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 25
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 25
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
years he lost his father by death and thereafter he was obliged to give up his schooling in order to earn his own livelihood. With his mother he crossed the Atlantic to Canada after his father's demise and for nine years he spent his time be- tween New York state and Canada. At the age of nineteen he settled in New York and there he remained until 1860, meanwhile en- gaging in lumbering during the winter months and in farming during the summer seasons.
Being expert in the use of an axe, Mr. Church by long experience gained local prominence as a skilled chopper and in that respect he had no superior in the neighborhood. When he had a good run of timber he was able to cut, pile and split four cords of wood, four feet in length. At that time he took many contracts to cut large tracts of timber. During 1861 he went to Massachusetts and settled in Hampden county, where he married Miss Susan Lattan. For a time he made his headquarters in Worcester county, Mass., where he took a contract to cut twenty-six acres of heavy timber. His three children were born in Hampden county. The daughter, Sarah Wallace, married Henry Arnold of Monterey county and lives on a ranch near Jamesburg; she is the mother of six children. Andrew, who is engaged in the dairy business near Salinas, is married and has four sons, Clar- ence, Bruce, John and Sidney. The three eldest sons were born of his marriage to Clara Bruce, now deceased, while the youngest, Sidney, was born of his union with his present wife, formerly Annie Lane. The youngest son in the Church family is William, who is married, has three children and lives at Jamesburg.
One hundred acres which he owned and op- erated in Massachusetts were after a time sold by Thomas W. Church and for a time he rented making a specialty of raising fine stock. Mean- while he had determined to remove to California and, leaving his family in the east, he came on a visit of inspection, stopping in San Mateo county, where he worked in a saw-mill. Later he bought some standing timber and cut wood, which he shipped to San Francisco. Being pleased with the outlook he sent for his family, who joined him in October of 1875, a few months after his arrival. In 1883 he came to Monterey county and has since been identified
529
HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
with the agricultural development of this part of the state. For fifteen years he remained on the same ranch, after which he spent five years on a ranch at Buena Vista and then returned to the old place, where he and his honored wife are now living with their son, Andrew. Though to a large extent retired from manual labor, he still retains a deep interest in ranching and with his son leases from seven hundred to one thousand acres, a part of which furnishes pasturage for their dairy of one hundred cows. The cream is separated by machinery and is sold to the local creamery. Hay for the cattle is raised on the ranch in large quantities.
While living in San Mateo county Mr. Church served for two terms as trustee of schools. Since becoming a voter he has always been a Demo- crat, but his interest in politics has been second- ary to his interest in the well-being of his home and the prosperity of his ranch. From youth a tireless worker, he has justly earned declining years of ease, but his energetic disposition does not permit him to enjoy retirement from work and it is probable that, as long as health per- mits, he will maintain the same close association with ranch affairs characteristic of him ever since he came to this county.
THOMAS B. HUBBARD.
Every community furnishes examples of en- ergetic and resourceful men who, beginning with no capital except such as is represented by ro- bust health and willing hands, have risen by sheer force of determination to positions of in- fluence and responsibility. Such a man is Thomas B. Hubbard. The memories of his boyhood take him back to a farm home in Sullivan county, Mo., where his parents, James and Elizabeth (Reese) Hubbard, reared their family of eight children. Near the town of Milan, in that county, Mr. Hubbard was born June 18, 1840, and the schools near-by furnished him with a knowledge of books which formed the basis of his later learning. The schools were poorly equipped and offered few advantages for an am- bitious boy, but he availed himself to the utmost of their meagre assistance in acquiring an edu- cation. However, his present fund of broad
information was gained more by self-culture and habits of close observation than by attendance at any school or by any other outside aid to an education.
Mr. Hubbard remained with his parents in Missouri until he was twenty-four years of age, when, in 1864, he determined to come to Cali- fornia and begin life in earnest under happier and more promising conditions. The journey was made behind three pairs of slow-plodding oxen, which he drove all of the way from Milan, Mo., to Idaho. Halting there, he engaged in freighting in the vicinity of Boise City, an under- taking which brought him in large returns, for in a short time, with his three yokes of oxen he cleared $600. Thereafter he settled in the Boise valley and engaged in ranching, following this for two years, and then spent a similar period in the placer mines of Bannock City, an undertaking which proved successful far beyond his expectations. His next move took him to Salt Lake City, but after remaining there for a short time he again took up his journey to the west, but in Nevada took advantage of the op- portunity to once more engage in freighting with profit. During this time he saw prospects for a profitable business in dealing in cattle, and in 1870 he bought cattle in Spring valley, and taking them to Salmon river, Nev., inaugurated a cattle business which he maintained profitably for eleven years. At the end of this time he disposed of his cattle and other interests in Ne- vada to John Bradley, son of ex-Governor Brad- ley of Nevada, and the same year, 1881, came to California. Coming direct to San Benito county, he took up a ranch of twelve hundred acres three miles south of Hollister, and upon a por- tion of this he still makes his home. From time to time as the opportunity offered he disposed of parts of the acreage, and of his once large ranch he now has forty acres in prunes and the re- mainder, or fifty acres, is used for grazing pur- poses. Although his orchard is not as large as it once was, it is conceded to be one of the finest in the county in point of quality of fruit raised. He takes a special pride in his trees, every one of which he planted himself, and has watched their growth from year to year with a keen in- terest. A fine pumping plant and excellent sys- tem of irrigation are in large measure respon-
530
HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
sible for his great success in the raising of fruit, this, added to his expert knowledge, making failure almost impossible.
At Lynn, Mo., Mr. Hubbard was married in 1875 to Miss Rebecca Purdin, a native of that state, and five children have been born of their marriage, all of whom are living. Evelyn is the wife of Ernest Hulls, of Modesto; Lena May is the wife of Grover Stone, of Hollister ; Ella B., who is the wife of Howard Hulls, also resides in Modesto; Edna B. is at home, as is also Virgil P., who is his father's faithful assist- ant in the care of the ranch. Mr. Hubbard is a believer in furnishing good schools for the rising generation, and as an evidence of this belief has accomplished much valuable work as a member of the school board of Hollister. Po- litically he is independent in the casting of his ballot, voting without reference to the party which the candidate represents, but solely upon the individual merits of the man named for the office. What Mr. Hubbard has accumulated dur- ing his twenty-eight years of arduous effort in California represents the results of close atten- tion to the work in hand, sagacious judgment and tact, and it may with justice be said that he is deserving of whatever success the future may hold for him.
WILLIAM T. TOMLINSON.
For more than fifty years it was the privilege of Mr. Tomlinson to witness the material de- velopment of California and by his own earnest efforts as a business man and a citizen to con- tribute to the permanent upbuilding of that por- tion of the state where he made his home. Dur- ing this long period of activity he saw the entire country changed from a barren wilderness into a region of productive farms and thriving towns. The stage-coach was replaced by the modern "Limited" with its superb equipment. No longer was the mining of gold the chief industry, but it had given place to the raising of the golden grain and the golden fruits that have made the state famous. A contented population had taken the place of a migratory throng of gold-seekers and on every hand prosperity was rewarding the intelligent efforts of the husbandman.
The ancestral home of the Tomlinson family
was in Maryland, where, in Cumberland, Will- iam T. was born October 30, 1837, and whence he was taken by his parents to Peoria county, Ill., at an early age. The country schools of those days gave him a meagre opportunity for acquiring an education, but supplementing this with a college course in Peoria and by self-cul- ture he became a well-informed man. For a time he served with the Texas rangers, taking part in several important engagements and being wounded during one of the battles. Coming across the plains in 1855, he settled in Los An- geles and there learned the trade of a painter, but this occupation he did not follow as a sub- sequent means of livelihood. Instead, he turned his attention to the livery business and carried 011 a stable at Marysville for several years. Re- moving from there to Mendocino county, he settled at Point Arena and embarked in the liv- ery business. During his sojourn in the county, where he was a resident about twenty-five years, he owned a large grain and dairy ranch.
Failing health eventually caused Mr. Tomlin- son to make brief sojourns in various parts of the state in the hope of being benefited by the restoration of strength. For a year he lived in Oakland and owned a furniture store on Broad- way. For another year he carried on a livery business at San Rafael, after which he returned to Point Arena and thence removed to Sebasto- pol, Sonoma county, where he erected the first livery stable in the town. Next he established his home at Monterey, where for a time he en- gaged in the hay and grain business and later also conducted a furniture store. About 1907 lie retired from active business responsibilities and continued to reside in Monterey until his death, which occurred February 17, 1909. Surviving him are his widow and one son, Percival, who is engaged in the insurance business in San Fran- cisco. Mrs. Tomlinson bore the maiden name of Alice Whitehouse and was born in Maine, but in childhood accompanied her parents in 1862 via the Panama route to California, where. in 1874, she became the wife of Mr. Tomlinson. With him she shared the good will of a large circle of acquaintances in the various places of their residence and aided in movements tending to the educational and moral upbuilding of the people. Since his demise she has made her home
Vernon Lounsend
533
HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
at the old family homestead on Lighthouse ave- nue, New Monterey. In character earnest and self-sacrificing, in disposition helpful and accom- modating, she belongs to that class of California ยท pioneer women whose names are worthy of per- petuation in local annals and whose lives are fragrant with good deeds and kindly words.
VERNON TOWNSEND.
In Vernon Townsend, Monterey county, Cal., has an Australian-American citizen who reflects credit both upon his native and upon his adopted country, and who embodies those thrifty and sub- stantial traits which make his countrymen a welcome addition wherever they may choose to locate. In the foothills near Soledad he is de- voting his energies to the raising of bees for the production of honey, and it is not too sweeping an assertion to make, that no one else in a like. business in the county is getting the results from his work that Mr. Townsend is.
As has been inferred, Mr. Townsend is a na- tive of Australia, his birth having occurred June 27, 1874. in New South Wales. In his native land stock-raising, is one of the chief industries, and it was in this line of endeavor that his ener- gies were engaged in boyhood after his school days were over, his father having been a stock- raiser. Subsequently he and a brother engaged in the business independently, following this con- tinuously for a number of years, or until Vernon decided to immigrate to the United States. A voyage of twenty-one days across the Pacific ocean brought him from his island home to the port of San Francisco, at which the vessel landed, and from there went to Santa Barbara. Chance led him to accept a position on a bee ranch in that locality, work which from the first proved inter- esting and congenial, and during the four sea- sons which he remained with his employer he learned the business in all of its details. With the knowledge and experience thus acquired he determined to establish an apiary of his own, and for two years he carried on a successful business near Santa Barbara. Selling out at the end of that time he came to Monterey county and pur- chased the apiary carried on by L. Jackson. How- ever, after he had been there only a short time
he realized that Release canyon, in which his ranch was located, was not the most desirable lo- cation for the raising of bees, and as soon there- after as possible he changed his location. He found that the region around the old Soledad Mission was well adapted to this purpose, and since his location in this vicinity he has proven the wisdom of his choice. His property consists of ten acres in the Salvation Army colony, where, in the foothills, he finds a most admirable location for his apiary. At the present writing he has five hundred colonies of bees, divided into three sections upon the ranches and he is constantly increasing his stock. The bees find food in plenty among the flowers and shrubs that cover the hills, and as sage grows very luxuriantly there this also forms a large part of their food. All of the honey produced on the ranch is sold in the extracted form, Mr. Townsend having an extractor for the purpose which takes the honey from the comb by a simple process. Five acres of the ranch are in alfalfa.
Mr. Townsend has a very pleasant residence on the ranch, in which he makes his home with his mother. He keeps thoroughly abreast of the times in his chosen work, and as an evidence of the regard in which he is held by his fellow- workers it may be said that ever since the or- ganization of the California Central Coast Bee- Keepers' Association he has served in the capac- ity of president. The only fraternal organization to which he belongs is the Woodmen of the World, holding membership in the camp at Santa Cruz.
FREDERICK EDWARD TEUMERT.
Obedience to the commands of superior offi- cers led a young soldier of the Civil war to Cali- fornia at the close of that historic struggle and when he retired from military affairs to private life he chose to remain on the western coast, whose charms then betokened a future for the country as the bud indicates the beauty of the full-blown rose. The soldier was Frederick Ed- ward Teumert, who was born in Prussia, Ger- many, February 28, 1839, and received a very thorough education, attending college for seven years and a university for three years. After his graduation from the university he entered
--
534
HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
the army of his native land. It was the custom to serve for three years, but those who furnished their own equipment for service were allowed an honorable discharge at the expiration of one year, and he availed himself of this opportunity to secure a release from the two additional years.
The opportunities afforded by America to all lovers of liberty appealed to the imagination of Mr. Teumert and shortly after receiving his dis- charge from the army he sailed for the new world, going first to Rio Janeiro and thence to New York. The Civil war had just cast its dark shadow over the country. With characteristic enthusiasm he answered the second call to arms. By reason of former military service he was com- missioned first lieutenant and drillmaster. An assignment to the Carlisle barracks kept him on drill duty for nineteen months, during which time he wearied of the barracks and greatly longed for active service.
One day General Grant rode up to the camp and asked for men to serve at the front. The young drillmaster and some of his men were glad to respond and they were assigned to Com- pany B, Sixth Massachusetts Infantry, in which he remained until the close of the war, mean- while taking part in very many skirmishes as well at the second battle of Fort Sumter and the engagement at Chickamauga. The only in- jury he received was a sabre-cut that did not prove at all serious. When the need for soldiers in the east was ended he was sent to California in 1865 to keep in touch with the frontier and made the trip with his regiment via Acapulco. Two weeks after his arrival he was given an honorable discharge.
The mines attracted the attention of Mr. Teum- ert and he tried his luck in Nevada county, where for three years he met with some degree of success. At the expiration of that time he left the mines with $2,800 and removed to a leased ranch near Winters, Yolo county, where he engaged in raising grain. In 1869, while en route to San Luis Obispo county, he passed through the Salinas valley and found very few improvements in Monterey county, where the towns were mere hamlets and the country sparsely settled. For three years he acted as foreman on the ranch owned by Steele Brothers. Desiring to secure a home of his own he took up one
hundred and sixty acres on the west side of Merced county. The land was taken under a government patent, but proved too far from the markets, and he therefore sold out. For eight years he remained near Monticello, Napa county, where he located a homestead of one hundred and fifty-seven acres.
For twenty-five years Mr. Teumert made his home on a ranch in Monterey county owned by his father-in-law, William Oberhaus, and meanwhile he made a large circle of friends by his friendly spirit, energy and preseverance. At this writing he has largely retired from active cares and leases fourteen acres near Salinas, where he is living quietly and contentedly after a busy and active career. The political views which he holds bring him into affiliation with the Democratic party. In the counties of Napa, Merced and Monterey, he filled the office of school trustee and meanwhile accomplished much in the interests of the rural schools. His marriage united him with Miss Caroline Ober- haus, who was born in St. Louis, Mo., of Ger- man parentage. Three daughters comprise their family. The eldest, Emma, married Felix Four- cade and resides at Hollister, this state. Susan is the wife of J. D. Saltzen and resides at Dixon, Solano county. The youngest daughter, Victoria, married George A. Lang and died June 6, 1909, in New Monterey.
CHAPMAN FOSTER.
Ever since Mr. Foster took up his residence in Monterey county in 1884 he has had no rea- son to wish that Fate had cast his lot in any other section of the west. His earliest recollec- tions take him back to his old southern home in Virginia, where he was born in 1858, and where up to the age of ten years he was familiar with the sight of the waving cotton and corn. In 1868 the family home was transferred to Mis- souri, where better educational opportunities were afforded, although even these were meagre indeed as compared with the tuition offered in the same locality today. The father had located on a farm in this bordering southern state, and when not occupied with his studies or when school was not in session the son was expected to per-
535
HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
form such duties as fall to the lot of farmers' sons generally. When his school days were over he therefore gave his entire time to assisting in the care of the farm, and in the meantime became proficient in the blacksmith's trade.
Mr. Foster had reached the age of twenty-six years when, in 1884, he severed his connection with ties of many years standing and struck out for the west, coming direct to Monterey county, Cal. Near Salinas he took a position on a ranch that he filled acceptably for five years and then became proprietor of a ranch on his own ac- count, having purchased a part of the old John Abbott ranch in this vicinity. This received his undivided attention for thirteen years, when he purchased the property on which he now resides. In addition to this property, which comprises one hundred and fifty acres, he also rents and has under cultivation four hundred and fifty acres, the entire acreage being planted to beets and po- tatoes. The land is well adapted to the produc- tion of these commodities and as he finds a ready market for their disposition he is assured of suc- cess.
Before her marriage Mrs. Foster was Miss Laura Titus, a native of Monterey county and the daughter of Benjamin Titus, a rancher of ability in this county. Fraternally Mr. Foster affiliates with the Foresters, holding member- ship in Salinas Lodge.
JOHN G. TILLMAN.
The founder of the Tillman family in Cali- fornia was the late William B. Tillman, who was born in Louisville, Ky., in 1836, and passed the years of youth on a farm, meanwhile attending private schools. The discovery of gold in Cali- fornia first turned his attention to the far west. Thereafter he cherished an ambition to cross the plains to the coast country. It was not possible for him to carry out this plan until after he had attained his majority, but at that time he began to arrange for the future as a realization of his hopes of westward journeyings. With an emi- grant train he crossed the plains in 1858 and proceeded direct to Lexington, Santa Clara county, where the family name is now repre- sented by his younger son, William D., a success-
ful horticulturist. Various occupations marked the early years of his sojourn in the west, such as operating a threshing machine, hauling freight from San Jose to the mines and carrying on a hotel at Salinas.
Upon coming to Monterey county William B. Tillman began to farm upon an extensive scale, hauling grain from his ranch to Moss Landing and thence to Watsonville, and bringing back lumber to use in improving the farm. A portion of that land was afterward purchased for ceme- tery uses. While living in Santa Clara county he married Honora Connors, who died at the birth of their younger son, William D., leaving besides this child an older son, Jolin G., whose name introduces this article. In 1871 Mr. Till- man married again, choosing as his wife Ellen Compton. Two daughters were born of that union, namely: Mrs. Fannie Sloane, of Monte- rey, and Mrs. Etta Veach, of Bradley.
For three years Mr. Tillman conducted the Farmers' hotel, which he purchased from P. B. Hunter. Next he removed to Santa Barbara county and for a time farmed near Santa Maria. Meanwhile he had purchased considerable prop- erty in Salinas, some of which he improved and sold. On his return to Monterey county he set- tled on land near Soledad and carried on farm- ing on an extensive scale, meanwhile acquiring several tracts of land, the first of which was a pre-emption, and the second purchased at $5 an acre. After a time he sold his interests to his son, John G., and removed to the Jolon district in Monterey county, where he took up govern- ment land and a timber claim, acquiring in this way a tract of three hundred and twenty acres. Later John G. sold his holdings and took up land adjoining that of his father. Settling on the raw tract, he commenced to improve the land and made a specialty of raising hogs. Eventu- ally the father embarked in the mercantile busi- ness at Bradley and in 1898 removed from there to Prunedale, where he opened a general store. For five years he carried the mail from Salinas to Prunedale. Later he sold his interests to his son and was making his preparations to embark in business at Monterey, but before the con- summation of his plans he died, February 21, 1909. A man of ability and progressive spirit. he won and retained a large circle of friends
536
HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
and his demise was mourned as a loss to the . the magic touch of water and cultivation and citizenship of the county.
Upon trading his property near Jolon to the amount of one hundred and sixty acres for a lodging-house in San Francisco, John G. Tillman removed to the city, but soon traded again, ac- quiring land in Eldorado county, which he traded for a two-story brick building in San Francisco and in 1893 traded that for eight hundred and seventy-six acres near King City. The dry years began about that time and for five successive seasons the crops were a failure. The starting of the beet-sugar factory at Spreckels caused him to turn his attention to the raising of beets. Renting one hundred and forty acres from the company, he had for his first crop eighteen tons to the acre, and at this writing has seventy acres in beets. Meanwhile he bought one hundred and thirty-two acres at Prunedale, where fifteen acres had been set out in apples. He planted more apple trees, so that he now has an orchard of thirty acres. In addition he leases two hun- dred acres and raises oats and hay.
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.