History of Fresno 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, Volume I, Part 81

Author: Vandor, Paul E., 1858-
Publication date: 1919
Publisher: Los Angeles, Calif., Historic Record Company
Number of Pages: 1362

USA > California > Fresno County > History of Fresno 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, Volume I > Part 81

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HISTORY OF FRESNO COUNTY

engaged in successful vineyard cultivation. His brother, Jay Scott, was at one time sheriff of the county.

William Wakefield was aged eighty years at death at the home of a daughter at Ripon, after having taken cold which resulted in pneumonia after a holiday family reunion in this city. He dated his first residence in Cali- fornia from the overland ox team journey in 1853 with a brother, Henry, a resident of this city, returning to the south and making a home in Texas for a time and back to California thirty years ago. He was a mining man, making his home in Fresno during the winter seasons and prospecting dur- ing the remainder of the year. He was familiar with the mountain country of the county with much of his mining activities in the vicinity of Dinkey and Laurel creeks.

J. R. White, who died at the age of seventy-eight, was a carpenter by trade, born of Puritan stock at Georgetown, Me., was a pioneer of the state and of several of its counties, and as with so many others of the early comers had a varied career checkered by successes and failures. The gold fever tempted him and in December, 1848, with a company of thirty Bath friends and com- panions left New York for the new El Dorado in a chartered schooner. From Chagres they poled in a boat to Gorgona and from there "footed it" to Panama. The next problem was how to reach San Francisco or Yerba Buena. For three weeks they sought a charter and enlarging the company an English bark, the John Richardson, was secured and the voyage terminated May 18, 1849, after a passage of ninety-two days. Mr. White made for the gold mines, visited Stockton and traversed the San Joaquin Valley. For a time he left his mining partners on the Tuolumne for the more certain returns of running a ferry scow on the river but later returned to mining. It was said of him that he was probably one of the earliest of the gold miners that explored the central section of the San Joaquin Valley, gaining personal knowledge of the Indian depredations and making the acquaintance of Major James D. Savage whom he came to know well. December, 1849, found him at Stockton where he built a house: next at San Francisco where he fol- lowed his trade for some months. Back to Stockton and the mines near Sonora meeting with success. It was at the time of the outbreak of the foreigners who threatened to drive the Americans out of the country as they witnessed their prosperity and the rapid settlement by them. Back again to Stockton he engaged with a brother, who had come to California in 1850, in a small way in the mercantile line. In the fall of that year he invested in stock, moved to Mariposa County and a dry year following he was forced to sell at a sacrifice. The gold fever had not left him and for a time he mined at Dry Diggings, and for sixteen years lived in the mining district. For years he was deputy sheriff at a time when it was necessary that an officer of the peace needs be a brave and courageous man. For one year he ran the Gilroy stage line ; in 1867 he was in Tulare as a rancher and house builder and later at Whitesbridge in this county, named for him, making his home there for eighteen years, successfully engaged in ranching, sheep raising and merchandising. It was in 1885 that he moved to Fresno and made large investments during the land boom, became a director of the Fresno Loan and Savings Bank, president of the first street railroad company, was iden- tified with other corporate enterprises and was a man of affairs. He held valuable properties in Fresno, owned a 17,000-acre wheat ranch in the valley, also two fine wheat and vegetable ranches and large warehouses near Stock- ton. Politically he was one of the advocates and organizers of the American Party, Thomas E. Hughes, Fulton G. Berry and others being associates with him. The White home at I and Stanislaus Streets was in its day "one of the finest in Fresno." The eldest son is John J. White well known as a peace officer, long connected with the Miller & Lux interests and chief of police under the W. Parker Lyon city regime.

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Mrs. Margaret Harless, who died at the age of eighty-eight, was a resident of the county for a quarter of a century, for many years making her home with a daughter at Academy. She came to California with hus- band in 1859 by ox-team, were harrassed on the journey by hostile Indians with several of the party murdered. On the journey was born her son L. J. Harless, now of Lewis, Cal. The Harlesses first settled at Farmington, Cala- veras County, later moved to Salt Spring Valley in Mariposa and lastly came to Fresno, the husband engaged in cattle and sheep raising and farming and the family maintained a city home and a Fruit Avenue ranch. She was a cheerful worker in the M. E. Church, South. She was hale and hearty until almost the very last.

An illness of only five days from pneumonia carried off Charles S. Pierce, president of the C. S. Pierce Lumber Company, and a well known citizen who had lived in Fresno for over thirty-five years, or half his life time. November 22, 1919, would have marked the fiftieth anniversary of his marriage to Mary E. Fitchpatrick. He came to Fresno direct in 1883 from Cherokee, Iowa, whither he had gone at twenty-one shortly after mar- riage. Here he entered the lumber business with his brother-in-law, F. K. Prescott, the firm of Prescott & Pierce continuing for ten years, until 1895, when the partners severed business relations and the C. S. Pierce Lumber Company was formed and is today one of the leading retail lumber com- panies in the valley. The Tulare County Lumber Company with yards at Visalia and Lindsay was another enterprise of his of eight years ago. He was a director of the Farmers' National Bank, for over twenty years a direc- tor of the People's Savings Bank until its sale to the Bank of Italy, which also took over the business of the Fresno National Bank to establish in this city one of its numerous branches. The subject of this obituary sketch was a staunch Republican in politics, stood high in Masonry, was prominent in the Elks and for over a quarter of a century was affiliated with the First Presbyterian Church in this city. At his death Fresno lost a public-spirited - citizen. Widow and five married daughters and a sister survived him.

An historical character in one sense of the word was Elisha Harlan, who at the age of eighty-one died February 27, 1919, at Riverdale in this county, survived by widow and four children. He came to California as a boy at eight years of age and as a member of the George Harlan party from Niles, Mich., that preceded the ill-fated and historical Donner party in 1846, cross- ing the plains and entering the state via the Hastings Cut-off. As a young man he turned his attention to farming and stock raising in Alameda, Napa, San Luis Obispo and Fresno counties. In the early 40's the father came into possession of a little brochure descriptive of Oregon and California. He resolved to come out west in 1845 with family and earthly chattels to seek a new home. The train was of ten wagons and with it came 150 head of cattle. The winter season was spent at Lexington, Mo., and in the spring the advance was made to the edge of the settled country on the Kaw River in Kansas. Here a rest was taken to fatten the cattle on the grass and gain strength for the arduous and trying journey across the continent. Other emi- grants to the number of over 500 joined them here and a general start was made under the leadership of Captain Ahrens. It became soon apparent that such a large party with so many animals could not well keep together on account of the scarcity of forage at times and so at the imminent risk of the hostile Indians the party divided into small caravans of about a score of wagons each. At Fort Bridger, Harlan, the father, met Hastings, the author of the little book that had lured him westward, and the latter told him of a cutoff that would save 300 miles of travel and offered to be the guide. Four trains chose to take the shorter route, these being in the order named: the Files, Donald, Harlan and Donner, for whom Donner Lake was named and all treated of in history. The Harlan party, reaching the canyon, found it overgrown with willows, but the Files and Donalds having driven

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over the obstacles it did so also. Hastings traveling with the Harlans posted notice on a tree for the Donners that there was another trail further up on the mountain side, a little longer but probably safer. The Donner party followed it, was caught in the snow at the summit and not a few perished. The Harlan and other parties were compelled to make roads for days to overcome the boulder obstacles, suffered for lack of water for days and lost, for the same reason, many of their cattle. Finally when humans and animals were almost dying from thirst, they came on to a little stream of trickling pure water and were saved. Late in the fall they emerged from the Sierras on Bear River and after seven months of journeying arrived October 8 at Sutter's Fort, from which relief was sent out to the Donners. The Harlans were at the Santa Clara mission during the closing days of the Mexican War, when every one at the mission assisted to repell an attack. Elisha Harlan was a lad of only eight years when he participated in these scenes, the recollections of which ever remained clear in his memory. He located as a farmer or stock raiser at Mission San Jose in Alameda County, near San Lorenzo, at Calistoga and at San Ramon. In 1860 he bought land near Kingston on the lower Kings and became a stock raiser and seller. Nine years later he moved to near Riverdale, where he homesteaded 160 acres, adding to them by purchase until at death he had nearly 1,000 acres, besides cattle on pasture range near Paso Robles. For eighteen years he was post- master at Riverdale and thirteen years ago he moved to a farm on the Laguna de Tache Grant and there he died. Lucy L. Hobaugh, whom he married September 14, 1871, at San Luis Obispo, survived him, likewise four chil- dren and a sister, Mrs. Mary Smith of Livermore, Cal., aged ninety-four, the last survivor of the George Harlan family of seven children. During the gold excitement of 1848 George Harlan mined for six months at Coloma in El Dorado County. From Santa Clara he and son, Joel, enlisted for serv- ice in the Mexican War. He died at Mission San Jose in June, 1850. Elisha was next to the youngest in the family.

Luke Shelley was one of the very earliest pioneers of Fresno City. He died at the age of seventy-two after a continuous residence for forty-eight years. There are very few living who knew as he did the city in its days of beginnings. He came with the railroad and was one of the first located section bosses. He became the owner of city lots which enhanced in value with the growth of the town and which a provident wife saved for a com- petency in old age. Mrs. Isabelle Shelley and a family of eight children and a sister, Mrs. Ann Quinn, survived him.

Harry F. Winnes, who had been a prominent business man of Reedley, died at Boston, Mass., March 1, 1919, and was given funeral here with Chris- tian Science services, followed by those of the Masonic fraternity. Winnes had been a resident of Reedley for a quarter of a century, was a former president of the national bank there and a director at the time of death. Old friends and business associates were the pallbearers at the funeral, namely : W. W. Parlier, J. C. McCubbin, Marion Dineen, J. J. Eymann, Edwin Reed and Clyde Howell.

Mrs. Amanda Perry, nee Lowrey and widow of Peter Perry, was an- other of the almost extinct band of intrepid pioneers that braved the perils of the transcontinental journey by ox team, the toilsome passage enduring six months with the travelers frequently exposed to hardships and danger. The Perrys married in Tennessee in 1857, the crossing of the plains was her wedding trip and her residence in California was of sixty-two years. On this ox-team journey the leaders of the combined parties disagreed as to the best route to be followed, the caravan divided and the Perrys remained with that portion that selected the further north routing before reaching Salt Lake City. The other section was massacred by the Indians. The northern section arrived safely in California and the Perrys became early settlers at

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HISTORY OF FRESNO COUNTY

Centerville on the Upper Kings River. The Perrys followed the Donner Lake trail. Mrs. Perry died at the age of seventy-nine, having lived for many years at Sanger. Four children, twenty-four grandchildren, seven great- grandchildren, a brother and two sisters survived her.

When Mr. Eguinian was suddenly called by death, March 25, 1919, while at his desk preparing the next issue of his paper, the Armenian colony of the county in particular, and the Armenians in America in general, lost a man conceded to have been an outstanding character. Born in Armenia in 1865 of a well-to-do family, it was reported that he received his early education at the parochial school of his native town. Actuated by a desire to aid his parents who had been impoverished by the tax exactions of the Turkish government, he came to America in 1885 to work out his own salvation. For five years in New York he worked in the silk factories and acquired a knowledge of the English language, using it for the betterment of his coun- trymen and co-religionists who were about that time beginning to come to the United States, driven from home by the persecutions and tyranny of the Turks. Eguinian mastered the art of printing and he it was, so it is said, that was first, scant though his means, to introduce into this country the Armenian letter types from Venice in Italy and published in New York the first Armenian newspaper "Arev" (The Sun). Despite financial stringen- cies and other discouragements, he published various Armenian periodicals until twenty years ago when he sold his latest, "The Tigris," to an Arme- nian political party. He came to California in 1899, settling in Fresno at- tracted by the large Armenian colony here, and associated with the late M. Markarian, published an Armenian song book, and later in 1903 founded the first Armenian newspaper in California and the west, "The Citizen," four years ago changed to "Nor Giank" (New Life), on which he was at work when death's call came after a few days of indifferent health. Eguinian was a Mason and a man actively useful to his compatriots in Armenian and American political life.

Mrs. Anna L. Woodward was the wife of O. J. Woodward, president of the First National Bank of Fresno and a resident of Fresno for thirty-four years, being the first of a colony that came from Clinton, Ill., arriving in 1885 at the beginning of the big boom and among them being the Lisenbys, the Vogels, besides others. At Clinton the husband and Jacob Vogel had been engaged in the shoe business for fourteen years before. The Wood- wards were in 1883 the advance guard to come West, sojourning one year at Prescott, Ariz., later moving to Los Angeles, and to Fresno December 5, 1885. Mrs. Woodward was a woman of retiring disposition and humble aspirations notwithstanding that in later years she was in affluence. She took an active interest in the affairs of the First Presbyterian Church with which she affiliated in July, 1890. Her death followed a long illness.

Death removed, March 26, 1919, from this world Hugh Knepper, whose life activities were part of the history of California and of the county of Fresno. He was a Pennsylvanian by birth and eighty-two years of age when the summons came. It was at the age of fifteen that in 1852 he came to California and remained a resident until the Civil War when he enlisted in the Second California Cavalry at San Francisco, September 30, 1861, and mustered out from Company A at Fort Douglas, Utah, October 4, 1864. Regiment was organized under the President's second call August 14, 1861, and companies first assembled at Camp Alert in San Francisco located on the ground embraced within Mission, Folsom, Twenty-fourth and Twenty- fifth Streets, then known as the Pioneer Race Track and afterwards as ball grounds. The company was at Fort Miller in September, 1865, for one month. Leaving the army, he returned to Missouri and there in 1867 married the widow, Emily Short, mother of John W. and Frank H. Short so prominent in Fresno. A son named Charles was born of the union but he died three years ago. The stepson, John W. Short, preceded the Knepper family by

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one year in coming to Fresno in 1881. Hugh Knepper engaged in cattle raising on Fancher Creek, thirty miles northeast of Fresno and this was his home until the death of his son. He engaged also in mining and his name is associated with the discovery and development of the Copper King mine, which was afterward sold to an English syndicate. He was also a vineyardist in the Fowler vicinity. He was identified with the Prohibitionist political movement and a decade ago was a candidate for the state assembly ; he was affiliated with the First M. E. Church of Fresno, and prominent in the G. A. R. The death of the wife preceded his.

Hal C. Collins, born in Fresno County in 1875, and a Native Son of the Golden West, was in the earlier part of his life associated in farming and stock raising with his father, the late pioneer and ex-Sheriff J. D. Col- lins, was later a deputy under Sheriff R. M. Chittenden, and since then en- gaged in farming at Lone Star. His widow is a daughter of the pioneer, A. D. Sample, whose family is as prominent in the annals of the county since the days of the Southern war as the Collins family.

A noteworthy incident at the funeral of William Helm, April 12, 1919, was that the pallbearers were all grandsons, namely: Paul Cox, DeWitt Helm, Henry Walrond, Lawrence Maupin and Robert Thomas. William Helm was prominent in the early development of the county, in his day was perhaps the largest sheep raiser, drove his flocks over the range between Fresno City site and the foothills and as the story has it camped the winter of 1865 on the town site and where the courthouse now stands. He died at the age of eighty-two from the infirmities of old age and after an illness that had lasted some seven months. A Canadian, born of Scotch parentage, he headed "Westward Ho," spent three years as a lumberman in Wisconsin on the Chippewa and on attaining majority in 1859, turned toward San Francisco and after a sea voyage from New York of twenty-five days via the isthmus arrived with cash capital of five dollars and this he spent for a river steamer fare to Sacramento. He settled first in Placer County, mined without great success, and after various occupations followed butchering three years, engaged in the sheep business on Bear River, closing out in 1864, and driving his sheep to Oregon where he sold out for about $15,000, representing his profits. He returned to Sacramento, bought more sheep and in July, 1865, drove them to the San Joaquin Valley, since which he had continued his residence, except for a time when he lived about the bay after his second marriage to the sister of his deceased first wife. His mother died at the age of eighty-two and was the mother of nine children. William Helm's coming to Fresno was at a time when it was only a vast vista of space and distances, with not a foot of railway and when the sheep and the cattleman was a law unto himself and maintained it with show of force, even though he might be trespassing on the prior rights of others. Especially was this so in the matter of feed ranges. On Section 4 on Dry Creek, six miles northeast of what was afterward chosen as the town site, he bought 2,600 acres of land from W. S. Chapman at one dollar an acre and launched out as a sheep raiser and dealer. His herd increased and at one time numbered 22.000 head. He bought subsequently to add to his do- main until he had 16,000 acres in a body. At a later period he also had a vineyard. For eight years after settlement at Dry Creek, he had no neighbor nearer than twelve miles; his was the only settlement between the foothills and the future townsite. Helm was at that time conceded to be the largest individual sheep grower in this section of the state. He carried his wool or sheep to market to Stockton, and if there was reason for it went as far as Arizona. His residence in Fresno City dated from 1877 on a five-acre tract that was afterward the corner of Fresno and R. It was one of the finest in the city for the day with tastefully laid out and attractive grounds. He had also other valuable city property as for instance the Helm Block at Fresno and J. He was vice-president of the Bank of Central California, president

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at one time of the Fresno Canal and Irrigation Company, and a stockholder in the Morning Republican. The improvement of his country holdings en- gaged his attention and he built a ditch to carry water, for irrigation, from the Kings River; afterward he was one of the stock company that built the Gould ditch with laterals running over his land. When irrigation had made these lands desirable, he sold at advantageous prices until he retained only 3,000 acres. Large crops of wheat, barley and alfalfa were raised, and his 400-acre vineyard was one of the most extensive in the county, with wine grapes a specialty. At the sheep ranch located two miles west of Fresno 3,000 Merinos were kept. It had been swamp land but was reclaimed and a part of it transformed into an alfalfa pasture. His marriage was in Placer County to Fannie S. Newman, born in England but brought up in New York. She was the mother of seven children, and at the time of his second marriage, in 1909, and before it, he made division of his property among the children, five of whom are daughters. It must be conceded that William Helm inherited the Scotch habit of thrift, was a man of industry and energy and personally took part in the great scheme of the agricultural and horti- cultural development of the county that he among others considered was worth nothing save as a vast feed range for the sheep and cattle. Be- fore his property division the Helm Company was formed in 1900 with his sons associated to manage his diversified interests, the son Frank Helm president and manager. That son was the first office boy and later assistant cashier of the Bank of Central California. The father was also interested in the Farmers' National Bank, and always was a stanch Republican in politics. As a bit of family historical gossip, it is recalled that four of the five married daughters are living today on the block bounded by Fresno, S. R, and Mer- ced, part of the original family home, and that besides his children he is sur- vived by fifteen grandsons and granddaughters. The old Helm family resi- dence at 2823 Fresno Street, enlarged and beautified, is occupied by Dr. J. L. Maupin, whose wife was Mary H. Helm. The funeral was from the Maupin residence with Episcopal service and of this church the first wife was a de- voted member. Only the members of the family were bid to the funeral.

One of the most modest and retiring of men was Charles E. Jenney, who passed away April 6, 1919, at Colfax, Cal., where he had lived four years receiving treatment for asthma and other complications. He was a poet of some merit, a philatelist, a numismatologist, a conchologist, a naturalist and a botanist. He had been a resident of Fresno for nearly thirty years, coming from Massachusetts as a young man, was for years with Noble Bros., one of the early raisin and fruit packers, and with the dissolution of the firm on re- moval of the senior member of the firm to Ocean Beach engaged in the insur- ance business until his going to Colfax for the outdoor treatment. In his spare hours he devoted himself to literary and scientific studies and contrib- uted to newspapers and monthly publications on the subject of California natural history. He was also a poet and newspapers and magazines have published his verses. He himself published a volume of poetry under the title of "California Nights' Entertainment.". His verses may be found in most of the latest anthologies of California poetry. The verses were gener- ously criticised for their metrical descriptions of California scenery. In a more recent volume on "Literary California" some of Jenney's poems find place with those of Bret Harte, Joaquin Miller and others and the prose de- scriptions of scenery of John Muir. Two of his poems, "The San Joaquin" and "The Sequoias," are reproduced in full. He was recognized as a botanist and geologist and he it was that arranged the collection on the natural his- tory of California at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in 1915 in San Francisco. It included his own private accumulations of natural history specimens, and it is said to be one of the largest and most comprehensive in private owner- ship. His collection of stamps established his standing as an expert in this line. He took interest in medals and coins, in botany and in shells and was

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History of Fresno 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, Volume I, Part 81

Author: Vandor, Paul E., 1858- Publication date: 1919 Publisher: Los Angeles, Calif., Historic Record Company Number of Pages: 1362

Author: Vandor, Paul E., 1858-
Publication date: 1919
Publisher: Los Angeles, Calif., Historic Record Company
Number of Pages: 1362