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 95

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

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Embarking in the sheep business, Dr. Shaw bought two hundred ewes, but the shearing yielded very inferior wool. He then bought one thousand sheep just arrived from the east and took them to the island. Success attended him in this venture. and he continued for sixteen years, when, on the sale of the business, he turned over to the purchasers fifty-four thou- sand head of sheep and a large number of cat- tle and horses. During the last year he man- aged the island the gross proceeds were over $50,000. Before the island was sold he had bought over twenty-two thousand acres of land on the ranchos of La Laguna de San Francisco and Los Alamos, and these he stocked with sheep from Santa Cruz island, but the management of a sheep industry on the mainland proved far more difficult and less prof- itable than on the island, and he gradually sold off his flocks and invested the proceeds in graded Shorthorn or Durham cattle, selecting imported bulls famous for beef and dairy pur- poses. After a time he sold much of his land, retaining, however, about six thousand acres, the management of which he found sufficient to engross his attention. After years of con- nection with stock-raising activities he practi- cally retired from business cares, giving over to the charge of his only surviving son the super- vision of the ranch and the management of the stock interests.

SOLON SMITH. The possibilities of the Carpinteria valley have inspired successful ef- fort on the part of the majority who have settled upon its fertile acres, and Solon Smith is no ex- ception to the rule. One of the fine farms in this section of the county is evidence of his untiring energy and thorough understanding of

the best way to conduct a ranch, and has gained for him a reputation second to none as a prac- tical farmer and enterprising member of the community. Although born in Hanover, in the central part of New Hampshire, in 1842, he was reared in Kendall county, Ill., whither his par- ents removed in 1844. The occupation of the present is by no means a pastime, for he was brought up on his father's farm, and to his lot in early life fell the duties and diversions of the average farmer's son.

In 1863 Mr. Smith left Kendall county and migrated to California via the Isthmus. He spent four years in Northern California and Nevada, farming during the summers in the Sacramento valley, and logging during the winters in the lumber camps. He then returned to Illinois and farmed until 1884, when he returned to Cali- fornia and bought pueblo lands in the Carpin- teria valley. He now owns sixty-two acres of well tilled land, and raises grain and fruit, mak- ing a specialty of lima beans. On his farm he has made many improvements, and has a pleas- ant residence as well as fine barn and outhouses.

In Kendall county, Ill., Mr. Smith married Amelia Bronk, a native of Illinois, and of this union there are three sons: Allen David, who is a farmer in Carpinteria; Lennis Leonard, who is engaged in the oil industry in Summerland; and Roy. All of the boys are interested in oil, and Allen is widely known as an oil well driller. Although independent in political affiliation, Mr. Smith has held a number of offices in his local- ity. In November of 1892 he was elected jus- tice of the peace on the People's party ticket, and was re-elected in 1894 and in 1898, and is now serving his ninth year as justice for the first township of Santa Barbara county. His admin- istration has been well received, and he is a prominent factor in local and state politics, hav- ing been a delegate to several county and state conventions. For several years he has been a school trustee of the Ocean school district, and has ever taken an interest in educational matters.

SAMUEL L. SMITH. The rise to promi- nence of the little town of Nordhoff is insepa- rably associated with the enterprising efforts of one of its most honored citizens, Samuel L. Smith. Long before the railroad came through he settled at Matilija Hot Springs, six miles up the mountain, and drove the stage from there to Ventura. With the advent of the railroad, his occupation gone, he came to Nordhoff in 1896 and purchased the livery stable which he still owns and manages. He has some fine turnouts and excellent horses, and does a large business driving tourists through the mountains. His responsibilities were increased in 1897, when, on the 15th of October, he was appointed post- master of Nordhoff, a position which he has filled with credit to himself and to those who

Arthur D. Newcomb, M.d.

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

placed him in office. He has materially im- proved the mail facilities during his administra- tion, and among other advances has introduced a telephone in the main office which connects with all of the towns in the county.

Previous to coming to Southern California Mr. Smith lived in Oregon, his birthplace having been at North Yamhill, Yamhill county, Ore., where he was born in 1857. His parents, W. C. and Delia A. (Laughlin) Smith, were natives respectively of Illinois and Missouri, and were farmers during their years of activity. The father died in 1872, and the mother still lives in Oregon. There were eight children in the fam- ily, Samuel L. being the third. He was educated in Oregon, and in time occupied a prominent place in the community, and served as deputy county sheriff of Yamhill county for two years. He was urged to run for sheriff, but at that time had decided to leave the state, and turned his prospects over to an uncle, who was defeated for the office. For ten years he lived in the city of Portland, and he also for a time ran a livery stable there with success. Other occupa- tions also engaged his attention, and for four years he was a Pullman car conductor on the Union Pacific and Northern Pacific Railroads.

The marriage of Mr. Smith and Mary M. Houghton occurred in Portland in 1893, and to this couple have been born two children, Wil- liam Mavor and Helen Clare. Mr. Smith has housed his family in a comfortable home erected by himself since his appointment as postmaster, and he is the owner of other property than his livery barn and home. He is a Republican in politics, and has been active in the affairs of his party, ever since he cast his first presidential vote for Grant. For twelve years he has been a member of the Portland Hassolo Lodge No. 15, 1. O. O. F.

ARTHUR T. NEWCOMB, M. D. The exceptional advantages enjoyed by Dr. New- comb in the acquirement of his medical educa- tion and his later practical and helpful knowl- edge gained in the government service as physi- cian and surgeon, abundantly qualify him for suc- cessful professional work. His removal to Pasa- dena in 1899 did not bring to him his first knowledge of the city, for he had spent two months of each summer from 1894 to 1898 in this vicinity and had thus become favorably im- pressed with the opportunities offered to a medical man. In 1902 he completed an office on North Marengo avenue, where he has re- ception and consulting rooms and a laboratory fitted out with all modern surgical equipments, the whole forming a complete and satisfactory environment for a progressive physician.

Descended from English ancestors identified with Connecticut from an early day and pilgrims on the Mayflower, Dr. Newcomb was born at

Homer, Cortland county, N. Y., December 8, 1871, and is the eldest of a family of four, now living. His father, Frank, a son of Samuel Newcomb, was born in Broome county, N. Y., and became a merchant in Homer, where he still resides. During the Civil war he was a mem- ber of the Tenth New York Cavalry. His wife, Elizabeth 'Thurston, was born in Broome county, N. Y., and is living at Homer. Her father, Alfred Thurston, who was a member of one of the oldest families of Broome county, attained to the age of ninety years. The early education of Arthur T. Newcomb was received in public schools, after which he attended the Cortland Normal School. On leaving there he assisted his father in business for a year, and then took a course of study in Wells Business College at Syracuse. Desiring to take up the study of medicine he began to read with Dr. H. A. Bolles, of Cortland, under whose oversight he acquired his primary knowledge of therapeutics. From there he went to the Baltimore -Medical College and remained in that institution until his graduation in 1893. The following year was spent in the medical department of Johns Hop- kins University, where he took a post-graduate course. At the same time he acted as demon- strator of nose, throat and chest diseases in the Baltimore Medical College and had charge of the clinic. In 1894, entering the government service, he accepted an appointment as physi- cian and surgeon at Fort Mojave, Ariz., an old abandoned fort that is now used as an Indian Industrial school. During the four years of his service as physician at the fort he also prac- ticed in every part of Mojave county. Differ- ent epidemics occurred meantime, all of which he successfully treated. In addition to treating the school children and employes, he took charge of the whole tribe as physician, so that his time was wholly taken up with professional cares. During the summer, when the school was closed, he came to Pasadena. On resign- ing the position in 1898 he returned to Balti- more, where he took a post-graduate course in Johns Hopkins University, and later studied bacteriology and microscopy in the University of Chicago. He is a member of the Medico- Chirurgical Society of Maryland, also the Pasa- dena Medical Society, and maintains a warm interest in all organizations for the benefit of practitioners, as well as the various medical journals published in their interests.

Among the people of Pasadena a high posi- tion is occupied by Dr. Newcomb and his wife, the latter being a daughter of Samuel Stratton, one of the well-known pioneers of the city. While professional duties engross his attention to the exclusion of officeholding, they do not prevent him from keeping posted regarding politics and casting a straight Republican ticket at all elections. Movements for the benefit of

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

the city, including the Board of Trade, Young Men's Christian Association, and Americus Club, of which he is surgeon, number him among their members and adherents. Fra- ternally he is connected with the Foresters and Knights of Pythias, in the latter of which he is chancellor commander. The First Methodist Episcopal Church of Pasadena, with which he is identified, has the benefit of his generous con- tributions and practical sympathy, as, indeed, do other societies for the bettering of mankind and the promotion of the city's progress.

LOUIS SPADER. The Spader family orig- inated in the ancient town of the same name in Holland. During an early period in American history, they identified themselves with the col- onies, and have since been associated with the growth of our nation. The paternal grandfather of Louis Spader married a daughter of Jere- miah and Maria (Bergen) Vanderbilt, both of whom represented old and aristocratic families of New York. Vanderbilt avenue in Brooklyn was named in honor of Mr. Vanderbilt, who was one of the largest property owners in that vicin- ity. His grandson and namesake, Jeremiah Vanderbilt Spader, was born in Brooklyn, and in carly life entered upon the lumbering business, in which he engaged during all of his active years. At this writing he is retired from busi- ness and makes his home on a ranch in Califor- nia owned by his son, Louis. For his wife he chose Margaret Moore, who was born in New York City and is now living in California. Her father, Baltis Moore, a native of New York, and of Scotch and French ancestry, made tobacco manufacturing his principal occupation in life, and was connected with a leading firm in that line in New York. His wife was a member of the Gilbert family, of his home city.

In the family of which Louis Spader was third in order of birth there were six children, all but one of whom are still living. One of the sons, Vanderbilt, is an attorney in New York City, and another, Clinton, is engaged in the real- estate business in Brooklyn. The birth of Louis Spader occurred in Brooklyn June 28, 1858. His studies were conducted for some years in a private school, with a view to entering Co- lumbia University, but, deciding that he pre- ferred to embark in business at once, he opened a real-estate and brokerage office at No. 145 Broadway, New York. Shortly afterward he was united in marriage with Clara McNell, who died at the country home of her parents in Ten- afly, N. J.

The immediate cause of Mr. Spader's removal to California was the failure of his wife's health, which he hoped might be benefited by the ideal climate of the Pacific coast. In 1889 he came to the Ojai valley, purchased land, developed water, and began active ranching pursuits. One

of his early acquired interests was as stockholder and director in the Ojai Valley Water Company, of which he served as secretary and vice-presi- dent at different times. The name of the corpora- tion has since been changed to the San Antonio Water Company. The venture has proved to be successful. Under the company's ditch over two hundred acres of orchards are watered. For some years all went well with Mr. Spader. The seventy-five acres which he had planted princi- pally in navel oranges produced a steady reve- nue, and the remainder of the four hundred acre ranch also gave increasing profits each year. However, through the dishonesty of his partner, he lost the entire investment; but, though per- sonally he was a loser, through his judicious ef- forts the valley received a permanent impetus as an orange-growing section. He was one of the first to plant a large orange grove, and the oranges that he raised. compared favorably with the choicest products of the Riverside and Red- lands groves.

At this writing Mr. Spader owns a ranch of ninety-six acres one mile northeast of Nordhoff. Fifteen acres of the land are under oranges. On this property he has a pumping plant of six- horse power, which furnishes a steady flow of water and provides the requisite means of irri- gation. The ranch is superintended by his father, Mr. Spader himself having made his home since December, 1900, in Santa Barbara, where he is a member of the firm of Wilson & Spader. real estate, insurance and loans, at No. 1035 State street. In politics he has from his youth been a believer in Republican principles and a supporter of its candidates, both for local and national offices. Mr. Spader was married a sec- ond time, his wife being Miss Henrietta Wheel- er, who was born in Montclair, N. J., but was reared and educated in Montgomery, Ala. Mr. and Mrs. Spader are members of the Episcopal Church of Santa Barbara.

W. R. SMITH. The hardware and agricul- tural implement enterprise of McAdams & Smith is one of the sound commercial undertakings of Lompoc. For a town of the size it could hardly be excelled as far as completeness of stock and extent of trade is concerned, for their store at the corner of Ocean avenue and First street has a large patronage, and is increasing its business every year. The management aim to sell all goods at a reasonable figure, and to main- tain that integrity and courtesy without which no business is a success.

A native of England, Mr. Smith was born in Yorkshire in 1872, and received in his native land a common school education. When but fourteen years of age he came to America, and in 1886 to California, where he toured the state for a desirable location, finally locating in Lom- poc which has since been his home. He here

James Me Fadden

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

learned the trade of tinner with E. R. Tutt, and in 1898 opened a business in partnership with Mr. McAdams. This arrangement has since been amicably continued, both gentlemen thor- oughly understanding their business, and being in touch with the general demand of the public for their goods. Mr. Smith is variously inter- ested in the fraternal organizations in which Lompoc abounds, and is associated with the Knights of Pythias Lodge No. 57, the Foresters of America, and the Woodmen of the World, of which he is a charter member. In politics he is a Republican.

Mrs. Smith was formerly Cyrene Shoults, daughter of J. W. Shoults, formerly of Lompoc, now of Los Angeles, Cal. To Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been born three children: Marian, Clifford and Leslie Smith.

JAMES McFADDEN. Few of the residents of Santa Ana have been identified with its his- tory for a longer period than has Mr. McFadden. Coming to the present site of the city as early as 1868, he purchased an interest in the Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana, an old Spanish grant, which he developed and improved and a portion of which still remains in his possession. In 1874 he established his residence permanently in the city, to whose growth and progress he has since been a constant contributor, and with whose history his own has been closely identified. During that same year of 1874, in connection with his brother Robert, he embarked in a gen- eral shipping business between San Francisco and Newport, and built a freight vessel, known as the Newport, which conveyed freight between the two places named. From the time of the incorporation of the Newport Wharf and Lum- ber Company, in which he materially assisted, he has continuously served as president of the same, and much of his time is given to a super- vision of its interests.

In Delaware county, N. Y., Mr. McFadden was born September 4. 1833, a son of John and Effie (Lamont) McFadden, natives of the Isle of Butte, Scotland. In public schools and Delhi Academy he gained a fair education, and later he taught in his native county. During 1864 he came from New York City via Panama to California, and after a residence of several years in the northern part of the state, came to Santa Ana, as already stated. His sound judgment led him to identify himself with movements for the benefit of his locality, among these being the Santa Ana and Newport Railway, of which he was the promoter and incorporator. On the establishment of the company, he was chosen the first president, and continued in the office until the railroad was sold, during the latter part of 1898.

Not only in Santa Ana, but throughout all of Southern California, the name of James Mc-

Fadden is always mentioned with esteem. This is the result of a lifetime of earnest endeavor and unremitting vigilance in every affair of business or private connection. As a public-spirited citi- zen he has promoted every vital interest of Orange county. Long before its separation from Los Angeles county, he liad labored effect- ively for the best interests of Santa Ana and vicinity, and for years hc advocated the ; crea- tion of Orange county, a plan which, when re- alized, inaugurated an era of prosperity hitherto unequalled in Southern California.

HENRY LAING STAMBACH, M. D .; One of the prominent and successful members of the medical profession in Santa Barbara is Henry Laing Stainbach, who was born in Philadelphia, Pa., February 11, 1857. His father, George G. Stambach, was born in Paxinos, Northumber- land county, Pa., and eventually settled in Phil- adelphia, where he was one of the first hatters and furriers (1845) in the city, having his store at No. 710 North Second street, and from 1861 at No. 826 Arch street. After his death, in 1876, the business was conducted by his son, John A .. who carried it on until his retirement. As the name indicated, the Stambach family came orig- inally from Germany, the emigrating ancestor being Phillip von Stambach, from Alsace Lor- raine, who settled on a large tract of land in Pennsylvania. He was a Lutheran, and in his zeal to promote the interests of his religion es- tablished the first Lutheran church in Northum- berland county. The mother of Dr. Stambach was formerly Sarah French, who was born in Trenton, N. J., of English descent, and was left an orphan at an early age. She was the mother of ten children, seven of whom attained maturity, and her death occurred in Philadelphia in 1884. Of the children, John A. is living in Philadel- phia: Mahlon D. served during the Civil war and is living in Louisville, Ky .; George died in Philadelphia: Dr. Anna M. graduated in medi- cine in 1857, and died in 1872, in Aiken, S. C .: Dr. Ida is practicing in Santa Barbara; and Car- rie is now Mrs. Nixon, of Santa Barbara.

The education of Dr. Stambach was acquired - in the public schools of Philadelphia, and in 1876 he began the study of medicine with Dr. Rufus Sargent, subsequently entering Hahnemann Medical College, from which he was graduated March 10, 1879. He then spent a year in the hospital, and in 1880 went abroad for further study, pursuing a course at Göttingen, and also studying at Vienna for eighteen months. He traveled over Europe, familiarizing himself with the art, architecture and history of the old world. and gaining useful professional knowledge in the different centers of medical and surgical activity. In the fall of 1881 he again touched American shores, and at once engaged in practice in Phila- delphia.

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Coming to Santa Barbara in 1885, he located at No. 15 West Victoria street, and engaged in a general medical practice. He is among the fore- most in homeopathic circles in the city, and is at present or has been in the past associated with all of the important organizations in the state and county. He is a member of the California State Homeopathic Medical Society, the South- ern California Homeopathic Medical Society, of which he is ex-president and ex-secretary; the Pennsylvania State Homeopathic Medical Soci- ety, and the International Hahnemann Associa- tion. Until his resignation he was a member and director of the Chamber of Commerce. Po- litically he is a Republican, and fraternally is associated with the Woodmen of the World, of which organization he is medical examiner.

In Santa Barbara Dr. Stambach married Helen W. Knight, who was born in Reading, Mass., a daughter of Francis H. Knight, member of the firm of Goldthwait, Snow & Knight, of Bos- ton. Mr. Knight came to Santa Barbara in 1879, and was engaged in the furniture business until his death in 1901. To Mr. and Mrs. Stambach has been born one child, Henry L., Jr.

WALTER OSCAR STEWART. If enter- prise and industry count for aught, Mr. Stewart has before him an unusually bright prospect. Undismayed by a misfortune which deprived him of his available possessions, he is again pushing his way to the fore, and, as depot agent and post- master at Somis, Ventura county, is faithfully discharging his duties to the public. He was born in Ventura county July 16, 1873, a son of Oscar A. and Fredericka (Seipp) Stewart, the former of whom was one of the first settlers of Ventura county, and is now a resident and rancher two miles south of Camarillo.

After finishing his education in the public schools, Mr. Stewart took possession of the agency at Somis in September of 1900, the sta- tion having been started just a year before. In connection with his other work he is learning to be a telegraph operator. A year ago Mr. Stew- art built a store and stocked it well with general merchandise, his successful management of the same being brought to an abrupt ending by a disastrous conflagration, which burned about ten thousand dollars worth of possessions. He re- sumed business at Somis in March, 1901, Sena- tor Bard having erected the building in which Mr. Stewart carries on his business. About a year ago Mr. Stewart was appointed postmaster, and his hands are therefore well filled with the discharge of his varied interests.

The marriage of Mr. Stewart and Mary Ann Sebastian, sister of John Sebastian, of Camarillo, occurred at Springville in 1896. Of this union there is one child, Reta Violet, who is now four years of age. The parents of Mr. Stewart were born respectively in Michigan and Ohio, and had

five children, all of whom are in Ventura county, Cal. Mr. Stewart is a Democrat, as are all the members of his father's family, and he is a mem- ber of the Native Sons of California.

HUGH WARRING. Well known among the ranchmen of Ventura county is Mr. Warring, who came to Buckhorn from Santa Clara county in 1869. In the latter county, near San José, he was born September 23, 1857, and is a son of Benjamin F. Warring. Coming to Ventura county with his parents when he was twelve years of age, he grew to manhood upon the Buckhorn ranch, and in 1881, starting out for himself, bought a tract of unimproved land near the home ranch. For a time he conducted a general farming business, but later turned his attention to the raising of oranges, lemons and olives, and to-day has one of the finest fruit or- chards in the valley. Certainly due credit should be given him for having developed a raw piece of land into a thrifty fruit ranch. It has been said that he may be termed a public benefactor who causes two blades of grass to grow where one grew before. Measured by this standard, he has been a benefactor to the people of Ven- tura county and has proved himself a public- spirited citizen.

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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 95

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