for several years he combined the occupations of private banker and general merchant, at the same time serving as postmaster. He was honored with a number of local offices, among others that of town super- intendent of schools. Through energy and fair dealings with all lie became known as a prosper-

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ous business man and an enterprising, able and broad-minded citizen. From the age of thirteen until he was fifty- six he was a member of the Bap- tist Church, but on coming to Pomona, in 1886, he united with the Methodist Episcopal Church of this place and afterward served asa member of its official board. In politics he was a Republican, with Prohibition sympathies. Personally, he was a kind husband and father, an obliging neighbor, a public-spirited citizen and a highly esteemed member of society, and his death, which occurred September 16, 1890, was therefore a loss to the citizenship of the community.

The marriage of Mr. Loomis took place April 6, 1857, and united him with Kate Jean, a native of Union county, Ind., and a daughter of Joseph and Sarah (Teal) Jean Her paternal ancestors were French. Her father was a native of North Carolina and her mother was born in Maryland. The only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Loomis, Jean, is a graduate of Pomona College at Claremont and now a teacher in the Pomona public schools. Both mother and daughter are earnest, active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Their homestead at North Pomona contains more than eleven acres of land, upon which are raised oranges, apricots and prunes.

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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 83

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