History of Contra Costa County, California; with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present, Part 52

Author: Munro-Fraser, J. P
Publication date: 1926
Publisher: Los Angeles, Calif. : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1118

USA > California > Contra Costa County > History of Contra Costa County, California; with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 52

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JAMES LEROY EAKLE .- The efficient manager of the Tilden Lumber Company's yards at Richmond is James Leroy Eakle, who is also a director in the First National Bank of Richmond. He was born at Woodland, Cal., on July 23, 1884, a son of Christian and Margaret (Edrington) Eakle, both natives of Kentucky. Christian Eakle crossed the plains with an ox-team and settled in Yolo County, where he was later married. There were twelve children in the Eakle family, James Leroy being the youngest. He received his education in the public schools of Yolo County, graduating from the high school and then entering business college to better prepare him for the activities of life. His first work upon leaving school was in the lumber business of Tilden and Eakle at Knights Landing; his next move was to Nevada where he was employed by the Mazuma Lumber Company for a year. Returning to California he worked in a hardware store in San Francisco for Dunham and Hayden. In 1910 Mr. Eakle went to Pullman for the Tilden Lumber Company and remained there two years, then came as yard foreman to the plant of which he is now manager, having been promoted in 1915. The terri- tory served by this lumber yard extends from Rodeo to the county line of Alameda County and twenty men are required to handle the volume of business. Mr. Eakle first came to Point Richmond in 1901, being em- ployed here two months, but since 1903 he has practically made this his headquarters. In 1907-1908 he managed the first hardware store estab- lished on Macdonald Avenue, at Second Street, remaining for two years.

On November 19, 1912, Mr. Eakle and Miss Ethel Farnell were united in marriage at Richmond. She is a daughter of William and Eliza- beth (Scott) Farnell, natives of Nova Scotia and California, respectively. The family settled in Mendocino County for many years. There are two children in the Eakle family, Jean Elizabeth, aged twelve; and James L., Jr., aged five. Mr. Eakle is a member of the Masons and the Elks. He belongs to the Chamber of Commerce and the Builders Exchange, serving as a director in the latter organization. He takes an active interest in community work and for recreation enjoys golfing, being a member of the Carquinez Golf Club.

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COWELL PORTLAND CEMENT COMPANY .- The site where the Cowell Portland Cement Company is located was for many years part of the Rancho Monte del Diablo, the great grant owned originally by the Galindo family. Part of these lands bore lime rock and were ac- quired many years ago by Henry Cowell. He added to these from time to time and the property was leased out for grazing purposes.

In 1906 the Cowell family conceived the idea of building a cement plant in Contra Costa County, and the Cowell Portland Cement Company was incorporated by E. V. Cowell, S. H. Cowell, I. M. Cowell, H. E. Cowell, and W. H. George. Ground was broken and the construction of the Cowell Portland Cement Company was started.

The plant covers nine acres of ground and was completed and in oper- ation early in 1909. It has operated continuously ever since, and has a daily capacity of 5000 barrels of Mt. Diablo Cement. Mt. Diablo Cement is distributed all over the States of California, Oregon, Nevada, the Ha- waiian Islands, Central and South America. It was awarded the gold medal for quality at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition.

The Cowell Portland Cement Company is fortunate in the fact that almost all of its raw materials are found on its own property and the supply is inexhaustible. The Cowell Portland Cement Company operates its own store, hotels and boarding houses for its employees at Cowell, Contra Costa County, Cal. On the property is a good graded school which is attended by the children of the employees.

The parent. company, Henry Cowell Lime and Cement Company, operates branches at Sacramento, Oakland, San Jose, Santa Cruz, San Francisco and Portland, Ore., which help in the distribution of Mt. Diablo Cement and other products manufactured and handled by this company.

At the present time S. H. Cowell is president, Miss Helen E. Cowell is treasurer, and W. H. George is secretary and general manager.

The products of the Cowell Portland Cement Company are carried to market by a railroad owned by the same stockholders, known as the Bay Point and Clayton Railroad Company, which has connections with the San Francisco-Sacramento Railroad Company at Clyde, Cal., and the Southern Pacific Company and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Rail- road at Bay Point, giving it unsurpassed facilities for making prompt deliveries to its customers.

WALTER W. HOFFMAN .- Among the prosperous farmers of eastern Contra Costa County is Walter W. Hoffman, a man of ability, in- telligence and good business capacity, whose property lies a short distance north of Byron in Byron Precinct No. 1. He is a man of liberal views and of strict integrity, energetic and capable, and throughout the commu- nity is held in high regard as a man whose word is as good as his bond. Of German ancestry, he was born July 15, 1871, the eldest of four chil- dren born to Ferdinand and Eliza (Knowlton) Hoffman, early settlers in the Byron section of Contra Costa County. Ferdinand Hoffman came

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to California from St. Louis, Mo., in 1852 and engaged in gold mining in El Dorado County, then upon removing to this section he and his brother Christian engaged in the sheep business. Ferdinand Hoffman be- came the owner of a section and a half of land in the Byron district. Most of this acreage is now in the Byron-Bethany Irrigation District, fifty acres are in the Diablo Valley, while 300 acres is pasture land and lies in the hills. The portion of the Hoffman estate now under irrigation has been distributed to the heirs and is in a high state of cultivation, is ex- cellent alfalfa land and much of it has been planted to trees and vines. The other children of the Hoffman family are Mrs. Emily Fry; Byron F. married Miss McIntyre; and Mrs. Clara Houston, all farmer folk living in the Byron section. The father passed away in 1905; and the mother in 1924, aged seventy-two years.

At Brentwood in 1904, Mr. Hoffman was married to Miss Olive Wills, a daughter of pioneer Byron settlers, and to them have been born three children; Ferdinand W., a partner with his father in farming, saw service during the World War; Thelma, a graduate of the chemical de- partment of the University of California, now in charge of the chemical laboratory at the University in Berkeley; and Elise. Mr. Hoffman operates ninety acres mainly devoted to alfalfa and grain; has twelve acres in young apricots and fourteen acres in table grapes. He is a direc- tor in the recently organized shipping association which gives a shipping point for farming products.

MRS. MARGARET BELSHAW .- A prominent place among the women who have left their impress on the development of Antioch and vicinity must be accorded Mrs. Margaret Belshaw, widow of the late John T. Belshaw, one of the foremost merchants and citizens of Antioch in his day. Although her name does not show on the roster, yet she aided her husband in the performance of his varied business affairs and was an inspiration to him at all times. Before her marriage she was Margaret Raap, born at Rome, N. Y., sixty-nine years ago, a daughter of Anthony and Julia (Shears) Rapp. They were both natives of Ger- many and there were married, Mr. Rapp being aged twenty-one and Mrs. Rapp, nineteen. He was a millwright and cabinet-maker, a trade he fol- lowed after arriving in America soon after their marriage. They became the parents of twelve children, the only survivors being Mrs. Belshaw and her sister, Mrs. Sarah DeWitt, of San Anselmo, Cal.

The progenitor of the Belshaw family in America was Thomas War- ren Belshaw, a native of Ireland who came to the New World in 1755 with his wife Elizabeth and four children and settled in Connecticut. In 1793 they moved to Fort Herkimer, N. Y .; but soon after he and some others took up 1000 acres of land at Jordanville, and there he died in 1827, aged ninety-two. David Belshaw came next in line of descent.

David Belshaw was born in Connecticut, near Hartford, in 1777. He was twice married, his first wife being Lydia Isham; and she had seven

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children : Rose E., Erastus, William T., Flavilla, Lydia, Orilla and Sally. His second wife was Betsy Bennett. David Belshaw died in 1868.

William T. Belshaw, father of John T., was born in Herkimer County, on October 19, 1804. He married for his first wife Mary Rhodes, and they had two children, Mortimer W. and Rosetta Mclaughlin. His second wife was Huldah Durfee, and she had four children: John T., Mary C. Dye, Lucy J. Starkweather, and Violetta H. Purchase. The mother of John T. Belshaw died on April 17, 1887.

John T. Belshaw was born at Jordanville, Herkimer County, N. Y., on June 4, 1834, and received his education in the common schools of his locality. He grew up in Jordanville and there, in 1876, was married to Margaret Rapp, and that same year he and his bride came to California and to Inyo County, where he became associated with his brother, Mor- timer W., as superintendent of the Cerro Gordo mine, which he owned. In 1880 John T. Belshaw went to Judsonville, Contra Costa County, and bought an interest in a general merchandise business, the firm becoming Landow, Belshaw & Company. He continued with this firm till 1883, when he located in Antioch and engaged in the same line of business, hav- ing for his partners Mortimer W. and Jay P. Belshaw. This business occupied his time and attention for many years. Mr. Belshaw served as a member of the board of trustees of Antioch, and also of the public school. He died on July 1, 1908, after a busy and useful career.

Of the marriage of John T. Belshaw and Margaret Rapp three chil- dren were born. William Walter married Miss Ada Shreve on September 19, 1909, and they had a son Charles M., now living in Berkeley with his mother. William Walter Belshaw was a Mason, and belonged to the Sciots, the Eastern Star and to General Winn Parlor, N. S. G. W. He was one of the founders of the East Contra Costa Chamber of Com- merce. He died at the home of his aunt in San Anselmo on August 22, 1925, having gone there for rest and to try to recuperate from an illness. John T. Belshaw, Jr., is purchasing agent for Contra Costa County and lives in Martinez. He married Grace Valentine Critcher on November 25, 1906, and they have four children: Cornelia Margaret, John T. Jr., Virginia Miriam, and Mortimer W. Imogene Violetta is the wife of Corn- ing De Saules and resides in Sacramento. They were married on March 25, 1911, and have two children, Corinne Belshaw and Margaret Elizabeth.

Mrs. Belshaw is an active worker in the Women's Improvement Club of Antioch, and in every way tries to do her best to assist in the upbuild- ing of the city. She conducts an apartment house on G Street, leasing the southeast corner of the property to the Shell Oil Company for an oil service station. She is a good business manager and has drawn around herself a large circle of friends who esteem her for her many charitable acts and her high Christian character. She is a Christian Scientist. Fra- ternally, she is a member of the Eastern Star, and the Rebekahs at Antioch.

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JOHN RICHARD NYSTROM .- In the annals of Contra Costa County, where so many years of his life were spent, the name of John R. Nystrom, the honored pioneer of Richmond, Cal., should be especially mentioned. He was a native of Finland, where he was born on August 24, 1848, the oldest child of four sons and four daughters of John and Johanna (Kalis) Nystrom, who spent their entire lives in that country. John was reared on a farm and was educated in the public schools of Fin- land. At the age of eighteen the spirit of adventure within him asserted itself and led him to sail on a sea-bound vessel as a deck hand. He soon became a capable sailor, mastering the nautical laws and regulations, and eventually became an adept in the intricacies of guiding a ship in safety to the various ports of the world. He was advanced to the position of an able seaman in less time than most sailors, and during his career as a sea- man visited practically all of the important seaports of the world.

In 1870 Mr. Nystrom arrived in San Francisco harbor. He did not wait to receive his regular discharge from his vessel, but began sailing on San Francisco Bay and adjacent rivers. Desiring to abandon seafaring life, he located at Ellis Landing, Contra Costa County, and was employed by Ellis & Smith. After a time Mr. Nystrom, with Mr. Smith, went to Stege and there continued the business. In 1881 he purchased seventy acres of the San Pablo grant, which he improved and continued to farm until 1903, at which time he realized the value of his land as a residential section for the fast growing city of Richmond, which it adjoined. He sub- divided his farm into city lots, with the exception of five acres which he retained as a home place, and called the tract the Nystrom Addition to the City of Richmond. In company with others he purchased the El Cer- rito Land Company's property of forty-three acres, and with Harry Ells bought the Suarez Tract of forty acres. These tracts were subdivided and sold in city lots, the transaction being regarded as one of the largest real estate sales of that period.

On December 1, 1881, John R. Nystrom was united in marriage with Miss Mary Griffins, daughter of Owen and Kate (Evans) Griffins, natives of England, in which country the parents were married. Later Mr. and Mrs. Griffins emigrated to Australia, where Mr. Griffins was a merchant; and about 1856 he came to San Francisco. There the family remained until they locatetd at Alameda for a short time, after which they came to the Richmond district, as it is now known. Mr. and Mrs. Nystrom became the parents of the following children, now living : Alfred John and Edwin, both living in Richmond; Mary E., wife of C. E. Linville, of Lake County ; Mabel E., wife of H. Mason, of Richmond; Alice, Mrs. L. E. Schrader, of Pittsburg; William H., of Richmond; Louise E., Mrs. F. M. Van Ness, of Pittsburg; Hazel E., a graduate of the Richmond High School, living at home; Edna M., also at home; and Raymond, who was educated at the Hitchcock Military Academy in San Rafael and is now in Berkeley. Mrs. Nystrom is a native daughter and was born on the Griffins ranch adjoining the property of her late husband. She has a brother, Evan Griffins, and a

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sister, Mrs. Kittie Crews, both in Richmond, the latter residing on the old home place at the corner of Ohio and Fifteenth Streets. Two other sis- ters are Mrs. Charles Berry, of East Oakland, and Mrs. C. L. Watrous, in Santa Clara County. A brother of J. R. Nystrom makes his home in Richmond.

J. R. Nystrom was an enthusiastic promoter of the best interests of Contra Costa County, and became prominent in the civic affairs of Rich- mond. He served fifteen years as school director, and in 1905 was elected to the office of city councilman. He passed away on December 23, 1913, at Richmond, where he was held in highest esteem as a constructive factor in the material, educational, and moral upbuilding of the city. Fraternally, he was a member of Mckinley Lodge No. 347, F. & A. M., and of the Order of the Eastern Star, at Richmond, and was also a Knight Templar and a Shriner. The Nystrom family removed from Richmond to Berkeley in August, 1922, and now reside at 2970 Magnolia Avenue.

ERNEST WILLIAM REHNERT .- The memory of the early Cal- ifornia pioneer is always held in reverence by the succeeding generations ; for to his steadfastness of purpose and willingness to face danger, priva- tion, and often death, to reach a new and undeveloped region in order that he may build a home for himself and help found a commonwealth for posterity, is due the success we now enjoy in this great State. Such a man was the late Ernest William Rehnert, who met an accidental death in 1892, when his team ran away. He was born in Prussia on September 6, 1824, and attended the Lutheran schools until he was confirmed. He then served an apprenticeship to learn the trade of the blacksmith, after which he worked as a journeyman in various cities in Europe, finally ar- riving at Hamburg, Germany. In 1847 he decided he would seek his fortune in the New World and accordingly embarked for America. In due time he arrived at Galveston, Texas, and there worked a year at his trade. He then entered the service of the United States Government as a veterinary surgeon and served during the Mexican War. On De- cember 16, 1851, he arrived in San Francisco with his wife, whom he had married on June 15, of that year. She was Barbara Miller in maid- enhood, and was a native of Germany.

Upon arriving in San Francisco, Mr. Rehnert worked two years at his trade and then established a business for himself, continuing at it for six years more. He went to the gold mines during the Fraser River ex- citement, but soon returned to California. The first home he owned was located at No. 310 Fremont Street in San Francisco. Later he bought a place in Oakland on Second Street, between Harrison and Alice Streets, in which the children still have an interest. In 1859 he came up into Contra Costa County and bought a squatter's claim to 125 acres in San Pablo, which was eventually lost through litigation. Here he improved a home and raised grain, hay and stock until he died. He also operated a threshing machine throughout the western end of the county,

Johan W. Walker

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and threshed grain where the city of Richmond now stands. He was the first man to run a traction engine in this section and always kept abreast of the times in all things. He liked California and did all he could to foster projects for its upbuilding. He also conducted a black- smith shop on his ranch.

Mr. Rehnert and his good wife became the parents of five children, two of whom are living. Charles W. Rehnert lives in Oakland with his wife, whom he married in 1893, and whose maiden name was Hattie Ward. They had three children, one of whom met an accidental death. Cecil Ward Rehnert is employed by Whitthorn & Swan, and Thelma Eleanor Rehnert is employed in the Farmers & Merchants Bank. Miss Louise Rehnert is engaged in the fire and auto insurance business, repre- senting the Connecticut Fire Insurance Company; she also sells liability insurance and has been in business for fifteen years, operating under a State license. She lives at No. 440 Thirty-eighth Street, Oakland. Annie was a school teacher and died at the age of twenty-one years. A pair of twins died in infancy. Mrs. Rehnert died at the age of sixty- eight, in 1898.

After the death of Mr. Rehnert, his widow and his daughter Louise bought the old homestead place, which up to that time had been in litiga- tion as part of the San Pablo Grant. Some time after, they built a modern and comfortable house; and here they made their home until the mother died, and Miss Rehnert lived there until 1923. Miss Rehnert is a member of the Lutheran Church. She takes an active interest in civic and community welfare.

JOHN M. WALKER .- An old settler held in highest esteem for the many qualities which have distinguished his long residence in this part of the State, is John M. Walker, one of California's native sons, born in Contra Costa County, on April 10, 1862, the only son of James T. and Mary C. (Vaughan) Walker. James T. Walker was a native of East Tennessee, born in 1820, and with his parents migrated to Missouri. His father, Joseph Walker, came to California in 1833 with the celebrated Kit Carson company; they trapped and hunted throughout California. He was the first white man to camp in the Yosemite, which he did in 1833. In 1844 James T. Walker organized a company of his own and the same year set out for the far West from Independence, Mo. He trapped and hunted until the discovery of gold, and then engaged in mining, locating a number of placer mines in Amador County in the early days. With a good stake he returned to Missouri and with his family and 500 head of cattle again started across the plains. The com- pany started in 1849, but that winter was spent on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains. In 1850 he located in Contra Costa County, where he spent the remainder of his days. He purchased part of the Rancho Las Nueces y Bolbones, a Spanish grant of 6000 acres, from Juana 16

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Sanchos Pacheco, a widow, but a great deal of the land was afterwards subjected to much litigation and was lost; the balance was sold as a subdivision. James T. Walker engaged in farming and stock-raising and became very influential in the community. He was a county supervisor in the early days, and a staunch Democrat. The Vaughan family were also early settlers in California, coming from Missouri in 1857 and settling at Sutter's Fort. Later the father located on Dry Creek in Sonoma County, where he raised cattle and horses and engaged in gen- eral farming. There were three children in this family : Louise, now Mrs. Joel M. Walker, of Walnut Creek; Josephine, Mrs. Porter Claire, now deceased; and John M., our subject. The father passed away in 1902, aged eighty-two years; the mother lived to be eighty-four years old and died in April, 1922, in Walnut Creek.

The education of John M. Walker was received at the Pleasant Hill school and in the school of experience. When he became of age he nat- urally drifted into the cattle business, in which he was engaged for about thirty-two years; his herd numbered 1500 and more, most of the time. During the hard times about ten years ago, Mr. Walker lost heavily. He now owns eighty-five acres of homestead land on Mount Diablo.

At Concord, Cal., May 13, 1886, Mr. Walker was married to Miss Margaret McDonald, daughter of W. L. and Artimesia (Stinson) Mc- Donald. The McDonald family came to California from Missouri in the sixties and settled in Napa County. W. L. McDonald was a breeder of fine horses and raised a number of winners. Mr. and Mrs. Walker have had seven children. J. R. Walker is a veterinarian in South San Fran- cisco. Ambrose T. is superintendent of the McCreary Estate in San Benito County. Gertrude is now Mrs. Oren Chamberlain and resides in Oakland. Grace, Mrs. Ed. Forestier, makes her home in Burlingame. Jack lives in San Francisco. The other two children passed away in in- fancy. These children were all born on the Spanish grant settled on by James T. Walker when he came to the county. In politics Mr. Walker is a Democrat.

ERNEST G. GRIFFIN .- Descended from an honored pioneer fam- ily, and himself a well-known and highly esteemed citizen of Richmond, Cal., Ernest G. Griffin is a native son, having been born at Woodland, Yolo County, on September 26, 1874, the son of George W. and Anna C. (Brown) Griffin, pioneers of that county.

The grandfather, Joseph Griffin, was one of the early settlers of the Golden State, having crossed the plains in a covered wagon train in 1850, and for a time engaged in mining. Not finding the mining business as remunerative as he expected, he returned to Missouri, where he planned to remain. Circumstances, however, changed his plans and in 1857 he again crossed the plains, accompanied by his family and a brother-in-law, Ben. Ely. The second trip across the plains was not as peaceable as the first, for the Indians were hostile, and not only did they lose some of their

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stock, but on many occasions they narrowly escaped with their lives. After his arrival in California Mr. Griffin operated his ranch in Yolo County and in 1867 purchased more land, and by subsequent purchases accumu- lated about 1000 acres in Yolo County and 180 acres in Lake County. He was born in Virginia on February 6, 1818, a member of an influential fam- ily of that State. His mother died while he was yet at an early age, and, being left without the care of a mother, he was reared in the family of an older sister. In early days he migrated to Missouri. There he became a farmer, and from that State he journeyed overland to California, where he achieved success as a stockman and farmer. When he died on Decem- ber 12, 1885, he left a large estate, and an enviable record as a man of sterling character who had led an exemplary Christian life and was a faithful member of the Christian Church.

George W. Griffin, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Ralls County, Mo., September 20, 1847, and has made his home in Yolo County since he was ten years of age. In 1872 he was united in marriage with Anna C. Brown, a native of Ohio, at the home of her mother in Woodland, Cal. George W. Griffin followed in the footsteps of his father and became a very successful farmer and large landowner, purchasing at one time over 1300 acres of land. In 1894 he was elected sheriff of Yolo County; and through his firm allegiance to the principles of law and justice, his resolute and daring spirit, he so pleased the voters of the county that he was elected four times to the office. George W. Griffin is the head of the G. W. & M. Quicksilver Mining Corporation of Colusa County.

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History of Contra Costa County, California; with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present, Part 52

Author: Munro-Fraser, J. P Publication date: 1926 Publisher: Los Angeles, Calif. : Historic Record Co. Number of Pages: 1118

Author: Munro-Fraser, J. P
Publication date: 1926
Publisher: Los Angeles, Calif. : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1118