USA > California > Glenn County > History of Colusa and Glenn counties, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the counties who have been identified with their growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 44
USA > California > Colusa County > History of Colusa and Glenn counties, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the counties who have been identified with their growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 44
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In 1893 Judge Weyand was united in marriage with Miss Nora Martin, born in Shasta County, and who came with Mrs. Watt Purdue to Colnsa County, where she was reared and edu- cated. Of this union ten children were born, five of whom are now living: Ralph J., a student at the State Agricultural College at Davis, Cal .; Garrett J., a student in the public school; and Daniel Ernest, Victor E., and Elnora Mina. Fraternally, Judge Weyand is a member of the Colusa Parlor, Native Sons of the Golden West, and of the Independent Order of Foresters, and has passed the chairs in both orders. He and his wife are members of the Catholic Church.
HUGH M. GARNETT
The only son born to his parents, Hugh M. Garnett has taken his place in the business world and has made his influence felt for the betterment of general conditions in Glenn County, where he was born on the Garnett ranch, April 6, 1881. He is the son of Peter and Ruth (McCune) Garnett, of whom more extended men- tion is made in the sketch of Peter Garnett on another page of this work. Hugh M. Garnett was educated in the public schools, in the Glenn County High School at Willows, and in the law department of the University of California. In the beginning of his business career he was associated with his father. Since the death of the latter, he has succeeded to the business inaugurated by him, and is now one of the largest and most prominent stockmen in the Sacra- mento Valley.
Mr. Garnett owns a ranch of eight hundred acres three miles southeast of Willows, and also the old Nye ranch of five thousand acres at Athena. He raises large numbers of sheep, cattle and hogs, having about ten thousand head of the former, and also buys stock, which he ships to the markets.
The marriage of Hugh M. Garnett occurred in Portland, Ore., on March 14, 1904, when he was united with Miss Emily G. An-
How Gamett.
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nand, a native daughter of California and a graduate of the Colusa High School. Her father, John Annand, was one of the early set- tlers of Colusa County. Mr. and Mrs. Garnett have a daughter, Virginia, to brighten the home circle. Mr. Garnett was made a Mason in Laurel Lodge, No. 245, F. & A. M., and is also an Odd Fellow.
The name of Garnett will always stand out prominently in the history of California. The first members of the family in this state were forerunners of its development and civilization, and aided materially in bringing about the prosperity we all enjoy. The younger generations are following in the footsteps of their sires, and are found in the vanguard where progress is the watch- word; and of these, Hugh M. Garnett is a recognized leader.
CHRIS MYHRE
Orland is the residence and promising field of operations of many who have gained commercial success and served their com- munity in an effective manner. Among such may be mentioned Chris Myhre, the popular president and manager of the Orland Cheese & Butter Co., and one of the "biggest boosters" Orland has ever had. Born in Denmark in 1862, he came to the United States when twelve years of age and settled in Turner County, Dakota Territory, where he was educated. After growing up, he removed to St. Louis and clerked in a grocery; but later he returned to South Dakota and bought a stock farm and dairy in Lyman County, which he conducted for fourteen years. During his residence in that state, he held several important county offices, including those of justice of the peace, county judge, county auditor, and county commissioner. In those days he had some thrilling experiences with cattle thieves. Every man carried a gun, and shooting in defense of life or property was very common.
In 1910, Mr. Myhre moved westward to Oregon, and engaged in the dairy business in the Willamette Valley. He made a par- ticular study of dairy conditions, and wishing to place before others what he had discovered, he lectured before gatherings of farmers, being one of a party to make a demonstration train trip through the state. Experiments were made for the enlighten- ment of the hearers; and the cooperation of the dairymen with the creameries in promoting their common interests was urged by the lecturer. 26
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As a result of these efforts to extend agricultural knowledge, Mr. Myhre came to Orland to give a talk on dairy farming; and while here he decided that the district afforded an excellent field for a modern creamery, and was offered the management of the new organization there, the Orland Cheese & Butter Co. He ac- cepted the offer, and at once set to work to install the new ma- chinery, which was already on the ground. The establishment opened its doors to business on April 20, 1915. It occupies a mod- ern reinforced concrete building, with all the latest appliances for the manufacture of butter ; and experts from different parts of the state, who have visited the plant, have been very complimentary in its praise. It has a capacity of over three thousand pounds of butter daily, and serves over three hundred patrons. It produces more butter in proportion to the size of the plant than any other creamery in the state. In 1916 it produced over 534,000 pounds of butter. For the month of April, 1917, there was sold 85,190 pounds of butter, the farmers receiving $28,197.71 for butter fat.
Armour & Co. handle the greater part of the output in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, and San Diego; and shipments are made weekly for that company to Honolulu. The name of "Clover Bloom" is given the butter in the bay cities; while "Purity But- ter" is the name the creamery has given to its output in the dis- triet where it is manufactured. Sixty-five designs for the label of this brand were submitted by students of the Orland high school; and the one chosen as the most appropriate bears the words "Pur- ity Butter," a picture of the United States Irrigation District, and a picture of a herd of dairy cows, together with the legend: "Uncle Sam made one. We make the other." In 1917, the officers of the company were: President and manager, Chris Myhre; di- rectors, Jonas Lundeen, W. J. Petersen, S. W. Baugher, and Peter E. Moline. Under the able management of these gentlemen the plant has obtained a premium on every pound of butter it has shipped to the bay cities, over and above the highest market quo- tation on high-grade butter for the day.
In addition to his interests in the creamery, Mr. Myhre owns a twenty-acre ranch two miles east of Orland, where he has ten registered Jersey cows, each producing up to a high average. No one in this part of the state has a greater reputation for expert knowledge in his field than Mr. Myhre. He is a director of the Glenn County Farm Bureau, representing the Orland district; vice-president of the Glenn County Live Stock & Agricultural As- sociation; and an active member, and a director, of the Orland Chamber of Commerce. He was a member of the Grange in South Dakota and in Oregon; and when the Orland Jersey Cattle Club was organized in 1917, to promote the interests of registered Jer-
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sey stock and the improvement of the grade of dairy stock in this vicinity, Mr. Myhre was active in its formation and was elected a director. He is a Scottish Rite Mason and a Shriner, holding membership in South Dakota; and he also belongs to the Knights of Pythias, having been a member for more than twenty-seven years.
In 1887, in St. Louis, Mo., Mr. Myhre was married to Katie Wendel, a native of Illinois; and of this union six children were born. Della is the wife of Charles R. Nelson, and lives at June- tion City, Ore .; Dewey assists his father on the home ranch; Mae is a student in the Orland high school, and an assistant in the office of the Orland Cheese & Butter Co .; Ethel is also a high school student ; and Arthur and Roscoe are at home.
JULIUS WEYAND
A native of Braubach, Nassau, Germany, the late Julius Wey- and, of Colusa, was born on May 27, 1826, into the family of John Paul and Ernestine Weyand. He attended the home schools, and afterwards entered a commercial house and school, in 1840. From 1844 to 1848 he held a position as bookkeeper in Limburg. In May, 1848, the German revolution broke out; and for the time be- ing the different sovereigns made all concessions the people wanted. The Turnvereins, which existed in all the cities and towns of note, took upon themselves to be guardians of the peo- ple's rights. Mr. Weyand was a presiding officer in one of these, and as such had charge of the lecture room and was connected with the military drilling. Rifle clubs became very efficient, and very annoying to the sovereign class. On September 6, 1848, the parliament was dispersed by intrigue, and the friends of liberty were marked for persecution. Some were arrested, and others fled the country, knowing the people's cause was lost.
On September 15, nine days after the breaking up of the par- liament, Mr. Weyand started for Antwerp, the nearest seaport, and on the 22nd took passage on the Seth Sprague for America. He arrived safely at New Orleans, on November 23, 1848. After his arrival in this country he sold goods at Alton and Warsaw, Ill., until 1851, when he was called to Germany by his mother. On April 27, 1852, he again arrived in Illinois; and in September of that year he came to California, via the Nicaragua route, reaching San Francisco on November 3. He went at once to Cacheville, Yolo County, and with his brother, Theodore Weyand, engaged in farming until 1856. The next year he had crops in Colusa County,
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which proved a complete failure. He then went to mining near Downieville. In this venture he barely made his expenses, and so returned to his farm, which he had purchased, in Colusa County. After another crop failure, in 1858, he went to British Columbia, to enter the mines there; but here his mining venture met with no better success, and he came back to California. From Berlin sta- tion he moved to Pleasant Valley, where he engaged in raising grain and stock with considerable success. He kept adding to his first purchase of land until he became owner of two thousand sev- enty acres in one body, which he sold in 1886. Another tract of three hundred twenty acres he had sold in 1882.
In 1867 Julius Weyand married Mrs. Mina (Kraus) d'Arte- nay, a native of Germany, who had lived in the United States since her childhood. Of the union with her first husband, A. d'Artenay, five children were born : Eugene d'Artenay, a druggist in San Francisco; Lizzie, the widow of J. K. Lukes, of Santa Cruz; Thomas d'Artenay, a farmer near Dixon; Adolph d'Arte- nay, a blacksmith of Dixon; and John d'Artenay, a rancher in Fresno County. Of the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Weyand there were also five children: Marie Weyand, of Dixon; Hon. Ernest Weyand, of Colusa; Julius and William Weyand, mill-owners at Dixon; and Mina Weyand, a Sister of Mercy in a convent in Kan- sas City, Mo. In order that his children might have the advan- tages of better schools than their location out in the hills offered, Mr. Weyand disposed of his ranch and moved to Colusa. His death occurred on May 17, 1893. Mr. Weyand was a man highly esteemed in his community, where he was recognized as a loyal and progressive citizen. He was always interested in good govern- ment, and was a strong advocate of the protective tariff. After his death the widow, with some of her children, moved to Dixon, Cal., where she died in January, 1905.
JAMES C. HARBISON
An associate of Allen Kitchin, and senior member of the firm of Harbison & Kitehin, ranchers and stockmen of Colusa County, James C. Harbison has gradually worked his way to a position of prominence in the agricultural life of the Sacramento Valley. He was born in Illinois, October 29, 1855, and came with his parents to California, crossing the plains with ox teams in 1868. While still a very young man, Mr. Harbison became inter- ested in raising grain and stock, and is now one of the veteran farmers of Colusa County. He laid the foundation of the exten-
A. N. Schon
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sive interests held by himself and his partner; and by 1889, when the present partnership was formed, he had become firmly estab- lished.
Mr. Harbison's entire time has been given to the building up of his fortunes, although not to the exclusion of the duties that always enlist the active interest of the public-spirited citizen. He supports Republican men and measures, and aids in the maintenance of good schools, good roads, and good government ; but it is as a grain-raiser and stockman that he is best known throughout Colusa County and the Sacramento Valley.
Mr. Harbison has a son, Carl E. Harbison, who is married and takes an active interest in the operation of the ranch, residing in a comfortable home thereon. Mr. Harbison is a self-made man, and has won his way by hard work to his present enviable position among the ranchers of the county.
ANDREW WALLACE SEHORN
During his long connection with Willows and its vicinity, An- drew Wallace Sehorn has been associated with many enterprises for the benefit of the town and the advancement of the general welfare of the county. He has the distinction of being one of the very oldest residents of Willows, and is still living in the house he moved into when he became a citizen of the little village, some forty odd years ago. He was born in Wytheville, Va., December 29, 1843, a son of Marion and Rebecca Jane (Wallace) Sehorn, born in Dandridge, Tenn., and Lexington, Va., respectively. Grand- father Sehorn, who was of German ancestry, was a major in the War of the Revolution and rendered valiant service to his coun- try; while on the maternal side, grandfather Col. Samuel Wallace, of the Scotch clan, also served as an officer of prominence in the Revolution.
The early boyhood days of young Sehorn were spent very much the same as were those of the other youth of his section of the country. He attended the subscription schools and worked at home, doing such work as fell to his lot in assisting his father. When the call came from his state to join the Confederate army, he enlisted and served under the colors with the best that was in him, under that famous commander Gen. Stonewall Jackson. For three years he faced hardship and death. Thirteen times the boy-for he was but eighteen when he enlisted-answered the bugle call to "charge"; and never once did he shirk his duty, whether it was in the smoke of battle, or alone under the stars doing sentry duty. After the war was over, Mr. Sehorn returned
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to his home. Things were not the same as before the war, how- ever; so in 1868 he joined the westward tide of emigration to California, and arrived in San Francisco by way of Panama. He had some friends in Colusa; and thither he made his way, and soon after found a position as clerk in the office of the county assessor, Sam. Small. He became well known in that county, and later opened a general merchandise store there, which he ran until he took over the management of the J. S. Wall Company's mercantile business in Princeton.
It was in 1878 that this progressive merchant decided he would locate in Willows, which seemed destined to have a future in store for those who would build wisely and well. He opened business on Tehama Street, which he carried on very successfully, finally selling out and investing in a ranch of ten hundred forty acres twenty-five miles west of the town. One section of this was timber land, and the balance was suitable for farming. In the foothills of this ranch Mr. Sehorn set out an apple orchard, the first one in the county. He has always been interested in horti- culture, taking great delight in seeing the growth of trees, vines, etc., especially fruit trees of the various kinds. In those days wild game abounded in the foothills and mountains of the county, and antelope, deer and elk were common sights. The streams were stocked with fish; and one pleasure Mr. Sehorn indulged in was to take a month off and spend his time in the open, where he was sure to get his share of game, even of bears. He sold this ranch and invested in twenty acres, which he improved, and on which he tried intensive farming. Here he set out lemons, oranges and peaches, being the first man to set out lemon trees in Willows. He experimented with alfalfa, raising two crops a year without irrigation.
When the question of county division was being agitated, Mr. Sehorn favored the project and was active in accomplishing the desired result. As an appreciation of his services he was elected the first county anditor; and he is today one of the best-posted men on the financial affairs of the county. For the past eleven years he has been an assistant in the auditor's office, meanwhile managing a real estate business of his own. There is no man who is more highly esteemed and respected in the entire county than "Wall" Sehorn, as he is familiarly called by his friends. He is the true type of the Southern gentleman, gallant and chival- rons; and like many thousands of other broad-minded people, he is proud that the North and the South are again united under one flag as one people.
In Colusa County A. W. Sehorn was united in marriage with Miss Kate Hopkins, who was born in Wisconsin and crossed the
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plains with her parents in 1855. Her father, Dr. Edward Hop- kins, was the pioneer physician in Colusa County. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Sehorn. Edward M., editor of the Willows Journal, has three children: Catherine, wife of Talbot Anderson of Sacramento, who has a son, Thomas E .; Joseph Wallace, and Edward M. J., of Willows. The second son, William M., is foreman of Klemmers Hardware Store. Raymond B. died in his youth. The only daughter, Margaret, is Mrs. Morris of Tulsa, Okla. Mr. Sehorn is a member of the Methodist Church; while Mrs. Sehorn belongs to the Catholic Church, having been reared in that faith.
TACITUS R. ARBUCKLE
The late T. R. Arbuckle, founder of the town that bears his name, located in the central portion of Colusa County, was born in Laclede County, Mo., where he grew to manhood on a farm. Dur- ing the excitement incident to the discovery of gold in California, he was peacefully following his chosen calling in his native state. Thinking to better his condition, he left there in 1853, crossed the plains with ox teams, and arrived safely at his destination in Cali- fornia. The reports of the miners were not alluring enongh to in- duce him to try his fortunes hunting gold in the mines; so he got a job on a ranch in Napa Valley, learned how farming was done in the West, and was soon able to strike out for himself. He took up a government claim at the Big Plains, on Russian River, Sonoma County, with William Bedwell, but sold out after two years and went to Mendocino County and began raising stock. Two years later he bought a ranch on Ranchirita Creek, at the head of An- derson Valley, in that county, and continued in the stock business. He next engaged in the butcher business for four years in Healds- burg, and then spent one year in Carson City, Nev., where he was employed at the Nevada Jumper mine. After this he returned to Mendocino County for another year.
His experiences in the several sections of country induced Mr. Arbuckle to settle in Colusa County, where he bought one hundred sixty acres of land. He laid out the town of Arbuckle, long before the railroad had reached this point. When the railroad was pros- pected through this section, he gave the right of way, and also land for a depot and sidings. He was the first postmaster of the new town, and served as constable several terms. He built a liv- ery stable, and conducted a livery business for years. He died in 1900, after a long and useful life.
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In 1855, in Napa County, Mr. Arbuckle was united in mar- riage with Miss Amanda M. Tinker, a native of Missouri, who crossed the plains in 1854. Their marriage was one of mutual helpfulness. Since the death of her husband, she is making her home in Arbuckle. Of the thirteen children born to this worthy couple, nine are living: Mrs. Lillie Eastburn, Mrs. Ruby Bedford, Mrs. Edith Freil, Cyrus, Cornelius, Glenn, Theodore, Tacitus, and Clarence. The others were Etna, Lulu, Adelia, and Octavius. Mr. Arbuckle was always interested in the welfare of his town, and was counted one of its progressive citizens. He had many stanch friends, who sincerely mourned his passing.
JOHN WALKER
A man who had the ambition to succeed, and knew how to ac- complish the fulfilment of his ambition, John Walker was equally fortunate in the selection of a life companion, so that what he had acquired was wisely administered after his death. He was born on his father's country place, Peat Gates, near Penirth, Westmore- land, England, February 19, 1842, the son of John and Sarah Walker, who owned the country estate, Peat Gates, in the North of England, where they were highly esteemed residents.
The fourth child in a family of eight, John Walker spent his childhood at home, learning the rudiments of farming while pur- suing his education in the public schools. In 1868 he came to the United States and settled in Anderson County, Kans., during the pioneer days of that state. There he developed a quarter section of fine land; but the grasshoppers devastated everything, and he resolved to leave that part of the country. So in March, 1875, he came to California, his wife following him in December of that year. Before leaving England Mr. Walker had formed an attach- ment for Miss Agness Jackson, an estimable young North of England lady, and had won her promise to become his wife, which was sealed by their marriage in Garnett, Kans., October 29, 1870. She was the daughter of John and Sarah (Warden) Jackson, both natives of Penirth, England. The father was a farmer and miner, and was accidentally killed in a copper mine. The mother is still living at the old home in England. Of her three children Agness is the oldest and the only one in the United States. Her education was obtained in the public schools and in her mother's home, where she learned the culinary art and became an excellent house- keeper. Two years after her stalwart fiancé, John Walker, had gone to America to seek his fortune, she joined him in Kansas,
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John Walker
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Ayner Walker
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where they were married. At that time farming was not profit- able in that state; and so they came to the Pacific Coast, as has already been explained, where a new start was made.
Mr. Walker was an energetic worker, and despite the difficul- ties he encountered he soon got started in the land of his adoption. At first he worked for wages at Clipper Gap in the mountains, and then went to the Berryessa Valley, Napa County, where he secured employment on the Clark ranch. Still later he leased and farmed some three thousand acres west of Williams, in Colusa County. He met with success and made money as a result of his labor and enterprise, and before long found himself in possession of means with which to invest in land, which his experience had demon- strated was a valuable asset.
In 1891, with his wife, Mr. Walker made a trip back to Eng- land, where three months were spent visiting their old home and kindred. Returning to California, both were delighted to get back to the land of opportunity, where they could do things and accom- plish results on a large scale. In the spring of 1892, Mr. Walker bought a section of grain land near the foothills west of Willows, Glenn County. It was a raw, undeveloped tract, which he set about to get under cultivation and make of it a home place by planting trees, building barns and outbuildings, and putting up good fences, and most of all by erecting a fine residence, making the ranch one of the best in the valley. From time to time he added to his possessions until the ranch now includes about twelve hundred acres.
With a record of a life usefully lived and well spent, John Walker passed away on his home ranch on April 4, 1909, univer- sally mourned by the community. He was a Master Mason, and was buried with Masonic honors. Decidedly a self-made man, and a fine example of what one with ambition and industry can accom- plish, Mr. Walker always attributed nmch of his success to his able wife, who early and late assisted him by her able management of the household and by her wise counsel and encouragement. After his death, she carried on the ranch for a year, and then leased it to others, who raise bountiful crops on the fertile soil.
Mr. and Mrs. Walker did not live for self alone. After ac- quiring a competence, they were not backward in doing deeds of charity by aiding others who had been less fortunate. Particularly were they solicitous for the welfare of the two children of Mr. Walker's brother, Amy and Edmund, whom they reared and edu- cated in the grammar and high schools of Glenn County. Amy is now Mrs. Pilgrim, of Dunsmuir; Edmund is an employe of the Southern Pacific Company at that place. In April, 1911, Mrs. Walker made her second trip back to England, visiting her old home
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