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 59
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 59
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Before locating on his present property Mr. Gambetta made a visit to his old home in Switzer -. land, in 1891, and while there, on December Ist of that year, he was united in marriage with Miss Virginia Sgheiza. Immediately after their marriage the young people set out for their new home in the United States and have since been happily located on the ranch which they now occupy. The children born of their marriage are named as follows: Gede, Lena, Ida. Annie, and Aurelia, the latter deceased. Politically Mr. Gambetta is a believer in Republican principles .. and as a citizen of Monterey county is doing his. part to forward any effort that has for its ob- ject the welfare of the county or its people.
B. SARGENTI.
When the drought of 1877 was ravaging Cali- fornia and destroying the hopes of the horti- culturists and farmers. B. Sargenti first arrived in this state, having come hither from the canton of Ticino, Switzerland, where he was born January II, 1849, and where his education had' been received. Throughout the valley of the-
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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
San Joaquin he found the effects of the drought apparent to a discouraging degree, but he was fortunate in finding work notwithstanding the condition of the country. The year 1879 found him in Monterey county, where his long ex- perience in the dairies of Switzerland was put into practical use for the benefit of others. Re- turning to his native land in 1885 he remained there for two years and meanwhile bought prop- erty in his home canton.
On his second emigration to the United States Mr. Sargenti went to Montana and started a dairy near Butte City, delivering milk to cus- tomers there and also for a time working in the mines. At the expiration of three years, in 1890, he again visited his old Swiss home, where he spent two years in dairy work. The year 1892 found him again in Monterey county, where, after having worked for others, in 1896 he leased land and with a partner started in the dairy business. Eighty-three cows were kept on the ranch and one hundred and fifty acres were in grain and hay, besides which there were twelve hundred acres of pasture on the Patton ranch. After two years on the same place in 1898 he came to the property he now occupies, consisting of nine hundred and thirty-two acres, of which one hundred acres are in grain. Steady employment is furnished to three men. One hundred and ten milch cows are kept on the ranch. The products of the dairy are utilized in cheese, one hundred pounds per day being manufactured in the summer, and sixty pounds per day during the winter months. ' Few men are more thoroughly experienced than Mr. Sar- genti in the manufacture of cheese. The output of his dairy has an established reputation throughout this section of the state and always commands high prices in the city markets.
While yet living in his native land Mr. Sar- genti was married in 1875 and has six children, namely: Mary, who is married and remains in Switzerland ; Angelina, who is the wife of Val- entine Sgheiza; Quentini, who is unmarried; Anselmo, Bart and Ida, who reside in California. Five times Mr. Sargenti has journeyed from the new world to the old and on some of the visits he has remained for considerable periods, but ultimately he has been led to return to the United 'States and it is his expectation to spend his
remaining years in California. Here he has met with the prosperity his energy and industry merit and here he has won a large group of well- wishers among people of all classes who recog- nize his manly traits of character and high prin- ciples of honor. Since taking out his naturaliza- tion papers he has affiliated with the Republican party, but has never been active in politics, pre- ferring to devote his attention wholly to the details of his dairy business.
ERNEST EDGAR MURRAY.
The changes incident to the developing of a new country at a time when railroads had not been built nor postal facilities expanded caused the original eastern representatives of the Mur- ray family to become widely scattered without the possibility of one branch keeping cognizance of the whereabouts of kindred. Thus it happens that Ernest Edgar Murray knows little concern- ing the genealogy of the race. The general state- ment that the Murrays were a numerous clan and were characterized by longevity covers his knowledge concerning the ancestry. It may be taken for granted that the generations of the nineteenth century were pioneers by instinct and inheritance and contributed their quota toward the material development of our country.
During the year 1861, at Mount Vernon, Iowa, was solemnized the marriage of W. J. Murray and Sarah Hahn. The young couple began housekeeping in that town and there also oc- curred the birth of their eldest son, Ernest Ed- gar, who was born October 21, 1863. The fol- lowing year the little family joined an emigrant train bound for the Pacific coast and in com- pany with a large expedition crossed the plains at a time when the Indians were particularly troublesome. For a time the family sojourned in Sacramento, where the father followed the trade of a blacksmith. Later they became res- idents of Monterey county and eventually won many friends among the people of the locality, who were drawn to them by their fine traits of character. Besides their eldest son they had two other sons and four daughters, namely : William D., May S., Luella M., Daisy I., Permelia and Carl T., all of whom lived to maturity and were
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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
happily married. Death has once entered the circle of brothers and sisters, removing May S., who passed away in 1907 and left four children now living at Santa Maria.
It was not for a long period after attaining manhood that Mr. Murray established domestic ties. November 29, 1908, he was united in mar- riage with Miss Margaret McGillicuddy, of San Francisco, and they have since resided on his ranch at Jolon, Monterey county, where he owns three hundred and ten acres. The larger part of the tract comprises fine farming land and is under cultivation to the crops suited to the soil. For a time in early life Mr. Murray followed his father's occupation of blacksmithing, but he prefers agricultural pursuits and now does no blacksmithing except such as promotes his own work. Possessing considerable mechanical ability and being handy with tools, he does all of the repair work necessary to be done on the farm. Concerning all things pertaining to agriculture he is a man of sound judgment and his success is the natural result of his intelligent supervision of affairs, painstaking industry and broad ex- perience.
JUDSON C. HODGES.
The manager of rancho Del Monte is one of the most progressive and enterprising agricul- turists in Monterey county, where he has made his home since 1904 and where he has estab- lished important interests in connection with his responsible position. California has been his home since 1889, he having come to the state in that year from Williston, Vt., where he was born in December of 1865 and where he was reared on a farm, receiving a country-school education. The locality familiar to his boyhood days offered meagre opportunities to ambition and energy. The west was taking from the worn out lands of New England its young men of brain and brawn, and he was eager to seize the opportunities thus presented.
San Mateo county was the first field of effort for Judson C. Hodges and there he rented land for a year, after which he took charge of the dairy on the San Mateo rancho. Three hundred cows necessitated considerable assistance and con- stant labor on his part, but there was consid-
erable profit in the sale of butter and cheese, delivered in San Francisco by carrier. For nine years he continued in this way, but at the ex- piration of this time he originated a route of his own in San Mateo county and limited his dairy to fifty cows. Meanwhile he gained a reputation for skill in butter-making and ex- pertness in the care of cattle.
Under a contract with the P. I. Co., Mr. Hodges became superintendent of the compa- ny's ranches, aggregating twenty-four thousand acres. Thirty-five men work under his direc- tion. Many improvements have been made since he took charge of rancho Del Monte, which is now one of the most interesting spots in Car- mel valley. A specialty is made of poultry-rais- ing and five thousand chickens are installed in buildings provided with a suitable equipment. Two hundred cows are kept on the ranch, form- ing a part of a herd of fourteen hundred head of cattle. The dairy with cement floors and modern improvements is said to be the best equipped in the state and its sanitation is secured through daily washing with a hose. A modern horse-barn has been erected with accommodations for thirty-two horses, but altogether there are one hundred head of horses on the ranch. One thousand acres are under the plow and much of the balance is utilized for the pasturage of the stock. A new seeding of alfalfa provides an abundance of hay. To secure necessary irriga- tion six-inch drain pipes have been laid recently in the low lands. Every modern equipment is provided that will facilitate the work in all of its departments. Separators are used with other modern machinery. The main product of the dairy is cheese, which is shipped to every part of the state.
Besides these varied enterprises, the manager of the ranch has found leisure to develop a fruit industry and to take charge of seventy-five swarms of bees. By taking the utmost care of his vineyard of twelve acres he is able to secure three thousand gallons of wine each year. The orchard of forty acres produces apples, peaches, apricots and pears in enormous quantities and of the finest quality. Much of the fruit and wine and honey are used at the Del Monte, but in ad- dition shipments are made to the city markets, and the products command the high price which
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their quality justifies. Mr. Hodges has given his attention so closely to the management of the ranch that he has had little leisure to partici- pate in local affairs, yet he is interested in fraternal matters and holds membership with San Mateo Lodge, F. & A. M., at San Mateo, and Watsonville Commandery No. 22, K. T., besides being identified with the Benevolent Pro- tective Order of Elks at Salinas.
JOHN A. MYERS.
The substantial, capable and progressive citi- zens of Monterey county have no better rep- resentative than John A. Myers, who occupies a noteworthy position among the enterprising, practical and business-like ranchers who are so ably conducting the agricultural interests in this part of the state. He is a native son of the state, his birth having occurred on his father's ranch near Priest Valley, Monterey county, January 7, 1865. The father, Andrew J. Myers, was de- scended from a long line of eastern ancestors, and was himself a native of New York state. During the early history-making period of Cali- fornia he came to the west and settled in Mon- terey county, near Priest Valley, building up one of the most extensive and most productive ranches in Monterey county. He still owns the large holdings which he accumulated in this vicinity, and while the land is known to contain rich deposits of coal, it has not been worked, but is given over to agriculture entirely. For a number of years past, however, he has made his home in New Monterey, where in the companion- ship of his wife he is passing the twilight of life, free from anxieties and cares. He has reached the venerable age of eighty years, while his wife is now in her seventy-third year.
John A. Myers was reared on the homestead ranch near Priest Valley, attending the public schools in the neighborhood, and when he reached manhood years selected as a life calling the one with which he was most familiar through asso- ciations. For some time he was associated with his father in the maintenance of the home ranch, but finally, on branching out for himself, he en- gaged in the stock business in Priest Valley. This he has followed continuously for the past
twenty years, and today has one of the best- established and most profitable stock ranches in the county. Besides his land in Monterey county he also owns four hundred acres of land in Fres- no county, which is devoted to grazing. In addition to carrying on his ranch, since 1907 he has been employed as lineman on the Coalinga oil pipe line; which is being laid in Fresno coun- ty. By making frequent trips to the ranch he is able to supervise its management and at the same time fulfill his duties creditably in the neighbor- ing county.
In political affairs Mr. Myers is a Republican, although he is not partisan in his ideas nor does he take any active part in political affairs. He has never ceased to be a student, a habit which he formed in boyhood, and by the reading of good literature and keeping in touch with matters of world-wide interest, he has a fund of information at hand which makes him an agreeable and helpful companion. Monterey county has ever had a warm place in Mr. Myers' heart, and he has let no opportunity pass to contribute to her welfare. As a believer in good schools for the young he has demonstrated this interest by faithful service as a trustee of the Warshare school district.
LAWRENCE HOLST.
Lawrence Hoist was born in Denmark in 1845, and his education was secured wholly in the schools of that kingdom. When he had com- pleted his common school studies he began his apprenticeship as a sailor and thus gained a knowledge of the occupation at an early age, while at the same time he saw much of the world. In the course of his voyages he touched port at California in 1864 and what he saw of the country pleased him. Later voyages to the various ports of the east and west did not destroy the pleasant impressions made upon the mind by the Californian climate and scenery, and nine- teen years after his first glimpse of the country, in 1883, he came hither again, this time as a permanent settler, having resolved to give up a seafaring existence.
For one year after his arrival Mr. Holst was employed in Salinas and for another year he
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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
conducted a boarding house, after which he middle west, his birth having occurred in Chi- rented eight hundred acres of the Gonzales ranch cago, Ill., March 15, 1854. On both sides of the family he is a descendant of English ances- try, although his immediate progenitors, Joseph and Charlotte (Young) Dayton, were natives of Oswego county, N. Y., and Quebec, respectively. Eight children blessed the marriage of this worthy couple. near the village of that name. Three years were spent on that estate, after which he rented and removed to a tract of eight hundred acres on the Doud ranch near Soledad. The six years spent on that tract were fairly satisfactory as to results. Next he leased the Iverson and Jen- sen ranch near Soledad, where he conducted gen- eral agricultural operations until 1908, mean- while meeting with some disappointments and some successes. Since leaving that place he has leased and lived upon five hundred and fifty acres of the Zabala ranch, where he is engaged in raising wheat and barley, also horses and cattle. As a farmer he is energetic and indus- trious and well merits success.
The marriage of Mr. Holst united him with Miss Anna Moretrust, who was born and reared in Denmark, but has resided in California since girlhood. Three children blessed their union. The older daughter, Cathrina, is now Mrs. McPhee and resides in Soledad. The only son. Chris, is employed on the Spreckels ranch. The younger daughter, Mary, is the wife of Antone Aaroe and makes her home in Soledad. The duties incident to the care of the land have left Mr. Holst little leisure for participation in public affairs, yet he has endeavored to do his duty toward his adopted country and has proved pub- lic spirited in every respect. Particularly keen has been his interest in school matters and for six years he rendered efficient service as a trustee of the Gloria district.
JOSEPH HENRY DAYTON.
For many years intimately associated with the development of the manufacturing interests of Monterey county, Mr. Dayton has been a factor in the material and commercial upbuilding of this portion of the state and has maintained a constant interest in movements for the general welfare. This is particularly true of King City, which has been his home for a number of years, and here also is located his implement factory, where are manufactured all kinds of farming machinery. As are many of California's ener- getic residents, Mr. Dayton is a native of the
Next to the eldest in the parental family, it naturally fell to the lot of Joseph H. Dayton to share with his father the duties of the farm, this being true not only in the middle west, but also for a number of years after their removal to California. Joseph H. Dayton came alone to the west in May, 1887, going first to Jolon. Mon- terey county, and from there to the Los Burros mines. He entered upon the latter enterprise with high hopes for gaining sudden wealth, but was doomed to experience disappointment. Ac- cepting the situation philosophically he returned to Jolon and turned his hand to a business with which he was more familiar, taking up ranching near that town. In the meantime his parents and brothers had come to the west and joined him, and for about eight years thereafter father and sons were interested in ranching enterprises in this vicinity on rented land. Their experience was not without its ups and downs, however, and believing that a better success awaited them elsewhere, in 1898 they removed to King City and located on the Coburn ranch of several thou- sand acres. The year proved dry and conse- quently disastrous to ranchers. Not wishing to have this experience repeated, Mr. Dayton and his sons sold their lease of the ranch and after paying their obligations returned to Jolon and resumed ranching in the locality where they had originally started in the west. Three years later they went back to King City and continued their ranching interests for the same length of time, giving it up then to enter upon a new under- taking. Purchasing a blacksmith shop in the town they entered enthusiastically into their new undertaking and soon were doing the greater part of the blacksmithing in the town. From this undertaking they finally branched out into the manufacture of implements, and the business thus inaugurated is the same one that is now owned and carried on by J. H. Dayton.
In August, 1904. Mr. Dayton was united in
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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
marriage with Miss S. O. Butler, of Santa Rosa, and three children have been born to them, Eg- bert, Carron and Thelma. Monterey county can claim no more enthusiastic citizen than Mr. Dayton, who though he has had his share of dis- couragements since he came to the west, is nevertheless confident as to the ultimate success- ful outcome that will make this the garden spot of the Union. It is his intention to make Mon- terey county his permanent home, or at least until King City is made the capital of the new county which he hopes to see taken from San Luis and Monterey counties. Mr. Dayton is also planning an innovation in his manufacturing plant which will enable him to manufacture his material from the sand in the river.
JOHN A. FRITZ, M. D.
Their patronymic indicates the Teutonic origin of the Fritz family. For a long period repre- sentatives of the name have been identified with American history. By intelligence and sterling traits of character they became prominent in their various localities. Worthy of the honored name he bears, Dr. John A. Fritz has added lustre thereto by his breadth of mind and intel- lectual gifts, and through extensive travel in every part of the world he has formed a large circle of acquaintances as well as a comprehen- sive knowledge of the customs of every people.
Born in St. Lawrence county, N. Y., in 1861, Dr. Fritz was the recipient of grammar-school advantages there. At fifteen years of age he came to California, where he completed his class- ical education and then took up medical studies. After a complete course of study he was gradu- ated in 1895 from the California Medical College and soon afterward opened an office in San Francisco, where he remained in active practice until June 14, 1908, the date of his removal to Salinas, his present home. Here he and Mrs. Fritz, with their four children, have established their dwelling-place and have won a circle of friends among those with whom they have been brought into contact.
A cosmopolitan knowledge of the world has been gained by Dr. Fritz through his travels in this country and abroad. While these journeys
have been largely for pleasure, they have been also for the purposes of study, and at the same time have given him opportunities to lecture be- fore large audiences in many towns. As a lec- turer his favorite themes are physiology, anat- omy, wireless telegraphy and telepathy. On each of these subjects he is a recognized author- ity. Years before Marconi brought the prin- ciples of wireless telegraphy into commercial use- fulness, Dr. Fritz wrote a book on that subject, explaining its vast possibilities when some genius should give to the world a practical ap- plication of its principles.
As in the past, Dr. Fritz predicted the future uses of wireless telegraphy, so in the present he is predicting the future possibilities of telep- athy. The science is yet in its infancy, but in his own experience he has often been brought into contact with its principles. As an illus- tration of telepathy, he states that one of his patients, who had an appointment with him for the following day, stated to her husband she must change the appointment and come at once. Meanwhile, at almost the same moment, Dr. Fritz remarked to his wife. "Mrs.
will be down today." "No," Mrs. Fritz replied, "tomorrow is her time to call." After the lady arrived, she stated that an inward impulse she could not control caused her to change the time. Numerous other instances have occurred simi- lar to this in his professional practice and a study of the experience of others forces him to believe that telepathy eventually will be recognized as one of the impelling mental influences of hu- manity.
HIRAM S. CAHILL.
Numbered among the native-born sons of California now engaged in ranching, we men- tion the name of Hiram S. Cahill, who was born in the city of San Jose during the year 1871. Provided with excellent advantages for the attainment of an education, he availed him- self of his privileges to the utmost and after com- pleting the common branches in the grammar schools he attended the Santa Cruz college and Chestnutwood Business college, from which lat- ter institution he was graduated February 20, 1891, with a high standing in his class.
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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
The initial efforts made by Mr. Cahill toward the earning of a livelihood led him to adopt the business of a stock-raiser, in which he engaged at Parkfield with increasing success. For a con- siderable period he remained on the same ranch, but in 1906 he sold out and removed to San Benito county. Since then he has acted as su- perintendent of a ranch of thirteen thousand two hundred acres owned by J. F. Dunne. One thou- sand acres of the vast estate is under cultivation to barley. The large pastures afford ample sus- tenance for the herd of almost twelve hundred head of cattle. Horses and cattle are raised and the sale of the increase brings a large annual revenue to the owner of the ranch.
In addition to managing the vast interests of the owner of the estate, Mr. Cahill has engaged in a modest way in the stock business for him- self. Beginning on a very small scale on a ranch in Kings county, he has had a steady increase in his drove until now he owns four hundred and fifty head of fine cattle. His railroad station is King City, to which place business duties fre- quently take him. Here he has a large circle of friends, as he has also in other parts of Monte- rey county and in San Benito county. Sharing with him in the good-will of acquaintances is his wife, formerly Miss Udonia Ogden, of Park- field, this state. In fraternal relations he is as- sociated with Salinas Lodge No. 614, B. P. O. E., and the work of this organization receives his sympathetic assistance and enthusiastic co- operation.
MRS. MARGARET E. LAWREY.
If friends could prevail upon Mrs. Lawrey to write an autobiography of her life, a volume would be given to the world that would contain much of interest and of permanent value con- cerning the early history of California. Her life of nearly four score years has witnessed many remarkable changes in our country. Railroads have penetrated the deserts and joined ocean to ocean. The telegraph and telephone have come to add their imperishable usefulness to the civilization of the world. New methods of agri- culture have made the sandy deserts to bloom and blossom as the rose. Where once the lonely traveler fell a victim to the arrows of the savages
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