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 89

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 89

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At Council Grove Mr. Shaffer left the party and went to Ossawatomie, Kans., ten miles from the Missouri line, where he was between "the devil and the deep sea," as the Missourians in favor of slavery were on one side and John Brown, the free-state man, on the other. He had to decide between the two and decided in favor of free state doctrines, believing that slavery ought not to exist in a free country. For safety's sake he was obliged to leave the coun- try. The next year, in 1858, he went back to New York, and in 1859 returned to California via Cape Horn, leaving his wife with friends in New York City. He landed in San Francisco, and from there went to Wascon and Carson val- ley, where the silver mines were located. In April, 1860, there were nearly twelve feet of snow in the mountains. He crossed from Car- son valley to Berrysville or Strawberry over the mountains, in the deep snow, having been driven out by starvation. Next he went to Placerville, where for three days he was snow-blind. Soon afterward he went to Sacramento and San Fran- cisco. Next he went to Valparaiso, then to Hol- land and back to New York to his wife. They then went to Muskegon, Mich., where he engaged in the lake service, as captain of both sail and steam boats, in which he was prospered.

Upon the opening of the Central Pacific Rail- road to the coast he came to California in 1872, accompanied by his wife. From San Francisco he proceeded south to San Bernardino, later to · Los Angeles, where he arrived during the autumn of the year. From that time until 1891 he en- gaged very successfully in the tent and awning business, retiring during the latter year. Dur- ing his varied experiences he has seen much of the world and has profited by his travels. From

Elizabeth h. Follausbe, M . D,

Photo by Marceau.

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL, RECORD.

the time he first saw Los Angeles, his faith in her future has never waned, and he has taken a warm interest in her development. In 1879 he was a member of the city board of councilmien and the following year served as a police officer. He was the first man in the city who manu- factured tents and awnings, and the business he established has grown to mammoth proportions. In his enterprises he has met with a fair degree of success and has become the owner of some valuable property in Los Angeles, among whose citizens he holds a high place.

LIZABETH A. FOLLANSBEE, M. D. The public has become of recent years so accustomed to the presence of women in the medical profession that it no longer causes com- ment or creates criticism; but people little beyond middle life can recall the days when, were a woman to express a desire to enter the profession, it would be a signal for a storm of reproach and indignation. Happily those days are past for- ever, for the success which the thousands of women practitioners have met with proves beyond question their fitness for the profession. To a certain extent Dr. Follansbee is a pioneer among women physicians on the Pacific coast. When, in 1875, she entered the medical department of the University of California, she and a San Francisco lady were the first women to enter that institution after its doors were opened to their sex; although a few eastern colleges had for years admitted women as students. The success she has gained shows that she selected her occupation in life wisely and well. Her practice, which is confined to women and children, is very large and her reputation high. She has held the chair of diseases of children in the medical department of the University of South- ern California since its organization in 1885. In the Los Angeles County, the Southern Califor- nia, and the California State Medical Societies, as well as the American Medical Association, she is warmly interested as an active member. Since her graduation in medicine she has aimed to keep abreast with every discovery in therapeutics and is thoroughly in touch with the onward march of the profession. In a large degree her success may be attributed to the fact that she loves lier profession; and it is an undisputed fact that we

succeed best in an occupation which is congenial. During the years of her varied practice she has made thoroughness her motto. This trait has been noticeable in all of her practice. In addition to a broad professional knowledge, she is well versed in literature, history and art, and her superiority as a teacher is shown by numerous flattering testimonials from high educational authorities.

Dr. Follansbee was born at Pittston, Me., and was taken to Brooklyn, N. Y., at four years of age by her parents. When she was nine she was sent to Europe to be educated, and afterward, with the exception of twelve months, remained in Paris for seven years, studying in the best schools of that city. Meantime her father, Capt. Alonzo Follansbee, had died, and her mother moved to Boston, where she continued her stud- ies. Afterward she was preceptress of the Green Mountain Institute and later instructor in Hillside Seminary at Mount Clair, N. J. From childhood she had been delicate, and the nervous train incident to teaching impaired her health to such an extent that she was obliged to resign her position in 1873. Coming to California, she taught in Napa City until she entered the Uni- versity of California. After a term in that insti- tution she returned east and entered the medical department of the University of Michi- gan. She was about to be graduated from that institution when she received a telegram, offering her the position of interne in the Hospital for Women and Children in Boston, providing she would come at once. She accepted, and filled tlie position until she entered the Woman's Medical College of Philadelphia. From this institution she graduated as an M. D. in 1877. She had the honor of winning the $50 prize for the best essay of the graduating class, her subject being "Review of Medical Progress." The award was made by Prof. Henry Hartshorn, of the University of Pennsylvania.

Returning to California, Dr. Follansbee opened an office in San Francisco, where, in addition to her private practice, she was physician to the Pacific Dispensary Hospital for Women and Chil- dren. A severe attack of pneumonia compelled hier to seek a milder climate, so she spent a few months at Napa City, but, not improving as rapidly as desired, she came to Los Angeles in

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February, 1883. Here the climate soon restored lier to strength and she was permitted to resume professional work. She is connected with Christ Episcopal Church of Los Angeles, and is well and favorably known throughout this section of the state.

D HARLES P. PATTERSON. The family of which this well- known citizen of Pomona is a member has long been identified with American history, and is of Welsh extraction. Its members have been especially prominent in New York state. His grandfather, Hon. Amos Patterson, was, perhaps, the most distinguished of the name, and for years was a judge of the supreme court of New York, where his broad learning and his impartial spirit made his service signally successful. A man of such ability and prominence would, of course, be solicitous that his children receive every advantage possible. His son Joseph, the father of the subject of this sketch, was sent to Union College, which at the time was one of the most advanced institutions in the country. After graduating from college he settled in Wayne county, N. Y., where he became a man of influence and note. Among the offices he held were those of sheriff, super- visor, justice of the peace, postmaster, and many minor offices of public trust.

He married Hannah M. Fuller, whose father was a captain in the war of 1812, and was taken prisoner by the British, but afterward released. He was a philanthropist, believing it his duty to aid the poorer classes as much as it was possible to do.

The subject of this narrative was born in Wayne county, N. Y., August 17, 1836. At an early age he began to assist his father, who con- ducted a general store at Ontario, N. Y., and also acted as postmaster of the town. His education was received from a practical business standpoint, rather than from text-books, but it has proved none the less effective on that account. When he was seventeen his father's property was burned, and the family suffered a heavy loss. A few days before he was twenty-one, August 12, 1857, his father died, at Emporia, Kans., whither father and son had gone in the hope of finding a favorable open- ing. Afterward our subject returned to New York and engaged in teaching school. He also carried

on a general mercantile business. When the Civil war began his sympathies were strong on the Union side. He soon decided to enlist. In July, 1862, he became a member of Company B, One Hundred and Thirty-eighth New York Infantry. Subsequently he was transferred to the Ninth New York Heavy Artillery. In October, 1862, lie was appointed clerk to the colonel, in which capacity he continued for a short time, but in January, 1863, was sent on recruiting service by order of the secretary of war. Previous to this he had received, in a competitive examination, a clerkship in the war department, but preferring to be at the front, he had declined the offer. He served for a time in the United States detective corps, which work took him all over the country. He accepted a commission as lieutenant, and was made adjutant of the First Battalion, being given the command of Fort Wagner, D. C., which guarded the approach to the national capital, and was therefore a position of unusual importance. May 20, 1864, he went into the Wilderness cam- paign. On the Ist of June he was wounded at Cold Harbor, and in consequence of this wound he received an honorable discharge September 8, 1864.

Returning to Ontario, N. Y., Mr. Patterson took up the ordinary pursuits of life. In 1871 he was appointed clerk of the board of supervis- ors of Wayne county, which office he held for sixteen years. For about thirty years he also was a notary public, and during part of that time justice of the peace. His half-brother, Hon. W. E. Greenwood, was also a man of considerable prominence in Wayne county, and at one time represented his district in the New York legisla- ture.

The first visit Mr. Patterson made to Pomona, Cal., was in 1887. Thereafter he made several visits here, and in 1893 he settled in this city per- manently, having formed such a favorable opin- ion of its prospects and advantages that he de- cided to make it his home. In 1897 he was elected a member of the board of trustees of Pomona for four years. This office he now fills. He also served as president of the board. Here, as in the east, he is a notary public.

Fraternally he is connected with the Masons at Long Beach, Cal. Heis a member of the Pomona Baptist Church. Politically he is a Republican.

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He bears a reputation as a conservative, con- scientious business man, and is well known for his integrity as an official and in private life as well. He was married in Wayne county, N. Y., April 26, 1860, to Miss Mary M. Potter, daugh- ter of Lewis and Nancy (Bliss) Potter, natives of Saratoga county, N.Y., born near the old bat- tle-field. They were descendants of English nobility.

3. DE BARTH SHORB, deceased, was for many years one of the most substantial business men and best-known citizens of Los Angeles county. An important factor in business life and public affairs, he won and re- tained the confidence and esteem of his fellow- citizens. He was widely known as president and general manager of the San Gabriel Wine Com- pany and as president of the San Gabriel Valley Railroad, and the Pasadena & Alhambra Rail- road. For a time he was also president of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. His inter- ests were therefore varied and important, and his name was well known in commercial circles throughout Southern California.

The Shorb family originated in Alsace, France. The first representative in this country was the great-grandfather of our subject, who on coming to America settled near Hanover, Pa. In time he became a large land owner in Pennsylvania and Maryland, also in North Carolina and Dela- ware. His son, who spent his entire life in Penn- sylvania, and died at the age of one hundred and four years, was the father of Dr. James A. Shorb, who married a granddaughter of Capt. Felix Mc Meal, a Revolutionary soldier and sailor, who commanded his own vessel, a privateer, during the Revolutionary war. Her father, Dr. Daniel McMeal, was chief of the staff of Mercy hospital, where the McMeals and Shorbs were among the most prominent families. The McMeals were of Scotch-Irish extraction.

Born in Frederick county, Md., April 4, 1842, J. De Barth Shorb wasa son of Dr. James A. and Margrette (McMeal) Shorb. He was given a good education, and in 1859 graduated from the old classical college of Mount St. Mary's, in En11- mitsburg, Md. He commenced the study of law in the office of W. W. Dallas, nephew of Hon. George M. Dallas, who served as vice-president of the

United States from 1845 to 1849. When the Civil war began, or soon thereafter, Mr. Shorb came to California as assistant superintendent of the Philadelphia & California Oil Company, of which Thomas A. Scott, of Pennsylvania Railroad fame, was the then president.

In 1867 Mr. Shorb purchased an interest in the Temescal grant and began mining operations. During the same year he married a daughter of Benito Wilson, who at that time was a prominent citizen of Southern California. Mr. Wilson ad- vised his son-in-law to give his attention to the raising of grapes and the manufacture of wine. It was through his influence that Mr. Shorb be- came a member of the San Gabriel Wine Com- pany, whose interests include ten thousand acres of land, one thousand and three hundred acres of this property being devoted to the culture of the grape. It is said that this vineyard, both in its equipmentand the quality of its grapes, is one of the best in the world.

The fermenting room of the San Gabriel winery was 120x260 feet in dimensions, two stories high, with a capacity of two million six hundred and forty thousand gallons. The storage cellars, 147 x217 feet, had a capacity equal to the output. The distillery, 43×46 feet, attached to the building, contained a sherry room with a capacity of two hundred thousand gallons annually. The build- ings were so situated and equipped with the latest improved machinery that the work was done at the lowest minimum of expense from the moment the grapes were received into the fermenting room until the wine was ready for shipment. The winery was connected with the Southern Pacific Railroad at Shorb, from which shipments were made to all points of the world. The company planted an orchard containing apples and pears, also about one thousand one hundred Washington navel orange trees, all being furnished with the finest water system in the state.

These great enterprises were brought to their present state of perfection by the indefatigable labors of Mr. Shorb, who acted in the capacity of president and general manager of the company. In addition to these interests he was commission- er for the state, representing the State Viticul- tural Commission, and was directly connected with several corporate enterprises. It will thus be seen that lie was one of the important factors

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

in the development of this region. In his death, which occurred in 1895, while he was still in life's prime, Southern California lost one of its most progressive men. Besides his widow he left five sons and four daughters.

Among the sons is Dr. J. De Barth Shorb, who was born in this city in 1870. He received his literary education in Santa Clara College, in this state, and then studied medicine in the University of Pennsylvania, where his preceptor was Prof. Edward Martin, M.D. After his graduation, in 1895, he was appointed the first resident physi- cian of St. Agnes' Hospital in Philadelphia, and also appointed second resident physician of the Hospital University of Pennsylvania, liav- ing gained both positions through competitive examination. On resigning as resident physician he returned to Los Angeles, where he has prac- ticed his profession. He is a member of the Los Angeles Medical Society and the Southern Califor- nia Medical Society. He is captain and assistant surgeon of the Seventh Regiment, National Guard of California, and surgeon examiner of Parlor 45, Native Sons. He is married, his wife being the youngest daughter of Andrew Glassell, attorney of Los Angeles, and a director of the Farmers' & Merchants' Bank.

HOMAS F. BARNES. America takes spe- cial pride in her self-made men, those who have risen to positions of honor and respect solely by their own merit, and often, by the over- coming of immense disadvantages and obstacles. Thomas F. Barnes, secretary of Kingsley-Barnes & Neuner Company, publishers of Los Angeles, is an example of this type of our citizens, and his record, could it be given in detail, would prove an inspiration to many a young man who is now striving against great odds.

Mr. Barnes was born in La Porte, Ind., in 1860, and when six months old was taken by his parents to Nevada. His father, Enos R. Barnes, was for many years a faithful and trusted employe of the Wells-Fargo Express Company, and at the time of his death, which event oc- curred when our subject was only three years old, he was serving in the double capacity of agent for that company, and postmaster of Gold Hill, Nev. His wife, the mother of our subject,

was Elizabeth A. Croft in her girlhood, Indiana being her native place. Her other son, W. C. is a resident of Arizona.

Thomas F. Barnes received a common-schoo. education at Gold Hill, and after completing his studies he went to Indianapolis, Ind., where he entered the publishing house of Douglas & Car- lon, and thoroughly mastered the printing busi- ness during the several years which he spent in the employ of that firm. A determination to succeed, and strict application to the tasks set before him, proved the keynote of his steady promotions and future prosperity.

It was in 1878 that T. F. Barnes, learning of the wonderful growth and advancement of Los Angeles, determined to locate here and engage in business. He proceeded to Oakland, where he changed his plans for the time being, and for two years was associated with the Oakland Tribune. He then came to this city, where, for the ensuing five years, he was employed by the Mirror Publishing Company, In 1885 he em- barked in business on his own account, in com- pany with John A. Kingsley, and later Mr. Nuener was admitted to the firm, the name of the concern becoming as at present, the Kingsley- Barnes & Neuner Company. Mr. Barnes is the secretary of the company, and has contributed materially to its upbuilding and success. By de- grees the firm has increased its facilities and elevated its standard of work, until it now is justly ranked among the leading houses of the kind in the west.

In 1880 Mr. Barnes married Florence H. Macdonald, who was born in Manchester, Eng- land, and they have one child, Ethel M. Mrs. Barnes, who is a lady of superior education and social qualities, is a member of the Order of the Eastern Star and the Daughters of Rebekalı of this city.

Fraternally Mr. Barnes is very popular, belong- ing to several of the prominent lodges of Los Angeles. He is a Mason and Odd Fellow, a member of the Order of Foresters, the Royal Arcanum, the Knights of the Maccabees, the Fraternal Brotherhood, and is an honorary mem- ber of the Daughters of Rebekah and the Eastern Star. In his political creed he is a stanch Repub- lican, firmly believing in the policy of the party to whose efforts he thinks the prosperity of this

lelkileg

Photo by Marceau.

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

thriving land should be largely attributed. He

HARLES G. KELLOGG. One of the just- ly popular officials to be met at the Los An- geles court-house is Mr. Kellogg, who holds the responsible position of public administrator of Los Angeles county. He is a native of Adams, . Jefferson county, N. Y., his birth having occurred in 1843. His ancestors, on both sides of the fami- ly, were numbered among the early settlers of the Empire state, and were, for the most part, agriculturists, His father, Luke Kellogg, was born in Madison county, N. Y., and when he was a lad of twelve years he witnessed the battle of Sacket's Harbor, one of the engagements of the war of 1812. For a wife he chose Adah Maxson, and five sons and four daughters blessed their union. The progenitor of the Kellogg family in America was Moses Kellogg, a native of England, who settled in Connecticut in 1646, and from him all the American Kelloggs descend.

Charles G. Kellogg was reared on the parental homestead and early learned the proper methods of conducting a farm. He attended school in the neighborhood, more or less, until he was fifteen years of age, when he started out to earn an in- dependent livelihood. For several years he worked for farmers, and then went to Illinois, where he believed that better opportunities awaited an ambitious young man. When the Civil war broke out he offered his services to the Union, and was enrolled in the Sixty-ninth Reg- iment of Illinois Volunteers, later joining the Eleventh Illinois Cavalry, which was assigned to Col. Robert Ingersoll's division, and gallantly fought at the front until the close of the war. Subsequently he resumed farming in the Prairie state, and at one time was honored by election to the office of township tax collector in Kankakee county. In this, his initial service as a public official, he acquitted himself with credit, laying the foundation of his future praiseworthy career.

In 1875 he yielded to the strong desire which lie had long possessed to see something of the wonderful Pacific state, whose praise was in the mouth of everyone. Arriving here, he decided to

engage in farming and stock-raising, and accord- possesses the genuine esteem and admiration of ingly located upon a ranch in the Los Nietos val- his hosts of friends and business acquaintances, who can but praise his manly, upright course in life. ley, Los Angeles county, and for the ensuing eleven years he quietly and successfully pursued the even tenor of his way. In 1886 he removed to Pomona, where he served as city and county assessor for eight years, gaining the respect and admiration of the public by his fidelity and zeal in the performance of his duties. In 1894 he came to Los Angeles, and accepted a position as deputy to Sheriff John Burr, acting in that office for two years and five months. In 1897 he was appointed to act on the county board of horticul- ture, and was secretary of the same for some time. Then chosen to his present place as public administrator of Los Angeles county, he is giving entire satisfaction to all concerned. Politically he is a stalwart Republican, and fraternally he is a Mason of high standing.

In September, 1862, Mr. Kellogg and Miss Frances C. Glass, a native of Illinois, were united in marriage. She is of English ancestry, her parents having resided in London prior to their settlement in this country. The only son of Mr. and Mrs. Kellogg, Fred A., is engaged in mining enterprises in Arizona, and their only daughter, Adah E., is the wife of J. H. Rice, of Ventura county, Cal.

OHN H. NORTON. Born under the shad- ows of Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts, and brought up to a knowledge of the stern realities of life, coming in touch with the men and the things that make character and sound reputation, John H. Norton could not be other- wise than a successful business man. Associating himself with that class of enterprising and am- bitious men who sought the undeveloped regions of the far west and shrank from no obstacle or hardship in their path, he settled in Arizona, and has since been identified with various busi- ness enterprises in that territory. In connection with other prominent men, he operated over five hundred miles of stage line. This was not the only business venture that he conducted with great success. In fact, with scarcely an ex- ception, he has been successful in every venture he has projected, in every business he has under- taken. His interests are now many and varied. He is a member of the Norton & Norton Cattle

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Company, of Cedar Springs, Ariz .; also of the John H. Norton Co., of Wilcox, Ariz., dealers in merchandise, and is president of the Blue Water Land & Irrigation Company, of Blue Water, N. M.

Some years ago Mr. Norton came to Los At- geles, selecting this beautiful city as his home, and erecting a handsome residence on West Twenty-eighth street. Here he has made many friends, by reason of his genial ways and social qualities, as well as by his recognized business ability. About one-half of each year he spends in Los Angeles, while the other half is given to his many business enterprises in Arizona and New Mexico. The time that he spends in Los Angeles is by no means wholly given to recre- ation and social enjoyment, although such are richly earned through his exhausting labors when away; but he has business connections in this city, being vice-president and treasurer of the Norton-Drake Supply Company.

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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 89

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