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 130

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

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Lodge No. 35, F. & A. M., and he was also made an Odd Fellow in San Francisco. He has his office in the Byrne building. As an archi- tect he has attained a prominence that speaks volumes for his ability and painstaking skill, and without doubt the future years will bring him an ever increasing degree of success and professional influence.

WILLIAM J. OLIVER, V. S. Of remote Scotch extraction, the Oliver family became as- sociated with North of Ireland people by reason of the religious persecutions in their own land. From Ireland William Oliver, a farmer, crossed the ocean to Canada, and settled in Toronto, where he married Miss Anne Hunter, a Canadian by birth and of English descent. Of their union were born nine children, the young- est being William J., who is also the only mem- ber of the family in the States. His birth oc- curred in Toronto, Ontario, March 30, 1848. When he was quite small he lost his mother by death and was thenceforward thrown to some extent upon his own resources. Reared upon a farm in the township of Toronto, Ontario, he early gained a thorough knowledge of the stock business and the raising of general farm prod- uce. From boyhood he was interested in horses, and during the years that he acted as buyer of horses for the American Express Company of Toronto, he gained a thorough knowledge of equine flesh, and at the same time was obliged to study veterinary surgery, in order that he might understand the diseases to which the stock were subject. Ambitious to acquire a thorough knowledge of surgery, he entered the Ontario Veterinary College in 1878 and three years later was graduated with the degree of V. S. From that time until 1886 he engaged in practice in Bramton, Ontario, and during the last two years of his residence there he also engaged extensively in shipping horses to the west and northwest.

With a desire to see the Pacific coast region of which he had heard so much, Mr. Oliver visited California in 1886, and during the trip he became so delighted with this country that he determined to establish his home in Los Angeles. Returning to Ontario, he disposed of his interests, and accompanied by his family, removed to the city where he has since resided. While living in Toronto he married Miss Har- riet McFarland, a native of York, Canada. They are the parents of a daughter and son: Mrs. Florence W. Cole, of Los Angeles, and WV. A., a graduate of the Los Angeles high school, now in Nome, Alaska.

In the spring of 1898 Mr. Oliver was ap- pointed a member of the State Veterinary Medical Board and on the organization of the board was appointed its secretary, which posi-

tion he has filled with recognized efficiency and success. His practice is large, including not only a considerable private practice, but also the care of the horses of the majority of truck and transfer companies in Los Angeles, and, in addition, he is engaged in raising standard-bred horses, of which he has some fine specimens. Since he became a citizen of the United States he has voted the Republican ticket. His fra- ternal relations include membership in the In- dependent Order of Foresters and Benevolent Protective Order of Elks.

HIRAM PHELPS. Amid the rugged hills of Addison county, in Vermont, several gen- erations of the Phelps family resided and were prominent in the affairs of their com- munity. There, during the greater part of his life, Benjamin Phelps was a farmer. He had become familiar with the crude and un- settled conditions which surrounded his boy- hood, and in his later years of prosperity used to recall the incident of a barefoot boy trudging to a mill nine miles distant, his back bending beneath the weight of a sack of corn for grind- ing. In the sunset of his life he lived with his son, Reuben. At the time of his death he was eighty-five years of age.

In the occupations of farming and sawmilling Reuben Phelps acquired a competency. He was one of the prominent residents of Addison county and a man of force and character. In politics he was a Republican, and in religion was identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he served as steward. His useful and successful life terminated at the age of eighty-six years. By his marriage to Mary Knapp, a native of Addison county, Vt., he had the following-named children: Lorenzo, who was drowned when two years old, in his father's mill pond; Elmira, Harvey, Hiram, Amanda and Norman.

A son of Reuben and Mary Phelps, Hiram Phelps was born in Addison county, Vt., Sep- tember 3, 1852. He assisted his father about the sawmill and on the farm, and acquired his education in the public schools of his district. Eventually he came into the possession of a farm in Vermont, but this he disposed of, and removed to Portage Ferry, Dodge county, Wis., where for eighteen years he was engaged in farming pursuits with success. In 1883 he dis- posed of his Wisconsin property and brought his family to Southern California, settling in Orange county, where he purchased twenty- three acres of land. A portion of this he sold, and now owns a homestead of eight acres under a fine state of cultivation, besides which he has property in Santa Ana and Long Beach.

While living in Vermont Mr. Phelps married Cornelia C. Gale, a daughter of Squire and

John J Butter

Mrs Mary Butter

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Naomi (Harrison) Gale, of Vermont. Of this union there are two children: George E., who is a nurseryman on Main street, Santa Ana; and Eugenia, wife of George Y. Coutts, a rancher of Orange county. Both Mr. and Mrs. Phelps are active workers in the Methodist Episcopal Church. In politics he is a Repub- lican, and in fraternal relations a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

JOHN T. BUTLER. To the undiscerning eye there was little to attract in the aspect of the property at Pasadena which Mr. Butler pur- chased in 1884 shortly after his arrival in Cali- fornia. The keen foresight and intuitive judg- ment which he possessed, however, enabled him to discern its possibilities, when once it was given an opportunity to respond to care and cultivation. A glance at the well improved homestead of to- for the woods and wild mustard patches have been transformed into a thriving citrus and de- ciduous fruit ranch and to complete the loveli- ness of the spot a residence has been erected, whose exterior finish is enhanced by its interior charms.

day proves him to be a man of discrimination, . Third Artillery, he was ordered to the Philippine Islands, his total period of service covering three years.

Near Oswego, Oswego county, N. Y., J. T. Butler was born December 5, 1852, being a twin brother of J. P. Butler, also of Pasadena. His father, J. T., Sr., was born in New York and throughout active life engaged in the manufac- ture of lumber, dying at Amboy Center, Oswego county. He was a son of Joseph Butler, a na- tive of Connecticut, who served in the war of 1812 and afterward followed agricultural pur- suits. The wife of J. T. Butler, Sr., was Cath- erine Wright, who was born in Williamstown, N. Y., and died in Amboy Center. Her father, Thomas Wright, a native of Williamstown, N. Y., moved from there to Pleasant Hill, Neb., and there died in 1877, aged ninety-five years. It is noteworthy that his wife also attained a great age, being one hundred years old when she died in 1901 in Nebraska.

A rude schoolhouse at Amboy Center, with its rude equipments of furniture and primitive text books, was the "temple of learning" in which J. T. Butler gained the rudiments of his educa- tion. From that discouraging start he has at- tained to a breadth of knowledge not always the possession of college graduates. Starting out for himself in 1873, he went to Jones county, Iowa, where he was employed at railroading. A year later he began to manufacture lumber, which he soon had increased to important proportions. From 1881 until his removal to California in 1884 he made his home in Dixon county, Neb .. where he carried on a general ranching busi - ness, with a specialty of cattle-raising. His pos- sessions there consisted of three hundred acres of well improved land, with twenty acres in a fine fruit orchard. The farm was considered the

finest in the county. The experience in agricul- ture in Nebraska fitted him to appreciate the beauties of horticulture in California, and our state has no one more enthusiastic than he in its behalf. In selecting fruits for his farm in Cali- fornia, he set out a variety of cherries. Old set- tlers of the county endeavored to dissuade him, believing the attempt would prove a failure. However, in 1890 he placed a large crop of cher- ries upon the market, these being the first mar- keted that were grown in Southern California. In religion he believes in the doctrines of the Seventh-Day Advent Church, while politically he votes with the Republicans. In 1873 he married Miss Mary Kenyon, of Rome, N. Y. They have reared two children, of whom the daughter, Gladys Butler, remains with them. Grant But- ler enlisted in the United States army and served through the war in Cuba. On re-enlisting in the

CHARLES HERBERT TOWLE. The de- scendant of English ancestry, Charles H. Towle of Pasadena was born in Lee, N. H., October 6, 1848, and is a son of John F. and Abbie (Davis) Towle, also natives of Lee. His grandfather, Col. Gardner Towle, removed from Epping to Lee, where he became a leading merchant and manufacturer. By reason of his recognized ability and fitness for the public service, he was frequently chosen to occupy positions of trust and responsibility, among these being the office of state legislator. For a time he was a mem- ber of the state militia with the rank of colonel. Instead of following in his footsteps, John F. Towle became a farmer, which occupation he followed in Lee and then in Epping, dying at the latter point in 1901. His wife had preceded him in death in 1895. They were the parents of four children, of whom Charles H. and two daughters (now in Exeter, N. H.) are the sur- vivors.

Under the influence of his father's training Charles H. Towle while yet a boy secured a thorough knowledge of agriculture. Not de- siring, however, to follow the occupation throughout life, at the age of twenty he began to learn the carpenter's trade in Lawrence. Mass. On becoming a journeyman carpenter he secured employment at Exeter, N. H., where his success was so encouraging that he took up contracting and building. Among his contracts were those for schoolhouses, substantial business blocks and fine residences. Since he came to Pasadena in 1895 he has built some of the most attractive residences here, besides building for himself three houses, two of which he owns. The firm of Towle & Hansen, to which he be- longs, is one of the leading in its occupation in

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the city, and is frequently chosen for contracts that are important and responsible.

The political views of Mr. Towle bring him into affiliation with the Democratic party, and during his residence in Exeter he was elected, on that ticket, to the office of selectman, which he held one term. Fraternally he is connected with the Odd Fellows. His marriage, in North- wood, N. H., united him with Miss Addie A. Leach, who was born in Epping, N. H., and by whom he has three children, Frank W., Beulah R. and Ethel B.

MRS. M. J. UTTERBACK. Among the vivid recollections that cluster around the child- hood of Mrs. Utterback is that of the long journey across the plains to California when she was eight years of age. Her father, Silas Ritchey, believing that the west afforded greater opportunities than his home state, Iowa, brought his wife and four children with him in 1853, making the trip with a party of Iowans. During the six months spent in the journey, all were forced to endure great hardships, but the children of course were freed from the burden of anxiety and responsibility that rested so heavily upon the older members of the com- pany. Following the Platte route, they finally arrived in Napa county, Cal., and the Ritchey family settled upon a farm of one hundred and sixty acres. With the assistance of the sons, the father placed this homestead under cultiva- tion, and also operated a large tract of rented land. Meantime the daughter, Martha, was equally useful in the home, assisting her mother in the heavy work that fell upon the house- keeper and acquiring a knowledge of domestic science that fitted her for the management of a home of her own. In 1868 she was married to Mr. Utterback, and two years later came to Santa Ana, where Mr. Ritchey purchased three hundred acres. Here, as before, his sons as- sisted him in the cultivation of a large tract, at times operating one thousand acres, and thus they gave employment to many of the strangers coming to settle in Orange county. Finally the homestead of four hundred and fifty acres was divided and sold to other parties, with the ex- ception of three tracts of fifty-six acres cach, which became the property respectively of Wil- liam S. and James M. Ritchey and Mrs. Utter- back. Another son, Milton, had died at the age of eighteen years. William S. died in 1901, leaving a wife and two daughters. James M. never married, but made his home with his older brother and assisted in developing the various properties owned by the family.

The homestead of Mrs. Utterback comprises thirty acres on Ritchey avenue, Tustin, where she has a fine orchard of citrus and deciduous fruits. The supervision of the property falls upon her, and in its management she has shown

decided business ability. Matters pertaining to the progress of the county and the general up- lifting of humanity receive her sympathy and co-operation, and she is especially interested in religious movements, being a sincere believer in the doctrines of the Baptist Church. In her family there are three children. The only son, James Henry, of Santa Ana, is engaged in the manufacture of novelties, and is said by com- petent judges to possess a genius for art, in which he has produced some excellent work. The older daughter, Hettie Elvira, is the wife of Isaac Fields, of Santa Ana, and the younger daughter, Kate Irene, resides with her mother.

JOHN W. WOOD. The postmaster of Pasa- dena was born near Wilmington, Del., March I, 1851, of Scottish parentage. His education was obtained in the common schools of his home town. While still a mere boy he acquired an excellent knowledge of the drug business, through acting as assistant to his father, John Wood, a pharmacist. In 1871 he was graduated from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, and then went to New York City, where he was em- ployed as a pharmacist for four years. Coming to California in 1875, he clerked in San Fran- cisco and for three and one-half years conducted a drug store in San José. In 1883 he came to Pasadena, of which city he has since been a resi- dent, interested in its growth and upbuilding. For three years he was editor and proprietor of the Pasadena Valley Union, having established the same. His intimate knowledge of pharma- ceutical matters led to his selection as a member of the California State Board of Pharmacy, with which he was connected for six years. For two years he served as a school trustee of Pasadena and he has also efficiently filled the office of trus- tee of the public library. A stanch Republican in his views, he was honored by his party and the administration January 17, 1900, when he was appointed postmaster. The duties of the position he assumed March I following, and has since devoted his attention to their faithful and painstaking discharge. Fraternally he is con- nected with Corona Lodge, F. & A. M. In 1877 he married Miss Georgeanna Newlin, whose father is James Newlin, of Chester county, Pa. They have one son, Clifford H., who has been educated in the State University of California at Berkeley, and is now a student of medicine.

BARNABAS TIBBALS. There is probably no resident of Riverside more familiar with the growth and development of its orange interests than is Mr. Tibbals. From the first he has been connected with its fruit lands and has been a firm believer in their possibilities. Nor has this confidence ever been shaken, in spite of the dis- couragements that have occasionally arisen to try men's faith and dampen their ardor. When

Af RmagEs

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

the prices of the fruit have been low and rail- road freights high, he has maintained the same enthusiastic belief in the future that less hopeful natures can only have when all goes well. It has been his privilege to live to see the industry ( stablished upon a firm basis, which cannot be impaired by those minor matters that once threatened its destruction.

August 17, 1887, Mr. Tibbals bought, for $12,000, ten acres of land on Brockton Square, Riverside, of which tract four acres were in oranges and six in deciduous fruits. In the fall of the same year he put the six acres in oranges. August 17, 1891, he sold the place for $24,000, which is the highest price ever paid, per acre, for an orange grove in Riverside. His next purchase comprised forty acres at San Jacinto, for which he paid $6,000. A portion of this property was in alfalfa, the remainder in fruit. The buildings were first-class and a flow- ing well greatly enhanced the value of the land. After three years he sold out and returned to Riverside, where he bought a three-year-old orchard on the corner of High and Center streets. On this place he made his home until June, 1901, when he moved to No. 1049 Almond street. He has also improved an orange grove on Chicago avenue, south of Center street, the same comprising ten acres of growing trees.

MRS. JEAN K. MAGEE, who has made her home in Riverside since August 19, 1875, was born in Steubenville, Jefferson county, Ohio, a daughter of Robert and Elizabeth (Kelley) Thompson, natives respectively of Ireland and Chester county, Pa. At the beginning of the nineteenth century her father came to America and settled one mile from Steubenville, Ohio, where he improved a farm, at the same time car- rying on a mercantile store in the city and con- ducting an iron manufacturing business. In ad- dition, he owned flour mills at Jacksonville. For four years he held office as sheriff of Jefferson county. At fifty-five years of age his life work ended, his death occurring November 13, 1833, the night long memorable among pioneers as that of the falling stars. His wife, who was reared in Pennsylvania, accompanied her parents to Holiday's Cove, W. Va., across the Ohio river from Steubenville, Ohio. She died at Eastport, Tuscarawas county, Ohio. Of her eleven chil- dren only one daughter and two sons attained mature years, and Mrs. Magee is now the sole survivor. She was born February 18, 1823, and spent the first ten years of her life in Steuben- ville, after which she accompanied the family to Cadiz and received her education in Cadiz Sem- inary. From there she went to Eastport, Ohio. where she taught school several years.

In Eastport, September 10, 1844, Miss Thomp- son became the wife of Dr. S. R. Magee, who was born in Mifflin county, Pa. His father,

Thomas Magee, a farmer first in Pennsylvania and later in Ohio, was a son of Thomas Magee, Sr., a soldier in the Revolutionary war. When a mere boy, S. R. Magee determined to become a physician, and in the carrying out of this pur- pose, he attended Rush Medical College, Chicago. His first location for practice was at Uhrichs- ville, Ohio, after which he carried on profes- sional work at Deersville, Harrison county, Ohio, and later moved to Cadiz, Harrison county, where he officiated as county sheriff for four years. During the Civil war he was a member of the Ohio National Guard, and when the per- petuity of the Union and the homes of the north were threatened, he was called out into service, being assigned to the One Hundred and Seven- tieth Regiment of Ohio National Guard. With his regiment he was sent to Washington May 4. 1865, and remained at the front for some months.

Upon his honorable discharge from the army Dr. Magee became agent at Steubenville for the Pittsburg & Cleveland Railroad, in which capac- ity he was employed for nine years. In the fall of 1876 he joined his family, who had come to California a year before and had purchased forty acres of raw land on what is now Palm and Central avenues, Riverside. To the improve- ment of this place he at once gave his undivided attention, experimenting with fruits of many varieties, but finally planting the entire tract in oranges. A portion of the property has been sold, and the homestead now comprises twenty- one acres, planted to oranges of different varie- ties. One of the most attractive features of the place is the long drive of palms, which lend an air of picturesqueness to the homestead and add materially to its value. It was at this place that Dr. Magee died April 22, 1896, and his remains were interred in Olivewood cemetery a few days later, the interment being conducted with Ma- sonic honors.

MARIE B. WERNER, M. D. The Werner family has held an honorable place in German history as far back as the genealogy can be traced. Christian von Werner, a man of liberal ideas and large estates, held the office of mayor of Weinsberg, and wielded a powerful influence among his associates. While serving as a cap- tain in the revolution of 1848 he was shot and fatally injured; whereupon his only son, Charles Augustus Ferdinand, fled to America in com- pany with his mother and settled in Philadel- phia. Some years later he married Caroline Wolpert, the only child of a merchant of Wur- temberg, Germany. Their home continued to be in Philadelphia, where Mrs. Werner died in young womanhood. For years he engaged in the manufacture of pianos, but finally failing health obliged him to retire from business cares. and from that time until his death in 1889 he remained in retirement. After coming to this

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

country he dropped the title "von" and was henceforward known by the name of Werner.

In the city of Philadelphia, where she was born September 21, 1859, Marie Bersania Werner received her education in public and private schools. At a very early age her aspira- tions turned toward the medical profession, and, notwithstanding the fact that women physicians were then infrequently scen, she did not allow the prejudice of many to deter her from pursu- ing the career for which she felt herself to be adapted. In the spring of 1877 she began the study of medicine in the Woman's Medical Col- lege of Pennsylvania, where she took the three regular courses of lectures, graduating in 1880 with the degree of M. D. For a time she was interne in the Woman's Hospital and later was for several years retained as clinician, mean- time also engaging in the practice of medicine in her native city. Her life work has been along the line of her profession, and she has striven earnestly to acquire a thorough knowledge of all its intricacies. The ability with which she was endowed, supplemented by thorough edu- cation and habits of close study and observation, led her to a front rank among the physicians of Philadelphia. In 1883 she performed an ex- ceedingly delicate and complicated operation in a case of congenital malformation, the patient being a girl of eighteen years. The success of the operation brought her into prominence among the members of the profession, and con- vinced her that in surgery she could find a splendid field of usefulness. Since then she has made a specialty of that branch, and the success which has come to her proves the wisdom of her choice of a profession. During 1884 she went abroad and visited the principal medical schools of England and the continent, spending cighteen months in study, principally under Professors Von Billroth of Germany, Von Frisch, Von Hacker and Salter of Vienna, Schroeder and von Hahn of Berlin, Sanger of Leipsic and Apostoli of Paris. Indicative of her ability is the fact that she was the first member of her sex who was allowed to work in Prof. Von Frisch's clinic in Vienna. Again in 1891 she visited Europe and studied surgery under Gersuny of Vienna, Sanger of Leipsic, Bantock of London and Savage of Birmingham.

The literary ability which has found expres- sion in the translation of the works of various French authors has been utilized by Dr. Werner mainly along professional lines, and the articles from her pen that have been read before con- ventions or published in medical journals have commanded the attention of the ablest physi- cians of the country. She was the first woman delegate from Philadelphia to read a paper be- fore the American Medical Association, this be- ing at the convention of 1800 in Nashville, Tenn. She was also the first woman to read

a paper before the Obstetrical Society of Phil- adelphia and was the first woman who signed its constitution. Among her many valuable and interesting articles may be mentioned the following: "Battey's Operation for Congenital Malformation;" "Operation for Abdominal Fis- tula;" "Twenty Consecutive Abdominal Sec- tions, with Remarks;" "Fistulous Escape of Ligatures After Pelvic Operations;" "A Retro- spect of the Treatment of Pelvic Inflammation;" "The X-Ray and Its Uses in Diagnoses and. Treatment."

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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 130

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