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 63
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 63
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 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91
738
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
Company, incorporated from her father's estate. With her hus- band she rents two hundred forty acres southwest of Willows, where they are raising grain. Of the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Potts three children have been born: Mrs. Cora F. Wiekes; Mrs. Mande Lightner, now deceased; and Miss M. Monreo Potts. It is due the women of California that they should receive just recog- nition for the part they have played in the upbuilding of the va- rions counties in the state; and no one is entitled to more praise than Mrs. Potts, who, as a woman of fine executive and business ability, has done her part to promote the general welfare of Glenn County.
MRS. MAE BLONDIN
One of the most capable and successful business women of Glenn County, and one who, in fact, has the distinction of being the second woman on record to hold the position of county tax col- lector in the state of California, is Mrs. Mae Blondin, the present incumbent of that office of trust and responsibility in Glenn County. Mrs. Blondin was closely associated with her late hus- band in his business enterprise; and she inherited from her ances- tors the capacity for detail work and the special qualities neces- sary for the successful management of business interests in vari- ons lines.
A native of New York State, Miss Mae Cochrane, as she was known in maidenhood, was born in St. Lawrence County, where she received a good education, well fitting her for the responsibil- ities that have fallen to her lot. She was married to Mr. Blondin at St. Albans, Vt., in 1900, and five years later they came to Cali- fornia, locating at first in Redding, after which they went to Chico, and still later, in 1907, settled in Willows, when the town was beginning to "boom." Mr. Blondin was a paper-hanger, painter and decorator; and he plied his trade in the various places of their residence. Mrs. Blondin assisted her husband in his store; and after his demise in 1913, she carried on the business until she found an opportunity to dispose of it to advantage, when she re- tired from commercial life to give all of her attention to the office of county tax collector, to which she had been elected, and upon which she entered in Jannary, 1914. She was persuaded by her many friends in the county to become a candidate; and her popn- larity was demonstrated when she won over nine opponents in the race for the office. She is filling the position in a very efficient and able manner.
For many years the sheriff of the county attended to the dn- ties of tax collector in Glenn County; and it was not until the elec-
Mac Blondin
741
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
tion of Mrs. Blondin to the office that the two offices were sepa- rated. In reality, therefore, it fell upon her to organize the work of the office as a separate branch of the county government. She believes in system; and her management of the financial affairs of the county is characterized by business method and precision, and has met with hearty approval from all sources.
Mrs. Blondin is a bright, active woman, who has bravely shouldered unusual responsibilities. She is the mother of two sons, Francis Linwood and Rockwell Edward, whom she is rearing in a manner that assures their future appreciation of their moth- er's devotion. She is a member and Past Noble Grand of the Wil- lows Rebekah Lodge, and a member of Marshall Chapter, O. E. S. She is also an active member of the Episcopal Church, and parti- cipates in the work of the Ladies' Guild. Her daily life, with its manifold duties, official, social, and domestic, is a pleasing example and illuminating illustration of woman's versatility.
JULIAN MARTIN RASMUSSON
The obliging and popular superintendent of the Willows Gas and Water Works for the Northern California Power Company, is Julian Martin Rasmusson, a thoroughly trained technician, and a man of fortunate versatility, as well as practical experience. He was born on February 4, 1868, in Laaland, Denmark. When fif- teen years old, he came to the United States, and settled for a while in Springfield, Ill. He attended both the common and high schools, and accomplished one important thing there, for he learned to read and speak the English language. After a time, he set out with two of his brothers for Furnas County, Nebr., where he engaged in farming; but conditions were bad, and as a conse- quence he lost most of his money.
In 1890, Mr. Rasmusson came to California and settled at Oroville; and the next year he became an American citizen. He learned the trade of blacksmith from his brother-in-law in that city, and also learned how to do skilled woodwork. At the end of three years he was employed by the California Stage Company, in that place, to look after repairs to their rolling stock. He re- mained there three years, and then went to Plumas County, locat- ing in Quincy. Two years later he removed to Marysville, and bought an interest in a thirteen-acre vineyard. At the end of that year, however, he went to Redding and became night engineer of the Redding Ice Works. From 1898 to 1900 he was foreman car- penter for the Iron Mountain Copper Company. On moving to
742
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
Dunsmuir, he worked for the Burns & Coggins Lumber Company, until 1904, when he returned to Redding once more, and soon af- terwards entered the employ of the Northern California Power Company, Consolidated, as superintendent of the gas and water works; and with this company he has been associated ever since. In Redding he not only manufactured gas, but he constructed the water works system for the company. In 1911 he was transferred to Willows, where he superintended the installation of the gas works, which he completed, and later was also made superintend- ent of the water works.
Some years ago, Mr. Rasmusson married Mrs. Mary (Davis) Moore, born in California, the daughter of Robert Davis, a New Yorker and a pioneer of 1849, who mined for gold at Rich Bar, and who is now living, at the age of ninety-five, in Yuba City, Sntter County. With characteristic enterprise, Mr. Rasmusson has invested in a quarter section of timber land in Shasta County, which is bound to become valuable in time. He has won success and standing by his own integrity, and is what is termed a self- made man.
LEWIS EDMUND TUTTLE, D. V. S.
A rising professional man of Willows is the prominent and successful veterinary surgeon, L. E. Tuttle, a native of the Buck- eye State, born in Clinton County, April 8, 1881. He grew to young manhood on his father's farm, and attended the district school. When he had reached his majority he went to the Palouse country, in Southeastern Washington, and worked in the harvest fields and on ranches there, and later he worked in the timber sec- tion in the southwestern part of the state.
In 1902, desiring to see more of the West, Mr. Tuttle came down to California; and at Whittier, Los Angeles County, he was given charge of a dairy of fine registered Jersey cows, owned by C. W. Leffingwell. He was also given entire charge of Sargent Fox, a registered Jersey bull that has since become famous, and is regarded as one of the best of his breed in the United States. This bull was of high pedigree, and imported stock, a son of Miss Sargent and Flying Fox, and was handled by Dr. Tuttle from his first service. It was while in Whittier, in this position, that Dr. Tuttle first began to familiarize himself with veterinary work, rid- ing through the country with a prominent veterinary surgeon and assisting him in surgery, gaining what in later years proved to be valuable experience.
743
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
So impressed was Dr. Tuttle with the profession that he ar- ranged to perfect himself for the work, and attended the San Francisco Veterinary College, returning to Whittier during the summer months to get practical experience. The third year of his attendance at the college, he was appointed assistant surgeon in the veterinary hospital. In 1907, he was graduated with high hon- ors, taking the gold medal for the best general examination. In April of that year he came to Willows, and for eighteen months practiced successfully. At the end of that time he returned to San Francisco, and formed a partnership with Dr. C. F. McCarthy in his dog hospital, purchasing a one-half interest; and for two and one-half years he continued in this business. His first experi- ence in Glenn County, however, had satisfied him that he could find a more satisfactory field for his labors than in the northern metropolis; so he came back to Willows, where he has since re- sided and practiced his profession with decided success. He is counted among the leading veterinarians in the Sacramento Val- ley; and his advancement to his present standing has come through his own efforts. He is truly a self-made and self-edu- cated man, and is highly esteemed by all who know him.
In partnership with his father-in-law, August Henning, Dr. Tuttle is owner of a cattle ranch northeast of Willows. This he is developing into a thoroughbred shorthorn Durham stock farm, having recently purchased a registered shorthorn Durham bull from the Butte City ranch. At the present writing, he has ninety head of cattle on the place. With his past experience and progres- sive ideas, it is predicted that Dr. Tuttle will do much to advance the stock interests, not only of Glenn County, but also of the en- tire northern Sacramento Valley; and a bright future is antici- pated for him.
The marriage of Dr. Tuttle, which occurred in Willows, united him with Miss Gussie Henning, and they are the parents of one son, Corwin A. Tuttle. Fraternally, Dr. Tuttle was made a Ma- son in Laurel Lodge, No. 245, F. & A. M., in Willows, in which he is Junior Warden. Both he and his wife are members of the Eastern Star.
WILLIAM CHANEY
The firm of Hicks and Chaney is well known in Orland and vicinity. Under the wise management of the proprietors, who are wide-awake, energetic business men, the business of this company has expanded until the firm now occupies an important place in the commercial life of the community.
744
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
William Chaney, one of the partners, was born in Ogdensburg, New York, February 10, 1865. When he was a child, his parents moved to Detroit, Mich., and later to Worthington, Minn .; and in these cities his education was acquired. His first experience was obtained on a farm; and later he was engaged in the hay and grain business. He then entered the furniture and undertaking business, becoming in time a licensed embalmer, both for Minnesota and for California.
Mr. Chaney located in Orland in October, 1909. In Jannary, of the following year, he formed a partnership with P. Knott Hicks. Since then they have worked together toward a common end, in the building up of a successful business establishment. Prominent in local business circles, Mr. Chaney served for one year as president of the Chamber of Commerce, and later as its secre- tary; and he is interested in all projects for the advancement of Glenn County.
The marriage of Mr. Chaney united him with Miss Avalin French; and they have one daughter, Katherine.
PROCTOR KNOTT HICKS
A progressive, up-to-date business man and member of the firm of Hicks and Chaney, of Orland, P. K. Hicks was born in Glenn County, August 26, 1883. He is a son of T. J. and Roberta (Christian) Hicks, of whom mention is made elsewhere in this history. Mr. Hicks obtained his education in the grammar and high schools of Orland. For a time he was associated with his father in the mercantile business in that city. Possessed of an en- ergetic nature, he wanted to branch out in other lines of business; and in 1905-1906, he became manager of the Sierra Lumber Com- pany, in Orland. The next year he went to Nevada and secured a position with the Wood Curtis Company, wholesale produce dealers.
After a time, Mr. Hicks came back to Orland, and became interested in the business with his father. In January, 1910, he succeeded to the business of the T. J. Hicks Company, established by his father, and took William Chaney into partnership with him- self, changing the name to Hicks and Chaney. They are still lo- cated in the Hicks Building, where they carry a fine line of heavy and shelf hardware, specializing in American fence, air motor mills, Sharpless separators, and John Deere plows. In connection with the hardware business, they run a complete plumbing estab- lishment. To supply a long-felt want, they have also an undertak-
Margaret Weast
D & Weast
0
747
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
ing department. The company enjoy the confidence of the com- munity, and their business is expanding year by year .. Mr. Hicks owns a ten-acre prune orchard, and is a booster for his county and home town, being a member of the Chamber of Commerce. Fra- ternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Encampment.
Proctor Knott Hicks was united in marriage with Frances French, a native of Rochester, Minn. Mr. and Mrs. Hicks enjoy a wide acquaintance in Orland and vicinity, where they are leaders in their social set.
JOHN KYLE WEAST
To have lived in one community for more than half a century is a record equaled by few men in Colusa County; and to have attained the age of ninety years, and still be in touch with all the up-to-date movements of one's community, is the lot of but few of the sons of men. This is the record of John Kyle Weast, who was born in Lycoming County, Pa., April 15, 1827. He has been an eye-witness to all of the wonderful development of the county since 1866, seeing it develop from a vast cattle range to waving grain fields, to be still later brought under more intensive cultivation. The large ranches of the early days have been split up into smaller tracts; and fruit and dairy interests now pervade the country, bringing in large revennes to the ranchmen. Latest of all is the development of rice lands from the sheep pastures that for years were thought to be worthless. All of this, and more, has been witnessed by Mr. Weast, now one of the retired citizens of Colusa County.
Mr. Weast is a descendant of an old pioneer family in Amer- ica. His grandfather, Abraham Weast, was born in Tioga County, N. Y., and married a Miss Mudge, a lady of German extraction, whose family were represented among the very earliest German settlers of New York State. She was a daughter of a soldier who served in the French and Indian Wars, and in the Revo- Intionary struggle, from the Battle of Bunker Hill to the close of the war. Abraham Weast died in a block house in Pennsyl- vania. He had a son Joshua, a native of Tioga County, and by trade a cabinet-maker, who migrated to Indiana as early as 1834 and settled in Laporte County when that region was in its primeval condition. He cleared land and improved a farm, on which he lived for many years; but eventually he came to Cali- fornia, where he spent his last days. He died at the home of his son, John K. Weast, in Colusa County, when in his eighty-first year. His wife, Isabella Kyle, was born in Pennsylvania, a 38
748
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
daughter of John Kyle, a farner. She died in Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Weast became the parents of four children, of whom John K. was the oldest, and the only one to settle on the Pacific Coast.
When John K. Weast was a lad . of seven years of age, his parents went to Indiana, and his earliest recollections are asso- ciated with the development there of a raw tract of land. When he was eighteen, he began working for the farmers in his section of the county, receiving ten dollars a month for his services. In 1846 he left Indiana, and went to Illinois to assist in moving some of his relatives to MeHenry County, passing through the present site of Chicago when that city was an insignificant town, without visible indications of its future greatness. Subsequently he resumed work in Indiana as a farm hand.
On February 4, 1850, Mr. Weast went to New York, intending to take ship for California. It was not until March 16 that he was able to get passage on the boat Georgia for Chagres. From there he went up the Chagres River a short distance, and then walked the remaining distance, twenty-two miles, across the Isthmus of Panama. It was six weeks and two days before he could get passage on a steamer there, and meanwhile expenses were very high. Finally he became a passenger on the Columbus, which cast anchor in San Francisco on June 4. Soon after landing he went to the mines in Eldorado County, and while working there a season he was a member of the election board during the exciting time of voting for statehood. His next location was Kelsey's Diggings, after which he was at Weaver's Creek, and later on the Feather River; and still later he went to Downieville.
In December, 1851, he went to the Suisun Valley. Abandon- ing the precarious occupation of mining, he here took up agri- cultural pursuits, making a specialty of raising grain. Two years later he went to the Sacramento River and took up what he sup- posed was government land. He made valuable improvements on the property and tilled the soil assiduously for the following nine years, only to discover that the property was part of a land grant, and that he must lose it. The experience was discouraging; but soon afterwards, in 1866, he settled on a ranch lying seven miles north of Colusa, where for many years he tilled the soil, meeting with a fair degree of success. He became the owner of some three hundred twenty-three acres in his home place, and of a tract of one hundred fifty-two acres located not far distant. This entire property he devoted to the raising of cattle, hogs, grain and alfalfa. Ile cleared the land from the thick growth of timber that grew along the river, and during the winter of 1867-1868 superintended the cutting of two thousand cords of wood, which
749
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
he sold to the steamboats that vere running on the river at that time. When the stumps were removed and burned, he found himself the possessor of as fine a tract of land as could be found anywhere in the state. Besides this land he bought a ranch of one hundred sixty acres in Modoc County, located in the Little Hot Springs Valley.
In September, 1913, Mr. Weast sold his ranch on the Sacra- mento River and spent a few months in Modoc County; but he returned to a place near Colusa to spend the winter. In the spring of 1914 he bought the ranch upon which he now resides, which consists of seven hundred twenty acres in the Antelope Valley. He moved onto it; and with the aid of his son, Byron, who is managing the place, he here is raising cattle, sheep, hogs and grain.
The marriage of Mr. Weast was celebrated in Colusa County on August 23, 1866, when he was united with Margaret Day, a native of Illinois, a danghter of Nathaniel and Rhoby (Green) Day, natives of Maine and New York, respectively. In 1855 the Day family crossed the plains from Illinois to California and settled, first, in Colusa County, but later moved to Modoc County, where both Mr. and Mrs. Day died, the former at the age of ninety-three years. In the family of Mr. and Mrs. Weast there were eight children: Walter H., now in Shasta County; Henry, who died at the age of two and a half years; Rhoby, who married Charles Coleman, and died, leaving four children; Rachael, Mrs. Lampier of Colusa, the mother of seven children; Arthur, a farmer near Glenn, who has nine children; Mary J., who died, aged six years; Flora, Mrs. Yates, who has four children and who, with her husband, is on the home ranch; and Byron, manager of the home place. Mr. and Mrs. Weast have twenty-seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Mrs. Weast is a good manager, and has been a most able assistant to her husband. They are liberal supporters of all progressive movements, are hospitable and open-hearted, and are enjoying life to the full among the many friends they have made during their long years of residence in Colnsa County.
WILLIAM HENRY MORRISSEY
In making the most of the many Western opportunities that came his way from the time when, in the late seventies, he first came to the Coast, the late William Henry Morrissey took a prom- inent part in the upbuilding of Orland and vicinity, again and again displaying characteristic enterprise. Born in Illinois in
750
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
1862, he removed to Iowa with the family when he was but two years of age. In 1878, when he was sixteen, he migrated with his father, Thomas Morrissey, and his brothers and sisters, to Cali- fornia, and settled on the O'Hair farm, five miles northeast of Or- land, in Glenn County.
As a young man Mr. Morrissey took an active interest in real estate matters in Orland, and soon joined in partnership with N. K. Spect. Later, he was associated with a number of prominent men in a large subdivision of land; and on account of his knowl- edge and experience, he was made president of the company. He also served a term as constable.
Recognized everywhere as a leader, Mr. Morrissey gave good service as a member of the executive committee of the Sacramento Valley Development Association, and also became a director in one of the first irrigation systems of Orland. His wide experience led to his being appointed a commissioner to the St. Louis Expo- sition in 1904, where he represented Glenn County. He also took an active part in the formation of the government irrigation sys- tem. At the front of every public enterprise in this locality, he joined others in developing the orange groves of Orland; and he also owned in that vicinity a two-acre lemon orchard, which he set out. He bought and improved a ranch of a hundred sixty acres near Orland, and had the land seeded to alfalfa. On this ranch he erected barns and outhouses, making of it a valuable property. It is still in the possession of the family, and is rented as a dairy ranch. For a number of years Mr. Morrissey was engaged in the buying of stock. In 1891 he favored county division, and took an active part in bringing it about. He also served one term as post- master of Orland. At Orland Mr. Morrissey erected a reinforced concrete theater and garage, and otherwise proved himself one of the upbuilders of the city. . He was a Mason, and a Past Master of Orland Lodge; a member and Past Grand of the Orland Lodge of Odd Fellows; a member of Chico Lodge of Elks; and a For- ester. At his death in 1914, Orland lost one of its most useful citizens.
In San Francisco, on January 17, 1895, William Henry Mor- rissey married Mrs. Elizabeth (Templeton) Clark, who came to California in 1885. She was the daughter of Frederick and Eliza- beth (Papst) Templeton, farmers in Sanilac County, Mich. Mrs. Morrissey attended the public and high schools, and was for a time engaged in educational work. By her marriage with Mr. Morrissey she had one son, Marc Templeton Morrissey, a student at the University of California, who will take up law. Her first husband, Robert Lee Clark, was engaged in the hardware business in Orland, where he was a memer of the firm of Clark & Behrens.
751
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
Two years after their happy marriage he died, leaving a daughter, Gwendolyn, now the wife of Will Adams of San Francisco. Be- fore her marriage, Mrs. Morrissey was the popular postmaster of Orland, as well as the manager of the Postal Telegraph Company. She is an active member and Past Noble Grand of the Rebekahs, and was formerly an efficient president of the Women's Improve- ment Club of Orland.
CLAUDE D. STANTON
Among those whose citizenship has contributed largely to the agricultural, commercial, and political development and welfare of Colusa County, the name of Claude D. Stanton holds an important place. He is a son of Joseph Byron Stanton, who was born in Ohio on March 21, 1836. When Joseph Stanton was a child of two years, his parents removed to Hancock County, Ill., where he was educated, and where he lived until he was nineteen. His life had been spent on a farm and he was inured to hard work at an early age. In 1855 he started for California, driving an ox team across the plains, and taking six months to complete the journey, and ar- rived in Oroville in October, 1855. He had no money when he landed here, and willingly took any job that offered, in order to meet expenses. He worked at ranching, mining and teaming until in January, 1856, when he came to Colusa County. On his arrival in this county he located on Grand Island, secured some land, and began farming. In 1858 he married Miss Margaret N. Tull. Her health failing in this section, he sold ont, and with team and wagon drove to Mendocino County, where her parents lived. The change not proving beneficial, medical advice was sought in San Francisco and Mr. Stanton was advised to return to the Sacra- mento Valley. He again settled in Colusa County and resumed ranching; but his wife did not recover, and passed away in 1866. She was the mother of four children, of whom three were living at the time of her death.
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.