USA > California > San Benito County > History and biographical record of Monterey and San Benito Counties : and history of the State of California : containing biographies of well-known citizens of the past and present. Volume II > Part 13
USA > California > Monterey County > History and biographical record of Monterey and San Benito Counties : and history of the State of California : containing biographies of well-known citizens of the past and present. Volume II > Part 13
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locality, they passed away within two miles of the place where they were born. The ties of home and kindred held them there, at a time when many of their acquaintances were seeking new homes in the unimproved and unknown re- gions further west. At the time of his death the father was seventy-six, while the mother lived to be eighty.
Out of a family of nine children, five attained maturity, but Alexander is now the sole survivor, and he likewise was the only one of the family to come to California. He migrated to this state with the intention of mining, and for a time he worked at Owsley's Bar, on the Yuba river, but soon he decided that the trade of a mechanic of- fered more flattering inducements. For four years he was employed in San Francisco at $6. per day, helping to manufacture the first steel plows made in the west. The same occupation he followed for himself, during which time he earned from $5 to $20 each day. During the vigilante period of the city's history he was a member of the committee and maintained a warm interest in all movements for the betterment of the town. During the early '5os he aided in the organization of the Leisure Club, whose members comprised the younger people of San Francisco. Valuable lots could have been bought by him then at a low figurc, but he entertained the idea of making a fortune and returned to the east to reside, so he did not desire to encumber him- self with real estate whose value was not apparent to him. As early as 1853 he became a member of California Lodge, No. I, I. O. O. F., and in 1856 he was honored with the office of nohle grand. For years he attended all of the grand lodges as a delegate from his home organiza- tion.
The first marriage of Mr. Eaton united him with Miss Martha J. Lockwood, who was born in- Orange county, N. Y., and in 1849 came with her parents via the Horn to San Francisco, where, in 1858, she met and married Mr. Eaton. On account of her health they removed to Hollister and settled in the village of three hundred in- habitants, after having spent a year on a ranch in the Santa Ana valley, owned by her father. After a long period of delicate health she passed away and was buried at Hollister. Four children had blessed the union, but one son died at the age
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of sixteen years and a daughter when twenty. The surviving son, Edward, was born in San Mateo county and resides in Salinas; his family comprises a wife and two daughters. The only living daughter of Mr. Eaton is Iva M., who married F. S. Myers, of San Francisco, and has one son. After the death of his first wife Mr. Eaton married Mrs. Jeanette (Whitcomb) Brew- ster, who died at Salinas in 1909 and was buried in the Hollister cemetery.
For twenty years Mr. Eaton followed the trade of a blacksmith in Hollister, where for two years he also worked for J. J. Burnett. For a time he owned and occupied a shop on the corner of Third and San Benito streets, but later he moved to Fourth street, where he had bought out Mr. Walberg. While engaged in business there he manufactured twelve gang plows, the first made in the county, and these he sold for $100 each. Deeply interested in the struggle to create a separate county, he was an active factor in secur- ing the separation of San Benito from Monterey county. For seventeen years he was a member of the volunteer fire department, which he as- sisted in organizing and in which he served for seven years as second chief. The light cart used by the department for racing was one of his own manufacture. During his residence in San Fran- cisco he was a member of the fire department, Company No. 4, and as such took an active part in many of the tournaments of early days. For three years he served as a member of the town council of Hollister, but resigned in 1893, at the time of his removal to King City. At his new location he bought one hundred and sixty acres of land and engaged in raising grain, remaining on the farm until 1902. After having engaged in sugar-beet farming in the Salinas valley for one year, he retired from active cares and re- moved to Salinas, where he now makes his home, being well preserved and vigorous, notwithstand- ing his laborious career and advanced years. While living in Hollister he was made a Mason in San Benito Lodge, F. & A. M. Later he joined the San Francisco Chapter and Golden Gate Commandery, No. I, K. T., of San Fran- cisco. Formerly he was a leading member of the Society of Pioneers of Monterey county and aided in its organization. While less active now in its management, owing to his advanced age,
he is none the less interested in its welfare, and enjoys few things more than a reunion of the men who, like himself, were familiar with the early history of this part of the state. In younger days he was active in politics, and always has been stanch in his allegiance to the Republican party in national affairs, but in local elections he supports the men whom he considers to be best qualified to represent the people in offices of trust. For years he was a member of the Hollister school board, and no one maintains a deeper in- terest than he in the work of our free-school sys- tem.
LEWIS V. DAY.
A long and varied experience in the west, covering over half a century, of which thirty- six years have been passed in San Benito county, has given Mr. Day unlimited opportunity to study conditions of climate and soil, knowledge which he has put to good account in his agricul- tural endeavors, as all will agree who are familiar with his accomplishments. For many years he conducted a successful stock business in the Lone Tree district, but since 1905 he has been interested in the poultry business and is without doubt proprietor of the largest and most successful enterprise of the kind in this part of the state.
Born in Athens county, Ohio, September 20, 1840, Lewis V. Day barely remembers his birth- place, for when he was a child of five years his parents removed as far west as Iowa, and it is with that part of the middle west that he be- came most familiar, making his home there until 1854. In the meantime events had taken place in the far west which were to have an influ- ence on his future life. The excitement follow- ing the finding of gold in California had brought his father to the coast in the memorable year of 1849, and five years later, in 1854, he accom- panied his mother to California to join the father. Not unlike the majority of those who were drawn hither in the early days of the gold discovery, the elder Mr. Day tried his hand at mining, but after he was joined by his family he settled on a ranch in Santa Clara county and thereafter throughout his active years was inter- ested in agricultural affairs. A successful and
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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
amicable association between father and son was maintained upon the home ranch for about eight years, when, in 1862, Lewis Day made his first independent venture by going to Idaho and en- gaging in mining and freighting. An experi- ence of about three years of this life satisfied him and at the end of this time he was contented to return to Santa Clara county and resume agri- cultural affairs. For a number of years there- after he engaged in stock farming in that coun- ty, but in 1873 he came to San Benito county and with his father purchased nineteen hundred and eighty acres in the Lone Tree district, where they were enabled to conduct a stock busi- ness commensurate with their ability. This as- sociation continued unabated in interest and suc- cess for twenty-three years, or until 1896, when the father's interest was purchased by C. N. Hawkins, after which business was carried on under the name of Day & Hawkins, until 1905. After selling his interest in the stock business to Mr. Hawkins in the year just mentioned, Mr. Day came to Hollister and purchased the prop- erty upon which he now resides, consisting of twelve acres just outside the city limits. Here he conducts a poultry business second to none in this part of the county, for he has not allowed expense to stand in the way of making every possible improvement necessary to the proper maintenance of the business. On an average he has eleven hundred laying hens on his ranch all the year around.
In July, 1873, Mr. Day formed domestic ties by his marriage with Miss Sarah Herrington, a native of Davis county, Iowa, and eleven children, four sons and seven daughters, have been born to them. Named in the order of their birth they are as follows: Lucy, the wife of David Forbes, of Portland, Ore .; Nellie, the wife of Eugene Mccullough, of Guadaloupe ; James, a resident of Lindsay, Cal .; Belle, the wife of Alfred Halverson, of Elmhurst, Cal. : Edna, who married Wiley Garner, of Hollister; Charles, at home, and assisting his father with the care of the ranch; Leonard, a student in the University of California ; Lillian, at home ; Alta, who died when seventeen years of age; and Alvin and Elma, the two last mentioned also at home with their parents. Mr. Day has been a starch supporter of all matters that have had to
do with the upbuilding of Hollister and San Benito county, this being especially true of edu- cational affairs, and his service of over eight- een years as trustee of Lone Tree school dis- trict is evidence of the sincerity of his desire to do what lies in his power to benefit condi- tions in his community along educational lines.
JOHN W. DRYDEN.
Experience with conditions in the United States and England gained through residence at various places qualifies Mr. Dryden to judge wisely concerning the advantages offered by any particular section of country, and it is his opin- ion that opportunities in California are as plen- tiful as elsewhere and that the climate is un- surpassed for healthfulness. Hence he is well satisfied to remain on the ranch which he pur- chased upon coming to Hollister over twenty years ago. While this is not large as compared with many ranches in the vicinity, yet in point of financial results he is well satisfied with the returns from his labor.
As has been intimated Mr. Dryden is a native of England, and was born in Durham county, November 3, 1860, the son of John and Sarah (Thompson) Dryden. The parents were also natives of the Mother Country and with the ex- ception of a short time which Mr. Dryden spent in the United States, were life-time residents of England. By trade the father was a miller, a trade which he followed throughout his active years, and at his death he was interred in a cemetery in his native home. John W. Dryden was reared and educated in Durham county, and remained in his native land until he reached his twentieth year, when he was overtaken by the western fever and set sail for the United States, the voyage being made in 1880. He did not come to California at that time, however, but instead went to Minnesota, where, in Marshall, Lyon county, he engaged in raising wheat for five years on a quarter section of land which he purchased. At the end of this time, in 1885, he completed his journey across the continent by coming to California, his choice of location tak- ing him to San Jose, Santa Clara county, where he found employment on the fruit ranch of J. A. Schofield. He remained with this employer for
J.H. French
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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
three years, in the meantime becoming familiar with the fruit industry in all its phases. He then came to Hollister and assumed the position of foreman of the Brewster ranch, which he man- aged with considerable success for three years. A desire to become a property owner and rancher on his own account led him to give this up, how- ever, and the property which he purchased at that time has been his home ever since. This consists of fifty-three acres of land in the Union district, on Rural Route No. I, and not far from Hollister, which is his market town. His land is specially adapted to raising apricots and French prunes, making a specialty of these two fruits, and as the quality of his fruit is superior to all others raised in the locality he receives the highest market prices for his products. Besides the ten acres devoted to fruit-raising he has forty acres in hay and grain, and the remainder of the ranch is used as a poultry ranch, upon which he has an average of twenty-five hundred White Leghorn chickens all the year. Both departments of agriculture in which he is engaged, fruit- raising and the poultry business, have received deep thought and scientific study on his part and accounts for the success which he has en- joyed. He markets his chickens in San Fran- cisco, his hens averaging him a profit of over $I apiece per year.
Mr. Dryden was married in 1884 to Miss Ellen Berry, who like himself was a native of England; two children have been born to them, Florence and Leslie A.
Mr. Dryden is one who finds little time for outside diversions and aside from his affiliation with the Fraternal Aid is not connected with any societies or organizations.
THEODORE H. FRENCH.
The citizenship of California is made up large- ly from those born and reared in the states to the east, and of these not a few have hailed from Missouri. This was the native state of Theo- dore H. French, who was born in Williamsburg. Callaway county, July 13, 1845, the son of Jolin and Isabella (Dillard) French. Reared and educated in the city of his' birth, he was little more than a child when his ear became accus-
tomed to hearing the heated discussions concern- ing slavery, and though so young he took a decided stand on the question which would have done credit to one many times his years. Not being able to get the consent of his parents to join the army, he ran away from home when he was fifteen years old, and by a subterfuge suc- ceeded in enlisting in a Missouri regiment under General Price. As a member of General Harris' division he participated in a number of engage- ments in that state, among them the battle of Carthage. During his five years' service he ex- perienced the hardships and dangers which fall to the lot of the soldier, being shot in the head and also in the leg, and escaping similar acci- dents on three occasions, when his horse was shot under him.
Instead of returning to his home in Callaway county, Mo., after the close of the war, Mr. French set out for California, making his way laboriously across the plains, the journey con- suming five months. The journey was not without its hardships, but more fearful than all other experiences was his encounter with the Indians, meeting them on several occasions, and more than once he had a hand-to-hand combat with them. His journey to the state completed, he halted at San Leandro, Alameda county, for a time, at first being employed in the hay fields and later doing teaming. Altogether he re- mained in that locality about a year, after which he went to Watsonville, Santa Cruz county, and there, as in Alameda county, he was variously employed during the three years he remained there. Later he went to Soledad and San Anto- nio, Monterey county, his object in going there, as it had been in the other places which he vis- ited, being to find a suitable place in which to locate permanently. It was not until he came to San Benito county, on January 3, 1871, that he found the location that met his requirements, this being a tract of unsurveyed land, sixteen miles from Hollister, which he took up from the government. To this nucleus of one hundred and sixty acres he has added from time to time mintil he now has over twelve thousand acres. upon which he raises cattle and horses, having an average of twelve hundred head on the range all the time. During the early days the French ranch was visited by the famous bandit, Vasquez,
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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
who was the terror of the country roundabout, . plished he was chosen a trustee of the district, but Mr. French fed him and otherwise treated in which capacity ever since he has been re- tained. him kindly, and in thus winning his good will avoided any molestation on the part of the bandit.
Mr. French's marriage occurred November 24, 1875, uniting him with Jemima Gardner, who was born in England and who, in her younger days, had traveled in various parts of the world with her mother, who was an accomplished and talented woman. Seven children were born of this marriage, as follows: Theodore William ; Ella E., the wife of William Butts, Jr., of this county ; Milton John ; Lucy May, who is an ac- complished horsewoman and who won the spurs at San Juan for being the most expert rider and lariat thrower; Frank Bartlett; Violet Isabell ; and Gladys Lillian. Fraternally Mr. French is a member of Hollister Lodge, F. & A. M .; Wat- sonville Commandery, K. T .; and Salinas Lodge, B. P. O. E. From the time of reaching his ma- jority Mr. French has been a Democrat in poli- tics, and on the ticket of that party might have been elected to a number of offices within the gift of his fellow-citizens had he been willing to serve, but he has steadfastly refused to accept public office of any character.
SILAS W. WRIGHT.
The stock and general farming interests of Monterey county have an energetic representa- tive in the person of Silas W. Wright, who has charge of a ranch of two thousand acres and owns a tract of seven hundred and fifteen acres lying in San Benito and Monterey counties. On his own land he has made all of the improve- ments and has cleared a large acreage, preparing the ground for the pasturage of stock and for the cultivation of grain. While devoting his energies to the care of the large estate he has not neglected his duty as a citizen. Movements for the benefit of the locality have received his stanch support. As roadmaster of the district he has been instrumental in improving the roads. Through his efforts, in conjunction with those of other citizens, a petition was circulated to se- cure the organization of Lagunita district and after the work had been successfully accom-
The entire life of Silas W. Wright has been passed in California, where he was born in Sac- ramento county, November 7, 1862, being a son of the late J. B. Wright, a native of Ohio. Dur- ing the early mining development of the west, J. B. Wright was attracted hither by tales con- cerning the discovery of gold. Strong, young and resourceful, he was admirably adapted to en- dure the trials and vicissitudes of frontier exist- ence. At different times he engaged in mining, teaming, farming and sheep-raising, and after he removed to Monterey county, in 1870, he built and operated a lime-kiln, which proved from the first to be a profitable enterprise. After mov- ing his family to the county he leased land from Mrs. Stokes and engaged in farming, which oc- cupation he followed until his death in 1901, at the age of sixty-seven years.
At the time of coming to California, Mr. Wright was unmarried and it was not until some years afterward that he established domestic ties. All of his children were born in California and still remain in the state. David is living near San Juan, San Benito county ; Silas W. resides in Monterey county, as does also Edward, whose home is near the village of Soledad. Lydia A. is married and makes her home near Watson- ville. The eldest brother, John, spent many years in Monterey county and is thought to be now liv- ing in the southern part of the state.
From the organization of the party until his death J. B. Wright was a stanch Republican, but never would accept office nor allow his name to be presented for nomination. He was a well educated man for that day and had the advantage of an unerring memory, which enabled him to store in his mind, for use as needed, a wide fund of valuable information gained from reading and observation. In religious belief he was identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church. For a time he was mining in Eldorado county and often during those years he paid $20 per sack for flour, while other necessities were proportion- ately high. Schools had not yet been established throughout the state and he was an indefatigable worker in securing their establishment and main- tenance in his own district, for he realized that
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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
no movement is of as great importance to a com- monwealth as the conducting of high-grade schools. Temperate in habits, sturdy in physique and rugged in health, he was typical of the pio- neers of our state, and his name is worthy of per- petuation in the annals of early days.
After having lived in Sacramento county and Gilroy, Santa Clara county, for a time, Silas W. Wright came to Monterey county in boyhood and afterward assisted his father in the development and clearing of land, remaining with that parent until his death, since which time he has continued alone. Like his father, he is devoted to the doc- trines of the Methodist Episcopal Church and the principles of the Republican party, and, like him, he is public-spirited and warmly interested in the permanent prosperity of the county. For some years he has been identified with the In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows as a member of San Benito Lodge No. 159 and Compromise Encampment.
The marriage of Silas W. Wright in 1883 united him with Mary A., daughter of William Bingham, a pioneer of the San Juan canon in San Benito county. Nine children were born of their union, but two died in infancy. All were born in what is now Monterey county, but at that time the boundaries of the counties had not been adjusted at their present limits. The eldest daughter, Winnie, is the wife of Harvey J. Wack and lives in Watsonville. The other children, Lloyd, Eli, Merton, Carlin, Agnes and Alice, re- main with their parents on the home ranch.
FRANK H. WATTS.
In reflecting upon the frontier environment and pioneer history of the great west Mr. Watts might well exclaim, "All of which I saw and part of which I was." Ever since he was a boy of twelve years, quick to learn and eager to study conditions in strange regions, he has been identified with different parts of the west and southwest. Meanwhile he has accumulated a fund of information concerning the country, which, if recorded for future generations, would fill a volume with interesting facts concerning our pioneer history.
Many of the traits that qualified Frank H.
Watts for the hardships and adversities of the frontier came to him as an inheritance from his father, William, a Kentuckian by birth, but in early life a farmer of Missouri, an honest man, respected by a wide circle of friends, and pos- sessing the hardy traits of the pioneers who al- ways kept ahead of the railroads and who counted no. sacrifice too great if thereby the upbuilding of a new state could be promoted. While resid- ing in Missouri his wife died at the age of forty- five years. Their son, Benjamin M., was one of the gold-seekers of 1849 who crossed the plains to California and established himself in the west. During 1852 the father crossed the plains with six teams of his own, accompanied by four sons, namely : John W. and James, both of whom remained in Oregon until death; Frank H., of California; and Thomas C., still living in Oregon.
Upon learning that his father and brothers were crossing the plains Benjamin M. Watts immedi- ately made preparations to join them and sailed from San Francisco to Oregon, where he met them at The Dalles. The father settled at Scap- poose, Columbia county, and for twenty-five years he was associated with the agricultural development of that part of the state. His death occurred at Beaverton, Ore., when he was sev- enty-two years of age.
Born in Pike county, Mo., July 10, 1840, Frank H. Watts well remembers the incidents of the trip across the plains in 1852 and the settlement on a raw tract remote from civilization. It was his privilege to assist his father in clearing the land and supporting the family. Upon starting out for himself he found employment in the home neighborhood and for a time with a brother he operated a sawmill. His marriage united him with Elizabeth Lamberson, who was born in Iowa in 1842 and in 1845 crossed the plains with her father. After a time in Oregon her father removed to California and engaged in mining. On his return to Oregon he settled at Scappoose and embarked in the lumber business. Eventually he settled near Prescott, Ariz., after a sojourn in Mexico. During one of the In- dian uprisings in Arizona his youngest son, Dan- iel, was killed by Apaches near Tucson, being wounded so seriously that he died from the ef- fects of the injury.
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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Six children were born to the union of Frank H. Watts and Elizabeth Lamberson, namely : Frank M., a resident of Sonora, Mexico, where he is vice-president of the Wheeler Land Co .; John William, who died in Sonora, Mexico ; Rob- ert, a resident of the Elkhorn district in Califor- nia ; Mary, who married Daniel Hagan and lives in Los Angeles ; Bertha, wife of James Shotwell, of the Prunedale district in California; and An- nie, who married F. M. Hohstadt and lives in the Elkhorn district. The eldest child in the family was very delicate and was given up by doctors in Oregon, but the parents believed a change of climate might restore health, and accordingly they determined to remove further south. Packing their household effects and the children in a wagon, they started overland for California. It was during the year 1877 and the effects of the prolonged drought were plainly noticeable as they journeyed southward. In the San Joaquin val- ley there was not enough grass for the horses and it became necessary to buy feed at very high prices. After a brief stop at Chico, the family proceeded to Los Angeles and thence to San Bernardino, where Mr. Watts had several chances to trade a valuable horse for real-estate in the city that afterward became very high-priced.
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