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 144

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

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litical affiliation he is a Republican, but has so far shown no disposition to enter the arena of political preferment.

ARTHUR H. HEBBARD. The steward and manager of the Los Angeles county hospi- tal was born in Rochester, Minn., November 4, 1867, and is a son of Judge Daniel S. and Aurora T. (McManus) Hebbard, natives of Chautauqua county, N. Y. The maternal grandfather, Thomas McManus, a native of New York, and a large contractor in that state, removed from there to Minnesota, where he engaged in government contracting. During 1856 Daniel S. Hebbard became a resident of Rochester, Minn., where later he was a leading merchant and successful business man. His prominence in the community and the universal recognition of his ability led to his election as judge of the probate court, which office he filled for one term. For twelve years he filled the office of county auditor. Leaving that northern city for a sunnier clime, in December, 1885, he settled in Pomona, where he followed horticul- tural pursuits until his death, in 1898, at sixty- five years of age. Fraternally he was a Mason and in religion a believer in the Presbyterian faith. His wife is still living in Pomona. Of their six children, only one son and one daugh- ter survive.

At the time the family removed to California Arthur H. Hebbard had completed his educa- tion in the Rochester schools and was ready to enter upon the activities of life. For four years he made his home in Pomona, during which time he assisted his father in the improvement of forty acres comprising their homestead. At the same time he also took up the study of electrical engineering. Returning east in 1889, he became electrician of the Water, Light & Power Company of West Superior, Wis., re- maining with them for some time. In the fall of 1893 he came back to California, where he has since been interested in horticulture, and still owns thirty acres, under oranges and decid- nous fruits, on Holt avenue, Pomona. In the work of the Fruit Growers' Exchange he has been very active, and for three years served as a member of its board of directors. In addition he is connected with the San Antonio Fruit Ex- change, of whose board of directors he was once a member. For one term he held office as presi- dent and manager of the Del Monte Irrigation Company, in which capacity he rendered most efficient service. Since September of 1901 he has been manager and steward of the Los An- geles county hospital, having been appointed to the position by the board of supervisors. The hospital has one hundred and seventy patients and the supervision of its important interests, the oversight of all its work, and the maintain- ing of a satisfactory regime, leaves him little

leisure for participation in outside matters, al- though he still retains his membership in the Pomona Board of Trade, superintends his property at that point, and keeps posted con- cerning matters of local and general political importance, casting his ballot with the Repub- lican party. His marriage was solemnized in Los Angeles and united him with Miss Joseph- ine McKay, who was born in New Orleans, La .. and received her education in San Francisco.

JAMES B. HUGHES. Ever since settling in Pasadena in 1887 Mr. Hughes has been en- gaged in contracting and building, and mean- time has erected many of the handsome resi- dences of this city, as well as numerous business blocks and stores. Included among his con- tracts was that for the residence of Professor Lowe, which is one of Pasadena's most beau- tiful homes. He had the contract for all the mason work on the Mount Lowe Railroad and also erected the pavilion house. Since 1893 he has devoted himself particularly to street and sewer contracting, in which line he has had some large and important contracts. Associ- ated with him in business is Charles Stansbury and they conduct the largest business in grad- ing and street contracting that is done in the city. Among outside contracts were those for two sections of the outfall sewer in Los An- geles and the Storm water system in Redlands.

Mr. Hughes was born in Mentor, Lake county, Ohio, December 5, 1855, and was sec- ond among ten children, all but two of whom are living. One of his brothers, Moses A., re- sides in Ocean Park, Cal., and is a foreman for his brother, James B. The father, Benjamin, was born in county Antrim, Ireland, and there married Mary, daughter of Moses Barr, a farmer of the north of Ireland. Later the fam- ily came to America and settled at Willoughby, Lake county, Ohio, where the father who had been a contractor, turned his attention to con- tracting. Now, at more than seventy years of age, he is living retired in Mentor. In religion both he and his wife are identified with the Presbyterian Church.

When sixteen years of age James B. Hughes began to learn the mason's trade under his uncle, Thomas Hughes, which he afterward followed in the home neighborhood. He re- modeled Lawnfield, the home of President Gar- field, and at the time of his marriage to Emma Rynd, he and his wife began housekeeping in this home, which was vacant by reason of Mr. Garfield's service in the senate. Mrs. Hughes was born in Painesville, Ohio, a daughter of Lewis and Emily (Chalmers) Rynd, natives respective- ly of Germany and London, England. Her ma- ternal grandfather, David Chalmers, was born in Kent, England, and followed the printer's trade. Her father was one of the brave soldiers

JOHN H. DARBY

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

of the Union during the Civil war, serving in the Twenty-ninth Ohio Infantry. Afterward he made his home in Painesville until his death. Of his four children, all but one are living, the three survivors being residents of California. Mrs. Hughes was reared in Ohio and received a fair education. In January, 1878, in Mentor, she became the wife of Mr. Hughes, by which union there are two sons, Arthur and Ernest. The older son is now a foreman for his father.

Interested in Masonry, Mr. Hughes was ini- tiated into the Order in Pasadena Lodge No. 272, F. & A. M., with which he is still con- nected, and he now also holds membership in the chapter and commandery in Pasadena, the Council of Kedosh, the Pasadena Consistory, and Al Malakiah Temple, N. M. S., the latter of Los Angeles. With his wife he holds member- ship in the Eastern Star. While not identified with any religious denomination, he contributes to various church and charitable organizations, especially to the First Methodist Episcopal Church, with which his wife is identified. In political faith he is a stanch upholder of Repub- lican principles and takes a warm interest in matters pertaining to local government and na- tional issues.

JOHN HOWELL DARBY. As one who, during his comparatively brief sojourn in Long Beach, favorably impressed those with whom he came in contact in a business and social way, John Howell Darby is entitled to mention among the honored and successful members of the com- munity. As evidence of his enterprise, and recognition of its desirability, the Darby House, one of the oldest hostelries in the place, and one which has longest catered to the demands of the traveling public, was built and managed by him after his removal here in 1891, and after his death, December 3, 1893, passed into the equally capable hands of his wife.

Of southern ancestry, Mr. Darby was born in Keatchie, De Soto Parish, La., and was a son of Drayton Darby, a native of Virginia, and an hotel man by occupation. The elder Darby lived for several years in Tennessee, but eventually re- moved to Keatchie, where he successfully man- aged an hotel up to the time of his death. His son, John Howell, was reared and educated in Keatchie, and his first business undertaking was as a merchant in Pleasant Hill, La., where he lived and prospered until 1887. He then dis- posed of his interests and removed to California, and upon settling in Downey, again resumed mercantile enterprises. Close confinement, how - ever, began to tell on his health, and he there- fore moved to a ranch southeast of Downey, and turned his energies to horticulture, particularly the culture of oranges. In 1891 he settled in Long Beach, and in the fall of the same year

built the Darby House, a first class hotel, which in time became his special pride, and an all around credit to the town. He was enthusiastic and progressive, and made and retained many friends. No one better than he recognized the splendid possibilities of this well favored locality, and many enterprises for the general upbuilding owe their promotion and subsequent completion to his far-sighted observation and perseverance. He foresaw the benefit to be derived from the building of the wharf, and spared neither time nor money in pushing this really admirable and now indispensable adjunct to the town. With Messrs. Roberts, Wilson and Dunco he suc- ceeded in overcoming much of the original oppo- sition of the citizens, all of whom have since acknowledged the debt to those who were more keenly alive to the situation than themselves.

The marriage of Mr. Darby and Frances Jane Nolan occurred in Sabine Parish. La., in 1881, the Nolan family being an old and distinguished one from North Carolina. Mrs. Darby was born in Greenville, Ala., a daughter of Greenville Nolan, a farmer in Alabama, and who gave up his life for his country during the Civil war. He married into the Hammack family, formerly of North Carolina, and well known throughout the state, his wife, Almeda Hammack, being a daughter of Elijah Hammack, a minister in the Baptist Church. Two of the sons of Rev. Ham- mack started across the plains from Texarkana during the gold excitement of '49, but were never more heard of. Mrs. Nolan, who lives in Long Beach with her daughter, is the mother of a son, Elijah, who is a resident of this town.

Since her husband's death Mrs. Darby has proved herself equal to the emergency of run- ning the hotel, and has not only kept up the former standing of the house, but has brought about many important improvements. Possessed of unusual tact and discretion, and many other needful attributes inseparable from the success- ful entertainer of the traveling public, she is well known and respected by the business contingent of the town, and her hotel is the rendezvous of those who desire good accommodations at rea- sonable rates. Besides her many cares and re- sponsibilities in a general way, Mrs. Darby has found time to superintend the education and training of her ten children, all of whom are bright and interesting, and capable of looking out for themselves. They are named as follows : Arthur, a merchant in Downey; Sammie, Mrs. Clyde Harrell, of Plaquemine, La .; Howell, of Long Beach; Stuart, who is agent for the Texas Pacific Railroad in Louisiana ; Gertrude, who is attending the high school of Long Beach ; Nolan ; Larrie, Raymond, Donald and John. Mrs. Darby is well posted on current events, and is a stanch friend of education and all around ad- vancement. She is associated with the Society of Friends.

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J. H. HOLMES. If one were asked to give the name of an institution or industry to which, more than to any other, Pasadena owes its pres- ent prominence throughout the United States, unhesitatingly the answer would be given "Hotel Green." Furthermore, when citizens of Pasadena are asked to state to whose influence this hotel owes its prestige as headquarters for tourists, all unite in attributing to the manager, J. H. Holmes, the credit for the gratifying pop- ularity and success that has been attained. At the time of the building of the original structure, Mr. Holmes acted as secretary and treasurer of the Hotel Green Company, and in 1892 he was appointed manager. Beginning with only sixty rooms, there has been a constant increase in the capacity until there are now accommoda- tions for five hundred guests. Every effort is made to secure the comfort of visitors. The large and sunny rooms, all with outside win- dows, present a cheery outlook, and the comfort of those who are fearful of fires is materially en- hanced by the knowledge that the structure is wholly fireproof. To accommodate the em- ployes of the hotel, two hundred outside rooms have been provided. Centrally located in Pasa- dena, the hotel attracts a large proportion of the multitudes of eastern tourists whom the bleak winters of trans-Rocky regions induce to seek the sunshine and fragrance of Southern California.

Tracing the history of the Holmes family, we find that James Holmes, a Pennsylvanian by birth, settled among the pioneers of Highland county, Ohio, where he developed a raw tract of land. A later place of residence was Athens county, same state. In 1882 he removed to Illi- nois, where his last days were spent at Noko- mis. His son, A. H., was born in Highland county, and for some years carried on a store at Albany, Ohio, after which he settled in Illi- nois. Returning later to his former home in Albany, he resumed mercantile pursuits, and remained there until his death in 1892. The talents which he possessed fitted him for able service in behalf of the people, and at different times his party (the Republican) elected him to local offices of trust. His ancestry was Eng- lish and Scotch, and the first of the family in America settled in Massachusetts, later going to Pennsylvania. He married Saloma Kerr. who was born in Washington county, Pa., and is now living in Albany, Ohio. Her father, David Kerr, removed from Pennsylvania to Ohio and settled on an unimproved farm near Albany. The Kerrs are related to the Craw- fords of Pennsylvania.

In the family of A. H. Holmes there were seven children, all but two of whom are living, J. H. being the eldest of these and the only one in California. In Albany, Ohio, where he was born May 27, 1858, the years of youth were

passed in attendance at public school and acad- emy and in assisting his father in the store. His first experience in business was gained when he was only fourteen and afterward he continued to clerk for his father until 1881, when, forming a partnership with his brother, C. C., he bought out his father. Six years later he sold his interest in the business and came to California, settling at Altadena, where he took charge of Colonel Green's business. In the or- ganization of the Edison Electric Light and Power Company of Pasadena he bore a promi- nent part and has since acted as a director, be- sides which he is a director in the San Gabriel Valley Bank and a stockholder in various other local institutions.

In Albany, Ohio, Miss Mary M. Dewing be- came the wife of J. H. Holmes, and of their union two children have been born, namely: Angie Green, now a student in Mount Vernon Seminary at Washington, D. C .; and John Dewing, who is attending Throop Institute in Pasadena. Mrs. Holmes was born and reared in Albany, to which point her father, John Dew- ing, removed from Massachusetts. In social affairs she is interested and active, and in reli- gion is connected with the Presbyterian Church. Before leaving Albany Mr. Holmes was made a Mason in the blue lodge there, and after coming west he became a charter member of Corona Lodge, F. & A. M., at Pasadena. In this city he was raised to the chapter, commandery and consistory, and he is also connected with Al Malakiah Temple, N. M. S. He is a member of the Pasadena Board of Trade. Reared under Republican influence, he has always voted with that party, and while living in Ohio served as city treasurer of Albany for some years.

RICHARD LOYNES, manufacturer and brick contractor, living at Long Beach, was born in Jefferson county, N. Y., February 21, 1863, and is a son of Robertson and Dora (Carey) Loynes, the latter a native of England, and the mother of eleven children. Robertson Loynes was born in Norfolk county, England. and when a young man came to the United States and settled in Jefferson county, N. Y. He afterwards became a navigator on the steamers of the lakes, but eventually retired to the farm in Ontario which has since been his home.

When a babe in arms, Richard Loynes lost his mother by death, and was reared in New York state and educated in the district schools. When sixteen years of age he apprenticed to a bricklayer in Kingston, Ontario, and having learned his trade returned to the States and worked in Pennsylvania, Missouri and Ohio, in 1886 taking up his residence in Los Angeles, as foreman for Charles Tossell. In this capac- ity he superintended the brick part of the Bry

.E. Lindholm

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

son building, the Lankershim building, and nu- merous others, and in Pasadena was foreman for the Opera House and the White and Gilkes building. At a still later period he was fore- man for the San Joaquin Brick Company at Stockton, Cal., and at the end of two years returned to Los Angeles and started a brick yard on Bishop street. He here manufactured brick until 1895, at which time he came to Long Beach and started in to manufacture brick for the Alamitos Land Company. The yard which . he now owns was started in 1897, and is located one-half mile west of the city, but within the limits, and soon after its purchase Mr. Loynes moved into the town. He has since engaged in contract brick work, and among the build- ings for which he has supplied the brick and put them in place may be mentioned the addition to the bank building, the two gas offices, the Stafford building and the Campbell building. In fact, he has had the contract for nearly all of the brick work in the town. In addition he has erected a fine residence for his family on Chestnut street, near Third street, which is built in the Mission style, and which is a dis- tinct acquisition to the architectural beauty of the town. In Stockton, Cal., Mr. Loynes mar- ried Bessie Smith, a native of Wales, and of this union there is one child, Richard. Polit- ically Mr. Loynes is a Republican.

E. E. LINDHOLM. The far-away country of Finland has given very few citizens to the United States, for seldom do its native-born sons stray so far from the snow-clad and lichen-cov- ered hills of their childhood. Somewhat excep- tional, therefore, to the history of his countrymen is the life-record of Mr. Lindholm, who was born in Finland June 6, 1864, and who is a member of an ancient family of that country. His parents, August and Mary Lindholm, lived upon a farm there, and the former died in 1865. The second among three children, E. E. Lindholmn, passed his early boyhood years in Finland, but at four- teen years of age started out to see the world. Going first to England he made a short sojourn there, and afterward sailed for Australia, where he made his home for thirteen years. Coming to the United States in April, 1890, he settled in Los Angeles, and seven years later removed from that city to Moneta, his present home.

Since coming to Moneta Mr. Lindholm has given his attention closely to the improvement of his tract of fifteen acres, which he has mainly in alfalfa and on which he has built a neat house. The value of the place has been improved by the erection of a private gasoline pumping plant, with a capacity of sixty-five inches. Industry is a marked characteristic of the Finns, and the quality is not wanting in Mr. Lindholm's char- acter; indeed, his patient devotion to the labor at hand is a conspicuous attribute. His neat home-

stead seems to have everything, with one excep- tion, necessary to his well-being, and in time he may supply this lack by changing from the ranks of bachelors to those of benedicts. The welfare of his adopted country is near to his heart, and he is interested in all that makes for the happiness of his fellow-citizens. The principles of the Re- publican party have received his support ever since he became a naturalized citizen and he uniformly votes that ticket. Fraternally he is connected with the Independent Order of For- esters and the Knights of Pythias.

J. S. JOHN. Not the least of the distinctions due Mr. John is the fact that he is the oldest business man in Long Beach, and yet another and more vitally important one arises from an unusually meritorious service during the Civil war. He comes of a family of Welsh descent and long represented in Pennsylvania, in which state he was born in Washington county Sep- tember 15, 1842. His father, Josiah, was also born in Washington county, whither the pater- nal grandfather, Joseph, had removed from the western part of the state. Josiah John was a farmer in his native state and county, but eventually removed to Ohio, where the remain- der of his days were spent. His wife, formerly Albina Grave, was also a native of Washington county, as was her father, John Grave, a farmer by occupation. Mrs. John, who died in Penn- sylvania, was the mother of eleven children, five of whom are living, J. S. being the youngest of those who attained maturity.

The youth of Mr. John was uneventfully passed on the paternal farm, and the first break in the even tenor of his ways was the culmina- tion of the strife between the north and south. In 1862 he enlisted in a company of independent scouts for Company C of the Ringgold Cavalry, and saw extensive service in the Shenandoah valley, keeping vigilant watch upon all happen- ings in this now historic locality. In 1864 he became a soldier in Company D, Twenty-second Pennsylvania Cavalry, and in this capacity served until his mustering out May 22, 1865. He participated in the battles of Gettysburg. Winchester, Spottsylvania, the Wilderness, Cold Harbor, and many minor skirmishes, and expe- rienced the terrible deprivations of devastating war times. In the mean time his father had removed to Salem, Ohio, and thither he re- paired after the restoration of peace, and the following year removed to Illinois and remained a year in Iroquois county. In 1868 he became identified with Kansas, and homesteaded a clain five miles up Smoky river from Salina, where he farmed with considerable success until 1884. However, Kansas as a permanent residence place did not appeal to Mr. John with particular force, and he therefore removed to Los Angeles and lived there until 1887. He then became

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identified with Long Beach, and began in a small way the feed business which has since assumed gratifying proportions. Connected therewith is a large wood, coal, hay and grain business, which includes a power plant for work- ing up the wood. The enterprise is located on Second street and Pine, and is not only the oldest but the largest of its kind in the town. The upright business methods of Mr. John have brought about the desired results, and his pro- gressive and public-spirited influence has pen- etrated many sides of public enterprise.

In Salina, Kans., Mr. John married Lydia Goodwin, a native of Illinois, and of this union there is one child, Edwin M. Mr. John is a Re- publican in political affiliation, and served as city trustee for one term. While in Kansas he served on the school board, and in Long Beach he has exerted himself in improving the school system, and in promoting general educational facilities. He is allied with the Independent Foresters, and with the Long Beach Post, G. A. R. The confidence of the community of Long Beach has been sustained by years of faithful business service, and a deserved finan- cial standing has rewarded the effort to make the most of surrounding chances.

ALVA D. S. McCOY, M. D., one of the best informed and most popular physicians of Pasadena, was born in Arcade, Wyoming county, N. Y., May 24, 1871. His earliest youth was spent in his native state, but he was reared in Chicago, Ill., where his father, Judge Alex- ander McCoy, was a practicing attorney. Judge McCoy had an enviable reputation as an ex- ponent of legal science in Illinois, and he was at one time district attorney of Peoria county. In 1887 he removed to Beaumont, where he dis- continued his practice after two years, and in 1889 located in Pasadena. His last days were spent upon the tract of land purchased by him near the city of Pasadena, and upon which he clied in 1892. His wife is still living.

During his second year in the Chicago high school Dr. McCoy removed with the rest of the family to Pasadena and graduated from the high school in this city in the class of 1891. He then entered the University of California and was graduated* in 1895 with the degree of Bachelor of Science. Ilis professional training was re- ceived at the Cooper Medical College in San Francisco, from which he was graduated from the four years' course in 1899. Through com- petitive examination he received a year's prac- tical experience as house physician of the City and County Hospital in San Francisco, and at the expiration of that time located in Pasadena, where he has since engaged in a general prac- tice of medicine and surgery.

Since coming to Pasadena Dr. McCoy has married Helen S. Crawford, who was born in

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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 144

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