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 59

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 59

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).

Perry O. Ross was born at Brownsville, Ore., on April 10, 1869, and he received a common-school education there. His mother was Julia Blue before her marriage, and was a daughter of Rev. Newton Blue, who was sent to California from Oregon, where he had been laboring as a mis-

567

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY

sionary, to continue his work in California. He died on board the ship that was bringing him to San Francisco and is buried on Alcatraz Island. Mr. Ross' mother was born in Oregon, and there she was married to William Ross, a harnessmaker by trade. He is now aged eighty-one and makes his home at Lankershim, Cal. On the maternal side the ancestry is traced to the family of James A. Garfield, former president of the United States.

After leaving school Mr. Ross worked in the woolen mills for fourteen years, reaching the position of assistant superintendent of the mill. He began railroading for a wage of $1.25 per day of eleven hours; at the time he was paying $12 per month rent for the house he lived in. In 1900 he began with the San Joaquin Valley Railroad as a fireman, running from Stockton to Bakersfield and Fresno. He had an opportunity to come to Richmond and take a job in the yards and decided he would benefit by so doing, as he did not like the heat of the San Joaquin Valley. He accord- ingly gave up his road rights and went into the yards as engineer. At that time there was only one engine used to do all the switching, and ît did double duty. The first unit of the present shops was just begun at that time. Mr. Ross is now the oldest man in the yards, in point of service as engineer.

Perry O. Ross was united in marriage at Brownsville, Ore., on Feb- ruary 1, 1893, with Ada Lockwood, an English woman. They have two children. Grace, born in Oregon, married Ebon Stubblefield and has two sons, James and Edward R .; the family live in Los Angeles. Frances was born in Richmond and is a member of the Class of 1926 in the Richmond High School. Both children are musically inclined, specializing on the piano. Mrs. Ross' mother, Maria Jackson Lockwood, died in 1906 in Richmond at the home of a daughter, aged seventy-six. Mr. Ross is a member of Richmond Lodge No. 13, K. of P., and belongs to Camp No. 637, W. O. W. He is a musician, and while living in Brownsville, Ore., played E-flat cornet in the band and was agent for C. G. Conn's band instruments. He belongs to the Fresno Brotherhood of Locomotive Fire- men, and to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers.

GEORGE H. SOUTH .- An honored veteran of the Civil War and a resident of Contra Costa County, George H. South is counted among the highly respected citizens of Pittsburg and vicinity. A native of New York, he was born in the town of Clay, Onondaga County, April 19, 1843, the son of Richard and Elizabeth South, both born, reared and married in England. They were farmer folk who emigrated to America at an early date and settled in Onondaga County, later removing to Dane County, Wis., when their son George was a babe. This was at a time when there were no railroads to facilitate travel, and it was in the pioneer environment of Dane County that he grew to young manhood. There were seven children in the South family, five of whom grew to years of maturity. The

568

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY

oldest son, Matthew South, came to California in 1852 with an ox-team train. While in Salt Lake, Matthew South met with a young lady who wanted to get away from that city, and arrangements were made for her to do so. She was taken in charge by an old man, who was sent ahead of their train, both riding the same horse. When the train started, it was halted and searched by the Mormons, but the woman was not to be found. Upon reaching California the woman secured a position as a school teacher through the help of members of the train. Matthew South went to Texas in 1859 and became a large stockman. In 1861 George H. South went to the Lone Star State and was employed by his brother on the ranch. It was during this employment that he was captured by some Mexican bandits, together with his brother-in-law, Ezra Day, and forced to walk 300 miles over the desert into Mexico and imprisoned. Mr. Day was ex- ecuted by the Mexicans, but our subject was able to get a note smuggled to the American consul, who succeeded in obtaining his release. In 1863 Mr. South joined the 1st Texas Cavalry and served under Gen. Phil Sheridan. This command marched through Texas to drive out Maxi- milian, and it is his boast that during his two years in the service "he never took a prisoner." He received an honorable discharge at San Antonio in 1865.

After having seen service in Tennessee, Alabama and Louisiana, it is no wonder that he was not content to settle down until he had seen more of the world. His first job was cutting wood on a steamboat for his pas- sage up the Missouri River. Then three years were spent at mining in Helena, Mont., for which he was paid in scrip, which brought him only twenty cents on the dollar. In 1868 he arrived in Salt Lake City after a 500-mile trek across the plains with a pack-mule. He secured work on the construction of the railroad, and was present at the driving of the golden spike when the Central and Union Pacific lines were joined at Promontory Point. He was then given transportation to Sacramento, Cal., on a flat car. When Pittsburg was known as New York Landing, Mr. South was here and was working in the coal mines at the foot of Mount Diablo. He bought coal at the mouth of the mine for $2.50 a ton and hauled it to the town, where he sold it for $3.75 per ton. He still has two of the old wagons he used in this work and points to them with pride, for they were the beginning of his prosperity. When New York Landing became known as Black Diamond, Mr. South predicted great possibilities for the town, and he has lived to see his prediction come true. He has seen the advent of the automobile and air plane, declares that both will prove ruinous to the nation if given a "free rein" as at present, and says he would not own an automobile if he could afford to have an entire factory, and that too many men own machines to the detriment of their families. He de- clares that recent years have brought just two things worth while, "pro- hibition and moving pictures"-for he is a "movie fan."

In 1874 Mr. South was united in marriage with Miss Mary Whitney, daughter of William E. Whitney, pioneer of the Mount Diablo district,

grend Sturley

571

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY

who burned the first lime here and who later entered the coal-mining industry at Nortonville. In the coal mines of his father-in-law at Norton- ville Mr. South spent much time. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. South was blessed with two children: William R. South, of Pittsburg, Cal., and Gertrude, wife of Thomas E. Kermode, of the Mount Diablo district. Mrs. South passed away in 1922, since which time Mr. South has lived alone on his ranch. Now in his eighty-fourth year, he is hale and hearty and enjoys living his particular way. He has many friends and delights to recount to them his varied experiences in the past.

MRS. F. IRENE HURLEY .- A native daughter of the State, who, like many of her sisters in California, is making good in the official circles of her community, is Mrs. F. Irene Hurley of Martinez, the effi- cient county recorder of Contra Costa County. By reason of her fitness for the position, through previous experience, she was appointed to her office by the board of supervisors on February 2, 1924, to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of her husband, the late M. H. Hurley, whose death occurred on January 31, 1924.

Mrs. Hurley was born at Alviso, Santa Clara County, the daughter of Anderson and Harriet R. (Messersmith) Morford, natives of Ohio and Indiana, respectively, and both early pioneers of Santa Clara County. Her grandparents, John and Irene ( Powell) Messersmith, were Eastern folks. Harriet R. Messersmith was only six years of age when she was brought to California across the plains behind slow-moving oxen from Indiana by her parents. Reared to the age of ten in Santa Clara County, F. Irene Morford went to the public schools there; then she came to Martinez, and in time was graduated from the John Swett Union High School at the town of Crockett, being a member of the first class to be graduated from the new building. In 1912 she was united in marriage with M. H. Hurley, who was born in Lowell, Mass., on September 29, 1868, and at the age of ten was brought to California. He grew up in Martinez, where he became a very popular citizen and served the people in various capacities, first as town clerk of Martinez and then as public administrator of Contra Costa County. Then, in 1907, he was elected county recorder, and was reelected in 1911, 1915, 1919 and 1923, each succeeding election attest- ing to his popularity in the county as shown by the majority of votes cast. He was a dependable official, and only once did he have an opponent for the office. By trade he was a printer and worked on both the Gazette and the Standard in Martinez. Mr. and Mrs. Hurley had three children : William M., Margaret C., and Lowell Neil.

For several years Mrs. Hurley was employed by the Contra Costa County Abstract & Title Company under A. E. Dunkel; and when she was called upon to assume the responsibilities of the office of county re- corder, she was well qualified for the task and was able to demonstrate her

572

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY

ability to manage the affairs of the office with dispatch. She has as her chief deputy C. M. Bulger, and as second deputy, J. E. Fahy, and has four copyists and two index clerks.

Mrs. Hurley has always taken a prominent place in the social circles of Martinez, and is a member of Las Juntas Parlor No. 221, N. D. G. W. She is also a member of the State County Recorders' Association. When the women of California were granted suffrage, Mrs. Hurley was the first woman registered in the State, and she is also the first woman to hold an elective office in Contra Costa County.

FRANK MATHERON .- Of all the varied occupations followed in Contra Costa County, no other one has played such an important part as that of the agriculturist. And it is men of the sturdy type of Frank Math- eron that form the solid bulwarks of their communities. Within his life- time he has witnessed the growth of a rich coastal territory, a develop- ment in which he has materially aided.

Mr. Matheron was born in St. Hilaire, France, on January 4, 1854. His parents, Frank and Virginia Matheron, were hard-working, frugal peasant farmers who through industry and careful planning had been able to acquire the farm property on which they lived. As a boy young Frank worked on his father's farm and was only able to attend school four months a year. He did, however, receive a great deal of sound instruc- tion in the growing of grain and breeding of cattle, a schooling which was to be of great value to him in later years.

In 1875 Mr. Matheron, then a youth of twenty-one, came to America. His first employment was with a sheep grower near Los Angeles. From there he went to Bakersfield, Kern County, where he was similiarly em- ployed for about four years. In 1882 he was attracted to Clayton, in Contra Costa County, and made that vicinity his home for a number of years. He successfully farmed the Tilton ranch for many years, and also the Donner ranch. Later he became proprietor of what was known as the Matheron ranch, of forty acres near Clayton. In 1908 he sold the ranch and removed to Martinez, where the family home is now located, at 905 Henrietta Street. Mr. and Mrs. Matheron also resided in Oakland for eight years.

In 1888 Mr. Matheron was married to Mrs. Annie T. (Loring) O'Connor. She was born in San Francisco on July 19, 1858, and came with her parents to Clayton when she was about two and one-half years old. Her father, Samuel N. Loring, was one of the pioneer Forty-niners. He and his wife, Jane G. (Barstow) Loring, were both natives of Yar- mouth, Maine. Samuel Loring was one of the heroic horde who were attracted by the cry of "Gold" in 1849, and he made the hazardous trip via the Isthmus. After making a substantial stake he went back to Maine, where he married his childhood sweetheart, and they returned to Califor- nia together, crossing the Isthmus. He secured employment with Bray Brothers in San Francisco and became one of their trusted employees.

573

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY

While on a business trip to British Columbia he was accidentally shot in loading a gun. Some time later his wife married Christopher M. Myrick, a member of one of the well-known pioneer families of Contra Costa County. He was born in Nantucket, Mass., on December 7, 1827, and also came to California as one of the Forty-niners. For a time he engaged in mining on the American River, but finally returned to San Francisco, where he engaged in carpentering, a trade which he had learned in his youth in Massachusetts. At times he carried and sold water in San Fran- cisco at "two bits" per bucket, often making an average of twelve dollars per day in this manner. Soon after his marriage he removed to Clayton with his wife and infant son, Stanley Myrick, and his stepdaughter, Annie T. Loring, who received her education in the local school there. C. M. Myrick became the owner of 160 acres of land in Clayton Precinct, which he successfully farmed up to the time of his death. One of the interesting incidents of his life was a bitter litigation in which he engaged with a rail- road company over 240 acres of land. The case was in the courts for forty years and, as might be imagined, the costs were tremendous.

Mrs. Annie T. O'Connor, nee Loring, met Mr. Matheron in Clayton, where they were married on March 1, 1888. They became the parents of five children : Joseph F., a sketch of whose life appears elsewhere; Leone Adella, wife of George Hendrickson, an employee of the Shell Oil Com- pany, residing in Martinez; Ellie Loring, also employed by the Shell Oil Company in Martinez; Frank Charles, employed by the Great Western Power Company and residing in Pittsburg; and Percy Raymond, residing in Oakland, where he is engaged in business. Mrs. Matheron is also the mother of a daughter by her marriage with Mr. O'Connor, Henrietta Christine, wife of William T. Davis, a prosperous rancher of the Clayton Precinct. Mrs. Matheron has seven grandchildren. She is a member of the Congregational Church of Clayton. Both she and her husband are Republicans. Mr. Matheron has retired from active life since the sale of his farm.

JAMES T. NARBETT .- That California is developing a distinctive type of architecture which is attracting the attention of, and being copied in the East, is the sincere belief of James T. Narbett, well-known archi- tect of Oakland and Richmond. Mr. Narbett himself has taken no small part in this development and his work will compare favorably with any to be found in this section of the West. He is a gentleman of many parts and he and his charming wife are ranked with the leaders of their community.

Mr. Narbett's adventurous career started in 1874, that being the year of his birth, which occurred at Rangoon, British Burmah, on that celebrated "Road to Mandalay" of which Kipling sings. He was born aboard a sailing vessel of which his father, William Narbett, was the owner and captain. His mother was Eleanor (Davis) Narbett, and both parents were natives of Wales and pioneers of 1881 in Contra Costa County. In 1877 the family came to America and located first in Washing-

574

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY

ton, and then were in San Francisco for about one year. After a short residence in Oakland they removed to Benicia, crossing over to Contra Costa County in 1881 and settling at a location about one-half mile north of Crockett, before that town was established. Mr. Narbett had several brothers and sisters. One sister is Mary Sullenger, the county auditor's wife. A brother, Walter, is a pharmacist in Susanville. Martha is Mrs. W. E. Lewis of Crockett; and another sister, Irene, is Mrs. Dr. Gruenig of San Francisco.

James T. Narbett's early education was received in the grammar school of Crockett, and he also spent two years in the high school and in attendance at the Van Der Nailen School of English in San Fran- cisco. In addition to this he has since taken other educational courses. After his grammar school days he learned to be a machinist during the period from 1890 to 1893. After one year of carpentering he became a contractor and followed that calling until 1907, at which time he branched out into the architectural profession, becoming a member of the Amer- ican Institute of Architects in 1922. He has twice been a delegate to the national conventions of this organization. His business has pros- pered and he maintains a suite of offices in the Syndicate Building on Tenth Street, Richmond, where he employs three assistants, and he also maintains an office in the Richfield Oil Building at Oakland.

Many of the largest and handsomest buildings in Richmond have been designed by Mr. Narbett, including the Elks Building, Mechanics Bank, Alberts store, Richmond Independent office building, I. O. O. F. build- ing, practically all the schools, fire houses and the Richmond Natatorium. His work in other cities includes the Campus Theatre in Berkeley, Ma- sonic Temple in Hayward, and many other buildings of similar impor- tance in this and other counties. In addition to his architectural work Mr. Narbett is interested in a number of other activities, including : The Prudential Mortgage Investment Company, capital of $5,250,000; the General State Life Insurance Company, of Oakland; vice-president of the Yerxa-Steves Holding Co., Inc., and the Bacon Land Co., Inc., both of Oakland; a director of the Richmond Syndicate Company, of Rich- mond. He has also served on important committees and is active in various city organizations, being a member of the Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club. Mr. Narbett is architectural adviser of the Prudential Mortgage Investment Company of Oakland, and his office there is oper- ated in conjunction with their offices. He has heavy investments in Richmond, Oakland and Berkeley. His home in Richmond, at 11th Street and Roosevelt Avenue, is one of the show places of that city, being of a particularly beautiful Spanish design.

Mr. Narbett volunteered for service immediately after the entry of the United States into the World War in 1917, and was commis- sioned captain of engineers in June and sent to Camp Lee, Va., the latter part of that year and remained there until called to the Hercules Powder

575

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY

Company to design and supervise the construction of important work at that plant. This camp was recognized as being one of the best con- structed and laid out camps in the country. He never had military training but, due to the fact that he passed with a very high percentage an exam- ination in psychology, he was chosen to command a troup for over seas service, but just before the close of his camp was returned to Hercules Powder Company. He is a member of practically all of the Masonic bodies and is now Patron of Court Amaranth. He has been an active member of the Odd Fellows for twenty-nine years; and belongs to the Elks lodge, Athens Athletic Club of Oakland, and the Carquinez Country Club, and is a member of both the National and San Francisco Chap- ters of the American Institute of Architects.

During the gold rush to Alaska in 1898 Mr. Narbett went there and had an exciting time. While there he was stricken with pneumonia at Sheep Camp and overheard his comrades say that they were going to ship him out by boat. But with exceptional determination he arose the next morn- ing at five o'clock, made a cup of coffee and ate cold beans, then walked to Dyea, where he consulted a doctor and walked back to camp that night, a total distance of thirty-one miles, crawling the last five miles over dark canyons and steep roads. At that time they had no dogs but hitched themselves to the sleds. He was one of the volunteers on March 8, 1898, to rescue some men buried by a huge snow slide in which eighty perished. Although he was reported to be among the killed, he and his com- panions were unharmed. They built a boat and went down the Yukon River to a point where they took the contract to furnish saw logs for a Dawson City sawmill. Before leaving for Dawson they shot two moose and sold them in the Dawson market. On the first of September they located their cabin on the Klondike River but Charles Jewell, the partner of Mr. Narbett, was taken ill and they returned to the United States.

On February 2, 1902, Mr. Narbett was united in marriage with Miss Gussie B. McDowell of Crockett, daughter of Oliver and Mary (Nichols) McDowell. Mrs. Narbett is a popular after-dinner speaker and is a leader in the Unity Center. She is an active club worker, a member of the Eastern Star, Daughters of the Nile, and is greatly interested in art and particularly in china painting. They have one son, Keith Oliver Narbett, age twenty-one, who is attending the University of California, studying architecture, which he decided to make his life's work.

Devoted as he is to his home life Mr. Narbett's strongest hobby is traveling; he delights in driving a car and travels about 20,000 miles a year. His advice to young men is to follow the Golden Rule, avoid snob- bishness, feel yourself worthy of the best and strive to attain it, create a borrowing power in financial circles, and a good moral standing; then use, but don't abuse them. Plunge when you know you are right, but keep a reserve in the bank and live so as to not be afraid of anything, par- ticularly work.

576

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY

IRWIN ROSE .- The able day foreman of the wire mill of the Columbia Steel Corporation, Irwin Rose, has had years of experience in the steel and wire industry in the United States, and has been a resident of California since 1916. He was employed at the E. H. Edwards wire plant in South San Francisco until August 1924, when he came to Pitts- burg and entered the employ of the Columbia Steel Corporation.

Born in Johnstown, Pa., on April 20, 1878, he is the son of James and Mary (Thomas) Rose, both now deceased. He attended the grammar and high schools in Johnstown, and his first employment after leaving school was at Braddock, Pa., with the Consolidated Steel and Iron Com- pany, now the American Steel and Wire Company. For several years he worked in various steel and iron mills in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois, and for four years he was in the employ of the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, at Pueblo, Colo. From the latter place he came to San Francisco and entered the employ of E. H. Edwards Company. In all of his moving about Mr. Rose has been a keen observer and has acquired a vast fund of information that he puts to good advantage in his work.

In 1914, in Denver, Colo., Mr. Rose was united in marriage with Miss Nettie Jenkins, a native of Kansas, although she grew up in Denver. The family home is in Antioch at 808 G Street, Mr. Rose going daily to and from his work in the steel mill. Politically, he is a Republican.

WILLIAM E. YOUNG .- The efficient justice of the peace at Port Costa, Contra Costa County, is William E. Young, who is also one of the pioneers of 1885, the year he landed in this county. He was born in County Cork, Ireland, on December 4, 1859, a son of William and Jane Young, who lived and died in Ireland, as did their parents before them. Our subject attended school until he was seventeen. Then he sailed from Hull, England, for California, and after a stormy voyage around Cape Horn landed in San Francisco. His first work was as a sailor before the mast on vessels plying up and down the coast out of San Francisco. He came to Port Costa, when that port was the principal grain-shipping point in the State, as an employee of a firm of stevedores, and became superin- tendent for Herriman and Mills. When they quit business to go to the Alaska gold fields in Nome, Mr. Young was engaged as superintendent for the San Francisco Stevedore Company, and continued in their employ until 1924. In 1889 he made a visit back to his home in Ireland, return- ing to Port Costa that same year.

In 1889 Mr. Young was united in marriage, in Ireland, with Miss Sarah Jackson, born in County Carlow, Ireland, and they have had five children. William J. is an employe of the Standard Oil Company in Richmond. He married Miss Amy Russell and has two children : Amy J. and William. Frank N. is working for Balfour-Guthrie in the grain busi- ness ; he volunteered his services during the World War. Jane is a grad- uate of the University of California and is now a teacher in the Horace Mann High School in San Francisco. Tennant died soon after his gradu-

577

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY

ation from the high school; and Adelaide is a student at the State Teach- ers' College in San Jose. In his political affiliations Mr. Young is a Demo- crat. In 1916 he was elected a justice of the peace in Port Costa. He served four years and succeeded himself at the election in 1920 and again in 1924. He is serving the public faithfully in that office, dispensing jus- tice as he sees it in cases that come before his court. He is looked upon as one of the old-timers of Port Costa and this section of Contra Costa County.

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.

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 59

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