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 21
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 21
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63
496
HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
modity he is also engaged in breeding and rais- ing draft horses, both for his own use and for the market.
Mr. Harkins' marriage united him with Miss Ann Herbert, who like himself was a native of Ireland, and all of their five children were born in California, four in Monterey county and one in Santa Clara county. Mary, the eldest of the family, was born in the latter county; Jolin P. is engaged in the optical business in San Fran- cisco; James is associated with his brother, Richard T., in the management of the home ranch, business being conducted under the name of Harkins Brothers; and Margaret is the wife of Chester Lipp, a grocer of Marysville. All of the children had the henefit of good common and high schools, and John and James further benefited by a course in Heald's Business Col- lege. In political matters Mr. Harkins is en- tirely impartial, voting for whoever in his opin- ion is best fitted for the office, regardless of party. In all movements that have been for the development of the county he has been a liberal supporter, and indeed it may truthfully be said that few movements of an uplifting or whole- some trend have escaped his notice and support.
WILLIAM HATTON.
Had it been his fate to be spared to three score years and ten undoubtedly Mr. Hatton would have achieved a success that would have placed him among the foremost men of Monterey county ; as it was, cut off in the midst of his activities at the age of forty-five years, he had reaped already more than ordinary success and had won a host of warm personal friends in various parts of the state. To his heirs he left large tracts of land that had been secured by his own labors backed by the wise judgment that formed one of his most notable characteristics.
The early childhood of Mr. Hatton was passed in County Wicklow, Ireland, where he was born June 9, 1849, and where he attended the national schools. From his earliest recollections he was familiar with the sea. The coast of Wicklow was washed by the channel of St. George's whose narrow waters connected the Irish sea with the Atlantic ocean. Stories of shipwrecks were often
told of winter evenings in that humble Irish home, but they failed to daunt one small boy, in whose heart had arisen an ambition to be a sailor. It was necessary for him to earn his own way in the world and he chose to start as a cabin-boy on an ocean vessel.
When only thirteen years of age William Hat- ton began his sea-faring life and for seven years he remained a sailor, working his way upward until he had been chosen as first mate of his ship. He came to California in 1870. Soon he selected land in Carmel valley, where he farmed one-third of the Atherton ranch of four thou- sand acres. At the time of his death he had three dairies aggregating one thousand cows. The home place comprised four thousand acres. Six hundred and forty acres were embraced in a ranch subsequently purchased by Mr. Spreckels and now adjoining the site of the factory. One thousand acres were embraced in a ranch three miles from the home place.
The dairy interests of California found in Mr. Hatton a progressive promoter. Three separa- tors were shipped from the east into California and one of these he bought for his creamery, in which he had installed steam power. Modern machinery thus enabled him to quickly separate the cream from the new milk. For years he furnished Hotel Del Monte with cream, butter and milk, and one of his specialties was the manufacture of Spanish cheese. For twelve years he acted as superintendent of the ranches owned by the Pacific Improvement Company, in addition to looking after his own large tracts and extensive dairy interests.
While still very busily engaged in improving his properties William Hatton died suddenly of Bright's disease, October 22, 1894, at the age of forty-five years. After his demise a residence was erected on the land and a portion of the estate was sold to the Spreckels corporation. Politically he voted with the Republican party and kept posted concerning its policies and prin- ciples. In fraternal relations he was a Mason of the Knights Templar degree, holding member- ship at Watsonville. Surviving him are his widow (formerly Kate Harney) and seven of their children, the two other children of the family having died at an early age. Those now living are as follows: Anna H., wife of W. E.
SETH W. CONKLIN
499
HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Martin of the Carmel valley; Harriet H., who remains with her mother; Sarah J., who is a graduate physician and the wife of a physician, Dr. M. McAulay, of Monterey; Edward G., who was born in 1882, received his education in St. Mathews Military School at San Mateo, and married Ida E. McDonald; William, Frank D. and Howard, all of whom are yet at home. The eldest son, Edward G., has superintended the estate for the past seven years and makes his home on the ranch, to the care of which he de- votes his entire time.
SETH WATKINS CONKLIN.
No name was more intimately associated with the early history and civic development of Sa- linas than that of Seth Watkins Conklin, a Cali- fornia pioneer of 1859 and worthy of remem- brance for the work he accomplished in the up- building of his locality. When he sought the opportunities of the west he was thirty years of age, sturdy in physique, energetic in disposi- tion and forceful in action, well qualified by mental and physical endowments for the pioneer task of aiding the material development of the coast country. That he won an honored place in the citizenship of his adopted home will be attested by the large circle of friends who sur- vive him and who for years labored with him for the welfare of city and county.
Born in the state of New York, November 23, 1829, Seth Watkins Conklin was a son of Seth and Lecta (Watkins) Conklin, and at the age of six years he was taken by his parents to Dayton, Ohio, whence later he removed to New Orleans, coming from that city in 1859, via Panama, to California. His original location was at Shelock's Creek, in Mariposa county, six miles from the village of Mariposa, where he opened a general mercantile store and made a specialty of selling supplies to miners. After having continued in the same location until 1867. he then sold out and came to Monterey county, settling at what was known as Half Way House.
The general store which he established at this place Mr. Conklin conducted with growing pop- ularity and success. The business grew with the increase of population. From the original
settlement sprang a village, to which was given the name of Salinas, and he was a prominent fac- tor in the founding of the present city. Event- ually he formed a partnership with H. Samuels, and the connection continued until the death of Mr. Samuels, in 1895, when Mr. Conklin re- tired to private life. For a number of years the store was conducted in a building he erected, now occupied by the telephone company. After a long and successful career he passed away January 25, 1901, at his home in Salinas, and was laid to rest amid the scenes with which. he had been familiar for so long a period.
On the organization of the Ancient Order of United Workmen at Salinas, Mr. Conklin be- came one of the charter members of the lodge. While living in Mariposa county he joined the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and for years he was active in Alisal Lodge, No. 163, which he represented as delegate to the grand lodge many times. In addition he was honored with the office of high priest in the encampment. At one time he was prominent in the state work of the order, and always he maintained a warm interest in its welfare. Though not a member of any denomination, he contributed to the sup- port of the Salinas Presbyterian church and at- tended its services. An honorable, upright man, he had a host of warm personal friends in his home city, and his death was deeply mourned.
The marriage of Mr. Conklin took place April 24, 1868, and united him with Laura E. Traxler, who was born in Ohio, being a daugh- ter of Philip H. and Prudence ( Bodine) Trax- ler, natives of New York and descendants of German ancestors. As early as 1866 Miss Trax- ler came to California, accompanied by her sis- ter, settling in Mariposa county, where she met and later married Mr. Conklin. To her belongs the distinction of being the only surviving pio- neer woman now living in Salinas, where she is identified with the Civic Club and a leading worker in the Central Avenue Presbyterian church. On the organization of the Rebekahs in Salinas she became a charter member, being one of five on whom the degrees were conferred in order to organize the local lodge. With her hus- band she maintained a warm interest in the growth of the lodge. At different times she was elected to the various chairs in the organiza-
29
500
HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
tion at Salinas, and eventually she was honored with the position of district deputy, while at this writing she holds the office of chaplain. Her attractive residence at No. 226 Central ave- nue is the seat of a whole-souled hospitality that knows no abatement since the death of her hus- band and that is extended not alone to pioneer associates of olden days, but also to newcomers and to those prominent in civic affairs during recent years.
DAVID SPENCE LITTLE.
The family represented by David S. Little, of New Monterey, Cal., is of eastern extraction, although it is now (1909) sixty-six years since the pioneer, Milton Little, came to the state and established the name, which in the years that have come and gone has been such a power in the upbuilding of this commonwealth. (For a more detailed account of the family history the reader is referred to the sketch of Milton Little, found elsewhere in this volume.)
David S. Little was born in Monterey March 28, 1849, the son of Milton and Mary (Eager) Little, both of whom were natives of the Em- pire state. Until he was sixteen years of age David S. remained with his parents in their pio- neer home, but at this age an opportunity was granted him which falls to the lot of compara- tively few young men. This good fortune was his appointment to the Naval Academy at An- napolis, Md., through the kindness and cour- tesy of C. Cole. He remained a student in the academy for three years, when he resigned and returned to California. Although he never made any practical use of his military training he nevertheless enjoyed the experience, and indi- rectly benefited by it immeasurably. During the recent visit of the Atlantic fleet in their round- the-world trip Mr. Little enjoyed renewing his acquaintance with comrades of earlier days, nearly all of the captains of the battleships be- ing among his classmates in Annapolis.
Upon his return to California in 1869 David S. Little apprenticed himself to learn the car- penter's trade in San Francisco, which he fol- lowed thereafter for about twenty years alto- gether. At the time the Oregon & California Railroad was being constructed he went to the
Rogue river country, Ore., where he filled a posi- tion in the bridge department until the comple- tion of the project. He then returned to San Francisco and resumed work at his trade, but after remaining there about three years he came to Monterey, in 1888, and has since made his home in this locality. During these years he has gained an enviable reputation as a contractor and builder, many of the finest and most substan- tial residences in this city and vicinity bearing evidence of his ability. Among the residences he has constructed may be mentioned those of F. M. Hilby, Mr. Parmelee, Mr. Oleson, Mrs. Agnes M. Little, besides many small cottages and' bungalows.
Mr. Little's marriage, which was celebrated in Monterey, October 28, 1878, united him with Miss Delila Caldwell, a native of Stockton, and four children have been born to them, as follows : May, the wife of Lewis Leese, of San Francisco; and Henry, Lela and David, all of Monterey. Mr. Little is a member of but one fraternal order, the Free and Accepted Masons, having joined the lodge in Monterey in 1888.
JEREMIAH J. CROXON.
The genealogy of the Croxon family is traced to England, its first representative on the Pacific coast having been George Croxon, a native of Berkshire, England, and a man possessing re- markable ability, who without the aid of educa- tion or influence won several fortunes during the course of his long business career. Early in life he went to Australia, whither two brothers had preceded him. At the time of the discovery of gold in California he and a brother, Richard, came from Australia in 1849 and joined other Argonauts at the mines. A brief and unsuccess- ful experience in the mines was followed by re- moval to San Francisco, where he began to take contracts for teaming and his brother embarked in business as proprietor of a boarding house. Among his contracts was one for grading at the. site of the old city hall. Upon leaving San Fran- cisco he settled on the Ravenswood ranch in San Mateo county, but later engaged in farming in Santa Clara county, where he remained until his death in 1863, at the age of about forty years ..
501
HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
In addition to agricultural pursuits he had many activities of commercial importance and fre- quently had in his employ large numbers of men, all of whom held him in the highest regard. His enterprises included the baling of hay, the cutting of wood, the burning of charcoal, and other occupations incident to life in the region. It was during the progress of one of his contracts that he met with the accident eventually result- ing in his death. Fortune often smiled upon him, but as often wrested from him the fruits of his energy and toil, so that he had little to leave his heirs except the prestige of a name upon which dishonor had never cast its shadow.
The marriage of George Croxon took place in June of 1853 and united him with Catherine Kingsmill, who was born in Australia and in 1853 came to California, settling in San Fran- cisco. Her mother descended from the Budd family of Scotland, while her father traced his lineage to Admiral Sir Barry Kingsmill, the dis- coverer of the Kingsmill group of islands. Four children comprised the family of George Croxon and three of these are now living, namely : Frances Elizabeth, the widow of E. D. Owen, and a resident of San Francisco; Jeremiah J., sheriff of San Benito county ; and Warren G. H., who is proprietor of a cannery at Black Diamond, Contra Costa county. The mother of these chil- dren was in 1871 united in marriage with Frank Maxson, a pioneer miner of California and in early days an associate of D. O. Mills and other wealthy men. Among the enterprises in which he maintained an active part was the building of the Black Diamond road. For a considerable period Mrs. Maxson has made her home in San Francisco, which she recalls as a city of tents at the time of her arrival in 1853, and she also re- calls the thrilling catastrophe of the earthquake followed by the second wonderful upbuilding of the city. It has been her privilege to witness the growth of the city and state throughout a long period and, in common with all pioneers, she is intensely devoted to its welfare.
During the residence of the family at Mayfield, Cal., Jeremiah J. Croxon was born May 21, 1857, and from that town he was taken to San Fran- cisco during infancy. Supplementary to public- school advantages he was sent to Heald's Busi- ness College in San Francisco. Meanwhile his
parents had removed to San Mateo county and thence to Santa Clara county, where his father died. Later he resided with his mother and step- father at Black Diamond, Contra Costa county, and upon leaving college he made a brief sojourn at Salinas, Monterey county, going to that town in 1874, but soon returning to San Francisco. From there he went to the New Idria quick- silver mines and secured a very humble position, but gradually worked his way upward until he was head bookkeeper and assistant superintend- ent. During the twenty-two years of his identi- fication with the mines he assisted in their de- velopment and maintained a warm interest in the success of the plant. Meanwhile he had spent a year (1883) as a prospector in Mexico, and after leaving the New Idria he spent a year at Tres Pinos, where he and A. H. Fredson opened the warehouses. Next he went to Trinity county, where for eight months he held a position in the Cinnabar mines, returning in 1897 to Tres Pinos.
After having purchased and assumed the man- agement of a ranch in Sen Benito county, Mr. Croxon in 1897 was requested to become a candi- date for the office of sheriff. A strong canvass was made and he won the election to office, in- cluding the position of tax collector. The elec- tion was won as the Republican candidate, for he has always been stanch in his allegiance to the Republican party. Upon assuming the duties of the position he moved to Hollister and bought property here, where ever since he has made his home. In addition he still owns a stock ranch of three thousand acres, twenty-eight miles from Hollister, which he bought about 1889 and which since has been improved under his able manage- ment. On the ranch a specialty has been made of the raising of draft and trotting horses, for which purpose high-grade foundation stock is utilized.
During his incumbency of the sheriff's office Mr. Croxon has made a splendid record for fear- lessness and undaunted courage. Within twenty- four hours after the murder of Antonio Ruis he had captured the assassins, Cota and Gonzales. who afterward by hanging paid the penalty of. their foul deed. To him belonged the credit for the capture of the negro who murdered Mr. LeRoy of Oakland; also of Morse, who killed Charles Zander of Merced and later was sen-
-
502
HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
tenced to imprisonment for life. Two of his prisoners were hanged and two were sentenced to life imprisonment, while forty men were sent to San Quentin for felony, besides almost an equal number caught outside for a similar of- fense. All pleaded guilty except seven and thus the county was saved many thousands of dollars incident to the expense of trial.
The marriage of Mr. Croxon united him with Miss Ella, daughter of William F. Burnett, at one time sheriff of San Benito county. They are the parents of four children, namely: Ida, Fan- nie, Jere K. and Meta. The two eldest were born at the New Idria mines, the third is a native of Fresno county and the youngest was born in San Benito county. Mr. and Mrs. Croxon are mem- bers of the Orders of Eastern Star and Rebekahs, while in addition he is identified with Salinas Camp No. 614, B. P. O. E., Native Sons of the Golden West, San Benito Lodge No. 211, I. O. O. F., and the Woodmen of the World. At the time of the organization of the Agricultural As- sociation he was one of its leading projectors and in all local movements for the general welfare he has been active and interested.
ANDREW J. COPLEY, SR.
Endowed with a temperament that fitted him for the endurance of frontier hardships, Andrew J. Copley, Sr., came to the regions of the south- west at a time when large opportunity was afford- ed for the exercise of his natural instincts. Many and varied have been his experiences in the mean- time, but he has surmounted them all and has be- come recognized as one of the substantial citizens of the community in Monterey county where he has made his home for the past forty years.
In Delaware county, N. Y., near the town of Harpersfield, Andrew J. Copley, Sr., was born December 18, 1829, and he has a vivid recollec- tion of his boyhood home in the far east. When he was a lad sixteen years old his love of adven- ture brought him as far west as Illinois, which in that early day was considered frontier coun- try, but he was not content to remain there many years. In the meantime interest in the far west was being created through the discovery of gold in California, attracting hither thousands of am-
bitious young men who belived that a fortune awaited them in the mines. In the winter of 1849 Mr. Copley went to New Orleans, from there setting sail on the ship which was to bring him to the goal of his ambition, California. Eldorado county was at that time attracting considerable attention on account of the rich deposits of gold reported to be hidden in the mines, and thither he made his way as soon as possible. His selec- tion of a location proved fortunate if the length of time which he remained there may be taken as a basis from which to judge, for he mined continuously near Greenwood, that county, for fifteen years. Finally, however, he gave up min- ing in that locality and for a time was similarly interested near Sacramento. The year 1869 wit- nessed not only another change of location, but a change of occupation, for in that year he came to Monterey county and became interested in the prevailing industry, agriculture. He was first located in what is known as Freeman valley, but the following year he came to Long valley and located on land which he took up from the gov- ernment. With the exception of a short time spent in Peach Tree and ten years spent in San Diego he has made this his home ever since, and no one is more enthusiastic about the agricul- tural advantages of this particular part of Monte- rey county than Mr. Copley, who after forty years of activity is now living retired.
Since June 9, 1893, Mr. Copley has been deprived of the love and companionship of his wife, who prior to her marriage was Miss Hannah Nattrass, a native of England. Of the children born of their marriage six are living, as follows: William S., residing in Calaveras county ; Joseph M., of Wild Horse cañon, James G., a resident of Oakland; Andrew J., Jr., also a resident of Wild Horse cañon ; Mrs. Mary Bailey, of Salinas and Mrs. Minnie E. Blount, of Oakland. All of the children were given good opportunities for an education, and all are now settled in homes of their own. Mr. Copley takes great comfort in his children in his declin- ing years, and is proud in the possession of thirty- three grandchildren and sixteen great-grand- children. Fraternally Mr. Copley is a Mason, belonging to the lodge at King City. During his younger years he was an active participant in upbuilding measures in his community and held
Thas Garride
.
505
HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
a number of public offices within the gift of his fellow-citizens, among which may be mentioned justice of the peace, postmaster of Peach Tree, supervisor and deputy assessor of Monterey county. Though he has reached the advanced age of eighty years he is still young at heart and is as keenly alive to the activities and well- being of his home community as when he settled here forty years ago, in manhood's prime.
THOMAS GARSIDE.
One of the oldest residents of Monterey county is Thomas Garside, who, at the age of eighty-nine years, is in the possession of all of his faculties and still takes an animated interest in the affairs pertaining to this part of the coun- try, as well as those of a world-wide nature. A native of England, he was born near Halifax, Yorkshire, December 22, 1820, the son of Rob- ert and Frances (Booth) Garside. The father was a carpenter by trade, and followed this call- ing throughout the greater part of his active life, first in Yorkshire, and later in the United States, whither he came in 1841 in the hope of a better business outlook. From Pennsylvania, where he first located, he went to Cincinnati, Ohio, in both of the latter places working at his trade, but finally he went to Iowa with the idea of engaging in farming, as land was cheap and he hoped thereby to gain a foothold and become established in this new and growing country. His hopes were not realized, however, for he was taken ill and died soon afterward, in 1844. He had sent for his wife and those of his chil- dren still in England, but he had passed away before they arrived. His son Thomas, who had come to this country the year previous, 1843, was with his father during his sickness, and at his death buried him tenderly in the cemetery near New London, Iowa. At her death the mother was buried by his side.
After his father came to the New World, Thomas Garside was brought face to face with the serious side of life, and when he found em- ployment hard to obtain in England he deter- mined to follow his father to the United States, making the voyage in 1843. Landing in New York, he immediately sought work there and in
Buffalo, but meeting with no success in either place he went to Canada and there was abun- dantly rewarded, those with a knowledge of the carpenter's trade being in great demand. On receiving word from his father, then in Cincin- nati, that there was plenty of employment to be had in that city, hie set out with a companion in February, 1844, to walk from Thurle, Canada, to Pittsburg, Pa., the snow at the time being over a foot deep. After a long and wearisomu journey father and son were finally reunited and for a time they worked together in Cincin- nati, finally, however, going to Iowa, where it was the father's ambition to prepare a comfort- able home for his family. Instead he succumbed to the exposure and hardships which he had en- cured, alone and among strangers except for the presence of his son Thomas.
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.