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 52

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 52

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In Victor, Mitchell county, Kans., Mr. Howard married Miss Nettie Farrand, who was born in Iowa and removed to Kansas with her father, James Wesley Farrand, a veteran of the Civil war. The three children born of their union are John Wesley, Perry Alonzo, Jr. and Irene. The family attend Immanuel Presby- terian Church, of which Mrs. Howard is a mem- ber. Ever since attaining his majority Mr. Howard has been a voter in behalf of Repub- lican principles. In Pentalpha Lodge No. 202, F. & A. M., he was made a Mason, while his initiation into Odd Fellows Order occurred in Semi-Tropic Lodge No. 371, to which and to the encampment he still belongs. Other or- ganizations which enroll him as a member are the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks; Los Angeles Court, Independent Order of For- esters; La Fiesta Camp No. 63, Woodmen of the World; and Hermosa Lodge No. 33, Fra- ternal Brotherhood.

LOUIS JACOBI. The vicinity of Marburg, in Prussia, Germany, is the locality around which cluster the early associations and mem- ories of Mr. Jacobi, who was born there July 2, 1850, the third in a family of five chil- dren and the only one of the number to seek a home in America. His father, Ludvig Jacobi, was the son of a contractor and builder and himself became a large railroad contractor, rendering skillful work not only in the laying of tracks but also in the construction of large tunnels. After some years he gave up contract- ing and became the proprietor of a flour and grist mill, in which business his last years were spent. In early manhood he married Louisa Morer, whose entire life, like his own, was passed in Germany.

Under the careful oversight of his father, Louis Jacobi acquired in youth a thorough knowledge of millwrighting. On attaining his

BJ Hayden

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majority he crossed the ocean to the United States, settling first in Putnam county, Ill., but in a short time going to Hazleton, Luzerne county, Pa., where he secured employment at the carpenter's trade. On returning to Put- nam county, Ill., he followed carpentering and milling. The year 1877 found him in the Gun- nison district of Colorado, where he continued building, but at the same time became inter- ested in mining. He was a pioneer of the San Juan country, where he was employed as fore- man in the building of bridges and depots for the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. Drift- ing still further toward the west, he came to California in 1883, and for two years was en- gaged as foreman of buildings in San Fran- cisco.

Since 1885 Mr. Jacobi has made his home in Los Angeles. One of his first jobs here was as assistant foreman in the building of the Bradbury residence, after which he took the contract for the Bradbury hotel in Monrovia and later was foreman of the Phillips block, now occupied by the People's store. This was the first large business block built in Los Angeles and was four stories in height, with a basement. As foreman he was connected with the building of the convent on Pico Heights and the Orphans' home on Boyle Heights. The success which had rewarded his efforts and the large acquaintance he had formed in build- ing circles led him to begin taking contracts, and later years have proved the wisdom of this step. He had the contract for the Tajo build- ing on First and Broadway for Mr. Bradbury, the contracts for the city fire department's headquarters on South Hill, for numerous busi- ness houses in the center of the city, the Blais- dell residence on Figueroa and Adams streets, two houses for Mr. Waller on Boyle Heights. the De Mange residence, also on Boyle Heights, and many other substantial and com- modious residences.

In Los Angeles Mr. Jacobi married Miss Louisa G. Schillinger, who was born in Bavaria, and by whom he has four children, Carl, Mary, John and Walter. The family occupy a resi- dence at No. 612 North St. Louis street, which was built by Mr. Jacobi, and in addition to this, he has built up and now owns other property. Along the line of his occupation, he is con- nected with the Builders' Exchange and is a charter member of the Master Builders' Asso- ciation. At national elections he casts his bal- lot for Republican candidates. With his family he is identified with the Presbyterian Church and a contributor to the activities of the de- nomination. While in Putnam county, Ill., he was made a Mason, and after coming to Los Angeles he became a charter member of Hol- lenbeck Lodge No. 319, F. & A. M. Later he was raised to the Royal Arch degree in Signet

Chapter No. 57, and is besides a member of the Grand Council of Los Angeles. Another fraternity with which he is associated and in whose activities he maintains an interest is the Royal Arcanum.

B. T. HAYDEN. The recollections of Mr. Hayden often travel backward to the days when, as a boy of twelve years, he crossed the plains with his parents. It was during the period of the Civil war, when the Indians were particularly troublesome and hostile, and the party to which he belonged was in constant danger of depre- dations. The services of the twelve-year-old boy were utilized as a body guard, and he did his duty with all the faithfulness of a veteran. Fourteen head of cattle and ten head of horses were driven through to Union county, Ore., where all at last landed, unharmed.

Mr. Hayden was born in Illinois, December I, 1850, and was fourth in a family of four sons and five daughters. His father, William Hay- den, a native of Kentucky, and a pioneer of Illinois, removed from there to Texas, thence to Missouri, later to Iowa, and finally crossed the plains to Oregon. In all the places of his residence he made a specialty of raising cattle and horses. Arriving in Oregon, he home- steaded and pre-empted three hundred and twenty acres in Union county, of which his family were the first settlers. In time the Cove (as his ranch was called) became a favorite stopping place for travelers through the then sparsely settled state, and he gained many warm friends through his open-handed hospitality. His death occurred in Moneta, Cal., in 1895, when he was seventy-two years of age. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Ervin, was born in Ohio and now makes her home in Oregon.

Exceedingly few were the advantages which Mr. Hayden enjoyed during his boyhood years His time was spent in the saddle rather than the schoolroom, and this was not only because lie preferred the former, but also because there were no schools near his Oregon home. His skill in breaking horses was a matter of com- ment among all acquaintances. At one time the Umatilla Indians had a horse that had nearly killed three of the best Indian riders and beat them out. When he heard that no one was able to subdue this horse, he straightway looked it up. He finally bought the animal and when he had broken and trained it, there was no finer saddle horse in the whole country. While some Indians were friendly in those days, as a rule they were treacherous and hostile. On one oc- casion he had to ride alone eighteen miles from Washo Ferry to Farewell Bend on the Snake river. Friends advised him not to start on the journey, believing he would be killed, but he was too brave to give up. After he had gone

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some distance he found that two Indians were following him on horses. He stopped at a sud- den turn in the road, and when they rode up, they found a gun pointed at them. Under these circumstances they made no attempt to molest him, but quietly pursued their way.

After having homesteaded and pre-empted a farm in Willowa county, Ore., Mr. Hayden re- mained there for nine years. In addition, he bought four hundred and eighty acres of school land, which was utilized as a sheep ranch, but this property hie afterward sold. Conditions of health led him to remove to California, where he settled at Moneta and purchased twenty acres of timber land. A residence was soon built and other improvements made. For four years he conducted a general mercantile busi- ness, for a similar period served as postmaster, and he has also been a promoter of the Moneta Canning Company, of which he is now presi- dent. He built Hayden's hall, which is a sub- stantial building, adapted for a theatre and for lodge purposes. Besides these various inter- ests, he was a half-owner of a warehouse.

In Union county, Ore., Mr. Hayden married Miss Margaret Huffman, who was born in Mis- souri, her father, John Huffman, having mi- grated to that state from Virginia. They have two children, Hazel G. and Audrey W. Mrs. Hayden is identified with the Ladies Order of Maccabees and Fraternal Brotherhood, while Mr. Hayden is connected with the Fraternal Brotherhood and the Knights of Pythias. In politics, though reared in the Democratic faith, he has for some years been an active supporter of the Republican party.

ERNEST JENSEN. The industrial calendar of Los Angeles contains no name more promi- nently identified with brick manufacturing than is that of Jensen, of the firm of Jensen & Hada- check, of Pico Heights. Ernest Jensen, one of the substantial and successful members of the family of that name, was born in Schleswig- Holstein, near Meldorf, December 11, 1861, a son of Christian and Johanna (Royer) Jensen, natives of the same locality. Christian Jensen, as well as his father before him, was a brick manufacturer, and came to America in 1883, his death occurring in Los Angeles. The grand- father Royer was a stone-mason and blacksmith in Schleswig-Holstein. There were eight chil- dren born to Christian Jensen and his wife, four of whom are living, and of these, Dora and Henry live in Los Angeles, while Christina is a resident of Wisconsin.

As became the son of a brick manufacturer, Ernest Jensen gained familiarity in his extreme youth with the different departments of the in- dustry, and at the same time laid in a store of useful information at the public schools of Mel- dorf. From his fifteenth year he was actively

associated with his father in business, and in 1881 immigrated to America via Hamburg, the steamer arriving in Philadelphia from Liverpool after a voyage of eleven days. At Chicago, III., Mr. Jensen engaged at his trade as foreman of the works of Mayer & Toll, a position main- tained with credit and success until 1887. He then resigned to come to Los Angeles, where his brother Henry was already located, and where he assumed the foremanship of the lat- ter's brick yard for over ten years. In 1899 he started in to manufacture brick on Sixteenth street and Western avenue under the firm name of Jensen & Hadacheck, the business being con- ducted under the name of the Pico Heights Brickyards. A good quality of clay is found in convenient quantities, and the firm turn out enormous numbers of brick annually.

In Chicago, Ill., Mr. Jensen married Lena Bruhn, a native of Meldorf, Schleswig-Holstein. Of this union there is one child, Johanna. Mr. Jensen is a Republican in political affiliation, and is fraternally associated with the Maccabees and the Fraternal Brotherhood. With his wife he attends the German Lutheran Church. He is one of the solid business men of this part of the county, and is esteemed by all who enjoy his friendship or are associated with him in a business way.

JOHN SHIELS. One of the well-known business establishments of Riverside is that of John Shiels & Sons. The senior member of this firm, a pioneer of Riverside, came to California in 1883 and at once embarked in business as a tinsmith. Having little capital, his first ventures were on a very small scale. His shop was at first located on Main near Ninth street. After a time he began to devote considerable attention to plumbing and his success was so gratifying that he acquired a prominent position among the plumbers of the city and was engaged in con- tracts of importance, representing large amounts of money. Since 1891 he has had his shop at Tenth and Market streets.

During 1886 the sons of Mr. Shiels, Charles M. and William Frederick Shiels, were admitted into partnership, and the title became John Shiels & sons, since which time it has continued as such. The sons, being capable and energetic young men, have proved of the greatest assist- ance to their father, and are aiding in maintain- ing the reputation of the firm at the high stan- dard established years ago. Among their con- tracts may be mentioned those for the McNabb and Crawford residences on Magnolia avenue, A. P. Johnson's house on Palm avenue, and the residences of William Irving, John Mylne and Mr. Henderson at Arlington Heights. In addi- tion, they have also had contracts for sewer work.

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

AUGUSTUS C. HAZZARD. It is not strange that Mr. Hazzard should have found in the ministry an outlet for his earnest religious spirit. He began to preach in 1854, and was or- dained in the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1857. During the following seven years he was devoted to his duties in the church, his labors in Michigan ending in 1864. Owing to failing health, he was obliged to consider the matter of a change of climate and surroundings, and the far west seemed to offer a surcease from physical disability. He accordingly journeyed hence by way of Panama and San Francisco, and upon ar- riving at his destination at once assumed charge of the Santa Rosa station. After a short time he went to St. Helena, in the Napa valley, where he continued his ministerial work. He was for a time on the Sacramento circuit, and at different times stationed at various points throughout Cal- ifornia, and now remains in the Southern Cali- fornia Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

In 1883 Mr. Hazzard took up his permanent residence with the early pioneers of Whittier, the land at that time being covered with great stretches of barren waste. And here, also, his strong and ardent personality was a factor for good, for he taught and exemplified the gospel of mercy and good-will. Interested to a large degree in farming and horticulture, he at first se- cured about one thousand acres of the promising soil, the majority of which he later disposed of to other agriculturists. At the present time his attention is entirely given to horticulture, and he has one hundred and fifty acres under English walnuts and twenty-five acres under citrus fruits.

ALLEN W. NEIGHBOURS. Though a resi- dent of the vicinity of Downey since 1865, Mr. Neighbours was not then a newcomer, having previously lived in San Bernardino since 1853. In 1863 Mr. Neighbours crossed the plains with an ox-team in a train of emigrants, facing dan- gers of the most pronounced kind, and located at the end of their journey in San Bernardino, Cal., finally going to the vicinity of Downey. which has since been his home. He was one of the earliest pioneers of the district, and has, dur- ing the course of his life here, witnessed many changes and improvements, the credit for which is due in a large measure to his assistance and interest in the development of the latent re- sources. He was married twice; his first wife, Priscilla Burrow, died in Arkansas. Elizabeth McCann, his second wife, was a native of Ten- nessee, and seven of their children survive.

In national politics Mr. Neighbours is a Dem- ocrat and interested in all of the undertakings of his party. Vitally interested in the cause of education, he was chosen to serve for several years on the school board as a trustee. He is a member of the Los Nietos and Ranchito Walnut

Growers' Association, incorporated. Essentially a self-made man, he has won the approval and esteem of the entire community by his attitude toward matters pertaining to the well-being of the neighborhood. Mr. and Mrs. Neighbours have a fine ranch of fifty-five acres of land, about twenty acres of which are in walnuts.

JAMES FLETCHER ISBELL. Upon the arrival of Mr. Isbell in Southern California in 1868 great herds of cattle and sheep roamed at will and grazed on the uplands and in the mead- ows. His first place of residence was at one time included in the home ranch of Don Pio Pico, the last Spanish governor of California. In Spanish the title of the property was Rancho Passo de Bartolo Veja. The governor was a loyal Ameri- can citizen and a gentleman of the old school, dignified and courtly. He proved a good friend to Mr. Isbell; the latter raised a crop of corn 011 his ranch with only once irrigating the land. Don Pio Pico offered to sell him all the land he wished at $20 per acre, and to wait for payment until he had harvested his crops. This offer Mr. Isbell refused, although he has ever since regretted doing so. Instead, he went to Orange county in 1872 and bought twenty acres of land for $30 an acre, but traded ten of the acres for orange trees to plant on the balance of the property. In addi- tion he bought five acres, thus having fifteen acres, which he later sold for $500 per acre. The increase in the value of the property was due to his efforts in the interests of irrigation. He was instrumental in the organization of the Santa Ana Valley Irrigation Company, which bought out the Chapman & Glassell" Company. The old ditch was not large enough to accommodate the de- mand for water, and Mr. Isbell was one of six- teen men who went to Los Angeles and bought out the old company. They built what was prac- tically a new ditch, and by cutting a tunnel they created a forty-foot water power, which is used by the Olive Milling Company. The ditch cost about $65,000, much of which amount was . worked out by the stockholders. It has proved of incalculable value to the entire country and irrigates twenty thousand acres of land. Imme- diately after its completion prices began to ad- vance, and it was for this reason that Mr. Isbell was enabled to sell his property at a large in- crease over its purchase price. During the work of building the ditch he superintended one gang of the construction party, at the upper end of the ditch, in the Santa Ana Cañon in the mountains.

In 1883 Mr. Isbell changed his location to the ranch at Los Nietos, where he now resides. Here he has thirty acres in all, twenty-five of whichi are under English walnuts and five under or- anges. Originally a waving cornfield shook its tassels in the air, plebeian progenitor of a golden aristocracy. Since his return to Los Angeles county Mr. Isbell has done considerable work in

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grading ditches in the Los Nietos valley. Hc worked for the Santa Fe Railroad Company in securing for them the right of way between Los Angeles and the Orange county line. He also put up the grade at the railroad crossing at Los Nietos station, thus giving the Santa Fe the right of way, and obliging the Southern Pacific to put up the signal tower. While working for the railroad company he was able to secure fifty acres of land, on which he located the town of Rivera, subdivided the property into lots, and these he sold.

CLAYTON LEWIS. The chief engineer and electrician of Second street station, Edison Elec- tric Light Company of Los Angeles, is a member of an old Pennsylvanian family, whose genealog- ical record is traced to Lewis the Springer, so- called by reason of his remarkable skill in jump- ing. These two names were transmitted to pos- terity under the family cognomens of Lewis and Springer, both of which spring from the same ancient English stock. John Lewis, a native of Warren county, Pa., became a pioneer of the county of the same name in Ohio, and from there about 1856 removed to Madison, Wis., thence going to Baraboo, Wis., in all of which places he followed the occupation of a tinsmith and copper- smith. During his residence in Madison he served for one term as city treasurer. His death occurred at Baraboo in 1876. He married Martha Lutton, who was born in Pennsylvania, of Scotch-Irish lineage, and is now a resident of Santa Ana, Cal. Of their twelve children all but two attained ma- turity and nine are now 'living. The two eldest sons, James, of Grand Rapids, Mich., and Sam- uel, of Fresno, Cal., were soldiers in the Civil war, the former being a member of the Forty-third, and the latter of the Forty-eighth Wisconsin In- fantry.

In Madison, Wis., Clayton Lewis was born January 13, 1858. When a boy his health was so delicate that attendance at school was impossible, hence his education was secured principally from reading and observation. At sixteen he began to grow strong and was able to take up farm work. In 1879 he went to Iowa and was for two and one-half years employed as locomotive fireman on the Sioux City & Pacific Railroad, after which he was employed as locomotive engineer for a year. In a similar capacity he worked in Texas and Nevada, and during the summer of 1883 be- came locomotive engineer for the Oregon Rail- road and Navigation Company, in which connec- tion he remained for two years. A later position was on the Northern Pacific Railroad. In 1886 he became engineer in the Central station of the local electric light company of Bismark, N. D. A year later he returned to Oregon and was em- ployed there and in Washington by contrac- tors for the installation of electrical plants. He

helped to install the first four electric street rail- roads in the state of Oregon, also many of the first electrical plants in that state and Washing- ton.

On coming to Los Angeles, in 1895, Mr. Lewis was employed by Arthur Perry in an electrical capacity, and then was connected with the San Antonio Light and Power Company, having charge of their plant in the San Antonio cañon, fifteen miles north of Pomona, which was the first commercial long distance plant in the whole world. Power from this plant was transmitted as far as San Bernardino, twenty-eight miles away. After six months Mr. Lewis resigned and, returning to Los Angeles, during the same year (1897) became chief engineer and electrician in charge of the Second street station of the West Side Lighting Company, now the Edison Electric Company. This position he has since filled. Under his supervision there has been a gradual increase in the capacity of the plant from one hundred-horse power to six engines, having a combined capacity of fifteen hundred horse-power. The perfect condition of the plant is largely due to his keen and intelligent supervision, and the able manner in which he has discharged every duty has brought him frequent and merited com- mendation. The high opinion of his ability held by the members of his craft was proved in 1900 when he was elected president of Los Angeles No. 2, National Association of Stationary Engi- neers, and in other ways he has received tangible evidence of a general recognition of his ability and influence. Though not active in politics, he is well informed regarding the problems which divide our great parties to-day, and gives his sup- port to the Republican organization. Fraternally he is connected with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Ancient Order of United Work- men. His marriage, in La Grande, Ore., united him with Miss Catherine Adams, who was born in Saratoga county, N. Y., and by whom he has a daughter, Adeline. In religion Mrs. Lewis is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

MICHAEL KLASSEN. To the subject of building in all its phases Mr. Klassen has devoted the greater part of his active life, and has applied thereto the most profound study and practical research. Since 1890 he has been superintendent of cement foundations of buildings for Carl Leon- ardt, and for the last year has been the partner of Mr. Leonardt. During these years Mr. Klas- sen has carried out contracts for the largest and heaviest work in Los Angeles, nor have his ser- vices been at all confined to this, his favorite city. He superintended among others the Chino sugar factory and the factories at Oxnard ; Ames, Neb. ; Rocky Ford, Colo .; and another re-built factory in Nebraska; the plunge at Santa Monica and Redonda; the foundation of the Bradbury block,

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German-American Bank, Wilcox Building, Tur- ner Hall, the Philadelphia brewery, the Los An- geles Street Railway Company's building, and the heavy work for the Lankershim, Henne and In- surance buildings.

Upon the ancestral lands of his family Mr. Klassen was born near Trier, on Mosel, Prussia, November 28, 1854, and on this same farm his father, Michael, lived for seventy-one succeeding years. He was a man of importance in his neigh- borhood, and was a non-commissioned officer in the Prussian army. The paternal grandfather, Michael, tilled the acres of the time-honored es- tate which also witnessed his birth, and also en- gaged in the lumber manufacturing business on an extensive scale. His son, Michael, married Annie Mary Grewer, a native of the vicinity of Trier, a daughter of Jacob Grewer, farmer and hotel man, and the descendant of a prominent Prussian family. Two of the brothers of Mr. Grewer were killed in the war with Napoleon in 1813. Mrs. Klassen died when her only child, the third Michael in the family, was three years old. He was reared at the old home and received a fair education in the public schools, and at an early age displayed particular aptitude for the use of carpenter's tools. This tendency was fos- tered by his uncle, who was a carpenter, and by close association with the saw-mill of his grand- father. Having mastered his trade he entered government employ in the railroad service during the Franco-Prussian war in 1870. The following . year he immigrated to America, and worked at his trade in Brooklyn, N. Y. He afterwards located in New York City and worked at the bench, and his life was practically uneventful un- til the breaking out of the Modock war created a demand for the services of the alien as well as native sons of the land.

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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 52

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