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 86
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William Hammond was a lad of eight years when he came to Cali- fornia. He attended the public school in Santa Clara and at the age of fifteen was apprenticed to learn the carriage-painting trade. After com- pleting his apprenticeship he returned to Michigan and worked at his trade until 1892.
At Jackson, Mich., on April 25, 1889, Mr. Hammond was married to Miss Berta Landon, born near Rochester, N. Y., a daughter of Daniel Landon. In 1892 Mr. Hammond returned to California with his wife and daughter and settled in San Jose, where he was employed by the Santa Clara County Fruit Exchange as bookkeeper and general office man, remaining with them for thirteen years. In 1906 the family removed to Berkeley to give the daughter the advantage of a university education. In 1912 Mr. and Mrs. Hammond came to Contra Costa County and bought their present home place of ten acres, which is set to almonds. They re- built the house and barn, erected eight S-pen poultry houses, incubator and brooder houses, etc., and now run from 1200 to 2000 pure-bred Rhode Island Reds. They have made a distinct success of their business; one cafeteria in Oakland takes all their dressed poultry, eggs and almonds.
Mr. and Mrs. Hammond have two children. Mrs. Sarah H. Kelley is in business in Santa Rosa; she has two children, Marion and Peter. William Landon is a rancher near Knightsen. He served in the 103rd
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Ammunition Corps, 28th Division, during the World War, spending one year in France in active duty, and was honorably discharged in San Francisco in 1919. He also is married.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Hammond take a lively interest in all community work, Mr. Hammond serving as secretary of the Lone Tree Farm Center, while Mrs. Hammond is doing volunteer work in teaching sewing to the girls of the Brentwood Grammar School. They are both members of the Brentwood Methodist Episcopal Church.
SAM HILL .- Among the native sons of California, and since 1920' a resident in Contra Costa County, the name of Sam Hill stands promin- ent as that of a man who has rendered inestimable service toward the up- building and advancement of the community in which he makes his home. He is a man of good business principles, broad-minded and liberal, well versed on all current subjects, and enjoys to an exceptional degree the good will and appreciation of all who know him. As editor and publisher of the Brentwood News, a weekly paper which has a large circulation, he is giving to the community the most necessary adjunct toward growth and prosperity. He has had forty years experience in newspaper work and in all things he is progressive ; his job and newspaper presses are the most modern obtainable, both electrically driven, and all the work he turns out is first class in every particular. In 1926 he put in a modern Mergenthaler Linotype Model No. 5 to add to his equipment.
Sam Hill was born at Downieville, Cal., January 27, 1876, a son of Harvey D. and Tryphena C. (Hall) Hill. Harvey D. Hill, Sr., was born in New Hampshire and was four years old when he was brought to Cali- fornia by his parents Samuel D. and Elizabeth (Giddings) Hill, natives of Vermont and England, respectively. Grandmother Hill was descended from the Peabody family of England and lived to be eighty-six years old; while grandfather Hill was eighty-four years old when he died. H. D. Hill, the father of our subject, followed mining at Downieville, then he became a telegraph operator, and for a time was publisher of a news- paper. He removed to Vallejo and became one of the head men in the Government's store, having charge of the refining of silver and other metals for the Government. He passed away in Vallejo on February 11, 1923, aged seventy-four years. Sam is the fourth child in a family of five children ; Harvey D. Jr., lives in Dunsmuir ; Charles A., conducts a battery shop in San Francisco; John C., resides in Vallejo; Sam; and May is now the wife of Harold McNeill, an electrician in Vallejo. The mother of this family makes her home with her son John C. Hill in Vallejo and she has reached the age of seventy-three years.
The schooling of Sam Hill was limited, for he was only ten years old when he entered upon his first position in a newspaper office as messenger boy in the office of the Mountain Messenger in Downieville, and was there for seven years. He was seventeen years old when he took charge of a newspaper in Sierraville, but disposed of it in a short time and went
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to Siskiyou County and worked on a paper at Etna Mills. Then he went to Sacramento and found employment in the State Printing Office. From Sacramento he went to Sisson, now called Shasta, and there he bought the Sisson Mirror, which he operated for the next eight years or until a de- structive fire interrupted his operations and he removed to Dunsmuir. There he owned and operated the Dunsmuir News for fourteen and a half years when he sold out and went to Vallejo. For a time he worked on the Vallejo Chronicle, then went to Berkeley and bought a half inter- est in a job printing office, but remained there but a short time when he went to Antioch and worked on the Antioch Tribune for five months. In 1920 he purchased the Brentwood News and he has been successful in its operation ever since.
Sam Hill was first married to Miss Annie A. Beard on July 3, 1898. She was the daughter of Judge J. S. Beard, for eighteen years superior judge of Siskiyou County. To them were born four children: the first were twins who died at birth; Winona E. is now Mrs. Lorenz Inman of Oakland; and John S. is associated with his father on the Brentwood News and is in his last year in high school. Mrs. Hill passed away on June 2, 1922. Mr. Hill was married the second time on April 4, 1924, to Miss Edna Heidorn, a sister of Judge Heidorn of Knightsen. Mrs. Hill is a graduate of the State Teachers' College at San Jose. She was prin- cipal of the Knightsen school for seven years prior to her marriage, and is still teaching. She is attracting attention as a newspaper writer of con- siderable ability. Mr. Hill is prominent in fraternal circles, being a mem- ber of ,Brentwood Lodge No. 345, F. & A. M .; Byron Lodge No. 335, I. O. O. F., and Pyramid No. 24, Sciots at Antioch. Mr. and Mrs. Hill are members of Maspha Chapter No. 198, O. E. S., of Brentwood, of which Mrs. Hill is Past Matron; they also belong to the Florence Knight Rebekah Lodge No. 264 of Byron. Mr. Hill is an adherent of the Episcopalian faith and in politics is a Republican.
MOTT C. PRESTON .- A well-educated man and a worthy son of his father, Mott C. Preston is following the even tenor of his way and gradually working his way to a position of influence in his home com- munity. He was born July 16, 1882, on a ranch owned by his father in eastern Contra Costa County and grew up to farm work. His father furnished the land, four acres, for the Union Cemetery, one of the oldest cemeteries in this section of the county. Mott C. attended the Excelsior school in his home district and a business college in Stockton. Returning to the home ranch, he engaged in ranching with his father. With the passing of time he has accumulated considerable farming property, which is devoted to alfalfa and almonds. In 1910 he had forty acres in alfalfa, which he let mature for the seed and when threshed it yielded fourteen tons. This was the first alfalfa seed raised for commercial purposes in this district. Mr. Preston was led to attempt this undertaking from the results obtained in 1909, when he let half an acre go to seed and threshed
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out 1000 pounds with a flail. He now leases his land to tenants and is devoting his attention to the duties of road overseer of the Brentwood District, the Fifth Supervisoral district of the county, which position he has filled since 1922 with credit to himself and satisfaction of those who gave him the appointment. Together with his present work he farms fifty-five acres belonging to Mrs. Preston, a part of the old Shafer holdings in Knightsen Precinct, which is devoted to seed production. He owns the old Preston place of 133 acres, and also 137 acres which he bought from Peter Burdewick.
On October 12, 1904, Mott C. Preston married Miss Winifred Shafer, daughter of an old pioneer family of this county. Her mother, Elizabeth Shafer, is mentioned on another page of this work. Mr. Preston was a hard worker for the Byron-Bethany Irrigation project and was employed in the office of the company as assessor, tax collector and treasurer for four years. He is a member of the Odd Fellows and Native Sons of the Golden West, and with Mrs. Preston belongs to the Rebekahs, all in Byron. Both are highly respected and have a wide circle of friends.
ARTHUR ALBERT HUGHES .- One of the prosperous merchants of Richmond is Arthur Albert Hughes, whose grocery store is located at No. 1094 Twenty-third Street. He was born in Humboldt, Nebr., on July 3, 1889, the son of Arthur Albert and Jennie (Fritz ) Hughes, natives of Lexington, Ky., and Ohio, respectively. The father was a photographer. The Hughes children were : Faye, who married Dr. Seids and had one child; Arthur A .; Walter and Donald. Our subject at- tended the public schools in Oklahoma and then took a three-years course in engineering at the University of Missouri at Columbia. His first work upon leaving college was in a cyanide plant in Arizona, at the same time that he was continuing his studies. His next position was with the Standard Oil Company at Richmond, Cal., in the refining department, and he remained with the company from 1913 until 1923, when he resigned to engage in his present grocery business. The change was very agreeable to him and he has been steadily building up a good trade. He gives employment to two people and runs a delivery truck to Giant, San Pablo and the surrounding territory. He belongs to the Merchants Association and politically registers as a Democrat.
In August, 1917, Mr. Hughes entered the service of the United States with the 91st Division, 363rd Infantry, went over seas, and saw active duty in France with his Division, which distinguished itself in action. He participated in the battles of St. Mihiel, Argonne, Flanders, Ypres and Lys. He was honorably discharged in April 1919. Mr. Hughes says he "would not have missed the war experience, but does not think he would want to repeat it."
On March 14, 1925, Mr. Hughes married Mrs. Marie (Westdin) Moore, a native daughter, born at Arcata, Cal. She has one brother, Theodore Westdin, of Richmond. A sister Tillie, who married Herbert
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Brown, a prominent real estate dealer of Richmond and who opened the Brown-Andrade tract, was associated with her husband until his death in May, 1919. She continued her interest in business affairs until she died on December 22, 1925. Mrs. Hughes' mother is living in Richmond. By the marriage with Joseph Moore three children were born: Barbara, Joseph and James. Mrs. Hughes takes a live interest in civic affairs and has a wide circle of friends in Richmond. Mr. Hughes is a Mason and a Shriner, and belongs to the Elks. He is fond of athletics and automobiling.
HENRY W. HEIDORN .- One of the prominent merchants and fruit growers in the Knightsen Precinct is Henry W. Heidorn, who has a general merchandise store in Knightsen, catering to a trade extending all over his district, and also owns and manages a fifty-acre fruit ranch, and is a one-third owner in 240 acres under development, besides being a stock- holder in three banks in eastern Contra Costa County.
Henry W. Heidorn was born in Contra Costa County on July 16, 1876, a son of Christopher Heidorn, a native of Germany, who came to America when a young man and settled on the Alfred Ranch near Knight- sen. Three years later he bought 240 acres and began general farming on it, and set out several acres to fruits of various kinds. He was active up to the time of his death, on November 21, 1906, and the success to which he attained was won through his own unaided efforts. He was highly esteemed as an honest and upright man and willingly gave a helping hand to all those less fortunate than himself.
Henry W. Heidorn attended the public schools and grew to manhood on the farm. He supplemented his public-school education with a course in a business college in San Francisco, and then entered a general merchandise store in that city. From there he went to Crockett where he was one of the pioneer merchants, and later to Antioch. In January, 1904, he opened his store at Knightsen; and here has built up a flourishing busi- ness and holds the respect and confidence of all who know him. No project has been put before Mr. Heidorn for the benefit of the community in general without receiving his cooperation. He favors good schools and served as a school trustee for many years. He also served as a deputy county assessor for the Fifth District. He is an active Republican and has been a delegate to many county and State conventions of his party, and served as a member of the County Central Committee of Contra Costa County. Mr. Heidorn has served as justice of the peace for the past eight years. He was formerly postmaster at Knightsen and was one of the leading spirits in organizing the Knightsen Irrigation District. He is still a member of its board, and is also a director in the Eastern Contra Costa County Irrigation District.
Henry W. Heidorn was married on September 27, 1905, to Miss Helen Sutherland Johnston, born in San Francisco, a daughter of James and Helen C. Johnston. James Johnston was a prominent contractor in
Frank Ketelhut
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San Francisco and died in 1910. Mrs. Heidorn served as postmaster of Knightsen for several years and was filling that office at the time of her death, on January 4, 1926. She had a large circle of friends who miss her wise counsel and companionship. Mr. Heidorn succeeded his wife as postmaster, resigning as justice of the peace. Mr. Heidorn has met with a justifiable degree of success and stands out as a leader in eastern Contra Costa County, where he has done so much to bring it to its present state of productiveness.
FRANK KETELHUT .- The remarkably successful career of Frank Ketelhut, proprietor of Ketelhut Bakery at 1228 Macdonald Avenue, Richmond, is an example of what may be accomplished by a man who makes a specialty of one trade or occupation when his efforts are char- acterized by strict economy and courteous and conscientious dealings with the public, coupled with judicious management of his financial affairs.
Frank Ketelhut was born at Putzig, Germany, on December 24, 1860, a son of Frederick and Dorothea Ketelhut, whose family consisted of three children. The father was a master baker and miller by trade. After Frank had finished his schooling and apprenticeship, at the age of seven- teen he left home to make his own way in the world and went to Hamburg, Germany, to perfect his trade. After six months he went to London and secured a position as a baker, working eighteen hours a day for seven shillings ($1.75) per week, and boarding himself. But he soon secured a place at fifteen shillings per week, and at the end of six weeks was getting as much pay as a London "Bobbie," thirty shillings, and was foreman of the shop. After three years spent as a baker he decided that he wanted to learn the butcher's trade and worked at that trade for a time.
Wanting to see something of the world, he then concluded to go to sea and secured a position as assistant steward on the S. S. Mona, in the wine trade. In this position he visited the various ports on the Mediterranean Sea and during his first trip the steward died and Mr. Ketelhut was pro- moted to the position of steward, and upon his return received his papers as a full-fledged steward. His next position was as steward on the S. S. Tossa, of the Red Star Line, plying between Antwerp and South American ports under the Spanish flag. His great ambition was to gain knowledge, and these various positions gave him the opportunity, and the experience gained through them has been of great value in his later life. He had' always had a desire to visit San Francisco, and when the opportunity came he took a position as cook on a sailing vessel and came around Cape Horn from London, the trip consuming 124 days, and arrived in that city in 1890. Securing a position as a baker, after three months he was made foreman of the largest bakery in San Francisco. From there he went to Bakersfield and remained four years, during which time he operated a bakery and bought and located oil properties and oil wells. At one time he was worth a quarter million dollars, of which he says he was robbed by his good friends, whom he had left in charge while on a business and
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prospecting trip to Alaska, they having entered into a conspiracy not to do the assessment work required and then jump his claims. They in turn were robbed by one of their co-conspirators who jumped the claims in his own name and sold them to the Monte Cristo Oil Company for $250,000 and failed to divide the money with the others. While he was in Alaska, Mr. Ketelhut went through all the hardships of the early propector and found no gold, but did find oil seepages more than a mile in width, but too far inland to be of any commercial value, for the cost of getting oil to market would be so great that it could not be handled at a profit. He be- lieves that some day, when Alaska is developed, there will be enough oil there to supply the world for a long time. He also found great ledges of native copper. He further believes there is a great future for Alaska, but says he would not go through the hardships again for all the gold in the world and wants to give some good advice to his fellow men: "Keep your hands off the mining game, both mining and mining stocks, unless you are an experienced miner, for it is the most hazardous of all business ven- tures." Upon his return from Alaska he soon discovered the situation he had been placed in by his supposed friends, and he then went to Tonopah, Nev., where he lived for the following twelve years. During this time he ran a chain of three hotels and earned the reputation of being the best friend of the prospector, for he never turned a man from his doors be- cause of his lack of funds. Any man's credit was good for ten days' board and room, with the understanding, "Pay if you are lucky and make a strike." This made the Ketelhut hotels popular, and they seldom failed to come back and pay ; even if they did not strike ore they usually secured a job and paid their benefactor what they owed him. When the World War came on, no powder or steel came for mining purposes and the miners left for the high war wages then being offered. So the hotel properties became worthless and Mr. Ketelhut was compelled to close out at a heavy loss. In addition to running his chain of hotels he was a heavy operator in mining, and because of his experience he was able to obtain some of the richest properties in Nevada, but through getting mixed up with pro- moters and corporations, and later through lawsuits, he lost control of his interests.
In 1917 Frank Ketelhut arrived in Richmond and started a small bake shop with an investment of about $200. The products of this bakery were so well liked by the patrons that his business grew. rapidly, and that growth has continued to this day. As his business grew he kept adding to his equipment every modern device used in all first-class bakeries, until to- day he has one of the most complete and modern plants to be found in the Bay region. His display of bakery goods is complete and the capacity of the machinery is 40,000 loaves of bread daily. He employs ten people in his business and uses two motor trucks to accommodate the Richmond trade. He still adheres to his plans made in Nevada and never turns a person away from his store in want.
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Like most successful men, Mr. Ketelhut has met with misfortunes, but with unbounded confidence in his own ability, and with untiring energy, he is overcoming all obstacles; and after losing two fortunes, at sixty-six years of age he has won an enviable position among the business men of Richmond and a gratifying financial independence for himself. He be- lieves in progress and shows his public spirit at every opportunity. Dur- ing the Santa Fe strike he gave away 150 loaves of bread daily to the families of the strikers for about eight months, and he is always willing to lend a helping hand.
On June 27, 1905, Frank Ketelhut was united in marriage with Miss Louise Gill, a native daughter of San Francisco; and this union has been blessed with two children : Albert Frank, a graduate of the Richmond High School, who is now learning the contracting business, and Edith Louise, a student in the high school, who is planning a business career. Mr. Ketel- hut has always been an enthusiastic booster for Richmond, and thoroughly believes in the city's future; and he has been an active member of the Chamber of Commerce, the Merchants' Association, the Kiwanis Club, and the Sons of Herman.
CLIFFORD T. FALLON .- A worthy representative of the enter- prising and progressive upbuilders of Richmond and vicinity is found in Clifford T. Fallon, a native son who has been most helpful towards the permanent development of Contra Costa County. He was born on a ranch about six miles from what is now Richmond, on June 15, 1886, a son of Thomas J. and Hannah (Clancy) Fallon, the former born in Cali- fornia and the latter born in New York but brought to California by her parents, Daniel and Mary Clancy, when she was four years of age. In 1859 her father arrived in California via Panama, soon after send- ing for his family. Thomas J. Fallon became the owner of two ranches, one in Wildcat Creek section and the other on San Pablo Creek. His last days were spent in Stege, where he died in 1902, aged about forty-eight; Mrs. Fallon died in 1922, aged about sixty-five. Grandfather Patrick Fal- lon was a California pioneer, having crossed the plains about 1850, with an ox-team train. He mined in the early days, then came to Contra Costa County and bought a ranch and farmed till his death. There were three children in the family of Thomas J. and Hannah Fallon, Clifford T., Harold F., and Mrs. Ida Christian, all now living in this vicinity.
Clifford T. Fallon received his education in the public schools of Berkeley and Contra Costa County, and four years later took a special course at the University of California. He was anxious to get into some business on his own account and chose that of general contractor. He began in 1910 and gradually built up a good business in copartnership with his brother Harold F. Being energetic young men they soon had a large volume of business, employing at times as high as 100 men. While they have done some railroad construction work, and work for the city of Richmond and also for the county supervisors, they have specialized in
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tract work, taking the contract to prepare the land for subdivision, from the engineering department to curbs, streets, sewers, water mains and side- walks. Among tracts for which they have contracted, are: Cole- man-Pullman, Coleman Park, Union, Pullman Park; Spaulding-Richmond- Pullman and Richmond-Pullman Home tracts, lying along Macdonald Avenue to San Pablo Avenue; Overland, Industrial Center, Syndicate Business Blocks, Syndicate, Inner Harbor Business Blocks and Keystone Business Blocks tracts, all in Richmond and vicinity. He owns his own equipment and shop and lives on Cypress Avenue in the Stege district.
On May 8, 1911, Clifford T. Fallon was united in marriage with Miss Doris J. Schmidt, daughter of Andrew and Katherine (Cook) Schmidt, both born in Germany. Andrew Schmidt was a landscape gardener and was educated along that line in Germany and became an expert. He was in the employ of the Park Department of the City of Oakland for many years and died in that city in 1913. Mr. and Mrs. Fallon have a son Clifford T. Jr., born on February 8, 1912, and now attending the Rich- mond Union High school. Mrs. Fallon has a sister, Mrs. Hourtane, in Berkeley, and a brother, William Schmidt, in Antioch. Mr. Fallon has always done his duty as a citizen and served as a roadmaster for his dis- trict for some time ; he was the United States Census Bureau agent for the Stege district in 1910. Fraternally he is a member of Richmond Lodge No. 1251, B. P. O. E.
ELMER CHRISTENSEN .- As a one-hundred per cent American citizen Elmer Christensen is doing his duty as he sees it and is making a name and place for himself in western Contra Costa County. His home, one of the first houses to be erected in the Richmond Annex, is situated at No. 125 Panama Street. Mr. Christensen enters heartily into all movements for the development of his section and favors progress along every line of endeavor. He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, on October 27, 1875, and educated in the public schools and confirmed when he was fourteen. His parents dying when he was small he began to make his own way at an early age and we find him in Shelby County, Iowa, working on a farm soon after leaving school and his native land. From the farm he went to Omaha, Nebr., and served an apprenticeship to learn the cooper's trade, after which he followed it as a journeyman in Omaha and began to save money.
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