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 136

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

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His visits to Southern California had im- pressed Mr. O'Donnell so favorably that he determined to seek a suitable location where lie could have the advantage of this climate. In 1887 he purchased eighty acres of the Chino addition to Pomona, and here he built a small house and made the necessary improvements. Through his efforts the farm is now a model estate with all modern improvements. Much of

the land is devoted to alfalfa, of which he can cut from six to eight crops each year, and he therefore finds it a very profitable product. Barley is also raised in large quantities. A fine variety of apricots and prunes may be found in his orchard, and these form a considerable addi- tion to his annual receipts. By the develop- ment of an independent water system and the building of a large reservoir he is able to sup- ply every demand for irrigation, hence his prop- erty is peculiarly valuable. Cattle and horses are raised on the ranch, although the owner considers himself less a stockman than a gen- eral farmer. In 1847 he married Elizabeth Long, a native of Ohio. They have four chil- dren, viz .: Mrs. Margaret Crawford, Mrs. Mary Stennett, W. Thomas, who is a farmer, and Liz- zie, who married Hubbard Bean and at her death left a daughter, who makes her home with Mr. O'Donnell.

People living in California are mostly famil- iar with the rapid growth of eucalyptus trees, yet they do not often hear of trees that develop as quickly as did the three hundred planted by Mr. O'Donnell on his ranch about 1890. These have grown far beyond his expectations. In 1902 he sold a small portion of the grove, and for the one hundred and twenty-eight cords thus disposed of he was paid $4 per cord on the stump. This furnishes added proof to the statement made by the friends of this well- known gum tree, who assert that on account of the fact that it needs little water and is quite hardy, it is better adapted to our soil than almost any tree now grown in Southern Cali- fornia.

JOHN REBMAN, whose home has been in Los Angeles since 1886, is a native of Germany, born at Stuttgart, Wurtemberg, July 18, 1850, and was the eldest among eight children, six of whom are now living. When he was two years of age his parents, John and Barbara (Reick) Rebman, came to the United States and settled in Somerset county, N. J., where his father, hitherto a government employe, now turned his attention to farming. For some years he has made his home on a farm in Morris county, N. J., and there his wife died.

When only ten years of age John Rebman began to earn his own livelihood, his first oc- cupation being as assistant to a gardener, and later he was employed by a landscape gardener in Plainfield, N. J. At the age of sixteen he resigned his position and began to serve an ap- prenticeship to the carpenter's trade. In the spring of 1872 he went to Chicago, where he found some of the ruins of the great fire still smoking. Employment at his trade was easy to secure, there being much building in process, and after a time he was made foreman and superintendent of jobs. The following year he

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went to Shrevesport, La., and five months later settled in St. Louis, where he was engaged as a sub-contractor. His arrival in California dates from the spring of 1875, when he became fore- man for the large contracting firm of Terrell & Slaven, of San Francisco. After three years with them, he became interested in a hardware business on Sixth street, which was first con- ducted under the title of Langdon & Rebman and, after Mr. Langdon's death, became Reb- man & Chetwood. In 1883 he sold out to his partner and turned his attention to contracting and building, having contracts for many fine residences in San Francisco and the Baptist Col- lege in Oakland.

Coming to Los Angeles in the fall of 1886, Mr. Rebman has engaged in contracting ever since, with the exception of the interval be- tween the spring of 1898 and January, 1901, when he was interested in oil and mines in Kern county. From the first activity in the oil business he made investments, but some of these did not prove profitable, although later ventures proved more encouraging. While mining in the Piute mountains in Kern county, he formed the Green Mountain Mining Company, of which he became superintendent and which was de- veloped under his supervision. Resigning in 1900, he then started an oil company in Ventura county, which, under the title of the Santa Paula Gravity Oil Company, operated on Mount Cuyutano, northeast of Santa Paula, the de- velopment being entirely under his charge. After a year he resigned this position and re- sumed contracting in Los Angeles. Among the most important of his contracts may be men- tioned the following: California Bank, Bryson block, Stimson block, Currier block, Ontario hotel at North Ontario, San Gabriel hotel at East San Grabiel, Spence residence at Mon- rovia, Monroc residence in Monrovia, Immanuel Presbyterian Church of Los Angeles, city jail of Los Angeles, Odd Fellows' Hall, the resi- dences of Mr. Newmark, Dr. Graves and many others in or near Los Angeles.

While in San Francisco Mr. Rebman married Miss Frances Davenport, who was born in Illinois. They and their two daughters, May and Ethel, have a comfortable home at No. 1226 West Ninth street.

Among the new enterprises which Mr. Reb- man assisted in inaugurating may be mentioned the Los Angeles Iron & Steel Company, which, unfortunately, owing to poor management, did not prove a success. He was also interested in starting the Los Angeles Mantel Company, which was well-known in its day. For one year he operated a marble quarry in Kern county, and meantime he quarried the marble for the Stimson block. For some years he officiated as president of the Builders' Exchange, and he is also connected with the Master Builders' Asso-

ciation. His political views are in harmony with the Republican party, which he stanchly up- holds. Fraternally he was made a Mason in South Gate Lodge, F. & A. M., of Los Angeles, while his connection with the Odd Fellows dates from 1877, when he was initiated into the order in Lodge No. 3, of San Francisco.

JUAN SALVIO SOTO. The postmaster of Lordsburg is a member of one of the old Spanish families whose early settlement in Cal- ifornia has given a tinge of romance to this western world. His father, José, was the son of Francisco, and a grandson of Juan and Petra (Pacheco) Soto. The immediate cause of the establishment of the family in California was due to the fact that Don Juan Soto, who had charge of the forests of the king of Spain, was sent as an officer under his sovereign to San Francisco and later settled at San José. Iden- tifying himself with the ranching interests of the state, he raised large herds of cattle and horses and became an extensive property holder. In his family there were the following children: José, Ygnacio, Francisco, Guada- lupe, Sylverio, Mrs. Rafaella de Pacheco and Mrs. Juana de Lightstone.

Under the instruction of private tutors Don Francisco Soto received an excellent Spanish and English education. Following the exam- ple of his father, he became interested in ranch- ing. For a time he operated a ranch at San Ramon, Contra Costa county, after which he removed to Concord in the same county. Next he became owner of the Monte Diablo rancho, the management of which brought him grat- ifying success. On coming to the eastern part of Los Angeles county in 1879 he bought from Don Francisco Palomares seven hundred acres, on which he built a house. Soon he had the land stocked with cattle and horses. Few settlers had as yet invaded this beautiful valley and for miles in every direction the land stretched out against a blue horizon, without houses or other objects to break the view. He was not long spared to enjoy happiness here, for he died October 17. 1883, only four years after he had established his home in the valley.

In his native town of San José Don Francisco Soto married Miss Concepcion Pacheco, daugh- ter of Juan Salvio Pacheco. Since his death she has continued to reside at the old homestead, which she has remodeled and improved until it is now a scene of beauty, with its picturesque landscape garden, its fruit and shade trees of the rarest kinds. To her family she has given excel- lent advantages and all are well educated both in English and Spanish. In order of birth her children are named as follows: Jacinto R., a rancher; Merced J., who is deceased; Amada A., who is with her mother; Atalino, a rancher; Salvio Juan, deceased; Juan Salvio, the subject

John Suess

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

of this article; Emedio C., deceased; Leronzo F., who is employed as bookkeeper; Juanita M., at home; Ysedro L., who is engaged in ranch- ing; Peter R., deceased; Patricio L., at home; and Tomas R., deceased.

The education of Juan Salvio Soto was se- cured mainly at St. Mary's College in San Fran- cisco, from which he was graduated in 1875. In common with the other members of the family, he speaks several languages fluently. Since the death of his father he has had charge of the estate, and at the same time he has taken a part in local politics, being a local leader in the Republican party. In the positions of constable and overseer of highways he served his town- ship efficiently and his capability and merit were recognized in 1902 by his appointment as post- master of Lordsburg, in which position he is winning commendation from all, irrespective of political views.

JOHN SUESS. No man in Nordhoff is more deserving of praise for having made a success of life than is John Suess, the popular grocer and merchant, and promoter of the city's best inter- ests. He was born in Switzerland May 30, 1866, a son of John and Susie (Ulrich.) Suess, who also were born in the country of mountains and clouds. The family immigrated to America in 1868, taking passage on the steamer Austria, which finally heaved anchor in New York har- bor. These enterprising travelers in search of home and occupation settled in Winchester, Ill., where the father followed his trade of black- smith and wagonmaker with varying success. He later removed to Fort Madison, Iowa, and worked at his trade for five years, going thence to Webster county, Neb., in 1873, where both parents died in 1878.

At the early age of nine years John Suess be- came practically self-supporting, for at that time he began to herd cattle, and upon the death of his parents in his twelfth year, he was indeed alone in the world. For ten years he continued to herd cattle, and then changed his occupation to that of clerk in a general merchandise store, but eventually engaged in general farming and stock-raising on his own responsibility in Web- ster county, Neb. In 1888 he removed to South- ern California, coming direct to Nordhoff, where he worked at various occupations until about five years ago. He then opened a grocery and hard- ware store which has been a satisfactory in- vestment, but at the present time he is reducing his stock so as to include only groceries.

In Los Angeles in 1897 Mr. Suess married A. E. Leistico, a native of Minnesota, and daughi- ter of Herman Leistico. Of this union there is one child, J. Gordon, who is one year old. Mr. Suess has built for himself and family a com- fortable home in Nordhoff, besides which he owns valuable property in Oxnard. In poli-

tics he is a Republican, as was also his father, and cast his first presidential vote for Benjamin Harrison. He is a stanch advocate of education, although in his youth his own opportunities were limited to the years when he was five and six years old, and to twelve months at the public schools in 1874 and 1884. He is serving his sec- ond term as a school trustee. He is enthusiastic over the possibilities of Ventura county, and thinks that for business and health it has no su- perior on the Pacific coast.

R. J. RODGERS. After a career in the edu- cational world that was alike creditable to him- self and helpful to the profession, Prof. Rodgers changed the confining work of the schoolroom for the active and healthful life of a horticultur- ist. For some years he has made his home at Moneta, where he owns and occupies a ranch of twenty-nine acres, and successfully raises all the varied kinds of berries. Of these perhaps his specialty is the strawberry, but he also has an excellent showing of Logan berries, dew and blackberries, and the balance of the land is un- der alfalfa. An abundance of water is secured by means of his private gasoline pumping plant, which has a capacity of sixty inches.

A resident of California since 1895, Mr. Rodgers was born in Illinois July 2, 1856. His father, John Rodgers, was a native of county Antrim, Ireland, where he was reared to a knowledge of farm pursuits. At the age of twenty-six years he came to the United States and settled in Illinois, where he bought one hun- dred and forty acres .. After many years on the same property, in 1885 he removed to Iowa and bought four hundred acres of unimproved land in the vicinity of Osage. The cultivation of this land occupied his attention during the several following years, but he has now retired from active cares, and is making his home in Osage.

As far back as he can remember, R. J. Rodgers was ambitious to acquire knowledge, and his happiest moments were spent with a book. With the assistance of his father he was enabled to take a course of study in the academy and uni- versity at Lake Forest, Ill., and later he was graduated from the scientific course of the Nor- mal University at Lebanon, Ohio. Subsequently two years were spent in the State Normal School at Cedar Falls, Iowa, and he is also a graduate of the Los Angeles State Normal. Through his attendance upon these various institutions, all of them exceptionally high in rank, he acquired a breadth of knowledge that makes him one of the most cultured men in Moneta, and during the year in which he was at the head of the Moneta school he succeeded in introducing many im- provements and in advancing the grade of scholarship. However, considerations of health led him to retire from a profession which he had hoped to make his life work.

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

After coming to Moneta Prof. Rodgers mar- ried Miss Minta White, daughter of J. H. White, who is represented elsewhere in this volume. They have one daughter, Gladys. In fraternal relations Prof. Rodgers is associated with the Woodmen of the World, the Order of Macca- bees, Ancient Order of United Workmen, Degree of Honor, and Fraternal Brotherhood. All through his life he has kept in touch with the issues before our government, has voted the Re- publican ticket, and upheld its principles when- ever occasion demanded.

JULIAN CARRION. Very many years ago a soldier in the Mexican army, Casiano Carrion, was stationed at Los Angeles, and upon the expiration of his term of service settled perma- nently in this county. Taking up the work of a ranchman, he secured large tracts of land and engaged in raising cattle and horses. The remainder of his life was passed in this county, where he and his wife, Josefa (Lopez) Carrion both died. Their only son, Saturnino, was born and reared in Los Angeles, and at an early age took up the occupation in which his father had accumulated a competency. Being of an ambi- tious and energetic nature, he was prospered in his undertakings. About 1870 he came to Lordsburg and bought five hundred acres, on which he erected a substantial adobe house that is still standing. This property became the scene of his subsequent efforts. In those days stock-raising was the principal industry and he devoted himself to it, having a large number of horses and cattle. However, he also set out several acres in grapes and a number of orange trees, being a pioneer in the industry that has since become of such magnitude and impor- tance. At the time of his death, February 16, 1895, he was sixty-seven years of age. He had married Dolores Navarro, who was born in Santa Barbara, and now makes Lordsburg her home. The children born of their union were named as follows: Ramon R., Julian, Frank (deceased), Josefa, Dolores (deceased), Agatha and Louise.

In the city of Los Angeles Julian Carrion was born in 1865. He was reared on the Lordsburg ranch, to the oversight of which he succeeded upon the death of his father, and in addition to the management of this place, he does con- siderable butchering for nearby markets. A portion of the ranch has been sold, but three hundred and fifty-three acres are still retained, making a valuable property, especially adapted for grazing purposes, but also containing, from present indications, a supply of oil, for which they are now boring. Mr. Carrion has a pump- ing plant and two wells on his plant, one of which delivers eighteen inches of water. The family have many friends in and near Lords- burg, and feel the deepest interest in the pros-

perity and progress of the town, which has been their home for more than thirty years.

T. OLIVER. The ranch owned and man- aged by Mr. Oliver is situated at Gardena and consists of thirty-three acres. At the time the land was purchase it was not considered very productive, but under his capable management it has been transformed into one of the most profitable ranches in the neighborhood. The reason for this is that he has made a scientific study of the soil, which in some respects is peculiar. One acre will produce a certain crop, while the next acre does not respond to culti- vation for this product. Accordingly, he has experimented and discovered to what each strip of land is best adapted and has suited the crop to the soil. No finer barley field is to be found in the entire region than his fifteen-acre tract, and his ten acres of alfalfa are also of the finest quality, while four acres produce the highest grade of grapes, and the balance of the land is in lawns and orchards. Plenty of water for irrigation purposes is secured from a well of two hundred feet, and he also has on the ranch two never-failing springs.

In Worcestershire, England, Mr. Oliver was born in December, 1838, being a son of James and Mary (Hughes) Oliver. His father, who was born in England on the borders of Wales, followed agriculture as a lifelong occupation and on his homestead of seventy acres died in January, 1883. He was a son of Richard Oli- ver, a Welshman, who was a soldier in the English army and acted as drum-major in the battle of Waterloo. The maternal grand- father, Richard Hughes, was a resident of Wales during his entire life, and engaged in farming. Of the eleven children of James Oliver, the subject of this article was sixth in order of birth. He was educated in national and private schools, and in 1854 assumed the responsibili- ties of self-support, at which time he began engineering on the railroad out from Worces- ter .. During 1861 he went to Australia, where he secured employment on a railroad, but later became an engineer on a steamboat plying along the coast. From Australia in 1864 he went to the gold fields of New Zealand, where he not only mined, but also carried on a mer- cantile business. Returning to England, from there in 1882 he went to the famous Kimberley diamond mines in South Africa and while em- ployed there gained a thorough knowledge of the country and its inhabitants, which enabled him to understand the problems leading up to the subsequent war with the Boers. The year 1884 found him again in Australia and later he returned to New Zealand, where he became interested in the Red Coat mine, a placer mine, in which he still owns a controlling interest and which has proved a profitable investment.

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Going back to Australia, from there lic sailed to the south of France with the hope that the delightful climate of that region would benefit his daughter's health. However, the hope proved futile, and in an endeavor to secure the desired result elsewhere, in 1895 he went to Naples, Italy, but a sojourn of six weeks proved that little could be hoped for there.

Hearing much concerning the United States, Mr. Oliver brought his family to this country in 1897, and after landing at New York trav- eled through much of the country seeking a suitable location, still bearing in mind as his chief object the securing of an environment that would prove congenial for his only daughter. It was not until he reached California that he found a desirable climate, and here he was grati- . fied by the improvement of his child. For this reason he decided to locate permanently in the far west, and, his worldwide travels ended, he established himself at Gardena, where he bought a ranch and built a residence. With him, besides his daughter Mary (the child of his first marriage) are his second wife, formerly Marie Malett, and their son Thomas. Mrs. Oliver was born in France and reared in New Zealand, where she formed the acquaintance of Mr. Oliver and was united with him in mar- riage. After having traveled over much of the world, they are thoroughly satisfied to remain in their quiet home at Gardena, where they have an ideal climate, a well-improved ranch, and the advantage of proximity to one of the largest and most cultured cities of the coast.

C. F. BAYHA. Interestingly interwoven in the life of Mr. Bayha of Moneta are experiences of peril during his service in the Civil war and later adventures on the vast western plains, where he was associated with William Cody, better known as Buffalo Bill. Considerations of health led him to come to California in 1898, at which time he settled in Moneta and pur- chased a ranch of ten acres. The first improve- ment miade thereon was the erection of a neat residence, and he has since engaged in raising alfalfa and various fruits.

In Wheeling, W. Va., Mr. Bayha was born January 20, 1845, being a son of Louis J. and Elizabeth (Eckhart) Bayha, natives respectively of Wurtemberg and Prussia, Germany. In early life the father accompanied his parents to the United States, settling with them in New York City in 1837, but after the death of his father there he took the remaining members of the family to Philadelphia and later to Wheeling, WV. Va., where numerous descendants 110W reside. The lady whom he married came to the United States in childhood with her father, Charles F. Eckhart, who was a furniture manu- facturer, and died in Dakota City, Neb.

The family of Louis J. Bayha consisted of

three daughters and seven sons. One of the sons, John, is a resident of Anaheim, Cal. Another, Louis J., is cashier of the German Bank of Wheeling, and is one of the best-known financiers of West Virginia. The third among the children was C. F. Bayha, who received a high school education in Wheeling. While he was still a mere lad the Civil war broke out. With a genuine patriotism, as well as the lovc of adventure characteristic of youth, he resolved to offer himself to his country and accordingly enlisted at Wheeling in Company K, Twelfth West Virginia Infantry, which company was sent out as independent scouts to fight guer- rillas. Later he was transferred to the Twelfthı and then to the Sixth West Virginia Cavalry and was given duty as a messenger between the commander of his regiment and General Rose- crans, remaining at the front until the fall of 1863, when he was honorably discharged.

In the opening up of the vast country lying between the Elkhorn valley and the Black Hills Mr. Bayha was a pioneer, and many an experi- ence did he have with Indians during that time. He went to Omaha when that now thriving city had only three brick houses and the country surrounding it was one unbroken wilderness. For sixteen years he acted as a government sur- veyor, his work being in the new country and his headquarters at the head of the Elkhorn river. So efficient, indeed, were his services in this respect that at the opening of the Civil war he was offered a government position as civil engineer, but declined. He founded the West Point Republican, the oldest paper in Nebraska, and also edited and published the Dakota City Mail and the Nebraska Staats Zeitung. Indeed, at one time he published all of the papers in the region from Elkhorn valley to the Black Hills. Meantime he was active in politics and did much to secure Republican victories in lis dis- trict. In 1876 he was a delegate to the national convention that nominated Rutherford B. Hayes for president. At different times he was honored by his party during his residence in Nebraska, various offices of honor and trust having been offered him. For twenty years, while a resident of the Elkhorn valley, he practiced law. In religion he is a believer in the doctrines of the Presbyterian Church, while fraternally he is connected with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

At Sun Prairie, Wis., occurred the marriage of Mr. Bayha and Miss Amelia Beechan, a native of New Brunswick. Her father, Robert, was born in the north of Ireland and crossed the ocean to New Brunswick, later going to Wisconsin, where he was a pioneer of Madison. In religion he was a Protestant and in politics a stanch Republican. While Mr. and Mrs. Bayha had no children of their own, they took

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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 136

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