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 165

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

USA > California > 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 165

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The marriage of Mr. Granger took place in Pasadena and united him with Miss Florence Young, who was born in Brockton, Mass., and received an excellent education in Throop Insti- tute at Pasadena, having accompanied her father, J. J., from their eastern home to South Pasadena in her girlhood. Reared in the Epis- copal faith she is identified with this denom- ination and a contributor to its maintenance. In political views Mr. Granger is a believer in the policy and platform of the Republican party, while fraternally he is connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. Person- ally he is popular, not only in business but also in social circles, and numbers many friends among the leading residents of his home city.

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

M. DeL. TODD. In what is now Ventura county lies the Rancho Santa Paula y Saticoy, on a portion of which Mr. Todd began general farming in 1869. There is much of interest as- sociated with the history of this tract. Origin- ally granted to Manuel Jimeno April 28, 1840, seven years later he was given possession of its thirty thousand acres. The name "Saticoy" (said to be the Indian term for "Eureka") is derived from the Saticoy tribe of Indians, who made their headquarters at tlie springs of that name. Being one of the choicest pieces of land in the county, the rancho was settled before much of the other regions and has always been populated by a high class of residents.

The family of Mr. Todd consists of six daugh- ters and one son, namely: Mrs. Alice McGreg- or, Mrs. Ida Yungling, Mrs. Jessie L. Browne, Mrs. Edna Puchen, Marquis de Lafayette Todd, Beatrice and Ernestine Todd. The oldest daughter was born of Mr. Todd's marriage to Mary Beckwith, daughter of A. W. Beckwith. After her death Mr. Todd married Miss Dora Ricker, who was born in Boston, Mass., and is a daughter of John G. and Louisa (Hartwell) Ricker, natives of Maine. In an early day the Ricker family came from France and settled in Maine; the Hartwells were of English extrac- tion. During the exciting days of '49 John Gi. Ricker made the long journey around Cape Horn from Boston to San Francisco. With hint were three eastern friends: all returned to

Boston, where two died quite wealthy. In 1854 he settled in Iowa. Coming to the west a sec- ond time in 1866, he spent a year in Oregon and then removed to Solano county, Cal. In 1869 he came to Ventura county and settled on a farm, where he still resides. A Democrat in politics, he served as supervisor of Ventura county for three years and, both in Iowa and California, for years held the office of justice of the peace.

Fraternally Mr. Todd is connected with the Santa Paula lodge of Masons; the lodge, en- campment and canton of Odd Fellows; and is a charter member of the Ventura County Pi- oneers' Association. He is an active worker in the Santa Paula Universalist Church and offi-

Born in Chautauqua county, N. Y., February 13, 1837, Mr. Todd passed his boyhood years on . ciates as president of its board of trustees. As a a farm. Going to Nebraska in 1854, he pre- member of the Republican party, he is deeply interested in public affairs. His party nominat- ed him for the legislature in the fall of 1896. Among the local offices held by him is that of road overseer. For several years he was a mem- ber of the county central Republican commit- tee, while he has been a delegate to county and state conventions. For years he was a mem- ber of the school board. Realizing the neces- sity of securing irrigation, in 1871 he assisted in starting the Farmers' water ditch, and for years served as a director of the company. The Lima Bean Association numbers himn among its directors. Among the other important enter- prises to which he has given his support may be mentioned the People's Lumber Company, of which he is a director, acting also as a mem- ber of the committee that established a branch yard at Santa Paula. To all movements for the benefit of the county he gives his hearty sup- port. In his business undertakings he has been eminently successful, his present prosperity be- ing the result of his indefatigable energy, un- wearied perseverance and honorable dealings with all men. empted and proved up on a claim in Cass coun- ty. After five years on the land, deciding bet- ter prospects awaited him elsewhere, he started on horseback, for California. For ten years he engaged in ranching in Sutter county, from which place he came to Ventura county October 1, 1869, and bought eighty-six acres of the Santa Paula y Saticoy Rancho. The entire property was in wild mustard, no attempt having been made at improvement. For a few years he made a specialty of raising cattle and hogs, and the crops raised on the land were used principally for feed. Finally, however, he decided that the land could be used for other purposes and net greater returns. About 1880 he planted fifty acres in lima beans, which crop has proved so profitable that he now realizes about one ton per acre. In addition he raises standard and soft shell walnuts of the Placentia, Perfection and Santa Barbara improved soft shell varieties, having twenty-five acres of grafted trees. The crops of the older trees average eight tons to thirteen acres. The homestead is one of the most attractive in the Santa Clara valley of the South, its appearance being enhanced by the ex- cellent buildings, shade trees, fruit orchard, and the air of thrift everywhere noticeable.

A. A. GARLAND. Since inaugurating the business at Nordhoff in which he is now en- gaged Mr. Garland has gained a deserved and constantly increasing patronage. It was in 1895 that he began to cater to the merchandise requirements of the citizens of his adopted town, and his financial ability, tact and honest business methods are bringing him desired re- sults. The store, 24x75 feet, in which his affairs are conducted, was erected by him and is the first brick and stone structure built here. In it may be found a complete line of general ne- cessities as well as many of the luxuries and conveniences to be found in an up-to-date and enterprising establishment in cities larger than this.

In Green county, Wis., Mr. Garland was born August 22, 1857, and is a son of Addison and Hannah (Noble) Garland, natives of Maine

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During the early '50s the father settled in Wis- consin, where he engaged in mercantile pur- suits. After coming to California in 1875 he started a general mercantile business in which his son, A. A., assisted as a clerk. So apt was the latter in acquiring a knowledge of the busi- ness that in time he became a partner and con- tinned in that capacity until he removed to Nordhoff in 1895. The father died at Santa Barbara in November of 1900, and the mother is still living in that city. In the family of three children A. A. was the eldest. He received his education in public schools and has in later years learned much from reading and observa- tion, until at the present time he is unusually well informed.

The marriage of Mr. Garland was solemnized at Santa Barbara in 1882 and united him with Ida M. Paddock, daughter of Charles Henry Paddock. Of this union five children were born, one of whom, Ray Paddock, died at the age of nine months. The four now living are Ruby, Eldon. Arthur and Ruth. In politics a Repub- lican, Mr. Garland cast his first presidential vote for James A. Garfield, and has ever since voted the straight Republican ticket. With his wife lie is a member of the Unitarian Church in Santa Barbara, but since coming to Nordhoff he has usually attended services at the Presbyterian Church here. Fraternally he is associated with the Channel City Lodge No. 232, I. O. O. F., at Santa Barbara and the Modern Woodmen of America in Nordhoff.

WALDEMAR G. HANSEN. The industry with which Mr. Hansen is particularly asso- ciated is typical of twentieth century progress, as exemplified in that interesting invention, the automobile. When he first became proprietor of the Pasadena machine shop it was limited to the usual scope of business which its name suggests, but he has since added an automobile stable, erecting a building 50x60 feet, in which he carries a full line of horseless carriages, both gasoline, electric and steam. A three-horse power dynamo is used for the charging of the clectrical apparatus. His specialty is the manu- facture of the Hansen gasoline engines, of four and one-half horse power, designed by himself, and useful not only as motive power for auto- mobiles, but also for boats in which gasoline is the propelling power. As a sample of the possibilities of his machine, it may be stated that he made a trip in his gasoline automobile from Pasadena to the Yosemite valley, cover- ing the entire distance of eleven hundred miles in eleven days.

In Chicago, III., Mr. Hansen was born Feb- ruary 1, 1879, being a son of Col. L. P. Han- sen, represented elsewhere in this volume. In the schools of Chicago he was primarily edu- cated, and after accompanying his parents to

Pasadena in 1890 he continued his public school studies. In 1895 he entered the Throop Poly- technic Institute, where he took a course of three and one-half years. Meantime he became interested in mechanical engineering and on leaving the institute in 1898 he bought an inter- est in the Pasadena machine shop, of which he became sole owner in June, 1901. The busi- ness is the oldest of its kind in the city, having been started in 1891, and is now located at No. 37 South Broadway, at the Southern Pacific depot. The management of the plant and its increase through the addition of automobiles consume Mr. Hansen's attention and leave him little time for participation in public affairs, in which, indeed, he takes no part other than cast- ing a Republican vote at local and general elec- tions.

JAMES H. WHITE. In common with a majority of the residents of Moneta, Mr. White is interested in the berry business. When he came to this portion of Los Angeles county in February, 1895, he bought eleven acres of partly improved land, and this he placed under cultivation to apples, strawberries, dewberries and Logan berries, together with other fruits. While the care of his vines and trees engages much of his attention, he also finds time to man- age his poultry yard and sells large quantities of eggs in the markets; besides this he has four cows and sells milk.

Near Leavenworth, Ind., Mr. White was born July 9, 1840, being a son of Richard and Barbara (Harmon) White. The former, who was a native of Tennessee, settled in Indiana at an early period and bought a tract of wild land which he brought under excellent cultiva- tion. During the pioneer days of Iowa, in 1841, he removed to that state, where he bought and improved a farm of two hundred and forty acres. On that homestead his death occurred in 1847 at fifty-six years of age. His wife was born near Lexington, Ky., and died in Iowa. They were the parents of ten children, the youngest being James H. White, of Moneta. When a boy he not only attended public school, but also had college advantages. At the open- ing of the Civil war. in 1861, he enlisted in the Second Missouri State Militia, and later was assigned to the Third Iowa Cavalry, which was sent south and took part in about forty engage- ments with the Confederates. After an honor- able service in defence of the Union he was discharged June 26, 1865.

Resuming the avocations of civic life, Mr. White carried on a real estate business at Mem- phis, Mo., for two years, after which he taught school for twelve years near Macon, that state. A later occupation was the cultivation of a farm in Iowa, from which state he came to Cal-

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ifornia January 24, 1887, and settled in Mon- rovia. This now thriving section of the state was then wholly unimproved and sparsely set- tled, its resources being as yet unknown. He purchased two and one-half acres of orange land, and improved and cultivated the prop- erty, but after a few years sold out and removed to Moneta.

The marriage of Mr. White occurred in Van Buren county, Iowa, and united him with Miss Susan C. Elliott, who was born in Muskingum county, Ohio, her parents being John and Eliza- beth (Buchanan) Elliott, natives respectively of Ohio and Pennsylvania. Her grandfather, Wil- liam Elliott, was of Irish birth and Scotch de- scent. When a young man he crossed the occan to America and settled in Ohio, where he took up unimproved farming land. At the age of seventy years he died on his Ohio farm. In 1852 John Elliott removed from Ohio to Iowa and settled near Birmingham, Van Buren county, where he first bought a quarter sec- tion of farm land and later added forty acres of timber land one-half mile from town. When he died, in 1890, his body was interred in the cemetery which he had deeded to the town. His wife had accompanied her parents to Ohio when twelve years of age. and from there came to Jowa. In 1896 she came to California to make her home with her daughter, Mrs. White, in Moneta, and here her death occurred in Decem- ber, 1901, when she was eighty-seven years of age. Mrs. White received fair educational ad- vantages and is a lady of refinement, an active worker in the Woman's Relief Corps, and a generous and kindly helper of those in need. By her marriage to Mr. White one child was born, a daughter, Mintie, who is now the wife of Prof. R. J. Rogers, of Moneta. Fraternally Mr. White is connected with the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Degree of Honor and the Grand Army of the Republic.

S. M. WALKER. There are few men in Southern California whose life occupation has permitted of such extended and interesting travel as has fallen to the lot of S. M. Walker, who has the reputation of knowing all there is to know about boilers and their manipulation. Following up years of practical experience in near and re- mote corners of the American continent, he cs- tablished on Main street, Los Angeles, in March of 1900, the pioneer boiler works of the city, where in the midst of a ceaseless and deafening din are turned out all kinds of boilers and oil and water tanks. He is the fortunate inventor of several modern and up-to-date tools which greatly facilitate his work, but which have never been patented. His shop is one of the most com- plete in Los Angeles, having a full complement of electric and other machinery, including

motors, power punches, drill press, air com- pressor, and bolt cutters.

A native of Chillicothe, Ross county, Ohio, Mr. Walker was born on his father's farm, August 19, 1855, and was educated at the public schools. and at the German Lutheran College. His father, Edwin P. Walker, was also born in Ross county, whither his forefathers had removed from Virginia at a very early day. The family were represented in the Revolutionary war by the paternal greatgrandfather. Edwin P. Walker removed from Ohio to Elkhart, Ill., and engaged in the mercantile business until the beginning of the war, when he volunteered in Company I, One Hundred and First Illinois Infantry. After three years of active service he was captured by the Confederates and sent to Andersonville, from which he succeeded in escaping, only to be forced to live, until reaching the Union lines. in the deadly malarial swamps, from which he soon after contracted a fatal fever. He married Anna Elder, who was born at Frankfort, Ky., on the old Elder plantation, a daughter of Isaac Elder, who was killed in the Indian war. Mrs. Walker. who now resides in Los Angeles, is the mother of three children, of whom S. M. is the only one living.

In 1874 Mr. Walker discontinued his studies at the German Lutheran College, in order to fit himself for future financial independence. For a time he was employed in the boiler shops of Wilson & Drake, on Tenth and Washington streets. and later completing his trade at Jack- sonville, Ill., in the Jacksonville Boiler works. In 1876 he took charge of the Vulcan Iron Works, at St. Joseph, Mo., and in 1882 came to Los Angeles in charge of the boiler department of the Baker Iron Works, on Second and Main streets. Six months later he bought out the boiler works and ran it for six months, when he organized the Union Iron Works, of which he became manager and one of the proprietors. In 1884 he assumed charge of the Alhambra Gold and Silver Mining Company, at Hawley, Cal .. and was later in the employ of the Santa Fe Railroad Company at National City, a position which he resigned at the end of four years. A later venture was with the Mexican Central Rail- road at Chihuahua, Mexico, after which he went to the city of Mexico and undertook the manage- ment of the Mexican National Railroad boiler shops. This position was resigned to take the contract of the Mexican government at Vera Cruz, but, owing to the prevalence of yellow fever, he departed for Havana, Cuba, fron where he took the steamer to Aspinwall. The climate there was anything but satisfactory, and the prospects even less so, which led Mr. Walker to migrate to Point Lemon, South America, and later to Galveston, Tex. At Eagle Pass, Tex .. he took charge of the Mexican International Boiler Shops, March 17, 1890, and while there

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had one hundred and seventy-five men under him. In 1894 he traveled to Vellerdenia, Mex- ico, and had charge of the boiler department of the Vellerdenia Milling and Smelting Company for a year, and from there went to Durango City, Mexico, and had charge of the Durango Iron and Steel Company's boiler and blacksmith shop for a year. This position was resigned to take up a contract with Maximillio Damm in the state of Durango, Mexico, to overhaul his whole plant, a task that was satisfactorily completed in one year. He then opened an engineer supply house and had a fine business, and afterwards obtained a concession from the Mexican gov- ernment to open a foundry and machine shop in Torreon, state of Coujhouila. This enterprise was placed on a substantial footing, and disposed of in 1898 to a large syndicate, and Mr. Walker then returned to Los Angeles, which has since been his home. His ranch of seven and a half acres, two blocks northeast of the city limits, was set out in various kinds of fruit, and devoted to general horticulture, and it is at present the home of Mr. Walker and his family, who live in a comfortable and convenient house, with beauti- ful surroundings.

The first marriage of Mr. Walker was con- tracted in Los Angeles with Clara Van Buskirk, of Bloomington, and who died in El Paso, Tex. The present Mrs. Walker was formerly Mrs. Janet (Henwood) Essery, who was born near Plymouth, Cornwall, England, a daughter of William Henwood, representative of an old Cornish family. The father was a dry-goods merchant in Callington for over forty years, and died after his retirement from business, in Lon- don, England. His wife, Mary (Davis) Hen- wood, who also died in London, was a first cousin of Sir Henry Lippincott. Of the six children born to Mr. and Mrs. Henwood, two are in America, Mrs. Walker, and Mrs. Cran- well Tucker, of Denver, Colo. Another daugh- ter married an American, Arthur Sheridan Lee, who is now Doctor of Divinity at Cambridge Col- lege, England. Mrs. Walker went to Canada when quite young with her aunt. Mrs. Hall, and was educated in the convent at Toronto. She then returned to London and married John Es- sery, a civil engineer and surveyor of London, and who came to San Antonio, Tex., where his death eventually occurred. Mrs. Essery then came to Los Angeles, where she lived until her marriage to Mr. Walker in 1894. To Mr. Walker's first marriage were born two children, Viola and Jessie. Mr. Walker is fraternally associated with the Independent Order of ()dd Fellows in the city of Mexico; the Knights of Pythias, of which he is chancellor; the Ancient Order of United Workmen, of which he is past master workman; and the Select Knights, of which he assisted in forming the first lodge on the Pacific coast. He is also a Mason, and a member of the

Eagle Pass (Texas) Lodge No. 85. Politically he is a Republican. Mrs. Walker is affiliated with the Episcopal Church.

WILLIAM J. HESS. Previous to coming to Pasadena in 1887 Mr. Hess had for years been connected with building and political in- terests in his native state of Michigan, where he was born near St. Joseph, Berrien county. June 6, 1839. He was the oldest son in the family of twelve children born to George and Mary (Higbee) Hess, the father a native of Westmoreland county, Pa., and the mother born near Syracuse, N. Y. George Hess settled first near Bucyrus, Crawford county, Ohio, and in 1836 removed to Michigan, while that locality was still a territory. The land upon which he set- tled in the very early days became a well im- proved farm, and in connection with the im- provement thereof he followed his trade as carpenter and builder. He was public spirited and enterprising and held various township of- fices, including those of supervisor and treas- urer, and he was well and favorably known in the county where he lived to be eighty-seven years old. His wife was also an early settler of Michigan, having removed to the territory with her father in 1834. She lived to be sixty-two years old, and of her twelve children eleven attained maturity and are still living.

While living on the paternal farm in Michi- gan William J. Hess attended the public schools and also spent two years at Albion College. At the age of seventeen he began teaching school, and for the following eight years employed his winters in teaching and his summers in working in the harvest fields. In the meantime he had acquired a fair knowledge of the carpenter busi- ness from his father, and when very young had become proficient in the use of tools. After leaving the farm he devoted his entire time to carpentering, in which capacity he was unus- ually successful during his five years' residence in St. Joseph, Mich. He then removed to Quincy, and later to Coldwater, and while in the latter place did a large business in residence, church and school buildings. Near Quincy he erected the S. D. Kimbark carriage factory, and for many years was councilman of the town. He was at one time identified with building in Benton Harbor, and served as city assessor for seven years.

In the fall of 1887 Mr. Hess came to Cali- fornia and after living a year in Los Angeles settled in Pasadena, where he established a building and contracting business. He was for- merly an architect as well as builder, but of late years has devoted his energies almost exclu- sively to contracting. Among the buildings in Pasadena for which he has contracted are the Spaulding Hotel, the Casa Grande Hotel, the Earl, Staats, Lacy, and Merwin residences, be-

B. t. Hermas

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sides school houses and business blocks all over the city. He has erected some of the finest and most artistic homes in the city, and has the reputation of being one of the best in his line in Los Angeles county.

While a resident of St. Joseph, Mich., Mr. Hess was united in marriage with Miss S. J. Weir, a native of Milan, Mich., and of the chil- dren born of this union three are living: Car- rie is now Mrs. J. W. Henley, of Los Angeles; Arleigh C. is an electrician in Seattle, Wash .; and Harry W. is a musician of Pasadena. Mr. Hess is a Republican in national and local poli- tics, and in fraternal affiliation is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He is one of the best known builders in the city and enjoys the confidence and esteem of his fellow craftsmen as well as the community at large.

BENJAMIN F. THOMAS. The family rep- resented by this influential attorney of Santa Barbara was established in America by his great-grandfather, a Welshman, who settled on a plantation in Virginia and served during the Revolutionary war in the colonial army. James, a son of this pioneer, was born in Virginia, and removed to Ohio county, Ky., but about 1830 became an early settler of Lewis county, Mo. He married a Miss Miller, a native of South Carolina, and of German descent. When sixty- five years old, in 1855, he crossed the plains to California via Salt Lake, where he was met by his son, Massey. His last years were spent in California, where he died. In religion he was a Baptist and a man of deep Christian be- lief and experiences.

Massey Thomas was born in Ohio county, Ky., in 1813, and became a farmer of Lewis county, Mo. In 1849 he crossed to California, via ox-train, and after mining for a short time, turned his attention to freighting and merchan- dising, with a brother-in-law, John Bain. In the fall of 1851 he returned east via Panama and New Orleans, but in the spring of 1853 left Mis- souri permanently, selling all his interests there. With his family and with four hundred head of cattle he had bought, he traveled via Council Bluffs, up the Platte, via the Humboldt route, and through Carson City to Sonora, Cal., where he rested his cattle. Buying land in Gilroy, Santa Clara county, he engaged in stock-rais- ing, and besides cattle he raised fine Percheron and Clydesdale horses. The drought of 1864 forced him to move his cattle, and he soon after sold them. Thenceforward until his death he devoted himself to general farming. In religion he was a member of the Christian Church. In politics he affiliated with the Whigs during the existence of that party, and afterward became a Democrat. His death occurred in April, 1900.

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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 165

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