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 99

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 99

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

HARRY WOOD. For fully nine hundred years the Wood forefathers have been born and reared, and have lived their busy lives and passed to their reward in the town of Knuts- ford, Cheshire, England. Without exception, the male members of the family have followed the occupation of iron manufacturing, the pa- ternal grandfather, Thomas, having been par- ticularly active and successful. Knutsford was also the birthplace of John Wood, the father of Harry, who had a large machine shop and foundry, and manufactured iron and agricul- tural and other implements. He died in Eng- land in September of 1899. The mother, Sarah (Hope) Wood, was born in Knutsford, a daughter of Major Hope, who followed the oc- cupation of general merchant. Mrs. Wood, who died in England in 1868, was the mother of seven children, four now living

The oldest in his father's family, Harry Wood was born in Knutsford June 1, 1856, and was educated in the public schools. From a small boy he learned the trade of machinist, determined to sustain the family reputation for excellent work. Nevertheless, seafaring ambi- tions were strongly commingled with those of mechanics, and in 1873 he put out to sca as one

of the engineering crew of the Allen Line Steamship Company, and in this capacity crossed the Atlantic, and went to Portland, Me., Montreal and Quebec. For four years he con- tinued with the steamship line as second as- sistant under Chief Engineer Rankin, one of the finest engineers that ever manipulated an engine. This training was of immense benefit to him in innumerable ways, and admirably fitted him for taking charge of his father's busi- ness in Knutsford, which he did for two years, or until his immigration to America in 1877. In the United States he located in Detroit, Mich., where he was employed as machinist for differ- ent works, thence going to Fort Wayne, Ind., where he worked in the machinery department of the Bass Manufacturing Company's works. He then went south to Tennessee, and later to Dallas, Tex., as chief engineer for the Amer- ican Cotton Oil Company, and during the four years of his superintendency he managed to build up their works and increase their busi- ness. Upon tendering his resignation in 1889 he received the highest recommendations from the firm. Before leaving Dallas he spent nine months building up the electric and steam ap- paratus of Sanger Brothers' store, which con- cern covers a whole block. This firm also gave him excellent testimonials which, while thor- oughly merited, were particularly pleasing be- cause of the satisfaction which their apprecia- tion gave him.

Mr. Wood went to Seattle, Wash., from Dal- las, Tex., and there put in the machinery for the Union Trunk Line, and for the Home Elec- tric Company, with which latter concern he was chief engineer for a year, after which he was with the Domestic Heat, Light and Power Company as chief engineer for over a year, or until his removal to Santa Barbara in 1896. Here he was employed by the Pacific Surety Company to overhaul and rebuild the plant at the Arlington Hotel, a process which required five months, and then he was with the Consol- idated Electric Company, of Santa Barbara, as chief engineer and electrician, to build their plant and put in the machinery and electrical apparatus. He also superintended the construc- tion of the line, put in the engines and boilers and started the plant, continuing later in his capacity as chief engineer until February of 1899, when he resigned to engage in business for himself. He has thoroughly up-to-date ma- chine works, with all modern appliances, lo- cated at No. 19 East Cota street, and it is need- less to say that after all of his responsible ex- perience he is one of the best manipulators of mechanical and electrical devices in the state.

Mrs. Wood was formerly Miss M. A. Thomp- son, of New York. and a native of Ireland. She is the mother of six children, now living: Helen M., Ada May, Harry Elmo, William Hope,

661

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Charles David and Mary Elizabeth. Mr. Wood is a Republican in political affiliation, and is fraternally connected with the Knights of Pythias, the Elks, of which he is a charter mem- ber in Santa Barbara, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a member of the National Association of Stationary Engi- neers, Santa Barbara Lodge No. 5. In reli- gious belief he is an Episcopalian.

WILLIAM H. SPURGEON. The family rep- resented by Mr. Spurgeon, of Santa Ana, has been identified with American history for sev- eral generations, and is of English extraction. During the residence of Granville and Lovina Spurgeon in Henry county, Ky., their son, Wil- liam H., was born October 10, 1829. When a mere infant he was taken to Indiana and thence, in 1840, accompanied the family to Missouri, where he was reared. At the age of fifteen he became a clerk in a mercantile store at Alex- andria, Mo., where he was employed for several years. Shortly after the discovery of gold in California. he came to the far west. During much of the four years that he spent in Califor- nia, he was employed in the gold mines of the Sisqua mountains in the northwestern part of the state, in which enterprise he was successful. In 1856 he made the homeward voyage via Panama, on shipboard to New York City, and thence to Missouri. The year after his return home he became connected with a mercantile business at Athens, Mo., where he remained sev- eral years.

The second journey made by Mr. Spurgeon to California was in 1865, when he accompanied his father and other members of the family across the plains to Napa county, Cal. In 1867 he went to Los Angeles and during his brief residence there his wife, Martha (Moreland) Spurgeon, a native.of Kentucky, died. Shortly afterward he returned to Clark county, Mo., and from there, in 1869, came to Santa Ana, Cal. On arriving for the third time in California, he purchased seventy-six acres of the old Santiago de Santa Ana graut, a Spanish grant which originally contained sixty-two thousand acres. Immediately after buying the tract, Mr. Spur- geon proceeded to lay out the town of Santa Ana, employing for this purpose Mr. Wright, a well-known surveyor and civil engineer. . The name which the town bears was given it by Mr. Spurgeon in honor of the old grant. Later in the same year, 1869, he built a small house of redwood and in this he opened a general store. In addition to his other interests, for a series of years he acted as agent at Santa Ana for the Wells-Fargo Express Company. For some years he also filled the office of postmaster. After the incorporation of Santa Ana as a city. he was chosen a member of the first board of trustees and served as president of the board.

The Democratic party has always had a stanch adherent in Mr. Spurgeon, and he has been chosen by his party to occupy various posts of honor and trust. Notable in his life-history was his service as a member of the twenty-seventh session of the California state assembly, where he represented his section of Los Angeles county (Orange county at that time having not been organized). For one term he served as a supervisor before the partition of Orange county, and after the organization of this county he was again elected supervisor, during this term serving as chairman of the board.

Mr. Spurgeon married Miss Jennie English, a . native of Missouri. Five children were born of their union, namely: Grace; Lottie, who is deceased; Mary; William H., Jr .; and Robert G. The two surviving daughters and both sons make their home in Santa Ana.

THOMAS D. WOOD. While making his home in Santa Barbara, Mr. Wood has become prominent as a manipulator of oil at Summer- land and as president, treasurer and manager of the Duquesne Oil Company. He comes of a family for many years identified with the largest iron manufacturing concerns in Penn- sylvania. In Mckeesport, Allegheny county, Pa., he was born July 13, 1857, being a son of W. Dewees and Rosalind (Gilpin) Wood, na- tives respectively of Pennsylvania and Dela- ware. The mother was a daughter of Richard B. and Ann (Porter) Gilpin, Quakers in reli- gious belief, and among her relatives was ex- Governor Gilpin of Colorado, a cousin. Pro- nouncedly Quaker have been the members of the Wood family in America, the emigrating ancestor having been James Wood, who came from England about 1735, at the time of Wil- liam Penn, and was a worthy follower of this famous colonist. The great-grandfather, James · Wood, a large manufacturer of sheet iron, was the first to manufacture imitation Russian sheet iron, his process having been later perfected by his grandson, W. Dewees Wood. This early manufactory was at Conshohocken, near which town the paternal grandfather, Alan Wood, was born. In time the latter followed in his father's footsteps as to occupation.

W. Dewees Wood did not depart from the example set by his father and grandfather, but rather sought to excel them in the manufacture of iron. However, the scene of his activity was shifted from Conshohocken to Mckees- port, Pa., where he founded the W. Dewees Wood Company and carried on a large busi- ness. The firm with which he was connected has since been merged into the United States Steel Corporation. At the time of his death in 1899, he was seventy-two years of age. His wife (mother of T. D. Wood) died in Pittsburg in 1883. They are survived by four sons and

662

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

three daughters, Thomas D. being the fourth. Two of the sons, Richard and Alan W., live in Pittsburg, while George W. is in Denver, Colo.

The education of Thomas D. Wood was ac- quired in McKecsport and at the Western Uni- versity of Pennsylvania in Pittsburg, from which he was graduated in 1876, with the de- gree of Ph. B. He then entered Cornell Uni- versity for a special course in chemistry, pre- paratory to engaging in the iron business in which he achieved marked success. As a mem- ber of his father's firm, that of W. Dewees Wood Company, he became also a director and the superintendent, holding the latter re- sponsible position for nineteen years. Finally, on account of his wife's health, he resigned his position in 1896 and came to California, which state he had visited two years before. While living in Pittsburg he married Mary Craige, who was born in Pennsylvania, and is the mother of five children.

The Duquesne Oil Company, of which Mr. Wood is president, treasurer and manager, and R. H. Herron, of Los Angeles, vice-president, is one of the largest oil concerns at Summer- land, has twenty-seven wells, and is ranked among the most prominent companies now de- veloping oil in that section. In his home city Mr. Wood is identified with various social or- ganizations and is a member of the Santa Bar- bara Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, fraternally is connected with the Royal Arca- num and the Masonic order, and in politics gives his support to the Republican party.

HON. H. A. BROUGHTON, LL. B. From an early period in the history of New England the Broughton family has been identified with its growth and history. Dr. Amos W. Brough- ton was a native of Vermont, but early in life removed to New York and afterward made his home in Tonawanda. He was a graduate of homeopathy and adhered to that school of med- icine through all the years of his professional activity. His son, William Wallace Brough- ton, was born and reared in Tonawanda, and inherited the high mental endowments of the race, his talents evincing themselves particu- larly in the line of journalism. In 1875 he founded the Lompoc Record, of which he has since been the editor. In addition, he organ- ized the Lompoc Temperance Colony and was instrumental in drawing many permanent resi- dents to that valley. Elsewhere in this volume appears a sketch of his life, and further inen- tion of the family may be found in the biog- raphy of George A. Broughton, M. D., of Ox- nard, who is one of his sons.

The wife of William Wallace Broughton was born in Fort Wayne, Ind., and in 1856, when eight years of age, crossed the plains with her

father, George Anthony, who was a native of Saratoga, N. Y., and a blacksmith and machin- ist. He was an own cousin of Susan B. An- thony and also of Colonel Anthony, one of the pioneers of Leavenworth, Kans. After estab- lishing his home in California, lie engaged in the manufacture of lumber and also became a pioneer machinist of Santa Cruz, where he was afterward an influential citizen. His father, Asa Anthony, was a native of New England and became a farmer in New York. The fam- ily is of Quaker descent.

The eldest of eight living children, Howard A. Broughton was born in Santa Cruz, Cal., October 6, 1863. When twelve years of age he accompanied the family to Lompoc. At the age of eighteen he began to teach in the school where he had been a pupil, and for three and one-half years continued there, saving his earn- ings to pay his tuition in college. He then took the regular law course in Hastings College of Law, University of California, from which he was graduated in 1888, with the degree of LL. B. One of his preceptors while at that institution was Hon. A. A. Sargent, ex-United States senator and ex-minister to Germany, and during that time he had the privilege of act- ing as Mr. Sargent's private secretary. After graduating he assisted his father and also en- gaged in practice in Santa Barbara county until 1891, when he removed to Pomona and has since carried on practice in this city. Be- sides his private practice, he acts as attorney for the First National Bank, the Kingsley Tract Water Company and the Chino Rancho Com- pany. After coming to this city he married Miss Jennie L. Means, who was born at Grand Island, Neb., and received her education at Brownell Hall, Omaha.

The Republican party has no member more stanch in his allegiance to its principles than is Mr. Broughton, and his high standing is indi- cated by his service as a member of the state central committee. It was also proved, in 1900, by his election as representative of the seventy- first district in the legislature, at which time he received the largest majority ever given in the district. During the legislative session of 1901 he was chairman of the committee on corpora- tions and a member of various other commit- tees. Among the measures which he supported especial mention belongs to the franchise bill providing for the sale of municipal franchises. At the time there was much discussion and dis- pute as to the merits of this bill and it was bit- terly opposed by some, but its wisdom has since become apparent to all. The feature of the bill which merits especial praise is the sale of the franchise to the highest bidder, together with the return to the city. after five years, of two per cent of the gross proceeds. Another legisla- tive enactment in which he was interested was

Ag. Bell

665

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

the passage of the architects' bill, which estab- lished a state board of architects and provided for an examination of all seeking to enter this occupation.

In the Unitarian Church of Pomona Mr. Broughton is a member of the board of trustees. Two prominent organizations of Los Angeles (the Union League and University Clubs) num- ber him among their members. He was made a Mason in Lompoc Lodge, F. & A. M. After coming to Pomona he assisted in organizing Pomona Parlor No. 174, Native Sons of the Golden West, of which he has since officiated as president. He is also connected with the Woodmen of the World, the lodge and encamp- ment of Odd Fellows, and is the first exalted ruler of the newly organized Lodge of Benevo- lent Protective Order of Elks at Pomona.

HON. A. J. BELL. The family represented by Mr. Bell of Ventura was founded in the United States by his father, Andrew, a native of County Donegal, north of Ireland, who set- tled in Philadelphia at fourteen years of age and served an apprenticeship to the glass- blower's trade. That occupation he subse- quently followed in the same city. During the Seminole war he served in Florida under Gen. Zachary Taylor. When the discovery of gold in California led thousands of ambitious men to the far west, he crossed the plains with an ox- train from Independence, Mo., and engaged in mining on the American river for four years, thence returning to Kansas across the plains. He did not again see California until 1884, when the "iron horse" brought him over the broad stretches of country to a land that bore little resemblance to the scenes of the thrilling exper- iences of early days. While living in Phila- delphia, he married Eleanor Baxter, also a native of County Donegal, and of Scotch de- scent. She came to America with her father, Robert Baxter, a tanner and currier, who set- tled in Wilmington, Del. In 1860 she was killed in Norristown, Pa., by being accidentally run over by the cars. Of her four children that at- tained mature years, three are living, A. J., be- ing the only son and the only member of the family in California.

The early years of A. J. Bell's life were passed in Pennsylvania. He was born in Phil- adelphia March 15, 1848, and grew to manhood in Norristown. The death of his mother threw him upon his own resources and he secured em- ployment on a dairy farm, later worked on the Schuylkill canal between New York and Phil- adelphia. At the first call for volunteers, he was ready to respond, and notwithstanding his ex- treme youth, he was accepted. September 16, 1861. he became a member of Company C, Fifty- first Pennsylvania Infantry, which was mustered in at Harrisburg, Colonel Hartranft command-

ing. Among the battles in which he participated were the following: Roanoke Island, N. C., in February, 1862; Newberne, N. C., Camden, N. C., second battle of Bull Run; Chantilly, Va .; South Mountain, Md .; Antietam, Md .; Fred- ericksburg, Va .; Chancellorsville, Va .; thence transferred to the western army, and taking part in the battles of Vicksburg and Jackson; afterward ordered back to the army of the Po- tomac, and dispatched from Cincinnati to Lex- ington, Ky., and thence to Cumberland Gap. Afterward, at Knoxville, Tenn., his command was besieged for two months by Longstreet, and he was in engagements at that place and Camp- bell Station and Leonore Station. January I, 1864, he veteranized, and after a furlough of thirty days returned to the army of the Po- tomac, after which he was in the battles of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania and North Anna. In the engagement at Cold Harbor, June 3, 1864, he was captured, and after two weeks at Libby prison was taken to Andersonville, where he remained until November 29, and was then paroled with ten thousand sick and wounded. His capture was only after a desperate struggle, indicative of the brave spirit of the man. He had been ordered to hold a certain position at all hazards. With a little band, he remained there all night and until 1:30 in the afternoon of the next day. Finally, only six men were left in the company, and they fell into the hands of the enemy, he being the last of the six to succumb. Three of the number escaped from Andersonville.

Under a general order in March, 1865, Mr. Bell was honorably discharged from the volun- teer service. On the 17th of the same month he volunteered in Hancock's Veteran Reserve Corps, Fifth United States Volunteers, Company A, and was sent to the plains, being stationed successively at Forts Leavenworth, Kern, Jules- burg, Collins, Hallock, Kearney, guarding over- land trains and keeping back the Indians. Meantime he took part in various fights with the red men. October 1I, 1866, he was mus- tered out at Fort Kearney, after a service of five years and two months. Returning on a con- struction train to Omaha, he there took a steamboat, and from St. Joe traveled by rail to St. Louis, and thence to Philadelphia.

After some years in farm pursuits in Mont- gomery county, Pa., in 1872, Mr. Bell went to St. Louis. The next year he was married at Pleasant Hill. after which he farmed in Cass county, Mo. In 1875 he came to California and bought land in the Santa Ana valley which is tributary to the Ojai valley, which he improved. From there, in 1886, he moved to Los Posas, and continued farm pursuits until his election as tax collector, when he moved to Ventura in the spring of 1893 and built a residence on Har- rison avenue. His first election as tax collector

666

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

was in the fall of 1892, when he received one hundred and fifty-three majority. In 1894 he was re-elected, for a term of four years, receiv- ing a majority of six hundred and fifty. His majority, in 1898, was one thousand over the fusion ticket and was the largest majority ever received by any candidate for a county office. His present term will expire in 1903. For years he has been a Republican leader, a member of the county committee and a frequent delegate to state conventions. In 1900 he was elected a delegate from the Sixth Congressional district to the National Republican convention in Phil- adelphia, and at that memorable meeting was appointed a member of the committee that went to Washington and presented President Mc- Kinley with a gold badge.

After coming to California Mr. Bell was made a Mason in Lodge No. 214 at Ventura. He is past officer in the lodge and encampment of Odd Fellows, holds membership with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks at Santa Barbara, and is a member of the Society of the Army of the Potomac. In the organization of the Southern California Veteran's Association he was an active factor and has since served as its commander. A member of Cushing Post No. 44, G. A. R., of Ventura, he is its past com- mander, and has acted as aide to different de- partment commanders, being now on the staff of General Mott, and past mustering officer, de- partment of California. When the Spanish- American war broke out, his old zeal and en- thusiasm was at once aroused. He wrote to the secretary of war, tendering his services in any capacity whatever, no matter how humble. In reply he received a very cordial, pleasant letter, calling attention to his past services for the government, but stating that the quota for the war was already more than filled, and hence his services could not be utilized.

By the marriage of Mr. Bell to Miss Rachel Fox, a native of Knox county, Mo., there were born six children, namely: Lewis Albert, of Ventura: Eliza Eleanor, an assistant in Mr. Bell's office: Zeletta Edith, now in Colorado; Lorenzo D., Grover and Ruby.

F. DE WITT CRANK, M. D. Of the physicians now engaged in practice at Pomona none has been connected with the professional life of the city for a longer period that has Dr. Crank, whose residence here dates from Decem- ber of 1883. During the long period that has since clapscd he has gained a reputation for broad professional knowledge, an ability to trace discase to its remote and often hidden cause and a wise discrimination in the selection of remedial agencies for the treatment of vary- ing troubles to which the flesh is heir. After coming here until 1885 he was associated in practice with Dr. Howe, but the latter finally

retired from practice, and he has since been alone, having liis office in his residence in Gary street.

Dr. Crank is a grandson of a merchant who served in the war of 1812, and who traced his genealogy to Germany, where the name was originally Cronk. James D., a son of this sol- dier-merchant, was born at Hudson, N. Y., and became a merchant in Geneseo, that state, but later removed to Cincinnati, Ohio, and in 1876 became a pioneer of Pasadena, where he im- proved a ranch and engaged in horticulture. His death occurred in Pomona many years after his wife, Eliza, had passed away in Cin- cinnati. She was a daughter of Dr. Jabez Dake, a physician of Amsterdam, N. Y., and a mem- ber of a family whose principal representatives have been physicians for many generations. In- deed, at this writing there are thirty-eight con- nections of the Dake family who are physicians. Among her own children two sons became physicians, these being F. DeWitt of Pomona and C. D., of Cincinnati. Another son, J. F., who was a soldier in the Civil war, has since been engaged in business in Los Angeles.

F. DeWitt Crank was born in Geneseo, N. Y .. October 19, 1859. He attended the grammar and high schools of Cincinnati, Ohio, and after graduating came to California, in April, 1876. Two years later he returned east and matricu- lated in the Cincinnati Medical College, from which he was graduated in 1880 with the de- gree of M. D. Desiring to gain added knowl- edge in order that he might more successfully follow his profession, he entered Hahnemann Medical College and remained until his gradua- tion in 1882. Next he took a course of lectures in the Post-Graduate College of Cincinnati, and for eighteen months, while engaged in gradu- ate work, he also acted as interne in the Cincin- nati hospital. The practical experience he there gained proved of inestimable value to him when starting out for himself. All through his active life he has been a reader of medical journals and a close student of every development made in the science; hence he keeps fully abreast with the times. After coming to Pomona he was chosen the first health officer of the town and held the office until he resigned. Among the professional organizations to which he gives allegiance are the Southern California Homeo- pathic Medical Society, of which he is a charter member; the American Institute of Home- opathy and the California Homeopathic Medical Society.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

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 99

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