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 71

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

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1.9. Gabbert

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

recommended by General Thomas for transfer to the cavalry. July 14, 1869, he was assigned to the Seventh Cavalry, and soon was ordered to join his new regiment in camp near Fort Hays. From that time until 1889 he partici- pated in the various campaigns of his regiment, chiefly in the west. During a part of this time he was in camp near the present site of Cawker City, Kans., and on leaving was tendered by the people of the valley a vote of thanks for his tire- less services in their behalf, also was presented with a paper bearing testimony to his labors, signed by all the citizens. It had been his cus- tom, whenever new people came there to settle, to tender them an escort of soldiers as guards until they had a house built and were in a posi- tion to defend themselves in case of attack by the Indians. Stockmen with droves of cattle were also furnished with escorts.

When the battle of Little Big Horn occurred Lieutenant de Rudio was cut off from his com- mand, and his narrow escape from death brought his name into prominence throughout the entire country at that time. This battle oc- curred in Montana June 25 and 26, 1876, the white forces being under command of General Custer, lieutenant-colonel of the Seventh United States cavalry. During the retreat which the American soldiers were hurriedly making, he returned for a guidon, and in this way be- came separated from the command and within range of the Indian guns. Indeed, had it not been for a thick growth of shrubbery, he would have been instantly killed. As he struggled up the steep south bank of the creek, pulling his horse up after him, he saw hundreds of Indians, shooting at the retreating soldiers, who had crossed the Little Big Horn river and reached the hills, thus cutting the lieutenant entirely off from his comrades. Perceiving that he was lost, he determined to cut his way through the In- dians, but, as he prepared to mount, an Indian fired at him. The bullet struck the horse, fol- lowed by other bullets, which killed the animal. To save his life the lieutenant made a jump for the creek, dropped under the bank, just escaping the balls that he heard whizzing over his head. The appearance of Captain Bennteen's column in the distance caused a dispersion of the In- (lians and enabled the lieutenant to seek the underbrush for hiding. However, his troubles were by no means over. A record of his hair- breadth escapes during the night that followed could not be presented within the limits of our space. Suffice it to say that his thoughts often turned to his beloved family, whom in his ex- tremity he felt he would never again behold; and with what love and longing his heart dwelt upon them during the dark hours of the perilous night only those similarly situated could under- stand. About three o'clock on the morning of the 27th he reached the camp of the soldiers and

was safe at last. He later participated in the famous campaign of the Nez Perces. Septem- ber 30, 1877, he was promoted to the office of captain, and participated in all the engagements and services of his regiment.

At the time of the opening of Oklahoma, in April, 1889, Captain de Rudio was at Fort Sill. In 1892 he went to Fort Riley, Kans., and from August, 1893, until October 5, 1895, was at Fort Lane and Houston, Tex. While at Fort Byer, N. M., he was retired by reason of having reached the age limit, sixty-four years, the date of his retirement being August 26, 1896. He came at once to California, and after eighteen months in San Diego settled in Los Angeles, where he has since resided. He is connected with the Grand Army of the Republic and the Southern California Association, Loyal Legion. Since becoming a citizen of the United States he has been an advocate of Republican princi- ples, espousing that party as soon as he came to the country and had studied the principles for which Abraham Lincoln stood. A brave defender of our nation's welfare, he represents the highest type of our adopted citizenship, courageous and resourceful in war, and public- spirited and progressive as a private citizen.

THOMAS GAVEN GABBERT. During the long period of his residence in Ventura county Mr. Gabbert has been closely identified with its agricultural interests and has aided in the development of its material resources. On coming to California in 1883 he settled at Sati- coy, and it was not until 1892 that he established his home near El Rio, where he has since ac- quired extensive and important interests. A large acreage of his farm is devoted to lima beans and beets, for which the soil of this local- ity is admirably adapted. In addition, he is engaged in grain and stock raising. These various enterprises, together with the ownership of some mining interests, combine to make him a very busy man.

The parents of Mr. Gabbert were Jacob and Mary Jane Gabbert, natives respectively of Ken- tucky and Indiana, and for many years resi- dents of Madison county, Iowa.' It was there that Thomas G. was born, January II, 1854, and his early boyhood was passed on the home farm. his education being secured in the schools of Winterset and Keokuk, Iowa. At the age of twenty-one he started out for himself and since then he has followed farming and kindred pur- suits. His first years of independent work were in Iowa, but since 1883 he has made his home in California. His attention has been given so closely to the development of his place that he has had no leisure for participation in public affairs. Nevertheless, it is his aim to keep posted concerning the problems before the na- tion and to do his duty as a loyal and law-abiding

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citizen. His father was a Republican and he was trained in the faith of that party, to which he still adheres. At this writing he holds office as supervisor of the fifth district of Ventura county. Fraternally he is connected with the Masonic order.

In Madison county, Iowa, February 27, 1879, occurred the marriage of Mr. Gabbert to Miss Ella Peters, daughter of A. M. and Jane Peters, who came to California in 1882. To this union the following-named children were born: Myron H., John Raymond, Boyd E., Richard Clarence, Harry and Thomas Arthur.

COL. RICHARD VARICK DODGE. The Dodge family traces its lineage to Holland- Dutch ancestry. Henry Dodge, who was the son of an officer of the Revolution, was born in New York state and became a pioneer attorney of Southern Illinois, but later returned to New York and died there at the age of thirty-eight years. During the war of 1812 he enlisted in the army and was raised to the rank of colonel. His son, Rev. Richard Varick Dodge, a native of Kaskaskia, Ill., was the first white child born in Southern Illinois. He was given exceptional advantages, and, after graduating from Yale College, became a minister in the Presbyterian Church, holding pastorates successively at Springfield, Ill .; Wheeling, W. Va .; Washing- ton, Pa .; San Francisco, Cal. (1872-79), and San Diego, where he officiated as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church until his death, in February, 1885. During the Civil war he was commissioned a chaplain of United States vol- unteers. While living in Springfield. Ill., he married Sarah Ridgely, who was born in Balti- more, Md., and died at San Diego, Cal., Decem- ber 6, 1901. When a small child, in 1836, she accompanied her father, Nicholas Ridgely, to Springfield, where he became a pioneer banker and prominent citizen, remaining there until his death at eighty-seven years. In the family of Rev. Mr. Dodge and his wife there were five children, of whom two sons and two daughters are living. One of the family, John M., is clerk of the county board of supervisors of San Diego county. The next to the youngest of the chil- dren was Richard Varick, Jr., who was born in Springfield, Ill., September 4, 1851. At the age of seven years he accompanied his parents to Wheeling, W. Va., where he attended the pub- lic schools. His education was continued in Washington (Pa.) College, now Washington- Jefferson College. In 1869 he entered the em- ploy of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and for six months was at work in their shops, after which he completed the machinist's trade in the Chicago shops of the Illinois Central road. His first work on the road was as fireman between Chicago and Champaign, Ill. After four years

he was promoted to be locomotive engineer on the same division.

With the intention of settling upon a ranch, Mr. Dodge came to San Diego in 1879. How- ever, his connection with railroading had been too close to be lightly severed, and we find him in 1881 again on the road. When the California Southern was building, he ran the second loco- motive between San Diego and San Bernardino, continuing until the washout of February, 1884. His next venture was in the book and stationery business with E. M. Burbeck, the firm name being Dodge & Burbeck. In March, 1894, he was appointed postmaster by President Cleve- land, and held the office until March, 1898. On resigning that office he was appointed secretary of the Chamber of Commerce. In Mav, 1884, he became a private in Company B, Seventh Regiment of Infantry, National Guard of Cali- fornia, and was promoted until finally he became captain in March, 1892, and in the latter office he continued until he was elected lieutenant- colonel January 13, 1900. In May, 1898, he was captain of a company that volunteered for serv- ice in the Spanish-American war, his commis- sion as captain being signed by Gov. J. H. Budd. As captain of Company B he remained until the regiment was mustered out, December 2, 1898, after which he returned to San Diego and re- sumed his duties as secretary of the Chamber of Commerce. On the Democratic ticket, in April, 1899, he was elected city treasurer and tax collector, and at the expiration of a term of two years was re-elected in April, 1901.

The marriage of Colonel Dodge took place in Chicago and united him with Miss Mary A. Millspaugh, who was born in Augusta, Ill. They have two sons, Edgar Varick and Richard Var- ick, Jr. Fraternally Colonel Dodge is captain and adjutant of the Knights of Pythias, Uniform Rank, a member of the Foresters of America. the Fraternal Brotherhood, the California Com- mandery of the Loyal Legion, the Veterans of the National Guard of California, and the Sons of Veterans, of which last-named he is past cap- tain. For more than a quarter of a century he has been connected with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen.

THOMAS H. DUDLEY. In the capacity of manager of the Kinney and Dudley tract. Mr. Dudley is identified with the development of Southern California, and particularly with the advancement of the interests of the region lying near Santa Monica, his home city. He is a mem- ber of an old English family. a son of Thomas Melville Strong Dudlev. M. D., and a grandson of Rev. William Mason Dudley. A. M., who was vicar of Whitchurch and rector of Laverstoke. Reared in the parsonage of Whitchurch, Hamp- shire, Dr. Dudley spent the greater part of his active professional life in Leicestershire, where

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he married Emily Frances Draycott, daughter of Thomas Draycott, a farmer of that shire. They became the parents of three daughters and a son, of whom Thomas H. was next to the old- est, and is the only one in America. In Leices- tershire, where he was born October 2, 1867, he received fair advantages at the Queen Eliza- beth grammar school: While still quite young the knowledge he acquired of American life and customs inspired him with a longing to try his fortune in the new world. Crossing the ocean in 1889, he settled in Bakersfield, Cal., where lie carried on a real estate and insurance busi- ness. From there, in 1896, he removed to Santa Monica, where he is now a member of the firm of Kinney & Dudley. After three years in the insurance and real estate business under the firm title of Procter & Dudley, in February, 1899, he took charge of the Ocean Park beach tract, which is now known as the Kinney and Dudley tract. All of the improvements now noticeable here represent the work of the ener- getic manager. The number of cottages has been increased from fifty to fifteen hundred. The beach has a frontage of one and one-half miles on the ocean, thus affording the cottagers the finest bathing facilities. In the tract there are three hundred acres of land, through which streets have been laid and improved. Domestic water has been secured from wells owned by the Kinney & Dudley Water Company, of which Mr. Dudley is superintendent.

It has been Mr. Dudley's constant aim to make of the tract one of the favorite resorts of Southern California. To accomplish this de- sired result he has spared no pains in securing improvements of a valuable nature. To furnish recreation for visitors, golf links, polo grounds and a race track of three-fourths of a mile have been laid out, and each year races and polo con- tests draw large crowds. A fine bowling alley forms another attraction for those who are fond of bowling. An indispensable accessory is the wharf of twelve hundred and fifty feet. By the granting of bonus and right of way, both the electric railroad and the Santa Fe railroad have been brought to the tract.

Since coming to Santa Monica Mr. Dudley has married Mrs. Mathilda (Brooks) Ryan, who was born in Brattleboro, Vt. When a boy in his English home he was reared in the Episcopal faith and has always adhered to that church. While living in Bakersfield he was actively con- nected with Lodge No. 266, B. P. O. E. His citizenship is broad, progressive and patriotic. He is an admirer of the American form of gov- ernment and of our enterprise as a people. Po- litically his views are stanchly Democratic, and he has rendered his party efficient service as a member of the state central committee and a clelegate to state conventions. In 1900 he was elected a member of the board of trustees of

Santa Monica, and during his incumbency of the position has been active as chairman of the finance committee and member of the railroad committee. April 8, 1902, Mr. Dudley accepted the presidency of the Ocean Park Bank, which position he now fills. The same month he was elected chairman of the board of trustees of Santa Monica. The close attention he has given to his duties as city trustee indicates his interest in local affairs and the high character of his citi- zenship. Indeed, it is to such men as he that Santa Monica owes its high standing among the ocean resorts of the Pacific coast.

J. HEIN, a successful contractor, and propri- etor of the Los Angeles Ornamental Brick, Stone and Cement Paving Company, was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, June 5, 1866. His father, Jacob, was a native of the same por- tion of the empire, and in his native land was a plaster contractor. During the various strug- gles in which his country was engaged he val- iantly upheld the honor of the Fatherland, serv- ing in the war with Schleswig-Holstein in 1866, and in the Franco-German war of 1871. With his wife, formerly Katharine Capito, also of Hesse-Darmstadt, he is living in Brooklyn, N. Y. Of the six children born to them, J. Hein is the third, and he and his sister are the only members of the family on the coast.

Until his fourteenth year Mr. Hein attended the public schools of Germany, and then served an apprenticeship as plasterer under his father. When seventeen years of age he immigrated to the United States, locating in Brooklyn, where he lived and worked at his trade until 1884. In January of 1885 he was sent to California by the United Brass Company of New York, who had a large ranch at Highland, and in the manage- ment of this ranch he remained until 1887, and helped to build the first ditch at Highland, known as the Bear Valley Water Company's ditch. In the fall of 1887 he located in Los An- geles and worked at his trade of plastering until 1894, when he branched out into larger activity as a contractor and builder and cement contrac- tor. In addition to building many fine resi- dences and public buildings he has graded and laid out Mathews, Twenty-fifth, Romeo, Forty- seventh, Santee and Victoria streets, and Stan- ton and Magnolia avenues, besides many others not here mentioned. He is at present putting il the foundation of the R. B. Williamson house at Mist Lake, and is engaged upon many sidewalks and basements and concrete ditches. On a large · scale also he is manufacturing ornamental brick and artificial stone on East Seventh street, be- tween Alameda and Mateo, and has a large and increasing trade with the largest purchasers of these materials. His activities also extend to an interest in the oil business, and he has large holdings in different companies. He is a men-

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ber of the Los Angeles Builders' Exchange, and is prominent in many of the social and other organizations in the city. A Republican in pol- itics, he is fraternally associated with the Ma- sonic Lodge at Los Angeles, No. 42, with the Red Men, and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. In Los Angeles Mr. Hein married Min- nie C. Karstens, who was born in Schleswig- Holstein, and of this union there are four chil- dren: Edward, Minnie C., John C. and Ruby D.

JOSEPH WRIGHT COOPER. The life which this narrative sketches began on a farm near Hopkinsville, Christian county, Ky., June 4, 1826, in the home of John and Elizabeth (Wright) Cooper, natives respectively of Vir- ginia and Kentucky. From their Kentucky home the family moved to Missouri in 1839 and settled in Howard county, soon after securing six hundred and forty acres near Rocheport, on the Monitor river. For a time prosperity re- warded the tireless labors of the persevering farmer, but in 1846 reverses came, followed by the death of the father. This bereavement left the family without a visible means of support, and almost penniless. However, they possessed the stout hearts which are the pioneer's birth- right and heritage. At first the young man was employed on a farm for twenty cents a day, after which he hired land and engaged in farming for himself. It was about this time that he saw his first piece of gold. He had been fortunate in selling a hog for $12.50 (an unusual price in those days) and as payment, among other coins, received a five-dollar gold piece. After admir- ing the coin for a while, he had it changed to picayunes (valued at six and one-fourth cents) and then, going to an old elm log, he spread out the money in a long continuous row, where, as he has often said, it looked larger than any sum of money he has ever since possessed.

Constant toil, with a remuneration that ill requited his labors, is the record of Mr. Cooper's youth. It is not strange, therefore, that the news of the discovery of gold in California awakened within him an ambition to seek his fortune amid surroundings more hopeful for future success. Accordingly, in April, 1850, with his brother-in-law, John Pipes, and a num- ber of young men, he started across the plains. August 26 of the same year found him in Sac- ramento, and a week later, with a Missourian. John B. Hill, he proceeded to Stockton, which was at the time the headquarters for notorious gamblers, thieves, and desperadoes,-a town where a man "carried his life in his hands." However, being of a steady disposition and temperate habits, he kept away from the saloons, and instead sought a means of livelihood. Soon he was engaged to drive three yoke of oxen, taking a number of foreigners to the Stanislaus river and bringing another party of men back to

Stockton. The trip netted $400, half of which he retained, the other half going to the owner of the team as his share of the profits. The earning of so large a sum of money delighted the ambitious youth and he continued teaming in the same way for a time, but later did a gen- cral freighting business for George Hope. On the approach of winter, he was persuaded to give up teaming and go to the mines. With a number of gold-seekers, he drove to the second crossing of the Calaveras river, where timber was cut down and a log house built. While the others were putting up the cabin, he drove the team back to Stockton, turned it over to its owner, and walked back to the camp. About the Ist of March, David Pipes, who had been administrator of the senior Mr. Cooper's estate, arrived at the camp, and, in a talk with the young man the same evening, both decided to return to Missouri, after which they lost no time in setting out for San Francisco. Three days later they took passage for New York via Panama. The ship on which they sailed had eight hundred passengers and a steerage ticket cost $275 in gold. Soon after the ship put out to sea, seasickness attacked the passengers, and Mr. Cooper himself did not escape. Arriving at Panama, they were obliged to walk to the Chagres river, and at Gorgona chartered a boat and hired natives to pull them down the river to Chagres, where they took passage on the Prometheus for New York.

May 2, 1851, Mr. Cooper surprised his brother and sisters by visiting them. Eleven days later, with a pony he had purchased, he started for Boonville, sixteen miles distant. It was his in- tention to start back to California at once, and for this purpose he sought employment of Peters & McMahon, who were preparing to drive a flock of sheep to the Pacific coast. For these men, Mr. Cooper engaged to work at $8 per month. In a few days all preparations were completed and the party started with twelve thousand sheep, which was the first flock of sheep ever taken across the plains. The march was very slow, owing to the fact that hundreds of the animals began to have soft feet and were scarcely able to walk. Each day it became more and more apparent that California would not be reached that year with the sheep. Not desiring to spend so much time on the road, Mr. Cooper. with a lawyer. Hiram Mills, and a blacksmith. Mr. Holmes, left the others August 27 and started alone for Sacramento, thirteen hundred miles away. During their first day ont they met over a thousand Crow Indians, who proved friendly. After a few days, three men, likewise bound for the far west, joined them, and the two parties completed the journey together to Salt Lake City, where they were joined by nine other persons, one of them being a woman. Mr. Cooper was chosen captain of the company.

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After a series of adventures, none of which proved serious, Mr. Cooper, accompanied by Holmes, arrived at Diamond Springs, Placer county, October 31, 1851. An old acquaintance from Missouri, meeting him there, offered him an interest in a mine on the American river, and thither he proceeded at once. His first week he averaged $20 a day; the second week, only $60 for the entire time; and the third week, only $20. Discouraged by this poor luck, he returned to Diamond Springs, and thence walked to Stockton. After a brief experience in another mine, he secured work as teamster, at $100 a month, in which occupation he continued for ten months, and then bought four yoke of oxen and a wagon, for which he paid $1,100. In spite of many obstacles and in the midst of many dis- couragements, he worked incessantly, and was rewarded with excellent financial returns. In the fall of 1853 he paid $800 for a wagon weigh- ing forty-three hundred pounds, and which re- quired ten yoke of oxen to draw it. He named it "The Humboldt." So great was its capacity that on a trip of one hundred miles, between Stockton and Milton, Mr. Cooper at one time took fifteen thousand three hundred and fifteen pounds of freight. In the fall of 1854 he sold his team and wagon for $3,000, the purchaser employing Mr. Cooper as driver for $100 a month and board.

For the second time Mr. Cooper started back east. In company with an old friend, Martin E. Oldham, he took passage for Panama in October, 1855. It had been agreed that, on arrival at Aspinwall, if the New Orleans steamer was not there, they should be allowed to take the New York steamer, but this privilege was later denied them, and they were compelled to wait at Aspinwall for two weeks, when the George Law arrived, and on it they proceeded to New Orleans, thence traveling up the Mississippi on the Etna, and finally Mr. Cooper arrived at his old Missouri home. Like all who have once been under the charm of California associations, he was not, however, satisfied to remain in Mis- souri, and although he was persuaded to pur- chase a tract of land in Bates county, Mo., in the spring of 1857, yet the west had cast its spell over him, and he was never again to be con- tented in his eastern home. It is not strange, under these environments, that he craved an- other opportunity to come west, and that chance came to him in April, 1858, when he joined with his former employer, Colonel Peters, and with Hubbard Hollister, in a venture to drive sheep across the plains to California. In their flock of twelve thousand, six thousand were Spanish merinos from Ohio, and about a similar number were good American sheep, while a small num- ber were Lesters and Southdowns. Including the three proprietors, there were twenty-two men in the train, and they took with them

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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 71

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