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 47
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 47
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Thomas William Harlan was reared on his father's ranch, and attended the public schools in pursuit of an education. As he was growing to manhood, he learned the various branches of farming and the care of stock; and thus equipped, he began his career as a grain farmer on rented land west from Williams. After this he was employed for one year by the Hamilton Sugar Company, in the capacity of foreman of the teams used in farm- ing their lands. His next work was in the Sierra Valley, where he assisted in the construction work on the Western Pacific Rail- road. On settling in Willows he leased some two thousand acres of the Hoag tract and began raising wheat, barley, stock and rice. He has met with very satisfactory returns, so much so that he now owns the greater part of the land. He gives much atten- tion to raising stock, and has some fine specimens on his ranch northeast of Willows.
Mr. Harlan was united in marriage with Miss Anna M. Otten, a native of New York; and they have one son, Helm W. Harlan. Mr. Harlan is president of the Glenn County Cold Storage and Creamery Company, and a director of the Electric Railway Cor- poration. While busily engaged in looking after his own interests, Mr. Harlan finds time to devote to such duties as claim the atten- tion of public-spirited citizens who are interested in the welfare of their own community, and he is always ready to lend his ser- vices and give his advice to the inexperienced, to help them on their road to prosperity and happiness. The lessons learned in his childhood have always stood him in good stead. When a
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child he was obedient, and faithful to his parents; and in his maturer years he was a faithful and loving companion to his mother and sisters, assisting them in their every effort to do good. Indeed, his entire bearing toward the gentler sex has always been characterized by marked courtesy and politeness. A man of strong character and determination, he has always directed his business affairs along the lines of strict integrity and honor. As a result he has been truly blessed with the love of his family and the esteem of his friends and associates. He finds his greatest pleas- ure in doing his duty by his family, and in giving pleasure to others as he goes through the busy routine of daily business life. Mr. Harlan is a great lover of his work, his stock, and his ranch; and he is especially kind and considerate in his treatment of his employes. Like his father before him, he tries to do all the good he can to all the people he can, and feels that in this way he is doing his share towards uplifting humanity, spiritually and intel- lectually.
ALBERT AUSTIN THAYER
Energetic, progressive, and possessing the sound judgment and executive ability necessary to manage large business inter- ests, Albert Austin Thayer, of Grimes, is one of the foremost business men in Colusa County. A native of New York, he was born at Broadalbin, Fulton County, on January 20, 1848. He was educated in the public schools of New York City and Brooklyn, after which he took a course in Bryant and Stratton's Business College in the latter place, graduating in 1872. The Thayer family are of English ancestry. Grandfather Reuben Thayer, whose parents were born in England, was an early settler in Fulton County. The father, Charles Thayer, was born in that county, and followed the trade of blacksmith in different parts of New York State. He married Lucretia McFarland, of Scotch descent; and by her he had four children, all of whom have now joined the silent majority, with the exception of Albert Austin, of this review. His parents came to California in later years, and made their home with him until they died. His father passed away in 1904, aged eighty-four; while his mother died about 1900, aged eighty.
After his graduation from business college, Mr. Thayer came to California, in 1872. He stopped in Sacramento, where he was offered a position as bookkeeper in a store, owned by C. J. Diefendorf, at Eddy's Landing, on Grand Island. He remained in this establishment for eight years, the last five of which he
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was manager. In 1880 he made a visit back to his home in New York. Upon his return to this state, he embarked in the grain business for himself at Eddy's Landing, writing insurance as a side issue. In 1877 he had purchased the ferry; and in 1892 he had a new boat built, said to be the first boat run by a cable, and propelled back and forth by the current, in this part of the state. In association with others, Mr: Thayer built a fireproof ware- house of galvanized iron, fifty by three hundred feet, with a capacity of seventy thousand sacks of grain. He is secretary, treasurer, and manager of this company, known as the Farmers' Warehouse Company, of which Jesse Poundstone, of Grimes, is president. The company was organized in 1905, with a capital of $25,000. Mr. Thayer is also treasurer of the Farmers' Transpor- tation Company, organized about 1907, with a capital of $125,000, and with head offices at Grimes; the other officers are J. M. Miller, president and manager, and L. M. Miller, secretary and assistant manager. This company owns a warehouse at Grimes, and operates in the heart of the grain-producing section of the Sacramento Valley. Mr. Thayer was the originator of the com- pany; and they built two steam barges, the Valetta and the Sac- ramento, each of five hundred tons capacity, plying between Colusa and San Francisco, weekly. He started a lumber-yard in Grimes, in 1905, which does a flourishing business; was one of the organ- izers of the Home Telephone Company; and was a stockholder in the Grimes Rochdale store, while it was in existence. He also farms fifteen hundred acres to grain, in partnership with E. J. Miller.
Mr. Thayer has been a stanch Republican. For many years he served as a member of the Republican State Central Committee; and he is now a member of the County Central Committee. In local affairs, however, he looks to the qualifications of the appli- cant for office, rather than to his party affiliations. He is a mem- ber of the Union League Club of San Francisco. He served as deputy internal revenue collector for five years, from 1889, for the Fourth District of California. In 1895 he was appointed under sheriff by E. W. Jones, and served four years. In 1901 he was appointed by the governor to fill a vacancy on the board of supervisors from the Second District. He served the unexpired term, and in 1902 was elected to the office and served two years. For about twenty years he served as a school trustee of his district.
In 1877 Mr. Thayer was united in marriage with Miss Caro- line Schillig, a daughter of Paul Schillig and a native of Sutter County. Mr. and Mrs. Thayer have had seven children: Martha, wife of F. A. Beckley, deputy commissioner of weights and meas-
Lumina Paris Rouz Barcelony
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ures of Sacramento County; C. Paul, who married Callie White, and who is agent of the Farmers' Transportation Company, at Sacramento; Harry M., assistant cashier of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, at Sacramento; Hilda, who married P. D. Reese, bookkeeper for the Palm Iron Works, of Sacramento; Albert Austin, Jr., who married Amanda Grimm, and who is assisting his father at Grimes; Helena, the wife of Carroll Morris, of Sacramento, who is in the employ of the Don Lee Automobile Company; J. Schillig, a student in the Sacramento Business Col- lege, who is bugler of Troop B, First California Cavalry, and was with General Funston on the Mexican border. Mr. Thayer is a member of the local Red Cross at Grimes. He was made a Mason in 1874, in Colusa Lodge, F. & A. M .; and is a member of Colusa Chapter, No. 60, R. A. M .; Colusa Commandery, No. 24, K. T .; and Islam Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of San Francisco. He is also an Odd Fellow and a Forester; and with his wife he is a member of the Eastern Star. The residence of Mr. Thayer was built in 1878, on an acre of ground at Eddy's Landing. Here he lives in comfort, surrounded by the many friends he has made during his long years of residence in Grimes.
PIERRE BARCELOUX
It must be very gratifying to Pierre Barcelonx to look back over his fifty-eight years spent in California, forty-six years of which have been passed within the confines of what is now Glenn County ; yet the retrospect is also mingled with a sense of sadness when he remembers the years of early struggle, hardship and sac- rifice that he and his wife endured before they acquired a compe- tency and reached the point where they could retire from the busy marts of trade and agriculture to live a life of ease and quiet. It is interesting to hear him tell of his trip to California by way of Panama, and of his arrival in San Francisco with just ten dol- lars in his pocket, and of how, after arriving in Sacramento, he walked to Amador County, where he began his life in this state as a farm hand.
"Peter" Barceloux, as he is better known to his friends in Willows, was born near Montreal, Canada, October 24, 1837, a son of Pascal and Marguerite (Sencere) Barceloux, both natives of the province of Quebec. His parents were born and reared near St. Manoire, where they spent their lives as farmers, until their death. Of the two sons and three daughters, Peter was the young- est; and he was but three years old when his father died. His 28
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mother lived until 1857. He received his education in the public schools of his native province, but in the French language, after which he assisted his mother until she died. In 1859 he left his native land, bound for California, and reached here by way of Panama in May of that year. He could not speak English; so af- ter his work was done for the day, he pored intently over his books to learn the language, that he might be able to transact business satisfactorily. He worked on farms for seven years, and then went to Virginia City, Nev., where he followed mining for two years, being employed in the Comstock lode and the Imperial mines.
Mr. Barceloux then made a trip back to his Canadian home for a visit and remained about ten months, during which time, on February 2, 1869, he was married to Miss Lumina Lacroix, a na- tive of that section. They made their way to California by way of New York and Panama; and on arriving once again in California, Mr. Barceloux farmed on Cache Creek in Yolo County for two years, after which, in 1871, he came to what is now Glenn County, where he secured one hundred sixty acres of railroad land, located four and one half miles southwest of what is now the town of Wil- lows. At that time there was no town or railroad. He paid twelve dollars an acre for the land, put in grain and raised good crops, and in time bought more land, until he became the owner of twenty-two hundred acres in one body. The buildings on the old ranch were built by Mr. Barceloux. He farmed on a fairly large scale, using four eight-horse teams, a combined harvester, and other modern machinery as it came on the market. Later he bought twelve hundred eighty acres a mile west of Willows, and this was also farmed in an up-to-date manner. The many years Mr. Barceloux spent on his ranch were busy ones; but he reaped his reward, and in 1912 retired to private life in Willows, where he and his wife have every comfort that money can buy. Mr. Bar- celoux has contributed to the upbuilding of the county in many ways. Among the improvements to his credit is the Barceloux Building, located on the corner of Butte and Sycamore Streets, pronounced the finest concrete fireproof building in Willows.
Of the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Barcelonx six children were born. Two died in early childhood; and one, Ernest, died at the age of thirty-one, leaving three sons, now living in Willows. Henry J., a business man of Willows, is married and has one son; Cora married Fred Gelinas of Willows, and has two daughters; and George, president of the Bank of Orland, has four sons.
Mr. Barceloux is a director and stockholder in the Glenn County Savings Bank and the Bank of Orland, and also in the Fort Sutter Bank of Sacramento. A Republican in politics, he
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was solicited by his friends to be a candidate for supervisor of Glenn County ; but not wishing political preferment, he declined the honor. He served as a school trustee of Lincoln district for many years.
Mr. Barceloux is a very liberal and kind-hearted man; and he has often rendered benevolent and charitable aid to deserving people. His benefactions are always accomplished in a modest and unassuming manner; and they bear as their motive the spirit of the Golden Rule. Many a worthy young man has been helped by him to get a start in life. He has always been very optimistic for the future progress of this section of the state, and has been ready to help in building up the town and county where he has been so long a resident. His many years of labor have met with the success deserved by those who labor not only for their own in- terests, but for those of the community as well. In all his labors and successes his lot has been shared by his faithful wife, who has been a true helpmate to him. He belongs to the Catholic Church.
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OSCAR MINTON DURHAM
A man of sterling worth, in all that makes for true manhood, Oscar Minton Durham, Justice of the Peace of Grimes, Colusa County, since 1914, has won a place of honorable mention in the county that has been his home since boyhood. His father, the late James Holloway Durham, was born in Kentucky, where he met and married a daughter of that state, by whom he had five chil- dren. Four of these grew up; and two of the sons, with their fain- ilies, came to the Pacific Coast in the train commanded by their father, Captain Durham. Some time after the death of his first wife, James H. Durham married Burnetta Cattlett, also a Ken- tuckian; and with her he moved to Missouri, where he farmed for twenty years. This marriage resulted in the birth of six children: John F., Robert B., Susie Burnett, Oscar Minton, of this review, Sarah E., and Thomas M. In 1865, Captain Durham, as com- mander of an emigrant train, crossed the plains to Oregon, trav- eling over the old Emigrant Trail. The party had considerable trouble with Indians, and several skirmishes took place. On the arrival of the party in Oregon, Captain Durham stopped one year in Benton County, in the Willamette Valley. He found the coun- try too wet to suit him; and so the following year he came down to California and leased the Murdock place, near Willows. In 1867 he settled on the Freshwater, eight miles northwest from what is now the thriving town of Williams. He was the first man
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to run a threshing-machine in that section of the county. He was successful, and in time owned some fourteen hundred forty acres of land, upon which he did a prosperous ranching business, includ- ing the raising of stock. He sold off his property some time prior to his death, and was living retired, in the enjoyment of a well- earned rest, when the final call came.
Oscar Minton Durham was born in Dekalb County, Mo., on March 28, 1857, and when eight years old crossed the plains over the old Emigrant Trail to Oregon. He rode a pony nearly all the way, and with his older brother drove the loose stock that was be- ing brought to the Coast by his father. Among the stock were some twenty head of young mules. He well remembers the en- counters with Indians, who were then very troublesome. After one year spent in Oregon, he came with the family to the Murdock ranch near Willows, and in 1867 went with them to a ranch near Williams, where he grew to young manhood on the home farm, working for his father until he was twenty-one, and attending the public schools of the county. The Durham boys were good shots, fond of hunting; and having been reared in the heart of a game country, it was natural that they should be good hunters. Every year, after harvest was over, their father would let them go for a hunt in the mountains and foothills; and they never failed to bag their share of wild game. Deer, brown bears, and all kinds of smaller game were plentiful. Judge Durham to this day enjoys with zest his outings in the mountains. He always bags the limit, and is considered one of the best running shots in the state. For two years, in his early life, he was a professional game hunter, supplying a large lumber camp with wild game; and many times he has brought in seven deer a day. He has always been very careful, and never has shot a fawn or doe.
When he was of age, Mr. Durham left the ranch and learned the plumbing business, and also the trade of the tinsmith, in Max- well, where his two older brothers had opened a hardware store and plumbing shop, and he went to work for them in the plumbing department. He also learned to drill water wells, and for seven- teen years was steadily employed in Maxwell. He then went to Arbuckle and ran a business for himself, doing plumbing and building tanks, etc., until 1902, when he moved over to Grimes; and here he has since been in the same line of business. During the season he employs four men and operates two well rigs; and he has the reputation of having drilled more water wells in Co- lusa County than any other man. The esteem in which he is held by his friends in Grimes was shown when he was elected Justice of the Peace of Grimes in 1914. He has dealt out real justice upon all occasions, is fair and honest in all his decisions, and strictly
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impartial. In all the years that Judge Durham has been living in Colusa County he has been making lifelong friends. There is no man who has been more conscientious in the discharge of his du- ties, whether as clerk, plumber, or driller of wells, or in his ca- pacity as a public official, than Judge Durham. He has been a consistent Democrat, always standing for moral uplift ; and he has an untarnished record as a man and citizen.
In 1880 Mr. Durham was united in marriage with Miss Frank Lorena Phelps. She was born in Missouri, and was brought across the plains by her parents when she was a child of two years. Of this marriage four children have been born. Oscar R. married Una Kilgore, by whom he had one child, Una V. The mother died, and Judge Durham and his good wife legally adopted the baby. The son was married a second time, to Mary Briggman; and by her he had two children, Mildred Lucile and Melvin. For two years this son was living in Reno, Nev., where he was employed by Swift & Co. In 1917 his wife was taken suddenly ill, and died at the hospital there. Since then he and his children have been at home with Judge Durham. Myrtle Burnetta married Frank Co- nant, a grocer at Reno. Leslie died at the age of seven. Leland Perry, the youngest son, is an electrician of more than ordinary ability. He is a student of the University of Nevada, and is now making two hundred fifty dollars per month in the employ of a power company at Thompson, Nev. From boyhood he was inter- ested in electricity. He is working his way through the university, and has stood first in his classes there. Judge and Mrs. Durham set great store by their children. They have reared them to be useful men and women; and they rejoice in every upward step they take. Judge Durham is a hale, hearty man at sixty-a de- scendant of that sturdy Scotch ancestry that makes for the best in citizenship wherever its representatives may settle.
GEORGE B. HARDEN
When mention is made of the history-makers of Colusa County, agricultural, commercial and political, no name is cited more often than that of George B. Harden, of Maxwell. He has been closely identified with every project tending towards the de- velopment of his community in particular, and of the whole county in general. A native of Missouri, he was born in Pike County, November 1, 1847, into the family of William and Eliza (Mellen) Harden, Virginians by birth, who moved to Missouri at an early day, where they met and were married. William Harden was an
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architect; it was he who designed the buildings of Columbia Col- lege, at Columbia, Mo. In the fall of 1864 the family crossed the plains to California. They spent their first year in Yolo County, and then came to Colusa County and located on a farm on Grand Island, which they operated for a time. They then enlarged their operations, moving onto the plains west of Maxwell, where they continued successfully to grow grain and raise stock until the father and mother retired to College City. There they lived until their deaths, passing away within a few weeks of each other.
George B. Harden and his brother, Thomas P. Harden, formed a partnership and farmed on the plains together until 1878. That year they located in Maxwell; and as it was a good shipping point, they built a grain warehouse, the first in the town. They also engaged in the general merchandise business, under the firm name of Bacon, Harden & Harden, erecting a suitable build- ing on Main Street for that purpose. At the end of five years Thomas P. Harden sold out his interests in Maxwell. George B. Harden continued alone in the grain business. For many years he bought and sold grain, and engaged in the real estate and insur- ance business. He has bought and sold large tracts of land in the neighborhood of the town, has erected a number of dwellings and business blocks, and has interested many settlers, and induced them to locate there. He established the first newspaper, the Max- well Tribune, which first appeared on January 19, 1912; and he has continued its publication ever since, always in the interests of good government, good schools, good roads, and general progress. He has always been an active worker in the Democratic party, serving as delegate to county and state conventions, and as a mem- ber of the County and State Central Committees. He was elected to the office of county assessor on the Democratic ticket, and served two. terms in office. For sixteen years he served as a trus- tee of the Maxwell school, thirteen years of that time as clerk of the board; and for a number of years he was a member of the board of trustees of Pierce Christian College. He was a member of Colusa Lodge, F. & A. M., but transferred his membership to Maxwell Lodge, No. 280, which he helped to organize. In recount- ing the names of those whose records show whole-hearted, unself- ish, earnest, and efficient service towards the upbuilding of Max- well and its environs, none can be mentioned who have done more than Mr. Harden. He is known throughout the Sacramento Valley as one of its leading citizens.
On November 11, 1879, George B. Harden was married to Lucy J. Lovelace, a native of Missouri, an account of whose family appears in the sketch of C. W. Lovelace on another page of this work. Mrs. Harden is an active worker in all good causes, being
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prominent in church and club circles, and in the Red Cross work and other charitable movements. Their four children are: George L., a grain-buyer and real-estate dealer at Maxwell; Lulu, who married R. E. Blevins, of Colusa; Maude, the wife of H. K. Rubey, who is in the engineering department of the University of Wash- ington, at Seattle; and W. Bismarck, with the Maxwell grain ware- house. All are filling responsible positions in business and domes- tic circles, and are reflecting great credit to their worthy parents.
PETER HENRY GRIMM
A big man physically, Peter Henry Grimm has proved that he is a big man mentally and morally as well; and his worth as a cit- izen of his adopted country, and as a worker for the development of his particular section of it, is recognized by all who know him. A native of Germany, he was born in Durpling, Holstein, Decem- ber 16, 1856. His father, John Grimm, died when Peter was only five years old. The mother, Minnie (Eichmeier) Grimm, remained a widow; struggled against odds to raise her four children, of whom Peter was third in order of birth; and died when he had reached the age of seventeen. By self-sacrifice and tireless effort, she had brought up her children, providing for their needs, pre- paring them to help themselves, and impressing upon their minds lessons of honesty and thrift that have remained with them through the passing years. Her children were: Henry and John, both residing in Holstein; Peter, the subject of this sketch; and Dora, a widow, who lives in Hamburg, Germany.
With the desire to be of what assistance he could to his mother, Peter worked in a brick-yard more than six months each year for six years, from nine years of age to fifteen, his schooling being obtained during the winter months. On reaching fifteen years of age, he started to work on a farm; and there he continued until he reached his majority, when he entered on his service in the German army. In the army, owing to his splendid physique and great strength, and his athletic proficiency, he rose rapidly and was soon singled out from the ranks and selected to join the Crown Prince's First Guard Regiment, which is made up of Ger- many's choicest soldiers. During his term of service he often met the members of the royal family. In fact, he has personally met, spoken to, and often joked with, the present Emperor William; his father, Emperor Frederick; and the grandfather, Emperor Wilhelm; and has also met the ladies of the royal family. He was well acquainted with the present Emperor's father, Frederick, and
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