Historical and biographical record of southern California; containing a history of southern California from its earliest settlement to the opening year of the twentieth century, Part 119

Author: Guinn, James Miller, 1834-1918
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: Chicago, Chapman pub. co.
Number of Pages: 1366

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One of the most conspicuously successful periods of Mr. Stearns' life was in connection with the lumbering business in Grand Haven, where he also conducted a planing mill, prepar- atory to the organization of the Stearns Brothers Manufacturing Company, devoted to the manu- facture of engines, machinery and windmills. This venture started out under auspicious cir - cumstances and was maintained with ever-in- creasing success, and the Stearns windmills became known the world over, and were shipped to all quarters of the globe where the utility of

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this invention is known and appreciated. The firm also manufactured tanks and wooden wheels for other manufacturers, and at one time turned out two-thirds of the woodwork for mills in the United States. Mr. Stearns was also the first to make tanks by machinery in connection for woodwork for mills. The windmills were, however, of paramount importance, and so great was the European demand that an export- ing house was established at No. 43 New street, New York City, and from 1873 until 1883 in- clusive, the Stearns Brothers had the largest exporting windmill business in the world. An unusually appropriate advertisement for the mills grew out of the destruction of the town of Alexandria, Egypt, when, above the general debris arose unscathed the Stearns windmill, pumping away as of yore, apparently unmind- ful of its exclusive isolation as the sole re- minder of a previously prosperous town. The historian who chronicled the disaster gave a particularly interesting description of this always picturesque construction, a fact which lent ad- ditional romance to the flapping wings so well beloved of artist-souls on the Dunes of Hol- land, and on the practical prairies of the west. Thus nine years of united effort built up a com- mercial enterprise of international importance, and yet so uncertain are the most substantial plans of men, that in 1883 the grim and relent- less flames swept away that which was created by the careful thought, diligence and splendid achievement of master business minds, and $85,- 000 was as though it had never been, this be- ing the sun lost above all insurance. This was the fourth large conflagration, but there had in the mean time been six smaller ones.

The necessity for artificial irrigation in Cali- fornia had in the mean time been prolific of orders for the mills constructed in Grand Haven, Mich., and by 1883 over two thousand had been erected in different parts of the state, and agencies had been established for their further disposal. It was therefore not surpris- ing that Mr. Stearns should feel kindly disposed towards the business prospects of the coast, when taken in connection with the admirable fire departments and climatic and general in - ducements. Upon locating in Los Angeles he established, in 1884, the Stearns Manufacturing Company, which was disposed of in 1895 to the Lacy Manufacturing Company, on North Main street. His success proved in a measure a duplicate of that experienced in Michigan, and his mills and steam engines found a ready sale along the coast as well as inland. Another plant, established about the same time and later disposed of to his son, was the machine manu- facturing concern that turned out the first steam engine and the first steam pump in Los Angeles. They also made and put in the first machinery for ironing shirts and collars in the city, and which is now used by the Excelsior laundry.

Having disposed of his former two interests in 1895, Mr. Stearns bought and built his present place of business at No. 1200 North Main street. This enterprise now constitutes the larg- est furniture manufactory in the city, and the plant consists of two buildings, one two stories in height, 36x85 feet in ground dimensions, and one 50x85 feet in ground surface. Furni- ture of all kinds is turned out of the factory, and a high grade of work is maintained in all of the departments.

At Eagle, Wis., Mr. Stearns married Mary Snyder, who was born in Cattaraugus, N. Y., and died in Whitewater, Wis. Of this union there were three children: Frank, who is in the machine shop in Los Angeles; Charles, who died in this city; and Augustus, who is a fruit shipper at Redlands and Highlands. A second marriage was contracted by Mr. Stearns in Cedar Falls, Iowa, the present Mrs. Stearns be- ing Angeline Snyder, a sister of his first wife, and also a native of New York state. To Mr. and Mrs. Stearns have been born two children, Bert, who is a traveling salesman in San Fran- cisco, and Will, who is a practicing physician in Dupuyer, Mont., and is a graduate of the Los Angeles Medical College. Mr. Stearns is pronouncedly public spirited, and is of practical assistance in furthering any plan of improve- ment in the city. He is a member of the Mer- chants and Manufacturers Association, and has lent the weight of his influence in furthering the undertakings of the Republican party. In the latter capacity he has been active in the county central committee, and during 1886-7 was a member of the city council. Fraternally he is associated with the Masons, having joined that organization in Cedar Falls, Iowa, in which town he was raised to the Royal Arch Masons and the Commandery. He is also affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, with Bartlett Logan Post, G. A. R., and has also been vice-commander of Kennesaw Post. Mr. Stearns enjoys a standing in the community commensurate with his splendid financial ability, his sterling general worth and unblemished in- tegrity. Of such are the bulwarks of any com- monwealth composed, and to men of like cal- ibre will appreciation and gratitude be ever forthcoming.

JOHN BRENNAN. That the successful ho- tel man is "born and not made" was proved by the career of John Brennan, one of the most ca- pable in his line in the country. Identified for several years with the hotel business in South- ern California, he is particularly remembered as the proprietor of the Hoffman House, in Los Angeles, which, under his wise and efficient man- agement, developed into one of the most popu- lar and paying hostelries in the southern part of the state. From his youth up he made a

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study of entertaining the traveling public, and based his operations upon a wide knowledge of human nature, ready tact, and the aid of a pleasing and genial personality. Everyone who came to his hotels, whether in the east or west, left with the rooted intention of coming again, which means without specification that the in- ternal and external man were well cared for.

A native of Peterboro, Canada, Mr. Brennan was born in 1849, and received his education in the public schools of his northern country. He never had any intention of engaging in other than the hotel business, and his first indepen- dent venture was conducted in Painesville, Ohio, in connection with the Cowles House. He later went to Cleveland, Olio, and was proprietor of the Empress House, which establishment had an era of prosperity until relinquished by him at the end of five years. In Los Angeles he purchased the Hoffman House, as heretofore stated, and in 1893 returned east to Cleveland and ran the Oxford House, which was disposed of in 1895. Cherishing memories altogether de- lightful of his residence in California, he fol- lowed the example of most who come under the influence of her manifold charms and returned west. With hopes of a continued residence on the western slope of the country he purchased the New Morris Hotel of Santa Barbara, and was just located and ready for business when, on account of the failure in business of the pro- prietor of the Oxford House in Cleveland, he was obliged to relinquish his desire to live in the west, and returned to the scene of his pre- vious efforts in Cleveland. While in the prime of life, at the age of forty-six, he died in De- troit, Mich., in 1895, his demise being occa- sioned by a cold. He left many warm and ad- miring friends, who appreciated the noble traits of his character, and who sadly missed him from his accustomed haunts .. He was truly a man of many gifts, not the least of which was a large heart and a weil-directed sympathy with all who struggle with the trials and vicissitudes of life.

Mrs. Brennan, who occupies a prominent place among the hotel managers of Santa Bar- bara, was born in Buffalo, N. Y., and is a daugh- ter of Timothy Callahan, for many years con- nected with the large grain firms of Buffalo, and subsequently a clerk in the surrogate court. The mother, Mary (Hughes) Callahan, who died in Buffalo, had thirteen children, eight of whom attained maturity, and five are now living, Mrs. Brennan and her brother, Cornelius, being the only ones in California. Mrs. Brennan has demonstrated her ability to carry on the work of her husband, and has been especially suc- cessful since going into partnership with her brother in the management and ownership of the New Morris and the Mascarel. These ho- tels are being conducted in a most satisfactory

and up-to-date manner, and with every regard for the comfort and convenience of the many guests who return again and again to avail theniselves of the pleasant associations here to be met with. Like her husband, Mrs. Brennan is a Republican in politics. She has many friends among those whom she has met in a business and social way, and is one of the neces- sary adjuncts of hotel and social life in Santa Barbara.

A. MARIA MCDOUGALL CONGDON, M. D. It is doubtful if any medical practitioner in Los Angeles county has achieved such pro- nounced success in the treatment of pulmonary troubles as has Dr. Maria McDougall Congdon, who makes a specialty of research tending to the amelioration of this universally dreaded human disorder. Cases considered practically hopeless have been restored to normal condi- tions under her efficacious treatment, and the growing confidence in her ability has brought her an extended patronage and a reputation by no means local in its reach.

A native of Allegany county, N. Y., Dr. Cong- don was born in Clarksville, and comes of a family first represented in America by the pa- ternal great-grandfather, who emigrated from Scotland, and settled in Vermont. There the paternal grandfather, another James, was born, and thence in later life removed to Saratoga county, N. Y., where the third James, the father of Dr. Congdon, was born. The father was a farmer in New York state, near Clarksville, who had the good fortune to strike the first oil and gas well in Allegany county on his property. He died at the age of forty-nine years. His wife was formerly Hannah Maxson, a native of Madison county, N. Y., and of Scotch descent. Mrs. Congdon was the mother of one son and two daughters. Of these Dr. Congdon is the youngest; Trivilla is the widow of J. F. Zimmer- man, of Clarksville; and Marcellus C. is living in Cuba, N. Y.

Dr. Congdon received her professional train- ing in the medical department of the Univer- sity of Buffalo, from which she was graduated in 1892, thereafter engaging in practice in Cuba, N. Y., eight miles from the place of her birth. Her efforts were crowned with success, and she worked up a large practice. The constant strain of responsibility so told upon her general health that at the end of four years and a half she was obliged to seek a change of climate and sur- roundings, and therefore located in Pasadena. This city, rich in the possession of women of talent and diverse accomplishments, has wel- comed the professional acumen and high stand- ards of Dr. Congdon, whose sympathy with hu- man suffering has led to so thorough an under- standing of the diseases of women, as well as of pulmonary disorders.

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Dr. Congdon is a member of the Pasadena Medical Society, and is medical examiner for the Knights of the Maccabees, the Live Oak Circle, Women of Woodcraft and the Fraternal Aid. She is a Republican in political affiliation, and is a stanch believer in temperance, whether viewed from the standpoint of intoxicants or of general living. Her son, Roscoe Paul Cong- don, was admitted to the California bar April 10, 1900, and is now one of the prominent young attorneys of Pasadena, engaged principally in probate and corporation law. In February, 1898, he married Grace Moore, of Olean, N. Y., and they have one daughter, Lucille.

ELIZA J. BEACH, M. D. The science of homeopathy in Pasadena has no exponent more painstaking and capable than Dr. Eliza J. Beach, whose practice here began in the fall of 1887, and has since continued uninterruptedly. Dr. Beach was born in Knoxville, Tioga county, Pa., a daughter of David, and granddaughter of William Beach, the latter a native of Wales. The grandfather emigrated from Wales with his brothers, Samuel and David, and settled in Con- necticut, where his remaining days were spent.

David Beach, the father of Dr. Beach, was born in Connecticut, and for several years lived in Tompkins county, N. Y., removing afterward to Tioga county, Pa., and later to Knoxville, Pa., where his death occurred. He was a manu- facturing cooper up to the time of his retire- ment. His wife, formerly Anna Bull, was born in Groton, Tompkins county, N. Y., a daughter of James and Hannah (Shaw) Bull, natives of Connecticut. The Bull family is of English descent, and the paternal grandfather was the emigrating ancestor. Mrs. Beach died in Knox- ville, Pa., having reared a family of seven chil- dren, five of whom are living, Dr. Beach being the third. Three of the sons served in the Civil war: Victor, a soldier in the Tenth New York Infantry, died in Memphis, Tenn .; Oscar, a sol- dier in Pope's Division, Ninth Pennsylvania Regiment, died from exposure and starvation; and Charles, a member of the Tenth New York Volunteer Infantry, served for four years, and through two enlistments, and now lives in Cat- taraugus county, N. Y.

Dr. Beach was reared in Knoxville, Pa., and was educated in the public schools and at Cow- anesque Academy, after which she engaged in educational work in Addison, N. Y., as princi- pal of a public school. In 1863 she removed to Leavenworth, Kans., and while there was one of the organizers of the Home for the Friend- iess, for women and children. She was appoint- ed matron in charge by the other ladies inter- ested in the enterprise, and so successful was her management that the place was enlarged from a two-room shelter to a four-story brick building on Fifth and Pine streets. This place

is still running, having been brought to a high state of development by Dr. Beach, who, dur- ing her seven years' association with the insti- tution, became interested in medicine through Dr. Eliza Knowles Morgan, the homeopathic house physician. Having decided to devote her life to medicine she entered the medical depart- ment of the University of Michigan in 1869, graduating therefrom in 1871. She then be- came identified with the Dr. Rachel Gleason Sanitarium, at Elmira, N. Y., and in 1871 began to practice at Mansfield, Tioga county, Pa. In 1876 Dr. Beach entered the Homeopathic Med- ical College at Cleveland, Ohio, and graduated from that institution in 1877, later continuing her former practice in Mansfield for three years. In Waverly, N. Y., she practiced until 1886, during which year she came to Pasadena. Be- ing pleased with the city, she returned to the east and disposed of her interests there, the fall of 1887 finding her again located in Pasadena, where she bought a residence on Worcester ave- nue. She engaged in practice in this town, and . although interested in general medicine and surgery, she makes a specialty of rectal surgery and the diseases of women. The Doctor has a commodious residence and fine offices, and her experience in the west has been that of the suc- cessful, conscientious and gifted professional woman.

In 1897 Dr. Beach returned to Cleveland and took a post-graduate course at the old school, and this represents but one of her constant ef- forts to keep abreast of the advance in her great calling. She is a member of the State Medical Society, the Southern California Homeopathic Medical Society, the Los Angeles County Homeopathic Medicai Society, the American Institute of Homeopathy, and is foremost in professional matters in the city and county. Dr. Beach is a member of the Shakspere Club, and of the First Methodist Episcopal Church. In political affiliation she is allied with the Re- publican party.

STEPHEN G. BROOKS. By virtue of the position which he occupies as agent for the Southern Pacific Milling Company at Santa Paula, Mr. Brooks is well known among the people of Ventura county. He came to Cali- fornia in September, 1888, from the historic town of Concord, Mass., where he was born and reared and where his early manhood years were passed. In that city he married Mrs. Jane Palmer, a native of Dover, Mass. Two chil- dren were born of their union, namely: Walter H., who lives in Greenwood, Cal., and Maisuna, who is attending school in Los Angeles.

During the years from 1871 to 1888 Mr. Brooks was in the employ of the American Ex- press Company, but in the latter year he re- signed his position in order to come to the Pa-

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cific coast. Arriving in California, he worked for a year in the employ of the Los Angeles Ice and Cold Storage Company at Los Angeles. Later he secured employment in Santa Barbara, and still later made his home in Ventura. In September, 1890, he came to Santa Paula as agent for the Southern Pacific Milling Com- pany, since which time he has had charge of the company's business and has discharged his manifold duties in a way highly satisfactory to his employers.

While in the middle district of Los Angeles county Mr. Brooks first became interested in the oil industry. Included among his posses- sions is some real estate in Los Angeles. Edu- cational matters for the advancement of the Santa Paula schools receive his thoughtful and intelligent attention, in the capacity of secretary of the high school board. Another local enter- prise in which he is interested is the Santa Paula Board of Trade, of which he is president. An active worker in the Democratic party, he is now a member of the county central commit- tee and in 1900 served as chairman of the Dem- ocratic convention at Ventura. Fraternally he is connected with the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and during his residence in Concord, Mass., was active in the Royal Arcanum. He is public-spirited and in the ranks of those who are seeking to promote the welfare of the town and county.

CAPT. ALBERT H. JOHNSON. The de- velopment of a community depends not only upon its advantages of climate and soil, but also upon the character of its citizenship. Judged by both of these standards, Monrovia bids fair to attain prominence among the towns of South- ern California. Its soil is susceptible of high cultivation, its climate is said by many to be ideal, and its citizens as a class are enterpris- ing and capable. One of the promoters of the town is Captain Johnson, who dates his resi- dence here from January 25, 1887. Since con :- ing here he has owned and developed a con- siderable amount of land. His first house was built on the present site of the Mills residence, and later he erected the attractive abode which he now occupies and which, with its pleasant surroundings, forms a distinct addition to Monrovia.

The boyhood days of Captain Johnson werc spent on a farm near Wethersfield, Wyoming county, N. Y., where he was born April 23. 1836. When he was twelve years of age, his father, Orrin Johnson, took the family to Wis -- consin, where soon he began to bear his part in the busy world of affairs. As a hoy he worked on the railroad, first in his home state, and later in Illinois and Iowa. When the gold mines of Colorado were attracting thousands he made his first trip to the west, and from 1860 to 1863

was employed in mining at Leadville. On his return to Iowa, he enlisted at Fort Dodge in the Seventh Iowa Cavalry, and accompanied his regiment in its varied expeditions up to the close of the war. From first sergeant he was promoted to regimental commissary sergeant and, in the spring of 1864, to the rank of cap- tain. At the close of the war he returned to the duties of a private citizen, resuming rail- road work and taking contracts to furnish ties and lumber with which to complete the Union Pacific Railroad. Meantime he also bought and sold real estate, also made a contract with the Northern Pacific Railroad and was a manufac- turer, also a dealer in butter, eggs and poultry.

The work of a contractor proved congenial and profitable, but Captain Johnson found that the constant exposure to inclement weather rapidly undermined his constitution, and he therefore decided to seek California's equable climate. A visit through much of the state in 1887 resulted in a growing conviction that Monrovia offered a climate surpassed by no other location, and he accordingly established his home here, a decision which he has never had cause to regret. While living in Iowa he was married, at Fort Dodge, to Miss Lavinia Dwellie, by whom he had four children, namely: Amy, Tillie and Sarah, who died in childhood; and Alberta, a beautiful and accomplished young lady, whose death in 1898 was a deep and irreparable loss to her devoted parents and many friends. Mrs. Johnson is a communicant of the Episcopal Church and a contributor to various movements of a religious and philan- thropic nature, in which the captain also is in- terested, being a man of benevolent spirit and kind heart. The days of his war service he holds in memory by his association with Stanton Post No. 55, G. A. R., of which he is past con- mander and an interested worker. while fra- ternally he is associated with the Masons anel has been raised to the degrees of Royal Arch, Knight Templar, Scottish Rite and Shrine.

The principles of the Republican party re- ceive the support of Captain Johnson, yet he is less a partisan than a patriot, less a political worker than a progressive, public-spirited citizen. Feeling the keenest interest in the wel- fare of Monrovia, he consented to serve in the city council, which position has given him an opportunity to further measures for local prog- ress, particularly along the line of the de- velopment of water facilities through his service as chairman of the city water committee. He is known for his sound and careful judgment in the council, which quality makes his sugges- tions particularly valuable. Whatever progress and prosperity Monrovia may enjoy in the future may be attributed in no small degree to the efficient and judicious labors of such citizens as Captain Johnson.

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ALBERT BRIGDEN. From the time of ar- riving in Southern California in 1877 until his death seventeen years later, Mr. Brigden made his home at Lamanda Park, where, shortly af- ter his arrival, he purchased from Charles Ellis a tract of land, later selling a part to his brother- in-law, J. F. Crank, but retaining one hundred and twenty acres. The land thus acquired had at one time been owned by the widow of Gen. Al- bert Sidney Johnston, of Confederate fame, and she had erected thereon the first frame house in that part of San Gabriel valley. In 1869 Judge Eaton purchased the property and established what is now called Fair Oaks vineyard. Two years later Charles Ellis acquired a portion of the large ranch, and he in turn sold to Mr. Brigden, who built ditches and a reservoir, se- cured ample water facilities from the Precipice canon, and placed the land under cultivation. At this writing there are thirty-five acres in the finest varieties of oranges, five acres in lemons, five in deciduous fruits, while the balance is in a vineyard. Surrounding the land is a hedge nearly fourteen feet high and eight feet across, provided with three openings which secure-en- trance to the ranch.

In 1844 Mr. Brigden was born in Penn Yan, N. Y., where his father, Timothy, was a manu- facturer. His mother, who bore the maiden name of Cornelia Dwight Hickox, was born in Connecticut and was a relative of Timothy Dwight, ex-president of Yale College. In 1864 he enlisted as sergeant in the Fifty-eighth New York Infantry, which was assigned to duty in guarding prisoners and escorting paroled de- tachments to their point of exchange. At the age of twenty-one he became a partner in his father's business, and continued as such until fire destroyed the works in 1872. He then went to Chicago, where he was interested in a whole- sale hardware business until 1876, the year of his arrival in San Francisco. The following year he settled on the ranch where his widow now makes her home. Associated with several gentlemen, in 1885 he incorporated the Sierra Madre Vintage Company, of which he became general manager and vice-president. During the same year a winery was built at Lamanda Park, which was afterward under the supervi- sion of Mr. Brigden. From time to time its capacity has been increased, until it now dis- poses of two thousand tons of grapes during the season, these grapes being furnished principally from the Highland vineyards of Mr. Brigden.

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Historical and biographical record of southern California; containing a history of southern California from its earliest settlement to the opening year of the twentieth century, Part 119

Author: Guinn, James Miller, 1834-1918 Publication date: 1902 Publisher: Chicago, Chapman pub. co. Number of Pages: 1366

Author: Guinn, James Miller, 1834-1918
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: Chicago, Chapman pub. co.
Number of Pages: 1366