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 87

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

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unknown, and the confidence reposed in strangers was seldom violated.

Abandoning the placer mines in 1873 Mr. De- vine came to Southern California and settled in Los Angeles, after which he engaged in pros- pecting at Mojave and Soledad until he came to his present ranch. In Los Angeles he mar- ried Miss Eleanor G. Chapman, who was born in Ontario, Canada. They have four living chil- dren, Robert, Lela, Mabel and Florence. One daughter, Janet, died at two months, while an- other, Jean, who was a graduate of a business college, died at twenty-two years of age. The family are connected with the Episcopal Church at Tropico. Ever since becoming a citizen of the United States Mr. Devine has voted with the Democrats and he has done considerable work on the town committee of the party, besides which he has served as trustee of school 'No. 10 in Tropico district. In order to visit his father and other relatives, in 1867 he returned to Ireland via the Nicaragua route, Santiago de Cuba and New York, and spent a month in re- newing the associations of youth; but, while loyal to his native land, he returned to California firm in the faith that no region approaches this in the opportunities which it offers men of en- ergy and determination.

THOMAS H. ELLIOTT. There are few if any people now living in Santa Monica whose settlement in this city antedates that of Mr. El- liott, a pioneer of September, 1876. As is gener- ally known, this city was founded by United States Senator John P. Jones and Col. R. S. Baker, who began the erection of a wharf and hotel in March, 1875. For some years the growth of the town was slow, but it was steady, and thus Mr. Elliott found sufficient encourage- ment to inspire him to remain here. With the exception of a few years (principally spent in the mines of Mono county) he has continued to make Santa Monica his home to the present day, but has not limited himself to the occupation in which he first engaged. As proprietor of a store on Third street he was actively interested in business for some years, later was in the team- ing and transfer business, and in 1901 opened a feed and fuel store on Third street, which he now conducts.

In Crawford county, Pa., Mr. Elliott was born November 10, 1836, being the oldest child of John Elliott by his marriage to Mrs. Mary (Porter) Cowan. The first eighteen years of his life were spent in Pennsylvania, whence in 1854 he accompanied the family to the central west, and found employment at the car- penter's trade. In March, 1855, he accompanied them in another removal, this time to Kansas, where his father died in April, 1860; thirty-five years later the wife and mother died in Santa Monica, Cal., when eighty-seven years of age.

By her first marriage she had three children, two now living, and by her second marriage eleven children were born, seven surviving. One of the latter is Robert P. Elliott, of Santa Mon- ica, who is represented on another page.

As a carpenter Thomas H. Elliott was em- ployed in the construction of the first sawmill in Valley Falls, Kans., and helped to saw the lumber used in building the pioneer houses of that locality. For seventeen years he followed his trade in the same locality, and meantime, during the war, he served in the Kansas state militia and under Captain Cowan went .out against Price. From Kansas he came to Cali- fornia in 1875 and almost constantly since then he has been identified with Santa Monica's busi- ness interests. From the organization of the Re- publican party he has been a believer in its prin- ciples. Among the most thrilling recollections of his life are those connected with the strife between the free-state and pro-slavery advocates in Kansas, where more than once his pro- nounced abolition views brought upon him the enmity of southern sympathizers. While he was living in Kansas his marriage occurred, Miss Sarah A. Wiser of Jefferson county becoming his wife. She was born in Center county, Pa., and came west with Benjamin Wiser, lier father, who was a Kansas pioneer. Born of their union are the following children: W. WV., who is a contractor in Prescott, Ariz .; Mrs. Mary A. Hull, of Santa Monica; Artie, deceased; Katie, I., wife of A. F. Johnston, a prominent merchant of Santa Monica; A. P., engaged in the building business at Prescott, Ariz .; Elva, a correspondent of the Los Angeles Herald; and Mrs. Gracie G. Rogers, of Santa Monica.

JAMES F. HEARTWELL. The Heartwell family is of eastern ancestry. Hon. J. B. Heart- well, who is the father of James F., was born in Geneva, N. Y., and there grew to manhood and engaged in the banking business. Later, remov- ing to Des Moines, Iowa, he became prominent in banking circles there.

Born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1873, James F. Heartwell was six years of age when his parents removed to Hastings, Neb., and there he re- ceived a public school and collegiate education, also the training in business which fitted him for contact with the world's activities. Together with his brother, Charles L., in 1891 he pur- chased forty acres of orange land on Center street in Highgrove, Cal. Immediately after- ward they set out the land in citrus fruit. The orchard is known as Altamesa grove (meaning "high tableland"), and is the first tract set out under the Riverside Highland Water Company's system. At the present time it is one of the finest groves under that system. Thirty acres are in oranges and ten in lemons. The annual output averages twelve thousand boxes. The

Is Emma C. Harducre

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oranges are a high grade of navels. The build- ings are of modern and convenient construction. The grove is surrounded by a beautiful hedge, three sides of which are of cypress and the fourth of eucalyptus.

MRS. EMMA C. HARDACRE. The ro- mantic history of California during the early days of its Spanish settlement has attracted the attention of many able writers, less famous, per- haps, than the celebrated Helen Hunt Jackson, whose romance "Ramona" is the most powerful of all the works that depict past conditions in this region. In times past, however, the initials "E. H." were only little less known than those of "H. H." and many gained their first accurate impressions concerning western life through the articles appearing, in various newspapers and periodicals, under this signature. Having gained the cosmopolitan knowledge that only wide travel imparts, the writer was admirably quali- fied to depict incidents and scenes in an interest- ing manner, and her articles embraced descrip- tions of almost every point of interest in our entire country. The possession of literary gifts drew to her the friendship of well-known an- thors, among them Mrs. Jackson, whom she met for the first time on the occasion of her first visit to California, and when Mrs. Jackson was gathering material for "Ramona." The friend- ship thus formed continued until the death of Mrs. Jackson, whom it was Mrs. Hardacre's privilege to visit in her home at Colorado Springs and accompany her in many expeditions to places her facile pen made famous, particu- larly Cheyenne mountain, where, amid the wild and lonely surroundings, she drew the inspira- tion for many of her prose and poetical pro- ductions, and where finally, at her request, her body was laid to rest.

Mrs. Hardacre is a member of the Chamber- lain family that traces its ancestry to the May- flower and were early residents in Massachu- setts. Her grandfather, Timothy Chamberlain, Sr., was born in Salem, Mass., and engaged in contracting in that state and in New York City, but after settling in Morgan county, Ill., he en- gaged in raising silk worms, owning a mulberry grove three miles southeast of Jacksonville. He was past eighty at the time of his death. His wife was a daughter of Capt. Thomas Dennis, an officer in the Revolutionary war. Their son, Timothy, Jr., also born in Salem, engaged in farm pursuits in Illinois and later became a mer- chant in Jacksonville, where he died at more than eighty years of age. It is from him that Mrs. Hardacre inherits her love for literary pur- suits, as he possessed ability as a descriptive and narrative writer.

The mother of Mrs. Hardacre was Letitia Howells Buckley, who was born in Illinois and there died. Her father, James Buckley, was a

native of New Jersey and a pioneer of Illinois; her mother was a member of the Howells fam- ily, of Newark, N. J. Mrs. Hardacre was one of five children, the others being named as follows: May, wife of Leslie Kellogg, of Santa Barbara; Nettie, wife of William L. Mason, of Denver, Colo .; Fannie, wife of W. B. Metcalf, of Santa Barbara; and Dennis B., a resident of St. Louis, Mo. Mrs. Hardacre was given excellent ad- vantages in her girlhood, and is a graduate of Jacksonville Academy. October 1, 1863, she became the wife of George W. Hardacre, who was born in Troy, Ohio, and after coming to Illinois studied law under Judge Thomas Springer. For some years he carried on a gen- eral practice in Bloomington, but later went to Cincinnati, where he has acquired large prop- erty interests and has become known as an able and successful lawyer. In addition to his prop- erty in Ohio, he has interests in San Diego, Cal. For years he has been a leading Republican of Ohio, and, during his service of two terms in the Oliio state senate, he formed the acquaint- ance of almost every prominent worker in his party. Fraternally he is a Knight Templar Mason.

From the time that Mrs. Hardacre first saw California, in 1876, she was interested in the state. Its history, its resources, its climate and its people all attracted her; and although in succeeding years she traveled much, her old affection for the far west still remained. In 1875, as a correspondent of the Louisville Courier-Journal, she wrote the first letters from the coast for that paper. Not only did lier work prove satisfactory to Henry Watter- son, the editor, but it attracted the attention of Wilbur F. Story, of the Chicago Times, which at that time was one of the most influential and most widely-read newspapers in the United States. Mr. Story wrote, offering her $40 per week as descriptive writer on the staff of the Times. She accepted the position and, in the interests of the paper, traveled through the en- tire east, after which she spent eighteen months as Washington (D. C.) correspondent of the Times, during the administration of R. B. Hayes. After three years with the Times she accepted a place on the New York Herald, and, as correspondent traveled with the government survey in Montana and Utah, going through the Black Hills, Wind River mountains, and Yel- lowstone Park, which at that time had not been made a national park. While there the Indians scattered the members of her party, and for weeks each feared for the fate of the other. Finally the Indians were driven out by soldiers, and visits to the region were then attended by less danger. On resigning from the Herald Mrs. Hardacre went to Cincinnati, where she wrote regularly for the Commercial Gazette, under Murat Halstead.

Among her other

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articles was one on the cliff dwellers, published in Scribner's; and one that appeared in the same magazine in July, 1878, entitled "The Wild Woman of San Nicolas Island," which narrated the history of a woman who had been alone on the island for eighteen years and was finally rescued by Captain Nidiver. At this writing she is engaged in the preparation of a work giving in detail the history of the early inhabitants of Santa Barbara, as well as other California towns.

The permanent removal of Mrs. Hardacre to Santa Barbara was hastened by a sunstroke that rendered further residence in Cincinnati impossible, and, in her search for a location where the climate would prove beneficial, she found this city offered exceptional advantages, and in 1891 came here. The many interests of Mr. Hardacre in Cincinnati render imprac- ticable a present change of residence, but it is their hope at some future time to have a home in Santa Barbara, where the twilight of their lives may be passed. Their daughter, Winifred, who is a graduate of Georgetown Convent, is now the wife of Frank Maguire, a merchant of Santa Barbara.

Various organizations of a literary and jour- nalistic nature number Mrs. Hardacre among their members. At the time that Dr. Belle Reynolds was president of the Woman's Parlia- ment of Southern California, she served as its secretary and is still a member. She is a char- ter member of the Cincinnati Woman's Press Club and at one time was connected with the Woman's Press Club of Southern California. At this writing she is a vice-president of the Santa Barbara Natural History Association. For nine years she has been secretary of the Cottage Hospital Association, in which impor- tant work she is deeply interested. The prin- ciples of the Republican party have always received her support, but in all her reportorial work there has been no display of partisan spirit. Her writings have been for the people, irrespective of political faith or religious creed. Since she suffered sunstroke she has been forced to relinquish much of her work, but she still wields a ready pen and still finds descrip- tive writing one of the greatest pleasures of her life

MOSES HOSTETTER. On coming to Santa Monica in 1893, Mr. Hostetter purchased twenty acres, to which he later added fifty-four acres, and still later seven more acres, but he has since disposed of fifty-four acres, so that his possessions now aggregate twenty-seven acres, the tract lying one and one-half miles south- east of the city. During 1893 he also bought his homestead on Lake and Beach and erected a commodious residence overlooking the ocean. Besides carrying on horticultural

pursuits, he is filling every duty as a citizen and maintaining a warm interest in measures for the development of his home town. During the four years (1896-1900) of his service as a mem- ber of the board of trustees, he served as chair- man of the police committee and the fire and light committee, besides acting as a member of others. During his term the sewer system was built, which has added so greatly to the welfare of the town, and in this measure he was deeply interested.

The Hostetters are an old Pennsylvania fam- ily. Joseph Hostetter, who was born in Somer- set county, that state, became a pioneer of Holmes county, Ohio, where he improved a farm and remained until his death at sixty-six years. During the early days he and his family were once driven back toward Pittsburg by the Indians and were forced to find refuge in the blockhouse. His wife was Susan Mast, who was born in Pennsylvania and died in Ohio. They had ten children, all but three of whom attained mature years. The following are now living: Daniel, who is eighty-six years of age, and makes his home in Tuscarawas county, Ohio; David, of Kearney, Neb .; and Moses, of South Santa Monica, Cal. The last named was born in Holmes county, Ohio, August 23, 1823. His schooling was obtained in a log building, with a mud and stick chimney, and containing the crud- est furniture, such as slab benches and a writing desk that ran along the wall. During early inanhood he taught for two months, but with that exception devoted himself closely to farm work. In 1846 he removed to Owen county, Ind., and settled in the midst of a heavily tim- bered country, where he cleared ten acres and planted a crop. However, finding the climate unhealthful, he decided to leave, and in the fall moved to Green county, Wis., where he im- proved a farm near Springgrove. The year 1849 found him a pioneer of Winneshiek county, Iowa, where he took up a claim and improved a farm. So prosperous were his undertakings that he finally acquired more than seven hun- dred acres of valuable land. During the forty- four years of his residence in that county he helped to build the first schoolhouse, held vari- ous local offices, served as a member of the county central committee of the Democratic party, and as a delegate to local and state con- ventions; also for years was president of the Home Fire Insurance Company, in the organ- ization of which he assisted. While living in Wisconsin he married Miss Mary Brandt, who was born in Ohio. Their only son, William M., is a resident of South Santa Monica. In Iowa Mr. Hostetter was initiated into Masonry by being made a member of Union Band Lodge No. 66, A. F. & A. M. Personally he is a man of integrity, perseverance and determination, and the competence which he now enjoys is the

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merited result of years of earnest and unremit- ting industry.

JOHN M. NIDEVER. By his intelligent in- dustry and devotion to the welfare of Santa Bar- bara county, Mr. Nidever has gained the esteem of acquaintances and a fair competence as well. He was born in Arkansas, and is a son of John and Polly (Vernon) Nidever. His father, a Pennsylvanian by birth, crossed the plains from Texas to California in 1853, and settled in Santa Barbara. On the hill where now stands the Biehl mansion he built a house, and afterward gave his attention to the stock business, with gratifying success. At the time of his death, May 31, 1873, at the age of seventy-six years, he was quite well-to-do, as fortunes were reck- oned at that time. His wife had died August 19, 1871, at the family home in Santa Barbara. They were the parents of thirteen children, of whom the following survive: Ebenezer, of El Monte, Cal .; John M., whose home is near Car- pinteria: Mrs. Nancy Kcezer, of New Mexico; Mrs. Mary Vance, of Santa Barbara; Jacob, living in Ventura; Mrs. Rebecca Chaffee, a res- ident of Ventura; and Henry, whose home is in Orange county. Three others, George, Jack- son and David, of Santa Barbara, reached ma- turity, but are now deceased.

When the family came to California, John M. Nidever was only a boy, hence his life has been mostly passed in the far west. In 1864 he bought a ranch in Carpinteria valley and now owns one hundred and fifty acres at Serena, all of which is under a high state of cultivation. His special products are beans, hay and grain. In the large orchard are grown many kinds of fruit for home consumption. Mr. Nidever is thoroughly con- versant with the best methods of conducting a farm, and his intelligent oversight is responsi- ble for the uniformly excellent crops and the many evidences of prosperity by which he is surrounded. In a general way he has accom- plished much pioneer work and has given his influence to the schools and other aids to prog- ress.

In 1862 Mr. Nidever married Martha Jane Callis, a native of Texas, and daughter of Henry B. and Lucinda (Robinson) Callis. Her father was born in Virginia, grew to manhood in Ken- tucky, and died when en route from the latter state to Texas. In 1852 Mrs. Lucinda Callis came to California, making the trip overland and enduring innumerable privations and hardships. Finally, after a journey of nine months, she ar- rived in Montecito, where she was, with one exception, the only white woman in the place. In her long trip across the plains she was ac- companied by her stepson, William Callis, and her three children, Robert A., Thomas C. and Martha Jane. Of her sons, the only sur- vivor is Robert A., who lives in Ventura

county. This noble and courageous pioneer woman died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Nidever, January 29, 1895, after eighty- five useful years. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Nidever thirteen children were born, ten of whom are living, namely: George F .; John H .; David T .; Jacob D .; Vernon M .; Martha Ella, who is the wife of Johnson Stewart; Lucy, who married James Lewis; Delia, wife of Glen Hickey; Idella and Grace, at home.

HENRY NIEMEYER. From the time of his arrival in California in 1873 until his death in 1891, Mr. Niemeyer was identified with the vineyard interests of the vicinity of Los Angeles. Born in Prussia in 1820, he learned the merchant tailor's trade in boyhood and followed the same for some years. When twenty-two years of age he came to America. After a short sojourn in Cincinnati, Ohio, he went to Guttenberg, Iowa, where he conducted a merchant tailoring estab- lishment. From there he came to California and embarked in the wine manufacturing business, buying a vineyard on Central, between Ninth and Twelfth streets. Somewhat later he bought a tract in the Eagle Rock district and also planted it in grapes.

At Guttenberg, Iowa, April 28, 1866, occurred the marriage of Henry Niemeyer to Mrs. Mary Anne (Weber) Schmees, who was born in Ba- varia, September 20, 1836. Her father, Nicho- las Weber, who was a weaver in Bavaria, brought his family to America in the spring of 1837 and followed gardening in Cincinnati for eight years. In 1845, while lowa was still a ter- ritory, he settled at Guttenberg and began to farm near that town. The remainder of his life was passed in that place. His wife, Catherine (Roth) Weber, was born in Bavaria and died in Iowa. Of their one son and four daughters, Mary A. was second and she alone of all the family now lives in California. Of the voyage to America she has no recollection, being only an infant when the family spent sixty-four days on the ocean, finally landing in New Orleans. In the schools her education was limited, but in that great school of experience, usefulness and labor, she had an abundant education, and thus were developed traits of kindliness, good will, energy and perseverance which have stood her in good stead through all of her life. When six- teen years of age she left her father's home for that of her husband, becoming the bride of John Schmees, a native of Hanover, who came to America about 1845, and for a time was cutter in a tailoring establishment in St. Louis. In 1852 he settled in Guttenberg, where he was proprietor of a merchant tailor shop until his death in 1861. Three children were born of this marriage, two of whom are living, namely: Wil- liam N. Schmees, who resides with his mother at Verdugo; and Mrs. Salome E. Obdulia De-

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laney, of Los Angeles. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Niemeyer were born four children, now living, viz .: Elenora, Mrs. Markey, of Los Angeles; Atalus, proprietor of a winery on Cen- tral avenue, Los Angeles; Catherine, Mrs. May. of Los Angeles; and Linus, who enlisted in the First California Heavy Artillery and was sent to the Philippine Islands, where he served until the expiration of his term of service.

At one time Mr. and Mrs. Niemeyer had ten acres in Los Angeles, six being in vines and the balance in an orchard. Of this they gave thirty feet to Central avenue and a similar amount to Twelfth street, and also gave sixty feet to Elev- enth street. In the possession of Mrs. Niemeyer is retained three and one-half acres on Central, between Ninth and Eleventh streets, and on this property stands the family residence. In addi- tion she owns Eagle Rock vineyard, comprising fifty-eight acres, of which forty-one are in vines, producing wine and table grapes. The property is under the personal supervision of Mrs. Niemeyer and its thrifty appearance proves her careful and capable oversight. The name "Eagle Rock" was given by Mr. Niemeyer on account of the proximity of the tract to the fa- mous Eagle rock. At the time they bought here there were no orchards below except one owned by Mr. Crow, and no attempt had as yet been made to raise grapes, the entire land for miles around being used as a sheep range. All of the subsequent improvement she has witnessed and has contributed thereto by the capable super- vision of her property, thus encouraging others in making similar investments. In religion she is a member of Cathedral parish of Los Angeles.

REV. JOSEPH NUNAN. The pastor of the Church of Our Lady of Refuge at Castroville, Monterey county, was born in San Francisco, Cal., March 29, 1871. His father, Edward C. Nunan, was a native of Ireland, and came to America with several brothers about 1849. At that time the discovery of gold in California was attracting emigration to the Pacific coast and in 1850 he joined the hosts of Argonauts jour- neying via the Isthmus of Panama to the re- gions where gold had been found. Accompany- ing him were his brothers, Matthew, Thomas, James and John. For ten years he engaged in mining in Placer county, and afterward settled in San Francisco, where he was prominently identified with local commercial interests until his death in 1889. Of the five brothers who shared the hardships of the voyage across the Atlantic and the later expedition to California, only two are living, Matthew and James. The former for many years served as sheriff of San Francisco county. The marriage of Edward C. Nunan united him with Mary Raycroft Capi- thorne, who was of English parentage and came to America during the '50s. Her marriage oc-

curred in San Francisco, where she died in 1875, leaving one son, Joseph, and two daughters. One of the daughters is now in the Sacred Heart convent at Oakland.

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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 87

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