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 95
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Carl F. Ruff attended the schools of his native land and worked at various occupations until he was twenty-two; then, in 1894, he decided to seek a home and a fortune in the New World. Coming to California, he went to San Jose and for five years was employed in a brewery, then came to Pinole and found work as an acid maker at the Hercules Powder Works and was there six years. He met with an accident, which resulted in total blindness, but this did not discourage him for he knew he could still make a living. He started in business in a store ten by twelve feet in size and with the aid of his wife and children he began to build up a trade in the general merchandise business; in time he was able to erect his own brick building, the first one in the town, and he now has the leading grocery and confectionery store in Pinole. When he built his building many people in town considered Mr. Ruff very foolish to build such a large building; but he knew what he was doing and realized there was a future in store for this section of the country and his faith in local
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conditions has been amply rewarded. In 1912 the switchboard of the telephone company was installed in his store with twenty phones, since then it has increased to 160 and is still gaining ground. From one small board there are now two large switchboards.
In 1896 Mr. Ruff was united in marriage with Miss Anna Maria Widemann, who came from Germany to marry him and who was the sweetheart of his youth. They have had the following children: Kath- erine, at home; Maria, Mrs. Arthur Noyes; Barbara, Mrs. Bert Hock; Carl, of Pinole, and one of the town trustees. They also reared a nephew, who is employed in the store. Mr. Ruff has one hobby that is near to his heart and that is his 640-acre ranch in the mountains, which is stocked with cattle. This has been developed under his direction. He is a vigorous man and has a very cheerful disposition. He makes his way about town alone and enjoys the company of his friends. He is liked by all who know him.
CHARLES H. KELLER .- Of the many successful stockmen of Contra Costa County, Charles H. Keller may be reckoned among the foremost. He is the owner of three large cattle ranches, and of the home ranch, appropriately named "Casa del Sierra," one of the finest country homes to be found in the entire county. This ranch, purchased by Mr. Keller in 1910, was improved in 1912 by the erection of a luxuri- ous and magnificent home, large barns, and cattle yards. The home is surrounded by beautiful rolling lawns, with flowers, shrubbery and trees, making it one of the show places in the county.
Mr. Keller is a member of one of the oldest pioneer families of this section of the State. His father, J. Henry Keller, was born in New Albany, Floyd County, Ind., on July 2, 1843, the son of John and Cath- erine (Graff) Keller, who were natives of Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany. John Keller was one of those hardy pioneers who crossed the plains with ox-teams in 1849. He was possessed of some capital and erected a canvas hotel on Front Street. The hotel was 30 by 60 feet in dimen- sions and was fitted up with bunks, four tiers high, which rented at one dollar each per day. One dollar was the price of a pie, and the same was charged for eggs; fifty cents was the price of a glass of liquor. In 1851, acting upon the advice of John Sutter of Sutter's Fort, John Kel- ler engaged in raising vegetables. He died in 1882 at the age of forty years. J. Henry Keller, the second child in his family, was eleven years old at the time of his father's death, and he began helping his mother at that tender age. He rode and exercised race horses, and herded cattle for some of the pioneers of Yuba County; later he rode and won many races, being the rider of Peanut, Red Cloud, Colusa Sam, Patti and other famous horses of that day, altogether spending six years as a rider. In 1863 he was appointed to the responsible position of delivery clerk for Wells-Fargo Express Company, a post he held for six years with a record of great fidelity to his trusts. He removed to Concord, Contra
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Costa County, where he engaged in ranching for a year, after which he embarked in the butcher business. He was married on May 24, 1864, to Celesta A. Collins, of Jamestown, Wis., and they became the parents of four sons and five daughters.
Charles H. Keller was born on the old Keller ranch above Clayton in 1875. His education was received in the public schools of Clayton and Concord. For many years he followed his father's occupation as a butcher. He has bought and sold many thousand head of cattle, buying in Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming and Utah. For many years he has been one of the outstanding figures among the cattle men of the West.
R. E. CHILD .- One of California's native sons, R. E. Child was born at San Francisco on December 26, 1879, a son of the late Benjamin Wainwright Child, a civil engineer well-known in San Francisco and the San Joaquin Valley, where he was chief irrigation engineer for the Tur- lock Irrigation District during its pioneer days. Benjamin W. Child was a native of Michigan and was married in Honolulu to Miss Susan Helen Bovee, born in San Francisco, a daughter of James Samuel Bovee, who came to San Francisco from New York in 1850. Mr. Bovee was a miner by occupation and in early days acted as a member of the famous Vigil- ance Committee, in 1851 and 1856. Benjamin W. Child passed away at Turlock in 1922, aged sixty-nine years.
R. E. Child was reared in San Francisco and there attended the public schools and private preparatory schools. Under his father's able direc- tion he began his preparatory work in civil engineering. His young man- hood was spent in preparation for his life work, and step by step through the years he has been building up a successful career in his chosen field of endeavor. His war record is also of great interest, as he served in the Spanish-American War in Cuba and the Philippines, and also during the Boxer insurrection in China, and in the World War. At the beginning of the Spanish-American War he enlisted in the United States Navy as a seaman and began his service on the U. S. S. Mayflower, later being trans- ferred to the U. S. S. Newark. Before returning to civil life he went to the Philippine Islands, and also saw service in China. In 1901 he was honorably discharged at Washington, D. C., and immediately returned to his home in San Francisco, where he again resumed his work as a civil engineer. In conjunction with his father, he worked on the Turlock irri- gation system. Later, in Glenn County, Cal., he was engineer for the construction of the Central Canal. He was then solicited to become a member of the engineering department for the Spring Valley Water Com- pany in San Francisco, and was chief assistant to Herman Schussler for nine years.
At the beginning of the World War Mr. Child enlisted as a captain of engineers, in August, 1917, and received his commission as a major. On January 9, 1918, he went over seas in command of the 523rd, 4th and 27
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5th Engineers. Later he was stationed at the First Army European Headquarters in France, and then he was placed in command of the 4th Engineers, which served at St. Mihiel and in the Argonne. Following this he was assigned to the Second Army Headquarters at Toul, France. During May, 1919, he returned to the United States and assumed com- mand of the 114th Engineers. On June 9, 1919, he received his honor- able discharge, after which he served as hydraulic engineer with the Cali- fornia Railway Commission for seven months and then returned to pri- vate practice, taking up construction work for the Oregon and California Power Company at Keno, in southern Oregon. After the completion of this important work, he became superintendent of construction on the Snow Mountain dam, and from there went to Corcoran, Cal., as civil engineer on construction of irrigation canals. Then he returned again to San Francisco, where he conducted an office for a year and a half, meantime building the second section of the Skyline Boulevard below San Francisco. In 1924 he located in Pittsburg, first as superintendent for the Pittsburg Construction Company; but now he has a well established real estate and insurance business, which shows a decided increase month by month. His office is located at 186 East 4th Street.
Mr. Child was married at San Francisco, on April 18, 1907, to Miss Christine Engle Foster, also a native of the Bay City; and they have one daughter, Helen Engle. Mr. Child is a member of the David A. Solari Post, American Legion, at Pittsburg; the Chamber of Commerce; and the Lions Club. He is also a member on the advisory staff of General Leg- gett, of the Association of the Army of the United States, and a member of the Society of American Military Engineers.
EDWARD M. DOWNER .- One of the most prominent men in banking circles in Contra Costa County, and in fact throughout the East Bay region, is Edward M. Downer, president of the Bank of Pinole and of the Mechanics Bank of Richmond, and vice-president of the First National Bank of Richmond. Other financial interests claim his attention; and he is president of the Pinole Electric Light & Power Company, and many other companies number him among their stock- holders and directors.
Edward M. Downer is a native son of California, born in Yuba County on April 28, 1869. His father was James Edward Downer, a native of New York who crossed the plains and engaged in mining in California in the days of the gold rush. He lived to reach the age of fifty-six. Edward M. Downer was educated in the schools of Nevada City and began his business career as a telegraph operator with the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. On February 1, 1890, he became station agent at Pinole, and served as postmaster also. In that same year he established the Pinole Times, the first and only paper printed in the town. On October 25, 1905, he was the means of the organizing of the Bank of Pinole with a capital stock of $25,000. J. Bermingham, Jr.,
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was president; Patrick Tormey, vice-president; Louis Hart, secretary; and E. M. Downer, cashier. In 1907 a branch bank was established in Crockett, and in 1908 another was established at Rodeo. The capital stock was doubled in 1910, and has been increased several times since, being now $155,000, with a surplus of $75,000. In 1915 the bank erected its own building at Pinole, and in 1916 at Crockett. The Mechanics Bank of Richmond was organized on August 15, 1907, with a capital stock of $25,000, which was doubled in 1912 and again in 1916, and is now $200,000, with a surplus of $200,000. It has earned the distinction of being an honor bank, and is also the largest independent bank in Contra Costa County. Some time after Mr. Downer bought into this bank he was made its president. For more than twenty years he has served as mayor of Pinole, and he is deeply interested in all movements for the benefit of his home town.
The marriage of Edward M. Downer united him with Miss Lizzie Boquet, daughter of Frederick Boquet and a native of Contra Costa County. They became the parents of two children, viz .: Hazel I. and Edward M., Jr., the latter a law student at Leland Stanford, Jr., Uni- versity. Mrs. Downer passed away on the 19th of October, 1924. Mr. Downer was again married at Oakland, on September 14, 1926, when he wedded Mrs. Edna McLean, nee Bultin, who was born near Calistoga, Cal. Fraternally, Mr. Downer is a Royal Arch Mason, and has served as an officer in the different branches of Masonry to which he belongs. He takes an active interest in all that tends toward the building up of Contra Costa County, and is always found ready to do his part to help promote every worthy project. He has never removed from Pinole, having maintained his home there ever since settling in Contra Costa County.
HUDSON FOLTZ .- A resident of Bay Point since 1919, during which time he has been in the employ of the Coos Bay Lumber Company, Hudson Foltz, more familiarly called John Foltz, holds the post of time- keeper with this corporation. Born in Janesville, Wis., on June 28, 1885, he was the only child of Harwood and Mollie C. (Lowry) Foltz. His father was a soldier in the Civil War; and his grandfather Foltz was a strong abolitionist. At the close of the war his father married, and soon after entered the retail store business in Janesville; but on ac- count of failing health, he removed with his family to Pasadena, Cal., in 1887, just about the time the great boom in Southern California was over, and thereafter made this State his home until his death in 1903. The mother is still residing in Pasadena.
Hudson Foltz grew up in Pasadena and attended the public schools of that city, graduating from the high school in 1903. He then entered the employ of the Pacific Electric Railway and continued with them seven years as a clerk in the office of the construction department and in the store department. In 1911 he accepted a position with the Sugar
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Pine Lumber Company, in Madera County, with whom he remained four years. Entering the University of California he then took special courses along cultural and business lines ; and since coming to Bay Point he has given his entire time and attention to his duties with the Coos Bay Lumber Company.
Mr. Foltz is a Mason, holding membership in Corona Lodge No. 324, F. & A. M., in Pasadena ; and he belongs to the Antioch Pyramid of Sciots.
HON. RANDALL H. LATIMER .- Among the representative men of Contra Costa County, none stood higher nor possessed a wider circle of friends than the late Hon. Randall H. Latimer, superior judge of Cali- fornia, in and for the County of Contra Costa. Judge Latimer was a self-made man who, by natural leadership, initiative and unswerving prin- ciples of honor, arose from a humble station through the several positions he held from drug clerk to the office of superior judge. As a judge, he was broad-minded, absolutely fair and impartial in his judicial decisions, and ever ready to mete out justice to all who were brought before him, rich and poor alike. His record on the bench was one that any judge might well be proud of, and his rulings were never reversed.
R. H. Latimer was born at Miami, Mo., on January 28, 1854, a son of Randolph and Nancy Latimer, both natives of Virginia. Randolph Latimer was born in 1800, in Virginia, where his ancestors had located generations ago. On the mother's side the family tree can be traced back to Revolutionary times. Randolph Latimer removed from Virginia to Missouri, where he engaged in farming. He became one of the promi- nent men of that State. He served two terms in the State legislature of Kentucky; and in the year of his death was nominated in Missouri for the legislature, but owing to ill-health was obliged to decline the honor. Fourteen children were born to Randolph Latimer and his wife, of whom Judge Latimer and a brother, Robert K., a prosperous real estate man living in Seattle, outlived all the others. Randolph Latimer passed away in August, 1861.
Randall H. Latimer was educated in the public and private schools of Missouri, later graduating from Mt. Pleasant College of Huntsville with the Class of 1877. Two years later he came to California, locating in Concord, this county, and while there served as justice of the peace two years; afterward he removed to Walnut Creek, where he was employed in a drug store. It was about this time that he decided to adopt the law as a profession. Accordingly he began reading law while working in the drug store, and was admitted to the bar in August, 1884. He opened a law office in Walnut Creek and practiced there for two years, after which he removed to Martinez. In the larger place his legal talent soon won recognition and he became prominent in many big cases, gaining a prestige among the leading jurists of the county. In 1908 he was urged by his friends to become a candidate for superior judge for Contra Costa
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County and was elected by a flattering majority, and thereafter he was repeatedly reelected. Judge Latimer served as district attorney three years. He was active in the legal profession for upwards of a third of a century, and arose to the pinnacle of his profession. Judge Latimer was often called upon to preside over the superior courts in other counties, and decided many noted cases. As a leading man of affairs, a trained lawyer, and a superior court judge, he established a name of which the people of Contra Costa County and of California will always be proud. His brilliant career was cut short by his tragic death, which occurred on May 29, 1923, as a result of a stroke of apoplexy while in court; he was removed to his home, where he passed away on the same day.
The marriage of Judge Latimer occurred in 1889, and united him with Miss Madora Garner, of Los Gatos, Cal., a lady of education, re- finement and culture. Fraternally, Judge Latimer was a member of the Masonic Lodge in Martinez; he was also an active member of the In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows at Martinez, and had passed the chairs in that lodge. He was an officer in the California State Iroquois Club. Mrs. Latimer was a most loving and devoted wife, and a true helpmate to her husband. She is a member of the Eastern Star and the Woman's Improvement Club of Martinez, and takes an active part in club work and social events.
JOSEPH & PETER LOPEZ .- Varied experiences and associations with diversified occupations have given the Lopez Brothers, successful grocers of Pittsburg, a broad knowledge of the great West. The firm of Lopez Brothers is a co-partnership composed of Joseph and Peter Lopez, natives of Spain. They are sons of Juan Lopez, who was a trusted employee of the Spanish Government for many years, being em- ployed as a railroad section boss.
Joseph Lopez was born at Guadix, Grenada, Spain, October 12, 1890; Peter is four years younger, and was born at Malaga on January 23, 1894. Their boyhood days were spent in Spain, but with the advent of young manhood their thoughts turned towards the betterment of their financial condition and the making for themselves a career that would bring them a degree of prosperity and independence impossible in the old home land. The two brothers sailed from Gibraltar, Spain, on a British steamer for the Hawaiian Islands, landing at Honolulu on De- cember 3, 1912. They found work on sugar plantations and remained on the Islands eleven months; after which they emigrated to America, landing at San Francisco, Cal., on November 10, 1913.
Upon their arrival in the Golden State the brothers went to Santa Rosa, where they secured work on the State Highway and continued in this employment three years. In 1916 they came to Contra Costa County and were employed on asparagus ranches, for which the county is espe- cially noted. In time Joseph was advanced to the position of foreman for the F. E. Booth Company and had charge of sixty men for two
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years. Afterwards he went to Pittsburg, where he was employed by the same company in their large cannery, remaining another two years. As the result of good habits, combined with thrift, frugality, perse- verance and steady employment, together with good business manage- ment, the brothers succeeded in saving enough money to engage in busi- ness for themselves. In 1920 they purchased the grocery store of L. Fontana, and since then have built up a profitable and growing business at the corner of Second and Railroad Streets, Pittsburg.
On December 31, 1917, Joseph Lopez was united in marriage with Miss Maria Lopez, a native of Spain, the ceremony taking place at San Jose, Cal. Although her surname was the same, they were not related. This union has been blessed with four children: John, Michael, Marina, and Anthony.
Peter Lopez was married in San Francisco, Cal., January 23, 1920, taking as his bride Miss Isabella Sanchez, a native of Spain; and they have three children: Marina, Michael and Isabella. Both families are attendants of the Catholic Church and have a large circle of friends in Pittsburg.
FRANK WILLIAM BAUER, SR .- The late Frank William Bauer, Sr., was a well-known character along the water front of Contra Costa County and around San Francisco Bay. He was born in Holland on November 11, 1836, and died at Crockett in 1919. Between these dates, his was a life full of hard work, and of good deeds to those less fortunate than himself. His early education was obtained in the land of his birth; but at the age of fourteen he left home, and when sixteen landed in America. For a time he followed the life of a sailor in New York, continuing thus until he arrived in California. After his arrival he came to Port Costa and became captain of a barkentine sailing vessel named Edward May, and he also was a stevedore in the employ of the Port Costa Lumber Company; then he came to the sugar refinery and was employed there until he became ill. He packed the lumber for the first building at Crockett on the east end of the water front, which was a hotel or eating house. He often spoke of how the Eckleys swam cattle across the straits, and deplored the cruelty to the animals when he saw their condition after having landed on the opposite shore. The Eckleys would take large logs and tie the heads of the cattle to the logs, then fasten the logs to a sailing boat, and in that way cross the straits. They used the boat Vollante, later owned by the Edwards brothers.
Mr. Bauer was married twice, and by his first wife he had a son. His second wife was Rosena Stangle, a native of Germany, and they were married in 1890. She had three children by a previous marriage, one of whom was killed by the earthquake, at San Francisco in 1906; and one daughter is in San Francisco. Of this second union Frank William, Jr., is the only child. Mr. Bauer, Sr., was a well-read man, a good con- versationalist, and of a very sympathetic nature.
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MICHELE EVOLA .- To be recognized as a self-made man is an honor of which any man should be proud. Without anyone to assist him in securing a start in the business world, by persistent labor, good health, and the constant exercise of economy, Mike Evola brought him- self to the financial position in life where he possessed the means neces- sary for the building of a splendid residence, in which his family reside, and the well-known Evola Apartments of Pittsburg, both being valuable city properties.
Mike Evola, as he is familiarly called by his many friends, is a native of the Island of Sicily, Italy, where he was born on July 15, 1886, the son of John and Anna Evola ; the father still lives in Italy, but the mother passed away in 1911. The father was a small farmer and market gar- dener, and Mike had to work from early boyhood; consequently his op- portunities for attending school were few and his education necessarily meager. When fifteen years old he decided to emigrate to America. where he believed there were many opportunities for a young man who possessed a strong constitution, was hopeful, honest and industrious, and possessed a firm determination to surmount all obstacles. After landing in the United States he went to Detroit, Mich., where he secured em- ployment in the iron works. After remaining there five years, he came to San Francisco soon after the great fire, and there worked at building. In 1909 Mr. Evola located in Pittsburg and was first employed as a day laborer. After gaining some experience in excavating, he secured a team of horses and a wagon and began business for himself, hauling and exca- vating. His business soon increased and he became able to accept larger contracts and employ more men. The accumulation of valuable real estate in the city of Pittsburg is evident proof of his rapid and substantial prosperity.
On October 10, 1910, Michele Evola was united in marriage with Miss Mary Vitalie, born at Collinsville, Solano County, a daughter of Vincent Vitalie. Mr. and Mrs. Evola are the parents of four children, Mary, John, Nauvrine and Bessie, who are the life and happiness of their beautiful home. The family are members of the Catholic Church. Fra- ternally, Mike Evola belongs to the Moose and the American Foresters. He is a member of the Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce.
GIUSEPPE CIPOLLINA .- Born in the province of Torino, Italy, on July 18, 1889, Giuseppe Cipollina received his education in the schools of his native land and served an apprenticeship at the plasterer's trade in his own country, where a man is thoroughly grounded in all branches of the calling, so that he is able to put up a brick or stone wall or to do cement work, being in fact equipped by his training for the allied trades of brick and stone mason. After learning his trade, Mr. Cipollina desired to branch out into broader fields than he could find in Italy; and accordingly he came to the United States, arriving in Buffalo, N. Y., on August 3, 1913. There he followed his trade, and also worked
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