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 184

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

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maintain a high order of cement work in the city of which he is an honored and well-known citizen.

E. A. FORRESTER. One of the careers interwoven with the development of Los An- geles since 1885 has been that of E. A. For- rester, whose commercial and moral worth has been consistent with the highest type of citizen- ship in this or any city. Of rugged Scotch an- cestry, he was born in Bridgeport, Conn., De- cember 27, 1832, his father (Lot) being a native of the same part of the state. The paternal grandfather was born in Scotland and removed to the northi of Ireland, from which he immi- grated to the United States and settled in Con- necticut. He was a millwright by trade. The father removed at an early day to Steuben county, N. Y., and settled on a farm near Bath, where he remained until his death, in 1851, at the age of seventy-six years. He married Han- nah Mead, a native of Connecticut and of Eng- lish descent, and who died at Scranton, Pa., at. the age of eighty-six years. There were seven sons and seven daughters in the family, and all but one daughter attained maturity. At the present time two sons only are living, Charles and E. A., both of Los Angeles.

The year after his birth Mr. Forrester was taken by his parents to the vicinity of Bath, Steuben county, N. Y., where he was reared on a farm, and during the leisure of the winter months attended the public schools. At the age of sixteen he had qualified for teaching and engaged in this work during the summer at the

Rodgersville Union Seminary. At the age of nineteen he embarked upon a mercantile career at Bath and experienced a fair amount of suc- cess until his removal to Rochester, Minn., in the spring of 1857. Owing to the panic fol- lowing shortly upon his arrival he decided to close up his northern interests and return to Bath, where he remained until 1863. In April of 1861, at the first tap of the drum, he ten- dered his services and helped to recruit a New York regiment, but physical disability kept hin from being accepted for active duty at the front. After returning to Rochester, Minn., in 1863, he again enlisted for service in the Civil war, but was rejected.

A wise discernment suggested to Mr. For- rester a complete change of environment, and March 14, 1864, found him aboard the old liner, Ocean Queen, bound from New York harbor to Aspinwall, from where he shipped on the City of San Francisco for the town of that name, arriving there April 14, 1864. Failing health had overtaken him to an alarming degree, and with dim physical prospects and but $3 to his name he started out to recover and thus pave the way for the larger possibilities of his new surround- ings. His first work in the west was along edu-

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cational lines in the mountains, where he con- tinued to teach until locating in San Francisco April 14, 1865. With $5,000 in money and com- pletely restored health, he made an inventory of his surrounding chances, and decided for the present to retrace his steps to New York, where for two years he engaged in business with his brother Charles. He then removed to Scranton, Pa., and engaged in the grocery business on a wholesale scale, and with his brother located on Lackawanna avenue and under the firm name of Forrester Bros. conducted a large wholesale grocery with a provision trade all over the mining country. For eighteen years the brothers were an integral part of the industrial life of their district.

In 1885 Mr. Forrester disposed of his Penn- sylvania interests and located in Los Angeles, where he became interested in the real estate business and has since made some of the most practical improvements in the city. If for no other reason than his efforts in connection with the upbuilding of Westlake Park, his services to the city are of immense importance, and re- flect the ability and business sagacity of the man. He laid out the addition and got the city to accept thirty-five acres for a park, after which he raised $4,000 and prevailed upon the council to appropriate another $4,000, and he devoted three years to pushing the project. The splen- did improvements are indicative of the aspira- tions of the promoter, who named the park, and has felt a keen and practical interest in its gradual unfolding.

The political services of Mr. Forrester are best represented by his term as supervisor of the county on the Republican ticket, to which office he was elected in the fall of 1889, taking office January, 1890, and serving until January of 1895. His administration was characterized by devo- tion to the best public interests. Many roads were improved and bridges built, the county farm was brought into fine condition, and the courthouse was completed and furnished Mr. Forrester having entire charge of the laying out of the grounds. Many other improvements are directly traceable to the plans of this official, who left a wholesome record in return for the confidence placed in his honor and executive ability. Owing to the strenuous demands upon his time, pressing from many directions, he was obliged to refuse a second term as supervisor, although his friends and associates felt that in thus doing the county was many times the loser.

One of the large city agencies through which Mr. Forrester has been enabled to accomplish much good is the Young Men's Christian Asso- ciation, of which he was elected president in 1889, and served in this capacity for ten years. During that time this wonderfully vital organi- zation passed through many depressing sieges of a financial nature, yet the building was com-

pleted in 1899, and the band of co-workers were thus lodged in suitable quarters. Much of the enterprise which brought about this result was due to the admirable management of the presi- dent, whose wide business experience and gen- eral knowledge made him a particularly fitting helmsman in time of emergency and doubt. Upon tendering his resignation in 1899, J. Ross Clark stepped into the place made vacant by Mr. Forrester although the latter is still a director and one of the most helpful of mem- bers. Mr. Forrester is a member of the Cham- ber of Commerce, and with Mrs. Forrester is associated in membership with the First Meth- odist Episcopal Church, of which he was a trus- tee for several years.

Through his marriage in Corning, N. Y., to Mary Courtright, a native of Honesdale, Pa., and a member of an old eastern family, Mr. Forrester secured a sympathetic and able assist- ant in fashioning his career. Mrs. Forrester is active and prominent in philanthropic and social affairs in Los Angeles, and was a director and one of the chief promoters of the Newsboys' Home, and was also formerly treasurer of the same. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Forrester, viz .: Arthur W., who is a clerk in the supreme court of Los Angeles county; Fred W., who is now associated with his father in the real estate business, and Mae, whose death in 1894 removed one of the most charm- ing and lovable of the social leaders of Los Angeles. Miss Forrester was educated in the high school and Los Angeles College, and was accomplished beyond the ordinary, possessing among other gifts a beautiful and sympathetic soprano voice. She had a sincere and beautiful character, and those attributes of tact and ap- preciation which not only won her a high place among the brightest and best people of the town, but drew to her and retained the love and affection of innumerable friends.

CAPT. GEORGE N. SHAW. The keeper of Point Firmen Lighthouse at San Pedro was born in Cambridgeport, a suburb of Boston, Mass., July 22, 1832, and descends from Scotch ancestors that early settled in New England. His grandfather, William F. Shaw, a native of New Hampshire, learned the shoemaker's trade in boyhood and for some years carried his kit from one town to another, working wherever he could secure anything in his line. Later he settled on a farm near Milford, N. H., and there died at seventy-three years. Six children were born to him by his union with Miss Hopkins, who was born in Massachusetts and died in New Hampshire at about eighty-one years.

The father of Captain Shaw was Benjamin F. Shaw, a native of Milford, N. H., learned the blacksmith's trade and also became an expert carriage-maker. For about three years he made

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

his home in Cambridgeport, Mass., thence went to South Canton, and from there to Cambridge as foreman for a firm of car manufacturers. Not only was lie a fine mechanic, but he also possessed inventive ability and was the orig- inal designer of the ironing of the Concord car- riages. In politics he was a Jacksonian Demo- crat of the stanchest type. In 1847, when he was thirty-eight years of age, he disappeared and nothing was ever learned concerning his fate, but it has always been supposed that he was thrown off from the bridge between Bos- ton and Cambridge. His wife, Sarah (Lincoln) Shaw, was born at Cohasset, Mass., and when she died at South Canton in 1870 her body was taken back to her birthplace for interment. Her father was drowned near Minot's Ledge light- house, where she was born; her brother, Rob- ert, served as an assessor of Boston, and an- other brother served in the navy.

Capt. George Nichols Shaw represents the fourth generation of the Shaw family in the United States. In boyhood he began to learn the blacksmith's trade, but at the age of eight- een became a sailor in the whaling service, later entering the French navy, where he became master. In the Burmese war he served with the English frigate Tennassarrim, winning a Ran- goon medal for gallantry in action at that time. One of the medals was given him for making the best shot of any sailor during an action at sea. While holding the position of quartermas- ter, tiring of the service, he led the physicians to believe that he was ill and so secured an honor- able discharge. He then went to Tiger Island, where he was employed at $100 per month to shoot tigers, his employer being the commander of the fort. Among those that he killed was the largest tiger ever seen there. After a month he returned to Calcutta, and shipped as second mate on a large ship for London, England. Ar- riving there just as the East India dock had been opened, he received his pay and an honor- able discharge. Six weeks later he went to Liverpool, where he was robbed of his savings and baggage. He then shipped as second mate to New York, and on being discharged returned to New England, after an absence of seven years. Returning to his old ship, Continent, he shipped from New York to Liverpool, and con- tinued on the same vessel for some time, mak- ing two voyages as master. Next, for two years he engaged in the coasting trade from New York to Washington and Georgetown, D. C., first as a sailor, then as master of a ship, until the outbreak of the Civil war. Taking charge of a schooner from Philadelphia, he delivered coal at Key West and a general cargo at Pensa- cola, going from there to Cuba, where he char- tered to take sugar to Baltimore, delivering the same and disposing without delay of the entire cargo.

From Baltimore Captain Shaw went to New York and thence to Boston, where he enlisted in the Twentieth Massachusetts Infantry, serving until September, 1865, and taking part in vari- ous engagements. At the Ball Bluff massacre a sabre. cut in the head proved a troublesome though not a serious wound. In the capacity of sergeant he drilled his company, and for a short time was orderly. The command was later sent to Vicksburg, where he was taken ill and forced to return home on a furlough. As soon as health had been regained he enlisted as orderly sergeant in the Third Massachusetts Heavy Ar- tillery, sent in defense of Washington. At the close of the war he was in command of Fort Slemmer. He was mustered out at Boston, where he remained for a time afterward. Suc- ceeding ventures were connected with a fishing business, later with a hotel and restaurant in New York, after which he was captain of the Messenger of New York, sailing to Hong Kong, China, and during the voyage encoun- tered a severe typhoon, in which only his re- sourcefulness and prompt action saved his ves- sel from disaster. Returning to America, he left the ship at San Francisco, and proceeded to Point Reyes, thence came to San Pedro May 13, 1882, where he has charge of the lighthouse station. While at the Goat Island station, just before coming to San Pedro, he married Carrie Merrill. Fraternally he is connected with the American Mechanics, the Knights of Pythias and the Grand Army of the Republic.

THEODORE D. KANOUSE. As a leader in an organization whose aim is the uplifting of mankind, Mr. Kanouse is not only well known throughout California, but also in South Da- kota and Wisconsin. Coming west with the prestige accorded him through ten years of service as grand chief templar of the Independ- ent Order of Good Templars in Wisconsin, and a similar service in South Dakota, it was not long after his arrival in California that he be- came identified with the work of the society here. In 1896 he was' honored by election as grand chief templar of California, which high office he has since filled.

At the time of Mr. Kanouse's birth, which occurred at Lodi Plains, Mich., March 11, 1838. that state was sparsely settled and was consid- ered a frontier region. It was for the purpose of engaging in missionary work among thie pio- neers that his father, Rev. J. G. Kanouse, had left the comforts of the east, and, fortified by an excellent education in Princeton College and by a great desire to serve the cause of Chris- tianity, had cast in his lot with the few settlers of the then Northwestern Territory. He was the son of a German, Peter Kanouse, who came to America in young manhood and settled in New Jersey, where he engaged in milling. Dur-

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ing the war of the Revolution he left his mill and marched to the front to aid in defending his adopted country from British oppression. Among the battles in which he participated was that at Trenton. When his death occurred he was about four score years of age. In his fam- ily there were three sons and one daughter.

The marriage of Rev. J. G. Kanouse united him with Elizabeth Dodd, a native of New Jer- sey, born in 1802. The day after they were married they started for the frontier, to engage in missionary work among the Choctaw Indians, being in company with Mr. and Mrs. Jewell, well-known missionaries. For three years they remained among the Choctaws, then moved to Mission Ridge, after which he preached for a time in Wayne county, N. Y., then held pastor- ates in Michigan and in 1843 removed to Wis- consin, where he died in 1870 at the age of seventy years. During his long ministry he was instrumental in the building of nine houses of worship in Michigan, two in Wisconsin, and one at Newark, Wayne county, N. Y. All of his work was in the Presbyterian denomination, and he preached uninterruptedly from youth until old age, never ceasing his efforts for others until he was stricken, in his pulpit, with what proved to be his last illness. Not only did he minister to the spiritual welfare of his parishion- ers, but he also did considerable work as a phy- sician in communities where medical attendance could not be secured, and one of the most self- sacrificing labors of his busy life was during an epidemic of cholera, when he worked night and day, by the bedside of the sick and the dying. Vigorous health remained his through a long and active life, and that blessing also was vouchsafed his family. The first break in his family was caused by his death; his wife sur- vived him many years, dying in 1884, at the age of eighty-two. She, too, was hale and active up to the last, and her death was the result of a fall. Their attainment of advanced years and their enjoyment of splendid health seem remark- able when their years of self-sacrificing labors, their many hardships and privations, are con- sidered. More than once they experienced all the horrors of the prairie fires, when, to save their little home from destruction, they were compelled to "fight fire with fire." They had entered government land eight miles east of what is now Madison, Wis., and in the cultiva- tion of that land secured enough to provide the family with the necessities of life, much of his ministerial work being done gratuitously. In those days there were no markets near by, and wheat was hauled eighty miles to Milwaukee, the returning wagons bringing supplies for the family.

In the family of this frontier missionary there were nine sons and one daughter, Theodore being the seventh son. All of these children at-

tained maturity and seven are now living. When a boy he was sent to the Wisconsin State Uni- versity, where, at the time of his senior year, a change in the office of chancellor caused the rebellion of many students. Recognizing the change as a political move, the students resented it and left the institution. Among them were Bishop Fallows and Colonel Vilas. In this way the education of Mr. Kanouse came to a sud- den end. Going to New York City, he secured employment with a music house, and at the time the Civil war began he was receiving $150 per month. However, he deemed it his duty to offer his services to the country, so resigned his excellent position and returned to Wisconsin, where, June 21, 1861, he enlisted in the band of the Sixth Regiment of Volunteers. In the spring of 1862, when bands were given permis- sion to enter the service, he enlisted in the Third Battery of Wisconsin Light Artillery, from which he was honorably discharged Sep- tember 13, 1865. His first service was in the army of the Potomac, but later he was under Rosecrans in the army of the Cumberland. While engaged in duty at the battle of Chicka- mauga, his battery was demolished, and he was then transferred to Fort Scott, on guard duty.

Soon after his return from the army Mr. Ka- nouse was elected superintendent of schools for the first district of Wisconsin, which position he held for five years. The day of his discharge from the army he was initiated into the Inde- pendent Order of Good Templars, and on re- signing as superintendent of schools accepted a position as grand chief templar of Wisconsin. Later he was promoted to right worthy grand templar, the highest degree. Overwork in the interests of the organization injuriously affected his health, and, hoping a change of climate would prove beneficial, in 1881 he settled at what is now Woonsocket, S. D., where he car- ried on a lumber and coal business. There, too, he became closely associated with Templar work and served as grand chief of the organization. For some time he was an active worker for the division of Dakota, in the interests of which movement he served as a delegate to the consti- tutional convention, filled the office of congress- man and labored effectively for the proposed change. When the two states were formed, he resigned his place and soon afterward ac- cepted the office of warden of the South Dakota penitentiary. The failure of his health caused him to resign this responsible post, and in 1891 he came to California, since which year he has given his attention to Good Templar work and to the improvement of his homestead, on the corner of A and Sixth streets, Glendale, where he has a ten-acre ranch in oranges and peaches.

July 11, 1869, Mr. Kanouse married Miss Amelia Adelaide Levake, who was born in In- diana, February 14, 1840, and at the age of five

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years was taken to Wisconsin by her parents, Oscar and Eliza (Clark) Levake, natives of Ver- mont. Her grandfather, John, a captain in the war of 1812, was a son of John Le Vaque, Sr., who came from France with Lafayette and assisted in securing independence for the col- onies. Since that soldier settled in America the family name has been Americanized in its spell- ing. Mrs. Levake died at the age of seventy- four, and her husband when seventy-five. Both were earnest members of the Congregational Church. Their four children are still living. Mrs. Kanouse was educated principally in Albion Academy, of which she is a graduate, and after leaving school taught in Wisconsin and also in Chicago. In the activities of the Good Templars she is deeply interested, as she is also in the work of the Presbyterian Church, to which she and Mr. Kanouse belong. In addition to his connection with the temper- ance organization, he is also interested in Grand Army matters and in 1900 was elected state commander of the Southern California Veter- an's Encampment. In his family there are two? children, of whom the daughter, Rachel, is at home. The son, Theodore W., is now holding a responsible position with the Studebaker Company in San Francisco.

MRS. ELIZABETH HYER. The earliest recollections of Mrs. Hyer are associated with Missouri, where she was born, in Ralls county, February 13, 1842. Her parents, Henry and Sarah Jane (Carr) Couch, were natives respec- tively of Petersburg and Pittsburg, Pa. Mr. Couch, who was a millwright by trade, settled in Missouri when a young man and thereafter erected mills all over that section of the coun- try. The first grist mill in Ralls county was built by him and he continued to engage in that business for some years, meantime making his home near New London. In 1862 he enlisted in Company E, Third Missouri State Militia, and continued in the service until he was killed by the enemy at Cherry Grove, Mo., July 18, 1863. In his family there were four sons and five daughters, and all of these attained mature years, Elizabeth being next to the youngest. Her education was received in the country schools of Ralls county and was exceedingly limited, but the lack of advantages has been compensated for by constant reading and habits of close observation.

In 1863 Miss Elizabeth Couch became the wife of Benjamin Robinson, and they made their home in Ralls county until the death of Mr. Robinson, which occurred there in 1878. Eight years later she was again married, becoming the wife of James P. B. Foreman, who died Novem- ber 29, 1888. Early in the 'gos Mrs. Foreman came to California, and, being highly pleased with the climate and advantages offered by the

state as a place of residence, she returned to Missouri, disposed of her property there, and came back to the coast. October 7, 1898, she was married to C. M. Hyer, who died April 8, 1902. Her home for some years has been at Gardena, where she owns six and one-half acres. The land is rented to tenants, who have it under cultivation to strawberries and pease. One of the most noticeable improvements of the prop- erty is a well one hundred and sixty-two feet deep, operated by a wind mill. By her first mar- riage Mrs. Hyer has a son, who is living in Hannibal, Mo. With her, in the Gardena home, resides her step-daughter, Miss Florence Anne Hyer, who is an artist and has a studio on Eighth street and Green avenue, Los Angeles. During her residence in Missouri Mrs. Hyer was an active worker in the Women's Relief Corps and the Rathbone Sisters. Always inter- ested in whatever makes for the prosperity of the nation, she has been a firm believer in the prin- ciples of the Republican party. In religion she is connected with the Baptist Church.

BENJAMIN W. HAHN. One of the well- known law firms of Pasadena is that of Hahn & Hahn, the senior member of which forms the subject of this article, while the junior member is his brother, E. F. The partnership dates from September 1, 1899, when the younger brother, who had previously been a law student in the office, became a member of the firm. The lux- uriantly and thoroughly equipped offices are centrally located, in the Union Savings Bank building, where a general practice is carried on, with a specialty of corporation law, the firm act- ing as attorneys for many corporations located in all parts of California.

When a boy Henry Hahn came from Ger- many to the United States and settled in Phila- delphia, thence going to Chicago as early as 1832 and buying one hundred and sixty acres in what is now the center of the city. Later he bought other properties, and as the village grew to be a city the possession of so much real estate made him a wealthy man. He is still an active, hearty man at ninety-seven years of age. In politics he voted with the Whigs, and later with the Republican party. His son, Samuel, father of Benjamin W., was born in Philadelphia, and from boyhood was a resident of Chicago, where he engaged in contracting and building. In May, 1887, he settled in Pasadena, where he is now retired from business pursuits. During the entire period of the Civil war he served in the Union army as a member of the First Illi- nois Light Artillery, Battery B., and he is now associated with the Grand Army Post in Pasa- dena. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Barbara Brecheisen, was born in Alsace, France, and accompanied her parents to Chicago in childhood. They and their three children reside

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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 184

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