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 69
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 69
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father on the ranch; Minnie, who is attending the State Normal at San Jose; Pauline L., Bernice E., and Georgia E., who are attending the Williams High School; John William; and Carroll Herbert, who died on October 8, 1914, aged two years, seven months, and ten days. Mr. Abel was made a Mason in Tuscan Lodge, No. 261, F. & A. M., at Williams, of which he is still a member. He also belongs to the Central Lodge of Odd Fellows in the same town. For many years he has been a director of the Freshwater school district, and he has served as clerk of the board. He took an active part in the erection of the new school- house, and in many other ways has shown his interest in matters pertaining to the public welfare. Mr. Abel is a member of the Christian Church at Williams, and was a liberal contributor towards the erection of its house of worship. In politics, he is a Republican.
JOHN F. ABEL
The thrift and frugality of the Germans usually bring them a fair degree of success in whatever locality their industrious efforts centralize; and especially is this the case when they settle in a climate where Nature proves a kindly friend. In the list of set- tlers in Colusa County perhaps none met with a greater degree of success than the late John F. Abel, a pioneer of the county, of 1869. He was born in Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany, a son of John Frederick and Mary (Prosch) Abel, both natives of that same grand dnehy and members of Lutheran families. During the year 1852, the family sought the greater opportunities afforded by the United States. They crossed the ocean in a sailing vessel, and after debarking at New York proceeded to Chicago, and from there to Wisconsin, settling on a farm at Fond du Lac, where the parents remained until their deaths. They had six sons and four daughters, but only three came west of the Rocky Mountains: Charles, who settled in the vicinity of Spokane, Wash .; George H., who located near Maxwell, Colusa County; and John F., of this review.
John F. Abel was the oldest son in the family. He was born on May 1, 1828, and was educated in the schools of his native land. With his parents, he experienced the monotony of the long voyage from Hamburg to New York in 1852, and with them remained one winter in Chicago, before they settled in Fond du Lac, Wis. Later he had charge of the land owned by his father. The year 1859 found Mr. Abel eager to try his luck in the gold mines of Pike's Peak; and with three others he started on the
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journey. They took provisions sufficient for a year, and had with them two wagons, with eight oxen and two cows. On reaching Omaha, they encountered many discouraged miners returning from the supposed Eldorado; and the reports these gave decided the trio to change their plans and come overland to California as fast as they could. After a weary journey of six months, they landed in the state, where they mined a short time in Siskiyou County. The results, however, did not justify the effort, and they became satisfied that other lines of endeavor were surer means of bringing them the desired fortune. Mr. Abel then seenred work by the month, and in the spring of 1861 returned to Wisconsin, via Panama and New York, landing in the latter city the day Fort Sumter was fired upon.
On reaching home, Mr. Abel took up farming; and in this occupation he continued, in the same locality, until May, 1867, when he brought his wife and children to California, over the same route he had traversed on returning East. After his arrival he spent a short time in Napa County, and later bought a quar- ter section of land in Solano County. In 1869, he sold out to move to Colusa County, where he bought a half section northwest from Williams. Here he made a specialty of raising grain; and as he was able he added to his holdings from time to time, until he owned some three thousand acres. For some of his property he paid as high as forty-seven dollars per acre; but the larger portion he got for lower prices. A neat residence was occupied by the family up to the time of their removal to Williams, in the fall of 1903. All the improvements on his place were made by Mr. Abel, with the assistance of his family; and a well-improved and productive ranch was the result.
The marriage of Mr. Abel with Miss Christine M. Herman was celebrated on July 27, 1856. She was a daughter of Bartel and Effie (Pfaff) Herman, natives of Saxony, where she also was born. During 1849, Mr. Herman brought his family to America and settled in Wisconsin, where he improved a farm in Dodge County. Here both he and his wife passed away. In their family of ten children, Christine was the youngest. She was born on May 28, 1837. After the family settled in Wisconsin, she con- tinued to reside there until she came to the Golden State. Her death occurred on June 18, 1905. Of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Abel, ten children were born: Franklin H., who resides in Oak- land; Mrs. Laura M. Galloway, of Healdsburg, Sonoma County; George L., who is mentioned on another page of this work; Mary S., who became the wife of George Kaerth, of Williams; Mrs. Hattie C. Rathbun, who resides in Los Angeles; Henry H. and John F .. both farmers in Colnsa County; Dorothea A., who
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resides in Williams; and William E. and Melvin D., both farmers in the home neighborhood.
From 1869 until his removal to Williams, Mr. Abel served as a school trustee of his district, and did much to advance the cause of education in the county. In politics he was a Republican. At the reunion of the family, to celebrate the eighty-third birthday of this successful pioneer, he divided the stock of the John F. Abel Co. among his children, thus giving them their interest in the property. His death occurred soon after his return from a visit to the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, in San Francisco, in August, 1915. At his passing, the state, and particularly Colusa County, sustained an irreparable loss; and in his community he was mourned by a large concourse of friends and neighbors.
ELBERT A. BRIM
A worthy representative of the pioneer element that laid the foundation for our statehood, Elbert A. Brim was born near Leesville, in Bear Valley, Colusa County, August 8, 1879. His father, Jackson W. Brim, was born in Tennessee, in the year 1835, and was the son of J. A. and Jane Brim. He resided in Missouri until April 21, 1856, when he crossed the plains to Cali- fornia, arriving in Oroville on August 24 of that year. After mining for a very brief period on the Feather River, he located in Colusa County, and engaged in farming in Bear Valley. In 1888 he moved to a ranch situated seven miles west of Williams, which he farmed extensively to grain. In addition to his opera- tions as a grain-grower, Mr. Brim also became one of the pioneer horticulturists and vineyardists of his locality. After many years spent on his ranch, he moved into the town of Williams, where he now lives retired, in the enjoyment of his means. Jackson W. Brim married Emily A. Smith; and they became the parents of four children, Elbert A. being the only son. Of the danghters, Jennie (Mrs. G. C. Comstock) and Lncy M. reside in Williams; and both are interested in horticulture and in sheep-raising. Mary L., the other daughter, is deceased.
Elbert A. Brim attended the public schools of the district in which the family lived, until 1893. He then went to Oakland and attended the Lincoln school until he graduated. After his gradua- tion, he entered Belmont Military Academy, in San Mateo County, where he spent two years, after which he entered Bunes Academy in Berkeley, from which he was graduated in 1903. He then matriculated at the University of California at Berkeley; but at
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the end of the first year he was obliged, on account of his father's failing health, to give up his university course and take charge of the home ranch. Since 1905, he has been engaged in farming and stock-raising, and in the raising of various kinds of fruits. His stock is of a high grade. The cattle are of the Durham breed; and the hogs are Poland-Chinas and Berkshires. He owns nine hundred acres of well-improved land seven miles west from Williams, and also leases some three thousand acres of his father's holdings. The family have one hundred fifty acres set to almonds, and two hundred ninety acres are in vineyard. Twenty-two years ago, Mr. Brim's father set out the first commercial vineyard that was planted in Colusa County, on the plains.
On his own property, Elbert A. Brim has one hundred eighty- five acres in grapes, of the Muscat, Sultana, and Thompson seed- less varieties, and also has a fine almond orchard. He finds his land, which is located in the beginning of the foothills, at a some- what higher elevation than the plains, very suitable for horticul- ture. It is very free from frosts; and moreover the fruit and nuts mature earlier. In the operation of his ranch, Mr. Brim runs two caterpillar engines-one of seventy-five horse power, for putting in and harvesting his crops, and the other of thirty horse power for cultivating his orchards. Besides these modern appliances, he uses two eight-mule teams. He takes good care of his machinery, having large sheds under which he carefully stores it when it is not in use. He maintains both a blacksmith shop and a machine shop, run by gas-engine power; and when it comes to making repairs to any machine, Mr. Brim is a workman of no mean ability. His orchards are well laid out, and are arranged with a view to convenience in cultivating the land and gather- ing the crops. He has miles of drives, with both sides set to almond trees. Conveniently located on the edge of the vineyard, is his packing house, equipped with a thirty-ton Fresno stemmer and cleaner, with twelve-horse gas engine and five-horse steam boiler, where the produce is packed in boxes ready for market. It is interesting to go over Mr. Brim's place and note the sys- tematic arrangement of everything. The comfort of his employes receives just as careful consideration as his own convenience. The bunk houses are built like small cottages, are provided with modern conveniences for lighting and heating, and are furnished with shower baths. Some of his employes have been with him ever since he began ranching for himself.
Mr. Brim was married in Williams to Miss Mabel Stovall. who was born on the Stovall ranch near Williams, a daughter of J. C. Stovall, of whom mention is made in this history. Mrs. Brim is a graduate from Hamlin's Ladies' Seminary, in San
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Francisco. Mr. and Mrs. Brim have one child, Beatrice Brim. The family reside in their comfortable home, a large residence surrounded by fine shade trees and lawns.
Mr. Brim is intensely interested in horticulture. He is satis- fied that there is a great future for fruit-raising in this section, and is bending his efforts to demonstrate it a success on a com- mercial basis. He was a member of the first board of horticul- tural commissioners in Colusa County. He is interested in all public and social movements, and is frequently selected to work on committees, especially on important occasions, as for instance at the celebration of the completion of the State Highway, at Williams, and when the soldiers passed through the town. On both of these occasions, he was one of three men who each gave a beef for the barbecue. Mr. Brim is a member of the board of trustees of the Freshwater school district, and is a clerk of the board. In politics he is a Democrat.
DORR S. NELSON
It took a man from North Dakota to bring to the front the possibilities of the section of country abont Arbuckle, Colusa County, for the growing of almonds profitably. Not that he planted the first orchards, for that was done years ago by others. Almond trees were already pretty well scattered over all that dis- triet, and they all seemed to thrive and produce an average and sure corp; but it remained for Dorr S. Nelson to carry out plans he had been formulating during a period of observation on the growth of the trees throughout the district, and to promote the Superior California Fruit Land Co. Purchasing six thousand acres of land in the Arbuckle district, he began a campaign to sell and to develop the property as an exclusive almond proposition. He put three thousand acres on the market in twenty-acre lots, two thousand acres being set to almonds; and now there are twenty-five homes located on the tract, which had all been sold by 1915.
Mr. Nelson was born on a farm in Sheffield, Bureau County, Ill., February 17, 1876. At the age of six he was taken to the Red River Valley, Grand Forks County, N. D., by his parents, who settled on a farm there; and there he attended the district schools and grew to manhood. As a young man he was ambitious and en- terprising. When he was twenty-five he was engaged as a con- tractor and house-mover, owning the second largest outfit in that state. He was centrally located at Larimore, where he did a large
ASMelson.
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and profitable business up to the time when, in 1909, he came to California to look after a subdivision project in Modoc County that he had become interested in. That property was sold out the first year; and as this great state, with its wonderful possibilities, suited him, he looked about to find a section that was worthy of the effort necessary to develop its resources. In 1910 he located in Arbuckle; and he has since been one of the leaders in exploiting its fertile lands, and has been the direct means of bringing many settlers within its boundaries. After the first large tract of land had been sold and the local people had been educated to the oppor- tunities that lay at their very doors, in 1915 he promoted the Cali- fornia Almond Co. Eleven hundred acres was purchased, of which three hundred eighty-five acres is now set to almonds; and the balance is being planted as fast as possible. A plant for shell- ing almonds has been planned and hopes are entertained for its early operation. Every assistance is given the settler to make his crop sure, and to see that it brings the highest market price. It is the desire of Mr. Nelson to have the district set out figs, apricots, raisin grapes, etc., so that there will be a continuous season of harvest, enabling the farmer to do more of his own work, and at the same time giving employment to workers the year round.
The latest subdivision promoted by Mr. Nelson is the High- way Almond Home Subdivision of two hundred fifty acres, part of the Sherer ranch, situated south of the town of Arbuckle on the state highway. Twenty-acre and forty-acre farms have been sold to local people and will be planted in 1918; and homes are already being built on the tract. Besides his subdivision work, Mr. Nelson conducts a successful general real estate business under the name of the Nelson Real Estate Co. He has the confidence of the home people, who have been led to see the possibilities in store for them in the specialized development of the district. Arbuckle has the distinction of being the first locality in the state to claim a special- ized district for growing almonds, and it is so advertised. The local people are investing at high prices, and having the land developed. The object of Mr. Nelson is to serve, believing that a satisfied home-seeker is the best kind of advertising; and he is always on the alert for the welfare of the newcomer. The work of develop- ment is done by local people, so that a great deal of the money spent for labor comes back "home."
Mr. Nelson is frequently referred to as the "Almond King" by those who know him best. He is active in every movement for the advancement of his district. He was local manager, vice-presi- dent and director of the Superior California Fruit Land Co., and is now manager, secretary and treasurer of the California Almond Co .; secretary of the Almond Growers' Association of Arbuckle
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and College City; and one of the organizers, and vice-president and director, of Arbuckle and College City Chamber of Commerce. He has done much to put Arbuckle and Colusa County on the map, showing the world another favored spot in California. He was a prime mover in having the streets paved in the business district in Arbuckle, and also in securing electric lights for the town, as well as every other modern convenience, making of it a real city.
Dorr S. Nelson was united in marriage with Miss Eva A. Sheets, of Northfield, Minn .; and they have one son, Donald S. Mr. Nelson is a Mason, belonging to Meridian Lodge, No. 182, F. & A. M .; and he is also a member of the Independent Order of Foresters, at Arbuckle.
COLUSA COUNTY FREE LIBRARY
The Colusa County Free Library was established on July 1. 1915, under the state law governing county libraries, and began operations on August 1, 1916. A properly certificated librarian, Mrs. Antoinette Hollabaugh, was appointed; but because of ill- health, she was shortly forced to resign, and was succeeded by Miss Louise E. Jammé, on October 16, 1916.
The library is housed in the County Hall of Records, in Colusa. Nine community branches have been established through- out the county; and a custodian is in charge of each. Four of these branches have reading rooms; the remaining five are deposit stations. The service in these little libraries is not confined to the number of volumes contained in each, for requisition may be made on the County Library headquarters for any books or infor- mation that may be desired. In case of inability to supply what is required, the County Library may borrow from the State Library, which, by granting this privilege, supplements the ser- vice of the County Libraries, thus making available to the public much material which the County Libraries find it impracticable to purchase. At the present time, the Colusa County Library owns thirty-nine hundred fifty-three volumes.
A distinct branch of the County Library work is its coopera- tion with the public schools. With the sanction of the school trustees, any school district may join the County Library. There- after, the county superintendent turns over the library fund of the district to the County Library, and the school makes requisi- tion on the county librarian for all supplementary books and other library material. The County Library books are left in the school as long as they are in nse there, and are then returned and replaced by others that are needed. This is made possible through
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the pooling of the books as well as the funds; and each school has thus the benefit of the exchange from all the other schools. Furthermore, the schools have at their command the services of a trained librarian and practically unlimited resources in refer- ence material. At the present writing (July, 1917), nineteen of the school districts in the county have joined the County Library.
The constant exchange of books between the branches and headquarters, and the schools and headquarters, keeps the collec- tion alive and moving throughout the county, the aim being to supply the library needs in every section, and to stimulate an interest in the education that comes from the use of books and other sources of printed information and knowledge. The County Library cooperates with the clubs in the county by furnishing out- lines for courses of study and the books that are necessary for the pursuit of the courses outlined; and it also furnishes the books re- quired in correspondence and other extension courses of the vari -* ous universities and colleges.
JOHN ARCHIBALD BEDFORD
Of English ancestry, John Archibald Bedford has a long line of soldier forebears, who, both in England and in America, have made a record for valor and patriotism. His great-grandfather, Capt. Stephen Bedford, was born in England, became a captain in the British army, and crossed the seas to America with General Braddock, serving under him in the French and Indian War. His brother, Dr. Gunning Bedford, was a surgeon in the same regi- ment, while still another brother was a lieutenant under General Braddock. After the close of the French and Indian War, Capt. Stephen Bedford settled in Virginia ; Dr. Gunning Bedford, in Dela- ware; and the third brother, Lieutenant Bedford, in North Caro- lina. Captain Bedford afterwards served in the Revolutionary War, as did four of his sons, among them Archibald, the grand- father of John Archibald of this review.
After the War of the Revolution, Captain Bedford and his two brothers located near what is now Paris, Ky. He sowed the first blue grass in Kentucky, having obtained the seed from General Calmes' patch. Green Bedford, father of John Archibald, was a farmer in Kentucky. His fortune being depleted during the Civil War, in 1867 he removed to Missouri to recoup his losses, and became a successful farmer near Wellington, Lafayette County, where he died in 1910 at the advanced age of ninety-five years. He married Caroline Chinn, a native of Harrison County, Ky., and a
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daughter of John Chinn, who was born in Virginia and became an early settler of Kentucky. He was an own cousin of Gen. George Washington, their mothers being sisters -- Mary Ball, wife of Augustin Washington, and Agnes Ball, wife of Rollo Chinn. Green Bedford and his wife had seven children, four of whom are living, John Archibald being the second child.
John Archibald Bedford was born near Paris, Bourbon County, Ky., on February 15, 1840. He was reared in the Blue Grass State, and received his early education in the public schools there, after which he entered Georgetown College, at Georgetown, Ky., where he continued his studies until he enlisted in the Con- federate army. Always opposed to slavery, he did not want to see the Union broken. However, when Garfield was camped near Georgetown, and it dawned on him that the colored people would be given their freedom without provision for colonizing them else- where, he foresaw great trouble between the races, and so in 1862 he joined the Confederate army. He served under General Morgan in a cavalry regiment as first sergeant, until Morgan was captured, and then with General Longstreet in the commissary department. He was brevet captain in February, 1864, and brevet major of commissariat in March, 1864. During the same year, at the request of General Morgan, who had been exchanged, he returned to Mor- gan's command, to his place in the cavalry, until Morgan was killed. After that he served on detached service as a scout for Col. Adam Johnson, Joe Wheeler, and General Eckles, until the close of the war. He had many close calls. Numerous bullets passed through his clothes, and his horse was shot from under him ; but he did not receive a wound. When the news of Lee's surrender reached him, he advised the "Boys in Gray," at Christiansburg, Va., in these words: "Boys, go home, help build up the country, and make this the best government in the world."
After the war, the family moved to Missouri, in 1867, as stated above; and on April 15, 1869, Mr. Bedford was married, at Wel- lington, to Miss Elizabeth Freeman, a native of Cass County, Mo., and the daughter of Thomas Fountain and Elizabeth (Thomas) Freeman, who were born at Culpeper Courthouse, Va., and in Kentucky, respectively. The father came to Missouri in early days and engaged in farming. After the mother's death, he moved to California and homesteaded a farm across Stony Creek from Elk Creek, where he farmed until his death at the age of eighty-two years. Of the. seven children, two grew to maturity, Elizabeth, now Mrs. Bedford, and R. Y. Freeman, a rancher in Jackson County, Mo., and an ex-chief of police of Kansas City, Mo.
After farming in Missouri for some years, Mr. and Mrs. Bed- ford determined to come to California. In 1872, they located near
IV.S. Carfanter
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the Stone Corral, Colusa County, and in 1873 they moved to the vicinity of Elk Creek, Glenn County, where they have since resided. They first homesteaded one hundred sixty acres on Grindstone Creek, where they made the necessary improvements, built a home, and raised their family. In 1901, they sold the place and located on their present ranch, the one taken as a homestead by Mrs. Bedford's father, which she inherited; and here they have engaged in farming. Their ranch comprises one hundred acres on Stony Creek. Their alfalfa fields and gardens are irrigated from a ditch leading from Stony Creek. This ditch was originally started by a Mr. Boyles, in 1878, and was completed by Mrs. Bedford's father; and later it was extended by Mr. and Mrs. Bedford. It is now the oldest ditch on the creek. Their son, Marcus Green Bedford, resides with them and manages the ranch. Fifteen acres of the place is seeded to alfalfa. The place is in part devoted to stock- raising, and it also maintains a dairy.
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