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 70
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On November 4, 1903, Mr. Higgins married Miss Lillie Viola Gil- more, born in Mendocino County, the daughter of Emmett Gilmore, whose father, Hiram Gilmore, was an early pioneer of California and a pioneer dairyman and rancher in Mendocino County. Of this union two sons have been born: Archie, a graduate from the Richmond High School, Class of 1924 ; and Roy, a pupil in the high school. They were both born in Men- docino County. Mr. Higgins believes in progress and takes an active part in civic affairs as a member of the Chamber of Commerce and of the Builders' Exchange, of which he was elected president in 1924, and which has a membership of 100. He belongs to Richmond Lodge, No. 1251, B. P. O. E., and to Harbor Lodge No. 502, F. & A. M. He has seen the gradual growth of Richmond and vicinity, and is doing all in his power to foster the advancement of all industries that make for a better and bigger city. He belongs to the Lions Club and takes an active part in all its ac- tivities. Mr. Higgins has built up a lucrative business and a firm position in the commercial circles of his adopted city and county.
august Harder. Mro. Q. Harder
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AUGUST HARDER .- One of the prominent alfalfa growers of the Byron-Bethany Irrigation District in east Contra Costa County is August Harder, a native of California and the son of John and Lena (Peters) Harder, who were natives of Germany, in which country they were mar- ried before coming to America and settling at Banta, in the San Joaquin Velley. John Harder died when August was four years old and circum- stances were such that August was compelled, at an early age, to work on ranches, and when he grew older and stronger he was employed on the great stock ranch of Miller & Lux. Later he and his brother Paul en- gaged in farming and running a meat market, but the enterprise did not prove a financial success and was abandoned. Afterwards Mr. Harder secured work at the Sperry Flour Mills at Stockton, and later was em- ployed by the Southern Pacific Railway in San Francisco and Oakland, re- maining in and around the Bay Cities for about two years.
In 1900, at Stockton, August Harder was united in marriage with Mrs. Florence (Philhower) Johnson, widow of Alfred Johnson. By her first marriage she had two children: Ernest, who resides in Oakland, where he is an employee of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company; and Jessie, wife of Harold Woods, who is a partner with August Harder in raising alfalfa in the Byron-Bethany section. In addition to the twenty- five acre home place, they rent about eighty acres of the Peter Burdewick ranch, all of which is in alfalfa except the twenty-five-acre home place. For several years before coming to their present home place, Mr. Harder tried dry farming in the Marsh Creek district, but the canceling of his lease forced him to give it up. Since coming to the Byron-Bethany Irri- gation District he has won success in raising alfalfa, and as the result of his prosperity has built a home on the twenty-five-acre place. Mr. and Mrs. Harder are actively interested in fraternal circles, Mr. Harder being a member of Brentwood Lodge No. 345, F. & A. M .; the Scottish Rite Consistory at Oakland; and Aahmes Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., also at Oakland. He is Past Grand of Byron Lodge No. 355, I. O. O. F., at Byron; and both he and his wife are members of the Rebekahs and of the Maspha Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, at Brentwood. They en- joy their large circle of warm friendships in fraternal and social circles.
FRANK MARTENS .- One of the enterprising and successful busi- ness men of Martinez, Frank Martens has reached an assured position in life solely through his own efforts, for his career has been one of in- dustry and thrift, and through good management he has accumulated a competence while carrying on conservative business enterprises. He is a native of Holland, born on February 22, 1876, and learned the butcher's trade in his old home, for he comes of a family of butchers; both his father and grandfather before him were engaged in that same line of business, and he absorbed its rudiments with his early training.
As a young man, Mr. Martens was chief butcher on transatlantic liners, for the Red Star and the American Line of steamships. Later, he
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worked at his trade in New York City, and from there came to California in 1905 and worked as a butcher in San Francisco and Oakland. In 1916 he came to Martinez, and for a time operated the Washington Market. He now owns and operates the Martinez Market, in the Hotel Scott building. This market he has fitted with the latest equipment for an up- to-date meat market, and here he is carrying the best supplies obtainable and catering to a discriminating patronage. Having been in the business all his life, he has a thorough knowledge of "what is what" in the buying of and caring for meats, and this has made his success assured.
The marriage of Mr. Martens, occurring May 1, 1896, at Antwerp, Belgium, united him with Maria Creamer, a native of Germany, and one son, Ferdinand, has been born to them. With a firm belief in the growth and development of Martinez, Mr. Martens has wisely invested in the building of houses and apartments. He owns a number of residences in Martinez, and in 1923 erected the Martinez Apartments, a new and mod- ern apartment-house building, with the latest improvements and equip- ment, comprising eight apartments and being the only strictly modern apartment-house in the city. Fraternally, Mr. Martens is a member of Richmond Lodge No. 1251, B. P. O. E. A genial and well-liked man, his friends are many in Contra Costa County, as well as in his home city, where he is recognized as a supporter of all worthy projects for civic bet- terment and community upbuilding.
FOREST H. WRIGHT .- A prominent city official, who is also a pioneer of El Cerrito, is found in the person of Forest H. Wright, a na- tive son of the Golden State, born in Tehama County on June 21, 1873. His parents, Forest M. and. Harriet (Crouse) Wright, were both born and reared in Indiana, where Mr. Wright was engaged in railroading. He had the distinction of having piloted the first train over the Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne and Chicago Railroad as an engineer on the construction train. He served in the Civil War, after which he went with his family to Mus- catine County, Iowa, where he engaged in farming and also railroaded for a time. There were eight children in the family, three born in Iowa and five in California, to which State they migrated in 1871 to avoid the se- vere winters of the Middle West. They homesteaded a ranch in Tehama County, where the father made all the improvements and carried on gen- eral farming until his death in 1905, at the age of sixty-nine. The wife and mother died at Orland, Glenn County. Of their eight children, four are living, viz .: Anna, a trained nurse, who makes her home in El Cerrito; Forest H., of this review ; Mrs. J. H. Warmoth, of El Cerrito; and Mrs. W. P. Burroughs, of Oakland. Mr. Wright was an enterprising man and took an active interest in all that promoted the welfare of the people and the State.
Forest H. Wright attended the public schools in Tehama County and took a commercial course in Atkinson's Business College in Sacramento, entering that institution in 1892. After completing his course he returned
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to the home ranch and assisted his father for a time, and then engaged in ranching for himself in Tehama, and later in Glenn County, his ranch being located nine miles southwest from Orland.
In 1897, in Glenn County, Mr. Wright was united in marriage with Miss Nellie Apperson, born of pioneer parents in Colusa (now Glenn) County. Her father was a first cousin to Mrs. Phoebe A. Hearst. Of this happy union seven children have been born. Vaughn F., a chief petty officer in the medical corps of the United States Navy at Mare Island, is married and the father of two children, Beverly and Virginia. Otto H. is at home. Pearl, a graduate of the Richmond High School and the State Teachers' College in San Jose, is now teaching at Manteca, San Joaquin County. The others are Apperson, Harriet, Margaret and James, all born, reared and educated in this state. After ranching for several years in Glenn County, the family decided to come to Oakland and Mr. Wright disposed of his interests and moved there in 1906. For a while he fol- lowed teaming, as he had brought a fine team of draft horses from the ranch; then for seven years he was in the employ of a large creamery company. He then engaged in buying, delivering and selling milk and cream on his own account, and built up a good paying business. Soon after his removal to Oakland he came to the Tapscott tract in what is now El Cerrito, bought two lots and erected his home, and upon its com- pletion moved his family into it and traveled back and forth to his busi- ness every day. The family liked their surroundings, and in 1911 Mr. Wright began selling property for Mr. Tapscott. From 1911 to 1914 he was tract manager for him, and during that time located many families here. He has seen the locality gradually build up into a fine residential district, much of which he helped to accomplish, for he was employed as a builder in this section until 1924. That year he was appointed to the office of city marshal and tax collector, and he also holds the office of superintendent of streets; so his time is fully occupied. He takes a lively interest in the welfare of his home city, is a very efficient officer, and tries in every way to do his full duty. The improvement of the streets is a notable achievement. When he located in this section there were no paved streets and hardly any passable streets of any kind, and the street car line ran from Oakland to the county line and there was met by the East Shore Suburban, which carried passengers to Richmond. A believer in good schools, Mr. Wright served as a trustee of the Stege school for several years. Fraternally, he belongs to the Independent Order of For- esters, Court No. 1893, El Cerrito.
BIAGIO F. FERRARIO .- As the superintendent of the Port Costa Brick Works, near Port Costa, Biagio F. Ferrario is demonstrating his usefulness as a citizen of Contra Costa County, which has been the scene of his activity for many years. Twenty-one years ago he established the Port Costa Brick Works, made the first test bricks by hand himself, and personally tried out and tested the clay, thus demonstrating the value of
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such an enterprise to the county of his adoption. He was born in Oleggio, in the Province of Novara, Italy, on September 22, 1880, a son of John and Mary Ferrario, both of whom were born, lived and died in that province. In early life the father was a contractor and engaged in leveling land, building dams, highways, ditches, levees, etc .; but during the latter part of his life he was engaged in raising, buying and selling stock. There were three children in the family: Catherine, wife of Carlo Mossina, liv- ing in Italy, though three of her boys are working for the Port Costa Brick Works; Biagio F .; and Josephine, wife of Joseph Franchini, also residing in Italy.
B. F. Ferrario was reared in Italy and there went to the schools of his native province until he was fifteen years of age. Then he went to Basel, Switzerland, where he learned brick-making and bricklaying. re- maining for three years, and while there acquired a speaking knowledge of German. He then went to Alsace-Lorraine and worked for nearly a year making brick. Since he was a lad in school he had had an ambition to come to America. California had always seemed a land of wonder to him, and now he decided to see the land of his dreams. He visited his parents, and then embarked from Havre, and landed in New York on March 11, 1900, and immediately coming to San Rafael, Cal., arrived there on March 19. Three days later he had secured work at gardening but he soon got a job in the brick yard in that city and was there four years, becoming a foreman. In 1904 he came to Richmond, Cal., and found employment as assistant superintendent in a brick yard there; then with the superintendent he organized the Wilson-Lyon Brick Company of Richmond and carried on the business for fourteen months.
Mr. Ferrario came to Port Costa and organized the Port Costa Brick Works on April 17, 1905, and this establishment has been a de- cided success from the start. It was organized with a capital stock of $25,000, and now has many thousands of dollars in equipment and build- ings and employs forty-eight men in its different departments. It has a capacity of 60,000 bricks and from fifty to one hundred tons of building tile per day. The company holds 2700 acres under a twenty-five-year lease for clay privileges only. The business offices are at 808 Sharon Building, San Francisco. The company have the best of facilities for shipping, by rail over the Southern Pacific, which has a spur track and switch at the works, and also by boat from their own wharf on Carquinez Straits. The officers of this concern are: C. G. Berg, of San Francisco, president; John Beck, of Los Angeles, vice-president; and H. S. Hoyt of Berkeley, secretary and treasurer. Mr. Ferrario was one of the first to utilize electric power in Contra Costa County when he installed an eighty-five h. p. motor. He now uses 900 h. p. electric energy, besides coal and crude oil for burning brick in the kilns, using some 3000 tons of
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coal and 20,000 barrels or more of crude oil per annum. From a small beginning this company has grown with the passing of the years until it takes rank with the largest concerns of its kind in the State.
B. F. Ferrario was united in marriage in Martinez, on October 26, 1907, to Miss Pierina Mattachini, who was born in the same town in Italy as Mr. Ferrario, in which place they became acquainted. They have two children : Margaret Ellen, a graduate of the John Swett Union High School at Crockett, Class of 1926, and now a student at the University of California ; and Mary Elizabeth, attending the Union High School. Mr. Ferrario received his naturalization papers in Judge Latimer's court in Martinez on March 28, 1913, and votes with the Republicans. He is a man with an excellent memory and can speak and understand German, Italian, French and English, having acquired the latter since landing in this country in 1900. He believes in progress, helps in every way to make Contra Costa County the banner county in the State, and has a large circle of friends and business associates among whom his word is considered as good as his bond.
A. F. CHRISTIAN .- A native son of the county in which he lives and labors, A. F. Christian is descended from a pioneer family of the State and was born at Concord, Contra Costa County, on July 13, 1885. His parents, John B. and Caroline (Lewis) Christian, are still living at Concord. There were five sons born in their family. Grandfather Lewis was a sea captain for thirty-six years, during which time he was wrecked in the Indian Ocean, doubled Cape Horn many times, and came to California the first time in 1852. He finally settled in Concord in 1879. He was born in Long Island, N. Y.
A. F. Christian attended the public schools of Concord and grew up there until he was fifteen, when he went to Oakland and entered the employ of the Crane Company and for five years served them in various capacities, in the machine shops, in the sales department, and as price clerk, shipping clerk, and city salesman for Oakland. Leaving there with a great deal of practical experience, he worked for several firms until 1900, when he entered the employ of the California Construction Com- pany, and during 1901 and 1902 traveled over California erecting mining stamp mills and machinery of various kinds for his company until they failed. Hume & Bennett Lumber Company were his next employers, at Sanger; and he remained there until coming to Bay Point in 1912 to the C. A. Smith Lumber Company, as a millwright, the position he now holds. His work is exacting, but he is fortified with much practical experience and careful study in his line. For six years he took a course in Engineering and Machinery in the American Correspondence School of Chicago.
Mr. Christian was married in Martinez, in 1908, to Miss Lillian Chapman, daughter of George O. and Nancy Chapman, pioneers of Clayton, where Mrs. Christian was born and reared. They have become the parents of six children, viz .: Austin, Melvin, Helen, Tracy, Robert
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K., who died aged fifteen months, and Lloyd. Mr. Christian is a member of the Bay Point Odd Fellows Lodge No. 433, of which he is a Past Grand, having passed through the chairs twice; and he is a member of the Antioch Encampment, I. O. O. F. The family belong to the Con- gregational Church. They have a home in Berkeley, now leased, and reside in Bay Point. Mr. Christian and his family stand high in their social set in Contra Costa County, where they are well and favorably known.
OSCAR F. OLSSON .- Among the active men of the Danville sec- tion of Contra Costa County is Oscar F. Olsson, supervisor from the Second District and proprietor of one of the best-equipped modern garages in this section. A splendid line of accessories is carried in stock, includ- ing tires. Auto repairs for all makes of machines are given particular at- tention. The equipment includes a recharging outfit, lathe machine, weld- ing tools, and such devices as are needed for capable work. This garage is also distributing agent for the Nash automobile. Mr. Olsson is en- thusiastic, as are all other residents of the Danville district, for the build- ing of the highway along the south base line of Mount Diablo, that will es- tablish a circuit of this great mountain sentinel, and bring into this section thousands of motoring tourists. He has ever been a booster for the building of good roads.
Oscar F. Olsson was born in Sweden, on August 19, 1882, the oldest in a family of three boys and three girls born to Andrew and Caroline (Anderson) Olsson. The father was a blacksmith by trade but after the family came to California he went into the garage business with our subject. Edwin, the youngest of the family, is also associated with our subject; Ruben lives in San Francisco; Astrid, now Mrs. Lawrence Hum- burg, resides in Alamo; Josephine runs a dressmaking parlor in Ber- keley; and Ella is a school nurse in the Health Department in Oakland. The father passed away in November, 1921; the mother makes her home in Danville.
On July 22, 1916, Mr. Olsson was married to Miss Ella Boucher, of Alamo, a daughter of Josiah Boucher, a rancher in the Alamo section. Mrs. Olsson is a graduate of the San Francisco Normal School and was engaged in teaching at the time of her marriage. Four sons have been born of this union: David Edwin, Robert Frederick, John Westley, and James Russell.
Mr. Olsson came into the Danville country in 1917 from San Ramon, where he had been engaged in the blacksmith trade with his father. He at once took an interest in public matters and worked for progressive de- velopments; he was constable of the Fourth Township for eight years, resigning to devote his time to his growing garage interests. The splendid record Mr. Olsson made as constable served to endear him to the people, and the demand became insistent that he make the race for supervisor of the Second District. Mr. Olsson had been appointed by Governor
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Richardson to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Supervisor J. P. Casey; and he was elected to the office at the regular election in Novem- ber, 1924, and is now serving on the hospital committee of the board. After assuming the duties of supervisor of his district, Mr. Olsson put through a road building project that had been talked of for twenty years. During 1924-1925 he built the road over Moore Hill through Crow Can- yon, giving an excellent highway with a five-per-cent grade over into Ala- meda County, practically paralleling the Tunnel Road and thus giving an outlet for the people of the southern end of the county. It is considered a fine piece of engineering and road work, and cost about $17,000; and Alameda County will spend $75,000 to complete it on their side of the line. This is one of the outstanding accomplishments of Mr. Olsson's work as a member of the board of supervisors.
Fraternally, Mr. Olsson is a member of Alamo Lodge, Masons, of which he is a Past Master; and belongs to the Richmond Elks, No. 1251; the Woodmen of the World; the U. P. E. C .; the Eastern Star; and the Foresters of America. Locally he is an active member of the Danville Chamber of Commerce. Mrs. Olsson is a member and officer in the Eastern Star Chapter. The Olsson family go to the same camp in the mountains every year, where they enjoy hunting and fishing.
KIRK ELSWORTH GRAY .- A resident of California since 1874 and of Contra Costa County since 1911, Kirk Elsworth Gray has seen much of the development of the northern part of the State since reaching manhood's estate. He was born in Stark County, Ill., on May 6, 1873, and was brought to California by his mother and grandfather, Henry Beck, who settled at Fall River. His father had died when the subject of this sketch was a babe. From Fall River they went to Yreka, and lat- er the lad attended the public school at Dunnigan, Yolo County, for four years. His mother died when he was about ten years old, and from that time to the present he has shifted for himself. He grew up to ranch work and was handy with horses at the age of ten, even driving plow teams at that early age. When a lad of fifteen he left the ranch and started to learn the carpenter's trade, which he followed for some time. However, at the age of nineteen he went back to ranching on his own hook and con- trolled 1800 acres in Siskiyou County, where he raised stock and also bought and shipped large numbers of cattle to the San Francisco and Oakland markets. Four years of this experience and he quit, "broke," and then went to Redding and worked in a mercantile store three years to get back on his feet. Two years were spent in road building as a sub- contractor in Idaho, when he built the road from Boise City to Atlanta. While in that section he experienced many of the pioneer difficulties and found the country very primitive. He then went to Ely, Nev., in 1907, and followed the building business, going thence to Eureka, Nev., and continuing at his trade for about a year. In 1908 he came back to Cali- fornia, located at Vallejo, and contracted there for three years until things
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got pretty dull in his line. In 1911 he located on the tract now embraced in El Cerrito and was engaged for two weeks to work for the Standard Oil Company at Point Richmond. He is still there, and for years has been carpenter foreman; and much of the development of that immense plant has been done under the direction of Mr. Gray. In 1908 he had purchased a lot, and soon after erected a shanty in which he lived on the site of his present home. In 1911 he completed his residence and moved his family into it.
In 1907 Mr. Gray was united in marriage with Miss Cordelia Neel, the ceremony taking place in Boise City. Mrs. Gray is a native of Idaho, and comes of a pioneer family. They have a son, Gerald Kirk Gray, who graduated from the Richmond High School and is now employed in Oak- land. Mr. Gray tells of the fine hunting he enjoyed, while engaged in his building operations for the Standard Oil Company, in the tules. Wild ducks and geese were plentiful and easily secured. At the time he came here the old street car line ran from the Point to the county line, and the Oakland cars stopped there. Ever since locating here he has been inter- ested in having the community grow and has fostered every movement tending to that end. In 1917 a meeting was called to try to establish a lighting district; but upon examination it was found to be too expensive and the meeting virtually turned into one for the incorporation of a city, and resulted in the incorporation of El Cerrito. He was presiding as chairman of that meeting. When the city was incorporated, then he ear- nestly worked for lights, good streets, and such improvements as are es- sential to life in a modern city. At the first election Mr. Gray was elect- ed a trustee and chosen chairman of the board, or mayor. In 1918 he was succeeded by P. A. Lee, but with the exception of two years since 1917 he has served the city as councilman. He owns his home property and a lot on Elm Street, thus giving him a strip clear through the block. Politically he is a Democrat in national affairs, but in local matters he considers men and measures rather than party. Fraternally he belongs to the Knights of Pythias of Richmond. He finds his recreation in camping, hunting and fishing. He believes there is a great future in store for this section of Contra Costa County and is always working to benefit the community.
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